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Acknowledging that the legal and political obstacles are formidable, the proponent of a state ballot measure to sever Californias ties with the United States and form its own nation has been cleared to start collecting signatures.

If passed by voters, the measure, California Nationhood. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statue, would remove language from the state constitution describing California as an inseparable part of the United States of America and require the governor to request admission for California to the United Nations.

That would be just the start of a long and arduous path to nationhood.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Rich Pedroncelli/AP Show More Show Less 3 of 3





In order to be eligible for the 2018 ballot, the proponent, Marcus Ruiz Evans, will have to collect 585,407 valid signatures from California voters by July 25.

According to an opinion article he recently wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, Evans said almost 7,000 volunteers will collect the signatures  an extremely difficult task without professional signature gatherers. Its generally believed to cost at least $1.5 million to finance a successful signature gathering drive of that magnitude. So far, campaign records on file show the Yes California committee has raised no money.

In his op-ed, Evans, who appears to be based in Fresno, acknowledged that separation from the U.S. wont be easy.

Taxes, military bases, establishing an army are just a few of the issues, Evans wrote, adding that California has the benefit of the Federal Supreme Court decision of Texas v. White (decided after the Civil War), which said states cannot violently unilaterally secede, but they could secede through consent of the states.'

Ultimately, secession would require a federal constitutional amendment and require two-thirds of the states to approve it. A very tall order indeed.

But given the 4.3 million vote margin California gave to Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, the notion of secession  no matter how fanciful  might well appeal to angry, frustrated and worried Californians. A recent Reuters/Ipos poll found that 32 percent of Californians support forming a separate nation.

And how would President, I mean Governor Jerry Brown feel about it? While I doubt hed give it much credence, there is reason to think the idea might capture his imagination. Years ago, a former top aide to Brown when he was governor the first time around in the 1970s, told me that he loved to contemplate all kinds of scenarios.

We once discussed the pros and cons of having the California National Guard invade Nevada, he told me. That could be music to the ears of the CalExit campaign.

This article originally appeared on KQED.org
The "big, beautiful wall" that President Donald Trump vowed again this week to build along the Mexican border won't block just humans. Dozens of animal species that migrate freely across the international line in search of water, food and mates would be walled off.

A list of animals that dwell near the 1,300-mile expanse that the proposed wall would cover seems endless. In May, in a report called Trump Wall, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed more than 100 species between California and Texas that are listed as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act, or are candidates for a spot on the list.

At a time when the Trump administration has restricted communications from the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, federal agencies may be reluctant to weigh in on any topic in a way that appears critical of the president's ambitions.







But outside the government, scientists who've studied how 670 miles of walls and fences erected as part of the Secure Fence Act under former president George W. Bush in 2006 tell stories of animals stopping in their tracks, staring at barriers they couldn't cross.

"At the border wall, people have found large mammals confounded and not knowing what to do," said Jesse Lasky, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State University. Deer, mountain lions, jaguar and ocelots are among the animals whose daily movement was disrupted, he said.

More for you Fate of Berlin Wall should be a teaching moment for Trump, current Berlin mayor says

Trump's proposed wall, estimated to cost between $15 billion and $25 billion, would cover parts of the border that the Bush project, which was essentially abandoned because of its cost in 2009, does not.

Research on the impacts of the current barrier fence is limited because the 2006 act gave the Homeland Security secretary sweeping power to build quickly, without the need for environmental impact studies or other analysis that would show how the land would be disturbed and how flora and fauna could potentially be harmed.

While at the University of Texas, Lasky led a study on the impact of barriers published in the journal Diversity and Distributions in 2011. The study's main conclusion was the "new barriers would increase the number of species at risk."

A big concern, Lasky said in an interview Friday, was that over time the populations of threatened and endangered species would decline. A wall cutting off isolated populations from those on the other side of the wall would exacerbate the problem because they couldn't mate, at least not in a sustainable way.

"There are concerns about small populations mating with each other and inbreeding, and getting genetic disorders from inbreeding," Lasky said. Their problems wouldn't end there. "We didn't talk about it much in the paper, but with climate change, if an animal or any organism is going to stay in the temperatures it prefers, it has to move to track those conditions. That's going to be important for the persistence of a lot of species."

A 2008 study mentioned the decline of carnivores, such as the grizzly bear and gray wolf, at the U.S.-Mexico border and renewed interest in protecting Neotropical cat species there. "In the USA there are no known breeding populations of jaguars and only two . . . populations of ocelots," the study by scientists at Pace University in New York and the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro in Mexico.

The cats "are threatened by land development and land conversion, predator control by cattle growers, an increase in disease exposure, construction of highways, international bridges and immigration-control infrastructure," meaning border walls. More walls would greatly magnify the threat, the researchers said.
Europe woke up to the news of Donald Trump being elected president of the United States on Nov. 9. The day was also the 27th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; an irony that did not go unnoticed by many Europeans. Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico had drawn harsh criticism.

On Friday, Berlin Mayor Michael Muller became one of the most outspoken foreign critics of President Trump's plans to build the wall. In a statement published on the city's official website, Muller was quoted as saying: "We can simply not accept that all our historic experiences are being thrown into disarray by the ones we have to thank most for our freedom: the Americans. I call on the U.S. President to not go down this wrong track of isolation and exclusion."
Members of UW-Madisons student government on Friday criticized Chancellor Rebecca Blanks call for officials to revisit their policy of not asking about applicants criminal records.

The statement from members of the Associated Students of Madison also repeated concerns UW administrators have not done enough to address racism on campus, after officials acknowledged this week that a student at the university had been convicted of a racially motivated arson spree in 2005.

Blank called Thursday for the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to consider a review of UWs applications, which do not allow officials to ask about or consider prospective students prior criminal convictions.

Blank made the request after a UW-Madison student who served prison time for setting fires at predominantly black churches in Milwaukee and Michigan began trying to recruit other students to join a local chapter of a white nationalist organization.

But echoing the arguments of criminal justice reform advocates who say questions about criminal backgrounds are too often used to unfairly deny opportunities to people trying to re-enter society, the student government representatives said introducing those questions to the application process would be discriminatory.

It also would not be an effective tool for addressing intolerance, they argued.

We know who is predominantly impacted by the criminal justice system and we know that it isnt young, financially secure white men, representative Brooke Evans said in the statement. And we know that it doesnt take a criminal history to determine the capacity for hate in the present.

The statement also called for Blank to label the organization student Daniel Dropik is trying to start on campus as a white supremacist group. The ASM members said Blank must craft tangible policies that actually address the racism that is perpetuated by students, faculty, academic staff, university staff and administrators on this campus.

Dropik, 33, says his organization  a chapter of the American Freedom Party, which a member described in an email Friday as a nationalist party that is concerned with the issues of white Americans  will be a pro-white student club.

A balancing act

Campus officials did not respond directly to the ASM statement Friday. Instead, they distributed a letter Blank wrote to UW System President Ray Cross in which she said the American Freedom Party is a recognized hate group, and asked to start a discussion of the Systems policy of not collecting information about applicants criminal records.

A university spokesman said Blank is not advocating for specific changes to UWs admissions policies.

The chancellor wrote she recognizes how important it is to ensure that students who have made mistakes and paid their debt to society are not denied an education, and said a prior criminal conviction should not be an automatic bar to admission.

But there are risks in remaining entirely ignorant of an applicants felony record, Blank added. I believe it is appropriate now to engage in a broad discussion with stakeholders about how we balance campus safety, particularly in a time when we are working hard to ensure all students feel welcome and protected, with the rights of students who have committed violent crimes.

State Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, urged UW officials in a statement to exercise caution if they seek to change their existing policy.

If we truly believe education is the key to changing peoples hearts and minds, then we need to strongly consider if it is appropriate to deny individuals who have paid their debt to society an opportunity to become a productive citizen again, said Murphy, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.

I do not agree with certain viewpoints expressed by the student in question, but as long as a member of the university community follows university policy and does not commit or advocate for violence, then I ask the UW to fairly apply its standards of academic freedom to protect students free speech that some might find objectionable, Murphy added.

Push to stop asking about criminal records

Policies for asking about prospective students criminal convictions vary across the country.

The UW System, the University of California System and some other large universities dont ask about criminal records, though many institutions do. At New York University, officials consider a students criminal record only after they have made their initial admission decision.

The question appears on the national Common Application, which UW-Madison began using for undergraduate admissions this school year, but Blank said that information is not sent to UW officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Dane County Board on Thursday approved funding to purchase 56 low-income residential units around the county.

The move gives the Dane County Housing Authority $350,000 from the Affordable Housing Development Fund to buy the units, which are located in Verona, Stoughton and DeForest.

The residences are currently income-restricted under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program and home to elderly and disabled Dane County residents. The current owner planned to sell the properties for market-rate development, but the DCHA will use the funds to maintain the rental assistance provided by the USDA.

DCHA executive director Robert Dicke said residents of the properties pay only 30 percent of their income and if the units were sold for market value, the tie to the renters income wouldnt be maintained. With the purchase and continued leases under DCHA ownership, the renters can continue to live in the units even if age or disability keeps them from earning an income.

Dicke said it is important to keep the units part of the Rural Development program because the USDA has the funding to maintain assistance with current housing developments, but it does not have the ability to create new assisted housing.

Also on Thursday, the County Board approved:

A $139,155 contract with MGT of America Consulting to evaluate the racial equity of contracts made with the county.

A recreational zoning change at 2342 Uphoff Road in the town of Cottage Grove that will expand the flying hours of radio-controlled aircraft at a field that has been used by the Madison Area Radio Control Society since 2015.

The purchase of a four-unit apartment building at 1509 McKenna Blvd. for $372,000 from the Affordable Housing Development Fund, which will be leased to Nehemiah Center to provide affordable housing for ex-offenders.
State superintendent candidates backed by mostly conservatives once donated money to a former opponent of Gov. Scott Walker, campaign finance records show.

John Humphries, a former Dodgeville School District administrator, donated $35 to Milwaukee mayor Tom Barretts campaign against Walker during the 2012 recall election.

The donation came after Humphries also signed the 2011 petition that triggered the recall after the passage of Act 10, Walkers signature law that curtailed collective bargaining for most public employees, making him a favorite among conservatives nationally and propelled him to a short-lived run for president.

Lowell Holtz, a former superintendent of Beloit and Whitnall schools, also donated $125 to Barretts gubernatorial campaign against Walker in 2010. He donated $50 to Walker that year, too.

Both Holtz and Humphries are seeking to unseat incumbent Tony Evers by winning over Walkers supporters with campaigns for state superintendent that focus on issues appealing to conservatives views on K-12 education, including supporting taxpayer-funded private school vouchers and charter schools.

Evers, who is backed by mostly Democrats, made one $37.50 donation and one $75 donation to the Republican Party of Wisconsin in 2011 and 2015, respectively, in order to attend Walkers inaugurations.

Evers campaign focuses on his work as state superintendent, a tenure during which he has objected to the way lawmakers have expanded the number of school vouchers and advocated for more money for public schools.

Racine teacher Rick Melcher, who is running a campaign appealing to public school advocates and Democrats, also is running as a write-in candidate. He has given to Democrats in the past.

The primary is Feb. 21. The two candidates with the most votes will move on to the general election on April 4.

Assembly GOP seeks federal relief

Assembly Republicans provided to their congressional counterparts this week a list of federal environmental, health care and education regulations they would like to see eliminated.

The education regulations include federal testing, annual maintenance of local special education funding, multiple reporting requirements, including twice-a-year county health inspections under the National School Lunch Program and transportation for homeless students.

The letter identifies costly federal air, wetland and wastewater discharge permitting as affecting business growth and expansion, the Clean Power Plan, which a federal court has halted, and a requirement under the Clean Air Act that Wisconsin counties continue vehicle inspection and maintenance programs.

Health care regulations mentioned include several oversight programs for hospitals such as an audit program that seeks to correct inaccurate Medicare payments, a requirement that hospitals report on 60 different quality measures, which can cost hospitals $50,000 to $100,000 per year.

U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, wrote to Vos and other state lawmakers in December asking for examples of mandates on state, local, tribal and private sector entities.

Liberal radio coming

to Milwaukee

A liberal radio talk show host familiar to Madison audiences has bought an AM radio license in Milwaukee to counter conservative talk radios influence.

Michael Crute, co-host of Devils Advocates Radio Show, which previously aired on The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie before the station changed its format last fall, is planning to air local and national liberal syndicated radio shows on WRRD 1510 AM in Milwaukee.

The lineup includes Crutes show, which had been syndicated in 20 media markets since leaving Madison airwaves, Milwaukees Earl Ingram and national liberal talkers Bill Press, Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartman.

Crute said in a statement the station can be picked up as far west as Madison.
University of California at Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks affirmed today that controversial far-right writer Milo Yiannopoulos will be speaking at the university next week, potentially drawing thousands of protesters to the campus.

"In our view, Mr. Yiannopoulos is a troll and provocateur who uses odious behavior in part to 'entertain,' but also to deflect any serious engagement with ideas," Dirks wrote in an open letter to the campus community today.

"He has been widely and rightly condemned for engaging in hate speech directed at a wide range of groups and individuals, as well as for disparaging and ridiculing individual audience members, particularly members of the LGBTQ community," Dirks said.

But, despite protests from students, Dirks said Berkeley College Republicans have a Constitutional right to invite him to speak.

The sold-out event will be held at the Pauley Ballroom of the MLK Student Union at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

"While working as a journalist for Breitbart, Milo has earned a reputation for his vocal criticisms of feminism, Islam, political correctness, and social justice," organizers wrote. "To his supporters, he is a cultural whirlwind, to his critics, he is a bigoted rabble-rouser, but to everyone, he is nothing short of amusing and provocative."

More than 1,000 people have responded on Facebook that they intend to protest the event.

"The election of Donald Trump has emboldened the far right -- racists, Islamophobes and misogynists are attempting to come out into the light and gain a foothold across the country," protest organizers said. "We have to show them that we won't tolerate any rise in far right activity."

Yiannopoulos's other recent campus appearances have led to tense protests, including a joint appearance with pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli at UC Davis, where protesters blocked the entrances and the event was cancelled before either took the stage.

Another planned event for Feb. 2 at UCLA, the day after the Berkeley event, was cancelled this week because organizers with the Bruin Republicans at UCLA said they were unable to accommodate the list of requirements from Yiannopoulos's team.

In a response to the UCLA cancellation posted on Facebook, Yiannopoulos said, "I travel with bodyguards twenty-four hours a day, and (the tour) is a multimillion-dollar operation with logistical and security requirements like any other celebrity or professional musical tour. We understand some college organisers invite me unaware of this complexity, so we work hard to help them through the process."

Yiannopoulos also complained on Facebook that UC Berkeley was requiring campus Republicans to pay a security fee for the event. But Dirks said the university typically requires event organizers to reimburse the university for basic security.

The costs of security for protests will be covered by the campus and will exceed whatever costs were paid by the campus Republicans, Dirks said.

Dirks also said he told the Berkeley Republicans that while they have a right to host him, Yiannopoulos's rhetoric and actions are at odds with the values of the university and they have a moral responsibility not to engage in behavior or invite guests that would threaten their fellow students.

"Nothing we have done to plan for this event should be mistaken as an endorsement of Yiannopoulos's views or tactics," Dirks said. "Indeed, we are saddened that anyone would use degrading stunts or verbal assaults on marginalized members of our society to promote a political platform."

An event with Yiannopoulos at the University of Washington not only led to protests, but also led to one protester being shot and critically wounded last week. Two people turned themselves in to UW police, but were later released.
A federal judicial panel says state lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker must act before the 2018 election to redraw legislative district boundaries that the court recently struck down as unconstitutionally benefiting Republicans.

In an order released Friday, the judges say Wisconsin must devise a new redistricting plan for the 2018 election and have it in place by Nov. 1, 2017.

State officials pledged to swiftly appeal the order to the U.S. Supreme Court. Should it withstand appeal, the ruling could reshape the 2018 legislative elections, giving beleaguered Democrats  now badly outnumbered in the Legislature  hope to win more races.

But Fridays order also rejected a key request from plaintiffs: that judges, rather than lawmakers and the governor, take charge of creating new district boundaries.

It is the prerogative of the state to determine the contours of a new map, the three-judge panel ruled.

The order says Republican lawmakers and Walker should use the original November ruling as a guide to devise a map that is constitutional. The new map would change state Assembly and state Senate districts; U.S. congressional districts would not be affected.

The same three-judge panel ruled in November that Wisconsins legislative boundaries are an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander that was intended to burden the representational rights of Democratic voters  by impeding their ability to translate their votes into legislative seats.

The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan advocacy group that has helped represent the plaintiffs, hailed the ruling as a monumental victory for the plaintiffs in this case and for all Wisconsin voters.

Today, the court made a clear statement that holding yet another unconstitutional election under (the current legislative boundaries) would cause significant harm to the voters, said Gerry Hebert, the centers director of voting rights and redistricting.

Lawyers from the state Attorney Generals Office, who defended the current map, had argued the state should wait to redraw the districts until the U.S. Supreme Court decides the states all-but-certain appeal of the case.

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for the state Department of Justice, which the attorney general leads, said Friday that we expect to file an appeal with the Supreme Court and seek prompt reversal of this decision.

Timing could be critical

Federal law requires the high court to respond to an appeal of such redistricting litigation instead of simply declining to take it. But its up to the high court to decide when to act.

If the court waits until next year, then overrules the lower court, it could put Wisconsin in political limbo shortly before an election, said Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

Legislative Democrats, meanwhile, praised Fridays ruling, saying Republicans must heed it by working with Democrats and the public to craft a new map.

Rather than trying to justify their unconstitutional election-rigging efforts, Republicans should work with Democrats to protect voters and restore election fairness, said Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse.

The office of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, referred questions about the order to the Department of Justice. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos office did not respond to a request for comment.

The November ruling striking down Wisconsins legislative map was seen as nationally significant by the plaintiffs and their allies, who say it validates their proposed test to measure unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering.

Efficiency gap proposal

Redistricting maps in other states previously were challenged as unconstitutionally partisan, but the U.S. Supreme Court has said theres no established way to measure such claims.

The proposed test includes a measure called the efficiency gap, which examines the discrepancy between how many votes are wasted for each party in recent elections.

Wasted votes, according to the efficiency gaps creators, are the number of lost votes cast for losing candidates and surplus votes for victorious candidates in excess of what they needed to win.

Applied to Wisconsins current map, it translates to a greater amount of wasted votes for Democrats.

Democratic votes are loaded overwhelmingly into a few safe districts, largely in the states urban areas.

The remaining Democratic votes are scattered throughout the states remaining districts, largely in suburban and rural areas, in such a way that Democrats in those districts are a near-permanent minority.

Esenberg and other conservative critics argue the efficiency gap is due simply to Democratic voters choosing to cluster together in urban areas. Esenberg says using the gap as a standard for redistricting would require overlooking other established criteria for creating legislative districts, such as geographic compactness and matching district lines with municipal and county boundaries.

The judicial panel consists of Kenneth Ripple, a judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and district court judges Barbara Crabb and William Griesbach.

Ripple and Crabb issued the November order that found the current legislative district plan to be unconstitutional; Griesbach opposed it.

Crabb was appointed to the bench in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. Ripple was appointed to the U.S. Appeals Court for the Seventh Circuit in 1985 by Republican President Ronald Reagan. Griesbach, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, was appointed in 2002 by GOP President George W. Bush.
WASHINGTON  The flurry of bold executive orders and of highly provocative Cabinet nominations (such as a secretary of education who actually believes in school choice) has been encouraging to conservative skeptics of Donald Trump.

But it shouldnt erase the troubling memory of one major element of Trumps inaugural address.

The foreign policy section has received far less attention than so revolutionary a declaration deserved. It radically redefined the American national interest as understood since World War II.

Trump outlined a world in which foreign relations are collapsed into a zero-sum game. They gain, we lose. As in: For many decades, weve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while depleting our own. And most provocatively this: The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world.

JFKs inaugural pledged to support any friend and oppose any foe to assure the success of liberty. Note that Trump makes no distinction between friend and foe (and no reference to liberty). Theyre all out to use, exploit and surpass us.

No more, declared Trump: From this day forward, its going to be only America First.

Imagine how this resonates abroad. America First was the name of the organization led by Charles Lindbergh that bitterly fought FDR before U.S. entry into World War II  right through the Battle of Britain  to keep America neutral between Churchills Britain and Hitlers Reich.

Not that Trump was consciously imitating Lindbergh. I doubt he was even aware of the reference. He just liked the phrase. But I can assure you that in London and in every world capital they are aware of the antecedent and the intimations of a new American isolationism. Trump gave them good reason to think so, going on to note the right of all nations to put their own interests first. America included.

Some claim putting America first is a reassertion of American exceptionalism. On the contrary, it is the antithesis. It makes America no different from all the other countries that define themselves by a particularist blood-and-soil nationalism.

What made America exceptional, unique in the world, was defining its own national interest beyond its narrow economic and security needs to encompass the safety and prosperity of a vast array of allies. A free world marked by open trade and mutual defense was President Trumans vision, shared by every president since.

Until now.

Some have argued Trump is just dangling a bargaining chip to negotiate better terms of trade or alliance. Or that Trumps views are so changeable and unstable  telling European newspapers two weeks ago that NATO is obsolete and then saying NATO is very important to me  that this is just another unmoored entry on a ledger of confusion.

But both claims are demonstrably wrong. An inaugural address is no off-the-cuff riff. These words are the product of at least three weeks of deliberate crafting for an address that Trump said would express his philosophy. Moreover, to remove any ambiguity, Trump prefaced his America first proclamation with: From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

Trumps vision misunderstands the logic underlying the far larger, far-reaching view of Truman. The Marshall Plan sure took wealth away from the American middle class and distributed it abroad. But for a reason. Altruism, in part. But mostly to stabilize Western Europe as a bulwark against an existential global enemy.

We carried many free riders throughout the Cold War. The burden was heavy. But this was not a mindless act of charity; it was an exercise in enlightened self-interest. After all, it was indeed better to subsidize foreign armies  German, South Korean, Turkish and dozens of others  and have them stand with us, rather than stationing even more American troops everywhere around the world at greater risk of both blood and treasure.

We are embarking on insularity and smallness. Nor is this just theory. Trumps long-promised but nonetheless abrupt withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the momentous first fruit of his foreign policy doctrine. Last year the prime minister of Singapore told John McCain that if we pulled out of TPP youll be finished in Asia. He knows the region.

For 70 years, we sustained an international system of open commerce and democratic alliances that has enabled America and the West to grow and thrive. Global leadership is what made America great. We abandon it at our peril.
One of the features on the White House website that didnt vanish when President Trump took the oath of office on Friday is the We the People page, which allows ordinary Americans to petition their government to address an issue of importance to them. The Obama White House, which created the feature, responded to petitions that received at least 100,000 signatures within 30 days.

It should come as no surprise that that threshold was easily reached last weekend after someone created a petition calling on Trump to release his tax returns.

The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution, the petitioner, identified as A.D., wrote.

The emoluments clause bars the president from receiving gifts and payments from foreign governments. The petition had garnered more than 310,000 signatures by Tuesday.

The administration dismisses these pleas for honesty, arguing that only journalists care about Trumps tax returns and conflicts of interest  a claim that a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll disproved. It found that 74 percent of Americans, including 53 percent of Republicans, believe Trumps tax returns should be made public.

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to Trump and his chief obfuscator, told ABC News on Sunday hes not going to release his tax returns, adding that the election showed that people didnt care.

On Monday, she pulled back a tad, tweeting that POTUS is under audit and will not release until that is completed. Of course, even that comment is a ruse. The Internal Revenue Service has made clear that being under audit wouldnt preclude Trump from making his returns public.

Yet, the Trump campaign used that excuse over and over, and now Trump has carried it into the White House. White House officials are probably hoping that the longer they stonewall, the more likely that public demands on this matter will be pushed aside as torrents of controversial policies and statements from Trump dominate the news cycle. Even so, voters and members of Congress who care about ethics in the nations highest office should not let up.

Releasing the returns would provide important insight into Trumps finances and businesses. They would reveal if he is as wealthy as he claims to be, what his effective income tax rate is (he said during the campaign that not paying taxes meant he was smart) and how much he gives to charity. The documents would also identify the sources of his income and debt, helping to answer questions about his links to businessmen, banks and governments in places like Russia and the Middle East, and putting a spotlight on potential conflicts of interest.

Presidential candidates have voluntarily disclosed their tax returns since the Watergate scandal ushered in an era of greater transparency. Trump, whose checkered past as a businessman includes a string of bankruptcies and a $25 million settlement compensating students who said they had been defrauded by Trump University, has chosen to buck this trend, perhaps because he has something to hide.

Congress can force his hand by supporting a bill that Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Chris Murphy of Connecticut introduced this month. It would require the current and all future presidents to release their tax returns. State lawmakers could also head off this problem in the future by forcing presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns to get on the ballot. There is one such bill pending in New York.

Trumps refusal to release his returns was deeply suspicious during the campaign, and its indefensible now that hes in power. The only logical conclusion is that the candidate who pledged to clean up Washington is hiding damaging information about his past.
In order to pay for a proposed wall along the Mexican border, President Donald Trump is considering levying a 20 percent import tax on Mexican goods, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

"By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said. "This is something that we've been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan."

In this proposal, American consumers of Mexican goods could likely be the ones paying for much of the wall, not the Mexican government. Mexican products, including everything from tequila to cars, would become more expensive.

However, there is no guarantee the tax will materialize into legislation, as White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus called it just one of a "buffet of options" to pay for the wall, and House Speaker Paul Ryan stated that Congress would be willing to front $14 billion in funding.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham has already taken aim at the proposal, noting that Mexico could place retaliatory tariffs on American goods, thus igniting a "trade war." (Graham also noted on Twitter that he would be "mucho sad" if he had to pay more for tequila and Mexican beer).

If the proposed tax ever becomes law and a trade war ensues, California could be on the front lines of that battle.

According to CalChamber International, the state of California imported $45 billion in Mexican goods in 2015, which was a 9 percent increase from 2014.

On the flip side, Mexico is California's number one export market, purchasing roughly 16 percent of all California exports.

Nationally, Mexico is only the third largest export market, which means that California would suffer more than the rest of country would in a trade war with Mexico.

California's largest exports to Mexico are computers and other electronic products, and Mexico's largest exports to California are transportation equipment, agricultural products, manufactured commodities as well as computer and electronic products.

A trade war with Mexico could send shockwaves across California's economy. Click through the above slideshow to see California's largest imports from Mexico.

Sean Spicer noted that the import tax could also be in play for other countries, including China (California's number one import market), but "right now we are focused on Mexico."
Mayor Ed Lee laid out a vision for San Francisco as a shining light for our country, a beacon of progressive values that stands by its immigrant community and provides health care for all of its residents in his annual State of the City address Thursday.

Lee, who often comes across as cautious and uninspiring, seems to have been reinvigorated by the actions of President Trumps administration over the past few days. Without mentioning the president by name, Lee started and ended his speech proclaiming his commitment to the citys immigrants and his readiness to fight Trumps policies.

We are a sanctuary city  now, tomorrow, forever, Lee said. That statement generated the most applause from the audience inside the restored Hibernia Bank building in the Tenderloin. We refuse to accept the status quo as the best we can do. We dont wish for affordable housing, we build it. We dont complain about health access, we provide it. And we dont talk about protecting immigrants, we stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

Trumps election has provided Lee with a potent foil and the chance to step up to the national stage. It also allowed him to focus Thursday on topics other than the acrimonious fights that played out over the past year at City Hall.

Critics said his responses to the housing and homeless crises were weak and that he wasnt aggressive enough in addressing allegations of racism and homophobia within the Police Department. They also accused him of catering to the interests of technology companies and business interests. In November, progressives put four measures on the ballot that would have stripped Lee of some of his power. All of those measures lost.

On Thursday, Lee called on the city  and his critics  to unite in a fight against Trumps policies.

Constructive disagreement  and the consensus that we reach  is what makes us so strong, he said. But we also need to ask ourselves if division at home makes us more vulnerable to attacks from the outside. We need to consider whether the local fights we pick are for power or for policy.

He called on city officials to make cautious budget decisions in preparation for what could be a very long four years. That could be read as a reference to Lees refusal to allocate money to make City College of San Francisco free for all students, a position that has drawn criticism from many supervisors. They say the city, with its $9.6 billion annual budget, should be able to make CCSF free.

If Trump is successful in his threat to cut funding to sanctuary cities, which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, San Francisco could lose hundreds of millions of dollars. The city receives around $1 billion in federal funds each year. Trump also has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could have major consequences for the city, as many of its residents rely on Obamacare for their health insurance.

When it came to local issues like housing and homelessness, Lee said the city has built or rehabilitated 13,813 of the 30,000 housing units the mayor promised in 2014 to create during his tenure. He said 42 percent of the units are affordable to low- and middle-income San Franciscans.

The mayor also claimed progress on addressing the homeless crisis. He said his administration has helped 9,789 people move off the streets and is moving forward with plans to build more Navigation Centers, the innovative homeless shelters where people can move in with their belongings and companions.

He said the city would open its fourth and fifth Navigation Centers, one in SoMa and another on the campus of San Francisco General Hospital. Lee also reiterated that he is open to the idea of safe injection sites, where people could shoot up drugs under medical supervision and off the streets.

And on the issue of public safety and the San Francisco Police Department, Lee said he is committed to implementing all 272 reforms recommended by a U.S. Department of Justice review of the departments procedures after the fatal police shooting of several minority suspects.

But the message that resounded most strongly was his promise to defend San Francisco values.

I thought it was the best speech Ive ever seen from him, said Board of Supervisors President London Breed. His words, his delivery was just right for the times we are living in.

The one thing I really loved about the mayors speech was his strong commitment to our sanctuary city, said Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer. In this time of attack, the mayor rose to the occasion and said what we all needed to hear.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen also praised Lees speech, but said she wants to see it backed by action.

If Mayor Lee stays strong and fights (Trumps) administration on behalf of San Franciscans, I will stand with him, Ronen said. But if he capitulates to business interests like he has in the past, I am going to be fighting him too.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @emilytgreen


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Wander places and see into spaces youve never ventured before  or just beef up your emergency kit with this two-pack of UltraBright 500-Lumen Tactical Military Flashlights.

Whether youre looking for adventure, or just want to be prepared for any situation that might pop up, these military-grade flashlights will give you full visibility in the dark. They boast 500 lumens of illumination and an adjustable zoom that provides a whopping one-mile range  perfect whether youre stuck on the side of a road at night, or hiking a trail in the dark.
MEXICO CITY  Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a planned Tuesday meeting with President Trump on Thursday, signaling a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration.

The rift capped days of increasingly confrontational remarks  on Twitter and in dueling public appearances  between the two men, whose countries conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade and cooperate on everything from migration to antidrug enforcement to environmental issues.

Hours after Trump tweeted that the meeting should be scrapped if Mexico doesnt agree to pay for a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border, Pena Nieto responded via the same platform.

This morning we have informed the White House I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday, the Mexican president tweeted. He added that Mexico reaffirms its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that benefit both nations.

In a speech later Thursday, Trump doubled down on the dispute, saying that unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice.

Trump also claimed that calling off the meeting was a mutual decision and floated a new possible threat to Mexico, which sends about 80 percent of its exports to the U.S. and which has vowed not to pay for a wall.

Were working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficit, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall, if we decide to go that route, Trump said.

His spokesman later said Trump was calling for a 20 percent tax on imports to pay for the southern wall.

He has also pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

I will not allow the citizens or the taxpayers of the United States to pay the cost of this defective transaction, NAFTA, Trump said.

Mexican officials said they would consider walking away from NAFTA if negotiations mean making too many concessions.

Mexico is one of Americas biggest trade partners, and the U.S. is the No. 1 buyer from Mexico, accounting for about 80 percent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the U.S. economy and disastrous for Mexicos.

Mark Stevenson is an Associated Press writer.
NEW DELHI  A nonprofit running schools for children from Indias lowest caste may run out of money to pay teachers in just months. A health institute in Bangalore is taking the government to court so it can continue its work, including antitobacco campaigns. A lawyers group wanted to know why it lost its license to receive foreign donations, only to be told the government wasnt obliged to explain why.

The government has canceled such licenses for more than 200 nonprofits, accusing them of engaging in antinational activities. But the nonprofits see the removal of their funding mainstay, as well intimidation and harassment by government agencies, as attempts to suppress dissenting voices.

All our work in the social sector has come to an abrupt halt, said Martin Makwan, founder of Navsarjan, which has been fighting caste prejudice and inequality in Gujarat state for nearly three decades.

Makwan opened the first of the three schools for Dalit children in 2005. The lowest caste in the hierarchy, Dalits face discrimination and violence from higher-caste children and teachers in regular schools.

In August, Navsarjans license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act received its regular renewal. But four months later, the nonprofit received a letter from Indias Home Ministry saying the license was being withdrawn for activities detrimental to national interest.

Eighty staff members, mostly social workers and legal assistants, were laid off immediately. Appeals for local donations are falling short. We hope to keep the schools running till the end of March, but after that we wont be able to pay teachers salaries, Makwan said from Ahmadabad, Gujarats main city.

In the southern city of Bangalore, a health nonprofit has taken the federal Home Ministry to court after it received a one-line email saying its FCRA renewal had been denied.

The Institute of Public Health has worked closely with the federal and Karnataka state government on several health-related and antitobacco campaigns. It will have to halt its programs without donations from foreign groups like the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The law regulating foreign donations passed in 2010, but activists say the pressure on nonprofits increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in 2014. An Intelligence Bureau report that year said economic growth was damaged when nonprofits rallied communities against polluting industries or infrastructure projects that would damage the environment.

Activists see a connection between the crackdown and the work done by such nongovernmental organizations. Many infrastructure and industrial projects pushed by Modis government are mired in problems over acquiring land from farmers, and many NGOs have stepped in to ensure the farmers are adequately compensated.

Most activists also see the crackdown as part of a global wave of conservative governments acting to decrease the scope for civil society.

Nirmala George is an Associated Press writer.
MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin conferred with his top officials Friday about relations with Washington a day before a scheduled call with U.S. President Trump.

Trumps senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said on Fox News Fox & Friends Friday that U.S. sanctions against Russia and other issues would be on the table during his conversation with Putin set for Saturday.

Conway also said Trump will be receptive if the Russian leader wants to have a serious conversation about how to defeat Islamic extremists.

Ahead of the call, Putin chaired a meeting of his Security Council to discuss U.S.-Russian relations, the Kremlin said.

Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the two presidents are expected to exchange views about main parameters of current bilateral relations. They last spoke when Putin congratulated Trump shortly after his election victory.

Peskov wouldnt elaborate on what specific issues could be discussed and wouldnt say if the two leaders would use the call to agree on an in-person meeting.

The Kremlin has applauded Trumps promises to mend ties with Moscow, which have been badly strained by the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.

Barack Obamas administration and the European Union slapped Moscow with sanctions for its annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

The restrictions have limited Russian companies access to international financial markets and barred key technology transfers, helping drive the Russian economy into recession. Russia has responded by banning imports of most Western agricultural products.

Vladimir Isachenkov is an Associated Press writer.
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BEIRUT  The Trump administrations expressed interest in setting up safe zones for civilians in Syria was greeted Thursday with caution by Russia and Turkey, which have taken the lead in the latest peace efforts to end the Mideast countrys devastating six-year war.

Turkey said it had always supported the idea, but both Ankara and Moscow warned such plans would require careful consideration. A senior European Union official said the bloc would consider such plans when they come.

The idea of safe zones, proposed by both Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton during the U.S. election campaign, was ruled out by the Obama administration for fear it would bring the United States into direct conflict with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russia, which has been waging an air campaign to aid Assads forces since September 2015.

In October, the Russian military specifically warned the U.S. against striking Syrian government forces, saying its air defense weapons in Syria would fend off any attack.

The recent rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, a key backer of Syrian rebels which now has thousands of troops in northern Syria, in theory makes the creation of safe zones more achievable. So does Trumps pledge to mend ties with Moscow.

But enforcing them could risk pulling in the U.S. deeper into Syrias conflict and heightens the risk of an inadvertent clash in Syrias crowded skies involving warplanes from various countries bombing targets in Syria.

There was no indication on how a safe-zone would look or how it would be enforced.

Asked to comment on a draft executive order that President Trump is expected to sign this week, Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman said it was important to weigh all possible consequences of the measure.

While suspending visas for Syrians and others, the order is also expected to direct the Pentagon and the State Department to produce a plan for safe zones in Syria and the surrounding area within 90 days. No further details were immediately known.

A Turkish official said his country has always supported the idea of safe zones in Syria but would need to review any U.S. plans before commenting. Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu told reporters that Turkey has seen the reports on a request for a study on the safe zone, adding that what is important is to see the result of these studies.

Syrian rebels and opposition groups have long called for safe zones to protect them from Syrian government air strikes.

Zeina Karam is an Associated Press writer.
The liquidators of investment management company Hansa say they have frozen the assets of director Paul Hibbs after initial investigations showed it appeared to have been run as a Ponzi scheme.

The Financial Markets Authority and the Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation into Hibbs and Hansa in July last year but haven't commented on their findings. Hansa was placed in liquidation last November.

In their first report, liquidators Steve Khov and Damien Grant of Waterstone Insolvency didn't quantify Hansa's assets or liabilities, although some media reports put the missing investor funds at $20 million. Hansa, which was incorporated in 2005, last filed an annual return in August 2015. Hibbs is listed as the sole shareholder and director.

"The liquidators' initial investigations indicate the company failed to invest and manage funds in accordance with the investment agreements signed with the investors," they said in the report. "Instead, the company appears to have been run as a Ponzi scheme under which investors' funds appear to have been misappropriated."

The liquidators said a number of related entities, including Cameron Gladstone Investments, "are similarly involved in fraud". Waterstone's Khov and Grant said they have taken steps "to freeze the related entities and the personal assets" of Hibbs.

Hibbs is the majority shareholder and sole director of Cameron Gladstone. Other shareholders include Lisa Hibbs, listed as living at the same Christchurch address.

The liquidation would focus on identifying the company assets and recovering any misappropriated funds, and whether there was any trading while insolvent.

The report lists known creditors, including the Inland Revenue Department and various individuals and family trusts.

In a 2010 High Court judgment relating to Cabellos Holdings, in which Hibbs is sole director and which was in receivership between 2007 and 2013, Hibbs was described as an investment manager and the director of a private investment company through which wealthy investors participated in business ventures.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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David Smol, the chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), won't seek reappointment when his five-year term ends in June.

Smol was MBIE's first chief executive, having taken over the role in September 2012 after working as acting CEO for six months prior. State services commissioner Peter Hughes said Smol "will leave MBIE very well positioned for the future and I thank him for the significant contribution he has made to New Zealand and the public service." MBIE deferred comment to the State Services Commission.

"Mr Smol has made a very significant contribution to the public service during almost a decade as a public service chief executive, both in his role at MBIE and also in the former Ministry of Economic Development," Hughes said. "He led the establishment of MBIE, bringing four different agencies together to create one of New Zealands largest government departments. MBIE has responsibilities across a wide range functions and areas and provides thousands of New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses with the public services they need every week."

MBIE's CEO had the fourth highest pay-packet in the core public service in the year ended June 30, 2016 in a band of $620,000 to $629,999, behind the heads of the Ministry of Education, the Treasury, and the State Services Commission.

A recruitment process to find a new CEO is underway and the role will be advertised in the near future, Hughes said.

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New Zealand's relatively flat demand for electricity continues to weigh on the listed generator-retailers, which reported lower retail sales in the final six months of 2016 in a moribund market.

Wellington-based Contact Energy today joined Mercury New Zealand, Meridian Energy and Genesis Energy in lodging its latest operating metrics with the NZX, and continued the theme of weak electricity sales, with mass market and commercial and industrial electricity demand down 0.6 percent to 4,001 gigawatt hours in the six months ended Dec. 31, while the average electricity sales price was down 1.3 percent to $179.01 per megawatt hour. Contact shares fell 3 percent to $4.85.

Meridian's retail electricity sales fell 12 percent to 2,797 GWh with a 4.1 percent increase in average retail sale price, less distribution costs, to $108.90/MWh, and Genesis's volume of sales were down 3.3 percent to 2,323 GWh, while mass market prices including distribution costs were up 1.8 percent to $239.13/MWh and 5.1 percent to $117.12/MWh respectively for time of use (TOU) sales to commercial and industrial customers. Mercury sales rose 6.3 percent to 2,395 GWh, due to a 20 percent jump in commercial volumes, while prices fell 2.8 percent to $112.30/MWh.

"On the demand-side it's been a fairly consistent theme for the last few months in terms of talk about the irrigation load being quite weak compared to what we saw last year, dairy production is down as well, and residential is also down," said Andrew Harvey-Green, a senior equity analyst at Forsyth Barr. "The market's been fairly tough for a reasonable period of time and in reality, it's probably going to continue for the foreseeable future."

Flat demand for electricity of recent years and threat of Rio Tinto pulling the plug on the aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point have reduced the need for new investment in generation, meaning the major gen-tailers' returns to shareholders have been rising despite price and demand pressures because they have little need for new capital spending. Across the four companies, retail sales fell 2.8 percent to 12,109 GWh, and government data this week showed electricity prices rose 2.3 percent in the December quarter from a year earlier.

Forsyth Barr's Harvey-Green said the reduced demand was more pronounced on the east coast of the South Island, and to a lesser extent in the North Island, with Auckland's expanding population underpinning demand in the country's biggest city.

"It's hard to see what's going to turn it around. It tends to be the big things that move demand in a big way, either up or down," he said.

The latest operating reports show generation across the four companies was up 2.5 percent to 18,219 GWh, due largely to a 7.5 percent increase in Meridian's generation to 7,029 GWh, reflecting ample water supplies in hydro storage lakes. Genesis's total generation shrank 7.9 percent to 3,110 GWh in the half as coal-fired generation was scaled back almost completely, while Contact generation dropped 7.7 percent to 4,310 GWh on lower thermal and geothermal generation. Mercury's generation dipped 0.2 percent to 2,367 GWh.

In a note, Morningstar analysts said Mercury had a "fairly soft" December quarter with energy margins down on the prior period and was tracking slightly below the firm's forecasts, with the lower sales price "a key detractor from earnings" reflecting "additional commercial and industrial sales re-contracting at lower prices than achieved historically". It retained its $3.10 share price target and 'hold' recommendation on the stock, which recently traded unchanged at $3.08.

In a separate note, Morningstar said Meridian's first-half energy margin would only be slightly higher than a year earlier due to a soft December quarter, although increased storage levels in hydro-dams put it in "a good position to maximise hydroelectric output in the near term" even it did weigh on wholesale prices. Morningstar was also upbeat about Meridian's Powershop Australia retail brand, which it said was performing well. The research house also kept its price target at $2.72 and 'hold' recommendation for Meridian, which recently traded at $2.75, unchanged on the day.

Genesis shares slipped 0.2 percent to $2.155.

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Proving themselves with Joint Task Force Proven Force

On Jan. 17, 1991, 20th Fighter Wing forces participated in Joint Task Force Proven Force, flying sorties out of Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, during the Persian Gulf War.



The forces targeted strategic areas in northern Iraq in order to cripple Iraqi forces and draw them away from the main theater in Kuwait, where Operation Desert Storm was taking place.



According to the Defense Technical Information Centers report, Joint Task Force Proven Force: An Outstanding Success, JTF Proven Forces mission was, with the government of Turkeys approval and coordination, to open a second front, destroy centralized air defense command and control, achieve air superiority, and destroy nuclear, biological and chemical weapon storage and production.



The JTF was split into four components: air forces, search and rescue, psychological operations and a Patriot surface-to-air missile battalion.



The Air Force component consisted of 11 different types of aircraft, which is where the 20th FW came in; deploying 26 F-111E Aardvark and 6 EF-111A Raven aircraft, they flew 681 sorties and destroyed 423 targets. Those targets ranged from military development production sites, missile plants, surface-to-air facilities and signal intercept stations near the Tigris River in Mosul, Iraq, and later Baghdad.



The sorties were conducted with a 90 percent success rate for attacking designated targets, dropping 3,500 tons of ordnance with no JTF aircraft losses.



The 20th FW was an integral part of forcing Saddam Hussein to position one quarter of his forces to Iraqs northern border, and denying him and his militaries safe haven in that area, said Christopher Koonce, 20th FW historian. This, in turn, allowed for a more effective theater air campaign and ensured a shortened conflict driving Iraqi forces out of Kuwait with limited U.S. led coalition losses.
"This interference by yet another Constitutional officer in the budget process is blatantly political and seeks to unnecessarily blow-up ongoing negotiations," Bryant said. "The Senate went home this week following committee hearings on a possible budget deal to hear from their constituents. Pieces are starting to move to get to a compromise and a balanced budget. So, the timing of the Attorney General's attempt to stop state employee paychecks is as dangerous as it is puzzling."

SPRINGFIELD - Thursday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a motion in St. Clair County courts to stop state employee paychecks until the state passes a budget. If the court rules in Madigan's favor, state government would effectively shut down, aggravating bi-partisan talks that are moving towards a compromise, critics are saying.

"I'm for state employees receiving their paychecks on time and in full," Bryant said. "At one time, so was Lisa Madigan. We need to take steps to ratchet down the crisis we're facing. This step by the Attorney General is unnecessary and provocative."

SEIU President Keith Kelleher said the public sector employee union is also opposed to dragging state employees into the budget standoff between Speaker Madigan and Governor Rauner.

On behalf of our home healthcare and child care workers who have collective bargaining agreements with the State of Illinois and provide vital care for 30,000 people with disabilities and 61,000 children, we obviously oppose any efforts to stop payments or efforts that delay payments to our workforce, who struggle to get by as it is," Kelleher said.

Then he turned his angst towards the governor, who he said ran on the idea of shutting down the government.

Bruce Rauner never will know the real pain that is endured by those he causes to suffer. But he has welcomed it in a shameful fashion by abandoning his constitutional duty to present a balanced budget to the General Assembly. Instead he has held Illinois hostage to his political wish list. The Attorney Generals action is a symptom. This governor is its cause," Kelleher said.

We call on Rauner to present a budget that funds vital services for the most vulnerable in our state.

Attorney General Madigan's effort to pause employee paychecks will work to pressure the governor and her father, House Speaker Mike Madigan, to come to an agreement on a budget and end an 18 month stalemate.
Moore took a few minutes recently to talk with TMAs News Bulletin about what he sees ahead for American manufacturing, and why hes optimistic about the future.

Moore  a graduate of the University of Illinois-Champaign - points to four main obstacles for growing employment:

The current U.S. corporate tax rate is about 39 percent, the third highest in the world, according to the Tax Foundation. By comparison, the rate for France is 34 percent, for Germany it is 30 percent, and for the United Kingdom and Japan it is 20 percent. Trump wants to knock the U.S. rate down to 15 percent, and Moore agrees.

Lowering the corporate tax rates is a top priority that would stimulate the economy, Moore says.

Since before the 2016 General Election, Stephen Moore  who grew up north of Chicago in New Trier Township - has been meeting regularly with the Trump team, encouraging public policy initiatives he believes could have a dramatic effect in bringing production and jobs back to America.

As a respected economist, hes a regular on national cable news programs. As a distinguished visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, hes been tapped to counsel incoming President Donald Trumps transition team. As an opinion leader, he served on the Wall Street Journals editorial board, writing on the economy and public policy.

NB: What differences in policy concerning manufacturing do you anticipate between the Trump and Obama administrations?

MOORE: I think the Trump Administration will be a very pro-manufacturing, a pro-Made in America administration that focuses on tax and regulatory changes that will make manufacturing much more competitive here in the United States.

The energy policies that Trump is talking about will certainly help create a lot of manufacturing jobs for steel and things like that, but will also make energy less expensive here in the United States. That will certainly help manufacturers, because energy is a big component of everything we produce. This will be an administration leaning towards rebuilding the industrial Midwest and bringing factories back and helping coal miners, as well.

NB: Bringing manufacturing back to America is good, of course, but how will the new administration address the critical shortage of skilled workers?

MOORE: We definitely need more trained, skilled workers. There are shortages of people who can do welding and pipefitting, as well as engineers and electricians and mechanics  all those jobs are in severe shortage.

We need to really re-orient our education system, especially post-secondary education, towards the skills students need to get good paying jobs. These jobs where they work with their hands, where they can make $75 to $80 to $100 thousand a year, if theyre good at it.

Meanwhile, were graduating all these students with psychology and sociology degrees that are fairly worthless to employers. We really need to re-orient the education system and retrofit workers to the jobs that are available.

NB: If more things are made in America, costs will go up as the use of robotics and technology grows. Couldnt that negatively affect average Americans?

MOORE: Wages go up in America when American workers are more productive  and they have more machinery, equipment, computers and technology they need to work with. Thats a positive thing.

The average factory worker today makes five to 10 times more an hour than the average factory worker 25-30 years ago. As you get more productive, you command a higher wage and salary.

We shouldnt view technology as a negative force. Its a positive force. It allows people to produce more widgets and more steel and more cars with less labor. Thats a positive thing. Thats the whole history of human achievement and advancement.

Well continue to see movements towards robotics and automated cars and things like that. It will change the way goods and services are produced in America. It will require less human effort and more effort by machines and robots and other equipment.

NB: With all the regulations, employer mandates and taxes, many company owners have put hiring and plant investments on hold for years. Can they expect to see substantial changes that would encourage more investment in American manufacturing?

MOORE: I think already youre seeing - right out of the gate - companies saying they want to invest more in the United States. Youre seeing whats happening with the stock market. Youre seeing consumer confidence and investor confidence up.

Everybodys looking around, saying, Hey big things are coming in America  this is a good place to build, a good place to expand. Its a good place to relocate to, rather than from. You take the changes in trade policy, tax policy, regulatory policy, energy policy, health care policy, and you can make America a very attractive place to hire or work.

You pay a lot of money, but you get rid of a lot of these extraneous costs and it becomes a bargain. The United States can be the most hospitable place to do business in the world with these changes Donald Trump is talking about.

NB: Sounds like overall, youre very optimistic about the future of manufacturing?

MOORE: The main thing is how do we get out of this economic rut weve been in for the last 10 to 15 years? One where wages have not risen, where policies led to a crash in the real estate market and an incredibly shallow, spongy recovery that really hasnt hit a huge portion of the American economy.

Weve got to create a true rising tide that lifts all boats, and not one where all but the rich didnt do so well. If you have an even economy that raises the economic growth rate to four or five percent, everybodys going to do better.

Youre going to have more jobs for lower income people, higher paying jobs for middle class people and everybodys going to see benefits to this recovery. And its about time, because as I said, its been 15 years since the average American had a pay raise.

Fifteen years is a long time for a national economy to stall, but once the economic motor kicks in, it doesnt take long for that engine to begin humming once again.

_________________

A growing number of national opinion leaders like Moore are optimistic about American manufacturings future.

Maybe happy days are really here again?

_________________

Written by Fran Eaton, who is a freelance writer for the Technology & Manufacturing Association's monthly News Bulletin and co-founder of Illinois Review. This interview with Mr. Moore is used by permission.


National Right to Work graphic

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - The Missouri legislature is one step closer to making their state the latest right-to-work state, leaving Illinois surrounded on all sides as a mandatory union fees state.

Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and earlier this month, Kentucky, have all freed workers to choose whether or not to join unions. Fox 2 reports on Thursday:

Missouris Republican-led Senate has passed a right-to-work bill to ban mandatory union fees. Senators voted 21-12 Wednesday to send the bill to the House. House members last week passed an almost-identical bill. Right to work has new momentum with Republican Gov. Eric Greitens support. He says hell sign it if the GOP-led Legislature sends it to his desk.

Kentucky's law also prohibits public employees from going on strike - a somber alert for state employees in neighboring state like Illinois where public sector unions dominate state policy.

According to the Legal Defense Foundation, right to work laws prohibit union security agreements, or agreements between employers and labor unions, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment, either before or after hiring.
CHENNAI: French automotive group PSA partnering with India's CK Birla group will invest around 100 million euros ( 700 crore) setting up a 100,000 units per annum car plant near here.

This is a major automotive sectoral investment that Tamil Nadu has got after Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam took charge.

The manufacturing capacity for powertrains would cater to the domestic market needs and global vehicle makers.

The performance of the industrial set-up would be supported by a significant level of localisation in order to reach the necessary cost competitiveness.

The PSA group is the second French automotive group to set up base here after Renault.

The partnership between PSA and CK Birla group involves two joint ventures.

"As part of the first agreement, the PSA Group will hold a majority stake in the joint-venture company being set-up with HMFCL for the assembly and distribution of PSA passenger cars in India," a PSA statement said on Wednesday.

"As per the second agreement, a 50:50 joint-venture is being set-up between the PSA Group and AVTEC Ltd for manufacture and supply of powertrains.

"The manufacturing sites for both vehicle assembly and powertrains will be based in the state of Tamil Nadu," the statement added.

According to PSA, the Indian project is in line with its strategic plan 'Push to Pass' and the growth plan of CK Birla group.

This long term partnership will allow both companies to participate in the growth of the Indian automotive market, which is expected to reach 8 to 10 million cars by 2025(1) from current three million in 2016.

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NEW DELHI: The first-ever National Entrepreneurship Awards will be presented here on January 30 to honour young entrepreneurs for their outstanding efforts in the field of entrepreneurship development.

The awards instituted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be presented by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The awards seek to recognise and honour young entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurship ecosystem builders. They also seek to highlight models of excellence for youth of India and encourage them to take up entrepreneurship as a preferred career option.

The awards will be presented in 11 categories. Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy will preside over the function.

"Involvement of youth is at the heart of this Award Scheme, to ensure the involvement of youth, the Ministry has partnered with premier institutes of higher learning across the country, including IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Mumbai, TISS Mumbai, IIT Chennai, XLRI Jamshedpur and IIT Kanpur, to implement the scheme," the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said.

The applicants have undergone two levels of rigorous assessment, followed by selection of winners by a National Level Jury. Top three entries under each category were recommended to the National Jury for the final selection of the winners.

The National Jury comprised eminent persons drawn from academia/research, industry, social sector, banking etc.

"Pioneering this national initiative will provide models of excellence in the entrepreneurship ecosystem that would inspire the youth, especially first generation entrepreneurs, to improve and excel in their entrepreneurial pursuits.

"At the same time, this would give a tremendous encouragement and inspiration to the ecosystem builders in excelling in their commitment towards spearheading a cultural shift in youth entrepreneurship through education and capacity building," Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said.

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WASHINGTON: India is ranked at the sixth spot, behind China and Japan, in a list of eight great powers for the year 2017 by a leading American foreign policy magazine which is topped by the US.



The list is topped by the US, whereas China and Japan are at tie for being on the second spot. Russia (fourth) and Germany (fifth) are the other two countries ahead of India. Iran is ranked seventh and Israel is on the eighth spot.

"Like Japan, India is often overlooked in lists of the world's great powers, but it occupies a rare and enviable position on the world stage," The American Interest magazine said in its latest annual report of eight great powers.



India is the world's largest democracy, home to the second-largest English-speaking population in the world and boasting a diversified and rapidly growing economy, it said.



On the geopolitical front, India has many suitors: China, Japan and the United States are all seeking to incorporate India into their preferred Asian security architecture, while the EU and Russia court New Delhi for lucrative trade and defence agreements, it noted.



"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has deftly steered its way among these competing powers while seeking to unleash its potential with modernising economic reforms," it said.



According to the magazine, despite internal problems in the aftermath of demonetisation, and the Pakistan scare, India found its footing elsewhere in 2016.



"Long hesitant to pick sides, New Delhi took several clear steps this year to deter a rising and aggressive China, announcing that it would fast-track its defence infrastructure projects in the Indian Ocean, amid fears that China was trying to encircle India with a 'string of pearls'," it said.



"Likewise, Modi explored new naval cooperation with both the US and Japan, and signed a host of defence deals with Russia, France and Israel to modernise the Indian military," it observed.



"From the Middle East and East Africa to Southeast Asia, India is making its presence felt in both economics and security policy in ways that traditional great powers like Britain and France only wish they could match," The American interest said.

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NEW DELHI: Terming their ties as "time- tested", India and the UAE resolved to further intensify wide- ranging bilateral engagements including in strategic areas of security, defence, energy and decided to come up with an action plan by June to increase bilateral trade by 60 pct over the next five years.



Prime Minister Narendera Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who held comprehensive talks yesterday, also expressed satisfaction over the ties having been matured into a robust relationship across a broad spectrum of political, economic, trade and investment, energy, defence and security spheres.

An India-UAE joint statement, issued today, said the two leaders reiterated that the ongoing close cooperation on a range of security issues, particularly on counterterrorism, maritime security and cyber-security remained a key pillar of the bilateral strategic partnership.



Modi appreciated the support extended by UAE on specific issues of security concern to India as the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of law enforcement, anti- money laundering, smuggling of fake currency, drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal migration and other transnational organised crimes.



The two leaders agreed to provide further impetus to defence relations, including through joint exercises, training of naval, air and land forces, as also in the area of coastal defence and through participation in defence exhibitions etc.



Asserting that the UAE and India must continue to cooperate closely in order to expand mutual trade and economic opportunities, leveraging the strategic bonds, the two sides decided to conduct required studies to come up with action plans by June 2017 in order to develop a medium and long term strategy for increasing bilateral trade by 60 percent over the next five years, the statement said.



These would focus on identification of potential sectors and the impeding tariff and non-tariff barriers, exploring opportunities in services sector and formulating a sector- specific strategy to boost two way trade and investments, it added.



Expressing satisfaction at the progress achieved in the eighth round of Joint Defence Cooperation Committee talks held in Abu Dhabi in December 2016, the two sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee this year.

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WASHINGTON: Underlining that India is a "key player" in the region, a top American general has said that India-US defence cooperation has always been the greatest ever but at times it gets slowed down because of the bureaucracy.



"We've always had a great relationship with the Indian military. For me, my experience with the Indian army, we've had a tremendous relationship. But sometimes we were slowed down by bureaucracy and so we're working through that," Gen Robert B Brown, Commanding General of the US Army Pacific Force told a Washington audience.

"So that's helping us ... We're seeing things happening faster and we're continuing to increase our military exercises with India, which is a key player in the region," he added.



"It's the greatest cooperation I've seen (...)," Brown said in response to a question at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.



"So it's really great. They (India) have a tremendous Army ... And working with them is a real honour," Brown said.



The top US General further said that India-US defence coopertaion would continue to grow in the future.

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Source: PTI
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Uttam Dhillon as his special assistant and associate counsel, making him the second Indian-American on his White House staff.

An expert on ethics and law, Dhillon will have an important role in ensuring that ethical problems do not arise from the businessman-turned-President's extensive businesses, Trump's spokesperson Sean Spicer said on Wednesday.

Trump's extensive empire of over 400 companies that span the globe has raised ethical issues because of the intersection of business and government.

Dhillon's appointment and the compliance team is an effort to ensure that ethics problems do not crop up or are doused as soon as they come up.

Spicer described the team members as "esteemed" lawyers of "high calibre".

Trump announced earlier this month that he was transferring all his businesses to a trust that he was setting up to distance himself from his companies.

The trust will be headed by his sons Donald Jr and Eric.

Although the New York billionaire has resigned from his companies, a cloud of potential ethics conflicts hang over Trump because of the continuing family control of the business through the trust.

Trump earlier appointed Raj Shah, an expert in strategic communications and political research, as his deputy assistant and research director on the White House staff.

Apart from his personal White House staff, Trump has appointed three other Indian-origin persons to senior administration positions -- Nikki Haley as the cabinet rank ambassador to the UN, Ajit Pai to head the Federal Communications Commission that regulates all wireless and electronic communications, and Seema Verma as the head of the government health insurance programmes.

Dhillon was the chief oversight counsel for the House of Representative Committee on Financial Services.

He was responsible for Congressional investigations of the financial services industry and government regulators.

He has also worked as an associate deputy attorney general in President George W. Bush's administration and as the director of counter-narcotics enforcement in the Department of Homeland Security.

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Trump Plans Major Immigration Crackdown: Reports

Source: IANS
The way of the empty hands The Simi Valley Shotokan Karate Dojo recently hosted a two-day seminar at Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District headquarters featuring a trio of karate experts. The Oct. 22 seminar was...

Slide into winter fun at SnowFest The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District is bringing snow to Simi Valley. SnowFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun., Nov. 6 at Rancho Madera Community...


David Slitzky '14 at Electric Lady Studios. (Photo by Roslyn Wertheimer '16.)

When you ask David Slitzky 14 how he measures his success, he shrugs and looks around the room. Its the lounge at Electric Lady Studiosyes, that Electric Lady Studios, where hes working on an album. Theres a lot on his plate, but he concedes, Its pretty cool when one of your favorite bands knows your name.

Hes talking about the Roots, the Philadelphia-born ensemble who elevated hip hop with their ability to integrate live instruments into their music. You may know them from their day job as the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but Slitzky knows them as clients. Hes in the process of recording their next albuman accomplishment for any music producer, but especially for an independent one two years fresh from college.

Pleased to meet you



Slitzky is the recording engineer for the Roots' upcoming album.

(Photo by Roslyn Wertheimer '16.)

By day Slitzky is a grad student, working on his masters in music business at NYU. By night hes an independent recording engineer and record producer. And in his free time? Hes a drummer.

Music is the steady undercurrent to his life. He lists band names on his fingers the way others cross off items on a grocery list. He cant single out one favorite band or genre of music, but he can list a producers qualifications. He gushes about the way an artist plays violin or guitar, and you better believe he knows how to place a microphone.

Its an interesting accomplishment for someone who was not a music major. Skidmore has no music production major either, but it does offer a ton of resources.

I knew going into Skidmore that I would probably be a self-determined major, Slitzky says. I didnt want to be a music major. I wanted to have the time to make albums, the time to record.

So he took a music majors course of study, gutted musicology and music history, and added independent studies in recording, a physics course on acoustics, and a few computer science and arts administration courses. The academicscombined with two internships he landed through Skidmore connections, experience on-air at Skidmores student-run WSPN-FM, involvement in Beatlemore Skidmania, and campus jobs with Media Services and the Zankel Music Center tech crewturned into the recipe for success.

Hear Slitzky talk about his internships with Scott Jacoby '93 and Tim Peck '04: When you ask him if its always been music, he throws back a curveball: I almost majored in psychology. His interest in what makes people tick is one of the reasons he feels well-suited for music production. Youre dealing with peoples personal art and helping them find their best material and their best self. Learning when to communicate and how to do it effectively is super-critical. Having a psych background has been helpful. The nature of the game

From left to right: Slitzky, his father, Questlove from the Roots, Slitzy's mother, and Steve Mandel. Music producers are often unsung heroes behind the scenes of hit songsmaybe because its so hard to define the role. Slitzky explains, My job is to work with artists to capture the most effective version of their best work. Its on me to interpret what they want their music to sound like. He picks the microphones, puts them in the best places, chooses the signal path, how the music gets captured, and ultimately how it sounds. Listen to Slitzky explains how he captures the perfect sound:

With the Roots, they rented out all of Electric Lady Studios for one week in October to start out. Slitzky says, It started with OK, how am I going to get Questloves drums to sound the way I want them to? Every decision is a creative one. Its a lot of problem-solving. The key is to allow for maximum flexibility to let the musical geniuses in the room make decisions. Since then, Slitzky and the Roots have worked around their day jobs to keep up progress on the new album.

Slitzky doesnt identify as one of the musical geniuses in the room. But he lights up when talking about someone who is often in the room, his mentor Steven Mandel, a recording engineer, producer, and songwriter who has worked with the Roots, Elvis Costello, DAngelo, and Erykah Badu, among others. When Slitzky was doing his radio show at Skidmore, he had reached out to Mandel via social media and asked for an interview. Mandel obliged and the Skype session turned into an hour-long interview and a connection that lasted after Slitzkys graduation. Their first in-person meeting happenedwhere else?at Electric Lady.

Listen to the story of how Slitzy met Mandel:

Mandel has helped Slitzky navigate the choppy waters of the recording world, and he secured Slitzky a role as the recording engineer for the Roots album. Without Mandel, Slitzky knows hed be scraping by. Instead, he says, Im in the middle of a major artists album. And its crazy that it happens to be some of my heroes. It still hasnt sunk in.

Sealed his fate



Slitky with his roomates, Schonfeld and Brennan, all Skidmore alumni.

When he talks about his future, Slitzky admits he thinks about a steady job somewhere like Sony Music, where hes currently interning. Hed like to get the independent out from his job title, stay involved with the Roots, and work toward forming his own record label.

And, he jokes, hed like to be able to go home and take a nap every day. Home is an apartment in Brooklyn with two other Skidmore alumni, Matt Schonfeld and Mike Brennan. Theyve lived together since their first semester at Skidmorethats seven years and still going strong. They share a common interest in music, but Slitzky says what holds them together is their creative passions. We like how passionate we are about different things, he says.

Theres no question that Slitzky is passionate about music. Hes constantly asking himself, Do I have another project lined up after this one? Do I have something else going on? Am I busy? He says, Every day Im really, really trying to make this work. As I get closer to the feeling that Im grounded and really in this, thats when Ill know Im successful.
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Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked.

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ACT Policing have said they were pleased with Australia Day revellers in Canberra, with no major incidents and no arrests, only having to take two teenagers into protective custody for intoxication.

The Invasion Day march from King George Terrace to the doors of Parliament House was also without incident, while a similar march in Sydney briefly descended into chaos when one protester tried to burn a flag.

Family and friends gather on Regatta Point in Canberra for the Australia day celebrations. Credit:Jay Cronan

However, on Friday NSW police also expressed how pleased they were overall with the Sydney march, while organisers were also critical of the 20-year-old Sydney police arrested.

ACT police said there were no major collisions on ACT roads on Australia Day but reminded Canberrans double demerit points were still in place until Sunday night, targeting speeding, seatbelt and mobile phone offences.
A Canberra man who warned the manager to clear a fast food restaurant before he lit a gas bottle, sparking an explosion which shattered windows and ripped down ceiling panels, has been sentenced to more than three years' jail.

Gyu Seon Park, 42, was badly burned in the blowout after he opened the cylinder inside the toilets at McDonalds in Braddon shortly before 9pm on September 13, 2015.

Emergency services crews at the McDonald's explosion in September 2015. Credit:Melissa Adams

"There's gas. You guys need to leave," he told the manager. Park then set the gas alight.

He was on bail at the time for attempting to torch Kusina's restaurant in Weston by splashing petrol on the floor and at diner's feet during a dispute with his former employer, a collapsed construction company, over unpaid debts one year earlier.
A child's first day of school is always a big deal, but it marked an extra special milestone for one Canberra family.

Claire and Rob Foote were unsure their hearing-impaired daughter Annabel would ever attend a mainstream school. But she she is doing so with the same speech and language skills as her peers.

5yo Annabel Foote with her older brother and sister Evie, and Tom. Annabel is starting her first day in kindergarten this year at Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School. She was born with permanent hearing loss, wears hearing aids, and will be using special FM technology to help hear her teachers at school. Credit:Rohan Thomson

"I wish I had a crystal ball when we discovered Annabel's hearing loss when she was a baby, to tell me that she would be happy and excited about starting kindergarten," Ms Foote said.

"I was worried about her language and communication, that she would never be able to go to the same school as her brother and sister, that she would be apprehensive or nervous about starting."
If you answered yes - sorry, wrong. Q5: You flip an unbiased coin and it comes up five heads in a row. Which is more likely from the sixth throw: heads or tails? Q6: Which is the more likely birth order in a family of six kids: B B B G G G or G B B G B G? In the first case the sixth throw is just as likely to be another head as a tail. In the second, the two birth orders are equally likely. Q7: Which would you prefer, an operation with a 90 per cent success rate, or a different one with a 10 per cent failure rate?

Answer: Have another think about the question. Illustration: Glen LeLievre Apart from the investment questions (which I threw in to please the business editor) all those questions come from best-selling business writer Michael Lewis' latest book, The Undoing Project. It's the story of two Israeli-American academic psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who demonstrated how wide of the mark is the assumption of conventional economics that we're all "rational" - coldly logical - in the decisions we make, thus giving a huge push to the new school of behavioural economics. A lot of their experiments involved our understanding of maths. Don't feel bad if you failed many of them. Most of us do, even people good at maths.

The moral is, however much or little people know about maths, particularly the rules of probability, we have trouble applying this to our daily lives because we let our emotions distract us. Q1 was about the rules of probability. Linda certainly sounded like a feminist, but a lot of librarians aren't feminists so, statistically, there was a higher probability that she was a librarian than a librarian and a feminist. All that guff about her interests at uni engaged our emotions and distracted us from the simple probabilities. The questions about investment choices and fighter pilots were about a key statistical regularity most of us haven't heard of, called "reversion to the mean". The performance of companies, super funds or fighter pilots in any year is a combination of skill and luck. We're always tempted to attribute good luck to high skill.

The luck factor is random, so a performance that's way above average is likely to have been assisted by luck, just as a really bad performance is likely to have been worsened by bad luck. If good luck and bad luck average out over time, an outstandingly good performance is more likely to be followed by a performance closer to the average than by another rip-snorter. Similarly, a really bad performance is more likely to be followed by one not so bad. Note that we're only accounting for the luck factor in performance, so a policy of always predicting reversion to the mean gives you a slight advantage in the forecasting stakes, not a sure thing. The pilot trainers were observing reversion to the mean, but falsely attributing it to their own efforts in awarding praise or criticism. Sadly, this has left many of the world's bosses suffering the delusion that criticism works better than praise.

The questions on coin tosses and baby order were about the "law of large numbers", which says that if events have equal probability of occurring, eventually they'll occur an equal number of times. We all know that if you toss a coin enough times you'll get a roughly equal number of heads and tails. And we all know the numbers of boys and girls being born are almost equal. Trouble is, you need thousands of samples to be sure of getting that result. By expecting to see equal numbers in a sample as small as six, we've turned the statisticians' law of large numbers into our own imaginary "law of small numbers". Remember, probability theory applies to independent events, where what's gone before has no effect on what happens next. Humans are pattern-seeking animals, but sometimes we go too far and see patterns that aren't real. Five heads in a row, or three boys followed by three girls, may look unlikely but, because the law applies only to large numbers, are perfectly consistent with a random draw.
Demand for strata office investments has pushed yields to record sub-5 per cent levels in Melbourne's CBD. The unprecedented enthusiasm for strata stock paid off for the former owners of 9/313 La Trobe Street, who sold the 500-square metre whole floor office for $2.85 million in late December on a record 4.8 per cent yield. The former owners of 9/313 La Trobe Street sold the 500-square metre whole floor office for $2.85 million in late December. Credit:Rodger Cummins Title documents show the owner, a company called Snomere, bought unit 9 in 1997 from the liquidator of the collapsed Pyramid Building Corporation, paying only $212,683. Nearly 20 years later, the unit, which has a new six-year lease in place, was snapped up by an offshore investor.

CBRE agent Tim Last, who negotiated the deal with Tom Tuxworth, said "a real lack of supply in the market for quality investments" is driving the strata market. "That's a pretty sharp yield. We sold others under 6 per cent last year but two years ago they would have been achieving 7.5 to 8 per cent yields," Mr Last said. The price represents a 24 per cent increase on the last sale in the building. Level four sold in July for $2.3 million. During 2016, the first strata office to break the 5 per cent barrier was a small 146-square-metre suite at 620 Bourke Street which sold on a yield of 4.93 per cent. Strata office values surged more than 25 per cent over 2016, with records smashed. A 280-square-metre office at 6/41 Exhibition Street sold for a record $10,700 per square metre.
High-flying Domino's Pizza Enterprises insists a recent fall in its share price is not connected to the introduction of a 10 per cent surcharge on orders placed on Sunday.

Domino's is one of the ASX's most expensive stocks but it has dipped on concerns the surcharge, introduced on January 8, will slow demand among its price-sensitive customers.

Domino's introduced the surcharge in early January to help pay for a 25 per cent loading for drivers and store staff working on Sundays.

These workers had missed out on penalty rates thanks to an old deal with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). The deal, struck in 2009 but expiring in 2013, left staff with overall pay rates well below the current legal minimum.
Illustration Cathy Wilcox To be fair to the Treasurer, he used the phrase when explaining that Australia would continue to pursue open trade, the opposite of the protectionism espoused by Trump. So why did Morrison feel the need to mimic this nationalistic Trumpian phrase? Because the government is fully aware of its vulnerability to charges from Labor that our liberalised, de-regulated, globalised economy has left the little guy behind. Treasurer Scott Morrison didn't hesitate to filch the jingoism of US President Donald Trump when he declared his government would pursue an "Australia first" economic agenda. That little guy, Labor intimates, is not served by the Trans-Pacific Partnership the government is pushing, despite Trump's rejection of it. That little guy will, soon enough, be voting in the West Australian and Queensland elections, and both parties need to lure him away from the false promises of One Nation. Even if it means making some false promises of their own.

Which brings us neatly to Opposition leader Bill Shorten. Unlike Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, he has the luxury of being able to openly criticise Trump the man. Shorten has had the moral gumption to condemn Trump for his misogyny, calling him "unsuitable to be the leader of the free world", and "barking mad" and his comments "disgusting". Turnbull cannot go that far, although one suspects he wouldn't sit any woman he loves next to Trump at a state dinner (who would?). But Shorten has to be far more cautious when it comes to Trumpian jobs policy. The Labor party has a strong and proud history of protectionism. Parts of the labour movement have routinely failed their members by clinging on to the fiction that subsidising dying industries will stave off the forces of globalisation. This fiction is precisely what propelled Trump to the White House. Trump's rhetoric about re-creating "real" jobs  by which he means male jobs, jobs making stuff you "can drop on your foot", in the words of economist Saul Eslake  provides the perfect environment for Shorten to champion the working rights of the blue-collar man who has traditionally voted Labor, but whose eye has lately been wandering. In a speech on Wednesday night Shorten appealed to these voters by promising to uphold Sunday penalty rates. Shame he didn't say how he would be able to do so  but under the cover of a Trumpian eco-sphere, perhaps there is no longer any need. Labor also condemned Trump's abortion "gag-order" decree on US foreign aid, the invidious and immoral stop on funds to organisations which provide the world's poorest women with reproductive choice. Labor "called upon" the Coalition to promise they wouldn't follow in Trump's footsteps, which was right-on, except no such thing has ever been threatened by the Turnbull government.

On Wednesday the US President issued an order for an "impassable physical barrier" to be built along the US/Mexico border. He said that Mexico would "absolutely, 100 per cent" reimburse the US for the wall. Mexico has repeatedly said it will do no such thing. No matter  assertion is the new truth. An aggressive stance on so-called border protection, of course, is the one area in which Trump can take his lead from Australian politicians. The Coalition government brought the word "illegals" into common usage in this country, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has linked Lebanese Muslim migrants to terrorism, and our border protection policy is the practical equivalent of a giant wall, albeit one that we pay (dearly) for. But while Trump is in lock-step with us on his rhetoric on refugees, he is not going to co-operate with us on the issue, and is unlikely to honour the refugee-swap deal our government negotiated with President Obama. As our federal politicians scrambled to adjust and readapt their messages to the new Trumpian order, there was one shining exception.
When Turkish police arrested Abdulkadir Masharipov, the man suspected of committing the terrorist attack that killed 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Eve, they found he had $US197,000 ($261,000) in cash, two guns, and drones. In a related raid, Istanbul police discovered another $US150,000 that they think was intended for Masharipov's use.

These are significant amounts of money: $US347,000 can provide a terrorist in most places with the means to sustain themselves and potential collaborators, and buy weapons to use in attacks. The discoveries are a reminder not only that money is vital to terrorism, but of the important role counter-terrorism financing (CTF) measures can play in preventing terrorist attacks.

Denying terrorist financing makes it harder for terrorist groups to equip themselves and conduct their operations. Credit:AP

Disrupting and denying terrorist financing makes it harder for terrorist groups to equip themselves, conduct their operations and attract new members. CTF measures also provide intelligence to support the disruption efforts of police. So how's Australia doing on this front? Overall Australia's system is robust but it could be enhanced and strengthened. The area requiring most urgent reform is timely information sharing about terrorism-financing risks. While some restrictions on information are necessary, currently too many barriers exist.

The Australian government recognises this. The April 2016 review of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (AML/CTF Act) found the Act's secrecy and access provisions "are overly complex and impede information-sharing". It recommended developing a simplified model to enable AUSTRAC  Australia's financial intelligence unit  to share more information more often with public and private stakeholders.
Butch Trucks, a drummer who was one of the founding members of the seminal Southern rock group the Allman Brothers Band died on Tuesday at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 69. Trucks was one of the band's two original drummers; the other was Jai Johanny Johanson, known as Jaimoe. Trucks was considered to be the straightforward rhythm player, while Mr. Johanson added R&B and jazz influences. The Allman Brothers Band, led by the guitarist Duane Allman and the keyboardist and vocalist Gregg Allman, helped define Southern rock, a style that incorporated elements of blues, country and jazz as well as rock.

Mario Soares, who has died aged 92, steered Portugal to democracy after some 50 years of dictatorship; he served three terms as Socialist prime minister and in 1986 became his country's first civilian president in 60 years. A lawyer by training and a moderate socialist by conviction, Soares made his name as a dissident under Antonio de Oliveira Salazar's totalitarian regime, during which he endured 12 terms in prison and was deported to an African colony, before being forced into exile in 1968. He returned to Portugal after the bloodless army-backed "Carnation Revolution" of April 1974, when he was mobbed by thousands of supporters and marched in triumph through the streets of Lisbon.

Portuguese president and prime minister Mario Soares and his wife Maria Barroso, 2006. Credit:AP

[UK Labour MP] Tam Dalyell, who has died aged 84, was Parliament's leading gadfly over 43 years, the final four as Father of the House. His most celebrated campaign was over the sinking of the General Belgrano with the loss of 368 lives during the Falklands War, stemming from his conviction that Margaret Thatcher had lied to MPs. He conducted his one-man crusades with a tenacity bordering on the obsessive, and burning indignation at perceived wrongdoing. He triggered the fall of at least one minister, the trade and industry secretary Leon Brittan - whom he told apologetically that his real target had been Mrs Thatcher. Engaging but infuriating, not least to his colleagues, Dalyell had a unique ability to get under ministers' skins.
Australian Parliament resumes in just over a week and there has been much speculation as to how  or if  Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull intends to reverse his government's fortunes and set a clear, achievable, broadly-acceptable political agenda for 2017.

Less attention has been paid to the junior partners of the Turnbull Coalition government and how their leader plans to address his own party's woes. Fortunately this week has shown that Barnaby Joyce has a clear vision for the National Party in 2017: to embark on an agenda of focussed, high-level victim blaming.

Not everyone was entirely convinced by the gritty reboot of Muppet Show hecklers Statler and Waldorf. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Barnaby started as he clearly meant to go on with his comments on Radio National on Wednesday about how those people moaning about how Sydney was too gosh-darn expensive should just "accept that" and move to the country.

"What people have got to realise is that houses are much cheaper in Tamworth, houses are much cheaper in Armidale, houses are much cheaper in Toowoomba," he helpfully explained in the face of a worrying international study on Australian housing affordability. "I did move out west so I can say this, if you've got the gumption in you and you decide to move to Charleville  you're going to have a very affordable house."
A plant not seen alive for almost two centuries has been found on Sydney's south-west fringe, the discovery revealed only after a project proposed for the area won planning approval.

Greg Hunt, the former Federal environment minister, approved for the SIMTA Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Facility in March, 2014, but imposed conditions on the rail freight plan, including a "targeted search" for an endangered species of hibbertia flowering plants.

Thought to be extinct for almost 200 years, the newly-named Hibbertia Fumana makes a comeback. Credit:Via Nature Conservation Council

The search instead found 370 individuals of the hibbertia fumana species on the seven-hectare site, formerly owned by the military and largely untouched. The plant was thought extinct and last documented in 1823. It was only named in 2012 as a separate species from pressed specimens held in overseas vaults.

"Finding a species thought to be extinct is not something many scientists get to do in a lifetime, so this is an exciting discovery for everyone involved," said Jane Rodd, a senior ecologist with Arcadis, the consultancy hired to do the search.
Shadow federal treasurer Chris Bowen has mocked the NSW Greens as a "cabal driven by factionalism" and "obsessed with secrecy" in response to the increasingly open warfare within the minor party's NSW branch.

"More and more we are seeing this hard-core factionalism driven frankly by people who are not Greens, but in some instances much more interested in unreconstructed political philosophies that have been discredited around the world," Mr Bowen said.

"The Greens are a political party obsessed with secrecy ... [Labor] have an open conference, everybody can come to see our debates. [The Greens] do it behind closed doors, have attempted coups and we find out about it six months later."

Fairfax Media reported on Thursday the increasingly open clash between moderate elements of the Greens, aligned with current and past leaders Richard Di Natale and Bob Brown, and those aligned with NSW Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon.
Federal and state Labor have ramped up an attack over housing affordability, with shadow federal Treasurer Chris Bowen and NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley accusing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and new state Premier Gladys Berejiklian of being "all talk, no action".

"Right around the country Australians are worried about how they'll afford to buy a home, or their children and grandchildren will afford to buy a home", Mr Bowen said on Friday, renewing Labor's call for action to clamp down on investors pouring funds into the negatively geared housing market.

Federal shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said Australia's biggest city, where the average house price is more than $1.1 million, had an "affordability crisis" at a joint press conference with Luke Foley in Sydney. Credit:Deborah Snow

"Now we see Liberal backbenchers joining what has been a growing chorus calling for reform to negative gearing, knowing that [it] needs to be reined in."

Federal coalition MP's John Alexander and Andrew Hastie have called for a "contest of ideas" including possible action on negative gearing to help ease housing prices, News Corp reported on Friday.
A warning that Mr Sawari could take extreme measures was included in a submission from trauma worker Janet Galbraith 10 weeks ago. The submission requested he be included in the proposed US resettlement deal because of his vulnerability. Loghman Sawari pictured in Papua New Guinea in 2015. Credit:Andrew Meares "Hopelessness and living in constant fear is leading him to consider drastic action. I also believe that his mental health is declining and is at a point where he needs to be given the support and safety very soon," Ms Galbraith wrote to the UNHCR. "I am very concerned for him. He is exhausted and I believe he is unable to continue. I also believe he will make some decisions that will see him either lose his life or at least end up more damaged." Loghman Sawari in Fiji.

Mr Sawari said he is terrified of being sent back to PNG. "If I go back they will make me crazy or they put me in the jail. I'm sure about that," he said by phone from Nadi. "My problem is I cannot go back to Iran and I can't stay in PNG. I don't want to go to Australia. I just want to be free, just like human being. I would stay in Fiji. Here you can walk anytime - night, morning. You free here." Ms Galbraith has just returned from three months in PNG and said Mr Sawari is more vulnerable than many others on Manus Island because his teenage years were filled with trauma and torture in Iran before his ordeal on Manus Island. For the first few months of his detention in Papua New Guinea, Mr Sawari was an aberration: the boy in a detention centre that was supposed to be exclusively for men, a number of whom have wives and children in Australia. Loghman Sawari's journey started at least three years ago.

He was 17 when he arrived on Manus Island in August 2013, one month after the then Labor government decided to remove children and family groups from the detention centre. A letter from Australian immigration officials told him he would be "treated as a minor for the purposes of accommodation, placement and other purposes". He remained in isolation until his 18th birthday, when he was told he would be staying. He was one of the first refugees to be leave the detention centre on Manus Island after his claim for refugee status was accepted, but he suffered from depression and was taken to the local jail after attempting suicide soon after his release. Case notes dated January 2014 show that Mr Sawari was considered to be "high risk". He lasted two months in PNG's second-biggest city, where he said he was terrified by an armed "raskol" and reduced to tears by bullying in the town before being befriended by a homeless youth. After being refused permission to return to the transit centre, Mr Sawari fled on a boat and was protected by locals on a neighbouring island for some weeks before returning to Manus Island and being transferred to Port Moresby. In Port Moresby, Ms Galbraith's report notes Mr Sawari continued to experience harassment, bullying and attacks. "He is extremely and obviously hyper-vigilant all the time. He seldom sleeps and often spends a week inside his unit as he is afraid to venture out."
London: Treasurer Scott Morrison has rejected calls made by his own colleagues to consider curbing negative gearing, saying London's high property prices in the UK - which does not allow the tax concession - shows it is not contributing to Australia's housing affordability crisis.

And the Treasurer doubled down in the face of a fresh attack from Labor saying without negative gearing Australia's property market would "crash".

Fresh research from Demographia says Australia is a global leader in housing unaffordability with Sydney named the world's second most expensive city in which to buy a property.

The findings spurred a fresh debate over negative gearing which Labor wants curbed for existing properties, claiming that the practice protects existing, wealthy investors at the expense of those trying to buy their first home.
A new exhibition, set to coincide with Chinese New Year and Australia Day, celebrates our country's Chinese community and poses the question: What's in a name?

Sydney based photographer Ken Leanfore has an unusual surname. The fourth generation Chinese-Australian can trace the Leanfore name back to his great-grandfather Charlie Lean-Fore, whose Cantonese name was phonetically anglicise by Australian officials in the 1890s. Leanfore's great-grandfather was just one of many immigrants trying to make their fortune during Australia's gold rush era. When Leanfore was younger, he would speak to his father about the unusual family name and how they had come about  and the idea to document them was born. Fairfax Media spoke with Leanfore about his project:

Dennis O'Hoy photographed at his home in Bendigo. Credit:Ken Leanfore

Tell us about your series and the message behind it.

What's in a Surname? Is a photographic portrait series exploring multi-generational Chinese-Australian descendants living with an unusual or anglicised surname. I am trying to highlight the fact that people can have preconceived notions about who a person should be, based on their name and how they sound.
Australian scientists believe they've discovered the "origin cell" of a common form of lung cancer that kills thousands of smokers and ex-smokers.

PhD student Clare Weeden and the basal stem cells her team believes cause smokers lung cancer.

The development could one day lead to life-saving early detection of squamous cell lung cancer, which accounts for up to 30 per cent of all lung cancers.

There is still years of work ahead before the discovery could be used to help patients, with ex-smokers those most likely to benefit.
Oktoberfest in Munich last year. Credit:Matthias Schrader "It's really about the costs to the healthcare system," said Dr Ryan Tonkens, a bioethicist at Monash University. "Alcohol consumption can lead to certain kinds of diseases that are totally preventable, and when these people are consuming too much alcohol  or consuming it in the wrong way  then they are contributing to competition for these sorts of healthcare resources. Cheers to healthy drinking. Credit:Elesa Kurtz "So the main issue, as far as bioethicists are concerned, is the scarcity of medical resources available, and a public health concern. One of the main reasons that the state wants its citizens to be healthy is the high cost of treating people who cause their own illnesses."

Alcohol's cost to healthcare is greater than just that arising from disease. There is also the high price and tragedy resulting from alcohol-linked violence and road trauma. Nevertheless, there is also the fact that large numbers of people regularly enjoy a drink or two without tipping into high-risk behaviours. There are also studies that suggest moderate tippling reduces anxiety and stress, and may also provide a protective effect against certain types of heart disease, some forms of cancer, cognitive decline, and possibly Parkinson's disease. "While the real and perceived excesses of 'binge drinking' have received considerable attention in policy, media and academic debates, the concept of 'sensible drinking' is poorly defined and has rarely been subject to empirical analysis," wrote University of Loughborough cultural sociologist Dr Thomas Thurnell-Read in a paper published in March last year. Thurnell-Read was writing in relation to craft beer festivals, alcohol-centred events at which participants "highlight self-control and social regulation as central features of acceptable drinking practices". The practice of sensible drinking, he suggested, draws "on notions of taste, sociability and self-control".

All of which is lovely, if you can afford the hefty ticket price at beer fests, and find it entertaining to spend hours comparing the hoppiness of Indian pale ales before forking out more cash on a taxi home. For some people  especially older people  "sensible" alcohol consumption is so defined because the idea of not drinking seems very unwise. Dr Christina Bryant, from the school of psychological sciences at the University of Melbourne, uses a different term to describe this practice. She calls it "drinking to cope". In a co-authored study published this month, Bryant and her colleagues looked at 288 older alcohol consumers in rural Australia, and concluded that just over one-fifth them were "problem drinkers". Among them were many who drank to cope. "Drinking-to-cope motives  to relax, to manage physical symptoms and to feel more self-confident  increased the odds of problem drinking," the paper concluded. Bryant said that the habit didn't always lead to unhealthy outcomes, but was more likely to do so if the drinking wasn't coupled with other coping strategies, such as talking to people.

From that perspective, she saw valuable insight in the Oxford University study. "The social aspect of drinking described in the Oxford paper is really critical  drinking with people in a social context would be inherently different from drinking on your own," she said. "We also know that physical activity has added benefits when done socially rather than on one's own." One of the criticisms levelled at studies that claim to find benefit in moderate social drinking is that they are a tad self-serving. Drinkers recruited into such research, the criticism runs, are likely to be healthy, educated, engaged with the idea, and therefore consistent in their habits and keen to participate. By contrast, people whose drinking habits are variable, sliding sometimes into hazardous levels, are far less likely to get involved  and far more likely to drop out halfway through.

They are valid points and not without merit. However, in September last year Swiss health psychologist Dr Gerhard Gmel reviewed several recent studies and concluded that even when all the potentially complicating factors were taken into account, the beneficial effect "remained strong". "We should also not forget that evidence is not based solely upon observational research," he wrote. "An integrated system of multiple biological pathways and biomarkers has been found providing support that moderate alcohol use may, in fact, be protective." Also last September, Gmel and colleagues published another study looking at levels of drug use among young Swiss adults who didn't drink. The work found that non-drinkers carried a much higher risk of falling prey to heroin and ice than did moderate drinkers, concluding that abstinence, counter-intuitively, could be a very harmful practice. No public health authority anywhere in the world, however, is likely to mount a campaign to encourage people to have a couple of bevvies every now and then. Not only would the political blowback be severe, any positives about alcohol consumption do not override Ryan Tonken's point about the high cost of alcohol-related preventable disease. "A more nuanced approach to the ethics of alcohol consumption probably should pay more attention to the possible benefits," he said.
With the axing of the Federal government's schoolkids bonus and a confusing array of school technology policies, the pain of meeting their children's education equipment costs is rising for parents as the school year starts.

Schools across NSW are rolling out new Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policies for students to "deepen learning, be personalised and student-centred" according to the Department of Education.

However, there is concern that BYOD policies potentially cause a "digital divide" for students from lower soci-economic backgrounds and families that cannot afford new devices.

NSW P&C Federation president Susie Boyd highlights that "BYOD is hurting parents really hard [as] shops that are taking advantage of the situation and the cost of the devices is raised, particularly for this time of year".
Gladys Berejiklian faces two byelection tests within months of becoming NSW Premier after health minister Jillian Skinner dramatically quit politics before a reshuffle in which she was to be dumped from the portfolio.

The 72-year-old Mrs Skinner  who had been in the job for six years after 14 years as opposition spokeswoman  is understood to have told Ms Berejiklian that "it's health or nothing" during a meeting this week to discuss the reshuffle.

On Friday Ms Berejiklian, who is finalising the shape of her first cabinet after being sworn in as premier on Monday, said she had "made it clear to Jillian that she would be welcome in the team".

"But obviously we had a difference of opinion on what that job would be," she said. "I was very clear on what my intentions were."
Father and son bush fugitives Gino, 58, and Mark, 36, Stocco stripped a farm caretaker naked after murdering him and hid the body under bushes to "cover their tracks" during an extraordinary time on the run, a court has heard.

The notorious pair evaded authorities for eight years and shot at officers during a dramatic 12-day chase across NSW and Victoria.

The pursuit ended when they were arrested on Pinevale, a remote property at Elong Elong in Dunedoo, 45 kilometres east of Dubbo, in October 29, 2015.

The badly decomposed body of Rosario Cimone, 68, the caretaker of the property, was found after their arrest.
A dog and parrot have died in a house fire in Brisbane's north on Thursday night.

An Aspley home was engulfed in flames about midnight as three fire crews battled to control the blaze.

The fire badly damaged an Aspley home overnight. Credit:Nine News Brisbane/Twitter

Two people inside the home leapt to their safety from the Nevin Street home's second storey window.

The pair were transported in a stable condition to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital with reported smoke inhalation.
Adult prison guards will be able to use batons and capsicum spray to control youth offenders and a new high-security juvenile prison will be built to combat the crisis engulfing Victoria's youth justice system.

In what marks a major hardening of the government's approach to the youth justice system, 40 Corrections Victoria staff from adult jails will be charged with maintaining security at the troubled Parkville and Malmsbury detention centres.

The latest announcements come after 15 inmates rampaged across the state this week in a terrifying crime frenzy of carjackings, armed robberies and aggravated burglaries after escaping from the Malmsbury youth detention centre near Castlemaine.

On Friday Premier Daniel Andrews said the government would make the necessary changes to secure the youth justice facilities.
Victoria's youth justice system has plunged into further crisis with the director of prison schools forced to take leave while the government conducts a secret investigation into his actions.

Brendan Murray, the executive principal responsible for educating Victoria's young prisoners, is under investigation for providing an email to human rights lawyers that cast doubt over the government's decision to send young inmates to a maximum security unit inside the adult Barwon Prison.

The government of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced armed guards from adult prisons would be able to use weapons to respond to riots in youth facilities. Credit:Darrian Traynor

The government defended the controversial Barwon move as a necessary last resort due to the destruction caused by riots at the Parkville Youth Justice Facility.

But Mr Murray's email suggested there were other options to remand young prisoners. It was cited in the successful court case run by the Human Rights Law Centre on behalf of the under-age prisoners.
Disgraced education department official Darrell Fraser was already building an Ultranet project at least a decade before it was launched.

In the 1990s, as principal of Glen Waverley Secondary College, he was directing his staff to build what was a Victorian first, an intranet school system that would give parents, teachers and students 24-hour access to course content and student reports.

Fraser sensed a commercial opportunity, and he and a handful of Glen Waverley teachers secretly set up a private company, Cortecnica, to sell their new product.

The enterprise attracted the interest of multinational IT company Oracle, and the company and school started trading knowledge about their software.
Adult prison guards armed with batons and capsicum spray will be used to control teen offenders, in a crackdown that some fear could turn Victoria's youth justice system into "another Don Dale".

A new high-security juvenile prison will also be built for the state's worst youth criminals, as the Andrews government struggles to stem community anger over the recent spate of riots and violent crimes by young offenders.

Two days after 15 offenders escaped from the Malmsbury youth detention centre and embarked on a terrifying 24-hour crime spree of carjackings, home invasions and burglaries across the state, Premier Daniel Andrews vowed to "restore order" to the state's youth justice system.

In what marks a major hardening of the government's approach, 40 Corrections Victoria staff from adult jails will maintain security at the troubled Parkville and Malmsbury detention centres.
A plane that crashed into the Swan River as part of Australia Day celebrations in Perth on Thursday will remain in the water until the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau inspects it.

Peter Lynch, 52, and his female passenger Endah Aricakrawati, 30, died when his Grumman Mallard seaplane crashed into the river about 5pm, in front of thousands of people who had gathered for the annual Australia Day fireworks display.

The plane broke up on impact and a handful of pleasure craft nearby on the river, as well as emergency services, sped to the scene near Heirisson Island and tried in vain to rescue the occupants.

"People around me were screaming out and turning their heads," acting Police Commissioner Stephen Brown told Radio 6PR on Friday.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has spoken by phone to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, a White House official says, amid a simmering war of words over Mr Trump's plan to build a border wall.

The telephone conversation came after Mr Trump earlier in the day added fuel to the escalating row, posting on Twitter that America's third-larest trading partner had "taken advantage of the US for long enough".

Mr Trump had demanded that Mexico step up measures to secure its border with the US.
US President Donald Trump said he would have a "fantastic" relationship with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, promising to work closely on trade and defence as her country exits the European Union, but the two leaders differed over continuing sanctions against Russia.

Trump and May held a cordial, 18-minute news conference at the White House after a private meeting, the new president's first with a foreign leader since his inauguration last week.

Trump said that the so-called Brexit, under which the UK would impose immigration curbs and recraft its trade relationships, would be "a wonderful thing" for the UK

"People want to know who's coming into their country and they want to control their own trade and various things," Trump said. "When it irons out you're going to have your own identity and going to have the people you want in your country and going to be able to make free trade deals without someone watching you."
Philadelphia: Hawaii Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard's secret trip to Syria this month continues to attract criticism from fellow members of Congress, as well as a washing of the hands from her own caucus leader.

Illinois GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger, who, like Gabbard, is a veteran of the Iraq War, slammed his Hawaii colleague for meeting with President Bashar al-Assad and called on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Speaker Paul Ryan to condemn the trip.

"In no way should any member of Congress, in no way should any government official ever travel to meet with a guy who has killed 500,000 people and 50,000 children," Kinzinger said in Philadelphia at the GOP issues retreat. "It is sad and a shame and a disgrace."

Kinzinger said Gabbard may have violated some rule but he didn't know much about it. "I'm interested to see where the money came from for the trip," he added.
London: Trump likes winning, so the UK have given him a pretend win.

They have pretended to change their foreign policy, by amping up the self-interest element and spinning it as a rejection of Blairite 'liberal democracy for all, by force if necessary'.

Unless Trump is significantly stupider than he looks, and I choose that phrase carefully, he'll see it for what it is: a gift, a little diplomatic knickknack. Something he can put on his mantelpiece and pretend is useful, but is really just decorative.

Theresa May's speech to the Republican 'retreat' in Philadelphia was long on rhetoric, occasionally absurdly so.
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Kingdom must respect, PM, Parliament and its people.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Frans Richardson in his opening remarks on the floor of parliament on Thursday afternoon during the discussion on the appointment of a Quartermaster by the Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs Ronald Plasterk said its a shame that the Kingdom has stopped so low when they chose not to inform the Prime Minister of St. Maarten that they chose to appoint a Quartermaster for the Integrity Chamber of St. Maarten.

Richardson said that the parliament of St. Maarten passed a law that infringes on the basic human rights of the people. He said that despite that the Kingdom seems to forget that St. Maarten has an Ombudsman and Constitutional Court in place that has to screen every law passed by the Parliament of St. Maarten, the Kingdom violated the countrys constitution when they hid the handling of the appointment of the Quartermaster.

He added that its shame that the Kingdom chose not to inform the Prime Minister of St. Maarten of the Quartermaster. He further stated that the people of St. Maarten need to look closely at what is happening in St. Eustatius.

MP Franklin Meyers also condemned the actions of the Dutch he said that he wants all the Members of Parliament to realize that whatever decision they take it will affect their children and grandchildren. He said that three judges from the Constitutional Court threw out the agreement on the establishment of the Integrity Chamber because it infringes on the human rights of the people as stated in the countrys constitution.

Meyers said even the Minister of Justice on St. Maarten cannot function as Minister of Justice because there are law enforcement officers working on the island that do not report to St. Maartens Minister of Justice. Meyers further explained that St. Maarten got what it negotiated when they were negotiating the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles when they agreed to allow the Dutch to control the countrys finances and justice.

He said that businesses are closing on St. Maarten simply because the government are not allowed to govern because the Dutch control the countrys finances. He cautioned that there are difficult days and the people of St. Maarten have to be resilient. MP Meyers called on the people to come together as brothers and fight in the interest of the people of St. Maarten because in the view of the Dutch everyone on St. Maarten are corrupt.

He mentioned the case of his brother that arrested by for human smuggling, Meyers said the same judge that went to his brothers house with the TBO team to arrest him is the one who confirmed that his arrest was legal. He questioned if that type of procedure is correct or if that is also not a breach of integrity.

MP Tamara Leonard also shared the same sentiments, she said when St. Maarten parliament approved that law when they were told that they should approve the law to avoid the Dutch from imposing instructions on the country. MP Leonard made clear that St. Maarten is in trouble, the country is now into trouble/ crisis. She asked what the Council Ministers intend to do? Are they ready to scrap the integrity law and start over just like how the constitution court threw it out because it infringes on human rights and the privacy of people? MP Leonard asked some very straight forward questions when she asked if the government and MPs are going to continue to complain and cry or are they ready to do something about the law the Parliament of St. Maarten passed which the Constitutional Court scrapped.

MP Theodore Heyliger who appointed the former Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson who signed the protocol with the Dutch for the establishment of the integrity chamber asked the current council of ministers what do they intend to do with the law. He said that the Dutch has their Gestapos on the island that are fully equipped while KPSM and other justice institutions on St. Maarten are understaffed and undermanned. Heyliger said he wants to know what repercussions the civil servants and the people of St. Maarten will face if they do not cooperate with the Quartermaster in giving them the information they demanded.

In responding to Parliament Prime Minister William Marlin said when he heard the news that the Dutch had appointed a Quartermaster he took it as a joke. He said to date there has been no communication between the Dutch and him as Prime Minister of St. Maarten. He made clear that he did not get any mail email, watapp message or even a Facebook message on the appointment of the Quartermaster.

Marlin said the same thing happened when the former Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson signed the protocol with the Dutch government and he too did not consult with the parliament of St. Maarten. He said at the time some MPS were in the Netherlands attending the IPKO meeting when they got the news. He said that there is no use to rehash what transpired back then. He made clear that the St. Maarten government lived up to the protocol while the Dutch did not appoint a Quartermaster by the deadline which was June 1st.

As for what the current government has done Marlin said when they took office in November 2015, and spent 9 months in office they had to deal with a number of issues left behind by the former governments. Marlin said government had to deal with finding solutions for the dump, the lack of classrooms, putting a balanced budget in place while they also had to deal with the bag of debts they inherited. In the meantime, he made clear that St. Maarten does have integrity issues but the country has several institutions to deal with those issues. He also mentioned the promises made by the Dutch to assist with the enhancing the justice departments but to date have not done so, while the prosecutors office is busy starting investigations based on what they read on the blog, or on the floor of parliament and even what they heard on political podiums.

Going back to the protocol signed by the former Minister of Justice he said it had a date on it that does not exist June 31st, yet St. Maarten (the government and majority in parliament) back then went along with it. He said that St. Maarten even appointed a quartermaster based on the protocol that was finally shot down by the Constitutional Court since it infringes on the human rights and the constitution. The other Ministers that addressed Parliament were Minister of Justice Raphael Boasman and Minister of Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. The meeting of Parliament has been adjourned until Monday.
GREAT BAY, (DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that there will be interruption with the traffic flow on the Cucumber road and the junction of L.B. Scot Road on Monday, January 30 at 8.00am.

Residents on Cucumber road are requested to not park their vehicles on Cucumber road during construction. Motorists are requested to be vigilant and observant for the traffic directional signs.

The traffic interruption is in connection with the project Sewage Arrowroot Road in collaboration with ESLI Construction.

The installation of the main sewage infrastructure will take approximately four weeks and works will be carried out in the surrounding areas.

The general public and all motorists are hereby informed that tampering and/or removing any barricades or any of government properties is punishable by law.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.
PHILIPSBURG:---- SXM DOET 2017, the local edition of the largest volunteer initiative in the Dutch Kingdom, will take place on Friday, March 10th and Saturday, March 11th, is now actively recruiting interested persons to volunteer and give back. An initiative aiming to benefit any local organization that contributes to society, by assisting in the setting up a project they otherwise would not be able to execute due to a lack of manpower or funding. Oranje Fonds in the Netherlands funds the event as well as having been the initiator of it throughout the whole Kingdom while being executed and managed locally by the Be The Change Foundation.

Now in its 3rd year and aiming to be more successful than ever, the Project Management Team has started its second phase, the recruitment of volunteers. Its first phase, the recruiting of projects, has been rounding off this past week.

In its first edition, 2015, over 30 projects were successfully finalized, in 2016 this was over 40, and this year, 2017, the counter has already surpassed the 65 projects. The former editions having brought together more than 1.000 volunteers by putting them into action. This year the recruitment is on for a similar amount of volunteers and even more.

To be a part of the change and help contribute to society, sign up to volunteer on www.SXMDOET.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 580-5155
Slyce Announces Transition Steps Following Sale of Business Assets

CALGARY, ALBERTA  (Marketwired)  01/26/17  (TSX VENTURE: SLC) (Slyce or the Company) announces implementation of several steps as it transitions and streamlines for a new strategy following the sale on January 10, 2017 of the majority of its business assets (the Transaction). These transition steps include:

Name Change and Consolidation of Shares

Further to the approval received from shareholders of the Company at the a special general meeting held on December 21, 2017 (the Meeting) and as described in more detail in the Management Information Circular of the Company dated November 26, 2016, the Company will change its name from Slyce Inc. to Pounce Technologies Inc. and has authorized a consolidation of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company (the Common Shares) on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Common Share for every twenty (20) pre-consolidation Common Shares (the Consolidation). As a result of the Consolidation, 188,018,046 Common Shares currently issued and outstanding will be reduced to approximately 9,400,902 post-consolidation Common Shares. No fractional shares will be issued in the Consolidation. Each fractional share following the Consolidation that is less than one-half of a share will be cancelled and each fractional share that is at least one-half of a share will be rounded up to the nearest whole share. The exercise or conversion price and the number of shares issuable under any of the Companys outstanding stock options and convertible instruments will be proportionately adjusted upon completion of the Consolidation. A letter of transmittal will be sent to registered shareholders providing instructions to surrender the certificates evidencing their Common Shares for replacement certificates representing the number of post-consolidation Common Shares to which they are entitled as a result of the Consolidation. Until surrendered, each certificate representing Common Shares prior to the Consolidation will be deemed for all purposes to represent the number of Common Shares to which the holder thereof is entitled as a result of the Consolidation. The Consolidation is subject to the approval of the TSXV.

The effective date for the Consolidation and Name change is anticipated to be January 27, 2017. Prior to the effective date, the Companys shares will continue to trade on the TSXV under the current trading symbol and on the anticipated effective date the Companys shares will begin trading on the TSXV under the trading symbol POI.

The Company will provide further details on confirmation of the effective date.

Change in Board Composition and Appointment of Officers

At its meeting on January 24, 2017, the Board appointed Mr. Cameron Chell as a director and as its new Interim CEO, subject to TSXV approval. Mr. Chell, a serial entrepreneur, is a co-founder of the Company. He has two decades of executive experience in start-up businesses that he has founded.

Erika Racicot was appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Racicot is a co-founder of the Company and has served as its COO. Over the past decade, Erika has led and advised early-stage corporate teams involved in operations, product development and marketing.

As part of the transition, the Board accepted the resignations of Travis Reid, George Colwell and Dale Johnson as directors and officers, effective immediately.

Appointment of Auditor

The Board has appointed Collins Barrow Calgary LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as the Companys external auditor effective January 25, 2017, replacing Collins Barrow Toronto LLP. The Companys head office has also been relocated from Toronto to Calgary and is now located at LM 120, 2303, 4th Street SW, Calgary Alberta, T2S 2S7.

Repayment of Bridge Loan

As previously announced on October 24, 2016, Business Instincts Group provided the Company with $585,000 in temporary, non-interest-bearing, unsecured bridge financing. The Company repaid this bridge loan from the proceeds of the Transaction.

Redemption of Convertible Debentures

The Company has redeemed $250,000 of convertible debentures issued on June 26, 2017. Interest payable on the redeemed debentures was forfeited.

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

Statements in this press release contain forward-looking information. The words will, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intent, may, project, should, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by Slyce.

Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Slyce.

Contacts:

Erika Racicot

(403) 781-6671
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Artist's concept of China's Chang'e 5 lunar sample-return mission, which the nation aims to launch in November 2017.

China is working to launch a sample-return mission to the moon before the end of 2017.

The mission, known as Chang'e 5, will be the first to bring lunar material to Earth since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 spacecraft did so in 1976.

Liftoff of Chang'e 5 is scheduled to occur at the end of November, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency. The robotic craft will ride atop China's Long March-5 booster, departing from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan Province. [China's Moon Missions Explained (Infographic)]

Four-part probe

According to Chinese news services, the over-8-ton Chang'e 5 is comprised of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a "returner" (an Earth re-entry module).

The mission will be China's first automated moon surface sampling probe. After touching down, the lander will place lunar samples into a vessel in the ascender. Then the ascender will take off from the lunar surface to dock with the orbiter and the returner, which will be circling the moon together, and transfer the samples to the returner.

The orbiter and returner will then head back to Earth. The two craft will separate from each other far from Earth, with the returner module eventually re-entering and parachuting down to the planet's surface solo.

A history of lunar sample-return

If successful, the Chang'e 5 mission would be the first lunar sample return to Earth in more than 40 years.

The former Soviet Union successfully executed three robotic sample-return missions in the 1970s: Luna 16 returned a small sample (101 grams, or 3.6 oz.) from Mare Fecunditatis in September of 1970; in February 1972, Luna 20 returned 55 grams (1.9 oz.) of soil from the Apollonius highlands region; and Luna 24 retrieved 170.1 grams (6 oz.) of lunar samples from the moon's Mare Crisium (Sea of Crisis) for return to Earth in August 1976.

And NASA's Apollo astronauts brought more than 800 lbs. (360 kilograms) of lunar material to Earth over the course of six landed moon missions from 1969 to 1972.

Relay station

China plans to fulfill three strategic steps with the launch of Chang'e 5: "orbiting, landing and returning."

The first spacecraft of China's ambitious moon program, the Chang'e 1 lunar orbiter, was launched in 2007, and Chang'e 2 followed in 2010. Chang'e 3, which included a lander and a rover, was launched in December 2013 and successfully landed softly on the moon.

Also on the country's moon exploration schedule is the launch of the Chang'e 4 lunar probe around 2018.

Chang'e 4 is designed to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon. (The mission was originally scheduled to launch in 2015 but was delayed, in case you were wondering why it's lifting off after Chang'e 5.) China also plans to launch a robotic probe to a gravitationally stable location beyond the lunar far side known as the Earth-moon Lagrange Point 2, to relay communications from Chang'e 4 back to Earth, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

"The country plans to send robots to explore both lunar poles," CNSA vice director Wu Yanhua said late last year, adding that plans to send astronauts to the moon were also being discussed, Xinhua reported.

Human exploration, too

Also last year, Tian Yulong, chief engineer of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), noted that "lunar exploration is endless."

Tian said that China is in discussion with the European Space Agency and other countries "to build bases and carry out scientific investigations on the moon, which will lay a technology and material foundation for human beings' landing on the moon in the future."

For a behind-the-scenes look at getting China's Chang'e 5 ready for its lunar mission, check out this CCTV-Plus video:

http://cd-pv.news.cctvplus.com/2016/1231/8039831_Preview_1806.mp4

Leonard David is author of "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet," published in October by National Geographic. The book is a companion to the National Geographic Channel six-part series, Mars. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Published on Space.com.
Family members of the fallen Apollo 1 crew gather beside a wreath placed at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. From left to right are: Lowell Grissom, brother of astronaut Gus Grissom; Carly Sparks, granddaughter of Grissom; Bonnie White Baer, daughter of astronaut Ed White; and Sheryl Chaffee, the daughter of Roger Chaffee.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  Three astronauts who died 50 years ago this week were remembered at a public ceremony in Florida on Thursday (Jan. 26), not far from the launch pad where a fire claimed their lives.

The Apollo 1 crew members, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee, were honored at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's NASA Day of Remembrance at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The annual event also paid tribute to the 14 space shuttle crew members and seven other U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the pursuit of exploration and whose names are engraved on the Space Mirror Memorial, a national monument to the fallen space explorers.

"Every year at this time, NASA remembers all of our brave family members we have lost and who've given everything, a full sacrifice, to advance this mission of exploration," said Robert Lightfoot, the newly-appointed Acting Administrator of NASA. "Particularly poignant this year because it marks 50 years since Apollo 1." [Photos of the Apollo 1 Fire: NASA's First Disaster]

"We can't forget our fallen heroes  and they are heroes," said Lightfoot. "To those in my generation who watched as these folks pushed that envelope and ultimately got us to the moon, that is why I am here, [and] that is why most of the people of my generation are here."

Grissom, White and Chaffee were taking part in a routine "plugs out" test atop their Saturn IB rocket at Complex 34 in Cape Canaveral when a spark, set off by a short circuit, ignited a flash fire inside the pure oxygen environment of the Apollo command module. Unable to open the hatch as a result of its design and the pressure within the capsule, the astronauts died within 30 seconds of the blaze erupting due to smoke inhalation and thermal burns.

"Today we are not here for a space launch, no launch this time," said astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited Earth on Gemini 10 and orbited the moon on Apollo 11. "But just as important, [we are here] to contemplate a launch which did not take place but that in many ways was just as important as any which flew later."

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins addresses guests at Kennedy Space Center's Day of Remembrance, Jan. 26, 2017. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

"Without Apollo 1 and the lessons learned from it," Collins continued, "in all probability, such a fire would have taken place later in flight and not only a crew, but the spacecraft would have been lost, and NASA  with no machinery to examine  would only be able to guess at the causes and how to prevent still another occurrence." [Remembering the Apollo 1 Fire (Infographic)]

"Yes, Apollo 1 did cause three deaths," said Collins, "but I believe it saved more than three later."

One of NASA's original seven astronauts, Grissom flew on the second U.S. piloted space flight, Mercury-Redstone 4, in July 1961, and led the first crewed mission on the space agency's two-seat spacecraft, Gemini 3, in March 1965.

White followed Grissom into Earth orbit three months later on the Gemini 4 mission, becoming the first American (and second person worldwide) to spacewalk on June 3, 1965.

Chaffee was preparing for his first flight, the maiden launch of NASA's later moon-bound space capsule, when he and his two Apollo 1 crewmates were caught up in the fire.

Early morning sunlight illuminates the names on the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

"I cannot believe it's been 50 years since I lost my father, along with his Apollo 1 crewmates, Gus and Ed," remarked Sheryl Chaffee, who was eight years old at the time of the fire and later worked at the Kennedy Space Center for 33 years. "Although on that January day they lost their lives across the river on Complex 34 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, their story did not end there and their legacy lives on today."

Three astronauts, Theodore "Ted" Freeman, Elliot See and Charles Bassett, were killed in jet aircraft accidents prior to the fire. The Apollo 1 tragedy was the first time that NASA lost a crew aboard a spacecraft, albeit on the ground.

Nineteen years (and one day) later, the STS-51L mission crew  Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe  died aboard the space shuttle Challenger when it broke apart 73 seconds into flight on Jan. 28, 1986.

It was then 17 years later, on Feb. 1, 2003, when the STS-107 mission crew  Rick Husband, William McCool, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon  were killed aboard the space shuttle Columbia as it reentered Earth's atmosphere after a 16-day mission dedicated to science.

Four other astronauts are honored on the Space Mirror  Clifton "C.C." Williams, Michael Adams, Robert Lawrence and Manley "Sonny" Carter, all victims of aircraft accidents between 1967 and 1981.

Thursday's ceremony was followed by a wreath laying at the Space Mirror Memorial. In addition to Collins, Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke took part in the ceremony. Apollo veterans Buzz Aldrin and Thomas Stafford also attended, as did former space shuttle and current space station crew members.

The ceremony preceded two additional Apollo 1 memorial events set for Friday, the day of the 50th anniversary of the fire, including the reveal of a new public exhibit displaying the Apollo 1 spacecraft's three-part hatch, and an evening ceremony at Pad 34, the site of the tragedy.

Watch the NASA Day of Remembrance ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire at collectSPACE.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2017 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
This time of year is always a somber one for NASA as the space agency remembers the astronauts who died in three horrific spaceflight disasters.

Today (Jan. 27) marks the 50th anniversary of the first major, deadly disaster for the U.S. space program: the Apollo 1 fire. On Jan. 27, 1967, a fire erupted inside the Apollo command module during a preflight rehearsal test, killing three astronauts who were trapped inside.

Coincidentally, two other deadly spaceflight accidents that occurred decades later happened around the same time of year. On Jan. 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crewmembers. Tragedy struck again on Feb. 1, 2003, when the space shuttle Columbia broke into pieces as it returned to Earth, killing another seven astronauts.

The Space Mirror Memorial for fallen NASA astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (Image credit: NASA)

Days of Remembrance

To honor the brave astronauts who lost their lives in the line of duty, NASA holds a series of ceremonies every year. Today, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will unveil a new Apollo 1 tribute in its visitor complex at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The ceremony will be open to the public, and you can watch the live webcast here starting at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT).

For its official "Day of Remembrance" on Tuesday, Jan. 31, NASA will hold an observance and wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia by the graves of Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee.

Although the coming days may be a time of mourning for NASA and the rest of the nation, it's worth acknowledging that these terrible tragedies also served as crucial learning experiences that helped to make human spaceflight safer for the astronauts who later flew into space.

The Apollo 1 crew, from left to right, Roger Chaffee, Ed White and Gus Grissom. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Apollo 1: NASA's first tragedy

On Jan. 27, 1967, the crew of Apollo 1 was killed when fire engulfed their spacecraft during a ground test. The disaster stalled America's race to the moon for a year and a half. See how the Apollo 1 fire tragedy happened in our full infographic (Image credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com Contributor)

The Apollo 1 mission was supposed to be the first of several crewed flights NASA conducted to prepare for its first moon landing. But the spacecraft never made it off the launchpad, and it was destroyed nearly a month before its planned launch date, Feb. 21, 1967. [Photos: The Apollo 1 Fire]

On Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT), the three crewmembers entered the Apollo control module for a launch countdown simulation called a "plugs-out" test, which would determine whether the spacecraft was capable of operating on internal power. The Saturn IB rocket that would have launched the crew module into Earth's orbit was not involved in this routine and seemingly safe prelaunch test. Needless to say, the spacecraft flunked that test. Many people at NASA felt that it wasn't ready for such a test to begin with.

The crew spent the entire afternoon sitting inside the space capsule while debugging problems, including a foul odor emanating from the oxygen tank and a faulty communication system. "How are we going to get to the moon if we can't talk between two or three buildings?" Grissom shouted from inside the capsule.

Grissom was "very vocal about the shortcomings of the spacecraft," and the crew often complained to higher-ups that the spacecraft was not ready, former NASA astronaut Tom Jones told Space.com. When Grissom realized that raising his voice wasn't making much of a difference, he famously picked a lemon from his citrus tree at home and brought it to Cape Kennedy (now known as Cape Canaveral), where he hung it on the flight simulator as a symbol of his frustration.

As the crew went over their checklist inside the module, suddenly, the spacecraft's interior became engulfed in flames. Heat caused the air pressure inside the spacecraft to rise, making it impossible for the astronauts to open the hatch, which was designed to open inward. After about 30 seconds, the spacecraft ruptured. NASA's ground crew tried desperately to rescue the astronauts, but they died of asphyxiation before rescuers were able to get them out of the spacecraft.

That stray spark appeared to have originated in a bundle of wires. But that was only the beginning of a series of critical mistakes that led to the fire; far more concerning was the abundance of flammable materials inside the spacecraft. Arguably the biggest mistake they made was to fill the air with pure oxygen rather than a mix of oxygen and nitrogen like the air of Earth's atmosphere. Pure oxygen made the spacecraft extremely flammable. Top that off with combustible materials  including Velcro, nylon netting, foam pads and bundles of wiring  and you have "fuel for a 100 percent oxygen environment," NASA historian Roger Launius told Space.com.

Launius said that people at NASA knew about the major design flaws, particularly the unsafe flammable materials inside the spacecraft, for two years before the accident happened. "So why didn't they figure this out beforehand, before somebody died?" Launius said. "That's something that has never been adequately answered in my mind."

Haste for space

It seems as though political pressure to get to the moon in the height of the space race might have led NASA officials to overlook some safety concerns in favor of beating Russia to the moon. "Back in the '60s, NASA was brand-new  and setting the goal of getting to the moon in less than nine years was pretty ambitious," Leroy Chiao, a former NASA astronaut, told Space.com.

Perhaps the Apollo 1 fire could have been prevented if the United States had not been caught up in a race to get to the moon. On the other hand, it's important to remember that NASA was attempting to do something that had never been done before, and that comes with an inherent risk, Chiao noted. "NASA was still learning," Chiao said. "In hindsight, it's easy to criticize NASA for the decisions that were made, but the reality is that they were still figuring it out."

Although NASA had put astronauts in space before, with its Mercury program and subsequent Gemini program, the first Apollo mission was not exactly a routine operation. "The Apollo was not a modified version of the Gemini spacecraft; it was a brand-new spaceship and it had about five years of development time, but it was not ready to fly by January," Jones told Space.com. "It had a lot of problems in development, assembly and testing."

This was no secret in the months leading up to the accident. The spacecraft had undergone several design changes that delayed the original planned launch date. A combination of political pressure and schedule delays created a recipe for disaster as NASA worked to undertake one of the most difficult and ambitious space missions in human history.

Family members of fallen NASA astronauts placed a wreath at the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center's Day of Remembrance ceremony. The names of astronauts lost in the Apollo 1 fire, Challenger and Columbia shuttle accidents, as well as astronauts who perished in training and commercial airplane accidents are emblazoned on the monument's 45-foot-high-by-50-foot-wide polished black granite surface. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

Heroes of Apollo 1

NASA lost three incredibly important astronauts in the Apollo 1 fire. Grissom was among the original Mercury astronauts and was the second American to fly to space. His crewmate Ed White became the first American to perform a spacewalk, which he did during the Gemini 4 mission in 1965. The third crewmember, Roger Chaffee, was a Navy lieutenant commander and a spaceflight rookie. Chaffee was looking forward to his first spaceflight and once said, "I think it will be a lot of fun."

Losing these brave astronauts was tragic, but some good did come out of the incident despite their deaths. NASA learned from the mistakes, and spacecraft are now much safer than they were then. Flammable materials no longer fill the inside of crew capsules. Hatches are now easier to open, so astronauts can escape in seconds in case of an emergency.

Grissom, White and Chafee died heroes because their tragedy was the wake-up call that NASA needed in order to prevent more potentially fatal incidents.

There will always be risks with human spaceflight, Chiao said, but it has certainly become safer over the years.

"I think it's important for everyone to not only respect the astronauts who are no longer with us, but to think about the space program and what it's done for us not only as a driver of technology but also  and I think more importantly  as something that gets young people excited and inspires them to dream big," Chiao said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Grissom hung a lemon on the Apollo 1 spacecraft. Grissom hung the lemon on the Apollo Mission Simulator.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
A tiny Japanese spacecraft stranded after a botched engine burn nixed its mission to an asteroid has provided a key measurement of water in the comet that hosted Europe's Rosetta mission.

The finding supports measurements made of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the Rosetta orbiter, which circled the comet for two years.

Astronomers used a telescope aboard Japan's Proximate Object Close Flyby with Optical Navigation, or PROCYON, spacecraft to look at 67P in September 2015, providing a global perspective unavailable to Rosetta, which was inside the comet's coma at the time.

"The water production rate of a comet is one of the fundamental parameters necessary to understand cometary activity because water is the most abundant icy material in the cometary nucleus," Yoshiharu Shinnaka, with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and colleagues wrote in a paper published in this week's Astronomical Journal.

RELATED: Sublime Surprise: Rosetta's Comet Cycles its Ice

Knowing how much water is in a comet also is important for understanding the process by which molecules were incorporated into comets as they formed in the early solar system, the observatory noted in a related press released.

Comet 67P wasn't in viewing range of Earth-based telescopes at the time, but PROCYON, thanks to a quirk of fate, was. The tiny satellite, weighing just 143 pounds (65 kg), was launched in December 2014 along with Japan's Hayabusa 2 asteroid sampler.

PROCYON was intended to fly by asteroid 2000 DP107, but its ion thruster failed, nixing the mission. The spacecraft remains in orbit around the sun.

Its measurements of 67P are important to validating computer models used for scientific research and possible future expeditions.

"We were able to test the coma models for the comet for the first time," the observatory's press release said, adding that the measurement was the first by a micro satellite for a deep-space mission.

"We hope this will become a model case for micro spacecraft observations in support of large missions," the observatory noted.

WATCH VIDEO: What Did We Learn From Landing on a Comet?

Originally published on Seeker.
When the comet Siding Spring was detected early in 2013, initial predictions suggested that there was a "non-negligible chance" that it would hit Mars the following year. Thought to be up to half a mile wide, the comet ended up missing the Red Planet by a cosmic hair's breadth, much to the disappointment of computational geophysicist Cathy Plesko.

"I think I was the most excited person on the planet!" Plesko recalled recently. "Because if it would have hit Mars, I would have had a published thesis with predictions about how that was going to go."

Plesko is based at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and works with a team of scientists in a number of institutions who are focused on impacts on planetary bodies and simulations of impact mitigation techniques. An impact on Mars would have been an incredible stroke of luck  her 2009 Ph.D. research was about the effects of comet impacts on Mars. If Siding Spring had slammed into the Martian surface in 2014, the event would have put her published theories to the test.

For the first time in human history, we would have had a ringside view of the devastation unleashed during a massive impact on a planetary body. The sheer energy generated by the cometary impact would have been witnessed not only by countless telescopes on Earth, but also by an armada of Mars satellites that would have watched and recorded what it's actually like for an atmosphere to get hit by a major comet. What's more, NASA's Mars rovers Curiosity and Opportunity would have felt what it's like to get hit by a comet, making measurements of the effects on the ground  that is, if they survived.

It didn't happen, but the historic flyby did underscore the potentially devastating threat hanging over life on Earth. What if Siding Spring had been aimed at Earth instead of Mars?

RELATED: Why a Mars Comet Impact Would be Awesome

Though much of our concern is currently focused on the threat of asteroid impacts, Plesko has her sights set on the more unpredictable foe.

"The real 'gotcha' we need to worry about  that's a much lower probability, but a much bigger danger  would be a short-warning time incoming comet," she told Seeker after presenting her research at the December meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco, Calif.

Keep in mind that Siding Spring was discovered in January 2013 and the Mars flyby happened in the October of 2014  only 22 months lapsed from discovery to flyby. If the comet had been headed toward Earth, there wouldn't have been enough time to plan, build and launch a mission to intercept it.

"The point with Siding Spring was that it wouldn't have taken much of a trajectory change for it to have been pointed at the Earth," said Plesko. "If it had been pointed at Earth, we wouldn't have known until it was very close whether or not it was going to hit Earth. We would have had to have mounted a response."

Black Cat in a Coal Bin

Before an appropriate response can be worked out, however, we must first understand why comets are such an unpredictable phenomenon.

When surveying the solar system for errant space rocks, astronomers typically look around the equatorial plane. This is the imaginary disk around which the planets orbit the sun. There are some erratic asteroids that, through a collision or some gravitational interaction in the past, orbit well beyond the equatorial plane, but for the most part we have a good idea where a large incoming asteroid is going to come from. And when we do detect a particularly scary space rock, we'd have years, decades or even centuries of notice before we started losing sleep over it.

Long period comets, on the other hand, do not originate from the equatorial plane. They populate a distant region well beyond the planets and even beyond the heliosphere, the sun's magnetic sphere of influence. Called the Oort Cloud, this hypothetical region surrounds the solar system like a shell, and is thought to be up to one light-year distant. Any one of these comets could careen into the inner solar system from any angle; from above, below, from the side, or from the glare of the sun. This makes them very hard to survey.

Artist concept of comet Siding Spring flying past Mars. (Image credit: NASA)

Although comets become bright and beautiful objects as they get close to the sun  solar heating causes the ices in their nuclei to vent into space, producing a huge coma and tails, which scatter sunlight  when they are far away, these ancient clumps of ice and rock are extremely dark, complicating efforts to find them.

"They are about as reflective as coal like looking for a black cat in a coal bin," said Plesko  except that the coal bin is infinitesimal. This observational difficulty only adds to the challenge. If you can't see comets and don't know where they are coming from, you may only have a few months to mount a response should one appear out of the dark.

Cannonballs and Nuclear Warheads

Plesko develops computer code that runs on supercomputers and, with the techniques she's developing, can model many different strategies for dealing with these incoming comet threats.

One strategy for knocking a comet off course, if we have enough time before the comet is predicted to hit, is to fire a kinetic impactor at the comet's nucleus, a bit like a space age cannonball delivered to the comet via rocket to slightly nudge the mass off course. If we send up many of these impactors, even the slightest nudge could be enough to modify the comet's orbit around the sun to avoid slamming into Earth.

This strategy will hopefully soon be tested when the European Space Agency and NASA launch a joint mission to impact asteroid Didymos' 150 meter-wide moonlet, informally called "Didymoon". NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft will hit the moonlet while the European Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) spacecraft observes from afar. This will be the first test to see if a kinetic impactor can indeed have a measurable effect on an asteroid. Though NASA has hit a comet nucleus with an impactor in 2005 during the Deep Impact mission, leaving a 150-meter-wide crater in comet Tempel 1's surface, that mission was intended to excavate material from the nucleus to see what the comet was made of, not to deflect it.

RELATED: We're Planning to Shoot an Asteroid to See What Happens

But for this kinetic impactor strategy to work against a large incoming comet, we would need a lot of lead time to stand a chance of it working, so if we're short on time, we'd need something a little more energetic.

If there's one thing we've learned from science fiction it's that when a comet threatens Earth, we just need to land a nuclear bomb on the surface to obliterate the thing. But the idea that a single nuke can blow a comet to smithereens is, well, science fiction. And even if the nuke managed the feat, the fallout from such an effort would likely not be to the benefit of humankind. Instead of one incoming comet, we'll have many pieces of incoming comet that could blanket-bomb an entire hemisphere of our planet. Depending on what the comet is made of (still a pretty big unknown), a single nuclear explosion might have no effect on protecting Earth.

But that's not to say that nuclear weapons shouldn't be used  we just need to use them right. And many nuclear weapons would need to be ready to launch at a moment's notice.

Going Nuclear

Plesko envisages a fleet of rockets outfitted with nuclear warheads that could be launched as soon as a comet threat is deemed imminent. Although there's an extremely low probability of a comet turning up at all, if it does, at least we'd have a plan in place to deal with the existential threat. There's still a lot of work to be done in characterizing comets, what they are made of and how they might be affected by a nuclear detonation in space. Because comets are composed of a high percentage of volatile ices, many waves of nuclear missiles exploding near a comet would likely "ablate" layers of the comet away, pushing it off course and vaporizing much of its mass. Disrupt a comet enough, and Earth might be saved.

"What we'd need to do is to mass produce these units [rockets and warheads] that can sit in a clean room, ready to go, and maybe be refreshed every 50 to 100 years, so they're ready to launch," said Plesko, likening the idea to keeping a fire extinguisher in the house.

A U.S. nuclear weapons test at Bikini Atoll in 1946. (Image credit: Public Domain)

Such a system is not unprecedented. Globally, there are thousands of nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles being stored and maintained, ready to launch at a moment's notice; huge amounts of funding is committed to this Cold War era exercise. When it became clear that nuclear war was a zero-sum game and as the Cold War started to thaw, nations like the U.S. and Russia agreed to reduce their stockpiles. These (hopefully) defunct weapons of mass destruction could be refurbished with another  extraterrestrial  target in mind.

"If we had something big like that coming right at us, we might have to use everybody's [nuclear] stockpiles to vaporize the thing," Plesko speculated.

RELATED: Nuking Asteroids: It's a Megaton Of Fun!

Before a system like this can be put into place, she pointed out that we still have a lot to learn about mysterious long-period comets that appear with little warning. As demonstrated by Europe's Rosetta mission to comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko, these dusty solar system bodies hold many surprises. Even though 67P is a short-period comet originating from the Kuiper Belt (far closer to the sun than the Oort Cloud where long-period comets originate) and was well observed, it wasn't until the spacecraft actually went there that we realized it was a double-lobed "rubber ducky" shape. This emphasizes the need for further comet studies, possibly including surveys of the Oort Cloud.

"An Oort Cloud survey would be incredibly technically challenging," said Plesko, "but some day it would be important important to do that."

An Earth-threatening comet may not be imminent, but one day it could be. This uncertainty isn't lost on scientists who know that it would be extremely challenging to get governments to fund a standing nuclear preparedness program against extraterrestrial threats.

But if another comet like Siding Spring appears in the night sky, and astronomers realize that it has Earth in the crosshairs, what will we be able to do? For now, not a whole lot.

WATCH VIDEO: What Happens When Comets Hit the Sun?

Originally published on Seeker.
Hanging below his three-starred belt, Orion's sword appears as three patches of brightness. Binoculars or a small telescope reveal that the central patch is the spectacular Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery located 1,500 light-years from Earth. Radiation and light from a small cluster of hot, young stars in the core of the nebula energize the hydrogen gas and reflect dust, yielding the reds and blues seen in this image by astrophotographer Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario. The separate Running Man Nebula is the bluish cloud at top center. The image covers a patch of sky measuring about 1.5 by 2 degrees.

Every year at this time, the evening sky is dominated by the eye-catching constellation Orion, the hunter, and his famous three-starred belt. The constellation contains some of the sky's most spectacular sights within reach of the naked eye, binoculars or telescopes of any size. Orion's spectacular stars and the bright nebulas in his sword and belt are well worth a look on chilly winter nights.

Your favorite mobile astronomy app can help you find them and see what they look like, even if you don't own a telescope. Let's bundle up against the winter chill and tour Orion's wonders.

Where's Orion?

The constellation of Orion, the hunter is well-known for several reasons. First, it straddles the celestial equator, making it visible throughout the world. Second, most of its stars are bright enough to see with unaided eyes, even under light-polluted skies. And finally, the constellation readily evokes a human figure, making it recognizable. [14 Best Skywatching Events of 2017]

The constellation Orion from Johann Bayer's "Uranometria" star atlas, published in 1603. The brighter stars have more elaborate symbols. The ecliptic is the broad band running left to right above him, and the Milky Way is the shaded region on his left. Orion's eastern arm is depicted bearing a raised club, while his western arm usually carries a lion's pelt (shown here), or a shield or cloak. (Image credit: U.S. Naval Observatory Library via Wikipedia

Traditionally, Orion has been depicted as kneeling or standing, with his eastern arm raised and bearing a club. His other arm is outstretched to the west and holds a cloak, a lion's pelt or a shield. His name comes from Greek mythology. In one story, to prevent the great hunter from killing her beloved animals, Gaia, the goddess of Earth, sent a scorpion to kill him. Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, cured Orion, and the scorpion, now called Scorpius, was placed on the opposite side of the sky, never to be visible at the same time as Orion. Ophiuchus was placed midway between the two foes. The constellations of Gemini and Taurus sit above Orion, to his upper left and right, respectively. Beneath his feet, his faithful dog, Canis Major, chases the rabbit Lepus.

Orion is a medium-size constellation, measuring 30 degrees (three outstretched fist widths) high, from his upraised club to his feet, and 20 degrees wide, from his eastern elbow to the cloak. At about 7 p.m. local time on midwinter evenings, Orion is low in the southeastern sky, tilted with his head to the left when viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. As the evening wears on, he rises higher and rotates upright, culminating high in the southern sky around 9:30 p.m. Then, he tilts to the right as he sets into the west at about 3 a.m. local time.

In midwinter, Orion is tilted to the left in the southeastern sky after dark, and then rises to stand upright in the south at about 9 p.m. local time, as shown here. The constellation is below the prominent winter constellations Gemini and Taurus, and above his faithful hunting dog, Canis Major, which pursues Lepus the Hare across the heavens. Orion's bright stars straddle the celestial equator (shown in white), making it visible worldwide. (Image credit: SkySafari App

Touring Orion's belt and bright stars

Many cultures have assigned significance to the distinctive row of three equally spaced stars that mark Orion's belt. Scandinavian countries have seen a distaff, a scythe and a sword. Predominantly Catholic countries referred to it as The Three Marys (from the New Testament). In the Middle East, they saw the three kings, or Magi. In China, it was known as The Weighing Beam, and the Three Stars. In fact, the top portion of the corresponding Chinese character  (shen) has three identical symbols representing the three stars. In North America, the Lakota called it the Bison's Spine, with the surrounding stars and nearby constellations forming the rest of a great bison in their winter sky.

If you are willing to face the winter chill, bring your phone or tablet and astronomy app outside on a clear evening, and use it to find the stars and objects mentioned below. A backyard telescope will show you most of the objects. Or, you can tour the constellation indoors with an app such as SkySafari 5. Simply search for the objects by name, center them in the app and zoom in to see how they look in full color. Use the Information option to bring up historical and scientific details, as well as additional images taken by amateur astronomers and large observatories.

From east to west (left to right looking at the sky in the Northern Hemisphere), Orion's three belt stars are named Alnitak, Mintaka and Alnilam. In a telescope, Alnitak (Arabic for "the Girdle") is revealed to be double, with the larger star a blue supergiant about 820 light-years away and shining strongly in ultraviolet light. Its surface temperature is a scorching 31,000 kelvins  that's 55,340 degrees Fahrenheit! (For comparison, our gentle yellow sun is a mere 6,200 K  10,700 degrees F.) Astrophotographers love the area around Alnitak. It's loaded with gorgeous gas clouds and nebulas, including the famous Horsehead Nebula and another called the Flame Nebula. A very large telescope is needed to see the spectacular objects with your own eyes, but your astronomy app will allow you to search for them and display full-color images. [Best Telescopes for the Money - 2017 Reviews and Guide]

The very bright star at center left in this image is Alnitak, the easternmost star in Orion's belt. A large aperture telescope, or a long exposure image of the area, reveals the spectacular Horsehead Nebula (to Alnitak's right) and the Flame Nebula (below Alnitak). The horse's head is opaque dust obscuring the glowing red hydrogen gas beyond it. The bright star at top center is part of the beautiful Sigma Orionis multiple star system, which is easily seen in backyard telescopes. Image by Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario. (Image credit: Ron Brecher , used with permission)

The belt's middle star is called Alnilam, which means "string of pearls". It's another large, and very hot, blue-white star, about 1.5 times farther away than the other two belt stars. Aging rapidly and nearing the end of its hydrogen supply, this star is expected to become a red supergiant  the precursor to a supernova, at any time. In fact, considering the star sits more than 1,300 light-years from Earth (with a corresponding delay in our seeing it), it might have happened already!

The third and westernmost star, called Mintaka ("belt"), is also a double star when viewed through a telescope. In fact, there are at least four stars making up what we see as Mintaka, although the others are only evident through spectroscopy. The brightest one has a partner that orbits it every 5.73 days in an eclipsing binary configuration that makes the star vary in brightness. These stars are also hot, blue giants, sitting about 900 light-years away. If you look carefully, Mintaka is actually somewhat dimmer than Alnitak and Alnilam.

To the upper left of his belt, the very bright, orange star Betelgeuse marks Orion's eastern shoulder. The ninth-brightest star in all the night sky, Betelgeuse is a red supergiant located about 500 light-years away. For comparison, if this star were in our solar system, all of the inner planets from Mercury to Mars would be inside the star! Even though Betelgeuse is much younger than our sun, it is a type of star that matures dramatically faster, and thus astronomers think it is approaching the end of its life and is massive enough to explode as a Type II supernova. And considering the light we see now left the star 500 years ago, it might have exploded already!

To the lower right of Orion's belt sits the hot, blue star Rigel. From our perspective on Earth, it appears about as bright as Betelgeuse, but it's much farther away  meaning it emits considerably more light. Rigel, too, is a supergiant star burning with a surface temperature of 12,000 kelvins (21,140 degrees F, or 11,727 degrees C)! In a good telescope, a small companion star can be spotted very close to Rigel. In Arabic, Rigel means "the foot of the great one." In China, Rigel is known as  (Sansu Qi, "The Seventh of the Three Stars").

Orion's western shoulder is marked by the bright star Bellatrix, which translates to "Amazon Star," named after the warrior women of legend. Bellatrix is about 240 light-years away, and burns at a blistering-hot 21,500 kelvins (38,240 degrees F, or 37,967 degrees C). It, too, is well along in its life cycle and is soon expected to enter its next phase of evolution, and become an orange giant. (As the last stages of their lives begin, stars first swell and become orange giants. Later in the process, they redden and swell even larger.) Above and between Orion's shoulders is an open cluster of stars, 1,305 light-years away, that marks his head. The brightest star is named Meissa ("the Shining One"). You can use binoculars or a telescope to enjoy them better, and see how many you can count. [Awesome Binocular Astronomy with the help of Mobile Apps]

Completing our circuit of his body, the western foot, or knee, of Orion is the misnamed star Saiph ("Sword of the Giant"). Another hot, blue-white star blazing at 26,500 kelvins (47,240 degrees Fahrenheit, or 26,227 degrees Celsius), it's also nearing the transition to creaky-old red supergiant.

Orion's cloak, lion's pelt or shield is composed of a crooked line of about nine stars that run up and down off to the constellation's western side. The brightest star, in the middle of the string, is named Tabit ("the Endurer"). On the opposite side of the constellation, the upraised club dips into the Milky Way. As you look higher, you'll see that pairs of stars widen the club. By using binoculars, you'll be able to see the rich star fields there.

Orion's stars serve as pointers to other celestial signposts. Extending the belt stars to the west leads to the bright-orange star Aldebaran in Taurus. With your arm extended, measure two diameters of your fist in the opposite direction to spot Sirius, the brightest star in the entire night sky, in the constellation Canis Major. If you imagine drawing a line drawn from Bellatrix to Betelgeuse, it will point to Sirius' bright puppy, the star Procyon. And a line upward from Rigel through Betelgeuse leads to the two matched stars Castor and Pollux, the heads of Gemini, the twins.

Mobile apps such as SkySafari 5 can be configured to show you all of the stars and deep-sky objects within a constellation. Then, you can touch an object to select it and zoom in to see more detail; call up scientific and historical details; and view imagery from major observatories. Take the app out under the stars, or tour the sky from the comforts of home. Orion's objects all fall within the blue boundaries that separate one constellation from the next. (Image credit: SkySafari App

Orion's sword and the Great Nebula

Orion's majestic sword, hanging well below his belt, contains one of winter's true astronomical treats. Unaided eyes generally detect three vertically arranged patches of light forming Orion's sword. Binoculars and telescopes reveal that the middle object is actually a bright knot of glowing gas and stars known as the Great Orion Nebula, or Messier 42 (M42). It is one of the brightest nebulas in the entire night sky, and at 1,400 light-years away, it is one of the closest star-forming nurseries to Earth. It's enormous: Under a very dark sky, it can be traced over an area equivalent to four full moons! For the best views, pick an evening when the moon rises late or is out of the sky.

Embedded in the core of the nebula is a tight clump of stars collectively designated Theta Orionis. (Orionis is Latin for "of Orion.") It's better known as the "Trapezium" because the brightest four stars occupy the corners of a trapezoid shape. Even a small telescope should be able to pick out this asterism, or stellar pattern, but good viewing conditions and a larger-aperture telescope can show two additional fainter stars. The Trapezium stars are hot O- and B-type stars that were recently born from the same cloud of gas and emit intense amounts of ultraviolet radiation. The radiation causes the gas in which they are embedded to shine brightly, by reflecting off gas and dust as blue light and also by energizing hydrogen gas to emit red light. The two colors together add purples to images of the nebula.

Only after the invention of the astronomical telescope in 1609 did astronomers discover that the object in Orion's sword wasn't simply more stars, but a brightly glowing cloud of gas. In the 1700s, Charles Messier and Edmund Halley (both famous comet observers) noted the object in their growing catalogs of "fuzzy" objects. In 1880, Henry Draper imaged it through an 11-inch refractor telescope, making it the first deep-sky object to be photographed. Within the nebula, astronomers also have detected many "young" (about 100,000 years old) concentrations of collapsing gas called proplyds that will eventually form future solar systems. These objects give astronomers a glimpse of how our sun and planets formed. [The Fabulous Lives of Nebulas]

In a backyard telescope, you should see the tight clump of Trapezium stars surrounded by ghostly gray veils and dark gaps. More photons (particles of light) need to be delivered to your eye for you to see color, so try photographing it through your telescope or using a camera and telephoto lens mounted on a tripod. Visually, use low magnification to enjoy the extent of the nebula before zooming in on the tight asterism. Just above M42, you'll find M43, a separate lobe of the nebula that surrounds the naked-eye star Nu Orionis ( Ori).

Continuing to tour the sword, look just below the nebula for a loose group of stars, 1,300 light-years away, called Nair al Saif ("the Bright One of the Sword"). The most prominent in that group is a hot, bright star surrounded by faint nebulosity that's expected to explode in a supernova one day. Astronomers think the star was gravitationally kicked out of the Trapezium cluster about 2.5 million years ago.

Sweeping down the sword and to the left (east) brings us to the star d Orionis at the tip of the sword. This magnitude 4.7 star is near the limit for visibility in moonless suburban skies. About two finger widths to its right is another star of similar brightness, named Upsilon Orionis. As is sometimes the case with star naming, this star is called Thabit ("the Endurer"), a duplicate of the similarly named star off Orion's western arm.

Moving upward toward Orion's belt, half a finger width (30 arc minutes, or the moon's diameter) above the Orion Nebula, you'll find another clump of stars dominated by c Orionis and 45 Orionis. A larger telescope, or a long-exposure photograph, will reveal a bluish patch of nebulosity around them that contains darker lanes forming the shape of a figure, called the Running Man Nebula. This is another case of gas reflecting light from the two stars mentioned.

Just above the Running Man Nebula, and a bit more than a finger's width to the lower right of Alnitak, sits a loose cluster of a few dozen stars best seen in binoculars. Then, jump higher, most of the way toward Alnitak, to check out a beautiful little group of stars collectively called Sigma Orionis. A small telescope reveals a special treat: four or five stars bunched together. Check it out with your telescope  trust me, it's pretty!

The SkySafari 5 app allows the background sky to be shown in different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, including H-alpha light, which reveals where the concentrations of hydrogen gas are. The large curved feature on Orions eastern flank is called Barnards Loop, part of a gigantic bubble of gas inflated by the recently formed stars in the Orion Nebula and Alnitak regions. (Image credit: SkySafari App

Going beyond

Your astronomy app will guide you to several more of Orion's wonders to chase with binoculars or a telescope. The area around his raised club contains a number of star clusters, including the fairly easy-to-spot NGC 2169, while above the opposite hand sits another one designated NGC 1662. About 2.5 degrees above Alnitak is another Messier object, M78, a faintish concentration of glowing-blue nebulosity lit by the stars within it, and broken by dark dust lanes.

The Orion constellation is a veritable astrophysical laboratory. If your astronomy app allows the background sky to be shown in different wavelengths, try switching to H-alpha to see where hydrogen gas is concentrated in the sky. The entire constellation is embedded inside a massive hydrogen cloud, with a dense clump surrounding Orion's head and a large, C-shaped feature on Orion's eastern flank. Known as Barnard's Loop, the curve is part of a gigantic bubble of gas inflated by the recently formed stars in the Trapezium and Alnitak region. This is just one example of nonvisual ways astronomers peer into the universe.

In future editions of Mobile Astronomy, we'll cover the solar eclipse, review some new apps and more. Until then, keep looking up!

Editor's note: Chris Vaughan is an astronomy public outreach and education specialist, and operator of the historic 1.88-meter David Dunlap Observatory telescope. You can reach him via email, and follow him on Twitter as @astrogeoguy, as well as on Facebook and Tumblr.

This article was provided by Simulation Curriculum, the leader in space science curriculum solutions and the makers of the SkySafari app for Android and iOS. Follow SkySafari on Twitter @SkySafariAstro. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Astronauts Virgil I "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the command module on the Apollo 1 mission 50 years ago today. An unusual memorial to the three can be seen in the night sky.

Today (Jan. 27) is a sad day for NASA, marking the 50th anniversary of when a flash fire occurred during a launch-pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle, which was being prepared for its first piloted flight. Astronauts Virgil I "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the command module, or "CM."

A nearly 10-week investigation determined that an electrical spark, occurring in an environment rich in pure oxygen inside the command module, ignited the fire. The blaze occurred during the early evening hours of Jan. 27, 1967  also a Friday  at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34.

The flight of Apollo 1 was to be the first crewed mission of the Apollo program, with the ultimate goal of landing astronauts on the moon and returning them safely to Earth. Apollo 1 was scheduled to fly on a two-week mission on Feb. 21, 1967, but the tragic accident set America's space program back by some 20 months.

Today, the country can pause and remember these three heroic men who helped the United States take the first steps on its path to the moon. And in this evening's night sky, three stars will, in a way, serve as a commemoration of those lost astronauts. [Remembering the Apollo 1 Fire (Infographic)]

A "wonderful con"

On Jan. 27, 1967, the crew of Apollo 1 was killed when fire engulfed their spacecraft during a ground test. The disaster stalled America's race to the moon for a year and a half. See how the Apollo 1 fire tragedy happened in our full infographic (Image credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com Contributor)

The stars make an appropriate memorial because of their history in the astronauts' lessons on celestial navigation.

The Apollo spacecraft that ultimately took men to the moon used an inertial guidance system. This system continuously monitored the position and velocity of the space vehicle and, by way of a computer, provided navigational data or control without requiring the ship to constantly communicate with mission control back on Earth. One of the basic components of such a system was a set of gyroscopes to keep the spacecraft aimed in the right direction. But, periodically, gyroscopes will drift, requiring the astronauts to perform a recalibration procedure by sighting on specially selected stars.



NASA chose 37 navigational stars for the task, and from 1960 to 1975, a total of 62 NASA astronauts studied celestial navigation at the University of North Carolina's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at Chapel Hill.

The planetarium director at the time, Tony Jenzano, was convinced that the astronauts NASA was planning to send into space  including Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and the crews from the Apollo lunar landings  needed to know the night sky just in case the navigation systems failed. In that event, these spacefarers would have to be reliant on their own knowledge and skills to land safely, Jenzano said.

Jenzano was also well-known for having a wry sense of humor. Astronaut Walter Schirra revealed in his biography what he described as a "wonderful con" that Jenzano and astronaut Grissom pulled off. In 1966, Grissom created three new star names, and Jenzano quietly incorporated these three names onto NASA's star list without telling anybody, noting them on existing stars: Dnoces, Navi and Regor.

Innocently circulated

The astronauts also trained in star identification at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory. The planetarium director at that time was Clarence C. Cleminshaw, a lawyer who became an astronomer and joined the Griffith Observatory when it was in its infancy. Cleminshaw was working on an article about navigational stars that would eventually appear in the September 1967 issue of the observatory's monthly magazine, the Griffith Observer, and he asked Grissom for a list of the guide stars that the astronauts would use in their flights to the moon.

Dnoces, Navi and Regor made the list.

Cleminshaw never questioned the origin of the three unusual monikers  and why should he? After all, it was Grissom, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and a veteran of the Gemini space program, who provided the star list. That fact alone was more than enough to convince Cleminshaw to accept the three names.

And thanks to his article, other reputable publications innocently circulated the star list, in some cases even incorporating the names onto their own star charts. Sky & Telescope magazine was one example. Eventually, Grissom's three maverick stars earned the same respect as revered ones like Arcturus, Regulus and Antares.

Reversed appellations

But what did those odd names stand for?

Dnoces is the word "second" spelled backward, a reference to astronaut Edward White. "Second" had a special meaning for him on two counts. Not only was "second" part of his name (Edward H. White II), but he was also the second human to walk in space. Regor was Chaffee's first name in reverse, and Grissom decided to turn his own middle name (Ivan) around to create the name Navi. All three stars are simultaneously visible in the current midwinter sky for several hours, beginning from late evening on into the early morning hours.

Dnoces is Iota () Ursae Majoris, the upper of a pair of stars marking the front paw of the Great Bear constellation. The star also has a proper Arabic name, Talitha, which dates back to around the year 500. This week, skywatchers can see this star around midnight, standing almost directly overhead, with the Big Dipper not far behind, tilted almost upside down high in the northeast.

Navi is in Cassiopeia, the Queen, which is riding low down in the northwest sky at around midnight. This star marks the middle of the "W" or "M" configuration formed by the zigzag row of the Queen's five brightest stars. Star atlases refer to the star as Gamma () Cassiopeiae. Chinese astronomers referred to the constellation of Cassiopeia not as a Queen, but as a chariot driver, and Gamma bore the Chinese name "Tsih," which means "the Whip."

Lastly, "Regor" is Gamma () Velorum in the constellation of Vela, the Sails. That constellation was once part of a much larger, albeit now-defunct constellation, Argo Navis, the Ship. This star also has an Arabic name, Al Suhail al Muhlif. Admittedly, Regor is easier to remember.

In their book "Short Guide to Modern Star Names and their Derivations" (Otto Harrassowitz, 1986), authors Paul Kunitzsch and Tim Smart pretty much figured out what Regor stood for. Without knowing the background behind the strange name, they wrote, "It is of uncertain derivation.  perhaps it is the reverse spelling of someone's name (Roger)."

This star is a splendid double star in binoculars or a small telescope, but only skims just above the southern horizon at around midnight as seen from midnorthern latitudes.

But today, now that the public knows of the true origins of these three bogus star names, most reference sources cite them as "disused or never really used." Still, it is with a touch of sad irony that Grissom's little practical joke ended up turning into an everlasting memorial of sorts to himself and his two crewmates on Apollo 1.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for Fios1 News in Rye Brook, New York. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
On Jan. 19, "astronauts" once again started populating the isolated HI-SEAS Habitat in Hawaii, where they are simulating aspects of a human mission to Mars for eight months.

Another long-term space simulation is underway at the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, where six crewmembers entered a small, isolated dome Jan. 19 as a part of the HI-SEAS mission.

This is the fifth iteration of HI-SEAS, also known as the Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation. NASA is funding this mission and a sixth mission, scheduled for 2018, for $1 million.

For the next eight months, crewmembers will simulate a mission on a planetary surface similar to Mars'. The simulation will include a 20-minute delay in communication, because it takes time to send messages at light speed from Earth to Mars, and they will have limited contact with the outside world  in previous missions, water was delivered every six weeks and supply "missions" every few months.

The crew will also be expected to follow many protocols simulating life in space. Their routines will include eating food from shelf-stable ingredients, performing scientific research, doing daily exercise, maintaining equipment and tracking use of food, power and water. They'll have to put on spacesuits to leave the dome.

Hawaii's Mauna Loa provides the perfect environment for such a simulation, mission team members said.

"This is the best and most obvious place to do this research, both because of the physicality  as you can see, it looks like we're on Mars  but also because of the range of expertise available at the University of Hawaii," Kim Binsted, HI-SEAS principal investigator and a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said in a statement.

HI-SEAS' fourth iteration finished a one-year mission last year, putting the program in a small group of space analogs that have kept crews in isolation for that long. Other examples include the European Space Agency's Mars500 mission and the Concordia Research Station in Antarctica.

Coincidentally, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko also finished a nearly one-year mission in space in March 2016, joining just a handful of astronauts who have stayed in space consecutively for 300 days or longer. A typical space station mission is five or six months long.

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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Gand (Belgium), January 27, 2017 (SPS) -The Sahrawi Diaspora in Belgium organized a protest rally at the port of Gand (northwest of Brussels) where the key Bay ship docked after unloading at the port of Fecamp (France) marine oil imported illegally from Western Sahara.

The participants in the rally chanted slogans denouncing the plundering of Western Saharas natural resources and carried banners demanding the respect of the principle of permanent sovereignty of peoples on their natural resources.

They also condemned the flagrant violation of European law and international law committed by the Moroccan occupation authorities and by this ship which loaded oil marine from the port of al-ayun without any valid document issued by the Sahrawi authorities, according to the representative of the Polisario Front in Belgium Djamel Zakari.

A letter of protest was given to the staff of the ship Key Bay with whom we held constructive discussions to protest against the shipping of this cargo of fish oil, imported illegally from Western Sahara, he said.

However, no complaint was lodged in Belgium against this ship which docked at the end of the day at the port of Gand after a stop Saturday 14 January at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in Spain, and last Friday in Fecamp (France ) where it unloaded its entire cargo.SPS

125/090/700
The new bolus from smaXtec is a simple tool that allows dairy farmers to monitor cow health, fertility and lameness with ease.

By measuring cow temperature and activity levels, it is able to flag up numerous issues that might otherwise go unnoticed under visual supervision, explains Victor Ogedegbe, veterinary analyst at Moletech. The bolus is proven to reliably alert farmers to fertility losses and disease, heat stress, calving, heat detection; even drinking and lameness issues. The benefit of such early alerts can be invaluable to farmers; enabling rapid treatment or action where required, as well as cutting costs and improving efficiencies.

A separate bolus, able to monitor pH levels alongside temperature and activity, can also be used in a small percentage of the herd. This measures rumen pH levels to detect digestion disorders and prevent acidosis, with the pH function lasting 150 days.

The boluses are orally administered, similarly to magnets, and then settle in the reticulum where they will remain safely for the cows life. Each bolus has a battery life of up to four years and so it is unlikely each cow will need more than one, says Mr Ogedegbe. From its position within the cow, the bolus will send updates on cow temperature and movement to a base station every 10 minutes, which then uploads the data to a cloud system via broadband or 4G. The information from each cow is interpreted by the software and the farmer will then receive alerts flagging up any unusual behaviour immediately on their smart phone or computer.

Paul Redmore, farm manager at Neston Home Farm, Corsham, has put the bolus in 300 of his Jersey cows following a trial in 50 head, and has found the calving alerts to be extremely useful. Its the most accurate calving alert weve come across, he says. Any cow with a bolus has produced an alert typically 12-15 hours before she calves, which enables us to focus our labour.
STAMFORD  Some members of the Board of Representatives have been trying for years to send a message.

In 2 014, Republican Mary Uva said the citys powerful governing body is controlled by a small group of insiders from both parties.

The longer somebody stays in power, the more entrenched they become, and the more they hold onto agendas that are not necessarily in the public interest, Uva said before quitting her District 1 seat.

That year District 2s Ben Velishka, known as an independent thinker, gave up his seat, prompting a frustrated comment from a fellow Democrat.

Marion McGarry said some longtime representatives vote along party lines, no matter the issue. They get so involved in politics, they forget theyre representing the people, said McGarry, from District 12.

In 2015, another Democrat, Cynthia Reeder, quit her District 11 seat after two years of clashing with established board leaders.

In the months before she resigned, Reeder complained that leaders gave the impression that the newer members opinions arent weighed as heavily as other members who have been on the board longer.

She called for term limits for city representatives.

Now Republican J.R. McMullen is doing the same.

Too many (members) are focused on the Board of Representatives club, not their constituents, said McMullen, from District 18. I think when youve been on the board a long time, youre more inclined to say, This is the way we always do it. Im not saying everything we do is wrong, but I think we should continually be asking, Is this the best way?

Push for access

McMullen last year began an effort to allow all representatives to take part in the closed-door sessions of all board committees. Board leaders four years ago banned representatives from taking part in the closed committee discussions, which are allowed when certain agenda items require privacy - unless they are members of the committee.

The problem is that the private committee discussions often go beyond the allowed items, McMullen has said. Its important that all representatives have access to that information, since all of them ultimately vote on the items, he said.

Rep. Carl Franzetti made a similar effort to increase openness on the board three years ago. Franzetti, a Republican from District 14, tackled a different kind of private discussion - the caucus.

By law, members of a political party may leave a public meeting to caucus privately about how best to achieve their aims. They are not allowed to discuss city business.

But some representatives charged that it was happening, so Franzetti proposed a way to control what goes on in caucus. Twice he tried to get board leaders to put his proposal on the agenda, and twice he failed.

There are a few people who are powerful who want to keep things the way they are, Franzetti said at the time.

Long-timers list

A number of the 40 board members are indeed entrenched, as Uva described. Fifteen have been on the board for at least a decade  10 Democrats and five Republicans.

Those with the longest tenures are Democrats Annie Summerville and John Zelinsky, 40 years; Democrat Elaine Mitchell, 31 years; Republican Gabe DeLuca, 30 years; and Democrat Gloria DePina, 28 years.

Three members have been on the board for 22 years  President Randall Skigen, a Democrat; Republican Mary Fedeli; and Democrat Philip Giordano.

Two Republicans round out the top 10  Harry Day, 18 years, and Joseph Coppola, 16 years.

The longest-tenured members lead eight of the boards 13 standing committees.

It would not be easy to cap the number of terms they can serve. The city Charter gives the Board of Representatives so much power that it is the members who decide whether to limit their own terms.

Attempts at change

Such an effort would begin with the Charter Revision Commission, which convenes every 10 years to consider changes in city government. But it is the Board of Representatives that gives the commission its mission, and the board that decides whether any changes go before the voters.

Regardless of what the commission does, if the Board of Representatives does not approve those things, they probably wont get on the ballot, said Josh Fedeli, who served on the last Charter Revision Commission five years ago.

Fedeli wanted to take up term limits for mayor, and there was a discussion about limiting the terms of representatives, but neither made it on the ballot that went before Stamford voters in November 2012.

There were many times when we had ideas, but the reality was that they would have to go before the Board of Representatives and it was unlikely they would be supported, so we didnt take up those issues, Fedeli said.

Being a representative for a long time isnt inherently bad for government, he said.

There are benefits to having expertise. We have a lot of good, committed public servants, Fedeli said. Certainly, though, the structure limits access to the seats of power.

The structure that supports incumbents runs deep in Stamford. Fedeli chairs the Democratic City Committee, which puts forth party candidates to run for office. Among the 40 members of the DCC, 15 also sit on the Board of Representatives.

We find ourselves in a position where people end up nominating and endorsing themselves as candidates for the board, Fedeli said.

During Charter revision he pushed for a ban on elected officials holding seats on party committees, Fedeli said, but it didnt fly.

No wonder representatives get the feeling that the Board of Representatives is ruled by insiders.

This is a big election year in Stamford. The seats for mayor and the board are up for grabs in November.

There is an anti-status quo feeling in the country now, and we have good, competent people who want to serve, Fedeli said. The role of the party is to put them forward for public office. Maybe that will affect governance.

angela.carella@scni.com; 203-964-2296; stamfordadvocate.com/

angelacarella

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Dorann Weber / Moment Editorial / Getty Images

STAMFORD  An employee at a party supplies store has been accused of stealing more than $1,000 from the business, police said.

Daneica Maxwell, 25, of River Place, Stamford, was charged with fourth-degree larceny following an investigation into fraudulent charges at Party City.
A lliance Trust closed the chapter on the tangle with US activists Elliott after agreeing to buy back its 620 million stake.

The Dundee-based trust, formed in 1888, will purchase the shares over five days at a 4.75% discount to the present value of Alliances basket of stocks if shareholders agree.

Elliott had been stuck with a block of shares after emerging victorious from a vicious campaign to shake-up Alliances boardroom, an assault which led to the exit of former chief executive Katherine Garrett-Cox.

The US investor said corporate governance had improved since it first bought shares in 2012 and the discount had narrowed from 15% to around 5%.

Alliance has been slowly buying back the shares of other investors over the past few weeks to narrow the discount.

Numis analyst Charles Cade said Elliott could have been a thorn in the side of Alliance if it failed to buy the companys shares.
G avin Patterson came out fighting today, insisting he will keep his job at the helm of BT though he admitted investors are angry.

An 8 billion share price crash this week came on the back of an extraordinary profit warning and an accounting scandal in Italy.

Today, BTs European chief, Corrado Sciolla paid the price, leaving the company as an investigation into the Italian arm widens.

The City is asking whether Patterson, paid 5.4 million last year, can survive. Asked if he would keep his job, he said: Absolutely. What has happened is completely unacceptable. But 80% of the business is doing well.

He admitted: The past few days have been very difficult. Some shareholders are unhappy, I am very angry. But the situation is under control. It is sophisticated wrongdoing by a small number of individuals.

BT has written its Italian business down by 530 million after finding improper accounting practices were rife. PwC, BTs auditor for 30 years, is also under intense scrutiny. Patterson conceded: The situation in Italy is very serious.

He asked shareholders to keep the matter in perspective, noting that todays third-quarter results are strong.

Revenue was up 32% to 6.1 billion, but profit fell 37% to 526 million because of the costs of buying mobile phone giant EE. BT shares were steady at 300p having lost 20% on Tuesday.

BT is also facing regulatory pressure to improve its Openreach arm and split it from the main business.

The company added 260,000 new broadband customers and said Openreach had halved the number of missed appointments.

BT admits it faces a slowdown in public-sector spending and a challenging outlook in global corporate markets. It faces credit-rating downgrades because of widening debt and has an 11.5 billion hole in its pension fund to plug.
D ONT think that the recent chatter among the top brass at Davos was all about saving the world and all that rubbish.

More than a few envious eyes will have been cast around the private-jet aprons at Zurich airport, nose to tail with large cabin executive aircraft from every corner of the globe.

Away from the prying eyes of the press, and the environmental hand-wringing, the talk was of who has the latest Gulfstream G650 or Dassault Falcon 8X. Both cost upwards of $70 million (56 million).

Im in this game and have been for a while. I only have to do a couple of deals a year and thatll suit me fine. Its a secret world, but you hear a few good stories. Like the Russian oligarchs boys trip to Cuba, where the lead flight attendant was jettisoned at Luton because she cut her hand badly on a jar of caviar.

Yours truly once had to produce a pair of scissors to cut off the sleeve labels on a Dior suit belonging to a High Commissioner on a charter flight to a certain African country. Its all part of the service and, as you can imagine, its a pretty exclusive client list.

In almost every case, the jet will be on a seven-year finance deal with one of half a dozen international banks. One UK bank, Barclays, has a loan book of almost $12 billion on private jets and yachts, and welcomes the clients with drooling lips and most attractive terms.

So hows the market at the moment? Pretty good, actually. There are plenty of orders for the latest hi-tech models using lighter materials, fuel-efficient engines with extended ranges of more than 8000 miles, and state-of-the art American avionics.

Incidentally, about 70% of the worlds 13,500 private jets are registered in North America. You can tell by the N on the jet tail. And if you see any with a VP-C or a VQ-B on the tail, theyre registered in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands

The pre-owned market is more difficult with age, condition and currency coming in to play. Its pretty stagnant at the moment. People with the cash to run one of these things dont really have to worry about the money for starters, so why shouldnt they want to play with the newest toys rather than second-hand gear?

And the bottoms fallen out of the pound since Brexit, so youre flogging a dead horse trying to sell anything to a Brit...
T esco stunned the City on Friday with a 3.7 billion deal to buy wholesaler Booker Group and tap into the fast-growing restaurants trade.

In boss Dave Lewiss first major acquisition since taking the helm in 2014, Tesco wants to conquer the 85 billion out-of-home food market.

The market supplies pubs, restaurants and caterers and is growing at 3% a year.

Booker, led by Charles Wilson, works with more than 450,000 such businesses and counts restaurants chains like Wagamama and Carluccios as customers. It also owns the Booker and Makro cash and carries and retailers Budgens, Londis and Premier.

The food market in the UK is very large and evolving very quickly. We see an opportunity to serve that market better together, Lewis said.

The move is in contrast to the strategy of rival supermarkets group Sainsburys, which last year spent 1.4 billion buying Argos to beef up sales outside groceries.

Lewis said the tie showed that food was at the heart of Tesco although, with a mooted 200 million a year in synergies, it could benefit the whole group.

Savings could come from areas such as logistics, with Tesco delivery vans that normally sit idle at certain times of the day redeployed to fulfil restaurant orders. Lewis insisted that Tesco was not intending to make large-scale job losses.

Wilson, who will join the Tesco board, said the deal was also good news for suppliers and Booker customers, who should be rewarded by the combined groups scale in cheaper prices, better service and access to Tescos banking operations.

Tesco shares surged 17.8p to 206.8p while Bookers hit a record high of 212.9p after leaping almost 30p. For each Booker share, investors will receive 0.86 Tesco shares and 42.6p in cash.

However, some questioned whether Booker investors would ultimately find the deal as compelling as their Tesco counterparts. They will own just 16% of the enlarged group and the offer gives a relatively small premium of 12% on last nights Booker share price.

Trevor Green, head of UK equities at Booker shareholder Aviva Investors, praised Wilsons leadership but said he was surprised by the deal.

Association of Convenience Stores' chief executive James Lowman, said: Some retailers will welcome this news, others will be concerned about competing with stores supplied through the merged Booker and Tesco business, and some will be uneasy at the prospect of working in partnership with one of their biggest historical competitors."
R ichard Cousins knows a thing or two about the food business.

Having spent years running the worlds biggest caterer, Compass, hes more tuned into the industry of restaurants and canteens than anyone.

And his view of the Tesco-Booker deal  whose entire purpose is to win customers in Compasss game  is that it stinks. So much so that hes quit the Tesco board.

His reasoning will emerge soon enough, but Id imagine concerns about Tesco making such a radical pivot so soon into its turnaround werent far from his mind.

Just as with Sainsburys takeover of Argos, the disruption to Tescos management of bedding in such a major deal at a time of ferocious competition for its core grocery customers is a worry. Not to mention the call on the bosses time dealing with the boring grind of dealing with unpredictable competition watchdogs.

Cousins may also be troubled by the regulatory and reputational risk of returning Tesco to its old status of the big, bad Tescopoly wolf, squeezing farmers and driving corner shops to the wall.

But, having said all that, I cant help thinking this deal has the whiff of genius about it.

Unlike Sainsburys trying its hand at electricals and furniture with Argos, the countrys biggest retailer of food moving to become the number one wholesaler as well bears clear-eyed industrial logic.

On the sourcing side, as Bookers Charles Wilson puts it, if youre currently buying 80% of a field of broccoli for Tesco, you might as well buy 100% of it for a better price and push the extra through Booker.

And from the customer demand side, Tesco and the rest of the supermarkets pretty much reached saturation in retail years ago. Annual grocery market growth is now expected to proceed at a lowly 2.5% compared with pubs, restaurants and other out-of-home venues 3.8%.

Tesco boss Dave Lewiss bungling predecessor Phil Clarke almost got this point when he bought cafe-restaurants Giraffe and Harris + Hoole. But what he missed  unforgivably  was that Tescos core strength was the dull business of supplying customers with raw food, not the razzmatazz of the restaurateur.

Wilson  the brain behind Lord Roses successes at M&S  has always got that. Hell happily supply Wagamama its meat and veg, and leave Alan Yau to turn it into restaurant magic. Like Wilson himself, it aint sexy, but it makes serious money.

Tesco is right to want a bite of that. Cousins warrants respect for standing by his principals, but my bet is hes got this one wrong.
M ichael Ward, managing director of Harrods, has just had a blast from the past. Mohamed Fayed, the iconic department stores eccentric former owner who sold the Knightsbridge landmark to Qatars sovereign wealth fund for 1.5 billion in 2010, returned to his former territory for his annual lunch with Ward and to catch up with the staff who served him for 25 years.

The tall, silver-haired 60-year-old took Fayed to see one of the biggest changes he has made in his near-12 years at the store  a 20 million escalator flanking the east side of the Grade II-listed building. Fayeds legacy can still be seen dotted around the five-acre site  dazzling gold interiors and a memorial to his late son Dodi and Princess Diana can be found at the heart of the store  but Ward has made his mark since his Egyptian overlords departure.

He has used the hundreds of millions of pounds pumped in by the Qataris to renovate vast swathes of the store, giving labels such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton pride of place in spaces like the Room of Luxury.

Ward explains: Someone said to me the other day, Its all right for you, youve got expensive, posh products so everybody comes to buy them. But its not as simple as that. If I walk down Oxford Street, there is nothing I want to buy. Its boring, its bland, every shop is the same. But if I walk through this store, I just see the most amazing, beautiful things, and its in every department.

His revamp seems to have worked. The six maze-like floors, selling everything from Wagyu steak to Stella McCartney babywear and luxury Dubai property, are teeming with brand-hungry Chinese and Middle Eastern tourists. Shoppers are attended to by immaculate, multilingual staff, and can refuel at restaurants like the Mezzah Lounge and dim sum-serving Chai Wu.

Harrods unveils spectacular new Grand Entrance Hall

It is said that 1 in every 5 spent by Chinese tourists in Britain goes through Harrods tills. Few ordinary Londoners may be browsing the rows of gem-filled glass cabinets and mini-boutiques of designer garb but foreign visitors helped the store to its seventh consecutive record year last year, with profits swelling 40% to 178 million. Ward thought his work there was done, and was ready to retire for an easier life in the sticks, but that all changed after the EU referendum.

In some ways, it was great: the Leave votes impact on the pound meant the store was soon flooded with overseas shoppers snapping up luxury bargains. But threats lurked  some high-end brands attempted to hike prices, potentially threatening demand.

The Qataris, with whom Ward has a businesslike relationship, wanted him to stay in case times got tougher. The market across the world is difficult. Theyve got a great asset here and they felt it would be nice to have continuity. The jobs not a hard sell, is it?

That depends on who you ask. Wards wife of 34 years, Dee, and their three children had been looking forward to him calling time on splitting his week between his London pied-a-terre and their rural Midlands home. They were not happy at his change of heart.

Perhaps he, too, regretted his decision this month when some Harrods restaurant staff protested that the company was keeping a large slice of gratuities. It has since agreed staff will keep all tips.

Landmark: The iconic Knightsbridge store / Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Harrods strict uniform policy was in focus this week when it was claimed a black woman vying for a role there was told to straighten her hair chemically if she wanted the job. The store has denied the claim.

Ward, in Turnbull & Asser shirt and tie, defends the companys high expectations on staff and customer appearance. Just as employees are expected to be smart, shoppers are told not to be too shabby either. Recalling one incident when a jogger was refused entry, Ward says: If youre wandering around beautifully dressed, you dont want some sweaty person sitting next to you. I dont apologise for that.

One of his main concerns on Brexit is for the future of his workforce, of which 28% come from outside Britain. As chairman of luxury industry body Walpole, he is also worried brands will shift investment away from these shores. Two other thorns in his side  restrictions on visas for tourists such as Chinas big spenders and on Sunday trading  show no sign of disappearing.

Ward seems hacked off with politics in general after the appalling referendum campaigns and what has unfolded in the months since. Our political leaders are faceless at the moment, he grumbles. But he insists Harrods can weather any further storms, and is not advocating any overall strategy shift. After all, he says, its London location will always be an advantage  particularly now, when Paris is seen as unsafe after terror attacks and high-profile robberies like that of reality star Kim Kardashian. Harrods buying team does not travel through the citys Gare du Nord station because Ward feels it is not safe. People enjoy coming to London, he adds. I dont see that changing.

"The Qataris are investors, not managers. As long as the figures are good, they are fine."

Honor Strachan, an analyst at Verdict Retail, says a key focus for Harrods is getting domestic shoppers through its doors and filling up its distinctive green carrier bags. She recommends following Selfridges lead and introducing goods at a wider range of prices while improving delivery options to grow online sales.

But the business seems to be doing fine as it is. The Qataris, who have extracted more than 500 million in dividends since taking over, are likely to leave Ward to it. They are investors, not managers, and therefore want a professional team to manage their assets. As long as the figures are good, they are fine.

There is pressure, though. Visitors from the Arab state can spend up to four days a week in-store over the summer, and their feedback counts. Its a marked difference to the relationship Ward had with Fayed. He doesnt give away too many details (former workers have described the mogul as overbearing and endearing in equal measure) but says winning his trust took work. Several predecessors tried and failed.

You had a great relationship with him once you earned that because he wasnt on top of you all the time. I had a cup of tea with him every night and told him what we were doing. We never had a board meeting.

Getting and keeping the job rescued Ward from a role he absolutely hated at private-equity house Apax. Before that, he had run pharmacy chains Celesio and Lloyds and been finance chief at Bassett Foods. The Hull native is an accountant by training, having started his career at Whinney Murray, now part of EY, before doing stints at rivals in the Netherlands, where he met Dee.

His background belies his passion for beautiful things, as he puts it. He adores Lalique glass, and this Christmas he gifted himself an A Lange & Sohne Lange 1 watch, which Harrods sells for 26,500. He gets almost misty-eyed when he maps out a potential journey through the store past Olivia von Halle silk nightwear and a to die for Ralph & Russo clutch bag.

Walpole colleague Charlotte Keesing describes Ward as inspiring, bright and generous, with an unrivalled knowledge and experience of the luxury sector. When he can tear himself away from Harrods, he cooks  claiming his wife has never made him a meal in more than three decades of marriage.

He also spends weekends with his family in Deauville, Normandy, where the couple have a cottage, and he loves to shop at the market. Shopping? Surely he gets enough of that during the daily grind? Far from it, he explains. Men are not great shoppers, Im probably the exception.
T he Prime Minister and President Trump are meeting today, a meeting that has pitfalls as well as opportunities. The fact that Mrs May is the first head of government to meet Mr Trump is symbolically important. But while the meeting will be that of friends, and she was absolutely right to seize this opportunity, she must be able to make clear the extent of her differences as well as agreement with Mr Trump on important areas of policy. One prize from this visit will be the promise of a mutually beneficial trade deal, but the intangible gain would be a relationship that allows Mrs May to challenge some of Mr Trumps policies. We want the vicars daughter to make her moral values evident in this meeting, and beyond.

Yet one of the most interesting aspects of this visit is that Mrs Mays approach to foreign policy is becoming palpably closer to that of the President. Her insistence in a speech to Republicans in Philadelphia yesterday that the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over mirror the views of the President and reject the Blair era. More significantly, she suggested that Britain and America may engage more vigorously in attacks on Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary indicated that this could mean working more closely with the Russians. Co-operation by the US and UK with Russia against IS would make good sense.

Mrs Mays speech was, in fact, a good example of how support and friendship can be leavened with measured criticism. She spoke as a fellow conservative, an admirer of the US, and she threw in the values instilled in the family vicarage. But she also found a way to distance herself from aspects of Mr Trumps agenda. She praised the nuclear deal with Iran, which Mr Trump has attacked. She emphasised the importance of distinguishing between militant Islamism and the Islam practised by millions of peaceable citizens. In her private meeting, she should also make clear her support for the environment and abhorrence of torture  and on the latter most Republicans in Congress would agree.

This could be the beginning of an interesting relationship. Hold your friends close and your enemies closer is a good adage, but here it should be the other way around.

Taxing diesel

Westminster council has announced plans for a new parking surcharge of 2.45 an hour for diesel cars in key parts of the borough. It is a bold initiative, and timely, at the end of a bad week for pollution. The pollutants from diesel engines are particularly noxious. A report last year by the Institute for Public Policy Research, Greenpeace and Kings College suggested that 40 per cent of nitrogen dioxide and particulate emissions in London come from diesel vehicles.

The Mayor has made it clear that improving air quality is one of his key aims. But Westminsters intervention shows the role that local authorities can play too. Any measures that make drivers think twice before buying diesel cars and incentivise the use of less polluting models, including diesel scrappage, deserve a very warm welcome.

... and taxing tourists

A report from the cross-party London Finance Commission, led by LSE professor Tony Travers and supported by the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, recommends Mr Khan consult on a modest tourism tax of the type levied in New York, Paris and Rome. The revenue could promote tourism and culture. Predictably, tourism bosses disagree. But its an interesting idea which would give London a stream of revenue independent of government. If it can work in New York and Paris, it may well work here.
Review at a glance









I n 1996, David Irving sued Deborah Lipstadt because she called him a Holocaust denier. This film is about the legal battle that ensued, a battle in which the pair barely exchanged a word. Denial, in that its liberal and glossy, may seem like Oscar bait but it actually goes against the inspirational grain. Its no surprise that, on Tuesday, it received zilch in the way of Oscar nominations.

Arriving in London, passionate New York academic Deborah (Rachel Weisz) finds herself being stymied by her legal team, a group of brainy, cynical, vaguely patronising Brits. These confident products of the public-school system imply that testimonies provided by Deborah (and the frail, stricken Holocaust survivors who Deborah would love to have on the stand) will leave the judge unmoved and, worse, allow Irving to get away with murder. Will Deborah take the hint? In court, Jewish females can be seen but not heard.

David Hares screenplay homes in on a fascinating aspect of the case; too bad Deborah, herself, underwhelms. Weisz, despite her incredible warmth, struggles to command attention because her character is so predictable (our heroine is gutsy; then shes flexible and gutsy). Id also quibble with the casting of the sublime Mark Gatiss as a Jewish/Dutch concentration camp expert (Gatisss comedy roots, plus his so-so accent, put the emphasis on camp).

Luckily, Gatisss Sherlock co-star Andrew Scott is on firmer ground as cynical, celebrity solicitor Anthony Julius (Deborah is warned that Julius is seductive; its true, hes dynamite). Best of all, though, is Timothy Spall as Irving. Both pathetically vulnerable and tough as an old boot, this character knows nothing about post-truth or internet trolls, but his tactics feel all too modern. His eyes and jowls wobble as they assess the potential of any given situation to offer him what he craves: attention.

The real-life Irving, even as we speak, is using the films release to raise his profile and flog more books. To contain people like that, you have to understand them. Denial, thanks to Spall, gets to the heart of the horror.

TODO: define component type brightcove

Cert 12A, 110 mins

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Review at a glance









S od Harry Potter. Sod Star Wars. Some of us have Trainspotting.

Smack and the city, as I like to call it, was one of the cruelest, kindest films of the Nineties, launching an attack on consumerist society thats still causing damage today. That it finally has a sequel (after years of strife, most of it caused by a massive falling out between director Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor) explains why the reunion is being treated as the biggest of deals.

Many London cinemas have cleared their schedules in anticipation, with the Vue in Stratford kicking off with 20 screenings today. You dont have to be Scottish to want an invite to this party, you just have to be alive.

Anyway, enough with the hype. Is T2 any good? Um... Remember that bit where Sick Boy and Renton discuss the unbearable shiteness of being? Well, its like Sick Boy saw this sequel coming. According to Sick Boy, nothing, and nobody, improves with age. His pal, Renton, suspects this is a wee bit of a generalisation (We all get older and then we canna hack it any more...Thats your theory?) Alas, the glove fits. Danny Boyle, Irvine Welsh, Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle The gangs back and young Sick Boys words sum up the result: its not bad, but its not great either.

T2 Trainspotting: Stars take hilarious 1996 quiz

Trainspotting swerved trite character arcs, redundant flashbacks, desperate attempts to seem zeitgeisty and gangster flick cliches. Not T2.

The last time we saw Renton he was heading off for pastures new, having betrayed Sick Boy, along with the less-than-serene Francis Begbie. Twenty years later, he arrives in Leith and is soon embroiled in a couple of Sick Boys hare-brained schemes.

Said schemes allow Renton to hang out with a cute sex-worker, Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova), who glows with life and has masses of time on her hands (Choose Prostitution; the hours are great). Meanwhile Begbie engineers his own escape from prison, yet never seems in any danger of being picked up by the police. And when he gobbles too much Viagra he  wait for it  gets a stiffie when he least wants one!

You expect this kind of thing from out-of-touch stars (Michael Douglas in Last Vegas, Al Pacino in Stand Up Guys), or fading directors (the Peter Bogdanovic of Shes Funny That Way). When presented with the script, Boyle et al should just have said no.

'Amazing experience' for McGregor reuniting with Trainspotting cast

But one sequence, involving a working mens club in Glasgow, is beautifully conceived. To save their skins, Renton and Sick Boy must invent, and perform, an anti-Catholic ditty. Their effort brings the house down and causes the film to explode, too. Perversity is what makes this narrative tick and the sight of proles getting high on hatred is as memorable as one of young Rentons swoons.

McGregor and Miller, in case youre wondering, still rub each other up the right way. Unfortunately, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle are mostly required to gurn (Spuds a tantalising everyman but gets stuck being the good egg to Begbies pantomime villain). Nor is there enough of Kelly Macdonalds Cheshire-cat grin. (Blink and youll miss the superlative Shirley Henderson).

Trainspotting T2, in pictures 1 /13 Trainspotting T2, in pictures

As for Boyle, few of his moves, or musical choices, stand out. Though hes surely not doing this for the money (hes anti-capitalist to his core), he directs like a man whos scared of buggering up the brand.

Via the Before trilogy, Richard Linklater showed that catching up with characters can be invigorating and profound. Trainspotting: had it, lost it. But that doesnt have to be the end of the line. Id be up for a genuinely gritty T3. Spud Murphy: despite everything, Im keen to see what the chinless wanderer does next.

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Cert 18, 117 mins

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A s the founder of online wedding planner Bridebook.co.uk, I've become something of a self-professed stag-do afficiando. With what can feel like endless stag dos, its easy to start losing interest in your usual city booze ups.

So for those of you who are looking for something more unusual, here's my list of the best stag-dos to really mix things up.

Glasgow

Ever wanted to be king of the castle? This is your chance! With Airbnb, you can rent a castle for your stag do and enjoy the scenic backdrop of the stunning Scottish Lowlands. Take to the water on a speedboat and surge down the River Clyde for an epic start to your night out. From personal experience I highly recommend you do not dress up as King George

Iceland

Iceland / Bridebook

Get a rush by riding a snowmobile at top speed across breath-taking glaciers, before warming up and taking a dip in a bubbling hot spring set in a volcanic crater. Then, why not get your groomsmen together to build your very own igloo and get a taste of the Eskimo way of life? Just be sure to wrap up warm.

Lisbon

Ahoy mhearties! This stag do is for a groom who loves anything nautical, or has dreamed about being a pirate since they were young. You can privately rent out a pirate ship especially for your stag party and take in the natural treasures of Lisbon by sailing round the ancient port and off into the sunset. Now thats a way to kick off your night out.

Pirates in Portugal / Bridebook

Sweden/Norway

Fancy a mini expedition in Scandinavia? As a team you can build your own timber rafts and float your way down the spectacular sights of the Fjords while channeling your inner viking. Either stay on the river for a few nights, or camp nearby on dry land and take a trek into the mountains for the day. Take each moment as it comes with this scenic adventure.

Hamburg

Go-karting in Germany / Bridebook

Want to ramp up the pace? Get fast and furious in go-karts or Hot Rods, winding your way through the city and reaching speeds of up to 60mph! Take in the wonderful sights of this German port town, before heading off for some fun within the thriving nightlife of the city.

Lapland

If adventure is your thing, get a surge of adrenaline by husky sledding, or even a ride on a reindeer! To replenish your energy levels you can try out the local delicacy of reindeer meat and finish off your day by relaxing underneath the astonishing beauty of the Northern Lights. A wonderful mixture of succulence, speed and sights, but definitely not for the vegetarian groom,

Morocco

Bridebook

Fancy a warmer destination for your stag do? Explore the dusty desert throughout the day and night by camel trekking, or experience an exhilarating excursion by dune bashing on the golden sands via quad bike. While these activities are not for the faint-hearted, there is something for everyone in this cultural roller-coaster of a country.

Val Thorens

For the thrill-seeker grooms, take an adrenaline rush ride on the worlds highest zip-line within the French alps, followed by a skidoo night safari to discover the beautiful surroundings and voyage through the striking mountains. And what better way to warm up afterwards with some quality beer and fondue.

Prague

Prague / Bridebook

The groomsmen will need nerves of steel to ride the immense bobsleigh track in the Czech capital. Just make sure you book this stag activity enough in advance before the big day to avoid injuries making it into the wedding photos. As most already know, Prague is also home to wild nightlife to party through the night.

Birmingham

Outrageous stag experiences dont have to cost an arm and a leg. Stay close to home with the ultimate Zombie experience just outside Birmingham. The Zombie Boot Camp is a full day activity where you learn combat skills and battle real-life zombies at sunset. Well maybe not real-life, but it definitely feels like it in the moment.

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H owever much you love your partner, its easy to take them for granted, put them in the bank and know they are there. Sir Anthony Seldon is reflecting on his 34-year marriage to Joanna, who died last month from neuroendocrine cancer. She was 62. When Joanna became ill I realised she wouldnt always be there, says Anthony. That brought us much closer. Those last five years were like falling in love with her again.

Anthony, 63, is a self-confessed workaholic. Hes a prolific writer, penning award-winning biographies of prime ministers, and last year he became Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University after nine years as Master of boarding school Wellington College, where Joanna taught English.

Folded onto a yellow sofa in his office at the university, prints by Klee and Matisse on the walls, Anthony is a neat figure who stands on his head every morning as part of his yoga practice.

His latest project is for Joanna. After her diagnosis she decided to write a biography of her late father, Dr Maurice Pappworth. She wanted it to be published this year to mark the 50th anniversary of his campaign to stop medical experiments on humans, and now Anthony is overseeing the final edits and publication, which is scheduled for this autumn.

The book is very Joanna, says Anthony. Strong and direct. Its powerful because its about a phenomenal figure fighting against a powerful establishment. Her father was a strict Jewish man who didnt like me to begin with, which is why I converted to Judaism.

Joanna Seldon dancing in the 1970s

Working in London in the Fifties and Sixties, Pappworth was rejected from jobs because of his religion. His campaign against medical testing did nothing to further his popularity. Joanna revered him.

She was without ego and wrote the book for her father, says Anthony. I wondered if she was trying to gain acceptance for his work. She was happy that senior medics talked to her for the book. That his work is seen as having value now gave her peace.

Anthony met Joanna on a production of Chekhovs Three Sisters when they were in their final year at Oxford and says: I came across this spectacular, dark-eyed, ferociously intelligent and beautiful, unusual-looking girl.

He was going out with her best friend and she was seeing Alex Cox, now a film director. Id endlessly talk to Joanna about the ups and downs I had with this girl, he remembers. I did notice that she started getting a bit cross that I was talking about that.

Two years after graduating they went on a group holiday to Tuscany. I was still going out with Joannas best friend and I dont quite know how it happened but Joanna and I came back together as an item, he says with a smile.

Joanna was awarded the top first in her year reading English and went on to complete a doctorate on American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, while Seldon was at LSE researching Churchill.

I was in awe of her, says Anthony. She helped me structure my work and couldve gone on and taken any job she wanted in academia, it was all so effortless for her. She just knew what people were saying and what she wanted to say, never using jargon.

He admits they were quite earnest. Recently I found the birthday card she wrote me when I turned 25. She kept everything. Shed divided a circle into quarters, scrubbed one out and said there you are, a quarter gone.

It was while the couple were studying for their doctorates in America that Anthony came to rely on Joanna. It was just about the hardest time of my life. Joanna was soothing, indescribably loving and helped me find my way forward, not just with work. I started meditating, doing yoga, rebuilt my life in a more spiritual way.

On their return to the UK they moved to Archway Road in Highgate, where Joanna would play all kinds of music all the time, we went to endless plays. Frustrated by the theory-based world of literary studies in the early Eighties, they decided to teach in the state sector, although Anthony didnt get a job there. Joanna loved teaching, and teaching is so underrated, he says, showing me one of hundreds of emails from her former students, talking about how Joanna revealed the magic in everyday life.

Sir Anthony says his wife was "much more brilliant, sensitive and cleverer than I was"

It took two proposals for her to agree to marry him. He first broached the question by Cleopatras needle in summer 1980. She didnt reply, and I still dont know whether she didnt want to say yes or didnt hear me. It wasnt until Christmas Eve that year, after a carol service in St Albans, that I proposed again. Two swans went past and she said that swans mate for life.

Anthony was appointed headmaster of Brighton College in 1997. By this point they had three children: Jessica, Susannah and Adam, who now work in the civil service, advertising and teaching respectively  and they all moved to live by the sea. Joanna swam all year round. They went to Wellington in 2006 and made a home there, bang in the middle of the school, where everyone could see into our house.

Joanna followed me around the country, says Anthony. My life took precedence over hers even though she was much more brilliant, sensitive and cleverer than I was. She probably wouldve preferred a slightly quieter life but she went along with it and was wonderful as a heads wife.

It was Anthony who told Joanna she had cancer. He returned from a dinner to a note from the school doctor saying he needed to speak to them urgently. Joanna had a rare neuroendocrine tumour, the same type that Steve Jobs had. She was often significantly ill, suffering attacks called carcinoid crises and had to spend several weeks at a time at the Royal Marsden hospital. She had a colourful mobile above her bed.

When she was ill one of her first thoughts was that she wouldnt see her grandchildren. It was an incredible source of sadness for her, which is why she wanted to live on in her writing for them. She worried how I would cope without her.

Joanna called her funeral my last lesson plan and wrote an ethical will for her children, with advice on how to make the most of their lives.

After she was diagnosed, she became more interested in writing. It was as if shed put it to the back of her mind, thinking there would be time later in her life to do it. She made a website, despite not being good at technology (few things would make her cross but lugging her heavy laptop around would), to upload her poetry and self-published Kindle books for any future grandchildren.

Now their children are looking after Anthony, filling the fridge at Buckingham, where hes on a mission to put the students back at the centre of the University experience. He has four books out this year, including one about the special relationship with America (he thinks we will work closely with Trump), and a film script about Parliaments vote not to strike Syria. He sleeps for four hours a night when hes writing because I cant be seen to be missing an iota at work.

Will he write about any more prime ministers? I said Id stop, but then I did Cameron so I cant say I wont write about May. I think about her in relation to my own children because she lost her mother at a similar age.

While not generally in favour of educational selection, he has his own version of the plan to bring back grammar schools, 100 May Schools, targeted at the bottom 25 per cent of socioeconomic backgrounds. That gets over the problem of grammars, which is that they are middle-class enclaves. A hundred is big enough to make an impact but small enough not to damage other schools.

Would he consider a career in politics? Im too much of a unifier; my heart is on the Left but my mind is often more on the Right. Im on the side of whoever I think is doing well.

Joanna used to proof-read his work and he says: This is my first year in my life since I was 24 without Joanna in it so I have no idea whether Im going to be able to write at the same rate.

Before she died we wrote our wish lists of what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives. She said she would just love to have the book about her father published and hold it in her hand.

Follow Susannah Butter on Twitter: @susannahbutter
A n affluent north London neighbourhood is under siege by burglars who have carried out at least 24 raids since Christmas.

Businesses have been targeted along with about a dozen homes in the crime wave that has gripped Belsize Village in the past six weeks, according to local police.

More than 30,000 in cash and stock have been stolen in the raids, including a rare painting and thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes.

Traders believe burglars consider the upmarket enclave  which is home to celebrities including Helena Bonham-Carter and David Walliams, and where townhouses sell for more than 5 million  as an easy target,

They are now calling on Camden council to ramp up security.

Andrea Sylvester, owner of Sylvester Fine Art gallery on Belsize Lane, told the Standard: Were being targeted, and we dont know why, and we dont know who by.

"You have to let them know they cant get away with it. If nothing is done after 10 or 11 burglaries, theyre going to think its Christmas all over again... we need CCTV and more patrols.

On December 21 a 20,000 painting was stolen from the gallerys window in a classic smash-and-grab. The picture, entitled Arsenale in Venice, was painted in 1962 for the artists granddaughter.

A man has since been charged with theft.

Thieves also smashed their way into The Late Late Shop off-licence in Belsize Lane twice in the past month and made off with 7,000 worth of cigarettes.

Supervisor Obaid Doulatzai kept guard afterwards by sleeping in the shops storage room for four days, until he was forced out by the cold.

A fruiterer and an Indian restaurant have also been hit. In a newsletter to residents, local PC Edward Bromelow says they should still take care.

Councillor Jonathan Simpson said: Camden Council works closely with the police to take action to reduce crime and make our communities safer.

We receive numerous requests for the use of CCTV cameras. Due to Government cuts our resources are limited and we therefore use them where we can make those people most at risk safer.
T wo men have been charged with murdering a 19-year-old business student outside his university halls of residence in north London.

Djodjo Nsaka became the first teenager to be stabbed to death on the streets of London in 2017 despite paramedics battling to save him on January 20.

The young father died in Fulton Street, near Wembley stadium, just after 1am.

Donald Davis, 21, of Martlesham Walk, Colindale, and Mukeh Kawah, 21, of Lancaster Close, Mill Hill, were charged with the murder on Thursday.

The pair were due appear in custody at Hendon Magistrates Court on Friday.

Another man, Ali Tas, 20, previously appeared in custody at Hendon Magistrates' Court charged with Mr Nsaka's murder.

He is also charged with common assault against a 20-year-old man also in Fulton Road, Wembley, on Friday, January 20.

Tas - who was arrested on January 22 - was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey in April.
A n east London fish and chip shop has been fined after serving up a cockroach in a customer's meal.

Top Deck Fish Bar in Barking was found guilty of breaching the Food Safety Act at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on January 20 and ordered to pay almost 5,000 in costs.

The chippie  which has since changed owners  was found to have an infestation of cockroaches during a council inspection in 2012.

A disturbing picture showed a whole cockroach nestled among fat, greasy chips in a portion served to a customer.

Filthy: the owner of Top Deck Fish Bar was fined almost 5,000 / Barking and Dagenham Council

Other photos by council inspectors revealed the appalling filthy conditions under the counters and on the shop floor.

Top Deck: The Barking chippie has since changed owner / Google Streetview

Former owner Haci Tunc failed to respond to a summons and was eventually arrested this year.

Councillor Laila Butt, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: Its outrageous any eatery could let this happen.

"I can assure residents we will be remorseless in our pursuit to protect customers health from rogue traders like Tunc.
A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing in a residential street in Homerton.

The victim, aged 20, was repeatedly stabbed after being chased by a group of men from Victoria Park into Harrowgate Road at about 6pm on Monday, police say.

Witnesses said he left a trail of blood as he staggered down a street, hammering on a door before collapsing on a pavement.

One neighbour told the Standard he heared screaming and moaning from the street outside.

He said: He was shouting 'Open the door, I've been stabbed, I've been stabbed'."

The Met Police rushed to the scene along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and the victim was taken to an east London hospital.

He remains in a stable condition.

The 19-year-old man was arrested in Hackney on Friday and taken into custody at an east London police station.

Detectives from the Met's Trident Area Gang Command are investigating.

Anyone who witnessed the stabbing or has any information is asked to call the Trident Area Gang Command on 0207 275 5143 or 101, or make contact via Twitter @MetCC

Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A savage thug who brutally attacked a fellow commuter on a packed train into London has been jailed for 10 years.

Joe Montgomery, 29, launched the "horrific" assault after getting into a petty argument over alleged bag pushing.

He began arguing with a 45-year-old man after both boarded the train at East Croydon on October 23, 2014.

A few words were exchanged until suddenly, without warning, Montgomery began punching his victim repeatedly on the side of his head.

The victim was knocked out from the force of the blows, suffering a depressed skull fracture and haemorrhage to the brain. He was left with life-changing injuries.

CCTV: Montgomery can be seen raising his fist to punch his victim / British Transport Police

Montgomery, of Cargreen Road, Croydon, was found guilty of GBH with intent at Croydon Crown Court on January 20 and was sentenced to a decade behind bars the same day.

The judge described the attack as savage and frightening involving uncontrolled violence which has meant the victim will never be the same again.

Investigating officer, Det Con Rachel Smith from British Transport Police CID, said: This incident is a nightmare scenario for anyone who commutes on the trains regularly.

"We are all aware that sometimes on packed trains, there may be tension between passengers and occasionally verbal disputes, but Montgomery took this to the extreme by launching a sustained and horrific attack on a fellow commuter.

The victim has been left with life-changing injuries as a result of this attack. He had no idea when he boarded the train to work that day that an exchange of words with a fellow commuter and a few seconds of violence would change his life so dramatically.

I am glad that Montgomery has been found guilty of this offence and been given a suitable prison sentence.
A man is being sought by police in connection with an Airbnb rental scam in London.

Detectives say the victim was conned out of 1,600 after responding to a listing on the Gumtree website for a property to let in Dulwich.

The man was shown around the property in Clive Road on September 18 last year by someone claiming to be the flats landlord.

The prospective tenant then transferred an advance rental payment of 1,600 to an account, the details for which were provided by the fraudster.

Soon after the money was transferred contact with the bogus landlord ceased and he stopped replying to messages.

It emerged the man had gained access to the property via a short-term let on Airbnb, according to police, and had no authority to arrange for it to be rented out.

The payment of 1,600 was lost, having been paid to a mule account  controlled through details obtained from a stolen bank card  from where it had been withdrawn.

Scotland Yards Operation Falcon fraud and cyber crime unit released images of the man today in an attempt to identify him.

The image was taken while the prospective tenant was being shown around at the initial viewing. Police are trying to establish if the bogus landlord has been involved in other crimes and to establish who gained from the fraud.

An AirBnB spokesman said : "We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour and have removed the guest from Airbnb. We are supporting the host and helping the police in their investigation.

"There have been over 140 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings and negative incidents are incredibly rare."



Action Fraud says the most common scam involving Airbnb is conmen advertising properties for rent on it without the owners knowledge then convincing site users to transfer money to them.

Anyone with information about the fraud should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
T he boss of the London hospital trust seen in a groundbreaking TV documentary battling against crisis levels of patient demand and cash shortages is to quit, the Standard can reveal.

The revelation that highly respected Dr Tracey Batten is to leave Imperial College Healthcare, which runs five west London hospitals including St Marys and Charing Cross, will send shockwaves across the NHS.

Many will see her departure as evidence of the impossible task that hospitals face contending with rising demands and diminishing resources.

The trust has been openly criticised by its own consultants in the BBC2 documentary Hospital, which has given the public unprecedented insight into the scale of the NHS crisis.

Patients have been seen having critical operations cancelled on numerous occasions  as entire surgical teams sit waiting in their scrubs and operating theatres go unused  because of a shortage of intensive care beds.

The latest episode saw Imperials chief neurosurgeon, Kevin ONeill, question if Imperial was right to send patients stuck on waiting lists to private hospitals for operations rather than keep the money within the NHS.

Ms Batten, who was the highest-earning London chief executive in the NHS, earning 340,000, was recruited to Imperial in 2014. A trust spokeswoman confirmed she would return home to Australia later this year.

Her decision comes after campaigners revealed that health chiefs in north- west London are secretly planning to axe 8,000 healthcare jobs in a bid to save cash as part of the sustainability and transformation plan (STP) that plans to downgrade Charing Cross and Ealing hospitals.

Campaigners confronted Ms Batten with the figures this week, only for her to indicate she welcomed their success in making them public. The figures were obtained after a long freedom of information battle. The job cuts were unseen even by some of the councils involved. The plans include:

The loss of 3,658 NHS jobs in north-west London next year (2017/18)  rising to 7,753 job losses by 2020/21. Almost 50,000 planned admissions and 222,370 outpatient appointments cut by 2020/21.

The loss of 500 to 600 hospital beds with the closure of Charing Cross and Ealing as major acute hospitals A reduction in A&E attendances by 64,175 in the next five years.
A man has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a car on a busy road in south east London.

The man was struck in Beckenham Hill Road, near Catford, during Friday's morning rush hour at about 7am.

Officers from the Met Police and paramedics from the London Amulance Service rushed to the scene as a cordon was put in place at the junction with Primrose Close.

The man suffered a serious head injury and was taken to a south London hospital as a priority.

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We sent an ambulance crew and a single responder in a car to the scene.

"The first of our medics arrived at the scene in under four minutes.

We treated a man at the scene for a head injury and took him as a priority to a major trauma centre."

The man's injuries are not thought to be life-changing or life-threatening.

Beckenham Hill Road was closed in both directions, and motorists were warned to avoid the area.

Scotland Yard said there had been no arrests and enquiries continue.
D isgraced former Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman is attempting a political comeback, it has emerged.

He is reported to be announcing plans on Sunday for a new political grouping that will field candidates in next years borough elections and mayoral contest.

Mr Rahman was removed from office after a report found the council flouted spending rules over millions of pounds in grants and property sales.

Cabinet minister Eric Pickles branded it a rotten borough and told MPs there was evidence of cronyism and a risk of corruption.

The blog Love Wapping website said he would announce the creation of Tower Hamlets Together, a new party to bring together the rump of the councils former leadership and unveil candidates.

The current Mayor, Labours John Biggs, said in a statement: We live in a democracy and any group are free to form a party.
A woman has died after being hit by a car in south London.

The 30-year-old pedestrian was struck in Thurlow Park Road, at the junction with Birkbeck Hill, in Dulwich, at around 7.20am on Wednesday.

Medics from Londons Air Ambulance rushed the woman to a south London hospital in a critical condition.

She was pronounced dead the following day.

Detectives on Friday confirmed the woman had been identified and her next of kin informed of her death.

The driver of the car stopped at the scene and is helping police with their investigations, police said.

No arrests have been made.

Scotland Yard have launched an appeal for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information is asked to contact the detectives from the Metropolitan Polices Serious Collisions Unit on 020 8543 5157 or contact police by Twitter @MetCC.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
H undreds of motorcyclists shut down the King's Road to hold a candlelit vigil in memory of a biker killed in a horror smash.

Huge crowds of riders revved their engines and sounded their horns as they descended on Chelsea on Friday evening - the day after the fatal collision outside Chelsea Town Hall.

On Thursday, a man in his 30s was killed after he was involved in a collision on the King's Road shortly before 10am. He died at the scene despite desperate efforts by paramedics.

A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving.

Protest: Motorcyclists shut down King's Road to hold a vigil on Friday evening / Lotty Cumming

Police said the road was shut on Friday as motorcyclists held a vigil in honour of the victim.

Video footage captured bikers laying flowers at the scene which was also decorated with candles as smoke from exhausts wafted through the air.

One eyewitness described scenes of anarchy" on the Kings Road.

Another said the protest had been going on for hours with one Twitter user, Oliver Shaw, warning Londoners to "avoid the King's Road at all costs!" because of the "terrible" traffic.

Christopher Hooper posted: "The King's Road is a lot more apocalyptic tonight than it seems on #MadeInChelsea"

Shut down: Motorcyclists shut down the King's Road in Chelsea / @SeenThruGlass

Sandra Barnard wrote on Facebook: "OMG looks like Anarchy on the King's Road Chelsea"

Diana Crawshaw posted: "There is a tree, completely surrounded by bunches of flowers and lit candles."

A police spokesman said there had been no reports of any arrests.

Transport for London tweeted that Sydney Street and Oakley Street were also closed due to the protest.

While a TfL spokesman said six bus routes had been diverted and buses were running with delays of around 20 minutes shortly after 8pm.

A Met police spokesman said: "At approximately 20:00hrs on Friday, 27 January a large number of people on foot and on motorcycles gathered in Kings Road, SW3.

"The gathering was reported to be a vigil for the victim of a fatal road traffic collision in Kings Road on Thursday, 26 January.

"Due to the large number of bikes in attendance and in order to ensure public safety, a decision was made to shut part of the Kings Road.

"The majority of bikes then left the scene before returning to the vicinity."

They added that there had been no arrests.
D onald Trump has hailed the special relationship between Britain and the United States as he welcomed Theresa May to the White House.

In a joint press conference, Mr Trump described the two countries as "one of the great forces in history for justice and for peace".

And the President also reiterated his support for Brexit which he described a "wonderful thing" for Britain, adding it would become a "tremendous asset".

He added: "Today the United States renews our deep bond with Britain - military, financial, culture and political. We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship.

Special bond: Donald Trump hailed the US-UK relationship at the White House / PA

Great days lie ahead for our two peoples and our two countries. On behalf of our nation, I thank you for joining us here today as a really great honour."

Mrs May was the first foreign leader to meet President Donald Trump / PA wire

Mrs May, the foreign leader to meet Mr Trump since he was sworn into office, revealed the President had accepted an invitation from the Queen for him to make a state visit to Britain later this year.

She said: Thank you for inviting me so soon after your inauguration and I'm delighted to be able to congratulate you on what was a stunning election victory.

Queen's invite: Donald Trump will make a state visit to Britain later in the year / Getty Images

"And, as you say, the invitation is an indication of the strength and importance of the special relationship that exists between our two countries, a relationship based on the bonds of history, of family, kinship and common interests.

"And in a further sign of the importance of that relationship I have today been able to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year and I'm delighted that the president has accepted that invitation.

Mr Trump told reporters he thought Britain's impending split from the European Union would be "fantastic" despite being "scorned" when he first mooted the view.

He said: "I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country.

Mrs May said she and Mr Trump will stand up for working people / PA wire

"When it irons out you are going to have your own identity and you are going to have the people that you want in your country and you are going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you are doing.

"I think it will end up being a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom. I think in the end it will be a tremendous asset, not a tremendous liability."

Mrs May said Britain and the United States were in discussions over a trade deal which will give her a significant boost as she plans to trigger Article 50 to pave the way for Britain's EU exit.

She said: "The President and I are ambitious to build on this relationship in order to grow our respective economies, provide the high-skilled, high-paid jobs for working people across America and across the UK.

"We are discussing how we can establish a trade negotiation agreement, take forward immediate high-level talks, lay the groundwork for a UK/US trade agreement and identify the practical steps we can take now in order to enable companies in both countries to trade and do business with one another more easily."
T heresa May has thanked Donald Trump after he reintroduced a bust of Sir Winston Churchill to the Oval Office after its removal by Barack Obama.

Mr Trump said it was a great honour to have a symbol of Britains wartime Prime Minister back in the heart of the White House as he met Mrs May on Friday.

And Mrs May showed her gratitude as the pair posed for photographs by the bust which was removed from the Oval Office by Barack Obama to be replaced by one of Martin Luther King Jr.

As he stood next to Mrs May, The US President pointed to the sculpture and said: This is the original. It's a great honour to have Winston Churchill back."

"Great honour": Donald Trump posed for photographs by the Winston Churchill bust / PA

To which Mrs May replied: Thank you, we were very pleased that you accepted it back."

Mr Trump promised to restore a bust of Sir Winston within hours of being sworn in seen by some as a nod to the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States.

The busts presence has been well documented as Mr Trump signed his first executive orders as the 45th US President.

The sculpture of Churchill's face is said to be a replica of one given to 1960s leader Lyndon B Johnson and first appeared in the Oval Office during former George W Bush's administration.

Reports of Churchill's removal prompted protests from British figures including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who in turn was criticised when he blamed the swap on Mr Obama's "ancestral dislike of the British empire"
J eremy Corbyns leadership faced growing disarray today as more Labour MPs threatened to defy him over Brexit, in a row which has sparked rage in the party.

Two Labour whips and another frontbencher signalled they may vote against Article 50. Mr Corbyn has ordered his MPs to back the start of the Brexit process, imposing a three-line whip.

But as the rebellion grew, one of his closest allies, Diane Abbott, appeared to signal some MPs might not be disciplined for voting against the leadership.

Transport spokesman Daniel Zeichner and whips Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire made clear they could resign rather than back Article 50.

Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq quit as shadow education minister yesterday.

Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, said there was palpable rage in her constituency party over the Brexit vote.

My constituency voted 78 per cent to Remain, and while a lot of those people recognise the outcome of the referendum, we just dont want a blank cheque.

We need a clear steer from the Government about what they are going to do, she told the BBC.

Shadow home secretary Ms Abbott urged colleagues to back the leader but appeared to signal some rebels might not be disciplined, saying: The leadership has a lot of sympathy for people in heavily Remain constituencies who find themselves in difficulty.

But she added that 17 million people voted for Leave, many in some of our poorest areas.

How would it look if a bunch of politicians and commentators in London turned around and said, We know you voted to leave but we are just going to ignore you. That would be very undermining of democracy.

Ms Siddiq said: Im standing up for democracy. I represent Hampstead and Kilburn in Westminster, not Westminster in Hampstead and Kilburn.

Mr Corbyn said: I say to everyone, unite around the important issues of jobs, security, economy, rights, justice, and we will frame that relationship with Europe in the future outside the EU, but in concert with friends, whether those countries are outside or inside the EU."
A total of 455 allegations of electoral fraud and malpractice have been made in London in the past five years, figures reveal today.

The allegations reported to Scotland Yard are about local and national elections since 2012, and nearly half (224) relate to Tower Hamlets.

Of these, 164 were in relation to the election of Lutfur Rahman as the boroughs mayor in 2014. The figures also show that Scotland Yard passed 13 files to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to last years EU referendum and London mayoral election.

The CPS today said it could not confirm whether it received the files or if they led to charges. The data reveals:

Fifty five allegations were made about the Brexit referendum and 17 about the London mayoral election.

111 allegations were received in 2015 over the general election (63) and the Tower Hamlets mayoral by-election (48), triggered that year after Rahman was found guilty of corruption and illegal practices by an election court.

208 allegations were made in 2014 in relation to local and European elections and the Tower Hamlets mayoral election (164) won by Rahman.

In 2012, the Met received 64 allegations about the London mayoral and Assembly elections.

Since 2014, 23 people have been interviewed under caution, eight received warning letters, 25 people were given words of advice and four were arrested.

Just three people have been convicted since 2014  two cautions and one court conviction. A fourth was charged but the CPS offered no evidence in court.

The figures, obtained by City Halls police and crime committee, prompted criticism of Scotland Yards record on electoral fraud. Since 2014 less than one per cent of allegations have led to convictions.

Labour Assembly member Andrew Dismore said: If there is substantive evidence we ought to be investigating cases properly. I feel they [the police] are reluctant to investigate these things when it involves politicians.

Tower Hamlets councillor Peter Golds, who leads its Tory group, said police had repeatedly ignored overwhelming evidence of fraud and malpractice, or officers have done a tick-box exercise without taking any action.

In 2015 Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey, sitting as a judge in the High Court, ruled that Rahman was guilty for the alarming state of affairs in Tower Hamlets and declared his election void.

Todays figures detail how the Mets Special Enquiry Team investigated four new matters following Judge Mawreys ruling and reviewed 47 previously recorded matters  but no criminal charges were brought. A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said the watchdog wrote to Met chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe in April last year warning that a failure to explain why criminal prosecutions had not taken place in Tower Hamlets could lead to a loss of confidence in the force.

A Met spokesman said: Due to the specialist and complex nature of the legislation surrounding electoral fraud, the Met seeks advice at various stages of an investigation from the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS. He described enquiries as comprehensive. A CPS spokesman said: We review all evidence presented to us in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

A Tower Hamlets council spokesman said its response to claims of fraud had been recognised as both prompt and robust by the Electoral Commission. This has resulted in a significant reduction in allegations since 2014.
R ussias embassy in Britain has used verse to accuse Prime Minister Theresa May of trying to stoke up Cold War animosities.

Addressing Republican congressmen in Philadelphia on Thursday Mrs May cautioned Mr Trump over his apparent willingness to forge warmer ties with Russias Vladimir Putin.

Referencing Mr Trumps Cold War-era predecessor Ronald Reagan Mrs May said that in dealing with Russia it was best to follow the maxim: Engage but beware.

Diplomats at the Russian embassy in London responded on Twitter on Friday in rhyme: "Engage but beware", Prime Minister said. As far as we're aware, Cold War was long dead."

In her high-profile foreign policy speech on the eve of her meeting with Mr Trump, Mrs May said: "When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'. With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'.

"There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War. But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength.

"And we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict - and that, particularly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, give assurance to Russia's neighbouring states that their security is not in question.

"We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence."

The embassy was among a number of Twitter users marking the PM's White House meeting with Mr Trump through poetry, under the hashtag PoemsAboutTrumpAndMay.
T heresa May called on the US to renew its special relationship with Britain as she evoked the memory of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in a stirring speech in Philadelphia.

In a speech to Republican Party congressmen, Mrs May launched a charm offensive as she pledged for the two countries to come together and offer leadership to the rest of the world.

As she aims to build a strong relationship with President Donald Trump she signalled support for some of his key foreign policies such as standing up to Islamic State and condemning the "malign influence" of Iran

And she also echoed Mr Trumps criticism of the Iraq invasion under Tony Blair and George Bush, saying there must be "no return to the failed policies of the past - the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over".

Trump meeting: The speech was made as she prepares to meet US President Donald Trump on Friday / REUTERS/Mark Makela

Pointed references to the close Reagan-Thatcher relationship fuelled suspicions Mrs May is hoping for a similar partnership with Mr Trump.

Asked by reporters whether she would struggle, as a reserved vicar's daughter, to strike a rapport with the brash property tycoon and reality TV star, Mrs May said: "Haven't you heard? Sometimes opposites attract."

Trade talks: The pair are expected to discuss a trade deal between Britain and the US on Friday / PA

But the PM also sounded notes of caution over foreign policy positions taken by Mr Trump on the campaign trail, warning that his watchword with Vladimir Putin's Russia should be "engage but beware".

She described the Iran nuclear deal - which Mr Trump has threatened to tear up - as "vitally important for regional security".

And she spoke out in support of the importance of international institutions like the UN, IMF and Nato, often the target of Mr Trump's scorn, in maintaining global peace and prosperity.

Speaking a day ahead of the White House meeting that will make her the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump since last week's inauguration, Mrs May made no attempt to dissuade her audience from drawing parallels with the US and UK leaders of the Cold War era.
T heresa May has arrived at the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump.

Mrs May is the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump since he became president last week.

They will spend around an hour together in which they are likely to discuss US-UK ties, a possible trade deal and foreign affairs.

Although the UK cannot negotiate foreign trade partnerships until it has left the European Union Mr Trump has said he wants a quick deal following Brexit.

Theresa May and Donald Trump are expected to discuss foreign affairs and a US-UK trade deal / AP

The pair will likely also discuss security challenges including Syria, Russia, and the threat from Islamist terror.

Mrs May is also under pressure to challenge the president over the use of torture techniques after Mr Trump expressed support for waterboarding.

Theresa May with Donald Trump in the Oval Office / AP

The meeting is being held in the Oval Office where Mr Trump resinstated a bust of Winston Churchill removed by predecessor Barack Obama.

Before their talks, Mrs May and Mr Trump posed for photographs in front of the bust and Mr Trump said: "This is the original. It's a great honour to have Winston Churchill back."

A smiling Mrs May responded: "Thank you, we were very pleased that you accepted it back."

On arriving for talks Mrs May became the first head of government to sign the White House book under Mr Trump, his press secretary Sean Spicer said.

The meeting comes the day after the Prime Minister addressed Republican congressmen in Philadelphia in which she said she wanted to renew the special relationship between the US and UK.

Theresa May arrives at the White House / REUTERS

In a sign of her determination to deepen links with the Republican establishment as well as the team around Mr Trump, she held private talks with senior congressmen including House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

Aides said the meeting with Mr Ryan focused on trade and he told Mrs May that Republicans in both houses were very keen to work with the UK on a deal beneficial for both sides.

On Friday morning before meeting Mr Trump at the White House Mrs May paid her respects to the US military dead by laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington, Virginia.

Theresa May is escorted into the White House by Donald Trump / AP

Mrs May and Mr Trump are due to hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House following their talks.

The two premiers will then continue their discussions over a working lunch in the State Dining Room.

This story is being updated
T heresa May has touched down in the US before her first meeting with new President Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister will be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr Trump after landing at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, on Thursday night.

The pair will come face-to-face in the Oval Office at the White House, on Friday, in a meeting in which Mrs May bid will seek to renew the special relationship between the UK and US.

As she arrived in the US, Mrs May said Brexit and the election of Mr Trump would allow Britain and America to take up a stronger leadership role in the world.

She brushed off suggestions that their different styles will make it difficult for them to work together, and said: "Haven't you noticed - Sometimes opposites attract."

US arrival: The Prime Minister touches down in the US ahead of meeting Donald Trump / Getty Images

Mrs May will work to secure a free trade deal between the UK and US after Britain has withdrawn from the European Union.

European Customs Union rules bar the UK from formal negotiations on a free trade agreement with the US until after it has left the EU in two years' time.

'Opposites attract': The Prime Minister made a strong statement as she landed in the US / Getty Images

But Mr Trump has shown himself eager for a swift deal and Mrs May said on Thursday that she believed some progress could be made on easing trade while waiting to negotiate a full deal.

"I think there is much we can do in the interim in terms of looking at how we can remove some of the barriers to trade in a number of areas, so we are able to see an advantage to both of us even if we haven't been able to sign that legal free trade agreement," she said.

New president: Theresa May will be the first world leader to meet Donald Trump ( Kevin Dietsch/ EPA) / Kevin Dietsch/ EPA

But the pair will also discuss security challenges including Syria, Russia and the threat from Islamist terror.

Speaking to congressmen from the president's Republican party in Philadelphia on Thursday, Mrs May supported Mr Trump's call for Nato members to match the US and UK in meeting promises to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence.

And she offered backing for some of the president's other foreign policy priorities, condemning Iran's "malign influence" in the Middle East, promising to "stand up" for Israel's security and vowing not to repeat "failed" interventions like the Blair-Bush invasion of Iraq.

But she also had words of caution for Mr Trump over his approach to Russia's Vladimir Putin, suggesting his watchword should be "engage but beware".
By Press Trust of India: From Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, Jan 27 (PTI) Three Indian-origin persons have been awarded Australias highest civilian honour this year for their contributions in the field of medicine and work towards the community.

Purushottam Sawrikar, a Sydney-based medical practitioner, receivedOrder of Australia medal for the year 2017 announced on theAustralia Day in General division category for his service to medicine, and to the Indian community.

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Sawrikar was a former President of Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association and also founded a community radio called Akashwani Sydney.

Makhan Singh Khangure from Perth was given the award for his for significant service to medicine in the field of neuroradiology, to education, and to a range of professional medical associations.

Vijay Kumar, a nuclear medicine specialist and a researcher, was given the award for his significant service to medical research in the disciplines of nuclear medicine and biology, to professional organisations, and to the community.

Kumar, a founding Member of Sydney Tamil Sangam Association, was also awarded Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Award in 2007 and 2014.

A Darwain-based Tejinder Pal Singh was among the list of finalists in the Australian of the Year Local Hero catergory awards, for his efforts in improving the community.

Singh was nominated for his four-year-old initiative of providing a free-meal service called the food van in Northern Territory.

Singh has been feeding the poor and needy locals of northern Darwin with dedication on the last Sunday of each month.

Over 950 Australians were named in the Australia Day Honours this year with former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victorians Governor Linda Dessau, organic scientist Andrew Holmes and former Liberal MP David Kemp receiving the nations top Australia Day medal, the Companion of the Order of Australia.

Other who received the top honours were a Queensland based Biomedical scientist Alan Mackay-Sim who was named Australian of the Year this year.

Alans groundbreaking work on stem cells was crucial to the first ever successful case of restoring a quadriplegic persons ability to walk. PTI NC AMS

--- ENDS ---
T heresa May has paid her respects to the US military dead hours before her keenly awaited meeting with President Donald Trump.

Mrs May laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldiers at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean conflict.

Dressed in sombre black, the PM was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

A cannon was fired 19 times as the Prime Minister's convoy arrived at the cemetery and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

Theresa May lays the wreath on Friday morning / Getty Images

After a military band played the national anthems of the UK and US, the PM mounted the steps to lay a wreath of red poppies, bowing her head in respect as a single trumpeter sounded the Last Post.

More than 400,000 US troops killed in conflicts from the Civil War to the on-going War on Terror are laid to rest at Arlington.

Theresa May pays her respects to the unknown soldier / EPA

Among them are a number of British troops who died fighting alongside US forces.

Also at the cemetery are a memorial to the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack and the grave of assassinated US president John F Kennedy.
T he Queen was kept under close guard by a pair of bare-chested Fijian warriors when she visited an art show in Norwich.

The monarch was treated to a traditional South Pacific welcome when she arrived at the University of East Anglia for the exhibition entitled Fiji: Art & Life In The Pacific.

Two strapping six-foot warriors armed with replica hardwood clubs were close by as the Queen walked the red carpet as musicians drummed to celebrate her entrance.

The exhibition howcased the Commonwealth country's sculptures, textiles and ceramics alongside ivory and shell regalia.

Having visited Fiji several times during her reign, the Queen was well versed with some of its customs but yet appeared fascinated by the exhibits.

UThe Queen arrives at the exhibition in Norwich / Getty Images

The Duke of Edinburgh was scheduled in error to attend the event, Buckingham Palace said, and it is understood he was out and about on the Sandringham Estate instead.

19-year-old Joe Cokanasiga, a winger with the rugby union club London Irish, was one of the two Fijian warriors who symbolically guarded the Queen when she arrived.

Wearing just a skirt made from dried bark strands he stands 6ft 4ins tall, weighs 17 stone and was an imposing figure but he broke out into a smile when asked how he felt about performing for the Queen.

Her Majesty was guarded by Fijian warriors / Getty Images

The Fiji-born sportsman said: "It was a bit cold out there but a real experience and honour to be asked to be here - we added some atmosphere to the occasion."

Looking at his large war club he said: "These are replicas, the real things are made from hardwood and many are in the exhibition."

The Queen reportedly seemed fascinated by the exhibition / Getty Images

The Queen was left fascinated by the clubs when Dr Karen Jacobs, co-curator of the exhibition staged at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the university in Norwich, escorted her around.

The academic said: "I think she was just generally very interested in the whole exhibition.

"She was also interested in the clubs and we talked about the impact of one of those clubs, which would be quite impressive."
C hile has appealed for international help to fight the worst wildfires in living memory as residents of a devastated town described them as a nightmare without end.

These pictures show the ash and charred metal left where family homes stood after the flames razed Santa Olga.

The body of one person was found in the wreckage of the town and two people are missing, but another 6,000 residents fled.

Destroyed buildings included the post office, a nursery and about 1,000 homes in the town, about 220 miles south of the capital Santiago.

Another burned body was discovered inside a house engulfed in the flames about 85 miles from Santa Olga.

Chiles death toll since November has risen to ten, including five firefighters and two police officers.

The flames have destroyed about 385,000 acres of forest and have been fanned by strong winds, high temperatures and a prolonged drought.

More than 90 wildfires have broken out in recent weeks as temperatures in the capital hit 37C.

More international help arrived today to assist 5,000 firefighters battling fast-spreading blazes in central and southern Chile from the ground and air.

Residents of some communities have been fighting the fires themselves, without any protective gear and often using just branches or bottles of water in a frantic effort to save their homes, farmland and livestock.

But those efforts are often undone as winds or smouldering ash spread the fires again.

Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of Santa Olgas neighbouring coastal city of Constitucion. This is an extremely serious situation of horror, a nightmare without an end.

Everything burned.

President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency, deploy troops and ask for international help, calling it the greatest forest disaster in Chiles history.

The US has sent a Boeing 747-400 Super Tanker capable of dumping nearly 73,000 litres of fire retardant or water, and Chile has accept a similar plane from Russia.
D onald Trump has branded Madonna "disgusting" and labelled US show Saturday Night Live a "disgrace" after one of its writers tweeted about that the president's 10-year-old son.

Mr Trump went on the attack in a wide-ranging interview in which he also took aim at the media, opposition lawmakers and actor Alec Baldwin.

He said he was still hurt by the venom of his critics and singled out Madonna for her remarks during Saturdays Womens March in Washington that shed considered blowing up the White House.

"Honestly, she's disgusting. I think she hurt herself very badly. I think she hurt that whole cause," Mr Trump told Fox News interviewer Sean Hannity.

"I thought her and a couple of others. But I thought she was in particular, I thought what she said was disgraceful to our country."

He blasted Saturday Night Live and the "terrible" attack by one of its writers, Katie Rich, against his son, Barron, where she said he would become Americas "first homeschool shooter".

"Saturday Night Live, a person from Saturday Night Live was terrible," he said.

"I don't mind some humour but it's terrible. For them to attack, for NBC to attack my 10-year-old son, its a disgrace. Hes a great boy. And its not an easy thing for him. Believe me."

Ms Rich has since apologised and been suspended by the show.

But Mr Trump wasn't done with the popular Saturday night comedy satire that has featured Alec Baldwin mocking the billionaire property tycoon for months.

The president said Mr Baldwin wasn't just unfunny but a "disaster". "He's terrible on the show," he added.

Madonna says 'we have gone as low as we can go' with Trump result

He then switched gear to slam "obstructionist" Democrat politicians who were blocking his Cabinet nominations and leaking details of private meetings.

"I'll tell you what they're obstructionists," he said. "I go to a meeting with them that's supposed to be a very quiet meeting."

"Nobody talking outside of the meeting. They leave the meeting and they have a news conference about what I said," he added, referring to his leaked remarks at a gathering with congressional leaders that he believed that illegal votes by immigrants lost him the popular vote in the election.

"They're talking to the cameras about exactly what I said at the meeting, which is fine because I say things that I don't mind going out, because I assume they're going to do that.

"But the deal was, we wouldn't talk to the press. And they go out and they talk to the press," he added.

Piers Morgan blasts Madonna and rabid feminists at vacuous Women's March on Good Morning Britain

He said the delays in the confirmation process was "not fair" and insisted that building up the US military was more important to him than balancing the budget.

"I want a balanced budget eventually," he said. "But I want to have a strong military. To me that's much more important than anything.

"We have a military that's really depleted. And I'm negotiating the price of airplanes, can you believe this? But I understand airplanes. I've bought a lot of airplanes."

Continuing his outspoken criticism of the coverage of the "very hostile" and "very angry" media, he said he was outraged by an erroneous report that hed removed a bust of Martin Luther King from the Oval Office.

It turned out that the bust hadnt been removed and the Time reporter apologised, but Mr Trump said: "That's a very serious charge. Because they're not saying the bust was taken out.

"What they're saying is that I'm a racist. That's what they're saying. That's a very serious charge. Then it turned out the bust, in fact I got very angry with my people. I said who took that bust out? Because I wasn't there.

Round-up of Trump's most infamous comments in the run-up to his presidency

'And they said it was never moved. It was in the same exact spot it was never moved. I said, how could they say it? These are lying people. These are bad people."

Mr Trump said he was an "environmentalist" but that wasnt going to stop him building.

"They use the environment to stop a lot of good things, not only energy, buildings and factories, plants,' he said of his predecessors.

"They use it to stop things. It's like a roadblock, but that's not going to happen anymore. And the by the way, I'm an environmentalist, okay?

"I believe strongly in the environment and I'm going to protect the environment. But you don't have to have a man who wants to build a factory or a person or company wait ten years going through approvals, at the end of the tenth year, get rejected."

On foreign policy, he claimed it was beneficial for the US to have a better relationship with Russia to "knock the hell out of Isis".

Terrorists, he said, were "sneaky, dirty rats."

"These are bad people," he added. "When you're fighting Germany, they had their uniforms; and Japan, and they had their uniforms and they had their flags on the plane and the whole thing.

"We are fighting sneaky rats right now that are sick and demented. And we're going to win."

He confirmed that he is considering granting a presidential pardon to Kristian Saucier, a former soldier who was jailed for photographing the inside of a US Navy submarine.

Mr Trump said the case was no worse than Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was US Secretary of State.

"I'm actually looking at it right now. How can you have somebody else get away with such a tremendous amount and then this person who takes a picture of his desk on an old submarine?" he added.

He also reiterated his view that waterboarding was not torture and said that despite their differences of opinion, he and Barack Obama had become friends.

"What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along, we're riding up Pennsylvania Avenue talk, we don't even mention it," he said.

"I guess that's the world of politics. But I was tough on him, he was tough on me and I like him, he likes me. I think he likes me. I mean, you're going to have to ask him but I think he likes me."
D onald Trump will talk by phone to both Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel on Saturday, it has been announced.

The calls will be the first test of the new presidents relations with Europes most powerful figures  and whether he heeds Theresa Mays warning to beware of the Russian president.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked if the phone talk could take place on Saturday, told Russian news agencies Yes but did not comment further.

A German government source said relations with Mr Putin and the European Union would dominate the conversation with chancellor Mrs Merkel, who has been publicly cool towards Mr Trump.

A key Kremlin goal is the relaxation of Western sanctions imposed as punishment for the 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea region.

Reports from the US said Mr Trump might tell Mrs Merkel he was reviewing the sanctions, but this was not confirmed. The German source said she would not necessarily follow suit.

Both Mr Trump and Mr Putin have looked for a thaw in relations, which had been fraught under Barack Obamas presidency following Russian expansionism and allegations that the Kremlin tried to corrupt the US elections.

Mr Putin and Mr Trump have both praised each others personal qualities and said they were hopeful that they could reset relations.
D onald Trumps first week in office saw him begin his term at the White House with a whirlwind of activity. The new President sparked protests worldwide, as well as rows on topics from abortion to torture. He also branded Madonna disgusting, and criticised the US media for coverage of his inauguration. Here's a recap of his first week.

Crowds

Mr Trump marked his first full day in office by attacking the media over its coverage of his inauguration.

The President took a swipe at journalists over reports about the size of the crowds for his swearing-in ceremony last Friday.

Speaking during a visit to the CIA headquarters, he said his inauguration crowd looked like a million people but offered no evidence.

He said: I turn on the (television on), and by mistake I get this network, and it showed an empty field. And it said we drew 250,000 people.

Contrast: An aerial view of Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009 (top) compared with Donald Trump's (bottom) / AP

"Now, that's not bad, but it's a lie."

His press secretary Sean Spicer later gave journalists a five-minute tongue lashing over their coverage of Mr Trump during his first 30 hours of presidency.

Women's march

The day after Mr Trump was sworn in millions of women across the globe took to the street to protest against the inauguration.

Solidarity: Women march on London's streets / Getty Images

Demonstrators carried placards with anti-Trump slogans which read "Feminism is my Trump card" and "Princesses against patriarchy".

The President took to Twitter to express his views on the demos and said: Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.

He later added: Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.

Madonna and TV

Donald Trump calls Madonna 'disgusting' in Fox interview

Mr Trump described pop star Madonna as disgusting over her speech during a protest in which she claimed she wanted to blow up the White House.

President Trump also fired off angry words at comedy show Saturday Night Live after one of its writers said his 10-year-old son Barron would become Americas "first homeschool shooter". Writer Katie Rich has apologised and was suspended from the show. Trump also said Alec Baldwin's impression of him was a 'nightmare'

Obamacare

In his first act as president Mr Trump took steps to weaken Obamacare.

Just hours after taking the Oath of Office and before heading out to his inaugural balls, the President signed an executive order that directed government departments to scale back as many aspects of the Affordable Care Act as possible.

Donald Trump shows off 'secret' Obama letter

He also reinstated a ban on providing federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option despite Barack Obama repealing the law in 2009.

Lawsuit

It emerged on Monday that Mr Trump is facing a lawsuit alleging his businesses are accepting payments from foreign governments in violation of the US Constitution.

For better or for worse: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania / REUTERS

The legal action, being brought by the non-profit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, will ask a judge to forbid Mr Trump from accepting the payments.

Inaugural 'brawl'

The presidents senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway allegedly punched a man in the face at a VIP inaugural ball hours after the president was sworn into office.

Mr Trumps former campaign manager, 50, is reported to have stepped in to break up a brawl between two tuxedo-clad guests at the Liberty Ball in Washington DC.

Trump adviser: Kellyanne Conway / REUTERS

When they refused to stop fighting, she allegedly took matters into her own hands and hit one of the men in the face with mean punches at least three times, a witness claims.

Trade deal

During his first week Mr Trump withdrew the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal by signing an executive order on Monday.

He also waged war with the Environmental Protection Agency and signed two more orders to plough on with two controversial oil pipelines and promised to curb regulations on US industry.

Mexico

The president ordered immediate construction of a border wall with Mexico, insisting the Mexicans would foot the bill.

Big day: Donald Trump prepares to sign the executive order / Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images

Mexicans were left fuming after First Lady Melania Trump appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Crime

Mr Trump also called for a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants to be published and claimed he absolutely believed torture worked in terms of fighting ISIS terrorists.

Email server row

On Thursday, a story emerged that the Presidents senior advisers were allegedly using private email servers, despite Mr Trumps relentless criticism of rival Hillary Clinton for doing so during the election campaign.

Theresa May

Prime Minister Theresa May was the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump on Friday in a bid to reinstate the UKs special relationship with the US.

First meeting: Mrs May arrives in Maryland ahead of meeting Mr Trump

When asked if she believed she would clash with the President, Mrs May told reporters: Sometimes opposites attract.

Before the meeting the White House made an embarrassing gaffe which was the Prime Minister's name was spelt the same way as that of porn actress Teresa May.
M argaret Thatcher is the true role model of Donald Trump, a senior Republican said today.

Newt Gingrich criticised the idea that the US president modelled himself on Ronald Reagan, who was president from 1981 to 1989.

Writing in the Washington Post, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives said Mr Trumps inauguration address resembled a speech by Mrs Thatcher  pictured with Mr Reagan in 1988  as it was a challenge to old ways of thinking.

In this head-on challenge to power and ideology, Trump resembles Thatcher far more than Reagan, he wrote.

Reagan was focused on breaking the power of the Soviet Union, not breaking the power of political correctness...

"Trump is a direct, mortal threat to both the power structure and the ideology of the Left.
D onald Trumps plan to impose a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for his border wall will backfire by raising prices for US consumers, Mexican foreign minister Luis Videgaray has said.

Relations between the two countries hit a new low after the White House on Thursday floated the idea of a border tax.

It came after Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped a planned trip to Washington to meet the new president, who has repeatedly demanded that Americas southern neighbour pay for a wall to keep illegal immigrants out of the US.

The Mexican peso was sent tumbling when White House press secretary revealed Mr Trump was considering the 20 percent tax to recoup the cost of construction.

Donald Trump wants import tax to pay for Mexico wall

If you tax exports from Mexico into the United States, youre going to make things ranging from avocados to appliances to flat-screen TVs, youre going to make them more expensive, Mr Videgaray told reporters at the Mexican Embassy in Washington.

He said Mexico would work with Mr Trump but that paying for the wall was out of the question.

There are things that go beyond negotiation, he added.

This is about our dignity and our pride.

Mexico ships 80 percent of its exports to the United States, and about half of Mexicos foreign direct investment has come from its northern neighbour over the past two decades.

Mr Trump views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration and he signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday.

"Were working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," Mr Trump confirmed to Republican lawmakers at their retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.
T wo people died when their light aircraft crashed in front of thousands of people gathering in Perth for Australia Day celebrations.

The plane broke up as it nosedived into the Swan River shortly after 5pm local time on Thursday.

Pilot Peter Lynch, 52, and his girlfriend Endah Cakrawati, 30, the sole occupants of the Grumman G-73 Mallard flying boat, were killed.

An annual fireworks display, expected to draw 300,000 people to the river, was immediately cancelled. Large crowds had already gathered and some people filmed the crash.

Passengers on a boat look at the debris of a plane in the Swan River / EPA

Father-of-three Mr Lynch was a mining executive at the Fortescue Metals Group and Ms Cakrawati was a PR manager for Cokal, an Australian-listed coal company.

Fortescue chief Nev Power said: Peter was a great mate and all of us at Fortescue convey our deepest condolences to his family, including his three children, and to Endahs family.

Police today removed the planes fuel tanks from the water as they investigate the cause of the crash.

Witness Lloyd Douglas, who was on a boat, said the plane appeared to stall as it turned towards the city: As he banked left he seemed to go further to the left and lose forward momentum and lost altitude fairly quickly.
A secondary school student who urinated in a bucket after she was refused a toilet break has won a payout of almost 1 million.

The former student, who was 14 at the time, was told by her teacher to urinate in bucket inside a supply room closet before emptying it in the sink at the school in California.

Her request came during a 25-minute class in which her teacher Gonja Wolf believed bathroom breaks were not permitted at the Patrick Henry High School, lawyers at the states Superior Court said.

The teacher claimed she had directed the student to use the supply room closet because she had attempted to find a solution to what she mistakenly though was a strict, no toilet break policy.

A Superior Court jury sided with the former student, who sued the teacher and the San Diego Unified School District over the 2012 incident, and she was awarded a payout of 994,000.

The district had previously rejected the girls $25,000 claim, in which she said the incident led to lewd texts, depression and a suicide attempt.

Lawyers for the school and the teacher said she had never intended to embarrass the student and that in a lapse of judgement, she thought that it was a good idea.

Brian Watkins, the students attorney, said: Something like this never should have happened to a 14-year-old girl just entering high school.

"She took the stand and told a really embarrassing story. She told the jury how this has affected her life and how she is still working through issues."

The student, who is now 19, said she was forced to move schools over bullying and has therapy to get over post-traumatic stress caused by the incident.

She was awarded an additional 33,000 to cover medical expenses. The teacher was put on paid administrative leave and no longer works at the campus.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia called the new Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal a "positive man." Sisodia also predicted that AAP will make a clean sweep in the Punjab Assembly election and will also win the Goa polls.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The AAP is "comfortable" with Delhi's new Lt Governor Anil Baijal and is also confident of winning assembly elections in both Punjab and Goa, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia says.

An election victory in a major state like Punjab will give a huge boost to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nationally for its brand of "clean politics", Sisodia said in a 45-minute interview here.

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In contrast to the uneasy ties it had with former Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Sisodia said that the Delhi government was "comfortable" with Baijal, who took charge on December 31.

"I have met him many times and we feel comfortable with him," said Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio and is a confidant of Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

'FILES HELD UP UNDER JUNG BEING CLEARED'

"We (Delhi government and Baijal) have been discussing issues. Many files that had been held up (by Jung) are being cleared... He is a positive man."

Sisodia said Baijal had worked in several government departments in Delhi and knew the problems faced by the national capital.

Sisodia's praise of the new Lt Governor marks a major departure from the way the AAP government in Delhi and Jung were in perennial conflict mode over issues of governance.

Also read: Najeeb Jung resigns as Delhi Lt Governor; thanks PM Modi for help, Arvind Kejriwal for 'association'

'WILL MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP IN PUNJAB'

With less than a week left for campaigning to end in Punjab and Goa for the February 4 assembly elections, the 45-year-old AAP leader said he was sure the party would take power in both the states.

"We will have a clean sweep" in the battle for the 117-seat Punjab assembly, he said. "It will be like a Delhi verdict."

The AAP swept 67 of the 70 seats in Delhi in February 2015, delivering the first electoral rout to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he became the Gujarat Chief Minister in 2001.

Also read: AAP's seventh Punjab poll manifesto: A potpourri of Oppositions' manifestos?

'DELHI INITIATIVES HELPING PARTY IN PUNJAB'

According to Sisodia, the AAP's achievements in the education and health sectors, and the various steps it had taken for the trading community in Delhi, were enormously helping the party in Punjab.

He accused the Akali Dal and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological parent, of telling people in Punjab's rural areas to vote for the Congress if they were unhappy with the Akali-BJP government.

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"This has backfired," said Sisodia, who returned from Punjab recently after extensively campaigning there. "It has made people believe Kejriwal's charge that the Akalis and the Congress are secretly allied against the AAP."

Sisodia claimed the AAP would win the battle for the 40-seat Goa assembly too.

'AAP IS A NEW HOPE FOR GOA'

He said Kejriwal's appeal was working in both Punjab and Goa, and the ruling BJP had been weakened in Goa. "People in Goa are looking for a new hope. That hope is AAP."

Sisodia said it was part of the AAP's political strategy to name former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes as the chief ministerial candidate in Goa but name none in Punjab.

He said it was sad Modi did not accept his party's request to have "a healthy competition" between the central and Delhi governments in the areas of Digital India, Clean India and Skill Development.

"The BJP," he said, "does not have new ideas. They only believe in politics of gimmicks. This can't work in the long run."

Also read: Goa polls: AAP hoping that Elvis Gomes can be coastal state's Kejriwal

Also watch: India Today Axis-Opinion Poll: Congress to make comeback in Punjab, BJP set to conquer Uttarakhand and Goa

--- ENDS ---

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T heresa May landed in Washington early today on her mission to build a personal alliance with US President Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister marched down the steps of her RAF Voyager aircraft in a dramatic black coat and matching gloves.

She was heading for the Oval Office for crunch talks on trade and foreign policy under the gaze of a newly-restored bust of Winston Churchill symbolising Anglo-US friendship.

Top of the agenda for Mrs May will be preparations for a free trade deal between the UK and US after Britain has withdrawn from the European Union.

Prime Minister Theresa May arrives in US and receives standing ovation from Republicans

They will also discuss security challenges including Syria, Russia and the threat from Islamist terror.

The Evening Standard learned she has taken one of her senior military advisers with her in a sign that she expects detailed talks on the battle against Islamic State.

Colonel John Clark, a fluent Arabic speaker who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has experience of combat, UN peacekeeping and military engineering, travelled with the Prime Minister.

Theresa May is expected to have crunch talks with Trump on trade and foreign policy / Getty

It was the personal chemistry - or lack of it - between the reserved vicars daughter and the brash tycoon that will decide if the visit is a success.

Mrs Mays arrival followed a barnstorming pro-America speech in Philadelphia, which led one senior US congressman to hail her today as perhaps Trumps long lost sister.

Donald Trump calls Madonna 'disgusting' in Fox interview

The hype was slightly punctured when the White House accidentally misspelled her named as Teresa May three times in an announcement - an unfortunate mistake as it is the spelling used by a prolific porn actress.

But the British premier - the first overseas leader to meet President Trump - was determined to use the occasion to influence US foreign policy and sow the seeds of a crucial post Brexit free trade deal between Britain and America.

Mrs May will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before heading to the White House for talks

The first sign of whether she succeeds will come tomorrow when, it was announced, Mr Trump will hold phone calls with Germanys Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mrs May hopes to persuade him to be warmer towards the European Union and more wary of Russia.

Last night she held meetings with senior Republicans that aides said were overall very positive.

With House speaker Paul Ryan they focused on trade and wider cooperation. He said Republicans in both houses were very keen to work with the UK on trade and said she should begin work on as soon as possible.

Mrs May will start the most important day of her premiership so far by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery.

Then she was heading for the White House for a morning of talks with senior officials and aides in the new administration.

Finally, she is due to have one hour in face-to-face talks with the President in the Oval Office, where Mr Trump has restored a bust of Winston Churchill that was first installed by George W Bush but removed by Barack Obama. The president tweeted a picture of himself standing smiling next to the bust a few days ago, making clear that a strong transatlantic relationship is a priority.

US Congressman Kevin Cramer, who watched Mrs Mays speech at a Republican Retreat gathering last night in Philadelphia said: As I was watching her, and listening to her, I thought is this Donald Trumps long lost sister?

There was real similarity, while at the same time, clearly a different take on certain global issues.

But he said it was too soon to say whether the pair would build the close relationship that Margaret Thatcher had with ex-president Ronald Reagan, saying: Lets see how it grows.

Mrs May, a vicars daughter with a reserved nature, acknowledged her different approach to that of the brash tycoon, but told reporters on her plane: Havent you noticed - Sometimes opposites attract.

More awkwardly, she has promised to express opposition to his support for the use of torture, and to attempt to persuader him to adopt a more positive stance towards Nato, the EU and the nuclear co-operation deal with Iran.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: This is the relationship that matters above all to our country and to its future prosperity.

He said her speech last night made clear the UK would not get involved in foreign adventures such as the Iraq invasion unless it was to counter a threat.

He said: What shes made it clear, in future, that where we are going to commit British troops, there has to be a very real threat to our country.

It has to be in the British national interest that we intervene in these countries.

That we should not simply embark on foreign adventures for the sake of it.

The Defence Secretary distanced Britain from Mr Trumps support for torture, saying: We have made our position on torture clear. We do not condone torture.

Following their press conference in the East Room of the White House, the two premiers will continue their talks over a working lunch in the State Dining Room.
M ischa Barton has been taken to hospital after the police responded to a disturbance call at her home in Los Angeles.

The OC actress, 31, was reportedly making incoherent statements and shouting over the fence of her backyard in West Hollywood on Thursday morning, prompting a neighbour to inform the authorities.

According to TMZ, Barton then voluntarily went to hospital to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

She was making incoherent statements that made absolutely no sense and she was transported to the hospital, a West Hollywood Sheriffs deputy told E!

Struggle: Mischa Barton has been open about her battle with mental illness / Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

The actress has been open about her battle against mental illness in the past, admitting that she had a full-on breakdown.

"It was terrifying. Straight out of Girl, Interrupted. Story of my life, she said in 2013.

Barton has also been vocal about the pressure she feels to be a certain size, saying that she didnt cope well with the criticism.

It was always, 'She's too skinny, she must be sick, she said. "Then it was, 'She's too big.' I was never the right weight."

Barton was admitted to a psychiatric ward back in 2009 and sectioned under a 5150.

Evening Standard Online has contacted Bartons represenative for comment.
S hia LaBeouf has returned to his anti-Donald Trump live stream following his arrest on Thursday morning.

Just hours after he was cuffed and taken away by the NYPD, the actor was back at his protest outside the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.

LaBeouf was charged with misdemeanour assault and harassment before being released on bail following an altercation with a Trump supporter who invaded his project.

The star didnt mention the incident as he returned to the protest and simply continued to chant he will not divide us into the camera.

Actor Shia LaBeouf arrested at his anti-Trump art exhibit in New York City

LaBeouf was arrested on camera in the early hours of Thursday after he pulled the scarf of an unidentified 25-year-old man and allegedly scratched his face in the process.

The man in question was seen on camera saying Hitler did nothing wrong during the stream.

LaBeouf was seen shouting down a white supremacist who infiltrated his peaceful protest on Monday.

Donald Trump Inauguration Day - In pictures 1 /44 Donald Trump Inauguration Day - In pictures Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States AP US President Barack Obama (right) and First Lady Michelle Obama (left) welcome Preisdent-elect Donald Trump (second right) and his wife Melania to the White House in Washington Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images President Barack Obama stands at right as first lady Michelle Obama hugs President-elect Donald Trump at the White House in Washington Evan Vucci/AP The presidential motorcade drives down Pennsylvania Ave towards the U.S. Capitol in Washington Joe Raedle/Getty Images Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waves as she arrives with her husband former President Bill Clinton Rick Wilking/Reuters People gather on the National Mall prior to the inauguration Patrick Smith/Getty Images Donald Trump's children Ivanka Trump (L), Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump Jr, and Eric Trump arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington lex Wong/Getty Images US President Barack Obama (right) and First Lady Michelle Obama (second left) welcome Preisdent-elect Donald Trump (left) and his wife Melania (second right) to the White House in Washington Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the seats on the West Front of the US Capitol several hours before Donald J. Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States in Washington Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, Vanessa Trump and Jared Kushner arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Drew Angerer/Getty Images Protesters chain themselves to an entry point prior at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Bryan Woolston/Reuters People begin to gfill in the National Mall a short time before Donald J. Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States in Washington Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA Supporters and protesters turn out for the Inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump in Washington Theo Wargo/Getty Images A man walks a dog in a Donald Trump costume carrying a doll depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin holding an US flag as they head to join a demonstration at the US embassy in central London Hayoung Jeon/EPA President Elect Donald Trump's children Barron Trump (L), Tiffany Trump and Eric Trump arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Joe Raedle/Getty Images President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet President-elect Donald Trump at the White House in Washington Evan Vucci/AP Former US President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Demonstrators march on the street near a security checkpoint inaugural entrance Jose Luis Magana/AP Former US Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne arrive at the US Capitol in Washington Saul Loeb/EPA Demonstrators chant near a security checkpoint entrance to the inauguration, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration Jose Luis Magana/AP US Senator Ted Cruz arrives for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Former US President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush arrive John Angelillo/EPA The statue of Civil War General and former US President Ulysses S. Grant faces the Washington Monument and the crowd gathering for the inauguration ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington Carlos Barria/Reuters A military helicopter lands at the US Capitol Rob Carr/AFP/Getty Images Protesters attack a man trying to pass at an entry point prior at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Washington Bryan Woolston/Reuters President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrives for a church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington Alex Brandon/AP Protesters chain themselves to an entry point prior at the inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington Bryan Woolston/Reuters Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife Karen, arrives for a church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington Alex Brandon/AP The sun begins to rise behind the Capitol dome several hours before Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office as the 45th President of the United States in Washington Andrew GombartAFP/Getty Images Protesters move toward an entry point prior at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Bryan Woolston/Reuters The early morning sun lights up the Washington Monument as people gather on the National Mall prior to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Washington Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Protesters chain themselves to an entry point Bryan Woolston/Reuters US Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden leave the White House for the final time as the nation prepares for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in Washington Kevin Dietsch/EPA

Walking right up to the camera, the unnamed man started saying the number 14 into the camera, which is a rallying cry for white supremacists that references David Lanes slogan "we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.

At first, LaBeouf tried to direct him away from the camera but the man then circled back around and continued to try and deliver his message.

Without touching him, the actor proceeded to shout his message over and over again into his face until he left.

The live art project, which is set up outside New Yorks Museum of the Moving Image, has been open to everyone since Trumps inauguration on Friday and will run for the duration of his presidency.


In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Samajwadi Party chief has asked the government to present the Budget after March 8, fearing that if it is not done, poll-bound states including Uttar Pradesh might be left out.

By India Today Web Desk: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the Union Budget for 2017-18 is presented after the Assembly elections in five states.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Samajwadi Party chief has asked the government to present the Budget after March 8, fearing that if it is not done, poll-bound states including Uttar Pradesh might be left out.

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The Supreme Court had earlier this week ruled that the Centre needn't postpone the Union Budget from February 1.

This ruling came as a response to some parties demanding to move the Budget after Assembly elections, alleging that the BJP may have an unfair advantage over others if sops for the poll-bound states are announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The Election Commission has ordered that the Budget cannot include any announcements that would influence the votes in five states - Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

The poll panel has ordered that the Budget cannot include any announcements that would could influence voters in the five states that begin voting just days after February 1.

While Punjab and Goa will vote on February 4, the crucial seven-phase Uttar Pradesh election will begin on February 11.

Also Read

Budget to be presented on February 1, says Supreme Court in setback for Opposition ahead of Assembly elections

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UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has told his party leaders that he will not contest from any seat in the forthcoming assembly elections after analysing ground reports for the two constituencies he was earlier inclined to file nomination from.

By Shiv Pujan Jha: A hurriedly called meeting at the Samajwadi Party office today by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to gauge the sentiments of the office bearers and party workers, a drooping body language and an abrupt decision not to contest from any seat in the assembly polls speak volumes of the fast changing political dynamics in the state.

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Assembly Elections 2017 LIVE Coverage

Addressing the office bearers and party workers, Akhilesh said, "Some TV channels are running that I will contest from Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow. This is a plant by Sharda Pratap Shukla. I am not contesting from anywhere. I am an MLC till 2018 and I will campaign for all."

READ| Akhilesh Yadav at SP manifesto release: Even opponents will vote for us if they ride on our expressway

AKHILESH MAKES A U-TURN: THINGS TO KNOW Last month Akhilesh had expressed his desire to contest from Bundelkhand saying that the people of the area wanted better representation and as such he was contemplating to fight from there. Insiders indicate that seats like Babina and Charkhari were analysed and ground reports for the same were collected. Apparently the thin presence of the Samajwadi Party in the area proved to be a potent factor dissuading Akhilesh from contesting from the area. Another seat for Akhilesh was examined of Sarojini Nagar since the seat had both urban and rural pockets with sizeable Yadav vote-bank. Possibly the prospects looked dim from the seat to Akhilesh and he decided not to contest even from this seat. Earlier, it was being argued that since Bundelkhand is far off a seat near to Lucknow would be best suited for Akhilesh. Now, the speculations of him contesting even from Sarojini Nagar have Been put to rest and Akhilesh wants to focus his time and attention on campaigning for other candidates. At the meeting a seemingly not so confident Akhilesh exhorted the party workers to push full throttle to ensure the party comes back to power. Akhilesh said, "If you don't work hard now you may have to keep struggling for five years." At the important meet he also told the office bearers not to raise the issue of rural electrification and providing uninterrupted power supply. "We will not be able to fulfill the commitment. So, do not talk of electrification and power supply," Akhilesh instructed the partymen. Akhilesh Yadav is said to be wary of the triangular electoral contest in Uttar Pradesh with BSP aggressively pushing for minority vote by fielding 99 Muslim candidates. Akhilesh may have aligned with the Congress but till date no collective campaigns have been planned. The leaders of the two parties have so far refrained from joint public appearances. The going is tough and possibly by not contesting himself Akhilesh is sending out the same message.

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Indian television needs a serious revamp in terms of its content and storytelling. And what better way to change the face of TV than to adapt some great books for the audience?

By Anvita Singh: 2017 is going to be a great year for television, thanks to some amazing shows that will premiere this year. And quite a number of these shows are book adaptations. Popular fiction writer Neil Gaiman's American Gods will hit the small screen soon and so will a bunch of other shows (read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, L M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn to list a few), and that got us thinking: shouldn't we also try something similar?

Ready yourselves. The gods are arriving in 2017. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/AD1yqaHrxc American Gods (@AmericanGodsSTZ) November 18, 2016

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Also read: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens picked up by BBC

Confused? Well, we are talking about adapting some great books that are set in the country for Indian television, and it is not like this has not been done in the past.

Malgudi Days was based on R K Narayan's books, the TV series Byomkesh Bakshi was inspired by the character created by Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. And how can one forget Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India which was adapted for television by writer-director Shyam Benegal?

But these TV series are a part of our glorious past, when television shows used to make sense, when we were simultaneously entertained and were forced to think about life's deeper questions, thanks to some great stories. But Indian television (AS OF NOW) is all about loud make-up, equally loud acting, and bad storylines.

So, let us change that, shall we?

Here are five book adaptations we wish to see on Indian television:

The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh

This beautiful book is about stories of people that are bound together by stories they tell each other. Not at all confusing. It is also a novel that asks serious questions about boundaries, relationships, and places in general.

We demand a TV show!

Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Picture courtesy: Instagram/appy_feet

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Palace of Illusions is a retelling of the Hindu epic The Mahabharata. Wait, it gets even more interesting. Only this time, The Mahabharata is told from Draupadi's perspective. What was one of the strongest and oldest female characters of Indian literature like as a child? Who was the love of her life? And did she really start the war, The Mahabharata?

Draupadi herself answers all these questions, and more, in this beautifully re-imagined version of the epic poem.

This Mahabharata, if at all adapted for television, will be vastly different from both Siddharth Kumar Tewary and B R Chopra's version of the epic.

The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra

The debut novel of acclaimed author Pankaj Mishra is as wonderful and believable as it gets. In fact, Mishra has written the novel in a very Gabriel Garcia Marquez style. Words that are as beautiful as they are believable.

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The Romantics is a coming-of-age novel. The Romantics is about a lot of things, including love, friendship, youthful angst, death, and the art of writing. The story is set in Benares, and our hero is super-relatable.

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

Picture courtesy: Instagram/jalebikhan

This historical novel is about partition, its horror. It is also about religion, relationships, and gives us an insight into what the people might have suffered, might have faced when the country was going through one of its greatest political disturbances.

We cannot know enough about our history.

City of Djinns by William Dalrymple

First things first-this is not fiction. City of Djinns is essentially a travelogue. It is basically about the author's six-year tryst with the country's capital, Delhi.

Dalrymple writes about Delhi as we know it, but he also discusses about the Delhi that many of us don't know; its nooks and crannies, its people. He unearths its history by asking questions to his readers, to Delhiites; by exploring its ruins, and speaking with strangers about those ruins.

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Simply put, City of Djinns is magical. And all of us deserve magic.

Dear Producers/Creative heads, please make it happen.

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By Press Trust of India: Chennai, Jan 27 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today said various "anti-social elements" and organisations had "infiltrated" the week-long pro-jallikattu protest at Marina here with the intention of "diverting" it.

He promised that the "evil forces" behind the violence here on Monday would be identified and brought to book.

Panneerselvam said following the police announcement early on January 23, asking the protesters to leave the Marina beach, about 10,000 of them had dispersed while about 2,000 stayed back.

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"Various organisations and anti-social elements had infiltrated the pro-jallikattu protests (at Marina) with the intention of diverting it," he said.

Making a detailed statement in the Assembly after Opposition Leader MK Stalin sought his explanation over the police lathicharge on protesters here on Monday, Panneerselvam said the cops had received information that some of the protesters wanted to prolong the stir till Republic Day.

He said those belonging to such organisations "wanted to show black flags and create problems" on January 26.

"Some even raised separate Tamil Nadu demands and there is photographic proof of some holding pictures of Osama Bin Laden with accompanying Boycott Republic Day slogans," he said.

Even during the violence, which he blamed on "anti-national, anti-social elements, besides miscreants", the police used "minimum force" to disperse the "unlawful" persons and safeguarded public life and property, the chief minister said and assured the House that the "evil forces" behind the violence would be identified and action taken against them.

Quite a few policemen sustained injuries while many police vehicles were also damaged by the miscreants during Mondays violence, Panneerselvam said.

The chief minister, who said the jallikattu ban was implemented in 2011 during the days of the UPA, in which the DMK was a constituent, also recalled the sustained efforts of his predecessor, late J Jayalalithaa, and himself for the conduct of the bull-taming sport in the state.

He also explained in detail the circumstances leading to the state government issuing an ordinance last week, following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the latter promised the Centres support to the states legal endeavours on the issue. PTI SA APR RC

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The Romanian Naval Forces (SMFN) announce that procurement programmes for the next period include the acquisition of the first new multifunctional corvette, the reestablishment of the 508 Division Coast Rockets, but also the upgrading of the T22R frigates and their endowment with equipment to fight against air, underwater and on the water surface menace, according to a press release issued on Thursday by the Naval Forces.

The 2016 report was presented by Rear Admiral Alexander Mirsu, chief of the Navy Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca, chief of the General Staff, during a sitting of self-assessment, which was attended by representatives of the Minister of Defence central structures and commanders of large units in the Naval Forces.

"The procurement programmes to be initiated in the next period, were prioritized in two phases. Phase I will be carried on in the period 2017-2020, and will include the purchase of the first new multifunctional corvette; the reestablishment of Rockets 508 Coast Division and its endowment with mobile installations to launch contained missile and a mobile platform for command and control, the modernization of T22R frigates and providing them with equipment to fight against the air, underwater and on water menace; the modernization of two missile carriers, the re-motorization of river military vessels. Phase II, in 2020-2026, includes the procurement of three multifunctional corvettes, the modernization of the third missile carrier and within the limit of the budget the Naval Forces will have at their disposal, initiating a multiannual procurement programme for new submarines, " specifies the press release.

The main topics of the meeting were the management of maritime and river space, the monitoring of the naval and river situation in the area of responsibility of the Naval Forces at the Eastern border of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), the development of the operational capacity of the package of forces available to NATO, the new equipment modernization and endowment programmes and other important aspects of the activities carried out in 2016.

Rear Admiral Alexandru Mirsu informed that the number of training days at sea in 2016 doubled as compared to the previous year, given the crisis situation in the Black Sea Basin and the freezing of the regional military initiatives.

"2016 was a particularly tense year in the Black Sea area, if we consider the crisis in Turkey and the issues raised by the significant increase in the level of endowment of the Russian Federation Navy in the Black Sea, but also the frozen conflicts in the Caucasus and in the eastern neighborhood of our country, in Transdniester. In this context, our ships were at sea 159 days, in a multinational setting, and I notice an increase of approximately 100% comparing with 2015, when our ships conducted 84 day-missions at sea. We were joined at sea, by partners from 12 NATO countries and I mention herein the simultaneous participation, for the first time, of two NATO naval groups in the largest multinational exercise that we have organised, Sea Shield 2016, attended by 1,000 Romanian soldiers and 1,000 troops from seven allied countries. We have demonstrated that our leadership and execution structures have the ability to implement operational procedures at NATO standards, to combat threats of any kind, at sea, in the air and underwater, " the chief of the SMFN explained.

The relations between the Romanian Navy and the international partners have been reinforced by numerous joint training activities both at sea and on land, in the country and abroad, attended by Navy soldiers.

Rear Admiral Mirsu mentioned the participation of several ships in missions together with NATO partners, naming the "Regina Maria" frigate, the sea mine warfares "Second Lieutenant Alexandru Axente" and "Lieutenant Dimitrie Nicolescu", the "Eustatiu Sebastian" corvette, but also the 164 Division Naval Forces for Special Operations in Afghanistan, the Marines for the first time in the largest exercise in fighting against terrestrial and air threats, Silver Arrow 16, organised by NATO in Latvia, as well as employing a significant number of positions in the NATO and EU headquarters of Romanian Naval Forces personnel.

The naval forces, the release reads, participate in the development of 11 projects under the "Smart Defence" Initiative, and the current system of coastal maritime surveillance represents a priority and, at the same time, a commitment toward NATO and the EU. The interconnection between the Naval Forces' specialized structures with those of NATO and the EU has increased the exchange of information and has accomplished an integrated maritime picture of the Black Sea area.

"The battle capacity of the structures subordinated to the River Fleet was enhanced by increasing the number of integrated exercises, of the Joint Force type, performed by the river vessels, the Marines, and the Puma Naval helicopters in the Danube Delta, as well as through our military participation in the Sea Breeze 2016 Multinational Exercise, organised by the American strategic partner and Ukraine, on the border of eastern Romania, in the Odessa area " shows the cited source.

Last year, SMFN had 170 international activities. Out of these, one third took place on national territory and two thirds abroad. The strategic partnership with the US included joint training activities, at sea, in the air and on the ground, and the positive results are visible in the high level of interoperability between Romanian maritime soldiers and American ones, the release further mentions.

The report of the Naval Forces mentions that the ongoing restructuring and endowment planning processes included numerous programmes, some of which were concluded at the end of last year, others being underway until 2026. After 20 years, three new vessels have entered the service of the Romanian Naval Forces, 'Vartosul', 'Voinicul' and 'Vanjosul' multipurpose tugboats. Funds allocated for the vessels' maintenance processes and repair were used for the complex repair of eight vessels, in order to increase their battle capacity.

agerpres.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) Entities should apply "enhanced due diligence" in dealings with Iran as certain concerns have been flagged about the jurisdiction by FATF, Reserve Bank of India today said citing the inter-governmental body. In this regard, the central bank today put out a public statement that was issued by FATF in October last year as a press release. "Jurisdiction of Iran is subject to the FATF call on its members to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risks arising from the jurisdiction," the release said. This has been issued days after RBI prohibited Indian entities from making direct investments in any entity located in non cooperative countries and territories, as identified by FATF. As per the October statement, FATF has called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply counter-measures to protect the international financial system from the on-going and substantial money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/FT) risks emanating from the jurisdiction of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). Besides, FATF had identified Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Lao PDR, Syria, Uganda, Vanuatu and Yemen as jurisdictions having strategic deficiencies while action plan has also been developed.

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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) comprises two regional organisations and 35 member jurisdictions, including India, US, UK, China and the European Commission.

The prohibition on investment is "in order to align" instructions under FEMA with the objectives of the FATF, the central bank had said in a release on January 25.

At present, there is no restriction on an Indian entity with regard to the countries where it can undertake Overseas Direct Investment.

"...on a review, it has been decided to prohibit an Indian party from making direct investment in an overseas entity located in the countries identified by the FATF as non co-operative countries and territories...," the RBI had said.

Direct investment in an overseas entity (set up or acquired abroad directly as joint ventures/wholly-owned subsidiaries or indirectly as step down subsidiary) has been prohibited. PTI NKD RAM MR

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Russias stock market may not be the worlds most stable, but it was one of last years best performers. Rising oil prices pushed the countrys main index up 51 percent in dollar terms.

Maybe Missouris pension managers should be congratulated, then, for having exposure to such a hot market. Instead, state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, wants to force them to sell.

Her bill, which would prohibit public investments in any company doing business in Russia, follows an unfortunate Missouri tradition of using pensions to fight political battles.

Last year the demagoguery came from Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican whos now the state treasurer. He wanted to ban pension investments in companies that did business in Iran and Sudan.

Schmitt didnt like President Barack Obamas nuclear deal with Iran. Chappelle-Nadal is upset about Russias apparent role in hacking the Democratic National Committees emails.

Apparently some of our lawmakers werent paying attention in civics class. In our federal system, the U.S. government handles foreign policy. States are supposed to stick to matters within their borders.

Obama punished Russia for the hacking scandal, but his sanctions did not include an investment ban. U.S. citizens are free to buy stuff like the VanEck Vectors Russia Small-Cap exchange-traded fund (up 105 percent last year), and pension funds should have the same flexibility.

However politically appealing an investment ban might sound, such a move wouldnt hurt Russia.

The value of an investment is determined in markets by the value of its future cash flows, and if one pension fund divests, someone else will purchase, says Jeffrey Brown, a finance professor at the University of Illinois. Yes, there may be a short-term effect on stock prices, but not a long-term effect from the mere act of one investor selling.

The Missouri funds, meanwhile, would be a little less diversified. If a money manager wants to mirror the global energy industry, for example, it wouldnt be wise to omit Russian giants Gazprom and Rosneft.

Any time one imposes limitations on portfolio choice, it restricts a funds ability to pursue the highest possible expected return per unit of risk, Brown says.

Not that anyone in Missouri is making an outsized bet on Russia. The $39 billion Public Schools Retirement System has $118.4 million invested in Russian companies, or just 0.3 percent of the fund. The Missouri State Employees Retirement System and the University of Missouri pension fund have similarly tiny percentages in Russia, totaling $17.6 million.

Steve Yoakum, the public schools funds executive director, echoes Browns point about diversification. Anytime you reduce your opportunity set, chances are you are going to reduce your returns or increase your risk, he said.

The pension funds already have policies that forbid investing in companies that are subject to U.S. sanctions or are found to have ties to terrorism. They rely on lists from the Treasury and State departments, and Yoakum said he didnt recall having to sell any investment because of such a designation.

A blanket ban on an entire country would have a much bigger effect. A strict reading of Chappelle-Nadals bill might even rule out Exxon Mobil, which has extensive projects in Russia.

Trying to keep up with the stock market without being allowed to own one of its largest companies would be like running a NASCAR race on three tires. The result wouldnt be pretty.

Fortunately, Schmitts bill went nowhere in last years Legislature. Both taxpayers and public employees can hope Chappelle-Nadals proposal meets the same fate.
Emerson has been in the St. Louis area for 132 years. Now local leaders will try to prove the region should be its corporate home for the decades ahead.
TOKYO  Toshiba Corp said it will sell a minority stake in its memory chip business as it urgently seeks funds to offset an imminent multi-billion dollar writedown, adding that its overseas nuclear division -- the cause of its woes -- was now under review.

The drastic measures are set to be just some of the tough choices the Japanese conglomerate will have to take as proceeds from the sale are likely to only cover part of a charge that domestic media has put at $6 billion.

Still battered by a 2015 accounting scandal, Toshiba was plunged back into crisis when it emerged late last year that it had to account for huge cost overruns at a U.S. power plant construction business recently acquired by its Westinghouse division.

Describing the nuclear division as no longer a central business focus for the firm, Chief Executive Satoshi Tsunakawa said Toshiba will review Westinghouse's role in new projects and whether it will embark on new power plant construction. The division will also now fall under direct CEO supervision.

Tsunakawa added Toshiba was looking to sell less than 20 percent of its memory chip business -- the world's biggest NAND flash memory producer after Samsung Electronics -- which comprises the bulk of the conglomerate's operating profit.

The firm is rushing to complete the sale by the end of the financial year in March as failure to do so will likely mean that shareholder equity -- just $3 billion in the wake of the accounting scandal -- would be wiped out by the charge.

Sources have said Toshiba aims to raise more than 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) from the sale and potential investors include private equity firms, business partner Western Digital Corp. and the government-backed Development Bank of Japan.

It is also selling other assets although it ruled out the sales of any of its infrastructure businesses -- which include water treatment, railway and elevator firms.

"We've been raising funds through sales of stock holdings, real estate and other assets," Tsunakawa told a news conference without disclosing the amount, adding that various measures were being considered to boost the firm's capital base by March.

Toshiba also said it may eventually list the memory chip business.

Executives declined to comment on the size of the writedown, which will be announced on Feb.14 when Toshiba reports third-quarter results.

Funds are cautious

Mark Newman, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein in Hong Kong, said a stake sale would likely only be a short-term band-aid.

"The NAND business is the only one with value, as it makes up all of the semi-conductor profits, which comprise 75 percent of the overall company's profit. I won't be surprised if they sell another 20 percent in a few years time and then another 20 percent."

Sources have said many private equity funds, including Silver Lake and Permira, have signed non-disclosure agreements with Toshiba. But it remains to be seen how well the sale will go given the end-March deadline and caution on the part of potential investors.

"Partnering with Toshiba could be risky due to uncertainties over its nuclear business," said an official at a global private equity firm.

"Chip businesses are highly cyclical and need massive capital investment. Funds are cautious because they have had their fingers burnt with chip investments in the past," said the official, who was not authorized to speak to media and declined to be identified.

Western Digital, which operates a NAND plant in Japan with Toshiba, may seem like a natural buyer of a large stake in the chip business, but a sale before March might be difficult as it would likely invite a review by anti-trust regulators.

Foxconn interest?

Toshiba estimates the value of its memory chip business at 1 trillion-1.5 trillion yen ($9 billion-13 billion), a person with direct knowledge of the matter has told Reuters.

The business generated sales of 845 billion yen and operating profit of 110 billion yen in the past financial year.

Toshiba has also called on its main banks to support it and they have agreed to not call in some loans early for now even as recent downgrades of the firm's credit ratings violate some provisions in debt agreements, people with direct knowledge of the matter have said.

Business weekly Toyo Keizai reported that Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer, is interested in either taking a stake in or buying some of Toshiba's businesses.

Foxconn founder Terry Gou wants to build up the company's advanced big-screen display business and the integration of chips, camera, storage, streaming will be key, said one person familiar with the company, adding he would "not be surprised" to see Foxconn start talks with industry players including Toshiba.

A representative for Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., had no immediate comment.

($1 = 115.0800 yen)

Additional reporting by Umesh Desai in Hong Kong, Junko Fujita and Taro Fuse in Tokyo, J.R. Wu in Taipei.
The Amethi MP, who was on a three-day tour to Punjab, will now hold a road show in Lucknow followed by a joint press conference along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister of UP Akhilesh Yadav.

By Supriya Bhardwaj, Mausami Singh: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today cut shot his Punjab visit and headed towards Uttar Pradesh on January 29.

The Amethi MP, who was on a three-day tour to Punjab, will now hold a road show in Lucknow followed by a joint press conference along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister of UP Akhilesh Yadav.

Gandhi was scheduled to hold rallies in Lambi - constituency of Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal - and Gidderbaha. Now these rallies will be held on January 2, according to party sources.

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Congress VP will now hold three rallies including one in deputy CM of Punjab Sukhbir Badal's constituency Jalalabad on Saturday before flying of to Delhi. His meeting with traders and industrialists in Ludhiana was canceled due to sudden change in program.

ALSO READ|Amarinder Singh to be Congress's Punjab CM face: Rahul Gandhi

--- ENDS ---
Perhaps youre curious about the chemically enhanced water thats a relatively novel (to America) beautifying face cleanser.

Youve probably seen the clear liquid sitting around in large bottles bearing a striking resemblance to regular water but claiming to actually be micellar water. La Mer offers at $90 bottle that looks like a carafe of artisanal water at Nordstrom. The company Simple has a $9 bottle at Target stores.

So maybe youre wondering how many more steps your low-key beauty routine and budget can handle.

Well, good news, this product could arguably be the only thing you need.

Its not toner, but it can take the place of one. It can also take the place of your cleansing milk or face wash and even a serum or two.

Its a new category altogether, but the product dates back a few dozen years in France. It was originally designed to help Parisian women deal with the regions notoriously harsh tap water.

Micellar water is made up of micelles, which are tiny specialized clusters of molecules suspended in water.

One of the cult favorite brands of micellar water in Europe comes from the French company, Bioderma, a newcomer to the United States. The medical strategy director, Michele Sayag, explained the product via a Skype call.

She said that typical soap works by having a higher pH than skin (NOTE: This sentence has been corrected. See below). Its rough, drying and ends up disrupting your pH-balance, which is why most recommend using a toner to correct the subsequent imbalance to soothe skin.

However, micellar water has the same or very similar acidity, or pH, of human skin.

Bioderma developed its micellar water product (now $16.95 at Walmart) in 1995, and it remained a dermatologists secret for the rich and famous for years, Sayag said.

There were more and more people with sensitive skin issues, and hygiene was a step that created the biggest problem, Sayag said. Dermatologists were looking for a solution, but when we told them that water could clean the skin, without the usual solvents, they didnt believe us  at first.

Actresses and society elites discovered micellar water and started using it religiously, she said, but it was kind of a secret for a while, until a few famous women mentioned the product in interviews.

Then it became very, very popular, Sayag said. Because models and actors are sometimes cleaning their face up to 10 times a day and putting makeup back on, they needed something that wasnt irritating. Micellar water did the trick.

And it was an easy-to-pack item for anyone on the go. And unlike toner, the solutions dont contain alcohol, so you can also use it around sensitive eye areas.

The only trick is that it requires a clean cotton pad to work.

Actually, youll likely use more than a few if youre a makeup wearer.

As Sayag explained the science of micelles, she emailed an illustration of the microscopic cluster.

Its complicated and trust me when I say you dont want a French-accented chemistry lesson about hydrophiles, phospholipids, ionic vs. nonionic and oxidation, but essentially the micelles are deceptively aggressive cleaning agents. When Sayag was explaining them, it sounded like she was saying missiles, and it turns out the word is a fairly apt analogy. But rather than ravage, these missiles pick up debris.

The water is just the substance they are suspended in, like a container.

The micelles do all the work when they break open.

Beauty writer Jordan Savage describes the action in a blog post for the Missouri-based beauty company Bee Naturals, which has a micellar cleansing water product ($12.97) on sale at its stores in Maplewood, Clarksville and online (beenaturals.com).

Savage explained that micelles are sneaky.

Micelles are spherical clusters of molecules. Within these quirky micelle molecules, each has a water loving end (hydrophilic) and an oil loving/water hating end (hydrophobic).

In water, they begin to group themselves into little balls (micelles). The water-loving tails of each surfactant face outward, closer to the rest of the water in the formula, while the oil-loving heads gather in the middle of the spheres, getting as far away from the water as they can.

When applied to the skin, or a cotton pad, the ball shaped cluster splits open, allowing the oil- loving middle to feed on the dirt, oil and makeup that has accumulated on the skin. Micelles lift and encapsulate impurities from the surface of the skin. From here, they are easily wiped away, without rubbing or rinsing, Savage explained.

The founder of Bees Naturals Barbara Chappuis said micellar water is the only thing I ever wash my face with because its that good. Its great for oily skin or dry. Its a universal solvent that removes dirt and oil and leaves the skin feeling smooth and soft. Its a seriously handy thing. And she said this admitting that she sells eight other facial cleansers.

Sayag said that as long as you keep using a clean cotton pad, youll see the full results and youll feel the difference, but the no-rinse part might take some getting used to, she said.

And if you dont use added potions or are trying to eliminate a few, Sayag said that not only does micellar water pick up impurities but some are formulated to also leave some beneficial ingredients behind.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said that soap was more acidic than the normal skin pH. However, it is typically more alkaline and has a higher pH. The lower the pH, the more acidic.
The supermarket. The waiting room. The retail checkout line.

These are the places we sometimes see children get severely scolded or slapped by their parents or caregivers. Should we do something? Probably  but how?

Researchers at St. Louis University and affiliated agencies are trying to help, developing a training program for bystanders who witness those uncomfortable moments when a child is not being treated well by an adult.

The idea is to empower people to do something productive rather than turn the other way because they dont know what to do. Organizers want to give these bystanders tools and confidence to positively engage with agitated caregivers to diffuse their stress and ultimately help them and the child.

The two-year pilot project involves Family Resource Center and Safe Connections, both of which work with victims and perpetrators of child and domestic abuse. Its supported by a $341,000 grant from Missouri Foundation for Health.

Nancy Weaver, a researcher and associate professor in SLUs College for Public Health and Social Justice, is spearheading the project. She said staff at Cardinal Glennon often witnessed harsh parenting in waiting rooms and other areas of the hospital. They have wanted to help but didnt know how.

It is hard to see, said Mary Howell, a nurse practitioner at Glennon who coordinates complex pediatric care for patients. What we normally see is parents frustrations rise when theyve been waiting a long time with young children or its been at the end of a very long day. Its yelling or derogatory remarks or yanking a child into a bathroom.

Speaking kindly

So what is a bystander supposed to do?

Weaver said that in general it was important to look up from your phone and be aware of ways to help parents in public. Small things such as holding a door or carrying a bag of groceries for a stressed parent can go a long way.

Pam Moussette, interim CEO of Family Resource Center, said speaking kindly from personal parenting experience typically was effective.

The most tricky part is to get over the fear of actually walking up to someone who is not in a great place and figure out how to approach them in a very safe way  a way where they can say, You know what? Ive been through that too, and let me help.

More detailed techniques for bystanders are still being developed.

The pilot project will focus on intervening in a nonconfrontational way that keeps the bystander safe and benefits the child. That will be coupled with training that includes scripting and role modeling. Participants will also learn when its appropriate to call in authorities.

About 40 people from Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital and the other agencies will get the training, with the hope that each will go on to train 10 other people.

A social media campaign with information on how to reach out and help a parent will also be part of the initiative.

Not judging

Those tense moments in the bathroom or in the checkout line dont necessarily mean child maltreatment continues at home  everyone loses their temper once in a while. But they do indicate that the parent probably has higher levels of stress at home and that the child is at a higher risk for abuse.

Under high stress, parenting becomes more emotional and uncontrolled and less based in thought and restraint, and thats where maltreatment can emerge, Weaver said.

Weaver said the effort aimed to bring public empathy and promote the idea that the vast majority of parents truly want to do the best for their children but may not have the support or resources to follow through.

What we ultimately want is not to embarrass or judge the parent in public, Weaver said. We want to encourage that parent, perhaps by helping out and lending a hand.

Weaver is also hoping to get the interest of companies, particularly in retail and service industries. She envisions training for employees such as chain store greeters, grocery store cashiers and front office employees.

Overall the effort aims to reduce toxic stress in childrens lives by bolstering their positive connections both with their parents and the greater community. Those connections, research suggests, promote healthy brain development in young children.

Washington University School of Medicine researchers have found through brain scans that child brain development is normal when children growing up in highly stressful households have connections to caring adults, but brain growth is impaired when children do not.

Leaders of Alive and Well STL, an agency tasked with reducing regional toxic stress, said the initiative was a way for the community to move from judging stressed-out people to supporting them.

The research tells us that when children are acting out, or parents are showing signs of stress, their brains are overloaded with stress hormones, making it difficult to use executive functions like emotional regulation and judgment, said Jennifer Brinkmann, chief of staff at the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, which is sponsoring Alive and Well.

Bystanders also need to understand that feelings of isolation are typical in parents and caregivers who lash out at their children, said Moussette, of the Family Resource Center.

She said more than 80 percent of the parents the center treated for abusive behaviors were single females with significant stresses, typically from poverty. Few have family or other people to rely on for help. Many lack transportation. Their neighborhoods are dangerous.

Moussette warns that shaming these parents brings only further isolation and greater risk for abuse. There are other, more effective approaches, she said.

When a bystander reaches out in a positive way, I think it gives parents a sense they are not necessarily alone, she said. They see that there are nice people out there willing to help and that they have an ally there.
Ten-year-old Lucia del Pilar interrupted the audio book she and her mother listened to as they cruised across the country in a hybrid Highlander. The speakers played Gail Collins book, Americas Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines, which tells the stories of the women who have shaped our nation.

Lucia spoke up when she heard Anne Hutchinsons name. She had learned about Hutchinson in her fifth-grade classroom.

When we were talking about the colonies, she was in the workbook, Lucia said. She was one of the only women on the list. Hutchinson was an outspoken leader and midwife who challenged the established New England Puritan patriarchy. She was tried, convicted and banished from the colony for her religious dissent.

It was fitting car talk for a mother and daughter participating in their first march, a female-led protest against the new president of the United States. Jessica del Pilar, 38, of Clayton, took her daughter out of school for two days to travel to the nations capital for the Womens March, which ended up surpassing the number of people who attended the inauguration by threefold. Crowd counts estimate 500,000 people marched in D.C. Nationally, it is said to be the largest protest in American history, with political scientists estimating from 3.3 million to 4.8 million people participating in towns throughout the country.

But, del Pilar had no idea of how it would turn out when she decided to drive 800 miles with her daughter. During the election cycle, every issue felt polarized to such an extreme to her. After Donald Trump won and del Pilar saw the reports of violence by some of his supporters, she wanted to do something. His Cabinet appointments affirmed her resolve.

I think its very important for people to understand, his supporters dont represent the whole country, she said. I dont want to be complacent in this moment. I dont want to pull back or hide or just be hopeful that everything will be OK.

She also felt a little isolated, away from family, and a transplant from blue cities to a red Midwestern state. They made plans to meet up with her sister, an aunt and a friend traveling from California, also bringing her young daughter.

She wanted to impart a simple message to her daughter: Its time when we need to show that we are going to stand up for what we believe in. Lucia had made her own signs. One said, I refuse to be silent.

They left their friends house at 8 a.m. the morning of the march. The Metro station was full of people, and the train kept getting more packed at each stop. They were letting people out in waves. The attendant had a bullhorn and was chanting, as well.

It was so positive, del Pilar said. She and her daughter met the rest of their group and found a space near the stage. The crowd around them swelled. Neither had ever been in a crowd so large before. She watched her daughter listen as speakers such as Madonna, Ashley Judd and Gloria Steinem spoke out about womens rights and equality. There were times the entire crowd was dancing and times when they were pushed together by the crush of people.

Lucia was taking it all in. A little before 3 p.m., they started marching toward the White House. The crowd chanted, What does America look like? The marchers responded, This is what America looks like!

Her husband texted her while they marched, Im so glad you are there.

Del Pilar said that if she was looking for a larger community that shared her values of liberty and justice for all, she rediscovered it that day. That evening they huddled around the table, amazed at the aerial images of marches from around the country.

On the drive home, they listened to Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me, a personal and political history of race in this country written as a series of letters to his teenage son.

They are still processing the events of the weekend.

The march was the beginning of the story for them, a renewed start of political engagement, a source of inspiration that will continue to push them forward.

Participating in it was like reading the introduction to an epic anthology, she said. Until you read the entire book, you dont truly understand it.

This thing has yet to be written, del Pilar said.
Days before his son's bar mitzvah, Jordan Palmer saw an opportunity for some symbolic historical payback.

About two years ago, Palmer had inherited a family heirloom  a Luger acquired by a relative in the '60s. From his own research and a gun appraisal by Alamo Military Collectibles, he realized the German-made gun likely belonged to an SS officer during World War II. It came in a U.S. Army holster rather than a German-issue one, so it may have been captured by an American solider, he speculated.

After the war, the Luger ended up in the possession of his family and remained in a safe deposit box more than 40 years.

"I have childhood memories of my brother and I traveling to the bank to see the Luger," Palmer, of St. Louis, said. When it was offered to him as an adult, he was glad it would stay with someone who despised what it stood for rather than someone who cherished its history.

"As a Jew, you take this stuff very seriously," he said.

It occurred to him while preparing for his son's bar mitzvah, a ceremony that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood and signifies when a boy is old enough to read from the Torah after learning the principles of the Jewish religion, that he had chance to make a statement.

"After thinking long and hard about what to do with this symbol of Nazi hatred, I decided to honor the memory of Adolf and his followers by using their weapon to help pay for a young Jewish man's Bar Mitzvah," he wrote. He offered the gun, appraised for at least $1,000, in exchange for the services of a local photographer who will document the ceremony and party, preserving their memories for future generations.

"I think it's a big part of history," Jimmy Bernhard, the photographer, said. Palmer was glad it would go to someone who shared his values and feelings about the weapon.

In a Facebook post, which happened to be on Holocaust Memorial Day, Palmer wrote what the transaction meant to him.

"I do this action in honor of the millions of Jewish boys and girls who did not reach the age of 13 and enjoy this beautiful right of passage. And to the Nazi who once grasped this weapon in his hand and pointed at a Jewish child, your gun just made one young man's bar mitzvah possible. I hope somehow your soul now knows this."
Ed Tjaden had his first kid at the age of 19.

He was a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

I was not a motivated student, Tjaden says.

Tjaden dropped out of school.

He and his girlfriend, Ginny, got married. They were high school sweethearts from Central High School in Camp Point, Ill. Its a town of about 1,100 just east of Quincy.

In 2007, he enlisted in the Army. During his seven-year hitch, he was deployed in Iraq for 15 months.

These days, Tjadens existence is far removed from those small town beginnings.

In a year, hell graduate with a law degree from Washington University School of Law.

When he applied at Washington University, he didnt know much about the school. But it was the highest rated law school that accepted him after he graduated with a political science degree from Eastern Illinois  he went there for the free books.

I didnt realize what I was getting into, he says of Washington U. I just looked at the rankings and picked the school.

Tjaden ended up being on the other side of a dubious statistic.

A comprehensive study published this month by the Equality of Opportunity Project found that Washington U. led the nation in the economic disparity of its students in the latest year it analyzed, which would have been the class of 2013. In that year, 21 percent of the students at Washington U. came from the top 1 percent, or homes with incomes of $650,000 or higher. Only 6 percent of students at the university came from the bottom 60 percent of the nation, economically.

There is a value, Tjaden says, for elite universities like Washington U. to do a better job making sure more of its student body has a background more like his.

Its perspective, Tjaden said. We met at a coffee shop in Brentwood. Tjaden lives with his wife and kids in St. Peters. He leaves home most days before his three boys are awake, and if hes lucky, he gets home by 7. Besides class, he works two jobs  as a law clerk for a private law firm, and he just started working in the St. Louis circuit attorneys office. A lot of the kids here havent experienced a lot of life yet. Ive been that person who hasnt been able to afford an attorney.

Holden Thorp understands why the perspective of students such as Tjaden matters. Thorp is the provost at Washington U., and one of his priorities over the last couple of years has been to reverse the trend apparent in the new study. While Thorp doesnt like how Washington U. stands out in the study, he called its results pivotal.

Thats because the study confirms what many people in academia had argued for years to be true. Low-income students achieve very similar outcomes to wealthier students, Thorp said. That is something weve always believed.

But now there is evidence tied to more than a decade of tax records. The bottom line is that when elite universities accept lower-income students, they give those students a chance to do something not many people in the U.S. actually can do: improve their economic class.

In the past two years, Washington U. has increased to 13 percent the number of students in its incoming freshman classes who are eligible for Pell Grants. It has also reversed another trend, rising from one of the lowest performing elite schools to No. 1 in the percentage of first-year black students accepted.

Charisse Moore is one of those students.

The 25-year-old from Jennings is the first member of her immediate family  shes the youngest of six children  to finish college. In December, she graduated with a masters degree in social work from the Brown School at Washington University.

When I graduated, I cried, Moore says. This was really epic for me.

Her time at Washington U. makes her believe the school is on the right track in terms of making sure that more people from poorer backgrounds have the life-changing opportunity a degree from an elite university can provide.

Its an important paradigm shift, she says. I believe they want to change.

Thorp says it is in the schools interest to increase the number of students it accepts who need financial aid. The growth in high-performing students  which all elite schools compete to attract  is highest in various populations of students who cant afford to pay the schools high tuition costs.

Tjadens law degree is being paid for in part by the Veterans Administration under a vocational rehab program. While in Iraq, his ankles were damaged to the point where he could barely walk. At one point, a VA doctor told him hed spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Several surgeries and painful days at rehab later, Tjaden is walking fine, though he sometimes uses a cane for support.

Im happy to be walking around, he says.

In a year, he expects to be carrying with him a valuable degree from one of the top law schools in the nation. His economic fortunes, and those of his family, will be greatly improved because he had access to an elite school.

I sure as heck wouldnt have wanted to go anywhere else, Tjaden says of his Washington U. experience. Seeing these other students makes me think: Thats what I want for my kids.
"We've never had a deputy actually get robbed. We've never had anyone this bold. This again, we're in St. Louis. ... This scares me," Betts said.
A 69-year-old seaplane crashes today, killing the pilot and passenger during an aerial display above the city of Perth.

By AP: A 69-year-old seaplane that crashed, killing the pilot and his passenger, in front of thousands of onlookers during an aerial display above the city of Perth had flown from the United States to Australia in recent years, an official said Friday.

Owner and pilot Peter Anthony Lynch, 52, and his Indonesian partner Endah Cakrawati, 30, were alone in the 1948 Grumman G-73 Mallard flying boat when it crashed into the Swan River on Thursday to the horror of up to 60,000 witnesses who were gathering to watch an annual fireworks display. The fireworks to celebrate Australian Day were cancelled.

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The plane was part of an airshow and many onlookers thought it was performing a stunt when it crashed.

Perth Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said Lynch had "remodeled" the twin-engine plane and had flown it across the United States then across the Pacific Ocean to Australia.

"Who would have figured that it would ... be ultimately part of the end of his life," Scaffidi told reporters.

THE AIRSHOW

Lynch bought the plane in 2011 in the United States and flew it to Australia the following year after a mechanical rebuild, The West Australian newspaper reported.

Investigators have not given a reason for the accident. A 69-year-old seaplane that crashed, killing the pilot and his passenger, in front of thousands of onlookers during an aerial display above the city of Perth had flown from the United States to Australia in recent years, an official said Friday.

Owner and pilot Peter Anthony Lynch, 52, and his Indonesian partner Endah Cakrawati, 30, were alone in the 1948 Grumman G-73 Mallard flying boat when it crashed into the Swan River on Thursday to the horror of up to 60,000 witnesses who were gathering to watch an annual fireworks display. The fireworks to celebrate Australian Day were cancelled.

The plane was part of an airshow and many onlookers thought it was performing a stunt when it crashed.

Perth Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said Lynch had "remodeled" the twin-engine plane and had flown it across the United States then across the Pacific Ocean to Australia.

"Who would have figured that it would ... be ultimately part of the end of his life," Scaffidi told reporters.

Lynch bought the plane in 2011 in the United States and flew it to Australia the following year after a mechanical rebuild, The West Australian newspaper reported.

Investigators have not given a reason for the accident.

--- ENDS ---
ST. ANN  What started as two shoplifters sneaking out of a supermarket with a cart of soap here Friday morning escalated into an assault, high-speed chase with shots fired, and a crash that injured an innocent motorist, police said.

St. Ann police Lt. Dan Cowsert said it started about 2:20 a.m. at the Shop n Save at 10634 St. Charles Rock Road. One thief pistol-whipped an employee who confronted the men on the parking lot as they loaded liquid soap and bars of Dove into an older-model red Jeep Cherokee.

As they sped away, the Jeep swerved toward another employee, who jumped out of the way and was not hurt, Cowsert said.

Police began chasing the Jeep on eastbound Interstate 70 near Cypress Avenue, reaching almost 90 mph. At one point, the passenger leaned out of the Jeep and fired as many as seven shots at a pursuing patrol car. None struck it, and the officer did not return fire, Cowsert said.

The gunman jumped out on a side street in Berkeley and eluded police.

The Jeep continued and struck a car broadside at Washington Avenue and Airport Road, near the Berkeley City Hall, and rolled several times. The driver of the vehicle struck was hospitalized but not seriously hurt, Cowsert said.

Prosecutors charged Darnell Duncan, 41, of Berkeley, with stealing and resisting arrest. His bail was set at $25,000, cash only.

Police on Friday evening had a second suspect in custody but no charges yet against him. He is the one who allegedly fired at police and assaulted the employee.

Cowsert said both men were suspected of intending to sell or trade the soap for drugs.

He said officers considered the circumstances, including the quiet early-morning streets, before giving chase.

Obviously, in the public eye, pursuits are always a topic of conflict, he said. But our chief [Aaron Jimenez] has made it known that if somebody comes into St. Ann and commits a crime, whether it be to steal soap or a violent felony, we will do everything in our power to find them and make them pay for what theyve done.

He noted, They stole soap, but obviously they were very, very violent individuals. You commit a robbery in St. Ann, were going to chase you.
ST. LOUIS  Demond Steward, found guilty of murder and other felonies by a jury last month, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.

Steward, 22, claimed at trial that he acted in self-defense in killing Jehoward Primus Jr., 21, on June 26, 2015, outside Primus home in the 5100 block of Palm Street. The defense claimed Steward became fearful when Primus approached him. Steward then fired a single shot into the victims abdomen.

On Friday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison gave Steward a life sentence, which in Missouri is considered 30 years.

Police said Steward, of the 8600 block of Brittany Town Place in Hazelwood, had dropped off his girlfriend and her 2-year-old son at the home of Primus, who was her former boyfriend and father of her child.

Steward's lawyer argued that his client believed Primus might have had a gun in his waistband or the pocket of his shorts when he approached Stewards car to fight.

Jurors last month also found Steward guilty of two counts of armed criminal action and of child endangerment, because Primus son had been only a few feet away.
ST. LOUIS  A man who has claimed his innocence since being charged in the 2011 killing of a retired St. Louis police officers son was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.

Circuit Judge Phillip Heagney gave Lamont Cambell, 22, a life sentence with eligibility for parole. A life sentence in Missouri is calculated at 30 years. He will get about 5 years of credit for jail time already served.

Cambell was 17 when Lenny J. Gregory III, 29, was found fatally shot in an SUV in the 2800 block of Chariton Street.

In October, a jury found Cambell guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. A different jury was deadlocked on those charges in 2013, ending in a mistrial. Because of Cambells age at the time of the crime, he could not receive a death sentence. The highest possible penalty was 40 years because prosecutors did not give notice of an intent to seek a life sentence without parole.

Glad its over, but it doesnt change anything, the victims father, Leonard J. Gregory Jr., said after Fridays sentencing.

In court Friday, Gregory said his wife, an instructor at the citys juvenile detention center for 44 years, had taught Cambell at some point before the murder.

I wish we could go back in time, he said.

Cambell maintained his innocence through both of his trials. After his second, he accused prosecutors of withholding claims from a witness that another man, nicknamed Bird, had killed Gregory. After evidence hearings last month, Heagney denied Cambells motion for acquittal or a third trial, saying the witness claims were inadmissible hearsay.

The only evidence tying Cambell to the July 17, 2011, shooting were three people who identified Cambell as having shot Gregory. Police did not find the .38-caliber handgun used to kill Gregory nor any physical evidence against Cambell.

Officials did not say whether the men were acquainted or what the motive would have been.

Cambell was suspected of robbing a pizza delivery person some days before the killing. It did not appear that Gregory had been robbed, because his wallet and phone were in the SUV.

At Fridays hearing, Cambell spoke only briefly, apologizing to the victims relatives for their loss. Cambells mother, father, uncle and siblings begged the judge for leniency, insisting he is innocent.

I know deep down in my heart that he did not do it, Cambells mother told Gregorys family and the judge.

Gregory had graduated from Bishop Dubourg High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University, his family said. He was single, worked for a catering company at West Port Plaza and lived in the 3900 block of Magnolia Avenue.

Cambell, of the 4300 block of California Avenue, attended Kirkwood High School through the voluntary transfer program.
JEFFERSON CITY  Lawmakers are again considering legislation wrought from a special committee formed in 2015 to investigate how Planned Parenthood disposes of fetal tissue.

After a year of review and multiple hearings, Senate lawmakers said the probe turned up more questions than answers. But among their findings, they said, was mislabeling of tissue by the provider.

The panels efforts mirrored similar probes in other states, which began last year when videos surfaced nationally alleging that Planned Parenthood illegally sold fetal tissue on the black market.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, would require all tissue from an abortion be submitted to a pathologist and not just the representative sample currently required under state law.

What we learned is that there is a great deal of discrepancy and inconsistency, Onder said of the special committee, speaking to a panel of senators considering the bill this session.

The measure would also ban the donation of fetal tissue for medical research and require annual on-site inspections of abortion clinics by the state.

Onder, a physician, said routine inspections are typical for medical facilities.

Nursing homes and child care facilities are inspected every six months. Even radiology equipment is inspected annually, he said.

Anti-abortion advocates argue that the change would safeguard women's health. Opponents said this kind of legislation blocks women's right to have abortion by making requirements so stringent that few providers can meet them.

Planned Parenthood in St. Louis is the only clinic providing abortions in the state.

This years version of the bill no longer contains provisions having to do with state law requiring abortion clinics meet the standards for surgical centers. Onder said he removed those aspects of the measure after a far-reaching Texas Supreme Court decision struck down that law.

But Planned Parenthood contends that whats left in the legislation would still likely be subject to standards set by the Texas court.

Restrictions that (Onder) put in place related to abortion that create a burden or barrier of access to abortion, which this bill does through creating traps for the providers, are going to be considered unconstitutional unless they have some health benefits, said said MEvie Mead, the statewide director of policy and organizing for Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri.

And theres nothing in this bill to be demonstrated to improve the health of women, she added.

The legislation is SB 67.
WASHINGTON  Abortion opponents, who will gather here Friday to mark the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, see Republican dominance of the federal government as an opportunity to roll back abortion access.

Their challenge will be maneuvering their priorities through the sprawling agenda of President Donald Trump, as well as a Senate where Democrats can smother legislation under the threat of filibusters.

Despite Trump having spent most of his adult life favoring abortion rights, abortion opponents believe they have a friend in the White House for the first time in eight years.

He was voted into office, I would say, because he aligned himself with this cause, Thomas Hoerner, a junior at St. Marys High School in St. Louis, said from a bus Thursday on his way to Washington. Many young Trump voters chose him for his opposition to abortion, Hoerner said, because this is the one cause they care about.  We should definitely remind him of that.

Marchers are encouraged that Vice President Mike Pence is expected to address them on the National Mall. Past administrations have typically skipped the demonstration. Pence, a devout Christian, built his political identity around social issues and offers a more familiar presence to abortion opponents than Trump, a New Yorker who previously stated he was pro-choice in every aspect.

For many pro-life groups, he was not their first choice, lets be honest, said Samuel Lee, director of Campaign Life Missouri and a deacon at All Souls and St. Jude Catholic churches in St. Louis County.

But the presidents enthusiasm is not as important as his approval. Hes indicated that if bills get to him  certainly to defund Planned Parenthood  that he would sign those, Lee said.

Hundreds of thousands of people  including an estimated 3,000 from the St. Louis Archdiocese  are expected to join the annual March for Life Friday in Washington. Abortion-rights opponents hope to leverage the attention at a time when Republicans are also focused on the monumental tasks of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, rewriting the tax code and cracking down on immigration.

It seems a lot more hopeful because Trump is in office, said Tom Lacey, 91, a retired aeronautical engineer from Weldon Spring Heights. Lacey, a World War II veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, will attend his 42nd consecutive march on Friday.

Trump has already delivered one anti-abortion victory, an executive order aimed at curtailing abortion abroad, and activists are gearing up for another: confirming an explicitly anti-abortion justice to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia, who was sympathetic to abortion restrictions. Trump has said he will announce his nominee next week.

Activists will be pushing restrictions beyond those early achievements, Lee said.

The executive order, known as the Mexico City Policy (or, among opponents, the Global Gag Rule), blocks government money from going to reproductive health groups that include abortion among their counseling options. The policy has pingponged since President Ronald Reagan began it; every subsequent Democratic president has rescinded the order, and every Republican has restored it.

And filling a single Supreme Court seat would leave intact the five-member majority that struck down Texas abortion clinic regulations in June. That decision prompted a court challenge to similar laws in Missouri, where all but a single clinic have stopped performing abortions. Planned Parenthood says winning that lawsuit could allow four more Missouri clinics to offer abortions.

Meanwhile, the U.S. abortion rate has declined to the lowest level since 1973, when the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion nationwide. From 2011 to 2014 alone, the rate of procedures declined 14 percent  a trend that could stem from expanded access to birth control as well as more restrictions on abortion providers.

Top priorities

In Congress, abortion foes are eyeing three priorities: banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy; stripping federal funding from Planned Parenthood; and permanently barring federal spending on abortions.

The House on Tuesday passed the permanent ban on abortion funding, which was co-sponsored by Missouris Reps. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, and Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville. A ban on paying for abortions with federal money has existed for 40 years but has been subject to annual renewal.

Even if congressional Republicans pass anti-abortion measures, Missouri could stand as a cautionary tale of how seemingly solid victories can turn squishy.

Last year Missouri Republicans spent more than $8 million to block Planned Parenthood from government funding  reasoning that if they paid for low-income womens health programs with state rather than federal money, they could steer it away from organizations that offer abortions.

But the arduous process of changing interwoven federal and state programs means Planned Parenthood affiliates will get government money for those programs until at least April. And the corporate structure of Planned Parenthood  abortions are offered through a different corporation than its other services  might insulate some clinics from the cuts, MEvie Mead of Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri said.

Anti-abortion proposals have value even if they dont become law, Missouri Right to Life President Steve Rupp said.

The more abortion stays in the news, the more opportunity there is to inform people about the brutality of the procedure, he said. Fridays march and the battle to confirm a Supreme Court justice will serve that purpose too, he added.

Public still divided

Polls suggest public attitudes toward abortion have remained steady over the past decade, with nearly equal numbers of people describing themselves as pro-life and pro-choice to Gallup. A Pew survey in December found nearly 7 in 10 people do not want to overturn Roe v. Wade, a slight boost driven by Democrats becoming more uniformly in favor of abortion rights.

And abortion rights were front and center last week at a massive rally here, and at large demonstrations around the country, to protest Trumps inauguration.

Alison Dreith, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, was among the marchers in St. Louis, which she said was one of the largest demonstrations she had seen  a noteworthy distinction in a state she considers among the most restrictive when it comes to abortion, thanks to Missouris 72-hour waiting period.

Dreith said the presidents influence over the federal judiciary could have the most impact on abortion access. Thats where things could be very damaging.

Rep. Wagner is scheduled to speak Friday to Missouris anti-abortion activists in Washington.

Rupp said a core part of Fridays message will be emphasizing abortions life-or-death consequences.

Does immigration top that? Do our taxes top that? You could add up all the other issues and put them on a scale, and they dont carry that kind of weight, he said.

Chuck Raasch of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  Missourians gathering here Friday before the big March for Life were more buoyant than usual. They have a new president who is with them in opposing abortion rights, and they already have seen Congress act in their favor.

We finally have an administration that is committed to defending the dignity of life, said Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin.

She addressed about 225 Missourians, many of whom had bused overnight to join thousands who gathered here for a protest in the week of the 44th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

But beneath that buoyancy was an undercurrent of caution. Donald Trumps election, and Congresss early actions, have also energized those favoring abortion rights, Steve Rupp, president of Missouri Right to Life, told the group, which had gathered in a Senate hearing room to get ready for the march.

The reality of it is, have you ever seen the pro-abortion camp more energized? he said.

"This is not the time for us to get complacent. This is the time for us to actually double down on our efforts.

Wagner was the only Missouri member of Congress to address the group. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was in Missouri for a funeral. Other Republican members of the St. Louis-area delegation were in Philadelphia for a strategy retreat of the GOP members of Congress.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, provided a video in which she highlighted her role in a congressional Republican probe of Planned Parenthood.

Wagner drew applause when she mentioned Trumps initial executive order banning taxpayer dollars being spent on overseas abortions, and efforts to de-fund Planned Parenthood. An aide to Blunt drew applause when she said Trump is expected to name his nominee for the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Activists also cheered Wagners description of Republican efforts to pass legislation protecting doctors who have objections to performing abortions, pain capable legislation banning abortion at 20 weeks, and legislation reining in assisted suicide.

Tom Pitera, a 51-year-old service manager at a Jefferson City furnace company, was on his seventh consecutive annual March for Life.

He said Vice President Mike Pences address  Pence was the highest-ranking person to ever address the march  was huge, huge for the movement. But Pitera said a lot of excitement for those in the movement is focused on who Trump will nominate to the highest court.

Im hoping that it is someone that doesnt flip like Roberts did, said Pitera, referring to Chief Justice John Roberts, an appointee of Republican George W. Bush, who many conservatives blame for affirming the constitutionality of former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, among other things.

The prospect of a Trump appointment on the court gives us hope, Pitera said.

Wagner told the group that the GOP Congress would try to make 2017 the year we say yes to life.

But some GOP initiatives could face hard sledding in the Senate. A measure to make permanent the Hyde Amendment, which bans government spending on abortions, is vulnerable to a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. The House passed it earlier this week along largely party lines.

According to a leaked tape of a private strategy session at the GOP retreat in Philadelphia, some GOP members of Congress are worried about the political fallout of de-funding Planned Parenthood.

While that prospect drew widespread applause from the Missouri activists who gathered here Friday, polls show a majority of Americans oppose that move. Majorities also favor retaining the right to abortion, according to polls.

Wagner acknowledged in an interview that the contrast between the March for Life and a huge womens march here a week earlier was testament to how divided the country remains on abortion.

Abortion rights activists may be energized to fight Trump and the GOP Congress, Wagner said.

But I will say I dont think they are listening to real America, especially the heartland," she said.

Wagner and Hartzler, in her video, said the falling numbers of abortions were testament to the movements effectiveness. Both noted the number of younger people in the movement; indeed, teenagers made up a large percentage of the Missouri contingent that came here by bus, or other modes of transportation.

I hope that this will be the last year that you have to do it, but our struggle continues, Wagner told the marchers before they headed out to join thousands of others.
ST. LOUIS  A controversy left over from last years heated Republican primary race for Missouri governor has ended, with former candidate John Brunner reportedly making a nonmonetary settlement in the defamation suit against him by a donor of now-Gov. Eric Greitens.

Brunner was sued last year by California investor Michael Goguen, who had contributed $1 million to Greitens campaign. Brunner and two other primary candidates who were fighting Greitens for the GOP nomination criticized that donation and demanded that Greitens return it after Goguen was accused in a civil lawsuit by a female acquaintance of years of sexual abuse.

Brunner took the criticism further during one candidate debate, by falsely calling Goguen the owner of a teenage sex slave and implying there were criminal charges involved. In fact, the woman made her allegations in a civil suit, and she never alleged she was a teenage sex slave.

Goguen subsequently filed his defamation suit against Brunner in St. Charles County Circuit Court.

Brunner later issued an unusual retraction that stood as an indicator of just how vicious the campaign had become: I now believe erroneous, and retract, any statements that a contributor to the Greitens campaign was the owner of a teenage sex slave.

The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader quoted on Friday a spokeswoman for Goguen as saying that the two sides had reached a settlement that didnt entail the exchange of money. The newspaper quoted a letter provided by the Goguen spokeswoman in which Brunner again retracts and apologizes for the statement.

Neither Brunner nor Goguens spokeswoman could be immediately reached Friday.

Brunner, former CEO of Vi-Jon beauty products, has lost two self-funded campaigns for Missouri statewide office in the past six years. The letter quoted by the News-Leader indicates Brunner attempted to blame his erroneous sex slave statement on media coverage of Goguens case.

Unfortunately, in the heat of a political campaign and a contentious debate, candidates sometimes make statements that prove to be erroneous, Brunner wrote, according to the newspaper. There can be a tendency to repeat information that has been reported in the media with the assumption that the media has performed all of the necessary fact checking. That is what happened here.

The Post-Dispatch has never referred to Goguens accuser in the civil suit by the descriptions Brunner used, and a search of other news media references online failed to turn up any instances of them.

The Goguen-Brunner issue hung over the states political landscape even after Greitens beat Brunner and the other two candidates in the GOP primary. As Greitens was preparing to face Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster in the general election, Brunner tried unsuccessfully to subpoena Greitens as part of his defense in Goguens defamation suit.

After Greitens won the governors office, Goguen was among special guests seated at his inauguration ceremony.
JEFFERSON CITY  An effort to get Missouri drivers' licenses up to federal snuff so citizens can work at federal facilities and board planes next year passed a Senate committee 4-2 Thursday, despite privacy concerns that have plagued it in past sessions.

Kansas City Republican Sen. Ryan Silvey's bill aims to resolve a long-standing controversy over the federal REAL ID Act, passed in 2005 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, by allowing Missourians choose whether or not they want a REAL-compliant license.

The law meant to make the process for getting identification more secure. But state lawmakers across the country objected to provisions requiring states to keep and share databases of personal documents, worrying citizens' personal information could be hacked or misused.

Missouri passed a law in 2009 forbidding the Department of Revenue from complying with the new regulations, joining more than a dozen other states enacting similar bans.

Now, contractors and truckers are having trouble getting into Ft. Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base. And last year, the Department of Homeland Security dropped an ultimatum: if Missouri and six other noncompliant states don't get in line, their residents will need passports to board planes on Jan. 22, 2018.

Silvey's measure would allow those who need and want the compliant IDs to get them, but allow others uncomfortable with sharing their documents to opt out. States like Vermont, Connecticut and New York have similar systems in place.

The Department of Revenue has estimated it would take about two years to be in full compliance with federal law, but Silvey has said passing his bill would likely garner an extension from the federal government.

Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee's Summit, remained staunchly opposed to the bill and voted against it. He acknowledged the bill would likely pass this year, but promised to offer amendments penalizing misuse of data by state employees and requiring documents to be purged when licenses expire.

Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, said he understood why Kraus and Sen. Bill Eigel, R-St. Charles, objected. But he urged them to consider the consequences of inaction.

"I hate databases too, but these are the cards we've been dealt," Hoskins said. "We can take a stand and deal with the wrath of the public trying to get on planes next year or we can try to come to a compromise."

The legislation is Senate Bill 37.
JEFFERSON CITY  Faced with the prospect of not having enough money to boost the wages of the lowest-paid state employees in the nation, Missouri lawmakers may instead look to alter worker pensions as a way to keep people from bolting for greener pastures.

Legislation introduced this week would end a six-year-old experiment that had lengthened the amount of time it takes for state employees to qualify for a pension.

Under the plan, prison guards, social service workers and other state employees would qualify for pensions at age 67 after working five years, rather than the current 10 years.

Im supportive of that bill, said Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe, a Jefferson City Republican.

The sponsor of the proposal, Rep. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, said work remains to be done on the legislation before it can be considered in the House.

In order to shorten the time it takes to qualify for a pension, officials need to find a way to pay for that. As one example, certain employees might not receive a cost-of-living agreement in their first year of retirement.

You cant change that vesting period without producing some savings within the retirement system, Kehoe said.

Changing worker pensions was among a series of recommendations made in a report issued last year that found Missouri state workers are paid the lowest in the nation. That finding brought calls of support for raising the wages, but a tight budget may stop that effort this year.

The low wages have driven up turnover rates among employees, who work for the state for a short period and then leave for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

Among the recommendations in the report was a reduction in the vesting period for pensions in order to attract more workers.

The millennial generation has shown a willingness to change jobs often and typically places a much higher value on benefits that vest quickly and are transportable, the $300,000 report noted. Additionally, the 10-year vesting creates a challenge in attracting 'second careers employees, who may be deterred by the 10-year requirement.

Lawmakers and former Gov. Jay Nixon approved the 10-year qualifying period in 2010 as a way to offer Ford Motor Co. and other car makers $150 million in tax breaks to keep their facilities in Missouri. It went into effect for new hires beginning in January 2011 and was projected to save the state an estimated $660 million over 10 years.

The same law also increased the retirement age to 67, up from 62 for most employees.

The average benefit payable to state retirees is approximately $15,000 per year, according to the Missouri State Employees Retirement System, which manages retirement plans, life insurance and disability benefits for 116,000 present and former state employees and their beneficiaries.

When we went to the 10-year vesting, it really hurt us with the state employees, Kehoe said. Bringing us back into competitive areas with retirements would be good.

The measure is under review by the association representing state workers and retirees.

I do think its generally a good thing. I do think it would go a long ways to both attract and retain qualified individuals, said Sue Cox, executive director of the Active and Retired Missouri State Employees group.

The legislation is House Bill 729.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) A host of Bollywood celebrities including filmmakers Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and Mukesh Bhatt today condemned the attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali by activists of a Rajput community during the shooting of a film, and called for a united stand by the film industry to ensure safety of artists.

A group of activists force-stopped the shooting of "Padmavati", being helmed by the National Award-winning filmmaker, by vandalising the movie set at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur and also assaulted him, alleging distortion of facts.

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Johar, who recently faced the ire of a right wing organisation during the released of his film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", said he could understand what Bhansali must be going through.

"Having been through many instances of turmoil during a film shoot or release...i understand Sanjays emotion at this point...I stand by him," Johar said.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap also exhorted the industry to unite. "Can once the whole film industry come together and take a stand, and refuse to be a pony that all ... ride on??

"At the same time Shame on you Karni Sena, you make me feel ashamed to be a Rajput.. bloody spineless cowards...," he said.

Veteran producer-director Ram Gopal Varma expressed angst against the government for not ensuring safety of artists.

"@narendramodi I dont know when ur achchey din will come but Bhansali incident makes me feel Indias days going back to heights of burey din Bhansali is an artiste and if any country cannot protect its artistes from street hooligans it doesnt deserve to be called a country," he tweeted.

President of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India Mukesh Bhatt said, "The most unfortunate thing is that we filmmakers and creative artists live in a house of glass. We are always scared that anyone can come and hit a stone and nothing will be done about it. There is nothing done for our protection.

"I dont know whats the solution for this. Who do we arrest when it was a group? I feel enraged on just hearing about it. The whole film fraternity is with him (Bhansali)," Bhatt told reporters here at the launch of his his new web series Maya.

Several other celebrities have rallied their support also took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

The period drama, scheduled to release this November, stars Deepika Padukone in the lead role of Rajput queen Padmavati and features Shahid Kapoor as Raja Ratan Singh.

Ranveer Singh is essaying the role of Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi sultan, who falls in love with Padmavati. (MORE) PTI SHD JUR BK KIS ZMN KIS

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WASHINGTON  Former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent says he is still talking with Trump administration officials about taking a defense-related job.

I have had discussions with them, said Talent, a lobbyist since leaving the Senate in 2007. There are sub-cabinet posts that have not been filled that I would be interested in. That process is going to take a while.

Talent had been mentioned as a possible secretary of defense before Trump chose Marine Corps General James Mattis to run the Pentagon.

Talent told the Post-Dispatch that he believes that Trump has an outstanding defense plan.

I generally like his (cabinet) appointments, Talent said of Trump. He has done well in making clear what his priorities are, and the presidency is about setting priorities and building coalitions behind them.

Trump is a relationship person, Talent added. Now, he is a distinct personality, and people are going to have to adjust to that. But so far, so good.

****

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, had a brief encounter with President Donald Trump in a Republican retreat in Philadelphia this week.

And for Wagner, who was one of her partys toughest Trump critics and at one point withdrew her endorsement of the GOP President, it became clear that any hatchets are buried.

He put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Lets get to work,' Wagner said. That was the extent of the exchange.

Wagner criticized Trumps campaign attacks on Sen. John McCain in 2015, then last year severely criticized offensive language about women that Trump used in an 11-year-old tape that was leaked to the media.

Wagner and Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, were among a handful of Republican members of Congress who said they could not support Trump after that tape became public. But days before the election, Wagner urged people to vote for Trump and said she would, too.

I have always said this: If I disagree, especially in areas of principle with anyone  I will speak out, Wagner said. I have always supported his policies. Pleased that he is president.

Wagner said she is especially pleased that Vice President Mike Pence has established an office on the House of Representatives side of the Capitol, saying he will be an important conduit between House Republicans and the White House.

A tape of one of the closed Republican meetings in Philadelphia, leaked to several media outlets and verified by the Washington Post, indicated there are deep concerns within the GOP congressional majority about how it will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a Trump campaign promise.

Some Republican members of Congress feared that if Obamacare is repealed without an adequate replacement, the resulting "Trumpcare" political fallout would be disastrous for the party.

Concerns were also raised about the political fallout of defunding Planned Parenthood, another goal of anti-abortion rights Republicans, according to the tape.

Friday afternoon, Sarah Feldman, press secretary for Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., texted the transcript of a KSMU TV news report to other reporters that described how some low-income patients at a rural Missouri health clinic who got insurance through the Affordable Care Act would be adversely affected if Obamacare is repealed without an adequate replacement.

McCaskill has been one of a host of Democrats pushing the argument that if Obamacare is repealed, the aftermath  and any problems that stem from it  should be known as "Trumpcare."
MAPLEWOOD  The city has agreed to pay the owners of the Shop N Save shopping center on Manchester Road about $40,000 a year to allow motorists shopping in the Maplewood business district to park in its lot.

The city negotiated a 10-year agreement for parking with Brixmor SPE 1 LLC, City Manager Martin J. Corcoran said in an interview after Tuesdays City Council meeting.

The agreement covers 134 parking spaces facing Manchester Road and the first row of parking behind the spaces facing Manchester, he said. The deal works out to 82 cents a day per parking space, Corcoran said.

When the shopping center was built in the late 1990s, the city tried to negotiate an agreement so non-customers could use some of the lots parking spaces but the owner at the time refused, Corcoran said. The center has been sold twice since then, he added.

In the past they have threatened to tow motorists who park in the lot but didnt shop there, but didnt do it, Corcoran said. They may have towed one or two vehicles that were left on the lot but they very, very, very rarely did.

But in October a representative of Brixmor called the city saying the company would begin towing non-customers, Corcoran said. Wed be in trouble if they were actually going to do it, he said. It would put a real bind on our business district."

Corcoran said the two parties went back and forth and came to a basic agreement, he said.

The charge will be paid from the general fund, Corcoran said, adding: We have a thriving business community, and parking is critical to our success.
President Donald Trump is playing with fire in his pronouncements about reviving the use of torture against terrorism suspects. Its not just morally reprehensible; it is illegal and ineffective.

Trump seems intent on bolstering a gung-ho image and fulfilling campaign promises, yet he fails to see the damage his recent pronouncements are causing. He so offended Mexicans with comments about making their country pay for a border wall, President Enrique Pena-Nieto abruptly and unilaterally canceled an imminent visit. Its time for Trump to dial it back.

Trump suggested in an ABC News interview Wednesday that unnamed top intelligence officials want torture reinstated. An impending executive order also could revive CIA interrogation black sites abroad. Ive spoken as recently as 24 hours ago, with people at the highest level of intelligence, Trump said. And I asked them the question: Does it work? Does torture work? And the answer was yes. Absolutely.

Since its well-established that this president exaggerates and lies, these alleged conversations deserve skepticism. This is a man who initiates state action based on affronts to his ego, such as his decision to launch an investigation into nonexistent vote fraud because he cant believe that he lost the popular vote.

Trump wants to demonstrate toughness on terrorism, but fails to grasp fundamental facts about the intelligence operations now under his command. First is that Trumps top advisers  Defense Secretary James Mattis, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, among others  are on record opposing waterboarding and other forms of torture.

The president says hes fine with their decision, but do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works.

A 2015 law banned the use of interrogation techniques that go beyond what is allowed in the Army Field Manual. The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes, said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.

A 2014 Senate Select Committee report determined that enhanced interrogation techniques do not yield actionable intelligence and often prompt torture victims to concoct information they think the interrogator wants to hear, just to make the torture stop.

Torture also sets the worst-possible example for other nations. If America uses it, dictators around the world will claim justification to do likewise. And this country would have no grounds to condemn them, even if Americans are among their victims.

Trump eventually must grasp that feelings arent as important as fact. He must learn that words count, especially words from the mouth or Twitter feed of the U.S. president. Lets hope he makes this discovery before more damage is inflicted and other leaders go the way of Mexico.
Missouris prosecuting attorneys and law enforcement agencies are pushing for a new tool in state law that would give them much-needed authority to bring charges against government officials who steal public funds. Shockingly, current law offers limited routes to punish corrupt public officials.

Amy Fite, president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, says a new bill before the Legislature would help prosecutors bring charges for crimes that often go unpunished because they dont have the resources for investigations or because remedies are unavailable under current law.

The new bill, SB 176, sponsored by Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, would also allow authorities to seek restitution of stolen money after a criminal case ends, filling another shocking gap in current law.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway says citizens often ask her how they can recover stolen or misappropriated funds discovered during an audit, but that current law doesnt allow it.

How the need for such a prosecuting authority escaped lawmakers until now is unfathomable. What taxpayer wants to see his or her hard-earned dollars go into somebodys pocket rather than to the schools or road repair fund or public servants salaries for which they are intended?

Residents of the Fox School District were left wondering about money allegedly misspent by former Schools Superintendent Dianne Critchlow when St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar said on Jan. 19 that Critchlow would not be charged.

Galloways office issued a scathing report on the district in May, alleging Critchlow had made about $100,000 in questionable charges on three school district credit cards, used the school boards electronic signature to raise her own salary without permission and double-dipped into school district funds.

Federal authorities also investigated Critchlows spending and came to the same conclusion as Lohmar. Lohmar did not return a call for comment. Upon announcing that Critchlow would not be charged, he said, There were no violations of the criminal laws of the state of Missouri.

He was appointed special prosecutor in the case in November at the request of Jefferson County Prosecutor Forrest Wegge.

Lohmar, St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch and St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar are among those supporting Dixons bill. It would enable prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to request a state audit of local government when they suspect fraud, misconduct or abuse of public revenue.

The measure also elevates penalties for the most serious types of official misconduct  such as stealing  from a misdemeanor to a felony, which could bring a four-year prison term. That would serve as a deterrent to government officials who might be tempted to cross the line.

The new categories would give prosecutors greater discretion, which they definitely need. The fact that Critchlow escaped prosecution should serve as the Legislatures wake-up call.
I took my children into the voting booth with me and later my grandchildren so they could learn the procedure and why it is so important.
Ex-Bigg Boss 10 contestant Rohan Mehra is upset with the way he was projected on the show.

By India Today Web Desk: The Bigg Boss 10 has been an amazing journey for Rohan Mehra. He feels that it was like a rollercoaster ride and every day in itself was a journey. In a Facebook Live chat, he revealed these ten things.

Rohan Mehra and Lopamudra Raut in a still from Bigg Boss 10. On his friendship with Lopa

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I have only seen the last two episodes. When I saw Lopa crying and missing me, I understood that we will continue to be friends outside the house as well.

2. On Bigg Boss 10 winner

I would want Lopa to win. She has a good fan following and people are liking her, so definitely, she should win. I have spent three months with Lopa in the house and I know that she is very good at heart.

Also read: 5 things Rohan Mehra said after coming out of Bigg Boss 10 house

3. Things he misses about Bigg Boss house

I am missing the entire journey, especially the voice of Bigg Boss. Today, I was waiting that Bigg Boss' voice would wake me up. Unknowingly my hand keeps going inside my jacket for the mic., as we get so used to it. It was a tough journey but I feel good that I was able to complete around 15 weeks inside the house.

Priyanka Jagga and Swami Om in a still from Bigg Boss 10. On Om Swami and Priyanka Jagga

There were a lot of incidents that were so vulgar that they might have not shown it on the television. The problem was that we couldn't reach their level of filth. I have learnt to be patient because of them and this quality will help me in future. I really hope that I don't get to see them in my life again.

Manveer Gurjar and Manu Punjabi in a still from Bigg Boss 10. . On Manveer

I feel that Manveer is a good person but Manu has tried to influence him a lot. If Manu wouldn't have been there, then he would have turned out to be a much better person. He has performed well in tasks. I would want Lopa to win but Manveer is a tough competition.

6. On Hina Khan and Kanchi Singh's surprise

Hina di and Kanchi had planned a surprise for me. They welcomed me, when I reached home at 4am. I loved it. They said that it's an achievement to be in Top 5, and they were not expecting that I would reach that far. They told me that had I reached the finals, I would have definitely been among the top 2 contestants.

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Rohan Mehra in a still from the live chat. Picture Courtesy: Facebook/Rohan Mehra Food items that he missed inside the Bigg Boss house

I missed butter chicken, which is my favourite. After coming out, that's the first thing I had yesterday. I would like to say that taste doesn't matter to me much but I appreciate the effort if someone's taking the pain to cook for me. Thanks to Bigg Boss, I now know how to cook.

8. On Bigg Boss being scripted

It is not at all scripted but well edited. I think they show all good things of a person, whom they want to project as a hero. I felt it was injustice towards me, when I was nominated for the entire season. I felt that they didn't show me in a positive light.

Rohan Mehra in a still from Bigg Boss 10. Picture Courtesy: Instagram/Rohan Mehra Future Plans

Tomorrow, I am going for the finale. I have a dance performance. I have rehearsed for 15 minutes but can't give out the details. Next, I would want to sign movies and shows. But first would like to go on a vacation as I am very exhausted. But after the finale, first I will be going to my hometown.

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10. Being called the Prince of India

Baba (Om Swami) did a lot of dirty things in the house but gave me a good name.

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The many dimensions of well-being

The study uses data from public sources to examine patterns of human well-being in the South African context. The indicators selected for the well-being bundles represent the Millennium Ecosystem Assessments five constituents of human well-being, namely: 1) basic materials for a good life, 2) health , 3) security, 4) good social relations, and 5) freedom of choice and action.

The results of the analysis identify three distinct human well-being bundles in South Africa, which the authors call high, medium, and low income bundles. These bundles are mainly characterized by differences in average household income, unemployment levels, and rates of property ownership among households.

Based on these different characteristics, each municipality in the country was classified into one of these three bundle types. The analysis further reveals that human well-being patterns are significantly clustered across the South African landscape, with the high income bundle occurring mainly in metropolitan areas, the medium income bundle in sparsely populated areas, and the low income bundle in more densely populated semi-rural and rural areas.

In comparing human well-being to the previously determined ecosystem service use bundles, the authors find that the low income bundle areas, with low levels of well-being, largely coincide with high and medium levels of direct ecosystem service use among households. This means that people in these areas make use of their local environment to help cover their basic needs.

In contrast, the high income bundle, with relatively high levels of well-being, coincides with low levels of direct ecosystem service use. These results support previous research that poor and vulnerable members of society depend most heavily on their immediate environment. In South Africas case, this represents more than 12 million people, or just over 24% of the population.

Insights: Data poor regions and future work

While this study contributes to the understanding of human well-being and ecosystem services, Biggs highlights practical benefits to these findings. Data on a variety of human well-being indicators are often more readily available than data on ecosystem services. If different social-ecological systems and their characteristic resource use patterns can be identified using human well-being indicators, then it could assist with ecosystem management in data poor regions.

This study offers new insights into a spatial understanding of ecosystem service use and human well-being, though the authors note limitations to their approach. First, they highlight that human well-being as defined by this study is based on a modern aspirations. Other, more traditional societies may have different priorities when it comes to well-being. Secondly, in this study human well-being is measured objectively, and not subjectively, which could provide broader insights about this relationship.
Considering its wide availability, bold barrel-proof flavors, and consistent quality, Ive always felt Bookers Bourbon was a bit underrated. Now, for better or worse, I think the marketing department at Jim Beam has finally caught on. (Beam makes Bookers along with the rest of the Small Batch Collection: Knob Creek, Bakers, and Basil Hayden.)

Last month Beam announced a new collection of limited edition Bookers releases, the first of which would be called Big Man, Small Batch, which pays homage to the late Booker Noe, one of the biggest personalities in the bourbon business. For those looking for this or future limited edition releases, the packaging features a different, larger batch label with an illustration, and the box is stained a darker brown, whereas regular releases (including Roundtable releases) will continue in the lighter, natural wood boxes.

Unlike last years 25th Anniversary, the age statement of this first limited edition is within the normal 6-8 years for Bookers. Specifically, Big Man, Small Batch (Batch No. 2015-01) is 7 years, 2 months, and 16 days old. Its bottled at 128.7-proof (64.35% ABV). At least in Virginia state liquor stores, it sells for the same price as regular release Bookers: $59.

As youd expect, its a full-bodied bourbon in the Bookers tradition with a bold nose of caramel and vanilla. On the palate theres more vanilla, peanut butter, and salted caramel. Only on the finish does the high-proof heat come through, along with vanilla and oak.

To test out Big Man Small Batch, I tasted it side by side with two other Bookers bottles: a 6-year-old batch No. C06-K-8 bottled at 130.4-proof, and batch No. 2014-6, a Roundtable Batch aged 7 years, 2 months, and 14 days, and bottled at 127.7-proof. (Roundtable Batches, selected with the input of various bourbon writers, dont have any special packaging and can only be identified by the batch number.)

The six-year-old has a bit more sharpness and resinous wood. The Roundtable Batch is more refined and closer to the Big Man, Small Batch in profile, which makes sense given the very similar age statement and proof, but it doesnt have the toffee-like richness of this first limited release.

So as long as Bookers sells this and future limited edition Bookers at the same price as the regular batches, its easy to recommend to those who enjoy full-bodied, high-proof bourbons. I, for one, am looking forward to future Bookers releases from this line, and filings last year for label approvals suggest there may be many coming.

As for cigars, all Bookers releases call for the same thing: a full-bodied smoke. The RoMaCraft Cromagnon, Arturo Fuente Opus X, EO 601 Serie Blue, and La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero all fit the bill.

Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys
By Samrudhi Ghosh: If you ask any 90s kid if Bobby Deol had swag, they cannot say 'naiyyo naiyyo.' When he burst into the acting scene 22 years ago with Barsaat, his long curls and dimpled smile made women swoon all over him. Even though his recent films did not do too well, he remained quite the sensation. So much so, that people flocked to the nightclub where DJ wale Bobby was making his debut and willingly paid thousands to watch him play.

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Jackie Chan says Bollywood dance is the best: 10 WTF moves that will make him rethink

ALSO READ: Bobby Deol finally opens up on his DJing controversy

ALSO READ: OMG! Bobby Deol was to be Jab We Met's hero but Imtiaz Ali naiyo'd him

Such was the cult following he had that even his parody account on Twitter became famous overnight. In a recent interview with Huffington Post, Bobby admitted that he was "very well-aware" that he had "led to the sexual awakening of a whole lot of women."

As Bobby Deol turns 48 today, we take a moment to remember his unforgettable swag.

1. Explaining gravity through his moves - what goes up must come down

2. Pure smouldering sexiness

3. Just waltzing on the rooftop

4. Naiyyo-ing his haters like...

5. Bobby, you sexy beast

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As we have since July 2006, each Friday well post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 515th in the series.

1) General Cigar has hired Jack Torano as a full-time ambassador for the Torano brand, as well as announced two new lines under the Torano Vault umbrella. Jack began working with us last year to develop Torano at retail and has made great strides in generating excitement for the brand, said Regis Broersma, president of General Cigar, in a press release. We are pleased to have him as a full-time member of our marketing team and look forward to working with him to deepen retailer and consumer engagement around this important brand. Jack Torano will report to Ed McKenna, director of marketing strategy, and his roles will include hosting events in strategic markets, sharing the history of Torano cigars, and presenting the brand portfolio. That Torano brand portfolio is expanding to include the Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped E-021 and Jalapa-wrapped W-009, two new lines in the Torano Vault collection. Each will come in two sizes with per-cigar prices ranging from $5.49 to $6.49. Back in 2014, General Cigar acquired the brands associated with the Torano Family Cigar Company. The move came four years after Torano re-launched itself in 2010taking back control of its own distribution from a conglomerate that housed Torano under the same roof as General Cigar and CAO.

2) Yesterday, Glynn Loope, executive director of Cigar Rights of America (CRA), posted a video on Facebook from the U.S. Capitol proclaiming his mission to recruit new co-sponsors of legislation that would protect premium handmade cigars from FDA regulation. Now, with a new Congress, new administration, and a new regulatory environment, Loope has committed to totally revisiting this subject top to bottom, and he is imploring dedicated cigar enthusiasts to visit the CRA website and contact their representatives in support of these important efforts at this crucial time.

3) Congressional Republicans target Washingtons rule by bureaucrat. But will this include a roll-back of the FDAs handmade cigar rules? Washingtons many agencies, bureaus, and departments propagate rules that weigh down businesses, destroy jobs, and limit American freedoms. Career bureaucrats who never face the voters wield punishing authority with little to no accountability. If theres a swamp in Washington, this is it. In President Obamas final year the Federal Register hit 97,110 pageslonger by nearly 18,000 pages, or 15 King James Bibles, than in 2008. Federal regulations cost the American people about $1.89 trillion every year, according to an estimate by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Thats more than 10% of GDP, or roughly $15,000 per American household. Read more here.

4) In case you missed it, the last two months have been news-filled for Bookers Bourbon, a StogieGuys.com favorite for its bold, barrel-proof flavors. As explained by veteran bourbon journalist Chuck Cowdery, Bookers maker Beam announced, then backed off, a nearly 100% price hike.

5) From the Archives: Speaking of Bookers, twice it has been featured on this website. First in 2011, Patrick A gave his take. Later, Patrick S checked out the first batch released in 2015.

6) Deal of the Week: Seven sizes of Steve Sakas Mi Querida are back in stock at Smoke Inn. Plus, use the code StogieDeal at checkout to land a free triple-flame butane lighter.

The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's meeting with leaders of all parties assumes significance in the light of the stormy Winter Session which was washed out due to the pandemonium created by the Opposition over demonetisation issue.

By India Today Web Desk: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will meet the leaders of all political parties on January 30, a couple of days ahead of the presentation of Budget this year.

Parliaments Budget Session is commencing on January 31 while, in a break of tradition, Budget this year would be presented on February 1.

The Speakers meeting with leaders of all parties assumes significance in the light of the stormy Winter Session which was washed out due to the pandemonium created by the Opposition over demonetisation issue.

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Mahajan is likely to appeal to all political parties for cooperation in ensuring a smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha in view of the presentation of Budget.

Also read: What India expects from Arun Jaitley on February 1 in first budget after demonetisation

Also read: Present Budget after elections or UP may miss out on central schemes: Akhilesh Yadav to Narendra Modi

Watch: ModiNomics: What does the aam aadmi want from Budget

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A main reason to invest in strategic sourcing is to match demand with supply. The impact of using the best available resources and space is heightened when there's only a limited amount of each to go around. A case in point is the availability of warehouse space for companies. Despite some challenges finding enough room to support businesses, there seems to be a slow but noticeable shift toward more supply.The lack of space last year was one of the defining features of the 2016 logistics industry. The Wall Street Journal recently quoted Prologis Inc. CEO Hamid Moghadam on the changes affecting both rents and new buildings "New construction has been relatively disciplined, so the market is much stronger," Moghadam said. "Now we are getting into the more mature part of the cycle. It's more of a balanced market, with modest rental growth."Later on, the same article quoted Moghadam's predictions that vacancy rates likely won't change. Businesses may need to use this data for future decisions soon as they plot their own plans for new facilities.Last year indeed saw a large amount of warehouse rentals, as new research from Cushman & Wakefield seemed to suggest. The Dallas Morning News cited information from the source showing 5.3 million square feet of warehouse space leased in the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone, placing it at the top of the markets in the country showing this demand.C&W also recently announced a predicted growth for outsourcing within business up to the end in 2019. This concerns what it calls "the outsourcing sector," which can develop both the existing strengths of countries that serve as outsourcing mainstays (like India, Brazil and Romania) and new technological advances. The latter point includes Robotic Process Automation, which coordinates AI and the use of robotics to create seamless efficiency.The company identified some promising "pioneering" regions for outsourcing, such as Peru, South Africa and Costa Rica. By comparison, Los Angeles had the least available vacancy. Even the major outsourcing leaders for different industries may have to change to adapt.To counter the problems of short warehouse space, some companies may use one of the same strategies that consumers use when they need more space: sharing. In fact, the "Uberization" of freight has been a hot topic for months now, and could add to the call for business process outsourcing.Not only has Uber itself embraced this with its Uber Freight service, Inverse said, Amazon is also expanding into this space for its own purposes. The source did mention that, even though there are similarities between the two companies, there is also a gap in the way they conduct business, since they have different goals. Amazon, as essentially a retail company, may relate to the reality of sharing shipping facilities in its own way, given that Uber has a competitive ride sharing infrastructure to build off of.Working with new partners and providers also means supplier relationship management concerns. With strategic preparations, businesses have the background to approach space more effectively.
Capital City Bank Group announces Stanley W. Connally Jr., Eric Grant and Laura Johnson have joined its board of directors.

I am pleased with the new additions to the Capital City Bank Group Board of Directors. We value diversity of talent, knowledge and experience for the essential interplay of ideas and perspectives it brings to the table, said William G. Smith Jr., chairman, president and CEO. Each of these outstanding individuals is at the top of their respective businesses and contribute a wealth of knowledge I am confident will complement, strengthen and enhance the existing board.

Stanley W. Connally Jr. (Stan), 47, is chairman, president and CEO of Gulf Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company, which is one of the largest producers of electricity in the United States. He began his career with Southern Company in 1989 as a co-op student at Georgia Powers Plant Yates, and held positions of increasing responsibility in customer operations, sales and marketing, and power generation at Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and Alabama Power before being named president of Gulf Power in 2012. Connally earned his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He completed the Goizueta Executive Education Program at Emory University in 2004 and the Southern Company Senior Leadership Development Program in 2009. In addition to his service on the Capital City Bank Group Board of Directors, Connally serves on the boards of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Council of 100 and Enterprise Florida. He has also been appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott to the Aerospace Alliance board, a four-state organization working to bring aviation-related jobs to the Gulf Coast and to Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc.

Eric Grant, 41, is president of Municipal Code Corporation (Municode), the nations largest provider of municipal solutions, serving over 4,100 clients in all 50 states. Grant joined the Municode team in 2007 and served as vice president of the Supplement Department until September of 2012. Under Grants skillful guidance as president, Municode has achieved increased levels of growth and successfully navigated several key acquisitions within Municodes traditional line of business as well as into new verticals. Prior to receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia, Grant attended the United States Naval Academy and Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service while serving as a member of the United States Marine Corps. In addition to being stationed in Virginia, Kentucky, California and abroad, Grant and his unit, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. A devoted husband and father of four children, Grant also serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of North Florida and the United Way of the Big Bend.

Laura Johnson, 54, is founding artist and CEO of Coton Colors, a leading lifestyle brand in the giftware and home decor industries headquartered in Tallahassee, Fla. A third generation Miamian, Johnson first came to Tallahassee to pursue a degree in studio art at the Florida State University. Upon completion of her degree, she relocated with her husband to Atlanta, Ga., where she began a career in graphic design, but returned to Tallahassee in 1986 with dreams of owning her own business. Channeling her desire to design and market her own products, Johnson began the Coton Colors brand by making hand-dyed and painted cotton childrens clothing for her three daughters. With Johnsons creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to fuel its growth, Coton Colors now offers a variety of product lines sold in more than 3,000 stores across the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, Ireland and China.
Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) today announced a definitive agreement under which an affiliate of Veritas Capital, a leading private equity investment firm, will acquire Harris government IT services business for $690 million in cash. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to support the companys capital allocation strategy, including pension pre-funding and share repurchases. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close before the end of fiscal 2017.

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, the business provides IT and engineering managed services to U.S. government agencies, including supporting NASAs Space Communications Network and Deep Space Network programs, and operates within the companys Critical Networks segment. Harris expected approximately $1.07 billion in fiscal 2017 revenue attributable to the business. Harris air traffic management franchise, primarily serving the FAA, is not part of the divestiture and will remain with Harris.

Todays announced divestiture, coupled with the recent sale of CapRock, reflects our strategy of optimizing the business portfolio to create shareholder value, said William M. Brown, chairman, president and chief executive officer. These divestitures sharpen Harris focus on growing core franchises where technology is a key differentiator, providing compelling value to our customers.

Current and prior period financial results for the divested businesses will be reported as discontinued operations, beginning in fiscal 2017s second quarter for CapRock and third quarter for the government IT services business. The company expects to benefit from the use of cash proceeds and restructuring actions related to the two divestitures, resulting in fiscal 2018 net dilution in a range of $0.10 to $0.15 per diluted share.

In connection with the announcement, Harris air traffic management business will now operate as part of the companys Electronic Systems segment. As a result, Harris will have three business segments with no changes to its Communication Systems or Space and Intelligence Systems segments.
FILE PHOTO - Jesse Litvak, a former managing director at Jefferies Group Inc., walks to U.S. District Court in for his hearing New Haven, Connecticut, U.S., July 23, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

By Andy Thibault

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Reuters) - A federal jury found former Jefferies Group bond trader Jesse Litvak guilty for a second time for defrauding customers on bond prices, but acquitted him on nine of the 10 counts he faced.

The verdict on Friday by jurors in New Haven, Connecticut on the sixth day of deliberations is a mixed result for prosecutors trying to crack down on suspicious sales tactics on Wall Street.

A different jury found Litvak guilty on all 10 securities fraud counts plus other charges in March 2014. That verdict and a two-year prison sentence were overturned on appeal in December 2015.

Litvak's lawyer Dane Butswinkas declined to comment Friday.

Litvak, 42, of Boca Raton, Florida, faces up to 20 years in prison at his April 21 sentencing. Six other former traders face similar charges.

"We are confident that these prosecutions have acted as a forceful disincentive to market participants tempted to commit securities fraud," U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly said.

Litvak, who was a Jefferies managing director, was accused of generating $2.25 million of illegal profit by misleading customers including AllianceBernstein and Soros Fund Management about bond prices from 2009 to 2011.

Prosecutors said Litvak was motivated by greed, and that his "lies" caused customers to overpay for bonds they bought and accept lower prices for bonds they sold.

But defense lawyers said Litvak's customers were sophisticated, with a deep well of talent and resources, and would be skeptical if prices that Litvak quoted looked wrong.

Chief Judge Janet Hall presided over both of Litvak's trials. She urged jurors to reach a verdict on Wednesday after they appeared deadlocked on two counts.

"It's a good verdict for defense lawyers, but less so for the client who still faces risk of significant jail time," said J. Bruce Maffeo, a Cozen O'Connor partner and former federal prosecutor.

Litvak worked in the Stamford, Connecticut, office of Jefferies, a unit of Leucadia National Corp (NYSE: LUK).

Three former Nomura Holdings Inc <8604.T> traders - Ross Shapiro, Michael Gramins and Tyler Peters - have pleaded not guilty to similar charges and face trial May 4. David Demos of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co pleaded not guilty on Dec. 9.

Matthew Katke and Adam Siegel from Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (NYSE: RBS), could withdraw their 2015 guilty pleas under some circumstances upon an acquittal of Litvak.

Katke's lawyer Richard Albert said: "We are reviewing the verdict with interest." Lawyers for Siegel did not respond to requests for comment.

The case is U.S. v. Litvak, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, No. 13-cr-00019.

(Reporting by Andy Thibault in New Haven, Connecticut; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Grant McCool)
By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Jan 27 (PTI) China today officially shutdown for a week to welcome the Chinese New Year of the Rooster amid the biggest annual human migration as people rushed to their native places to celebrate with their family members.

As per official estimates, total number of journeys during the Chinese new year with also coincides with Spring Festival season was expected to reach 2.97 billion trips by road and rail.

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The year of Monkey formally ends today the new one with the Rooster begins from tomorrow.

The official holidays begins from today and last till February 2.

But most of the people celebrate it for over a fortnight.

It is a big event specially for about 300 million migrant workers, the muscle behind Chinas economic might who heads to their villages with their precious savings to meet their parents and in many cases their left behind children to celebrate the new year.

In Chinese lunar calendar, years are grouped into a 12-year cycle, with each year assigned an animal symbol: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

As per the Zodiac calendar, 2017 is the year of the Rooster.

Celebrations traditionally run from the evening preceding the first day, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month.

The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon.

Chinese leaders greeted people on this occasion.

In his message Chinese President Xi Jinping asked people to spread the message of love.

Love should reach to every family and bring warmth to all Chinese like a spring breeze blowing across the nation, Xi said.

"The Chinese people have always valued love and high morality," Xi told his audience at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

He urged people not to neglect their family, comrades and loved ones, no matter how busy they are in their work.

Love means being not hypocritical, not selfish and not outrageous, he said.

Allaying concerns over the slowdown of Chinese economy, he said Chinas economic growth has remained one of the strongest in the world, and peoples livelihoods have continuously been improved.

Xi said he hopes the people not only have great dreams, but also show a hardworking spirit to fulfil those dreams.

"The progresses in Chinas development are achieved thanks to Chinese peoples diligent work," he said. PTI KJV SUA SUA

--- ENDS ---

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OAK BROOK, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Approximately one third of births in the United States are by cesarean delivery. Although most experts believe this rate is too high and results in increased morbidity and mortality for mothers, efforts to decrease the rate have usually failed. A new study published in the February 2017 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety describes a long-term, multi-strategy quality improvement initiative that substantially lowered the cesarean delivery rate at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.

The study focused on nulliparous women with a term, singleton baby in the vertex position. This refers to women delivering their first baby at 37 weeks or beyond with a single baby (no multiple gestations) in the vertex (head down) presentation. Compared to the general obstetric population, women with a nulliparous, term singleton vertex (NTSV) pregnancy have fewer risk factors for cesarean delivery.

For the study, Mary A. Vadnais, MD, MPH, clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School and maternal fetal medicine physician at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and co-authors, identified five factors that may influence the NTSV cesarean delivery rate: interpretation and management of fetal heart rate tracings, provider tolerance for labor, induction of labor, provider awareness of the NTSV cesarean delivery rate and environmental stress.

From 2008 through 2015, the authors applied a multi-strategy approach including provider education, provider feedback and implementation of new policies to target the five identified factors. The interventions were largely initiated and implemented by the director of Labor and Delivery who is a board-certified obstetrician, in collaboration with other thought leaders and with support from multidisciplinary committees which included members from nursing and anesthesiology.

Data on the mode of delivery, maternal outcomes and neonatal outcomes were collected following the interventions. The authors analyzed more than 20,000 NTSV deliveries. Findings showed the NTSV cesarean delivery rate decreased from 34.8 to 21.2 percent and the total cesarean delivery rate decreased from 40 to 29.1 percent.

In the journal, an accompanying editorial by Elliott K. Main, MD, medical director at the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and clinical professor at the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford University, emphasizes the need for culture change in maternity units in order to address the rise in cesarean rates. "To have maximal culture change, a quality improvement project will take perseverance, involve multiple interventions and may take external leverage," Dr. Main notes.

The February 2017 issue provides open access to all articles. Also featured in the issue:

Data-Driven Implementation of Alarm Reduction Interventions in a Cardiovascular Surgical ICU (open access article)

Year-End Resident Clinic Handoffs: Narrative Review and Recommendations for Improvement

Improving Communication with Primary Care Physicians at the Time of Hospital Discharge

Review of Nonformulary Medication Approvals in an Academic Medical Center

Note for editors The article is "Quality Improvement Initiatives Lead to Reduction in Nulliparous Term Singleton Vertex Cesarean Delivery Rate," by Mary A. Vadnais, MD, MPH; Michele R Hacker, ScD; Neel T. Shah, MD, MPP; JoAnn Jordan, BA; Anna M. Modest, MPH; Molly Siegel, MD; and Toni H. Golen, MD. It appears in The Joint Commission Quality and Patient Safety, volume 43, number 2 (February 2017), published by Elsevier.

The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (JQPS), published monthly by Elsevier, is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to providing health care professionals with innovative thinking, strategies and practices in improving quality and safety in health care. JQPS is the official journal of The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources, Inc., a nonprofit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Original case studies, program or project reports, reports of new methodologies or the new application of methodologies, research studies, and commentaries on issues and practices are regularly featured.

To view this release in a media-rich format, go to: http://jointcommission.new-media-release.com/2017_jqps_feb/

Media Contact: Katie Looze Bronk Media Relations Specialist (630) 792-5175 Email Contact

Source: The Joint Commission
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Kathryn McGarry, Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry made the following statement today:

We confirm our joint commitment to the fight against Asian Carps in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes following the release of the Binational Ecological Risk Assessment for Grass Carp in the Great Lakes Basin.

Both Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) recognize the critical importance of early intervention to prevent the establishment of invasive species. We share common goals of protecting the biodiversity and habitat of the Great Lakes and Ontario's aquatic ecosystems. The results of the Binational Risk Assessment will be used to inform operational decisions by both our agencies and guide early detection and other operational efforts to keep Asian Carps out of our waters.

As noted in the Risk Assessment, the study concluded that Grass Carp, one of four Asian Carp species, have arrived in parts of the Great Lakes basin, specifically lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario. The study also concluded that the ecological consequences of Grass Carp in most areas of the Great Lakes basin could be extreme within the next 50 years. Arrival is just the first stage of the introduction process and through continued collaboration at the highest levels of each agency we have an opportunity to halt the introduction of Grass Carp in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes.

Both DFO and MNRF have together achieved numerous successes in the fight against Asian Carps to date:

-- Coordinated response and capture of 23 Grass Carp in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes since 2012. -- Biologists from MNRF and DFO continue to work closely together to collect information and share findings related to Asian Carps. -- DFO and MNRF together implement a formal incident command system response following any find of Asian Carps in Ontario waters. The Response Plan ensures effective communications and maximizes the resources available from the various agencies involved. -- Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations under the Fisheries Act came into force in 2015. These regulations provide a national regulatory framework to help prevent intentional and unintentional introduction of aquatic invasive species in Canada from other countries, across provincial and territorial borders, and between ecosystems within a region. -- Ontario introduced the Invasive Species Act (ISA) in November 2015 that further prohibits the possession, transportation, import or sale of live invasive species, unless authorized by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. The ISA is the only piece of legislation of its kind in North America. -- Joint participation on the binational Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), which oversees the extensive partnership efforts of government agencies on both sides of the border. -- MNRF conducts inspections of food fish importers and monitors retailers for compliance. Conservation officers spend approximately 2,000 hours each year inspecting dozens of wholesale and import companies at more than a thousand different locations. -- In 2011 and 2012, MNRF stopped six live-fish haulers, carrying more than 13 thousand kilograms of Asian Carps. Those seizures resulted in several convictions and more than $100,000 in fines.

We remain steadfastly committed to this fight and to the partnership between our agencies. Our future plans include:

-- Continued participation in the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee. -- On-going enforcement and inspection operations. -- On-going research within both agencies towards a better understanding of aquatic invasive species in general and Asian Carps in particular. -- The coordination of a Binational Ecological Risk Assessment for Black Carp. -- A joint DFO and MNRF on-water Asian Carp response exercise near Lake Erie planned for April 2017.

Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Follow us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/DFO_MPO

Contacts: Laura Gareau Press Secretary Office of the Minister Fisheries and Oceans Canada 613-992-3474 [email protected] Hilary Prince Fisheries and Oceans Canada Communications 905-336-4974 [email protected] Emily Kirk Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Minister's Office 416-314-2206 Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Media Desk Communications Services Branch 416-314-2106

Source: Government of Canada and Government of Ontario
DALLAS, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Well-known business leaders will mentor, guide, teach and inspire current and future female entrepreneurs as Mary Kay hosts its first Women's Entrepreneurship Summit at the Fairmont Hotel Dallas. In partnership with The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC), experts with backgrounds in sales leadership, fashion, high-technology, consumer-packaged goods, business services and many more will convene for the inaugural summit designed for women business owners.

"As we kick off our first-ever Mary Kay Women's Entrepreneurship Summit, unprecedented mentorship and networking opportunities will help broaden the knowledge of entrepreneurs of all ages and stages," said Sheryl Adkins-Green, Chief Marketing Officer for Mary Kay Inc. "With millions of Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants worldwide and more than five decades of empowering women, few companies have more experience with women's entrepreneurship than Mary Kay. Our founder, Mary Kay Ash, is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time and we are proud to continue her legacy of inspiring and encouraging female entrepreneurship."

Keynote speakers for the event include Gloria Mayfield Banks, internationally renowned motivational speaker and number one U.S. ranked Mary Kay Independent Elite Executive National Sales Director, and Ingrid Vanderveldt, a tech entrepreneur, media personality and Founder and Chairman of the global movement Empowering a Billion Women by 2020. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn from more than a dozen entrepreneur experts during breakout sessions. Select participants will take part in "The Pink Tank," where entrepreneurs fast pitch their business ideas for seed funding from The DEC.

"At this inaugural Summit, Dallas' own Mary Kay will bring together some of the best minds in women's entrepreneurship to teach others how to launch, manage and grow a successful business," said Trey Bowles, co-founder and CEO of The Dallas Entrepreneur Center. "By supporting and encouraging talent, drive and the entrepreneurial spirit, Mary Kay is helping to create tomorrow's business leaders."

For more information about The Women's Entrepreneurship Summit, click here.

About Mary KayAt Mary Kay, success lies in our dedication to irresistible products, a rewarding opportunity and positive community impact. For more than 53 years, Mary Kay has inspired women to achieve their entrepreneurial goals in nearly 40 countries. As a multibillion-dollar company, we offer the latest in cutting-edge skin care, bold color cosmetics and fragrances. Discover more reasons to love Mary Kay at marykay.com.

About The Dallas Entrepreneurship CenterThe Dallas Entrepreneur Center (the DEC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which serves entrepreneurs through providing a location where they can receive training, education, mentorship, promotion and access to capital in order to encourage and equip the entrepreneurial community to start, build and grow their businesses. Facilitating a culture of entrepreneurship and giving before you get," the DEC connects new and old entrepreneurs with a vibrant, collaborative environment. The DEC currently has 6 locations across Texas with their headquarters in the historic West End Historic District and newly named Dallas Innovation District. For more information visit, thedec.co.

Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications www.marykay.com/newsroom 972.687.5332 or [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mary-kay-kicks-off-womens-entrepreneurship-summit-300397509.html

SOURCE Mary Kay
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PHI Group, a U.S. public company focusing on acquisitions and investments in special situations (www.phiglobal.com) (OTCMarkets: PHIL), has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to acquire a minimum of 51% interest in Hoang Minh Chau Hung Yen LLC, a Vietnamese company located in Chi Tan Village, Khoai Chau District, Hung Yen Province, Vietnam (HMC), that specializes in cultivating and processing of turmeric (curcuma longa).

According to the agreement, the Company will pay a combination of cash and stock in exchange for a majority interest in HMC. The acquisition is part of the Companys plan to apply the proprietary enhanced bioavailable nutrients and natural symbiotic immune system to grow organic turmeric in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam and at the same time utilize HMCs expertise and experience to grow premium organic turmeric in the U.S. for Abundant Farms, a PHI Groups agricultural subsidiary.

HMC grows turmeric and buys harvested crops from other local farmers for its turmeric processing plant. It produces turmeric powder for food, healthcare and beauty supply and also contracts with the Vietnamese Institute of Industrial Chemistry to process curcuminoids from turmeric for various usages.

According to www.webmd.com, turmeric can be used for arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), joint pain, stomach pain, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, bypass surgery, hemorrhage, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gallbladder disorders, high cholesterol, a skin condition called lichen planus, skin inflammation from radiation treatment and fatigue and a variety of other ailments.

In food and manufacturing, the essential oil of turmeric is used in perfumes. Its resin is used as a flavor and color component in foods.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-turmeric.aspx?activeingredientid=662

Dong Quang Hoang, Director of HMC stated: We look forward to working with PHI Group to utilize its enhanced bioavailable nutrients and natural symbiotic immune system to grow premium organic turmeric in Hung Yen Province to provide better quality and yields for our turmeric crops.

Henry Fahman, Chairman and CEO of PHI Group, said: Since traditional turmeric rhizomes in Chi Tan Village, Hung Yen Province are among the very best in the world in terms of size and curcumin contents, we believe PHI Groups Abundant Farms can greatly benefit from using these seed roots and HMCs expertise and experience in our turmeric farming program.

About PHI GroupFounded in 1982, PHI Group primarily focuses on acquisitions as a principal and invests in special situations in large, growing markets that may substantially enhance shareholder value.

About Hoang Minh Chau Hung Yen Co.Hoang Minh Chau Hung Yen LLC, recognized among the top 100 leading brands in Vietnam, specializes in cultivating and processing of turmeric. http://hoangminhchauhungyen.com/

Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of such forward-looking statements pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Source: PHI Group, Inc.
The logo of Barclays is seen on the top of one of its branch in Madrid, Spain, March 22, 2016. REUTERS/Sergio Perez/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays is preparing to make Dublin its EU headquarters for when Britain leaves the European Union, according to a source familiar with the matter on Thursday.

Global banks and insurers have begun signaling how they will put plans into action to cope with a "hard" exit from the European Union, after Prime Minister Theresa May said that Britain would leave the single market.

Barclays already has a small unit in Dublin with around 100 people.

"We have made clear repeatedly that we will plan for a range of Brexit contingencies, including building greater capacity into our existing operations in Dublin," a spokesman for Barclays in London told Reuters.

"Identifying available office space is a necessary and predictable part of that contingency planning process."

Bloomberg News reported that Barclays would add around 150 staff to its operations in the Irish capital.

(Reporting By Anjuli Davies; Editing by Rachel Armstrong)
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks to French journalists in Damascus, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on January 9, 2017. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday Britain was "open-minded" about the timescale for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad relinquishing power and did not rule out joining Russia in military action against Islamic State militants.

Speaking to British lawmakers, Johnson also questioned whether the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump fully understood Iranian involvement in Syria and the value of a nuclear deal struck between Tehran and world powers.

"There are no good options here (in Syria). We've been wedded for a long time to the mantra that Assad must go and we haven't been able at any stage to make that happen," Johnson told the House of Lords committee on international relations.

"If there is a possibility of an arrangement with the Russians that simultaneously allows Assad to move towards the exit and diminishes Iranian influence in the region by getting rid of Assad and allows us to join with the Russians in attacking Daesh (IS) and wiping them off the face of the earth ... then that might be a way forward."

Britain is part of the U.S.-led coalition involved in air attacks on IS in Syria and Iraq, and the government's position has been that no solution to the Syrian conflict is possible without the removal of Assad. British ministers have also been critical of Russia's military intervention in support of Assad.

"REALISTIC"

But Johnson said there was a need to be "realistic about the way the landscape has changed" and to think afresh, saying it was conceivable that Assad could stand in a future election.

"It is our view that Bashar al-Assad should go, it's been our long-standing position. But we are open-minded about how that happens and the timescale on which that happens," he said.

Johnson said the Trump administration should recognize that any deal with Russia on ending the Syrian conflict would also involve "an accommodation with Iran", another key Assad ally.

Johnson praised the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which Trump has called "the worst deal ever negotiated" and has threatened to renegotiate.

"We think that trying to improve relations with Iran through this deal, and it's a pretty cautious thing, is on the whole a good thing and we regard that as one of the achievements of the (former U.S. President Barack) Obama administration."

Johnson's comments came a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May was due to become the first leader to meet Trump following his inauguration.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Gareth Jones)
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo is to extradite nearly 200 suspected Burundian rebels, raising concerns by rights groups that they could be tortured or killed on their return to Burundi.

The 186 alleged rebels were captured near the two countries' border in 2015 and early 2016 amid violence that broke out after Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans to seek a third term, a move his opponents said violated the constitution.

"We are finalizing plans to extradite them," Congo's government spokesman Lambert Mende told Reuters.

He did not know how long the process would take.

"We cannot accept that Congo serve as a base to launch hostile actions against a member country of the ICGLR," he said, referring to regional body, the International Conference on the Great Lakes.

At least 450 people have died since 2015 in Burundi in clashes between protesters and security forces, revenge killings and a failed coup, stoking fears of wider unrest in a region still haunted by neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

U.N. experts said last year that some of the alleged rebels captured in Congo confirmed receiving military training or other support from Rwanda. Kigali has denied those charges.

The United Nations and rights groups have accused Burundian forces of committing gross human rights violations and possibly crimes against humanity, including summary executions, targeted assassinations, arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence - charges the government denies.

"These 186 presumed rebels risk being subjected to grave violations of human rights," Florent Geel, Africa director for Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), told Reuters.

"Tribunals in Burundi today are not impartial... There is a systematic practice of torture...There are extra-judicial executions," he added.

A Burundi government spokeman said he had no information on the extraditions.

(Reporting By Aaron Ross, Additional reporting by Nairobi Newsroom, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The father of a Florida man who prosecutors said operated an illegal bitcoin exchange avoided prison on Friday after pleading guilty in a case that stemmed from an investigation into a cyber breach at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had sought up to 16 months in prison for Michael Murgio, a former Palm Beach County School Board member who pleaded guilty in October to obstructing an examination of a credit union linked to the bitcoin exchange.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan instead sentenced Murgio, 66, to one year of probation, a $12,000 fine and 200 hours of community service, saying he was "far less" culpable than his co-defendants and had shown remorse.

"None of us are the worst thing we have done in life," Nathan said in court.

Prosecutors said bitcoin exchange Coin.mx was operated by one of Murgio's sons, Anthony Murgio, and was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli accused of overseeing a hacking scheme that resulted in information being stolen for more than 100 million people.

The companies that were hacked included JPMorgan, which in 2014 disclosed a breach involving records for more than 83 million accounts.

The Murgios were not charged in the hacking case.

But they and four other men were charged in connection with Coin.mx, which prosecutors said exchanged, with no license, millions of dollars into bitcoin and was run through a front called "Collectables Club."

To evade scrutiny of Florida-based Coin.mx, Anthony Murgio, 33, and others in 2014 acquired control of now-defunct Helping Other People Excel Federal Credit Union of Jackson, New Jersey, by bribing its chairman, Pastor Trevon Gross, prosecutors said.

After the National Credit Union Administration in 2014 deemed Anthony Murgio's board picks ineligible due to their residency, Michael Murgio drafted a letter falsely claiming Collectables Club was based in New Jersey, court papers said.

"I wish there was a way to take it back, but there isn't," Michael Murgio said in court on Friday.

Anthony Murgio, who cried during his father's sentencing, pleaded guilty on Jan. 9 to charges stemming from Coin.mx's operation. Gross and Yuri Lebedev, who prosecutors say worked on Coin.mx, are scheduled to face trial on Feb. 6.

Shalon, who prosecutors said was also involved in stock manipulation schemes and online gambling businesses, has pleaded not guilty.

The case is U.S. v. Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab said its fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops when the Islamist group attacked a remote military base in Somalia on Friday, while Kenya's army said nine soldiers died and 70 militants were killed.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna said that al Shabaab's fighters had attempted to attack their base in the southern town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border, but were repulsed.

A spokesman for al Shabaab, which often launches attacks on troops of the African Union's AMISOM force, said its fighters killed at least 66 Kenyans at the base. The group had said earlier it lost fighters but did not give numbers.

Njuguna said the attack was launched around dawn on Friday, when al Shabaab fighters used a vehicle packed with explosives to try to blast their way into the camp of the Kenya Defence Forces.

Al Shabaab gave a similar account of how the attack was launched. Its military operation spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, told Reuters fighters rammed two suicide car bombs into the base and seized it. "We are pursuing the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods," he said.

Al Shabaab, whose assessment of casualties often differs markedly from official versions, typically rams the entrance to a target site with a car or truck bomb so fighters can storm in.

The Islamist group has been fighting for years to impose its strict interpretation of Islam on Somalia.

It once ruled much of Somalia and wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and drive out the peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African countries.

African Union and Somali troops have pushed its fighters from major urban strongholds and ports, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas from attacks.

In January 2016, al Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers in El Adde, a Somali camp near the border with Kenya. The military did not give details of casualties in that attack, but Kenyan media reports suggested a toll of that magnitude.

Njuguna said 15 wounded soldiers were airlifted on Friday to Nairobi for treatment, and that Kenyan forces were pursuing the rest of al Shabaab's fighters.

(Additional reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Writing by Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair; Editing by George Obulutsa and Dominic Evans)
FILE PHOTO: An internally displaced Syrian boy plays with a wheel in Jrzinaz camp, in the southern part of Idlib, Syria, June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

By Tom Perry

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels urged President Donald Trump to fulfill a pledge to create safe zones in their country, but analysts doubted he would proceed with a step that could drag Washington deeper into war, hasten Syria's fragmentation and risk conflict with Russia.

Trump told ABC News on Wednesday he "will absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.

President Bashar al-Assad's opponents have long demanded safe zones to protect civilians who have fled government air strikes and bombardment of rebel-held areas.

But reflecting uncertainties about the announcement, representatives of the insurgents voiced only cautious optimism.

"We've seen no result on the ground from (U.S.) statements that were made six years ago. So therefore we await action before anything else," said Fares al-Bayoush, a rebel commander in northwestern Syria.

Qatar, which backs the rebels, welcomed Trump's comments and "emphasized the need to provide safe havens in Syria and to impose no-fly zones to ensure the safety of civilians".

There was no immediate word from Damascus, but it is sure to oppose such a move as Assad has vowed to regain control of all Syria. Iran, which backs militias in Syria including Lebanon's Hezbollah, would also oppose any U.S. intervention.

Russia said it had not been consulted on Trump's plan, warning that it should not "exacerbate the situation with refugees" and Washington should weigh up "all the consequences".

MAJOR POLICY SHIFT

The creation of safe zones would mark a major shift in U.S. policy. Former U.S. President Barack Obama resisted an idea that would require a commitment to defend such areas from the Syrian government or its foreign allies, including Russia.

Trump appears to see safe zones as a way to stem the tide of refugees which he sees as a possible threat to U.S. security.

But there are no obvious answers as to how the United States would avoid the problems that have prevented it establishing safe zones in Syria before, including the complication of policing such an area in a war zone dotted with armed groups.

"At this stage this is very much in the realm of political maneuvering," said Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow and Syria expert at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. "I don't think it is signaling imminent U.S. action."

Trump could order the State Department and Pentagon to produce a plan that would also create "safe areas" in countries surrounding Syria where millions of refugees already live.

The Syrian government hopes Trump will end U.S. support for the rebels fighting Assad and refocus U.S. policy solely on fighting Islamic State, perhaps in cooperation with Russia.

Trump has indicated he will do both.

Almost six years of war has turned Syria into a patchwork of areas, some controlled by Assad, some by rebel groups and others by Kurdish militia or Islamic State militants.

Previous discussion of safe zones in Syria has focused on rebel-held areas in the northwest stretching from Idlib province to the Euphrates river. Areas in the southwest at the border with Jordan have also been seen as a possibility.

But the complications have grown since the Syrian opposition first called for safe zones, including the deployment of Russia's air force to Syria.

Defending a safe zone from attack by the Syrian government or its Russian and Iranian-backed militia allies would inevitably lead to an escalation, which is one of the reasons Obama had avoided this path in the first place, Sayigh said.

Another big challenge would be how to police the area to maintain its neutral status as a safe zone, he added.

DO SAFE ZONES WORK?

While much of Trump's Syria policy remains unclear, Syrian Kurds, who have generally avoided conflict with Assad, look set to remain central to U.S. strategy.

The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia controls swathes of northeast Syria, where conflict with the government is rare and the U.S. air force mounts regular air strikes against IS targets.

Syrian Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria alarms Turkey, which fears it could increase separatist sentiment among its Kurdish minority. Kurdish groups already govern northern Iraq, where the establishment of a no-fly zone in 1991 helped them on their way to autonomy from Baghdad.

The YPG has links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a designated terrorist groups in Turkey.

Growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria largely explains why Turkey launched a major incursion into Syria last year, helping insurgents from the Free Syrian Army drive both Islamic State and Kurdish militia away from the border.

The operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield" has created what Turkish officials call a safe zone that is 100 km (62 miles) long. This week, a new Turkish-trained Syrian police force deployed in the town of Jarablus in that strip of territory.

Turkey, which hosts 2.8 million Syrian refugees, has long advocated safe zones in Syria.

But underlining the caution with which foreign governments are viewing Trump's comments, Turkey said it was waiting to see the outcome of a "study" requested by Trump.

Aid agencies in the region are concerned.

Karl Schembri, Regional Media Adviser in the Middle East for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that from the group's experience, "we know that militarily enforced 'safe zones' rarely work and can actually put civilians at more risk".

(Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Scores of women Congress members today staged a protest outside the BJP office here against its MP Vinay Katiyars alleged "derogatory" remarks against Priyanka Gandhi.

During the protest at Ashoka Road here, the women raised slogans against the BJP, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack Katiyar from the party. They also sought an apology from the BJP MP for his remarks.

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"PM should sack Katiyar from the BJP. Katiyar should also tender apology for his remarks against Priyanka Gandhi," said Barkhla Shukhla Singh, President of Delhi Mahila Congress.

Earlier this week, the BJP MP had stoked controversy with his remark that there were "more beautiful women star campaigners than Priyanka Gandhi" in Congress.

Police said that none of the protestors were detained. PTI BUN BSA

--- ENDS ---
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army repelled an Islamic State attack southeast of Aleppo on Thursday, after clashes temporarily cut a supply route linking the city to other government-held areas of Syria.

A Syrian military source denied earlier that the road was cut off and said there was no IS attack in the area. "On the contrary, the army is expanding its control in that area," the source said.

The Observatory, a war monitoring group based in Britain, said fighting between Syrian government forces and IS militants southeast of Aleppo had blocked the Khanaser-Ithriya road, the government's only supply route into the city.

The Syrian army and allied forces thwarted the attack and the road opened up again, the Observatory said. Islamic State militants did not make any new gains in the area, it said.

The road runs from Aleppo through the towns of Khanaser and Ithriya and links up with the cities of Hama and Homs further south.

It is the army's supply route to Aleppo city, home to around 1.5 million people, which the government and its allies took full control of in December.

(Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
A view of damage after a suicide car bomb attack on a military camp in Gao, Mali January 18, 2017 in this still image taken from video. REUTERS/via Reuters TV

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Forces from France's Operation Barkhane have arrested three people in connection with a suicide bombing in northern Mali that killed at least 77 people, Mali's Security Minister Salif Traore said on Thursday.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said five of its fighters conducted the attack on Jan. 18 on a military camp in the town of Gao that also wounded more than 100 people.

The raid showed the difficulty faced by the government and U.N. peacekeepers in combating militant Islamist groups based in the desert north of the country.

Traore gave no further details of the arrests.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, has 13,000 staff from 123 nations in Mali. France maintains a 4,000-strong parallel peacekeeping operation, "Barkhane". The European Union has 580 instructors training the Malian army.

(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Bundles of Yemeni currency are pictured at a post office before being handed to public sector employees as salaries in Sanaa, Yemen January 25, 2017. Picture taken January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

By Noah Browning

DUBAI (Reuters) - Already suffering grievously under nearly two years of civil war, many thousands of Yemeni state workers now face destitution as their salaries have gone largely unpaid for months.

The immediate reason is a decision by the internationally-recognized government to shift Yemen's central bank out of Sanaa, the capital city controlled by the armed Houthi movement with which it is at war.

Underlying the bank's move to Aden, the southern port where the government is based, is a struggle for legitimacy between the two sides. The result is to deepen economic hardship when four-fifths of Yemen's 28 million people already need some form of humanitarian aid, according to U.N. estimates.

"I sold everything I have to cover the rent and the price of the children's school and food. I have nothing left to sell," said Ashraf Abdullah, 38, a government employee in Sanaa.

"Salaries have become a playing card in the war, and no one cares about the fate of the people who die of starvation every day," the father of two told Reuters.

At least 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting while millions face poverty and starvation. Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015 to back President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthis, who are aligned to Riyadh's regional rival Iran, pushed him out of Sanaa.

The administration in Aden says it had to move the bank in August because the Houthis had looted the funds to pay soldiers and fighters waging war against it - a charge the group denies.

It has promised to pay salaries to public servants even in the main population centers which are mostly in Houthi hands. Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher said it had sent off a payment on Wednesday but banking sources say this covers only December, and four months of wages remain unpaid for most employees.

The crisis has affected tens of thousands of employees in Sanaa alone, a source in the Civil Services ministry said.

It is unclear how many of the 250,000 employees registered nationwide before the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 have received incomplete salaries - as a large proportion in government-held areas have been paid.

Nor is the number of public workers appointed by the Houthis after their rise to power, estimated in the tens of thousands.

The government denies it is trying to undermine support for the Houthis - whom it calls "coup militia" - by impoverishing state workers living under their rule. Instead, it accuses the Houthis of obstructing the payments and insists they be the ones to disburse the funds.

"The coup militia ... (is) refusing to hand over lists of employees' salaries in institutions and government agencies in the capital Sanaa and the provinces they control," government news agency SABA quoted an official as saying.

(For a graphic on battle for control in Yemen, click http://tmsnrt.rs/2jV4tDI)

NATIONAL AUTHORITY

While the Houthis still control the main towns and cities in the north and west, they have steadily lost ground to government troops backed up by thousands of Gulf Arab air strikes.

Still, the government struggles to extend its influence over the land it nominally rules. It also faces a southern secessionist movement, restive tribes and Islamic militants, while many services such as electricity and water are scarce.

In the struggle for legitimacy, both sides appear keen to deprive the other of any mantle of truly national authority which paying salaries across the battle lines would confer.

Current and retired soldiers demanding their dues have even regularly demonstrated in Aden's streets in recent days, suggesting the non-payments may not be strictly political.

Diplomats and analysts worry about the consequences of transferring the bank away from its veteran staff in Sanaa.

"The new central bank in Aden remains unequipped - on the basis of manpower alone - to handle the duties that its predecessor institution did," said Adam Baron, a Yemen expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The new bank denies this and says it is committed to working impartially and overcoming wartime confusion to do its job.

Meanwhile, many Yemenis can no longer wait for a solution.

"This is our fifth month without a salary, and we live by borrowing from the corner store, but now they are refusing to give us anything are calling in their debt, said Abdullah Ahmed, 50, a soldier in the interior ministry. "The landlord is demanding rent for the apartment ... we're dying, not living. Every door is being closed in our faces."

(Editing by Tom Finn and David Stamp)
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028 C042700 23162 028 D012700 9535 028 D022700 0 028 D032700 0 028 D042700 32120 028 E012700 1749 028 E022700 0 028 E032700 0 028 E042700 29459 028 F012700 3495 028 F022700 0 028 F032700 0 028 F042700 12194 028 G012700 39243 028 G022700 0 028 G032700 0 028 G042700 247147 028 H002700 0 028 A012900 321 028 A022900 0 028 A032900 0 028 A042900 498 028 B012900 20 028 B022900 0 028 B032900 0 028 B042900 1394 028 C012900 57 028 C022900 0 028 C032900 0 028 C042900 1245 028 D012900 310 028 D022900 0 028 D032900 0 028 D042900 3901 028 E012900 387 028 E022900 0 028 E032900 0 028 E042900 1238 PAGE 17 028 F012900 490 028 F022900 0 028 F032900 0 028 F042900 4078 028 G012900 1585 028 G022900 0 028 G032900 0 028 G042900 12354 028 H002900 0 029 00AA00 N 030 A00AA00 0 030 B00AA00 0.00 030 C00AA00 0.00 031 A00AA00 0 031 B00AA00 0 032 00AA00 0 033 00AA00 0 034 00AA00 N 035 00AA00 0 036 B00AA00 0 037 00AA00 N 038 00AA00 0 039 00AA00 N 040 00AA00 N 042 A00AA00 0 042 B00AA00 0 042 C00AA00 0 042 D00AA00 0 042 E00AA00 0 042 F00AA00 0 042 G00AA00 0 042 H00AA00 0 043 00AA00 0 044 00AA00 0 045 000100 Y 045 000300 Y 045 000600 Y 045 000700 Y 045 000800 Y 045 001000 Y 045 001800 Y 045 002000 Y 045 002100 Y 045 002200 Y 045 002300 Y 045 002700 Y 045 002900 Y 046 000100 N 046 000300 N 046 000600 N 046 000700 N PAGE 18 046 000800 N 046 001000 N 046 001800 N 046 002000 N 046 002100 N 046 002200 N 046 002300 Y 046 002700 N 046 002900 N 047 000100 Y 047 000300 Y 047 000600 Y 047 000700 Y 047 000800 Y 047 001000 Y 047 001800 Y 047 002000 Y 047 002100 Y 047 002200 Y 047 002300 Y 047 002700 Y 047 002900 Y 048 000100 0.000 048 A010100 500000 048 A020100 0.400 048 B010100 500000 048 B020100 0.375 048 C010100 2000000 048 C020100 0.350 048 D010100 2000000 048 D020100 0.325 048 E010100 0 048 E020100 0.000 048 F010100 0 048 F020100 0.000 048 G010100 0 048 G020100 0.000 048 H010100 0 048 H020100 0.000 048 I010100 0 048 I020100 0.000 048 J010100 0 048 J020100 0.000 048 K010100 5000000 048 K020100 0.300 048 000300 0.000 048 A010300 1000000 048 A020300 0.300 048 B010300 4000000 048 B020300 0.275 048 C010300 3000000 PAGE 19 048 C020300 0.250 048 D010300 0 048 D020300 0.000 048 E010300 0 048 E020300 0.000 048 F010300 0 048 F020300 0.000 048 G010300 0 048 G020300 0.000 048 H010300 0 048 H020300 0.000 048 I010300 0 048 I020300 0.000 048 J010300 0 048 J020300 0.000 048 K010300 8000000 048 K020300 0.225 048 000600 0.000 048 A010600 500000 048 A020600 0.100 048 B010600 500000 048 B020600 0.100 048 C010600 2000000 048 C020600 0.075 048 D010600 2000000 048 D020600 0.075 048 E010600 0 048 E020600 0.000 048 F010600 0 048 F020600 0.000 048 G010600 0 048 G020600 0.000 048 H010600 0 048 H020600 0.000 048 I010600 0 048 I020600 0.000 048 J010600 0 048 J020600 0.000 048 K010600 5000000 048 K020600 0.050 048 000700 0.000 048 A010700 500000 048 A020700 0.800 048 B010700 500000 048 B020700 0.775 048 C010700 1000000 048 C020700 0.750 048 D010700 1000000 048 D020700 0.725 048 E010700 1000000 048 E020700 0.700 PAGE 20 048 F010700 0 048 F020700 0.000 048 G010700 0 048 G020700 0.000 048 H010700 0 048 H020700 0.000 048 I010700 0 048 I020700 0.000 048 J010700 0 048 J020700 0.000 048 K010700 4000000 048 K020700 0.680 048 000800 0.000 048 A010800 500000 048 A020800 0.800 048 B010800 500000 048 B020800 0.775 048 C010800 1000000 048 C020800 0.750 048 D010800 1000000 048 D020800 0.725 048 E010800 1000000 048 E020800 0.700 048 F010800 0 048 F020800 0.000 048 G010800 0 048 G020800 0.000 048 H010800 0 048 H020800 0.000 048 I010800 0 048 I020800 0.000 048 J010800 0 048 J020800 0.000 048 K010800 4000000 048 K020800 0.680 048 001000 0.000 048 A011000 500000 048 A021000 0.650 048 B011000 500000 048 B021000 0.625 048 C011000 1000000 048 C021000 0.600 048 D011000 2000000 048 D021000 0.575 048 E011000 4000000 048 E021000 0.550 048 F011000 4000000 048 F021000 0.525 048 G011000 4000000 048 G021000 0.500 048 H011000 0 PAGE 21 048 H021000 0.000 048 I011000 0 048 I021000 0.000 048 J011000 0 048 J021000 0.000 048 K011000 16000000 048 K021000 0.475 048 001800 0.000 048 A011800 500000 048 A021800 0.800 048 B011800 500000 048 B021800 0.750 048 C011800 1000000 048 C021800 0.700 048 D011800 2000000 048 D021800 0.675 048 E011800 0 048 E021800 0.000 048 F011800 0 048 F021800 0.000 048 G011800 0 048 G021800 0.000 048 H011800 0 048 H021800 0.000 048 I011800 0 048 I021800 0.000 048 J011800 0 048 J021800 0.000 048 K011800 4000000 048 K021800 0.650 048 002000 0.000 048 A012000 500000 048 A022000 0.800 048 B012000 500000 048 B022000 0.750 048 C012000 1000000 048 C022000 0.700 048 D012000 2000000 048 D022000 0.675 048 E012000 0 048 E022000 0.000 048 F012000 0 048 F022000 0.000 048 G012000 0 048 G022000 0.000 048 H012000 0 048 H022000 0.000 048 I012000 0 048 I022000 0.000 048 J012000 0 048 J022000 0.000 PAGE 22 048 K012000 4000000 048 K022000 0.650 048 002100 0.000 048 A012100 500000 048 A022100 0.650 048 B012100 500000 048 B022100 0.625 048 C012100 1000000 048 C022100 0.600 048 D012100 2000000 048 D022100 0.575 048 E012100 4000000 048 E022100 0.550 048 F012100 4000000 048 F022100 0.525 048 G012100 4000000 048 G022100 0.500 048 H012100 0 048 H022100 0.000 048 I012100 0 048 I022100 0.000 048 J012100 0 048 J022100 0.000 048 K012100 16000000 048 K022100 0.475 048 002200 0.000 048 A012200 500000 048 A022200 0.400 048 B012200 500000 048 B022200 0.375 048 C012200 2000000 048 C022200 0.350 048 D012200 2000000 048 D022200 0.325 048 E012200 0 048 E022200 0.000 048 F012200 0 048 F022200 0.000 048 G012200 0 048 G022200 0.000 048 H012200 0 048 H022200 0.000 048 I012200 0 048 I022200 0.000 048 J012200 0 048 J022200 0.000 048 K012200 5000000 048 K022200 0.300 048 002300 0.000 048 A012300 500000 048 A022300 0.400 PAGE 23 048 B012300 500000 048 B022300 0.375 048 C012300 2000000 048 C022300 0.350 048 D012300 2000000 048 D022300 0.325 048 E012300 0 048 E022300 0.000 048 F012300 0 048 F022300 0.000 048 G012300 0 048 G022300 0.000 048 H012300 0 048 H022300 0.000 048 I012300 0 048 I022300 0.000 048 J012300 0 048 J022300 0.000 048 K012300 5000000 048 K022300 0.300 048 002700 0.000 048 A012700 500000 048 A022700 0.800 048 B012700 500000 048 B022700 0.775 048 C012700 1000000 048 C022700 0.750 048 D012700 1000000 048 D022700 0.725 048 E012700 1000000 048 E022700 0.700 048 F012700 0 048 F022700 0.000 048 G012700 0 048 G022700 0.000 048 H012700 0 048 H022700 0.000 048 I012700 0 048 I022700 0.000 048 J012700 0 048 J022700 0.000 048 K012700 4000000 048 K022700 0.680 048 002900 0.000 048 A012900 500000 048 A022900 0.650 048 B012900 500000 048 B022900 0.625 048 C012900 1000000 048 C022900 0.600 048 D012900 2000000 PAGE 24 048 D022900 0.575 048 E012900 4000000 048 E022900 0.550 048 F012900 4000000 048 F022900 0.525 048 G012900 4000000 048 G022900 0.500 048 H012900 0 048 H022900 0.000 048 I012900 0 048 I022900 0.000 048 J012900 0 048 J022900 0.000 048 K012900 16000000 048 K022900 0.475 049 00AA00 N 050 00AA00 N 051 00AA00 N 052 00AA00 N 053 A00AA00 Y 053 B00AA00 Y 053 C00AA00 N 054 A00AA00 Y 054 B00AA00 Y 054 C00AA00 N 054 D00AA00 N 054 E00AA00 N 054 F00AA00 N 054 G00AA00 Y 054 H00AA00 N 054 I00AA00 N 054 J00AA00 Y 054 K00AA00 N 054 L00AA00 N 054 M00AA00 Y 054 N00AA00 N 054 O00AA00 Y 055 A000100 N 055 B000100 N 055 A000300 N 055 B000300 N 055 A000600 N 055 B000600 N 055 A000700 N 055 B000700 N 055 A000800 N 055 B000800 N 055 A001000 N 055 B001000 N 055 A001800 N 055 B001800 N PAGE 25 055 A002000 N 055 B002000 N 055 A002100 N 055 B002100 N 055 A002200 N 055 B002200 N 055 A002300 N 055 B002300 N 055 A002700 N 055 B002700 N 055 A002900 N 055 B002900 N 056 000100 Y 056 000300 Y 056 000600 Y 056 000700 Y 056 000800 Y 056 001000 Y 056 001800 Y 056 002000 Y 056 002100 Y 056 002200 Y 056 002300 Y 056 002700 Y 056 002900 Y 057 000100 N 057 000300 N 057 000600 N 057 000700 N 057 000800 N 057 001000 N 057 001800 N 057 002000 N 057 002100 N 057 002200 N 057 002300 N 057 002700 N 057 002900 N 058 A00AA00 N 059 00AA00 Y 060 A00AA00 Y 060 B00AA00 Y 061 00AA00 1000 062 A000100 Y 062 B000100 0.0 062 C000100 0.0 062 D000100 0.0 062 E000100 0.0 062 F000100 0.0 062 G000100 0.0 062 H000100 0.0 PAGE 26 062 I000100 0.0 062 J000100 0.0 062 K000100 0.0 062 L000100 4.1 062 M000100 1.8 062 N000100 33.0 062 O000100 8.0 062 P000100 40.8 062 Q000100 12.9 062 R000100 -0.6 062 A000300 Y 062 B000300 0.0 062 C000300 0.0 062 D000300 0.0 062 E000300 0.0 062 F000300 0.0 062 G000300 0.0 062 H000300 0.0 062 I000300 0.0 062 J000300 0.0 062 K000300 0.0 062 L000300 3.3 062 M000300 6.7 062 N000300 22.7 062 O000300 0.5 062 P000300 61.6 062 Q000300 4.9 062 R000300 0.3 062 A000600 N 062 B000600 0.0 062 C000600 0.0 062 D000600 0.0 062 E000600 0.0 062 F000600 0.0 062 G000600 0.0 062 H000600 0.0 062 I000600 0.0 062 J000600 0.0 062 K000600 0.0 062 L000600 0.0 062 M000600 0.0 062 N000600 0.0 062 O000600 0.0 062 P000600 0.0 062 Q000600 0.0 062 R000600 0.0 062 A000700 N 062 B000700 0.0 062 C000700 0.0 062 D000700 0.0 062 E000700 0.0 PAGE 27 062 F000700 0.0 062 G000700 0.0 062 H000700 0.0 062 I000700 0.0 062 J000700 0.0 062 K000700 0.0 062 L000700 0.0 062 M000700 0.0 062 N000700 0.0 062 O000700 0.0 062 P000700 0.0 062 Q000700 0.0 062 R000700 0.0 062 A000800 N 062 B000800 0.0 062 C000800 0.0 062 D000800 0.0 062 E000800 0.0 062 F000800 0.0 062 G000800 0.0 062 H000800 0.0 062 I000800 0.0 062 J000800 0.0 062 K000800 0.0 062 L000800 0.0 062 M000800 0.0 062 N000800 0.0 062 O000800 0.0 062 P000800 0.0 062 Q000800 0.0 062 R000800 0.0 062 A001000 N 062 B001000 0.0 062 C001000 0.0 062 D001000 0.0 062 E001000 0.0 062 F001000 0.0 062 G001000 0.0 062 H001000 0.0 062 I001000 0.0 062 J001000 0.0 062 K001000 0.0 062 L001000 0.0 062 M001000 0.0 062 N001000 0.0 062 O001000 0.0 062 P001000 0.0 062 Q001000 0.0 062 R001000 0.0 062 A001800 N 062 B001800 0.0 PAGE 28 062 C001800 0.0 062 D001800 0.0 062 E001800 0.0 062 F001800 0.0 062 G001800 0.0 062 H001800 0.0 062 I001800 0.0 062 J001800 0.0 062 K001800 0.0 062 L001800 0.0 062 M001800 0.0 062 N001800 0.0 062 O001800 0.0 062 P001800 0.0 062 Q001800 0.0 062 R001800 0.0 062 A002000 N 062 B002000 0.0 062 C002000 0.0 062 D002000 0.0 062 E002000 0.0 062 F002000 0.0 062 G002000 0.0 062 H002000 0.0 062 I002000 0.0 062 J002000 0.0 062 K002000 0.0 062 L002000 0.0 062 M002000 0.0 062 N002000 0.0 062 O002000 0.0 062 P002000 0.0 062 Q002000 0.0 062 R002000 0.0 062 A002100 N 062 B002100 0.0 062 C002100 0.0 062 D002100 0.0 062 E002100 0.0 062 F002100 0.0 062 G002100 0.0 062 H002100 0.0 062 I002100 0.0 062 J002100 0.0 062 K002100 0.0 062 L002100 0.0 062 M002100 0.0 062 N002100 0.0 062 O002100 0.0 062 P002100 0.0 062 Q002100 0.0 PAGE 29 062 R002100 0.0 062 A002200 Y 062 B002200 0.0 062 C002200 0.0 062 D002200 0.0 062 E002200 0.0 062 F002200 0.0 062 G002200 0.0 062 H002200 0.0 062 I002200 0.0 062 J002200 0.0 062 K002200 0.0 062 L002200 5.8 062 M002200 66.6 062 N002200 0.0 062 O002200 0.0 062 P002200 10.9 062 Q002200 17.4 062 R002200 -0.7 062 A002300 Y 062 B002300 0.0 062 C002300 0.0 062 D002300 0.0 062 E002300 0.0 062 F002300 0.0 062 G002300 0.0 062 H002300 0.0 062 I002300 0.0 062 J002300 0.0 062 K002300 0.0 062 L002300 7.1 062 M002300 34.7 062 N002300 27.6 062 O002300 0.8 062 P002300 37.0 062 Q002300 7.0 062 R002300 -14.2 062 A002700 N 062 B002700 0.0 062 C002700 0.0 062 D002700 0.0 062 E002700 0.0 062 F002700 0.0 062 G002700 0.0 062 H002700 0.0 062 I002700 0.0 062 J002700 0.0 062 K002700 0.0 062 L002700 0.0 062 M002700 0.0 062 N002700 0.0 PAGE 30 062 O002700 0.0 062 P002700 0.0 062 Q002700 0.0 062 R002700 0.0 062 A002900 N 062 B002900 0.0 062 C002900 0.0 062 D002900 0.0 062 E002900 0.0 062 F002900 0.0 062 G002900 0.0 062 H002900 0.0 062 I002900 0.0 062 J002900 0.0 062 K002900 0.0 062 L002900 0.0 062 M002900 0.0 062 N002900 0.0 062 O002900 0.0 062 P002900 0.0 062 Q002900 0.0 062 R002900 0.0 063 A000100 0 063 B000100 7.5 063 A000300 0 063 B000300 1.0 063 A000600 0 063 B000600 0.0 063 A000700 0 063 B000700 0.0 063 A000800 0 063 B000800 0.0 063 A001000 0 063 B001000 0.0 063 A001800 0 063 B001800 0.0 063 A002000 0 063 B002000 0.0 063 A002100 0 063 B002100 0.0 063 A002200 0 063 B002200 7.1 063 A002300 0 063 B002300 7.8 063 A002700 0 063 B002700 0.0 063 A002900 0 063 B002900 0.0 064 A000100 N 064 B000100 Y 064 A000300 N PAGE 31 064 B000300 N 064 A002200 N 064 B002200 N 064 A002300 N 064 B002300 N 065 000100 N 066 A000100 N 066 A000300 N 066 A000600 Y 066 B000600 N 066 C000600 N 066 D000600 N 066 E000600 N 066 F000600 N 066 G000600 Y 066 A000700 Y 066 B000700 N 066 C000700 Y 066 D000700 N 066 E000700 N 066 F000700 N 066 G000700 N 066 A000800 Y 066 B000800 N 066 C000800 Y 066 D000800 N 066 E000800 N 066 F000800 N 066 G000800 N 066 A001000 Y 066 B001000 N 066 C001000 Y 066 D001000 N 066 E001000 N 066 F001000 N 066 G001000 N 066 A001800 Y 066 B001800 N 066 C001800 Y 066 D001800 N 066 E001800 N 066 F001800 N 066 G001800 N 066 A002000 Y 066 B002000 N 066 C002000 Y 066 D002000 N 066 E002000 N 066 F002000 N 066 G002000 N 066 A002100 Y PAGE 32 066 B002100 N 066 C002100 N 066 D002100 N 066 E002100 N 066 F002100 N 066 G002100 Y 066 A002200 N 066 A002300 N 066 A002700 Y 066 B002700 N 066 C002700 Y 066 D002700 N 066 E002700 N 066 F002700 N 066 G002700 N 066 A002900 Y 066 B002900 N 066 C002900 Y 066 D002900 N 066 E002900 N 066 F002900 N 066 G002900 N 067 000100 N 067 000300 N 067 000600 N 067 000700 N 067 000800 N 067 001000 N 067 001800 N 067 002000 N 067 002100 N 067 002200 N 067 002300 N 067 002700 N 067 002900 N 068 A000100 N 068 B000100 N 068 A000300 N 068 B000300 N 068 A000600 N 068 B000600 N 068 A000700 N 068 B000700 N 068 A000800 N 068 B000800 N 068 A001000 N 068 B001000 N 068 A001800 N 068 B001800 Y 068 A002000 N 068 B002000 Y PAGE 33 068 A002100 N 068 B002100 N 068 A002200 N 068 B002200 N 068 A002300 N 068 B002300 N 068 A002700 N 068 B002700 N 068 A002900 N 068 B002900 N 069 000100 N 069 000300 N 069 000600 Y 069 000700 N 069 000800 N 069 001000 N 069 001800 N 069 002000 N 069 002100 N 069 002200 N 069 002300 N 069 002700 N 069 002900 N 070 A010100 Y 070 A020100 N 070 B010100 Y 070 B020100 N 070 C010100 Y 070 C020100 N 070 D010100 Y 070 D020100 N 070 E010100 Y 070 E020100 N 070 F010100 Y 070 F020100 N 070 G010100 Y 070 G020100 N 070 H010100 Y 070 H020100 N 070 I010100 Y 070 I020100 N 070 J010100 Y 070 J020100 Y 070 K010100 Y 070 K020100 Y 070 L010100 Y 070 L020100 N 070 M010100 Y 070 M020100 N 070 N010100 Y 070 N020100 Y PAGE 34 070 O010100 Y 070 O020100 N 070 P010100 Y 070 P020100 N 070 Q010100 N 070 Q020100 N 070 R010100 Y 070 R020100 N 070 A010300 Y 070 A020300 N 070 B010300 Y 070 B020300 N 070 C010300 Y 070 C020300 N 070 D010300 Y 070 D020300 N 070 E010300 Y 070 E020300 N 070 F010300 Y 070 F020300 N 070 G010300 Y 070 G020300 N 070 H010300 Y 070 H020300 N 070 I010300 Y 070 I020300 N 070 J010300 Y 070 J020300 Y 070 K010300 Y 070 K020300 Y 070 L010300 Y 070 L020300 Y 070 M010300 Y 070 M020300 N 070 N010300 Y 070 N020300 Y 070 O010300 Y 070 O020300 N 070 P010300 Y 070 P020300 N 070 Q010300 N 070 Q020300 N 070 R010300 Y 070 R020300 N 070 A010600 Y 070 A020600 N 070 B010600 Y 070 B020600 N 070 C010600 Y 070 C020600 N 070 D010600 Y PAGE 35 070 D020600 N 070 E010600 Y 070 E020600 N 070 F010600 Y 070 F020600 Y 070 G010600 Y 070 G020600 N 070 H010600 Y 070 H020600 N 070 I010600 Y 070 I020600 N 070 J010600 Y 070 J020600 N 070 K010600 Y 070 K020600 Y 070 L010600 Y 070 L020600 N 070 M010600 Y 070 M020600 N 070 N010600 Y 070 N020600 Y 070 O010600 Y 070 O020600 N 070 P010600 Y 070 P020600 N 070 Q010600 N 070 Q020600 N 070 R010600 Y 070 R020600 N 070 A010700 Y 070 A020700 N 070 B010700 Y 070 B020700 N 070 C010700 Y 070 C020700 N 070 D010700 Y 070 D020700 N 070 E010700 Y 070 E020700 N 070 F010700 Y 070 F020700 N 070 G010700 Y 070 G020700 N 070 H010700 Y 070 H020700 N 070 I010700 Y 070 I020700 N 070 J010700 Y 070 J020700 N 070 K010700 Y 070 K020700 Y PAGE 36 070 L010700 Y 070 L020700 N 070 M010700 Y 070 M020700 N 070 N010700 Y 070 N020700 Y 070 O010700 Y 070 O020700 N 070 P010700 Y 070 P020700 N 070 Q010700 N 070 Q020700 N 070 R010700 Y 070 R020700 N 070 A010800 Y 070 A020800 N 070 B010800 Y 070 B020800 N 070 C010800 Y 070 C020800 N 070 D010800 Y 070 D020800 N 070 E010800 Y 070 E020800 N 070 F010800 Y 070 F020800 N 070 G010800 Y 070 G020800 N 070 H010800 Y 070 H020800 N 070 I010800 Y 070 I020800 N 070 J010800 Y 070 J020800 Y 070 K010800 Y 070 K020800 Y 070 L010800 Y 070 L020800 Y 070 M010800 Y 070 M020800 N 070 N010800 Y 070 N020800 Y 070 O010800 Y 070 O020800 N 070 P010800 Y 070 P020800 N 070 Q010800 N 070 Q020800 N 070 R010800 Y 070 R020800 N 070 A011000 Y PAGE 37 070 A021000 N 070 B011000 Y 070 B021000 N 070 C011000 Y 070 C021000 N 070 D011000 Y 070 D021000 N 070 E011000 Y 070 E021000 N 070 F011000 Y 070 F021000 Y 070 G011000 Y 070 G021000 N 070 H011000 Y 070 H021000 N 070 I011000 Y 070 I021000 N 070 J011000 Y 070 J021000 N 070 K011000 Y 070 K021000 Y 070 L011000 Y 070 L021000 N 070 M011000 Y 070 M021000 N 070 N011000 Y 070 N021000 Y 070 O011000 Y 070 O021000 N 070 P011000 Y 070 P021000 N 070 Q011000 N 070 Q021000 N 070 R011000 Y 070 R021000 N 070 A011800 Y 070 A021800 N 070 B011800 Y 070 B021800 N 070 C011800 Y 070 C021800 N 070 D011800 Y 070 D021800 N 070 E011800 Y 070 E021800 N 070 F011800 Y 070 F021800 N 070 G011800 Y 070 G021800 N 070 H011800 Y 070 H021800 N PAGE 38 070 I011800 Y 070 I021800 N 070 J011800 Y 070 J021800 N 070 K011800 Y 070 K021800 Y 070 L011800 Y 070 L021800 Y 070 M011800 Y 070 M021800 Y 070 N011800 Y 070 N021800 Y 070 O011800 Y 070 O021800 N 070 P011800 Y 070 P021800 N 070 Q011800 N 070 Q021800 N 070 R011800 Y 070 R021800 N 070 A012000 Y 070 A022000 N 070 B012000 Y 070 B022000 N 070 C012000 Y 070 C022000 N 070 D012000 Y 070 D022000 N 070 E012000 Y 070 E022000 N 070 F012000 Y 070 F022000 N 070 G012000 Y 070 G022000 N 070 H012000 Y 070 H022000 N 070 I012000 Y 070 I022000 N 070 J012000 Y 070 J022000 N 070 K012000 Y 070 K022000 Y 070 L012000 Y 070 L022000 Y 070 M012000 Y 070 M022000 Y 070 N012000 Y 070 N022000 Y 070 O012000 Y 070 O022000 N 070 P012000 Y PAGE 39 070 P022000 N 070 Q012000 N 070 Q022000 N 070 R012000 Y 070 R022000 N 070 A012100 Y 070 A022100 N 070 B012100 Y 070 B022100 N 070 C012100 Y 070 C022100 N 070 D012100 Y 070 D022100 N 070 E012100 Y 070 E022100 N 070 F012100 Y 070 F022100 N 070 G012100 Y 070 G022100 N 070 H012100 Y 070 H022100 N 070 I012100 Y 070 I022100 N 070 J012100 Y 070 J022100 Y 070 K012100 Y 070 K022100 Y 070 L012100 Y 070 L022100 N 070 M012100 Y 070 M022100 N 070 N012100 Y 070 N022100 N 070 O012100 Y 070 O022100 N 070 P012100 Y 070 P022100 N 070 Q012100 N 070 Q022100 N 070 R012100 Y 070 R022100 N 070 A012200 Y 070 A022200 N 070 B012200 Y 070 B022200 N 070 C012200 Y 070 C022200 N 070 D012200 Y 070 D022200 N 070 E012200 Y 070 E022200 Y PAGE 40 070 F012200 Y 070 F022200 N 070 G012200 Y 070 G022200 N 070 H012200 Y 070 H022200 N 070 I012200 Y 070 I022200 N 070 J012200 Y 070 J022200 Y 070 K012200 Y 070 K022200 Y 070 L012200 Y 070 L022200 Y 070 M012200 Y 070 M022200 N 070 N012200 Y 070 N022200 Y 070 O012200 Y 070 O022200 N 070 P012200 Y 070 P022200 N 070 Q012200 N 070 Q022200 N 070 R012200 Y 070 R022200 N 070 A012300 Y 070 A022300 N 070 B012300 Y 070 B022300 N 070 C012300 Y 070 C022300 N 070 D012300 Y 070 D022300 N 070 E012300 Y 070 E022300 N 070 F012300 Y 070 F022300 N 070 G012300 Y 070 G022300 N 070 H012300 Y 070 H022300 N 070 I012300 Y 070 I022300 N 070 J012300 Y 070 J022300 Y 070 K012300 Y 070 K022300 Y 070 L012300 Y 070 L022300 Y 070 M012300 Y PAGE 41 070 M022300 N 070 N012300 Y 070 N022300 Y 070 O012300 Y 070 O022300 N 070 P012300 Y 070 P022300 N 070 Q012300 N 070 Q022300 N 070 R012300 Y 070 R022300 N 070 A012700 Y 070 A022700 N 070 B012700 Y 070 B022700 N 070 C012700 Y 070 C022700 N 070 D012700 Y 070 D022700 N 070 E012700 Y 070 E022700 N 070 F012700 Y 070 F022700 N 070 G012700 Y 070 G022700 N 070 H012700 Y 070 H022700 N 070 I012700 Y 070 I022700 N 070 J012700 Y 070 J022700 N 070 K012700 Y 070 K022700 Y 070 L012700 Y 070 L022700 Y 070 M012700 Y 070 M022700 N 070 N012700 Y 070 N022700 Y 070 O012700 Y 070 O022700 N 070 P012700 Y 070 P022700 N 070 Q012700 N 070 Q022700 N 070 R012700 Y 070 R022700 N 070 A012900 Y 070 A022900 N 070 B012900 Y 070 B022900 N PAGE 42 070 C012900 Y 070 C022900 N 070 D012900 Y 070 D022900 N 070 E012900 Y 070 E022900 N 070 F012900 Y 070 F022900 N 070 G012900 Y 070 G022900 N 070 H012900 Y 070 H022900 N 070 I012900 Y 070 I022900 N 070 J012900 Y 070 J022900 N 070 K012900 Y 070 K022900 Y 070 L012900 Y 070 L022900 Y 070 M012900 Y 070 M022900 N 070 N012900 Y 070 N022900 Y 070 O012900 Y 070 O022900 N 070 P012900 Y 070 P022900 N 070 Q012900 N 070 Q022900 N 070 R012900 Y 070 R022900 N 071 A000100 20732 071 B000100 26311 071 C000100 121515 071 D000100 17 071 A000300 7300 071 B000300 6981 071 C000300 28919 071 D000300 24 071 A000600 105617 071 B000600 342201 071 C000600 2253797 071 D000600 5 071 A000700 789709 071 B000700 467420 071 C000700 1338671 071 D000700 35 071 A000800 115642 071 B000800 128449 071 C000800 212044 PAGE 43 071 D000800 55 071 A001000 25686 071 B001000 29271 071 C001000 76912 071 D001000 33 071 A001800 118693 071 B001800 74418 071 C001800 492866 071 D001800 15 071 A002000 86810 071 B002000 82465 071 C002000 139742 071 D002000 59 071 A002100 138248 071 B002100 98309 071 C002100 311465 071 D002100 32 071 A002200 15426 071 B002200 6445 071 C002200 67417 071 D002200 10 071 A002300 14519064 071 B002300 13004706 071 C002300 5157074 071 D002300 252 071 A002700 423646 071 B002700 445339 071 C002700 853116 071 D002700 50 071 A002900 39874 071 B002900 48379 071 C002900 111616 071 D002900 36 072 A000100 6 072 B000100 2054 072 C000100 0 072 D000100 0 072 E000100 8 072 F000100 250 072 G000100 0 072 H000100 0 072 I000100 0 072 J000100 9 072 K000100 0 072 L000100 1 072 M000100 8 072 N000100 0 072 O000100 0 072 P000100 0 072 Q000100 0 072 R000100 29 PAGE 44 072 S000100 0 072 T000100 0 072 U000100 0 072 V000100 0 072 W000100 4 072 X000100 301 072 Y000100 57 072 Z000100 1818 072AA000100 392 072BB000100 0 072CC010100 0 072CC020100 1943 072DD010100 0 072DD020100 0 072EE000100 0 072 A000300 6 072 B000300 257 072 C000300 1 072 D000300 0 072 E000300 0 072 F000300 45 072 G000300 0 072 H000300 0 072 I000300 0 072 J000300 5 072 K000300 0 072 L000300 0 072 M000300 12 072 N000300 0 072 O000300 0 072 P000300 0 072 Q000300 0 072 R000300 30 072 S000300 0 072 T000300 0 072 U000300 0 072 V000300 0 072 W000300 2 072 X000300 95 072 Y000300 34 072 Z000300 197 072AA000300 11 072BB000300 0 072CC010300 0 072CC020300 119 072DD010300 0 072DD020300 0 072EE000300 0 072 A000600 6 072 B000600 2 072 C000600 25678 PAGE 45 072 D000600 0 072 E000600 75 072 F000600 987 072 G000600 0 072 H000600 0 072 I000600 0 072 J000600 71 072 K000600 0 072 L000600 4 072 M000600 5 072 N000600 0 072 O000600 0 072 P000600 0 072 Q000600 0 072 R000600 30 072 S000600 0 072 T000600 0 072 U000600 0 072 V000600 0 072 W000600 15 072 X000600 1112 072 Y000600 0 072 Z000600 24643 072AA000600 119108 072BB000600 0 072CC010600 0 072CC020600 11319 072DD010600 0 072DD020600 0 072EE000600 0 072 A000700 6 072 B000700 0 072 C000700 3367 072 D000700 0 072 E000700 1426 072 F000700 5256 072 G000700 0 072 H000700 0 072 I000700 0 072 J000700 40 072 K000700 0 072 L000700 1 072 M000700 6 072 N000700 0 072 O000700 0 072 P000700 0 072 Q000700 0 072 R000700 24 072 S000700 0 072 T000700 0 072 U000700 0 PAGE 46 072 V000700 0 072 W000700 13 072 X000700 5340 072 Y000700 0 072 Z000700 -547 072AA000700 7468 072BB000700 0 072CC010700 136433 072CC020700 0 072DD010700 0 072DD020700 0 072EE000700 0 072 A000800 6 072 B000800 0 072 C000800 1744 072 D000800 0 072 E000800 68 072 F000800 870 072 G000800 0 072 H000800 0 072 I000800 0 072 J000800 12 072 K000800 0 072 L000800 1 072 M000800 6 072 N000800 0 072 O000800 0 072 P000800 0 072 Q000800 0 072 R000800 23 072 S000800 0 072 T000800 0 072 U000800 0 072 V000800 0 072 W000800 5 072 X000800 917 072 Y000800 0 072 Z000800 895 072AA000800 14767 072BB000800 0 072CC010800 16403 072CC020800 0 072DD010800 0 072DD020800 0 072EE000800 0 072 A001000 6 072 B001000 0 072 C001000 819 072 D001000 0 072 E001000 8 072 F001000 253 PAGE 47 072 G001000 0 072 H001000 0 072 I001000 0 072 J001000 5 072 K001000 0 072 L001000 0 072 M001000 11 072 N001000 0 072 O001000 0 072 P001000 0 072 Q001000 0 072 R001000 25 072 S001000 0 072 T001000 0 072 U001000 0 072 V001000 0 072 W001000 7 072 X001000 301 072 Y001000 13 072 Z001000 539 072AA001000 2025 072BB001000 0 072CC011000 2642 072CC021000 0 072DD011000 0 072DD021000 0 072EE001000 0 072 A001800 6 072 B001800 0 072 C001800 6736 072 D001800 0 072 E001800 265 072 F001800 2077 072 G001800 0 072 H001800 0 072 I001800 0 072 J001800 94 072 K001800 0 072 L001800 1 072 M001800 6 072 N001800 0 072 O001800 0 072 P001800 0 072 Q001800 0 072 R001800 31 072 S001800 0 072 T001800 0 072 U001800 0 072 V001800 0 072 W001800 27 072 X001800 2236 PAGE 48 072 Y001800 0 072 Z001800 4765 072AA001800 2 072BB001800 8468 072CC011800 11363 072CC021800 0 072DD011800 0 072DD021800 0 072EE001800 0 072 A002000 6 072 B002000 0 072 C002000 888 072 D002000 0 072 E002000 86 072 F002000 607 072 G002000 0 072 H002000 0 072 I002000 0 072 J002000 38 072 K002000 0 072 L002000 0 072 M002000 13 072 N002000 0 072 O002000 0 072 P002000 0 072 Q002000 0 072 R002000 35 072 S002000 0 072 T002000 0 072 U002000 0 072 V002000 0 072 W002000 27 072 X002000 720 072 Y002000 0 072 Z002000 254 072AA002000 1850 072BB002000 0 072CC012000 0 072CC022000 11939 072DD012000 0 072DD022000 0 072EE002000 0 072 A002100 6 072 B002100 0 072 C002100 2824 072 D002100 0 072 E002100 23 072 F002100 1031 072 G002100 0 072 H002100 0 072 I002100 0 PAGE 49 072 J002100 12 072 K002100 0 072 L002100 1 072 M002100 6 072 N002100 0 072 O002100 0 072 P002100 0 072 Q002100 0 072 R002100 22 072 S002100 0 072 T002100 0 072 U002100 0 072 V002100 0 072 W002100 5 072 X002100 1077 072 Y002100 0 072 Z002100 1770 072AA002100 8791 072BB002100 0 072CC012100 13101 072CC022100 0 072DD012100 0 072DD022100 0 072EE002100 0 072 A002200 6 072 B002200 913 072 C002200 137 072 D002200 0 072 E002200 11 072 F002200 141 072 G002200 0 072 H002200 0 072 I002200 0 072 J002200 7 072 K002200 0 072 L002200 1 072 M002200 12 072 N002200 0 072 O002200 0 072 P002200 0 072 Q002200 0 072 R002200 23 072 S002200 0 072 T002200 0 072 U002200 0 072 V002200 0 072 W002200 4 072 X002200 188 072 Y002200 34 072 Z002200 907 072AA002200 206 PAGE 50 072BB002200 0 072CC012200 0 072CC022200 1025 072DD012200 0 072DD022200 0 072EE002200 0 072 A002300 6 072 B002300 49945 072 C002300 304 072 D002300 0 072 E002300 270 072 F002300 8514 072 G002300 0 072 H002300 0 072 I002300 0 072 J002300 123 072 K002300 0 072 L002300 2 072 M002300 6 072 N002300 0 072 O002300 0 072 P002300 0 072 Q002300 0 072 R002300 39 072 S002300 0 072 T002300 0 072 U002300 0 072 V002300 0 072 W002300 12 072 X002300 8696 072 Y002300 137 072 Z002300 41960 072AA002300 27685 072BB002300 0 072CC012300 0 072CC022300 126597 072DD012300 0 072DD022300 0 072EE002300 0 072 A002700 6 072 B002700 0 072 C002700 3624 072 D002700 0 072 E002700 680 072 F002700 3363 072 G002700 0 072 H002700 0 072 I002700 0 072 J002700 27 072 K002700 0 072 L002700 2 PAGE 51 072 M002700 6 072 N002700 0 072 O002700 0 072 P002700 0 072 Q002700 0 072 R002700 23 072 S002700 0 072 T002700 0 072 U002700 0 072 V002700 0 072 W002700 17 072 X002700 3439 072 Y002700 0 072 Z002700 865 072AA002700 77141 072BB002700 0 072CC012700 37142 072CC022700 0 072DD012700 0 072DD022700 0 072EE002700 0 072 A002900 6 072 B002900 0 072 C002900 613 072 D002900 0 072 E002900 7 072 F002900 369 072 G002900 0 072 H002900 0 072 I002900 0 072 J002900 12 072 K002900 0 072 L002900 1 072 M002900 27 072 N002900 0 072 O002900 0 072 P002900 0 072 Q002900 0 072 R002900 24 072 S002900 0 072 T002900 0 072 U002900 0 072 V002900 0 072 W002900 7 072 X002900 440 072 Y002900 86 072 Z002900 266 072AA002900 3916 072BB002900 0 072CC012900 0 072CC022900 3208 PAGE 52 072DD012900 0 072DD022900 0 072EE002900 0 073 A010100 0.0000 073 A020100 0.0000 073 B000100 0.0000 073 C000100 0.0000 073 A010300 0.0000 073 A020300 0.0000 073 B000300 0.0000 073 C000300 0.0000 073 A010600 0.0000 073 A020600 0.0000 073 B000600 0.0000 073 C000600 0.0000 073 A010700 0.0000 073 A020700 0.0000 073 B000700 0.0000 073 C000700 0.0000 073 A010800 0.0000 073 A020800 0.0000 073 B000800 0.0000 073 C000800 0.0000 073 A011000 0.0000 073 A021000 0.0000 073 B001000 0.0000 073 C001000 0.0000 073 A011800 0.0000 073 A021800 0.0000 073 B001800 0.0000 073 C001800 0.0000 073 A012000 0.0000 073 A022000 0.0000 073 B002000 0.0000 073 C002000 0.0000 073 A012100 0.0000 073 A022100 0.0000 073 B002100 0.0000 073 C002100 0.0000 073 A012200 0.0000 073 A022200 0.0000 073 B002200 0.0000 073 C002200 0.0000 073 A012300 0.0000 073 A022300 0.0000 073 B002300 0.0000 073 C002300 0.0000 073 A012700 0.0000 073 A022700 0.0000 073 B002700 0.0000 073 C002700 0.0000 PAGE 53 073 A012900 0.0000 073 A022900 0.0000 073 B002900 0.0000 073 C002900 0.0000 074 A000100 112 074 B000100 0 074 C000100 0 074 D000100 109843 074 E000100 0 074 F000100 0 074 G000100 0 074 H000100 0 074 I000100 4619 074 J000100 160 074 K000100 0 074 L000100 843 074 M000100 5 074 N000100 115582 074 O000100 0 074 P000100 28 074 Q000100 0 074 R010100 0 074 R020100 0 074 R030100 0 074 R040100 1772 074 S000100 0 074 T000100 113782 074 U010100 0 074 U020100 0 074 V010100 0.00 074 V020100 0.00 074 W000100 0.0000 074 X000100 0 074 Y000100 0 074 A000300 9 074 B000300 0 074 C000300 0 074 D000300 26819 074 E000300 0 074 F000300 0 074 G000300 0 074 H000300 0 074 I000300 931 074 J000300 11 074 K000300 0 074 L000300 89 074 M000300 1 074 N000300 27860 074 O000300 0 074 P000300 1 074 Q000300 0 PAGE 54 074 R010300 0 074 R020300 0 074 R030300 0 074 R040300 33 074 S000300 0 074 T000300 27826 074 U010300 0 074 U020300 0 074 V010300 0.00 074 V020300 0.00 074 W000300 0.0000 074 X000300 0 074 Y000300 0 074 A000600 0 074 B000600 0 074 C000600 1802 074 D000600 0 074 E000600 0 074 F000600 2155573 074 G000600 0 074 H000600 0 074 I000600 12149 074 J000600 81573 074 K000600 0 074 L000600 5651 074 M000600 60 074 N000600 2256808 074 O000600 0 074 P000600 159 074 Q000600 0 074 R010600 0 074 R020600 0 074 R030600 0 074 R040600 24036 074 S000600 0 074 T000600 2232613 074 U010600 0 074 U020600 0 074 V010600 0.00 074 V020600 0.00 074 W000600 0.0000 074 X000600 0 074 Y000600 0 074 A000700 0 074 B000700 0 074 C000700 0 074 D000700 0 074 E000700 0 074 F000700 1441612 074 G000700 0 074 H000700 0 PAGE 55 074 I000700 240303 074 J000700 4876 074 K000700 0 074 L000700 739 074 M000700 9 074 N000700 1687539 074 O000700 6099 074 P000700 941 074 Q000700 0 074 R010700 0 074 R020700 0 074 R030700 0 074 R040700 165136 074 S000700 0 074 T000700 1515363 074 U010700 0 074 U020700 0 074 V010700 0.00 074 V020700 0.00 074 W000700 0.0000 074 X000700 0 074 Y000700 0 074 A000800 0 074 B000800 0 074 C000800 0 074 D000800 0 074 E000800 0 074 F000800 219713 074 G000800 0 074 H000800 0 074 I000800 15095 074 J000800 7524 074 K000800 0 074 L000800 195 074 M000800 1 074 N000800 242528 074 O000800 5647 074 P000800 144 074 Q000800 0 074 R010800 0 074 R020800 0 074 R030800 0 074 R040800 11789 074 S000800 0 074 T000800 224948 074 U010800 0 074 U020800 0 074 V010800 0.00 074 V020800 0.00 074 W000800 0.0000 074 X000800 0 PAGE 56 074 Y000800 0 074 A001000 0 074 B001000 0 074 C001000 0 074 D001000 0 074 E001000 0 074 F001000 75004 074 G001000 0 074 H001000 0 074 I001000 3311 074 J001000 0 074 K001000 0 074 L001000 190 074 M001000 0 074 N001000 78505 074 O001000 0 074 P001000 38 074 Q001000 0 074 R011000 0 074 R021000 0 074 R031000 0 074 R041000 3656 074 S001000 0 074 T001000 74811 074 U011000 0 074 U021000 0 074 V011000 0.00 074 V021000 0.00 074 W001000 0.0000 074 X001000 0 074 Y001000 0 074 A001800 6057 074 B001800 0 074 C001800 0 074 D001800 0 074 E001800 1419 074 F001800 526958 074 G001800 0 074 H001800 0 074 I001800 15977 074 J001800 2082 074 K001800 0 074 L001800 1758 074 M001800 0 074 N001800 554251 074 O001800 3216 074 P001800 333 074 Q001800 0 074 R011800 0 074 R021800 0 074 R031800 0 PAGE 57 074 R041800 9573 074 S001800 0 074 T001800 541129 074 U011800 0 074 U021800 0 074 V011800 0.00 074 V021800 0.00 074 W001800 0.0000 074 X001800 0 074 Y001800 0 074 A002000 130 074 B002000 0 074 C002000 0 074 D002000 0 074 E002000 2003 074 F002000 126203 074 G002000 0 074 H002000 0 074 I002000 6937 074 J002000 2484 074 K002000 0 074 L002000 373 074 M002000 0 074 N002000 138130 074 O002000 1497 074 P002000 90 074 Q002000 0 074 R012000 0 074 R022000 0 074 R032000 0 074 R042000 2268 074 S002000 0 074 T002000 134275 074 U012000 0 074 U022000 0 074 V012000 0.00 074 V022000 0.00 074 W002000 0.0000 074 X002000 0 074 Y002000 0 074 A002100 0 074 B002100 0 074 C002100 0 074 D002100 0 074 E002100 0 074 F002100 333383 074 G002100 0 074 H002100 0 074 I002100 18117 074 J002100 4478 074 K002100 0 PAGE 58 074 L002100 624 074 M002100 3 074 N002100 356605 074 O002100 6515 074 P002100 180 074 Q002100 0 074 R012100 0 074 R022100 0 074 R032100 0 074 R042100 6913 074 S002100 0 074 T002100 342997 074 U012100 0 074 U022100 0 074 V012100 0.00 074 V022100 0.00 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C020000 0 086 D010000 0 086 D020000 0 086 E010000 0 086 E020000 0 086 F010000 0 086 F020000 0 SIGNATURE NANCY WISER AND JEREMY DEPALMA TITLE TREASURERS

Rule 10f-3 Transactions Fund Name: Managed Fixed Security Description: Microsoft Corp, 594918BQ6, 2.0% Trade Date: 08/01/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Merrill Purchase Price: $99.701 Shares/Par: 210,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.350% Fund Name: Managed Fixed Security Description: Verizon Communications, 92343VDD3, 2.625% Trade Date: 07/27/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Merrill Purchase Price: $99.745 Shares/Par: 130,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.400% Fund Name: Managed Fixed Security Description: Towd Point Mortgage Trust, 89172YAA8, 2.25% Trade Date: 07/22/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: JPM Purchase Price: $99.856 Shares/Par: 640,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.253% Fund Name: Managed Fixed Security Description: Duke Realty LP, 26441YAZ0, 3.25% Trade Date: 06/16/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: JPM Purchase Price: $100.000 Shares/Par: 275,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.650% Fund Name: Managed Fixed Security Description: Fortive Corporation, 34959JAC2, 3.15% Trade Date: 06/06/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Morgan Stanley Purchase Price: $99.644 Shares/Par: 240,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.650% Fund Name: Managed Fixed Security Description: Ingredion Inc, 457187AB8, 3.2% Trade Date: 09/15/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Merrill Purchase Price: $99.957 Shares/Par: 150,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.650% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: Microsoft Corp, 594918BN3, 1.1% Trade Date: 08/01/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Merrill Purchase Price: $99.897 Shares/Par: 50,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.150% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: Bank of Montreal, 06367TJW1, 1.35% Trade Date: 08/24/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: BMO Purchase Price: $99.996 Shares/Par: 30,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.200% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: Nissan Auto Rec Owners Trust, 65478WAB1, 1.07% Trade Date: 08/02/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: HSBC Purchase Price: $99.996 Shares/Par: 160,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.170% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: AmeriCredit Auto Receivables Trust, 03065DAB3, 1.37% Trade Date: 08/02/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Citi Purchase Price: $99.994 Shares/Par: 155,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.250% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: World Omni Auto Lease, 98161FAB1, 1.2% Trade Date: 07/12/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Merrill Purchase Price: $99.998 Shares/Par: 155,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.200% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: Towd Point Mortgage Trust, 89172YAA8, 2.25% Trade Date: 07/22/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: JPM Purchase Price: $99.856 Shares/Par: 110,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.253% Fund Name: Stable Income Security Description: World Omni Auto Rec Trust, 98161PAB9, 1.1% Trade Date: 09/07/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: JPM Purchase Price: $99.991 Shares/Par: 190,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.180% Fund Name: Small Company Growth Security Description: Patheon Holdings Cooperatief U.A. Trade Date: 07/21/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: Morgan Stanley Purchase Price: $21.000 Shares/Par: 310,590 Underwriting Concession: 7.000% Fund Name: Small Company Growth Security Description: Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. Trade Date: 06/08/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: RBC Capital Markets Purchase Price: $14.000 Shares/Par: 808,598 Underwriting Concession: 6.000% Fund Name: Wells Fargo Core Bond Portfolio Security Description: AETNA INC Trade Date: 06/02/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: CITIGROUP GL 274/SALOMON SM BAR Purchase Price: $99.854 Shares/Par: 3,815,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.625% Fund Name: Wells Fargo Core Bond Portfolio Security Description: AETNA INC Trade Date: 06/02/16 Affiliated Principal Underwriter: WFS Executing Broker: USB AG Purchase Price: $99.626 Shares/Par: 5,720,000 Underwriting Concession: 0.650%

AMENDED AND RESTATED INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT This AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT is made as of this 6th day of August 2003, and amended as of October 1, 2005, between Wells Fargo Master Trust (the "Trust"), a statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of business at 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105 and Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (the "Adviser"), a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of business at 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105. WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") as an open-end management investment company and is authorized to issue interests (as defined in the Trust's Declaration of Trust, as amended and supplemented from time to time), in separate series; and WHEREAS, the Trust desires that the Adviser provide investment advisory services to each series of the Trust listed on Schedule A hereto as such Schedule may be amended or supplemented from time to time by mutual agreement (each a "Fund" and collectively the "Funds"), and the Adviser is willing to provide those services on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; NOW THEREFORE, the Trust and the Adviser agree as follows: SECTION 1. APPOINTMENT OF THE ADVISER. The Trust is engaged in the business of investing and reinvesting its assets in securities of the type and in accordance with the limitations specified in its Declaration of Trust, as amended and supplemented from time to time, By-Laws (if any) and Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the 1940 Act, including any representations made in the prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the Funds contained therein and as may be amended or supplemented from time to time, all in such manner and to such extent as may from time to time be authorized by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board"). The Board is authorized to issue any unissued shares in any number of additional classes or series. The investment authority granted to the Adviser shall include the authority to exercise whatever powers the Trust may possess with respect to any of its assets held by the Funds, including, but not limited to, the power to exercise rights, options, warrants, conversion privileges, redemption privileges, and to tender securities pursuant to a tender offer, and participate in class actions and other legal proceedings on behalf of the Funds. The Trust hereby employs Adviser, subject to the direction and control of the Board, to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets in the Funds and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide the other services specified in Section 2 hereof. SECTION 2. DUTIES OF THE ADVISER. (a) The Adviser shall make decisions with respect to all purchases and sales of securities and other investment assets for the Funds. Among other things, the Adviser shall make all decisions with respect to the allocation of the Funds' investments in various securities or other assets, in investment styles and, if applicable, in other investment companies or pooled vehicles in which a Fund may invest. To carry out such decisions, the Adviser is hereby authorized, as agent and attorney-in-fact for the Trust, for the account of, at the risk of and in the name of the Trust, to place orders and issue instructions with respect to those transactions of the Funds. In all purchases, sales and other transactions in securities for the Funds, the Adviser is authorized to exercise full discretion and act for the Trust in the same manner and with the same force and effect as the Trust might or could do with respect to such purchases, sales or other transactions, as well as with respect to all other things necessary or incidental to the furtherance or conduct of such purchases, sales or other transactions. (b) The Adviser will report to the Board at each regular meeting thereof regarding the investment performance of the Funds since the prior report, and will also keep the Board informed of important developments affecting the Trust, each Fund and the Adviser, and on its own initiative will furnish the Board from time to time with such information as the Adviser may believe appropriate, whether concerning the individual companies whose securities are held by a Fund, the industries in which they engage, or the economic, social or political conditions prevailing in each country in which a Fund maintains investments. The Adviser will also furnish the Board with such statistical and analytical information with respect to securities in the Funds as the Adviser may believe appropriate or as the Board reasonably may request. The Adviser shall promptly notify the Trust of (i) any changes regarding the Adviser that would impact disclosure in the Trust's Registration Statement, or (ii) any violation of any requirement, provision, policy or restriction that the Adviser is required to comply with under Section 6 of this Agreement. The Adviser shall immediately notify the Trust of any legal process served upon it in connection with its activities hereunder, including any legal process served upon it on behalf of the Funds or the Trust. (c) The Adviser will from time to time employ or sub-contract the services to certain persons as the Adviser believes to be appropriate or necessary to assist in the execution of the Adviser's duties hereunder; provided, however, that the employment or sub-contracting with any such person shall not relieve the Adviser of its responsibilities or liabilities hereunder and provided further that the Adviser shall not have the authority to sub-contract advisory responsibilities without the consent of the Trust. The cost of performance of such duties will be borne and paid by the Adviser. No obligation may be imposed on the Trust in any such respect. The Adviser shall supervise and monitor the activities of its representatives, personnel, sub-contractors, and agents in connection with the execution of its duties and obligations hereunder. The appropriate personnel of the Adviser will be made available to consult with the Board at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice concerning the business of the Trust. 2 (d) The Adviser shall maintain records relating to portfolio transactions and the placing and allocation of brokerage orders as are required to be maintained by the Trust under the 1940 Act. The Adviser shall prepare and maintain, or cause to be prepared and maintained, in such form, for such periods and in such locations as may be required by applicable law, all documents and records relating to the services provided by the Adviser pursuant to this Agreement required to be prepared and maintained by the Trust pursuant to the rules and regulations of any national, state, or local government entity with jurisdiction over the Trust, including the Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. The books and records pertaining to the Trust which are in possession of the Adviser shall be the property of the Trust. The Trust, or the Trust's authorized representatives, shall have access to such books and records at all times during the Adviser's normal business hours. Upon the reasonable request of the Trust, copies of any such books and records shall be provided promptly by the Adviser to the Trust or the Trust's authorized representatives. (e) With respect to a Fund, the Adviser shall have no duties or obligations pursuant to this Agreement, during any period during which the Fund invests all (or substantially all) of its investment assets in a registered, open-end management investment company, or separate series thereof, in accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(E) under the 1940 Act. SECTION 3. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS TO THE ADVISER. The Trust has furnished the Adviser with true, correct and complete copies of the following documents: (a) The Declaration of Trust, as in effect on the date hereof; (b) The Registration Statement filed with the Commission under the 1940 Act; and (c) Written guidelines, policies and procedures adopted by the Trust. The Trust will furnish the Adviser with all future amendments and supplements to the foregoing as soon as practicable after such documents become available. The Trust shall furnish the Adviser with any further documents, materials or information that the Adviser may reasonably request in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder. SECTION 4. DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES. The Adviser may carry out any of its obligations under this Agreement by employing, subject to supervision by the Adviser, one or more Sub-Adviser(s) who are registered as investment advisers pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ("Sub-Advisers"). Each Sub-Adviser's employment will be evidenced by a separate written agreement approved by the Board and, if required under the 1940 Act, by the shareholders of the Fund (unless the Commission or its staff has given authorization or issued an interpretation dispensing with the requirement of shareholder approval). The Adviser shall not be liable hereunder for any act or omission of any Sub-Adviser, except for failure to exercise good faith in the employment of the Sub-Adviser and for failure to exercise appropriate supervision of such Sub-Adviser, and as may otherwise be agreed in writing. The Adviser shall be solely responsible for compensating any Sub-Adviser for services rendered under any Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Adviser may, from time to time and at any time, terminate any Sub-Adviser and reassume the responsibilities assigned to such Sub-Adviser with respect to any Fund without obtaining the approval of the shareholders of the Fund. 3 SECTION 5. CONTROL BY BOARD. Any investment activities undertaken by the Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, as well as any other activities undertaken by the Adviser on behalf of the Funds, shall at all times be subject to the direction and control of the Board. SECTION 6. COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS. In carrying out its obligations under this Agreement, the Adviser shall at all times comply with: (a) all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder; (b) the Registration Statement of the Trust, as it may be amended from time to time, filed with the Commission under the 1940 Act; (c) the provisions of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as it may be amended from time to time; (d) the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to the Trust or the Funds, and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder; and (e) any other applicable provisions of state or federal law, and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder. SECTION 7. PROXIES. The Adviser shall have responsibility to vote proxies solicited with respect to issuers of securities in which assets of the Funds are invested in accordance with the Trust's policies on proxy voting. SECTION 8. BROKER-DEALER RELATIONSHIPS. In connection with the purchase and sale of securities for the Funds, the Adviser is responsible for broker-dealer selection and negotiation of brokerage commission rates. The Adviser's primary consideration in effecting a security transaction will be to obtain the best price and execution. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction for a Fund, the Adviser will consider among other things: the best net price available, the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the Fund on a continuing basis. Accordingly, the price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered. Subject to such policies as the Board may from time to time determine, the Adviser shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of having caused a Fund to pay a broker or dealer that provides brokerage and research services to the Adviser an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio investment transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Adviser determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Adviser with respect to the Fund and to other clients of the 4 Adviser. The Adviser is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Funds to brokers and dealers who also provide brokerage and research services within the meaning of Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and in compliance therewith. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Adviser shall determine and the Adviser will report on said allocations regularly to the Board, indicating the brokers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis therefore. SECTION 9. EXPENSES. All of the ordinary business expenses incurred in the operations of the Funds and the offering of their shares shall be borne by the Funds unless specifically provided otherwise in this Agreement. The expenses borne by the Trust include, but are not limited to, brokerage commissions, taxes, legal, auditing or governmental fees, the cost of preparing share certificates, custodian, transfer agent and shareholder service agent costs, expense of issue, sale, redemption and repurchase of shares, expenses of registering and qualifying shares for sale, expenses relating to trustees and shareholder meetings, the cost of preparing and distributing reports and notices to shareholders, the fees and other expenses incurred by the Funds in connection with membership in investment company organizations and the cost of printing copies of prospectuses and statements of additional information distributed to the Funds' shareholders. The Adviser shall pay its own expenses in connection with the services to be provided by it pursuant to this Agreement. In addition, the Adviser shall be responsible for reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the Trust: (a) to amend the Trust's registration statement or supplement the Fund's prospectus, and circulate the same, to reflect a change in the personnel of the Adviser responsible for making investment decisions in relation to a Fund; (b) to obtain shareholder approval of a new sub-advisory agreement as a result of a "change in control" (as such term in defined in Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act) of the Adviser, or to otherwise comply with the 1940 Act, or any other applicable statute, law, rule or regulation, as a result of such change; or (c) to meet other legal or regulatory obligations caused by actions of the Adviser. SECTION 10. COMPENSATION. (a) As compensation for the advisory services provided under this Agreement, the Trust shall pay the Adviser fees, payable monthly, at the annual rates indicated on Schedule A hereto, as such Schedule may be amended or supplemented from time to time; (b) Except as provided in the following paragraph, no fee shall be payable hereunder with respect to a Fund during any period in which the Fund invests all (or substantially all) of its investment assets in a single registered, open-end management investment company, or separate series thereof, in accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(E) under the 1940 Act (a "Master-Feeder Fund structure"); (c) The adviser shall receive a fee of 0.25% (0.20% in the case of the WealthBuilder Funds) for asset allocation services if a Fund invests some of its investment assets in one or more registered, open-end management investment companies, or separate series thereof, in each case, in accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(G) under the Act, the rules thereunder or an exemptive 5 order issued by the Commission exempting the Fund from the provisions of Section 12(d)(1)(A) under the Act (a "Fund of Funds structure"). SECTION 11. STANDARD OF CARE. The Trust will expect of the Adviser, and the Adviser will give the Trust the benefit of, the Adviser's best judgment and efforts in rendering its services to the Trust, and the Adviser shall not be liable hereunder for any mistake in judgment. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Adviser or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents, the Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to any shareholders of the Trust for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security. SECTION 12. NON-EXCLUSIVITY. The services of the Adviser to the Funds are not to be deemed to be exclusive, and the Adviser shall be free to render investment advisory or other services to others (including other investment companies) and to engage in other activities. It is understood and agreed that officers or directors of the Adviser may serve as officers and directors of the Trust, and that officers or directors of the Trust may serve as officers or directors of the Adviser, to the extent that such services may be permitted by law, and that the officers and directors of the Adviser are not prohibited from engaging in any other business activity or from rendering services to any other person, or from serving as partners, officers, directors or trustees of any other firm or trust, including other investment advisory companies. SECTION 13. RECORDS. The Adviser shall, with respect to orders the Adviser places for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities of the Funds, maintain or arrange for the maintenance of the documents and records required pursuant to Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act as well as such records as the Funds' administrator reasonably requests to be maintained, including, but not limited to, trade tickets and confirmations for portfolio trades. All such records shall be maintained in a form acceptable to the Trust and in compliance with the provisions of Rule 31a-1 or any successor rule. All such records will be the property of the Trust and will be made available for inspection and use by the Trust and its authorized representatives. SECTION 14. TERM AND APPROVAL. This Agreement shall become effective with respect to a Fund after approved in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, and executed by the Adviser and the Trust, and shall thereafter continue from year to year, provided that the continuation of the Agreement is specifically approved in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, which currently requires that the continuation be approved at least annually: (a) by the Board, or by the vote of "a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the Fund (as defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act), and (b) by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Trust's Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or "interested persons" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of a party to this Agreement (other than as Trustees of the Trust), by votes cast in person at a meeting specifically called for such purpose. 6 SECTION 15. TERMINATION. As required under the 1940 Act, this Agreement may be terminated with respect to a Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of a Fund's outstanding voting securities, or by the Adviser, on sixty (60) days' written notice to the other party. The notice provided for herein may be waived by the party entitled to receipt thereof. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, the term "assignment" for purposes of this paragraph having the meaning defined in Section 2(a)(4) of the 1940 Act, as it may be interpreted by the Commission or its staff in interpretive releases, or by the Commission staff in no-action letters issued under the 1940 Act. This Agreement may also be terminated immediately by the Trust or the Adviser in the event that either party (i) breaches a material term of this Agreement; or (ii) commits a material violation of any governing law or regulation; or (iii) engages in conduct that would have a material adverse effect upon the reputation or business prospects of such other party. SECTION 16. INDEMNIFICATION BY THE ADVISER. The Trust shall not be responsible for, and the Adviser shall indemnify and hold the Trust or any Fund harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees, payments, expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to the willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligent acts or reckless disregard of obligations or duties on the part of the Adviser or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents. SECTION 17. INDEMNIFICATION BY THE TRUST. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of duties hereunder on the part of the Adviser or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents, the Trust hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Adviser against all claims, actions, suits or proceedings at law or in equity whether brought by a private party or a governmental department, commission, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality of any kind, arising from the advertising, solicitation, sale, purchase or pledge of securities, whether of the Funds or other securities, undertaken by the Funds, their officers, directors, employees or affiliates, resulting from any violations of the securities laws, rules, regulations, statutes and codes, whether federal or of any state, by the Funds, their officers, directors, employees or affiliates. SECTION 18. NOTICES. Any notices under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and delivered or mailed postage paid to the other party at such address as such other party may designate for the receipt of such notice. Until further notice to the other party, it is agreed that the address of the Trust shall be 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, California 94105, Attention C. David Messman, and that of the Adviser shall be 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, California 94105, Attention Karla M. Rabusch. SECTION 19. QUESTIONS OF INTERPRETATION. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act shall be resolved by reference to such terms or provision of the 1940 Act and to interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States Courts or in the absence of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules, regulations or orders of the Commission, interpretations of the Commission or its staff, or Commission staff no-action letters, issued 7 pursuant to the 1940 Act. In addition, where the effect of a requirement of the 1940 Act reflected in any provision of this Agreement is revised by rule, regulation or order of the Commission, such provision shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule, regulation or order. The duties and obligations of the parties under this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware to the extent that state law is not preempted by the provisions of any law of the United States heretofore or hereafter enacted. SECTION 20. AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT. This Agreement supersedes the advisory agreement between the parties hereto dated March 1, 2001. No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought. If shareholder approval of an amendment is required under the 1940 Act, no such amendment shall become effective until approved by a vote of the majority of the outstanding shares of the affected Funds. Otherwise, a written amendment of this Agreement is effective upon the approval of the Board and the Adviser. SECTION 21. WELLS FARGO NAME. The Adviser and the Trust each agree that the name "Wells Fargo," which comprises a component of the Trust's name, is a property right of the parent of the Adviser. The Trust agrees and consents that: (i) it will use the words "Wells Fargo" as a component of its corporate name, the name of any series or class, or all of the above, and for no other purpose; (ii) it will not grant to any third party the right to use the name "Wells Fargo" for any purpose; (iii) the Adviser or any corporate affiliate of the Adviser may use or grant to others the right to use the words "Wells Fargo," or any combination or abbreviation thereof, as all or a portion of a corporate or business name or for any commercial purpose, other than a grant of such right to another registered investment company not advised by the Adviser or one of its affiliates; and (iv) in the event that the Adviser or an affiliate thereof is no longer acting as investment adviser to any Fund, the Trust shall, upon request by the Adviser, promptly take such action as may be necessary to change its corporate name to one not containing the words "Wells Fargo" and following such change, shall not use the words "Wells Fargo," or any combination thereof, as a part of its corporate name or for any other commercial purpose, and shall use its best efforts to cause its trustees, officers and shareholders to take any and all actions that the Adviser may request to effect the foregoing and to reconvey to the Adviser any and all rights to such words. SECTION 22. RISK ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. The Adviser does not guarantee the future performance of the Funds or any specific level of performance, the success of any investment 8 decision or strategy that the Adviser may use, or the success of the Adviser's overall management of the Funds. The Trust understands that investment decisions made for the Funds by the Adviser are subject to various market, currency, economic and business risks, and that those investment decisions will not always be profitable. The Adviser will manage only the securities, cash and other investments for which management responsibility is delegated to it and which are held in the Funds' account(s) and, in making investment decisions for the Funds, the Adviser will not consider any other securities, cash or other investments owned by the Trust. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed in duplicate by their respective officers on the day and year first written above. WELLS FARGO MASTER TRUST on behalf of the Funds By: ---------------------------------- C. David Messman Secretary WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT, LLC By: ---------------------------------- Andrew Owen Senior Vice President 9 SCHEDULE A WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT WELLS FARGO MASTER TRUST ADVISORY FEE (AS A % OF AVERAGE MASTER TRUST PORTFOLIOS DAILY NET ASSETS) ----------------------------------------------- --------------------- C&B Large Cap Value Portfolio First 500M 0.65 Next 500M 0.625 Next 1B 0.60 Next 2B 0.575 Next 4B 0.55 Next 4B 0.525 Next 4B 0.50 Over 16B 0.475 Core Bond Portfolio First 500M 0.40 Next 500M 0.375 Next 2B 0.35 Next 2B 0.325 Over 5B 0.30 Diversified Fixed Income Portfolio First 500M 0.20 Next 500M 0.18 Next 2B 0.16 Next 2B 0.14 Next 3B 0.12 Next 4B 0.11 Over 12B 0.10 Diversified Large Cap Growth Portfolio First 500M 0.65 Next 500M 0.625 Next 1B 0.60 Next 2B 0.575 Next 4B 0.55 Next 4B 0.525 Next 4B 0.50 Over 16B 0.475 Diversified Stock Portfolio First 500M 0.20 Next 500M 0.18 Next 2B 0.16 Next 2B 0.14 Next 3B 0.12 Next 4B 0.11 Over 12B 0.10 Emerging Growth Portfolio First 500M 0.80 Next 500M 0.775 Next 1B 0.75 Next 1B 0.725 Next 1B 0.70 Over 4B 0.68 Index Portfolio First 500M 0.10 Next 500M 0.10 Next 2B 0.075 Next 2B 0.075 Over 5B 0.050 International Growth Portfolio First 500M 0.80 Next 500M 0.75 Next 1B 0.70 Next 2B 0.675 Over 4B 0.65 International Value Portfolio First 500M 0.80 Next 500M 0.75 Next 1B 0.70 Next 2B 0.675 Over 4B 0.65 Large Company Value Portfolio(1) First 500M 0.65 Next 500M 0.625 Next 1B 0.60 Next 2B 0.575 Next 4B 0.55 Next 4B 0.525 Next 4B 0.50 Over 16B 0.475 Managed Fixed Income Portfolio First 500M 0.40 Next 500M 0.375 Next 2B 0.35 Next 2B 0.325 Over 5B 0.30 Real Return Portfolio First 500M 0.40 Next 500M 0.375 Next 2B 0.35 Next 2B 0.325 Over 5B 0.30 Short-Term Investment Portfolio 0.10 Small Company Growth Portfolio First 500M 0.80 Next 500M 0.775 Next 1B 0.75 Next 1B 0.725 Next 1B 0.70 Over 4B 0.68 Small Company Value Portfolio First 500M 0.80 Next 500M 0.775 Next 1B 0.75 Next 1B 0.725 Next 1B 0.70 Over 4B 0.68 Stable Income Portfolio First 1B 0.30 Next 4B 0.275 Next 3B 0.25 Over 8B 0.225 (1) On November 16, 2016 the Board of Trustees of Wells Fargo Master Trust approved a reduction to the advisory fees for the Large Company Value Portfolio. Effective on or about February 1, 2017 the advisory fees will be: First 1B 0.35; Next 4B 0.325; Over 5B 0.30 Schedule A amended: November 16, 2016 The foregoing fee schedule is agreed to as of November 16, 2016 and shall remain in effect until changed in writing by the parties. WELLS FARGO MASTER TRUST By: ---------------------------------- C. David Messman Secretary WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT, LLC By: ---------------------------------- Paul Haast Senior Vice President

AMENDED AND RESTATED INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT BETWEEN WELLS FARGO MASTER TRUST, WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT, LLC AND WELLS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED This AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT is made as of this 1st day of March, 2001, as amended as of March 31, 2006, and as further amended and restated as of November 7, 2012, between Wells Fargo Master Trust (the "Trust"), a statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of business at 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, California 94105, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (the "Adviser"), a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of business at 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, California 94105, and Wells Capital Management Incorporated, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of California, with its principal place of business at 525 Market Street, 10th Floor San Francisco, California 94105 (the "Sub-Adviser"). WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (the "1940 Act") as an openend, series management investment company; and WHEREAS, the Adviser and Sub-Adviser are registered investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940; and WHEREAS, the Trust and the Adviser desire that the Sub- Adviser perform investment advisory services for each of the series of the Trust listed in Appendix A hereto (each a "Fund" and collectively the "Funds"), and the Sub-Adviser is willing to perform those services on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; NOW THEREFORE, the Trust, the Adviser and Sub- Adviser agrees as follows: Section 1. The Trust; Delivery of Documents. The Trust is engaged in the business of investing and reinvesting its assets in securities of the type and in accordance with the limitations specified in its Declaration of Trust, as amended or supplemented from time to time, By-Laws (if any) and Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the 1940 Act and the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), including any representations made in the prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the Funds contained therein and as may be supplemented from time to time, all in such manner and to such extent as may from time to time be authorized by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board"). The Board is authorized to issue any unissued shares in any number of additional classes or series. The Trust has delivered copies of the documents listed in this Section to the Sub-Adviser and will from time to time furnish the Sub-Adviser with any amendments thereof. Section 2. Appointment of Sub-Adviser. Subject to the direction and control of the Board, the Adviser manages the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Funds and provides for certain management and services as specified in the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser with respect to the Funds. Subject to the direction and control of the Board, the Sub- Adviser shall manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Funds, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, shall provide the management and other services specified below, all in such manner and to such extent as may be directed from time to time by the Adviser. The Sub-Adviser acknowledges that the Fund and other mutual funds advised by the Adviser (collectively, the "fund complex") may engage in transactions with certain sub-advisers in the fund complex (and their affiliated persons) in reliance on exemptions under Rule 10f-3, Rule 12d3-1, Rule 17a-10 and Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Sub-Adviser hereby agrees that it will not consult with any other sub-adviser of a fund in the fund complex that is not an affiliated person (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of Wells Fargo & Company ("Wells Fargo"), or an affiliated person of such a sub-adviser, concerning transactions for a fund in securities or other fund assets. With respect to a multi-managed Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall be limited to managing only the discrete portion of the Fund's portfolio as may be determined from time-to-time by the Board or the Adviser, and shall not consult with any Sub-adviser that is not an affiliated person of Wells Fargo as to any other portion of the Fund's portfolio concerning transactions for the Fund in securities or other Fund assets. Section 3. Duties of the Sub-Adviser. (a) The Sub-Adviser shall make decisions with respect to all purchases and sales of securities and other investment assets for the Funds. To carry out such decisions, the Sub-Adviser is hereby authorized, as agent and attorney-in-fact for the Trust, for the account of, at the risk of and in the name of the Trust, to place orders and issue instructions with respect to those transactions of the Funds. In all purchases, sales and other transactions in securities for the Funds, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to exercise full discretion and act for the Trust in the same manner and with the same force and effect as the Trust might or could do with respect to such purchases, sales or other transactions, as well as with respect to all other things necessary or incidental to the furtherance or conduct of such purchases, sales or other transactions. (b) The Sub-Adviser will report to the Board at each regular meeting thereof all material changes in the Funds since the prior report, and will also keep the Board informed of important developments affecting the Trust, the Funds and the Sub-Adviser, and on its own initiative will furnish the Board from time to time with such information as the Sub-Adviser may believe appropriate, whether concerning the individual companies whose securities are held by a Fund, the industries in which they engage, or the economic, social or political conditions prevailing in each country in which the Fund maintains investments. The Sub-Adviser will also furnish the Board with such statistical and analytical information with respect to securities in the Funds as the Sub-Adviser may believe appropriate or as the Board reasonably may request. In making purchases and sales of securities for the Funds, the Sub-Adviser will comply with the policies set from time to time by the Board as well as the limitations imposed by the Trust's Declaration of Trust, as amended or supplemented from time to time, By-Laws (if any), Registration Statement under the Act and the Securities Act, the limitations in the Act and in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended applicable to the Trust and the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Funds. (c) The Sub-Adviser may from time to time employ or associate with such persons as the Sub-Adviser believes to be appropriate or necessary to assist in the execution of the Sub- Adviser's duties hereunder, the cost of performance of such duties to be borne and paid by the Sub-Adviser. No obligation may be imposed on the Trust in any such respect. (d) The Sub-Adviser shall maintain records relating to portfolio transactions and the placing and allocation of brokerage orders as are required to be maintained by the Trust under the Act. The Sub-Adviser shall prepare and maintain, or cause to be prepared and maintained, in such form, for such periods and in such locations as may be required by applicable law, all documents and records relating to the services provided by the Sub-Adviser pursuant to this Agreement required to be prepared and maintained by the Trust pursuant to the rules and regulations of any national, state, or local government entity with jurisdiction over the Trust, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. The books and records pertaining to the Trust which are in possession of the Sub-Adviser shall be the property of the Trust. The Trust, or the Trust's authorized representatives (including the Adviser), shall have access to such books and records at all times during the Sub-Adviser's normal business hours. Upon the reasonable request of the Trust, copies of any such books and records shall be provided promptly by the Sub-Adviser to the Trust or the Trust's authorized representatives. Section 4. Control by Board. As is the case with respect to the Adviser under the Investment Advisory Agreement, any investment activities undertaken by the Sub-Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, as well as any other activities undertaken by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Funds, shall at all times be subject to the direction and control the Trust's Board. Section 5. Compliance with Applicable Requirements. In carrying out its obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall at all times comply with: (a) all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder; (b) the provisions of the registration statement of the Trust, as it may be amended from time to time, under the Securities Act and the 1940 Act; (c) the provisions of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time; (d) the provisions of any By-laws of the Trust, if adopted and as it may be amended from time to time, or resolutions of the Board as may be adopted from time to time; (e) the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to the Trust or the Funds; (f) any other applicable provisions of state or federal law; and In addition, any code of ethics adopted by the Sub-Adviser must comply with Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, as it may be amended from time to time, and any broadly accepted industry practices, if requested by the Trust or the Adviser. Section 6. Broker-Dealer Relationships. The Sub- Adviser is responsible for the purchase and sale of securities for the Funds, broker-dealer selection, and negotiation of brokerage commission rates. The Sub-Adviser's primary consideration in effecting a security transaction will be to obtain the best price and execution. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction for a Fund, the Sub-Adviser will take the following into consideration: the best net price available, the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the Fund on a continuing basis. Accordingly, the price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered. Subject to such policies as the Trust's Board of Trustees may from time to time determine, the Sub- Adviser shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of having caused a Fund to pay a broker or dealer that provides brokerage and research services to the Sub-Adviser an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio investment transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Sub-Adviser with respect to the Fund and to other clients of the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Funds to brokers and dealers who also provide research or statistical material, or other services to the Funds or to the Sub-Adviser. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Sub-Adviser shall determine and the Sub-Adviser will report on said allocations regularly to the Board of Trustees of the Trust indicating the brokers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis therefor. Section 7. Expenses of the Fund. All of the ordinary business expenses incurred in the operations of the Funds and the offering of their shares shall be borne by the Funds unless specifically provided otherwise in this Agreement. These expenses borne by the Trust include, but are not limited to, brokerage commissions, taxes, legal, auditing or governmental fees, the cost of preparing share certificates, custodian, transfer agent and shareholder service agent costs, expense of issue, sale, redemption and repurchase of shares, expenses of registering and qualifying shares for sale, expenses relating to trustees and shareholder meetings, the cost of preparing and distributing reports and notices to shareholders, the fees and other expenses incurred by the Funds in connection with membership in investment company organizations and the cost of printing copies of prospectuses and statements of additional information distributed to the Funds' shareholders. Section 8. Compensation. As compensation for the subadvisory services provided under this Agreement, the Adviser shall pay the Sub-Adviser fees, payable monthly, the annual rates indicated on Schedule A hereto, as such Schedule may be amended or supplemented from time to time. It is understood that the Adviser shall be responsible for the Sub-Adviser's fee for its services hereunder, and the Sub-Adviser agrees that it shall have no claim against the Trust or the Funds with respect to compensation under this Agreement. Section 9. Standard of Care. The Trust and Adviser shall expect of the Sub-Adviser, and the Sub-Adviser will give the Trust and the Adviser the benefit of, the Sub-Adviser's best judgment and efforts in rendering its services to the Trust, and as an inducement to the Sub-Adviser's undertaking these services at the compensation level specified, the Sub-Adviser shall not be liable hereunder for any mistake in judgment. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Sub-Adviser or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents, the Sub-Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to any shareholders in the Trust for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security. Section 10. Non-Exclusivity. The services of the Sub- Adviser to the Adviser and the Trust are not to be deemed to be exclusive, and
UNITED STATES* SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.____)* NRG Yield, Inc. ------------------------------------------------ (Name of Issuer) Class A Common Stock ------------------------------ (Title of Class of Securities) 62942X306 -------------- (CUSIP Number) December 31, 2016 ------------------------------------------------------- (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed: [ X ] Rule 13d-1(b) [ ] Rule 13d-1(c) [ ] Rule 13d-1(d) *The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). CUSIP No. 62942X306 1. Names of Reporting Persons, I.R.S. Identification Nos. of above persons (entities only): Salient MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund: 45-5216026 2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions) (a) [ ] (b) [ ] 3. SEC Use Only 4. Citizenship or Place of Organization of each Reporting Person: Delaware, U.S.A. Number of 5. Sole Voting Power: 1,758,161 Shares Bene- ficially Owned by Each 6. Shared Voting Power: 0 Reporting Person With: 7. Sole Dispositive Power: 1,758,161 8. Shared Dispositive Power: 0 9. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person: 1,758,161 10. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (9) Excludes Certain Shares (See Instructions) 11. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (9): 5.1% 12. Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions) IV ITEM 1. (a) Name of Issuer: NRG Yield, Inc. (b) Address of issuer's Principal Executive Offices 804 Carnegie Center Princeton, NJ 08540 ITEM 2. (a) Name of Person Filing Salient MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund (b) Address of Principal Business Office or, if none, Residence 4265 San Felipe, 8th Floor Houston, Texas 77027 (c) Citizenship of each Reporting Person: Delaware, U.S.A. (d) Title of Class of Securities Class A Common Stock (e) CUSIP Number 62942X306 ITEM 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to Sec. 240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a: (a) Broker or dealer registered under section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o). (b) Bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c). (c) Insurance company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c). (d) x Investment company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8). (e) An investment adviser in accordance with Sec. 240.13d-1 (b)(1)(ii)(E). (f) An employee benefit plant or endowment fund in accordance with Sec. 140.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F). (g) A parent holding company or control person in accordance with Sec. 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G). (h) A savings associations as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813). (i) A church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3). (j) Group, in accordance with Sec. 240.13d-1(b)1(ii)(J). ITEM 4. Ownership Provide the following information regarding the aggregate number and percentage of the class of securities of the issuer identified in Item 1. (a) Amount beneficially owned: 1,758,161 (b) Percent of class: 5.1% (c) Number of shares as to which the person has: (i) Sole power to vote or to direct the vote: 1,758,161 (ii) Shared power to vote or to direct the vote: 0 (iii) Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 1,758,161 (iv) Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: 0 Instruction. For computations regarding securities which represent a right to acquire an underlying security see Sec. 204.13d-3(d)(1). ITEM 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following [ ]. Instruction: Dissolution of a group requires a response to this item. ITEM 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person Not Applicable. ITEM 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on By the Parent Holding Company Not Applicable. ITEM 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group Not Applicable. ITEM 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group Not Applicable. ITEM 10. Certification By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect. SIGNATURE After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. Salient Capital Advisors, LLC Date: January 26, 2017 By: /s/ Paul A. Bachtold --------------------------- Paul A. Bachtold Chief Compliance Officer
According to reports, as MQM-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar has accepted Abidi back in his party folds, the federal legislator would soon visit MQM-Pakistan`s office in PIB Colony.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan ended basic membership of Abidi and directed him to resign from the National Assembly.

MQM Pakistan said that the step was taken as Abidi did not follow policies taken August 23 onwards.

On August 23, MQM Pakistan had distanced itself from controversial anti-Pakistan statements made by the party leadership in London, with Deputy Convener Farooq Sattar taking control of the party leadership.

Sattar had said that future party decisions would be made by the MQM Rabita Committee in Pakistan.

On Oct 23, MQM Pakistan leadership expelled 11 members from the party fold, advising workers to not keep any contact with them.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) London reacted strongly at the expulsion of MQM-Pakistan parliamentarian Ali Raza Abidi from the party ranks.

"Haqparast public and workers have no respect for people who have sold their conscience," said a statement from London.

"The PIB group has no legal or moral standing," the statement added in a direct at MQM-Pakistan's office in PIB area.
By Press Trust of India: Chidambaram

Guwahati, Jan 27 (PTI) Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said demonetisation alone is unlikely to impact the outcome of forthcoming elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

"It is difficult to say about election results whether demonetisation will have any impact. Elections are fought on multiple issues and each state has different issues," he said.

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Delivering a lecture on launch of Anjan Dutta Foundation, the senior Congress leader said there is no straight fight in any of the states against any party supporting the demonetisation drive.

"In Punjab, the main issue is drug menace, which is not an issue in Goa or Uttarakhand. In Manipur, the Meitei issue is prime. Likewise, the issues in Goa and Uttarakhand are different," he added.

Talking about the high-pitched battle in Uttar Pradesh, Chidambaram said the main contest in the state will be a triangular one.

"So, only one issue never decides the outcome of any election. It is always various issues," he said.

On peoples support to demonetisation, Chidambaram said it is there at present with a hope that the exercise will end black money and corruption from the society.

"In 3-4 months, when people will see that it is not happening, they will not support it anymore," he said, adding Indian people are very tolerant and they should get an award for being the "most tolerant people of the world".

Terming the decision of demonetisation as "nonsensical, ill-conceived and horribly managed", the former Union minister said it will take at least two years to get back the rhythm of Indian economy.

"We are paying the price for allowing the power to be concentrated in one hand. Entire economy has crippled, shrunk. It will grow at a much lower pace," he added.

Chidambaram said unless the roots of black money, corruption and terrorism are addressed, these problems cannot be solved at all.

"This is a complete hoax to say demonetisation will end black money, corruption and terrorism. I challenge the Prime Minister to declare that nobody will ask for bribe in future," he added. PTI TR SUS ZMN

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The two leaders have also decided to stop making public comments about the border wall until the issue is resolved.

By Reuters: The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recognized their differences on Trump's plan to build a wall on the southern US border but have agreed to "work these differences out."

"With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship," the White House said in a statement.

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The two leaders have also decided to stop making public comments about the border wall until the issue is resolved.

Also read: Donald Trump says meeting with Mexican president would have been 'fruitless'

Also read: Mexican President Pena Nieto cancels meeting with Donald Trump

Also read: US President Donald Trump orders construction of Mexico border wall

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Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly - with respect - such a meeting would be fruitless, said US President Trump.

By Reuters: President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his now-scrapped meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto would have been "fruitless" if Mexico does not agree to treat America "with respect."

"The President of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting for next week," Trump told Republican lawmakers gathered in Philadelphia for a retreat.

"Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly - with respect - such a meeting would be fruitless. And I want to go a different route," said Trump, who wants to build a wall on the southern border of the United States.

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He says Mexico will pay for it but Mexico insists it will not.

Also read: Mexican President Pena Nieto cancels meeting with Donald Trump

Also read: US President Donald Trump orders construction of Mexico border wall

Also read: Donald Trump expected to sign order on temporary ban on refugees

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By Press Trust of India: Washington, Jan 27 (PTI) The election of Donald Trump as US President, impact of climate change as well as wider geopolitical turbulence like the tension between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan and North Koreas nuclear rhetoric have become so dangerous that the scientists behind the symbolic "Doomsday Clock" have moved it 30 seconds closer to midnight.

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Over the course of 2016, the global security landscape darkened as the international community failed to come effectively to grips with humanitys most pressing existential threats, nuclear weapons and climate change, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock in 1947, using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the planet.

The United States and Russia?which together possess more than 90 per cent of the worlds nuclear weapons?remained at odds in a variety of theaters, from Syria to Ukraine to the borders of NATO; both countries continued wide-ranging modernisations of their nuclear forces, and serious arms control negotiations were nowhere to be seen, they said.

North Korea conducted its fourth and fifth underground nuclear tests and gave every indication it would continue to develop nuclear weapons delivery capabilities, they noted.

"Threats of nuclear warfare hung in the background as Pakistan and India faced each other warily across the Line of Control in Kashmir after militants attacked two Indian army bases," they said.

The climate change outlook was somewhat less dismal?but only somewhat. In the wake of the landmark Paris climate accord, the nations of the world have taken some actions to combat climate change, and global carbon dioxide emissions were essentially flat in 2016, compared to the previous year. Still, they have not yet started to decrease; the world continues to warm, they said.

This already-threatening world situation was the backdrop for a rise in strident nationalism worldwide in 2016, including in a US presidential campaign during which the eventual victor, Donald Trump, made "disturbing comments" about the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons and expressed disbelief in the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, they said.

This year, events surrounding the US presidential campaign?including cyber offensives and deception campaigns apparently directed by the Russian government and aimed at disrupting the US election?have brought American democracy and Russian intentions into question and thereby made the world "more dangerous" than was the case a year ago, they said.

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For these reasons, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has decided to move the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to catastrophe. It is now two minutes and 30 seconds to midnight.

The scientists forecast a "dangerous" nuclear situation on multiple fronts, citing North Koreas continuing nuclear weapons development, the steady march of arsenal modernisation programmes in the nuclear weapon states, simmering tension between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, and stagnation in arms control. PTI AKJ AKJ

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Pune, Jan 27 (PTI) Gold worth Rs 2.49 crore was seized from three passengers of an express train at Pune railway station here today, railway police said.

"During a check conducted inside the Chennai-Mumbai CST Express (when it arrived at station), our police team came across three suspicious passengers. When the trio was asked about what they were carrying inside the two plastic boxes, they started giving vague answers," an inspector with Government Railway Police (GRP) said.

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When the boxes were opened, gold ornaments and pieces of gold sheet collectively worth Rs 2.49 crore were found inside them, the officer said.

Since the police team did not find their answers satisfactory and as they could not furnish any documents related to gold, the trio was taken into custody.

"We have handed over the seized gold to the Income Tax department for further investigation," said the officer.

The trio is being further interrogated, he said. PTI SPK NP JMF

--- ENDS ---
A scam targeting Trustpower customers is doing the rounds at the moment.

A man, who did not want to be named, contacted SunLive saying he received a phone call last week from a man claiming to work for Trustpower.

Jarred, as he called himself, claimed the customers Trustpower account was overdue, and requested bank details.

The customer was suspicious, and provided false details, which he believes the scammers were trying to use to access his account during the 31-minute phone call.

He says they sounded Kiwi, and when he contacted his phone company for the scammers number, discovered it was a local mobile.

Trustpower general manager of customer operations Fiona Smith says the company has been contacted by a few customers who have received such calls.

We immediately alerted all other electricity retailers so they could be aware, and also posted a warning on our Facebook page for our customers and communities. We have provided details to the police and will continue to work with them through the investigation.

Most of our calls are customer initiated and while we may call our customers from time to time we advise our customers to not provide bank account details in any instance. We advise customers that if they receive a call that they believe could be from scammers, please ring Trustpower on 0800 87 87 87 and also contact the Tauranga Police on 07 577 4300.

Detective Sergeant Greg Turner says police are aware of a number of scams operating and warn people they should always be aware they can become targets.

In recent weeks or months scammers have been claiming they are from Trustpower and targeting elderly people in particular.

Police Advice for Scam Prevention

1. Look after your personal details in the same way you would your wallet and other possessions. Your personal details are very valuable to scammers, they will use your details to take out loans or run up debts if they can.

2. Be aware of common scams. For example, banks, Immigration New Zealand or Inland Revenue never email, call or text customers to ask for money to be sent using money transfer services. If you receive a request like that, its a scam.

3. Dont trust anyone who calls you and asks for your financial related information such as your account details and password  again simply hang up, call them on their published contact 0800 number or arrange a meeting at the relevant agency branch.

4. If you have been targeted by a scam, report it immediately by visiting Consumer Protections Scamwatch website.
One of Taurangas only party bars, The Bahama Hut, has moved.



But fear not, party animals, as The Huts new location is just as accessible as the old one  its just one street over on Hamilton Street.



The new location means new features and The Bahama Hut boasts that itll now offer a multi-level experience for Tauranga clubbers.

Along with air conditioning, the new venue also has a new sound rig that will make the old one sound like a bee fart bouncing off wet pollen, The Bahama Huts Facebook page promoted recently.

But other features are still under wraps, and all will be revealed at the new locations opening tonight.

Theyve promised on Facebook that iconic furniture  such as the palm tree and swings  have made the transition to the new location as well.

The current location is reportedly being demolished to make way for car parking.



The official opening kicks off tonight from 10pm and entry is free.

For more information visit the event Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/events/1790003241253386/
Chief minister Fabian Picardo appeared before the House of Commons Select Committee on Exiting the European Union on Wednesday to discuss a number of issues regarding Gibraltar and the impact of Brexit.

He was quick to refute recent claims from Spanish politicians that the offer of joint sovereignty, so that Gibraltar could continue to be part of the EU and have access to the single market once Britain has left, was 'generous'.

"This is the generosity of the predator that thinks its prey is finally prone and it's going to take the price it's been seeking to extract for the past years," he told the committee. "Neither the people of the United Kingdom nor the people of Gibraltar are a prey that is on its knees, seeking any generous offer from the people of Spain. Gibraltar will pay any price, bear any burden and meet any hardship in the context of ensuring that we have a future that is bright and exclusively British post Brexit."

The chief minister's address to the Select Committee was praised by many UK politicians, including Michael Gove, who tweeted that Mr Picardo was "a very impressive witness at DExEU select committee - articulated positive post Brexit vision."

Spain's foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis Quecedo, however, has played down the importance of the joint sovereignty issue in Brexit negotiations, in a noticeably softer approach than that of his predecessor Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Sr Dastis said that if Gibraltar wants to make a life outside the EU, it was perfectly free to do so, and that he did not believe that Spain will use sovereignty over Gibraltar to create a "stumbling block" during the Brexit negotiations.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Sales of renewable energy certificates (RECs) jumped about 245 per cent to 15.68 lakh this January, from 4.54 lakh in December last year.

Power distribution companies as well as open access and captive consumers are under obligation to buy RECs from renewable energy producers under renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) as mandated by central and state regulatory commissions.

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RECs are aimed at providing an easier avenue for various entities, including power distribution companies, to meet their green energy obligations.

Two power exchanges -- Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India Ltd (PXIL) -- approved by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission hold auction of RECs last Wednesday of every month.

As per available data, the sale volume of RECs at the two exchanges in January was 15,68,192 as against 4,54,038 in December 2016.

As many as 12,87,814 RECs were sold at IEX in monthly auction on January 25. Similarly 2,80,378 RECs were sold at PXIL last Wednesday.

"With trade of 12.48 lakh RECs, the market has set an all-time high predominantly on purchase by discoms followed by open access and captive consumers," IEX has said in a statement.

According to the statement, so far this fiscal (April-January), IEX has traded about 31 lakh RECs. The REC volume trade saw an increase of over 412 per cent over 2.51 lakh in the previous month of the same fiscal.

The total cleared volume at PXIL was 2,80,378 RECs in January compared with 2,02,717 RECs in December 2016.

In a statement, PXIL has said that before January 25, more than 1.92 crore RECs were available in the market for trade, but the clearance ratio was low as large obligated entities like distribution utilities did not participate in todays monthly auction.

The traded volume and clearance ratio is expected to increase further in the remaining two monthly sessions of the fiscal year when large obligated entities purchase RECs to meet their RPO target for the year, it said.

One REC is equivalent to 1 MWh of electricity generated from renewable sources.

Under the REC mechanism, an entity can generate power through renewable resources in any part of the country. The generator receives the cost equivalent of electricity produced from any source while the environment attribute is sold through the exchanges at market-determined price. PTI KKS SRK ARD

--- ENDS ---

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Statistics have just been issued for the quality of the sea water off Gibraltar for 2016 and they show that it is constantly improving.

All waters used for swimming are analysed on a weekly basis and classified in accordance with the 2006 standards of Excellent, Good, Sufficient and Poor.

With the exception of Western Beach, where the quality of the sea water is classified as Poor due to historical problems with sewage from a rainwater outfall in neighbouring Spain, all Gibraltar's beaches now comply with legal requirements under the 'Bathing Water Directive'.

Eastern Beach, Catalan Bay, Little Bay and Camp Bay are classified as 'Excellent', while Sandy Bay is marked as 'Good'.
Tato's pancreas stopped producing insulin four and a half years ago, and the paediatricians at the Costa del Sol Hospital weren't able to explain to his parents the reason why. The boy, who turned eight years old last December, was later diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Everything changed from that moment onwards for the family from Marbella, who ever since have been keeping an eye on the sugar levels of the little boy. The quality of life for this household started to pick up a few weeks ago when they adopted Turco, a spaniel being trained to detect and warn of rises and falls in sugar levels, a problem which Tato has been suffering from for a number of years.

The initiative is a pilot programme developed by Marbella Canina, and more specifically by the president of the association, Sergio Moya, a professional trainer who looks for people who may be interested in the programme. What's more he is not charging for training the puppy for little Tato, who has consequently become the first owner of a medical alert dog in Marbella.

Whilst there is no official register of trained dogs in Spain, the president of Marbella Canina says that there are only about thirty medical alert dogs that have been trained to detect certain types of cancer, diabetes or epilepsy through their sense of smell.

Decompensation is more difficult to recognise at night time, making it the most critical period of time for Tato. As a result his parents have spent many nights since he was diagnosed awake, making sure that a drop in sugar levels does not compromise the health of the little boy.

Torcuato German Perez, Tato's father, who is also a member of the Costa del Sol diabetic association, ADISOL, explains that he cannot wait to see the new dog in action. "If you don't spot the hypoglycaemia in time, it can cause major problems, such as inducing a coma," he adds.

Moya is confident that in six months the dog will start to reliably indicate rises and falls in the child's sugar levels by barking, "just like any other training based on smell". But what will Tato gain from this? Most importantly, time. The child and his parents depend on quick reaction time to measure his sugar levels and take the necessary decisions: regulating the levels either by injecting insulin or more simply by drinking some juice. In this way, Tato's barking will prevent his owner from suffering extreme pain. "You have to understand that he is a dog and therefore can make mistakes, but having him here will allow my son's life to get back to normal," his father explains. It is estimated that a trained dog is able to detect both hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia, in other words, increases and decreases in sugar levels, 20 minutes in advance.

Training

Under Moya's supervision the dog has started an impromptu and daily training programme in which he is given samples of the child's sweat and saliva to smell and to bark when the levels of sugar reach certain values. "We are teaching the dog to give a response according to a certain smell. In reality, the dog doesn't know if it is an increase or decrease," Moya states. Turco's trainer adds that the smell which they have created is simply a reference for him so that he knows when to bark.

The dog's training will consist of games and positive reinforcement, with short and consecutive exercises taking place not only on the streets, but also, more importantly, in the child's home. To avoid making mistakes, the dog is learning to distinguish between different smells, for example the combination of cologne and the sweat of his owner. The training will continue throughout the dog's life, with sessions decreasing in frequency over time.

However, this type of training is not cheap. The trainers charge at least 6,000 euros for this type of programme. Nevertheless, the training for Turco will not cost Tato's family anything after Moya presented the project as a pilot programme for ADISOL.

Tato's father recognises that his son will have to get used to the hassle of having a dog. The father himself only found out about these specially-trained dogs that can detect diabetes three years ago when speaking to a friend. It was an idea that started going round my head and which Moya is now putting into place. "We were lucky that Sergio contacted us. We went with him to a nursery in Ubrique in Cadiz where he chose Turco from a litter of puppies. We also considered ourselves lucky when we learned that he was going to be trained as a medical alert dog," Tato's father says.

Turco's trainer explains that these special types of dogs for diabetes have to be specifically trained for every individual. Moya mentions that he chose Turco as he is a playful puppy, with a high level of concentration and a strong sense of smell, three qualities which have made this pet more than a man's best friend for Tato.
The British community in Malaga has shrunk by one third in three years. The speed is due to several factors such as ageing, loss of spending power and fiscal pressure, but its rate is increasing, according to the latest figures regarding continual residence.

Between 1 January 2015 and 1 January 2016, 5,240 British citizens were removed from the population registers. Although this is still the most numerous foreign nationality in the province, with 50,888 residents, it is clearly reducing and the effects of Brexit have not even started yet.

It should, however, be pointed out that not all the British people no longer on the population registers have left. Some don't want to be registered to avoid having to declare all their assets in accordance with the regulation introduced by the tax authorities on foreign residents in 2013. These are normally people who divide their time between the UK and Spain.

Nor are the British the only foreigners who are leaving. In 2015, the number of foreigners on population registers in the province dropped by 8,093 to a total of 239,810 (about 14.7% of the population).

This trend has been recurring during the past four years for two simultaneous reasons: immigrants returning to their own countries, especially in South America, and European residents leaving or removing their names from the register.

The municipality most affected by the loss of its foreign population is Mijas, where the numbers dropped by 2,962 in a single year. Next is Malaga (-1,649), Estepona (-1,005), Marbella (-485) and Benalmadena (-458). Besides Malaga, where the loss of foreign population is more to do with immigrants returning home, all the other municipalities are favourite places of residence for the British community on the Costa del Sol.

Increase in Spanish population

Despite this notable fall in the foreign population, the province has not lost inhabitants overall. In fact, it ended 2015 with a slight increase of 325 people on the population registers. The saying "win some, lose some," perfectly reflects the situation in Malaga, because while the foreign population is shrinking, the native one is growing: in the same year, 8,418 Spanish people registered on the 'padron' here for the first time.

By municipality, Marbella's population grew the most in 2015, with a further 1,207 inhabitants. Rincon de la Victoria, Velez-Malaga, Benalmadena and Torremolinos also gained in registered population. This increase compensated for the fall in 75 municipalities. Malaga city was one of those: it lost 121 inhabitants.
Antonia Ledesma is still mayor of Alhaurin el Grande despite the opposition's attempt to replace her with a no-confidence vote on Wednesday.

It wasn't a question of the opposition groups not having enough support to oust the mayor - in the end the motion never reached the voting stage.

Instead, the two-hour-long meeting was taken up by complicated legalities with which the ruling party, Por Alhaurin, attempted to prove the motion null and void.

The youngest and oldest councillors both argued they should have the casting vote

The councillor whose vote is at the centre of the debate is Mari Francis Fernandez, the only representative of the Partido Popular (PP) on the council following the last local elections (the rest of the PP members had joined Por Alhaurin). However, Fernandez's decision to support the no-confidence motion, tipping the balance in favour of the opposition, led to her suspension as a member of the PP by her provincial party chiefs.

Antonia Ledesma gestures to councillors to be quiet / Alvaro Cabrera

A non-binding report drawn up earlier this week by the municipal secretary stated that Fernandez's vote would not count. The opposition groups argued, though, that the same secretary had written a contradictory report with a different conclusion in a similar situation in 2013.

Fernandez's move from her party, however, has not yet been formalised at a council meeting, so she was still a member of the municipal PP group on Wednesday.

The other issue that added confusion - and decibels - to the already heated session on Wednesday concerned who was actually in charge of the meeting. In the case of a motion of no confidence in the mayor, the session is by law presided over by what is known as the 'mesa de edad' formed by the oldest and youngest councillors. In the case of Alhaurin el Grande, the oldest is Francisco Guerrero (Por Alhaurin) and the youngest Marina Maldonado (PSOE). As the two were on opposite sides of the council rift, there followed a debate as to which of them held the casting vote in the case of a draw, a point that is not established by law.

The secretary was unable to clarify this point and both councillors in question spent some time shouting into their microphones as if the one to make the most noise would get the vote.

The process continued, with numerous interruptions from the members of the public who attended the session, until the oldest councillor considered the vote could not proceed and called the meeting closed, with the support of the secretary.

The opposition groups have promised that this will not be the end of the story and that they will let the courts decide on the legality of the motion if necessary.

Meanwhile Ledesma, who already promised a crowd of 500 supporters on Sunday that the motion would not succeed, remains at the helm of Alhaurin el Grande town hall.
Within the Spanish government there is clearly no official 'line' on Brexit. This became evident on Tuesday, when Rajoy told a press conference organised by the newspaper ABC that Brexit was a "serious threat" to Spain. When asked to elaborate he resorted to that famed Rajoy opacity, elliptically remarking that one in five holidaymakers in Spain is British and that around 17 million Britons visited Spain in 2016. What he means, then, is that Spain's economy is heavily reliant on British tourists and expats and that, after Brexit, it might be more difficult or unappealing for them to holiday or buy property in Spain.

Whether or not that turns out to be true will depend on the tone and content of the two-year conversation that is just beginning. Meanwhile, as I wrote here last week, Spain's economy and industry minister is much more optimistic about post-Brexit Anglo-Spanish relations than his boss. Luis de Guindos says he is sure that a good economic relationship between the UK and Spain can be maintained post-Brexit and that, as the two countries are important to one another, there should be no problems in striking a deal that benefits both. That, surely, is a better candidate for the official government take on Brexit than the prime minister's doom-mongering.

Although Rajoy's anxiety about the impact of Brexit is premature, he is right to worry about Spain's inability to make unilateral economic agreements with a UK outside the EU. And ironically, the impossibility of being able to do so is owed to one of the many flaws of the highly-centralised, undemocratic administration he praises so highly. It's worth remembering, too, that Rajoy is much more committed to the EU than Luis de Guindos, who has always maintained an amusingly defiant attitude towards Brussels.

In one of his most ludicrous announcements to date, Rajoy told the ABC conference in Madrid that "despite all its imperfections, [the EU] is the best political initiative the world has seen in centuries". Really? In two years' time, Rajoy will want to deal with the UK as an autonomous country, not as part of a 27-member bloc run by politicians likely to be indifferent to his economic concerns. But he won't be able to. Maybe only then will he start to see Brexit in a different light - because it was partly to regain such sovereignty that the UK voted to leave the EU.
Chuck and TJ are lying back on a pair of hay bales, taking a break from working the land, somewhere deep in Nebraska. An unforgiving sun beats down on their craggy, lined faces but, that's alright, they're quite used to the weather; they've doing this stuff for more than three decades. TJ's on a roll.

"Yeah, you shudda seen them, man. Thousands of 'em. It was all over the news. All in their pink hats an' all. I couldn't take my eyes off 'em, all of these women - it was nearly all women - walking through the big city streets, singin' and dancin' an' everything. Those hats, man! Wow!"

"Sounds cool, man." Chuck seems impressed. He chews on a straw. "What were they doin' it for, exactly?"

"You know, man. They don't like Trump, man. Can't stand him. Think he's a fool. An' you know what, man? Just by lookin' at 'em in their hats an' stuff, I've come to see they're right. Trump's a total idiot and I really regret voting for him."

"Yeah, man - I hear ya. I hear ya. When did you start to change your mind about your vote?"

"I can't remember exactly - it was either that bit when Madonna was singing like a drunken aunt at a late-night karaoke or when Alicia Keys started preachin' at everybody about equality before heading back off to her gated mansion in the hills. It was all so cool, man."

"Yeah - right, dude, really cool. So, obviously, all those rich pop stars, actors and actresses are gonna be givin' lots of their money away to poor people in the name of equality, then? That's really great man. You godda love those guys."

"Er, yeah, obviously - they must be givin' loads o' bucks away, dude. They couldn't be so hypocritical as to talk like that and keep it all, could they? Imagine that."

They chuckle quietly to themselves.

"Hey, man, the more you talk, the more I really wish Trump wudda lost. We really were fools to have voted for him. All those protesting people, man, they've really opened my eyes. Changed my way o' thinkin', you know? God bless 'em. Hey, TJ - d'ya think we can get a couple of those pink hats delivered out here? I really wanna pink hat, man. You know, just to us feel equal an' everything."

"I'll get us a coupla hats, man. Count on it."

Chuck and TJ get slowly to their feet, and, on the count of three, sling the first of the long afternoon's hay bales onto the back of the trailer. The sun beats down.
By Press Trust of India: Palanpur, Jan 27 (PTI) Sadhvi Jayshree Giri, arrested yesterday in a cheating case, is the prime accused in the 2008 murder of her spiritual guru and head of Mukteshwar Mahadev Math Sanjaygiri Maharaj in Banaskantha district, police said today.

She was arrested yesterday after police raided a house in Palanpur and recovered Rs 1.25 crore in cash and 2.4 kg of gold.

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According to police, Sadhvi might have duped several persons.

She was arrested in connection with a cheating complaint lodged against her by a local jeweller Pritesh Shah who alleged that she had taken Rs 5 crore from him by promising to give him gold at a cheaper rate.

During the raid, police had also recovered several bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer.

"Apart from cheating, we have also booked her under various sections of Prohibition Act for possession of liquor," said Banaskantha SP Niraj Badgujar.

Sadhvi was today remanded in three-day police custody by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Palanpur district court P T Jadeja.

A senior officer said a complaint was lodged against Sadhvi at Vadgam police station in October 2008 in connection with Sanjaygiris murder and that trial is underway in a local court.

"As per our information, she is the key accused in the murder case lodged against her in Vadgam taluka. She secured anticipatory bail in that case, which is still running in a local court," the officer said.

Sanjaygiri was killed and his body was burnt at the Math on the night of Diwali in October 2008.

The complaint was lodged by a devotee identified as Jayanti Prajapati.

"As per the FIR, Sadhvi and some of her close aides killed her guru Sanjaygiri to take control of Math. After my complaint, she went underground for almost 2.5 years and then acquired anticipatory bail from court. She still lives in Math. The trial in that case is still on," said Prajapati.

Meanwhile, Rajendrasinh Barad, a co-accused in the murder case, alleged Sadhvi had duped many others in the past.

"I am a co-accused in Sanjaygiri Maharaj murder case. I also went underground and acquired bail later. I then detached myself from Sadhvi who is no less than a mafia," claimed Barad. PTI CORR PJT PD NSK JMF

--- ENDS ---
Greece Migrants Daily Life

A Syrian refugee girl carries her younger brother at the refugee camp of Ritsona about 86 kilometers (53 miles) north of Athens, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. The European Commission said conditions for refugees on islands and other camps where they are housed in tents despite severe cold weather, is "untenable." (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

(Muhammed Muheisen)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - About 250 Syrian refugees resettled in the Syracuse area in 2016 - the last year of President Barack Obama's pledge to welcome 10,000 to the U.S., New York state records show.

As one of his first acts, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that bans refugees from Syria and suspends visitors and refugees from other Muslim countries, according to a draft executive order obtained by the Washington Post.

The Trump administration believes the countries are nations whose citizens "would be detrimental to the interests of the United States," the Washington Post said.

Contact Michelle Breidenbach anytime:

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| 315-470-3186.
2015-11-03-dn-electionnight.JPG

Marty Masterpole walks to say his thank yous after a re-election to Syracuse city auditor on Nov. 3, 2015. Masterpole will run for Syracuse mayor this year.

(Dennis Nett | dnett@syacuse.com)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- City Auditor Marty Masterpole has officially joined the race for Syracuse mayor.

Masterpole, 43, submitted a letter Friday to the Onondaga County Democratic Committee today seeking the Democratic nomination. He cited his experience, ability to work with others and his fiscal responsibility as traits that qualify him for the city's top job.

Masterpole was first elected auditor in 2011. He defeated Republican Steve Kimatian. He was elected again in 2015, defeating Howie Hawkins. Prior to his role as auditor, Masterpole served two terms as a county legislator and two terms as a city councilor.

City Auditor Marty Masterpole

In an interview Friday, Masterpole characterized his style of governance as honest and plain. He forewent a traditional press conference to announce his candidacy, an example of that style, he said.

"I'm not about dog and pony shows," he said. "I'll make the decisions I believe are right. I'm starting this the same way I would govern, with honesty and straightforwardness and to the point."

His platform includes issues like collaboration, fiscal responsibility and filling the ranks of the police department to reduce city crime. He said he could develop strong relationships with other leaders, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has had a strained relationship with the current mayor, Stephanie Miner.

"We have to be better working together," he said. "Most of the positions the mayor has taken in fights, I've actually agreed with her, but I haven't agreed with the delivery."

For example, Masterpole said the mayor was right to opt out of a pension smoothing plan proposed by Cuomo in 2013. However, he said, he would not have written a letter to The New York Times voicing his displeasure over it like Miner did.

He also said he would avoid unwinnable lawsuits on symbolic issues.

On Interstate 81 he said he does not believe the highway should be rebuilt as an elevated viaduct. He said he favors the community grid, but would welcome additional state or federal funding to explore more expensive options like a hybrid or a tunnel.

On government consolidation, Masterpole said ultimately any decision would be up to voters. Cuomo has proposed mandating a referendum vote on consolidation as early as this November.

Masterpole said he would support a metropolitan government if it came with "buy-in" from all involved parties, including governments, schools and police.

"The devil's going to be in the details," he said. "I probably know what I don't want, which is the city being swallowed up by the county and these little governments remaining."

In his last race for auditor, Masterpole faced criticism over his track record of audits. Despite promising to conduct 11 or 12 audits a year in his first term, he completed four per year. Opponents also have claimed his audits aren't critical of the mayor, who is a friend of his.

Masterpole said he bases his audits on facts, not politics. He pointed to last year's audit of police overtime as something that illustrated flaws in the administration and ways to improve. Overall, he said, he has a good relationship with Mayor Miner, but doesn't know if he'll have her support in the race.

"I've worked well with the mayor," he said. "My opponents will say I'm not critical enough of the mayor. She has made my job easier because she's one of the most fiscally sound people I've ever met in my life. Her budget department watches money in and out."

If elected, Masterpole said he would rely on the auditor's office for fiscal advice.

Masterpole currently runs an insurance agency with his brothers, Masterpole-Murphy Agency. He said he maintains some clients there still and works there in the afternoons some days. If elected, he would divest from the agency.

Masterpole is the second Democrat to officially declare his candidacy -- perennial contender Alfonso Davis announced last month he would seek the party's nomination. A citizen group has begun generating support for former city attorney Juanita Williams. Others considering running include Andrew Maxwell and Joe Nicoletti.

Republican Laura Lavine announced her candidacy Thursday. Ben Walsh, an independent, is also running and has raised more than $100,000.

Masterpole has about $4,000 in his campaign account for auditor. He said he expects this race will cost more than $250,000. Dan Deragon will manage the campaign. Deragon worked on Colleen Deacon's campaign for Congress last year.
Andrew Cuomo,Bernie Sanders

In this Jan. 3, 2017, photo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, right, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appear onstage together during an event at LaGuardia Community College in New York. Gov. Cuomo announced a proposal for free tuition at state colleges to hundreds of thousands of low- and middle-income residents.

(Mary Altaffer / AP)

Jim Malatras is Director of State Operations for Gov. Andrew Cuomo.



By Jim Malatras

As recent studies have shown, a college education is a key factor in economic mobility of the working and middle classes. A college degree has become the equivalent of a high school diploma 50 years ago. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a person with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn $2,048,204 over a 40-year career span - more than double the amount an individual with a high school diploma will earn over that same period. And that disparity is only growing wider.



The paradox we face is that even as higher education becomes more necessary for an individual to succeed, the cost to attain a college degree is more than most families can afford.



That's why Gov. Andrew Cuomo has put forward a nation-leading program to make college more affordable for our middle- and working-class families. Called the Excelsior Scholarship, more than 900,000 families making up to $125,000 per year would qualify to attend New York's public higher education systems-- SUNY or CUNY - tuition free. New York's plan, unlike any other state in the nation, applies to four-year colleges as well as community colleges.



Sadly, however, some special interest groups have distorted what the governor's program does--saying it hurts private colleges, it harms certain students from qualifying or it is a giveaway.



Let's clear up the white noise and false information.



The governor's program does not treat New York's private universities unfairly. Gov. Cuomo has long been a proponent of school choice and his budget provides $400 million in state grants to private colleges. The state also provides grants to approximately 90,000 students to attend private schools. The state of New York's investment in private colleges is more than any other state besides Texas.



Yet private school tuition is 426 percent higher, on average, than our public four-year schools and 682 percent higher than our community colleges. The state simply cannot afford to pay the full cost of a private school tuition. The most cost-effective way is by partnering with SUNY and CUNY -- whose tuition the state controls.



Moreover, because students don't often graduate on time (or at all), they take on additional and avoidable student debt. Today's students typically take five or six years to finish their four-year degrees. In New York, the four-year graduation rate is only 39 percent and our two-year community college graduation rate is only 9 percent. These numbers must improve.



The governor's free tuition scholarship requires students graduate on time -- either in two or four years, depending on the school. The incentive will save a student money and reduce their overall debt burden and get them into the workforce. But, recognizing there are, at times, forces outside students' control, the governor's proposal also includes a "stepping out" provision so that students will be able to leave and restart the program when important life issues make it necessary to pause their education.



Critics have argued the cost estimates of the governor's Excelsior Scholarship program is low, but that is because it leverages already existing programs to close the "last mile" of tuition costs. The governor's program combines New York's already robust Tuition Assistance Program with federal grant funding, and then fills in any remaining gaps.



Finally, this isn't a "giveaway" like some critics have argued. Students are required to have the requisite credentials to get into college, must maintain good academic standing and graduate on time. Free tuition doesn't equal cheapening colleges. Students must earn it. The governor's program ensures that they have the opportunity to do so.



The Empire State has the chance to lead the nation by ensuring access to a college degree for all New York's working- and middle-class families. By investing in them and ensuring they have the skills necessary to meet the demands of the modern workforce, we are setting all of New York up for success. It's simply an opportunity too important to pass up.
First Lady Melania Trump appears on the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico at an awkward time.

President Donald Trump's wife posed for the magazine's February issue, released Thursday, amid political tensions between the U.S. and Mexico over a proposed wall along their shared border -- and who will pay for it. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has repeatedly refused to finance the project and canceled a planned meeting scheduled for next week with Trump.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday Trump is now considering a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to help pay for the border wall. The U.S. imported roughly $271 billion of goods from Mexico during the first 11 months of 2016, but a tax or tariff could raise the prices of goods for Americans.

"Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!" Trump tweeted Friday.

In the new Vanity Fair, Mrs. Trump appears to be eating a bowl of jewelry with a fork like pasta in the cover photo, along with a tagline referring to her as the new Jacqueline Kennedy ("la nueva Jackie Kennedy"). The same image and story appeared in the April 2016 issue of GQ magazine.

Melania Trump, en portada de febrero. Un reportaje que desvela como fue el pasado de esta intrigante primera dama. https://t.co/WP298EtGug pic.twitter.com/ZUNOvkYaEI  Vanity Fair Mexico (@VanityFairMX) January 26, 2017

Vanity Fair and GQ are both owned by Conde Nast, a a division of syracuse.com's parent company Advance Publications.

According to CNN, Trump has feuded with Vanity Fair for years, most recently accusing the publication of "really poor numbers" in December, predicting it will be "dead" soon. The beef reportedly started in 1988 when magazine editor Graydon Carter, then editor of satirical magazine Spy, insulted the size of Trump's hands by calling him a "short-fingered vulgarian."

"Can't wait for Vanity Fair to fold which, under Graydon Carter, will be sooner rather than later," Trump wrote on Twitter in 2012.

Trump has yet to comment publicly on the new issue of Vanity Fair Mexico.

In other news, a judge has ruled Melania Trump's defamation lawsuit against a political blogger can move forward. NBC News reports Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Sharon Burrell said Webster Tarpley's description of the former model as a "high-end escort" suggested she was a prostitute.

A lawyer for FLOTUS said the damages to her personal and professional reputation are estimated at $150 million.
As Bobby Deol turns 48, we take a trip down memory lane when his songs made may hearts flutter.

By India Today Web Desk: From a 90s' chocolate boy to gen Y's DJ waale Bobby, actor Bobby Deol has come a long way. With his signature long curls missing from the picture, it is hard to remember 'Badal' from Barsaat, who made many women go weak in the knees back in the mid 90s, anymore.

ALSO READ: Bobby Deol finally opens up on his DJing controversy

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PHOTOS: Bobby Deol to Fardeen Khan, this is how the 90s' chocolate boys look now

While Bollywood might have given a cold shoulder to this guy with the curls, but if you are a 90s kid, it is almost impossible that you don't remember his cute chemistry with Twinkle Khanna or Aishwarya Rai on 70mm.

And as the actor turns 48 today, we take a trip down memory lane when his songs made may hearts flutter.

Chori Chori Jab Nazre Mili (Kareeb)

Humko Sirf Tumse Pyaar Hai (Barsaat)

Nahi Ye Ho Nahi Sakta (Barsaat)

Meri Saanson Mein (Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya)

Teri Adaaon Pe (Barsaat)

Chura Lo Na Dil (Kareeb)

Naiyo Naiyo (Soldier)

Mushkil Bada Ye Pyaar Hai (Gupt)

Sanam Mere Humraaz (Humraaz)

Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela (Gupt)

--- ENDS ---
Bobby Deol was supposedly going to be the hero in the 2007 Imtiaz Ali film Jab We Met. But fate had other plans.

By India Today Web Desk: A couple of days before Bobby Deol's birthday - which is today (Happy Birthday Bobby!) - the Soldier actor, in a tell-all interview, spoke about his lost stardom and his attempts to reinvent himself as an actor in the 21st century.

Among other things, Bobby spoke about his depression which almost made him an alcoholic and the brouhaha last year surrounding his DJing event.

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But what surprised many was Bobby Deol's admission that it was he, not Shahid Kapoor, who was supposed to be the hero of Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met.

ALSO WATCH: 10 best songs from DJ waale Bobby Deol's career

"Back then, it was titled Geet. I had seen Socha Na Tha (which starred Bobby's cousin Abhay Deol) and instantly reached out to Imtiaz saying that he's an incredible storyteller with a terrific future. I told him that I wanted to work with him and he had the script of (what eventually became) Jab We Met ready. He was looking for financiers," Bobby said.

The actor went on to say that a studio was even ready to sign him. It was apparently Bobby who suggested Kareena Kapoor Khan (with whom he had worked in Ajnabee) to Imtiaz. Both the producers as well as Kareena reportedly were not to ready to join the project.

"The producers were like, oh no, that guy will make an expensive film. Kareena, on the other hand, didn't even want to meet Imtiaz," said Bobby Deol.

ALSO READ: I turned to the bottle and was on the verge of becoming an alcoholic, says Bobby Deol

Then, Bobby took it to his close friend and Soldier co-star Preity Zinta. Preity agreed to do the film but could only begin shooting it after six months. The project got stuck in limbo.

"Days passed. And suddenly I read that Ashtavinayak has signed Imtiaz for Jab We Met and Kareena is doing the film! And she had gotten her then-boyfriend, Shahid Kapoor to act opposite her. I was like, wow. Quite an industry," Bobby said.

The 48-year-old actor also said that he and Imtiaz were supposed to do Highway as well. Eventually, Randeep Hooda acted in the role that was supposedly meant for him.

But Bobby clarified that he is not hurt or angry with Imtiaz Ali.

"He is a great director and doing so well. We're still friends. But I always tell him: 'Imtiaz, I won't watch any of your films until you make one with me. That'll be your best film'," Bobby signed off.

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ALSO READ: Bobby Deol finally opens up on his DJing controversy

--- ENDS ---
Bomin expands ARA operations

The Bomin Group has strengthened its physical operations in the ARA region (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) by timechartering in two bunker barges.

This move supports Bomins business strategy of investing in key regions, and developing its global infrastructure and resources to drive long-term growth and sustainability, the company said.



The bunker barges are of 3,600 dwt and 3,100 dwt, respectively, with fast pumping rates. Bomin provides a range of products in ARA, including IFO 380 and DMA 0.1%. Through the new additions, the portfolio is broadened to include DMC 0.1%, DMA 0.86%, as well as ultra low sulfur fuel oil (ULSFO) to meet ECA compliance requirements. The barges are operated out of Antwerp, but will also support customers who require bunkers in Rotterdam, Ghent, and Vlissingen.



Jan Christensen, global head of bunker operations, Bomin Group, said: We are continuing to make significant progress in ensuring our global infrastructure and operations are well developed to meet the fuel supply challenges of our customers. Both barges have Coriolis mass flow meters installed to guarantee customers receive the quantity of products that they order, and to drive further operational efficiencies. By strengthening our physical presence in ARA we can enhance our operational flexibility and increase the choice of products we offer to customers in the region, he said.



Bomin launched its Antwerp physical operation in 2015. This follows the launch of physical operations in Singapore and Mauritius last year.




Bottiglieri to sell off tanker fleet

Napoli-based drybulk and tanker owner Giuseppe Bottiglieri Shipping looks likely to sell off its chemical tanker fleet, as a result of seeking court protection in Italy from its creditors.

Privately-owned Bottiglieri blamed the unprecedented world freight market crisis together with currency volatility in a statement. This followed an earlier application for court protection on 29th December under Italys insolvency law. No enforcement proceedings of whatsoever nature against the company have been made by financial creditors, suppliers, charterers, crew, employees or by any other creditor, the company said in the statement. Giuseppe Bottiglieri Shipping Company SpA regularly continues its business in the interest of all the stakeholders. The company declined to comment when asked by Reuters whether it would sell any ships.




The Cockett Group has further strengthened its commercial team.

Joining the Group are Eric van Oers, Maria Sortsi and Mehul Vora who will be based in the Netherlands (Rotterdam), Greece (Athens) and UAE (Dubai), respectively.

Cem Saral, Cockett Group CEO, commented, We are delighted to be strengthening our customer offering in key regional locations. Eric, Maria and Mehul are experienced professionals who will enhance the consistently high level of service we seek to provide.

The group is owned jointly by Vitol (50%) and Grindrod (50%). Based in Dubai, it operates globally from 16 offices, across five continents, and trades in excess of 7 mill tonnes of oil per annum.

Meanwhile, ChartCo has announced that Chong Chee Meng has joined the company in the role of business development director, Asia.

Chong has been involved with commercial maritime navigation for nearly three decades, having previously been the general manager of DPM Singapore for 25 years.

On making this announcement, Martin Taylor, ChartCo CEO, explained: I am really excited to welcome Chong to the team in this period of growth and investment for ChartCo. Chong completely shares the ChartCo ethos of putting the customer first and developing cost effective and innovative solutions and he will undoubtedly boost our already leading position in Asia.

Chong represented ChartCo as a successful PassageManager agent for many years. He helped us position PassageManager as the benchmark compliance product through both business development activities in Asia and by providing the essential customer feedback which allowed PassageManager to develop into the successful package it is today, he said.
IMO PPR sub-committee discusses several issues

At the IMOs sub-committee on pollution prevention and response (PPR) meeting between 16th-20th January, the following was agreed.

Implementation of the 2020 0.50% sulphur limit - The sub-committee began work to ensure the effective implementation of the 2020, 0.5% m/m sulfur limit, which was decided by MEPC 70. This is aimed at exploring what actions may be taken to ensure consistent and effective implementation of the 0.5% sulfur limit, as well as actions that may facilitate effective policies by IMO member states. MEPC 71 will be invited to approve a new output on consistent implementation of regulation 14.1.3 of MARPOL Annex VI. This regulation sets a 0.5% limit on the sulphur content of fuel oil used on board ships from 1st January, 2020, down from 3.5% currently. In ECAs, the limit will remain at 0.1% m/m. Ballast water management manual completed - Work was completed on the Ballast Water Management - How to do it manual, which is expected to be finalised and approved by MEPC 71. The manual provides advice on the process of ratification, implementation and enforcement of the BWM Convention, which will enter into force on 8th September, 2017. It gives useful practical information to Governments, particularly those of developing countries, administrations, shipowners, Port State Control authorities, environmental agencies and other stakeholders on the implications of ratifying, implementing and enforcing the BWM Convention, the IMO said. The aim is to encourage the further ratification and effective implementation and enforcement of the convention. Currently, the convention has been ratified by 54 countries, representing 53.3% of world merchant shipping tonnage. Guidance on determining viability of organisms agreed - Draft guidelines on methodologies that may be used for enumerating viable organisms, for approval by MEPC 71, was also agreed. This guide provides information on methodologies used for enumerating viable organisms during the type approval of ballast water management systems, in order to verify that they meet the ballast water performance standard described in regulation D-2 of the BWMC. Updated OPRC model training courses agreed - A final draft of the updated IMO Model Courses on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC Model Training Courses) was agreed. The OPRC Model training courses have been revised to provide up-to-date guidance for preparedness and response to marine oil spills. Revision of IBC Code - revised chapter 21 on criteria for assigning carriage requirements agreed - PPR moved forward with its revision of the IBC Code, agreeing the draft revised chapter 21 (criteria for assigning carriage requirements for products subject to the IBC Code) for submission to MEPC 71 and MSC 98 for approval in principle, pending finalisation of the revision of chapters 17 and 18 of the Code, for circulation and subsequent adoption at a future session. This paves the way for the work to revise chapters 17 (Summary of minimum requirements), 18 (List of products to which the code does not apply). The comprehensive review of the IBC Code aims to harmonise the requirements for individual substances with the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and the 2014 edition of the Revised Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) hazard evaluation procedure for chemical substances carried by ships. The Sub-Committee also continued its work to develop draft amendments to MARPOL Annex II to strengthen the discharge requirements for persistent floating, high-viscosity and solidifying substances. Guidelines for exhaust gas recirculation bleed-off water agreed - The Sub-Committee agreed draft guidelines for the discharge of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) bleed-off water, for submission to MEPC 71 for adoption. Regulation 13.5.1 of MARPOL Annex VI requires marine diesel engines on ships constructed from 1st January, 2016 to meet Tier III NOX emission levels when operating in the North American and US Caribbean Sea NECAs. One method for reducing NO X emissions is to use Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), which is an internal engine process resulting in a NOX reduction, which will meet the requirements of the regulation. MEPC 70 approved the designation of the Baltic Sea and North Sea as NECAs with effect from 1st January, 2021. Draft 2017 SCR Guidelines agreed - Draft 2017 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system guidelines, for submission to MEPC 71, for consideration, with a view to adoption were also agreed. On adoption, administrations are invited to take these guidelines into account when certifying engines fitted with SCR, which are a type of NOX-reducing devices envisaged in the NOX Technical Code 2008 (NTC 2008). Shipboard gasification of waste systems work referred to correspondence group -

A correspondence group was established to further develop draft standards for shipboard gasification of waste systems, as well as associated amendments to regulation 16 of MARPOL Annex VI and the International Air Pollution Prevention (IAPP) Certificate. Black carbon correspondence group established - The Sub-Committee established a correspondence group to continue work on addressing the impact on the Arctic of black carbon emissions from ships. This group was tasked with further developing the draft measurement reporting protocol for black carbon, with a view to finalisation at the next session (PPR 5).




Novoship celebrates 50th anniversary

On 19th-20th January, 2017 Novorossiysk Shipping Company (Novoship), a subsidiary of SCF Group, hosted special events to celebrate the companys 50th anniversary.

Novoship was officially established on 20th January, 1967, soon becoming one of Russias leaders in terms of fleet size and cargo volumes transported. The creation of this specialised tanker company enabled Russia to strengthen its position in global shipping, preserving and expanding the nations tanker fleet, whilst building a strong marine infrastructure in the Black Sea. In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to consolidate the state energy transportation assets, which saw Novoship become a part of newly established SCF Group. Under this new arrangement, Novoship remained a separate legal entity that continued to pay taxes locally to the Krasnodar regional budget. Today, Novoship is one of the key assets within SCF Group. For example, SCF Management Services (Novorossiysk) established at its headquarters is responsible for the technical management of a major part of SCFs conventional tanker fleet. It performs this role in full accordance with the strict requirements imposed by the worlds largest charterers, including the oil majors. In his speech, SCF head, Sergey Frank, said: Novorossiysk Shipping Company was built on the foundation of age-old traditions of operating tankers in the Black Sea. Since 1885, when the Russian tanker Svet embarked on her voyage through the Black Sea, thousands of nautical miles have been covered and several generations of seafarers have changed, with each generation transferring knowledge, experience, love of the sea and seamanship onto the next. We are proud that the accumulated knowledge and experience continue to serve for the benefit of our domestic transport industry. The consolidation of the assets of Sovcomflot and Novoship has resulted in the emergence of Russias largest shipping company, a world leader in the transportation of energy by sea. The consolidation of the two companies was extremely timely, and enabled us to overcome one of the longest recessions in the modern history of the tanker business. By joining Sovcomflot Group, Novoship gave a powerful impulse for the development of the entire enterprise. The management of the Group should like to thank the entire team and our respected veterans for many years of work at sea and ashore, for the benefit of the Russian merchant fleet. Today the Group has serious strategic objectives. Undoubtedly, the experience in operating a conventional tanker fleet accumulated in Novorossiysk  Russias tanker capital  will help us to achieve these objectives with the maximum efficiency, he concluded.




By Press Trust of India: From Fakir Hassen

Johannesburg, Jan 27 (PTI) India and South Africa enjoy long-standing bilateral relations which is strengthened by the close contact, friendship and relationship between leaders of both countries, High Commissioner of India to South Africa has said during the Republic day celebrations here.

"Our two countries enjoy long-standing bilateral relations, blessed with the common legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Madiba (referred to late President Nelson Mandela), High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam told about 300 guests that included many South African Indian veterans who took part in the freedom struggle of the country.

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"Our relations are strengthened by the close contact, friendship and relationship between our leaders," Ghanashyam said as she reflected the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July last year and President Jacob Zumas visit to Goa for the BRICS Summit in October.

"This year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of our strategic partnership with South Africa. The relationship between India and South Africa is not limited to the political level alone, nor is it limited to the two governments."

"There is a vibrant and mutually beneficial economic and business relationship between our two countries. Bilateral trade reached USD 9.45 billion in 2015-2016, despite the gloomy international scenario," she said.

India was the fourth largest importing partner and the sixth largest export destination for South Africa in the same period.

Ghanashyam said 30,000 jobs had been created by many Indian companies which have invested in South Africa. They are helping the country in its efforts towards skills development and to bring in use of technology.

Offering congratulations to India on behalf of Premier David Makhura of Gauteng province, provincial minister of Finance Barbara Creecy said South Africans whose democracy was only 23 years old could only look in awe at India for having reached 68 years as the largest democracy in the world.

Creecy said she was part of a delegation led by Makhura in 2015 to Indian cities and rural areas to study transport systems and the agro processing industry which had assisted in strengthening ties between the province and India. PTI FH AJR

--- ENDS ---
Sea IT continues to kit out Maersk Tankers fleet

Swedish-based Sea IT is continuing to install communications on board Maersk Tankers vessels worldwide, as part of a four-year long ICT contract, which covers every vessel in the fleet.

It can be very challenging to manage the logistics in the maritime industry, said Kristian Ryberg, Sea IT CEO. At Sea IT we strive for excellence, not only in our products but in the execution of a project.



Maersk Tankers operates around 100 vessels. Some 75 plus vessels in the fleet have now become fully equipped with the new patented BlueCORE system. With Maersk Tankers vessels in traffic around the globe, we first build, test and verify all equipment at our headquarters, only thereafter do we ship out the products along with a specially trained technician to install it on board, explained Ryberg. It is a challenge many supplier struggle with, therefore we are very pleased to see yet another successful project management plan be executed on time. The ICT contract includes the modification of BlueCORE, which has been customised to fit Maersk Tankers global business operations and high security standards. The customised solution is built to optimise business processes, reduce operational costs and to ensure maximum efficiency by using all available IT resources on board. With the solution on board, Maersk Tankers will be able to regard its fleet as a remote office location, Sea IT claimed.



The vessel IT project has been a great success to date, said Henning Madsen, vessel IT manager at Maersk Tankers based in Copenhagen. They offer second-to-none reliable ICT solutions, installed by highly trained professionals and executed under excellent project management plans. Sea IT is really proving their expertise and capabilities in this project to be everything we demanded in the Vessel IT project.



Now Maersk Tankers can regard these 75 plus vessels as remote office locations with real-time, on-line access to our internal applications. It is a cost efficient, modular platform, which supports Maersk Tankers business objectives, claimed Ryberg.



The installations began in August, 2016 and are expected to finish at the beginning of this year. Maersk Tankers can integrate and structure all programs from various departments  technical and operations; chartering; HSEQ to HR and third parties for fuel consumption, sea chart updates and more. Besides the installations, Sea IT will serve as a second line of support in close collaboration with the Maersk Tankers own support team in Manila. Sea IT carries key components for hard- and software and provides emergency support 24/7 to Maersk Tankers worldwide.



Sea IT has built, verified and tested 95 BlueCORE systems as part of the contract with Maersk Tankers.




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These are the principal findings of the latest India Today Mood of the Nation opinion poll that also registered widespread support for the government's demonetisation initiative and surgical strikes in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The PM drew strong support from people on the issue of demonetisation as 45 per cent respondents believe it will help curb black money and corruption.

By Mail Today Bureau: Narendra Modi is best suited to be India's next Prime Minister and the ruling National Democratic Alliance led by him would romp to power with 360 seats if Lok Sabha elections were held now. These are the principal findings of the latest India Today Mood of the Nation opinion poll that also registered widespread support for the government's demonetisation initiative and surgical strikes in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

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Around two-thirds of the respondents see Modi as the top pick to become the next Prime Minister, leading his nearest rival- Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi- by 55 percentage points. The latest edition of the MOTN survey was conducted by market research firm Karvy Insights Limited across 19 states from the end of demonetisation deadline on December 30 until January 9. A total of 12,143 interviews were carried out (53% in rural & 47% in urban), spread across 97 parliamentary constituencies in 194 assembly seats.

The study shows that there would be a three percentage point rise in the BJP's vote share, and 2 per cent & 1 per cent drops in vote shares of Others and the Congress respectively. The BJP would get more than 300 seats on its own if parliamentary elections were held now, with substantial gains since the survey done in August.

The study shows that there would be a three percentage point rise in the BJP's vote share, and 2 per cent & 1 per cent drops in vote shares of Others and the Congress respectively. The BJP would get more than 300 seats on its own if parliamentary elections were held now, with substantial gains since the survey done in August.

The PM's score has gone up 15 percentage points, is the highest ever in the past six surveys, and has grown across all religions in the last three opinion polls.

Also Read: India Today Mood of the Nation poll: PM Modi's demonetisation move gets a thumbs up, 10 big takeaways

People are also supporting Modi's performance as Prime Minister with 69% rating his performance as either good or outstanding. That's a jump of 16 percentage points over the survey done six months ago.

Also, 1 out of every 4 respondents considers his performance to be "outstanding" this time, compared to 9% in the edition six months ago and 16% in the survey done a year ago.

Modi also seems to have got the thumbs up from people on the issue of demonetisation as 45% of the respondents believe that the ban on the old 500 and 1,000-rupee notes will help curb black money and corruption while 35% also believe that it will be good for the economy.

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However, 68% of the respondents feel that the government should lower income tax rates in this Budget, post demonetisation, while 61% say the NDA government now needs to crack down on election funding of political parties. 53% of the respondents believe that the confusion over demonetisation rules has dented the image and credibility of the RBI, while 55% of the respondents believe that the implementation of the scheme was bad or could have been better.

On whether the cash ban issue would help the BJP in the crucial Uttar Pradesh and Punjab polls, 56 per cent of the respondents said "Yes".

ALSO WATCH: Mood of the Nation poll: PM Modi gains support. Did demonetisation, surgical strikes pay off?

The Congress's antics in Parliament seem to have been keenly observed by the voters as 39 per cent of the people feel that the grand old party and its allies are responsible for the stalemate.

Only 18 per cent respondents believe that the BJP and its allies are disrupting the functioning of the two Houses.

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On the issue of Pakistan, the Modi government seems to have got the people's endorsement as 58 per cent of the survey respondents feel that last year's surgical strikes were much-needed to teach the rogue neighbour a lesson.

"62% of the respondents feel that the Modi government has handled relations with Pakistan satisfactorily or handled it well," the poll says.

The surgical strikes took place in September where India's Para Special Forces had crossed over into Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir to destroy terrorist launch pads there.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar emerged as the best performing chief minister in the country while his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal's popularity ratings have come down by half in the past six months. Though Rahul Gandhi's popularity is going down in comparison to Narendra Modi, the Nehru-Gandhi scion emerged as the best alternative to PM Modi, with the backing of 28 per cent respondents. Kumar and Kejriwal occupied the second and third positions respectively. Gandhi's popularity has gone up over the survey done six months ago.

The survey also found the popularity of Kejriwal has come down since August. No leader emerged as a strong choice to lead a mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance. 11 per cent of the people felt that Kejriwal is the best bet to lead a third front/mahagathbandhan, but his score has dipped since the last survey.

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The Modi government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is its most popular initiative with the endorsement of 27 per cent of the respondents. With 16 per cent votes, Jan Dhan Yojana was the second most successful programme, followed by Digital India at 12 per cent.

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Microsoft has released its earnings report for the second fiscal quarter of 2017, and it's good news for the Windows maker. The firm beat Wall Street expectations with revenue of $26.1 billion, net income of $6.5 billion, and earnings per share of $0.83.

Microsoft's Q2 2017 revenue beat estimates of $25.3 billion and was up from the $25.7 billion reported during the same quarter a year earlier. Earnings per share, meanwhile, was predicted to be $0.79 and grew from $0.78 in Q2 2016.

Once again, Azure cloud services continues to do well for Microsoft - its revenue has almost doubled over the last 12 months as it closes the gap on Amazon Web Services.

Overall, the Intelligent Cloud Business, which includes server products and cloud services, was up 8 percent to $6.9 billion. The company said its commercial cloud annual run rate - calculated by multiplying cloud property revenue from the last month of the quarter by 12 - now exceeds $14 billion.

Microsoft completed its acquisition of LinkedIn on December 8 last year. The social network has contributed $228 million in the three weeks since the deal finalized, but its net income is in minus figures - a loss of $100 million.

The Personal Computing Unit - the section that covers Windows licensing revenues, gaming, and devices - is down 5 percent compared to the same period last year to $11.8 billion. Windows OEM revenue was actually up 5 percent, but gaming revenue was down 3 percent to $3.6 billion (despite Xbox Live memberships and Xbox game sales increasing); this was due to "lower Xbox console pricing and lower console volume."

Microsoft blamed ever-decreasing phone revenue - now down 81 percent - for the Personal Computing Unit's decline, which also reported Surface line revenue decreasing 2 percent, from $1.35 billion in Q2 2016 to $1.32 billion in Q2 2017.

Like the Cloud Computing section, Productivity and Business Processes was a bright spot for Microsoft. The segment, which covers Office and Office 365, was up 10 percent to $7.4 billion.

Despite the strong numbers, Microsoft shares remained flat in after-hours trading, probably because of the disappointing Personal Computing Unit's results.

During the company's earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft was focusing on deep learning and AI. He added that the 18 billion questions users have asked Cortana created a strong base for machine learning.
NASA astronauts who will head into orbit onboard Boeings new space taxi will wear lighter, sleeker, and more comfortable spacesuits than the bulky orange suits of the space shuttle era.

Yesterday, Jan. 26, Boeing unveiled the new Boeing Blue astronaut suits for the Starliner spacecraft. The suits are blue and weigh around 20 pounds each with their accessories such as an integrated shoe, compared to older astronaut gear that weighed 30 pounds, according to NASA officials.

The reveal is made as the space company continues moving toward flight tests of its spacecraft and launch systems that will haul astronauts to the International Space Station.

Suit Enhancements

"It is a lot lighter, more form-fitting and it's simpler, which is always a good thing, said astronaut Eric Boe in a statement, emphasizing the need for simplicity in the space attire.

Boe is among the four NASA astronauts who currently train to fly via the Starliner as well as the Dragon capsule of SpaceX, the assigned space taxi services to and from the ISS. The space vehicles are poised to start flying manned missions in the next year or after, NASA said.

Advances in the spacesuit include more flexible material, soft helmet, visor, and touchscreen-sensitive gloves incorporated into the suit instead of the hard, detachable versions from the past. Vents also allow the wearer to stay cooler but can still immediately pressurize the suit.

The Starliner suit lets water vapor pass out of it and away from the wearer, but retains air inside and thus promotes cooling without compromising safety, the statement added. The elbow and knee materials too provide more movement, while zippers allow adjustments to the suits shape during standing or sitting.

Both the Boeing suit and the one SpaceX is developing will assist in astronaut safety during an emergency in whatever part of the journey they are. However, they are not designed for spacewalks, as this will be assigned to large and bulky extravehicular mobility units that are already aboard the space lab.

This blue suit will instead serve as emergency backup to the capsules life support systems.

If everything goes perfectly on a mission, then you dont need a spacesuit, explained Richard Watson, NASA Commercial Crew Programs subsystem manager for spacesuits, likening it to having a fire extinguisher in the cockpit of a plane.

Launching From U.S. Land

The United States has had years of relying on the Russian space agencys Soyuz spacecraft for bringing its astronauts to and from ISS. The reliance is projected to continue longer than planned, with NASAs Commercial Crew launching on Starliner to the ISS in the second half of 2018 at the earliest.

While money remains a challenge for the NASA program, Starliner has also faced interruptions through a design change related to the Outer Mold Line of the Starliner and the Atlas V design.

The updated schedule will then have a Pad Abort test happen at the White Sands test facility in January 2018, followed by an unmanned test mission June that year. The two-person crew mission dubbed as Boe-CFT was originally slated for April 2017.

Once the operational flights take place near 2018s end, NASAs deal with the Soyuz will serve as a backup plan in case the commercial fleet faces major issues.

NASA has previously awarded more contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to the ISS, but in a recent development, it has proposed to buy additional Soyuz seats to take advantage of Russian plans of reducing crew size and as the supposed form of insurance in the face of commercial crew delays.

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Once iOS 10.3 rolls out, iPad users will have a system that contains secret keyboards that Apple seems to be bent on hiding at this point. This was according to developers who have discovered the feature in the newly released beta version.

So far, at least two hidden keyboards have been identified thanks to Steve Troughton-Smith, who dutifully announced the interesting discovery via Twitter.

Hovering Keyboard

The first keyboard is now being referred to as the floating keyboard because it purportedly hovers on top of applications. Because of the keyboard's size, Apple seemed to have designed it for one handed use.

Troughton-Smith noted that the interface is not unlike a picture-in-picture window, one that could easily get dragged around the screen even when the user is using the iPad split-screen mode.

The orientation, however, looks awkward. If you look at the video clip that depicted it in action, you will notice how its size would prevent its effective use if it got dragged at or near the center. The distance that your thumb or any of your fingers will have to travel in addition to the minuscule size of the keys would require a bit of finger acrobatics to compose a word.

The case, however, should be different if the keyboard sits on the lower corners of the screen. This is where one-handed operation would work best.

It does make you about trackpad mode, however. pic.twitter.com/SfCZR5o5vn  Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) January 25, 2017

The keyboard could appeal to users who are put off with constantly having to minimize keyboard to see content. According to Mashable, it could even prove handy when changing input between two simultaneously running apps. These benefits are complemented by the fact that this floating keyboard version also has a Trackpad Mode. Troughton-Smith has not explained this bit in detail, piquing our curiosity even more.

iPad Gestural Keyboard

The other keyboard was identified as Gestural keyboard because of its capability to backspace or input space by swiping left or right.

This is iPad's gestural keyboard (similar to Playgrounds' programmer one). You can swipe left/right on any key to backspace or space pic.twitter.com/jaskd0EEEh  Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) January 25, 2017

Both keyboards are still buggy, prompting observers to say that it is not ready for prime time. That is probably the reason why it was hidden in the first place.

Still, some are still wondering how the keyboards were not immediately made available in the iOS 10.3 beta build. While they certainly lacks polish, testing feedback would have contributed to the way they are developed. This should be the case especially if these keyboards, along with other iOS 10.3 features, will debut in the upcoming Apple Worldwide Developers Conference possibly happening this summer.

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In the aftermath of the widespread phishing scam, Gmail has decided to block JavaScript (.js) file attachments from Feb. 13.

Google announced this news on Jan. 25 through its G Suit Updates blog.

"Gmail currently restricts certain file attachments (e.g. .exe, .msc, and .bat) for security reasons, and starting on February 13, 2017, we will not allow .js file attachments as well." stated the blog.

For the uninitiated, Gmail already blocks standard windows executable files (.exe), batch files (.bat), and Microsoft Management Console file (.msc).

To maintain security of its services, it seems Google will now block .js file attachments, as malicious emails often attach various rigged file attachments in these formats to trick users into giving up their credentials.

JavaScript is a programming language used to develop web applications and .js files are often loaded as a part of web page downloads.

Opening an unknown .js file starts the Windows Script Host, which runs inside the file. Running the Windows Script Host can prove to be very dangerous for the user as it can easily run Windows executables.

What If People Try To Upload a JavaScript File Post The Deadline?

Google said that an "in-product" warning will appear if someone tries to attach a .js file attachment in the mail after Feb. 13.

Does This Mean No More Sharing Of JavaScript Files?

No. It does not, as users have other options for sharing such files. A user can resort to Google Drive or Google Cloud storage or any other storage solution to receive and share JavaScript file attachments.

Gmail Phishing Scam

For the unfamiliar, Gmail users fell victim to a widespread phishing scam last week, which fooled them to give their Google credentials.

The hackers used the compromised mail accounts to go through the sent folder and pass the malware to other unsuspecting Gmail users. The best part about the trick is that the malicious mail came from the account of a known person, whose account had already been hacked.

Malware was disguised as image attachments in the form of a PDF. On clicking for a preview, a new tab would open up for the user, asking him or her to log into their Gmail accounts again. The location bar would display the address as "accounts.google.com," which most users know they have arrived at the authentic Gmail login page. What they missed was the small bug hidden in the form of a data file "data:text/html" which is attached infront of the host name.

The hackers behind this scam were able to block the user from using any other services linked to Google accounts.

Reason Behind The Security Measure

Google has not provided the public with a detailed explanation other than saying that this step was taken for "security reasons."

Whether this step was taken as a security measure because of the recent phishing scam is not clear and is merely an assumption.

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Elon Musk, tweeted in December 2016, that he will build a tunnel boring machine and start digging because the traffic is driving him "nuts". He named this digging project "The Boring Company."

Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging...  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2016

Musk's more than 8 million followers and people around the world may not have taken his tweet seriously and probably treated it like another rant of someone frustrated with traffic. It seems that Musk was taking his own tweet very seriously.

After the December tweet, Musk again tweeted on Jan. 25 that there has been "exciting progress" in his tunnel plans. The digging would start in a month or so.

Exciting progress on the tunnel front. Plan to start digging in a month or so.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 25, 2017

Musk plans to build a tunnel to reduce traffic in Los Angeles. He also revealed the location of the tunnel via Twitter. The Tesla CEO said that the tunnel would start across from his desk at Space X, continue to Crenshaw and the 105 freeway.

Tunnels usually have two ends but according to the eccentric CEO, this tunnel will have only one.

"Without tunnels, we will all be in traffic hell forever. I really do think tunnels are the key to solving urban gridlock," said Elon Musk to online publication The Verge via Twitter direct message.

Whatever Musk's plans are, one thing is for certain, he doesn't have the permit to start digging as Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering hasn't received any permit application for a tunnel to be constructed beneath Public Right of Way.

"Any such permit application for a tunnel beneath the Public Right of Way would require City Council approval," said Mary Nemick, the spokesperson for Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering.

Musk has recently met U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House to discuss on U.S. manufacturing. Perhaps, he will be able to pull off this project because of a genial relationship with the government.

Los Angeles Faces Traffic Concern

Musk's tunnel idea may not be that bad given Los Angeles' bad history of traffic jams. In 2015, drivers on Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana region spent 81 hours on the freeway stuck in traffic.

Traffic snarls are such a nuisance in Los Angeles that it remains the primary concern for South California residents, leaving behind issues like retirement, housing costs, and personal safety.

Scientists have stated that although heavy traffic may be a nuisance, it represents a healthier economy. The people stuck behind long lines in traffic are sure to differ in their opinion regarding the theory.

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A mother from Indian Trail in North Carolina has discovered something shocking written on her medical chart.

Kristina Rodriguez, after she ordered bloodwork from her provider, Carolinas Healthcare System's Lake Park Family Practice, said she saw lesbianism listed under medical conditions on her record of medical history.

Shocking Listing

This listed as a medical problem could really set someone back, Rodriguez told WSOCTV.com when she revealed the documents, mourning that it can possibly lower self-esteem.

She complained and was then contacted by a doctor and director from Carolinas Healthcare System, who defended the listing as a way to protect her from being offended.

It is 2017 and "very normal" for individuals to have a same-sex partner, Rodriguez fired back, adding that her doctor volunteered to remove that bit and instead put her sexual orientation under note.

In its official statement, the medical facility said their doctors and teams solicit information for a better understanding of the patient, their families, as well as their lives for holistic treatment. Like everywhere, they added, health care workers seek to present such information in the most respectful and sensitive way possible.

Sexual orientation is not a clinical diagnosis," they wrote in their statement, promising to work closely with physicians and other health care providers to make sure that data include in individual medical records are "appropriate, respectual and consistent" with their premium on diversity.

The company also expressed support for inclusion and diversity in their patient and public interactions, including an affirming surroundings for LGBT patients.

In September last year, an 8-year-old girl was arrested for committing lesbianism in Uganda. She was taken into custody after a neighbor reported her to the police for engaging in romantic relationships with other girls. Same-sex sexual acts are prohibited in the African country, which maintains some of the most restrictive LGBT laws in the world.

LGBT Milestones, Struggles

The struggle for many in the LGBT community continues, and it could set in early in life. A government survey last year, for instance, found that lesbian along with gay and bisexual high schoolers are far more likely to experience rape or assault in dating situations than their straight peers.

Similarly, gay teens emerged to be far more likely to have tried killing themselves, taking illegal drugs, or engaging in other risky behaviors. The same findings have been suggested by smaller studies conducted through the years, with one research noting that social stigma could be a key factor that leads gays and lesbians to develop certain mental conditions.

2015 is marked as a historic year for the American LGBT, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June of that year that marriage for same-sex couples is constitutional, allowing LGBT couples to get marriage licenses throughout the 50 states. #LoveWins trended on Twitter and other social media, with rainbow icons flooding the Internet to support the advocacy.

One of the next key steps is to pass a law that makes it illegal for businesses to fire, expel, or evict LGBT employees because of their sexual orientation.

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Just earlier this week, Hugo Barra announced that he's leaving Xiaomi and returning to Silicon Valley, and now we know where he's off to next: Facebook.

Hugo Barra had a senior position in Google's Android team, which he left to join Xiaomi. As the global vice president of Xiaomi, Barra guided the company through the rough waters of an international expansion and played a big role in Xiaomi's growth, but it's now time to seek a different adventure.

Facebook Taps Hugo Barra For Team Oculus

After announcing plans to depart from Xiaomi and return to Silicon Valley, Barra has now confirmed that he will be joining Facebook as the vice president of virtual reality, in charge of Team Oculus.

Joining Facebook as VP of virtual reality (VPVR!) to lead Team @Oculus. So excited! Mark posted about it here: https://t.co/kYgIniSQiM pic.twitter.com/7fYTkniykr  Hugo Barra (@hbarra) January 26, 2017

"I'm excited that Hugo Barra is joining Facebook to lead all of our virtual reality efforts, including our Oculus team," says Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "Hugo's in China right now, so here we are together in VR. It seems fitting."

Zuckerberg further notes that Barra shares his conviction that virtual reality and augmented reality will serve as the next major computing platform, and having him on board will unlock new levels of creativity.

In a comment to Zuckerberg's announcement on Facebook, Barra says that working in VR has been a dream of his even when VR and AR were just notions bordering on the line of science fiction. Technology has come a long way since then and VR and AR are playing increasingly important roles.

"There's no greater calling in our industry than taking breakthrough tech and making it available to the greatest number of people," adds Barra. "Really looking forward to doing just that at Facebook - taking VR mainstream."

Oculus Virtual Reality Ambitions

Facebook's Oculus team has been left without a top leader ever since former CEO Brendan Iribe bowed out back in December, leaving his position to lead the new PC VR division. Iribe currently oversees two Oculus units and Barra will join the fray to handle VR efforts across the company.

While VR is not mainstream just yet, Oculus is among the leading players despite its recent turmoil. Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey went under fire late last year for investing in a pro-Donald Trump political organization, which led to an Oculus boycott, and Zuckerberg recently had to testify in an intellectual property case against Oculus, revealing that it spent $3 billion to acquire the company.

Nevertheless, Oculus is riding the storm and Barra will play an important role once he joins the company. If Facebook plays its cards right, virtual reality could become a huge source of revenue in the future and ambitious leaders such as Zuckerberg and Barra could make the prospect all the more promising.

It remains to be seen how things will pan out and how Oculus will fare with Barra in charge, but this new collaboration could lead to great things. Barra previously said he would leave Xiaomi after the Chinese New Year, so he should assume his new role at Facebook's Oculus soon enough.

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The Netherlands launched a global fund to help women access abortion services, as a compensation for President Donald Trump's ban on the U.S. federal funding for foreign groups providing abortion and abortion support for family planning abroad.

The Dutch government held preliminary discussions on this project with other European Union member states, which have reacted positively to the idea, according to a foreign ministry spokesman's statement. Aside from the members of the European Union, companies and social institutions will also be asked to participate in this program.

Foreign Support Against Trump's Banning Family-planned Abortions

President Trump reinstated, Jan. 23, a policy that requires foreign NGOs who receive global family planning funds from the United States' government to certify that they do not use abortions as family planning.

According to the estimates issued by the Dutch officials, these restrictions will account for a $600 million fund shortage over the following years. Representatives of women's rights and people who organize health campaigns have manifested their anger toward this policy, saying that restrictions on abortions can put women's lives in danger.

Additionally, the president also announced a withdrawal of the funding from the United States' domestic abortion services.

"Where decisions are taken that are bad for women in developing countries we should help those women. It's not about the politics, it's about those women," noted Foreign ministry spokesman Herman van Gelderen.

The policy also forbids U.S. federal assistance for the foreign groups using non-U.S. funds for abortion services or lobby foreign governments to legalize abortion.

This measure was implemented since 1984, intermittently, and Barack Obama lifted the measure in 2009 when he started his first mandate. However strict, the policy does not apply when it comes to pregnancy risks, incest or rape.

President Trump, who is known to be an opponent of abortion, signed the reinstatement of this measure at the ceremony in the White House, on his fourth day of the mandate.

"Women's health and rights are now one of the first casualties of the Trump administration," noted Serra Sippel, president of the Centre for Health and Gender Equity in Washington.

Approximately 21.6 million women worldwide undergo unsafe abortions every year, and nine out of 10 take place in developing countries, according to data from the WHO.

Abortions In The United States, At Their Lowest

Approximately half of the pregnancies among women from the United States were unintended, in 2011, according to data from Guttmacher Institute. Of these, approximately four every 10 were terminated with an abortion. In 2014, 19 percent of pregnancies, not taking miscarriages into consideration, ended in abortion. The latest data available shows that there were approximately 926,200 abortions in 2014, 12 percent lower compared to 1.06 million in 2011.

The abortion rate was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women (aged 15-44), 14 percent lower compared to the 16.9 per 1,000 women in 2011. This was also the lowest rate ever recorded within the United States. Back in 1973 when the abortion first became legal, the rate was 16.3 percent.

"The three most common reasons-each cited by three-fourths of patients-were concern for or responsibility to other individuals; the inability to afford raising a child; and the belief that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents," as noted by the institute.

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In the second coming of sorts, British astronaut Tim Peake will be returning to the International Space Station for a second mission to be sponsored by the European Space Agency.

Though the next mission has not been named, it may happen before 2019. The next European astronaut tipped to go to space in May 2017 is Paolo Nespoli of Italy.

Peake Excited

Peake announced this at the Science Museum in London during an event.

"It's what every astronaut wants to do," he said.

Peake's first space mission in December 2015 earned him the distinction as the first British astronaut on board the ISS. During the six-month stint at ISS, Peake executed many research projects.

He is credited with zero gravity flips and interactions with supporters back on Earth.

While spending 186 days in ISS, the 44-year-old Peake undertook more than 250 experiments. By profession, he is a helicopter test pilot and a family man with two children. Peake's time in ISS was also noted for a spacewalk with the NASA astronaut Tim Kopra.

Boost For UK Program

Peake's space trip was also confirmed by Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark, who hailed Peake's work on scientific research. Peake is known in the UK for driving interest in science, technology, engineering and maths in schools and nurturing talent for the future technical expertise of the country.

"Tim Peake's Principia mission inspired a generation, and showed just how far science can take you," Clark said.

Soyuz TMA-19M Spacecraft

The announcement of Peake's second trip to ISS came during the unveiling of the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft, which brought Peake from the ISS to Earth on June 16, 2016.

During the event, Peake said he was seeing the spacecraft first time since he landed in Kazakhstan and expressed his liking to be back in the ISS and said he would go back to space "in a heartbeat."

The Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft has now been acquired by the Science Museum for making it a part of a new virtual reality experience to be voiced by Peake.

Ian Blatchford, director of Science Museum Group, said unveiling Soyuz TMA-19M has been an honor, as it extends the space frenzy created by Tim's ISS journey in December 2015.

"What better way to launch the UK-Russia Year of Science and Education than displaying the Russian-built craft that took the UK's first ESA astronaut into and back from space?" he added.

The British business secretary also announced that a national funding of US$88 million for promoting UK space businesses in areas like monitoring of the environment and other global issues will be coming soon.

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The PETA activists say the bulls are subjected to cruelty, force-fed with liquor and have chilli powder thrown into their eyes. Those who rear the bulls say they are looked after as well as their own children.

It was a human tsunami on Marina Beach in Chennai, the likes of which have not been seen in Tamil Nadu in recent times. What started as a student protest had, by evening, swelled to hundreds of thousands of slogan-shouting, if peaceful, youngsters demanding that the government lift the ban on Jallikattu. It soon spread, and an estimated 15 million-one in every five residents of Tamil Nadu-were on the streets protesting.

The feud, which has been raging for over a decade, is now a bone of contention between animal lovers and farmers. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activists say the bulls are subjected to cruelty, force-fed with liquor and have chilli powder thrown into their eyes. Those who rear the bulls say they are looked after as well as their own children and if they are harmed during the sport, the event is called off. Tamils have long held that the sport has cultural and religious significance.

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After several court battles between animal lovers and jallikattu organisers, the Supreme Court banned it in 2014, saying the prevention of cruelty to animals overrides the protection of culture and tradition. On January 8 last year, the Centre issued a notification lifting the ban in Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions, which was challenged in the apex court. The court reserved its judgment. Stunned by the protests, the state government, aided by PM Narendra Modi, enacted a state law lifting the ban.

The agitation may have ebbed, but the fire is unlikely to die soon. There are many reasons why Tamil sub-nationalism has come to the fore. The death of J. Jayalalithaa, and the indifferent health of her arch-rival, the aging former chief minister M. Karunanidhi of the DMK, have left a void in Tamil Nadu politics. The perception that chief minister O. Panneerselvam is not quite his own man strengthened the belief that the Centre could ride roughshod over the state. The Centre's inability to force Karnataka to release Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, despite a Supreme Court order, only added to the grist. Jallikattu was the final straw.

Tamil Nadu CM O. Panneerselvam

Politically, the loudest message came from Panneerselvam. A man seen to be keeping the seat warm for Jayalalithaa has finally signalled his arrival. It is not good news for the newly anointed AIADMK general secretary, V.K. Sasikala.

Politics in Tamil Nadu is clearly changing. People have been unhappy with state governments for their failure to stop land and mining mafias from plundering riverbeds and agricultural fields. Though Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanised states, it has a strong rural connect.

For the past few decades, the administration in Tamil Nadu has been oppressive, leaving little space for dissent. It is, therefore, unsurprising that, with a weak government at the helm, the students on Marina and elsewhere voiced their new-found freedom.

The author is an editorial director of news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai

--- ENDS ---
The Word Lens feature of the Google Translate app now supports Japanese, allowing users to hover the camera of their mobile device over Japanese text and receive an English translation in return on their screens.

With the addition of Japanese support to Word Lens, Google Translate becomes an even more helpful tool for people who are planning to visit the Asian country.

Japanese Support In Google Translate's Word Lens

Google Translate already had the capability of translating Japanese characters into English text from captured photos, but with the latest update to the app, users can skip the step of taking pictures.

According to the post on the official Google blog post that announced the update, users will be able to simply point their camera at things such as signs and menus with Japanese text that they might encounter. The Google Translate app will automatically display a translation to English on the device's screen. The feature works both ways too, as it is capable of transforming English text into Japanese characters, which will be very helpful when communicating with locals who do not have a firm grasp on the English language.

With millions upon millions of tourists visiting Japan per year, the Word Lens feature of Google Translate has significantly increased in usefulness for trips to the Asian country. One of the major advantages of the app is that it does not require an internet connection to function, allowing tourists to use their mobile devices as a translation tool without worrying about having to be online and any associated data roaming costs.

However, it should be noted that the Word Lens feature works best when it is only making simple translations, such as what is written on a street sign or what a store's name is. For more complex translation, Google recommends users to utilize the previous method of first taking a picture of what needs to be translated and running it through the Google Translate app.

Google Translate Continues To Develop Word Lens

Word Lens was originally a standalone app by Quest Visual, but Google acquired the developer and its technology in 2014. Word Lens was expected to provide even more functionality to Google Translate, but at the time of the acquisition, the feature only supported a limited number of languages, namely English, Spanish, Russian, Italian, French, Portuguese, and German.

Google continued developing Word Lens within Google Translate, with the feature even making an appearance in a June 2015 advertisement that shows how the app is capable of breaking down the language barriers between nationalities and cultures to bring people together.

With the addition of Japanese support, Word Lens is now capable of translating in 30 languages. The wider Google Translate app, meanwhile, already support 103 languages through typing input, with offline translation support for 52 languages.

The Word Lens is not the only feature that the Google Translate team is working on, though. The latest news on the app's development are so-called zero-shot translations, which allows the software to make translations without prior learning. According to artificial intelligence researchers, the progress reveals that Google Translate has invented its own set of rules in translating languages.

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Microsoft will continue to make annual investments of more than $1 billion on cybersecurity research and development over the coming years, showing that the company remains committed to protecting users against the data breaches that have recently been making headlines.

The planned investment amount was revealed by Microsoft's VP of security, Bharat Shah, in an interview with Reuters at the company's BlueHat cybersecurity conference held in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Microsoft Investments In Cybersecurity

According to Shah, the over $1 billion in investments that Microsoft will make for cybersecurity per year does not include acquisitions that the company might make within the sector.

Shah added that, with more users utilizing the cloud, spending on cybersecurity needs to go up. Microsoft, long known for Windows and its software, has been shifting its focus to cloud services, where it is locked in a rivalry with the much larger offerings of Amazon in a market that is still in its fledgling stage. The company is doing well in its new venture, though, with Azure, its flagship cloud product through which businesses can host websites, data, and apps, said to have increased in quarterly sales by 116 percent last October.

Investments in cybersecurity are also heavily required due to the number of cyberattack attempts massively increasing. According to data from Microsoft, around two or three years ago, 20,000 cyberattack attempts were being made per week, but now, that figure has increased to between 600,000 to 700,000 attempts per week.

Microsoft Presence In Israel

Microsoft purchased three cybersecurity companies, all of which are in Israel, over the past two years. The firms, namely Aorato, a startup focused on enterprise security; Adallom, specializing in cloud security; and Secure Islands, whose protection technology for data and files has already been incorporated into the Azure Information Protection program, have all largely contributed to the strides that Microsoft has made in cybersecurity.

In addition to cybersecurity company purchases, Microsoft, through its venture arm, has also made investments in cybersecurity in Israel. The most recent one was just this week, when Microsoft made an investment of an undisclosed sum in Illusive Networks, a company that has developed deception technology that can detect and divert attacks. The technology has already been installed in retailers and banks.

It seems that Microsoft is still on the lookout for possible acquisitions of firms, though, whether or not within Israel, as long as the purchase would help improve the company's cybersecurity technology.

Microsoft Focus On Security

As seen in the promised amount of investments and continued acquisitions in the sector, Microsoft is taking cybersecurity very seriously, which is understandable given the high stakes involved.

This can be seen in the upcoming Creators Update for Windows 10. While Microsoft will be introducing a myriad of features catered for creative professionals, the update will also improve Windows Defender and transform it into Windows Defender Security Center. The new iteration of the tool will not only include malware detection and removal but also other tools for boosting system performance and troubleshooting problems.

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Squeezed between two pieces of man-made diamond in the laboratory, hydrogen has finally been transformed into a metallic form that is believed to exist inside planets such as Jupiter, scientists revealed last Thursday.

Metallic hydrogen, deemed the rarest and potentially among the most valuable on Earth, was theorized almost a century ago. If certain theoretical predictions hold true, the hydrogen could turn into a solid metal that can remain solid once crushing pressure is removed. It could also serve as a room-temperature superconductor, conducting electricity sans resistance.

This is the holy grail of high-pressure physics, said Harvard physics professor Isaac Silvera, who created the material along with postdoctoral fellow Ranga Dias.

How They Did It

The physicists squeezed a tiny sample of hydrogen at 495 gigapascal, which is equivalent to over 71.7 million pounds-per-square inch or higher than the pressure at Earths center. At the extreme pressures, according to Silvera, solid molecular hydrogen breaks down, and the tightly bound molecules break away to transform into atomic hydrogen, meaning a metal.

The hydrogen was positioned between two small man-made diamonds, which were cooled to -433 degrees Fahrenheit and about one 850th of an inch in diameter. The diamonds were coated with alumina to block the hydrogen from diffusing into their structure and making them weak and brittle.

The researchers predict that their material will stay metallic even with taking the pressure off, similar to how diamonds form from graphite under extreme heat and pressure, and remain in their diamond form once heat and pressure are taken out.

They believe their work opens a window of opportunities in creating revolutionary materials. As a potential superconductor, for instance, metallic hydrogen could benefit transportation systems: make electric cars more efficient, make high-speed trains magnetic levitation possible, and improve todays electronic devices.

Metallic hydrogen is also considered promising in humans space exploration as the most powerful rocket propellant yet discovered. Its so-called specific impulse, the measure of how fast a propellant is fired from the back of a rocket, is 1,700 seconds in theory, which Silvera believes could assist in easy exploration of outer planets.

The findings were discussed in the journal Science.

Contentious Research?

Some scientists, however, have performed similar experiments and think its not a cause for celebration yet.

Its the product of [Isaacs] imagination from the title to the end, said University of Edinburgh physicist Eugene Gregoryanz in a New York Times report.

Paul Loubeyre, a physicist at Atomic Energy Commission in France, hit some flaws in the journals reviewing process given the publication of the new paper.

In a statement, Science editor-in-chief Jeremy Berg emphasized that all submissions needed to pass strict expert reviews, with only around 7 percent of them getting published.

Silvera, however, is confident they would get the same results in another round of experiment.

Hydrogen is the lightest among elements, with each atom consisting only of a single proton and electron. Over eight decades ago, physicists Eugene Wigner and Hillard Bell Huntington thought that high enough pressures could turn hydrogen metallic.

Via turbulent shock wave experiments, scientists have transformed the element momentarily into liquid metal. For planetary researchers, however, the metallic form must actually exist inside Jupiter, generating its potent magnetic fields.

At present, no one has, without a shred of doubt, demonstrated the said solid metallic hydrogen form.

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Android users need to be wary as a fake app that can steal precious data is on the prowl.

According to cybersecurity experts, SpyNote dupes people into believing that they are using popular apps. The malware poses as the Netflix app but is actually stealing data from one's mobile device, leaving it susceptible to cyberattacks.

The spyware was discovered by the ThreatLabZ team of Zscaler, the cloud security firm, which shared that SpyNote is essentially a Remote Access Trojan or RAT.

"Android apps for Netflix are enormously popular [...] but the apps, with their many millions of users, have captured the attention of the bad actors who are exploiting the popularity of Netflix to spread malware," shared Shivang Desai, a researcher with Zscaler.

Fake Netflix App: How Does It Operate?

The fake Netflix app reportedly builds on a spyware code that leaked in 2016. It is apparently using an updated variant of the SpyNote RAT build.

While this build is not available to the public yet, that may soon change according to experts. The research team revealed that the spyware mimicked the Netflix app. Once a user installed it, the icon on the original Netflix app on the Google Play Store was displayed by the spyware. This duped users into believing it was the real deal.

When the user clicks on the icon of the spyware the first time, nothing happens. The icon automatically vanishes from the smartphone or tablet's home screen.

This trick from malware creators is not uncommon, as a user is led into believing that the fraudulent app has been removed for some reason. However, unknown to the user, the spyware is still functioning covertly and is preparing to start the attacks.

How does the SpyNote RAT continue to run and spy you wonder? It uses "Services, Broadcast Receivers, and Activities components of the Android platform."

Basically, Services are capable of performing background operation for a long period and it does not require a UI for the purpose. The Broadcast Receivers, on the other hand, are Android parts which are able to register on their own for a specific event. Lastly, Activities are pivotal to the navigation of an app.

How Dangerous Is SpyNote?

SpyNote will not be playing one's favorite Netflix shows, but it will equip hackers with the ability to deploy the device's microphone and listen to a user's live conversations. The hackers will also be able to snoop on a user's text messages, record screen captures, view files stored on the mobile device, as well as spy on the contact list.

The malware can enable a "command execution," which will allow the developer of the spyware to send remote instructions to the compromised device. SpyNote can also work on Wi-Fi as it is the preferred medium for the malware to share files to the attacker

How Does It Spread?

It is important to remember that SpyNote is in no way linked to the genuine Netflix app. It is able to spread only through third-party marketplaces.

Can It Mimic Other Apps As well?

The researchers discovered nearly 120 different spyware versions that are based on the leaked build and believe that the source code is quickly becoming popular with hackers. They also believe that SpyNote RAT is able to pose as various other popular apps such as Instagram, Pokemon GO, and WhatsApp.

Photo: Davide Restivo | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Canadian quantum computing company D-Wave has announced the commercial availability of its D-Wave 2000Q, touted to have 2,000 qubits and a $15 million price tag. And now the mean machine  an upgrade from the previous 1,000-qubit quantum annealer  has its first customer already lined up.

The said first customer, cybersecurity firm Temporal Defense Systems, will use the computer in its bid to revolutionize secure communications, shield against insider threats, and help identify cyberfoes and attack patterns.

New-Gen Quantum Computer In Focus

[It] will be used with TDS technology to solve some of the most critical and complex cybersecurity problems impacting governments and commercial enterprises, D-Wave announced in a statement, adding that the agreement includes upgrades to upcoming D-Wave quantum processing units.

TDS chief technology officer James Burrell, a former FBI official, said combining a quantum computers capabilities with advanced cyber security technologies will better prevent and address cyberattacks and deliver the highest level of security.

2000Q is the companys fourth-generation machine, and is mostly the product of researcher feedback. Existing computers are situated in the United States but can be accessed remotely through different schemes like USRAs. Just last September, about 100 scientists attended the companys first users conference held in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

D-Wave is also focusing on a fifth model, likely to launch in two years and will also double the number of qubits to about 4,000. In addition, it will offer doubly complex connections between qubits, letting it work on more intricate challenges.

The computers harness a process called quantum annealing. Here, scientists put qubits into their lowest energy state, where each is in an on and off quantum superposition. Magnetic fields representing the problem then mildly nudge this state onto a new one.

Most Powerful, Or Not Really?

When they came out six years earlier, D-Wave machines attracted both excitement and skepticism. For instance, their qubits are easier to build than whats found in more traditional quantum computers, but their quantum states are also more sensitive and the manipulation less precise.

The question: Can D-wave machines help address real-world issues exponentially quicker than classical computers?

Nature notes, though, that these systems work well with issues designed to run on them, and stuff not designed to the systems capabilities may not be the right fit.

So although scientists now agree that D-Wave devices do use quantum phenomena in their calculations, the journal observes, some doubt that they can ever be used to solve real-world problems exponentially faster than classical computers  however many qubits are clubbed together, and whatever their configuration."

But there seems to be no stopping D-Wave in its lofty goals now. Its senior vice president for systems Jeremy Hilton, for one, said the fifth processor will significantly increase connectivity, and will pursue a hardware overhaul that will allow D-Wave to expand more than the 10,000-qubit limitation slapped by the current processor design in future devices.

As for its supposedly supreme algorithm, he believes that the company this year will demonstrate a certain computation that would be impossible for the most powerful classical supercomputer  a mission dubbed as quantum supremacy.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The anti-national and anti-social elements did not want jallikattu protests to end, Panneerselvam said.

By India Today Web Desk: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister OP Panneerselvam has blamed "anti-national and anti-social" elements for "infiltrating" the massive protests across the state demanding the lifting of the ban on traditional bull-taming sport, jallikattu.

"Anti-social elements and miscreants had infiltrated jallikattu protests with the intention of diverting them. The anti-national and anti-social elements did not want jallikattu protests to end," Panneerselvam said.

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The Chief Minister said the "evil forces" behind the violence during the jallikattu protests will be identified and action will be taken against them.

Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu police invaded the sprawling Marina Beach in Chennai and forcibly began removing the thousands of young men and women massed in support of the lifting of the Supreme Court ban on jallikattu.

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu's new jallikattu law challenged in Supreme Court

The crackdown triggered largescale violence in parts of Chennai, leaving some 60 people injured and leading to about 40 arrests. Violence was also reported from distant Madurai district.

There were also reports that police attacked, arrested and damaged private property in order to disperse a large pro-jallikattu gathering, forcing the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take a suo motu cognizance.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today said that it will hear all jallikattu matters on January 31 after the Centre filed a plea seeking to withdraw the January 6 notification, allowing the bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu.

A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra allowed all the applications related to jallikattu to be filed and said the matter will be heard on Tuesday.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi mentioned before the bench that Centre has filed a plea seeking to withdraw the January 2016 notification allowing the sport in Tamil Nadu.

ALSO READ: Jallikattu movement: Not just youngsters, but Tamil celebrities also must be thanked for the success

ALSO READ: Jallikattu effect: After Tamil Nadu, other states ramp up pressure for banned sports

AlSO READ: Jallikattu row: Exercise of legislative power by state and Centre is a 'fraud of constitution', says Animal Welfare Board

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The officials have enforced the ban on assembly of more than four people in about 500 meters from national and state highways.

By India Today Web Desk: In view of a section of Jat leadership threatening to renew the community's pro-reservation agitation from January 29, Section 144 has been imposed in parts of Rohtak as a precautionary move.

The officials have enforced the ban on assembly of more than four people in about 500 meters from national and state highways, along with railway stations in the city.

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A section of the Jat leadership recently announced its move to renew the Jat agitation for reservation which left 30 people dead last year.

The Haryana government and police are keeping a close watch on some Jat leaders, especially those owing allegiance to the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) headed by Yashpal Malik.

Haryana Director General of Police K.P. Singh said earlier that if anyone was found indulged in any illegal activity or causing loss to public property, action would be initiated against him.

Also read: Reservation row: Jat leaders from Haryana, UP to resume stir from Jan 29 over unfulfilled demands

Also read: Evident that rape was committed in Murthal during Jat agitation, says Punjab and Haryana High Court

With inputs from IANS

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The Venezuelan government will increase cooperation with Colombia's military and police forces to face transnational crimes caused by drug trafficking, announced Friday by the Minister of... | Read More
Javed Akhtar has penned the new new Parle-G campaign on progressive young India.

By India Today Web Desk: Who better than veteran writer-lyricist, Javed Akhtar, could pen the emotions associated with India's favourite biscuit, Parle-G? No one, we say.

Roped in for the biscuit's new campaign titled, Bharat Ka Apna Biscuit, Akhtar's words will reportedly bring back memories of the origin of the biscuit and while further strengthening its positioning as one of India's most loved home grown brands.

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Keeping the essence of Parle-G's previous ad campaign, Roko Mat Toko Mat alive, the new campaign highlights how young Indians, through their innovation and contributions in various fields, have been instrumental in making India a progressive and popular nation globally.

Also Read: 5 Javed Akhtar quotes that will break your heart, then fix it

With the new television commercial, the brand aims to bring back the nostalgia associated with Parle-G and celebrate its journey in India's evolution and success.

"Parle-G, which is one of the most loved brands of India, has always been a champion of excellence and today it continues to be a part of India's advancement as a global economy," said Mayank Shah, Category Head, Parle Products Pvt. Ltd.

The campaign will be promoted through a 360-degree approach starting with a TV commercial. It will be supported by a digital campaign and movie partnerships with Raees and Kaabil.

Here is the advertisement which the brand revealed on republic day.

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Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam-starrer Kaabil has been leaked online. This could damage the box-office returns of the film.

Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam in a still from Kaabil (L), screengrab of a website with a pirated copy of Kaabil on it

By India Today Web Desk: Producer papa Rakesh Roshan has now yet another obstacle in his way.

After reports that exhibitors had given 60 screens to Shah Rukh Khan's Raees for every 40 seats they gave to Kaabil, Rakesh Roshan got livid and threatened to stop making films altogether.

ALSO READ: Hrithik's Kaabil gets NOC from Pakistan, Raees to release next week

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Now, it turns out that Hrithik Roshan-starrer Kaabil has been leaked online. As of this moment, the film can reportedly be found on several sites.

However, a Bengaluru-based content production company Airplex Software Pvt Ltd, employed to quickly take down Kaabil's pirated copies from the internet, has already begun doing its job.

ALSO READ: Big B praises both Raees and Kaabil, humbled to be referenced in them

Regarding film piracy and its effect on box-office returns, the Bollywood industry has been worried for quite some time.

"Unethical practises that are killing the movie business can stop only when those perpetrating these illegal activities understand the gravity of their misdeeds and realize how damaging piracy is to our movie-making business. Unless they realize what they are doing, piracy is unstoppable," Rakesh Roshan was quoted as saying.

CBFC (Central Bureau of Film Certification) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani has warned that Dubai has become the new piracy-hub for Bollywood films.

"Direct import from Pakistan into India is prohibited. Since movies are exported and imported between India and Pakistan through Dubai, a lot of the piracy is done in Dubai. Earlier the CBFC was blamed for piracy. But it's been proven beyond doubt that the censor board has nothing to do with piracy. The menace needs to be checked at the post-production stage of films and when films travel to Dubai," Pahlaj Nihalani was quoted as saying.

ALSO WATCH: Raees or Kaabil, which one should you choose?

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Hrithik Roshan's Kaabil will be the first Indian film to release in Pakistan since the ban on Bollywood.

By India Today Web Desk: The Uri attacks on September 18, 2016 strained bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. Cultural exchange came to a standstill and cinema owners in Pakistan banned the screening of Indian films after our producers put a ban on Pakistani actors working in Bollywood. However, Pakistani cinema owners recently decided to lift the ban, and Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam's revenge thriller Kaabil will reportedly be the first Bollywood film to be released in Pakistan since the ban.

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MOVIE REVIEW: KAABIL

MOVIE REVIEW: RAEES

Pakistani journalist Hasan Zaidi took to Twitter to say that the Pakistan government has issued a no-objection certificate to Kaabil, and it will hit screens today. Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees, which released here on the same day as Hrithik's film, will reportedly release a week later in Pakistan, on February 3.

So Kaabil (Qaabil?) will be the first new Indian film to release (tomorrow) in Pak cinemas since the Bollywood ban. Govt has issued an NOC. Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) January 26, 2017

Meanw what I'm hearing is Raees will also release in Pak, but a week late, on Feb 3. Delay bec of Indian distributors, not Pak. Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) January 26, 2017

The NOC for Kaabil was issued by the government on the recommendation of the committee formed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The committee headed by Minister of State for Information Maryam Aurangzeb had in its recommendations advised that the old policy that was in place before the screening of Indian films was suspended in the country should be maintained.

Bollywood films have always enjoyed immense popularity in Pakistan. In fact, Shah Rukh Khan's film has Pakistani actor Mahira Khan playing the female lead, and is expected to do well there. ALSO WATCH: Raees or Kaabil, which film should you choose?

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The promised emergency room in north Baton Rouge will break ground on Tuesday as the long-neglected part of the city is now a frequent topic of discussion in political, business and healthcare circles.

North Baton Rouge's citizens have watched their healthcare options decline over the past several years, as LSU's Earl K. Long Medical Center shuttered in 2013 and Baton Rouge General's Mid City Emergency Room closed in 2015.

After more than a year without emergency health care in north Baton Rouge, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced in September of 2016 that the state negotiated a deal with Our Lady of the Lake to expand their urgent care clinic on Airline Highway into a small emergency room.

+4 Gov. John Bel Edwards: Planned ER in north BR something to celebrate An eight-bed emergency room in north Baton Rouge could be open and seeing patients in a year

The emergency room is expected to have eight beds, and the urgent care side of the clinic will remain open for people with less serious healthcare needs. This will be Our Lady of the Lake's second standalone emergency room after opening Our Lady of the Lake Livingston in 2012, which also has physician offices for primary care and a pharmacy.

The state is giving Our Lady of the Lake a one-time payment of $5.5 million to build the emergency room, but the hospital will absorb the additional expenses of staffing and operating the outlet. The payment is in addition to the hospital's $112 million contract with the state to take care of the poor and uninsured who used to go to Earl K. Long for treatment.

The building of the new emergency room comes at a time when several people and agencies are trying to improve north Baton Rouge. Voters approved a hotel tax in November that is funding the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District, and the district's board will soon start holding its meetings at the Our Lady of the Lake facility.

"The emergency room is a necessary part of having quality of life in north Baton Rouge," said the district's interim Executive Director Rinaldi Jacobs. "And from an economic development standpoint, people want to be assured they can get proper attention should they and their employees need it."

But the emergency room is not a cure-all. It will not be a trauma center, meaning people who are suffering strokes, heart attacks and serious injuries will likely still be routed to Our Lady of the Lake's Regional Medical Center on Essen Lane.

North Baton Rouge's residents also used to be able to choose between the mid city ER and the Earl K. Long ER farther north on Airline Highway. People in mid city will now have to decide if it's easier to drive north to the new emergency room or south to the others, Jacobs pointed out.

Emergency healthcare also is not the only type of health need in north Baton Rouge. Alma Stewart, president of the Louisiana Center for Health Equity, said the emergency room shows progress and is a step in the right direction.

"We want to see and will continue to explore more access to arrays of healthcare services, including primary care, in north Baton Rouge and other under served areas," she added.

The groundbreaking will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on January 31 at the LSU Health Baton Rouge North Clinic at 5439 Airline Highway.
The Livingston Parish Council voted Thursday to join a class-action lawsuit against the state over the Interstate 12 median wall that some officials insist worsened flooding for residents and businesses north of the highway in August.

The Council's 7-0 vote means the parish will join the cities of Denham Springs and Walker and the parish school system as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed Jan. 5 in Baton Rouge state court.

The lawsuit claims a 19-mile-long concrete barrier between the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-12 acted as a dam, impeding the natural flow of water during the record flood. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the wall design be changed, as well as money damages from the state Department of Transportation and Development and/or 20 of its contractors who worked on the Geaux Wider interstate widening project.

The council vote also authorizes Parish President Layton Ricks to sign a contract with the Baton Rouge law firm of deGravelles, Palmintier, Holthaus & Fruge, agreeing to pay the firm up to 33 percent of any award the parish might receive in the case.

Livingston School Board joins class-action lawsuit against state over I-12 median wall alleged to have worsened flooding in August LIVINGSTON  The Livingston Parish School Board voted unanimously Thursday to join a class-a

Councilmen Jeff Averett, who previously said he was against joining the lawsuit, and Tab Lobell were absent from the meeting.

Councilman Garry Talbert, also an early opponent of joining the lawsuit, sided instead with the majority Thursday. He said after the meeting that, while he still believes the contractors cannot be faulted for designing to the standards they were given, he understands the importance of parish entities banding together to get the wall design fixed.

The power-in-numbers thing makes sense, Talbert said.

Former Walker Mayor Rick Ramsey, who kick-started the litigation, told the council he hates lawsuits and doesnt like lawyers, but he saw no other option for spurring the state to action.

There is more likelihood of (the state) taking action if we have a larger group involved, Ramsey said. So I would love your support, but without it, were still going forward.

Council Chairman Tracy Girlinghouse said he believes it is important to show solidarity with the municipalities and school system, as well as affected residents and businesses.

Every one of us had people in our district that flooded, Councilman Maurice Scooter Keen agreed. They didnt build the wall thinking it would hold water back, but now we know that it does. We dont want them to go forward with the same design.

Attorney Joshua Palmintier said the primary goal of the lawsuit is to get the wall design changed before it is used in further extensions of the Geaux Wider project. He said he hoped the state would make changes in the existing wall before the floods anniversary in August, but he cautioned that it could take longer.

It isnt like Reagan telling Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall, Palmintier said. Thats almost an impossibility. But getting with the state, having a design company say what some of the alternatives are, whats most cost-effective to bring the level of flooding back to what it would have been prior to the project  thats what were aiming for.

Councilman John Wascom, who made the motion to hire Palmintier and join the case, said he initially had reservations about getting the parish involved in a lawsuit.

"We're all nervous about that," Wascom said. "But we're doing this, not for money reasons, but simply to stop this bad design that's going to hurt our parish."

Adding to the complexity of the decision for parish officials was that the parish's planning review engineers, Forte & Tablada, are named as one of the contractor defendants in the case.

Ricks, the parish president, said he is confident the engineering firm will be dismissed from the lawsuit.

Ramsey, the former Walker mayor, said he believes Forte & Tablada's involvement with the Geaux Wider project was limited to a drainage impact study the firm did to help the city convince the state that adding two drainage culverts under I-12 would not adversely impact properties south of the interstate.
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Louisiana's longtime low rate of public high school seniors applying for federal college aid has suddenly shot up, the state Department of Education announced Thursday.

The change could start to quiet complaints that students are leaving about $54 million per year on the table because they did not fill out a request for federal dollars.

Typically about 15,000 seniors fail to apply, including low-income students most in need and most likely to land the assistance. The form is called the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance, or FAFSA.

Doing so can lead to dollars through Pell Grants, work-study programs and student loans, including for technical training. But the rate of students applying was only 48 percent in 2014-15, below the U.S. average of 55 percent.

However, there are early signs that trend is about to change.

Last year at this time just two percent of seniors had turned in the form.

This time 26 percent of students have done so, ahead of the July deadline.

"We are pleased to see that high school seniors and their families are making financial planning a priority, especially this early in the process," state Superintendent of Education John White said in a prepared statement.

The state has nearly 42,000 public high school seniors, and nearly 11,000 students had submitted the forms by Jan. 13.

At the same time last year 797 students had submitted applications.

Of the 315 public schools reporting 273 reported increases over last year and 42 are at the same level.

State officials cited two reasons for the increase.

The U.S. Department of Education opened the application window in October last year instead of the previous start in January.

High school counselors were also encouraged by state officials to urge all students, not just those planning to attend a university, to submit FAFSA forms.

They were also given a tool kit for assistance.

Report: Louisiana again ranks 49th in public school achievement Louisiana public school achievement ranked 49th in a report done by Education Week magazine 

The jump in FAFSA applications also comes at a time when funding for Louisiana's popular college scholarship program  called TOPS  is unclear.

About 50,000 TOPS recipients are having to pay 60 percent of tuition costs in the current semester, which was previously financed by the state.

Proposals have been made to trim TOPS benefits to college freshman and sophomores and to increase course requirements.

The increase in applications is also notable because it is happening one year before students will be required to do so to earn a high school diploma.

BESE approves new policy requiring high school seniors to apply for financial aid for college Concerned that tens of millions of dollars are being left on the table, Louisiana leaders ar

The policy was approved by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2015 in a bid to improve the state's rate of applications.

However, the policy allows students not to apply if they submit a form, with a parent's signature, that says they are opting out of seeking any financial assistance.

Critics said that option represents a major loophole in the rules.

Families often complain about the complexity of FAFSA. Others see little hope of landing aid.

In its announcement, the state Department of Education said about 75 percent of seniors at Northeast High School in Baton Rouge have turned in FAFSA forms and the aim is 100 percent.

"I've tried to demystify the process and make it less intimidating by adding fun and competition," senior counselor Lissa Copeskey said. "The students have been really responsive."
During his campaign, President Donald Trumps answer to the populist demand for lower college tuition was for the universities to get up off t
Amit Shah put the Karnataka BJP unit's infighting to rest, directing the two warring leaders - BS Yeddyurappa and KS Eshwarappa - to put an end to their feud.

By Anindya Banerjee: The Bharatiya Janata Party's internal feud in Karnataka today reached the national capital, with party president Amit Shah summoning the two warring state leaders - state unit president BS Yeddyurappa and KS Eshwarappa - to Delhi.

Yeddyurappa, a former Karnataka chief minister, and Eshwarappa, the leader of the opposition in the state's legislative council, locked horns over the latter's move to conduct a convention of the Sangollli Rayanna Brigade on Thursday. The brigade seeks to consolidate SCs, STs and OBCs on one platform. Eshwarappa went ahead with the convention despite a 'suggestion' from the party against attending.

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AMIT SHAH ISSUES CEASEFIRE DIRECTIVES

Today's meeting in Delhi begun at 7pm and was also attended by P Muralidhar Rao, the Karnataka in-charge of BJP and national general secretary Ram Lal. Sources say Amity Shah made two things clear - Yeddyurappa will remain the boss in Karnataka and that he will get his supporters to stop a signature campaign they started against Eshwarappa. The signature campaign targeting Eshwarappa sought his removal from the post of the leader of opposition in the council.

Sources also told India Today Amit Shah advised Yeddyurappa against opposing Eshwarappa as that could offend those belonging to backward castes, who form a significant percentage of electorate. Their votes could prove crucial in next year's assembly election where the ruling Congress party will be fighting the anti-incumbency factor.

Also read: Rift within Karnataka Congress as Yeddyurappa returns as BJP head

'YEDDYURAPPA REMAINS BOSS'

Eshwarappa told India Today, "Yeddyurappa will remain the boss. The party is united. But certain grievances about the working style of Yeddyurappa had to be addressed. Tomorrow we both are going back together (to Karnataka)."

This fight split the party in half in the state. Of the 17 BJP MPs from Karnataka, 10 are believed to be on the Yeddyurappa camp. These MPs include Suresh Angadi, PC Mohan, G M Siddeshwara, Pratap Simha, B Sriramulu and A Karadi Sanganna. The others are believed to be leaning in favour of Eshwarappa.

Similarly, the MLAs in the state assembly too are divided into two camps. The divide is something the BJP could ill afford considering that the assembly election is not very far. For now, the the fire is doused and the party can put up a united brave front in the state.

Also read: Amit Shah's letter to BJP MPs, MLAs to furnish bank transaction details reads like an IT-declaration form

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Probably to the despair of his attorneys, the formerly high-living boss of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola once again is making a public defense of his perks and profit during a long tenure.

But we believe retired Warden Burl Cain will be disappointed if he expects a plaque or other award for his hard work  or rather, the work of his state-paid underlings who helped him build his house, or provided an array of other goodies to Cain and his family.

The Legislative Auditor's Office has turned over findings from its report to the local district attorney, Sam D'Aquilla of the 20th Judicial District, as well as the U.S. Attorneys Office.

State employees helped Cain work on his Baton Rouge home, and taxpayers paid for appliances and the like at his Angola home to the tune of $20,000 or more.

Even Cain's longtime friend, Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc, agrees that his former boss and business partner is "personally liable" for food, lodging and iron gates at the Baton Rouge home.

Legislative Auditor Darryl Purpera noted that the abuses found in his office's report reflect the go along to get along culture at Angola that discourages whistleblowing.

When the boss asks you to go work on (his) home, theres a little pressure there, he said. In the future, Purpera added, correctional employees who are uncomfortable with things they witness should call his office.

Auditors typically follow a paper trail, or note when there isn't one, as with the paperwork or time sheets that would show whether or not Angola officials were working on their own or state time during three weeks or so at Cain's Baton Rouge home. According to the report, employees said they worked on other Cain properties.

Cain told Baton Rouge's Talk 107.3 on Tuesday that if his subordinates failed to sign out from Angola before turning up to work at his private home, it was probably an oversight. He added that it wasn't his job to review employees time sheets and that he didnt pressure anyone to work at his house. I think (the auditor is) making a lot out of nothing, he said.

To the contrary, the damning details underline Purpera's conclusion about the culture of a self-styled Angola aristocrat taking free use of the taxpayers' dime for personal purposes.

This is not, as Cain says, a case of "entrepreneurial" leadership by a senior state employee, unless of course you consider the French root of the word, "taking." Cain's long tenure, involving some positive leadership at the prison and the larger corrections system, was corrupted by taking advantage of the system built around his family and political connections like LeBlanc, more supplicant than supervisor.

The unraveling of Cain's personal empire continues apace. But what remains in place is the system he and LeBlanc, among others, fostered for decades in a corrections system where it was OK for the bosses to take advantage and dangerous for employees to complain.
Westwego police officer Michael Louviere, who was shot in the head and killed while responding to an incident in Marrero on Friday morning (Ja
She's starred in the Hollywood blockbuster franchise The Hunger Games and has other movies in the works, but Stef Dawson is happiest being back home in Canberra, especially in the peaceful surrounds of Farrer Ridge, her "backyard growing up".

The former Canberra Girls Grammar and Radford College student recently enjoyed a brief holiday to the national capital and Christmas on the South Coast on a return back to Australia as part of promotional duties for The Hunger Games - The Exhibition.

Hollywood actress Stef Dawson in the calming surrounds of Farrer Ridge during a recent trip home to Canberra. She is wearing a dress by Aussie label Zimmermann. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The exhibition, which features everything from costumes to props to interactive activities is on at the International Convention Centre Sydney at Darling Harbour until February 5.

Now living in LA with a series of movies under her belt and plans to make a film about an Australian female bushranger, Dawson enjoys the calmness of being back on her old stamping ground.
The star witness at the Canberra hearings of the trade unions royal commission has been fined for underpaying a worker.

A Federal Circuit Court judge found Elias Taleb and his company Class 1 Form underpaid the employee $16,366.

Class 1 Form owner Elias Taleb gave evidence at the Canberra hearings of the trade unions royal commission in July 2015. Credit:Screengrab from Royal Commission hearings

In a judgement, published in December, Judge Warwick Neville fined the formwork company $30,000 and ordered it compensate the worker the unpaid wages.

Mr Taleb's explosive evidence, delivered on the first day of hearings in 2015, exposed dodgy practices in parts of Canberra's construction industry.
Kashmir has seen heavy snow this week and authorities have warned of the "high danger" of avalanches over the next two days. Power and communication lines have also been cut in some areas.

By Reuters: The death toll in avalanches in Kashmir has risen to 19 after the bodies of four more Indian soldiers were recovered today, army and police officials said.

Kashmir has seen heavy snow this week and authorities have warned of the "high danger" of avalanches over the next two days. Power and communication lines have also been cut in some areas.

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The army recovered the bodies of the four soldiers who had been patrolling near the Line of Control that divides the territory when the snowslide struck on Wednesday, bringing the military toll to 15, said spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia.Also Watch: PM tweets his condolence after 10 jawans die in avalanches in Kashmir

Four civilians who were also killed included two children from a family whose house was hit by a separate avalanche on Wednesday.

More avalanches hit the region on Thursday, although there were no reports of further casualties.

In 2012, a massive avalanche in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers.

Kashmir, divided between the India and Pakistan, has long been a source of tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

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If there was any doubt that wage underpayment is thriving in the $170 billion franchise sector take a look at Pizza Hut, where delivery drivers have been forced into sham contracts and paid as little as $5.70 a delivery.

An investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman has busted Pizza Hut - the country's second biggest pizza franchise network. The stores the ombudsman audited over the past year were riddled with non compliance and delivery were drivers the key victims.

Pizza Hut drivers are generally young and vulnerable - many under 24 -forced to provide their own car, petrol, maintenance and insurance in return for peanuts. In some cases the pay amounts to $12 an hour before the various costs are deducted.

The FWO audited 34 franchisees, focusing on delivery drivers in November 2015, and found rampant abuse of vulnerable workers. In some cases the franchisees failed to issue pay slips or keep proper records.
A tide of flowers swept the corner of Elizabeth and Swanston streets. People stood or sat silently on the stone steps. Mothers whispered to children. Children were uncertain and placed teddy bears or notes on to the floral mound. Most did not speak. This was holy ground.

I sat with a traveller who was dressed in smart casual clothes. He was French and had been caught up in the Paris bombing. His English was halting but he conveyed his shock that this event had happened in Australia. Another man from Asia said that he had wanted to go to Boston to study but his father had said, "Don't go to Boston  crazy, violent people live there." He came to Australia. He hadn't told his father about Friday's incident.

Floral tribute along Bourke Street. Credit:Eddie Jim

A small woman wept. I touched her arm as she pulled back from the crowds and she began to talk. We sat on a metal bench in the Mall. An old Irish man sat next to me his seated body touching mine. He wanted to talk too but I could only talk to one person and he boarded the tram. The woman said that her workmate had died. He had stepped on to Bourke St to get lunch and was then gone. I listened to her for a short time. She then stood up, bowed to me and with joined hands said, "I will remember you all my life."

I thought about how little I had done for her. I had only listened and made a small space for her. The woman was very vulnerable. She needed people to care and she needed to put her experience into words. I was touched by her loving gift to me.
Bernie Sanders, who lost last year's race to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee but won many friends in the process, has emerged as an unlikely catalyst for a showdown between Bob Brown and Lee Rhiannon. The Greens elder statesman and the NSW senator are old adversaries, but Mr Sanders' spiritual presence indicates this is more than a grudge match reawakened. Indeed, some are suggesting it's a struggle for the heart, soul and future of the Greens, and that party leader Richard Di Natale may be a casualty.

The origins of the internecine struggle date from December when members of the NSW Greens formed a new hard left group called Left Renewal with a broadly anti-establishment and anti-capitalist agenda inspired in large measure by what Senator Rhiannon has called the "Bernie Sanders experience". Senator Rhiannon claims not to be a member of Left Renewal  the Greens having publicly rejected a formal faction system. However, its manifesto is broadly consistent with her own political philosophy, which was nurtured in the radical inner-city politics of Sydney in the late 1970 and early '80s.

According to Senator Rhiannon, "the Greens are at a crossroads, with Labor appearing to move left on some issues and minor parties also pulling our votes away. The Bernie Sanders experience in the US shows that people with radical and anti-establishment policies can win mass support. How the Greens inspire people to join with us and vote for us is our challenge in 2017".

Dr Brown has rejected that view, suggesting the NSW branch is holding the Greens back federally and that Senator Rhiannon is intent on destabilising the party. Senator Di Natale, too, has criticised Left Renewal's agenda, describing the overthrow of capitalism as a ridiculous notion. "If the authors of this ill-thought-through manifesto are so unhappy with Greens policies," he said, "perhaps they should consider finding a new political home".
Former prime minister Tony Abbott, as an example, was born in 1957  the last year of the fire rooster. Roosters also have mortal enemies, of course, including those born in the year of the horse. Yes, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is one, born in 1954.

Much focus among the non-Chinese is the usual zodiac-based character appraisals and portents. People born in the 12-year cycle of rooster years, for instance, tend to be punctual and honest, yet often so forthright that they offend. The fire rooster in particular can be restless and prone to impulsiveness.

The spectre of Donald Trump raises questions about how the Chinese diaspora will handle the Year of the Fire Rooster. Credit:Qilai Shen

The 900,000-strong Australians of Chinese descent celebrated Lunar New Year's Eve reunion feasts on Friday ahead of the start of the Year of the Red Fire Rooster on Saturday, January 28.

But as more than 1.4 million Australians and visitors join in the party in Sydney this year, more than ever onlookers wonder how the Chinese diaspora across Asia-Pacific and beyond will handle the anti-trade Trump era.

Will the US rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership prove a boon for Beijing and increase its economic power as concerns over growth there linger; or will the South China Sea crisis continue to offend the mainland's neighbours; or, more likely, will the Chinese communities in Australia and beyond simply do what they have always done: find the tenacity to overcome all obstacles?

The Herald today salutes those whose ancestors fled mainland China to find a better life away from, at various stages, the monarchy, dictatorship, communism, poverty, colonialism and oppression. We welcome more recent arrivals whose work ethic and drive to better themselves and their children has grasped Australia's myriad opportunities in education and business.

To that end this year marks an important anniversary in Chinese-Australian history; the creation in 1917 and subsequent collapse of the China-Australia Mail Steamship Line; a story that reveals how Chinese Australians have faced institutional, cultural and cyclical obstacles; how they have been knocked down; yet how they have got up again.

Still, it's wise to recognise one fact. You cannot group Chinese Australians together as a whole and to assume they will automatically oppose or support any policy emerging from Beijing. In these times of poor housing affordability, the dangerous tendency is likewise to blame local Chinese groups for out-bidding first home buyers.
Before 1970, a leader of one of the major parties averaged eight and a half years in the post. Many, about one in five, were in the job long enough to die at the leader's desk. Since then, a leader's political life expectancy has more than halved, to exactly four years on average. Malcolm Turnbull set the conditions for making it shorter still. When he stepped up to the cameras to declare his challenge to Tony Abbott for the prime ministership, he said:"The one thing that is clear about our current situation is the trajectory. We have lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr Abbott's leadership." He will likely live to regret establishing this benchmark. Newspolls are conducted fortnightly, with a break around the end of the year. In the normal course, 30 would allow a leader who's behind in the polls a lifespan of around a year and a half. How is Turnbull's government going? It has "lost" the last six Newspolls in a row, which took him to the end of last year. With no sign of improvement. If he loses the next 24, and depending on exactly when polling resumes for the year, he will have failed on his own terms by the end of this year or very early next. The moment he hits the magic 30, a challenger need not find any justification to strike. Turnbull will be fair game according to his own criterion. Unless he can recover, he will approach the year's end with mounting dread. Tiffen's book leaves open the question of whether the accelerating cycle of political bloodletting is a phase that has run its course or whether it will endure. "Since I finished working on the book there's been an attempted coup against WA Premier Colin Barnett, another one on the Labor side in WA," Tiffen tells me. "There are signs that it's a continuing thing." And there will be more signs at the federal level this year. On both sides of politics, unrestrained ambition burns hot in Canberra. Tony Abbott has signalled that he wanted Turnbull to bring him into the Cabinet so that he can use his considerable experience to contribute to the government.But Turnbull has had four ministerial reshuffles since taking the prime ministership, three of them involving changes to his Cabinet. And Abbott is still on the backbench.

In the latest, just last week, Turnbull actually cut the size of the Cabinet by one rather than appoint Abbott to it.It is starkly plain that Turnbull does not want Abbott. Based on the Labor precedent, you can see why. After deposing Rudd, Gillard brought him into her Cabinet as foreign affairs minister. It did not secure his loyalty. Rudd plotted vengeance and ultimately succeeded. Turnbull suspects that Abbott in Cabinet would be a source of destabilisation. Abbott, out of the Cabinet, will certainly be a source of destabilisation.He has said that he intends to be a champion of conservative causes, and that, as a backbencher, he doesn't consider himself bound to support government policy. Now that Turnbull has ostentatiously overlooked him, the prime minister has to be prepared for Abbott to come after him. There is no compelling new candidate to seize the leadership from Turnbull. In which case, the former prime minister has to be considered an option, however improbable this may seem. And, unless Turnbull can recover, anxious MPs will start to cast about for a saviour as the year progresses. Remember that Turnbull governs with the smallest possible parliamentary majority - a single seat. He has incumbency and he has time but he has little margin for error. Abbott starts with a big profile with the public, a small cheer squad inside his party's caucus, and a burning sense of injustice. Kevin Rudd began his vengeance venture with the same elements, plus one - he was popular. Abbott doesn't have that advantage. But, then again, neither does Turnbull. Two of Abbott's heroes, Menzies and Howard, were defeated and written off yet enjoyed spectacular comebacks. And, in the first year of President Trump, the word "impossible" is best avoided in political prognostication.

On the Labor side, too, there is lively potential for one of the sudden outbreaks of political violence that convulses the capital, the illuminating moment when all pretence falls away and seething ambition strikes. Bill Shorten has been very effective in assailing Turnbull. If he hadn't been, Anthony Albanese would have challenged him already. If Shorten slumps, if Albanese senses opportunity, he will be ready. Is the ever-shortening political lifespan of contemporary leaders a result of weak leaders? "The problem is not that leaders have too little power; it is that they have too much," poses Rodney Tiffen, intriguingly. Leaders have accumulated more and more power within their parties in recent decades. As checks and balances have fallen away, "often the only means of changing a leader's behaviour is to change the leader," he writes. "When reform is impossible, regime change becomes more likely." Of course, there remains the big question of whether it actually works. Does changing leader improve a party's electoral chances? Generally not, Tiffen finds. Among opposition parties, of the 54 leadership coups state and federal since 1970, only 15 made an important improvement to the party's performance at the polls. That's just over a quarter. At the federal level, the number of useful challenges was just four - when Malcolm Fraser defeated Bill Snedden, when Bob Hawke deposed Bill Hayden, when John Howard replaced Alexander Downer and when Kevin Rudd beat Kim Beazley. And leadership coups in ruling parties? Of the 16 state and federal coups since 1970, "only twice after a coup did the government go on to win a parliamentary majority, and they were both pretty close election victories - [by] Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull," says Tiffen. "It's usually a sign that a government's in a lot of trouble and an admission to the electorate that they're failing," he explains. The clearest example of why they fail, according to Tiffen, was Gillard tearing down Rudd - she was unable to campaign on his success in staving off the global financial crisis and on his hospital reforms.
Holler for some blues and roots

Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh is hosting the Holler Roots Music Festival on February 17, 18 and 19. Across two stages at the Caravan club, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, proprietor Peter Foley has helped put together a mighty line-up featuring Moreland and Arbuckle from Wichita in Kansas, local favourites Chris Wilson's Crown of Thorns, Three Kings, the Jeff Lang Band, Chris Russell's Chickenwalk, the Backsliders and many more. Holler is "a bold and exciting attempt to galvanise the passion for roots music that's played across a multitude of venues in Melbourne," Foley said. "We felt there was a gap ... to be filled with a tight little boutique festival that exuberantly celebrated blues and roots music." For tickets and more information go to caravanmusic.com.au

Funding has been granted for a walking tour exploring the life of Chrissy Amphlett.

Music funding

Martin Foley, minister for creative industries, has announced five recipients of the Victorian government's latest round of Rockin' the Laneways funding, a program designed to financially assist music initiatives that promote and celebrate Victoria's music history. Projects to receive funding include an interactive digital map of musical sites in Ballarat, a concert that traces the history of Melbourne Town Hall and a walking tour that explores the life of Chrissie Amphlett, who fronted the Divinyls for more than two decades. "We're proud to support these diverse projects that use creativity to celebrate and immerse audiences in our music history and heritage," the minister said. "Our music is a great drawcard for our state." Applications for the next round of funding closes on March 20 for projects and activities taking place from July 1, 2017. For details go to creative.vic.gov.au
A man arrested for allegedly assaulting police during the flag-burning melee at the "invasion day" march through Sydney is a Greens campaign manager who used to be a paid employee of the party.

Hayden Williams, 20, is also part of the anti-capitalist, anti-police, left-wing splinter faction in the NSW Greens, known as "Left Renewal", Fairfax Media can reveal.

He was arrested on Thursday and charged with assaulting police, resisting arrest and malicious damage. He has been bailed to appeal in Downing Centre local court on February 14.

In a statement, NSW Police said he was arrested during the anti-Australia Day march from Redfern after a "participant allegedly attempted to ignite a flag".
In an era in which hacking is becoming an all-too common breach of privacy, many have welcomed the news that Edward Majerczyk, the man behind the "celebgate" violation has been sentenced to nine-months imprisonment in Los Angeles.

With 30 celebrities involved, including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence (who told Vanity Fair the hacking was a "sex crime"), the 29-year-old has also been ordered to pay $5,700 (A$7,564) in restitution for counselling services for one undisclosed celebrity whose photos were disseminated online.

Jennifer Lawrence was one of the 30 celebrities involved in the hacking ordeal. Credit:Getty

The Illinois local and son of two former police officers used a phishing scheme, sending emails which appeared to be from security accounts of internet service providers to gain illegal access to over 300 Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts.

Other celebrity targets included Kate Upton and actress Kirsten Dunst, however no names were officially mentioned in the court documents.
"[The news] was a little confusing for the girls because they'd be like, 'I grew in your tummy?' And I had to explain, 'Well, you didn't actually grow in my tummy, but your dad and I are your parents,' " she recalled.

"My sister had a book growing up that we all read and we all loved called Why Was I Adopted? That was the first gift she gave Naleigh when Naleigh came into our lives."

Heigl who during the interview said "there's no one way to be a parent", has taken inspiration from her childhood and wisdom instilled from her mother, saying the only people she hopes eventually understand the family dynamic are her two daughters.

"My mother used to say this too: 'It doesn't matter how they come into your life,'" she says. " 'The moment they put that child into your arms  whether you just [gave birth] or whether they just arrived from Korea  they're yours.' "

She continued, "We're there to support them as parents do. It's all about open communication and helping them access whatever they need to feel absolutely 100 percent secure in who they are," she says. "Whether that's about their history, their heritage, their race, their memories  we're there."
The Kumkum Bhagya actor is having the time of his life.

By India Today Web Desk: Kumkum Bhagya actor Shabir Ahluwalia is currently having the time of his life. Of course he is happy about the success of his show, and to top it all, he has a beautiful family; life is good for Shabir.

Also read: Watch: TV actor Shabir Ahluwalia's bottle flipping skills are top-notch

And so the actor is celebrating the good things in his life by hanging out in Maldives.

#momentsbecomememories #beyondwords #roomwithaview A photo posted by Shabir Ahluwalia (@shabirahluwalia) on Jan 26, 2017 at 5:07am PST

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Yep, you read that right. The talented actor is vacationing in the exotic locales of Maldives, and making everyone jealous by posting wonderful pictures on social media site Instagram.

#50shadesofblue #roomwithaview #perfecteverything #chevalblancrandheli #maldives A photo posted by Shabir Ahluwalia (@shabirahluwalia) on Jan 26, 2017 at 7:54pm PST

Have a look:

Pretty amazing, isn't it?

#paradise #perfectmorning #roomwithaview #lovingit #bestever #chevalblancrandheli #maldives A photo posted by kanchikaul (@kanchikaul) on Jan 26, 2017 at 7:50pm PST

His actress-wife Kanchi Kaul has also posted some envy-inspiring pictures on her personal Instagram account.

Hello #paradise A photo posted by kanchikaul (@kanchikaul) on Jan 26, 2017 at 2:09am PST

Thanks for setting new holiday goals, Shabir and Kanchi.

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The track has been described as a "women's anthem", and from the preview PS has seen, shows an emotional Carey in the studio following her breakup with Packer, singing the new song, after which the camera shows her taking off the $10 million engagement ring the billionaire gave her.

Apparently the song was recorded with US rap star YG and is set to air this weekend in the United States on the final episode of her eight-part reality television series Mariah's World, which screens in Australia on Monday night.

James Packer might want to avoid the television this weekend as his former fiancee, the pop star-turned-mime-artist Mariah Carey, is about to unleash a break-up song inspired by their most recent parting.

However, Carey is not alone in making the most of being a former would-be Mrs Packer, with one of her predecessors, the socialite formerly known as Kate Fischer, who these days goes by the name T'Ziporah Malkah, making a nice earning out of her two-year romance with Packer over 20 years ago.

Mariah Carey is rumoured to have written a song about her break-up with James Packer. Credit:Willy Sanjuan

While rumours that Malkah would be jetting off to South Africa and installed on Channel Ten's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here would seem a little off the mark, her recently hired agent Max Markson (yep, the same guy that looks after Mark Latham and Karl Stefanovic's ex wife) has been busy doing deals on her behalf.

And while her initial return to the media landscape was apparently without any significant fee, as media interest has grown, so too has her price.

The latest deal is with New Idea magazine, the same publication that most recently featured her wearing lingerie in a revenge spread she posed for to get back at rival magazine Woman's Day, which first published unflattering paparazzi shots of her wearing a bed sheet and collecting the mail in Melbourne last year.
There's not much that can stop a rocket-powered car built to go faster than 1000 miles per hour.

But a $185,000 debt to the Australian Taxation Office has put the brakes on Rosco McGlashan's dream of smashing the coveted land-speed mark in his car, the Aussie Invader.

Rosco McGlashan plans to become the world's fastest man are in jeopardy. Credit:Trevor Collens

Mr McGlashan, who already holds the Australian land speed record with a blistering 802km/h, or 500 miles per hour, is described as an "innocent victim" of the ATO's crackdown on tax rorting in the lucrative research and development sector.

A botched application by an outside consultant for R&D money in 2014 provided a much-needed cash injection for the Aussie Invader, but when ATO investigators took a closer look they found the money should not have been paid and demanded it back.
He has made a career out of conducting covert operations on unsuspecting spouses.

But private detective Brett Sutcliffe, 37, has failed to cover his own tracks after a run in the law that should have blacklisted him from the industry.

Spousebusters founder Brett Sutcliffe walking in Wollongong. Credit:Jessica Hromas

The founder of spy agency Spousebusters has been operating without a licence after a conviction in 2008 for impersonating an Australian Federal Police officer and menacing an elderly woman in North Bondi.

A Fairfax Media investigation has found that his attempts to have his licence re-instated have been rejected twice by the NSW Police yet he continues to run the nation-wide agency from his dual-level, water view penthouse in North Wollongong.
Two Altona Meadows residents hid in a neighbour's yard as a pack of men rifled through their home during an alleged burglary in October last year.

A man and woman fled their Oakdene Grove South home before jumping a fence and seeking refuge in a neighbour's back yard as the men searched through the house on October 13.

Police are seeking information about an Altona Meadows assault. Credit:Marina Neil/Fairfax Media

Police have arrested five men in relation to the alleged burglary and charged a 20-year-old Oakleigh man, 20-year-old Dandenong North man and a 16-year-old Keysborough boy with aggravated burglary, theft, theft of motor vehicle and criminal damage.

Two days after the alleged burglary, police said a man arrived at the same house and was assaulted by a number of men.
Hoddle Street, opposite Clifton Hill Station, was blocked and there were police with guns drawn searching everywhere. The police helicopter hovered overhead, search light beaming. With my Nikon around my neck, I roamed the back streets of Clifton Hill that were not blocked, not sure what I was looking for. Police scurried here and there. What would I do if I came face to face with him, I wondered?

I was living in East Melbourne at the time. My home phone rang sometime after 9pm, with my boss on the line telling me to get to Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill asap. "There are gunmen on the loose killing people," he warned. At the same time, police sirens were screaming up Punt Road into Hoddle Street. I jumped in my car and went to see what was happening.

Working as a photographer on the Melbourne Herald on a cold, August night in 1987, the words "Hoddle Street" took on a whole new meaning.

Being a photojournalist in Melbourne can be the best job in the world, or the worst.

Front page of The Herald the day after Julian Knight killed people on Hoddle Street.

Eventually, the chaos died down. To everyone's surprise, given the extent of the carnage, it was a lone gunman. He had been apprehended and was in custody.

I proceeded with the task of trying to record the horror of what had happened that night. I took up position in a small reserve opposite the service station with my very long and large lens, which gave me a view of many of those murdered. Most were partly obscured, but they were visible. Many members of the public came out that cold night to view the carnage. Some brought their children. Others asked if they could look through my lens to get "a better view". I knew why I was there  I had a job to do  but I didn't understand why they were.

I had dark thoughts that night, thinking about those people at home about to receive that knock on the door from a police officer that everyone fears. As horrible as it was, I felt then, as I do now, the importance of being a photographer in your home town, recording an event as momentous as this. While millions of Melburnians were in their beds oblivious to what had happened, this story had to be told, and I was telling it. I told stories  good and bad  with photos.

Later on, in the early hours of Monday morning, I went, along with a TV crew, to the old Magistrates Court to wait for the parading of the gunman. I could barely imagine what the monster who had caused the horror that night looked like. There was a doorway that faced Russell Street at the old court. The street was completely empty at that time of night.
Nine-year-old Maggie Hakin, whose older sister Thalia was killed on Bourke Street, was also discharged from the Royal Children's.

Two-year-old Zara Bryant, whose three-month-old baby brother Zachary was killed in the rampage, left hospital on Friday.

Two of the youngest victims of the Bourke Street rampage were discharged from the Royal Children's Hospital on Friday afternoon, one week on from the deadly attack.

The girls' mother Nathalie Hakin was one of two women still at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition on Friday. Ms Hakin only became aware of Thalia's death when she awoke on Wednesday, the day of her daughter's funeral.

Zachary Bryant (right), who was killed in the Bourke Street attack, with his sister Zara.

At least 11 more victims also remained in hospital, seven days on from the tragedy.

Last Friday night, Melbourne's key city hospitals were caring for dozens of people battered by the car that careered through the CBD.

Both the Royal Melbourne and St Vincent's called external disaster codes about 2.30pm when they learnt of the possibility of mass casualties. The codes meant their emergency departments were cleared of patients who did not need to be there, so staff were ready to care for all incoming patients from the CBD.
Mr Lynch was the father of three young children. Credit:Facebook It is understood he and Ms Lynch had separated but had two sons and a daughter together. Mr Lynch's sister, Helen Lynch, said part of the family was travelling to Perth following the shocking news of his death. Ms Cakrawati also worked at FMG. Credit:Facebook "Just to confirm my brother Matthew's post that our brother Peter and his new partner Endah died in yesterday's Perth plane crash," she wrote in a Facebook post.

"Matty is coming to stay here for a bit in Braidwood and our sister, other brother and mother have headed to Perth. "Thanks for your understanding. It is a tremendous shock and we are still processing. "We will miss him." Mr Lynch had recently moved to Perth from Brisbane to take a role as business development director at Fortescue Metals Group. Ms Cakrawati worked with Mr Lynch as investor relations manager at Cokal, a mining company he founded in 2009.

It is not yet known if she has family or friends in Perth or Australia. Just six months ago - around the time Mr Lynch moved to Perth - Ms Cakrawati had written on her Facebook page: "I have a great life, great friends, and great LOVE.....JUST PERFECT." Friends in Indonesia have paid tribute to Ms Cakrawati, whose photos show her going out with friends, playing the guitar and modelling. "Rest in peace for my beautiful friend.. Still proud of u sis Endah Aricakrawati, u reach ur dream high..

We love u," wrote one friend. "Rest in peace my dearest friend," said another.

WA's acting Police Commissioner Stephen Brown also paid tribute to the pair, who he described as "two wonderful people". "And I extend those sympathies on behalf of all emergency service workers, not only the police but all emergency service workers in Western Australia," he said. Aviation community pays tribute Mr Lynch told an aviation blog in a 2013 interview that he loved flying not just for the friends he made, but for the rush of being airborne, the "pure pleasure of getting up in the sky and having the freedom to go virtually anywhere". He said the best flying experience he'd ever experienced was after buying the Grumman Mallard plane in the US and completing the training to fly it, when he set off to fly over the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

Aviation groups have posted tributes to Mr Lynch, who was held in high regard. "It is with great sadness as we try to come to terms with the tragic news of the passing of Peter Lynch," the Great Eastern Fly-in Committee wrote. "Peter was a man of vision and one with a passion for aviation and was well loved and respected in our close knit flying community. "Peter for many years attended the Evans Head Great Eastern Fly In, was the man with a vision for an Air Park at Evans Head, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Evans Head Aviation Museum. "Our deepest and sincere condolences are expressed to Peter's family and many friends who are grieving with his sad passing.

"Clear skies Peter....and may you rest in peace, our dear friend and colleague." WA community 'shaken' by tragedy Labor leader Mark McGowan said the Swan River tragedy had shaken the WA community. "My heart goes out to the families and friends of the two people involved. They're in all our thoughts and prayers today," Mr McGowan said. "Thank you to our amazing emergency service workers for doing all the work they do in the most difficult circumstances."

The Grumman Mallard was intended to have been displayed frequently at the Evans Head Aviation Museum and used to promote the airpark project around Australia. Clive Palmer and colleagues also pay tribute Former Queensland colleagues of Peter Lynch have also paid tribute to the aviation enthusiast and entrepreneur. In a joint statement, Waratah Coal and chairman Clive Palmer said the "well known and respected" member of the mining community in Australia and south east Asia would be missed. "Peter's ingenuity, business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit allowed him to design, develop and manage a variety of large scale underground and open cut coal projects," the statement said.
Moscow: The authorities in Moscow are prosecuting at least one cybersecurity expert for treason, a prominent Russian criminal defense lawyer confirmed, while a Russian newspaper reported that the case is linked to hacking during the US presidential election.

While surely touching a nerve in American politics, the developments in Moscow left a still muddled picture of what, exactly, a series of arrests by the security services here signifies.

But the virtually simultaneous appearance of at least four prominent news reports on the hacking and several related arrests, citing numerous anonymous sources, suggests that the normally opaque Russian government intends to reveal more information about the matter, though it is unclear why.

In the waning weeks of the Obama administration, US federal intelligence agencies released a report asserting the Russian government had hacked into the computers of the Democratic National Committee and the chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign, John D. Podesta, stealing and releasing to WikiLeaks emails intended to damage Clinton and help Donald Trump win the election.
Washington: It was to be the first shot fired in Donald Trump's first trade war  to get those pesky Mexicans to pay for the border wall that the new President claims will halt the flow of undocumented migrants into the US.

But amidst warnings of how Mexico could retaliate, the White House, as they say of a bad idea in Washington, "walked back" what it had presented as a 20 per cent tax on Mexican imports to the US to cover the $US15 billion to $US20 billion cost of the near 3000-kilometre border barrier.

The threat created a crisis between the neighbours of the like not seen since the "imperial gringo" invasions in the 19th and 20th centuries, in which the United States seized big chunks of Mexico.

Mexico pulled its foreign minister from a DC meeting, as he was being welcomed by new Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly; Trump lectured Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to show respect for Washington; and Pena Nieto sort of did  he told Trump what he could do with a meeting the two presidents were to have next week.
By Press Trust of India: Javadekar

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Claiming that the economic blockade in Manipur was continuing because of the ineptitude of Congress government there, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today said despite the Centres assistance, Chief Minister Ibobi Singh is not doing his bit to resolve the issue.

"The blockade from October 30 is due to the ineptitude of Chief Minister Ibobi Singh and Congress party. This blockade is by the state government, for state government and of the state government, because politically they think it will benefit them," he said.

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The minister said central government has provided nearly hundred companies of paramilitary forces including Assam Rifles, more than 10,000 security forces (personnel) are there but Chief Minister is sending them to barracks not using them to remove the blockade.

"This is callous neglect....people will teach him a lesson," said Javadekar, who is BJP incharge for Manipur.

The central government has also airlifted petrol and LPG products to meet the needs of the people.

He said under the federal system, law and order is a state subject but despite the Centre reaching out for assistance, the state government was not keen on resolving the issue. PTI ADS SMJ

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Auto Lab Radio Talk - LIVE From NYC Saturday January 28, 2017 7-9 AM







Auto Lab Talk Radio

The Auto Lab Radio Show is Broadcast every Saturday 7 to 9 AM On New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 and Streamed Worldwide On The Auto Channel

This Weeks Show Broadcast Date: January 28, 2017

Car Question or Concern? Call Toll Free 888-692-7234

Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice.

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This Weeks Show: January 28, 2017

Auto Lab In-Studio Experts Discuss: Repairs, Second Opinion, Regular Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Ombudsmen Suggestions

Harold Bendell- Major Auto

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Tim Cacace-Master Mechanix

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Auto Lab Correspondents Report Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That May effect You!

Broadcast Date: January 28, 2017

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England

SAFER VEHICLES LESS INSPECTIONS?

Russ Rader, Vice President Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards go to BMW 3 series , 2 series

Sharon Sudol & John Russell Senior Correspondents

2017 NISSAN SENTRA

Dr. William Sharfman, Automotive Journalist and Consultant

DC AUTO SHOW
Honoring the helpers Awards recognize those who support autism community

Thirteen community members and providers were recognized for their resilience, passion and heart at the 2022 Awesome in Autism Awards ceremony. The 14th annual event, hosted by Autism Society Ventura County, was held Oct. 20 at Wood Ranch Golf Club...

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Alzheimers Foundation to host free conference The Alzheimers Foundation of America will host a free virtual educational conference from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tues., Nov. 15. The event is part of the foundations 2022 national Educating America Tour. The conference, which is free and open...
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) In a significant step, Mauritius will soon start automatically sharing of tax information with India and other countries as part of global efforts to curb multinational companies from profit shifting activities. The development also comes months after the island nation, long perceived to be a jurisdiction for alleged illegal fund flows into Indian shores, agreed to revise its bilateral tax treaty with India to address the concerns. Along with Mauritius, six other countries signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for Country-by- Country Reporting (CbC MCAA), bringing the total number of signatories to 57, OECD said in a statement today. India signed the agreement in May last year. Paris-based think tank Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the agreement is part of "continuing efforts to boost transparency by multinational enterprises (MNEs)". Apart from Mauritius, Gabon, Hungary, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malta and the Russian Federation have now signed the pact. CbC MCAA allows signatories to bilaterally and automatically exchange country-by-country reports with each other, as contemplated by Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. "It will help ensure that tax administrations obtain a better understanding of how MNEs structure their operations, while also ensuring that the confidentiality and appropriate use of such information is safeguarded," OECD said. BEPS refers to tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations. Under the inclusive framework, over 100 countries and jurisdictions are collaborating to implement the BEPS measures and tackle such instances.

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In May 2016, India had signed with Mauritius the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC), in a bid to prevent "abuse" of the tax avoidance treaty. The island nation is a major source of foreign direct investments coming into India. Meanwhile, OECD said information on the activation of exchange relationships under the MCAA would be released in due course. PTI NKD RAM SBT MKJ

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) A mere 16 per cent of the grant sanctioned by the the Women and Child Development Ministry for womens safety and security under the Nirbhaya Fund has been spent by the implementing agencies.

Rs 2,000 crore was transferred to the "Public Account for the Nirbhaya Fund" till 2015-16. For the year 2016-17, another Rs 500 crore was set aside.

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The Ministry has approved projects worth nearly Rs 2,200 crore, of which Rs 1,530 crore has been disbursed by it.

However, only Rs 400 crore has been spent on the execution of projects under the Nirbhaya Fund by the agencies, like state governments, which were given this money.

"Eighteen proposals amounting to Rs 2,195.97 crore have been received so far, of which 16 amounting to Rs 2,187.47 crore have been appraised and recommended by the Empowered Committee," a statement issued by the Ministry said.

"The amount allocated to different projects is approximately Rs 1,530 crore and the expenditure incurred is approximately Rs 400 crore," it said.

Though the Nirbhaya Fund was set up in 2013 by the UPA government after the 2012 Delhi gangrape, the statement provided details only of the grant sanctioned and spent in the last two years.

This is because the ministry was made the "nodal ministry" to appraise and monitor the implementation of schemes under the Nirbhaya Fund only in October 2015 after guidelines to this effect were issued.

The poor execution on the ground is despite the fact that an Empowered Committee of Officers was constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, WCD, for approving and monitoring of various schemes under this special fund and has met seven times since it was set up in November 2015. PTI JC GVS

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Tulsi Gabbard, the self-styled progressive Hawaiian congresswoman makes no secret of her recent trip to Damascus to meet Bashar al-Assad. But, as an outspoken opponent of what she presents as Americas pro-terrorist foreign policy, Gabbard certainly accepted some strange companions on what her fellow lawmakers are calling a disgraceful reputation-laundering tour of a bloody dictatorship.

Gabbard, as her own office has disclosed, took her fact-finding trip with a delegation of two men who are affiliated with an anti-Semitic political party accused of using female suicide bombers; of beating up Western and Arab journalists; helping U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah and the U.S.-sanctioned Syrian regime wage war in the Levant.

And did we mention the partys ideology and flag take their inspiration from Nazism?

Gabbard initially declined to say who financed her trip to Syria. However, in a press release Wednesday Gabbard revealed her delegation (which also included former Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich) had been led and sponsored by an outfit called the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services (AACCESSOhio). Her statement added she and the rest of the delegation had been accompanied by two men, Elie and Bassam Khawam.

Almost no information exists in the public domain about AACCESSOhio. Ohio Secretary of State records indicate it was founded in 1991, and has been in and out of existence ever since. It has sponsored just one other Congressional trip, one that brought Kucinich to Syria in 2006 and in 2011.

Its website is out of action. It has no identifiable social media presence.

However, a 2006 article refers to Sam Khawam, an alias of Bassam Khawams, as the chairman of the Arab American Community Center for Social and Economic Services. It would suggest, then, despite the slight naming discrepancy (Social and Economic rather than Economic and Social), that the Messrs. Khawam are part of AACCESS. On Thursday, The Guardian reported that Bassam Khawam was the executive director of the organization.

Contacted Thursday by The Daily Beast and asked about the delegation, Bassam Khawam said he was on another call and, requesting a contact number, pledged to phone back. He had not done so at the time of writing.

Who, then, are the Khawams? Gabbards press release described the pair as longtime peace advocates. The reality is, to put it as politely as possible, more complicated.

In truth, Bassam and Elie Khawam are both officials in the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), a political party and paramilitary organization founded in Lebanon in 1932, and currently actively engaged in the Syrian civil war on the side of the Assad regime.

According to the SSNP website, Elie enjoys a senior position in the politburo; Chief of Cross-Border Affairs; while Bassam was given the honor of presenting Syrias ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Ja`fari, with a gift and a toast at a New York dinner in 2015. The pair, in other words, are two of the key U.S.-based point men for the partyand, by extension, the Syrian dictatorship.

On its home turf of Lebanon, the SSNP is known for many things, peace advocacy not being one of them. Highlights of the partys activities since its founding include assassinating the first Lebanese prime minister, Riad al-Solh, in 1951; and participating in the brief civil war of 1958 as well as its much less-brief successor from 1975-90, during which period they earned the distinction of recruiting Lebanons first female suicide bomber, 16-year-old Sana Mehaidli, who drove an explosives-laden Peugeot into a convoy of Israeli troops in 1985.

In May 2008, the SSNP assisted the Islamist militants of Hezbollah in their armed takeover of Beiruts western half, and has ruled its fiefdom of Hamra with an iron fist ever since, famously assaulting and attempting to kidnap the late Christopher Hitchens in 2009, and less famously hospitalizing the Lebanese journalist Omar Harqous.

When the Syrian uprising began in 2011, it fell to the SSNP to violently disperse anti-regime demonstrators outside the Syrian embassy in Beirut, using fists, sticks, and belts. Most recently, the party has dispatched an estimated 6,000-8,000 fighters to the Syrian battlefield to help the Assad regime annihilate its opponents, to whom the SSNP officially refers as the Jews of the interior and an essential arm of the racist Jewish enemy.

If those charming references to Jews seem incongruous at face value (one doesnt typically find many in Lattakia or Homs provinces these days), they are slightly less so once one understands the SSNPs ideology, which blends the fascism of 1930s Europe with a junk eugenical-historical theory about a Greater Syrian race whose ancestral homeland extends, as the partys Facebook page explains, from the Zagros mountains in the north-east through modern Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine to the Sinai peninsula in the west, even incorporating Cyprus.

All of the above territories, the party maintains, ought to be combined in a single Greater Syrian nation run in accordance with the principles of its founder, Antun Sa`adeh, a professor of German at the American University of Beirut.

As the late author Samir Kassir wrote in his celebrated history of the Lebanese capital, Beirut: From Hitlerite Germany [Sa`adeh] borrowed the symbolism and rituals of the SSNP, based on the National Socialist model: the partys emblem, a red vortex on a white ground framed in black that recreated the spiral motion of the swastika; the martial salute, arm outstretched; the cult of the leader (Za`im), though Heil Hitler gave way to the impersonal exhortation Tahya Surya (Long Live Syria); and the paramilitary organization, supplemented by a glorification of violence.

Gabbard herself is a unique figure in progressive circles. While she generated a lot of left-wing cred by resigning from the Democratic National Committee to back Bernie Sanders during the presidential campaign, she also holds a series of positions that Donald Trump backers can back. She is wishy-washy on gun control, opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and pals around with right-wing Republican casino mogul and hawkish pro-Israel advocate Sheldon Adelson.

And after the presidential election, Gabbard was the first Democrat to meet with President-Elect Donald Trump, going to Trump Tower in New York to press a piece of legislation she authored, called the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, which would help halt CIA and federal governments activities in Syria by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to determine that federal funds not go to groups cooperating with al-Qaeda or ISIS.

But her decision to meet with Assad has drawn fire from her Congressional colleagues, who believe she should not have met with a man accused of atrocities.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, described Tulsis trip as a disgrace.

I thought it was awful, Kinzinger told The Daily Beast. In no way should any member of Congress, in no way should any government official ever travel to meet with a guy who has killed 500,000 people and 50,000 children. It is sad, and a shame, and a disgrace.

Im interested to see where the money came from for the trip, he added, and for me I will always stand on the side of saying people have a right to freedom, a right to democracy to meet with a butcher is absolutely wrong and a disgrace.

Kinzinger said that the Congressional leaders of both parties, Nancy Pelosi and Paul Ryan, should condemn Gabbards trip and repudiate her propagandistic findings from it.

She has the audacity to say that everywhere she went, people supported Assad. Of course, when you have an Assad-led tour, hes only going to take you to places where people like him.

Meanwhile, fellow Democratic party members in Gabbards Congressional district have similarly reprimanded the legislator for what they say was a Potemkin tour designed to whitewash a mass murderous dictatorship.

On Saturday when I participated in the womens march on Maui along with thousands of Gabbards constituents, people were asking, Wheres Tulsi?, Ian Chan Hodges, a former Democratic Party chair for Maui County, told The Daily Beast.  When we learned from CNN that she was meeting Assad, people in her district were stunned and angry. A native Hawaiian elder told me that she was sick to her stomach thinking that Tulsi holds the Congressional seat once represented by Patsy Mink, Hodges said, referring to the progressive representative who went to work for the Carter administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Some supporters of Syrias rebels have also taken to calling for a formal Congressional rebuke of Gabbard.

Evan Barrett, the political adviser to the Coalition for a Democratic Syria, an anti-Assad activist group based in Washington, D.C., said, Gabbard continues to make political hay out of pretending to oppose a war that doesnt exist and has no relation to the situation on the ground in Syria. There is no meaningful U.S. policy in opposition to the Assad regime, and with the transition from the administration of Barack Obama to Donald Trump, even Americas rhetorical opposition to Assad has been relaxed.

Barrett was referring to Gabbards controversial (and unfounded) statements, on her Twitter feed and in the media, that the U.S. is purposively backing terrorists in Syria, including al-Qaeda.

She is also outspoken in her support for Russias intervention in the war-ravaged country, which, against all credible data to the contrary, she insists was designed to combat al-Qaeda and ISIS rather than prop up the Assad regime.

Bad enough US has not been bombing al-Qaeda/al-Nusra in Syria, Gabbard tweeted in September, at the start of Vladimir Putins air war in Syria. But its mind-boggling that we protest Russias bombing of these terrorists. (Multiple human rights monitors, from Human Rights Watch to Amnesty International, have alleged that Russias bombing campaign, which has inflicted higher civilian fatalities than even ISIS atrocities have in Syria, has amounted to war crimes.)

Gabbards office told The Daily Beast that her trip was approved by the House Ethics Committee, the only House rules requirement, and was not taxpayer funded. And as previously stated, this visit was not publicized or announced in any way beforehand for obvious security reasons. The Trump Administration was not aware or involved in the trip in any way, and the congresswoman has not been in touch with them since returning regarding this trip or anything else.

"Rep. Gabbard went to Syria to see and hear firsthand the impact of the war in Syria directly from the Syrian people, and that remained her focus throughout the trip. AACCESS-Ohio has done numerous fact-finding trips to the region before, including to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and other countries, and was approved by the House Ethics Committee to sponsor the congresswomans travel. Your questions regarding AACCESS-Ohio or its membership should be directed to the organization or its leadership, or former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich who has been on several AACCESS-Ohio trips to the region.

Update: Subsequent to the publication of this article, one of the members of Congresswoman Gabbard's delegation, Elie Khawam, contacted The Daily Beast. While admitting that he was a member of the SSNP, he claimed the party had no official involvement "in any way, shape, or form" with the congresswoman's delegation. "The SSNP has nothing to do with that trip, or with any trip that we [meaning him and his brother, Bassam] ever made in the past or in the future. It is totally independent," he asserted. Mr Khawam also objected to being described as a "fascist," claiming his party's anti-Jewish rhetoric had "nothing to do with Jews as a religion."
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight congratulated Adama Barrow for assuming charge as Gambias President and said India stands with him for the rapid and all-round development of the African country.

"Congratulations to Mr. Adama Barrow. India stands with him for the rapid & all-round development of The Gambia," Modi tweeted.

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Barrow, who was living in exile, returned home yesterday to take over as Gambias President.

He had defeated in December elections the "authoritarian" leader Yahya Jammeh who was ruling the country for 22 years. Jammeh was, however, not willing to cede power but finally bowed out under international pressure.

Barrow was sworn-in as President on January 19 in Gambias Embassy in Senegal. PTI AKK AKK

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PHILADELPHIARepublicans are unified, theyre focused, and they control Congress and the White House. Theyre ready to work. Theres just one problem: their unpredictable, erratic leader.

Victorious GOP lawmakers are in Philadelphia for their annual retreat to sketch out how they will govern. But every single day since the presidents inauguration has been overshadowed by controversies: President Donald Trumps repeated complaints about the presss reporting on his inaugural crowd size, his baseless claims of voter fraud, and his political speech before the CIA.

Republicans want to focus on passing tax reform and repeal Obamacare. But Trump could not help but create a spectacle at the Republican retreat. When he arrived Thursday, he delivered a word salad of a speecha rambling, self-aggrandizing set of remarks characterized by vague promises, questionable claims, and confusion.

Notably, Trump pledged to Republican lawmakers that he would investigate voter fraudan issue driven almost entirely by himself, and based on no evidenceprompting a dull silence from Republicans in the crowd, many of whom wish the topic would just go away.

Any time you get away from our message, which is jobs, manufacturing, the economy, defense, rebuilding the military... I think you derail the message, said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) on Thursday after the speech.

The president began his remarks, held in the crowded ballroom of a luxury hotel near City Hall, by bragging about his electoral win in Pennsylvania. We love this state, he said, adding that his critics had predicted he would never be victorious here. The homicide rate in Philadelphia is terribly increasing, he thundereda statement that is not true.

Trump continued by saying he and the president of Mexico had mutually agreed to cancel their meeting next weekthough the Mexican president had announced first that he would not attend, saying his country does not believe in walls and demands respect from the new administration.

Such a meeting would be fruitless, Trump declared. I want to go a different route. We have no choice.

In a whirlwind speech, Trump expressed frustration that his commerce secretary pick hadnt yet been confirmed, quipping that hell have to deal with the British on trade by himself; pledged that criminal aliens [are] going to be gone, fast; and praised clean, beautiful coal.

And then, puzzlingly, the president asked the gathering of congressional Republicans where Mike Pompeo, his CIA director, was.

Where is Pompeo? Where the hell is he? Trump asked. "Oh, hes working?

Pompeo had been confirmed to his new role earlier this week and was no longer a member of Congress, something Trump seemed to have forgotten.

Trumps frenetic, frenzied style is meshing poorly with the preferred pace of Republican leadership, which is hoping to iron out serious plans for the rest of the year.

And its not just Trumps speeches. The seemingly random nature and timing of Trumps tweets and public statements threaten to upend Republican strategy. Just as the Republican congressional retreat began, Trumps pronouncement of tortures effectiveness threatened to overshadow the entire event.

This is going to be an unconventional presidency and I think were going to see unconventional activities, like tweets and things like that, and I think thats just something were all just going to have to get used to, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday.

Trumps opposition isnt just going to get used to it. Protests erupted outside as Trump addressed the Republican faithful. It seems that the City of Brotherly Love doesnt have much love for President Trumpthousands gathered to demonstrate against the newly sworn-in president.

The last protests of this size in Philadelphia were six months ago, when the Democratic National Convention came to town to nominate Hillary Clinton as its presidential nominee.

Now, as then, the protests had a diffuse and unfocused set of prioritiessigns called for everything from denying Trumps Cabinet nominees, to respecting black lives, to opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, to supporting transgender rights.

The people, united, will never be defeated, the protesters chanted, somewhat paradoxically.

But the protesters may have an unwitting ally in Trump himself.

If he keeps distracting Republicans with talk of torture and crowd sizes, the GOP may not get very much done this year at all.
Just one week into the Trump era, the Department of Homeland Security has turned into a ghost town, six department sources tell The Daily Beast.

The flurry of executive orders announced this week with little to no warning has left the agency scrambling to figure out what components and staffing will be needed to carry out those orders. This means senior staff who would otherwise be asked to leave may be kept on while the agency figures out how to respond to the inundation of executive orders from President Trump. It mirrors similar staffing issues at other cabinet departments as well as at the White House.

Anybody in a position of power is not there, theyre all in hiding said one DHS official.

People are just freaking out and running for the hills.

People that got their jobs and promotion under the Obama administration are fearful. So, theres lots of them in hiding while the rest of us await word from someoneI dont even know whoabout how to respond to the executive orders from Trump, a department official confessed to The Daily Beast.

The exodus began last Friday when rumors swirled throughout divisions of possible announcements of acting under secretaries for the department would be announced on Monday. On Monday, the planned announcements were cancelled and seeds of doubt turned into full on paranoia.

Thats when everybody started freaking out, said another agency employee, describing the mood at headquarters. A number of people were told they might be asked to leave but nobody really knows who that is or if theyre been told or if more of us will be axed.

On Tuesday, contracts with non-permanent agency employees expired and there was a mass exodus of contractors.

By the time Trump spoke at DHS headquarters on Wednesday, the place had cleared out. The floor at headquarters housing staff for the division charged with infrastructure and cyber protection was nearly empty, as were other floors in other buildings on the sprawling DHS campus.

There are usually more than 100 people on that floor. On Wednesday, there were 12, said one DHS source. Its very, very, very quiet at headquarters.

DHS employees who spoke to The Daily Beast said they were pleased with the selection of Trumps new DHS secretary, Retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, who replaces Jeh Johnson, President Obamas second department head after Janet Napolitano.

The general seems to know what hes stepping into and hes not very happy and thats why the people at HQ are looking for jobs already, said an official. Id expect a major mass departure.

The new administration is going after the money and they have found a lot of waste and abuse so I think heads are going to roll at the assistant and undersecretary levels.

Another focus of the new DHS leadership is an overhaul of the agencys intelligence division. They know its a soup sandwich, said one senior official.

In an email to agency employees today obtained by the Daily Beast, Secretary Kelly said, President Trump honored us by signing two Executive Orders directly related to our homeland security and law enforcement missions, announcing them in the presence of your colleagues. These Executive Orders focus on border security, public safety, and enforcing the laws of our Nation.

Late this week, a senior Customs and Border Patrol official, David J. Glawe, was brought in to run DHSs main Intelligence and Analysis division. The move further suggests a renewed focus all-around on immigration issues.

On Wednesday, Trump spoke at DHS headquarters and promised agency employees a renewed mission and his commitment to allowing law enforcement to do its job. DHS has been ranked lowest in morale of all federal agencies in recent years, which many employees have said is because theyve been blocked by senior political appointees from carrying out the mission statement of their agency.

More than a dozen DHS employees from a variety of agencies and divisions told The Daily Beast they were encouraged by Trumps speech, and are hoping the agency will be purged of the Obama administration appointees and hires who were seen as unqualified or got in the way of law enforcement doing their jobs. About half of those employees, who range from senior-level officials to federal law enforcement agents working far outside Washington, said they voted for Trump.

Kellys memo today echoed those concerns, stressing, Our Department has many missions, and our law enforcement mission is one of the most critical. These Presidential orders will bolster our law enforcement, security, and immigration enforcement officers in the execution of their important duties. They further demonstrate that protecting the American people is the highest priority of our government and this Department.

Everybody was very happy and excited about the Trump speech, explained one midlevel official. They feel invigorated and they feel like were back on track for mission but theres a lot of fear because of the people who were put in power in the old administration did not allow us to do our mission, or so was felt by most of us

For now, theyre just waiting for news of undersecretary appointments so they know if they will have a job.

We have no idea if we have jobs on Monday but I guess well show up and see what happens, said one DHS employee last Friday. Today that same employee said they still have no idea. Its a day by day situation and Im definitely scared to go to work but what else am I going to do.
On the day of Donald Trumps inauguration, I met Philip Roth.

This was a surreal experience, given that, in his 2004 novel, The Plot Against America, Roth precisely described the sinister and chilling nightmare in which the United States now finds itself.

We met, along with our mutual friend Adam Gopnik, in Roths book-lined Manhattan apartment, where he has moved after announcing his retirement from writing.

Roth had spent the morning watching television, and, like many Americans, he had seen the stupefying images of the fussing, overgrown baby who, with diminutive fists raised, insulted the US establishment, the American people, and the world.

As his readers know, the author of The Plot Against America has a special fondness for literary heroines. So we dwelled on the case of Melania Trump, the new First Lady, who maintained a strangely absent air throughout the ceremony. Was she projecting lucidity? Were we observing the look of someone who has intimate knowledge of the catastrophes that are yet to come? Or was she just the most beautiful girl at the party  the one an avid adolescent had asked to dance, and then held on tightly?

The world is now collectively writing a new novel. Roth skillfully distilled the tragic and the comic elements of this process, and we spoke of the forces that might be able to stand up to the dark tide of vulgarity and violence under Trump.

The first is the sovereign people, who poured into the streets of every large city in the country with the knowledge that, in terms of total votes, it is they, not Trump, who won the election.

Second, there are some Republicans who understand that Trump, the former Democrat-turned-populist, and the Grand Old Party that he used as a stepping-stone to power are in a fight to the death.

A third force is the CIA, whose headquarters Trump visited the day after his inauguration. He positioned himself in front of the Memorial Wall  on which are engraved the names of 117 agents who have been killed in the line of duty  and issued a grotesque and puerile self-congratulation for the number of supporters who had come to Washington to celebrate his ascension.

Meanwhile, the American intelligence community will not soon forget that Trump doubted their probity in the matter of Russian hacking to influence the election in his favor.

I asked Roth if he thought that it was strange that the greatest democracy in the world must fall back on such an unlikely set of checks and balances. What is strange, he answered, with a burst of laughter and his head thrown back, is this new state of suspended insurrection, for which the improbably elected president bears responsibility. One might think that, owing to this insurgency from within, Trump could serve an even shorter term than that of the protagonist in The Plot Against America.

Of course, Roths novel and todays situation are not precisely comparable.

Roths story unfolds in 1940, and depicts the heroic aviator and Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh triumphed over incumbent President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And Lindbergh was a virulent anti-Semite.

Trump, nevertheless, employs rhetoric that is reminiscent of Mussolini. And he has professed his solidarity with the worst populists and outright fascist leaders on the other side of the Atlantic, from Nigel Farage and Viktor Orban, to Marine Le Pen and Vladimir Putin.

Then there is that slogan, America First. It is astounding that those words have not turned stomachs across the American political spectrum.

After all, as anyone with a modicum of historical and political awareness should know, America First was American Nazi sympathizers slogan in 1940, during Lindberghs time.

It was the response thrown back at those who wanted the US to resist Hitlers Germany.

It was used to denounce the Jewish warmongers who were accused of placing their interests over the national interest.

And it is this slogan, which Trump repeated on the Capitol steps, that leads the likes of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke to unmask himself and crow, We did it!

Trump knows all of this, and when it is pointed out to him, he replies that he is looking toward the future, not back at the past.

But there are only two teams in this game: nihilists with no memory, and those who know that languages have a history and, therefore, an id. The first team thinks that a speaker can invoke a white-supremacist slogan repeatedly in a single speech without having malign intentions; the second team knows that the genealogy of words cannot be denied without the past taking its revenge.

Trump, a would-be ally to the most unsavory and hated demagogues of our time, is being rejected worldwide. But consider this particularly odd and sinister twist: Americas most unpopular president recently visited Jerusalem, and developed an affinity for the very same people that his fictional predecessor considered to be subhuman.

May the recipients of Trumps sudden solicitude be as wary of this new friend as they are of their enemies.

May they never forget that Israels fate is too serious of a matter to be used as a pretext for an impulsive, uncultured adventurer to demonstrate his authority or supposed deal-making talents.

And may they be spared the dilemma, depicted in Roths novel, of having to choose between two equally dreadful fates: that of the victim, Winchell, or the willing hostage, Bengelsdorf.

America has not read enough of Philip Roth.

His world or Trumps: that is the question.

 Project Syndicate
A gray and chilly dawn was breaking on our new presidents hometown as the first of the women day laborers arrived at the cement triangle in Brooklyn known as La Parada, which translates to The Stop.

As undocumented domestic workers have done here every workday morning for a quarter century or more, the woman stood facing the street with her back to the low railing that runs above the sunken expressway behind them.

Other women soon joined her and they all stood with the hope that somebody in need of housekeeping would hire them for a few hours to do work that no Americans appear to be willing to perform at minimal wages. Any American who was interested could have simply joined them.

The first arrival said that her name is Maria and that she is from Ecuador and that she has been coming to La Parada for 10 years. She was asked what she earned and she answered with a question.

What you pay?

Two years ago, a man named Samuel Just hired several of the women with the promise of $12 a day. He failed to pay them anything at all after pushing them to work as many as 27 straight hours. Word reached the activist Workers Justice Project, which notified the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office.

Just, then 21, was arrested for labor law violations and for perpetrating a scheme to defraud. He pled guilty and was ordered to pay the women $15,000 in lost wages and to undergo 200 hours of community service. His assigned task was to clean the Bronx courthouse, with special attention to the toilets.

But it was hard enough for the Workers Justice Project to gain the trust of the victimized women without them fearing that the authorities might move to deport them. Fear of ending up deported despite being on the right side of the law in an encounter with the police can make immigrants easy targets not just for abusive employers, but for criminals of every sort.

Because New York is New York, our new presidents hometown remains a sanctuary city despite Trumps threats on Wednesday to cut federal funding for any municipality that defies his immigration edicts. Deportation has generally not been an immediate worry for the upstanding undocumented workers who gather each morning at day labor spots scattered across the five boroughs. The great majority of the laborers are men and they generally do construction work at low wages, too often in hazardous conditions.

The women assemble at two major locations, a corner in the fading garment district of Manhattan and La Parada in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, where Maria stood early Thursday morning with a dignified air that made her seem like Lady Libertys cousin, Lady Labor. Her glossy black hair had not a trace of gray and was brushed straight back. She wore a long black overcoat, a bright red top with matching pants and dark brown boots that appeared to be chosen for warmth as much as look. She had earphones plugged into a smart phone and she nodded almost imperceptibly to the music as she continued her vigil in hope of earning an honest buck.

Just as a first few drops of rain began to fall, a woman dressed more for office work than for house cleaning approached and spoke briefly with Maria. The two walked off together, Maria doubly rewarded with the prospect of work and escape from what was becoming a downpour.

A dozen women remained, hunched in the cold wet. Two who stood apart from the others were conversing in Polish, the same language spoken by a large band of undocumented laborers who repeatedly trooped en masse within three blocks of this spot during the 11-day transit strike back in April of 1980.

The 200 members of what some called The Polish Brigade had been working 12 hour shifts, seven days a week with no overtime and at less than half the standard union wage since January of that year, demolishing the department store that stood at the future site of Trump Tower. The time pressure had intensified, as construction of the new building had to begin by a certain date for Donald Trump to qualify for a tax abatement his father had arranged along with the necessary zoning variances through connections with the Brooklyn Democratic machine and ultimately the mob.

So, when the transit workers struck on April Fools Day, the Polish Brigade was told it had to keep working. Its members got there on foot, starting in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn where most of them resided, then crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan and continuing up to the demolition site. Some chose to sleep amidst the dirt and din at the end of their shift, but most made the long trek home. The shift change on the evening of the ninth day of the strike came just as a storm swept in, dumping nearly three and a half inches of rain on the city in three hours.

Despite demonstrating such dedication to the job, the workers were not being paid. A number of them would later testify that they personally approached Trump about the unpaid wages while he made what they described as multiple visits to the site.

As was reported by The Daily Beast in 2015, Trump testified under oath in an ensuing civil suit that he had never actually ventured onto the site.

I tend not to walk into buildings under demolition, Trump said. You have to be very brave to be in a building under demolition. Im not sure Im that brave.

He added that he had no need to visit the site because You can see it from a block away.

He further testified that in any event he could not remember ever speaking to any of the workers or even being aware there were Polish workers on the site.

When did you learn Polish workers were on the job? he was asked.

Probably sometime after the demolition, Trump replied.

Did it ever occur to you that they were illegal?

It was never proven to me that they were illegal.

Trump maintained that hiring and paying the workers had been the concern of the contractor, not him. Manhattan federal Judge Charles Stewart found otherwise, ruling that Trump and the contractor had been party to a conspiracy. Stewart further found that Trumps day-to-day man on the job site was involved in every aspect of the demolition job.

He knew the Polish workers were working off the books, that they were doing demolition work, that they were non-union, that they were paid substandard wages with no overtime pay, and that they were paid irregularly if at all, the judge found.

The judge further noted, They were undocumented and worked off the books. No records were kept, no Social Security or other taxes were withheld.

A number of workers would testify that Trumps man threatened to get them deported if they were troublesome. A labor consultant testified that Trump reported the workers to immigration authorities.

The fear that their own employer might do the same should they cause any trouble often prompts undocumented workers to tolerate workplace violations. That is said to be particularly true among Mexicans, who make up nearly a quarter of the undocumented work force in New York. Mexicans have the highest employment rate75 percentof any group in the city, but many are also more likely to tolerate being paid less than the minimum wage while pressed to work as many as 100 hours a week.

All this mattered too little to too many voters in the recent election and Trump is now our president. The developer who got his big start with undocumented workers is now seeking to bully the place of his birth and upbringing into being less than itself.

Trumps hometown is also home to an estimated 600,000 undocumented workers, including more than half the citys dishwashers, as well as a third of its cooks and construction laborers, and just under a third of its mechanics, waiters, janitors, and maids.

Although they broke the law by illegally crossing our borders or over-staying their visas and our businesses broke the law by employing them, our citys economy would be a shell of itself had they not, and it would collapse if they were deported, Mike Bloomberg said during his time as mayor.

Those workers include not just the day laborers, but the regular housekeepers and nannies who come and go from the apartments at Trump Tower every day. They each must now pass a police checkpoint. Imagine the tumult in the tower if the cops started detaining the hired help for immigration violations and Trumps neighbors were left to wash their own floors and clean their own toilets and do their own laundry and even watch their own kids.

At least Trump and his neighbors will still have the specially trained cops with body armor and heavy weapons now posted at the towers entrance. Trump exempted law enforcementin particular counterterrorism trainingin his threat to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities.

Not exempted are such things as child care services, school lunches for needy kids, AIDS prevention, domestic violence services, child support enforcement, and jobs development.

This, when New York CityTrump prominently not includedpresently sends billions more each year to Washington than it receives in federal funding.

Even so, New York remains New York, and each dawn figures will continue to huddle in all weathers at La Parada and other corners, hoping for work nobody else will do at wages nobody else will accept.

After a decade of being out there day after day after day, Marias eyes still shone with a greatness of spirit when she saw a perspective employer approach. She called out, her voice bright in the mornings gloom.

Si, she said. Yes!
Colombian cartel leaders may be the key to locking up El Chapo forever.

The Department of Justice promised its case would be based on a large coterie of cooperating witnesses in a detention memorandum issued when Joaquin Guzman Loera was extradited last week, including dozens of witnesses who have had face-to-face dealings with Guzman. Some of the witnesses are easier to identify. Among the U.S.-based distributors are likely nearly certain to be a pair of Chicago-based twins whose turn on El Chapo made headlines in 2015. The Flores brothers recorded countless conversations with the Sinaloa Cartels top leaders for law enforcementand even with El Chapo himself.

But the memo also promised that numerous Colombian Cartel leaders and other suppliers would tell the world about shipping literal tons of cocaine to the Mexican cartel leader. The Colombians are also expected to quantify the astonishing illegal profits that Guzman made from the sale of drugs.

Mexican drug cartels like El Chapos began their southward expansion over the last two decades, slowly but surely trying to control greater parts of the chains of production. To do so, they often partnered with local Colombian cartels and trafficking organizations, who had resources and connections the Sinaloa Cartel may not have had south of the Mexican border.

They have become the criminal organizations that control huge portions of the distribution chain, Steven Dudley, a co-founder of InSight Crime and longtime monitor of the drug trade, told The Daily Beast. They might have the buying power or capital to get a seat at the table but [Mexican cartels are] not necessarily the ones controlling the territory or having the mini-armies that you see in Colombia.

Theres no way to know for sure who will be called upon to put El Chapo away. Keys to El Chapos Colombian connection, according to the Department of Justices own releases, may lie with an infamous Colombian cartel, a drug dynasty with ties to the countrys former president, and a 20-year-long relationship between Colombian drug leaders and American officials. A look at past cases, expert analysis, and the Latin American press suggests some possible candidates.

THE RABBIT

El Chapo may have been the worlds most wanted man, but he was far from the first Mexican cartel leader to be arrested and brought to the United States for trial. Another longtime Mexican cartel leader, Alfredo Beltran Leyva, pleaded guilty to trafficking charges last year. (The Beltran Leyva brothers had been members of the Sinaloa Cartel until a recent split.)

But El Mochomos plea came only after prosecutors revealed a long list of cooperating witnesses who would help put him away if the case went to trial. El Chapo and El Mochomos cases are so intertwined that they were charged together on a 2009 indictment.

Among the ex-Colombian cartels testifying against El Mochomo was Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, or The Rabbit, a Colombian liaison between the Sinaloans and the Cartel de Norte del Valle. His wealth and spending habits bordered on fantasy: Among the assets seized from him during a 2008 raid in Mexico were two pet lions. The Rabbits time ran out when the DEA infiltrated his networks.

Theres good cause to believe that The Rabbits tale might also be used against El Chapo.

In his role as a liaison between the Sinaloans and the Colombian cartels, The Rabbit likely has intimate knowledge of important parts of El Chapos American indictment, such as routes used for smuggling cocaine into the United States and getting money back out. He sent as many as 150 tons of cocaine from Colombia to the Sinaloans in Mexico over a decade, according to the DEA.

Untold amounts of that wound up in the United States. And The Rabbit wound up as a U.S. government witness.

THE LOLLIPOP

Another of El Chapos Colombian contacts was rounded up in Brazil in 2009. Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, a leader of Colombias Norte del Valle Cartel known as Lollipop, was living large when he was extradited to the U.S. Eastern District. Lollipop had amassed inordinate amounts of wealth through his nefarious activities, at one point even owning a Caribbean island later confiscated by Colombia.

Hed also undergone heavy plastic surgery. Lollipops mugshots show him almost ghoul-like, with scars crisscrossing his scalp.

But the American pursuit of Colombias kingpins caught up with him all too quickly. The leader of one of Colombias most powerful cartels faced justice in a Brooklyn courtroom.

There, he pleaded out, forfeiting billions of dollars in an agreement. (His case, like El Chapos, was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg, an Argentine-American.) Lollipop was accused of racketeering, illegal trafficking of cocaine, money laundering, bribing Colombian officials, and kidnapping, torture, and murder of rivals and informants. They cartel dealt primarily in processing raw cocaine paste for distribution, according to the indictment.

But his case was resolved quietly, apparently because, after arriving in the U.S., Lollipop cooperated with authorities. Court records are scant about his direct ties to El Chapo, but he was also listed among the expected cooperating witnesses in the Beltran Leyva case.

The Norte del Valle Cartel is said to have pushed more than 500 metric tons of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico as one of the Sinaloa Cartels largest partners.

THE INVISIBLE CLAN

But other Colombian partners alluded to in the governments statements accompanying El Chapos extradition have not yet publicly cooperated.

As the Sinaloa Cartel expanded south, Colombias Invisible Clan was looking for a solid Mexican partner after surviving a bitter war between Colombian drug lords, BBC Mundo reported. The Cifuentes Villa siblings were already down two, but they were not defeated: Francisco, a one-time pilot and trafficker for Pablo Escobar and Fernando, once the leader of the familys drug trafficking organization, had been assassinated.

The family business thrived at the hands of Jorge Milton Cifuentes Villa, who partnered with El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel, according to a criminal complaint filed in Floridas Southern District in 2010. Jorge Milton was charged alongside his sister Dolly and brother Hildebrando Alex Cifuentes Villa, as well as El Chapo and another alleged trafficker.

They were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and multiple counts of cocaine distribution. Jorge Milton and Otto Javier Garcia-Giron, the other alleged co-conspirator, were also charged with offenses like money laundering.

Altogether, the Cifuentes Villa clan is accused of helping El Chapo smuggle tons of cocaine from Colombia into the United States. A 2011 infographic released by the U.S. Treasury Department designated Jorge Milton as a drug kingpin, and placed him side-by-side with El Chapo above an organizational structure that reads oddly like a Cifuentes Villa family tree.

Jorge Milton allegedly posed as a legitimate businessman in other Latin American countries to help launder money for the familys trade.

Over the last decade, all three surviving Cifuentes Villa siblings have found their way to American soil. Dolly was extradited to the U.S. in 2012, followed by Jorge Milton in 2013, and Hildebrando, or Alex, in 2015.

(Attorneys for Jorge Milton and Alex declined to comment.)

Dolly pleaded guilty to one count in a closed hearing. She has already served her short sentence and is believed to have returned to Colombia, but her attorneys said she did not betray anyone in the course of her plea deal.

Indeed, in Colombia, Dolly is equally well-known for her scandalous personal life: She had two children with the brother of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who portrayed himself as a tough-on-drugs ally of the United States. Ana Maria Uribe Cifuentes, President Uribes niece, is also an alleged member of her mothers trafficking family.

But the cases against Jorge Milton and Alex are still pending in Florida and New York, with no resolution in sight. They appear to be the only Colombians charged alongside El Chapo in any of the half-dozen cases against him.

And of course, the cooperating witnesses may also come from elsewhere entirely.

Since the Colombian government reinstituted extradition in the 1990s, they have extradited hundreds of suspected drug traffickers to the united states, Dudley, of InSight Crime, said. So [the U.S.] understanding of drug trafficking in the region is largely based on the amount information theyve been able to accumulate.

At a certain point, Dudley said, Colombians began to understand that being indicted in the U.S. set the countdown on the end of their criminal careers: It was only a matter of time before they would be captured. Some even started meeting with U.S. law enforcement ahead of time, offering cooperation in exchange for immunity.

It was a means by which you could kind of preempt capture and extradition, Dudley said. It was an escape path.
As the saying goes, "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. Its a lesson Russel Neiss has taken to heart and used to create a haunting reminder of an American policy decision that led to the death of hundreds of Jews nearly 80 years ago.

Neiss is the creator behind the Twitter account for the St. Louis Manifest (@Stl_Manifest), a series of first-person narratives of the 908 Jewish refugees aboard the SS St. Louis, an asylum-seeking German ship turned away at the Cuban, U.S., and Canadian borders in 1939.

After the SS St. Louis was forced to return to Europe, it is estimated that more than a quarter of the passengers aboard the Voyage of the Damned later died in the Holocaust.

Neiss cites his family history during World War II as inspiration for the project. My grandfather was the only one of his family who made it out of Europe alive, Neiss told The Daily Beast. He was one of around 630 orphans picked up by the British and gained his citizenship by fighting in Korea.

Neiss project, launched January 27, 2017, was timed to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But it also comes on the eve of a policy decision that may underline the Trump administrations immigration strategy for the next four or more years.

January 27, 2017 is also the day President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order banning the entry of Syrian refugees into the U.S. According to a leaked draft of the proposal, it would conveniently exclude countries where the Trump Organization does business, such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

A draft of the executive order, which asserted that the ban would be to protect Americans and ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward our country and its founding principles [or] admit those who engage in acts of bigotry and hatred, was recognized by many as a xenophobic and reactionary document, but is also one of the policies that Trump campaigned on heavily over the past year and a half.

Neiss says that while the project is tethered first and foremost to Holocaust Remembrance Day, he can see why, given the political moment, people are finding more meaning in it.

We didnt plan for this executive order on immigration to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day and were not saying the U.S. is like Nazi Germany. But when people say never again, we remember, these things should be more than empty platitudes, Neiss told The Daily Beast.

Neiss, who had experimented with Twitter bots previously for fun, says the idea behind the project only became fully formed about five hours or so before the account launched.

This has been an idea Id had floating around for a while, centering around the ritual of reading names for remembering the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides, Neiss told the Daily Beast. A friend and I were spitballing ideas and asked, What would it look like if on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and with the current political climate talking about refugees, we could create something that, in a tasteful way, recognized the six million Jews and 10 million total victims of the Holocaust.

Using a database compiled by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Neiss programed a bot to tweet the stories of the victims of the SS St. Louis every five minutes. He calculated that with one tweet for each of the 255 victims known to the Holocaust Memorial Museum, there would be 21 hours of tweets.

And then he stepped away.

Neiss told the Beast that when he checked back Friday morning, he was excited to see the page had 77 followers. When he looked at his phone two hours later, there were thousands more. As of press time, 9,417 people were following the account.

We didnt anticipate this following, but I think theres an obvious reason that this speaks to people. We like to think of ourselves as the good guys, that we would have saved everyone we could. And yet, here was an opportunity to save hundreds of people. Its a story that for me, as an American, really kicks me in the shins.

A direct result of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and anti-immigrant fervor of the era, the Voyage of the Damned calls to mind the hopeless passages of todays refugees, seeking asylum and finding persecution at every turn, especially for Neiss, whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors.

When we talk about refugees, were not talking about nebulous group of Syrians, were talking about real people, Neiss said. This is a nation that is built on people on coming from elsewhere, not just people who have been here forever.
UPDATED: 3:45 am EST, February 1st, 2017

ROMEImagine the first day on the job for whoever is posted as President Trumps ambassador to the Holy See. It could get a little rough. First of all, the bosses dont exactly get along. Pope Francis famously accused Trump of not being a Christian a year ago when he gave a mass on the border between the United States and Mexico. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian, he said. This is not the gospel.

Trump responded by accusing the Pope of playing politics. I think Mexico got him to do it because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because theyre making a fortune and were losing, Trump said in response.

But the wall isnt the only issue that will require diplomatic finesse to keep relations friendly between Trumps America and Francis Church. Immigration issues that skim human rights issues like deportation, Trumps attitude toward Latin America as a whole, and climate change, which has been the popes signature world cause, are all touchy issues.

Thats why it has been especially troubling in Rome to hear news that Trump might send a celebrity ambassador to represent America with the Holy See. Over the last week, rumors have been swirling that Arnold Schwarzenegger could be tapped for the job after photos emerged of him shaking hands with the pope at a general audience. The Terminator is a Catholic and climate change champion, but the fact that he says he didnt vote for Trump, nor donate to his campaign, might sink any potential deal.

Another familiar name on the short list is Callista Gingrich, the third wife of Newt and a devout Catholic who was able to get her twice-divorced husband to convert to Catholicism in 2008, which should count for something. While she is not a seasoned diplomat, she spent nearly two decades as a congressional aide before helming the Gingrich Productions film company she created with her husband. Among their films are a documentary on the canonization of John Paul II and two about rediscovering God in America.

According to her bio on the film company website she is also a member of the choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC., which sang for Pope Francis when he visited the United States last year.

Gingrich, himself no longer on a list for a Trump government job confirmed to CNN that his wife was on the short list, saying hed probably not move to Rome himself if she is officially tapped. I'd clock in an amazing number of miles, Gingrich told a CNN political correspondent. You guys won't be getting rid of me. I'll be around.

John Thavis, Vatican expert and author of Vatican Prophecies and The Vatican Diaries, warns that the job of ambassador to the Holy See is not to be taken lightly.

This is not just a meet and greet post. Its a place where a lot of actual diplomacy goes on, he told The Daily Beast. The ambassador is head of quite a large embassy and they are very active. I think any think any ambassador under President Trump is going to have his or her work cut out. I see a new ambassador under President Trump coming in with some very big diplomatic challenges.

He says climate change is probably the biggest and most obvious difference between Trump and Francis, and one that could keep the two divided. There are some very problematic areas and that is going to require diplomatic skills, not stardom and celebrity status, Thavis says. It would be a sign of respect for the United States to send a qualified ambassador to the Vatican.

One plausible name that's been floated in Rome is William E. Simon, Jr., a close friend of Rudy Giuliani who is said to be pushing him forward. Simon would be a moderate in one of America's most visible diplomatic positions with direct contact with the most popular pope in recent memory. He is a member of the Knights of Malta, an organization that has been in a public battle with the pontiff, and was recently knighted into the Order of St. Gregory the Great, an honor bestowed on Roman Catholics for their personal service and support to the Holy See and the wider Church. His recent book, Great Catholic Parishes, is said to have won him the pope's favor, and he could prove to be the best bridge between Pope Francis and Trump, who agree on as many issues as they differ.

Other names are former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, a devout Catholic and father of eight who still has family in Italy and papal biographer George Weigel. Ronald Reagans speech writer Peggy Noonan is also reported to be a contender as well.

The most likely choice may well be Joseph Forgione, who was also short listed as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Forgione has dual American and Italian citizenship and is said to be friends with the family of Jared Kushner as well as a substantial donor to the Trump campaign.

The American embassy to the Holy See is not without its own skeletons in its not-so-cloistered closets. The daughter of Mary Ann Glendon, the last Republican ambassador to the Holy See, had a love child with a priest Thomas Williams, who was then spokesman for the now-disgraced Legion of Christ religious order. Williams left the priesthood and went on to marry Glendons daughter, and he is now the correspondent for Breitbart News in Rome.

One of President Obamas ambassadors, Cuban-born Miguel Diaz, was also in the public eye after he left office for allegedly sexually assaulting a married couple in Dayton, Ohio. Local media reports say he, engaged in 'unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature' toward a married couple. Charges were eventually dropped.

On the other side of Rome, the role of Trumps ambassador to Italy is also up for grabs, likely going to the Republican Partys financial chairman Lew Eisenberg, according to whispers at the American embassy in Rome. But the role is very different than that of the Holy See ambassador, primarily because of Italys political instability and pending early elections, as opposed to the Vaticans outspoken leader who disagrees openly with almost everything on Trumps agenda so far.

The Vatican is a curious blend of religious and political issues, Thavis says. And diplomacy is key to keep the balance. A celebrity ambassador might add a little flash to the position that requires substance instead.
Nike Cuts Ties With Kyrie Irving Over Hate Speech

JUST DID IT

The brand has suspended its relationship with Irving and will no longer release the Kyrie 8.
Lashing out at the Congress, PM Modi said that the party was trying to survive by whatever means in the elections. "Khud ko bachane ke liye, aaj chunav ke andar kaise bhi kar ke kuch dedo iss haal se guzar rahi hai," Modi said.

Modi termed the Congress a sinking ship while urging the voters in Punjab not to vote for the party.

"Jo naav doob chuki hai, jiss naav me kuch bacha nahi hai, kya Punjab ke log aesi naav mein kadam rakhne ka sochenge (The ship that has sunk, where nothing is left will the people of Punjab think of boarding such a ship)," Modi asked.

The Prime Minister heaped lavish praise on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal saying "Look at Badal sahib, he has been in public life for so many years but he has neither changed his party nor his heart." PM Modi's comment came on a day, when BJP's alliance with Shiv Sena broke ahead of urban body polls in Maharashtra.

In an apparent dig at the AAP, who campaign is focused on drugs problem in the state, Modi said, "Punjab is our pride. All in country have wheat of the state. The brave belong to Punjab. It is unfortunate that few selfish and opportunist, with no capability are trying to malign the state."

"The army feels proud because of Punjabis but these youths are being called bad names," Modi said urging the voters to "punish those trying to give Punjab a bad name," Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi promised that the farmers will be given adequate compensation in the event of crops getting damaged.

Raising the issue of surgical strike by the India in PoK, Modi said, "When the Indian forces carried out the surgical strike, its joy could be seen in every family in Punjab."

On the question of One Rank One Pension, Modi said, "We resolved the issue of OROP. They (Congress) had kept it in abeyance for 48 years."
Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Bihar calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks including the steps being taken by the State Government or proposed to be taken to stop reoccurrence of such gruesome incidents in future.

By Shivendra Srivastava: National Human Rights Commission has taken action on a complaint from Sushma Sahu, Member, National Commission for Women, requesting Commission's intervention in the matter of the murder of a class 10th girl student of a government resident school - 'Ambedkar Awasiya Balika Uchh Vidylaya', Dighi (Majirabad) in Hajipur district of Bihar, whose body was found in a drain near the gate of the hostel on the January 8, 2017.

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It is stated that the victim student had complained that one of the teachers of the school was mounting pressure on her for sexual favours. She has observed that the police authorities are not taking proper action in the matter even as the family of the victim is being threatened.

The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Bihar calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks including the steps being taken by the state government or proposed to be taken to stop reoccurrence of such gruesome incidents in future.

The Commission has also observed that the contents of the complaint raise serious issue of violation of Right to Life and Dignity of the girl students studying in the school and residing in the hostel. Being guardian of the students, the school authorities are bound to provide safety and security to the students. Such incidents are indicative of not only negligent attitude of the authorities but require immediate action against responsible teachers/staff of the school.

According to the complaint by the Member of the NCW, she had visited the school as well as the residence of the victim girl in Muzaffarpur district. She found that the school was in a very bad condition. Heaps of garbage were piled up inside the school premises. It is cleaned only by the students as there is no other arrangement. The place where the food is prepared for the students is also full of filth with bad odour. There is only one hand-pump in the school for 345 girl students.

The students complained that the premises is not safe. The wild animals and anti-social elements often enter inside the school. It is mentioned in the complaint that some resourceful persons of the locality, in connivance with the police and administration, are trying to hush up the case and mounting pressure on the victim's family by threatening them.

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Hyderabad, Jan 26 (PTI) Telangana CID today arrested a Nigerian national and a local man for allegedly deceiving an Australian citizen of USD 95,000.

Mohsin Agha (29), a resident of Towlichowki here and Mohammed Hassani Barua (31), a Nigerian national residing in Kokapet were arrested, a release from Telangana DGP office said.

The CID had received a complaint from the Australian citizen, who stated that in January 2016, he had come across a profile of a woman named Sarah Haimish over a dating website and in the course of time, they became very close following chats and exchange of mails to the extent that both decided to marry.

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The woman claimed that she also hailed from Australia and was presently in India doing the business of supplying fabrics and gems. As she was to get dues of around USD 2.1 million from the government and in order to get that money, USD 2,10,000 was supposed to be paid as tax settlement.

"She requested the victim to adjust the amount so that she would go back to Australia. Conceding to her request, the complainant transferred around USD 95,000 into a private banks current account held by Mohsin Agha," it said.

During their mail communication, the complainant was asked to come to Hyderabad, and accordingly he came and tried to get in touch with the woman, but in vain.

Realising that he has been duped, the Australian national filed a complaint with CID and a case under sections 66-D of Information Technology Act, 2000 and 420 IPC was registered and a probe was launched.

The investigation established that Mohsin Agha and Mohammed Hassani along with other absconding accused, including a woman, conspired together to commit the offence and the money that were deposited by the victim were shared among themselves.

"In pursuance of confessions of the arrested accused, incriminating material, including laptops, mobile phones, pen drives, e-mail communication that the fraudsters used in committing the offence, were seized," it said.

Further, CID froze an amount of Rs 20 lakh kept in the account of the accused.

The fraudsters confessed that they had sent attractive pictures of a fictitious woman (in order to trap him) and their female accomplice (who is absconding) used to talk to the victim over phone to make him believe.

Attempts to trace the absconding accused are on and the arrested accused were remanded in judicial custody, the release added.

Further investigation into the case is on. PTI VVK NP BAS

--- ENDS ---
Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu

AUSTIN  The Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program, also known as TALL, honored Jennifer Yezak and Bob Stallman for contributions to agriculture at a reception held recently at The Austin Club in Austin.

The event was hosted by the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Alumni, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Capital Farm Credit was the signature sponsor.

Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz, professor and TALL program director, was master of ceremonies. John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, introduced keynote speaker Glenn Hegar, Texas comptroller.

Yezak received the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Distinguished Alumnus Award presented by Tanya Foerster, president of the TALL Alumni and director of advertising for Capital Farm Credit. Yezak is chief of staff in the office of the assistant secretary for administration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Yezaks agriculture career spans 32 years. According to the award nomination, Yezak has not only represented agriculture in rural Texas with a steady dedication, she has used her knowledge of agriculture issues and government affairs to handle responsibilities for state representatives, all of the nations state agriculture commissioners, directors and secretaries, U.S. Senators, USDA administrators, under secretaries and ultimately the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture while serving in two presidential administrations.

Among her recent accomplishments, Yezak served as director of external and intergovernmental affairs for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. She was the principal official to communicate with the nations governors, state agriculture officials, county and city officials, and the national organizations representing those officials on the range of USDA programs and policy areas.

Yezak was also the principal liaison to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. She organized a number of meetings for officials at the White House Executive Office Building, including several TALL meetings in the past seven years.

Stallman received the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Jim Prewitt, TALL Foundation board chairman and CEO of Landmark Nurseries Inc. Stallman led the American Farm Bureau Federation for 16 years. He testified before committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate more than 40 times on trade, tax, environment, farm programs, energy, immigration, transportation, economics and other policy topics. He also served as chairman of the board for the American Agricultural Insurance Company, a Farm Bureau affiliate.

In 2016, he received CropLife Americas Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Texas Heritage Hall of Honor by the Texas State Fair in 2014. He was honored with the Leader in Agriculture Award by Agriculture Future of America in 2013.

In resolutions passed by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate in 2009, he was named a Leader and Champion of Agriculture. Texas A&M named Stallman, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, a Distinguished Texan in Agriculture in 2008. The Texas Farm Bureau, which he served for six years as president, presented him the Meritorious Service Award in 2008.

TALL is a competitive leadership development program that includes seminars with experts, on-site tours, meetings with business and government leaders, international study and personal skills improvement. It is funded by individuals and institutions through private gifts and grants. Participants pay a tuition and AgriLife Extension provides administrative support with 100 percent of the program support paid by the agriculture industry. The TALL program is designed for men and women in the early stages of their leadership careers. Each class consists of at least 25 people who are associated with agriculture. Participants come from every sector of agriculture and all parts of Texas.

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MEXICO CITY--President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday called off a trip to Washington, after President Trump launched his plan to construct a border wall and insisted he would stick Mexico with the bill. The incident opened one of the most serious rifts in memory between the United States and its southern neighbor.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer added a stunning new detail about the proposed wall project later Thursday, saying that Trump intended to pay for it by imposing a 20-percent tax on all imports from Mexico.

Pena Nieto had been scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday to discuss immigration, trade and drug-war cooperation. He called off the visit after Trump tweeted that it would be "better to cancel the upcoming meeting" if Mexico was unwilling to pay for the wall.

Trump's moves have rekindled old resentments in Mexico, a country that during its history has often felt bullied and threatened by its wealthier, more powerful neighbor. The legacy of heavy-handed U.S. behavior - which includes invasions and the seizure of significant Mexican lands -- has mostly been played down by a generation of Mexican leaders who have pursued pragmatic policies and mutual economic interests with both Republican and Democratic U.S. administrations.

Both Pena Nieto and Spicer said that their countries were interested in maintaining positive relations. "We will keep the lines of communication open," Spicer told reporters in Washington on Thursday morning, adding that the White House would "look for a date to schedule something in the future." The Mexican president tweeted that his government was willing to work with the United States "to reach agreements that benefit both nations."

But Mexicans expressed shock and dismay as Trump moved to turn his campaign promises into reality.

Mexicans view a wall across the 2,000-mile border as a symbolic affront, part of a package of Trump policies that could cause the country serious economic pain. They include a crackdown on illegal immigrants, who send billions of dollars home, and renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. The treaty has allowed trade between the neighbors to mushroom. Every day, $1.4 billion in goods ccross the U.S.-Mexico border, and millions of jobs are linked to trade on both sides. Mexico is the second largest customer for American-made products in the world, and 80 percent of Mexican exports - automobiles, flat screen TVs, avocados - are sold to the United States.

"When we are talking about building a wall, about deporting migrants, about eliminating sanctuary cities [for migrants], about threatening to end a free trade agreement, or to take away factories, we are really talking about causing human suffering," Margarita Zavala, a possible candidate for the presidency in 2018 and the wife of former president Felipe Calderon, said in an interview. "And after today, without a doubt, it is very difficult to negotiate from behind a wall."

Mexicans had trouble recalling a time when relations were this bad with the United States or when an American president appeared to be such a threat to Mexico's core interests.

"Never," former president Vicente Fox said in an interview, when asked if Mexico had faced a comparable U.S. president in his lifetime. "And I never thought the U.S. people would go for a president like this."

"We don't want the ugly American, which Trump represents: that imperial gringo that used to invade our country, that used to send the Marines, that used to put and take away presidents most everywhere in the world," Fox added. "That happened in the 20th century and this is what this guy is menacing us with."

Trump, for his part, faulted the Mexicans for damaging the relationship.

Addressing a GOP policy retreat in Philadelphia, Trump said Thursday afternoon, "The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting" next Tuesday. "Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless," he added.

It was not clear exactly how the Trump administration would impose the new tax on Mexican exports. But Spicer said it would be part of a broader plan to tax imports from countries with which the United States has a trade deficit, like Mexico.

"If you tax that $50 billion at 20 percent of imports - which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do - right now our country's policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous," Spicer told reporters. "By doing it that we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. That's really going to provide the funding."

Pena Nieto's decision to cancel the trip came a day after Trump signed an executive order to construct a border wall, one of Trump's signature promises and a rallying cry for his supporters during last year's presidential campaign. Trump has insisted that Mexico will fund it, but Pena Nieto and other Mexican officials have angrily denied they will do so.

The timing of the order was seen as further insult: Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray was flying to Washington on Tuesday when news broke about Trump's impending border wall announcement. All Wednesday, speculation was rampant that Pena Nieto might cancel his upcoming trip.

In the meantime, Videgaray met at the White House with Craig Deare, who is in charge of Latin America on the National Security Council.

Throughout Trump's rise, Pena Nieto has been mostly respectful toward him, even inviting him to visit Mexico City as a candidate last August. Pena Nieto has tried to maintain a diplomatic approach to the new administration, suggesting that Mexico can negotiate with its largest trading partner and preserve good relations. On Wednesday night, Pena Nieto sent out a recorded message saying that he "regrets and disapproves" of the U.S. decision to move forward with the wall. He repeated that Mexico won't pay for the wall but he still planned to come to Washington to meet with Trump because of the importance of the negotiations.

But that decision changed after Trump's tweet on Thursday morning.

During a speech at a GOP policy retreat later in the day in Philadelphia, Trump described NAFTA as a "terrible deal, a total disaster for the United States," and said that the move of manufacturing to Mexico cost millions of American jobs and the closure of "thousands and thousands of plants" across the United States.
What about the livestock?

Turning most UK grasslands over to biomethane production would all but end livestock grazing, at a time when UK meat and dairy consumption are rising. It would make the UK almost entirely dependent either on meat and dairy imports, or on animal feed imports for domestic factory farms.

Intensive livestock farming, including growing soya and other feed, is a major cause of deforestation, particularly in Latin America. Excess nitrogen from factory farms and dense cattle ranches pollutes water and harms biodiversity as well as the climate (via nitrous oxide emissions).

However biodiverse and climate friendly the UK impacts of 'green gas from grass' might be, the indirect greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on biodiverse ecosystems would be anything but benign.

Ecotricity's vision of flowering meadows grown for biomethane in the UK seems highly unlikely, too: to maximise yields and thus income, farmers will have to select the highest-yielding grass species, use nitrogen fertilisers which, even if they are made from biogas residues, will still reduce species richness, and they will likely have to use herbicides, too. Maximising grass silage yields is not compatible with managing grasslands for wildlife.

So, the indirect impacts on biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions are likely to be severe.

The fugitive methane problem

What about the direct greenhouse gas emissions from biomethane plants? Nitrogen fertilisers are the main reason why atmospheric levels of the powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O) are rising worldwide. And compared to most 'energy crops' for biofuels or biogas, biomethane from grass would result in lower N 2 O emissions.

Grass requires much less nitrogen fertilisers than crops, and residues from biogas digestion can replace some nitrogen fertilisers, cutting nitrous oxide emissions from fertiliser production, though not eliminating such emissions from soils. Furthermore, the proposed biomethane plants would be small enough to keep transport distances and thus transport fuel use down.

Unfortunately, however, producing biogas and upgrading it to biomethane carries a different and potentially serious climate risk: that of methane leaks. Methane is 28 times as powerful as carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, so any significant methane losses will not only cancel out any greenhouse gas savings from 'green gas from grass', but could turn it into a high-carbon fuel.

Methane can leak from silage clamps, from biogas digesters and from the plants in which the biogas is upgraded. Methane leaks from biogas digesters range from 0.1% to 6%. The technology which Ecotricity wants to use to upgrade the biogas is designed for 1-1.5% methane leakage, though a Swedish study published in 2003 reported 10% of methane leaking from an upgrading plant.

Methane leaks, of course, are a major concern for fracking, too, with one study suggesting a 12% leakage rate from US fracking. Any fuel associated with significant methane leaks - even a 'green' one - is bad news for the climate.

Leaks from biogas and biomethane production can be minimised with good practice, but without any requirement to monitor them, there are no guarantees of that happening. We are concerned that Ecotricity has not acknowledged methane leakage as a serious concern to be addressed, either on their website or in their successful planning application for a first plant of this type.

The limits of photosynthesis

Ultimately, Ecotricity's 'green gas' vision must fail because it comes up against the fundamental limits of photosynthesis: no plant converts as much solar radiation to chemical energy as sugar cane growing in the tropics, which can convert up to 2.4% of the energy from the sun. In the temperate UK climate, the maximum is 1.3%. Much of that energy is then lost during conversion to bioenergy.

For example, biogas contains around 45% carbon dioxide, all of which is vented straight into the atmosphere during biomethane production. Solar PV is of course most efficient closer to the equator, yet even in the UK, it easily achieves a conversion rate of 9%.

This is the reason why bioenergy will always require far more land than any other source of energy, including wind and solar power.

It's also why sustainable large-scale bioenergy will always remain wishful thinking. There is a case to be made for biogas from genuine waste, such as sewage or food waste (as long as it does not compete with composting), but these sources will only ever be able to supply a very small fraction of current energy use.

But we shouldn't be too tough on Ecotricity. Clearly, it would be far better if the company was to continue investing in wind turbines alone. Sadly, this choice has been taken away from them by the Government, which has removed subsidies from virtually all new onshore wind as well as solar capacity, and which has skewed planning rules in England against wind power and in favour of fracking.

At the same time, the Government has made the most obvious solution to UK dependence on gas - insulating our leaky, inefficient housing stock - impossible by removing support for that, too, while failing to comply with or enforce EU and UK energy efficiency laws that require all new buildings to be "nearly zero-energy buildings" by 2020.

Almuth Ernsting is a co-director of Biofuelwatch and has been reseasrching and campaigning against large-scale industrial biofuels and biomass electricity since 2006.

More information: Please see Biofuelwatch for a fully referenced briefing on this topic.
By Press Trust of India: Islamabad, Jan 27 (PTI) Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa today authorised the deployment of upto 200,000 troops to help carry out the countrys long-delayed population census.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday authorised the deployment of upto 200,000 troops to support the often delayed national population census, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

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The troops will be deployed while continuing other security responsibilities, the statement said.

The population census will yield statistics about internal migration, urbanisation, as well as rural and urban population across the country, Dawn News reported.

The population data will be used for delimitation of the constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies, a requirement under the Constitution.

In Pakistan, the first four censuses i.e., 1951, 1961, 1972 and 1981, were held on time by the Population Census Organisation, in collaboration with staff from the provincial governments.

The fifth census was due in 1991 and the House Listing Operation carried out in 1990 showed abnormal population growth in some parts of the country, which could not be justified by normal demographic indicators.

Consequently, the government decided to postpone the 1991 census. Another effort was made in 1994, which could not mature due to pressure by from political and ethnic groups.

It was decided that the 1998 census would be held with the support of the armed forces, which was broadly accepted by all political parties and appreciated internally.

The sixth Population and Housing Census was due in 2008, but could not materialise due to the law and order situation in the country, a paucity of staff and financial constraints. PTI ASK ASK

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Making a return to our two favourite summer locations, Mount Maunganui and Nelson in early January 2023, we've got whiff of the first release lineup and me oh my, yes boy
Matthew McConaughey introduces his latest outstanding film GOLD and tells us a little bit about the film. I love Gold! - EVENT REPORT

Friday, January 27, 2017 Craig Grobler 0 Comments

L

Gold (2016)



Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on a journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia..



Director:

Stephen Gaghan



Writers:

James Gray, David Grann



Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard



Gold (2016) Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells [Gold Gallery ]

Gold (2016) Edgar Ramirez as Michael Acosta, Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells and Bryce Dallas Howard as Kay [Gold Gallery]

Gold (2016) Stephen Gaghan's Gold Image Gallery









Gold (2016) Edgar Ramirez as Michael Acosta [Gold Galley]

The Establishing Shot: MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY INTRODUCES GOLD - 3 FEBRUARY 2017

Thank you for coming to see this little work we did called Gold.



This script came to me about 5 and half years ago and was one of two scripts in my career that after one read I had that wonderful feeling that no one else could do this. I have to do this.

I showed the script to my agent, we worked on it for 3 years and we really came to the same conclusion who we wanted. And then Stephen Gaghan came on, we sort of felt like we pulled him out of a mid career retirement. He had written Traffic, then directed Syriana and hadn't done much over 10 years. Stephen came on, understood the material really well and the places.



This character Kenny Wells, a lot of this is based on truth, he is a dreamer, who literally follows a dream, hocks a watch and heads off to Indonesia to make that dream true.

The script took is from the dusty bars of Reno, Nevada to the jungles of Indonesia to the top floors of Wall Street.



Again it is mostly true and it's one hell of a tale.

Slideshow: Matthew McConaughey introduces his latest outstanding film GOLD to us and tells us a little bit about the film at the Ham Yard Hotel, London

Gold (2016) Stephen Gaghan's Gold Image Gallery

GOLD is the story of Kenny Wells (McConaughey), a modern-day prospector, hustler, and dreamer, desperate for a lucky break. Left with few options, Wells teams up with an equally luckless geologist to execute a grandiose, last-ditch effort: to find gold deep in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia.



Directed by: Stephen Gaghan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Bryce Dallas Howard, Edgar Ramirez

Gold (2016) UK Alternative Poster Matthew McConaughey [Gold Gallery]

C raig is a retired superhero, an obsessive hobbyist, comics fan, gadget lover & flaneur who knows an unhealthy amount about Ian Fleming's James Bond.



When not watching or making films he takes pictures, eats, drinks, dives, tries to connect to nature whilst mentally storyboarding the greatest film ever made. He also & sometimes utilises owl-themed gadgets to fight crime.



A list of his 133 favourite films can be found here If you would still like to contact Craig please use any of the buttons below:



Look any reason to visit theis good (if you get the chance pop into the magnificent Dive Bar, the film themed Bollywood Spill Out Area and the Croc Bowling Alley ) but this was a particularly good occasion as none other thanhimself popped in to introduce his latest filmto the jam packed screening.If you are a regular reader ofyou would probably already know that I am a huge fan of the talent and recent works of, as he, has turned out to be a real star, in the classic sense of a Hollywood film star, he has successfully traversed the spectrum of film genres to deliver some of both his and his generations most poignant on screen performances.This is the case withwhere leadplays Kenny Wells a modern prospector, his grandfather clawed his fortune out of the side of a mountain, his father continued the legacy, prospecting is in Kenny's blood, but it looks like the line is perilously close to ending with Kenny after fortune frowns upon him.Down to his last cards Kenny has a dream, cashes in his last chips or rather pawns his and her watches and sets off on a wild adventure that takes him to the limits as he carves out his own path.a great casting choice for the lead role, as he embodies that American spirit of being able to chase a dream down and this is something he relates to thematically, as treasure hunting is something that has popped up in his filmography more than once, this is also used as a clever device in the film's roll out.From the moment you hear the sound of a gold coin pinging as the film's title comes up you know you are in for a fun ride. Kudos to the script writersandfor bringing the bold and nuanced story to life rather than letting it play out as just a parodical cliche of a man flying to close to the sun.I loved the script and story roll out. But then againwas made under they eye ofwho has a catalogue of intelligent challenging films to his name.Along withthe film benefits from great performances fromin a small but pivotal role and very much from's turn as Michael Acosta.Safe to say that it is well worth a trip to the cinema to see this captivating tale roll-out on the screen backed with performances from a phenomenal cast bringing this fairly autobiographical story to life with engaging performances. But it is both that winding tale, the casting and the performances that lift the film for me. This is the one wherereally comes into his own and shines.Moving forward it may be difficult to avoid comparisons to'sas there are similar personality traits to's characters, similar time periods as well as the role of Wall Street in both films. Butshould really be viewed as a separate entity and you will enjoy it for what it is. An entertaining tale with a rather sharp and pointed underlying look at the human condition.I went in to the screening knowing very little, in fact I had to look up details of the story afterwards as it genuinely seemed too good to be true, but knowing nothing about the film allowed me to go in and be pleasantly surprised and swept away by the tale.Skip the trailers and marketing that will no doubt reveal too much and build expectations - just go see this little gem.What a treat forto pop in and introduceto us.The fullImage Gallery can be viewed here
By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jan 27 (PTI) A Pakistani TV channel was issued a show-cause notice by the countrys electronic media watchdog today for "willful defiance" after it allowed a banned anchor to go on air.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) yesterday slapped ban on Amir Liaquat Hussain for making "hate speeches" during his programme Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga and ordered his employer Bol TV to implement the ban.

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However, the TV not only let Hussain air his programme but also used promos featuring the anchorman, forcing the regulator to take action.

"Bol News in blatant and deliberate violation of aforementioned prohibition orders not only televised the programme Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga but also allowed the host (Liaquat) to appear on Bol News at 22:45 on Jan 26, 2017," PEMRA said.

The regulator ordered the channel to give an explanation within seven days otherwise an appropriate action would take.

Earlier, Bol was taken down in some areas during the wiring of the program yesterday but in most parts of the country its service was available.

PEMRA said it was "willful defiance of the orders" and was a cognisable offence.

Hussain who became famous while hosting a religious program on Geo TV some years back last year joined Bol TV.

Recently, he has been involved in verbal clashes with others TV anchors and social media activists and also declared that a large chunk of mediapersons and civil society activists as "infidels, enemies of Islam and Indian agents".

Meanwhile, in a related development, Hussain was booked by police in Rawalpindi police yesterday under the anti-terrorism laws for making hate speech against a rights activist. PTI SH NSA

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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 ...
"Some protesters demanded a separate Tamil Nadu nation, and there is photographic proof of some of them holding pictures of Osama. Some of them called for boycott of the Republic Day," justified Panneerselvam for using force.

By Akshaya Nath: Days after the Jallikattu agitation ended, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today said some of the protesters on the Marina Beach were displaying pictures of the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and were even demanding separate Tamil nation.

While insisting that anti-social elements had mixed into the crowd the CM showed photos of the banners that had Osama's pictures in the state assembly.

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On January 23, day seven of the peaceful protest at Marina, had taken a violent turn. Police officials were alleged to have forcefully removed protesters who were antisocial and later it was seen that many miscreants were involved in violence across the state.

Also read: Jallikattu protests hijacked by arsonists in Chennai, agitators disperse from Marina after passing of bill

"Some protesters demanded a separate Tamil Nadu nation, and there is photographic proof of some of them holding pictures of Osama. Some of them called for boycott of the Republic Day," justified Panneerselvam for using force and replying to a calling attention motion moved by leader of the opposition M K Stalin on the violence in Chennai.

Answering Opposition leader MK Stalin's question, "What is the need for use of police force on people who were protesting peacefully," Panneerselvam said, "Various anti-social elements and organisations had infiltrated into the week-long protest on the Marina with the intention of diverting it".

The CM also said the 'evil' force that were behind the violence will be found and brought to book. He also said police had used only mild force to remove the crowd because there was information that antisocial elements were planing to prolong the protest till Republic Day.

It was seen that though an ordinance was promulgated by the government the protest continued and even after repeated requests from the side of government and police the crowd continued to remain in Marina.

Also read | Jallikattu protest turns violent, BJP's Subramanian Swamy says agitation funded by ISI

On January 23 morning police officials had barricaded all entrances to the beach and forcefully removed the protesters but it was seen that over 1500 people moved towards the shore and continued to protest. Meanwhile, some miscreants attacked Ice House police station and pelted stones at policemen who were also alleged to have retaliated by stone pelting. The city of Chennai until then which was seen as a perfect example of showcasing a peaceful protest turned into an ugly battle field.

More shocking was the fact that many videos came up showed policemen in uniform doing unlawful activities. As of now the department as well as the government has denied it and have called for investigation but the doubt that it has created in the people's mind is unshakable.

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In the Assembly today, Panneerselvam said, "I can assure the House that action would be taken on police if the footages of alleged police atrocities are genuine. Teargas and mild lathicharge were the only defence of police while anti-social elements used bottles with petrol and petrol bombs".

Also read | Big developments on jallikattu stand-off: Timeline

Watch Now:

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How to watch, stream and listen to Iowa football's game against Purdue
By Sneha Agrawal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious mission of Digital India has become a new tool for conmen to fool and cheat people.

A website of an institute offering courses in Information Technology in the guise of promoting the mission has come under the CBI scanner. Interestingly, the website is named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CBI's policy division swung into action after receiving a complaint from Prime Minister's Office mentioning about a website www.nmcsm.in (Narendra Modi Computer Shaksharta Mission) that claims to be an institute for courses in computer.

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As per the complaint filed in 2016, the CBI was told that two persons named Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh from Uttar Pradesh have misused the name of the Prime Minister to cheat people by creating a fake website and collecting money from people in the garb of giving admissions and opening franchise. The Central Bureau of Investigation registered the case against Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh for misusing the name of Prime Minister of India.

THE CON

It has booked them for criminal conspiracy, cheating and online fraud. Based on the preliminary investigation, the agency revealed that the two have claimed themselves as the president and secretary of the institute. They have declared the website as a corporate entity with registered office in Delhi. They also claimed to have a nationwide network of e-connection authorised training centres, across the country.

On the website they showed their regional offices to be in Delhi, Aligarh and Pune. Mail Today tried contacting the given numbers on the website but the phones were switched off. Interestingly, the website mentions the mode of payment through demand draft instead of cash. The CBI said it is an online fraud and the aspect of acceptance of money by the way of demand drafts needs to thoroughly probed.

The CBI while registering the case also mentioned the details of the website to give it an authentic look. The website claims to have been registered under Public Society and Trust Act, as an autonomous organisation. It has declared itself as ISO certified, and even used trade mark 'TM' with the name NMCSM. The website says, "NMCSM develops students by providing an environment for personal growth, opportunity, knowledge, exposure, personal attention and career direction. This is in line with the nation's aspiration, which is to build a generation of professionals catering to a knowledge-based economy to meet upcoming challengers."

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Women attended dressed as flappers and historical posters of Greenwich decorated Betteridge Jewelers Thursday night for the Greenwich Chamber of Commerces 100th anniversary celebration.

The din of business men and women, who packed the luxury jewelry store, spilled out onto Greenwich Avenue, where light displays marked the chambers centennial milestone. The birthday event even included a gilded cake and gleaming vintage car parked out front, which was donated by Carriage House Motor Cars.

The chambers early 20th century origin was the theme of the night, as local business leaders and current and former chamber directors commemorated its history of connecting the business community and town interests.

There are few organizations of our sort and size that have existed continuously for so long, Chamber Board Chairman Frank McBrearity told attendees. We, like Betteridge, started in the roaring 20s, went through the Great Depression, lasted through the Great Recession and are still here.

Board member Jim Hohorst, a previous board chairman, recalled some of the organizations recent past, how it survived dire financial problems and made itself relevant to a thriving business community despite technologys disruptive force.

Marcia (OKane) has made the chamber succeed in a time when many chambers all over the place are trying to find their place in the world, Hohorst said, of the chambers current president and CEO. It makes me optimistic about how much more opportunity the chamber still has.

A common sentiment of the evening that prompted many nostalgic memories was the chambers consistent influence in town. Edward Mortimer, who directed the chamber in the early 1990s and now works in Greenwich real estate for Sothebys International Realty, discussed his part in helping local businesses who faced the onslaught of the Clean Air Act during his tenure.

A lot of companies had a hard time adapting to it, he said. And today, you still see the chamber helping businesses with whatever challenge comes along.

A special Greenwich Time edition put together by Hearst Connecticut Media for the celebration featured a number of historical business advertisements and chamber news stories. Clippings of archived articles reinforced how the towns enduring debate topics never really go away.

A headline from 1986 announced Chamber panel launches study of traffic problems, while another, postmarked a year earlier, reads Parking, rents a double dilemma.

In preparation for another 100 years of the chamber forging together the Greenwich business community, OKane solicited signatures from all attendees for a banner that will be stored at the towns historical society for chamber members to see at the next centennial celebration.

MBennett@greenwichtime.com, 203-625-4411; Twitter @Macaela_
Almost four years after Protein Sciences began selling its innovative flu vaccine, Flublok, the Meriden company still struggles to gain a foothold in a marketplace dominated by pharmaceutical powerhouses.

Orders for Flublok the only flu vaccine not derived from eggs  remain well below company goals, and officials havent been able to get it into some major pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens.

Were doing better than last year, but were still not doing as well as I would like to do, said CEO Manon Cox.

The company aims to sell 900,000 doses of Flublok by late March, she said. So far, it has sold just 250,000, even as widespread flu outbreaks spread across several parts of the country. In Connecticut, 791 flu cases were confirmed as of Jan. 14. Thats a huge jump from just a week earlier, when there were 614 cases. Fairfield County continues to have the most cases of any county, at 287.

Money a factor

Protein Sciences attempts to sell the vaccine have been largely been hampered by price, said Cox other experts.

Flublok carries a wholesale price tag of $35 a dose, while competitors made by pharmaceutical giants such as Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline run around $10 to $20 a dose in wholesale. Dr. Howard Selinger, chair of family medicine at Quinnipiac Universitys School of Medicine and a physician partner at ProHealth Physicians in Bristol, agreed that price is a driving factor in gaining market share.

More Information Hampered by price Local lab Protein Sciences' Flublok -the only flu vaccine not derived from eggs. Flublok wholesale$35/dose Competiting pharmaceutical giants(such as Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline) wholesale$10-$20/dose Flu cases 2017 By Jan. 14791 confirmed See More Collapse

It comes down to the business model, and thats where they (Protein Sciences) are probably having trouble, he said. How cheap can they go? Theyre trying to compete with the big boys.

Large pharmaceutical companies produce many more vaccine doses than Protein Sciences, meaning they are able to get their cost per dose down significantly.

Insurance carriers often reimburse Flubloks cost to pharmacies and physicians at a lower rate than competitors, Cox added, even as the company increases its outreach efforts to insurance companies. Cox said large drug-makers have huge marketing budgets and can offer substantial rebates, reducing their price even further - something Protein Sciences cant now afford to do.

Were a small company, she said of the firm, which employs 125 workers.

Gaining ground at pharmacies

Officials at CVS did not respond to requests for comment about why they dont stock the Flublok vaccine. A spokeswoman for Walgreens, Emily Hartwig-Mekstan, said that the chain works with a couple of suppliers to offer a number of vaccine options to meet a variety of patient needs.

Still, Protein Sciences has gained traction among smaller, independently owned pharmacies. In Connecticut, consumers can get the Flublok vaccine at 68 locations statewide, many of which are independent pharmacies. Such pharmacies seem to have more of a vested interest in their customers well-being than corporate-owned chains, Cox said, so those are the ones that were targeting.

While some large pharmacy chains have shunned Flublok, others carry it: Walmart, Rite Aid, ShopRite and Stop & Shop. Protein Sciences last year struck a deal to sell 100,000 doses to Target as well, but that deal ended when CVS took over operation of Target pharmacies, Cox said.

The vaccine could gain popularity if data were more widely available on its efficacy, Selinger said. It hasnt really hit the books that Flublok is simply better, he said.

Indeed, a study done in 2014 and 2015 among 9,000 adults ages 50 and older found those who received Flublok were 40 percent less likely to get cell culture-confirmed influenza than those with a traditional flu vaccine, according to Cox.

Protein Sciences claims Flublok, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2013, contains three times more antigen  the substance that induces an immune response in the body  than traditional flu vaccines and is manufactured with no antibiotics or harsh chemicals.

This year, Protein Sciences will start selling a new formulation of the vaccine that protects against four strains of influenza instead of just three. The new formulation has the potential to be a game-changer for the company, Cox said, since the vast majority of the flu shot market now is four-strain vaccines.

Cox said shes encouraged by the progress made by the company in increasing awareness. Every major pharmacy chain and insurance carrier now knows about Flublok, she said.

We were not on the map before, she said. If we have enough time, we will be able to really take over.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).
NORWALK  A group of nearly 200 students and more than 20 adults from Nathan Hale Middle School took a trip to the movies Friday morning for a special screening of Hidden Figures  a film that has drawn critical acclaim for its depiction of the black female mathematicians who helped NASA launch its very first successful space missions.

The schools trip to see the movie  devised by science teacher Eva Bartush  was originally intended as an incentive to students.
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NORWALK  Kathleen Slonski is looking for answers.

Surrounded by family and her attorney, Darnell Crosland, the mother of Vincent Fowlkes, who died in a Thursday morning crash on Geneva Road while trying to evade police, said she wants to know why her sons were being pursued.

They havent told me what Vincent died from, Slonski said. Nobody is telling me anything. I want to know what happened. I want to know why they were chasing my child ... There was no reason for them to go on a high-speed pursuit down a winding road.

Another one of her sons, Shawn Bowman, was a passenger in the car Fowlkes was driving. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.

He wasnt an angel but he was a good kid ... Slonski said of Fowlkes. He loved his family.

Court records show Fowlkes has eight convictions since 2014 for crimes ranging from felony drug sales to petty larceny. Bowman has a case pending in Norwalk Superior Court for drug possession and sales following a 2015 raid at his home.

Connection to Colonial Village arrest?

Police are investigating a possible connection between Thursdays fatal high speed pursuit and the arrest of a suspected narcotics dealer moments earlier.

Police spokesman Lt. Terry Blake said the departments Special Services Division was serving multiple arrest warrants on Michael Massey, 28, of Taylor Avenue, in the area of Colonial Village. He fled but was caught shortly after.

Police said the preliminary investigation indicates that an officer heard the radio call of a foot pursuit and responded to the vicinity of West Cedar Street and Scribner Avenue to assist. The officer then attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Fowlkes.

Fowlkes, however, would not stop and sped north on Scribner Avenue in a reckless manner, Blake said. The Honda Civic then left the road, spun out in a clockwise manner before hitting some rocks and finally crashing into a tree, according to Connecticut State Police, who have since taken over the investigation at the request of Norwalk police and the States Attorneys Office.

According to police, a large quantity of narcotics was located inside the vehicle when rescuers were extricating the occupants.

The two occupants were taken to Norwalk Hospital, where Fowlkes, 22, of North Taylor Avenue, later died. Shawn Bowman, 19, of the same address on North Taylor Avenue, remains hospitalized.

Slonski said her son is in an induced coma at the Intensive Care Unit in Norwalk Hospital. Bones in his face are broken, he has bleeding in the brain  theyre very worried about that, she said. His spleen has been removed.

There is a whirlwind of emotions, one minute were feeling one way, the next minute, were feeling another, Slonski said. Its been heart-wrenching, I cant even tell you. Angry, hurt, sad, mad, theres no way to describe it.

Family to file lawsuit

Crosland has been retained by the family and said that he will be filing a lawsuit against the police department and city on the familys behalf.

Whats most important here is to make sure nothing like this ever ever happens in Norwalk, and the way you do that is by filing a civil action, Crosland said. We plan to have a civil action brought. We met with several people on our investigation team.

Attorney Michael Skiber is working with Crosland on the case. Skiber prepared an evidence preservation letter that was to be served at Norwalk Police Department via marshal Friday afternoon.

In the letter, Skiber requested access to documentation which includes the text messages of involved officers and supervisors, copies of 911 calls, copies of all dispatch reports, body camera and audio recordings, internal affairs records, photographs, squad car computer and traffic cam recordings, among other evidence.

We have no choice, Crosland said. This is not a monetary issue as much is it to make sure this doesnt happen again.

Deputy Norwalk Corporation Council M. Jeffry Spahr said late Friday afternoon that he was unaware of such paperwork having been served. Spahr said he was surprised such paperwork would be filed before Connecticut State Police complete their investigation.

Crosland said that to his knowledge, there was no connection between Fowlkes, Bowman and Massey.

Whether there was a link or not, safety comes first, Crosland said. We dont run through Norwalk on high-speed chases, especially for people that we know.

When asked why Fowlkes chose to flee police, Crosland had this to say:

Once the police know who you are, they approach you in a familiar way. What happened in this case: They know these kids from the past and may have wanted to question them about Mr. Massey and went about it the wrong way.

Blake said the department would reserve comment on the matter, citing the ongoing state police investigation.

Police say the officer involved was taken to Stamford Hospital for evaluation and was subsequently released. Per department policy, the officer has been placed on a modified assignment pending an administrative review of the pursuit.

A Go Fund Me page, Help Shawn and Kuda, has been set up by a cousin of the men. Donations totaled nearly $1,600 of the $10,000 goal as of Friday morning.

Crosland said that anyone who would like to donate to the familys funeral expenses may send donation to his office at 777 Summer St., Suite 403, Stamford, CT 06901.
Linda McMahon, the co-founder and former CEO of WWE selected to be the new leader of the Small Business Administration, said this week that she believed one of the key ways to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs pursue their ideas was to better educate them about money management.

I have kids in high school that dont know how to balance a checkbook," she said during her confirmation meeting at the Senate. "We need to have that fundamental understanding of economics as we move forward to develop the next generation of young people.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) Prakash Industries today said it has secured long-term linkages for sponge iron.

"In the recent coal linkage auction conducted by Coal India Ltd, we have secured coal linkages of a total quanity of 6,49,300 MT per annum for the next five years from various mines of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in Chattisgarh. The company will sign the Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) for the same," a company statement said here.

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Securing these linkages will provide long term stability in the operations of the company, in addition to the cost savings in sponge iron production at its integrated steel plant at Champa in Chhatisgarh.

With this sourcing of coal the operating margins and profitability of the company would improve significantly in the following years, the release said.

The company is undertaking expansion and modernisation in its steel melting shop by setting up energy efficient furnaces.

The company is making all its efforts to make operational its allotted iron ore mines in the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, which will enhance operational performance significantly. PTI AP ARS

--- ENDS ---
Tracey Elementary School hosted its weekly community meeting Friday morning where students explored the schools pledge of PRINT  short for problem solving, respect, integrity, neighborly and thoroughness  with a focus this week on respect. To reinforce the value, the school integrated the Chinese New Year Dragon Parade into the assembly. Students created a long, colorful dragon with art teacher Rhonda Siletto. Several students wore the dragon and ran through the gym during the assembly. Other students held signs with Chinese characters. One student made a statement about her Chinese heritage.
If this were a movie, it would be an excellent one. Maybe even an Oscar contender. The plot line is strong, optimistic, exciting, as educational as it is entertaining. Theres a happy, uplifting story here, with no end in sight.

Im referring to the Wilton Library. And having a front row seat for over a decade and a half is marketing Communications manager Janet Crystal. Ive been through some of the most thrilling parts of watching Wilton Library grow into the cultural center of the community, she told me earlier this week, having just celebrated her 16th anniversary there. She added the famous tag line, right on cue: Build it, and they shall come.

People certainly do come to the Wilton Library, and for a lot of reasons. Live music, one of its many programming components, being one of them. Music takes center stage next weekend, when the Hot & Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room Concerts series is presented at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, with the Amina Figarova Sextet headlining. This marks the 10th year of Hot & Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room Concerts.

It was an idea borne out of the new performance space we built when the library went through its expansion, the wonderful support from Chris and Tish Brubeck who enticed musicians to this exciting venue, and the generous funding we continue to receive from the William and Karen Tell Foundation through Ed and Catherine Romer, explained Crystal. Today, the reputation of the concert series gives us access to world renowned musicians including the late, great legend Dave Brubeck and his sons Chris and his brothers who have played here numerous times.

The Brubeck Room is named in honor of the Brubeck family, and in the Hot & Cool Series alone, there have been nearly 50 concerts of superlative jazz thus far. Next Saturdays event continues that tradition, with the Amina Figarova Sextet making its second appearance on the Brubeck stage. Its first was in 2013.

Composer and pianist Amina Figarova is originally from Baku, Azerbaijan. She studied at Rotterdam Conservatory and completed her formal education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Shes toured extensively and is recognized for her original works, recently writing pieces commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Next Saturdays Sextet consists of herself on piano, Wayne Escoffery on tenor and soprano sax, Alex Pope Norris on trumpet, Bart Platteau on flutes, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Darrell Green on drums. Her latest album is Blue Whisper, on In + Out Records based in Freiberg, Germany.

It seems that every musician or group who performs here comments about the smart, sophisticated and enthusiastic audiences we have at Wilton Library, said Crystal. So much so, that often they come back for return engagements. We dont keep tally sheets, but anecdotally we definitely see people from outside the Wilton area. Sometimes its because of an artists popularity, the style of jazz thats being performed or just a wonderful way to spend a Saturday or Sunday night.

But jazz isnt the only musical attraction. As a shameless plug, Im the concert promoter for the Summer Music & More Concert Series which is going into its 17th summer this year sponsored by The Village Market, said Crystal. The summer concerts take place Thursday nights in July, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and have a very different feel. Theyre very relaxed in an indoor and outdoor setting, sort of a Throwback Thursday vibe, and a great way to spend a summer evening with free refreshments and wine.

Theres also the Connecticuts Own Sunday Concert Series that highlights performers who either live or work in Connecticut and who generously provide the concerts free of charge. The next installment takes place from 4-5 p.m. on Sun., Feb. 12, featuring The Madera Winds, a blend of Connecticut musicians who have performed over the last thirty years in other chamber music groups in Wilton as well as throughout Fairfield County. The program consists of works by American composers, and there is no admission charge.

Bringing quality programming to Wilton is a mission of Wilton, said Crystal. From my vantage point: mission accomplished! Next Saturdays concert has a suggested donation of $10. Note that shows often sell-out. Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in Wilton. Call (203) 762-6334, or visit wiltonlibrary.org

Talented vocalist Richard Cookie Thomas performs at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29, as part of the Norwalk Public Librarys continuing Winter Concert Series. And its free. The Norwalk Public Library is located at 1 Belden St. in Norwalk. Visit www.norwalklib.org

Mike Horyczuns Sound Surfing column appears every Saturday in The Hour. Mike can be reached at news2mh@gmail.com.
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WILTON  Sarah Phillips became enamored with fashion as a child growing up in New York City.

Her mother wore outfits by wonderful designers like Balenciaga, and her family would often take her to ballets and the opera.

I just had an appreciation for fashion, so I followed that, she said.

The couture designer launched her first collection in 1989 while at Christian Dior and enjoyed 30 successful years in the fashion industry, with collections carried by some 50 stores across America, Canada and Hong Kong from the late 80s to the early 90s.

She went on hiatus shortly thereafter to take care of her family and relaunched her line nearly two decades later in 2013.

And now, Phillips is in a bit of a transitional period  working on redeveloping her website, looking for a sales representative and focusing on her fashion illustrations.

Right now, Im happier illustrating, she said. Some things just come right out of my head. Some things come from actual photographs.

Phillips designs and sketches have garnered attention ever since she graduated from the prestigious Parsons School of Design.

Most notably, she caught the attention of Hillary Clinton, who wore one of her suits to the 1992 Democratic National Convention and asked if she could design her gown for the 1993 Inaugural Ball.

They showed it to her and she loved it. And then, they asked to fly me down, she said. We were there on the first night in the White House with her.

The violet, beaded lace sheath gown is now part of a permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Starting Feb. 3, several of Phillips most recent illustrations will be featured in another exhibition: Wilton Librarys Perspectives: The Work of Four Female Artists. The opening reception is free and open to the public, from 6-7:30 p.m.

Its a great honor, Phillips said. I just want to say thank you for including me in the exhibit.

Skye Riss is another Wilton artist who will showcase her work in the exhibition. She started painting and drawing at a young age and recently earned degrees in painting, art history and graphic design from the University of Hartford in May 2016.

Art was always a big part of her life, with her grandparents and parents being artists themselves. At family gatherings, Riss said theyd usually spend time painting with watercolors and singing along with her dads guitar playing.

Its just within my blood. I just need to create, Riss said. I love color and I love energy. I love being dynamic, and now Im on this new path of finding myself.

Riss expertise lies in mixed media, mainly working with oil and acrylic paints because of the way they never really blend. She describes her style as very disorienting and filled with creative tension, drawing inspiration from one of her favorite artists, Vincent van Gogh.

Just because theres so much going on and your eyes are never stuck in one spot, she said. My mentor back in college, he always described my artwork as kind of like a game  things moving into each other and playing around with each other.

Twelve of her pieces will be featured in the exhibition, with several paintings from her Energy Series, a collection of more than 60 pieces; each painting took her about 30 minutes to an hour to finish.

I always start off unknowing and letting myself be free of any tension and any thought, she said.

The other two artists are Pam Ackley, of New Canaan, and Dara Tomeo, of Fairfield.

Ackley began her artistic journey 10 years ago, studying at Silvermine School of Art and collaborating with several renowned artists. She is the co-founder and model coordinator for the New Street Guild of Artists, which focuses on painting the model from life and meets twice a week at their Wilton studio.

Tomeo paints from her home in Fairfield and at the Studio of Leona Frank in Westport. She has also taken many classes and workshops at Silvermine School of Art and is showcasing her recent series, Treescapes, which reflects her inner journey through the details of trees captured in different seasons and interactions with light.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 23, with the majority of more than 50 works available for purchase and a portion of proceeds benefiting the library.

SKim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim
WILTON  Pam Klem and her two daughters boarded buses at 2 a.m. on Saturday to take part in the Womens March on Washington.

Klem described the morning as a bit of a pandemonium, as she, her daughters and group of her friends and their daughters and nieces boarded different buses.

But the hectic morning started to wind down just before dawn, when the buses came to a rest stop in Delaware. It was at that moment when Klem finally processed what was happening and felt the seriousness of participating in what would be one of the largest protests in U.S. history.

It was right before the sun rose, she said. All these people were pouring out of these buses all headed to the same place.

It was very powerful.

From the moment they arrived at the Metro station at around 10 a.m. to when they finished marching at 6 p.m., Klem said they were surrounded by a sea of people wearing pink pussy hats, carrying colorful signs and saying chants in peaceful protest against the recently inaugurated Donald Trump.

Having arrived at the rally point at about 11 a.m., they were able to watch a few speakers on the jumbotrons before they started marching. Klem said Alicia Keys message was particularly moving.

She gave a message of the abuse of power, which I think was a really powerful, unifying rallying point for the very different perspectives and emphases on all of the signs, she said. Everyone was coming together in common purpose, which was very much the spirit of the thing.

Klem organized the trip with three other moms who knew each other through their daughters, who all go to the same school in Ridgefield. The moms agreed that attending the march would be a good teaching opportunity for the younger women in their family.

I think that after the election, there was a lot that was hard to explain about how someone who has said very misogynistic, racist and xenophobic statements could be put into a position of power, said Pam Toft, of Weston, who attended the march with her daughter. I didnt want her to think that nothing could be done.

Toft said it was comforting to see hundreds of thousands of people from across the nation gathered to make a statement and stand up for what they believed in.

I sensed a lot of people were there out of fear, out of potentially anger, out of frustration, but overwhelmingly I think what the crowd has come to embrace at the end of the day is hope and a call to action, she said.

Similarly, Glori Norwitt, of Ridgefield, decided to bring her daughter and two nieces from college because she felt it was time to take action. Having attended political events before, Norwitt said she was overwhelmed by the large turnout and overall positivity.

We never had an unpleasant moment the entire day, which is astounding given how crowded we were at so many points, Norwitt said. It seems to me that theres never been an event like this in history where so many countries, so many people come together on one single day with the same agenda.

About one million gathered in Washington D.C. and five million gathered at more than 670 sister marches held across the world on the day of the march, according to event organizers.

On Monday, the four eighth-grade girls who attended the march were asked to speak at their school assembly about their experience.

This past election has demonized many Americans  immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ Plus community, Native people, people of all different skin colors, people with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and women, Ella said. This Saturday women and men from all over the country came together to peacefully protest our rights.

We entered this march as individuals but came out as a complete embodiment of passion and hope for the future, Zoie said. To stand up among half a million others in the Capitol, for the rights that we deserve was beyond empowering.

Although the march may be over, Klem and others who marched said they will find ways to keep up the momentum.

For Klem, shes starting with calling at least one legislator every day.

If you really feel strongly that the country that we love is heading in a direction that is dangerous and inconsistent with the best of what this country is, you have to stand up for the positive view of the country you love, she said.

SKim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim
21-year-old Princess of Patiala Seherinder Kaur has taken to the streets of the city, campaigning for her grandfather Captain Amarinder Singh, the Congress chief ministerial candidate.

By Ankit Tyagi: Door-to-door campaigns are usual during election season, but in the Patiala city constituency, there is an added flavour to these house calls - when the door bell rings, most are pleasantly surprised to see the 21-year-old Princess Seherinder Kaur standing in front with folded hands campaigning for her Grand Father Captain Amarinder Singh.

This is the Princess of Patiala's first time in active active politics. "This is the first time I have campaigned. I want people to know my dadaji is the best bet for Patiala and Punjab," she said speaking to India Today.

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Fondly known as 'Seher', the princess starts her door-to-door campaign usually in the evening at around 4pm. She goes around distributing pamphlets and requesting people to vote for Captain Amarinder Singh.

HOW DO PEOPLE REACT?

"People are interested in listening to what we have tell them, there is no awkward moment.. these are all our people," she said. Asked about her grandfather being declared Congress's CM face, Seherendir responded with a smile, saying she is extremely proud of her granddad and knows he is only one who can bring change to Punjab.

Seher is heading to Paris in September for her graduation in fashion marketing. And does the Princess of Patiala have any plans to follow her grandparents into politics? "Well I haven't thought about it. (I) just want to complete my degree first," she said before knocking another door, continuing with her campaign.

Also read: Amarinder Singh to be Congress's Punjab CM face: Rahul Gandhi

Also read: Punjab Assembly election: Battle for Malwa heats up, Congress in aggressive campaign mode

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As the states gear up for the upcoming Assembly elections, sources said Congress vice-president will campaign from January 27 to January 29 in Punjab, which goes to polls on February 4.

By Press Trust of India: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be on a three-day visit to Punjab from today and will launch his own poll campaign, targeting among other constituencies those represented by the Badals.

After Punjab, Rahul is scheduled to visit another poll-bound state, Goa, on January 30.

Sources said he will campaign from January 27 to January 29 in Punjab, which goes to polls on February 4.

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Rahul will address a public meeting in Majitha today.

"He will also address meeting in Lambi, the constituency represented by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, who has been challenged Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh from the seat. Rahul Gandhi will also address some public meetings in Jalalabad, the constituency represented by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal," a source said.

The Congress is facing a triangular contest in Punjab with the ruling Akali Dal-BJP and new entrant AAP.

The party has been out of power for last decade in the state.

Also Read

Phata kurta, nikla Rahul Gandhi: What the Congress leader said on Modi's kurta

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As a pediatric palliative care physician, I provide medical care for families and children living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. The work my colleagues and I perform is not mentioned in the headline-grabbing news coverage of Republican promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Rather, it falls into the category of the seemingly minor details those lawmakers assure us will be addressed later.

These details, though, should not go unnoted.

Our line of work, for example, has been positively affected by Section 2302 of the ACA, a provision assuring concurrent care for seriously ill and dying children.

Before Obamacare existed, families whose children lived with life-limiting conditions had few options when their children approached death. In all but a few states, parents needed to effectively give up disease-directed, life-prolonging treatments for their children if they wanted the comforts and supports of hospice services.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the treatment of the seriously ill. If keeping a child alive longer meant treating the childs disease, parents were denied a community-based hospice team, who in other circumstances would help manage symptoms like uncontrolled pain and breathlessness.

With concurrent care, children with advanced cancer can now receive life-extending cancer treatment yet stay home comfortably, maybe to graduate high school or first grade before they die. Parents can take their seriously ill newborns home, to sleep in their cribs and experience life in a family. It allows dying children to continue to receive care from nurses who have taken care of them throughout their chronic disease course, protecting them from a stressful, threatening transition when they are their sickest.

The Affordable Care Act expanded the available options for our sickest children. It is a mercy to protect children and families from what existed before.

Even with this provision in the books, it has been hard to find hospices to partner with and implement care. But any potential is lost with repeal.

I cannot believe that anyone would want any part in increasing the odds that a dying or seriously ill child will needlessly suffer but I have no idea what to expect in the replacement plans. I have not heard a whisper about caring for these vulnerable children and families.

At this point, the congressional target is on aspects of the ACA that are explicitly budgetary. Explicit changes to the ACA, Childrens Health Insurance Programs and Medicaid will follow. We can only hope that insurance for everybody includes those in the terrible circumstances of too many of my patients, an area where the ACA expanded protections.

One in three people living in poverty in the U.S. is a child. Medical debt causes more than 60 percent of American bankruptcies. Most of the uninsured in the U.S. are low-income working families, and one quarter of U.S. children live in a low-income working family.

Their subsidies have been directly targeted. Seriously ill children may not be a big budgetary burden or consideration, but who are we if we do not protect these children?

The Affordable Care Act, with all its successes, needs improvements. President Obama was the first to say so. But as we embark on change, we must remember that the smallest details will affect peoples lives at times of extraordinary challenge. Concurrent care for children is one of those small details. We are not just changing a piece of legislation. We are influencing a system that ministers to the sick. How we choose to support and protect our most vulnerable reflects who we are as a people.

Republicans mean to make good on their promise to repeal Obamacare. Their priorities for its replacement are a matter for pure conjecture. They speak skeptically about 2,700 pages of regulations, but those 2,700 pages include important provisions that directly impact peoples lives. I expect that seriously ill children and their families will be crowded out of the debate by powerful interests and political slogans. But the loudest voices should not be the only voices. Humanity and compassion should matter, too.
HS Football: North Penn upsets Pennsbury in instant playoff classic

With the game on the line, North Penn coach Dick Beck opted to go for the win with a two-point conversion attempt against Pennsbury.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) Officials from SAARC countries will meet in Kathmandu on February 1-2 for an "administrative and budget" conference of the regional grouping.

India will be represented by Joint Secretary (BIMSTEC & SAARC) Prashant Agrawal

at the meeting and the confabulations are technical in nature, officials said.

With the conference happening in the backdrop of collapsed SAARC Summit, officials asserted that India will make it very clear that it was up to Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere to hold the Summit.

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"Though the meeting is technical in nature but if required, Indian side would reiterate its position that the Summit can only take place in terror-free atmosphere and it was incumbent on Pakistan to create such a situation," an official said.

While Pakistan has been blocking regional connectivity proposals like SAARC Motor Vehicles and Railways Agreements, India is committed to SAARC process, the officials said.

India, along with several other SAARC countries, had pulled out of the 19th SAARC summit, scheduled to be held in Islamabad last November, maintaining that the atmosphere was conducive for holding of the summit in view of continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan.

Though the Summit was cancelled, the official-level interaction in the eight-nation grouping was held from time to time on various issues PTI PYK ZMN

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Salman Khan reportedly told the Jodhpur court today that the blackbuck he has been accused of killing, died a natural death. Twitterati lost it immediately.

Salman Khan said that the blackbuck died of natural causes

By India Today Web Desk: Salman Khan along with his Hum Saath Saath Hain co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam were present at a court in Jodhpur today to have their statements recorded regarding the 18-year-old blackbuck-poaching case.

Hum Saath Saath Hain was a visionary film. Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre & Neelam abhi tak saath saath hain, court mein. Sagar (@sagarcasm) January 27, 2017

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According to a report in Times of India, in what is undoubtedly the highlight of the day, Salman reportedly told the Jodhpur magistrate that the blackbuck died of "natural causes."

ALSO READ: Salman did not kill blackbuck, Twitter explodes with jokes

"Only the first forensic report of Dr Nepalia saying that the animal died of 'natural causes' was true and the rest of the evidence is false," Salman said. Salman also reportedly replied with the single word "galat" (wrong) to most of the questions asked to him by the magistrate.

In no time, Twitterati, perplexed with Salman's response that the blackbuck simply died a natural death, got together to do what they do best.

#SalmanKhan says blackbuck died of "natural causes". That's a weird name for a bullet though! Sand-d Singh (@Sand_In_Deed) January 27, 2017

"Blackbuck died of NATURAL Causes" - #SalmanKhan in court. YES! Salman Khan's Killings have become so NATURAL. That's what he meant. Mahi (@mahiban4u) January 27, 2017

"Blackbuck died of natural causes." - #SalmanKhan at Jodhpur court. Documentary footage of the same: pic.twitter.com/5GKmY0T82q Devarsi Ghosh (@devarsighosh) January 27, 2017

Salman " blackbuck died naturally ???"Judge " how ??"Sallu " meri goli usko lagi ???"J " fir? ??"S " fir kya, natural si baat hai mar gya ???" Rofl Gandhi (@RoflGandhi_) January 27, 2017

Bandook dekh ke heart attack aa gaya. https://t.co/5QehBlLVXz Anurag Verma (@kitAnurag) January 27, 2017

Salman Khan- Blackbuck died of natural causes..Blackbuck- I am here Judge saheb.. pic.twitter.com/jtHWytlVoy MumBaekar.. (@katamulgi) January 27, 2017

Salman Khan: The chinkara died due to natural causes.Arbaaz Khan: So did my marriage.Sohail Khan: So did my career. Sahil Shah (@SahilBulla) January 27, 2017

Salman Khan: The chinkara died due to natural causes.Donald Trump: That's an alternative fact. It's true. Sahil Shah (@SahilBulla) January 27, 2017

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On January 18, Salman Khan was acquitted of all charges in the Arms Act case by the Jodhpur court.

When the chief judicial magistrate Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit told Salman, "You were seen by two people who said they saw you shoot the blackbuck" (sic), Salman said, "Galat."

Salman, Saif, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam were accused of poaching blackbucks on October 1, 1998 while shooting their 1999 film Hum Saath Saath Hain.

The next date of hearing for the blackbuck-poaching case is February 15 this year.

ALSO WATCH: Salman acquitted in Arms Act case, Bishnoi community to appeal in Rajasthan HC

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Linkedin Alif Satria (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017 12:50 2108 9b519824cb3263083aedb70a0bd0aab7 3 Opinion religious-issue,intolerance,extremism,Extreme-right-wing-ideology,FPI,Islam,Blasphemy-Law Free

There is no doubt that Indonesias Muslim leanings have shifted to a more intolerant state from where they were 10 years ago. One needs only to see the recent turmoil to understand the gravity of this shift: the explicit acceptance of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), the massive turnout at the divisive 4/11 and 2/12 rallies last year and the support by many for FPI leader Rizieq Shihabs aggressive and demeaning description of Christians is a small sample of many indications.

But one needs to understand that this is not a big-bang phenomenon. Indonesias growing intolerance has been brewing for longer than one would want to recognize. We may recount that in 2008, the FPI burned down houses of Ahmadiyah followers, in 2009, the Bekasi government closed the HKBP Filadelfia church, in 2010, the Bogor government defied the Supreme Courts decision to allow the establishment of the GKI Yasmin church and in 2012 Shia Muslims in Sampang, Madura, were relocated by force.

According to data from the National Violence Monitoring System (NVMS), there has been a constant upward trend of interand intra-religious conflict, starting as far back as 2004 (four cases in 2004, 27 in 2008, 101 in 2011 and 257 in 2014), most of which involved Muslims.

Undoubtedly, the politicization of divisive religious sentiment by opportunistic politicians and the lack of interfaith dialogue have significantly contributed to this shift. However, one needs to understand that such variables are only agent-variables incentivized to increase intolerance by a permissive system; and it is this system that lacks public scrutiny.

A key component of the system that bears responsibility for engineering a suitable climate for the fermentation of religious intolerance is the obsolete Blasphemy Law No. 1 of 1965, as well as Article 156a of the Criminal Code.

This Blasphemy Law is at the center of Indonesias rising religious intolerance, as it is a primary cog that has habituated a sense of intolerant religious entitlement. The core problem of this law lies in the fact that blasphemy has never been clearly defined.

In theory, the law allows anyone to criminalize others for anything he or she subjectively perceives as blasphemous based on his or her religion. In practice, courts will refer to prominent religious bodies like the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which are supposed to be less subjective and fairer but turn out to lack public trust, hold the monopoly over Islamic interpretations and are biased toward the majority.

It is no wonder that at least 49 of the 73 blasphemy cases heard in courts since 1968 concerned sects and critical assessments of religion that have no intention to be blasphemous.

As a result of this vagueness, the socio-religious culture that is bred is a culture of subjective imposition giving majority religions the right to impose their will according to what they subjectively believe is right and prosecute what they subjectively believe is wrong. Discussions on whether or not such rights exist and how far they extend are subverted due to the fact that the existence and vagueness of the Blasphemy Law in effect already implies that such rights do exist and that their extent is endless. Though an important discussion on this matter did occur and was left open with the decision of the laws judicial review in 2010 (the Constitutional Court voted to preserve the law but commented that changes needed to be made), nobody followed through.

It is this culture of rightful subjective imposition that, through the massive mobilization and politicization accompanying these trials, has been pervasively internalized and left unchecked within Indonesian religious cleavages. We should not forget that such mobilization and politicization has occurred frequently in these trials for a long time, be it regionally (i.e. mobilization by hard-line group FUI and politicization by Noer Tjahja in the Shia Sampang case) or nationally (i.e. mobilization by the FPI and the MUI along with the politicization by key politicians in the case of suspended Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama).

As a result, religious communities are habituated to feel entitled over the absolution of their religious right; that there is no need for moderation and limitation. What this manifests in is the intolerant state of religion we see today: Mere commentary and criticism of alleged abuse of religious teachings is labeled as blasphemous and thus responded to by angry mobs. Such commentary or acts are not moderated to respect others.

To solve the problem of Indonesias intolerance we need to depoliticize religious sentiment and further discuss how religion should fit into Indonesias democracy, but before any of that can happen we need to scrutinize the permissive system that fuels a socio-religious culture that justifies these problems to begin with.

We need to take a hard look at our Blasphemy Law and discuss whether, as a society, we want to have a law that allows the imposition of a majoritys subjective religious right at the expense of others basic rights with little or no limitation, and a society whose culture of rightful subjective imposition is unchallenged and unmoderated. Hopefully, the answer is no.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017 11:50 2108 9b519824cb3263083aedb70a0bd06c15 1 Lifestyle Google,YouTube,Advertisement Free

Google Indonesia has announced the 10 most popular video advertisements published on YouTube in Indonesia last year.

After a 30-second advertisement by Oreo Indonesia topped the list in 2015, LINE Indonesia reigned supreme in 2016 with a 3-minute advertisement.

According to Google Indonesia, most of the advertisements on the current list were created in the cinematic, long-duration format with touching stories. Example of this format also include Tokopedias Ramadhan edition, Toyotas racing edition and Bukalapaks martial art-themed video ad.

(Read also: Hugo Barra to lead Facebook's virtual reality efforts after leaving Xiaomi)

However, some short ads also grabbed the audiences attention, such as Royco's cooking tips and Axis' short stories.

The list clearly shows that there is no single best approach to creating a successful advertisement on YouTube, Google Indonesia said in its statement.

Google Indonesia head of corporate communications Jason Tedjasukmana explained that the list was comprised of videos deliberately watched by the audience, even though they could be skipped. Selection criteria included shares, likes, paid and organic promotion, views and watching duration.

Essentially, these are ads that Indonesians chose to watch due to their creativity, originality and ability to connect, he said. (asw)

Topics : Google YouTube Advertisement
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Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017 14:12 2108 9b519824cb3263083aedb70a0bd130a9 4 Art & Culture batik,#batik,Chinese,Chinese-descent,Chinese-Indonesian-residents,#fashion,fashion,designers Free

As an upshot of the early assimilation of local cultures along the archipelagos coasts and Chinese cultures in the 12th and 13th centuries, Chinese descendants contributed to the processing techniques of local batik as well as the motifs that characterized the fabrics regions of origin.

The blue-and-white cloud motif of Cirebon batik, megamendung, for instance, came from the motifs of China porcelain, as did the images of phoenixes and dragons and the red in Lasem batik as well as the Chinese paintings of birds and lotuses in Sidoarjo batik.

The lively motifs are tantamount to the industry that gave founding president Sukarno the idea in the early 1960s to order Java cultural observer Gow Thiek Swan to create Indonesian batik by merging two major schools of batik on Java: the inland batik of Surakarta and Yogyakartas colorful coastal batik.

Surakarta-based Gow came up with batik tiga negeri (three lands) characterized by three dominant colors: red, black and blue.

The coloring took place in three regions: red in Lasem, black in Surakarta and blue in Pekalongan, hence the name.

Batik acculturation, however, has been left behind in the past two decades due to the complex processing and high value. Not many people know about batik tiga negeri despite its importance to the societies that adopt the culture. In a region in West Java, a wedding can be cancelled if the cloth is not included in the bridal gifts, said renowned fashion designer Didi Budiardjo. In some societies, the cloth is considered medicinal. A mother would wrap her sick child in it or cut a small piece of it and make a concoction from the ash of the burned cloth as curative treatment.

In a bid to reintroduce the socalled Indonesian batik and the Peranakan influence on traditional fashion, furniture, architecture and cuisine, Didi took part in a joint exhibition of fashion and installations dubbed Tiga Negeri, together with designers Edward Hutabarat and Adrian Gan.

At the opening of the exhibition at the dia. lo.gue art gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta, the three designers showcased their works with batik tiga negeri as their main inspiration and material.

(Read also: Batik: a cultural dilemma of infatuation and appreciation)

Didi Budiardjo(JP/Donny Fernando)

Didi Budiardjo showed a collection of twopieces consisting of the batik cloth paired with tops inspired by the embroidered kebaya encim (traditional blouses)  also a part of Peranakan culture.

The simple and modern cuts of the traditional outfits emphasized an elegant look fit for formal events or a batik-themed gala.

Edward Hutabarat, on the other hand, presented the fun side of batik megamendung. The collection of resort wear combined kebaya encim as outerwear with high-waisted palazzo trousers.

Edward Hutabarat(JP/Donny Fernando)

A more edgy look came from Adrian Gan, who adopted denim and details of kimonos that could be worn on Harajuku streets. To complete the style was a pair of sneakers embellished with colorful furry balls inspired by Jakartas Betawi Tari Topeng dance costume.

Betawi in mind: Adrian Gan combines denim, kebaya encim, and batik to create an edgy look inspired by Betawi's Tari Topeng dance attire.(JP/Donny Fernando)

(Read also: Rocking low-maintenance fashion, Jokowi style)

The opening event last Saturday was attended by former first lady Sinta Nuriyah, Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnamas wife Veronica Tan, film producer Nia Dinata, restaurateur Lily Atmodirjo and photographer Davy Linggar, among others with Peranakan backgrounds or interests.

It took only three days to prepare the exhibition because there were so many friends eager to take part in it as they shared the same concerns over the growing intolerance in society, said Edward, who initiated the event.

We want to show the public the artifacts of Peranakan culture as proof of its existence and its influence and relevance to urban life today.

The three designers are also showing collections of antique batik, kebaya encim, ceramics and jewelry at the gallery until Feb. 5.

The collection of batik  some of which belonged to the late Gow Thiek Swan and the Tjoa family in Surakarta  includes the 1958 Thomas Cup batik, created to honor the first Indonesian badminton players of Chinese descent to win the prestigious game.

Adrian said all Indonesian designers were familiar with cultural assimilation in Indonesian embroidery, batik and woven cloth.

Peranakan is just one of the influences that makes up Indonesian identity. We are planning to hold more exhibitions on the influence of other world cultures.
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Linkedin Richard Vines, Kate Krader, Natalie Obiko Pearson, Alex Millson (Bloomberg)  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Year of the Rooster will be celebrated by Chinese communities around the world from Jan. 27and it's not all about noisy spectacles with firecrackers and lion-dancing.

It's an opportunity for feasting with family and friends. Food is central to Chinese culture and the holiday is a time for sharing traditional delicacies representing good fortune. But where to go? Here are some great restaurants to welcome the new year.

Asia

Lai Wah, Singapore

Lai Wah is reputed to be the home of yu sheng, a Chinese New Year dish across Southeast Asia, of raw fish and vegetables that are tossed in the air by diners as they recite sayings to bring good fortune. First served at Lai Wah in 1964, the dish is auspicious, as the word fish sounds like abundance in Chinese. Go for the heritage, not the dated decor. 44 Bendemeer Road, #01-1436, Singapore 330044. +65 6294 9922

(Read also: 8 Chinese New Year dishes and their meaning)

Blue Lotus, Singapore

Blue Lotus's own unique and healthy version of the yu sheng.(Blue Lotus via Bloomberg/Edmund Ho)

For a more refined yu sheng experience, complete with tea-smoked Norwegian salmon, head to Blue Lotus, whose tables sit under a canopy of colorful lanterns overlooking the marina. The restaurant is at the forefront of modernizing traditional Chinese cuisine, and three new year set menus on offer represent harmony, prosperity and longevity. 31 Ocean Way, #01-13 Quayside Isle, Quayside Isle, Singapore 098375. +65 6339 0880

Fu 1088, Shanghai

For a less traditional new year setting and a touch of privacy, this beautiful Spanish-style 1920s townhouse features 16 rooms, each housing just one table, where you'll be served modern versions of classic Shanghai dishes. There's no website, and reserving your spot in advance is highly recommended. 375 Zhenning Rd, Changning Qu, China, 200040. +86 21 5239 7878

Lung King Heen, Hong Kong

Welcome the Year of the Rooster at Lung King Heen, the world's first Chinese restaurant to hold three Michelin stars. Chef Chan Yan Tak's recommendations from his predominantly Cantonese menu include steamed lobster and scallop dumpling and baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken. Diners overlooking Hong Kong harbor can take home a box of limited edition chrysanthemum and honey lunar new year puddings. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance St, Central. +852 3196 8888

Spice Temple, Sydney

Spice Temple's roast pork belly with sweet and sour sauce.(Rockpool Group via Bloomberg/Ted Sealy)

With a deliberate avoidance of Cantonese food, Spice Temple, as the name suggests, embraces the chili and all things hot. Its Chinese New Year menu draws inspiration from the heat of Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, while a cocktail list based on the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac and exactly 100 wines will cool things down. 10 Bligh St, Sydney, NSW 2000. + 61 2 8078 1888

Europe

Bright Courtyard Club, London

This Marylebone restaurant is a favorite with staff from the Chinese embassy and the TV chef Ching He-huang. The banquet menus are particularly popular, with dishes such as steamed sea bass. Bright Courtyard belongs to the Shanghai Life Fashion Group. 43-45 Baker Street, London, W1U 8EW. +44-20-7486-6998

A Wong, London

A dish of gong bao chicken is surrounded by liquid nitrogen at A Wong restaurant in London.(Lotus via Bloomberg/File)

This low-profile restaurant in Victoria serves some of the most innovative Chinese food in the U.K. Chef Andrew Wong was born in London to a Cantonese family and learned to cook in cities across China. His lunchtime dim sum is as fine as any in London, while it is worth going back to try his 10-course Taste of China dinner menu. 70 Wilton Rd, Victoria, London, SW1V 1DE. +44-20-7828-8931

Reindeer Cafe, London

This restaurant in the Wing Yip store in suburban Cricklewood is a favorite with Chinese families. They are drawn by dishes such as roast pork belly and won ton noodles. It's worth the journey for the authentic flavors of Hong Kong, served in a large and busy room. Unit 3, Wing Yip Centre, 395 Edgware Road, London, NW2 6LN. +44-20-8450-3330 (no website)

New Fortune Cookie, London

This Bayswater restaurant looks like a tourist joint and, indeed, you could fill up on sweet & sour pork followed by banana fritters. But aficionados go for dishes such as steamed scallop and for the roast meats. On a street boasting several Cantonese restaurants, this is a favorite with Chinese diners. 1 Queensway, London, W2 4QJ. +44-20-7727-7260 (no website)

La Bijouterie, Lyon, France

This small restaurant in the center of Lyon is an unusual choice: The chefs are French and it's not even Chinese. But the cooking is inventive and La Bijouterie is known for the fusion dim sum it serves at lunchtime. Fans include New York chef Daniel Boulud, who likes to visit when he returns to his hometown. 16 Rue Hippolyte Flandrin, 69001 Lyon. +33-4-78-08-14-03 (no website)

(Read also: Celebrate year of the rooster at these modern Chinese restaurants)

Mandarin Oriental, Milan

Cocktails and Asian tapas at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan.(Bloomberg/File)

The Hong Kong hotel group is celebrating in Milan with a range of promotions until Feb. 5. There are three special cocktails served with Asian tapas at Mandarin Bar & Bistrot. At the Spa, therapies will be offered at a special price, with Chinese Medicine expert Peiquin Zhao on hand to help guests discover their main element and find a new balance. Via Andegari 9, 20121 Milan. +39-02-8731-8888

Americas

Fung Tu, New York

At Fung Tu in New York, beef short ribs get the Chinese barbecue treatment.(Bloomberg/Paul Wagtouicz)

The cooking at Fung Tu is as cool as its Lower East Side Manhattan location. Chef Jonathan Wu fries duck-stuffed smoked dates as a snack and uses sumptuous crepes rather than standard wrappers for his egg rolls stuffed with chunks of pork belly; instead of spare ribs he cooks succulent beef short ribs char siu, or Chinese barbecue style, so theyre charred and falling apart. To celebrate Chinese New Year, there are three special menus, from a $68 prix fixe of favorites (including those egg rolls and ribs), plus ambitious $88 and $111 tastings (think fried oyster lettuce cups with black truffles). 22 Orchard Street, New York; 212-219-8785

China Blue, New York

Among the elegant dishes at the Shanghai-styled China Blue is a five spice pig's foot terrine.(Bloomberg/Sicheng Chen)

From the owners of the excellent China Cafe, this elegant Shanghai restaurant evinces a sultry 1930s vibe in Tribeca. The vast, sweetly illustrated menu has appetizers like braised tofu with king crab; a selection of the greatest hits of dim sum, like potstickers, soup buns and crystal shrimp dumplings; and, for an entree, richly flavored, fist-sized lions head pork meatballs cooked in a clay pot. 135 Watts Street, New York; 212-431-0111

Hakkasan, New York

A Chinese New Year tradition at Hakkasan: Tossing the Fortune Tale salad high to bring good luck.(Hakkasan via Bloomberg/File)

Like the London original, Hakkasan New York is the epitome of swanky Chinese dining, with fancy touches like a roasted cod whose Chinese honey sauce is spiked with Champagne. Executive chef Tong Chee Hwee is preparing a limited-edition Year of the Rooster menu to be served at all global locations until Feb. 11. The $128 prix fixe is designed to celebrate joy and prosperity with dishes like Fortune Tale salad, made with jellyfish and roast chicken; its tossed tableside, and the higher its tossed the more good luck will purportedly come to the guest. There will also be wishing trees where guests can share their hopes for the coming year. 311 West 43rd Street, New York; 212-776-1818

Mister Jius, San Francisco

Besides its inspired Chinese cooking, Mister Jiu's has a serious cocktail program.(Bloomberg/Kassie Borreson)

At this upscale new restaurant with an expansive view of Chinatown and downtown San Francisco, chef Brandon Jew specializes in unconventional versions of classics. He serves a tea-smoked duck with pancakes and peanut hoisin that goes for $110 and cheong fun, the silky roll made from long strips of rice noodles, with caviar. Theres also a stellar wine list and cocktail selection, named for different types of luck: Wealth is composed of scotch, rye, Lapsang Souchong tea, and apple. 28 Waverly Place, San Francisco; 415-857 9688

(Read also: Chinese-Indonesians spend Rp 10 million on average for Lunar New Year: Survey)

Z & Y, San Francisco

Z & Y in San Francisco specializes in Sichuan dishes with tingling chile oil like couple's delight with beef tendon.(Z & Y Restaurant via Bloomberg/File)

Most of the citys best, most authentic Chinese restaurants are in the Richmond District which can be a trek. Z & Y is more conveniently located for visitors, set in Chinatown near the Financial District. The Sichuan menu features dishes from chef Li Jun Han, who has cooked for Chinese presidents and foreign ministers. On the menu: translucent slices of beef tendon with mouth-numbing Sichuan pepper oil in the dish couples delight; kung pao scallops; and fried chunks of chicken, nestled among a mountain of red chiles. 655 Jackson Street, San Francisco; 415-981-8988

Din Tai Fung, Glendale, Calif.

Soup dumplings (xiao long bao) are the specialty at Din Tai Fung.(Din Tai Fung via Bloomberg/File)

This worldwide chain, famed for their soup dumplings (xiao long bao), started in Taiwan and now extends from Japan to Hong Kong to the U.S. west coast. Theyve expanded out of the San Gabriel Valley (Americas epicenter of Asian cooking) to an upscale pedestrian mall in Glendale, serving up exceedingly delicate, juicy dumplings from plain pork to pork and truffle, plus noodle dishes like Shanghai rice cakes with shrimp. And theyre opening another outpost soon, in Century City, near the future L.A. Eataly. 177 Caruso Avenue, Glendale, CA; 818-551-5561

Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, Vancouver

At Dynasty Seafood restaurant, the view, like the vast Chinese menu, is notable.(Dynasty Seafood via Bloomberg/File)

In a city with some of the best Chinese cuisine in North America, Dynasty still stands out; the black granite and gold dining room boasts views of Vancouver's dramatic skyline and snow-capped mountains. Here, chef Sam Leung reinterprets high-end Cantonese cuisine with of the Pacific Northwest touches, with specialties like sweet crab meat in egg white. Leungs 10-course New Years menu, from CAD $952 ($715) per table, also features seafood. "The menu is designed to evoke prosperity," notes Manager Victor Loo. Case in point: Sauteed scallops in crab cream and braised Australian abalone symbolize fancy gold medallions. 777 West Broadway, Vancouver; 604-876-8388
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Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27 2017

With the celebrations ushering in the Chinese New Year right around the corner, commercial areas and homes in town have been decked out with the festive colors of red and gold and media has been flooded with news and tips on how to make the best of the new lunar year, which comes in the form of a yin fire rooster.

Among the general predictions and predilections to overcome throughout the year made by Chinese astrologers that have been widely distributed on the internet, one thing stands out. For the best of luck, they said, avoid the color red. The rest of the color spectrum is OK, such as yellow and brown, while purple, lavender and green are said to be the best choices of the year.

One cannot make the presumption that Indonesian fashion designers would take the outlook as a cue, but even if it isnt the case they are already on the right track.

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Linkedin Shuhei Kuromi and Seima Oki (The Japan News /ANN) Washington  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Japanese and US governments are making final arrangements to hold the first bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump on February 10 in Washington, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Ahead of the planned talks between the two leaders, Defence Minister Tomomi Inada will hold her first meeting with US counterpart James Mattis in Tokyo early next month.

During the series of talks, the Japanese side will likely affirm with the new Trump administration the importance of the Japan-US alliance. Given that Trump formally announced that the United States will pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, trade policy is also expected to be one of the major agenda items.

Abe plans to soon hold talks with Trump via telephone and finalise the schedule of their meeting.

In November last year, Abe met with Trump in New York for the first time. During their meeting next month, they will likely agree on basic foreign and economic policies to strengthen the alliance.

In particular, Abe and Trump plan to share their assessment of Chinas high-handed maritime advances in the East China Sea and South China Sea as well as North Koreas nuclear and missile development. They will seek close cooperation between their countries on those issues, following the policy course taken by the administration of former US President Barack Obama.

Trump declared that the United States will withdraw from the TPP and said he will proceed with negotiations for bilateral trade agreements instead. Criticising automobile trade as not fair, he is also poised to regard the US trade deficit with Japan as problematic.

It appears it would be difficult to urge Trump to reconsider his decision to leave the TPP. The Japanese and US governments, therefore, are carefully coordinating the particulars of working-level talks on a future trade framework.

Meanwhile, Inada and Mattis will likely confirm bilateral security cooperation during their talks.

Mattis also plans to visit South Korea. It will be the first overseas trip by a Cabinet member of the Trump administration.

Based on an America first policy, Trump called on Japan and South Korea during the US presidential election campaign to shoulder more costs to station US troops in their countries. The burden related to the Japan-US alliance, such as the costs of hosting US troops in Japan, will likely be a focus of attention during the planned Inada-Mattis and Abe-Trump meetings.

Inada plans to explain Japans share of those costs, as well as the expansion of Japans role based on security-related laws.

This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) has made agrarian justice a focus for its members this year.

The agenda was set during the PGIs 2017 working assembly meeting in Salatiga, Central Java, which was opened by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifudin on Friday. Also present during the opening session was Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

The theme Frugal Spirituality: To reach agrarian justice for all! will become the main struggle of [Protestant] churches this year, the PGI press release stated.

At the end of the Jan. 27-31 meeting, the PGI will also make recommendations related to issues faced by Indonesian churches such as religious tolerance and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

The PGI is a communion of 89 Protestant churches.
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Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

An unconvincing performance from Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono during the first official gubernatorial candidates debate has caused a dip in his support in the three-horse race for the top job in the capital, a new survey released Friday suggested.

The Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) found that support for Agus, who is paired with former long-time Jakarta bureaucrat Sylviana Murni, plunged to 22.5 percent in January from 30.8 percent in the previous month, while the incumbent Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama-Djarot Saiful Hidayat ticket topped the poll with 34.8 percent.

The poll, which was conducted in the Jan. 14-20 period with an error margin of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, found that support for the third candidate pair of Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno had slightly risen to 26.4 percent in January from 24.4 percent in December.

The poll found that Agus' support had declined partly because only 17 percent of likely voters who watched the televised official debate on Jan. 13, estimated at 62 percent of the total 641 respondents, said the former army man had outperformed Ahok and Anies during the event.

"The debate aired [on Jan. 13] affected the level of support for all candidates. The more people are satisfied with one candidate's performance the more likely he will come out as a winner [of the election]," SMRC Research Director Deni Irvani told the press.

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) is holding a second official gubernatorial debate focusing on bureaucracy, public services and urban planning on Friday night. (evi)
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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

This year will be the first time for Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and his family to skip dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 28 this year, due to the Jakarta gubernatorial debate.

That means the family will celebrate the new year, locally known as Imlek, at lunch on Saturday, when they will enjoy a feast prepared by Ahoks mother.

[My family and I] usually have dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year, but this time we wont because [I have to attend] the debate session, Ahok said on Thursday.

Ahok must participate in the second gubernatorial debate on the evening of Jan. 27 with his running mate, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, to present their ideas for specific issues in front of the public and their rivals, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni and Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno.

For Chinese New Year, Ahok said that he had prepared angpao (red envelopes containing money) to be given to his relatives during the family gathering.

Im old, so I have not prepared much. But, I would like to give angpao to my relatives, he said.

Ahoks younger sister, Fifi Lety Indra, told The Jakarta Post that the family did not mind the delay because they understood and fully supported Ahok in the gubernatorial race.

Its the first time that we will postpone the family gathering, but its OK, Fifi said on Thursday.

Pork, she said, would be served as always. Their mother usually cooks seven to nine pork dishes.

My mother is a very good cook. She cooks pork every Imlek. She also prepares chicken dishes and noodle dishes, Fifi said.

On Imlek, Fifi said, Ahok would likely spend the day only with the family. He would visit family and older relatives, as is the tradition.

However, since Ahok was the eldest son and their mother now lives with him in Jakarta, Fifi said, most of the family members would gather at Ahoks house in Pantai Mutiara in North Jakarta.

Our family members are not only Christian but also Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu. They will all come, just like how we have a gathering every [Idul Fitri]. Were a Pancasila family, Fifi said.

The new year will welcome the year of the fire rooster.

There are 12 Chinese zodiacs and Ahok was born in 1966, the year of the fire horse. According to some, people born in the year of the horse are believed to have energetic personalities but can be self-centered.

A horse never eats grass behind him and because I am a fire horse, I will burn all of the woods that hamper me, Ahok said when asked about his zodiac fortune and hopes for 2017.

Agus is also a horse, being born in 1978, but he is an earth horse to be specific. Anies was born in 1969 and is an earth rooster. People born with such a sign are believed to be generous and trustworthy.
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Finance Ministry confirmed on Friday that a former civil servant, who was recently deported by Turkish authorities for allegedly trying to join the Islamic State (IS) group, was dismissed from his job late last year.

The ministrys communications bureau head Nufransa Wira Sakti said that the former civil servant, previously identified as Triyono Utomo Abdul Bakti, 40, had tendered his resignation in February 2016 as he wanted to take care of an orphanage in Bogor, West Java.

We could not contact him afterwards, Nufransa said.

Triyono holds a masters degree in public policy from Flinders University of South Australia, where he studied from 2008 to 2009. The ministry officially approved Triyonos resignation six months later.

After he was dismissed, his activities could no longer be linked to the ministry, Nufransa said, adding that the ministry had no plans to provide legal assistance for Triyono.

(Read also: 220 Indonesians deported from Turkey)

Triyono, his wife and their three children aged 13, 8 and 6 arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on Tuesday evening on an Emirates flight from Dubai. They were immediately taken into custody by the Bali Police.

According to a preliminary investigation, the five North Jakarta residents departed from Indonesia in mid-August for Thailand, where they had contacted a person by the name of Abu Yazid, before continuing their journey to Turkey.

Police said the family had intended to head to Syria, but had been caught by local authorities. (hwa)
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Jan 26 (PTI) Capping days of aggressive posturing that marked uncertainty over forging of ties with BJP for upcoming civic polls including BMC, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today announced his party would go solo but remained non-committal whether it would continue as a junior alliance partner in the NDA government.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the "change" will happen in state irrespective of whoever comes along with BJP, while state unit president asserted that state government will complete its full term.

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In a combative speech aimed at galvanising his party workers, Thackeray raked up the controversy over replacement of Mahatma Gandhis photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modis on calenders of Khadi Udyog.

"I have not received any call from any senior leader in BJP. Shiv Sena is 50 years old; however, the 25 years of our time in alliance (with BJP) is rotten one. We always hailed you (BJP) on Hindutva issue. However, Sena is not born for the sake of power. Whoever tries to underestimate Sena, we will ensure they will be uprooted," he told the gathering of party workers and leaders at suburban Goregaon.

Blaming BJP for "insulting" Sena, he said, "Sena will not go for an alliance in upcoming civic elections. We will unfurl the bhagva (saffron) flag in Maharashtra all alone."

While Sena is a junior alliance partner in the NDA governments at Centre and in Maharashtra, it is a ruling party in the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, where it has been in power with the BJP for over two decades.

Thackeray said Sena needed foot soldiers who had the "courage to launch a frontal attack, instead of indulging in "back-stabbing".

"Once I have taken the decision, I do not want anybody to question it. If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go it alone in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody with a begging bowl for alliance and will not be at anybodys mercy. I have decided there will be no alliance for any of the coming municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls," he said evoking huge applause.

Referring to recent protests in Tamil Nadu, he said the next months polls are no less than jallikattu where "a bull needs to be tamed" once and for all.

The last straw on the fate of alliance came when Sena whittled down BJPs claim to contest 114 out of total 227 seats for BMC to mere 60.

The talks for the civic polls dragged on as both the parties engaged in muscle-flexing over seat-sharing formula.

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In the 2012 BMC polls, Sena had contested 158 seats and won 75, whereas the BJP won 32 out of 69 seats it had fought.

Elections to 10 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur, would be held on February 21. Elections to 25 zilla parishads will be held in two phases, on February 16 and February 21. (More) PTI MM KRK NSK ZMN

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

Antasari Azhar, former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) head and murder convict who was recently granted clemency by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, attended the second Jakarta gubernatorial debate at Bidakara Hotel, South Jakarta, on Friday.

Wearing a brown batik shirt, Antasari arrived at the debate venue with United Development Party (PPP) chairman Djan Faridz.

He was warmly welcomed by incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat's supporters as he entered the Birawa auditorium, the debate venue. He later sat in the VIP section of Ahok-Djarot's supporter group.

Antasari said that he only wanted to watch the debate. "I'm only observing because its about bureaucratic reform and public service," he said, referring to the debates main themes. Antasari was also reluctant to reveal which candidate he supported.

"I support Jokowi because he granted me clemency," he said jokingly.

(Read also: Jokowi welcomes Antasari to State Palace)

Antasari was freed on Thursday after being locked up for 7.5 years. Declared guilty by the Tangerang District Court in 2009, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison in a high-profile murder case involving a businessman and his alleged love affair with a female caddy.

The clemency granted by President Jokowi commuted the remaining six years of his sentence following the Law and Human Rights Ministry granting him parole after he had two-thirds of his sentence. He also received a total 4.5 years of sentence cuts from the ministry.
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

Chinese-Indonesians are allocating Rp 10.7 million (US$800) on average this year for the celebration of Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday, a survey released on Friday by private lender United Overseas Bank (UOB) Indonesia showed.

Of the figure, more than a third was slated for traveling while 20 percent was for angpao (envelopes containing cash) for relatives and elders, the survey, which involved 500 respondents aged between 18 and 55, suggested.

The biggest chunk of angpao money, meanwhile, was set to go to parents and parents-in-law, with an average of Rp 752,256 and Rp 646,470 per angpao, respectively.

(Read also: Digging the meaning of Chinese New Year cuisine)

"The increase in Indonesian middle- and high-income groups has had a positive impact on the country with higher household spending, said UOB Indonesias head of personal financial services, Lynn Ramli.

Some 77 percent of the respondents were confident Indonesia would continue to have a strong economy this year.

For respondents intending to travel to celebrate Chinese New Year, Southeast Asian countries are the favored destination, followed by Japan, with 41 percent and 21 percent of respondents planning a trip to the destinations, respectively. (hwa)
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Trade Ministry plans to increase the export reference price for crude palm oil (CPO) to US$815.52 per ton in February, up 3.46 percent from $788.26 per ton in January

The new reference price follows a Finance Ministry decision to increase export duty for the product by sixfold in February to $18 per ton from $3 this month.

The CPO reference price has increased and stands at above US$800. Thus, the government has decided to impose export duty on CPO at $18 per ton for February 2017, said the Trade Ministrys director general for foreign trade, Dody Edward.

(Read also: CPO output to fall to 30m tons: Gapki)

Indonesia is the worlds largest CPO-exporting country, producing almost half of 15.7 million tons exported by global producers in 2015.

While the export price reference and export tax for wood and leather products will remain the same until February, the price reference for cacao beans, meanwhile, decreased by 5.61 percent to $2,212.36 per ton in the same period.

"The decrease in the cacao beans price and export price reference are due to the falling international price of the commodity Dody said. (hwa)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, January 27, 2017

A former police officer was shot dead in North Sumatra on Thursday night, reportedly while attempting to smuggle drugs as part of a transnational narcotics syndicate.

Asahan Police chief Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan Atmaja said on Friday that the former officer, identified only by the initials BT, was involved in a Malaysia-Medan-Jakarta drug ring and had become the target of a police operation.

Tatan said BT was transporting 7 kilograms of sabu (crystal methamphetamine) from Malaysia in a minivan when passing through Asahan regency, North Sumatra, on his way to Medan. The syndicate members sped up when police tried to stop them. The police pursued them and shot them because they ignored warning shots, he said.

BT died on the way to a hospital while his friend AL suffered injuries and two women in the car, E and A, were arrested.

BT was a former Tanah Karo Police officer, according to Tatan.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

A former Indonesian civil servant who was recently deported from Turkey sold all of his familys possessions to finance their joining the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said on Friday that the former Finance Ministry civil servant, identified as Triyono Utomo Abdul Sakti, 40, was lured to join the extremist group because he and his family wanted to live in a sharia-based state.

The family planned to go to Syria via Turkey. They kept moving from one place to another in Turkey before being arrested together with 20 other people on Jan. 16, Martinus said. Turkish authorities deported Triyono, his wife and their three children, aged 13, 8 and 6. They arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on Tuesday evening and were immediately taken into custody by the Bali Police.

The Densus 88 counterterrorism squad will further investigate the family upon their arrival in Jakarta, kompas.com reported.

The five North Jakarta residents reportedly departed from Indonesia in mid-August for Thailand, where they contacted a person by the name of Abu Yazid before continuing their journey to Turkey.

Triyono quit his civil servant job in February 2016.
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

Major gold and copper miner Freeport Indonesia is currently reviewing the governments newest set of regulations that allow the continued exportation of certain minerals in exchange for a contract conversion and a commitment to build a smelter.

Freeport Indonesia president director Chappy Hakim guaranteed that the firm, a subsidiary of US giant Freeport McMoRan, would comply with the fourth revision of Government Regulation No. 23/2010 on the management of mineral and coal businesses, and other relevant regulations.

Since the government regulation has just been issued, Freeport Indonesia is currently trying to reposition itself to see how it can continue to survive. However, this means we cannot give anymore explanations [about the issue] as the process has not been completed, he said during a seminar on the firms business strategies at the University of Indonesia (UI) in Depok, West Java, on Friday.

(Read also: Trumps shadow over Freeport wont bend Indonesia)

Under the latest government regulation and subsequent energy and mineral resources ministerial decrees, Freeport Indonesia is obligated to agree to have its contract of work (CoW) converted into a special mining permit (IUPK) if it wants to continue exporting copper concentrate for the next five years.

Furthermore, the regulation stipulates that the firm must also build a smelter by the end of the five years, and the progress will be evaluated by the government every six months.

Moreover, Freeport Indonesia must immediately divest 51 percent of its shares to the state, or other relevant institutions and enterprises, instead of the 30 percent it was originally obligated to divest. (hwa)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27 2017

Representatives of the Myanmar government visited the Jakarta Smart City headquarters in City Hall on Thursday to learn about city management.

Myanmar Home Minister Secretary U Tin Myint said he had learned many things during his visit to Indonesia as there were similarities between the governments of both countries.

The aim of the visit was to learn about how the Indonesian government is dealing with their problems, especially those in Jakarta, he said as reported by beritajakarta.com.

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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The tax authority is flexing its muscles to teach tax evaders a thing or two about the consequences of money laundering, namely the confiscation of their assets.

The strategy is based on the assumption that the existing minimal repercussions do not provide a sufficient deterrent effect for potential tax evaders.

The perpetrators are brave enough to repeat their crimes in the future if they are only facing several years in prison, Taxation Directorate General law enforcement director Dadang Suwarna said on Thursday.

That, however, will change as the tax office seeks to fully implement the Countermeasure and Eradication of Money Laundering (TPPU) Law.

With [the anti-money] laundering law, they will think twice before committing such acts because all of their assets, including those owned in the names of their family members, will be confiscated, Dadang said.

The law was actually passed in 2010, but money laundering investigations were rarely conducted as part of tax evasion cases.

The tax offices move to bring its seven-year-old authority into play comes on the back of a stubbornly low tax compliance ratio and the governments pursuance of higher tax revenues.

The office is convinced that by carrying out money laundering investigations, tax compliance will improve in the future, believing that asset confiscations will create a deterrent effect that would prevent former tax evaders from re-offending.

Indonesias current tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio stands at below 11 percent, the lowest among its regional peers, despite it being the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

In 2016, the government only managed to reap Rp 1.1 quadrillion (US$82.55 billion), 81.5 per- cent of its tax revenue target.

The tax office completed 58 alleged tax evasion cases as of last year, 40 of which have been considered legitimate by the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) to be followed up for prosecution in the court.

Suspects in the 40 cases can avoid being tried in court if they agree to pay their tax arrears, plus a 400 percent fine as stipulated in the General Taxation System (KUP) Law.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the tax office announced it had confiscated assets totaling Rp 26.8 billion from Amie Hamid, a businessman accused of laundering the proceeds from selling fake tax invoices worth Rp 123.4 billion.

He reportedly gained more than Rp 49 billion from the sales.

The confiscated assets comprise Rp 441 million in cash from a canceled apartment purchase, eight pieces of land and buildings worth a combined Rp 24.5 billion, and nine vehicles valued at Rp 1.9 billion.

The tax office has handed the confiscated assets over to the South Jakarta Prosecutors Office. If found guilty of money laundering, Amie faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and a Rp 10 billion fine.

The money laundering investigation itself is a follow-up of a previous probe into Amies falsification of tax invoices, which saw him sentenced to two years in prison and a Rp 246.8 billion fine in 2016.

Darussalam, managing partner at the Danny Darussalam Tax Center (DDTC), said the government should send a signal of strong law enforcement to the public, especially after its tax amnesty program ends in March.

The amnesty can widen the taxpayer database, which will be essential to establish long-term tax compliance, he said.

But there should also be a commitment to building public trust and a spirit of providing better tax services. With such efforts, there will be stronger tax compliance, whether it is enforced or voluntary post-tax amnesty, he said.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Fri, January 27 2017

Bungo regency in Jambi province recorded a higher number of HIV/AIDS cases last year, a health official said on Thursday.

Data from the regencys health agency showed that the number reached 16 cases throughout 2016, increasing from 13 cases in 2015, three of which were fatal cases.

Acting head of the agency, Dini Silvia, said that HIV/AIDS occurred mainly due to drug abuse  in which drug addicts shared needles and engaged in unprotected sex.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Friday morning left the capital for Yogyakarta to attend a ceremony to break ground on the construction of the provinces new airport, which will be built in Kulon Progo regency.

The State Palace said the President was being accompanied by First Lady Iriana and a number of high-ranking officials, including Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and State Secretary Pratikno, during his visit to Yogyakarta.

(Read also: Govt to speed up new Yogyakarta airport)

State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I previously said it would need over Rp 9 trillion (US$673 million) for the development of infrastructure and the acquisition of land for the airport.

The company hopes to complete the development of the new airport by 2020. It will be connected to the city center via a toll road and railway. The airport is expected to accommodate 50 million passengers annually. It will replace Adisutjipto International Airport, which serves 3.5 million passengers a year, exceeding its stated capacity of 1.5 million passengers annually. (hwa)
Though Shiv Sena has parted ways with BJP in the forthcoming elections to the municipal corporations and district panchayats, the two parties are still in alliance at two other levels - Assembly and Parliament.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday announced snapping of his party's alliance with BJP for the upcoming civic elections across Maharashtra. This is not the first time that Shiv Sena will field candidates against BJP in their 28-year-old alliance relationship. The two had contested the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections separately.

It is unlikely that Thackeray would have taken the decision in a huff. He must have weighed the pros and cons before severing Shiv Sena's age-old ties with BJP.

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Though Shiv Sena has parted ways with BJP in the forthcoming elections to the municipal corporations and district panchayats, the two parties are still in alliance at two other levels - Assembly and Parliament.

The number of seats won by Shiv Sena has been continuously decreasing over the years. Conversely, BJP has been improving its performance with each passing election. Trend of the recent past suggests that Shiv Sena may be the loser in the ongoing political one-upmanship with BJP, and this is how:

LOK SABHA

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, while Shiv Sena won 18 seats, BJP bagged 23.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena was ahead of BJP by winning 11 seats. BJP had won nine seats then.

But in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, while BJP won 13 seats, Shiv Sena was victorious on 12 seats.

Overall, BJP has been ahead of Shiv Sena as far as Lok Sabha elections are concerned.

Also read: Shiv Sena chief says no alliance with BJP for Mumbai civic polls

ASSEMBLY

BJP and Shiv Sena entered into alliance for the first time in 1989. Since then, Shiv Sena has won on more number of seats than BJP in every Assembly election except in 2014. However, even though BJP has bagged lesser number of seats, its performance has been better than Shiv Sena.

BJP's strike rate has always been better than that of Shiv Sena. Despite contesting on lesser number of seats, BJP has not remained far behind Shiv Sena in registering victory on the number of seats.

In the 2014 State polls, the two parties contested separately and fielded candidates against each other. While BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena bagged 63 of the 288 seats. For the first time ever, BJP contested separately and it won far more number of seats than its alliance partner. Though BJP fell short of majority, Shiv Sena offered support to run an coalition government.

In the 2009 Assembly elections, BJP won 46 of the 119 seats contested. On the other hand, Shiv Sena 44 out of 160 seats that it contested.

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Similarly, in the 2004 polls, BJP contested 111 seats and won 54. On the other hand, Shiv Sena fought on 163 seats and won 62.

In the 1999 Assembly elections, BJP contested 117 seats and won 56. Shiv Sena, on the other hand, contested 161 seats and won 69.

In the 1995 polls, BJP contested on 116 seats and won 65 while Shiv Sena contested on 169 seats, winning 73.

In 1990, the first Assembly election after the two parties entered into an alliance, BJP contested 104 seats and won 42. Shiv Sena contested 183 seats and bagged 52.

Clearly, it shows that had BJP contested on more seats, its winning tally would have been greater. This was amplified in the 2014 Assembly elections.

Also read: Khadi row: Shiv Sena MP calls PM Modi self-obsessed, BJP hits back

NAGAR PANCHAYAT AND NAGAR PARISDHAD

The BJP performed handsomely in the Nagar Panchayat and Nagar Parishad elections held in Maharashtra in November last year soon after the demonetisation initiative. BJP's seats increased three to four folds. It won more than 1000 seats while Shiv Sena came fourth by bagging around 400 seats. The number of its corporators and councilors decreased in the rural elections.

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LOCAL BODIES

Shiv Sena's graph has been consistently falling in at least the past three municipal and zila parishad elections. Elections would be held in 10 municipal corporations, including in Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Akola, Pune, Thane, Amrawati, Solapur, Ulhasnagar and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

In elections held to the prestigious and cash-rich Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Shiv Sena bagged 103, 97 and 75 seats out of the total 227 in 2002, 2007 and 2012 respectively.

If the trend continues, the Sena's figure is likely to dip further. The snapping of ties with BJP may cost it dear.

Also watch: Shiv Sena rules out alliance with BJP for civic polls in Maharashtra

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared on Thursday Constitutional Court (MK) justice Patrialis Akbar and three others suspects in a bribery case.

KPK deputy chairperson Basaria Panjaitan said Patrialis had allegedly received bribes of US$20,000 and S$200,000 from the three suspects who are businessmen from a beef importing company.

The company hoped Pak (Patrialis) could sway a judicial review of a law on husbandry that is being reviewed by the court in favor of the company, Basaria said in a press conference at the KPK building in South Jakarta.

She said the four suspects were arrested along with seven other people in several places in Jakarta on Wednesday.

She added that Patrialis, who served as law and human rights minister under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), was nabbed at Grand Indonesia shopping mall in Central Jakarta.

The status of the seven people is still that of witnesses so far, she added. (jun)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, January 27 2017

Authorities in North Sumatra are gearing up for the Chinese New Year celebration after a year marred by a series of intolerant incidents, including a violent anti-Chinese riot.

Police claimed to have intelligence reports warning of violence during the celebration of Chinese New Year, locally known as Imlek, which falls on Saturday.

Thats the prediction; there are indications that intolerant activities will occur, just like what happened in Tanjung Balai, Padang Sidempuan, North Sumatra Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Rina Sari Ginting told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a meeting with Buddhist leaders on Wednesday.

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Linkedin Ina Parlina and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27 2017

The arrest of Constitutional Court (MK) justice Patrialis Akbar for his alleged role in a bribery case has further sunk the reputation of the court, which had barely recovered following the sentencing of its former chief justice Akil Mochtar to life imprisonment two years ago.

Investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Patrialis on Wednesday night in a sting operation following a tip-off that the MK justice would accept a delivery of cash in connection with a judicial review currently being carried out by the court.

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Linkedin Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Kupang  Fri, January 27 2017

An Australian court has decided to proceed with the lawsuit filed by a group of fisherfolk demanding compensation for environmental damage caused by oil spills in the Timor Sea, turning down a request to abort the case from the company that is allegedly responsible for the damage.

The Federal Court of Australia in Sydney ruled on Tuesday that Daniel Sanda can represent thousands of seaweed farmers in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) in the lawsuit against PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP Australasia), the operator of the Montara oil field that had a huge spill in 2009.

Judge John Griffiths, who is in charge of the case, said at Tuesdays hearing that he accepted the lawsuit filed by Daniel Sanda, who represents 13,000 NTT fisherfolk standing against PTTEP Australasia, the chairman of the advocacy team of the victims of the Montara oil spill contamination, Ferdi Tanoni, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday night.

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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27 2017

Australia has been urged to act immediately and capture the perpetrator of a crime on an Indonesian mission abroad, as tensions between the neighbors rise and fall on the back of recent skirmishes.

During a six-hour closed-door meeting with lawmakers, the government was grilled about the recent skirmishes with Australia and was asked to push Australia into resolving a criminal offense against the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) member Dahliah Umar said on Friday that the commission had invited national executives of all political parties to attend the second official gubernatorial election debate slated for Friday evening at the Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta.

We sent the invitations yesterday, Dahliah said as quoted by kompas.com.

Previously, the commission had only invited the parties provincial executives, she added.

We saw the huge enthusiasm from the public. Matters related to Jakarta as Indonesias capital are attractive to the general public, Dahliah said.

As of Friday afternoon, however, none of the party leaders had confirmed their attendance.

The second debate will discuss bureaucratic reform, public services and urban planning.

Unlike the first debate, which had only one moderator, the second debate will feature two moderators  namely TV presenter Tina Talisa and public administration expert and former deputy bureaucratic reform minister Eko Prasojo.

(Read also: Jakarta Election: Second clash to see fiercer exchanges)

Three candidate pairs are competing to be the next Jakarta governor and deputy governor.

Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni are supported by the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP).

The incumbent Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama-Djarot Saiful Hidayat ticket is backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the Hanura Party and the Nasdem Party.

Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno, meanwhile, are supported by the Gerindra Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). (bbs)
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Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose eldest son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono is currently running in the Jakarta gubernatorial elections, might not attend the second official debate, a campaign team spokesperson said Friday.

"I dont think Pak SBY [Yudhoyono's nickname] is coming to the debate. [The debate] is purely a time for Agus to clearly demonstrate his ideas and programs," Agus camp spokesperson Andi Nurpati told reporters.

Agus and his running mate Sylviana Murni, a former long-time Jakarta bureaucrat, are bracing for the debate on Friday evening at Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta, along with the other two candidate pairs  Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama-Djarot Saiful Hidayat and Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno.

(Read also: Agus doesnt need to change debate style: Annisa Pohan)

Agus is backed by the Democratic Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP).

Analysts have suggested that Democratic Party patron Yudhoyono is attempting to groom Agus  a former major in the Indonesian Military (TNI)  as his political heir by naming him as the Dem's preferred candidate in the Jakarta election slated for Feb. 15.

Asked whether Yudhoyono had provided special training for Agus prior to the second debate, Andi, a Dems politician, responded that Agus had "received enough political capital" from his father. "As a former president who governed the country for 10 years, he [Yudhoyono] has more than enough political experience to share with Agus." (trw)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Jakarta Police have readied 1,800 personnel to secure the second official Jakarta gubernatorial election debate at the Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta on Friday evening.

The security personnel will include policewomen and Gegana bomb squad and Mobile Brigade personnel, South Jakarta Police spokesman Comr. Purwanta said on Friday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He said it was also expected that the event, which would kick off at 8 p.m., would cause traffic congestion on streets around the hotel.

(Read also: Political party leaders invited to second election debate: KPU Jakarta)

According to Purwanta, the venue will be sealed off at 4 p.m. to allow the police, including the bomb squad, to thoroughly check the venue to ensure that is free of items that could be harmful.

Only 100 supporters from each of the three tickets will be allowed to enter the room, he said as quoted by kompas.com. (bbs)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The government is calling on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to contribute to coordinated efforts to accelerate the development of the Mandalika special economic zone in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), as one of the countrys newly designated tourist magnets.

SOEs are encouraged to develop synergy in accelerating the development of the area, which is known as a marine tourist attraction, cruise destination and the worlds best halal tourism destination, SOEs Ministry secretary Imam Apriyanto Putro said on Friday during a corporate social responsibility (CSR) event in Mandalika, as quoted by Antara news agency.

SOEs Minister Rini Soemarno, who also attended the event, said such synergy could be realized in the form of infrastructure development and support for local communities.

(Read also: Mandalika ready to welcome tourists in 2018)

The state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has been tasked with handling the development of the Mandalika special economic zone, which covers 1,171 hectares.

The government previously said it would focus on the development of 10 emerging tourist destinations in a bid to attract 20 million foreign tourist arrivals by 2019.

Aside from Mandalika, the selected priority destinations include Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Bromo in East Java, Tanjung Lesung in Banten and Morotai in North Maluku. Thousand Islands off the coast of Jakarta and Yogyakarta are also among the destinations set to be developed. (hwa)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) has admitted that TV presenter Tina Talisa, who will co-moderate the second official Jakarta gubernatorial election debate on Friday evening, had hosted several political party events, but claimed it wouldn't necessarily affect her neutrality.

"Tina said she was invited to several political parties events to speak about political communication," KPU Jakarta commissioner Dahlia Umar said on Friday.

She asserted that Tina had never been a political party member.

Dahlia added that Tina had told her the events were organized by the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party, the Golkar Party and a youth wing of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

"She has never been a political party member and has no political affiliations that would lead her to support any candidate in past presidential or regional elections," Dahlia said.

The appointment of Tina has raised concerns due to the fact that she is a sister-in-law of Mirwan Amir, a former Democratic Party candidate who recently jumped ship to the Hanura Party.

While the Democratic Party supports the Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni ticket, Hanura backs the incumbent ticket of Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

(Read also: Tina Talisa brushes off bias accusations)

Previously, Tina said that when KPU Jakarta asked her to be the a co-moderator for the second debate, she was required to sign a written statement declaring that she would maintain her impartiality and would not advantage or disadvantage any candidates.

I have signed the statement and I will absolutely respect it, Tina said. (bbs)
A woman has been charged with attempted murder of her two-year-old son after she threw him down the stairs during a fight with her in-laws in southeast Delhi.

By India Today Web Desk: In an extremely disturbing incident captured on CCTV camera, a woman threw her two-year-old son down the stairs after a fight with in-laws.

The incident took place in southeast Delhi. The CCTV footage from the home shows the woman, identified as Sonu Gupta, picking up her sleeping son and flinging him down the stairs.

The child, named Anshu, has suffered serious injuries on head and face. He is being treated at the AIMS hospital.

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Sonu's husband Nitin Gupta, a businessman, later lodged a complaint with the police. Sonu has been charged with attempt to murder on the basis of the complaint.

The incident is said to have occurred on Saturday, the Nitin took the matter to the police on Tuesday. The family says that the accused has been unusually aggressive and that they installed two CCTV cameras to capture proof of Sonu's wild behaviour.

The CCTV footage shows Sonu as highly agitated and shouting before picking up her sleeping son from the bed and rushing to the iron door. Sonu opens the door and hurls the child down the stairs. She was screaming all the while.

The footage shows the grandparents of the child running down the stairs for two-year-old kid.

Nitin Gupta and Sonu got married five years ago. Nitin runs a cosmetic shop.

Police are now probing the allegations leveled by the Gupta family.

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

State railway operator Kereta Api Indonesias (KAI) Jakarta division has revealed that most train tickets for trips connecting major destinations had sold out for the Chinese New Year weekend, between Jan. 27 and Jan. 30, despite additional trains being rolled out.

KAI Jakarta spokesperson Sapto Hartoyo said the company provided 33,560 seats daily to various routes during the Chinese New Year weekend, including 4,500 seats on additional trains.

Among the favorite cities for travelers from Jakarta are Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Cirebon, he said on Friday.

This year's Chinese New Year falls on Saturday.

(Read also: Chinese-Indonesians spend Rp 10 million on average for Lunar New Year: Survey)

The company revealed that for Friday, train tickets from Jakartas Gambir and Pasar Senen stations heading to Surabaya and Malang in East Java and to Surakarta and Cilacap in Central Java and Yogyakarta were all sold out.

On Saturday, most morning trips to similar destinations were also sold out. (hwa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017

Jakarta gubernatorial candidate pair Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno has vowed not to launch attacks on the other two tickets during the second official debate slated for Friday evening at the Bidakara Hotel in South Jakarta.

God willing, we will only focus on our proposed programs, deputy gubernatorial candidate Sandiaga said on Friday as quoted by Kompas.com.

His statement was echoed by Anies after he performed Friday prayers at the At-Taqwa Mosque in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

After the first debate on Jan. 13, Anies and Sandiaga expressed their regrets that other candidates had attacked them.

(Read also: Political party leaders invited to second election debate: KPU Jakarta)

Incumbent candidate Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, for example, insinuated that Anies communicated in a lecturers style due to his background as the former rector of Paramadina University.

Separately, General Elections Commission (KPU) Jakarta commissioner Dahliah Umar said that launching attacks against other candidates arguments or opinions during the debate was permitted.

Jakarta governor and deputy governor candidates Anies Baswedan (second from right) and Sandiaga Uno (right) respond to queries raised by incumbent candidate pair Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama (left) and Djarot Saiful Hidayat (second from right) during the first candidates debate in Jakarta on Jan.13. (Antara/M.Agung Rajasa)

You may attack but remain proportional. Candidates must engage in an exchange of arguments relevant to the issues being discussed, she said as quoted by Kompas.com.

She also reminded the candidates that they should respond to the questions with straight-forward and clear answers.

The three topics to be discussed in the debate are bureaucratic reform, public services and urban planning.

[If] the debate is carried out sincerely, without manipulation, voters can judge the candidates honesty, quality, competence and capacity, she said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017 16:20 2108 9b519824cb3263083aedb70a0bd171eb 4 News bali,Chinese-New-Year,Holiday,travel,destination Free

Aside from Phuket and Jeju, Bali has become one of the most favored destinations for Chinese tourists to spend their Chinese New Year holiday starting from Jan 27 to Feb. 2. The three places are preferred as they either can be reached by cruise ship, offer tropical island leisure or fun in the snow.

Going on cruises is a new trend for Chinese travelers, especially those who go on vacation with their families, said Zhang Lingyun, director of Beijing Tourism Academy, as quoted by kompas.com.

It is estimated that the number of Chinese tourists who have made reservations on a cruise ship this year has tripled compared to last years numbers during Chinese New Year holiday.

(Read also: Colorful market in Semarang welcomes Chinese New Year)

According to a report from China National Tourism Academy (CNTA), it is predicted that the amount of Chinese tourists who travel abroad will be up to 6 million people. The number has seen a 48 percent annual increase for the Chinese New Year holiday period.

Based on a record from China Tourism Academy, 122 million Chinese tourists had traveled outside their country in 2016 and spent a combined US$109.8 million on their trips. This is 16 percent higher than local tourists' expenditures within China.

Other favorite destinations for Chinese tourists include Australia, New Zealand, England, and the United States. (asw)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017 09:34 2108 9b519824cb3263083aedb70a0bcf8fbd 1 News Emirates,Airlines,#airlines,passengers,first-class,pajama Free

Dubai-based airline Emirates has taken service differentiation to a whole new level as it now provides not silk or cotton but seaweed-infused pajamas for its first-class passengers.

Dubbed the worlds first moisturizing loungewear designed for an airline, the fabric of the pajamas is created with hydra active microcapsule technology composed of billions of capsules that release moisturizing sea kelp during movement, as stated by Emirates on its website.

This new perk aims to prevent first-class passengers from getting dry skin, which can occur on long-haul flights, and allow them to leave their flight feeling as rejuvenated as when they boarded.

(Read also: Dining in the sky: Inside Emirates in-flight catering)

The sleeping suits  along with their moisturizing ability  are said to last around 10 washes, so they can also be worn post-flight. If that does not make passengers experience cozy enough, the carrier is also offering faux sheepskin blankets, slippers and eye masks for extra comfort.

Classy leather kits consisting of the aforementioned items will be available in eight designs for Emirates' first-class travelers on overnight flights. (nik/kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, January 27, 2017 11:36 2108 9b519824cb3263083aedb70a0bd04894 4 News barongsai,barongsai-underwater,Ancol,AncolDreamlandPark,SeaWorld,Chinese-New-Year,#ChineseNewYear,imlek,#Imlek Free

Prior to Chinese New Year, barongsai (lion dance) performances can easily be found at shopping malls across Jakarta. But those looking to enjoy a unique version of the dance can consider visiting Seaworld at Ancol Dreamland recreation park in North Jakarta.

Slated to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 and 29 at the main aquarium, Seaworld will host a barongsai show where dancers will dive alongside thousands of fish. Visitors will also be able to participate in a Maumere dance performance at the venue.

According to kompas.com, barongsai performances can also be seen at other sites in Ancol, such as the Atlantis Water Adventure waterpark on Jan. 28 at 1:10 p.m. and 3:10 p.m.; and the Ocean Dream Samudra edutainment theme park where dancers will be joined by dolphins.

(Read also: Closer look at Chinese New Year preparations)

Meanwhile, Ancols popular amusement park Dunia Fantasi (Dufan) is set to distribute angpao (envelopes containing money), a popular tradition at Chinese New Year. Scheduled for Jan. 28 and 29 at 4:30 p.m., the management has reportedly prepared up to 2,568 angpao containing cash ranging from Rp 5,000 (37 US cents) to Rp 100,000, as well as food and beverages.

The peak of Ancol's Chinese New Year celebrations will take place at Lagoon Beach starting from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., featuring barongsai, dance and wushu performances and the release of 300 lanterns. (wir/kes)
By Press Trust of India: Bilateral trade has almost doubled since the two countries

Bilateral trade has almost doubled since the two countries signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2005. Now it stands at 21.7 billion Singapore dollar (USD 15.2 billion). Singapores investments in India have grown nearly 20 times over that same period, to 19.4 billion dollar (USD 13.5 billion).

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"Singapore is now one of the top foreign investors in India, with quality investments in ports, logistics, manufacturing and an array of other sectors," Lim said.

In 2015, Singapore and India relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership.

"Now into its second year, this Strategic Partnership serves as the roadmap to guide cooperation in key areas ranging from defence, finance, aviation and the arts to smart cities and skills development," he said.

During his visit, Prime Minister Lee witnessed the launch of a Centre for Excellence in Tourism Training in Udaipur, and now Singapore was also exploring a collaboration to develop skills training in North East India.

Another area in which Singapore is working closely with India is smart cities and urban solutions.

"Our companies helped masterplan Andhra Pradeshs new capital city Amaravati, and are now bidding to develop the core of the city," Lim said, adding that India was one of the first countries to offer its hand in friendship to Singapore when it gained independence.

"In the nearly 52 years since then, our relationship has grown from strength to strength. With this solid foundation in place, I am confident our close bilateral relations will continue to thrive for generations to come," he said.

Meanwhile, Indias High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf underlined Singapores role as Indias foremost partners in the development quest.

"In India, we say that Singapore is a nation that is perfecting the present, even as its eyes are firmly fixed on the future. Just as Singapores achievements show that size is no barrier to the scale of a nations success, our relationship demonstrates that difference in size ? of five million (in Singapore) and 1.25 billion (in India) ? is no constraint to the strength of a partnership," Ashraf said.

"Our political relations are smooth and strong. And there is no area of human endeavor and national aspirations in which we are not building close and productive partnerships.

"It is a relationship that truly fits the character of a Strategic Partnership. And, so does our shared commitment to take it to higher levels.

"For India, Singapore is the leading source and destination for investments, and a key partner in many areas of our development priorities," Ashraf added. PTI GS CPS AKJ CPS

--- ENDS ---

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The New York City Sheriff has been staying busy lately on the Lower East Side. We hear from the office of State Sen. Daniel Squadron that authorities seized a bus owned by Yep Tours last night. The bus was returned after the firm paid more than $4,000 in fines associated with illegal operations in the area around Pike Street and East Broadway.

On Jan. 11, the sheriff conducted a similar enforcement action, collecting $15,000 from Yep Tours. The company has been operating for many months without a New York City permit, a violation of state law. It had avoided paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. But a task force convened by Squadron has been working to step up enforcement. Squadron has praised the sheriffs department as well as the 5th and 7th precincts for making the issue a high priority.

In both cases (last night and on Jan,11), the sheriff was armed with a court order. Civil court documents dated Jan. 26 show that the citys Department of Finance was authorized to collect payment from Yep Tours through the seizure of personal property.

Yep Tours applied for a permit at 2 Pike St. this past fall. The Department of Transportation has told us the application is still under review.
State Pollution Control Boards of UP, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh filed an appeal against NGT's norms for appointing their chiefs.

By Baishali Adak: It seems State Pollution Control Boards wish to have a free hand in appointing their chairpersons and member secretaries, irrespective of their suitability for the post. At least, SPCBs of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh have now filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against an NGT (National Green Tribunal) order of September 2015.

This order asked them to appoint their top officers on the basis of "special knowledge, practical experience or qualification in environment protection studies." It said the criterion should not just be their "association with the state government", and asked for the new appointments to be made in three months.

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The case was heard by Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Prafulla C Pant on January 13, and it had ordered notices on the appeal and also on the application for interim stay on the NGT order. A resident of Uttarakhand, Rajendra Singh Bhandari, had approached NGT early in 2015, challenging the constitution of SPCBs.

An NGT bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said, "State governments are to notify the rules under Water and Air Act expeditiously specifying the qualifications and experiences required for post of chairman/member secretary. The post should be advertised and thrown open for all candidates irrespective of whether they are in government, academia or private sector, so as to attract the best talent."

Also read: Supreme Court passes buck to NGT over cleaning up river Ganga

Also read: NGT asks civil aviation ministry to give incentive to pilots causing less noise pollution

Also read: What have you done? NGT rips Centre for delay in implementing new policy

--- ENDS ---
OFFICIAL "The Hunger Games" Collaboration. Coming 2017! May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor! A photo posted by @storybookcosmetics on Jan 23, 2017 at 7:14pm PST

The Hunger Games, the super successful franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, has been off our screens since 2015 as final film Mockingjay Part 2 rounded up the series. Since then, the props and costumes have been touring the world as part of the Hunger Games Exhibition, which is currently showing in the Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia until February 5th. Storybook Cosmetics are well known for their fandom-inspired collections and accessories, recently debuting a Harry Potter themed brush set which dominated headlines across the world, with an official Charlie and the Chocolate Factory range expected to come this summer. The announcement, which was published on the Storybook Cosmetics Instagram page on Tuesday, features Katniss Everdeens iconic mockingjay pin alongside the Lionsgate logo, the company that produced the four Hunger Games films. This isn't the first time Lionsgate have collaborated with a make up brand; a similar Hunger Games based collection was released in 2013 by Covergirl. More details are set to be released in the coming months, but fire-shaded products are to be expected - after all, Katniss is the girl on fire.
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By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, Jan 25 (PTI) Tata Steel today said it would acquire majority equity stake in the proposed Subarnarekha Port in Odisha.

The company in a statement said it today executed definitive agreements with Creative Port Development Private Limited (CPDPL) and their promoters for the proposed development of Subarnarekha Port at Chaumukh village of Balasore district in Odisha.

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As per the agreements, Tata Steel will acquire majority equity stake in CPDPL, and the port development is envisaged through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Subarnarekha Port Private Limited (SPPL).

No further details were disclosed.

The acquisition and development is subject to certain conditions precedent, detailed technical assessments and financial closure.

CPDPL, promoted by two technoprenuers, Ramani Ramaswamy and Ramaswamy Rangarajan, had entered into a concession agreement with the Odisha government in January 2008 to develop the Subarnarekha Port as an all-weather deep-draft facility.

Detailed engineering study to arrive at the configuration and the project cost will be undertaken soon, the statement said.

Tata Steel has exited from Dhamra Port which was acquired by Adani Port.

"The investment to develop the Subarnarekha Port will address the strategic needs of Tata Steel in the future. The location of the proposed port makes it attractive to structurally enhance the competitive position of our Indian operations," Tata Steel Group Executive Director (Finance & Corporate) Koushik Chatterjee said.

"As Tata Steel grows in India in the future, securing competitive logistics solution is a key aspect in de-risking our in-bound and out-bound supply chain," Tata Steel MD India and SEA T V Narendran said. PTI BSM MD MKJ

--- ENDS ---
Jackie Chan will appear on The Kapil Sharma Show this Sunday. Photo: Yogen Shah

By India Today Web Desk: "Naam Hai Shehenshah"

Believe it or not, but Chinese sensation and martial arts pro Jackie Chan mouthed some iconic Bollywood dialogues at host Kapil Sharma's behest, when he came promoting his upcoming movie Kung Fu Yoga, and nailed them all.

When Jackie Chan landed in India three days back to promote the Indo-Chinese production, his first stop was The Kapil Sharma Show. He must have surely re-charged his batteries ahead of the hectic promotion schedule. Going by the teasers, it's going to be one helluva entertaining episode.

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On the show, he will make an entry riding a bicycle along with Bollywood actor and his King Fu Yoga co-star Sonu Sood. Also seen with Jackie and Sonu will be Mast Mast girl Raveena Tandon, who will also click selfie with the Chinese star.

Photo: Yogen Shah

Photo: Yogen Shah

Can't wait to watch this one!

--- ENDS ---
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Muslims should draw inspiration from Tamil protests against ban on jallikattu which he said made even PM Modi to bow down.

By India Today Web Desk: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has urged Muslims to stand up in support of triple talaq, saying people of the community should draw inspiration from the way the Tamils fought against the ban on hugely popular bull-taming sport jallikattu.

Owaisi said that like the Tamils, Muslims also have their own culture and they should derive inspiration from the Tamil protests which he said made even Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bow down. Owaisi added that nobody should interfere with their customs of marriage and triple talaq.

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"In Tamil Nadu, people protested in lakhs to fight for their tradition. Modi had to bow in front of them. Are we any less than them? We also have our own culture. We will marry and divorce the way we want to. Nobody should direct us what we should do," Owaisi said. Owaisi's statement has come at a time when the Supreme Court is looking into the constitutional validity of triple talaq after several women's groups challenged the practice.

WHY THE CONTROVERSY

While the Allahabad High Court termed triple talaq unconstitutional in December, 2016, the Supreme Court is separately hearing another plea filed by Saira Bano who has challenged the three rules related to Niqah (wedding). These rules are: Talaq-e-Bidat, Niqah Halala and a man's right to have four wives.

TALAQ-E-BIDAT

Talaq-e-Bidat is the practice which gives a man the right to divorce to his wife by uttering 'talaq' three times without waiting for her consent on the matter.In the Islamic tradition, some conditions were imposed for Talaq-e-Bidat.

A man can divorce his wife by uttering 'talaq' three times during the period of a Tuhar, that is, the time period of two menstruation cycles.

This could be done in one sitting or spread over the specified period. Under Talaq-e-Bidat, the wife's consent is not required for the separation.

NIQAH HALALA

There have been instances where men have uttered 'talaq' three times in an inebriated state or in a fit of rage and have later wanted to revert to normal married life. However, the practice of Niqah Halala prevents the reversal of the triple talaq.

According to the practice of Niqah Halala, a man is not allowed to marry the same woman after divorce even if both the partners are willing. Such a niqah is considered haraam (illegal).

Niqah Halala requires that the divorced woman marry some other man and after obtaining divorce from her second husband, she can remarry her first husband the second time.

WATCH: Owaisi urges Muslims to fight for triple talaq the way Tamils fought for jallikattu

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ALSO READ:

Triple talaq: What is behind Allahabad High Court judgement

Triple talaq: Muslim law board clerics following Shaitaan, not Rahman, says RSS leader

--- ENDS ---
Belgium Ambassador visits Phuket, MoU on economy, tourism sought

PHUKET: The Belgium Ambassador to Thailand paid a visit Phuket yesterday, and along with thanking officials for taking care of Belgian tourists, he also discussed the possibility of the country signing an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sharing economic and tourism ideas.

politicstourism

By The Phuket News

Friday 27 January 2017, 10:16AM

Mr Phiippe Kridelka, Belgium Ambassador to Thailand, and Phuket Vice Governor Mr Sanith Sriwihok. Photo: PR Dept

At 2:30 pm yesterday (Jan 26), Mr Phiippe Kridelka, Belgium Ambassador to Thailand, and Mr Patric Govaert, Belgium Consul to Thailand, met Phuket Vice Governor Mr Sanith Sriwihok at Phuket Provincial Hall to discuss a variety of topics including the possibility of opening a Belgium Consulate Office in Phuket and also signing an MoU relation to tourism and economics.

V/Gov Sanith said, I am very glad that the Belgium Ambassador has visited us here in Phuket.

Lots of Belgian tourists visit Phuket and we can assure AMB Kridelka that we have good security in in place to take care of all tourists, he said.

We have discussed a number of topics today including the possibility of Belgium opening a consulate here in Phuket, which will not only increase the safety of Belgian tourists, but will also strengthen relations between Thailand and Belgium.

We have also discussed about Phuket and Belgium signing an MoU relating to sharing economic and tourism ideas, he added.

AMB Kridelka said, I am very glad to visit Phuket today, and I hope that officials will continue to take good care of the Belgian tourists who visit the island as they have done over the years.

During his visit, AMB Kridelka also paid a visit to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, a visit which was made specifically to say thank you to nurse Mrs Maythawee Maneesri who has taken care of a number of Belgian patients during her time at the hospital.

V/Gov Sanith said, Mrs Maythawee has impressed a number of foreign patients admitted to the hospital and she is a good example of how a Thai citizen should be toward our tourists.

She is a very honourable person, V/Gov Sanith said.
Bribe probe hits snag as NACC claims info dries up

BANGKOK: The anti-graft agency says a lack of unity among state agencies, and the death penalty on corruption cases, are hindering its efforts at getting in-depth information on the Rolls-Royce bribery case from foreign agencies.

corruptioncrimedeathtransporttechnology

By Bangkok Post

Friday 27 January 2017, 08:53AM

Sansern Poljeak, secretary-general of the NACC: Investigation is complicated. Photo: Bangkok Post

National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Secretary-General Sansern Poljeak said yesterday (Jan 26) that several agencies are seeking information from the US Department of Justice and the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), and the overseas agencies may be confused as to which state agencies in Thailand are directly responsible for handling bribery cases.

The foreign agencies may not dare provide information and they may have to seek permission from their superiors, which could make procedures more complicated, Mr Sansern said.

Apart from the NACC, the Office of the Auditor-General, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), Thai Airways International Plc and various other agencies have all formed their own teams to seek more information from overseas.

In addition, Mr Sansern said the maximum penalty in the new Anti-Corruption Act, which is the death penalty for bribery cases, is also an obstacle in getting information.

The death penalty has not been accepted by foreign countries, and this could hinder efforts to seek information relating to the bribery scandals which have recently emerged, he said.

Mr Sansern argued that while the death penalty for bribery cases remains in place, in practice no one has ever been executed.

He also said a NACC working panel looking into the Rolls-Royce bribery scandal, which involved the purchase of engines for Thai Airways International aircraft from 1991 to 2005, has submitted an initial report.

Rolls-Royce admitted to bribing agents of the Thai state and employees of THAI. The British engineering firm also admitted it paid bribes to PTT group.

Meanwhile, three state enterprises  the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the Provincial Electricity Authority and TOT Plc  have become embroiled in another bribery scandal after the US Department of Justice announced it has taken legal action against Kentucky-based General Cable Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of cables and wires.

In another development yesterday, former THAI vice-president Yothin Pamornmontri petitioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to invoke Section 44 of the interim constitution to probe the procurement of 10 Airbus A340 planes bought by the national flag carrier, which have now been grounded and left to rot.

Mr Yothin filed a complaint with the governments complaints centre at the Office of Civil Service Commission.

Mr Yothin, a former THAI pilot, called for an inquiry into the procurement of the fleet of Airbus A340-500 and A340-600 aircraft.

The deal should be investigated for its transparency and investment worthiness, Mr Yothin said. The airline had proceeded with the purchase even though the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) had objected to it.

He said the aircraft acquisition process took place between 2002-2003 and it received approval from the THAI board and the Transport Ministry. But when the procurement plan reached the NESDB, it suggested THAI review the plan and submit a new one.

However, THAI proceeded with the purchase, Mr Yothin said, adding use of the aircraft had caused an annual loss of B3-5 billion for THAI, and so they had to be grounded. They are parked at Don Mueang and U-Tapao airports, he said.

There were potential buyers who offered to buy the grounded aircraft from THAI at B760 million each, but the THAI board turned them down because their prices were B5-6bn each.

He said the aircraft were not worth the investment and the purchase might have been plagued with irregularities. He urged the prime minister to invoke SECTION 44 to set up a special committee to investigate the matter.

The probe should cover any alleged irregularities, Mr Yothin said.

Mr Yothin earlier wrote about the saga on Facebook, saying the Rolls-Royce bribery scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. It is only a small part of a much bigger problem that caused damage in the hundreds of billions of baht, he said.

Regarding the purchase of the 10 Airbus aircraft, he said that Airbus manufactured only a total of 35 A340-500 aircraft. The four A340-500 aircraft that THAI bought are now lying idle, Mr Yothin wrote.

Read original story here.
The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while, Stephen K Bannon, Chief White House strategist for Donald Trump said.

By Press Trust of India: A top advisor of US President Donald Trump has told the mainstream media to "keep its mouth shut" as he called them the new administrations "opposition", ratcheting up its simmering feud with journalists.

Stephen K Bannon, Chief White House strategist for Trump, said the media should now keep quiet after being "humiliated" by the outcome of the November presidential election won by Trump.

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"The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while," Bannon said.

"I want you to quote this. The media here is the opposition party. They don't understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the US," Bannon said.

Also read: Donald Trump effect? Rich tech execs building bunkers to use in case of apocalypse

The brazen rebuke suggests there's unlikely to be pause in the administrations war against the US news media, which has been calling out Trump over ginned up and "alternative facts" statements.

Bannon, who played a key role in Trumps victory in the November polls, said the elite media got it all wrong when covering Trumps presidential campaign. He was formerly an executive at Breitbart, a conservative, alt-right news outlet.

"The elite media got it dead wrong, 100 per cent dead wrong," Bannon said, calling it "a humiliating defeat that they will never wash away, that will always be there."

Also read: Donald Trump proposes big import tax, triggering fight with Mexico

"The mainstream media has not fired or terminated anyone associated with following our campaign," Bannon said.

"Look at the Twitter feeds of those people, they were outright activists of the Clinton campaign. You were humiliated," he alleged.

"The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work. You're the opposition party. Not the Democratic Party. You're the opposition party. The media is the opposition party," he said.

"The paper of record for our beloved republic, The New York Times, should be absolutely ashamed and humiliated. They got it 100 per cent wrong," Bannon said.

Also read: Rights groups slam Donald Trump's plans on Muslim immigrants, refugees

--- ENDS ---
Good sign for official in paintings theft case: source

BANGKOK: A Japanese court yesterday (Jan 26) agreed to hear the case of a senior Thai official arrested over the theft of paintings from a Kyoto hotel, and ordered him be detained for 10 days pending trial, a Thai Foreign Ministry source said yesterday.

crimepolice

By Bangkok Post

Friday 27 January 2017, 09:29AM

Suphat Saguandeekul, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), was arrested on Tuesday (Jan 24) for allegedly stealing three paintings worth about B4,600 from a hotel. Photo: Bangkok Post

The source said Kyoto Police had told Thai consular officials that the management of the hotel, where the alleged theft took place, had shown a positive sign and did not want the incident to escalate further.

Japanese media reported Suphat Saguandeekul, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), was arrested on Tuesday (Jan 24) for allegedly stealing three paintings worth about 15,000 (B4,600) from a hotels hallways in Kyoto.

After the court appearance, Mr Suphat, who will retire in September, was taken to Nakagyo Police Station in Kyoto for further detention.

Prosecutors, Kyoto Police and the hotels representatives will meet Mr Suphat at the police station today.

Officials from the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Osaka are allowed to observe the meeting and will use the opportunity to talk to Mr Suphat about what had happened.

After being arrested and asked by police, according to law, whether he wanted to inform the Thai consulate and embassy in Japan, Mr Suphat refused. His family also did not ask the ministry to facilitate them in visiting him, the source said.

The source said although the incident was regarded as a criminal offence under Japanese law, the court could order him to be released if the hotel demanded Mr Suphat pay compensation and agreed not to take legal action against him.

The Japan Today website reported yesterday that Mr Suphat was caught on security camera removing three paintings of nondescript scenery  each about 40 centimeters across and 35cm high  from a hallway wall. Hotel staff alerted police who apprehended the Thai official after they found the paintings in his luggage as he was checking out.

Mr Suphat admitted to the theft, saying he wanted the paintings, the report quoted a Kyoto police official who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying.

DIP Director-General Tossapon Tangsubut on Wednesday (Jan 25) described Mr Suphat as a very competent person and a serious worker who has a flawless record, adding he was shocked and could not believe what happened was true.

He said Mr Suphat was in Japan on an official trip to attend a conference on government intellectual property on Jan 20-25.

The official has long been familiar with Japan. He completed his secondary education at a high school in Tokyo and received bachelors and masters degrees in international economics from Nagoya University.

Mr Suphat joined the Commerce Ministry in 1984, and since then has held major positions in the Office of Commercial Affairs and other agencies in Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Belgium and Australia. His previous positon was director of the Thai Trade Promotion Office in Osaka.

Read original story here.
Parrotfish poaching Chinese tourist fined B100,000

PHUKET: An officer from Chalong Police Station has confirmed to The Phuket News today that the Chinese tourist who was arrested for poaching parrotfish at Koh Racha Yai on Wednesday (Jan 25) has been fined B100,000 for his actions.

animalscrimeenvironmentnatural-resourcespolicemarine

By Yutthawat Lekmak

Friday 27 January 2017, 05:41PM

Huang was taken to Chalong Police Station after being caught poaching the parrotfish on Koh Racha Yai, Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Lt Sakkarin Sangjaroen of the Chalong Police told The Phuket News today (Jan 27) that the man, Huang Yongjia, 35, who had two baby parrotfish in a plastic bottle (see story here) was charged with illegally removing marine life from coral reef areas. He has been fined B100,000 for his actions, Lt Sakkarin said.
Rawai Mayor orders investigation into Phuket infected cat case

PHUKET: The Mayor of Rawai yesterday (Jan 26) ordered officials to investigate the case of 63-year-old Mr Veera Pantip who was scratched by a cat and infected with the flesh-eating bacteria necrotizing fasciitis.

Friday 27 January 2017, 12:13PM

63-year-old Mr Veera Pantip recovers in hospital from a severe infection caused by a cat scratch. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Mr Veeras infection was so severe that doctors were close to amputating the mans leg, however, after receiving treatment it is hoped that amputation will be avoided and he remains in hospital recovering. (See story here)

Following the incident, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos has now ordered health officials from Rawai Municipality to visit Mr Veera in hospital and his home to investigate the situation.

I have ordered my Health Department colleagues to follow up the case this afternoon. I am waiting for an official report from them, said Mayor Aroon.

When asked how he planned to respond to the situation, Mayor Aroon said, We dont have any set plan of reaction to this issue yet. I am waiting for the Rawai Municipality Health Department to deliver its official report.

Mayor Aroon said that residents in the area around Mr Veeras property should not be overly concerned about the possibility of infection from cat scratches

I dont think it is an issue to be alarmed about, he said.

Chief of the Phuket Public Health Department Dr Jirapan Taepan echoed Mayor Aroon, when he spoke to the The Phuket News today (Jan 27).

This case has more to do with Mr Veeras existing health condition, which allowed the bacteria to flourish and cause a severe infection, he said.

When asked if the Phuket Public Health Office will inspect the area and try to apprehend the infected cat , Dr Jirapan said, I dont think it is important to find this cat. The bacteria that caused Mr Veeras infection is common and can be found almost anywhere.

The patients existing medical condition was the primary reason the infection became so severe, he added.
Russian expat found dead in Phuket home

PHUKET: A 49-year-old Russian man was found dead in a rented home in Cherng Talay yesterday evening. Police have not yet confirmed what caused the death but believe it was the result of a drunken accident.

accidentsdeathalcoholhealthpoliceRussian

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 27 January 2017, 11:41AM

The property in Cherng Talay where the body was discovered.

At 5:45 pm yesterday (Jan 26), Lt Col Sakon Grainara of the Cherng Talay Police was informed by a neighbour that a Russian man had been found dead in a house in Moo 2, Baan Bang Tao in Srisoonthorn.

Police arrived at the house with a doctor from Thalang Hospital and Kusoldharm rescue workers to find the body of 49-year-old Vladlen Yasen-Lazo with his head resting on the edge of a bed.

There were pools of blood and pieces of broken crockery strewn across the floor.

Lt Col Sakon that there were no signs of a struggle or fighting on the body or in the house, but did say that the house was a mess and clothes were scattered everywhere.

The doctor stated that Mr Yasen-Lazo had not been dead for more than 12 hours before the body was discovered.

Also in the house, in a separate bedroom, was Mr Yasen-Lazos wife, 51-year-old Ms Elena Yasen-Lazo.

Police said that the room she was in smelt strongly of alcohol and she was possibly drunk when they arrived.

Once they managed to awaken her she was not in a fit state to be questioned and was taken to Thalang Hospital.

According to the couples neighbour, they had lived in the house for more than two years and had a property rental company targetting Russian tourists. The neighbour also said the couple were always seen drinking.

The neighbour became suspicious having not seen the couple for a few days so went to look in the house which is when they discovered the body.

Lt Col Sakon believes that Mr Yasen-Lazo may have stepped on a piece of broken crockery and as he was attempting to walk to the bathroom fell and hit his head on the edge of the bed.

However, police will investigate further to find the true cause of death.
Signs posted on Racha Yai warning guides, tourists of consequences of breaking rules

PHUKET: Officials from the Phuket Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) placed signs in Koh Racha Yais three main bays yesterday warning tour guides and tourists of the consequences they will face if found to have broken any rules as previously set out.

crimeenvironmentChinesenatural-resourcestourism

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 27 January 2017, 03:58PM

Tourists are shown the restriction signs during a trip to Koh Racha Yai yesterday (Jan 26). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Marine and environment officers in Phuket launched a series of counter-measures to prevent further damage by tourists and tour operators at Racha Island, south of Phuket.

The coral damage counter-measures were brought into effect after a recent spate of environmental issues at Racha Island led to a meeting of marine officials with local conservation clubs, which laid out five demands for all tour operators and divers to follow to prevent any further impact on the environment. (See story here.)

Yesterday (Jan 26), Mr Suchat Rattanarueangsri, Director of the Phuket-based office of the DMCR together with other officials placed restriction signs at Racha Islands Batok, Siam and Teu bays.

Mr Suchat said, The sign we have posted today are in three languages; Thai, Chinese and English. The restrictions on the signs are as follow:

1. Boats are not allowed to anchor on coral reefs.

2. People are not to walk on the coral reefs.

3. Marine life (including corals and carcasses) are not allow to taken and marine animals are not to be fed.

4. No litter or waste is to be disposed of in the sea. All garbage must be removed from the island and taken back to the mainland.

The places where we put up the signs are the main assembly points for tourists. The guides will need to informed tourists about the restrictions again to make sure there is a clear understanding, he said. After finishing this job we will again speak with tour operators and guides that come to the island.

We hope that the effort we are making will help reduce damage to our natural resources damages.

If any person breaks these regulations they will face legal action and be punished with not more than one year in jail and fined not more than B100,000.

We will be watching closely waht goes on at Koh Racha Yai, he added.

A Chinese tourist was arrested on Tuesday (Jan 24) for catching baby parrotfish off Racha Yai Island.

Officials from the DMRC Phuket office, led by Mr Suchat and fellow Phuket DMRC officer Nared Choophueng, arrived at Racha Yai Island at 2pm on Tuesday after being notified that a man was catching the fish at Plab Pla Beach.

The man, Chinese national Huang Yongjia, 35, had two baby Parrotfish in a plastic bottle.

Mr Huang was brought back to Phuket and taken to Chalong Police Station, where Lt Sakkarin Sangjaroen charged him with illegally removing marine life from coral reef areas. (See story here.)
The Nai Harn mixes up it's menus with visits from acclaimed international chefs

The Nai Harn resort which overlooks pristine Nai Harn Beach, will be further enhancing its reputation as one of the islands leading wining and dining destinations this year by welcoming some of the worlds most respected chefs and barmen to the resort for a limited time.



By The Phuket News

Friday 27 January 2017, 10:29AM

One of the fresh and enticing dishes on the menu at Chef Will Hollands U.K restaurant Coast Saundersfoot. Photo by Phil Boorman.

British celebrity chef Will Holland will present his dishes at The Nai Harn in March.

Visiting experts include mixologist Salim Khuory, Chef George Panagiotidis and Chef Will Holland. Each one will be focusing their skills, styles and flavours on tantalizing Phuket's tastebubs.

Throughout the month of January, legendary barman Salim Khuory, the renowned Head Barman at the iconic American Bar at The Savoy in London for more than three decades, is sharing his expertise during an annual visit to The Nai Harn where he conducts exclusive training sessions for the resorts bar and service staff.

Mr Khuory will also consult on the resorts drink list and create two new signature drinks.

While Mr Khuory is whipping up creative libations behind the bar, Chef George Panagiotidis will be bringing a taste of Greece to Thailand with specially prepared offerings that will feature in the resorts daily breakfast and the newly launched weekend barbecue.

Visiting Phuket throughout January, Chef Panagiotidis will also be introducing a special menu at Rock Salt, The Nai Harns trendy beachside restaurant, which serves up inventive dishes featuring flavours from the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. (See our review here.)

The Nai Harn concept goes well beyond offering luxurious accommodation, explains General Manager, Frank Grassmann. Our aim is to ensure that each step of every guests journey with us is an experience to be remembered. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in our ever-changing culinary offerings and emphasis on world class cuisine.

In March, the resort will turn up the flare another notch when it welcomes Will Holland, the celebrated British chef and founder of Coast Saundersfoot restaurant on the shores of Pembrokeshire.

With extensive experience working in some of the UKs best hotels and restaurants, Holland already boasts an illustrious career, earning a Michelin star before the age of 30 and appearing on several national television programs in his home country.

At The Nai Harn, Chef Holland will offer diners a culinary journey From Coast to Coast at Cosmo restaurant, and during his visit, a select group of diners will have the opportunity to savour an exclusive six-course set menu specially designed and prepared for the resort.

In addition to the special dining experience, Chef Holland will also create a selection of signature dishes for Rock Salt during his visit, as well as a series of mouthwatering canapes making the most of fresh, local ingredients.

Since the resort re-opening last May, The Nai Harn has quickly become one of Phukets most sought after dining destinations and we couldnt be more excited to kick off 2017 with even more delectable options thanks to this strong line-up of revered culinary guests, adds Mr Grassmann.

For more information visit www.thenaiharn.com and for reservations call: +66 902 162 620
Traditional new year ancestor worship rituals subdued this year

PHUKET: Today (Jan 27) is the traditional day for Phukets Thai-Chinese community to pay respect to their ancestors, but this year the traditional rituals, such as lighting firecrackers and offering fruit and gifts, is somewhat subdued in honour of the late HM Bhumibol Adulyadej.



By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 27 January 2017, 06:08PM

It has also been reported that less people are travelling to their home town for the occasion as is the normal custom.

This morning, several Thai-Chinese families could be seen worshiping their ancestors in Phuket Old Town, particularly on the historic roads in the centre such as Thalang Rd, Krabi Rd, Rassada Rd and Phang Nga Rd.

Many of the Chinese shrines in Phuket Town are unusually quiet this year, including Jui Tui Shrine, the biggest Chinese shrine in Phuket. It appears that not as many Thai-Chinese people are making offerings at the shrines this year after they finish paying their respects at home.

However, tomorrow (Jan 28), is set to be busier, as it is wan tiew the traditional day for Thai-Chinese people to visit local shrines and travel to visit relatives and friends.

This year the Phuket Provincial Administration will not be conduction any activities to mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year period. Instead, the New year will be celebrated during the 18th annual Phuket Old Town Festival from February 2 to 4.
Two people injured when pickup truck and Phuket tour bus collide

PHUKET: Two people were injured in the early hours of this morning when the pickup truck they were in was involved in an accident with a tour bus carrying Chinese tourists in Chalong. None of the Chinese tourists on the bus are reported to have been injured.

accidentsChinesepolicetransport

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 27 January 2017, 10:49AM

The driver of the bus accuses the pickup driver of causing the accident. Photo: Eakkapop Tongtub

The driver of the pickup has accused the driver of the bus for causing the accident. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Both the bus driver and driver of the pickup are blaming each other for the accident.

At 4:26am today (Jan 27), Chalong Police received information of an accident on Chao Fa West Rd close to the road leading to the Luangpu Supha Temple on Moo 6, Chalong.

Capt Somkiet Sarasit of the Chalong Police arrived at the scene with Ruamjai Kupai rescue workers to find a Bangkok registered tour bus with its front damaged.

Nearby was a damaged Phuket registered white Toyota pickup truck with the driver and passenger still inside.

The driver and passenger, named by police as Mr Pattanan Kaseamchock from Trang and Mr Anipat Nakkarin, were both complaining of severe leg pains.

After being safely removed from the vehicle Mr Pattanan was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital and Mr Anipat to Phuket International Hospital.

The bus driver, 36-year-old Mr Nattapon Posiw, told police that he was taking 22 Chinese tourists from Phuket International Airport to a hotel in Karon when the pickup truck, which was heading in the opposite direction, came into his lane and hit the bus.

However, Mr Pattanan disputed the bus drivers accusation and said that the bus had in fact gone into his lane and hit his vehicle.

It was not my fault because the bus went into my lane, he said.

Capt Somkiet said that police will check CCTV footage from the area to see if they can ascertain who actually caused the accident and see whether any charges will be pressed.
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By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 27 (PTI) US President Donald Trump today played down speculation that he may lift sanctions on Russia, even as British Prime Minister Theresa May urged him to continue with them until Moscow implements the international agreement on Ukraine.

At a joint news conference with May, Trump told reporters that it is too early to talk about the lifting of sanctions.

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"As far as the UK is concerned, on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement fully implemented," May told reporters in response to a question.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented and weve been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," May said.

Trump is scheduled to speak with the Russian leader tomorrow.

"As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that. But we look to have a great relationship with all countries, ideally. That wont necessarily happen, unfortunately probably wont happen with many countries," Trump said.

"But if we can have, as we do with Prime Minister May and the relationship that weve all developed and even in the short relationship that we just developed just by being with each other and have lunch...weve really had some very interesting talks and very productive talks," he said.

"But if we can have a great relationship with Russia and with China and with all countries, Im all for that. That would be a tremendous asset," Trump said.

Trump said he does not know Putin, but would like to have good relationship with him, "As far as, again, Putin and Russia, I dont say good, bad or indifferent. I dont know the gentleman. I hope we have a fantastic relationship. Thats possible and its also possible that we wont. We will see what happens," Trump said.

The US President said he will be representing the American people very, very strongly and very forcefully.

"If we have a great relationship with Russia and other countries, and if we go after ISIS together, which has to be stopped -- thats an evil that has to be stopped -- I will consider that a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said. PTI LKJ ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 27 (PTI) Aboard Air Force One on his first flight, US President Donald Trump has praised the presidential jet, calling it "beautiful" and a "nice plane."

"Beautiful. Great flying, really good. Nice plane," Trump told reporters yesterday travelling with him on his way back from Philadelphia.

Trump, who owns his personal plane, said Air Force One is a "very special plane."

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"Thats a good one, too but this is a very special plane," he said in response to a question as journalist travelling with him were brought to the front of the aircraft after it landed at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

"In pretty cool jacket, right?" he remarked about the navy blue Air Force One jacket draped over the back of his chair.

This was Trump?s first ride aboard Air Force One ? a modified Boeing 747 which transports the President of the United States ? after he was sworn in on January 20. PTI LKJ SG

--- ENDS ---
How many people have already voted absentee in South Dakota ahead of Election Day?

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By Press Trust of India: From Aditi Khanna

London, Jan 25 (PTI) Women are being told to wear high heels, revealing dresses and dye their hair blonde, despite gender discrimination being illegal in the UK, a parliamentary study released today has found, prompting MPs to call for a new law against imposing sexist dress codes at workplaces.

The study - High Heels and Workplace Dress Codes - was commissioned by the House of Commons parliamentary committee last year after a petition by London-based receptionist Nicola Thorp, who was sent home from work in December 2015 for not wearing high heels, gained more than 150,000 signatures.

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The study found that it was not an "isolated" incident and female workers are routinely asked to submit to wear high heels, makeup or revealing outfits.

"We heard from hundreds of women who told us about the pain and long-term damage caused by wearing high heels for long periods in the workplace, as well as from women who had been required to dye their hair blonde, to wear revealing outfits and to constantly reapply make-up," the report said.

The MPs concluded that a legal framework was required to tackle such "discrimination," as male workers were not required to submit to similar dress codes.

UK law allows companies to proscribe dress code for its employees, but the firms must not discriminate against women in doing so.

"The government has said that the existing law is clear, and that the dress code that prompted this petition is already unlawful. Nevertheless, discriminatory dress codes remain widespread.

"We call on the government to review this area of the law and to ask Parliament to change it, if necessary, to make it more effective," the report added.

Chair of the Petitions Committee, Helen Jones MP, said: "The way that Nicola Thorp was treated by her employer is against the law, but that didnt stop her being sent home from work without pay.

"Its clear from the stories weve heard from members of the public that Nicolas story is far from unique."

Following Thorps petition, the UK Parliaments Women and Equalities Committee and Petitions Committee had invited the public to send in other examples of discriminatory dress codes.

"This may have started over a pair of high heels, but what it has revealed about discrimination in the UK workplace is vital, as demonstrated by the hundreds of women who came forward via the committees online forum.

"The current system favours the employer, and is failing employees," Thorp said.

The MPs report recommended a publicity campaign be launched to ensure that employers know their legal obligations and workers know how they can complain effectively.

Its central recommendation is that the existing law should be enforced more vigorously, with employment tribunals being given the power to apply bigger financial penalties. PTI AK SUA AKJ SUA

--- ENDS ---

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By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jan 26 (PTI) The Trump Administration is planning to temporarily suspend entry of foreign nationals from "countries of particular concern," including many Muslim- majority nations, according to a draft report being circulated by a US immigration lawyers association.

While the White House did not comment on the authenticity of the draft report, several American media outlets reported that these countries are predominantly Muslim-majority nations.

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Notably, in the recent past both the US President Donald Trump and several of his Cabinet colleagues have refuted that the proposed ban would be based on religion.

As per the leaked draft order, released by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the US government would suspend the issuance of visas for certain countries, refugee admissions for 120 days, Syrian refugee processing indefinitely, and the visa-interview waiver programme.

"The visa-issuance process plays a crucial role in detecting individuals with terrorist ties and stopping them from entering the US," the draft order said, adding that hundreds of foreign-born individuals have been convicted in terrorism related crimes since 9/11 attacks, including foreign nationals who entered the US after claiming asylum; after receiving visitor, student, or employment visas; or through the US refugee resettlement programme.

Deteriorating conditions in certain countries due to war, strife, disaster, and civil unrest increases the likelihood that terrorists will use any means possible to enter the US, it said.

"The US must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those approved for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to terrorism," it said.

The US must ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward the US and its founding principles, it said.

"We cannot, and should not, admit into our country those who do not support the US Constitution, or those who would place violent religious edicts over American law.

"In addition, the US should not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry and hatred or those who would oppress members of one race, one gender, or sexual orientation," asserts the draft order.

However, foreign nationals travelling under diplomatic passports, NATO visas and C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations would be exempted from the proposed restrictions.

As per the draft order, the proposal also includes immediate suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Programme and makes it mandatory that all individuals seeking a non- immigrant visa, undergo an in-person interview, subject to specific statutory exceptions. PTI LKJ SUA SUA

--- ENDS ---

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By Julia Echikson

echikson@grinnell.edu

The class of 2020 experienced an all-time low acceptance rate, with only 18 percent of applicants being offered admission to the College. Despite this new accomplishment, the College did not meet its goal of having 440 students in the incoming class. Of admitted students, fewer chose to attend Grinnell College than in previous years.

Joe Bagnoli, the Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions, acknowledges that the acceptance rate should have been higher.  If we [the admission committee] would have admitted enough students to hit our target of 440 entering students, our admission rate would have been higher.

Bagnoli blames incorrect enrollment projections for the shortage of students. Our projections suggested that a higher share of students we admitted would have accepted our offer of admission, he said.

Bagnoli also attributes the lack of commitment from students to a changing applicant pool. Last years pool was the most qualified the school had ever had. For the first time in our history, the regular decision high test average for the SAT exceeded 1400, Bagnoli explains. Because prospective students were so accomplished, they likely had offers of admission from other, more selective, schools than Grinnell College.

We werent anticipating that we were reaching a point where a smaller share of those students admitted would not accept our offers, Bagnoli said.

To assemble a reasonably sized class, Grinnell College dipped into its international student wait list for the first time, which resulted in the class of 2020 having an unusually large population of international students.

For this years incoming class of 2021, the admissions committee plans to admit fewer international students to compensate for last years high percentage. The committee plans to accept a number of international students to create an overall student body comprised of 20 percent international students, a number high enough to attract attention from the Washington Post.

Grinnell has admitted more students from the early decision applicant pool for the class of 2021 than they did last year. Because early decision acceptances are binding, all students admitted will have to matriculate to the College, allowing the admissions committee to have a large chunk of its incoming class set before considering the regular decision applications.

Bagnoli insists that the shift towards admitting more early decision applicants has not affected the quality of the students admitted.

If you look at the qualifications of the people who applied in early decision, there were more of them that we could go out to with offers of admission than last year, he said.

Bagnoli believes the increase of early decision applicants is because of the declining acceptance rate, making Grinnell College appear more selective and pushing students to apply early to maximize their chances of getting in.

Yet, the number of applications submitted this year is down 20 percent  5,800 applications since last year. Bagnoli speculates that the decrease could be attributed to Iowa voting for Donald Trump for president, making the College and its surrounding area appear less attractive to prospective students.

However, Bagnoli said that he is not worried. Again, because of the Colleges newfound selectivity, the students who are not qualified are deterred from applying, and thus make up a smaller portion of the applicant pool.

Even though our applications are down across the board from last year to this year, they are down disproportionately among students with weaker credentials for admissions, Bagnoli said. The applications are stable among students with strong credentials for admission.
By Nora Coghlan

coghlann17@grinnell.edu



Several executive orders regarding U.S. immigration policy have been signed by President Donald Trump since he took office last Friday. The orders allow for the building of Trumps infamous wall along the border to Mexico, adding lock-ups for detaining immigrants without documentation, increasing funding for more border agents and stripping federal funding to sanctuary cities.

Amidst this turmoil, several Grinnellians gathered in JRC 101 on Wednesday night in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to hear Professor Erika Lee discuss the history of immigrant rights in America in a talk called Immigrant Rights and African American Freedom Struggles. Lee, who serves as Director of the Immigration History Research Center and the Rudolph J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration History at the University of Minnesota, began by addressing Trumps recent executive orders.

Today was a big day, she said. Our new president signed two executive orders in relation to immigration  This is our new reality and it is much uglier and much more difficult than those of us who study immigration could even imagine, even knowing that these were central platforms.

Lee went on to outline the history of immigrant rights in the U.S. While she focused primarily on the history of Asian Americans, Lee also connected immigrant rights to African American freedom struggles.

Telling this history is so important, because we tend to think of these histories, African American history, Asian American history, as two distinct subjects with different histories, but it is very clear when we look at the historical record that the fates of these two groups have often been inextricably connected to each other, she said.

Americas treatment of certain immigrant groups has often risen and fallen along with the destinies of African Americans, explained Lee. This is because xenophobia, fear of the foreigners, fear of strangers and exclusion of non-citizens in the U.S. has mirrored the ongoing stigmatization and subordination of other minorities, including African Americans, the working poor, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, women, religious minorities and lesbian, gay and transgender individuals.

As Lee outlined the history of Asian American registries, internment camps and lynchings, she urged the audience to understand the necessity of intersectionality in activism, especially during a time when Americas violent history threatens to repeat itself.

One attack on one group often was related to attacks on many, Lee said. Today, anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim xenophobia has expanded along with the mass incarceration of black people, resistance to Black Lives Matter movements and a rollback of voting rights protections that have disproportionately affected minority voters.

Many students were impressed with Lee and felt that talks such as hers are especially valuable in their ability to get Grinnellians talking.

I think that a lot of people at Grinnell probably know about what is going on, but arent necessarily talking about it, said Lily Ge 17. Im guilty of this too. Ill read a breaking news alert or something about the executive acts [Lee] was talking about and Ill process it and internalize it myself and maybe chat about it with a friend, but Im not necessarily having a campus  discussion, open discussion about it. With talks like these  I think its inciting conversation and discussion that we may not be getting otherwise.

Other students felt that though the talk was valuable, it failed to fully address the multiplicity and complexity of immigration laws in the U.S.

It seems kind of jarring to see the lack of inclusion of a lot of the complexities that were very symptomatic of early 20th century relations, said Jesus Villalobos 17. Theres a lot of complicated aspects that I dont think were necessarily touched upon and I was spoiled by one of my professors here, because we did get into that complexity.

Lee wrapped up her visit to campus by partaking in a question and answer session with students, urging them to interrogate intersectionality and history as we move forward as a nation.

These politics [of intersectionality] have a long history, for injustice has never been one dimensional but multidimensional, she said.
By Mayo Sueta

suetamay@grinnell.edu

Along with ushering Donald Trump into his presidency, Inauguration Day saw a large number of protesters take to the streets to reject the rhetoric and policies of the new president.

Trump has gained both support and opposition from the American people with the extremity of his views. Many people are unhappy with the direction that the president is taking with his new position of power. They have organized several protests across the nation to ensure their voices are heard.

Several Grinnellians were among those who refused to stay silent.

Sean Haggerty 19 took part in a rally that started at McCormick Place in Chicago. People of diverse backgrounds came together at this large-scale protest where the numbers grew to the point where people were taking over the streets of downtown and shutting down intersections, he said.

When asked about how effective he thought direct action could be, Haggerty said that he felt it was an essential tactic.

I think it can really transform the way people feel about and think about political issues, Haggerty said. It allows me and people to connect to something bigger than them and  feel like part of that collective.

Nate Williams 20 was present at the protests in Boston. He described his experience at one of the rallies as being one of the most healing and supportive and active events that Ive been to.

However, both Haggerty and Williams expressed concerns over the lack of clear demands in some protests.

It could have been more effective, Haggerty said about the direct action that he was involved in. There werent any clear demands being made by protesters.

Williams similarly stated that the second protest that he went to didnt have a list of demands and was more about mobilizing people in that moment.

When there are marches that also dont have that demand aspect and concrete change aspect, some things can sort of get lost, said Williams.

How to craft effective direct action to promote change is still up for debate.

Professor Barbara Trish, Political Science, says that lacking concrete demands is not necessarily bad. People can go to protests without concrete demands and still gain something through knowing that there are people who share their views.

I urge people not to discount the sense that youre not alone, Trish said.

She also stressed that the most important thing about direct action, and any movement, was to make sure that people stayed invested and interested.

I think thats the real key. Whether or not there are concrete demands or whether its just a sign of opposition  that it cant be just a one shot deal, Trish said.

Williams agreed, saying that the protests have an effect of giving people the tools later on to be able to do more local, small-scale direct action.
By Megan Tcheng

tchengme@grinnell.edu

Activists from across the state of Iowa flocked to the State Capitol in Des Moines this past Saturday, Jan. 21, to fall in stride with millions of activists worldwide.

Mothers, children, grandparents, husbands, friends and strangers alike filled the streets of the city. Many participants wielded homemade posters and banners, while others donned cat ears and hand-knitted pink hats  a trademark of the march made popular by The Pussyhat Project, a Los Angeles-based internet campaign.

Totaling over 26,000 people, the Des Moines Womens March participants vastly exceeded the crowd estimates predicted by the March chapters captains, which just a week before estimated that the number would be closer to 6,000 attendees. Such unanticipated support was echoed by the 600-plus sister-marches held in cities across the world, including the Womens March on Washington, which brought over 500,000 protestors to the center of Washington DCs National Mall.

Grinnell students, faculty and staff joined the crowd of Iowa residents at the Womens March, while countless other students participated in sister-marches in their respective hometowns. Cara Bresnahan 19 made the hour-long trip from her dorm to the front steps of the Iowa State Capitol Building with a group of friends and fellow classmates.

There was something about standing with over ten thousand other women that was empowering and made me feel like we could actually cause change.  The march, to me, became more about the strength of women coming together to support each other rather than about Trump, Bresnahan wrote in an email to The S&B.

While attendees championed a range of different causes, from LGBTQ rights to criticisms of the countrys new president, the prevailing sentiment of the Des Moines Womens March centered around the events theme of unity in support of womens rights. The coordinators of the event, represented by the Womens March Iowa Chapter, chose not to identify the march as a protest and instead advocated for an intersectional platform.

We stood together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health and our families  recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country, explained the Des Moines Womens March Chapter on their Facebook page.

Rallied by the marchs message of unity, participants wove through the block-long route surrounding the capital and joined their voices in a series of songs, chants and cheers. The marchs attendees, which spanned a wide range of age, gender, race and religious identities, worked to find common ground and rally in the strength of their numbers. Professor Kesho Scott, American Studies, reflected on her experience as a speaker at the Des Moines march.

So many young people and new people came out and, as a point of new unity, we [chose not to] talk about how we were different. We talked about what we were all sharing in terms of the experience. People brought their families and their partners. It was multigenerational, Scott said.

Both before and after the march, a steady stream of musicians and local speakers took the stage in order to rally support from the events crowd of attendees. Scott, a locally recognized activist, joined the lineup of speakers. In her resounding message, Scott stressed the importance of stepping up to the plate and recognizing Americans extensive history of activism.

The bottom line for me was that marches on Washington are an American institution and a right and a privilege. That was the most important message  that this isnt just a rally to respond to something. It is a rally to put yourself into history and a commitment that you will do the work that unity and equality [require]. Scott said.

Now, after the resounding impact of the Womens March, participants in Des Moines and across the world must face the question of whats next? For both students at Grinnell and beyond, Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach, Anthropology, expressed hope that the march could be a first step towards further activism.

Now comes the hard work of working at the grassroots Cumulatively there needs to be a change and a collaboration, [because] collectively, we can make an impact. Be informed about the actions you can takeCall your senators OrganizeThats what gets things to change said Gibel Mevorach.
Last weeks Womens Marches exceeded expectations. Despite exclusive origins, millions of women gathered across the country and began a nationwide conversation about the necessity of intersectionality. Organizers had only expected approximately 200,000 people to attend the march in D.C. Instead, over 500,000 showed up, an amount so staggering that attendees found it hard to even walk three feet in front of them, much less to the White House as planned. Marches around the world also had many more protesters than expected, making the Womens March one of the largest global protests in history. Now, it is up to the millions of people who joined to remember the lessons learned from the marchs imperfections and enact them in future discourse and demonstrations within their own communities.

Initially, the march was created in reaction to Hillary Clintons surprising loss of the presidency. Due to an election season riddled with overt sexism from a candidate with a history of sexual assault, many women personally felt Clintons loss. Yet the conversation of the Womens March soon centered on cis-gendered, female, white bodies. One of the most constant criticisms of Clintons campaign organization was its focus on white feminism. Loosely defined, white feminism is a colloquial expression to label feminist movements that adhere to white supremacy and use superficial tactics to protect womanhood. The organizers carried this weakness of Clintons campaign into the Womens March.

In the beginning, no women of color, people with disabilities or representatives of other marginalized groups were represented as key organizers for the march. The official platform lacked any references to Black Lives Matter, DACA and the Dakota Access Pipeline, a few of the most polarizing and recent issues of the election season. Yet, the march derived its original name, the Million Woman March, from a historic march for black civil liberties  the 1995 Million Man March. After hearing these concerns, the initial organizers recruited women from marginalized groups to lead and modify the platform. In doing so, they displayed a crucial way to resist the Trump administration: acknowledging and working to eradicate exclusion within large-scale activist movements.

Not every individual who voiced support for the march agreed with the organizers changes. As expected from white feminists, some believed that race and socioeconomic status are secondary to being a woman. Those who did want to accept intersectionality used their people of color partners as props of political awareness, which further alienated non-white participants. It seemed as though the march was crumbling. In some ways, it did. Women at marches reportedly chastised others who wanted to recognize Black Lives Matter. The focus on sex over gender failed to recognize how femininity goes beyond organs. The fact that the march was the largest gathering of people with disabilities was treated as little more than a talking point.

Nonetheless, the marches controversy opened dialogues about the importance of intersectionality to the movement against oppression. For many, the Womens March was their first involvement in politics and activism. As a result, some participants were ignorant of their offensive approaches to fighting oppression. Involvement in such a wide protest can provide the learning tools to understand the importance of intersectionality.

Subsequently, the Womens March stressed the vitality of mobilizing within local communities. In this way, it allowed for protesters to show how their march is not solely a demonstration against Trump  it is a movement to protect at-risk groups. From tiny villages in Alaska to metropolises in the Southeast, large groups of people peacefully took to the streets and stated their plans for future actions. As the Tea Party has shown us, immediate action from the ground up must be a priority. Trump swayed voters by speaking directly to personal issues that hit home for many voters. This time around, sister marches across the world used the same tactic (albeit not by using alternative facts) to encourage people to show up and demonstrate.

What we can do now is stay on the path that the Womens March paved, starting from our local communities. We must be vigilant when we see actions that do not include marginalized groups. We must educate on the importance of intersectionality to strengthen a nation, and be sure to demonstrate support for any at-risk group. To ensure that a demagogue does not appear again, our nation must be united in its goal for the respect and protection of all peoples.
On December 23, 2016, the Washington Posts Grade Point blog published an article penned by our very own President Raynard Kington entitled, College president: Schools cant be blue islands in red states, essentially a proposition for how academics should cope with and consider the nearby conservative presence in the Trump years. Unfortunately, there is a distinct discrepancy between legitimate politics and liberal proverbs.

President Kingtons article is a mild reiteration of the post-election beltway narrative that America was simply too bigoted to elect another Democrat, an intriguing conclusion considering about 6 months ago the center-left media class had disavowed Donald Trump as too bigoted to win. In the fallout of Nov 8, the befuddled Democrats declared, Of course Trump won! He appealed to the hate of the flyover states! There was simply nothing we could do! Americas voters were just too backwards to work for progress! If only there was something the left could have done to dissuade the rural American from hammering in those Trump yard signs.

The fact of the matter is that, demographically speaking, the rural white male, the supposed intrinsically prejudicial boogeyman of the centrist imagination, is not why the worst candidate of the modern era was elected. The organizational inefficiency, unpopular corporatism and flawed campaign messaging of the Democratic elite decimated their historically loyal voting blocs. Attending to their adverse platform, however, is cognitively difficult for the left ruling class and its allied collegiate intelligentsia. What else could be offered? Something more ostensibly intellectual?

Kingtons article stresses, we have recognized the necessity of helping our students understand different global perspectives, we must do more to educate our students about understanding the different worlds and divides within our domestic world. This striving for local awareness, making business connections with the town and ushering students towards more actively engaging with the proximate community, is posited as a tacit solution to assuaging stark ideological differences between the unwashed masses of the rural folk and the noble, keen and scholastically dutiful collegian.

While encouraging students to volunteer at after school programs and shop locally is of course a neighborly campaign, it is naive to assume that this can lead to profound political change. Is John Smith, anthropology major from Oak Park, Illinois, supposed to walk down to the Elks Lodge and converse with the nearest MAGAite he sees? Will the influence of individual students logic, rhetoric, and discourse convince a population misinformed by encompassing American hegemony that their politics are rooted in white supremacy? No. Broadening the colleges involvement with Grinnell life will surely reinforce positive associations between the two areas, but this is not how political organization is fostered and this is not how bigotry is quelled. Individually disseminating an abstract conception of knowledge into adjacent rural locales is an innocuous, if not dangerous, form of political activism.

Iowa is an interesting case. The state went blue for Obama in 2008 and 2012. There are a lot of explanations as to why the state turned to Trump, but as someone who grew up in the heart of rural central Iowa, I personally think it always comes back to resources.

Trumpism can be defeated through class solidarity. Class solidarity is achieved through addressing material needs and building a coalition based upon that. This endeavor is not initiated by the vague notion of what Kington describes as an effort to bridge the separation, an outwardly cordial, but ultimately platitudinous vision.

If the American intellectual seeks to overcome the purportedly rigid demarcation between the American reactionary and the liberal left, instead of focusing on the distractions of fake news, third partyists, and liberal bubbles, they should avidly advocate for and support candidates that eschew corporatism and stale neoliberal pragmatism. It is not sensational to claim that a party platform that supports universal education, healthcare and social opportunity would rally a nationwide progressive base and surely defray any fear of hard right populism. Or, we could shop at McNallys. But if we collectively commit to that activity, we should accept what it is, a pleasantry and not politics.

-Jenkin Benson 17
The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration.

By AP: Determined to wall off America's border with Mexico, President Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic clash and a fresh fight over trade Thursday as the White House proposed a 20 per cent tax on imports from the key US ally and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped next week's trip to Washington.

The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The US and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

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At the heart of the dispute is Trump's insistence that Mexico will pay for construction of the massive wall he has promised along the southern US border. Trump on Wednesday formally ordered construction of the wall.

The plan was a centerpiece of Trump's election campaign, though he never specified how Mexico would fund the project or how he would compel payments if Pena Nieto's government refused.

The two leaders had been scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House next week. But Pena Nieto took to Twitter Thursday to say he had informed the White House he would not be coming.

MUTUAL DECISION

In a speech in Philadelphia later Thursday, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

On the flight back to Washington, Trump's spokesman told reporters the president was considering the 20 per cent import tax to foot the bill, the most specific proposal Trump has ever floated for how to cover a project estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

"By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said. "This is something that we've been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan."

Spicer said Trump was looking at taxing imports on all countries the US has trade deficits with, but he added, "Right now we are focused on Mexico."

But the announcement sparked immediate confusion across Washington, and the White House tried to backtrack. During a hastily arranged briefing in the West Wing, chief of staff Reince Priebus said a 20 percent import tax was one idea in "a buffet of options" to pay for the border wall.

HUGE TAX INCREASE ON IMPORTS

A 20 per cent tariff would represent a huge tax increase on imports to the US, raising the likelihood of costs being passed on to consumers. Half of all non-agricultural goods enter the US duty free, according to the office of the US Trade Representative. The other half face import tariffs averaging 2 per cent.

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Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray said Thursday, "A tax on Mexican imports to the United States is not a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but a way to make the North American consumer pay for it through more expensive avocados, washing machines, televisions."

Mexico is one of America's biggest trade partners, and the US is the No. 1 buyer from that country, accounting for about 80 per cent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the US economy and disastrous for Mexico's. And major harm to Mexico's economy would surely spur more people to risk deportation, jail or even death to somehow cross the border to the US - undercutting Trump's major goal of stopping illegal immigration.

House GOP lawmakers and aides interpreted Spicer's comments on a 20 per cent border tax as an endorsement of a key plank of their own tax plan, which Speaker Paul Ryan has been working to sell to the president. The House GOP "border adjustability" approach would tax imports and exempt exports as a way of trying to help US exporters and raise revenue.

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BORDER ADJUSTMENT TAX

Earlier this month, Trump called that concept confusing. And during the White House's clean-up efforts Thursday, Spicer wouldn't say whether Trump agreed with the border adjustment tax being considered by the House GOP.

The new president has previously raised the prospect of slapping tariffs on imports, but had not suggested it as a way to pay for the border wall.

There's also disagreement within his new administration over the effectiveness of tariffs in general. Wilbur Ross, Trump's nominee for commerce secretary, dismissed tariffs for trade negotiations during his confirmation hearing, saying the 1930 Tariff Act "didn't work very well then and it very likely wouldn't work now".

PRESSURE AND CRITICISM

Pena Nieto has faced intense pressure at home over his response to Trump's aggressive stance toward his country. Until this week, Mexico had tried its traditional approach of quiet, cautious diplomacy combined with back-room discussions, sending Cabinet officials for talks with the Trump administration.

But that changed when Trump decided to announce his border wall on Wednesday - the same day that two senior Mexican Cabinet ministers arrived in Washington for preliminary talks ahead of what was to be a presidential tete-a-tete. Many Mexicans were affronted by the timing, and Pena Nieto faced a firestorm of criticism at home.

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The diplomatic row recalls the rocky days of US-Mexico relations in the 1980s, prior to the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact that Trump has vigorously criticized.

"There is a change in the understanding that had been in operation over the last 22 years, when Mexico was considered a strategic ally," said Isidro Morales, a political scientist at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. "Trump has unilaterally broken with this way of doing things."

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Interestingly, she has also come out with a second compilation of names for new-borns. Titled 'Namanjali' it is a collection of possible names to help parents find one for their child.

By Romita Datta Sengupta: Revealing her little-known creative side, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is out with a collection of books and poetries which reflect her thoughts on issues related to demonetisation, land acquisition struggle in Singur and the state assembly election results of 2016.

A regular writer and painter, the Trinamool Congress supremo hardly misses her date with the Kolkata International Book Fair and this time too she came up with six new books taking the number of published works to 69.

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The books written in Bengali include 'Notebandi', 'Manusher Joy 2016' (Victory of People 2016), 'Singur Joyi' (Victorious in Singur) and 'Byaktitwo' (Personality).

Interestingly, she has also come out with a second compilation of names for new-borns. Titled 'Namanjali' it is a collection of possible names to help parents find one for their child.

MAMATA'S BOOKS ARE SELLING LIKE HOT CAKES

"Mamata's books have a huge demand considering the strength of her supporters and fans. Last year her verses in Urdu was a big hit. Quite often the demand surpasses the print order," said a publisher.

This year 'Notebandi', the book on demonetisation, is arousing lot of curiosity as people are eager to know why she opposed demonetisation to the extent of picking up a fight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to a party leader the book is a documentation of how demonetisation has hit the grassroot ranks of people and how Modi's "surgical strike" to trace black money turned out to be a "funeral procession" of close to 80 lives.

'Singur Joyi' celebrates the long ten years of farmers' movement, Mamata's 26 days of fast in protest against what was alleged to be forcible acquisition of land for Tata Motors' Nano car factory.

BOOKS THEMED ON POLITICAL STRUGGLE

A majority of the books Mamata has written so far are reflections of her political struggles and commentaries on the political situation.

There is also a book on the late litterateur Mahasweta Devi, who had vocally supported her during the Singur and Nandigram movements.

Though the publishers are reluctant to give the sale figures of Mamata's books, they say the demand is always high. Incidentally, Mamata has claimed that the royalty she gets from her books is a big help to run her party.

The 'Jago Bangla' stall showcasing Mamata's books at the fair, however, has cost the party several lakhs.

'Jago Bangla' is the mouthpiece of Trinamool Congress.

--- ENDS ---
Greece's government debt remains "highly unsustainable," and will be "explosive" in the longer run, requiring a more credible debt relief plan from Europe, the International Monetary Fund said in a report.

Addressing the debt burden of the beleaguered nation will require "significant debt relief" from European institutions, the IMF said in its annual report on the Greek economy, which includes a debt sustainability analysis.

The IMF board is due to discuss the report February 6.


The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on Friday urged the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revoke the changes it brought about last year on admissions to M.Phil and Ph.D courses in central universities.

The JNUSU called the proposal "discriminatory" against less-privileged students since interview will be the sole criterion for admissions under the new system, against a two-part (enterance test and interview) system earlier.

Terming the UGC guidelines as 'straitjacketed', the JNUSU said adopting these will be akin to reversing decades of hard work put in ensuring level playing field for everyone.

The notification was adopted by the University's Academic Council amid protests by many of its members and students on December 26 last year.

According to it, the enterance test will be reduced to a qualifying exam and selected students will be admitted solely on the basis of interview.

The JNUSU said this was anathema to what was proposed by the Abdul Nafey Committee, which had recommended a reduction in weightage in viva voce (interview) from 30 per cent to 15 per cent.

Before the UGC notification came, the entrance test and viva voce were given weightage of 70 and 30 per cent respectively.

"We are being pushed towards 100 per cent viva-based admission process. It will open the doors for 100 per cent discretion, discrimination and favouritism in admissions," the JNUSU said in a statement.

"We wish to remind the UGC that there is a 1980 five-judge Constitution Bench verdict which forbids any selection process to have more than 15 per cent weightage for viva voce," it pointed out.

The JNUSU also questioned the fate of points given to candidates from disprivileged backgrounds, including for women.

The points are added to combined scores of entrance test and interview which will not be possible under the new system since the test will merely a qualifying exam.


Several avalanches and landslides hit the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Friday even as the death toll in the series of snow slides that have hit Jammu and Kashmir crossed 20 with the recovery of the bodies of four soldiers.

The fresh avalanche in Banihal disrupted the work of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that is busy clearing blockades due to snowfall in a bid to restore traffic on the highway which is closed for the third consecutive day on Friday.

In Srinagar, police officials said that bodies of four missing soldiers were recovered from avalanche-hit Gurez sector, taking the death toll in the incident to 14

"Four bodies of soldiers were recovered from the avalanche site by rescue teams in Gurez today. The death toll of army personnel has now risen to 14," a police official said.

Two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector on Wednesday evening trapping several soldiers under the debris.

While seven personnel were rescued alive by the teams, bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old man died after he came under an avalanche in Uri sector of Baramulla district.

Fateh Mohammad Mughal ventured out of his home last evening when he came under an avalanche.

Local residents and police pulled Mughal out of the avalanche debris and removed him to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

More than 20 persons, including 15 army personnel, have died in avalanches since Wednesday caused by fresh snowfall across Jammu and Kashmir over the past four days.

Authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir Valley in view of fresh snowfall.

Several avalanches have also hit the highway at Shatani Nallah area in Banihal belt of Ramban district today, police officials said.

A number of landslides were also triggered by heavy rains in Banihal-Ramban sector, they said adding the clearance of the snow to make the highway trafficable is being disrupted due to avalanches and landslides in Banihal-Ramban stretch.

Efforts are on by BRO with their men and machines to clear the highway of landslides, avalanches and heavy snowfall to make it trafficable, they said.

The highway was closed on Wednesday due to heavy snowfall.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday assured action against the anti-social and anti-national elements who resorted to violence on January 23 after the police forcibly evicted them from the Marina beach.

Anti-social elements and miscreants had infiltrated Jallikattu protests with intention of diverting them. Evil forces behind the violence will be identified and action (will be) taken against them, Panneerselvam said.

The chief minister also defended the police crackdown and said that minimum force was used against the protesters.

The police used minimum force against the rioters to safeguard public life and property. The anti-national and anti-social elements did not want the protests to end, he said.

Some protesters leading the Jallikattu protests on Jan 23 torched several vehicles and fought pitched battles with police after large posse of police personnel swooped on the huge crowd which had massed at the sprawling beach since January 17 and began to drag away the young protesters.

There was bedlam as others tried to pull back those being taken away. The police then used batons to disperse the mobs. As people ran from the beach and collected on nearby streets, there was more violence.

The police also fired tear gas to disperse the crowds who assembled on several roads leading to the beach and hurled stones at security personnel.
Britain's Opposition Labour party on Friday faced a fresh crisis after one of its South Asian MPs quit her shadow Cabinet role as education minister in order to vote against a new Brexit Bill in Parliament.

Tulip Siddiq, the niece of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, stepped away from the Labour frontbench following party leader Jeremy Corbyn's decision to impose a whip on Labour MPs to vote in favour of triggering Article 50.

"On the announcement of the three-line whip on the Article 50 vote, I feel I have no choice but to resign from my frontbench role as shadow minister for early years. I do not support the triggering of Article 50 and cannot reconcile myself to the frontbench position," the 34-year-old Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead and Kilburn in north-west London said in her resignation letter.

"I have always been clear I do not represent Westminster in Hampstead and Kilburn, I represent Hampstead and Kilburn in Westminster. I feel that the most effective place for me to counter Theresa May's hard Brexit is from the back benches," she writes.

Siddiq's constituency had voted in favour of remaining within the EU in the June 2016 referendum.

The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday to give British Prime Minister Theresa May the go-ahead to invoke Article 50, which will trigger the official two-year period of negotiations for Britain's exit from the EU after a June 2016 referendum in favour of Brexit.

While Corbyn wants his party to not block the bill, Siddiq has joined a number of rebel MPs who plan to defy the party line.

"In terms of the motion itself, three quarters of my constituents voted to remain and I intend to stand up for them throughout these debates. I will be looking carefully at what the government brings to Parliament, and of course any amendments that would be submitted by my colleagues in the Labour Party.

Ultimately, I will not be satisfied until there is total clarity over the measures to protect the security, residential status, and living standards of those I am so proud to represent," she said.

Corbyn, who faces a fresh internal crisis over the issue, said he understood the pressures for MPs who represent leave constituencies and those who represent remain constituencies.

"I say to everyone, unite around the important issues. I'm asking all our MPs not to block Article 50 and make sure it goes through next week," he said.

A few other Labour MPs, including senior Indian-origin MP Virendra Sharma, are also on the fence over the issue and said he is yet to decide on which way to vote next week.
A defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on Friday questioned by the police for the third time as a "possible criminal suspect" in a graft case for allegedly accepting valuable gifts from business figures and trying to trade favours with an Israeli newspaper.

67-year-old Netanyahu's interrogation by the police at his residence in Jerusalem is said to revolve around two criminal cases  the Prime Minister and his family s dealings with billionaire benefactors, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan known as Case 1000, and his negotiations for a suspected quid pro quo deal with a top Israeli publisher known as Case 2000.

The interrogation came a day after Netanyahu lambasted the media and rival politicians of trying "a coup attempt" through "undemocratic means".

Israeli Police on Thursday questioned Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth's publisher Arnon Mozes with whom Netanyahu held recorded conversations on advancing legislation that would reduce the pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom daily s circulation in exchange for more favourable coverage from Yedioth, the largest circulated daily in Israel.

Israel's Channel 10 reported earlier this week that police were likely to recommend indicting Netanyahu over the gifts he received from Milchan, with the case being in the most advanced stage.

Israel Radio reported that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is leaning toward a charge of breach of trust in the case, but not bribery.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and took to Facebook on Thursday to defend himself, accusing people from the media as well as politicians of exerting pressure on Mendelblit and law enforcement officials in an attempt to oust his government.

"The cat's out of the bag," he wrote claiming that media figures and politicians are trying to apply pressure to have him indicted 'at any price'.

He also called the effort an "undemocratic attempt" at "government overthrow".

The Israeli Premier on Wednesday addressed the Knesset's (Israeli parliament) "Question Time" and made comments in a similar vein, speaking of the efforts as "persecution" and a "show of hypocrisy".

"I have news for you," Netanyahu said adding, "I will continue to lead the State of Israel for many more years to come for the citizens of Israel, the State of Israel and the Jewish people."

Netanyahu also noted that he was "not the first" political leader to have meetings with media publishers, and not the first "to have wealthy friends".

He declined a number of questions in the Knesset on whether he will resign if indicted in one of the two criminal investigations currently opened against him, and on whether gifts he received from businessman Milchan or his relationship with lawyer Shimron constituted conflicts of interest.
Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray said that paying for a wall that US President Donald Trump wants to build on the border was "totally unacceptable", the media reported.

This led to the cancellation of the first meeting between leaders of the two countries.

"There are issues that are (unacceptable) for dignity, which have nothing to do with exports or the economy, but with the heart and pride of the Mexicans," Luis Videgaray said at a press conference at the Mexican Embassy in Washington on Thursday.

"Just as we offer respect, we Mexicans must respect ourselves, our history and national symbols," he continued.

Videgaray appeared before the media along with Mexican Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo at the end of their two-day visit to Washington to prepare for a meeting  cancelled on Thursday  between Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his US counterpart next week, Efe news reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump had tweeted that it would be better to skip the meeting if his Mexican counterpart continued to insist Mexico would not pay for the wall.

The foreign secretary said he hopes to resume "high-level meetings" with the US government in "the next few weeks" despite the cancellation of the presidents' meeting and the "disappointment" and "surprise" from Trump's announcement that he had signed an executive order on building the wall.

"We reiterate the indeclinable will of the government of Mexico to continue in close communication at the highest level with the government of the US. We are going to continue to negotiate and we are going to reach very good agreements," he said.

Trump argues that Mexico must pay for the wall, his election promise, while for Pena Nieto's government, it is a red line that he will not cross.

Videgaray reiterated on Thursday that his country will not pay for the wall "under any circumstances" and that there were "things (such as the wall) that cannot and will not be negotiable".

"We recognise that the US is a sovereign nation with full right to protect its borders as the people and the government decide. We do not agree that the wall is the best way to protect or create a good coexistence between neighbours, but they can defend their borders as they see fit," he said.

"But claiming that it is the people of Mexico who pay for the wall is to move from a sovereign action to something that is deeply unacceptable," the foreign secretary added.

Videgaray also said that with a tariff on imports of Mexican products, such as the 20 per cent tax suggested by the Trump administration on Thursday, the border wall would end up being paid for by US consumers.

"A tax on US imports of Mexican products is not the way to have Mexico pay for the wall, but it is the American consumer who would have to pay more for avocados, washing machines and televisions," the foreign secretary added.
Queen Elizabeth II will host a special reception at Buckingham Palace to kick start the UK-India Year of Culture celebrations in Britain, the Indian high commissioner here has said, noting that the bilateral ties have emerged "truly exciting".

In his address at the annual Republic Day event in London, Indian high commissioner to the UK Y K Sinha said a number of events are being planned to mark the "momentous" year.

"We are very happy that 2017 is the year of Indian culture in the UK. It is also the year India marks 70 years of independence. They both go hand in hand this year as we celebrate this momentous occasion and we are very honoured by Her Majesty's decision to start off the year with a reception at Buckingham Palace," Sinha said.

The reception is expected to take place towards the end of February, with a formal date announcement expected in a few weeks.

"The India-UK relationship has never looked better. It has stepped up to a level which is truly exciting, truly encouraging. This year's agenda in particular looks very challenging and very exciting," Sinha said.

Describing the bilateral trade in goods last year of $14 billion and another $5.3 billion in services as just the "tip of the iceberg", he added: "With the United Kingdom exiting the European Union (EU), I think the time has come for India and UK to again re-engage to strengthen our economic engagement."

The Indian envoy was joined by Nick Hurd, UK minister for climate change, as the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations at Grosvenor House hotel in central London.

He welcomed Sinha s appointment as Indian high commissioner to the UK, as a diplomat of "seniority and experience".

"Republic Day marks a momentous turning point in India's history and today we commemorate the thriving democracy it is.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate the long-standing ties between our governments," the minister said.

"At the heart of this relationship is our people to people ties or to use Prime Minister Modi's phrase, the 'living bridge' that connects our two countries. The Indian diaspora plays a crucial role in deepening UK- India links. We are committed to harnessing our natural ties and making this an enduring partnership," he added.

The event was marked by cultural performances representing different states of India.
Russia has slammed comments by British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon calling Moscow's flagship aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov "a ship of shame".

Fallon on Wednesday said British warships and warplanes tracked Russia's only aircraft carrier through the English Channel.

The carrier and its escort, the guided missile cruiser Petr Velikiy, are on their way back to Russia after participating in airstrikes in Syria. They left the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month, BBC reported.

"We are keeping a close eye on the Admiral Kuznetsov as it skulks back to Russia, a ship of shame whose mission has only extended the suffering of the Syrian people," Fallon said.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday said it had "paid attention" to Fallon's remarks.

"The Russian combat ships do not need escort services," the statement said. "They know the fairway and the course."

The ministry also suggested Fallon should be "paying more attention to the British fleet".

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday struck a slightly different tone to his defence counterpart, noting Moscow's role in bringing about Syrian peace talks in Astana this week, following on from its military involvement.

"To the extent that the Russians are capable of getting a ceasefire and stopping suffering, that must be rated a plus," Johnson told a House of Lords committee.

"That comes after a pretty brutal and barbaric bombardment of Aleppo and other places which they facilitated  or, I'm sure, perhaps even participated in," he said.

According to the BBC, Johnson said Russia had intervened in Syria "to considerable effect" by preserving the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He described Moscow's involvement there as a "fact of life" after other powers such as Britain had declined to step in.

Russia's airstrikes in support of Assad's forces have been crucial in helping them gain the upper hand in the long-running conflict. In December, they succeeded in pushing rebel fighters from the key city of Aleppo.

Syria's brutal civil war has raged on for nearly six years and killed an estimated 400,000 people.
It's getting cold again, and what better way to say goodbye to winter than with cosy woolens?

Take a cue from these ladies, and give those woolies one last chance. Photo: Mail Today

By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: Jacqueline Fernandez stands out in this camouflage oversized jacket by Coal & Terry. Did we mention how much we love the shoes?

What a well-styled (and honest) sweater is Prachi Desai wearing, with a classic bag and this season's latest trend of dewy skin.

Deepika Padukone looks chic in a turtleneck shirt and olive green overcoat. The Gucci Dionysus top handle bag adds extra props.

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Also read: Deepika Padukone's cosy overcoat is comfort and style wrapped into one

A red pout works with almost any look. Team it with black and charcoal and you have a winner like Raveena Tandon's style.

We're getting cosy winter-afternoon feels from Sridevi's mustardyellow coat, worn with a printed scarf tucked around the neck.

Neha Dhupia proves why a camel coloured trench coat is a must in every wardrobe, especially when styled with black, white and grey.

This striped collared overcoat is the only style investment to make before it gets warm again, and Kanika Kapoor shows you why.

A lace shirt and this faux fur jacket by Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid are what fashion dreams are made of. Esha Gupta pulls it off with aplomb!

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French President Francois Hollande on Friday said the Trump administration is a "challenge" for Europe, which also faces the internal threat of rising extremism and populism. Hollande was speaking at a press conference in Berlin after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"To be honest, there are challenges from the new US administration; challenges regarding rules of commerce, regarding the way we think conflicts across the world should be solved," Hollande was quoted by RT online.

"Of course, we need to speak to Donald Trump, because he was elected by the US (citizens) to be their president, but we should speak to him from the European point of view, promoting our interests and values."

Merkel echoed his concerns, saying that "Europe faces big internal and external challenges which we can only master by working together."

"We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished, and to the values of our liberal democracies," she added.
US President Donald Trump will on Friday welcome British Prime Minister Theresa May, first foreign leader to visit the Oval Office.

Both the new US President and the British Premier, who took office in July last year, have strong political incentives, CNN reported.

May has told Britons their country will be a robust global trading power once it exits the European Union, and a free-trade deal with the US is the most important pillar of that plan.

Trump also seems interested in talking up a trade deal with Britain.

The envisioned agreement with Britain is exactly the kind of bilateral pact the Trump administration says is the model for US trade policy going forward.

However, he previewed the visit by griping that Democrats have yet to confirm his Commerce Secretary pick, Wilbur Ross.

"I'm meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow (Friday), as you know. Great Britain  I don't have my Commerce Secretary  they want to talk trade. So, I'll have to handle it myself. Which is okay," he told Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Trump's need for a successful outcome became more acute on Thursday when a spat with Mexico over his vow to build a border wall caused President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a visit to the White House.

May will be in the Oval Office exactly seven days after Trump was inaugurated. It is being seen by her entourage as a sign of the new President's respect for Britain.

May will use the visit to stress that though Britain is leaving Europe and Trump is suspicious of US attachments abroad, the two nations can still combine to be a force that can shape the world.

"As we rediscover our confidence together  as you renew your nation just as we renew ours  we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the 'special relationship' for this new age," May told GOP lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia, her first US stop.

"We have the opportunity to lead, together, again."

The British Prime Minister will also have the benefit of the advice of former President Barack Obama, who urged her to develop a close relationship with Trump so that she and other centre-right world leaders could be a moderating influence on him, said a former Obama administration official and a British official familiar with the conversations.

Trump and May also have their share of disagreements. Her visit will be the first test of some of Trump's most controversial views on foreign policy.

Trump's statements that NATO is obsolete and he wants to improve relations with Russia that has been testing the borders of post-Cold War Europe have triggered alarm on the other side of the Atlantic.

According to the CNN, the no-nonsense Prime Minister is making clear that while she plans to forge a close relationship with Trump, she will not hesitate to speak her mind.

"I am not afraid to speak frankly to the President of the US," May said in the parliament on Wednesday. "I am able to do that because we have this special relationship."

Britain's calls for all members to meet their military spending target of two per cent of GDP, may allow her government to become a point of liaison between states in the western alliance and the new President, who has frequently groused that US allies have not done enough to pay for their own defence.

Trump backed the British exit from the EU and hopes more countries follow suit  in direct contravention of decades of US foreign policy that saw stability in a united Europe.

May did not back Brexit, but in the political carnage that followed the referendum, she found herself Prime Minister and must now manage the most volatile political turbulence in western Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.


Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional light rain late. Low around 65F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.


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The house that was used for bathroom and changing for the former recreation swimming area will be torn down.
Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy

By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat
Cancer, for Kusum, shed its cloak of invisibility with a facial twitch in 2012.

The year was supposed to be one of new beginnings for Kusum and her husband, Vivek Tomar. Married for four years, the couple had been living apart owing to jobs in different citiesVivek, a pharmaceutical graduate, had been working in Hyderabad, and Kusum was a schoolteacher in Rohtak, living with her parents and son. Gurgaon brought them together; they both found jobs here. They were out shopping, looking for furniture for their new home, when Kusum's right cheek started twitching.

Kusum, 32, was initially diagnosed with tuberculosis of the brain. But her condition worsened after she started taking anti-TB medicines. Two months later, she was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. A radiologist saw a patch on Kusums lungs during a full body MRI scan. A rare form of cancer, it had already spread to her brain and formed multiple nodules there, says Vivek.

Kusum underwent chemotherapy, but the drug reacted adversely after the third chemo cycle. It led to accumulation of fluid around her lungs and almost choked her to death. I am one of those few people who show resistance to chemotherapy. So, the doctors prescribed me the next line of drugcrizotinib, says Kusum. The drug kept the cancer under control for the next 22 months, but she developed resistance to it as well. There was no next-generation drug available in India, and without treatment, she was told she would live only for four more months. However, the drug she neededceritinibwas available in the United States. But importing it would have cost them 110 lakh a month, which was way beyond their means.

Musical care: Meryl Mammen at her Ghaziabad home. She has Pompe disease, a rare disorder in which the body cannot make an enzyme required to break down the complex sugar glycogen | Arvind Jain

Vivek met doctors and wrote letters to various pharmaceutical companies to know how ceritinib can be brought to India at a reduced price. They told him that a drug could be brought to India only after it cleared the clinical trial phase here. The pharmaceutical company manufacturing the drug was awaiting the approval of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct trials. Vivek wanted to accelerate the process and he wrote to the DCGI. Finally after four months, the clinical trials began and Kusum was put on the drug.

Kusum responded well to the drug. The tumours in her brain shrank. The cancer in the rest of the body was arrested and there was improvement in her condition. There were side-effects, of coursenausea, vomiting, drowsiness and epileptic convulsions. But she fought them all. A pink bicycle in the lawn stands testimony to her determination. When she started feeling weak, she asked Vivek to get her a bicycle so that she could build her stamina. I want to live for my son and my husband. I can fight all odds to be with them, she says.

Kusum's cancer, however, continues to be invincible; she has developed resistance to ceritinib as well. She now needs the next line of drugsalectinib (available in the US market), brigatinib (cleared clinical trial) and lorlatinib (under clinical trial)which are far from coming to India. I can fight the side-effects and keep myself motivated, but how can I fight cancer without any drug? asks Kusum. There are so many advanced medicines in the US and so many more in the pipeline. The life-expectancy of someone with my kind of cancer is at least ten years. How can our government not think of bringing these lifesaving drugs to India when all other countries have them?

THE WEEK, in its cover story dated March 6, 2011, highlighted how the clinical trial industry had become a money-making business.

Kusum's story highlights the desperation of thousands of patients who live with diseases for which there are no medicines available in the country. It is ironical that the largest producer of drugs in the world finds it difficult to introduce new drugs in its own market. All because the process of getting permissions to conduct clinical trialsthe only gateway through which a new drug can enter the Indian market after proving its efficacy and safety in the Indian populationis quite cumbersome.

After a drug molecule is tested in animals and found safe, the pharmaceutical company sends an application to the DCGI for conducting phase-1 clinical trials. Once the approval comes in, the company chooses doctors as principal investigators, who are trained by the company on the protocols for the trial. The investigators give applications to the ethics committees, comprising groups of experts from various fields, of the clinical trial sites. The committee assesses the risks and benefits of the drug under study, and if found safe, grants permission for the four-phased trial. The investigator then enrols patients and starts the trial. The sponsor of the study (the pharma company, in most cases), the DCGI inspectors and members of the ethics committee keep a close watch throughout the trial.

In India, clinical trials have lacked regulation for long. For nearly a decade till 2011, it was easy to obtain permission to conduct clinical trials. According to the DCGI, the government approved 475 clinical trials for new chemical entities, not used as a drug elsewhere in the world, between January 2005 and June 2012. There were reportedly 11,972 cases of adverse effects excluding deaths, 506 of these being directly attributed to the trials. Besides, 2,644 deaths were reported between 2008 and 2013. Among them, four tribal girls, aged between 10 and 14 years, from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat who died allegedly during the trials of a Human Papillomavirus vaccine for cervical cancer.

THE WEEK, in its cover story dated March 6, 2011, highlighted how the clinical trial industry in India had become a money-making business, which had led to the exploitation of poor and vulnerable patients. There were no stringent laws to guarantee adequate compensation to the patients in case of an adverse event owing to the drug under trial.

In 2011, many NGOs protested the malpractices prevailing in the sector. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court, which blamed the government for the laxity in the norms. In early 2013, the court appointed a committee, headed by Professor Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, a noted pharmacologist, to come up with recommendations to improve the system of drug development and clinical trials in the country. As per its recommendations, the permission of the health secretary had to be sought, apart from the DCGI's approval for trials. However, objections were raised when the health ministry gave approval to 162 global clinical trials in less than two months the same year. Even as the government and court were charting out the new roadmap for clinical trials, many pharmaceuticals and research institutions like the US-based National Institutes of Health cancelled many of their trials in India.

Then came a set of new rules and regulations, which were anything but clinical. The regulations required registration of all ethical committees with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) of the Union health ministry, audio-visual recording of patients consent, involving insurance companies for providing compensation to patients in case of an adverse event and so on. Everything came to a standstill for three years. It was a major setback for clinical research and new medicines in the country, says Dr C.S. Pramesh, thoracic-onco surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

Agrees Dr Vyankatesh Shivane, a diabetologist at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, who stopped conducting trials after the new regulations came in. My private clinic was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, but the new Indian rules are difficult to follow. I have conducted more than 45 trials, of which 12-13 drugs came to the market.

Clinical trials are important to meet India's requirements for new drugs for diabetes, he says. Unlike the US, where insulin is the preferred line of treatment, people here want to delay its use. Besides, the patho-aetiology is different. People with low body mass index also have high central fat, says Shivane. Cost is another major factor that pharma companies have to take into account before coming up with a new drug here.

The most affected are cancer patients and people suffering from terminal illness, rare disorders, severe infections and drug resistance. The only way to deal with resistance to drugs and treat newer and rarer diseases is to build a parallel process of not only developing new drugs but making it available in the country. Take the case of Ghaziabad resident Shashank Tyagi, who has Gaucher's disease, a rare genetic disorder caused by the abnormal buildup of fatty substance in organs. I was bedridden and totally dependent on others for my daily chores. There was no drug to help me. When the clinical trial for enzyme replacement therapy was held in India, I enrolled myself. I am independent now, he says.

Meryl Mammen, however, had trouble finding a suitable trial for Pompe disease, a rare disorder in which the body cannot make an enzyme required to break down the complex sugar glycogen. Enzyme replacement therapy, the only treatment available, costs 12.6 crore per year. I would not have survived without medicine, says the 26-year-old Ghaziabad resident. My father's company has been paying for my medicine for the last five years.

Prasanna Shirol, founder of Organization for Rare Diseases in India, says there are more than 7,000 rare disorders reported in India. Of these, drugs are available for only 500. In Gauchers disease, for example, if 300 children are diagnosed, only 80 per cent can get medicine either through clinical trial or government aid. The rest suffer before they succumb, says Shirol, whose 16-year-old daughter, Nidhi, suffers from Pompe disease.

Drugs in case of a rare genetic disorder may not cure but arrest the symptoms and help in improving the quality of life. In a standard process, it takes seven to ten years for a molecule to become drug and be available in the market after clearing clinical trials. People like Srinivas Bitla of Mumbai are well aware of the consequences of such a long drawn-out process. Bitlas son Nihal lost his life to Hutchinson Gilford Progeria at 13. In the rare disorder, a child ages rapidly. There was no treatment available until a year ago, when he was called by Boston Children Hospital and Progeria Research Foundation to participate in a clinical trial in Boston for a new drug called Lonafarnib. The medicine worked wonderfully on him. Nihal got flexibility to bend forward and his negligible teeth line got its structure and colour back.

In March, however, Nihal died of dehydration. He didnt die of progeria, says Bitla. The medicine under clinical trial improved his quality of life tremendously. I have decided that I will spread awareness about the importance of clinical trials so that parents of other children suffering from progeria do not say no to available medicine.

Support system: Prasanna Shirol with his daughter, Nidhi, who suffers from Pompe disease. Shirol is founder of Organization for Rare Diseases in India | Jagadeesh N.V.

From rare disorders to the most common infections, each disease is seeing a progression that is making it challenging for the medical fraternity to treat it.

Another important aspect of getting newer medicine is to reduce the cost of the treatment of chronic diseases. Dr Sneha Limaye, head of clinical trials at Chest Research Foundation in Pune, says 15 of 40 new molecules her institute conducted trials on in the last ten years have become the drug of choice in many cases. It is only because of research, says Limaye, that the cost of the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the second largest killer disease in India, has come down to 13 per dose.

A doctor feels good when the molecule he or she has tested changes the life of the patients, says Pramesh. Participating in a clinical trial is an additional responsibility for a doctor. Most doctors do it only when they are passionate about research. But it is necessary to have a population specific data for a drug to document its efficacy and safety in a particular population.

He cites the example of the global trial of Gefitinib, a drug for lung cancer, in which the Tata hospital had participated. The drug was found to be ineffective in most countries. But while documenting the data, it was found that the drug was quite effective in a sub-group consisting of non-smoker Asian women. Though dismissed by the whole world, Gefitinib became the drug of choice for us in India, he says.

In a survey conducted by Chest Research Foundation last year, most doctors who work as principal investigators in a clinical trial agreed on the central registration of ethics committees and on improving the mandatory compensation to the subjects for study-related serious adverse events. A majority, however, did not agree to making it compulsory to include government sites in clinical trials and the introduction of audio-video recording of informed consent. Though the move to record the consent of the patient is to safeguard the patients right, it makes the whole process cumbersome. Patients get worked up and get suspicious about the safety of the trial, says Limaye. Besides, they generally have many personal queries regarding the side-effects of drugs on their sex life and child-bearing, which they are not comfortable asking about on camera and become reluctant in participating.

The process of enrolling people in a clinical trial is different in India and the developed countries. In the US, the information about any ongoing or upcoming clinical trial is simply put on the institutes website and around the campus. Interested patients themselves contact the doctor, who then explains the intricacies of the clinical trial. This way, patients have much more trust on the doctor. In India, it is the doctor who has to approach each and every patient.

The new guidelines unfortunately have also halted academic research in India. The Tata hospital, in collaboration with Medical Research Council, UK, was to begin research on how Aspirin, a popular blood-thinner, can be used as an anti-cancer drug. There is a large data to support the initial research. It took both the institutes two years to draw all the protocols. Though the research has already begun in the UK, we are still waiting for the approval, says Pramesh. Can you imagine the impact this kind of a study will have in bringing down the cost of cancer treatment? There is no comparison between cancer research in India and across the world, he says.

Even hardcore research institutes are finding it difficult to adhere to the governments guidelines. Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, director, National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, says they have conducted eight to nine clinical trials in the last ten years. But of late, it has become difficult for them to participate in any clinical trial because of the strict compensation law. Relaxation of these rules is given in four conditionsepidemic, national emergency, extreme emergency and rare disorders. Now, HIV doesnt fall in any of these categories, and even insurance companies dont provide insurance to people with HIV, he points out. How can we adhere to this rule? Should research in this vital medical field halt for such a reason? asks Gangakhedkar. The west prefers medicines that are less toxic and more effective. Unfortunately we still have to look at the cost of the medicine and what is available in India.

Cure call: Srinivas Bitla with his son Nihal, who took part in a clinical trial for a new drug for progeria in Boston. The drug worked, but Nihal died of dehydration in March.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, director general, Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR), says she has been working towards bringing down the approval time for conducting a clinical trial to six months. Also, she says it is important to assess whether deaths and other adverse events related to clinical trials in the past occurred due to the drug under study or because of any other factor. Take, for example, the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer. There were deaths reported in tribal girls in Andhra Pradesh. But it is important to take into account the death rate under the normal circumstances among the population under study, she says.

Though it is important to make stronger rules to protect the rights of participants, Swaminathan says drug trial is equally crucial to protect people against deadly diseases. We couldn't participate in the global trials for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis of which South Africa was a part. Dont we need newer drugs to address the growing problem of extreme drug resistant tuberculosis? she asks.

Dr G.N. Singh, drug controller general of India, however, says the period of uncertainty and delay will be over shortly. The regulatory body is in the process of making the system of obtaining permission for clinical trials robust, fast and transparent. Indeed, India has a unique disease burden and it needs to be addressed with country-specific drug trials. I think in the next two-three years, we should be back on track as far as clinical trials and bringing newer drugs to the Indian market is concerned.

In early August, the CDSCO issued two circulars, giving the ethics committee the power to decide on the number of trials a principal investigator can undertake and also to choose the site of the trial. Earlier, an investigator could not work on more than three trials at a time, and only hospitals with minimum 500 beds were allowed to conduct trials.

Though these are steps in the right direction, it is high time India got clinical about drug trials.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally at Majithia in Punjab on Friday, named Captain Amarinder as the chief ministerial candidate in Punjab.

He said that the industries in Punjab had become a monopoly of the Badal family.

"To travel in Punjab, you will have to use buses owned by the Badal family."

"We will implement strict drug laws in Punjab. Earlier, they laughed at me when I said that 70 per cent of the youth in Punjab were addicted to drugs," he said.

He also hit out at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the former switched positions occasionally and that the latter falsely claimed to be fighting against corruption.
National Investigation Agency, on Thursday, filed a chargesheet against 29 year old Yasmeen Mohammad Zahid  the first woman from India to be charged with ISIS links. She is the daughter of Mohammed Zahid, resident of Delhi and originally hailing from Bihar. The agency has charged her for being part of a criminal conspiracy hatched within and outside India by certain youths, originally hailing from Kasaragod district of Kerala, "with the intention of furthering the objectives of the proscribed terrorist organization, ISIS, and their pursuant exit from India along with their families for joining and supporting the organisation."

THE WEEK had first reported in the previous week that the NIA was preparing to chargesheet Yasmin as it had found sufficient evidence against her in a conspiracy case related to missing youth from Kerala, who defected to ISIS.

Yasmin has been chargesheeted along with 30 year old Abdul Rashid Abdulla @ Rashi, son of Thayyalpurali Abdullah, originally the resident of Al Noor under Chandera Police Station, Kasaragod district of Kerala. Both have been chargesheeted under various sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) before the NIA special court in Ernakulam.

It may be recalled that the case was originally registered as an FIR in Kasargod, under section 57 of Kerala Police Act, apart from sections 38 and 39 of the UA (P) Act, and was re-registered at NIA Police Station in Kochi on August 24 last year.

Investigation by the NIA has established that the accused Abdul Rashid was the main conspirator behind the offence of motivating a number of youths, hailing from Kasaragod district, to exit India along with their families and join the Islamic State, says the NIA in its chargesheet.

"He had conducted classes at Kasaragod and other places in support of the terrorist organization and its ideology of violent jihad. He motivated another set of 14 co-conspirators, including another arrested accused Yasmin Mohammed Zahid, to join the proscribed organization and plan for Hijrah to the Caliphate announced by the ISIS," says the NIA.

The investigation has revealed that the conspiracy had been in operation since the month of July 2015. The accused Yasmin Mohammed Zahid was intercepted at the New Delhi international airport on the July 30 last year while she was trying to exit India for Kabul, Afghanistan, along with her minor child. She defected with the intention of joining her co-conspirator Abdul Rashid in the territory under the control of ISIS in Afghanistan.

"Investigation has established that Abdul Rashid had raised funds for the terrorist organization and transferred such funds to Yasmeen, who utilized it for her activities with the intention of supporting the terrorist organization," says the NIA chargesheet.

NIA officials said efforts were on to locate and apprehend the absconding accused, including the charge-sheeted accused Abdul Rashid who have joined the ISIS.
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Magen David Adom has added a number of 650cc motorcycles to its EMS fleet. Fifteen new on-call personnel have joined the fleet of response motorcycles in a ceremonies event held in Ashdod. During the ceremony, three drivers received their new 650cc motorcycles including defibrillators and other advanced medical equipment.

Eli Zohar of the Operations Division explained to the new on-call personnel how their smartphone app works. The application sends out a call based on the GPS reading of the person. Three paramedics received their new vehicles, two MP3 500 and one 650cc motorcycle, whom also serve in the Israel Police Traffic Enforcement Unit on motorcycles.

An addition 15 volunteers in that area received bags containing first-response equipment.

MDA Chief of Operations Eli Bin was on hand and he praised the volunteers and the growth of the EMS agencys two-wheeled fleet, which he explains facilitates a faster response to calls for assistance.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Fab and artist and educator Cheryl Rattner Price are calling for all 50 states to mandate Holocaust education in the public schools, to combat a rise in hate crimes nationwide that spiked around the presidential election.

Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day this Friday, Jan. 27, Fab and Rattner Price are urging residents in every state to call and write to their governors and demand that the Holocaust be taught in public schools. Currently only eight states require some form of Holocaust education in the public schools. The pair says it is vital that US schools teach young people about the Holocaust at a time when theres a marked increase in reported hate crimes and anti-Semitism nationwide.

Holocaust education isnt some dusty historical subject. In fact, with the resurrection of the alt-right in America, the movement to ban Muslims from entering the country, the high incidence of hate crimes since the election of Donald J. Trump and more, Holocaust education is more critical today than ever before, Fab said.

The call for the public to lobby local government for Holocaust education in public schools would begin with an initial 100-day phase, in which Fab and Rattner Price would seek to partner with organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and Facing History and Ourselves that currently focus on Holocaust education, as well as with schools and other institutions, Holocaust museums and an upcoming conference on social studies.

The pair issued the call Tuesday evening, during a screening at the Manhattan JCC of the new film they produced and directed, Not The Last Butterfly. The film (http://www.notthelastbutterfly.com) tells the story of The Butterfly Project, a global education and arts program whose mission is to paint and display 1.5 million ceramic butterflies to honor and remember each child killed in the Holocaust, and to foster education and awareness of the dangers of hate and bigotry, by mobilizing the global community to stand up against injustice and create a more compassionate and peaceful world.

Fab is also the director of the Emmy nominated and award-winning documentary Paper Clips, about a Tennessee school project to fill a replica of a Nazi freight train full of millions of paper clips, one for each victim of the Holocaust. The students chose paper clips because Norwegians wore them during the Nazi occupation as a symbol of resistance.

Fab and Rattner Price acknowledged the challenges of igniting a public campaign to lobby state leaders to mandate Holocaust education. They said the current education system is focused on performance assessments, especially in the core subjects of reading, math and science, so teaching is focused on testing. That leaves little room for other curricula, and there is no standard for education policy across the states.

However, Holocaust education is more relevant than ever, they said. This month Jewish community centers in 18 states received bomb threats, the latest series of anti-Semitic incidents to strike nationwide. The Anti-Defamation League reported 2.6 million anti-Semitic tweets during the presidential election, with 800 Jewish journalists targeted. In the 10 days after the election of Donald J. Trump as president, 867 hate crimes were reported, 100 of those ant-Semitic in nature, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

While Not The Last Butterfly is focused on remembrance and hope, the filmmaker pair said their education initiative could help push a national effort to ensure that student learn the lessons of the Holocaust and the importance of standing up to hatred of all kinds.

The lessons of the Holocaust education projects Ive filmed apply not just to anti-Semitism, but to every aspect of our lives  including the dangers we see today to non-Jewish citizens as well as threats to our morals and values  and even to the survival of our democracy, Fab said.

Holocaust education is a vital tool in the defense of our democracy and critical to helping our young people learn to stand up to demagoguery and evil. Starting in the next 100 days, we should all choose to reach out to our state and local elected officials and advocate for requiring that the Holocaust must be taught in all 50 states.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Northern district police on Wednesday, 27 Teves, inspected two LP gas facilities, accompanying inspectors of the Ministry of Energy. The facilities were both located in the Majdal Krum area and they were both pirate, operate without permits.

They confiscated 51 cylinders and the two persons running the operation were detained for questioning and will be charged with operating a flammable substance business illegally in a residential area.

Police stress that shutting them down may have averted yet another tragedy.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Israels prime minister says President Donald Trump understands the danger of the Iran nuclear deal.

Benjamin Netanyahu said that in a conversation with Trump a few days ago, the U.S. president spoke about Irans commitment to destroy Israel.

The 2015 deal between Iran and world powers imposed curbs on Tehrans nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. Netanyahu has said the deal wont stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons capability, which he views as a threat to Israels existence

Netanyahu says Trump spoke about the nature of this nuclear agreement, and the danger it poses.

Netanyahus remarks came at a Holocaust ceremony Thursday.

Netanyahu is due to visit the White House in early February in hopes of forging close ties with Trump after a rocky relationship with the Obama administration.

(AP)
US President Donald Trump has undone former President Barak Obamas parting gift to his beloved PA (Palestinian Authority), a $221 million allocation. According to reports, the US State Department was able to halt the transfer in time. The allocation came under harsh criticism as it came on his last hours in office. Needless to say, republicans were particularly outraged by the move.

In a somewhat related matter, the New York Times reported on Wednesday that President Trump is preparing executive orders that would bring a halt to US funding to international agencies, including the United Nations, which support full membership for the PA in the United Nations. Yisrael Hayom quotes sources which state the Trump administration is planning to cut US funding to the UN by 40% in any event.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The Interior Ministry backed by the Prime Minister have given the necessary approval to permit Israeli Arab families to foster Syrian orphans in Israel, speaking of 100 children. Israel views the ongoing bloodshed in Syria as a humanitarian mission and is planning increased medical assistance as well.

According to the plan approved by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, 100 Syrian orphans will be housed in the Israeli Arab sector and it is likely close members of their family will be permitted to join them at a later date.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
A recent Channel 2 News documentary alleged there is an unhealthy connection between Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, senior officials in his ministry and tobacco industry tycoons. The report alleged that as a result of this lucrative connection, Litzman has blocked legislation to advance anti-smoking laws and regulations.

Litzman and Ministry officials denied the accuracy of the report. Perhaps backing the official denial is recent tougher anti-smoking legislation backed by the Ministry of Health. In fact, the Health Ministry earlier this week announced new regulations intended to discourage using cigarettes and other tobacco products as well as seeking to limit the use of public use of electronic cigarettes.

The ministry is backing legislation to block any and all tobacco advertisements, in all forums and platforms. It will also ban the use of electronic cigarettes in public areas as is the case with regular cigarettes. This would include sporting arenas, playgrounds, public centers, zoos and more. The ministry is also working to increase tobacco products taxes and taxation on electronic cigarettes.

According to the ministry, 8,000 Israelis die annually as a result of smoking.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
On Wednesday, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the CHOICE Act, legislation that will enhance educational choice in various contexts. Of primary interest to the Orthodox Jewish community is the bills application to special education programs, which have faced many difficult challenges in yeshiva day schools. To help ensure that children with disabilities get educational options best suited for them, the CHOICE Act provides funding that will follow the child to the parents school of choice, whether public, private or religious.

Agudath Israel of America is pleased to endorse this legislation and to congratulate Senator Scott, with whom the organization has been privileged to work with on this bill and on the promotion of school choice in general. Numerous school choice bills are expected to be introduced in both House and Senate in the coming months, and Agudath Israel advocates will devote their full energies to help craft those bills and to encourage swift passage.

(YWN Desk  NYC)
A newspaper is reporting that six people working as journalists were among the group of 230 people arrested in Washington after self-described anti-capitalists began breaking windows in Washington on Inauguration Day.

The Associated Press had reported Sunday that lawyers said some innocent observers, including two journalists, were improperly swept up in the arrests. A report in The Guardian says four others arrested are also journalists. It names documentary producer Jack Keller and three independent journalists: Matt Hopard, Shay Horse and Aaron Cantu.

Cantus attorney Grandison Hill told The Associated Press on Thursday that Cantu was working as a journalist when arrested.

Horse identifies himself as an independent photojournalist on Twitter. His lawyer, who is also listed as representing Hopard, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A(P)
Police in New York City are searching for a turnstile jumper who pushed a 43-year-old man onto the tracks of a Bronx subway station as a train approached.

Fire officials say the victim was forced to dodge the oncoming train Wednesday morning at the 170th Street station, but one of his legs was run over, leaving him bleeding profusely just inches from the electrified third rail.

The victim was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.

A hospital spokeswoman says Thursday that the injured man is alert and able to speak.

Police say the victim and his assailant fought on the platform before the victim was shoved onto the tracks.

The suspect is described as a man in his mid-20s who was wearing a green jacket.

(AP)
President Donald Trump called on fellow Republicans to help him enact great and lasting change during a party retreat Thursday, but offered the lawmakers few details about his views on key issues including tax reform and health care.

The president was greeted by cheers as he took the stage in a hotel ballroom, telling senators and House members, This Congress is going to be the busiest Congress in decades  maybe ever.

Trumps election put Republicans in control of both the White House and Congress for the first time in more than a decade. Yet Trumps often fluid ideology has sometimes put him at odds with his own party, making agreement on issues including a tax overhaul and entitlements no guarantee.

The president spoke about his agenda in broad terms and then skipped a planned question-and-answer session. He gave Republicans no specific marching orders for tackling the repeal and replace of Obamacare, one of the most complicated issues Congress is expected to tackle this year.

Trump said he had suggested to GOP leaders that they could just do nothing for two years in order to let Obamacare self-destruct and ramp up pressure on Democrats to join overhaul efforts.

Except we have one problem  we have to take care of the American people, he said.

Trumps brief trip to Philadelphia marked his first flight on Air Force One, the familiar blue and white government plane that has long ferried presidents around the country and the world. Spokesman Sean Spicer described Trump  who traveled throughout the campaign and the transition on his own private jet  as being in awe of the presidential aircraft.

Trump saluted as he walked off his Marine helicopter and chatted with an Air Force officer who escorted him to the steps of the plane. He climbed the steps slowly but did not turn around and wave as presidents often do.

Trumps midday remarks in Philadelphia came after several days of executive actions on trade and immigration. On Wednesday, he began overhauling the nations immigration rules and moved to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. He also ordered cuts in federal grants for sanctuary cities, which shield some immigrants from federal law enforcement, and authorized increases in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers.

The moves on immigration caused immediate friction with Mexico, prompting President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a trip to Washington next week for his first meeting with the new president. It was a remarkable move by an ally and neighbor.

During his remarks to lawmakers, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said he and Pena Nieto have agreed to cancel our planned meeting. Trump had tweeted earlier Thursday that it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting given Pena Nietos unwillingness to pay for the border wall.

Trump insists Mexico will pay, while Pena Nieto insists his country will not.

After returning to the White House, Trump planned to sign an executive action commissioning a probe of widespread voter fraud, Spicer said. Additional actions are planned for Friday, too, but Spicer said decisions were still to be made on exactly what Trump would sign.

The president is also expected to take steps, possibly as soon as this week, to restrict the flow of refugees into the United States. And he is considering plans to negotiate individual trade deals with the countries that have signed onto the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Trump took steps earlier in the week to withdraw the U.S. from TPP, which he said puts American workers at a disadvantage.

The White House had said Trump would also meet Thursday afternoon with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas. The meeting with Hatch, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Brady, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has been rescheduled, the White House said.

(AP)
Donald Trumps home state would no longer do business with companies working on the Republican presidents border wall under a proposal announced Thursday by Democratic New York legislator.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozics bill would prevent the state from signing contracts or investing in companies hired for the federal project. Its the latest proposal from officials in New York looking to push back against the new administration, and another indication of the tension between Washington and the leaders of blue states like New York and California.

Many of us have been thinking about different ways we could counter the actions coming out of Washington D.C., Rozic told The Associated Press. This will be a decisive and effective way of showing where our values are at.

New York routinely awards sizeable contracts to companies and invests billions of dollars in pension funds. The state already has placed restrictions on contracts or investments with companies that do business in Iran, or those that participate in a boycott of Israel.

Rozic said that while its unusual to consider restrictions relating to a federal project, New York must honor its tradition of diversity and tolerance.

I represent one of the most diverse districts in our state, and I feel strongly about sticking up for our immigrant communities, she said.

The legislation would direct the state to compile a list of companies working on the wall, and then prohibit state investment and procurement officials from awarding contracts or investing state assets in those firms.

The legislation could do well in the overwhelmingly Democratic Assembly but may face challenges in the Republican-led Senate.

Trump made the border wall a key promise during his successful campaign. He signed an executive order Wednesday to jumpstart construction.

Democrats in New York already have announced several other steps to push back against proposals and policies of the new administration.

Earlier this month, the administration of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo moved to require insurers to cover birth control and medically necessary abortions. And this week, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has vowed to fight a presidential executive order threatening to strip federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities that dont arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally.

(AP)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

Once, long ago, before there was Schottenstein, there were people who posed the following question: Why do we need an ArtScroll translation of the Talmud, when there is the Soncino?

There really is no need, of course, to provide an answer. The proliferation of so many volumes of the Schottenstein Talmud in every Jewish community in the world explains it all. One might have thought to pose the same question to the new Ohr HaChaim translation, now available on Parshios Shmos through Yisro. However, after one sees the translation, the expanded table of contents, the small introductions within the elucidated text, and the footnotes  there is no need to explain further.

FABULOUS JOB

ArtScroll has done a fabulous job with the new Ohr HaChaim translation  of that there is no question. They have made this classical meforash  fully accessible. The expanded table of contents of what the Ohr HaChaim is discussing alone is very worthwhile.

Many a wife has told her husband, I work very hard preparing the foods for the Shabbos meals  Please prepare good and effective Divrei Torah. This Sefer is the answer for these husbands. And for many others too.

THE INSERTIONS

The Artscroll insertions  explaining what the Ohr HaChaims question was  allow any Ben Torah or Baal HaBayis to really understand the Ohr HaChaims intent. In Shmos 6:9, the Posuk says that Klal Yisroel did not listen to Moshe from Kotzer Ruach and from the hard work. The insertion explains that one would have thought that the posuk would say that they were depressed  because of the hard work.

The Ohr HaChaim thus explains that depression and hard work are two separate feelings, but that they feed off each other. It was the despair that was combined with the hard work that caused them not to listen to Moshe Rabbeinu.

One reading just the Hebrew text of the Ohr HaChaim, or even the other translation by Rabbi Munk  might have missed the entire meaning and intent of the Ohr HaChaim. A powerful lesson in the nature of depression would also have been lost.

THE FOOTNOTES

The fact that the editors chose to place the footnotes not just in the elucidated translated text, but also in the Hebrew only section is both thoughtful and fantastic because it saves the reader necessary time. The footnotes themselves compare and contrast the Ohr HaChaims explanations with those of other Meforshim too.

CONTROVERSY?



There is a footnote in this weeks parsha that one could take issue with, however. The Ohr HaChaim (7:21) says that the illusion of the changing of water to blood merely occurs in the eyes of those seeing it. The footnote (#49 on page 231), however, reinterprets the words of the Ohr HaChaim based upon the supercommentary of the Ohr Bahir to fit into the Gemorah in Sanhedrin 67a. However, there are other super-commentaries such as the ner LaMaor who understands the Ohr HaChaim in the plain sense that it is providing an alternative pshat to the Gemorah in Sanhedrin. We find this idea in the Tosfos Yom Tov in Meseches Nazir 5:5. It is plausible that the Ohr HaChaim is doing just that. We must also realize that there is a fundamental debate between the Rambam and the Ramban as to the efficacy of sorcery in general. Alhough most of the classical commentaries sided with the Ramban on this issue, it is not unreasonable for the Ohr HaChaim to be in the Rambam camp.

This author is curious as to what a future footnote might look like on the Ohr HaChaim in their eventual Bereishis volume on the verse (Bereishis 37:21), Vayatzilahu miyadam regarding Reuvain saving Yosef from the hands of those who have free choice  the brothers.

SEFER DETAILS

This first introductory volume has 727 pages. It also has a full haftorah section as well as the brachos for Kriyas HaTorah. All this is very revealing in that the publishers are well aware that this sefer will be a favorite to actually be using in Shul each Shabbos morning. The Sefer is available at local Seforim stores and was sponsored by Reb yaakov and Illana Melohn.

THE OHR HACHAIM

The Ohr HaChaim was the Rebbe of the Chida. His name was Chaim Ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743). He was born in Meknes, Morocco, and was niftar in Yerushalayim. In 1733, he decided to leave his native country Morocco and settle in Eretz Yisroel then under the Ottoman Empire. He is buried on Har HaZaisim.

WHO IT IS FOR

This Artscroll Sefer is not just for the Baal HaBayis or general Ben Torah. It is also for Talmidei Chachomim and those who wish to fully master the Ohr haChaim. It is also for the Bias Yaakov student and seminary girl who are assigned difficult Ohr HaChaims and or Chumash projects. There is no question that this will be a classic, but this author predicts that every Shul library, every Yeshiva, and every Bais Yaakov High School will certainly purchase it.

The reviewer can be reached at [email protected]
[PHOTOS & VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

As reported earlier, an Egged 461 bus went off a cliff, falling some 400 meters into the wadi in the Binyamin Regional Council of the Shomron near Maale Levona. Maale Levona is located on the old Route 60 in the Gush Shilo area, situated atop of a mountain.

The road to the community is a dangerous winding one that winds down the mountain. Inclement weather conditions may have contributed to the fatal accident that has claimed numerous lives as Magen David Adom, Hatzoloh Yosh, United Hatzalah, Zaka, and fire rescue operate on the scene in conjunction with the IDF.

The Air Forces 669 aerial rescue was activated early on when first responders realized the magnitude of the disaster as well as the difficulties involved in rescuing people from the wadi.

Magen David Adom declared a multi-casualty incident, activating units from many areas.

Menachem Leff, Head of the Binyamin region of United Hatzalah said This is a very difficult situation in which one bus has fallen off of a cliff and dropped some 400 meters into the wadi below. United Hatzalah first responders who arrived at the scene have requested that lighting be brought, as well as search and rescue crews, fire rescue crews and helicopters be dispatched in order to help reach those on the bus. Due to the extreme nature of the incident, volunteers have also been dispatched from the Jerusalem and Shomron chapters of United Hatzalah.

As seen in some of the photos, the IDF has illuminated the area to enable rescuers to operate on the scene on this cold, windy night accompanied with heavy rain.

Rescue workers are combing the area in the event persons were thrown from the bus. Others are preparing heavy equipment to flip the bus to make certain there is no one underneath RL.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The company behind the Keystone XL pipeline submitted on Thursday a new presidential permit application to the U.S. Department of State for approval.

The project would move 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The application by TransCanada comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order earlier this week to expedite the project.

Trump directed the State Department and other agencies to make a decision within 60 days of a final application. He also declared that a 2014 environmental study satisfies required reviews under environmental and endangered species laws.

But Trump has also made a new requirement for the pipeline to be made with American steel and fabricated in the United States.

Were gonna make that pipe right here, Trump said to Republicans in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Calgary, Alberta-based TransCanada made no mention of using American materials in a statement Thursday but stressed the project would create thousands of American jobs.

KXL will benefit American workers, their families and the communities they live in as well as the U.S. economy, the company said. A spokesman for TransCanada declined to release the application.

Asked about possible buy American requirements, TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said they know the U.S. Secretary of Commerce will come up with a plan to implement Trumps executive order.

We will need time to review and analyze the plan when it is released to determine its impact to KXL, Cunha said in an email.

Former President Barack Obama rejected Keystone XL in 2015, saying it would undercut efforts to cinch a global climate change deal in his environmental agenda.

That didnt go over well in Canada which needs infrastructure to export its growing oil sands production. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and is Americas largest supplier of foreign oil. Ninety-seven percent of Canadas oil exports go to the U.S.

Keystone XL would carry more than one-fifth of the oil Canada exports to the United States.

(AP)
Agudath Israel of America is pleased to note that the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has released the final installment of the $250 million appropriation in Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) funds owed to nonpublic schools. This payment will cover CAP expenses for the 2003-04 school year.

These funds represent the fulfillment of a promise made by New York State in 2015 to pay down nearly all of a substantial debt owed nonpublic schools for more than a decade for CAP services.

CAP is an important component of the Mandated Services program, a program which reimburses nonpublic schools for the cost of certain government mandated school functions. Under CAP, NYS schools take attendance multiple times a day, and follow up on poor attendance patterns.

For many years, due to budget shortfalls and the use of a flawed formula to calculate CAP reimbursement, the state accumulated a substantial debt to nonpublic schools. In addition, for certain years, including 2003-04, the CAP mandate was unfunded and schools did not receive any reimbursement at all.

For more than a decade, Agudath Israel and other nonpublic school groups were working to address these issues. These efforts culminated in a $250 million appropriation enacted in 2015.

Now, with this final installment of the $250 million, yeshivos will have received a total of approximately $80 million (their proportional share) in prior-year CAP reimbursement since August 2015. These monies are in addition to the regular Mandated Services and CAP payments the yeshivos receive each year.

Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Vice President for Operations at Bais Yaakov Academy in Brooklyn, said, These monies are vital to the smooth fiscal operation of our school. During these times, tuition payments are difficult for parents, and other sources of income are hard to come by. We recognize and appreciate the fact that without the advocacy of Agudas Yisroel on behalf of our mosdos, payment of these funds would not have come to fruition.

However, Agudath Israel estimates that the full CAP reimbursement owed to nonpublic schools for prior years is approximately $320 million, leaving $70 million of this debt remaining. With the inclusion of a $60 million appropriation for CAP reimbursement in the proposed 2017 Governors budget, $10 million more needs to be appropriated.

Mrs. Deborah Zachai, Agudath Israels Director of Education Affairs, said, These monies were an unexpected boon to yeshivos this past year and a half. We are delighted that we were able to help yeshivos in this way and could not have done this without the hard work and support of Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYS Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, and NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. Agudath Israel is committed to continue our efforts to secure the remaining funds owed to our yeshivos.

(By: Judith Dinowitz  YWN)
Teach NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union, praised the New York State government for releasing millions of additional dollars in reimbursement funds for nonpublic schools across New York. Teach NYS has led the effort to encourage the legislature to release all the reimbursement funds due to nonpublic schools, including Jewish day schools.

These funds, known as CAP payments, are used to reimburse nonpublic schools for services mandated by the state during the 2003-2004 school year. This weeks payment is part of the 2015 end of session agreement that released $250 million in back-funding for nonpublic schools.

The 2015 agreement was reached between Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie in June 2015 and set aside $250 million over two years to repay schools for a period of underfunding in previous administrations. Teach NYS maintains a full-time lobbying team in Albany during the legislative session and has long advocated for increases and repayment of this funding.

Many Jewish schools dont realize there are millions of dollars on the table that can be used to pay for basic educational services mandated by the state, said Jake Adler, Director of Government Affairs for Teach NYS. Teach NYS plays a critical role in working with the state to release these funds and helping schools access them. We are extremely grateful for our partners in government for correcting this issue.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
[By: Barry Spitzer]

I was going to let this one slide as I have done many times in the past. It is just so tiresome to respond to all the ignorance coming from Rockland County these days. This Facebook post by Mr. Garvey from the Rockland County Republican Party is one of the worst examples of this. It was more ignorant and hateful than most of the things I have heard lately, but I was willing to wait and let other rational people knock some sense into Mr. Garvey.

In time, Mr. Garvey did remove the post, but in doing so, he explained that the post had run its course but was factually accurate. That statement was in some regards even more problematic than the post itself. It showed that even while people were trying to explain to Mr. Garvey how outrageous his assertions were, his views remained unchanged. Therefore, despite deleting his post, his false accusations and innuendo were still out there without a proper response.

I hope that Mr. Garvey is just ignorant and not, as many suspect, a person that carries hate and bigotry in his heart, especially while representing a large contingent of Orthodox and Chasidic Jews. For the purposes of this article, I will believe the former and try to educate Mr. Garvey.

I feel that I can speak on this subject because, besides being a Chasidic Jew myself, I am one of the representatives of the largest concentration of Chasidic Jews in New York.

So, lets dissect your claims Mr. Garvey, and maybe you will come away from this more enlightened and educated about what is frankly quite a beautiful religion full of personal choices, free will and respect.

You talk about womens oppression and abuse, claiming it is egregious and epic. If there were actually a situation of oppression and abuse, you would be correct and it would be imperative that we address that issue. As tolerant human beings, abuse and oppression are never acceptable. But that is not what is happening in the Orthodox and Chasidic Jewish communities.

Orthodox women choose to follow their faiths strictures and the lifestyle that affords. Again, I emphasize that they choose to live as they do, and it is not remotely an act of oppression, as you claim. In the Chasidic community worldwide, women are honored and respected. The woman is considered the conscious of the household and is the main force in their childrens upbringing, instilling in them lifes values. Women have equal  and sometimes more  say in all decisions affecting their families. No woman is forced to adhere to this way of life. Rather, they choose this life and embrace it.

It seems you lack the basic understanding of the Orthodox and Chasidic Jewish community that you reference so blithely and cavalierly. Let me help you with this. Modesty is a big part of our belief, and that includes modesty of dress and modesty of behavior. The separation of the sexes which affronts you so is an aspect of that modesty, as is the way we choose to dress and present ourselves. These things serve to enhance the relationship between spouses and community members. It garners further respect and veneration for the women in our society, and these women understand this, appreciate this and revel in it. I honestly feel sorry for you that you cannot seem to understand that different is just different, not wrong.

You write that women are forced into arranged marriages. This is simply completely inaccurate. Yes, the Chasidic community has a tradition of arranged marriages, but that is a far cry from a forced marriage. Let me once again explain. In the Orthodox and Chasidic communities, two families decide that their children might be good to and for one another. From that point on, the boy and girl meet. They meet as many times as they choose and the ultimate decision to marry is always a mutual agreement between those two people. This is simply a more formal and intimate mode of matchmaking. That is it. I do not know of a case in the Orthodox or Chasidic community  and I challenge anyone to find me one  where a girl was forced to marry someone against her will. Not to mention there is no rabbi who would perform a religious marriage without the parties consent. It simply does not work like that.

Next you naively state that women are not able to obtain a divorce without the approval of their community leaders. Nowhere in Jewish law or in actual practice does this concept exist. Yes, the divorce proceedings are done in a rabbinical court, same as a secular divorce is done in secular court. Once a husband and wife decide to get divorced, no one can legally stop that from happening. I am truly befuddled where you found this total fabrication regarding our divorce laws.

Now to address your next inaccurate remark: that women are not properly educated and are not permitted to attend college. This claim is taking a large leap from the reality of our education system. To begin with, almost all Chasidic and Orthodox women are given a thorough, well-rounded secular education in addition to their Judaic studies. Male students focus primarily on Judaic subjects and Torah study, but Jewish girls schools teach our young women to read and write, as well as math, science and history. The movement to improve education in the orthodox communitys private schools  although I dont agree with their tactics  never targeted the girls schools. Have you ever wondered why? As for attending college, there are many women who do enroll after completing high school and seminary (there are a few women in my immediate family that are college educated) but others choose not to because they either work in careers that do not require a college degree or  as in many cases  they choose to raise a family. But once again, in case you were not aware, this is a womans choice, not something forbidden to them.

And let me finally address youre last concern about the Orthodox and Chasidic community  the use of birth control. This one amused me to no end. Had you bothered to ask any Chasidic or Orthodox rabbi, he would have cleared this up quite easily, and you would find that the Jewish community is actually quite a bit more liberal regarding birth control than other religious institutions. Rabbis will, and often do, give dispensation to women who would like to use birth control for health or various other reasons.

So there you have it Mr. Garvey. I hope that you, and anyone else who is unsure about why the Orthodox and Chasidic Jewish communities do things in certain ways just ask instead of jumping to erroneous and shameful conclusions. Ignorance is never an excuse to throw around wild accusations, and I really hope that I was able to enlighten you and clear some things up for you today. Most of the practices, customs and traditions of the Chasidic and Orthodox Jewish communities are to live a holy, decent, moral and spiritual life. The results of this are not something that can be debated. They speak for themselves. I hope you learned some things today, and I hope that in the future you will ask instead of posting something that can absolutely be construed as anti-Semitic. Ill be happy to answer any further questions you have.

Authors disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are my own and do not reflect the views of any other person, organization or entity.

Barry Spitzer is the district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 12, which includes Borough Park, home to thousands of Chasidic families. He can be reached at [email protected]

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE POSTED ON YWN? SEND IT TO US FOR REVIEW.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Students of Shalom Torah Center in Manalapan, NJ, gathered on Tuesday for a special luncheon to highlight the importance of school choice during the designated National School Choice Week.

The event, sponsored by the Agudath Israel New Jersey Office, was headlined by Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, who represents Manalapan and co-sponsored the Opportunity Scholarship Act school choice legislation; Rabbi Avi Schnall, Director of Agudath Israel of New Jersey; and Leon Goldenberg, member of the Board of Trustees of Agudath Israel of America.

The sight of all the students, who receive a stellar religious and secular studies education in a nonpublic school, gathering on behalf of school choice brought to life the benefits of empowering parents to make the best choice in their childrens education. Assemblywoman Handlin shared that her own children learned in Jewish private schools and what a privilege that was for the entire family. She stressed how much of a strong impression it can make on legislators when young children rally on behalf of a public policy cause, and encouraged the students to remain engaged in governmental and community affairs.

New Jersey is a Democratic state with a powerful teachers union, and the prospects of implementing school choice appear bleak, but Rabbi Schnall offered a ray of hope. He cited the story of Basya, who stretched her hand out to retrieve Moshe even though he appeared to be unreachable. When a child cries out for help, you stretch out your hand and Hashem performs a miracle, Rabbi Schnall summed up, expressing hope for a similar miracle on behalf of New Jerseys children.

Mr. Goldenberg elaborated upon the importance of both adults and children remaining politically engaged in order to influence public policy on school choice and other important issues. When parents hear from their children about a school event like this luncheon, it encourages them to become more politically active as well. Never underestimate the power you have, said Mr. Goldenberg.

(Shimmy Blum  YWN)
Gender pay

Employers are getting guidance ahead of regulations that come into force in April forcing firms to report on their gender pay gap.

The rules affect firms employing at least 250 and is aimed at revealing differences between the pay of men and women. The Office for National Statistics said the gender pay gap for full-time workers was 9.4 per cent, rising to 18.1 per cent for all employees.

New Gender Pay Regulations come into force in April

Defence fears

Auditors warned the Ministry of Defence is at risk of not being able to afford its equipment over the next nine years.

The National Audit Office said that to meet its spending plans the MoD will need to save an extra 5.8bn and use all of a 10.7bn fund set aside for emerging requirements.

Alphabet boost

Googles parent company Alphabet reported exceptional growth in its quarterly financial results. Overall revenue increase by 22 per cent to $26.1bn (20.7bn) on the same period last year, while net income was also up to more than $5.3bn (4.2bn).

Tourist trade

A record number of tourists flocked to Britain in November. A total of 3.1m visits were made to Britain in that month, up 17 per cent on November 2015, with tourists spending a whopping 1.7bn.

Popular attraction: Tourist numbers continue to grow as a record number of visitors came to UK in November

Loans cut

Paragon Bank more than halved lending to landlords in the last three months of 2016 after tighter rules were introduced. It agreed buy-to-let loans of 185.2m, compared to almost 401m a year previously.

Solid earnings: A New All-Time High For Microsoft

Sales up

Microsoft reported revenue of $24.1bn (19.1bn) in the three months to December 31, up on the $23.8bn (18.9bn) it generated in the same period last year, an increase driven by its cloud-based products.

Nuclear strike

Six hundred workers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites in Aldermaston and Burghfield, Berkshire, will strike for 48 hours from one minute past midnight on Monday in a row over pensions.

Pension chunk

John Lewis has taken a chunk out of the black hole in its final salary pension scheme. The employee-owned retailers pension deficit has fallen from 840m to 479m.

Exec quits

Kent Masters is quitting as a non-executive director at engineer Amec Foster Wheeler before the end of his three-year term. He was appointed to the board in February 2015.
Flash traders have had their bid to build a giant telecoms mast on the Kent coast turned down by councillors.

Dover District Council rejected the bid by two secretive American high-frequency trading firms to build two masts taller than the Eiffel Tower, which is 1,063ft high to its tip.

Vigilant Global  which is owned by Chicago trading firm DRW  and New Line Networks  which is part owned by New York firm Jump Trading  wanted to each build a radio mast in Richborough, north of Sandwich, to increase trading speeds between London and Frankfurt.

Flash boys: high-frequency traders use powerful computers to trade huge volumes at high speeds

The masts hold satellite dishes that can pick up microwave signals which update the traders on the latest stock prices. These masts are utilised by high-frequency traders who use powerful computers to trade huge volumes at high speeds.

Information sent by microwave signals are quicker than cables, which run along the ground, by fractions of a second. But this minuscule bit of extra speed enables the traders to make money by buying and selling ahead of their rivals.

But on Thursday night their plans were voted down by Dover councils planning committee after huge local opposition.

Bernard Butcher, vice-chairman of the planning committee, said: In 26 years as a councillor, this is the worst application I have ever seen. This particular proposal is just unsightly, its too incredibly stupid for us to even contemplate.

The councils planning department warned the structures  as tall as the Eiffel Tower  would damage local views and harm the character of the area.

Planning officer Andrew Somerville said the views from Richborough Roman Fort, a local tourist attraction, would be particularly harmed.

Concerns: National Grid said there could be interference with television signals

National Grid also said it was worried about potential interference with television signals.

Eric Bellerive, a director at Vigilant, said: It is our firm belief that this proposal would have solved a real problem for the financial industry whilst providing significant value to national and local economies.

It is important that we now take time to reflect on the feedback provided by the councillors and evaluate if there is a manner in which a future scheme could progress in a mutually beneficial fashion.

New Line Networks declined to comment, but they can ask the Government to review the councils decision.
Experts have warned that parts of the UK could become 'cash machine deserts' if a row over the funding of the ATM network goes unresolved.

Consumers could also find that a greater proportion of cash machines demand a fee for withdrawals if the major banks and ATM companies cannot agree on how to keep services free.

At present, banks pay 30p to independent cash machine providers each time one of their current account customers withdraws money from a non-bank ATM.

Experts have warned that parts of the UK could become 'cash machine deserts' if a row over the funding of the ATM network goes unresolved

Some account providers are threatening to pull out of the Link system because they say the fees are too high - especially compared to what they pay other banks for use of their ATMs.

Under the current Link system, customers of any bank can use other banks' cash points for free, as well as ATMs provided by independent companies such as Cashzone and PayPoint.

The system connects 70,000 cash machines run by a variety of providers across the country, and members have been in talks this week on how to keep the 1billion-a-year service free.

Following a meeting yesterday, Link said a committee would be set up to 'explore a way forward for the sustainability of the Link scheme'.

The working group is expected to report back later in the year - and Link said every member was clear at the meeting that ensuring the future of the network and the cash access needs of UK consumers remained their 'number one priority'.

Fears have been raised that more cash machines could start charging or disappear completely if current arrangements for sharing the cost of operating the network broke down.

Trade body, the ATM Industry Association, warned there were risks that 'cash deserts' could be created. It had collected information from members which were independent ATM operators on which machines could be at risk.

It warned companies could have to look at removing upwards of 35 per cent of their free-to-use ATMs unless a clear resolution to maintain the Link network was reached.

This could amount to more than 8,000 machines in total which would either no longer be free to use or would be removed completely, it said.

The Association's findings suggested that while London could lose the most cash points, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Sheffield and Cardiff could also be particularly badly hit.

Ron Delnevo, executive director Europe at the association, said the meeting had provided a 'stay of execution' but added: 'No-one really knows how discussions will now progress.'

More than 70,000 cash machines are connected to the Link network, with 16,000 charging for withdrawals and 54,000 free to use.

Pay-to-use machines account for less than three per cent of cash withdrawals.

Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Committee, said MPs could step in to investigate if the situation was not resolved.

He said: 'Link are now examining this, which is welcome. Widespread charging would be of considerable concern, particularly in rural areas and poorer urban neighbourhoods.

'Link now have an opportunity to sort it out. If they don't, the Treasury Committee will almost certainly need to investigate.'

John Howells, chief executive of Link, said: 'Link will continue to work closely with its 39 members to keep regulators, government and consumer groups fully informed.

'The Link network continues to operate normally and it's business as usual for consumers at all the UK's 70,000 ATMs.'
BT Europe boss Corrado Sciolla has left the telecoms giant following revelations about the Italian accounting scandal which took place 'on his watch.'

The scandal - which has engulfed the company and helped wipe 8billion off its value this week - is now being looked into by prosecutors in Milan.

A company source said: 'Corrado is leaving the business, this happened on his watch.' PwC, BT's auditor, is also facing questions over how it failed to spot the wrongdoing.

Arrivederci: As a result of the misconduct, BT's head of continental Europe, Corrado Sciolla, is leaving the company

His exit comes as the company unveiled disappointing third-quarter results.

Profits plunged 37 per cent to 526million after taking a hit from its Italian division - down from 832million in the same period the year before.

The telecoms giant confirmed that it will write down the value of its Italian business by 530million due to 'inappropriate behaviour' whereby managers were allegedly artificially depressing costs to inflate profits.

The scandal emerged in October when BT announced a 145million writedown due to 'accounting errors'.

But this week BT shocked investors by revealing the problems were 'far greater than previously identified'.

It is understood BT is set to appoint Andrea Bono, currently running its Switzerland operations, to become its chief executive of the Italian unit.

Trouble: Boss Gavin Patterson said he was deeply disappointed with the unacceptable practices at its Italian division

The group revealed its total adjustments relating to the investigation of its Italian business amount to 268million for 'prior year errors' and a specific item charge of 245million for changes in accounting estimates.

Commenting on the matter, BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said: 'The good progress we're making across most of the business has unfortunately been overshadowed by the results of our investigation into our Italian operations and our outlook.

'We've undertaken extensive investigations into our Italian business, including an independent review by KPMG, and I am deeply disappointed with the unacceptable practices by some that we've found. This has no place at BT, and it undermines the good work we're doing elsewhere in the group. We are committed to ensuring the highest standards across the whole of BT.'

Patterson again flagged a 'challenging outlook in the UK public sector and international corporate markets', but looked to reassure investors by highlighting record growth at EE and strong momentum in its consumer division.

The investigation into BT's Italian arm revealed irregular accounting practices and a 'complex set of improper sales, purchase, factoring and leasing transactions', the firm said.

The net result is there has been an overstatement of earnings at BT's Italian business over a number of years, leading to the upwards revision in the value of the writedown.

BT's third-quarter profits have plunged 37 per cent to 526 million after taking a hit from the accounting scandal at its Italian division

PwC, BT's auditor, is also facing questions about its role.

The accountancy firm was also the auditor when BT was forced to write down the value of its Global Services division by close to 2billion in 2009.

The group could also face further punishment, with accountancy watchdog the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) confirming it is considering launching its own investigation into the accounting irregularities.

An FRC spokesman said: 'We are aware of BT's statement about its review of accounting issues in its Italian business and we will consider if these matters require the FRC to investigate whether the auditors fulfilled their duties.'

And bosses' bonuses are under threat too.

BT boss Mr Patterson could be forced to return some of his bonus following the scandal.

The telecoms giant has a policy where it can 'claw back' cash and shares allowing it to take back all unvested awards if the basis on which the award was made was a misjudgement.

Patterson was paid 5.4million last year - 969,000 in basic salary, a 1million bonus and 3million in shares - plus other awards and benefits.

A fifth of his bonus was for hitting targets which may turn out not to have been hit once the scandal is taken into account.

It is not known how much Patterson will have to pay back.

Bonuses can be clawed back within a year while share awards can be withdrawn for up to two years. BT could also go after payments to Italian executives.

Shares plummeted 19 per cent when BT first revealed details of the scandal earlier this week.

In better news, revenue over the period rose 32 per cent to 6.1billion.
Britain's biggest supermarket Tesco has merged with the country's largest cash and carry wholesale supplier Booker in a 3.7billion deal.

The companies claim the mammoth deal will give customers a 'better availability of quality food at attractive prices' and will also help independent retailers.

The agreement will create 'the UK's leading food business', cut food waste and make both companies more efficient, according to the supermarket chain.

Shaking hands on it: Booker chief executive Charles Wilson (left) and Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis (right) have reached an agreement to merge in a 3.7 billion deal

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: 'Tesco has made significant progress in turning around our UK retail business.

'This merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital.

'Wherever food is prepared and eaten - 'in home' or 'out of home' - we will meet this opportunity with the widest choice and best service available.'

The deal values Booker at 3.7billion, or 205.3p per share. It represents a 12 per cent premium on Booker's closing price of 183.1p on January 26.

Booker shareholders will hold 16 per cent of the combined entity and will receive 42.6p in cash, Tesco said.

Booker's chief executive, Charlie Wilson, will join the combined group's board and executive committee.

Tesco has reached an agreement to merge with food wholesaler Booker in a 3.7billion deal

The companies said the merger would 'delight consumers with better availability of quality food at attractive prices', help independent retailers and cut food waste.

Shareholders have been asked to approve the deal in a vote - and it is expected to be done by early 2018, but this is also subject to a green light from regulators.

Mr Lewis (left) and Mr Wilson agree the deal

Mr Wilson said: 'Booker is committed to improving choice, prices and service for the independent retailers, caterers and small businesses that we are proud to serve.

'We believe that joining forces with Tesco offers the potential to bring major benefits to end-consumers, our customers, suppliers, colleagues and shareholders.'

Mr Lewis said the combination would result in cost savings of 175 million but stressed that it will not be 'driven by a reduction in roles'.

Mr Wilson added that there is no intention for large-scale job cuts.

Booker is the country's largest wholesaler and owns Londis and Budgens as franchised outlets.

Mr Lewis and Mr Wilson brushed aside any potential competition concerns, with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) poised to review the deal.

The Booker boss said: 'We think it is pro competition; the CMA will go through what it does, but we've had good advice on this.'

Mr Lewis has been hailed for beginning to turn Tesco around after the disastrous reign of his predecessor, Philip Clarke, which saw profits slide, market share eroded and an accounting scandal dog the supermarket giant.

The chief executive said the Booker merger is 'another step on that same strategy'.

He said: 'We are following the customer, the market is evolving and we believe we are better able to serve the customer.'

Richard Lim, of Retail Economics, called the deal a 'game-changer'.

He said: 'Its laser-like focus on the core UK food business is cutting deeper down the supply chain. The acquisition will strengthen Tesco's wholesale and supply chain expertise while its digital capabilities will improve efficiency and provide significant cost-saving synergies.

'As shopper behaviour continues to evolve rapidly, the new group will be well placed to capitalise on home shopping and the increasingly important area of eating out which has been the growth driver of the experience economy.'

Booker is Britain's leading food wholesaler, with its group including brands such as Makro, Budgens (pictured), Londis, Premier, Ritter Courivaud and Family Shopper

Tesco has been troubled in recent years by an accounting scandal and fierce domestic competition from German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl.

The deal sees Mr Lewis, who took the helm in 2014 when Tesco was in crisis and losing market share rapidly, switch his strategy from streamlining to acquisition.

Expert's view: How the deal has industrial logic PROFESSOR ALAN BRAITHWAITE, CHAIRMAN OF SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS CONSULTANCY LCP The big win is that it takes Tesco into the food service arena which is the food growth market  people are eating out and institutional catering is still growing. It will give the business the platform to further challenge in that market. It will allow the Booker side of the enterprise to leverage procurement and inventory so there is a margin opportunity too. This is especially important in the light of food inflation that is now accelerating with the weaker pound. Looking longer term, if the deal goes through, there are major operational opportunities to integrate fulfilment networks using Tesco's capabilities for e-commerce but adding services and accelerating response times, enabling click and collect and integrating food service deliveries. So, the competitive advantage could be compelling. Advertisement

His focus has been on reviving Tesco's main grocery business in Britain and over the last two years he has sold Tesco's South Korean arm for nearly 5billion, as well as its Turkish business and the Giraffe restaurant chain.

Yesterday, it was revealed a 'big shop' at one of the discount stores ends up costing as much as 15 less on average compared with one at one of the Big Four chains.

Retail experts Nielsen found people who buy 20 or more items at stores such as Lidl and Aldi spend 39 on average  which is about 15 less than across the Big Four - Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda - where a big shop cost on average 53.

In November Mr Lewis took aim at global suppliers for considering price increases in order to prop up profits in the wake of the pound's collapse.

It came after Tesco's spat with Unilever last year, when the chain allegedly refused to bow to a 10 per cent wholesale price rise to offset a drop in sterling.

Tesco briefly withdrew cupboard staples including Marmite and PG Tips from shelves before Unilever announced that the dispute had been resolved.

In October, Tesco posted a 28 per cent fall in bottom-line pre-tax profits to 71 million for the six months to August after being hit by the sector's fierce price war.

Mr Lewis said at the time that he planned to slash costs by 1.5billion as he increased investment in its stores and the distribution network to boost profitability.

Booker is Britain's leading food wholesaler, with its group including brands such as Makro, Budgens, Londis, Premier, Ritter Courivaud and Family Shopper.

It sells branded and private-label goods to more than 500,000 customers, has 172 branches in Britain and lists about 18,000 product lines.
Sir,



Moral decay is not restricted to Swaziland only but it is happening worldwide and has been for quite some time. The minister of Education appears to create the illusion that doing away with the teaching of other religions in our schools will somehow solve the problem. Teaching children about other religions at an early age eliminates misconceptions that they might have and it instills religious tolerance.



In a diversely endowed religious country like Swaziland, this is essential. To realise the real source of the decline of moral standards in todays youth, the minister needs to watch television stations, beginning with our own Swazi TV. The majority of the music videos contain images of women in bikinis dancing in a purposely seductive manner. Many of these videos show young people sitting around consuming all types of alcoholic beverages freely, and some of the lyrics are full of profanity.

These artists are the role models that our youth look up to and mimic, not only in the way they dress but in their actions as well. There is this one particular show on Swazi TV where after the presenter has aired 30 minutes of sexually suggestive videos and others in which alcohol is being consumed or both, he signs off by praising God. Is not what he has just presented to his audience and his closing words a contradiction?



In regards to violence, profanity and nudity, the minister only has to watch movie channels at almost any time, day or night and he will find all three. Those who support the banning of the teaching of any religion in schools other than Christianity have their own agenda and this excuse is only a smoke screen. Most people know that the religions of this country teach similar values that are morally sound and that, although there are vast differences in the way each religion practices its faith, they all worship the same creator.



MJF
MBABANE  A desperate need for electricity saw a 39-year-old man losing his life.



A week before schools opened, children witnessed a shocking ordeal after they saw Sibusiso Sibandze lying lifelessly on the ground after he was electrocuted to death at Maseyisini last Monday.



According to investigations by the Swaziland Electricity Company Sibandze was electrocuted while trying to fix an illegal damaged electrical wire.

The investigations revealed that the wire was used to connect electricity from a house belonging to his landlord to the one room flat he rented. They also revealed that he asked a child at the homestead to cut off power from the landlords house so that he could fix the electrical wire.



It was said Sibandze was suddenly struck by an electric shock that left him with a burnt index finger and thumb. He was fixing the wires with his bare hands. As children went outside, they found him lying on the ground with his body facing up and the electrical wire still attached to his hand. He reportedly collapsed onto wet ground with grass and had very thin slippers on.



The children who witnessed the incident alerted the landlord about what they had just seen. In a state of panic, the landlord called out to other tenants to assist him and there after, paramedics were called. Sibandze was confirmed dead on the spot after failed attempts to save his life. Police and officials from SEC were called.

SECs Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager Sifiso Dhlamini confirmed the incident. Dhlamini said there was no power for the block of flats where the deceased rented an apartment but the tenants were receiving it from an illegal connection.



Reassurance



The deceased continued to attend to the fault without reassurance that there was no power supply, said Dhlamini.
(L-R) Teaching Service Commission Chairman Simanga Mamba, Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini as well as his Deputy Paul Dlamini in prayer during the event where governments plan to ban the teaching of world religions in schools was revealed last ye

MBABANE  The ban of world religions from schools has been coined the Kholwane Declaration.



The phrase is derived from the fact that the ban on other religions in the country to be effected in schools was first announced at kaKholwane during a Christmas party hosted for pastors from the Nazarene church last year.



Speaking during the function which was held at Teaching Service Commission (TSC) Chairmans Simanga Mambas home, the Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini said the country had made a mistake by allowing other religions apart from Christianity to be taught in local schools.

At the time, Dlamini had said Cabinet was already working on the strategies and policies to ban other religions, saying it was important to create a base of Christianity among children as this was the main religion of Swaziland. It was revealed that a number of stakeholders were now referring to the Religious Education (RE)policy recently implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training as the Kholwane Declaration.



When questioned on the matter, Dlamini confirmed the fact that a number of officers were referring to the RE policy as the Kholwane Declaration. If you recall well, Mamba was hosting a Christmas lunch for pastors and I used that opportunity to reveal governments plan to ban other world religions other than Christianity, as I was at a religious function.



The premier said he chose to share governments intentions within the education system at the religious gathering because the changes were centred on Christianity.



He explained that the declaration may have been dubbed the Kholwane Declaration because the event had been held within that area.

Kholwane is located across the Mkhondvo River past Sidvokodvo, he explained.






MANZINI  Senior Crown Counsel Macebo Nxumalo said although witch doctors were not prohibited from practising in the country, some of their intentions, however, led to fraud, murder and assault.



He said even witchdoctors who accept money in return for fortune telling are guilty of fraud.

Witch doctor or witch finder includes the person described in siSwati by the words umngoma, sangoma or inyanga yokuphengula, according to the Witchcraft Act of 1852/1952



Nxumalo was referring to the laws that are broken by witch doctors, included in the Chapter 4 Witchcraft Act of 1852/1952.

The witch doctors and traditional healers who were present at the workshop protested that some of the laws were created to oppress them, which led to them renaming themselves as traditional healers and being unable to practise in the open.



Nxumalo, who is also a lecturer in Criminal Procedure, used a number of scenarios to give the witch doctors a clear view of why some of their practises were said to be illegal. Among other things, Nxumalo mentioned assault, murder and fraud that were ignited by some of their customs.



A person who advises another to seek the services of a witch doctor or witch finder in order to connect another to the death or ailment of another has broken the law and will be arrested along with the witch doctor and the person who took the advice, said Nxumalo.

The crown counsel explained that this was because some people wanted to believe that they were bewitched by another human and in order for them to get better or to find peace they had to reveal who was responsible for their ill health and have that person killed.



You will find that the person you are told is responsible for your bad luck is actually killed by the witch doctor him or herself because he or she made you believe that a bad thing would also befall them through the works of their supernatural powers, Nxumalo said.






MBABANE  Another family now alleges that they were not allowed to view the corpse of their son, an Ingatja, who allegedly died during the Incwala ceremony.



Makabongwe Ndlovu (17) was struck by lightning after he took a bath while attending Lusekwane.

He was from Dvumbe which is situated near Sidvokodvo and is said to have died on the spot.



Our sister publication, the Swazi News, reported last Saturday that Lethumusa Ndlovu, a 16-year- old boy, died while attending the Incwala ceremony last month and his relatives were demanding answers from both the traditional authorities and police officers. This after they were told not to view the body of the boy.



The two boys are not related as the parents stated that they did not know each other. The family alleged that apart from being stopped from viewing the complete lifeless body of their son, they were forbidden from either touching or bathing it.



The coffin was brought along with the corpse by the police, and they said it was donated by the traditional authorities. The boy was laid to rest at his mothers place at Mbelebeleni outside Hlatikhulu town centre. In the latest incident, Makabongwe had been attending the ceremony since he was eight years old, according to his father.



His family said they were informed that he had been bathing in the river with his peers and when they were done he decided to stay behind to wash some of his clothes but when he realised that a storm was approaching, he decided to run and catch up with his friends and that was when he was struck by the lightning.



Makabongwe, who was supposed to be sitting for his JC exams this year, passed away on December 28 and his family laid him to rest on January 7 at his parental home.

Sipho Ndlovu, Makabongwes father, said they were helped by traditional authorities to cater for the funeral. On Tuesday evening, when Sipho was called, he spoke of the hurt the family was going through about the passing of his son. We heard that he had finished bathing when he was struck by lightning. What happened to Lethumusa Ndlovu is exactly what happened to our family because we were not allowed to see his body.

You should come here so we can tell you the whole story in the presence of my sisters who went to the mortuary. They will tell you every detail of what happened. Unfortunately, my wife is out of the country for the next two weeks and she will not be present, Sipho stated in a telephone interview on Tuesday evening.

Bellinah Ndlovu, the boys aunt, said they were the ones who went to the mortuary after they were informed of the death to see their brothers son. She stated that they saw half of his body from the waist upwards and they did not see his lower body. This is because they were allegedly blocked by the police from viewing the deceased.

We did not wash the corpse ourselves as we were told at the mortuary that they would do that for us. His body was brought home in a coffin which was donated to us. We do not have any questions about his death because we took what we were told happened, she said. The family went on to state that during the funeral, there were members of the security forces present.

Superintendent Khulani Mamba, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, said they never stopped the family from viewing the corpse.

However, he mentioned that if the family has unanswered questions, the police were ready to exhume the body. When contacted for comment on the matter, acting Ludzidzini Governor Timothy Velabo Mtsetfwa said he had no knowledge of such an incident up until he was told all about it by this publication.

This is all news to me. No one reported anything of that sort to me. Maybe it was reported to the regiment leaders, he said.

*Additional reporting by Bongiwe Dlamini
Pakistan Mega Leather Show opens its doors

Pakistan

The third edition of Pakistan Mega Leather Show takes place January 27-29, 2017 at the Expo Centre of Lahore, Pakistan.

According to its website around 360 exhibitors from India, China, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, and from other European and Asian countries are said to have confirmed their participation. National associations include the Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers & Exporter Association (PLGMEA), the Pakistan Gloves Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PGMEA), the Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association and the Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA).

Azam Malik, Regional Chairman, PTA, said this edition aims to portray an improved image of the leather sector in Pakistan and to enhance the confidence of potential investors.

According to the organisers, the trade event has support from Government bodies such as the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Industries to promote Pakistani footwear and leather to international markets.

Source: The Nation
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By Bill Parry

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law Wednesday a raft of bills that changes how the city approaches and is involved in the arts following years of controversy over the placement of a sculpture known as The Sunbather in Long Island City.

The 9-foot-high hot pink sculpture now gracing a median along Jackson Avenue at 43rd Avenue in Long Island City proved to be so contentious that the City Council last week passed its first ever package of cultural legislation since the establishment of the Department of Cultural Affairs in 1976 as well as the largest set of reforms to the Percent for Art program since it was initiated in 1982. Brooklyn-based artist Ohad Meromi was commissioned by the city to create The Sunbather, angering some in the Long Island arts community that one of their own was not selected.

The $515,000 cost raised the ire of many, but the lack of community involvement in the decision-making process so outraged a Community Board 2 meeting in 2014 that it led to the first-ever Cultural Town Hall meeting before a standing-room only crowd at MoMA PS1 in March, 2015. City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) co-hosted that evening alongside Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl, and the two later worked to deliver legislation that gives the community greater input, increases funds allocated to public art installations and encourages diversity in the artists commissioned for the project.

Today we passed the largest package of bills ever in the history of the Committee of Cultural Affairs, and the first reform to the Percent for Art program since it was created under Mayor Koch, said Van Bramer, who chairs the committee. These pieces of legislation will bring more transparency and accountability to the public art process and strengthen the programs that help make our city the cultural capital of the world.

The Percent For Art law requires that 1 percent of the budget for eligible city-funded construction projects be spent on public artwork. The law was initiated by Koch in 1982. The program is managed by the citys Department of Cultural Affairs.

These bills will increase community input into the Percent for Art program by requiring community members to sit on Percent for Art panels, requiring the DCLA to collect data on who receives commissions, and mandating that outreach to artists is conducted in multiple languages, Van Bramer said. They will also strengthen Percent for Art by increasing the amount of money that can be spent on these important projects.

The Percentage of Art program has commissioned hundreds of site-specific projects in a variety of media such as painting, lighting, mosaic, sculpture and works that are integrated into infrastructure and architecture.

This package also contains legislation requiring reports from the Arts Commission and the cultural institutions groups, bringing more transparency to the institutions that literally shape the face of our city, Van Bramer said. New York City is better with more public art, more ambitious public art, and public art in every neighborhood. what this package will accomplish.
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Despite our newly minted presidents concerns over the relative size of the crowds at his inauguration, City Halls estimate that 400,000 people marched for womens rights in Manhattan Saturday drew few if any challenges.

Queens was proud to be part of the grassroots demonstration, which choked the side streets and avenues with peaceful demonstrators who carried signs urging Donald Trump to respect the gains women have made. The messages ranged from sincere to outrageous, but the underlying sentiment was a call to preserve the status quo at very least and defeat efforts to roll back progress.

The atmosphere was exhilarating: thousands of men, women, children, families smiling and sometimes chanting slogans as they strolled up Fifth Avenue in a spontaneous movement to protect New York values that grew out of a Facebook posting from Hawaii after Trump won the election Nov. 8.

City Councilman Danny Dromm led hundreds of Jackson Heights residents to protest Trumps inauguration amid fears his agenda would strip women, the gay community, seniors, immigrants  and particularly Muslims  of their civil liberties and legal safeguards.

In keeping with tradition, the No. 7 train was delayed, but the group finally got there. On the jammed No. 6 line one wag traveling to the march said: The MTA puts on extra trains for the Yankee games, but not women.

The Center for the Women of New York, a Queens-based group, gathered about 50 marchers and walked with signs saying Womens Rights are Human Rights.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, now the Democratic minority leader, spent 3 1/2 hours on the barricades at the march. Other elected officials were spotted in the human sea.

This was not an organized protest, which made it all the more amazing. People simply showed up in numbers that far exceeded what the NYPD had predicted. The few police seen on the side streets were riding bicycles  a new department unit.

It was a day to make New Yorkers proud, particularly since there was not a single arrest during the seven-hour march.

But this was before Trump muzzled the EPA and claimed that illegal immigrants cast 2 to 3 million votes against him  a breathtaking falsehood.

The big question is what happens next and how to harness the energy that propelled hundreds of thousands to take to the streets. Trump is a hometown boy and we want him to be straight with us. No diversionary tactics, Mr. President. Just lay out your agenda and well decide where we should go from there.
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By Patrick Donachie

President Donald Trump had barely finished his inaugural address when representatives from numerous city agencies and community organizations kicked off a forum to describe the services they offer for immigrants and others who may be adversely affected by the new presidents policies.

Legal Hand, a legal clinic operating out of a Jamaica storefront, organized the meeting for community residents, and staff attorney Jennie Kim said she was ready to work.

What does it mean to be a sanctuary city for all? she asked the group. Its a safe place, regardless of your immigration status, your religion, or how you identify yourself. It sounds like the place America strives to be and what we present ourselves to be.

Kim was joined by representatives from Queens Legal Services, the Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs and the NYC Human Rights Commission, among others. Kim said the event was scheduled on Inauguration Day to reaffirm the organizations commitment to the communities it serves.

We have to take back the power to protect our own and continue to expand services to include as many people as possible in that community, she said. Even if the federal government turns their backs on these rights, these gains and this diversity, community organizations, service providers and local governments have to make those commitments to do more.

Kim relayed the story of a family with four children between the ages of four and 10 who had visited the clinic two days before the election. The father had owned a small business in Colombia, and the family had been targeted by a gang who threatened to kidnap the 10-year-old child and sell the youngster into slavery. They made the decision to flee and crossed the Mexican border.

To them, America was a promised land, Kim said.

The family and Kim had spoken about what could happen if Hillary Clinton won the general election. Kim thought comprehensive immigration reform, a goal that eluded Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, could finally become reality. The family and Kim were to meet again after the election.

They havent come back, she said. Im sure they know there is no option right now.

Kim said she was worried Trump would rescind Obamas Deferred Action on Children Arrivals executive order, which halted actions on undocumented immigrants brought to the United States at a young age. Kim said she did not know what a reversal would entail, but it would likely mean that any work permits issued to DACA applicants would not be renewed.

We had a lot of young people who we educated in this country and have been working, and they will lose their means to support themselves and their families and not be able to go on with their future, Kim said. Were talking about a lot of promising young people who are going to be losing their status.

Immigrants enrolled in the DACA program supplied the federal government with information that could make them easier to locate, according to Kim. Trump had previously expressed a desire to start deportation procedures on 2 million to 3 million people, arguing he would target violent criminals, but Kim worried that DACA applicants with more information on file could be caught in the crossfire.

No one doubted the severity of the challenge, but Legal Hand Volunteer Coordinator Jose Torres said the collected agencies and New York City were up to the task.

The world changed on the 20th, but were here on the 21st, he said.
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By Gina Martinez

The Flushing community is preparing to kick off the Year of the Rooster with Lunar New Year celebrations.

The Lunar New Year is an important holiday across Southeast and Eastern Asia, where it is celebrated by the Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Koreans and Malaysians. It is meant to mark the start of a new work year with wishes for profits and success. Festivities include fireworks and firecrackers to sound out the new year and welcome in the new, red envelopes with money, also known as lucky money, which are given out to ensure luck and safety for the rest of the year.

The Lunar New Year begins this Saturday, but the major event in Queens will launch Feb. 4 with the Lunar New Year Parade in Flushing organized by the 2017 Lunar New Year Festival Committee, a coalition of community groups led by the Flushing Chinese Business Association and the Korean American Association of Queens. Visually the parade is colorful and festive. Most celebrations of the new year include traditional Chinese dances performed by men and women in costumes. Food is also a huge part of the new year, with dumplings, spring rolls, rice cakes and fish topping the list of most popular selections.

According to the committee, the parade festivities will begin at 11 a.m. at Union Street and 39th Avenue in front of the 109th Precinct and continue down Sanford Avenue, Main Street, 39th Avenue and end at Queens Crossing. The parade is expected to last an hour. The committee said there will be an opening ceremony featuring Lion and Dragon dances, in which performers mimic a lions movements in a lion costume that formally welcome the beginning of another Lunar New Year. The parade will be led by Mr. Met and the police band. There will be more than 100 organizations marching from different ethnic and cultural groups along with over 30 floats.

Indoor activities will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Queens Crossing Mudan Banquet Hall on 136-17 39th Ave. The party will feature a series of traditional stage performances and a cultural bazaar.

The festivities continue on Wed, Feb 8., when the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce will be holding its first ever Lunar New Year celebration with business leaders, elected officials, and community members at Flushing Town Hall. The celebrations will begin with a lion dance by Mui Fa Lion and Unicorn Dance team. The dance is said to usher in good fortune.

In these times of intolerance and suspicion, its important to remember our roots as an immigrant nation that has welcomed people from around the world, said John Choe, executive director of the Flushing Chamber. The Lunar New Year is as American as apple pie and we encourage all New Yorkers to come out to celebrate the amazing diversity of our community.

As part of the Feb. 8 celebration, Flushing-based Korea Taekwondo students will perform a martial arts routine and demonstration at Flushing Town Hall; Helen You, chef and owner of Flushing restaurant Dumpling Galaxy, will do a book signing of her new cookbook, The Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook, as well as a live demonstration of how she makes dumplings followed by a tasting. The chamber said attendees will enjoy festive food such as a prosperity toss, roasted suckling pig, golden dumplings, longevity noodles, and more. There will be raffles and prizes.

State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) sent her regards to those celebrating the new year.

As the elected representative of an increasingly diverse district with so many families that celebrate the Lunar New Year, she said, I am delighted to send warm wishes for the Year of the Rooster and look forward to embracing the great cultures and traditions of this holiday that further enriches our entire community.

Celebrations will continue throughout February. On, Thurs., Feb. 9, there will be a Lunar New Year celebration by City Comptroller Scott Stringer at Flushing Town Hall at 6:30 p.m., and on Wed., Feb. 22, City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) is set to host a Lunar New Year celebration at City Hall at 5:30 p.m.
The political system in Iran is corrupt on many levels. The current government, headed by Hassan Rouhani, wants to give off the image that is it cooperating within the international community. However, this is just a show. Their charade is giving more power to the IRCG and Ali Khamenei the Supreme Leader.

It is believed that there are two political camps in Iran  those referred to as hardliners (the IRGC and Khamenei) and the reformists (President Rouhani and the late former president Rafsanjani). However these two sides work together more than is realised.

Khamenei decides on all foreign policy and national security matters whereas the Iranian regime as a whole diverts attention so that the true intentions are not clear.

If it was not for Khameneis approval, Rouhani would not be president. Khamenei was concerned that there was going to be another uprising like the one in 2009. The country was heading towards an economic disaster and the previous president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, isolated Iran on an international scale.

Khamenei is able to disqualify any presidential candidate he likes through the Guardian Council. By letting Rouhani even run for presidency is proof enough that he would in some way be useful.

Sanctions were crippling the economy at the time and Khamenei began to realise that Iran needed to either build international relations in hope of getting relief or else put his nuclear ambitions on the back burner.

So the Iran nuclear deal was a way for the Iranian regime to quieten public unrest in the country, and also a way of boosting the IRGCs economic status. This is where Rouhani became useful  he could be the face of Iran  the smiling mullah who can convince the world that the regime has changed course.

The Iranian regime however has not made any positive changes since the deal was made. It has continually violated terms of the nuclear deal and continues to crackdown on the Iranian people. There have been more executions per capita in Iran than anywhere else in the world.

Iran is also heavily involved in the Syrian civil war and has plundered billions of dollars which could have been spent improving conditions at home.

However, things are changing rapidly. A new President has taken charge in the United States and he has already made it clear that he is not happy with the nuclear agreement. Trump is expected to make sure that Tehran abides by international laws. It seems that sanctions relief may come to an end for the Iranian regime that relies so heavily on it.
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By Prem Calvin Prashad

Shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States last Friday, the White Houses online presence, including white house.gov , transitioned to the new administration, with some notable exceptions. Webpages on Civil Rights, LGBT rights, Climate Change were moved to the archives of the Obama White House.

Also gone were initiatives, such as White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, set up in 2009 to reach out to the growing Asian-American community. Spanish language social media sites had no discreet plan for continuity in the new administration.

The new administration broadly identified its key issues as America First energy and foreign policy, jobs and growth, a strong military, support for law enforcement and better trade deals.

In the archives of Jan 22, 2009, the incoming President Obama identified 24 issues, including Civil Rights, Ethics, Immigration, Poverty and Women, with detailed accompanying policy recommendations.

Though the disappearance of these issues from the presidential website does not necessarily mean the current president will ignore these issues, for opponents, noting the Presidents campaign rhetoric and platform, it appears to confirm that they can expect civil rights and immigration protections to stagnate, or even be rolled back under the new administration.

Immigration policy is mentioned only within the context of strengthening law enforcement.

Aside from more promises to build a border wall, promises to deport undocumented persons with violent criminal records are in line with the previous administrations approach, if not more lenient, as the Obama administration routinely deported non-violent offenders.

There is no mention of visa reform  the primary way undocumented persons come into the country, nor cracking down on employers that hire them.

Whereas the Obama administration identified employment discrimination, racial profiling and hate crime statues as civil rights issues in 2009, there is no mention of civil rights on the contemporary white house.gov .

The notion of transitioning the online presence of the presidency is a relatively new concept, and almost certainly the first time nine presidential social media accounts from Twitter to Flickr had to be transitioned to an incoming president. Included was the Spanish language @LaCasaBlanca Twitter account. The former president and first lady Michelle Obama, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and wife, Dr. Jill Biden, kept their accounts, with a distinctive 44 added to distinguish them from the current administration. For example, @POTUS becomes @POTUS44. A number of White House officials will be similarly identified.

For the new Trump administration, which harnessed social media in a populist uprising, first against the Republican Party and later against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it remains to be seen how the new president and staff intend to utilize social media to engage Americans and disseminate policy.

Though there is a dearth of information and specifics on what President Trump seeks to accomplish over the next 100 days, there remains the possibility that the issues section will be expanded over the next few weeks.

However, with most experts on the presidency still planning an effective transition, most Americans will simply have to make due with President Trumps signature lines  believe me!
By Bill Parry

New York is the only state other than North Carolina that treats all youth as adults when they are 16, regardless of the offense.

Kalief Browder was 16 years old when he was arrested for stealing a backpack and ended up spending the next three years on Rikers Island where he suffered frequent beatings by guards and inmates. Browder spent nearly 300 days in solitary confinement, without ever being charged  all because his family couldnt afford the $3,000 bail. After his release, Browder committed suicide at his mothers home in 2015.

Youth who serve time in adult prisons are 36 times more likely to commit suicide than those in juvenile facilities, according to Raise the Age New York, a coalition of more than 100 advocacy groups whose movement is gaining support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest) and elected and community leaders across the state.

Raising the age of criminal responsibility is New York States ultimate goal, but New York City can and must do more right now to mitigate the effects of charging 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, Lancman said. Though the city promised it would move young people off Rikers, there are still nearly 200 young people languishing there. Its scientifically proven young peoples brains are still developing and they dont fully understand the gravity of their actions. Instead of charging and trying teens as adults, the city should instead focus in increasing diversion programs so youth in every borough can participate. There is no excuse for delay when we have the power to make changes today.

Lancman led a rally near City Hall last week before holding hearings in his Courts & Legal Services Committee. Writing in the New York Law Journal, Lancman mentioned Project Reset, a collaboration between the NYPD and the Center for Court Innovation which diverts 16- and 17-year-olds charged with first time, low-level, non-violent, non-victim misdemeanor offenses such as drug possession, trespassing and shoplifting pre-arraignment, from being prosecuted. These youths are arrested, brought to the precinct, and receive a desk appearance ticket with a nine-month return date, after which prosecutors and defense counsel decide on participation in a restorative justice diversion program. Provided completion is successful, the district attorney declines to prosecute with no public record of the arrest. Project Reset recently expanded to cover all of Manhattan and one precinct in Brooklyn.

Public Reset should be expanded, both geographically and in terms of offenses covered, Lancman wrote. If its good enough for Manhattan and a precinct in Brooklyn, why not take it citywide? Thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds throughout the five boroughs are having their lives ruined for want of a vision for reform that includes their neighborhoods.
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By Merle Exit

Jan. 27 marks the arrival of New Years Eve without a countdown, champagne toast or noisemakers as it ushers in Jan. 28, the Year of the Rooster in the Lunar New Year.

What are some of the traditions and how are they celebrated?

The year symbolizes punctuality, waking up and being on time, City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) said. For New Years Eve the whole family will be staying at home and eating together. We eat food that exemplifies good luck and good health such as oysters representing fortune. Sticky rice and red beans are included in the meal to symbolize prosperity. I remember my mother buying a whole fish to represent the extra that is left over for the New Year. The next morning my wife cooks a vegetarian dish as the first meal.

The celebration continues into a third day, when people get together with their families and friends to celebrate and, of course, eat.

When you visit anyone, the tradition is to bring something, Koo said. After you visit your relatives, you visit your friends. Special cakes are available at the many bakeries in downtown Flushing  with each having a meaning. For instance, Sesame Balls are sticky and represent sticking around, staying together.

Lunar New Year can last for up to two weeks. However, the celebration can extend as long as three months, depending on restaurant availability, according to Koo.

As for potential New Years resolutions, Koo said they include doing better in school and, in his case, maintaining his weight.

I dont have to lose weight, but rather maintain my weight due to all the parties, he said.

Yeou-Cheng Ma, a renowned violinist, CEO of the Childrens Orchestra Society and pediatrician, also celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Traditionally for Chinese families, New Years is an intense two-week celebration during which family members from many generations gather together for meals, performances, and time for conversation, Yeou-Cheng said. Coming from a relatively small family, having born been in and growing up in both France and later in the United States, my brother Yo-Yo and I did not have much occasion to attend these large festivals. If possible, I try to gather my family members for at least a meal during the New Years celebration. But even if I do not, I prepare a meal of traditional foods for the New Year to offer to the ancestors, lighting incense, and inviting them to enjoy the food and bless us for the New Year.

Yeou-Cheng said her typical menu includes traditional meats, chicken, duck, beef, pork, and vegetarian dishes for her grandmother, who was a Buddhist.

Luchia Meihua Lee, executive director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council and guest curator at the Queens Museum, also celebrates the holiday with her own traditions.

For the New Year I plan to harvest some silver willow in my backyard, she said. Silver is simply an indicator of wealth. Silver is like ancient money. I have this chance to plant this silver willow at the most beautiful time when all the leaves drop and buds drop their red cover coming forth in silver. It allows me to feel hope.

As for her customary traditions, Lee said she will clean the house and rearrange the furniture before New Years Eve.

Cleaning the house is necessary work for both preparation and the new feeling that comes with it, she said.  I have the strange habit of reading the direction of feng shui each year. The CHI-energy switches every year with the various directions having different meanings and symbols bringing new energy and harmony with the year.

As for food, she will attend a big meal with her family and friends and feast on hot pot.

It is a pot of boiling water or broth into which one puts food to cook, Lee said. Although it is more convenient at home since we are vegetarian at our house, I like to go to a restaurant such as Niu Pot in downtown Flushing to share and celebrate a happy atmosphere.
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By Scott Stiffler

It wasnt that kind of Inaugural Ball.

Nobody looked past trans theatre artist Maybe Burkes talent, caring only about who designed the clothes. Eyes didnt dart when Natalie Douglas declared, Im a woman, so bleeding is political before nailing a song about meeting Jesus in a Christopher Street gay bar. And not a single person answered the refrain of vocal trio SIREN  How am I going to be an optimist about this?  with the snide suggestion that they just get over it already and give the new guy a chance.

There were, however, plenty of knowing nods when SANCTUARY co-creator Jonathan Cottle opened the month-long series by acknowledging, Yeah. Its been a day.

Those assembled on Jan. 20 in the Mainstage space of Manhattans HERE arts center stood in stark contrast to how Donald J. Trump celebrated the first night of his presidency. Actually, they sat  cabaret-style, downing wine and beer and cheese puffs, and looking pretty damn good in the candlelight, given the grim tone of that day.

By the 8:30 p.m. curtain, a number of progressive causes had been (and remain) ghosted from the White House website  and a prediction of the same fate for federal arts funding was among the ominous things occupying the top of everybodys news feed. Although Twitter and Facebook know what you like to hear about, an informed algorithm doesnt cut it when the thing you really need is a brick-and-mortar destination whose prime directive is to celebrate lives lived on the margins.

Performances, dance events, panel discussions, and TBA community-organizing training sessions on the SANCTUARY schedule through Feb. 18 may provide a safe space for participants, but the project itself is rooted in leaving ones comfort zone: Cottle, a set designer, and old friend Adam Salberg, a sound designer, had never taken it upon themselves to produce a show before.

Were not a writing/directing duo, noted Long Island City resident Cottle  a disclaimer repeated at the SANCTUARY Inaugural Ball, where he and Salberg submerged themselves in the uncharted waters of hosting a variety showcase.

Fair warning, announced the visibly nervous Salberg. Im on enough Xanax to sedate a small horse.

The techies-turned-emcees didnt have much to apologize for. Between the two of them, they turned out to be one fine Ed Sullivan. As for what youll see during the month-long series, several others, including Jenna Grossano of the nonprofit theatre company Less Than Rent, were brought on board to curate the talent.

Cottle drew on his day job know-how (along with a fondness for pews and red curtains) to give SANCTUARY a visual identity that immerses the audience in different protest and counterculture movements, including Weimar, Berlin  that queer sexual revolution, and the riot grrrl feminist punk scene in the early 90s. The other inspiration is the idea of making it a sacred space, because a lot of churches have been associated with activism, with human rights movements.

As for content on the stage, Cottle said, We decided we wanted to make the heart of this about providing a forum for artists who were from traditionally marginalized groups, who are targets of the administration: queer folks, feminists, people of color.

Many of the artists presented by SANCTUARY have been making personal, political, confrontational work, noted Cottle, since way before the election, and they will continue to make work like this. We didnt seek out any specific thematic material. We did get some stuff created in response to the election, but many people already had stuff that addresses racism or misogyny  and its made all the more relevant now.

One notable example of the latter is Room 4, which gets another well-deserved go-round after a successful fall run at the Peoples Improv Theater in Manhattan. Written by the team of Marina & Nicco, it forces four black actors to repeat the same audition for a bit part in a horribly written police procedural drama. Having tremendous fun with its time loop gimmick (which the playwrights know is every bit as stereotypical as that coveted Drug Dealer #2 role), the one-act is full of surprises  the best of which happens when the hungry thespians realize their power to shatter an unjust cycle by taking a red pen to whats been written for them. Its a fitting metaphor: for the play, the whole of SANCTUARY, and the daunting task that lies ahead.

Through Feb. 18 at HERE (Manhattan; 145 Sixth Ave.; enter on Dominick, one block south of Spring St.). Most performances begin at 8:30 p.m. and most tickets are $20. To purchase, visit www.here.org or call 212-352-3101.
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By Lauren Gill

Community News Group

President Trump is nothing more than a celebrity playing dress-up as the leader of the free world, U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said his annual State of the District Address Thursday night.

We have a reality-show host in the White House masquerading as president of the United States of America, said Jeffries, whose district covers part of southeast Queens, to the packed crowd at Downtowns Paramount Theater.

This was despite the congressmans controversial decision to attend the inauguration Jan. 20, while many other Brooklyn pols called Trump illegitimate and boycotted the event after the incoming commander in chief insulted civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis (DGa.).

The Prospect Heights resident, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, stood by his decision Thursday, arguing that the ceremony was also the final chance to say goodbye to President Obama.

I decided this inauguration is bigger than one individual, even though Donald Trump would like us to believe his presence is the be all, end all  its not, he said after the speech.

Trump was, however, the be all and end all of Jeffries speech, which focused entirely on firing up constituents to fight back against the policies of the new administration and Republican-controlled Congress on issues such as the Affordable Care Act.

Barack Obama has left the building, and theres some folks down in Washington who are going to try and take advantage of the situation, said Jeffries, who stumped for Hillary Clinton during the presidential primaries and election. They go to church and they pray on Sunday, and they go to Washington and prey on the American people the rest of the week.

He also laid into some of their supporters.

Im not here to say that every American who voted for Donald Trump is a racist, but I do know that every racist in America voted for Donald Trump, he said.

The Crown Heights natives spiel did not mention any local issues or plans for his district, but attendees did not seem to mind, cheering throughout the address and heeding the pols call to action.

I thought it was amazing, it definitely gave us more validation of whats to come and what we need to do, said East New Yorker Ashley Marrero. We can do this all together. Weve been through hard times before. Its just another round and weve gotta do what we gotta do.

Jeffries has criticized Mayor de Blasios policies on police and his name has been tossed around as a possible challenger in this years mayoral race. After the speech, Jeffries told the Brooklyn Paper that he has no plan to run  then apparently told a Politico reporter that he still hadnt ruled it out.

Around 26 percent of New Yorkers would vote for Jeffries as mayor, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.
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.
President Barack Obama believed that Iran was looking to change and wanted to create a legacy to leave the White House with. He believed, or so he said, that the Iran nuclear deal would take the country away from the ideals of the Revolution.

The IRGC however really wanted to acquire a nuclear weapon so that it could fearlessly pursue wars in the region  in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

So Rouhani decided that the best way forward would be to get the nuclear deal signed so that billions of dollars could be freed up. Then, with this huge financial gain, it could go ahead and continue with what was planned  but in a much easier way.

President Obama clearly misjudged the real intentions and ambitions of the mullahs.

Since the deal was signed, so far three Arab countries have been sabotaged by the Iranian regime.

It knew that it could expand all across the Middle East if it stayed clear of Israel.

General Soleimani immediately went to Russia after the deal was signed to get President Putin to help save Assads regime in Syria.

So with the help of Russia in Syria and the help of the United States in Iraq, Iran seemed to be doing well with its plans.

Now that President Donald Trump is in office, can the Iranian regime continue with the good luck it has so far enjoyed? President Trump has made it very clear that he believes the Iran nuclear deal is severely flawed and has threatened to rip it up.

It is unlikely that President Trump will fully scrap the deal, but it is almost certain that he will ensure that Iran adheres very strictly to the terms and will have consequences for when or if it does not.

Also, although the US wants good relations with Iran, it also wants the same with Russia. Will this be possible? Will the US convince Russia to cooperate in seeking a political solution for Syria? If so, this will cause difficulty for Iran which wants the Syrian war to continue for as long as possible.
MUSIC

Alexander Melnikov is a 33-year-old Russian pianist who was a protege of Sviatoslav Richter. Melnikov is making his local debut Sunday afternoon at the Union College Concert Series with an enticing program. The concert's first half consists of Rachmaninoff's "Chopin Variations" and "Corelli Variations." After intermission, it's Debussy's Preludes (Book II). 3 p.m. Sunday, Union College Memorial Chapel, Schenectady. $25. Call 388-6080. http://www.unioncollegeconcerts.org.

MUSIC

Michigan jam-grass act Greensky Bluegrass isn't afraid to break musical barriers in concert. The group, which plays acoustic folk and bluegrass with a rock 'n' roll attitude, performed versions of Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved," the Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care," Pink Floyd's "Breathe" and U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" at a show in Nashville earlier this month. The five-piece act, known for the many festivals it plays each year, also has a new album, "Shouted, Written Down & Quoted," which they've been featuring in their live shows. It will be interesting to see what Greensky Bluegrass serves up this week in the intimate confines of The Egg. 7 p.m. Tuesday. $25. The Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany. 473-1845; http://www.theegg.org

DANCE

If you haven't caught the Bollywood bug yet, here's the ultimate opportunity to get bit. Created by the team of Vaibhavi and Shruti Merchant, "Taj Express" has been touring the world for five years, bringing the mystique of the Indian film industry to shimmering life. Underneath all the sparkles, though, is the captivating fusion of classical Indian dance and contemporary movement  set to music by composer Allah-Rakha Rahman, who won an Oscar for his soundtrack for "Slumdog Millionaire." As with most Bollywood movies, the storyline is less important than the movement, the music and the gorgeous glitz. 8 p.m. Thursday, Proctors, 432 State St., Schenectady. $20-$65. 346-6204
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AVOCA, STUEBEN COUNTY -- Two animal organizations housed 104 puppies and found no signs of animal cruelty Wednesday after a box truck carrying the dogs crashed Tuesday.

"While we abhor puppy mills, we know of no means to legally confiscate animals only because there is a strong likelihood that a puppy came from one," the Finger Lakes Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a Thursday statement.

The puppies were en route to local pet stores when the crash happened. The driver, Emily Woodrum of Webb City, Mo., was speeding when she lost control and drove off the road, State Police said. The box truck landed in a ditch and flipped over.

Three troopers rescued all 104 puppies from the wreckage with the help of a towing company and a licensed veterinary technician.

Three dogs suffered minor injuries, two more had serious injuries and all are expected to recover, the FLSCPA said. One dog suffered a fractured jaw and another a broken leg.

The FLSPCA housed 86 of the puppies in their shelter, while the Bath Veterinary Hospital cared for the rest. The puppies were various breeds, including Labrador retrievers and toy breeds.

Vets medically assessed every puppy for signs of animal cruelty signs before handing them back to the delivery company Wednesday.

All but four of the dogs housed at the shelter were given back to the business, which paid for the puppies' housing and veterinary expenses, the FLSCPA said. Two dogs stayed at the animal hospital for more treatment.

"A formal release of ownership for these animals is being pursued," the FLSCPA said about the six remaining dogs in a Facebook post. "We will update you in the near future as to adoptability status for these pups."

The business has already released ownership of the two seriously injured puppies to the Bath Veterinary Hospital, the FLSCPA said. Adoption information will be posted online soon.
Concerns for the Iranian regime began in 2017 with the death of former Iranian regime president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Iran saw the fall of one of its two pillars, and Tehran suffered a devastating blow.

The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and hiss factions within the regime are are advocating extremism, supporting terrorism, and pursuing their nuclear ambitions, according to Kia, who says that the weakening regime brings joy to the Iranian people, leading to concerns of uprisings such as those of 2009. especially with crucial presidential elections coming in May.

Kia writes, The general public and even political prisoners are voicing their dissent like never before, especially thanks to social media. Families of regime victims are protesting, especially those whose loved ones perished amongst the 30,000 political prisoners massacred by the mullahs back in 1988. The people are demanding an end to ruthless executions and the regimes existence. The Iranian people, one year after the Iranian nuclear pacts implementation, have gained nothing. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, however, has ironically benefited Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), allowing Iran to finance lethal ambitions in Syria and throughout the Middle East, and adds, The world has come to realize that the mullahs, the IRGC, the Lebanese Hizballah and other Shiite militias have no such role of confronting extremism and Daesh (ISIS/ISIL). In fact, their goal has been to maintain Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in power.

Khamenei recently said that if they had not been confronted [in Syria], we should have stood against them in Tehran, Fars, Khorasan and Isfahan.

According to Syrian opposition leaders, Iran is the sole party seeking nothing but to maintain Assad in power at all costs, and is against the latest Syrian ceasefire effort.

Kia says further, No political solution is possible in the Levant as long as the IRGC and their Shiite militias are present in the country. Thus, if we seek peace in this land, the only serious path forward lies in expelling the mullahs from Syria. The main party in detriment from a ceasefire and eventual peace in Syria is none other than Tehran. He calls the Obama administrations appeasement policy the main reason behind the Syria tragedy and the mullahs dominance in this war. Iran counted on the Wests engagement approach to literally export its extremism under the banner of Islam.

The end of Obamas tenure changes the situation in Iran. With the failed rapprochement approach, a policy change is needed to end the Middle East crisis. Actions must be taken in the face of the IRGCs role in the region. Otherwise neither the Middle East nor the world, for that matter, will ever experience true peace and tranquility, says Kia.

No government can promote an alliance with Tehran under the pretext of pursuing a security policy, and we cannot neglect our principles for the mere sake of short-term economic gains and turn our backs on human rights and womens rights violations in Iran, according to Kia.

There is an alternative, with a democratic agenda based on respecting religious freedoms, universal suffrage, separation of church and state, and gender equality. As proposed by nearly two dozen senior top U.S. officials in a hand-delivered letter to President Donald Trump, this alternative is the National Council of Resistance of Iran under the leadership of Maryam Rajavi, who presented her vision for a future Iran in a 10-point-plan. The Iranian opposition can usher in a new era for the people of Iran, and the nations across the Middle East.

We only need to remain loyal to our democratic values and principles, Kia concludes.
Albany

A senior official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been named dean of the new University at Albany College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.

Robert Griffin, who most recently served as deputy under secretary for science and technology, will start his new role July 1.

He will take over for Interim Dean David Rousseau, who was tasked in February 2015 with establishing the first-in-the-nation college at the direction of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Rousseau will return to the faculty.

Griffin has spent 25 years in local and federal government management.

He has served as deputy undersecretary since May 2014, prior to which he served as director of the department's Science and Technology Directorate First Responders Group.

Before coming to the federal government, Griffin held several high-ranking leadership and first responder posts for local governments in Arlington and Loudon counties in Virginia, and the towns of Tyngsborough and Townsend, Mass.

While serving Loudon County, Griffin helped direct the emergency response to the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, as well as the anthrax attack on the Dulles Postal Facility.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in senior leadership positions in both emergency management and homeland security," Griffin said. "One of the most important and lasting accomplishments of my career will be working with the University at Albany family in realizing the potential of Governor Cuomo's vision of a college dedicated to keeping our communities safe from natural, man-made and cyber threats."

The College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity will work to educate and train students in the skills needed to prepare for, protect against, respond to and recover from natural and human-caused risks and threats in New York and around the world.
The New York State Council on the Arts has awarded more than $3.7 million in grants to Capital Region organizations  the second-largest allotment behind New York City's $24.6 million.

Among the awards announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo Thursday, which included some previously released Regional Economic Development Council awards, are grants of more than $112,000 to the Albany Symphony Orchestra  $75,000 of that in REDC money for its upcoming "Water Music" project celebrating the Erie Canal. They also include roughly $253,000 to the Arts Center of the Capital Region, including $140,000 in decentralization re-grant funds.
Washington

Determined to wall off America's border with Mexico, President Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic clash and fresh fight over trade Thursday as the White House proposed a 20 percent tax on imports from the key U.S. ally and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped next week's trip to Washington.

The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

At the heart of the dispute is Trump's insistence that Mexico will pay for construction of the massive wall he has promised along the southern U.S. border. Trump on Wednesday formally ordered construction of the wall.

The plan was a centerpiece of Trump's election campaign, though he never specified how Mexico would fund the project or how he would compel payments if Pena Nieto's government refused.

The two leaders had been scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House next week. But Pena Nieto took to Twitter Thursday to say he had informed the White House he would not be coming.

In a speech in Philadelphia later Thursday, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

On the flight back to Washington, Trump's spokesman told reporters the president was considering the 20 percent import tax to foot the bill, the most specific proposal Trump has ever floated for how to cover a project estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

"By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Sean Spicer said. "This is something that we've been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan."

Spicer said Trump was looking at taxing imports on all countries the U.S. has trade deficits with, but he added, "Right now we are focused on Mexico."

But the announcement sparked immediate confusion across Washington, and the White House tried to backtrack. During a hastily arranged briefing in the West Wing, chief of staff Reince Priebus said a 20 percent import tax was one idea in "a buffet of options" to pay for the border wall.

A 20 percent tariff would represent a huge tax increase on imports to the U.S.

Mexico is one of America's biggest trade partners, and the U.S. is the No. 1 buyer from that country, accounting for about 80 percent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the U.S. economy and disastrous for Mexico's. And major harm to Mexico's economy would surely spur more people to risk deportation, jail or even death to somehow cross the border to the U.S.  undercutting Trump's major goal of stopping illegal immigration.

House GOP lawmakers and aides interpreted Spicer's comments on a 20 percent border tax as an endorsement of a key plank of their own tax plan, which Speaker Paul Ryan has been trying to sell to Trump. The "border adjustability" approach would tax imports and exempt exports as a way of trying to help U.S. exporters and revenue.
Washington

A number of senior career diplomats are leaving the State Department after the Trump administration accepted their resignations from presidentially appointed positions.

The State Department said Thursday that several senior management officials as well as a top arms control diplomat would be leaving.

All had submitted their resignations prior to Donald Trump's January 20 inauguration as is required of officials holding jobs appointed by the president.

They were not required to leave the foreign service but chose to retire or resign for personal reasons, the department said.

While none of the officials has linked his or her departure explicitly to Trump, many diplomats have privately expressed concern about serving in his administration given the unorthodox positions he's taken on many foreign policy issues.

Turnover among senior leadership during presidential transitions is not unusual, although the career diplomats who are leaving the foreign service entirely had served under both Republican and Democratic presidents.

The union that represents American diplomats, the American Foreign Service Association, called for the administration to quickly name successors to the positions.

The union urged that they be filled with career diplomats but played down the significance of the moves.

"While this appears to be a large turnover in a short period of time, a change of administration always brings personnel changes, and there is nothing unusual about rotations or retirements in the Foreign Service," it said.

More resignations are expected to be accepted as Trump's diplomatic team takes shape, according to the officials who were not authorized to discuss personnel matters publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The now vacant jobs will be filled by subordinates on an acting basis until their full-time appointments are named, the officials said.

Among those whose resignations have been accepted are Thomas Countryman, who had been serving as the acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Others include Undersecretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy; two assistant secretaries, Joyce Barr and Michele Bond; and Gentry Smith, who directs the Office of Foreign Missions. They had been willing to remain at their posts but had no expectation of staying, according to several State Department officials familiar with the resignations.

Other senior career diplomats to have left the State Department since Trump's election include Victoria Nuland, the former assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Gregory Starr, the assistant secretary for diplomatic security. Starr retired on Inauguration Day as did Lydia Muniz, a non-career political appointee who had run Overseas Building Operations.

Trump has yet to fill many top diplomatic jobs, including the deputy secretary roles.
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Albany

Opponents of an oil terminal at the Port of Albany are headed to federal court to have it shut down, claiming it is operating without a valid state air pollution permit.

On Thursday, Albany County, several environmental groups and tenants of a city low-income housing project notified owners of the Global Partners terminal that a lawsuit will be filed in early March asking that the oil-by-rail facility be shuttered until a new pollution permit is in place.

The terminal has routinely received massive oil trains from the Bakken fields of North Dakota, and transferred the oil to ships or barges to be transported down the Hudson River to refineries on the eastern seaboard.

Shipments have slowed as oil prices have fallen. Global said Thursday that its shipments have stopped, although the terminal remains open.

"We are looking to shut them down," said Chris Amato, a lawyer with the environmental law firm EarthJustice. The firm represents the county, as well as tenants of the Ezra Prentice Homes on South Pearl Street near the port, and the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Natural Resources Defense Council and Catskill Mountainkeeper.

In a notice filed Wednesday with Global President and CEO Eric Slifka, the groups indicated they will sue in U.S. District Court unless Global obtains a valid air pollution permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation in the next 60 days.

Such a notice is required under the federal Clean Air Act, which sets standards for air pollution permits, before a lawsuit can be filed.

The EarthJustice notice also was provided to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which last September told Global that the company's current air pollution permit would not be renewed because key information was missing. Instead, the company must apply for a new permit.

Massachusetts-based Global fired back, calling the threatened legal action by EarthJustice "grandstanding for publicity's sake" in a statement.

"It is without merit, (and) has no basis," the statement continued. The DEC has "explicitly stated  both verbally and in writing, as recently as today  that Global maintains the right to operate under its existing permit." That permit was issued in 2012 by DEC and expired in March 2016.

DEC agreed that Global can operate on this permit under provisions of the state Administrative Procedures Act (SAPA).

"While Global submitted an application in time to extend its permit through SAPA, DEC remains concerned with impacts to air quality from the operation of this facility and is treating this permit renewal application as a new application," according to a DEC statement. The state has "not rescinded or suspended" the 2012 permit, and "continues to closely monitor ongoing activities at Global's facility."

In a Sept. 16 letter from DEC to Global, included in the EarthJustice notice, the state told Global it had 90 days to provide more information about measures to reduce emissions of benzene, a volatile, cancer-causing gas released by crude oil.

The state deadline expired Dec. 15 without Global providing the information demanded by the state.

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"The DEC has monitored higher-than-expected benzene levels in the area of the facility that may be attributable, in part, to the storage and processing of petroleum products," wrote DEC permits official Jack Nasca in the September letter to Global. A year's worth of results from a nearby DEC air testing station on South Pearl Street found annual average benzene levels "higher than similar upstate locations," he wrote.

The state also told the company to provide additional information about noise impacts, odor impacts and public safety concerns.

"There have been material changes in environmental conditions and DEC has determined that enhanced public comment is necessary," wrote Nasca. "Newly discovered material information and material changes in environmental conditions and potential impacts that are unique to crude oil operations must be addressed."

County Executive Daniel McCoy commended the DEC for its work, adding "Unfortunately, you have to step in when other things are not happening ... This action, we hope, will force Global to comply with the Clean Air Act and fully detail how it plans to mitigate the impact on our community."

Global's statement also indicated that crude oil is "no longer being shipped into the Albany terminal."

As the global price of oil has fallen, rail shipments to Albany from the Bakken fields have dried up. Global's 2012 state permit allowed the company to handle up to 1.8 billion gallons of oil a year, and during the height of the Bakken crude boom several years ago, hundreds of rail oil tanker cars routinely arrived at the facility each month.

bnearing@timesunion.com  518-454-5094  @Bnearing10
Mary Esch

If you are one of the 37,000 people who rode with Rail Explorers USA during Saranac Lake's last two summer tourist seasons, you join with our local businesses and organizations and the Franklin County Board of Legislators in recognizing the unique contribution Rail Explorers made to our region.

Rail Explorers is the sustainable tourism rail bike company in Saranac Lake that developed a human-powered economic engine on our existing railroad infrastructure attracting mostly first-time visitors of all ages and abilities from all over the country and the world.
There's a lot of talk in journalism circles these days about what word can best characterize something that is not factually correct.

You might say that it is "unsubstantiated," or perhaps that it's "unproven." You may say that something was "falsely claimed." You might juxtapose what's said alongside comments of other people who point to facts contrary to what is asserted.

Yet journalism is supposed to be all about truth-telling. So what if you can clearly demonstrate beyond doubt that what is said isn't right? Maybe then you would consider the word that's so powerful that we never sling it around casually: "lie."

But would you use that word  ever  if the speaker in question is the president of the United States? Perhaps you would hesitate, either out of respect for the office or because you know that the incumbent often attacks the credibility and personal integrity of those who question what he says, especially people working for the news organizations.

More Information Rex Smith is editor of the Times Union. Share your thoughts at http://blog.timesunion.com/editors. See More Collapse

So if you point to another, ah, inaccuracy in his comments, aren't you hanging a sign around your neck? "I'm a journalist," it would say. "Kick me."

Let's be positive about things, though, and just be clear about what is known to be true.

This is true: Donald Trump won the presidency by claiming 304 electoral votes. Hillary Clinton got 227. He got 57 percent of the available electoral votes.

"We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College," he has said.

This is true: Of the 44 presidents elected before Mr. Trump was, 32 won by greater margins. That is, he's in the bottom one-fourth or so of all Electoral College victories in history.

This is true: Donald Trump won 62.9 million votes, or 46 percent of the popular vote; Hillary Clinton won 65.8 million votes, or 48 percent.

Mr. Trump claimed in a Twitter message in late November that he would have won the popular vote "if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally"  a stunning allegation of widespread fraud never before alleged in a presidential race, repeated by Mr. Trump this week in a meeting with congressional leaders.

This is true: Lawyers for Mr. Trump, arguing against a recount petition last fall, asserted, "All available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake." There's not a shred of evidence of widespread illegal voting.

So what word would you use to characterize the claim of massive fraud  which, incidentally, the president says only occurred among people who voted for Mrs. Clinton?

"Lie" is the word used by The New York Times in a headline. NPR, a bit more circumspect, called it "probably not true." Its top news executive, Mike Oreskes, explains that "lie" might harm the "authenticity" of its reporters, and "push people away from you."

Good journalistic practice has an answer that's usually helpful in this sort of a bind. It's in the writing advice, "show, don't tell." That is, a journalist doesn't need to characterize something by telling readers what it is  as a lie, for instance  when instead it's better to show what it is, by putting reality alongside an inaccurate claim. But that may not work with Donald Trump, as we are learning.

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Photos show that your claim to the best-attended inauguration ever wasn't actually so? (The Guardian: "an untruthful claim.") Blame the media for not looking at the photos correctly.

A rocky start with the intelligence community, after you compared them to Nazis and said the agencies were all biased against you? Blame the "dishonest" media for making up that dispute. (Politico: "not the media's creation.")

Now comes the president's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who used to run a right-wing website that specialized in badly distorted news stories, including the demonstrably false claim that Barack Obama was born in Africa. On Thursday, he labeled the news media as "the opposition party," and suggested that it "keep its mouth shut."

Never mind the notion that there's some single thing  "the media" with "its" mouth  that encompasses a radio station on the Rio Grande, a TV station in Tallahassee and a newspaper in New York. We're all to just shut up, so nobody ever questions Mr. Bannon or Mr. Trump?

That is quite contrary to the vision of our Founding Fathers, who assured through the First Amendment that a robust press would be a check on government overreach. It is, however, quite like what is expected of journalists in Russia, for example, whose leader Mr. Trump has so often said he admires.

"The media," Mr. Bannon said to The New York Times, "has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work."

This is true: He lies.
This is one way for Iran to continue its criminal activities in Iraq as Masjedi has spent the past three decades being a part of terrorist activities abroad  mainly in Syria and Iraq.

During the Iran-Iraq war, Masjedi was Chief of Staff of the Ramadan garrison which later became the Qods force. Last year he claimed that the Ramadan garrison was formed during war for irregular, guerilla, special, intelligence operations. He pointed out that this is what the Qods force does now.

Under his command, terrorist groups were formed. Some of these include the Badr 9 Corps and the Supreme Council.

After the 2003 Iraq invasion, Masjedi travelled regularly to Iraq to advance the policy of hidden occupation in the country. Under his supervision many terrorist attacks took place. For example, the kidnapping of British citizens in Iraq in 2007 and the bombing of US forces headquarters earlier that same year.

He was also involved with repressing the Iranian opposition. Under his command, five rocket strikes on Camp Liberty happened.

Masjedi and other commanders executed plans to displace and massacre the Sunni population.

It has also been noted that Masjedi had significant participation in the creation of Iraqi militias which entered Sunni areas and killed innocent people.

And finally, Masjedi has been involved in the meddling in Syria and has facilitated the arrival of Iraqi militias.

How is it possible that Iraqs national security adviser, Faleh al-Fayad, has agreed to this appointment? There has been outright objection from many  not just in Iraq but from other Arab countries. He is seen as a war criminal.
A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017

crime
By Richard Heinberg on 27 January 2017 for Post Carbon Institute -

Image above: Entrance of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan. Photo by Diego Grandi. From original article.

.

SUBHEAD: The crack-up of the U.S. global industrial, financial system has reached a new stage.The first week of the Trump presidency has seen an extraordinary and unprecedented confrontation between, on one hand, the new leader and his spokespeople, and on the other, mainstream American media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and CNN.On Saturday January 21st, Trump press secretary Sean Spicer made an issue of the size of the previous days inauguration crowd, insisting that it was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.When the New York Times called this a false claim and other news organizations showed photos clearly demonstrating the bigger turnout for Obamas inauguration in 2009, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway responded that the Trump administration was merely adhering to alternative facts.Then, only a couple of days later, the new president insisted that massive voter fraud was responsible for the popular vote victory of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.Again, press secretary Spicer backed him up, and again the press called the claim (for which no evidence has been produced) a lie and a falsehoodterms that news outlets named above are not in the habit of using to describe statements issuing from the governments executive branch.How will this tug of war play out? Dont expect Donald Trump to back down; its not in his character. After all, he still hasnt apologized for spending years promoting the birther fallacy, which held that Barack Obama wasnt born in the United States and was therefore legally unqualified to be presidenteven though Trump later quietly acknowledged that Obamas Hawaiian birth certificate is genuine.Rather than saying hes sorry, Trump is far more likely to double down on his claims, counterclaims, denials, and accusationsas he is doing by insisting that all the women accusing him of sexual assault are lying. And he can draw some justification for his antagonistic feelings toward the press: hes not alone in objecting to its unquestioning embrace of allegations of major Russian hacking in the election.For their part, the media are hardening their own position. By focusing so much attention on symbolic issues about which the administration is clearly dissembling, they effectively shunt to the second page actual policy changes that will have major impact on the direction of the country. (Thom Hartmann argues that the media have a higher commitment to sensationalism than to issues that impact everyday Americans.)So, again, how will this shooting match end? Here are two of the more easily identifiable possibilities.First, the Trump administration will be tamed (which is highly unlikely) or discredited. As a result of media standing up to blatant falsehoods, all serious people will simply stop taking the administration seriously.The president will become an object of derision among an increasing share of the general public.Only a dwindling core of loyalists will soldier on as the Trump White Houses messaging hurls the Republican brand toward disaster.At some point the adults in the room will find a convenient way to remove Trump from office. Already, according to Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, I am hearing from Republicans, and other reporters are as well, that there is open discussion by members of the President of the United States own party about his emotional maturity, stabilityIn the second possible end game, the president will find an excuse to proclaim emergency powers, then effectively shut down the mainstream media (this could mean putting them out of business or merely forcing them to toe the line).Press censorship is standard operating procedure in authoritarian regimes, and plenty of current (China, North Korea, Vietnam, Russia) or historic (Germany, Italy, the Philippines, Japan) examples could be cited.One bellwether of the concern that people have about this possibility is the factoid that George Orwells dystopian novel 1984in which the fictional-future Ministry of Truth goes about its bureaucratic business of manufacturing a daily litany of falsehoodsnow sits atop the Amazon best-seller list [link].If this is the way things go, the media could be seen as playing into Trumps hands, as they reveal which outlets, and which reporters, are friendly and malleable, and which should be the first to shut down when the appropriate time comes.On the other hand, a suitably severe crisis might lead the media simply to censor themselves, as largely happened in post-9/11 America.The managers at the New York Times and CNN are no doubt keenly aware of these possibilities, but their strategic options are constrained (partly by their own inside-the-box worldviews, and partly by their for-profit business models and their deep but mostly secret ties to the U.S. intelligence establishment).Think of the Trump team, then, as a presidency in search of an emergency. Without a suitable crisis, prospects are fairly bleak. But given a financial meltdown, an epic natural disaster, a war, or a spectacular terrorist attack, opportunities open up.One way or another, were in for a big showone thats impossible to turn away from.And sadly, the distraction of having to practically deal with, and mentally process, the events of the coming weeks, months, and years is inevitably going to draw energy and attention away from the long-term work of building alternatives to the industrial growth economy that seemed to work so well in the twentieth century, but is failing increasingly in the twenty-first. (Its failure, in my view, was a major contributing factor to Trumps victory.)Right now, many elites in the media, in politics, and even in the financial world are pining for the more stable business-as-usual of a Barack Obama or even a George W. Bush (never mind that nasty hiccup of a financial crash back in 2008). But thats as much a denial of reality as Donald Trumps crowd estimates or voter fraud claims.The crack-up of the U.S.-dominated global industrial-political-financial system has proceeded to a new stage (Donald Trump is symptom and proof of that), and there is no going back.What might be implied by the way forward in this context may be scary to contemplate.Unfortunately, much of that trajectory may be out of the hands of ordinary people: giant forces are at play, including political parties, intelligence agencies, national governments, major media outlets, financial conglomerates, and more.Most of the population will stand back and watch, petrified or thrilled but nevertheless transfixed.Many will protest and resist.Hopefully some who have managed to attain a big-picture understanding of the inevitable overall trajectory of the human project in this century (i.e., the end of growth and the need for resilient alternative economic arrangements) will continue the important work of building local cooperatives, of finding ways to meet human needs with less energy and material resources, and of wrapping the results in satisfying and inviting cultural experiences.In the long run, thats the only work that will get us through the mess that lies ahead.
Privacy International, a UK-based nonprofit founded in 1990, released a report showing that Microsoft is the only operating system vendor to have approved the Thai military government's root certificate by default, which is managed by the Electronic Transaction Development Agency (ETDA). The nonprofit worries that the Thai government could now perform man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks against Thai citizens.



Thai Governments Tight Grip On Internet Companies

According to Privacy International, the political environment in Thailand right now is such that it would be difficult for companies to deny a data request, because there isnt a strong legal framework in place thats also well enforced. In other words, companies cant bet on having the law on their side over there.

The non-profit organization said that the revolving door between the government and the telecommunications industry ensures that any company operating on the internet there would be under the tight grip of the Thai government. Privacy International believes that the 30 minute shutdown of Facebook in Thailand during the military coup was the governments attempt to circumvent the services encryption with the help of ISPs.

Although the government has had a close relationship with ISPs since the early days of the internet in the country, and despite the fact that it has employed various tools to decrypt communications, it hasnt been able to decrypt the communications of many services. This is where a root certificate in a popular operating system could come in quite handy. By misusing its root certificate, the Thai government could intercept any communication happening in the country and on that operating system.

Windows Only OS To Approve Thai Government Root Certificate

The interception would be unnoticed by the target if the root certificate is trusted by default on an operating system such as Windows or macOS. Privacy International said it noticed that Windows does include the Thai government certificate, whereas macOS does not.

Privacy International then asked Microsoft how its root certificate approval works, considering its been the only one to approve the Thai governments root certificate so far.

Microsoft seems to have replied more than two months later, saying it cant disclose how it decided exactly to approve the Thai government certificate, but that the overall approval strategy is found on its website.

In a statement to Toms Hardware, Microsoft said that the Thai government obtained a root certificate in Windows only after passing the companys "extensive" approval process combined with an audit by BDO, a Canadian accounting and auditing firm.

Microsoft only trusts certificates issued by organizations that receive Certificate Authority through the Microsoft Root Certificate Program, said a Microsoft spokesperson.This program is an extensive review process that includes regular audits from a third-party web trust auditor. Thailand has met the requirements of our program and you can review the details of the latest audits here and here. This thorough review, backed by contractual obligations is not reflected in Privacy Internationals assessment of the risks, the company added.

However, the audit doesn't look as rigorous as one may like it to be. The same problems that the auditors say can't be prevented are many of the same type of problems that happened at Symantec, when Google caught it issuing thousands of rogue certificates. At Symantec, the problems also seemed to be caused by fraud, errors, and a failure to follow internal policies by the companies' employees.

Excerpt from BDO's audit

Microsoft's Silent Root Certificate Updates

Microsoft has added dozens of new root certificates over the past few years, usually without making it public, and with only a few security researchers discovering when it happened. Some of the silently added root certificates have been attributed to the now infamous WoSign Chinese Certificate Authority (CA). Thats the same CA that was punished by Google and Mozilla late last year over backdating of SHA1 certificates and failing to disclose that it bought another CA.

Microsofts decision to hide, or at least not announce when it added more root certificates to Windows, is quite strange. Root certificates are a highly important component of the overall security of an operating system, and more importantly, it defines how much trust users can place in one. Microsoft refusing to say how exactly it approves root certificates isnt helping matters much either.

Beyond these strange decisions from Microsoft, there isnt too much evidence yet to show that Microsoft is willingly aiding the Thai government to spy on its users. However, what could be taken as evidence one way or another is how Microsoft deals with the situation if the Thai government is indeed caught abusing its root certificate.

Microsoft hasnt been as vocal about CAs abusing their power as Google and Mozilla have been over the past few years. It also hasnt announced any requirement for CAs to submit certificate logs to the Certificate Transparency (CT) system, as the two other browser vendors have. The CT system can encourage an environment of good behavior from CAs, and it can more easily detect when rogue certificates are being used.

Weve also asked Microsoft whether it would punish the Thai Certificate Authority (Thailand NRCA) if caught abusing its root certificate, and whether it would support the Certificate Transparency system, but the company has not replied.
While Jet officially reformed to join the legendary Bruce Springsteen at his upcoming Melbourne arena show at AAMI Park, the boys have something a bit more intimate planned for their hometown fans, announcing today that theyll be playing a special one-off show at The Gasometer Hotel on Tuesday January 31.

Just days before the first Springsteen show, the Melbourne rockers will pile into the cosy surrounds of the Gaso for their first live show in over six years, playing hits from all three of their records, including their 2003 breakthrough Get Born, which of course set them off on a global rampage.

Tickets go on sale on Monday Jan 30 at 9:00am and will be very limited, so jump on them nice and early. If you miss out, there are still a couple of chances to catch them in Melbourne and Sydney  but thisll be the gig to see.

JET HEADLINE SHOWS

Tue 31 Jan

Gasometer Hotel | Collingwood, VIC (18+)

With special guest DJ Davey Lane

Tickets here

Thu 16 Feb

Taronga Zoo | Sydney, NSW

SOLD OUT!

Sun 19 Feb

Taronga Zoo | Sydney, NSW

Tickets here

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND TOUR

Tickets on sale now

For more tour info, click here

Thu 2 Feb

AAMI Park | Melbourne, VIC (All Ages)

SOLD OUT!

Sat 4 Feb

AAMI Park | Melbourne, VIC (All Ages)

ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Sat 11 Feb

Hanging Rock | Mt Macedon, VIC (All Ages)

SOLD OUT!

Sat 18 Feb

Hope Estate | Hunter Valley, NSW (All Ages)

SOLD OUT!

Tue 21 Feb

AMI Stadium | Christchurch, NZ (All Ages)

SOLD OUT!

Sat 25 Feb

Mt. Smart Stadium | Auckland, NZ (All Ages)

ticketmaster.co.nz | Ph: 0800 111 999
We were all sitting around in respective backyards when the first strains of Amy Sharks breakthrough Adore hit our radios yesterday to claim the runner-up spot in this years Hottest 100 countdown, but winner Flume was right in the thick of it to celebrate his victory.

Nestled in the triple j studios with Veronica and Lewis, the producer was in prime position to celebrate as the news came through  a crowning that, while not unexpected, still had everyone biting their nails to the last minute. While Flume was the roaring favourite to take the top spot for much of the year with Never Be Like You featuring Kai, Amy Shark had jumped right into contention with her sudden hit, and some predictions even had her taking it out.

So, its no surprise to see such a huge combo of relief and elation on Harley Stretens face when he realises hes won it after all  a moment shared this morning by triple j, complete with plenty of celebratory balloons and hugs all-round.

While it also would have also been amazing to watch the delightfully down-to-earth Amy Sharks reaction to a countdown victory, theres no denying that Flume well and truly deserves the accolade considering the impact hes had on Australian music, and electronic music worldwide.

As pointed out in the video, this years countdown saw three female vocalists in the top three, which was rounded out by another meteoric rise in Tash Sultanas Jungle  definitely something else to celebrate.
Speaking on the eve of Trumps executive order, Mayor Sly James said that city police dont intend to do the federal governments heavy lifting.





Our police department has no desire and no interest in enforcing immigration laws, James said Tuesday. Thats the federal governments part, not ours. They wont do it. They havent done it, and they probably wont do it unless they are absolutely forced to do it. But we believe if the feds want people to do something, they need to get their tails down and get it done. Were not going to help them.





James spoke as part of a panel discussion on the impact of neighborhoods on education. His comments were part of a broader conversation about the potential impact of enforcement on communities.





Why do we want to go in and disrupt neighborhoods, disrupt families where people are living peacefully? James asked. People who break the law should be handled. People who are not breaking the law should be left alone.





But the Kansas City Police Department is under the control of a state-appointed board of commissioners, not the mayor. On Thursday, a police spokeswoman would neither confirm nor disavow the mayors remarks.





KCPD does not have specific guidelines and all inquiries are referred to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Sgt. Kari Thompson wrote in an email statement. We defer to ICE on all interactions and enforcement concerning those who are undocumented. We refer to them and our actions are guided by this agency.





Thompson had no comment on the implications of the executive order for the department. And on Thursday, the mayors office reaffirmed its opposition to asking local agencies to enforce immigration law...





American Thinker: How Trump can cut off funds to sanctuary cities





Chron:

Donald Trump may not be able to close sanctuary cities with the wave of a pen

Our blog communitythis discussion and now Mayor Sly was forced to answer questionsby our TKC blog community.Take a look:Deets . . .########Developing . . .
City accepts property donation for future Northland fire station

An important move forward for a part of town that desperately needs resources given their growing population. Here's just a bit of good KCMO news to start the day . . .The drive to build a fire station in the Northland just received a big boost thanks to 7.3 acres of prime real estate donated by a man with a special love and respect for firefighters.The donor is Timothy Harris, President of Star Development Corp. Harris said hes proud to give back to the Kansas City Fire Department thats given so much to him.``I am honored and privileged to be able to support the City with a donation of land for a much needed Northland fire station, Harris said. ``In fact, this has a special meaning to me and, in part, is a tribute to my late father William Kelly who was a fire chief and worked for KC Fire for 35 years. I have a deep respect for the fire department and for everything those incredible individuals do. Im excited for the station to open and feel that the impact to the community will be felt and recognized immediately.The donation was approved on Wednesday by the Neighborhoods and Public Safety Committee, and won full City Council approval on Thursday.Building a fire station in this part of the City became a key component of 1st District Councilwoman Heather Halls platform when she took office in 2015. This, she said, brings that vision closer to reality.``I am thrilled to have this land donation approved today so we can now begin the process of giving the citizens a new fire station in the Northeast part of District 1, which will benefit the entire city, Hall said.There are 34 fire stations strategically located across the City. KCPD Chief Paul Berardi said a Northland station will fit perfectly into his departments mission to best serve more citizens.``The generous donation of land at Highway 291 and Sherman Road enables KCFD to proceed with locating a new station in an area identified through our strategic planning processes as critical, Berardi said. ``The parcel will effectively serve a rapidly growing area of the City and provide the geographic placement needed to ensure timely, effective response in an expanding center of residential and business development.##########
According to the Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) there are over half a million homeless living in the US. Visit a country like, say, India, and that number rises comfortably into the millions. Even Japan, which has one of the lowest homeless rates on Earth, has over 20,000 citizens sleeping rough. Were not exaggerating when we say homelessness is a problem that affects every society there is.

But what exactly does it mean to be homeless in 2017? Is it a non-stop horrorshow of misery, or an easy life of living it large at societys expense? Dig beneath the headlines and the stereotypes, and it becomes plain that homelessness is bigger, crazier, and more-difficult to deal with than you could have possibly imagined.

10. Life Expectancy is Shockingly Low

If youre reading this from a developed nation, chances are you have a reasonable shot at reaching 80 years of age. Between 77-89 is the life expectancy for nations as diverse as the USA, UK, Czech Republic, Albania, Costa Rica, Japan and Monaco. Even countries like Colombia, Morocco, and the West Bank have average life expectancies of over 75 years. Unless you happen to be homeless. In the UK, the average homeless life expectancy is a shocking 47 years.

Thats a shorter time on this Earth than youd get living in Chad, Afghanistan or North Korea. Were homelessness a country, itd have by far the lowest life expectancy on the planet. And heres the thing, the UK isnt an outlier. In parts of the US, homeless people die on average around the age of 42. In parts of Scotland, they can expect to die at 39.

The last time the US or UK had a life expectancy that low in their general population, Queen Victoria was still on the throne. Thats right. Homelessness is as bad for your health as living in a time before penicillin and mass-vaccinations. It certainly doesnt help that

9. Being Homeless Means Being Horribly Ill

Remember the last time you were caught outside in bad weather and came down with a stinking cold? Homelessness is that experience, 24/7. Only, instead of a few days in bed or feeling gross at work, you get months of feeling like your entire body is going haywire.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has a list here of some of the health problems associated with homelessness. It makes for awful reading. Stuff like frostbite, disorders of the extremities, malnutrition and skin diseases are par for the course. Tooth and gum problems, degenerative illnesses and infected wounds are prevalent, as are things like alcohol poisoning and sexually-transmitted diseases. Terrifyingly, one of the most common health problems comes from trauma. A depressing number of people out there like nothing more than to attack the homeless and try and put them in the hospital.

Speaking of hospitals, mental problems and social stigma also make the homeless less likely to seek medical help, meaning treatable problems get worse. The NCBI page includes the tale of a woman whose swollen legs eventually gave way to maggot-infested open sores.

8. You Can be Homeless and Working

Whats your mental image of homelessness? Were betting its some grizzled old dude with a weatherbeaten face, muttering on the subway about the government planting radios in his teeth. Were not gonna deny those guys exist. But theyre far from the whole story. There exists a whole branch of homeless people out there who we never hear anything about. These are the people who are homeless while still holding down a job.

A December 2016 Guardian article interviewed people who worked at pubs, at McDonalds, and even in an office making over minimum wage, but were still homeless. Some were in temporary accommodation, some slept at their place of employment, and some simply slept in parks. While the newspapers story was London-specific, this happens in the US, too. Al-Jazeera reported in 2013 that as many as 25% of American homeless may have jobs.

For the working homeless, life on the streets means pain and ill-heath and misery, but also keeping yourself clean and presentable enough to go to work every day. Its a horribly depressing existence, and one thats often ignored in articles like this one. But how can someone possibly be holding down a long-term job and dealing with homelessness? we hear you cry. Were glad you asked.

7. Being Homeless is Insanely Expensive

Most of us probably assume that theres no cheaper lifestyle than homelessness. Most of us are wrong. For some people who find themselves out on the streets, homelessness isnt just a depressing pain. Its a financial black hole that sucks in all their available funds.

Things many of us take for granted are not available on the streets. Finding somewhere to shower costs money. Finding somewhere safe to leave your work clothes costs money. Staying in even the worst motel costs more than paying rent, and sleeping in your car means youre still dealing with gas and maintenance. Then there are the homeless who wind up on the streets with their kids. If theyre working, most of their money is probably going into paying someone to look after their child for a few hours every day so they dont wind up getting hurt or assaulted.

But what about shelters? Sadly, most shelters will move you on after a few months. It all adds up to a world where the money coming in can be just enough to sustain your homeless lifestyle, but not enough to escape it. Proper streets-and-sleeping-under-bridges homelessness is undoubtedly cheap. Homelessness when youre desperately trying to cling onto your job and have a kid to take care of? Not so much.

6. You Can be Homeless and Studying

Being homeless and working is bad enough. But theres another sub-section of the homeless that we hear even less about: those who are homeless and studying. In 2014, over 56,000 college students in America were classified as homeless. Rather than safe spaces and trigger warnings, these kids are dealing with a daily fight for survival.

The reasons are myriad and complex. Some come from poor families and went to college on a scholarship, only to lose funding. Others were working class students who suffered a sudden injury or layoff and now cant bring money in. Yet others were homeless from the get-go, and are desperately trying to earn a college degree and escape into the middle class. Some sleep in the campus library. Some in their cars. Yet others sofa surf friends houses. Some are even stuck in shelters.

As an added kick to the groin, many find the pressures of homelessness so stressful that they perform poorly in class, endangering their chances of escaping from poverty. Graduating with a debt of around $30,000 doesnt help, either.

5. Dealing With Homelessness Costs the State Crazy Money

We mentioned a moment ago that homelessness is expensive. We didnt just mean for the homeless themselves. Rough sleeping costs society crazy amounts of money. At the end of the last decade, it cost the mayors office $36,000 per year to shelter a single family in New York City. It was such a drain on the citys coffers that the Bloomberg administration began buying one way airline tickets to anywhere in the world for homeless people, paying over $6,000 in one instance to fly a homeless person to Paris.

Do even the tiniest bit of research and the numbers quickly become mind-boggling. When HUD calculated the cost of homelessness, including increased use of public services due to health problems, they found a single homeless person in the US can cost the taxpayer $40,000 a year. For those with mental health issues living in expensive parts of the country, that cost could rise as high as $150,000. Given the half-a-million American homeless we mentioned earlier, you can see how those figures quickly add up.

4. Middle Class Homelessness

The Great Recession has been over for a while now, and the media is reporting on it less and less. Unemployment is down. Growth is (kinda) back. But the effects of the devastating 08 crash are still lingering. While the rich have rebounded, many in middle class have been forced into desperate situations theyre still trying to escape. Some of them have even wound up becoming homeless.

In November 2015, homeless advocates estimated that there were more homeless living in cars than at any time since the Great Depression. While the US government doesnt keep precise data on these mobile homeless, it is assumed that a great many of them are middle class. The American middle class rarely does full-on, on-the-streets homelessness. Those who were in decent, white collar jobs tend to wind up in cheap motels, or sleeping in the houses of friends and relatives, or just living out of their cars. In effect, theyre the invisible homeless. And you better believe that life is still tough for them.

Part of this is due to the general decline of the American middle class. For the first time in decades, the middle class, as a group, has seen their combined wealth dip below that of the combined upper class. Being middle class just doesnt pay anymore.

3. Non-Homeless Peoples Brains See the Homeless as Objects

Weve all heard people  friends, relatives, colleagues  complaining about homeless people before, often in language that suggests they dont see the poor as even human. Its not a nice thing to hear, but theres a good chance its not even their fault. Our brains respond in different ways to different groups, depending on our prejudices. Where the homeless are concerned, neuroimaging studies suggest we see them as literally no different to objects.

When we see images of other humans, our medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) typically activates. Functional magnetic resonance imaging shows it has activity even when viewing groups we typically see as undesirable (hate preachers, say). On the other hand, there is no mPFC activity when were looking at objects. When a Princeton study measured our brains responses to homeless people, it found there was no mPFC activation. In other words, most non-homeless brains process rough sleepers in the exact same way we process objects.

This is consistent with how extreme out groups are often seen in society. An analogy might be how the Tutsi were seen by the Hutu ethnic group prior to the Rwandan genocide. While we doubt were about to see a mass-killing of homeless people, these same mechanisms do mean we care much less when we hear about the homeless being harassed or begging for help than we would if they came from another social group.

2. Elderly Homeless Numbers are Rising

We mentioned earlier that the homeless tend to die younger. Thats because living on the streets is really, really not something the elderly are well-equipped to deal with. Nonetheless, old homeless people do exist, and always have. The difference is that now their numbers are rising. In 2016, nearly a third of Americas homeless population was over the age of 51.

This is a relatively new phenomenon. Prior to 2007, the fraction was closer to a fifth. Then the Great Recession came, and older homeless numbers spiked by 10 percentage points. Plenty of them are the same people who got caught when the Recession killed the US middle class. Theyre former entrepreneurs, writers, artists, stay-at-home moms and business consultants who thought theyd put enough away for the future in the heady credit-fueled days of the early 21st century. Then the banks nearly collapsed, work dried up, money ran out and they found out they were wrong.

Now theyre scraping by, at the bottom of society, trying to survive in a world thats tough enough when youre young and fit. Ignored by the government, with no hope for the future.

1. Homelessness and Murder

Just being homeless puts you at an increased risk of being assaulted or murdered. Go looking, and youll find plenty of stories like that of the homeless woman who had her head stamped on 7 times because a local man couldnt stand her smell. Or the homeless man who nearly burned to death when violent thugs set his tent on fire. While these crimes are serious enough in America, in other parts of the world theyre truly shocking.

Take Colombia. In Bogota, the army operated death squads that would execute the homeless, dress them up as fighters for the FARC rebel group, and claim a bounty on them. Over a thousand were murdered this way, in a scandal now known as the false positives. Or take India, where homeless shelters are so thin on the ground that 33,000 died from exposure in Delhi alone in a single decade. Or North Korea, where homeless children are interred in camps and left to die of malnutrition.

These are all extreme cases, but theyre also a sad reality of life for many millions of homeless across the world. Being homeless in America, Britain, or Europe is undoubtedly better. But that doesnt mean its a walk in the park.

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Saudi Aramco showcased a range of sustainability initiatives  including clean energy technology and carbon management solutions  at the state-of-the-art Saudi Pavilion in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2017.



Our presence here is to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias aspiration in tackling climate change and meeting its sustainable goals. Our goal is to present a suite of technologies and initiatives that are market relevant and acceptable energy solutions, which helps to address Kingdom and global challenges and aspirations for a cleaner future, said Ahmad O Al Khowaiter, chief technology officer for Saudi Aramco.



Supporting the Kingdom



Saudi Aramcos presence at the event was in line with the Kingdoms energy transformation agenda, which will see us working with relevant stakeholders in driving forward a solid and sustainable energy framework to meet the requirements of the Paris Climate Agreement, which was ratified by Saudi Arabia last year prior to COP 22.



The event also provided Saudi Aramco a platform to outline initiatives in both technology and innovation, aligned with the Kingdoms aspiration for a cleaner energy future. Saudi Aramcos technology roadmap broadly supports Saudi Vision 2030, and more specifically, the ongoing energy transformation in the Kingdom.



Technology and efficiency



Al Khowaiter also participated in a panel session titled The Role of Technology and Innovation in Enabling the Energy Sector Transformation, which was within the work stream Focus on Saudi Arabia: How Economic Transformation Will Fast-track Investment in Renewables.



During the session, Al Khowaiter explained in great detail about the companys pivotal role in improving energy efficiency in the industry.



Efficiency is clearly the key to achieve sustainable energy solutions. We at Saudi Aramco view sustainability as a strategic research area to produce cleaner energy technology, he said. We are also committed to explore the vast potentials of renewables such as wind and solar. It will take time as we find the right economics, but we are surely getting there.



Al Khowaiter said that ultimately, the goal is to close the carbon cycle by using all available resources whether hydrocarbon-based or alternatives.



We see CO2 as a future feedstock for the world; plants convert CO2 from the atmosphere to sustain life as we know it, and our emphasis should be on closing the carbon cycle through innovative solutions, he said.



Al Khowaiter said Saudi Aramco is playing a significant role for the Kingdom by investing in scalable solutions, turning emissions into value-added products, and leveraging its long standing expertise in minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.



Earlier in the week, Saudi Aramco announced a renewable energy milestone with the commissioning of the Kingdoms first wind turbine in Turaif. The project, developed in partnership with GE, marked a turning point in the Kingdom's plan towards realizing the 9.5 GW national renewable energy target defined in Saudi Vision 2030.  TradeArabia News Service
Thai people literally can't say no and it's pretty evident in their language. However, it's not just a language thing that they can't say no because it's also associated with the people's attitude. It just shows that Thailand is indeed the Land of Smiles because of their accommodating and loving attitude towards other people.

According to BBC, there's no word for "no" in Thailand. Chai means "yes" and the opposite of that is mai chai which literally translates to "not yes." Not saying "no" directly could mean anything that's why Thai people literally can't say the word "no."

But what's interesting is that the language is complemented with the same kind of attitude. Thai people are always concerned about how others feel rather than thinking more about themselves. If you asked someone a favor in Thailand and they would say mai chai, it's usually accompanied by a sad gesture with a small bow and eyes filled with regret for not granting your request.

If a woman is speaking to you, it would be mai chai ka and if a man is speaking, it would be mai chai krub. Thailand Breeze also stated that adding ka/krub at the end would make the sentence more polite. These polite words added at the end really makes everything clear that Thai people really can't say no.

This kind of attitude is greatly influenced by traditional, cultural and religious beliefs. According to Reach To Teach, Thai people are mostly Theravada Buddhists so most of them are non-confrontational and they strive to maintain a positive attitude despite frustrations.

Most countries really say what they want but Thailand doesn't. This is one reason why a traveler needs to be a good listener because people might say yes, when in fact, they're saying no. For example, people might say yes to your request but they would, later on, explain that they have other plans or things to do.

It's really interesting to know that this country literally can't say no. But what's more interesting is the attitude that they have that complements the language. This explains it why Thailand is one tourist destination that travelers really want to go to.

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Hong Kong is dubbed as the most visited city all over the world. The basis for the result was a 2015 statistics report since it's the most recent and reliable source of data. The city's international arrivals amounted to 26 million in 2015 which now gave it the number one spot at the top 10 tourist cities in the world.

The Telegraph reported that Hong Kong beat Bangkok for first place. The latter landed in second place only because it only got 18.8 million international arrivals from tourists. London got the third spot with a total of 18.6 million visitors.

The other countries that were included in the top 10 most visited cities in the world were Singapore (16.9m), Paris (15m), Macau (14.3), Dubai (14.3), Istanbul (12.4), New York City (12.3) and Kuala Lumpur (12.2m). All of these countries have the most amounts of international visitors in the world.

According to Forbes, almost all of these countries were also included in the top 10 most visited cities in the previous years except for Macau. Barcelona was part of the top 10 competing with its other European rivals like Amsterdam and Frankfurt. But according to the Euromonitor's latest reports, Barcelona came in at 25 with only 6.6 million visitors.

In other news, CNN reported that other tourist cities dropped in the rankings like Mexico's Cancun. Cancun was once a top destination for tourists, though it still is, but more tourists are now flocking to cities in Asia and in Europe.

India and Japan are trying to get the picture. Some of Japan's cities that are continuing to get more tourists are Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Indian cities like Agra, Delhi and Mumbai are also increasing in its percentage of international visitors.

More people are traveling the world now and it's a good sign that travel mobility is improving all over the world. It's not a surprise that in the future, other cities would also be included the top 10 list of the most visited cities in the world.

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A lot of people are now complaining harsh winter cold in their respective cities. But you might be surprised that the residents of Oymyakon, Russia are getting temperatures as low as -67.8 degrees Celsius. This town is known to be the coldest inhabited place in the world.

The village rests at the bottom of a valley and is surrounded by tall mountains. In fact, it's good that the village is surrounded by mountains because it somehow shields the residents from the harsh and cold winds.

According to The Telegraph, the average temperature in Oymyakon is around -37 to -50 degrees Celsius. The nights are so cold and dark but people got used to it like it's just another normal day. Due to the really cold weather, growing season is really short so people resort to growing livestock.

The residents of Oymyakon mostly eat fish, horse and reindeer meat and milk. According to Your amazing places, the place doesn't have any signal so don't expect that this is going to be an easy place to live in.

You can't also leave your car off if it's not inside a heated garage because the cold will do so much damage to your car. Most residents just leave their engines running 24 hours to keep the car heated. Aside from that, toilets are even located outside because the indoor plumbing systems get frozen.

However, it's ironic that the coldest town in the world is named Oymyakon because it literally translates to "unfrozen water" according to The Weather Channel. But the town got its name because the place has a thermal spring in the surrounding area. It's where reindeer herders spent most of their time to keep their flocks warm.

Another interesting fact is that summer time in Oymyakon, which are usually short, can reach around 15-25 degrees Celsius which is actually quite warm. It's also weird that the locals are even complaining about the warmth of summer.

For those people in their nice heated house complaining about the cold winter, then you might want to save a thought for the village of Oymyakon. This village is the coldest inhabited place in the world but they're not complaining about it.

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[January 26, 2017] Five Trends for Better Business Communication in 2017

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A secure and efficient flow of information between companies, partners and customers contributes significantly to success in business. Global information logistics expert Retarus has identified five business communication trends, which companies will need to keep an eye on in 2017: 1. Ever more aggressive malware via email

According to the AV-TEST Institute more than 390,000 instances of new malware are now registered each day on average. This works out to about 270 new computer viruses per minute. This trend matches data collected by Retarus' security experts, who discovered 3.5 times more viruses in one month in 2016 than in the entire 2015 calendar year. The problem remains that pure virus-protection solutions are unable to offer one hundred percent safety. That's why new security mechanisms are now urgently required. One example is innovative detection solutions which are able to identify previously unrecognized malware, even after it has already found its way into a company's infrastructure. The administrators are informed immediately about the users concerned, enabling them to react before the malware has caused any harm. If the infected file has already been executed, detection functions simplify the IT forensics and also provide details which can be used to reveal weak points and to optimize system settings. 2. Delivery in focus

With the rising number of partners tied in to electronic business processes, enterprise communication is growing ever more complex. For long-term success in business, the smooth interchange of information along the entire length of the supply chain and the reliable delivery of relevant information are just as important as the goal-driven contents which are provided. No matter whether it's an order, product recall or mTAN, it's crucial that business-critical data is available at the exact time and place it's needed - around the globe. Messages which cannot be relied on, or are not delivered in a timely manner, quickly lead to high follow-on costs. Information logistics experts facilitate the trouble-free flow of iformation by providing the full range of communication channels worldwide by means of a global delivery network.



3. Consistent digitization

The success of a business will continue to become more dependent on the quality of exchanged information and how up to date it is. Existing manual processes are often prone to error and tend to be time intensive. To optimize operating processes, communication processes have to be bundled, consolidated and digitized at a reasonable cost. The data should also be transmitted directly to the devices or applications which need the information and have the ability to process it further. Cloud communication platforms and the services connected to them ensure an efficient interchange of information, no matter whether it's from person to person (P2P), from application to person (A2P) or automated as machine to machine (M2M) communication. 4. Customer experience is crucial

According to analysts at IDC the market for customer communications management is set to grow at an average of 8 percent over the next 5 years. Tailor-made communication processes will play a key role. Only dependable, secure and customized business communication facilitates close customer relations and customer retention, helping companies to gain a significant competitive advantage on markets which are saturated and highly competitive. Thanks to reliable provision of services, automated process communications and integration, as well as transparent reports, enterprises can now use innovative communication services to carry out transactions more efficiently and ensure faster interaction with customers. These services can ideally be integrated seamlessly into business applications by means of standardized APIs and adapted quickly and flexibly to meet new requirements at any time. They moreover fulfill the most stringent requirements for security and compliance.

5. Steeper communication requirements for IoT

No matter whether you're thinking of household appliances, cars or industrial robots - an ever growing number of devices and appliances are now networked with each other in the Internet of Things (IoT). A substantial part of the product's usefulness will in the future lie in the intelligent combination or software, sensors and communication. In order to ensure a secure and integrated flow of information throughout all parts of the process chain, various application and communication protocols have to be interlocked with each other. Special cloud solutions for information logistics facilitate the efficient and secure interchange of data between all connected platforms. Business-relevant information is also always delivered at the right time in the format that is most suitable for the recipient. On request, the data can also automatically be converted into other communication standards. About Retarus

Retarus is a leading global provider of professional messaging solutions, offering services for electronic corporate communications since 1992. Retarus' vision is to create the perfect network for the global economy. Therein, Retarus manages the safe and efficient flow of information for enterprises around the world. Retarus' solutions optimize business process communications, ensuring business continuity and highest levels of security and performance. Industry leaders of Fortune 500 companies in Banking, Finance and Health Care in addition to Adidas, Bayer, Continental, DHL, Honda, Puma, and Sony, etc. rely on Retarus' messaging services to exchange mission-critical business documents. More information: retarus.com/us Contact for journalists

Tim Armstrong

+1 201 268-5917

[email protected] This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/five-trends-for-better-business-communication-in-2017-300397559.html SOURCE retarus Inc.

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It's one thing to find some spare change or a $20 bill hiding underneath your mattress, but it is a whole different story when you find $20 million in cash. This is exactly what happened in a Massachusetts flat after millions of dollars in cash was found stashed away in a spring box.

According to CBS Boston, authorities believe the cash comes from a pyramid scheme involving Telexfree. Telexfree is a company based in Marlborough, Massachusetts that tried to sell VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phone services. The cash discovered earlier this month by investigators who managed to a Brazilian man from New York.

The man has been identified as 28-year old Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, and has been charged with conspiring to commit money laundering. According to a report from BBC, a judge ruled Rocha to be a flight risk and has held him without bail.

The company was never able to amass that many customers and made most of its money from people who invested in them with the promise of getting paid for posting ads on the internet. New recruits were the ones who added more to Telexfree's revenue, and most of them were either friends or relatives of the investors.

The pyramid scheme was initially aimed towards Brazilian immigrants residing in Massachusetts, but authorities have reported that Telexfree has swindled more than 1 million people out of their money. The amount they have embezzled is reported to be at least $1.8 billion. The two men behind the pyramid scheme were arrested in 2014.

James Merrill, 53, and Carlos Wanzeler, 45, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The scheme was alleged to have operated from January 2012 until March 2014. The company then filed for bankruptcy in April of that year. Their assets were also frozen by securities regulators.

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We have all heard of a possibility of a "Black Panther" movie for years. As a matter of fact, actor Wesley Snipes made his intentions known to work on a "Black Panther" film in 1992, but that never happened. However, now, it has been confirmed that there is indeed going to be a "Black Panther" and that filming has already started!

Lost Angeles Times reported that the production for Marvel's upcoming movie has begun. It will star Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther, alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker. Cast and crew have been excitedly tweeting from the "Black Panther" set.

Boseman is not the only actor making a comeback to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Black Panther." Martin Freeman, John Kani, and Florence Kasumba from "Captain America: Civil War" are back as Everett Ross, T'Chaka, and T'Challa's security chief Ayo, respectively. Andy Serkis will also reprise his role from "Avengers: Age of Ultron" as the villainous Ulysses Klaw.

The movie follows the story of T'Challa, who, after the events of "Captain America: Civil War," returns home to the isolated, but technologically-advanced African nation of Wakanda, so he could take his place as King. However, an old enemy reappears on the radar, making T'Challa be drawn to a conflict that puts the fate of the entire Wakanda - and the world - at risk.

Ryan Coogler will direct "Black Panther" and it will be produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee will serve as executive producers. The script was written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole of "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story", Game Spot reported. The film opens in the United States on February 16, 2018. Production for "Black Panther" will take place in Atlanta and South Korea.

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There is a tourist spot in Cyprus, which used to be the French Riviera of Cyprus. Abandoned today, Varosha is a ghost city no one is allowed to visit.

Varosha is an abandoned southern quarter of the Cypriot city of Famagusta. Before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, it was the modern tourist area of the city and considered to be one of the most important tourist destinations in the world. Varosha inhabitants fled during the invasion when it came under Turkish control. It has remained abandoned under the occupation of the Turkish Armed Forces ever since. The quarter continues to be uninhabited and is known to nearby towns as a ghost city.

The rich and famous were said to be drawn by some of the best beaches on the island of Varosha. Richard Burton and Brigitte Bardot are some of the frequent visitors. The Argo Hotel on JFK Avenue was said to be Elizabeth Taylor's favorite, says, Atlas Obscura.

In 2003, travel restrictions were loosened for the first time. This allowed Cypriots on both sides to cross the UN Buffer Zone, commonly known as the Green Line. What used to be a paradise became some kind of post-apocalyptic nightmare. Nature took over in Varosha. Thick bushes overran the entire six kilometers. Trees sprouted wildly everywhere, some spawn out of the living room. In additions warning signs are scattered all over the place. Taking pictures and videos are forbidden, no one is allowed to enter as trespassers run the risk of getting shot.

Turkish soldiers who were assigned inside Varosha have an extraordinary description of the place. BBC reported that inside Varosha, a car dealership still stocked with 1974 cars, window displays of mannequins dressed in obsolete fashions. Pictures of the devastation circulate online but the photographers won't always admit to taking them.

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People who often travel to Ethiopia has a number of reasons to do so, but one of the most popular motivations drawing them is the UNESCO Heritage City of Lalibela. Anyone who plans to visit Ethiopia may not have known anything about this cultural jewel. Here are the interesting 5 facts about Lalibela:

Lalibela: The City

Before this city was named as such, the area that remains to be a stalwart hub of early Christianity was once known as Roha. Prior to the early middle ages, this place was just one of the many inconsequential hamlets in the ancient Nubian civilization. Now, the city of Lalibela is the second holiest city in the Ethiopian Christian sect after Axum. As of 2007, the population of Lalibela has grown to 17,367 - thanks to its iconic rock-carved churches.

Lalibela: The Churches

To think of Lalibela without its iconic rock-carved churches would be unimaginable. In fact, it is because of these sacred structures that a vibrant religious community thrives up to this day. As far as history is concerned, the 11 megalithic churches of early Christianity were constructed between the 12th Century and the 13th Century AD.

Lalibela: The UNESCO

Although the churches in Lalibela were already centuries years old, they were only inscribed in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites during the year 1978. The 11 churches qualified under the three basic criteria: exceptional artistry (i), regional and cultural connection with other places (e.g. Jerusalem) (ii), and a testimony to the host territory's civilization (iii). The namesake of this important pilgrim site of early Christianity left an indelible mark in Ethiopia's history and legends.

Lalibela: The King

Gebre Mesquel Lalibela reigned as emperor of Ethiopia in the 13th Century. Prior to his ascension to the throne, his baptismal name was derived from the phrase 'the bees recognize his sovereignty.' King Lalibela is best known for commissioning the creation of the namesake monolithic churches - a fact seldom known by tourists who travel to Ethiopia.

Lalibela: The Legend

Until today, there is little definitive explanation as to how the churches were built. But legend has it that King Lalibela got the inspiration when he saw Jerusalem in his lucid dreams. It was even believed that the construction of the magnificent churches in Lalibela was only possible with the aid of the 'angels.'

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A bizarre museum in Turkey has been gaining a lot of interest. It houses various kinds of hair locks all of which has an interesting story behind.

Avanos, a small town in the Cappodocian in Turkey has a rich history of ceramics and pottery dating back thousands of years. At present, aside from pottery, Avanos is now attracting tourists because of its Hair Museum. A pottery center and guesthouse in Avalon have created a Hair Museum. Calling it a museum may be a bit of a stretch as its exhibits are numerous locks of hair, all from female visitors.

The story goes that the local potter, Chiz Gallip, was saying goodbye to his dear friend when he asked for something to remember her by. The girl friend cut off a piece of her hair and gave it to him as a reminder. Chiz put it in his shop and narrated the story to the visitors and tourists who passed through. Other women who liked the story left a piece of their own hair as well to Chiz, thus, the Hair Museum.

In 1979, the Hair Museum started when a selection was put on display. At present, the Hair Museum holds an estimated 16,000 samples by the museum's own account and is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records. Another reason for leaving a hair for the museum is the reward, reported, Atlas Obscura.

Twice a year, in June and December, the first customer who visits in Chez Galip's shop is invited down into the Hair Museum to select ten winners of hair locks off the walls. These ten receive an all-expenses-paid week-long vacation in Cappadocia. Winners are also given free pottery workshop as part of their reward.

While the pottery and guesthouse remain active, the Hair Museum fills up a section of the shop where the pottery wares are stored. Visitors stroll down the cave-like room with hair attached to every available surface. For those guests who wants to add to the collection, they are given pencils, paper, pins, and scissors.

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[January 26, 2017] Morris Animal Foundation Announces 2017 Feline Research Grants

Morris Animal Foundation, committed to solving the critical health problems of animals around the world, announced five newly funded studies to improve feline health. The scope of the studies covers critical health challenges from a deadly infectious disease to cancer and more. Through the grants, totaling nearly $568,000, the Foundation is supporting five research teams at four universities including the University of Illinois, Colorado State University, North Carolina State University, and the University of California, Davis. The Foundation's Small Animal Scientific Advisory Board reviewed all submitted grant applications and selected, based on scientific merit and impact, the studies with the greatest potential to save lives, preserve health, and advance veterinary care. Feline studies funded for 2017 in the 2016 grant cycle include: Cancer - Researchers at the University of Illinois will investigate a new and promising treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma, the most common oral cancer in cats.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) - Researchers at Colorado State University will study cats with a protective immune response to feline enteric oronavirus (a common intestinal virus that can mutate and cause the deadly FIP) with the aim of identifying targets for a vaccine strategy.

Diabetes - Researchers at the University of California, Davis, will investigate the effectiveness of a novel drug to maintain and extend diabetic remission in cats.

Viral infections - Researchers at North Carolina State University will use DNA sequencing technology to better understand the biological mechanisms that help cats fight off viral infections. This work is highly applicable to the development of next-generation vaccines.

Chronic pain - A second research team at North Carolina State University will study methods of measuring chronic pain in cats with osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint diseases to improve diagnostic and treatment strategies.



News - Alert), Chief Scientific Officer at the Foundation. "With the announcement of these newest grants, Morris Animal Foundation continues to support critical research that will advance veterinary care for our companion cats, and help them enjoy longer, healthier lives." About Morris Animal Foundation

Morris Animal Foundation is a global leader in funding scientific studies that advance the health of companion animals, horses and wildlife. Since its founding in 1948, the Foundation has invested over $103 million toward more than 2,500 studies that have led to significant breakthroughs in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases to benefit animals worldwide. Learn more at Morris Animal Foundation. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006148/en/

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Schneiderman was recognized for her contribution and support of the cultural heritage of Mexico and her ability to introduce travelers to in-depth, life-changing interpersonal cultural and culinary experiences.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - January 27th, 2017 - Stephanie Schneiderman, Founder of Tia Stephanie Tours was recognized for her work introducing travelers to the rich cultural and culinary heritage of Mexico and named a Top Travel Specialist: Cultural Immersion, Mexico, by Conde Nast Traveler in the December 2016 issue. Shes all about cultural immersion, taking you to meet weavers in Chiapas or chefs in Oaxaca, says the premier travel magazine.

Schneiderman has been a leader in the creation, presentation, and promotion of experiential tourism to Mexico for over ten years. It is a true honor that my steady and focused mission and work to showcase the singular cultural attributes of Mexico, has been recognized by such a prestigious publication as Conde Nast Traveler, she says. She continues, I greatly applaud Conde Nast Traveler for recognizing and highlighting cultural travel as an important and growing segment in the travel industry. This is a resounding testament that todays traveler is interested in learning, engaging, and interacting with people and cultures of other countries, in our case: Mexico.

Stephanie Schneiderman founded Tia Stephanie Tours with the specific mission to invite curious travelers to truly acquaint themselves with Mexico and its people, beyond the beach resorts. Having grown up in Mexico City, and having traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Schneiderman finds it frustrating that many people associate Mexico with sun and beach tourism only. Her over-30-years of living and traveling throughout Mexico have opened her eyes to a vast, diverse, complex and magnificent country -- one she passionately shares with her travelers.

Schneiderman connects globally-minded travelers to regional culture, reflected in narratives of local: cuisine (Flavors & Landscapes of Baja California, The Flavors of Yucatan & Campeche), craft and textile traditions (Textile Traditions of Veracruz, Chinlanta, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala), ethnographic and contemporary festivals (Day of the Dead in Michoacan, Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca), contemporary art and art history (Mexico City: Art, Culture, and Cuisine), Cultural and Natural Wonders (Michoacan: Journey of the Monarchs), and the ancient and living cultures and people of Mexico (The Ancient and Living Maya). She first began offering itineraries in Oaxaca and Chiapas and later expanded to Mexico City, Yucatan, Michoacan, Puebla, Veracruz and other destinations in Mexico.

All these distinctive and salient itinerary narratives have enlightened Schneidermans travelers, and along the way, her past travelers themselves have become ambassadors for Mexico and the Mexican people.

Tia Stephanie Tours designs travel experiences for individuals and groups on a set departure or custom basis. For upcoming themed travel opportunities with Tia Stephanie Tours visit www.tiastephanietours.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tiastephanietours/

1260 Patricia Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Email: info@tiastephanietours.com Phone: (734) 769-7839

Media Contact: Marian Goldberg Marketing Communications

marian@mariangoldbergcomm.com; 347-559-(MGMC) 6462

About Tia Stephanie Tours

Tia Stephanie Tours is a boutique operator, based in Ann Arbor, MI, specializing in cultural tourism to Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala. The company offers independent and group tours, for curious travelers, affinity organizations, museums and university alumni associations. In April 2015, TST's Day of the Dead in Michoacan tour was selected as a National Geographic Trip of a Lifetime. The company has also been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, and all the major travel trade press. Founder, Stephanie Schneiderman, is a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for Mexico.

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Travelers can now have In-depth Encounters with Mexico's Flavors and Landscapes in Yucatan, Baja California, and Oaxaca



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - January 27th, 2017 - Mexicos cuisine is far more than tacos and burritos. Its full of flavor from indigenous plants and grains, and regionally distinctive. Tia Stephanie Tours, a premier operator of cultural and culinary tours to Mexico, has now created three geographically-targeted gastronomic itineraries to Mexico, specifically: Yucatan, Baja California, and Oaxaca. Each tour offers unique experiences emerging from the vibrant food culture, landscape, personality, and community of the particular locality. Notes Stephanie Schneiderman, Founder of Tia Stephanie Tours, As a specialist in cultural travel to Mexico, we cant think of a more important expression of Mexicos culture, than its culinary heritage; its food. We are delighted to expand our culinary immersion offerings beyond our original Culture and Cuisine of Mexico, which we launched in 2009.

Culture and Cuisine of Yucatan

Yucatans geographic location, distant from mainland Mexico and its blend of influences, including: Maya, Spanish, Lebanese, French, has created a singular culinary palate and kaleidoscope of flavors. Here, the cuisine is Yucatecan and not Mexican, with dishes such as: sikil pak, fish tikin-xic, pollo and cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, and papadzules. Beginning at the Mercado Lucas de Galvez, travelers learn about ingredients such as sour orange, native squash, red and black recados (rubs or pastes) that make this region different from the rest of Mexico. A visit to Yucatan would be incomplete without exploring the Classic and Post Classic Maya Era sites, such as Uxmal and Mayapan and swimming in the deep blue, fresh water cenotes (sink holes). The trip begins in Merida, travels to Uxmal and continues to Campeche City in the state of Campeche.

Flavors and Landscapes of Baja California

Baja Med defines the cuisine here. It was coined by pioneering Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero of Querencia in Tijuana. Like the Mediterranean, Baja Californias arid, sunny and seaside climate, is known for its seafood, olive oils, cheeses and is the epicenter of Mexicos wine production. This journey begins in Tijuana, were the urban revival of this border city becomes very evident to travelers. Far from being a seedy border town, Tijuana has come into its own, with renowned architecture, cooking schools, museums, restaurants and cutting edge food truck parks and craft beer! Bajas Museum of the Americas showcases the early settlers, missionaries and immigrants, who shaped the region and introduced grape cuttings here. La Quirencia by Miguel Angel Guerrero and Mission 19 by Javier Plasencia offer innovative Baja cuisine and craft beers such as Psycho Border and Insurgentes, which have an international following. Beyond Tijuana, this journey takes travelers to Tecate, the northern entry to the Valley of Guadalupe to explore the wine production here, including famed vintner, Hugo d Acostas La Escuelita, wine making school, and numerous farm-to-table, al fresco dining options from Drew Deckman, Diego Hernandez and others. Moving to the coast, seafood is explored and savored in Ensenada and Rosarito, famed for its fresh fish, seafood tostadas, and lobster. It is the birthplace of the margarita cocktail!

Maize, Mole & Mezcal: Traditions and Flavors of Oaxaca

This newest tour, is designed around the pillars of the famed culinary traditions of Oaxaca. Beginning with maize, the foundation of Mexicos ancient and present cuisine, moving to Oaxacas renowned mole sauces, and finishing with the distilled beverage, mezcal, this trip not only introduces travelers to these foods, buts examines them within the historic and cultural context of Mexico.

Highlights of the tour include: learning about ancient corn and its early domestication, which led to the great civilizations in Mexico and understanding how corn is the cornerstone of Mexican communities, including its daily ritual and veneration. On the tour, travelers will prepare two mole sauces, one being a rich and complex variant, mole negro, the other a more simple one, mole amarillo. Mole sauces will also be savored in the villages and restaurants of Oaxaca. Finally, the revered distilled beverage, mezcal, will be explored, from the soil, agave varieties and to its preservation. Given the recent boom in mezcal around the world, the mezcaleros are struggling with demand. This is creating strains on the ecosystem and the industry. Well learn more about what it means to drink mezcal responsibly!

For upcoming cultural and culinary travel opportunities with Tia Stephanie Tours visit www.tiastephanietours.com, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tiastephanietours/

1260 Patricia Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48103; Email: info@tiastephanietours.com Phone: (734) 769-7839

Media Contact: Marian Goldberg Marketing Communications

marian@mariangoldbergcomm.com; 1-347-559-MGMC (6462)

About Tia Stephanie Tours

Tia Stephanie Tours is a boutique travel operator, based in Ann Arbor, MI, specializing in cultural tourism to Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala. Since 2006, the company has offered independent itineraries and group tours, for curious travelers, affinity organizations, museums and university alumni associations. In April 2015, TST's Day of the Dead in Michoacan tour was selected as a National Geographic Trip of a Lifetime. The company has also been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, and all the major travel trade press. Founder, Stephanie Schneiderman, is a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for Mexico.

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[January 26, 2017] EXO U Announces Results from Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders and Provides a Business Update

MONTREAL, Jan. 26, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - EXO U Inc. ("EXO U" or the "Corporation")") (TSX Venture EXO) today announces the results of its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders held in Montreal, Quebec (the "Meeting") EXO U , the developer of the Ormiboard Mobile Engagement Platform, is also providing a business update to inform shareholders, investors, and the market of changes that have taken place in the business since the appointment of the new CEO, Mr. Jim Kirchner, in July 2016. RESULTS OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING At the Meeting shareholders of the Corporation (the "Shareholders") voted in favour of all items of business on the agenda. In particular, all nominees for election to the board of directors of the Corporation (the "Board") were elected by the Shareholders including Mr. Jim Kirchner, the Corporation's Chief Executive Officer and Mr. George Hendy, who was nominated for the first time. Also elected were Messrs. Claude Delage and Nicolas Beauchamp who will serve effective on the completion date of the Secured Loan Transaction described in the Management Information Circular (the "Circular"). Messrs. Kevin Pawsey, Matthew Cooper, and Sean Maniaci did not stand for re-election to the Board for the upcoming year and the Corporation would like to thank them for their service. The full biographies of all the Board members can be found in the Circular for the Meeting on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In addition, at the Meeting the shareholders approved the creation of a control person, the full text of which can be found in the Circular. BUSINESS UPDATE In July, given the cash issues facing the corporation, the first order of business was to significantly reduce the expenses and cash burn rate, Cash expenses decreased from $460,000 per month in the quarter ended June 30, 2016 to $199,000 in the quarter ended September 30, 2016. During this period of limited resources, we were able to successfully develop version 2 of Ormiboard and initiate a plan to take it to market. Since July, 2016, we have been working to review all aspects of the business to improve customer and operational success. Product With the coming release of version 2 of Ormiboard, we will be positioning our product, with our manufacturer partners, Panasonic, Genee World and Samsung, as the instructional any device collaboration learning solution. We continue to see a significant opportunity to be the platform of choice to bridge the requirements of whole class teaching and "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) initiatives employed by school districts. BYOD is the term which describes when students are able to bring in their own tablets, phones, Chromebooks and laptops to use for school based lessons and activities. Our newest version will provide an upgraded user interface, enhanced editing and creation tools, and significant interoperability with software such as Microsoft Powerpoint, Smart Notebook Google Classroom and Google slides. Business Development The Company's new strategy has been to target known and proven distribution and reseller channels selling into Education in North Ameica, Europe and the Middle East. We are anticipating 60% of EXO U's business to originate in the US, although there are also focused initiatives in Europe where the Company's technology is very well aligned. We have developed a plan to engage dozens of education Resellers that will want to sell Ormiboard to provide additional value to the hardware they are currently selling to schools and colleges.



Samsung has agreed to partner with EXO U to offer our software bundled with Samsung Mobile devices for the coming school year. Our team will partner with Samsung Resellers to develop business and demonstrate the value of our combined solution for engaged learning. Panasonic Corporation of North America ("Panasonic") is another key partner. With this agreement, Panasonic and their extensive network of distribution channels and resellers are licensed to bundle EXO U's technology with their technology devices. We are co-presenting with Panasonic at many of their roadshows to districts across the US and are actively engaged in pipeline generation with them.

Genee World is a provider of advanced display technology and interactive presentation tools. In February 2016, following BETT , we signed Genee World as our European distribution partner. Genee World has been selling education technology into the UK and European schools and universities for over 15 years. We are exposing Version 2 of Ormiboard at BETT 2017 this week. Genee World currently bundles Ormiboard with every large format interactive screen and with their own student devices that they ship into education institutions across Europe. The revenues expected from our agreement from QOMO have not materialized. Yazmi has also cancelled their contract and no longer has the right to sell EXO U products. Revenues and Contracts We were able to initiate limited sales revenues from our partners in the past year. However, education revenues are more seasonal in nature than other market verticals. The new management team understands that most revenues in education are recognized during the third calendar year quarter. This is a consequence of the buying cycle that sees education buyers evaluate potential tools from December to June and with purchase orders being generally sent to vendors from April to July. Thus, we expect the core revenues to occur in the July to October timeframe. Outlook Our K-12 product is available for sale and is being sold and marketed with four distribution partners. EXO U is expected to have revenue growth with strong margins in 2017. EXO U will continue to refine operational costs to improve margins and cash flow. The Company had previously announced on November 21, 2016, a financing through a Loan Agreement with Alternative Capital Group Inc. The shareholders approved this loan at the Annual General Meeting and we expect to close the agreement with initial financing in late January or early February. The proceeds from the financing will be used to enhance our product development, marketing and sales efforts with a focus on engaging Resellers. About EXO U At EXO U, we believe that people learn best with instructional technologies that support and do not interrupt the momentum of teaching, learning and collaboration-whether they are learning in person, remotely, or across an evolving device landscape. That is why our web-based whiteboarding and classroom management solutions for educational institutions and corporations work on any device with any operating system, anytime and anywhere, solving important mobility issues such as security, privacy, real-time collaboration, and management of application and content. EXO U's shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol EXO.V. For more information, visit http://www.exou.com and follow us on Twitter @exo u. For ore information on Ormiboard, visit https://www.ormiboard.com and follow us on Twitter @ormiboard. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information Certain statements included herein, including those that express management's expectations or estimates of EXO U's future performance or future events, constitute "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information and statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases (or the negative form thereof) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward -looking information is necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that , while considered reasonable by management at the time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, regulator and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, risks related to whether or not the Company will enter the loan arrangement, and risks related to the Company's incapacity to execute on its business plan. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other assumptions and risk factors, please refer to EXO U's management's discussion and analysis for the year ended March 31, 2016, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information contained herein is presented as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE EXO U Inc

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[January 27, 2017] Global Video Event Data Recorder Market to Surpass US$ 3 Bn in Revenues by 2026

VALLEY COTTAGE, New York, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Future Market Insights analyses the global video event data recorder market for a 10-year forecast period, 2016-2026. According to a recent market outlook report, "Video Event Data Recorder (VEDR) Market: Global Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026," the US$ 1.64 Bn market is likely to reach beyond US$ 3.2 Bn by the end of 2026. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/430874LOGO )

In the global VEDR market report, Future Market Insights provides detailed information on market definition and segmentation analysis, market dynamics and key insights, and competition assessment and key company profiles. The overall market outlook remains positive and the compound annual growth rate is estimated at 6.9% over the decade. Although market growth will be healthy by 2021 end, it will experience a slight decline in terms of CAGR in the second half of the assessed period. "Massive automobile sales will remain the most prominent driver to VEDR market over the next decade." - Market Research Analyst (Electronic, Semiconductors, & ICT), Future Market Insights Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1735 Key research findings: Motor vehicle safety standards will continue to fuel the sales of technologies pertaining to vehicle safety

In addition to growing cognisance and adoption of vehicle safety measures, burgeoning automotive investments are also anticipated to favour VEDR market growth

Growing inclination of OEMs and drivers toward digitisation will push the market further

With technological advancements, various cost-effective products are being developed. Several manufacturers are also emphasising integration of smart software

An increasing number of VEDR manufacturers are strategically investing in order to capitalise on opportunities offered by commercial fleets such as cabs/rental fleets/taxis globally

Vehicle type segmentation: Passenger cars

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs)

Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs)

Among these, LCVs segment will retain dominance throughout the period of forecast, however, with a decline of around 190 BPS. This segment will capture over 48% share of the market value in 2026. Passenger cars, the second largest and fastest growing segment, will witness a boost by 420 BPS, accounting for nearly 29% share in 2026. Segmentation based on the type of data storage: Flash card

Cloud storage

Preview Analysis on Global Video Event Data Recorder Market Segmentation By Type Of Data Storage - Flash Card and Cloud Data Storage; By Vehicle Type - Passenger Cas, Light Commercial Vehicles (Lcvs) and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (Hcvs); By End User - Law & Enforcement Agencies (Leas) and Commercial Fleet; By Sales Channel - Auto OEM and Aftermarket: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/video-event-data-recorder-vedr-market



Flash card segment, despite a heavy drop of 780 BPS over the assessment period, will continue to dominate. On the other hand, growing popularity and adoption of cloud technology will contribute to an amplified market share for cloud data storage segment in 2026 i.e. more than 42%. This segment will possibly witness the fastest growth at an estimated CAGR of over 9%. End-user segmentation:

Commercial fleet

Law & enforcement agencies (LEAs)

Commercial fleet segment is anticipated to record a relatively high CAGR of 8.7% during the assessment period. However, LEAs segment will remain dominant, accounting for over 73% revenue share in 2026. Segmentation on the basis of sales channel: Auto OEM

Aftermarket

While auto OEM will remain the leading segment, aftermarket segment is likely to witness faster growth over the assessed period. The latter will bag around 45% share of the total market value in 2026. Regional segmentation: North America

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)

excluding (APEJ) Middle East and Africa (MEA)

and (MEA) Japan

Speak with Analyst for any Report Related Queries: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1735 North America is expected to remain dominant over the forecasted period, despite a loss of around 450 BPS. On the other hand, Eastern Europe will gain around 420 BPS and exhibit substantial growth during the 10-year period. This region, primarily driven by the Russian VEDR market, will be the fastest growing region globally. The by the collective revenue share of North America and Eastern Europe is likely to be more than 81% by the end of 2026. APEJ is also expected to exhibit significant growth, accounting for over 10% share of the total 2026 revenues. Key player insights: The global market for video event data recorder is predominantly governed by the top five players in the competitive landscape. Digital Ally Inc., WatchGuard Video, Omnitracs LLC, Rosco Inc., and Safety Vision LLC collectively account for roughly 85% market revenues. A few other notable players include Convoy Technologies, OCTOCAM Srl, and L-3 Mobile-Vision, Inc. While Digital Ally is in the news for its recent launches of advanced technology video event recording systems, the company is also focusing on cloud-based video evidence solution. Digital Ally's current plans of operation expansion in South America are likely to contribute to its growth in near future. WatchGuard is focusing more on development of integrated evidence management solutions and workforce expansion, whereas Omnitracs is strategising tailor-made services and solutions to gain a competitive edge. More From FMI's Cutting-edge Intelligence: Neuromorphic Chip Market Segmentation By Application - Image Recognition, Signal Recognition, Data Mining and Others; By Vertical - Aerospace & Defence, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare, Industrial and Others: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/neuromorphic-chip-market

PCB Design Software Market Segmentation by Type - High-End Software, Mainstream Software and Low-End Software; by End User - Computing Industry, Consumer Electronics Industry, Communications Industry, Medical Industry, Defence Industry and Automotive Industry: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/pcb-design-software-market

Smart Mining Market Segmentation By Automated Equipment - Driller & Breaker, Load Haul Dump, Mining Excavator, Robotic Truck, Others; By Component - Hardware, Solution, and Service (Engineering & Maintenance, Consulting, Product Training, and Implementation & Integration Service): http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/smart-mining-market

About Us Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends. Browse More Electronics, Semiconductors, and ICT Market Insights Contact Us

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When it comes to telecommunications, you want to make sure youre working with a company that knows what its doing. Theres a lot of competition out there, and everyone is fighting to set themselves apart from the rest. Luckily for Algo Communication Products Ltd., its reputation of being a reliable telecommunications supplier precedes itself.

Algo has been in the telecommunications business for almost 50 years. That in itself should be a good indicator that the people behind the company know what theyre talking about. According to its site, the Canadian company manufactures IP endpoints including: PoE speakers, horns, paging adapters, strobes, push buttons, doorphone/intercoms, and specialty handsets (PTT, PTM). Algo IoT devices provide solutions for voice paging systems (Wideband G.722 HD voice), bell scheduling, visual and audible alerting/notification (OSHA), loud ringing, customer and emergency assistance, and video/audio entrance security. The products are compatible as third party SIP endpoints with hosted and premise UC platforms such as: Avaya, Broadsoft, Cisco, Digium/Asterisk, Metaswitch, Mitel, NEC, Polycom, and more.



Clearly, Algo has a lot to offer in terms of products, expertise, and strategic partnerships. Luckily for attendees, Algo will be exhibiting at ITEXPO at booth 517 to impart some of that information. The event, held Feb. 8-10 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, is sure to be a great chance to talk with Algos Director of Research and Development.

Just in case youre unable to wait for ITEXPO to hear more about Algo, TMC caught up with Paul Zoehner, Director, Algo, to discuss changing technology trends. Our full exchange can be seen below:

How have technology changes over the past 12 months helped businesses grow?

The emergence of IoT and advances in unified communication technologies continues to shape Algos product development. Our open standard SIP endpoints allow customers to take a proactive and systematic approach to an IP deployment while enjoying the security and operational advantages that IP brings. For example, Algo multicast enabled devices can be scaled to cover any size building, campus or enterprise, to create robust solutions for public address/voice paging and emergency notification using a variety Wideband PoE speakers, paging adapters, strobe lights and push buttons. For physical entrance security, Algos intercom products deliver both audio and video to any device in the UC environment for secure and efficient communication with visitors and guests, while seamlessly integrating door/gate opening control.

What does the term Collaboration mean to your business?

Algo endpoints register as 3rd party SIP devices to any IP premise or hosted telephone system. There are no barriers to utilize the full capabilities of the UC environment to create robust scalable solutions to suit the unique requirements of any business or organization.

What elements of Unified Communications are most useful for your company?

As a manufacturer of open standard SIP endpoints, Algo products register easily to any hosted or premised-based UC platforms. The advantage this brings is it permits any telephone, soft client, tablet, or mobile device to interact with an Algo endpoint for essential workplace applications such as: voice paging, visual/audible alerting, emergency notification, customer service, and access control and communication for secured doors/gates. Algos suite of purpose-built SIP endpoints can be fully provisioned and managed on the network like an IP telephone, minimizing the touch and saving considerable time compared to what would otherwise be the case for analog devices off the network.

How has the growth in the managed services market impacted your business?

A significant portion of our endpoint deployments are on hosted UC platforms, where the service provider offers a suite of services. Rather than have to rely on awkward ATA workarounds, Algo IP products provide a seamless solution for ancillary devices required for voice paging, loud ringing, visual alerting, and door/gate intercom.

How has your business product development evolved over the past year as a result of emerging technologies?

The IoT evolution in the industry has lead to a greater demand for network managed devices to support a wider variety of workplace processes and functions. Algo continues to leverage its expertise in audio and video technologies to deliver cutting edge specialty IP endpoints that push the limits of performance, functionality and ease of deployment. For example, the introduction of our new 8039 SIP Video Intercom offers advanced video technology utilizing a fisheye camera lens and de-warp algorithm, which allows visibility directly beneath the intercom as well as 90 degrees left and 90 degrees right. An intuitive web interface in the endpoint provides the capability to "see" what the intercom "sees" at any time for added security. The 8039 also introduces a mullion form factor to more easily mount the intercom on the aluminum frame of glass door commercial entrances.

Are channel partners keeping up with the latest trends and developments? Is more education needed and how can they better leverage the latest technologies to grow?

We believe trade shows such as ITEXPO provide a good opportunity for channel partners to engage with us to become more knowledgeable about our products and the solutions available. Education is a significant objective of the show for Algo.

What will you have on display at your booth and why should attendees make it a point to visit you at your booth?

The Algo booth will have a wide variety of IP paging speakers and adapters, IP video and audio intercoms, as well as, IP alerting and notification endpoints.

Do you have an upcoming paging project for a school, hospital or retail store, or are you looking for notification solutions to address workplace or plant safety? Stop by booth #517 and our Director of Research and Development can talk through your project with you and suggest solutions that will meet your needs.

What are you most looking forward to at ITEXPO 2017?

We look forward to networking with channel partners, technology providers, resellers, and distributors during ITEXPO. Feedback from our customers is essential for our product development, and the show provides an effective platform to educate attendees about Algo IP products and solutions.

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Edited by Stefania Viscusi
Beijing, January 27

Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibabas financial arm, has struck a deal to acquire American money-transfer major MoneyGram for $880 million, which will expand its business in the US after successful forays in the booming Indian and Thai markets.

The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world, Eric Jing, CEO of Ant Financial Services Group, said.

The transaction will help expand Ant Financials business following its successful partnerships with Paytm in India and Ascend Money in Thailand, according to the statement.

The company owns Alipay, one of Chinas biggest online payment platforms, and controls the company that manages the countrys largest money market fund, Yuebao. The transaction will connect MoneyGrams money transfer network of 2.4 billion bank and mobile accounts and 350,000 physical locations with Ant Financials users, it said.  PTI
This Account has been suspended.
Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27

With engineering exports declining by around 10% in the current fiscal, the engineering industry from the northern region says the Budget should come out with steps that could act as a stimulus to revive the sector, which has been hit by global slowdown and demonetisation.

The engineering industry comprises hand tools, auto parts, casting & forgings, cycle parts, textile equipment, etc. The total turnover of engineering exports from Punjab alone is around Rs 3,000 crore, with over 1,300 units engaged in exports.

The exports are heading towards south. The government must increase fiscal incentives on engineering exports to give stimulus to this sector, said Sandeep Verma, Director, Ashoka Hand tools, Baddi.

Exporters body Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) suggested that the government should create an Export Development Fund for aggressive marketing, particularly for MSMEs, by providing a corpus of about 0.5%.

The demonetisation will benefit the GST regime which requires that all transactions are accounted for. So, it should be implemented as soon as possible. Also, in order to boost the exports and give fillip to the industry, the government should reduce the income tax slabs from 30% to 20%, said SC Ralhan, president, FIEO.

The government must take proactive steps to check cartelisation by steel producers. To boost the industry, it is imperative to keep the steel prices in control. In addition to this, the government must relax labour laws to increase efficiency. Also, the government must roll out incentive schemes for the exporters, said Ashwani Kumar, Director, Victor Forgings, Jalandhar.

Anil Gupta, MD, Jyoti Group (Haryana), said the government should offer special incentives for the promotion of exports.
Pramod Kumar

IF pollsters are to be believed, elections are a matter of incumbency levels, not performance. A matter of perceptions and popularity ratings of leaders and not of the political parties. And the only slogan audible is change. Change for whom and for what remains ambiguous. Change the present incumbents and bring us in, to do the same. It has been reduced to a battle of false claims and promises, trivialising of issues and to quote Michael Parenti, "Elections have been reduced to parades of clowns and acrobats, elephants and donkeys." Elections in Punjab are no different and have presented to the people a heady cocktail of three Ds, that is deras, doles and drugs, garnished with choicest abuses.

If politicians are to be believed, elections are a matter of doling out atta-dal, sugar, utensils including pressure cookers, gas stoves, shagun at the time of marriage, bicycles for girls, smart phones, government jobs for each family, debt relief, pension to farmers, compensation for unemployment, incentives for suicide victims families, houses for the homeless and so on.

Each party is trying to outcompete the other. It is competitive populism and blatant attempts to entice voters with these freebies at the expense of the state exchequer and in the same breath claiming to practice fiscal prudence as the state government is under debt.

Reasons that drive political parties

Political parties have not cared to analyse reasons and ways to raise the purchasing capacity of the poor and how pauperisation and land alienation of the farmers have become endemic. Why has the demand for drugs and alcohol multiplied among the youth? What are the ways to check the demand and increase avenues for productive engagement of youth?

During elections, political parties promise jobs, doles and subsidies. When in government, they reduce employment in the public sector to improve the fiscal health of the state. They exhort people to mind their own health and give subsidies to private hospitals and impose user charges. This all is done without addressing the issues concerning livelihood. Political parties, however, are not expected to confess, particularly at the time of elections, that they have ceased to govern. When the market is allowed to govern, the government becomes powerless to effect any radical changes. And the proponents of market reforms have no plans for those who do not have the resources and income to buy even two meals a day. These poorer sections of society are reduced to mere victims, beneficiaries, clients and recipients. In this dichotomous relationship the state is seen as the "dole giver" and the people the "dole receiver". In other words, a patron-client relationship defines the boundary conditions for electoral discourse.

The term "anti-incumbency factor" came into currency in the 1990s as the political parties in power failed to fulfil electoral promises in view of the realities of the new political and economic policies. The "anti-incumbency factor" provides an honourable exit to one political party to be replaced by another party with a similar track record. In the process, it does not allow to surface the insensitivity and incapacity of the political process to raise and resolve real issues.

An interesting example is the manner in which even the real issue of drugs have been raised in Punjab. Isn't it interesting that after more than three decades of using drugs to woo the voters, all politicians have now realised that the noises against drug abuse can get them more political dividends? Hence, each one is trying to outcompete the others in the blame game. There are claims that the drugs problem can be eradicated in four weeks by the competing political parties. Politics over drugs has become more serious than the problem itself. If researchers show that the 70 per cent of the addicts is youth, political discourse distorts it to say that 70 per cent of Punjab's youth is on drugs.

Do not play politics with drugs

The first and foremost thing that emerged from the recent debates is that the political parties have to stop playing politics with drugs. People can wait till elections and hope that after garnering votes on this issue they may address this problem in all earnest. The Centre and the states should work together to check illegal drug trade and also to impose Section 68 of the NDPS Act, 1988, to forfeit the illegally acquired assets of people involved in drug trade. Policies to be made to make youth employable, build a partnership with the parents, community leaders to become mentors for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse.

Diktat by deras

Having used doles and drugs to woo voters, all politicians find it handy to use deras as the opium of masses to garner votes. Deras are poor cousins of religion in Punjab. They have occupied the religio-caste space. The presence of deras is a symbol of religious tolerance, a practice of diversity and pluralism. In the past decade, the deras have been in news because of the indulgence of some of the deras in electoral politics and incidents of violence involving some representatives of the institutionalised religion. For instance, incidents of violence involving various dera followers with sections of Sikhs such as Dera Nirankaris in 1978, Dera Bhaniarawala in 2001, Dera Sacha Sauda in 2008-09, Dera Noormahal in 2002 and Dera Sachkhand Ballan 2009-10. The causes or the immediate provocation for this conflict are rooted in various practices and rituals of the deras such as the notion of a living Guru which is strictly opposed in the institutionalised Sikhism, the imitation of the imagery of the Sikh Gurus by the dera heads and the replication of the style or content of the Sikh holy book by the deras.

There are six major deras in Punjab. These deras together have influence in around 56 constituencies. The Radha Soami in 19, Dera Sacha Sauda in 27, Dera Nurmahal in 8, Dera Nirankari in four, Dera Ballan in eight and Dera Namdhari in two constituencies. Not all the deras actively engage in politics. However, Sacha Sauda came into prominence in 2007 elections when it openly supported the Congress. As a consequence, the Akalis suffered a loss in around 21 assembly constituencies.

Interestingly, as used to be in the past the Akali Dal did not make any emotional appeal like the danger to the Sikh panth and frenzy against followers of competing deras. On the contrary, all the political parties are trying to outcompete each other to woo deras. As mentioned, deras are a religio-caste space. To invoke their authority is to violate the secular principles of the Constitution. But, political parties are actively engaged in appropriating religious symbols with impunity. On the other hand, deras are issuing the diktat to induce people to vote according to their faith rather than their conscience. It is violative of the secular principles and free and fair elections.

It appears that people have swallowed the make-believe pills being traded by the political parties that the misuse of deras is justified, are being wooed by doles and drugs rather than seeking an alleviation of their miseries. If they really believe that problems like drugs and corruption can be resolved in a jiffy, then elections are the luck of the draw and a game of the sharpest gambler.

The writer is Director, Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh
Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan has been forced to put in his resignation after 98 members of his staff alleged in a letter that he had compromised the dignity of the Governor's House, turned it into a club where young ladies come and go at will. Women activists held protests in Shillong after the letter listing various acts of misdemeanour of His Highness became public. The 67-year-old veteran RSS activist from Tamil Nadu who was also given additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh has been accused of hiring or posting only women on his staff. The gentleman did not just allow himself the pleasure of having a female company but stretched his indulgence to unacceptable levels. A woman who had gone to him for an interview for the post of Public Relations Officer charged him with sexual harassment and the complaint was overlooked. This time the voice was louder and it reached Rashtrapati Bhavan as well as the PMO.

A BJP spokesman tasked with defending everything that goes wrong in the party or the government has argued that till now there are no statements from any women and facts should be looked into before comment. It is possible the resignation alone may be considered a sufficient punishment for sexual misconduct and the matter rests there. Given the odds against them, the victims too may not come forward to take the issue to its logical conclusion. But the reputation of the BJP leadership and its ideological parent, the RSS, which has placed itself on a high moral ground, may take a slight hit.

Such lecherous conduct is not confined to one party or office. The high and mighty have enjoyed perks of office or position. Those in power feel a sense of entitlement, a licence to take advantage of their position and exploit vulnerability. Instances of voyeuristic indiscretion by men in high offices cut across party lines and people's reactions vary from expressions of outrage to amusement and dismissal as a private matter. Criminal behaviour, however, cannot go unpunished.
The American citizens  as also the world at large  are beginning to get a taste of President Donald Trumps political persona and its impact on the global architecture. In his first week in office he has signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He has initiated a process of re-negotiating the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. He has also ordered the building of a wall on the US-Mexican border; that is not all, he has demanded that Mexico should pay for it. So peremptorily and so publicly has the new American President made his views known, through social media, that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has been constrained to cancel a planned trip to the White House. The note of roughness and rudeness that President Trump has injected in his conversations and comments about foreign leaders is undiplomatic and unsettling, to say the least. The professional American diplomats will have their hands full, salvaging Washingtons image, good name and credibility.

These are early days but the capitals around the world have already started feeling worried about the new American Presidents willingness to turn his back on the post-Second World War arrangements of economic integration, anchored in multilateral free-trade agreements. The World Trade Organisation-based order is seen as the lynchpin of globalisation in the 21st century. All these years the United States had invoked the WTO to challenge the subsidy-regimes in the emerging markets and for opening the markets in the new economies to the American investor and business.

With his America First approach, the new American President may seek to cultivate and consolidate his parochial domestic constituency but he also definitely flirts with global instability and disorder. President Trump's public tantrum, since his inauguration, may have left many Americans confused and angry, but the governments around the world would feel themselves under no obligation to humour a temperamental man. Unless Washingtons institutional stakeholders intervene effectively to apply restraint on policy and political waywardness in the White House, the world may needlessly be heading for a risky, unpredictable phase.
Tribune Reporters

Kaithal, January 27

The district administration will conduct flag march in Kaithal, Kalayat, Pundri and Rajound tomorrow in view of the call to renew the Jat stir from January 29. The decision was taken at a meeting to review security arrangements.

Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Joon directed the duty officials to maintain law and order. He said seven persons arrested in connection with the agitation last year had refused to furnish bail bonds.

Superintendent of Police Sumer Partap Singh said zero tolerance would be adopted towards those who disturb peace and strong legal action would be taken against them.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Capt Shakti singh said prompt action would be taken against those who break the law.

Hisar: The district administration said today that strict action would be taken if anybody tried to disrupt the road or rail traffic during the Jat stir.

The police carried out a flag march from Hisar city to Mayyar village today evening, as additional paramilitary and Haryana police forces arrived in the district.

Addressing a meeting of the Panchayat Raj Institution representatives here today, Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj said though the people could exercise their democratic right to raise their demand, normal life should not be disrupted due the agitation.

The DC said that as per the Supreme Court directions, the dharna and demonstrations would not be allowed to occur along the national highways or the railway tracks. He urged the PRI members to persuade the youths in villages to stay away from the activities that could jeopardise their future.

No dharna will be allowed to be staged in the district without the permission of the administration, he said.

Superintendent of Police Rajender Kumar Meena said five companies of the paramilitary forces and five of the Haryana police have arrived in the district, which would be deployed at various parts of the district.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27

With a fresh agitation staring at its face, the Haryana Government today announced to provide jobs to kin of those killed during violence in Jat agitation for reservation in February last year, including those who died indulging in violence.

Khap representatives and Jat leaders opposed to Yashpal Maliks All-India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) today got this assurance from Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar during their meeting with him.

Hawa Singh Sangwan, who heads a parallel faction of the AIJASS, announced after the meeting that on their other demand of general amnesty for all those involved in violence, the government had assured to study legal provisions in this regard.

Captain Bhupender, OSD to the CM at his residence, confirmed that jobs to one family member each of those killed in the violence would be provided within 15 days of application received by the government.

He said the CM had clearly told the Jat leaders that the issue of general amnesty would have to be viewed within the ambits of the laws, but if some youths had been wrongly framed, their cases would be definitely reinvestigated.

Asked why the government backtracked from its earlier stand that no jobs would be given to those killed while killing people or burning their properties, Capt Bhupender said with the passage of time, the CM had taken a sympathetic view of the families of those killed in the police firing.

Khap panchayats and Sangwan faction of the AIJASS, who in a meeting in Sonepat yesterday had announced to stay away from dharnas on January 29 announced by the Malik faction, met Khattar today for talks on their demands.

We understand that the state governments hands are tied as far as our demand of reservation is concerned, since the matter is pending before the High Court. However, we want the government to consider our other demands which are jobs to kin of those killed, general amnesty for those booked and release of 79 youths languishing in jails, Sangwan told The Tribune after the meeting.

Justifying their demand for general amnesty, Sangwan said the Central government had granted amnesty to members of outlawed Mizo National Front in 1986 and its leader Laldenga, for whom the armed forces had shoot-at-sight order, became the chief minister later.

These boys are not terrorists and the government must announce general amnesty by releasing the youths and withdrawing all 2,000-odd criminal cases registered with regard to the February violence, he said.

Meanwhile, BJPs Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini said the government must not succumb to the pressure of the Jat leaders.

If today, they succeed in getting their unreasonable demands met by use of their power, tomorrow, we will witness a jungle raj in the entire state, Saini said.
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, January 27

Khap leaders decided to back fresh agitation for Jat reservation when they met at Nandal Bhawan in Bohar village of the district on Friday.

They termed those opposing the agitation as government agents.

Khap leaders maintained that the release of arrested Jat youths from jails, withdrawal of cases registered during last years agitation and grant of government jobs to the kin of youths killed during last years stir were their immediate demands.

As a precautionary measure, police erected nakas at various roads leading to Rohtak.
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, January 27

Surinder Singh Dahiya, head of Dahiya khap on Friday said Jat leadership understood it well that the issue of Jat reservation was a legal battle and not a political one.



Dahiya told reporters here that outsiders like Jat leader Yashpal Malik were using political tactics of threatening to re-launch agitation across the state for vested personal interests.



However, he demanded withdrawal of criminal cases lodged against Jats during widespread violence and arson in different districts of the state last year.



Malik has been working against the interest of community and Haryana. He hails from Uttar Pradesh and imposing himself as leaders of Jats here. We are capable of finding our leader for legitimate demands, including reservation in the state, said Dahiya.



He said since the reservation case was pending in the court, it could not be settled now by the putting political pressure. But Malik and others were misguiding people, he alleged.



Dahiya said the Khap panchayats were not in league with Malik.



Last years agitation left nearly 30 youths killed and several injured. Malik was responsible for arson and violence as he misled the movement last year, he said.



Meanwhile, the district authorities have made elaborate arrangements in view of call of protest by Jats in the state.

Kurukshetra DC Sumedha Kataria said a meeting was held recently with Dahiya to ensure that protests remain peaceful.



She said members of Jat dharamshala and other leaders were told that no protest or dharna would be allowed without prior permission of the district administration.



She said police had been directed to ensure smooth movement of public transport and protection of canal channels in the district.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 27

Notwithstanding heavy rain, snow and inclement weather conditions, the 68th Republic Day was celebrated with gaiety and fervour across the State.

Governor Acharya Devvrat unfurled the National Flag and took salute during a march past at a state-level Republic Day function held at the Ridge here yesterday. The Governor inspected the parade and took salute from an impressive march past. The customary grand parade was led by Lt Abnam Kumar. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes, Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary, Panchayati Raj Minister Anil Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Nand Lal, MLAs Suresh Bharadwaj and Mohan Lal Brakta and senior officials from the administration, the police and Army were present in large numbers. With temperature plummeting to 3C amidst the downpour, the cultural function had to be shifted to the Gaiety Theatre after the march past.

The march past was presented by the contingents of the Indo-Tibet Border Police, Assam Regiment, Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police, SSB Jawans, State Police, Home Guards, Bharat Scouts and Guides and NCC cadets. Tableaux highlighting various development activities of different departments also formed a part of the Republic Day celebration. The acrobatic performance by ITBP jawans was lauded by one and all.

Functions were organised at state, district, and sub-divisional level to mark the occasion. Hoisting of flag, impressive march-past and cultural programmes were highlights of the functions organised across the state.

Bilaspur: A district-level Republic Day function at Bilaspur was presided over by Power and Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania. Speaking on the occasion, Pathania said a Rs- 111.19 crore Dr YS Parmar Kisan Swarojgar Yojna had been implemented in the state and 879 poly houses had been constructed under the scheme. He said Rs-154 crore Rajeev Gandhi Micro-Irrigation Scheme was also being implemented in the state for the benefit of the farmers. He said a Rs-1,169.15 crore HP Horticulture Development Project had been launched in the state with financial assistance of the World Bank. He said 64 lakh LED bulbs had been distributed to the consumers on highly subsidised rates for energy consumption.

Earlier, he paid floral tributes at Shaheed Samark Changar, Bilaspur. Chairman of the 20 Point Programme Implementation Committee Ram Lal Thakur, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rajesh Dharmani, MLA Bamber Thakur and senior officers were present on the occasion.

Reckong Peo (Kinnaur): Republic Day was celebrated with fervour at Reckong Peo where a large number of people participated in the celebrations, attired in their traditional costumes. Jagat Singh Negi, Deputy Speaker, HP Vidhan Sabha, presided over the function.

Negi said the tribal areas during the present tenure of the state government had witnessed unprecedented development. He said the size of the annual Tribal Sub Plan had been enhanced from Rs 333 crore to Rs 468 crore. He said Rs 35.03 crore had been spent under the Tribal Area Sub Plan in Kinnaur district. Keylong (Lahaul & Spiti): Heavy snowfall and biting cold failed to dampen the spirit of people who turned up in large numbers to celebrate the Republic Day function at Keylong.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 27

Putting an end to the speculation about the constituency that he will choose to launch his son in electoral politics, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said Vikramaditya Singh would contest from Shimla (Rural) represented by him while he would shift to a segment currently represented by the BJP.

People of Shimla (Rural) have given me a lot of love and respect and they should not feel I am leaving them. Rather, they will have two MLAs  me and my son  who proposes to contest the Assembly poll from here, he announced this at a meeting of Congress workers and employees from his segment of Shimla (Rural) at Oak Over, his official residence, here today.

The final confirmation about Vikramaditya (27), state Youth Congress president, taking the plunge from the segment represented by his father has political circles speculating about the seat that the Chief Minister will shift to. While most in the Congress feel that Virbhadra will either contest from Shimla (Urban) or Arki (Solan), there are some who feel he might move to Nahan (Sirmaur) to strengthen the Congress poll prospects there.

Though it was more than obvious that the Chief Minister was preparing to launch his son in the 2017 Assembly poll, Virbhadras formal announcement in this regard has also raised questions whether the Congress high command will grant more than one ticket in a family. The principle of one family-one ticket has been adhered to in Punjab and Uttarakhand. Now, it remains to be seen whether the high command will yield to Virbhadras request for an Assembly ticket to both him and his political heir.

There are some other Congress leaders, including Transport Minister GS Bali and Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, who will also seek ticket for themselves as well as their children in case an exception is made in case of Virbhadra. While Bali will be keen that both he and his son Raghubir be given the tickets from Nagrota Bagwan and Kangra, respectively, Kaul Singh will be keen to see his daughter Champa Thakur, who is Mandi Zila Parishad chairperson make her electoral debut.

The list of ministers, MLAs and former legislators seeking ticket for their children in the Congress is a long one. Prominent among those keen to launch their political heirs are Vidhan Sabha Speaker BBL Butail, Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, Rural Development Minister Anil Thakur, former MLAs  Ram Lal Thakur and Tek Chand Dogra.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 27

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh lauded the role of the Army for creating repository of the Indian Armys rich heritage at the state museum, including Hall of Fame, he inaugurated yesterday, while presiding over the inaugural function of Indian Army Section at Himachal Pradesh State Museum. The Hall of Fame has portraits of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation, names of Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and other gallantry awardees.

The Hall of Fame showcases the courage and valour of Indian Army and is dedicated to 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971 and1991 wars. It also provides a brief on the fierce battles that the Indian army and its valiant soldiers have engaged in. The enclosures bring out the genesis and evolution of the Indian Army since its formation. These also include military heritage of Shimla covering all important historical events in chronological manner.

The Chief Minister said the state government was setting up a War Museum at Dharamsala and sought the assistance from other sections of the Indian Army. The museum will showcase the valour of soldiers of Indian Army, especially those from Himachal Pradesh, who had made the supreme sacrifice. He said that the Museum at Dharamsala would display the name of martyrs from Himachal who served the Indian Army.

He said the museum of Army section at Shimla was also a tribute to the unparallel contribution and sacrifices of the brave people of Himachal in the service of nation.

Virbhadra Singh said the Indian Army Section of the museum aimed to highlight the historical connection of Himachal Pradesh with the Indian Army so as to motivate the youth of the state to serve the mother land in various capacities. Earlier, GoC-in-C, ARTRAC, Lieutenant General, Dr Soni welcomed the Chief Minister and briefed about the five sections of the Hall and the reason behind setting up Hall of Fame in the State Museum.

Lt General Raman Dhawan, Major General Sanjeev Narain, former MP Pratibha Singh and other senior army officers of ARTRAC were present on the occasion.
Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 27

Doda woman Saba Haji, who has been running Haji Public School in her ancestral village of Breswana, has been given the State Award for Social Reforms and Empowerment.

It was in 2008 that Saba, who was born and brought up in Dubai and worked in Bangalore, decided to return to her village.

When the idea of starting a school took birth in the Haji family, Saba decided to be at the forefront, leaving behind her lucrative job in Bangalore.

Haji Public School began its journey from Breswana village in 2009. Since then, Saba has been serving as the director of the school, which has now received state recognition.

I saw my name on the list of awardees yesterday. Of course, it feels very good that the school is getting recognition. The money I receive will be used for the school. It is the achievement of the school, says Saba, whose uncle Haji Nasir, a businessman based in Singapore, is funding the school.

It is not just me but everyone in the family is working hard for this initiative. The kids do a lot of activities and we have a tight teaching schedule as the village is away from noise and any politics. The children are very bright and doing well, Saba boasts.

The school, which started with 35 students, now has over 350 students on its rolls. There is a permanent local staff of more than 20 teachers and a running roster of dozens of Indian and international teaching volunteers. The main focus is on learning levels and quality education, Saba says. She feels disappointed with the unaccountability in government schools where the learning levels among students are very low.

Breswana is a remote Himalayan village in Doda district, cut off from the world below. At over 7,000 feet, this is one of the many hundred villages with no motorable access to it.

Today, students of almost 12 villages study in the school, which is up to the middle standard. We are now focusing on upgrading it up to Classes X and XII, says Saba, who has been using social networking sites, mostly twitter, to reach out to people and seek support. Saba has more than 25,000 followers on Twitter.

Social media is the main tool through which the school has got recognition. Twitter has made the volunteer programme successful and we have received a lot of support and donations. People donate books too, she adds.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 27

On Republic Day, Indian and Chinese troops reaffirmed the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at the functional level on the border.

This was asserted during ceremonial border personnel meetings between the troops of the Indian Army and the Peoples Liberation Army in eastern Ladakh on the occasion of Republic Day, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said in a statement.

At the Chushul-Moldo meeting point, the delegations were led by Brig RS Raman and Senior Colonel Wang Jun Xian while at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO)-Tianwendian (TWD) meeting point, the delegations were led by Col Manish Mehrotra and Col Song Zhang Li, he said.

The spokesman said the proceedings commenced by ceremonial hoisting of flags of both countries. The ceremonial address by leaders of delegations exuded warmth and reaffirming the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at the functional level at the border, the defence spokesman said, adding that a cultural programme showcasing vibrant Indian culture was organised thereafter.

He said both delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment.

The delegation parted amidst a feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and sought to build on the mutual feeling of upholding the treaties and agreements signed between the governments of the two sides to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC (Line of Actual Control), Colonel Kalia said.

A day earlier, on January 25, a ceremonial border personnel meeting on the occasion of Chinese Spring Festival was conducted at Chinese hut in Moldo garrison in the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh. The meetings are aimed at improving the relations along the border.
Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 27

The National Conference today staged a walkout from the Legislative Council alleging a conspiracy held in their absence on January 24 by the treasury benches and other members of the House in passing a resolution to declare a holiday on September 23, the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.

The NC members raised a demand for its withdrawal, saying that it was passed undemocratically and in violation of the rules.

As soon as the House assembled, NC member Bashir Ahmed Veeri along with other party members stood up and raised slogans against the passage of the resolution, alleging that it was undemocratic, unconstitutional and in violation of the rules and business procedures of the House.

Though I am not personally against the resolution, but sentiments of the larger section of society are attached, and since 1931 they (people) are against the autocratic and dictatorial rule of Maharaja Hari Singh, he said.

Veeri said NC members had boycotted the House on January 24 for a short period and in the meantime ruling members forced some members back into the House to complete the quorum and got the resolution passed.

We observe July 13 as Martyrs Day. How can you declare a holiday in the name of those who were instrumental in the massacre? We are opposed to it. We walked out from the House after protests. Our demand is that the resolution should be withdrawn as it has no locus standi, Veeri said while talking to reporters outside the House. On January 24, BJP member Ajatshatru had moved the proposal and it was seconded by PDP MLC Vikramaditya.

Hari Singh was born on September 23, 1895, and died on April 26, 1961. He had signed the Instrument of Accession of J&K to India in 1947 after the Pakistani army and raiders attacked the state.

Education Minister Naeem Akhter had asked Ajatshatru to withdraw the resolution, assuring him that his proposal would be considered. But Ajatshatru pressed for the resolution, following which it was passed by a voice vote.

Countering NC members, BJP legislator Ramesh Arora said once a resolution was passed by the House, it could not be discussed again.

After Chairman of the Council Haji Inayat Ali told agitating NC members that the issue could not be raised further, they trooped to the well of the House and after a brief protest walked out from the Council for the entire day.

Meanwhile, Independent MLA Engineer Rashid also created ruckus in the Legislative Assembly over the passing of the resolution and asked the National Conference to clarify whether it supported or opposed it.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 27

Governor NN Vohra hoisted the Tricolour during the state-level function to mark the celebrations of the Republic Day at Maulana Azad Stadium on Thursday.

A large number of people attended the function despite the continuing rain.

The Governor inspected the parade and took the salute at an impressive march past which was commanded by Col Ajay Thakur, Commanding Officer of the 10th Battalion J&K Light Infantry.

In his Republic Day message on January 25, the Governor had said, Sixtyseven years ago, our people adopted the Constitution of India which secures justice, liberty and equality for all citizens. Today, we rededicate ourselves to zealously discharging our duties for protecting our precious fundamental rights and safeguarding our countrys unity and integrity.

First Lady Usha Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta, Legislative Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali, Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, ministers, legislators and judges of the state High Court, senior civil, police and Army officers, political and social activists, prominent citizens, mediapersons and citizens were present on the occasion.

The smart contingents participating in the parade were from the Army, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, men and women contingents of the JKAP/IRP, J&K Police, State Disaster Response Force, Himachal Pradesh Police, J&K Fire and Emergency Services, J&K Forest Protection Force, ex-Servicemen, NCC boys and girls, Bharat Scouts and Guides, boys and girls from various schools, bands of Army, BSF and J&K Police, J&K Armed Police etc.

Meanwhile, similar functions were held at the district headquarters of the Jammu region. Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Kumar Singh unfurled the Tricolour at Government Degree College, Udhampur; Minister for Health and Medical Education Bali Baghat at Poonch; Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology Choudhary Lal Singh at Kathua; Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Choudhary Zulfkar Ali at Rajouri; Minister of State for Transport, Sunil Sharma at Kishtwar; Minister of State for Education Priya Sethi at Doda; Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Parkash Ganga at Samba; Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Choudhary at Ramban; Minister of State for Finance and Planning Ajay Nanda at Reasi; Director General of Prisons SK Mishra at J&K Prisons headquarter, Amphalla; and J&K Principal Resident Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Gupta at J&K House, New Delhi.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today released its complete election manifesto, promising more, including stern action against drug smugglers and those behind the recent incidents of sacrilege in Punjab. It had earlier issued manifestoes for various categories.

The party has promised to end property tax on houses, slash power bills by half up to 400 units and cashless medical treatment in private hospitals up to Rs 5 lakh for all. It has pledged three more medical colleges, free laptops to Class IX students in government schools, free power to farmers and a hike in old-age pension to Rs 2,500 per month.

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It has reiterated it will make Punjab farmers debt-free by December 2018, create 25 lakh jobs for the unemployed youth and rid Punjab of drugs within a month. AAP campaign committee chairman Bhagwant Mann and Dialogue Committee convener Kanwar Sandhu released the manifesto here. Mann said besides waiving debt, the farmers would be paid compensation for crop damage at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre whereas farm labourers would get Rs 10,000. He said Sir Chhotu Ram Act of 1934 on farm debts would be implemented.

Promising that the drug mafia would be smashed in a month, Mann said addicts would be sent to rehab centres and brought back to the mainstream within six months.

An SIT would be formed to probe cases of sacrilege and police firing on innocent Sikhs at Behbal Kalan and the guilty brought to book. To boost trade and industry, inspector raj would be abolished and sick units in industrial towns, such as Mandi Gobindgarh, revived.

Every primary school would have at least five teachers, 29,000 vacancies of teachers would be filled and another 30,000 posts created. Every village would have a clinic and every town mohalla clinics on the Delhi pattern.

Sandhu said AAP would open Aam Aadmi canteens at the sub-division and district-level where a meal would be available for Rs 5. It would implement the Sixth Pay Commission, give regular employment to those on contract and 33 per cent reservation to women in jobs.

He said ex-servicemen would get 13 per cent reservation in jobs and SC and ST commission given more powers.
Tribune News Service

Jaipur, January 27

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was allegedly assaulted here today by activists of a Rajput community group who also forced stoppage of shooting of his movie Padmavati by vandalising the set at Jaigarh Fort, alleging that the director was distorting facts.

The police said it had detained five persons for disturbing peace even though no complaint was received from Bhansalis side.

The ruckus took place when the film, in which Deepika Padukone is playing Padmavati and Ranveer Singh is playing Alauddin Khilji, was being shot at the historic fort, eyewitnesses said.

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Karni Sena activists gathered at the site and demanded stoppage of the shooting. They stormed the set and damaged some chairs and other objects, forcing stoppage of the shooting. After the incident, the director decided not to go ahead with the shooting in the state.

We had warned the filmmakers against presenting wrong facts. When we came to know about the shooting, we gathered there and protested. Besides the Karni Sena activists, there were several other people who had gone there to watch the shooting. Someone from the mob slapped him and pulled his hair, district president of Karni Sena Narayan Singh claimed. There was a protest and the issue was settled after both the parties held talks, said DPC North (Jaipur) Anshuman Bhomia.

He said no FIR was lodged by anyone but five persons were detained by the police for disturbing peace. The filmmaker has said he will not go ahead with the shooting plans here and he will pack up, Bhomia said.

Singh claims that Bhansali wants to present distorted facts about Rani Padmavati which will not tolerated by the Rajput community. The director is yet to comment on the incident.
Our Correspondent

Jaipur, January 27

Actor Salman Khan on Friday denied charges in the blackbuck poaching case and pleaded innocence in the Jodhpur court.

Recording his statement the actor said he was innocent and falsely implicated by the prosecution and he did not come out of the hotel at night due to security reasons during the shooting of his film Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998.

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Salman was asked 58 questions and two supplementary questions by the court. He replied to each one of them in about one hour of proceedings, his counsel Hastimal Sarswat said.

Statements of four co-starts  Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre were also recorded in the court. Statement of one Dushyant related to the case was also recorded.

Salman, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre landed at the Jodhpur airport by separate planes amidst security cover on Thursday evening, a senior cop of DCP-East Ramesh Kumar said.

Though every actor has his or her lawyer but it was team of lawyers led by Sarswat. Two lawyers were specially coming with Salman from Mumbai.

Sarswast told The Tribune that the four co-stars were asked similar set of questions by the court. They said they were not involved in any crime (poaching) and were innocent, and the forest department deliberately implicated them with false evidence in the last 18 years of legal proceedings.

None of the actors addressed the media and there was a minor scuffle between the media and the cops on the court premises.

On January 18, the same CJM Justice Dalpat Singh Purhoit acquitted Salman in an alleged black buck and chinkara poaching case of 1998. While on July 25, 2016, the Rajasthan High Court had acquitted Salman in two cases of chinkara poaching, though the state government has moved the SLP in the Supreme Court which is still pending.

The actors were exempted from appearing before the court on Wednesday due to non-availability of security cover to them in view of the Republic Day parade as Governor Kalyan Singh and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje were visiting Jodhpur.

The CJM court asked them to appear for recording their statements on January 27.

Special police force has been deployed at the five-star hotel in Ratanada area and around the court premises in Paota area.
Panaji, January 27

Union Minister for Home Rajnath Singh said on Friday that the challenges caused by the central governments decision to put 86 per cent of the countrys currency out of circulation is likely to last another month-and-a-half.

Demonetisation may have attracted flak from various quarters, but it managed to raise India's pride and helped minimise corruption and income disparity, he told a rally in Cuncolim assembly constituency, some 45 km from Panaji.

"Steps were taken to stop the generation of black money. Demonetisation was also criticised a lot. I accept that for some time, some people faced difficulty. It could be that the difficulties will continue for a month or a month and a half," Singh said.

"The decision was not taken for political mileage by the Prime Minister, but to boost India's pride, to minimise corruption, to minimise income disparity," he said.

He claimed international economists had appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to demonetise high-denomination currency.  IANS
Sanjeev Singh Bariana & Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 27

Addressing a vijay sankalp rally here today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised Punjab farmers that waters which flow into Pakistan as waste will be brought to Punjab to irrigate their fields.

Choosing to speak without the turban that he was gifted as he landed in the city, he asked the crowd: Doesnt the farmer of Punjab need water? Doesnt he need water for the land that fills the stomach of the entire country? He then replied: The farmer does need water. And we will get it. We will provide him water from the Sindhu flowing into Pakistan.

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Accusing political parties of defaming Punjabs youth, he said: This is the land that has given countless soldiers, who laid down their lives for the country. This land has given food to the country. Let us get together and give a befitting reply to those defaming the youth of Punjab by not voting for them. Let us punish those who are maligning the gems of the nation.

Choosing to ignore AAP, the Prime Minister attacked the Congress, calling it a fish out of water and without any stand, pointing out its alliance with the CPI in West Bengal and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. Accusing the party of political opportunism, he claimed the Congress was a thing of the past and must not be trusted. He also said the Congress was a sinking ship and the people should not board it.

Defending demonetisation, the PM said his drive against corruption was apolitical. But those who had amassed wealth in the past 70 years are worried and are attacking me...The Opposition is trying to destroy my image. However, Modi never succumbs to undue pressure.

He exhorted the people to vote for the SAD-BJP alliance to power for the third time, creating history. Showering praise on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Modi said he had always batted for peace and harmony.

When there was tension between Sikhs and Hindus, it was Badal who played a role in ensuring unity between them, he said, adding that Punjab had survived and grown because of the efforts of the CM.

Badal said with the BJP government at the Centre, Punjab could get liberal grants for public welfare.

State BJP president Vijay Sampla delivered the welcome address.
New Delhi, January 27



President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday accepted the resignation of Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan, who put in his papers on Thursday following charges of sexual harassment against him.

Shanmuganathan, who also held the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh, tendered his resignation to "ensure a free and impartial probe into the charges against him".

His resignation came after nearly 100 employees of the Raj Bhavan in Shillong on Wednesday, sent a five-page letter to the Prime Minister's Office and the Rashtrapati Bhavan demanding recall of the Governor for what they alleged was "turning the Raj Bhavan into a Young Ladies Club".

According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan media statement, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit will act as the Governor of Meghalaya in the interim, while Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya will take over additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh.

From the time Shanmuganathan took over, the Raj Bhavan employees alleged, they were going through "severe humiliation, mental stress and torture".

The protest letter by the Raj Bhavan staff came after an English daily report quoted a woman who accused the Governor of making advances by "hugging and kissing her".

The woman was one of seven candidates selected for an interview for the post of a Public Relations Officer at the Raj Bhavan.

The Governor had denied the charges.

Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded criminal action be initiated against Shanmuganathan.

"We are demanding an FIR (first information report) be filed against him and an enquiry be conducted. The allegations against him are serious," said Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan.

Besides the Congress and the Janata Dal United demanding his removal, civil society groups in Meghalaya had launched a signature campaign to demand the immediate recall of the Governor.

Shanmuganathan, 68, a veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist from Tamil Nadu, was sworn in as Meghalaya Governor on May 20, 2015.

He was given the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh from September 16, 2016. He was also Governor in charge of Manipur from September 2015 to August 2016.

He is expected to arrive in the national capital on the day.  IANS
Lucknow: A delegation led by Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday met the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) seeking removal of nearly 24 senior police and administrative officers to ensure free and fair election. The delegation, including BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, alleged that these senior officers, including DGP Javeed Ahmed and Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, were reportedly working as the cadre of the SP, which would influence the election. tns

Rahul, Akhileshs joint show likely tomorrow

New Delhi: After forging an alliance for the UP poll, the SP and the Congress are now all set to launch a joint campaign in Lucknow on Sunday. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will make their first joint appearance post tie-up. The office of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, meanwhile, said the partys star campaigner in UP may not venture out of Amethi and Rae Bareilley. tns
New Delhi, January 27

Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, a fluent Hindi-speaking career diplomat considered a great friend of India, passed away at a hospital here after a brief illness yesterday. He was 67.

Kadakin, who was serving as the Ambassador here since 2009, was credited with playing a significant role in promotion of relations between India and Russia.

This was his second stint as the Ambassador, having served one between 1999 and 2004. Kadakin began his diplomatic career as a Third Secretary at the Russian Embassy in India in 1972.

With deep regret and profound sorrow, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India informs that Alexander Kadakin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India, passed away on January 26 in one of New Delhi central hospitals after a brief illness, said a statement issued by the Russian Embassy here.

He held the position of the Head of the Russian diplomatic mission in New Delhi from November 2009, it noted. Starting from 1971, the entire diplomatic career of Kadakin was closely associated with promoting Russian-Indian relations, the statement added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while condoling the demise, hailed Kadakin and his contribution to the India-Russia ties.  PTI
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 27

The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre, states, union territories and the RBI asking them to suggest measures to deal with situations created by natural calamities and indebtedness that often force farmers to commit suicide.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar asked them to file their responses in four weeks.

Hit by consecutive droughts, India has witnessed an agrarian crisis forcing many farmers to commit suicide due to failed crops and indebtedness. Farmers suicides increased more than 40 per cent in 2015 to cross 8,000.

Most of these suicides have been committed in Maharashtra (more than 3,000), followed by Telangana (more than 1,300). It has also been a problem in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

The Bench expanded the scope and ambit of a 2013 PIL that had sought the top courts intervention in Gujarat where between 2003 and 2012, 692 farmers had allegedly committed suicide.

The Bench said the problem was not limited to Gujarat as farmers in other states and union territories were adversely affected by natural calamities leading to crop failure.

It said notices should also be issued to the Centre-formulated policies and the RBI that dealt with the loan issue.

In its 2013 petition, the Citizens Resource and Act on Initiative had sought compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of 692 farmers who allegedly committed suicide in Gujarat during January 2003 to October 2012. The top court had earlier issued notice to the Gujarat Government.
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 27



A meeting of senior leaders of the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Friday has sparked off talks of an alliance between the two outfits a day after the former broke ties with the BJP.



Several associates of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray met with their counterparts from the MNS at a city hotel amid speculation of a tie-up between the two outfits.

Shiv Sena sources say their party may offer between 50 and 60 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal

Corporation to the MNS under the seat-sharing arrangement.

The MNS, headed by Thackerays estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, has seen several of its senior leaders defect to various parties.



Uddhav Thackeray announced on Thursday that the Shiv Sena would not align with the BJP for elections to the BMC and several other civic bodies in Maharashtra.

Both parties had been bickering after the BJP demanded an increase in the number of seats from the 63 it contested as part of the alliance with the Shiv Sena in the past elections.



There are 227 seats in the BMC.



Meanwhile Shiv Senas Environment Minister in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet warned that he and his colleagues were carrying their resignation letters in their pockets. We will resign from the government whenever Uddhavji asks us to do so, Kadam told reporters here.

However Sanjay Raut, the partys Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, said there was no threat to the Fadnavis government.

We will be part of the government in Maharashtra as we want stability in the state, Raut told reporters.



However, he added, the Shiv Sena would contest all future elections on its own strength.






Jalandhar, January 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called the Congress an irrelevant party counting its last days that voters of Punjab must not trust.

Addressing an election rally here, he called its rival a political opportunist whose politics of destruction had eroded the country for 70 years. He accused the Congress of changing its shape at its convenience.

"It is a strange party. It tied up with the Left in West Bengal to survive in the state. Whatever they (Left) gave (as seats), it accepted...In Uttar Pradesh, it attacked the Samajwadi Party in its yatras. Then it went for a pact...It saw an opportunity after a feud in SP," Modi said.

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He mocked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is also on election campaign in the state, as he called his referred to the latters statements to the rampant drug abuse in the state.

"Some people are taking politics to a new low by tarnishing the image of the youth of Punjab," Modi said, adding that statements such as these tarnished Punjabs image.

The Prime Minister also referred to the Sutlej Yamuna Canal  a subject of a bitter dispute between BJP-ruled Haryana and SAD-ruled Punjab  saying Punjab had the right to use water for irrigation. He also promised to bring back Indus waters that flow into Pakistan to Punjab and Haryana.

Referring to demonetisation, he claimed he had been facing "atrocities" for the past three months. "Modi hun. Zulm ke samne jhukta nahin (I am Modi. I do not bow before atrocities)," he said.

The prime minister said his drive against corruption was apolitical, aimed at rooting out black money.

"But people who have amassed illegal wealth in the past 70 years are worried and are attacking me as they are still unable to digest the decision," he said, also a hint at the Congress. PTI
Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, January 27

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday was issued a notice by a court here on an application filed against him for cancelling his bail in an attempt to murder case.

The District and Sessions Judge of Faridkot Satwinder Singh Chahal issued a notice to Sukhbir for coming January 30.

The appellant Naresh Sehgal moved an application on Friday morning for cancelling the bail order and exemption order passed in favour of Sukhbir.

The court after looking into the application has fixed the next date of hearing for coming Monday on arguments and has also sought a reply from Sukhbir on this date.

An attempt to murder case was registered against him (Sukhbir) at Kotkapura police station in the Faridkot district on June 30, 2006.

Sukhbir was acquitted in this case a few months back for lack of evidence but Naresh Sehgal who lodged the criminal against him filed an appeal before the district and sessions judge, which is still pending against him.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has also asked the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab to inquire into the allegations against Sukhbir Badal for furnishing incomplete information and submitting a false affidavit to the Returning Officer, Jalalabad while filing his nomination papers to contest the Assembly elections.

The District Magistrate of Fazilka was also looking into the controversy and role of the SDM-cum-Returning Officer of Jalalabad in giving a clean chit to Sukhbir Badal for concealing the information in the nomination papers.

A report from the DIG of Faridkot Range was also summoned on the directions of the ECI to ascertain the facts.

Sukhbir allegedly did not disclose that he was released on Rs 50,000 bail by the district and sessions judge and this case was still pending under appeal.

This appeal has also been fixed for January 30 for consideration and arguments. Sukhbir did not appear before the court in the last hearing on January 16.

Congress party MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, who is contesting the Assembly elections against Sukhbir Badal, has also demanded the cancellation of Sukhbirs nomination papers from the Jalalabad Assembly seat for concealing facts.

On the other hand, Sehgal alleged that he and his family had started receiving life threats.
Vinod Behl

As elections to state assemblies in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur draw closer, key political parties have come out with their manifestos, offering sops to the voters, Many of these focus on housing for poor, besides infrastructure and urban development to improve the quality of life. So much so that most of the parties have raced against the deadline of Model Code of Conduct of elections, to launch new projects/schemes.

UPs urban development kitty gets bigger

The biggest battle ground of 2017 assembly polls is Uttar Pradesh where stakes are too high for the main players who are vying with each other to showcase their pro-poor development agenda.

The Samajwadi Party under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav, is projecting Uttar Pradesh as a Modern Pradesh, touting high tech schemes being implemented by UPISDC, including Saraswati Hi-Tech City Allahabad, Trans-Delhi Signature City-Tronica and Trans Ganga Township, Unnao, besides flagship Lucknow-Agra Expressway.

The Saraswati Hi-Tech City is being developed over 1,115 acres near Naini in Allahabad district. The upcoming city designed for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial use, boasts of the state-of-art infrastructure like exhibition centre, multiplexes, mega malls, group housing societies etc.

Trans Ganga Township, Unnao, is being developed over 1,151 acres near Kanpur City, as a model industrial township, equipped with automobile hub with auto expo mart, exhibition centre, multiplexes, malls and group housing societies.

The Tronica City is coming up in Loni, Ghaziabad over 2,000 acres.

Akhilesh government is also showcasing three integrated manufacturing clusters of 25000 acres each at Kanpur, Allahabad, Aligarh- Agra, as part of Amritsar- Kolkata Industrial Corridor.

A few other key projects include 467-acre Moradabad SEZ, two agro parks of 180 acre each at Lucknow and Varanasi, two export promotion industrial parks in Gautam Budh Nagar and Agra and 275 acre Plastic City, Auraniya. Interestingly, Akhilesh government hurriedly inaugurated its incomplete Lucknow- gra Eway project in November before the model code of conduct for poll came into force.

This is India's largest 6-lane access-controlled highway and it has great political significance for the Samajwadi Party as it passes through its pocket boroughs of Kannauj, Mainpuri and Firozabad.

Akhilesh is so much enamoured with development projects that in order to beat the deadline of Model Code of Conduct, on one single day, he reportedly dedicated over 900 projects to the public, while laying foundation stone of over a dozen projects. In its poll manifesto also, the Samajwadi Party has given prominence to infrastructure by promising construction of Purvanchal Eway and Bundelkhand- Terai Eway, riverfront development in key cities, old age homes, electrification of every village and strengthening state's metro rail network.

Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is not far behind in projecting its housing and infrastructure agenda. In its manifesto, the party has promised that on coming to power, it will give ownership right of 15-30 sq mts residential and 10 sq mts commercial plots to poor under Sarvjan Hitay Urban Slum Area Ownership Right Scheme. It has also promised to launch Urban Integrated Development Scheme while for rural people, it will provide all kinds of amenities to villages especially those with preponderance of dalit population under Dr Ambedkar Rural Development Scheme.

The BJP on the other hand is banking on Prime Ministers development-oriented image, with NDA's flagship schemes like Housing For All, Prime Minister Awas Yojana, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation(AMRUT), Smart Citities Mission, besides extra push to infrastructure.Seeing the political parties wooing electorates in Uttar Pradesh with housing and infrastructure schemes, hundreds of homebuyers of NOIDA who have been denied possession of homes years after the delivery deadline, have decided to boycott elections and they have come up with a slogan,'No house, No vote'.

Freebies on offer in Punjab

In Punjab, too, the mainline parties have locked horns over the issue of urban and rural development.

The Congress in its poll manifesto, has promised a free house or 5 marla plot to homeless dalits, OBCs and minorities with annual income less than Rs 5 lakh.

The Shiromani Akali Dal on the other hand, has promised in its manifesto, to complete all under construction E-ways in the state within a year, bringing villages at par with urban areas, with water supply, sewerage, cemented streets and solar lights in all the 12000 villages, besides making all link roads 18 ft wide. Akalis are also claiming that during their tenure, Rs 32,000 crore were spent on building roads and another Rs 3,000 crore on the repair of old roads and Punjab got the distinction of being the first state to provide water connections and toilets in each and every rural household.

They are also showcasing re-development and beautification of area around Golden Temple, as their major achievement as part of development agenda.
NEW DELHI, Jan. 27 - King Zaheer Shah of Afghanistan, accompanied by the Queen, is arriving here tomorrow on a 10-day State visit to this country. A warm welcome awaits the royal guests in the Capital where they will spend four days fulfilling a crowded programme that includes a civic reception by Delhi's citizens. The King's party will include the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nour Ahmed Etemadi, the Mayor of Kabul, Dr. Mohammed Ashgar, and the Director of Political Department in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Dr. Farhadi. On medical advice, the President has requested the Vice-President to attend, on his behalf, functions connected with the visit of the King of Afghanistan, says a Press release from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
TOKYO, January 27 (Reuter): HEAVY fighting involving the Chinese troops has broken out in northwest China with machine-guns, rifles, infantry mortars and hand-grenades being used, according to Peking wall posters reported by the Japanese news agency, Kyodo, today. The posters, quoted by the agency, said the death toll between rival factions in the Chinese power struggle had already climbed above 100 in Shi-Ho-Tzu, centre of the fighting in Sinkiang province which borders the Soviet Union. The wall posters said army units were involved in the fighting and that 12 tanks were standing by, near another town, Urumchi, where large-scale clashes had also taken place. The posters said there was a strong possibility that the tanks would help a faction they described as "counter-revolutionary rioters" apparently opposed to Mao Tse-tung.
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 27

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today filed his nomination papers from the Haridwar (Rural) Assembly segment.

A large number of party workers held a march from Shri Daksheswar Mahadev temple till Roshanabad.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat paid obeisance at Har-ki-Pauri and Shri Daksheswar Mahadev temple at Kankhal and later sought the blessings of saints.

Rawat claimed there was a pro-Congress wave in the state and exuded confidence that the party would retain power in for the second consecutive term.

He said under his three-and-a-half year tenure, he focused on development, restoration of disaster-affected areas in Kedarnath valley, brought maximum people under the pension ambit and catered to all segments of the state and infused a sense of pride in residents of Uttarakhand.

The economy of the state is on the right track. My major focus will be to make Uttarakhand a corruption-free state, if public reposes faith in my government. Despite the bias shown by the BJP-led Central government, I have tried to focus on health, education, Char Dham pilgrimage, tourism, agriculture and handicraft, said Rawat, who is also contesting from the Kitcha Assembly segment inUddham Singh Nagar district.

The mass participation of party workers, leaders and supporters seen during the filing of nomination papers by Rawat has gladdened Congress leaders.

Senior party leader Dr Santosh Chauhan said Harish Rawats decision to contest from the Haridwar (rural) constituency is a masterstroke as he can also influence the voters of other 10 seats who are impressed with his popularity and political stature.
Ajay Ramola

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, January 27

Nine students of Class III to VIII from remote Bhageli village in Uttarkashi district were elated to watch the Republic Day parade for the first time at the police lines at Gyansu yesterday.

The students, namely Sonam (Class V), Shalini (IV), Nitesha Singh (III), Anit Singh (VI) and Ayesha, Mohit Singh, Subodh Singh, Manish Singh and Vineet Singh (all Class VIII) were here on the invitation of Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Shrivastava. The District Magistrate had gone to the their village under a village development programme and stayed overnight there a couple of months ago.

Student Anit Singh said they were elated to watch the grandeur of the Republic Day parade that they had seen only in television. They thanked the District Magistrate for providing the opportunity to witness the parade.

The students said they had visited Uttarkashi bazaar on their previous visits along with their parents but this time they came to watch the Republic Day parade. The visit to the Kandaar Devta temple, the district administration headquarters and the District Magistrate office, district courts, police station, Kashi-Vishwanath Temple and a museum was memorable.

A person who solves the problems of the district is known as District Magistrate, replied Anit Singh when the District Magistrate asked him about his work.

The children enjoyed lunch and had fun at the District Magistrates residence.The District Magistrate directed the BRC, Bhatwadi, to ensure that Government Junior High School starts a computer programme soon. He announced to bear the cost of the students tour.

Meanwhile, residents of Uttarkashi have welcomed the move and said small gesture shown towards poor student by the District Magistrate would motivate them to become a responsible citizen.
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, January 27

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are likely to discuss the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine when the two leaders speak by telephone on Saturday, a senior White House aide said.

Trump has said in the past that, as part of a rapprochement he is seeking with Russia, he is prepared to review sanctions that his predecessor, Barack Obama, imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

That move would face resistance from both influential figures in Washington and foreign leaders who believe sanctions should only be eased if Moscow complies with the West's conditions on Ukraine.

Among the US sanctions causing the most pain to Russia are those targetting its financial services, limiting the Russian economy's ability to raise debt, and its energy companies.

On the same day he speaks to Putin, Trump will have telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, White House spokesman Sean Spicer wrote in a Tweet. Both Hollande and Merkel have argued that it is premature to ease the sanctions.

Trump senior aide Kellyanne Conway said in US television interviews on Friday that Trump and Putin would likely discuss a range of issues, including joint efforts to combat terrorism.

Asked on FOX News's Fox & Friends programme to comment on suggestions that the Obama administration sanctions would be on the agenda, Conway said: "All of that is under consideration." The call will be the first between the Russian and US leaders since Putin called Trump to congratulate him on his election victory in November.

It is a first step towards what Trump has billed as a normalisation of relations after three years of tensions sparked by the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin have never met and it was unclear how their very different personalities would gel. Trump is a flamboyant real estate dealmaker who often acts on gut instinct, while Putin is a former Soviet spy who calculates each step methodically.

Patience

Both have spoken about ending the enmity that has dragged US-Russia relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people?

Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I am all for it," Trump told a news conference in July last year.

Trump is under intense scrutiny at home from critics who say he was elected with help from Russian intelligence  an allegation he denies  and that he is too ready to cut deals with a country that many of his own officials say is a threat to US security.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader would use the call to congratulate Trump on taking office and to exchange views on US-Russian ties.

Asked by reporters if Ukraine would come up, Peskov said: "This is the first telephone contact since President Trump took office, so one should hardly expect that (it)...will involve substantive discussions across the whole range of issues.

"We'll see, let's be patient."

If Putin and Trump can establish a rapport, it could pave the way for deals on Ukraine and Syria, two sources of friction during the administration of Barack Obama.

For the Russian leader, there is much to gain. Putin is expected to run for re-election next year, but is hampered by a sluggish economy. A softening or removal of sanctions would allow Western investment and credit to flow in, lifting growth and strengthening Putin's election prospects.

Any move by Trump to ease sanctions would create a dilemma for the European Union, which has its own set of sanctions against Russia linked to the Ukraine crisis.

Some governments in Europe are sympathetic with Trump's stance and keen for relief from sanctions that are hurting trade with Russia. Others in the bloc believe Moscow has not met the conditions for the sanctions to be lifted.

Merkel, who faces a re-election battle, has invested considerable political capital in keeping the EU aligned behind the sanctions.

A German diplomat SAID last month: "If Trump lifts the sanctions, I fear the consensus in Europe would crumble". Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met in Berlin on Friday, underlining the challenges for European unity in the face of a new US president who has promised to shake up the status quo in international affairs.

"Let's say it honestly: there is the challenge posed by the new US administration, regarding trade rules and what our position will be on managing conflicts in the world," Hollande, who will leave office after an April-May election, told reporters.  Reuters
Bangkok, January 27

A Thai military court on Friday jailed a man for 11 years and four months on charges of royal defamation and computer crime over his Facebook social media posts last year.

The countrys strict lese-majeste law makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent. Each offence is punishable with a jail term of up to 15 years.

Burin Intin, 28, pleaded guilty to two charges of royal defamation and violating Thailands Computer Crime Act over posts deemed insulting to the monarchy in a comment on Facebook and online chat, his lawyer, Anon Numpa, said.

He was detained on April 27 last year after taking part in a peaceful protest against the countrys ruling junta, and held on remand in Bangkok, the capital, since April 30.

Anon said he would not appeal against Fridays decision, but would submit a petition for a royal pardon.

Last month, Thailands new King Maha Vajiralongkorn pardoned or commuted the sentences of up to 150,000 prison inmates, including some jailed under one of the worlds toughest laws against royal insult.  Reuters
A judge has rejected an additional $80 Million penalty in the Walmart driver wage lawsuit the company lost in November, according to an Associated Press report.

In the original lawsuit, the court awarded $54 million to more than 800 drivers who worked for the company between October 2005 and 2015. The suit argued that drivers were not being compensated properly for activities such as vehicle inspections, washing or layovers and originally sought $72 million in damages.

After being awarded the $54 million, attorneys in the case asked for an additional $80 million in penalties. The judge in the case denied the additional sum, in part because Walmarts original sum was already one of the highest such compensations in the trucking industry.

The judge did award drivers an additional $6 million for any time they were denied proper compensation by Walmart that was not covered in the original case.

Walmart had argued that drivers shouldnt be paid minimum wage for layovers or rest time because their pay was based on mileage, not hours, and drivers werent working during that time. The company also argued that it was unreasonable to be expected to break down pay by each activity when some of it only took a few minutes to accomplish.

Wal-Mart still disagrees with the original verdict and maintains that it paid drivers within compliance of California law, noting its driver's average earnings ranged from $80,000 to over $100,000 per year.
Photo: ATD

Robert Nuss, president of Minnesota-based Nuss Truck Group, has been named the 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year by the American Truck Dealers, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine and Procede Software.

Nuss received the award on Jan. 27 during the 2017 ATD Convention & Expo,in New Orleans, La. Nuss Truck Group, which is based in Rochester Minn., offers Mack Trucks, Volvo Trucks, Isuzu Commercial Trucks, and Volvo Construction equipment.

ATD Senior Director Barbara Robinson presents the trophy for the 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year to this year's winner Robert Nuss. Photo: Bob Brown. Nuss has served on the Mack Dealer Council as its chairman and it was noted that he actively gives back to the community through involvement in local charitable organizations, such as the Rochester Area Foundation, Rochester Boys & Girls Club, Seasons Hospice, and others.

He was one of five nominees for the Truck Dealer of the Year award, which honors excellence in business practices, industry leadership and community service. Faculty members from Indiana Universitys Kelley School of Business choose the winner.

All nominees were selected by state, metro and national association leaders. The other four nominees for the 2017 Truck Dealer of the Year award were:

James D. Carello, president of Regional International Corp. in Henrietta, N.Y.

Katie Hopkins, executive vice president of Truck Centers, Inc., in Troy, Ill.

Gary G. Nicholas, president/CEO of Nicholas-Wyoming Valley Truck Sales, Inc., in Luzerne, Pa.

Zach Wagner, CEO of Gateway Truck & Refrigeration in Collinsville, Ill.

Read what all five nominees have to say about dealer trends affecting fleets in the February issue of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine.
Still Standing: Four the Moments legacy honoured at Nova Scotia Music Week

When a quartet of Halifax women began singing together a cappella in the name of social justice in 1982, there was little in the way of a music industry at play in Atlantic Canada. And even if there had been, its likely that Four the Moment would ...
HoganTaylor names three as new partners

HoganTaylor announces the naming of John Cooper, Dan Bomhoff, Jeff Koweno, and Bret Little as partners.

Cooper joined HoganTaylor in 2012 with more than 15 years of experience providing assurance services. Bomhoff joined HoganTaylor in 2013, with more than 15 years of experience in the area of taxation.

Koweno joined HoganTaylor in 2012 with 20 years of experience providing financial statement audit, audit of internal controls, SEC reporting and compliance and other services. Little joined HoganTaylor in 2007 with more than 15 years of experience providing tax services.

OERB names three to board of directors

The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board named Doug Johnson, David Ferris and David Sikes to its board of directors.

Johnson is senior vice president of MidCon Development for BP. He is a 40-year resident of Oklahoma who has committed his professional career in the oil and natural gas business to promote Oklahoma jobs and reduce dependence from foreign sources of energy. He holds degrees from Baylor University and the University of Oklahoma.

Ferris is development manager of the Anadarko Basin Business Unit for Devon Energy Corp. in Oklahoma City. He leads the integrated planning team in the strategic planning, development and execution of the STACK play. He is a graduate of OU and is working toward a doctorate at the University of Southern California.

Sikes is a native Oklahoman and the third generation of his family to work in the energy industry. He is a principal with Jeroco, Inc., where for the past 16 years as the director of operations he has managed the companys mineral and working interests.

Three from Tulsa named to Housing Hall of Fame

Three veterans of the states home building industry were among those inducted into the Oklahoma Housing Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Ken Klein, Charlie Gilmore and the late Bill Rhees were honored along with two from the Oklahoma City area during the annual Installation Banquet and Hall of Fame ceremony for the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association.

Former OSHBA president Phil Rhees, the son of Bill Rhees, introduced the inductees. Phil Rhees led the initiative to create hall of fame.

Also at the event, David Blackburn of Tulsa was among the officers for the coming year and was installed at vice president/treasurer and David Sanders of Tulsa as vice chair of the State Associates Council.

The OSHBA has over 2,500 members in 11 local associations, including the Tulsa HBA, and serves as an advocate for the states housing industry.

McElroy, Netafim partner to help irrigation industry

McElroy, which specializes in pipe fusion machines, and Netafim, a global irrigation company, have joined forces to meet the demand for high-density polyethylene pipeline solutions serving the irrigation industry and the growing opportunities in potable water and natural gas.

Both companies have been pioneers in their fields, devoting decades to providing quality infrastructure and jobsite solutions to create a sustainable future, according to a statement.

McElroy, with a location in Tulsa, was the featured equipment manufacturer at Netafims Open House recently which debuted the expansion of Netafims HDPE fusion equipment business. Netafim also sent representatives to McElroys Tulsa headquarters to take fusion operator courses at McElroy University, which also offers training in troubleshooting, maintenance and inspection.

West Law Firm of Shawnee marks 50 years

The West Law Firm in Shawnee is celebrating 50 years with founding partner Terry West, a graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law, still active in the firm.

The West Law Firm of Shawnee, Oklahoma is a plaintiff law firm that represents victims of personal injury, including product liability, motor vehicle collision, defective drugs and medical malpractice.

In addition to Terry West, the firm also includes Partner Bradley C. West, along with Attorneys Gregg W. Luther, J. Shawn Spencer and Legal Assistant Bart D. West.

Former attorneys at the firm include Douglas Combs, current chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and Robert H. Henry, current president of Oklahoma City University.

Simmons First National acquires Texas Bank

Simmons First National Corp., which recently acquired Stillwater-based Southwest Bancorp., announced last week it acquired First Texas BHC, Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Simmons Bank will acquire $462 million of First Texas Banks common stock. First Texas has 16 branch locations and is the largest locally owned bank in Fort Worth.

First Texas is the parent company of Southwest Bank.

Stigler banker up for national board position

Christopher Jordan, president and CEO of The Farmers Bank in Stigler, is among the nominees for the board of directors for the Independent Community Bankers Association.

Jordan, one of 22 nominees selected among nationwide banks for various positions on the board, was nominated for secretary. Voting will be held in March at the groups national meeting.

The ICBA represents nearly 6,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types and represents the interests of the community banking industry.
Welcome, Neighbor!

Thank you for sharing my journey with me. It's a bumpy ride, but hopefully you'll find it worthwhile! To reach out to me, send me an e-mail at jamesbradfordpate@yahoo.com.


Oklahoma does not have any municipalities considered sanctuary cities, and Tulsa officials anticipate no changes in regard to immigration enforcement as the new presidential administration maneuvers toward stricter practices.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders ordering a Mexican border wall be built, hiring 15,000 additional immigration enforcement officers, adding more detention centers along the border and threatening to withhold federal money to sanctuary cities. More executive orders regarding immigration enforcement are expected.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum issued a statement on social media Thursday saying he consulted with legal and police experts about the presidential action.

All are in agreement that this order does not call for a change in any of the practices already in place here, Bynum stated. As your mayor, it is so important to me that law-abiding Tulsans know they can call our police when they need help. I want our immigrant community in Tulsa to feel safe, feel welcome, and feel this is a place of opportunity for future generations of their families. That is the kind of city we are focused on building.

Sanctuary city is an undefined, broad term used to refer to municipalities with policies that limit involvement with federal immigration enforcement.

Websites among groups calling for restricting immigration  such as the Center for Immigration Studies and Federation for American Immigration Reform  do not list any Oklahoma cities as sanctuary cities. The number of such cities ranges from 60 up to 500, depending on the group.

However, without a definition, it is a moving target and individual choice on which cities earn the label.

In 2007, Oklahoma passed House Bill 1804, which is an anti-immigration bill with several provisions such as making it illegal to provide transportation, shelter or identification for undocumented immigrants. At that time, the local group IRON (Immigration Reform Oklahoma Now) called Tulsa a sanctuary city.

The fact that police dont ask every person they stop to prove they have a lawful presence in the U.S. might be considered a sanctuary policy, said Elizabeth McCormick, founder and director of the Immigrant Rights Project at the University of Tulsas College of Law.

The term is believed to have originated in the 1980s when churches provided shelter to Central American immigrants fleeing violence. Federal officials were not providing refugee status, so efforts were made to shield these immigrants from deportation.

The sanctuary label at this point has actually been co-opted by the anti-immigrant side of the debate because its wielded as an accusation, McCormick said.

McCormick said the orders cannot change existing laws but do set up priorities for the administration. She said it appears to shift away from focusing on undocumented immigrants who commit crimes.

There appears to be an effort to enforce immigration laws against anyone for removal regardless of extenuating circumstances, if they have lived here since childhood or have no criminal history, McCormick said. There is no conversation going on that seeks to look at the system as a whole. What is there in terms of providing options for people to come and live in the U.S. or open up legal channels for people who have been here?

People who have legitimate ways of remaining in the U.S.  such as crime victims or domestic violence  worry that they wont get an opportunity to pursue those claims because the focus is using all available resources and means for enforcement.

Law enforcement

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said officers will continue to approach their jobs just as they always have. Officers do not ask for immigration status when making arrests or interviewing witnesses.

We are not going to change in Tulsa, Jordan said. Our goal is to engender trust with our community. We dont want anyone scared to call police. We are the police department for our entire community. We have no plans to change our operations regarding immigration.

We spend a lot of resources to assure our Hispanic community that nothing is going to happen, and I intend to follow through with that.

After a person has been arrested, the Tulsa Jail has a contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to check for immigration status, which could lead to deportation. The jail has been participating in the 287(g) program since 2008.

During the booking process, immigration officials can request a detainer be placed on a person based on a background check. Once that person has dealt with the state or local criminal complaints, then the inmate is held in the custody of ICE until deportation or administrative proceedings are complete. The program has been criticized for encouraging racial profiling and unequal treatment of immigrants. Local advocates have appeared before the Tulsa County commissioners arguing to drop the program.

Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado has stated it is a misunderstood program because the priority for a detainer is criminal history, national security concerns or past deportations.

Ive met with the upper management of ICE and been given no indication anything will change, Regalado said. We will continue to operate within the laws at David L. Moss (Jail) and deal with the criminal element.

Regalado said he understands the anxiety among the immigrant community, but no plans are being made to expend personnel or resources on practices such as raids.

I cant speak to what President Trump will do or change. I understand and empathize with the fear and even some of the paranoia among immigrants, he said. From the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office, we do not have the resources to engage in or participate in the roundup of people. We barely have enough to staff the 287(g) and those who are the criminal element.

Education

When it comes to school-age children, a 1982 Supreme Court case known as Plyler v. Doe granted a right to education regardless of immigration status.

In 1975, Texas passed a law to withhold state funds for educating students who were not legal residents and gave districts the right to deny enrollment to undocumented students.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, found the law violated the 14th Amendment. In part, the decision determined children had a right to protection from discrimination, and the law imposed a burden based on a legal characteristic over which children can have little control.

The majority stated denying children an education would likely contribute to the creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare and crime.

In practice, this means schools do not ask or require proof of legal immigration or citizenship status among students or families of students.

The ruling of the court set forth children of illegal immigrants are people deserving of equal protection rights. Whether or not a child is of illegal immigrants has no bearing on the enrollment or services provided to a child in Oklahomas public schools, said Julie Miller, deputy executive director and general counsel of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

In higher education, House Bill 1804 requires undocumented immigrants pay out-of-state tuition. They are not eligible for government-backed grants or loans to pay for college.

Health care

Tulsa City-County Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart said immigration status is not asked among people seeking services at clinics. He said this is a practice followed by all health departments in the country because of the urgency in dealing with communicable diseases.

Health departments offer services, programs and immunizations to prevent and treat infectious diseases.

Public health has no borders, Dart said. If we serve one person, we are serving the entire community.

Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for the coverage of Medicare or Medicaid, except in the delivery of children because the child will be a U.S. citizen. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to buy insurance through the marketplace plans available through the Affordable Care Act.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Rep. Dan Kirby is expected to meet Friday with a House panel looking into allegations of sexual harassment against him.

Kirby, R-Tulsa, had earlier said he would not testify because the rules imposed by the committee, which meets behind closed doors, impeded his right to due process.

His Tulsa attorney, Rachel Mathis, said Thursday that she and Kirby still have concerns about the procedure.

But Kirby believes it is in the best interest of his constituents and the citizens of the state that he appear and respond to the allegations, she said.

She is expected to be present at the meeting.

While we remain concerned with some procedures governing the Special House Investigative Committee, I believe it is in the best interest of my constituents and the citizens of the State of Oklahoma that I appear before the committee and respond to the allegations lodged against me, Kirby said in a statement. As I have previously said, I support and look forward to the opportunity to defend myself and attempt to restore my reputation. I adamantly deny that I am guilty of sexual harassment.

House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, stripped Kirby of his committee chairmanship earlier this week after Kirby declined to meet with the panel.

McCall charged the House Rules Committee with looking into allegations of sexual harassment after it was learned former House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, approved a $44,500 settlement to one of Kirbys former executive assistants and her attorneys to settle a wrongful termination and sexual harassment complaint.

Hickman has said there was no sexual harassment, but it was cheaper to settle the grievance than to litigate it.

Since then, another former assistant has come forward, accusing Kirby of asking her to send nude pictures to him.

Kirby resigned after the initial allegations, but then rescinded the resignation.

The committee is expected to issue findings and recommendations to the full House, which could vote, with two-thirds majority, to expel Kirby.

If Kirby is expelled, Gov. Mary Fallin would have to call a special election to find a replacement.

The panel is also looking into sexual harassment allegations against Rep. Will Fourkiller, D-Stilwell. Fourkiller has said he was told in 2015 that something he did made a page feel uncomfortable.

He has denied wrongdoing.

Fourkiller declined to meet with the panel, citing problems with the process.
Everything, including new revenue sources, will have to be on the table as lawmakers grapple with an $868 million budget hole, Senate President Pro Tem Mike Schulz said Thursday.

There is no one thing, no silver bullet that will solve the problem, Schulz said during a morning news conference at the Tulsa Press Club. Certainly, discussions are going on about revenue-raising measures.

Among those measures are a broadening of the state sales tax to services not currently taxed, accelerated elimination of a renewable energy tax credit and an increase in the state tobacco tax.

One thing we need to be careful about  is that you can wreck an economy if you act too fast, said Schulz, R-Altus.

Expanding the 4.5 percent state sales tax to include things such as haircuts, legal services and labor charges is supported by Gov. Mary Fallin and other Republican leaders.

Less popular are a re-examination of recent income tax rate reductions and a rejiggering of oil and gas severance taxes that many believe resulted in a net loss for the state.

Schulz did say his caucus, which holds a 42-6 majority in the Senate, would continue to review business incentives and weed out those deemed ineffective. The renewable energy credit, used almost exclusively by the burgeoning wind energy sector, is a prime target this year.

Schulz was accompanied by 13 Republican senators who laid out the caucus agenda for the session that begins Feb. 6.

That agenda includes efforts to improve health-care access, continuing support of stepped-up road and bridge building and maintenance, and squeezing school administrative costs while removing obstacles that interfere with a teachers ability to help students learn and achieve.

The agenda does not address teacher pay, although several Republican lawmakers have filed legislation calling for raises.

The agenda also does not address school choice, a hot topic in education circles, but does put a priority on giving parents, taxpayers and local school boards to more closely direct and increase the quality of education.

While dealing with the immediate problem of a $2 billion shrinkage of general revenue over the past two budget years, lawmakers must also consider long-term policy, Schulz said.

The important issues in this state are not solved in one session or two sessions, Schulz said. The work is begun in one session or two sessions, but it continues on for many, many years.

I have two years left to serve in the Oklahoma state Senate. My goal is to leave a legacy with these members to continue the work we start so that in five years, 10 years, 20 years our successors will reap the fruits and benefits of the foundation we put in place today.
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The West Indies are not going to Australia just to make up numbers, but aim for a Test series win.
Daytime US soap The Bold and The Beautiful is headed back to Australia to film episodes for its 30 year anniversary, 9 years after it previously filmed here.

Cast members coming in February include Scott Clifton (Liam), Don Diamont (Bill), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), John McCook (Eric), Rena Sofer (Quinn), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy) and ex-Neighbours star Ashleigh Brewer (Ivy).

Executive Producer and Head Writer Bradley Bell said This will be an epic celebration for our fans around the world. We are preparing to film the most glamorous location shoot in soap opera history. Collaborating with Qantas, Network Ten and CBS, viewers will witness romance, high style, jaw-dropping twists, harrowing stunts and major cliffhangers, all hallmarks of The Bold and The Beautiful.

Network Ten Chief Content Officer, Beverley McGarvey, said: We are thrilled to be welcoming some of the cast and crew from The Bold and The Beautiful to Australia. In a year when the show is celebrating 30 years on television, it is wonderful that they will film in some of Australias most iconic locations, showcasing our beautiful country to the world.

In 2015, Network Ten signed a historic lifetime programming deal for the long-running soap to remain exclusively on TEN for the entire run of the series.

Australian-filmed episodes will screen on TEN in May.

Angela Bishop will host a Q&A with cast members at Parramatta Riverside Theatre on Sunday February 12.
| By Mary T. Phelan

A gift of $2 million from Bill and Joanne Conway, through their Bedford Falls Foundation, to the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) will be used to provide scholarships to students in advanced degree programs.

This is the second seven-figure gift the Conways have given to UMSON. Their first commitment of $5.24 million, announced in April 2015, was the largest in UMSON history. It is being used to fund more than 150 full scholarships for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students and to increase opportunities for registered nurses to obtain their BSN degrees through the Schools RN-to-BSN program.

The Conways most recent donation, the third largest philanthropic gift the school has received, will be used to fund scholarships for UMSON students demonstrating financial need who are pursuing masters, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and PhD degrees and the schools post-masters Certificate in Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions. Recipients of these scholarships, as with those beneficiaries of the Conways initial gift, will be known as Conway Scholars.

Standing with Conway Scholars are University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN (back row, far left); Bill Conway, (back row, fourth from left); Zachary Crowe, vice president, The Carlyle Group (back row, fourth from right); and Laurette Hankins, UMSON associate dean for development and alumni relations (back row, far right.)

In addition to funding scholarships, the $2 million gift also will be used to assist in the expansion of UMSONs Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) in Rockville. Currently offered only on the Baltimore campus, the FNP program is in high demand, but the school cannot accommodate all qualified students. Expanding enrollment to the USG location will enable UMSONs FNP program to provide the region with additional well-qualified primary care providers. UMSON anticipates admitting the first cohort of students to the FNP program at USG this fall. Once the program is at full capacity, it will enroll an estimated 80 students annually.

We are deeply grateful to the Conways for their unwavering commitment to nurses and nursing education, said Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. Their extraordinary gift will allow second-degree students and nurses throughout Maryland to pursue masters and doctoral degrees, thereby helping us respond to the increasingly complex nature of our health care system and meet the changing needs of our diverse communities.

The Conways gift provides an opportunity to expand the pool of masters and doctorally prepared nurses who in turn can serve as clinical instructors and full-time faculty in Marylands nursing programs.

Maryland has an acute need for more  and more highly trained  nurses, said UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD. This gift from Bill and Joanne Conway will be used to alleviate the states nursing shortage in two ways: enlarging the pool of nurses who can provide primary care to Maryland residents and enlarging the pool of faculty and instructors who can train nursing students. Im so grateful to the Conways  not only for their incredible generosity, but for their longstanding vision to create a robust and skilled nursing workforce that will ably improve population health in Maryland.

Consistent with national trends, Marylands nursing programs are faced with faculty shortages due to retirements and differences between clinical compensation and faculty salaries.

Students selected as Conway Scholars will receive a scholarship that covers in-state tuition and fees. The scholars must remain in good academic standing and have expressed a commitment to serve as a clinical preceptor, teach as a clinical instructor, or secure a full-time faculty position within three years of graduation.

Our initial gift has proven so successful in the development of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UMSON that we wanted to expand our scholarships to the masters-and-above level, Bill Conway said.

He is co-chief executive officer and co-founder of The Carlyle Group, Washington, D.C. The Conways are trustees of the couples Bedford Falls Foundation, which has bestowed significant nursing scholarships previously in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Kathy Galashan in the hallway of her home in north London, where she hosts refugees  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

THE HOSTESS

Name: Kathy Galashan

Age: 67

Occupation: Retired teacher

Home: London

Kathy Galashan is a retired teacher whose Jewish parents came as refugees to London in 1938. When images of refugees fleeing conflict at home and undertaking dangerous journeys to come to Europe dominated UK media last year, she, like many others, felt compelled to act.

The one thing she felt she had to offer was space. And after a little research, Galashan got in touch with Housing Justice, a UK charity set up to tackle homelessness whose London Hosting project was set up specifically to help refugees and asylum seekers in the UK capital. Within weeks, she welcomed her first guest, still living with her after six months.

I just thought, I ought to do something. It was about a year ago when there was a furore, pictures in the paper, lots of articles about camps and so on.

It's easy. And it's a win-win. It means I can read the news and not feel so helpless

So what do you do? You go online. I put my name down for this and that. And then I came across London Hosting.

It was always in the back of my mind that I have space. Ive also worked in a homeless hostel. At first I was wary, too nervous, too scared. But I went to a meeting of London Hosting. And I realised there is a whole support system. Theres an organisation that is responsible. I thought, I can do this. You set up the parameters. They do the matching.

Kathy, right, with her lodger Rawa. After being forced to sleep in the streets, Rawa now has a safe place to call home.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

What I do feels to me minimal not minimal its easy. Its not big or small its just straightforward. And its a win-win. It means I can read the news and not feel so helpless. You are doing something and you think: ok, alright I cant do anything about that, but I can do this.

Rawa is my first guest. I approached it as a flat share. I am not a social worker. I dont know what a do-gooder is. I just think everybody needs to feel safe. It doesnt matter where you are, or who you are or what you are living in, you need a safe space.

Everybody needs to feel safe. It doesn't matter where you are, or who you are, you need a safe space.

My parents came to England in 1938. They were both Viennese, but met in Britain, so they were themselves refugees. By the middle of the war, this street was empty, because it had been bombed. Theres a railway line. Houses were empty to let, so they moved in. They rented the house and eventually they bought it. They were living in this house when I was born.

Why do it? I suppose its a sense that you can either add to a common pool of good or a common pool of nastiness and racism and backbiting.

Id do it again. If I am not in dire need of the money and dont need the room, then I will do it again. Its interesting. It doesnt feel like its a big thing. It feels like you just have a friend here.

Meet others like Kathy who are showing refugees a #GreatBritishWelcome.
Displaced east Aleppo resident Omar kneels beside a stove for warmth. He is among some 50,000 residents of the ancient Syrian city's eastern neighbourhoods displaced to west Aleppo by war.  UNHCR/Hameed Maarouf

AL SALAT COLLECTIVE SHELTER, Aleppo, Syria  As the final battle for control of east Aleppo raged around them, Abo Ahmad and his family counted themselves lucky just to escape with their lives.

But now that the guns have gone silent, he is among more than 50,000 former residents of the ancient Syrian citys battle-ravaged east who are currently displaced in the western part of the city. And he is eager to get back to work.

I want to get our lives back, and to start working so I can provide for my family without depending on anyone, said Ahmad, who has been looking for a job  so far unsuccessfully  since arriving at the Al Salat shelter in early December with his wife and four children.

I want to get our lives back, and to start working so I can provide for my family without depending on anyone.

Now that weve crossed to safety, I want to go back to being productive. This is not the kind of life I want, waiting in queues for humanitarian assistance, he added.

In total, more than 120,000 individuals are displaced across Aleppo, one of the worlds oldest continually inhabited cities and Syrias largest population centre and commercial hub before the country descended into conflict in 2011.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners in the Al Salat collective shelter and throughout Aleppo are promoting jobs and livelihoods as a key part of the effort to help the city and its people recover from nearly six years of war. Among the services being offered are vocational training courses and start-up business grants.

Displaced traders return to Aleppo's old market

Many of the families we meet are eager to restart their lives, and most inquiries are about livelihood opportunities and the establishment of school for their kids, said Sajjad Malik, UNHCRs Representative in Syria, during a recent visit to Aleppo.

The brutal fight for control of Aleppo raged for more than four years before government forces re-established control over the whole city in December, following a months-long siege of eastern neighbourhoods.

Traders from the old citys damaged market are also looking to return and start over, among them Mohamad, who owns six shops there. I will slowly fix and repair things here, he said during a visit to a street flanked by stores with their shutters blasted off and interiors strewn with rubble. We will work together and rebuild this so we can work here again, he added.

I want to start working as soon as I can, but I need help as the tools I have now are not enough.

Another former resident of east Aleppo currently displaced in the west of the city is Omar, a 43-year-old blacksmith who specializes in traditional Arabic designs. He was able to continue working to support his family for much of the past four years, but was finally forced to stop in July when the east of the city came under siege.

Omar fled to the west with his wife and four daughters after his only son was killed in a mortar strike. When they left, he took his remaining tools with him in order to resume working when he could.

I want to start working again as soon as I can, but I realize I need help as the tools I have now are not enough, he said. Omar estimates that he will need to spend around 150,000 Syrian pounds (US$300) to buy the new tools he needs. Of that amount, I only have US$10 now, he added ruefully.

The way I am now, I cant seem to come up with a plan for the future, Omar said. All I can do now is stay in this shelter and survive, with my family, depending on the humanitarian assistance we receive.
Eyes wide in panic, the two young men seek cover at one end of the courtyard in the blinding sun. Behind them, a wall of iron sheets blocks their way: there is no escape. They scream in terror.

All of a sudden, it's over. The men stand, shake the dust off their trousers. Next scene.

Hard at work rehearsing, the men are part of a troupe of actors drawn from both refugees and locals living in Uvira, a town in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Among the actors in the drama group, known as The Kings of Peace, is 56-year-old widow Rehema Kankindi, who fled deadly political unrest in neighbouring Burundi in 2015. The rehearsals are taking place in the small yard of the modest house where she rents two rooms for herself, two of her children, and two grandchildren.

"A monster was after these two young men," Rehema explains in a soft voice. "These are tales that people tell here."

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, helps to protect urban refugees like Rehema across the world who do not live in camps, and promotes their peaceful coexistence with their host communities.

DRC: Theatre therapy

Short of funds for its programmes in DRC, however, UNHCR cannot do all that it would like to in providing psycho-social support to refugees. UNHCR therefore encourages groups like The Kings as part of its goal of helping refugees overcome painful experiences and live in dignity wherever they are.

As the actors continue rehearsing, the small yard slowly fills with an impromptu audience from the neighbourhood. Kids in flip flops sit on the ground beside women in colourful dresses, and a few men. Today, entry is free, but when The Kings play one of Uvira's popular restaurants, tickets earn them much-needed income.

But the theatre means more than a little pocket money for Rehema. "I saw that I had to join this group, says Rehema, who has diabetes, a condition aggravated by physical and mental stress. When we play theatre, we laugh, we cry, we are together outside. It helps me against stress, and that helps me to survive."

When we play theatre, we laugh, we cry, we are together outside. It helps ... me to survive."

Some of the scenes deal with violence and refuge, and force Rehema to face the most difficult episodes of her life. Two of her grown-up sons disappeared during civil unrest in Burundi a year earlier. She has heard rumours they were murdered. Rehemas husband died years before, leaving her to care for the family, and to arrange their hurried journey to Congo when Burundi became too unsafe for them.

"We don't know why they were killed. Nobody gave us a motive. At that time, some people kidnapped and killed others, just like that," she says.

Outside of the drama group life is difficult for Rehema. She works hard every day to put food on the family's table, selling vegetables for meagre earnings at a rudimentary table outside her home. Tomatoes are arranged in pyramids of four, next to green peppers, and a tin can with some palm oil that is sold by the spoonful.

Rehema Kankindi, a Burundian refugee, sells vegetables on a street stall in Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo. She fled across the border in 2015 after her stepson and two of her sons were killed in Burundi.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Swedi stands with his former classmates in Uvira. He fled Burundi with his mother after two of his brothers were killed. Because of financial hardship, he cannot afford to go to school anymore and has to work instead. "When I see the children going to school I feel bad," he says. "My heart aches."  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Rehema Kankindi (right) speaks with a UNHCR worker near her home in Uvira. She earns a small income to support her family from her grocery stall.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Two of Rehema's grandchildren sit on the doorstep of their home in Uvira. They fled Burundi with their grandmother after her sons were killed. Now, five of them live in two small rented rooms, struggling to make ends meet.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Rehema Kankindi contemplates her new life by the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Uvira.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Rehema Kankindi walks through the streets of her new home, the city of Uvira.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Rehema is particularly vulnerable. She is a widow in charge of a family, and also suffers from chronic illnesses. UNHCR recently supplied her with medicine for her diabetes and other conditions, and the agency's staff look in on her and the children from time to time. It makes her feel safer, she says: "I feel also like I am not abandoned".

She is in need of protection, says Esther Kashira, a UNHCR protection associate in Uvira. We follow up on her case, as we undertake field visits. Our presence helps to protect the refugees and reassures them.

In the dusty courtyard, rehearsals for the next scene begin. Rehema plays the mother of a boy who dropped out of school and fell into bad company. She delivers her lines with deep and genuine emotion.

Her performance is so compelling because she is drawing on personal experience: her youngest son, Swedi, 16, has not been in class since they fled Burundi. Her daughter Shebaby, 18, dreams of going to university. But, so far, there is not enough money to pay for the fees.

Despite the challenges, Rehema will never give up. "I have illnesses that cannot be cured," she says, matter of fact. "If the kids study, they can fend for themselves in life. "

And with that, she turns back to her rehearsals, drawing from the theatre and the crowds the energy she needs to keep going, for herself, and for her children.
CHARLESTON -- David Glassman did not expect that when he came into Charleston as Eastern Illinois Universitys new president there would not be a budget from the state in the near future.

Nevertheless, in the summer of 2015, Illinois lawmakers could not agree on a budget, and that stalemate continues. But, Glassman wanted to lead EIU to what he thought it was and could be, he said.

When I came here, I wanted to work on enrollment and work on some of the issues that were facing the university, Glassman said.

At that time, none of us could have predicted what would take place with the states budget capacity at that time. When things were starting to get a little bit more challenging because of the budget not getting passed, that did not deter me from doing what I came here to do.

Cindy White, Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce president, said this was partly the reason for naming Glassman as this years Outstanding Citizen of the Year.

She explained with a "double whammy" of declining enrollment and no consistent funding measures from the state hitting the university and the community, the university president had proven himself to be "the right person at the right time."

Through it all, Dr. Glassman faced the problems head on, made the hard decisions and made it his priority to lead EIU in its vision to be one of the nations top public regional universities, the award citation stated.

Some of these hard decisions included further tightening on university funds that were tight, to begin with and a pool of layoffs to ensure the university weathered the storm cooked up at the state level.

Glassman said he was set on making sure the problems from the state did not keep him from his original goals.

I came to EIU because I loved what I saw here and I saw so much potential, Glassman said. It was just infectious. I wanted to come here and lead the to greater strength and success. That doesn't change just because there is an obstacle in the road.

Glassman said it was, and, in some ways, is still a challenging time, however, it was easier to go and do the things that needed to be done because of the community both on and off campus.

Everybody in the community came together, Glassman said. We collaborated and cooperated in order to do the things that we needed to do That is one thing I am grateful for, how the community bounded together inside and outside the university.

For him, it also simply came down to being an educator and loving that work he is a part of.

Prior to serving as president, Glassman has also served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bradley University for five years.

Glassman started out as a faculty member in anthropology at Virginia Tech. He then left to go strictly into research for two years, before heading back into the education field.

I really missed the interaction with students, he said. I really missed being able to help students give a broader perspective or a broader view on human biology and human cultures. I went back into teaching and never left the profession.

The citation also mentions his work with the Vitalization Project as a positive initiative for Eastern and in turn the community. Glassman saw the project a road map or guideline for the university's future.

The project is comprised of members, some of which have completed their tasks, who were called to analyze programs and service analysis that would benefit the university.

Glassman said he sees the project as an ongoing success in its mission to identify what is and is not efficient or marketable.

Glassman and three other awardees will be honored at the annual Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce dinner tonight.

I really didn't believe it, Glassman said on finding out he would receive the award. Having only been in the community for a short period of time, I was literally stunned by having the city honor me in this way.

Glassman continued that he is taken back by the amount of support he has received from the community.

It is the kind of connection you can only get from a small Midwestern city, he said. When come to place a place like Charleston and you feel the support, you immediately feel a bond with a community and you do whatever you can to make that community stronger.
CHARLESTON -- For Tim Camden, staring out at the cosmos through the eyepiece of his bright red telescope was never meant to be a lonely experience, but a social one.

So when Camden, staff physician at Carle Clinic in Mattoon, found out that he is going to be honored as the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year partly for helping start Astronomy Night at the local library, he was surprised.

I have been awarded Volunteer of the Year for doing my hobby, Camden said. I am just having fun.

Camden, along with a fellow amateur astronomer Bob Rubendunst and librarian Beth Lugar, organized Astronomy Nights in the Charleston Carnegie Public Librarys parking lot in 2005.

There, Camden teaches those leaving the library how to use a telescope and what cool things are in the sky to look at on a particularly clear night.

I enjoy astronomy, but there is really not an astronomy club per se (in the area), Camden said.

He had been a part of large astronomy clubs in other areas before living in Charleston. For him, it always made astronomy that much better when it could be shared with others.

Along with co-organizing the astronomy night, Camden said he also sets up his telescope for various grade school classes to see the sky.

I do it just to show people, Hey, this is something interesting, Camden said.

He said he just does these things because he loves to share his passion with others. He was especially proud when he heard that his passion rubbed off on another who later further sought out astronomy.

Camden said he was told that one time an Eastern Illinois University student actually got into studying astronomy in college because of him. Camden said he heard the student was asked why he got into astronomy before he graduated.

(The student) said, Well, I came to one of the astronomy nights and I looked through a big red telescope and was fascinated by it,' Camden said. The big red telescope would have been my telescope.

In his award citation, Camden was also recognized for his work helping lay down the original trail along the Lake Charleston. Camden said along with several other people, he helped lay down bridges and clear fallen branches and trees from the already existing trail system near the lake.

Bridges would be made out of donated wooden pallets and existing fallen logs that could be used.

Not as extensive as it is now, the trail system was originally being cleaned up and worked on by these volunteers including Camden, before the city later picked up the project and start building upon their work.

We were very proud of it, he said. It was fun.

As a mountain biker who wanted to use those trails, he saw helping repair the trails as a natural step to make.

You had to because there was no place to mountain bike, he said. If you want a place to mountain bike, you build trail.

For the longest time the closest rideable trails were in Danville and Sullivan. So, for Camden, it was an easy to decision to help out with building the trails with others like Kyle Curtis and Brendan Lynch, also volunteers who started building and cleaning the trail.

He said within the national mountain biking community it is in some ways expected that mountain cyclists will contribute to their systems. While the city took over building the trail, Camden is still a steward of the trail, removing branches from pathways and other cleanup work on the trails.

The citation for the volunteer award states he also is getting recognized for volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America, where he helped ensure Scouts' physicals were up to date and helped organize canoeing, sailing and camping activities.

He also offered medical treatment during the Girls on the Run 5K run.

I am very humbled by this honor because I think there are hundreds of people doing exactly the same thing, Camden said. I know there are. Everything that I am being recognized for I am not the only one there. And everyone out there is doing it for the same reason I am. When I am looking around Mattoon and Charleston, I see a lot of volunteers.
MATTOON -- Lake Land College is ranked as one of the top 50 associate degree and certificate producers in the nation in Community College Weeks 2016 Top 100 Associate Degree Producers.

Lake Land reported in a press release that the colleges agriculture and business divisions also rank in the top 20 in the nation, with the agriculture division ranking first in the state.

The special report uses data from the U.S. Department of Education to rank the completion rates for 5,589 two-year and four-year colleges that offer certificates and associate degrees.

Overall, Lake Land ranks 28th in the nation for one-year certificates. These short-term programs of one to three semesters include cosmetology, practical nursing, industrial maintenance, dental assisting, EMS-basic, public safety telecommunicator, medical coding, horticulture, welding, automotive, programmable logic controllers and crop production.

This national recognition reflects our commitment to providing a great educational experience for our students, Lake Land President Josh Bullock said in the press release. The study also recognizes the value of a Lake Land College education and the opportunity it presents students to change their lives in a quality educational setting close to home.

Lake Land ranks 13th for degrees awarded in agriculture, agriculture operations and related sciences nationally, and first in Illinois. The agriculture division offers several associate degrees in this field of study, including agriculture business and supply, alternative agricultural production and horticulture production and landscape.

The business division ranks 17th for degrees awarded in general sales, merchandising, and related marketing operations. For Lake Land, this includes associate degrees in entrepreneurship, marketing and professional sales.

Additionally, the college ranks 35th for degrees awarded in the fields of multi/interdisciplinary studies.
Under increased pressure for supporting the proliferation of fake news, Google has finally taken actions, removing over 200 web publishers from its Google AdSense networks.

The online advertising platform, Google AdSense, has been criticized for placing ads for websites that falsely claimed news like the one with Donald Trump. Other web publishers were doing some imitations, posing as legitimate news websites, using URLs similar to the real news websites they were actually imitating.

Launched in 2003, Google AdSense is an online advertising platform that allows web publishers in the Google Network of content sites to serve media advertisements that are highly targeted to web publishers' content and even audience.

According to Fortune, the Mountain View-based company has already taken down around 1.7 billion Google AdSense-powered online ads for violations in 2016 only. That is pretty big compared to 780 million ads last year.

This week, the search giant announced it had reviewed some 550 sites since its policy change, permanently banning nearly 200 web publishers from its advertising network. In addition to the 200 websites, Google is also temporarily removing another 140 websites from Google AdSense.

Google Joins Facebook on War Against Fake News But declined to Provide Listing of Banned Websites

Two of the world's biggest digital information platforms are about to join forces in a never-ending war against purveyors of false published news. The two tech giants Facebook and Google have already announced plans for rolling out online tools designed to take out "fake news."

The issue on the false news or misleading information has become a major storyline in the recent US presidential campaign and election. And it is not the just in the US, the problem has already reached America's neighbor, Canada.

Reports said that Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch's campaign manager, Nick Kouvalis, has finally admitted posting false information about the Trudeau administration. The goal is to draw out left-leaning Canadian voters.

The battle against fake news sources is expected to get more intense in the next few months as Google and Facebook announced steps to purge networks of fake news websites. Both tech companies have been testing online tools aimed at helping users identify legitimate websites that publish credible news.

Despite the huge progress made online, Google still refused to share a list of the 200 fake news websites that were banned in November and December last year, according to Recode.
The Montana State University (MSU) hosted the "Going Global Summer Expo" held on January 26, this year. The expo promoted global engagement of students. It provided students with data on how to study or work abroad.

"Going Global Summer Expo" in MSU presented different programs for students to join. Students who would enroll in international programs would be sent to various places in the globe. There would be summer vacation programs for two to three months. Short courses during semester breaks would be for two to three weeks, according to Montana State University.

"Going Global" holds expos in different countries all over the world. These conferences aimed to encourage students to seek global experiences through these international programs.

"Going Global Summer Expo" in MSU is part of the Going Global 2017 Conferences. The theme for this year is "Global cities connecting talents; driving change." The focus for this year is connecting universities and colleges to enhance global knowledge and talents.

" Going Global" does not refer to traveling around the world or visiting other places. This phrase refers to a deep awareness and understanding of various aspects of the universe. Going Global participants will develop awareness of wars, diseases, technologies, crop yields, threats from nature, according to Fox Business.

"Going Global 2017 Conference" is slated on May 22-24 in London. It will present unique framework for sharing knowledge. Education leaders from around the world will discuss issues regarding international higher education and further education. The conference will allow for the solutions to these issues, according to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

The MSU Office of International Programs will facilitate applications to all programs that Going Global offers. Students who want to study abroad may apply for the direct exchange program. Those who prefer to have on-the-job training abroad may apply for internship programs.


The proliferation of fake news has now become a global issue that even the Vatican and the World Economic Forum voiced their concerns on separate occasions about the phenomenon and called for stricter measures to control it.

Pope Francis delivered a sermon on Tuesday urging journalists to tell the truth as well as focus on reporting positive stories that will bring hope to people. He explained that focusing on the good news does not mean ignoring what he calls 'human tragedy' or turning a blind eye on the evils of this world. Rather, avoiding people to feel desensitized by the constant barrage of bad news and become apathetic of it.

In an earlier report via The Guardian, Pope Francis expressed how he really felt about fake news that he likened those who report it to someone who has coprophilia, a love for excrement. Likewise, he compared those who love consuming fake news a coprophiliacs, those who love eating feces.

Aside from fake news, he also reminded those who use media to slander or defame political rivals saying no one has the right to do this.

Pope Francis was not the only prominent figure who has expressed concern over fake news as of late. Members of the World Economic Forum is also treating fake news as an urgent matter that needs immediate resolution.

According to Richard Edelman, head of the communications firm Edelman, there is a downward spiral of trust in businesses, the government, and the media which was similar to the decline in trust during the 2009 financial crisis.

Jeff Jarvis, who ran an event on fake news during the forum and a professor at the City University of New York, said that there is an atmosphere of lies, propaganda, and fraud.

Michael Posner, co-chair of WEF's Global Future Council on Human Rights, said that they will continue to discuss the issue as well as find measures how to limit the proliferation of misinformation , extremist content, and political propaganda online through the use of algorithm.
The Cancer Research UK has classified skin cancer as the fifth most common cancer in the world with thousands of new cases every year. Scientists say that the best way to prevent skin cancer is early detection. With that in mind, a team of researchers from Stanford University developed a new system that would detect skin cancer at its early stages using artificial intelligence.

The statistics from the Skin Cancer Foundation reveals that 5.4 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are treated every year in the United States while one person dies every 52 minutes because of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.

Initially, skin cancer is detected by visual examination but with the new system developed by the Stanford researchers, that would soon become the task of artificial intelligence. The system is based on image recognition which could be developed for smartphones thereby allowing easy access to screening as well as providing low-cost methods for detecting skin cancer at its early stages.

The scientists used the deep learning algorithm created by Google to built the new system. According to Andre Esteva, an electrical engineering Ph.D. student at Stanford and the co-author of the study, they fed the system with 127,000 images of skin lesions that encompass all types of skin cancer. Each of these images is also individually labeled.

After that, they trained the algorithm to pick out and identify patterns and relationships. Once the training is done, the machine can identify new and unsorted data given to it.

In order to test the efficacy of their system, the scientists test it by presenting it with around 2,000 new images of different skin lesions. These images have been already biopsied by dermatologists. The system is on par with the experts in detecting different types of skin cancers from benign skin lesions to melanomas.

Esteva and his colleagues said that the system needs further testing. However, it already holds a lot of promise not only in skin cancer detection but in other fields of medicine as well.

The study is published in the journal Nature.
After President Trump's declaration to build a wall between Mexico and the United States, a lot of college students are feeling the heat. The undocumented immigrant students, most especially, are concerned with their future in the country.

Which is why colleges are now preparing to protect their students from immigration raids. Some students are calling on fellow students and school staff to declare their universities and colleges as sanctuary campuses.

According to reports, school administrators have assured their undocumented immigrant students that they are not going to provide the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents any assistance when it comes to tracking them, as reported by USA Today. Portland State University, New York University and the University of Pennsylvania are some of the colleges that have converted the institution as a sanctuary campus.

Other schools are providing help such as legal assistance. The University of Miami School of Law is providing free legal counsel to its immigrant students. While Arizona State University is offering free counseling to those who are experiencing anxiety over the issue.

In order for the ICE agents to be accommodated, they would need to acquire a court order to even step foot inside some of the colleges.

While some schools have voiced out their support, other colleges like Princeton University and Syracuse University are hesitant to provide sanctuary. They promise to do what they can to protect their students but they express that the school still needs to comply with federal immigration laws.

This fear most likely stems from President Donald Trump's announcement that he is pledging to cut federal grants to institutions offering sanctuary and not complying with the immigration authorities, as reported by Indiana Public Media. While the immigration agency has not yet made its move, universities are waiting on Trump's administration to make the official announcement. In the meantime, student groups are continuing to ask colleges to shield their students.

Here is a related news clip from CBC News on President Donald Trump signing the order to build a wall between Mexico and USA:
Oftentimes, getting speakers to come to an event would mean a professional fee needs to be paid as well as accommodation expenses such as hotel cost, meals and transportation. The most recent speakers at the start of the year came to commemorate Martin Luther King.

And among the universities in the United States, Georgia Southern University reportedly paid the biggest bill. The institution reportedly spent thousands of dollars during the recent Martin Luther King Commemoration Speaker series.

The event was hosted by the Multicultural Student Center and has been occurring since 2010. And according to the Georgia Open Records Act request, the school has spent over $140,000, as reported by The George Anne.

The huge bill comes from eight out of the 12 Martin Luther King Commemoration Speakers, including Nikki Giovanni. Giovanni attended the MLK Commemoration and recited a few of her poems, as reported by Statesboro Herald. Giovanni was paid $15,800 for her appearance at the university and that already includes her accommodation and transportation expenses. The bill may be likened to celebrity requests wherein the guest of honor would have gift baskets in the room or personal requests such as the water at a certain temperature, and so on.

But this is a risk Georgia Southern University takes because they purposely pick high profile celebrity speakers. This move aims to impress the school donors as well as encourage potential students to enroll in their school, as well as enabling the undergraduates to inspire further learning.

In Georgia Southern so far, the highest bill they had to pay was for journalist Soledad O'Brien in 2013. They paid her $35,000 which did not include travel and accommodation expenses. The speakers are being funded through student fees. Although most students have no qualms over the use of the funds for these speakers, some have voiced out concerns over the use of the budget.

Here is a video of Nikki Giovanni delivering her Martin Luther King address in 2014:
College education is expensive. Students pay for more than just tuition fees - they have to allocate funds for other important things such as housing, food, and miscellaneous fees. Thankfully, there are ways to find free money for college, and most of them aren't that hard to find.

One way to receive free cash for education comes easy for many: A love for food. Those who love to cook and want to enroll in courses revolving around the delectable science and art of food preparation (and the equally wonderful art of eating) might be able to acquire for themselves scholarships to support their education.

Want to receive scholarships for loving food? Here are some College Scholarships for adventurous foodies and aspiring chefs, according to U.S. News.

National Scholars Program

The National Scholars Program, courtesy of the James Beard Foundation, provides 10 scholarships worth $20,000 each to "food-focused candidates of exceptional talent." Students who wish to pursue culinary arts, hospitality management, food security, food studies, or other food-related disciplines can apply.

JBF also awards tuition waivers and other cash grants. Applications will be available online starting April 1 and are due May 15.

Goya Food Culinary Arts Scholarships

Goya Food Culinary Arts Scholarships, awarded by family-run Goya Foods, is made available for incoming freshmen who plan to major in culinary arts or food sciences programs. Goya Foods awards four scholarships worth $5,000 for freshmen, renewable for three additional years or until the scholar completes a bachelor's degree.

Those who wish to apply must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, be a U.S. citizen, and will be taking their first college degree. Those who get awarded must be willing to render 10 hours of community service per month. Applications are due Feb. 15.

John Kitt Memorial Scholarship

High school students interested in sweets can apply for the John Kitt Memorial Scholarship. Sponsored by the American Association of Candy Technologies, the scholarship awards $5,000 to students who will major in food science, chemical science, biological science or a related area.

Students who wish to apply must attend an accredited four-year institution in North America, and have a minimum of 3.0 GPA. Applications should be submitted on or before April 4.
Boeing has unveiled new spacesuits for Starliner astronauts. It is described as "lighter and more comfortable" than what earlier astronauts wore. In its official website, NASA confirmed that the suits met its requirements for safety and functionality. It also has cutting-edge innovations and capitalized on historical designs.

Boeing revealed the spacesuit design on Wednesday. The company is continuing its development for flight tests of the Starliner spacecraft and launch systems, which is expected to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

The new design uses advanced materials and new joint patterns which makes it lighter and more flexible. The helmet and visor has been incorporated into the suit rather than making it detachable. Other new developments are touchscreen-sensitive gloves and vents that give astronauts the option to be cooler but can still fill the suit with pressure immediately.

The full suit weighs a total of about 20 pounds, even with the integrated shoe. This is 10 pounds lighter than the launch-and-entry suits worn by space shuttle astronauts.

Moreover, the material of Boeing's new Starliner suit allows water vapor to pass out of it, away from the astronaut, to make it cooler without lessening its safety. It also keeps air inside.

Richard Watson, subsystem manager for spacesuits for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said that the spacesuit will serve as the emergency backup to the spacecraft's "redundant life support systems." Astronauts Eric Boe, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley and Suni Williams have tried Boeing's new Starliner spacesuit.

According to The Verge, the new Boeing suits are designed by David Clark Company. They are not meant to be used for spacewalks but only while astronauts are riding inside Starliner to and from the ISS.

It was previously reported that Boeing is set to have two demonstrations for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Its first schedule will be on Jun. 2018, which is uncrewed, is deemed as the Boeing Orbital Flight Test. The second demonstration for Boeing will be two months after its first mission, on Aug. 2018.
SPRINGFIELD -- Legislation that would increase the state minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2021 will not be discussed as part of the Illinois Senates grand bargaining until further negotiations are held.

Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, who sponsored the bill, said the Senate is still working on establishing a minimum wage proposal that different supporting groups can agree on.

Its still part of the package, Lightford said. We are just not ready to call it.

The Senate adjourned Thursday without taking any votes on its compromise plan to end the states ongoing budget impasse. The package also includes tax increases and changes to the states workers compensation laws, along with several other proposals.

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, told senators to be ready to begin voting on the plan Feb. 7 when they return to the Capitol.

For now, the minimum wage bill isnt being included, Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said.

Supporters of a minimum wage increase include the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, which has advocated for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

Under the proposed legislation, Chicago and the rest of Cook County, whose minimum wages are $11 an hour and $8.25 an hour, respectively, would not be able to adjust their minimum wages according to the cost of living once they reach $13 an hour. Chicagos will hit $13 in 2019, and Cook Countys will reach that level the following year.

Lightford said SEIU is unsatisfied with that part of the proposal.

On the other hand, Senate Republicans had proposed increasing the statewide minimum wage to $10 an hour over a seven-year period. They also supported freezing the Chicago and Cook County rates at $13.

A lot of compromise had to take shape in order for us to get a minimum wage deal, Lightford said.

She added that Democrats would still like to align with Republican senators who have agreed to support a minimum wage increase.

The final proposal made by Senate Democrats after negotiating with SEIU, Senate Republicans and other groups established a minimum wage increase to $11 an hour over a four-year period.

After voters overwhelmingly supported an advisory referendum on increasing the minimum wage, the Senate approved bills in 2014 and 2015 to increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2019, but neither was approved in the House.

If we continue to drag this on for another two years, the same group of people who could be at $11 are still at $8.25, Lightford said. I am excited we are finally at this point, and I do not want to miss the opportunity to help.

Lightford said additional conversations will take place to garner support from SEIU or move forward without it.

I think politics have to be set aside and recognize that were trying to help people who work hard every day and give them a chance at pulling themselves out of poverty  with a fair, livable wage, she said.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said that while he does not agree with the entire language of the proposal, he would like for it be part of the Senates grand bargaining package.

I think there was a reason why it was included in the initial package, he said. I understand the disagreement about the specific aspects to it. I would like to see it worked out  when the Senate takes votes on those measures.

While some Republicans dont support the idea of raising the minimum wage at the state level, they also dont see it as a deal breaker if its part of an overall compromise on the budget and other issues.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said raising the state minimum wage, which is already $1 higher than the federal rate, is just not good economics.

But Righter said hes open to the idea as part of a broader discussion that includes efforts to pay down the states nearly $11 billion backlog of unpaid bills and substantive economic reforms, such as workers compensation reform.

This is a compromise and negotiation, and that means both parties get some of what they want but neither party gets everything it wants, he said.

The House continues to propose legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by October but has not passed any legislation on the subject.
Universities in the U.K. are already feeling the repercussions of their decision to leave the European Union. Apparently, academics are already passing out on research bids as a consequence of Brexit.

The Independent reported that the Director of Education and Society for the British Council, Dr. Jo Beall, has warned the government to take immediate action to secure the future of university research or risk damaging the industry's credibility.

Universities UK and London Economics expressed their concerns about the future of university funding. They also want to have a detailed reassurance for EU students and staff in the nation.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union, said that the higher education sector feels that Brexit is giving people from the EU "a sense of being unwelcome." Moreover, EU national members are said to be looking at other places for long-term employment.

According to The Guardian, applications from EU students have dropped by over 7 percent. This is the first decrease to happen after about 10 years of unhindered growth, which will likely be blamed on Brexit.

A drop of nearly 5 percent has been seen in the number of applications from UK students as well. Applications from international students have fallen by less than one percent.

University experts have long warned the Members of Parliament about the damaging effects that a "hard Brexit" would have on the higher education sector. It has been reported that Brexit could lead to the "biggest disaster for the university sector in many years."

University of Oxford's head of Brexit strategy Alastair Buchan said that Brexit would lead to high risks of damage on one of the nation's best industries. He described this industry as the "knowledge-based economy" in the country.

Moreover, the exit would most likely lead to the cutting off of the flow of excellent people to Britain. As Oxford Brookes University's vice-chancellor, Alistair Fitt, phrased it: this may be the "biggest disaster for the university sector" in recent years.
United Nations / Italy Workshop on the Open Universe Initiative Vienna, Austria, 20-22 November 2017 Organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and The Italian Space Agency, on behalf of the Government of Italy Hosted by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs With the support of the European Space Agency

Updates:

Programme Updated 23 Nov 2017

Access and logistics Updated 24 Oct 2017

Information Note

Registration for the November Workshop is now closed.



Report: A/AC.105/1175

Presentations of the Workshop

Background

The Programme on Space Applications, established in 1971, soon recognized that space science-related activities and access to astronomical facilities and data could offer a cost-effective, entry-level path for capacity-building and science and technology education. To address this, the Basic Space Science Initiative (BSSI) was launched in 1991 (see A/AC.105/2013/CRP.11).

BSSI has been a long-term effort for the development of astronomy and space science through regional and international cooperation on a worldwide basis, particularly in developing nations. From its inception, BSSI has established ties with the Virtual Observatory community, as a way to promote access to space science and data. A series of workshops were held from 1991 to 2004; and astronomical telescope facilities and planetariums, donated by Japan, were established and inaugurated in several developing countries. From 2005 to 2008, BSSI focused on the preparations for and the follow-ups to the International Heliophysical Year 2007, which resulted in the establishment of 16 worldwide instrument arrays with close to 1000 instruments recording data on solar-terrestrial interaction. Since 2009 BSSI contributed with its activities to the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI), which was concluded in 2012.

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has a long-standing history of contribution to space science through national and international programmes. In line with the United Nations, ASI shares the vision of open data as a driver for knowledge and development. With its ASI Science Data Centre (ASDC), ASI has responded to the increasing demand for more open space science data providing services for several satellites, some of which are implementing a completely open data policy.

In recent years, various institutions and related initiatives have developed user-friendly platforms to provide access to products and services in astronomy (e.g., ESASky platform of the European Space Agency, Aladin Sky Atlas from the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center, ...). In order to provide a more comprehensive visibility of these services, improve transparency and facilitate the access to scientific data, ASI proposed the Open Universe Initiative, under the auspices of COPUOS in its 2016 session. The Initiative, has been devised to stimulate dramatic increases in the use of space science data to satisfy anyone in the world with interest in science on its broadest canvas, the Universe. Its aims are to foster dialogue between the data providers from projects of all sizes and the networks of creative forces at large in the modern internet in order to extend the potential of scientific discovery to all parts of the world for research, education and inspiration among all communities from professionals to citizens of all ages.

As a way to contribute to these goals, the United Nations and the Government of Italy are organizing the United Nations/ Italy Workshop on the Open Universe Initiative, under the framework of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. The Workshop follows a preparatory expert meeting held at the Italian Space Agency Headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 11 to 12 April 2017, where data providers, space agencies and other experts discussed the objectives of the Initiative. The participants of the workshop emphasized the importance of promoting the best practices and standards developed by the scientific community over the past decades, and highlighted the value of education in science as a prerequisite for the Initiative. The programme of this first meeting can be found below:

Expected Contributions to UNISPACE+50

UNISPACE+50 A series of high level fora, on preparation for UNISPACE+50, have identified key pillars to address the broader perspective of space activities. One of these pillars is "Space Accessibility", which refers to all user communities and decision-makers being able, on an equal basis, to benefit from and use space technologies and space-based data. The OpenUniverse initiative, by promoting access to open space data and expanding the end-user base directly contributes to this purpose. The promotion of the access and use of science-data will directly contribute to the UNISPACE+50 Thematic Priority 7: "Capacity building for the 21st Century", as well as the SDG4 on "Quality Education" by further advancing knowledge and increasing the level of sharing of scientific discoveries among user communities and with new participants in all parts of the world. In addition, the open-source philosophy and the proposed collaborative approach in the development of the platform aligns with Thematic Priority 1: "Global Partnership on Space Exploration and Innovation". Finally, the access to planetary science data, including solar activity, can potentially support Thematic Priority 4: "International Framework on Space Weather Services", with possible projects such as citizen science distributed reporting on location and intensity of auroras. Discussion groups will work towards the development and consolidation of a series of recommendations for UNISPACE+50, with contributions from data providers and end-users. The desired outcome of the workshop will be a series of observations, recommendations and a roadmap proposal for the Open Universe Initiative that will inform the preparation for UNISPACE+50 regarding transparency, availability, accessibility and use of space science data by the wider community of researchers, amateur and citizen scientists, and other end-users.

Objectives

The November workshop will bring together experts from the space science and astronomy sector, as well as decision makers, educators, and practitioners to discuss the most recent advances and methods to access and utilize space science and astronomy data. The workshop openly invites participation from the world's providers of space science data and current and potential clients in education, commerce and other sectors, including the rapidly growing citizen science community. The objectives of the United Nations/Italy Workshop are to: Review the status of current initiatives in space science with regards to data sharing including lessons learned from the past, and on-going activities. Promote the adoption of established best practices and standards in the field of astronomy and planetary science, and of FAIR principles in data sharing (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable). Discuss long-term sustainability of astronomy and space science data archives as an enabler for the robust provision and preservation of science-ready data and its links to the UNISPACE+50 thematic priority 7 on "Capacity Building for the 21 st Century" and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 9 on "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation". Exchange views on the design of a strategy to satisfy in a timely fashion the various requirements of an ever more diverse clientele, and on any expansion plans for service provision needed. Examine the opportunities for education and capacity-building in the field of space-science data, linked to UNISPACE+50 Priority 7 "Capacity-building for the 21 st Century" and the Sustainable Development Goal number 4 on "Quality Education". Explore the potential to foster citizen innovation through the access to open source science-ready astronomical data. Discuss coordination of international efforts of providers of space science data according to a set of criteria on ease of access, quality, robustness, transparency, completeness and timeliness. Discuss the way forward and objectives of the Open Universe Initiative, as well as related capacity-building and international cooperation activities, in preparation of UNISPACE+50 .

Preliminary Programme

The programme of this Workshop will include keynote addresses, plenary presentations, discussions and a poster session on the following topics: Current status and perspectives in space science data Beyond the current paradigm: new initiatives and services Social and economic benefits of universal open data: open access as an enabler of education, capacity building and knowledge-based economic development Astronomy and space science citizen-science projects International cooperation, policy and legal aspects Roadmap to future success Kindly note that the Workshop organizers may modify the number and themes of sessions of the final programme. The morning plenary sessions will be dedicated to invited talks and presentations proposed by the participants or invited speakers. The afternoon sessions will be organized as splinter meetings distributed in two or more rooms dealing with different topics with the presence of a moderator and a rapporteur. The detailed Workshop programme will be made available on this website at a later stage. In addition, a splinter session would allow various data centres and service providers to showcase and demonstrate tools and applications. A final discussion and wrap-up session will concentrate on how efforts on open space data can contribute to the SDGs and the UNISPACE+50 thematic priorities.

Participation Requirements and Qualifications

The Workshop is expected to bring together participants from national, regional, and international organizations such as: Representatives of major space data providers and organizations promoting standards and data formats

Government and space agencies

National, regional and international organizations

Academic, educational and research institutions including astronomical observatories, planetariums and science museums

Non-governmental organizations, private sector and industries, and open source data promoters

The growing community of citizen scientists, with focus on astronomy or science related projects

Intellectual honest brokers, e.g., philosophers, economists, statisticians, data theorists, etc. Applicants must have a well-established academic or professional working experience in a field related to the topic of the Workshop. Applications from qualified female participants are particularly encouraged. Selected participants will be requested to prepare a presentation of approximately 10 to 20 minutes on topics relevant to the Workshop objectives. Presentations on actual on-going projects will be of particular interest. In addition, they are expected to contribute to the moderation of discussion sessions and reporting activities. Invited participants will receive a formal invitation letter. Completed applications must be received by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs no later than 31 July 2017. Within the limited financial resources available, a small number of selected participants from developing and emerging countries will be offered financial support to attend the workshop. This may include the provision of a round-trip air ticket between the applicant's nearest international airport of departure and Vienna, and/or daily subsistence allowances to cover room and board for the duration of the workshop. En-route expenses or any changes made to the air ticket must be borne by the participants. Participants will be selected on a competitive basis. Successful applicants requesting funding will be notified of the outcome within two weeks after the deadline. Due to the very limited availability of funding, applicants and their nominating organizations are strongly encouraged to find additional sources of sponsorship to allow them to attend the workshop.

Life and Health Insurance

Life/major health insurance for each of the selected participants is required and is the responsibility of the candidate or his/her institution or government . The organizers and co-sponsors will not assume any responsibility for life and major health insurance, nor for expenses related to medical treatment or accidental events.

The Venue

Access and Logistics

United Nations Office at Vienna

Vienna International Centre - UNOOSA

1400 Vienna, Austria

Useful Links and Reference Materials

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UTSA Libraries named an official partner of San Antonio Tricentennial Celebration

The John Peace Library on the UTSA Main Campus

(Jan. 27, 2017) -- When San Antonio commemorates its 300th anniversary next year, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will play an historic role in the celebration. UTSA Libraries has been named a Tricentennial partner, joining the ranks of other distinguished organizations like AT&T, Bank of America and KSAT-12 in honoring this significant milestone.

San Antonio's tricentennial anniversary will be recognized through a series of events and initiatives celebrating the Alamo City's distinct culture and rich heritage. UTSA Libraries will host two events to take place in 2018 and create a digital portal to San Antonio history, which will feature archival materials held by UTSA Libraries Special Collections.

"We are delighted to be named as Tricentennial partners," said Dean Hendrix, dean of UTSA Libraries. "As one of the primary stewards of San Antonio history, we are happy that our historic collections will have the chance to shine and really enhance the celebration of our city's rich heritage."

The first event, A Culinary History of San Antonio: TexMex will showcase the evolution of Mexican cuisine in San Antonio and South Texas through UTSA Libraries' Mexican Cookbook Collection, one of the largest in the nation with more than 1,650 titles. The event will feature a meal inspired by the historical recipes in the Mexican Cookbook Collection, as well as a talk on the evolution of Mexican cuisine in San Antonio.

The second event, A History of San Antonio Activism, will highlight the various activist communities that have, over the years, defined San Antonio. The talk will draw inspiration from primary sources housed in UTSA Libraries Special Collections that provide first-hand documentation and evidence of the events, decisions, ideas, and actions that have shaped the development of San Antonio. These primary sources include papers from the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, as well as San Antonio's African-American and LGBTQ communities.

Dates and locations for both events will be announced later this year.

As a companion resource to all the Tricentennial events, UTSA Libraries will create a Portal to San Antonio History serving as a gateway to the university's rare, historical and primary source materials. The website will provide visitors with a launching point to explore UTSA Libraries' 125+ collections related to the development of the Alamo City, which include the papers of prominent San Antonio families, corporate archives from local businesses, and photographs from the San Antonio Express-News and San Antonio Light dating back to 1938. The portal is expected to launch in late 2017.

UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.

- Ryan Schoensee

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Learn more about the UTSA Libraries.

Learn more about San Antonio's 300th anniversary.

Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UW Ann Simpson Artmobile to Visit Black Butte High School in Rock Springs

Hank Laventhals Limage de Rose is among works included in the UW Artmobile exhibition Surrealism: Visions of the Mind that will be on view at Black Butte High School in Rock Springs Feb. 14-17. (UW Art Museum)

The University of Wyoming Art Museums Ann Simpson Artmobile, sponsored by Union Wireless, will visit Black Butte High School in Rock Springs with the exhibition Surrealism: Visions of the Mind Feb. 14-17.

Black Butte High School art students will host a community night to present the Artmobiles exhibition, including student work in response to the exhibition Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Surrealism: Visions of the Mind features the work of 15 artists, representing the international significance of the 20th century artistic movement.

My students will benefit so much from the Artmobile visit, says Shari Kumer, art teacher at Black Butte High School. We have limited opportunities to see historical artworks in person, but its so much better than looking at them on the internet. The experience is so much richer when students can see masterworks in actual size, texture and medium. I appreciate this opportunity so much.

High school art students will attend deep-looking sessions and make original art in response to the exhibition throughout the week with Erica Ramsey, Artmobile educator.

Black Butte High School students have worked hard to plan a fun community night where they can showcase their ability to analyze historically significant works of art and their creative responses, Ramsey says. The Rock Springs community can show its support for these enthusiastic young artists by joining us for surrealist games and light refreshments provided by Union Wireless.

The exhibition and community night are free and open to the public, sponsored by Union Wireless.

The Ann Simpson Artmobile program is a free core outreach program for the UW Art Museum, traveling museum-quality original artwork statewide for the past 35 years. On average, the Artmobile travels two to three weeks out of every month to Wyoming communities that have little or no access to original art. The Artmobile reaches out to people of all ages, backgrounds and developmental abilities, with special focus given to Wyomings K-12 schools and underserved populations including seniors, veterans and individuals with special needs.

For more information, call the Art Museum at (307) 766-6622, visit the website at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum, or follow the museum on Facebook.

Through its Museum as Classroom approach, the UW Art Museum places art at the center of learning for all ages. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday hours are extended to 7 p.m. February through April and September through November. Admission is free.
UW Center for Global Studies-Wallop Democracy Program in Sheridan Feb. 4

Gary Grappo

Democracy from a global perspective is the focus of the first University of Wyoming Center for Global Studies-Senator Malcolm Wallop Conversations on Democracy program Saturday, Feb. 4, in Sheridan.

Two discussions are scheduled at 1:30 and 3 p.m., both in the WYO Theater.

Ambassador Gary Grappo, a UW senior visiting scholar in the Global and Area Studies Program, will present Democracy in Transition: Lessons from the Middle East. The second presentation features the international fieldwork and internship projects from three UW students supported in summer 2016 by the Center for Global Studies-Senator Malcolm Wallop Fund for Conversations on Democracy program.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will follow the student presentations at 4 p.m. in the WYO Theater lobby.

Grappo is the former U.S. ambassador to Oman (2006-09) and a 26-year career member of the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State, with experience in diplomacy, public policy and management.

His primary State Department service was in the Middle East focusing on the Israel-Jordan peace agreement; counterterrorism and terrorism financing in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf; the U.S. occupation of Iraq; and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In Washington, he organized and led the effort to establish the Middle East Partnership Initiative (http://mepi.state.gov/). Following his assignment to Oman, he served as minister counselor for political affairs in Baghdad; and head of mission for the Middle East Quartet Office in Jerusalem, a U.S.-United Nations-European Union-Russia organization established to address the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. As its envoy, he worked with quartet representative Tony Blair, former prime minister of Britain.

At UW, Grappo offers students and Wyoming citizens comprehensive, practical, real-world exposure to and understanding of the issues involving U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

The three UW students and their international work presentations are:

-- David Demic, a juris doctorate candidate in the UW College of Law, Frankfurt, Germany, will present Summer Internship at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

His internship last summer at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, focused on cases at the court. This led to further research on the enforcement of transitional justice mechanisms in post-conflict courts, and the role they can play in re-establishing governance and civil society mechanisms in conflict contexts.

Building from his time in The Hague, Demic plans to evaluate the outstanding warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the planned implementation of a transitional hybrid court in South Sudan. He first came to Wyoming as a foreign exchange student at Sheridan High School in mid-2000.

-- Kris Hair, masters degree candidate in history, from Morgan, Utah, will present British National Identity and Understanding of Democracy.

Hair spent summer 2016 in London conducting archival research on Britains democratic identity. Hair identified the role that caricatures and other ephemera from the period played in the larger cultural movement. How these different types of evidence could be used to make arguments about British political culture in response to the presumed French invasion during the Napoleonic years also was examined.

-- Eric Nigh, masters degree candidate in global and area studies, from Cheyenne, will present Post Conflict U.S. Development Policy Outcomes in Iraq.

Nigh spent summer 2016 in Iraq posing questions to Iraqi participants in semi-formal interview and focus group settings that invoked thoughts from them about what the United States has been doing in Iraq, and what the U.S. should be doing now and into the future.

He says Iraqis had a great deal to say in interviews about how the U.S. can improve its soft power strategies, providing insight into what kinds of strategies work and what do not to enable influence. Nighs 12 years conducting development work in Iraq before his research provided him with the knowledge and connections to help with his project.

For more information, call Jean Garrison, UW Center for Global Studies director, at (307) 766-6119 or email at garrison@uwyo.edu.

Partners for the program are the Senator Malcolm Wallop Fund for Conversations on Democracy, and UWs College of Arts and Sciences, American Heritage Center, and the Global and Area Studies Program.
Wyoming Business Tips for Feb. 5-11

A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Bruce Morse, WSBDC regional director

I really need to work on my business this year. What do you suggest I do first? Tom, Sheridan

With another holiday season completed, most of us are now focused on the new year with high expectations and new commitments for success. In many cases, that means resolutions that probably include losing a few pounds or maybe just striving to get in shape.

The same process should apply to small-business owners. As you gather information for tax purposes, the new year is a great time to stop and evaluate your business activity, and get your business in shape. Take the time to actually work on your business, not just in it.

Have you prepared a budget for 2017 that includes sales and profit targets? Everyone says, I need more customers, so what is your plan to achieve that? Do not stop with new customers. Take some time to review your banking relationships, your key vendors and even your process for ordering office supplies.

Also, think about how much you are paying for rent, for internet access, for bank charges and even overnight deliveries. Take some time to review your overall business procedures and processes, pick two or three challenges to really focus on, and then take action.

This is where the process generally breaks down for most businesses. They get so caught up in the day-to-day activities that setting goals, assigning accountability and other timelines to keep are pushed aside instead of actually doing something.

As the saying goes, the worst thing you can do is nothing, so do something.

There are numerous resources online and even one-on-one assistance from your local Small Business Development Center Network adviser to help build a process to get your business on the track to success.

A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments are available at www.wyomingsbdc.org/blog1/.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
CHARLESTON -- Whats Cookin was not the long-term plan for the two dating business partners in 1980 when it opened.

The plan for the two owners was to only remain in Charleston for a few years before eventually moving away to somewhere like Wisconsin.

But a few months after they opened, Bob and Therese Kincade married.

We were dating at the time, Therese said. Then we decided, my gosh, if we can run a restaurant, we can certainly be married.

Then, one year passed. Then two years passed. Then three years passed.

And now after 37 years in business and marriage, the two and Whats Cookin have become a staple in Charleston and, this year, the restaurant has been selected as the Small Business of the Year by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce.

Back in 1980, Bob knew he wanted to start the restaurant and wanted Thereses help in doing so. Therese was graduating college at the time and was planning on eventually getting a job in Chicago.

Bob asked her to stick around over the summer to get it started.

We were in denial, Therese said. She said friends knew they would not only work together for much longer but eventually marry as well.

The two started out with themselves, a waitress, 10 tables and a name. The name was decided to allow flexibility in their menu should they want to change it, Therese said.

According to the award citation, their original idea was to focus on selling barbecue.

In fact, the restaurant phone number is 345-RIBS, the citation reads. But when they made 50 pounds of barbecue and only sold 10, they quickly switched up the menu.

Now after years in business, which included a recipe switch up and change in scenery from Lincoln Avenue to 409 Seventh St., the two said they are proud of how far the business has come, how it has grown and who they have met along the way.

Therese said it is humbling and a source of price for them to see generations of families continue to eat at their restaurant.

From the beginning, one thing that hasn't changed for the two and the restaurant is their strawberry bread. Therese said it was her mothers recipe, and it has been a surreal experience seeing its popularity among people even outside of Charleston. She said people order the bread from Chicago and even out of state.

Outside of the work they put into the restaurant, they will also be recognized for their contribution to community activities and traditions like the Light Up the Square project, now an annual Christmas tradition.

Bob even helped put some of the lights around the building, despite a fear of heights.

I have no idea (why I did that), Bob said. I hate heights.

Therese said Bob just wanted the square to look nice with lights during Christmas in the Heart of Charleston.

Bob said Whats Cookin has allowed him to do what many don't get to do.

I have the ability to make people happy every single day, Bob said. Not many people can say that about your job.


Internationally renowned restaurant, MR CHOW, is celebrating the first of many successful years at Caesars Palace by introducing a limited-time dish, Beijing Shredded Pork, available now through February 28 (Photo credit: David Becker).

As a nod to the original MR CHOW restaurant, Beijing Shredded Pork was on the menu the day it opened on Valentines Day, in London in 1968.

The Beijing Shredded Pork is an authentic Beijing dish made with julienned, lean pork tenderloin, stir-fried in slightly sweet bean paste. It is topped with Chinese leeks and served with pillowy lotus leaf buns. The dish is $38.50 a la carte and serves two.

On Sunday, Jan. 15, the MR CHOW team gathered for a champagne toast to celebrate their first major milestone. They were also presented with a custom cake, sleek and elegant, just like the restaurant. Caesars Palace General Manager, Sean McBurney, and Caesars Palace Vice President of Food and Beverage, Cory Johnson, joined in the team picture and toast.

Photo credit: David Becker.

MR CHOW at Caesars Palace is one of eight MR CHOW locations, including Miami, Malibu, New York City, Beverly Hills, Mexico City and the original location in London. Since opening, it has quickly become a celebrity hotspot, welcoming famous guests like Britney Spears, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Conan OBrien, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Jennifer Lopez and more. From the moment guests arrive, MR CHOW entertains and inspires, from the unparalleled design to the impeccable service to the notable cuisine.

Dont miss MR CHOWs Social Hour, Sunday to Thursday from 5  7 p.m., with special pricing on Krug Grande Cuvee, Moet & Chandon Rose and Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagnes.
The decree will make sure less buyers get their fingers burnt

Among the big projects to be launched is An Khanh New City Developments sale of its first phase this quarter. The mega $2 billion project is developed by South Koreas Posco E&C and Vietnams Vinaconex, located in Hanois Hoai Duc district, along the Thang Long Boulevard.

Scheduled for completion in 2013, the city is expected to supply 6,440 apartments, equivalent to 392,319 square metres of accommodation, enough for 30,000 people.

Even though Hoa Phat Group, the investor in a more than 1,000 apartment Mandarin Garden in Cau Giay districts Tran Duy Hung road, refused to release its launching time, real estate experts predicted the project would be soon launched.

At the beginning of this month the CT7D, located in Le Van Luong street and invested by Nam Cuong Group and the FLC Landmark Tower of FLC Group will also be launched, with a total of 200 units and prices ranging from VND23 million ($1,200) to VND28 million ($1,470) per square metre.

In Gia Lam district, over the Red River, the second lot of Rung Co Residentials belonging to the Eco Park is also being launched, with around 1,500 apartment units.

In addition, Victoria Van Phu, Star City, Diamond Tower and Song Da City View will also add apartments to the mix.

Real estate consultant CBRE Vietnam expected that there would be 3,000 units in Hanoi launched this quarter, compared to 1,950 units in the third quarter. There were more than 4,600 units launched in the second quarter.

This decline, according to CBRE Vietnam, could be due to the Decree 71, effective on August 8, 2010 providing guidance on the Housing Law, which caps the proportion of units sold via capital contribution contracts at 20 per cent with the remaining 80 per cent sold on transaction floors.

This decree, CBRE Vietnam said, had put a pressure on developers with low financial capabilities and enhanced market transparency.

However, CBRE Vietnam executive director Richard Leech said new project launches would continue trending towards more affordable options.

With the opening and improvement of major infrastructure routes, the capitals western and southern districts are attracting new residents with easier access for commuting into the core urban districts, Leech said.

He said that the Decree 71 was expected to benefit the market by enhancing transparency, placing pressures on developers with low financial capabilities, lessening the threat of price bubbles and limiting speculative forces.

Tran Nhu Trung, Savills Vietnam associate director, said the Decree 71 had showed off its advantages to clearly regulate five types of mobilising capital investment. However, Trung said the procedures to implement Decree 71 were still complicated and wasted customers time and energy.

The more simple it [decree] regulates, the more it is practical in the real life, Trung said.
"A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA" (Simon & Schuster), by Joshua Kurlantzick

Even with the hindsight of history, it's mystifying that 56 years ago when John F. Kennedy was preparing to become president, the fate of the Southeast Asian backwater of Laos was considered critical for America.

Joshua Kurlantzick recounts how the fear of the spread of communism that gave rise to the Vietnam War also led to the secret, devastating U.S. intervention in neighboring Laos, a nation of rice farmers that was cursed by its location on the geopolitical map.

During the presidential transition in 1961, Dwight Eisenhower was advising Kennedy that Laos was the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the United States. The CIA was starting to arm Hmong hill tribe fighters to resist Vietnamese-led communist forces, but what began as a low-budget, guerrilla training mission morphed into a decade-long U.S. bombing campaign bigger than that unleashed on Japan and Germany in World War II.

The story of this highly unconventional war has been told before, but Kurlantzick provides a more complete picture using declassified CIA histories. He also analyzes how the conflict heralded the agency's support of clandestine, paramilitary operations around the world as a virtual arm of the U.S. armed forces, still characteristic of its role today.

The brisk narrative weaves events in Laos with machinations in Washington, and centers on four key figures.

There is Vang Pao, the dynamic, ruthless Hmong guerrilla leader who commanded up to 30,000 fighters and "could summon death or food in ways that, in Hmong lore, only deities could do."

His CIA handler, Bill Lair, was a shy Texan with a cool, bookish demeanor, who would rue the escalation of the war that Washington championed as a way of drawing in communist forces that might otherwise have fought Americans on the ground in Vietnam.

Less wracked by guilt was Tony Poe, a hard-drinking, Kurtz-like figure (a character in the 1979 film "Apocalpyse Now") who trained guerrillas for the CIA. As his grip on reality slipped after years in Laos, Poe would stick the heads of communist fighters on spikes, "like a Southeast Asian Vlad the Impaler."

Sinister in a different way was Bill Sullivan, the aloof U.S. ambassador who ran the war for four years. He later won the Nixon administration's respect for his performances at congressional hearings where he lied to lawmakers about the American involvement.

Although the war in Laos failed to stop the communists, who remain in power, and left a staggering harvest of deadly, unexploded bombs, CIA chiefs considered the operation a success. Kurlantzick concludes that it also set a troubling precedent in allowing American presidents to conduct war in secrecy.
Cambodia has once again been ranked as the most corrupt country in Southeast Asia by anti-graft group Transparency International.

It gave Cambodia 21 points out of 100 in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2016, the same score it has received for the past three consecutive years.

Released on Wednesday, the CPI ranked Cambodia 156th out of 176 countries surveyed.

Preap Kol, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, said that the score reflected a lack of reforms. If we made changes to the right key points, the score and rank would have changed too, he said.

Combating corruption was made in some sectors; education and tax collection, for example, he added. However, the progress in some key areasthe judicial system and public serviceis still slow.

He said the upcoming commune and national elections are a platforms for politicians to show their willingness to combat corruption in Cambodia.

The closer to zero a country scores in the CPI, the more corrupt it is perceived by the people who live in it.

Myanmar scored 28, while Laos was scored 30. Singapore holds the highest score in Asean at 84, while Denmark and New Zealand had the highest score overall at 90.

Ok Serei Sopheak, head of Transparency International Cambodia, said during the launch of the report on Wednesday that the government has accepted that corruption is a problem in Cambodia. Otherwise, he wouldnt put combating corruption into the rectangular strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Cambodia has long been viewed as a country with endemic corruption, from the lowest levels of local governance to the highest officials in power. The World Economic Forum pointed out that 10 percent of Cambodias GDP was in the black economy.

Nuth Romdoul, a member of parliaments Investigation and Anti-Corruption Commission, said: The most corrupt cases are now happening at the sub-national level.
Opposition lawmakers have requested an official parliamentary inquiry be launched into the death of a sex worker who drowned in the Tonle Sap river while being chased by district security forces earlier this month.

The MPs wrote to senior member of the ruling party, including National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Sar Kheang, the interior minister, and Ang Vong Vathana, the justice minister, on January 24.

In the letters the lawmakers alleged that 33-year-old sex worker Pen Sokunthea was killed when she tried to escape from being chased by Daun Penh District security guards who intended to arrest prostitutes in the Tonle Sap area on January 1.

Eyewitnesses said the victim slipped and hit her head before falling into the water as she jumped between moored boats to try and evade capture.

The security guards allegedly prevented onlookers from helping the drowning woman.

The MPs called on the government to file a lawsuit against the guards involved in the incident and establish a cross-party commission to investigate the death.

Mu Sochua, one of the Cambodia National Rescue Party MPs who signed the letters, said the ministers would be called to answer questions before parliamentary commissions if they did not respond to the letters.

If there are flaws in law enforcement, we will encourage the parliament to summon the relevant ministers to be interrogated in the assembly, she said.

General Khieu Sopheak, interior ministry spokesman, said the government would not establish a cross-party committee to investigate the death.

If we set up an impartial committee following every death, the nation would become a mess.

Chin Malin, justice ministry spokesman, said the authorities were already investigating the incident.
Afghan education authorities are concerned about the use of schools for military purposes by militant groups and Afghan security forces, a practice they say puts children at risk and deprives them of an education.

Unfortunately, around 30 schools in various parts of Afghanistan are being used for military purposes by Afghan government forces and militant groups, Kabir Haqmal, director of information at the Ministry of Education in Kabul, told Radio Liberty's Afghanistan service on Thursday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report last year said that schools in Afghanistan have increasingly been threatened by both insurgent forces and Afghan security forces. HRW called on the Afghan government to stop the use of schools for military operations by its security forces.

Afghan children's education is at risk not just from the Taliban, but also from government forces that occupy their schools, the HRW report said. Children are being put in harm's way by the very Afghan forces mandated to protect them.

Seen as protecting force

Afghan defense authorities say they are not using the schools as bases but are in the schools to protect them from Taliban destruction and occupation.

When schools are used by the enemy, we should rescue them and attack the enemy to drive them out of schools and that does not mean that we are stationed there, Mohammad Radmanesh, a spokesperson for the Afghan defense ministry said.

At least two schools have been closed for several months in central Baghlan in northeastern Afghanistan, local authorities say. Afghan soldiers are using the schools during clashes with Taliban fighters, local authorities added.

Afghan national army soldiers were stationed at the Abu Mohammad High School for three to four months and the school could not operate during that period, a Baghlan education official told VOA on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. A middle school in the Pashayan area also remained closed for several months because of the national army based at the school.

School leaders in Baghlan sent several letters to army officials asking military forces to vacate the schools but received no reply, the education official said. Locals say Afghan soldiers left recently as fighting with the Taliban paused for the winter months.

School also is on break for the winter and teachers hope classes can resume in the spring.

Civilian sites targeted

Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive of the Unity Government in Afghanistan, expressed concern last year about the use of schools for military purposes, saying civilian centers, including schools and hospitals, have been targeted.

We should not hear that a clinic or school has been used as a front line, even in the worst situations, Abdullah said.

Military forces are also using the schools, because much of the education in the volatile regions has been suspended due to fighting and terrorism by Taliban insurgents or the Islamic State (IS).

Schools have regularly been used for military purposes, including during the past years, Sediq Patman, former deputy minister of education, told VOA. Both sides have used schools.  The army does not have infrastructure and bases in many places, so it uses closed schools as their bases.

The Afghan education sector has made huge strides in the past 15 years after the Taliban rule. Millions of students, including girls, have returned to school.

But rights groups say educational institutions are facing a serious threat amid continued fighting.

A decade of achievement rebuilding Afghanistan's educational system and increasing education for girls is at risk so long as schools are used by military forces and threatened with attack, HRW said.

Thousands of students in eastern Nangarhar province have been unable to attend school because IS has kept classrooms shuttered in areas it rules.

According to the Ministry of Education, about 33,000 students were deprived of an education last year in 58 schools in the Achin, Haskamena and Kot districts of Nangarhar.
The Mayor of the Somali town of Kulbiyow near the border with Kenya has been killed in a deadly dawn attack by al-Shabab militants, residents and military sources have confirmed.



Mohamed Tohyare Nuh was killed inside the Kenyan military base after al-Shabab militants stormed the base early Friday, a resident and a military officer told VOA's Somali service. Nuh was one of three civilians killed in the attack, two others were wounded, according to residents.



A Somali military official told VOA that two soldiers were killed in the attack and a third soldier was wounded.



Al-Shabab militants have now pulled out of the town after burning military vehicles they seized and removing military trucks from the base.



A resident told VOA that he could see military jets and helicopters flying over the town. Columns of Kenyan and Somali forces left Haluqa village, 18 kilometers from Kulbiyow and are now on their way to the scene, an officer said.





Militants withdraw after capturing base



Early Friday, al-Shabab fighters captured the military base run by Kenyan and Somali troops in Kulbiyow after a massive attack. The base is about a kilometer away from the town, residents said.



Residents there said the attack started when a truck filled with explosives detonated at the base, followed by heavy gunfire.



Two residents in the town said al-Shabab militants attacked the town and captured the base before withdrawing hours later.



A Somali military officer told VOA , "Small surveillance drones spotted the oncoming al-Shabab fighters." He said the troops fired mortars at the insurgents, but that failed to stop them and the militants later drove "two explosive-laden trucks into the base."



A small number of Somali forces and Kenyan troops fought to hold off the attack from al-Shabab, but the militants detonated more explosives and continued heavy gunfire.



Residents said the fighting lasted more than 90 minutes as the militants overpowered the Somali and Kenyan troops.



Al-Shabab militants have claimed killing 57 Kenya soldiers in the attack, but Kenya's defense ministry quickly dismissed the claim.



In the dawn attack, Al-Shabab tried to access the camp using a suicide attacker in a vehicle, the defense ministry said in a statement. "KDF soldiers repulsed the terrorists, killing scores," according to the ministry.



Residents said the militants launched the attack from the nearby town of Badhadhe.



Kulbiyow is a Somali town in Lower Jubba close to the border with Kenya.

Just two days ago, Kenyan troops at Kulbiyow attacked an al-Shabab base at Badhadhe before retreating back to Kulbiyow.
Al-Shabab fighters have captured a military base run by Kenyan and Somali troops in the Somali town of Kulbiyow, 18 kilometers from the Kenyan border, residents told VOA Somali.

Dozens of al-Shabab fighters and troops may have been killed, but the numbers have not been verified.

Two residents in the town said al-Shabab militants attacked the town and captured the base early Friday.

The attack started when a truck filled with explosives detonated at the base, followed by heavy gunfire and an infantry attack.

A Somali military officer told VOA Somali small surveillance drones spotted the oncoming al-Shabab fighters. He said the troops fired mortars at the insurgents, but that failed to stop them and the militants later drove two explosive-laden trucks into the base.

A small number of Somali forces and Kenyan troops fought to hold off the attack from al-Shabab, but the militants detonated more explosives and continued heavy gunfire.

Residents said the fighting lasted more than 90 minutes as the militants overpowered the Somali and Kenyan troops.

Al-Shabab fighters are now in full control of the base and are burning military vehicles, residents said.

The al-Shabab website said their fighters have overrun the base. The number of casualties was not immediately known.

Residents said the militants launched the attack from the nearby town of Badhadhe.

Kulbiyow is a Somali town in Lower Jubba close to the border with Kenya.

Just two days ago, Kenyan troops at Kulbiyow attacked an al-Shabab base at Badhadhe before retreating back to Kulbiyow.


Fifty years ago today, January 27, 1967, tragedy struck NASAs proposed first manned flight of the Apollo capsule when a fire engulfed the craft during a routine test on the launchpad.

All three American astronauts on board died in the fire: Lt. Col. Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward White II and Roger B. Chaffee.

The tragedy stunned the nation, and it temporarily stalled NASAs push to meet then-president John F. Kennedy's deadline to reach the lunar surface by the end of the decade.



A NASA probe and congressional hearings concluded previously unidentified fire hazards existed inside the capsule, and the subsequent decision to pressurize it entirely with oxygen created an extremely combustible environment. The hatch opened inward, which made it difficult for the crew to open it and escape.

After the deadly accident, hundreds of changes to the capsule were made, and NASA instituted myriad safety procedures. The redesigned capsules used a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, reducing the fire risk. A new hatch was designed that could be opened in just five seconds.

Only 21 months later, NASA sent humans back into space aboard Apollo 7. And less than a year after that, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed Apollo 11 on the moon.

To mark the 50th anniversary, NASA is holding a ceremony, which will be broadcast live on NASA television.
A new documentary shows how a children's play helped the people of Newtown, Connecticut, find solace and a sense of community after a disturbed gunman slaughtered 20 first-graders and six educators in their town four years ago.

Midsummer in Newtown, which opens Friday in U.S. theaters, follows the young actors from their first auditions to opening night as Michael Unger, a New York freelance theater director, and his team ushered them through a pop/rock adaptation of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream.

"It was a way of using art to try to find meaning in places where these children were a little shell-shocked," said the film's director, Lloyd Kramer. "It bonded them through the play."

Many of the children in the play had been in Sandy Hook Elementary School during the shooting. "He [Unger] thought the play would be an opportunity for them to do something that was the antidote" to what had happened to them, Kramer said.

Through the play, the children regain their confidence, blossom in their roles, and share a sense of fun and hope.

Featured participants

The film focuses on two students, Tain Gregory and Sammy Vertucci, and parents Jimmy Greene and Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose daughter, Ana, was slain in the shooting. Gregory lost one of his best friends, and Vertucci also knew someone who was killed.

Although the shooting is an underlying current in the documentary, which was filmed more than a year after the tragedy, Kramer does not concentrate on the event.

"It is there because you need to have context, and what makes people even more inclined to cheer on these kids is that they faced this horror," he said. "We were very careful to put that in balance with the main story, which is what they are doing about it."

Greene, a jazz saxophonist who performs in the film, found comfort in his music and the Grammy-nominated album Beautiful Life that he recorded in honor of his daughter's life.

For Kramer, Greene's comments in the film sum it up most succinctly.

"You can't choose what happens to you in this life," Greene said, "but you can choose how to respond to it."
It is very clear to many folks that there's a problem with WorldCon. (Here is Chuck Wendig writing the thing many of us authors were say...
Red scrolls with auspicious inscriptions for Lunar New Year celebrations this weekend may be easier and cheaper to buy, but calligraphy enthusiasts in Taiwan are opting to make their own.

The doors of homes and offices are traditionally adorned with the scrolls in the centuries-old belief that they will banish evil spirits and bring good fortune in the coming year.

"During my education, I didn't pay much attention to these kinds of classes," said Chen Ying, 26, a professional photography retoucher attending a scroll-writing workshop in Taiwan's capital of Taipei.

"But the reason I am here is that I suddenly had a yearning, and I felt I should learn about my own culture," Chen added, as she inked an auspicious symbol on a roll of paper.

Calligraphy is restful, said Sun Wei-ting, a participant in a scroll-writing competition in Taoyuan, a city 24 km (15 miles) from Taipei.

"Because I can write very big characters on the paper," said the 11-year-old. "On smaller sheets, I can only write small characters. So, I can empty my mind and relax."

Handwritten scrolls also represent a greater investment of time and effort, with Yu Kuo-ching, a curator at Taiwan's

National Palace Museum, estimating they cost about T$100 ($4) each, or about four times more than printed ones.

The Lunar New Year starts on Saturday, heralding the Year of the Rooster.
Pakistan's government has banned a controversial television host for making highly charged allegations of blasphemy and treachery against several social media activists who disappeared this month, as well as against other activists or journalists demanding their recovery.

Social media activists started to go missing in the first week of January. Within a few days, at least five of them  Salman Haider, Waqas Goraya, Aasim Saeed, Ahmed Raza Naseer and Samar Abbas, all famous for promoting liberal views and criticism of Pakistan's powerful military  had disappeared from major cities like Islamabad, the capital, and the country's second city, Lahore.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority said in a statement it made the decision to ban anchorman Aamir Liaquat Hussain's show after monitoring the program for several weeks and receiving hundreds of complaints against him. A complaint accusing him of hate speech also has been filed with police.

Hussain was not the only TV anchor who denounced the missing activists, but he was one of the most outspoken. He was not reachable for comment, and the management of his channel, Bol News, said it would issue a statement later.

The accusations against the missing liberal bloggers first appeared online soon after their disappearance, and were broadcast by several TV anchors who are considered to be religiously conservative.

Facebook postings draw fire

The bloggers, known as secular activists, have been accused of either supporting, or being associated with, Facebook pages religious conservatives believe have blasphemed Islam.

The allegedly offensive Facebook pages (Bhensa, Roshni and Mochi) have been around for several years, but the bloggers were not linked to them until after their recent disappearances.

The families of the missing and human rights activists fear talk of blasphemy is meant to divert attention from their disappearance, or perhaps to diminish the influence of demonstrations and statements demanding their return.

Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the Independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said the allegations possibly were meant to " lessen sympathy" for the missing bloggers. Another possible motive, she added, "is that when [the bloggers reappear], there could be a charge against them, so that could be like a pre-emptive move."

Climate of intimidation

Farzana Bari, a human rights activist who has protested in Islamabad on behalf of the missing bloggers, complained about what she thought were efforts to intimidate other activists.

"There is a very systematic campaign against those who are raising this issue  people like Jibran Nasir, who are being threatened on social media and on mainstream media," she said.

Nasir, a Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, was one of the loudest voices demanding recovery of the missing. Before becoming a target himself, he had railed against what he said were unsubstantiated allegations endangering the missing bloggers and their families.

"You all know that when such allegations are levied against someone, whether there is any proof of blasphemy or not, people become violent. We have a history of entire villages and communities being burnt down [for similar allegations]," he said at a news conference last week.

However, Tariq Asad, chairman of Civil Society of Pakistan, an organization that filed a police complaint of blasphemy against the missing men, told Reuters it was not part of any campaign. "Every Pakistani has awareness of this issue, and many have asked us to take this up. ... Whoever does not love the Prophet, peace be upon him, more than his own family is not a true Muslim," Asad was quoted as saying.

Government sees no blasphemy

Pakistan's interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said last week that there was no truth to the allegations of blasphemy against the missing bloggers.

A charge of blasphemy is considered extremely dangerous in a country where religious vigilantes have killed more than 60 people, sometimes by mob violence, after similar accusations.

In 2011, a powerful Pakistani governor, Salman Taseer, was gunned down by his own police security guard after he demanded reform of the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

Many Pakistanis hailed Taseer's killer, who was convicted and executed, as a hero, and more than 100,000 attended his funeral.
Britain will continue to fulfill its obligation to the European Union while it seeks to strengthen trade ties with world partners, the British finance minister said.



Philip Hammond spoke to reporters Friday in Brussels, where EU finance ministers are gathering for the regular Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting.



"Britain remains a fully engaged member of the European Union (EU) and I am here today for discussions with my finance minister colleagues," said Hammond. "We will continue to take a full part. We will continue to abide by the rules, and the regulations, and the laws of the European Union for so long as we are members."

Earlier this month, Hammond said the government could cut taxes to stay competitive as international banks have moved to transfer some of their London operations to the continent out of fear Britain would lose access to the EU's single market as a result of Brexit.



In June 2016, Britain voted to leave the EU, but it is expected to launch two years of exit negotiations in late March and will remain a bloc member until the process is completed.



Hammonds comments came hours before British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to begin drawing up a free trade deal linking the countries after Britain leaves the EU.
Flames from one of Chile's worst wildfires completely consumed the town of Santa Olga as the death toll from the blazes since November rose to nine, officials said Thursday.

The flames engulfed the post office, a kindergarten, and about 1,000 homes Thursday in the town 220 miles (360 kilometers) south of the Chilean capital. The body of one person was found under the charred remains of the town, which another 6,000 residents fled unharmed. Officials have not identified the person who died.

"This is an extremely serious situation  of horror, a nightmare without an end," said Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the neighboring coastal city of Constitucion. "Everything burned."

Authorities found another body burned inside a house destroyed in the flames about 85 miles (140 kilometers) south of Santa Olga in the coastal city of Concepcion, said Andrea Munoz, the governor of Concepcion province.

The fast-spreading blazes of recent weeks have destroyed about 385,000 acres (160,000 hectares) of forest and killed eight people. They include a firefighter and two police officers who died Wednesday.

The fires have been raging in central and southern Chile, fanned by strong winds, hot temperatures and a prolonged drought. Emergency services have battled the flames non-stop for days with firefighters on the ground and helicopters and small airplanes in the air. But the ferocity of the flames prompted President Michelle Bachelet to ask for international help.

A Boeing 747-400 "Super Tanker" arrived in Chile from the United States Wednesday to help fight the blazes. The world's largest fire-fighting aircraft can dump nearly 20,000 gallons (73,000 liters) of fire retardant or water. A delegation of Colombian experts was to assist Chilean firefighters on Thursday.

The central regions of O'Higgins and Chile's top wine-making region of Maule are among those hit worst. But fires are also raging in the south-central Bio Bio and Araucania regions, known for its timber industry and where most of Chile's Mapuche Indigenous people live.

Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy more fires are expected with forecasts of hotter temperatures, strong winds and low humidity in the coming days.
Four men in traditional yellow costumes bang large drums to announce the start of the New Year's Eve banquet in Liuminying village. Inside the meeting hall, 100 tables are set with a dozen plates, bearing sausages, nuts and fruit.

Sitting in a storage shed outside are thousands of half-moon-shaped dumplings, made by hand the day before, ready to be boiled and served.

Villages and cities across China are preparing this weekend to celebrate Lunar New Year, though few feasts are as elaborate as the one in Liuminying, a hamlet in Beijing's suburbs. Festivities in recent years have been more muted as China's economy has slowed down  hitting its lowest level of growth in three decades last year  and its top political leadership has issued calls for austerity.

A lunch turns into a feast

But in Liuminying, what began as a small lunch sponsored by the local Communist Party branch in 1980 has grown into a feast that served 1,000 people this year during a three-hour spectacle with singing and dancing.

The show began at 10 a.m. with loud music and applause. A group of children waved pompons in a synchronized dance, followed by a raffle, the presentation of a large banner commemorating the New Year, and several other songs and speeches.

As the performances grew longer, the attendees started to peel oranges and crack open nuts. A few people smoked cigarettes at their tables, a sight not often seen in Beijing restaurants since the city enacted an indoor smoking ban two years ago.

Outside, dozens of workers were preparing meat and vegetable stews on huge grills. One worker pushed coal underneath several of the grills, causing large flames to come bursting out.

Time for the dumplings

A few hours after the doors opened, the first dishes were brought inside. The plastic wrap came off many of the plates on the table. Diners uncorked wine bottles and, at a few tables, opened red boxes placed at the center. Inside were clear bottles of the Chinese grain liquor called baijiu, passed around for a series of toasts.

After several dishes came the signature item: the dumplings, or jiaozi, which people across northern China consider a mandatory part of celebrating the New Year.

A noisy finish

The feast ended with diners stacking their plates and bowls in a clatter that steadily grew louder as more people began to leave.

They walked outside to the loud, echoing sounds of booms from fireworks, another Lunar New Year tradition. While authorities in Beijing have cracked down on the sales of fireworks, Liuminying is far enough outside for vendors to be more easily found. The sky was clear blue, offering a rare respite from the smog that blankets northern China in winter.

Guo Lianhong, 55, attended her first lunch in 1984 and described the earth-shaking changes she's seen in her village in the last three decades.

We hope Liuminying can become even more prosperous, she said.
The tech industry brought us self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and 3-D printers. But when it comes to racial and gender diversity, its leading companies are no trailblazers.



Despite loudly touted efforts to hire more blacks, Latinos and women, especially in technical and leadership positions, diversity numbers at the largest tech companies are barely budging.



In 2014, 2 percent of Googlers were black and 3 percent were Hispanic, numbers that have not changed since. The picture is similar at Facebook and Twitter . Microsoft is slightly more racially diverse (though not when it comes to gender) and Apple even more so, though still not reflective of the U.S. population. Amazon is more racially diverse still, although it counts a large, lower-wage warehouse workforce in its totals.



Women, meanwhile, make up less than a third of the workforce at many companies - even less in engineering and other technical jobs.



Tech companies themselves tend to blame a "pipeline problem,'' meaning a shortage of women and minorities with technical qualifications. But a number of academic experts, industry employees and diversity advocates say there's a bigger problem. Silicon Valley, they argue, has failed to challenge its own unstated assumptions about what makes for great tech employees.



"The people who are doing the hiring are not changing their thinking around what they view as qualified,'' says Leslie Miley, engineering director at the message-service startup Slack. Hiring managers, he says, spend too much time worrying that applicants who don't fit techie stereotypes aren't "Google-y enough or Facebook-y enough or Apple-y enough or Twitter-y enough.''



Miley, who is African-American, previously worked as an engineer at Twitter, Apple, Google and Yahoo.



The Industry is Trying



Companies are spending a lot of time and money on improving diversity. Two years ago, Intel splashily set itself the goal of achieving full representation in its workforce by 2020. Despite committing $300 million to the effort and making some early progress , Intel acknowledges there is ``a great deal of work to be done.''



Similar programs are in place throughout the industry, from outreach at high schools and historically black colleges to internship and mentoring programs and sponsorships for coding boot camps. So far, to little avail.



Why? Interviews with more than 30 tech workers, executives and diversity advocates suggest the blame lies with subtle biases in hiring, unwelcoming work environments and a paucity of diverse role models in top positions.





Aniyia Williams, founder and CEO of the startup Tinsel, says companies should focus on their own culture rather than blaming external factors they can't control, such as limited computer-science education in U.S. schools. It's not enough to release diversity reports and say, "Oh, not a lot has changed, but it's the world, not us that's the problem,'' she says.



Williams, who is African-American, says she has made sure to hire women as well as underrepresented minorities. Tinsel makes tech jewelry targeted at women.



Why It Matters



Diversity isn't just about fairness. It's about having designers who reflect the diversity of the people they are designing for. For tech companies hoping to reach millions or billions of users, a lack of diversity could mean their products "will not appeal to a large population,'' says Lillian Cassel, chairwoman of computer sciences at Villanova University.



Diverse perspectives can also help prevent grievous errors - such as a problem that arose at Google in 2015, when a photo-recognition feature misidentified black faces as gorillas.



Some related missteps:

Snapchat released two photo filters that contorted facial features into bucktoothed Asian caricatures or blackface. One was later withdrawn after public outcry. The other "expired,'' and the company said it won't put it back into circulation.

Airbnb initially took no steps to prevent hosts from discriminating against guests whose profile photos showed they were black. The practice was corrected after an outcry.

Twitter took nearly a decade to tackle the harassment of women and minorities on its service.

In a New York Times opinion piece , Microsoft researcher Kate Crawford urged companies working on artificial intelligence to address diversity, warning that otherwise "we will see ingrained forms of bias built into the artificial intelligence of the future.''



Into the Pipeline



Some 11 percent of computer science graduates were black and 9 percent were Hispanic in the 2013-14 school year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education. Yet only 4 percent of Google's 2015 hires were black, and 3 percent were Hispanic. At Intel, fewer than 5 percent of hires were black and 8 percent were Hispanic. Numbers at other tech companies are comparable.





Major tech companies have a long tradition of hiring applicants from top-tier universities - and those universities also have a problem with diversity, even if they're doing slightly better than the companies. Some minority applicants, meanwhile, earn their computer-science chops through community colleges or coding boot camps instead - places often overlooked by recruiters.



The few minorities hired into big tech companies can often feel alienated in overwhelmingly white (and sometimes Asian) environments. Unsurprisingly, they are sometimes reluctant to recommend their employer to friends, classmates and former colleagues, furthering the cycle of under-representation, Williams and others say.



When the Culture Doesn't Fit



Silicon Valley startups like to talk about "culture fit'' - in theory, the question of whether a job candidate's attitude and behavior meshes well with a company. In practice, though, it can mean that since a lot of people are white and male, they "hire what they know,'' says Dave McClure, a prominent angel investor in Silicon Valley.



Larger companies such as Facebook publicly eschew discussions of "fit,'' although the notion can unwittingly seep into hiring practices. For example, a 2013 study found that words used in engineering and programming job listings could serve to discourage women from applying. Words like "competitive,'' "dominant'' and "leader,'' can make a job seem less appealing to women in a field that is already male-dominated.



Some companies, including Facebook, offer training on "unconscious bias'' to combat the problem. But they don't make such training mandatory for all employees.



And once hired, people can get lost in the shuffle given the lack of role models and mentors in higher ranks - and thus find it difficult to advance.



At many places, women and minorities face constant questions about their technical knowledge. They can't help wondering if they would be taken "more seriously'' if they were whiter and male, Williams says.



Making Change Happen



Nancy Lee, the Google official in charge of diversity efforts, says the gorilla face-recognition incident was a "wake-up call'' for the company.



"We need to include all voices from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences [when it comes to the] technology we create,'' she says. "We firmly believe that good ideas don't come out of echo chambers.''



Lee says things are getting better, slowly, but that it can be "demoralizing'' to those working on diversity issues to be pressured to do things quickly. ``We want to solve this for the long haul,'' she says.



But Miley, the former Twitter and Google engineer, can't understand why diversifying the industry's workforce "seems to be such an intractable problem.''



"I wonder if it is coming up against...the deep-seated belief that the people in these organizations are special and they want to keep out people who are not special,'' he says. "In our country, increasingly the people who are not special are the people who are underprivileged.''
President Donald Trump's tough talk on countering terrorism and U.S. media reports that his administration may be considering reviving a counterterror program that earned worldwide condemnation are increasing European alarm about America's new leadership.

In London, the pushback has been fierce, complicating British Prime Minister Theresa May's trip to Washington, where she hopes to begin forging closer ties between post-Brexit Britain and the United States.

Senior members of May's ruling Conservatives and opposition leaders, as well as influential celebrities, including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, have criticized Trump's midweek remarks to CNN that "torture works" in the interrogation of terrorism suspects.

And they have expressed dismay at U.S. media reports suggesting the new administration may be considering reopening secret CIA-run prisons outside the U.S. to handle suspected terrorists. The reports on the possible revival of "black sites" are based on a purported draft executive order suggesting Trump may order a review of how America interrogates suspected terrorists.

The New York Times and Associated Press both reported at midweek that they had copies of the document, which they said was circulating among top administration officials. But White House spokesman Sean Spicer insisted the draft "is not a White House document.'"

He provided no further explanation as to the draft's provenance or any theory about its authorship. "I have a no idea where it came from," Spicer told reporters.

The Times, however, reported late Wednesday that it had been told by three unnamed administration officials that the White House circulated the document among National Security Council staff members for review Tuesday morning. Spicer had come under criticism earlier this week for making misleading or transparently false statements from the White House podium.

Heat on May

Andrew Tyrie, a senior Conservative lawmaker in Parliament, has urged May to make it clear when she meets Trump that Britain will not facilitate torture or provide assistance in operating black sites. "When she sees him on Friday, will the prime minister make clear that under no circumstances will she permit Britain to be dragged into facilitating that torture, as we were after September the 11th?" he asked the British leader Wednesday in the House of Commons.

In response, May said, "I can assure my honorable friend that we have a very clear position on torture. We do not sanction torture, we do not get involved with that, and that will continue to be our position."

"You cannot lead on a global stage by advocating torture," tweeted Conservative lawmaker Sarah Wollaston.

The leader of Britain's opposition Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has urged May to "stand up for our country's values when she meets Donald Trump and oppose his support for torture, which is inhumane, illegal and delivers false intelligence."

As May left the British capital for the U.S., she insisted she wouldn't be afraid to speak candidly to Trump on matters where they disagree, pointing out she had criticized remarks he made about women and Muslims.

European leaders have also been quick to stress their opposition to the use of torture techniques or black sites. They have warned any return to the counterterror program run by the administration of Trump's Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, could disrupt European-American cooperation in the war against terror  including current agreements on data and intelligence sharing.

Legal hurdles

Even if European governments wanted to assist with black sites, analysts say, it would be legally difficult for them to do so.

The European Court of Human Rights has issued several rulings in recent years in cases brought before the court arising from Bush-era European cooperation and cases concerning Guantanamo detainees.

Poland, Italy and Macedonia all have faced legal challenges for participating in the Bush-era High Value Detainee Program run by the CIA, including a European Court of Human Rights ruling that required Poland to pay $262,000 in reparations to two Guantanamo inmates who had been tortured in Poland.

The ECHR rulings, analysts say, would largely prohibit European states from collaborating with a U.S. counterterrorism policy that uses enhanced interrogation techniques or degrading treatment, which the court has labeled torture, or extraordinary rendition, the practice of sending a foreign terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.

"While there is a varying degree of compliance with ECHR obligations across the 47 states of the Council of Europe, press and political pressures will mean that states that value and take pride in their respect for human rights will find it difficult politically to cooperate with the Trump administration, should it gain notoriety for torture, or inhumane or degrading treatment," said Brian Chang, analyst with the University of Oxford's Parliaments, the Rule of Law and Human Rights Project.

Black sites and extraordinary rendition remain explosive issues for European governments, which were burned in a political backlash when their cooperation with the High Value Detainee Program became known publicly. Ministers in the government of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, including Jack Straw, who as home secretary signed off on several renditions, are still being sued in British courts for their participation in the CIA's past detention and interrogation programs.

French, Spanish cases

French and Spanish courts are also pursuing cases. Earlier this year, General Geoffrey Miller, former commander of U.S. forces at Guantanamo Bay, ignored a subpoena from a French court that is hearing a case brought by Guantanamo detainee and French citizen Mourad Benchellali.

The Bush administration sanctioned the use of torture in the aftermath of 9/11. While it stopped soon after that, it was only when Barack Obama became president in 2009 that a formal ban on enhanced interrogation was announced.

Starting in 2006, the Council of Europe launched a series of inquiries to determine what secret detention facilities the CIA operated in Europe. A European Parliament committee also investigated that issue but was unable to get far, prompting the European Parliament last year to condemn obstacles member governments placed in the path of investigators.

The European Parliament named Lithuania, Poland, Italy and the United Kingdom as countries complicit in the CIA's Bush-era operations. A U.S. Senate report on torture made public in 2014 said that Poland's former president, Aleksander Kwasniewski, signed off on a CIA black site in his country.
Gambias new president, Adama Barrow, returned to the capital, Banjul, one week after he took the oath of office in the Gambian embassy in Senegal.

Barrow has been in neighboring Senegals capital, Dakar, since last week as the political crisis unfolded in Gambia with President Yahya Jammeh refusing to accept defeat in the countrys December elections. Jammeh only left the country Saturday and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea under threat of a regional military intervention.

Marching bands and dignitaries

At Banjul airport, marching bands were preparing to welcome the new president home amid heavy security presence by Senegalese and Nigerian forces. This did not stop some supporters from pushing through the gate and onto the tarmac, where Barrow was greeted by dignitaries and representatives of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

After a short ceremony, Barrow climbed into a white SUV and sped off, escorted by Senegalese special forces. His supporters packed into vans and taxis to follow him, immediately blocking the road from the airport into Banjul.

The cars blocked the airport road long after Barrow had passed.

As you can see my vehicle is still stuck here, but Im still happy because its worth it, said teacher and activist Moussa Seidi said. Democracy is what we need, so Im not in a haste at all, even though I have been here since 1 pm. Im ready to be here until tomorrow morning because what we want we have received that now.

End of Jammeh era

For Gambians, the arrival of Barrow means the end of constantly fearing the secret police and of speaking their mind.

It means we are going to have a better Gambia now, teacher Seikou Cisse said. People are free, there is freedom of the press. Gambians will be able to speak their minds and voices.

Under Jammeh, Gambians were arrested and disappeared.

Fatou Camaras father, a former Jammeh employee, was arrested during the last days of the strong mans dictatorship and his land seized. The 16-year-old student was convinced this would not happen with Barrow in power.

It will not happen because Mr. Barrow will stand for the Gambia, Camara said.

Among the new presidents priorities will be to regain control over institutions that for 22 years were controlled by one man, reforming security forces, some that might still be loyal to the former president, and creating jobs and economic opportunities to prevent young men from leaving to get to Europe in search of a better life.

Barrow has requested that the regional military force remain in the country for six months to a year.
Greece's Supreme Court rejected a request from Turkey for the extradition of eight senior servicemen who fled the country following the failed coup last July. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Ankara has reacted with fury, and there are fears that ties between the two neighbors could be severely affected.
Greeces Supreme Court has rejected a request from Turkey for the extradition of eight senior servicemen who fled the country following the failed coup last July.

The eight Turkish servicemen, three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors, escaped Turkey in a helicopter July 16, the day after the failed coup. They landed in northern Greece and immediately sought political asylum.

Greeces Supreme Court said that their rights would likely be violated given the extensive crackdown following the coup attempt  and rejected Ankaras extradition request. Their lawyer, Christos Mylonopoulos, praised the decision.

Watch: Greece Refuses Turkish Extradition Request for Accused Servicemen

'Victory for justice'

It was a great victory for European values, for Greek justice, said Christos Mylonopoulos, the attorney for the servicemen. It was not only the lives of the eight servicemen that was at stake. The dignity of the Greek judicial system was also at stake.

Turkey insists the men were involved in the coup attempt, which it claims was orchestrated by the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to the failed coup by arresting thousands of servicemen and women, government workers, teachers and opposition groups. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their jobs.

How will Turkey respond?

Professor Tahir Abbas of the Royal United Services Institute says Erdogan will feel pressure to respond to the Greek decision.

These eight individuals who escaped on the night of the coup are seen to be part of the Gulenist movement, that is seemingly behind all the elements of the coup, Abbas said. And none of these things have been proven or are conclusive in any way whatsoever. Yet the rhetoric is very strong. And from a rhetoric point of view, this will damage (President) Erdogan. This will be seen as a setback to his status, his persona, as projected onto the nation.

In a statement posted online, Turkeys foreign ministry said the two countries mutual ties would be subject to a comprehensive review. There are fears the decision could derail the ongoing talks on Cypriot reunification.

Cyprus is one of those thorny subjects that is very important in Turkish national identity, Abbas said. And I think given the emboldened nature of Erdogan, its going to be seen as another knock back if there is a victory for peace in this respect.

Greece  and Europe  are also reliant on Ankara to uphold the agreement struck in March last year to stop the flow of migrants from Turkish shores to the Greek islands. Turkey has threatened to tear up the deal following a dispute over visa-free travel.
Are you ready to USE your TALENTS to make the world a better place for Children?





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For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote childrens survival, protection and development. The worlds largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
Climate change is never as simple as 'the world is getting warmer'; it is a complicated string of cause and effect.

And a new study suggests one of those strings could have a huge impact on some of the seafood we eat.

Extreme weather, extreme runoff

The new research is a collaboration between researchers at Umea University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and is being published today in the journal Science Advances.

It points to a link between extreme weather, increased water runoff and potentially massive increases in the levels of dangerous mercury in coastal zones, coastal seas and lakes -- any areas, lead author Erik Bjorn told VOA which receives large input from runoff.

The study comes to its conclusions based on evidence that predicts that global warming is expected to increase runoff and input of organic matter to aquatic ecosystems in large regions of the Northern hemisphere

That 15 to 30 percent increase in water off of farms and lawns and roads, the study says, will cloud ocean water, resulting in reductions in the production of phytoplankton via photosynthesis. Phytoplanktons serve as the primary bottom rung of the food chain throughout the worlds oceans and lakes.

With less sunlight and a lot of organic material, the environment begins to favor bacteria called zooplankton which feed on all the junk washed into the water.

Thats bad for two reasons: the first is that the runoff carries a greater discharge of mercury and organic carbon to coastal ecosystems, which leads to higher levels of mercury in the small animals living there. The study estimates the amount of mercury in zooplankton could jump by 200 to 700 percent.

Second, all that runoff means animals that were eating primarily phytoplankton have to eat more zooplankton, and that means even more mercury gets into their systems, and up and up through the food chain.

From the water to the dinner table

It is hard to overestimate the negative effects that mercury has on humans, especially children. Speaking with VOA, Bjorn laid out just how dangerous the chemical is: Mercury is considered one of the top ten chemicals of public health concern by the World Health Organization.

In the European Union, he notes, 1.8 million children are born each year with prenatal exposure levels of methylmercury considered unsafe. And the adverse effects of mercury poisoning in the EU are estimated to [vost] 90 million Euro per year.

Those numbers are current, he says, and if climate change leads to increased erosion, the health effects will get worse and the associated price tag, higher.

One quick note, the climate change model the team used assumes we keep pumping carbon into the atmosphere at the same rate we do today. If we cut back on emissions, it could lower the amount of mercury that ends up on our dinner table.

Bjorn also pointed to global efforts like the 2013 Minamata Convention on Mercury, signed by 128 countries and ratified by 36 with a sense of optimism. It deeply restricts mercury mining, its use and its disposal. We have great hope he said, that if the convention takes hold, that the exposure of mercury to ecosystems and humans will decrease in the future.

The link between climate change, erosion and ultimately more mercury in our systems is long, involved and complicated, just like the climate. But by following the mercury, these researchers present a fascinating cautionary tale of how seemingly unrelated events can lead to unexpected, unintended and dangerous outcomes.
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor voiced hope Thursday that the Trump administration would not withdraw its backing and called on supporters to rally to its cause to counter rising nationalism.

While the United States does not directly fund the ICC, Fatou Bensouda said losing U.S. cooperation to capture indictees would deal a blow to a court that depends on governments that have no enforcement powers of their own.

"It was significant to have U.S. cooperation," Bensouda told Reuters after meeting EU officials in Brussels. "I am just hoping that this will continue. ... We will see."

The Trump administration is preparing executive orders to reduce the U.S. role in international organizations, including the ICC, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

U.S. program

The United States is not a member of the ICC but has helped it pursue war criminals by extending its Rewards for Justice program, under which it pays for information leading to the arrest of suspects, to cover ICC indictees.

When a top rebel of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army gave himself up to U.S. troops last year, the U.S. handed him over to the ICC, although it was under no obligation to do so.

But court supporters fear the leadership of Donald Trump, who has promised a less internationalist foreign policy, could embolden critics of the first permanent international war crimes tribunal.

It is already reeling from withdrawals by some of the African states that make up a third of its membership, many of which complain it unfairly targets Africans for prosecution.

In the face of mounting nationalism, Bensouda called on African and European countries to "be more vocal" in their support, saying the court sorely lacks resources.

"When increasingly international criminal justice is being challenged, it is this moment that the court needs its supporters," said Bensouda, a former Gambian justice minister. "This is critical for the court's existence."

Gambia, South Africa and Burundi notified the United Nations last year of their plans to withdraw from the ICC.

But Bensouda said she hoped her home country would reverse that decision following elections there. The withdrawals become effective one year after the notification is filed.

Russia leaving

Russia, which is not a member of the court but signed its founding Rome Statute, has said it will remove its signature, while the Philippines is considering withdrawing.

The prosecutor countered concerns about an exodus of members, saying those quitting the ICC wanted to shield themselves from the court's mandate to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

"With respect to withdrawal notifications, it is very difficult to divorce it from self-interest," Bensouda said.

Bensouda launched a preliminary investigation in Burundi in April after political violence claimed hundreds of lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee abroad.

Despite challenges ranging from witness intimidation to attempts to politicize the court, Bensouda said the ICC's best defense was to continue pursuing perpetrators of atrocities.

"There are many, many challenges ... but we are not going to throw our hands in the air and say, 'That's it,' " Bensouda said. "I still believe it is a way to have a more just world, a more fair world."

The ICC, based in The Hague, was founded in 1998 as a court of last resort to intervene in member countries when national jurisdictions fail to prosecute mass atrocities.
As Iraqi and coalition forces prepare for the next phase of their battle with Islamic State, the militants continue to lob mortars across the Tigris River, killing and injuring civilians. VOA's Heather Murdock is on the scene in Mosul.
"My neighbors were just outside, sitting in the sun that afternoon," says Abdulhameed Hossamadin, a few meters from his Mosul kebab stand. "Then the mortar hit. My house shook and all the glass shattered."

"They were a family of 14. Now only two women and a child are alive," he adds.

Hossamadin's neighbors were killed by mortar fire a month ago, when Islamic State militants still controlled his area. Now the fighting has subsided and IS militants have been forced back to the other side of the Tigris River, but mortars continue to rain down in eastern Mosul.

In less than an hour traveling within the range of fire, we hear 12 mortars crash to the ground. Locals recount the casualties in recent days, saying they are afraid that if IS can send mortars across the river, they can potentially send even heavier weapons.

"Yesterday a mortar fell on a shop selling children's clothing," says one man who didn't want to be named for fear of IS returning. "A small child was killed, and five more were children injured."

The shop owner is also in the hospital, he says, and three more people were injured the day before. These are just the casualties he knows about.

Still fleeing

On the other side of town, out of range of mortar fire, Omar, a former wedding photographer, relaxes with his sister and her four children. Five days earlier, under the cover of darkness, he fled IS militants in western Mosul by walking over a broken bridge pieced together with sheets of metal.

Despite his stealth, IS snipers shot at him as he ran.

Inside IS territories, life is becoming increasingly difficult, with stricter rules and harsher punishments, he says.

"They are making it harder to obey their rules," Omar explains. "They are whipping people and killing them more and more."

Families also continue to flee areas controlled by Iraqi forces, because of mortar fire and the extreme poverty that has overwhelmed Mosul residents.

Roughly 350 people arrived at displaced persons camps on Friday alone, and nearly 160,000 people have been forced to leave their homes since the Mosul offensive began in October. The United Nations says the fight for western Mosul could displace another three-quarters of a million people.

In a neighborhood that was the scene of heavy fighting two weeks ago, a small crowd gathers at a makeshift marketplace, selling vegetables, eggs and snacks. Food prices have plummeted since IS was forced out, but families say low prices are of little use when there is no money.

Unemployment under IS was widespread, with many professions banned by the militant group. Families spent all of their savings and went on to sell their belongings to survive, says Hamad, a father of eight and a former oil worker.

"There are no services here," he says. "There is no city water or electricity and no salaries. People have spent their money and now there is nothing left."
Editors note: Countless Gambian journalists, activists and opposition members fled threats and intimidation during former-president Yahya Jammeh's two decades in power. Now, as Jammeh begins his life in exile, some of them are going home. VOA traveled from Dakar to Banjul with one of them.

Watch: You Can Go Home Again: One Gambian Journalist's Story



"I'm on the Gambian soil. First time in many years. It's unbelievable, it's surreal"

The last time Sheriff Bojang Jr. came home, 10 years ago, he was arrested at the airport by state intelligence agents and detained for questioning.

This time, he was also recognized.

 and then you can see the immigration people who stamped my passport, excited, thanking me for quote unquote, you know, doing well to contribute to the transition in the Gambia.

The border agents knew Bojang's name from his work as a radio journalist in West Africa.

"For WADR, I'm Sheriff Bojang Junior in Meliandou, in the Forest Region of Guinea.

And here he is, covering the story of his life.

A special lift

With a drive to the Gambia River, we hop in a wooden boat to make our way to the capital, Banjul.

There is no dock. The men from the boat seat us on their shoulders and carry us the few feet from the boat to Banjul's shore.

Bojang hops down off the man's shoulders, first one foot and then the other, with a broad smile on his face.

His phone has been buzzing with messages.

I shed tears for you. Tears of joy for you. I'm so happy for kiddo. And I know I love you dearly.' Emotional, huh?"

Emotions run high

On the streets of Banjul, we run into friends and family.

Seeing him in the country, is it Sheriff Bojang Jr? And he said yes, and I was, like, good to see him  but these first hours back are disorienting," Bojang said.

Now that I'm home, I don't know. I'm sad now. My mood is changing every minute. One minute I'm excited and the next minute I'm upset. I feel like a stranger in my own home. I think it will take time before it sinks in.

Bojang still does not know why he was detained at the airport that day in April 2007. He thinks it was because he had taken part in anti-Jammeh protests in London, where he was studying.

He had flown home to visit his dying father. When the security agents released him, they took his Gambian identity papers. Bojang quickly went to his hometown before heading to Dakar. It was the last time he saw his father.

"So in order to live happily out of the Gambia and not be distracted by any emotion or anything, I had to turn off the part of me that was missing home, that was longing to go home, and in so doing, I succeeded but my fear, too, and my dilemma is I don't have connection, emotional attachment anymore." Bojang said.

So when I go home, my first challenge will be to rebuild that emotional attachment, to be emotionally attached to the Gambia. This is very scary for me. It is giving me sleepless nights."

In Banjul, Bojang stops to buy a #Gambia Has Decided T-shirt. The slogan was the rallying call for supporters of the new president, Adama Barrow. In a tremendous upset, Barrow won the December elections, beating Gambia's authoritarian leader of 22 years, Yahya Jammeh.

But Jammeh wouldn't go.

Im nervous, you know. It's like everything is going to end before I get there, and there is nothing for me to do," Bojang said. "I don't know. I've waited, you know when you wait and wait and wait, thinking everything will happen in front of you and then it goes wrong."

A waiting game

Bojang waited at the border for days as Barrow was inaugurated, on schedule but at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar. Senegalese troops rolled past us, ready to enter Gambia and remove Jammeh by force.

And finally, after a final-final round of negotiations, Gambians watched as Jammeh quietly boarded a plane to Guinea in the middle of the night and flew off into exile.

This was the man who had threatened to behead homosexuals, claimed he had a homemade cure for HIV and was accused of ruthlessly clamping down on dissent.

Activists are still demanding answers in the disappearances of at least two journalists detained by security agents and the unsolved murder of a third.

Just last year, dozens of opposition members were detained. Two of their leaders were tortured to death in custody, according to TO, their political party.

A vocal critic

Bojang became a vocal critic from Dakar and he feared prison or worse if he returned to Jammeh's Gambia.

If I had to define a few years ago what it meant to be a Gambian, I would have said being Gambian meant being too tolerant and too peaceful that you would allow dictatorship to happen," Bojang said. Today what it means to be a Gambian, as far as I'm concerned, is being determined. Determination, courage, optimist, strength, fighting together through thick and thin to change the status quo.

On his first day back, Bojang made sure to take photos of himself around Banjul and post them on Facebook. He wanted other Gambian exiles to know it is safe to come home.
Jewish and Christian leaders prayed over the ruins of gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau as some leaders warned Friday on International Holocaust Remembrance Day of rising xenophobic hatred against Jews and others, including Muslims.

Dozens of survivors gathered with political leaders and representatives of Poland's Jewish community at the site where Germany murdered about 1.1 million people during World War II, mostly Jews from across Europe, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and others.

Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, who is from the Polish town where the Auschwitz memorial and museum is located, recalled the "destruction of humanity" and the "ocean of lost lives and hopes" in Oswiecim.

"It's an open wound that may close sometimes but it shall never be fully healed and it must not be forgotten," she said.

Dozens of Auschwitz survivors began a day of commemorations by placing wreaths and flowers at the infamous execution wall on the 72nd anniversary of the camp's liberation by Soviet soldiers. The United Nations recognized January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005, and many commemorative events were taking place across the world on Friday.

"Tragically, and contrary to our resolve, anti-Semitism continues to thrive," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in statement made in New York Thursday, and which was read out at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva on Friday. "We are also seeing a deeply troubling rise in extremism, xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim hatred. Irrationality and intolerance are back."

Guterres vowed to "be in the front line of the battle against anti-Semitism and all other forms of hatred."

In Germany, outgoing Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his nation sticks by its obligation to take responsibility for the crimes committed by the Nazi regime of Adolf Hiltler.

Noting the political instability in the world today, Steinmeier said, "History should be a lesson, warning and incentive all at the same time. There can and should be no end to remembrance."

Steinmeier's statement came hours before he was due to hand over the post of foreign minister to the current economy minister, Sigmar Gabriel.

In Croatia, the Jewish community boycotted official commemorations, saying the country's conservative government is not doing enough to curb pro-Nazi sentiments there.

Community leader Ognjen Kraus, the coordinator of the Jewish communities in Croatia, said the decision was made after authorities failed to remove a plaque bearing a World War II Croatian pro-Nazi salute from the town of Jasenovac  the site of a wartime death camp where tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Roma perished.

Elderly survivors at Auschwitz, which today is a museum and partially preserved memorial, paid homage to those killed by wearing striped scarves to symbolize the uniforms prisoners were given when they arrived at the concentration camp.

They walked slowly beneath the notorious gate with the words "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Will Set You Free) and made their way as a group to the execution wall, where they lit candles and prayed.

Janina Malec, a Polish survivor whose parents were killed at the execution wall, described her yearly visit as a "pilgrimage" and told the PAP news agency that "as long as I live I will come here."
The European Unions two most influential leaders called for unity in championing European values and the European project during a Berlin meeting overshadowed by concerns about the new Trump administration and rising populism at home.

We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished and to the values of our liberal, democratic democracies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a brief statement to the press alongside French President Francois Hollande.

Coming a week before the EUs first summit of the year in Malta, the meeting aimed to set the tone for the 27-member bloc. Yet it was overshadowed by another key meeting across the Atlantic, as Prime Minister Teresa May of exiting EU member Britain talked with U.S. President Donald Trump.

In remarks, Trump has suggested a sharp break with the EU on issues ranging from maintaining sanctions on Russia and upholding the Iran nuclear agreement to climate change, free trade and NATOs viability.

Trumps support of Brexit, and recent predictions of the demise of the euro currency by Ted Malloch - reported to be the likely next U.S. ambassador to the EU - have not helped matters.

Describing the new U.S. administration Friday as posing challenges, Hollande said it was important to speak to Trump with a European point of view and promote our interests and values.

They are very much concerned that the new President Trump will try to split the Europeans on some key policy issues, said Daniel Gros, director of the Brussels-based Center for European Policy Studies. I think its extremely important for Merkel to have a unified European response to anything the Americans might undertake - and that can only start with a Franco-German agreement.

Internal threats

The two leaders also warned of internal threats to Europe, with the rise of populist anti-EU parties across the region. Both their countries face key elections this year, with the upcoming presidential and legislative vote in France particularly closely watched.

President Hollande, who has taken a tough line against Syria and Moscow, is not running for re-election, judged too unpopular to win.

By contrast, two of the top candidates to replace him - conservative former prime minister Francois Fillon and far-right contender Marine Le Pen - want to end sanctions against Russia and work with Damascus in fighting the Islamic State group, positions that may align them closer to Washington if either becomes leader, than to Brussels.

Speaking after his own meeting with Merkel on Monday, Fillon said sanctions against Moscow were ineffective, and we must find another way to talk.

For her part, Le Pen is a strong supporter of Trump, seeing his unexpected victory last November as a harbinger of her own. During a meeting with other far-right European parties in Germany last week, she called on European voters to wake up and follow the example of their British and American counterparts.

Still, analyst Gros believes that, on the whole, the U.S. president is proving a galvanizing force, bringing the EU - which is sharply divided over issues like immigration - closer in opposition.

There is a sense of all united in a European view of the world, which is different in its view than that of Trump, he said. Its a long-term partnership based on common values.

Closer EU defense and security cooperation seems to be the first target, in the wake of new doubts over the U.S. commitment to NATO. The first lines were traced during an end-of-year summit last December and Merkel has been pushing since.

The more Trump insists, the more he tries to divide the Europeans, the stronger will be the call for stronger military capacity, Gros said. Its actually in the making. But its nothing that you decide in a week or two. It will take years.

Still Fridays meeting between Trump and Britains Theresa May - his first with a foreign leader since taking office - offers an unsettling counterpoint.

It will be a strategic choice for May, whether to cozy up with Trump, Gros said. She will have to weigh the U.K.s long-term interests, since we never know if Trump will stick to a particular policy and how long he might last himself.

The upcoming Brexit negotiations will also give the EU some bargaining power, he believes, as Britain looks to access the bloc's single market after leaving.

If she breaks ranks with Europe on some high policy issues, Gros said, then the trade deal available to her will be a lot less favorable.
The U.S. Justice Department says a federal district court in New York has sentenced a man convicted of terrorism charges to 20 years in prison and 50 years of supervised release.

The Justice Department said Thursday that Emanuel Lutchman, 26, received his sentence for conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State. The group is a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Mary McCord, acting assistant attorney general for National Security, said Lutchman "conspired with an ISIL [Islamic State] member located overseas and planned to kill innocent civilians on U.S. soil in the name of the terrorist organization."

The defendant "was in direct personal communication with an individual who was an external attack planner and influential recruiter for ISIL in Syria," acting U.S. Attorney James Kennedy said.

Court documents name the Syrian contact as Abu Issa Al-Amriki, a known IS leader who is now deceased but was communicating with Lutchman in 2015, according to Lutchman.

Lutchman has admitted to conspiring with Al-Amriki in 2015 to conduct an attack against civilians using knives and a machete on January 31 of that year.

Lutchman said he planned to conduct an attack that could be claimed by the terrorist group in order to gain membership in the organization.

Court documents say Lutchman posted support for the group on social media, including images, videos and documents related to Islamic State and violent jihad, or holy war.

Documents also said Lutchman downloaded and watched terrorism videos and maintained a digital collection of terrorism-related documents, including those meant to provide guidance to would-be terrorists plotting so-called "lone wolf" attacks in the United States or elsewhere.

Documents say Lutchman initiated contact with Al-Amriki on Dec. 25, 2015, and agreed in subsequent communications to attack and kill as many people as possible in a U.S.-based attack.

Lutchman then made contact with three other individuals affiliated with the FBI who were posing as fellow would-be terrorists, to whom Lutchman admitted his intentions and from whom he solicited support.

Lutchman has admitted that with his contacts, he identified a location in Rochester, New York, as a target; obtained weapons and supplies, and discussed making a video that Islamic State could use after the attack to prove his allegiance.

After Lutchman made the video, he was arrested by law enforcement officials and the weapons and supplies were confiscated. He has been in federal custody since Dec. 30, 2015.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley arrived Friday at the United Nations for her first day of work as the new U.S. ambassador, declaring it would not be business as usual.

"There is a new U.S.-U.N.," Haley told waiting reporters in the U.N. lobby. "It's no longer about working harder, it's about working smarter."

She said that her goal with the Trump administration is to show value at the U.N., "and the way that we will show value is to show our strength, to show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well."

WATCH: 'There is a New US-UN,' Haley Says

Haley's tone was in line with the tough talk of the administration, and she put U.S. allies on notice that Washington expects their support. "For those that don't have our back, we're taking names; we will make points to respond to that accordingly," Haley warned.

The former governor, who has little experience in foreign policy and international relations but was overwhelmingly confirmed by the U.S. Senate, said she is ready to reform the U.N.  an organization frequently criticized by Republicans for being too costly and antagonistic of U.S. ally Israel.

Haley said the Trump administration wants her to improve what is working at the U.N. and fix what is not. "And anything that seems to be obsolete and not necessary, we're going to do away with," she added.

Haley's effectiveness could be hampered by her boss, Donald Trump, who is reportedly planning to sign two executive orders  one that would slash U.S. funding to the world body and another that would review the United States' participation in multilateral treaties.

U.S. funding cuts

The U.S. contributes 22 percent of the United Nations' annual budget and nearly 30 percent of its massive peacekeeping budget, as well as providing voluntary contributions to humanitarian appeals, U.N. funds and other programs. If the president signs the order, it could result in "at least a 40 percent overall decrease" in funding, according to The New York Times, which broke the story this week.

Such a move would diminish Haley's leverage in dealing with the organization and its 193 member states. It also could inadvertently open the door to another power  some U.N. observers speculate China  filling the U.S. financial void and increasing its influence.

The United Nations has been cautious in responding to the reports. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said he would not comment on policies that have not been enacted.

"Obviously, the United States is a major partner and the largest donor to the United Nations," he added. "The secretary-general looks forward to initiating the dialogue with the new administration once everybody is in place."

Haley met with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on Friday morning to present her credentials.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to visit Turkey's capital Saturday, on her way home from Washington, where she met with U.S. President Donald Trump.

May will spend a day meeting with her Turkish counterpart, Binali Yildirim, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mays office, speaking ahead of the visit, described Turkey as an indispensable partner and close ally.

Mays visit is predicted to have a full agenda. "They do have important commercial ties, observed international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbuls Kadir Has University. "But there are also security issues on which Turkey and Britain cooperate. And Cyprus will be on the agenda; after all, these two countries are the guarantors of the Cyprus Republic."

British officials say Cyprus is expected to be a key area of talks, given that United Nations-sponsored reunification talks ended in deadlock earlier this month in Geneva.

Erdogan is widely identified as key to helping facilitate a breakthrough. Analysts warn the president may be wary of making concessions, given that he is courting Turkish nationalist votes ahead of a referendum in April to extend his powers.

Despite the sensitive nature of the talks, May is predicted to receive a warm reception.

"London has been a good friend to Ankara within the EU, said visiting scholar Sinan Ulgen of Carnegie Europe. It is one of the countries that has steadfastly championed Turkish accession. So in that sense there is a positive mood toward London."

Bilateral security cooperation, in particular in the field of counterterrorism, has further enhanced relations. Officials on both sides acknowledge a good level of cooperation in countering both Islamic State and the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. That cooperation is expected to be featured in Mays talks.

May is also expected to be pressed on reports that British special forces are assisting the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, in fighting Islamic State. Ankara accuses the YPG of being a terrorist organization linked to the PKK, which is fighting the Turkish state. Britain's official position is that it does not comment on the operations of its special forces.

Brexit, Britain's exiting of the European Union, could also provide a new basis for further bilateral cooperation, given that Ankara is also seeking to reassess its relations with Europe, argues analyst Ulgen.

"Turkey is exploring a new framework that would have components of the refugee deal, but also trade, collaboration in security and defense," Ulgen said. "And some of the themes and policy areas are exactly the policy that the U.K. will need to renegotiate as they are exiting. So the question here will be whether Turkey and the U.K. can foster close dialogue."

Since the Brexit vote, Ankara has been closely following developments in Britain.

If they [the U.K.] are able to make a trade agreement between [the] EU, Turkey may choose this model and continue its relationship with the EU in the limits of this model, said Turkey's International relations chief. Ayse Sozen Usluer. in an interview with VOA in October.

However, the increasing acrimony between London and the EU over Brexit is putting Ankaras strategy in question.

When Brexit happened, there appeared to be a window of opportunity for Turkey to align itself with the U.K., and the U.K. to do the same, in order to have their special relationship with the European Union, pointed out International relations expert Ozel, but the U.K. doesn't look to be getting a special relationship with the European Union. Therefore, those hopes have been crushed.

Ozel also warned that Turkey's customs union with the EU, which prevents it from making third-party trade agreements, will likely hamper any efforts to further deepen bilateral trade with the U.K.

May is also under pressure at home to bring up growing human rights concerns in Turkey, amid Ankaras ongoing crackdown after a failed coup in July.

We have been clear in our support for Turkey's democracy and institutions since the coup last summer, said a spokesman for May.

Critics say unlike some of its European partners, London has been muted in its criticism, a stance analysts say has also been welcomed by Ankara.
Slovenia's parliament amended its laws on Thursday to enable police to seal the country's borders to most illegal migrants for a limited period if this is deemed necessary for reasons of national security.

The amendments were passed by 47-18 although several humanitarian organizations said they might amount to a violation of human rights.

"Slovenia cannot wait until public order and internal security are in danger," Interior Minister Vesna Gyorkos Znidar told parliament before the vote.

"If the European Union will not find a sustainable and effective solution (to the migration problem), Slovenia has a legitimate right and obligation to use decrees that are necessary to protect its interests," she added.

The Amnesty International said earlier on Thursday the new law "is a serious backward step for human rights in Slovenia."

The Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organization, called upon parliament last week to reject the amendments, saying states should ensure that migrants arriving at their borders have access to a procedure enabling them to put forward reasons not to be refused entry.

But Slovenia claims it has to prevent a repeat of a six-month-influx of migrants that ended in March 2016, when several countries to its south closed the main Balkan migrant route.

In that period Slovenia, the smallest state along the migration corridor, saw almost 500,000 illegal migrants crossing the country on their way to wealthier west European countries.

Center-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar had said Slovenia would not be able to endure another large influx of migrants, particularly since its northern neighbor Austria and other west European states were closing their doors to migrants.
South Sudanese urban refugees living in Kampala, Uganda, say they are learning new skills so they can fend for themselves and their families amid worsening financial conditions back home.

Loved ones in South Sudan stopped sending financial support for school fees, rent and other expenses years ago, shortly after the conflict between government and opposition forces erupted in late 2013.

Isidoro Magda, a widow who fled South Sudan three years ago, becomes sad when she thinks of how things were when she made her way to Kampala. She could not find a way to feed or clothe her children, nor could she pay rent or school fees.

Then a friend told her about the American-funded Refuge and Hope International Vocational School where she learned how to sew.

The 32-year-old widow said she enrolled in sewing classes immediately, and for the next 18 months constructed dresses and women's clothing. Magda proudly declares that she has been financially independent for some time.

"They have given me a machine to start with, she said, so I went home with my machine. I started making clothes. I make clothes, [I get] money, I go and buy food, feed my children."

Magda said as her small business grew, she decided to rent a shop in the Kampala suburb of Kisugu. She now has two sewing machines and displays some of her dresses, skirts and other handmade items in her shop windows.

"The shop is not big because I do not have money to buy many things there, but I thank God," said Magda. "Before I opened, I don't have these things, but now I think I have some clothes in my shop."

Although business has slowed in recent weeks, Magda said she is grateful for whatever work she gets and remains hopeful that business will pick up soon.

"These days, you know, there is no money," she told South Sudan in Focus. "And sometimes, people bring to me just to repair clothes; that's every day you will get something for repairing clothes. But now everyone is crying because of money. So this week, I have, like, two clothes only."

Magda said enrolling at the Refuge and Hope International Vocational School changed her life as a refugee because she no longer has to struggle to make ends meet in Uganda.

The mother of three is urging fellow South Sudanese refugee women to stop depending on handouts and start learning skills that would enable them to become self-reliant.

"If life is difficult, you have to struggle and look for something to do," Magda said, adding, "you are not supposed to just sit down and wait for someone to give it to you."

Magda said she is proud that she can feed and clothe her children and send them to school without relying on anyone else.

"Now I feel my life is better than the last time because in the beginning, I [was] just sitting. I didn't know what to do. But now, I am thinking I want to make something to do ahead," Magda said.
Political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a deal on New Years Eve that eased the political crisis after deadly unrest over delayed elections. But now that agreement risks falling apart as the two sides wrangle over its implementation. Observers say they are running out of time if they are to have any hope of holding the polls this year.



The December 31 deal demands the polls be held by the end of this year and keeps President Joseph Kabila in office until then. In the accord, Kabilas political alliance agreed that he will not seek a third term, though some in Congo still fear the president means to change the constitution so he can do just that.

The agreement provides for a new government led by a prime minister from the largest opposition platform, the Rassemblement.



The deals survival, however, is not assured and the Congolese Catholic Church, the deals increasingly frustrated mediator, says the two sides have until Saturday to reach an agreement on the make-up of the new government and how to implement the rest of the deal.



Christophe Lutundula, a senior Rassemblement politician, told VOA they expect to make the deadline. He says what we have seen from the other side since the signing of the accord does not incite blissful optimism. But, he says, the Rassemblement remains vigiliant and committed to finding a solution.



Ruling alliance vs Rassemblement



For its part, the ruling alliance has denounced the Rassemblement for wanting to impose a prime minister upon the president. It argues that the opposition must present Kabila with five options.



Even if the two sides do agree on a new government this weekend, experts say organizing nationwide polls by the end of the year will be difficult. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast and poorly connected country, and public finances are particularly strained at the moment, largely due to the global dip in commodities prices since 2014.



Experts say the new government will need to muster rapid international support to fund the elections.



In December, the president of the electoral commission estimated that the full electoral package will cost $1.8 billion. In October, the Constitutional Court authorized the delay of the polls, which were scheduled for November, because the commission said it needs to redo the voter registry. That work has begun but it is a massive undertaking expected to take until at least the end of July.




The United Nations said Friday there was "no confirmation" of a postponement of the Syria talks scheduled for February, clouding a statement from Russia's foreign minister earlier in the day.

Sergei Lavrov said Friday during a meeting in Moscow with several Syrian rebel groups that the U.N.-hosted talks planned for February 8 would be postponed. He did not provide a reason for the postponement.

A spokesman for the U.N. envoy in Syria, however, said the list of diplomats attending the talks in Geneva hadn't been finalized and wouldn't confirm a postponement.

"There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed. I said that we are going to be sure once the special envoy (Staffan de Mistura) is back," U.N. spokeswoman Yara Shariff told reporters.

Earlier this week, Turkey and Russia, along with Iran, brought delegates from the Syrian government and rebel groups to Kazakhstan for a round of peace talks that ended with the three nations agreeing to help monitor a partial cease-fire and work toward a political resolution to the Syrian conflict.

Turkey spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said Thursday his country will not allow certain fighters to spoil the cease-fire, which went into effect in late December. He also reiterated Turkey's position that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has no place in Syria's future. Turkey has backed the rebels throughout the conflict that began in 2011 as peaceful protests before spiraling into a civil war.

Assad's fate has been a point of disagreement during multiple international efforts to achieve peace in Syria. The U.N. has created a framework that calls for a new constitution and new elections. Assad's allies, which include Russia and Iran, have said he should stay in power.
U.S. President Donald Trump is proving true to his word on the campaign promise that he would hit the ground running" as soon as he takes office. During his first week in the White House, he has signed several executive orders, including one on the construction of the wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Mexicans and many Americans condemn the costly construction, but while some consider it shameful, others say it will play an important role in boosting U.S. security. Zlatica Hoke has more.
In his first meeting with a foreign leader, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of the two nations' "special relationship," and British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed, mentioning common economic interests and shared values, but pointedly saying the new president had pledged he is "100 percent" behind NATO.



Trump has raised concerns in European capitals with statements that he has made saying NATO is obsolete and that other members need to start paying their share for their own defense.

Watch: Trump Hopeful About Relations with Putin Ahead of Phone Call





At a news conference following the leaders' meeting, Trump said Britain is especially close to his heart because his mother was from Scotland.

"Today the United States renews our deep bond with Britain  military, financial, cultural and political. We have one of the great bonds," said the president. "We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship. Together America and the United Kingdom are a beacon for prosperity and the rule of law. That is why the United States respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self-determination. A free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world and our relationship has never been stronger."

Trump said he strongly supports Britain's "Brexit" vote to pull out of the European Union. "I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country," he said.

He added that Britain would be able to reach "free trade deals without somebody watching you and what you are doing."

U.S. relationships

When reporters in the ornate White House East Room questioned the leaders, there were queries about Trump's controversial stands on Mexico and Russia.

When asked whether he would lift sanctions after a planned phone call Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said it is very early to be talking about sanctions. Trump stressed he "looks to have a great relationship with all countries," mentioning that this includes China.



Answering the same question, May said Britain wants to see sanctions against Russia continued until there is full implementation of the Minsk Agreement  provisions to end the fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukraine.

NATO

May said one of the most important areas where the two countries are working together is the fight against the Islamic State group. She also surprised some by saying Trump told her he supports NATO, the trans-Atlantic security alliance.

"On defense and security cooperation, we are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense and today we've reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to this alliance. Mr. President, I think, you said  confirmed that you're 100 percent behind NATO," said May.

"But we're also discussing the importance of NATO continuing to ensure it is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber warfare as it is to fight more conventional forms of war," she said. "And I've agreed to continue my efforts to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver on their commitments, to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense so that the burden is more fairly shared. It's only by investing properly in our defense that we can ensure we're properly equipped to face our shared challenges together."

Asked about his comments that torture works to fight terrorism, Trump said he does believe that, but he said he would defer to his incoming Secretary of Defense, retired General James Mattis.

WATCH: Trump on enhanced interrogation

Trade, U.N. funding

The British Embassy said May presented Trump with a Scottish artifact, a "Quaich, which is a cup symbolizing welcome and kinship. She also presented a gift for first lady Melania Trump, a "hamper" full of special produce, including marmalade and tarts.

Both Trump and May have taken steps to reform their international relations, particularly through trade. Britain's pending exit from the European Union and Trump's withdrawal from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership will necessitate negotiating new trade agreements throughout the world.

May's plan for the EU exit includes placing a priority on controlling immigration, although she has not yet announced any policy details.

Earlier, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump has not yet decided whether he will cut funding to international organizations, like the United Nations, after media reports suggested the president was looking to reduce the role of the U.S. within those organizations.

On Thursday, May spoke to a gathering of U.S. Republican leaders in Philadelphia where she said the days of the U.S. and Britain intervening in other nations to remake them in their image are over.

May said it is in British and American interests to defend their values, but not go back to what she called the "failed policies of the past. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed."

May also called for reform in such multinational institutions as the U.N. and NATO "to make them more relevant and purposeful."

She said their members have to stop leaning on the United States. "Sovereign countries cannot outsource their security and prosperity to America. And they should not undermine the alliances that keep us strong by failing to step up and play their part."

In Philadelphia on Thursday, May said a Trump presidency can make the U.S. "stronger, greater and more confident," which she said is good for the rest of the world. She underscored that British and American conservatives share the same principles.
President Donald Trump made his first trip to the Pentagon as commander in chief Friday, signing two executive actions during his visit.

During a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Secretary of Defense James "Jim" Mattis, Trump described his executive memorandum as a "great rebuilding" of the armed services, to include new planes and ships and other "tools" for the military.

In the second action, Trump signed an executive order, following through on his campaign promise of "extreme vetting" of those who wish to immigrate to the United States. He said the new vetting measures would be designed to "keep radical Islamic terrorists out" of the country.

WATCH: Trump Arrives at the Pentagon

"We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people," Trump said, adding the U.S. would never forget the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, which included an attack on the Pentagon, where 184 people lost their lives.

Critics of the executive order include No One Left Behind, an organization that resettles wartime translators inside the United States. The group issued a statement Friday saying the executive order would "shut the door" on foreign interpreters who have served alongside the military and are now looking for refuge in the United States.

Defeating IS

During the Pentagon visit, Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn met with top military leaders, including the defense secretary and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A defense official said the president asked leaders at the meeting Friday for new options on how to defeat Islamic State, along with options on how to build readiness and recapitalize the military.

A U.S. official had told VOA ahead of the meeting that the president would be looking for counter-Islamic State (IS) options considered "off the table" during the previous administration.

In turn, top defense officials were expected to look for clear priorities to direct the counter-IS fight.

For example, one defense official told VOA on Friday that the Obama administration had made dual priorities of keeping ally Turkey satisfied and defeating IS.

"When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority," the official told VOA. "Just tell us what is THE priority."

One counter-IS option that could be drafted for Trump is arming or otherwise enhancing the capabilities of a Syrian Kurdish group known as the YPG.

American support for the group is a sensitive proposal because NATO-ally Turkey considers the group a terrorist organization. However, Kurdish forces makes up the bulk of the force to retake Raqqa and have proven very effective against IS in Syrias north and east.

Other options to enhance the counter-IS fight could include providing U.S. Apache helicopter support in the battle for Raqqa, or sending more U.S. troops to the region.

Room to maneuver

The military is likely to ask Trump for broader authorities to give commanders room to maneuver in the fight. A defense official said this change could allow delegation at a lower level in order to "alleviate the micro-approving that's been going on" and provide "speed and agility to tailor solutions to battlefield problems."

When pressed by VOA, the official said an example of "micro-approving" was when the military was authorized to have a forward mobility number of exactly 203 troops in Syria last year.

"Every single person had to be approved," the official said.

If the new administration makes authorizations more flexible for the commanders, "that would be a different equation for a warfighter, and probably easier," he added.

The absence of General Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the counter-IS operation in Iraq and Syria, supported officials' expectations that this meeting would be more of a springboard for future strategic options to be presented at a later date.

WATCH: Swearing-in Ceremony for Defense Secretary Mattis

WATCH: Mattis Thanks Trump for Having 'Confidence in Me'

Speaking to reporters earlier Friday, Trump also addressed concerns about the use of torture and other enhanced interrogation methods under his administration. He said that while he disagrees with Defense Secretary Mattis' thoughts on enhanced interrogation of American enemies, the defense secretary's opinion would "override" his own.

"He's an expert. He's highly respected," Trump said, "and so I'm going to rely on him."

Mattis has stated publicly that he does not believe in the use of torture, an interrogation method that Trump said he feels "does work."
Thousands of anti-abortion activists poured into the nation's capital on Friday for the March for Life, an annual gathering that was energized this year by the changes expected under the administration of Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress.

Vice President Mike Pence, a longtime abortion opponent, addressed the rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

"Life is winning," Pence told protesters during his remarks Friday.

WATCH: Pence remarks at rally

Before Pence addressed the crowd, Trump posted a message on Twitter expressing his support for the march. "You have our full support," he tweeted.

Just days after a half-million people marched for women's issues, including the protection of reproductive rights, during the new administration, demonstrators in the 43rd annual March for Life walked the same streets, protesting the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Historic involvement

Longtime demonstrators said Pence's support  the first time a sitting vice president has addressed the March for Life rally  provided welcome encouragement.

"It's a great shot in the arm," said Kevin Morrissey, a New Jersey resident who has participated in the march since the early 1980s. Morrissey said he's also encouraged by the numerous school bus groups who travel from around the country to participate.

"I think when you look at the age of this crowd, this cause is not going away," he told VOA.

The March for Life has always attracted a large student contingent. Khloe Smith, a student at a Catholic school in New York City's Queens borough, said that even though she's not a Trump supporter, her second time marching at the event felt different because of Pence's involvement.

"I think he's here to help," Smith said. "I think he has the best intentions to help and I think that's all that matters."

Many demonstrators mentioned media coverage of the half-million participants in the Women's March on Washington last week, saying the exclusion of anti-abortion groups made them feel their voices were not being heard.

"One, I was told I was not welcome because I was pro-life, then I found out it wasn't a Women's March," first-time participant Thelma Shelton told VOA. "It was a pro-Hillary, pro-abortion march under the guise of a woman's march."

Contentious debate

The two demonstrations coming just days apart provide a window into one of the country's most contentious issues, illustrating that both sides have no intention of backing down, with congressional and executive actions giving new hope to the cause of anti-abortion activists.

A small group of abortion rights supporters, who were staging a counterdemonstration at the Supreme Court as March for Life demonstrators filed past, said it was important to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade positively.

"Even though it's the law of the land, I see this as a continuation of chipping away at abortion rights," Polly Stamatopoulos, a Washington resident, told VOA. "This is going to be a continuing attack on sexuality and woman's sexual freedom."

In one of his first acts in the Oval Office, Trump signed an executive order applying the so-called "Mexico City policy," preventing U.S. funding from going to any foreign organizations that perform or promote abortion.

The policy referred to as the global gag rule by opponents  has always flipped according to the party that controls the White House. Since 1984, Republican presidents have implemented it, while Democratic presidents have rescinded it; but opponents argue Trump's executive order goes one step further than past Republican presidents.

"What President Trump has done has been to extend the reach of the global gag rule," Jamila Taylor, a senior fellow covering women's health and reproductive rights at the Center for American Progress, told VOA. "It's now applicable to all global health funding."

Trump has had an inconsistent record on abortion  describing himself as "very pro-choice" in 1999, before going on to court controversy during the 2016 presidential campaign when he said women seeking abortions should face "some sort of punishment."

The White House reaffirmed the president's commitment to the cause Monday when press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters, "It's no secret that this administration and this president are going to do what they can to fight for life."

Anti-abortion activists welcome the president's support, even if he can't match the depth of their commitment.

"President Trump is an opportunist when it comes to the pro-life cause and we're happy for his opportunism," Chad Pecknold, a professor of theology at the Catholic University of America, told VOA. "I think the movement is happy with that. Even if you opposed his presidency, even if you opposed his candidacy, I think we're grateful for any support he lends to the cause."

Congressional action

Just days after the Women's March on January 21, members of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives battled over permanently restricting federal funding for abortion.

"Millions of women and men across the country  including myself  marched with one goal in mind: to let the world know that our rights must be respected and protected," said Congresswoman Yvette Clark, a Democrat from New York, as she argued against the bill's passage. "A woman's right to abortion should be a personal choice that she makes, not a decision that government makes for her."

Congresswoman Diane Black, a Republican from Tennessee who led the fight for passage of No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, told House members Tuesday, "All life is a precious gift from God. I pray that in time this truth will be reflected in our nation's laws."

House Speaker Paul Ryan marked the passage of the bill by a 238-183 vote with a tweet announcing "We are a #pro-life Congress." Pro-choice advocates, however, strongly push back on that claim.

"The Congress is way out of step with the American public and what the American public supports in terms of access to abortion and health care for women," Taylor said.

Americans' views

In a 2016 Pew survey, 57 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal  a number that has remained consistent over the past two decades.

But, as noted by Catholic University's Pecknold, those numbers change when the public considers different kinds of abortions and federal funding for them. He sees the open discussion of those distinctions as a way of advancing the movement's cause while changing the national debate about abortion.

This week's introduction on the House floor of a bill that would severely curtail Roe v. Wade, preventing any abortions after a doctor detects a heartbeat on an ultrasound, could be that first step.

"This is exactly the right kind of legislation to advance the pro-life cause with those who ordinarily disagree with us, but are open-minded and want to consider all the facts," Pecknold said.

"We think this bill, properly applied, does eliminate a large, large share of the abortions  90 percent or better  of the abortions in America," Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Iowa sponsoring the bill, told reporters.

While the bill is likely to face a tough fight in Congress, it's part of a larger strategy to eventually bring the abortion issue back to the Supreme Court.

The Republican-controlled government's greatest impact on the abortion debate could come from the confirmation of enough anti-abortion Supreme Court justices to eventually overturn Roe v. Wade. Trump is expected to announce an anti-abortion nominee to fill the court's vacancy just six days after demonstrators march in the streets of Washington to mark that anniversary.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to have a telephone conversation Saturday. It will be the two world leaders first talk since Trump was sworn in as president.

They spoke after Trump won the presidential election in November and said they would like to normalize relations between their two countries.

The U.S. leader has said he wants to have a better relationship with Russia and Putin than his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump has raised the possibility of lifting sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration.

Trumps critics are uneasy with his relationship with Putin. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said Trump was Putins puppet, while U.S. intelligence agencies have allegedly briefed the president on Russias interference in the U.S. presidential election to favor Trumps chances of winning.

Trump rejects the notion he won the election with Russias help.
The Trump presidency is less than a week old, but congressional and executive actions have already revived the long-running national debate on abortion. And with two major marches in just six days, supporters on both sides show no signs of backing down. VOAs Katherine Gypson reports on the debate from Washington.
President Donald Trump's announcement that he is taking steps toward building a U.S.-Mexico border wall was welcome news for voters who say they're glad he is following through on one of his biggest campaign promises.





Trump's renewed vow Wednesday to seize control of the border hit close to home for Peggy Davis, whose cattle ranch near Tombstone, Arizona, is about 25 miles north of the border.



She says stretches desperately need more barriers but a wall alone won't stop illegal crossings or drug smuggling.



"We desperately need (Border Patrol) agents closer to the border,'' Davis said.



Trump vowed to make Mexico pay for the wall along the 1,954-mile border, suggesting a tax on Mexican imports as a funding mechanism.







Mexico opposes the wall and has repeatedly said it won't pay.



Critics in the U.S. say the president lacks a viable financial plan for building the wall.



One-third of the border already has some form of barrier, ranging from tall steel barricades to wire-mesh and livestock fencing.



Jerry Blackburn, a 67-year-old retired county building official from rural Tazewell, Virginia, voted for Trump and supports his calls for cracking down on sanctuary cities and refugees coming to the U.S. Blackburn, a Republican, said illegal immigration "has diluted our workforce and is a heavy burden to our people.''



He says the multibillion-dollar price tag of the wall is "not a big number when you look at the whole scope of things,'' and he's not bothered that vast stretches of the border already have fencing.



"It's not like we're going to start from scratch,'' he said. "It's not like we're building from the Gulf to the ocean. We're just finishing something that's already been started.''



Immigration has long been a unifying issue for conservatives, especially in border states that bear the brunt of immigrant and drug smuggling. The issue has rallied people to vote Republican around the country over the years, including immigrants such as Mercedes B. Izquierdo of Miami.



The retired saleswoman left Cuba 50 years ago and strongly backs Trump's border efforts.



"I think that building a wall is an excellent, perfect idea. There's so much we have to do,'' she said. "There are so many people coming from South America that are coming to destroy our country. Terrorists and criminals are looking to harm us.''



Zachery Henry, a 23-year-old public relations and social media specialist in Houston, doesn't expect an expensive or towering concrete barrier but he says the U.S. does need to do something about drugs smuggled from Mexico.



"I think that would be my primary concern. I'm not too concerned about illegal immigrant s,'' Henry said.



In Arizona, problems with immigration have frequently boiled up as a political issue. The 2010 killing of border rancher Robert Krentz - still unsolved but blamed on drug smugglers - helped galvanize support for SB1070. The state's landmark immigration crackdown required law enforcement to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained if there was reasonable suspicion they were in the country illegally.



Six years later, Trump rallied that base again.



Davis says she doesn't see border crossers or smugglers often on her family's cattle ranch, but the issue persists.



Late last year, a smuggler driving a truck filled with drugs fled onto her ranch, leading Border Patrol agents on a chase through her pasture. Davis says the driver of the truck eventually stopped and fled.



"We have evidence that they're back in our area again,'' she said.



John Barnes, a 60-year-old retiree in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said he likes what he sees so far from Trump regarding the border wall and infrastructure proposals.



"I think we got to do something down there at the border,'' Barnes said. "It's a shovel-ready project.''



Barnes said he wasn't too concerned about the cost of the wall because he believes the federal government has already spent billions of dollars on schooling and health care for immigrants in the country illegally.



"I wish Obama would have started this,'' he said.


Police in southern Maryland say a daughter and granddaughter of black Muslim leader Malcolm X are charged with stealing a rental truck that was found carrying seven pit bulls in what police describe as inhumane conditions.

Charles County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Janelle Love said Friday that 51-year-old Malikah Shabazz and her 19-year-old daughter Bettih Shabazz were arrested Wednesday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in La Plata.

Malikah Shabazz also faces seven charges of animal cruelty. Love says the dogs were in stacked crates, and some were injured.

She says the truck was reported stolen earlier Wednesday to Vermont State Police.

Both women gave New Hampshire addresses. They've been released after posting $2,000 bond.

No defense attorneys are listed in court records.

The arrests were first reported Friday by TMZ.
The U.N. envoy to Somalia is warning against corruption, as the countrys electoral body begins to register candidates for the February 8 presidential election.

Speaking exclusively to VOA from New York, Ambassador Michael Keating said its very important to have a free and fair election.

Unfortunately corruption is a big feature in Somali society, and the election has shown that ... because of the concerns about the parliament process and the use of vote-buying, its incredibly important that this state of process be done freely and fairly and the abuse be minimized, Keating said.

We need a president who is seen as legitimate because, otherwise, all the issues that need to be tackled in the coming years will be much more difficult, he warned.

Consequences

The envoy said there would be consequences if the presidential election is marred by malpractice.

If the president is elected on a basis which is seen as illegitimate, he said, then there will be consequences in terms of the willingness and the ability of the international community to work with that president.

The envoy said the U.N. will also consider how Somalis view the electoral process.

If Somalis see the next president as having been elected on the basis of a flawed process, he said, then his ability to work with the federal member states or parliament will be compromised, if not undermined.

More than 15 candidates, including the current president and his prime minister, are vying for the position of the president. The U.N. envoy said he met most of them and was encouraged by the fact that most of them are thinking about what Somalia needs, if its going to progress in terms of peace and stability.

Al-Shabab attacks and its threat to the election

Keating said the militants attacks in the runup to the election is worrisome, but they have not been able to disrupt the electoral process, he said. They are a threat to members of parliament who need to be in Mogadishu in order to participate in the presidential election.

But Somalia security forces together with AU (African Union) troops are working to provide security for the voting locations, he added.

Keating said the militants have shown they have the capability to kill civilians, but that does not indicate they are gaining momentum.

Often when insurgencies are weakening, they tend to go for high profile attacks to demonstrate that they are relevant ... they are not gaining strength, but if anything I would believe that these attacks alienate people from al-Shabab, he said.

Drought worsens in Somalia

The U.N. envoy to Somalia said U.N. relief agencies have huge programs in Somalia to support farmers and other drought-affected people to provide access to food and water. One of the things I am doing in New York and will be doing at the U.N. Security Council is to underscore the imperative of raising more funds for drought response, so we are putting our political weight behind this, he said.
Despite what he called a friendly discussion with Mexico's president Friday, President Donald Trump doubled down on his attacks against the imbalance in U.S.-Mexico trade.

In a tweet Friday before his hourlong telephone conversation with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump said: Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border, must change, NOW!

But it turns out trade with Mexico may not be as lopsided as Trump would have Americans believe. Bilateral trade in goods and services between the two countries was indeed massive, estimated at $583 billion in 2015. Of that, the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) reports total U.S. exports to Mexico amounted to $267 billion, while Mexican imports to the United States were $316 billion  leaving the U.S. with a $49.2 billion trade deficit.

Numbers can be tricky

On closer examination, that's not the entire story. In the category of professional services, the U.S. may actually have the upper hand. Total trade in services between the two countries was $52.4 billion in 2015, with the U.S. exporting $30.8 billion in services and taking in $21.6 billion from Mexico. That means the U.S. actually enjoyed a service trade surplus of $9.2 billion. The top service categories include travel, transportation and computer software.

Mexico is the third-largest supplier of goods bound for the U.S., but it's also the United States' second largest export market, supporting an estimated 1.1 million jobs in the U.S. Since signing NAFTA (the North Ametrican Free Trade Agreement) in 1994, U.S. exports to Mexico have risen 468 percent, accounting for nearly 16 percent of overall U.S. exports.

Economists say trade between the two countries also is complicated. One example  car parts: Over a five-year period, the United States imported about $340 billion worth of auto parts from Mexico. Of that, $136 billion worth of parts were exported back to Mexico, where they were used to manufacture cars that are then sold back to the United States.

Trump needs to be careful

That's one of the reasons why some trade analysts say it makes no sense to punish one of America's closest trading partners. William Galston at the Brookings Institution in Washington says Trump needs to be careful not to hurt American businesses when renegotiating established trade deals.

Since NAFTA, U.S. automobile producers have created a continental supply chain, with Canada and Mexico providing parts and some assembly. That's an important part of the competitiveness of the U.S. auto industry. So if that relationship were to be disrupted, it could have serious consequences.

Galston adds that disrupting that conveyor belt of trade is unlikely to bring back American jobs.

Mexican goods bound for the U.S. include agricultural products, such as vegetables, fruit and beer. Creating a border adjustment tax for Mexican goods, as Trump has proposed, could hurt Mexican producers, but it would also have a direct effect on American consumers, by raising prices of the Mexican products they buy.
A bi-partisan group of U.S. lawmakers has told an Iranian opposition group that it will press for tougher U.S. action against Iran's Islamist rulers, as Tehran awaits word on whether President Donald Trump will follow through on campaign pledges to take a similarly tough stance.

The half-dozen Republican and Democratic House members made the pledges to the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC) on Tuesday. OIAC, which is allied to exiled Iranian dissident movement Mujahedin-e Khalq or MEK, had invited the lawmakers to speak at a gathering in Washington's Rayburn House Office Building, as part of the group's years-long efforts to lobby Congress.

OIAC says it advocates for a "democratic, secular and non-nuclear government" in Iran. MEK, which leads the France-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), seeks to "overthrow" what it calls the "religious dictatorship" ruling Iran. In a statement to the gathering, OIAC political director Majid Sadeghpour said his group looks forward to working with President Trump and Congress to shape a "successful policy" toward Iran, which he called "arguably the greatest threat to U.S. national security."

Trump has yet to outline his Iran policy since taking office on January 20. But as a candidate, he strongly criticized then-President Barack Obama for joining world powers in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran a deal in which Tehran agreed to stop activities that Western powers feared could be used to develop nuclear weapons, in return for relief from international sanctions. Trump said the 2015 agreement would not work, calling it a "disaster" and pledging to either dismantle or renegotiate it.

Speaking to the OIAC gathering, Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen called for expanding an existing set of U.S. sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sanctions that are not part of the nuclear deal. "It is time that we put the tools that we have created to use, broadening our sanctions so that they include IRGC-controlled businesses and subsidiaries," Ros-Lehtinen said. "We must target the (Iranian) regime at every turn, not only enforcing the sanctions that have been too long neglected, but expanding their scope whenever and wherever possible."

As part of the nuclear deal's sanctions relief, Iran has been able to sign agreements to buy Western passenger planes for its aging commercial airline industry. Those agreements include state-run Iran Air's $16 billion purchase of 80 aircraft from U.S. plane-maker Boeing a deal announced in December.

Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman has co-sponsored new legislation that could complicate Iran Air's efforts to secure the Boeing aircraft. The bill would require the Trump administration to report on any signs of Iran using commercial aircraft for "illicit military or other activities" violating the sanctions relief.

In an interview with VOA on the sidelines of the OIAC gathering, Sherman accused Iran of using "supposedly civilian aircraft" to support war crimes in Syria's conflict an accusation Tehran has denied.

"We need an ironclad system that makes sure (any newly-acquired planes with American technology) are not used for military or terrorist purposes (by Iran)," Sherman said. He also said U.S. banks should not loan Iran any money to pay for new planes, citing the billions of dollars of sanctions relief it already has received.

Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher told the OIAC gathering that he believes Washington should intensify political pressure against Iran's government.

"One strategy is to help pro-democracy movements who would replace the mullahs," Rohrabacher said. He also called for holding Iranian leaders accountable for human rights violations and encouraging ethnic minorities to pursue autonomy.

"I'm willing to help the Azeris, Baluch and Kurds, who are not part of the Persian majority, to create a situation where you have autonomous regions similar to the states of the United States, so that those people's rights will feel secure as well," he said.

In separate remarks to OIAC members, Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel said he wants to focus on helping one Iranian opposition group in particular MEK, which completed a two-year-long process of relocating about 3,000 of its Iraq-based exiles to Albania last September.

The exiles had been based in Camp Ashraf in eastern Iraq from the 1980s until 2012, when the Iraqi government moved them to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. military base near Baghdad. The exiles sought international help to leave Iraq as they faced a series of deadly attacks after 2009, when U.S. forces who had occupied the country since a 2003 invasion transferred Camp Ashraf to Iraqi authorities who labeled them a terrorist group. MEK members for years have demanded that the Iraqi government compensate them for property left behind in the two camps.

Eliot said the MEK group has $50 million in assets at Camp Liberty and $500 million at Camp Ashraf.

"We want the Iraqi government to sell these properties and return the money to MEK members. It's very important," he told the gathering. "As all of their expenses in Albania are paid by MEK, they need their money to be returned as soon as possible. So I urge Iraq, which the United States has helped for so many years, to honor its commitment to return the money to MEK."

It is not clear whether or when Iraq will complete that process.

Some U.S. lawmakers have long praised MEK for sharing information with the United States about clandestine Iranian nuclear operations. Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.

VOA's Persian service contributed to this report.
As President Donald Trump prepares to speak by telephone Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the newly installed U.S. leader finds himself more popular in Russia than in the United States.

That unusual situation owes much to the positive coverage Trump has received in Russia's state-controlled media.

While a recent Gallup poll found that 45 percent of Americans approve of Trump, a record low for an incoming U.S. president, a survey by Russias state-run VTsIOM polling agency found that 40 percent of Russians think Trump will either be a good U.S. president or one of the best (8 percent), while 31 percent said he will be average.

Only 4 percent predicted he would be a bad U.S. president.

It is not hard to understand Trumps high approval rating in Russia, given the way he was covered by the country's Kremlin-controlled media during last years U.S. presidential election.

There is no other nation in the world that was watching Donald Trump so closely during his campaign, cheering him on, declared Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of the giant government-controlled international news agency Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today).

Kiselyov, who also hosts a widely watched program on state television, has backed Trump openly and loudly on his show.

"They failed to portray Putin as a monster, now they're trying with Trump," he said during a recent program, referring to the U.S. media.

Since his inauguration, Trump has received a lot of positive coverage from Russia's state media. Since mid-January, Time Will Tell, a live political talk show that airs weekdays on state television, has devoted five programs exclusively to the American president.

During one of those broadcasts, host Anatoly Kuzichev, who has called Trump our president, stood in front of a large screen with Trumps face photoshopped onto an image of Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi swinging his laser sword.

Kuzichev compared Americas new commander-in-chief to a lone Jedi on a mission to save America, who is all alone out there when we cant help him from all the way in Russia.

Still, there have been notes of concern. While the new American president has stated repeatedly that he wants to improve the U.S.-Russian relationship  particularly with an eye toward cooperating against the Islamic State terror group  he has also proposed lifting the sanctions imposed on Russia for its annexation of Crimea in exchange for a deal with Moscow to reduce nuclear arms.

I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, Trump said in an interview this month with the Times of London and Germany's Bild newspaper.

Those comments were greeted in Moscow with caution and skepticism. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expects a dialogue with Washington on nuclear weapons, but said any negotiations should include new hypersonic weapons, a U.S. missile shield in Europe, space weapons and nuclear testing.

Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russias parliament, said Trumps proposal shouldnt be given the status of an official proposal, adding that the U.S. presidents comments were speculative in nature.

Apparently, the Russian public is also skeptical about the proposal to lift sanctions in exchange for nuclear arms reduction: In the VTsIOM poll from earlier this month, 55 percent of the respondents said they opposed such a deal.

Another poll, conducted January 20-23 by the Levada Center, Russias only independent national polling agency, found the number of Russians seeing an improvement in U.S.-Russian relations has dropped 9 percentage points since November.

Levada Center Deputy Director Alexei Grazhdankin told VOAs Russian service he believed the drop in optimism about U.S.-Russian relations was due to the Russian medias coverage of American politics.

"All the recent reports in the [Russian] press and on television [on this subject] in December-January can be summarized as saying that Trumps desire to improve relations with Russia is facing stiff resistance from other power structures in the United States, he said.

Therefore, they said, it is quite possible his plans will not quickly be implemented in practice, and for that matter will wind up being nothing more than election promises.
Seven months ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reacted indignantly when a Lebanese newspaper reported that Russian diplomats had finished drafting a new constitution for his country  one that included a name change for the Syrian Arab Republic with the removal of the word Arab.

On its face, the proposed constitution clawed back some powers from the Syrian president, handing them to the prime minister, a council of ministers and decentralized "regional commissions"  although the system of government under the Russian plan remained largely presidential.

"No draft constitution has been shown to the Syrian Arab Republic. Everything which has been said in the media about this subject is totally untrue," Assad's statement read.

This week, the Assad government toned down its objections  at least in public  when Russian negotiators at the Astana talks handed to rebel counterparts a version of the draft constitution. In private, within the talks process, the government has raised reservations. The difference speaks volumes, say Middle East analysts, arguing that it reflects how Russia is now calling the shots when it comes to finding a solution to the long-running conflict in Syria.

Russia fills gap

This week, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May told U.S. Republicans in a speech that neither her country nor America should invade foreign countries "to make the world in their own image." Russia appears determined to fill the gap and model post-conflict Syria according to its vision.

Last week, Russia signed a long-term military agreement with Syria allowing it to expand its Tartus naval base. A similar agreement allows the expansion of the Russian-built Khmeimim air base in Latakia.

Syrian rebels have noted the contrast between what they see as a retreating West and a newly assertive Moscow, dubbing Russia "imperialist." Rebel negotiators have rejected Russia's draft constitution, telling Moscow that only Syrians are entitled to write their country's constitution. However, some rebel leaders concede privately that their weakness on the battlefield thanks to Russian hard power and a developing rapprochement between Moscow and Turkey, their biggest overseas backer, is placing them in an increasingly weak position.

Speaking Friday in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the importance of the Russian draft constitution for a future Syria.

"The draft constitution attempts to bring together and find shared points in those approaches that were outlined to us both by representatives of the government and representatives of the opposition, including all those present here, over the past several years," Lavrov said.

He emphasized Russia does not want to impose it on the country. The rebels, however, aren't so sure. They say that, at the very least, Russia is trying to pre-define much of what will be discussed when it comes to U.N.-brokered peace talks expected to resume next month.

Syrian opposition figure Yahya al-Aridi says Russia's Syria envoy, Alexander Lavrentiev, presented the rebel delegation with the draft constitution at the start of the Astana talks this week.

Left on the table

At first, the rebel negotiators left the document on the table, a gesture of disregard and in line with their insistence that they only agreed to attend the Russian-brokered negotiations to discuss the fragile cease-fire and boosting humanitarian aid into their war-torn country.

Their biggest priority all week has been to get Iranian-controlled militias to abide by the cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey.

As far as the rebels are concerned, the draft constitution merely shakes up existing government power structures, a reformulation as they see it of the existing Baath party's state structures. The draft goes further: curbing presidential powers, adjusting the parliamentary structure, and introducing changes to the judiciary and the security agencies.

And to the frustration of Syrian Kurds, who welcome the proposed dropping of Arab in the name of the country, the Russian constitution falls short of political federalism, although it envisages Kurds being given greater administrative freedoms in northeast Syria. The ruling Kurdish PYD in northern Syria attended a Moscow meeting Friday. The PYD was not invited to the Astana talks because of Turkish objections  Ankara views the group as a terrorist organization with ties to Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Russia's state-owned news agency, Sputnik News, reported in June 2016 that Russia suggested the name change for the country "in order to appeal to ethnic minorities such as Kurds and Turkmen." Pre-war Syria had a 74 percent majority Arab population; 9 percent were Kurds, and there were about 100,000 Turkmen.

Before he took office on January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he will cede efforts to end the Syrian civil war to the Russians, and suggested he might end American financial and logistical support for rebel forces battling Assad.

The Syrian president has clung to power thanks to the intervention of allies Russia and Iran. And they appear now to be securing rewards. Earlier this month, the Syrian government announced it would give Iran 5,000 hectares of land for farming, and 1,000 hectares for oil and gas terminals. Iran also has secured electricity projects.
The White House says President Donald Trump has a "buffet of options" on how to get Mexico to pay for the wall he wants to build along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Plans for the controversial wall have soured Mexican relations with the United States, just days into the Trump presidency.

Earlier Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Trump wanted to slap a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico. He said the new tax would raise $10 billion a year and "easily pay for the wall." He also said the president discussed the idea with congressional leaders and wanted to include the measure in a comprehensive tax reform package that Congress would have to approve.

But later, the White House said the idea is just one of several options on the table for paying for a wall along the southern border. And it said Trump has yet to make a final decision about how the U.S. will recoup the costs of his proposed border wall.

U.S. taxpayers initially would foot the bill for the wall, which is expected to cost as much as $15 billion.

It is unclear what retaliatory steps Mexico could take if the border tax is approved, because exports to the U.S. are essential to the Mexican economy.





On Thursday, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled next week's meeting with Trump in Washington after Trump said the talks should be called off if Mexico kept insisting it would not pay for the wall.

"The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week," Trump said. "Unless Mexico treats the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

Trump and Pena Nieto spoke by telephone for an hour on Friday. Administration officials confirmed the conversation took place but provided no details.

Vital to Mexico

Trump made building a wall one of his top promises during the presidential campaign. He often led his supporters in chants of "build the wall, build the wall."

The wall along the U.S.-Mexican border would be primarily aimed at stopping illegal immigration into the U.S. But many Mexicans regard the idea of a wall as an insult, and the rough terrain and stretches of private property along the border could make building the wall a long, complicated project.

Trump on Thursday also blasted the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. He called it a "total disaster" for the U.S., costing as much as $60 billion each year in trade deficits with Mexico.

"Not to mention millions of jobs and thousands and thousands of factories and plants closing down all over our country," he said. "On top of that are the trillions of dollars the U.S. taxpayers have spent to pay the cost of illegal immigration."

Trump and Pena Nieto met in August in Mexico City to discuss immigration, the border wall and other issues. Trump said that he and Pena Nieto did not discuss who would pay for the proposed wall. But the Mexican president said he began their conversation by telling Trump that Mexico would not pay.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was expected to arrive home Friday after his annual holiday in Asia.

Mugabe, one of the world's longest-serving heads of state, will head right into a fresh debate, both inside and outside his party, on whether it is time for him to step down.

No members of the media were invited to the airport to cover Mugabe's arrival late Friday.

It may not be the homecoming Mugabe expects.

Time for a change

I would simply say: President Mugabe, welcome, said Raymond Majongwe. You did a lot for this country. But I think for now, the time to go is now.

Majongwe is the head of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe. He is one of the thousands of civil servants still waiting on their year-end bonuses. The government has delayed their salaries repeatedly over the past year.

Majongwe said Mugabe's opulent holidays abroad are increasingly out of step with economic realities.

[We] are in a country that has no roads, no drugs; education is under trial, Majongwe said. Everything is not there; water drainage systems. It is just a catastrophe.

A year of protests

Zimbabwe has been dealing with a severe cash shortage, and the United Nations says as many as 5 million people still need food aid until March, when the harvesting starts.

Last year saw unprecedented protests in the capital over human rights and the economy. Veterans of the country's liberation war, a key source of support, left Mugabe's side.

This week, South African opposition leader Julius Malema even called for Mugabe to resign.

The president has also lost some support from within his own party as competition heats up over who will succeed him.

Birthday celebration in works

In an interview with VOA, a senior member of the ruling ZANU-PF, Kudzai Chipanga, dismissed the critics and said the party is planning festivities for Mugabe's 93rd birthday next month.

The celebrations are important to Zimbabweans, Chipanga said. Just like Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, because they look up to Jesus as our savior, but locally, we view our president R.G. Mugabe as our local savior, as our liberator.

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

Before the president left for vacation in December, he accepted his party's nomination to run for another term in the 2018 elections.
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The British Minister of Foreign Affairs, Boris Johnson, has indicated that his country should no longer oppose President Bashar al- Assads right to stand at the next Syrian elections.

He conceded that this new position resembled a complete reversal and followed the example set by the new US administration. He also emphasized that he was forced to address the issue with a clean slate.

In June 2014, the Syrian Arab Republic had organized a presidential election. The Western powers were opposed to it and  in violation of the Vienna Peace Agreement  had prohibited Syrian consulates from organizing ballots for immigrants in the territories they covered. The war had prevented several millions of voters from voting. [Shamless]: all States with diplomatic representations in Syria acknowledged that it was a genuine ballot. Bashar al-Assad had been re-elected president by 10, 319, 723 citizens, that is, by 88.7 % of the votes cast and 65 % of the voting-age population. The seven-year term of President al-Assad will end in June 2021. [1].

Since 2011, the accusation levelled by Western powers at the Syrian Arab Republic is that it is a dictatorship that engages systematically in torture. Without any shred of doubt, the Syrian people do not share this belief.

In September 2015, Mr Johnsons predecessor, Philip Hammond, had [generously] conceded that President Bashar could stay in power for a three month transitional period. But he maintained that the Arab Syrian Republic was a dictatorship and that the mandate of Mr al-Assad was illegitimate.
Gibraltar Finance in Shanghai and Nanjing

Minister Isola has returned to London having completed a successful week of meetings and presentations in China on trade, communications and financial services, including an address to the Willis Towers Watson senior executive team for all their China offices in Nanjing. A Gibraltar seminar was also hosted at the British Consulate in Shanghai.

Minister Isola commented I am pleased that we continue to make progress in developing relationships with large corporations and that the series of meetings and presentations in both Shanghai and Nanjing were very well received. We have been asked and strongly encouraged to continue to develop closer relations with all the parties we met and work is ongoing to achieve this. I am confident that Gibraltar can begin to develop into a hub for Chinese businesses with assets and operations outside of China. Our financial services sector offers opportunities for Chinese businesses in insurance, asset management and wealth management. Importantly, our system of common law and the breadth and depth of expertise of Gibraltar's legal and financial professionals adds to our market standing as a transparent, compliant and well regulated financial centre. In trade and communications, we will continue to explore opportunities. The Government will be working hard to develop these new channels and further develop these relationships throughout 2017.

Minister Isola was accompanied in China by Michael Ashton, Senior Executive Gibraltar Finance, Jason Cruz, Chief Executive of Gibraltars Office in Hong Kong and Bruno Callaghan, Managing Director of Callaghan Insurance Brokers.
Conans country-hopping habit is getting political with its next destination: Mexico City. Just days after Donald Trump doubled down on his plans to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, Conan OBrien has announced his Conan Without Borders: Made in Mexico special. As he explained on Thursdays show, the travelogue will differ somewhat from the shows previous excursions to the likes of Germany, South Korea, Armenia, Cuba, and Qatar, as OBrien will mount the special with the help of an all-Mexican staff, crew, guests, and studio audience. The results of the voyage are set to air as a prime-time special, so you can watch a smooth rebuke of xenophobia at 10 p.m. on March 1.
So many television figures have come forward in the past 24 to pay tribute to Mary Tyler Moore, and this afternoon director David O. Russell went on The Frame podcast to recognize her great work on film. Moore played the overbearing mother in his 1996 comedy Flirting with Disaster, and Russell talked about how the Hollywood legend made him a believer in her ability to play the coarse Pearl Coplin when she dazzled him at an impromptu audition in a bar. She was a very powerful, famous woman who Id watched on television, and I thought there was no chance  zero chance  that she would be able to play this role, but I was excited to meet her nonetheless, Russell said. But when she walked in wearing a tight dress with cropped bright-red hair  the same style she ended up wearing in the movie, the director admitted he was bowled over by how wrong his presumptions were.

Shes an extraordinary woman. She was so hungry and excited about working and talking about this role, that I thought she had no chance of doing, that she became the character in the bar. And we borrowed a cigarette from another patron in the bar, and she just started being the character and put on sunglasses in the bar. And it kind of was amazing to me. And then I couldnt think of anybody else in the role.

Russell characterized Moore as a consummate performer, and said that she knew how to be funny and real and intense and emotional all in one breath. The director was also regretful that he never got to work with her again, expressing his admiration for Moores willingness to throw herself into a role. She wanted to turn things on their head. If I had given her a gun to shoot someone in the face, like in a Tarantino movie, she would have said Great. Where do I stand? You can listen to the full Frame interview here.
For those of you whove waited all winter to learn the fate of Alex Karev, the guy who decided to plead out to prevent Jo from having to testify, youll have to wait just a little bit longer. But you know what? Thats okay. Instead of jumping right back into the drama, You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) offers a (mostly) standalone episode thats moving, even as it only has three familiar faces. Am I anxiously waiting to get back into the Grey Sloan Memorial grind? Sure thing. But man, those last 20 minutes are sure worth the pit stop at the Tri-County Hospital prison floor.

Yes, after so much talk of prisons, Greys Anatomy actually goes to one  but Alex Karev is nowhere nearby. (Thankfully!) Okay, so Alex is on everyones mind, but this trip only has three participants: Arizona, Bailey, and Jo. I know what youre thinking: How does one survive a Jo-heavy episode? Im here to tell you, its not so bad! I mean, its not great. But its not bad! As long as Jo stays away from anything having to do with Alex or romantic entanglements or personal relationships or whining about Stephanie being better than her, shes maybe a little bit tolerable. Also, Jo really has to focus at the moment, since she has her hands full with the patient of the day: a 16-year-old maximum security inmate, the very pregnant Kristen Rochester (Anna Jacoby-Heron).

After a tense car ride, during which Jo makes it clear to Bailey that shed like to talk about anything other than Alex  remember, Bailey just learned why Alex took a plea bargain  the doctors head inside the prison hospital. These first steps into the prison arent any less tense, to be honest. Arizona and Jo are trying to wrap their heads around being pregnant while incarcerated, while Bailey makes it clear that she feels no sympathy. When Jo says that no one intends to wind up here and that stuff happens (she would know, right?), Bailey spits back, Stuff doesnt happen to you, you happen to stuff. Bailey is not having it right now.

Bailey really isnt having anything about this day. She throws shade on their lack of proper equipment, and when she meets Kristen, she looks at her like  well, a prisoner, not a person. Perhaps it is best to be on guard with Kristen, though. The girl looks like a harmless, wispy blonde teen, but that wispy blonde takes down the prisons doctor, Dr. Eldredge (Klea Scott) with one quick tackle. Never mess with a hungry pregnant lady, okay?

Kristen is a K-10, the label given to the most violent prisoners. We never learn the crime that put her behind bars, but you can imagine its pretty awful. Witnessing that display of rage is upsetting for Arizona, Bailey, and Jo, but even more upsetting is watching a girl in late-term pregnancy being put in a four-point restraint. Kristens lawyer Amanda (Jasmin Savoy Brown) is outraged, but Dr. Eldredge offers no help. Shes generally annoyed at their presence, and doesnt like one of her patients getting special treatment. It riles up the others.

The doctors press on. Kristen is 31 weeks pregnant and has an acardiac twin  essentially, a nonviable second fetus that feeds off the healthy fetus, or as Kristen calls it, a vampire baby. The doctors need to cut the connection between the two. In order to do this, theyll have to externally rotate the baby (ouch!) and then go in with a probe. Kristen thought shed be delivering her baby today, with her mom by her side, not having a giant needle stuck in her belly. As you can imagine, shes a tad upset.

The bad news keeps piling up. First, Amanda, whom Bailey refers to as the K-10 Whisperer, is called away on another case. The docs are on their own. Second, Arizona meets with Kristens mom. While Kristen confides in Jo that her mom is going to adopt her daughter and give her the life Kristen walked away from  casseroles, private school, swing sets, and cartwheels on the beach  her mom is downstairs informing Arizona that she refuses to see Kristen and once she adopts the baby, shes never bringing her back. Have I mentioned how depressing this episode is?

Arizona and Bailey decide that telling Kristen about her mothers plans will only hurt her more, so theyre staying quiet. But as they begin the procedure, Kristen senses that shes not getting the full story and begins to rage. When she suddenly goes into preterm labor, she demands to know where her mother is. Its too much for Jo to take, so she spills the beans. Still, Kristens mother refuses to see her.

My heart broke into a million pieces when Kristen, at her most vulnerable, cried, Nobodys mom doesnt come when theyre having a baby! Shes suddenly not just an inmate anymore; shes a young girl, and shes all alone. Except, shes not. You know who makes sure of that? Miranda Bailey. Bailey is the one who grabs the girls hand  no matter how much Kristen doesnt like it  and tells her over and over that she isnt alone.

There, in that room, Bailey, Jo, Arizona, and even Dr. Eldredge  who finally lets Kristen out of her restraints  work to help a young woman give birth to a healthy baby girl named Ellie. How lovely (and timely!) to watch an episode of TV that focuses on a room full of women  complicated, flawed women  helping one another, regardless of their differences. Even better, it has nothing to do with a man! In fact, the only men in the episode briefly appear when the doctors first arrive at the prison. This ones for the sisterhood.

Now, if watching Bailey and Jo hold Kristen through childbirth doesnt make you tear up, surely the next scene will. Kristen knows shell never get to see her daughter again, and maybe even knows it might be for the best. She takes Ellie in her arms and tells her daughter to be good, to listen to her grandma, and most devastatingly, to remember her mother. You guys, even that scary guard looks like shes getting emotional!

Ellies taken away and Jo holds Kristen a little longer. Jo promises her that Ellie will be okay. That shell play on the swing set and do cartwheels on the beach. That shell miss Kristen every day, but that shell be okay. Jo wins some major points in this episode.

The doctors come out of that room looking just as worn-out as I feel. Arizona has one last meeting with Kristens mother in which she tells the woman off for abandoning her daughter. Its over the line, but you know what? Were all feeling a little emotional. She gets a pass. Bailey, who learned about the challenges Eldredge faces running a prison hospital in one truly excellent scene, leaves with newfound respect for the woman and her line of work.

Maybe shell be okay, Jo says during the car ride home. They all know she wont. Kristen is sentenced to 20 years to life. As Bailey points out, thats longer than the girl has been alive.

After everything she saw today, Bailey apologizes to Jo for her callousness earlier in the day. Sometimes, she says, stuff does happen to people. Then she drops the bomb: Bailey tells Jo and Arizona about Alexs plans. No one takes it well. How could they? Aside from Meredith, these are the three people who care about Alex Karev the most.

Laughter Is the Best Medicine, Besides Real Medicine:

There wasnt much laughing this week, but when Bailey spirals into thinking about being trapped in prison and Jo responds with, Just dont lose your badge, I giggled. A lot.

Kristen gets a read on all three of the doctors right away. The most enjoyable is her take on the cheery Arizona. She wants to know if Arizona always sounds like unicorns and rainbows are about to shoot out of [her] ass. I mean, yes?

After Kristen opens up to Jo about her idyllic childhood and her hopes for baby Ellie, she quickly puts her wall back up: If you tell anyone I said all that crap, Ill kill you. Jos reaction is perfect.

Bailey ends up tending to another inmate with an oozing foot wound. Her name is Needles. Can this be a spinoff?

The Sob Scale: 7/10

True story: I teared up while writing about Jos speech to a suffering Kristen, so you can imagine what the viewing experience was like.
Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images for the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival

The Verge is reporting that the New York Police Department will actively help monitor the HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US art installation set up outside the Museum of the Moving Image. The livestream, set up by Shia LaBeouf and artists Ronkko & Turner, is meant to run for the four-year duration of Donald Trumps term in office, and while the majority of people whove passed in front of its always-watching eye have been peaceful, some have shown up to praise the Nazis and Adolf Hitler. (One instance ended with LaBeouf shouting HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US, into a mans ear after he started chanting the Nazi dog-whistle slogan 1488, which represents the 14 words  We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children  followed by Heil Hitler.) The museums director of public information, Tomoko Kawamoto, told the Verge, As an institution devoted to inclusion and diversity, and as a site for everyone, the Museum condemns hate speech in all its forms. She added, Out of concern for the safety of all participants, Museum visitors and staff, and the surrounding community, we are monitoring the situation in partnership with the police. While Kawamoto could not disclose specific details about the working relationship with the NYPD, she did say that they would be in touch with the police on a daily basis.
Most Americans rely on Social Security for a substantial portion of their retirement income, and for them, when they choose to take Social Security benefits is largely a matter of financial necessity rather than financial planning. However, if you're in a financial position in which you have other assets that will finance your retirement, then you can afford to make your decision about claiming Social Security based on hard numbers. If you're a successful investor, then claiming your Social Security benefits early can turn out to be a much better solution than many people think -- as long as you can keep earning high enough returns on your portfolio.
This months column comes from nature in a local community in Woodway called Sugar Creek.

One warm sunny day a week ago, I met a favorite adult, native Texan, who arrived on our property many decades before I and my family moved there. It was a harmless Texas spiny lizard enjoying the morning sunshine and warm metal of our outdoor water faucets. Frightened by my sudden appearance, it quickly climbed onto house-board siding. It sometimes climbs our house-wall bricks, too. It is a 10-inch-long, insect-eating, harmless and attractive neighbor.

Our front yard borders Sugar Creeks private, forested nature preserve, which contributes diverse native plants and animals for nature lovers. Also the yard has sporadically welcomed native individual armadillos, skunks, bobcats, coyotes, harmless snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads plus an occasional neighbors cat or dog.

The preserve, which has a natural creek plus flying, swimming, and crawling insect food for its native wildlife, plus native butterflies that may be more beautiful than the preserves wildflowers.

Later, in more consistent warm weather, we typically greet the native animals among colorful native wildflowers.

This week, the first trout lillies with their green-and-brown blotched (resembling a trout) leaves and dainty, faintly fragrant lilly-like blossoms poked through the leaf litter  a delight to the eye and promise of spring to come. This surprise finding elicited a spontaneous feeling of joy! Our family has never found a dangerous species in the yard, but we advise nature walkers not to touch anything they do not know, including plants.

Of course there are biting and stinging insects in the fauna, which is one of the reasons we suggest that no one handle what they do not know. This includes some spotty poison ivy on and along the sides of the walking trail. Nancy and I are slowly working to eliminate this no-touch plant.

In the past, we have occasionally led daytime nature walks on the mostly flat Sugar Creek trail for interested friends and Sugar Creek residents. However, entry trails are steep and somewhat rocky, so we do not encourage inexperienced walkers to join us without prior or current help and direction, and we dont lead nighttime walks.

If you want to learn more about local suburban and rural nature, you might join nature walks at local parks or you may wish to read my book with color photos plus some of my former Baylor students owl drawings. The book is titled Messages from the Wild: An Almanac of Suburban Natural and Unnatural History, University of Texas Press, published with soft cover in 2002.

Fred Gehlbach is a retired Baylor University research biologist.
A state bill that would leave selection of chief appraisers up to residents in each appraisal district has caught the interest of some local leaders.

Taxing entities in each district now elect the chief appraiser, and House Bill 85, filed by Rep. Mark Keough, would have voters make the selection.

Approval of the change would bring needed transparency and accountability to an office that has little input from the public, a post to Keoughs website states. The bill is a step toward making the appraisal system more accountable to property owners, said Keough, a Republican who represents Texas House District 15.

No place for politics

Not everyones convinced, including McLennan County Chief Appraiser Drew Hahn, with some saying politics has no business in appraisal determinations.

A chief appraisers job is simply to appraise properties at market value, said Randy Riggs, McLennan County tax assessor-collector.

It really gets peculiar if they are elected. What are they going to tell you? Were going to lower your values. By law they cant do that, Riggs said.

Attempts to pass similar legislation have failed in the past three to four sessions, Rep. Charles Doc Anderson, R-Waco, said. Similar bills have also tried to get the appraisal board or the review board elected.

Anderson and state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, whose districts include McLennan County, each said they support the concept of bringing transparency to appraisal districts.

Birdwell said before committing he would need to review the legislation in detail.

2-year term

The bill includes a two-year term for the position of chief appraiser. Anderson said a shorter term limit, like his offices, requires elected officials to be more responsible to voters and become more involved with general trends. Four-year terms, which state senators serve, make elected officials more removed from constituents, he said.

Anderson said the bill provides a fair system and allows for as much transparency and input as possible. An elected official would have to visit with community members on the campaign trail and hear the issues firsthand, he said.

Currently chief appraisers receive training after taking the position, and an elected official would do the same to ensure that individual is prepared for the position, Anderson said.

Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-College Station, said as property values across the state increase, residents are looking for accountability from local appraisal districts.

While voters currently have a say in who determines the actual tax rate, for many Texans the appraisal process is convoluted and contesting it can be intimidating, Kacal said. While I support maintaining the standard of training in order to qualify for chief appraiser, I believe that transforming the position to an elected seat would certainly incentivize the appraisal process to be more accessible to the public and fair to the property owners.

The chief appraiser carries out the appraisal districts legal duties, hires the staff, makes the appraisals and operates the appraisal office. The appraisal district board of directors hires the chief appraiser, sets the budget, makes general policies and develops a reappraisal plan every two years.

The bill includes a provision for county commissioners to fill any vacancy in the office. A person running for the position would have to be a resident of the district for at least four years before taking office. Candidates would appear on the ballot without party affiliation. The department would also have to create a training program for newly-elected chief appraisers, according to the bill.

Training, qualifications

Training and qualifications are key to the chief appraiser position, Precinct 4 County Commissioner Ben Perry said.

While he has no issue with making the position an elected one, he is concerned about whether the requirements to run are sufficient, said Perry, who serves on the appraisal district board.

The concern I would have is someone that could run for that position with no real estate and appraisal background, he said. How would they go about doing their job if they dont have any background?

People may say its an unfair request considering county commissioner candidates dont require a background in budgeting or road and bridge work, he said. However, the commissioners court is a body of five individuals that requires a majority to make a decision, he said.

The chief appraiser has got a huge responsibility, Perry said. Theres a large staff down there. Could you see all the issues that could come up if someone who has no idea about real estate, and then all the staff is looking to them for leadership? Anything that can be put before the voters, Im all for it. But I just think we need to be careful how we do it. The chief appraiser is responsible for a ton of things by himself. To think somebody could run and win and not have one clue how the jobs done is just a little scary.

Positions integrity

The integrity of the office would be lost if this bill is approved, Riggs said. Riggs was first elected to the countys appraisal district board in 1999, before serving on Waco City Council and later becoming tax assessor in 2012. As the county tax assessor, Riggs has a nonvoting position on the appraisal review board.

It wasnt until about 15 years ago that the appraisal board switched to being filled by elected officials, Riggs said. There are people who still think that creates conflicts of interest, he said.

Elected officials on the board naturally have the best interest of the entity they represent at heart, which doesnt necessarily align with the boards duties, he said.

The system is tax rate times the appraised value, Riggs said. If people want to complain, they should complain about their tax rate, he said. The tax bill has four entries on there, and of those, the largest portion goes to the local school district because of the state legislatures education formula, he said.

Why are your taxes high? Because the legislature makes you pay for the education, Riggs said. If you want tax relief, we ought to do something to address that formula.

Previous measures

Hahn, the McLennan County Appraisal Districts chief appraiser, said hes seen similar bills filed in past legislative sessions and never pass. However, if this one were to go into law, the office would comply, even though he might not get elected, he said.

Hahn became the districts chief appraiser Jan. 1, 2008. He previously had been the chief appraiser in Calhoun County for 13 years. Hahn said he took a few appraisal classes while attending Texas A&M University, which first piqued his interest in the system. After about a decade of farming, he finally entered the profession, he said.

Hahn said when legislation first created appraisal districts, one of the main focuses was removing any type of political influence or pressure.

What would I run on? That I was going to keep your value low, and somebody I didnt like, I would raise theirs? I dont know what type of platform you would run on, Hahn said.
A four-time felon who sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl 10 years ago was sentenced to consecutive life prison terms Thursday.

Jurors in Wacos 54th State District Court deliberated about 10 minutes before convicting Jose Manuel Fuentes on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by exposure.

The jury took 20 minutes to reach a punishment verdict, recommending that Judge Matt Johnson sentence Fuentes to life in prison with $10,000 fines on each of the first two counts and 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on the indecency charge.

Prosecutors Hilary LaBorde and Sydney Tuggle asked the judge to order Fuentes to serve the three sentences consecutively.

The judge agreed, meaning the 40-year-old former construction worker must serve at least 62 years in prison before he can seek parole.

Fuentes was convicted of sexually assaulting a young family member on two occasions in 2006 and 2007 in Waco.

The girl, who is now 15, did not report the abuse for about five years. She told her friends, and her mother later discovered text messages between the girl and her friends on the girls cellphone.

In seeking maximum sentences, LaBorde told jurors in closing statements that Fuentes violent, deviant acts will affect the girl for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately, we ask you to assign a number to what you think her innocence is worth, LaBorde told the jury. You get to write the last chapter of this terrible story.

Trial testimony showed Fuentes also has prior convictions for felony theft, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, felony criminal mischief, felony DWI and a misdemeanor assault in which he kicked the same victim and beat her with a belt. Fuentes has served three previous stints in prison.

Fuentes attorneys, Alan Bennett and Susan Kelly, declined comment after the four-day trial.
RIP, Obamacare

Obamacare is gone. Congress has now passed a bill to repeal and replace. So there is no more Obamacare. What we have now is Trumpcare. And mark this: You can be assured the health insurance companies will continue to raise your cost for health care.

Why every American does not see health care as a right, not a choice, I do not understand. Every modern nation except America has government health care so everyone else in the civilized world is covered. Google where does America rank in health care and you will find we are 37th, just below Slovenia and above Cuba in the World Health study by the United Nations. While we are 37th in ranking for health care, we are No. 1 in cost.

We have many citizens who cannot afford medicine for their needs, let alone see a doctor. All of us must join together and insist every citizen of this nation gets free health care. Will our taxes increase some? Yes, but all of our citizens will have health care and it will cost a massive amount less per person than we are paying insurance companies.

Its time our people get out from under the constantly growing cost we have to pay insurance companies for health care. Lets all join together on this for all Americans.

Jim Denton, Gatesville

EDITOR'S NOTE: Although it certainly seems positioned to do so, Congress has not yet passed a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare in the current session. A budget reconciliation bill already passed by both chambers instructs House and Senate committees to draft repeal legislation, which would be filibuster-proof. Replacement legislation will require Democratic support to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, where Republicans hold 52 of the 60 seats needed.

Ban the refugees

Because of the corrupt news media, most Americans are only vaguely aware of the worlds No. 1 threat to civilization. That threat is Islam. Not just radical Islam but Islam.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and others told us Islam is a great religion and a religion of peace. They kept telling us that terrorist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaida are perversions of this great religion. But is this really true?

The truth is Islams holy book, The Quran, repeatedly commands Muslims to wage perpetual war against non-Muslims (infidels) until the entire world is governed by Islam and Islamic law is supreme to the U.S. Constitution. To quote Quran 8:12: I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve and strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip.

The last thing we should do is bring more of these people to America. But you wont hear this from the liberal news media and you wont hear it from most of our politicians.

We need to stop any more immigrants or refugees from coming to America from the Islamic world

Ronnie Sawyers, Mart

EDITORS NOTE: Just for the sake of clarity, this passage from the Quran refers to a quote God supposedly made to angels to rally Muslims to fight against their blood enemies, the Meccans.

USA still great!

No matter what side of the aisle your political views are, I have to say that Im proud to be American, to live in the best country in the world and to be able to have freedoms that I treasure every day. God bless America!

Kurt Krakowian, Hewitt
WAHOO  Winter Storm Jupiter paralyzed much of Saunders County Jan. 16 with a wintry concoction that kept roads treacherous, but snow blades off the ground.

The culprit was ice.

And if the storm lasted much longer, area road crews would have struggled.

Saunders County Public Works Director Steve Mika recently identified a new tool against ice, a new kind of salt, he said. But his issue would have been.

It shows how vulnerable we could be, Mika said.

Mika said his crews began working on roads a week ago Sunday and worked until midnight Monday night. They took to the roads again Tuesday morning at 4 a.m. to help keep roads drivable.

The primary weapon against ice is salt, Mika said. But there are only three sheds in the county that can house the product: Wahoo, Ashland and Valparaiso.

Mika said the county could use a shed in Prague to house salt to treat icy roads.

Salt used for Prague roads comes from Wahoo and, depending on the conditions, trucks might run low on salt by the time they get there, he said.

Near Prague, the county serves County Road R to the west from Prague and two miles into Butler County, via inter-local agreement.

There is no salt shed in Cedar Bluffs and the county crews run over 10 miles west of County Road 16 along County Road X. The county also services roads east of Cedar Bluffs at Woodcliff, as well, Mika said.

All salt for those locations comes from Wahoo.

Mika said the salt shed in Valparaiso is less than 10 years old and was built for less than $40,000.

Newer priced sheds for Prague have exceeded that, as the precautions needed to house ice are necessary.

The ice needs to be covered from moisture, Mika said.

If salt becomes moist, it can turn to huge clumps that break the spreaders on the backs of trucks.

Housing salt not only requires cover, but also a concrete enclosure to fight against corrosion of the building due to salt and to be strong enough against the large machines that load the salt out of the sheds into the trucks.

The salt Mika recently used to combat the storm was an ice cutter salt, a red salt.

There are two kinds of salt, Mika said. The white salt is from Kansas and is cheaper, but the red salt is from Utah.

The red salt can be mixed with the white salt, works faster, has a residual effect and is not as toxic or corrosive to roadways, Mika said the vendors told him.

Even though the red salt can be used less, it costs more.

Mika said the red salt costs three times as much per ton in bulk.

The cost of salt not only affects the county, but also the cities.

Mika said last weeks storm depleted the countys salt reserves overall.

The countys supplier, Nebraska Salt and Grain in Gothenburg, is working to supply many areas that used a great deal of salt over the course of the storm, Mika said.

Though an order is placed, Mika said salt could potentially be delayed because cities and counties across the state are looking to restock.
GREENWOOD  KZValve has earned recognition as a Partner-level supplier for 2016 in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program. The Partner-level status is Deere and Companys highest supplier rating. The Greenwood-based company was selected for the honor in recognition of its dedication to providing products and service of outstanding quality as well as its commitment to continuous improvement. Company employees accepted the recognition during formal ceremonies held on Jan. 11 in Bettendorf, Iowa, near Moline, Ill.

KZValve is a supplier of motorized control valves and various solution control products to John Deeres operation around the world.

Suppliers who participate in the Achieving Excellence program are evaluated annually in several key performance categories, including quality, cost management, delivery, technical support and wavelength, which is a measure of responsiveness. John Deere Supply Management created the program in 1991 to provide a supplier evaluation and feedback process that promotes continuous improvement.

KZValve is a global producer and a Tier 1 supplier to a number of companies in North America who require the use of a waterproof electric actuated valve, said Scott Morgan, KZValve s chief operating and chief financial officer. Our employees dedication to serving our customers at the highest level is what has allowed KZValve to earn this award from John Deere and we look forward to serving them well into the future.

KZValve is a family owned business with manufacturing facilities located in the Ashland/Greenwood area and has been in business since 1976. KZValve produces rugged waterproof motorized valves and controllers for a variety of industries domestically and around the world.
Thursday night, the Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music hosted Phantasm, the early music viol group, for a crowd of about 150 at the Lied Centers Johnny Carson Theater.

Like the clear, transparent harmonies written in the 17th century, Phantasm kept its performance exacting in structure but at the same time elegant in style.

Phantasms playbill emphasized English composers. The exceptions were A Fancy of Italian Alfonso Ferrabosco the Elder that opened the program, and works by J.S. Bach and Wolfgang Mozart that ended the concert.

Excellent composer annotations were offered by Phantasm director Laurence Dreyfus. Discussing little-known Elway Bevins Browning No. 3, Dreyfus described it as a fall piece and offered the inscription poem that spoke of brown nuts on the trees too high to pick.

Excellent examples of William Byrds sacred and secular music were presented, including Kyrie from his Missa a4, in which Phantasm exhibited its precise cutoffs, ensemble blend and a great sense of how to do Renaissance dynamics.

Richard Micos work reflected his life in the Essex countryside, Dreyfus related, and three examples of his Pavans reflected the ruddy lifestyle there.

Pieces by Henry Purcell were prominent after intermission. Playing four Fantazias from 1680, Phantasm exhibited the full sound and exposed chromatics of the composer. Fantazia No. 8 a4 exhibited several suspensions that became a popular style later in the Baroque.

The ensemble emphasized Bach in its final offerings, including how Mozart grew to love Bachs counterpoint by transcribing works from the Well-Tempered Clavier to strings. Three of these fugues demonstrated Mozarts understanding of Bachs dying art form.

With four selections directly from Bachs Art of the Fugue, Phantasm concluded a memorable evening with confidence and an excellent demonstration of how music from the great Renaissance era evolved into the Baroque.
By Stephen Chapis

In August 2011, the Restoration Shop at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum purchased the remnants of 3 P-40 Warhawks, one of which is being restored to display condition. Two of the aircraft were originally recovered from a Florida swamp just off the Suwannee River after a mid-air collision in 1945, while the third crashed at St. Simon Island around the same time. Although it will never fly again, its mechanical systems will be functional. The P-40 will be displayed in a flight attitude and one will be able to sit in the cockpit and work the controls for flaps, landing gear, lights, and other systems. The Allison V-1710 V-12 will be re-installed in the aircraft.

The P-40 was made famous by the pilots of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), universally known as the Flying Tigers, and those who managed to get airborne over Oahu on December 7, 1941. The variants acquired by the Museum are the later N models. When the restoration is complete the Warhawk will be painted in the scheme it wore when it was lost.

When these wrecks were recovered they had been half-buried and one of the engines was 12 feet underwater. A number of parts are being made to replace those that could not be saved. An aircraft that is recovered from the ocean is often too corroded for many parts to be used, but the two that were recovered from the swamp were in better shape because the fresh water on top of salt water helped preserve them. The recoveries were made over a three-year period, and it was not easy as volunteers worked against alligators, snakes and mosquitoes to reclaim the aircraft. Visitors to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum are able to watch the progress of the restoration and speak with the volunteers working on the project.

Located in Hammondsport, New York on Keuka Lake in the heart of the States Finger Lakes region, the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is home to a priceless collection of items related to early aviation and dedicated to the Father of Naval Aviation, Glenn Curtiss. He made the amphibian, seaplane and flying boat a reality by developing the technology associated with enabling an aircraft to take off and land on water. He also worked with the U. S. Navy to train its first pilots and built its first aircraft. Visitors to the museum will see a full-scale reproduction of this first naval aircraft along with other vintage aircraft.

More info is available at glennhcurtissmuseum.org

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Both Gate Guardians will be returned back to the Museums London site in time for the Museums commemorations and celebrations of the centenary of the foundation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 2018. They will be positioned so that they welcome members of the public as they enter through the Museums new entrance on Grahame Park Way.

One of the finest developments of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine series, the Mk IX was originally intended as a match for the German Focke Wulf 190. In comparison the Hawker Hurricane Mk II with its greater armament and simple, sturdy construction made it an effective ground attack fighter during the mid-war years. Its markings are currently those of No 121 (Eagle) Squadron, based at Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire during the summer of 1941. These markings will be changed to that of the Mk I Hawker Hurricane flown by Sgt Ray Holmes of No.504 Squadron from RAF Hendon on 15 September 1940.

In an act of selfless bravery, and with no thought to his own safety, Sgt Holmes prevented a Dornier Do17 Bomber from destroying Buckingham Palace by ramming it with the wing of his aircraft, forcing the Bomber to crash in the forecourt of Victoria Station. His Hurricane was badly damaged, crashing near the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Holmes bailed out injured but survived eventually becoming a journalist in Liverpool after the Second World War. The adoption of this new color scheme is indicative of the Museums stated aim to tell more stories about its aircraft and the people who flew and maintained them to aid a greater understanding of the RAF amongst its visitors.

In 2004, parts of his Hurricane were successfully excavated and can currently be viewed by visitors in foyer to the Museums Historic Hangars. The new scheme for the Spitfire has yet to be decided.

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The Museums London site will remain open from 10 am daily during the works for the RAF Museums Centenary 2018 Transformation Program. Admission to the site is free of charge. Please note : that from mid-February parking at the site will be restricted until summer 2017. We therefore recommend traveling via public transport to reach us. The nearest Underground Station to the Museum is Colindale on the Edgware Branch of the Northern Line. The nearest main-line station is Mill Hill Broadway. For full details on how to reach us please visit www.rafmuseum.org/london.
A final version of the state's execution protocol was signed Thursday by Gov. Pete Ricketts and delivered to Secretary of State John Gale.

Ricketts said the Department of Correctional Services was responsive to feedback provided in a Dec. 30 public hearing.

Because of opposition to keeping the source of execution drugs confidential  opponents cited a violation of Nebraska's public-records laws and lack of transparency  the Corrections Department had said it would strike a paragraph in the proposed protocol that authorized that.

The first version of the protocol allowed the director to keep secret any records or information identifying a person, company, or entity supplying the substance or substances for lethal injection.

The department may be coming at that from a different angle, however.

Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell has introduced a bill (LB661) in the Legislature that would make records confidential if that could lead to the identity of a person or entity that manufactures, supplies, compounds, or prescribes the drugs to perform a lethal injection. That bill has been routed to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, where it is more likely than in the Judiciary Committee to be advanced to the full Legislature.

The protocol was revised shortly after Nebraskans voted in November to continue using the death penalty. That vote came after the Legislature voted to repeal it and substitute life in prison for first-degree murder convictions.

Ten men in Nebraska have death sentences for first-degree murder convictions. No one, however, has been executed in Nebraska since Harold Lamont "Wili" Otey in 1994, John Joubert in 1996 and Robert Williams in 1997.

The newly revised protocol would allow the Corrections Department to use whatever appropriate lethal injection drugs are available, and would give only the inmate information on what drug(s) would be used and in what quantity 60 days before a request for a death warrant.

Finalizing the protocol will help carry out the will of the people of Nebraska in regards to the death penalty, Ricketts said.

Three Nebraska death row inmates, Carey Dean Moore, Jose Sandoval and John Lotter, have exhausted their state and federal appeals, according to Attorney General Doug Peterson, and could be first in line to have execution dates set.

A copy of the final protocol will be made available on the Secretary of States website at www.sos.ne.gov, according to Ricketts.
The US Navy will decommission the worlds first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier next week. The USS Enterprise played a major role in world events that included the Cuban Missile Crisis to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.The final goodbye ceremony will take place on 3 February at Newport News Shipbuilding. Thats the same shipyard where the carrier was built.

In 1954, Congress authorized the construction of the worlds first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the eighth U.S. ship to bear the name Enterprise.The giant ship was to be powered by eight nuclear reactors, two for each of its four propeller shafts. This was a daring undertaking. for never before had two nuclear reactors ever been harnessed together. As such, when the engineers first started planning the ships propulsion system, they were uncertain how it would work, or even if it would work according to their theories.

Materials used by the shipyard included 60,923 tons of steel; 1507 tons of aluminum; 230 miles of pipe and tubing; and 1700 tons of one-quarter-inch welding rods. The materials were supplied from more than 800 companies. Nine hundred shipyard engineers and designers created the ship on paper, and the millions of blueprints they created, laid end-to-end, would stretch 2400 miles, or from Miami to Los Angeles.

Three years and nine months after construction began, Enterprise was ready to present to the world as The First, The Finest super carrier.The newly-christened Enterprise left the shipyard for six days of builder and Navy pre-acceptance trials. Its escort during the trials, destroyer Laffey, sent this message; Subject: Speed Trails. 1. You win the race. 2. Our wet hats are off to an area thoroughbred. When the Big E returned to port, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr., stated enthusiastically, I think weve hit the jackpot.

After years of planning and work by thousands the day finally arrived. At the commissioning of Enterprise, the worlds first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Secretary of the Navy John B. Connally Jr. called it a worthy successor to the highly decorated seventh USS Enterprise of World War II. The fighting Gray Lady, as it was called, served in such well-known battles as the raid on Tokyo and the Battle of Midway. Secretary Connally went on to say, The new Enterprise will reign a long, long time as queen of the seas.

USS Enterprise Commissioning ProgramIn October 1962, Enterprise was dispatched to its first international crisis. Enterprise and other ships in the Second Fleet set up quarantine of all military equipment under shipment to communist Cuba. The blockade was put in place on October 24, and the first Soviet ship was stopped the next day. On October 28, Soviet leader Krushchev agreed to dismantle nuclear missiles and bases in Cuba, concluding the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the U.S. and USSR have ever come to nuclear war.

In the Fall of 2001, Enterprise aborted her transit home from a long deployment after the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., on Sept. 11, and steamed overnight to the North Arabian Sea. In direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Big E once again took its place in history by becoming one of the first units to respond in a crisis with its awesome striking power. Enterprise expended more than 800,000 pounds of ordnance during the operation. The ship returned to home port at Naval Station Norfolk November 10, 2001.

USS Enterprise in Marmaris, TurkeyFollowing several more deployments and an extended shipyard period that began in 2008, Enterprise embarked on its 21st deployment in January 2011, during which the carrier supported operations Enduring Freedom, New Dawn and multiple anti-piracy missions. During its six-month tour of duty, Big E made port visits to Lisbon, Portugal, Marmaris, Turkey, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Mallorca, Spain.

Big E became the fourth aircraft carrier in naval history to record 400,000 arrested landings on May 24, 2011. The milestone landing was made by an F/A-18F Super Hornet piloted by Lt. Matthew L. Enos and Weapon System Officer Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Welsh from the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11.

400,000th landing aboard USS EnterpriseEnterprise aircraft launchOn November 25, 2011, Big E celebrated its 50th birthday, making the carrier the oldest active duty ship in the U.S. Naval fleet. After 25 deployments and 51 years of active service. The USS Enterprise was officially inactivated December 1, 2012 and since then has spent the past several years being defueled and dismantled at Newport News Shipbuilding, the shipyard where it was built and refueled.

Next weeks ceremony is closed to the public. But the Navy says the entire event will be posted on its Facebook page.
President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in south Florida has doubled its new-member fees to $US 200,000 due to growing interest since the election, a major spike that is already drawing criticism that the president is profiting off his rise to the White House.

The increase, first reported by CNBC and confirmed by club managing director Bernd Lembcke in a Bloomberg interview, could boost the revenues of the Palm Beach club Trump has called the "Winter White House." It could also directly benefit his private fortune, because he has refused to divest his business holdings while in the Oval Office.

The increase restores the Mar-a-Lago price to its pre-recession level, before economic troubles made it harder for the club to attract new members.

Mar-a-Lago, which Trump purchased in 1985, encompassing more than 17 acres and operates in two money-making ways - as a private club open to dues-paying members, and as a venue that can be rented for weddings and events.
A letter to the Lincoln Journal Star published Thursday got an airing Friday on the floor of the Legislature.

The letter criticized the Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee because of the way opponents to a bill (LB46) said they were treated at a hearing last week.

Melody Vaccaro said committee members spoke harshly to the opponents and failed to explain the rules. One committee member, Sen. John Murante of Gretna, she said, rolled his eyes while people were testifying.

She was also dismayed that the committee, after hearing testimony opposed to the bill, advanced it to the full Legislature two hours later, seemingly without considering all points of view.

Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers read the letter out loud and added his criticism.

Transportation Chairman Curt Friesen defended the committee.

The hearing rules are posted at the door, Friesen said, and when opponents ignored a rule that prohibited applause and demonstrations, he asked those people to be quiet or else he would clear the room. Many chairmen have done that at one time or another.

"I want an orderly room. I do not allow outbursts like that, because it intimidates anybody who may want to testify," Friesen said. "I run my committee meetings in a fair and equitable manner at all times. And if I do sound a little gruff, that's just grumpy old me."

On the quick turnaround of the vote to advance the bill, Friesen said it's his policy to not discuss bills the same day they are heard. But Speaker Jim Scheer had urged committees to get some bills to the floor to debate in these early weeks, and since license plate bills are fairly generic, he bent his rules to accomplish that.

Murante said he didn't remember rolling his eyes during any testimony. On the committee he chairs, he said, it's a top priority to ensure all opinions are welcome.

"If I caused any offense, certainly it was unintentional," he said.

Committee member Suzanne Geist said she didn't see any rudeness toward the people attending the hearing. And in voting to advance the bill, she said, she did weigh all the testimony.
We need to talk about toxic underpants. I know, I know. Donald Trump is the President of the United States and I'm asking you to worry about your knickers?!

But hear me out. I'm not saying your undies are trying to kill you (well, actually, they might be), just that some are healthier than others. Which is good to know as the Valentine's lingerie-buying-fest approaches.

Don't get your knickers in a knot. Credit:Stocksy

Did you know 60 per cent of the world's bras are produced in one Chinese city? It's called Gurao, and in 2010 Greenpeace reported that dyeing and finishing fabric for the production of more than 200 million bras a year had turned the river there weird colours and killed the fish.

A few years ago, a class action claimed Victoria's Secret bras had caused skin irritations, allegedly due to the presence of formaldehyde. Although the American lingerie giant denied it (and the case was dropped) that chemical baddie routinely used in morgues and nail varnish is also used in textile and garment production. It helps keep shirts and sheets wrinkle-free, and prevents mildew when clothes are packed in plastic.
At the end of December, when Simon & Schuster signed a book deal with controversial Breitbart editor and alt-right darling Milo Yiannopoulos, the reaction from the literary world was harsh and swift.

Scores of writers threatened to boycott the publishing company and the Chicago Review of Books announced it would not cover a single Simon & Schuster book in 2017 "in response to this disgusting validation of hate". On Twitter, outspoken writer and educator Roxane Gay, author of the best-selling book of essays Bad Feminist, mused: "Whew. When I saw that Milo had a book deal I whispered, please don't let it be my publisher."

US professor Roxane Gay, writer of the essay collection Bad Feminist, was psychologically damaged by a childhood gang-rape. Credit:Getty Images

Her most prominent works - including Bad Feminist, the novel An Untamed State, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body and the short story collection Difficult Women -- had been published through Harper Collins and Grove Atlantic. But Gay soon remembered that her forthcoming book, How to be Heard, was to be a product of TED Books - an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

The realisation, Gay told BuzzFeed News, left her deeply unsettled, and this week she decided to pull the book from the publisher.
Could Britain further weaken the EU? Credit: First is the American-British partnership, which allows Britain to project its power and safeguard its interests globally. Second is European unity, which is essential for Britain's economic prosperity and, by removing the centuries-old diversions of European conflict, frees up Britain to act on the world stage. But both of those pillars could now be crumbling under the strain of European populism, Russian resurgence and particularly Trump's threats to step away from Europe. British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet President Trump on Friday. Credit:Getty Images A difficult choice

Britain's challenge is not just that each of those elements is coming under strain. Trump's avowed opposition to the European Union has put them in direct conflict. For instance, Trump offered to reward Britain's exit from the European Union with a speedy trade deal. But this risks encouraging more exits from the bloc and possibly its disintegration. The resulting turmoil on the Continent, which includes several top British trading partners, could risk harming Britain's economy far more than an American trade deal would help. Trump's proposed alignment with Russia poses a similar quandary. Germany and other leading European powers oppose such a realignment, which they fear would open the way for Russia to dominate Eastern Europe, breaking the Continent's unity on security matters. May remains hawkish on Russia. But it is unclear whether she would oppose Trump on the matter, particularly as she more fully ties her fate to the alliance. "If America eases up on Russia, Britain will be under heavy pressure to pick the United States, not to side with Merkel," said Robin Niblett, the director of Chatham House, a London-based think tank, referring to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

May is increasingly focused on maintaining the alliance with the United States, the world's largest economy and military power. Whereas leaders such as Merkel have responded sharply to criticism from Trump, May has been more forgiving. For example, she overlooked Trump's decision to meet with Nigel Farage, a former leader of the fringe UK Independence Party, before speaking with her. 'There isn't a Plan B' Even if May succeeds in upholding the alliance, it is unclear that her government is preparing for the range of more seismic changes that Trump's election and other events could bring. Jeremy Shapiro, an American and the research director for the European Council on Foreign Relations, said he had struggled to convince British officials that the old order is "eroding all around them".

Shapiro paraphrased the "dominant" British view of Trump as: "We didn't want him, but pressures of the presidency, checks and balances, our expert tutelage will socialise him, and it'll be OK." British hopes, he added, often rest on senator John McCain's persuading of Trump to drop his controversial plans and revert to traditional positions such as upholding European unity. Shapiro said he had been unable to convince British officials that McCain, whom Trump has publicly mocked, was an unlikely saviour. Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at King's College London, said there was a simple reason that British leaders never seemed to discuss their backup plan should they fail to moderate Trump. "There isn't a Plan B," he said. Preparing for life without American support, British leaders worry, could send the message that the United States can safely withdraw, risking exactly the outcome Britain wishes to avoid.

"This has always been the problem," Freedman said, because it left Britain unprepared for a situation that could be deeply destabilising - much as it had failed to prepare for Brexit. Britain's 'solipsistic moment' Brexit has focused attention inward, on day-to-day political dramas and on the countless challenges of negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union. "We're going through a very solipsistic moment," Leonard said. This has led British to behave "as if the only independent variable is Britain leaving the EU and the manner in which it's done." This is shaping British foreign policy in other ways.

"There's always going to be a question of whether we're better off using our political capital to advance the international security order or to try to get a good trade deal," Leonard said. Britain's party politics also distract. May is only barely holding together the ruling Conservative Party, leaving her overwhelmingly focused on managing divisions that are mostly about Brexit and migration. Both she and her foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, have spent their careers focused on domestic issues. The opposition Labour Party is riven by its own internal divisions. Its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, tends to be skeptical toward Britain's global role. As a result, there are no major voices in British politics who have an interest, either ideological or political, in addressing the country's foreign policy challenges.

Narrowing horizons Britons' view of their country as a pillar of a European and world order, rooted in their experience of standing up to fascism and militarism in World War II, is also shifting. "Until quite recently, we saw ourselves as part-guarantors of the European order, but we don't sort of see ourselves in that way anymore," said Freedman, the King's College professor. This has accelerated with the enmity toward immigration, which has focused politics inward and portrayed the outside world as something to guard against rather than to protect and uphold. That has ramifications beyond Britain. Even after Brexit, the country remains important for upholding the postwar order in Europe, where it is the largest economy after Germany and the biggest military spender after Russia. If its horizons continue to narrow, that will contribute to the Continent's continuing fracturing on economics and opposition to Russian power.

Niblett, the Chatham House chief, said he was worried Britain would become the "weak link" on European sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea. "The UK, which traditionally sees itself as upholding the spine of Europe toward Russia, is pulling itself out of that role," Niblett said. Other European states are already preparing for the possibility that the Continent can no longer rely on Britain, Leonard said, on issues from Russia to the Iran nuclear deal to global free trade. Loading "They don't know if Britain's going to be there or not," he said.
Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto has cancelled his meeting with Donald Trump.. Credit:AP The legacy of heavy-handed US behaviour - which includes invasions and the seizure of significant Mexican lands - has mostly been played down by a generation of Mexican leaders who have pursued pragmatic policies and mutual economic interests with both Republican and Democratic US administrations. Both Mr Pena Nieto and Spicer said that their countries were interested in maintaining positive relations. A front-page newspaper headline in Mexico City reads "He did it!" over a picture of US President Donald Trump holding up signed documents as he took action to jumpstart construction on a promised border wall. Credit:AP "We will keep the lines of communication open," Spicer told reporters in Washington on Thursday morning, adding that the White House would "look for a date to schedule something in the future".

The Mexican President tweeted that his government was willing to work with the United States "to reach agreements that benefit both nations". But Mexicans expressed shock and dismay as Mr Trump moved to turn his campaign promises into reality. Mexicans view a wall across the 3000-kilometre border as a symbolic affront, part of a package of Trump policies that could cause the country serious economic pain. They include a crackdown on illegal immigrants, who send billions of dollars home, and renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. The treaty has allowed trade between the neighbours to mushroom.

Every day, $US1.4 billion ($1.85 billion) in goods cross the US-Mexico border, and millions of jobs are linked to trade on both sides. Mexico is the second largest customer for American-made products in the world, and 80 per cent of Mexican exports - cars, flat screen TVs, avocados - are sold to the United States. "When we are talking about building a wall, about deporting migrants, about eliminating sanctuary cities [for migrants], about threatening to end a free trade agreement, or to take away factories, we are really talking about causing human suffering," Margarita Zavala, a possible candidate for the presidency in 2018 and the wife of former president Felipe Calderon, said in an interview. "And after today, without a doubt, it is very difficult to negotiate from behind a wall." Mexicans had trouble recalling a time when relations were this bad with the United States or when an American president appeared to be such a threat to Mexico's core interests.

"Never," former president Vicente Fox said in an interview, when asked if Mexico had faced a comparable US president in his lifetime. "And I never thought the US people would go for a president like this. "We don't want the ugly American, which Trump represents: that imperial gringo that used to invade our country, that used to send the Marines, that used to put and take away presidents most everywhere in the world," Mr Fox added. "That happened in the 20th century and this is what this guy is menacing us with." Mr Trump, for his part, blamed the Mexicans for damaging the relationship. Addressing a Republican policy retreat in Philadelphia, Mr Trump said on Thursday afternoon, "The President of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting.

"Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless," he added. It was not clear exactly how the Trump administration would impose the new tax on Mexican exports. But Spicer said it would be part of a broader plan to tax imports from countries with which the United States has a trade deficit, such as Mexico. "If you tax that $US50 billion at 20 per cent of imports - which is, by the way, a practice that 160 other countries do - right now our country's policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous," Spicer told reporters. "By doing it that we can do $US10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. That's really going to provide the funding."

Mr Pena Nieto's decision to cancel the trip came a day after Mr Trump signed an executive order to construct the wall, one of his signature promises and a rallying cry for his supporters during last year's presidential campaign. Mr Trump has insisted that Mexico will fund it, but Mr Pena Nieto and other Mexican officials have angrily denied they will do so. The timing of the order was seen as further insult: Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray was flying to Washington on Tuesday when news broke about Mr Trump's impending border wall announcement. All of Wednesday, speculation was rampant that Mr Pena Nieto might cancel his upcoming trip.

In the meantime, at the White House, Mr Videgaray met Craig Deare, who is in charge of Latin America on the US National Security Council. Throughout Mr Trump's rise, Mr Pena Nieto has been mostly respectful towards him, even inviting him to visit Mexico City as a candidate last August. Mr Pena Nieto has tried to maintain a diplomatic approach to the new administration, suggesting that Mexico could negotiate with its largest trading partner and preserve good relations. On Wednesday night, Mr Pena Nieto sent out a recorded message saying that he "regrets and disapproves" of the US decision to move forward with the wall. He repeated that Mexico would not pay for the wall but he still planned to come to Washington to meet Mr Trump because of the importance of the negotiations.

But that decision changed after Mr Trump's tweet on Thursday morning. "This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the work meeting planned for next Tuesday with the POTUS [President of the United States]," Mr Pena Nieto said on Twitter. "Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach accords that favour both nations." During a speech at a Republican policy retreat later in the day in Philadelphia, Mr Trump described NAFTA as a "terrible deal, a total disaster for the United States", and said that the move of manufacturing to Mexico cost millions of American jobs and the closure of "thousands and thousands of plants" across the US. Congress moving ahead

On Thursday, leaders of the Republican-controlled US Congress said they planned to move ahead on funding the wall, which they projected would cost between $US12 billion and $US15 billion ($16 billion to $20 billion). "So we intend to address the wall issue ourselves and the President can deal with his relations with other countries," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a news conference in Philadelphia, where Republicans were holding a retreat. Mr Trump was due to address the group later in the day, as was British Prime Minister Theresa May. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, when asked if legislators were worried about the US relationship with Mexico, said, "I think we'll be fine." "We anticipate a supplemental [budget] coming from the administration," Mr Ryan said at a news conference.

"The point is we're going to finance the Secure Fence Act." Mr Trump has also threatened to penalise US companies that use Mexican manufacturing plants to produce goods for the United States. Former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castaneda said his government should have cancelled the planned summit earlier in the week when it became clear that Mr Trump was going to go ahead with measures to build the wall and clamp down on immigration. Loading "There is an atmosphere of crisis in the United States and it is going to last a long time. We are going to have to get used to living like this," he said on Mexican radio.
Washington: Atomic scientists reset their symbolic "Doomsday Clock" to its closest time to midnight in 64 years on Thursday, saying the world was closer to catastrophe due to threats such as nuclear weapons, climate change and Donald Trump's election as US president.

The timepiece, devised by the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and displayed on its website, is widely viewed as an indicator of the world's vulnerability to disaster.

Its hands were moved to two minutes and 30 seconds to midnight, from three minutes.

"The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than it's ever been in the lifetime of almost everyone in this room," Lawrence Krauss, the bulletin's chair, told a news conference in Washington.
Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020.

Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work.

Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri.
Ring in the Asian New Year from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Auld Pavilion in Antelope Park, 1450 Memorial Drive.

This is the year of the rooster.

The free celebration will include cultural performances and games, a live band, henna tattoos, health screenings and food samples.

Also happening

* Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center hosts its Snug-as-a-Bug winter program, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at 11700 S.W. 100th St., Denton. Using magnifiers, microscopes and investigative techniques, child/adult teams will probe through leaf litter and logs to discover spineless insects whiling away the winter. Cost is $8 per family. Space is limited. To reserve a spot call 402-797-2301 or email scp@audubon.org.

* Barnes and Noble invites kids to get ready for "The LEGO Batman Movie," 4-6 p.m. Saturday at SouthPointe Pavilions and on Jan. 28. Feb. 25 and March 11. Kids can collect two limited edition trading cards at each, and cards collected all three weekends will unveil a special scene. In addition, there will be giveaways and make and play activities using LEGO bricks and blocks. Free. The opens Feb. 10.

* Hyde Memorial Observatory's regular free astronomy program will be 7-10 p.m. Saturday. More, Hydeobservatory.info or 402-441-7094.

Coming up

* Dinosaurs are on tap for the Feb. 3 First Friday Family Night at the Lincoln Childrens Museum, 1420 P St. The museum will be open 5-7:30 p.m. The Friday family nights replace Thursday night programs previously offered at the museum. Friday visitors will find free parking in the University Square parking garage, 101 N. 14th St. Regular museum admission applies: $9.50 for ages 2 to 61; $9 for seniors; $6.50 for 1-year-olds; and free for those younger than 1. More, lincolnchildrensmuseum.org or 402-477-4000.

* Dinosaurs & Disasters returns to Morrill Hall, 14th and Vine streets, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 4. Regular admission applies: $6 for adults; $3 for children; free for 4 and younger.

* Disney Reads Day will start at 11 a.m. Feb. 4 at Barnes & Noble, SouthPointe Pavilions. Free.

* Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra presents Fairy Tale Fantasy featuring the giant Madcap Puppets at 2 p.m. Feb. 5, at Nebraska Wesleyan Universitys O'Donnell Auditorium, 5000 St. Paul Ave. Before the show, families are encouraged to visit the free instrument petting zoo. Tickets for the performance are $10 for adults; $5 for ages 17 and younger. Tickets, lincolnsymphony.org or 402-476-2211.

More family activities for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2:

Friday

Cookie Mouse visits storytime -- 6:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers, SouthPointe Pavilions. Bring your camera.

Saturday



Bilingual English-Spanish story time -- 10-11 a.m., Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P St.

Game On! -- 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Gere Branch Library. Bring your own game or play one from library collection.

I'll Never Let You Go storytime -- 11 a.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5150 O St. and SouthPointe Pavilions locations.

Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club Rock Swap -- 1-5 p.m., Bethany Park Enclosed Shelter, 66th and Vine streets. Buy, sell, trade rocks, minerals, fossils, jewelry, lapidary supplies and equipment.

Lunar New Year Celebration -- hosted by the Asian Community and Cultural Center, 2-5 p.m., Auld Pavilion, 1650 Memorial Drive, Antelope Park. Cultural performances, food, crafts, henna and face painting. Free.

Celebrate: The Lego Batman Movie Event -- Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 3 p.m., 5150 O St.; 4 p.m. SouthPointe Pavilions. Singalongs, activities and giveaways.

Sunday

Family storytime -- 1:30-2 p.m., Eiseley Branch Library. Stories and crafts.

Chinese New Year Celebration Party -- 2:30-4:30 p.m., Bennett Martin Public Library, 136 S. 14th St. Music by Lincoln Chinese Music Ensemble, calligraphy writing by Lincoln Chinese Cultural Association, Chinese yo-yo and shuttlecock by Lincoln Chinese School. Crafts, activities and light refreshments. Free.

Tuesday

Library storytimes -- Toddler: 10 a.m. and 10:35 a.m., Gere; 10:30 a.m., Bethany, Walt; 6:30 p.m., Gere. Preschool: 10:30 a.m., Anderson, Gere; 7 p.m., Eiseley.

Morning children's story time -- 10-11 a.m., Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P St.

Wednesday

Library storytimes -- Toddler: 10:30 a.m., Walt; 10:35 a.m. Eiseley and Gere. Preschool: 10:30 a.m., Eiseley. Baby: 10 a.m., Gere.

Thursday

Library storytimes -- Toddler: 10 a.m., Gere; 10:35 a.m., Eiseley and Gere. Preschool: 10:30 a.m., Eiseley, Bethany, Gere. Baby: 10:30 a.m., Walt; 6:30 a.m., Gere.

"Three Billy Goats Gruff" -- with the Madcap Puppets, 6 p.m., Anderson Branch Library; 7 p.m., Eiseley Branch Library. Free.

Pop in Storytime -- "Barnyard," 6:30-7 p.m., University of Nebraska State Museum, Morrill Hall, second floor, Highway Palentology Gallery. Stories and activities planned for ages 3-5. Everyone welcome. Regular museum admission.

Shows and exhibits



Planetarium astronomy shows -- "A Starry Tale," 11 a.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. "Super Volcanoes," noon Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Shows through Feb. 26. Children must be age 4 or older. University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History, Mueller Planetarium, Morrill Hall, south of 14th and Vine streets. 402-472-2641.

Special Laser Show -- "KinderBop" 2 p.m. Jan 28, Mueller Planetarium, University of Nebraska State Museum, Moriill Hall. Tickets sold on first-come, first-served basis the day of the show at front desk in Morrill Hall. Museum exhibits will not be open during evening laser shows. 402-472-2641.

Hyde Observatory shows -- 7-10 p.m. Saturdays, Hyde Observatory, Holmes Lake. Free. Reservations available for Monday-Thursday nights. 402-441-7094.

"The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs" -- 7 p.m. Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10; 2, 5 p.m. Jan. 28, Feb. 4, 11; 2 p.m. Feb. 12, The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St., Omaha. 402-345-4849.

"Thumbelina" -- 9:30-11 a.m. Jan. 28-29, Feb. 4-5, The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St., Omaha. 402-345-4849.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" -- musical, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27-28; 2 p.m. Jan. 28-29; 7 p.m. Jan. 29, Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St. 402-472-4747.

Coming up

Disney Enchanted Tales Film Series -- "Frozen," 10 a.m., 12:30, 3, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 3-5, Lincoln Grand Theatre. Tickets: $5.

First Friday Family Night -- 5-7:30 p.m. Feb. 3, Lincoln Children's Museum. Regular museum admission. Free parking in University Square Parking garage, 101 N. 14th St. (access to garage off P Street, just before 14th Street).

Behlen Observatory public night -- 7-10 p.m. Feb. 3, near Mead. Information and directions at observatory.unl.edu/behlen. Free.

Dinosaurs & Disasters -- 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 4, University of Nebraska State Museum, Morrill Hall. Bring your rocks and fossils to be identified. For all ages. Free event with regular museum admission.

"Three Billy Goats Gruff" -- with the Madcap Puppets, 10:30 a.m., Walt Branch Library; 11:30 a.m., Gere Branch Library, Feb. 4.

Spaghetti feed -- fundraiser for Diaper Depot provided by Havelock and New Hope United Methodist Churches, 5-6:30 p.m. Feb. 4, New Hope United Methodist Church, 1205 N. 45th St. Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, salad, dessert and drink. $8/person, $4/ages 10 and younger.

"Fairy Tale Fantasy" -- with Lincoln Symphony's Orchestra and the Madcap Puppets, 2 p.m. Feb. 5, Nebraska Wesleyan University, O'Donnell Auditorium, Rogers Fine Arts Center, 50th Street and Huntington Avenue.

Mighty Magic Pants album release concert -- 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 11, The Space, 5900 S. 58th St. Come dress as your favorite superhero. Prizes awarded for individuals and families for best costume. Free for entire family.

Free family fun day -- "Be My Valentine," 2-4 p.m. Feb. 14, Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North. Make and take Valentine's card, join in a 'lovely' Scavenger hunt. Free drop-in event for entire family.

Register

Owl Prowl -- 4-5 p.m. Saturdays Jan. 28-Feb. 4, Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure, Nebraska City. Indoors: interactive owl presentation, owl pellet dissection and owl craft. Outdoors: Hike trails to listen for owls. $11/per child, $13/per adult. Register at 402-873-8717 or arbordayfarm.org.

Snug-as-a-Bug -- 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 28, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, 11700 SW 100th St., Denton. Short hike and indoor investigation. $8/family. Register at 402-797-2301 or scp@audubon.org.

Family Grief Series -- ten-week session 6:30-8 p.m. Mondays Jan. 30-April 10, Mourning Hope Grief Center, 4919 Baldwin Ave. For children and families who have experienced the death of someone close to them. The series is planned for youth ages kindergarten through 18 and their adult caregivers. Free. Registration required at 402-488-8989 or mourninghope.org or cmason@mourninghope.org.

My Doll and I Celebrate Nebraska Heritage -- with American doll Kirsten, 10 a.m.-noon or 1:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 4, International Quilt Study Center & Museum, 33rd and Holdrege streets. Children complete a pioneer quilt, tour gallery, play games related to pioneer life. Snacks provided. $26/non-members, $18/members plus $10/materials. Register at 402-472-6549.

"Mr. Popper's Penguins" auditions -- 5-8 p.m. Feb. 5-6, callbacks 5-8 p.m. Feb. 8, Lincoln Community Playhouse, 2500 S. 56th St. Roles available for adults and students (must be at least 8 years old by Feb. 13). Information and registration at lincolnplayhouse.com.

Cabin Fever -- 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 to 1 p.m. Feb. 12, YMCA Camp Kitaki, Ashland. For ages 7-14. Clue-themed campout, includes crafts, dance party, finger printing, Spyball and meet real life crime scene investigator. $60/child. Register at ymcacampkitaki.org/programs.

Little Ladies Date Night -- 6-8 p.m. Feb. 24 or 25, Lincoln Children's Museum. Dads, grandpas, uncles, big brothers or any guys who have a special little lady to treat for a night. Members: $20/couple, $5/extra little lady. Non-members: $30/couple, $10/extra little lady. Space limited so register early. 402-477-4000 or lincolnchildrensmuseum.org.
The World Customs Organization (WCO) celebrated the International Customs Day on 26th January 2017 at its Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium and officially launched the theme of the year: Data Analysis for Effective Border Management.

On this occasion, the Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya delivered a message to the Customs community, the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China and Head of the EU mission in Brussels, H.E. Ms Yang Yanyi delivered a keynote address and the Vice President of EMEA Operations, Integration Point, Ms Michiko Loyd made a presentation on the Data Analysis in Trade. The event was supported by the Belgium Customs, represented by Mr. Kristian Vanderwaeren, General Administrator, Customs and Excise and with the special participation of the official Music Band.

The Secretary General of the WCO, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya welcomed the guests and explained the importance and relevance of the theme of the International Customs Day 2017. Dr. Mikuriya explained the ways data flows along the global value chain and how Customs can use it in an equitable and inclusive manner to support globalization. He also pointed out the vulnerabilities of cross-border transactions linked to e-commerce and the importance to understand the challenges to be able to support legitimate trade and combat illicit trafficking. He invited Customs administrations to share best practices to enhance the effectiveness of Border management and concluded by announcing that as data analysis empowers customs officers and contributes to establishing a level playing field, the WCO will organize, during the year, several events on the theme Women in Customs to improve gender equality.

The Ambassador and Head of Mission of the Peoples Republic of China to the European Union, H.E Ms Yang Yanyi underlined the major opportunities and challenges concerning the use of data as well as the tools available to harness its power. She also explained how gender balance is important in the workplace and also her own experience of the progress made so far.

The Vice President, EMEA Operations, Integration Point, Ms. Michiko Lloyd made a presentation on the use of data analysis in Trade. She identified the challenges of having disparate data systems, an increasing volume of trade information and the importance of reconciling security demands and the need for effective data sharing and analytics.
Nebraska farm groups fear a plan endorsed by the White House on Thursday to pay for a border wall with a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico has the potential to create a trade war that would ravage the states top industry.

This has the potential to be devastating to agriculture, U.S. agriculture and Nebraska agriculture. And also certainly would not be good for the entire economy to the state of Nebraska, said Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, the states largest group representing farmers.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer speaking aboard Air Force One to reporters on Thursday said Trump favored the proposal and discussed it with Congressional Republicans as part of a comprehensive tax reform.

Amid uproar following his statements, White House officials later said the 20 percent tax is one of several options being considered to pay for the wall Trump made a center point of his presidential campaign.

Trump on Wednesday ordered the construction of a wall on Americas southern border, which is estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

In the midst of the diplomatic row, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped a planned trip to Washington next week. The two leaders had been scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House next week. But Pena Nieto took to Twitter Thursday to say he had informed the White House he would not be coming.

In a speech in Philadelphia later Thursday, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

Nebraska sent $1.26 billion worth of goods to Mexico in 2015 making it the states second largest export market. In 2014, about 30 percent of Nebraska soybeans and 17 percent of corn got shipped to Mexico.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who had not seen specifics of the proposal, said he's concerned the tax could disrupt that trade relationship.

I urge the Trump Administration to look for ways to grow trade opportunities for Nebraskas ag producers and manufacturers, Ricketts said in a statement.

John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said trade is a two-way street and one side doesnt get to make up all the rules. He also questioned the legal and international repercussions of such a tax.

Nebraskans have worked decades to build bridges with buyers in Mexico, bridges easily collapsed if Mexico were to create its own retaliatory taxes on products from the United States.

There is a lot more involved than just dickering over price. Its a much more complicated kind of negotiation, Hansen said.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., took to twitter to criticize the proposal saying:

Tariffs are a tax on American families.

Sasse followed up with:

#LoveYourPassion but trade is not a good vs evil, zero-sum game. Someone on each side is voluntarily choosing to exchange b/c they want to.

Sasse's spokesman, James Wegmann, later clarified that Nebraska's junior senator will study tax and tariff changes when they are proposed.

"But he (Sasse) starts from the basic principle that tariffs are a tax on Nebraska's families and also a danger for Nebraska Agriculture."
A Fairbury man was killed after losing control of his car on U.S. 136 on Thursday night.

Kent Pfingsten, 49, was heading west about 10:30 p.m. when his 1996 Saturn crashed into an embankment northeast of Fairbury, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.

Pfingsten wasn't wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car, the sheriff's office said. He died at the scene.

Union Pacific Railroad crew members found his car.

The sheriff's office and Nebraska State Patrol investigated the wreck and said they believe alcohol was a factor.
An inmate serving a life sentence for killing a woman in Omaha has lost a lawsuit alleging the deputy warden at the state prison in Tecumseh failed to protect him from sexual harassment and assaults by two female employees over two years.

Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf said Iman Muhammad, who also goes by the name Daryle Duncan, never presented evidence to show the employees sexually harassed or assaulted him or that Deputy Warden Scott Busboom knew about inappropriate contact the now former employees had with inmates.

"In fact, the undisputed evidence clearly establishes Muhammad voluntarily welcomed sexual relations with (the women) and refutes his claims that Busboom was deliberately indifferent to the situation," Kopf wrote in Monday's order.

Muhammad now is serving his sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

In a lawsuit filed in 2015 in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, the 52-year-old inmate sought $2.5 million against the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, its medical department and Busboom, alleging they had been negligent and indifferent to his safety by failing to act on reports of employees' inappropriate contact with inmates.

The suit later was amended to be against Busboom only, because the state is immune from federal lawsuits.

This week, Kopf dismissed the case against Busboom, too, pointing to Muhammad's own admission that he'd been in a romantic relationship with the women and even filed paperwork trying to marry one of them after her employment was terminated.

Kopf cited case law that said consensual sexual interactions between prisoners and guards, no matter how inappropriate, could not constitute the "unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain" forbidden by the Eighth Amendment.

According to the order, Muhammad and a prison corporal were seen kissing in the prison's Skilled Nursing Unit on July 16, 2015.

A day later, he told a captain that the woman and another employee in the unit had been having sexual contact with him for two years while he was working there as a porter.

The Nebraska State Patrol investigated the allegations, which led to a charge against one of the women. She ultimately was allowed to plead guilty to attempted unauthorized conveyance of an article to an inmate, a misdemeanor, and was fined $500.
A Lincoln woman originally facing a murder charge for luring a man to his death a year ago entered a no contest plea Thursday to attempted robbery in a deal with prosecutors.

Tiffany Welch's plea came three weeks after her co-defendant, Matthew Pavey, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for James Carr's killing Jan. 4, 2016.

Carr's family knew about the deal before it happened, but walked out unhappy with the deal that means Welch can't get more than 20 years for her role in what happened.

"She set my son up," Mary Carr said outside the courtroom. "She's the whole reason that my son is not here today."

She said the Lancaster County Attorney's office told her it made the deal because Welch said she didn't know Pavey was going to shoot Carr.

But, Mary Carr said, it doesn't do justice for her son.

"Up to 20 years, that's nothing. I don't have my son," she said.

On Jan. 4, the anniversary of his death, she left a rose where her son was killed, let a balloon go and told him she missed him.

At around 11:30 a.m. that day a year earlier, Lincoln police found James Carr dead by the sidewalk of a house near 20th and Dudley streets. Carr, 27, had been shot in the chest, one of his pockets turned inside-out as if someone had emptied it.

They arrested Pavey three hours later on information that he had shot and killed Carr after Welch, now 22, lured him to the house on North 20th Street.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Jeff Mathers said Welch was at the house when the shooting occurred and originally told police Pavey had gone there looking for Carr and that they went outside to talk.

Mathers said Welch later said she had lied. It was Carr who had come over.

Soon after came the gunfire. At least seven shots.

Around 2:30 p.m. that same day, police arrested Pavey getting into a car in the driveway of a home near 11th and Van Dorn, and they found $1,354 cash hidden under leaves near the basement stairs of the house, according to court records.

They arrested Welch a day later.

Mathers said the police investigation turned up a recorded jail call between Welch and a friend the night before the shooting.

In it, she said she could lure Carr in because he trusted her and that she would use his money to pay half of the caller's bond.

Welch also said she would recruit the caller's "ex-partner in crime" to help her. Police believe that person was Pavey.

Attorney Rob Kortus, of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, said he will address issues Welch disputes of Mathers' version of what happened at her sentencing next month.
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Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds will hold a series of forums across NU's campuses next week to discuss a projected $58.3 million budget gap over the next biennium.

At a Board of Regents' meeting Friday, Bounds said the severity of the budget shortfall will require NU to make vertical cuts -- eliminating faculty and staff positions as well as some programs.

"This has created some sleepless nights for me because this is going to impact our people," Bounds told the board.

Looking beyond the $13.3 million cut Gov. Pete Ricketts asked the university to make for the remainder of the budget year ending in June, the governor's office has also proposed a $12.2 million cut next year. Bounds testified in front of the Appropriations Committee last week.

With the cut in state appropriations and increases to collectively bargained salaries, health insurance costs and utility expenses, Bounds said NU will need to find nearly $60 million in expense cuts or revenue increases to balance its budget.

An interactive website demonstrated to regents Friday morning shows how difficult it could be for NU to close its budget gap using student tuition hikes alone.

By raising tuition 7 percent for resident and nonresident students alike, Bounds demonstrated, NU would slash the $58.3 million shortfall to a projected $27 million, as an example.

Hikes in areas like NU's online education programs weren't recommended, Bounds said, because those costs are already higher than the university's competition and at a market rate.

Coupled with proposed tuition hikes, Bounds said NU also will be looking for significant cuts across its system.

A budget response team led by Provost Susan Fritz and former Interim President Jim Linder met for the first time Thursday. The team consists of regents, faculty, staff and students.

Ten more working groups representing service areas -- information technology, facilities management, financial operations, human resources and other groups -- will begin meeting over the next few weeks.

"I said to them the only rules are, I don't want us to think about doing an across-the-board cut," Bounds said, adding NU has already done those.

"What happens is our margins have become smaller and smaller and smaller. Now, if we do an across-the-board cut, we just become weaker and weaker and we need to defend against that."

Some of the areas the budget response teams will look at are if there are opportunities for NU to "privatize, centralize or decentralize," according to Bounds.

With roughly 81 percent of the university's costs tied to salaries and benefits, the largest amount of cuts will come from personnel.

But, the president said, "I think it's important we say to our colleagues on the faculty: This is not going to be the only step."

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green said the cuts will come at a particularly difficult time, as many of the university's competitors are emerging from economic slumps and making aggressive hires, which in turn drives the market for top faculty and staff higher.

In the meantime, Bounds said, NU will work with lawmakers to convey "the importance of having an extraordinarily strong university."

For example, he said, about 70 percent of the state's health care workers are educated at UNMC, an important facet of rural life and the state's economy.

Bounds said one out of every 36 jobs in the state is tied to the university, and he cited a study completed last year that shows NU has a $3.9 billion annual impact on the state's economy.

NU will get an appropriations hearing in March and the final state budget for the 2017-19 biennium is expected to land on the governor's desk in May.

Regents will convene in June to approve the university's biennial budget and set tuition rates.
The general manager of Des Moines (Iowa) Water Works has a stern warning for Lincoln residents.

You better watch Nebraskas waters, Bill Stowe told a crowd of about 70 Thursday evening at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A St.

Stowes warning comes as Costco finalizes plans for a massive chicken-processing plant in Fremont, which will be run under the name Lincoln Premium Poultry. Over the next couple summers, hundreds of workers will build the 360,000-square-foot, $275 million broiler chicken slaughter facility.

The facility will produce about 470,000 chicks a day, and a 32,000-square-foot mill will make 1.314 million tons of animal feed per 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.

But Thursday, Stowe, along with Dr. Alan Kolok, director of the Nebraska Watershed Network and the Center for Environmental Health and Toxicology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and George Cunningham, a scientist who studies wildlife in streams, talked about the dangers the chicken plant poses to Nebraskas watershed.

Stowe said the plant would increase pollution and could put Lincoln in a situation like Des Moines Water Works, which is suing three agriculture-heavy upstream counties over nitrate levels in the Raccoon River. Raising chickens in crowded barns could also damage air quality, the experts said.

The biggest threat the plant poses is runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus, which could damage Lincolns water that comes from wells near the Platte River.

You have to ask yourself two questions, he told those in attendance. Are you willing to take the public health risk? And are you willing to pay for that?

Removing pollution is expensive and water rates will go up, he said.

Water isnt something you can decide to stop using, he said. Beware of the Trojan horse.

Some aspects of the plant will seem good  such as the increase in jobs in Fremont, he said, but the downsides arent often talked about.

Wastewater from the 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.

Kolok said the potential problems come down to simple math.

Were looking at a plant population of seventeen million birds, living in 400 houses, he said. Thats 40,000 animal in each house  theyll be standing in their own waste.

Whether its an animal-rights issue is another topic, he said, but standing waste will create a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria.

Seventeen million chickens generate more waste than every person in Omaha doubled, he said. The numbers are staggering.

There will be a water stream in the plant for clearing the waste.

Thats assuming everything will go as planned 100 percent all of the time, Kolok said. Mistakes occur.

Kolok called the plant a potential disaster, no matter what side of the political spectrum residents align.

Experts also spoke to about 150 people in Omaha on Wednesday about the same topic, but said Thursday that Lincoln has more to worry about because of its wells' proximity to the Platte River.

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, said Walt Shafer, Lincoln Premium Poultrys project manager.
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Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp (Canada), Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Limited, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica SL, Gardner Denver Inc., Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver International Inc., Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Investments Inc., Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan Ltd., Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte. Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia s.r.o., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH (f/k/a ILMVAC GmbH), Gardner Denver Thomas Inc., Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Ghh-Rand Schraubenkompressoren Gmbh, HASKEL EUROPE LTD., HASKEL HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, HASKEL INTERNATIONAL LLC, Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, Haskel France SAS, Haskel Sistemas de Fluidos Espana S.R.L., Hibon Inc., Highspeed Newco LLC, Hingerose Limited, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, INGERSOLL RAND ITS JAPAN LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHANG ZHOU) TOOLS CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHINA) INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND CHINA LLC, INGERSOLL-RAND COMERCIO E SERVICOS DE MAQUINAS E EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA., INGERSOLL-RAND DE PUERTO RICO INC., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL COMPANY B.V., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL SP. Z O.O., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL U.S. INC., INGERSOLL-RAND PHILIPPINES INC., INGERSOLL-RAND SPAIN S.A., INGERSOLL-RAND U.S. HOLDCO INC., IR HPS Holdco. Inc., ITO Emniyet, Ingersoll Rand Cyprus Investments Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Finance LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Investments LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Ventures LLC, Ingersoll Rand Hong Kong Investments Limited, Ingersoll Rand Inc., Ingersoll Rand Investments (SG) Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Investments B.V., Ingersoll Rand Schweiz Investments Gmbh, Ingersoll Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (China) Investment Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Guilin) Tools Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Ab, Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon Sarl, Ingersoll-Rand Beteiligungs Und Grundstucksverwaltungs Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Colombia S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (Uk), Ingersoll-Rand Company South Africa (Pty) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Cz S.R.O., Ingersoll-Rand De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Equipements De Production S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Ireland Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International (India) Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Italia S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Italiana Manufacturing S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Korea Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Korea Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments II S.A R.I., Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Luxembourg Industrial Company S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Machinery (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Malaysia Co. Sdn. Bhd., Ingersoll-Rand S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Services And Trading Limited Liability Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Singapore Enterprises Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Superay Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technical And Services S.A.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Technologies And Services Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Tool Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Trading Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Vietnam Company Limited, Instrum Rand JSC, Interflex Datensysteme, Ir Canada Holdings Ulc, Ir Canada Sales & Service Ulc, Ir France Sas, Kryptonite corp, Lawrence Factor Inc., LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MILTON ROY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, MILTON ROY (UK) LIMITED, MILTON ROY EUROPA B.V., MILTON ROY EUROPE SAS, MILTON ROY INDUSTRIAL (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., MILTON ROY LLC, MILTON ROY US PURCHASER INC., MP Pumps Inc., Maximum AG Technologies Inc., Maximus Solutions, Mb Air Systems Limited, Nash Elmo, Officina Meccaniche Industriali Srl, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Plurifilter D.O.O., Pt Ingersoll-Rand Indonesia, Robuschi, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, SEEPEX, Seepex (M) SDN, Seepex Australia Pty Ltd, Seepex Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung, Seepex France S.a.r.l., Seepex GmbH, Seepex Inc., Seepex India Private Ltd., Seepex Italia SRL, Seepex Japan Co. Ltd., Seepex Nordic A/S, Seepex OOO, Seepex Pumps (Shanghia) Co. Ltd., Seepex UK Ltd., Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Shanghai Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Limited, Shenzhen Bocom System Engineering Co., Superay, Syltone, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Tamrotor Marine Comp AS Norway, Tecno Matic Europe s.r.o., Thomas Industries Inc., Trane Technologies, Tri-Continent Scientific Inc., Vacuum and Blower Systems division, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zaxe Technologies Inc., Zeks Compressed Air Solutions Llc, Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, Zinsser NA Inc., and crayon interface.

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Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then becoming mostly sunny during the afternoon hours. A few storms may be severe. High 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
Powerball up to $1.6 billion, now largest jackpot on record
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 26, 2017 | 05:28 PM | MAYFIELD, KY

A man faces multiple theft-related charges in Graves County.

The Graves County Sheriff's Office charged Karl David Alexander on Thursday with theft by unlawful taking over $500 and two counts of receiving stolen property under $10,000. Alexander was arrested last week on separate charges.

Alexander is accused of stealing several thousand dollars worth of tools from a garage on KY 121 South on Monday. Some of the tools were recovered by police at pawn shops in Murray and Mayfield. More tools were recovered at Alexander's girlfriend's home off KY 381.

Alexander is also accused of stealing a truck loaded with a large amount of lumber and insulation type board from Myers Lumber Company in Mayfield last week. He also confessed to taking six chrome wheels and a wood burning stove that was inside the business.

The Mayfield Police Department will be bringing more charges on Alexander for the burglary at Myers and the theft of the truck.
By Tim Brockwell Jan. 27, 2017 | 11:57 AM | CADIZ, KY





A man who pleaded guilty to murder in a 2014 homicide case will be spending the rest of his life behind bars.Judge Woody Woodall sentenced Ryan Champion Friday morning in Trigg County Circuit Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Champion pleaded guilty in December to murder charges for the shooting deaths of his parents, sister, and a family acquaintance. The guilty plea spared Champion a possible death sentence.Prosecutor Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said the victims' family members were given the opportunity to make statements before sentence was passed. Wiggins said the outcome means the family will not have to deal with a years-long appeals process that would have come if Champion had received the death penalty."That was one of the main reasons for resolution of the case, so that there would not be years and years of appeals that the family would have to worry about and have to constantly think about." Ovey-Wiggins said.Police found 62 year-old Lindsey Champion, 60 year-old Joy Champion, 31-year-old Emily Champion and 22-year-old Vito Riservato shot to death inside the Champions' Trigg County home on Oct. 26, 2014. Champion was arrested several days later, and Ann Plotkin was arrested later that year for her alleged role in the killings.
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This president lies.

Granted, every president tells the occasional politically expedient untruth. But this guy is different. He lies constantly. He lies about relatively unimportant things. He lies when the truth can be easily verified.

None of this comes as a surprise, of course. Its been obvious since long before Donald Trump took the oath of office on Friday. Still, it is disheartening to realize that that oath, and the awesome responsibilities that come with it, have not changed him in the least. He still lies as prolifically as ever.

For instance, in a speech on Saturday at the CIA, Trump blasted the news media for making it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. But it wasnt the news media that sent out a tweet as recently as Jan. 11 likening the intelligence community to Nazi Germany. Did Wolf Blitzer have a gun to his head or something? No, that was Trump.

On Monday, in a meeting with congressional leaders, Trump renewed his claim that he would have won the popular vote in the November election except that massive fraud cost him millions of ballots. And thats a lie, too. There is no  repeat: zip, zilch, zero  evidence to support that claim.

On Saturday, Trump sent press secretary Sean Spicer storming into the White House briefing room to berate reporters for reporting  accurately  that the crowd at Trumps inauguration was much smaller than that at President Obamas first swearing-in in 2009. Pressed to explain that behavior Sunday on Meet the Press, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said something bizarre: Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts.

Whereupon, my cousin Kelly called me, sputtering in disbelief. Kelly, a career prosecutor, wanted to know if this means he is now free to put untruths into evidence if he dubs them alternative facts.

Meantime, my colleague, Miami Herald cartoonist Jim Morin tweeted, I would like to congratulate Hillary Clinton for winning the presidential election and enacting a progressive agenda for USA. #AlternativeFact.

Even Germanys national railway joined in: Good news  120 percent of our trains are on time today. #alternativefacts

Youd think Team Trump would learn its lesson, but there was Spicer the very next day, echoing Conways  ahem  reasoning. Sometimes, he told reporters, We can disagree with the facts.

In a word: Argh. Look, you can disagree all you want that two plus two equals four. You may offer to your hearts content the alternative fact that two plus two equals rainbow sherbet. None of it changes the hard reality of what sum is produced when you add those numbers. Nor can you insist otherwise and expect anyone with half a brain to take you seriously.

Ask yourself: If we cannot trust these people to tell us the truth on minor matters that can be easily checked, what confidence can we have that they will be square with us on substantive matters where the truth is not a Google search away? What confidence can our allies and adversaries have?

The answer is, none. That should scare you.

As should this: Just a few days in, this may already be the least trustworthy regime in history. Yet last week, that regime was said to be thinking of evicting reporters from the White House. And Newt Gingrich just said press briefings should be open to non-journalists, i.e., a designated cheering section lobbing softball questions.

Trump will tell you he has a bad relationship with reporters because they are unfair. He says hes in a running war with news media. But thats another lie.

This guys running war is with the truth.
He asked all of us, regardless of our party affiliation, to help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now. I agree.

We need to develop cleaner, safer renewable sources of energy which do not harm and further pollute the environment. We need to learn to live in greater harmony with each other and with the environment. There is so much we can do and accomplish by working together. It makes sense.
It was George Washington who first warned America of the dangers of sectionalism and of political parties. He felt that disagreements between political parties weaken the government and, as you look at the gridlock thats plagued our government for so long, you realize that he was right. In the heat of our debates we tend to forget that in the end were all on the same team.

Hyper-partisanship and fake news that caters specifically to one party or the other are the most serious problems we face as Americans today. When partisanship becomes more important than those principles upon which this country was founded, when you are right and your neighbor is wrong, it would do us well to step back and remind ourselves that we are on the same team. No one has all the answers but everyone has some answers and only by working together can we all prosper.

The next time you feel the urge to comment on an article or social media post and call someone a socialist liberal snowflake or a racist right-wing nut job, take a moment to remember that theyre on your team and that insulting them and widening the gap that divides this country does yourself a disservice.

Jordan M. Bockelman, Lincoln
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Calin Rovinescu, the CEO of Air Canada, came to Winnipeg riding a recent record-breaking financial performance for the airline and its $14-billion-per-year operation.

That may be why his speech at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event was light on humility and absent any concern Air Canada may not be meeting its obligations regarding a Western Canada Centre of Excellence for aerospace.

Air Canada promised the centre last year in exchange for the Manitoba government withdrawing from a lawsuit against the airline for violating the Air Canada Public Participation Act.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Calin Rovinescu, President & CEO of Air Canada, is speaking at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event, Thursday, January 26, 2017.

However, all that has materialized to date are commitments from a pair of Air Canada suppliers  Hope Aero and Airbase Services  to set up small operations in hangar space that once housed the heavy maintenance operations of Air Canada Technical Services, and subsequently Aveos Fleet Performance, where more than 600 high-paid, highly skilled aircraft technicians once worked.

Rovinescu said Air Canada has committed to providing work for Hope and Airbase in facilities Air Canada upgraded at its expense.

Additionally, we have agreed to lease hangar space on favourable terms to another of our partners, Cargojet Airways, so it can maintain its aircraft locally, assuming it is able to come to terms with the government of Manitoba, he said in his speech.

In a question-and-answer session later with Barry Rempel, CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Rovinescu said, If we seed two companies, that seed could result in something better.

The Free Press has reported those two companies intend to start operations in Winnipeg this year with a total of eight employees.

Rovinescu said, Good private-sector jobs can only be created when a company enjoys a welcoming fiscal environment, a strong commitment by government to build infrastructure, a willing and engaged business community, competitive labour rates and talent.

He said hes confident a centre can develop if these principles are respected and realistic expectations are set.

Rovinescu did not take questions from reporters, but Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said, Calin said it very clearly. We have met our commitments. We have fulfilled our obligations. We have done the lease. We have signed the lease with AirBase and Hope. That is what we have committed to. You need to ask the government and Cargojet what they need to take it forward and what the government can do.

Cargojet was not available to comment Thursday and has declined to address its intentions regarding a Winnipeg base for the better part of a year.

Cliff Cullen, Manitobas minister of growth, enterprise and trade, would only say creative solutions are being sought with Cargojet.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
In her Jan. 15 letter ("Fortenberry on right track"), Carrie Smith affirms Representative Jeff Fortenberry stating Youre on the right track, Congressman. Constituents in Nebraskas First District are fortunate to be represented in Washington by a man of integrity and good common sense. I am frequently impressed by his thoughtful approach to difficult issues and his commitment to finding constructive solutions.

A good example is his take on Americas energy policy. In a recent Fort Report, Rep. Fortenberry states, Americas environmental, economic, and national security are inextricably intertwined. Meeting this challenge requires energy and environmental diplomacy where we build bridges with innovation, technology, and willful choice to a rebalanced portfolio with renewable sources.

Our Congressman works conscientiously to solve existing problems without creating new ones and expects nothing less of the people he represents. We need to encourage our members of Congress, of both parties, to be similarly forward-looking so that a real conversation can begin to address the urgent problem of climate change.

Laurel Van Ham, Lincoln
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES  Shares of Mattel Inc. plunged nearly 18 per cent on Thursday after the toy maker reported disappointing holiday sales.

Chief executive Christopher Sinclair acknowledged it was a very difficult quarter for Mattel, which is headquartered outside Los Angeles. The companys fourth-quarter results, which it posted after financial markets closed Wednesday, fell well short of Wall Street expectations.

In a call with analysts, Sinclair cited a significant decline in industry sales growth, particularly in the United States, among factors weighing on Mattels numbers.

Mattels stock slid 17.6 per cent Thursday to US$25.99.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/01/2017 (2109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deliberately chose a male Winnipeg MP to become the next parliamentary secretary to the minister for the status of women. Terry Duguid, Winnipeg South Liberal MP, will take over the role Jan. 30, moving from his past job as the parliamentary secretary for the minister of families, children and social development.

I think the prime minister is making a statement with this appointment, Duguid said, before he was even asked about the idea of putting a man into the role. He emphasized men and women have to both be involved in advancing equality.

Duguid said his work over the last 15 months on files including child care and affordable housing will help him in the new role, though he has not yet been assigned any specific files. He has spoken to new minister Maryam Monsef but wont be briefed officially until next week.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Terry Duguid of Winnipeg will take over as parliamentary secretary to the minister for the status of women on Monday.

His arrival on the scene is raising some eyebrows. Michelle Austin, a former Conservative staffer and now a political strategist at Summa Strategies in Ottawa, said it is absurd.

To put a man in there strikes me as ludicrous, she said. The message is that its fine to put a man in a womans job.

Austin said the former government would have been raked over the coals if it had done this.

I cant imagine the furor if Stephen Harper said, I want a man to go out to talk to women about being women,  Austin said.

Trudeaus office issued a background statement saying only that the prime minister believes the status of women is not just a womens issue.

Duguid is the first male MP to be named to the parliamentary secretarys role to the minister for the status of women. The ministry itself was created in 1971 to help implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. The first three ministers were all men, including former Winnipeg MP Lloyd Axworthy, who held the job for about 18 months. Ontario MP Judith Erola was the first woman named to the role in September 1981 and it has been filled by women ever since.

The ministry role has often been considered a junior cabinet job, as it doesnt helm a separate department but an office within the Department of Canadian Heritage. Under former prime minister Jean Chretien, it was a secretary of state, not a full cabinet minister position. Under former prime minister Paul Martin, it became a dual role, as the minister of Canadian heritage and the status of women.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper kept that dual role for 2 1/2 years, making it a separate cabinet job after the election in the fall of 2008.

Martin was the first to appoint a parliamentary secretary for the status of women in 2004. All of the MPs who have filled the role since then have been women, until now.

Trudeau made a number of changes to the list of parliamentary secretaries, with several MPs he had put into the roles in November 2015 being replaced and many more moved to new jobs.

Manitoba maintains two parliamentary secretaries. Duguid and Kevin Lamoureux, who is the parliamentary secretary for the house leader. There are 34 parliamentary secretaries in all, with 11 of them being female.

Trudeau pledged to have gender parity in his cabinet and has done so, but he did not make the same pledge for parliamentary secretaries. The Prime Ministers Office pointed out 27 per cent of Liberal MPs are women, but 32 per cent of parliamentary secretaries are women.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/01/2017 (2109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A memo telling Manitoba Home Care Program employees to drop the words Manitoba and  Program from the name effective immediately has stirred union fears that the province is preparing to privatize the 43-year-old program.

Why now, all of a sudden? asked Manitoba Government and General Employees Union president Michelle Gawronsky. A copy of the Jan. 18 memo obtained by the Free Press says Going forward, we are to refer to Home Care as Home Care Services. (Removing the words Manitoba and Program from the title).

This week, the provincial government released the report The Future of Home Care Services in Manitoba. It projects twice as many Manitobans will require home care by 2037, and that costs will rise from $324 million in 2014/15 to at least $648 million in 2037. The report recommends researching different funding models for home care services.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A home care worker that does cleaning for WRHA clients.

Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen said in a news release Thursday that Manitobans deserve high-quality health care and home care services, and our government is reviewing this report and considering the recommendations.

The memo issued last week to Manitoba Home Care Program workers followed by the release of Thursdays report calling for research on different ways to fund the program signal the direction the province is heading in, said Gawronsky who worked in health care for 33 years.

She said Thursday that Manitobans should be worried about the provincial government imposing home-care user fees or privatizing the program that it wants referred to only as Home Care Services. The practice of referring to the Home Care Program must stop, the memo to staff said. It indicates the name change will be a major undertaking for the provincial government, which has made fighting Manitobas $1-billion deficit its top priority.

We have begun the huge task of updating all regional and provincial policies with the correct terminology, said the memo. MB Health will be printing new home care information folders to replace the old ones  in the meantime use up what you have. The memo says new name tags and business cards should say Home Care Services, and workers with old cards should cross off the program reference.

When asked to explain the name change, a provincial government spokeswoman said it is to reflect the distinct roles and responsibilities of the province and the regional health authorities.

Amy McGuinness said in an email that before regionalization of health care services took place in 1997, the Manitoba Home Care Program was delivered through the health department. Once the regional health authorities took over the provision of home care services in Manitoba, there was no overall provincial program that offers these services directly, she said. The province continues to have a strong oversight role to play, and the name change is for housekeeping purposes.

For a government thats telling departments it needs to save money, spending money for such an innocuous name change doesnt make sense, said Gawronsky.

Theres a cost to this, she said. Why do it if its not significant?

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Brian Pallisters accusations that most night hunting is carried out by young indigenous men with criminal records is racism, New Democrat MLA Amanda Lathlin charged Friday morning.

Thats pretty much racism, and irresponsible. Hes adding to the negative stereotype, that all of us aboriginal people have criminal records, Lathlin said in an interview.

Wow, The Pas MLA said. Thats shocking, and Im ashamed of that.

CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV / THE CANADIAN PRESS Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister to Maclean's: 'Young Indigenous men  a preponderance of them are offenders, with criminal records  are going off shooting guns in the middle of the night. It doesnt make sense.'

Macleans magazine published Thursday an interview conducted with Pallister at his Costa Rica vacation home earlier this week. In it, the premier expanded on controversial comments he made last week in Virden that night hunting is becoming a race war.

Macleans quoted Pallister as saying: Young Indigenous men  a preponderance of them are offenders, with criminal records  are going off shooting guns in the middle of the night. It doesnt make sense.

Lathlin said Pallister needs immediately to apologize  and take awareness training of indigenous culture.

Pallisters office did not directly address his reported comments Friday but issued a statement that the premier is reaching out to indigenous people over the paramount issue of protecting the safety and security of all Manitobans.

But the premiers office also made public the names and community addresses of 27 of the 44 people charged in 2016 with night hunting  the other 17 were underage, or the charges are still being processed, said Pallister spokesperson Olivia Baldwin-Valainis.

She said that in the previous five years, 77.5 per cent of the people charged with night hunting in Manitoba had treaty status.

She could not immediately say how many of them have been convicted, or how many of those charged or convicted were young indigenous men with criminal records.

Of the 27 persons charged whose names and communities the Pallister government made public Friday, there are no ages listed, there is no indication which of the accused are indigenous, and there is no indication which, if any, has a criminal record. None has been convicted to date.

Five appear to have first names traditionally given to women. There are 14 who live on First Nations, the rest mainly live in rural communities, some extremely tiny, with one each from Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie.

Whats clear is that Pallister is completely ignorant about indigenous people and about being himself a treaty person, University of Manitoba acting head of native studies Prof. Niigaan Sinclair said Friday. These stereotypes have a long and violent history of demonizing indigenous people.

He clearly has no understanding of what it means to carry treaty responsibility in our community, Sinclair said in an interview.

Releasing the addresses seems to be particularly offensive, Sinclair said. Many of the people charged are exercising treaty rights and wont be convicted, he said: In many of these situations, these are legal situations. We shouldnt assume they are breaking the law.

Lathlin said that just when reconciliation seems to be gaining ground, The premiers comments just took us a huge step backwards.

Lathlin challenged Pallister to provide evidence to prove what hes saying is true.

Interim Liberal leader Judy Klassen said that even though young indigenous men are over-represented in jails and prisons, That doesnt mean we all have criminal records.

Klassen said Pallister has again made very stereotypical comments, that as leader of the province he shouldnt be saying, very racial in nature.

Klassen urged Pallister to meet with elders and grassroots people. There are a lot of hurt Manitobans, she said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans know when the snow comes and your car is sliding around corners, you switch to winter tires. You dont stare at the summer tires and think about how you could design a different system to push the vehicle forward. In short, you dont try to reinvent the wheel.

Its a lesson the Public Policy Forum could have learned in its report on the news media, The Shattered Mirror, which was released Thursday.

The report provides lots of detail on how much ad revenues have declined for traditional news media  newspapers, TV and radio  and lots of detail on how this has led to staffing cuts in newsrooms and curtailed the amount of civic-function journalism being done in Canada.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Free Press editor Paul Samyn takes subscribers on a tour of the building, showing them the printing presses.

It asks: Do the media, and particularly the civic function of journalism  the coverage of public institutions, public affairs and community  need a lifeline?

It answers the question with a clear yes! But then its main recommendations are not anything I recognize as a lifeline.

It recommends a 10 per cent tax on purchases of digital advertising in foreign-owned media. This is primarily a tax on Google and Facebook, the two U.S. giants that gobble up billions of dollars that used to be spent in Canadian-owned media.

The rationale is twofold: it would make Canadian companies more likely to advertise in Canadian-owned media, and it would address the fact that large U.S. digital companies take a lot of money out of Canada and put little back in the way of creating content for Canadians.

The tax could amount to $300 million to $400 million each year. That money could go a long way to shoring up responsible journalism across the country. It could, for example, underwrite the entire newsroom budgets of dozens of major daily newspapers.

But thats not where the money would go. Instead, it would go to a Future of Journalism and Democracy Fund that would support digital news innovation with a special emphasis on early-stage local and indigenous news operations and research into issues relevant to the interaction of news and democracy.

In other words, the money would not go to support what existing news outlets do to ensure ongoing coverage.

There would also be money for a whole new service by The Canadian Press to cover local news that would be shared. For example, a common reporter at the Winnipeg courts would provide stories all local media could use.

Apart from the fact local news media are already doing this, you have to ask: does it serve Winnipeggers well to have a single source of such news, with the exact same story being repeated in every local media outlet? I would answer, no. A key part of strong civic-function journalism is a variety of reporting, with different versions that provide different perspectives, allowing people to come to their own conclusions.

As well, this kind of service is only viable in larger centres. Who is going to do this in Steinbach and Beausejour and every other smaller centre across the country currently served by local newspapers?

The report has some useful recommendations. It suggests taking sales taxes off subscriptions to Canadian news outlets, in large part because such taxes are not currently applied to subscriptions to foreign news outlets.

It also suggests the federal government advertise only in Canadian-owned media and charity laws be changed so people can make tax-deductible donations to non-profit news organizations. These would help civic-function journalism.

But after devoting 80 or so pages to the state of news media today, the reports recommendations do not go very far toward helping the news media with measures to strengthen economic sustainability.

Currently, there are newspapers and news outlets across Canada doing their best to cover their communities, build out digital platforms and adapt to the new business realities. This is the bedrock of civic-function journalism in Canada. The best bet for ensuring its survival is to find ways of helping it get better traction in changing conditions, and not reinvent the wheel.

Bob Cox is the publisher of the Free Press and chairman of News Media Canada.

theShatteredMirror
It has finally come time for the Republicans in the House and the Senate who have hollered, whined, blocked, and spent too much time and money on wasted legislature to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to provide a plan to replace it, instead of just repeal it. For the last six years, they could have been trying to come up with something to replace it and couldn't do it. At any time in the last six years, not one of them has even tried; all they did was block the ACA from actually working. They stopped Nebraska from expanding Medicaid to help those who fell through the cracks but they didn't have any problem taking their legislative time to make sure illegal immigrants that were pregnant got benefits, or the dreamers got drivers licenses and the ability to go to college.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week, Premier Brian Pallister said night hunting by indigenous people is a dumb practice that could lead to a race war. Pallister asserted night hunting is dangerous for everyone and that rights do not trump responsibilities. This week, on the heels of the premiers comments, the province is apparently now entertaining the idea of a complete ban on night hunting.

Dangerous hunting at night is a serious safety concern. But night hunting isnt inherently dangerous. Responsible, safe night hunting has been practised by indigenous peoples across Canada for many generations. Its also a practice that Canadian courts recognize as an important way for indigenous people to exercise their treaty rights.

In addition to having little basis in law, the premiers statements are counterproductive and potentially inflammatory. They undermine the constitutionally protected legal rights of indigenous peoples, and at the same time, they stoke resentment against indigenous peoples.

Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press FILES Premier Brian Pallister

First, lets address the idea of a blanket ban on night hunting. This is a legal non-starter. Where treaty rights to hunt at night exist, they are protected by the Constitution. Efforts to institute a ban on night hunting by indigenous people would very likely be struck down by the courts.

The law on this issue is clear. The Supreme Court of Canada decided in 2006 night hunting was not any more dangerous than good, old-fashioned daytime hunting. In R. v. Morris, members of Tsartlip Nation in B.C. were charged while exercising their long-held treaty right to hunt at night. The Supreme Court considered similar arguments to those being trotted out now by the premier and rejected them. The court acknowledged that treaty rights are not frozen in time. Using flashlights and rifles to hunt is not unfair, it is simply a reasonable evolution of the treaty right. Nor does the use of modern methods somehow transform night hunting into an inherently dangerous activity. The majority of the court wrote in Morris: To conclude that night hunting with illumination is dangerous everywhere in the province does not accord with reality and is not, with respect, a sound basis for limiting the treaty right.

This is not to say night hunting can never be unsafe. But given that regulations exist to prohibit dangerous hunting, it is both unnecessary and a breach of treaty rights to single out indigenous hunters. It is also worth noting that, a decade or so earlier in the R. v. Horseman decision, the Supreme Court recognized treaty rights provide special benefits to indigenous peoples. That decision recognized that First Nations in Alberta were expressly entitled to hunt using methods not available to non-indigenous hunters (including night hunting) as a result of the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement.

The suggestion the province could ban night hunting is all the more outrageous because it chips away at already-threatened indigenous harvesting rights. Through treaties, indigenous peoples made huge concessions to the settlers (whether those treaties are read as surrenders of land or simply as agreements to share the land). In either case, the protection of harvesting rights was central to the bargain.

But its clear that the premier doesnt understand that bargain. The premier said: Young indigenous guys going out and shooting a bunch of moose because they can. Because they say its their right. It doesnt make any sense to me.

It may not make sense to the premier, but treaty rights are an essential part of the fabric of Canada. Manitoba would not exist were it not for those treaties, and the Crown has an obligation to honour them. Where legitimate issues arise, such as safety or conservation, they should be resolved through consultation with First Nations.

Loose talk that blames indigenous hunters for creating a danger (without any apparent evidence) is corrosive. It undermines any efforts at real reconciliation and is likely to promote discrimination and racism.

Take, for example, the 1999 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Marshall, which affirmed the fishing rights of Mikmaq in Nova Scotia. This set off a wave of vandalism, threats and harassment against Mikmaq fishers and their families in Burnt Church (Esgenoopetitj) by non-indigenous fisherman. Traps were destroyed, boats were rammed and shots were fired. Burnt Church became a national crisis that dragged on for several years.

Less well-known, but perhaps even more disturbing, is the case of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in Ontario. In the early 1990s, a court affirmed the Saugeen Ojibways right to a commercial fishery. Local sport fisherman did not take kindly to this. They began a campaign of intimidation against the Saugeen Ojibway that included threats, gunshots being fired at Saugeen Ojibway fishermen, the cutting and destruction of nets and arson and culminated in a mob of 35 non-indigenous men beating and seriously stabbing three Saugeen Ojibway fishermen.

In both of these cases, violence was visited on the indigenous harvesters simply because they wanted to exercise their constitutionally protected rights. The Crown in both cases failed to protect the rights of the indigenous nations and failed in its role to foster reconciliation.

The history of Manitoba, as everywhere else in Canada, is one of almost constant violation of treaty promises by the Crown and ever-increasing exploitation of the lands and resources of indigenous peoples.

Indigenous peoples have paid a steep price for their rights, and whether the premier likes it or not, the Crown signed the treaties, and he has an obligation to honour them and to uphold the law.

Matt McPherson is a partner at the Toronto law firm Olthuis Kleer Townshend. His practice is focused on litigation and negotiation, and he represents First Nations across Canada.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Good call by Mayor Brian Bowman to push for a public inquiry into allegations about former mayor Sam Katz and his friend, former city CAO Phil Sheegl. In affidavits filed in court, the RCMP allege Mr. Katz and Mr. Sheegl received kickbacks stemming from the awarding of the contract for the Smith Street police headquarters project.

The RCMP allege Caspian Construction owner Armik Babakhanians paid $200,000 to Mr. Sheegl two days after council gave Mr. Sheegl the sole authority to award the construction contract, which he subsequently gave to Caspian in November of 2011. RCMP say Mr. Sheegl then gave Mr. Katz $100,000.

The RCMP began its investigation into the police headquarters project in December 2014. In early 2016, the RCMP expanded its probe to include the new Canada Post sorting facility near the airport, which Caspian built in 2010.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Former mayor Sam Katz and former CAO Phil Sheegl

Mr. Sheegls dubious ethical practices have been well-documented. Repeated independent audits of real estate transactions and development deals were revealed during his tenure at city hall and no doubt were behind Mr. Katzs decision to not seek re-election in 2014. However, despite the audits, no official at city hall has ever been disciplined for those actions, leaving many wondering: why?

When Mr. Sheegl was hired, he had no experience as CAO, and he made it clear from the get-go things were going to be done his way. So he broke up the contract to build new fire halls into four separate units to skirt city councils scrutiny. Then it was revealed one of those stations was built on land owned by Shindico that was subject to a since-cancelled three-for-one land swap that also wasnt disclosed to council. The owner of Shindico is a friend of Mr. Katz, and a report suggested Shindico was given preferential treatment in that deal.

But theres more that needs to be examined here. City staff recommended the sale of downtown surface lot for $5.9 million without telling council the land was valued at $10 million. The Parker land swap was pushed through with no appraisals. The Canada Post complex was bought without an appraisal. Design changes and project-management issues on the police-headquarters project took the cost from $135 million to $214 million.

As well, the Winnipeg Police Service chose not to interview one of two whistleblowers who came forward with allegations about problems on the construction of the headquarters. It was also determined Mr. Katz paid cash to buy a US$1-million Arizona home from the sister-in-law of a Shindico official.

Perhaps the biggest insult in all of this is the fact Mr. Sheegl walked away from his job as CAO with a $250,000 severance package in 2014, despite not working a single day that year. That deal made him this citys highest-paid civic employee for 2014.

Who could blame Winnipeggers for wondering how deep this goes?

A public inquiry could go a long way to provide answers and some insight into how to prevent it from happening again.
Before I launch into a few items taking critics of the new president to task, let me strike a blow for objective rationality: The Obama inauguration in 2009 obviously had a greater attendance and a bigger TV viewership than we saw Friday.

As such, it was silly for Trumps chief voices, Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer, to dispute this. Conways coining of an instantly infamous new term  alternative facts  was not the kind of thing to build confidence right out of the starting blocks.

But please, a moment of context. Observing the media convulsions over this, you might have thought the new administration had lied about the cause of a terrorist attack, or what the public might expect from a signature piece of legislation.

But wait. Weve seen those fabrications, from Trumps predecessor, and weve seen the media reaction, a comparative collective yawn. So pardon me if I wont hear a lot of finger-wagging from people who do did not recoil at Benghazi was caused by a video and You can keep your doctor.

The inaugural address and resulting protests also drew some telling reaction.

Regarding the speech, I am more than willing to hear the observations of fans and critics alike. But when the ham-handed criticism comes from supposedly objective reporters, it is a reminder of why the dominant media culture has received such a black eye of late.

Exhibit A: The observation that the speech was dark, some foreboding moment of calamitous dread. I guarantee you Trump voters did not view it as such. I dont need reporters to fawn over the address as if they were on the campaign staff, but large chunks of analysis seemed gleaned from Democrat index cards.

The first step of solving a problem is assessing it. Trying to combat global jihad? First the level of threat must be assessed, which has not exactly been an urgent task for the last eight years.

Searching for programs that might be of value in addressing drugs, gangs, crime-ridden inner cities? The starting block is observing the depth of the problems, which Trump artfully called American carnage, earning condemnation from those uninterested in such clear-eyed assessments.

Bulletin: those of us looking to make actual progress out of the various holes our nation has dug are actually inspired by a president willing to speak truth to the status quo for starters.

I also enjoyed the laments of the missed opportunities of the inaugural address, offered by helpful souls who thought he should reach out to constituencies who were not exactly friendly to his ascendancy. The suggestion: He should have reached out to women and minorities with specific olive branches designed to make peace.

Has anyone paid any attention for the last year? If not, heres a clue: The new president rejects completely the balkanization and hyphens of identity politics. Want to know what hes going to do for women? For blacks? For Hispanics? Hes going to revitalize the economy, strengthen borders and install constitutionalist Supreme Court justices, which will actually help everyone irrespective of sex or race.

Finally, speaking of women, lets dispense with the notion that Saturdays protests were about womanhood. My wife, daughter and radio producer, all women, were repelled by the excesses of that days main messaging: that American women are crushed by evil oppression from a woman-hating president. They were joined in their distaste by nearly 30 million other women who actually voted for Trump.

So because words matter: This was a march for liberalism (which is fine), populated by marchers who were almost all female (which is also fine). But this does not allow those in attendance to claim some exclusive mantle for the representation of womens interests.
Today

Book sale: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Reedsburg Public Library, 370 Vine St., Reedsburg. Library book sale includes books, videos, magazines, DVDs and more.

Blood drive: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., American Red Cross, Sauk Prairie Healthcare, 260 26th St., Prairie du Sac. To make an appointment or for more information, call 800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Play: CAB Theatre presents Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune at the Ringling House Bed & Breakfast at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and are available at the door or at cabtheatre.org.

Chair yoga: 10-10:45 a.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 21, Baraboo. Instructor Tatsiana ONeil will lead the group in stretches while seated. There is a $1 fee. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Blood drive: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., BloodCenter of Wisconsin, Reedsburg Area Medical Center, 2000 N. Dewey Ave., Reedsburg. All blood donors will receive a $10 coupon redeemable at Noodles & Co. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call 877-232-4376 or visit www.bcw.edu.

Lyme disease support group: 6:30-8 p.m. Hillsboro Public Library, 819 High Ave., Hillsboro. Monthly meeting for people afflicted with lyme borrelia burgdorferi and other tick-bourne diseases in Vernon, Monroe, Sauk and Richland counties. For more information, call Gary Cepek at 608-489-2725 or email garycepek@yahoo.com.

Fish fry: 5-7 p.m., Emanuel United Methodist Church, 101 14th St., Baraboo. The menu includes fried cod and baked haddock, potato, salad, coleslaw, baked beans, bread and dessert. Cost is $10 for adults, kids four and older are $1 per year of age up to $10 and kids 3 and younger are free. Proceeds will go to Emanuels mission trip to Guatemala to support La Escuela Integrada school for impoverished children. Delivery is available by calling, 608-963-7807.

Saturday, Jan. 28

Ice fisheree: 6-9 a.m., Schoepps Cottonwood Resort, N586 Schoepp Road, Sauk City. The Cottonwood Club Ice Fisheree registration is $10 per person on the day of the event. The event will feature food, raffles, game camera and varmint air rifle and door prizes. For more information, call Schoepps at 608-643-4200 or Ron Opitz at 608-643-8433.

Play: CAB Theatre presents Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune at the Ringling House Bed & Breakfast at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and are available at the door or at cabtheatre.org.

Wine event: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wollersheim Winery, 7876 Highway 188, Prairie du Sac. The Port Wine Celebration will feature self-guided tours and wine tasting, winemaker talks, live music featuring Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets and wine and food for purchase. Celebration is open to the public, and there is no admission fee. For more information, visit www.wollersheim.com.

Art show: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Baraboo Arts Banquet and Convention Center, 323 Water St., Baraboo. Cool Boo Artisan Show with 14 local artisans showing and selling their new work. Free event featuring photographers, painter, jewelers, fiber artisans and more. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/Cool-Boo-Artisans-1605497123003366.

Listening session: 10:30-11:30 a.m., Sauk City Public Library, lower level program room, 515 Water St., Sauk City. Listening session with state Sen. Jon Erpenbach and state Rep. Dave Considine. For more information, contact Sen. Erpenbachs office at 608-266-6670 or 888-549-0027 or email sen.erpenbach@legis.wi.gov; Rep. Considines office can be reached at 608-266-7746 or rep.considine@legis.wi.gov.

Listening session: Noon-1 p.m., Baraboo Public Library, downstairs program room, 230 Fourth Ave., Baraboo. Listening session with state Sen. Jon Erpenbach and state Rep. Dave Considine. For more information, contact Sen. Erpenbachs office at 608-266-6670 or 888-549-0027 or email sen.erpenbach@legis.wi.gov; Rep. Considines office can be reached at 608-266-7746 or rep.considine@legis.wi.gov.

Senior card party: 1-3:30 p.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 24, Baraboo. Winterfest Card Party will include Euchre and Sheepshead. The fee is $4 with a 75 percent payback. Soda and coffee will be available for $1 with free snacks. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Childrens theater: 2 p.m., CAL Center, La Crosse Community Theater, 1100 S. Albert Ave., Reedsburg. The Snowy Day and Other Stories will be presented. Tickets are $10 for adults/seniors and $5 for children 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased online at www.calcenterpresents.org. or at Reedsburg area banks, Viking Village Foods and the Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce office.

Book sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Reedsburg Public Library, 370 Vine St., Reedsburg. Library book sale includes books, videos, magazines, DVDs and more.

Sunday, Jan. 29

Card party: 1 p.m., St. Joes CCW, St. Josephs School Gym, 310 Second St., Baraboo. Euchre and Bridge played. $3 admission, snacks available. For more information or to register, call Dottie Slota at 356-4669.

Book sale: Noon to 3 p.m., Reedsburg Public Library, 370 Vine St., Reedsburg. Library book sale includes books, videos, magazines, DVDs and more.

Monday, Jan. 30

Senior potluck luncheon: Noon to 1 p.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 24, Baraboo. Speakers will be Pastors Matt and Rachelle Fearson from the warming center. There is no cost but bring a side dish to pass and a donation of a paper product such as paper towels, plates, napkins or plastic ware. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Community impact night: 4-7 p.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, Dairy Queen, 701 Highway 12, Baraboo. Ten percent of the evenings profits will be donated to the senior center. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Pizza fundraiser: 4:30-8 p.m., Prairie Webster 4H Club, Pizza Ranch, 916 Gateway Drive, Baraboo. Community Impact Night. 10 percent of the evening buffet sales and all donations raised will help the club with their 4H projects.

Adult coloring: 6:30 p.m., Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth St., Baraboo. Coloring for Adults program. Coloring pages and colored pencils will be provided, or participants may bring their own. This program is free. For more information, call 608-356-6166.

Tuesday, Jan. 31

Senior computer class: 10:15-11:15 a.m., Baraboo Area Senior Center, 124 Second St., Room 24, Baraboo. Baraboo High School computer science students will demonstrate computer-based puzzles and activities. Bring a laptop computer or use the computers students will be bringing. There is no cost. For more information, call Diane Pillsbury at 608-356-8464.

Kids event: 4 p.m., Ruth Culver Community Library, 540 Water St. in Prairie du Sac. Kids can help decorate and dedicate the new tree mural during This Tree is for Me. Children age 6 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call Beth at 643-8318.

Adult storytime: 6:30 p.m., Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth St., Baraboo. Fireside Storytime for Adults will feature short stories read aloud by readers be Molly Arbogast, Nijole Etzwiler, and Mike Pullen. Free program. For more information, call 608-356-6166.

Historical discussion: 7 p.m., Sauk County Historical Society, Rock Springs Library, 101 First St., Rock Springs. The history of the village of Rock Springs will be explored. For more information, 356-1001 or email history@saukcountyhistory.org.

Wednesday, Feb. 1

Tuscania rememberance: 5:30 p.m., Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth Ave., Baraboo. Steve Argo, project director of the National Tuscania Remembrance Association and the Baraboo Twenty-One, will present Remembering the Tuscania  Ninety-Nine Februarys Ago. He will discuss the sinking of the British troopship Tuscania by a German submarine on Feb. 5, 1918. Anne Horjus and Homer Daehn will discuss the proposed Tuscania Memorial set to be dedicated on Nov. 11, 2018, in Mary Rountree Evans Park in Baraboo. Free program. For more information, call 608-356-6166.

Thursday, Feb. 2

Bingo: 2-3 p.m., Sauk City Public Library, 515 Water St., Sauk City. Bingo every Thursday through March 16. Prizes from book sale coupons to chocolate bars. Free event open to the public.

Concert: 7-8 p.m., Friends of the Baraboo Public Library, Baraboo Public Library, 230 Fourth St., Baraboo. Beautiful Buzz will perform a mix of indie rock and standard folk, as well as blues covers and originals. Free concert. For more information, call 608-356-6166.
Authorities say a Las Vegas man put the squeeze on a Baraboo restaurant owner for $40,000 by threatening to post scandalous pictures of her kitchen online.

The Sauk County Sheriffs Department apparently learned about the case in June when 42-year-old Stephen E. Hemmes called from Nevada to allege that his ex-girlfriend, from Baraboo, had attempted to hack his phone and computer across state lines.

He told authorities his ex was trying to reclaim $40,000 she gave him after they broke up. The ex-girlfriend paid him, Hemmes said, because she felt guilty that he missed out on other business opportunities when he came to Baraboo to work for her in 2016.

But when a detective interviewed the Baraboo restaurant owner, he heard a different story, according to the criminal complaint.

She told investigators that when Hemmes worked for her, he took unflattering pictures of ants and a broken dishwasher. After they broke up, she said, he threatened to call the health department and post the images online unless she paid him $40,000.

The restaurateur agreed to pay him off in two separate checks, according to the complaint. But she later learned that someone had reported the kitchen issues to the health department.

After the sheriffs department investigation was complete, the ex-girlfriend asked authorities not to file charges, saying she didnt want the publicity to damage her restaurant, the complaint states.

Then, in November, a citizen notified authorities of online comments in which someone threatened to harm one of the Baraboo business owners children. The author referred to the business owner as his ex girlfriend and accused her of hacking his cell phone and computer, leading authorities to suspect it was Hemmes.

Thats when the girlfriend decided to press charges, authorities say.

The Sauk County District Attorneys Office has charged Hemmes with felony counts of theft and threatening to injure or accuse someone of a crime. A judge signed a warrant for his arrest Wednesday.

Officer Larry Hadfield, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said Hemmes was arrested in July for assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. Further details about that case were not available Thursday.
Attorneys representing Gage County have asked a judge to review two insurance policies it has held since 1989, when six people were wrongly convicted of killing a Beatrice woman.

At stake are insurance payouts that could potentially reduce a $28.1 million judgment Gage County faces after the botched cold-case investigation into the 1985 rape and murder of 68-year-old Helen Wilson.

Joseph White, Ada JoAnn Taylor, James Dean, Thomas Winslow, Kathleen Gonzalez and Debra Shelden spent a combined 75 years in prison. In 2008, DNA testing done on evidence from the crime scene excluded the six and indicated a seventh person had committed the crime.

Five of the six, plus the estate of Joseph White, sued Gage County, former Sheriffs Deputy Burdette Searcey and Reserve Deputy Wayne Price in U.S. District Court in 2009, and the case went before a federal jury last summer.

At the end of the trial, the jury awarded a total of $28.1 million to the six, as well as some $1.7 million in attorneys costs. The county has appealed the judgment.

And now, the county has sued the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, a risk-sharing pool representing more than 80 Nebraska counties, and the private Employers Mutual Casualty Co.

Based on a complaint filed Friday by an attorney representing Gage County, however, the stakes are also high for political subdivisions across Nebraska, due in part to advancements made in DNA testing since the six were convicted in 1989.

A 2001 change to state law that allows prisoners to request DNA tests in pursuit of being exonerated has substantially increased the risk political subdivisions such as Gage County face, Joel Nelson of the Keating OGara law firm wrote in the complaint.

The accuracy of DNA testing makes it possible insurance claims filed as a result of actions by law enforcement officers, cities and counties could come to light years or decades following conviction, he wrote, making it nearly impossible for a political subdivision to anticipate when a claim might arise.

The damages coming from these claims also can be astronomical and financially ruinous for political subdivisions such as Gage County, the complaint states, while the cost of successfully defending a claim has also risen.

When Gage County joined the risk-sharing pool in 1997, officials representing the pool offered coverage for full prior acts of public officials and law enforcement dating to Aug. 2, 1989, according to the complaint.

A letter from the risk-sharing pool to its excess-coverage provider said the prior acts coverage was the determining factor in the county signing up for the pool, according to the complaint.

The policy included coverage of $5 million per occurrence without an aggregate limit, stating it would pay those costs on damages due to an act, error, or omission occurring while performing duties related to law enforcement that caused an injury.

Those injuries include false arrest, detention or imprisonment, malicious prosecution or violation of civil rights, the complaint says.

According to the suit, the risk-sharing pool told Gage County in 2016 that interpretation of the policy had changed, and that coverage would become effective only if a claim had been made in a year when the policy was in effect.

That language is inconsistent with the original documents, the county alleges.

Furthermore, the county says, the risk-sharing pool failed in its duty to inform its member counties of the increasing risk of lawsuits from long-incarcerated prisoners seeking testing on DNA evidence, or in offering them new coverage to protect against those claims.

The county also alleged the risk management association imposed a retroactive date on its law enforcement liability insurance in 2003 without notifying the county and eliminated liability coverage for county officials while DNA testing was being done on evidence related to the Beatrice 6 investigation.

The complaint also says the risk-sharing pool gave a litany of new reasons for denying insurance in 2016 that it did not give when it first denied coverage in 2009.

In the complaint filed against Employers Mutual Casualty, which was Gage Countys insurance carrier during a period from 1989 to 1990, the county says the private insurer agreed to pay damages on an occurrence basis for personal injury caused by the county.

The policy defined personal injury as injury arising out of offenses including false arrest, detention or imprisonment or malicious prosecution, the county said.

The agreement between the county and Employer's Mutual said the insurer was obligated to pay $1 million for each covered occurrence and a $2 million aggregate limit, as well as defense fees, court costs and other costs.

Employers Mutual referred to a provision of the contract that said employees of the sheriffs department and the county attorney were professionals and not covered under the policy.

Both complaints ask for declaratory judgment on the insurance policies and the countys defense costs.
Baraboo is hardly alone in its struggles with road repairs, tax assessments and cell tower sites.

On Tuesday, the executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities laid out for the City Council his organizations legislative agenda. Several items hit close to home for Baraboo leaders.

Road money

Jerry Deschane said communities statewide are concerned about a projected $900 million deficit in the state transportation budget. Baraboo leaders have decried a lack of state support, evidenced by the city paying for repairs to state Highway 33 last year.

The League of Wisconsin Municipalities is part of the Just Fix It coalition, which wants the Legislature to establish an adequate, equitable and sustainable transportation funding system.

Certainly, having the League advocating for the municipalities is very important, said Mayor Mike Palm. The roads still need to be fixed. The question is, how long can you wait to fix them?

Theres some good news coming from Madison, as the Department of Transportation proposes in its 2017-19 budget a $32 million increase for city and village roads.

Big box stores

National retail chains are arguing their stores should be valued  for property tax purposes  the same as vacant stores of comparable size. Indiana has closed this loophole, and Deschane is lobbying for Wisconsin to follow. Deschane said the use of those buildings, not just their size, should be considered.

We expect all big-box retail to be challenging their assessments very soon, he said.

Thats hardly news to the Baraboo council, which last year was sued by Menards over its tax bills. The home products chain claimed its Baraboo stores value was set too high, resulting in excessive property taxes.

Palm noted that if major commercial property owners pay less, other taxpayers will be on the hook for the difference. That gets made up from somewhere else, he said. Could it come back to the property taxpayers? Yes, it could.

Cell towers

Municipalities across Wisconsin have criticized how state law regulates the placement of cell phone towers. It gives local officials little authority over where telecommunications companies can build towers equipped with transmitters.

Two years ago, the Baraboo City Council begrudgingly approved an AT&T tower at the Sauk County Fairgrounds on a split vote. Aldermen railed against a 2013 state law change that stripped municipalities of their authority. The Sauk County Agricultural Society later scuttled the deal.

Deschane said cell service is essential, but state law goes too far to protect telecommunications companies interests. His organization supports an Assembly bill introduced last year to reinstate some of municipalities power.

Were a long way from having a good solution, he said. Its a place were going to start the conversation.

Deschane said his lobbying efforts only go so far: Local elected officials must apply pressure to their representatives in the Senate and Assembly. He encouraged aldermen to establish relationships with legislators. Quite frankly, I need your help, he said.
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Education will consider the nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as Donald Trumps Secretary of Education. Anyone who cares about public schools should contact their lawmakers in Washington and tell them to vote against her confirmation.

DeVos is a former Republican chairwoman and Michigan billionaire. Neither she nor her children ever attended a public school. She never taught school, hasnt even been on a school board and has no qualifications to be in charge of an education department with a $73 billion annual budget. She has no experience in any of the functions the department oversees.

So why was she chosen? Could it possibly have something to do with the fact she and groups she leads have donated around $200 million to candidates in the Republican Party, including Gov. Scott Walker, and even to some who have the power to confirm her nomination? Gee, I wonder.

She proved her lack of credentials and even fundamental knowledge of the department when she was questioned by the committee last week. I almost felt sorry for her as she struggled to answer many questions about important federal education programs and laws  answers any qualified candidate would know immediately.

For instance, she said the states should determine how students with special needs were educated. When reminded that the Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act was a federal law, she seemed surprised. When she was asked if she agreed that all schools should be equally accountable, she waffled for a while and then said, No.

In the end, there was no vote because committee members hadnt had a chance to review the Office of Government Ethics report that lists her financial disclosures and possible conflicts of interest. It appears she may have several.

After reviewing the newly-released report, I gave up trying to count the number of pages that list the investments she has in more than 100 corporations and non-profit organizations, several of which are connected in some way to private, for profit schools. Its also interesting that her investments in many of them are worth between $1 million and $5 million. Apparently, backing private education can be very profitable.

DeVos is a huge supporter of private, for-profit and religious schools. For decades shes lobbied for bills that support them with taxpayer voucher money. At the same time, shes fought for bills that protect those same schools from laws requiring disclosure of how the taxpayer money is spent while opposing legislation intended to hold them accountable in the same ways public schools are held accountable. She was very successful at all of this in her home state of Michigan. So, how did that work out?

The Detroit Free Press has been covering Detroits schools for years and frequently has reported on the failure of many of the charter schools that were created as a result of DeVoss lobbying and donations to certain Michigan legislators. The paper also spent a year investigating these charter schools and detailed its findings in a June 22, 2014, article, Michigan spends $1B on charter schools but fails to hold them accountable. This is what it discovered:

Wasteful spending and double-dipping. Board members, school founders and employees steering lucrative deals to themselves or insiders. Schools allowed to operate for years despite poor academic records. No state standards for who operates charter schools or how to oversee them.

It also found that a record number of charter schools she lobbied for were run by for-profit companies that take taxpayer money, but will not say how they spent it, claiming theyre private, so they dont have to disclose anything.

On Jan. 16, the same paper reported on her nomination, DeVos also found criticism from an unlikely source: the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, which sent a letter to (U.S. Sen. Elizabeth) Warren, saying it is concerned about her critical role in creating a charter system in her home state of Michigan that has been widely criticized for lax oversight and poor academic performance.

In other words, she has never done anything to improve public schools, but has spent millions in campaign donations to influence legislation that promotes private voucher schools. Those schools rely on taxpayer money while siphoning much-needed funding from public schools. Laws passed here in Wisconsin that do the same thing are most likely the result of DeVos campaign donations to Gov. Walker and his Republican cronies in the Legislature.

The voters wanted a president who would drain the swamp. Instead, hes filling his cabinet with the same kind of people he ranted about during his campaign. But, whos surprised?
Greg Vander Woude

Greg Too Tall Vander Woude, 47, Waupun, died Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, at St. Vincent Heart Hospital in Indianapolis, following heart complications.

Greg was born Oct. 15, 1969, in Waupun, the son of Larry and Jolene Westra Vander Woude. Greg served three years with the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He worked at Vans Auto Salvage for his grandpa and father, at Holiday Auto in Fond du Lac, drove truck for several companies in the area, most recently for Tralo Trucking where he was owner/operator for several years. Greg was a very generous person who helped others through difficult times. He was a person who would give the shirt off his back. He had a fondness for all his nieces and nephews and spent time with each one of them. He and his nephew, Trent, enjoyed raising chickens together. Greg had a fondness for restoring cars, a talent he received from his father and grandfather.

Greg is survived by his parents, Larry and Jo Vander Woude of Waupun; two sisters, Aimee (James) Wilson of Brandon, and Brenda (Tony) Edmunds of Waupun; nieces and nephews, Jon, Morgan, David, Jordan, Trent and Jayden; aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.

Greg was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents; and his nephew, Nathan.

A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 10:30 a.m. at Union-Congregational Church, Waupun, with the Rev. Robert Sherwood officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Mound Cemetery in Waupun. Friends and relatives may call on the family Tuesday at Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home in Waupun from 4 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday at the church from 9:30 a.m. to the time of the service. Greg would have said, No need to dress up. Come as you are.

Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home of Waupun is serving the family. Visit wernerharmsenfuneralhome.com for more information and to send condolences.
Sandra L. Folgers, 67, Tomah

Sandra Lou Folgers, 67, of Tomah, passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by family, Jan. 24, 2017. She will be missed dearly by her family, friends and community.

Sandy was born in Lansing, Illinois, Oct. 25, 1949, to May and Ed Walker. In 1972, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in teaching. She married David Ellingson July 14 1974, and after he passed, married Michael Folgers Aug. 2, 1997.

Sandy supported her community, and was involved in a number of community activities. She was a co-leader in both of her daughters Girl Scout troops and was awarded the Thanks Badge for her dedication. She also served as treasurer, secretary and member of the Tomah Area Business Womens Association (formerly American Business Womens Association) for a little over two decades.

Sandy loved to travel. More often than not, she preferred camping and enjoying nature, but she was also able spend a year in Taiwan as an English teacher thanks to her work with YMCA after college.

The story of what she did and when she did it only barely touches on who she was. For many, she was a quiet, unyielding strength. If you needed someone, that someone was going to be Sandy. She would do what needed to be done, without complaint. Even when she was originally diagnosed with cancer, she continued to work through the majority of her treatment, barely telling anyone it was happening until the cancer was already in remission. After that, she participated in the fundraiser Steppin out in Pink every year, walking if she could, getting pushed in the wheelchair if she couldnt, even after the cancer returned. She was a fighter all the way to the end.

Sandy is survived by her husband, Michael; daughters, Karvari Ellingson and Kerri Feyen; son, Kevin Ellingson; grandchildren, Taylor, Nathaniel and Samuel Feyen; and siblings, Wayne Walker, Craig Walker and Gail Jackson and their families.

Both of her parents preceded her in death.

At her request, there will be no viewing, but friends and family may gather for a visitation and a service, which will be held at Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home in Tomah, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28. Sandy also asked that anyone considering flowers or contributions to make donations, in her name, to a charity of their choosing instead.
This years programs and a new technology were the highlight of the latest meeting of the Friends of the Reedsburg Public Library.

The group, which helps raise money for the nonprofit, gathered on Jan. 24.

Kris Houtler, the librarys assistant director, unveiled what could be a popular event: Sessions that introduce tablets to new users. Houtler said City staff recently upgraded iPads but several models are still in good shape. Those computers will be donated to the library.

She said coffee will be served during the class to give it a cafe vibe. This free program is expected to start in February; details will be posted on the librarys website.

The library is also excited to line up James Campbell, a man who trekked with his teenage daughter through the wilds of Alaska. He chronicled their journey in his book, Braving It. Houtler said his visit is slated for May.

Students from the school district may get involved in reading the book and attending the talk, she said.

Mark Moran, a well-received guest at the library, is set to make an appearance in September, Houtler said. Moran is known for his expertise with appraisals and has appeared on Antiques Roadshow.

About 15,000 people attended youth programs last year, said Library Director Sue Ann Kucher. Another 1,200 showed up for adult events. Its an impressive number for a library in a small town, she said.

Last year the library hosted hundreds of activities for children. For adults, it offered 96 events.

I told Kris we have to hit 100 this year, she said.

Kucher demonstrated the newest AV equipment, which now features full HD capabilities and high-quality sound. She said the old system was installed when the library opened in 1998 and a projector was added 10 years later.

The current setup is ideal for showing movies, including Blu-ray versions, as well as videos or slides during presentations.

One of the best parts is the room doesnt need to be darkened for audiences to see the screen. Kucher said its a valuable asset for presenters who need light or organizers who want to run hands-on activities while showing video.

The picture on this thing is amazing, she said.

The library screens numerous blockbuster family friendly movies, which requires it to have permission and licenses. But the cost is worth it when the room fills with viewers, she said.

This year the library hopes to start a film critique series thanks to the latest equipment, she said.

Wish list

Other advancements would benefit the library, but funds arent available at the moment. Kucher said shed like to acquire a wireless HDMI setup that would allow presenters to move around without corded computers.

The library would also like to record and live stream events, but it doesnt have the technology. If it did, it could air gatherings as they happen. Recordings could then be posted on the librarys website as well as burned or transferred to another medium for rental from the library, she noted.

Such upgrades are estimated to cost about $7,000, she said.

A mobile smartboard is near the top of the wish list for childrens activities. Kucher said the display is similar to a traditional whiteboard found in classrooms but has the added function of being able to show videos or web screens.

The library would also like to buy some STEM kits to complement its summer reading program, which will be themed Build a Better World. The sets would cost about $1,000 to $1,200, she said.

Modular tables and moveable chairs are another possibility for the meeting room. Kucher said shes open to receiving feedback on what the public thinks of the chairs. They are in great shape but a little difficult to transport and store.

Shop to help

Residents dont have to volunteer to make a difference at the library. They can also help by shopping online.

Friends President Mike Gargano said hed prefer that people shop locally but, if they must go online, to check out AmazonSmile. The site is just like Amazons regular page but a portion of sales support non-profit causes. The Reedsburg Public Library is signed up to benefit through the site.

Anyone whod like to donate to certain library items or programsor just the library in generalmay stop in or check out the librarys website.

Those who are interested in joining the Friends group may sign up anytime at the library. Yearly memberships cost $5 for an individual, $10 for a family, $50 for an organization and $200 for a benefactor. Lifetime memberships cost $75 per person or $100 per family.

Friends enrollment includes early access to library book sales.

For more information, visit www.reedsburglibrary.org.
OMAHA  A 61-year-old Omaha man convicted of killing another man has been sentenced to life in prison.

James Cotton was sentenced Thursday after giving a rambling statement in which he criticized the judge and accused police of violating his rights.

Prosecutors say Cotton shot and killed 24-year-old Trevor Bare during an argument outside Bare's apartment in 2015.

Cotton's attorney was criticized during the trial for temporarily hiring a witness in the case. Cotton told the judge at the time that he wanted to continue with the trial, despite what could be seen as ethical violations by his attorney.

His attorney, Travis Penn, said he had researched ethics rules and didn't see that he wouldn't be allowed to have a business agreement with a witness.
Does inequality really matter?

[The Star] Wealth disparities undermine the social and economic fabric of our society.

Don't fool yourself  inequality really does matter and we had better start doing something about it.

Two recent events in the international arena have highlighted the urgent need for South Africans to debate issues of inequality in our society.

The first  a sad event  on January 1 this year was the passing of Anthony Atkinson, which hardly received a mention in the South African press.

Sir Anthony Barnes Atkinson  or Tony Atkinson as he was known  was a British economist who is without doubt the doyen of studies on inequality.

Atkinson, somewhat against the grain for an an economist of the modern era, pioneered the historical, empirical and theoretical study of inequality. While classical economists such as Marx and Ricardo were concerned with inequality, their approach was very much theoretical.

Atkinson pioneered the gathering and analysis of historical data on inequality, enabling us to understand patterns of economic growth and inequality. Through many years of painstaking work, he put together and analysed inequality data, first in Britain and later in much of the developed world... [Read more]

This opinion piece first appeared in The Star newspaper and can be read in full here: http://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/does-inequality-really-matter-7521239. Professor Imraan Valodia is Dean of the Commerce, Law and Management Department at Wits University.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ashland: 565 Corporation, ASH GP INC., ASHLAND SPECIALTY CHEMICAL (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD., ASHLAND SPECIALTY CHEMICALS (MALAYSIA) SDN.BHD, Adams Drive Totowa L.L.C., Alera Property Holdings LLC, Alera Technologies Inc., Alix Technologies LLC, Aloe Vemera S.P.R de R.L. de C.V., Ash B5 Limited, Ash GH One Inc., Ash GH Switzerland GmbH, Ash Global Holding Three GmbH, Ash Global Holdings Two B.V., Ash Junior Global Holding One LLC, Ash Junior Global Holding Two LLC, Ash Swiss Holding Two GmbH, Ashland (Australasia) Pty. Limited, Ashland (China) Holdings Co. Ltd., Ashland (Gibraltar) One Holding Inc., Ashland (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Ashland Argentina S.R.L., Ashland CZ s.r.o., Ashland Canada Corp./Corporation Ashland Canada, Ashland Canada Holdings B. V., Ashland Chemco Inc., Ashland Chemical De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ashland Chemical Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ashland Chemicals (Nanjing) Company Limited, Ashland Colombia S.A.S., Ashland Comercio de Especialidades Quimicas do Brasil Ltda., Ashland Eastern Markets LLC, Ashland Ethanol Inc., Ashland Finance Limited, Ashland Global Holdings Inc., Ashland India Private Limited, Ashland Industria de Ingredientes do Brasil Ltda., Ashland Industries Deutschland GmbH, Ashland Industries Europe GmbH, Ashland Industries Italia S.r.l., Ashland Industries Nederland B.V., Ashland Ingredients Poland Sp. z o.o., Ashland Italia S.r.l., Ashland Japan Ltd., Ashland LLC, Ashland Licensing and Intellectual Property LLC, Ashland Mexico Holdings One LLC, Ashland Mexico Holdings Two LLC, Ashland Nigeria Exploration Unlimited, Ashland Oil (Nigeria) Company Unlimited, Ashland Oil Inc., Ashland Pacific Pty. Ltd., Ashland Pharmachem International Holdings LLC, Ashland Services B. V., Ashland Services Mexico S.A. de C.V., Ashland Singapore Pte. Ltd., Ashland Spain Real Estate Holdings S.L., Ashland Specialties Austria GmbH, Ashland Specialties Belgium BVBA, Ashland Specialties France S.a.r.l., Ashland Specialties Hispania S.L., Ashland Specialties Ireland Limited, Ashland Specialties Sverige AB, Ashland Specialties UK Limited, Ashland Specialty Chemical Korea Co. Ltd., Ashland Specialty Ingredients G.P., Ashland-Alaskan Limited, Ashland-Plasticos De Portugal Lda., Ashmont Insurance Company Inc., Ashprop Two LLC, Avoca LLC, Avoele S.A. de C.V., Belleville Realty Corp., Blazer Properties LLC, Bluegrass Insurance Company Limited, CLTA LLC, CVG Capital III LLC, Carol Clifton Inc., Curtis Bay Insurance Co. Ltd, East Bay Realty Services Inc., Fospur, Hercofina, Hercules, Hercules Holding BV BVBA, Hercules Hydrocarbon Holdings Inc., Hercules International Limited LLC, Hercules Investment ApS, Hercules Investments Netherlands B.V., Hercules Islands Corporation, Hercules LLC, Hercules Paper Holdings Inc., Hercules Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, ISP (Belgium) International N. V., ISP Alginates Inc., ISP Canada Corp., ISP Capital LLC, ISP Chemco LLC, ISP Chemical Products LLC, ISP Chemicals LLC, ISP Environmental Services Inc., ISP France Holding SARL, ISP France Marketing SARL, ISP Freetown Fine Chemicals Inc., ISP Freight Services N. V., ISP Global Operations (Barbados) Inc., ISP Global Technologies Deutschland Unterstutzungskasse GmbH, ISP Global Technologies Inc., ISP Global Technologies LLC, ISP HC Limited, ISP Holdings (U.K.) Ltd., ISP Hungary Holdings Limited Liability Company, ISP International Corp., ISP Investments LLC, ISP Lima LLC, ISP Luxembourg Canada S.a.r.l., ISP Management Company Inc., ISP Marl Holdings GmbH, ISP Microcaps (U.K.) Limited, ISP Pharma Systems LLC, ISP Real Estate Company Inc., ISP Singapore Holding LLC, ISP Technologies LLC, International Specialty Holdings LLC, International Specialty Products, International Specialty Products (India) Private Limited, International Specialty Products Funding Corporation, International Specialty Products Inc., Jiangmen Ashland Chemicals Company Limited, Nanjing Clear Environment Protection, Northwest Coatings, Oil Can Henrys, PT Ashland Asia, PT. Ashland Specialty Chemicals Indonesia, Pakistan Gum Industries (Private) Limited, Pharmachem Laboratories, Pharmachem Laboratories LLC, Pharmachem Laboratories Utah LLC, Prince Street Paterson LLC, Progiven S.A.S., Proprietary Nutritionals LLC, Ralop S. de R.L. de C.V., Schulke & Mayr - Personal Care Business, Shanghai Ashland Chemical Technology Development Co. Ltd., St Croix Petrochemical Corp, Taiwan Ashland Co. Ltd., Techwax Limited, Vemera S. de R.L. de C.V., Vornia, and WSP LLC.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Novartis: 1 A Pharma GmbH, Abadia Retuerta S.A, Admune Therapeutics, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications International SA, Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A., Advanced Accelerator Applications S.r.l., Advanced Accelerator Applications USA Inc., Aeropharm GmbH, Alcon, Alcon  Couvreur NV, Amblyotech, Amblyotech Inc., Arctos Medical, Arctos Medical AG, Australia Pty Ltd, Beijing Novartis Pharma Co. Ltd., BioMedical Research Co. Ltd., CELLforCURE, Cadent Therapeutics, Cadent Therapeutics Cambridge, Cellerys, Cellerys AG, CellforCure, Chiron Corporation, Ciba-Geigy Japan Limited, Co. Ltd, CoStim Pharmaceuticals, CoStim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Coalesce Product Development Limited, Corthera, Development Co. Ltd., EBEWE Pharma Ges.m.b.H Nfg. KG, Encore Vision, Endocyte, Endocyte Inc., Eon Labs Inc., Farmanova Saglik Hizmetleri Ltd, Fougera Pharmaceuticals, Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc, Gyroscope Therapeutics, HEXAL AG, Hexal, IDB Holland BV, Iberica S.L.U., Ilaclari Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, JSC Sandoz, Japat AG, Kedalion Therapeutics Inc., Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Lek S.A., Manufacturing Pte Ltd , Navigate BioPharma Services Inc, Neutec Pharma Limited, Novartis (Hellas) S.A.C.I., Novartis (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Novartis (Taiwan) Co. Ltd, Novartis (Thailand) Limited, Novartis Argentina S.A., Novartis Australia Pty Ltd, Novartis Austria GmbH, Novartis Biociencias S.A., Novartis Biosciences Peru S.A., Novartis Bioventures AG, Novartis Business Services GmbH, Novartis Capital Corporation, Novartis Chile S.A., Novartis Corporation, Novartis Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Novartis Deutschland GmbH, Novartis Ecuador S.A., Novartis Farma S.p.A., Novartis Farma  Produtos Farmaceuticos S.A., Novartis Farmaceutica S.A, Novartis Farmaceutica S.A. de C.V., Novartis Finance Corporation, Novartis Finance S.A., Novartis Finance Services Ltd, Novartis Finland Oy Espoo, Novartis Gene Therapies, Novartis Gene Therapies EU Limited, Novartis Gene Therapies Inc., Novartis Grimsby Limited, Novartis Groupe France S.A., Novartis Healthcare A/S, Novartis Healthcare Philippines Inc., Novartis Healthcare Private Limited, Novartis Holding AG, Novartis Hungary Healthcare Limited Liability Company, Novartis India Limited, Novartis Inflammasome Research, Novartis Integrated Services Limited, Novartis International AG, Novartis International Pharmaceutical Investment AG, Novartis Investment Ltd, Novartis Investments S.a r.l., Novartis Ireland Limited, Novartis Israel Ltd, Novartis Korea Ltd., Novartis Middle East FZE, Novartis Netherlands B.V., Novartis Neva LLC, Novartis New Zealand Ltd, Novartis Norge AS, Novartis Ophthalmics AG, Novartis Optogenetics Research Inc., Novartis Overseas Investments AG, Novartis Pharma (Logistics) Inc., Novartis Pharma (Pakistan) Limited, Novartis Pharma AG, Novartis Pharma B.V. , Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma K.K., Novartis Pharma LLC, Novartis Pharma Maroc SA, Novartis Pharma NV, Novartis Pharma Produktions GmbH, Novartis Pharma S.A.E., Novartis Pharma S.A.S., Novartis Pharma Schweiz AG, Novartis Pharma Schweizerhalle AG, Novartis Pharma Services AG, Novartis Pharma Services Romania S.R.L., Novartis Pharma Stein AG, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Limited, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Novartis Poland Sp. z o.o., Novartis Portugal S.G.P.S. Lda., Novartis Ringaskiddy Limited, Novartis Saglik Gida ve Tarim Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, Novartis Saudi Ltd., Novartis Securities Investment Ltd, Novartis Services Inc., Novartis Slovakia s.r.o., Novartis South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Novartis Sverige AB, Novartis UK Limited, Novartis US Foundation, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Inc, Novartis Vietnam Company Limited, Novartis de Colombia S.A., Novartis de Venezuela S.A., Novartis s.r.o., Oriel Therapeutics Inc., PT. Novartis Indonesia, Protez Pharmaceuticals, Pte Ltd, Research Inc, Salutas Pharma GmbH, Sandoz A/S, Sandoz AG, Sandoz B.V., Sandoz Canada Inc., Sandoz Egypt Pharma S.A.E., Sandoz Farmaceutica S.A., Sandoz Farmaceutica Lda., Sandoz GmbH, Sandoz Hungary Limited Liability Company, Sandoz Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Sandoz Inc, Sandoz Industrial Products S.A, Sandoz International GmbH, Sandoz K.K., Sandoz Limited, Sandoz Manufacturing Inc., Sandoz NV, Sandoz Pharma K.K, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals AG, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals d.d., Sandoz Philippines Corporation, Sandoz Polska Sp. z o.o. , Sandoz Private Limited, Sandoz Pty Ltd, Sandoz S.A. de C.V, Sandoz S.A.S., Sandoz S.R.L., Sandoz S.p.A., Sandoz South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Sandoz Ukraine LLC, Sandoz d.o.o. farmaceutska industrija, Sandoz do Brasil Industria Farmaceutica Ltda, Sandoz s.r.o., Selexys Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Shanghai Novartis Trading Ltd., Societe par actions SANDOZ, Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, The Medicines Company, The Medicines Company, Triangle International Reinsurance Limited, Trinity River Insurance Co Ltd, Vedere Bio, Vedere Bio ll, Xiidra, Ziarco, and Ziarco Group Limited.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Tyson Foods: APF Legacy Subs LLC, Advance Food Company LLC, AdvancePierre Foods, AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc., AdvancePierre Foods Inc., Aidells Sausage Company Inc., Allied Specialty Foods Inc., American Proteins Inc, Artisan Bread Co. LLC, Australian Food Corporation Pty Limited, Australian Food Corporation Trust, BRF, Barber Foods LLC, Bosco's Pizza Co., Bryan Foods Inc., C.S. Grain LLC, C.V. Holdings Inc., CBFA Management Corp., Central Industries Inc., Chefs Pantry LLC, Clovervale Farms LLC, Cobb (Hubei) Breeding Co. Ltd., Cobb (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Cobb Ana Damizlik Tavukculuk Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cobb Columbia S.A.S., Cobb Europe B.V., Cobb Europe Limited, Cobb Peru (Andina) S.A.C., Cobb-Heritage LLC, Cobb-Vantress Brasil Ltda, Cobb-Vantress Inc., Cobb-Vantress New Zealand Limited, Cobb-Vantress Philippines Inc., Coominya AFC Pty Limited, Coominya AFC Trust, DFG Foods Inc., DFG Foods L.L.C., Don Julio, Egbert LLC, Equity Group - Georgia Division LLC, Equity Group - Kentucky Division LLC, Equity Group Eufaula Division LLC, Equity Meat Corp., Flavor Corp., Flavor Holdings Inc., Foodbrands America Inc., Foodbrands Supply Chain Services Inc., Gallo Salame Inc., Global Employment Services Inc., Grow-Out Credit LLC, Grow-Out Holdings LLC, Haimen Tyson Poultry Development Co. Ltd, Hudson Foods Company, Hudson Midwest Foods Inc., Hybro Genetics Brasil Ltda, IBP Caribbean Inc., IBP Foodservice L.L.C., IBP Inc., International Affiliates & Investment LLC, Jiangsu Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Keydutch Finance B.V., Keydutch Holdings I LLC, Keydutch Holdings II LLC, Keydutch Investments B.V., Keystone CLJV Holdings Limited, Keystone County House Road LLC, Keystone Foods, Keystone Foods (AP) Limited, Keystone Foods Holdco LLC, Keystone Foods Intermediate LLC, Keystone Foods LLC, Keystone Foods Pty Limited, Keystone Management Inc., Keystone Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited, LD Foods LLC, M & M Express LLC, M&M Restaurant Supply (MI/OH) LLC, MFG (USA) Holdings Inc., Mac Food Services (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Madison Foods Inc., McKey Food Services (Hong Kong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Shandong) Limited, McKey Food Services (Thailand) Limited, McKey Food Services Limited, McKey Luxembourg Holdings APMEA S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., McKey Luxembourg S.a.r.l., McKey VI Holdings Limited, Myung Seung Food Company Ltd., National Comp Care Inc., New Canada Holdings Inc., Oaklawn Capital Corporation, Oaklawn IT Solution Private Limited, Original Philly Holdings Inc., PBX inc., Pierre Holdco Inc., River Valley Ingredients LLC, Rizhao Tyson Foods Co. Ltd, Rizhao Tyson Poultry Co. Ltd, Rural Energy Systems Inc., Sara Lee - Kiwi Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Diversified LLC, Sara Lee Foods LLC, Sara Lee Household & Body Care Malawi Ltd., Sara Lee International LLC, Sara Lee International TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Mexicana Holdings Investment L.L.C., Sara Lee TM Holdings LLC, Sara Lee Trademark Holdings Australasia LLC, Saramar L.L.C., Shandong Tyson-Da Long Food Company Limited, Smart Chicken, Southern Family Foods L.L.C., Southwest Products LLC, TF 20 B.V., TF 5201 B.V., TFA Leasing LLC, TFA Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, TFI of California Inc., Tecumseh Poultry LLC, Texas Transfer Inc., The Bruss Company, The Hillshire Brands Company, The IBP Foods Co., The Pork Group Inc., TyNet Corporation, Tyson (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Tyson Americas Holding Sarl, Tyson Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Tyson Breeders Inc., Tyson Chicken Inc., Tyson China Holding 2 Limited, Tyson China Holding 3 Limited, Tyson China Holding Limited, Tyson Deli Inc., Tyson Europe Holding Company, Tyson Farms Inc., Tyson Farms QOZB LLC, Tyson Foods Brasil Investimentos Ltda., Tyson Foods Canada Inc., Tyson Foods Europe (Netherlands) B.V., Tyson Foods Europe GmbH, Tyson Foods France S.A.R.L., Tyson Foods Germany GmbH, Tyson Foods Group Limited, Tyson Foods Holland B.V., Tyson Foods Huadong Development Co. Ltd, Tyson Foods Iberia Alimentos S.L.U., Tyson Foods Italia S.p.A., Tyson Foods Korea, Tyson Foods Netherlands B.V., Tyson Foods Products Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Europe Limited, Tyson Foods Scotland Sales (Europe) Limited, Tyson Foods UK Limited, Tyson Foods Wrexham Limited, Tyson Foods oosterwolde B.V., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., Tyson Fresh Meats Sales and Distribution LLC, Tyson Global Holding Sarl, Tyson Hog Markets Inc., Tyson India Holdings Ltd., Tyson International APAC Ltd., Tyson International Company Ltd., Tyson International Holding Company, Tyson International Holding Sarl, Tyson International Service Center Inc., Tyson International Service Center Inc. Asia, Tyson International Service Center Inc. Europe, Tyson Mexican Original Inc., Tyson Mexico Trading Company S. de R.L. de CV., Tyson New Ventures LLC, Tyson Opportunity Zone Fund LLC, Tyson Pet Products Inc., Tyson Poultry Inc., Tyson Prepared Foods Inc., Tyson Processing Services Inc., Tyson Refrigerated Processed Meats Inc., Tyson Sales and Distribution Inc., Tyson Service Center Corp., Tyson Shared Services Inc., Tyson Storm Lake Holdings LLC, Tyson Warehousing Services LLC, Tyson of Wisconsin LLC, Uninex SA, Universal Meats (UK) Limited, WBA Analytical Laboratories Inc., Wilton Foods Inc., Xamol Consultores e Servicos, and Zemco Industries Inc..

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TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies aircraft components in the United States and internationally. Its Power & Control segment offers mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, databus and power controls, sensor products, switches and relay panels, hoists, winches and lifting devices, and cargo loading and handling systems. This segment serves engine and power system and subsystem suppliers, airlines, third party maintenance suppliers, military buying agencies, and repair depots. The company's Airframe segment provides engineered latching and locking devices, engineered rods, engineered connectors and elastomer sealing solutions, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, engineered audio, radio and antenna systems, lavatory components, seat belts and safety restraints, engineered and customized interior surfaces and related components, thermal protection and insulation products, lighting and control technology, and parachutes. This segment serves airframe manufacturers, cabin system and subsystem suppliers, airlines, third party maintenance suppliers, military buying agencies, and repair depots. Its Non-aviation segment offers seat belts and safety restraints for ground transportation applications; electro-mechanical actuators for space applications; hydraulic/electromechanical actuators and fuel valves for land-based gas turbines; refueling systems for heavy equipment used in mining, construction, and other industries; and turbine controls for the energy and oil and gas markets. This segment serves off-road vehicle and subsystem suppliers, child restraint system suppliers, and satellite and space system suppliers; and manufacturers of heavy equipment. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
ALLETE, Inc. operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 145,000 retail customers and 15 non-affiliated municipal customers. It also owns and maintains electric transmission assets in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition, the company focuses on developing, acquiring, and operating clean and renewable energy projects; and owns and operates approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation facility. Further, it is involved in the coal mining operations in North Dakota; and real estate investment activities in Florida. The company owns and operates 158 substations with a total capacity of 10,066 megavolt amperes. It serves taconite mining, paper, pulp and secondary wood products, pipeline, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Minnesota Power, Inc. and changed its name to ALLETE, Inc. in May 2001. ALLETE, Inc. was incorporated in 1906 and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.
BP, plc, once known as British Petroleum, is one of the worlds 7 oil & gas supermajors with operations spanning the globe. In terms of revenue, it ranks 4th on the list and the company is vertically integrated as well with operations in all segments of the oil and gas sector. Operations are currently underway in 80 countries around the world, the company can produce 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalents per day, and it lays claim to nearly 20 billion barrels in proven reserves. On the retail end of the business, the company operates more than 18,700 fuel stations and its largest segment is in the US.

The company was founded in 1908 with the purpose of exploring for and producing oil in the middle east. The company expanded into Alaska in 1959 and then accelerated its expansion when it merged with Amoco in 1998. Another merger with Burhman Castrol in 2000 created the company that is traded today.

BP, plc rebranded itself in 2000 giving new meaning to its name. The once British Petroleum is now Beyond Petroleum and focused on a major shift in its business. The company is working hard to move away from non-renewable carbon-based energy and into biofuels, solar, and wind. The company hopes to be net-zero in regard to carbon emissions and production by 2050 or earlier and is well on the way to doing so. Among the many avenues of advance are the build-out of solar and wind farms as well as the expansion of a major EV charging network. The network totaled more than 9,000 stations around the middle of 2022 and expansion was ramping in order to meet the goal of 100,000 EV stations before 2050.

BP p.l.c. currently operates through 4 segments including Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, Customers & Products, and Rosneft segments. The company produces and trades in natural gas and oil liquids, offers biofuels, and operates wind and solar power generating facilities. The company also provides de-carbonization solutions and services, such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, as part of its green agenda.

In addition, it produces and refines oil and gas for its downstream operations as well as invests in upstream, downstream, and alternative energy companies including advanced mobility. Advanced mobility is the future of transportation and includes technologies like EV, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cells. To that end, the company is building 7 hydrogen production and storage hubs in key locations around the world. The company aims to produce blue and green hydrogen for the global transportation industry with production beginning in 2027. Blue hydrogen is hydrogen captured from the companys natural gas deposits using a process that captures the waste carbon.
Wipro Limited operates as information technology (IT), consulting, and business process services company worldwide. It operates through three segments: IT Services, IT Products, and India State Run Enterprise Services (ISRE). The IT Services segment offers IT and IT-enabled services, including digital strategy advisory, customer-centric design, technology and IT consulting, custom application design, development, re-engineering and maintenance, systems integration, package implementation, cloud and infrastructure, business process, cloud, mobility and analytics, research and development, and hardware and software design services to enterprises. It serves customers in various industry sectors, such as healthcare and medical devices, consumer goods and life sciences, retail, transportation and services, communications, media and information services, technology products and platforms, banking, financial services and insurance, manufacturing, hi-tech, energy, and utilities. The IT Products segment provides a range of third-party IT products comprising enterprise platforms, networking solutions, software and data storage products, contact center infrastructure, enterprise security, IT optimization technologies, video solutions, and end-user computing solutions. It serves enterprises in various industries primarily in the India market, which comprise the government, defense, IT and IT-enabled services, telecommunications, manufacturing, utilities, education, and financial services sectors. The ISRE segment offers IT services to entities and departments owned or controlled by the Government of India and/or various Indian State Governments. The company was incorporated in 1945 and is based in Bengaluru, India.
VMware, Inc. provides software solutions in the areas of modern applications, cloud management and infrastructure, networking, security, and digital workspaces in the United States and internationally. It offers VMware multi-cloud solutions, including VMware vSphere, a data center infrastructure that provides the fundamental compute layer; vSAN and VxRail, which offers holistic data storage and protection options to applications running on vSphere; and vRealize Cloud Management solutions that manages hybrid and multi-cloud environments running in virtual machines and containers, as well as VMware Cloud Foundation, a cloud platform that combines its vSphere, vSAN, and NSX with vRealize Cloud Management into an integrated stack and delivers enterprise-ready cloud infrastructure for private and public clouds. The company also provides networking solutions, such as VMware NSX, NSX Distributed and Gateway Firewalls, NSX Network Detection and Response Engine, NSX Advanced Load Balancer, Tanzu Service Mesh, and VMware SASE; security solutions consisting of VMware Carbon Black Endpoint, Workload, and Container; and digital workspace solutions comprising Workspace ONE Unified Endpoint Management, Access, Intelligent Hub, and Horizon. In addition, it offers application modernization solutions, such as Tanzu Application and Operations Platform, Tanzu Application Service Platform, Tanzu Observability, Tanzu Community Edition, and Tanzu Labs; and cloud management solutions, including vRealize Cloud Management, vCloud Suite, and CloudHealth by VMware Suite. The company sells its products through distributors, resellers, system vendors, and systems integrators. VMware, Inc. has a strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services to build and deliver an integrated hybrid solution. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
Robert Half International Inc. provides staffing and risk consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Temporary and Consultant Staffing, Permanent Placement Staffing, and Risk Consulting and Internal Audit Services. It places temporary services for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping; temporary and full-time office and administrative personnel consisting of executive and administrative assistants, receptionists, and customer service representatives; full-time accounting, financial, tax, and accounting operations personnel; and information technology contract professionals and full-time employees in the areas of platform systems integration to end-user technical and desktop support, including specialists in application development, networking and cloud, systems integration and deployment, database design and administration, and security and business continuity. The company also offers temporary and full-time employees in attorney, paralegal, legal administrative, and legal secretarial positions; and senior-level project professionals in the accounting and finance fields for financial systems conversions, expansion into new markets, business process re-engineering, business systems performance improvement, and post-merger financial consolidation. It is involved in serving professionals in the areas of creative, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations; and placing various positions, such as creative directors, graphics designers, web designers, media buyers, front end developers, copywriters, digital marketing managers, marketing analytics specialists, brand managers, and public relations specialists. The company provides internal audit, technology consulting, risk and compliance consulting, and business performance services. It serves clients and employment candidates. Robert Half International Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.
BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
MILWAUKEE  A Burlington native is among two men appointed by Pope Francis to be auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The pope on Wednesday in Rome announced that he had appointed Burlington native the Rev. James T. Schuerman and Milwaukee native the Rev. Jeffrey R. Haines to the posts. They will be key figures in helping Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki run the archdiocese.

The two priests will be ordained bishops by Listecki at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Downtown Milwaukee. The ordination date has not been announced, but should be within the next five to eight weeks, the archdiocese announced.

Auxiliary bishops serve the church by assisting the archbishop in the pastoral and spiritual leadership of the archdiocese. They assist the diocesan bishop in his role teaching, leading, serving and celebrating the sacraments.

Attended BHS

Bishop-elect Schuerman, 58, was ordained to the priesthood on May 17, 1986, by former Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, and is currently serving as Pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Lake Geneva and as supervising priest of Holy Cross Parish in Bristol.

Born in Burlington to parents, Robert and Elizabeth, Schuerman grew up in Lyons, the town just west of Burlington. He was a member of St. Joseph Parish in Lyons and attended St. Josephs Grade School, Burlington Junior High School and Burlington High School.

Schuerman attended Saint Francis de Sales Seminary College from 1976 to 1980, earning a bachelors of arts degree and, after attending Saint Francis de Sales Seminary for his first year of theology from 1980 to 1981, was selected for studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, earning his masters of theology.

His first assignment was associate pastor at St. Anthony Parish, Milwaukee from 1986 to 1992. He then was selected for missionary service at the archdiocesan sister parish, La Sagrada Familia, in the Dominican Republic, where he served from 1992 until 1996.

He joined the faculty of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary as spiritual director and faculty member from 1997 to 2009. In 2009, he became administrator of St. Andrew Parish, Delavan, and then pastor at St. Andrew in 2010. From 2011 to 2012, he also served as pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Elkhorn. In 2012, he became pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Lake Geneva. He continues his role in priest formation, serving as adjunct spiritual director for Saint Francis de Sales Seminary.

Schuerman speaks German and is highly fluent in Spanish, which the archdiocese says has aided his ministry in the southwestern area of the archdiocese where there is a growing population of Hispanic Catholics. He received the archdiocesan Vatican II Award for Service to the Priesthood in 2012.

About Rev. Haines

Bishop-elect Haines, 58, grew up in New Berlin and was ordained to the priesthood on May 17, 1985, by Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland and is currently serving as rector and pastor of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee. He was three times elected moderator of the Archdiocesan Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and currently is a member of the College of Consultors. He is respected by fellow clergy and parishioners alike for his pastoral and leadership skills.

Haines also served parishes in Milwaukee, Fox Point, Whitewater and West Bend.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has one current auxiliary bishop, Bishop Emeritus Richard J. Sklba, 81, a Racine native, who was appointed a bishop by Pope John Paul II and served the Archdiocese of Milwaukee until his retirement in 2010.
Humana Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health and well-being company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail, Group and Specialty, and Healthcare Services. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It also has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits. In addition, the company provides commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits comprising dental, vision, and other supplemental health benefits; and administrative services only products to individuals and employer groups, as well as military services, such as TRICARE T2017 East Region contract. Further, it offers pharmacy solutions, provider services, and home solutions services, such as home health and other services to its health plan members, as well as to third parties. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 17 million members in medical benefit plans, as well as approximately 5 million members in specialty products. Humana Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
RACINE  A Racine man has been found guilty on all counts in connection to a fatal 2014 Christmas night crash.

Bradley Hayek, 33, was charged with six felonies after fatally striking Robert Castaneda with his vehicle while Castaneda crossed a residential street at about 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2014.

While attorneys on both sides agreed Hayek was the driver in the crash, they disagreed on whether Hayek was guilty of some of the charges, specifically hit and run involving death and homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle charges.

Hayek, of the 2400 block of Geneva Street, was also found guilty of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and three counts of bail jumping.

The jury delivered the guilty verdicts at about 4:20 p.m. Thursday, roughly six hours after beginning deliberations. Many family members of Castaneda and Hayek, as well as at least one juror, wept as the verdicts were read.

The scales of justice prevailed, said Russ Castaneda, Roberts brother, outside the courtroom. Were happy with this decision.

Alcohol a factor

Castaneda had left a relatives house after a Christmas gathering and was walking across Romayne Avenue to his car when Hayek struck him.

In closing arguments Thursday morning, Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Sommers said Hayek initially drove for a few blocks before coming back to the scene, in the 900 block of Romayne Avenue. He then fled again on foot to his sisters house nearby, she said.

Hayek also drank alcohol and took sedatives before the crash, Sommers said, pointing to testimony from officers that Hayek was impaired. A blood sample taken about three hours after the crash reportedly showed an alcohol content of .063.

Death came for Robert Castaneda too soon, Sommers told the jury. It came in the blink of an eye, crossing the street. It came at the hands of Bradley Hayek by his careless and selfish actions.

Defense attorney Laura Walker argued the area was dark and Castaneda, 45, wore dark clothing. A passenger in Hayeks vehicle said it wasnt immediately clear what happened when the collision occurred, Walker said, adding Hayek was back at the scene before emergency responders arrived.

Hayek was distraught and tried to help Castaneda but was turned away, Walker said. His emotional state also contributed to his failing field sobriety tests, she added.

Many lives were changed that night, not the least of which is my client, Walker said. The state has tried to make it sound like my client is an uncaring, selfish, self-centered person, and make it sound as though he was only considering himself. Youve heard testimony from more than one person ... he was very upset and distraught.

Walker did not contest the charge of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. Hayek allegedly traveled between 18 and 28 mph over the speed limit in a residential neighborhood while arguing with his girlfriend at the time of the crash.

Hayek was charged with bail jumping because he was out on bond after drug-related charges in 2013. As a condition of the bond, he was not to commit any crimes. He was later convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, court records show.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 10. The charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 44 years behind bars.
MOUNT PLEASANT  During a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with a few dozen members of the small business community Thursday night, Racine Mayor John Dickert announced an upcoming entrepreneurial summit.

Dickert touched on many of the issues facing Racines business community, including the influx of big companies like Amazon, the importance of social media and Racines negative view of itself during the event at Roma Lodge, 7130 Spring St. The mayor also discussed the proposed summit, which he said hes targeting for April or May in Downtown Racine as a way to bring local business people together.

Weve got entrepreneurial groups from Milwaukee coming down here trying to figure out how they can settle here because its cheaper and easier to do it, Dickert said. Were going to start talking about all of the amazing things that are going on here.

Dickert added that the event will likely be held in one of the citys buildings Downtown, possibly Festival Hall or Memorial Hall, and that hes sent out requests for speakers for the event. The event would likely run from the morning until the early afternoon, at which point Dickert said attendees would get the chance to mingle and explore Downtown to further stimulate local business.

Attendees express concerns

Attendees of the event, hosted by Rely Local, asked Dickert questions for nearly an hour following his introductory talk, with expressed concerns ranging from how to start a local business in Racine, to the loss of blue collar work in the city, to perceived deficiencies in Racine Unified schools leading to a less employable workforce.

One particularly tense moment began when one business owner compared the relative success of Kenosha and Oak Creek to Racine and inspired another business owner to address the room about Racine businesses needing more employable people. That prompted County Board Supervisor Monte Osterman, who represents Racine, to discuss the importance of business owners allowing employees to get their GEDs (high school equivalency diplomas).

This is where we all have to become responsible, Osterman said. We have to take those people by the hand and say you know what, I know that you need some time off work, and Im going to give you some time off the schedule to do that. Thats a sacrifice that you make, but it pays off big dividends down the road.

Dickert stressed the importance of those in attendance to work for Racines continued improvement.

There are pieces that we still have to fix, but the engine is starting and its getting there, he said. But without people like you, that engine stops dead in its tracks.
State superintendent candidates backed by mostly conservatives once donated money to a former opponent of Gov. Scott Walker, campaign finance records show.

John Humphries, a former Dodgeville School District administrator, donated $35 to Milwaukee mayor Tom Barretts campaign against Walker during the 2012 recall election.

The donation came after Humphries also signed the 2011 petition that triggered the recall after the passage of Act 10, Walkers signature law that curtailed collective bargaining for most public employees, making him a favorite among conservatives nationally and propelled him to a short-lived run for president.

Lowell Holtz, a former superintendent of Beloit and Whitnall schools, also donated $125 to Barretts gubernatorial campaign against Walker in 2010. He donated $50 to Walker that year, too.

Both Holtz and Humphries are seeking to unseat incumbent Tony Evers by winning over Walkers supporters with campaigns for state superintendent that focus on issues appealing to conservatives views on K-12 education, including supporting taxpayer-funded private school vouchers and charter schools.

Evers, who is backed by mostly Democrats, made one $37.50 donation and one $75 donation to the Republican Party of Wisconsin in 2011 and 2015, respectively, in order to attend Walkers inaugurations.

Evers campaign focuses on his work as state superintendent, a tenure during which he has objected to the way lawmakers have expanded the number of school vouchers and advocated for more money for public schools.

Racine teacher Rick Melcher, who is running a campaign appealing to public school advocates and Democrats, also is running as a write-in candidate. He has given to Democrats in the past.

The primary is Feb. 21. The two candidates with the most votes will move on to the general election on April 4.

Assembly GOP seeks federal relief

Assembly Republicans provided to their congressional counterparts this week a list of federal environmental, health care and education regulations they would like to see eliminated.

The education regulations include federal testing, annual maintenance of local special education funding, multiple reporting requirements, including twice-a-year county health inspections under the National School Lunch Program and transportation for homeless students.

The letter identifies costly federal air, wetland and wastewater discharge permitting as affecting business growth and expansion, the Clean Power Plan, which a federal court has halted, and a requirement under the Clean Air Act that Wisconsin counties continue vehicle inspection and maintenance programs.

Health care regulations mentioned include several oversight programs for hospitals such as an audit program that seeks to correct inaccurate Medicare payments, a requirement that hospitals report on 60 different quality measures, which can cost hospitals $50,000 to $100,000 per year.

U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, wrote to Vos and other state lawmakers in December asking for examples of mandates on state, local, tribal and private sector entities.

Liberal radio coming

to Milwaukee

A liberal radio talk show host familiar to Madison audiences has bought an AM radio license in Milwaukee to counter conservative talk radios influence.

Michael Crute, co-host of Devils Advocates Radio Show, which previously aired on The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie before the station changed its format last fall, is planning to air local and national liberal syndicated radio shows on WRRD 1510 AM in Milwaukee.

The lineup includes Crutes show, which had been syndicated in 20 media markets since leaving Madison airwaves, Milwaukees Earl Ingram and national liberal talkers Bill Press, Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartman.

Crute said in a statement the station can be picked up as far west as Madison.

This is not simply a business deal, my mission is to offer Milwaukee and Wisconsin a new voice and change our political dialogue, Crute said. Our state and our nation need more fact-based political conversations, more speaking truth to power, more inclusive voices and less partisan rhetoric.




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Interview with Ami McKay

How did you come across this story? What inspired you to write about it?

I began writing The Witches of New York because I couldnt stop daydreaming about the protagonist from my previous novel, The Virgin Cure. She had another story to tell, replete with witches and ghosts. I finished writing it because halfway through, I discovered there were witches in my family tree, including my nine times great aunt, Mary Ayer Parker who was hanged at Gallows Hill during the Salem witch trials. Women of the 19th century were still under threat of being labeled witch if they dared step outside the norms of society by being too intelligent, outspoken, radical, or different. (Not unlike the nasty women of today.)

What were your main sources for your research? How did you organize everything? (That is, got any tips for fellow writers?)

I spent many happy hours sifting through the newspaper and image collections of the New York Public Library system and the New York Historical Society Library and Archives. I also read as many books on witchcraft in America as I could get my hands on as well as books on healing traditions and folk magic of the 19th century, chief among them, the scholarly works of historian Owen Davies.

As a result, a big binder of witches became my constant companion. Organized by topicasylums, witchcraft, herbalism, tea superstitions, womens suffrage, dream interpretation, demonology, Egyptomania, 19th century inventions, spiritualism, NYC landmarksimages, research materials, notes, character sketches, chapter outlines etc. All went into a large three-ring binder that I kept on my desk. I write first drafts by hand and tend to be a doodler, so having a place where I could deposit sticky notes and additional hand-written pages was the perfect fit for my writing process.

What were the biggest challenges you faced either in the research, the writing, or structuring the plot?

Finding the right balance between history, fiction and the fantastic. Although my previous novels contain elements of fairy tales and folk traditions, this is the first work Ive written where ghosts, magic and questions about the afterlife play such large roles in the plot. Late-night conversations with friends and family about strange personal experiences and things that cant be explained, helped bolster my resolve to not shy away from those things. In the end, I found that exploring the realm of the unknown while writing about specific historical events actually helped bring the tale into focus. Its my hope that The Witches of New York does what all good fairytales do: immerse the reader in a world of magic to bring them closer to truth.

Every writer has to leave something on the cutting floor. Whats on yours?

There are several amazing connections between spiritualism in the 19th century and the suffrage movement. For example, Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States, was also a practicing fortune-teller and clairvoyant. It was tempting to try to broaden the range of the book to include her story as well, but hers is a story that wouldve eclipsed the narrative of my witches in short order. While there are several nods to the suffragists of the 1800s in the novel, Victoria didnt make the cut.

Tag youre it! What historical fiction author do you most admire? Why? Now forward these questions to him/her and well share their answers next week!

Essie Fox, best known for her novels set in the Victorian era has recently entered the world of the silent film era with her novel, The Last Days of Leda Grey. Ive always found her masterful ability to capture the setting, language and atmosphere of a chosen period to be both compelling and delightful.

Ami McKays debut novel, The Birth House was a # 1 bestseller in Canada, winner of three CBA Libris Awards, nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and a book club favourite around the world. Born and raised in Indiana, Ami now lives in Nova Scotia.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-mart's (NYSE: WMT) Sams Club unit has launched a furniture collection with Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling novelist and screenwriter.

The Black Mountain Collection was designed by Sparks with a Carolina coastal style in its six pieces, suing solid wood and solid wood veneer construction with hand applied finishes.

When I designed this collection, I wanted the pieces to have a true craftsmanship that was both beautiful and comfortable, said Nicholas Sparks.

Sparks says the collection springs from his most recent novel, The Longest Ride, and will appear in an upcoming 20th Century Fox film adaptation starring Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson to be released April 10, 2015. Set in Black Mountain, NC, the quaint town serves as the backdrop for the novel.

We want the products we offer to help enhance everyday life, says Cindy OConnor, senior vice president of general merchandise for Sams Club. The collection reflects its designer's preferences with its writerly leanings:

Writing Desk: a hand-applied finish, solid wood and wood veneer construction over-sized desktop has two drawers with full-extension metal glides and decorative metal tie supports, a mix of indsutrial and rustic design. Made in the U.S. of components sourced both domestically and abroad, it retails for $299.

Plush Chair and Ottoman: Deep cushions with Decorative brass nail head trim and a matching accent pillow add to its style. It retails for $299.

Storage Cabinet: Fully assembled solid wood and wood veneer construction with hand-applied, antique blue painted finish, decorative door panel screen, and metal door pulls with antique Pewter finish. Made in China, it retails for $249.

Leather Office Chair: Bonded leather upholstery features a durable wood base with smooth dual wheel casters.

Bookcase: Hand-applied finish, solid wood and wood veneer construction, plank-style shelves, and decorative metal tie supports are features of the bookcase. Combine multiple bookcases to create larger storage wall. It retails for $249.

Wooden Trunk: A wooden trunk is made from solid wood and wood veneer construction features hand-applied antique blue painted finish and decorative metal corner accents. The top of the trunk slides open on full-extension metal glides revealing a storage space.
Tech in the Workplace: Millennials or Baby Boomers?

We keep hearing about millennials in the workplace and how this larger population of people working todays jobs are coming in with all new expectations, demands and attitudes when compared to the Baby Boomers that were once flooding the workforce.

Everything from being entitled, to being much more technologically advanced than any other generation, have been the accusations. But what do millennials really do for the workforce? Is the impact positive or negative? The answer is two-fold.

If your business relies on technologies and moving through mobile applications and menu trees, maybe having mostly millennials on your team is beneficial. Ive witnessed some older users pecking at the keyboard and it is a painful sight. But others argue that millennials havent developed the people skills and the same dedication to their workplaces like those of the past. They are more fickle and will easily leave a job if they no longer feel it serves them.

As you think about managing your workforce and getting tools to ensure they are performing optimally and delivering quality care for customers, think about what traits and characteristics are going to best define your brand and help you to deliver the best services for your customers.

This could be a hybrid of both workers as we transition into the new generation of the workplace and the customer. Or your business might be ready to leave those less technically inclined behind.

Chances are if you rely on technologies, you might lean toward the latter. Its not to say that older generations cant keep up or use technology to perform their jobs well  but there is a naturalness to the way millennials can navigate tech due to the fact that its been a part of their lives since they were literally born.

As a recent HRN blog notes, millennials were at one time small children with baby monitors on their cribs and many of them took cellphones to school with them. They have never known a time without technology in some capacity in their lives.

In most workplaces, the best way to tackle this issue is to find a common ground. Both generations have their own benefits to add and both can learn a thing or two from one another. Ensuring that fairness and understanding are in place is a great place to start.

Hows your workforce management going?

Edited by Alicia Young
UK nuclear industry faces prospect of Euratom exit

27 January 2017

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The UK intends to leave the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), according to explanatory notes to a bill the government published yesterday authorising Brexit. The notes state the bill empowers the prime minister to leave both the European Union and Euratom.

The peaceful use of nuclear energy within the EU is governed by the 1957 Euratom Treaty. The Euratom Community is a separate legal entity from the EU, but it is governed by the bloc's institutions.

Nuclear power plants generate almost 30% of the electricity produced in the EU - from 130 reactor units in operation in 14 EU countries. Each EU country decides alone whether to include nuclear power in its energy mix or not, but Euratom establishes a common market in nuclear goods, services, capital and people within the EU.

The Euratom framework also includes nuclear cooperation agreements with third party countries, including Canada, Japan and the USA. It facilitates UK participation in long-term research and development (R&D) projects, and it also provides a framework for international nuclear safeguard compliance.

Politics

The government published the bill after the Supreme Court ruled this week that parliament - not just the government alone - must vote to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts the formal process of the UK leaving the EU. The European Union (notification of withdrawal) bill states as its aim to "confer power on the prime minister to notify, under Article 50(2) of the treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the EU".

The notes add: "Clause 1(1) provides power for the Prime Minister to notify the European Council of the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the European Union. The power that is provided by clause 1(1) applies to withdrawal from the EU. This includes the European Atomic Energy Community ('Euratom'), as the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 sets out that the term "EU" includes (as the context permits or requires) Euratom (section 3(2)). Clause 1(2) provides that the powers in clause 1(1) are conferred regardless of any restrictions which may arise from any other legislation, including the European Communities Act 1972."

The government stressed that the notes to the bill, "as introduced in the House of Commons on 26 January 2017, have been prepared by the Department for Exiting the European Union in order to assist the reader of the bill and to help inform debate on it. They do not form part of the bill and have not been endorsed by Parliament".

The bill is due to be initially debated by Members of Parliament on 31 January and clear the Commons on 8 February, after which it will move to the House of Lords.

The UK voted in favour of Brexit in a national referendum held on 23 June last year. The Leave campaign won with 52% of the vote, against the Remain campaign with 48%. Turnout was 71.8%, with more than 30 million people voting.

Prime Minister Theresa May has stated her government will begin the formal process of quitting the EU by the end of March.

Industry

In response to the bill, Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), said the UK nuclear industry has "made it crystal clear" to the government that its preferred position is to maintain membership of Euratom.

Greatrex said: "The nuclear industry is global, so the ease of movement of nuclear goods, people and services enables new build, decommissioning, R&D and other programs of work to continue without interruption. However, if the UK ceases to be part of Euratom, then it is vital that the government agrees transitional arrangements, to give the UK time to negotiate and complete new agreements with EU member states and third countries including the US, Japan and Canada who have Nuclear Cooperation Agreements within the Euratom framework. The UK should remain a member of Euratom until these arrangements are put in place."

Peter Haslam, NIA's head of policy, noted that the government has stated leaving Euratom is a result of leaving the EU because, "they are uniquely legally joined".

In consultation with its members, the NIA submitted written evidence to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee's wider inquiry into the impact of leaving the EU on the energy industry in December.

Haslam said: "The NIA previously established a working group looking at the impact of leaving the European Union on our industry, to inform and reinforce our discussions with government and also with European institutions through our membership of Foratom." Foratom is the nuclear trade body for the EU.

The working group will be meeting on 7 February, and this will help inform the case the NIA put to government in relation to transitional arrangements, Haslam said.

Some media reports suggested that the UK's new nuclear power plant projects - owned by EDF Energy, Horizon Nuclear Power and NuGeneration - will be delayed by a government decision to quit Euratom.

EDF Energy and its partner China General Nuclear plan to build two European Pressurised Water reactors in Somerset. NuGen, the UK joint venture between Japan's Toshiba and France's Engie, plans to build a nuclear power plant of up to 3.8 GWe gross capacity at Moorside, in West Cumbria using AP1000 nuclear reactor technology provided by Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba. Horizon, a 100% subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, plans to deploy the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor at two sites - Wylfa Newydd, which is on the Isle of Anglesey, and Oldbury-on-Severn, in South Gloucestershire.

A spokesman for Horizon told World Nuclear News (WNN): "Whilst the UK's withdrawal from Euratom would present issues that would need to be addressed we are confident these can be resolved on a timescale that keeps us on schedule to successfully deliver our lead project, Wylfa Newydd. The government has indicated that it is determined to ensure there are no negative impacts from withdrawal and we welcome this commitment."

Law

Although the Euratom Community and the EU share the same institutions, the two never actually merged - the former has always had a separate legal character.

Jonathan Leech, senior commercial and nuclear energy lawyer at Prospect Law, told WNN there is no need for the UK to exit Euratom in two years, "with all the harm that may do to the UK nuclear industry". There is an "entirely justifiable alternative", he said.

"The Euratom treaty has a separate exit process that need not be triggered at the same time as triggering exit from the EU. Despite this, the government seems to have simply accepted that the UK must leave Euratom at the same time as leaving the EU. This appears to be driven by political expediency. Remaining in Euratom appears to be a red line, as it would require the UK to continue to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in relation to nuclear matters.

"Even if the UK does still ultimately leave Euratom, this is a tactical own goal. The UK will have to negotiate whilst standing on a cliff edge. Once the UK triggers the Euratom equivalent of Article 50, the UK will be excluded from Euratom after two years. Any replacement arrangements would have to be negotiated in the knowledge that the UK has no real choice other than to reach agreement within that period," Leech said.

It may not be possible to put in place bilateral nuclear cooperation agreements with all countries with which the UK currently cooperates and trades in the nuclear industry, he added.

"If long-term Euratom membership is politically unacceptable, the alternative is to delay triggering a Euratom exit until the UK has fully explored and progressed negotiation of replacement arrangements, to the point where government and industry can be confident that those arrangements will be ready to go live within the two-year exit timetable, so avoiding potentially serious harm to the industry," he said.

Vince Zabielski, a senior lawyer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, noted that none of the current new build projects in the UK is a British design, and that most are reliant on foreign technology that is accessible only via existing bilateral treaties through Euratom.

"If the UK leaves Euratom before new stand-alone nuclear cooperation treaties are negotiated with France and the United States, current new build projects will be placed on hold while those stand-alone treaties are negotiated," Zabielski told WNN.

"To avoid delays, the best path forward for the UK and its nuclear trading partners would be a controlled exit from the European Atomic Energy Community after Brexit. While the exit procedures under Article 106a of the Euratom Treaty are parallel to those in Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, they are nonetheless independent.

"As part of the Brexit negotiations, the EU and the UK could agree that the notification procedures of the Euratom Treaty would be triggered, for example, three to five years after the notification under Article 50 is triggered. Such an approach would maintain trade, minimally impact new build, and ensure safety and security standards are continuously maintained, while - over a reasonable period of time - restoring the autonomy that the UK seeks. Whether or not such an approach will be politically feasible remains an open question," he said.

Research

Membership of Euratom is also a condition for Britain hosting what is currently the largest nuclear fusion experiment in the world. Based at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire, the Joint European Torus (JET) project involves some 350 scientists exploring the potential of fusion power, backed by funding from almost 40 countries in the EUROfusion consortium.

Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), told WNN that leaving Euratom has "obvious implications" for the continued operation of the JET fusion experiment after the end of the existing contract at the end of 2018 and UK participation in Iter.

A collaboration of 35 nations and currently under construction in France, Iter is a magnetic fusion device designed to prove the feasibility of the fusion of hydrogen nuclei as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy. The EU is funding half of the cost while the remainder comes in equal parts from six other partners: China, Japan, India, Russia, South Korea and the USA. The Iter fusion reactor will be JET's successor on the route to developing commercial fusion power.

Chapman said: "Our UK government sponsoring department, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, have made it clear that they are very supportive of the UK fusion program and will be working to find a way to continue to operate JET and remain part of Iter after we have left Euratom. We will be exploring all options to make this possible."

Asked how the UK's departure from Euratom would affect specifically private fusion energy ventures in the UK, David Kingham, chief executive of Tokamak Energy, told WNN: "The value of JET is unquestionable, it is still the world's leading fusion device, but it has been under threat of closure several times in the past. I hope the research at JET will not suddenly end in two years' time, but when JET does close the excellent work done there over the years will not be wasted. It has proven that megawatts of controlled fusion can be produced and it has created a wealth of fusion expertise in the UK."

He added: "As an agile, privately funded venture, Tokamak Energy is well placed to build on this heritage, bringing the UK closer to achieving nuclear fusion." Tokamak Energy is building a new tokamak, ST40, at its facility at Milton Park in Oxfordshire. Tokamak is a Russian acronym that stands for toroidal chamber magnetic coils.

"Recent advances show there is a faster route to fusion energy based on more compact devices; I believe the rapid development of new technologies by a variety of private ventures will help the UK put fusion energy into the grid by 2030," Kingham said.

"The UK's 50-year history in fusion research places us at the centre of a race towards a clean baseload energy source. It's essential to build on our successes to date and firmly establish an industry of real economic importance. Too often in the past the UK has failed with commercial deployment of our world-class science base; we must build on our leading position in fusion and not give up just at the point where major private investment is being attracted," he added.

Global implications

The World Nuclear Association said any actions taken regarding the UK's membership of the Euratom treaty as part of the Brexit process should include a smooth transition for its current nuclear industry, and allow its leadership as an international partner in new nuclear development to continue.

Agneta Rising, director general of the association, said, "The UK is an important market for new nuclear build, with companies around the world ready to bring billions of pounds of investment and provide thousands of jobs. The UK government should ensure this can continue efficiently and that any new arrangements work in harmony with existing agreements."

Nuclear energy build is "resurgent around the world", the association said, with 60 reactors under construction. The UK is set to be part of the global growth in nuclear energy, it said, with new build projects involving companies from Europe, Asia and America.

Today's nuclear industry is founded on partnerships between multinational companies, it stressed, and international trade in the nuclear industry is facilitated by agreements to allow the movement of nuclear goods, people and services.

The Euratom Treaty enables not only such trade within Europe, but also with countries such as Canada, Japan and the USA. It facilitates UK participation in long-term R&D projects, and it also provides a framework for international nuclear safeguard compliance, the association said.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
What Is An Esker?

An esker is an attractive landform formed through fluvioglacial deposition. It is a winding ridge of low-lying stratified sand or gravel dominating the terrain and providing the vintage point and dry routes. An esker occurs in a glaciated area or a formerly glaciated region, especially in Europe and North America. The esker lies on valley floor within the ice margins marked by a moraine system suggesting that the eskers are formed beneath the glacier. The word esker is an Irish word meaning a ridge or an elevation which separates two plains. The term is also used to refer to ridges which are deposits of fluvioglacial material. Eskers vary in size and shapes with most of them being sinuous. The longest eskers are continuous and measure few kilometers while most of them are short and discontinuous.

Formation Of Eskers

Eskers are formed on washed sands and gravel. Most eskers are formed within ice-walled tunnel by streams which flow under and within glaciers. When the ice wall melts away, water deposits remain as winding ridges. Eskers can also be formed above the glacier through the accumulation of sediments in supraglacial channels. Eskers are formed at the terminal zones of glaciers where the ice is flowing relatively slowly. The melt water collects and flows through a network of tunnels. This water carries highly charged with debris which is composed of coarse-grained gravel which are stratified and sorted. The shape and size of the subglacial tunnel are determined by the flow and melting of the ice. The form of the tunnel then determines the shape and structure of an esker. Esker may be part of a branching system of tributary eskers or may exist as a single channel. The gaps between the esker ridges separate the winding parts of the eskers while the crests on the eskers are knobby. The path of eskers is regulated by the pressure of water flowing through it. Most eskers are discontinuous because the sedimentation process may fail to take place on the entire length of the sub-glacial tunnel.

Location Of Famous Eskers

Eskers are common in glaciated areas or formerly glaciated regions. Sweden is home to one of the longest eskers, Uppsalaasen, which stretches for about 250 kilometers and passes through the city of Uppsala. The Highest peak in North America, Great Esker Park, is found on the Back River in Massachusetts. Pispala and Punkaharju in Finland are located between Finnish Lakeland curved by a glacier. The esker in the village of Kemnay, Scotland is locally called Kemb Hill and is 5 kilometers long. The state of Michigan has over 1000 eskers, especially in Lower Peninsula with the longest esker, Mason Esker, measuring 22 miles stretching from DeWitt and ends at Mason. The Thelon esker crosses the border between Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada and runs for about 800 kilometers. Mount Pelly is also an important esker in Canada located in Ovayok Territorial Park.

Importance Of Eskers

Eskers play an important role in the ecology of Canada. Plants growing on eskers are a primary source of food for bears and migrating waterfowls, especially during winter. Roads can also be built along eskers to lower the cost of such constructions. Examples of roads build on eskers include Denali Highway and segments of Maine State Route 9.
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This week Freddie Mac announced the top ten lenders who transacted the most multifamily financing volume with the company in 2016. Through these and other lenders, Freddie Mac Multifamily settled a record $56.8 billion in new multifamily volume last year, financing more than 738,000 rental units."We are very proud of the extraordinary efforts by our lender network to provide America's apartment financing in 2016," said John Cannon, senior vice president of Freddie Mac Multifamily Production and Sales. "It is a privilege to work every day with our industry's best originators, underwriters, asset managers and closing counsel. Their role in the market will be especially critical this year to meeting our country's rising demand for properties with affordable rents."
Bride and groom (illustration)

By: Emily Lewis WorldWideWeirdNews.com

A groom of United Kingdom, was arrested after police said he raped four women on the day of his wedding.

Police in London, have launched an investigation after a woman called them early one morning to report a rape.

The woman told police that the suspect pulled her into the bushes and raped her before robbing her.

Police later received three more complaints from women who were raped by a man. All of the women similarly described the suspect, and police believe that all four women were raped by the same man.

Police released the description of the man they are looking for. He was described as a white man, about 30 years old, 5 feet and 8 inches tall and he had a aLondon accent.a

He was wearing a grey hooded top, black body warmer, blue jeans and grey trainers.

After receiving tips, police arrested 28-year-old Derry Flynn McCann six days after the wedding. He was charged with four counts of rape and one count of robbery.

Police said that McCann got married the day that he raped the four women.

McCann will appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court in Redbridge.

The bride, who is reportedly pregnant, refused to comment on the disturbing allegations.
Wrexham to Become Alcohol Action Area Under Government Scheme

This article is old - Published: Friday, Jan 27th, 2017

Wrexham has been chosen to take become an alcohol action area as part of a UK Government programme.

In a letter to Wrexham MP Ian Lucas, Home Office Minister Sarah Newton has said Wrexham will be among the 33 areas taking part in the Governments Local Alcohol Action Areas scheme.

The scheme, which lasts for two years, focuses on alcohol related crime and how local organisations can work together to tackle the problem.

Under the scheme, areas which participate are given help and advice from the Home Office, Welsh Government and others to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder, alcohol-related harms, and to promote growth by diversifying the night-time economy.

In her letter, as well as, announcing the launch of the programme today, Ms Newton states: Areas involved in the first phase of the programme succeeded where they had the active support of senior management in local agencies and from councillors.

Speaking after todays announcement, Mr Lucas said: I was pleased to find out that Wrexham had been chosen to take part in this programme.

We already have Nightsafe meetings here in Wrexham, which bring together representatives from the night-time economy and the council.

Those meetings have shown that, given the right support, Wrexham businesses and the public sector can work together well. I hope that the organisations involved in Wrexhams scheme will build on that success.

As the Minister notes, its vital that the agencies involved work together and I will, of course, be offering my help.
The full bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the federal governments industrial tribunal, last week endorsed the sacking of 83 workers at Anglo-Americans German Creek mine near Middlemount in Central Queensland. The dismissals took place in November, amid strike action targeting the mining giants move to cut wages and conditions via a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA).

The ruling is the latest in a series of interventions by the FWC into industrial disputes that underscore its role as an apparatus of the corporate elite. It is the second time that the commission has backed Anglo-Americans job cuts at German Creekthe full bench rejected a trade union appeal against the initial decision last November.

In recent decisions, the FWC also backed AGLs moves to slash the wages of 570 workers at the Loy Yang power plant in Victorias Latrobe Valley, by up to 65 percent. In December, it endorsed 1,600 job cuts by Essential Energy. In other cases, the commission has banned industrial action by energy and other workers.

The plight of the sacked miners, who have been left jobless amid a marked slowdown in the mining sector, is a direct result of the activities of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). Far from in any way challenging FWC and its repressive powers, the union acts as its policeman in suppressing strike action.

The union did everything it could to isolate workers at the mine after they went on strike on August 19. Despite widespread support for the German Creek miners, the CFMEU blocked any strike action by workers at other mines. Having worn the striking workers down over more than four months, the union ended the industrial action at the beginning of January, without the workers securing any of their demands.

The FWCs re-affirmed decision establishes a precedent for the victimisation of any workers who take industrial or political action against the corporate onslaught on jobs, wages and conditions.

The commission made clear that the protections for workers contained in Fair Work Australia laws, introduced by the previous Labor government with the backing of the CFMEU and every other union, are a sham. Under the legislation, it is supposedly illegal for employers to sack workers for taking legally-protected industrial action.

The full bench stated: Employees who engage in protected industrial action are protected in that their action is not unlawful under the [Fair Work] act and that they are immune from certain civil and criminal liability for engaging in the action.

But this did not mean, the FWC declared, that an employer of employees who take protected industrial action is not able to respond to protected industrial action, or to circumstances created by such action, in a manner that addresses its legitimate business interests, provided it meets its obligations under the act.

In other words, while certain provisions in the legislation may prevent workers from being jailed, or subjected to massive fines, for taking industrial action during an EBA bargaining period, there is nothing to stop employers from sacking striking workers if it furthers their business interests.

The company claimed that during the strike it tested new efficiency measures, which caused the retrenchments. The union argued that the German Creek mine was being operated by the same number of employees, but with contractors replacing the striking workers.

The decision was hailed by industry groups and business figures, and prominently reported in the financial press. Tara Diamond of the Australian Mines and Metals Association declared that reducing the mines labour costs was a commercial opportunity identified by the company as a result of the circumstances it was put in by its striking workforce.

The FWC ruling appears to be at odds with a decision by a single Federal Court judge at the beginning of this month to grant interim orders temporarily reinstating two of the sacked miners. The judge declared that the retrenchments were not bona fide because they were taken in retaliation for the strike action.

The CFMEU had hailed the Federal Court decision, and used it to bludgeon workers into accepting the end of the strike, without any concessions from the company. Union officials touted future court action as the way forward, with CFMEU district vice president Glenn Powers stating: Let me tell you this is far from over. Weve got all sorts of things going on in the courts.

Powers comments were in line with the unions attempts to keep workers shackled within the framework of Fair Works draconian industrial laws.

The sacking of the German Creek miners is part of a sweeping restructure of the mining sector, being assisted by the CFMEU and other unions. At German Creek, Anglo-American is stepping up its use of casual and contract labour as part of a global overhaul of its operations. In 2015, the corporation announced it would sack 85,000 workers around the world and sell-off 60 percent of its mining assets, amid a slump in commodity prices.

The use of contract labor is already widespread in the industry. Contract workers are grossly underpaid and have few rights. Labour hire company, Delta SBD, for instance has reportedly slashed contract wages by 40 percent over the past two years.

Other operators are also carrying out substantial restructures. BHP Billiton is seeking to enforce a three-year wage freeze and sweeping cuts to conditions at its Queensland mines at Peak Downs, Saraji and Goonyella.

The CFMEU has already enforced the destruction of thousands of jobs across the sector. An estimated 4,600 coal jobs have been cut in the Mackay region of Queensland since 2012. Another 5,500 miners have been sacked in neighbouring New South Wales since 2014. Last June, the National Australia Bank predicted that 50,000 more jobs would be axed in the mining and resources sector during the ensuing two years.

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Australia: Industrial tribunal backs the sacking of striking German Creek miners

[8 December 2016]
On January 21, the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated as US president in Washington, a coalition of European far-right parties met in the German city of Koblenz to hail Trumps installation in the White House.

Attendees included Marine Le Pen of Frances National Front (FN), Frauke Petry of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), Harald Vilimsky of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), and Matteo Salvini of Italys Northern League. They all treated the coming to power of a violently nationalist and protectionist regime in Washington as support for their own political aspirations in Europe.

The Trump administration has made clear that the cultivation of neo-fascists in Europe is a priority of its foreign policy. Trump has selected as his top adviser the white supremacist Stephen Bannon, who praised the FN during the presidential election campaign, and whose Breitbart News web site refers to the French New Rightthe ideological basis of the FNas a source of inspiration. He also hailed Marion Marechal-Le Pen, Marines niece, as a rising star.

Marechal-Le Penan extreme-right Catholic figure who has attended meetings of the Action Francaise, the descendant of the anti-Semitic Action Francaise of Charles Maurras that provided the basis of the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regimepublicly thanked Bannon after Trumps election. She tweeted, I answer yes to the invitation of Stephen Bannon, CEO of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, to work together.

At the same time, it is ever clearer that the Trump administrations cultivation of far-right forces reflects more than just political sympathy between Trump and neo-fascism. Since Trump spoke to the Times and Bild, applauding Britains exit from the European Union (EU) and denouncing the EU as a tool of Germany, it is obvious that his links to far-right, anti-EU parties are bound up with a broader agenda of confrontation with the EU, and especially Germany.

The parties attending the Koblenz conference all applauded Brexit and the election of Trump as the starting point of a new political order in which they would not only turn even further to the right, but play a far more prominent role. This view was in particular laid out by Le Pen. She is currently forecast to win the most votes in the first round of the French presidential elections in April and so progress to the run-off round in May, and could become Frances first far-right executive since Marshal Philippe Petain during the Vichy regime.

We are living the end of a world and the birth of another, Le Pen declared. 2016 was the year that the Anglo-Saxon world rose up. 2017 will be, and I am sure of it, the year of the awakening of the peoples of continental Europe. We must pass to the next stage, the stage where we are no longer contented with being a minority in the European parliament, the step where we get the majority of the votes in the ballot boxes at each election.

She also called for the renegotiation of a new treaty on the EUs structure, based on a common rejection of all authoritarian or totalitarian plans, including any supra-national model, and the defense of policies to control and regulate immigration as a fundamental right of nation states.

The meeting reportedly largely focused on this years elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany, and hopes that Wilders, Le Pen and Petry could come to power in all three countries. They particularly denounced German Chancellor Angela Merkels policy of briefly allowing refugees fleeing wars in the Middle East into Germany, a policy now denounced very broadly in European ruling circles, and laid out a policy of appealing to politicized anti-Muslim racism.

Prior to the meeting, leading AfD member Bjorn Hocke provoked a scandal by denouncing the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, attacking it as a memorial of shame and demanding a 180 turn in our policy on memory of the Nazi crimes of the World War II period. This week, after the Koblenz meeting, and despite public calls for Hockes expulsion from the AfD over these remarks, he was allowed to remain inside the party.

Marcus PretzellPetrys husband, who is also a leading AfD memberresponded to the crisis provoked by Hockes comments by praising Israel, effectively holding up its repeated murderous onslaughts against the Palestinians as a model for Europes relations with its Muslim population.

We have a problem with political Islam in Germany, in Europe, above all in Western Europe. But there is a country that already has decades of experience on this issue, Pretzell said about Israel. Its a country that faces a policy from the European Union that could hardly be more hostile.  Israel is our future, ladies and gentlemen!

Petry attacked the EU in anticommunist terms, advocating a spiritual-moral transformation in Europe. Todays brainwashing is much cleverer than the previous socialistic propaganda, she said, denouncing social engineers that she said were attacking key historical traditions, or at least those of white Europeans.

The other officials presented similar attacks on Merkel and the EUs bankrupt record. Wilders declared, The AfD and my friend Frauke Petry are standing against the new totalitarianism, which threatens us today, adding that 2017 would be the year of liberation, while Salvini called for Petry to defeat Merkel, declaring, Good bye Angela, good luck Frauke.

The coming to power of a US administration that publicly aims to use Europes neo-fascists as tools of its foreign policy, and the growing role that the neo-fascists play in European politics, testify to the broad collapse of international bourgeois politics. Immediately after World War II, Washington poured enormous economic resources into Europe. It went on to support European integration projects and helped somewhat hide the vast number of former Nazis and Nazi-collaborationists in Europe, which pointed to the criminal roots of post-war European capitalism.

The collapse of the institutions of post-World War II politics has transformed the situation, however. Twenty-five years after the Stalinist bureaucracy dissolved the Soviet Union and after nearly a decade of intense economic crisis since the 2008 Wall Street crash, neo-fascists play a critical public role in European political life. Having exploited the absence of any organization that speaks to the growing social distress in Europe to grow politically, and having obtained coverage from European media, they are also emerging in close alignment with US foreign policy.

This is a warning on the reactionary character not only of Trumps America first policy and its allies, but also of the European bourgeois factions now entering into conflict with Trump. They helped create the conditions for the rise of neo-fascist parties, imposing massively unpopular austerity policies, attacking immigrants and Muslims, and legitimating the far right.

The only way forward to oppose the nationalistic and anti-democratic policies of Trump and his European allies is to unify the struggles of the working class against both the agenda of the Trump administration and the reactionary plans of the EU.
Benoit Hamon, after having beaten former Prime Minister Manuel Valls into second place in the Socialist Party (PS) presidential primary, is placed to become the PSs candidate, according to polls.

Hamons rise since the beginning of the primary campaign reflects broad discontent with the current PS government, as well as media coverage for Hamons call for a universal minimum income paid by the state to everyone. Valls, though his poll ratings benefited as prime minister from media promotion of his law-and-order policies as interior and then prime minister, was suddenly overtaken by a relatively minor candidate. According to a BVA-Salesforce poll, Hamon is set to beat Valls with 52 percent of the vote in the second round.

Nonetheless, any attempt to register opposition to the PSs agenda of war, austerity and police state measures through a vote for Hamon is doomed to failure. Despite media promotion of Hamon as left due to his promise to set up a universal income, Hamon defends a foreign policy of war and a law-and-order policy oriented to the security forces.

It represents in the final analysis an attempt to continue the policies of PS President Francois Hollande. In fact, in the first primary debate, Hamon said that Hollandes government left a feeling that things were partially done, as if we left many subjects in mid-stream.

As the installation of Donald Trump in the White House underlines the rising danger of large-scale war between the major powers, Hamon calls for an offensive of French imperialism. In foreign policy, he is aligned with the CIA and the sections of American and European imperialism that are the most hostile against Russia, and who want to continue the war in Syria.

Hamon has attacked the cease-fire organized by Russia and Turkey from the standpoint of defending the influence of Washington and the major European powers, who provoked the war by arming Islamist rebels against the Syrian regime. I do not want a cease-fire accord in Syria that would come about, as is the case now, without the United Nations, without the European Union, without the Americans and without the Arab societies, he declared.

To justify a French policy of continuing to finance the rebel-held areas in Syria while opposing financial aid to the Syrian people, Hamon said: Spending money on zones controlled by Bashar al Assad, I do not see very well why this should be a priority of the European Union, when there is in Syria a wide range of other potential partners, like the quasi-autonomous and self-ruled cities. We, on our part, do not have to limit ourselves to simply rebuilding what was methodically destroyed by the Russians and Assads regime.

As a representative of French imperialism, Hamon calls for using military means to reinforce the influence of France in its former colonial empire and sphere of influence, as in the wars in Libya and Mali. Asked if he would have intervened in Africa as did President Nicolas Sarkozy and Hollande, he said: If a sovereign state asked you to intervene militarily to prevent the rise of a jihadist state just across the Mediterranean? Of course I would have intervened.

Hamon is resolutely pro-war. He is the candidate that demands the greatest increase in the military budget, to 3 percent of GDP, more than the 2 percent demanded by NATO: If we want to conserve a level of investment that does not sacrifice our conventional forces to maintaining our nuclear capacity and deterrent, we will have to increase the defence budget. This means  that we will have to say, including to the Europeans  that investments made by France, so by French taxpayers, should be excluded from the calculation of budget deficits.

Even if Hamon succeeded in convincing the EU not to count the military budget when calculating whether France had violated EU limits on budget deficits, spending billions of euros on the army would require slashing social spending to extract the cost of the military buildup from the workers.

Hamon, who has said there must without a doubt be more policemen in France, is calling for a massive increase in police force levels to make it possible to send troopscurrently deployed inside France under Operation Watchman and the state of emergencyto fight in foreign wars. Its no longer possible to continue with the [current] Operation Watchman, which mobilizes professional soldiers who objectively would be more useful on the ground, and in training, than on guard duty in front of our buildings. So we need to strengthen the gendarmerie reserves, the armed forces reserve, to complement Operation Watchman, which should keep fewer professional soldiers busy.

The call to boost the security forces, taken up by the Hollande administration, shows that Hamon is fundamentally on the same reactionary line. The criticisms he has made of the state of emergency imposed by the PS are purely tactical, insofar as they aim to make the police deployment more efficient and make it easier to fight foreign wars.

The media are not stressing Hamons support for Hollandes wars and police-state policies. They are presenting Hamon as the PSs left wing, citing his proposal to set up a universal income paying everyone somewhere between 600 and 800 per month.

Asked by Liberation, Does this mean that we have to abandon any hope in [economic] growth? he replied: Growth will not come back. And if it does return, it will not reduce either poverty or social inequality. And it does not mean anything about the level of health and education, which can develop independently of growth levels. GDP can no longer be an objective when it is obtained via a consumerist and productivist development model.

Hamons proposition combines demoralization and charlatanry. He has nothing to propose to the workers besides accepting deindustrialization, mass unemployment and the pauperization of the population, reduced to an 800 salary on which it is impossible to live decently. While Hamon claims that it is possible to defend health and education while accepting the destruction of industry and the productive forces, this is false.

Moreover, such a measure would require an expenditure of hundreds of billions of euros that Hamons backers inside the bourgeoisie would not toleratea state of affairs that doubtless is not lost on Hamon. His proposal is simply made to give himself a bit of empty left cover, and, according to polls, two-thirds of the French population says they are hostile to his universal income scheme.
The Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality have held the first in a series of nationwide meetings outlining a program to mobilize the working class against the extreme right-wing policies of the administration of President Donald Trump.

In the first of the series, SEP National Secretary Joseph Kishore spoke at San Diego State University (SDSU) in California on January 24. About 50 people attended, including students as well as readers of the WSWS. Kishores report detailed the political background of the election of Trump and provided a detailed analysis of the personnel and policies of the new administration.

A lively discussion followed the presentation, with questions asked about the drive to war against Russia, the politics of Noam Chomsky, the differences between pragmatism and Marxism, revolutionary strategy for building an international socialist movement, and the role of the trade unions.

One student asked if there was any truth to the claims that Trump is working with Russian President Putin. This question has dominated the media since the election of Trump, Kishore said. But the intelligence reports provide no factual substantiation that Russia is responsible. Weve heard that Seventeen US intelligence agencies are unanimous in their determination. Well, they were unanimous in 2003 on the fact that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and that was a lie.

He explained that the divisions within the state were over US war policy, and that both Democrats and Republicans were united in the basic elements of class policy.

Another questioner asked, I agree that we have to reject lefties like Sanders and Warren, but how do you deal with the pragmatic argument that it is necessary to support the better alternative?

Pragmatism corresponds to a politics of wishful thinking, Kishore responded. Maybe, somehow, things are going to get better if we support some politician in the establishment. Wouldnt it at least be better if Clinton was president? Sanders said this. You have to support Clinton to stop Trump. Kishore reviewed the way in which the character of the Democratic Party and the politics of Sanders had paved the way for Trump.

What is really needed, he continued, is a politics that is based on the objective interests of the vast majority of the population, the working class. There is going to be mass opposition to the policies of the ruling class. If struggles erupt, but all thats in place is someone who says vote Democrat, thats a recipe for disaster. Like the Iraq war protests, which were all channeled behind Obama. And now what do we have? Eight years of war, and it vomited up Trump in the end. We need to really work through how this came about, what is it about the society in which we live that made possible the election of Trump, and base our politics on that.

Kishore explained that ours is a politics based on materialism, a politics that begins with objective reality. Society is divided by classes. The rich control the whole system, and the Democrats and Republicans both represent them. He stressed the need to turn out and politically mobilize and organize the working class, whose interests are completely unrepresented in the entire political system.

Another student asked, In the weeks and months ahead, what are the strategy and tactics that the IYSSE will adopt in San Diego, nationally and internationally?

SDSU IYSSE member Genevieve Leigh responded, The IYSSE meets each week to work through political developments, but its not just an intellectual journey. Were doing it to transform society. Our work on campus extends out into the working class. San Diego is a very interesting place in the world. We have problems that are global problems. Immigration, refugees, the militarytwenty-two percent of San Diegos economy is based on the defense industry. We intervened in the recent protests against police murder in El Cajon, connecting the fight against police violence to the fight against the capitalist system.

Nationally and internationally, this year the IYSSE will be taking up a serious study of the Russian Revolution of 1917. One cant wage a struggle for socialism without understanding that event and drawing out the political lessons.

Jahred, a senior studying philosophy, told IYSSE reporters after the meeting, I felt like I was at the end of the rainbow at this meeting. The information and analysis was really riveting, when we talked about this vast income inequality, the top one percent and what they own.

Trump is definitely a conduit for the forces that represent the decay of our society, he said. I think the Democrats and Republicans are wolves in sheeps clothing, but Trump is now ripping off that disguise. The quotes that [Kishore] provided in his presentation were very significant. When [incoming defense secretary] Mad Dog Mattis says, It's fun to shoot some people and you dont have to hate them, its just business, that is profound in its simplicity. Thats the situation were in, and it demands action.

Also on January 24 World Socialist Web Site Labor Editor and SEP 2016 presidential candidate Jerry White spoke before an audience of both students and workers at Wayne State University in Detroit. After reviewing the SEPs analysis of Trumps victory and the outpouring of opposition to Trumps policies expressed in the mass demonstrations over the weekend, White went on to outline the program needed to guide the growing opposition in the working class.

Many audience members participated in the discussion period following the presentation. Among the questions discussed was the meaning of the term opportunism, the role of Bernie Sanders, the Russian Revolution and the nature of the former Soviet Union.

One student identified herself as a supporter of Hillary Clinton. In opposition to the report, she said that she felt the demonstrations against Trump were not about issues related to the working class but about womens issues.

White explained that, just as the Trump administration promoted American nationalism to cover up the class divisions in American society between the billionaires like himself and the vast mass of working people, the issue of gender was used in the same manner. Those like Hillary Clinton, who claimed to speak in the name of women, in fact were the representatives of a privileged social strata of wealthy and upper middle class women who sought to carve out greater opportunities for themselves. In fact, the capitalist system for which Clinton and Trump both speak is based on the brutal exploitation of workers, both male and female, for the enrichment of a tiny handful.

Another student noted that he had not voted for either Clinton or Trump, because I have to sleep at night. He pointed out the deplorable conditions he had seen in Africa and other parts of the world due to global domination of the capitalist profit system.

An IYSSE member at Wayne State pointed out that despite Trumps claims to be fighting to protect the jobs of American workers, just a few miles from the university some 1,300 workers at a General Motors plant were scheduled to be permanently laid off in just a couple of weeks. He stressed the need for workers and young people to become involved in fighting to bring a socialist program to the working class to arm it in the fight against the Trump administration. A full list of SEP/IYSSE meetings can be found here. To organize a meeting in your area, click contact the SEP.
With only a few weeks left before Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf reveals his 2017-2018 budget proposal, he has begun attacking social programs to offset a badly swelling budget deficit, topping $600 million this fiscal year and structurally at $2 billion. Top on the list for cuts are state workers, education and social services.

Just before Christmas the Democratic Wolf administration laid off nearly 600 workers at the states unemployment centers following the refusal of the state Senate, citing the growing deficit, to approve $57.5 million to fund the employees.

The budget debt stems from lower-than-expected tax revenue on sales-based items such as alcohol and cigarettes and one-time revenue fixers. The Pennsylvania economy has been stagnating, with unemployment higher than the national average.

At the end of last year, Wolf announced that thousands of vacant state jobs would not be filled. In the New Year, the administration is set to close two state prisons, citing the budget deficit and a declining inmate population, affecting about 800 staff and 2,500 inmates. Moreover, halfway houses will be reduced from 3,000 beds to 1,500, producing $40 million in savings.

The closures will place the already overcrowded prison system at 92 percent capacity overall, with individual prisons exceeding that amount. Andy Hoover of the American Civil Liberties Union noted concern that overcrowding might be a persistent problem when these inmates are transferred to other prisons: If its happening to cut costs and youre doing it to jam people into prisons that are already at capacity, then that could be problematic.

Corrections Secretary John Wetzel is also exploring the possibility that these two prison buildings might make the state money by being of use to the Trump administrations plan to round up immigrants and deport them en masse. In this case, the prison sites would act as arbitrary and inhumane holding pens, creating conditions like those that sparked last summers hunger strike by immigrant families in Berks County, Pennsylvania. (See Immigrant mothers stage hunger strike in Pennsylvania ) Quoted on WITF public radio for central Pennsylvania, Wetzel said, If [Trumps] going to ramp that up, then hes going to need capacity quickly.

Mental health facilities have also been placed on the chopping block. Wolf said earlier this month that he will close the Hamburg State Center in Berks County and a portion of Norristown State Hospital in Montgomery County, anticipating savings of $39 million in annual operating costs. Seven-hundred-thirty-four workers will be losing their jobs, with no guarantee of another job or one with the same pay and benefits.

For mental health patients, the shuttering will only degrade care and postpone treatment. Patients who have committed a crime sometimes languish in prison until an opening at a mental health facility. For instance, Travis Kutz had been imprisoned since May 2015 for breaking into his fathers home to pilfer food. Psychiatric reports describe him as delusional, and he hears voices. Not until 18 months later was he transferred to Norristown State Hospital to undergo treatment. Private facilities have also been suffering shortages of beds.

Wolf is also working on a scheme to cut the care of the most expensive Medicaid patients, including those in nursing homes.

New expenses this year are only adding to the state governments problems, such as payments to a school-construction bond and funding for Growing Greener, a program to improve water quality and open space. Growing pension debt is another financial strain coming to a head, amounting to almost $60 billion. Last year, Republicans failed to pass a plan that would have reduced retirement benefits and placed newly hired workers into a 401(k) or hybrid plan. Wolf has admitted he supports the destruction of pensions.

The new Trump administration will also contribute to these financial difficulties. According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, would add over $1 billion to the states structural deficit. Over 700,000 people in Pennsylvania, most of them low income or the working poor, will lose health care coverage if the ACA is dismantled.

The governor has thus far offered scant details about his upcoming budget, only saying that he will not propose raising the sales and income taxes, but will try to enact a tax on gas production in the Marcellus Shale region, which he knows has virtually no chance of passing in the legislature.

Public school officials are becoming increasingly worried about school funding in the next budget. Wolfs modest increases in school funding have done nothing to mend the damages done to public education by former governor Tom Corbetts school cuts.

The executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, Mark DiRocco, quoted by the Associated Press, said, No one has a magic answer, I get that. But level funding schools is not an appropriate response and its not responsible. We need to make sure our kids get a quality education.

Last summer, a damning report about school funding showed that the general well-being of Pennsylvanias school districts is the worst ever seen in the state. (See Pennsylvania school districts face catastrophic funding crisis ).
UK Prime Minister Theresa May expected todays meeting with US President Donald Trump to be a political coup. It was to prove that Britain had a powerful ally in pursuing its exit from the European Union and could obtain a US trade deal to compensate for the possible loss of access to Europes Single Market. Trumps support could even strengthen Mays hand in negotiations with Germany and France.

It is a measure of the rapid deterioration in economic and political relations between the US and the rest of the world that Mays visit has instead prompted bitter recriminations from leading voices representing British imperialism.

May arrives in Washington on the eve of triggering Article 50 and initiating a two-year negotiated exit from the EU. The British ruling class is deeply divided over Brexit, with the dominant sections that supported a Remain vote in last years referendum fearful of losing access to the European market. In an attempt to straddle this divide, May pledged that she would explain to Trump that she did not see Brexit as a decision about breaking up the EU.

No one believes that such promises have any significance. Commenting on Trumps inaugural speech pledging a policy of America First protectionism, Martin Wolf warned in the Financial Times that the United States break with free trade and support for punitive tariffs means that Its victims, particularly China, are also likely to retaliate... Mr Xis China cannot replace the US: that would take cooperation with Europeans and other Asian powers. The more likely outcome is collapse into a trade policy free-for-all.

Fellow columnist Philip Stephens declared of Trump, On every measurefree trade, climate change, NATO, Russia, Iranhis views collide with Britains national interests, including his support for a great unravelling of the European project.

Perhaps the most extraordinary response came from the Guardian s Martin Kettle, who wrote, alluding to the policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany, If May thinks that waving a piece of paper signed by Trump offering a US trade deal will be viewed as a triumph, she is wrong. It could make her not the new Margaret Thatcher but the new Neville Chamberlain.

Trumps ascendency is now widely understood within British and European ruling circles as marking the definitive end of the United States post-war role as the anchor of European integration and guarantor, through NATO, of Europes imperialist interests. Trump has described the EU as an economic rival to the US, a German instrument, and predicted that other countries would follow the UKs example in leaving.

This has left the European capitalist governments scrambling to formulate a political, economic and military response.

In Germany, Social Democratic Party leader Sigmar Gabriel, who is positioning himself as a future foreign minister, declared, Now is the time to strengthen Europe... If Trump starts a trade war with Asia and South America, it will open opportunities for us.

In France, the centre-right candidate for this springs presidential election, Francois Fillon, travelled to Berlin Monday to deliver a speech to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation on how to defend Europes place between Donald Trumps United States, Vladimir Putins Russia and Xi Jinpings China. He urged deeper integration of the EU, including a European defence community with a joint budget for foreign military deployments and, most controversially, for Russia to be accepted as a major partner of Europe. His rival, former Social Democrat, now independent, Emmanuel Macron, gave the same message on the EU in the Financial Times, only shorn of any suggestion of a rapprochement with Moscow.

Trumps threats against China, Mexico and Europe have been generally treated by bourgeois commentators as an inexplicable break from the policies pursued by his predecessors. This not only fails to explain how he has risen to the leadership of the United States, but also why similar far-right movements have emerged throughout Europe. In France, the National Front of Marine Le Pen is in the leading position in the presidential election, and Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom is leading in the polls ahead of the March general election in the Netherlands.

The resort to extreme nationalism, intimidation and violence flows inexorably from the declining global position of US imperialism, under conditions of a general breakdown of world capitalism signalled by the 2008 crash. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US has sought to counteract its economic decline through an assertion of military might. However, a quarter-century later, the wars waged by Washington have proved disastrous while its economic position has continued to deteriorate, as expressed above all in the rise of China as a rival power.

This has left the US unable and unwilling to any longer place itself at the centre of a network of economic and political mechanisms, including the EU, that are seen as imposing restraints on Washingtons drive for unchallenged global hegemony. The assertion of US military supremacy in the Middle East and North Africa has metastasized into threats of war against both Moscow and Beijing, along with a growing hostility to Germany as Americas major European rival. Increasingly, the US is pursuing a policy of divide and rule throughout the continent.

The destabilisation of world politics through the efforts of Washington to buttress its position as the worlds dominant power drives the European powers into conflict with the US. This is the road of trade war and military conflict.

Mays pilgrimage to Trump can do nothing to resolve these deep and escalating conflicts. They are rooted in the irreconcilable contradictions of the world capitalist systembetween a globally integrated and interdependent economy and the division of the world into antagonistic national states; and between the socialized character of global production and its subordination, through the private ownership of the means of production, to the accumulation of private profit by the ruling capitalist class.

These same contradictions are also driving the working class into struggle. Everywhere, the destruction of jobs, wages and essential services accompanies trade war and military aggression. Only the working class in Europe, the US and throughout the world, united in a revolutionary struggle against capitalism, can bring an end to austerity, political reaction and war.
Two hundred and thirty-five people were arrested by police last Friday morning during protests in Washington D.C. at the inauguration of Donald Trump. The protests were described by participants as both anti-capitalist and anti-fascist. Those arrested, composed largely of politically unaffiliated individuals, were first surrounded and indiscriminately detained at the intersection of 11th and K Street. There riot police surrounded them for about an hour. During this time police and higher officials apparently deliberated among themselves before carrying out mass arrests.

Rather than facing more typical misdemeanor charges, all of those arrested have been charged with felony rioting that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Among those arrested were six individuals who were observing the protest in various media capacities. All six claim to have had proper and visible identification and have denounced the charges.

The journalists include Vocativ reporter Evan Engel, RT Americas Alex Rubinstein and documentary producer Jack Keller, as well as independent journalists Matt Hopard, Shay Horse and Aaron Cantu. Also reported among the arrested were a number of lawyers and medics.

Significantly, reporters and journalists from select media outfits, including two from a local NBC station and one from US News & World Report, were allowed to leave the corralled group. The NBC journalists were told that their names had been provided to a lieutenants superior during the hour of deliberation, while the group was detained on the street.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department statement, the arrests were prompted by, preliminary information that they were members of an organized group which was acting in a concerted effort engaged in acts of vandalism and several instances of destruction of property. There has been no evidence provided to back up this claim, outside of the action to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump. Nor has there been any indication that these individuals were affiliated with a particular organization, or were ever associated with one another prior to the demonstration.

Attorney Jeffrey Light initiated a civil lawsuit against police officials the day of the incident over the alleged indiscriminate mass arrests of lawyers, legal observers, journalists and medics. Light has also accused officers of using excessive force against the protesters including volleys of tear gas, and stun grenades.

Noting the lack of evidence provided by the police, Light told Al Jazeera news, Everybody has been charged with felony rioting and they (the police) have not given a reason. They arrested everyone in a particular area. Police have reported that unspecified people threw objects, but have not accused specific individuals of throwing objects. The charging documents for those arrested cited over $100,000 in property damage, including a limo fire that occurred Friday afternoon in a different location and after the mass arrests took place.

The citys interim police chief, Peter Newsham, who ordered the arrest, has a history of such arrests. As assistant police chief in 2002, he ordered a similar action against protesters in Pershing Park following anti-World Bank demonstrations, which ended in millions of dollars being paid out to settle claims of about 400 protesters and journalists. After the payouts in 2002, and others in 2000, the department had seemingly adopted a less extreme approach to such arrests, usually issuing only misdemeanor charges.

Light has speculated that the extreme charges were applied as leverage to extract plea deals from the defendants. However, the attacks on the protesters and also excessive undemocratic measures taken against the protesters and against select media outfits also must be seen in light of the political atmosphere being cultivated by the Trump administration.

Throughout his campaign Trump showed an unprecedented open contempt for basic democratic principles. His animosity toward the media was on full display as well, and also more recently, in refusing to take questions from a CNN reporter at a press conference and in making ominous threats against online publication BuzzFeed.

Just one day after the Inauguration Day arrests, in an address to the Central Intelligence Agency community, Trump used the bulk of his time to once again attack the media. As the WSWS wrote in relation to the speech:

Trumps anger is directed in the first instance against an utterly corrupt and subservient corporate-controlled press, which is rightly held in contempt by broad sections of the population because of its role as a purveyor of government lies and propaganda.

The new government, a direct instrument of the financial oligarchy, is nevertheless out to further muzzle the media in order to carry through a violent attack on the democratic rights and social conditions of the working class and prepare bigger and bloodier wars internationally.

Trump has combined his attack on democratic rights with exaltation of the police, the military and intelligence community--in a word, all instruments of state repression.

The police who under the Obama administration were shielded from prosecution despite mass protests over a string of brutal police killings, starting with events in Ferguson three years ago, have been given further encouragement by the Trump administration for even more ruthless attacks on the working class.

Last Fridays attack on anti-Trump protesters and the media should be taken as a warning. While the US war machine is being readied for aggression all over the world, the forces of repression are being readied for use against the working class in the United States.
US President Donald Trump declared in an extended interview with ABC News broadcast Wednesday that he will sign an executive order directing authorities to implement US-controlled safe zones in Syria. The order would also block the entry of refugees and immigrants from a number of majority-Muslim countries, including Syria.

During the presidential campaign, Trump called for a complete ban on Muslim immigration into the US. He played up fears over the admittance of a few thousand Syrian refugees displaced by the years-long civil war in that country fueled by the Obama administration.

In the interview with David Muir, during which the president adopted the tone of a mafia boss, Trump expounded on his planned immigration restrictions. It's going to be very hard to come in. Right now, it's very easy to come in. Its gonna be very, very hard. Trump also declared that he plans to absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people.

Coinciding with Trumps interview, a draft of the draconian and unconstitutional executive order, billed as a measure for protecting the nation from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals, was leaked to the media.

The order would suspend immigration to the US from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and Somalia for 30 days and suspend the admittance of individuals under the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. The admission of refugees from Syria into the US will be suspended indefinitely.

Several caveats would allow for the entry of refugees from Syria and the other countries on a case-by-case basis as well as allow the processing and admittance of religious minorities, i.e., non-Muslims.

Other restrictive measures spelled out in the document include the full implementation of a biometric entry-exit tracking system and new restrictions on the granting of non-immigrant travelers visas.

In line with Trumps remarks, the draft order outlines a process for the establishment of safe zones, justified by the indefinite suspension of the admission of immigrants and refugees from Syria into the US: Pursuant to the cessation of refugee processing for Syrian nationals, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, is directed within 90 days of the date of this order to produce a plan to provide safe areas in Syria and in the surrounding region in which Syrian nationals displaced from their homeland can await firm settlement, such as repatriation or potential third-country resettlement.

Moscow, which has intervened in the Syrian civil war to prop up President Bashar al-Assad, responded to Trumps announcement of his plan to implement safe zones by denying that it had any input on the decision and warned of potential consequences.

Our American partners did not consult with Russia [regarding the safe zones]. It is their sovereign decision, Dimitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters on Thursday. Its important to make sure that this does not further aggravate the situation with refugees. Evidently, all the possible consequences should be taken into account, he warned.

Former President Barack Obama had resisted the imposition of safe zones in Syria, a policy fiercely advocated by Democratic advisers and war hawks such as former Secretary of State and Trump rival Hillary Clinton. The protection of such areas with a no-fly zone could spark a clash between US and Russian jet fighters, leading to all-out war between the nuclear-armed powers.

However, DEBKAfile, a website with ties to Israeli military intelligence, reported that an agreement has been worked out between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to carve up Syria into three separate spheres of influence divided between the US, Russia and Turkey. The deal reportedly requires all Iranian military forces as well as associated forces belonging to Shiite militias and Hezbollah to leave the country.

The plan outlined by DEBKAfile would involve the US taking military control over the area of the country east of the Euphrates River, as well as a portion of the south bordering the Golan Heights and northern Jordan. Approximately 7,500 US Special Forces currently based in Jordan would reportedly deploy to southeast Syria.

The rest of the country would be divided between Russia and Turkey, with Moscow controlling all territory west of the Euphrates except for a narrow stretch in northern Syria administered by Ankara.

While the alleged plan has not been confirmed by the Trump administration, it does line up with previous proposals made by Trumps national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, to deploy large numbers of US troops to Syria under the pretense of defeating ISIS and other Islamist militia groups.

In a 2015 interview with Der Spiegel, Flynn, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, outlined his vision for an expanded US intervention in Syria and a Balkanization of the Middle East, carving the region into spheres of influence and military control.

We can learn some lessons from the Balkans. Strategically, I envision a breakup of the Middle East crisis area into sectors in the way we did back then, with certain nations taking responsibility for these sectors, Flynn stated. The United States could take one sector, Russia as well and the Europeans another one. The Arabs must be involved in that sort of military operation, as well, and must be part of every sector.
President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the Feds to deal with an ongoing surge in homicides, largely due to gang conflicts, in Chicago, the third largest US city. Last year, murders in the city shot up to more than 760 from under 500 the year before.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday, If Chicago doesnt fix the horrible carnage going on I will send in the Feds!

Far from addressing the causes of the social crisis that has given rise to the spike in gun violence, to which Trump has pointed in his own cynical rhetoric about closed factories and lost jobs, the newly installed president is seeking to exploit the situation in Chicago to remove all restraints on police violence against the working class. This is under conditions where police in the United States kill more than 1,000 people a year, with the Chicago police and the Democratic city administration among the countrys worst culprits.

In an interview with ABC News Wednesday evening, Trump expounded on his tweet: Now, if they want help, I would love to help them. I will send in what we have to send in. Maybe theyre not gonna have to be so politically correct. Maybe theyre being overly political correct.

In other words, the city must crack down even more violently on working class and poor communities and suppress protests against police brutality. This echoes the position of far-right politicians, police officials and sections of the media that the Obama administration and state and local officials have been guilty of hamstringing the police and pandering to protests against a series of police murders over the past several years.

In fact, the Obama administration consistently defended the police and failed to prosecute a single cop caught in the act of killing an unarmed worker or youth. At the same time, it cultivated racialist groups such as Black Lives Matter that work to conceal the basic class issues involved in the epidemic of police killings and channel popular anger into the dead end of support for the Democratic Party.

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has a long and filthy record of corruption and violence, including murder and torture to elicit confessions, spanning at least six decades. Just this month, the US Department of Justice released a report detailing systematic abuses and violations of citizens constitutional rights by CPD, whose officers were found to have fired their weapons indiscriminately, used Tasers to kill, employed deadly force against children, and physically and verbally abused detainees, targeting in particular minority populations and the mentally ill.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has responded to Trumps threats by declaring his openness to working with the new White House. Emanuel expressed his gratitude for the offer of federal assistance, while opposing the deployment of National Guard troops in the city. Straight up Im against it, he declared.

Bringing in National Guard troops is a demand raised fairly regularly by members of his own party, particularly by candidates for City Council seats from Chicagos impoverished South Side.

Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi welcomed the opportunity to work with any number of federal agencies.

Trumps statements on Chicago are a continuation of the law-and-order demagogy that was a central component of his election campaign. Minutes after he was sworn in last Friday as the countrys 45th president, a page on the White House web site devoted to civil rights and police reform disappeared and was replaced with a page entitled Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community.

With the appointment of the right-wing senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions, as attorney general, Trump is putting in place an authoritarian government that will dramatically escalate the attack on democratic rights carried out by previous administrations.
Last fall, the New York University Student Activities Board (SAB) rejected the application submitted by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) for club status. In its initial application, the IYSSE had stressed its goal of giving voice to the broad anti-war sentiments of students on campus. In the course of appealing the SABs decision, reached despite the fact that the IYSSE had collected the signatures of over 200 students supporting its application and met all other requirements for club status, the IYSSE was told by the SAB that it rejects nearly 90 percent of all groups that apply.

This arbitrary and undemocratic process is in large part aimed at vetting and restricting the political opinions to which students on campus have access. To launch its drive to obtain club status this year, the IYSSE is holding a meeting on Thursday, February 2 at 7 pm at Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall. The address is 55 Washington Square South. The title of the meeting is The way forward in the fight against the Trump administration.

NYUs close connection to the US war machine sheds light on why the university administration would want to prevent students from hearing a socialist anti-war perspective. The ties between American colleges and universities and the national security apparatusfinancial, political and professionalare manifold and widespread. NYU exemplifies the US military-university complex in a particularly concentrated manner.

According to a 2015 report from VICE News, NYU is one of the most militarized universities in the country, receiving $16,282,000 in Department of Defense Research and Development funding in 2013, the last year for which data was available at the time of publication. The Defense Department gives funds in order to achieve agency and national goals, according to the Defense Department web site, and focuses on the development of new technologies for surveillance and weaponry.

For a significant portion of the NYU faculty, there is a revolving door between the university and the State Department, the Pentagon, the CIA, the FBI and various surveillance agencies. The university employs numerous current and former officials from these agencies, who play a major role in shaping academic programs and determining what students study.

One recent NYU jobs listing on a defense-related blog gives a sense of the universitys cozy relationship to the war machine of American imperialism.

The listing seeks a new employee for the NYU School of Laws Center on Law and Security, whose purpose, the notice explains, is to make our national security policies more effective, legitimate, and sustainable through its publications, student programs, and events.

The notice points out that in the past several months, the Centers activities have included hosting US elected officials, the Deputy Director of the CIA, and a meeting of a Presidential commission. It touts its close connections to former government attorneys, including General Counsels of member agencies of the US Intelligence Community and senior federal prosecutors focused on cybersecurity and counterterrorism issues.

The listing suggests to applicants: Background in US foreign policy, national security, and/or intelligence strongly preferred.

As this listing indicates, NYU has to a significant extent been transformed into a think tank for US imperialism. Its various national security programs are aimed at legitimizing state spying, drone assassination programs and the military-intelligence complex that carries out such activities and is responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the Middle East and Central Asia in the last 15 years alone.

The university is also a founding member of the Homeland Security-Homeland Defense Education Consortium (HSDECA), run by US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the military command whose purview includes the United States itself. The purpose of the consortium is to involve academics in the plans of USNORTHCOM and develop and promote security programs on campus.

In 2015, the NYU Center for Global Affairs launched the Initiative for the Study of Emerging Threats program with a talk with the then-president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves. The former president is known for his rabidly anti-Russian politics. In 2014, he called for a massive NATO military buildup on Russias border, risking military conflict between nuclear powers and a new world war.

The NYU program claims to focus on non-traditional and new security threats, and lists information war and subversion and cybercrime, cyberwar, and cyberterrorism, among other threats.

NYU has developed a specialized expertise in the legal and technical training involved in mass cyber surveillance. In 2014, the National Security Agency (NSA), which the Snowden revelations exposed for conducting mass spying on the US and global population, designated the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, since renamed the Tandon School of Engineering, a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE).

The school is one of only 16 institutions with the CAE designation in cyber operations. CAE designation provides the school with an expert who works as a liaison between it and the NSA. CAE-designated schools can apply for grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which helps fund scholarship service programs such as the ASPIRE scholarship (Scholarship For Service Partnership For Interdisciplinary Research and Education), which is awarded to students in the general area of information assurance and cybersecurity. NYU has five separate programs at different colleges that are approved for the ASPIRE scholarship, which covers tuition and provides a stipend of $20,000 a year for undergraduate students.

Students who receive the scholarship must spend two years in government service. According to a 2015 article by the Guardian, roughly 29 percent of the students who receive the scholarship are placed in the NSA. Most of the rest are slotted into other intelligence, spying, police or military agencies.

The listing cited above was placed by the board of advisers of the NYU law schools Center on Law and Security, which is comprised of legal experts for US intelligence agencies and their corporate partners. The members of the board include Gus Coldebella, the former general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security; Rajesh De, former general counsel for the NSA; Gavin Hood, founder and CEO of the CIA-backed startup Palantir Technologies; and Elizabeth Rindskopf-Parker, who between 1984 and 1995 worked for the CIA, the NSA and the State Department.

In 2014, the law school hired Harold Koh, a former legal advisor to the State Department, to teach. Law students and alumni drew up a petition calling Kohs presence at NYU Law and, in particular, as a professor of International Human Rights Lawunacceptable, due to his involvement with the Obama administrations drone warfare program. The petition received over 400 signatures.

In response, the online journal Just Security, which is based at New York University Law Schools Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), organized a counter-petition in support of Koh. The CHRGJ faculty director and co-chair, Ryan Goodman, is a member of the State Departments Advisory Committee on International Law. The journal published the petition, which was co-authored Sarah Cleveland, former counselor on international law to the legal adviser at the State Department, and Michael Posner, former assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department and current professor at NYUs business school.

The petition read, Professor Koh has been a leading scholar of, and advocate for, human rights for decades he is widely known for his unquestionable personal commitment to human rights and his eminent professional qualifications to teach and write on the subject.

This petition absurdly praising an architect of the drone assassination program was signed by 14 members of the NYU law school faculty, as well as several from the business school.

Posner worked for the State Department from 2009 to 2013, during which time he was a leading proponent of the human rights rhetoric that has become a central argument for US foreign intervention and justification for the military atrocities committed by the US and its allies. In 2011, Posner stated that a no-fly zone in Libya is not a solution, but its a piece of it. At the time, the US was carrying out a bombing campaign and supporting jihadist militias as part of its bloody war for regime-change against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

In 2013, Posner and Sarah Labowitz, another former State Department employee, co-founded the Stern Center for Business and Human Rights as part of NYUs business school. The centers stated mission is to challenge and empower companies and future business leaders to make practical progress on human rights. Labowitz also signed the letter praising Koh.

For all its professed concern for human rights, NYU used super-exploited labor in completing the construction of its Abu Dhabi campus. Cheryl Mills, former chief of staff to Hillary Clinton, negotiated the establishment of the Abu Dhabi campus in 2009 while she was employed by both the State Department and NYU.

The New York Times later exposed the fact that the campus was being constructed with the use of roughly 6,000 migrant workers who were forced to work under brutal conditions. According to documents released by WikiLeaks, NYU also maintained contact with Mills after she left the school in order to update her about the establishment of NYUs Shanghai campus.

The IYSSE is re-applying for club status this semester to educate and mobilize students at NYU as part of the building of an international movement against war, based on the working class and a revolutionary socialist and internationalist program. This will prove all the more essential under the Trump administration, which will give the military and intelligence agencies free rein to expand the attacks on democratic rights and never-ending wars of the Obama years.
Groups planning to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump last Friday were infiltrated by right-wing provocateurs with ties to the new administration. Project Veritas, a group headed by ultra-right activist James OKeefe, sent operatives into various protest groups to encourage the commission of acts that could be used to smear protesters as violent.

Last week, Project Veritas released highly edited videos on YouTube purporting to show protest organizers involved in the DisruptJ20 anti-Trump group discussing plans to commit acts of vandalism and violence against Trump supporters. One video, filmed at a restaurant in northwest Washington, D.C., shows organizers saying they might attempt to trigger the sprinkler system at the National Press Club, where on January 19 a pro-Trump gathering was occurring.

Another activist suggests the group spread butyric acid, a highly noxious substance, through the buildings ventilation system as a means of forcing the partygoers to exit the building, where they would be confronted by protesters. There is no evidence that any of the protesters intended to follow through with these suggestions.

The release of the video days before the inauguration led to the arrest of one of the supposed conspirators, Scott Charney. Police are currently looking for other individuals filmed in the video. Ive spent years trying to fight the mainstream media that doesnt view me as a journalist.  This is the first time that a video we shot has led to an arrest. It legitimizes what were doing. Its a new era for us, said OKeefe to the Washington Post .

The film is highly edited and, according to the Post, Project Veritas has refused to allow the unedited footage of the gathering to be reviewed.

OKeefe is notorious for his right-wing antics. In 2009, OKeefe and an associate posed as a pimp and prostitute in the offices of the liberal community activist group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), supposedly seeking advice on how to hide their illicit gains. Through selective editing, OKeefe manipulated video footage of ACORN employees giving advice to the duo to create a scandal against the community activist group.

ACORN was forced to disband despite being exonerated of any wrongdoing. OKeefe later paid a $100,000 fine for misrepresenting the ACORN employees actions.

In 2010, OKeefe pleaded guilty to charges of entering the New Orleans offices of Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu under false pretenses by posing as a telephone repairman with the intention of damaging the senators phone system. OKeefe was required to pay a fine of $1,500, serve 100 hours of community service and spend several years on probation for his action.

More recently, OKeefe was involved in efforts to trap Democratic Party activists into making statements condoning violent acts against Trump supporters.

Trump made reference to OKeefes doctored footage on the campaign trail, falsely asserting that his Democratic Party rival Hillary Clinton had paid protesters to commit acts of violence. Trump said during one of the debates, I was wondering what happened with my rally in Chicago and other rallies where we had such violence. Shes the one and Obama that caused the violence. A report later came out revealing that OKeefes organization received funding from the Trump Foundation prior to the latters presidential run.

OKeefe has also worked as a contributor to Breitbart News, the far-right news site that until recently was run by Stephen Bannon, Trumps current chief strategist in the White House.

The revelations from the sting operation engineered by OKeefe are highly dubious. In addition to OKeefes unwillingness to release the raw footage of the conversation, there is the possibility that operatives of Project Veritas played a role in encouraging acts of violence and vandalism. There is a long history of such infiltrations being used to discredit and shut down protests.

Prior to the inauguration, the left-leaning The Undercurrent news show revealed that Allison Maass, a Project Veritas operative, had approached protest organizers offering unlimited resources to disrupt the inauguration and related proceedings with acts of vandalism and violence, saying [we] just want to see the biggest impact.  Put a stop to the inaugurationinterrupt the parties. Maass had also attempted to infiltrate the campaigns of Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Wisconsin Senate candidate Russ Feingold.

Activist Ryan Clayton, who recorded Maasss proposals, told the Inquisitr website, Normally, they would take that video and cut it up deceptively and edit it. They would say something, and then I would agree, and they would leave that out, that they had been the ones that had said it in the first place. Thats kinda their M.O.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would be seeking a major investigation of alleged voting fraud. Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures! he tweeted. In an interview with ABC News, Trump said that none of the allegedly illegal votes would have been cast for him. They would all be for the other side, he stated.

The promise of an investigation, which could be formally announced via executive order, follows days in which the president doubled down on his lies about a popular vote victory having been stolen from him by the casting of 3 to 5 million fraudulent votes.

Trump has reversed course on the subject of ballot rigging numerous times both before and after the vote last November 8. During the campaign, he charged that vote rigging was being planned to steal the election from him. After he won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote by a margin of almost 3 million, Trump dropped the subject briefly, but then returned to it with the lie that he would have won the popular vote if millions had not voted illegally.

When Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein called for vote recounts in several states that Trump won narrowly and were the source of his electoral vote margin, the president-elects lawyers told a court that all available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake. Now Trump is reversing himself once again, with talk of fraud in urban areas of big states.

The shameful truth of the American electoral system is that of voter suppression, not voter fraud. Even in the most hotly contested presidential contest, less than 60 percent cast ballots, both because of voter ID laws and a host of other techniques designed to discourage turnout, as well as the widespread and justified alienation of most workers from the two-party election charade.

There is no evidence of significant voter fraud. Secretaries of State in California, Virginia, Ohio and elsewhere said, in response to Trumps latest claims, that cases of fraud were vanishingly rare. The Ohio official, a Republican who voted for Trump, said, according to the New York Times, that there were 667 allegations of fraud in the state in the 2012 and 2014 elections, of which only 149 were referred for further investigation.

The Pew Center for the States conducted a survey two years ago in which it found millions of names on the voter rolls that should not be there because citizens had died or moved. Since voting laws are administered on a state-by-state basis, duplication and inefficiencies are virtually inevitable, but they virtually never lead to voters seeking to cast ballots in two or more states, or casting a vote in the name of someone who has died. A recent report in the Washington Post documented a grand total of four cases of fraud out of 135 million votes cast nationwide. The author of the Pew report, David Becker, was quoted as saying, It does exist, but it happens in very, very small numbers and nothing like what is claimed by the president.

Ironically, considering Trumps outrage over registrations in more than one state, it appears that Stephen Bannon, the neo-fascistic White House chief strategist and founding member of Breitbart News, is registered to vote in both New York and Florida.

Trumps investigation could take the form of one conducted by the FBI or through the establishment of some form of commission or task force.

It is not fraud that is driving Trump, but rather the obsession to prove that he is the legitimate victor in the face of the widespread repudiation of the real estate billionaire and fascistic demagogue, a repudiation that was only partially reflected in his sizable loss of the popular vote and in the mass demonstrations that took place on January 21.

The bogus charges of voter fraud did not begin with Trump. There is a long history of the charge being used to attack the voting rights of the working class, particularly among minorities and the poor who tend to vote Democratic. These attacks have escalated since the theft of the 2000 election, delivered to George W. Bush by a divided Supreme Court.

One of the most infamous examples took place during the second term of George W. Bush. The Justice Department, in actions orchestrated by Bush adviser Karl Rove, purged seven US attorneys because they were deemed insufficiently aggressive in pursuing unsubstantiated voter fraud allegations in New Mexico, Texas and a number of other states. The effort backfired and led to the resignation of Attorney General and longtime Bush protege Alberto Gonzalez, followed soon after by the departure of Rove from the White House.

The failure of the Bush administrations efforts to encourage prosecutions was followed, over the past decade, by legislative efforts around the country to restrict voting rights via such measures as photo identification requirements. This relentless reactionary campaign was also reflected in the 2013 Supreme Court decision gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Trump is thus part of an ongoing effort. His allegations reflect not merely the new presidents own obsessions, but more significantly the deepening political crisis of the capitalist system. Hence, along with Trumps quest for legitimacy, there is a search for new ways to disenfranchise a working class that is becoming angrier in the face of growing inequality and poverty.

Dale Ho, the head of the Voting Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union, has warned that a possible outcome of the investigation that Trump is promising is even more restrictions, in addition to the demand for photo identification before the right to vote can be exercised. In an op-ed in the New York Times, Ho points to Trumps ties to Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who supported a law requiring the presentation of citizenship papers when registering at an office of the Department of Motor Vehicles. The law was struck down in Federal District Court.

In yet another illustration of the hostility of the new administration to the basic democratic right to vote, the Justice Department filed a request within hours of Trump taking the oath of office last Friday requesting a delay in a scheduled hearing on a Texas lawsuit against the restrictive voter ID law in that state. A federal appeals court had already ruled the law unconstitutional. The Supreme Court announced several weeks ago its refusal to hear the case, instead sending it back for hearings at the appellate level. The Obama administration had joined with the ACLU in challenging the Texas law. The new administration says it needs more time to review the case.

Former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, who is expected to win Senate confirmation as attorney general shortly, is known as a right-wing opponent of voting rights protections. He prosecuted several civil rights figures on voting fraud charges in the 1980s when he was the US attorney in western Alabama. Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, attacked the request as astonishing.

Trumps lies about voter fraud have aroused the indignation of numerous Democratic politicians. California Senator Dianne Feinstein, for instance, said, We cant allow this attack on voting rights to continue, and its shameful to see such debunked conspiracy theories emanating from the White House.

Feinsteins words are aimed at covering up the role of the Democratsin depressing voter turnout, in accepting undemocratic gerrymandering of congressional districts and in some cases engaging in such practices themselves, and in their own continuous attacks on democratic rights. While critical of some of the voting restrictions because they affect segments of the population that tend to vote for Democrats, the party is no less committed than Trump to the defense of the interests of the corporate and financial elite.

It is the increasingly aristocratic and oligarchic character of American society that is the basic cause of the decay of democratic forms of rule and the assault on the most basic democratic right, the right to vote.
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - A state lawmaker returning home from the Capitol is recovering after being shot during a robbery at a convenience store in Columbus.

A spokesman for House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, says 69-year-old state Rep. Gerald Greene was shot Thursday but is in stable condition after being wounded in the leg.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://on-ajc.com/2jWW3vK ) Kaleb McMichen says Greene had stopped for gas when the incident occurred. Gov. Nathan Deal, in a statement, wished Green a speedy recovery.

The circumstances surrounding the robbery are unclear. Columbus police and the Muscogee County sheriff's office both said they were unaware of the incident.

Greene, who had attended Thursday's session of the General Assembly, has been in the House for 34 years and is chairman of the State Properties Committee.

___

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Star metro is partnering with Second Harvest of the Big Bend for its annual food drive today.

They asked volunteers to come out and help stuff a bus full with groceries.

The event kicked off this morning and featured music, health and nutrition information along with free refreshments.

Officials with the City of Tallahassee say the groceries donated through February 25th will be used to help those in need in the community.

Those who donated today received free bus passes for today and tomorrow.

For a full list of the drop off sites you can visit City of Tallahassee's website at https://talgov.com/Main/Home.aspx .
Tallahasee, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida A&M University has moved another step closer to serving as the headquarters for the nation's only African-American news network.

According to FAMU officials, in 2014, FAMU entered into an 11-year agreement with the Black Television News Channel to house its 24-hour, multi-platform news network in the school of journalism & graphic communication.

Coming up on February 24th , FAMU, BTNC, and charter communications will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony on famu's campus to announce the network's official launch date.

According to BTNC, this network operation center will be the first 4k ultra hd newsgathering and production infrastructure of its kind.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Thursday morning, the Area Agency on Aging for North Florida held its annual Board of Directors meeting and luncheon. Each year during this meeting, the agency recognizes one volunteer in each of the 14 counties that receive service, including one very special woman from Gadsden County.

That special volunteer was none other than Marian Shook. She's a woman who tries to stay active in her community and enjoys helping others in any way she can. In fact, for the last 20 years, she's been working with Meals on Wheels in Quincy.

Shook first got involved in the program through her church, but it was her love for volunteering that kept her coming back each week. She is very proud to work with Meals on Wheel and is honored to be recognized for her service. For Shook, her favorite part of volunteering is when she's able to interact with and talk to others in the community.

"It was so much fun when you got to visit people," says Marian Shook, a Gadsden County Meals on Wheels volunteer for 20 years. "I don't visit people now. I just help get things ready, but I still go around every week. It was interesting talking to people."

Marian Shook may have reached 20 years with Meals on Wheels, but she is approaching an even larger milestone. On February 8th, she will be celebrating her 100th birthday.

When asked what her secret was for living such a long life, she said it was her faith in God. It was that which helped her through the good and bad times.

Marian, have a very happy birthday!

**Volunteers are always needed to help in programs like Meals on Wheels. Anyone, young or old, can volunteer, and those that do tend to give 1-3 hours of their time a week. Visit www.aaanf.org to find opportunities in your area. For those in Gadsden County, call Stacey Hannigon, the Executive Director of Gadsden Senior Services at (850) 627-9758.
PANACEA, FL (WTXL) -- Fishermen in Wakulla County are concerned about the rise in the amount of leases on their waters.

The leases provide boundaries as to where fishermen can and cannot go to get fish. Poles and barriers indicate assigned zones. Some fishermen say their boats have been damaged by them, claiming poor visibility due to a lack of lighting and the tide changing sea levels.

"It's killing all of us up here," said Albert Hartsfield, vice president of the Wakulla Commercial Fishermen's Association (WCFA). "They've blocked up channels and everything."

"It seems like it's just running the fishing industry out," added local fisherman James Green.

Fishermen say the state keeps giving leases out, which zones off territory they've used for years.

"Now, they want to put it in front of the sandyards -- the leases," Hartsfield said. "That ain't right."

"Don't put my guys out of business," said John Taylor, president of the WCFA. "They need this water to make their livelihood."

Three months out of every year, the fishermen are out in the waters -- often away from home and their families. They say the leases restrict access to the fish.

"The fish did not migrate the way they were supposed to, because of the traffic," Taylor said. "It pushed them off shore."

"I lost about $30,000 this year," Hartsfield said.

The fishermen say the leases have gone to groups like the TCC Environmental Institute. WTXL took an exclusive look at TCC's oyster farm program in January 2016.

"Growing a fine oyster that we're growing will be in demand always," said executive director Bob Ballard in that report.

But fishermen say that demand comes at their expense.

"I do not want TCC's program to fail, but there's got to be a stopping point at this," Taylor said, "because you can't take all of our fishing grounds and put us out of business."

A town hall meeting about leasing was held Thursday evening at the Wakulla Welcome Center in Panacea. County commissioners, the Florida Department of Agriculture and TCC were invited to attend.

WTXL spoke with Ballard over the phone Thursday. He said TCC has been involved in several similar meetings before -- and claims the leases his students have were already agreed to by stakeholders in the past.
68th Republic Day of India marked

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu on Thursday celebrated the 68th Republic Day of India organising various events.
You are the owner of this article.
6th Nepal Literature Festival kicks off in Pokhara

The 6th edition of 'Nepal Literature Festival' kicked off here on the premises of Nepal Tourism Board in Pardi, Pokhara on Friday.
After 3 call-offs in 8 years, FSU election set for next month

If everything pans out well, the Free Student Union election that has been stalled for eight years will be held next month. The FSU election will also test parties popularity as their sister wings will be contesting the election.
Jerusalem has not been Israels capital since the 1990s, at least not in the eyes of large parts of the people in this country. The first intifada scared the Israelis, the second one drove them away, and the latest one  a shorter one this past year  was received with relative indifference. This is the only reason why some Israelis, absurdly, find it logical to object to the American initiative to move the US embassy to Jerusalem

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Unlike others, I have no idea how the Arab world will react to the embassy move, but I do know that the citizens of a sovereign state cannot object to the opening of embassies in their capital. It doesnt cross the level of reason, unless they dont see Jerusalem as the capital but rather Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem is beautiful to its lovers and remarkably ugly to its haters  and, unfortunately, there are more and more of those (Photo: Shutterstock)

In many election campaigns, including the latest one, the Right and Left have been quarreling over Jerusalem. There is always someone who is putting us in danger by dividing the city  Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert, and in the latest election campaign Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni would bring us to the Western Wall in armored personnel carriers. In practice, it doesnt matter which government is in power, the trend is the same trend, and its concerning. The internal dispute over the embassy move is just a reflection of this trend.

Forget about pragmatism and a cold analysis of the ramifications of the move on the Arab world and on the Palestinians. Our conflict with them does not depend on anything. Once its Netanyahu and the Western Wall Tunnels, then its Ariel Sharon and the Temple Mount visit, another time its riots in the Negev and the next time its just a conspiracy. The essence is whether we see Jerusalem as a capital and treat it accordingly. The answer, unfortunately, is no.

At the first days of the al-Aqsa Intifada, I took part in planning a tour to archaeological sites on behalf of one of the defense establishment bodies. They asked to skip Jerusalem for fear of suicide attacks. I found it somewhat irritating. If security officials avoid touring the capital during difficult times, what will the common citizens say? And even if we assume that there is an understandable fear during days of an intifada, on routine days there is not a single good explanation for why Israelis stay away from large parts of the city.

Heres the painful truth: Jerusalem is beautiful to its lovers and remarkably ugly to its haters  and, unfortunately, there are more and more of those. The Jerusalem Day celebrations, which mark the citys unification, turned long ago into an exclusive holiday for Religious Zionism  a population segment which I know and appreciate, but a small segment within a large society.

The demography in the city is becoming impossible with the seculars flight and the fact that an absolute majority of elementary school children study in non-Zionist streams. Government ministries, despite numerous promises, remain in Tel Aviv, and entire neighborhoods are not subject to governmental control. The western part of the city is well kept, and as for the eastern side of the city  it depends how much and when.

In every lecture in which I discuss Jerusalem, I discover fewer people who know what Im talking about: What is Kafr Aqab, which became a Jerusalem neighborhood in an exterritorial area, where is the Church of All Nations located, where can one find the best hummus in the Old City and what can one see from Beit Orot.

Every possible survey reveals that most Israelis feel a significant connection to Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives cemetery, according to the polls, is a consensus at least as much as Arlington National Cemetery in Washington. The observation post from the August Victoria area is more beautiful, in my opinion, than the view from the Eifel Tower. The only difference is in our attitude towards ourselves.

Its unnecessary to go back to the statements of Zionist Movement leaders like David Ben-Gurion, that Jerusalem is Israels soul. Its enough to go to Wikipedia or sing the states anthem to ourselves. If we believe in that, how can we oppose the American embassys move to Jerusalem?

Granted, its just a symbolic act, it holds no great diplomatic outcome or an achievement in the international arena, but thats what happens in sovereign states. Every state has a capital city, and ours is Jerusalem. I am troubled by the fact that the Zionist Left feels uncomfortable with the American initiative to move the embassy to Israels capital, but I am as troubled by everyone elses indifference.
A bill proposed by MK Amir Ohana (Likud) on Wednesday seeks to change the way legal advisors are selected in government ministries so that they will be chosen by the ministers themselves, which is strongly opposed by the attorney general.

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In discussions initiated by Ohana with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi), she confirmed that the current situation indeed called for a change and said that she is even working on her own initiative to modify the selection process. According to Ohana, governance will be strengthened if ministries' legal advisors would be selected by the responsible ministers, as is already the case for directors general.

Ohana went on to say that the bill, which was drafted in collaboration the Movement for Governance and Democracy, was not unique to Israel and that in the United States after every election the new cabinet secretaries appoint their own legal advisors who share their political views. Ohana did not, however, address the differences between the presidential and Westminster systems of governance.

MK Ohana (Photo: Knesset Spokesperson)

"In the last few years far-reaching changes have taken place in the roles and statuses of the legal advisors in the government ministries," Ohana wrote in his reasoning for proposing the law.

"Today the legal advisor has become not merely an advisor but also someone who can reject ideas and initiatives promoted by the minister if in his legal opinion there is either legal or constitutional fault in the initiative. These changes sometimes bring about difficulties in the proper operations of the ministries, which stem from disputes that erupt between the appointed minister and the legal advisor."

The proposal points out that in March 2007 an inter-ministerial team appointed by the attorney general and the then director of the prime minister's office was established in order to examine the issues touching on legal counsel to the government. The same team concluded, among other things, "the job of the legal advisor to a ministry is to provide appropriate legal counsel for the policies of the ministryIt is emphasized in the report that the legal advisor is expected not just to reject the ministry's proposals, but to act as much as possible to find legal solutions to allow the implementation of the ministry's policies.

"The legal advisor is supposed to assist the minister in realizing the policies in accordance with his worldview and not be a minister for torpedoing things. A minister who does not (see eye to eye) with the legal advisor cannot move and finds himself stumped throughout the years with extremely limited room for maneuver," Ohana said.

AG Manelblit (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

"This gives the legal advisors a lot of power who were not elected and (provide excessive advice) in the government. There are enough supervising and critical officials: The Knesset, the state comptroller and if there is need in extreme cases, law enforcement official and the courts. There is unnecessary bureaucracy."

The office Avichai Mandelblit, the Attorney General, released a statement opposing Ohana's bill. It says that Mandelblit "opposes any attempt to weaken the legal advice in the civil service or damage their independence."

It continues, "The legal advisors in the civil service are gatekeepers whose job is to aid the elected implement their policies within the boundaries of the law while safeguarding the public interest and the rule of law."

MK Yoel Hasson (Zionist Union) came out against the bill arguing that it was little more "than a law from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office with the sole aim of deterring the law enforcement apparatusThis cannot be ignored, and we have to wake up.

"I call upon Justice Minister Shaked not to lend her hand to this bill that is intended to turn the legal advisors from gatekeepers into puppets."
While the new American administration has discussed preliminary measures to move its embassy to Jerusalem, major repair work has begun at its current beach-front location in Tel Aviv.

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The repairs are not related to the issue of the transfer of the embassy and the repairs were scheduled during the Obama administration as part of a State Department project for renovating embassies. The last major renovation at the US embassy in Israel occurred 15 years ago.

American embassy in Tel Aviv (Photo: AFP)

The renovations are being conducted by an American contractor employing American workers who are licensed to work in classified US facilities.

The contractor, which arrived in Israel half a year ago to set up the necessary equipment around the structure ahead of the work, will also be assisted by Israeli workers.

The renovation work is being conducted on a piecemeal basis to mitigate disruptions in the day to day workings of the embassy. Rooms therefore are refurbished only when they are not in use.

Nevertheless, the embassy published an announcement on its website, saying that while the project should not cause any delays or affect its daily operations, it apologized in advance for any inconvenience that could be caused as a result.

The work got underway, perchance, at the same time as former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro departed from the embassy who, after resigning from his post, remained in Israel as a private citizen in a rented apartment in Raanana where he intends to stay until his daughter complete her studies in the country.

Photo: AFP

On January 17, cosmetic work began on the embassy structure, which was supposed to continued for a number of months.

The renovation work is scheduled to continue for at least a year and is estimated to cost millions of dollars.

As part of the project, external walls are set to be replaced, including those located at the front entrance which is well known to Israelis for its longs lines for the visa department.

President Trumps new pick for US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is supposed to arrive in Israel at some stage next month.

David Friedman (Photo: EPA)

Friedmans nomination has yet to have been approved by the Foreign Office of the Senate. However,while he informed his close associates that a decision would be made on the matter of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem at the appropriate time, he is interested in working from the capital.

Friedman owns a large apartment on Pinsker Street in Jerusalem, but there is also a chance that he will reside in the official American Consulate apartment on Irgun Street in the city.

Trumps campaign pledge to move the embassy to Jerusalem continues to make headlines, particularly in Israel. However, according to CNN his new administration is considering a compromised dilution of the original promise, whereby the embassy will remain in its current location, but the ambassador will reside and work in Jerusalem.
Doctors, nurses, social workers and staff at an Israeli hospital came to bid farewell and celebrate the discharge of a seven-year-old Syrian girl on Wednesday who had been treated for wounds she suffered from a shell striking her stomach in her war-torn native country.

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The girl, known as F., suffered her injuries last November when she was collecting wood for the fire at the refugee camp where she had been living with her mother. She told the doctors at Safed's Ziv Medical Center that she hadn't heard the explosion but only felt heat in her stomach. Her mother said that she rushed F. to get medical treatment, but the local doctors that if she wanted F. to live, she must get her somewhere with electricity and proper medical facilities.

Lunsky-Hayari bids farewell to F. (Photo: Ido Erez)

Within a few hours, F.'s mother arrived with her daughter at Syria's border with Israel, where authorities rushed her child to Ziv Medical Center's new pediatric surgical unit. While she was initially concerned bringing her daughter into the Jewish state, the mother soon know that she had made the right decision.

Dr. Lili Lunsky-Hayari, Head of the Pediatric Surgery Unit at Ziv, treated F. She explained that when F. arrived, her abdominal wall had been ruptured, she had suffered injuries to her internal organs and her left wrist was broken.

"A few hours after she arrived, we carried out the first operation, but we didn't manage to close her abdomen," the surgeon recounted. The hospital contacted Dr. Moris Topaz, Head of the Plastic Surgery Unit at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, who had developed a unique method for closing the abdomen.

Entertainers in the pediatric ward (Photo: Ido Erez)

Lunsky-Hayari summarized that with Topaz's assistance, "after slightly over a fortnight, we succeeded in our task, and the girl began to heal and recover.

F.'s nationality was inconsequential to the surgical team, the pediatric surgeon added: "The only thing that I saw was the fact that there was a critically wounded girl, her mother's only daughter, and that was the only thing that I thought about during the treatment. There was a curious moment at one point when I realized that during the Yom Kippur War, I had been in the village that the two come from."

The medical team treating F. said that they delayed her discharge until she had completed her treatment and rehabilitation. An Israeli girl in a similar situation would not have spent so long in the hospital, but as the doctors realized that back in Syria, she would have no access to proper medical care in case of complications during her healing.

The Ziv Medical Center stated that since 2013, it has treated nearly 1,000 wounded from the fighting in Syria.
US President Donald Trump raised further doubts about his commitment to implementing his campaign pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after refusing to answer a question on the matter.

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Speaking during an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity that was broadcast Thursday night, Trump was asked where he stood on the transfer of the embassy to Jerusalem, to which he replied: I dont want to talk about it yet. Its too early.

Trump was also ambivalent when asked whether the $221 million package earmarked for the Palestinian Authority by the Obama administration in its waning hours would indeed be transferred or withheld.

President Donald Trump (Photo: Fox News)

While GOP Congress members have been holding up the money, Trump told Hannity: Were going to see what happens. Yeah. I dont want to talk about it.

Trump was unequivocal however in stating his belief that the frayed US-Israel relationship caused by gaping differences of opinion between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Barack Obama on an array of issues had been fixed.

Its repaired. It got repaired the minute I took the oath, he said. We have a good relationship. Israels been treated very badly. We have a very good relationship with Israel.

In a recent phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Secretary James Mattis underscored his "unwavering commitment to Israel's security," the Pentagon said.

James Mattis (Photo: AFP)

However, last week Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he considered the capital of Israel to be Tel Aviv, indicating that he was either vastly at odds with his new boss on the matter, or that Trump had revised his previously stated position which was made abundantly clear just months earlier.

Reaching the peroration of the speech he delivered to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) last March, Trump stated that under his administration, We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people Jerusalem.
Donald Trump is set to meet his first world leader, Britain's Theresa May, since taking office.

The prime minister is a friendly ally who hopes to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream.

The visit Friday comes a day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off his own trip to Washington, planned for next week, amid wrangling over who will pay for Trump's planned wall along the US-Mexico border.

May's meeting with the president in the Oval Office is being hailed by the British government as a sign that the trans-Atlantic "special relationship" is valued by the new administration.

The White House says May and Trump will hold talks, followed by a press conference and a working lunch.
A giant leap to the moon: SpaceIL, the Israeli representative in the international competition to land a space shuttle on the moon held by Google, qualified for the finals.

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This was announced Tuesday night. In addition to the Israeli companycompanies from Japan, United States, India and the international company Synergy Moon qualified as well. Israel is now closer than ever to joining an elite club of three world powers who have landed on the moon: the US, Russian and China.





Space Shuttle

Kfir Damari, the founder of SpaceIL, told Ynet in an interview about the competition, stating that "this is an international competition, a competition in which Google is in fact donating the prizelanding an unmanned space shuttle on the moon. This will be the first time that the space shuttle will be privately owned instead of governmentally owned."

With regard to qualifying for the finals, Damari said that "in fact, the final stage is a stepping stone, but ultimately, the purpose is to land a space shuttle on the moon, walk 500 meters and transmit footage. At the beginning of the competition, there were 33 teams, and then it dropped to 16. The competition organizers announced that whoever doesn't buy a space launch by the end of 2016 is out of the competition. We were the first to buy a launch."

Damari added that the launch is expected at the end of the year. "We have a launch window of six months," he said.

Commenting on the reason behind their participation in the project, Damari said, "We have an educational vision, through the landing we hope to show students that science and engineering can be cool and make them into scientists."

The finalists in the competition

Eran Privman, SpaceIL's CEO, said, "We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. By becoming finalists in the Lunar XPRIZE competition, Google officially confirmed what we have known all alongthat Israel is at the forefront of global technology. Making it to the finals puts us in the lead. Our hard work over the last six years is finally bearing fruit and we look forward to the historic day of the launch and to the day in which the first Israeli space shuttle lands on the moon."

Originally, 33 groups from all over the world signed up for the competition, which opened in 2007. The competition is in fact a modern international race between private companies to land an unmanned space shuttle on the moon. Within a few years, most competitors dropped out when they realized how challenging and complex the mission actually is, and so, only 16 groups stayed in the race. As the year ended, only five groups actually signed launching contracts, which automatically eliminated the others, with the Israeli team being the first to climb on board.

The first place is set to win $20 million, and the second place, $5 million.
The United Nations is marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day Friday morning in New York in a memorial ceremony in which the main speech was given by Holocaust survivor Noah Klieger , who is also a featured writer for Yedioth Ahronoth.

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Klieger, who survived Auschwitz, met at Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust museum with a delegation of UN ambassadors visiting Israel during which Israels UN Ambassador Danny Danon took the initiative to bring him to the ceremony.

Candles lit in a British church to remember the Holocaust (Photo: AP)

To stand here as an Israeli in front of all the countries of the world is a huge victory for me, for victims and for the survivors who are still alive, said Klieger on Thursday, who will be accompanied in New York by his grandson, Yuval who serves in the IDF today.

We need to take advantage of every opportunity to memorialize the Holocaust and to teach it to the younger generation throughout the world so that we dont forget.

Dannon also said Thursday that he was proud of the fact that Klieger was addressing the world organization. His story is one of courage and the rebirth of the Jewish people. The UN must take the central role in the struggle against anti-Semitism and in remembering the Holocaust, Danon said.

Mugshots of prisoners in concentration camps (Courtesy of Israel Beit Berl College in Kfar Saba)

Members of the UN must make their voices be loudly and clearly heard against the hatred and not allow the UN to be a platform of anti-Semitism.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also deliver a speech at the ceremony, along with General Assembly President Peter Thomson and Deputy Head of the US Delegation Michele Sison.

The ceremony will take place in addition to dozens of similar events around the world marking the horrors of the Holocaust in more than 47 countries.

Remembering non-Jewish victims of the Nazis

Aside from the six million Jews that were murdered in the Holocaust, the Nazis also liquidated at least nine million members of different religions, nationalities, and social groups.

Mugshots of the non-Jewish prisoners incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps, demonstrate the boundless hatred harbored by the Nazis for anyone considered to be different.

The moment the prisoners were photographed they received a new identity. They went from being normal people to criminals, Dr. Batya Brutin, who heads the Holocaust education program in Israel Beit Berl College in Kfar Saba, in an interview with Ynet.

Men, women, children and the elderly were all photographed in an identical fashion for their mugshot which was accompanied by the inmates number, the name of the concentration camp and initials indicating the group with which the prisoner was affiliated.

Ambassador Danny Danon with Noah Klieger and his grandson Yuval (Photo: Harel Rintzler)

The inmates uniforms were also labelled with colors indicating the group considered abhorrent to Nazi laws of blood purity to which they belonged.

Yellow was used for Jews, red for political prisoners, black for non-social groups (including gypsies), pink for homosexuals, green for criminals, purple for Jehovah's Witnesses, blue for immigrants and soldiers of the French Republic. Gypsies were later marked with a brown tag.

According to Brutin, an ongoing debate exists on the approximate number of non-Jews murdered during the Second World War.

Holocaust Memorial ceremony in London (Photo: EPA)

We are speaking about a figure between 9-20 million people, she added. Already by 1939 the Nazi Germans began murdering undesirables which included disabled people, and mentally impaired people in order to ensure the purity of the Aryan race.

After the occupation of Poland, Brutin continued, they began murdering the Polish intelligentsia to eradicate (all traces) of culture and transform them into Nazi subservients. When they invaded the Soviet Union, millions of Soviet civilians and 3.5 million Russian prisoners.
Minister Ayoob Kara (Likud) announced his intention to celebrate his new ministerial appointment by slaughtering 68 sheep on Monday, spurring outrage by animal rights organizations.

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Kara was sworn in as a minister without portfolio on Sunday, eight months after he threatened to resign if he didn't receive such an appointment. He claimed at the time that his Likud party was racist against the Druze, a community to which Kara belongs. Seven hundred guests attended his swearing-in ceremony, including the leaders of the Druze community.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Kara whispered to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "I ask for your forgiveness. I thought that you were avoiding appointing me, but you just wanted to wait for the right time. I'm sorry."

MK Ayoob Kara (R) to celebrate with sheep slaughter (Photos: Shutterstock, Amit Shabi)

Netanyahu patted the new minister on the back and replied, "You're my brother; when will you understand?"

The number of 68 sheep to be slaughtered in celebration was chosen to commemorate the number of years since the establishment of the State of Israel. Originally, 61 had been planned to mark Kara's age. Ten years ago, Kara served guests 58 sheep stuffed with rice. "Within ten minutes, all the sheep were eaten," the minister recalled. "When Minister Yisrael Katz arrived, who was still hefty at the time, there was nothing left for him."

The animal rights organization Let the Animals Live, Israel criticized Kara's manner of feting his appointment: "Killing an animal is heartbreaking, not a sign of joy. But if we were horrified by the killing of these 68 sheep, counted one by one and their slaughter being performed openly, we must be equally horrified by the slaughter of entire herds of animals, their flesh piled in stores and restaurants, without any mark of the animals they once were."

The organization Anonymous for Animal Rights commented, "It is sad that in 2017, there are those who feel comfortable marking a celebration by slaughtering the flesh of others, be it at a ministerial appointment, a wedding buffet, or a barbecue on Independence DayThere is no join in the torture and killing of animals. Minister Ayoob Kara should find other ways of celebrating his appointment."

On Saturday night, a demonstration is to take place on Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard. Thousands are expected to protest the importation of calves and lambs to Israel from Australia and Europe on cargo ships for slaughter in Israel. Last year, more than half a million animals were sent via aerial and maritime transports.

Next week, the High Court of Justice is to hear a petition calling for the end of these transports the two animal rights organizations above filed.

Kara's office commented on the matter, "To each his own. The State of Israel is a democratic country. We oppose coercion of any kind whatsoever. There are people who eat meat, and there are people who don't. We respect everybody."
On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as parliamentarians enter the chamber of the Austrian Parliament, a photo of Holocaust survivor Elias Feinzilberg with his granddaughter, Dana, hangs above the entrance for all to see.

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The photograph, which was captured by German photographer Helena Schatzle, 33, is part of a portrait series, called Devoted to Life, depicting Holocaust survivors in Israel. Schatzles photo of Feinzilberg, selected from among 16,000 submissions, won the international Alfred Fried Photography Award in September 2016. The photo is now on display for one year at the Austrian Parliament.

Feinzilberg, who is 99, was born in Lodz, Poland, and went through nine different concentration camps including Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust, losing six siblings and his parents.

Helena and Elias (Photo: Courtesy Helena Schatzle and Elias Feinzilberg)

It was both a very overwhelming and inspiring experience for me, said Schatzle of the photography project in an interview with Tazpit Press Service. I spent many months accompanying survivors of the Holocaust and their families in Israel thanks to the organization AMCHA who connected me with the survivors, she explained. I connected immediately to Elias. After surviving all these death camps and marches, and losing his family, Eliass smile and positive spirit amazed me.

Schatzle, whose grandfather was a Wehrmacht soldier, said that ever since she was a young girl, she was interested in learning how the Holocaust could happen. Id question my grandparents when I was little  why didnt my grandfather hide himself in the cupboard when the army came to take him? Why do people kill each other?

When she was studying visual communications in university in Germany, as a final project, Schatzle set out to find some answers to her questions. She interviewed witnesses of war in nine different countries across Eastern Europe where her grandfather had been stationed as a Wehrmacht soldier. It was during this time that Schatzle first came into contact with Holocaust survivors.

AMCHA Germany took notice of Schatzles final project when it was on display in Berlin, and representatives asked her if she would be able to create a similar body of work on Holocaust survivors living in Israel.

Subsequently, Schatzle spent six months in Israel on four different visits, connecting with Holocaust survivors and hearing their stories between 2014-2015.

I met Elias for the first time at AMCHA Jerusalem. He had this unbelievable energy around him, spreading complete happiness while dancing and singing with everyone at the club. I was very impressed by his joy for life, said Schatzle.

AMCHA is the Israeli center for psychosocial support of Holocaust survivors and the second generation, with mental health and social support services available across the country.

Schatzle says that the time she spent with the survivors was one of the most significant learning experiences of her life. Listening to these horrifying stories of human cruelty was difficult to cope with. But I received so much love from all the survivors and their families. They showed me warmth and hospitality, letting me become a part of their families, said Schatzle, whose photos of the Holocaust survivors have recently been published in a book, called Devoted to Life and can be bought through AMCHA.

Im still in touch with the survivors in Israel. We Skype and talk on the phone. They have become so close to me that I cannot imagine my life without them, she told TPS.

Im so happy that Eliass humanity and his story of peace is able to reach more and more people around the world. Every single day of this year, parliamentarians in Austria see Eliass photo and remember what their duty is  to provide freedom and justice so that something like the Holocaust will never be repeated anywhere.
CAN Info-Tech draws 34k visitors on Day 1

CAN Info-Tech 2017 threw open its doors at the Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall on Thursday.
ZAGREB - Croatia's Jewish community on Friday boycotted the official Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, saying the conservative government is not doing enough to curb pro-Nazi sentiments in the European Union's newest member.

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Ognjen Kraus, the coordinator of the Jewish communities in Croatia, said the decision was made after authorities failed to remove a plaque bearing a World War II Croatian pro-Nazi battle cry from the town of Jasenovac. The town is the site of a wartime death camp where tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Roma perished.

"This should have been solved urgently, with a government decree or a law, but nothing happened," Kraus told The Associated Press. "Instead, we are witnessing an escalation ... And who is going to stop it?"





The plaque with the Nazi battle cry written in Croat (Photo: AP)

The Jewish community also boycotted a commemoration in Jasenovac last year. On Friday, a Croatian state delegation laid a wreath at a Jewish memorial in Zagreb.

The "For the homeland  Ready!" battle cry was used by WWII Croatian fascist troops of the pro-Nazi puppet regime established during the war. The cry was inscribed on the plaque in Jasenovac honoring Croatian fighters killed in the 1990s and veteran groups have announced plans to install more such plaques.

Also recently, a school in the coastal town of Sibenik banned an Anne Frank exhibition because it was angered over its portrayal of WWII Croatia.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic  who was on a state visit to Israel earlier this week  has described the Jasenovac plaque issue as "delicate." He has promised to set up a commission to deal with Croatia's past.

The plaque is close to a former Nazi death camp (Photo: AP)

Kraus said a commission would encourage fascist admirers.

"Do we really need to discuss this in 2017?" Kraus asked. He explained that "For the homeland  Ready!" was inscribed on the orders that sent people to camps in WWII Croatia.

"It isn't just a batle cry, it is much, much more," said Kraus.
ERBIL- The World Food Programme said on Friday it had halved the food rations distributed to 1.4 million Iraqis displaced in the war against Islamic State because of delays in payments of funds from donor states.

"This year somehow we are receiving commitments from donors a little bit late, we are talking with donors but we don't have enough money as of yet," said Inger Marie Vennize, spokeswoman for the U.N. agency.

"We have had to reduce (the rations) as of this month."

The WFP is talking to the United States - its biggest donor - Germany, Japan and others to secure funds to restore full rations, she added.
BERLIN- German-Israeli satirist Shahak Shapira, who set up a website shaming selfie-takers at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, says he has halted the project for now after a dozen people apologised for their disrespect.

His "Yolocaust.de" website had combined selfies, often with the participants grinning or striking poses, taken at the memorial with graphic images from Nazi concentration camps, including piles of bodies.

"I'm watching you. Stop doing it," Shapira told Reuters Television.

The memorial, located near the Brandenburg Gate, comprises 2,711 tombstone-like slabs of granite of varying heights. It is often used by visitors for picnics, yoga and other activities that Shapira said he found troubling.
CAIRO - Hamas, the ruling Palestinian movement of the Gaza Strip, concluded a "successful" visit to Egypt on Friday, according to Egypt's state-run news agency, the first visit by the group's top leader in over three years.

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Hamas top official Ismail Haniyeh and his delegation departed Egypt to return to Gaza after talks with the country's security and political authorities, including intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy, Egypt's MENA reported. The two sides discussed Israel's blockade of Gaza, Palestinian reconciliation and the lingering power outage in the strip.

The agency quoted Hamas' statement as saying the talks will have "positive results" on the situation in Gaza. It said that the delegation stressed that it doesn't interfere in Egypt's internal affairs.

Hamas ceremony (Photo: Reuters)

"The Egyptian brothers have presented a comprehensive vision on all issues ... such vision will have positive results on the Egyptian and the Palestinian people," it said.

The agency gave no further details on future arrangements. But Haniyah posted on his Twitter saying after arriving in Gaza that the relations with Egypt will witness "paradigm shifts."

Egypt's relations with Hamas deteriorated since the 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood group, Hamas' mother movement. Authorities accused the group of supporting militants to carry out attacks in Egypt.

For most of the past decade, Egypt has been a quiet partner with Israel in the blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, stifling the economy and largely blocking its 2 million people from moving in and out of the territory.

In recent months, Cairo has increased the number of people allowed to exit through the Rafah border crossing, Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. It also has begun to allow Gaza to import commercial goods through Rafah for the first time since 2013, and sent public signals that it is interested in improving relations.

Haniyeh left Gaza in September to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca  the first time Egypt allowed him to leave the territory since Morsi's ouster. He then went to Qatar to see Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal.
Loadmasters scheduled for C-130J training

As Yokota Air Base transitions from the C-130H Hercules to the new C-130J model, the 36th Airlift Squadron is ready to keep the mission going.



Along with other members of the 36 AS, Airman 1st Class Christian Williams, 36 AS C-130H loadmaster, who has been actively working with C-130s for almost two years, must also transition his training to the new model.



I am looking forward to gaining a new skill set as the loadmaster position takes on the responsibilities of the flight engineer, becoming more involved with the activities conducted in the flight deck, said Williams.



During a two monthlong training in Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, they learn to perform inspections and operation aircraft systems such as the auxiliary power unit, fuel panel, and the cargo handling system. Additionally, they learn how to airlift cargo and airdrop it.



In this training the loadmasters spend a month and a half working on the basics in the differences between C-130 models, and then two weeks of flying culminating in an initial flight examination. This training helps prepare the Airmen to continue our mission with the new J-models.



This training is important because on the J-model loadmaster are much more involved because of a smaller crew size, said Tech. Sgt. Napoleon Ortiz, 36 AS C-130J loadmaster and assistant flight chief, who has been flying on C-130s for five years and has been through the training. In this new aircraft we have to widen our scope of responsibility.



The main differences between the H-model and J-model that come into play for loadmasters is entirely physical. First, the J-model's cargo compartment has been extended to carry two more pallets resulting in eight total. They also have locking mechanism that is electronically controlled, rollers that are built into the airplane for easy stowing, and a winch that is installed directly into the cargo floor.



Its great to see that the J-model aircraft comes with modern technology that will ease the loading and offloading of cargo, saving time and expediting the mission, said Williams.



Since I was on flying on the oldest H-models, its like stepping into the future 40 years, said Ortiz. The change in technology and what the aircraft can do for you is very impressive. Its very exciting getting back out into the area of responsibility and being on the forefront of stabilizing this region. With the new model we will be utilized more than ever before.




For more than 75 years the United Service Organizations has worked to support U.S. service members and their families throughout assignments, deployments and transition back to civilian life, while bringing them the comforts of home. Whether its USO airport centers located around the world providing directions and a place to rest or one of the trademark USO tours where celebrities travel to meet and entertain service members assigned overseas. With more than 160 centers located throughout countries on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, one could ask do we need another one?

At Yokota Air Base the answer to that question is a resounding yes. For a brief period of time in the 1990s the USO had a center located in the Air Mobility Command passenger terminal. It was determined that the location was not ideal in terms of accessibility for resident service members or their families, so it was closed in late 2003. With the headquarters for USO Japan at Yokusuka Naval Base, many of the programs, events and services were reduced to a quarterly basis because of the three-hour and sometimes longer drive between the two installations. Well now theyre back and better than ever.

Its so exciting to be here on Yokota knowing that heres a population that has really been looking forward to having a USO, said Juliet Bucayo-Domingo, USO Japan director. The feedback that weve been receiving has been nothing but positive and we cant wait to support the community.

The USO has been in the process of establishing a permanent center for more than a year which will be located in the Yujo Community Center but the completion date for the facilitys renovation project has been pushed back to late 2017. Refusing to leave the base populous wanting for the better part of another year, the USO has opened a temporary facility in building 2080 next to the Yokota Community Center.

This temporary location is kind of like us planting our flag and showing everyone that we are here to stay, Bucayu-Domingo said. We will be here, we want to be integrated as part of the base and we want to be the first place you think of when you think about connection and community.

According to Bucayo-Domingo, despite constantly evolving to meet the needs of the military community, the heart of the USO mission remains the same; to provide service members and their families with a connection with their home, loved ones and the country they defend. The focus on connection is clearly shown through the services that will be immediately available at the temporary facility which include free Wi-Fi, free international phone calls and online gaming systems.

The USO is here to provide a little bit of that comfort of home and help people stay connected with their family wherever they might be, Bucayo-Domingo said. Were the one brand, the one place where people know they can stay connected with not just their families but the community as a whole.

She also mentioned that Yokotas USO would be looking for volunteers to help them support the base through family events, programs such as Operation Birthday Cake and United Through Reading, or simple day-to-day operation of the center. With a worldwide volunteer force of over 30 thousand, in comparison to the approximately 500 paid staff members, its clear that volunteers form the backbone of the organization and the USO wouldnt be able to complete their mission without them.

Its a good way to give back to our service members and show our appreciation to them, Bucayo-Domingo said. And for those service members who are looking to be engaged in the community, they can spend some time in a positive atmosphere while building up volunteer hours and forming connections with our cadre of volunteers at the USO.

So take some time to stop by USO Yokota, embrace the friendly atmosphere of home and get connected.
A tumultuous situation at the Nebraska Legislature over school aid in 2013 provides an important lesson for the states lawmakers now.

Urban and rural public school groups and senators who support them couldnt agree four years ago on how to carve up the state-aid pie. The various interests locked themselves into rigid positions. A prolonged stalemate resulted, generating uncertainty for overall state budget preparation.

School-aid allocation was finally decided only after months of heated disagreement, with the then-speaker of the Legislature pressing hard for the parties to agree.

Strong jostling among Nebraska school districts over state aid allocation is likely this legislative session. Senators, urban as well as rural, can serve the state best by guiding the process toward a balanced, fair-minded resolution.

As noted here recently, stresses on the agricultural economy involve all of Nebraska. Residents and their elected representatives have a shared interest in the success of all the states communities and regions.

After the Legislature struggled in 2011 in deciding how to redraw rural legislative district boundaries, given negative population trends, we observed the need for the Legislature to make sure that all interests are appreciated:

Although it is understandable that urban lawmakers will be oriented toward the interests of their districts, it will be of growing importance for members of the Legislature to be mindful to show proper respect for rural interests. Regardless of the shifts in population and political boundaries, responsible policy-making in Nebraska will require a sensible balancing of urban and rural interests.

State senators have complex, difficult work ahead this session as they study and debate how to adjust tax policy and distribute school aid. The best approach is a balanced one that respects all interests, urban and rural.
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YORK  Timothy S. Craker, 60, of Des Moines, Iowa, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges related to drugs and guns.

Arraignment proceedings were held this week, in the courtroom of Judge James Stecker.

Craker, along with his co-defendant, Alec J. Holland, 24, also of Des Moines, was arrested after a traffic stop on Interstate 80 at the Bradshaw exit.

After a drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics, the vehicle was searched. Troopers alleged that they found three 5-gallon buckets of high grade marijuana, weighing a total of 10 pounds. They said also found a loaded handgun.

Judge Stecker explained to Craker that he is charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver while in the possession of a firearm, which is a Class 1D felony. That carries a possible maximum sentence of 3-50 years in prison.

He is also charged with having no drug tax stamp, which is a Class 4 felony that carries a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Craker remains out of jail, after making bond.

A jury trial has been scheduled for May.
YORK  Robert Marti, 34, of Lincoln, has pleaded not guilty to possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person and possession of concentrated cannabis.

Marti appeared in York County District Court this week.

Marti is prohibited from possessing a deadly weapon because he is a convicted felon.

The case began when the York Police Department received a report that a man was very nervous, dancing around and constantly itching like he was high on methamphetamine at Wal-Mart.

It was also noted that the man was trying return items but was denied because he had been flagged as a fraud risk from past return issues.

When police arrived, they noted that he was constantly scratching and moving rapidly as if he was dancing in place in a very odd manner.

When they asked him about the nature of his issues, they also discovered that there was a non-extradition warrant for Marti out of Oregon for marijuana charges.

They allegedly found him to be in possession of a THC vaping device, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a knife.

They also found him to be in possession of $831 in cash, although he had allegedly told them he was trying to return items to the store because he needed gas money.

He has been charged with a Class 3 felony and a Class 4 felony.

Judge James Stecker explained to Marti that with the Class 3 felony he could be facing up to four years in prison and with the Class 4 felony the maximum possible sentence is two years in prison, if he is convicted.

A jury trial has been set for May.

Marti is currently out on bond.
CNP marks 1,000 days of zero rhino poaching

The Chitwan National Park (CNP), the countrys first protected area, has added another feather to its cap as it witnesses 1,000 days of zero-poaching of endangered one-horned rhinoceros on Friday.
OMAHA  Fremont area water utilities appear prepared to handle any contamination from a proposed Costco chicken plant, but water experts have urged residents not to let their guard down.

Costco is looking to create a slaughterhouse in Fremont and develop a regional poultry farming network to provide chicken to its stores. The retail giant has planned to contract with farms to raise around 17 million chickens at a time, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Project opponents have warned about possible water contamination, pointing to areas in other states with similar projects where chicken manure got into waterways, killing marine life and threatening businesses. In Iowa, Des Moines water utility is suing three northwest Iowa counties over high levels of nitrates coming from chemical farm fertilizers and livestock manure.

I will tell you, you better be watching Nebraskas waters, Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe said. There needs to be a principled look at balancing economic growth with environmental issues, because the water is precious. Turning the cycle backward ... is very difficult in this political climate.

Project supporter and Fremont City Administrator Brian Newton said the water quality will not suffer. He noted that unlike Des Moines surface water sources, Fremonts ground water sources are less susceptible to manure runoff.

Costco project manager Lincoln Premium Poultry said the company will abide by Nebraskas environmental laws and require its chicken farms to follow a nutrient management plan.

Fremont officials approved the chicken project in summer of 2016. The project is currently in the permitting process.

Alan Kolok, director of the Center for Environmental Health and Toxicology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said he will test area water sources this summer so he can create baseline data.

Dont fall asleep at the switch, he said.
Team Charleston maintainers earn 3rd consecutive Daedalian Tophy

C-17 Globemaster III maintainers of the 437th and 315th Maintenance Groups at Joint Base Charleston have once again demonstrated that they are the cream of the crop after earning the 2016 Clements McMullen Daedalian Trophy for the third year in a row.



"Our Total Force Airmen are without a doubt the best in the Air Force. This cohesive team is simply amazing, said Col. Sharon Johnson, 315th MXG commander. They care about our mission to fly and fix aircraft and train the next generation of maintainers. They are professional Airmen!



The award citation stated Team Charleston maintainers accomplished superior aircraft maintenance during the period Oct. 1, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2016. As the 18th Air Force Commanders Airlift Wing of Choice in Air Mobility Command, Team Charleston generated airlift support for contingency and humanitarian operations worldwide utilizing 48 assigned C-17s valued at 10.2 billion dollars, logged 38,000 flying hours, carried 2,200 passengers and 15,019 tons of cargo, and took on 34 percent of Air Mobility Commands workload.



The award continued by pointing out what makes Team Charleston stand above their peers in their expert support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 18th Airborne Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment by successfully airdropping 120,000 personnel and 675,000 pounds of equipment and certifying each unit as 100 percent combat ready.



As Tanker Airlift Control Centers most highly utilized C-17 unit, Team Charleston responded impeccably when directed to provide aid to the Nepal earthquake relief efforts, generating 16 missions and 59 Urban Response teams in less than 72 hours, airlifting aid for more than 1.4 million victims, the citation noted.



Team Charleston also successfully executed two historic mission in support of the U.S. President, safeguarding his first ever visit to Hiroshima and the first visit to Cuba in over 88 years.



This award, combined with our wing winning the Fourth Air Force Raincross Trophy really shows the exceptional talent Joint Base Charleston is able to attract and keep, Johnson added. I am beyond blessed to be amongst this talent group!



"Congratulations to the men and women of the 315th and 437th MXGs for their 2016 Daedalian Weapon System Maintenance Trophy win," said Col. Gregory Gilmour, 315th AW commander. "This accomplishment represents hard work, dedication and exemplary total force integration. I'm proud that the best and most integrated maintenance groups in the Air Force have been recognized."



This honor also shows why the 437 AW/315 AW partnership continues to be model for Total Force Integration relationships--not only in the command but across our Air Force, said Col. Jimmy Canlas, 437th AW commander. The teamwork, cooperation, and professionalism displayed daily between our teams is an enduring testament why we continued to be recognized as the best.



The Clements McMullen Memorial Daedalian Weapon System Maintenance Trophy, first awarded in 1960, is presented annually to an Air Force unit determined by Headquarters Air Force to have the best weapon system maintenance record for the preceding calendar year.


52nd AMXS Airmen compete in annual load crew competition

Airman 1st Class Gina Herringer-Koblack, 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron tactical aircraft weapons system specialist, prepares an inert weapon for loading during the annual weapons load competition in Hangar One at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Jan. 20, 2016. The competition featured two teams competing for the wings best load crew. Additionally, the winning teams completion time will be compared to other squadrons in the Major Command to determine the best load crew in United States Air Forces in Europe. The wing winner will be announced at the Maintenance Professional of the Year banquet March 10, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Preston Cherry)
MLK observance: Breaking barriers then, now

WASHINGTON (AFNS) - Lt. Gen. Stayce Harris, the assistant vice chief of staff and director of staff, was the keynote speaker for this years Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observance at the Pentagon, Jan. 25, 2017.



Joining her in addressing the standing-room-only audience were Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Michael Rhodes, the director of administration, Office of the Deputy Chief Management Officer.



In his first public address in the Pentagon since becoming secretary of defense, Mattis shared, Our armed forces are stronger today because of the perseverance of Dr. King and so many others in this country who have fought for civil rights and equality for all.



Harris reflected on growing up as an Air Force dependent and the impact Kings life and work had on her and recalled the reactions from those around her when he was assassinated in 1968



Although even then I didnt quite understand the magnitude of the man he was, what I witnessed from my parents, from our friends, from the television coverage, was the emotion of extreme sorrow and grief, Harris said. In life and death, Dr. King was a catalyst for change. Righteousness prevailed, and his legacy was forever woven into the fabric of who we all are today.  While he was a man fighting for justice and equality among all races and all our glorious skin colors, the traits he lived by were colorless.



Harris described how King set the example of how others can be agents of change by applying nonviolence in the face of social injustice.



He shows us that the commitment and character of the few can alter the course of history of the many, she said.



She went on to describe similarities between Kings teachings and changes in Air Force culture over the years.



It starts with the words you cant, or it cant be done she described. If its said that someone cant be who they want to be, or do something they want to do, it provokes a powerful response that says yes, we can; we can break that barrier.



She elaborated that the Air Force takes pride in breaking barriers, from missions such as air and space to cultures such as race and gender.



Many of these barriers were broken in response to you cant; it started because you cant is incendiary  its like the fuel that powers our jets and our rockets and our innovative spirits  what evolves are bold and innovative ways to make change and solve problems.
This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company.

As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism.

We hope you are equally as excited as us.

This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers.

Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited.

In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy.

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Digital ad van to teach traffic safety

The Kathmandu Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) on Thursday launched a Mobile Public Awareness Vehicle, a van with LED screen that displays video messages to teach the public about road safety and traffic regulations.
The latest global index from Nested, a London-based online estate agent, compared how long it took to make back the value of a property via Airbnb versus the traditional rental market. The global index placed Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne among the top 50 global cities where owners could recoup more quickly via Airbnb.

A three-bedder in Sydney would take 315 months, or about 26 years, to pay back if rented out to traditional tenants. The same property would take just under seven years to pay off via Airbnb.

In Perth, it takes about 24 years as a normal landlord versus seven years as an Airbnb host to make the return on investment. As for Melbourne, it would take 25 years as a landlord versus10 years as an Airbnb host.

The data took into consideration the average 12-month price of an Airbnb rental and assumed the property would be rented out 80% of the time.

A word of caution

Before you jump on the Airbnb bandwagon, consider this caveat: Andy Krause, lecturer in property at the University of Melbourne, considers Nesteds index to be misleading.

Among other things, he questions the high 80% occupancy rate, saying such a rate would be out of the ordinary in Melbourne.

It makes it sound like Airbnb is a better investment in all properties in all these cities and thats simply not true, he said.

I think that Airbnb certainly has a peak  theres only so many tourists and only so many that want that experience. I expect [some occupancy rates will come] down as more people are rushing into it, and the market itself will help correct a little bit of it.

Related Stories:

Short-Term Property Leases Could Become Lightly Regulated

Airbnb To Use Local Knowledge In Expansion Efforts
Dobra, k. Szczecina 900 m2

40 miejsc parkingowych



Atut: Dodatkowe dochody z paczkomatow InPostu, a juz niedugo i z myjni samoobsugowej.



Tradycyjny zakup nieruchomosci, mozliwosc wykupienia uzytkowania wieczystego.
Govt expedites construction

Department of Customs (DoC) has expedited construction of an integrated border check point (ICP) at Nepal-China bordering point of Rashuwagadi.
Advanced engineering of a mini-intronic plasmid (MIP) system designed to carry a therapeutic gene can significantly enhance the expression of the transgene delivered using an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector. The ability to increase transgene expression by up to 40 to 100-fold, which would reduce the cost of manufacturing and perhaps also lessen the immune response of AAV/MIP-based gene therapy, is reported in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Human Gene Therapy website until February 28, 2017 .

Authors Jiamiao Lu, Feijie Zhang, and Mark Kay, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, and James Williams and Jeremy Luke, Nature Technology Corp., Lincoln, NE, describe the modified MIP expression system in the article entitled "A 5' Non-coding Exon Containing Engineered Intron Enhances Transgene Expression from Recombinant AAV Vectors in vivo." The researchers discuss the potential implications of enhanced transgene expression on the doses needed to achieve a therapeutic response and the flexibility the small intronic sequences offer, allowing them to be used in both DNA plasmids and viral delivery vectors.

"Careful observation of the expression characteristics of different vector designs sometimes leads to unexpected findings," says Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. "In this case, the authors found that a very substantial increase in the amount of transgene expression (up to 100-fold) could be achieved from rAAV vectors by including essential bacterial plasmid elements in an upstream intron. This could present substantial advantages for future in vivo gene therapy."
Govt ignoring suitors for Nijgadh airport project

A bevy of foreign investors have expressed an interest in building the proposed second international airport (SIA) in Nijgadh, Bara, but the government is reluctant to award the contract to anybody, officials said.
Jaisi Dega rekindles debate over heritage reconstruction

At a time when reconstruction of heritage sites in Kathmandu Valley has been mired in protest and criticism, the use of heavy drilling tools at the 17th century Jaisi Dega, commonly known as Jaisi Dewal Temple, has drawn flak from the local community, activists and heritage conservationists.
Make a start

Govt should take its cue from the NEA and investigate various public entities
Nepals ambassador to EU presents letters of credence

Lok Bahadur Thapa, Nepals Ambassador to the European Union (EU), presented his letters of credence to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, amid a ceremony at the Office of the Council President in Brussels on Wednesday.
Resignations against hefty Maoist top committee

The members of the CPN (Maoist Centre) General Convention Organising Committee in Sindhupalchok, who announced their collective resignation on Tuesday, have said their move is aimed at creating moral pressure on the leadership against its faulty decision to form the jumbo committee.
State Affairs Committee to present 2 poll bills in House today

Out of three election bills that are with the State Affairs Committee of the Legislature-Parliament, two are set to be presented for endorsement on Friday.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Government will hold discussions with foreign partners on the supply conditions of agricultural equipment.

During the January 26 Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan tasked the ministry of agriculture to organize a meeting with producers of agricultural hardware in Russia and in other countries, in order to discuss the conditions of supplying the equipment.

It is necessary to present a draft program on support for agricultural equipment leasing in Armenia within a month, Karapetyan said, and asked minister of agriculture Ignati Arakelyan when they plan to meet with the Russian Rostselmash.

Arakelyan mentioned the meeting is scheduled for January 26, followed by meetings with other foreign companies on January 27.

The PM urged to carry out intense and active work.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan received Head of the Council of Europe Armenia Office Natalia Voutova, press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office told Armenpress.

Artur Davtyan highly appreciated the works carried out by the CoE Yerevan Office directed towards effective implementation of electoral processes in Armenia.

Issues related to taking measures aimed at preventing all possible violations during the upcoming elections in Armenia with the cooperation of the working group created by the Prosecutors order, the European structures operating in Armenia, as well as other interested bodies were discussed during the meeting.

The sides attached importance to ensuring free, fair, transparent electoral processes. Natalia Voutova expressed readiness to cooperate with the Prosecutor Generals Office to contribute to the effective implementation of the works.

Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations said as of 09:00 several roads and highways in the country have been shut down or are difficult to pass due to bad weather conditions.

Snowstorms have prompted the shutdown of the Vardenyats Pass (Gegharkunik section) and several highways in Shirak and Aragatsotn province.

The ministry told ARMENPRESS the Vardenyats Pass from the Vayots Dzor section is open but difficult to pass. The Noyemberyan-Jujevan section of the M 16 highway is also difficult to pass.

Snowfalls are currently observed in Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Ararat, Lori and Tavush provinces.

A snowstorm has formed in Shirak province.

According to Georgian authorities the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open only for light passenger vehicles.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told Armenpress, the Azerbaijani forces made more than 20 ceasefire violations across the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Ministry issued a statement which says: On January 26 and overnight January 27 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime more than 20 times by firing over 150 shots from small arms at the Armenian positions across the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Defense Army forces control the situation in the frontline and continue confidently fulfilling their military tasks.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The phone talk between Russias President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will be held on January 28, CNN reports citing the administration sources.

However, the White House has not yet responded to TASS news agencys request over the phone talk.

In his turn, President Trump told Fox News on January 26 that he will be able to talk with President Putin soon.

He called me after when I won. We havent talked yet. But, as I understand, we will have a talk soon, Trump said.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Due to bad weather conditions several hundred flights were cancelled in Istanbuls airports, Anadolu reports.

Turkish airlines informed that 719 flights, 362 departures and 357 arrivals, were cancelled on January 27 in the Ataturk airport. 133 flights, 66 departures and 67 arrivals, were cancelled in Istanbuls another Sabiha Gokcen airport on January 27.

Overall, 852 flights were cancelled in Istanbuls airports.
Theresa May and Donald Trump to hold Oval Office talks

British Prime Minister Theresa May has laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee is probing the death of Cadet Sargis Apinyan, the Investigative Committee told ARMENPRESS.

According to initial reports, at 16:20, January 26, Cadet Sargis Apinyan, a conscript, drastically fell ill in the drill-grounds of the military base. At 17:35 Apinyan was pronounced dead after the medical personnels attempts to save him.

An investigation and a coroners report are underway.

Additional information will be provided later.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump plans to set a tax on goods imported from Mexico and use the received revenue to build a wall along the border, the White House representative said, reports BBC.

This statement came after the Mexican President cancelled his visit to Washington.

Donald Trump on January 25 signed an executive order to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Later White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the President discussed the funding proposal with lawmakers, and it could be part of a tax reform package the US Congress is planning.

He said that a 20% tax could generate approximately $10bn (8bn) in tax revenue per year.

Photo by GETTY IMAGES
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of defense highlights the transparency of the activities of the insurance fund for families of soldiers who were killed or wounded during military service, defense minister Vigen Sargsyan told reporters on January 27.

I wouldnt like to focus on this topic too much, because I have presented the purpose of estavlishing this fund in detail. I will only say that we have already reached the final stage of the funds establishment, Sargsyan said.

The minister assured that the transparency of the fund activities and maximal accessibility for the public is very important for the defense ministry. Minister Sargsyan said they will do everything for the funds activities to be accessible, understandable and acceptable for the public.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The first batch of weapons supplied to Armenia under the 200 million USD loan from Russia has already arrived, defense minister Vigen Sargsyan told reporters on January 27.

Some of the weapons under that loan agreement have already been supplied and entered service in the Armenian Armed Forces. The supply process is proceeding as defined under the agreements schedule. We will follow the supply of the armaments within the schedule, because it is very important for us, the minister said.

At the same time the minister said Armenia will continue dialogue with the Russian side around the continuation of this program.

Vigen Sargsyan stressed Armenia is seeking armament supply deals with both Russia and other countries, since the weapons supply works with Russia under other deals and the cooperation within the CSTO is insufficient to meet the requirements of the Armenian Armed Forces.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump confirmed his intention to normalize relations with Russia and jointly fight against the Islamic State international terrorist organization.

We need to establish harmonious relations with Russia, as well as with others. Maybe we will not succeed, but we will try If we normalize relations with Russia, it would be possible. It will be good for Russia, as well as for us, Trump told Fox News.

Earlier CNN reported the phone talk between Russias President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will be held on January 28.

In his turn, President Trump told Fox News on January 26 that he will be able to talk with President Putin soon.

He called me after when I won. We havent talked yet. But, as I understand, we will have a talk soon, Trump said.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan on January 27 held a meeting with newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kuwait to Armenia Nawaf Alenezi, press service of the Government told Armenpress.

The PM congratulated the Ambassador on assuming his diplomatic mission and expressed the Governments support over the further development and strengthening of relations between the two countries.

PM Karapetyan highly appreciated the political mutual partnership between Armenia and Kuwait, by attaching importance to the deepening and expansion of economic ties which have a great potential. An investment fund will be established soon, we will be happy that the investment structures of the two states conduct active cooperation. We are ready to present our steps and investment programs package aimed at improving Armenias business environment to our partners of Kuwait, to organize meetings and discussions with the participation of businessmen of the two countries, the PM said. He also suggested the Ambassador to consider the issue of establishing direct air communication between Armenia and Kuwait.

In his turn, Ambassador Nawaf Alenezi thanked for the warm reception and said he will do everything to give new impetus to the bilateral relations and reach them to a new level during his tenure. The Ambassador attached importance to the deepening of economic ties, stating that the investment fund of Kuwait will be interested in cooperating with the Armenian investment fund, as well as implementing investment programs in various sectors in Armenia. We are ready to discuss and present to the business sector of Kuwait the Armenian Governments investment packages aimed at further developing them, the Ambassador said, adding that the Emir of Kuwait instructed him to take the necessary efforts aimed at further developing the multilateral ties.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May will visit Turkey on January 28, Anadolu reports.

This is her first visit to Turkey after assuming the PMs post.

She will have meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Issues related to the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group, the situation in Syria, as well as the bilateral political and trade relations will be discussed during the meetings.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Minister of Economic Development and Investments Suren Karayan on January 27 had a meeting with the Lebanese-Armenian Nazaryan family, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress.

The family plans to establish home textile production (towels, dressing gowns) in Armenia.

The businessmen presented the Minister their further steps. They discussed with the Minister the taxation, customs issues related to the import of raw materials.

Minister Karayan assured them that the state will support them to solve the problems. He expressed hope the company will launch the production soon.

In their turn, the businessmen said they are going to establish and start the production in 2017.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Defense minister Vigen Sargsyan attaches great importance to high-quality military education.

During a briefing on January 27, minister Sargsyan stressed one of the priorities of the defense ministry is transforming the Monte Melkonyan College into the leading and strongest educational institution.

We think that future officers must have the chance to get high quality and competitive education, Sargsyan said.

The Defense Ministry has no doubt that without skilled officer personnel, without the most educated and comprehensively trained officer personnel their works wont be effective. The minister said they will greatly focus on the military education institutions.

Already in September we will be able to have a competitive and positive environment for the youth who will continue their education in this direction, the minister said.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Permanent Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has agreed over the draft decision on the CSTO Secretary General, CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zaynetdinov said in an interview with Armenpress.

The draft decision was agreed. Based on rotation, the next country is Armenia, thus, Armenias candidate will be the next CSTO Secretary General. According to the rule, the secretary general will hold office for 3 years, Vladimir Zaynetdinov said.

He said the draft must be submitted to the CSTO member states for ratification. The draft will be discussed at the CSTO Summit.

During the CSTO Council session in St. Petersburg, in 2016 a decision was made to hold the Summit in April, 2017.
Three Nepalis stranded in Qatar rescued

Three Nepali citizens left stranded in Qatar for the past three months have been rescued on the command and initiation of the Office of the Prime Minister.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump are expected to hold phone conversation on January 28, reports Interfax.

It is expected they will discuss the policy over Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier a reporter of Politico Susan Glasser wrote on Twitter that Trump administration will most likely lift the sanctions against Russia. However, it is not clear from Glassers statement whether the talk is about all restrictive measures or only easing the regime of sanctions.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Zvartnots international airport continues operating normally. The unfavorable weather conditions didnt affect carrying out flights on time, "Armenia International Airports" CJSC PR Manager Gevorg Abrahamyan told Armenpress.

He said Zvartnots airports services worked all night and continue working. The airport is operating normally, no flights were cancelled. There is a slight delay of two flights which are not related with the weather conditions, he said,

According to www.zvartnots.aero, there are minor delays in the arrivals from Moscow and Dubai on January 27.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed a message on the International Day of Commemoration in memory f the victims f the Holocaust, the UN Office in Armenia told Armenpress.

The message reads:

Today, we honour the victims of the Holocaust, an incomparable tragedy in human history.

The world has a duty to remember that the Holocaust was a systematic attempt to eliminate the Jewish people and so many others.

It would be a dangerous error to think of the Holocaust as simply the result of the insanity of a group of criminal Nazis. On the contrary, the Holocaust was the culmination of millennia of hatred, scapegoating and discrimination targeting the Jews, what we now call anti-Semitism.

Tragically, and contrary to our resolve, anti-Semitism continues to thrive. We are also seeing a deeply troubling rise in extremism, xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim hatred. Irrationality and intolerance are back.

This is in complete contrast to the universal values enshrined in the United Nations Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We can never remain silent or indifferent when human beings are suffering.

We must always defend the vulnerable and bring tormentors to justice.

And as the theme of this years observance highlights, a better future depends on education.

After the horrors of the 20th century, there should be no room for intolerance in the 21st. I guarantee you that as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I will be in the frontline of the battle against anti-Semitism and all other forms of hatred.

Let us build a future of dignity and equality for all  and thus honour the victims of the Holocaust who we will never allow to be forgotten.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenia, as a member state of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, has the possibility to acquire modern armaments from Russia on domestic prices, defense minister Vigen Sargsyan told reporters on January 27.

Russia is considered to be a state-of-the-art armament producing country, we continue to seek for those kinds of weaponry in Russia, which we need. We have the possibility of acquiring those weapons on domestic prices, and you can imagine how great the difference is compared to international prices, the minister said.

At the same time, minister Sargsyan added, that Armenia continues dialogue with other partner countries over weapon supply.

We have results, and we also have supplies. Meaning, Russia isnt our only direction, however the cooperation with that country is very advantageous and profitable for us, he said.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Greece supports launching direct dialogue between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU) and promised to move forward that line in the EU.

In addition, Greece proposed to establish EAEU-Greece Economic Council and to hold a business forum in autumn, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sargsyan said, summarizing the talks held in Athens, RIA Novosti reported.

It was pleasure for me to hear the view of official Greece over the cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union. Greece supports direct dialogue between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. During the meetings Greece expressed readiness to move forward that line in the EU that it is necessary to establish a direct line with the EAEU, Tigran Sargsyan said.

The issue related to the sanctions against Russia by the EU was also discussed during the talks. Undoubtedly, this issue was discussed with the President and Prime Minister of Greece. This is the cornerstone that the EU is not going to establish a direct contact with the Eurasian Economic Union. I have said that our stance is that we are not a political organization and there are no issues in our mandate related to relations of Russia and Ukraine, the EEC Board Chairman said.

Tigran Sargsyan said Russia is a member of other international structures, but sanctions are not imposed on those structures for the fact that Russia is a participant of them.

Tigran Sargsyan in Greece had meetings with President, Prime Minister, Deputy Foreign Minister and the MFA Secretary General on International Economic Affairs.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The representatives of the Armenian community of Australia held a silent protest outside the Belarussian Embassy in Canberra against the attempts to silence Russian blogger Alexander Lapshin, armenia.com.au reports.

The ARF Youth Union of Australia organized the protest. More than 20 young people, as well as representative of NKR Office in Australia Alexander Galitsky took part in the protest.

The ARF Australia Youth Union, the Australian-Armenian Student Union and the Armenian National Committee members hold posters condemning the Belarussian governments decision, such as Stop dictatorship, Lets respect right to freedom of speech, Free Lapshin.

We are living in the 21st century, and such acts are unacceptable. The Azerbaijani governments demand is just a manifestation of President Aliyevs dictatorial policy to violate the right to freedom of speech, Meghedi Zeydunyan  Nikol Duman Branch Chairwoman of the ARF Australia Youth Union said.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Human Rights Defender of Armenia has launched active works with international human rights organizations and other partners following the publication of details on Alexander Lapshins arrest in Minsk.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic presented her position on Lapshins case by an official letter addressed to the Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan.

Mijatovic particularly informed that she has been following the case of the arrest of Russian blogger and journalist Alexander Lapshin since his arrest in Minsk on December 15, 2016.

According to Dunja Mijatovic, she is fully informed that Lapshin will face severe punishment in Azerbaijan in case of being extradited by Belarusian authorities. Hence, she has applied to the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the OSCE several times, as well as has sent a letter to the Foreign Minister of Belarus expressing her concerns over the fact that in case of extradition Lapshin will face unfair treatment as a revenge for his journalistic activities and for expressing opinions, including over key human rights issues resulted by Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Dunja Mijatovic assured the Human Rights Defender of Armenia that she has called on the authorities of Belarus to pay special attention to that case so that Lapshins legitimate journalistic activities are not limited. She also assured that will keep a watchful eye on the future developments of this case.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Member of Armenian National Assembly and member of the Armenian Delegation to the PACE Naira Karapetyan gave a speech at the winter session of the PACE. Armenpress reports Karapetyan particularly said,

Dear colleagues,

I was really quite sure that Azerbaijan will do his best to falsificate once more the truth and facts here in the Council of Europe and stay unpunished and even not blamed on.

That's why I want to read 2 official press releases from the official website of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.

The first - On 29th of December, early in the morning, Azerbaijani troops carried out a sabotage infiltration attempt in the direction of the Chinari village of the Tavush region of the Republic of Armenia, briefly crossing the South-Eastern portion of the Armenian State border.

And the second one - After the sabotage infiltration the Azerbaijani side made an official announcement, through which it attempted to shift the blame for the events onto the Armenian side in a characteristically absurd fashion.

Azerbaijani attacking troops killed two soldiers from their back, while the young men were washing up. Once more I need to draw your attention that the above-mentioned attack took place across the State border of the Republic of Armenia with Azerbaijan, not on the line of Contact between Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, but precisely exactly on Armenian international border.

By taking a political decision and then carrying out this military action, Azerbaijan, a Council of Europe member state, violated not only its obligations taken when it joined our organization, but also its obligations on the principle of good-faith negotiations in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. Azerbaijan has constituted violations of a set of principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States, the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. And, most importantly, Azerbaijan violated the European Convention of Human rights, where first and foremost the supremacy of the right to life is enshrined.

Dear colleagues,

The impunity for the crimes gives birth to new ones. The ignorance to the scourge in one part of Europe may encourage the violence in others. Hence, the joint and concerted actions are needed to eradicate it from everywhere once and forever. We all are here in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to make Europe life by the principles of Democracy, Human rights and Peace, and we do not have any right to keep our eyes closed on this kind of huge violations made by any member state.

We need to think twice what we are for. We need to give proper answers to this kind of examples in order to make honor the obligations taken by member states.
This is part of a series examining Australian national identity, especially around the ongoing debate about Australia Day.

January 26 is fast approaching. This is a day most Aussies look forward to: a day off work with friends and family, food, fun, and laughter. However, if previous years are anything to go by, that day, whether you call it Australia Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, or whatever, is likely to be the source of some debate.

Those opposed to Australia Day, mainly for the date on which is celebrated, do so because of the historical significance  the British invasion and the destruction it brought.

Consequently, some Aboriginal people and a number of other Australians see Australia Day as a day of mourning  as first marked in 1938  while others simply believe it is offensive to Aboriginal Australians. Darumbal woman Amy McQuire, for example, describes the real pain felt on this date.

As such, the City of Fremantle, while not opposing Australia Day celebrations, is having a culturally inclusive alternative event two days later.

Also read: Is an entire generation losing the Australian dream?

I certainly dont see what happened at the time of the invasion as worthy of celebrating  nobody does. But I celebrate on January 26 with thousands of others for a quite different reason  because Australia is a great country to live in.

I agree with Aboriginal elder Robert Isaacs:

It [Australia Day] brings the community together, it brings the Australian people together and it celebrates the good this country has provided for everyone.

In response to my words Australia is a great country to live in, some will immediately retort: Well, its not so great for many Aboriginal people. I agree, and this should never be forgotten. But how will protesting about the date and Australia Day help those Aboriginal people most in need?

Celebrating on a particular day does not have to be tied to historical events, even if its origins are rooted in those events. Consider the celebration of Christmas Day. Though traditionally it had religious significance (and still does for some), for many people there is no religious meaning.

Story continues

Today many Australians celebrate Christmas for other reasons: family; end of another hard year; food and drink; and summer holidays. Like Christmas Day, Australia Day is a holiday where most can relax and socialise, and reflect on matters that are of importance to them.

Also read: Thinking of buying a holiday home this summer? Dont forget the tax implications

Smokescreen

I respect peoples right to mourn and even to claim that Australia Day celebrations are causing them grief, insult, and suffering. However, I question the motives and sincerity of those claiming to be upset because of injustices committed in the past by what boils down to what one set of my ancestors did to another set of my ancestors.

Why do I not see them upset by the injustices committed by Aboriginal people against other Aboriginal people today? The high rates of violence in the Aboriginal population, particularly against women, are well documented  and widely known  yet there is comparatively little outrage. Why?

Protesting about the day, I believe, is a smokescreen to obscure the real problems that many Aboriginal Australians face today. In addition to the problem of violence there is poor health, community dysfunction, unemployment, child neglect, and poor school attendance.

These problems will not be solved by changing the date of Australia Day or giving it a new name. For those objecting to Australia Day celebrations, I encourage you to consider the aforementioned problems and ask yourself: How will changing the name or the date help those who are suffering most?

A time to reflect

While I see Australia Day as a day of celebration, it is also perfectly legitimate for people to take time to reflect on past injustices associated with the invasion. Australia Day can be a day of remembrance and reflection, as well as celebrations. Aboriginal academic Chelsea Bond writes:

I march in remembrance for those who lost their lives simply defending their own land and people.

She does this without bitterness.

While some claim it to be a day of mourning, for me and for many others Australia Day is an opportunity to celebrate living in this fantastic country. It does not have to be one or the other  we can reflect on the past, with particular attention given to the injustices endured by Aboriginal people since the invasion, and celebrate what a great country Australia is today.

Australia has changed almost beyond recognition in regard to Aboriginal people in recent years. We should acknowledge this and celebrate what a great country Australia is  and work together to make it even better.

January 26 is Australia Day  our Australia Day. Lets celebrate together, allowing others the freedom to express what it means to them. We can celebrate the achievements of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, and the successes achieved together.

Catch up on other pieces in the series here.

The Conversation

Anthony Dillon, Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Trump seeks Mexican import tax to pay for border wall

President Donald Trump will seek a tax on goods imported from Mexico and use the revenue to build a border wall, the White House spokesman has said.
Microsoft said profit was up 16 percent from a year ago for its first fiscal quarter to September 30

Microsoft on Thursday reported a rise in profits over the past quarter, showing gains in cloud computing and other new areas of focus as it absorbed the LinkedIn social network.

The US tech giant said profits rose 3.6 percent in the second fiscal quarter to $5.2 billion, while revenues edged up one percent to $24 billion.

The US tech giant, which is shifting away from dependence on software to a broader array of services, said the LinkedIn acquisition boosted its revenue in the last three months of the year but dragged on profit.

The results, which got a lift from a big jump in cloud computing, helped push Microsoft shares up nearly one percent in after-hours trade.

Microsoft, which bought the professional social network LinkedIn as part of its efforts to make better connections with customers, said the deal added $228 million in revenue but erased $100 million in net profit.

Chief executive Satya Nadella said the results confirm the new direction for Microsoft in areas such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

"Our customers are seeing greater value and opportunity as we partner with them through their digital transformation," he said in a statement.

"Accelerating advancements in AI across our platforms and services will provide further opportunity to drive growth in the Microsoft Cloud."

Revenue in Microsoft's "intelligent cloud", which includes a range of services for the enterprise, rose eight percent.

Within that segment, its Azure cloud computing unit saw a 93 percent rise in revenue and computing usage more than doubling from a year ago

Microsoft reported a 10 percent jump in revenue from its productivity and business products, which include its Office suite of programs such as cloud-based Office 365.

The personal computing segment, which includes the Windows operating system, saw a five percent drop in revenue in the quarter.

Microsoft also saw increases from its Bing search advertising and a drop in revenue from its Xbox gaming operations.
This article originally ran in the January 2017 issue of AVN. Click here to see the digital edition.

My name is Sean Paul Lockhart. Most know me as Brent Corrigan. You likely have never heard of me. Infamous and not famous at all, I have been referred to by many in the mainstream vein of the adult industry as the Traci Lords of gay porn. This is only one element of a salacious true-life tale of porn, money, murder and desperation. My past has played an integral role in my career as an adult star, producer and actor in LGBT mainstream films. In July 2016 I was made aware of a film being made about me, my shameful underage stint in porn, and the murder of Cobra Video owner Bryan Kocis. Spearheading the project (as producer and star) was actor James Franco.

Random? Not really. James Francos borderline obsession with gay culture is no secret. James, rumored to be gay for years, is not like the typical Hollywood leading man. With several credits as an actor and producer on films with gay subject matter, Franco seems unconcerned about a pattern of behavior that might call his sexual orientation into question. Milk, I Am Michael and Interior. Leather Bar. are just three LGBT films Franco has made.

His latest gay film is King Cobra. It haphazardly depicts the story of a young man growing up too fast as hes caught in the crosshairs of two feuding gay porn companies. In Francos film, the character based on Bryan Kocis (played by Christian Slater) is a loner. He owns, produces, films and edits all content for his studio, Cobra Video. The real Bryan specialized in the production of bareback gay porn featuring young men who looked way too young to be legal. Bryan had a habit of cultivating inappropriate relationships with boys. Some as young as 15 years old.

Its a tedious and maddening task abridging the series of events that led to Bryan Kocis murder. It starts with my first shoot for Cobra on February 3, 2004. My experience working underage for Bryan is fairly well documented. Simply put, Bryan was aware of my age before filming and moved forward with production despite the formalities. In no way am I proud of my underage work and have worked hard to show that I respect and value this industry.

By the time I turned eighteen, Bryan had coerced me into a sexual relationship. I was a young man fighting to define who I was and who I wanted to become, with Bryan leering over me. Porn was never meant to become a lifelong career choice. As I came of age on set it was the production and equipment that fascinated me.

By 2005, details about my start in porn began to percolate. As if they could smell the proverbial rotting leftovers of scandal on the verge of coming out, vultures circulating overhead made their move. Bryan began to lash out at me. He was disgruntled that I had not kept our secret better.

One of those scavengers was an attorney named Chad Belville. He offered to represent me as I prepared to contend with Bryan Kocis and address the matter of my underage content proactively with the industry. Belville went ahead to draft aggressive letters that would only embolden Bryan Kocis. Cobra Video distributor Pacific Sun pulled all of Bryans releases of Brent Corrigan (underage and of age) upon receiving documentation from Belville that proved I was underage in the DVDs. Pacific Sun refused to sell another Brent Corrigan DVD until Bryan and I had worked out whatever we were going through. By the time my partner, Grant Roy, and I were served papers for a million-dollar lawsuit, Chad Belville had ceased representation.

Bryans arrogance governed his choices. My actions were guided by a man, Grant Roy, with whom Id fallen in love. Strong and loyal, Grant stood his ground and deflected attacks from Bryan. Together we endured the lawsuit and filed countersuit, citing Bryans claims against me as defamatory. Bryan charged that I had committed fraud and perjury regarding the specifics of my age. In the end, it was my word against his. I was a minor at the time and therefore was not considered liable. The FBI did not move forward with any form of investigationin the end it was left to the lawyers to draw out an expensive, exhausting civil case. After one year of depositions, filings, briefs and discovery we all just wanted to move on. Bad blood or not.

During this time, Harlow Cuadra and partner Joe Kerekes were fighting to establish a presence in gay porn media. They watched from the sidelines while the embarrassing legal charade played out between Cobra Video and Brent Corrigan. It only made Brent more visible, more intriguing and more of a commodity in porn. Formerly in the military, Harlow and Joe had all the right stuff to be successful in the industry. It wasnt lack of tenacity or talent holding them backit was their spending habits. They were hemorrhaging cash made from their initial success of a company called Norfolk Escorts. Money not yet made was spent on a new home in Virginia Beach. They bought a Ferrari. All the while, their production company, Boy Batter, languished. They were seeking a solution to all of their gay porn obscurity and cash-flow problems. Obscurity was killing them quickly. They turned their attention to a wild quick-fix solution: hire the infamous Brent Corrigan.

Casual conversation online initiated by Harlow lasted for three to four months. It would lead to a fateful dinner in Las Vegas of January in 2007. While at AVNs Internext Expo that year, Grant and I also agreed to meet with Bryan Kocis on neutral ground. For several days Bryan, Grant and I sat with a legal mediator to work out a settlement. The noose was loosening and I was breathing easier.

At the convention while not in meetings, Grant and I spent time with the other studios, producers and models. Collaborative interests abounded. Optimism was in the air.

Harlow and Joe were elusive in Vegas. We met with them twiceonce on the convention floor at AVN and once at Le Cirque. The two came dressed up and treated us to a five-course five-star meal. Nothing seemed out of sorts about our dinner company. They were a very flashy couple and wanted to be seen as sophisticated and successful. Little did I know it was their lack of understanding and sophistication, and a lack of success, that would lead to their downfall.

On January 27, 2007 (one week after the civil suit with Cobra Video was settled out of court and agreements were signed), I received the worst call of my life.

It was Joe. He instructed me to go to WNEP.com. I complied. I hadnt spoken to him in almost a month. At the top of the news website covering the Back Mountain region of Pennsylvania: Body Found in Home Set Ablaze. I clicked the link. Fire at 60 Midland Drive. Id spent two summers with Bryan in Dallas, Pennsylvania, staying in his home. Bryan lived at 60 Midland Drive. My stomach lurched. I flashed back to a seemingly off color remark made by Joe while at dinner at Le Cirque: Harlow has a client that will do anything for him. I would spend more than two years trying to understand why and how Harlow and Joe could insert themselves into my life so briefly, yet cause so much catastrophe. Joe told me then, I guess my guy went a little overboard.

It no longer mattered who Bryan was in life. Grant and I committed to the efforts of the FBI and the Luzerne County investigators and district attorney to bring Bryans murderers to justice.

I know what youre thinking. Its what everyone was thinking when Bryan turned up dead on the heels of a nasty feud. Bryan and Iwe had our differences. I was hurt by Bryans efforts to humiliate me. That being said, I never wanted him dead. The civil suit left us frustrated, broke and scared. When we finalized mediations with Cobra/Bryan Kocis, all of those fears had dissipated.

We spent two days in San Diego with Harlow and Joe almost an entire year after the murder. Grant wore a wire one day. The second day, we went to Blacks Beach. There, concealed in a GM key fob, was the recording device. It sat right on Grants key chain, positioned in the middle of the beach blanket. Joe let Harlow spill all the details of the crime. Eight months later, both were apprehended. A trial found Harlow Cuadra guilty of murder. His partner in life and crime, Joe, had pleaded guilty upon being captured and arrested.

Grant and I went on to produce a successful string of DVD releases together. We swept at the GayVN Awards in 2009 and 2010 as producers. At 23, I was given the award for directing the Best Professional Amateur film as well as being named Best Bottom. Once a pariahuninvited and ostracized in the gay porn world for all the infamy and controversy Id enduredby 2011 I was accepted. I went on to direct and star in LGBT non-porn films. Brent Corrigan is credited in the end credits of Gus Van Sants Milk, one of James Francos best credits in a long string of gay roles.

After four years as a filmmaker and actor in mainstream media, Id lost interest. Everything youd expect to happen did. Producers wanted to meet me because they were curious about my story and my background in adult media. They almost never took a chance on me. In the end I was content to be relegated to LGBT indie films where my porn roots and equitable name were a commodity. The roles in non-porn media came few and far between. The pay, even less so. LGBT media was like making gay porn without the penis, basically. I went back to porn, where I could at least get a decent blowjob at work every once in a while.

When I returned to porn I knew I was coming home. Adult media, as we all know, is what you make of it. We have so much control over our own path in life. Our destiny is two parts decision and personal actions and one part fate. However when it came to Hollywood and me it always felt ... well, not that way at all.

In the summer of 2015, weird voicemails started filling my inbox. Random filmmaker friends from my minor era in LGBT media were coming out of the woodwork, telling me someone was making a movie about me. When director Justin Kelly and manager Thor Bradwell cornered me in June, I was very suspicious.

Ten days before principal photography was slated to begin, the producers of King Cobra delivered their screenplay to me. Half-heartedly offering me a position as a consultant on set, they didnt seem to know where I would fit into the equation. They suggested I take a small part with two to three scenes. It wasnt until I finally was able to read the screenplay that I knew I would have to decline involvement. Key players in the story dont exist in their movie (Grant, for instance). I felt uncomfortable with the material as a viable representation of what I went through. It felt cheap, unfinished, totally rushed and downright broke.

It seemed as though the producers were scrambling to fix a major mistake that August. They needed me but insisted they had virtually nothing to give. Theyd developed an entire film and feature without permission to use the Brent Corrigan name. And now they were going to set.

I am unapologetically, fiercely protective of my story and my right to tell it my way. I lived it. I navigated the troubled waters and came out whole, more human, at the other end. Some might argue that the events (the underage controversy, public feud, murder of Bryan Kocis, the investigation into the circumstances related to his death, and the trial of Harlow Cuadra) are public domain in a sense. There is so much more that occurred that people have no clue about. There is an emotional reality and a mental state of mind (reflection, observation, internal narrative) that outsiders looking in (like the writers of the book Cobra Killer) could never even begin to broach the surface of understanding.

There lies within what it means to come out on the other end of something so harrowing that it leaves you looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Beyond all that, as a writer myself, I am protective of my story and the truth I have lived. Ive spent the last decade writing a book called Incorrigible that I wanted to be the bookend to the events that I lived through.

After walking away from King Cobra, my resounding take was this: its offensive. As I read the screenplay, it felt like James Franco and the filmmakers of King Cobra were mocking gay porn. They created caricatures of major gay community archetypes. True, as porn actors and producers, we are a bit ridiculous at times. But we dont need Hollywood mocking us for it. There were other major issues with the material, like Bryan being written as if he were a white lamb falling prey to idiot rival porn producers. In truth, Bryan was opportunistic and manipulative. But even his death deserves more respect than what King Cobra can offer.

In an age that has seen the rise of Sasha Grey and James Deen, are we open-minded enough to see the same sort of success for a gay adult star and producer? Hollywood has always treated the adult industry like the embarrassing red-headed stepchild. Like a neglectful, fair-weather stepmom, she collected the child support checks and scoffed at us. She never expected us to grow into the beautiful, prolific swan that we are. Now, at the family reunion, Hollywood (Stepmom) tries mightily to pull us close to suck up. She hates us but cant help cozying up with one curious ear to our hip and wild stories. Oh, how intriguing and salacious our world is. But we know better. We dont need Hollywood to tell our stories. We need them to butt out so we can go on being the storytellers and filmmakers we already are.

This is another example of why Hollywood thinks it doesnt have to move over and give us due respect. We are a billion-dollar industry. They sell sex and package it in bullshit. We walk a straight and narrow line, look our consumers and fans straight in the face, and approach our lives and work with pride and dignity.

Hollywood thinks the truth isnt enough. That everything has to be embellished. Choosing to ignore intricate and delicate themes of this story (death, coercion, coming of age) by addressing the broad notes sends a message to viewers. Every film told from a minority prospective has an opportunity to share and educate about a potentially misunderstood community. I was often told by Hollywood producers Its not our story to tell. Meaning to say, if we hand our stories over to Hollywood, theyll whitewash it, gloss over the more controversial themes, and get it seen by the mass majority. But what good is getting your story told when its not longer serving a purpose? What good is exploiting gay characters and making fun of an entire genre in media (gay porn) if the real-life lessons are ignored?

The filmmakers have gone on record saying I gave the film my blessing. No, what I did do was throw those suckers a bone. Realizing this was not the time to tell my story, I conceded. For a small amount of money I leased my professional names so King Cobra could go on making, promoting and selling a movie based on events I lived but butchering it in the process. Part of me felt like willing this film to be made was about letting go. Letting go and hopefully fueling interest in the real-life story.

My book is called Incorrigible. I wasnt able to get it done before King Cobra was released. Its taken me ten years to get through the process.

These days, Im directing for Naked Sword. I am making the kinds of features I have always wanted to make. A lot of people have called bullshit with this whole King Cobra thing. How can you turn down a James Franco movie if you want to be an actor/filmmaker? Or If you didnt sanction the story why did you lease your names?

No matter how exciting being a part of a James Franco/Christian Slater/Molly Ringwald film may seem to be, I have spent years standing my ground with my dukes up. We learn to fight for what we will and will not be in the porn world. We run in alternative circles, view the world vastly different than most people, and weve done a hell of a job carving out our own corner of media and creation. Its part of what makes the adult industry so spectacular. It makes us into the right brand of different and tough. I didnt need to make someone elses movie about me to feel more important. Adult media has that covered, in my opinion.
LOS ANGELESWankzVR releases Pole Position starring Haley Reed and Tiffany Watson.

The scene is a milestone for the VR content producer.

Pole Position has the auspicious honor of being our 100th virtual reality scene, said WankzVR spokesman Bradley Phillips. Although we're a relatively young adult VR company, we're undeniably one of the most recognizable and respected companies due to our ambitious two-scenes-a-week release schedule, our unique shooting style and our connection with our fans.

In this scene, the VR user watches with bated breath as their girlfriend, Watson, takes pole dancing lessons from Reed. Things quickly take a naughty detour and VR users find themselves in a kinky threesome.

"It's been an incredible journey for all of us and we couldn't have done it without the outstanding WankzVR directors and crew, all of the talented performers, the ace production team, our devoted fans and everyone else involved, Phillips said. You guys know who you are. Pole Position is a classic threesome scene loaded to the gills with beautiful talented stars and all of the immersive visual flair that made WankzVR so compelling in the first place. Here's to another hundred scenes. Cheers!

To watch a sneak preview of this scene, visit WankzVR.com.
In the immediate aftermath of the Trump administration's gag orders on government employees disclosing taxpayer-funded research results, a series of high-profile "rogue" government agency accounts popped up on Twitter, purporting to be managed by civil servants who are unwilling to abide by the gag order.

At first blush, these accounts appear genuine in the main, though a few are apparent (and inconsequential) hoaxes. But it would be extremely easy to engineer a major hoax using these accounts, one that could have significant political fallout  from discrediting the opposition to Trump to generating panics or perpetuating scientific myths (the "rogue" EPA account could tweet evidence that climate change had been discredited, for example).

There's also the problem of remaining anonymous: if these account are run by civil servants who face retaliation in the workplace or even civil and criminal charges, then they run a significant risk every time they tweet. Not only might the Trump administration seek disclosure of identifying information through court orders, they might also deploy American intelligence agencies to covertly uncover this information through state-sponsored hacking. Less drastic but equally high-risk for the tweeters is the possibility that their adversaries will use stylometry to uncover their identities via the idiosyncratic elements of their prose style.

Then there's the matter of operational security: in 2012, the CBC de-anonymized a staffer in Canada's Liberal party who had been embarassing then-security-minister Vic Toews through the "Vikileaks" Twitter identity, which tweeted salacious details of Towes's divorce proceedings. The CBC sent the tweeter a private message advising him that they had published an article of interest to him, with a private, unpublished URL; they then watched their webserver logs for that page to see what IP address he visited from. That led to his unmasking.

The "rogue" administration accounts are operating in a much higher-profile/higher-risk environment that the Vikileaks account, and maintaining operational security, even for the very careful, is a hard row to hoe. Given that the tweeters' expertise is in other areas (for example, being a park ranger) it's unlikely they'll be able to maintain perfect security and even a single slipup could cost them their jobs (and possibly their freedom).

The LA Times' Matt Pearce has pointed to specific tweets posted by @AltNatParkSer  the most prominent of the renegade accounts  that could be seen as out of character for a US park ranger. British English is used in the biography, for one, while the account also replied to a Scottish political commentator in 2015, asking for his opinion on the UK general election result. Not that it matters much after the account announced this morning that it would be handing over the reins to activists. None of this is evidence that the accounts in question are not run by US government officials, but nor is it confirmation that they were indeed run by scientists keen to spill secrets. @AltNatlParkSer had said that it was based in Mt. Rainer National Park in Washington State, but wouldn't identify its authors because it didn't feel "safe" and it wasn't "in the public interest." Certainly the former point is a very valid concern, as going against government orders could easily result in loss of livelihood. But confirming that the most influential of these accounts are indeed the work of (rightfully) upset scientists arguably is in the public interest, because at the moment, there's no guarantee these supposedly renegade Twitter accounts are anything other than parody accounts offering wish fulfillment for progressives.

On the internet, nobody knows if you're a National Park

[Rich McCormick/The Verge]

Twistance

[Alice Stollmeyer/Twitter]
Californians have long been upset to find fewer tax dollars enter their state than leave. It was once a big part of recalling their Governor and installing a Governator. Funding the great and failing center of our country, all while being told you are too "crunchy" and "granola" apparently gets tiresome! Citizens of the Bear Republic are now cleared to seek signatures supporting an amendment to the state constitution. The amendment would remove text both declaring California inseparable from the Union, and respecting the U.S. Constitution as the "supreme law of the land."

600,000 signatures and it goes to a public vote. California knows how to party.

More from the LA Times:


Yesterday, the Israeli government announced major steps toward legalizing marijuana. Medical cannabis is already a big thing in Israel and permitted by traditional Jewish law. According to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the new policy is part of a "shift to decriminalization with responsibility." Progress! Yet, the focus on "treatment" for offending minors seems a bit ridiculous. From CNN:



The new policy would apply to users carrying up to 15 grams, roughly a half-ounce. If passed, first-time offenders would face a fine of 1000 shekels (about $265), with the offense not appearing on their criminal record. Those caught for a second time would see the fine double. If caught a third time, the punishment would be at the discretion of the police. On the fourth offense, the suspect could face criminal prosecution.



Minors caught for the first time with marijuana would be criminally prosecuted only if they refused to take part in a treatment program. The second offense would be closed with a special settlement. The third time could trigger criminal proceedings.
The Womens Marches last weekend were collectively some of the largest protests ever conducted in the United States. While we would love to have some hard data to be able to inform the public about what type of surveillance being used on the demonstrations, unfortunately many of the police departments we have requested in our Cell Site Simulator Census have either not given us any documents yet, or used sweeping law enforcement exemptions in order to not disclose some of the more sensitive, and important, information about their use.

Awaiting Acknowledgement: Blue

Awaiting Response: Purple

Rejected: Large Red

Completed: Green

No Responsive Documents: Small Red

Payment Required: Yellow

In fact, out of almost 200 requests filed, only 35 departments have given us documents about their cell site simulators so far. Out of those 35, only one, the Virginia State Police, has furnished us with an actual utilization log.

For instance:

In New York City between 400,000 and 600,000 people took part in the demonstration, according to 538. We requested NYC Police Department on October 31st, and so far have not acknowledged our request. It is mandated in New York's public records law that agencies have five days to complete, deny, or acknowledge the request, while also allowing them to ask for more time. We have not received any notification of an extension.

In Washington, DC 485,000 people protested. We have not received any response from the DC Metropolitan Police Department, although they acknowledged it November 2nd. DC states that they have 15 days to respond or give notice that they need an extension. We have not received this.

In Houston, 21,000 came out for the march. While Houston Police did respond, the documents we received were redacted to the point that very little meaningful information can be gathered from them.

Portland, Oregon saw 70,000 demonstrators attend. We have yet to receive an indication that the Portland Police Bureau has acknowledged our request.

Los Angeles saw 450,000 turn out. LAPD has yet to respond to our request, filed October 31st. California response times for FOIA requests are 10 days, barring an extension. We have not received any communication informing us of an extension, and recently paid a records fee to them, and still have not received records.

Many cities including Boston, where 175,000 marched, and San Francisco, 80,000, did not include any kind of utilization log to show how they are using their cell site simulators. San Francisco PD also heavily redacted the documents, again resulting in very little useful data.

Cell site simulators, also known as IMSI catchers or StingRays, are devices that allow police to access your phone's metadata, which lets them know who was at a given location for how long, who you are calling, the duration of calls, and even websites viewed or text messages sent. Recently a lawyer in Chicago filed a lawsuit, alleging that Chicago Police intercepted data from his phone while he attended a protest in 2015. Demonstrations have long been a worry for privacy activists concerning cell site simulators. Protesters have long suspected the police use the devices to identify demonstrators and map out communications networks within activist groups like Black Lives Matter.

Let alone utilization logs, just policies on cell site simulators are hard to come by. As of now, only 13 states have passed legislation curtailing the use of cell site simulators. While some are more stringent and comprehensive like the Illinois', or California's where each PD that purchases a StingRay must create its own internal policy and must delete irrelevant captured data after each day or investigation, others like Indiana's law are easier on law enforcement, creating loopholes for exigent circumstances.

While we would prefer to have a larger data set than ten out of thirty-five possible policies, at least so far in the project that is, the San Jose Police Department's policy is worth highlighting.

Within this policy we can see a framework that other police forces could use to learn valuable lessons about the ethical handling of such potentially invasive equipment. For one anything not immediately relevant to an investigation is not to be recorded on the device. It includes rigorous deletion policies, including one stipulating that the entire machine shall be wiped every ten days, at most. Furthermore, any data collected, including relevant information, is considered Sensitive Controlled Information and may not be seen by anyone else in the department that does not have a valid need to know. And most perhaps most impressively, they have instituted an audit program, wherein the usage of the cell site sim is checked every six months for signs of misuse. What may be lacking even here however, is a rule governing what circumstances the device may be used for, which would work to prevent the undermining of constitutionally protected rights like protest.

We will continue to update you as responses roll in.

Image by Mark Dixon via Wikimedia Commons and is licensed under CC BY 2.0
By Ernest Scheyder, Catherine Ngai and Terray Sylvester (Reuters) - When U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders to revive two controversial energy pipeline projects this week, he pledged to require new pipelines to use American-made steel, a gesture to workers in the hard-hit industry who helped propel him to power. But U.S. steelmakers will receive negligible benefit from the multi-billion dollar Keystone XL project, one of the two projects Trump ordered to proceed, because they have limited ability to meet the stringent materials requirements for the TransCanada line. Economists said Trump's order has many loopholes to enforcement and could violate international trade law. Meanwhile, in the quiet prairie town of Gascoyne, North Dakota, deer wander among gleaming stacks of steel tubing intended for the Keystone pipeline. The company bought the material years ago when the U.S. debate was raging over whether the project should go ahead. TransCanada tried for more than five years to build the 1,179-mile (1,897 km) pipeline, until then-President Barack Obama rejected it in 2015. Since the materials were already purchased for Keystone, Trump's move to revive the project should not result in new large steel orders. The profits for manufacturing that steel were booked by companies with corporate headquarters in Russia, India and Italy. Those companies own the steel mills in the United States that made about half of the pipeline for the $8 billion project. Much of that steel has sat exposed to the elements in several giant stockyards along the pipeline's route for more than two years. Analysts said some of it will need to be replaced. But that is unlikely to come from U.S. producers, such as U.S. Steel, AK Steel or Steel Dynamics, analysts and traders said, because of the specialized steel required for the big-ticket project. Trump's directive on using U.S.-made steel is likely also inconsistent with long-standing World Trade Organization rules that require imported products to be given the same treatment as domestically produced goods. The directive could well become the target of a challenge under WTO rules. Trump's order also runs counter to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a pact that he said he wants to renegotiate but one that nevertheless remains in effect. 'NICE GESTURE' TransCanada resubmitted its application Keystone project on Thursday, two days after Trump signed the orders. The line is designed to link existing pipeline networks in Canada and the United States to bring crude from Alberta and North Dakota to refineries in Illinois en route to the Gulf of Mexico. Around Gascoyne where the tubing has sat idle in a TransCanada yard, there is little sign among residents of the fierce opposition that stopped Keystone and led to the delay of the other controversial pipeline that Trump pushed forward on Tuesday - the Dakota Access Pipeline. But townspeople were skeptical of Trump's made-in-America order. "It's a nice gesture, but you can't renegotiate when the pipe's been bought already," said Dan Peterson, 47, a contractor from nearby Bowman, North Dakota, who supports the project. About half of the pipe was forged in Arkansas, at a plant owned by India's Welspun. About a quarter came from a Russian-owned plant in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and the rest came from Italy and India. Alberta-based TransCanada expects to use roughly 821,000 tons of pipe in Canada and 660,000 tons in the United States for the project. TransCanada representatives did not return a request for comment. Trump's order pertains only to sections of pipelines built in the United States, and it said the directive should be followed to the "maximum extent" possible, which gives the administration wiggle room. Steel manufacturers and analysts said that TransCanada's stringent requirements for the pipeline, including thickness and pressure requirements, already keeps most U.S.-based steelmakers out, given current forging and manufacturing processes. That includes Nucor and Steel Dynamics, which can make pipeline that is thick enough but may not meet all the pressure parameters. For the main trunk line, experts say that Keystone requires welded line pipe between 36 inches to 42 inches (91 to 107 cm) in diameter. Foreign-owned steelmakers with U.S. operations, such as India's Welspun and JSW as well as Russia's Evraz, are best able to produce the pipe. To be sure, U.S. steelmakers have a large part of their business in producing pipe and tube for the oil and gas industry. But, analysts said that to meet Keystone's requirements, they will need to reinvest and retrofit their plants to reorient production. It's not clear if other pipeline projects would have the same standards as Keystone. "There are people who make (this type of) steel pipe in the U.S., but they're mostly Indian and Russian" companies, said Charles Bradford, an analyst at New York-based Bradford Research. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder in Houston and Catherine Ngai in New York; Additional reporting by Terray Sylvester in Gascoyne, North Dakota; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
President Donald Trump could lift sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine by himself  and may justify doing so by saying that he is putting America first.

Trump is expected to discuss the sanctions when he speaks by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, White House aide Kellyanne Conway said in a television interview Friday. The White House also announced that Trump has separate calls with the leaders of Germany and France, two U.S. NATO allies that support sanctions on Russia.

"We'll see what happens," Trump said regarding Russia sanctions at a press conference on Friday. "As far as the sanctions, it's very early to be talking about that, but we look to have a great relationship with all countries, ideally."

The U.S. sanctions, imposed through executive order by President Barack Obama, can be lifted by Trump's pen  without the vote of Congress  if he so wishes, experts said. It's not clear whether his intention is to lift sanctions right away, but Trump's first official discussion with Putin could lay the groundwork for removal.







"People said Trump will never remove the sanctions on Russia. Of course he will. It's a leveling of the playing field for U.S. corporations," said Helima Croft, head of global commodities research at RBC. The sanctions against Russia hurt that country's energy industry and make it harder for Russia to raise capital. Getting rid of the sanctions is a major priority for Russian President Vladimir Putin .

U.S. companies, including Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), were forced to drop activities in Russia if they were in new areas of development, such as Arctic drilling and Russian shale. But Croft explained that European companies, under separate European Union sanctions, were allowed to continue work on existing projects while being barred only from new ones.

Based on Trump's rapid-fire execution of orders in his first week, such as directing the construction of a wall on the Mexican border, experts say it's possible he could move toward lifting sanctions against Russia. He could do so without the consent of European allies, which have sanctioned Russia separately.



Story continues

"Clearly, he really wants this relationship to work. I have some sympathy in the sense the U.S. relationship with Russia has been very badly damaged, and a lot of that has Obama to blame," said Ian Bremmer, president of global political consultancy Eurasia Group.

Trump has been moving toward lifting the sanctions already. "He has so many of his speaking points aligned with those of the Kremlin, around Crimea, Ukraine, around Syria, around American exceptionalism and values," Bremmer said.

Trump also seems bent to to move forward without gaining agreement from historic allies in Europe. "If I were advising Trump, I would want him to be coordinating with Merkel and others who were steadfast allies ... I think he's made up his mind on this," said Bremmer.

"I guess what we've been learning about Trump is that he actually does what he said he was going to do. The problem is the sanctions were imposed for what the Russians did in Ukraine and Crimea. The Germans have worked hard to keep this together, as the French president has," said Professor Angela Stent, director Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University. "This would send a message to Russia that it can get away with it, but it undermines the European Union's efforts to hold Russia accountable."



Obama first imposed sanctions after Russia invaded Crimea, claiming it to be part of Russia . "It's the Europeans who did it much later when the (Malaysian) airline was shot down over Ukraine," Stent said.

Bremmer expects Trump to move forward regardless of prevailing sentiment Europe, where nationalist candidates stand to gain ground in several elections this year. In France, Marine Le Pen has gained in polls. She says she wants to get rid of the euro currency.

"Germany is the country that's in the most vulnerable position because of Trump, compared to most of the American allies. Europe is getting weaker. He likes Brexit, says other countries should leave. Germany is the country most interested in maintaining a strong Europe, and Trump is undermining (Merkel). Trump is renouncing American exceptionalism, in not telling other countries what to do," said Bremmer.

At the same press conference where Trump spoke on Friday, British Prime Minister Theresa May was forthright in saying that sanctions against Russia should continue until Russia conforms agreements designed to reduce fighting in Ukraine.

Bremmer believes Trump will move forward quickly. But other experts say Trump may ease sanctions slowly  and therefore less visibly  rather than tossing them out right after taking office.

Critics have called out Trump for praising Vladimir Putin, whom U.S. intelligence concluded was personally involved in trying to undermine last year's U.S. presidential election and help get Trump elected. Rex Tillerson, Trump's candidate for Secretary of State who just retired as CEO of ExxonMobil, and has strong personal links to Moscow and his former company has billions at stake in Russia .

Trump initially refused to accept intelligence community findings that Russian officials intentionally meddled in the U.S. election by hacking into Democratic National Committee computers. Trump has since vowed to make the U.S. more secure from cyber espionage, but has said nothing about punishing Russia.

There is also another consideration. Tillerson has yet to be approved by the Senate. Tillerson was questioned by Congress on his feelings about Russia. One strategist said Trump may not lift sanctions right away because of the Tillerson vote, expected next week.

Exxon has one of the most high-profile projects that was disrupted by sanctions, an Arctic drilling deal with Rosneft. The joint venture with Russian state-controlled oil gian t was to explore and produce fossil fuels in Arctic waters, and it represents a big part of Exxon's potential future production growth. The sanctions were imposed in 2014, and Exxon said in a filing after the sanctions were put in place that its "maximum before-tax exposure to loss from these joint ventures" totaled $1 billion through the end of 2015.

Russian projects were able to find some other funding sources, including China. Rosneft recently raised funds by selling an $11 billion stake to Qatar and Glencore.

If the sanctions are lifted, Croft said the knee jerk reaction in the oil market would likely be a decline in prices just because of the prospect of more supply. Under the sanctions, Russia actually was able to increase its oil production, and the decline in the ruble actually helped producers by keeping production costs lower.

Croft said the move in oil prices would be temporary, since the new supply from Russia would not be immediate, and Russia is part of a producers group, with OPEC, that has agreed to cut back production to keep oil prices at a higher level.

If the sanctions are lifted, one area of immediate interest would be in the potential for Russian shale. The Bazhenov Shale formation in the West Siberian basin is believed to hold massive reserves of tight oil  which can be reached by U.S.-pioneered technology that Russia can't access because of the sanctions  and that could be one of the first places companies might want to invest.

"Russian oil production has been strong, and it's actually increased until the OPEC deal. It could mean a renewal of Western investment in Russian oil, in the new areas in terms of tight oil, Arctic and offshore," said Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of research firm IHS Markit. "The taste for big expensive long term projects is a lot lower today than it was when the sanctions were imposed. One area that is very interesting is tight oil in Russia."

Tight oil has been much cheaper to extract through horizontal drilling than deep water projects. "There's a debate about how prolific it is," said Yergin, who said the Bazhenov by all signs is a huge reserve and would take a while to develop.

"If the analysis of U.S. shale is used, it could be very significant. I think all these development take time, and it takes a lot of experience to determine all of these resources and how to recover it. Certainly it would be a whole new horizon for Russian oil," he said.





More From CNBC


Unequal by law

The constitution needs to be amended so that people of all genders can receive equal treatment
President Trump wants to build a wall.

On his sixth day in office, the Trump signed an executive order to start construction of a border spanning the entire U.S.-Mexico border, immediately. He also wants Mexico to pay for it. They said no and Mexican President Enrique Pe?a Nieto canceled a summit to meet with the former reality star.

Moral issues aside, both the cost and the effectiveness of the wall have been scrutinized. Even Trumps Homeland Security Secretary, retired Gen. John Kelly said "a physical barrier will not do the job," during his conformation hearing.

Currently, the almost 2,000-mile border already has 700-miles of fences. But what does the border fences actually look like? And what would it look like with a wall?

See pictures of the currently wall-less border from California to Texas below.

See original article on Fortune.com

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Tijuana, Mexico

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Trump Vows To Build Border Wall Between Mexico And The U.S.

Sandy Huffaker -- Getty Images[/caption]

San Diego, California

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File Photo: U.S. border patrol agents on horseback patrol along the U.S. Mexico border fence near San Diego, California

Mike Blake -- Reuters[/caption]

San Ysidro, California

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Trump Vows To Build Border Wall Between Mexico And The U.S.

Sandy Huffaker Getty Images[/caption]

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Tecate, Mexico

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Trump Immigration

Gregory Bull -- AP[/caption]

Jacumba, California

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The Wider Image: Along the U.S. - Mexico border fence

Mike Blake -- Reuters[/caption]

Mexicali, Mexico

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Immigration And Border Security Issues Loom Heavy In Upcoming U.S. Elections

John Moore -- Getty Images[/caption]

Imperial Sand Dunes, California

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Immigration And Border Security Issues Loom Heavy In Upcoming U.S. Elections

John Moore -- Getty Images[/caption]

Nogales, Arizona & Nogales, Mexico

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The Wider Image: Along the U.S. - Mexico border fence

Mike Blake -- Reuters[/caption]

Douglas, Arizona

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Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz stands along the United States border with Mexico as he speaks to Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and Arizona State representative David Gowan near Douglas, Arizona

Sam Mircovich -- Reuters[/caption]

Sunland Park, New Mexico

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Immigration And Border Security Issues Loom Heavy In Upcoming U.S. Elections

John Moore -- Getty Images[/caption]

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

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The international border bridge Stanton is seen between El Paso US and Ciudad Juarez in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Jose Luis Gonzalez -- Reuters[/caption]

Fort Hancock, Texas

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Immigration And Border Security Issues Loom Heavy In Upcoming U.S. Elections

John Moore -- Getty Images[/caption]

Lajitas, Texas

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Immigration And Border Security Issues Loom Heavy In Upcoming U.S. Elections

John Moore -- Getty Images[/caption]

Laredo, Texas

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Immigration And Border Security Issues Loom Heavy In Upcoming U.S. Elections

John Moore -- Getty Images[/caption]

Hildago, Texas

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Border Wall Reality Check

Eric Gay -- AP[/caption]

Brownsville, Texas

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The eastern start of the U.S. border fence is seen in this photo taken at the Loop family farm in Brownsville

Jon Herskovitz -- Reuters[/caption]
A temporary foreign worker whose complaint started a Canada Border Services Agency investigation into alleged violations of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program in Labrador City has left the country, according to a migrant worker activist group.

Arthur Lorenzo left for the Philippines Thursday night as his deportation order was set to take effect, Chris Ramsaroop, an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers told CBC News.

Lorenzo applied for a number of permits to stay in Canada, including a temporary resident permit for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (VTIP), as well as a temporary resident permit and an open work permit.

An immigration officer denied his application, according to court documents, and a judge dismissed Lorenzo's request for judicial review, meaning the immigration officer's ruling stands.

Company suspended from program

Lorenzo and his former co-workers told CBC News in early 2014 that his employer, which owned a Jungle Jim's restaurant franchise in Labrador City, forced 26 migrant workers to share a split-level house for months.

That would be a violation of the employer's agreement with the federal government.

However, no charges were laid by the border services agency and the owner denied any wrongdoing.

Shortly after Lorenzo and his co-workers went public with their complaints their former employers were suspended from the Temporary Foreign Worker's Program

The government suspended the owner's application in April of 2013, citing "reasonable grounds to suspect that the employer or group of employers provided false, misleading or inaccurate information in the context of the request for that opinion."

A senior source with knowledge of the suspension told CBC News the applications were halted because of an investigation launched by the border agency months earlier.
The head of the Native Studies department at the University of Manitoba is inviting Premier Brian Pallister to attend his class after comments from Pallister critics are calling inflammatory, disgusting and racist.

In an open letter to the premier on Facebook and an interview on CBC Manitoba's Radio Noon, Niigaan Sinclair said Pallister's comments on night hunting in an interview with Maclean's reporter Nancy Macdonald are divisive and incorrect.

Pallister was asked in the interview about the provincial debate over hunting at night.

"Young Indigenous men  a preponderance of them are offenders, with criminal records  are going off shooting guns in the middle of the night. It doesn't make sense," Pallister told the magazine.

Sinclair said he was confused and upset by the premier's words, but not surprised. He said the comment demonstrates ignorance about Indigenous issues resulting from a "flawed education" on the subject.

"While Indigenous kids in residential schools were taught that they were savage and they were heathens and they were violent, Canadians were taught the exact same thing and they were taught to feel superior, and that they had a sort of duty to control Indigenous people in every way," he said.

"The words of the premier is really in the vein of that history."

As of Friday afternoon, the premier remained in Costa Rica. In response to a CBC News request for comment, a spokeswoman from his office sent a written statement via email.

She said the ongoing issue is the need to balance safety and sustainability with Indigenous rights.

Over the past five years, 77.5 per cent of charges for night lighting  a practice associated with night hunting  have involved people with treaty status, the spokeswoman said. Night lighting is illegal in Manitoba for non-Indigenous people and there are limitations about where those with treaty status can use the technique.

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It's unclear how many of the charges resulted in convictions.

"Our government is reaching out to Indigenous community members and elders with the intent of refocusing the discussion where it belongs, on ensuring the safety and security of all Manitobans," she wrote.

Sinclair knows what he'd say to Pallister if the premier showed up at one of his classes:

"Have a seat, you're welcome here, and start reading."

Indigenous activists and members of Manitoba's NDP and Liberal parties are criticizing the premier's comments.

"It is absolutely disgusting language. It is shocking language to be coming from a premier from any province across Canada," said Nahanni Fontaine, NDP MLA for Winnipeg's St. Johns area.

"To be able to blanket all young Indigenous men as criminals, as gun-toting, shooting thugs, is no different than what Donald Trump did throughout his campaign. It is one and the same: racialized, disgusting narrative."

"These comments are racist and irresponsible, and the premier has ceded any credibility in dealing with the issue of hunting rights in a way that respects all Manitobans," said NDP MLA Wab Kinew, who represents Winnipeg's Fort Rouge area.

Kinew also said the premier should enrol in sensitively training "and commit to the sort of training on Indigenous cultures and anti-racism outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation [Commission] calls to action."

Macdonald visited Pallister at his Costa Rica vacation home, where he spends several weeks a year. The remarks came on the heels of controversial comments he made at a Progressive Conservative Party luncheon on Jan. 16.

Speaking at that event, the premier said divisions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people over hunting at night are "becoming a race war."

In the last year, the province has stepped up enforcement of night hunting laws, directing that at least 60 per cent of conservation officer shifts be devoted to enforcement. Forty-four night lighting charges were laid in 2016, which the spokeswoman said is an increase over previous years.

Rob Olson, managing director for the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, said the province needs to stop commenting publicly on the issue and work faster at creating dialogue with Indigenous people.

"The media is no place to work out a sensitive issue such as this. We believe that most hunters, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, are reasonable, ethical people who realize there is a problem, and who will find a solution," he said. The government "needs to get moving quickly on the consultations."

Niki Ashton, NDP MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski in northern Manitoba, called Pallister's comments "shocking and appalling."

"Here's a premier sitting in his mansion in Costa Rica making racist comments about Indigenous people in our province. I want Canadians to know that Brian Pallister does not speak for us as Manitobans."

Leah Gazan, an Indigenous activist and University of Winnipeg professor, said instead of being in Costa Rica, Pallister should be educating himself on treaty rights in Manitoba.

"You can't take a whole group of people, make those kinds of statements with all sorts of stereotypes and think that's OK," she said.

"First of all, he's stigmatized a whole group of people, and secondly, he clearly needs to be more well-versed about treaty and hunting rights that were agreed upon in treaty."

Johanna Wood, a spokeswoman for the Manitoba Liberal Party, called Pallister's words "inflammatory to Indigenous peoples.

"We're in an era where we still clearly have a long way to go as far as mending Indigenous relationships in Manitoba," she said.

"This type of language is divisive. We're one race, we're the human race. We're trying to see a respectful tone, especially at the highest levels of leadership in our province. More inclusive language can be a start."

Kinew and Fontaine have called on Pallister to make a public apology to Manitobans generally and young Indigenous men specifically.

"It is heartbreaking that the premier of Manitoba is so utterly divorced and clueless in respect of young Indigenous men and the strength and resiliency of young Indigenous men," said Fontaine. "The comment, absolutely it highlights how completely divorced Brian Pallister is from the people he claims to represent."
Ellen DeGeneres posing with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her tweet on Bell Lets Talk day generated more than $14,000 for the campaign. Photo from Getty Images

Ellen DeGeneres wants to talk about it. So do Ryan Reynolds and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

It was another record year for Bell Canadas annual Lets Talk Day, thanks in part to social media shout-outs from the popular talk show host and other high-profile supporters.

Ellen implored her nearly 65 million followers to join in the companys initiative to break down the stigma around mental health.

For every retweet of this, Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian Mental Health Programs, and I think thats amazing. #BellLetsTalk  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 25, 2017

It was retweeted more than 280,000 times, which in itself makes for a $14,000 donation to mental health from the Canadian telecom giant.

Reynolds, William Shatner, writer Diana Gabaldon and a long list of other celebrities added their social media voices to the call. Captain Kirk hit it like a full-time job, with somewhere north of 200 tweets, retweeted thousands of times by his 2.45 million followers.

The 10:30pm Pacific update. Keep tweeting with this hashtag #BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/qAPZYLZMea  William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) January 26, 2017

That which shall be named! Talk about it. Dance about it. Cry about it. But don't keep quiet about it. #MaximumEffort #BellLetsTalk https://t.co/6l24nYxeTp  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 25, 2017

Thanks only in part to the glitterati that got on board, there were a record 131,705,010 tweets, texts, snaps, chats and views Wednesday on the #BellLetsTalk ticker.

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They will spur a $6,585,250.50 donation from Bell to its mental health initiative. Last year #BellLetsTalk Day saw 125,915,295 separate engagements on social media and the companys call network.

Lets talk about mental health so more people ask for help when they need it. RTs send 5 to support mental health programs. #BellLetsTalk  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 25, 2017

This year the company added Snapchat and Instagram to the social media slate. On Twitter, #BellLetsTalk was a top trending issue not just in Canada, but worldwide.

That brings Bells tally since the mental health initiative began in 2010 to $86,504,429.05.

Six-time Olympic medal winner Clara Hughes, the national spokeswoman for the program, was effusive.

Wow Canada, she said in a statement. Weve shattered records again with a mental health discussion that reached every corner of Canada and points all around the world too. We keep on knocking holes in the dark wall that is stigma, and we keep on growing funding for new research and expanded care as the engagement builds and builds.

Mary Deacon, chairwoman of the initiative for the company, says it was an amazing day.

Its become a grassroots engagement all across the country, Deacon told Yahoo Canada News. Its just taking on a life of its own and that really is inspiring to me.

But it is just one day she points out. The point is to keep the conversation going year-round.

Every day needs to be a day that we talk about mental health and that we normalize mental health, she said.

Just like you go to the dentist to have a check-up, you might be going to see your psychologist. You might have a friend whos got a broken leg and you show your support, so you would for a friend who may be dealing with a mental health issue.

There are five simple ways to help end stigma, she says: language matters, so be aware of your words; educate yourself about the facts; be kind; listen and ask; and talk about it.
TUESDAY, Jan. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Parents should think twice before buying "smart" clothing with vital signs monitors to keep tabs on their baby's health, pediatricians recommend.

A new class of home baby monitor has come to the market. Electronic sensors attached to socks, onesies, buttons and such continually check "vitals" like breathing, pulse rate and oxygen levels. They notify parents of any abnormalities via smartphone.

But repeated false alarms from the monitors jangle parents' nerves and lead to unnecessary tests performed on babies, said Dr. Christopher Bonafide.

Bonafide is a doctor with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He's also lead author of an editorial in the Jan. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

These baby vital signs monitors have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and there's no evidence the devices prevent any potentially fatal problems in normal infants, said Bonafide.

"I worry about the unnecessary care and even potential harm to babies that can be associated with alarms from these devices," Bonafide said. "There's not a role for these devices in the care of healthy infants."

One such device is Owlet Baby Care's sensor-laden "smart sock." It's worn on a baby's foot to monitor vital signs and sells for $250, according to the manufacturer.

"By giving parents the right information at the right time, we empower them to make informed choices," Owlet said in a response to the JAMA opinion piece. The company said its mission is to "help parents take a proactive approach to their baby's health and wellness."

Bonafide learned of these new baby monitors when a parent brought her healthy baby to the emergency room after an alarm sounded.

"Her baby was completely fine, yet because there was an alarm, it had prompted the family to come to the emergency room," he said. "The docs there were prompted to say, 'Well, if this alarm went off, maybe we should admit for observation.' "

False alarms can occur if babies set off the monitor by kicking or rolling, or experience a harmless change in their vitals that the device reads as life-threatening, Bonafide said.

For example, research has shown that babies occasionally experience sudden declines in their blood oxygen levels that would set off a monitor, he said.

"They're just normal fluctuations," Bonafide said, adding that the alarm would have parents think otherwise.

Babies brought in on a false alarm are likely to undergo blood tests, X-rays and other procedures that are expensive and potentially harmful, Bonafide said.

These false alarms also fray the nerves of sleep-deprived young parents, he added.

One mother told Bonafide that her baby monitor had been waking her up an extra three or four times a week with false alarms. "That's a big deal if you're already being woken up every two or three hours a night by the baby," he said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends against using these high-tech baby monitors in healthy infants, said Dr. Rachel Moon, who chairs the academy's Task Force on SIDS.

The AAP's main concern is that there's no evidence the devices even work, said Moon, head of pediatrics for the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

By not claiming that the monitors prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the manufacturers can avoid FDA medical device regulation, Bonafide and his co-authors noted.

"These companies ... have gone straight to market," Bonafide said. "And so the public actually doesn't know anything about the accuracy of the devices or safety of these devices."

However, according to the editorial, a video advertising the Owlet device mentions SIDS. It hints the app may signal parents when something is wrong, the authors said.

Owlet responded that the company has performed "extensive product safety testing," adding that its Smart Sock is in compliance with Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements.

The AAP is also concerned that parents using the devices might not follow safe sleep guidelines that have been proven to prevent SIDS deaths, Moon said.

"We're worried people will become complacent," Moon said. "If they have a monitor they might feel they can put their baby on its belly to sleep, or sleep with their baby."

Bonafide said he doesn't want the devices yanked from the market altogether, as they could provide needed monitoring of babies with breathing or heart problems.

But, he would like the FDA to step in and require studies that verify the accuracy and safety of the monitors.

"Innovation in the way we monitor kids is pretty valuable," Bonafide said. "The problem is these companies have bypassed all of the steps that exist to really protect the public from harm from these devices."

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about infant sleep safety.
US provided assistance worth $160 million to Nepal in 2016

The United States provided Nepal with assistance worth $160 million (Rs 16 billion) in 2016 to improve health, education, environment, agriculture, earthquake reconstruction and governance.
Travel booking site Wanderu announced this week it is expanding its services to travelers across the pond in Europe.

Travelers can now search Wanderu for bus and train transportation across 1,000 of Europes major cities in Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, among other places, according to the company.

The expansion is particularly useful for backpackers looking to travel across the continent while staying on a budget.

Wanderu partnered with National Express in the U.K., FlixBus in Germany, and OUIBUS in France for its initial launch offerings. Over the coming months, the company will roll out more search options with 160 more train and bus companies across the continent.

Related: You Can Fly to Europe for $69, Meaning You Have No Excuse Not to Travel This Year

Bringing Wanderu to Europe has been a priority of ours ever since the initial launch of our website back in 2013, Polina Raygorodskaya, co-founder and CEO of Wanderu, said in a statement. There are so many low-cost opportunities to explore numerous beautiful destinations all over the continent and its our duty to provide travelers with one convenient place where they can see all of their options to book the perfect trip.

Wanderu destinations have not currently expanded to the Iberian peninsula or some countries in eastern Europe. Although the company says that it is working with carriers based in Spain (and other countries) to expand offerings in the coming months.

Travelers can search Wanderu for European travel online or via iOS and Android app.
French Dutch English

Orange and Maxime Prevot, Walloon Minister of Public Works and Road Safety, are proud to announce that the Walloon Public Service received the "Agoria Smart Cities Award 2017" for the crowd monitoring initiative to solve the mobility problems resulting from the growing success of the Pairi Daiza family park. An action plan was imminent for the community of Gages to improve the daily life of its inhabitants during peak season, as well as the optimisation of traffic through the region as the roads could not handle heavy traffic jams.

Last year the park attracted during peak season over 1 million Belgian and foreign visitors, which led to a huge number of vehicles in the villages surrounding the park. To improve the accessibility of this important park and limit the impact of heavy traffic for its inhabitants, Maxime Prevot asked the Walloon Public Service in July to study the feasibility of a mobility solution. To better understand how many vehicles crossed the region, where they came from, and which roads they took when visiting the park, the Walloon Public Service ordered via a public contract an innovative crowd monitoring solution to map mobility issues. The results of the analysis conducted by Orange and Cropland will lead to a new mobility plan adapted to the traffic increase by Pairi Daiza.

"Agoria Smart Cities Award" for Pairi Daiza crowd monitoring project

The General Directory of the Walloon Public Service explains: "Nice spring weather and the immense success of the panda bears lead to enormous traffic jams in the wide surroundings of Pairi Daiza last year. In addition to long queuing times for park visitors, locals were often blocked in their cars not knowing which roads to take. To solve the traffic issues, we wanted to partner with a reliable party that could analyse the situation before we started making the necessary changes in our mobility plan. We selected Cropland and Orange to provide us with all the necessary info and analysis to improve mobility in our region."

Michael Trabbia, CEO of Orange Belgium, elaborates: "Together with Cropland we used our innovative methodology to create 6 areas around Pairi Daiza to map traffic, based on the data captured from the masts in Ath and Mons as from the opening of the park in March 2016. We also installed an antenna in the park to target the visitors data and exclude the inhabitants or tourists not visiting the park. Thanks to our origin-destination matrix and a moving timeframe per area we were able to map inhabitants along with national and international visitors on main roads and visiting the park. Because our tool allows us to go back in time (up to 1 year) we gathered valuable information (completely anonymised at the source) about the amount and origin of people moving in these specific areas since the opening of the park: during peak hours, holidays, the weekend. This valuable information helped the Walloon Public Service to better understand the traffic problems in the region. This is a nice example of the power of big data solutions that service smart cities with an absolute guaranty of the privacy of personal data."

Cropland and Orange offer these crowd-monitoring solutions to cities, governments, and all parties who encounter mobility challenges, in order to better understand traffic jams before improving their mobility plan.

The advantages of crowd monitoring

Crowd monitoring offers numerous new possibilities for cities and municipalities, besides the monitoring of crowds. For example, the Cropland-Orange tool can measure the impact of weather conditions on how a crowd moves, the pressure on the feeder roads to and from the event, and much more.

Not only can crowd monitoring improve mobility and safety during events, it can also help cities and municipalities improve their marketing. Day tourism, stay over tourism, and the organisation of events all have major economic impacts on a city. New measurement techniques and "big data" analytical tools make it possible to detect and map out mobile devices and offer valuable info that can be used to decide where city marketing needs to focus: where do most visitors come from, how long do they spend in a specific area...

Data privacy is always respected

The sources of the analytical data are anonymised traffic data from the Orange network. The data are anonymised at the source and filtered via specific algorithms in order to comply with the regulations on the protection of personal data at all times.

***

Maxime Prevot is pleased with the results obtained from the new technology Orange offered. He wishes to encourage such partnerships in the future as they offer adequate solutions to improve the mobility on Walloon roads and therefore also ensure the safety of the drivers.

***

About Orange Belgium

Orange Belgium is one of the leading telecommunication operators on the Belgian market, with over 3 million customers, and in Luxembourg through its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg.

As a convergent actor, we provide mobile telecommunication services, internet and TV to private clients, as well as innovative mobile and fixed line services to businesses. Our high-performance mobile network supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ technology and is the subject of ongoing investments.

Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the leading European and African operators for mobile telephony and internet access, as well as one of the world leaders for telecommunication services to enterprises.

Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL).

More information on: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter: @pressOrangeBe.

Press contact

Annelore Marynissen - annelore.marynissen@orange.com - +32 (0) 479 01 60 58

Jean-Pascal Bouillon - jean-pascal.bouillon@orange.com - +32 (0) 473 94 87 31

press@orange.be

Contact investors

Siddy Jobe - ir@orange.be - +32(0)2 745 80 92

About Cropland

Cropland seeks the added value of data by applying advanced pattern and text mining analyses and correlating different data sources with one another in order to generate new insights and understanding. Cropland processes and analyses data using 4 applications: Behavibility, Traceability, Connectability and Readability. You can find more information about the activities and customers of Cropland on its website www.cropland.be.

Contact person: Peter Rakers: peter@cropland.be and +32 495 207 204
WFP to continue providing food grains to Bhutanese refugees at vulnerable condition

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Nepal has said that it would continuously provide food grains to Bhutanese refugees at living in vulnerable condition in Nepal despite its compulsion to reduce the support owing to financial crunch.
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
Wild elephants destroy 12 houses in Bardiya

A herd of wild elephants destroyed a dozen houses at Neulapur of Babai Municipality in Bardiya on Wednesday night. The elephants entered Balati and Baganaha settlements in the middle of the night and wreaked destruction.
Lindsay Lohan has fuelled speculation she has converted to the religion after she was seen wearing a headscarf during a business meeting in Turkey, Joinfo.com reports with reference to Daily Mail Online.

Clad in a fur coat and with a conservative black scarf covering her hair, the Mean Girls star, 30, left the Istinye Shopping Mall alongside a group of men.

In contrast to her headwear, the Hollywood star sported a rather misplaced pair of thigh-high crushed velvet boots.

Her appearance comes after she left her Instagram bare apart from a message of Alaikum salam in her bio.

The Arabic greeting translates to and unto you peace, and many took it mean that Lohan was converting to the Muslim faith.

Im so happy that lindsay lohan found Islam. may Allah guide her and bless her, wrote one young woman on Twitter.

Another posted on her account: I heard that Lindsay Lohan converted to Islam? If its true, alhamdulillah. God has shown her the right path to now follow.

Lohan has not revealed however if she is in fact converting to the faith, and a rep for the actress did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

Lohan recently rang in the New Year in the Middle East, choosing to vacation in Dubai over the holidays.

There were previously rumors that Lohan might be converting back in 2015 when she was photographed holding a copy of the Quran while doing community service in Brooklyn.

When appearing on the Turkish talk show Haber Turk later year, she explained that the book was actually just a gift from some friends.

My very close friends, who have been there for me a lot, in London are Saudi and they gave me the Quran and I brought it to New York because I was learning, said Lohan.

It opened doors for me to experience spiritually, to find another true meaning. This is who I am.

She claimed however that she was attacked after that picture was released in the media.

They crucified me for it in America. They made me seem like Satan. I was a bad person for holding that Quran, claimed Lohan.

She said that she was then happy to leave and return to London because she felt so unsafe in [her] country.

Lohan professed her interest in a number of religions during an interview with Oprah Winfrey back in 2014, telling the popular talk show host that she was a very spiritual person.

She had just completed her sixth stint in rehab at the time that she spoke with Winfrey, saying: Im a very spiritual person and Ive become more spiritual as time has gone on.

Im really in touch, whether its prayer or meditation there are so many powers greater than me in the world. Ive been blessed and lucky enough to have been given a gift to share with other people.

Lohan spent time in October of last year visiting child refugees who had fled Syria and crossed over into Turkey.

She told Page Six last month that she was hoping to return to Turkey again either before or after the start of the new year.

The dates are not set yet. It depends on how Turkey feels after the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul, said Lohan, Not that any attack has or will ever stop me from helping those suffering, those who need our help the most.

She then added: I miss my family a lot, but they are very supportive and understanding of the fact that my main focus is business, writing and soon to start another film. More so, my work with refugees.
Forget bunkers in the forest full of food tins and bottled water  it seems New Zealand, with a population of 4.4 million, has become the best option for a new breed of American survivalist, the BBC reports.

When Silicon Valley tech billionaire Peter Thiel had become a citizen and purchased a lake-front estate it perhaps shouldnt have been a surprise.

Mr Thiel has invested heavily there, is just one of several US migrants who have realized what the country has to offer.

New Zealand recently overtook Singapore as the best place to do business, according to the World Bank. Transparency International ranks it as the worlds least corrupt country, and the 2016 Global Peace Index said it was the fourth safest behind Iceland, Denmark and Austria.

Weve definitely had an increase in American inquiries, and at least one sale that has been a direct run-off from the presidential result in the United States, says Nick Horton, an agent specialising in luxury real estate.

Theres just a feeling that people want to create a bolthole in the southern hemisphere thats away from some of the problems facing the Western world, he says.

Recently, the New Yorker magazine ran a piece titled Doomsday Prep for the Super-rich. It detailed the rise in wealthy investors who see New Zealand as their escape from a volatile world.

It is safe and clean. The west coast of the United States is a 13-hour flight away, and modern technology has tamed the tyranny of distance.

See also: Top 16 countries with the best healthcare in the world.

The temperate, mountainous country is also comparably well-placed to deal with rising sea levels, and its most recent major attack was in 1985, when French spies blew up a Greenpeace vessel in Auckland harbor.

However, as Horton explains, the interest from the United States is not new.

The same happened after the global financial crisis, and the same thing happened after Obama was elected, when some people thought the United States wouldnt tolerate having a black leader.

According to Immigration New Zealand, in November 2016 when the US presidential election was held, 17,584 people registered their interest to study, work or invest in the country, compared with 1,272 in November 2015.

In the two days following the election, the agency said its website received 88,353 visits from the United States  compared to a usual daily average of 2,300 visits a day.

Registrations have remained higher than average, with 3,159 received this month, compared to 1,724 in January 2016.

However, registrations are far higher than actual visa applications.

Between October and December last year, 348 residency visas were granted to people from the United States, compared with 338 in the same period in 2015. Work visas rose from 2,296 to 2,699 over the same period.

What we are experiencing at the moment is a slight increase in visas issued to American nationals, both temporary work visas and permanent resident visas, Steve McGill, general manager at Immigration New Zealand, told the BBC.

We have had a pretty active strategy of identifying investors out of America over the past few years.

Its a combination of our marketing effort, and a bit of global uncertainty that means New Zealand is a pretty attractive place, Mr McGill said.

It isnt just the mega-wealthy that are attracted to New Zealand. Sarah Coombes-Crome, an immigration consultant, said that traffic to her firms website was up approximately 600% the day after Donald Trump won the election and has remained higher than average.

They are from all over the United States and are educated, looking to either work in New Zealand or invest if they have a considerable amount of capital behind them.

I think New Zealand and the United States are very similar, she said.

They are both English speaking countries, they think similar, they have the same values and similar religious beliefs. Its also very easy to buy a property or do business in New Zealand, you can move your money around freely.

Chris Whelan, the chief executive of the Wellington regional economic development agency, says the country offers plenty of career opportunities, but with a much better lifestyle that you would find elsewhere.

I was talking to someone out of San Diego this morning and hes looking to invest potentially tens of millions of dollars in New Zealand.

For him its got excellent skills, excellent talent, and what was previous a boundary (distance) with modern technology youre connected to the world all the time.

Its a country with a similar land mass to Britain but with 4.4 million people.
Scientists have created a human-pig hybrid in a study that raises the prospect of being able to grow human organs inside animals for use in transplants, Joinfo.com reports with reference to VouxMagazine.

The scientists behind the new human-pig chimeras maintain that they understand the ethical implications of their work. To carry out this study, the Salk researchers relied on donations from private foundations and collaborated with scientists and pig farmers in Spain as well as UC Davis.

But Hiromitsu Nakauchi, a stem-cell researcher at Stanford University in California, says that the low number of human cells in the pig-human embrio means that the hybrids are still a long way from serving any useful goal, such as organ donors. Weeks later, some of the embryos showed signs that the human cells were beginning to mature and turn into tissue precursors.

This is one reason why the government doesnt give out funding for chimera research right now.

The agency later proposed lifting the ban, subject to restrictions and oversight by a special committee.

The study has reignited ethical concerns that have threatened to overshadow the fields clinical promise. Animal ethics activists are important and theres a place at the table for them, said Neuhaus, but [another] important voice would be people that need organs.

However, the contribution of human pluripotent stem cells to the formation of the developing embryo was very low. That capability  altering the genes of an embryo  raises red flags for some, Robert said. The creation of this so-called chimera  named after the cross-species beast of Greek mythology  has been hailed as a significant first step towards generating human hearts, livers and kidneys from scratch.

See also: Worlds first three-parent baby born in Ukraine.

Other concerns are less philosophical.

Robert mentioned another issue some have raised.

Scientists created the first rat-mouse chimeras a decade ago, but until now have struggled to combine human cells with those of a large mammal.

This has to be a slow road, Robert said. This new research reports the results of the implantations.

These are incredibly careful scientists trying to do good work, Robert said.

The mouse chimeras developed gall bladders made entire of rat cells, even though evolution took rat gall bladders away. The idea was to allow the natural system of development run its course, letting the mix of genes, enzymes and proteins direct the early embryo cells to specialize into heart cells, skin cells and more.

Once the rats reached adulthood, the team removed the pancreases and implanted clusters of these pancreatic cells into mice with diabetes.

That offers a proof-of-principle, Wu said.

I do think its going to be possible to manipulate cells and generate the right match of chimeras to get human cells to incorporate [better], said Janet Rossant, a developmental and stem cell biologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, who was not involved in the study but has previously collaborated with the authors.

Experiments involving chimeras, whether they are animal to animal or animals containing human material, are subject to regulation in the United Kingdom via the Home Office and the USA researchers had to follow similar guidelines set by the International Society of Stem Cell Research.

Human-pig chimeras face the added hurdle of vastly differing development speeds. At this point, we wanted to know whether human cells can contribute at all to address the yes or no question, he says.

Similarly, the human cells could be engineered to prevent them contributing to the chimera brain.

The results might sound like a terrifying half-pig half-human monstrosity  like the freaky hybrid recently discovered in China.

Researchers are getting better and better at growing these combined embryos, aka chimeras.

But actually creating lab animals that have human tissue could prove to be a better way, Wu said.

Researchers hope the mutants will help us grow organs for transplants.

Were nowhere near that yet, Wu stressed. In the case of the human-animal chimeras made in the new research, the embryos contained mostly animal cells, with a relatively small number of human cells.

Even if those scientific challenges are overcome, at least some ethical issues will persist. Blue color (DNA) indicates both pig and human cells.

In research that has rattled policy makers from Washington to the Vatican, scientists in California today described their controversial first attempts to create pigs with human organs inside them. But, he said, I think most people would not strongly object to this sort of experimentation.
On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
Thank you. My fourth and final journal is now online. I'm pleased to say I lost seven pounds in January -- not easy, given the demands of my job (and my inclination to snack at night). I'm no longer tracking my meals or exercise, but I plan to lose another few pounds by the time my birthday rolls around next month. I definitely feel better than when I began Weight Watchers the first of the year.

As for those amazing arepas, you'll have to wait. I'd rather not scoop myself. My review of their source comes out Feb. 19 in the Magazine. (Meantime, do you know about La Caraquena in Falls Church? The menu is part Bolivian, part Venezuelan, and features the hot pockets you crave.)



Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining me for another 60 minutes of restaurant talk.
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Khaled al-Sabah paid a one-day working visit to Iran on Wednesday, in an attempt to warm up the strained relations between Tehran and other Gulf States.

The minister who delivered a message from the Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to President Hassan Rouhani stated that its necessary that the differing views and misunderstandings between the countries of the region should come to an end in a calm atmosphere and through frank dialogue.

Spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Bahram Qasemi said the visit is part of periodic diplomatic meetings between the two countries that have been going on for a long time to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation as well as regional and international developments of mutual concern.

The Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said after meeting with his visiting Kuwaiti counterpart that Kuwait is a good and important neighbour. He commended Sheikh Sabahs role in strengthening neighborliness among regional countries.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister underscored the importance of Tehran in regional and international matters as he hoped for a dialogue between the countries around the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian State TV reported that the message from the Emir of Kuwait to President Rouhani was about the necessity to improve relations.

The Kuwaiti minister expressed hope that ties between Gulf States and Tehran will normalize and that they will work together as regional partners, the TV said, adding that President Rouhani noted that unity, integrity and helping each other is needed to fight terrorism in the region.

A communique on the Iranian Presidents website read that Rouhani informed the Kuwaiti Minister of his governments intentions to improve friendly and brotherly relations with neighboring Muslim countries based on mutual respect, positive neighborhood ties and Islamic brotherhood.

Relations between Iran and other Gulf States have proven challenging due to their foreign policies in the region as showcased in the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts where they support different parties.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016. Other Gulf States have stopped short of following suit due to the long-standing trade links and shared access to oil and gas fields with Iran.

Al-Sabahs visit is also reportedly expected to prepare the ground for a meeting between Iran and the Gulf Arab states.
Credit: martha sexton/public domain

(Medical Xpress)A team of researchers at the University of Toyama in Japan has found a way to uncouple overlapping memories in mice. In their paper published in the journal Science, the researchers describe how they induced two separate memories in test mice, how they caused the two memories to overlap and then how they decoupled them without erasing either

Scientists know that there are many types of memories, some of which can overlap. If you learn to avoid a certain type of sweetener, for example, and have also discovered how much it hurts to pinch your finger in the refrigerator a door, you could find those memories overlapping if they occur simultaneously a few times, which could cause you to wince the next time you accidentally swallow a drink with the undesired sweetener in it. In this new effort, the researchers describe an experiment they conducted where they caused such an overlapped memory in mice to no longer overlap, without changing either memory.

The experiment consisted of inducing bad memories of tasting saccharine in several test miceeach time they did so, they received an injected dose of lithium chloride which caused them to feel sick. Several days later, the same mice were given a little shock whenever they heard a certain tone, building a bad memory of the tone. Next, the mice were given a food to lick that contained saccharine at the same time the tone was played. This caused the mice to connect the two memories, making them overlap.

Thereafter, when tasting saccharin, they froze as if expecting a shock. As the experiment continued, the researchers identified the groups of neurons in the mice that were responsible for holding the two new memories, and then for the neurons responsible for holding information about the overlap. Once the mice were all trained, the researchers used optogenetics to turn the overlapping cells on and off. Turning them off, they found, removed the overlapping memorythe mice no longer froze when tasting the saccharin. But they still remembered the unpleasant aspect associated with tasting it and the electric shock that went along with the tone. Turning the overlapping neurons back on caused the overlapping memory to return.

The researchers suggest that in addition to offering new insights into how memory works in mammals, the results also suggest it might one day be possible to remove overlapping memories in people that cause problems, such as with PTSD.

More information: Jun Yokose et al. Overlapping memory trace indispensable for linking, but not recalling, individual memories, Science (2017). Jun Yokose et al. Overlapping memory trace indispensable for linking, but not recalling, individual memories,(2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aal2690 Abstract

Memories are not stored in isolation from other memories but are integrated into associative networks. However, the mechanisms underlying memory association remain elusive. Using two amygdala-dependent behavioral paradigmsconditioned taste aversion (CTA) and auditory-cued fear conditioning (AFC)in mice, we found that presenting the conditioned stimulus used for the CTA task triggered the conditioned response of the AFC task after natural coreactivation of the memories. This was accompanied through an increase in the overlapping neuronal ensemble in the basolateral amygdala. Silencing of the overlapping ensemble suppressed CTA retrieval-induced freezing. However, retrieval of the original CTA or AFC memory was not affected. A small population of coshared neurons thus mediates the link between memories. They are not necessary for recalling individual memories. Journal information: Science

 2017 Medical Xpress
Credit: Shutterstock

Researchers have found that our increasing thirst for digital technology can have negative effects on our mental and physical health, neurological development and personal relationships.

Moby music lovers might be in quandary about what to make of his 'These Systems Are Failing' album and the 'Are You Lost In The World Like Me' video but there is growing evidence that we are becoming digitally addicted with our battery life rapidly suffering.

Researchers at the University of Derby in the United Kingdom examined 256 smartphone users to establish their personality traits. The results published in the 'International Journal of Cyber Behaviour, Psychology and Learning', showed that 13 percent of participants in the study were addicted, with the average user spending 3.6 hours per day on devices such as smartphone, often causing severe distraction from relationships and 'real life'. Social networking sites were the most popularly used apps (87 percent), followed by instant messaging apps (52 percent) and then news apps (51 percent).

Everywhere we go we seem to be increasingly glued to our 'phablets', social networking sites or 'iPhone Scrabbling' games and cannot resist the lure of being digitally active around-the-clock. This almost universal access to technology, starting at a young age, is now transforming our societies, not to mention our pavements and even toilets.

You have probably seen one (or are one) but 'smombies' (a person walking whilst simultaneously using a smartphone) are such an increasing social phenomenon that a mobile lane for 'smombies' in Chongqing, China has now been created. Elsewhere, Japan has introduced interactive toilet paper for smartphones at its Narita International Airport to allow smartphone users to give their phone screens a germ-busting polish whilst using the lavatory.

New York psychotherapist Nancy Colier in her 'The Power of Off' book states that 'many people are disconnected from what really matters, from what makes us feel nourished and grounded as human beings.' She goes on to say that 'Our presence, our full attention is the most important thing we can give each other. Digital communications don't result in deeper connections, in feeling loved and supported.'

To hammer home this point, researchers at the University of Maryland reported in their 2010 'The World Unplugged Project,' that a clear majority of students in the 10 countries surveyed experienced distress when they tried to go without their devices for 24 hours, and often preferred to go without moments of intimacy with their partners rather than leave their smartphones.

With this rising addiction being met with new innovative and personalised gadgets on the market place, government regulatory agencies are now starting to raise concerns on the safety of using such applications.

Devices such as the smartphone provide us with unparalleled access and discoveries but studies such as the one conducted by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's (RPI) Lighting Research Center (LRC) demonstrate that there are costs involved, with smartphones potentially seriously affecting sleep cycles, and some people becoming too psychologically attached and thus suffering from anxiety separation.

So while Moby's take on systems that were supposed to serve us but instead are killing us might still seem a bit extreme at present, if we continue to ignore the growing number of health concerns, our digital addiction will soon need swift medical advice.

'People need to know the potential addictive properties of new technologies,' said co-author Dr Zaheer Hussain, from the University of Derby's psychology department.

Your medical advice is to keep things in moderation - 'Il Dolce Far Niente' (The sweetness of doing nothing), so you can reboot and essentially remain human.
The relative impact of genetics on height does not increase with improvements to the standard of living. These are the findings of an international research group which analysed the impact of genetic and environmental factors on adult height over a span of more than a century. The research material comprised 40 twin cohorts, including more than 143,000 twin pairs from 20 countries.

According to the study, no clear trend is apparent in the proportion of height variation explained by genetic differences between individuals, or heritability, -between the birth year cohorts from 1886 and 1994.

"Our results do not support the assumption that the heritability of height increases as the standard of living improves and extreme poverty is reduced," says researcher Aline Jelenkovic from the University of Helsinki.

Based at the Department of Social Research, Jelenkovic participated in the research group's analysis of the significance of genetic and environmental factors on adult height.

Environment more significant for women's height

The study showed that height variation caused by genetic differences was generally more pronounced among men than women. Conversely, environmental factors had a bigger impact on the height variation among women.

"This is to say that women's growth is not more resistant to environmental influences than that of men," Jelenkovic explains.

Height variation lowest in East Asia

When geographical-cultural regions were studied separately, height variation was lowest in East Asia and greatest in North America and Australia. The geographical differences in height variation can be attributed to both genetics and environment.

Hereiditability estimates by geographical-cultural regions did not show a pattern across birth cohorts.

"Even though mean height has increased over the 20th century as standards of living have improved, this is not reflected in the heritability of height," says Jelenkovic.

The study was published in the international eLife paper Genetic and environmental influences on adult human height across birth cohorts from 1886 to 1994.

Variation in adult height in human populations is caused by individual genetic differences and environmental factors. Twin and family studies have consistently shown that the proportion of height variation attributable to individual genetic differences is approximately 80%. There has been a long-term hypothesis that the impact of genetic factors is weaker in populations with low living standards, as poverty can lead to a lack of basic necessities which are important for human growth.

The increase in mean height observed in many parts of the world during the 20th century reflects the improvement in the standard of living.
Image: X and Y chromosomes. Males have an X sex chromosome (pink) and a Y sex chromosome (blue) and females have two X sex chromosomes. Credit: Science Photo Library

Research carried out by Francis Crick Institute scientists provides new insights into sex chromosome disorders which typically cause infertility, such as Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome. Through their research, the scientists have discovered an exception to a 'rule' or 'principle' of chromosome biology first hypothesised in 1967.

Our sex - male or female - is determined by the pair of sex chromosomes we have in our cells. Females have two copies of the gene-rich X chromosome but males have only one X chromosome, plus a much smaller sex-determining Y chromosome.

This difference creates a biological problem, as females have double the dose of the genes on the X chromosome. To account for this there is a process of 'dosage compensation' which balances the dosage, so that females have the same dosage from the X chromosome as males, not double.

The hypothesis of 'dosage compensation' was proposed by Susumu Ohno in 1967 and experiments have confirmed that this process does indeed take place within cells, by mechanisms which vary from organism to organism. His hypothesis took on the status of a rule; it was assumed that dosage compensation would be found within all cells.

Using RNA sequencing, James Turner's group discovered that mouse and human germ cells, which develop into gametes, i.e. sperm and eggs, do not conform to Ohno's 'rule' of dosage compensation.

Germ cells are special because they have to be able to give rise to the creation of a brand-new organism, with all its different types of tissue and organs and structural complexity. In order to be able to do this germ cells undergo a process of genome-wide 'reprogramming', in which information from the previous generation is erased.

The scientists suspected that this 'reprogramming' could disrupt dosage compensation within those germ cells. Their experiments demonstrated that their hypothesis was correct: in male germ cells expression from the X chromosome was very low, while in female germ cells it was very high.

The discovery of this exception to Ohno's rule of dosage compensation provides new insights into a key topic of developmental biology, namely the development of an organism's sex.

James Turner said: "The discovery challenges the idea that germ cells are initially 'sex neutral' before the Y chromosome 'kicks in' and instructs the gonad to develop into either a testis or an ovary. Our research demonstrates that prior to any overt 'fork' in development the germ cells are already sex-differentiated; they have different and imbalanced X chromosome dosages."

The research is clinically significant because it provides a better understanding of the biology underlying sex chromosome disorders, such as Turner syndrome, which affects about 1 in every 2,000 females and Klinefelter syndrome, which affects around 1 in every 660 males. Both of these syndromes typically cause infertility.

The Crick scientists looked at germ cells within Turner and Klinefelter syndrome mice. To their surprise, they discovered that germ cells in female Turner syndrome mice display the dosage found in normal male germ cells. They also discovered that germ cells in male Klinefelter syndrome mice display the dosage found in normal female germ cells. Their hypothesis is that the cause of infertility is this confusion, or conflict, between the sex of the organism, in terms of the presence or absence of the Y chromosome, and the sex identity of the germ cell, in terms of its X chromosome dosage.

More information: Mahesh N. Sangrithi et al. Non-Canonical and Sexually Dimorphic X Dosage Compensation States in the Mouse and Human Germline, Developmental Cell (2017). Journal information: Developmental Cell Mahesh N. Sangrithi et al. Non-Canonical and Sexually Dimorphic X Dosage Compensation States in the Mouse and Human Germline,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.12.023
This is a screenshot of a polysomnographic record (30 seconds) representing Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. EEG highlighted by red box. Eye movements highlighted by red line. Credit: MrSandman/ Wikipedia

(Medical Xpress)A small team of researchers with affiliations to the New York University School of Medicine and Peking University has found evidence of pruning and maintenance of synapses during REM sleep. In their paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Wei Li, Lei Ma, Guang Yang and Wen-Biao Gan describe their study of mouse brains and REM sleep, what they learned and how it might apply to humans.

Prior research has suggested that REM sleep is a mechanism used by the brain to manage memory retentioninsignificant information is wiped away while that deemed important is maintained to make it more permanent. But still unclear was what actually happens with brain cells as this process is carried out. In this new effort, the researchers studied mouse brain cells under different sleep conditions to learn more about what occurs.

Test mice were taught to run on a tread mill and were then divided into two groups. One group was allowed to sleep normally that night while the other group was repeatedly interrupted to prevent them from experiencing REM sleep. The team then extracted brain cells from both groups and studied them under a microscope. They found that the mice that had normal REM sleep had a higher degree of pruning of new dendrite spines (small spine-like growths that appear and disappear on neural dendrites) than did those that were deprived. Prior research has shown that neural spines strengthen or loosen the connection between neuronspruning helps to remove memories of things that have no meaning in our lives, like the noise of cars passing on the drive to work. Continued maintenance, on the other hand, leads to memories becoming more permanent.

The research team also looked at the degree of pruning that happened during REM sleep at different mouse ages and found that pruning continued throughout the life of a mouse and that pruning and maintenance over time led to larger and stronger spines, suggesting stronger memory retention. They also found that calcium channels appeared to play a role in pruning during REM sleeptheir levels increased and pruning activity ceased if the channels were blocked.

More information: Wei Li et al. REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning, Nature Neuroscience (2017). Wei Li et al. REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/nn.4479 Abstract

The functions and underlying mechanisms of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep remain unclear. Here we show that REM sleep prunes newly formed postsynaptic dendritic spines of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mouse motor cortex during development and motor learning. This REM sleep-dependent elimination of new spines facilitates subsequent spine formation during development and when a new motor task is learned, indicating a role for REM sleep in pruning to balance the number of new spines formed over time. Moreover, REM sleep also strengthens and maintains newly formed spines, which are critical for neuronal circuit development and behavioral improvement after learning. We further show that dendritic calcium spikes arising during REM sleep are important for pruning and strengthening new spines. Together, these findings indicate that REM sleep has multifaceted functions in brain development, learning and memory consolidation by selectively eliminating and maintaining newly formed synapses via dendritic calcium spike-dependent mechanisms. Journal information: Nature Neuroscience

 2017 Medical Xpress
Demand for cosmetic surgery is showing no sign of abating, with a boom in Asia as the procedures become more affordable and less of a taboo, experts said.

The global market grew by 8.3 percent in 2016 to an estimated value of 8.5 billion euros ($8.9 billion)the GDP of the Bahamas, according to data released Friday at the IMCAS aesthetic industry conference in Paris.

In 2017, people are projected to spend 9.2 billion euros on face and body upgrades, growing to nearly 12 billion euros in 2020.

"There's a general acceptance that doing, whether it's surgery or less invasive procedures... to make you feel better, look better, it's much more accepted," Nolan Karp, a New York surgeon and board member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, told AFP.

Demand in Asia is exploding, practitioners say, driven by a rapidly growing middle class and a quest for more Caucasian features.

Behind the United States and Brazil, South Korea was the third biggest market for aesthetic treatments in 2015, with 1.2 million procedures out of a global total of 21.7 million, according to data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

While breast augmentation and liposuction are the most popular procedures in America, Brazil, Mexico and most of Europe, demand in South Korea is for eye, nose, cheek and chin resculpting.

"They (clients) will be treating areas of the face that will make them look like Europeans or Americans," Laurent Brones, and industry expert, told AFP.

IMCAS data shows the Asia Pacific region will be the fastest grower, at 12 percent in the coming four yearsovertaking Europe for the first time in 2020 to represent a quarter of the global market at over three billion euros.

Machines overtaking scalpels

Less-invasive procedures such as laser treatments to tighten or "rejuvenate" skin, toxin injections to paralyse face muscles and ease frown lines, chemical peels, and freezing and killing unwanted fat, are fast overtaking traditional surgery.

More and more clients opt for procedures that require no anaesthesia, less recovery time, and present fewer risks.

"The growth of non-surgicals is pretty much exponential," ISAPS president Renato Saltz told AFP.

"The technology, the money invested in research and development, is just mind boggling. If you look at the industry, they don't make money with a scalpel, but they do make money with machines."

In 2015, Botox injections were the most popular procedure with 4.6 million performed by plastic surgeons, followed by hyaluronic acid injections (2.9 million) to iron out wrinkles and plump up lips.

Surgical breast augmentation was in third place with 1.5 million procedures, followed by liposuction with 1.4 million and operations to lift and shape eyelids at 1.3 million.

Some foresee that more and more men, who make up about a tenth of clients today, will be drawn in.

Slowing or reversing hair loss, for example, "is a huge potential market," said Bernard Mole, a Paris-based plastic surgeon.

Balding can be very distressing for many men, he said.

Hair implantation technology has improved and there is a drug that promises to boost growthbut these are expensive and take a long timeleaving a huge gap for a "miracle" hair drug.

Genital resculpting is another wide open field.

"The demand is not there yet, but 10/15 years ago there was also no demand for female genital rejuvenation," said Mole.

Today it is among the most popular procedures, "and I believe that in five to ten years we will see the same trend in men."

 2017 AFP
But whenever a brand tries to shave a few percentages off the size of their product, consumers immediately notice and complain. The latest revolt occurred earlier when Mondelez reduced the size of its Toblerone chocolate bars in the UK by increasing the gap between its triangular chunks.

Why are people so mad at downsizing? Certainly, downsizing is a loss, but so is a price increase. And consumers are generally indifferent to all the supersizing that has been happening over the past three decades. The same 16 ounce Coke, which now seems so normal were, not so long ago, advertised as a "big size, serving 3". In fact, for its first 50 years, the standard measure Coca Cola bottle was 6.5 fluid ounces. Now single servings of Coke at American fast food restaurants regularly reach up to 32 ounces.

In an article published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, titled "The Accuracy of Less: Natural Bounds Explain Why Quantity Decreases Are Estimated More Accurately Than Quantity Increases," INSEAD Professor of Marketing, Pierre Chandon and Nailya Ordabayeva, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Boston College, find that people are much better at accurately judging decreasing portions than increasing ones, which is why there are such public outcries when companies try to shrink portions.

Across five studies involving 4,842 size judgments, they show that people, including experts such as professional chefs from the Paul Bocuse Institute, estimate quantity decreases more accurately than quantity increases. On average, they found that a portion that is doubled in size is judged to be only 72% larger than the original size, a strong underestimation, whereas one that is halved appears to be 53% of the original size, which is a very good approximation.

"Our brain is very bad at judging quantity increases, but surprisingly accurate at judging quantity decreases", said Chandon, who is also the The L'Oreal Chaired Professor of Marketing, Innovation and Creativity at INSEAD and Director of the INSEAD Sorbonne University Behavioral Lab. "Supersizing food portions is a lose-lose proposition: Consumers don't realize how much food is available, they refuse to pay a fair price for it, and end up eating more than realize. Companies should consider downsizing back to what used to be a regular portion size not so long ago. But they need to downsize smartly, leveraging what we know about size perceptions, otherwise consumers will reject it".

In one experiment, they asked 510 participants to take a look at five different portions of chocolate candies in plastic cups. The cups had 37, 74, 148, 296, and 592 candies respectively. In the "supersizing" condition, participants were told the count of the smallest portion (37) and were then asked to estimate the number of chocolate candies in the other four portions. The average estimates were 57, 102, 184, and 296. In other words, people missed exactly half the candies in the largest cup. People in the downsizing group were told the count of the largest portion (592) and were asked to estimate the number of candies in the other cups. Their average estimate was 346, 163, 74, and 36. They only missed the size of the smallest cup by one candy.

Chandon and Ordabayeva hypothesized that this asymmetry exists because there is a natural lower bound or a zero point when portion sizes decrease. In other words, a decreasing portion cannot go below zero. When portions increase, however, they can theoretically grow to infinity. Without an upper bound, it is hard for people to estimate how big something has become.

To test their hypothesis, they provided an upper bound to some of the participants, telling them that the plastic container could hold a maximum of 629 chocolate candies. In this case, participants in the supersizing condition judged the largest container to hold 528 M&Ms, much closer to the actual numbers. When an upper bound was available, judgments of size increases were no longer less accurate than judgments of size decreases.

As another test, Chandon and Ordabayeva asked people to estimate the change in size between portions rather than the size of the portions themselves. They did this because size ratiosfor example, how many times larger or how many times smaller one portion is compared to anotherdo not have an upper bound, regardless of whether size increases or decreases. They found that estimating size ratios reduced the asymmetry between increases and decreases and made consumers less averse to size decreases.

"Our study suggests a number of strategies that can improve consumer decisions in the face of quantity increases vs. decreases," said Ordabayeva. "This improved visual accuracy, in effect, makes people less averse to, and more receptive towards, healthier downsized portions and packages," she added.

Provided by INSEAD
(HealthDay)Here's yet another reason to get off the couch: Inactivity is associated with greater risk of prediabetes, even for healthy-weight adults, a new study finds.

University of Florida researchers said the finding may help explain why up to one-third of slim American adults have prediabeteselevated blood sugar but not full-blown diabetes.

"We have found that a lot of people who we would consider to be at healthy weightthey're not overweight or obeseare not metabolically healthy," said lead investigator Arch Mainous III. He's chair of health services research, management and policy in the university's College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Mainous and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 1,000 people, aged 20 and older, in England. All had a healthy weight and no diagnosis of diabetes. Those with an inactive lifestyle were more likely than active people to have a blood sugar level of 5.7 or above, which the American Diabetes Association considers prediabetes.

About one-quarter of all inactive people and more than 40 percent of inactive people 45 and older met the criteria for prediabetes or diabetes, according to the study.

The study doesn't establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Still, these inactive people may have unhealthy "normal-weight obesity or 'skinny fat,' "a high proportion of fat to lean muscle, the researchers said.

"Our findings suggest that sedentary lifestyle is overlooked when we think in terms of healthy weight. We shouldn't focus only on calorie intake, weight or [body mass index] at the expense of activity," Mainous said in a university news release.

Because prediabetes increases the risk of diabetes and other health problems, the study adds to growing evidence that inactivity poses a risk to health, the researchers explained.

"Don't focus solely on the scale and think you're OK. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, make sure you get up and move," Mainous said.

The study results were published online Jan. 19 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
While many African immigrants make efforts to retain their culture, when it comes to sex education, acculturation can occur three times faster than average.

Where a shift in cultural behaviors and beliefs typically takes three generations, new research has found that among educated Sub-Saharan African immigrant mothers, cultural views regarding sex are rarely passed down to their children, indicating change after a single generation.

The study, "Exploring the Experience of African Immigrant Mothers Providing Reproductive Health Education to Daughters Aged 10-14 Years," was led by Kafuli Agbemenu, PhD, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Nursing, and published recently in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing.

The research sought to gather what each mother's culture taught about sex, and discover how much of the information the mothers planned to share with their teenage daughters.

The topic stems from an encounter Agbemenu had at 14 years old with a pregnant teenager while shadowing nurses at a hospital in Kenya. The girl, who was 17 years old, believed that she wouldn't be impregnated if she only had sex once.

"Typically, you get information about sex education from your family, friends and the media, so I started to wonder which part of the system failed her," says Agbemenu. "Mothers are the gatekeepers to information. We wanted to look at what they think about the issue and how they talk about abstinence and contraceptives."

The African immigrant population in the United States is a fast-growing yet under-researched community, making up 4 percent of the foreign-born population. The cultural influences, traditions and beliefs of African immigrants are distinctly different than those of native African-Americans. Examining how cultural differences impact their attitudes toward reproductive health education is critical to public health services, says Agbemenu.

The researchers surveyed 20 African immigrant mothers in Pittsburgh about the information they shared with their daughters regarding menstruation, sexual intercourse, pregnancy, and HIV and AIDS.

The results found that most of the mothers' sex education stemmed from religious and moral teachings, with little factual information. For many, the subject of sex is taboo in their native country and is not taught in schools. A history of AIDS denialism and pushback against condom use by religious leaders have also negatively affected several nations.

The lack of information leads to young adults receiving conflicting or inaccurate information about sex, and to the prevalence of myths and scare tactics to prevent promiscuity, such as the notion that touching a man could cause a girl to become pregnant, the study found.

Inadequate sex education is one of several factors that underscore the growing HIV and AIDS pandemic faced by Africa. Out of the 34 million HIV-positive people in the world, more than 70 percent live in Sub-Saharan Africa, including more than 90 percent of HIV-positive children, according to statistics from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS.

Although the mothers felt that 10 to 14 years of age was too young for their daughters to receive information about reproductive health, most of them displayed no desire to share the teachings, myths and scare tactics that they were taught, and instead sought to provide more factual information.

Agbemenu attributes this reluctance to education and cultural influence. Of the surveyed mothers, the majority received at least some college education, and several worked in health care. The only mother who desired to share the myths she learned with her daughter was also the least educated. Many of the mothers were also struck by how liberal U.S. society is toward sexuality and how accepting American culture is of adolescent relationships.

The researchers aim to use the results to help design more culturally appropriate comprehensive sex education programs for African immigrant mothers and their daughters, says Agbemenu.

Future research will continue to study the amount of factual information regarding sex that the mothers know and expand the reach of the survey by conducting it in languages other than English.
(HealthDay)Torture is ineffective and cruel, says a group of U.S. psychologists urging President Donald Trump not to restart the CIA's so-called "enhanced" interrogation program.

Trump has said he would sign an executive order reinstituting torture, such as waterboarding, claiming it is an effective way to get information.

The American Psychological Association is among those objecting to the controversial proposal. The group represents 115,700 scientists, educators, clinicians and students.

"APA has expressed its forceful opposition to the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques that were authorized under President George W. Bush and halted by President Obama," said APA President Antonio Puente.

"We are concerned that, if signed by President Trump, this order could open the door to interrogation practices that are now illegal and have been deemed cruel, inhuman and degrading to detainees," Puente said in an association news release. He is a neuropsychologist and professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Waterboarding involves immobilizing a captive and pouring water over the face and breathing passages, simulating the feeling of drowning.

The psychologists' group also challenged Trump's assertion that such forceful interrogation tactics are useful.

"Contrary to the president's statement, there is no credible scientific evidence that torture works," Puente said. "But there is evidence that rapport-building interrogation techniques are effective."

The APA said it condemns torture. It has a policy that prohibits psychologists from engaging in torture or working in violation of the U.S. Constitution or international law.

Psychologists are ethically bound to "respect the dignity and worth of the individual and strive for the preservation and protection of fundamental human rights," according to the group.

More information: The Center for Victims of Torture has more on The Center for Victims of Torture has more on torture

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Treating head and neck cancer patients with a twice-daily radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy could save more lives, according to new research presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017.

The study, led by Dr Claire Petit, a resident in radiation oncology from Gustave Roussy cancer centre in Paris, included patients with tumours in their mouths, throats or voice boxes, that had already begun to spread to neighbouring tissue. These patients tend to have lower rates of survival than those whose cancer was diagnosed at an earlier stage.

The twice-daily treatment is known as hyperfractionated radiotherapy. By splitting the daily treatment in two portions, a higher and more effective dose can be given to patients. The researchers hope that this can be achieved without increasing side effects.

Around 600,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer worldwide each year. It can be difficult to treat because the area of the body affected contains so many vital structures, including those responsible for breathing, swallowing and speech.

The researchers used a relatively new technique called a network meta-analysis to bring together data from 117 different trials, including 28,804 patients from around the world. This allowed them to compare 16 different treatments to find out which was best at reducing the spread of cancer and deaths from the disease.

They discovered that the twice-daily treatment, when combined with chemotherapy, cut deaths by 20% compared to the best standard treatment of once-daily radiotherapy with chemotherapy. It also reduced the risk of the cancer getting worse by 23%.

Dr Petit told the Congress: "There are a number of new treatments that have shown promise in head and neck cancer trials. This large study has enabled us to compare several of these treatments to see which is best overall in terms of reducing mortality."

Dr Petit cautioned that she has not yet studied the side effects experienced by patients, either during treatment or in the longer term, and that more research is needed to examine this and to confirm the results. "Some of the studies we looked at did not include data on side effects; others did not follow patients long enough to pick up long-term side effects. This will be the focus of more research over the next year."

She added: "Moreover, the method we used, network meta-analysis, which combines direct and indirect treatment comparisons, is a new method that needs to be interpreted with prudence.

"However, this is an important finding for this group of patients who have a higher risk of their cancer recurring following treatment."

Professor Philip Poortmans, President-elect of ECCO and head of the Radiation Oncology Department at Radboud university medical center (Nijmegen, The Netherlands), said: "This research provides good evidence for the benefits of treating advanced stage head and neck cancer patients with a combination of twice-daily radiation therapy and chemotherapy, compared to one or even none of these separately. Before we can apply these very interesting results into daily clinical practice, we need to wait for the outcome of the next stage of this research - namely the evaluation of the short and long-term side effects. This is of utmost importance for the quality of life of the patients and their relatives.

"Moreover, it would be preferable to perform prospective trials to confirm these results. If that is not feasible, or if we cannot wait for their outcome for some subgroups of patients who have the worst survival currently, then we should at least register carefully all the outcome parameters in prospective multi-centre databases so that they are available later on for analysis."

Provided by ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation
Will President Trump be able to make Mexico pay for his big, beautiful wall? Over the course of his campaign he offered a variety of ways to dip into pots of Mexican money.

The latest, proposed on Thursday, was a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico, which total roughly $300 billion in goods and services.

Like other proposals Mr. Trump has floated  impounding remittances of Mexicans working in the United States, or charging Mexicans more for visas  it seems straightforward. But carrying it out would be another matter.

The Trouble With Tariffs

For starters, a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico would violate the North American Free Trade Agreement and most likely the rules of the World Trade Organization, which frowns on punitive levies imposed arbitrarily on imports from specific countries. (It is hard to tell from the tangle of announcements from Mr. Trump and his advisers whether they are planning a broad new tax regime that would affect all exports and imports. That, too, would most likely invite challenges at the W.T.O.)
Although Behemoth uses The Divine Comedy as a template for its structure and narration, this documentary from Zhao Liang (Petition) is a feat of pictorial storytelling. Unfolding with little exposition, it finds horror and surrealism in Inner Mongolia, where migrant iron and coal workers are shown as cogs of the monster of economic progress in China. A late shot shows tombstones of the deceased, with construction trucks (the monsters playthings) driving on higher ground in the distance.

Like Hubert Saupers We Come as Friends and Michael Glawoggers Workingmans Death, the movie sees a perverse, almost science-fiction beauty in the ravages of destruction. Mr. Zhaos camera rides along on mine tracks; the screen turns an iridescent red with the flames of ironworks. The final sequence  the Paradise section  observes a trash picker in a ghost city, an uninhabited municipality built during a boom, and an almost comically pointless result of the toils weve witnessed.

If the movies goal is to accord humanity to forgotten workers, its easy to be of two minds. Mr. Zhao does not identify his subjects or  for the most part  give them a direct voice. Yet, Behemoth can be uncomfortably intimate. It ponders faces and blistered hands, and shows bottles of black fluid being extracted from workers, a consequence of pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease.

Behemoth proceeds placidly, making it easy to become lulled. Its haunting power grows in retrospect  as if youve returned from a journey and cant believe what youve seen.
 President Trumps executive actions on security and immigration continue to draw strong responses in the U.S. and internationally.

Mexicos president canceled a meeting with Mr. Trump over the order to build a border wall. Confusion remains over whether the U.S. will seek a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports.

And mayors of sanctuary cities, including New York and Los Angeles, have vowed to defy the presidents plan to curtail immigration.
Typically, only married relatives hand out envelopes, and only unmarried, younger family members receive them. At work, they are usually given to subordinates as a sign of recognition.

Sometimes, giving too much can be as disrespectful as giving too little.

Ideally, the money inside should be unused. Before the holiday, banks struggle to accommodate long lines of customers seeking fresh bills.

Technology is changing the tradition. WeChat, a widely used social platform on smartphones, allows for the digital transfer of red envelopes. The practice is increasingly popular.

On the eve of Lunar New Year in 2016, eight billion cash gifts were swapped via the app.

More traditionally, in parts of China, real coins are hidden in dumplings served at family parties. Whoever eats the dumpling risks cracking a tooth but is promised a year of riches.

Patrick Boehler contributed reporting.

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Protesters are saying, in effect, If we can pull this off, imagine what else we can do.

But it is much easier to pull off a large protest than it used to be. In the past, a big demonstration required months, if not years, of preparation. The planning for the March on Washington in August 1963, for example, started nine months earlier, in December 1962. The march drew a quarter of a million people, but it represented much more effort, commitment and preparation than would a protest of similar size today. Without Facebook, without Twitter, without email, without cellphones, without crowdfunding, the ability to organize such a march was a fair proxy for the strength and sophistication of the civil rights movement.

The Womens March, on the other hand, started with a few Facebook posts and came together in a relatively short amount of time. The organizers no doubt did a lot of work, and the size and the energy of the gathering reflected a remarkable depth of dissent. However, as with all protests today, the march required fewer resources and less time spent on coordination than a comparable protest once did.

This is one reason that recent large protests have had less effect on policy than many were led to expect. I participated in the antiwar protests of February 2003  at that point, likely the largest global protest in history, with events in more than 600 cities. I assumed the United States and its allies could not ignore a protest of that size. But President George W. Bush, dismissing the protesters as a focus group, indeed proceeded to ignore us, and the Iraq war began soon after. Mr. Bush was right in one way: The protesters failed to transform into an electoral force capable of defeating him in the 2004 election.

In 2011, I attended the global Occupy protests, which were held in about 1,000 cities in more than 80 countries  again, likely the biggest global protest ever, at that point. Thanks in part to digital technology, those protests, too, had been organized in just a few weeks. I was optimistic that I would soon see political and economic changes in response to this large-scale expression of resistance to economic inequality. I was wrong, then, too.
Brutally rejecting the peoples will, South Dakotas Republican-controlled Legislature is rushing to repeal a vital ethics reform referendum approved by voters in November.

The 52 percent of voters who approved the anticorruption referendum were hoodwinked by scam artists, Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican, brazenly insisted, as he promised to sign the repeal. The referendum called for the creation of an independent ethics commission to investigate abuses by statehouse politicians and lobbyists, a public financing option to reduce election spending and a $100 annual limit on lobbyists gifts to elected officials.

The Republican-dominated committee that approved the repeal bill did so under South Dakotas state of emergency provision that would prevent voters from reversing the repeal with another referendum.
Tropical Storm Nalgae death toll climbs to 155 in Philippines

Artak Beglaryan is appointed advisor to Artsakh Minister of State (PHOTOS)

US House committee extends deadline for Trump to produce documents on Capitol attack

Over 200 elephants die in Kenya amid drought

13 dead in cafe fire in Russia

Armenia Security Council chief to head for Poland, Netherlands, Lithuania

Rishi Sunak: State cannot fix all problems

Newspaper: To what extent Armenia adheres to sanctions on Russia?

Biden accuses Twitter of spewing lies

Newspaper: There are active political processes in Karabakh

Qatar FM slams hypocrisy of calls to boycott World Cup

France, Singapore and Switzerland begin joint testing of experimental digital currencies

Oil war is Biden's biggest mistake

Japan considers possible deployment of hypersonic missiles by 2030

Germany to install better air defense system over Defense Ministry buildings

Erdogan and Stoltenberg discuss war in Ukraine

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire in direction of Armenian positions

True cost of Europe's rejection of Russian gas

White House tries to explain Biden's statement about freeing Iran

Former Pakistani Prime Minister: Either we will have a peaceful revolution or a bloody one

Aramyan: Why are police officers' salaries increasing, while defense officers' are not?

Pentagon and U.S. weapons manufacturers to discuss Russia, human resources and supply chain

Ankara says U.S. may approve sale of F-16s to Turkey within few months

IMF: Turkey should tighten monetary policy and give the Central Bank more independence

Pope urges religious leaders to keep the world from brink of abyss

Putin awards Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II with Order of Honor

U.S. says G7 countries realize need for coordinated response to China

Round-the-clock curfew is introduced in Kherson

Borrell says they can't put China and Russia on same level

Olaf Scholz calls on China to influence Russia

G7 foreign ministers express 'unwavering commitment' to protecting Ukraine, criticized PRC and IRI

Political technologist explains why Pashinyan was elected chairman of board of ruling party in Armenia

Erdogan signs up for TikTok

China's army is constantly preparing for war amid provocative U.S. actions

Kalin: Armenia is constructive about normalization of relations

Poland asks EU to suspend fines

Putin: Situation in Ukraine was deadly for Russia

Portugal to test a four-day workweek

US embassy in Armenia issues statement ahead of November 5 protests in Yerevan

Dollar, euro go up in Armenia

Baku authorities once again refuse to allow PFPA to hold protest rally

Iranians commemorate anniversary of US embassy seizure

Richard Kauzlarich: Azerbaijan, Armenia FMs meeting in Washington 'will send message to Putin'

Russia ratifies protocol on requirements for length of service of EEU bodies' employees for pensions

Armenia deputy defense minister in Russia, discusses military cooperation

Yerevan receives proposal to hold Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan interparliamentary talks

Health minister: We will work with fallen Armenia detainees relatives one more time after which bodies will be buried

Putin allows mobilization of citizens with unexpunged criminal record for serious crimes

Arnika, NESEHNUTI NGOs of Czech Rep. issue joint statement on plan to expand gold mine in Armenias Karaberd

Putin urges to evacuate civilians living in Kherson from the war zone

Iran parliament speaker to visit Armenia

Ruling force MP: Canada is opening embassy in Armenia because we are one of worlds most democratic countries

Girl with Armenian roots ends up in Vladimir orphanage

Erdogan says he has agreed with Putin to supply grain to needy countries for free

Armenia President, UK envoy agree to continue cooperation, close contacts

Armenia FM receives EU Monitoring Capacity

Spanish MPs don't approve agreement with Baku as a sign of solidarity with Armenia

Japan says North Korea may go ahead with nuclear test

Armenia government to allocate about $5M to Karabakh refugees support program

Belarusian border service: Border guards intercepts Ukrainian training drone

President appoints Ruben Vardanyan as Karabakh Minister of State

US embassy expresses concern about human rights violation in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan continues muscle play on Iran border

Ibrahim Kalin says Turkey will become an important gas center one way or another

Biden: We're gonna free Iran

Reuters: G7 countries and Australia agrees on fixed price for Russian oil

World oil prices dropping

Wizz Air to launch new flights between Venice, Yerevan

EU assesses Armenia, Azerbaijan border commissions meeting in Brussels as constructive

Artsakh President convenes enlarged working consultation

Envoy: China supports Armenians

Azerbaijan MOD disseminates disinformation, Armenia army did not fire

Armenia ruling party recounts congress voting results

Quake jolts Turkey

Newspaper: Armenia PM once again manipulates topic of negotiations, Karabakh conflict

Newspaper: Studies underway on Armenia MPs business involvement

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

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spreads another disinformation

ENISA: War in Ukraine, geopolitics fuel cyberattacks

Armenian MFA: Yerevan and Baku agree to speed up work on agreeing procedure of Commissions' activities

Zelenskyy will not participate in G20 summit if Putin participates in it

WP: Man who attacked Pelosi's husband was in the U.S. illegally

At Upper Lars, 30 cars are allowed through per day instead of previous 300: What are authorities doing?

Bloomberg: Turkey unlikely to sign Sweden's bid for NATO membership before the end of the year

Military servicemen in Armenia to be attested: Discussion at parliamentary standing committee

IEA calls for urgent action on gas shortages in Europe

French Senate to consider resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory

Papikyan: The final number of dead will be published after the identification is complete

Armen Grigoryan presents to Patrushev consequences of Azerbaijani aggression

Indonesia reveals its own kamikaze drones
YEREVAN.  The Investigative Committee of Armenia is conducting an investigation to ascertain the cause of death of Cadet Sargis Apinyan.

According to preliminary data, the health of Cadet Apinyan, a compulsory serviceman at a military unit of the Ministry of Defense, drastically deteriorated on Thursday at around 4:20pm, at the drill ground of the said military unit, the Investigative Committee informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The serviceman was taken to the military units medical facility, where, however, he died at around 5:35pm.

An autopsy has been commissioned.
YEREVAN.  The opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) is not opposed to changing day of the forthcoming parliamentary election, which is slated for April 2.

PAP Chairwoman and head of the PAP National Assembly Faction, Naira Zohrabyan, on Friday told about the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

She noted that there is not solely a legal, but an ethical matter in connection with the day that is set for this election.

In Zohrabyans words, however, the important thing for her is not the actual day of the election, but rather the conduct of a free and independent election, which will also become a tribute to those fallen during the four-day war in April 2016when Azerbaijan had unleashed a large-scale military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

To note, at Thursday meeting of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Board, President and RPA Chairman Serzh Sargsyan announced that if all political actors reach respective agreement, the party sees no political obstacle before rescheduling the date of the parliamentary election.

Several political forces had urged the RPA to change the election day because it marks the one-year anniversary of the aforesaid four-day war, and therefore designating April 2 as Election Day is wrong from legal and ethical aspects.
YEREVAN.  Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, on Friday met with newly appointed Kuwaiti Ambassador Nawaf Abdul Aziz Abdullah Alenezi.

Congratulating the ambassador on assuming his diplomatic mission, the PM informed about the Armenian governments assistance in the further development and strengthening of relations between the two countries, the press office of the government informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Karapetyan lauded the Armenia-Kuwait political cooperation, and emphasized the need for deepening and expanding economic ties. In addition, the Premier suggested that the matter of establishing direct air communication between Armenia and Kuwait also should be considered.

Ambassador Alenezi, for his part, highlighted that during his tenure he will do everything to give new impetus to the development of Armenian-Kuwaiti relations, and he likewise underscored the need to make economic ties grow deeper. The diplomat added that he has received an assignment from the Emir of Kuwait, and toward further development of relations with Armenia.

Within the framework of advancing Armenian-Kuwaiti bilateral relations, the interlocutors also highlighted the active work by the respective intergovernmental commission.
Armenian Beer agreed with the Iranian side about exports of Armenian products, particularly, nuts and diatomite - filtering powder, said the director of the company Ashot Baghdasaryan in his interview with Armenian News NEWS.am.

"We have good political relations. As for the economic relations, it reminds me of a road with a one-way traffic for 25 years. This meeting is designed to change the situation and to turn Armenia from the importing into an active exporting country. Creation of free economic zones will contribute to this. We have already agreed on certain products, particularly exports of nuts and diatomite - filtering powder. We are already supplying these products to Iran. Though, it creates a number of issues, in terms of price policy, for individual companies. Therefore, we suggest to organize the export at the official level, which will contribute to an increase of this products supplies. It is worth noting, that diatomite is used by all the leading brewing companies in Europe and the EAEC, including Carlsberg, Heineken, the businessman said.

In general, the Iranian businessmen who arrived in Armenia to participate in the forum on the prospects for the creation of free economic zones in Armenia, have showed a great interest not only in raw materials from Armenia, but also in technology.

Since, horticulture is highly developed in Armenia, Iranian businessmen suggested to open joint ventures in the free economic zone. Raw materials from Armenia, Iran packaging  and here it is, a finished product for duty-free import to EAEC countries. Of no less importance are technologies used in horticulture, animal husbandry, and food industry, as well as the production of batteries.

As earlier reported, on January 27 in Yerevan there is taking place an Armenian-Iranian business forum on the prospects for the creation of free economic zones in Armenia and cooperation on mutually beneficial terms.
YEREVAN. - Minister of Economic Development and Investments of Armenia, on Friday received the Iranian delegation headed by the CEO of Aras free trade zone, Mohsen Arab-Baghi.

The delegation included the deputies of the Iranian parliament Mohammad Hassan Nejad, Armenian Karen Khanlaryan and George Abrahamyan, as well as other officials, businessmen and experts.

The meeting was also attended by the Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Kazem Sadjadi, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments Hovhannes Azizyan and other officials in charge of the Ministry.

Welcoming the delegation members, Suren Karayan noted that the two friendly countries can jointly ensure faster development of economy.

It is necessary to make a full use of the existing opportunities. We should seek to organize joint production and export to other markets. We announce about the creation of a free trade zone in Meghri and already move to the organizational activities. Through joint efforts we will do our best to organize the efficient work of the free trade zones. The bordering free trade zones of Armenia and Iran should become the epicenter of the regions bordering free trade zones, Karayan stressed.

The Minister proposed holding a joint business conference after the establishment of the Meghri free trade zone, inviting all the businessmen concerned so that the latter can get familiarized with the capacities and advantages of the free trade zones.

Iranian Ambassador Seyed Kazem Sadjadi, for his part, thanked for the warm reception, noting that the delegation is a wonderful team, which can present all the opportunities of Irans economy. He also added that the results of Iranian Presidents visit to Armenia will soon become visible, since both sides have a political will and great wish to deepen and expand the trade and economic cooperation.

Mohsen Arab-Baghi attached importance to the business cooperation, especially stressing the organization of joint work in free trade zones. He expressed readiness to brief the Armenian officials and businessmen on the activity of Aras free trade zone, also transferring their experience to their Armenian partners.

At the meeting, the sides also discussed the spheres of mutual interest, specifically referring to the manufacturing of agriculture, dairy and meat products mining, nanotechnology, other spheres of industry and tourism. They also agreed to set up a working group for coordinating the relevant work.
YEREVAN.  Immediately after the information on the arrest of Alexander Lapshin in Minsk become public, an active work with international human rights organizations and other partners has been initiated by Armenias Human Rights Defender.

Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in her official letter addressed to the Human Rights Defender, presented her position over Lapshins case, Ombudsman's office said in a statement.

Specifically, D. Mijatovic noted that she has been following the case of Russian blogger and journalist Alexander Lapshin from the time of his detention in Minsk on 15 December 2016.

According to D. Mijatovic, she is fully aware that Lapshin faces harsh penalties in Azerbaijan if extradited by the Byelorussian authorities. Therefore she repeatedly communicated with the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus at the OSCE and sent a letter to the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus, expressing her concerns that, if extradited, Lapshin might face unfair treatment in retaliation for his journalistic activity and expression of his views, including on important human rights issues related to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

D. Mijatovic has assured A. Tatoyan that she asked the Byelorussian authorities to carefully consider this case, so that Lapshin was not restricted to fulfill his legitimate journalistic activity.

She also stressed that she shall closely follow on further development in this case.
During the free debate at the end of the PACE winter session on Friday, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly (NA) and PACE, Hermine Naghdalyan, who is the head of the Armenian delegation to PACE, handed over her speech to PACE Secretariat.

In her speech, Naghdalyan expressed concern over the condition of the Turkish democratic institutions, which are among the hottopics of PACE.

Unfortunately, the opinions expressed by our colleagues during the previous discussions have not been taken into account and the proposals on resuming the monitoring procedure in Turkey were denied, whereas this could have had a preventive impact against the gross violations of democratic freedoms in the country, she stressed, adding that Turkey is the immediate neighbor of Armenia, and the latter thus has reasons to get concerned.

Referring to the anti-democratic conduct of the Turkish leadership in the relations with neighbors and the fact of keeping the border with Armenia closed for 25 years in neglect of the international obligations taken up, Ms Naghdalyan described such a policy as absurd against the backdrop of the current world without borders.

What is going on in modern Turkey? Under the pretence of the Parallel stateas the Turkish call the Gulen movementsearches and neutralization, as well as mass arrests are underway. I think you understand what threatens the people arrested and sacked in that environment. Currently, eleven deputies are arrested and given lengthy sentences, she noted, expressing concern over the fates of media representatives and private journalists.

In this context, Ms Naghdalyan recalled the vivid manifestation of violating the freedom of speech and immunity of opposition deputies, when an Armenian deputy was deprived of the right to attend three sessions only for uttering the words Armenian Genocideand urging to face the past.

Everything going on in Turkey in respect of the national minorities, awakening of nationalism, establishment of tyranny and existence between war and peace, make us recall the events which took place 100 years ago, when the Armenians and other Christians were the victims. Now the Kurds are the victims.

The demands of the EU to Turkeyrespect for democratic values, national minorities and human rightsare not absurd at all. What is absurd is the attitude of the Turkish authorities to those demands, the Deputy Speaker concluded, urging PACE to reconsider the proposal on resuming the monitoring process in Turkey, which various European delegates joined.
The OSCE Permanent Council on Friday considered the issue of extending the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan during a session held in its headquarters.

Speaking at the session, the Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, Clemens Koja, noted that within the framework of discussing the aforementioned issue, Azerbaijan expressed concern on the non-conformity between the Offices humanitarian demining program and the mandate of the mission.

In this connection, he stressed that based on the results of the visit to Yerevan and the observations on the ground, the Special representative of the OSCE Chairmanship concluded that the mentioned program is in line with the Offices mandate. Mr Koja added that both the former German and current Austrian Chairmanships support that view.

The Chairman expressed regret over the fact that even in these conditions the decision on extending the mandate of the Yerevan Office is postponed, stressing that this may negatively impact the entire activity of the OSCE.

As an option of settling the emerged situation, the OSCE Chairmanship urged the Yerevan Office to refrain from implementing the demining program. Furthermore, Mr Koja stressed that all the other programs of the Office should continue. Moreover, the Austrian Chairmanship of the OSCE expressed gratitude to Armenia as a host state for approaching the matter with understanding.

He also informed that certain OSCE member states have shown interest in implementing such programs with Armenia in a bilateral format. In this context, the OSCE Chairmanship urged the organizations member states to support the activity of the OSCE Yerevan Office, since it is important for the entire organization.

The Chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council thanked Armenia for its exclusively constructive position.

Appearing in isolation and opposing 56 OSCE member states, Azerbaijan spoke against extending the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

In contrast, the delegations of a number of OSCE member-states, including Russia, U.S., EU, Canada and Switzerland in their speeches backed the activity of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
NYCOSH Calls for New Enforcement Strategies, Apprenticeship Programs for Construction Safety

The New York City Council's housing committee will consider a package of legislation Jan. 31, after NYCOSH called for legislation including an increase in training for construction workers and mandatory apprenticeship programs on large construction sites.

Coming on the heels of last week's "Deadly Skyline" report on construction deaths in New York state, a clarion call from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health and allies for stepped-up safety enforcement at construction sites in the state, the New York City Council's Committee on Housing and Buildings is scheduled to consider a package of legislation Jan. 31. Included are local laws to require anemometers on cranes, revise the penalties for violations of site safety provisions in the construction codes, and to require task-specific safety meetings for workers at all construction sites.

NYCOSH held a news conference Jan. 18 with members from Greater New York LECET, the Building and Construction Trades Council, City Council members, and community organizations to release the report, which indicated employers routinely violate legal regulations with impunity.

"We need to take action now to end the crisis of rising construction fatalities in New York State. These deaths are almost always preventable and occur on non-union job sites 80 percent of the time. Latino workers compose the majority of fall fatalities  57 percent in 2015  and there is a strong correlation between employers who steal workers wages and who force workers to work under unsafe conditions, said Charlene Obernauer, executive director of NYCOSH.

Releasing it the same day a package of legislation was introduced by the New York City Council, NYCOSH called for legislation including an increase in training for construction workers and mandatory apprenticeship programs on large construction sites.

"I was working in the non-union construction industry before Laborers Local 79 recruited me. Laborers' rigorous apprenticeship program immediately provided me with training at no cost for my OSHA 10 card and other certifications, along with classes on how to avoid injuries and how to quickly assess if the job site is safe. The combination of classroom and hands-on training is the key to not only becoming a skilled trades person, but it also ensures we work safe in one of the most dangerous industries out there," said Prentice Miller of Brooklyn, who spoke at the event on the need for effective apprenticeship programs.
Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wisconsin is known as America's dairylandmore than one third of all the cows in America live on some-3,000 farms in the state. Those bovine residents contribute to a thriving dairy industry, but milk is not the only thing that they produce in prodigious quantities. That many cows inevitably leads to a significant amount of manure, and managing that organic waste is an important problem for everyone living in the state.

"It is a horribly complex problem and we all contribute to it and are affected by it," says Victor Zavala, the Richard H. Soit Assistant Professor in chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Farms generate the manure and we are all affected by its environmental impacts. But manure production is driven by strong economic forces originating from urban areas that demand dairy products."

Phosphorus runoff from manure causes algal blooms in water bodies. Manure also releases pathogenic bacteria and methane gas. Technologies do exist to process organic waste, while at the same time recovering valuable products such as biogas and struvite for fertilizer; but these technologies are expensive and affordable only for large farms.

Yet, deciding on a suitable solution involves much more than technology cost alone: Where to locate manure processing plants, how to transport the waste, and who should pay for the equipment are all challenging questions. With so many competing interests, no single individual can realistically keep track of all the costs, benefits, and constraints. "This problem is too complex. You need to find simpler and more direct ways to explain the interactions between social, economic and technology aspects to people making decisions," says Zavala.

Conflicting stakeholder interests complicate the problem further; most of the time such conflicts arise unnecessarily because of a lack of data about technology and logistical constraints.

A decision-making framework can help people to better grasp the large number of factors that need to be considered and to narrow down the options to a few potential solutionsand Zavala and his colleagues are developing such a framework to help people reach agreements in complex and potentially controversial decisions such as manure management. By systematically quantifying costs, environmental impacts, and people's opinions and priorities, these tools can help lead to compromise solutions that maximize collective stakeholder satisfaction.

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Dane County in Wisconsin, Zavala is creating decision-making frameworks that government and industry can use to identify optimal strategies to tackle the manure management problem.

"We are hoping that with this framework, we can have a more informed negotiation process. Instead of just telling stakeholders what they should do, we want to provide better frameworks for people to negotiate on what the manure management infrastructure would do," says Zavala, who is leading the effort along with Rebecca Larson, an assistant professor of biological and systems engineering at UW-Madison.

Importantly, the researchers will include quantitative measures of stakeholders' satisfaction in their models to ensure that the opinions of all groupsrural and urban communities, farmers, politicians, environmental regulators, and scientists alikeare heard and considered.

"We try to come up with fair solutions that please as many stakeholders as possible, with the important observation that you will very rarely be able to please everyone," says Zavala. "The framework can also be used to inform stakeholders on how their opinions influence (or not) the final decision. That is a powerful piece of information."

In related research, Zavala and colleagues recently completed a project on organic waste management in Dane County, Wisconsin. That team included UW-Madison/UW Extension collaborators from the Departments of Biological Systems Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Soil Science, and Water Resources Management. Funding for the project was provided by Dane County. The team's analysis of the livestock in the Upper Yahara Watershed study area indicates an excess of up to nearly double the manure phosphorus in comparison to crop uptake. The level of excess indicates a need to redistribute the manure outside the study area.
Although treaties of the European Union guarantee the fundamental right of any European citizen to move freely between its member states, people with reduced mobility cannot yet fully enjoy it.

In the specific case of people with disabilities, there are a number of common problems in urban areas. On the one hand, it is difficult to find information on the possibilities of both accessible public transport and private vehicle transport. On the other hand, although in most European countries it is usual to have parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities, the availability of these is limited, it is not easy to know their location and fraudulent use is made of them.

The SIMON project responds to these challenges by offering a complete integration of technological solutions that facilitate accessible navigation, mobility information and the management of access rights for parking badge holders. These solutions have been tested on a large scale in the cities of Madrid, Lisbon, Parma and Reading.

Among the different services that SIMON can offer, the combination of a mobile application and a new smart card model stands out. Through them, users have information on accessibility and parking in real time, are able to validate themselves as legitimate users of parking spaces and can plan accessible routes using multimodal transport.

The solutions proposed by SIMON also include applications and services for public authorities, public transport operators and parking service managers. In the cities that adopt this system, SIMON allows them to manage the use of the public parking spaces, receiving real-time information on the use of reserved parking spots, reducing fraud and allowing inclusion policies to promote the sustainable use of all transport modes.

Finally, work is being done to ensure that these solutions, especially the new smart card model, are adopted as a standard in the European Union, so that the mobility of citizens regardless of their place of residence is provided.

SIMON project will finish in March 2017, and the main results will be presented to end users and interested stakeholders some weeks before, after evaluation and validation of pilot demonstration activities have been done. This final event will take place in Madrid, where local, national and European institutions will meet to know first-hand about SIMON conclusions.
The Lewis glacier on Mt. Kenya has lost 90 percent over the last 75 years. New research suggests future warming on Mt. Kenya and other tropical peaks may happen much faster than climate models currently predict. Credit: Hilde Eggermont

In few places are the effects of climate change more pronounced than on tropical peaks like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, where centuries-old glaciers have all but melted completely away. Now, new research suggests that future warming on these peaks could be even greater than climate models currently predict.

Researchers led by a Brown University geologist reconstructed temperatures over the past 25,000 years on Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest peak after Kilimanjaro. The work shows that as the world began rapidly warming from the last ice age around 18,000 years ago, mean annual temperatures high on the mountain increased much more quickly than in surrounding areas closer to sea level. At an elevation of 10,000 feet, mean annual temperature rose 5.5 degrees Celsius from the ice age to the pre-industrial period, the study found, compared to warming of only about 2 degrees at sea level during the same period.

"When we run state-of-the-art climate models backward in time to this period, they underestimate the temperature changes at high elevations," said James Russell, an associate professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and a fellow at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. "That implies that the models may similarly underestimate high-elevation warming in the future."

The study, which Russell led with Shannon Loomis, his former graduate student, is published in the journal Science Advances.

Temperature differences

Questions among scientists about how global warming affects tropical high elevations date back about 30 years. In 1985, influential research by Brown geologist Warren Prell showed that from the last ice age to the pre-industrial period, sea surface temperatures in the tropics rose only a degree or two. Meanwhile, temperature records estimated from high-altitude tropical glaciers suggested much more dramatic warming at high elevation.

"The climate modeling community thought there must be something wrong with one of these temperature records," Russell said, "because the models simply can't reproduce such a big difference in warming between high and low elevations."

Subsequent work has largely confirmed the sea surface temperature estimates, but questions about the high-elevation data remained. This new study aimed to generate new, more robust high-elevation records.

Over the past decade, Russell's co-author Jaap Damste of the University of Utrecht and colleagues have developed a new method of tracking temperature through time by studying the remains of ancient microbes. Specifically, they look at organic compounds called GDGTs that are produced in microbial cell walls. The chemical makeup of GDGTs is sensitive to temperature. In order to keep GDGTs and cell walls in a stable and permeable state, microbes alter the chemical makeup of GDGTs in response to temperature changes. Russell and his team have been able to precisely calibrate GDGT composition found in lake sediments with air temperatures through time.

Sediments from Lake Rutundu, located on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, helped researchers develop a temperature record at high elevation over the past 25,000 years. Credit: Hilde Eggermont

"We thought we could use this new temperature proxy to create a record of high-elevation temperature since the last ice age that either confirms or refutes the glacier-derived record," Russell said.

For the study, Russell and his colleagues looked at sediment cores taken from the bottom of Lake Rutundu, a volcanic lake on Mount Kenya at an elevation of around 10,000 feet. The cores preserve the signature of GDGT chemistry dating back more than 25,000 to the ice age. The data suggested that mean annual temperatures at Lake Rutundu increased about 5.5 degrees Celsius since the last ice agea figure consistent with the previous high elevation temperature proxies. Meanwhile, temperature data from two lakes closer to sea levelLake Tanganyika and Lake Malawisuggest much more modest temperature changes of about 3.3 degrees and 2 degrees respectively.

Climate models are able to reproduce the temperature changes at low elevations, but they underestimate the high-elevation change by 40 percent, Russell says. That suggests there's something amiss in the way the models simulate changes in the atmospheric lapse ratethe rate at which air temperature varies with altitude.

"All climate models calculate a lapse rateit's integral to the output of the model," Russell said. "What this work shows is that there's a problem in the way the models make that calculation."

Implications for future climate change

It's difficult to diagnose exactly what that problem is, Russell says, but it likely has something to do with the way models treat atmospheric water vapor content. Water vapor content is the strongest controlling factor in governing the lapse rate (moist air cools more slowly with altitude).

"We would argue that there's probably a problem in the water vapor concentrations and therefore the feedback," Russell said.

Whatever the source of the problem, the ramifications for tropical mountains may be significant. The models miss almost half the temperature change at high elevations in the past, and they may be underestimating future change as well.

"These are very fragile ecosystems that house extraordinary biodiversity and unique environments such as tropical glaciers," Russell said. "Our results suggest future warming in these environments could be more extreme than we predict."

More information: "The tropical lapse rate steepened during the Last Glacial Maximum" Science Advances, advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/1/e1600815 Journal information: Science Advances
Two giant, long-necked azhdarchidsthe Maastrichtian species Arambourgiania philadelphiaeargue over a small theropod. Credit: PeerJ (2017). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2908

(Phys.org)A pair of researchers in the U.K. has identified fossils found in the Transylvania area in Romania as those of a pterosaur they have named Hatzegopteryxa giant, muscle-bound flying reptile that could eat prey as large as a small horse. In their paper published in the journal Peer, Mark Witton with Portsmouth University and Darren Naish, with the University of Southampton describe the fossils and what they believe the creature looked like when it was alive.

Fossil remains of pterosaur types have been found at many sites around the worldthey usually had long necks and legs and were capable of eating prey as big as a modern rat. They have also been known to vary quite dramatically in size, from that of a jet fighter to a simple modern sparrow. Hatzegopteryx is quite different, though, the researchers point out, having a short, thick neck with extremely wide bones and a spongy filling which added even more strength. It also had a much wider mouth than others in the pterosaur family, allowing it to take down and swallow much larger prey. The fossils found thus far suggest that the creature was likely stocky in general with strong wing, and back and leg muscles possibly weighing as much as a quarter-ton.

The fossils were dated to the late Cretaceous (approximately 70 million years ago) and were found in a part of Romania that scientists believe was once part of Hateg Island in the Tethys Sea. Prior digging in the area has turned up fossils of dwarf dinosaurs and a type of ancient, long-necked horsebut no big teeth suggesting anything larger. That suggests that Hatzegopteryx was likely the dominant predator on the island, able to swoop down and grab young dinosaurs or horse-sized prey at will without fear of being attacked by something bigger or stronger.

The similarly sized but more powerful Maastrichtian, Transylvanian giant azhdarchid pterosaur Hatzegopteryx sp. preys on the rhabdodontid iguanodontian Zalmoxes. Because large predatory theropods are unknown on Late Cretaceous Hateg Island, giant azhdarchids may have played a key role as terrestrial predators in this community. Credit: PeerJ (2017). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2908

Scientists have not yet agreed on the evolutionary history of the pterosaurmany believe that they are related to modern crocodiles and ancient dinosaurs, and should therefore belong to the group archosaurs, but that cannot happen until more evidence is found, leading to a consensus.

More information: Darren Naish et al. Neck biomechanics indicate that giant Transylvanian azhdarchid pterosaurs were short-necked arch predators, PeerJ (2017). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2908 Abstract

Azhdarchid pterosaurs include the largest animals to ever take to the skies with some species exceeding 10 metres in wingspan and 220 kg in mass. Associated skeletons show that azhdarchids were long-necked, long-jawed predators that combined a wing planform suited for soaring with limb adaptations indicative of quadrupedal terrestrial foraging. The postcranial proportions of the group have been regarded as uniform overall, irrespective of their overall size, notwithstanding suggestions that minor variation may have been present. Here, we discuss a recently discovered giant azhdarchid neck vertebra referable to Hatzegopteryx from the Maastrichtian Sebes Formation of the Transylvanian Basin, Romania, which shows how some azhdarchids departed markedly from conventional views on their proportions. This vertebra, which we consider a cervical VII, is 240 mm long as preserved and almost as wide. Among azhdarchid cervicals, it is remarkable for the thickness of its cortex (46 mm along its ventral wall) and robust proportions. By comparing its dimensions to other giant azhdarchid cervicals and to the more completely known necks of smaller taxa, we argue that Hatzegopteryx had a proportionally short, stocky neck highly resistant to torsion and compression. This specimen is one of several hinting at greater disparity within Azhdarchidae than previously considered, but is the first to demonstrate such proportional differences within giant taxa. On the assumption that other aspects of Hatzegopteryx functional anatomy were similar to those of other azhdarchids, and with reference to the absence of large terrestrial predators in the Maastrichtian of Transylvania, we suggest that this pterosaur played a dominant predatory role among the unusual palaeofauna of ancient Hateg. Journal information: PeerJ

 2017 Phys.org
Randall Lutter is a professor of public policy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and a former deputy commissioner for policy at the FDA. Credit: Dan Addison, University Communications

A new technology called CRISPR is making international headlines as a monumental leap in genetic engineering. CRISPR, an acronym for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats," is a genome-editing technology that allows scientists to alter DNA much more quickly, easily and efficiently than older genetic engineering methods.

CRISPR has broad implications for advances in health care and agriculture and has already been used to create genetically engineered mosquitos designed to help reduce the spread of malaria.

In the wake of this major breakthrough, UVA Today asked University of Virginia public policy professor Randall Lutter to explain the impact of this new technology. Now a member of the faculty at UVA's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, Lutter is a former deputy commissioner for policy at the Food and Drug Administration, where he had a leadership role in efforts to regulate genetically engineered animals.

Below, he discusses the future of genome-editing and recent FDA updates to address it.

Q. How is genome-editing different from the older processes for creating genetically modified organisms, or GMOs?

A. Using genome-editing techniques such as CRISPR, scientists can cut a cell's genome at a desired location so that existing genes can be removed, or new ones added. Older techniques differed by requiring the introduction of genetic material from a different species and thus were sometimes called "transgenic."

To date, the precise editing has been shown to be successful at creating organisms with a wide variety of desired traits, even when there is no introduction of genetic material from a different species. The results of such genome editing could, in principle, occur naturally.

CRISPR, unlike older technologies, may also be used to affect heritable traits even in wild populations. Through the use of a genetic system called a "gene drive," an edit can be made that will create an organism with a new trait in a way that it also occurs in the offspring of that organism with very high probability. This can happen even when the other "wild" parent lacks the new trait. Thus the new trait would be expected to spread throughout the wild population  a development with extraordinary implications.

Q. How does the FDA weigh possible risks of technology like this against its benefits?

A. Weighing risks and benefits requires an assessment specific to the product in question, but FDA's regulatory decision-making focuses on somewhat narrower questions.

For example, when FDA approved AquaBounty's genetically engineered AquaAdvantage Salmon in 2015, it found that food from the AquaAdvantage Salmon was as safe and nutritious as non-genetically engineered Atlantic salmon and also that it was safe for the salmon. It also examined AquaBounty's proposed claim for the salmon  that it would grow faster than traditional salmon, a key advantage to fish farmers  and found that the recombinant DNA construct that created this trait was indeed effective in causing the faster growth that AquaBounty claimed. Finally, it evaluated the potential adverse effects on the environment of the United States. After examining the multiple forms of physical and biological containment in AquaBounty's application for marketing and soliciting public comment, and consulting with other federal agencies, it issued a final finding of no significant environmental impact.

Credit: University of Virginia

A key challenge posed by the current regulatory system is that it may approve new products too slowly. The FDA approval for the AquaBounty Salmon was some two decades after initial paperwork was submitted to the agency. A genetically engineered mosquito produced by Oxitec, a British company, to control Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that carries dengue fever and Zika virus, has been approved only for field trials in the U.S., even though conventional measures to fight dengue and Zika seem barely adequate.

Delays in approvals mean continued use of the older and potentially less-safe products, as well as substantially reduced incentives for research and development funding.

Q. With genome-editing, is there a similar risk to the overuse of antibiotics  that it might lead to the creation of hardier pathogens or pests?

A. Some existing genetically engineered crops, developed with older transgenic technologies, are tolerant of weed-killers, and there is evidence suggesting that use of weed-killers on such crops has led to super-weeds.

Genome editing, if used to produce pesticide-tolerant crops, would not solve such problems, which may be seen as resulting, in large part, from inappropriate use of the pesticide.

Q. What are the basic principles of the FDA's update to the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology?

A. In early January, the FDA issued three proposed guidance documents. They would expand guidelines to cover all genome-editing technologies, including CRISPR, in animals; extend voluntary consultation over genetically engineered crops to include genome-editing technologies for crops; and delegate the regulation of mosquitoes used for pest control to the EPA's pesticides program. The FDA also solicits [public] comment about low-risk, genome-editing applications.

In terms of genetically altered mosquitos specifically, the FDA would regulate genetically engineered mosquitoes  including genome-edited mosquitoes  that are marketed to reduce human illness. However, if the mosquitoes were marketed as a pesticide  to reduce populations of wild-type mosquitoes, but not disease  then the EPA would have regulatory authority under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.

Q. What do you believe is the most exciting possibility for advances in gene editing?

A. It's widely thought that genome editing could be used to increase the suitability of pig organs for human transplant. A new source of organs for transplants would give hope to the tens of thousands of Americans on transplant waiting lists.
Twitter and social media. Credit: Georgia Institute of Technology

By scanning 66 million tweets linked to nearly 1,400 real-world events, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have built a language model that identifies words and phrases that lead to strong or weak perceived levels of credibility on Twitter. Their findings suggest that the words of millions of people on social media have considerable information about an event's credibility  even when an event is still ongoing.

"There have been many studies about social media credibility in recent years, but very little is known about what types of words or phrases create credibility perceptions during rapidly unfolding events," said Tanushree Mitra, the Georgia Tech Ph.D. candidate who led the research.

The team looked at tweets surrounding events in 2014 and 2015, including the emergence of Ebola in West Africa, the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris and the death of Eric Garner in New York City. They asked people to judge the posts on their credibility (from "certainly accurate" to "certainly inaccurate"). Then the team fed the words into a model that split them into 15 different linguistic categories. The classifications included positive and negative emotions, hedges and boosters, and anxiety.

The Georgia Tech computer then examined the words to judge if the tweets were credible or not. It matched the humans' opinions about 68 percent of the time. That's significantly higher than the random baseline of 25 percent.

"Tweets with booster words, such as 'undeniable,' and positive emotion terms, such as 'eager' and 'terrific,' were viewed as highly credible," Mitra said. "Words indicating positive sentiment but mocking the impracticality of the event, such as 'ha,' 'grins' or 'joking,' were seen as less credible. So were hedge words, including 'certain level' and 'suspects.'"

Higher numbers of retweets also correlated with lower credibility scores. Replies and retweets with longer message lengths were thought to be more credible.

"It could be that longer message lengths provide more information or reasoning, so they're viewed as more trustworthy," she said. "On the other hand, a higher number of retweets, which was scored lower on credibility, might represent an attempt to elicit collective reasoning during times of crisis or uncertainty."

The system isn't deployable yet, but the Georgia Tech team says it could eventually become an app that displays the perceived trustworthiness of an event as it unfolds on social media.

"When combined with other signals, such as event topics or structural information, our linguistic result could be an important building block of an automated system," said Eric Gilbert, Mitra's advisor and an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's School of Interactive Computing. "Twitter is part of the problem with spreading untruthful news online. But it can also be part of the solution."

More information: "A Parsimonious Language Model of Social Media Credibility Across Disparate Events," will be presented in February at the 20th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing in Portland, Oregon
On January 25 at 6:51 p.m. EST (2351 UTC) the GPM satellite found rainfall rates in some of the bands of thunderstorms around the developing tropical cyclone were falling at a rate of almost 83 mm (3.3 inches) per hour as seen in this 3-D image. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

A NASA satellite provided a look at heavy rainfall occurring in a tropical low pressure system as it was consolidating and strengthening into what became Tropical Storm 3S in Southwest Indian Ocean.

On January 26 the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) warned that System 90P, a low pressure area moving westward over northwestern Australia would strengthen into a tropical cyclone and by January 27 it had become Tropical Cyclone 3S.

The warm waters of the Southern Indian Ocean and low vertical wind shear are providing a good environment for tropical cyclone development.

NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency manage the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM satellite, and GPM flew over northwestern Australia on January 25 at 6:51 p.m. EST (2351 UTC). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) measured precipitation within strong thunderstorms in the Indian Ocean northwest of the low's center of circulation. The satellite found that some of these bands of convective storms near northwest Australia's coast area were dropping rain at a rate of almost 83 mm (3.3 inches) per hour.

GPM's radar (Ku Band) sliced through powerful convective (rising air that condenses and forms thunderstorms) storms off Australia's coast and found that a few thunderstorm tops were reaching heights above 16 kilometers (9.9 miles).

On January 27, multispectral satellite imagery showed that Tropical Cyclone 03S continued to consolidate. When a storm consolidates it becomes stronger and more rounded. There were also shallow bands of thunderstorms that were wrapping into the large low-level center.

At 4 a.m. EST (0900 UTC) on January 27, 2017, the center of Tropical Cyclone 03S was located near 18.9 degrees south latitude and 118.4 degrees east longitude. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (35 knots/65 kph)

On January 25 at 6:51 p.m. EST (2351 UTC) the GPM satellite found rainfall rates in some of the bands of thunderstorms around the developing tropical cyclone were falling at a rate of almost 83 mm (3.3 inches) per hour in this flyby animation. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

Tropical cyclone 03s (three), located approximately 350 nautical miles northeast of Learmonth, Australia, has tracked west-southwestward at 18.4 mph (16 knots/29.6 kph) and is expected to continue on that track passing north of Learmonth on January 28 and dissipating in the Southern Indian Ocean on January 30.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) issued a Blue Alert for "people in parts of the Pilbara from Port Hedland (not including Port Hedland or South Hedland) to Ningaloo, including Barrow Island but not including Pannawonica. This includes the towns of Whim Creek, Wickham, Point Sampson, Roebourne, Karratha, Dampier, Onslow, MESA A and Exmouth."

ABM explained that the Blue Alert means damaging winds with gusts to 100 kph are possible over the Pilbara coast between Pardoo Roadhouse and Cape Preston later this evening. Damaging winds may extend to coastal parts between Cape Preston and Ningaloo on Saturday, January 28. Destructive winds with gusts to 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph) are possible on the southern side during Saturday, but are unlikely over Barrow Island and nearby islands unless the system tracks farther south and intensifies more quickly than forecast.

ABM also said "Squally thunderstorms are expected along the west Kimberley and Pilbara coasts during the remainder of Friday and Saturday. Heavy rainfall is likely across coastal parts of the west Kimberley and Pilbara. Flood Warnings are current for parts of the Kimberley and Pilbara. Tides will be higher than expected along the Pilbara coast on Friday night and Saturday."

More information: For further details please refer to www.bom.gov.au/wa/warnings/
Figure 1: An effective potential in the form of a 'Mexican hat' (right) leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking. The potentials on the both sides are symmetric, but the symmetry of the ground state on the right is broken spontaneously. In classical, the ball rolls to a certain point in the potential and selects a direction, with the broken chiral symmetry. Credit: Peking University

Symmetry is the essential basis of nature, which gives rise to conservation laws. In comparison, the breaking of the symmetry is also indispensable for many phase transitions and nonreciprocal processes. Among various symmetry breaking phenomena, spontaneous symmetry breaking lies at the heart of many fascinating and fundamental properties of nature.

Very recently, for the first time, a team led by Professor Xiao Yun-Feng at Peking University (China), collaborated with University of Science and Technology of China, Hunan Normal University (China) and the City University of New York (USA), proposes and demonstrates experimentally the emergence of spontaneous symmetry breaking in an ultrahigh-Q whispering-gallery microresonator. This work has been published in the recent issue of Physical Review Letters.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking describes a phenomenon where physical states violate the underlying in variance of the system, which has been being concerned in diverse fields, such as, Higgs physics, Bose-Einstein condensates, and superconducting. Meanwhile, spontaneous symmetry breaking in an optical system also holds great potential for the study of fundamental physics and high-performance photonic devices, which, however, is seldom realized.

In this work, the researchers have observed spontaneous symmetry breaking in an optical whispering gallery microcavity. The whispering gallery modes are analogous to the acoustic resonances in the whispering gallery in St. Paul Cathedral in London and the echo wall in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Due to the low propagation loss and the small size of such microcavities, where photons can circulate inside for up to millions of times, light-matter interactions are thus dramatically enhanced. Importantly, such a whispering gallery microresonator possesses the intrinsic rotation symmetry, and supports two degenerate propagating-wave modes: clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) waves, manifesting the symmetry of this system.

Figure 2: Mode patterns before and after the spontaneous symmetry breaking. Credit: Peking University

In this work, the physicistsapplythe optical Kerr effect of the resonator to induce the spontaneous symmetry breaking, where the change of the refractive index is proportional to the intensity of light. "The Kerr effect provides a nonlinear coupling between the CW and CCW waves, which depends on the input power," said Heming Wang, who was an undergraduate at Peking University and now is a Ph.D. student at California Institute of Technology. "When the power reaches a threshold, the total coupling strength of the two propagating waves is modulated to zero due to the coherent nonlinear cross-mode effects, so that the original state with balanced CW and CCW components becomes unstable and then spontaneously transfers to the symmetry-breaking regime."

In the experiment, a whispering gallery mode with an ultra-high Q factor of a circular silica microresonator is excited. "To ensure the intrinsic symmetry of the system, we use the bi-directional inputs with the identical power and polarization, resulting in the balanced intensities of CW and CCW emissions at very weak input power," said Cao Qi-Tao, a Ph.D. student at Peking University. When the input power is above a threshold of a few hundred microwatts, the symmetry of CW and CCW waves was spontaneously broken with a dominant wave propagating in either the CW or the CCW direction. "Note that the original state would randomly enter the two symmetry-breaking states, and the CW-to-CCW output ratio could exceed 20:1," said Cao.

"This experimental realization of spontaneous symmetry breaking in an optical microcavity offers a promising platform for optical simulations of related physics," said Prof. Xiao. "Furthermore, not only does such spontaneous symmetry breakingprovide a new means to manipulate light on the chip scale,but also the underlying mechanism can be applied to acoustic waves, microwaves, and nonlinear dynamical systems in general."

More information: Experimental Demonstration of Spontaneous Chirality in a Nonlinear Microresonator. Physical Review Letters , doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.033901 Journal information: Physical Review Letters
- The Buhari Support Organization(BSO) has warned that Nasir El-Rufai must not use the DSS for his personal vendetta against Apostle Suleiman

- BSO says more efforts should be directed at apprehending the rampaging herdsmen

- The group says going after El-Rufai might be very disastrous

Following the recently aborted attempt by the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Apostle Suleiman, the Buhari Support Organisation has cautioned the Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai against using the DSS for vendetta against the cleric.

BSO attacks El-Rufai as fears arise over the life of Apostle Suleiman

Punch reports that the deputy director of the group, Blessing Agbomhere, said the DSS should be concerned with stopping the killings by the rampaging herdsmen instead of hounding the cleric for speaking the truth.

The DSS had attempted to arrest the cleric in Ekiti on Tuesday for asking his church members to kill any herdsmen that came near his church.

But speaking at a news conference on Friday in Abuja, the former Edo State governorship aspirant said the DSS should not allow itself to be used by el-Rufai to fight his war against Suleiman.

READ ALSO: I will continue to leak Buharis secrets because Nigerians want change from his government - Fayose

He warned the service against taking instructions from the governor, noting that the agency should rather invite the cleric to clarify his statement.

He said: The DSS should not be taking instructions from el-Rufai and he should stop giving the impression that he is the one running the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

I hereby warn el-Rufai to concentrate on his state and find solutions to the massacre going on in Southern Kaduna. Rather than thinking of how to harass or arrest Suleiman, he should be thinking of how to bring about peace in his state.

The All Progressives Congress chieftain said the DSS should invite the governor for giving public funds to Fulani herdsmen not t carry out attacks, stressing that this was tacit admission of terrorism sponsorship by the governor.

He noted that Suleiman had the right to speak out and protect himself against attack by armed herdsmen, pointing out that his comment could not be described as religious incitement or hate speech.

In a similar vein, Nigeria's former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and a group of notable Nigerians have moved to end the circle of communal violence in Southern Kaduna.

The delegation includes Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd) and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto.

READ ALSO: Download: Nigeria News App for android to get the latest news

The meeting which held in Kafanchan, Jemaa local government area and Kagoro in Kaura local government area of Kaduna State on Thursday, January 26, was attended by religious clerics, traditional rulers and community groups.

Abubakar, who serves as chairman of the National Peace Committee, told the people of Southern Kaduna to bury the hatchets and coexist peacefully.

The committee had held similar meeting with Governor Nasir el-Rufai in an effort to find lasting solution to incessant attacks on communities by gunmen and reprisal killings in the area.

Source: Legit.ng
Afghanistan has announced fresh initiatives to bring more women into the army, weeks after the country's first female pilot sparked a national debate on insecurity and women's rights by seeking asylum in the US. The defence ministry wants to boost the proportion of women in the army to 10 percent, deputy ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh told AFP Friday, confirming a slew of incentives including a special salary scale for female recruits. "At this stage, we have 1,575 Afghan women in our army ranks, it is mere three to four percent which is nothing," Radmanesh said. "We are aiming to raise this percentage to 10 percent." Fifteen years after the end of the Taliban regime, gender equality remains a distant dream in Afghanistan despite claims of progress. In December Niloofar Rahmani, a 25-year-old pilot lionised widely as the "Afghan Top Gun", announced she was seeking asylum in the US, citing fears for her safety and sparking a spirited national debate. Rahmani became a symbol of hope for millions of Afghan women when she surfaced in the press in 2013 after becoming Afghanistan's first woman pilot since the Taliban era. But with fame came death threats from insurgents and she routinely faced contempt from her male colleagues in a conservative nation where many still believe that a woman does not belong outside the home. Her shock asylum bid triggered a storm of criticism in Afghanistan for "betraying" her nation but also garnered support from activists. Radmanesh said there are 400 Afghan female recruits currently training at defence ministry institutions. Afghan forces are beginning their third year of providing security across the war-torn country after NATO moved into an advisory and training role -- and the toll on the local forces has been devastating. An estimated 5,000 were killed and another 15,000 wounded in 2015, primarily by the Taliban, while incomplete figures for 2016 show the toll was even worse. Some 5,523 Afghan service members died between January 1 and August 19 alone according to a quarterly report from the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). An additional 9,665 were wounded during the period. SIGAR's full report for 2016 has not yet been released.
Donald Trump wasted no time making good on one of his largest campaign promises: ending the US involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). As a member of the TPP, how will Singapore be impacted by this development?

The Back Story

The fully understand the TPP, we need understand how this agreement came into existence.

It began in 2006, when Singapore, Brunei, Chile and New Zealand formed the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership. This agreement, at its core, was meant to provide free trade opportunities between these four member nations. The term free trade is thrown around a lot, but this generally means a reduction in taxes and tariffs on imports from other nations. While this type of agreement can make it easier for domestic jobs to be outsourced, the general rationale is that free trade will benefit all participating countries in the long run by lowering prices.

In 2008, the United States, Australia, Peru, and Vietnam formally announced their interest in joining the agreement. This was followed by Malaysia in 2010, Mexico and Canada in 2012, and finally Japan in 2013. In total, these 12 member nations account for roughly 40% of the worlds economic power  providing a powerful marketplace for the exchange of goods and services. For reference, the European Union accounts for roughly 23% of world GDP.

Enter Donald Trump

President Barack Obama was a champion of the agreement, and saw the TPP as a way for U.S. businesses to gain access to Southeast Asian markets and help slow Chinas growing influence in the region. In total, the final text of the TPP would have eliminated nearly 18,000 taxes, tariffs and restrictions on foreign trade between member nations. Opponents of the TPP, like Donald Trump, saw the agreement as a way to outsource US jobs at the expense of the American working class. Those in Donald Trumps camp did not believe the long-term benefits would outweigh the short-term negative impacts. These are both very simplified descriptions of their positions, but does a good job summing up the debate carried out in the United States and elsewhere.

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When Donald Trump became President, one of his first acts was to signal an American exit from the TPP, leaving the 10-year old agreement in a state of disarray. The United States is the largest single member of the agreement, accounting for 66% of the TPP member nations total GDP. By comparison, Singapore comprises just 1.06% of TPPs GDP. Japan is the only country approaching the United States size within the agreement, at just 17%.

What This Means for Singapore

At face value, this may seem like a very bad thing for Singapore. However, there are three reasons why the impacts to Singapores economy will be negligible.

As a champion of free trade, Singapore already has robust free trade agreement with the United States outside of the TPP. In fact, Singapore has existing free trade agreements with Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Australia and talks are underway with Mexico and Canada . Singapore is well positioned from a trade perspective with, or without, TPP. The same cannot be said for neighboring countries like Vietnam or Malaysia. As we know, Singapores economy is heavily dependent on foreign investment  not just the trade of goods and services. These same trade agreements referenced in point one will continue to ensure that Singapore remains an attractive place for foreigners to build, invest and start businesses. The United States accounts for just 6.7% of annual exports leaving Singapore. China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia are all larger trade partners on an annual basis. While this agreement may limit trade with the United States in some minor capacities, the United States makes up a relatively small portion of Singapores overall export economy.

The Long-Term View

While an exit from TPP is not an immediate negative for Singapore, the overall protectionist trade views of Donald Trump could cause a slowdown in trade between Singapore and the United States in the years to come. The larger concern here is that President Trumps trade policies will not stop with TPP, and trade between the United States and Singapore could be negatively impacted by other measures. These measures could include a repeal or renegotiation of existing trade agreements or a substantial increase in import tariffs when goods enter the United States.

Longer-term, this is the real story that Singapore residents, consumers and investors should be watching. A significant decline in global trade could hurt every economy in the world, and ultimately lead to decline in Singapore's trade with every country. At Value Penguin, we will keep you updated on these developments in the months and years to come.

The article What Does a US Exit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Mean for Singapore? originally appeared on ValuePenguin.

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A US man has been charged with attacking a Muslim airline employee in New York, allegedly unleashing a tirade of abuse, kicking her and threatening that President Donald Trump would "get rid of all of you."

The 57-year-old man from Massachusetts is accused of unleashing an expletive-laden rant against the Delta worker at a business class lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, kicking her in the leg and chair after getting off a flight from the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Rabeeya Khan, who wears a head scarf, was sitting in her office when Robin Rhodes, waiting for a connecting flight, threatened her and punched the door, hitting the back of Khan's chair, prosecutors said.

When Khan allegedly asked what she had done, Rhodes replied: "You did nothing" before allegedly kicking her in the leg.

When Khan tried to move away, Rhodes kicked the door, stepped into the office and blocked her from leaving, prosecutors said.

After someone intervened, she ran to the front desk, where Rhodes allegedly followed and imitated a Muslim praying, embarking on another expletive-laden rant against Islam and the so-called Islamic State extremist group, they added.

"Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens," Rhodes allegedly told her.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police: "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

He appeared in court Thursday on a string of charges, including multiple hate crime offenses, assault and aggravated harassment, is scheduled to return to court on February 8, a prosecution official told AFP.

He faces up to four years in prison if found guilty.

Bail was set at $30,000 or his release on a $50,000 bond.

"The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized society," said Queens district attorney Richard Brown.

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"Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do, regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice," he added.

Advocacy groups have recorded an explosion in hate crimes since Trump won the presidential election last November.

On Wednesday evening, more than a thousand people demonstrated in New York against his plans to build a border on the border with Mexico and reported intention to halt visas for travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

John F. Kennedy International Airport is New York's flagship airport, processing more than 53 million passengers in 2014 and located in Queens, one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the United States.
Severe cash shortage and panic over bond notes as replacement currency sees Zimbabwean line up for cash

Zimbabwes cash-strapped government is getting desperate: The countrys administration under Robert Mugabe has offered to pay its workers with land instead of the usual annual bonuses they are paid in November and December.

The government is the countrys main employer. It spends more than 80% of its budget on the salaries of government workers. But as the economy has stagnated, the government has struggled to pay those salaries, a cost of more than $250 million a month.

A plan to cut as many as 25,000 jobs was shelved after mass protests in September. Teachers, doctors, and civil servants have stayed home from work as their salaries have been delayed. Fearing another currency crisis, Zimbabweans began sleeping outside of banks in November to withdraw their money as soon as possible.

Public sector worker unions have already rejected the land offer, calling it madness. Plots of residential land are often without access to roads, electricity and sewage systems, and thus difficult to sell or even use. The bonuses are usually worth a months salary.

Mugabe, who faces a national election in 2018, is currently on holiday in Asia.

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Pope Francis warned the world is on the edge of a "delicate precipice" and buffeted by "winds of war" as he held inter-faith talks with one of Sunni Islam's top leaders in Bahrain on Friday. The 85-year-old Argentine decried the "opposing blocs" of East and West, a veiled reference to the standoff over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in a speech to religious leaders in the tiny Gulf state. "We continue to find ourselves on the brink of a delicate precipice and we do not want to fall," he told an audience including Bahrain's king and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque. "A few potentates are caught up in a resolute struggle for partisan interests, reviving obsolete rhetoric, redesigning spheres of influence and opposing blocs," he added. "We appear to be witnessing a dramatic and childlike scenario: in the garden of humanity, instead of cultivating our surroundings, we are playing instead with fire, missiles and bombs." The pope's visit, aimed at strengthening relations with Islam, comes with the Ukraine war in its ninth month, and as tensions grow on the Korean peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who met Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in September, told journalists that there had been "a few small signs" of progress in negotiations with Moscow, warning that peace initiatives should not be "exploited for other goals". Francis, who is on his second visit to the wealthy Gulf, later met privately with al-Tayeb, with whom he signed a Muslim-Christian manifesto for peace in the United Arab Emirates in 2019. "This meeting has great symbolic importance, both locally and internationally, for promoting peace and peaceful co-existence between different religions and civilisations," said Hala Ramzi Fayez, a Christian and member of Bahrain's parliament. - Sunni, Shiite talks? - Leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, Francis has placed inter-faith dialogue at the heart of his papacy, visiting other Muslim-majority countries including Egypt, Turkey and Iraq. Al-Tayeb, who met with the pope on previous Middle East visits, also called on Friday for talks between Islam's two main branches, Sunni and Shiite, to settle sectarian differences. Later, the pope addressed 17 members of the Muslim Council of Elders, an international group of Islamic scholars and dignitaries, at the mosque of the Sakhir Royal Palace. He told them dialogue was "the oxygen of peaceful coexistence". "In a world that is increasingly wounded and divided, that beneath the surface of globalisation senses anxiety and fear, the great religious traditions must be the heart that unites the members of the body," he said. He also struck out at the arms trade, a "commerce of death" that he said was "turning our common home into one great arsenal". The pope, who is using a wheelchair and a walking stick due to long-standing knee problems, began the first papal visit to Bahrain on Thursday by hitting out at the death penalty and urging respect for human rights and better conditions for workers. Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Bahrain's minister of finance and national economy, insisted the country has "led the region" with its criminal justice reforms. "We have some of the most robust and wide-ranging human rights and criminal justice protections in the region," the minister told AFP on Friday. "There are very well-established channels through which any of these critics can go, well established institutions of accountability," he said, adding that the pope's comments on the death penalty did not single out Bahrain. "It is important to note that that reference... was a general reference to countries around the world," the minister said. Bahrain has executed six people since 2017, when it carried out its first execution in seven years. Some of the condemned were convicted following a 2011 uprising put down with military support from neighbouring Saudi Arabia. cmk-lar/par/ho/th/dwo
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  In a story Jan. 26 about wildfires in Chile, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a series of fires had destroyed about 385,000 acres (160,000 hectares). According to Chile's national forestry agency, the fires burned 716,540 acres (289,974) hectares from Jan. 15-26.

In a story Jan. 27 about the wildfires, the AP reported erroneously that the number of acres it said were burned had been measured since the blazes started in November. The acreage was measured since Jan. 15.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Chile's worst wildfires destroy town, death toll at 10

Chilean officials say the town of Santa Olga has been consumed in the flames of the country's worst wildfires as the death toll from the blazes since November rise to 10

By EVA VERGARA

Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  Flames from one of Chile's worst wildfires completely consumed the town of Santa Olga as the death toll from the blazes since November rose to 10, officials said Thursday.

The flames engulfed the post office, a kindergarten, and about 1,000 homes in the town, located 220 miles (360 kilometers) south of the Chilean capital. The body of one person was found under the charred remains of the town, which another 6,000 residents fled unharmed. Officials have not identified the person who died.

"This is an extremely serious situation  of horror, a nightmare without an end," said Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the neighboring coastal city of Constitucion. "Everything burned."

Authorities found another body burned inside a house destroyed in the flames about 85 miles (140 kilometers) south of Santa Olga in the coastal city of Concepcion, said Andrea Munoz, the governor of Concepcion province. Officials later reported that a firefighter also died after a water truck rolled over.

Dozens of teary-eyed firefighters took a moment from battling the blazes to pay homage to one of their colleagues who died in the flames late Wednesday while he evacuated a family to safety. Two police officers also died Wednesday.

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The series of fast-spreading blazes destroyed about 716,540 acres (289,974 hectares) of forest from Jan. 15-26.

The fires have been raging in central and southern Chile, fanned by strong winds, hot temperatures and a prolonged drought. Emergency services have battled the flames non-stop for days with thousands of firefighters on the ground and helicopters and small airplanes in the air.

Residents of some communities have been battling the fires themselves, without any protective gear and often using just branches or bottles of water in a frantic effort to save their homes, pasture and livestock. But those efforts are often undone as winds or smoldering ash spread the fires anew.

The ferocity of the flames prompted President Michelle Bachelet's to declare a state of emergency, deploy troops and ask for international help, calling it "the greatest forest disaster" in Chile's history.

A Boeing 747-400 "Super Tanker" arrived in Chile from the United States Wednesday to help fight the blazes. The world's largest fire-fighting aircraft can dump nearly 20,000 gallons (73,000 liters) of fire retardant or water.

Bachelet said in her Twitter account Thursday that Chile also had accepted a supertanker plane from the Russian government.

The central regions of O'Higgins and Chile's top wine-making region of Maule are among those hit worst. But fires are also raging in the south-central Bio Bio and Araucania regions, known for its timber industry and where most of Chile's Mapuche Indigenous people live.

Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy more fires are expected with forecasts of hotter temperatures, strong winds and low humidity in the coming days.
Turkish military officers, center, escorted by Greek police officers, arrive at the Supreme Court in Athens,Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. A group of Turkish servicemen who fled to Greece in a military helicopter after last year's failed coup have appeared at Greece's Supreme Court in a closely watched extradition hearing. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkey's top diplomat on Friday threatened punitive measures against Greece, including scrapping an agreement on the return of migrants, after the Greek Supreme Court ruled against extraditing eight Turkish officers who escaped from their country by helicopter after the failed coup attempt.

The threat could also affect a wider migrant deal with the European Union.

"We will take all necessary steps, including the cancellation of the bilateral readmission agreement" on refugees, the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, as saying in the Turkish Mediterranean resort of Antalya.

He was referring to an agreement with Greece which stipulates Turkey will take back migrants who crossed into Greece illegally and do not qualify for international protection.

If Turkey were to make good on its threat and cease cooperating with Greece on the issue of migrants, a larger deal with the EU could also be jeopardized.

"We cannot look positively upon countries that protect terrorists, traitors and coup plotters," Cavusoglu said. "Greece must know this."

"These are eight traitors who intended to kill our president  not petty criminals," he added.

The Greek government said it had strongly condemned the July 15 coup attempt and that its perpetrators were not welcome in the country, but added that the Greek courts were independent.

"From the outset, the Greek government resolutely condemned the attempted coup and supported the democratically elected government and the observance of constitutional legality in our neighboring country," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a statement.

"Today we underscore, as we did then, that the perpetrators of the coup are not welcome in our country," Tsipras said. "Within Greece, the sole authority responsible for the relevant judgment is the independent Greek justice system, whose decisions are binding."

Story continues

Meanwhile, Turkey's justice ministry made a new extradition request for the eight Turkish servicemen, according to Anadolu Agency.

On Thursday, Greece's Supreme Court rejected Ankara's first request on the basis that the servicemen were unlikely to face a fair trial if returned to Turkey.

Lower courts had issued mixed decisions on the return of the officers in a series of separate hearings.

The extradition case has soured complicated ties between neighbors and NATO allies Greece and Turkey, which remain at odds over war-divided Cyprus and boundaries in the Aegean Sea.

__

Associated Press Writer Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Dominique Soguel in Basel, Switzerland, contributed.
Joint Statements on Climate Change from National Academies of Science Around the World Posted on 27 January 2017 by Guest Author This is a re-post from Significant Figures by Peter Gleick National academies of sciences from around the world have published formal statements and declarations acknowledging the state of climate science, the fact that climate is changing, the compelling evidence that humans are responsible, and the need to debate and implement strategies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Not a single national science academy disputes or denies the scientific consensus around human-caused climate change. A few examples of joint academy statements since 2000 on climate are listed here. Many national academies have, in addition, published their own reports and studies on climate issues. These are not included here. The Science of Climate Change (Statement of 17 National Science Academies, 2001) http://science.sciencemag.org/content/292/5520/1261 Following the release of the third in the ongoing series of international reviews of climate science conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chang (IPCC), seventeen national science academies issued a joint statement, entitled The Science of Climate Change, acknowledging the IPCC study to be the scientific consensus on climate change science. The seventeen signatories were: Australian Academy of Sciences

Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts

Brazilian Academy of Sciences

Royal Society of Canada

Caribbean Academy of Sciences

Chinese Academy of Sciences

French Academy of Sciences

German Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina

Indian National Science Academy

Indonesian Academy of Sciences

Royal Irish Academy

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy)

Academy of Sciences Malaysia

Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Turkish Academy of Sciences

Royal Society (UK) Joint science academies statement: Global response to climate change (Statement of 11 National Science Academies, 2005) http://nationalacademies.org/onpi/06072005.pdf Eleven national science academies, including all the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, signed a statement that the scientific understanding of climate change was sufficiently strong to justify prompt action. The statement explicitly endorsed the IPCC consensus and stated: there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems. It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities (IPCC 2001). This warming has already led to changes in the Earths climate. The eleven signatories were: Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Joint science academies statement on Growth and responsibility: sustainability, energy efficiency and climate protection (Statement of 13 National Science Academies, 2007) http://www.pik-potsdam.de/aktuelles/nachrichten/dateien/G8_Academies%20Declaration.pdf In 2007, thirteen national academies issued a joint declaration reconfirming previous statements and strengthening language based on new research from the fourth assessment report of the IPCC, including the following: In 2005, the Academies issued a statement emphasizing that climate change was occurring and could be attributed mostly to human activities, and calling for efforts to tackle both the causes of climate change and the inevitable consequences of past and unavoidable future emissions. Since then the IPCC has published the Working Group 1 part of the Summary for Policymakers of its fourth assessment report, and further reports are expected later this year from IPCC. Recent research strongly reinforces our previous conclusions. It is unequivocal that the climate is changing, and it is very likely that this is predominantly caused by the increasing human interference with the atmosphere. These changes will transform the environmental conditions on Earth unless counter-measures are taken. The thirteen signatories were the national science academies of Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A joint statement on sustainability, energy efficiency, and climate change (Statement of 13 individual National Science Academies and the African Academy of Sciences, 2007) http://www.interacademies.net/File.aspx?id=4825 In 2007, the Network of African Science Academies submitted a joint statement on sustainability, energy efficiency, and climate change: A consensus, based on current evidence, now exists within the global scientific community that human activities are the main source of climate change and that the burning of fossil fuels is largely responsible for driving this change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reached this conclusion with 90 percent certainty in its Fourth Assessment issued earlier this year. The IPCC should be congratulated for the contribution it has made to public understanding of the nexus that exists between energy, climate and sustainability. The thirteen signatories were the science academies of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, as well as the African Academy of Sciences. Zmian klimatu, globalnego ocieplenia i ich alarmuj?cych skutkow: Climate change, global warming and its alarming consequences (Statement of the Polish Academy of Sciences, December 2007) http://bit.ly/2jwgtNL In December 2007, the General Assembly of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Akademia Nauk), issued a declaration endorsing the IPCC conclusions, and stating (in translation): The problem of global warming, climate change and their negative impact on the human life and the functioning of the whole society is one of the most dramatic of contemporary challenges. The most recent studies indicate that the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased in the last century by about 25%. If you add to that a similar increase in the presence in the atmosphere of other harmful gases generated by human activity, overall, the effective increase in the amount of these gases in the period under consideration is about 40% and the specific acceleration gained over the past decades. This makes that the situation extremely worrisome It is the duty of science and Polish state authorities to develop thoughtful, organized and active efforts in the implementation of these ideas. Priority should be given to vast and diversified areas of research, including physical and biochemical mechanisms of climate change and their mathematical modeling. It should also develop appropriate technical measures and rules for their implementation, and legal and economic regulations limiting the emission of so-called greenhouse gases in all areas of economic activity of the state. It is also necessary to take measures aimed to understand society-scale threats and response measures. The General Assembly of the Academy calls on national scientific communities and the state authorities to actively support Polish participation in this important endeavor. We believe that the right step to counteract the effects of global warming require, under the auspices of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a Special Program to counteract climate threats and their consequences Joint Science Academies Statement: Climate Change Adaptation and the Transition to a Low Carbon Society (Statement of 13 National Academies of Sciences, June 2008) http://www.nationalacademies.org/includes/climatechangestatement.pdf In 2008, the thirteen signers of the 2007 joint academies declaration issued a statement reiterating previous statements and reaffirming that climate change is happening and that anthropogenic warming is influencing many physical and biological systems. Among other actions, the declaration urges all nations to (t)ake appropriate economic and policy measures to accelerate transition to a low carbon society and to encourage and effect changes in individual and national behaviour. The thirteen signatories were the national science academies of Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Climate change and the transformation of energy technologies for a low carbon future (Statement of 13 National Academies of Sciences, May 2009) http://www.leopoldina.org/en/press/press-releases/press-release/press/713/ In May 2009, thirteen national academies issued a joint statement that said among other things: The IPCC 2007 Fourth Assessment of climate change science concluded that large reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases, principally CO2, are needed soon to slow the increase of atmospheric concentrations, and avoid reaching unacceptable levels. However, climate change is happening even faster than previously estimated; global CO2 emissions since 2000 have been higher than even the highest predictions, Arctic sea ice has been melting at rates much faster than predicted, and the rise in the sea level has become more rapid. Feedbacks in the climate system might lead to much more rapid climate changes. The need for urgent action to address climate change is now indisputable. The thirteen signatories were the national science academies of Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Health Effects of Climate Change (Statement of the Inter Academy Medical Panel/42 National Academies of Sciences, 2010) http://www.leopoldina.org/de/publikationen/detailansicht/publication/health-effects-of-climate-change-2010/ Statement on the health co-benefits of policies to tackle climate change It is widely agreed that human activities are changing Earths climate beyond natural climatic fluctuations. The emission and accumulation of greenhouse gases associated with the burning of fossil fuels, along with other activities, such as land use change, are the principal causes of climate change Climate change poses a significant threat to human health in many direct and indirect ways Although there are some uncertainties about the magnitude of climate change and its impacts, there is widespread consensus that to mitigate climate change and reduce its impact on health, near term deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are needed. Actions should be greatest in those high-income countries that have benefited most from burning fossil fuels. The longer we delay, the more severe the impacts on health, the environment and the economy; and the greater the future cost of mitigation. Since some degree of climate change is now inevitable, countries will have to adapt to the associated health risks Signatories Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires

Academy of Medical Sciences of Armenia

Austrian Academy of Sciences

Bangladesh Academy of Sciences

Academia Boliviana de Medicina

Brazilian Academy of Sciences

Chinese Academy of Engineering

Academia Nacional de Medicina de Colombia

Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt

Academie Nationale de Medecine, France

The Delegation of the Finnish Academies of Science and Letters

Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities

Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher, Leopoldina

Academia de Ciencias Medicas, Fisicas y Naturales de Guatemala

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Indonesian Academy of Sciences

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei

TWAS, academy of sciences for the developing world

Islamic World Academy of Sciences

Science Council of Japan

African Academy of Sciences

Kenya National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences, Rep. of Korea

Akademi Sains Malaysia

National Academy of Medicine of Mexico

Nigerian Academy of Science

National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines

Polish Academy of Sciences

The Caribbean Academy of Sciences

Russian Academy of Medical Sciences

Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Academy of Science of South Africa

National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Tanzania Academy of Sciences

Thai Academy of Science and Technology

Turkish Academy of Sciences

Uganda National Academy Sciences

Academy of Medical Sciences, UK

Institute of Medicine, US NAS Climate Change: Evidence and Causes (Joint Statement of the Royal Society and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, February 2014) http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/events/a-discussion-on-climate-change-evidence-and-causes/ The Royal Society and the US National Academy of Science jointly published the document Climate Change: Evidence and Causes. Given their similar missions to promote the use of science to benefit society and to inform critical policy debates, the Academies offer this new publication as a key reference document for decision makers, policy makers, educators, and other individuals seeking authoritative answers about the current state of climate-change science. Position de lAcademie sur les Changements Climatiques (Statement of the Academie Royale des Science, des Lettres & des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, November 12, 2014) https://t.co/SZT9VvU8vx La teneur de latmosphere en GES a fortement et regulierement augmente dans les dernieres decennies. Une analyse approfondie de ces GES, notamment de leur composition isotopique, montre sans equivoque que cette modification de la composition de latmosphere est, directement ou indirectement, liee a lactivite humaine (origine anthropique) La rapidite du changement climatique global annonce est vraisemblablement sans precedent Dans ces conditions, la communaute internationale doit sengager resolument, et globalement, dans une demarche volontariste et ambitieuse de reduction des emissions de gaz a effet de serre. a) Cette reduction doit etre concertee, globale et equilibree ; elle doit se faire dans le cadre daccords internationaux. Le caractere global et de tres long terme des effets, et donc des politiques a mettre en oeuvre, demande quelles soient coordonnees par des organismes supranationaux qui impliqueront, a cote des Etats, les entreprises et les citoyens qui ont chacun des roles cruciaux et complementaires a jouer. U.K. Science Communique on Climate Change (Joint Statement of the Royal Society and member organizations, July 2015) https://royalsociety.org/~/media/policy/Publications/2015/21-07-15-climate-communique.PDF In July 2015, the Royal Society and member organizations issued a joint U.K. Science Communique on Climate Change. In part, that statement reads: The scientific evidence is now overwhelming that the climate is warming and that human activity is largely responsible for this change through emissions of greenhouse gases. Governments will meet in Paris in November and December this year to negotiate a legally binding and universal agreement on tackling climate change. Any international policy response to climate change must be rooted in the latest scientific evidence. This indicates that if we are to have a reasonable chance of limiting global warming in this century to 2C relative to the pre-industrial period, we must transition to a zero-carbon world by early in the second half of the century. To achieve this transition, governments should demonstrate leadership by recognising the risks climate change poses, embracing appropriate policy and technological responses, and seizing the opportunities of low-carbon and climate-resilient growth. Signatories The Academy of Medical Sciences (UK)

The Academy of Social Sciences (UK)

The British Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The British Ecological Society

The Geological Society (UK)

The Challenger Society for Marine Sciences

The Institution of Civil Engineers (UK)

The Institution of Chemical Engineers

The Institution of Environmental Sciences

The Institute of Physics

The Learned Society of Wales

London Mathematical Society

Royal Astronomical Society

Royal Economic Society

Royal Geographic Society

Royal Meteorological Society

Royal Society

Royal Society of Biology

Royal Society of Chemistry

Royal Society of Edinburgh

Society for General Microbiology

Wellcome Trust

Zoological Society of London Facing critical decisions on climate change (Joint Statement of the European Academies Science Advisory Council and its 29 members, 2015) http://www.leopoldina.org/de/publikationen/detailansicht/publication/facing-critical-decisions-on-climate-change-in-2015/ Facing critical decisions on climate change in 2015 The science of climate change reported by the IPCC Fourth Assessment (2007) and Fifth Assessment (2014) have been thoroughly evaluated by numerous national academies (e.g. Royal Society/National Academy of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) and by international bodies. Advances in science and technology have increased our knowledge of how to mitigate climate change, uncertainties in the scientific analysis continue to be addressed, co-benefits of mitigation to health have been revealed, and new business opportunities have been found. EASAC remains concerned, however, that progress in turning this substantial evidence base into an international policy response has so far failed to match the full magnitude and urgency of the problem Even if emissions of GHG stopped altogether, existing concentrations of GHG in the atmosphere would continue to exert a warming effect for a long time. Whatever measures are put in place to reduce the intensity of global human-induced climate forcing, building resilience through adaptation will be necessary to provide more resilience to the risks already emerging as a result of climate change Signatories/Members of the European Academies Science Advisory Council Academia Europaea

All European Academies (ALLEA)

The Austrian Academy of Sciences

The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

The Czech Academy of Sciences

The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters

The Estonian Academy of Sciences

The Council of Finnish Academies

Council of Finnish Academies The German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

The Academy of Athens

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences

The Royal Irish Academy

The Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei

The Latvian Academy of Sciences

The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

The Polish Academy of Sciences

The Academy of Sciences of Lisbon

The Romanian Academy

The Slovak Academy of Sciences

The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts

The Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences

The Royal Society

The Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) (Observer) [This list is not a complete summary of the many individual or joint statements of national academies of sciences. Please send additions and corrections to pgleick@pacinst.org) 0 0 Printable Version | Link to this page
These days, its easy for geographical lines to be blurred when it comes to your business. Countless small business owners work with virtual teams, partners, clients, and customers theyve never actually met in person.

This new reality can make it even more confusing to know if youre conducting business in multiple states. Are you unknowingly running afoul of state law by operating without registering? Here, well break down all the details about when you need to register your business in another state and when you dont.

Foreign Qualification: Business in Another State

Doing Business in Another State

If your company is conducting business in any other states than the state where you incorporated (or formed an LLC), then you need to register your business in those new states. This is often called foreign qualification.

So, what exactly constitutes conducting business? If a customer in Oklahoma buys your product or service, and youre based in Nevada, does that mean you are operating in Oklahoma? In this case, the answer is no.

Questions to ask to see if you need to file a foreign qualification for a state:

Does your LLC or corporation have a physical presence in the state (i.e. office, restaurant, or retail store)?

Do you often conduct in-person meetings with clients in the state?

Does a significant portion of your companys revenue come from the state?

Do any of your employees work in the state? Do you pay state payroll taxes?

Did you apply for a business license in the state?

If you answered yes to any of these, your business may need to file a foreign qualification in that state.

Examples of Foreign Qualifications

Here are some examples of common situations when you need to foreign qualify and when you dont.

1) Lets say you operate a restaurant in North Carolina and want to expand into South Carolina. Youll need to file a foreign qualification in South Carolina.

2) You incorporated your business in Nevada, but you are physically located in California. You need to foreign qualify in California.

3) You live in Massachusetts and your business partner lives in California. The company is incorporated in Massachusetts, but lately your partner has been bringing in the bulk of your companys clients and meeting with them in California. You need to foreign qualify the business in California.

4) You are a freelancer who formed an LLC for your business in Florida. You perform the majority of your work online, and have clients all over the country. In this case, you dont need to file a foreign qualification, since youre not frequently physically meeting in another state. Just because you are bringing in revenue from customers in other states doesnt mean you are transacting business there according to the law.

If you have any questions about whether or not your business needs to foreign qualify, you should check with your attorney or accountant.

How to Foreign Qualify

If you have determined that you need to register your business in another state, you will need to submit an application with that states Secretary of State office. In some states, this is called a Certificate of Authority, in others its the Statement & Designation by a Foreign Corporation.

You can contact the Secretary of States office yourself or have the service that incorporated your company handle the filing for you.

The paperwork itself is relatively straightforward, but keep in mind that some states will require you to have a certificate of good standing from the state where your LLC/corporation is registered. That means you will need to be up to date on your state taxes and filings.

The Bottom Line

If you are legally required to foreign qualify, make sure you follow through on this obligation. Otherwise, you will end up paying fines, interest, and back taxes for any time when you were not properly registered.

In addition, you lose the ability to sue in a state where you are not foreign qualified (and you should be). So dont overlook this legal requirement. It could end up costing you much more in the long run.

Map Photo via Shutterstock

CorpNet offers business formations, filings, state tax registrations, and corporate compliance services in all 50 states. Express and 24 hour rush filing services available upon request. Click here to learn more.
When building a business website, there are so many different things you have to consider. Youll need to consider your design, mobile friendliness, help chat features and more.

This week, businesses got a few new tools to help build those websites and other digital features from companies like GoDaddy and HappyFox. You can read about these updates and more below in this weeks Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Technology Trends

GoDaddy Launches GoCentral for Web Design on Mobile

GoDaddy has launched GoCentral  a new service that combines a mobile friendly website builder with what they are calling an integrated set of marketing and ecommerce tools that will ideally help you to create an audience for your business. Interestingly, the new service allows you to design a professional website in under an hour from a variety of devices including mobile phones.

HappyFox Introduces Help Desk and Chat Software for Your Business Website

Digital technology has changed the way customer service is being delivered. Customers have access to your website 24/7 and often expect your customer service respond on that same timetable. HappyFox help desk software works to make this possible with what the company says are affordable solutions.

Bad News For Online Businesses: Trump May Reverse Net Neutrality Rules

President Donald Trumps new administration has allegedly signed off on a policy approach that could completely remake the Federal Communications Commission and reverse net neutrality rules for online businesses. Last February, the FCC produced a landmark ruling that declared the Internet was a utility, and that access consequently could not be prioritized to favor certain web content.

Amazon, WordPress Most Trusted Brands with Small Businesses, Alignable Reports

Amazon and WordPress are among the most trusted brands among small businesses. And Yelp and Web,com are among the least. At least thats the conclusion of Alignable Inc., an online networking site for small and local business owners. The company recently released its kickoff 2017 list of most trusted brands by small and local businesses in North America.

This New Routing Solution is Helping Transform Fleet Management for Small Business

Have you ever made three or four errands in a row, traveling from place-to-place, meticulously crossing the errands off your list? If you have, chances are good you didnt input all of your stops into a smart routing system that used advanced algorithms to determine the best order, and most efficient routes for your errands.

What Was the Real Cause of Samsungs Issues With the Galaxy Note 7? (Watch)

Samsung has concluded its investigation into the cause of its overheating (and sometimes even exploding or fire catching) Galaxy Note 7 devices. The company blamed its battery suppliers, saying that there were flaws in the designs for the original and replacement batteries. But Samsung didnt deflect all of the blame.

Economy

7 Reasons Linda McMahon Is a Great Pick for SBA Administrator

Linda McMahon was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration back in December. She answered questions before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on January 24, 2017. A final confirmation vote will most likely be held next week.

Will Trump Trade Rules Hurt Small Ecommerce Sellers?

In the run up to Novembers hotly contested presidential election, Donald Trump emerged as a clear favorite among small business owners. Trump touted a wide range of trade policies on the campaign trail that he claimed would benefit American businesses  and no policy gained quite as much traction as a pledge to implement a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports.

Green Business

Why Did This CEO Strap Himself to a Windmill? (Watch)

Would you ever consider strapping yourself to a windmill? A CEO recently did just that. Roger van Boxtel of Dutch Railways took a trip around a windmill as a way of celebrating the fact that all of the companys electric trains are now powered completely by wind energy. Wind energy is getting a huge push in the Netherlands. Holland alone has more than 1,000 standing windmills.

What Can Elon Musk Teach Your Business About Repurposing (Watch)

Space travel is about to get a whole lot cheaper. After SpaceXs next rocket launch, CEO Elon Musk says that the company will switch from using expendable rockets to reusable ones. Since each Falcon 9 rocket costs about $62 million, according to the company, the ability to reuse them could be a pretty big asset.

Marketing Tips

70 Percent of Small Businesses Plan to Increase Digital Marketing Spend

Seventy percent of small to medium sized businesses polled said they will increase their digital/web-based marketing budgets in the new year. Thats according to GetResponse, an email marketing software solution serving over 350,000 small businesses, marketers and brands.

Small Biz Spotlight

Spotlight: AzureDesk Offers Affordable Help Desk Software

Customer service is an essential function for any business. But its not always easy to manage. You need to have an actual system for helping your customers solve a wide variety of issues and concerns. Thats exactly the problem that AzureDesk aims to help small businesses solve.

Social Media

LinkedIn Gets New Look on Desktop  and Bots to Fine Tune Your Feed

LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD) last week unveiled its largest desktop redesign since the professional social networks inception in 2002. The new desktop design was reportedly built from the ground up with the social networks new mobile app in mind.

Startup

Most Financial Institutions Still Hesitant to Serve Cannabis Businesses

Few things in business are more devastating than your bank telling you theyre closing your accounts, especially when youve done nothing wrong. In the U.S., the growing marijuana industry knows this feeling all too well. Small Business Trends spoke with an ancillary business owner who had nightmarish problems with two major financial companies.

32 College Startups Compete in Madness Style Tournament

Startups from colleges around the country are about to compete for a major honor and opportunity. Taking place at South By Southwest in March, the Student Startup Madness tournament is a nationwide competition that focuses on digital media startups founded by college students.

Meet Instantprints New Startup Hub for Small Businesses

If youre thinking about starting a small business, a company specializing in printing services for businesses of all sizes may have one solution. InstantPrint recently launched Instantprints Startup Hub for startup businesses.

Taxes

Top 10 Tax Deductions for Small Businesses (Video)

If youre like many small business owners, your thoughts are already turning towards preparing for tax season. And an important part of that preparation should be looking for ways to potentially save your business a lot of money: namely deductions! Need a refresher on whats deductible? Then watching the video above on the top 10 tax deductions for small businesses should help.

For the latest, follow us on Google News.

Image: HappyFox
For years, Anheuser-Busch has been the exclusive alcohol advertiser for the Super Bowl. But thats about to change  sort of.

With the big game just over a week away, wine company Yellow Tail has devised a plan to have its own ads air during the Super Bowl. Since it cant purchase national ad space, the company simply bought individual spots in local markets around the country.

This ended up actually being more expensive than purchasing one national spot, according to the company. But it should ensure that most Super Bowl viewers will see the ads.

An Innovative Advertising Strategy Can Pay Off

In addition to getting its ads in front of a lot of potential consumers on Super Bowl Sunday, Yellow Tail could also potentially realize another benefit from this plan. Since Anheuser-Busch has made it so there arent any other alcohol brands advertising during the big game, that also means less game day competition for the wine company.

Yellow Tail had to piece together its own innovative advertising strategy to reach its target audience . But thats something that businesses of all sizes have to do from time to time. And the result is access to a market most competing brands previously have been unable to reach.
The U.S. Department of Defense has finally, after a ten year search, decided on a new standard pistol, to replace the much hated Beretta M9. The new pistol is a variant of the SIG Sauer P320, which lost out to the Baretta in 1985 because the Baretta 9mm was a little cheaper. The M9 replaced the M1911 11.4mm (.45 caliber) pistol. The M9 replacement entered service in 2014 and is a 833 g (29 ounce) weapon that is 203mm (8 inches) long and has a 17 round magazine. Experienced military and civilian pistol users agree that the P320 was the best choice.

This decision comes after the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force joined forces in 2014 to speed up the seeminly unending selection process. Another development that speeded things up was the fact the SOCOM (Special Operations Command) had already adopted a number of other pistols to replace the M9. For example in 2011 the U.S. Navy SEALS adopted the Sig Sauer P226 9mm pistol as their Mk25 standard sidearm. This pistol was actually the same Sig Sauer P226 the SEALS have been using since the 1980s, but with a better accessory rail, a few other minor changes, and a new name. The Sig Sauer P320 is an updated version of the P226. This is ironic because back in the early 1980s the Berretta and Sig Sauer pistols had both scored about the same on the American evaluation tests and the Berretta won mainly on the basis of price. The P320 is cheaper P226 but the contract to replace as many as 500,000 army M9s is worth over half a billion dollars.

The current selection of the P320 was criticized mainly because it took the Department of Defense (mainly the army) a decade to select what their own evaluation team approved of back in the early 1980s and that SOCOM user experience confirmed before the 1980s were over. SOCOM came into being a few years after the M9 was adopted and immediately began planning to bring back .45 caliber pistols for its commandos while also allowing the use of alternative 9mm pistols as needed. SOCOM always had the right to do that and the army and marines often pay close attention to, and adopt, new weapons and equipment SOCOM has selected and then used successfully in action. Thus the SOCOM decision to keep using the .45 and select a different 9mm pistol. Actually, many Special Forces and SEAL operators never gave up using the original army .45, as it was the ideal pistol for many commando operations.

As the U.S. Army Special Forces discovered, if you are well trained and know what you are doing you should carry a pistol, in addition to your rifle. Not the official issue M9 pistol but something with a bit more stopping power. The Special Forces prefer new model 11.4mm (.45 caliber) pistols, although 10mm weapons are also popular. The reason for this is that you are most likely to be using the pistol indoors, where your target is going to be really close. You want to knock the enemy down quickly, before he can get at you with a knife or even his hands. Many troops are getting their own pistols and most commanders have been lenient on this issue.

The army and air force do not have the same needs as SOCOM and simply want a 9mm pistol with fewer flaws and more of the latest pistol tech than the existing M9. The air force tried to replace the M9 in 2007 and was ordered by the Department of Defense to back off. The M9 is a 914 g (2.1 pound empty), 217mm (8.5 inch) long weapon that has a 125mm (4.9 inch) barrel and a magazine that holds 15 rounds. It replaced the World War I era M1911 .45 (11.4mm) caliber ACP. This is a 1.1 kg (2.44 pounds empty), 210mm (8.25 inch) long weapon with a 127mm (5 inch) barrel and a 7 round magazine. Both pistols were only accurate at up to about 50 meters. The M1911 had more hitting power, while the M9 was a bit more accurate. Loaded, each pistol weighs about 230 g (half a pound) more.

By 2014 the army and air force had a more compelling case for change. The army, in particular, found that many of its oldest M9s were, literally, breaking. Some components (especially the barrels, frames and locking blocks) tend to break on older, especially heavily used, weapons. Since September 11, 2001 the army has used its M9s a lot. There are also a host of other problems, like the shape (too awkward for some users), trigger pull (too heavy) and lack of a Picatinny rail for easily mounting accessories. The safety switch is in an awkward position and troops in combat often accidentally put the safety on when cocking the pistol. That can be fatal (for the user) in combat. More modern designs (like SIG Sauer) have something more efficient (and less of a dirt catcher) than the open-slide and spent cartridge ejection system of the M9. Another sign of the times is that the M9 is not equipped to screw on a silencer, an accessory that is more commonly used these days.

Indeed, most of the problems with the M9 result from the fact that it is a design that is over three decades old. Pistol technology has improved a lot since the late 1970s and that can be seen in the pistols that are popular with police forces. Cops can often buy their own pistols and tend to get the most modern, but proven in action, models. Thus many troops in the combat zone leave the M9 they were issued back at the base and go into the field with a 9mm pistol they bought themselves. This is often a Glock 19, which is a police favorite and popular with troops in other countries. Many armies do not replace pistols as frequently as police forces, or special operations troops. But in Afghanistan and Iraq regular combat troops used pistols a lot, and the M9 was showing its age. As you can see, its not just the wear and tear, its also obsolescence in the face of advances in pistol design.

Meanwhile in 2012 the army had to order another 100,000 M9 9mm pistols, each costing $640. This was just to replace the M9s that were falling apart. The U.S. military (mostly the army) already has over 600,000 M9s and that purchase keeps the M9 in service at least until the end of the decade. The U.S. military adopted the 9mm pistol in 1985 largely to standardize ammunition with NATO and to replace the M911 .45 caliber (11.4mm) pistol with something smaller and lighter. All other NATO states used 9mm for pistols. At the time it was noted that most 9mm pistols were carried by officers and support personnel, who rarely used them, in combat or otherwise. Many American combat veterans disagreed with the switch to a 9mm pistol but that advice was ignored, except in SOCOM.

But times have changed. Over the last decade American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan discovered, through combat experience, what types of weapons worked best at close range to take down the enemy. It was the same with SWAT teams and commandos all over the world. When conducting a raid and finding yourself up close and personal with someone trying to kill you, there is a need for a heavy caliber pistol or a shotgun (firing 00 shot or slugs). The premier pistol for ensuring you take down someone is still the .45 caliber (11.4mm) or .40 caliber (10mm, but only with a heavy bullet) pistols. There is also a .50 caliber (12.7mm) pistol, but only very large people can handle this one. The 11.4 and 10mm pistols are light and handy, compared to assault rifles or shotguns, and have a long history of quickly taking down an armed and determined foe.
Artificial Intelligence

Apple to Join Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Google in Artificial Intelligence Research Alliance

Apple may be the latest company to join the Partnership for AI, a consortium that was established to develop best practices for artificial intelligence (AI), reported Bloomberg News and various other news organizations. The alliance already includes Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Google, IBM and Deepmind.

The Partnership for AI was founded late 2016 with the goal of advancing public understanding and awareness of AI and its potential benefits across industries, including education. Joining the consortium provides a structured platform for AI researchers and key stakeholders to communicate directly and openly, according to the organizations website.

Last October, the White Houses Office of Science and Technology Policy released a report titled Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, which named education as one of the major sectors to be impacted by artificial intelligence research. An AI-enabled world demands a data-literate citizenry that is able to read, use, interpret and communicate about data, and participate in policy debates about matters affected by AI, according to the White House report. AI knowledge and education are increasingly emphasized in federal [STEM] education programs. AI education is also a component of Computer Science for All, [former President Barack Obamas] initiative to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need in a technology-driven world.

Apple had a relatively early start in AI with the introduction of its virtual assistant Siri in 2011. Bloomberg News noted, however, that Apple lost its edge in AI when other tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft released their own versions  Alexa and Cortana. Additionally, IBM's Watson and Facebook's FAIR have been sharing massive data sets to develop their own AI platforms, which may have motivated the notoriously private Apple to join the AI conversation.

Apple has not yet issued an official comment, but THE Journal will provide updates on the impending announcement  expected to be made this week or next week.
Personalized Learning

Free, Online Personalized Learning Platform Raises $6.5 Million

National nonprofit PowerMyLearning earlier this week announced it has raised more than $6.5 million in grant funding to further develop its free, web-based personalized learning platform.

The PowerMyLearning Connect platform has free activities for all K12 subjects aligned to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Educators can choose a playlist or create their own by mixing and matching digital content like games, videos, tools and more. Using the platform, educators can build classes; customize assignments and activities; create customized assessments, and monitor learning with reports that track student activity on the platform.

Among the investors for the most recent round of funding is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided $4.5 million. An additional $1 million apiece came from the Oak Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

PowerMyLearning plans to use the grants to create a delivery model to help expand personalized learning in public schools. It will also use funding to develop rigorous student-facing playlists featuring a sequence of open third-party digital content  such as games, interactives, videos and simulations  combined with questions to assess learning, according to the nonprofits growth plan. Additionally, PowerMyLearning will create teacher-facing playlists designed to build teachers capacity for personalized learning. The overall goal for the next five years, according to the nonprofit, is to reach more than 10,000 students annually.

Further information is available on the PowerMyLearning site.
By Sweta Singh, Richa Naidu and Anna Irrera

(Reuters) - Ant Financial Services Group, the world's largest financial technology company, said on Thursday that it would acquire U.S. money-transfer company MoneyGram International Inc (MGI.O) for about $880 million in a deal that is expected to shake up the international payments landscape.

Ant, the payment affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), dominates the online payments industry in China. With this acquisition it will significantly expand its presence overseas, as competition from domestic rival Tencent Holdings Ltd's Wechat payment system heats up.

The offer of $13.25 per share is at a premium of 11.5 percent to MoneyGram's Wednesday's close. MoneyGram's shares were trading up nearly 9 percent at $12.92.

The companies said the deal would be subject to approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFIUS), a U.S. inter-agency panel that reviews foreign acquisitions of domestic assets for national security concerns. CIFIUS has been a stumbling block for several Chinese deals in the Unites States.

Ant's acquisition of Dallas-based MoneyGram comes against a backdrop of rising tensions between China and the United States over President Donald Trumps willingness to re-evaluate key foreign policy conventions such as the "One China" principle. He has also threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

Trump has, however, met with Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba, since his election, describing Ma as "smart" and "open-minded."

MoneyGram, alongside competitor Western Union Co (WU.N), has long dominated the money transfer industry with its large network of retail locations. It has about 350,000 outlets in retail shops, post offices and banks in nearly 200 countries and territories.

Over the past few years, however, brick-and-mortar incumbents have been facing growing competition from more tech-savvy companies that are able to offer cheaper services online.

Story continues

The combination of Ant's technological expertise and MoneyGram's large network of agents and established brand could be a game-changer for the industry by leading to more consumers, including migrant workers sending remittances home, to use online transfer services rather than taking cash to storefronts, experts said.

"The combination is a powerful one: leading-edge technology with global reach and a significant physical footprint. Innovation and trust in one bundle," said Warren Mead, global co-head of fintech at KPMG. "I expect to see the ever increasing convergence of fintech and the more traditional financial services sector."

REMITTANCES 'A REALLY INTERESTING BRIDGE'

China's financial technology companies are on the rise, boosted by rapid digitization and the rise of a mass middle class at home. Chinese fintech "dragons" accounted for 46 percent of all venture capital investments in fintech globally in the first nine months of 2016, according to a report by Citigroup Inc (C.N).

Ant raised $4.5 billion in a record funding round in April, valuing the company at about $60 billion, the same as American Express Co (AXP.N) or insurer Chubb Ltd (CB.N) and more than any other privately held fintech company.

Ant has been using its financial firepower to expand at home and overseas as it prepares for a planned initial public offering this year.

MoneyGram would be Alibaba's second acquisition in the United States. Last year, the company bought EyeVerify, a maker of optical verification technology used by U.S. banks.

"The large Chinese fintechs have been active across the developing markets for quite some time now," said Imran Gulamhuseinwala, global head of fintech at EY. "We expected them to come to the U.S. and Europe and the remittance space represents a really interesting bridge between the two.

The deal comes as the Trump administration commences a crackdown on illegal immigration, which could impact remittances, the money that migrants workers send home. Prior to taking office, Trump threatened to halt money transfers from Mexican nationals unless Mexico agreed to pay for the massive wall he plans build on the U.S. southern border to keep out illegal immigrants.

Daumantas Dvilinskas, chief executive officer of money-transfer startup TransferGo, said restrictions on immigration would have a negative impact on outflows from the specific country implementing the change, but that it was unlikely to have significant impact on the global $550 billion remittances market.

"I don't believe it will stop the prevailing growth of the global migrant segment," Dvilinskas said.

MoneyGram's biggest shareholder, private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, which has a 44.5 percent stake, agreed to vote in favor of the deal, the companies said.

The company faced a serious liquidity crunch in 2008 after investing in subprime and other risky asset-backed securities, but it was rescued through a $1.5 billion equity and debt deal clinched with Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Thomas H. Lee Partners.

Ant Financial said it would assume or refinance MoneyGram's outstanding debt, which stood at $937.3 million on a net basis as of Sept. 30, according to a regulatory filing.

Alex Holmes will remain MoneyGram's chief executive and the company will continue to be based in Dallas.

Citi is Ant Financial's financial adviser, while Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is its legal adviser.

MoneyGram is being advised by BofA Merrill Lynch and legal firm Vinson & Elkins LLP.

The companies said the acquisition was expected to close in the second half of 2017.

(Reporting by Sweta Singh and Richa Naidu in Bengaluru and Anna Ierrera in New York; Additional reporting by Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Cynthia Osterman)
By Nina Chestney

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - British plans to leave the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) when it exits the European Union could raise costs, delay new nuclear power projects and complicate research and international cooperation agreements, experts said on Friday.

On Thursday, Britain published the legislation it will use to seek parliamentary approval for triggering the process for leaving the European Union, saying the Prime Minister has the power to notify the European Council of withdrawal.

That includes withdrawal from Euratom, an accompanying document to the bill said.

Britain plans to build new nuclear reactors as it faces an electricity supply gap in the coming decade, the biggest of which is the $24 billion Hinkley Point C project being built by French utility EDF (Paris: FR0010242511 - news) .

"Clearly this is something which could impact the industry's complex supply chain and it may well have an impact on Hinkley Point," said Anthony Froggart, senior research fellow at thinktank Chatham House.

He added that EDF has already raised concerns to the UK government about the impact of Brexit on labour movement and trade restrictions which could potentially raise the cost of construction.

In December, EDF said that Britain should "ideally" remain in Euratom, because it provides a framework for compliance with international safeguards to control the use of uranium and plutonium.

"None of the current new-build projects in the UK are British designs, and most are reliant on foreign technology that is accessible only via the existing bilateral treaties through Euratom," said Vince Zabielski, senior lawyer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

"If the U.K. leaves Euratom before new stand-alone nuclear cooperation treaties are negotiated with France and the United (Shenzhen: 000925.SZ - news) States, current new build projects will be placed on hold while those stand-alone treaties are negotiated," he added.

Story continues

Britain also has several international nuclear cooperation agreements with countries outside the EU which are reliant on Euratom safeguards being in place.

Japan's Toshiba (Swiss: TOSH.SW - news) and France's Engie (LSE: 0LD0.L - news) , through a joint venture called NuGen, plan to build three reactors in Britain from U.S.-based Westinghouse, while Horizon, owned by Japan's Hitachi, also plans new nuclear capacity.

A spokesman for Horizon said withdrawal from Euratom would present issues which would need to be addressed but the firm is confident they can be resolved so they deliver their lead project on time.

Toshiba said on Friday it would review its struggling nuclear operation, without mentioning the Nugen project.

Euratom is the EU's framework for nuclear energy safety and development, establishing a European market for goods and services and compliance with international nuclear safeguards.

Euratom was formed before the EU in 1957. Although it is legally separate from the EU, it has the same members and is governed by EU institutions.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the government remains committed to high standards of nuclear safety, safeguards and support for the nuclear industry and is confident it can ensure effective arrangements for nuclear cooperation with Europe and the rest of the world. (Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Boxed in.

In 1938, Finland started offering low-income mothers a maternity package, a box filled with fabric to sew baby clothes, blankets and cloth diapers which doubled as a small crib for the babys first few weeks of life. Today, every Finnish mother, regardless of income, gets a baby box. When Finland introduced its baby boxes, the infant mortality rate was 65 deaths per 1,000 live births: Today it is 1.3 deaths per 1,000 births, one of the lowest in the world.

These Finnish baby boxes, now with over 50 adorable Scandinavian-designed items, including a snowsuit, have become the envy of new parents the world over.

Now the baby box is going global. On Jan. 26, New Jersey became the first US state to offer all new mothers in the state baby boxes. By the end of March, all of Canada will be handing them out, as are a few health care trusts in the UK, and some hospitals in Ireland. Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia last year gave away 3,000 baby boxes.

The Baby Box Co., which sells baby boxes for $70 to $225 and is based in Los Angeles, will supply 105,000 boxesthe expected number of babies to be bornto the state of New Jersey, paid for in part by a grant from the US Center for Disease Control.

A key goal is to lower the infant mortality rate, which is shockingly high in the United States6.5 deaths per 1,000 live birthsputting it in 23rd place in the world and way behind most industrialized countries. Last year, 93 percent of deaths due to SIDS were related to sleep complications, according to a New Jersey Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board report (pdf).

The key to the box is not actually the box, but the education that parents are required to get before they are given the box. In Finland, every woman is entitled to a free box once she has received prenatal care and parenting information from a healthcare professional. In the New Jersey program, women will have to register online, review a curriculum on newborn care and take a short quiz before they get their box.

Story continues

Its not that Finland was transformed by cardboard boxes, said Jennifer Clary, chief executive of The Baby Box Co. Its that they led with education and community support.

There is ample scientific research to show that parenting programs help improve infants outcomes in life, but it can be hard to engage parents. The baby box is a classic behavioral nudge to do just that. The education programs can impart information on everything from health issues to car seats, local support services to why read to your kids a lot. Topics covered in the New Jersey curriculum include safe sleeping, the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse, the benefits of breast-feeding, and warning signs for postpartum depression.

Content is developed locally and in conjunction with health experts and state or national health authorities. It is then housed on babyboxuniversity.com.

The new Jersey boxes will contain diapers, a onesie, baby wipes, breast pads, and nipple cream for nursing mothers. Baby Box Co. has also teamed up with Vroom, an app developed by Amazon to help parents become better brain builders. Included in the box are Vroom-designed activity cards, explaining the importance of things like singing and talking to babies.

Jackpot.

Finnish parents have the option of the baby box or a one-time grant of 140 ($150), though most opt for the box. Its worth more, and its cool.

As Olga Tarasalainen, a spokeswoman for Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland which distributes the boxes, told the Independent: What the box symbolises is that every child is equal and deserves an equal start in life.

So far, it looks like the idea might gain traction. Before the baby Box Co. even announced that its deal with New Jersey, news of the deal leaked and 4,000 parents signed up. Theres a real need for parents to feel supported in the US, especially at a time when so many things are up in the air, said Clary.

Its worth noting that New Jerseys boxes do not come with Finlands other wonderful social safety net benefitssuch as 16 weeks of paid leave and the ability to leave work seven weeks before the baby even arrives. New Jersey parents are probably even more envious of those benefits than the baby boxes. But for now, a box will have to do.

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More stories from Quartz:
* Kernel $500 mln deal ends Ukraine issuance drought

* Most other companies could struggle to draw investors

* Ukraine hit by secessionist war, sluggish economy

* Kernel has low debt, no exposure to war-torn east

By Karin Strohecker and Natalia Zinets

LONDON/KIEV, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Sunflower oil producer Kernel ended Ukraine's corporate bond issuance drought this week with a $500 million deal. But other firms are unlikely to receive such a warm welcome from investors due to high debts, a secessionist war and a frail economy.

Kernel's debut deal, the first from a Ukrainian firm since 2013, drew investor bids for almost three times that amount as investors raced to snap up high-yielding emerging bonds.

But this is unlikely to herald a Ukrainian issuance rush as the world's largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil stands out in the country's corporate landscape; it has lower debts than most firms and the bulk of its profits come from exports, so its business is built on hard currency.

It is also a leading light of the traditionally successful agribusiness industry in Ukraine - dubbed the "the breadbasket of Europe" and home to highly fertile black soil. Most agribusiness land is in the west of the country, so has been less affected by the conflict in eastern regions than other sectors, particularly mining and heavy industry.

The economy of the ex-Soviet state is just starting to recover following sharp contractions in 2014 and 2015, triggered by violent protests, Russia's annexation of its Crimea region, the war in the east, as well as years of mismanagement.

The government restructured its debt in 2015 with the help of an International Monetary Fund bailout. A wave of corporate restructurings followed: from steel giant Metinvest and Ukrainian Railway to First Ukrainian International Bank.

"The hurdle is still relatively high for the quality of the Ukrainian corporates if they want to access the international debt market. Kernel made the cut, but there may not be so many private companies which can do so," said Oleksiy Soroka, portfolio manager for emerging market debt at Allianz Global Investors in London.

Story continues

CRIMEA EXPOSURE

Warsaw-listed Kernel Holding has one of the lowest debt burdens of Ukrainian companies. Net (LSE: 0LN0.L - news) debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) stood at 0.8 times at the end of its full financial year 2016.

That is low even among the few Ukrainian firms that have continued servicing their debt. Poultry producer MHP, for example, reported a ratio of 2.93 times for net debt to EBITDA for the 12 months to June last year.

Kernel also has no exposure to eastern regions and the Crimean peninsula, unlike many Ukrainian industrial firms. Even (Taiwan OTC: 6436.TWO - news) in its own sector, it is well positioned; agricultural group Ukrlandfarming said in April last year that the damage due to loss of assets in Crimea and the eastern Donbass region amounted to as much as $300 million.

Kernel told investors in its bond statement that nearly 90 percent of its EBITDA in the past five years came from exports, securing an assured income stream in hard currency.

Its bond is rated B+ by ratings agency Fitch, two notches above its B- rating on Ukraine's sovereign debt.

"The market is ready for other borrowers also, but in Ukraine there are simply not companies which could enter the market - except one or two," said Sergiy Fursa from the fixed income sales team of Dragon Capital (Other OTC: DRGV - news) , one of Ukraine's largest investment banks.

BUMPER HARVEST

Ukraine is one of the three top global grain exporters. The 2016 grain harvest was expected to be high and exports were seen hitting a record.

Central Bank Deputy Governor Dmytro Sologub said he expected more issuance from the agricultural sector.

"There is potential for an increase in external borrowing. I can't say there will many such companies," Sologub told journalists. "Agriculture looks the most promising as a whole."

Igor Mazepa, chief executive at Concorde Capital, said there were "some good signs that Ukrainian companies may go out to international markets", though usually corporate issuance would follow a sovereign sale, which may happen later in the year.

MHP is one of those that can hope to tap international markets, investment company Concorde Capital reckons.

Another candidate, according to Concorde, is London-listed iron ore miner Ferrexpo (Other OTC: FEEXF - news) , which is considering a $750 million Eurobond. Ferrexpo, which reported earlier in January that rising sales in 2016 had taken production volumes to record levels, has a Eurobond due for repayment in 2019 which currently yields around 7.7 percent.

And the economy turning a corner after contracting by nearly 10 percent in 2015 should help rekindle investors' appetite.

"Demand for high-yield financial instruments denominated in U.S. dollars appears as soon as a country shows signs of economic recovery after deep recession," said Oleksandr Valchyshen, head of research at ICU investment bank in Kiev.

The central bank said on Thursday it expected the economy expanded by 1.8 percent in 2016 and upped its growth forecast for 2017 to 2.8 percent from 2.5 percent.

But this will take a while to filter through to companies' balance sheets. While most are yet to release full-year results for 2016, data for the first nine months showed many continue to struggle and post losses. (Writing by Karin Strohecker; Editing by Pravin Char)
LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers have written to Prime Minister Theresa May, urging her to challenge U.S. President Donald Trump on his views on climate change when the two leaders meet on Friday. Trump has dismissed climate change as a "hoax" and vowed during his presidential campaign to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. "As one of the world's largest emitters ... his approach to reducing emissions could determine whether we, in the UK and people round the world, experience or avoid the worst impacts of climate change," the letter from the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee said. May is set to be the first foreign leader to meet the new U.S. President on Friday, with the talks expected to focus on trade. Environmental Audit Committee chair Mary Creagh said that May should use the opportunity to demonstrate Britain's commitment to fighting climate change. "The Prime Minister has said she won't be afraid to challenge the new President. So she should start by telling him climate change is not a hoax," Creagh said. Scientists warn that rising global temperatures must be stalled to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including floods, droughts and rising sea levels. (Reporting by Susanna Twidale; Editing by David Goodman)
France is to act on sugary drinks (Rex)

France has banned restaurants and cafes from offering unlimited sugary drinks in a measure to combat obesity.

Although France already suffers obesity problems as much as other European countries, waistlines are definitely growing on the other side of the channel.

A recent Eurostat survey found that French obesity levels are at 15.3%, which is just below the EU average of 15.9%.

That was better than the UK (20.1%) but fatter than Italy (10.7%).

MORE: Kardashians officially among the most boring things in life

MORE: Emojis at last for England, Scotland and Wales

And more than 55 % of Frenchmen aged over 30 are overweight or obese, according to a further study. The figure is around 40% for women.

The new rule will ban selling unlimited soft drinks at a fixed price or offering them for free.

The country is to ban free refills (Rex)

France is not the first country to try and limit consumption of sugary drinks.

Britain is set to introduce a tax next year and the World Health Organization recommends taxing sugary drinks, linking them to obesity and diabetes.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said on Thursday, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump. "HM King Abdullah II will start a working visit to U.S. on Monday during which he will meet w/new administration & Congress," the Jordanian embassy in Washington said on Twitter. It did not say whether a meeting between Abdullah and Trump was scheduled. Abdullah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria. Less than a week into his presidency, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that he would "absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria. The creation of safe zones would ratchet up U.S. military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from former President Barack Obama's more cautious approach. Increased U.S. or allied air power would be required if Trump chose to enforce "no fly" restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas. Abdullah's visit comes as Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran. Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the Syrian conflict began. The vast majority of refugees referred by the U.N. refugee agency to the United States come from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq. Abdullah, who has a role as custodian of the Muslim sacred sites in Jerusalem, has also been key to efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. Since Israel's creation in 1948, Jordan has absorbed waves of Palestinian refugees, as well as fugitives from the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon and from Iraq. While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a statement that drew an outcry from Palestinians and others who said it would kill any prospect for peace. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Susan Heavey and Christian Lowe WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are likely to discuss the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine when the two leaders speak by telephone on Saturday, a senior White House aide said. Trump has said in the past that, as part of a rapprochement he is seeking with Russia, he is prepared to review sanctions that his predecessor, Barack Obama, imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula. That move would face resistance from both influential figures in Washington and foreign leaders who believe sanctions should only be eased if Moscow complies with the West's conditions on Ukraine. Among the U.S. sanctions causing the most pain to Russia are those targeting its financial services, limiting the Russian economy's ability to raise debt, and its energy companies. On the same day he speaks to Putin, Trump will have telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, White House spokesman Sean Spicer wrote in a Tweet. Both Hollande and Merkel have argued that it is premature to ease the sanctions. Trump senior aide Kellyanne Conway said in U.S. television interviews on Friday that Trump and Putin would likely discuss a range of issues, including joint efforts to combat terrorism. Asked on FOX News's "Fox & Friends" program to comment on suggestions that the Obama administration sanctions would be on the agenda, Conway said: All of that is under consideration. The call will be the first between the Russian and U.S. leaders since Putin called Trump to congratulate him on his election victory in November. It is a first step towards what Trump has billed as a normalization of relations after three years of tensions sparked by the conflict in Ukraine. Trump and Putin have never met and it was unclear how their very different personalities would gel. Trump is a flamboyant real estate deal-maker who often acts on gut instinct, while Putin is a former Soviet spy who calculates each step methodically. PATIENCE Both have spoken about ending the enmity that has dragged U.S.-Russia relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War. "Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people? Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I am all for it," Trump told a news conference in July last year. Trump is under intense scrutiny at home from critics who say he was elected with help from Russian intelligence -- an allegation he denies -- and that he is too ready to cut deals with a country that many of his own officials say is a threat to U.S. security. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian leader would use the call to congratulate Trump on taking office and to exchange views on U.S.-Russian ties. Asked by reporters if Ukraine would come up, Peskov said: "This is the first telephone contact since President Trump took office, so one should hardly expect that (it)...will involve substantive discussions across the whole range of issues. "We'll see, let's be patient." If Putin and Trump can establish a rapport, it could pave the way for deals on Ukraine and Syria, two sources of friction during the administration of Barack Obama. For the Russian leader, there is much to gain. Putin is expected to run for re-election next year, but is hampered by a sluggish economy. A softening or removal of sanctions would allow Western investment and credit to flow in, lifting growth and strengthening Putin's election prospects. Any move by Trump to ease sanctions would create a dilemma for the European Union, which has its own set of sanctions against Russia linked to the Ukraine crisis. Some governments in Europe are sympathetic with Trump's stance and keen for relief from sanctions that are hurting trade with Russia. Others in the bloc believe Moscow has not met the conditions for the sanctions to be lifted. Merkel, who faces a re-election battle, has invested considerable political capital in keeping the EU aligned behind the sanctions. A German diplomat told Reuters last month: If Trump lifts the sanctions, I fear the consensus in Europe would crumble." Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met in Berlin on Friday, underlining the challenges for European unity in the face of a new U.S. president who has promised to shake up the status quo in international affairs. "Let's say it honestly, there is the challenge posed by the new U.S. administration, regarding trade rules and what our position will be on managing conflicts in the world," Hollande, who will leave office after an April-May election, told reporters. (Additional reporting by Noah Barkin, Joseph Nasr and Andrea Shalal in Berlin in Berlin, Polina Devitt and Denis Pinchuk in Moscow, and Eric Walsh in Washington; Editing by Richard Lough)
By Marja Novak LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia's parliament amended its laws on Thursday to enable police to seal the country's borders to most illegal migrants for a limited period if this is deemed necessary for reasons of national security. The amendments were passed by 47 votes to 18 although several humanitarian organisations said they might amount to a violation of human rights. "Slovenia cannot wait until public order and internal security are in danger," Interior Minister Vesna Gyorkos Znidar told parliament before the vote. "If the European Union will not find a sustainable and effective solution (to the migration problem), Slovenia has a legitimate right and obligation to use decrees that are necessary to protect its interests," she added. The Amnesty International said earlier on Thursday the new law "is a serious backward step for human rights in Slovenia". The Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organisation, called upon parliament last week to reject the amendments, saying states should ensure that migrants arriving at their borders have access to a procedure enabling them to put forward reasons not to be refused entry. But Slovenia claims it has to prevent a repeat of a six-month-influx of migrants that ended in March 2016, when several countries to its south closed the main Balkan migrant route. In that period Slovenia, the smallest state along the migration corridor, saw almost 500,000 illegal migrants crossing the country on their way to wealthier west European countries. Centre-left Prime Minister Miro Cerar had said Slovenia would not be able to endure another large influx of migrants, particularly since its northern neighbour Austria and other west European states were closing their doors to migrants. (Reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The Islamist group al Shabaab said its fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops when they attacked a remote military base in Somalia on Friday, while Kenya's army dismissed the report and said "scores" of militants were killed. A spokesman for al Shabaab, which often launches attacks on troops of the African Union's AMISOM force, said its fighters killed at least 66 Kenyans at the base in the southern town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border. Al Shabaab said it lost fighters but did not give numbers. Kenyan military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna denied the claim that al Shabaab had killed dozens of soldiers but did not give any casualty figures. In a statement, he said al Shabaab attackers used a vehicle packed with explosives to try to blast their way into the camp of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). "KDF soldiers repulsed the terrorists, killing scores," he said. Njuguna said the attack was launched around dawn on Friday. In January 2016, al Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers in El Adde, a Somali camp near the border with Kenya. The military never gave details of casualties, but Kenya media reports suggested a toll of that magnitude. Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, had told Reuters al Shabaab fighters rammed two suicide car bombs into the base and seized it. "We are pursuing the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods," he said. Al Shabaab, whose assessment of casualties often differs markedly from official versions, typically rams the entrance to a target site with a car or truck bomb so fighters can storm in. The Islamist group, which once ruled much of Somalia, wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and drive out the peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African countries. Al Shabaab has been fighting for years to impose its strict interpretation of Islam on Somalia. African Union and Somali troops have driven its fighters from major urban strongholds and ports, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas from attacks. (Additional reporting by George Obulutsa in Nairobi; Writing by Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab said its fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops when the Islamist group attacked a remote military base in Somalia on Friday, while Kenya's army said nine soldiers died and 70 militants were killed. Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna said that al Shabaab's fighters had attempted to attack their base in the southern town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border, but were repulsed. A spokesman for al Shabaab, which often launches attacks on troops of the African Union's AMISOM force, said its fighters killed at least 66 Kenyans at the base. The group had said earlier it lost fighters but did not give numbers. Njuguna said the attack was launched around dawn on Friday, when al Shabaab fighters used a vehicle packed with explosives to try to blast their way into the camp of the Kenya Defence Forces. Al Shabaab gave a similar account of how the attack was launched. Its military operation spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, told Reuters fighters rammed two suicide car bombs into the base and seized it. "We are pursuing the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods," he said. Al Shabaab, whose assessment of casualties often differs markedly from official versions, typically rams the entrance to a target site with a car or truck bomb so fighters can storm in. The Islamist group has been fighting for years to impose its strict interpretation of Islam on Somalia. It once ruled much of Somalia and wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and drive out the peacekeeping force made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African countries. African Union and Somali troops have pushed its fighters from major urban strongholds and ports, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas from attacks. In January 2016, al Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers in El Adde, a Somali camp near the border with Kenya. The military did not give details of casualties in that attack, but Kenyan media reports suggested a toll of that magnitude. Njuguna said 15 wounded soldiers were airlifted on Friday to Nairobi for treatment, and that Kenyan forces were pursuing the rest of al Shabaab's fighters. (Additional reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Writing by Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair; Editing by George Obulutsa and Dominic Evans)
Donald Trump has told Theresa May he believes Brexit will be a "wonderful thing" for Britain and open the door to new trade deals as the two leaders held hands at the White House.

In a joint press conference at the White House, Mr Trump said: "Great days lie ahead for our two peoples and our two countries. "On behalf of our nation, I thank you for joining us here today as a really great honour."

Mrs May said: "Thank you for inviting me so soon after your inauguration and I'm delighted to be able to congratulate you on what was a stunning election victory.

"And, as you say, the invitation is an indication of the strength and importance of the special relationship that exists between our two countries, a relationship based on the bonds of history, of family, kinship and common interests.

"And in a further sign of the importance of that relationship I have today been able to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year and I'm delighted that the president has accepted that invitation."

Mrs May made a point of emphasising that during their talks, Mr Trump had given strong backing to Nato, an alliance that the president has previously called obsolete.

Story continues

The president was asked if he was considering lifting US sanctions against Russia ahead of an expected Saturday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump was noncommittal, saying "We'll see what happens. As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that."

Challenged about his views on torture, Russia, banning Muslims and punishment for abortion by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Trump joked to Mrs May: "This was your choice of a question. There goes that relationship."

He insisted that he would allow decisions to be made on the use of torture by his defence secretary, James Mattis - who has different views on the issue.

The president tweeted after the press conference:

When Theresa met Donald  in pictures

10:48PM

Mark Zuckerberg pleads with Trump to keep America's doors open to refugees

10:11PM

President Trump signs executive orders on 'extreme vetting' and military buildup

While at the Pentagon Mr Trump signed two executive orders on "extreme vetting" of refugees and rebuilding the military.

He said the "new vetting measures" were aimed at keeping "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States. Mr Trump said it was "big stuff" and added: "We don't want them here."

According to a leaked draft of the order the president plans to suspend issuing visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days.

Trump signs executive actions to "keep radical Islamic terrorists out" and for a "rebuilding of the armed services" https://t.co/M60AQZLcGhpic.twitter.com/XHGGH9DVvz  CNN (@CNN) January 27, 2017

Mr Trump said he only wants to admit people to the US who will support the country.

His comments echoed his campaign pledge to implement "extreme vetting" programs, particularly for people coming from countries with ties to terrorism.

He said the action for rebuilding the military includes plans for new planes, new ships and new resources for the men and women in uniform.

10:09PM

General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis sworn in as Defence Secretary

Mr Trump later went to the Pentagon for the swearing in of General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis as Defence Secretary.

The president said he had "total confidence" in General Mattis and described him as a "man of total action."

Trump on Mattis: "He is the right man at the right time, and he will do us all very, very proud"https://t.co/ZNnkJhhNeB  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 27, 2017

He said Mattis had devoted his life to serving the country and was a "man of honour and devotion".

The new Defense Secretary said the men and women serving in the US military had been tested after a decade of war, "our longest war," in Afghanistan.

General Mattis told Mr Trump: "You can count on us all the way."

9:03PM

Paul Ryan: Russian sanctions should remain

House Speaker Paul Ryan has said the United States should keep its sanctions against Russia, amid speculation that Mr Trump may lift the punitive measures imposed under Barack Obama.

"I think Obama was late in putting them in place, so I think they should stay," Mr Ryan said in an interview with Politico.

8:52PM

Trump: media is 'partially the opposition party'

Mr Trump has backed up his chief strategist in the assessment that the media is the country's "opposition party".

Echoing comments made by Steve Bannon earlier this week, Mr Trump told CBN News that he believes "the dishonesty, total deceit and deception. It makes them certainly partially the opposition party."

"I think they're much more capable than the opposition party. The opposition party is losing badly. Now the media is on the opposition party's side."

"The fortunate thing about me is I have a big voice. I have a voice that people understand. And you see it now."

8:46PM

The view from the US media

Mark Landler, White House Correspondent for the New York Times, concluded: "A first for Trump in the two-and-two format with a world leader.

"These are often awkward affairs, with reporters asking questions on unrelated issues. All things considered Trump and May handled it smoothly."

8:38PM

'Theresa May and Donald Trump confer legitimacy on each other'

Tim Stanley writes:

The chemistry between Theresa May and Donald Trump might be uncertain, but the dynamic is clear. They confer legitimacy on each other. Trumps embrace proves that there is life for Britain after Brexit. Mays embrace proves that someone thinks Trumps election victory was a good thing. As always, the special relationship is rooted in political need. It has its historic, spiritual elements  we fought together in two world wars. But it rises and falls depending upon mutual necessity. At this precise moment, Britain and America face isolation. We are loathed for voting to leave the EU; Trump is widely regarded as uncouth, even bigoted. Both countries need a trade deal to prove that they can do a deal, that they are attractive to someone.

Read the full article.

8:20PM

Trump and May exchange gifts: Abraham Lincoln memorabilia for the PM and a hamper from Chequers for the first lady

Donald Trump presented Theresa May with an 1865 Edition of Harpers Weekly magazine depicting Abraham Lincolns second inauguration, Peter Dominiczak writes.

He also gave her a hand-printed excerpt from President Lincolns from his second inaugural address.

The excerpt reads: With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nations wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Melania Trump gave Mrs May a gift for her husband, Philip, of a pair of sterling silver cufflinks designed by New York jeweller David Yurman.

Mr May did not travel to America with Mrs May but will meet Mr Trump and his wife when they visit the UK on a full state visit later this year.

Mrs May presented Mrs Trump with a gift of a hamper of produce from the Prime Minister's country residence Chequers, including apple juice, damson jam and marmalade, as well as Bakewell tarts and cranberry and white chocolate "shorties".

Mrs May presented the president with a traditional Scottish cup of friendship, known as a quaich, reflecting Mr Trump's Scottish ancestry, as the son of Mary MacLeod from the Isle of Lewis.

8:08PM

Berlin mayor says "Dear Mr President, dont build this wall"

Michael Mueller, the Mayor of Berlin, has issued an emotional statement asking Mr Trump to think again about the US-Mexico border wall.

He said: "Our city cannot look on without comment when a country plans to build a new wall.

"We Berliners know best how much suffering was caused by the division of an entire continent with barbed wire and concrete. Do not go down this wrong path of isolation and exclusion."

The Berlin Wall divided the city between east and west from 1961 and 1989.

Mr Mueller said: "We cant just accept it if our historical experience is disregarded by those to whom we largely owe our freedom - the Americans.

"Dear Mr President, dont build this wall."

7:53PM

March for Life near White House

While Mr Trump and Mrs May were meeting at the White House the Vice President, Mike Pence, was addressing an anti-abortion rally not far away at the Washington Monument.

The March for Life was aimed at ending taxpayer-funded abortion and choosing a Supreme Court justice who will uphold "God-given" liberties.

Mr Pence was the first sitting vice president to address the annual march.

It is usually held on the anniversary of the landmark Jan 22, 1973, Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that legalised abortion. The march was pushed back this year because of Mr Trump's inauguration.

.@VP Pence - the highest ranking official ever, finishes up speaking at #MarchForLife here in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/qXi188P5si  Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) January 27, 2017

.@SecondLady Karen Pence introduces her husband, @VP Mike Pence at @March_for_Life. They are such an unbelievable family!! pic.twitter.com/G0Q3hUb6Oi  Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) January 27, 2017

7:44PM

Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to US: Trump looked 'presidential'

Former UK Amb @SirSocks: Trump looked quite presidential & PM May got the moderate answers from him she wanted. https://t.co/xYxCkUgd7j  Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) January 27, 2017

7:28PM

May treated to American-style beef ribs

Donald Trump treated Mrs May to American-style beef ribs for their working lunch at the White House.

The menu for the meal in the state dining room following their joint press conference was:

Baby iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese.

Braised beef short ribs with potato puree and glazed winter vegetables.

Salted caramel creme brulee.

7:26PM

Billionaire Carlos Slim says ready to help Mexico negotiate with Donald Trump

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has said he is willing to help the government negotiate with Donald Trump, and called on Mexicans from all political parties to unite behind President Enrique Pena Nieto in his discussions with the US president.

In a rare news conference by the generally media-shy mogul, Mr Slim said Mexico needed to negotiate from a position of strength, noting that Mr Trump, who he called a "great negotiator," represented a major change in how politics is conducted.

Mexico will pay for the call https://t.co/kWn0pxwREa  Henry Mance (@henrymance) January 27, 2017

7:24PM

Tomorrow's Bob cartoon

7:09PM

Was May channeling Margaret Thatcher with her red suit?

On reflection, it must have been almost a no-brainer for Theresa May to pluck her favourite tomato red Amanda Wakeley suit from her wardrobe for her pivotal summit with Donald Trump, Bethan Holt writes.

After all, how else to flatter a man whom we know is not adverse to an ego massage but by co-ordinating with his likely choice of tie shade? The newly-Inaugurated President has, after all, been sporting his favorite Republican-red accessory extensively over the past week as he did throughout his Presidential campaign.

Read the full article.

7:06PM

May meets Trump: the ten best quotes

May: "I'm delighted to be able to congratulate you on what was a stunning election victory" Trump: A free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world, and our relationship has never been stronger May: "I have today been able to convey Her Majesty, the Queen's hope that President Trump and the first lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year" Trump: "I'm a people person and I think you are too Theresa. I think were going to have a fantastic relationship." May: "Mr President I think you confirmed that you're '100 per cent behind' Nato." Trump: "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship" May: "I've been listening to the president and the president has been listening to me. That's the point of having a dialogue." Trump: "Were no longer going to be the country that doesnt know what its doing May: "We believe the sanctions [on Russia] should continue" Trump: We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship"

6:43PM

Trump says he had 'very good' call with Mexico's Pena Nieto

Mr Trump said he had a "very good" phone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier today and agreed to work to improve ties after a meeting between the two leaders was scrapped amid a dispute over funding the president's planned border wall.

"We had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico ... but, as you know, Mexico with the United States has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders. They've made us look foolish," Mr Trump told the press conference with Theresa May.

Mr Trump said the call was friendly and he looked forward to renegotiating the US trade relationship with Mexico in the future.

6:33PM

One of shortest ever White House press conferences

18 minutes..

6:30PM

How can a vicar's daughter and a brash businessman get along?

"I'm not as brash as you might think," Mr Trump quips. "I'm a people person and I think you are too Theresa. I think were going to have a fantastic relationship."

He then highlights his Scottish roots and trumpets the fact that he said Brexit was indeed going to happen.

"I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country. You're going to have your own identity and you're going to be able to make your own trade deals without having someone watching you," he said.

He said his experience as a businessman dealing with Europe was "very, very tough," and "a very bad experience," while dealing with Britain was far smoother.

"I think Brexit will go down as being a tremendous thing for the United Kingdom. It will be a tremendous asset not a burden."

6:24PM

A question from Laura Kuenssberg of the BBC sparks a lighter moment

Mrs May is asked whether she has disagreed with Mr Trump over anything, such as his support for torture

Mr Trump looked at Mrs May and quipped: "That was your choice of question? There goes that relationship."

She said:

The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have open and frank discussions. We are at a moment where we can build an even stronger special relationship.

Mr Trump responds:

James Mattis, our new defence secretary, has said he does not believe in torture... I don't necessarily agree but I'm telling you he will override as I'm giving him that responsibility. I happen to feel it (torture) does work but I'm happy to go with our leaders.

6:19PM

Trade deal 'in national interests of both countries'

Mrs May says she is "convinced a trade deal between the US and the UK is in the national interests of both countries".

Mr Trump has accepted Mrs May's invitation to visit Britain later this year.

6:16PM

May: Trump confirms he is 100 per cent behind Nato

Mrs May says that Mr Trump assured her that the United States was "100 per cent behind Nato". The president has said he thought the alliance was obsolete.

The Prime Minister says she will try to convince European leaders to meet the Nato funding commitments of 2 per cent of GDP.

6:15PM

Donald Trump: the relationship between Britain and the United States has been one of the great forces in history

Donald Trump states "the relationship between Britain and the United States has been one of the great forces in history".

He says "great days lie ahead for our two countries" and that he looks forward to working closely with Mrs May to strengthen ties between the two countries.

A free and independent Britain is a blessing to he world and our relationship has never been stronger. Governments must be responsive to everyday working people. Madam prime minister we look forward to working closely with you. Great days lie ahead for our two peoples and our two countries.

6:12PM

Key figures in the US congress push for a greater bilateral relationship with the UK

Donald Trump's trade discussions with Theresa May today come as key figures in the US congress push for a greater bilateral relationship with the UK, Ruth Sherlock reports.

As Britain works on the complex process of extricating itself from the European Union, leading US politicians are pushing to sign off on legislation that will strengthen economic ties with its ally across the pond.

"Britain needs to get divorced, before it can get married again," Charles Dent, a Republican congressman told The Telegraph. "But that doesn't mean it can't start a new relationship".

This week Mr Dent, and Mark Walker a congressman from North Carolina, co-sponsorsed a resolution for a new bilateral trade agreement, the North Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Congress and the current administration have a responsibility to foster the special relationship between the US and the UK, which has been built on shared history and values, a common language, and mutual trust," Mr Dent said.

"The economic security of our two great nations is greatly dependent on our ability to maintain fair and regular trade relations.

The bill states that the UK remains the largest private sector investor in the US, contributing $135 billion (approximately 107.7 billion) in value added to the United States gross domestic product.

6:07PM

'Four questions at press conference'

Robert Peston from ITV News reports there will be four questions at the press conference - two from US media and two from British:

6:01PM

Trump / May press conference apparently delayed

The press conference has been delayed by 30 minutes.

It is thought the delay is due to the issues with getting British members of the press through security and into the White House.

What do you call mob of hacks outside Whitehouse waiting to see them? pic.twitter.com/7UMXzTeEWE  Robert Peston (@Peston) January 27, 2017

5:56PM

Piers Morgan: great coup for Theresa May

Great coup for Britain that theresa_may is 1st foreign leader invited into President Trump's White House.

Unpatriotic cynics pipe down.  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 27, 2017

5:55PM

White House pool report on Trump and May posing for pictures in White House

Potus and PM Theresa May were standing near chairs next to the fire place. In between them stood the newly returned Winston Churchill bust. Potus was wearing his signature dark suit and Red tie. He also had an American flag pin on. Potus moved a lamp so reporters had a better view of the bust. Why dont we move this? he said. He also said something like, this is the only shot youll see tomorrow. This is the original, he said a couple times. Its a great honor to have Winston Churchill back, Potus said. Its a great honor to be here, PM May said in response. They shook hands. Bannon, Flynn, Kushner, Spicer were in Oval Office. After a minute pool was ushered out.

5:51PM

White House press room gearing up for president's first briefing - alongside the British PM

It is a bit of a zoo half hour ahead of Trump May press con. looks like some of british press were still struggling to get entry 2 WHgrounds pic.twitter.com/J0frAr5Db0  Laura Rozen (@lrozen) January 27, 2017

5:47PM

Trump speaks on phone to Mexican president

It has been a busy day for the US president. He spoke by phone earlier today to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, a White House official said, amid a simmering war of words over Mr Trump's plan to build a border wall.

The official said the two leaders spoke for about an hour.

An official at the Mexican president's office confirmed the call and said a statement would be issued later with more details.

5:25PM

President Trump shows Churchill bust to Mrs May in Oval Office

The two leaders are in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump made sure to show Mrs May the bust of Winston Churchill which he returned to the the office.

Standing alongside Mrs May, Mr Trump pointed to the bust and said: "This is the original. It's a great honour to have Winston Churchill back."

A smiling Mrs May responded: "Thank you, we were very pleased that you accepted it back."

At one point Mr Trump had a large lamp moved to give the cameras a better view.

The bust had been removed from the Oval Office during the Obama administration.

In Oval Office meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump moves a lamp to show off Churchill bust, per @spettypi.  Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) January 27, 2017

4:37PM

President Trump to sign executive order halting refugee flows to US later today

After his meeting with Mrs May, Mr Trump will sign an executive action temporarily halting the flow of refugees into the United Sates and stopping all entries from some majority-Muslim nations, his spokesman said.

A draft of the order includes an indefinite ban on accepting Syrian refugees, and the pause in the broader refugee programme extends for 120 days.

Mr Trump campaigned on a pledge to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures particularly for people coming to the US from countries with terrorism ties.

According to the draft order, the president plans to suspend issuing visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen for at least 30 days.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump intended to sign the order during a Friday afternoon visit to the Pentagon.

He is expected to sign the order around 4.30pm local time, 9.30pm in the UK.

4:29PM

The spokesman's view

Here's the view from White House spokesman Sean Spicer's window as he waits for Theresa May.

Great view from @PressSec window of preparations in advance of British Prime Minister @theresa_may arrival pic.twitter.com/sgt39ofhjK  Sean Spicer (@PressSec) January 27, 2017

4:20PM

Theresa May tweets

Mrs May issued a rare tweet this morning, perhaps in a nod to Mr Trump who uses the social media platform almost constantly.

She chose to issue a video of herself calling for a renewal of the special relationship for a new age.

Mrs May's account tweets roughly about once a week and she has 225,000 followers.

Mr Trump has 22.4 million followers and tweets, well, pretty much all the time.

We have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age. pic.twitter.com/vvOMAtPyvZ  Theresa May (@theresa_may) January 27, 2017

4:03PM

People of UK and US delivered a "very similar message" says Kellyanne Conway

Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, has spoken to Bloomberg ahead of Mrs Mays visit to the White House, David Lawler reports.

She said Mr Trump will assure Mrs May that the UK is Americas premier ally and will remain so under his administration.

Mrs Conway also said voters in the US and UK had both sent a message that leaders should put their folks first, and that the president and Prime Minister had taken office under similar circumstances.

"These are two individuals - two freshly minted world leaders - who came into office very similarly - through the people," she said.

"People sent a very clear and convincing message in the US and the UK that they wanted to go outside of the establishment.

"They want these two countries to behave as sovereign nations that put their respective people first and stop the flood of refugees from coming in without knowing who they are and why theyre there, boost wages and promote job creation in those two states that benefit their own workers and frankly, be independent.

"Be independent from a lot of the these establishment organisations whether it's the EU, or I think the establishment here in the US. It's a very similar message."

3:33PM

How US media are covering Theresa May's visit

Here are the headlines from major US news outlets ahead of the Prime Minister's White House arrival:

Donald Trump and Theresa May: An Odd Couple (NY Times)

Trade to Top Donald Trump and Theresa May White House Talks (Wall St Journal)

May and Trump are not Reagan and Thatcher 2.0 (Washington Post)

Trump and May Meeting Enrages Some in the UK (Time Magazine)

White House misspells Theresa May's name three times ahead of Trump meeting (USA Today)

3:14PM

Hispanic newspapers declare "divorce" from America

The Mexico-US political crisis was front page news for all the Latin American newspapers, writes Harriet Alexander.

Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad. (2)  Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 26, 2017

El Universal declared: "Trump triggers a crisis in Mexico-US relations." La Jornada reported "Trump has launched a trade war with Mexico," and on its front page tells that Enrique Pena Nieto, the Mexican president, has summoned all his ministers to the Los Pinos presidential palace for a crisis meeting today.

La Razon, a pro-government daily, wrote that "The country closes ranks with the president against Trump."

And in the US, La Opinion, a LA-based Spanish language paper, had the simple headline: "Divorce!"

3:11PM

White House gets another name wrong

Much has been made of the fact that the White House got Theresa May's name wrong on an official press release but she is not alone, writes David Lawler.

The most recent press release from the White House is about boosting manufacturing jobs. Aiding in that effort will be a "Richard Tumka".

One presumes Mr Tumka is actually Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, America's largest federation of labour unions.

The White House is apparently engaged such a whirlwind of activity that there is no time for proofreading.

3:08PM

The White House gets ready for Theresa May

Here's the receiving line preparing

WASHINGTON 



Receiving line for U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May at White House: pic.twitter.com/hPJUJAktoR  Kevin Cirilli (@kevcirilli) January 27, 2017

2:48PM

Mikhail Gorbachev says it "looks as if the world is preparing for war"

The former Soviet leader has warned that "the nuclear threat once again seems real" as he stated it "looks as if the world is preparing for war".

He called on Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to work together to take steps to reduce the world's nuclear arsenal.

"Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defence doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war," he wrote in an article for Time magazine.

2:31PM

Theresa May lays wreath at Arlington

Theresa May paid her respects to the military dead of the US at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at the Virginia cemetery, which holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean conflict.

Dressed in sombre black, the PM was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

A cannon was fired 19 times as the Prime Minister's convoy arrived at the cemetery and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

After a military band played the national anthems of the UK and US, the PM mounted the steps to lay a wreath of red poppies, bowing her head in respect as a single trumpeter sounded the Last Post.

More than 400,000 US troops killed in conflicts from the Civil War to the ongoing War on Terror are laid to rest at Arlington.

Among them are a number of British troops who died fighting alongside US forces.

Also at the cemetery are a memorial to the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack and the grave of assassinated US president John F Kennedy.

1:38PM

Donald Trump on Barack Obama

An interesting comment from Mr Trump from his Fox News interview last night.

Speaking about the "beautiful" letter Mr Obama left for him in the White House, Mr Trump said: "What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along, we're riding up Pennsylvania Avenue. Talk, we don't even mention it. I guess that's the world of politics."

1:23PM

An early tweet blast for Mexico

Carrying on yesterday's bout of tough Twitter diplomacy with Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, Mr Trump issued the following tweet blast:

Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

1:20PM

Donald Trump on voter fraud

Mr Trump is up and tweeting about voter fraud.

He appears to be watching CNN. Gregg Phillips of VoteStand was just on,

Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000 votes were illegal. We must do better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

1:17PM

White House took 30 minutes to correct Theresa May's name

The White House spelled Theresa' May's name wrong for 30 minutes.

The first memo referring to "Teresa May" was issued by the Office of the Press Secretary at 7.53pm.

At 8.23pm another memo marked "Updated" was issued with her name spelled correctly.

White House correction of spelling of Theresa May's name came 30mins later  nick allen (@nickallen789) January 27, 2017

12:56PM

Callista Gingrich 'under consideration' for US Ambassador to the Holy See

Meanwhile, President Trump is considering Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, as the new US ambassador to the Holy See.

So says Mr Gingrich, who advised Mr Trump during the presidential campaign and nearly became his running mate.

"She's under consideration," he confirmed. Mr Gingrich said he would be "very excited for her".

Mr Gingrich said if his wife is appointed the couple will not move full time to Italy.

He added: "I'd clock in an amazing number of miles. You won't be getting rid of me."

12:33PM

Theresa May's gifts of kinship as she prepares to meet Trumps

As Theresa May prepares to meet the Trumps, here's a reminder of the gifts she is taking for America's new President and First Lady.

Gifts of kinship: What presents will Theresa May give the Trumps? 12:17PM

Australia urges Trump to help prevent China 'calling the shots'

Australia has urged Donald Trump to show more leadership in the Asia-Pacific region to prevent other nations such as China calling the shots, reports Jonathan Pearlman, in Sydney.

Julie Bishop, Australias foreign minister, was due to use a speech in Los Angeles on Friday to call for the United States to avoid isolationism.

Expressing concern about Beijings increasing territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea, Ms Bishop's proposed speech welcomed the rise of China but urged it to settle its disputes in accordance with international law.

"Most nations wish to see more US leadership, not less, and have no desire to see powers other than the US calling the shots," the speech says.

The US presence and its alliances have provided the stability that has underwritten the regions growth for many decades.

Malcolm Turnbull, Australias prime minister, said he used a recent phone conversation with Mr Trump to call for a strong US presence in the region  to which the President responded that "the US isn't going anywhere".

He has affirmed Americas commitment to our part of the world, and Ive got no reason to doubt that, Mr Turnbull said.

Australia has expressed concern about Mr Trumps decision to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying the regional free trade pact could proceed without Washington and that China could be invited to join.

12:03PM

Number 10: 'We do not condone torture in any way'

Downing Street said it was "hypothetical" to talk about whether or not the UK would continue intelligence co-operation with the US if torture techniques were reintroduced.

"We have a very clear policy, we do not condone torture in any way. The PM has been very clear on that," a Number 10 spokesman said.

"Our position is clear. It is a hypothetical situation because it doesn't exist at the moment.

"We have been very clear that we do not condone torture or inhumane treatment in any way and our position on that hasn't changed at all."

12:00PM

Russian embassy in UK responds to PM's Cold War comment... with Twitter rhyme

Russia's embassy in the UK has turned to verse to accuse Theresa May of trying to revive Cold War animosities.

Speaking to Republican congressmen in Philadelphia on Thursday, Mrs May sounded a note of caution about President Donald Trump's apparent willingness to forge warmer ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Citing Trump's Cold War-era predecessor Ronald Reagan, Mrs May said that in dealings with Moscow, it was best to follow the maxim: "Engage but beware."

Diplomats at the Russian embassy in London responded on Twitter on Friday in rhyme: "Engage but beware, Prime Minister said. As far as we're aware, Cold War was long dead."

"Engage but beware",

Prime Minister said.

As far as were aware,

Cold War was long dead #PoemsAboutTrumpAndMay  Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) January 27, 2017

The embassy was among a number of Twitter users marking the PM's White House meeting with Mr Trump through poetry, under the hashtag #PoemsAboutTrumpAndMay.

11:18AM

Trump's 20pc import tax could lead to avocado shortage - and Americans aren't happy

Mexico aren't happy about Donald Trump's proposed 20 per cent tax on imports to fund the building of a border wall - but Americans are just as unhappy about the potential consequences as it could mean a rise in the price of avocados and other prized imports from south of the border.

A tax on Mexican imports to the United States is not a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but a way to make the North American consumer pay for it through more expensive avocados, washing machines, televisions, Mexico's foreign minister, Luis Videgaray said yesterday.

Helena Horton has all the reaction here.

Stock up on avocados and tortillas, everyone. Gonna be a looooooooooong period of dysfunctionally psychotic trade policy  Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) January 26, 2017

Stock up on avocados and cane sugar cokes while you still can!  Dan Francoeur (@DanFrancoeur) January 26, 2017

10:51AM

Trump's first picture from Air Force One

Donald Trump is used to flying in style on his own private jet and was suitably impressed as he took his first trip on Air Force One.

The US president said the modified Boeing 747 was a great plane following a 20-minute flight from Washington, DC, to a Republican annual retreat in Philadelphia.

Its beautiful, a great plane, really beautiful, he told reporters as he sat in the presidential planes office cabin, with a navy blue Air Force One jacket draped over the back of his chair.

Asked how it compared to his other plane, Trump replied: Thats a good one too, but this is a very special plane for a lot of reasons.

Read the full story here

10:48AM

Trump to speak to Putin in telephone call on Saturday

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will speak directly for the first time since the US president's inauguration in a telephone call on Saturday, the Kremlin has confirmed.

The planned telephone call between the two leaders, which was earlier reported in US media, has raised nervousness in Europe about the possibility of Mr Trump offering to unilaterally ease US sanctions against Russia.

The meeting comes a day after Mr Trump's meeting with Theresa May, who has said the West should "engage with but beware" of Mr Putin.

Mr Trump's line on Russia is emerging as a major point of difference between the new administration and traditional US allies in Europe, including the UK.

Some Russian diplomats believe Britain and other European governments may try to sabotage a new rapprochement between the Kremlin and the White House.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is also likely to speak with Mr Trump on Saturday.

In quotes | The Trump - Putin relationship

9:58AM

Sir Michael Fallon: Judge Donald Trump by his actions, not his words

Donald Trump should be judged by his actions in office rather than his rhetoric, Sir Michael Fallon has said.

Sir Michael Fallon told BBC Radio 4 Today programme: What matters is what actually happens and I am very clear of Americas role in the world and leadership, they want to exercise in Nato and the renewed emphasis they want to give to defeating terrorism in the Middle East for example.

9:44AM

Britain will not cooperate with America over torturing suspects, says defence secretary

The UK will withdraw cooperation with America if its forces torture people, Sir Michael Fallon said.

The defence secretary was responding to remarks from US President Donald Trump that he might sanction torture against terrorist suspects.

Sir Michael told the BBC: We have made our positon on torture clear  we do not condone torture and indeed the president has said he will be listening to more experienced voices in his cabinet.

Asked if the UK will not cooperate if the US embraces torture like waterboarding and denial of sleep he said: Yes that is right  thats our position.

We have never condoned the use of torture, we are not going to change our policy.

You are going to find there are some areas of difference between our two countries but there is far more that we have in common on trade, defence and security.

9:40AM

Sir Michael Fallon: Britain will intervene if threatened or an ally asks for help, but will not embark on foreign adventures for the sake of it

Britain will invade other countries if the UKs national interests are threatened or an ally asks for help, defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon has said.

However the UK will not simply embark on foreign adventures for the sake of it, Sir Michael said.

Sir Michael told the BBC: She has made clear our commitment ot supporting democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq ecause there is a very real threat to our country from this transnational terrorist group and it is in our national interest that we do our best to help those countries overcome the terrorism that they face

What she has made it clear that in future where we are going to commit British troops there has to be a very real threat to our country, it has to be in the British national interest that we intervene in these countries or an ally that is asking for help - that we should not simply embark on foreign adventures for the sake of it.

Asked if she were is not ruling out future foreign military intervention, she said: She is absolutely not ruling it out  on the contrary we are increasing our effort both in Afghanistan and Iraq because there are terrorist groups there that threaten our own country.

8:33AM

Theresa May is "absolutely not ruling out" future British military adventures overseas, says Michael Fallon

Michael Fallon, the British defence secretary, has been discussing President Donald Trump on the BBC Radio Four's Today programme. Here are some highlights:

Michael Fallon says the Republicans are the Tories' "sister party". Yet the Tories did little to help Donald Trump's election campaign  Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 27, 2017

UK defence secretary Michael Fallon tells BBC: "We do not condone torture". Is that what Theresa May will tell @realDonaldTrump today?  Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 27, 2017

Michael Fallon: "You are going to find there are some areas of difference between our countries." eg torture @BBCr4today  Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 27, 2017

Theresa May is "absolutely not ruling out" future British military adventures overseas, says Michael Fallon  Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 27, 2017

Michael Fallon: UK to commit troops if "there has to be a threat to our countries and in the national interest, or an ally asking for help"  Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 27, 2017

Michael Fallon: We expect US Government to give contracts to British companies too in any future trade deal  Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 27, 2017

6:25AM

White House gets Theresa May's name wrong - three times

When Donald Trump welcomes Theresa May to the White House today, he might have to make sure his aides know how to spell her name.

The White House put out a memo highlighting Mr Trump's meeting with the Prime Minister. However, the release sent to media organisations from the Office of the Press Secretary dropped the h" in all three mentions of her full name.

White House daily guidance for tomorrow misspells British PM Theresa May's name. Three times.  Reid Wilson (@PoliticsReid) January 27, 2017

In another mistake, the subject line of another missive released on Thursday announced a Readout of the Vice President's Call with Australian Foreign Prime Minister Julie Bishop."

Bishop was born in Australia and she isn't the country's prime minister, a job held by Malcolm Turnbull.

4:22AM

Mayor heeds immigration detainer requests

Miami-Dade County's mayor instructed jail officials in that South Florida community on Thursday to honour all immigration detainer requests, a day after Mr Trump signed an executive order that would strip federal funding from sanctuary cities.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez sent a memo to the county's corrections director saying jails should hold undocumented immigrants detained by police and turn them over to the Department of Homeland Security when requested.

Mr Trump seemed to approve of Miami-Dade's decision, saying in a tweet late on Thursday: "Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!"

Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong! https://t.co/MtPvaDC4jM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

3:18AM

Obamacare ads pulled

The Trump administration says it is pulling back advertising to promote insurance sign-ups in the closing days of HealthCare.gov's 2017 open enrollment season.

A statement from the Health and Human Services department on Thursday night says the government has pulled back about $5 million in ads as part of an effort to cut costs, the AP reports. The statement says HHS has already spent more than $60 million to promote sign-ups this year under former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Former Obama officials have accused the new administration of "sabotage."

Some 11.5 million people had signed up nationwide through December 24, or about 290,000 more than at the same time during the 2016 enrollment season.

Open enrollment ends January 31.

The advertising cutback was first reported by Politico.

2:51AM

Trump 'pressured parks director to back up crowd size claims'

Donald Trump reportedly telephoned the National Park Service director Michael Reynolds the day after his inauguration to order him to produce additional photographs of the previous days crowds on the Mall.

The request was an apparent attempt to prove the media had lied in reporting that attendance had been no better than average.

The Washington Post said Reynolds sent some additional aerial photographs, but they did not prove Mr Trumps contention that the crowd size was upward of 1 million.

A spokesman for the Park Service confirmed the call but declined to reveal details of the conversation.

Mr Trump also expressed anger over a retweet sent from the Park Service's account, in which side-by-side photographs showed far fewer people at his swearing-in than had shown up to see Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009, The Post reports.

2:12AM

May to hold joint press conference with Trump

Theresa May will hold a joint press conference with President Donald Trump on Friday after their meeting at the White House. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the event is scheduled to start at 1pm local time - 6pm in Britain.

Tomorrow at 1pm @POTUS will hold a joint press conference with @theresa_may  Sean Spicer (@PressSec) January 27, 2017

The Prime Minister has now arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after earlier delivering a speech to Republicans in Philadelphia.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of meeting Friday with Pres. Trump https://t.co/7A9TxMpbtlpic.twitter.com/V5jTTxuo6O  ABC News (@ABC) January 27, 2017

Click here to read how we reported Theresa May's speech yesterday
By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's push to create safe zones in Syria could force him to make some risky decisions about how far to go to protect refugees, including shooting down Syrian or Russian aircraft or committing thousands of U.S. troops, experts said. Trump said on Wednesday he "will absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence. According to a document seen by Reuters, he is expected in the coming days to order the Pentagon and the State Department to draft a plan to create such zones in Syria and nearby nations. The document did not spell out what would make a safe zone "safe" and whether it would protect refugees only from threats on the ground - such as jihadist fighters - or whether Trump envisions a no-fly zone policed by America and its allies. If it is a no-fly zone, without negotiating some agreement with Russia Trump would have to decide whether to give the U.S. military the authority to shoot down Syrian or Russian aircraft if they posed a threat to people in that zone, which his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, refused to do. "This essentially boils down to a willingness to go to war to protect refugees," said Jim Phillips, a Middle East expert at the Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, noting Russia's advanced air defenses. Trump promised during his campaign to target jihadists from Islamic State, and he has sought to avoid being dragged deeper into Syria's conflict - raising the question of whether he might be satisfied by assurances, perhaps from Moscow, that neither Russian nor Syrian jets would target the zone. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump did not consult with Russia and warned that the consequences of such a plan "ought to be weighed up." "It is important that this (the plan) does not exacerbate the situation with refugees," he said. Phillips and other experts, including former U.S. officials, said many refugees would not be satisfied by assurances from Moscow, while any deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who also is backed by Iran, might not go over well with America's Arab allies. The Pentagon declined comment on Thursday, saying no formal directive to develop such plans had been handed down yet, and some U.S. military officials appeared unaware of the document before seeing it described in the media on Wednesday. "Our department right now is tasked with one thing in Syria, and that is to degrade and defeat ISIS," said Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS Trump's call for a plan for safe zones is part of a larger directive expected to be signed in coming days that includes a temporary ban on most refugees to the United States and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries deemed to pose a terrorism threat. During and after the presidential campaign, Trump called for no-fly zones to harbor Syrian refugees as an alternative to allowing them into the United States. Trump accused the Obama administration of failing to screen Syrian immigrants entering the United States to ensure they had no militant ties. Any safe zone in Syria guaranteed by the United States would almost certainly require some degree of U.S. military protection. Securing the ground alone would require thousands of troops, former U.S. officials and experts say. Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, cautioned that a safe zone inside Syria could become a diplomatic albatross that would force a Trump administration to juggle a host of ethnic and political tensions in Syria indefinitely. Other experts said jihadists could be attracted to the zone, either to carry out attacks that would embarrass the United States or to use the zone as a safe haven where militants could regroup. Such a zone also would be expensive, given the need to house, feed, educate and provide medical care to the refugees. "I think these people really have no idea what it takes to support 25,000 people, which is really a small number, in terms of the (internally displaced) and refugees" in Syria, Cordesman said. The draft document gave no details on what would constitute a safe zone, where one might be set up and who would defend it. Jordan, Turkey and other neighboring countries already host millions of Syrian refugees. The Turkish government pressed Obama, without success, to create a no-fly zone on Syria's border with Turkey but now is at odds with Washington over its support for Kurdish fighters in Syria. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by John Walcott and Cynthia Osterman)
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey demanded on Friday that Greece reconsider a decision not to extradite eight soldiers who fled to Greece after a failed coup last year, and threatened measures including scrapping a migration deal with Athens. Greece's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday against extraditing the soldiers, who have sought political asylum, saying they feared for their lives in Turkey. Ankara says they were involved in the July 15 coup attempt and branded them traitors. "We demanded that the eight soldiers be tried again. This is a political decision, Greece is protecting and hosting coup plotters," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber. "We are evaluating what we can do. There is a migration deal we signed, including a readmission deal with Greece, and we are evaluating what we can do, including the cancellation of the readmission deal with Greece," Cavusoglu added. A European Union spokeswoman said it was confident its cooperation with Turkey on migration, aimed at stemming the flow of refugees into Europe, will hold firm. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' office responded to Turkey's comments on Thursday and Friday that coup plotters were not welcome in Greece but the country's justice system was independent and court rulings were respected. "The Greek government has vehemently condemned ... the coup attempt and supported the democratically elected government in our neighbouring country," it said. But it added that "within Greece, the sole authority for relevant decisions is the independent Greek justice system, whose verdicts are obviously binding." Relations between Greece and Turkey, neighbours and NATO allies, have improved over the years but they remain at odds over territorial disputes and ethnically split Cyprus. In 1996, they almost reached the brink of war over an uninhabited islet. The two countries play an important role in the handling of Europe's worst migration crisis in decades and the EU depends on Ankara to enforce a deal to stem mass migration to Europe. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall has plunged his party into controversy by claiming waterboarding would be "a price worth paying".

Mr Nuttall said if the practice - which simulates the experience of drowning - saved lives from terrorism then he would support it.

Speaking to Sky News on the campaign trail in Cumbria, he echoed US President Donald Trump by saying the West had to "fight fire with fire".

Mr Nuttall divided opinion in his party, with his former leadership rival and UKIP's health spokeswoman Suzanne Evans saying she did not "share his views".

In an interview this week which attracted widespread condemnation, Mr Trump said that people "at the highest level" of the intelligence services had told him that the interrogation method "works".

While he said he would defer to his defence secretary and CIA director, he claimed during his campaign that he would advocate "tougher" methods against terror suspects.

The remarks have caused an outcry in the US, with senior Republicans reiterating that torture is illegal.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who is visiting Mr Trump in Washington, told reporters she "absolutely condemns" it.

It raises the prospect that Britain could be forced to limit the intelligence it shares with the US about suspected terror plots. Strict rules prohibit sharing information which could lead to a suspect being tortured.

Mr Nuttall, who is running as a parliamentary candidate in Stoke on Trent Central, a seat the party hopes to take from Labour, said: "I think sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, and I think these people are incarcerated because they are bad people, OK? And they want to do us harm.

"If waterboarding ensures that we save a number of lives in this country or in America because someone admits to something that is going to happen in terms of a terrorist attack, well through gritted teeth I'd probably be OK with it.

Story continues

"If someone admits that a terrorist attack is going to happen and saves the lives of innocent individuals then I think maybe it's a price worth paying if a British government was elected and said it was required to ensure it saved innocent people's lives then sometimes you have to go that extra mile."

Cori Crider, a lawyer for torture victims at human rights charity Reprieve, said: "The reality is that torture doesn't work. As anyone with a shred of common sense could tell you - and as the US Senate itself has found - people being tortured will make up anything to make it stop."

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Mr Nuttall's comments were "shocking and disappointing".

"There should be no ifs, no buts, torture is abhorrent," he said.

"UKIP are seeking to trash our proud values in a desperate bid for cheap votes. Shame on them. Britain is better than that, which is why they will fail."

Waterboarding was one of a number of "enhanced interrogation methods" drawn up by the CIA after the September 11 attacks, and used against suspects at so-called "black sites".

The subject is strapped to a board with a cloth placed over their mouth and water poured over their face, creating the sensation of drowning.
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The New Mexico Black History Organizing Committee strives to have events that are educational, as well as inclusive to the community.

This year, the calendar is packed with events to celebrate Black History Month.

The events kick off at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, with a flag-raising ceremony at Scholes Hall on the University of New Mexico campus.

Cathryn McGill is the founder/director of the organization.

She says her goal this year, as in previous years, is to get the community involved through the events.

This year, during the Cotton Club Scholarship Gala on Feb. 18, the organization will be honoring Dr. Lenton Malry and Joy Dell Malry.

Dr. Lenton Malry was the first African-American elected to the New Mexico Legislature, the first African-American to serve as a Bernalillo County commissioner; the first African-American to receive a doctorate in education administration from the University of New Mexico.

And he was the first black male teacher and the first black school principal in Albuquerque Public Schools.

The gala is about encouraging kids in higher education, McGill says. By honoring the Malrys, we are celebrating the people who have been championing those causes. The events that we to help create awareness of the good thats being done in the community.

Another key event will be the Roots Revival Revisited, on Thursday, Feb. 2, and Feb. 3-4 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

This is a multicultural event that involves a lot of local kids, she says. There is a conversation telling the younger generation that its important to know their history all while learning about the arts. Its an important part of who we are as a society.

The organization is also honoring Ron Wallace, editor of PerspectiveNM, on Feb. 7 at the Special Collections Library, 423 E. Central.

Wallace is being honored for his work in journalism with the Asante Award.

Ron has made a huge difference with his work, McGill says.

McGill also notes the Pathways to Freedom event, on Feb. 25 at Highland High School.

The workshop is aimed at providing the tools needed to design your life with a goal in mind of having a perfect day. The event is free and open to the public.

McGill feels like this years events are more crucial than in the past. She says all but two  Roots Revival Revisited and Cotton Club Gala  of the events are free.

Hearing about potential (federal) cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, makes the work we do more important, she says. The community comes together to enjoy art and culture.

Ending the month will be Motown: The Musical, which begins a run at Popejoy Hall on Feb. 28.

The musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordys journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more.

McGill is trying to get all people to know that history is important.

Everyone needs to know their history in order to understand who they are, she says. Thats what we are looking to highlight. Its 365 days a year that black history is American history. We are better together.

Black History Month Other Events

To view a complete list of Black History Month events, visit nmblackhistorymonth.com/events

Oasis Albuquerque, 3301 Menaul NE, Suite 18, is also hosting Black History Month programs during February.

The events actually start today. Heres a list:

Roots Revival Sampler: Friday Performance, 2 p.m. today. $12. Join Cathryn McGill and friends for an afternoon of toe-tapping, thought-provoking, and educational music with carefully selected excerpts from her hit musical Roots Revival.

Beyond Poetry With Hakim Bellamy, 2 p.m. Feb. 3. $12. Poetry performance and question-and-answer session with inaugural Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy

Fats Domino: Walkin to New Orleans 1 p.m. Feb. 6, $8. A lecture wwby Jane Ellen about one of the biggest stars of 1950s rock n roll.

From Slave to Superstar: The Life of James Pierson Beckwourth, 2 p.m. Feb. 10. $12. Chautauqua Performance by Edward Wallace: an inspiring, entertaining, educational and historically accurate portrayal of one of our forgotten heroes.

If Black Lives Matter, Then Where & When? 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15. $8. A lecture by Dr. Milton Brown addressing the history of oppression and racism in the U.S., especially with regard to African-Americans.

Stop! In the Name of Love: Diana Ross & the Supremes, 1 p.m. Feb. 15. $8. A lecture by Jane Ellen about one of Motown Records biggest acts in the 1960s and beyond.

Touched by an Angel: Song Stylist Della Reese, 1 p.m. Feb. 27. $8. A lecture by Jane Ellen about the career of eclectic vocalist Delloreese Della Reese Patricia Early, including nightclub appearances, hit recordings, talk and game shows, television, film, and even ordination as a minister.
PHILADELPHIA  Republican members of Congress came here in search of brotherly love and a firm plan for the months ahead. They will leave with big questions about how to move forward on major planks of their agenda.

Now we have to deliver, President Donald Trump told GOP lawmakers Thursday, addressing them directly for the first time since his inauguration. This Congress is going to be the busiest Congress weve had in decades, maybe ever. . . . Enough all talk, no action.

But for scores of rank-and-file lawmakers looking for clarity, Trumps 25-minute address did not contain the specifics they were seeking.

The health reforms known as Obamacare are a disaster, the president said, without detailing how to replace them, despite saying in a recent interview with The Washington Post that it was very much formulated down to the final strokes.

Trump spent one sentence on a tax reform bill that he said would help deliver on another key promise  a Mexican border wall, sparking confusion about what exactly he meant. And Trump dwelled on trade protectionism, a concept with limited appeal to the free-market conservatives that formed a large part of his audience.

GOP lawmakers spent Wednesday and Thursday inside a closed-off downtown hotel here, listening to their leaders sketch out plans for the coming months, laid out in charts and bullet points.

But they looked to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who addressed them separately Thursday, to flesh out their own proposals and give them some road map for a way forward. They hoped to leave on the same page when it came to the GOP agenda, shifting the focus to policy after less than a week of Trumps presidency defined by his unpredictable outbursts.

Lawmakers queried Pence about some of the issues on which Trump has tweeted in recent days, with some conservatives empathizing with the presidents concerns about alleged voter fraud in the election and whether intelligence officials were seeking to undermine Trump.

Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., asked Pence during the private session whether the White House would have lawmakers backs and support them in their home districts as they pursue their agenda.

Short answer, Pence said, according to two people in the room: You bet.

Republican leaders acknowledged that their ambitious legislative agenda will now unfold over a course of many months, not weeks, as some Republicans  including Trump  had previously touted.

The timeline presented by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., extends beyond the traditional 100-day window for a new administrations top priorities.

We have ambitious goals and ambitious timelines, Ryan told reporters. Our goal is to get these laws done in 2017.

In the case of repealing and replacing Obamacare, leaders appear to be looking far past the initial window that they originally targeted. Ryan and McConnell now expect to put legislation repealing and partially replacing the law onto the House floor by the end of March.

Ryan defended the delayed timeline, saying the scale of the GOP agenda, as well as the need for the Senate to spend scarce floor time on Trumps nominations, meant taking a longer view: We are trying to fix peoples problems in this country. Its going to take more than simply 100 days.

Many lawmakers looked at a Thursday morning session on health care as a key opportunity for leaders to offer more details about their plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But those leaders appeared to have only a few new details on offer.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Tex., the Ways and Means Committee chairman who will have jurisdiction over health care, said he was pursuing the concept of a health-care backpack that would include age-adjusted refundable tax credits, health savings accounts and access to electronic health records. All of those concepts were laid out in a House GOP blueprint issued last year.

Key elements, such as how to preserve the viability of the individual insurance market while also requiring insurers to cover those with preexisting conditions, were not addressed in detail, several lawmakers present said.

No decisions today . . . but very positive conversations, Brady told reporters.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said that members now understand the movement, the timing and whats going forward on health care.

He described an action plan consisting of three buckets  a fast-track reconciliation bill that Republicans can pass without Democratic cooperation but is limited in scope under congressional rules; a series of executive actions by the Trump administration to restructure insurance markets; and a series of traditional bills to replace the ACA that will need to gain some Democratic support to be implemented.

All three of these things move at the same time, McCarthy said.

Under pressure from constituents, rank-and-file Republicans have expressed the desire for more clarity on how the law, which has expanded coverage to roughly 20 million Americans, will be replaced.

I think really the only thing new that I learned that hasnt been talked about previously is the expectation of a House floor vote in March, said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in an interview that House leaders are expecting to include significant parts of a replacement plan in legislation slated for action by March.

That could include a system of refundable tax credits, state high-risk pools that would subsidize coverage for the sickest Americans and tax-free health savings accounts. Other parts of the GOP plan  such as federal mandates on insurance coverage requirements and provisions for selling policies across state lines  would have to wait because of budget rules.

Several GOP leaders acknowledged uncertainty about the replacement plans, but said that they could not afford to change their plans based on Democratic criticism.

Those who think were going to suddenly appear with a 2,000-page replacement bill are mistaken, Walden said.

Intraparty tensions also surfaced on other matters  such as funding the Mexican border wall, a project that leaders told rank-and-file lawmakers could cost as much as $15 billion.

Ryan brushed off several questions about whether Republicans would offset the cost of the wall with spending cuts elsewhere or new revenue. Many GOP lawmakers have refused to support previous bills that did not offset federal spending but instead added to the budget deficit.

Were going to wait and see from the administration to see what their supplemental [spending bill] looks like, Ryan said. Im not going to get ahead of a policy and a bill that has not been written yet.
For decades, communities along the U.S.-Mexico border stretching from Brownsville, Texas, to San Ysidro, California, developed symbiotic economies with their sister cities in Mexico, with residents of both countries traveling to the other to work, shop and visit relatives.

U.S. companies operate factories in Mexicos border towns, providing low-skilled, low-wage jobs in the textiles and electronics industries to more than a million Mexicans in those communities, who in turn spend much of their paychecks in the United States, boosting the local tax base.

But President Donald Trumps immigration and trade policies could jeopardize that economic relationship, warn local officials, residents and researchers studying border economies.

On Thursday, his press secretary announced that the president could impose a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for a border wall between the countries. Trump also has vowed to renegotiate the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement.

There already are signs that the nations diplomatic relationship is deteriorating, with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceling a meeting with Trump next week amid tensions over his border wall plan.

The economic livelihood of these communities are on the line if the relationship with Mexico is not managed in a cooperative way, said Chris Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Their commerce with Mexico is their lifeblood. Anything putting those trade relationships at risk puts their communities at risk.

Exports to Mexico from California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas make up more than half of the national total, according to a Wilson Center report. And Mexico exports more to the four U.S. border states than it does to the rest of the world combined, excluding the United States.

NAFTA set the foundation for the economic ecosystem in border towns, leading to the rapid growth of twin manufacturing plants, known as maquiladoras.

The system allows multinational companies operating in the United States to send equipment and raw materials to their plants in Mexico for assembly without paying import duties and then export the finished product back. Forty percent of U.S. imports from Mexico are composed of materials originally produced in the United States, according to the Wilson Center.

Trump refers to NAFTA as the worst trade deal in history and blames it for thousands and thousands of American plant closures and the loss of American manufacturing jobs, though much of the job losses were caused by automation.

While much of the border has become militarized following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks  with some type of barrier already stretching 652 miles of the 1,933-mile border  free trade helped mitigate border tensions, says Robert Koulish, an immigration law professor at the University of Maryland. For instance, special smart cards allow frequent border-crossers to avoid waiting in long lines.

What you have with Trump now is more security, but he may also take away free trade, Koulish said. These economies and this culture that have depended upon this system are now being slammed in two directions, creating a lot of fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

In McAllen, Texas, the maquiladoras industry spurred commerce on both sides of the border, with 37 percent of the citys tax base coming from Mexico, said Mayor Jim Darling. About 1,500 factory managers, including Americans, Japanese and Koreans, live in McAllen but work in Mexico, he said. Their commutes generate millions of dollars in bridge revenue for McAllen and its neighboring towns.

If our relationship with Mexico sours, it would be devastating for our economy, Darling said.

The effect of a trade war with Mexico would cascade beyond lost jobs in the U.S. plants, Darling said. Downtown stores would lose business, lay off workers and close up shop. Mexican investors would likely sell their U.S. properties, leading to plummeting real estate values, he said.

Rep. Beto ORourke, D-Texas, said that, after NAFTA, El Paso evolved from being the low-wage capital of North America to the second-busiest port in the nation. One out of every four jobs there is dependent upon trade with Mexico, he said.

Companies in El Paso manufacture components that go into medical devices assembled in Mexico. The city also is a base for a massive logistics industry that revolves around trade with Mexico, including trucking and warehouse companies as well as accountants, attorneys and consultants involved in business negotiations.

The jobs created in Mexico are vital to local commerce on the U.S. side of the border. The 20,000-person town of Nogales, Arizona, is economically dependent upon laborers and tourists from Nogales, Mexico, a town 10 times the size of its U.S. counterpart, said Tony Sedgwick, who sits on the board of directors of the Border Community Alliance. Mexicans with paychecks and bank accounts are issued border-crossing cards allowing them to visit Nogales, Arizona.

We have a Home Depot, a Walmart, a Ross; 95 percent of their customers are Mexicans walking or driving across the border to shop, said Sedgwick, a rancher, businessman and former lawyer. For us, the border is a doorway, a place of opportunity.
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps son-in-law and one of his closest White House advisers, is registered to vote in both New Jersey and New York, while White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is on the rolls both in Virginia and his home state of Rhode Island, according to elections officials and voting registration records.

Their dual registrations offer two more high-profile examples of how common it is for voters to be on the rolls in multiple states  something Trump has claimed is evidence of voter fraud.

With Kushner and Spicer, The Washington Post has now identified five Trump family members or top administration appointees who were registered in two states during the fall election. The others are chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon; Tiffany Trump, the presidents youngest daughter; and Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin, as first reported by CNN.

White House officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump said this week that the fact that many voters are registered in two states is a sign of widespread voter fraud, calling for a major investigation into his unsubstantiated claim that millions of people cast illegal ballots in November.

You have people that are registered who are dead, who are illegals, who are in two states, the president told ABCs David Muir on Wednesday. You have people registered in two states. Theyre registered in a New York and a New Jersey. They vote twice. There are millions of votes, in my opinion.

It is not illegal to be registered to vote in two states, and elections officials say that does not mean voters are casting ballots in two locations. In fact, it is quite common for out-of-date registrations to linger on the rolls, due to voters dying or moving to new jurisdictions. A 2012 Pew Center on the States study that Trump has erroneously cited as evidence of voter fraud found that about 2.75 million people were registered in more than one state  largely because voters did not report when they moved to new jurisdictions.

Its not fraud, said John Lindback, executive director of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonprofit organization that works with states to improve the accuracy of their voting rolls. When people move from one state to another or move down the street, they dont think to change their voter registration.

That appears to be what happened in the case of Kushner, who married Trumps daughter Ivanka in October 2009. New Jersey voting records show that he registered to vote there in 1999 and cast ballots in New Jersey through the November 2009 state general election, when now-Gov. Chris Christie, R, was on the ballot for his first race.

Later that month, Kushner registered in New York at his Park Avenue address. Voting records show he began casting ballots in New York in 2010.

Representatives for Kushner did not respond to requests for comment.

Spicer last voted in Rhode Island in 1998, according to state records, which means his registration should have been declared inactive or removed by now. But the Rhode Island Board of Elections confirmed to the Post that he is still listed as having an active voter registration. Since September 1999, Spicer has also been registered to vote in Alexandria, Virginia, according to elections officials there.

In the case of Bannon, he was registered until this week in both New York and Florida, despite his efforts to remove himself from the rolls in the latter. Mnuchin is registered in both New York, where he last voted in 2008, and in California, where he cast his ballot in November, election records show. And Tiffany Trump, the presidents daughter, is registered in New York and Pennsylvania, where she was attending college until May.

On Thursday, White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway disputed that Tiffany Trump held dual registrations, telling NBCs Today that the presidents youngest daughter told her it is flatly false that she is registered in two states.

But elections officials said voters often do not realize they stay on the rolls after they have moved out of a jurisdiction.

One major reason that out-of-date registrations are not always flagged is that less than half the states participate in ERIC, a cooperative that was created after the 2012 Pew study to help make voter rolls more accurate and comprehensive. Members of the group, which currently includes 20 states and the District of Columbia, are required to share their voter registration data every 60 days. The nonprofit group uses that data  along with information from state motor vehicle departments, the Social Security death index and the U.S. Postal Services national change of address list  to match and update voter files. In 2016, it identified about 2 million voters who had moved, passed away or had duplicate registrations.

Before ERIC was formed, it was much worse, Lindback said. But he noted that some of the most populous states, including California, Florida and New York, do not participate. If more states join,the number of cases will go way down, he added.

Lindback, who previously served as Oregons director of elections, said he is hopeful that Trumps focus on dual registrations could help encourage more states to exchange data. But he said hes concerned that the presidents debunked claims that millions of illegal votes were cast in November could have the effect of reducing confidence in how our elections are run.

I just dont get it, he added. I have been in elections a lot of years, and its usually the loser of an election who claims fraud. Ive never seen a winner claim fraud. What is going on here?
PHOENIX  Police have released some body camera footage involving a man who died after scuffling with officers at a community center in Phoenix.

The footage taken Jan. 4 shows the arrest of 43-year-old Muhammad Abdul Muhaymin, who struggled with officers outside the Maryvale Community Center.

Police say he refused to leave after assaulting a facility employee and he also was wanted on a warrant.

The video released Thursday shows Muhaymin being combative with several officers after being handcuffed.

While being restrained, Muhaymin can be heard saying that he cant breathe as officers urge him to calm down.

After he was arrested, police say Muhaymin showed signs of medical distress including vomiting.

Police say Muhaymin was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

The cause of death hasnt been released yet.
WASHINGTON  During the campaign, Donald Trump called the official unemployment rate published by the Labor Department such a phony number, one of the biggest hoaxes in American modern politics and the biggest joke there is. He variously described the real rate as 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30 and 35 percent. In August, he told Time magazine that the real unemployment rate is 42 percent.

The criticism didnt stop after the election: As recently as December, Trump called the rate totally fiction.

These statements are generating concern among some economists as Trump, a professed outsider and enemy of entrenched Washington bureaucrats, takes charge of the agencies responsible for publishing the numbers he has criticized. It has left some economists questioning whether the Trump administration will undermine the credibility of government-issued economic data, either in its words or actions.

Will they continue to say that facts dont matter, will they denigrate the statistical agencies of the country? said Bill Spriggs, chief economist for the AFL-CIO. If we cant agree on the facts, then were not going to be able to discuss the specifics of his policies, and Im very nervous . . . to see how they act.

Investors around the world move markets based on data collected and published by the Labor and Commerce departments and other agencies. Business leaders use the statistics to determine their strategies, while officials at all levels of the government, as well as the media and academics, look to the data to plan and evaluate their actions.

Following President Trumps statements in recent days about the size of his inaugural crowd and voter fraud in the 2016 elections, his administration has faced questions about its commitment to transparently releasing accurate data. On Tuesday, government employees expressed misgivings as Trump administration officials ordered multiple federal agencies to halt communication with the public and the media, including news releases, social-media messages and correspondence.

During a confirmation hearing for Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., Trumps pick for budget director, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., pressed him for assurances that the data released from the Office of Management and Budget would be trustworthy.

I have been astounded over the last three days over what has occurred, McCaskill said. If the president asks you to not issue real data or asks you to alter data according to his narrative, what would your reaction be?

Mulvaney vowed to bring a fact-based approach to the Office of Management and Budget. The credibility that I think I bring to this job is that I believe very firmly in real numbers, he said. My job is to tell the president the truth.

He added: I dont imagine the president of the United States will tell me to lie.

Beyond fiddling with the numbers

Economists and current and former employees of the statistical agencies agree that it would be difficult for Trumps administration to tamper with economic data directly.

At the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an independent agency within the Labor Department that computes figures such as the national unemployment rate, hundreds of career economists and mathematicians are involved in calculating any one number, and the data they draw on to reach those calculations is publicly available, said Victoria Battista, an economist at the BLS.

Trump will be in charge of making just one political appointment at the BLS: the commissioner. And many of the statistics that BLS gathers are mandated by law.

Heidi Shierholz, former chief Labor Department economist under President Barack Obama, said she isnt worried about the threat of tampering because of extensive safeguards. Still, she said, there could be other risks to the integrity of economic statistics.

The thing that is a much deeper concern in my mind is how those agencies are respected, and the undermining of the publics faith in the quality of the data is a real threat, said Shierholz, now a director of policy at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. When your president is saying, Oh the unemployment rate is not what they say it is, people dont know what to believe. And thats a real problem.

The other threat, Shierholz said, would be a cut in the bureaus funding. Theres not room to cut anymore. It would severely damage our data resources, she said.

A different way of looking at the data

While some might worry about the sanctity of government statistics under Trump, economists also agree that Trump and his advisers have a point in saying that the traditional unemployment rate isnt always the best measure of the economy.

The traditional unemployment rate  known by government statisticians as the U-3 rate, now at 4.7 percent  counts only those who are unemployed and actively looking for work. But it doesnt include people who have given up looking for work, called discouraged workers, or those who are working part time but would like to be full time. The U-6 rate, which does incorporate those workers, was 9.2 percent in December.

Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said focusing on the broader U-6 rate rather than the more traditional U-3 rate is completely defensible.

It is flatly untrue to say the Obama administration has been lying about the unemployment rate, and the real unemployment rate is 42 percent, Strain said. It was inappropriate to say that.

The White House did not offer comment for this story, but pointed to remarks press secretary Sean Spicer made earlier this week when asked what the national unemployment rate was. Spicer did not answer the question directly, saying that the government puts out an array of unemployment figures so that economists can view them and decide, look at different landscapes on . . . how to make economic policy.

Too often in Washington, we get our heads wrapped around a number and a statistic. And we look at and we forget the faces and the families and the businesses that are behind those numbers, Spicer said.

  

Ylan Q. Mui contributed to this report.
PHILADELPHIA  Congressional Republican leaders said Thursday that they plan to move forward with legislation to provide $12 to $15 billion to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

But it is still unclear who will end up footing the bill for the gigantic construction along the 2,000-mile border  U.S. taxpayers or in some form, Mexico.

Trump and his aides insisted throughout a confusing day that Mexico would ultimately pay for the wall through, they said, reforms to the U.S. tax code. But Republicans were confused about whether such a change would be considered a tariff or a tax, the former of which many do not support. Lawmakers are also concerned that without such changes, there is currently no way to offset, or make up the costs elsewhere, of the enormous structure.

Border security yes, tariffs no. Mexico is 3rd largest trading partner. Any tariff we can levy they can levy. Huge barrier to econ growth, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote on Twitter late Thursday.

He added: Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad.

In an address to lawmakers here, Trump said that his administration was working on a tax reform bill that would generate revenue from Mexico aimed at paying for the wall.

His spokesman, Sean Spicer, later told reporters that the wall could be paid for with a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico, a line that some Republicans initially read as a reference to an existing House GOP proposal to tax imports known as a border adjustment.

By the end of the day, Spicer clarified that he was indeed talking about an idea House GOP leaders have floated  but that no final decisions had been made.

By doing it that way we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. Thats really going to provide the funding, said Spicer.

Later in the day, Spicer said, One idea through comprehensive tax reform is that there could be this idea that Speaker Ryan and others have floated that through tax reform you could actually look at imports with countries that we have a trade deficit for, that can generate revenue.

What hes referring to is border adjustment,said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, of Spicers initial remarks.

Nunes was referring to a proposal to tax all imports at a rate of 20 percent and exempt exports from tax entirely. Trump seemed to dismiss that plan earlier this month when he told the Wall Street Journal that the idea was too complicated.

A system of taxing all imports is often confused with a tariff because both systems effectively drive up the price of imports. The difference is in howthe two ideas are executed. A tariff is a punitive fee on specific goods and a border tax is a tax exclusion for exports. Republicans say their idea acts as an incentive for companies to buy U.S.-made goods.

Without some mechanism to pay for the wall  either through additional revenue generated in the United States or a plan, as the administration insists, Mexico  Republican concerns about building it could grow.

Asked at a news conference here Thursday morning whether spending on the wall would be offset, Ryan punted.

As far as the offset, were going to wait and see from the administration what their supplemental [spending plan] looks like, Ryan said. Im not going to get ahead of a policy and a bill that has not been written yet. But the point is we are going to finance the Secure Fence Act, which is the construction of the physical barrier on the border.

Pressed on whether he could guarantee if the broader Republican agenda would not add to the deficit, Ryan did not respond directly.

Were fiscal conservatives, he said. What that means is we believe government should not live beyond its means.

Asked about Spicers comments, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who chairs the hardline Freedom Caucus, didnt endorse the idea but didnt fully reject it either.

We have to explore a number of options on how to pay for that. You know, generally speaking, Im against tariffs, said Meadows. You know, I look at it from an economic standpoint. At the same time, I dont want to hamstring the administration in things they are willing to explore.

Meadows said he was confident lawmakers could find immediate offsets of some kind to cover the costs of the border wall through the appropriations process. But he also sounded open to doing that after the fact.

Ill stay true to my commitment that were going to give the president the tools necessary  whether it is a non-offset spending on this on a short-term basis, that we find the offsets at a later date.

For other Republicans, paying for the costs of the wall upfront is paramount.

I generally dont vote for anything thats not offset, said Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who added for emphasis, everything needs to be offset.

Aides to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., argued congressional Republicans were being hypocritical.

The same Republicans who howled fiscal responsibility when it comes to investments to help working families are apparently willing to light billions of taxpayer dollars on fire and add to the federal deficit in order to build Trumps useless border wall, said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill in a statement.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters here Thursday that lawmakers and officials need to be more precise when they talk about building a wall and that a single physical barrier likely will not suffice.

When you say, quote, build a wall, what does that exactly mean? McCain said. It means to me drones, technology, surveillance, all that. If youre talking about just building a wall, history shows that you can tunnel under them, you can breach them and you can climb over them.

McCain predicted that there will a downpayment to begin construction of border security, but it will not be anywhere near $15 billion.



Kelsey Snell in Washington and Paul Kane and Mike DeBonis in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
Soon-to-be Sandia National Laboratories director Stephen Younger said his top priority for the next few months is to assure a smooth and safe transition as he and his senior team prepare to take over lab management on May 1.

Its always a challenging time in a transition, Younger told the Journal on Thursday. People are concerned about change. But I want to assure all Sandians as smooth a transition as possible.

Once the new team is in control of Sandia, the labs nuclear weapons life extension program will become its first and foremost priority, Younger said.

Sandia is playing a key role in nuclear weapons modernization, including the air-launched B61 nuclear bomb, the W88 missile designed for submarine launch, and the ground-launched Mk21 intercontinental cruise missile.

Its very challenging, because were taking weapons designed in a different era that were never intended to last as long as we want them to, Younger said. Were doing a pretty thorough refurbishment with significant technology challenges using new materials and designs.

National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, a Honeywell International subsidiary, will manage Sandia when Lockheed Martin Corp.s contract ends on April 30. NTESS named Younger on Wednesday as the next lab director, replacing current Sandia head Jill Hruby.

The National Nuclear Security Administration awarded the new lab contract to NTESS in December, marking the first change in leadership there since Lockheed took over in 1993. Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. will assist in the Honeywell contract.

Younger is a veteran of U.S. Department of Energy laboratories. Hes held senior positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Nevada National Security Site. He also headed the U.S. militarys Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

He brings with him an entirely new, nine-member senior leadership team. The new managers will draw on their corporate experience to apply best business practices at Sandia to improve efficiency and save money, although all lab staff will be retained, Younger said.

We need everyone, he said. Sandia produces goods and services for the federal government, including the nuclear weapons life extension programs, and we need to meet all those deliverables in design, test data and hardware.

The lab could also play a growing role in cybersecurity.

Thats increasingly important for the entire nation, and Sandia has unparalleled capability, Younger said.

The new team will uphold Sandias technology transfer programs. And it will continue to work with New Mexicos research universities on new technologies and recruitment of future graduates into the lab workforce.

Younger has served in the past as an adjunct research professor at the University of New Mexico..

Sen. Tom Udall, DN.M., expects to meet soon with Younger and NNSA heads to discuss the lab transition.

I welcome Stephen Younger to Sandia Labs, Udall said in an email to the Journal. Im sure his extensive experience at LANL, UNM and national labs elsewhere will serve him well.
On the morning after Donald Trumps inauguration, acting National Park Service director Michael Reynolds received an extraordinary summons: The new president wanted to talk to him.

In a Saturday phone call, Trump personally ordered Reynolds to produce additional photographs of the previous days crowds on the National Mall, according to three individuals who have knowledge of the conversation. The president believed that they might prove that the media had lied in reporting that attendance had been no better than average.

Trump also expressed anger over a retweet sent from the agencys account, in which side-by-side photographs showed far fewer people at his swearing-in than had shown up to see Barack Obamas inaugural in 2009.

According to one account, Reynolds had been contacted by the White House and given a phone number to call. When he dialed it, he was told to hold for the president.

For Trump, who sees himself and his achievements in superlative terms, the inaugurations crowd size has been a source of grievance that he appears unable to put behind him. It is a measure of his fixation on the issue that he would devote part of his first morning in office to it  and that he would take out his frustrations on an acting Park Service director.

Word rapidly spread through the agency and Washington. The individuals who informed The Washington Post about the call declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the conversation.

Neither Reynolds nor the Park Service would talk about it.

The National Park Service does not comment on internal conversations among administration officials, agency spokesman Thomas Crosson said.

White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the call simply demonstrated that Trumps management style is to be so accessible, and constantly in touch.

Hes not somebody who sits around and waits. He takes action and gets things done, Sanders said. Thats one of the reasons that he is president today, and Hillary Clinton isnt.

On Saturday, the same day Trump spoke with Reynolds, the new president used an appearance at CIA headquarters to deliver a blistering attack on the media for reporting that large swaths of the Mall were nearly empty during the event.

Its a lie, Trump said. We caught [the media]. We caught them in a beauty.

It looked like a million, a million and a half people, Trump said, vastly inflating what the available evidence suggested.

Later that day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated Trumps complaints about media coverage of the crowd in a tongue-lashing from the lectern of the briefing room.

These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong, Spicer said.

The Park Service does not release crowd estimates. Experts, however, have estimated that the 2017 turnout was no more than a third the size of Obamas eight years earlier.

Reynolds was taken aback by Trumps request, but did secure some additional aerial photographs and forwarded them to the White House through normal channels in the Interior Department, the sources said. The photos, however, did not prove Trumps contention that the crowd size was upwards of 1 million.

Reynolds, who had served as the Park Services deputy director of operations for six months before assuming the post of acting director, is a third-generation employee who has worked there for more than 30 years. As deputy director, he oversaw the Services $2.8 billion budget and more than 22,000 employees.

In the days since Trumps election, the Park Service has become an unlikely protagonist in a battle between the new president and some career government employees.

The trouble began late Friday, when the agencys official Twitter account retweeted two tweets that could be perceived as critical of the new administration: the one comparing the relative crowd size for Trumps inaugural to that of Obamas 2009 swearing-in, and another that noted policy pages that had been removed from the White Houses website.

That prompted an urgent directive to Interior employees that they shut down Twitter platforms immediately until further notice, which was lifted early Saturday morning. Crosson then apologized on Twitter for mistaken RTs from our account.

On Tuesday, the Badlands National Parks Twitter account became a social media sensation when it posted four tweets in a row about rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the threats posed by climate change.

Those tweets were then deleted. An NPS official later explained that Badlands NPS officials learned they were posted by a former employee who still had access to the account, and decided to remove them.

Spicer told reporters this week that White House officials had not dictated any agency to impose new restrictions on public communications and that some federal officials, such as those at the Park Service, were not in compliance with their own departments policies.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to press the argument that the media has given a misleading account of the crowds that attended his inauguration.

I had a massive amount of people here, the president told ABC News anchor David Muir in an interview Wednesday. They were showing pictures that were very unflattering, as unflattering  from certain angles  that were taken early and lots of other things.

As he guided Muir through the West Wing, Trump paused at a photo on the wall, taken from behind him as he delivered his inaugural address: Heres a picture of the event. Heres a picture of the crowd. Now, the audience was the biggest ever, but this crowd was massive. Look how far back it goes. This crowd was massive.

  

The Washington Posts Brady Dennis and Lisa Rein contributed to this report.
Michael Moxey is working on new music.

But the country musician is keeping it a secret on who exactly will be featured on it.

Im keeping that under my hat, he says with a laugh. But I promise that it will be amazing.

Moxey grew up in Albuquerque and had a successful career in radio before moving to Austin, Texas.

Having since moved back to Albuquerque, Moxey has a different outlook on music.

When I was in Austin, we would tell bands not to move to Austin, he says. If they want to succeed, they need to play in their hometown and build the local music scene. Albuquerque is doing great, but it still has a lot of expanding to do.

Moxey will perform a show tonight at Low Spirits Bar & Stage. Read more here

Its almost February, and soon the Black History Month events will begin. I talked with Cathryn McGill, the founder of the festival, about whats happening all month.

Read more here 

Staff writer Rozanna M. Martinez has the latest on Roadrunner Food Banks Souper Bowl event on Saturday, Jan. 28.

In this weeks Reel NM column, I caught up with local actor Omar Paz Trujillo. He will be attending the screening of his latest film, Dances With Werewolves, at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe.

Make sure to check out the movie reviews of Gold, which was filmed in New Mexico, and A Dogs Purpose.
A terrible tragedy that affects thousands of vulnerable children and adults in need of often life-saving mental health and substance abuse treatment continues to play out in slow motion in New Mexico.

Crucial health services for residents now are withering away as the fourth of only five behavioral providers in our state, Valle del Sol of Arizona, announced last month that it will leave New Mexico. For those who are on the receiving end, it is intolerable.

This dire situation for people began, it may be recalled, three and a half years ago when Gov. Susana Martinezs administration levelled charges of mis-billing and fraud against the states then 15 long-standing treatment providers.

Even though the attorney general subsequently cleared all of them of the allegations, the state never returned more than $11 million in payments owed to the providers from that time. As a result, most of the providers went out of business and treatment access across the state was disrupted or taken away.

The provision of behavioral health services in New Mexico has never recovered. The companies from Arizona that were brought in to replace pre-2013 providers now all have left, except for one.

In the current legislative session, I will try to ensure that this situation, created by groundless allegations, never occurs again. My due process legislation will guarantee that providers who stand accused of fraud by the state receive the opportunity to review the allegations made against them and the chance to respond to those allegations in a hearing, and in district court. That opportunity did not exist by law in 2013.

That is fine for the future. But what about today?

At a recent hearing of the Legislative Finance Committee, State Human Services Department Secretary Brent Earnest stated that the $11 million owed to providers for services rendered had been kept in a non-interest bearing account by OptumHealth, the states contractor overseeing payments to providers from 2009 to 2013. Despite a lawsuit to have those funds paid out to the providers, the state has now placed them in a court registry where they sit idle.

Ten of New Mexicos former providers are accusing OptumHealth in a lawsuit that it fabricated the fraud allegations in order to keep the $11 million. A federal court will decide if that is true. But it is worth noting that OptumHealth on another occasion was fined by the state $1 million for failing to pay providers for their services. It is all very concerning.

How many people with mental health disorders are going out without treatment for their conditions today because of the disruption of services caused by the 2013 takeover? We dont know, but you can bet its a lot.

We are going into the fifth year of this mental health and substance abuse services crisis, and still there is no interest from the Governors Office to solve it. New Mexico needs direct answers to get to the bottom of this mess.

Most importantly, we need to get the states behavioral health system back on its feet, delivering treatment to vulnerable children and adults. Much more leadership from the executive would help make it so.
SANTA FE  A former longtime Santa Fe city councilor was suspended from practicing law indefinitely by the State Supreme court earlier this month for failing to provide information to the state Disciplinary Board, which considers complaints about attorneys.

The board was investigating ex-councilor Matthew Ortiz for allegedly failing to make settlement payments for clients in federal bankruptcy court, according to records at the Supreme Court.

On July 12, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Jacobvitz had ordered Ortiz, who was a Santa Fe District 4 councilor from 2000 to 2012 and is currently administrative law director for the state Commission of Public Records, to pay over $29,000 to Albuquerque-based Chapter 13 trustee Kelley Skehen on behalf of Ortizs clients by July 15. The order said Ortiz would be held in contempt of court if he didnt comply.

Skehen subsequently filed notice that she had not received the money as of July 18. Jacobvitz then ordered Ortiz to show up in Albuquerque federal court Aug. 2 to show cause why he didnt comply with the order. Skehen filed another notice saying she did receive the funds July 21, but Ortiz apparently didnt show up for the hearing to show cause.

Assistant state attorney general James Jacobsen filed a complaint to the disciplinary board Aug. 2 and wrote, Neither I nor those to whom I have spoken can conceive of a situation in which Mr. Ortiz was operating in compliance with his duties and responsibilities as an attorney that would justify delay in turning over client property such that the Bankruptcy Court felt compelled to issue an Order directing him to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for failing to do so.

Assistant Disciplinary Counsel Anne Taylor wrote to Ortiz Aug. 24 and requested trust accounts for his clients, details of the tax burden he said prevented him from turning over the funds and an explanation for why he failed to appear at the hearing on the order to show cause. Taylor reported she didnt get the response, so Chief Disciplinary Counsel William D. Slease filed the petition to the Supreme Court Oct. 5 to administratively suspend Ortiz for failing to respond to disciplinary counsel.

Ortiz filed a response to that petition and admitted to everything the disciplinary board alleged, except the accusation that he didnt send a response to Taylor. He said he personally mailed it, although he admits to not following through.

Because of a death in the family, undersigned admits that he did not follow through with disciplinary counsel to ensure that all materials have been received, Ortiz wrote. Once undersigned was informed by this Courts clerk that there would need to be a formal filing, undersigned has not communicated with disciplinary counsel.

The Supreme Court filed its suspension order Jan. 4, prohibiting Ortiz from practicing law until further order. Ortiz didnt return a message left on his cellphone Thursday. In 2004, he was suspended by the Supreme Court after facing complaints of mishandling two cases and being unresponsive to the summons of the Disciplinary Board.
SANTA FE  U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico  a Democratic candidate for governor next year  didnt exactly draw a crowd Thursday when she addressed a joint session of the state House and Senate.

She joked about the size of the audience but thanked the representatives and senators who did attend the 35-minute speech. The Legislature has 112 members, and it looked like a few dozen were absent.

It probably didnt help attendance that her address came at lunchtime, between a grueling schedule of committee meetings in the morning and more scheduled in the afternoon.

To her credit, she didnt start a Donald Trump-style dispute over the size of the crowd.

Lujan Grisham, a former state Cabinet secretary who also served on the Bernalillo County Commission, shared some personal stories and covered a wide variety of topics.

She took note of Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballeros bill to prohibit local law-enforcement agencies from enforcing federal immigration law  contrasting it with President Trumps plans to build a border wall and cut funding to sanctuary cities.

Lujan Grisham said she was very concerned about both the rhetoric and the actions of Trump. The federal government, she said, has a tradition of adopting bipartisan immigration legislation  something shed like to see continue.

Roybal Caballeros proposal, House Bill 116, has been referred to the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

TABLED: What a difference a year makes.

The switch from Republican to Democratic control has made the House a less friendly place for GOP-backed efforts to toughen criminal penalties and allow cities to impose teen curfews.

A pair of House committees on Thursday voted along party lines to table a three-strikes law proposed by Rep. Bill Rehm and a curfew bill by House Minority Leader Nate Gentry, both Albuquerque Republicans.

The action isnt final  each bill could still be revived  but tabling a proposal is a usually significant setback. For folks who want to track the bills, the three strikes law is HB 13, and the curfew proposal is HB 53.

Similar three-strikes and curfew bills passed the House last year before stalling in the Senate. Democrats reclaimed control of the House before this years session, and they expanded their majority in the Senate.

Democrats now have a 38-32 edge in the House and a 26-16 majority in the Senate.

Dan McKay: dmckay@abqjournal.com
In August 2015, Matthew McConaughey showed up at the Albuquerque Journal for his most recent film project.

Known for his dapper style and fit physique, the 47-year-old Oscar winner had employees at the Journal doing double takes, as we watched him and his fellow actors become their roles while cameras rolled.

Sure, he was decked out in slacks and a button-up shirt. Classic McConaughey, right?

Yet the McConaughey filming had a belly, not to mention less hair on his head.

This is what was needed for him to transform into the role of Kenny Wells in Gold.

The film opens nationwide today, and moviegoers will notice plenty of New Mexico scenery.

Gold tells the story of Wells, a modern-day prospector, hustler, and dreamer, desperate for a lucky break.

Left with few options, Wells teams up with an equally luckless geologist, Mike Acosta, played by Edgar Ramirez, to execute a grandiose, last-ditch effort: to find gold deep in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia.

McConaughey says Kenny is about family and trying to make the situation better.

The film is about his father, about resurrecting the company, about reconnecting the chain that Kenny broke through his family lineage and keeping this company alive, he said in a statement.

McConaughey embarked on a daunting physical transformation for the role, beginning with some weight gain.

Kenny Wells, the way I saw him, was a guy who was on liquid lunch and liquid dinners a lot, and hes kind of let himself go, but has a huge amount of energy, he said. So I gave myself the pleasure of saying, You can eat whatever you want and you can drink whatever you want for four months, go for it. Two months later, my weight was up to 211 pounds, which my body has never had on it before.

The film began production in Thailand, moved to Albuquerque, then Reno, Nev., and completed principal photography in New York City.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production employed at least 150 New Mexico crew members, 17 New Mexico actors, and about 1,350 New Mexico background talent workers.

Reno scenes were shot in both Albuquerque and Reno.

According to the production, most of Renos interior scenes were filmed in Albuquerque, due to its extensive film infrastructure with crews and equipment, and New Mexicos film incentives.

The Three Greenhorns bar was established at the former Pauls Monterey Inn. with its dim lighting, high booths and padded bar.

Pauls was one of the keys to attracting Gold here, said Dennis Muscari, New Mexico location manager. (Director) Stephen Gaghan flipped for it. We turned two rooms into one big room and kept the original light fixtures, booths, inside lanterns, chandeliers with wine bottles, and look of a dark, smoky lounge.

Workers built the Prospectors Suite at Harrahs Hotel and Casino on an Albuquerque stage, decorating it with a wooden pool table, wooden bar, vintage wooden furniture with fabric panels, marble tables, amethyst and granite sculptures, greyhound sculptures and decorative animal horns.

Set technicians built a New York Stock Exchange trading floor on the second floor of the Albuquerque Journal building and filled it with 1980s computers and telephones.

More than 350 extras costumed in glittering gowns and tuxedos packed The Prospectors Awards Gala, filmed in a giant ballroom with crystal chandeliers.

Set designers built an apricot-colored stage curtain, a brass trophy with a prospectors pickax embedded into a gold brick that was custom-made by a blacksmith in Cimarron. Dozens of tables sported handmade golden centerpieces, showy desserts and Champagne bottles in silver buckets.

The location for the home of Kay  Wells girlfriend, played by Bryce Dallas Howard  was in Albuquerques Northeast Heights, nestled against the Sandia Mountains. Workers beautified the house with freshly planted lavender and bougainvillea landscaping, as well as a newly tiled pool.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve offered the most dramatic location.

This is where Kenny takes Kay with plans of building their dream ranch. And Gagan was so attracted to a nearby mountain road that he added a short driving scene with Kenny and Kay there.

We filmed a big panorama of green grasses and wild lilies, with elk in the distance and hummingbirds everywhere, Muscari said. There were swirling clouds in the blue sky, and we shot at magic hour.

Not hard to do in New Mexico.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Arts Editor Adrian Gomez at agomez@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  With New Mexico caught in an ongoing budget crunch, Gov. Susana Martinez is dusting off an old plan to streamline state government by merging agencies  but with a few new twists.

In her State of the State address last week, the two-term Republican governor called on legislators to consolidate state agencies, saying her plan would save tens of millions of dollars per year and claiming New Mexico has nearly twice as many agencies as the federal government.

Right-sizing government means reducing the size of government and developing efficiencies, Martinez said in her Jan. 17 speech.

No bills have been filed since then, and the Martinez administration has offered few specifics, but one potential merger has already raised concern in the states hospitality industry.

Industry leaders say they were taken aback earlier this week when Tourism Secretary Rebecca Latham told them the administration is considering merging the Tourism Department with the Economic Development. They fear it could hurt a thriving business around the state, one of relatively few bright spots in the states economy.

No such bill has been introduced, and Latham said Thursday in an interview that any such plan is still just an idea.

However, Latham said a merger could create marketing efficiencies between two departments, both selling the idea of New Mexico.

And some top-ranking lawmakers have expressed wariness about merging agencies, saying the mergers might not be worth the effort.

Well take a look at those proposals, but Im not sure theyd increase efficiency, said House Appropriations and Finance Committee Chairwoman Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, during a Thursday radio interview on KUNM-FM.

Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, a Portales Republican, told the Journal this week that he would be willing to consider the restructuring proposals, given an ongoing budget crunch thats already prompted sweeping budget cuts and other one-time fixes.

But he cautioned that the plan might be a tough sell during the 60-day legislative session that ends in March.

Lots of governors try it, and it seldom gets anywhere, Ingle said.

In a statement Thursday, Martinez spokesman Michael Lonergan said Governors Office staffers have been working with House and Senate leaders on ways to streamline government and improve state services.

However, he cited one potential restructuring move: shifting the state Motor Vehicle Division to the Department of Transportation. The MVD is currently part of the Taxation and Revenue Department.

Not only would this save taxpayer dollars, but it would also make services even more efficient, Lonergan said.

Previous agency merger proposals have not been shown to have big savings.

A failed 2011 bill to combine the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department with the Environment Department and the Department of Game and Fish would have generated $200,000 a year in savings, while initially costing the state $250,000 due to transition expenses, according to a legislative analysis.

Public-private entity

In considering a possible merger between Tourism and Economic Development, officials are also discussing the possibility of moving the marketing efforts to a new public-private entity to which industries with a vested interest in tourist traffic could contribute, Latham said.

But New Mexico Hospitality Association President and CEO Jen Schroer said the possible consolidation  which she said Latham described with few details at NMHAs board meeting earlier this week  makes little sense, given the industrys performance.

Right now, the Tourism Department is providing such a great return on the states investment, and all of our indicators and statistics are showing tourism is up in New Mexico, she said. It seems like its not wise to dismantle or retool or somehow change something thats working so well.

Gov. Martinez herself has routinely touted tourisms impact on New Mexico throughout her two terms in office.

In announcing a report last summer that showed the industry had experienced its sixth straight record-breaking year, Martinez described it as a key component of a diversified economy.

The Tourism Department has a general fund budget of $12.8 million annually, and $9.7 million goes to marketing and promotion. It has 54 full-time employees, and Latham said it is too soon to tell whether consolidation would mean staff cuts. She said that there is no talk of slashing marketing expenditures, but that cost savings might occur by sharing expenses like website development contracts with the Economic Development Department.

Schroer said the state has not provided enough specifics to know what impact its plan might have on the tourism industry. But she said she fears the idea has not been carefully considered. She and other members of the industry said they were surprised when Latham discussed the possibility this week.

Charlie Gray, executive director of the Greater Albuquerque Innkeepers Association, said the proposal came out of the blue.

I didnt have any inkling this was coming, Gray said, adding that the group of local hoteliers opposes any such restructuring.

23 departments

In all, the state currently has 23 Cabinet-level departments and more than 40 administrative agencies, as several new Cabinet-level departments were established under Martinezs predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.

The last sustained effort to consolidate state government ended with a whimper in 2011, when lawmakers didnt pass any of the 25 or so bills dealing with merging agencies or consolidating government functions that were introduced after a task force was convened to study the issue.

While the governor has the authority to authorize changes in administrative functions, any agency mergers or eliminations have to be authorized by the Legislature.

Martinezs claim that New Mexico has nearly twice as many agencies as the federal government does appear to have some merit, as there are 15 executive departments in the federal government, according to the White House website.

However, the White House also says that in all, there are hundreds of federal agencies and commissions,

Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, a key budget voice at the Legislature, expressed skepticism earlier this week about the restructuring proposals, saying hes not sure how much savings such moves would generate.

If (the governor) really wants to be saving money, she should be proposing consolidating higher education institutions and school districts, Smith told the Journal.
Get that flu shot if you havent done so, because influenza appears to be cranking up in New Mexico and much of the U.S., health officials warn.

That forecast is based on rising numbers of clinic visits and hospital admissions for flu-like symptoms.

Flu season is right on schedule, said Dr. Randall Knott, a University of New Mexico pediatrician and a member of the New Mexico Immunization Coalition. Though flu season runs October through May, it typically peaks in February, he said.

I think that we will be submerged in flu in the next two or three weeks, Knott said.

The most prevalent flu strain circulating this year is an H3N2 virus, which tends to cause the most severe illness among people 65 and older, and young children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The good news is that the flu vaccine available this season appears to be well matched to the virus, and effective.

If there was ever a season when you want to get a flu vaccine, this is it, because the vaccine is a perfect match, Knott said.

Ample supplies of flu vaccine remain available in New Mexico, said Marisa Bargsten, a New Mexico Department of Health epidemiologist. Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone 6 months and older.

One factor working against the state was a decision last year that barred use of a nasal flu vaccine to immunize children, requiring them to get flu shots instead.

Only about 13,500 doses of flu vaccine were given to children in school-based clinics in fall 2016, compared with about 35,000 in 2015, said Anna Pentler, executive director of the New Mexico Immunization Coalition.

The CDC last year recommended against using the nasal spray based on evidence that injectable vaccine offers better protection from flu. The decision led many New Mexico schools to withdraw from the voluntary program, Pentler said.

Flu symptoms can include a cough, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. Other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, are more common among children.

The state tracks the number of patients hospitalized for flu in seven New Mexico counties.

From Jan. 8-14  the most recent data available  about 40 people were hospitalized for flu, or about twice the number in the previous week. No flu deaths have been reported this season in New Mexico.

We are definitely seeing an increase in hospitalizations, Bargsten said. But the worst of the flu season likely lies ahead, she said. I dont think weve reached our peak.

During the 2015-2016 flu season, flu killed 30 adults and one child in New Mexico.

On average each year, flu kills 36,000 and hospitalizes 200,000 in the U.S.
LIUMINYING VILLAGE, China  Four men in traditional yellow costumes bang large drums to announce the start of the New Years Eve banquet in Liuminying village. Inside the meeting hall, 100 tables are set with a dozen plates, bearing sausages, nuts and fruit.

Sitting in a storage shed outside are thousands of half-moon shaped dumplings, made by hand the day before, ready to be boiled and served.

Villages and cities across China are preparing this weekend to celebrate Lunar New Year, though few feasts are as elaborate as the one in Liuminying, a hamlet in Beijings suburbs. Festivities in recent years have been more muted as Chinas economy has slowed down  hitting its lowest level of growth in three decades last year  and its top political leadership has issued calls for austerity.

But in Liuminying, what began as a small lunch sponsored by the local Communist Party branch in 1980 has grown into a feast that served 1,000 people this year during a three-hour spectacle with singing and dancing.

The show began at 10 a.m. with loud music and applause. A group of children waved pompoms in a synchronized dance, followed by a raffle, the presentation of a large banner commemorating the New Year, and several other songs and speeches.

As the performances grew longer, the attendees started to peel oranges and crack open nuts. A few people smoked cigarettes at their tables, a sight not often seen in Beijing restaurants since the city enacted an indoor smoking ban two years ago.

Outside, dozens of workers were preparing meat and vegetable stews in huge grills. One worker pushed coal underneath several of the grills, causing large flames to come bursting out.

A few hours after the doors opened, the first dishes were brought inside. The plastic wrap came off many of the plates on the table. Diners uncorked wine bottles and, at a few tables, opened red boxes placed at the center. Inside were clear bottles of the Chinese grain liquor called baijiu, passed around for a series of toasts.

After several dishes came the signature item: the dumplings, or jiaozi, which people across northern China consider a mandatory part of celebrating the New Year.

The feast ended with diners stacking their plates and bowls in a clatter that steadily grew louder as more people began to leave.

They walked outside to the loud, echoing sounds of booms from fireworks, another Lunar New Year tradition. While authorities in Beijing have cracked down on the sales of fireworks, Liuminying is far enough outside for vendors to be more easily found. The sky was clear blue, offering a rare respite from the smog that blankets northern China in winter.

Guo Lianhong, 55, attended her first lunch in 1984 and described the earth-shaking changes shes seen in her village in the last three decades.

We hope Liuminying can become even more prosperous, she said.

___

Associated Press reporter Helene Franchineau and researcher Henry Hou contributed to this report.
JOHANNESBURG  Nigeria is seizing back one of Africas richest oil blocs and will prosecute petroleum giants Shell and Eni in a $1.2 billion corruption scandal that has drawn investigators from the United States, Italy, France, Switzerland and Holland, according to a Nigerian Federal High Court document.

The court on Thursday ceded control of Oil Prospecting License 245 to the government while the West African countrys Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigates and prosecutes suspects in the Malabu Oil scam, according to a statement from the commission.

The commissions petition to the court says Dutch-British corporation Shell and Italian Agip  now Eni  bought the bloc in 2011 knowing the transaction was fraught with fraud and that the $1.2 billion payment to former petroleum minister Dan Etete and his allies was a bribe. The state oil company got only $210 million from the deal.

The government is preparing further charges of conspiracy, bribery, official corruption and money-laundering against Shell and Eni, the petition says.

Criminal charges already have been filed against both companies and several executives in an Italian court in Milan.

This is historic. Generations of Nigerians have been robbed of life-saving services while oil men have grown rich at their expense, said Simon Taylor of the anti-corruption body Global Witness. Companies and their investors must understand they can no longer do backdoor deals with corrupt officials without paying a hefty price.

Eni has not received notification of the court order, spokesman Roberto Carlo Albini told The Associated Press. Eni denies any wrongdoing, he said. Shell Nigeria spokesman Bamidele Olugbenga Odugbesan said he had no comment.

The oil companies paid the $1.2 billion into a Nigerian government escrow account at the London branch of JPMorgan Chase, and former justice minister Mohammed Bello Adoke authorized its distribution.

The commission last month filed charges of fraud and money laundering against Etete, Adoke and businessman Aliyu Abubakar.

The petition says Nigerias former military dictator Gen. Sani Abacha and Etete used front men to form Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. and illegally awarded themselves OPL 245. After Abachas mysterious death in 1998, the company directors and shareholding was fraudulently altered to divest Abachas son, Mohammed, it says.

The Malabu bloc was seized by the government once before, by the civilian government of Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001. Malabu Oil sued and an out of court agreement returned the bloc to the company.
A woman who was arrested after voting twice for Donald Trump  and in the process becoming a flash point in the voter fraud debate  is incompetent to stand trial, her attorney said in a motion filed in Iowa court.

Terri Lynn Rote, 56, was accused in late October of casting two ballots in the general election: an early-voting ballot at the Polk County Election Office and another at a county satellite voting location, according to police records. Rote, a registered Republican, remains charged with first-degree election misconduct, and her felony case has been winding through Iowa courts.

But her court-appointed attorney, Jane White, filed a motion last week saying Rote has cognitive limitations and cant stay focused for long periods  things that mean she wouldnt be able to help prepare her defense, according to the Des Moines Register.

It is unlikely that Defendant can assist in her defense or participate in the trial process, White wrote. It is unknown if the Defendant has been diagnosed previously with a mental health disorder, but her interactions with counsel indicate to counsel that this may be the case.

The motion came days before the man Rote double-voted for announced in a series of tweets that he plans to ask for a major investigation into allegations of widespread voter fraud.

Trump tweeted: I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and.

even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!



The presidents press secretary, Sean Spicer, sought to provide some clarity for Trumps remarks Wednesday, according to The Washington Posts Jenna Johnson and Matt Zapotosky.

Spicer said the president wants a study or task force to study the issue of fraud, especially in bigger states, Johnson and Zapotosky wrote. The probe would not just focus on the 2016 election, Spicer said.

Trump claimed in November, without evidence, that he lost the popular vote because millions of illegal votes were cast.

He has provided no documentation for his assertion about voter fraud.

And critics seized on the fact that one of the most highly publicized examples of voter fraud in the last election was a woman who voted for Trump  twice.

Rote told The Washington Post last year that she hadnt planned on voting twice in Polk County but said her second ballot was a spur-of-the-moment thing when she walked by a satellite voting location.

I dont know what came over me, she said.

She had supported Trump since early in his campaign, after Mike Huckabee dropped out of the Republican primary race.

Rote told an Iowa radio station that she believes the polls are rigged  a common Trump refrain in the closing weeks of the election. Rote said she feared that her first vote would be changed to a vote for Hillary Clinton.

Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald told the Register that it was the first time in 12 years he could remember having to report possible voter fraud.

I think it shows that our voting system works in Iowa, that were able to catch it, Fitzgerald told the paper.

A December analysis by The Posts Philip Bump found just four documented cases of voter fraud out of about 136 million votes cast in the 2016 election.

Among them was Rotes double-vote for Trump in Iowa.

There was also a man in Texas who voted twice, and a woman who cast a ballot on behalf of her dead husband, and another woman in Florida who marked absentee ballots.

The four demonstrated examples of people committing voter fraud accounted for 0.000002 percent of the ballots cast in the race for the White House  if they counted, which they wont, Bump wrote, adding: There is simply no evidence that fraudulent ballots played any significant role in the 2016 presidential election whatsoever.
Mayors of cities across the nation sounded off Thursday in defiance of President Donald Trumps executive order aimed at punishing local governments that dont comply with federal immigration officials. But the mayor of South Floridas immigrant hub took an entirely different stance, ordering county jails to fully cooperate with the federal government in light of Trumps vaguely worded order.

Carlos Gimenez, the Republican mayor of Miami-Dade County, sent a memo to the countys corrections director Thursday ordering county jails to comply with federal immigration detention requests, essentially abandoning the countys status as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. The county, recently listed as a sanctuary by the Department of Justice, is perhaps among the first municipalities to move to change its practices after Trump signed the executive order.

In light of the provisions of the Executive Order, I direct you and your staff to honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security, Gimenez wrote in the brief memo.

The notion of a sanctuary varies across the country. Some communities instruct local police not to ask about immigration status, while others, like New York City, go further  issuing identification cards and drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. Still, many so-called sanctuaries simply refuse to comply with the federal government when it asks the community to hold an illegal immigrant already in custody until federal officials can start deportation proceedings. This designation is an informal one, and is not exclusive to liberal bastions aiming to appeal to immigrant communities. In fact, a number of the countrys sanctuaries exist in conservative areas, The Washington Post reported.

Before Thursday, Miami-Dade was considered one of these de-facto sanctuary communities. The countys policy was to only hold detainees if federal immigrations officials agreed to reimburse the county for the detention costs  a condition set in a 2013 resolution. This practice put the county on a list of sanctuary cities in a Department of Justice report in May, prompting county officials to push back against the label.

Foreseeing Trumps crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions, the county asked the feds to review its status last year, and a decision is still pending. In a tweet Thursday, mayor spokesman Mike Hernandez said Miami-Dade County does not consider itself a sanctuary community.

The countys decision to refuse detainer requests was largely a financial one, Gimenez, who attended Trumps inauguration but voted for Hillary Clinton, told the Miami Herald. Last year, the county declined to hold some 100 inmates wanted by federal authorities. Detaining them in local jails would have cost about $52,000  out of the countys total annual budget of $7 billion.

The county turned over about 180 people to immigration officials in 2016 but was not reimbursed for any costs, the Associated Press reported. It costs the county about $200 to hold a person for a day.

I want to make sure we dont put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issue, Gimenez told the Miami Herald. The county expects to receive some $355 million in federal funds, according to its 2017 budget. It doesnt mean that were going to be arresting more people, Gimenez added. It doesnt mean that were going to be enforcing any immigration laws.

In a tweet Thursday night, Trump praised the mayors order, saying, Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!

The mayors decision is a significant one, considering Miami-Dade is the county with the second highest number of immigrants in the country, with more than 1,330,000, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Nearly half of these immigrants are Cubans, who until then-President Barack Obamas recent policy change, were granted a special immigration status essentially allowing them to stay upon reaching the country. The Miami-Dade mayor is himself a Cuban immigrant, born in Havana.

Compared to many Latino and immigrant communities across the country, Cuban Americans in Florida have voted fairly Republican, particularly in the most recent national election. In exit polls from the 2016 election, CNN and Latino Decisions found Trump claiming 52 percent and 54 percent of the Florida Cuban American vote  compared to the 47 percent support for Romney in 2012.

The Cuban-American community in Miami won the state of Florida for Trump, Miami lawyer Tom Spencer, a Republican who worked for the campaign during early voting and on Election Day, told the Miami Herald.

Still, immigrant rights activists say, Miami  and the state of Florida as a whole  has long been known for its diverse immigrant community. Miami-Dade, coupled with its neighboring Monroe County, is also the region with the 11th highest number of unauthorized immigrants in the nation. It is home to 151,000 unauthorized immigrants, primarily from Central America, Mexico and South America, according to 2010-2014 estimates from the Migration Policy Institute.

The Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a statement it was disappointed with the mayors move, saying policies like the one embraced by Gimenez serve only to drive a wedge of distrust between law enforcement and our immigrant community.

At the very least, a warrant from a court, not merely a request from a federal official, is required to detain somebody in jail. We will resist every attempt by our government to punish immigrants, regardless of their status, executive director Howard Simon said in the statement. Todays decision by Mayor Gimenez flies in the face of Miamis long history as a city of immigrants.

Speaking Wednesday at the Department of Homeland Security, Trump said sanctuary cities cause immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic by refusing to help the federal government identify and deport undocumented residents. In his order, he directed the Department of Homeland Security to examine ways to limit federal funds, except as mandated by law to sanctuary cities.

Across the country  from Chicago to San Francisco to smaller municipalities  city mayors voiced defiance in the face of Trumps threats. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, D, said the District of Columbia would remain a sanctuary city, even as she said the impact to the city remained unclear. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he would use all city resources to protect the citys illegal immigrants even if that means using City Hall itself as a last resort.

In a news conference Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, D, said the executive order was written in a very vague fashion, and New York City had solid ground to pursue a legal challenge to the executive order, should the occasion arise and be necessary.

New York has always been a city of immigrants, de Blasio tweeted Thursday. The presidents executive order doesnt change that.

Many of those in the Miami area and beyond expressed outrage on Twitter in response to the Gimenez decision, while others commended the mayor, claiming his compliance was indication that President Trumps #SantuaryCity policy is working.
The chief justice of Uganda justice Bart katurebe has asked government to consider revising the judiciary budget to enable it operationalize all its institution and consequently ensure justice to all citizens.

While addressing judges during the judges conference today, the chief justice said that the judiciary is limping due to inadequate funding that affects the efficiency of the institution.

He said that many of magistrate still use paper leading to loss of files , the institution has no enough vehicles to enable judges visit areas of dispute especially in land wrangle cases .

He adds that courts at all levels are understaffed which consequently leads to case backlog.

He is now calling to review of the institutions budget this financial year 2017-2018 if the institution is to undergo total face lift.
When 27-year-old reporter William W. Price came to Washington from South Carolina in 1895, there was no such thing as a White House beat. Then Price, working for the Washington Evening Star, began calling himself a White House correspondent and getting stories about President Grover Cleveland, and a beat was born. Today, White House reporters are promising to hold the new president, like his predecessors, to account. But relations are tense, fueled partly by the administrations desire to weaken a group it has called an opposition party and partly by misunderstandings about the beat. Here are five stubborn ones.

Myth No. 1

The daily brieng is a waste of time.

In recent years, former White House press secretaries (Ari Fleischer and Mike McCurry), former White House reporters (Ron Fournier and James Warren) and political partisans (Newt Gingrich and Sean Hannity) have embraced this theory. Theyre a waste of time, Fournier wrote. They are redolent with tradition and an air of media entitlement, Warren commented in Vanity Fair. Reid Cherlin, a former aide to President Barack Obama, called them a worthless chore for reporters, an embarrassing nuisance to administration staff.

It is true that the briefings can be boring. Ida Tarbell wrote about those early briefings in 1898, noting that they were conducted by presidential secretary John Addison Porter around a table at 10 p.m. They gather around Secretary Porter for a kind of family talk, he discussing with them whatever of the events of the day he thinks wise to discuss. Then and now, no reporter would ever base any story solely on what was said in the briefing.

But it is still vital to a democracy that a representative of the president present himself every day. Everyone benefits when the government has to face that daily ordeal. It was at a White House briefing that Press Secretary Ron Ziegler on April 17, 1973 was forced to backtrack on months of Watergate evasions and declare his previous statements inoperative. It was at White House briefings that press secretaries for George W. Bush had to try to explain why no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq. And it was at White House briefings that Jay Carney was forced to explain the problems with the healthcare.gov website.

Myth No. 2

White House reporters needlessly cling to old traditions.

Conservative columnist Cal Thomas recently dismissed the media as one of the entrenched bureaucracies . . . that are reluctant  even hostile  to change. He lamented that the White House press corps has its knickers in a twist over the possibility that Trump might move reporters out of the White House, an idea the administration seems to have since abandoned. And its true that in the past, the White House Correspondents Association has fought certain changes, such as President John Kennedys decision to televise his news conferences.

But todays reporters have worked with administrations of both parties to find better ways  collaborating on travel schedules, cost-cutting measures and which charter flights reporters use. Contrary to what presidential aides have suggested, the correspondents association has not blocked access to any accredited reporters and has not kept them out of the briefing room. White House chief of staff Reince Priebus seems to think the 49 assigned seats in the room are set in stone and doled out to long-established media outlets. In fact, 20 of the 49 seats are held either by news organizations that didnt exist when the seats were first assigned in 1981 or by organizations new to covering the White House. Those include Yahoo News, SiriusXM, Salem Radio Network, the Washington Examiner, Real Clear Politics, Bloomberg News, Fox News, BuzzFeed and Politico.

Myth No. 3

Its the most glamorous beat in Washington.

Merriman Smith, the most famous White House correspondent for four decades, from Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon, was often offered less-grueling beats by his bosses at United Press International. He declined. Smith saw the beat as glamorous and important and the only one that sated [his] competitive zeal, according to a monograph about him. That perception hasnt changed. Reporters still fight for the White House assignment, with its extensive foreign travel, frequent stories on Page One and all the airtime a TV correspondent could crave.

But theres often nothing splendid about the work. Correspondents endure unexplained odors and recurring rodent infestations. My desk in the White House basement has suffered through frequent flooding. Then there are the hours spent at White House stakeouts in the rain, snow and heat, never certain if a visiting lawmaker will deign to come out. Or the nights spent in vans on pool duty (a tedious job in which reporters take turns recording the comings and goings for the rest of the press corps that couldnt be on site).

Myth No. 4

Reporters are always with the president, so he has no privacy.

A few days after his win in November, Donald Trump went to dinner with his family and ditched the small pool of White House reporters at Trump Tower, causing journalists to wring their hands. Meanwhile, his supporters at Infowars accused the reporters of having a hissy fit, and cable TV was filled with Trump surrogates indignant that reporters, as they contended, wanted to be at the table along with Trumps kids.

The reaction reflected a misunderstanding of how a pool operates. Reporters are not asking to be at the table with family members. They are asking to know where a president is if he leaves the White House grounds. No one knows when a crisis will develop; no one knows when a motorcade will be in an accident; no one knows when a president will take ill; no one knows when an aide will whisper to the leader of the free world, as one did on Sept. 11, 2001, that America is under attack. A pool is there to provide information to the public so theres no confusion when a terrorist strikes or a president collapses.

Myth No. 5

It doesnt matter where the press quarters are.

This month, Esquire reported that the new administration was looking for ways to evict the press from its West Wing offices. Fox News commentator Sean Hannity applauded, suggesting that it is time to just throw them all out and start over. Various administration officials said they would actually be doing the press a favor, freeing them of their cramped quarters and noting that they still would be on the 18-acre White House campus.

This sounds reassuring only if you dont understand the importance of proximity to the White House press offices and the restrictions already slapped on correspondents. While they report throughout the White House campus before the Reagan administration, today they can reach only the press offices. And tight space is never a lasting concern. These are the early days of a new presidency, but soon the novelty will wear off  it always does  and the financial realities of covering the White House will set in for news organizations. Where today you see reporters crammed in for the daily briefing, tomorrow you will see empty seats. And those who remain will write better, more accurate, more comprehensive stories in part because of the access they retain.



Condon, the White House correspondent for National Journal, has covered the White House since 1982 and is a former president of the White House Correspondents Association.
WASHINGTON  Thousands of abortion opponents gathered in cold, blustery weather near the Washington Monument on Friday and heard Vice President Mike Pence tell the annual March for Life that the Trump administration is determined to advance the fight against abortion.

The massive crowd, bearing flags, banners and placards, then flowed down Constitution Avenue, filling the street, and rallied at the Supreme Court building, across from the Capitol.

We will not grow weary, Pence said in a 10-minute address to the throng at the monument. We will not rest until we restore a culture of life in America for ourselves and our posterity.

He said the administration is bent on ending taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion providers. And he said that next week, President Donald Trump will announce a Supreme Court nominee who will uphold the God-given liberty enshrined in our Constitution in the tradition of the late and great Justice Antonin Scalia.

Scalia, a conservative associate justice of the Supreme Court, died last year.

Life is winning again in America, said Pence, who added that Trump had asked him to speak at the rally. That is evident in . . . the historic election of a president . . . who I proudly say stands for the right to life.

Pence was the first U.S. vice president to address the march in its history.

Bundled against a stiff wind, participants from around the country first descended on the northeast grounds of the monument.

Pence, who has called himself an evangelical Catholic, has long been a hero among antiabortion activists and as governor of Indiana signed what were considered some of the nations strictest laws on abortion.

Also addressing the crowd was Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway.

I am a wife, a mother, a Catholic, counselor to the president of the United States of America, and yes, I am pro-life, she said.

This is a new day, a new dawn, for life, she said.

The right to life is not a privilege, she said. It is not a choice. It is God-given. . . . This is a time of incredible promise for the pro-life, pro-adoption movement.

We hear you, she told the crowd, which earlier was chanting: Kell-ee-anne! Kell-ee-anne!

We see you, she said. We respect you. And we look forward to working with you.

This year, organizers of the march hoped to see a surge of energy with the election of a president who is expected to move forward on antiabortion policies, including defunding Planned Parenthood and appointing an antiabortion Supreme Court justice.

Hes pro-life, Lynn Ray, coordinator of her Catholic dioceses campus ministry at Louisiana State University at Alexandria, said Friday as she stood on Constitution Avenue with a group from the school. So thats good for us.

Being that were Catholics, were very pro-life, she said. Every step we take, we take for an unborn baby. Were not persecuting anyone, of course, just marching for the babies.

Madeline Runyan, 22, a senior at the university, said she, too, is pleased with Trumps stance on abortion. Im very confident in what hes doing to help this cause, she said. Im really excited and optimistic.

The rally began at about 11:45 a.m. Pence spoke shortly after noon. The march started at around 1 p.m., and the crowd moved east, past the Capitol and toward the Supreme Court, where another large assembly had already gathered.

There were members of the clergy as well as Bikers for Life.

Many marchers were part of school and church groups, carrying posters  and a life-size cutout of Pope Francis. They sang, chanted and prayed.

Dan Kehoe saw the march not as a political statement but as a religious one.

The 34-year-old from Taos, Missouri, was a chaperon on his daughters eighth-grade Catholic church trip. They took a Greyhound bus for 22 hours for what they called a pilgrimage to Washington.

He saw news coverage of last weeks Womens March on Washington and thought that was a political march about womens issues. This event, he said, was completely different  not about womens rights but human ones.

Its not just a womans choice; it takes two to make a child, he said.

More than 200 people made the trip from his central Missouri church community with him, most of them children. If the younger generation doesnt speak up now, who will? Kehoe said.

He said he voted for Trump and is happy with the presidents performance so far.

One block-long mass of 200 teenagers from 15 churches and three Catholic high schools filled five charter buses but was only part of a 500-strong group from the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama.

Remember, we are guests in this city, and were going to be respectful, called Adam Ganucheau, 30, as he and other youth leaders handed out 200 Subway sandwiches. We are pilgrims; we do not litter.

The size of the crowd was typical, said Ganucheau, who has attended more than a dozen of these annual marches since 2001. But he sensed an extra electricity.

Its historic that these kids will be able to say they heard and saw the vice president, he said as the throng began to move, sandwiches in hand.

Ganucheau said he is glad to have an antiabortion administration in office, although there are other parts of the Trump agenda that concern him.

In addition to opposing abortion, Ganucheau said, his faith has also led him to support equal wages, equal pay, a welcoming immigration posture and other progressive social causes.

Being Catholic is more than being conservative or liberal, he said. We believe in treating all people with respect.

Earlier, Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, listed her four demands for Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress:

 Appoint an antiabortion justice to the Supreme Court.

 Make the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for many abortions in the United States, into a permanent law rather than the one-year provision that has been extended each year since 1976.

 Pass a law banning abortion nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

 Stop all federal funding for Planned Parenthood unless the organization stops performing abortions.

Nationwide, 57 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, the highest percentage since 1996, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll.

The gathering came a week after Trumps inauguration and followed last Saturdays vast Womens March on Washington.

Asked about the Womens March, Ray, of Deville, Louisiana, said: Im all about womens rights, except when it comes to the baby. I believe  its my opinion  but I believe a baby is a gift from God, and once the baby is a gift from God, its no longer your body, but theres another body within. And that body has a right also.

When march attendee Brianna Roberts, 21, of Reading, Pennsylvania, met her birth mother two years ago, she said, she was upset to hear that relatives had wanted the woman to abort her.

Her mother was 20 at the time, already had one child and was getting by on food stamps, Roberts said. But when her mother went to a clinic seeking an abortion, she was told she was too far along for the clinic to perform one. So she placed Roberts for adoption.

She did the right and responsible thing, Roberts said.

Roberts said she did not vote in November because she didnt like either Trump or Hillary Clinton, but she is optimistic that Trump will advance antiabortion policies.

I thought this was going to be a really big year for policy change, she said.

Francis Leung, 18, a college student from Naples, Florida, said he has attended the March for Life with his parents almost every year since I was a little kid in a stroller.

Now, 6 feet tall and a college freshman, he stood in the throng of demonstrators and grinned, saying, I always look forward to it.

Leung said he grew up in a devoutly Catholic family and has heard a strong antiabortion message from his parents for as long as he can remember.

His nine siblings  eight of whom came to Washington with him this week  have heard it, too.

The march is a great movement, because its simple, said Leung, a student at Ave Maria University in Florida. Its simple, he said, because every unborn child has a right to life.

The first March for Life was held in 1974, one year after the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision, which recognized a right to abortion nationwide. Subsequent marches have taken place on or near the Jan. 22 anniversary every year since.

On Friday, the marchers chanted, Hey hey, ho ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go!

  

Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Perry Stein, Terrence McCoy, Paul Duggan, Tara Bahrampour, Joe Heim and Michael Chandler contributed to this report.



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Video: Everything you need to know about Roe v. Wade in two minutes

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The so-called sanctuary cities that Donald Trump has repeatedly characterized as incubators of crime are generally safer than other cities, according to a new analysis of FBI crime data.

Theres no legal definition of a sanctuary city, but most observers adopt criteria used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify cities and counties where local authorities refuse to hand over illegal immigrants to federal agents for deportation.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump often characterized these locales as dangerous hotbeds of criminal activity and promised to suspend all federal funding to them.

We will end the sanctuary cities that have resulted in so many needless deaths, he told a crowd in Phoenix in the fall.

But an analysis of FBI crime data by Tom Wong, a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, finds that counties designated as sanctuary areas by ICE typically experience significantly lower rates of all types of crime, including lower homicide rates, than comparable non-sanctuary counties. The analysis was published by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank.

In 2015, the typical sanctuary county in a large metropolitan area experienced 654 fewer crimes per 100,000 residents than the typical non-sanctuary county in a big metro. Thats an overall crime rate approximately 15 percent lower.

In smaller counties and even rural areas, crime rates were also lower for sanctuary areas, Wong found.

The exception is medium metros and counties on the fringes of large metro areas, which had slightly higher crime rates if they were sanctuary areas.

Overall, across all counties, there are on average 355 crimes per 100,000 in sanctuary counties.

Specifically addressing President Trumps contentions that sanctuary cities are magnets for homicide, Wong found that the typical sanctuary area saw 1 fewer homicide per 100,000 people in 2015 than the typical non-sanctuary area. While the difference is small, Wongs statistical tests indicate it is highly significant.

The data are clear that sanctuary counties arent crime-ridden hellholes, Wong said in an interview. The data only shows correlation; Wong says more research needs to be done to determine whether a causal effect is at work here. But he suspects that, by becoming a sanctuary area and refusing to involve local authorities in deportation matters, a city or county may actually make itself safer. If immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally fear working with police will lead to deportation, theyre less likely to report crimes and assist with investigations.

This is the position of a number of law enforcement groups. The Major Cities Chiefs Association, representing the 63 largest urban areas in the U.S., says that immigration enforcement by local police would likely negatively effect and undermine the level of trust and cooperation between local police and immigrant communities, which would would result in increased crime against immigrants and in the broader community, create a class of silent victims and eliminate the potential for assistance from immigrants in solving crimes or preventing future terroristic acts.

Similarly, the International Association of Chiefs of Police argues that state and local law enforcement should not be involved in the enforcement of civil immigration laws since such involvement would likely have a chilling effect on both legal and illegal aliens reporting criminal activity or assisting police in criminal investigations.

Wong also looked at a number of economic indicators in his analysis and found that in sanctuary counties, income tends to be higher while poverty tends to be lower. He suspects a causal mechanism at work here, too.

If you deport the breadwinner [of an immigrant family], that leaves families more economically vulnerable, he said. That means that these economically vulnerable families are more reliant on public assistance.
LAS VEGAS  The Oakland Raiders are proposing to pay $1 a year in rent to play at a $1.9 billion domed stadium if the team moves to Las Vegas.

Officials on both sides characterized a lease and use agreement presented to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority as a starting point for negotiations with the public entity that will own, but not operate, the yet-to-be-built facility.

The Raiders last week filed paperwork with the NFL to move to Nevada, likely by the 2020 season.

This is the beginning of a process, executive authority consultant Jeremy Aguero said Friday. Its a part of what the Stadium Authority will need to consider.

Team Executive Vice President Dan Ventrelle told the authority on Thursday that a lot of work needs to be done, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2jF9e3o ).

The 117-page lease proposal covers the teams use of the stadium, luxury box seats, concession sales, ticket revenues, merchandise and parking. It also addresses stadium naming rights, advertising and broadcast rights.

It doesnt identify an operator, or specify a role for proposed stadium backer Sheldon Adelson and his casino company, Las Vegas Sands Corp.

NFL rules prohibit casino operators from having ownership roles in teams. Any relocation to Las Vegas must be approved by 24 of the 32 NFL team owners. A vote is expected during league meetings March 26-29 in Phoenix.

The authority would own the stadium because Las Vegas hotel room tax revenues are slated to pay $750 million toward construction. The Raiders have pledged $500 million and Adelsons family has promised $650 million.

Adelson initiated conversations with Raiders owner Mark Davis about a team move a year ago, and was instrumental in getting a tax increase passed by the Nevada Legislature last October. The Adelson family also owns the Review-Journal.

A site hasnt been picked for the 65,000-seat stadium, although a parcel of land near the Las Vegas Strip has emerged as a preferred site.

Raiders President Marc Badain told the authority the team is focusing on 62 acres across Interstate 15 from the Mandalay Bay resort and talking with land-use planners, architects and construction executives, the Review-Journal said.

The Raiders paid $3.5 million in rent to play at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in 2016, up from $925,000 for the 2015 season. The team has options to remain at the stadium for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

___

For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump announced his plans to build a controversial border wall this week, financed by imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico. Which would mean America, not Mexico, would be paying for the wall, with the tomatoes and limes we buy in grocery stores  and with every happy hour margarita we drink.

Even though Trump spokesman Sean Spicer later walked back his statement, saying an import tax was just one of the options being considered to fund the wall, it has some in the food industry worried. If it happens, Americans could end up paying more for their guacamole and tequila, which could affect restaurants here as well as farmers and poor communities in Mexico.

According to the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, the United States imported 54 percent of its produce from Mexico between September 2015 and August 2016, a total of $10.4 billion. The top import was tomatoes, at 1.2 billion pounds  19 percent of the market share. Watermelons, cucumbers, bell peppers, mangoes and grapes were among the other top imports  and would be among the items that could cost more at the grocery store, if such a tax were implemented.

But perhaps the most visible symbol of imported Mexican produce is the avocado. The fruit has grown in popularity in recent years, and is regularly consumed in half of all American households, according to the Hass Avocado Board. California avocado farms alone cant meet the demand for all of the avocado Americans eat, making Mexico the only region in the world that can sufficiently help meet U.S. avocado consumption, supplying 80% of the U.S. market, said the Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers Association of Mexico in a statement.

To which America, on social media, replied: They can take our avocado toast from our cold, dead fingers.

If you really want to rile up the left, take away peoples avocados, said Josh Phillips, founder of Espita Mezcaleria, an upscale Mexican restaurant in Washington.

Because there have been few details about such a tax released  and because Spicers comments Thursday muddied the waters about whether a tax could happen at all  businesses arent yet sure how they could be affected, or how alarmed they should be. A spokesperson for Chipotle, which charges about $2 extra for guacamole in a burrito, said the company would not speculate on how it might affect their prices.

But some businesses are preparing for the worst. Espita buys produce imported from Mexico, including avocados and specialty Oaxacan corn.

I already told my chef to start looking for backups in case something happens, said Phillips. Hed prefer not to use American corn  its less authentic, and its flavor is not as interesting. It would be kind of sad to me to go to a corn thats just the same all the time. Theres just a little less love in it.

While he has been able to absorb temporary price fluctuations due to weather or crop failure, a new tax on Mexican products would force him to raise prices on all his dishes accordingly.

We dont do cheap Mexican food. For us to increase any more  we already get a pushback on that price, said Phillips, whose high-end restaurant makes everything from scratch, including turning that corn into masa and then tortillas. There is an emotional price point that people are not willing to pay for our cuisine. I feel like we have to be really conservative in how we increase prices if this is going to happen.

Espita charges $10 for guacamole, and its already one of the lowest-margin items on the menu. So if he were forced to take the price any higher, he might just take it off the menu. If its a permanent thing, we cant eat the cost.

Still, Phillips acknowledged that expensive restaurants are better able to absorb the blow. What worries him are the lower-priced restaurants, many of which are run by immigrants who may support family back in Mexico.

Im a second-generation American. Most of my staff immigrated  legally, I might add  or are the children of immigrants, he said. This is a topic thats very near and dear to my family here.

The impact of such a tax on immigration and the Mexican economy is the biggest concern for Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda, a business that imports the heritage Mexican corn for such restaurants as Espita and downtown restaurant Oyamel, and works to support small farms and the people who depend on them.

Our work impacts thousands of small farmers in Mexico, said Gaviria. We have an enormous responsibility to continue directing that impact in communities that need it most.

But hes still going to hedge his bets. He already had plans to work with Native American farmers in New Mexico to produce heritage American corn, which will give chefs a lower-priced option, and to start a retail line of tortillas. But with talk of the 20 percent tax making people in the culinary community nervous, hes kicking it into high gear.

The urgency is greater now, and I think the significance is greater, said Gaviria. It gives him an opportunity to tell that story in a way that honors our neighbors instead of vilifying our neighbors. Its that much more important now for us to communicate that, instead of getting caught up in the hysteria of a 20 percent tax and a wall.
PHILADELPHIA  Republican lawmakers aired sharp concerns about their partys quick push to repeal the Affordable Care Act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, according to a recording of the session obtained by The Washington Post.

The recording reveals a GOP that appears to be filled with doubts about how to make good on a long-standing promise to get rid of Obamacare without explicit guidance from President Donald Trump or his administration. The thorny issues lawmakers grapple with on the tape  including who may end up either losing coverage or paying more under a revamped system  highlight the financial and political challenges that flow from upending the current law.

Senators and House members expressed a range of concerns about the task ahead: how to prepare a replacement plan that can be ready to launch at the time of repeal; how to avoid deep damage to the health insurance market; how to keep premiums affordable for middle-class families; even how to avoid the political consequences of defunding Planned Parenthood, the womens health-care organization, as many Republicans hope to do with the repeal of the ACA.

Wed better be sure that were prepared to live with the market weve created with repeal, said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif. Thats going to be called Trumpcare. Republicans will own that lock, stock and barrel, and well be judged in the election less than two years away.

Recordings of closed sessions at the Republican policy retreat in Philadelphia this week were sent late Thursday to The Post and several other news outlets from an anonymous email address. The remarks of all lawmakers quoted in this story were confirmed by their offices or by the lawmakers themselves.

Our goal, in my opinion, should be not a quick fix. We can do it rapidly  but not a quick fix, said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. We want a long-term solution that lowers costs.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, warned his colleagues that the estimated budget savings from repealing Obamacare  which Republicans say could approach a half-trillion dollars  would be needed to fund the costs of setting up a replacement. This is going to be what well need to be able to move to that transition, he said.

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Tex., worried that one idea floated by Republicans  a refundable tax credit  would not work for middle-class families that cannot afford to prepay their premiums and wait for a tax refund.

Republicans have also discussed the idea of generating revenue for their plan by taking aim at deductions that allow most Americans to get health insurance through their employers without paying extra taxes on it. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who has drafted his own bill to reform the Affordable Care Act, said in response, It sounds like we are going to be raising taxes on the middle class in order to pay for these new credits.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Tex., who chairs a key tax-writing subcommittee, countered, I dont see it that way, adding that there is a tax break on employer-sponsored health care and nowhere else equal to $3.6 billion over 10 years.

Could you unlock just a small portion at the top to be able to give that freedom [to self-employed Americans]? That is the question, Brady said.

Rep. John Faso, R-N.Y., a freshman congressman from the Hudson Valley, warned strongly against using the repeal of the ACA to also defund Planned Parenthood. We are just walking into a gigantic political trap if we go down this path of sticking Planned Parenthood in the health insurance bill, he said. If you want to do it somewhere else, I have no problem, but I think we are creating a political minefield for ourselves  House and Senate.

The concerns of rank-and-file lawmakers appeared to be at odds with key congressional leaders and Andrew Bremberg, a top domestic policy adviser to Trump, who have laid out plans to repeal the ACA using a fast-track legislative process and executive actions from the administration. However, these leaders acknowledged in Thursdays meeting, as they have before, that Obamacare cannot be fully undone  or replaced  without Democratic cooperation.

That and other aspects of the unfinished GOP plan prompted several wary lawmakers to urge their leaders to move more deliberately  even as the Trump administration appears to be moving ahead with repeal. Thursday, the White House ordered federal health officials to immediately halt all advertising and other outreach activities for the critical final days in which Americans can sign up for 2017 health coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The administration partly retracted that directive on Friday, allowing the Health and Human Services Department to continue to contact people eligible for ACA coverage by email, text and automated phone calls and reviving use of a HealthCare.gov Twitter account.The new directive also airing of some ads if the government would otherwise lose the money.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., dismissed the concerns aired in the meeting during an interview at a Politico event Friday.

We have a responsibility to work for the people that put us in office, he said. Thats the oath we take: to defend the Constitution, to fight for the people we represent, and this is a fiasco that needs to be fixed.

Of particular concern to some Republican lawmakers was a plan to use the budget reconciliation process  which requires only a simple majority vote  to repeal the existing law, while still needing a filibuster-proof vote of 60 in the Senate to enact a replacement.

The fact is, we cannot repeal Obamacare through reconciliation, McClintock said. We need to understand exactly: What does that reconciliation market look like? And I havent heard the answer yet.

Several important policy areas appeared unsettled. While the chairmen of key committees sketched out various proposals, they did not have a clear plan for how to keep markets viable while requiring insurers to cover everyone who seeks insurance.

At one point Cassidy, a physician who co-founded a community health clinic in Baton Rouge to serve the uninsured, asked the panelists a simple question: Will states have the ability to maintain the expanded Medicaid rolls provided for under the ACA, which now provide coverage for more than 10 million Americans, and can other states do similar expansions?

These are decisions we havent made yet, said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore.

Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., worried that the plans under GOP consideration could eviscerate coverage for the roughly 20 million Americans now covered through state and federal marketplaces and the laws Medicaid expansion: Were telling those people that were not going to pull the rug out from under them, and if we do this too fast, we are in fact going to pull the rug out from under them.

Republicans are also still wrestling with whether Obamacares taxes can be immediately repealed, a priority for many conservatives, or whether that revenue will be needed to fund a transition period.

And there seems to be little consensus on whether to pursue a major overhaul of Medicaid  converting it from an open-ended entitlement that costs federal and state governments $500 billion a year to a fixed block grant. Trump and his top aides, including counselor Kellyanne Conway, have publicly endorsed that idea. But doing so would mean that some low-income Americans would not be automatically covered by a program that currently covers 70 million Americans.

Many of the concerns aired Thursday were more political than policy-oriented. Fasos remarks about Planned Parenthood generated tepid applause. Ryan said this month that he expects the House to pursue the organizations defunding in the reconciliation bill.

Those expressing qualms included some of the top congressional leaders who are in line to draft the health-care legislation. Alexander, for one, is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Ryan and other leaders have said they intend to pursue a piecemeal approach, following the reconciliation bill with smaller ones that address discrete aspects of reform.

Bremberg, chairman of Trumps domestic policy council, offered little detail in the session about particular executive actions the Trump administration intends to take or what legislative proposals the new president favors.

Instead, he pointed to the executive order Trump signed last week, his first, as proof of his commitment to undoing Obamacares mandates and said his choice of Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., to be his health and human services secretary should speak volumes to people trying to understand what hes hoping to achieve.

This is not a technocrat, Bremberg said. This is an experienced, compassionate doctor who has experienced the health-care system firsthand and who has been a leader here in Washington trying to address the policy reforms that need to take place. Having both of those in a secretary is going to be very important and very powerful.

Even as Bremberg offered few details about what the president plans to do, he emphasized that last weeks executive order repeatedly used phrases such as to the maximum extent permitted by law  to enable his political appointees to start dismantling the ACA by executive authority.

Im sure many of us have been very concerned about the interpretation of that phrase in the last six or so years, Bremberg quipped, referring to the previous administration. The president has now officially given direction [not only] to HHS, but to all of these agencies that have responsibility . . . to exercise all available discretion to begin helping the American people and to begin fixing our health-care system.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Brembergs remarks.

Faso warned that by defunding Planned Parenthood in the reconciliation bill, we are arming our enemy in this debate.

To me, us taking retribution on Planned Parenthood is kind of morally akin to what Lois Lerner and Obama and the IRS did against tea party groups, he said, a reference to accusations that the Internal Revenue Service improperly targeted conservative political groups for audits.

Faso continued: Health insurance is going to be tough enough for us to deal with without having millions of people on social media come to Planned Parenthoods defense and sending hundreds of thousands of new donors to the Democratic Senate and Democratic congressional campaign committees. So I would just urge us to rethink this.

  

The Washington Posts Robert Costa, Juliet Eilperin and Paul Kane contributed to this report.
The Almeida family had just finished Sunday brunch when a drunken drivers vehicle flew into the air and crashed into their SUV  killing Oscar Almeida and injuring his wife, son and sons girlfriend.

On Friday, after an emotional court hearing that drew tearful testimony from both families affected by the wreck, Ofimiano Juan Herrera, 30, was sentenced to 31 years in prison by 2nd Judicial District Judge Alisa Hadfield.

Herrera, who was also convicted of drunken driving in 2007, had a blood alcohol level of 0.14 percent, and he had fled from a Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office deputy, leading authorities on a chase before he crashed into the family at Coors and Quail NW in March 2015. He pleaded guilty last year to eight charges against him, including vehicular homicide, and was facing a maximum sentence of 41 years in prison.

Oscar Almeida, 60, was killed, and his wife, Ana Almeida, was badly injured. Also injured were his son, Oscar Almeida Jr., and his sons girlfriend, Kierstyn Cruz.

Ana Almeida said in court through an interpreter that she suffers from pain every day because of her injuries and she struggles when she sees pictures of her husband. Erica Trujillo, Oscar Almeidas daughter, said her father had worked all his life but was preparing for early retirement so he could spend more time with his children and grandchildren.

I get to talk to a plot in the ground, Trujillo said.

Several members of the Almeida family asked Hadfield to hand down the maximum punishment.

Herreras family came to his defense. His parents said they struggled through their own addictions and Herrera was forced to care for his younger siblings as he grew up. They said Herrera had a child who was born while he was in custody and will never get a chance to be a parent.

Taking him away for all these years, I dont think it will benefit anybody, said Angelica Trujillo, Herreras sister. He did wrong. He should be punished. But 41 years is a little much.

Herrera apologized to the victims, his friends and family and the city of Albuquerque.

The burden of knowing that an innocent life was taken will haunt me, he said.

Steve Aarons, Herreras attorney, pointed out that in New Mexico second-degree murder and the rape of a child under 13 carry maximum penalties of 15 and 18 years in prison, respectively, far less than what his client was facing. He said Herrera made a big mistake but never intended to harm anyone, and he asked for leniency but not a specific sentence.

In the end, Hadfield suspended 10 years from the possible 41-year sentence, and Herrera will be on supervised release after he serves his sentence.

She also found the crimes to be serious violent offenses, which means he must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.
She hears footsteps from above, shuffling against the attic floorboards. A framed painting suddenly vanishes from a wall. The gas-fueled flames of the chandelier flicker and dim.

She is certain it happened  but her husband assures her that shes imagining it all. Its her behavior that seems odd, he insists; perhaps shes going mad? And, slowly, she begins to believe him.

This is the plot of the 1944 Ingrid Bergman film Gaslight. It is also the origin of a buzzword that has spread from pop culture to clinical psychology and back again  but has never been more visible than it is now, in commentary about the conduct of President Trump:

CNN: Donald Trump is gaslighting all of us

Teen Vogue: Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America

NBC: Some Experts Say Trump Teams Falsehoods Are Classic Gaslighting

This is a very specific accusation. To gaslight someone isnt just to lie to them or to manipulate their emotions. It is a deliberate attempt to deceive someone into questioning their own perception of reality. (Suddenly, Im beginning not to trust my memory at all, says Bergmans character, Paula, as her faith in her senses begins to fray.)

Throughout Trumps ascent to the presidency, he was repeatedly accused of this sort of manipulation. When he wanted to shift attention away from his vocal support of the birther movement, he falsely claimed that Hillary Clinton had started the conspiracy theory. Trump told the New York Times that it was a mistake for him to retweet an unflattering photo of Ted Cruzs wife  then later insisted in a TV interview, I didnt actually say it that way. He vehemently denied that he had mocked a disabled reporter, despite a widely circulated video that showed him doing exactly that. After winning the election by a narrow margin, losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million, Trump hailed his victory as a landslide. Most recently, Trump and his administration have insisted that the crowd at his inauguration was the largest in American history  even as aerial photographs, crowd estimates, Metro ridership numbers and witnesses on the scene show otherwise.

Naveen Joshi, a professor of cultural studies at Humber College in Toronto, isnt surprised that commentators have assigned a clinical label to Trumps tendencies. Gaslighting was adopted by psychologists after the movie, which was based on a 1938 play.

But with the rise of people talking about mental health, you see people using these terms more effectively now, well beyond professional settings, Joshi says. And especially with online social networking, they can circulate like wildfire.

The idea of a malevolent force messing with your mind is deeply embedded in our popular fiction  a central plot point, Joshi says.

Long-running soap operas such as Guiding Light were among the first to seize on the concept, he says. Victor Newman is constantly gaslighting his children in The Young and the Restless to convince them that the problems with the family are their fault and not his.

Jack Nicholsons character in The Shining tries to convince his wife that she is overreacting to alarming occurrences in a haunted hotel. In Showtimes Homeland, Claire Daness character is gaslighted by enemy operatives who swap her bipolar medication and send her spiraling into a full-blown breakdown. The HBO drama Westworld is centered on an entire race of androids who have their memories controlled and repeatedly wiped clean by human overlords. In last years thriller The Girl on the Train  spoiler alert  gaslighting was an essential part of the films climactic plot twist.

These sorts of stories resonate, Joshi says, because they reveal just how easy it is for people to become disoriented, especially when theyre vulnerable, he says. It speaks to how helpless we are when were screaming for information and we dont know whether its true or not.

But it wasnt until 10 or 15 years ago that the term itself became popular, popping up frequently in advice columns or news stories about domestic violence.

As is common with people who mistreat others, Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax told a troubled reader in 2013, your partner responded by blaming you and apparently gaslighting you off to therapy.

Until recently, it was rare to see the word used in a political context  though in a 1995 New York Times column, Maureen Dowd argued the Clinton administration was gaslighting then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich by needling him with minor slights. (She predicted it wouldnt work: In the movie, the husband tried to make the wife unstrung because she wasnt unstrung. You cant Gaslight someone who is already a little lit.)

It wasnt until late 2015 that we began to see gaslighting applied to Trump. Among the first to do so was conservative pundit Matt K. Lewis, in a November 2015 article for the Telegraph: Any introspective person covering Mr Trump will eventually have to grapple with whether or not they want to believe The Donald or their lying eyes.

And then, even some psychologists took up the idea, drawing parallels between Trumps actions and the classic tricks of gaslighting  such as undermining the victims perspective, controlling the topic of conversation and forcefully denying the truth.

Leah McElrath, a psychotherapist and political activist, analyzed Trumps quasi-apology after the release of the notorious Access Hollywood video in which he made vulgar comments bragging about assaulting women.

Trumps insistence that these words do not reflect who I am amounted to gaslighting, McElrath wrote  similar to the language shes heard from domestic abusers  effectively telling the public that the reality you just experienced didnt actually happen. (Her Twitter thread on the subject was retweeted thousands of times.)

Fortunately, some of our gaslighted heroines from fiction offer tips on how to break free of the cycle, Joshi says.

Either it becomes so evident that something is wrong  as in The Shining, where blood pouring out of the elevator is hard to ignore  or you need a witness, someone who is there to help you through it and point it out, he says.

But as gaslighting slips into common parlance, he worries were not always using it correctly: It ends up getting flattened, and it begins to mean nothing. Gaslighting does not apply to everytype of deceptive behavior, he says  even if he would argue that its been fairly applied to Trump in some cases.

Its quite obvious to see that theres some form of manipulation going on, Joshi says. Were going to have to read ourselves out of it. We need multiple sources. We should be critical of everything  even the word gaslighting itself.
New Mexico has lost out on a business prospect that would have meant 700 new jobs because of uncertain funding for two key incentive programs, the head of an economic development group said Thursday.

The state can expect more such losses in the long-term as it struggles with budget deficits and reduces funding for the Job Training Incentive Program and the Local Economic Development Act, said Tim Nitti, president and CEO of the New Mexico Economic Development Partnership.

Nitti said he could not name the particular company due to a non-disclosure statement he signed, but he said New Mexico was competing with two neighboring states. He declined to describe the type of business. He said about 200 of its jobs would have paid more than $100,000.

This will be the first drop, he said. I can not see a situation where we wont see more of these kinds of occurrences.

Lawmakers on Wednesday signed off on a budget-balancing bill with a number of cuts, including $4 million from LEDA, the states closing fund. The original Senate bill had called for $11.6 million to be taken, but the administration and Republicans pushed back against that plan.

State Economic Development Secretary Matt Geisel said earlier this month that he would like to turn LEDA into a $50 million evergreen fund that businesses know will be accessible each year. He said the fund now has about $35 million.

The JTIP budget for the current year is $6 million, down from $7.5 million last year. The current demand for job-training funds is $12 million, Nitti said.

The states budget-balancing bill aims to close a $69 million gap in this years budget. Next year, lawmakers are expecting a deficit of $300 million.

Nitti, who spoke before the House Appropriations Committee this week, said he understands there are priorities besides economic development, but he said even raising the topic of cutting incentive programs is damaging because it creates uncertainty.

Companies plan for the long term and are looking for consistency, he said.
Cheryl Smith Gardner has been named the new chief executive officer of BeWellnm, New Mexicos health insurance exchange.

Smith Gardner is currently executive director of the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace and has more than 10 years of experience in health insurance policy and reform efforts, according to a news release.

Linda Wedeen stepped in last August as interim leader when former CEO Amy Dowd, who had been running the online marketplace since July 2014, accepted a job with Molina Healthcare. Wedeen will continue as interim leader until Smith Gardner takes over on March 1.

She comes at a time when the Affordable Care Act faces fundamental changes under the Trump administration.
Bank of Uganda governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile has confirmed the official take over of Crane bank by Dfcu bank

The governor told a news conference this morning that all customers and depositors of Crane bank shall now have their accounts operated by Dfcu bank through its wide branch network.

Mutebile said, that after thorough vetting, Dfcu emerged the winners among the 13 institutions that bid for Crane bank.

In exercise of its powers as receiver, under section 95 (1) (b) of Financial and other Institutions Act, Bank of Uganda has now transferred the liabilities including deposits of Crane bank to Dfcu bank.

Bank of Uganda reassures the public that it will continue to protect depositors interests and maintain the stability of the financial sector, the governor said.

Bank of Uganda on September 20, 2016 took over the management of Crane bank and issued a notice to the public setting out the reasons for the takeover.
Donald Cowboy Cerrone cut his mixed-martial-arts teeth in his home state of Colorado, fighting on the Ring of Fire circuit a decade ago.

Since then, during a career that has made him one of the most popular fighters in the sport, he has fought all over the United States and in a couple of foreign countries. But hes been back in Colorado to fight only once, in 2012.

Thats why, when the UFC announced plans to stage a show at Denvers Pepsi Center on Saturday, Cerrone immediately clamored for a spot on the card.

He even tried to recruit an opponent.

Any and all 170 lb ers, he tweeted in December, Please dont respond to this just call (UFC President Dana White) or (matchmaker) Joe Silva and say I will fight Cowboy January 28 in Denver.'

Happily, Jorge Masvidal made the call. Cerrone (32-7) and Masvidal (31-11), of Miami, will meet in a featured fight on UFC on Fox 23.

Cerrone, who trains out of Albuquerques Jackson-Wink MMA, is a perfect 7-0 fighting in Colorado. He won his first six fights there and, in his only return since, beat Melvin Guillard by first-round knockout in August 2012. That was 16 fights ago for Cerrone, one of the UFCs busiest fighters.

Does a fight in Denver  just a half-hours drive from his hometown of Broomfield  induce any butterflies, any distractions, any extra pressure?

Silly question.

No, not at all, he said Tuesday from Denver in a phone interview. I love fighting at home. Theres no extra anything.

Cerrone said he doesnt know how many friends and family will attend, pretty much assuming everyone in the arena will be cheering for him.

I hope they blow the roof off that place, he said.

Cerrone has blown the roof off, figuratively speaking, since his recent move from the lightweight limit of 155 pounds to the welterweight division. Hes won four straight, one by submission, three by knockout or TKO.

His victories over Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote and Rick Story all triggered $50,000 performance bonuses. In his most recent fight, on Dec. 11 in Toronto, he knocked Matt Brown out cold with a third-round head kick.

Now comes Masvidal, an excellent technical fighter who has won 17 fights by decision. Only eight of Cerrones 32 victories, and four of his seven defeats, have come via that route.

Might Masvidal seek to take the fight to the judges?

I dont know why hed want to, Cerrone said. I get stronger and stronger as the rounds go on.

But why would I care? Im going out looking for a finish. Thats what I do.

Every time he fights these days, Cerrone is at least on the verge of making MMA history.

A victory on Saturday would be Cerrones 20th in UFC competition, tying him with middleweight champion Michael Bisping for the most all time. A win by stoppage would tie him for the most in UFC history with Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva.

Such things, Cerrone said, are not why he fights.

But theyre nice  a pleasant byproduct of what he loves doing.

Its cool, he said, that every time we fight we keep setting records. So its good.

BORG TO BRAZIL: Albuquerque flyweight Ray Borg will fight Jussier Formiga da Silva on March 11 in Fortaleza, Brazil, according to multiple online reports. The UFC has made no announcement.

Borg (10-2), who trains at Jackson-Wink, is coming off an impressive victory by unanimous decision over Louis Smolka in December in Las Vegas, Nev. A fight with Formiga (19-4), ranked fourth in the UFC 125-pound division, is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Borg is 12th in the rankings.

Saturday

Julianna Pena vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Donald Cowboy Cerrone vs. Jorge Masvidal, several other fights. FS1, 3 p.m. Fox, 6 p.m.
PHOENIX  An Arizona caregiver has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for stealing from patients.

The state attorney generals office announced the sentencing of Mary Louise Gonzalez on Friday. She pleaded guilty in December to forgery and trafficking in stolen property.

Prosecutors say the 57-year-old Gonzalez was a home health worker for a company that receives Medicaid funding.

While working, Gonzalez stole and sometimes pawned patients jewelry, coins and other valuables. She also was accused of forging and cashing a stolen check.

Authorities say a total of $29,680 was stolen from at least five patients.

The case was investigated by Paradise Valley police and the attorney generals health care fraud and abuse division.

Once released from prison, Gonzalez will be placed on probation for 2 1/2 years.
The Publicis Groupe Supervisory Board has chosen Arthur Sadoun, CEO, Publicis Worldwide, to succeed Maurice Levy as Chairman & CEO of Publicis Groupe. Sadoun will take charge of his new role from June 1, 2017, presiding over the Management Board, which will also be strengthened with the arrival of Steve King, currently CEO of Publicis Media. King will join current Management Board members Jean Michel Etienne, Executive Vice PresidentCFO, and Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner, Secretary General.

This management team will be able to count on the world-class leaders and the full range of the Groupes expertise in transformation including, Alan Wexler and Chip Register of Publicis.Sapient, Nick Colucci of Publicis Health, Jarek Ziebinski of Publicis One, and Rishad Tobaccowala for strategy and the groups client-centric approach.

The Supervisory Board has proposed that Maurice Levy, upon completion of his mandate, join as Chairman. This proposition will be submitted to a vote by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on May 31, 2017.

On January 26, 2017, Levy decided to hand over the keys to the Groupes future to Sadoun. In its 91-year existence, Publicis will have had only two CEOs, namely its founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, for 61 years, and Maurice Levy, for 30 years. Levy was roped in as the agencys first director of IT in 1971. His first mission was to implement a system of backing up data using magnetic tapes, unheard of at the time. Since 1987, Levy has multiplied the Groupes talent by 25, its revenue by 44 and its market cap by 93.

In December 2006, Sadoun became CEO of Publicis Conseil. His initial focus was on development winning key accounts: BNP Paribas, Capgemini, Intermarche, AXA, Yoplait, Luxottica, Orange, GDF SUEZ, Carrefour and Total. In January 2009, Levy appointed Sadoun CEO of Publicis France, the first network employing 1,600 people, to bring together 15 entities with under Publicis Conseil, Publicis Dialog, Marcel, Carre Noir as well as a market-leading regional network present across major cities in France and the French departments and territories overseas.

In April 2011, Sadoun was appointed Managing Director of Publicis Worldwide, before being named as the networks CEO in October 2013. In July 2015, Levy asked Sadoun to add to his responsibilities the supervision of MSLGroup, Publicis Groupes PR, strategic communication and engagement network.

In January 2016, he was named CEO of Publicis Communications, Publicis Groupes creative hub composed of the Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Worldwide, BBH, MSLGroup and Prodigious networks.

At the age of 21, after graduating from the European Business School, Sadoun left for Chili, where he founded his own advertising agency, which he later sold to BBDO/Chili. Returning to France in 1997, he completed an MBA at INSEAD and joined the TBWA network (Omnicom Group) as International Director of Strategic Planning and then as Director of Development. In 2000, he was appointed Executive Officer of TBWA/Paris, becoming CEO in 2003.
As a tribute to Indian women who are making the unconventional conventional, Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd, a leader in innovation and technology today launched its digital campaign #NazariyaBadlo on the occasion of National Girl Child Day.

The campaign aims to provide a new outlook on how we see things. People and things have always appeared to us in the way we have observed them and how we have been made to observe them. It gives a tangible reminder to broaden the way we look at things. The campaign aims to change the perspective and transform the world we live in.

The campaign depicts how girls are brought up in the Indian society and captures the understanding towards womens right from the beginning of their life journey. The video showcases preconceived beliefs of gifting young girls dolls and not cars in their childhood, women being responsible for household chores, phases wherein girls transform into women as per the norms set by the society.

Talking about the initiative Mr. Pankaj Rana, Business Head - Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said, We need to bring to light the issue of women being perceived differently by the society. We have always looked at things as a reflection of our societys perception. The society needs to know that we are capable of making our own choices and preferences. This campaign would inspire people to change their outlook irrespective of the societys opinions.

The campaign has been executed by Delhi-based marketing agency, and directed by Mr. Tejender Sharma of Gibbous Films. Talking about the film Mr. Tejender Sharma, Director, Gibbous Films said, This video is a tangible reminder to broaden the way we raise girls. The video urges people to express and enact their new perspective.

Mr. Raghav Bagai, Co-Founder, Sociowash said, Working with Panasonic Smartphone team is always a learning experience for us. It was unusual and rare for us to see a brand touching upon a topic which is rarely talked about. We are confident that this campaign will motivate young females to think beyond obvious and make unconventional conventional.

National Girl Child Day is celebrated on 24th of January to increase awareness on all the inequalities faced by the girl child in the society. #NazariyaBadlo campaign urges people to question the way a girl is raised from the beginning.

The 7-day campaign starting from today is live on all social media channels and will underline concerns that need to be addressed.

Link to the TVC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERd1V1etLGc
Global music giant and No. 1 music label Sony Music signs an upcoming Indian Tamil-language romance film written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. Featuring the talented Karthi and the beautiful Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead roles, the film has music composed by A. R. Rahman.

Says Ashok Parwani, head Sony Music South,  We are extremely proud to be associated with this romantic film and to work with legends like Mani Ratnam and A R Rahman. We have seen a massive musical success with OK Kanmani and Kaatru Veliyidai also promises phenomenal music. We will adopt the single strategy and release each song in a gap of a week while the entire album will be available by March 2017.
Closing date for the first ever DIGIXX Awards is just four days away  January 31, 2017. Submit your entries today. The DIGIXX Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate excellence in Digital Marketing & Advertising and seek to set industry-wide benchmark in digital engagement. Hosted by Adgully in association with ad:tech, DIGIXX Awards will be a true marker for digital initiatives that are innovative, creative and effective. The awards ceremony will be held during the ad:tech conference in Delhi on March 9 and 10, 2017.

The DIGIXX Awards recognizes and celebrates the best of the best in digital marketing that creates an exceptional user experience that is moving, deeply engaging, and/or interactive. The winning work ultimately serves to educate the marketplace about what works and why in digital advertising, as well as inspire the community by pointing to future trends and where the industry is heading.

There Awards have been divided into three broad categories:

Industry Sector Awards

Discipline Awards for Campaigns

Special Awards

Special Awards will seek to recognise the real achievers in nine sub-categories. This will be selected by an esteemed Jury of industry leaders.

Display Agency of the Year - This category is open to entries from agencies that specialise in display advertising in digital media. The aim of the award is to reward the agency that not only triumphs in terms of the great work it produces, but also its reputation with clients and innovative approaches.

Performance Agency of the year - This category is open to entries from agencies that specialises in performance advertising (Search or Affiliate) in digital media. The aim of the award is to reward the agency that not only triumphs in terms of the great work it produces, but also its reputation with clients and innovative approaches that drives the performance.

Marketer of the Year - This award will recognise the marketer who has effectively used digital media over the years and is recognised as one of the top spenders on digital in India.

Brand of the Year - This award will felicitate the brand that has effectively used digital media in last one year and has been the most advertised brand in digital media.

Most Promising Digital Agency of the Year - This category is open to entries for new digital agencies in the market, who have been operational for not more than 2 years as on December 31, 2016.

Adgully Young Guns of the Year - Agency  There are two Awards within this category for a Young Achiever  Male and Young Achiever  Female working with an agency. The participants need to be between 24 years and 29 years as on December 31, 2016.

Adgully Young Guns of the year - Marketer  There are two Awards within this category for a Young Achiever  Male and Young Achiever  Female from the marketer side of the business. The participants need to be between 24 years and 29 years as on December 31, 2016.

Entries for DIGIXX 2017 are open. For further details and to enter your nominations, please visit https://www.adgully.com/digixx-awards-2017.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Sergey Avetisyan, head of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia (GDCA) held a meeting with the delegation of Franco Pecci, Founder and Chairman of the Italian Blue Panorama airlines, the GDCA told ARMENPRESS.

Sergey Avetisyan discussed several issues related to Armenias Civil Aviation with his colleagues, and mentioned that on December 1, 2016, the European Council adopted a mandate allowing the EU Commission to launch negotiations with Armenia over a comprehensive air-transportation deal.

Possible options of operating flights to new directions in Europe were also discussed at the meeting, along with the service possibilities of the Armenian market and the upcoming action plan.

Franco Pecci said they are ready to cooperate, at the same time stressing the need for a more detailed study of the field.

Avetisyan welcomed the interest towards Armenias aviation market and expressed willingness for collaboration.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has challenged the Ugandan government to prioritize addressing social needs.

She was addressing a joint press conference with president Museveni at statehouse Entebbe this afternoon.

Ms Lagarde said while government has made strides in poverty reduction, peace and improving standards of living, social needs like health and education need more attention.

She further challenges government on accountability and efficiency in addition to improving the business environment.

Meanwhile President Museveni applauded IMF for its contribution towards Ugandas economic recovery further expressing governments commitment to improving infrastructure, education and health
These findings highlight differences in reproductive health by sexual behaviors and sexual health history. Given the potential of asymptomatic infection to lead to PID and the substantial costs associated with treatment, it is important that clinicians follow chlamydia and gonorrhea screening recommendations for women to decrease the incidence of PID.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) has various etiologies, including untreated chlamydia and gonorrhea infections, and is a potential sequela of these infections, with serious and costly outcomes. Chlamydia and gonorrhea infections are largely asymptomatic among women, and as such, most infections are undiagnosed and untreated.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a clinical syndrome of the female reproductive tract characterized by inflammation of the endometrium, fallopian tubes, or peritoneum (1). PID occurs when microorganisms ascend from the vagina or cervix to the fallopian tubes and other upper genital tract structures (1). PID can result from untreated bacterial infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, and can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain (1). Because there is no single diagnostic test for PID, clinicians rely on nonspecific signs and symptoms for diagnosis. The purpose of these analyses was to assess the burden of self-reported PID in a nationally representative sample using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 20132014 cycle. Starting in 2013, NHANES female participants aged 1844 years were asked about a lifetime history of PID diagnosis. Based on these data, the estimated prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID was 4.4% in sexually experienced women of reproductive age (1844 years). The prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID was highest in women at increased risk, such as women reporting a previous sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis. Stratified by race/ethnicity and having a previous STI diagnosis, non-Hispanic black (black) and non-Hispanic white (white) women reporting a previous STI diagnosis had nearly equal self-reported lifetime PID prevalence (10.0% versus 10.3%). However, the lifetime prevalence of PID among black women was 2.2 times that among white women if no previous STI was diagnosed (6.0% versus 2.7%). These findings suggest that PID is prevalent and associated with previous STI diagnoses; therefore, it is important for clinicians to screen female patients for chlamydia and gonorrhea to reduce the incidence of PID.

NHANES is a cross-sectional, complex, multistage survey designed to be nationally representative of the noninstitutionalized U.S. civilian population (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm). Participants undergo a medical examination and are interviewed in person, during which time questions regarding sexual and reproductive health are asked. In NHANES 20132014, a total of 1,444 women aged 1844 years were interviewed and had a medical exam; the response rate was 71.1%. The 1,171 (81%) reproductive-aged female participants who responded Yes to the question, Have you ever had vaginal, anal, or oral sex? were defined as sexually experienced and were the focus of these analyses. Participants who responded Yes to the question, Have you ever been treated for an infection in your fallopian tubes, uterus or ovaries, also called a pelvic infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID? met the case definition of a lifetime PID diagnosis. Having received a diagnosis of a previous STI was defined as having had a chlamydia or gonorrhea infection during the past 12 months or ever having had herpes, human papillomavirus, or genital warts. The prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID, prevalence ratios (PRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated overall and by various characteristics. Associations were measured by use of the Rao-Scott chi-square test. All analyses were conducted using SAS statistical software (version 9.3) and accounted for the complex survey design and sampling weights. As such, these results are nationally representative. The mobile examination center exam sampling weights were used to weight the data. Population counts were estimated by multiplying weighted prevalence estimates by the average of the American Community Survey estimates during 20132014.

Among 1,171 sexually experienced reproductive-aged women in NHANES 20132014, the prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID was 4.4% (Table), indicating that approximately 2.5 million women aged 1844 nationwide have received a diagnosis of PID in their lifetime (95% CI = 1.83.2 million). No significant differences existed in prevalence of a lifetime PID diagnosis by age, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic factors, such as income-poverty ratio, current health insurance coverage, or having a current usual place for health care.

Significant differences in the prevalence of lifetime PID were observed by the sexual behaviors and sexual health histories of respondents. The prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID among women whose age of sexual debut was <12 years was approximately eight times that of women whose age of sexual debut was 18 years (PR = 8.6). Similarly, the lifetime PID prevalence among women with 10 lifetime male vaginal sex partners was approximately three times that of women with a single partner (PR = 3.6). The prevalence of lifetime PID was approximately double in women reporting lesbian/bisexual versus heterosexual orientation (PR = 2.1), and the prevalence among women reporting a previous STI diagnosis was approximately three times that of women without a previous STI diagnosis (PR = 3.3).

In stratified analyses (Figure), the prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID among women reporting a previous STI diagnosis was similar in whites and blacks (10.0% [95% CI = 4.415.6] versus 10.3% [95% CI = 1.319.4], p = 0.97). However, among women with no previous STI diagnosis, the prevalence of self-reported lifetime PID in black women was 2.2 times the prevalence in white women (black: 6.0% [95% CI: 3.48.6] versus white: 2.7% [95% CI: 1.14.4], p = 0.01).
New York governor Andrew Cuomo won a political victory earlier this month when Entergy Corporation announced it would shut down its nuclear reactors at the Indian Point Energy Center by 2021. For years, Cuomo has been campaigning for the closure of the 2,083-megawatt plant. He has long contended that Indian Point isnt safe. Last June, he even claimed that the nuclear facility is not a reliable generation resource.

Cuomos planned closure of Indian Point may provide him with a handy political chit, if, as expected, he makes a bid for the White House in 2020. But the closure of the plant, which provides about a quarter of New York Citys electricity, isnt a done deal. Indeed, closing Indian Point will make it much harder for the state to achieve Cuomos mandate that the states utilities derive 50 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2030.

Neither Cuomo nor his energy czar Richard Kauffman have bothered to explain exactly how they will replace the electricity New York City has been getting from Indian Point since 1962. Though there have been vague claims about wind energy or hydropower from Canada, the hard reality is that replacing 2 gigawatts of electric generation capacity will be difficult and costly. More important is the effect that Cuomos proposed all-renewable extreme makeover of the New York electric grid will have on reliability.

Over the past decade, Indian Point has maintained a capacity factor (a measure of how often a given generator is fully operational during the year) of 93 percent. Thats nearly triple the capacity factor of wind energy, which, according to the Energy Information Administration, has a capacity factor of 33 percent, and 3.5 times better than solar, which has a capacity factor of 26 percent. (In cloudy New York, solars capacity factor will likely be even lower.)

Indian Points high capacity factor is good news for polar bears because nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases. Better still, Indian Point is located in the village of Buchanan, just 44 miles north of Times Square. On a grid with massive loadsduring summer peaks, power demand in the New York City area can exceed 13,000 megawattsthat proximity matters.

Most of the possible replacements for the energy now generated by Indian Pointroughly 16.6 terawatt-hours per yearwill require importing electricity from locations that are far from the city. Cuomos renewable-energy plan, by itself, will require construction of 1,000 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines. New York City may want to import power from the northern part of the state, but New Yorks grid has long been constrained by insufficient high-voltage transmission capacity.

Electric grids operate on narrow tolerances of voltage, which is akin to water pressure in a pipeline. The grid must be continually tuned so that electricity production and electricity usage match. Matching generation and consumption helps assure that voltage on the grid stays at near-constant levels. If voltage fluctuates too much, blackouts can occur. Given the need to match exactly generation and demand, it makes sense to locate large electricity users (like cities and aluminum smelters) close to big generation units.

The New York Independent System Operatorthe nonprofit organization that operates the states electric gridhas repeatedly said that Indian Point and the states other nuclear reactors (which are located upstate) are needed for reliability. Retaining all existing nuclear generators is critical to the States carbon emission reduction requirements as well as maintaining electric system reliability, the NYISO said last July. In a 2011 report, the grid operator commented directly on the possibility of shuttering the plant, saying that without the development of adequate replacement generation in southeastern New York the retirement of the reactors at Indian Point would mean the loss of power supply and transmission voltage support affecting the metropolitan New York region. Its hard to find a clearer declaration regarding the importance of Indian Point than that.

Furthermore, before Indian Point can be shuttered, the grid operator is required to perform a system reliability analysis. That analysis cant begin until Entergy submits a retirement notice to the NYISO. As of last week, the NYISO had not received that notice from Entergy.

The dream of replacing Indian Points electricity with hydropower from Canada has lasted so long that its starting to mildew. While I was researching this story, a friend sent me a 1982 article from the New York Times in which E.J. Dionne, now a columnist for the Washington Post, observed that the allure of Canadian hydro to New Yorkers seems especially strong. But fetching electrons from Canadian dams more than 800 miles north of Manhattan would require a 1,000-megawatt, high-voltage transmission line extending the entire north/south length of the state, some 333 miles. The proposed Champlain Hudson Power Express aims to bring Canadian hydropower to New York. But that project, first proposed eight years ago, doesnt have financing or environmental approvals, and the company pushing it says that constructing the underground line will take three-and-a-half years. Thus, even if that $2.2 billion project began moving dirt tomorrow, it would be difficult to guarantee that Canadian hydropower will be lighting the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center by 2021.

Replacing Indian Point with natural gas-fired generation would be an ironic outcome, given that Cuomo has banned hydraulic fracturing in the state. Even if fracking were legalized, the pipelines needed to feed gas-fired generators would undoubtedly face opposition. In fact, that opposition might come from the governor himself. In his recent State of the State address, Cuomo declared that New York must double down by investing in the fight against dirty fossil fuels and fracked gas from neighboring states. In addition, over the past few months, about two dozen climate activists have been arrested in New York while protesting the construction of the AIM pipeline, a project designed to carry natural gas from New Jersey to Massachusetts.

Building more wind-generation capacity upstate is also a nonstarter. As I reported last month, three upstate countiesErie, Orleans, and Niagaraas well as the towns of Yates and Somerset are all fighting the 200-megawatt Lighthouse Wind project, which is being pushed by Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy. That project, which will cover about 20,000 acres on the shores of Lake Ontario, will be the first contested land-use case involving Article 10, the New York statute that theoretically gives local municipalities a say in renewable-project siting. If those counties and towns succeed in stopping Lighthouse Wind, Cuomos dream of shuttering Indian Pointand achieving 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030wont get very far.

There are many problems with wind energy, but its fundamental weakness is its low power density. To compensate, wind turbines are getting taller, and the bigger they get, the more residents object because they dont want to see or hear them. In a densely populated state, there are plenty of people to object. Over the past decade or so, more than 40 communities in New York have moved to reject or restrict wind projects.

The rural backlash will only grow if Cuomo attempts to replace Indian Point with wind energy. Recall that Indian Point produces about 16.6 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. At the end of 2016, New York had 1.7 gigawatts of installed wind capacity producing about 4 terawatt-hours of electricity. Just to replace Indian Point, New York would need to install four times (6.8 gigawatts) as much wind-energy capacity as it currently hasand do it in just four years. Put another way, replacing Indian Point with wind energy would require building 34 new projects the size of Lighthouse Wind. Given how much resistance that one project has generated, replicating it in three dozen other communities isnt likely.

What about offshore wind? Cuomo recently said that he wants to develop 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind in New York. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups applauded the idea, but developing those offshore resources will likely require erecting giant wind turbines right in the middle of some of the best squid and scallop fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard. Last month, a coalition of fishermen and fishmongers filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to stop the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from auctioning offshore tracts for wind-energy development. The suit claims the project will have both great and actual harm to the fisheries. The lease sale happened anyway, but the fishermen havent given up.

There are many reasons to believe that Indian Point wont, in fact, be shuttered by 2021. Last week, I spoke to Ed Kee, chief executive of the Nuclear Economics Consulting Group, about Cuomos plan to close Indian Point. His assessment was blunt: Theres just no doubt that without Indian Point, power in New York will be more expensive and less reliable. For New Yorkers who already pay electricity rates 50 percent higher than the national average, more expensive and less reliable is a bad combination.

Photo by RyanJLane/iStock
The government has been working to amend participation targets for National Citizen Service (NCS), according to Rob Wilson, the minister for civil society.

Wilson was responding to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) earlier this month, which raised concerns about whether the scheme was capable of meeting its targets.

His comments come as the NCS Bill, which seeks to place the youth volunteering scheme on a statutory footing, continues its progress through Parliament.

In response to a question during the committee stage of the NCS Bill earlier this week, Wilson said: One issue raised by the NAO report was that of targets. I have been looking at those over the past year to ensure that we are not, as the NAO said, focused only on targets.

We will make an announcement about them in due course, because we have been working to amend them for some time."

The committee stage had been scheduled to take place over four days, but in the event MPs concluded their business in just one sitting. The bill has the support of both main parties, so MPs were able to conclude discussions earlier than expected.

Steve Reed, Labours shadow minister for civil society, said: One of the problems with such a consensual bill is that I find myself in the happy position of agreeing with what the government are proposing. I am sorry that the Minister has had a lot of talking to do, but we are happy with the bill.

Reed did introduce an amendment to ensure young people were included in the NCS' governance structure, but this was withdrawn after discussion. Reed said he would raise the issue with the NCS Trust before the third reading.

The bill now moves to the report stage. A date for this has not yet been set.
Community Bank System, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides various banking and other financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. It operates through three segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The company offers various deposits products, such as checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as time deposits. It also provides loans, including consumer mortgages; general purpose commercial and industrial loans, and mortgages on commercial properties; paycheck protection program loans; installment loans that are originated through selected dealerships and are secured by automobiles, marine, and other recreational vehicles; personal installment loans and lines of credit for consumers; and home equity products. In addition, the company offers broker-dealer and investment advisory; cash management, investment, and treasury services; asset management; and employee benefit services, as well as operates as a full-service insurance agency that offers personal and commercial lines of insurance, and other risk management products and services. Further, it provides contribution plan administration, employee benefit trust, collective investment fund, retirement plan administration, fund administration, transfer agency, actuarial and benefit consulting, VEBA/HRA, and health and welfare consulting services. Additionally, the company offers wealth management, retirement planning, higher educational planning, fiduciary, risk management, trust, and personal financial planning services; and investment alternatives, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and advisory products, as well as master recordkeeping services. As of January 24, 2022, it operated approximately 215 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Community Bank System, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in DeWitt, New York.
Facebook, Netflix, and companies like Apple are changing the way that consumers are perceiving a great mobile user experience. As a credit union, this change the expectations of what your users are considering a great mobile experience, as well. Over the next few months or years, credit unions  whether they have a mobile presence or not  are going to have to step up their game and understand how to deal with these new changes and expectations that consumers have today.

The biggest issue that credit unions have today are not competing against each other, but competing up against the digital experience provided to consumer brands like Facebook, Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and other companies like them. The big picture is important and its not a matter of if or when because change is eminent! If you choose to accept this fact, its going to make the biggest difference in regards to your competitive advantage in this new environment.

On a recent episode of my Bank On It Podcast Show, which airs every Tuesday morning, we spoke with the Chief Product Officer of Malauzai Software- Robb Gaynor. Gaynor stated, About 80% of the credit unions in the country now have an app in the App Store, but theres still 20% that do not. Customers are expecting app functions such as; check capture and quick balance, along with a high level of personalization. Simply stated, People expect from mobile; simplicity, and ease of use, stated Gaynor.

Credit unions are using more native versus non-native applications. A native app is purposely built for a specific device. Whether that device is an iPhone, Android, or any other app, runs smoothly and doesnt cause the user to suffer. Unlike, a non-native app which is built to be manipulated to fit various devices, which can stray away from the user experience, because the customer is trying to run a program in the browser on their phone. Gaynor mentioned the Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, quoted The biggest mistake weve made as a company is betting on HTML5 over native, which he said at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco. Customers are no longer comparing banking apps to other banking apps, but to every other app that they are using. The bar is not Bank of America, the bar is Facebook, says Gaynor.

More often C-suite executives are deciding that credit unions need to be great at digital channels. We are finding more Chief Digital Officers or directors being empowered to focus their organizations. Credit unions need apps that function just as well, but if its not cool, hip, or interesting, and have a great interface, it will not be used as much as you would like. Which means companies are hiring CDOs with a marketing background, an important function of employing or deploying a new mobile app or having that unique mobile experience. These apps must be developed to read like Facebook and be sensitive to all, even those who are not digitally savvy. An experienced officer also uses interchangeable skills, such as marketing and management, and know how to create great experiences, while still focusing on the bottom line.

Many companies are integrating their online or mobile banking into social media. With the rate of the current changes in banking, the next 12 to 18 months, will produce some of the biggest and coolest changes. Customers will start having a more personalized experience making mobile use a lot easier. Credit unions will have new interfaces, creating a more omni-experience. These changes will blend mobile and desktop interfaces giving a seamless look. Also, companies will give consumers more control of their banking security functions from their mobile device such as; turning off their debit card because it was stolen.

We live in an era where new devices come out all the time, particularly the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and multiple different devices. But how do we develop the tech with an understanding of how customers can and will use your program on these devices? Gaynor says, Dont over-engineer, or over design. The most graceful experience is the simplest. He recommends we dont think about devices anymore. That we should think about form factors; extra small to extra-large. Think about companies such as Amazon, Netflix, and HBO GO they make themselves accessible on any device. As a credit union that has online banking, mobile banking, or an app, you need to deploy technology as if you were Netflix, Amazon, or HBO GO. This is the way Chief Experience Officers should be looking at deployment when a new screen size or device comes out.

Buzzwords like omnichannel approach, and user experience are very exciting, but also very challenging at the same time because this isnt the first frontier. Now, its just second nature to human beings that they expect to have this omnichannel approach. They want to be able to just log into; whatever they want, get access to whatever they want, in the way that they want. Take a subway system as an example, you have all these different tunnels going multiple different places, each stop is an interface, and its tunnels need to be able to connect people in a way that seamlessly provide consistency and a cohesive experience. At the end of the day, its about the customer and their expectations which are having online, mobile, and branch integration seamlessly. For more on The Great Mobile Experience, you can listen to this episode of Bank On It with Robb Gaynor or subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or iheartradio. Follow me on Twitter and never miss an update.
The path to the corner offices doesnt go through the marketing departments of credit unions. Never has and never will.

Exactly five years ago, that was a comment left on an article penned by Ron Shevlin. This commenter went on to say:

There is indeed a cadre of outspoken young people on the blogosphere and around the watercooler, but from what Ive observed, they are more junior level people from credit union marketing and training departments, and the numerous marketing agencies that want to sell them stuff. They are indeed a rah-rah bunch, but they arent leading their organizations now, nor will they be leading them in the future.

Has this prediction come true? Based on some of the recent C suite appointments, I would argue it turned out to be rubbish. Need some proof? How about the CEO appointments of Jill Nowacki at the Credit Union League of Connecticut, Jason Lindstrom of Evergreen Credit Union, and, most recently, Caroline Willard as CEO of the new Cornerstone Credit Union League? All three held marketing positions before being appointed CEO. If you think this is something recent, its not. Before leading one of the fastest growing credit unions in the country, Teresa Freeborn came from the marketing ranks.

With the recent promotions from marketing to CEO, it begs the question can a marketer be a good CEO? I asked Bridget ORourke, Executive Director of ORourke & Associates, for some insight. Each CEO vacancy involves an organization with a unique set of circumstances and the desired CEO profile will be influenced by the strategic needs defined by the board. For example, an association facing a business model more reliant on building for-profit income streams might look to a relationship builder who has driven revenue in past positions. A credit union, operating in a competitive market, may look for a seasoned credit union executive with an influencer profile to leverage community relationships to keep the organization viable and vibrant. On the other hand, if there are asset quality concerns or the situation requires a financial turnaround, the board will probably lean toward more functional expertise when setting the desired CEO profile. In my experience, marketing executives can enjoy a path to senior leadership, especially if they get exposure across other functional areas in the organization.

Lisa Burroughs, a former marketing executive who held a C-level position with the League of Southeastern Credit Unions before joining the ORourke team recently, had some great advice for marketers who aspire to grow in their careers: In order to advance to the highest levels within the credit union industry, marketers and practitioners from other specialty areas (Retail, Lending, Finance, etc.) need to challenge themselves to learn everything about every area of the business and gain experience within those areas as much as possible. It has been my experience that this is not going to happen within the normal course of business, so individuals must set a specific plan for how they will get experience in those areas and then enlist sponsors to help them with this. When I was VP of Marketing at a large credit union with aspirations to move on to a CEO role, I realized that I was in charge of my own learning so each month I would make an appointment with our CFO and review the financials in detail until I got to the point that I knew them inside and out. I actively participated on ALCO taking on roles that were well beyond the normal realm of Marketing. When I got my MBA, I focused my concentration in Accounting and Finance and did an independent study project in which I developed an open book training program for the staff of the credit union to help them understand the financials. I did similar shadowing with all of the other operational areas of the credit union. So when I sat down with the Board of Directors at the credit union at which I eventually became CEO, I had concrete examples of success and could demonstrate an in depth knowledge of all areas within the credit union.

I would echo Shevlins last comment to the naysayer in his article from 2012: I hope youre still around credit unions for the next 30 years for these young CU leaders to prove you wrong. Though it looks like Shevlin was wrong too. It didnt take 30 years; its taken less than five years for some of the brightest marketing minds in the industry to grow into successful CEOs.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- In few places are the effects of climate change more pronounced than on tropical peaks like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, where centuries-old glaciers have all but melted completely away. Now, new research suggests that future warming on these peaks could be even greater than climate models currently predict.

Researchers led by a Brown University geologist reconstructed temperatures over the past 25,000 years on Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest peak after Kilimanjaro. The work shows that as the world began rapidly warming from the last ice age around 18,000 years ago, mean annual temperatures high on the mountain increased much more quickly than in surrounding areas closer to sea level. At an elevation of 10,000 feet, mean annual temperature rose 5.5 degrees Celsius from the ice age to the pre-industrial period, the study found, compared to warming of only about 2 degrees at sea level during the same period.

"When we run state-of-the-art climate models backward in time to this period, they underestimate the temperature changes at high elevations," said James Russell, an associate professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and a fellow at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. "That implies that the models may similarly underestimate high-elevation warming in the future."

The study, which Russell led with Shannon Loomis, his former graduate student, is published in the journal Science Advances.

Temperature differences

Questions among scientists about how global warming affects tropical high elevations date back about 30 years. In 1985, influential research by Brown geologist Warren Prell showed that from the last ice age to the pre-industrial period, sea surface temperatures in the tropics rose only a degree or two. Meanwhile, temperature records estimated from high-altitude tropical glaciers suggested much more dramatic warming at high elevation.

"The climate modeling community thought there must be something wrong with one of these temperature records," Russell said, "because the models simply can't reproduce such a big difference in warming between high and low elevations."

Subsequent work has largely confirmed the sea surface temperature estimates, but questions about the high-elevation data remained. This new study aimed to generate new, more robust high-elevation records.

Over the past decade, Russell's co-author Jaap Damste of the University of Utrecht and colleagues have developed a new method of tracking temperature through time by studying the remains of ancient microbes. Specifically, they look at organic compounds called GDGTs that are produced in microbial cell walls. The chemical makeup of GDGTs is sensitive to temperature. In order to keep GDGTs and cell walls in a stable and permeable state, microbes alter the chemical makeup of GDGTs in response to temperature changes. Russell and his team have been able to precisely calibrate GDGT composition found in lake sediments with air temperatures through time.

"We thought we could use this new temperature proxy to create a record of high-elevation temperature since the last ice age that either confirms or refutes the glacier-derived record," Russell said.

For the study, Russell and his colleagues looked at sediment cores taken from the bottom of Lake Rutundu, a volcanic lake on Mount Kenya at an elevation of around 10,000 feet. The cores preserve the signature of GDGT chemistry dating back more than 25,000 to the ice age. The data suggested that mean annual temperatures at Lake Rutundu increased about 5.5 degrees Celsius since the last ice age -- a figure consistent with the previous high elevation temperature proxies. Meanwhile, temperature data from two lakes closer to sea level -- Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi -- suggest much more modest temperature changes of about 3.3 degrees and 2 degrees respectively.

Climate models are able to reproduce the temperature changes at low elevations, but they underestimate the high-elevation change by 40 percent, Russell says. That suggests there's something amiss in the way the models simulate changes in the atmospheric lapse rate -- the rate at which air temperature varies with altitude.

"All climate models calculate a lapse rate -- it's integral to the output of the model," Russell said. "What this work shows is that there's a problem in the way the models make that calculation."

Implications for future climate change

It's difficult to diagnose exactly what that problem is, Russell says, but it likely has something to do with the way models treat atmospheric water vapor content. Water vapor content is the strongest controlling factor in governing the lapse rate (moist air cools more slowly with altitude).

"We would argue that there's probably a problem in the water vapor concentrations and therefore the feedback," Russell said.

Whatever the source of the problem, the ramifications for tropical mountains may be significant. The models miss almost half the temperature change at high elevations in the past, and they may be underestimating future change as well.

"These are very fragile ecosystems that house extraordinary biodiversity and unique environments such as tropical glaciers," Russell said. "Our results suggest future warming in these environments could be more extreme than we predict."

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The work was supported by the National Science Foundation (EAR-1226566). Russell's coauthors were Shannon Loomis (Brown), Dirk Verschuren (Ghent University) Carrie Morrill (University of Colorado, Boulder), Gijs De Cort (Ghent), Jaap S. Sinninghe Damste (University of Utrecht), Daniel Olago (University of Nairobi), Hilde Eggermont (Ghent) F. Alayne Street-Perrott (Swansea University) and Meredith A. Kelly (Dartmouth).

Note to Editors:

Editors: Brown University has a fiber link television studio available for domestic and international live and taped interviews, and maintains an ISDN line for radio interviews. For more information, call (401) 863-2476.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Women over 50 who have been treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are more likely to be alive ten years later than women in the general population, according to new research presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017 [1].

DCIS differs from breast cancer because it is non-invasive, meaning it cannot spread around the body. However, because it can progress into an invasive breast cancer [2], which can be life-threatening, it is usually treated with surgery, or surgery and radiation therapy. The number of women being diagnosed with DCIS is increasing because it is picked up by breast screening programmes [3].

The findings, presented at the Congress by Dr Lotte Elshof, showed that, although women with DCIS have a higher risk of dying from breast cancer, overall they have a slightly lower risk of dying from any cause.

Researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute say their results should provide reassurance to women who are diagnosed with the disease.

Led by Dr Jelle Wesseling, a breast pathologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, the team studied data on almost 10,000 Dutch women who were diagnosed with DCIS between 1989 and 2004. They tracked the patients over an average of 10 years and compared their death rates with the expected mortality in the general population. They found that women over 50 who had been treated for the condition had a ten per cent lower risk of dying from any cause compared to the general population.

Dr Lotte Elshof, research physician and epidemiologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute who analysed the data, told the Congress: "Being diagnosed with DCIS can be extremely distressing, and research indicates that many women overestimate the risks involved and are confused about treatment. This study should provide reassurance that a diagnosis of DCIS does not raise the risk of dying.

"It might seem surprising that this group of women actually has a lower mortality rate than the general population. However, the vast majority would have been diagnosed via breast screening, which suggests they may be health-conscious and well enough to participate in screening."

The study shows that DCIS patients had a two and half per cent risk of dying of breast cancer after ten years. At 15 years, the risk was four per cent. These rates are higher than in the general population. However, the study also showed that the rates were getting lower in women diagnosed with DCIS more recently.

Patients were ten per cent less likely to die from all causes combined compared to the general population. Specifically, they had a lower risk of dying from diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems and other cancers. The researchers say this finding is important because treating DCIS with radiotherapy could cause side-effects, including damage to nearby organs such as the heart.

The team are beginning an international collaboration with researchers in the UK and USA. This will allow them to increase the size of the study and to try to understand why some cases of DCIS progress into invasive cancer, while others do not.

Professor Philip Poortmans, President-elect of ECCO and head of the Radiation Oncology Department at Radboud university medical center (Nijmegen, The Netherlands), said: "Ductal carcinoma in situ can be a worrying and confusing diagnosis for many women, especially due to the word 'carcinoma'. Although it should be considered as being clearly different from breast cancer, it can progress into breast cancer, even after removal of the entire breast or after breast conserving therapy consisting of surgery, generally combined with radiation therapy.

"Moreover, those treatments can have side-effects, including on the heart. This research provides reassurance for women diagnosed with DCIS because it shows that they are as likely to be alive ten years after the diagnosis as people in the general population who did not have DCIS. This is also reassuring with regards to the potential risks of side-effects.

"However, we have to recognise that in one fifth of the patients who die, the cause is breast cancer, which is likely to result from progression of the DCIS they were diagnosed with. Therefore, we are eagerly waiting for the results of further research to identify the factors - including age, as clearly shown in this study - that contribute to the risk for recurrence and progression from DCIS for each individual patient.

"Remarkably, the increased risk of dying from breast cancer is completely offset by a lower risk of dying from other causes compared to women in the general population. This might be explained by the generally better health and socioeconomic status of women who regularly participate in breast cancer screening. This could also be tested in the on-going research."

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Jena (Germany) Mild in flavour and of great nutritional value: the light-yellow vegetable oil pressed from sunflower seeds has a wide range of uses and is extremely healthy, as it contains a large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. These are fatty acids with hydrocarbon chains that contain one or more double bonds. "As these double bonds can occur at different places in the molecule, there are fatty acids with the same chain length, but a different structure," explains Prof. Stefan Schuster of Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). The work of the professor for Bioinformatics and his team is driven by the question of whether and how the total number of structural formulas of fatty acids with a given chain length can be calculated, so as to be able to use this quantity for analytical processes.

The efforts of the Jena University researchers recently led to an interesting discovery. They were able to prove not only that the number of naturally occurring fatty acids with increasing chain length can be predicted in an elegant fashion, but in the respected journal 'Scientific Reports', they also show that this number is in line with the well-known Fibonacci sequence (DOI: 10.1038/srep39821). In this sequence, named after the Italian mathematician Fibonacci (around 1170 to 1240), each number is the sum of the two previous numbers: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. "In the case of fatty acids, this means that the number of possible fatty acid structures increases by a factor of approximately 1.618... with each additional carbon atom," explains Schuster. The longer the chain, the closer the sequence gets to this factor. While only one structure is possible for chain lengths with one or two carbon atoms, when there are three or more carbon atoms, this number increases to two, three, five, etc. "Six atoms already give us eight possibilities, with seven carbon atoms there are 13 possible structures, and so on."

The factor 1.618... describes a ratio that is known as the 'Golden Mean' (also called Golden Ratio or Golden Section) and can be observed in nature, but also in art. It can be found, for example, in architectural masterpieces, such as the old town hall in Leipzig, but also in flowers, snail shells, and even in the human body. If the proportions of parts of buildings, plants or bodies are in a ratio of 1.618 to one another, the human eye experiences this as particularly balanced and 'harmonious'.

"The leaves of many plants or the seeds of the sunflower are also arranged according to this rule," says Prof. Severin Sasso of the Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology of the University of Jena. The Assistant Professor for Molecular Botany is one of the authors of the recent publication, alongside doctoral candidate Maximilian Fichtner. "It is interesting that specific substances contained in sunflowers - the fatty acids - follow this principle." However, sunflower oil contains by no means all possible fatty acids. It consists mainly of fatty acids with a chain length of 16 or 18 carbon atoms. According to the calculations done by the bioinformatics researchers in Jena, there could be just under 1000 variants of fatty acids with a chain length of 16 atoms or over 2500 variants for those with 18 atoms. "Similar correlations also occur in certain classes of amino acids," adds Maximilian Fichtner.

The findings relating to the Fibonacci sequence in fatty acids can be applied above all in the field of lipidomics - the comprehensive analysis of all fats in a cell or an organism. "An exact knowledge of the substances that can theoretically occur is essential for this work," notes Prof. Schuster. Lipidomics is used to study the metabolic processes and interactions with other cellular substances in which fats and their constituent elements are involved.

Original Publication:

Schuster S et al. Use of Fibonacci numbers in lipidomics - enumerating various classes of fatty acids. Scientific Reports 7 (2017) 39821, DOI: 10.1038/srep39821.

Contact:

Prof. Stefan Schuster

Chair of Bioinformatics of Friedrich Schiller University, Jena

Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany

Phone: +49 (0)3641 / 949580

E-mail: stefan.schu@uni-jena.de

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By scanning 66 million tweets linked to nearly 1,400 real-world events, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have built a language model that identifies words and phrases that lead to strong or weak perceived levels of credibility on Twitter. Their findings suggest that the words of millions of people on social media have considerable information about an event's credibility -- even when an event is still ongoing.

"There have been many studies about social media credibility in recent years, but very little is known about what types of words or phrases create credibility perceptions during rapidly unfolding events," said Tanushree Mitra, the Georgia Tech Ph.D. candidate who led the research.

The team looked at tweets surrounding events in 2014 and 2015, including the emergence of Ebola in West Africa, the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris and the death of Eric Garner in New York City. They asked people to judge the posts on their credibility (from "certainly accurate" to "certainly inaccurate"). Then the team fed the words into a model that split them into 15 different linguistic categories. The classifications included positive and negative emotions, hedges and boosters, and anxiety.

The Georgia Tech computer then examined the words to judge if the tweets were credible or not. It matched the humans' opinions about 68 percent of the time. That's significantly higher than the random baseline of 25 percent.

"Tweets with booster words, such as 'undeniable,' and positive emotion terms, such as 'eager' and 'terrific,' were viewed as highly credible," Mitra said. "Words indicating positive sentiment but mocking the impracticality of the event, such as 'ha,' 'grins' or 'joking,' were seen as less credible. So were hedge words, including 'certain level' and 'suspects.'"

Higher numbers of retweets also correlated with lower credibility scores. Replies and retweets with longer message lengths were thought to be more credible.

"It could be that longer message lengths provide more information or reasoning, so they're viewed as more trustworthy," she said. "On the other hand, a higher number of retweets, which was scored lower on credibility, might represent an attempt to elicit collective reasoning during times of crisis or uncertainty."

The system isn't deployable yet, but the Georgia Tech team says it could eventually become an app that displays the perceived trustworthiness of an event as it unfolds on social media.

"When combined with other signals, such as event topics or structural information, our linguistic result could be an important building block of an automated system," said Eric Gilbert, Mitra's advisor and an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's School of Interactive Computing. "Twitter is part of the problem with spreading untruthful news online. But it can also be part of the solution."

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The paper, "A Parsimonious Language Model of Social Media Credibility Across Disparate Events," will be presented in February at the 20th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing in Portland, Oregon.
BOSTON - (Jan.27, 2017) - The standard of care for treating strokes caused by blood clots involves the therapeutic infusion of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which can help to dissolve the clots and restore blood flow. This "thrombolytic" treatment carries the risk of bleeding and swelling in the brain, and it must be administered within three hours after the start of the stroke, which sharply limits its clinical benefits.

Working with animal models, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center now have demonstrated the potential of giving a drug in combination with tPA that might improve stroke outcomes and increase the window of opportunity for the therapy.

Drugs that target a protein called plasma kallikrein, as well as an activator protein called factor XII, "may provide the opportunity to make tPA safer by reducing these complications and increasing its efficacy in opening blood vessels," says Edward Feener, Ph.D., corresponding author on a paper about the work published in the journal Blood.

About 800,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke each year, and about 87% are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow is blocked by a clot.

Fabricio Simao, Ph.D., who is lead author on the Blood paper, and colleagues in the Feener lab demonstrated that tPA boosts the activity of plasma kallikrein in both human and mouse plasma.

The Joslin scientists next experimented with mouse models in which blood clots were induced in the brain and then treated with tPA. Animals that were also given a plasma kallikrein inhibitor, and animals that were genetically modified to produce lower amounts of the protein, showed significantly less bleeding, brain swelling and damaged brain areas than control animals without plasma kallikrein blockade.

The researchers traced the biological mechanisms by which tPA activates plasma kallikren, via the Factor XII protein, which promotes coagulation. Plasma kallikrein is known to activate the kallikrein kinin system, a pathway that has been implicated in stroke complications including brain swelling and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. (Previous studies by other investigators have shown that administration of tPA therapy to stroke patients activates the kallikrein kinin system in their blood.)

The Food & Drug Administration has approved a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of hereditary angioedema. Additional inhibitors targeting this pathway are under development by multiple pharmaceutical companies for this genetic disease and other conditions, including diabetic macular edema. These new findings suggest additional potential therapeutic opportunities for plasma kallikrein inhibitors in thrombolytic therapy.

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Joslin's Tuna Ustunkaya and Allen Clermont also contributed to the paper.

About Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center is world-renowned for its deep expertise in diabetes treatment and research. Joslin is dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes and ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives. We develop and disseminate innovative patient therapies and scientific discoveries throughout the world. Joslin is an independent, non-profit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and one of only 11 NIH-designated Diabetes Research Centers in the U.S.

For more information, visit http://www.joslin.org
New Rochelle, NY, Jan. 27, 2017 -- Advanced engineering of a mini-intronic plasmid (MIP) system designed to carry a therapeutic gene can significantly enhance the expression of the transgene delivered using an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector. The ability to increase transgene expression by up to 40 to 100-fold, which would reduce the cost of manufacturing and perhaps also lessen the immune response of AAV/MIP-based gene therapy, is reported in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Human Gene Therapy website until February 28, 2017 .

Authors Jiamiao Lu, Feijie Zhang, and Mark Kay, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, and James Williams and Jeremy Luke, Nature Technology Corp., Lincoln, NE, describe the modified MIP expression system in the article entitled "A 5' Non-coding Exon Containing Engineered Intron Enhances Transgene Expression from Recombinant AAV Vectors in vivo." The researchers discuss the potential implications of enhanced transgene expression on the doses needed to achieve a therapeutic response and the flexibility the small intronic sequences offer, allowing them to be used in both DNA plasmids and viral delivery vectors.

"Careful observation of the expression characteristics of different vector designs sometimes leads to unexpected findings," says Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. "In this case, the authors found that a very substantial increase in the amount of transgene expression (up to 100-fold) could be achieved from rAAV vectors by including essential bacterial plasmid elements in an upstream intron. This could present substantial advantages for future in vivo gene therapy."

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About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the Official Journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Led by Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its companion journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly and focused on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of contents for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, and Cellular Reprogramming. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
Generosity, even among family members, had long been considered to be a specifically human characteristic. Yet rats, chimpanzees and other animals also exhibit similar behaviour. Rachel Dale, Friederike Range and colleagues, of the Messerli Research Institute at Vetmeduni Vienna had already shown that dogs also share food rewards with other dogs. Using a bar-pulling task, the dogs delivered the treats to partner dogs - especially if these were already known to them. A new study by the research team now used a more complex task set-up to confirm the prosocial behaviour of dogs. The experiment showed that dogs continued to prefer familiar partners. However, the increased complexity of the task influenced the readiness with which the dogs delivered a food reward to another animal. The study thus confirmed that the chosen method affects the result and is much more dependent on social proximity than had previously been assumed.

Recognition of objects necessary for giving treats

Instead of pulling on a rope, the dogs in the present study had to recognize special objects in the form of tokens in order to deliver a food reward to the other dog. "This time we not only tested a different experimental set-up but also the level of difficulty," explains Dale. "The dogs were first trained to touch a token in exchange for a food reward for themselves. They were then trained to recognize two more tokens: one that resulted in a reward being delivered to a partner dog and another which did not." Three experiments were then conducted to test whether the dogs exhibited prosocial behaviour even in this more complex task and whether they would deliver a food reward to a partner or not. The researchers also tested whether it made a difference to the donor dog if the receiver was familiar or a stranger and whether the presence of another dog was enough to trigger generous behaviour in the test dog even if the partner had no access to the food.

Do dogs have to see the recipients to reward them?

The test set-up consisted of two enclosures. The test dog was trained to wait on a specific location in one enclosure until the researchers revealed a board containing the tokens. The dog could then choose to deliver a food reward to the receiver dog or not. In the first test, either a familiar dog or a stranger sat in the receiver enclosure. The dogs could see each other during the experiment. In the second test, the receiver enclosure remained empty but the other dog was present in the testing room. In a third test, the test dogs were alone in the entire set-up. At the end of each test series, the donor animals could reward themselves by being allowed to touch the token that delivered the food reward to them. This was done to ensure that the dogs remained motivated and unstressed and did not become distracted by an unfamiliar dog.

Dogs remain charitable even in complex tasks

The experiment confirmed that dogs continue to exhibit prosocial behaviour despite the more complex task. The dogs clearly showed a preference for sharing the food reward with a familiar dog. Unfamiliar dogs were rewarded nearly three times less often than familiar ones. The higher level of complexity, however, impacted the general frequency of the food delivery. This influence could be shown among dogs for the first time by comparing the token choice experiment with the simpler bar-pulling set-up and confirms the results of similar tests performed with small children and chimpanzees.

Presence of a partner makes dogs more likely to share

The behavioural biologists found another significant difference regarding the question whether the presence of a partner was important for the motivation of the test dog. Even when a second dog was present in the testing room without being in the other enclosure, the donor dogs were more motivated to give a food reward. When the test dogs were alone in the room, the number of food deliveries went down.

This aspect, known as social facilitation, could not be shown in the first study. The social facilitation theory starts from the assumption that animals will perform more readily in the presence of conspecifics. Given a more complex task, the presence of a partner appears to play a greater role. In this case, too, the donor dogs preferred familiar partners. "The difference was smaller, however, than when there was direct visual contact. Social facilitation should therefore be considered and controlled more strongly in future studies and in simple experiments," says Range.

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Service:

The article "Task Differences and Prosociality; Investigating Pet Dogs' Prosocial Preferences in a Token Choice Paradigm" by Rachel Dale, Mylene Quervel-Chaumette, Ludwig Huber, Friederike Range and Sarah Marshall-Pescini was published in PLOS ONE.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167750

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167750

About Messerli Research Institute

The Messerli Research Institute was founded in 2010 with support from the Messerli Foundation (Sorenberg, Switzerland) under the management of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna in cooperation with the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna. The research is devoted to the interaction between humans and animals, as well as its theoretical principles in animal cognition and behavior, comparative medicine and ethics. Its work is characterized by its broad interdisciplinary approach (biology, human medicine, veterinary medicine, philosophy, psychology, law) and strong international focus. http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/messerli/

About the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna

The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna in Austria is one of the leading academic and research institutions in the field of Veterinary Sciences in Europe. About 1,300 employees and 2,300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna which also houses five university clinics and various research sites. Outside of Vienna the university operates Teaching and Research Farms. http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at

Scientific Contact:

Rachel Dale

Messerli Research Institute

University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)

rachel.dale@vetmeduni.ac.at

and

Friederike Range

Messerli Research Institute

University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)

T +43 1 25077 2685

friederike.range@vetmeduni.ac.at

Released by:

Georg Mair

Science Communication / Corporate Communications

University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)

T +43 1 25077-1165

georg.mair@vetmeduni.ac.at
Global warming is expected to increase runoff and input of organic matter to aquatic ecosystems in large regions of the Northern hemisphere including the Baltic Sea. Research performed in Sweden is now indicating a sevenfold increase in poisonous methylmercury in zooplankton as a consequence. This increase is due to an altered structure of the aquatic food web. The study has been published in the journal Science Advances.

"The study has revealed a phenomenon that has not been described before. The results are critical in the prediction of how global climate changes can affect the exposure of methylmercury to ecosystems, and humans," says Erik Bjorn, associate professor at Umea University and leader of the research project.

Mercury is regarded as one of the top ten chemicals of public health concern according to the World Health Organization, WHO. The problems with mercury are mostly caused by methylmercury, an organometallic mercury compound that acts as a strong neurotoxin and that can be accumulated in the food webs of seas and lakes. The content of methylmercury in fish and other living organisms is controlled both by the total content of mercury in the ecosystems and by complex chemical and ecological processes in the environment. Climate changes and land use are expected to affect these processes in several ways, for instance by input of organic matter, humic substances, from land through watercourses out to lakes and seas.

Humic substances affect the aquatic environment in several ways - for instance by reducing the reach of sunlight into the water. That can lead to reductions in the production of phytoplankton via photosynthesis and instead favour growth of bacteria which can make use of humic substances for their growth. In turn, this can cause a trophic shift in the food web where it goes from being dominated by phytoplankton production (autotrophic) to being dominated by bacterial production (heterotrophic).

A heterotrophic food web generally has more levels of different organisms than an autotrophic food web, and the researchers' hypothesis was that this phenomenon would lead to an increased number of potential steps where methylmercury can be concentrated before reaching predators such as zooplankton and fish.

"Our study confirms this hypothesis and shows that an increase of 15-20 per cent of the content of organic matter in our waters can cause a shift from an autotrophic based to a heterotrophic based food web and lead to the content of methylmercury increasing two to sevenfold in zooplankton," says Erik Bjorn.

An increase in the content of organic matter by 15-20 per cent caused by increased precipitation and runoff is in accordance with climate change scenarios for large regions of the northern hemisphere, including the Baltic Sea region. The experiment also shows that the measured increase in methylmercury (two to sevenfold) is on a par with the estimated total increase (two to fivefold) of mercury in the ecosystems caused by human emissions during the entire industrial era from 1850 up until present time.

"The results emphasise the critical importance of including effects of changes to the food web in lakes and seas into models and risk assessments of mercury in a changing climate," says Erik Bjorn.

The study, which is a collaboration between researchers at Umea University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, could be carried out thanks to access to the technologically advanced mesocosm facility at Umea Marine Sciences Centre in northern Sweden. The mesocosms consist of water-filled tubes with temperature and light control, which enable large-scale experiments under well-controlled conditions.

###

Umea University - located in the north of Sweden - is characterised by strong research where many of our researchers belong to the global elite in for instance global health, epidemiology, molecular biology, ecology, plant physiology, marine biology and Arctic research. Umea University is one of Sweden's largest teaching universities that offers a wide-spanning and attractive selection of courses and programmes, and stimulating environments for working and studying for the over 4,300 employees and 31,000 students. For instance, it was from Umea University that the work in discovering the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 was led.
Banbury Hill Farm

Accommodation Details

Self Catering Cottages at Banbury Hill Farm



The old farm buildings at Banbury Hill Farm were converted in 1992 to charming stone cottages with extensive views of the surrounding open Cotswold countryside. The cottages are furnished to a high standard and contain everything necessary for a completely enjoyable self catering holiday. Two of the cottages have been designed with the elderly or disabled holidaymaker in mind with level easy access.



All our cottages include:



 Beds are made up for your arrival with sheets and duvets



 Additional blankets available in each cottage if required.



 Cots & high chairs (subject to prior arrangement)



 A set of towels are provided for each occupant



 Gas central heating in each cottage



 Gas or electric cooking facilities



 Microwave oven



 Smoke & fire alarms



 Colour television



 CD radio cassette player



 Ample car parking facilities



Free WiFi available in all cottages



Pets are welcome by prior arrangement only and providing they are always under good control & closely supervised.



Cooked breakfasts are available in the main farmhouse all year.



Freshly baked bread, milk, newspapers and other small provisions are available daily from 1st April until 31st October.



Our prices include all electricity, gas, bed linen and towels.



All cottages can be booked on variable change over days



All cottages are also available for short term lets (excluding bank holidays) subject to a minimum 2 night booking.

Accommodation Location




Broome Park Farm B&B

Accommodation Details

Broome Park Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast is set in a tranquil, rural location, on the border of Shropshire and Worcestershire. We are located only a mile from the small market town of Cleobury Mortimer, famed for its crooked steeple.



A stay at Broome Park Farm is a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just relax. The guest accommodation is spacious with a private sitting and dining room for the exclusive use of guests. There is plenty of outdoor space to enjoy too. Children love the trampoline and zip wire, while parents can relax and enjoy the view across Neen Savage. Broome Park Farm is a working farm providing local produce.

Accommodation Location




This degree combines business modules, developed by the prestigious Bristol Business School, with equine industry and functional equine science modules. Students are able to widen their skill base, develop key contacts and gain valuable work experience with an in-built work placement module, with an additional opportunity to take a Sandwich year and work within the business industry between years 2 and 3. Graduates therefore enter the job market with an applied business degree and an in-depth understanding of the equine industry.



The Equine Business Management degree is made up of core (or essential) and optional modules, enabling students to tailor the degree to their personal strengths and areas of interest. Studying for a degree at Hartpury will give you unrivalled access to the equine industry. As the largest equine college in the world, we have long-standing relationships with national governing bodies (eg British Dressage) and partnerships with key equine companies (eg Natural Animal Feeds (NAF), Baileys Horse Feeds). The College also hosts three national equine events each year, including the Hartpury International Horse Trials, which students are encouraged to be involved in. Students can take advantage of international standard equine facilities with their own horse or in recreational riding sessions.



The programme can be completed full time in three years, or four years with a sandwich year. Part time routes are also available and should be planned with your programme manager
A controversial farm in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland that will house 15,000 pigs has begun construction.

Farmer Derek Hall wanted to construct a unit for up to 30,000 pigs, but was forced to revise plans for half that size.

Slurry and smell were among the concerns raised by nearby residents in Newtownabbey, and 200,000 people signed an online petition against the development.

Ulster Unionist Party politician Roderick Swann backed the construction. He said: Im a farmer myself who supports the agri-industry and I was quite satisfied that all the necessary welfare issues were addressed.

The planning case officer and all the consultees were quite happy with everything that was proposed.

'Potential to increase sow herd'

Mr Hall hopes the farm will be completed around September.

"The site where the farm is being built extends to 30 acres but we are actually only building on around 20% of that. The remainder will be left as a green field site and a water attenuation pond," he said.

"The farm itself is being built at the back of the site, with the pond visible from the road. Four sheds, each measuring around 110m by 38m, are being built there.

"We aim to house 15,000 pigs from weaning age, or around 7kg upwards, at the new farm. A third of the total pigs there will be small pigs producing very little slurry. Currently we have 900 sows and these will be kept at our existing farm.

"When the new farm is completed there is the potential to increase the sow herd to 1,500, but only if it is required.

"We are building a 500 kilowatt anaerobic digester which will take the odour emitting gases from the slurry, thereby significantly reducing odour, and convert them into energy.

"This energy base will be used to power the farm. The digester also produces heat which will be used in the pig houses in order to create a better environment for the animals."

'Modern pig farm'

Famous voices also joined in on the opposition, with celebrities including Queen guitarist and animal welfare campaigner Brian May, as well as actors Martin Shaw and Jenny Seagrove, having publicly opposed the pig unit.

Ulster Unionist Party politician Roderick Swann backed the proposal. He said: "I'm a farmer myself who supports the agri-industry and I was quite satisfied that all the necessary welfare issues were addressed.

"The planning case officer and all the consultees were quite happy with everything that was proposed."

Asked if he understood the strong opposition, both from locals and those not so local, Mr Swann said: "I can and I can't. There was an awful lot of 'not in my backyard'.

"A lot of these animal rights folks, they're entitled to their opinion, but I think theyre on the wrong track sometimes. This will be the most modern pig farm, not only in Ireland, but also Great Britain."
Farmers in Northern Ireland will soon start to receive their money under the 2017 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme in March.

Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen has also announced the payment rates for the 2017 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme.

Payment rates will be 56.47 per hectare for the first 200 hectares, and 42.35 per hectare above 200 hectares. The split rates are a requirement of the EU Regulation which states that payments must be degressive above a threshold level of claimed area per holding.

Announcing the rates of payment Miss McIlveen said: This is the second year of the Pillar II Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme and farmers claimed for ANC payments as part of their Single Application in May 2016.

The payment rate for the first 200 hectares of eligible forage land claimed in the Severely Disadvantaged Area will be 56.47 per hectare, and the payment rate for eligible forage land claimed above 200 hectares will be 42.35 per hectare.

The Minister concluded: ANC payments will begin to issue in early March 2017 and most payments should be processed before the end of that month.

The ANC scheme is part of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. It provides a payment on eligible hectares of forage land in the Severely Disadvantaged Area to compensate for all or part of the additional costs and income forgone related purely to the constraints for agricultural production in the area.

'Decreasing significantly'

Ulster Farmers Union has welcomed the announcement, but warns the Northern Irish government body DAERA 'must find ways' to extend the scheme beyond 2018 given that the total pot of funding streams coming into the ANC is 'decreasing significantly.'

The UFU's hill farming chairman, Ian Buchanan said the payments are a 'crucial element' of farm incomes in these areas.

He said: This will provide some much needed reassurance and certainty for farmers facing a difficult cash flow situation, after another year of volatile prices.

Volatility makes it difficult for businesses to plan ahead to improve margins. The minister's decision for 2018 confirms the importance of ANC payments. These are a vital income boost for farmers who have to deal with the challenges of working on difficult land and with a harsher climate, he said.

While the minister has decided to extend the ANC scheme, by a further year into 2018, the UFU says it is crucial DAERA find ways to extend the scheme beyond then to help avert the natural decay of many of these areas over the longer term.

It says there has been an underspend in the ANC scheme in the last two years, and that similar under-spends are likely with other Rural Development Programme schemes potentially leaving monies available for further extensions.
A Bluefaced Leicester fleece which was the winner of the British Wool Marketing Boards 2016 Golden Fleece competition will go under the hammer to raise money for Cancer Research UK and the childrens hospice Ty Gobaith, Conwy.

The fleece from Anglesey-based sheep farmers Myrfyn and Jayne Roberts was sheared from one of the couples pedigree Bluefaced Leicester ewes and weighs 670g, with a staple length of 19cm and is approximately 26 micron.

Competition finals judge Mark Powell, BWMB chief operating officer, described it as having great uniformity of quality, strength of staple, colour and presentation.

It was an outstanding entry and clearly from a producer who takes pride in their wool crop. It is a good tidy fleece, all of which is useable, he explained.

'Exceptional work'

Jayne Roberts said having won the competition she wanted to use the fleece to benefit both local and national charities.

Both Cancer Research UK and Ty Gobaith do exceptional work and need all the support they can get. Ty Gobaith is a local charity which provides exceptional care and support for young people and their families often in the most difficult of circumstances.

We were shocked to win the Golden Fleece competition and want to use our success to benefit others. We take pride in the wool we produce, but didnt think wed have a chance of winning such a prestigious national competition. Hopefully people will get behind the auction and ensure it raises some much needed money for these charities.

The sealed bid auction will take place from 9am on Monday 23 January to 4pm on Friday 10 February, with the winner announced on Valentines Day, 14 February.

BWMB chairman Ian Buchannan said the success of the 2016 Golden Fleece competition had demonstrated the exceptional quality of British wool and the versatile nature of the fleeces produced by British sheep farmers.

Now were asking all those who appreciate British wool to show their love for this winning fleece and raise a worthwhile amount for two excellent charities.
Farmers in Scotland are 'overly-reliant' on subsidy support and are not prepared for post-Brexit competition that will arise.

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) chief strategy officer Tom Hind said Scottish farming will have to become less dependent on UK support after Brexit and many are not prepared.

Mr Hind was speaking at the annual conference of farm co-op support organisation SAOS in Dunblane.

"I don't think we are doing enough to start laying the ground for the changes we might see and I think we need to start doing that now," he said.

"The World Trade Organisation places some limits on what the UK can do. We cannot, for example, put in place some massive protectionist policies."

Mr Hind said losing free trade access with the European Union would mean paying tariffs.

"For agricultural goods they are particularly high. In the region of between 15% for cropping sectors right through to 50-60% for livestock products, particularly meat products."

'Marked differences'

NFU Scotland President Allan Bowie had a meeting with government ministers in London in December and said Scottish Brexit could differ with the rest of the UK with regards to farmers.

"There is strong recognition that Scottish agricultures needs from Brexit negotiations will differ from the rest of the UK and that this must be a factor under any future arrangements.

"There are already marked differences between different parts of the UK.

"In Scotland, for example, we have opted to use part of our existing support package to target key sectors like beef and hill sheep and the ability of Scotland to make such decisions will clearly need to be maintained."

Mr Bowie added: "That requires a future UK agricultural policy that is truly representative of all parts of the UK and recognises the differences and the drivers of the industry in Scotland.

"We must make the most of the opportunities for our farming, food and drink sectors that Brexit presents. We can support jobs and grow income but only if we prioritise the needs of farming."
Supermarket Tesco announced today a deal to merge with Booker, the UK's largest wholesale food retailer.

The firms said the deal would create the 'UK's leading food business'.

Booker Group is the UK's largest cash and carry operator, and supplies everything from baked beans to teabags to 700,000 convenience stores, grocers, pubs and restaurants.

In a joint statement, the two companies said that the combined group would bring benefits for consumers, independent retailers, caterers, small businesses, suppliers, and colleagues, and deliver 'significant value to shareholders'.

"This merger will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital," the chief executive of Tesco, Dave Lewis, said.

But the deal will raise questions over its impact on the UKs grocery sector and is likely to be scrutinised closely by competition authorities.

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Mr Lewis said he believed the transaction would not face a challenge from competition authorities, as it would not result in Tesco owning any more stores, and he dubbed it a "low risk" merger.

Booker CEO Charles Wilson said in a statement: "Booker is committed to improving choice, prices and service for the independent retailers, caterers and small businesses that we are proud to serve.

"We believe that joining forces with Tesco offers the potential to bring major benefits to end consumers, our customers, suppliers, colleagues and shareholders."
Concern is growing among farmers that a UK-US trade deal could 'under-cut' the industry with cheaper imports.

Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting with President Donald Trump today (27 January) who has promised to secure a quick bilateral trade deal with the UK after Brexit.

The pair will spend about an hour together in the first visit by a foreign leader to the White House since Mr Trump became president.

Although the UK cannot begin to negotiate trade deals with the US or other countries until it leaves the EU, Mr Trump has said he wants a "quick" deal after that, and the two leaders are expected to discuss future co-operation.

But Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron warned that both leaving the EU single market and farmers being potentially undercut by cheaper imports from the United States could concoct a 'perfrect storm'.

He said: "Pulling Britain out of the Single Market would hit UK farmers especially hard, as tariffs for agricultural products are far higher than in other sectors.

"The US also has far lower animal welfare and food standards than we do, including on factory farming, the use of growth hormones and antibiotics.

"British farmers therefore risk facing a perfect storm, losing tariff-free access to vital European markets while being undercut by imports from the US and elsewhere."

'Level playing field'

Lionel Colby, consultant for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) said a harder-line approach taken by the new President Trump could present a threat to UK agriculture.

"The policy of the new Trump administration on this issue is at present unknown," he said.

"However, it is already indicating that it will be taking a more hard-line in respect to international trade agreements.

"This could represent a threat to the small but growing UK pork trade. It might also mean that other EU exporters to the US would divert high quality pork to other markets inside and outside of the EU."

Opening more markets for British goods was supported by NFU director of strategy Martin Haworth, but he warned it must not put British farmers at a disadvantage.

"We believe a fundamental principle of future trade negotiations should be to ensure a level playing field for British farmers in order for them to be competitive, profitable and productive in the future," he said.

'Difficult choice'

The Farmers' Union of Wales previously said free trade deals could have a detrimental impact on British agriculture and rural communities. They said there was 'significant concern' regarding dairy, beef and lamb sectors post-Brexit.

FUW president Glyn Roberts said: "The loss of nearby and relatively affluent continental markets, and the degree to which these can be realistically replaced by markets which are much further afield, given the costs, logistics and reality of gaining similar access to alternative, by definition more distant markets is a real concern."

The Financial Times wrote that the United States wanted lower tariffs to permit American exports but there were also demands for hygiene standards to be changed to permit it.

"Whatever the White House talk of a special relationship, it is unlikely that its farm lobby would allow the UK to sign a deal without opening its markets to their exports. The same is true of Australia and New Zealand, also highly efficient agricultural exporters high on the list of possible post-Brexit trade deals."

The UK would face a 'difficult choice', they said, between cheaper food imports or 'liberalising' the sector.
Marts to donate Scotch Lamb for St Andrew's Day campaign
Biotechnology in India Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast To 2021

Biotechnology -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and analysis of Top Key Player Forecast to 2021

--

Biotechnology in india Industry

Description

Wiseguyreports.Com Adds "Biotechnology -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and analysis of Top Key Player Forecast to 2021" To Its Research Database

This Market insight report on Biotechnology in India covers products, technologies and services used in the Indian Biotechnology Industry. The report studies the Bio Pharma, Herbal Drugs, Bioservices and Bioindustrial markets in detail. Market estimations and predictions are illustrated by sector and by technology. Major Biopharmaceutical, Bio Fuels, Bioinformatics companies and Contract Research Organizations serving the industry are also covered in the report. Information related to recent product releases, product developments, partnerships, collaborations, and mergers and acquisitions is covered in the report. An Indian perspective is presented along 44 exclusive graphically represented exhibits. Business profiles of 40 major companies including, companies located in Hyderabad, Mumai, Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, and Chennai are discussed in the report. The report serves as a guide to Indian Biotechnology industry, as it covers more than 300 companies that are engaged in biotechnology R&D, discovery, testing and supply of products and services.

Request for Sample Report @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/905714-33

Highlights

In India, the requirement for maintaining a separate department for the development and intensification of biology and biotechnology research was felt in the early 1980s. The government established a special institutional agenda for the development of biology and biotechnology in the country. Some of the governmental research organizations such as University Grants Commission (UGC), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Science & Technology offer great support in the development of modern biology and biotechnology in India. The early major biotech organizations in India were Biocon, Panacea Biotech, Bharath Biotech, Bangalore Genei (which exploited recombinant DNA technology but not for human use) and the Serum Institute of India. Lot of research work carried out by the government organizations at that time was very useful for private and budding biotech companies. CCMB (Centre for cellular and molecular biology) located in Hyderabad played a major role in developing the hepatitis B vaccine for Shantha Biotech.

Biotechnology has great promise in India. Demand and availability of bio fertilizers is expected to increase as they are inexpensive, and are formed from renewable energy resources i.e. cultivable life forms compared to chemical fertilizers that are known to harm the environment and exhaust non-renewable energy sources. Biofertilizer production does not result in any toxic substances released into environment. Hence they are safe for both crops and the farmer, whereas production of chemical fertilizers causes environmental pollution. Unlike chemical fertilizers which lose their nutrient value with one crop, Biofertilizers are more long lasting as they improve the yields of subsequent crops as well, reducing the cost of agricultural produce. India's energy needs will be met in the future through the use of biofuels reducing the dependence on the imported oil.

By use of biofuels there is a reduction in emission of harmful pollutants i.e. reduction in green house emissions, thus leading to the growth of the Biofuel industry. Bio polymers though now account for a small share in the market, are expected to show an upward swing in their growth as they are found to have applications in many areas such as, food industry, medicine and material Science. India's energy needs will be met through the use of biofuels in the near future.

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Key Players

Abbott India Ltd.

ABL Biotechnologies Ltd.

Actimus Biosciences Pvt. Ltd.

Aditya Biotech Lab and Research Pvt. Ltd.

Advanced Enzyme Technologies Ltd.

AG Bioteck Laboratories (India) Ltd.

Agrigold Organics (P) Ltd.

Amsar Private Ltd.

Betatex Chemicals

Bharat Biotech International Ltd.

Bharat Serums and Vaccines Ltd.

Biocon Ltd.

Biodiesel Technologies

Biomax

Biotech International Ltd.

Chemcel Biotech Ltd.

Cipla Ltd.

Costal Energy Ltd.

Crescent Polymers (P) Ltd.

Dawn Agrovet Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.

Enzyme India Pvt. Ltd.

Fermenta Biotech Ltd.

Gayatri Herbals Pvt. Ltd.

GVK Biosciences Private Ltd.

Krebs Biochemicals & Industries Ltd.

Ocimum Biosolutions Ltd.

SIRO Clinpharm Pvt. Ltd.

Strand Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.

More.................

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Why buy this Report

This report may help Strategists, Investors, Laboratories, Contract Research Organizations, Biotechnology & Healthcare Companies, Academic Professionals, Drug Approval Authorities, and Other Organizations to -

Identify Market Opportunities

Review and Analyze Global and Regional Markets

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Use Market Research for exploring new areas

Acquire Meaningful Guidelines for Strategic Planning

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Analytics and data presented in each report pertain to several parameters such as -

Global and Regional Market Sizes, Market Shares, Market Trends

Product (Global and Regional) Market Sizes, Market Shares, Market Trends

Technology Trends

Corporate Intelligence

Key Companies By Sales, Brands, Products

Other Strategic Business Affecting Data

Continued...

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Nearly 20,000 turkeys are to be culled following the discovery of H5N8 avian flu at a commercial rearing unit in Frithville, near Boston, Lincolnshire.

It is the third case of avian flu affecting poultry farms in Lincolnshire since the first outbreak was confirmed in mid-December  and the sixth in total.

It follows an outbreak in 10,000 farmed breeding pheasants in Wyre, Lancashire earlier this week, which was preceded by an outbreak among 6,000 turkeys in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire on 16 January, and on another Lincs turkey farm in December.

See also: Avian influenza strikes commercial pheasant farm

There have also been two outbreaks of avian influenza in backyard flocks in Yorkshire and South Wales this month, and 16 cases detected in wild birds since the middle of December.

Defra announced it had placed a 3km Protection Zone (PZ) and a 10km Surveillance Zone (SZ) around the latest infected premises, to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

Poultry dense area

According to NFU chief poultry adviser Gary Ford, there are a significant number of other poultry units within the 10km SZ  including layer farms, broiler units and other turkey enterprises. Unlike the Lancashire case, where much of the SZ is in the Irish Sea, this is quite a poultry-dense area.

These farms will still be able to move feed and table eggs under a general movement licence, so long as all the biosecurity protocols are met. This reflects the fact that, nationally, the actual AI risk has not changed, as the whole country is being treated as a Prevention Zone.

But movements of meat, live birds or hatching eggs will still require a specific licence from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Restocking of farms will also be prevented until after the SZ is lifted around the area, which will not be for at least another month.

Free-range status

Meanwhile, free-range poultry continue to be housed wherever possible, under a national housing order, which is due to stay in place until 28 February.

What happens thereafter remains unclear. Under EU rules, broilers and layers can retain their free-range status for 12 weeks if they are forcibly housed.

But this period runs out on 28 February (16 March in the case of Northern Ireland), suggesting eggs will have to be sold as barn eggs if the birds are still not allowed outside, while broilers will also have to be renamed as something other than free range. Both will involve a loss of valuable premium.

Several EU member states have been lobbying for an extension to the 12 weeks and the issue was raised by the Netherlands delegation at a meeting of EU farm ministers in Brussels this week. The Dutch first housed their birds on 9 November, suggesting their 12-week limit will be up next week (1 February).

While expressing sympathy with producers, EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan said that the expectations of consumers also had to be respected.

This is a balance that we have to strike  to help producers on the one hand and consumers on the other, he said. No final decision was taken.

See also: Avian influenza  The signs and symptoms
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Rain showers along with windy conditions. High around 65F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 41F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.




Haiti - Environment : South Coast Ecosystem Strengthening Program





Tuesday in Port-Salut, Simon Dieuseul Desras, the Minister of the Environment, launched the Program "Ecosystem approach on the South Coast of Haiti" and highlighted the efforts of the Government to facilitate the definition of the main lines of the program between the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the various stakeholders for its implementation.



This program, financed by the GEF to the tune of $6.2 million over 5 years seeks to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems in communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. "This program advocates an integrated strategy encompassing all ecosystems and agricultural production areas from the mountains to the sea. The various components of the project also try to address the whole issue of the destruction of the ecosystems of the Great South in a perspective of recovery and the fight against poverty," Minister Desras said.



Launched in a post-Matthew context, the program aims, among other things, to strengthen local capacities to anticipate and respond rapidly to weather hazards in the Southern region and protect key ecosystems that contribute to income generation and livelihoods of the rural population. In addition, it aims to strengthen the capacities of the small islands around the Ile a Vache and to set up early warning systems.



The activities under this program will take place mainly in the communes of the South between Port Salut, St Jean du Sud and Tiburon. The Minister welcomed the technical input of UN Environment in the conceptualization of this program, which should lead to the efficient use of natural resources.



"These concrete actions will benefit not only the current generation but also future generations. They will complement the actions already implemented by the Ministry of the Environment with support from UN Environment thanks to funding from Norway, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the UNDP (United Nations Development Program)," declared Matti Lehtonen, UN Program Manager for Environment in Haiti.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Economy : Sunrise Airways positions for aggressive expansion in 2017





The Haitian company Sunrise Airways has positioned itself for aggressive expansion in 2017, initiating service aboard a new 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Sourced through a wet-lease agreement with Dominican Wings, a subsidiary of Lithuanian wet-lease specialist Avion Express, the Airbus A320 is currently operating along Sunrise Airways routes connecting Cuba with Haiti and the Dominican Republic. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19865-icihaiti-sunrise-airways-commissioning-of-an-airbus-a320.html



"This upgrade to jet service represents a momentous step forward for our company and our valued customers," said Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways. "The added capacity and comfort of the A320 elevates our intra-Caribbean service to Cuba to a level unmatched in the marketplace. At the same time, were now firmly positioned for robust expansion throughout the Caribbean, as well as our first-ever routes to North America."



The move to the Airbus A320 marks the first time in Sunrise Airways history that it has offered jet service. Previously, the carrier operated an all-turboprop fleet consisting of ATR 42-320 and Jetstream 32 EP aircraft.



"Continued investment in the very best aircraft, technology, training, and personnel is a hallmark of our strategic development plan," noted Bayard. "Our commitment to providing our customers with the very best service in the skies is absolute."



For reservations and more information, visit www.SunriseAirways.net, or call :



Haiit : +(509) 2811 2222 / 1100

United States : +(1) 305 433 2707

Dominican Republic : +(1) 849 916 6666

Cuba : +(53) 2269 8791



Learn more about Sunrise Airways :

Sunrise Airways (IATA: S6, ICAO: KSZ) is a progressive, modern Haitian-owned commercial airline launched in December 2012 that is elevating air travel within the Western Caribbean to new heights of excellence. Sunrise Airways owns and operates a fleet comprised of Jetstream 32 EP aircraft offering the comfort of leather seating and ample in-cabin cargo room for a maximum capacity of 19 passengers. Headquartered in Port-au-Prince with a dedicated maintenance facility in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Sunrise Airways is owned by noted Haitian businessman and philanthropist, Philippe Bayard. Members of the airlines leadership team average more than 15 years of aviation experience with such well-known industry brands as Aerocaribbean, Air Jamaica, BAE Systems, Condor Airlines, Jamaica Air Shuttle, and LAN Airlines.



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19865-icihaiti-sunrise-airways-commissioning-of-an-airbus-a320.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Drama avoided in a gas station

Wednesday afternoon, firefighters managed to control a fire at a service station in Saint-Marc, after a motorcycle, which was supplied with fuel, suddenly caught fire and caused a fire start. The incident made no casualties and the tragedy was avoided.



NOTICE: Relocation of two voting centers

"The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) informs that the voting centers of Dumay and the National School of Turbe in the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets (West) have been relocated in order to facilitate better voter participation affected to them. In this sense, the Council encourages the voters of these two Centers to identify their new voting centers by consulting the municipal electoral rolls available at the West Electoral Bureau (BED) 2."



Les Cayes : 8 days to clear...

"The Municipal Council of Les Cayes gives a period of 8 days to all persons who occupy the public spaces illegally, to the anarchical constructions, the garages in the street, etc... to leave these spaces. After this deadline, the town hall will take all the measures to demolish all these constructions," announced Jean Gabriel Fortune, the Mayor of the city of Les Cayes.



3rd day of demonstrations

A third day of high school demonstration was held on Wednesday in Petit-Goave. Tensions, throwing of stones, tear-gas grenades were present, but unlike the previous two days, the population also took the street to claim electricity https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19902-haiti-flash-second-day-of-violence-in-petit-goave.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19888-haiti-flash-high-school-students-in-the-streets-violence-in-petit-goave.html



Moise Jean-Charles no longer has a spokesperson

Wednesday Moise Jean-Charles announced that he had dissolved his campaign committee and that now no one was allowed to speak in his name or in the name of "Pitit Dessalines".



Evaluation mission of the Minustah

Sandra Honore, announced the arrival of a mission to evaluate the activities of the Minustah in order to define the future configuration of the UN mission. This configuration will depend on the situation on the ground in order to equip the MINUSTAH and the Haitian National Police with the capacity to ensure security throughout the national territory. On October 13, the Security Council extended the mandate and maintened the authorized strength (2,370 soldiers and 2,601 police officers) of the Minustah for 6 months, until April 15, 2017.



Follow Sunday's elections on HL

On Sunday, follow the elections throughout the day on https://www.haitilibre.com



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Washington : US President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his plan to limit the entry of people from several Muslim countries, saying it was necessary as the world is a total mess, even as he was non-committal on whether nations like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia would be on the list of the proposed visa ban.

When asked about countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia figuring in the list, he said, Youre going to see. Youre going to see. Were going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And were not letting people in if we think theres even a little chance of some problem.

We are excluding certain countries, but for other countries, were going to have extreme vetting. Its going to be very hard to come in, Trump told ABC News, refusing to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about. Trump denied that it was a ban on Muslims. No its not the Muslim ban, but its countries that have tremendous terror, he said.

Right now, its very easy to come in. Its going to be very, very hard. I dont want terror in this country. You look at what happened in San Bernardino. You look at what happened all over. You look at what happened in the World Trade Center, OK? I mean, take that as an example. People dont even bring that up, he said.

Asked if he was concerned this would anger Muslims around the world, he said, Anger? Theres plenty of anger right now. How can you have more?. The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place. All of this has happened. We went into Iraq. We shouldnt have gone into Iraq. We shouldnt have gotten out the way we got out. The world is a total mess. The world is a mess, the President said.

According to a draft executive order published in US media, refugees from war-torn Syria will be indefinitely banned, the broader US refugee admissions programme will be suspended for 120 days, and all visa applications from countries deemed a terrorist threat  Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen  will be halted for 30 days.

Source : One India
The lead investigator into allegations of financial crimes by former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick has accepted that aspects of his investigation were colossally prejudiced.

Counsel for Mr FitzPatrick (aged 68) described as an outrage a decision by Kevin O'Connell, an investigator with the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), not to ask witnesses certain questions because they might undermine his case.

Mr FitzPatrick is accused of failing to disclose multi-million euro loans to auditors. The prosecution alleges that the amount of the loans was artificially reduced for a period of two weeks around the bank's financial end of year statement by short term loans from other sources, including Irish Nationwide Building Society.

On day 70 of the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Bernard Condon SC, defending, continued his cross-examination of Mr O'Connell, a legal advisor with the ODCE who dealt with witnesses from EY (the Ernst & Young), Anglo's auditors from 2002 to 2008.

He put it to Mr O'Connell that in April 2010 he had gone into his first meeting with key witnesses from EY with an acceptance that they had not known about the movement of loans to Irish Nationwide.

Mr O'Connell replied: I see it suggests a degree of prejudgement but added that there was nothing in the evidence he had so far received that the loans had been disclosed to the auditors.

Mr Condon said that if the loans had been made known to EY we wouldn't be here in court.

That is an absolutely colossal piece of prejudice. That was wrong to do, he said. Mr O'Connell said he agreed adding: It was a very inexperienced way of approaching the matter.

Counsel described as an outrage the failure of investigators to ask witnesses about auditing standards which suggested auditors remind directors that it was a criminal offence to mislead auditors.

You were charged with carrying out a fair and impartial investigation, counsel said, accusing Mr O'Connell of deliberately deciding not to ask about these standards.

Mr O'Connell agreed it was a very serious mistake adding: I very much regret that this was not something that was addressed within the full engagement with EY. I don't in any way seek to stand over that decision.

We were seeking to build the case. We did not at this early stage want to start setting out the weaknesses in the case.

Mr Condon suggested asking certain questions would hurt your case.

If they were to say something about this, it would undermine your ability to bring a prosecution at all. I think that is so, counsel said.

Mr FitzPatrick of Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow has pleaded not guilty to 27 offences under the 1990 Companies Act.

These include 22 charges of making a misleading, false or deceptive statement to auditors and five charges of furnishing false information in the years 2002 to 2007.

The trial continues before Judge John Aylmer on Monday.
New figures lodged by the Irish arm of the US luxury brand show that the firm increased its revenues by 15% to 10.96m in the 53 weeks to early April last year.

Americas new first lady, Melania Trump raised the profile of the global brand even further when she wore a Ralph Lauren outfit for last Fridays inauguration of president Donald Trump.
Mr Justice Michael Hanna expressed his sympathy at the outset of the case at the High Court in Cork yesterday as he approved the settlement offer to Ann Gamble of Baile Ard, Fermoy, Co Cork, on the loss of her baby, Charlie Gamble.

Dr John OMahony, senior counsel for the plaintiff, said the baby was born on August 30, 2013, but died on that same day at Cork University Maternity Hospital.

Charlie lived for a short few hours and unfortunately died, Dr OMahony said.

The senior counsel said in his opening of the case that the HSE had informed the plaintiffs solicitor, John Brooks, that the case would have been vigorously defended. He said a vigorous stance was taken by the health authority at an inquest.

However, the plaintiff obtained reports from what Dr OMahony described as two eminent experts in the field who both stated that if the baby had been delivered the previous day, the indications were that he would have survived.

He would have been born alive and gone on to have grown up in the ordinary way, Dr OMahony said.

Ann Gamble and her husband Charles Gamble have two daughters, one born before the birth at the centre of yesterdays case.

Dr OMahony submitted yesterday: Liability would have been contested but ultimately the plaintiff would have succeeded eventually, albeit after a vigorous fight.

Mr Justice Hanna approved a settlement offer of 105,000 from the HSE to the plaintiff for what was described as nervous shock following the death of the infant.

Dr OMahony said Mrs Gamble experienced guilt and felt she should have protested more over the last 24 hours before the birth.

Mr Justice Hanna said: She has nothing to remonstrate herself for.

The judge said to Mrs Gamble: I am very sorry for your loss. If this matter proceeded to trial these are immensely difficult cases.

They are gruelling and for all the best reasons in the world they dont always turn out well.

This would have been a complex and difficult case. I think the Gambles have been extremely well advised. It seems to be a just and fair and wise settlement. I wish the family well.
It came after Mr Trump signed executive orders aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants, including the recruitment of 10,000 new immigration and enforcement officers to carry out deportations.

In a wide-ranging interview with reporters, Mr Kenny said he trusted that Mr Trump would provide a clarification around this which would exempt the undocumented Irish.

I listened to the president yesterday saying that he has a big heart and if I follow on from what he said before, I trust that in his clarification here that Irish will not be affected by that. Its an issue I have raised with him and I will raise with him again when I go to the White House, he said.

Mr Kenny is due to travel to Washington, DC, for St Patricks Day.

Mr Kennys comments were in stark contrast to what he said before Mr Trumps election when he accused him of using racist and dangerous language.

Mr Trump has signed off on building a wall between the US and Mexico and has also approved a raft of other orders aimed at tackling illegal immigration since he entered office.

The measures would make it easier for undocumented immigrants to be classed as criminals and therefore made a priority for deportation.

Mr Kenny said those from Ireland who are living illegally in the US contribute very strongly to the American economy and he hoped this would be acknowledged.

He said there were now questions around whether a person could be deported because of a parking ticket they received 10 years ago.

I do hope that given the extraordinary contribution people make in terms of social security employment opportunities, contributing to American society, that the clarification is about serious indiscretions.

Asked about the decision to start building the wall, Mr Kenny said: Sure there was a fence there for about a third of it already. Obviously the president has signed his executive order, as he said he would.

Mr Kenny also indicated he would be remaining on as leader of Fine Gael until 2018.
The disclosures came at a public accounts committee hearing yesterday, amid continuing concerns the taxpayer needlessly lost out when the plane was sold in January 2015.

Last year, a Comptroller and Auditor General report noted that despite the air corps pricing the 14-seater Gulfstream IV jet at 750,000 and related spare parts at 405,000, the jet and equipment were sold in January 2015 for 418,000 and 53,000, respectively.

The sale to US company Journey Aviation came after concerns over the age of the plane, which had travelled 21,000km since becoming operational in 1992. It was grounded in 2014.

Despite widespread criticism of the cut-price sale and the fact no clear attempt was apparently made to seek a wide range of other offers, the Department of Defence strongly insisted at the time that it obtained the best deal possible due to the age, repairs required, and condition of the plane.

However, addressing the deal during a four-hour PAC meeting with the departments general secretary, Maurice Quinn, Sinn Feins David Cullinane said the same plane is now insured by Journey Aviation for $5m and is being used by high-level executives to travel the globe.

He said: I dont want to hear about extenuating circumstances, Journey Aviation did a full analysis of costs because it was prudent of them to do so. Did we?

This is the same plane. It is in use. On November 23, it flew from Allentown [in Pennsylvania] to New York. On November 28, it flew from New York to Paris. On December 3, it flew from New York to Barbados.

The copy of the insurance cert has it insured at a value of $5m. That, for me, is a far cry from the same jet you said was lying in a hanger [when it was sold in January 2015], said Mr Cullinane.

Responding to the revelation and similar concerns raised by Labours Alan Kelly and Independent Catherine Connolly, Mr Quinn said the insurance figure did not fully take account of the emergency situation facing the government at the time of the jets sale.

Under questioning, he said the department was told in July 2014 it needed to spend upwards of 1.4m to maintain and repair the jet and that it was expected an overhaul of its engines by 2018/19 would cost a further 2.5m.

Reacting to the insurance rate, Fine Gaels Noel Rock said in his view the State made money by selling the plane for such a low cost because it avoided higher maintenance expenditure.

He described the $5m figure as sensationalist and said it included additional costs such as the loss of the plane.

Mr Quinn said he believes the planes condition has improved substantially since it was sold two years ago due to investment from Journey Aviation.

However, he said it was speculative whether the government would have made money if it had repaired the plane before selling it, when asked by Fianna Fails Bobby Aylward.
Mr Higgins visited the historic Unitarian Church on Princes St in the heart of Cork City, where details of its year-long tercentenary celebrations were unveiled.

Congregation secretary Fritz Spengeman said they plan to hold a service of commemoration and several cultural events throughout the year. It was announced the congregation is to appoint Rev Mike OSullivan as its first minister in more than 50 years next month.

Unitarianism in Ireland grew out of the dissenting Presbyterian tradition which emerged in the mid 1600s. The Cork Unitarian Church was one of the first buildings erected outside the citys ancient walls on an area then known as Dunscombes Marsh, with the foundations laid in 1713. It hosted its first service on Sunday, August 1, 1717, and has been a place of worship ever since. After Red Abbey and Elizabeth Fort, the church is believed to be the oldest structure in Cork.

Many distinguished people have worshipped there over the years, including Thomas Dix Hincks, the congregations sole minister from 1792 to 1815. He established the Royal Cork Institution in 1803 to promote education, science, agriculture, and industry. It led to the establishment of the Opera House, Crawford Gallery, UCC, and CIT. His son, Thomas, ministered from 1815 to 1818, before becoming the first professor of natural history at University College, Toronto, and president of the Canadian Institute.

Throughout the 1800s, members of the Cork congregation were active in many social and political movements, including the anti-slavery movement, the Anti-Tithe Association, and the Young Irelanders. The Father Mathew Temperance Agreement was signed in the church in 1839.

Another prominent congregation member, Richard Dowden, supported Daniel OConnell and Catholic emancipation. While serving as lord mayor in 1845, his work on the anti-slavery movement led to a visit to the city by leading abolitionist and US social campaigner Frederick Douglass. Artist Daniel Maclise and the father of modern computer science, George Boole, also worshipped there.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Higgins opened a major exhibition at UCC celebrating Irish figures who have influenced the development of Latin America.

The Irish in Latin America exhibition honours people like General Daniel OLeary, and Eliza Lynch, a national heroine in Paraguay. OLeary, who was born in Cork in 1801 and emigrated to South America in 1817, became the aide-de-camp to the great liberator of the Americas, Simon Bolivar, and helped Venezuela win independence from Spain. Ms Lynch was the mistress of Paraguayan dictator Francisco Solano Lopez, and has long been the symbol of Paraguayan pride and resistance.

The exhibition includes displays of emeralds donated to Queens College (now UCC) by General OLeary in 1852. The exhibition opens to the public today in the Aula Maxima, and can be viewed in the Glucksman Gallery from February 7-12 and in the ORahilly building from February 16-28.
Cork City coroner Philip Comyn returned a verdict of suicide after hearing evidence in relation to the death of a 36-year-old South Korean national at the Kinsale Rd direct provision accommodation centre on the outskirts of Cork City on August 28 last.

The inquest was told that the woman, who was from the Jongno Gu district in Seoul, had arrived in Ireland from South Korea, via Abu Dhabi, in May 2015.

She was processed at the Reception and Integration Agencys (RIA) reception centre at Balseskin, Dublin, where she underwent a full medical assessment.

RIA principal officer Eugene Banks told the coroner that most people in the States protection system  those seeking either refuge or asylum  spend up to five weeks at Balseskin before being offered accommodation in a direct provision centre, managed under contract to RIA.

Mr Banks said the woman spent about three months at Balseskin, and that longer stays here are usually for medical reasons.

She was transferred, along with her medical records, to a direct provision centre in Killarney in August 2015, before being transferred a short time later to the Kinsale Rd facility where she would be closer to certain acute and support services.

The inquest established the woman attended Dr Shirley Cotter at a GP practice in the city in September 2015.

In a report read into the record, Dr Cotter described her as a quiet and soft-spoken lady, and said she had attended several psychiatric sessions elsewhere but was not adhering to her medication regime.

Dr Cotter said the woman told her she was estranged from her family, had left South Korea due to family difficulties, and that her mother suffered from depression and her sister had psychiatric issues.

She said the woman had paranoid ideation and low mood, and was admitted voluntarily for psychiatric treatment at Cork University Hospital in January 2016.

She said the woman attended her practice three times in the two weeks before her death, and was prescribed pain medication for severe neck and back pain due to soft tissue injury.

She attended a locum at Dr Cotters practice on August 28, the morning of her death, but the inquest was told that her request for more pain medication was denied.

Denise Wallace, manager of the Kinsale Rd centre, told the coroner that she spoke to the woman several times in the days before her death, and that while she was aware of her mental difficulties, she said the woman didnt really want to talk about it  only about her neck pain.

Ms Wallace said that when the woman returned from the GP on August 28, she tried to bring forward an appointment for her to see a pain specialist, but said it would be two weeks before she could be seen.

I tried to reassure her. She seemed fine, bar the pain she was in, said Ms Wallace.

She told the coroner that after she spoke to the woman on the morning of August 28, she thought she was doing well, that she was laughing and smiling, but that she was distraught about her neck pain.

The woman was last seen in the centres canteen at 1.06pm getting her dinner.

Security guard Derry Field, said he found her body in her room around 7.45pm, and raised the alarm. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.20pm.

Mr Comyn said he was satisfied, based on the evidence, the woman took her own life.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2017 /CNW/ -- Tahoe Resources Inc. ("Tahoe" or the "Company") (TSX: THO; NYSE: TAHO) today responded to a ruling by the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (the "Court of Appeal") that a legal action filed by claimants from Guatemala against the Company in June 2014 can be heard in the British Columbia court system. The ruling overturns an earlier decision by the Supreme Court of British Columbia declining jurisdiction on the grounds that Guatemala was the more appropriate forum to adjudicate the claims.

While respecting the Court of Appeal's decision, the Company continues to believe that the more appropriate jurisdiction to hear the case is in Guatemala. The Company is currently reviewing the decision and, following this review, will make a determination on whether to seek leave to appeal today's ruling. The Company looks forward to defending the legal action regardless of the jurisdiction in which it is heard. Today's ruling does not impact current operations.

The Escobal Mine is a world-class silver mine, operated by Minera San Rafael, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tahoe. Escobal has approximately 1,000 employees, 97% of whom are Guatemalan, and pays approximately US$20 million per year in wages and benefits. In addition, the Company paid approximately US$35 million in royalties and taxes to governments and communities in Guatemala last year, and makes significant direct investments in support of nutritional programs, education, skills training, agriculture and infrastructure development.

About Tahoe Resources Inc.

Tahoe's strategy is to responsibly operate precious metals mines, to pay significant shareholder dividends and to grow by developing long-term, low-cost assets in the Americas. Tahoe is a member of the S&P/TSX Composite and TSX Global Mining indices and the GDX and Russell 3000 on the NYSE. The Company is listed on the TSX as THO and on the NYSE as TAHO.
Vancouver, BC (FSCwire) - Voltaic Minerals Corp. (TSXV: VLT, FSE: 2P61) (the Company or Voltaic) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a 50/50 joint-venture (the JV) agreement with Equitorial Exploration Corp. (TSXV: EXX) (Equitorial) for the Green Energy Lithium Project in Utah, USA. The agreement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

As per the agreement, Equitorial will have the right to participate, on a 50/50 basis, in all work relating to the Green Energy Project. For this right, Equitorial will invest $250,000 into Voltaic via private placement, on terms described in this press release. Equitorial will also reserve 5,000,000 shares of Equitorial Exploration Corp. and issue them upon successful production of Lithium from Green Energy Project brine, using Voltaics Lithium Process. Voltaic is currently finalizing an exclusive right of use with its inventors. The JV will have the right to utilize the Selective Lithium Process on the Green Energy Lithium Property and any other project that it deems suitable on a project by project basis. Equitorial and Voltaic intend to work to locate other projects that would be suitable for the Process and proceed on a 50/50 JV basis. A finders fee may be payable on the Equitorial portion of the investment.

Green Energy Lithium Project

The Green Energy Lithium Project property encompasses 4,160 acres and is located 30 miles west of the city of Moab, Utah. Saturated brines (40% minerals, 60% water) were discovered during historic oil exploration when drill wells intercepted Clastic Unit #14 of the Paradox Formation. Upon interception of Clastic Unit #14, at depths of approximately 6,000 feet, the exploration wells encountered blow-outs due to the over-pressurized system. Historic fluid analysis of the saturated brines on the Green Energy Project ranged from 81-174 mg/L Lithium; and as high as 1,700 mg/L, from the same Clastic Unit #14, less than 900m to the east-northeast on an adjacent property . Approximately 20 wells were drilled on the Green Energy Project, of which, 5 have analytical data for Lithium.

Engineering reports from the 1960s concluded that the brine reservoir is extensive (over 10 square miles) and is recharged from fresh in-flows as indicated by well pressure measurements, drawdown tests and oxygen-deuterium isotopes. Clastic Unit #14 consists of 30 feet of shale, anhydrite and dolomite, and is not part of any oil reservoir.

Voltaic Minerals Corp. has conducted a review of recent and historic well logs, along with chemical analysis in the area and reprocessing of seismic data focusing on mineral brine. Evaluation of reservoir potential will be done in preparation for the re-entry of shut-in wells.

Voltaic Mineral Corp. disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Rory Kutluoglu, P.Geo., who serves as a Qualified Person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

Financing & Use of Proceeds

The Company also announces that it has proposed a non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement) of up to 15,000,000 units (the Units) at a price of $0.06c per Unit for total aggregate proceeds of up to $900,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share (each, a Share) and one-half-of-one share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one additional common share of the Company (a Warrant Share) at a price of $0.12 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months after issuance.

The proceeds from the Unit sale will be used by the company to fund exploration on the Green Energy Project and advancement of the Lithium Selective Process. The Private Placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All the securities issued under the Private Placement are subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation.

Update on Lithium Selective Process

The Company is finalizing its exclusive right to use a proprietary Lithium extraction process. Provided the agreements are signed as scheduled, the Company expects to begin Phase I work as early as February 2017 with initial results expected within 90 days of finalizing the definitive agreement.

Stock Options

The Company has granted a total of 1,500,000 options to directors, employees and consultants exercisable for 5 years at a price of $0.075 per share.

About Voltaic Minerals Corp.

Voltaic Minerals Corp. is a Vancouver-based Lithium exploration company which, in joint-venture with Equitorial Exploration Corp., owns 100% of the Green Energy Lithium Project. The Green Energy Project encompasses 4,160 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims, and is located in Grand County, Utah, 30 miles west of the city of Moab. Lithium and other minerals occur at the project in an over-saturated brine (40% minerals, 60% water) discovered during oil exploration when drill wells intercepted Clastic Bed #14 of the Paradox formation.
LONDON, ENGLAND--(Marketwired - Jan. 27, 2017) - Condor Gold (AIM:CNR) is pleased to announce, further to the announcement of 15 December 2016, the scout drilling results for four drill holes totalling 719.6 m on the Cacao Prospect at the La India Project. This drilling is designed to test targets with the potential to contribute to La India's high grade mineral resource of 18 Mt at 4.0 g/t for 2.31 Moz gold. Of this, 57% or 1.3 Moz gold is hosted by the La India Vein Set and the remaining 1 Moz is hosted in 6 smaller, separate resources such as Cacao, which has 590,000 tonnes at 3.0 g/t gold for 58,000 oz gold. The scout drilling hopes to demonstrate that La India is a true gold District, with excellent potential to substantially increase the global resource.

Highlights

Drill core demonstrates a significant dilational vein at Cacao, with the prospect of a much larger gold resource

Cacao forms a major "Link" between two major basement feeder zones (La India and Andrea Corridors)

Drill intercepts: 7.85 m at 3.75 g/t gold, 7.85 m at 2.95 g/t gold and 17.1 m at 1.74 g/t gold, demonstrate broad zones of gold mineralisation

Cacao is at the top of an epithermal system, preserved because the regional Highway Fault drops down the entire system towards the southeast

Cacao vein is open along strike and at depth

Cacao vein is now upgraded and prioritised for further drilling, to increase its current resource

1,812 m of 4,000 m scout drilling has been completed on three targets: Cacao, Real de La Cruz and Tatescame. The drill rig will now be moved to the 4 km long Andrea Vein with further assay results announced in due course

Mark Child CEO comments:

"Condor's strategy of proving that the La India Project is part of a major gold District continues to yield positive results. The 719.6 m drilling at Cacao demonstrates a significant dilational vein. This vein forms within a major linking structure between two major basement feeder zones identified by regional soil sampling and airborne geophysics (La India and Andrea Corridors - see map below). New drill results of 7.85 m at 3.75 g/t gold and 7.85 m at 2.95 g/t gold build on results from Condor's prior drilling (including 2.6 m at 34.13 g/t gold and 14.05 m at 6.05 g/t gold). The vein is comparable to some of the best intersections on La India vein. It is important to emphasise that Cacao is at the top of an epithermal gold system, preserved because the regional Highway Fault drops down the entire system towards the southeast. The Cacao vein is open down dip and along strike with signs of being substantially bigger and is prioritised for further drilling to expand the mineral resource."

Cacao Prospect, Structural Setting

Cacao is shown in Figure 1, with significant trends identified by recent soil sampling, a prior helicopter borne geophysics programme and a detailed structural model (see RNS dated 15th December 2016).

Figure 1: Cacao Structural Setting, between Two Major Basement Feeder Zones



Cacao occurs within an east-west striking 'link' between major feeder basement structures, namely La India and Andrea Corridors. Structural analysis suggests a component of sinistral strike slip on the basement structures and the link opened a significant dilational vein at Cacao. Cacao is also considered a 'concealed' mineral deposit, because the regional Highway Fault (see Figure 1) drops down the entire epithermal system towards the southeast. This is supported by fossil hot spring material ('sinter') on surface at Cacao, its only occurrence in the District. Surface outcrops at Cacao comprise mostly phreatic breccias, again typical of hot spring areas. The entire epithermal system is therefore preserved and scout drilling was designed to test this theory and drill beneath the phreatic breccias.

Cacao Previous Drilling

Cacao was first drilled by Condor between 2007 and 2008. A total of 2,170 m was completed on fences spaced at 40 m to a maximum depth of 150 m. This shallow drilling (Figure 2) was hampered by some poor recovery and most drill intersections comprised phreatic breccia. Some deeper intersections, and those in the west, showed increasingly thicker veins and improved grades (for example 2.6 m @ 34.13 g/t gold in CCDC 020; Figure 2) suggesting potential for higher grade ore shoots within the vein system.

Figure 2: Cacao Long section with prior and current drill results



The current campaign targeted deeper intersections along previous drill fences. The best success came in CCDC 024, which showed a wide intersection of a single vein with classic epithermal textures indicating boiling (typically associated with gold enrichment). The grade was 7.85 m @ 2.95 g/t gold (not true width) (see Table 1).

Table 1: Prior and Current Drill Results on the Cacao Vein

Drill

hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Drill

Width

(m) *True

Width

(m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Other 2007-2008 CCRD002 87 101.05 14.05 6.4 6.05 2.5 Includes 1 m@ 16.5 g/t & 1 m @ 10.75 g/t Au CCRD004 123.35 128.9 5.55 1.4 6.10 12.2 Includes 3.6 m @ 8.57 g/t Au CCRD006 93.12 106.95 13.83 4.0 2.25 4.3 Includes 1 m @ 8.17 g/t Au 132.9 135.5 2.6 0.8 34.13 4.8 Includes 0.85 m @ 99.7 g/t Au CCDC020 154.5 159.28 4.78 2.6 1.37 0 163 167.15 4.15 2.3 2.93 0 CCRD014 134.63 137.28 2.65 1.7 8.45 0 Includes 0.85 m @ 20.1 g/t Au 144.18 148.63 4.45 2.8 1.21 0 2016 CCDC023 157.4 165.25 7.85 3.9 3.75 5.1 Includes 0.9 m @ 11.9 g/t & 0.5 m @ 12.6 g/t Au 167.3 169.5 2.2 1.1 2.24 10.2 CCDC024 199.75 207.6 7.85 4.2 2.95 17.2 Includes 2 m @ 6.06 g/t Au CCDC025 80 82.3 2.3 1.5 1.31 <2 92.7 109.8 17.1 11.2 1.74 1.3 Includes 1.7 m @ 6.0 g/t Au CCDC026 142.3 144.9 2.6 1.2 1.19 2.5 150.9 152.5 1.6 0.8 1.89 3.03

Conclusion

The Company considers that the potential of Cacao is now demonstrated. It is open at depth and along strike in both directions. The vein width is comparable to the best intersections at La India and the hanging wall of the vein is increasingly stockworked, as at La India. As at La India, structurally controlled ore shoots are to be expected in this major dilational, and continuous, vein. The next phase of drilling at Cacao will concentrate on defining these ore shoots and increasing the current mineral resource (590,000 t at 3.0 g/t gold for 58,000 oz gold).

Scout Drilling Update

Condor initiated 4,000 m of scout drilling on several prospects on 7th November 2016, starting with Cacao (See RNS dated 10th November 2016). Four drill holes for a combined drilling of 719.6 m have been completed at Cacao. Four drill holes for a combined 428.8 m have been completed on Real de La Cruz. Three drill holes for a combined 663.8 m have been completed on Tatescame. The drill rig is being moved to the 4 km long Andrea Vein, which has never been drill tested, where six drill holes for 580 m are planned. Further assay results will be announced in due course.

For further information please visit www.condorgold.com.

About Condor Gold plc:

Condor Gold plc was admitted to AIM on 31st May 2006. The Company is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on Central America.

Condor completed a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) and two Preliminary Economic Assessments (PEA) on La India Project in Nicaragua in December 2014. The PFS details an open pit gold mineral reserve of 6.9 Mt at 3.0 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold producing 80,000 oz gold p.a. for 7 years. The PEA for the open pit only scenario details 100,000 oz gold production p.a. for 8 years whereas the PEA for a combination of open pit and underground details 140,000 oz gold production p.a. for 8 years. La India Project contains a total attributable mineral resource of 18.08 Mt at 4.0 g/t for 2.31 M oz gold and 2.68 M oz silver at 6.2 g/t to the CIM Code.

In El Salvador, Condor has an attributable 1,004,000 oz gold equivalent at 2.6 g/t JORC compliant resource. The resource calculations are compiled by independent geologists SRK Consulting (UK) Limited for Nicaragua and Ravensgate and Geosure for El Salvador.
Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party waves to supporters while announcing his presidential bid at the National Assembly, Thursday. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin



Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party declared his bid for Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, pledging to restore social justice and overcome economic and security crises.



"I will become a president who will revive the economy and strengthen national security, and establish a virtuous democratic republic," he said during a press conference at the National Assembly.



Yoo, a four-term lawmaker, stressed that he will root out corruption in public bodies including the prosecution, the police and the National Intelligence Service as part of such efforts.



He added that he will fight against collusive links between politicians and private companies, mindful of the country's unprecedented corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.



Noting his economic expertise, Yoo pledged to prioritize reviving the slumping economy.



"I will increase job numbers and create a level playing field for business startups and small- and mid-sized companies by containing failing or power-wielding conglomerates," the former economist at the state-run Korea Development Institute said.



Yoo said he will boost defense capabilities against North Korea's nuclear provocations by deploying a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here.



He also underlined the Korea-U.S. alliance, saying, "It is a cornerstone of our security. I will tighten the alliance with the U.S. while dealing with security issues based on mutual trust."



It was the newly formed party's second presidential bid, following Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil on Wednesday. They will compete in a party primary.



A total of 31 lawmakers officially launched the new conservative party, Tuesday, after departing from the ruling Saenuri Party. Rep. Hong Chul-ho of the Saenuri Party joined the party later in the day, increasing the number of assembly members to 32.
ANGOLA  Former President Barack Obama has left the White House but to Maryann Carrigan, his message still rings true.

Obama responded three days before he left office to a letter Carrigan of Angola wrote on behalf of her daughter, Emily Carrigan.

In the letter, she invited Obama to the 2016 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America National Conference in Orlando, Florida, in August. There, Laura Frederick of Angola was honored as national Big Sister of the Year. Frederick served as Emily Carrigans Big Sister for seven years.

Obama didnt attend the conference but in response, wrote of the importance of a diverse, inclusive America of hope.

Letters like yours have given me the chance to hear the real stories that make up the ever changing narrative of America, he said. They are stories of your setbacks and successes, your fears and your hopes not just for today  but for the country and the world well leave to our children and our grandchildren. So our collective future depends on our collective willingness to uphold our duties as citizens: to vote, to speak out and to stand up for others knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us.

Maryann Carrigan said she was thrilled with the response.

Hes just like me  an American citizen. It was wonderful he hit me back three days before he left the White House. I thought it was such an honor, he listens enough to respond to the average person, she said. I think hes leaving with grace, not disgrace.

Emily Carrigan is continuing her studies at Ball State University, Muncie, majoring in education and political science.

Frederick was selected for the honor from nearly 170,000 volunteer mentors across the nation.
A few years ago, my former colleague Rick Hess and I traveled out to Colorado to do research for a report we titled Douglas County: The Most Interesting School District in America?

Given that we hadnt visited most of Americas 14,000 school districts, we thought the question mark at the end was a necessary hedge. But after Douglas County appeared last week as a party to a case in front of the Supreme Court, I think its pretty safe to say that it really is.

After all, this wasnt even DougCos first supreme court hearing. A separate Douglas County case was heard by the Colorado Supreme Court two years ago. See, back in 2011, DougCo launched the first-of-its kind district-level voucher program.

Sometimes districts purposively under-designate students special needs in order to keep costs down.

The ACLU backed a lawsuit against DougCo, the Institute for Justice helped to defend the district, and the Colorado Supreme court ruled that the voucher program was unconstitutional.

Yet two weeks ago, Douglas County went in front of the U.S. Supreme Court because the family of Endrew F., a fifth grade student with autism, sued it for refusing to give Endrew a voucher to attend a school to meet his unique educational needs.

So why would a district that once defended its right in front of their States supreme Court to give all students vouchers defend itself at the U.S. Supreme Court against a special needs student asking for a voucher?

Special Ed: The IDEA and the Reality

The reason is that our nations special education policy is profoundly flawed. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every student has a right to a free and appropriate public education, no matter their special needs. Thats very just and noble in theory.

But in practice, it often proves perverse. It establishes a fundamentally adversarial relationship between a students parents and his school. Parents have the incentive to make sure that their childrens needs are met with as many resources as the school can bring to bear. Schools have the incentive to keep a firm line against those requests, lest costs explode and strain a school districts efforts to serve all of its students effectively.

Sometimes the result is that wealthy students with disabilities receive the services they need. Their parents know how to navigate the system, know what lawyers to call, and what lawsuits to threaten. But students with less wealthy or savvy parents get the short end of the stick.

Sometimes districts purposively under-designate students special needs in order to keep costs down. In fact, there was a big controversy in Texas last year, when it was revealed that unelected state officials had arbitrarily decided what percentage of Texas students should receive special education services, and then audited districts who failed to comply in order to keep costs down.

But sometimes, school districts over-designate for minor special needs, because they get more federal and state money for saying a student has ADHD or some such, and they dont face that much of a risk of these lower-level claims backfiring.

Theres got to be a better way. And there is.

In 1999, Florida created the McKay Scholarship Program, a school voucher program for students with special needs. In 2003, former Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jay P. Greene released a study on the program, showing that the program made districts less likely to designate learning disabilities, that it helped the students it served, and that the public schools with students in the program also ended up better off.

Education beyond the School

But an even more promising approach was pioneered by Arizona in 2011: education savings accounts (ESAs) for students with disabilities. Whereas parents can only use a school voucher at a school, they can use ESAs on a wider range of options, from tutors, to books, to other special programs. For students with the severest of disabilities, ESAs can be life-changing.

In a chapter for a forthcoming book, Education Savings Accounts: The New Frontier in School Choice, Wall Street Journal reporter Allysia Finley interviewed Arizona parents who used ESAs to better educate their children.

Take Nathan, an Arizona student who has autism and was once functionally mute. At one of his therapy sessions, he and his mother learned of Arizonas ESA program, which offered over $11,000 for his parents to help tend to his special needs. Using the ESA, his parents enrolled him at a private school for autistic children with small classes and electives like karate and yoga. With whats left over, Nathans parents hired a private tutor to help him in reading and writing. He got access to services and opportunities that he never would otherwise have had.

What difference has that made for him? Today, Nathan can speak.

A Better Solution for Endrew and Thousands of Others

Education savings accounts are a much more promising approach than the remedy that the Supreme Court is considering. Endrews parents are arguing that Douglas County may have provided a free education, but not an appropriate one, and that their family has a right to that voucher money under federal law.

Its impossible for any decent human being to not feel for them. But what the court has been asked to decide is whether there is a right to a quality education. And as we and the judges may feel that their child deserves that voucher, defining a federal right to a quality education could set a precedent that puts judges in charge of our public schools, with likely very poor results.

It would be better if Colorado had a statewide education savings account system in place for Endrew. It would be better if the federal government made it easier for students with disabilities to take money with them to better, private options.

And hopefully, soon, legislators in states across the country and in Congress will help make that happen, so the hundreds of thousands of students like Endrew can have the kind of opportunities that helped change Nathans life.

This piece originally appeared on Learn Liberty

_____________________

Max Eden is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.
The following companies are subsidiares of Brinker International: BI INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LLC, BI MEXICO HOLDING CORPORATION, BIPC GLOBAL PAYROLL COMPANY LLC, BIPC INVESTMENTS LLC, BIPC MANAGEMENT LLC, BRINKER AIRPORTS LLC, BRINKER ALABAMA INC., BRINKER ARKANSAS INC., BRINKER ASIA INC., BRINKER BRAZIL LLC, BRINKER CANADIAN HOLDING CO. ULC, BRINKER CANADIAN RESTAURANT CO. ULC, BRINKER CB LP, BRINKER CB MANAGEMENT LLC, BRINKER FHC B.V., BRINKER FLORIDA INC., BRINKER FREEHOLD INC., BRINKER GEORGIA INC., BRINKER INTERNATIONAL PAYROLL COMPANY L.P., BRINKER LOUISIANA INC., BRINKER MICHIGAN INC., BRINKER MISSISSIPPI INC., BRINKER MISSOURI INC., BRINKER NEVADA INC., BRINKER NEW JERSEY INC., BRINKER NORTH CAROLINA INC., BRINKER OF BALTIMORE COUNTY INC., BRINKER OF CARROLL COUNTY INC., BRINKER OF CECIL COUNTY INC., BRINKER OKLAHOMA INC., BRINKER OPCO LLC, BRINKER PENN TRUST, BRINKER PROPCO FLORIDA INC., BRINKER PROPERTY CORPORATION, BRINKER PURCHASING INC., BRINKER RESTAURANT CORPORATION, BRINKER RHODE ISLAND INC., BRINKER SERVICES CORPORATION, BRINKER SOUTH CAROLINA INC., BRINKER TEXAS INC., BRINKER VIRGINIA INC., CHILIS BEVERAGE COMPANY INC., CHILIS INC. a Delaware corporation, CHILIS INC. a Tennessee corporation, CHILIS INTERNATIONAL BASES B.V., CHILIS OF BEL AIR INC., CHILIS OF KANSAS INC., CHILIS OF MARYLAND INC., CHILIS OF WEST VIRGINIA INC., Grady's Inc., MAGGIANO'S OF ANNAPOLIS INC., MAGGIANO'S OF HOWARD COUNTY INC., MAGGIANO'S OF KANSAS INC., MAGGIANOS BEVERAGE COMPANY, MAGGIANOS HOLDING CORPORATION, MAGGIANOS INC., MAGGIANOS OF TYSONS INC., MAGGIANOS PROPERTY CORPORATION, MAGGIANOS TEXAS INC., PEPPER DINING HOLDING CORP., PEPPER DINING Inc., and PEPPER DINING VERMONT INC..

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Working through my ignorance with your help.
CA, Inc., doing business as CA technologies, develops, markets, delivers, and licenses software products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Mainframe Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, and Services. The Mainframe Solutions segment offers solutions for the IBM z Systems platform, which runs various mission critical business applications. Its mainframe solutions enable customers enhance economics by increasing throughput and lowering cost per transaction; increasing business agility through DevOps tooling and processes; increasing reliability and availability of operations through machine intelligence and automation solutions; and protecting enterprise data with security and compliance. The Enterprise Solutions segment provides a range of software planning, development, and management tools for mobile, cloud, and distributed computing environments. It primarily provides customers secure application development, infrastructure management, automation, and identity-centric security solutions. The Services segment offers various services, such as consulting, implementation, application management, education, and support services to commercial and government customers for implementation and adoption of its software solutions. The company serves banks, insurance companies, other financial services providers, government agencies, information technology service providers, telecommunication providers, transportation companies, manufacturers, technology companies, retailers, educational organizations, and health care institutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through various partner channels comprising resellers, service providers, system integrators, managed service providers, and technology partners. The company was formerly known as Computer Associates International, Inc. and changed its name to CA, Inc. in 2006. CA, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Newell Brands Inc. designs, manufactures, sources, and distributes consumer and commercial products worldwide. It operates in five segments: Commercial Solutions, Home Appliances, Home Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solutions; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; and home and security, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms products under the BRK, First Alert, Mapa, Quickie, Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, and Spontex brands. The Home Appliances segment offers kitchen appliances under the Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Oster, and Sunbeam brands. The Home Solutions segment provides food and home storage; fresh preserving; vacuum sealing; and gourmet cookware, bakeware, cutlery, and home fragrance products under the Ball, Calphalon, Chesapeake Bay Candle, FoodSaver, Rubbermaid, Sistema, WoodWick, and Yankee Candle brands. The Learning and Development segment offers writing instruments, including markers and highlighters, pens, and pencils; art products; activity-based adhesive and cutting products; labeling solutions; and baby gear and infant care products under the Aprica, Baby Jogger, Graco, NUK, Tigex, Dymo, Elmer's, EXPO, Graco, Mr. Sketch, NUK, Paper Mate, Parker, Prismacolor, Sharpie, Waterman, and X-Acto brands. The Outdoor and Recreation segment provides outdoor and outdoor-related products under the Campingaz, Coleman, Contigo, ExOfficio, and Marmot brands. It serves warehouse clubs, department and drug/grocery stores, mass merchants, home centers, office superstores and supply stores, contract stationers, and distributors, e-commerce, sporting goods, specialty, and travel retailers. The company was formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and changed its name to Newell Brands Inc. in April 2016. Newell Brands Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
We hear a lot about gold in Stephen Gaghans Gold  what it looks like, what it feels like in your hand, how the search for it drives men crazy. But there is precious little of the yellow stuff on screen.

Part of that is by design, as what looks like a straightforward story has more kinks in it than expected. But it also feels like a bit of a bait-and-switch  instead of a modern-day Treasure of the Sierra Madre-like tale of adventure, Gold is yet another financial thriller about Wall Street predators trying to eat each other or else be eaten.

Its not boring. But it doesnt shine, either.

Matthew McConaughey plays Kenny Wells, the scion of a Reno mining company who has fallen on hard times in 1988. ("Gold" is loosely based on real events, but Wells is a fictional character.) To play Wells, an abrasive everyman down on his luck, McConaughey goes from the handsome guy we see driving a Lincoln in television commercials to a guy who looks like hes sleeping in the back seat of his VW Rabbit. Sporting a receding hairline, fake teeth and a massive gut, McConaughey looks like he ordered the Christian Bale in American Hustle look.

Working out of a bar, down to his last few dollars, Wells goes all in backing a charismatic geologist, Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez), who thinks he knows where a rich gold vein is in the jungles of Indonesia. Venturing deep into the wild, the pair brave mosquitoes, malaria and untrustworthy workers, their mine coming up empty every time. Until they strike it rich.

While Acosta stays in Indonesia, Wells returns stateside to line up investors. The money rolls in as he lands big Wall Street bankers and the companys stock soars. Wells parties big in Manhattan and leaves his steadfast girlfriend Kay (an underused Bryce Dallas Howard) in the dust.

And then, of course, it all comes crashing down.

Its a familiar tale, and Gaghan (Syriana) keeps it lively, with a relentlessly moving camera and a well-curated soundtrack that mixes 1980s college rock and a 1970s-inspired funk score. But as a character, Wells is not that interesting nor very endearing and McConaugheys showy performance makes us root for his comeuppance more than his salvation. Central to the film is the friendship between Wells and Acosta amid all the wheeling and dealing, but neither actor makes us feel that bond.

There are good character actors in the film, like Corey Stoll, Bill Camp and Bruce Greenwood. But "Gold" doesnt give them much more to do than shout into phones at each other.

Its fitting that Gold opens a week after The Founder, a more satisfying and yet ambiguous look at Ray Kroc, who built McDonalds on the back of somebody elses idea. The Founder lets us make up our minds about Kroc and what his success says about the American Dream.

Gold wants it both ways up until the final shot, telling us to tsk-tsk Wells greed but still root for him at the same time. Give Gold a bronze medal.
The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: 2Cure LLC, Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, BioLegend, BioLegend CNS Inc., BioLegend China Beijing Ltd., BioLegend Europe B.V., BioLegend France SAS, BioLegend GmbH, BioLegend Inc., BioLegend Japan KK, BioLegend Shenzhen Ltd., BioLegend Taiwan Ltd., BioLegend UK Ltd., BioLegend Ventures LLC, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Boulder Diagnostics Europe GmbH, Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio.com, DIA.Metra S.R.L., DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, Dharmacon Inc., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Hangzhou Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics China Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa Pty Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Sp. z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN South East Asia Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN Tianjin Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Diagnostics Limited, Horizon Discovery, Horizon Discovery Biosciences Limited, Horizon Discovery Group Ltd., Horizon Discovery Inc., Horizon Discovery KK, Horizon Discovery Limited, Horizon Genomics GmbH, IDS Brasil Diagnosticos Ltda., Immunetics Inc., Immunodiagnostic Systems, Immunodiagnostic Systems Deutschland GmbH, Immunodiagnostic Systems France SAS, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings Limited, Immunodiagnostic Systems Inc., Immunodiagnostic Systems Limited, Immunodiagnostic Systems SA, Inochem S.A. de C. V., Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, Nexcelom Bioscience, Nexcelom Bioscience Holdings LLC, Nexcelom Bioscience Instruments Shanghai Co. Ltd., Nexcelom Bioscience LLC, Nexcelom Bioscience Ltd., NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation, OZ Systems International SARL, OZ Systems USA LLC, Omni International Inc., Optimization Zorn Corporation, Opto Technology, Orchid Biomedical Systems Pvt Ltd., Oxford Diagnostic Laboratories UK Limited, Oxford Immunotec, Oxford Immunotec Asia Ltd, Oxford Immunotec Global Limited, Oxford Immunotec Ireland Limited, Oxford Immunotec KK, Oxford Immunotec Limited, Oxford Immunotec Shanghai Medical Device Co. Ltd., Oxford Immunotec USA Inc., Pediatrix Medical Group - Newborn Metabolic Screening Business, Perkin Elmer Chile Ltda., Perkin Elmer Instruments Philippines Corporation, Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Perkin Elmer Sdn. Bhd., Perkin Elmer Yuhan Hoesa, Perkin-Elmer Argentina S.R.L., Perkin-Elmer de Mexico S.A., PerkinElmer Argentina Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Automotive Research Inc., PerkinElmer BV, PerkinElmer CV Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Cellular Technologies Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer Danmark A/S, PerkinElmer Diagnostics Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Diagnostics Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Espana S.L., PerkinElmer Finance Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Finland Oy, PerkinElmer Genetics Inc., PerkinElmer Genomics Sweden AB, PerkinElmer Germany Diagnostics GmbH, PerkinElmer Global Diagnostics S.C.A., PerkinElmer Global Financing S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Health Sciences B.V., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Canada Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences FZ-LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Puerto Rico LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Healthcare Diagnostics Shanghai Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Holdings Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Hong Kong Ltd., PerkinElmer IVD Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Inc., PerkinElmer India Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Informatics Inc., PerkinElmer Instruments Suzhou Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer International C.V., PerkinElmer Investments Ky, PerkinElmer Ireland Ltd., PerkinElmer Israel Ltd., PerkinElmer Japan Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer LAS Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer LAS UK Ltd., PerkinElmer Life Sciences International Holdings, PerkinElmer Life Sciences Singapore Pte. Ltd., PerkinElmer Limited, PerkinElmer Ltd., PerkinElmer Management Chengdu Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Management Shanghai Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Nederland B.V. , PerkinElmer Norge AS, PerkinElmer Oy, PerkinElmer Polska Sp. z o.o., PerkinElmer Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer SAS, PerkinElmer Saglk ve Cevre Bilimleri Ltd., PerkinElmer Schweiz AG, PerkinElmer Shanghai Equity Investment Fund L.P., PerkinElmer Shanghai Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Shared Services Sp. z o.o., PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer South Africa Pty Ltd., PerkinElmer Sverige AB, PerkinElmer Taiwan Corporation, PerkinElmer UK Holdings Ltd., PerkinElmer VertriebsgmbH, PerkinElmer chemagen Technologie GmbH, PerkinElmer do Brasil Ltda., Perten Instruments, Perten Instruments AB, Perten Instruments GmbH, Perten Instruments of Australia Pty Ltd., Qognit Inc., RHS Ltd, RayAl Ltd., SIRION Biotech, SIRION Biotech GmbH, SIRION Biotech International Inc., Sage Labs LLC, Shandong Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Haoyuan Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Singapore Biosciences Pte Ltd., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., SonoVol Inc., Suomen Bioanalytiikka Oy, Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Synthetx Limited, Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG.

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Pure Storage, Inc. provides data storage technologies, products, and services in the United States and internationally. The company's Purity software is shared across its products and provides enterprise-class data services, such as data reduction, data protection, and encryption, as well as storage protocols, including block, file, and object. Its products portfolio includes FlashArray for block-oriented storage, addressing databases, applications, virtual machines, and other traditional workloads; FlashArray//XL; and FlashArray//C, an all-QLC flash array. The company also provides FlashBlade, a solution for unstructured data workloads of various types; FlashStack that combines compute, network, and storage to provide an infrastructure platform; FlashRecover, an all-flash modern data-protection solution; and AIRI, a full-stack AI-ready infrastructure. In addition, it offers evergreen storage subscription, Pure as-a-Service, and Cloud Block Store, as well as Portworx a cloud-native Kubernetes data management solution It also offers technical and professional, training and education, and certification services. The company sells its products and subscription services through direct sales force and channel partners. The company was formerly known as OS76, Inc. and changed its name to Pure Storage, Inc. in January 2010. Pure Storage, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
The other day a young man in his 30s came in asking me to check his testosterone. Hes dating and had trouble, to use the vernacular, getting it up.

This man has seen all the ads on TV. He was sure his testosterone was low, and he wanted a prescription for one of those testosterone gels. Clocking in at $350 per month, if your insurance doesnt pay, its a costly product.

The real question is, does this guy need it? And who does need it? Youd think by all the ads around that every guy needs to boost this hormone.

First off, boosting testosterone levels is not a no-harm-no-foul kind of thing. There are side effects to all medications we take, including this type.

I have guys who wont take Tylenol because theyre afraid their liver will fall out, but they have jumped on the low-T bandwagon. Others wont immunize their kids for measles because theyre afraid of autism (thoroughly disproved) but they would take testosterone if they thought it would improve their sex life.

A study has shown there is an increased risk of blood clots for those who use testosterone medications. The first six months of starting is when the risk exists, but who needs that risk anytime? A blood clot can lead to a stroke, heart attack and even death.

We stopped giving women estrogen because of an increase in heart attacks and stroke  now its clear the male hormone has side effects, too.

Whats striking is that in the first decade of this century the diagnosis of erectile dysfunction has skyrocketed. Is this real? Or is this because guys want to get it on more often and quicker and are looking for some chemical enhancement?

In Europe, you dont need a diagnosis of erectile dysfunction to get a prescription for Viagra, which is among the drugs that treat ED without affecting testosterone.

Throughout Europe, from Sweden to Italy, you only need to ask your doctor for the prescription because you want to have better sex.

Europeans are just a bit less puritanical than we are. But I dont need to tell you that  think about all the sexually charged images on billboards in Paris advertising aftershave lotion and perfume and youll get my gist.

Now, back to my patient. I told him I wouldnt give him a testosterone medication unless a blood test showed he was quite low or his physical exam indicated there was something wrong. Both results were normal.

As part of my therapeutic interview, I asked him all of the intimate questions we clinicians should ask before writing a prescription. I did a thorough review to see if he was being affected by medications, but he wasnt taking anything.

I also asked about alcohol. Heres the scoop on booze: When youre young and full of excitement and hormones, a little drink can calm things down so youre better able to perform. But eventually, alcohol becomes a major cause of erectile issues  its a biggie.

When all of my questioning was over, I gave him a prescription for Viagra and sent him on his merry way. He had a Cheshire-Cat smile on his face.

Now, dont get me wrong, this does not solve many of the problems men and women may encounter when theyre having sex. The most important organ for satisfying sexual activity is above the waist, not below.

And many doctors think this isnt good medicine, that we shouldnt allow any sort of enhancement for a normal guy who just wants to have fun.

But these same doctors take drugs all the time to enhance their brains  its called caffeine. And what about that other drug many of us use to relax and laugh  alcohol? Isnt this in the same category as those ED substances?

All of these are cultural issues not medical ones. It just happens that for one of these substances you need a prescription, thats all.

My spin: Testosterone medications have more side effects than ED drugs such as Viagra and Cialis. And if you want erectile enhancement, you should be able to ask your doctor. Just do it. Stay well.
The following companies are subsidiares of TE Connectivity: 999 Arques Corp., ABB ENTRELEC terminal block business, ACC Telecommunications, ADC Chile Limitada, ADC Communications (SEA) Pte. Ltd., ADC Communications (UK) Holding Ltd., ADC Communications (UK) Ltd., ADC Communications Hong Kong Limited, ADC Telecommunications Equipment (Shanghai) Co., AMP Amermex, AMP Products Pacific Limited, AMP Taiwan B.V., AMP Trading B.V., AMP de Venezuela, Acalon Holdings Limited, Advanced Fiber Products LLC, Advanced Fiber Products Limited, Advanced Tube Technologies, AdvancedCath, AdvancedCath Technologies, Alpha Technics, American Sensor Technologies, Betatherm (R&D) Limited, Brantner Holding Company, Brantner and Associates, Butterfly Management SAS, C.S. Tyco Decisive Inc., C.S. Tyco Dependable Inc., C.S. Tyco Durable Inc., C.S. Tyco Reliance Inc., C.S. Tyco Resolute Inc., C.S. Tyco Responder Inc., CII Guardian International Limited, Cablotec GmbH, Carrier Kheops Bac SAS, Catheter and Disposable Technology, Celis Eletrocomponentes Ltda., Cima de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Clarebury Pty. Ltd., Codenoll Technology Corporation, Communication Expert International Investments Limited, Compagnie Deutsch Distribution SAS, Compagnie Deutsch SAS, Comtec Systeme GmbH, Connecteurs Electriques Deutsch SAS, Corcom, Corcom West Indies Limited, Cotsworks LLC, Creganna, Creganna Captial Holding Ireland Unlimited Company, Creganna Finance (US) LLC, Creganna Finance Ireland Limited, Creganna Luxembourg SARL, Creganna Medical Devices, Creganna Medical Pte. Limited, Creganna Medical Technology Unlimited, Creganna Medical s.r.l., Creganna Regulatory, Creganna Solutions Limited, Creganna Solutions Unlimited Company, Creganna Tactx Singapore Limited, Creganna Unlimited Company, Cregstar Bidco Limited, Critchley Group Limited, Crompton Instruments (South-East Asia) Pte. Ltd., Deutsch, Deutsch Connectors Hong Kong Limited, Deutsch Connectors Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co., Deutsch Connectors Trading (Shanghai) Co., Deutsch Finance SAS, Deutsch GB Limited, Deutsch Group SAS, Deutsch India Power Connectors (Pvt) Ltd, Deutsch Israel Ltd., Deutsch SAS, Deutsch Servicios S. de R.L. De C.V., Deutsch Subco Limited, Deutsch UK, F.A.I. Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, First Sensor, Grangehurst Enterprises Pty. Ltd., Hirschmann Car Communication, Hong Kong Sensors Technologies Limited, Howard A. Schaevitz Technologies, Intercontec Connector System (Shanghai) Co., Intercontec Produkt GmbH, Intercontect Pfeiffer Industrie-Steckverbindungen GmbH, Jaquet North America, Jaquet Technology Group AG, Kemex Holding Company, Kenabell Holding Limited, LADD Distribution LLC, LADD Distribution Limited, LSA, MEAS Asia Limited, MEAS Europe SAS, MEAS France SAS, MEAS Ireland (Betatherm) Limited, MEAS Norway AS, MEAS Shenzhen Limited, MEAS Switzerland S.a r.l., MEAS US Holding, MP&E, Measurement Specialties, Measurement Specialties (Chengdu) Ltd., Measurement Specialties (China) Ltd., Measurement Specialties (China) Ltd. Production Branch, Measurement Specialties Foreign Holdings LLC, Measurement Technology (Chengdu) Ltd., Medical Engineering & Design, MicroGroup, Morlynn Ceramics Pty. Ltd., Nikkiso-Therm Co., PT KRONE Indonesia, PT. Tyco Electronics Indonesia, Pfeiffer GmbH & Co KG, Pfeiffer Verwaltungs GmbH, Polamco, Polamco Limited, Potter & Brumfield de Mexico, Precision Interconnect LLC, Precision Subsea AS, Precision Wire Components, Precision Wire Holding Company, Produxx, RAYCHEM-RPG Private Limited, Raychem (HK) Limited, Raychem (Shanghai) Trading Ltd, Raychem China Limited, Raychem Dominicana S.A., Raychem Industries BVBA, Raychem International LLC, Raychem International Manufacturing LLC, Raychem Juarez, Raychem Limited, Raychem Ltd., Raychem Pacific Corporation, Raychem Saudi Arabia Limited, Raychem Shanghai Cable Accessories Ltd, Raychem Technologies Limited, Rochester Wire and Cable LLC, SEACON Advanced Products LLC, Seacon (Europe) Limited, Seacon Global Production, Seacon Produtos e Servicos Opticos e Eletricos Ltda., Sensitive Object, Servo Interconnect Limited, Shanghai CII Electronics Co., Shenzhen Century Man Communication Equipment Co., Sibas Electronics (Xiamen) Co., TCN Holding (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., TE Connectivity (Barbados) SRL, TE Connectivity (Denmark) ApS, TE Connectivity (HKZ) Holding Limited, TE Connectivity (Kunshan) Company Limited, TE Connectivity (Netherlands) Holding S.a r.l. - Irish Branch, TE Connectivity (Schweiz) Management AG, TE Connectivity (Suzhou) Co., TE Connectivity Argentina S.R.L., TE Connectivity Australia Pty Ltd, TE Connectivity Colombia S.A.S., TE Connectivity Connectors (Suzhou) Co., TE Connectivity Distribution (Thailand) Limited, TE Connectivity EMEA Holding GmbH, TE Connectivity Germany GmbH, TE Connectivity HK Limited, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l., TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen E-Finance branch, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen branch, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. (Ireland Branch), TE Connectivity Holding International S.A., TE Connectivity Inc., TE Connectivity India Private Limited, TE Connectivity Investments Holding S.A., TE Connectivity Investments Holding S.A. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen branch, TE Connectivity Ireland Limited, TE Connectivity LATAM Holding S.a r.l., TE Connectivity LATAM I S.a r.l., TE Connectivity LATAM II S.a r.l., TE Connectivity Limited, TE Connectivity MOG Europe S.a r.l., TE Connectivity MOG Holding S.a r.l., TE Connectivity MOG Inc., TE Connectivity MOG Sales GmbH, TE Connectivity Manufacturing (Thailand) Company Limited, TE Connectivity Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., TE Connectivity Morocco SARL, TE Connectivity Nederland B.V., TE Connectivity Netherlands (Poland II) Cooperatief U.A., TE Connectivity Netherlands (Turkey) B.V., TE Connectivity Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., TE Connectivity Phoenix Optix Inc., TE Connectivity Seacon Phoenix Inc., TE Connectivity Sensors Germany GmbH, TE Connectivity Services India Private Limited, TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH, TE Connectivity South Africa Proprietary Limited, TE Connectivity Spain, TE Connectivity SubCom S.L.U., TE Connectivity SubCom Spain Holding S.L.U., TE Connectivity Technology Solutions Limited, TE Connectivity Tunisia Sarl, TE Connectivity ULC, TE Connectivity US Group Holding Inc., TE Connectivity Vietnam Holding Company Limited, TYCO Electronics Polska Sp.z.o.o., TYCO SUBMARINE SYSTEMS INC., TacPro, Tactx Medical, Taicang Speed & Spin Sensors Co., Taliq Taiwan Limited, Tappat Engineering Pty Ltd, TechDevice Costa Rica Limitada, TechDevice Holdings, TechDevice LLC, The Whitaker LLC, Transoceanic Cable Ship Company LLC, TyCom Holdings II SA, TyCom Networks (Peru) S.A., Tyco Electronics (AMP Korea) Malta Limited, Tyco Electronics (Dongguan) Ltd, Tyco Electronics (Gibraltar) Holding Limited, Tyco Electronics (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics (Korea) Malta Limited, Tyco Electronics (Kunshan) Ltd, Tyco Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Tyco Electronics (Qingdao) Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Schweiz) Holding II GmbH, Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Tyco Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Suzhou) Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Zhuhai) Ltd, Tyco Electronics AMP Guangdong Ltd, Tyco Electronics AMP Italia Products S.R.L., Tyco Electronics AMP Italia S.R.L., Tyco Electronics AMP Korea Co., Tyco Electronics AMP Manufacturing (S) Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics AMP Qingdao Ltd., Tyco Electronics AMP Shanghai Ltd., Tyco Electronics Austria GmbH, Tyco Electronics Belgium EC BVBA, Tyco Electronics Brasil Ltda., Tyco Electronics Canada ULC, Tyco Electronics China (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics Componentes Electromecanicos Lda., Tyco Electronics Corby Limited, Tyco Electronics Corporation, Tyco Electronics Czech s.r.o., Tyco Electronics Del Peru S.A.C., Tyco Electronics EC Trutnov s.r.o., Tyco Electronics EC Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Tyco Electronics Eta Limited, Tyco Electronics Finance Alpha GmbH, Tyco Electronics Finance S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Finland Oy, Tyco Electronics France SAS, Tyco Electronics Germany Holdings GmbH, Tyco Electronics Group S.A., Tyco Electronics Group S.A. (French Branch), Tyco Electronics Group S.A. (Ireland Branch), Tyco Electronics H.K. Limited, Tyco Electronics Hellas MEPE, Tyco Electronics Holding Corp., Tyco Electronics Holding France, Tyco Electronics Holding S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Holdings (Bermuda) No. 7 Limited, Tyco Electronics Holdings (Bermuda) No. 7 Limited Taiwan Branch, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 1 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 2 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 3 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hungary Termelo Kft, Tyco Electronics Idento, Tyco Electronics India (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics Industrial Y Comercial Chile Limitada, Tyco Electronics Integrated Cable Systems LLC, Tyco Electronics Ireland Limited, Tyco Electronics Israel Ltd., Tyco Electronics Italia Holding S.r.l., Tyco Electronics Japan G.K., Tyco Electronics Lambda, Tyco Electronics Latin America Holding LLC, Tyco Electronics Manufacturing Singapore Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics Mexico, Tyco Electronics Middle East FZE, Tyco Electronics Motors Ltd, Tyco Electronics NZ Limited, Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Germany Holding) S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Gibraltar China) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Gibraltar India) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (India) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands Holding B.V., Tyco Electronics Norge AS, Tyco Electronics Philippines, Tyco Electronics Precision Engineering Ltd., Tyco Electronics Printed Circuit Group LP, Tyco Electronics RIMC Holding LLC, Tyco Electronics RUS OOO, Tyco Electronics Raychem GmbH, Tyco Electronics Raychem Korea Limited, Tyco Electronics SIMEL SAS, Tyco Electronics Saudi Arabia Limited, Tyco Electronics Services GmbH, Tyco Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications LLC, Tyco Electronics Svenska AB, Tyco Electronics Svenska Holdings AB, Tyco Electronics Technology (SIP) Co., Tyco Electronics Technology (SIP) Ltd., Tyco Electronics Tecnologias S. de R.L. de C.V., Tyco Electronics UK Holdings Ltd, Tyco Electronics UK Ltd., Tyco Electronics UK Ltd. (Kenya Branch), Tyco Electronics Ukraine Limited, Tyco Electronics Uruguay S.A., Tyco Electronics Verwaltungs GmbH, Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems B.V., Tyco Electronics de Venezuela, Tyco Elektronik AMP Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Tyco Global Networks Ltd., Tyco Iberia, Tyco International Services GmbH, Tyco Networks (Argentina) S.R.L., Tyco Networks (Italy) Srl, Tyco Networks (Netherlands) B.V., Tyco Networks Iberica, Tyco Submarine Systems, Tyco Submarine Systems C.A., Tyco Submarine Systems de Argentina S.A., Tyco Telecommunications Ltd., Wema Americas LLC, Wema Automotive System Private Limited, Wema Environmental Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Wema Environmental Technologies (Shenzhen) Co., Wema Environmental Technologies Ltd., Wema System AG, Wema System AS, Wema System Hong Kong Limited, Wema System Production and Distribution HK Limited, Xiamen Delixing Electric Equipment Businesss, and motec Montage GmbH.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V..

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United Parcel Service, Inc. provides letter and package delivery, transportation, logistics, and related services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. The International Package segment provides guaranteed day and time-definite international shipping services in Europe, the Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Africa. This segment offers guaranteed time-definite express options. The company also provides international air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, distribution and post-sales, and mail and consulting services in approximately 200 countries and territories. In addition, it offers truckload brokerage services; supply chain solutions to the healthcare and life sciences industry; shipping, visibility, and billing technologies; and financial and insurance services. The company operates a fleet of approximately 121,000 package cars, vans, tractors, and motorcycles; and owns 59,000 containers that are used to transport cargo in its aircraft. United Parcel Service, Inc. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Vermilion Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in North America, Europe, and Australia. The company owns 81% working interest in 636,714 net acres of developed land and 85% working interest in 301,026 net acres of undeveloped land in Canada; 130,715 net acres of land in the Powder River basin in the United States; 96% working interest in 248,873 net acres of developed land and 86% working interest in 134,160 net acres of undeveloped land in the Aquitaine and Paris Basins in France; 53% working interest in 901,791 net acres of land in the Netherlands; 54,625 net developed acres and 920,723 net undeveloped acres in Germany; 975,375 net acres land in Croatia; 946,666 net acres land in Hungary; and 48,954 net acres land in Slovakia. It also owns 20% interests in the offshore Corrib natural gas field located to the northwest coast of Ireland; and 100% working interest in the Wandoo offshore oil field and related production facilities that covers 59,553 acres located on Western Australia's northwest shelf. As of December 31, 2021, the company had 401 net producing conventional natural gas wells and 2,132 net producing light and medium crude oil wells in Canada; 167.6 net producing light and medium crude oil wells in the United States; 297.0 net producing light and medium crude oil wells and 3 net producing conventional natural gas wells in France; and 47 net producing natural gas wells in the Netherlands. Vermilion Energy Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
The Rangers announced on Friday that theyve signed veteran left-handed reliever Wesley Wright to a minor league contract and outrighted right-hander Brady Dragmire to Triple-A Round Rock. Both players will be invited to Major League Spring Training, per Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake.

Wright, who turns 32 tomorrow, didnt appear in the Majors in 2016 (the first year since 2007 that he hasnt thrown a big league pitch). He did log 31 1/3 innings with the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate, posting a 4.31 ERA with 21 strikeouts against 13 walks.

Wright lost most of the 2015 season to injury (a strained left trapezius muscle, to be more specific), but from 2011-14 he was a quality contributor to the Astros, Cubs and Rays. In those four seasons, Wright logged a 3.25 ERA with 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings against 3.2 walks per nine. Over the course of his career, Wright has held opposing left-handers to a rather timid .237/.313/.334 batting line through 606 plate appearances.

As for Dragmire, the 23-year-olds lengthy and tumultuous trip through the offseason waiver circuit will now end with the Rangers. Originally the property of the Blue Jays, Dragmire was designated for assignment in late September and traded to the Pirates, only to be claimed back by the Rangers in early December. Texas tried to sneak him through waivers two weeks later after signing Carlos Gomez, at which point the Pirates re-claimed him off waivers. As if that wasnt enough movement, Dragmire was again designated by Pittsburgh and again claimed by the Rangers, who designated him for assignment yet again last week after signing Tyson Ross. The Rangers have now finally succeeded in passing him through waivers, meaning theyll be able to retain his rights without committing a 40-man roster spot to Dragmire.

Last season, Dragmire logged a 4.38 ERA with 5.1 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 72 innings at Double-A New Hampshire (Torontos affiliate). While those numbers arent exactly eye-catching, Dragmire also logged a robust 63.6 percent ground-ball rate, which seems to have made him highly appealing to both Texas and Pittsburgh. Hell hope to replicate that trait with some improved run prevention in the upper minors as he looks to make his way to the Major Leagues for the first time in 2017.
This year's edition of the Ghana Music Week (GMW) Festival, a week-long celebration of Ghanaian music which will kick off from March 3, will be launched at the Alliance Francaise tonight at 7:00pm.

The festival which is being organised by the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) is a seven-day music festival held annually in Ghana in March.

The launch, BEATWAVES gathered, will be unveiled to the general public to communicate details such as the date, venue, format and headline artistes and sponsors for the event.

It will be graced by the stakeholders in the creative industry. There will be performances from some music icons such as Stonebwoy, Dela Botri, Ben Brako, Koo Ntakra, Fatau Keita, among others.

The launch will bring together artistes, stakeholders, the media, decision/policy makers and music users on one platform to celebrate Ghanaian music.

As part of the celebration, the Ghana Music Week will host an award ceremony to reward those who have in diverse ways contributed to its growth and development.

It will also host an international music forum at the British Council and another major musical concert in Accra, and the event will witness performances from over 40 Ghanaian music stars.

Our key goal is to create the industry's biggest platform to bring together and encourage participation of key industry players; and to recognise, promote and underscore the importance and value of Ghanaian music forms, a source close to the organisers told BEATWAVES.

The event is being organised to create the industry's biggest platform to market Ghanaian artistes and to promote Ghanaian music home and abroad.

By George Clifford Owusu
Kumawood movie star, Kwaku Manu prior to his visit to Germany has decided to share some interesting moments and places in a video.

The actor who is having a great time over there has made himself a tour guide showing Ghanaians all the wonderful places he has been to.

In the video, the hilarious movie star, first of all met his long time friend, Bob Zigah before touring the St Augustine Catholic Church and then later having lunch with friends in an eatery

From Kwaku Manu's view point, it is clear that Germany is a must to be destination
President Nana AKufo-Addo

27.01.2017 LISTEN

Every great dream begins with a dreamer, Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Harriet Tubman

NANA ABRE, YEN NSO Y'ABRE (Nana has suffered. We have also suffered). Yen na yennie? (Could we be the beneficiaries?). Nana Prempeh of Kitase was beside himself! He could not believe his good omen, his luck, his fortune when the results were announced, and Nana Addo had won. He says: I do not have a pesewa to my name; I don't suppose I would earn anything extraordinary  no post, no additional wealth- but it looks as if a heavy burden has been lifted off my head. Nana Prempeh was expressing the sentiments of the majority of Ghanaians.

Nana Addo had failed to annex the enviable crown of the President on two previous occasions: 2008, 2012 and ..wait a minute .. the person who had no dog's chance of success at the polls, surprised everyone by the overwhelming votes he garnered, whipping the young and vibrant Mahama by a whopping and unprecedented gap of over one million votes.

Not that President Akufo Addo was the first to try his luck three times at the presidency. President Atta-Mills had done it and failed in 2000 and 2004. In 2008, he had argued: a deity is consulted three times in succession for divination.

When President  to  be Nana Addo kept repeating: The battle is the Lord's some were the critics who ridiculed him. He was mocked for humbly praying for voters to vote for him. When he and Dr Mahamadu Bawumia went to court on the 2012 Presidential Election, and the judgment went against him, he remained resolute and accepted the verdict, though he could not agree with it. What would have happened if he had failed to respect the verdict? And there were hordes of people standing by to say 'Twooboi, Yenntie'.

When the campaign heat was on, he was mocked and insulted. He was besmeared with scurrilous accusations, and wild allegations were heaped upon himespecially by 'babies with sharp teeth'. O, Nana abre. Persons who would otherwise be called 'prominent' or 'dignified' could not, would not and should not believe that Nana Addo would ever be President, and cast insinuations at him. Who are they? Where are they? They played God when they made those proclamations. Nana would not get bogged down. He could not be intimidated. He had a dream, and he sought to fulfill it.

The 'most unkindest cut' came from Nana Addo's own compatriots in the NPP and people who claimed to love NPP. Some claimed Nana Addo- not only he  his family had been cursed. Some raised a non  existent conflict between the Akan tribes, even to the point of disregarding inter-tribal marriages between people of such tribes. The rest is history.

Honourable Kennedy Agyapong may not be the loudmouthed braggart who hides his shortcomings in braggadocio. No matter the opinion people have about him, he has a large following of NPP supporters, especially the rank  and  file or grassroots men and women. He has decided to go easy on the NDC, now that his party is in power, but he cannot renege on his promise to put (his) life on the line to save Ghana!

Ken's contribution to the success of NPP has been tremendous, notwithstanding the fact that every contribution counts, even the 'widow's mite'. Kennedy is a 'no-nonsense' man, and he is not the type that will condone corruption, (At this stage of Ghana's history, we need such dedicated, selfless men and women to guide the ship of state to safety. NPP cannot pay him sufficiently for his immense assistance. It is refreshing to hear from Kofi Badu (K.B) again. His voice on Oman FM 107.1 on Tuesday was not sonorous, but rather scintillating, invigorating and stimulating.

Those who have fleeced Ghana must advise themselves to return what they have stolen to government chest. Either they do it voluntarily or be forcibly dragged to court (not firing squad). They will meet the 'Special Prosecutor'. Remember what Mark Antonio said in William Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar': The evil that men do lives after them.

All those public officials who were dealt with foul blows by the NDC can proceed to court to seek redress. The perpetrators will know that Ghana belongs to all of us, and we expect to be treated equally, I am heading for court for being sent home from the public service when my time for retirement was not due. And some tax dodgers were jubilating! We know them all. Insensitive and callous people,

NPP may not pay NDC back in their own coin. It should not be eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, or foot for foot'' as in the Mosaic edict found in Exodus 21:24. Mahatma Gandhi says: An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Besides, that would be vendetta  the lingering grudge of hatred for one another, leading to a long destructive feud, in which each injury is revenged, and results in an unnecessary cycle of retaliation. Somebody would ask: Na who cause am? Who originated this bickering: Kwadwo Owusu- Afriyie (Sir John) and Perry Okudzeto are on the same wave  length over this. Kufour's idea of 'school feeding' gave employment to a number of women. When NDC came to power, all these women were sacked and replaced by NDC sympathisers. Now, Kofi Portuphy is crying 'wolf'; Toilet and toll booth seizures? So demeaning; it is infra dig (infra dignitatem: beneath dignity). As in Jeremiah 31: 29: In those days they shall say no more. The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. These are the vicissitudes of life.

One cannot but relish the answers provided at the vetting of the ministers  elect, notably Osafo Maafo, Ken Ofori Attah, Kan Dapaah,, Agyarko, Alan Kyeremateng and Matthew Opoku (NAPO)who else?. Their mouths bespeak the true sense of commitment and as Lollah Gifty Akita says in 'Pearls of Wisdom': The deed of the light are goodness, righteousness and faithfulness.

Should the NPP succeed, Nana Addo's sweat and struggle will not have been in vain. It remains for the NDC to purge themselves of what Rawlings, the owner of the party calls the action of the uncouth, uncultured selfish and greedy characters. Meanwhile until last Tuesday (24th January) some people did not know that security men guarding the Jubilee House could be so polite and so helpful. Refreshing change!

Africanus Owusu-Ansah

[email protected]
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudanese opposition leader and ex-prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi returned from exile Thursday, more than two years after he fled abroad, saying he wants to "end the war".

Mahdi, whose civilian government was overthrown in a 1989 coup that brought President Omar al-Bashir to power, flew in to Khartoum, said his daughter Mariam al-Mahdi, deputy head of the Umma party.

She said authorities had prevented several supporters from entering the airport to welcome Mahdi.

But Mahdi later spoke before thousands of supporters who had gathered in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman.

"I came back to end the war, re-establish peace and work for a democratic transition," he told them.

"I will work with all the parties in order to put an end to hostilities and to see that humanitarian aid reaches all those who need it."

Mahdi left Sudan for exile, mostly in Egypt, in August 2014, weeks after being released from prison following a month in custody on treason-related charges that carried the death penalty.

The 81-year-old had been arrested after accusing pro-government paramilitary forces of rape in western Sudan's Darfur region where the UN says at least 300,000 people died in a conflict that erupted in 2003.

His detention led to large-scale protests at the time calling for the fall of Bashir's government, which were violently dispersed by authorities.

Supporters of Sudanese opposition leader and ex-prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi celebrate in the streets of Omdurman on January 26, 2017

The case sparked concern from Western governments but Mahdi was released after his legal team appealed to the justice minister to drop or suspend the charges. The exact status of the charges is not clear.

A fixture of Sudanese politics since the 1960s, Mahdi was prime minister from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989.

His government was the last one to be democratically elected in Sudan before the 1989 coup launched by Bashir.

The Umma party is one of Sudan's oldest political institutions.

Mahdi is also revered by followers in his Ansar al-Islam movement, a key component of the party.

'Reconciliation deals'

While in exile Mahdi signed a controversial agreement joining Umma in an alliance with other opposition parties and a number of rebel groups from the war-torn Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Darfur regions.

In a statement issued in November, Mahdi had urged workers to stage a three-day nationwide strike against Bashir's regime, amid mounting anger over fuel subsidy cuts and other economic problems.

Sadiq al-Mahdi told the crowd in Omdurman, "I came back to end the war, re-establish peace and work for a democratic transition"

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide related to the Darfur conflict, has been accused of systematic repression of the opposition.

The conflict -- which also displaced 2.5 million people -- erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region.

Sudanese lawmakers voted in December to bring back the post of prime minister, a position abolished after Bashir's Islamist-backed putsch against Mahdi in 1989.

In October, after a quarter-century in power, Bashir concluded a year-long national dialogue aimed at resolving the insurgencies in Sudan's border regions and healing the country's crisis-wracked economy.

The talks, launched in October 2015, were boycotted by most mainstream opposition and armed groups.

On Thursday, Mahdi repeatedly called for reconciliation in Sudan through a political dialogue.

"During my stay abroad, I succeeded in persuading my friends within political parties of the need for a political solution," he said.

He also announced that he would soon criss-cross the country in order to strike "reconciliation deals and put an end to tribal rivalries".
BY KENNETH SACKEY

Accra, Jan. 26, GNA - President Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Thursday, inaugurated a 30-member Committee to plan for the celebration of Ghana's 60 th Independence Anniversary on March 6.

The Committee, which has just six weeks to plan the event, is to be chaired by Mr Ken Amankwah, a media and public relations consultant, and a former Deputy Director-General of the Ghana broadcasting Corporation.

President Akufo-Addo, in inaugurating the Committee at the Flagstaff House in Accra, said it was befitting that Ghana celebrated its 60th Anniversary considering its symbolism and the many milestones the country had chalked democratically since independence.

He said: 'I believe it is right and proper to celebrate it (60th Anniversary) especially on a symbolic occasion like this. Even though the country is going through difficult economic times, we still have a lot to celebrate as Ghanaians and I believe that will be the real purpose of the celebration of the 60th anniversary.'

President Akufo-Addo said the celebration of the milestone should be modest and take into account the constraining economic situation of the country.

However, he said, it should be elegant, saying, 'We should have a god feeling about ourselves.

'We have to celebrate our oneness and unity no matter the diversity of opinion, beliefs or religionwe are all fully paid-up members of the Ghana project. This celebration should advance that sense of unity and oneness,' he said.

President Akufo-Addo noted that Ghana's democratic record was unparalleled, having had the longest period of political stability since the inauguration of the Fourth Republic in 1993, with 24 years of unbroken constitutional development; and a period where three successful peaceful transitions of power, coupled with the success of the last election called for celebration.

He said the Ghanaian people had manifested in a dignified and solemn manner the desire to change political direction making Ghana the toast of democracy on the continent.

'The last election has strengthened considerably Ghana's democratic credentials as a nation We have become a beacon in the development of democracy in Africa,' he said.

The committee has representation from the various security agencies, the Presidency and the Ministries.

It would apprise government on plans and activities that would culminate in the anniversary celebration proper.

GNA
By Christopher Arko

Accra, Jan.26, GNA - Parliament has praised ECOWAS for its timely intervention in solving the Gambian post-election crisis by deploying troops to maintain peace in that country.

The House said the high powered mediation team at various times also ensured that the Protocol on the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security was fully enforced, setting a new standard in sub-regional commitment to action.

Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin MP for Efutu, in statement, raised the issue on the floor of Parliament, noting disputes over election results and its attendant armed conflicts as one of the perennial problems to peace and security in the West African sub-region.

He said on December 9, 2016 former President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia, withdrew an earlier concession of defeat he had offered Adama Barrow following the December 1, elections.

He said former President Jammeh subsequently indicted his intention to legally contest the election results. This was enabled by an admission by the Electoral Commission of the Gambia that the margin of Barrow's victory had be recomputed from nine per cent to four percent.

Mr Afenyo-Markin stated that the integrity of Jammeh's decision to contest the election result was however tamed by his record of manipulation of the judiciary in the Gambia under the excuse that there were no supreme court judges to rule on the matter.

He said the brink of another violent conflict situation in the sub-region, ECOWAS activated its dispute settlement mechanism while calling on President Jammeh to respect the results and ensure that there was a peaceful transition to the newly-elected Adama Barrow.

He said the gunboat diplomacy manifesting as a combination of mediation and the declared intention to use force to remove President Jammeh as well as overt support from the international community including the African union and the UN Security Council, yielded the intended outcome and on January 21, 2017 made Mr Jammeh to depart Gambia to Guinea Conakry.

Mr Afenyo-Markin further stated that multi-purpose approach adopted by ECOWAS including the deployment of the troops and the supervision of the swearing-in of the new President Adama Barrow at the Embassy of the Gambia in Senegal were necessary interventions.

This. he said, averted humanitarian disaster, violation of human rights and the rule of law, manifested threat to peace and security in the sub-region, and internal conflict by political actors and displacement of persons.

'It was gratifying that even after President Jammeh's departure ECOWAS troops have still been deployed to ensure that the threat to the security of Gambia likely to emerge from the vestiges of the Jammeh era,' he said.

He added that Ghana committed 205 troops that enhanced its political leverage in the sub-region.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader in his contribution to the debate called on the new government in Gambia to work towards electoral reforms in the country.

He called for a term limit to the Gambian Presidential office to prevent people from abusing the current system which had no term limit.

Ms Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, Deputy Majoity who still wanted to hang onto power after losing Presidential elections were placing the sub-region in a bad light.

She said in situations where conflicts had arisen as result of election, the most affected people were women and children.

Mr Frank Annor-Dompreh, Dr Kwabena Donkor, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Ms Laadi Ayamba members of parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Pru East, Ofoase Ayirebi and Pusiga respectively also contributed to the debate.

GNA
By Priscilla S. Djentuh, GNA

Accra, Jan.26, GNA - Ghana, on Thursday, received $60,000 worth of laboratory supplies for the testing of meningitis, from the United States-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The donation was made under the Lead, Ghana Second Year of life Project (2YL) of the CDC, which forms of their initiatives in preventing disease spread.

Dr Mawuli K. Nyaku, the Head of the 2YL project, who made the presentation, to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said the supplies would be used to test suspected cases of meningitis across the country, especially the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

He said: The CDC has been procuring a lot of laboratory supplies and equipment for the country, including this donation.'

He said because of the usual drought in Northern Ghana the CDC found it expedient to initiate interventions to check spread of the disease.

Dr Nyaku said the five-year project, which was in its second year, was, however, focused on immunisation as part of efforts in preventing meningitis and many other diseases in Ghana.

He stated that it was important to keep data and records of these immunisation projects in the country so as make improvements in futuristic disease control, saying, 'The CDC's main goal is to prevent the spread of diseases globally'.

He said nurses were being trainned on immunisation across the country to visit various schools to cover as many people as possible.

'So we are looking at a broader picture of providing health containers for schools everywhere in this project,' he explained.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira, the Director General of the GHS, who received the donation, expressed appreciation, saying: 'We are grateful to the CDC for improving our limited resources.'

He told the Ghana News Agency, in an interview, that the GHS had not recorded any outbreak of meningitis this year, and expressed optimism that the donation would help to prevent the spread of the disease.

Dr Joseph Opare, the National Project Coordinator of 2YL, explained that Meningitis, caused by a bacteria or virus, manifested as an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord.

Injuries to the spinal cord, cancer, and certain drugs can also result in meningitis.

The disease is commonly spread through close contact, sneezing, coughing and kissing with affected persons.

Symptoms include fever, and headache coupled with pain and stiffness in the neck, convulsions and confusion, which are experienced within two to 10 days of infection.

However, it could be successfully treated with antibiotics when patients report early to health facilities.

As part of preventive measures, the public is advised to drink a lot of water, ventilate their living places and frequently wash their hands under running water before eating or cooking, and after visiting the washroom.

It is also advisable to avoid crowded areas during an outbreak of meningitis.

GNA
27.01.2017 LISTEN

By Benjamin Mensah, GNA

Accra, Jan 26, GNA - Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister Designate for Local Government and Rural Development has begun psyching the Ghanaian legislature, seeking its support to reform the laws to elect Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

Under the current regime, the President appoints the MMDCEs.

She said the Government would seek constitutional amendment to get Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) elected into office.

The move to reform the law from appointment to election of MMDCEs is on account of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo's promise after victory in the 2016 elections.

He promised to consult traditional authorities in the country in the appointment of new MMDCEs until 2018 when elections would be held to fill the positions.

The President promised the country would in 2018 move to fully elected District Assembly

'...It is going to be done by the people of the districts and no longer by the nomination of the President,' President Akufo Addo had said.

In furtherance to the President's promise, Hajia Alima during her vetting in Accra said: 'we would come to parliament to amend them just like we would come to amend Article 243, which is also non-entrenched, and requires a 2/3 majority to vote to get it amended.'

The Minister Designate was confident that it would not be difficult to get the numbers as there were people on the minority side of parliament who would vote for DCEs to get elected.

She called on Members of Parliament to support the bill on the reform when it was presented to the House to enhance their support to development projects in the constituencies.

She said: 'For instance, parliament's role is actually legislation but we all want to do development programmes in our constituencies because at the constituency level, people are looking for development.

'Therefore, if we have a DCE who is supporting development in the constituency and accountable to the people, I think that is the best way to go for it.'

She said when given the nod, the Government would initiate the process for the amendment.

When queried about a directive, she issued to dismiss MMDCs in the immediate past Mahama Administration, Hajia Alima said she was directed by the president to do so in accordance with the constitution and the provisions in the transitional act.

'In the constitution, Article 58(1) says the executive authority of Ghana shall be vested in the president and shall be exercised in accordance with the provision of this constitution.

'Then it goes to Article 58(3), which states that subject to the provisions of this constitution, the functions conferred on the president by clause 1of this article maybe exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him.

'In the letter dated 9 January, the president wrote to me, Alima Mahama, directing that I be his representative to take charge of affairs of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

'Following on that, he directed that by virtue of the powers vested in him in article 243(3), he was revoking appointments of DCEs and, therefore, I should go ahead and send out that letter - which I did.'

The Minister Designate urged the MMDCEs to work to maintain peace with MPs and not to hold on to the MPs share of the Common Fund and other resources from the Central Government

She cautioned would-be MMDCEs not to hold on to the MPs Common Fund, stressing that they should release the MP's share of the Common Fund that has been duly transferred to the District office.

GNA
The smell of rosemary wafting down the halls drew Holmen High School students in droves to the 11 a.m. lunch line Friday.

For a third straight year, Holmen School District served students at all six of its schools a lunch of student-raised chicken served alongside fresh fruits, vegetables and roasted potatoes grown in nearby Vernon County. More than 3,000 portions of chicken were served for Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, a partnership of the Holmen High School FFA, a student agribusiness organization and the La Crosse County Farm2School program that has won national recognition, including a 2015 Best Concept award from Food Management Magazine.

The roasted chicken was Holmen junior Hunter Freblers favorite part of the meal, especially the secret spice blend perfected by nutrition services supervisor Mike Gasper. Frebler said he was grateful for all of the hard work the FFA students put into the meal and it was cool to have all the different fresh menu options.

Its a great experience, he said while devouring his chicken and potatoes. Everything is really tasty.

To feed the more than 1,100 students and staff who eat lunch during the two hours it is served at the high school, nutrition staff started their work the day before, prepping the spice blend for the chicken, and dicing and seasoning the potatoes. High school nutrition team leader Sarah Mumm said staff started coming in at 6 a.m. Friday to keep things moving and make sure kids didnt wait for lunch.

It takes a precise choreography to keep everything fresh, with items prepared in batches and a precise oven schedule for the dinner rolls, potatoes and chicken. Preparing the fresh chicken takes a little bit more work than other meals, Mumm said, but seeing the reactions from the students is worth it.

We absolutely love it, she said. Kids respond well to the educational aspects of the meal, and that is a reward to everyone in the kitchen.

Agricultural science teacher Roger King started working with his students last spring raising the chickens served Friday. The students raised them in class from eggs to chicks before taking them to Kings and other students farms to finish growing.

Students watched and learned about processing the chickens when they were butchered and frozen at KB Poultry in Utica, Minn. Students also have a hydroponic greenhouse where they grow four varieties of lettuce for the high school, another fresh option on Friday.

Its a good experience, FFA member and Holmen senior Tanner Underberg said. Its not something I knew a bunch about before taking the greenhouse class. It helps give people an idea where their food comes from.

Underberg was one of the FFA members who helped serve the meal. He was joined at the high school by Laura Munger, a 2016 Holmen graduate and this years state FFA secretary, along with two students dressed up in a chicken suit and an Eat More Chikin sandwich board to add some levity to Fridays meal.

It is cool for students each year to see the work the FFA students did, Munger said, that we helped make lunch for the whole district for a day.

Holmen sophomore Tatum Marcon appreciated the FFA students work and just how fresh everything tasted from the chicken to the lettuce to the pineapple. She thought it was a really cool thing for the FFA students to do and for her to know exactly where a lot of the food she was eating came from.

I really like the variety, she said. There is so much for the students to choose from. I think its amazing.

We absolutely love it, she said. Kids respond well to the educational aspects of the meal, and that is a reward to everyone in the kitchen. Sarah Mumm, high school nutrition team leader
By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra Jan. 27, GNA- Two Nigerians who allegedly defrauded a United Kingdom based businesswoman of $116,000 under the pretext of transporting two trunks of gold to her have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

The accused are said to have also forged documents such as Certificate of ownership from the Ministry of Interior, Benin and certificates of deposit in name of NECODI Group of companies.

Kazeem Alade aka Hassan and Mohammed Gbanjo charged with conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences and Forgery have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court presided over by Mrs. Ruby Naa A. Qauison admitted them to bail in the sum of GHE465,000.00 with four sureties one to be justified. They are to reappear on February 7.

Prosecution said the complainant Louisa Dewar hails from the United Kingdom but currently resides in Ghana. The accused persons have live in Ghana for over a year.

According to prosecution, Alade introduced himself as a businessman from Guinea and told the complainant that he had two trunks of gold which was deposited in a security house in Guinea and would sell same to her after payments.

Alade gave the complainant some fake documents to confirm that he owns two trunks of gold and that he inherited same from his family in Guinea.

Based on those facts Alade succeeded in collecting $74,000 under the pretext of going to Benin to bring the gold.

Alade further collected $42,000 saying he personally had some consignment of which he would sell to her. After collecting the money, Alade went into hiding.

Prosecution said Alade before absconding introduced Michael Wale a witness in the case to the complainant as someone who had some of the gold and Michael also collected 10,000 dollars.

The prosecutor said complainant reported Wale to the Police and he (Wale) was arrested together with Femi Aminu. Wale however refunded the money he collected from the complaint.

Alade and Gbanjo were picked by the Police when they were lured to come for more money.

Alade told the Police that he only collected GHE1,500.00 as transportation from Benin and denied defrauding the complainant of the alleged money.

GNA
27.01.2017 LISTEN

I CORINTHIANS 12:10-11

And to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills (NASB).

INTRODUCTION

In the Old Testament times the nation of Israel rejected God and went after false gods, and that resulted in idolatry. In the New Testament the Israelites rejected Jesus Christ and that produced empty religion. Today, you and I stand in danger of similar idolatry, if we reject the person of the Holy Spirit to worship spiritual gifts or deify humans. We are living in the days of the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit came to glorify Jesus Christ. Therefore, you are to be careful not to worship any person other than Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

I. DIVERSITY IN UNITY VV. 10-11

To another the Holy Spirit gives the gift of miracles. The word miracle used in this context literally means workings of powers. A miracle is an event that is beyond the power of any known physical law to produce. A miracle is a spiritual occurrence produced by the power of God, marvel and a wonder. The plural wording suggests that each miracle is a special gift, given as needs and occasions arise. Neither Jesus nor the apostles exercised this gift as a spectacle, merely for the purpose of drawing attention to Himself/themselves. In the New Testament miracles were sometimes used to draw people to a commitment to Christ (Acts 13:11-12); and sometimes they were used to meet human needs (Matt. 14:14-21). In His earthly ministry Jesus performed many miracles. He turned water into wine (John 2). He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44). He brought Jairus daughter from death to life (Mark 5:41-43). The apostle Peter raised Dorcas or Tabitha from death to life (Acts 9:40). The apostle Paul smote Elymas with blindness when he tried to hinder Sergius Paulus from coming to faith in Christ (Acts 13:11).

There are many miracles recorded in both the Old and New Testaments. However, in all honesty and sincerity you and I must confess that instances of water being turned into wine, persons walking on the water, or physical resurrections from the dead are not common occurrences in our time. Doubtless God is able to work such miracles in our time and among us; but it is safe to say that we do not regularly experience the sort of miracles which occurred in the book of Acts. The miracles that Jesus and the apostles performed authenticated their claim of authority and gave credibility to their message. You should realize that people asked Jesus and the apostles, How do we know that you are who you say you are, and that your words are true? At strategic moments God repeatedly manifested Himself to people by miracles so they had outward, confirming evidence that the words they heard from Gods servants were true. One notable example is Elijah versus the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). The apostle Paul challenged his opponents that they could know he was an apostle when he said, The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles (2 Cor. 12:12).

Why dont we witness miracles frequently today? For one thing, we have the tendency to offer scientific explanations for everything. We have over-reacted against those who called everything that happened a miracle. Our naturalistic view of reality has produced a secular mentality. This anti-supernatural bias doubtless hinders Gods miraculous working in our time. Another reason is that Christians are not to walk by sight but by faith. The Christian life is not dependent on whether God works miracles or not. Basically, you and I do not rely upon what God does, but who He is. God continues to work miracles today, but miracles are not required to validate the Christian message. John the Baptist was a great prophet of God but he did not perform any miracles. John 10:41-42 states, And many came to Him (Jesus) and were saying, while John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true. And many believed in Him there. Though John did not perform any miracle, he exalted the Lord Jesus Christ whom many then received. Recall that Jesus said of John, Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). Miracles are not frequent occurrence today because the church itself has become Gods sign to our age. Transformed lives remain the greatest demonstrations of Gods miraculous working in our world.

When God touches and transforms a sinner, a prostitute, a murderer, an alcoholic, a drug addict, a homosexual, a lesbian, a witch doctor, a Hindu or a Moslem that is a miracle. It is a miracle of a transformed life. God continues to work miracles in the context of an unevangelized mission fields. At the same time, you and I are not to rely too much on miracles, because in many cases in the New Testament miracles did not produce faith in Christ. In fact, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, people conspired to kill Him. Few converts were won in biblical times through miracles. Moreover, the NT does not urge Christians to seek miracles or signs and wonders. Remember that Satan also performs miracles. The prophets of Pharaoh challenged Moses and Aaron for a while. Paul says that in the latter days some will give heed to the doctrine of demons (1 Tim. 4:1). Paul says again that the Anti-Christ will work with all power and signs and false wonders (2 Thess. 2:9). I understand that some self-appointed prophets from Africa are now going to India to get powers for their ministries. A transformed life is the greatest of all miracles.

There is the gift of prophecy. This is the third time we are dealing with prophecy. Prophecy means basically to speak Gods word with divine anointing. In the Bible prophecy has more to do with proclamation than predicting the future. Sometimes telling the future was part of prophecy. However, the relevant presentation of Gods word to the immediate situation dominates the greater share of NT prophecy. Effective prophecy communicates Gods word to people in the midst of their current situation. When Jeremiah was prophesying, he was speaking to his generation about their need for repentance in view of Gods impending judgment of the nation. Apostle Paul gives us the guideline for evaluating prophecy: (1) prophecy will edify or build up the congregation. (2) Prophecy will encourage and impart life. (3) Prophecy will console believers and draw them toward God in Christian unity (1 Cor. 14:3).

The NT consistently teaches that Christian prophecy will be orderly, positive in orientation and edifying to the church. True prophets are not arrogant. Every prophecy must be examined in the light of the Bible (A prophet who took a church members wife). Our criterion for judging the validity of prophecy is the Bible. Current prophecy will not result in a new revelation because the Bible remains normative for the churchs doctrine. This is what some of the Charismatics have not learned. Misunderstanding and abuse of prophecy and tongues are what brought a split among the Pentecostals (Assemblies of God and other extreme Pentecostals).

Distinguishing of spirits or discernment is another gift of the Spirit. The gift of discernment is the spiritual ability to distinguish between spirits, whether they are divine, human, or demonic (1 Thess. 5:20-21). This gift does not enable you to determine who is a Christian and who is not. That determination belongs exclusively to God. However, this gift equips you to discern a Christian spirit or a non-Christian spirit in order to prevent confusion and false teachings from infiltrating the church. Satan often appears as the counterfeit agent of truth (2 Cor. 11:14-15). Today thousands of astrologers are plying their trade, many newspapers carry horoscopes, and some people in the church are tempted to dabble in the occult practices, in seances, and the New Age movement teachings. There are some who commune with other spirits including the spirits of the dead. God commanded the Israelites to kill people who practiced such things. Those of you who want to see visions and revelations are vulnerable to those evil forces. For some Christians, walking by faith is not enough. The problem is that if walking by faith is not enough for you, then you cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ (Matt. 24:24). The fact of the matter is that supernatural activity does not necessarily originate with God. Satan too can perform great wonders through those who are under his influence.

Dr. Billy Graham writes, I am convinced that hundreds of religious leaders throughout the world today are servants not of God, but of the Anti-Christ. They are wolves in sheeps clothing; they are tares instead of wheat. He wrote this book in 1978, so you can imagine that the number of these false prophets have increased tremendously. The question is, How can we know the false from the true? This is why we need the spirit of discernment. Without a gift of discernment in the church, Christians are open to all sorts of odd teachings and false doctrines. Today there are some who are teaching that Christians can be possessed by demons. This is false teaching. Even when a Christian falls into a sin, this by no means suggests that he/she is demon possessed. We must make a clear distinction between being tempted or oppressed by demons, and being possessed by a demon. There is a vast difference. Dont make a blanket statement that all mental illnesses are the work of demons. The fact that a Christian is depressed does not mean that he/she is demon possessed. A great deal of harm has been done to sincere Christians who have been told that the problems in their lives stem from their being possessed with demons. Thank God for Christians who have the gift of discernment. The gift of discernment enables you not only to discern evil but also to discern good (John 1:47). Jesus discerned good in Nathanael. Barnabas discerned good in John Mark (Acts 15:36-39). However, Peter discerned evil intent in Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3-5).

There are also the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues. The gift of tongues is the problem child; it is the controversial gift then and now. It has divided churches and denominations more than any other gift. The Corinthians were infatuated with the gift of tongues. It was the favorite gift of the Corinthians that had created a whole lot of controversy in the church. There are two improper attitudes applied to the gift of tongues. They are charisphobia and charismania. I have been to a church where one of the leaders was going around looking for those who were praying in tongues and those who were not. That was an unbiblical practice and I pointed it out to the pastor and the leaders and they have changed that. Some Christians fear speaking in tongues and oppose any form of it. Others elevate speaking in tongues to a place of undue prominence. They regard the gift of tongues as the sign of ones having the Holy Spirit. This is farther from the truth. In the book of Acts there are several accounts of people being filled with the Holy Spirit. In some instances they spoke in tongues as the evidence of having received the Holy Spirit. In some instances they were filled with the Holy Spirit but did not speak in tongues. However, you and I have no biblical basis for rejecting the gift of tongues. Tongues are a biblical charisma. There are four kinds of speaking in tongues today: (1) Speaking in a language unknown to the speaker but known to those who speak the language (Acts 2). (2) Speaking in an unknown language, unless God gives the gift of interpretation (1 Cor. 14). (3) Speaking under demonic influence. (4) Speaking in a non-rational verbiage; that is psychological and human response to a religious emotion (testimony of a former member of our church). Some speaking in tongues are of God and are valid. Some are not of God and not valid. In fact, some are demonic. Witch doctors and pagan priests often speak in tongues in their ritual frenzy. I believe many of the tongues that are spoken today are psychological. Some speak in tongues so that they may be accepted in the group. It is like peer pressure. During the Wesleyan revival some who attended the meetings of John Wesley jerked and fell down claiming that they were slain in the Spirit. John Wesley declared that anyone who would do that would be expelled from the meetings and the slaying stopped. In the NT nobody was slain in the Spirit. Those who were slain by the Spirit died (Ananias, Sapphira, and Herod Agrippa I). The apostle Paul gives the instruction for the use of tongues in a worship setting in 1 Corinthians chapter 14; that is when the interpretation of tongues comes in. The gift of discernment is given to test prophecy, teaching, tongues and interpretation of tongues. One clear test of the validity of these gifts is the lifestyle of a person who exercises them. If the lifestyle is inconsistent with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and the character of Christ, the person has failed the test of validity.
A Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri-Boahen, has said the rejection of President Akufo-Addos Minister-nominee for the Brong Ahafo Region, Kweku Asomah-Cheremeh, by Sunyani Traditional Council will come to nothing.

He however said an attempt by people to promote a back and forth on the matter, could create unnecessary tension in the Sunyani Township, considering that its only one paramountcy out of the many that has raised the concerns.

The Sunyani Traditional Council at a news conference on Thursday, announced their rejection of the Minister-nominee for the Brong Ahafo Region, named by President Nana Akufo-Addo, because according to the council, Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh has over the years disrespected them through unwarranted attacks.

Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh (L)

Mr. Obiri-Boahen acknowledged that the council had every right to complain about the nominee, but he suggested that they should have used more appropriate avenues to air their grievances.

In an interview on Eyewitness News, he said, I believe that to be fair to all of us, the proper thing they ought to have to have done was that they should have put their allegations and their grievances on paper and then submit same to the vetting committee.

Mr. Obiri-Boahen further downplayed the effect of the grievances of a single Traditional Council.

We have about 30 paramount stools and traditional councils in this Region. So if one of the 30 decides to raise up a red flag, fair enough; but that is not sufficient justification for people to be reading a lot of meanings into the nomination of the Regional Chairman, he stated.

Friction was resolved

Mr. Obiri-Boahen also indicated that, President Akufo-Addo and the chiefs had settled the differences during the campaign period in 2016.

We went to the chief's palace and the chief raised some issues in the presence of Nana Addo, other chiefs and linguists, and then we said let sleeping dogs lie. There isn't the need for us to revisit what happened so we were able to bury our differences, he recounted.

Meanwhile the nominee, once a Regional Chairman for the party, was on the same day Thursday, given a rousing welcome into the Sunyani Township by hundreds of NPP supporters.

Background

During the 2016 election campaign, the Sunyani Chief, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri,, endorsed the candidate of President Mahama, pledging 80% votes for the NDC.

The NPPs Regional Chairman then, now the Regional Minister-nominee, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, who is also a lawyer reportedly scolded the chief and reminded him of the constitutional provisions regarding chiefs engaging in active partisan politics.

But the chiefs felt offended by the criticism and demanded an apology, but the Regional Chairman refused to apologize. National executives of the party and Nana Addo were compelled to do so on his behalf when the party visited the region to host its conference at the Sunyani Coronation Park.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
DISCLAIMER: For security reasons, Vocal Europe decides to publish this interview by applying a cryptonym for name of the purged Turkish Military Officer running the twitter account @purgedNATO .

Vocal Europe: Can you talk about yourself? When did you first enter the military, what kind of official positions have you so far held? What was your last responsibility as a Turkish military official at NATO Headquarter in Brussels?

Purged Officer: I joined Turkish Military in 1985. I started to study at the Force Academy and graduated in 1989. I went through officer training in Turkey and abroad. I served in various units of the force. I got my masters degree in United States. Like many other purged officers, I am a staff officer, graduated from War College. I have worked at various national and NATO posts as operational planner. Almost two months after the coup attempt, my NATO assignment was cancelled, after which I was recalled among 270 other officers abroad, for Judicial Investigation. Being in Europe, at the time, I couldnt have been part of the coup. But when I saw that first 17 officers who returned were detained and treated badly, I decided to wait until there is rule of law in the country I have served for many years.

Vocal Europe: Can you share with us your take on the attempted coup on July 15? Was the coup staged by a coalition of groups in Turkish military or was the coup masterminded by Gulenists?

Purged Officer: I believe those involved are threefold. Before I explain who those are, my analysis stems from the belief that extremely poor execution of the coup and events in the aftermath highlight that coup attempt did not aim to take down the government but it was planned to be a failure from the very start. I dont think there are that much Gulenists in armed forces, especially not in senior ranks. For me, it was an alliance of convenience between Erdogan and Ultranationalists. It was to be used as an excuse for Erdogan to get rid of the secular elite and the ones that opposed his policies and for the ultranationalists to take prominent role in armed forces and impose their Eurasian agenda. There are lots of inconsistencies one could find in the most clumsy coup attempt in Turkish history (Keep in mind that Turkish Armed Forces are no strangers to coups, they would have succeeded if there was a real attempt). The three types of people involved in the coup are:

1: A very small group who initiated the coup attempt and stepped aside afterwards,

This is the group that masterminded the coup plot. Judging by who benefited from the coup attempt; this group included Ultranationalists (Perincek Group), and those with ties to Erdogan regime or were simply bought off.

2: Those who believed that the coup was being done in chain of command so obeyed the orders

This included seculars and other Erdogan opposers, who were aware of the widely circulated purge lists and thus might have felt relieved by what they thought was a coup in chain of command. The secular elite had too much with the Erdogans policies.

3: Those who saw it as an opportunity to rise in the ranks

Those simply, did not care too much whether it was done in chain of command or not, but saw it as an opportunity to rise in the ranks.

Vocal Europe: Why is Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan blaming Gulen movement for the coup? And, are you a Gulenist?

Purged Officer: No, I am not a Gulenist. Erdogan blamed Gulenists for the simple reason of animosity. Erdogan owes his poll victories for years to the enemies he skillfully created at every turn. The Gulenists are the last one. Before them, external threats such as CIA, the US, and the internal ones such as Kurds, Alevis, and even secularists were targeted during the AKP rallies.

Many in Turkey believed that the leaked tapes in 17/25 December 2013, where Erdogan and his son talked about how to hide what seems to amount more than a billion dollar in cash, was done by Gulenists in the police force. The purge is not new, actually police force was purged starting in 2013. But Erdogan knew that he needed a stronger tool to get rid of all the opposition in Armed Forces. Armed forces could not be shaped with executive assignments, like it was done with police force. So he decided to enact state of emergency and use the immense powers he gains.

Vocal Europe: Why were you sacked from your position by the Turkish government? Any evidence relating you to the coup? And, how many Turkish colleagues of yours working at NATO faced the very same consequence?

Purged Officer: I was in Belgium at the time of the coup. There is no evidence of any Turkish officers in Belgium or abroad getting involved. If there was any evidence, the regime would have put it all over the mouthpiece media. The only attempt they made is to claim that those abroad planned to take over Embassies, to what purpose and with what weapons I dont know. It was in the media several times and it was apparent that they were trying to stick a blame despite the reality.

The purged Turkish military personnel who used to work at NATO Headquarter in Brussels.

2/3rds of the Turkish staff in Belgium has been in the same situation, which amounts to more than 60 personnel. The ratio changes between  to  in different HQs in NATO. There is a good picture that we had in one of our tweets where we crossed out the purged with Xs. It shows the severity of the situation. Right after the coup attempt failed, the government begun to take quick, painful, and harsh measures in order to not only punish the actors but also reshape the state structure. Military high schools and war colleges were closed under the pretext of their current status inclined to recruit and educate member of a terrorist organization. Since the coup-fiction, more than 4000 soldiers got sacked from the army, air force, navy, gendarmerie and coastguard. Total number of those got sacked in post-coup purge reaches at 124.000. Around 89.000 detained, and 43.000 arrested. I am not sure whether the government has got any legal and valid evidence to blame all those people for involving coup attempt in some way.

15th July will also be recalled as a turning point in terms of its deep impacts over Turkish Armed Forces staff quality, traditional practices, and organizational effectiveness as a whole. The so-called coup attempt, to say coup-fiction, gave way to eliminating high quality staff officers and NCOs whereas opening up an opportunity to those who are not capable enough to fulfill relevant posts, which requires professional competency as well as personal high values such as self-devotion, commitment, and sense of responsibility. By having a quick look at the target audience of the coup-fiction, one can easily notice the common attributes of Turkish military personnel who were, at first, sacked, and then arrested just after July 15.

Personally, I do not know why I was sacked. I never got the specific reason. I was sacked with a decree claiming I had terrorist ties, along with 15000 other people. But I understand that some are sacked due to profiling. I have extensive education in US, I probably did not fit well in the new Eurasianist clique, dominating the Turkish Armed Forces. I was a very successful officer. I was assigned to high profile posts at strategic headquarters. A successful career with a solid education turned out to be a hindrance in new Turkey.

Vocal Europe: After the purge, did you have any contact with your foreign colleagues working for NATO? If yes, what are their reactions to your personal case?

Purged Officer: I have had a lot of support from my foreign colleagues. They have been very understanding. We had been working together for years, they knew me very well. They are all well educated officers. They saw the similarities between what is happening now and that happened with other dictatorships. They offered help. Some offered me to go to their country and stay in their empty home. Some found immigration lawyers and others tried to find a job for us. I was most impressed by the reaction of a friend, whom we had worked for a long time, when he said I do not understand exactly what is going on, but I know you. I will support you in every way, just come and stay with us. We will figure out what to do later.

Id like to thank all for their support and kindness during this difficult period of time.

Vocal Europe: Instead of going back to Turkey for a trial, why did you decide to stay in Belgium?

Purged Officer: If there is no rule of law, there is no guarantee that you would not suffer horrible faith. Since the coup, there has been more than 50 suicides(!!) inside the jails. The newspapers are full of pictures of personnel tortured. There has been rumors of mass killing planned in the jails much like what Qaddafi did in Abu Salim prison in 1996, where 1270 prisoners were killed. I do not believe Erdogan regime plans a normal judicial process for those in jail. If those in jail would testify, then that might uncover the real planners of the coup. I believe this is one of the reasons why there is a ban on media for leaked testimonies. Hence I believe those in Turkey and especially those in jail are under great danger.

Vocal Europe: Do you feel insecure here in Belgium given the statements by various Turkish officials that those who have finger in what happened on July 15 will be taken back to Turkey at any cost?

Purged Officer: I think that there is a possibility for it. Recently, Turkey passed a law that gave permission for the intelligence agency to conduct operations in other countries. So there is a chance. Thus I cannot take any chance for the security of myself and my family. Taking into account that pro-Erdogan people living in Europe are easy fits to Turkish Intelligence to gather info, I try to organize my life as appropriate for not to take any chances. I also know that some Turkish Military senior officials have provided Turkish General Staff a list of officers who applied for asylum in Belgium.

There are some instances which happened recently, that fortify my feeling. The attempted house-search of a former defence attache by Turkish ambassador, the information collection activities of various Turkish Government bodies in Europe are good reasons to feel insecure to some extent.

Vocal Europe: Is there any link between the ongoing purge in Turkish military and the growing influence of Russia over Turkish army? If yes, what sort of problems that this new situation can create between Turkey and NATO in the coming years?

Purged Officer: It is not a coincidence that Eurasianists replaced the pro-western cadre for the prominent roles in the armed forces especially by the hands of Perincek Group. It explains why 150 of 300 generals/admirals were sacked after the coup attempt, despite very small amount of forces involved (2-3 companies, couple tanks, less than 10 fighters, couple ships). In fact if 150 generals were to really conspire for coup, 400 000 strong armed forces would definitely be successful. While pro-NATO and pro-Western military staff were eliminated by means of unlawful practices, empty slots were filled by personnel who stick to the idea that Turkeys destiny must be linked to Eurasia rather than the West. Turkey, as a member of NATO, is now under the influence of those who opts for Russia-Iran-China triangle vis-a-vis NATO and EU option, which endangers regional stability in the mid-term.

It is also very interesting that Eurasianists showed a distinct effort to mend the relations with Russia after the Russian fighter was shutdown in November 2015. There is a good video where the Eurasianist Alexander Dugin tells about the Eurasianist visit to Moscow, asking them to make peace with Erdogan. It is also interesting that the same person (Dugin) was in Turkey until one day before the coup attempt. The Eurasianist-Erdogan alliance is counter intuitive and could only mean that they are cooperating to get rid of the pro-western cadre. It seems to have worked. Erdogan got what he wanted with newfound powers and Eurasianists benefited from the control of the armed forces.

How is NATO going to trust Turkey when Turkey has just signed an intelligence sharing agreement with Russia? Another recent event is Turkeys joint air operations with Russia in Syria. Although it is not a NATO operation, blaming US for not supporting Turkey in the air strikes and at the same time cannot have any reasoning behind it. It is just unacceptable.

Moreover, with the growing number of pro-Russia officers in Turkish military, it would be no surprise to witness any disrupt in critical modernization process and / or setback in national commitments to NATO, which in turn will affect overall effectiveness of NATO against wide spectrum of threats in a warming-up region. Besides, ignoring basic principles of human rights and rule of law makes Turkey unpredictable in the eyes of its allies thereby fueling lack of confidence.

*For security reasons, Vocal Europe decides to publish this interview by applying a cryptonym for name of the purged Turkish Officer running the twitter account @purgedNATO .
The Electoral Commission (EC) has set February 9 for the election of Council of State members to serve the President for the next four years.

Nominations opened on January 20 and closed on January 26, 2017.

The Constitution mandates the Council of State under Article 89 to counsel the President in the performance of his functions.

The Council is required to consider and advise the President or any other authority in respect of any appointment which is required by the Constitution or any other law to be made in accordance with the advice of, or in consultation with the Council, the Constitution states.

It may also, upon request or on its own initiative, consider and make recommendations on any matter being considered or dealt with by the President, a Minister of State, Parliament or any other authority.

It is required to meet at least four times in a year.

According to the EC, a body of electors  two from each district  will be voting to decide who represents the regions on the Council.

Ashanti Region

A total of 23 candidates have picked nomination forms for election to the Council of State to represent the region.

Mr Serebour Quaicoe, Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that three of them had already filed their nomination.

The remaining have up to today Thursday, January 26, to submit their forms.

Mr Quaicoe put the age of the oldest contestant at 92, and the youngest at 21.

Northern Region

Professor Samuel Yakubu Nantogmah (Bo-Na), the Chief of Bogu in the Northern Region, has picked nomination forms to contest the Council of State membership election slated for February 9.

Prof. Yakubu Nantogmah intends to support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos government with his traditional, professional, social-economic balance expertise for accelerated development.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Prof. Yakubu Nantogmah emphasised the critical role the Council played in the governance structure of the country, stressing, It is the storehouse of ideas for the Government.

He said the 1992 Constitution mandates the Council of State under Article 89 to counsel the President in the performance of his functions.

Profile of Nantogmah

Prof. Yakubu Nantogmah in 2016 was a Government Appointee to the Savelugu-Nanton District Assembly. He is a member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Bolgatanga

The Paramount Chief of Tongo Traditional Area, Tong-Raana Kugbilsong Nalebegtang, and other 12 persons across the Upper East Region have so far picked up nomination forms from the EC to contest this years Council of State election to be held on February 9.

The youngest is 34 years old and the oldest is 71.

A former legislator and the current paramount chief of Tongo, His Royal Highness Tong-Raana Kugbilsong Nalebegtang, with experience in local governance, oil, gas and mining and, lately, traditional affairs has hinted he wants to be part of the people who will advise the President of Ghana.

The current elected representative of the Upper East Region is Rt. Rev. Dr Jacob Kofi Ayeebo, who has served in both late President John Atta Mills government and former President John Mahamas.

In the case of the Upper East Region, a total of 26 voters made up of 2 persons from the 13 districts will participate in the process to select one person to represent the region on the Council of State for a four-year term.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com (with additional files from Graphic online)
President Akufo-Addo will today [Friday], leave the country for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).

The Summit, which is to take place from 30th to 31st January, will be preceded by a meeting of the Executive Council which starts today.

This will be Nana Addos second trip outside Ghana after his inauguration as President.

Few days after his inauguration, President Akufo-Addo left Ghana in his first official international assignment to attend the 27th African-France Summit held in Bamako, Mali.

The summit, held on January 14, 2017, saw heads of state from various African countries commit to ensuring that economic growth in their respective countries lead to a more inclusive economy, which will create jobs for the youth.

The resolution was in line with the framework of the International Sustainable Development Agenda  the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the African Union's Agenda, 2063.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Whoever advised Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe to come out of hiding to even partake in national discourse, albeit disappointingly, has done him a disservice.

When Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe went into hiding after assuring then President John Mahama, his source of gravy, of victory, he did so out of the humiliation he suffered after he flaunted his strong position so lavishly that Nana Akufo-Addo would never be president of Ghana.

He was almost competing with the Africa Watch Magazine in an obscene resolve to destroy a man God had destined to lead this country to a near Nirvana.

Not being God and therefore not knower of the unknown, he goofed so shamefully, with no iota of deference left on his already damaged reputation.

He has become a reference point when political quislings are being discussed.

For a man who hardly votes in this country, fleeing when polls are close, to agree to be an accessory to a project to pull Nana Akufo-Addo down suggests how much favours- monetary and others- he drew from his ungentlemanly political occupation at the time.

The treacherous project he agreed to be part of, has failed big time and his occasional appearance in the media with his balderdash about a so-called divisiveness of Nana Akufo-Addo reduced to nothingness.

It is a classic case of treachery and its disastrous aftermath. Those who cherish him and detest his further drop in integrity ranking should organize themselves and save him.

He has revised his notes so he can be relevant to national discourses in which really he is, but a misnomer whichever way we look at it.

In civilized dispositions, such a character would hardly be given space or airtime in the media. Perhaps in our local circumstance, he is just a source of political comic relief: President Nana Akufo-Addo continues to win more disciples all eager to relish the new dawn in the country, the ranting of Nyaho, notwithstanding.

It sounds funny when the bloke is referred to as a leading member of the NPP.

That is but a mischief which feeds directly into his goal of inflicting pain on the sincere members of the party which has waxed stronger since he was marginalized from mainstream NPP activities.

It is funny and preposterous that his first assignment after popping up from the Rip Van Winkle slumber is to rubbish President Nana Akufo-Addo's appointments.

If President Nana Akufo-Addo seeks the opinion of experts over who to appoint Defence Minister, Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe should be the last person to be so consulted.

In any case, Hon Dominic Nitiwul has all that it takes to be a Defence Minister, which he is anyway.

His humility and straightforwardness, devoid of hubris, sets him apart from the ilk of Nyaho-Tamakloe anyway.

His position in the legislature over the past years has primed him for any position of state since he lacks traits of treachery as some have in their DNAs.

Let Nyaho-Tamakloe stop pretending to know the military more than others because there are hundreds of retired regular officers, gentlemen, of course, who see nothing good in the man who thinks he knows better than President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The military establishment is subservient to the civil and political authority. Perhaps Nyaho does not understand what the title Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces stands for, otherwise he would not be treading the path of ignorance.

The people of Ghana have voted massively for Nana Akufo-Addo against the wish of a loner Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, what next therefore for him? Perhaps, burn the sea. Blimey!
27.01.2017 LISTEN

By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA

Accra, Jan. 26, GNA - The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has denied allegations that it will print new 30, 100 and 200 Ghana cedi denominations to commemorate its 60th anniversary.

Reacting to an article circulating on social media that quotes Dr Johnson Asiama, the Second Deputy Governor of the BoG as disclosing the impending unveiling of the new denominations, a statement issued by the Bank and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the story was false and should be disregarded.

It said: "The attention of the Bank of Ghana has been drawn to stories circulating on social media to the effect that the Bank is issuing denominations of GH30.00, GH100.00 and GH200.00, and wishes to categorically state that the stories are false and should be disregarded."

The statement, signed by Mr Bernard Otabil, the Communications Director of the BoG, maintained that the Deputy Governor, during the AB &David Crystal Ball Africa 2017, never mentioned any such issue.

It noted that portion of Dr Asiama's speech that addressed the unveiling of a new currency note stated: ' . . .Once again, on the 4th of March 2017, we shall be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Central Banking in Ghana. As part of the celebrations, a new commemorative banknote in five-cedi (GH5.00) denominations will be unveiled.

'This banknote will be legal tender as well as a collector's item. The note will have new durable security features which can be easily identified by the public as well as introduce other internationally acceptable security features which are sensitive to touch to aid the blind and visually challenged in identifying the banknotes.'

The statement said the climax of the celebration would take place in August 2017 which will mark exactly 60 years when Bank of Ghana opened its doors to the public. The programme for the celebrations would be announced in due course.

The denominations of the Ghana cedi in circulation remain the following: GH50.00, GH20.00, GH10.00, GH5.00, GH2.00 and GH1.00notes and 50Gp, 20Gp, 10Gp, 5Gp and 1Gp.

Meanwhile, Citi FM also issued a statement dissociating itself from the article, which was purportedly written by its Business Reporter, Lawrence Segbefia and published on citibusinessnews.com.

"The Management of Citi FM would like to state categorically that neither the reporter, Citi FM nor Citi Business News aired nor published the said story in circulation," the statement said.

It explained, however, that the only story published by citibusinessnews.com by the reporter, Lawrence Segbefia, on January 19, 2017, was headlined; 'BoG to issue GHE5.00 notes on March 4'. The link is hereby attached as evidence. https://shar.es/1OkExz

"Citi 97.3 FM cannot explain the intent or purpose for which the original story has been altered and circulated by unidentified persons."

GNA
27.01.2017 LISTEN

I don't have a problem with celebrating Ghana @60 as long as it is within our scarce means. By all means inspect a guard of honour and make a televised speech hopefully to correct the inauguration saga. But maybe for once it is also an opportunity for use to make an loud statement to the rest of the world - we are ready to focus on serious business and not just the showbiz.

There are arguments being made that celebrating it in style will market Ghana and attract investors.

Personally, I don't think it is the most sustainable way to showcase Ghana for investment purposes. If you ask me, there are many many other ways to sustain investment attraction than a 1-day event. Surely we know a 1-day celebration won't cut it.

I think we also forget that the investors we are looking to attract also look critically at the way we manage our economy to make their investment decisions - if we say we are broke and spend so much on what a is the equivalent of an annual founders dinner to a company, believe me a smart company director will probably be saying "heck I won't do that knowing I have strategic expenditures to make in order to sustain my competitiveness - and if you can do so with a whole country, you likely can't be trusted to protect my business interests." To a business, a disciplined government is likely to be a better companion than a frivolous spender. I may be wrong but I may dawn well be right.

And whilst at it, I have this fundamental concern - WHY in the name of heaven, do we always think OTHERS need to come and invest in our country before we prosper? Why do we want to grow our economy to their levels, develop to their levels and yet selectively FAIL to see that THEY focus on investing in themselves to create, build and own things that the rest of the world wants or needs - and it is through that fundamental process, that they make enough to be able to invest in countries like ours. WHEN will we also make enough to invest in other people's economy? We are 60 bloody years old for Moses' sake!!

Anyway,me sef, what do I know about Value-For-Money. Let me shurrup and be a spectating Citizen joor!!


GHACEM Limited has held its annual Customer Appreciation event to acknowledge the immense contributions of its customers and distributors in 2016.

The event, which was held in Takoradi, saw over 75 customers receive various awards for their loyalty.

The event forms part of the GHACEM's 50th anniversary celebration, which is on the theme, 'Celebrating Golden Loyalty.'

Kumasi-based distributor, Erduk Company Limited was adjudged overall best distributor, while Clemonic Limited, Kumasi took the 1st Runner Up spot, having sold loads of cement in 2016.

Isaac Owusu Ansah Enterprise took the 2nd Runner-up position.

Other awardees were Nana Owusu Ansah Company Limited, Best Distributors' Association; Buksons Enterprise, Most Improved distributor.

Obaapa Enterprise took the Brand Association Award; John Ohipeni and Francis Dabanka also took the best collaborative GHACEM team award while the best bulk cement performer award went to Samuel Nyampong.

The best depot transport award went to MPX Contractors Limited and the most promising award went to John AB from Takoradi factory sales.

Nana Philip Archer, Commercial Director of GHACEM, acknowledged the importance of continually rewarding customers, stating that their hard work has sustained our market leadership for all these years, as such we will continue to support all aspects of their businesses for a mutually beneficial existence.

In his keynote address, Managing Director of GHACEM, Morten Gade, expressed appreciation to the company's distributors and direct customers for their loyalty, which has established GHACEM as the market leader and the nation builder for the past 50 years.

He said business environment in 2016 was challenging, explaining that unfair competition had a toll on the local cement manufacturers.

Mr. Gade called on the new government to put measures in place to create a conducive environment to make industries the engine of economic growth.

GHACEM, he stated, would honour its financial contributions in direct and indirect taxes to the economy and continue with its corporate social responsibility through the GHACEM Cement Foundation which has since its inception donated about 475,000 bags valued over GH13.6 million to health and educational institutions in deprived areas of the country.

On his part, Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, GHACEM Board Member and Paramount chief of Assin Kushea, who chaired the event, implored the customers to be loyal and support the company in its quest to overcome challenges in the cement industry.
Twellium Industrial Company Ghana Limited, producers of Rush Energy Drink and Verna distilled water, has launched a foundation to undertake social projects to directly impact the lives of the disadvantaged in Ghana.

The Foundation is to focus on health, business development for rural women and scholarships for brilliant but needed students and pupils across the 10 regions of Ghana.

Disadvantaged individuals are requested to write to the Foundation, spelling out clearly their specific needs and how to address them accordingly.

Head of Projects and Programmes at Twellium Industrial Company Ghana Limited, in a statement at the launch of the Foundation on Tuesday in Accra, said the Foundation seeks to impact the lives of disadvantaged groups in society.

Our doors will be open to everybody. Individuals in need of educational and other assistance in society are encouraged to write to the Foundation to appeal for support, he said.

Head of Research at Twellium Industrial Company Limited, Selorm Kofi Dake, urged businesses to take their corporate social responsibility seriously.

They should impact lives positively and they should not see it as a favor but as a moral duty to help the disadvantaged in our society.

According to him, the Twellium Foundation would invest in people.

Twellium Industrial Company started operations in Ghana on February 28, 2014.

Twellium brings to the Ghanaian market beverages that have been on the US and European markets for over 30 years as a franchise from the Monarch Beverage Company of Atlanta, USA.

By Melvin Tarlue
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) says its attention has been drawn to stories circulating on social media that it was issuing banknotes in GH30, GH100 and GH200 denominations.

A press release issued recently by the bank said it wishes to categorically state that the stories are false and should be disregarded. It will be recalled that the same stories were circulated on social media in 2015.

The Central Bank added that the said address by the Second Deputy Governor to an investor community never mentioned such issue and should therefore be disregarded.

All that was contained in the address was the following:  Finally, and on a lighter note, you will recall nearly a decade ago, when the Bank of Ghana celebrated its Golden Jubilee with currency exhibitions and road shows across the country. Once again, on the 4th of March 2017, we shall be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Central Bank in Ghana.

As part of the celebrations, a new commemorative banknote in five-cedi (GH5) denominations will be unveiled. This banknote will be legal tender as well as a collector's item. The note will have new durable security features which can be easily identified by the public, as well as introduce other internationally acceptable security features which are sensitive to touch to aid the blind and visually challenged in identifying the banknotes.

It revealed that the climax of this celebration will take place in August 2017 which will mark exactly 60 years when Bank of Ghana opened its doors to the public.

The programme for the celebrations will be announced in due course.

The bank assured the public that denominations of the Ghana Cedi in circulation remain the GH50, GH20, GH10, GH5 and GH2 notes and also GH1, 50Gp, 20Gp, 10Gp, 5Gp, 1Gp coins.

Dollar injection

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) said its planned injection of dollars into the market was part of a broader strategy to help stabilize the cedi.

The bank recently announced its decision to sell some $120 million for the first quarter of this year but this has been criticized.

Ishmael Yamson, a business tycoon, disclosed that such strategy of releasing more dollars onto the market to ensure the cedi's stability was not sustainable and should be stopped.

However, Dr. Abdul Nashiru, Governor of BoG, said the exercise, together with other measures, could help stabilize the cedi.
Lawyer Alhassan Tampuli

27.01.2017 LISTEN

Lawyer Alhassan Tampuli has been appointed as caretaker Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), according to a copy of a correspondence to that effect which is in the possession of DAILY GUIDE.

The correspondence, signed by the Minister-designate for Energy Boakye Agyarko and dated 26th January 2017 reads, It is my pleasure to inform you that His Excellency the President of the Republic has appointed you as caretaker CEO of NPA.

You would act in that capacity until a substantive CEO is approved. As a caretaker CEO, you will not take decisions that have policy implications until a substantive Governing Board is in place.

You may refer such policy related decisions to the Ministry for prior approval.

Lawyer Alhassan Tampuli, who hails from Gushegu in the Northern Region, has been described as a highly efficient personality who rendered invaluable services to the Transition Team, especially at the peak of their assignments.

Lawyer Alhassan Tampuli, 40, is a graduate of the University of Ghana Business School and Faculty of Law, University of Ghana.

He was called to the Ghana Bar in 2011 and holds an LL.M in Energy and Environmental Law from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Lawyer Tampuli had a stint with the National Service Scheme (NSS) and rose to the rank of Deputy Head of HR and Acting Director of Postings.

He also worked with the prestigious law firm, Bentsi  Enchill, Letsa & Ankomahs Energy and Natural Resource Practice Group as an associate before co-founding the law firm Eastbridge Associates, a corporate law firm.

He lectured constitutional law at the Wisconsin International University College Faculty of law.

The immediate-past CEO of the NPA was Moses Asaga.

By A.R. Gomda
27.01.2017 LISTEN

In the quest of the Tijanniya Muslim Council of Ghana to find vocations for its teeming youth, it has intensified its collaboration with agencies and organisations among other institutions.

It is in this direction that a delegation led by the Spiritual leader and President called on the Italian Ambassador for a familiarisation meeting.

A national executive Sheikh Imam Mutawakilu Iddriss gave narration of the vision, mission, structure and activities of the Tijaniyya Council.

According to him, the council remained focused in propagating Islam, Tariqa Tijaniya, ensuring peace and co-existence with all other members of the religious divide.

He added that assisting the youth to acquire technical and entrepreneurial skills was a preferential module on their agenda.

On his part, the Spiritual Leader and President of Tijanniya Muslim Council of Ghana, Sheikh Khalifa Abul-Faidi Abdulai Ahmad Maikano, commended the ambassadors for making time out of his busy schedule to give audience to him and his entourage.

He was hopeful the collaboration between the Tijaniya council and the embassy would go a long way to benefit mankind.

He reiterated the fact that the Tijaniyya Sufi order does not discriminate among members of the other religion but sees everyone as servant of God.

The Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Giovanni Favilli, in his statement assured the council of his support in all areas.

He congratulated his eminence Sheikh Khalifa and the Council for the good work they are doing.

He advised them to continue to be at peace with other religions which he says would bring about development.
The African Cancer Organisation (ACO) which is dedicated to the fight against cancer in Africa has joined the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to help promote the global cancer control mission.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UICC, Cary Adams, in a joint statement mentioned that the ACO was joining the international cancer fighting fraternity at the appropriate time, as the UICC was strengthening its efforts on delivering a suite of capacity building services to make its members more competent for the fight against the disease.

We entered 2016 with strong foundations following the inclusion of a target to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the United Nations' new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said.

This is a new era of international development and an opportunity for UICC to work together with our members to combat cancer, he added.

Paul Opoku Agyeman, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ACO, said the invitation for membership into UICC was in recognition of the organisation's dedication towards the control efforts of the disease in Africa.

Mr Agyeman thanked the UICC for the membership and said the collaboration was timely, as the ACO was transforming itself into a digital health and cancer organisation with deep knowledge to optimise cancer control in Africa using data analytics to promote prevention, advocacy and research.

He gave an assurance that the ACO would utilise its membership by exploring all areas of the cancer control continuum to help transfer knowledge, skills and several years of experience from well-developed structures, while adapting them for improved implementation in Africa.

Such efforts will give ACO the needed leverage to promote its cancer information service, comprehensive screening, cervical cancer control, cancer registries and needs assessment programmes being developed, Mr Agyeman said.

He called for public support in the fight against the disease and added that the time has come for every individual, business and the government to put resources together to not only help more Africans prevent cancer, but also diagnose cancers at an earlier stage where a cure is often possible.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
27.01.2017 LISTEN

The newly built multimillion dollar Crude Distillation Furnace (CDF), which enables Tema Oil refinery (TOR) to increase its capacity to 45,000 barrels per day, exploded on Thursday 26th January, 2017.

Luckily, there was no human casualty, but relics from components of the giant furnace would only be useful for scraps to the nearby steel companies.

Incidentally, the explosion came less than 24 hours after the refinery experienced major fuel spillage into the metropolitan drains.

Independent investigations The Chronicle has launched into, points to either acts of specification deficiency, operational error or sabotage.

The furnace was reportedly ordered eight years ago, against advice of an engineer who cited specification problems. That engineer was immediately transferred to a department that can best be described as Siberia, where he remains till date.

The Chronicle gathered that installation by the VERGA ENGINEERS of Italy furnace commenced during the administration of Ato Ampeah through Dr. Alphonse Dorku and Patrick Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko.

The Awuah-Darko era saw the completion of instrumentation and final payment of an outstanding amount to the manufacturers of some vital components.

Few months ago, engineers from VERGA of Italy arrived in the country and supervised the commissioning after which it was handed over to TOR.

With the additional installation, TOR has raised its production from 28,000 barrels per day to 45,000 barrels per day and plans to further increase to 60,000, in the cause of this year.

During the enquiries, Chronicle sources at the refinery, hinted of the possibility that the valves connected to the stork pipe chimney, might have been negligently closed, thereby allowing the plant to store pressure, otherwise, the automatic pressure throttles vales might have failed to activate.

On the issue of spillage, The Chronicle, which has been keeping an eagle's eye on the developments at TOR over the past decade, yesterday witnessed the heavy flow of diesel into the municipal drains bordering the frontage of the refinery, no wonder people downstream towards Tema New Town spent hours scooping fuel into containers.

TOR, Chronicle can say, has two types of tanks, fixed and floating roofs and if our findings are anything to go by, according to reports that the spillage is as a result of overflowing tanks, then fingers should be pointed to the floating roofs which might be defective.

Some workers of the refinery, both past and present are calling for ministerial investigations into the two instances of heavy diesel spillage and furnace explosion in less than 24 hours.

Incidentally, the President's appointee to head TOR, Hon Isaac Osei (a former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom), took over this week Monday and was scheduled to hold a durbar with the workers on Thursday, to introduce himself, but was met with the spillage on Wednesday and subsequent explosion, the following day.

The Chronicle can say that last Friday, Awuah-Darko signed a cheque for the workers' end of year bonuses before handing over to Ambassador Isaac Osei on Monday.

Deep throat sources at TOR would want the President to set up an investigation team to look into the two happenings especially when it is fresh that the revival of the refinery has greatly affected some business entities. It is alleged that the finance department of the refinery decided to halt payment of the bonuses else the company would not be in a place to pay January salaries.

BY JOHN BEDIAKO
27.01.2017 LISTEN

How can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind? -Carson McCullers

Bismark Bebli, a former staff of The Chronicle and until recently the acting editor of General Telegraph, an Accra-based newspaper met his untimely death in a ghastly accident at Kasoa in the Central Region last Friday, after he was hit by a car in front of Kasoa police station.

According to reports, a policeman had stopped Bismark to inspect his car papers when the driver of an Urvan mini bus approaching them failed his brakes and ended up running over both Bismark and the policeman.

However, the sad aspect of this tragedy was that while the police officer and the journalist were both gasping for life and lying in a pool of blood, when the police got to the scene of the gory accident, they quickly attended to the police personnel by rushing him to the hospital, leaving behind the journalist to his fate.

The policeman, who was said to have sustained minor injuries was rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching hospital, whilst the journalist who was in very critical condition was abandoned and left to die.

Meanwhile, the police officer is responding to treatment at an undisclosed health facility whilst Bismark Bebli is Dead , leaving behind triplets, less than 8 years of age, and a wife.

After the police had rescued one of their own and left the journalist to his fate, some good Samaritans later rushed him to the Justab Hospital for medical treatment, before he was referred to the Kasoa Polyclinic, but it was too little too late, as he was pronounced dead.

According to the Police Service Act, 1970 (ACT 350) the functions of the Police Service include;

(1) It shall be the duty of the Police Service to prevent and detect crime, to apprehend offenders,

and to maintain public order and the safety of persons and property.

(2) Every police officer shall perform such functions as are by law conferred upon a police officer and shall obey all lawful orders and directions in respect of the execution of his office

which he may receive from his superiors in the Police Service.

The function of maintaining the safety of persons; regardless of race, gender, class or religion was lost on the personnel of the Kasoa police station on Friday January 13, 2017 at about 1:15 pm when the accident occurred.

For us at The Chronicle, whilst we would not want to rush into making any conclusions, we wish to impress on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately order an investigation into the needless death of Bismark Bebli and the culprits appropriately dealt with.

We also wish to call the attention of the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) not to allow this act of negligence, leading to the untimely death of one of their own to be swept under the carpet and the perpetrators left to go scot free.

How can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind to seek justice for the departed?

Bismark Bebli's death must not be in vain.


27.01.2017 LISTEN

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) will on Tuesday January 31, 2017 hold a Post-Election Media Forum and Awards at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra at 2pm.

The forum will bring together stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission and the Ghana Police Service, to deliberate on how the media covered the elections, the challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations on how the media could do better in deepening Ghanas democracy.

The event themed, The Media and the 2016 Elections: Challenges, Lessons and Prospects for the Future, will be chaired by the Chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr. Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng and will feature presentations and a panel discussion on the medias coverage of the elections.

Some radio stations that distinguished themselves in promoting issues-based programming devoid of indecent expressions during the electioneering period will be honoured.

The Post-Elections Media Forum and Awards is being organised with funding support from STAR-Ghana and the Embassy of France in Ghana.
Terrorism has been at the top of US agenda since George Bush but what you don't realize is that it is nothing but a "cover up" for the debt crisis. Let us assume that there was no terrorism ... if we took out terrorism from news headlines from the past decades then do you know what would be the hottest topic?

The hottest topic in the West would be the "debt crisis" and austerity measures. In fact, half a dozen countries in Western Europe have already initiated austerity measures and hundreds of thousands of people have poured into the streets protesting against these austerity measures. But amusingly, our wonderful Jewish Establishment owned media has simply "censored" these austerity protests in America.

Any news and any information about these austerity protests has been totally censored in America. Why? Firstly, because America is the worst affected by the debt crisis. America holds the largest debt among all Western countries. Secondly, because the American people kick ass.

Once they know that there is a problem then they don't stop until its fixed.They explore more and more and more, they pull all strings possible and they don't stop until the problem is fixed. The Establishment knows this very nature of the American people.

So, the best thing to do was to start something even more shocking and terrifying. And that was terrorism ... bombs blowing up here and there, people being shot, mass massacres ... all of this was designed to rattle the people and keep them occupied with something else other than the "debt crisis".

The Austerity Shock Here's where comes the Austerity shock ... the people are already paying a whopping 50% income tax ... and then they are already drowned in 125% in debt only to be able to survive in the country. Now, the government comes to you and says ... excuse me people, the government is in debt and we need you to shell out a little bit more to pay off this debt.

These Austerity measures are creating shock waves across Europe. People are enraged and they are taking to the streets by the hundreds of thousands against Austerity measures. Because it is so totally unfair. Where is the people's fault in this? Did they do anything wrong?

Haven't they got a good education? Aren't they working hard? Aren't they already paying a huge share of their earnings? Arent they paying the terribly high prices set by the Establishment? Why are the people being forced to pay more and more? They have absolutely no sources to make any additional payments.
27.01.2017 LISTEN

Youth Without Borders (YWB) Ghana Calls For Unflinching Support For The Candidature Of Ambassador Kwesi Quartey As Deputy Chairperson Of The African Union Commission (AUC)

The Patron, Board of Directors, Management and the entire membership of Youth Without Borders Ghana call on the Government of Ghana, Leaders at all levels, the people of Ghana both home and overseas, African Heads of States and Governments and the people of Ghana and Africa to support and elect Ambassador Kwesi Quartey as the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

We at Youth Without Borders Ghana fully support his candidature and we believe that at end of the 28th Summit of Heads of State and Government currently ongoing at the African Union (AU) Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the mantle would be handed over to him as he so desires. Similarly, we entreat all stakeholders to extend the courtesies given to Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni and Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas to Ambassador Quartey. The interest of Ghana and Africa must at all-time reign supreme.

Youth Without Borders Ghana believes that, the experiences of Ambassador Quartey in the course of his diplomatic career, which span a period of thirty-five years makes him the best candidate for the job. Kwesi Quartey served in various capacities in Ghanas Embassies and High Commissions in Cotonou, Cairo, Brussels, Havana, London and the Ghana Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

We believe that his recent role as Secretary to Ghanas fourth democratic President John Dramani Mahama in the fourth republic and haven served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, his contributions towards the development of West Africa and the continent as a whole will enable him deliver excellently and drive Agenda 2063 - the Africa we want and sustainable development for Africa.

The position of Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) requires tact diplomacy and advocacy. Ambassador Quarteys role as Ghanas Ambassador to Ethiopia as well as the Permanent Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa [ECA] with concurrent accreditation to Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Eritrea, Djibouti and Rwanda and its relevance to the AUC cannot be overemphasized.

As youth development and empowerment organization, we advocate for increase youth participation in AU activities, create and empower an AU Youth Directorate to enable them champion the African youth development agenda. We also expect to see a strong collaboration with the Pan African Youth Union (PYU) and other continental youth groups to be able to work together towards the realization of the African vision of a united, peaceful and prosperous continent.

Youth Without Borders (YWB) Ghana once again wishes Ambassador Kwesi Quartey the very best and believes he can play a vital role ensuring an effective AUC, AU and Africa as a whole.

King David Cartey

Director, Communications & Public Affairs

+233 (0) 243741318
A UW-Madison student seeking to start what he calls a pro-white student club was convicted in 2005 of setting fires at predominantly black churches in a racially motivated arson attack, officials confirmed Thursday.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the university was not aware of student Daniel L. Dropiks conviction when he was admitted to UW-Madison because the university is barred from asking about or considering an applicants criminal history.

Dropik, 33, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after authorities said he set fires at two churches in predominantly black neighborhoods in Milwaukee and Lansing, Michigan, in April 2005. According to court documents, Dropik set out from his home in Oconomowoc specifically looking for black churches as racial retaliation for earlier incidents between him and African-Americans.

Dropik, who also works as a student hourly employee, has handed out slips of paper at UW encouraging students to fight anti-white racism on campus by joining a Madison chapter of the white nationalist American Freedom Party, according to The Badger Herald. The flier included the hashtag #UWAltRight, using a common term for the ideology that mixes racism and white nationalism.

In a video on his website, Dropik said the organization would engage in explicit white racial and political advocacy on campus.

UW officials said they are not aware of any other students who have joined Dropiks chapter, which they noted is not a registered student organization.

Blank said she was appalled by Dropiks actions, and said the American Freedom Partys activities are diametrically opposed to our campus values of respect and inclusion. She did not indicate that the university would discipline Dropik, however.

The safety of our campus community is my top priority. I recognize the mere presence of this activity is concerning, Blank said. But handing out political information and expressing objectionable, even hateful, viewpoints is not illegal nor a violation of any campus policy.

Dropik did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment late Thursday.

Dropik responded to Blank in an audio message posted to his website Thursday night. He was suffering from a mental illness when he committed the arson, Dropik said, and regrets these violent and wrong acts.

Dropik denied that the American Freedom Party is a hate group, and said his desire to start a chapter on campus is not based in racial hatred or a desire to do harm to other people based on their racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The party describes itself as a nationalist party that shares the customs and heritage of the European American people and opposes legal or illegal immigration. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which studies hate groups, says the organization presents itself as an independent and libertarian political party, but aims to deport immigrants and return the United States to white rule.

Dropik told The Associated Press that frustration over the Black Lives Matter movements presence on campus and university courses examining white and male privilege led him to start a local chapter.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Dropik said the university has gone overboard in supporting non-white students and promoting cultural diversity.

Its become unacceptable, he said. If white people have problems, they need to be able to organize.

UW-Madison officials have faced increasing scrutiny for more than a year over racist incidents on their campus, with alumni, students, faculty and others calling for changes to improve what many minority students say is a hostile climate at the predominantly white university.

Blank said UW officials have heard nothing to suggest that there is a specific safety threat to individuals or campus. But Blank said she will ask the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to review the System policy that prohibits asking about applicants criminal records.

We continue to track this situation closely given the students history, she said.

The fires Dropik set caused $1,000 worth of damage to the Greater Love Missionary Baptist Church in Milwaukee, and $5,000 worth of damage at Trinity Methodist Church in Lansing, according to a federal plea agreement.

Dropik claimed he also set fire to another Michigan church, but investigators could not find any record of the fire.

Dropik told authorities that he targeted the churches because he had gotten into a fight with a group of African-Americans in the weeks before the attack, and because he believed a black person stole his backpack at a bus station, according to court documents.

Dropik has an extensive online presence. Videos and blog posts about race and UW-Madison appear on his website and Twitter account, where his avatar is the cartoon Pepe the Frog  a mascot of the alt right.

The College Fix, a conservative site focused on higher education, featured Dropik in a story last fall after he said UW officials denied his request to post fliers critical of the universitys process for investigating alleged incidents of hate and bias.
President Akufo-Addo will today, Friday January 27, attend the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) scheduled for the 30th and 31st January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This will be Nana Akufo-Addo's second trip outside the country since his inauguration.

His first trip was to Bamako, Mali, where he attended the 27th African-France Summit.

The summit, held on January 14 2017, saw heads of state from various African countries commit to ensuring that economic growth in their respective countries lead to a more inclusive economy, which will create jobs for the youth, a resolution which was in line with the framework of the International Sustainable Development Agenda .

-Starrfmonline
27.01.2017 LISTEN

By Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, the resourceful, fearless and truthful, and an outstanding patriotic Member of Parliament who is devoutly at the service of his people and nation, something which is mind-boggling has taken place at the Tema Development Corporation (TDC). Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, born at Assin Dompre is the MP for Assin Central in the Central region.

According to him, and as contained in a video clip posted on YouTube, recorded while granting an interview to Adom TV as a guest to their studio, a 30-acre land in Tema belonging to the TDC was sold to the brother of former President John Dramani Mahama, Mr Ibrahim Mahama to be precise, at GHC10, 000 per acre by the Tema Development Corporation. The sale of the land was made to him at that price probably in the belief that the place was a gravel pit, and had nearly become no good for purpose.

The land is said to be behind the Free Zone. Barely had Ibrahim acquired the land for a total of GHC300, 000 when representatives from an electric-power generating company popped around at the office of TDC requesting to purchase some land for their power plant company.

From the video, Kennedy has asserted that Ibrahim Mahama obliged the representatives of the power plant company to contact him for the purchase of the land but not the TDC since the land they wanted was the one that had not long ago been sold to him and one Sly, a TDC Board member.

It is alleged that Ibrahim and Sly have re-sold the land to the company for US$300 million, being their profit and the cost of refilling the land.

As Kennedy has succinctly explained everything, I shall reserve my personal comments for now. However, I shall ask the NPP government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the sale of the land to Ibrahim and its re-sale to the alleged Electricity Company. This smacks of corruption, conflict of interest and mismanagement of State property.

If it does turn out to be true, then I shall advise that the Managing Director of the TDC, under whose watch the alleged transaction took place, must be compelled to step aside for a full scale appropriate criminal or whatever, investigations, to be conducted. His position will have become untenable if the allegation by Hon. Kennedy Agyepong is proven..

The video clip is of 1 hour 2 minutes and 20 seconds duration but the part concerning the TDC starts from 08:50 minutes into the viewing of the video clip till the end of its 12:12 minutes into it.

The web link below takes you to the video clip as found on YouTube.



Stay tuned for my promised subsequent publications on the probable bullying, harassments and victimisations that went on at the TDC as were orchestrated and perpetuated by the Managing Director of the TDC, against some staff members he perceived to be NPP sympathisers, during the President Mahama's NDC-led government/administration.

There are striking similarities between Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, Hon. Martin Amidu, Rockson Adofo and Kwame A-Plus, the musician. They are fearless, selfless, anti-institutional corruption, speak their minds, and are dedicated to the service of their people and nation even at the expense of their lives. They pursue their course of action with resolute determination and persistence.

They believe absolutely in what Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia once said, thus, Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph

They want to stop evil from triumphing hence the actions they are constantly seen to be taking. They mean no malice towards anyone, but seek justice for all, please note that!

Rockson Adofo
Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - West African nations plan to scale back a military force that secured the return to The Gambia of new President Adama Barrow to take power, the force commander said Friday.

The mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc will see "a progressive reduction" in numbers, Senegalese General Francois Ndiaye said in a statement a day after the newly elected leader flew back to his homeland.

Barrow defeated longstanding hardline ruler Yahya Jammeh at the polls in December. He took refuge in neighbouring Senegal on January 15, fearing for his safety after Jammeh reversed his acceptance of the election result and sought for six weeks to cling to power.

The new leader was welcomed home by jubilant crowds on Thursday -- five days after Jammeh left the country under strong pressure from the 15-nation regional bloc -- while heavy security was laid on by Senegalese and Nigerian special forces.

The decision slowly to cut back on the military deployment was prompted by Barrow's arrival and "a positive appraisal of the security situation in the country", Ndiaye said.

"This reduction in the number of forces mostly concerns the land-based component," the general added. "However, the aerial and naval ones are also affected to lesser degrees."

Asked how many men were part of the mission, known as MICEGA, Ndiaye declined to say.

Last weekend, the chairman of the ECOWAS Commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, indicated that some 4,000 troops were already deployed out of a planned maximum of 7,000 drawn from five nations.

ECOWAS launched the deployment on January 19, shortly after Barrow took the oath of office in The Gambia's embassy in Dakar, then suspended military action to give a chance to final diplomatic efforts to have Jammeh give way.

No details of Barrow's agenda were available by late Friday morning, but many Gambians have placed their hopes in the former real estate agent endorsed by several opposition parties ahead of the election.

"I went up to Westfield last night," Mumin Jallow, a 38-year-old taxi driver told AFP, referring to the biggest street party for Barrow's arrival, near Banjul.

"It was a really good move to see people coming outside in such a huge amount," he said. "People playing drums and being happy."
The Chief Executive Officer of Bui Power Authority Jabesh Amissah-Arthur has relinquished his post following a change of government.

A January 25, 2017 memo to staff of Bui served notice that the Mechanical Engineer will be starting his terminal leave today, January 27, 2017.

While arranging to hand over to the President's Representative as agreed with the minister, the Director for Programs and Engineering Department, Mr. Anthony Boye Osafo-Kissi, will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Authority, the brother of immediate past vice president of Ghana Kwesi Amissah-Arthur stated in the memo.

Mr. Amissah-Arthur (in spectacles above) is a trained Mechanical Engineer from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with over 25 years rich experience in many World Bank, European Investment Bank, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Agence Francaise de Development sponsored projects.

He has had close involvement in regional energy projects such as the West African Gas Pipeline Project (WAGP) and the West African Power Pool (WAPP). He has a Master's degree from Harvard.

President Akufo-Addo has already relieved some heads of public institutions of their post.

-Starrfmonline
High Court in Accra has resumed hearing of the case in which a former National Service boss, Alhaji Imoro Alhassan, and some others, were indicted in a payroll fraud within the National Service scheme.

The resumption follows about two months of continuous adjournments, due to the unavailability of the immediate past NSS boss, Kpessa Whyte, who has been testifying in the case as the main prosecution witness.

Mr. Whyte, who appeared in court today [Friday], has been undergoing cross examinations by the lawyers of the various accused persons in the case.

Mr. Imoro is standing trial with 34 other persons implicated in the massive fraud that hit the scheme.

The others were variously charged with conspiracy and stealing. Imoro is facing additional charge of giving bribe to influence a public officer.

The prosecution alleged that, Alhaji Imoro, within the said period at the NSS headquarters in Accra, dishonestly appropriated GH 28,749,395.80 belonging to the state.

The former NSS boss is said to have on August 1 to September 26, 2014, given GH 25,000 and GH 15,000 to one Charles Kipo, of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) Investigations, to influence him.

The accused persons have pleaded not guilty before the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Georgina Mensah Datsa. They are currently on bail.

-Citifmonline
Conakry (AFP) - In pushing Yahya Jammeh to give up The Gambia's presidency, negotiators played on two key cards: his deep Muslim faith and his professed love of country.

Jammeh finally quit as president and went into exile on Saturday following intense lobbying by international powers, ending more than a month of crisis that began when he rejected the result of the December 1 election.

Tibou Kamara, a former government minister from Guinea, went early in the crisis to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years in power in favour of Adama Barrow, who won the ballot.

He was joined last week by Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea's President Alpha Conde, to win over Jammeh before a "last chance saloon" deadline.

"It was not easy, because against the determination of the international community, there was a fierce resolve to defend what he saw as law, truth and justice, but especially the independence and sovereignty of his country," Kamara said in an interview with AFP.

Kamara had approval to negotiate from Jammeh's wife, whose younger sister is married to a former president of Guinea. Both women have Guinean fathers.

"We appealed to his faith," Kamara said, adding that Jammeh himself often said that "everything that happens to a man is God's will. This carried a lot of weight."

Jammeh had long cultivated the image of a devout Muslim, often appearing with prayer beads in hand, and starting his speeches with passages from the Koran.

Muslim and patriot

During a day of talks led by the Mauritanian and Guinean leaders -- interrupted by a break for Friday prayers -- negotiators also reminded Jammeh of his potential place in history.

"Everybody told him that it wasn't necessary to drag his country into war," Kamara said, especially as Jammeh prides himself on having come to power without spilling any blood.

The former Gambia president had also made a point of keeping his country out of the many conflicts that have ravaged West Africa.

Negotiators urged Jammeh to "secure" this legacy by agreeing to "leave with dignity", Kamara said.

The arguments worked: Jammeh cited them specifically during his televised speech in the early hours of January 21, when he agreed to stand down.

"As a Muslim and a patriot, I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed," he said.

"My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you, the Gambian people, and our dear country."

President Adama Barrow has kept a low profile since returning to The Gambia on Thursday

For Kamara, the tense but ultimately successful talks were a victory for Gambians and the region as a whole, under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc.

But he also warned against "score-settling" or "witch hunts" against Jammeh's associates, and diplomats have called on Barrow's government to guarantee Jammeh's civil rights, including his eventual return after leaving the country for Equatorial Guinea.

Kamara's efforts have paid off: on Wednesday, Guinea's president named him his "personal advisor" with rank of government minister.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has appointed Hassan Tampoli as a care-taker Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

A letter signed by the Energy Minister nominee, Boakye Agyarko, indicated that Mr. Tampoli would act as the NPA CEO till a substantive one is improved. He will be replacing Moses Asaga, the immediate past CEO.

The letter also noted that, Mr. Tampoli was not to take decisions that have policy implications until a substantive Governing Board is in place.

He has instead directed Mr. Tampoli to refer policy related decisions to the Energy Ministry for Approval.

Hassan Tampoli was the lawyer for Fadi Daboussi, a known NPP loyalist who was invited by the BNI for what some said were defamatory comments he had made about former President John Mahama.

The letter, which copied Moses Asaga, was silent on when it takes effect.

As far as the substantive CEO is concerned, information gathered by Citi Business News indicated that, a former NPA CEO, John Attafuah, was likely to return to the position.

In April, 2009, Mr. Attafuah was directed by the then John Atta Mills government to proceed on his accumulated leave with Alex Mould taking over from him.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
A 37-year old carpenter at the Peki Government Hospital in the Volta Region, has been allegedly slaughtered by an unknown assailant in his room.

The deceased, Philip Ahornu, was said to have been taking a nap when the unknown assailant broke into his room and attacked him inflicting cutlass wounds on his body on Thursday.

An eyewitness who spoke to Citi News narrated that, the unknown assailant after allegedly committing the crime, took to his heels.

He added that, the victim, who initially passed out and had his intestines gushing out, was rushed to the Peki Government Hospital and later to the Volta Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The youth in the area have since mounted a manhunt to apprehend the assailant.



By: King Norbert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
27.01.2017 LISTEN

Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, January 27, 2017  The African Development Bank has approved a loan and a grant amounting to US $7.14 million to finance the fourth Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Program in Eritrea.

This Program is an expansion of the ongoing Eritrea Component of the Multinational Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Program in the Horn of Africa Project II (DRSLP-II) approved by the Bank Group in November 2014.

It is designed to enhance drought resilience and improve sustainable livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Eritrea, with a view to help achieve food and nutrition security, increase employment and reduce poverty. It will complement the Eritrea component of DRSLP-II, by providing additional activities that could not be accommodated due to resources limitations. It will support the efforts of the Government of the State of Eritrea started under DRSLP-II to improve the drought resilience of the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of the target areas

The project will cover the same six areas of DRSLP-II by providing additional activities including infrastructure to increase production and productivity of smallholder farmers and link them to markets. The four components of the project are: (i) natural resources management; (ii) value chain and support to livelihoods diversification; (iii) capacity building; and (iv) project management.

High unemployment, poverty and environmental challenges are among the main bottlenecks to inclusive growth in Eritrea in particular, and among member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya.

The negative impact of El Nino and recurrent droughts on peoples livelihoods have intensified food insecurity, and remains a key challenge to inclusiveness, especially in Eritrea, where 80% of the population derive their livelihoods from agriculture, which is dependent on underground water. Other challenges include governance issues and weak capacity to manage and build resilience in the rural communities.

Therefore, this intervention will seek to develop skills while promoting greater economic inclusion and resilience in the rural communities especially among youth and women. The project will also repair the damages and losses sustained by the population, especially the poor and vulnerable communities of the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), during the recurrent droughts in order to restore normalcy and resumption of economic and social activities.

The project will benefit about 120,000 people of which some 65,000 will be women. About 1,500 youth employment (men and women) will be created. The government is working to ensure that areas with low socio-economic indicators are adequately supported. Other public institutions such as the National Agricultural Institute and relevant Directorates in the Ministry of Agriculture will also benefit from the project in terms of capacity building.

The total estimated project cost is US $8.13 million. The loan and grant from the Banks Transition Support Facility (TSF) will cover 88% of the total cost, while the Government and beneficiaries will contribute the remaining 12% of the costs in kind and in cash.
The then opposition NPP made a solemn promise that it would restore allowances of teacher trainees and trainee nurses if voted into power. Today, they are in power and would not renege on the promise. They seem to want to put their money where their mouth is. The action of the Mahama government which was condemned by its victims and the then opposition NPP was, however, commended by education think tanks such as VIAM Africa.

At face value, reasons given by the past government for scrapping the allowance in relation to the quota system and poor infrastructure make a lot of sense. For instance, when in 2009 I entered the Akatsi College of Education, the total number of students admitted for my year batch was about 230 students. Later, I realized similar number of students was admitted across many schools in the country and this was because of the quota system that was in place.

This time round, schools enroll between 300 and 430 students and this according to data flow shows about 63% jump in enrollment across the 38 colleges of education after the quota limit has been lifted. This marginal increase in enrollment gives opportunity to many candidates and if continued will reduce the teacher deficit in schools.

But there is no gainsaying the fact that this scrapping of allowances has brought untold hardship on students as the scrapping was not implemented without the attendant increase in fees. Brilliant students with backgrounds like mine may never realize their dreams of becoming educators of our children or nurses to the sick. Adding to the woes of trainees is the compulsory sale of books by their tutors for all nine courses in defiance of governments policy that prohibits tertiary institutions from selling lecture notes to students.

And so rather than bringing the quota system through the backdoor in order to restore the allowance, government should rather strike a compromise for both. Allowances should be implemented in a manner that would not increase teacher deficits.

During the Appointment Committees hearing, the Minister designate for education, Dr. Opoku Prempeh, was asked whether the restoration of allowance will include university students studying education.

Also, there has been in circulation a post on social media about a mushroom group called University Teacher Trainees Association which is rallying colleagues to demand their pound of flesh as far as the allowances are concerned.

Much as the demand from the above entities may seem reasonable to some, it is an absurd and mischievous demand from people who barely understand the plights of trainees.

To start with, while university students take four years to acquire a degree certificate, it takes three years of doing a rigorous curriculum to acquire a Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) in the colleges. Seen?

Hitherto, a teacher has to work for four years before s/he can apply for sponsored further studies also known as Study-Leave-With-Pay but now, the Ministry of Education has extended the minimum number of years of service required for further studies to 6 years. As we speak there are teachers who acquired first degree through Distance Education and Sandwich programs but have to wait until they meet the 6year requirement for approval. How many of the so-called university teachers would want to serve under this backward policy?

Moreover, while other diploma holding students have the opportunity to start degree programs from level 200, DBE teachers who gain admission to pursue degree in education and its related programs begin from level 100. Meaning they are not granted exemptions!

Consequently, a successful WASSCE candidate who takes the path of training college spends almost ten winding years in a rather torturous pursuit of first degree once he wants to go by the rules of GES. These are the realities that set apart trainees from their colleagues who pursue education and its related programs in universities.

Also students who complete a four year degree program in the universities are placed on automatic National Service allowance while trainees who complete the 3-year diploma program are not given National Service allowance. As it stands now, newly posted teachers and those on out-program sessions are working but are neither being paid salary nor allowance.

The so called Concerned University Teacher Trainees who are issuing statements on social media should appreciate the hard issues and desist from mongering ignorance on this matter. This is a policy that existed for only trainee teachers and trainee nurses, it has never covered students in universities and attempts to sabotage government is a sabotage against other poor students who want to serve their nation through a humble path.

Frederick K. Kofi Tse

[email protected]
A former Chief of Staff under former President Kufuor's Administration, Kwadwo Mpiani, has called on the current government to include members of the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the planning of the 60th Independence Anniversary celebration.

This according to him, will project a united picture in the celebration of such an important day.

In an interview with Citi News, Kwadwo Mpiani argued that, an all-inclusive planning and execution committee, will reduce the rate at which people take entrenched partisan positions even in national programmes.

I was talking to one radio station and the question put to me was referring to what happened after the golden jubilee celebration, he wanted to know my view on what maybe must be done to avoid that sort of noise making, partisanship among others and I said that I still believe that in these issues, during the 50th anniversary celebration, we invited Parliament to be part of the committee. And you know Parliament consists of majority and minority. After the first meeting, members of the minority refused to attend subsequent meetings. So at the end of it, there was so much noise.

What I suggested was that, government should invite the minority to be part of the national celebration so that at the end of it, we won't have what happened in 2007 being repeated. Because if they are all part of it and decisions are taken, the impression of trying to approach it on partisan basis, I believe will be very much minimized and I stand by that, he clarified.



By: Godwin A. Allotey & Anas Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Ghana's earnings from the exports of gold, cocoa and crude oil for 2016 went up marginally, compared to what it got in 2015.

It reached $11 billion according to latest data released by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) which is higher than the $10.3 billion secured in 2015.

According to the data, gold brought in some $4.9 billion which is higher than the $3.2 billion in 2015.

Cocoa contribution in the national purse saw a decline of $2.7 billion in 2015. Also, earnings from crude oil dropped from $1.9 billion to $1.4 billion at the end of December 2016.

According to sources close to the Central Bank, gold's good earnings was as a result of pick up in prices on the international market in the last quarter of 2016 and volumes exported.

However the same cannot be said for Cocoa and Oil as prices of these commodities decline marginally, a development that affected volumes exported.

For some, the pickup in total earnings could be good for government as it will go a long way to improve its revenue.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
27.01.2017 LISTEN

Meanwhile one wonders precisely who I planned and discussed these "violent attacks" with? Was it Rev. Musa Asake, the gentle and amiable Secretary General of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) who I had the honor of hosting in my home for a meeting or was it the Shiite Muslim delegation from Sheik El Zak Zaky's group?

Perhaps it was the group of Southern Kaduna Christians that came to see me, many of whom had lost their loved ones in the carnage that took place during the Christmas attack?

Or maybe it was the great and gallant General Zamani Lekwot from Zangon Kataf who also honored me with a visit to my home or my friend and brother Dr. John Fulani who also came with his own delegation all the way from Southern Kaduna?

The dwarf also said that I was being "sponsored" to write and do these things? The question is sponsored by who, what with and what for?

Honestly this little dwarf is very naughty and he needs to be spanked very hard on his tiny little dwarf buttocks. He is nothing but a pernicious and patholigical liar.

If the truth must be told we were not talking about guns and violent attacks in our numerous meetings but rather about the wickedness, blood lust, unstable disposition, irresponsible nature and sheer incompetence of the dwarf's boss, the Midget-In-Chief, his Royal Shortness, Governor Nasir El Rufai.

If it is me he is trying to intimidate with his words and veiled threats of intimidation and arrest then he needs to go back to his stunted principal and advise him not to bite off more than he can handle or chew. I dont scare easily and nothing moves me.

And in case he didn't know, when I am suffiently provoked I am like a hurricaine or like a one man riot squad and army. Figuratively speaking I mark my target and I hit it with precision and power. I never fail and I never miss.

Not even his irresponsible and insensitive midget of a boss comes anywhere near me in any shape or form let alone a physically challenged little errand boy like him.

In a direct response to the dwarf Mr. Michael Makeris, who is from Southern Kaduna, wrote the following:

"Picking up arms for self-defence is obviously the last bastion of hope for Southern Kaduna and not its first option since the commencement of these mindless massacres.

This last resort became necessary when it became glaring that government is not interested in securing and protecting the lives of the people of Southern Kaduna even though this is against its oath of office.

If Government had lived up to its constitutional responsibility and demonstrated unparalleled commitment in curbing the menace, citizens have no business bearing arms.

It is the failure of government that makes taking up arms necessary. Even America had to allow its citizens to bear arms when it couldn't protect them from constant attacks. It is only natural to arm your citizens or allow your citizens to arm themselves, when you cannot guarantee their safety.

It is such a shame that the El-Rufai Government is not worried about its inability to secure the lives and properties of the Southern Kaduna people. It is not worried that despite a twenty four hour curfew, a massacre took place in Goska.

It is not worried that the Southern Kaduna people lack arms amidst relentless hostilities. It is not worried that it cannot arrest and prosecute the murderers but it is worried that the victims of constant attacks are now rising to arm themselves for self-defence as enshrined in the constitution.

Does this not tell any rational mind that the Government is helping the mindless murderers and condoning the massacres? How can people who have never spoken against the massacres since it began suddenly start talking against carrying of arms for self-defence?

This tells us the type of criminals we have in power in Kaduna state and it explains the situation better to the international community".

Mr. Makeris has hit the nail on the head. I sincerely hope that the midget and the dwarf are both listening.

They would also do well to learn from the words of Mr. Darius Ishaku the Governor of Taraba state. He said,

''The people must wake up from their slumber and defend themselves. You cant just lie down and allow yourselves to be annihilated by other groups. You have a constitutional right to self-defense and now is the time to use it. The government alone cannot do it.

How right he is. Catholic Archbishop Onaiyekan offered similar counsel. He said,

I foresee a situation where those who have been badly damaged and who are being killed daily will be saying, I cannot sit here and be killed and they will organise themselves, not because they are Christians but because they are human beings who cannot sit down and allow themselves to be killed.......everybody has a right to self-defence when they are left without any alternative".

Finally the rising star of the Pentecostal Church and a man of immense courage, Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries, made his own contribution to the debate and spoke the minds of millions of Christians from all over the country when he said,

"Someone called me and told me that there is a plan to send Fulani herdsmen after you and I said 'ok' and the person said I should be careful and I said 'careful of what?' He said the herdsmen are just going to run into the road like herdsmen and begin to cause confusion and while your security men clear them and you come out, they will open fire. I said 'ok'. After about a week, he called me and said 'please, if they dont do that, they might bring them to come around your church premises'. I said 'its okay'. And I told my people, 'any Fulani herdsman you see around that has come to attack us you kill him. I have told them in the church here, that any Fulani herdsman that just entered by mistake in order to come and attack us, kill him, kill him. Cut his head. If they are busy killing Christians and nothing is happening we will kill them in self-defence and nothing will happen.

Whether anyone likes it or not all four of these men have reflected the mindset of many in our country today.

I wonder whether the dwarf will claim that they are also "opportunists and political jobbers" that are "encouraging and planning violent attacks" too? I wonder whether they are also being "sponsored" to say these things?

The truth is that this is a very serious matter indeed and the situation is getting worse by the day. To underestimate the resolve of Christians to defend themselves from further attacks and acts of genocide or to seek to deny them that right would be a cataclysmic and monumental error.

The dwarf and the midget both need to grow up, smell the coffee and appreciate the fact that the evil that they are perpetuating and encouraging in Kaduna state may end up igniting a religious conflagration in this country the likes of which humanity has never seen before.

Instead of spending their time trying to misrepresent, insult, threaten and intimidate others or planning their utter destruction they should tend to their jobs and protect the good people of their state.

I say this because what may end up happening in Nigeria if care is not taken will make the civil war that raged in Lebanon in the 1980's and 1990's and the one that is winding down and coming to an end in Syria today look like child's play. God forbid that we should ever have the Rwandan experience here and we must do all we can to prevent it.

Urging President Muhammadu Buhari's Federal Govermment and its Muslim-led intelligence and security agencies to silence, arrest and detain Christian clerics and leaders like Apostle Johnson Suleman or to muzzle, threaten, humiliate, intimidate, discredit and harrass other servants of God will only make matters worse.

One wonders how many imams and Muslim clerics have been arrested and detained for inciting and encouraging violence and genocide against Christians in their mosques since Buhari came to power?

What about Miyetti Allah members who have consistently said that they were responsible for the murder of numerous Christians in Southern Kaduna and Benue state which they claim were done in the name of "reprisals" for the killing of their cows? Not one of them has been questioned or arrested and that speaks volumes.

Given all this timely is the warning from Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who himself was once Governor of Kaduna state. He said that if care was not taken "the Kaduna crisis may spread to other parts of Nigeria". He is absolutely right.

The bottom line is this: if you want to stop Christian commentators, community and political leaders and clerics from complaining about the genocide that the believers and the faithful are being subjected to in northern Nigeria today you will have to kill or jail us ALL. And that is something that not even one million Buharis and El Rufais can do.

Permit me to conclude this contribution with the insightful words of my friend and brother Governor Ayo Fayose. He said,

Nigerians, either Muslim or Christian deserve to be protected by the Federal Government, which controls all security apparatus in the country and the moment they can no longer protect Nigerians from being killed by rampaging herdsmen citizens of the country will have no option than to defend themselves. If the Federal Government had acted swiftly like it acted on Apostle Johnson Suleiman's so-called "inciting comments" when people were being killed by herdsmen across the country, so many lives would have been saved.....Apostle Johnson Suleiman openly condemned the killing of Nigerians across the country and went on to say that Christians should rise and defend themselves if the Federal Government, which controls all security apparatus, will not defend them and the next thing that happened was the DSS moved swiftly to arrest him. Isnt it ridiculous that instead of running after those herdsmen that have killed over 3,000 Nigerians in just one year, the DSS opted to arrest a man of God who merely expressed his frustration on the inability of Nigeria to protect its citizens? Or who should be arrested between those killer herdsmen and Apostle Suleiman who merely expressed his readiness for self-defence and called on Christians to defend themselves if they are attacked by the herdsmen? We were all in this country when cattle breeders openly said over 1,000 Agatu people of Benue State were killed because over 10,000 cows were killed. We were also told that the Southern Kaduna genocide was as a result of killing of cows. Up till today, none of those cattle breeders have been arrested.

Governor Fayose, as willing as ever to coursgeously champion the cause of the afflicted, the weak and the persecuted, has stated the case and articulated our collective position very well.

His contribution also serves as an appropiate response to the inappropiate call by the Sultan of Sokoto, the leader of the Fulani Caliphate and of all northern Muslims, for the arrest of those that he has described as "hate preachers".

What the Sultan fails to appreciate is the fact that the killings and the genocide by the Fulani militants preceded and pre-dated the so-called "hate speech" by Christian clerics. Since he has called for the arrest of so-called hate preachers one wonders why he has failed to call for the arrest of those who kill, maim and commit genocide in the name of their god. What is good for the goose is surely good for the gander.

The truth of the matter is this: the Christians of Nigeria are not lab rats. Whether anyone likes it or not, if the government fails to protect us, we will defend ourselves when we are attacked.

That is the right and proper thing to do.

This is a new dispensation and times have changed. The days of slaughtering Christians without any backlash are long over. This is a lesson that the midget, the dwarf, the Sultanbof Sokoto and President Muhammadu Buhari need to learn fast.

Our God is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He created and controls the universe. He is known as the Ancient of Days. His Spirit resides and reigns in us. We are slow to anger but irresistable in battle. We are strong. We are Christians. And we serve a mighty God.

May the Lord of Hosts deliver the people of Kaduna state and Nigeria from these genocidal maniacs, pernicious liars and ravenous beasts. (CONCLUDED).
It is unfortunate that the Sunyani traditional council is politicizing the constitutionally wrongful actions of one of their own, much to the dismay of their subjects and electorates of the vast region. On the streets of Sunyani, the people are blunt about how immediate relatives of this NDC outspoken paramount chief have secured massive financial contracts and deals from the JM administration thereby turning billionaires over this period.

For gathering the courage to point out the distasteful political remarks of a chief, to whom Asomah-cheremeh is subject, speak lots about what he can do as an administrator, and how far he will go to defend the constitution of the land, and the rights of its citizens. Notwithstanding, the regional house of chiefs has since apologized to Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and the NPP for the poor political actions and utterances of some of its members during the campaign season.

A chief and his immediate family or friends benefitting from a ruling party or sitting president is no crime, however, it is in contravention of the 1992 constitution of Ghana article 276(1), and reinforced by article 94 (3) (c) for the chief to openly engage in politics as the Sunyani paramountcy did.

The response of the Sunyani people to this brouhaha has been clear and repeated during the polls with massive wins in both constituencies, and on the nomination of Mr. Asomah-cheremeh as regional minister designate, a rousing welcome on the streets of Sunyani.

From the foregoing, it is prudent to conclude the following;

the people are in favor of the bold and astute prowess of the NPP regional chairman, and his future position as Regional Minister, Sunyani represents only two constituencies out of the twenty nine, the B/A regional house of chiefs has pleaded for forgiveness on behalf of several of their own who made wild political utterances during the electioneering campaign, and thus negates the current stance of the Sunyani traditional council.

In furtherance of these, and for the sake of progress in the region, the Leadership and Integrated Development Organization (LIDO- USA) pleads that the Sunyani Traditional Council temper pride with fairness and respect for their subjects, and end this no winner controversy. Asomah-cheremeh is one of their illustrious, brilliant and resilient sons, and support for his administration is a win for all.

Signed;

Charles Owusu,

Programmes Director
By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA

Wa, Jan. 27, GNA - A section of the public in the Upper West Region have expressed good will and high expectations for Mr. Sulemana Alhassan, the President's nominee for the position of Upper West Regional Minister.

Many of those who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa have no doubt that Mr. Alhassan's past record as former Wa Municipal Director of Education and former Headmaster of Wa Islamic Senior High School (SHS) makes him a very competent person for the job.

Mr. Adams Issahaku, the Upper West Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) referred to the nominee as one who was well known due to the various positions he held in the Region.

"His non-tribalistic nature and non-involvement in religious matters coupled with his firm nature in taking decisions is admired by all," he said.

On how Mr. Alhassan could help propel the development of the Region, the NDC Regional Organiser urged him to continue and ensure the completion of all projects started by the previous government.

He said it was only this way that the Region could experience real development that would impact on the quality of life of the people.

He said challenges faced by persons appointed to such positions included internal party struggle over resources and jobs especially contracts as well as bias criticisms from opposition.

He was however confident that Mr. Alhassan would overcome such challenges to succeed on his mandate.

Mr. Abdul- Aziz M. Suleman, Deputy Upper West Regional Organiser for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) described Mr. Alhassan as a hardworking man who was very supportive and influential in the Party's success in the Region.

"He is someone who does not discriminate and so will be able to bring together all facets of society together to work for the development of the Region," he said, adding that the President had made a good choice for the Region.

Mr. Suleman who is also the acting Regional Research and Elections Director said youth unemployment was a big issue in the Region and appealed to the nominee to look beyond government opportunities alone and explore other international opportunities and link-up the youth in the Region to take advantage of.

He also urged the nominee to complete all ongoing projects in the Region especially the Regional Hospital project to enable the people derive the benefit and not allow them to stall.

Mrs. Hajia Fusata Hamidu, the Wa Municipal Director of Education expressed joy that someone who understood the constraints in the educational sector got the nod to preside over the Region.

She was optimistic that Mr. Alhassan who is an educationist would be able to use his position to advocate for adequate resources for the sector to improve on education performance in the Region.

Some market women who also spoke to the GNA, expressed the hope that the nominee and his government would be able to improve on the poor road network in the Region so that food stuff from the rural areas could be easily transported to the Region. GNA
By Gifty Amofa, GNA

Kumasi, Jan 27, GNA - The Kumasi Based-Gender and Violence Court has convicted a teacher, standing trial for defiling a 12-year class five pupil.

Joseph Kwabena Acheampong had pleaded guilty to the offence and he would be told of his punishment on Friday, February 03.

Police Chief Inspector Comfort Baffour-Kyei told the court, presided over by Madam Comfort Taseame, that the incident happened at the Daban New Site in Kumasi, in February, last year.

The victim had gone to her friend - a younger sister of the convict, to assist her (victim) to do her homework.

Acheampong took advantage of the visit, lured the innocent girl into his room and forcibly had sex with her.

He warned her not to tell anybody about her traumatic experience and she kept the pain to herself.

The prosecution said about nine months after, the victim again visited the friend and the convict employed another trick and sexually abused her.

This time, the girl became bold and reported her ordeal to the senior sister and a formal report was made to the Police Domestic Violence and Victim's Support Unit (DOVVSU), leading to his arrest.

Acheampong confessed to the crime in his caution statement, the prosecution added.

GNA
By Maxwell Awumah,GNA

Hohoe, Jan 27 GNA - The United Nations has declared 2017 as "International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development", highlighting the need to promote more sustainable tourism.

This was contained in a release by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in a recent launch in Madrid, Spain, and made available to the Ghana News Agency.

The UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, quantifying the growth of tourism in figures said, 'More than 1.2 billion people travelled around the world for tourism purposes and another six billion people travelled domestically, in 2016."

"In parallel with the growth of the sector, there is also increased responsibility to advance towards greater sustainability, equity, inclusiveness and peace in our societies," he added.

Mr Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said "Tourism has become a pillar of economies, a passport to prosperity, and a transformative force for improving millions of lives. The world can and must harness the power of tourism as we strive to carry out the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

This would consist of promoting tourism that is respectful of the environment, preserve countries' resources and natural wealth of the people who stimulate the economy, create jobs and income and, thus, the development of countries and their populations.

It said tourism in Africa, developing potential with its wealth of exceptional flora and fauna, legendary landscapes and varied cultural heritage, the continent offers largely untapped tourism potential.

Representing more than 15 percent of the world population, the continent only currently attracted a small share of the world's tourists.

It welcomed 65.3 million tourists in 2014, or 5.8% of worldwide tourist travel, compared to the 17.4 million international tourist arrivals on the continent in 1990.

The performance of the sector has increased nearly fourfold in less than 15 years.

In other words, tourism on the continent, especially in the hotel industry, is booming.

In terms of revenue, Africa earned US $43.6 billion in 2014, representing 3.5 percent of worldwide tourism revenue.

It said tourism can be an engine of growth generating income and jobs. In 2014, the sector accounted for 8.7 million jobs in Africa, 500,000 more than in the previous year.

It observed infrastructure and transport services remained the Achilles' heel of the growth of the tourism sector: "Journeys in the African continent are not always seamless", noted the 2015 edition of Africa Tourism Monitor.

It proves more complicated - and more onerous - to travel across the continent than it does to get there from Europe, North America or Asia. Dedicated incentive policies are still to be put in place, besides strengthening regional cooperation.

Three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, adopted in September 2015, target tourism: SDG 8, "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all", SDG 12, "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns" and SDG 14, "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development".

GNA
By Mohammed Abdul Rashid, GNA

Accra, Jan. 27, GNA - A cross-section of the people of Tamale South have called on the Government to construct the roads in the constituency to enable them to carry out their social and economic activities with ease.

The people noted that the construction of the one kilometre road from the Nyohini Yapala Community through Nyohini Binabaani to the Bolgatanga Highway had been their major nightmare.

Mr Alhassan Ziblim Khalid, a resident of the community, told the Ghana News Agency that Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament, assured the residents that the road had been awarded on contract after the matter came up in the media.

'We were told by the MP that the construction of the road had been given to a contractor and we don't want the change of government to affect the project. We are ready to follow through the process until the full realisation of the project,' he said.

Mr Issahaku Baatooro, another resident, said: 'Most residents cannot sleep when it rains because our houses get flooded and we have to use stones and sandbags to protect our houses'.

He said during the rainy seasons the road became so bad that even pedestrians could not use it adding that motorists and pedestrians used hours to get to their destinations which would have taken some few minutes if the roads were in good shape.

'We don't know whether the contractor will still do the work since the MPs party did not win the elections,' he said.

'I don`t even know why it is taking them so long to start the construction because they will not need to demolish any house before the construction starts,'' the Imam of the community, Alhassan Musah, said.

He appealed to the MP and the Government to come to their aid by constructing the road before the raining season starts.

''We are calling on the MP and the said contractor to please construct the road for us before the raining season,'' Mr Awal Kashaara, a community leader, said.

GNA
In a week the Black Stars lost, but qualified to the quarter finals of the ongoing AFCON, a new controversy about [email protected] was triggered with the constitution of a 30-member [email protected] planning committee.

But lets start with Monday. Parliaments Appointments Committee has been busy. It has been vetting ministers-designate and so far 13 have been vetted.

The second set  Foreign Affairs minister-designate; Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Energy minister-designate; Boakye Agyarko, Local Government minister-designate; Hajia Alima Mahama and Trade and Industry minister-designate; Alan Kyerematen.

The first person to appear before the Committee was Alan Kyerematen. For more than four hours, the former Trade Minister in the erstwhile Kufuor administration answered questions on trade and commerce in the country and how he, in collaboration with the new government intends to boost it.

One issue that could not have been swept under the carpet is the promise made by President Akufo-Addo on the campaign platform to construct a factory in every district in the country. When asked how this was going be of benefit to Ghanaians, Mr Kyerematen said the policy, once realized will bring massive transformation to the Ghanaian economy.

Foreign Affairs Minister-designate, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey was next. During her vetting, Mrs Botchwey who held a deputy ministerial portfolio for the same ministry during the Kufour administration urged Ghanaians living abroad to return home. For her, the situation in the country is not as bad as it seems.

She was followed by the Local Government Minister nominee, Alima Mahama. The MP for Gambaga/Nalerigu was grilled for signing a letter ordering Metropolitan Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to present their handing over documents to their various Coordinators.

Member of NDC Legal Committee, Abraham Amaliba said per the 1992 Constitution the MP had no right to give such orders and that she had erred. But she disagreed.

Last but not the least, Energy Minister-designate, Boakye Agyarko took his turn at the vetting. His interrogation dragged into the night and that could be understood because the issues with the energy sector are not ones to be glossed over.

He revealed that there would be a relief for power consumers in the country if President Akufo-Addo assents to a tariff reduction document before him.

He said they have worked the numbers and once the President gives the green light, electricity tariffs across the country would be reduced.

Earlier in the day, however, two people lost their lives to an accident at Asante-Akim Agogo in the Ashanti Region after the rim of a lorry tyre they were working on struck them following an explosion.

Two others also suffered severe injuries are said to be in critical condition at the local Presbyterian Hospital.

Well, members of the Appointments Committee returned on Tuesday polished and ready to sink their interrogative claws into President Akufo-Addos ministerial nominees. The first to receive the venom was Education Minister-designate Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh.

He said the Akufo-Addo government would continue with the upgrade of Technical Universities started under the John Mahama administration.

Health Minister-designate Kweku Agyemang-Manu was next. He defended the governing NPPs claim that the National Health Insurance Scheme had collapsed.

Mr Agyemang Manu said the party arrived at the conclusion because of frustration faced by Ghanaians in the accessibility of services provided by the Scheme.

While, the appointments committee spewed its venom on the nominees, President Akufo-Addo announced the appointment of regional ministers.

Featured prominently in the list was the NPPs First Vice Chairman in the Volta Region; Dr Archibald Letsa as Volta Regional Minister and Central Region General Secretary, Kwamena Duncan as Central Regional Minister.

President Akufo-Addo also appointed appointed Joseph Anokye as the acting Director General of the National Communication Authority.

The appointment was contained in a January 24, 2017, letter signed by the Communications Minister designate Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful who was acting as the president's representative.

Later in the day a very interesting report by Civil Organisation, Odekro was released. In the report MP for Dome Kwabenya and Deputy Majority Leader Adwoa Safo was listed as one of 50 worst performing legislators.

The report also named Assin Central MP Ken Agyapong and former Navrongo Central MP Mark Woyongo as worst performing MPs.

In the evening, it was the turn of Agric Minister-designates turn at the Appointment Committee.

He said says the sector under the current administration will pursue foreign investments in a bid to increase production.

The Northern Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, Bugri Naabu made an interesting revelation on Wednesday.

He said he will donate the controversial vehicle he claimed to have received from president John Mahama to charity.

The vehicle he alleged was a bribe given to him by the ex-president to resign from the party and to malign the then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.

That same morning, Civil Organisation, Odekro who had released a report naming Deputy Majority Leader Adwoa Safo among 50 other worst performing legislators made a u-turn.

According to the organization, it made a mistake in including the Dome Kwabenya MP on the list. The organisations Director of Monitoring and Evaluation of the group Kinna Likimani apologized to the MP for Dome Kwabenya for giving her a wrong score.

She added that Ms Safo was indeed one of the best performing MPs in Parliament.

Later that afternoon, former Inspector General of Police John Kudalor resigned, paving way for the appointment of David Asante Apeatu as acting IGP.

President Akuo-Addo made the announcement at the Flagstaff House after COP Kudalor tended in his resignation.

We also learnt later that Ghana had dropped two places and is now ranked 9th least corrupt country, according to a Transparency International report on 46 African countries.

Ghana failed to improve on its 7th position in 2015 when it scored 47points. In 2016, the country lost four percentage points to garner 43 points.

A Ghanaian Law Professor based in the UK, Kweku Azar said it is entirely possible for the Akufo-Addo-led administration to create an office for a special prosecutor.

Although the Constitution gives the prosecutory powers to the Attorney General only, Mr Azar says the Attorney General can issue a Constitutional Instrument for the office to be created.

Finally, that evening the Black Stars played their final Group game against Egypt in the ongoing African Cup of Nations Tournament ongoing in Gabon.

In the end, Egypt won by a goal, with a freekick scored by Mohammed Salah set a quarter final meeting between them and Morocco while Ghana prepares to face DR Congo.

On Thursday, the Appointment Committee of Parliament recommended for approval eight out of the 13 ministerial nominees.

However, Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, Energy Minister designate Boakye Agyarko and three others were not part of the list recommended for approval.

That same day Chiefs in the Brong Ahafo region registered hteir displeasure with the regional minister appointed by President Akufo-Addo.

The Sunyani Traditional Council at a presser revived a 2016 feud with the NPP man claiming, that he disrespected the traditional authority.

They said 'We cannot work with him' .

President Akufo-Addo later that evening inaugurated a 30-member Planning Committee to spearhead activities toward the nations 60th anniversary.

The Committee, which would be chaired by Ken Amankwah has representatives from strategic state institutions, including the army and police service.

Of course, not all Ghanaians are happy with the announcement. Many took to social media to questioned the need for such committee.

But Vice Chair of the Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor says he fully supports Akufo-Addo's decision to mark the anniversary because Ghana has come a long way.

Ghana has a lot to celebrate, he said, justifying the parameters set out by the President towards the big celebration.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]
Bawku Central Member of Parliament (MP), Mahama Ayariga has withdrawn bribery allegation he made against Energy Minister-designate, Boakye Agyarko Friday.

Chairman of Parliament's Appointments Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu made this revelation to Joy News' Parliamentary Correspondent, Joseph Gakpo.

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament said the former Science and Technology Minister said he made the claim up to "level the playing field" because the nominee has impugned the reputation of former President John Mahama.

Related Article: Bribery Scandal hits Parliament; Ayariga fingers Agyarko

Mr Ayariga has alleged on an Accra-based Radio Gold that Mr Agyarko gifted the Committee the sum of GHC100,000 to be shared to members.

He claimed National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs on the Committee were offered GHC3,000 each, but they rejected it after they were told of the giver.

Mr Agyarko's approval together with Senior Minister-designate, Yaw Osafo Maafo has been scuttled by the NDC after some "inaccurate" information they provided the Committee.

Minority members of the Committee have requested the former Vice President of the Bank of New York to produce evidence to back some corruption allegations he made about former President John Mahama.

Mr Agyarko has also claimed World Bank had 'breathed fire' down the neck of the former Ghanaian leader to take a particular course of action.

When quizzed to substantiate the claim his explanation NDC members on the Committee found it unsatisfactory, triggering attempts to torpedo his approval.

The alleged money donated to the Committee was construed by NDC legislators as an attempt to buy their cooperation and bribe them to support his approval.

The Majority had challenged Mr Ayariga to produce evidence, but Mr Osei Owusu said the MP has withdrawn his statement and apologised.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
President Nana Akufo-Addo has sworn in 12 of the 36 persons he named as ministers for various portfolios after their approval by Parliament's Appointments Committee.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Flagstaff House today [Friday] evening, where President Akufo-Addo charged the new ministers to deliver on the commitments the New Patriotic Party made on the campaign trail ahead of its election victory.

He also impressed on the new ministers not to fail Ghanaians who, he said, expected the government to protect the public purse and ensure value for money.

The 12 ministers sworn in were among the first batch of 13 out of 36 nominees, who appeared before Parliament's Appointments Committee between January 20 and January 24 to be vetted.

The Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, is part of the 13 approved by Parliament but is currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will be sworn in at the Ghana embassy in the Ethiopian capital tomorrow [Saturday], according to President Akufo-Addo, as he visits that country.

The full list of sworn-in Ministers is below

Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori Atta

Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen

Minister for Justice, Gloria Akuffo

Minister for National, Security, Albert Kan Dapaah

Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul

Minister for Local Government Ministry, Hajia Alima Mahama

Minister for Interior, Ambrose Dery

Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu

Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto

Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo

Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko

Late approval of nominees

Parliament's approval of five of the Ministerial nominees was delayed because of concerns raised y the Minority in Parliament.

The latest to be approved were Senior Minister Nominee; Osafo Maafo; Energy Minister Nominee, Boakye Agyarko, Education Minister Nominee, Matthew Opoku Prempeh; Minister Nominee for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu and Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister Nominee for Agriculture.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, had explained that, his side needed some additional information on statements Osafo Maafo and Boakye Agyarko both made before the Committee during the vetting.

He said Mr. Agyarko provided some inaccurate information relating to the debt associated with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta River Authority (VRA).

But Citi News' Duke Mensah Opoku reported that Mr. Agyarko subsequently withdrew some of his comments, prompting the committee to approve him by consensus.

He added that Mr. Osafo-Maafo, however, stood by his comments but provided additional information to support his claim and was therefore recommended for approval by consensus.

They were eventually approved around 7: 30 pm on Friday evening.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, Jan. 27, GNA - Ephraim Amuzu, 24-year old man, has been put before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 13-year old at Spintex in Accra but he has, however, denied the offence before the Police.

He told the Police that he only inserted his left forefinger into the victim's vagina.

Charged with defilement, Amuzu pleaded not guilty but the court remanded him into lawful custody to reappear on February 1.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sophia Ennim, told the court that the complainant is a trader residing at Second Boutique, near Motorway area whilst the accused is a supplier of coca cola products.

DSP Ennim said the accused lived in the same house with the complainant's aunty and the victim.

On January 16, this year, prosecution said the complainant visited the victim but did not meet her. Later the victim and her other siblings returned home and narrated the ordeal the accused person had put her through.

The complainant, however, overheard her narration and when quizzed the victim further told the complainant that on January 15, this year, her (victim's) aunty who sold porridge by the road side asked her to go and wash utensils and take her bath.

Coincidently, prosecution said, the accused person was standing at the road side by his bicycle. Amuzu followed the victim home and took advantage of the absence of the other tenants and had sex with the victim in the complainant's Aunty's room after covering her mouth.

Not satisfied with his sexual activities, Amuzu again had sex with the victim the same day after wearing condom and covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

On January 17, this year, the complainant reported the matter to the Police and a medical form was issued so the victim could be examined.

GNA
By Dennis Peprah, GNA

Sunyani, Jan. 26, GNA - A section of the public in the Sunyani Municipality received the nomination of Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, as the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister Designate with joy and applause.

Others however questioned the human relations of Mr Asomah-Cheremeh, a lawyer by profession who is also the Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.

They told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani that without peace; development could not be attained and the Region needed a minister who could unite the people.

'His nomination as a regional minister is good because he is not a Member of Parliament and will have ample time to work effectively,' Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation told the GNA.

Mr Ahenu was of the view that as an indigene, the President's nominee was abreast of the Region's socio-economic challenges, especially in the area of agriculture - poor road network linking farm gates.

Mr Mathew Abeaba Abereriya, the Industrial Relations Officer of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of Ghana attested that the President's nominee was capable of handling the job.

He observed that his critics had no justifiable basis until they come out with concrete and empirical evidence to substantiate their allegations.

Some of interviewees who spoke on the condition of anonymity expressed about what they described as 'the bad human relations' of the Regional Minister Designate.

They alleged the partisan political stance exhibited by Mr Asomah-Cheremeh had scored him low marks especially among traditional rulers in the region.

GNA
27.01.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Jan. 27, GNA - To mark the celebration of its 40 th anniversary, Kenya Airways is offering Ghanaian travelers up to 40 per cent discount on tickets to various destinations across its network.

The offer also includes a special US$1977 price for its business class tickets to Europe-Paris, London and Amsterdam.

Kenya Airways Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mbuvi Ngunze, in a statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency stated: "We sincerely thank everyone who has been part of this journey in the past and today, and we look forward to many more years of being the pride of Africa".

He further reiterated Kenya Airways' commitment to continue serving the region, promoting trade, and offering quality service to its guests.

The airline launched its inaugural flight on February 4, 1977, two weeks after the company was incorporated on January 22, 1977.

From humble beginnings, Kenya Airways has grown to become a leading player in Africa connecting the region to the World and the World to Africa through its hub in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi.

Over the last four decades, Kenya Airways has emerged as an important economic driver in Kenya and the East African region as a whole.

GNA
Accra, Jan. 27, GNA - The Nanumba Youth Association (NAYA) has applauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for nominating Salifu Saeed as the Northern Regional Minister. The Association considered the appointment as; 'an honour to the Nanung Kingdom ', a statement issued by Dr Hafez Adam Taher, President of the caucus said.

It noted that the last time a native of the Kingdom served as the Deputy Minister of the Region was more than 35 years.

The NAYA also observed that the Nanung Kingdom had a considerable number of intellectuals serving in various capacities in State and private institutions to contribute to the progress of the country yet; it had suffered lack of favour from successive governments.

The youth group assured government of its support and said it would pull its weight behind the Minister Nominee so as to combat all cankers including chieftaincy disputes that slowed down the development of the Region.

'The Northern Region over the past decades has been bedevilled with pockets of chieftaincy and ethnic conflicts, which has affected development.

'We assure the President that we are committed to progress, peace and development of the Region', the statement said.

The Association also congratulated Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Member of Parliament for Bimbilla for sailing through successfully in the December 7 polls.

The group assured him of its support and called on him to work harder to iron out conflict-engulfed differences between some members of the Region including that of the Nanumba and Konkombas so as to ensure peace in the area and the country at large.

GNA
By Linda Baah, GNA

Accra, Jan.27, GNA - Lion's Club, on Friday, urged Ghanaians to discard the notion that it is an elitist secret society, saying it is just a service club, determined to make the world a better place for the underprivileged.

At a meeting with officials of the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, to discuss the voluntary Club's impending Centenary Anniversary, Mrs Mansa Akyea, who represented the chairperson of the Centenary Convention Committee, therefore, invited those with charitable hearts to join them and support their cause.

She said the negative perception was a deterrent for people who were service-oriented to join the Club, which was established by Melvin Jones, a successful American Insurance Broker, in 1917, who felt that the well-endowed should support the less-privileged in society.

'LION is an acronym for Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety, our motto is, 'We serve', and the Club is open any individual irrespective of creed or status,' Mrs Akyea explained.

She said the Club was introduced to Ghana by the Late Lionel Ankrah about 29 years ago, and there were now 15 Clubs in Ghana.

'We have been doing lot of social work but our focus has been supporting the visually and hearing impaired to live meaningful lives,' she said.

'We also undertake projects to prevent blindness and hearing loss that is why we have helped to build eye care centres at the Korle-Bu Teaching and Tema General hospitals and an Ear Assessment Centre at the Cape Coast School for the Deaf.'

On the centenary activities, which would be launched next month, Mrs Akyea said Ghana would host the anniversary convention to be attended by members of the 28 countries forming the multiple districts, termed,'403'.

The countries include Mauritius, the Comoros, Togo, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea, Chad, Congo and Liberia.

The Lion's Club operates in Clubs, Zones, Regions, Districts and Multiple Districts, in an expanding order.

Delegations from the other multiple districts would join the Convention that would be held from May 3-7, this year.

Mrs Akyea commended the Ghana News Agency for its extensive coverage of the activities of the Club and expressed the hope that the partnership would peak in the coverage of the Centenary activities.

Mr Nana Kodjo Jehu-Appiah, the Head of the Home Desk of GNA, said the GNA was grateful the Lion's Club recognised their mutual service to Mother Ghana.

'We are grateful because we are going through a lot of challenges but we strive to do our best to educate and inform Ghanaians about what the Club is doing, thus helping the needy and giving hope to the hopeless,' he said.

Mr Jehu-Appiah assured the Club that as the largest news gathering organisation in the country, the GNA would always make itself available for any individual or organisation who meant well for the nation.

GNA
By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Jan. 27, GNA - A 13-series television cook show to increase awareness on the health benefits of consuming healthy and quality vegetables amongst Ghanaians has been launched in Accra.

The show dubbed: 'The GhanaVeg Food Diaries', has been designed by GhanaVeg, a programme supported by the Netherlands Embassy.

It seeks to provide an avenue for interesting and productive discourse into varieties of production related issues with experts within the domestic and export market, greenhouse production, organic production as well as delving into the nutritional values of vegetable

The first episode of the show is expected to be aired on TV3 on Sunday, February 12, at 1800 hours with subsequent episodes airing every Sunday same time.

Mr Ron Strikker, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, speaking at the launch said vegetable consumption was the food for the future.

He said the show would promote the cultivation of vegetables, since it was a profitable venture for unemployed youth of the country.

The show will also focus on boosting Ghanaians' confidence in homegrown vegetables.

'I expect that the close collaboration between GhanaVeg, prominent Ghanaian businessmen and policymakers will not only give a boost to local production but help the citizenry in leading a healthy lifestyle,' he said.

The Ambassador encouraged Ghanaians to 'add vegetables to every meal you consume to live longer and healthier'.

He commended the production team from GhanaVeg for the initiative to create the needed awareness on the vegetable sector.

Mrs Sheila Assibey, the Deputy Programme Manager, GhanaVeg said the series would provide background information on the vegetable sector in Ghana with topics such as greenhouses, nutrition and sports.

She explained that the show would also throw more light on the first National Certification scheme: 'The Ghana Green Label' with a blend of Ghanaian, English and French recipes.

The Food Diaries programme she said would brings on board experts, business persons, and government advisors across the vegetable value chain.

Mrs Assibey said the anchor of the show would be the world-renowned Chef Selassie Atadika of 'Midunu', who also has a wealth of knowledge on local vegetables.

The Chef said it was great putting the recipes together with the support of the GhanaVeg team and other stakeholders.

Stakeholders at the launch; Eden Tree, Food and Drugs Administration, Horticulture Unit, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Farmers Market expressed the hope that Ghanaians would embrace the initiative to positively impact their eating habits.

GNA
Pankese (E/R), Jan. 27, GNA - Madam Sun Baohong, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, has donated some farming inputs to the people of Pankese and Kyenkyenku in the Eastern Region to enhance farming activities.

The items were 300 cutlasses, 200 wellington boots and 150 spraying machines.

Madam Sun Baohong, at the presentation of the items at Pankese in the Birim North District, said agriculture was the foundation of a country's economy and, therefore, farmers should attach seriousness to it by making use of the available lands for maximum profit.

Mr John Osei Frimpong, the Member of Parliament for Abirem, said the Government would strengthen the Ghana-China friendship so as to improve the economic activities of the people for better living standards.

The opinion leaders of the beneficiary communities expressed gratitude to the Chinese Ambassador for the donation and gave the assurance that the items would be put to good use to boost the economic growth of their communities and the country as a whole.

GNA
Leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser Spintelligent has won four major awards at the *ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Awards in Johannesburg which honour excellence in the exhibition and events industry on the continent. The awards were organised jointly by the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) and the Exhibition & Event Association of Southern Africa (EXSA).

*ROAR = Respect, Opportunities, Achievement, Recognition

African Utility Week, Spintelligents flagship energy event for the last 17 years, was the joint winner in the Best Trade Exhibition 6001-12000 sqm category, sharing the honours with the World Travel Market. Agritech Expo Zambia won two awards: for Best Trade & Consumer Exhibition 12000+ sqm and for Distinction in Social Responsibility Award. The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, which was a launch event for the company in 2016, won the Best Confex category. The DRC Mining Week was also a finalist in the Social Responsibility category.

It was a clean sweep for Spintelligent and I could not be prouder of our teams, says an excited Spintelligent MD David Ashdown. We work incredibly hard to produce successful, relevant and innovative events for our clients in exciting industries such as energy, agriculture and mining. To also get recognition from our peers in this competitive expo industry is immensely rewarding as it inspires us to work even harder and to take things up a notch every year.

He adds: the AAXO ROAR Awards honoured both long-standing events such as African Utility Week, to a more recent project such as Agritech Expo as well as a launch show, African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, which is part of our new property portfolio. It shows that we are still on the right track, while also receiving the nod of approval for our newer initiatives.

ROAR Awards

Best Trade Exhibition 6001-12000 sqm category (joint winner):

The 17th edition of African Utility Week, the flagship pan-African power and water platform, will take place again in Cape Town in May and gather some 7000 attendees from around 80 countries, including many African nations, as well as 250 exhibitors and 299 high-level conference speakers while more than 80 power and water utilities will be represented.



Spintelligents Group Director for Power, Energy and Real Estate, Le-Ann Hare Keymer says: we share Africas goals of economic growth and prosperity for all, especially working in the power, energy and real estate sectors. It is a privilege to be part of the continents development through our events and particularly to be recognised for excellence and innovation.

Best Trade & Consumer Exhibition +12000 sqm Award and Distinction in Social Responsibility Award:

The Agritech Expo Zambia team is honoured and thankful for the recognition of what they have achieved over the last three years says Emmanuelle Nicholls, Natural Resources Group Director, building the event from scratch in a field in the middle of Zambia. She adds their commitment, blood, sweat and tears bear testimony to the uniqueness of this event.

The fourth edition of Agritech Expo Zambia will also return to Chisamba in April  last year the outdoor farming expo attracted a record-breaking attendance of 17 605 visitors.

The expo also has an outreach programme at the local Golden Valley Basic School, where, with the assistance of numerous event sponsors, it is assisting the school with much

needed infrastructure upgrades, equipment supplies and management of the schools farm.

Best Confex Award:

Winning Africas Best Confex for the inaugural African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit is testament to the creativity, innovation, resourcefulness and hard-work that the entire Spintelligent event team contributed to the project says event director Richard Stubbs. With the support of Wesgro and the Transport Development Agency, we look forward to realising the vision of a continental meeting place for African Built Environment professionals, and hopefully many more awards along the way.

More than 300 sector experts will gather for the second edition of the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit in September in Cape Town this year with interactive sessions

that focus on key case studies of visionary city planning, investment opportunities in the commercial and residential real estate sectors across the continent.

Distinction in Social Responsibility Award  finalist:

DRC Mining Week takes place again in June, hosting more than 1500 visitors in the mining hub of Lubumbashi.



The event is also an active supporter of the Kinsevere Community School Project in Lubumbashi, which includes the preparation of hot meals for 500 children on Sundays, access to water through a borehole and the school sponsorship of 25 gifted kids in the community.



The DRC Mining Week team has been working hard to grow within and outside the company says event director Elodie Delagneau, and while our big brother event, Agritech Expo, was a well-deserved winner in this category we are incredibly proud to have been a finalist and this just motivates us to up our game!

Spintelligent is well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Agritech Expo Tanzania, CBM-TEC, Kenya Mining Forum, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC), Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), iPAD Nigeria Mining Forum, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.
Guy Verhofstadt MEP, the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, speaks with UpFront on Al Jazeera:

 Declares it technically impossible for the UK to have a new trade deal in place with the EU in two years time

 Suggests its always possible that the UK might rejoin the EU in the future and it could be a "little bit faster a process"

 Describes Brexit and other political challenges to the EU - from Trump to Putin - as an existential threat

In an interview with Al Jazeera Englishs current affairs show, UpFront, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, was asked whether it would be possible for the UK government to negotiate both Brexit and a new trade deal with the EU by 2019. Thats technically impossible, he said.

He emphasized that while they are not looking for a punitive exercise, the EU parliament will want a fair and generous agreement, where you can never have outside the European Union a better status than as member of the European Union.

Verhofstadt also gave his thoughts on whether the UK could potentially re-enter the EU in the future under a different government. That is always possible, he said. They can always reintroduce a request for membership of the European Union Certainly, we have enough experience to make it a little bit a faster process than what is normal.

Asked about which issue drove 52% of Britons to vote for Brexit in June 2016, Verhofstadt replied: Mainly the migration. Its very clear.

When asked by UpFront host Mehdi Hasan if xenophobia and specifically a Little Englander mentality explained the Brexit vote, the MEP and former Belgian prime minister responded, Thats maybe a good explanation.

The senior MEP and former Belgian prime minister also agreed that the numerous challenges facing the EU - the election of Donald Trump, the rise of Putins Russia, Brexit, and the fiscal and refugee crises - constitute an existential threat to the future of the union.
The IAEA report, released on the 20th of January, confirmed the Belorussian NPPs design parameters accounted for site-specific external hazards.

On the 20th of January a team of IAEA experts concluded a five-day Site and External Events Design (SEED) mission to Belarus. The SEED team reviewed the design parameters of the nuclear power plant the country is constructing with the use of Russian innovative VVER technology against external hazards specific to the site.

The SEED team said the plants design parameters accounted for site-specific external hazards, such as earthquakes, floods and extreme weather, as well as human-induced events, the IAEA team concluded in its findings released on agencys web site on January 20.

The IAEA team also noted that hazard monitoring programmes, which will be implemented throughout the life cycle of the plant, were adequate and properly documented. Additionally, measures have been taken to address challenges related to external events in light of lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

Nuclear safety is a national responsibility and, by inviting this mission, the Government of Belarus has shown a strong commitment to meet the intent of IAEA Safety Standards in the development of the countrys nuclear power programme, said Greg Rzentkowski, Director of the IAEAs Division of Nuclear Installation Safety. This mission demonstrated that appropriate steps have been taken to establish the design parameters of the nuclear power plant to protect it against the worst credible external event.

Belarus is building its first nuclear power reactors, two 1 170 megawatt-electric units of the Russian VVER technology. The first unit is scheduled to begin operation in 2019, the second one in 2020.

VVER reactor technology comes as one of the most reliable and promising technologies of nuclear industry. VVER is one of the world's main technologies for the production of nuclear electricity. A total of 58 reactors based on this technology are operating today.

VVER-based projects also highly attractive for business and investors, who are eager to participate in construction works and development of local infrastructure. Due to the active development of nuclear power, high-tech clusters can emerge in the future. These clusters would integrate a number of industries, medicine, science and technology.

Generally, benefits of Rosatoms VVER reactor projects consist in an integrated offer. Rosatom does the design and construction work, provides maintenance services, trains the staff. Moreover, Rosatom is ready to offer a variety of models for funding new projects, develop infrastructure in the region of the NPP construction.

This could be of high importance for African countries which decided to embark upon the way of sustainable energy development. To achieve this, a range of African countries are working out a balanced strategy for the development of the power industry which includes the use of diverse and clean energy sources. Countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, are planning to rapidly develop a nuclear power sector with a view of creating balanced power industry. This has a point. The development of sustainable mix of different energy sources will allow to unleash huge potential of African countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.

In March 2009, Russia signed a co-operation agreement with Nigeria, including provision for uranium exploration and mining in the country. A further broad agreement in June 2009 envisaged the construction of a Russian power reactor and a new research reactor. In June 2012, Rosatom signed a memorandum of understanding with NAEC to prepare a comprehensive programme of building nuclear power plants in Nigeria.

In 2012, the Ministry of Energy & Petroleum of Ghana signed a co-operation agreement with Rosatom, and in mid-2013 further discussion took place on the specifics of joint projects facilitating the implementation of plans by Ghana to develop a nuclear industry with Russian help. In June 2015, a nuclear co-operation agreement with Russia was signed. It also enables the promotion of Russian technology in West African markets and the practical start of joint nuclear projects.

About SEED missions:

SEED missions are designed to assist Member States at different stages in the development of a nuclear power programme. The service offers a choice of modules on which to focus the review, such as site selection and assessment, and the design of structures, systems and components against site external hazards. In accordance with IAEA practice, the final mission report will be delivered to the Government within three months.
Just hours after a United States court ruled that the countrys security agents can arrest Senator Buruji Kashamu for dr*g trafficking in coordination with local authorities outside the country, the legislator has reacted through his lawyer.

Buruji Kashamu's lawyer says the US court did not order his extradition

Some months ago, security operative in Nigeria had attempted to arrest him in his Lagos home and extradite him to the US to face trial but this proved abortive as he was able to secure a court order stopping the move.

Speaking about the new court ruling, Prince Ajibola Oluyede, who is the counsel to Buruji described the report as sensationalized.

READ ALSO: He is a loudmouth, immature and uneducated politician - Kashamu blasts Fayose

The sensationalisation of the ruling of the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit per Posner J is but another chapter in the misinformation and deliberate falsification of facts.

This action was not brought against Senator Buruji Kashamu. It was initiated by him in 2015 before the attempted abduction saga occurred and was already pending in the District Court in Northern Illinois seeking to enforce the provisions of the Mansfield Act (a United States Law which forbids US law enforcement agents from carrying out law enforcement activities outside US territory).

At the time this action was commenced, all the Senator had was information that an abduction was being planned against him. Few months later that information was confirmed when a battalion of armed and masked National Dr*g Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials attacked, sacked and laid siege to his home for six days until they were forced to leave his premises by court order, he said adding that the US action continued thereafter on the evidence that showed that some of the countrys agents had indeed directed the operation against Senator Kashamu.

In a statement made available to NAIL.com, Burujis counsel said the judgment of the District Court not did not deal with the legality or otherwise of the act of those US agents but stopped at the threshold of consideration of the question whether the Mansfield Act could be the basis for complaint by an individual alleging illegal law enforcement activities in violation of that Act.

He added that the District Courts answer to that question was that the Mansfield Act did not give an individual any cause of action and that it is from that ruling that Senator Kashamu appealed to the Seventh Circuit whereupon the Seventh Circuit rejected the appeal.

In the belated opinion given again by Justice Posner, as he had done twice before, he exceeded the scope of the questions placed before the court and made remarks that have no basis in the record before him but which appears to emanate from his own prejudices.

The media probably needs a stimulant to sustain their audience now that the drama of the US election is abating. But they should be careful to be accurate in their reporting in order not to transcend the bounds of decency and legality as we have seen in the reaction of some overzealous Nigerian journalists.

READ ALSO: Unite with Buhari to move Nigeria forward - Kashamu begs citizens

It is disturbing that the media has ignored the implication of the US Seventh Circuits pronouncement concerning the capacity of the US government to carry out police operations in foreign territory in breach of International Law and the municipal law of the victim state; as was exhibited in the unlawful attempt to abduct a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Who knows who will be next?

The Nigerian courts have unequivocally declared that rendition is illegal and have proscribed such activity against Senator Kashamu in Nigerian territory, the statement added.

Source: Legit.ng
- The NLC called on the president to dispel rumour of his death by addressing Nigerians

- The TUC however said this was unnecessary as he was on vacation

- The presidency has insisted tha Buhari is alive

The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to come out and address the nation so as to dispel rumour about his death.

Since his trip to the UK, there has been rumour circulating about the presidents state of health and alleged demise although this has been refuted by his media aide.

In an interview with CNBC Africa, Femi Adesina who is the special adviser to the president on media and publicity said the claim about the presidents health was false and insisted he was on vacation in the UK.

READ ALSO: Former militant urges Nigerians to pray for President Buhari

The Punch however reports that Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson who is the general secretary of the NLC spoke on Thursday, January 26 urging the president to put the rumour of his death to rest by addressing the country.

He said: In the social media, stories circulate without confirmation; I think that the easiest way is to talk publicly to the nation because the citizens are concerned about their leaders whereabouts.

If there are those who orchestrated rumours and they are not true, the easiest way is for him to reach out to Nigerians through a public appearance and a statement.

Nigerians have a right to be certain about the health situation of their President and the people who orchestrate rumours and unsubstantiated reports, one would wish for him to call their bluff by publicly addressing the citizens.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) however said since Buhari has duly handed over to the vice-president, it was unnecessary to be talking about his state of health except he fails to return at the stipulated time.

Mr. Bala Kaigama who is the president of the TUC said there was no need to make noise about it as the president would come back.

Why do we have to make noise about this? He is coming back; if he were to go and stay for a very long time, it is a different thing. If we have patience, he will come back. We are just being unnecessarily demanding.

This is somebody who demanded a rest and he has handed over the government to the Vice-President. So our concern is how the VP is handling it; but it his health that has become the issue of the moment.

But we should allow the old man to have his rest. It is normal for somebody of that age to need rest from time to time. If he goes to rest that does not mean that government will not work now. Let the old man enjoy his rest.

If he does not come back on the day he is supposed to come, that is when can talk, but for now, lets allow him to have his rest, why does he have to come and address us? It doesnt make any sense.

READ ALSO: Leave me out of Buharis death rumour, Bukola Saraki warns

Ebenezer Oyetakin who is the executive secretary of the anti-corruption network said it was mischief to call on the president to address the nation.

I do not subscribe to that. It smacks of mischief from such people. We are Africans. We have cultural discipline on some issues.

He has done the appropriate thing by handing over to the VP as Acting President. Let us be patient and maintain a sense of decorum and respect to the institution of governance.

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Fayose of Ekiti state vowed to continue to be a thorn in the flesh of the ruling party led by President Muhammadu Buhari

- He insisted that the ruling party has caused hunger, and that it was obvious that Nigerians made mistake by voting the APC

- He however believes opportunity of correcting the mistake will soon present itself to Nigerians

Governor Fayose vowed to continue to be a thorn in the flesh of the ruling party led by President Muhammadu Buhari

Ayodele Fayose, the Ekiti state governor insisted that he will continue to make things difficult for the Buhari led Federal government because Nigerians are tired of them.

Fayose who vowed not to stop expressing himself declared that he does not care if the federal government removes his police guards.

READ ALSO: We will bring everyone on board - Fayose promises Gbenga Daniel

I will continue to leak their secrets. I will remain a thorn in their flesh. Anything they want to do let them come. If they want to carry their police, let them carry their police. I dont care, he said.

Governor Fayose who is also the Chairman of the PDPs Governors Forum said this at the Expanded National Caucus of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday, Daily Post reports.

Fayose also urged PDP members to remain focused and not to be intimidated by the spates of arrests, incarceration, intimidation, provocation by the party in government.

Going further, he said the teeming masses are desperate to change the government in power because of the economic incompetence.

He said: The whole country is not only tired of the ruling party, they want another change. If not for the constitution, they want the change tomorrow.

President Buhari is presently on vacation in the UK

Fayose however took a swipe at people defecting to the ruling party, noting that people dont learn from mistakes.

The same party that has been rejected by Nigerians is the party that people seem to be defecting to.

READ ALSO: Fayose personally drives Apostle Suleiman in a bus to his hotel room (photos)

He also faulted the current anti-corruption fight of the ruling party, saying: Nigerians are tired of the story of corruption, especially when you find how people that are fighting corruption are busy stealing cows and are running after those people alleged to have stolen squirrel.

He insisted that the ruling party has caused hunger, and that it was obvious that Nigerians made mistake by voting the APC.

He however believes opportunity of correcting the mistake will soon present itself.

Meanwhile in the early hours of Wednesday, January 25, Governor Fayose thwarted operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) efforts to arrest Apostle Johnson Suleman of The Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide in Ado Ekiti.

Source: Legit.ng
- Apostle Johnson Suleman has permitted the chamber of Olayiwola Afolabi & Co to take legal action against the DSS for attempting to arrest him

- The lead counsel of the company, Olayiwola Afolabi, describes the action of the DSS as a Luciferic attack on a harmless, innocent and trustworthy citizen

- Spokesperson for the OFM, Dr. Sule Emmanuel, says the government has failed to protect people from rampaging herdsmen

The Omega Fire Ministries (OFM) has criticised the government for attempting to arrest Apostle Johnson Suleiman.

The head of the Omega Fire Ministries (OFM), Apostle Johnson Suleman, has threatened to drag the Department of State Services (DSS) to court for allegedly attempting to arrest him in Ado Ekiti.

READ ALSO: How Buhari ordered the arrest of Apostle Johnson Suleiman - church reacts

The threat by the fiery preacher to sue the DSS follows an alleged failed attempt by the secret police to arrest the pastor on Wednesday, January 25 at a hotel in Ekiti state, The Guardian reports.

But the operatives were stopped from detaining the preacher by Governor Ayodele Fayose who led a rescue mission to the hotel forcing the operatives to flee the scene.

The plan by Suleiman to sue the DSS was disclosed on Thursday, January 26, by the chamber of Olayiwola Afolabi & Co.

The law firm said it had the permission of Suleman to take legal action against the DSS claiming exemplary damages for its politically motivated moves against our client.

The lead counsel of the company, Olayiwola Afolabi in company with William Usman, described the action of the DSS as a Luciferic attack on a harmless, innocent and trustworthy citizen.

Similarly, the director of media, OFM, Dr. Sule Emmanuel and coordinator, legal team, Samuel Amune flayed the government for attempting to arrest Apostle Johnson Suleiman.

READ ALSO: Arrest of Apostle Suleiman could lead to religious battle  BSO warns

He said: Suleman was forced to call on Christians to defend themselves against these killers since the spate of killings, rather than abate, had been on the rise. Interestingly, the call by the man of God now became the focus of the Nigerian government, despite the fact that it evidently had failed to protect her people. It is now determined to exploit the instruments of the state to go after the man of God."

Meanwhile, Governor Ayo Fayose has warned the federal government to be careful with the way it handles issues of religion in the country in order to avoid religious crisis.

Fayose said attempt by armed men of the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Apostle Johnson Suleiman of The Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide in Ado Ekiti would have caused serious trouble.

Speaking through his special assistant on public communications and new media Lere Olayinka, the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, accused the federal government of indirectly supporting attack on Christians and other Muslim sects like the Shiites.

Source: Legit.ng
Who are the most powerful military leaders Nigeria has ever had? Legit.ng has continued to break the news from declassified CIA documents to help the Nigerian public better understand history.

1975 CIA files list Obasanjo, Danjuma, 6 others as Nigeria's most powerful military leaders

The Nigerian military rule has been heavily researched by various international bodies. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), below is a list of Nigeria's most powerful military leaders as at 1975:

1. General Yakubu Gowon

General Yakubu Gowon

General Yakubu Gowon was born on October 19, 1934, he is the former head the Federal Military Government of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975.

He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another. During his rule, the Nigerian government successfully prevented Biafran secession during the 196770 Nigerian Civil War.

After the war, Gowon turned attention to the international scene and seemed complacent about the domestic situation in the country.

Gowon subsequently went into exile in the United Kingdom, where he acquired a PhD in political science as a student at the University of Warwick.

2. Murtala Muhammed

Murtala Muhammed

After Gowon was ousted, Murtala Muhammed succeeded him.General Murtala Muhammed was born on November 8, 1938.

When he took office barely 13 hours after Gowon was ousted, he swept away the entire military hierarchy by retiring everyone above the rank of major general.

Murtala Muhammed then instituted a new military council made of of 22 men.

READ ALSO: See the most powerful African passports you need to have

3. Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, was born on March 5, 1937. He is a former Nigerian Army general who was President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.

He served as a military ruler from 13 February 1976 to 1 October 1979, succeeding Murtala Muhammed.

Although as a Brigadier, he did not participate in the military coup of July 29, 1975, led by Murtala Mohammed, he supported it and was named Murtala's deputy in the new government.

On February 13, 1976, Army Col. Dimka led a coup, marking Murtala and other senior military personnel for assassination.

Obasanjo escaped death, while Murtala was killed during the attempted coup. The coup was foiled because the plotters missed Obasanjo and General Theophilus Danjuma, chief of army staff.

Obasanjo and Danjuma established a chain of command and re-established security in Lagos, thereby regaining control.

1975 CIA files list Obasanjo, Danjuma, 6 others as Nigeria's most powerful military leaders

4. Theophilus Danjuma

Theophilus Danjuma

General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma was born on December 9, 1938 is a Nigerian Jukun soldier, politician and multi-millionaire businessman and philanthropist.

He was Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1979. He took over from David Ejoor.

He became the Chief of Army Staff to Obasanjo and played a prominent role in supporting the president in resisting the Dimka Coup in 1976. He retired from the Nigerian army in 1979.

READ ALSO: Secret CIA files revealed 4 African countries that aided Biafra

5. John Yisa-Doko

John Yisa-Doko

Air Vice-Marshal John Nmadu Yisa-Doko, was born in 1942. He was the Nigerian Air Force chief of the Air Staff from 1975 to 1980.

Air Vice Marshal Yisa-Doko was appointed in July 1975, he was the first Air Vice Marshal and Indigenous Chief of Air Staff of the Nigerian Air Force.

He was among the first batch of pilots recruited to serve in the newly formed Nigerian Air Force, and was sent to Ethiopia for training as a pilot.

He was given command over the first air platoon formed, when the German technical assistance team had concluded their mission to form the NAF. He played an active part during the Nigerian Civil War as Officer Commanding NAF flying wing and retired in April 1980.

Source: Legit.ng
- A witness of the EFCC has narrated to an Abuja court how an ally of Fayose evacuated the sum of N1.2 billion

- Alade who is the branch head of Zenith Bank in Akure said Senator Musliu Obanikoro was inside one of the aircraft which was used to convey the money to Akure

An ally to Governor Fayose, Abiodun Agbele, is alleged to have moved N1.2 billion to Akure, prior to the 2015 presidential election.

Federal High Court in Abuja has heard how an ally to Governor Ayodele Fayose, Mr. Abiodun Agbele, allegedly moved N1.2 billion to Akure, prior to the 2015 presidential election.

READ ALSO: Apostle Suleiman talks tough, threatens to move against DSS

According to Vanguard, a star witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr. Alade Sunday, on Thursday, January 26, narrated before the court how the sum of N1.2 billion was evacuated to the Zenith Bank in Akure with a bullion van after it was flown to the Akure airport in two aircraft.

Alade who is the branch head of Zenith Bank in Akure said Senator Musliu Obanikoro was inside one of the aircraft, adding that Agbele conveyed the money to the bank with armed soldiers.

Alade who earlier told the court during his evidence-in-chief that the money was stuffed inside Ghana-must-go bags, said it took his team from Zenith Bank ten days to count the money.

The witness told the court that he could not pull himself out of the transaction considering that it was the Zonal Head of Zenith Bank Plc in Ekiti state, Mr. Abiodun Oshode, that mandated him to meet Agbele at the airport with the bullion van.

READ ALSO: Why PDP members are decamping to APC - Ekweremadu

On the day the money was brought in two aircraft and the money parked into a bullion van, the 1st defendant came with fully armed men. They were soldiers. The bank did not provide its own security because we were told there was adequate arrangement for security, he said.

As at the time we went to the airport, we did not even know the amount involved. Before we adopted their security arrangements, my zonal head was assured by the personalities involved. In essence, it was not a usual practice for the bank to go and pick money with a bullion van without its own security

Meanwhile, Governor Ayodele Fayose, has insisted that he will continue to make things difficult for the Buhari led Federal government because Nigerians are tired of them.

Fayose who vowed not to stop expressing himself declared that he does not care if the federal government removes his police guards.

I will continue to leak their secrets. I will remain a thorn in their flesh. Anything they want to do let them come. If they want to carry their police, let them carry their police. I dont care, he said.

Governor Fayose who is also the Chairman of the PDPs Governors Forum said this at the Expanded National Caucus of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday, Daily Post reports.

Source: Legit.ng
Nigeria's former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and a group of notable Nigerians have moved to end the circle of communal violence in Southern Kaduna.

The delegation includes Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd) and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto.

R-L: The Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar; Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, and Bishop Kukah during a visit to Kafanchan. Photo credit: Daily Trust

The meeting which held in Kafanchan, Jemaa local government area and Kagoro in Kaura local government area of Kaduna State on Thursday, January 26, was attended by religious clerics, traditional rulers and community groups.

Abubakar, who serves as chairman of the National Peace Committee, told the people of Southern Kaduna to bury the hatchets and coexist peacefully.

The committee had held similar meeting with Governor Nasir el-Rufai in an effort to find lasting solution to incessant attacks on communities by gunmen and reprisal killings in the area.

READ ALSO: Fulani youths state that peace would only reign if these 3 conditions are met

The committee members listened to presentations by traditional rulers in Kagoro Town hall and proceeded to Unity Choice Hotel, Kafanchan to hear another set of groups make presentations.

General Abubakar urged leaders and the entire people of the area to embrace peace and accept one another as brothers.

Meanwhile Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated three steps his government is taking to put a permanent stop to the ongoing violence in southern Kaduna.

The first step mentioned by El-Rufai is the states intention to prosecute anyone found culpable in the killing of innocent people or causing violence that leads to death of innocent people.

Source: Legit.ng
Chief Mike Ozekhome has raised concern over the spate of violence in Nigeria insisting that true federalism was the solution to the countrys problem.

The prominent lawyer spoke during the Authority Newspapers Awards for Excellence and Good Governance i2016 which took place at Shehu Musa YarAdua Centre, Abuja.

He delivered a lecture on True Federalism describing it as a system of government that allows people to live within their comfort zone respecting others while being respected in turn with a central government and component units. 

Ozekhome agitates for true federalsim

READ ALSO: Hold Buhari responsible for all the violence in Nigeria - Ex-Governor Ezeife

He said each part of the country is important and should be allowed to grow at its own pace.

: Nigeria is made of about 390 ethnic groups and not just three. If you give undue prominence to the Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba ethnicities; neglecting the other ethnic groups, you will continue to experience insurgency and agitation for self-determination.

We need to give voice to the voiceless, let people express themselves. Whilst not advocating for the break-up of Nigeria, we must allow the minorities to have their say and let the majority have their way through dialogue.

Ozekhome said Nigeria was still in search of true nationhood noting that revenue generation and allocation was still faulty.

Theres great injustices in the land thats why in spite of the constitutional development that commenced with the 1922 Clifford constitution to the on-going proposed ammendment, we are still in search of true nationhood.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo promises government will develop local manufacturing

He warned that if government does not make life comfortable for the people, the people will make life uncomfortable for the government.

To avoid IPOB, MASSOB, Niger-Delta Militants, Shiite Muslims, Agatu and Odi massacres, we need to practice true federalism where each region is allowed to develop according to its pace, nuances, and idiosyncrasies. Anything short of that, we are only postponing doomsday.

Source: Legit.ng
- British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet US President Donald Trump to discuss issues which include Trade deal, defence and Russia

- The meeting comes a day after Theresa May addressed US Republicans telling them the UK and US could not return to "failed" military interventions "to remake the world in our own image."

- She however call on Trump not to trust Vladimir Putin of Russian

Theresa May will today January 27 have a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to discuss Trade deals, defence and Russia

British Prime Minister Theresa May will today January 27 have a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, The Telegraph reports.

The two leaders are expected to talk on three critical issues which include Trade deal, defence and Russia.

READ ALSO: DOWNLOAD: Legit.ng current affairs app for android to get the latest news

Theresa May, with this visit, will become the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Mr Trump was sworn in last week.

The meeting comes a day after Theresa May addressed US Republicans telling them the UK and US could not return to "failed" military interventions "to remake the world in our own image."

I speak to you not just as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but as a fellow Conservative who believes in the same principles that underpin the agenda of your Party," the Prime Minister said on Thursday.

The value of liberty. The dignity of work. The principles of nationhood, family, economic prudence, patriotism  and putting power in the hands of the people.

I know that it is these principles that you have put at the heart of your plan for government."

Going further, the Prime Minister also told the new president not to trust Vladimir Putin of Russia.

READ ALSO: Trump fulfills campaign promise, set to build Mexico wall

Donald Trump will be receiving the first foreign leader to visit him at the oval office

"When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'," she said.

"With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'.

"We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putins claim that it is now in his sphere of influence."

Meanwhile President Donald Trump praised former US President Barrack Obama for leaving him a beautiful letter as parting advice.

Obamas letter follows the long tradition in the White House where a departing president writes a letter to his successor in the Oval Office.

Source: Legit.ng
- After recently claiming that the Fulani herdsmen causing havoc in parts of Nigeria are from neighbouring countries, northern governors decided to start registering them

- But the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) is accusing the governors of toying with the lives of Nigerians in favour of the herdsmen

The Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has slammed the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) for proposing to open a register for immigrant Fulani herdsmen after saying these same set of people have been identified as aliens and threats to Nigerias internal security.

Very many communities have been attacked by Fulani herdsmen with indigenes killed, but the government is accused of adopting a lukewarm attitude to the crisis

This is underscored by our observations that the NGF had in times past stridently denied culpability of these killers, rising to their defence many a times, ARG said in a statement to Legit.ng.

The statement signed by Kunle Famoriyo, the bodys publicity secretary, noted that herdsmen currently constitute a huge threat, not only to lives, but also to food security in south-western part of Nigeria, especially since the people in this zone are mostly smallholding farmers.

The group said these farmers have now been forced to live at the mercy of cows and conniving policemen.

READ ALSO: Buhari Support Group warns against arrest of Apostle John Suleiman

This has aggravated the sweeping poverty in Nigeria and has displaced many of our people. Nigerias socioeconomic indices is clear that farmers, not herdsmen, should get higher priority from government, being a higher employer of labour, higher contributor to tax, FOREX earning and GDP.

ARG is therefore gravely concerned that state governors who swore to protect Nigerias constitution are the ones promoting alien interest. Or what logic is there in opening a register for agents of external aggression?

It is shameful that the NGF could not even pretend and hide its readiness to sacrifice the rest of Nigeria for Fulani interest in its veiled reference to national integration and cohesion as the solution to herdsmen menace.

For example, Kaduna governor, Nasir El-rufai, arrogantly and cold-heartedly declared on Aljazeera recently that killer herdsmen must be accommodated because Nigeria is signatory to ECOWASs treaty on trans-humane pastoralist protocol. We wonder if ECOWAS treaties are only obligatory where it concerns Fulani interest as there are other treaties that Nigeria has ignored.

Another example is the recent ban on car importation through land borders which Comptroller-General Hameed Ali said was done to stop influx of illegal arms.

If this policy could be implemented swiftly, at great economic loss to stakeholders and despite a Senate order against it, why has nothing been done to disarm herdsmen who freely roam about with sophisticated weapons? The ARG queried.

The statement said it is increasingly clear that Nigerian authorities will not address the menace of Fulani herdsmen as should be done in a sane country.

READ ALSO: Southern Kaduna violence is an attempt exterminate the people  PFN

It added that the NGFs latest proposal remains to be seen as a workable idea.

This further shows that ethnocentric interest, rather than the rule of law, governs Nigeria, the ARG said while reiterating that the only workable solutions are to outlaw open grazing, arrest and prosecute arms-bearing herdsmen, and promote ranching systems.

Farmers are paying for land use, why should herdsmen not? Conversely, if herdsmen are justified to bear arms, why should farmers not do same?

ARG therefore holds the view that should herdsmen continue to get higher priority, our farmers would be right to resort to self-defence because where injustice becomes a law, resistance becomes a duty, it added.

Source: Legit.ng
A fresh photo of President Muhammdu Buhari enjoying his vacation in the United Kindgom has just been released.

A healthy-looking President Buhari chatting with Aisha Alubankudi and Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

The photo was posted on Friday, January 27 evening by a Facebook user Aishat Alubankudi on her page after a meeting with Nigeria's number one citizen.

READ ALSO: Leave me out of Buharis death rumour, Bukola Saraki warns

She wrote a short statement to accompany the picture which also showed Ogun state governor Ibikunle Amosun, a close ally of the president's, sitting relaxed in a chair across from the commander-in-chief.

Alubankudi is a Nigerian socialite and blogger based in the UK and a close ally of President Muhammadu Buhari.

She also posted a short comment to accompany the photo she released in which she asked for God's forgiveness for all those saying the president had died.

She wrote: "Photo of PMB today. May Allah forgive those who claimed that he was on life support machine at Kings College Hospital. Baba dariji won nitori won o mo oun ti won nse (someone translate)."

READ ALSO: Torture works! plus 4 more worrisome takeaways from Trump's first press conference as president

See more of the photos she uploaded:

BREAKING: Fresh photo proves President Buhari is alive and well in UK

BREAKING: Fresh photo proves President Buhari is alive and well in UK

BREAKING: Fresh photo proves President Buhari is alive and well in UK

This is the second picture evidence that the president is indeed alive and well in the last three days after presidency released a picture of the President watching Channels TV's Sunday Politics night show on Monday, January 23..

Recall that rumours of President Buhari's alleged dead began at the weekend but the presidency was quick to quash it with a statement from the president's spokesman Garba Shehu.

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The disturbing report has first been broken by an alleged fake Metro (UK) site that "quoted" the Nigerian mission in the country as confirming the presidents death.

The report claimed that Buhari visited the UK for medical check over an unknown disease.

Source: Legit.ng
Governor Ayodele Fayose is determined to protect Apostle John Suleman from operatives of the Department of State Services as he took to driving him around.

Fayose thwarted an attempt by DSS operatives to arrest Suleman after he allegedly incited his members to kill Fulani herdsmen.

READ ALSO: CAN lashes at Osinbajo over treatment of Christians

Although Apostle Suleman has denied inciting his members to engage in a religious war insiting he only called for self-defernce, there are indications he is still wanted.

In a series of photos, Governor Fayose chose to move around with the religious leader even t his crusade in Ekiti where he was seen praying on his knees for Nigeria.

See photos below:

Fayose protects Apostle Suleman from DSS operatives

Fayose praying in church

Fayose prays for Nigeria

Fayose driving Apostle Suleman

Source: Legit.ng
Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna central has denied reports that he has been invited by his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over his comments about President Buharis letter to the Senate.

Shehu Sani has revealed why he attacked President Muhammadu Buhari over his letter to Senate.

Sani posted a short statement on his social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter late on Friday, January 27 denying reports of his summoning by the APC.

READ ALSO: Ondo lawmakers suspend Speaker over alleged N15m fraud

He assured his thousands of followers on the two social media platforms that he would inform them if the APC ever invites him.

He wrote: I have not received any "invitation or summon" from the APC National Headquarters over my submission in the Senate plenary as reported in the Media.

"If any of such happen I'll surely and gladly honour it and you will be alerted through my Twitter or Facebook account.

Sani also explained in a short post on Twitter why he allegedly insulted President Buhari.

Recall that Senator Shehu Sani described President Muhammadu Buharis anti-corruption fight as selective.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, January 24, Sani described as lies the content of a letter sent by the president which cleared Secretary to the Government of the Federation David Babachir Lawal of any wrongdoing in the scandal a senate ad-hoc committee had indicted him in.

Source: Legit.ng
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Awale Kullane, Somalias Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations: Well, my experience started off very well in the morning. I went to the airport, this is the first time I fly out from our new airport and it was very welcoming. We felt very hopeful, everything really looked nice, even the planes that we were riding on, the last time I rode with Daallo and Jubba (airlines) was about eight years ago travelling to, nine years ago travelling to Djibouti so even the planes were a lot bigger and better and the customer service that we received and everything was really going into place, I noted down that things were improving. And when I went into the plane and most people started boarding the plane it was ok, the plane was not that full so people could sit wherever they wanted and there was a bit of distance within the people and then it took off so when the plane took off, roughly I would assume about 10, overall under 10 minutes that I heard the plane stewardess over the microphone saying that you know the plane is, the normal information that its above, I think they said it was about 11-thousand foot, you know, asking people not to move around and keep their seatbelts on until the lights are off and things like that, and then I heard a big bang, so, and the smoke erupted so we couldnt see anything for a few seconds, so it was a bit scary and of course traumatising those few seconds and when things, the smoke cleared I was sitting somewhere I would assume it is the middle of the airplane where I could stretch my legs and most people started moving behind me so I saw kind of a space of a chunk of small area of the plane missing and that air was floating in and out and the oxygen masks had started to drop above us so everything looked a bit more critical, then after a while, you know, me and others, everyone realised that there was something happening in front of us, a few rows ahead of us that I took a video clip after things had settled down and most people started moving at the back of the plane and so I think for the first few seconds and minutes there was, I was terrified and most people were terrified and of course people responded differently to that kind of a shock. // 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Awale Kullane, Somalias Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations: I just saw white smoke and you know, there was a few seconds where I didnt realise where it was and then when things calmed down of course we saw a hole in the plane and the first thing you worry about is can we really make it? It was that worrying feeling was there but it was really traumatising, thinking back right now the first minute or seconds and then when things happen you know I really didnt think we would make it, but of course after things calmed down it was a lot easier to be hopeful and then at least take out the phone and take a few clips and things like that and by that time I, to my mind, understood it would be a lot calmer and a lot more stable and the plane stabilised and there was not that much turbulence and of course we give credit to the pilot who landed that plane.
Americans are still barred by law from traveling to Cuba as tourists, despite the Obama administrations opening with that country. But new rules announced by the administration on Tuesday will make traveling there easier and cheaper.

In the past, Americans who wanted to travel legally to Cuba had to rely on companies licensed by the Treasury Department, which required that the tour operators keep detailed itineraries and records to prove that the trips were cultural and educational experiences  not mojito-packed beach getaways.

The tourism ban, which is codified in law, will remain in place. But under the new rules, proving that the trip has educational purposes will rest with the travelers. (And any seasoned traveler will tell you that conversations with bartenders, beachside or not, can be mightily educational.)

The new rules will also loosen banking and financial transaction restrictions, and allow Cubans to work in the United States under temporary visas. These changes will make it easier for Cuban athletes, artists and scholars to temporarily travel to the United States for conferences, fellowships and short-term employment opportunities.
Its not unusual for people to turn to religious figures for comfort in difficult times. But when I saw my young daughter do it, I grew a little worried.

She was 5 at the time, and her father and I were separating. Thats when she turned to the nativity figurines I had set out for Christmas to play out the angst in our household.

I remember the night my husband told her he was leaving. After supper, when the table was cleared and dishes were done, after her bath was taken and jammies were on, the three of us sat at the maple kitchen table in the designated places we took for dinner each night. Our only child perched on her big-girl chair between us, sensing something was up.

He told her he loved her and that he always would  a promise he has kept  but that Mommy and Daddy couldnt live with each other right now. I watched her eyes flood with tears and felt mine do the same. He told her hed found a nice apartment, in the next town over, and that shed be visiting him there.
The idea of a broad tax on importers is suddenly at the center of the Washington policy debate, with the inevitable counting of potential winners and losers.

Such a tax could hit retailers the hardest if it takes full effect, with their heavy reliance on products as varied as microwave ovens from China and T-shirts from Bangladesh. But few sectors of the American economy and few consumers would be unaffected.

If such a tax were imposed on imports from around the world, automakers could face hefty tax bills not only for cars imported from Mexico and elsewhere but also for the many auto parts they buy from overseas for their assembly lines in the United States. Chemical companies, supplying practically every industry, could find themselves paying more for feedstocks. And energy companies could wind up paying more for imported oil.

The Republican leadership of the House Ways and Means Committee has been working in recent months on such a plan, a border-adjusted tax, as part of an effort to cut corporate tax rates. On Thursday, the plan got caught up in a discussion of ways to make Mexico pay for a proposed border wall, before the White House stepped back from endorsing that course.
SEATTLE  At Microsoft, cloud computing is the future, and investors are happy as long as the company keeps delivering growth from it.

Microsoft did just that on Thursday when it released financial results for the last three months of 2016, reporting 4 percent growth in its overall earnings. As a bonus, Microsofts older Windows software business did not perform too badly either.

For several years, Microsoft has sought to shed its reputation as a stodgy seller of traditional software, highly dependent on the ups and downs of the personal computing market. The company misfired along the way as it competed head-on with Google in internet search and Apple in smartphones.

But under Satya Nadella, its chief executive, Microsoft has found success in moving its software businesses like Office to the cloud, and creating businesses to compete with Amazon in the booming market for hosting computing chores in data centers. Cloud computing represents one of the biggest shifts in technology, in which applications and other computing functions are handled in data centers connected to the internet, rather than locally.
The bill for defending Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials in state and federal criminal investigations into fund-raising practices has grown, with six city contracts for outside law firms now totaling more than $11.6 million.

The contracts, filed with the city comptrollers office and obtained by The New York Times through a request under the states Freedom of Information Law, provide the bare minimum of detail as to their purpose other than representing city employees in possible grand jury hearings related to what the Law Department calls, in its paperwork, the John Doe Investigation.

Taken together, the contracts contain a constellation of white-collar criminal defense and trial lawyers from law firms big and small, as well as the maximum they can bill the city: Debevoise & Plimpton, $10 million; Carter Ledyard & Millburn, $750,000; Walden Macht & Haran, $350,000; Lankler Siffert & Wohl, $250,000; Cunningham Levy Muse, $200,000; and Paul B. Bergman, P.C., $99,000.

Lawyers from the firms, all of which declined to comment on the contracts, are tasked with preparing witnesses who may be subpoenaed or asked to give testimony to a grand jury. State and federal grand juries have begun hearing evidence from prosecutors, according to people familiar with the matter.
A unit of child welfare workers that took two days to find a 3-year-old Brooklyn boy, who later died, was understaffed and poorly trained in how to search a database that contained the toddlers correct address, a report issued on Thursday by the New York City Investigation Department said.

The boy, Jaden Jordan, was found unconscious and covered in feces in his home on Nov. 28  two days after the citys Administration for Childrens Services had received an anonymous child-abuse complaint. Social workers had spent those 48 hours knocking on the wrong doors.

Jadens case was another high-profile death involving a child whose family had previous contact with the child welfare agency, which was already under immense scrutiny.

Gladys Carrion, who had a decades-long career in social services, stepped down as the agencys commissioner last month amid calls for her resignation and questions about the effectiveness of an agency that could cite many improvements, but whose mistakes had fatal consequences. Also last month, the city was directed to install an independent monitor over the agency, an order revealed in New York states investigation into the death of Zymere Perkins. The 6-year-old boy died in September after social workers had several opportunities to remove him from the care of his mother and her boyfriend, but did not. The pair have been charged in Zymeres death.
Our concern is the additional costs that are starting to pop up in the process, the mayor said on Tuesday while unveiling the citys $84.7 billion budget proposal. We put forward a proposal around 421-a, with very simple standards: Reduce exposure for taxpayers, and that means city taxpayers, because we have to pay the bill; more affordable housing; and, dont fund luxury housing. It was really simple.

City officials and developers have argued that the construction of rental buildings would halt without 421-a benefits. The number of permits taken out by developers soared in the first half of 2015, in anticipation of the programs expiration.

The number of permits plummeted in the first half of 2016, but recovered some in the second half, leading some low-income housing advocates to suggest scrapping 421-a, because it is too costly and does not focus enough on the poor tenants who need it most.

But, Mark Willis, a research fellow at New York Universitys Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, said that property tax exemptions are essential to development of mid-rise housing in areas with moderate- to low-market rents. If fewer mixed-income units were built, he said, it could only intensify our current affordable housing crisis.

Under the governors proposal, developers who set aside 25 to 30 percent of a projects apartments for low- and moderate-income tenants, can get a full property tax exemption for 35 years, compared with less generous subsidies in either the 2015 legislation or the mayors proposal.
A Massachusetts man was charged with hate crimes after he threatened an airline worker at Kennedy International Airport who was wearing a head scarf, kicked her and told her Trump is here now and he will get rid of all of you, officials said on Thursday.

The man, Robin A. Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, Mass., arrived from Aruba on Wednesday night and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts when he approached the worker, Rabeeya Khan, in the Delta Air Lines Sky Club lounge at Terminal 2 between 7:10 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., the Queens district attorney, Richard A. Brown, said in a statement on Thursday. Ms. Khan wore a head scarf known as a hijab.

Mr. Rhodes went to her office door and asked if she was sleeping and, according to the statement, said: Are you praying? What are you doing? He then punched the door, which hit the back of her chair. He threatened Ms. Khan and kicked her in the right leg, according to the statement. She moved to a corner of the office but he kicked the door, stepped into the office and blocked her from leaving.

When another person tried to calm him, he moved away from the door and Ms. Khan ran to the front desk of the lounge, according to the statement. Mr. Rhodes followed her, got on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying and shouted expletives about Islam and ISIS, the prosecutors office said.
Robert Garcia, who represented a South Bronx district in Congress for 12 years until a jury convicted him and his wife of extortion in a 1980s corruption scandal involving Bronx Democrats, Reagan administration Republicans and a military contractor in his district, died on Wednesday in San Juan, P.R. He was 84.

His wife, Jane Lee Garcia, said the cause was a bacterial infection related to emphysema.

Mr. Garcia resigned from the House of Representatives in January 1990, shortly after the verdicts in the federal trial of him and his wife. But an appeals court overturned the convictions later that year.

The appellate judges agreed that the prosecution had shown that in a key meeting in the case, Mr. Garcia was in effect offering to sell his congressional power to the military contractor, the Wedtech Corporation, in return for payments to him and his wife that totaled $76,000 plus a $20,000 interest-free loan.

But the judges said a new trial was necessary because they could not determine whether the evidence supported the jurys conviction of the Garcias on the type of extortion they were found guilty of.
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Its hard to tell whether the animus Mr. Trump has conveyed toward immigrants, particularly Mexicans, is deeply felt, or if he simply came to recognize how powerfully it would appeal to voters disaffected by an uneven economic recovery and the nations demographic changes.

But allowing this view to drive trade and foreign policy toward Mexico could have disastrous consequences for workers and consumers in both countries, given how tightly intertwined the two economies have become since the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect in 1994.

Nafta eliminated most tariffs and other trade barriers among Canada, Mexico and the United States, creating a continent-size market. The agreement led to production chains for cars, planes and other items that straddle borders and provide millions of jobs. Work that requires cheaper labor typically occurs in Mexico, where earnings are lower, while design, engineering and advanced manufacturing tends to take place in Canada and the United States.

Imposing a tariff on Mexico would mean pulling out of Nafta, a move that would severely disrupt the flow of parts and goods across North America and stall production in factories in the United States and Canada. It also could lead to shortages of fresh vegetables and fruits in American grocery stores and drive up the cost of many other consumer goods from Mexico. Mexicos economy, which is hugely dependent on American trade, would be devastated. But American businesses and workers would stand to suffer immediate harm as well. Mexico would retaliate with tariffs of its own. And no matter how Congress tried to structure the tariff, which would require legislation, it would probably still violate World Trade Organization rules.

Mr. Trump has pointed to Americas trade deficit with Mexico as a sign that the United States is being swindled. Trade with Mexico  imports to the United States totaled $296 billion in 2015  benefits America by lowering the cost and increasing the availability of goods, like avocados and mangoes in winter. While the trade deficit with Mexico has resulted in job losses in some industries (possibly about 700,000 jobs in the first 16 years), a 2014 study estimates that 1.9 million American jobs depend on exports to Mexico. And trade, by raising wages and the standard of living in Mexico, is a big reason that illegal immigration from Mexico has dropped steadily over the years.
Federal funding for abortions abroad has been banned since 1973, except in cases of rape, incest or a threat to the mothers life. Mr. Trumps gag rule goes far beyond the 1973 ban to bar funding to all organizations that provide abortion or abortion referrals, even if they do so with their own funds and even if abortion is not the focus of their work.

By cutting off family-planning funds to reproductive health care providers, the gag rule eliminated contraceptive and maternal health services to countless women around the world. After losing funding during the Bush administration, a group known as Family Health Options Kenya had to close six clinics, leaving 9,000 people with little access to health care.

Perversely, the gag rule appears to have led to an increase in abortions, which its proponents obviously did not intend, and would be likely to do so in the future. In one 2011 study, African countries that relied heavily on aid from the United States experienced increased abortion rates when the policy was in effect, relative to countries that got less funding from the United States.

The policy will also limit access to providers of safe abortions. Under the Bush-era policy, the International Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana reported a 50 percent increase in the number of women needing treatment following unsafe abortions.
Soon top officials concocted a way to get results: If you cant find the crime, fire the prosecutors. In a highly unusual move, seven United States attorneys were forced to resign, on top of two more pushed out earlier.

David Iglesias, a conservative Republican, was the United States attorney in New Mexico. Local Republicans became angry that he refused to bring corruption cases against Democrats. Shortly after the 2006 election he was dismissed. In his book In Justice: Inside the Scandal That Rocked the Bush Administration, Mr. Iglesias summed up his experience: First would come the spurious allegations of voter fraud, then unvarnished legal manipulations to sway elections, followed by a rigorous insistence on unquestioned and absolute obedience and, finally, a phone call from out of the blue.

In Missouri, the United States attorney clashed with superiors when he refused to sign off on a lawsuit demanding a purge of state voter lists. After firing the prosecutor, Justice Department officials slipped a political aide into the position.

The United States attorney in Washington State, John McKay, declined to bring voter fraud charges after a close governors race. Summoned to a White House interview about becoming a federal judge, Mr. McKay instead found himself grilled about party activists accusations that he had mishandled the election. Instead of becoming a judge, Mr. McKay was fired. There was no evidence, he later told reporters about the fraud allegations, and I am not going to drag innocent people in front of a grand jury.

Soon scandal erupted. At one congressional hearing, Attorney General Gonzales answered I dont recall or some variant 64 times. In August 2007, after his top aides quit or had been fired, he resigned.

All this should rattle the new administration. The attorney general-designate, Jeff Sessions, who unsuccessfully prosecuted black voting rights activists as a United States attorney in Alabama three decades ago, had his confirmation hearing before Mr. Trumps Twitter eruption. He now should pledge to refrain from politicizing voting rights enforcement and resist any effort to pressure prosecutors to chase imaginary fraud.
Dave Malloy, the innovative composer behind the Broadway show Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, will be the first musical theater writer to have a residency at Signature Theater.

Joining Mr. Malloy in the next class of Signature writers, who receive guaranteed productions and financial support, are Stephen Adly Guirgis (Between Riverside and Crazy), Dominique Morisseau (Skeleton Crew) and Lynn Nottage (Sweat), the Off Broadway theater announced on Thursday.

As a member of Signatures Residency Five program, Mr. Malloy will present three new works over the course of the next five years. In addition to The Great Comet, which has enjoyed a meteoric rise from the humble space at Ars Nova several years ago to the Imperial Theater on Broadway, his writing credits include Preludes, an imaginative 2015 chamber musical about Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Three Pianos, a romp-like take on Schuberts Winterreise that ran at New York Theater Workshop in 2010.
The plays of Corneille, best known as a tragedian, are produced rarely in America, even more rarely than those of his fellow titans of classical French theater, Racine and Moliere (and productions of their work hardly swamp our stages). So it is a continuing reward that David Ives, a playwright of ample comic gifts, best known for his Tony-nominated Venus in Fur, has in recent years done a deep dive into these realms, producing scintillating adaptations of Molieres The Misanthrope (as The School for Lies); the lesser-known The Heir Apparent, by Jean-Francois Regnard; and The Metromaniacs, by Alexis Piron.

The first two of those were seen at the Classic Stage Company, where The Liar opened on Thursday, in impeccably acted productions that managed to make the preening fops, bawdy servants, blushing ingenues and romantic heroes of long-ago France seem like our contemporaries, only with an uncanny gift for rhymed verse. Mr. Ives achieves the same feat here, in what may just be his most brilliant act yet of Franco-American theatrical resurrection.

The Liar is, throughout, an effervescent delight. Mr. Ivess lyric and comic invention never falters as he blends, in capering, cascading verse, both the cultivated language and decorous rhythms of classical comedy and cheeky, up-to-the-minute slang. (He uses, once again, iambic pentameter, and even lards the text with dollops of Shakespeare.)

To cite a passage that particularly tickles: Isabelle (Kelly Hutchinson), maid to Clarices bestie, Lucrece (Amelia Pedlow), makes a quick move on Cliton at that first meeting among Dorante, Clarice and Lucrece in the park, putting forth a Tinder profile post in percolating rhyme:

My name is Isabelle, Im 28,

O.K., Im 29, Im single, straight,

Catholic, but please dont let that interfere.

I like Italian food and English beer,

Stuffed animals, long walks, Chanel perfume,

Heres my address, and the key to my room.

It is, partly, Clitons interaction with Isabelle that upends Dorantes romantic ambitions. His boss has asked Cliton to get from Isabelle the name of the beauty Dorante has been flattering, but when he asks, she assumes he means the also lovely Lucrece. As the French say, oops.
When Anne sees Stephen mired in marital and intellectual doldrums, she encourages him to have an affair with their beautiful friend Diana (Mikaela Izquierdo). Stephen is persuaded, Diana is willing, and everythings just dandy until it isnt.

Yours Unfaithfully is both a daring play and a highly conventional one. Under the polished direction of Jonathan Bank, and in the hands of a fine team of designers, its arguments remain provocative, while its structure feels familiar, its tone decorous. Maybe that only makes it more unusual. Its a bit like a sex farce with real sorrow instead of slammed doors, and something like a drawing room comedy with moral conundrums peeking out beneath the cushions. It is often very funny; it is also very nearly a tragedy.

Ultimately, the plays insistence on the sanctity of open marriage, a stance that apparently reflected Mr. Mallesons own beliefs and practices, isnt all that persuasive. If the central claim, that to live effectively you must walk the line between a great slope of complacence on one side and rather a mess-up of promiscuity on the other, sounds reasonably plausible in the moment, that is a credit to the dapper Mr. von Essen. Does the road to moral enlightenment and matrimonial contentment absolutely lead into the beds of selected others? Is there really no other way? Separate vacations, maybe?

But what is extraordinary about Mr. Malleson is his ability to create characters who are capable of feeling several things at once, or who dont really know what theyre feeling at all. Both Stephen and Anne seem genuinely surprised that their hearts and minds arent as orderly as they had believed. (Ms. Gray is especially adroit at rendering these intricate emotional shadings.)
MIAMI  A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted an Alaska resident accused of going on a shooting rampage at a Florida airport this month, leaving five people dead and six others wounded.

The 22-count indictment charged the man, Esteban Santiago, 26, with 11 counts of causing death or bodily harm at an international airport, five counts of causing death during a crime of violence and six counts of using a firearm during a crime. Mr. Santiago could face the death penalty if convicted in the shooting, which occurred on Jan. 6 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

None of the charges are terrorism-related, despite Mr. Santiagos assertion to the F.B.I. after the shooting that he was inspired by videos and chat rooms affiliated with the Islamic State extremist group. The F.B.I. has said that Mr. Santiago also claimed to investigators that he was the victim of government mind control.

Mr. Santiago, an Iraq war veteran who lived in Anchorage, is scheduled to enter a plea on Monday and is being held without bail.
Chief Dekmar, 61, a New Jersey native raised in Oregon, embraces a view of law enforcement that extends beyond the narrow goals of protecting the good and locking up the bad.

He tends to speak about his department as one organ of a broader social body, though one that is perhaps more exposed than others to its ills. He leads regular meetings of a community outreach committee in which he shares with other civic leaders what his officers see on the streets  homelessness, juvenile delinquency, children with learning and literacy issues  and looks for ways that various small-town entities might work together to solve them. He has also sought to address trust issues: The department, he said, has mandated the use of body cameras on officers for the last five years.

The chief became familiar with the lynching of Mr. Callaway only about two or three years ago, when one of his officers overheard two older African-American women who were looking at old photos of the LaGrange police on display at the headquarters building.

One woman said to the other, They killed our people.

Chief Dekmar began researching the episode but found, he said, only sketchy reports  there was no investigation I could find, no arrest, no follow-up by the media.

Indeed, the details of the crime appear to have been deliberately obscured for the 1940-era residents of LaGrange. Then, in 2014, Jason M. McGraw, a student at the Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, wrote a research paper about the lynching. He noted that while newspapers around the country had reported that a band of masked whites had abducted Mr. Callaway, the local paper, The LaGrange Daily News, wrote only that Mr. Callaway had died as a result of bullets fired by an unknown person or group of individuals.

The papers headline on the Sept. 9, 1940, article declared, Negro Succumbs to Shot Wounds.

Mr. Callaway is generally believed to have been 16 or 18 years old on Sept. 7, the day he was arrested and charged with trying to assault a white woman. According to Mr. McGraws research, six white men arrived at the jail that night with at least one gun, forced the jailer to open the cell and forced Mr. Callaway into a car. He was driven to a spot eight miles away and shot in the head and arms.
While it cant be done quickly, there is a clear legal path for the Trump administration to undo one of the hallmarks of Mr. Obamas climate change policies: a 2011 regulation requiring automakers to build fleets of cars by 2025 that achieve an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon. The rule, jointly issued by the E.P.A. and the Transportation Department, would force manufacturers to build next-generation electric cars. It could reduce carbon emissions by about six billion tons, equivalent to removing a little more than the United States emissions of carbon pollution for an entire year.

But the rule came with a loophole: a provision inserted by automakers to revisit it in 2017 if they found it too onerous. Just before Mr. Obama left office, the E.P.A. released a finding that the rule was not too costly for automakers to meet. But it did not do so jointly with the Transportation Department, leaving a legal avenue for the Trump administration to loosen the standards through that agency.

The chief executives of the biggest auto companies have already asked Mr. Trump to do just that, in a meeting with him this week. While Mr. Trump did not offer specifics, he did tell the automakers that he plans to ease their regulatory burden.

Its not something that can be done with the stroke of a pen, said Jeffrey Holmstead, a former senior E.P.A. official in President George W. Bushs administration who has been mentioned as a possible deputy E.P.A. administrator in Mr. Trumps presidency. It would likely take a year or 18 months. But its not a heavy lift, from a legal perspective.

Rewriting regulations on climate change

The centerpiece of Mr. Obamas climate change policy is a 2015 E.P.A. rule curbing greenhouse gas emissions from electric utilities. It could shutter and replace hundreds of coal plants with wind and solar plants. Mr. Trump has vowed to eliminate the rule, but doing so could require years of court battles. He would also be required by law to come up with an alternate regulation.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is pulling back advertisements that encourage people to sign up for health insurance under former President Barack Obamas health care law.

The ads were to have run in the next few days of the annual open enrollment period, which ends on Tuesday. In the last few years, large numbers of consumers signed up just before the deadline.

Under the Affordable Care Act, people who go without insurance are subject to tax penalties. But President Trump and Republicans in Congress are determined to repeal the law, including provisions that require most Americans to have insurance.
One of Mr. Mattiss first moves as defense secretary was to phone the NATO secretary general to assure him that he strongly supported the alliance that Mr. Trump has criticized as obsolete. Mr. Mattis will fly to Asia next week on a trip to allay concerns in Japan and South Korea that the United States might abandon longstanding commitments to their security.

A week after that, Mr. Mattis is expected to make another reassurance trip  this one to Europe  to meet with counterparts at NATO in Brussels and then at a security conference in Munich.

Lawmakers and even some members of the military are hoping that Mr. Mattis can also serve as a counterweight on some of the new administrations more hard-line positions. In a classified operations center at one Special Operations headquarters, a photo of Mr. Mattis is taped to a board with various captions written underneath. On Thursday morning, the caption read: Watch over us.

During his first visit to the Pentagon, Mr. Trump will conduct a ceremonial swearing-in of Mr. Mattis and is expected to sign the new directives and have a short meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Mattis appear to have some positive chemistry. They were seen chatting warmly on the reviewing stand during the inaugural parade. The new commander-in-chief relishes referring to Mad Dog Mattis at every opportunity, even though the retired general does not like that nickname and insists it is no more than a media invention.

And while they agree on the need for more military spending, some of the defense secretarys views are at odds with his new boss, including his skepticism of Russias intentions, his traditional support for allies and flat opposition to the use of torture in interrogating terrorists.

The day before Mr. Mattis came to work at the Defense Department, he issued a statement to the Pentagon work force that cast the United States as a bulwark of the international order and the guardian of important alliances. In contrast to the America First oratory emanating from the White House, Mr. Mattis vowed that the Pentagon would work for an America that remains a steady beacon of hope for all mankind.
AUSTIN, Tex.  Just over a week ago, white envelopes marked URGENT REPLY ASAP began arriving in the mailboxes of Texas Muslim leaders. Those who looked inside found an unusual document that turned out to be a highly inflammatory three-question survey investigating their views on elements of Islamic extremism.

The sender, as noted in the return address, was State Representative Kyle Biedermann, a central Texas hardware store owner who had officially become a member of the Legislature less than a month earlier. More than 400 surveys went out. Only one came back, Mr. Biedermann said.

The surveys were distributed as part of a campaign that Mr. Biedermann, a Republican, said was designed to expose radical Islamic terrorism in Texas and preceded a forum that Mr. Biedermann held on Thursday at the State Capitol to amplify that theme. But angry and insulted members of the Texas Muslim community, including prominent imams, are responding in a fierce pushback that included news conferences and at least one full-page newspaper ad.

The uproar in Texas came as President Trump, who as a candidate at times called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the United States, is preparing to roll out immigration policies that could include sharp restrictions on immigration from predominantly Muslim countries.
After President Trump signed two sweeping executive orders on immigration on Wednesday, most of the attention was on his plans to build a wall along the border with Mexico and to hold back money from sanctuary cities. But the most immediate effect may come from language about deportation priorities that is tucked into the border wall order. It offers an expansive definition of who is considered a criminal  a category of people Mr. Trump has said he would target for deportation. Immigration agents will now have wider latitude to enforce federal laws and are being encouraged to deport broad swaths of unauthorized immigrants.

Here are some questions and answers about the changes:

Who is considered a priority for deportation?

Each presidential administration must decide who it considers a priority for deportation. Mr. Trumps order focuses on anyone who has been charged with a criminal offense, even if it has not led to a conviction. He also includes, according to language in the order, anyone who has committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense, meaning anyone the authorities believe has broken any type of law  regardless of whether that person has been charged with a crime.

Mr. Trumps order also includes anyone who has engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before a governmental agency, a category that includes anyone who has used a false Social Security number to obtain a job, as many unauthorized immigrants do. Anyone who has received a final order to leave the country, but has not left, is also considered a priority.

Finally, he allows the targeting of anyone who in the judgment of an immigration officer poses a risk to either public safety or national security. That gives immigration officers the broad authority they have been pressing for, and no longer requires them to receive a review from a supervisor before targeting individuals.
MEXICO CITY  Hunkered down in the presidential palace, Enrique Pena Nieto, the unpopular leader of Mexico, was besieged on both sides.

The new American president, Donald J. Trump, had just ordered the construction of a border wall between the two countries, and the public outcry in Mexico was deafening. Top cabinet officials, meanwhile, counseled caution, urging Mr. Pena Nieto not to cancel his meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House next week.

For months, though his ratings hovered near the single digits, the worst of any Mexican president in recent history, Mr. Pena Nieto resisted the temptation to saber-rattle, arguing that the relationship with America was simply too important to fall prey to a war of words.

He wanted to give diplomacy one last try. By Thursday morning, the effort had officially failed.

In a blitz of Twitter messages from the two presidents, fired off over the past two days, the first full-blown foreign policy standoff of the Trump administration has taken shape.
The photos and videos from inside the city offered a rare glimpse into life in a war zone, and revealed the struggles faced by a family under siege. Bana and her family are now living in Turkey, after fleeing Aleppo in December.

Some, however, have questioned whether Bana actually wrote the Twitter posts herself and if the videos in which she speaks were rehearsed or altered. And supporters of the government of President Bashar al-Assad assailed her as a fraud and a propaganda tool.

After her familys arrival in Turkey, they visited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and she was photographed being hugged by Mr. Erdogan.

Fatemah told The New York Times that her request to Mr. Trump was a simple one: Look to the children in Syria like your children.

She said Bana regularly hears news about Mr. Trump and felt it was time to try to get his attention.
Despite repeated setbacks, Mr. Cohens broad recipe for peace in the troubled region remained remarkably consistent, according to The Go-Between, a memoir he published last year (written with Oren Rawls), as well as other accounts.

He generally favored the gradual emergence of a United Nations-mandated Palestinian state supervised by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, though that, he wrote, would require the gamble for peace by a great regional leader and the American refusal to take no for an answer.

In an interview with the Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman in 2003, Mr. Cohen said: Israel cant force the Palestinians to be reasonable, to pursue their interests and not their passions, but it can create a context where they are more likely to do so than not. But with its relentless settlement activity, and responding to every Hamas provocation by smashing the Palestinian Authority, Israel has not done that.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cohen said in 2002, it turns out Arafat wanted two Palestinian states.

He wanted a Palestinian state for the West Bank and Gaza to be negotiated with Israel today, he added. And he wanted a Palestinian state inside Israel that would be brought about by a return of Palestinian refugees and their soaring birthrate tomorrow. Israel was ready to give him one Palestinian state, but not two. And Arafat didnt have the courage to tell his people that.

Stephen Philip Cohen was born in Quebec on May 28, 1945. His father, Harry, an immigrant from Lithuania, owned an auto parts business. His mother, born in Montreal to Jewish immigrants from Romania, was a bookkeeper.

He received a bachelors degree from McGill University in Montreal and a doctorate from Harvard. He was an assistant professor at Harvard, an associate professor at the City University Graduate Center and an analyst for the Israel Policy Forum, a Manhattan think tank that favors a two-state solution.

In 1973, after Egypt launched a surprise attack against Israel in what became known as the Yom Kippur War, Mr. Cohen took a leave from Harvard to enlist in the Israeli Army and use his training as a social psychologist to bolster morale at the front.
But for Ms. Zimmerman, the fourth time may be a charm. If she never quite found her footing in the rigid conventions of bel canto, there is more in common with her theater work in the later, dreamier, more epic Rusalka. Ms. Zimmermans concept for the opera, conducted by Mark Elder and starring Kristine Opolais, Brandon Jovanovich, Eric Owens and Jamie Barton, evokes both Romanticism and the receding flats of classical theater; the costume silhouettes evoke both the French 17th century and the Victorian era.

I feel Im at the core of what Im interested in and have been all my life, Ms. Zimmerman said of the piece. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

This is really, so long after Metamorphoses, you going back in the water.

I think if I had not had my fill of water, as it were, if Id never done that, we might have started from a point of real water, because its so beautiful. But in repertory, its literally nearly impossible. So we started from the woods, the fairy tale woods, the hidden woods. If you read the instruction in the score, it does say Woods and a meadow by a pond, even if people tend to put the pond really front and center.

Was it a work you had wanted to do?

Peter [Gelb] suggested it for me. I was going to do Pearl Fishers, but sometimes finances are such that if theres a good production around, its easier to just borrow one. [Penny Woolcocks production of that Bizet opera came to the Met in 2015.] When he broke that news to me, he said, But Id like you to do Rusalka instead. Id seen Renee [Fleming] sing it live in HD, and I was working with her on Armida when she was doing it here. So I knew it a little bit, and when he suggested it, I felt it was right for me. The thing that was heartbreaking was that it was in Czech. That was and remains the most intimidating thing about it, for a theater director especially. Where theyre saying this and that, but you dont know the exact word.
LONDON  The Emmy and Tony Award winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) will star as Howard Beale in a new stage adaptation of the bitingly satirical film Network scheduled to open at the National Theater in London this year, the theater announced on Friday.

Ivo van Hove, the acclaimed international theater director, will stage the play, about executives at a struggling TV network and their Machiavellian maneuvers for higher ratings  including the manipulation of Mr. Cranstons character, the mad as hell television host that Peter Finch played in the film.

Lee Hall, the screenwriter of Billy Elliot, is adapting the Oscar-winning screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky. Mr. van Hove, who won a Tony last year for directing a revival of A View from the Bridge on Broadway, is set to open the show in November on the Nationals Lyttelton stage.

The theater also announced that its hit production of People, Places and Things would travel to St. Anns Warehouse in New York in October. The actress Denise Gough earned starry-eyed reviews when she played the lead role, Emma, at the National in 2015, and later in Londons West End. She will travel to New York with the show.
It is an idea universally indulged that escaping to a far-flung spot, preferably surrounded by landscapes of stunning natural beauty, will spark bouts of unnatural creativity. Four years ago, I tested that proposition when my wife and I left London for a tiny cottage in a remote valley in the Black Mountains of South Wales. It felt like another world. The view from the window was of sheep rather than the top deck of red London buses. Our nearest neighbor was a farm a 20-minute walk across three fields. We couldnt hear them watching television or smell what they cooked for supper.

I found that, true enough, with no job, no friends and no television, a lot of writing is possible. I never stopped to consider the cost. Social interaction was so rare that after weeks alone in my writing shed, my ability to regulate conversation atrophied: A friendly question in the post office would elicit a three-minute response. I began to fear the prospect of friends visiting as a threat to my hard-won space.

Then, after a year or more, just as the arrival of our first child transformed our isolation from a creative asset into a psychological liability, Rachel, our midwife, came with news. Oh, theres another author round here whose baby I just delivered. Loneliness and prideful smugness did battle: An unspoken obligation loomed.

The author in question turned out to be Owen Sheers. In due course, we admitted to each other the drawbacks of our rural situation. Yes, with nothing but my wife and sheep for company, I had written a second book much faster than the first. But I did like talking about books as well as writing them.
LARA

The Untold Love Story That Inspired Doctor Zhivago

By Anna Pasternak

Illustrated. 310 pp. Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers. $27.99.

Stalin supposedly called Boris Pasternak a cloud dweller, ordering the secret police to spare the poet. This helps explain how Pasternak survived to old age even as fellow writers were killed or sent to the gulag. Pasternaks protected status did not, however, extend to all of his loved ones. In Lara: The Untold Love Story That Inspired Doctor Zhivago, Anna Pasternak, the poets grandniece, explores the life of Olga Ivinskaya, Pasternaks longtime mistress and an inspiration for the character of Lara, Dr. Zhivagos lover. But the untold in the subtitle simply isnt true. The story of Pasternaks affair with Olga has been told repeatedly  for instance, in Olgas own memoirs, which serve as a central source for Lara and are available in English, as are memoirs by several of Pasternaks family members and friends.

Thirty-four-year-old Olga Ivinskaya had been widowed twice and had two children when, in 1946, she met Pasternak, 22 years her senior. Pasternak began courting her immediately. At the time, he was unhappily married to his second wife, Zinaida, whose favorite activities included chain-smoking and playing cards, and who had attracted him with her exceptional housekeeping skills. (The poet prized domestic routine, a necessary precondition for the exercise of his genius.) Olga had worshiped Pasternaks writing since she was a teenager, and she leapt at the chance to become his lover and artistic amanuensis.

Until his death nearly 14 years later, Zinaida would be unsympathetic to Pasternaks feeble efforts to divorce her and marry Olga. Zinaida had many incentives to stay married to Pasternak; despite his unwillingness to submit to Soviet requirements, his international fame brought substantial economic and social benefits. Olga, on the other hand, became a victim of her lovers prestige. In 1949, unable to arrest Pasternak for his private readings of drafts of the anti-Soviet Doctor Zhivago, the secret police arrested Olga instead. She spent several years in a labor camp but returned as devoted as ever, helping Pasternak finish Doctor Zhivago and then attempting to have it published.
The novel takes place in 1972, between Easter and Christmas, when the family is waiting for news: Sam has been listed as missing in action. The story begins with Jozefs death, which diminishes the resident family to two: Hannah and Bo, alone in the big house built by Jozef and surrounded by his presence. (Hannahs husband died years earlier in a hunting accident.) Building and woodworking are in the blood. Heres Bo, for instance, on the day of his grandfathers funeral: He . . . sat down at a pale and simple table he had made with his grandfather out of beech felled on their land. He ran his hand across the surface of it as if to feel what he could of those days when he first brought the table into the kitchen and his grandfather touched the surface of it in the same way, and said, Well, son, I do believe you have found your work.

Bo now runs the roughing mill, sharing the narrow profits with his workers. He and Hannah keep a dog, chickens and a cow; in the past they had kept goats. The connections between this family and the land run deep; on it they have raised food, shot deer, built houses and made furniture. Jozefs orchard still bears fruit.

But this domestic idyll has been carved out of a wild region in northeastern Pennsylvania, a place full of tempestuous weather and the danger that wilderness contains. Rattlesnakes, predators, rough terrain and, of course, guns. The men bring their own danger to any landscape.

Guns are a constant presence. A hunting scene between old Jozef and young Bo reveals the family ethos: They came through trees to the edge of the open field, where a silver horizon met silver grass bent down with frost and spread out flat before them. . . . His grandfather sat down on a large rock and levered a single round into the Marlin. Bo sat down next to him and moved his hands and feet to keep warm. They waited a long time, until the sun was bright and round above the horizon in the east, when his grandfather put a finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of where a doe had emerged from the trees. He slipped off his mittens, got down on one knee and brought the rifle to his shoulder. Bo followed the sight line of the barrel and saw that it was aimed not at the doe but at the low-slung figure of a dog like no dog he had ever seen, sleek and hunched and twitching at the far end of the field. He looked at his grandfather, as frozen as the grass, then back at the dog just as it leaped. The rifle cracked and the animal arced back in one round motion.

The Vinichs are hardworking and responsible, good Catholics and good citizens. Their success seems like an immigrants dream, but the family is shadowed by grief. Hannahs husband came home from World War II a silent, damaged man. While he was fighting in France, the carnage became too much to bear, and one day he walked away from his unit. Later he was accused of desertion, and when he came home he was put in military prison. He finally returned to Dardan, disgraced and broken. He never recovered. When he died the family suffered doubly, from the loss of his life and of his reputation.
In December, Toshiba warned it was preparing to write off several billion U.S. dollars because of ballooning expenses at its American nuclear subsidiary, Westinghouse. That followed Toshibas admission in 2015 that it had inflated its earnings by $1.2 billion over seven years  a scandal that company investigators attributed in part to nuclear-project managers, who they said had disguised faltering revenues and cost overruns.

Toshiba is expected to detail the extent of its write-downs next month. Analysts have suggested they could amount to $4 billion to $7 billion, enough to put Toshibas future at risk. Banks have indicated they will keep lending money so the company can pay its bills, but without that lifeline, Toshiba, a 140-year-old business, could collapse.

Toshiba said it had not yet decided what form the semiconductor spinoff would take, or how much of the business it would sell to outsiders. But there is not much time to figure it out; the company said it wanted to complete the process by March 31, the end of its fiscal year.

Analysts estimate the semiconductor business could be worth between 1.5 trillion and 2 trillion yen, or $13 billion to $17 billion, if Toshiba sold all of it. One option would be to sell shares to the public, though a private sale to another technology company would be quicker and easier to arrange, particularly if Toshiba chose to keep part of the company.

Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Securities, said bringing in a minority investor was clearly the default option for Toshiba, which is eager to stay in the semiconductor business.
Heres what we know: President Trump definitely wants to build a wall along the United States border with Mexico. The Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, is definitely unimpressed  he canceled a scheduled White House meeting.

Heres what we dont know: how the wall would be paid for.

Mr. Trump had insisted Mexico would pay for its construction, and it appeared that he would embrace a proposal to impose a 20 percent tax on all imported goods. But this later became one of a buffet of options.

The House of Representatives has proposed imposing a 20 percent tax on corporate income earned in the United States, effectively taxing imports. But this would not generate any new federal revenue as the corporate income tax rate would be lowered.

In any case, Mexico itself would not be paying for the wall, as Mr. Trump had indicated.

The taxes would be paid by companies selling Mexican goods in the United States. Some would raise prices, others would absorb the taxes and see their profits reduced.
Image H.P. Acthar Gel goes for $38,000 a vial.

Full and fair disclosure is at the heart of our nations securities laws. So red flags fly when a company is silent on facts of interest to investors.

That investing truth came to mind a little over a week ago, when the pharmaceutical giant Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals settled a yearslong investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. In the Jan. 18 complaint, the commission contended that Mallinckrodt and its Questcor subsidiary had engaged in anti-competitive behavior by acquiring the rival drug to their costly H. P. Acthar Gel  which goes for $38,000 a vial  and keeping it off the market to protect their profits.

Mallinckrodt disputed the F.T.C.s conclusions but agreed to pay $100 million. It must also license the rights to the rival drug, known as Synacthen Depot, to a competitor for two indications. Synacthen is sold overseas for a tiny fraction of the price of Acthar (which has topped a list of the most expensive drugs covered by Medicare).

Both medications address a range of severe autoimmune conditions, such as spasms in infants and nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder.
I started an internal video blog, Shoes Off with Sheryl. I named it that because I hate shoes. If Im in a meeting, my shoes are probably off under the table. As silly as that sounds, thats who I am, and the day that I have to change who I am to do my job will be the day I really dont want to do it anymore. Ive watched so many people lose sight of their personal reality because they felt they had to act or look a certain part.

This isnt a dress rehearsal. We get one shot at this, and I really do live that way. I had a really tough medical situation about six years ago. I had a brain tumor. So you dont know what tomorrow will bring.

You have to ask yourself, if you really had only 10 days to live, would you be doing what youre doing? We make choices, and I choose to be happy, and I think that resonates through the organization.

Any feedback youve received over the years about your management style?

All the time. Im really curious, and so I ask a lot of questions. I never go into peoples business because I dont trust them, but because I want to understand and grow. Sometimes I can be too curious. Theres always one more question. Sheryl always has one more question, people say.

And so Ive had to find the right parameters and make sure they know Im available but Im not in their way.

How do you hire?

If its a senior executive, I almost always do it in a restaurant because its the one time you really can understand the way people interact with others. It gives me so much insight, and Ive made some really good decisions with folks with impressive resumes who just didnt know how to do that. Their natural tendencies might not have been to be polite.

Ill ask about how they define success, personally and professionally. Understanding somebodys humility really speaks volumes about their leadership. Im looking for a blend of leadership and business acumen, and that comes out in very real ways when youre talking to somebody about how they live their life, their family, the things theyve accomplished, the things they do outside of work and what really gives them energy and pride.
Sam Sifton emails readers of Cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes. That email also appears here. To receive it in your inbox, register here.

Good morning. Its been a long since the last one, so how about a Saturday night taco feast? You could make a big batch of picadillo to stuff into taco shells, and experience a glorious return to the best of middle-school eating  edging out deep-fried creamed-corn tots and chicken patties alike. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese and shredded lettuce, of course.

Im not trolling you. Its awesome. But taco shells are controversial (for instance, theyre really only good with picadillo and maybe  maybe  fried shrimp). So if you could cook down some pork shoulder into tender-crisp nuggets for carnitas, you should serve fresh corn or flour tortillas instead. Do the same if you use the slow cooker to turn the same piece of meat into meltingly tender strands of vaguely Vietnamese pork tacos.

You could make garlicky black-bean tacos. You could make fish tacos. Chicken skin tacos. Avocado tacos. Grill up some carne asada and serve it with a stack of steamed tortillas. You ever made David Taniss recipe for chicken tacos with chipotle? Youghta.




If youre an actress stuck with a single fashion brand for the entire awards season, how do you keep your choices fresh?

If youre Michelle Williams, who wears Louis Vuitton exclusively on the red carpet, you work with the stylist Kate Young on custom pieces that, as Ms. Young said, are not totally out of left field.

We try to work from a runway piece if possible, she said. I like real fashion. I dont like to design these bizarre dresses that dont have anything to do with a collection.

So perhaps its a color tweak, or Ms. Young may create a mood board incorporating trim details from Vuittons latest runway show. There is a running thread, though. Ms. Williams, who received a Screen Actors Guild award nomination for best supporting actress for her work in Manchester by the Sea  the show is Sunday  always aims for cool and fashionable, Ms. Young said, but also the gamin little French girl thing, which works because theres a sweetness to her.
If you had to give the nations nursing homes a letter grade for quality, what would it be?

Experts tend to sigh at this question and point out, correctly, that the countrys 15,600 facilities are vastly different  rural and urban, for-profit and nonprofit and government-run, home to the reasonably healthy and the extremely sick, high-quality operations and appalling ones. Assigning grades can be folly.

But when prodded, they come up with decidedly middling assessments. Dr. Cheryl Phillips, head of public policy for LeadingAge, which represents 2,200 nonprofit nursing homes: C-minus.

Nicholas Castle, a health policy researcher at the University of Pittsburgh: B-minus.

Robyn Grant, public policy director at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, a leading advocacy group: No grade. Far too many have a long way to go to give residents the quality of care and quality of life they deserve.

I asked because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last fall issued a broad revision of nursing home regulations; the first batch took effect in late November, with the rest to be phased in this year and in 2019.
Representative Tom Price of Georgia, President Trumps choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, has been assailed by Democrats in recent weeks over his investment in health care companies at the same time that he pushed legislation that could have benefited those businesses.

Democrats have called for investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as the Houses Office of Congressional Ethics, into whether Mr. Price violated insider trading laws or conflict of interest rules. He has said he did nothing wrong.

As Mr. Price awaits a confirmation vote, which could come next week, here is what we know about his investments, and whether his activities could have broken any laws or ethics rules.

Which of Mr. Prices stock holdings have come under scrutiny?

Mr. Price, an orthopedic surgeon by training, has invested more than $300,000 in health care stocks  as varied as big drug companies like Pfizer and Eli Lilly and health insurers like Aetna  in recent years. During that time, he has been active in shaping health care legislation as a member of the House Ways and Means Committees subcommittee on health.
During my pause, I took a few small vacations, but otherwise I didnt do all that much  at least in terms of tackling big outside projects. I did create some rules so that my days would be sure to have structure. Untethered from the corporate world, it would have been all too easy for me to fall into aimlessness.

So I made it a requirement to shower once a day, make my bed and get out of the house by 10 a.m. I also had to spend at least an hour a day outside the house doing something I enjoyed, like yoga or hiking. And I made sure to spend no more than 30 minutes at a time on my computer. Taking these simple steps enabled me to clear my head and become more sure of who I really was. I achieved a level of introspection that simply would not have been possible while dealing with the daily urgencies of the office.

According to a survey by the nonprofit Families and Work Institute last year, more than half of American employees feel overworked or overwhelmed at least some of the time, and 70 percent say they often dream of having a different job. I am convinced that giving employees a chance to take a pause would greatly reduce these numbers.

People who take sabbaticals not only experience a decline in stress while on leave, but they also find that their stress declines after returning to work (compared with their stress levels before they left), according to research cited in Fortune.

Given the benefits of taking unpaid leaves, why dont more companies offer them? My sense is that, in addition to the inconvenience that might result, companies are afraid they will lose more employees permanently. In fact, unpaid leaves are a way to attract and retain talent. Companies can offer this coveted perk and have happier, more satisfied employees who know they are trusted to return. This leads to increased company loyalty, good will, engagement and reduced turnover.

Some people will inevitably choose not to return to work after a pause. This may not be such a bad thing and may even be a blessing in disguise that allows someone to pursue a new opportunity that might otherwise not have occurred.

Pauses bring employees a renewed sense of purpose and alignment. Exploring new interests or lifelong passions, taking a class, or spending time with family that otherwise wouldnt happen are all big payoffs. Employees can reflect on what matters in life and take action to align their behavior with that. Employees end up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated  a feeling that is likely to have a ripple effect on their job and their co-workers when they return.
Article: Trump Blocks Syrian Refugees and Orders Mexican Border Wall to Be Built

Before Reading

Watch this short video of President Trump discussing a recent executive order calling for the construction of a border wall at the border between the United States and Mexico.

What is your reaction to this video? What do you think about Mr. Trumps announcement about his immigration policy? Why?

Questions for Comprehension and Analysis

1. What two executive orders did President Trump sign on Wednesday? How does Mr. Trump plan to crack down on immigrants who are in the United States illegally? What third executive order is planned that will clamp down on legal immigration in the United States?

2. How does Mr. Trumps stance on immigration differ from former President Barack Obamas? Do you agree with Mr. Trump that unauthorized immigrants are criminals who must be found and forcibly removed from the United States? Why or why not?
In such an environment, not only does a case for privileged access based on Washington tradition play into one of Trumps core campaign narratives, but it also fails to anticipate the inevitable response from the White House: What use are you to us? With audience fragmentation and the rise of social platforms, the traditional medias collective leverage over those in power has been diminished, and the Trump administration has given every indication that it sees, in this chaotic period of tradition, an enormous opportunity.

On Jan. 21, the press was granted a sneak peek at what access will look like under a Trump presidency. Sean Spicer, the press secretary, used his first appearance in the White House briefing room to make a series of astonishing and patently false claims about the inauguration  or, more specific, about coverage of the number of people who attended the inauguration. He said stories suggesting that the inauguration crowd had been significantly smaller than the one in 2009  including clear documentary photos and unambiguous assessments by experts  were merely attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration. The tone of the prepared statement became increasingly aggressive:

Theres been a lot of talk in the media about the responsibility to hold Donald Trump accountable. And Im here to tell you that it goes two ways. Were going to hold the press accountable, as well. The American people deserve better. And as long as he serves as the messenger for this incredible movement, he will take his message directly to the American people where his focus will always be.

He took no questions. The reporters had been stage-managed, again, for their subjects benefit; summoned for a punishment, and a spectacle, this time to the White House briefing room. They were back in the pen. As a spectacle, Spicers scolding may have felt abrupt and extreme, but it was years in the making. Trumps presidency didnt bring about the utter remaking  and repositioning  of the media. He just made it impossible to ignore.

Donald Trumps relationship with the media may be obsessive, but its also deeply transactional  the media has always been a tool in his pursuit of fame and power. In previous decades, dealing with New York tabloids and national television, his tactic was to gain advantage within dominant media ecosystems; in dealing with the political press during the campaign,his approach had been to gain advantages not merely within media ecosystems but over them. To that end, he found great transactional value in Twitter. In a meandering pre-inauguration interview with The Times of London, Trump addressed the matter of his (still extremely active) account, which had evolved, under the same set of thumbs, from an object of widespread Twitter ridicule to an engine of a successful presidential campaign and, finally, to the actual voice of the American state:

I thought Id do less of it, but Im covered so dishonestly by the press  so dishonestly  that I can put out Twitter  and its not 140, its now 280  I can go bing bing bing . . . and they put it on and as soon as I tweet it out  this morning on television, Fox  Donald Trump, we have breaking news.

That Trump can will headlines and television segments into existence is obviously true and has the effect of expanding the influence of his account well beyond his 22 million followers (and, now, the 14 million he inherited with @potus). This doubles as a show of dominance: With tweets, he is able to reap the benefits of access  stories getting his message out, published by outlets that can find no justification for ignoring these particular words from the president, just because they appear on Twitter  and to create at least an appearance of transparency, but without actually granting any access at all. For Trump in his new role as president, reliance on Twitter pits two reasonable criticisms against each other: that he is both sharing too much and not sharing, in response to press questions, nearly enough.

To members of the media, this is disorienting, bizarre and crazy-making; through Twitter, the arrival of new statements from the president becomes an event unto itself. They fit most news organizations criteria of breaking news: They are important; they are unanticipated and at first glance inexplicable; they demand elaboration, explanation and detail. A few posts in the morning can consume the day ahead.

The medias bewilderment at how to treat Trumps tweets derives from the speed at which Twitter (and other social-media platforms) has undercut their prerogatives, but also from the medias reluctance to fully embrace a scenario in which it is so thoroughly decentered. The pre-internet, pre-social media was inherently cartel-like, deriving much of its power from the exclusive access it could provide to large numbers of people. This was obviously interesting to advertisers, who wanted to reach customers. This audience would be similarly appealing to a politician, who would be keenly interested in how he was represented to it. That form of media power was rooted less in vague notions of trust or quality than in control over distribution, and it is voided on a service like Twitter. A social-media platform offers media companies the opportunity to reconstitute its operations within the service  with the ability to publish all sorts of media, and to maintain a brand, and to gain followers  but controls the means of distribution. Power is achievable on Twitter, but it is always borrowed, and shared.
RE: NEANDERTHALS

Jon Mooallem wrote about scientific research that shows that Neanderthals demonstrated many behaviors we long believed to be uniquely human.

It is depressingly clear from reading Jon Mooallems brilliant, witty and profound article that we are the new Neanderthals, driven to extinction by the destruction of our habitat and the inexorable force of two rapidly advancing technologies, genetic engineering and automation. I imagine the next modern species (as we once were), a group already well established in science fiction, will be robots. Caroline Seebohm, Titusville, N.J.

The wonderful article by Mooallem captures new developments in the study of human evolution that reveal not only what happened to those who came before us but also what may lie in store for us. He rehabilitates Neanderthals from subhumans (based on racist and ethnocentric Victorian values) to individuals capable of symbolic thought and social relations not unlike our forebears.
There are many stories to be told and many battles to begin.

This determined cry from the heart  this battle cry  arrives at the end of Julie Dashs 1982 short film, Illusions, about a black woman working in the old Hollywood. It also helps sum up the importance of the BAMcinematek series One Way or Another: Black Womens Cinema 1970-1991, which starts Friday, Feb. 3. A rich, satisfying dive into the film archives, this series is at once an act of celebration and reclamation, as well as another reminder that the history of movies is also a history of struggle for equality.

The series includes a sweeping range of titles, subjects, political concerns and aesthetic approaches, with several programs dedicated to individual filmmakers like Ms. Dash. Meaningfully, it ends in 1991, the year that Ms. Dashs masterpiece, Daughters of the Dust, opened. Recently restored, Daughters dropped out of mainstream sight for a time, but neither it nor Ms. Dash, who has continued to write and direct, disappeared. The influence of Daughters, particularly on generations of women, was reaffirmed with the 2016 release of Beyonces music video Formation, which pays repeated homage to the film, including in its images of multihued black women dressed in long white gowns.

Radical both in form and content, Daughters is an elliptical meditation on black memory, identity, migration and bodies as refracted through a story about Gullah women  residents of the Sea Islands off the South Carolina coast  who in the early 1900s are preparing to leave for the mainland. Its part of the lineup of One Way or Another, which includes a program of Ms. Dashs shorter works. Among these is the piercing Standing at the Scratch Line (2016), another look at the Great Migration that uses archival and original visuals  including recurring images of the ocean and a battered suitcase  to reflect on black spaces, arrivals, departures and history.
On Wednesday evening, not long after President Trump, staying true to his campaign rhetoric, ordered the construction of a wall on the Mexican border and announced new efforts to find and deport unauthorized immigrants, with plans to slow the arrival of Muslims and refugees still to come, hundreds of people gathered in Washington Square Park, in Greenwich Village, to voice their dissent. The speed with which the rally, organized by the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, came together suggests just how reflexively efficient the will to resist him has become in recent weeks.

Since Mr. Trumps election as the 45th president, New York City has been host to many, many protests hostile to his agenda. Can the city accommodate the pace and volume of the counterrevolution? The question was implicit in some of the reaction to the womens march in New York last weekend, which drew an astonishing 400,000 participants. The point of departure was Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, a small stretch of land between First and Second Avenues in the 40s, which has been a popular site of mass demonstration for many years, and one for which the city has often granted permits. It is a spot both hard to access via public transportation and relatively small, with a capacity of only 8,000 people.

The surrounding side streets are narrow and heavily shaded. The planned route for the march, south toward 42nd Street and then west toward Fifth Avenue, was difficult to approach because so many were trapped inside the plaza. Some got panicky; some pushed and shoved. Some never made it to the actual march at all. The day after, Sarah Crichton, a prominent book editor with a long history of protesting in New York, wrote to a group of women she had organized to attend, asserting that the city needed to stop steering demonstrations to Dag Hammarskjold because it was dangerous.
For Frank Vincenti, there is a certain truth to those old Warner Bros. cartoons in which Wile E. Coyote, scheming but hapless, always takes the fall in pursuing the speedy Road Runner.

You know, that cartoon is really correct  Wile E. Coyote and the real thing are not that much different, said Mr. Vincenti, a barber by vocation, but also a die-hard advocate for urban coyotes. Coyotes are always going to be controversial animals, but they get an undeserved reputation.

By day, he gives $10 haircuts at his shop in Mineola, N.Y., but by night, he transforms into a coyote whisperer, dedicated to saving coyotes in and around New York City and to challenging the perception that the animals are too dangerous to coexist with people in urban and suburban areas.

After spying a coyote in the Bronx, Mr. Vincenti started the Wild Dog Foundation in 1996, a nonprofit that protects coyotes.
The leads have dried up in the killing of a young woman in Queens during a jog last summer.

Tips about potential suspects have gone nowhere. A reward has failed to bear fruit, even as it has swelled to over $280,000. And the samples of a strangers DNA found on the hands, throat and cellphone of the jogger, Karina Vetrano, 30, did not match those in national offender databases.

But the authorities say that the recovered DNA could hold the key to solving the case if state officials authorize what is called familial searching, which allows investigators to search criminal databases to identify likely relatives of the offender.

The technique, which has been used more than a dozen times in the United States over the last 10 years, represents a frontier in the evolving world of forensic science. While some methods, like microscopic hair testing and bite-mark matching, have been challenged in recent years, DNA testing remains a staple of forensic investigation, used to both identify suspects and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.

Familial searching allows investigators to search offender databases with wider parameters to identify people who are likely to be close relatives of the person who may have committed a crime. Law enforcement officials say a hit in the database is less a piece of evidence than it is a lead, and such matches have helped solve some heinous crimes in states where the practice has been authorized.
In both the music it presents and the young following it attracts, Terraza 7 reflects the diversity of this part of Queens. In Jackson Heights alone, more than 160 languages are spoken. The club hosts concerts almost every night of the week  typically Latin jazz and whats referred to on its website as immigrant folk  and it frequently opens its doors for film screenings, poetry readings and scholarly discussions. Musicians and patrons say it reminds them of bohemian clubs of Lima or Bogota. And the political overtones carry over as well.

Terraza is not only a space where Ive felt like I could be safe and learn about my culture, its also a hub for politics and social justice, said Tania Mattos, 33, who was born in Bolivia and is a leader of Queens Neighborhoods United.

Ivan Contreras, 27, makes the trip from Bushwick, Brooklyn, to Terraza 7 every few weeks. Im Mexican myself, he said, but I come to see a lot of the Colombian bands.

Mr. Castiblanco moved to Jackson Heights in 2000 from his native Colombia, where he had been a doctor working mostly with the urban poor. He began training to practice medicine in New York, but he stumbled into a different calling.

Jackson Heights was very diverse, he said. But each community was self-isolated: Colombians, Ecuadoreans, Mexicans. His main goal with the club, he said, was to bridge those divides.

In 2002, he founded Terraza 7 in a little plot just off busy Roosevelt Avenue. He rented the raw space cheaply and set about installing bathrooms, a bar and the unorthodox stage that hangs over the bar. It soon became a magnet in the neighborhood.
Sy Kattelson started taking photographs before World War II, using a camera so big and unwieldy it took two people to operate. His subjects were models for catalogs or magazines, and his images were often used as source material for illustrations. When Mr. Kattelson, who will turn 94 next month, returned from the war, it was with a more portable camera and a sharper eye. He joined the left-leaning Photo League and began documenting the street life of lower-middle-class New Yorkers.

Most people doing that type of work were doing poverty-stricken people, like on the Lower East Side, said Mr. Kattelson, who grew up in the Bronx and Queens, the son of an electrician and a shop owner. I started to think, What about people like me, who were not in poverty? So I tried to show people what they were living like. Often overshadowed by better-known members of the Photo League, such as Sid Grossman or Lisette Model, Mr. Kattelson continued to evolve after the League dissolved in 1951, under suspicion of being a Communist organization. I didnt want to keep making the same pictures all over again, he said from his home in Saugerties in the Hudson Valley. By the 1980s, he said, I got interested in double exposures and putting pictures together in collages. He added, I wanted to get more information in pictures.

Those later works are on exhibit for the first time at the Howard Greenberg Gallery in Manhattan, along with older images, in his first solo exhibition in nearly 20 years. I remember people arguing about whether photography was a serious art form, he said. The Photo League talked about it the way I thought about it, as a serious art form showing ordinary peoples lives. The groups political leanings, he said, were never his concern. I was just trying to show the world what it was.
Broken  The Womens Prison at Hoheneck 0:06 Titelblende Broken 0:18 I had such fear. I feared for my life. I knew what I will experience there will not be good. 0:32 I think there were 33 of us in a holding cell. It was filled with bunk beds, each triple stacked. There was a hierarchy. The new arrivals had to sleep at the bottom. Later they were permitted to sleep in the middle. Those who had been there a while slept at the top. 0:48 We had to get up at 4 in the morning. There was a too-toot sound and the cell matron stood up first, entered the bathroom and yelled, number 1, and number 1 had to get up immediately and wash. And while she started, the matron shouted, number 2! and then number 3! 1:10 There was no lid or anything like that, only the toilet. You just sat down while the others brushed their teeth or got washed. 1:20 You were observed: does she brush her teeth in the mornings and evenings? How does she wash, does she wash herself down below? How does she wipe her behind? You had to wash yourself outwardly, so everyone could see that you cleaned everywhere. 1:34 ... A grey castle, the people had grey faces, and wore grey clothing. The food was grey too. Without anything green or red or some other colour. 1:43 We looked crazed. Like female crows with lipstick. All of us pale, all with black head scarfs. But we painted our lips with matches in order to look a little pretty. 2:06 When I arrived I learned the following: you belong to us now. We are the workers commando for sewing bed linens. And then I saw these patterns and materials and thought, How interesting. I have never seen anything like that in East Germany. None of us knew where they were going. But I was certain it wasnt going to the East. 2:26 Basically you had a performance quota and thats why it was very important that you had a sewing machine that cut well. The knife had to be good but also sew well at the same time. Otherwise you wouldnt have managed to reach 100 percent. 2:40 There was a board on the wall. It contained a list of people who were particularly hard- working. There you saw that worker number so and so had completed 40 thingamajigs. 2:54 Often we squatted in the cell and cried because we knew we wouldnt make the quota the next day. 3:05 The pain told me what time it was. We had no watches or anything like that. Your entire face changed. It dissolved. It was broken. 3:20 Yes, I think we knew the stuff was sold in the west. There were rumours. 3:32 At the very bottom of the castle were windows to the confinement cells. You could hear the screaming and crying. I want out of here, out of here. I cant take it anymore. I cant take it anymore. 3:45 The confinement cells were solitary. They could be completely shuttered, so that no light entered. Forget about fresh air. You saw nothing. You had to stand or squat on the floor. There was fear of mice. You had to scream if you wanted to use the toilet because the doors were locked. And you had no contact with other people, sometimes for 10 days at a time. 4:09 What we feared most in Hoheneck was the water cell. You entered the cell and they let the water in  cold water, up to your neck. 4:24 None of them had their periods. They stopped the day they entered Hoheneck. It was strange. 4:32 We had insane amounts of hair loss and sleeplessness. It came all at once. All of a sudden you didnt function anymore. Not even the most normal thing. 4:55 When I detect a certain odour, when I smell the fall, I smell the very air as it was when I I was arrested. Its always a shock. It puts me in a really bad way. Texttafeln Between 1950 and 1990 thousands of political prisoners were held in forced labour at Hoheneck, the main prison for women in the German Democratic Republic. Most of the products made by the inmates were exported to West Germany, ending up on the shelves of Aldi, Karstadt, Woolworth and other stores. The exports generated billions in revenues for the indebted East German state. Some of these retailers knew of the practice before 1989. 5:30 When they arrested me, when the men came, I told my daughter, Finchen, Ill be back to pick you up tonight. Ill never forget her eyes. Well, I never did pick her up. Credits Narrated By Birgit Willschutz Gabriele Stotzer Written By Max Monch Alexander Lahl Directed By Volker Schlecht Alexander Lahl Design and Animation Volker Schlecht Sound Design and Music Hannes Schulze Funded By Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung Stiftung Sachsische Gedenkstatten Thanks Birgit Willschutz Gabriele Stotzer Tobias Wunschik Dr. Sabine Kuder Izabela Plucinska Special Thanks Kerstin Julke A Die Kulturingenieure Production  Volker Schlecht and die Kulturingenieure 2016
To the Editor:

Re Obama Shouldnt Go Quietly (Op-Ed, Jan. 20):

As Robert Dallek discussed, there is a long history of former presidents speaking out, and the lack of any clear national leader for the Democratic Party makes Barack Obama the natural choice. If Mr. Obama chooses to do so, he should use Rule XIX, Clause 8, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a little-known provision that gives former presidents the legal right to address the Senate upon prior notice.

According to the Senate Historical Office, this rule has never been exercised before. I can think of no better time, nor a better way, to grab the nations attention and provide a calming, stabilizing voice.

SCOTT D. SALMON

Westfield, N.J.
It started at the inauguration, when the uniformed protectors of Americas front lawn took in the sweep of humanity at the National Mall. It seemed obvious that the crowd for President Trump was not nearly as large as that for Barack Obama in 2009. Somebody in olive green retweeted the obvious, using comparative pictures.

This small act of historical clarification by the keepers of our sacred sites and shared spaces would have been no big deal, had not the response from the new president sounded like an edict from the Dear Leader. A gag order on public servants was issued, and the National Park Service tweet on crowd size vanished, replaced by a picture of a bison.

But then, flares of defiance! The response to the dawning realization that a crazy man had taken over the White House was truth. From Badlands National Park came a tweet about more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than any time in the last 650,000 years. From the Redwood park, a note about the saving grace of ancient trees. From Death Valley, a reminder that Japanese-Americans had once been interned there.

Heroes in uniform? No, not by normal standards in normal times. Informing people is what park rangers do. Anyone who has ever listened to a narrative of what happened on the bloodiest single day in American history at Antietam National Battlefield, or heard an explanation for the geysers at Yellowstone, can appreciate the professional knowledge.
The Christian right has been declared dead many times. Before this election, though, it truly seemed to be staggering toward the grave. According to the Pew Research Center, as of last April, barely a third of Republican voters who attended religious services weekly supported Mr. Trump. He had consistent evangelical support, but it tended to come from less strongly affiliated Christians  people who might identify as born again, but who werent connected to the congregations that once formed the building blocks of the religious right, and who didnt take marching orders from the movements leaders.

By winning the primary over the strenuous objections of prominent Christian conservatives, Mr. Trump revealed their diminishing sway. When those same leaders decided to champion him, they had to shrug off everything theyd ever said about the primacy of personal morality in politics. Had he lost, theyd have been utterly discredited.

But Mr. Trump didnt lose, and now the movement that helped deliver his victory faces a deliverance of its own. President Trump may lack a coherent ideology, but he shares with the religious right a kind of Christian identity politics, a sense that the symbols of Christianity, if not its virtues, deserve cultural precedence. As he said in a speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority conference in June: We will respect and defend Christian Americans. Christian Americans.

His personnel choices suggest he meant it. Consider Vice President Pence, a man who regularly tries to make policy obey the dictates of faith. In 2002, he gave a speech on the House floor criticizing public schools for teaching evolution but not creationism, even though creationism was believed in by every signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Running for Congress in 2000, Mr. Pence called for federal AIDS funding to be directed to groups that provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior, which many have understood to mean gay-conversion therapy, though a spokesman has said this mischaracterized his intent. When in 2002, then Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed the use of condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, Mr. Pence argued (falsely) that they offer very, very poor protection and decried Mr. Powells support for them as too modern of an answer. He is, needless to say, a tireless foe of Planned Parenthood: In 2011, when the House voted to defund the family planning provider, the legislation was known as the Pence Amendment.

Among senior members of the incoming administration, Mr. Pence is far from alone in opposing secular modernity. Jeff Sessions, Mr. Trumps choice for attorney general, has said that the idea of a wall of separation between church and state is not constitutional and is not historical. He once attacked Justice Sonia Sotomayor for having a postmodern, relativistic, secular mind-set that is directly contrary to the founding of our republic. During Mr. Sessionss confirmation hearing, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, asked about his attitude toward the attorneys who will work for him at the Justice Department: A secular person has just as good a claim to understanding the truth as a person who is religious, correct? Mr. Sessions replied, Well, Im not sure.
To the Editor:

Re Agencies Told to Halt Communications (news article, Jan. 26):

In light of public communications restrictions placed on federal agencies by the Trump administration, including the Environmental Protection Agency gag order, the Society of Environmental Journalists strongly urges the federal government to commit itself to transparency and to provide verifiable, factual information to all Americans, including journalists.

Any public information lockdown is an affront to both the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act and the public trust. The public is entitled to accurate information about polluters and how the government is enforcing environmental laws. Americans rely on journalists to bring them this information, so it is important that journalists have access to federal agency officials, government scientists and scientific data.

We reject the E.P.A. gag order. Our members will continue to reach out to federal agencies and hope that the Trump administration will commit itself to an open line of communication with both journalists and the public.

BOBBY MAGILL

President

Society of Environmental Journalists

New York
We have a word for people who are dominated by fear. We call them cowards. Trump was not a coward in the business or campaign worlds. He could take on enormous debt and had the audacity to appear at televised national debates with no clue what he was talking about. But as president his is a policy of cowardice. On every front, he wants to shrink the country into a shell.

J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote, A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a shortcut to meet it.

Desperate to be liked, Trump adopts a combative attitude that makes him unlikable. Terrified of Mexican criminals, he wants to build a wall that will actually lock in more undocumented aliens than it will keep out. Terrified of Muslim terrorists, he embraces the torture policies guaranteed to mobilize terrorists. Terrified that American business cant compete with Asian business, he closes off a trade deal that would have boosted annual real incomes in the United States by $131 billion, or 0.5 percent of G.D.P. Terrified of Mexican competition, he considers slapping a 20 percent tariff on Mexican goods, even though U.S. exports to Mexico have increased 97 percent since 2005.

Trump has changed the way the Republican Party sees the world. Republicans used to have a basic faith in the dynamism and openness of the free market. Now the party fears openness and competition.

In the summer of 2015, according to a Pew Research Center poll, Republicans said free trade deals had been good for the country by 51 to 39 percent. By the summer of 2016, Republicans said those deals had been bad for America by 61 percent to 32 percent.

Its not that the deals had changed, or reality. It was that Donald Trump became the Republican nominee and his dark fearfulness became the partys dark fearfulness. In this case fear is not a reaction to the world. It is a way of seeing the world. It propels your reactions to the world.
To the Editor:

Re Trump Rolls Out His Crackdown on Immigration (front page, Jan. 26):

Donald Trumps plan to build a wall on our Southern border represents perhaps the signature vow of his rise to power. Certainly our immigration system is broken and needs attention. But building a wall is a simplistic answer to a more complex situation.

Likewise several others of his early notions: America is concerned about radical Islamic terrorism? Simple: Halt, at least temporarily, immigration from terror-prone nations. Decline in manufacturing employment? Simple: Slap a tariff on imported goods.

Climate change? Simpler still: Delete all references to climate change from the White House website. Oh, and restrict the Environmental Protection Agencys communications with the public on the subject.

Apparently, Mr. Trump has never heard H. L. Menckens observation: For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. That this contains more than a nugget of truth will, we can be sure, be borne out in the coming months.
Today, digital communication has made the planning of marches far easier. It can start with a single Facebook post and culminate in a march weeks later. Just look at the rapid planning and enormous turnout for the Womens March.

As a result, Tufekci argues, a protest is not necessarily a sign of an actual movement; thats why some large protests in recent years, like those opposing the war in Iraq or the Occupy rallies, have had relatively muted real-world impact.

This doesnt mean that protests no longer matter  they do, Tufekci writes. Nowadays, however, protests should be seen not as the culmination of an organizing effort, but as a first, potential step. A large protest today is less like the March on Washington in 1963 and more like Rosa Parkss refusal to move to the back of the bus. What used to be an endpoint is now an initial spark.

All of which, once again, points to the Tea Party as a tactical model. Protests were only a very small part of what the Tea Party did. If progressives want to have an effect  if they want to defend civil rights, protect the environment and keep millions of people from losing health insurance, among other things  the hard work hasnt even begun.

Barack Obama, in his last interview as president, made the same point when asked what individual citizens could do to help protect the Affordable Care Acts expansion of health insurance.
Click on the slide show to see this weeks featured properties in the New York region:

 In Greenwich, Conn., a three-bedroom, three-bath renovated 1970 house, with radiant heat flooring, exposed wood beams, a gas fireplace, a back patio and a detached two-car garage on 1.32 landscaped acres in the Glenville section.

 In Franklin Township, N.J. a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath 1932 house on .86 acre, with a Princeton mailing address, and an attached two-car garage.
For years, the actor Max von Essen had been preparing for the role of apartment owner. When he was cast in an international touring company of West Side Story in 1998, he bought an etching at an antiques shop in Vienna. During a stop in Berlin, he bought a page from an old book. Assorted lithographs and sketches were purchased in other European capitals.

I put them in a file thinking someday I would have a great place and then Id hang them up, said Mr. von Essen, a 2015 Tony nominee for his performance as the sexually and occupationally conflicted Henri Baurel in An American in Paris. Hes now a star of the Mint Theaters production of Yours Unfaithfully, which runs through Feb. 18.

That Mr. von Essen got that great place was thanks to Anna McNeely, an actress he met in 2003 when they were both appearing in My Fair Lady at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Ms. McNeely, a veteran Broadway hand, and her husband had recently put their two-bedroom Hells Kitchen duplex on the market. But because the apartment, a walk-up, is in a Housing Development Fund Corporation building, there are strict income caps for prospective shareholders. Further, residents are required to help out with cleaning and maintenance.
On a cool, damp night last weekend, Lauren Duca, 25, sat at a corner banquette at the Red Cat in Chelsea, sipping white wine. She had spent her day trekking around the city, getting a blowout in Chinatown, meeting some friends for brunch in the West Village and stopping home in Brooklyn for some relaxation time with her dog, a Shiba Inu puppy named Demi.

Ms. Duca was a little nervous. I need to slow down my heart rate, she said. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and raised her glass. She had a big night ahead. She would be appearing on stage as a guest monologuist for the improvisation company Upright Citizens Brigade. Previous guest monologuists at U.C.B. have included Gloria Steinem, Amy Schumer and the hosts of the 2 Dope Queens podcast, Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson. So, you know, no pressure.

It might surprise some that Ms. Duca  who in the past two months has gone from a relatively obscure freelance journalist to a national newsmaker  is susceptible to the jitters. On Dec. 10, Teen Vogue published a scorched-earth opinion piece she wrote titled Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America on its website. It went viral.
Valentinos spring/summer 2017 haute couture show was its first with Pierpaolo Piccioli alone at the helm  after Maria Grazia Chiuri departed for the artistic director job at Christian Dior (she presented her own first couture collection there this week). For his debut solo collection, Piccioli looked to Greek architecture and mythology. On the above image, we take a closer look at the making of one Valentino haute couture look.
Haute couture is a legally protected term  and fashion houses are only granted the designation by the French Ministry of Industry. Schiaparelli, for instance, labeled itself as demi-couture until this season; it was only permitted to use the haute couture appellation earlier this month. To get the label, you have to play by the rules  and there are many, which determine if a house can be haute or not. A label needs to maintain a Parisian workroom with a minimum of 20 employees, and it must produce at least 25 outfits per season. Those rules have been rewritten a number of times: Haute couture was first formalized after World War II in 1945, when rules were first implemented to prevent misuse of the name. Originally, the number of required outfits per collection was 50; in 1992, it was cut in half. Then, in 2001, the goal posts shifted again, to introduce a qualitative assessment from the Federation, in case any of the requirements were not satisfied. You have to compare it to the Maastricht Treaty, says Pascal Morand, the executive president of the Federation, with a smile. Do you treat that in a very strict way, or do you give some flexibility? And to what point?

There are a few different designers pushing the limits in couture today. The Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen, who began showing on the haute couture calendar in January 2011, creates extraordinary dresses devised from 3D printing which resemble the creations of H.R. Giger for the Aliens films. Her latest collection consisted of only 16 looks  breaking a rule of couture. Furthermore, her use of technology seems antithetical to haute coutures cherishing of the handmade. Yet Van Herpens clothes are true one-offs, in the couture tradition, so the Federation made an exception for her. Come 2015, even Chanel  coutures longest surviving house  joined in, producing 3D printed versions of its classic suits.

The latest shifts from the industry comes from the bellwether fashion label Vetements, which has shown as part of haute couture for the last two seasons  and the official invitation of the Federation, who bent their own rules to allow Vetements onto the schedule. Certainly, the brands inclusion on the schedule pushes the limits of what haute couture can  or should  mean. Its streetwear-focused designs certainly dont look like haute couture  which, generally, favors ball gowns over day wear. That makes sense when it comes to satisfying the clientele: If youre going to spend upward of $100,000 on a dress, itll probably be for your wedding (Melania Trump did, in 2005, when she married Donald Trump in Christian Dior couture). Besides, Vetements clothes are mass-manufactured.

But Morand speaks of rules that are less concrete, and more ideological. Couture supposes a high level of creativity and a high level of savoir faire delivered in the atelier. And also the absolute level of individualization, he says. Suddenly, its clear how Vetements fit the flexible couture criteria in the 21st century. Last season, the brand focused on working with individual garment manufacturers  Champion for sweatshirts, Levis for denim or Hanes for T-shirts  comparing them to the specialist ateliers whose expertise has supplied couture houses with embroideries, pleating and handmade buttons for centuries. For them, it was a new way of seeing what couture could mean today, Demna Gvasalia, Vetements creative director, says of the Federation. Craftsmanship. Whether its a T-shirt or an evening dress.
Its O.K. to feel a little confused about the direction the new administration in Washington is taking. And that is before you consider the case of Elon Musk and Tesla.

As James Stewart writes, Mr. Musk, a brainy South African immigrant who has criticized Donald Trump and built Tesla Motors and SolarCity  which benefit from government subsidies  might seem the wrong fit in Washington these days.

And yet shares of the carmaker Tesla, which has absorbed solar power company SolarCity, are going up. Analysts are even raising their estimates of how high they could go.

Moreover, Mr. Musk has been a guest at two meetings of business leaders with Mr. Trump. What gives?

Maybe these strange bedfellows arent so strange.
The event was emblematic of an about-face by Google. Over the last eight years, the company was closely associated with former President Barack Obama. Google employees overwhelmingly supported Mr. Obamas presidential campaigns, and some later took roles in his administration. Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Alphabet, Googles parent company, advised the Obama White House. And last year, Google employees gave $1.3 million to Hillary Clintons campaign to succeed Mr. Obama, compared with $26,000 to the Trump campaign, according to federal filings.

Now, the tech giant is scrambling to forge ties with Mr. Trumps new administration and to strengthen its relationship with a Republican-dominated Congress. Most important, Google is trying to change the perception that it is a Democratic stronghold.

That has led to events like the party at the Smithsonian, which the institution said had cost at least $50,000. Mr. Schmidt has embarked on an East Coast charm offensive of Republican political leaders, including twice visiting Mr. Trump and his advisers at Trump Tower. Last month, Google also posted an opening to fill a position for a conservative outreach employee in its Washington office.

Google has a target on its back because it is fundamentally viewed as a Democratic company, said Gigi Sohn, a former senior adviser to Tom Wheeler, who was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Even though it has reached out to Republicans, it cant shake the image.

Google said it had long had Republican lobbyists and had not changed its strategy.

Weve worked with both Republicans and Democrats for over a decade, advocating policies to encourage economic growth, innovation and entrepreneurialism, the company said in a statement. Well continue to do exactly that.
In so many two-character scenes, a moment comes when you wonder: Why are these people still in the room together? Shouldnt she have left? Shouldnt he have called security? Is this some strange parallel doorknob-less universe?

In the third iteration of AdA: Author Directing Author, an evening of one-acts at La MaMa, there are moments of such doubt in the Italian playwright Marco Calvanis After the Dark and the Spanish playwright Marta Buchacas Summit, which have both been given fine, playable translations.

In After the Dark, a post-menopausal designer of furniture and lighting, Susie (Margaret Colin), and her young assistant, Jessie (Gabby Beans), are sharing a hotel room on the night before an important trade show. Mr. Calvanis pert dialogue plays with the oppositions of youth and age, fecundity and sterility, dominance and obligation, and the women take turns controlling the conversation.

Under Ms. Buchacas direction, many of the shifts in dynamic compel, although an unthinking equation of sexual desirability and power needs more scrutiny. And why Jessie, who is paid starvation wages, doesnt exit the job and the room is anyones guess.
If enough companies follow this script over the next couple of years, the number of factory jobs in the United States should stabilize, or even rise. Mr. Trumps eventual successor may well inherit a manufacturing sector that is superficially stronger, though it will hide an underlying weakness: thousands of C.E.O.s ready to move production offshore. As soon as Mr. Trump leaves the stage, several years worth of pent-up demand for offshoring may erupt, and as these plans are followed and factory jobs return to more normal levels, expect a sharp drop in manufacturing employment.

Now imagine what all this will look like to a future policy wonk. Manufacturing jobs seemed to be scarce before Mr. Trumps tenure, improved while he was at the helm, and then shrank sharply as soon as he left office. It might seem as though his angry tweets actually caused manufacturing to thrive.

But it would be a mistake to infer that businesses really perform better when threatened. Rather, the fluctuating jobs numbers reflect the ease with which cuts can be delayed, not prevented. Sure, a delay is, in itself, good news for factory workers who keep their jobs a little longer, but it doesnt address their longer-term problems.

Indeed, many economists, both Democrat and Republican, fear that Mr. Trumps policy of naming and shaming will hurt the manufacturing sector in the long run. After all, the point of the exercise is to allocate workers and machines based on presidential diktat, not market forces. He is pushing corporate leaders to please the White House, rather than their customers and shareholders.

The cost of hiring crisis managers to deal with Mr. Trump raises the cost of doing business just as surely as a tax hike would. By making it more expensive to leave the market, he also creates a disincentive for foreign companies thinking of building plants in the United States.

The difficulty with trying to use the bully pulpit to create a lasting change in corporate behavior is that words  even a presidents  dont much alter a companys bottom line. Corporate decisions are driven by the balance of costs and benefits, and the benefits of offshoring are typically large and enduring.

Still, for short periods, even relatively minor incentive shifts can cause large reactions when what is involved is merely a delay, not fundamental change. For example, imagine two people who love Cancun and have decided to vacation there; if the cost of a flight rises by $100, they will go anyway, because the cost isnt enough to deter them. But if the airfare rises by $100 on Sunday, the day they had planned to go, but was to remain at the original price on Monday, the travelers may well decide to wait a day. So fewer people may fly to Mexico on the weekend, when its more expensive, yet there will be no long-term impact on travel. Temporary policies often look as though they have disproportionately large effects, but they arent meaningful.
WASHINGTON  One day in 2011, the top prosecutor in the system of military commissions set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to prosecute terrorists traveled to New York for a special meeting with Justice Department officials. A Somali terrorist, Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, was being held aboard an American warship after being captured in international waters off Yemen, and the official, John F. Murphy, wanted him tried at Guantanamo Bay before a military commission.



In an early test of President Barack Obamas belief that international terrorists could be successfully prosecuted in the criminal courts, Mr. Murphy was overruled. Mr. Warsame was prosecuted in federal court in Manhattan, and after pleading guilty to providing material support to the Shabab and Al Qaeda in Yemen and to other charges, he became one of the nations most important terrorism informants.

To Justice Department and F.B.I. officials, their success in prosecuting Mr. Warsame and eliciting important information from him was proof that an alternative legal system was not needed to keep America safe from terrorism. But that belief  a founding principle of Mr. Obamas national security strategy  is about to be challenged by his successor, President Trump.

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Mr. Trumps nominee for attorney general, has long believed that the Obama administration sacrificed valuable intelligence by bringing terrorism cases in federal court. Along with other Republicans in Congress, he has argued that the isolated military prison at Guantanamo is where such terrorists should be sent and tried.
Of course, in the era of alternative facts, Mayor Kenney may be spitting in the wind.

With end of enrollment ads, Trump signals he will damage Obamas health law

The Trump administrations decision to drop advertisements encouraging people to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act was greeted with anger and alarm by supporters of the law  and a recognition that Mr. Trump wants the law crippled.

This is sabotage, pure and simple, fumed Leslie Dach, a senior official in President Barack Obamas Department of Health and Human Services who now heads a coalition to save the law. This proves that this administration doesnt care about people who need health coverage. And it clearly shows that they now own the consequences of their efforts to undermine the health care system.

The ads were to have run only for a few more days, until the annual open enrollment period ends on Tuesday. In the last few years, large numbers of consumers signed up just before the deadline.

But Mr. Trump and Republicans in Congress are determined to repeal Mr. Obamas signature domestic achievement.

Since Nov. 1, more than 11.5 million people have signed up for insurance or had their coverage automatically renewed. And when the enrollment period ends, its anyones guess who will announce the total number of people who would lose their insurance if the law is repealed.

A contender for the face of the Defense Department

The leading candidate to be the Pentagons new spokesman is John Ullyot, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer and veteran of Capitol Hill.

Mr. Ullyot served as spokesman and deputy chief of staff for two Republican senators, John W. Warner of Virginia and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and as spokesman for the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2003 to 2007.
Trump is an ally for abortion opponents, too

Opponents of abortion gather every year on the National Mall and march to the Supreme Court. Usually their defiance is not much more than symbolism  the court is the origin of Roe v. Wade, the decision in 1973 that they have sought for more than 40 years to overturn.

This year they have ample reason to believe that under a Republican-dominated government, they will begin to see movement for the first time in more than a decade.

In previous years, no president or vice president has ever addressed the march in person. This year, the Trump administration will be out in full force with the appearances of Mr. Pence and Ms. Conway.

President Trump, in one of his first official acts, signed an order prohibiting foreign aid to health providers abroad who discuss abortion as a family-planning option. And in a break with previous Republican presidents, he has embraced the idea of a litmus test for his Supreme Court nominees and pledged explicitly to name someone who opposes abortion. He said he would announce his choice on Thursday to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last February.
So is this illegal?

Not really.

Have you ever moved to a new state? And did you call up the people in charge of voting in your old state to tell them to go ahead and take you off their list? Probably not. Neither, apparently, did some members of the Trump family and his White House.

There is nothing illegal about that, Fred Voigt, the deputy election commissioner for Philadelphia, told Heat Street, the News Corp.-owned conservative and libertarian site, which reported Ms. Trumps double registration. The illegality only occurs if one votes in two places, not if youre registered in both.

State authorities regularly purge their voter rolls of people who move or die.

Mr. Bannons case is a little different. A Guardian report last summer found that Mr. Bannon was registered at a vacant home he had previously rented for his ex-wife, but that he had never lived there himself.

Shortly after that report, the Guardian said, Mr. Bannon changed his registered address to the home of a Breitbart writer, also in Florida.

When he voted in Novembers election, he did so by absentee ballot in New York, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections confirmed. On Wednesday, after widespread news reports of his double registration, Sarasota County removed Mr. Bannon from the rolls, The Herald Tribune reported.

What has the White House said?

As the reports of double registrations grew, Kellyanne Conway, one of Mr. Trumps senior advisers, appeared on NBCs Today show on Thursday and denied that members of Mr. Trumps inner circle were registered in more than one place.

I talked last night to Tiffany Trump, and she said it is flatly false that she is registered in two states, she said. But NBC had confirmed that Ms. Trump, in fact, was.
Still, Trump voters interviewed said they cared little if the president spouted off on Twitter because he was issuing the kind of executive actions many had long craved  freezing federal grant money for environmental research, banning foreign aid for groups that give abortion counseling and cutting off immigration from several Muslim-majority nations.

Trumps done more in five days than Obama did in eight years, said Doug Cooperrider, 58, who works in construction repairing bridges and roads around central Ohio.

The bar at Boondocks, where Mr. Cooperrider dug into a B.L.T. sandwich on a sleety morning, sits about 1,900 miles from the Arizona deserts where sections of the multibillion-dollar border wall may rise. The Hispanic population is tiny in this overwhelmingly white county of 35,000, and it has grown only 0.3 percent in the past five years.

Still, people here said they felt as if immigration had undercut wages for construction workers in the area. One man said he was uneasy about the longstanding Somali community in Columbus, about an hours drive south. Several embraced Mr. Trumps directives that limited new refugees, ordered up the border wall and cut off federal grant money to cities labeled sanctuaries for immigrants.

Im 100 percent behind the wall, said Ms. Cottrell, the salon owner. If he asked me to lay the first brick, Id sign up. Im tired of them being here illegally and cutthroating the rest of us.

She and her husband, Andrew, a Navy veteran, said their views of government had been colored by years spent struggling to get a disability claim approved for him by the Department of Veterans Affairs. They were early and enthusiastic Trump supporters, and when they went on road trips this year, they gauged their candidates support by counting up his yard signs and Hillary Clintons. Mr. Cottrell, 34, said he supported aid to feed and shelter refugees  but he blanched at welcoming them here.
President Trumps move this week to freeze the hiring of federal workers has sowed confusion in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it may be driving a wedge between the president and veterans, who overwhelmingly backed him during his campaign.

Veterans make up nearly a third of all federal workers  about 623,000 people. And they are especially numerous in low-level support jobs likely to bear the brunt of the freeze.

This has sent shock waves across the entire veteran community, Paul Rieckhoff, chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said in an interview this week. A lot of our members are extremely worried.

Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs are still trying to figure out the effects of the freeze.
LOWELL, Mass.  When Hawo Ahmed, her two sisters and their mother arrived here late Wednesday night, the Somali family could hardly believe their good fortune.

Its like a dream come true, said Ms. Ahmed, 24.

Their arrival was all the more remarkable because they were among the last refugees allowed into the United States before President Trump closed the borders. He signed an executive order on Friday suspending the nations resettlement program temporarily, with an eye toward shrinking it when it resumes. The action touched off widespread protests around the globe.

Ms. Ahmed and her family had never heard of Lowell, an old mill city about 30 miles northwest of Boston with red-brick factories lining its canals, until they searched for it on Google from Kenya two weeks ago.

But if Lowell is strange to them, having them here is not strange for Lowell.

Immigrants, including many refugees, are part of the fabric of life in this city of 108,000, which boasts a kaleidoscope of cultures. Downtown is bursting with restaurants serving Portuguese, Mexican, Greek, Cambodian, Thai and Japanese fare. Lowell features a statue of Buddha, a plaque honoring Nelson Mandela and a big sign in the high school that welcomes visitors in multiple languages. Colorful flags of various nationalities hang in the windows of homes here, and ethnic festivals are common. Arabic is regularly heard in shops.
MOGADISHU, Somalia  A suicide bomber from the Islamist militant group Shabab rammed a vehicle into a Kenyan military base in southern Somalia on Friday morning, setting off a ferocious firefight that killed dozens of people.

Representatives of the Shabab and of the Kenyan Defense Ministry each claimed that they had inflicted heavy losses on the other side. It was not possible to confirm immediately whether either sides account was accurate.

The Kenyan military has played down Shabab attacks in the past, including an assault last January that Somalias president estimated killed at least 180 Kenyan soldiers near the village of El-Adde. In the attack on Friday, the Shabab claimed to have killed 57 Kenyan soldiers, which would make the latest assault one of the deadliest in recent memory.

The Lower Juba region of Somalia, where the attack occurred, is not easily accessible, unlike the capital, Mogadishu, where the Shabab carried out attacks just this week.
Its worrying us, said Christopher Gascon, chief of the Mexico office for the International Organization for Migration. How Mexico can handle that is going to be a whole new area of concern. I dont think the absorptive capacity is there.

Even before this week, Mexico was facing extraordinary migration pressures. The waves of Central Americans heading north were severely testing Mexicos border patrol in the south of the country and led to a sharp increase in the number of people applying for asylum in Mexico, with applications more than doubling from 2015 to 2016.

Mexican officials were also scrambling to develop a strategy in case Mr. Trump made good on his promises to increase deportations of undocumented immigrants, a population that includes millions of Mexicans. An intergovernmental group began on Monday to study ways to help integrate deportees into Mexican society.

Beyond that, recent changes in American policy during the Obama administration had already contributed to the surge in Haitian migrants, as well as to a separate wave of Cuban migrants. Thousands of Cubans found themselves stranded in Mexico and Central America this month after the Obama administration ended a longstanding policy that favored Cubans.

Under American pressure, President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico had been trying to stanch the flow of migrants heading through his country, starting the Southern Border Program in 2014 in an attempt to control the movement of people and goods crossing the border with Guatemala. The plan contributed to a doubling of deportations between 2013, before it was enacted, and 2016. Nearly all the deportees in recent years have been from Central America.

But the countrys borders remain highly porous. The International Organization for Migration estimates that between 400,000 and 500,000 undocumented migrants transit through the country every year, about 90 percent of them Central Americans.
UNITED NATIONS  The American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, issued a stark warning on Friday to allies and rivals abroad, saying in her first remarks at the headquarters of the world body that the Trump administration would hold to account those who do not back the United States.

Youre going to see a change in the way we do business, Ms. Haley said. Our goal with the administration is to show value at the U.N., and the way well show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure our allies have our back as well.

For those who dont have our back, she added, were taking names; we will make points to respond to that accordingly.

Ms. Haley offered no further details in brief remarks to reporters, nor did she take questions, before presenting her diplomatic credentials to the secretary general, Antonio Guterres. A former socialist politician from Portugal who took over the United Nations at the start of the year, Mr. Guterres is under pressure to persuade the Trump administration to not gouge the organization and to uphold Americas international obligations, including on climate change.
The church and other contraception opponents filed petitions with the Supreme Court, which issued several rulings blocking parts of the law. The court continues to prevent the Health Department from procuring, distributing or selling birth control implants, a ban that womens health groups fear could be extended to the pill and other forms of hormonal birth control when existing certifications expire in 2018.

Last year, Congress cut the Health Departments budget for contraceptives, citing the court order halting the distribution of implants. Local agencies have administered the law differently in different districts, and sex education in particular has varied widely by school district. This month, Vicente Sotto III, the Senate majority leader, vowed to stop the distribution of condoms in high schools, arguing that they encouraged promiscuity.

The battle is not over, but Mr. Dutertes order provides clear guidance to government agencies and local health officials that they should uphold the law, eliminating some of the ambiguity the various court decisions have caused. And while the church still opposes the law in principle, it has scaled back its public campaign against it. Two archbishops, in interviews, acknowledged defeat.

The Duterte administration says it can provide desperately needed services that are vital to lifting millions of people out of poverty. It estimates that there are six million women, two million of whom are poor, who do not have access to modern forms of contraception.

Mr. Dutertes order aims to achieve zero unmet need for family planning by 2018, helping to meet his goal of reducing the poverty rate to 14 percent by the end of his administration in 2022, down from the 2015 level of 21.6 percent.

Sex education, advocates say, has been a failure. The Philippines is the only country in Asia where teenage pregnancy increased over the last two decades, according to the United Nations Population Fund.
HONG KONG  You might call it a Noahs Ark for an era of melting polar ice sheets.

An audacious plan to respond to climate change by building a city of floating islands in the South Pacific is moving forward, with the government of French Polynesia agreeing to consider hosting the islands in a tropical lagoon.

The project is being put forward by a California nonprofit, the Seasteading Institute, which has raised about $2.5 million from more than 1,000 interested donors. Randolph Hencken, the groups executive director, said work on the project could start in French Polynesia as early as next year, pending the results of some environmental and economic feasibility studies.

We have a vision that were going to create an industry that provides floating islands to people who are threatened by rising sea levels, Mr. Hencken said.

The groups original founders included Peter Thiel, a billionaire investor and prominent supporter of President Trump, although Mr. Thiel is no longer donating to the institute, Mr. Hencken said.
WASHINGTON  Ever since American intelligence agencies accused Russia of trying to influence the American election, there have been questions about the proof they had to support the accusation.

But the news from Moscow may explain how the agencies could be so certain that it was the Russians who hacked the email of Hillary Clintons campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Two Russian intelligence officers who worked on cyberoperations and a Russian computer security expert have been arrested and charged with treason for providing information to the United States, according to multiple Russian news reports.

As in most espionage cases, the details made public so far are incomplete, and some rumors in Moscow suggest that those arrested may be scapegoats in an internal power struggle over the hacking. Russian media reports link the charges to the disclosure of the Russian role in attacking state election boards, including the scanning of voter rolls in Arizona and Illinois, and do not mention the parallel attacks on the D.N.C. and the email of John Podesta, Mrs. Clintons campaign chairman.

But one current and one former United States official, speaking about the classified recruitments on condition of anonymity, confirmed that human sources in Russia did play a crucial role in proving who was responsible for the hacking.
Senator John McCain of Arizona warned Mr. Trump on Friday against lifting sanctions and vowed to push legislation reinstating them if he does, a measure that already has strong bipartisan support, including from Republicans like Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Ben Sasse of Nebraska. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, who has largely shunned confrontation with Mr. Trump, has been a longstanding opponent of lifting sanctions, a position he forcefully reiterated on Friday.

In a scathing statement against Mr. Putin, Mr. McCain cataloged all of Russias controversial actions in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere and said it could not be trusted as a partner.

President Trump should remember this when he speaks to Vladimir Putin, Mr. McCain said. He should remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn. For our commander in chief to think otherwise would be naive and dangerous.

Mr. Portman concurred, saying in a statement, We must stand by our allies in the region, including Ukraine.

Mr. Trumps meeting with Mrs. May was his first with a visiting foreign leader since taking office with a promise to pursue an America First foreign policy. For Mr. Trump, it was a debut on the world stage that took on additional meaning after a scheduled White House visit by Mexicos president next week fell apart in a dispute over the border wall Mr. Trump wants to build.

Mr. Trump appeared comfortable and confident with Mrs. May standing to his right. He offered a brief opening statement that referred twice to the special relationship between the two countries, a phrase Britons take seriously. He offered crisp answers, in contrast to Mr. Obama, who tended to talk at length. While Mr. Trump did not demonstrate detailed policy knowledge, he went out of his way to emphasize commonalities with Mrs. May.

He also tried to reassure Europeans who view him with deep skepticism. When a British reporter referred to him as a brash TV extrovert, Mr. Trump replied, Actually, Im not as brash as you might think.
By last year, it was costing the company dearly, to the tune of 6 cents per share of its earnings in the third quarter. In November, it gave up and began selling some cars with open recalls (and full disclosures). The lack of Takata airbag replacements, the F.T.C.s decision and other anticipated regulatory rollbacks proved to be too much.

We are proud of the efforts we made, but sometimes the system beats you down, Marc Cannon, the companys chief marketing officer, said.

Sounds kind of like what it feels like to be a consumer in the middle of all this. If youre about to start shopping for a used car, begin at safercar.gov. There, you can look up cars  even the vehicle identification number of a specific car youre considering  to see what recalls are in effect. A report from Carfax can help you figure out whether a recalled car has been fixed.

But dont stop there. Ask the dealer about any open recalls, as well as any proof they might have that they have gotten the recall fixed. Trust, but verify. (Actually? Dont trust too much, and verify twice.)

Worried about a car that you already have? You should be, both about future Takata recalls and others that we dont know about yet. Rosemary Shahan of the Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety suggests registering your vehicle both with your cars manufacturer and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration so that you get a notice if your airbag or anything else comes up for recall. Run the vehicle identification number through some checks yourself from time to time too, just to make sure youre not missing anything.

You might also hope that more dealers act out in the same way as Earl Stewart of Lake Park, Fla. He refuses to sell used cars with open recalls, but he doesnt want to turn away people who are trading in cars with recalled Takata airbags that they have not been able to get fixed yet. This trade-in policy isnt just good customer service; if he cant take their trade, they might not buy another vehicle from him at the same time that they turn their old one in.

As a result, however, he has 100 or so cars sitting in a lot waiting for repair. And when he sent secret shoppers into competing dealers to see how much disclosure they were doing about recalled cars they were selling, he was outraged at what he found. Maybe this is unique to South Florida, but they are all extremely devious and proactively trying to sell recalled cars by saying there is no recall, Mr. Stewart said.

So he filed a lawsuit to try to swing others over to his way of doing things. I dont want the money  I just want to stop the practice, he said. Were going to keep filing suits until they throw the towel in.
Fifty years ago today, at precisely 11:00 a.m. ET, astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee entered the Apollo 1 spacecraft on launch pad 34 at Cape Kennedy. They werent planning on going anywhere. The Apollo 1 launch wasnt scheduled until February 21; the astronauts were merely conducting a test of the spacecraft. The plugs out test was just another routine part of the days and weeks leading up to launch, when the hatch was closed, the spacecraft fully pressurized with pure oxygen on the launch pad, and all the umbilicals were removed to see how the spacecraft performed under its own power.

It wasnt a secret around NASA that Apollo 1 was flawed. The spacecraft had been shipped to Florida with over 100 unresolved critical engineering issues. There was a story going around that Gus Grissom, displeased with North American (the contractor building the Apollo command modules), had even hung a lemon on the simulator. It was getting closer and closer to launch, and the kinks still hadnt been ironed out. The biggest issue today was communication: Gus, Ed and Roger could barely hear people just a few buildings away because of static on the comm lines.

The crew enters the Apollo 1 spacecraft before the plugs out test on January 27, 1967. Photo courtesy of NASA

The test went on for hours, with mostly minor issues. The astronauts were doing another regular checklist run through when engineers noticed a spike in voltage and an increase in oxygen flow to the cabin. It was 6:31 pm.

Then, through a burst of static, came one clear word: Fire!

The transmission was too badly garbled to make out exactly what was being said, or even who was saying it. But what was clear was that the cockpit was on fire: the flames visible through the hatch window were enough to confirm that much.

The engineers who were in the White Room, the part of the launch tower that allows the astronauts to enter the spacecraft, rushed toward the command module. They began trying to open the hatch door, which was constructed to swing inwards, towards the astronauts.

Fifteen seconds after the first report of fire, the pressure in the cabin had approached a critical level. Flames burst through the command modules access panels and grew to engulf two levels of the launch tower. The engineers working on the hatch were thrown backward by the force of the fires pressure.

It took five minutes for the engineers to finally remove the doors of the spacecraft and confirm the crew had been lost. The high heat, smoke, and poor visibility meant that recovery couldnt begin immediately. Once it finally did (6 hours after the accident), it took and an hour and a half for the bodies of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee to be recovered from the burned out husk of Apollo 1. The heat of the fire had fused the astronauts to the cabins nylon interior. The official cause of death was asphyxiation.

In Mission Control, and around the country, there was shock and silence.

The burned exterior of the Apollo 1 capsule. Photo courtesy of NASA



How could something like this have happened? Its one thing to lose astronauts in space, during a mission. There is always that risk when it comes to space flight. But this was just a test. A test that had been done so many times before. What went wrong?

NASA spent the next year investigating just that. All plans for Apollo were put on hold, and the Apollo 1 accident review board looked over every detail to understand the cause of the fire. The charred spacecraft was taken apart screw by screw over the course of two months, using an identical command module as a template for doing so.

The disassembly of Apollo 1. Photo courtesy of NASA

The cause of the fire was likely a spark near Guss feet, though the review board was never able to pinpoint exactly where and how it started. There were multiple weak points in wiring that could have been the culprit; the Apollo command module was the most complex spacecraft to ever be constructed. There were bundles of wires snaking through every part of the cabin, and some of them had become frayed.

The pure oxygen environment is what allowed the fire to spread so quickly. Because the astronauts were doing this test on the ground, the oxygen pressure had to be much higher than during launch or in space in order to push any lingering nitrogen out of the cabin. The control system for a pure oxygen environment was simpler than a (less flammable) nitrogen-oxygen mix. As a result, the fire spread in an instant and burned extremely hot (over 1000 degrees F). Materials that were already flammable became extreme fire hazards under that kind of pressure.

The hatch design, though, is what sealed the astronauts fate. At the pressure of the cabin, combined with the pressure from the fire, there was no possible way for White (or the engineers) to open a hatch that swung inward. It took anywhere from 40 to 70 seconds to open the hatch under regular circumstances; the astronauts didnt have close to that amount of time. Some of the engineers claimed that they had seen Ed Whites hand in the cockpit window as he was trying in vain to open the door. The position in which his body was found seems to confirm this.

Interestingly, North American had suggested an explosive hatch for the Apollo modules, and NASA had rejected itbecause of Gus Grissom. On his Mercury 7 flight in 1961 (Gus was from the first crop of astronauts selected by NASA; rumor was that, if hed survived, he would have been the captain on the first moon landing mission), Grissoms explosive hatch triggered accidentally after his water landing. The astronaut almost drowned, and the capsule sank. Many initially suspected that Gus had panicked and activated the explosive hatch too early, but a review board confirmed his side of the story.

Apollo 7 on the launch pad. Photo courtesy of NASA

The loss of Apollo 1 and her crew was a national tragedy that could have been the end of our space program. It took almost two years for NASA to return to flightApollo 7 successfully launched on October 11, 1968 (Apollos 2-6 were unmanned test launches) from the same launch pad as Apollo 1. That launch pad was then retired from service, dismantled, and now holds a plaque commemorating Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.

Launch Complex 34, as it is today. Photo by Swapna Krishna.

Gus Grissom was the second American to fly in space. Ed White was the first American to conduct a spacewalk. Roger Chaffee was a rookie, but liked and respected enough by his peers and management to be chosen for the historic first Apollo flight. These men were heroes.

What we learned from the Apollo 1 shaped the rest of the space program to come. It wasnt the last tragedywe lost Challenger and Columbia in the decades following. But without the fire, and the loss of three truly great astronauts, the Apollo program would have unfolded very differently. Management practices at NASA also bore some of the blame for the accident; there was too much emphasis on schedules and meeting deadlines. The command module was also completely redesigned; the original ship was not space worthy and could not have flown as it was.

In his memoir, Gus Grissom says, If we die we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life. Our God-given curiosity will force us to go there ourselves because in the final analysis, only man can fully evaluate the moon in terms understandable to other men. On this day, on the 50th anniversary of their deaths, we remember these Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, and the ultimate sacrifice they made to ensure that we reach the stars.

Ad Astra Per Astara : Through hardships to the stars.

Top image: Courtesy of NASA.

Swapna Krishna is a freelance writer, editor, and giant space/sci-fi geek.
Sergei Mikhailov is a senior member of the FSB (the successor to the KGB), working in the cyberintelligence branch of the agency (the Center for Information Security), and according to the New York Times, the man whom American officials say oversaw last years election hacking has been arrested in Moscow on charges of treason.

Translation: American spies say the person that Putin just arrested is a guy who told them about the alleged Russian hacking campaign. Surely its just a coincidence right? Putin is a despot who is always arresting (or worse) those who oppose him.

Wrong.

According to Rambler News Service, one of the largest news networks in Russia, it has been confirmed that another Russian spy connected to the U.S. election was arrested.

Hmmmm

Look, I know a lot of those on the left think this Russia thing is an excuse that the DNC is using to distract from the fact that their gross incompetence is most to blame for our current electoral circumstances. The Donna Braziles of the world suck, and its shameful that they would try to wriggle themselves out from underneath the consequences of their actions, but its possible for these Dems to be cowards AND for the Russia story to be mostly true. Its a good instinct to not unilaterally trust what sources and officials from intelligence agencies say, but at the end of the day, the majority of these agencies are filled with patriots who truly do feel that their calling is to protect their countrymen, and theyre all raising the alarm bell that something is up.

There is not a broad consensus across the entire intelligence community as to the intent of the meddling, despite what many establishment Dems profess, but there is a consensus that something happened. The torrent of fake news that invaded Facebook was not simply random chance, and the entities connected to the hack of the DNC have been connected to Russia through sources other than the government. I wrote a column after the ODNI released a report on Russian interference that was filled with stuff we largely already knew thanks to other sources, like how Crowdstrike immediately identified two hacker collectives connected to Russian intelligence, Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear.

Weve had lots of experience with both of these actors attempting to target our customers in the past and know them well. In fact, our team considers them some of the best adversaries out of all the numerous nation-state, criminal and hacktivist/terrorist groups we encounter on a daily basis. Their tradecraft is superb, operational security second to none and the extensive usage of living-off-the-land techniques enables them to easily bypass many security solutions they encounter. In particular, we identified advanced methods consistent with nation-state level capabilities including deliberate targeting and access management tradecraftboth groups were constantly going back into the environment to change out their implants, modify persistent methods, move to new Command & Control channels and perform other tasks to try to stay ahead of being detected.

So now that the candidate whom the intelligence community has been investigating long before this became a big issue is sitting in the Oval Office, Russia starts arresting FSB security officers? Look, this could all be one big coincidence. From Edward Snowden saying he wanted to go to Ecuador or Iceland but actually traveled to Hong Kong then Moscow via Wikileaks, to the litany of examples in Trumps campaign, from one of his chief advisers actively communicating with Wikileaks:

But we're getting to the point where there are so many coincidences that it invalidates the use of the term. Wikileaks was an organization committed to exposing fraud and abuse in governments, but at one point it became one only committed to exposing fraud and abuse in Western governments. I will copy and paste the following section from my Snowden column over and over and over again either until the obvious stops being obvious, people finally listen, or I die (action in Vegas is heavy on the last one):

Towards the end of [2010], Wikileaks threatened that they would release documents on powerful individuals in Russia, and according to their spokesperson, Kristinn Hrafnsson Russian readers will learn a lot about their country. An official from the FSB responded It's essential to remember that given the will and the relevant orders, [WikiLeaks] can be made inaccessible forever.

The documents never came out. Two years later, Julian Assange had his own show on Russia Today, the Kremlin's West-facing propaganda outlet. Wikileaks even sent a delegation to meet Bashar al-Assad, a President only two major countries support (Russia and Iran). While stuck in in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Assange stated in a press release that he requested Russian security.

11 Things We Know about This Saga

1. Vladimir Putin supports extremist political parties throughout Europe.

2. Trump spouts traditional Kremlin talking points like Obama is the founder of ISIS and The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were.

3. Donald Trump Jr. said in 2008, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.

4. Donald Trump went bankrupt running a rigged business multiple times in the 90's, yet clearly had some way to keep his credit afloat and his new businesses running (Trump Steaks, Trump University, etc).

5. Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, basically confirmed to Yahoo's Michael Isikoff that he takes/took payments from the Kremlin.

6. Michael Flynn is/was under federal investigation for his communications with Russian ambassadors, and the day most in question is the day that Barack Obama announced a new round of sanctions on Russia.

7. Paul Manafort, who made at least $12.7 million working for Ukraine's deposed president/Vladimir Putin puppet, Viktor Yanukovych, was part of the Trump campaign before being fired for that revelation (and was the reason John McCain passed on adding him to the team in 2008), but now he's back.

8. This video exists.

9. Vladimir Putin detests NATO, as it is in conflict with his goal of establishing a 21st century Soviet Union.

10.Donald Trump is the only presidential candidate in NATO's history to run on the idea of dismantling it.

11. Donald Trump altered a long-standing provision in the GOP platform which bound them to providing lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine in the event of an invasion, but now it simply promises appropriate assistance.

I mean, we're talking about a LOT of coincidences here for Russia not to be involved in something smarmy, and now we're getting new reports that intelligence officials are being rounded up by the Kremlin?

.@KellyannePolls on President Trump's call with Putin tomorrow: Removing sanctions is under consideration pic.twitter.com/dL0CsywD9P  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 27, 2017

Even Fox & Friends can smell the bullshit. Come on, man.

In December, a manager at a major Russian cyber security firm who makes anti-virus software was arrested. Kaspersky Lab confirmed in a statement that Ruslan Stoyanov was arrested, but said that it has nothing to do with Kaspersky Lab and its operations. Per Radio Free Europes summary of a Kommersant report:

Prominent Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab says a manager who headed its investigation unit has been arrested.

In a statement on January 25, Kaspersky spokeswoman Maria Shirokova confirmed a report in the Russian daily Kommersant that Ruslan Stoyanov was arrested in December.

Kommersant cited unidentified sources close to the Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying that Stoyanovs arrest might have been linked to an investigation into a deputy chief of the FSBs Center for Information Security, Sergei Mikhailov, who they said was also arrested in December.

The report said both men are charged with treason.

Treason, meaning that Vladimir Putin is giving himself a reason to execute these men. This looks like a mob heist gone wrong, and now the boss is sending in the clean-up crew to silence anyone capable of exposing him. Treason could also mean that these men tried to stop the campaign to meddle in the U.S. election, or that they simply pissed off one of Putins cronies, so its irresponsible to commit to any theory of what exactly Vladimir Putin is planning. However, something is going onand the plumes of smoke billowing out of Trump Tower, combined with Putin rounding up intelligence officers points in one larger direction.

It is a known fact that Vladimir Putin has run disinformation campaigns in European elections, and to think he wouldnt do it to America requires the same level of it cant happen here denial as it does to brush off Trumps Muslim ban as simply campaign blabber. Sure, the DNC is ascribing too much credit to Russias influence, as Hillary spending seven times as much money in Los Angeles as she did in Milwaukee during the final month has more to do with the outcome than anything Russia did. But dismissing the intent of someones actions based on the outcome basically leads you to the conclusion that if you shoot and miss at someone, you shouldnt be charged with a crime. Russia clearly did something in this election, and the only issue that Donald Trump has been consistent on is licking the soles of Vladimir Putins boots.

Yes, the intelligence community has got a lot of things wrong, but they also get a ton right, and we rarely hear about those cases until they become declassified or it gets exposed in a leak. Next time you bring up Iraqs non-existent WMDs in your defense of why we should not believe the CIA, remember this paragraph from Vanity Fairs feature on the hunt for Osama bin-Laden:

Mr. President, he said, if we had a human source who had told us directly that bin Laden was living in that compound, I still wouldnt be above 60 percent. Morell said he had spent a lot of time on both questions, W.M.D. and Abbottabad. He had seen no fewer than 13 analytical drafts on the former and at least as many on the latter. And Im telling you, the case for W.M.D. wasnt just strongerit was much stronger.

The Bush Administration clearly concocted the plan to go to war with Iraq, but Saddam Hussein had been known to be in the market for WMDs and had used them before, so thinking that he had some on hand wasnt really a huge stretch from basic logics point of view. Intelligence is not journalism, and journalism covering intelligence can never meet the high bar of the rest of the medium. Intelligence is always going to be filled with holes because its job is to expose the deepest held secrets on the planet. Holding the Russia story to the same journalistic standard as other events in the Trump Presidency isnt realistic, and assuming the bin-Laden saga is 100% confirmed and Obamas decision was validated is an exercise in the same naivete.

Russia intervened in our election, and doing nothing in the face of this grave offense creates zero moral hazard when anyone emulates these tactics in the future. If there is any issue Americans should be able to unite on, its this one. Our elections are the sacred common ground upon which our empire is built. Why dont we ask the banking industry how removing any natural impediment to malfeasance is going? There is a lot we need to do in order to push back against what can only be classified as a foreign attack, and the first step is getting a message out from the American people that we are not as easily duped as our president makes it look.

Jacob Weindling is Pastes business and media editor, as well as a staff writer for politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.
A few days ago, we gave you an exclusive first look at Bongos 2017 Simpsons Free Comic Book Day offering. Free Comic Book Day, or FCBD for short, is one of the direct markets most effective annual tools for driving traffic to physical shops and enticing new readers (especially younger readers) to try something new. While Bongo speaks to both adults and slightly naughty children alike, other FCBD participants skew older, like indie stalwart Drawn & Quarterly. This year, D+Q has compiled a Francophiles dream sampler, with teasers for two French comics making their English-language debuts in 2017. Check out the official solicitation text and preview pages below.

Drawn & Quarterly Free Comic Book Day 2017

Guy Delisle, Brigitte FindaklyGuy Delisle, Lewis Trondheim

D+Q presents excerpts from two contemporary french language masterpieces, debuting in English in 2017. Guy Delisles Hostage recounts the harrowing experience of a kidnapped man held in solitary confinement in the Caucasus region, while Poppies of Iraq is Brigitte Findaklys nuanced account of her relationship with her homeland Iraq, stretching from her childhood during Saddam Husseins regime to the 2015 Paris attacks, as drawn by master cartoonist Lewis Trondheim.



Drawn & Quarterly Free Comic Book Day 2017 Interior Art by Guy Delisle



Drawn & Quarterly Free Comic Book Day 2017 Interior Art by Guy Delisle



Drawn & Quarterly Free Comic Book Day 2017 Interior Art by Lewis Trondheim



Drawn & Quarterly Free Comic Book Day 2017 Interior Art by Lewis Trondheim
In a shocking turnabout that has the Internet and most of progressive America shaking its head, creasing its brow, and other stock expressions of surprise and disgust, Massachusetts Senator and left-hope Elizabeth Warren voted to confirm Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson yesterday. Along with Sherrod Browns vote for the pyramid-praising neurosurgeon, this marks a near total-collapse of the Resistance leadership to the oncoming Orange Storm.

Warren voted for Carson. That sentence still has the power to shock. She voted for Carson when she didnt have to, when her vote wouldnt have mattered anyway. Knowing that, she still voted yes. Even the Daily Kos felt the heat, with a headline reading: The Resistance crumbles: Warren Approves Carson.

Warren made headlines because she was supposed to be the conscience of the party. There was enough shame to go around, however. Fourteen Senate Democrats voted for the torture-defending Mike Pompeo, Trumps pick for CIA director.

Alex Emmons, writing for The Intercept:

Pompeo is a far-right Kansas Republican who has in the past defended CIA officials who engaged in torture, calling them patriots. Last week, he left the door open to torture by acknowledging in his written responses to the Senate Intelligence Committee that he would be open to altering a 2015 law prohibiting the government from using techniques not listed in the Army Field Manual. ... While Pompeos confirmation was opposed by Human Rights Watch, it netted votes from a variety of Senate Democrats, including the caucus leader: Chuck Schumer of New York.

Tim Kaine voted for him. Dianne Feinstein voted for him. The full list does not make for inspiring reading.

On January 21st, Warren said on her personal Twitter account:

Happy to march with 125k+ women (& friends of women) in Boston. We can whimper, we can whine, or we can fight back. #WomensMarch

Apparently, the last option was distasteful for her. On the 25th, she wrote:

Dr. Carsons answers werent perfect. But at his hearing, he committed to track and report on conflicts of interest at the agency. In his written responses to me, he made good, detailed promises, on everything from protecting anti-homelessness programs to enforcing fair housing laws. Promises that  if theyre honored  would help a lot of working families.

Fighting back means something different for Senator Warren, it seemsmuch as helping American families meant something different for New Jerseys Senator Booker, when he voted against the Sanders-Klobuchar budget resolution amendment. The resolution would have lowered prescription drug costs by letting American pharmacies and sellers import cheaper Canadian medicine. As Raw Story put it, in shock, Even Ted Cruz voted to import cheaper drugs from Canada.

Shortly after news of the Booker vote broke, the public was reminded that Big Pharma had purchased a large interest in the Senator from New Jersey several years ago. Booker, Walker, and Browns strange pirouettes indicate a larger problem in the party, one that bedevils the movements progressive wing. When three new hopes sink in the first week of a reactionary Presidency, it hints that theres fundamental problem with the machinery of opposition. Jake Novak, writing for CNBC, notes:

So lets also look at the names of some of the 13 Democrats who opposed Sanders plan, because those names are also very telling. Democrats like Corey Booker and Bob Menendez, both from Big Pharmas major U.S. headquarters state of New Jersey, voted nay. The drug industrys major presence in states like Delaware and Pennsylvania also seems to have played a role in getting the two Democratic Senators from Delaware and the one Democrat from Pennsylvania to vote no as well. And so did Democrat Patty Murray from Washington, who is one of the biggest recipients of pharma company donations with almost $300,000 for her re-election campaign last year alone.

Whatever the quantity and quality of hot takes, no matter how you spin it, the fact remains: Warren, Brown, and the Washington Democrats are living in a reality distant from ours. For some reasoncall it class, call it delusion about bipartisanship, call it a strange yearning for cordiality, call it cluelessnessthey have decided not to obstruct. They have the power, and are not using it. Lame excuses abound: defenders of Warren and Brown suggested they were picking their battles. But to Vichy yourself to the Donald is to yield in the biggest fight of allwhether or not President Trump will be normalized in the coming weeks, months, and years.

Obstruction worked for the Republicans under Obama. There are other liberal Senators who voted against Trumps nominees. With the exception of Nikki Haley, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has voted against every one of the Orangemans appointments. Why couldnt Warren?

Like Frasier stuck in another awkward mix-em-up, its time for us to ask, What is the meaning of this?

There is a very odd divide within the anti-Trump forces.

On one hand, there are huge throngs of people who marched last week in opposition to the government. Their dedication to the cause of reform is not in question. Breanne Butler, who helped organize the Washington March, told Bustle that

I think that theres been a lot of walls built up in terms of political activism. She continues Even myself, I felt like I had no business getting involved in politics. Im a chef. Im from Detroit, Michigan. Ive never done anything political in my life. But its the need to instead of just being depressed and not doing anything and just watching things in a downward spiral, actually stepping up and getting involved. Its that first step and if we can be there to support people along the way and give them the confidence that they need, were going to shed that stigma [on political activism], she adds.

Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs, an immigrant from Trinidad and the Marchs Youth Initiative Coordinator, told the magazine that I believe that when you love something, you dont sit by and watch it self-destruct  My son is an American and I want to show him that actionable activism can make change and the responsibility for that is on each individual.

Kristen Bellstrom of Fortune asked various protestors why they participated. Not the organizers, just ordinary people. Here are a few of their responses:

I just really want to feel respected and safe. I dont want to grow up in a world where Im not respected for my gender or race or sexual identity. 15-year-old Emma Rice of Richmond, Va.

Im here to remind people that we are watching and we are going to hold (President Trump) responsible. Sarah White, Dallas, Penn.

Im here today to support women, and especially to stop violence against women. It should be the presidents job to be an example of uplifting womenother men will follow his example. Queen Dioni, Silver Spring, Md. and originally from Cameroon.

On the other hand, we have a timid set of leaders whoeven when they are as intelligent as Obama and Warrenare unable to fix the system. This is not surprising; even with the departure of the former President, the Dems remain a party in Barack Obamas image: speeches, and not action. Words, and not votes. Tastes great, but less filling.

Indeed, the Democrats are inevitably wrong about how they fight and when they fight. The usual arrangement is for every one piece of conservative horror they catch, three go by unopposed. When they do make a stab at fighting, its done in a clumsy way. Their recent proposal to fix gun violence is a perfect example. Their best solution to a real problem was a technocratic fix that partook of an unfair systema no-fly list. Even their noblest efforts are drunken stumbles gone deluxe.

If you believe in a world where the elite are more enlightened and forward-thinking than the public, this absence of Warren and Brown on the front line of resistance seem very contradictory and strange. But if you believe, as I do, that the public are always ahead of their rulers, then this makes perfect sense.

Brown and Warren are not ready to battle Trump in the way the public is. Yet we cannot blame them alone. For if this was the matter of one person, or two people, then this would not be a problem. Movements and parties have survived the oddities and mistakes of prominent persons before. What is it about the Democratic leadership that makes them so prone to dropping the ball?

To prove my point, I decided to study random members of the party. Maybe my perspective was biased, and I was just focusing on elected officials who disappointed me. I needed a representative sample. So I asked my coworker Garrett to name a state, any state.

He said Georgia. I went to the Democratic Partys page and picked the name of a Representative, Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. Ive never heard of him before.

Bishop is a conservative Democrat. He supported Rep. Istooks (R-OK) amendment to display religious imagery on public ground. There were four members in the thirty-six-member Congressional Black Caucus who voted for the Iraq War, and he was one of them. Bishop nayed the ACA because it contained pro-choice legislation he disapproved of. He voted against the estate tax. His personal site describes his politics as

God, country, work, family, and guns. He has co-sponsored amendments to the U.S. Constitution protecting the U.S. flag against acts of desecration, preserving the institution of marriage, ensuring a balanced federal budget, and allowing voluntary, non-denominational prayer in schools and other public places. He also supports the Second Amendment, receiving the grade of A+ from the National Rifle Association.

I asked another coworker at Paste, Alex, for the name of another state. He said Tennessee. I scrolled down a list and picked Jim Cooper. I dont know him from Adam; never heard of him before two minutes ago. Cooper serves as the rep for Tennessees District 5, won reelection last year. Endorsed Hillary for President. Fiscal conservative. Supported Obamacare. In 1990, Cooper was one of three House Democrats who voted against the Americans with Disabilities act and is a staunch supporter of the NRA.

My friends had given me Southern states; perhaps I wasnt getting a true picture of the Democratic Party. I asked Google to give me a random number; I got 7 back. The seventh piece to join the Union was Maryland. I almancked up the elected Dems from the Old Line State, and found Senator Chris Van Hollen, whose name I had heard, but knew less about. Hes the son of an Ambassador and an Intelligence Chief. When he was in the legislature in Maryland, he passed laws for trigger locks, increased healthcare and education, blocked oil drilling in the Chesapeake, taxed tobacco.

Later, in Washington, he worked to combat predatory student lending practices; he fought job outsourcing, and tried to end the Lebanon War. Van Hollen got a one hundred percent rating for the Citizens for Tax Justice, which supports higher taxes on the wealthy; he fought for the estate tax, backed the ACA, fought for paid sick leave, equal wages for women, a financial transactions tax, and minimum wage increases. The major blot on his record is an openness to restructure Social Security, which is troubling, but otherwise the Senator is remarkable.

But thats just the issue: within the system, this is about as progressive and reformist as you can be. Van Hollen represents all the systems problems, too. The Senator is an establishment darling, who beat an even more progressive challenger, Donna Edwards, for his seat. In a 2015 piece in the Times, Robert Draper described the contest:

A pugnacious former community organizer, Edwards is a four-term African-American congresswoman from Prince Georges County, one of the most affluent majority-black counties in the United States. But she wasnt the favorite of establishment Democrats. For them, the obvious choice to replace Mikulski was the seven-term congressman Chris Van Hollen, who is considered a progressive like Edwards, but has a reputation for coolheaded practicality and for working well with Republicans. Of the bills sponsored by Van Hollen in the previous session of Congress, 37 percent included at least one Republican co-sponsor.

I bring up Bishop, Cooper, and Van Hollen not to bury them, nor to praise them. They are three ordinary Democrats, chosen at random. This is a decent snapshot of what the Party is. Consider that these gentlemen, and the Democratic Party, are the tools progressives must use to oppose Trump. One is a progressive from a wealthy district, one is Republican in all but name, and one is a deficit hawk. No wonder the Democrats are caving in the Senate hearings. To paraphrase Barry Goldwater, they are an echo, not a choice.

What is going on? Matt Taibbi once appeared on Bill Moyers show back in 2009, during the passage of Obamacare. Moyers noted that the American public supported the Medicare buy-in by thirty points, and yet it went down like a lead balloon. Explain this to the visitor from Mars, he asked. Taibbi responded:

And I think, you know, a lot of what the Democrats are doing, they dont make sense if you look at it from an objective point of view, but if you look at it as a business strategyif you look at the Democratic Party as a business, and their job is basically to raise campaign funds and to stay in power, what they do makes a lot of sense. They have a consistent strategy which involves negotiating a fine line between sentiment on the left and the interests of the industries that theyre out there to protect. And theyve always, kind of, taken that fork in the road and gone right down the middle of the line. And theyre doing that with this health care bill and thatsits consistent.

Lets presume that Taibbi is right. If this is actually the case, then the answer is simple. We have to hold the Dems to account. If we dont, this keeps happening.

Do I think Senator Warren, who I once championed as a great hope, is a terrible person? No. I think she is, unfortunately, both a member and a symptom of a party that does not know itself or the country it represents. Warren and Brown and the rest of the crew in Congress think that its unobjectionable to vote Dr. Carson in. This suggests they are either unaware or indifferent to the mood of their supporters, and the values of the American people.

Right now, the GOP is having a pow-wow in Philly. There are tremendous and yuge crowds of protesters opposing Trump in the City of Brotherly Love. The hashtag #ResistanceInPhilly is trending. Alternative facts is the buzzword of the day, but we must be aware that there are alternate realities: the one on Capitol Hill, and the one on the streets, where most people live. How real the world here! How distant the one in Washington! Connecting the two will be the project of the next four years.
The nuclear energy debate has long been a bane of politicians. Some energy experts consider nuclear power as the great alternative energy source next to fossil fuels; whereas, environmentalists, though they embrace the green footprint, remain wary about the practices overall safety. Even global leaders are split. President Donald Trump hopes to expand nuclear power and the nations energy supplythough this expansion certainly curtails some of nuclear powers benefits when he also hopes to expand fracking and oil drilling. Contrarily, in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel completely halted the production of nuclear energy and instituted the Energiewende, which will close all nuclear plants.

Before digging into the pros and cons of nuclear energy, what is it? Put simply: nuclear energy is the energy that results when the nuclear of an atom is split into two different, lighter elements. During this process, its mass is converted into energy that can subsequently supply electricity. Right now, 11 percent of the worlds electricity derives from this process.

So why is it such a point of contention?

The most obvious benefit to nuclear energy is that it produces way fewer greenhouse emissions for an energy thats more efficient and sustainable than fossil fuels. As of right now, coal creates about 40% of global carbon emissions. If countries replaced these power plants with safe nuclear reactors, a lot of the worlds pollution could be eliminated immediately.

Lets look at France for example, who has saw the speediest drop in greenhouse gas pollution in the 1970s and 1980s, when the country transition from burning fossil fuels to nuclear fission for electricity. During that stretch, the country lowered is greenhouse emissions by 2 percent per year. 2-fucking-percent.

Did you know if the world reduced its greenhouse emissions by a mere 6 percent it could stave off dangerous climate change?

Today, France derives about 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy, and theyre also the worlds biggest exporter of electricityyes, the country profits $3.2 billion annually by selling its electricity. Right now, Chinas the biggest investor in nuclear technologies, and, by no coincidence, theyre among the most ardent advocates in stopping global warming. On a global scale, its difficult to imagine how climate change could be curbed without the help of nuclear energy.

So why does Germany hate nuclear power? Surely, Chancellor Angela Merkel, a physicist by training, making her arguably the most qualified world leader to opine nuclear power, would support the practice, right? Wrong. And its out of fear for the potential dangers and instability of the atomkraft.

In the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Mrs. Merkel u-turned on a 2010 policy that sought a continuation of Germanys nuclear industry. After what was, for me anyway, an unimaginable disaster in Fukushima, we have had to reconsider the role of nuclear energy, she said in a conference following the disaster. At the time, though, 70 percent of Germans had already disapproved of the countrys insistence on nuclear energy, and in 2002 the Energiewende had already begun.

Nuclear energy may reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, but at what cost? Accidents happen, and an accident at a nuclear facility lasts literally generations. Just look at the incident in Chernobyl in which, thirty-years later, areas are still contaminated with nuclear waste, locals are still getting cancer. In Japan, a similar portrait exists, and scientists still dont know the future ecological impact the accident will have, but they project itll last for hundreds of years.

As if accidents arent enough of a concern, theres also the issue of Plutonium depositsthe end product of reprocessing spent fuelgetting stolen. And what can be made with Plutonium? Nuclear bombs.

Is nuclear power worth this risk?

At the current rate consumption, theres enough uranium to last another 90 years, which suggests that nuclear power can buy time to curb global warming almost immediately, ensure some form of energy security, and also buy time until theres a better solution to combat climate change.

Perhaps more relevant is that, once implemented, nuclear power plants can provide enough needed energy, without interruptionunlike wind and solar which depend on weatherfor at least a year. Furthermore, these plants can also store energy for future use and also, like the French, use it for economic gain. Its persistent supply and such supply will last significantly longer than that of fossil fuels used in the same capacity.

Its like patching up a tent with duct tape. Eventually, waters going to seep though, except, in this case, the water is rising sea levels and the tent is your home. There are a few reasons many physicists think nuclear energy simply wont work:

Not enough land

One plant requires about eight square miles of space. Reactors also need to be located near a massive body of coolant water but also far away from dense populations and natural disaster zones. Oh, and, to supply the world, there will have to be 15,000 of those locations.

Not enough time

Every nuclear power station needs to be decommissioned after 50-odd years due to neutron embrittlement. If nuclear stations need replacing every 50 years, and the world needs 15,000 power stations, one station would need to be built and another decommissioned somewhere in the world just about every day. Also, as a side note, it currently takes around six years to build just one nuclear station and another twenty years to decommission

What the Hell should we do with the waste?

Nuclear technology has existed for roughly 60 years and theres still no solution of disposal. Should we continue burying it? But then that could lead to radioactive leakage into the groundwater or to accidents like this one. Theres no real, safe way to eliminate waste outside of blasting it off into space somewhere beyond Pluto.

Image: Bjoern Schwarz, CC-BY

Tom Burson is a travel writer, part-time hitchhiker, and hes currently trying to imitate Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? but with more sunscreen and jorts.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to impose an executive order which would ban travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority nations, further restrict refugee access and to heighten visa requirements for an additional 39 nations.

The 30-day ban, attributed to protecting the nation from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals, would apply to most citizens of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, as well as non-Americans whove traveled to those countries at any point since March of 2011. Tacked onto that, 38 additional nations, including most of Europe, would no longer enjoy visa waivers into the U.S.. And, on top of that, the order would also stop accepting refugees for four months.

On the campaign trail, Trump made no secret about his intentions to ban Muslims from the U.S., and this order is reminiscent of that promise. Ultimately, though, the list of banned countries ignores the most populous Muslim countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Furthermore, the executive order, in its numerous references to the September 11 attacks, doesnt refuse travel from the country most responsible for those attacks, Saudi Arabia, nor does the order implicate Afghanistan.

The countries in question, though, are listed on among the State Departments terrorism-sponsoring list (Iran, Sudan and Syria), as well as those designated by the Department of Homeland Security as countries of concern (Libya, Somalia and Yemen). Iraq, on the other hand, had already been listed among barred countries in the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorism Travel Prevention Act of 2015, which simply limits travel from countries whose residents normally dont need a visa to visiti.e. wealthier countries like France or Germany, etc.but had previously travelled to countries of concerne.g. Iraq. Trumps order uses that list to halt all immigration from those countries outright.

As if the travel ban werent enough, the executive order would also place further restrictions on refugees. All refugee applications will be put on hold for this 120-day period and resumed once application procedures have been revised. The only exception is for applications from refugees of religious minoritieswhich probably means Christians in the Middle East. The country will also take in only 50,000 fewer refugees in the coming year, compared to 60,000 last year, and to even further compare into the million Germany took in. Refugee preference, again, will go to religious minorities.

So how many people does this affect? Well, its difficult to gauge. Because theres virtually no access to government data about the travel habits of people entering the U.S. from the implicated countries, its difficult to estimate the cost and subsequent effect of the ban. Eleven percent of U.S. jobs are reliant on tourism, according to the U.S. Travel Association, so itll almost certainly affect some of those Americans.

In total, roughly 213 million people from the seven banned countries will be impacted, along with an additional 13 million Americans who work in the tourism industry. Factor in the number of tourists whove visited any of these countries. Oh, and also factor in the number of tourists simply deterred from visiting due to the increased restrictions. And you have a country, the U.S., further isolating itself from the world and affecting the lives of hundreds of millions in doing so.

Tom is a travel writer, part-time hitchhiker, and hes currently trying to imitate Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? but with more sunscreen and jorts.
Police are attending a crime scene at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydneys eastern suburbs after a dead body was allegedly discovered by shoppers.

Emergency services were called to the shopping centre at about 8:30am, when its believed a deceased male was found in a fire stairwell on level four.

Crime scene established at Westfield Bondi Junction. Police confirm a body was found at 8.30am pic.twitter.com/aPG2fPMkTY  Lucy Thackray (@LucyThack) January 26, 2017

The identify of the deceased, and the circumstances surrounding his death, remain unknown at this stage.



A crime scene has been established and inquiries are continuing, a police spokeswoman has said.

Well update you as more info comes to hand.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo: Westfield.
An Aussie man sentenced to two life sentences for drug offences in Thailand has been transferred to one of the planets most infamous prisons, for reasons his lawyer says are currently unclear.

In 2014, Jake Mastroianni, a 26-year-old DJ from Melbourne, was nabbed in Pattaya for possessing 61 ecstasy pills. After pleading not guilty, he landed that heavy punishment from the incredibly drug-averse Thai legal system.

While his legal team has been attempting to transfer him to an Australian prison to see out the rest of his sentence, Mastroianni will now be serving time at Bang Kwang prison  colloquially known as the Bangkok Hilton.

Bang Kwang is known for its seriously harsh conditions, with as many as 18 inmates being crammed into a single cell. Death-row inmates also occupy the facility.

Mastroinnis lawyer Nathan Feeney told Fairfax the move was unexpected because everyone who we spoke to at the prison where he was  Klong Prem  said that he would not be moved anytime soon.

It was thought hed spend at least six years at Klong Prem.

Feeney also said its unlikely that Mastroianni will be eligible for any sentence reductions after King Maha Vajiralongkorn revealed hed provide amnesty to over 150,000 inmates.

Having the ability to serve his sentence on home soil also seems like a distant goal, with Feeney saying it may not happen before 2025.

Despite that, he confirmed hes been in communication with various Thai and Australian authorities to increase the likelihood of Mastroiannis transfer back, and hell be drafting letters to His Majesty the King for certain reductions.

Now, as always: dont fuck with drugs in Thailand.

Source: The Age.

Photos: Sapphire Pattaya / Facebook.
By: AgentLink

Contact

Louisville Office - 800.960.1371

Indiana Office - 866.462.9067

***@themarketingsquad.com Louisville Office - 800.960.1371Indiana Office - 866.462.9067

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--AgentLink announced the appointment of Jude Thompson as its president. Former President Rich Tinsley will stay on as an executive consultant and remain President and CEO of Stoneridge Partners.Thompson previously served as President and Co-CEO of Papa John's International. Additionally, he served as Senior Vice President of Anthem, Inc., and President, Individual Business of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He is also a board member of The Rawlings Group, Delta Dental of Kentucky, Wynnchurch Capital, and Central Bank. He has also been recently appointed to the advisory council for Oliver Group.Jude brings many years of insurance experience to the AgentLink family. Company CEO Matt McDevitt says, "Jude will be a great addition not only for strategy but a sounding board to the McDevitt Family."Thompson stands strongly with our company's commitment to be trustworthy and provide the highest quality of customer service. AgentLink has a business model built on 25 years of keeping its promises to the independent agent community and insurance carriers. Thompson joins many other amazing team members with dedication and experience. Thompson shares thoughts about the future in his new role. "I hope to use all our collective experience to grow AgentLink. We have wonderful opportunities ahead." Our collective goal is to serve the independent agent community and work closely with carriers in KY, IN, and surrounding states.AgentLink provides support to health and life insurance partners by providing superior service, trusted carriers, and innovative processes. Through creativity and determination, we strive to elevate our network and solutions. Through teamwork and an 'agents first' attitude, we support our partners with proactive service at the highest level.
Is violence really contagious, or does modern media simply make it appear so? Clues come from the Roman Empire, where 60% of emperors died violently. These occurred in waves, showing that violence is contagious, even without modern media

By: ashok nimgade

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ashok nimgade

***@gmail.com ashok nimgade

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-- PRESS RELEASEJan 27, 2017Ashok Nimgade, MD, MPH. McLean-Massachusetts General Hospital, BostonIs violence really contagious, or does modern media simply make it appear so? Clues come from the Roman Empire, where 60% of emperors died violently. Despite a backdrop of chaos and insanity of Nero's and Caligula's, this was non-random: assassinations and forced suicides occurred in waves or clusters. Violence and instability begets more of the same  even before television and Twitter. Related patterns also simplify understanding Rome's rise and fall.I am a Boston- and Italy-based physician trained in biological anthropology and public health. One night, I was paged twice to the same psychiatric floor to examine the aftermath of two separate fistfights. I had just been reading about Imperial Rome when it dawned that its bloody history could illuminate current violence.Citation:Instability and violence in Imperial Rome -- a 'laboratory' for studying social contagion.(John Wiley) 21(S2): 613-622, Nov/Dec 2016.Contact:animgade@gmail.com ; animgade@partners.org
By: Willis Programs

Contact

Christina Brown

christina.brown@ willis.com Christina Brown

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-- Over 25 years ago, Willis Programs' (www.willisprograms.com)developed an insurance risk management program, "LawyerGuard,"for defense attorneys all over the nation. This program evolved from our 25+ years of experience in insuring attorneys all over the nation. With a unique understanding of the exposures attorneys face, our experienced professionals know how to provide the products to protect our agents' clients.LawyerGuard, the only lawyers professional liability insurance program sponsored by the DRI, is the preferred program for defense attorneys with 51% or more in the defense area of practice for all firm sizes. The program is available in all states (subject to state filing requirements). LawyerGuard offers individually tailored cover ages and risk management support to fit the needs of each law firm.The program highlights include, but are not limited to, Mutual Choice of Counsel on every policy, Deductible for defense firms is automatically reduced by 10%, Defense firms receive a 10-15% discount on their premium, and Defense firms are eligible for special coverage enhancements & fewer exclusions.This lawyers professional liability insurance program is administered by Willis Programs and written by a leading provider of specialty insurance, rated A (Stable) by A.M. Best Co., and A (Positive) by S&P. For additional information on LawyerGuard, please visit lawyerguard.com or contact Program Manager, Kevin J. Sullivan,(860)756-7417 or at kevinj.sullivan@willistowerswatson.comAbout Willis ProgramsWillis Programs serves commercial insurance brokers throughout the United States with over 30 unique insurance programs serving a range of businesses, from auto dealers to well drillers.Headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Willis Programs has a staff of 200 dedicated professionals.Additional Willis Programs locations include Salt Lake City, Utah; Hartford, Connecticut;Tampa, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; Denver, Colorado (Freberg Environmental, Inc.); and Burlington, Vermont (Smith, Bell & Thompson, Inc.).Willis Programs is committed to providing first class client service with a sense of urgency, professionalism and integrity. The company can assemble a full range of coverage including Property, Inland Marine, General Liability, Workers' Compensation, D&O, Professional Liability, Auto, and Umbrella Liability. Willis Programs is an active member of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association and has been a proud recipient of the Target Markets Best Practices Designation since 2008.A complete list of program offerings can be found at http://www.willisprograms.com
By: Biomay AG

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-- Biomay, a global leader in allergy immunotherapy, announced today that a second Phase IIb study (clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02643641)has been successfully completed with its third generation grass pollen allergy vaccine BM32. The study was designed to demonstrate the optimal dose regimen to induce an allergen-specific IgG immune response. Correlation of the immunological effects with the alleviation of allergy symptoms in the subsequent grass pollen season was another important objective of the trial.The study reached its primary endpoint: it was observed that a regimen of five monthly injections of 80 g of BM32 was statistically significantly superior to all other dosing schemes in terms of induction of allergen specific IgG4 (p<0.05 vs. three and four injections; p<0.0001 vs placebo).This dose regimen also provided for a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement of combined rhinoconjunctivitis symptom and medication score (SMS) vs. placebo during the peak pollen season (p<0.0001)and the whole pollen season (>100 grains/m/24hrs, p<0.0001)measured by area under the curve (AUC). Patients' well-being evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) was significantly improved by 50% during the days of highest pollen exposure (p<0.05) in this dose group. The effect size of these important clinical endpoints is highly clinical relevant. In a pollen chamber session following the grass pollen season, the groups receiving four and five doses of BM32 showed a very clear reduction of nasal sensitivity during a six hour controlled exposure to grass pollen.As in the previous studies, the treatment was safe and very well tolerated. Most side-effects were local injection site reactions, were mild to moderate and resolved within a short period after drug application.In this placebo-controlled, double-blind, prospective study, 128 patients were included and received either three, four or five doses of BM32 or matching placebo by s.c. injection. The study was performed in collaboration with the Vienna Challenge Chamber (VCC) group in Vienna, Dr. Petra Zieglmayer was the principle investigator. 124 patients were included in the primary analysis.Rainer Henning, CEO of Biomay commented: "This study completes our successful phase II program for BM32. We were able to demonstrate that BM32 is able to significantly improve the incapacitating symptoms of grass pollen allergy patients already in the first season after start of treatment, which is obviously very important for adherence to the therapy. We are very happy that this study fulfilled all our objectives. We now will work to expeditiously to move BM32 into phase III trials. According to current plans, it will be available on the market in 2021. "The complete data set obtained in this trial will be presented in due course at an international conference and will be published in a leading peer reviewed journal in the field of allergy and immunology.About BM32 and peptide carrier fusion vaccines:BM32 is an innovative grass pollen allergy vaccine based on recombinant peptide carrier technology invented in the lab of Prof. Rudolf Valenta at the Medical University of Vienna. This is a revolutionary concept, which offers potential for a paradigm shift in the treatment of allergies. The peptide carrier fusion proteins are constructed from the immunogenic viral coat protein PreS of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and peptides from the IgE binding epitopes of the allergens in question; the latter have been engineered to lose their IgE binding capacity. BM32 has been designed to protect patients from the debilitating effects of grass pollen exposure and possibly provide long term cure. The product is very convenient to use for patients and doctors, as only a very small number of subcutaneous applications is needed to achieve efficient desensitization.Based on the same technology platform, additional vaccines targeting different allergies (house dust mite, ragweed, birch and cat dander) are in preclinical development and will be advanced to clinical trials in the near future.About Biomay:Biomay AG is a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Vienna, Austria. The company is committed to be a leader in the discovery and development of innovative allergy therapeutics. Besides BM32, the company has a pipeline of products for the treatment of other major allergies caused by airborne allergens. www.biomay.com
Love-Themed Readings for Public With Period Costume Both Poetry and Prose

By: Northeast Storytellers

Contact

Michael Farrand

***@gmail.com Michael Farrand

End

-- For the third year running Northeast Storytellers host a special event in honor of the patron Saint for Lovers in St. Johnsbury, Vermont on Saturday, February 11, 2017from 1-3pmin association with the St. Johnsbury Athenum. Group members and guests will appear in the world-famous Gallery sharing their Love-themed readings. Victorian Valentine card replicas will be on display, and in the spirit of the event, all are encouraged to wear some period clothing.Valentine's Day falls on the following Tuesday this year. Also called Saint Valentine's Day, this annual celebration honoring Love began in the 14th century when the tradition of courtly love flourished. The day evolved in 18th-century Victorian England into an occasion to express love with flowers, chocolate, or greeting cardsknown as "Valentines"This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome to attend and participate, and delectable refreshments will be served. For more informationor to participate in the readingsplease contact Brooke Quillen via brookequillen@yahoo.com or 802.751.5432.The Northeast Storytellersa group of writers, readers, and appreciators of prose and versemeet regularly the second Tuesday of every month from 2-3:30pm for a Poetry Tea Party at the Good Living Senior Center in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. The public is welcome to attend, if only to listen, and new members are always encouraged to join. The group organizes events during National Poetry Month every Aprilranging from workshops to commemorations to open housesas well as participating in other activities throughout the year.The St. Johnsbury Athenum is a non-profit public library and art gallery located at 1171 Main Street in St. Johnsbury. It was founded as a culture center by the Fairbanks family whose scale manufacturing company contributed to the growth of the town. The Athenaeum hosts a number of artistic, cultural, and educational events.Constructed in the French Second Empire style in 1871, the Athenum was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996. A small art gallery was added in 1873, and the collection of paintings and sculptures now numbers over one hundred. Most are originals with some copies of masterpieces by Old Master artists such as Van Dyck, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Fra Angelico. Dominating the gallery is the magnificent "Domes of the Yosemite" framed oil painting by Albert Bierstadt.###CONTACTS:Brooke QuillenPhone: 802-751-5432E-mail: brookequillen@yahoo.comShara McCaffreyPhone: 802.748.8291E-mail: smccaffrey@stjathenaeum.orgSEE ALSO: https://www.facebook.com/ StJohnsburyChamber St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce http://www.catamountarts.org/ Catamount Film & Arts Centerhttp://www.stjathenaeum.org/St. Johnsbury Athenaeumhttp://www.stjgoodliving.org/Good Living Senior Centerhttp://www.poetrysocietyofvermont.org/Poetry Society of Vermonthttps://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home National Poetry Month
By: Heywood Healthcare

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Heywood Healthcare

***@heywood.org Heywood Healthcare

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-- Petersham, MA  At the conclusion of its Annual Meeting and Report to the Community, Heywood Healthcare Leadership welcomed local chambers, business owners, Legislators and local residents for the Ribbon Cutting of the Dana Day Treatment Center, part of Phase One of the Quabbin Retreat Project.The Dana Day Treatment Center, set to open next month, will provide outpatient services for addiction treatment and behavioral health, offering a much needed resource for individuals struggling with these serious health issues.The Dana Day Treatment Center is named in honor of the town of Dana, one of the four "Lost" Towns of the Quabbin Reservoir. When the Quabbin Reservoir, one of the largest man-made public water supplies in the country was created in the 1930's, the residents of four towns were displaced and the towns were lost forever, sacrificed to the greater good as two immense dams were created, harnessing the Swift and Ware Rivers to create the 400 billion gallon Reservoir.The legacy of these four towns - Dana, Prescott, Enfield and Greenwich - will be honored with naming rights throughout the Quabbin Retreat as the project moves through its multi-phase construction plan.The Quabbin Retreat Project will offer a continuity of substance abuse and mental health care and will be completed in three phases, the first of which includes the Dana Day Treatment Center, featuring intensive outpatient services. Upcoming in the fall, the completion of Phase One will include the creation of an adult residential substance abuse center.Over the coming years, Phase Two a will encompass a residential adolescent substance abuse treatment program while Phase Three will include an inpatient detox center.Heywood Healthcare also offered sincere thanks to the residents of Petersham and the entire North Quabbin region for their vital and enthusiastic support, which was instrumental in bringing the first program of The Quabbin Retreat to fruition.###About Athol HospitalA member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Athol Hospital is a 25-bed non-profit, acute care and outpatient facility serving the communities of the North Quabbin region of Massachusetts. Athol Hospital's services include 24/7 Emergency Care, Oncology, Radiology and Laboratory, Diabetes Center and Center for Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. It is designated as a Critical Access Hospital and Primary Stroke Center, licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and accredited by the Joint Commission.About Heywood HospitalA member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Heywood Hospital is a 134-bed acute care hospital in Gardner, MA, which provides a broad range of high quality medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and behavioral health services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The hospital's Centers of Excellence include the Watkins Center for Emergency and Acute Care; the LaChance Maternity Center; the Diabetes Center; and the Heywood Heart and Vascular Center, an affiliate of the Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence at UMass Memorial Health Care.About Heywood HealthcareHeywood Healthcare is an independent, community-owned healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. It is comprised of Heywood Hospital, a non-profit, 134-bed acute-care hospital in Gardner, MA; Athol Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital in Athol, MA; Heywood Medical Group with primary care physicians and specialists located throughout the region. The organization includes six satellite facilities in MA; Heywood Rehabilitation Center and Heywood Urgent Care in Gardner; West River Health Center in Orange; Winchendon Health Center and Murdock School-based Health Center in Winchendon; Heywood Charitable Foundation; the North Quabbin Community Coalition, an affiliate organization;and upcoming in 2017, The Quabbin Retreat in Petersham.
With heightened public and media interest, there is a national push to expand the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by law enforcement. However, there is limited research and only anecdotal evidence suggesting that the public supports the use of these cameras in policing.

To help fill the gap, researchers at Florida Atlantic University and collaborators from the University of West Florida conducted a study to gage perceptions of residents in two Florida counties, Palm Beach County and Escambia County, on their views on the use of BWCs and the impact of these cameras on procedural fairness, concern about crime, police performance and privacy. In 2015, these researchers published a study on law enforcement leadership's perceptions of BWCs use in their work. This new work addresses general public perceptions with some unexpected results.

Key findings from the study reveal that 87 percent of respondents agree that BWCs would improve police officer behavior and that 70 percent agree that BWCs would improve how citizens behave when they encounter police.

The researchers anticipated that those with the most negative views of police would be the most supportive of BWCs. Surprisingly, they found the opposite to be true. Citizens who had a more positive view of police and thought they were treating people fairly and doing a good job had the most support for BWCs. Another unexpected result of the study was that those citizens who were the most concerned about crime were less inclined to see benefits in the use of BWCs. However, the researchers caution that this is an indirect relationship having to do with their perceptions of police performance, fear of crime, and belief that police are not doing a good job and therefore they perceive less benefits of using BWCs.

Residents of Palm Beach County were surveyed by phone in two waves: March 17 through May 5, 2015 and Jan. 19 through March 9, 2016. Participants self-identified as either residents of West Palm Beach or non-residents, and perceptions cited were not specific to a particular police department but were more general. There were significant differences noted between West Palm Beach residents and non-residents.

"West Palm Beach residents were more likely to believe that body-worn cameras would make residents safer, and this reflects an important theme regarding community safety concerns among residents in general," said John Ortiz Smykla, Ph.D., director and professor in FAU's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice within FAU's College for Design and Social Inquiry, who collaborated with Vaughn J. Crichlow, Ph.D., assistant professor in FAU's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The overwhelming majority of Palm Beach County residents agreed that the use of body-worn cameras would increase safety for officers and residents; improve officers' and residents' behavior; increase police legitimacy; and improve the quality of evidence collected. The majority of respondents in the study also agreed that the use of BWCs would make it less likely for police officers to use force in encounters with citizens.

There was, however, an unfavorable slant in West Palm Beach residents' perceptions regarding police-community encounters, police effectiveness, and issues of crime and safety. West Palm Beach residents reported less favorable perceptions on the fairness, courteousness and honesty of local police. They also were more likely to agree that police do not deal with important problems well (including city crime problems). West Palm Beach residents also were more likely to agree that police often stop people on the street without sufficient reason and were less likely to agree that local police only use the amount of force necessary to accomplish tasks.

"These findings are timely as West Palm Beach police and other police departments across the country seek to increase efficiency and improve officers' interactions with the public using body-worn cameras," said Crichlow.

The West Palm Beach Police Department fully deployed BWCs beginning in July 2015 and by the end of that year, the department had deployed 217 BWCs.

"We believe that our findings will provide a much-needed overview about residents' views on the use of body-worn cameras, and potential reasons for differences among citizens that could lead to more focused strategies on improving law enforcement and citizen interactions," said Smykla.

The current study, "Community Perceptions of Police Body-Worn Cameras: The Impact of Views on Fairness, Fear, Performance, and Privacy," has been accepted for publication in the journal, Criminal Justice and Behavior, later this year.
A new report, based on data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), suggests that insulin resistance, a predictor of cardiovascular risk and the development of diabetes, may be modulated with even modest levels of physical activity.

The findings are published in the journal Clinical Obesity.

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the body's use of energy molecules including carbohydrates, fats and protein. Insulin resistance -- or conversely, sensitivity -- refers to the body's response to insulin. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition of high insulin resistance which results in elevated levels of sugar in the blood due to ineffective response to normal insulin signaling.

Physical activity is associated with decreasing one's risk of developing diseases such as obesity and diabetes. In addition, decreased levels of activity are associated with an increase in biomarkers that can contribute to the development of insulin resistance.

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) sought to examine the relationship of physical activity and inactivity, to insulin resistance and biomarkers of inflammation. Participants were asked to wear accelerometers during the day to estimate the amount of physical activity, as well as time spent being less active ("sedentary time"). These measurements were then compared to chemical markers of insulin resistance, inflammation and metabolism found in blood.

They found that increased levels of physical activity (below what is required for weight loss) were associated with decreased insulin resistance as well as biomarkers of inflammation. The researchers also demonstrated that among individuals who spent more time sedentary, their blood contained higher levels of leptin, a chemical produced in fatty tissue that causes satiety, and FABP4 (fatty acid binding protein 4), a protein involved in the transport of fat molecules.

Although not completely understood, the authors concluded that physical activity and sedentary time may operate by different pathways to modulate disease risk. "These results may help us create specific exercise recommendations for the prevention or treatment of diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus," explained corresponding author BUSM post-doctoral fellow Nicole Spartano, PhD.
Researchers who developed and tested a revolutionary laboratory technique that allows for the endless growth of normal and diseased cells in a laboratory are publicly sharing how the technique works.

The Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers hope that by doing so, scientists around the world can realize the many of possibilities of "conditional reprogramming," which includes living biobanks, personalized and regenerative medicine, and novel cancer research.

Published Jan. 26 in Nature Protocols, investigators demonstrate how conditional reprogramming (CR) works, and why it may be able to fill a number of clinical care and research voids.

CR is the only known system that can indefinitely grow healthy as well as cancer cells "as if they were just extracted from a patient, and expand them -- a million new cells can be grown in a week -- as long as needed," says the co-lead author Xuefeng Liu, MD, associate professor of pathology and a director in the Center for Cell Reprogramming at Georgetown University Medical Center.

No genetic modification is needed to coax the cells to grow -- all that is used are special "feeder" cells and a chemical inhibitor.

As one example, the researchers demonstrate they are able to use CR to produce new and healthy pancreatic beta islet cells that secrete insulin -- suggesting a promising avenue for type I diabetes research.

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"A true cure for this kind of diabetes could be achieved by replacing the lost beta cells with new functional insulin producing cells," says Liu.

The researchers have also grown healthy and cancerous cells from airway tissues, retinas, prostates, breasts, and intestines, which replicate for extended periods with conditional reprogramming.

Since CR was developed and described by Liu, Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Cell Reprogramming, and their colleagues at Georgetown in 2011, scientists have been testing the ability of the cells to perform a number of advanced goals. The CR method has spread worldwide, for example, the National Cancer Institute cited the CR method in Precision Medicine Initiatives for oncology and drug discovery programs. Georgetown researchers have trained more than 100 scientists in the technique.

In the newly published protocol, the Georgetown researchers describe many other possibilities that CR offers: among them, living biobanks, personalized and regenerative medicine, and novel cancer research. For example, in a December study published in Oncotarget, Liu and Schlegel describe how CR allows them to grow both normal and primary cancerous prostate cells from a patient. This research represents a critical advance in the effort to understand the origin and drivers of this puzzling cancer.

Additionally, biobanking normal cells from a patient allows the possibility of using those cells in the future to infuse healthy cells into a damaged organ. "We can grow cells, freeze them, thaw them," Liu says. "Think about use of such cells for skin replacement, for organ patching, and cancer studies."

CR cancer cells also could allow oncologists to test and select a therapy based on an expanded laboratory population of a patient's individual cancer cells -- a procedure already conducted at Georgetown and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. An independent research study at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, published in Science, demonstrated that the CR method identified a combination of therapies for resistant lung cancer patients.

Several institutes have used CR platform for discovery of anti-cancer drug or new targets. For example, researchers at Helsinki established the first castration-resistant CR cells and discovered both known and novel drug sensitivities in prostate cancer cells, including navitoclax, which is currently being tested in clinical trials of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Yale scientists discovered Notch1 and SOX10 are potential new therapeutic targets of adenoid cystic carcinoma. Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center found that MYC-ERCC3 is new target for human pancreatic cancer and applied this novel target for drug discovery.

It may also be possible to fix damaged cells, using gene editing techniques, and then grow new, repaired cells to fix a wide variety of diseases, Liu says. "It is not unimaginable that we could take a tiny nose biopsy from a person with cystic fibrosis, correct the defect that causes the disease, then regrow the healthy cells to infuse back into the lung. Because the cells were derived from the patient, they would not be rejected."
Researchers from UZH have discovered how the perception of meaning changes in the brain under the influence of LSD. The serotonin 2A receptors are responsible for altered perception. This finding will help develop new courses of pharmacotherapy for psychiatric disorders such as depression, addictions or phobias.

Humans perceive everyday things and experiences differently and attach different meaning to pieces of music, for instance. In the case of psychiatric disorders, this perception is often altered. For patients suffering from addictions, for instance, drug stimuli are more meaningful than for people without an addiction. Or patients with phobias perceive the things or situations that scare them with exaggerated significance compared to healthy people. A heightened negative perception of the self is also characteristic of depressive patients. Just how this so-called personal relevance develops in the brain and which neuropharmacological mechanisms are behind it, however, have remained unclear.

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics at Zurich University Hospital for Psychiatry now reveal that LSD influences this process by stimulating the serotonin 2A receptor, one of the 14 serotonin receptors in the brain. Before the study began, the participants were asked to categorize 30 pieces of music as personally important and meaningful or without any personal relevance. In the subsequent experiment, LSD altered the attribution of meaning compared to a placebo: "Pieces of music previously classified as meaningless suddenly became personally meaningful under the influence of LSD," explains Katrin Preller, who conducted the study in conjunction with Professor Franz Vollenweider and the Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging research team.

LSD works via the serotonin 2A receptors

Such excessive or exaggerated attributions of meaning to experiences and environmental stimuli occur in various psychiatric disorders. Conversely, a coherent self depends on a functioning network of so-called cortical mid-brain structure, as more recent studies reveal. According to this, the network is impaired in various psychiatric disorders. "LSD now seems to affect this very network and influence the experience of meaning," explains Preller.

With the aid of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRT), the scientists were also able to demonstrate that study participants attached greater meaning to previously irrelevant stimuli after taking LSD. If, on the other hand, the serotonin 2A receptor was blocked pharmacologically before LSD was taken, all other psychological changes triggered by LSD were also normalized. "This was very surprising," says Preller. "After all, studies on animals revealed that LSD also stimulates other receptors, such as the dopamine D2 system." It was previously assumed that this might be responsible for the euphoria triggered by LSD and that different receptor systems were involved in the development of experiencing meaning. The results of the current study, however, clearly indicate the key role of the serotonin 2A receptor in both the subjective experience under LSD and the changes in brain activity revealed using fMRT.

Possible approaches for courses pharmacotherapy to treat psychiatric problems

This observation sheds light on how LSD affects the brain neuropharmacologically and especially how the pharmacology of meaning perception works. While the serotonin 2A receptor seems to be responsible for generating new meaning, the dopamine system might regulate the relevance of stimuli we generally deem important. These results may therefore one day benefit people suffering from psychiatric disorders characterized by an altered perception of meaning, such as depression, phobias and addictions.
Compare a patient's self-reported eye symptoms to their electronic medical record, and clear discrepancies can be seen.

A study from the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center revealed wide disparities in the content of pre-appointment patient questionnaires and what a clinician wrote down to document the visit.

"We found pretty noticeable differences between the two," says Maria Woodward, M.D., M.S., an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at U-M. "I think certainly the biggest takeaway is when people are presented things in different ways, they tell you different things."

The study, published Jan. 26 in JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed the symptoms of 162 Kellogg patients. Each completed a 10-point survey while waiting to see a physician; questions came from sources including the National Institutes of Health Toolbox.

The doctors treating these patients weren't told about the surveys, or that their record-keeping would be reviewed for comparison.

The contrast was stark: Of the study's group, "exact agreement" between an individual's survey and what appeared on their medical record occurred in only 38 patients.

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A need for focus

Symptom reporting drove the inconsistencies between surveys and medical records, the study found.

The top discordant issue: glare. Of patients reporting concern about glare on their surveys, 91 percent didn't have it on their medical record.

Eye redness was second-most common (80 percent had no medical record mention), followed by eye pain (74.4 percent). Blurry vision was only the symptom to tilt the scales -- with more instances of inclusion in medical records than in questionnaires.

As a result, other doctors treating the same patient in future visits could have an incomplete picture of their symptoms.

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Perhaps more risky: Because digital medical records are increasingly used to guide clinical practice or research, the collective data may be shortsighted or misleading in some scenarios, Woodward says.

"Many parties in health care use the electronic health records now and they expect the data to accurately reflect the interaction with the doctor," says Woodward, also a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

Explanations for the medical record-doctor-patient disconnect are understandable, she adds, with neither party at fault. The doctor-patient relationship is more nuanced than what is reflected in the medical record. A patient might not choose to mention all of their symptoms. Doctor dialogue may follow a conversational path versus a point-by-point checklist.

Time constraints of record keeping in the electronic chart can also be an issue. And not every detail of a given appointment -- particularly minor concerns -- is necessarily worth documenting.

Still, notes Woodward: "The concern highlighted by this research is that important symptoms may be overlooked. If a patient has severe symptoms, all of those symptoms should be documented and addressed."

Gaining greater clarity

The study highlights an opportunity to improve lines of communication between patients and doctors.

For example, implementing pre-appointment eye symptom questionnaires similar to those in the study could simple and effective, Woodward says. A similar pilot program, she notes, is underway in her clinic. "This is definitely a pathway I see as very feasible to resolving this disconnect in the near future; the infrastructure is already there," she says.

The concept also could help bring more clarity to what ends up on a patient's medical record.

Because the surveys Woodward and her team used asked participants to assess their conditions' severity on a numeric scale, results could help practitioners better evaluate the depth of a patient's symptoms -- and even identify concerns that might have gone unnoticed.

The use of a self-report system before seeing the doctor could "really change the conversation between the doctor and the patient," says Woodward. Rather than spending time to identify symptoms, doctors and patient could be talking about how to manage severe symptoms.
Since the year 2000, the Eurasian grey wolf, Canis lupus lupus, has spread across Germany. For Ines Lesniak, doctoral student at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), and her colleagues, a good reason to have a closer look at the small "occupants" of this returnee and to ask the question whether the number and species of parasites change with an increasing wolf population. This was the case, because the number of parasite species per individual wolf increased as the wolf population expanded. Furthermore, cubs had a higher diversity of parasite species than older animals. The good news: wolf parasites do not pose a threat to human health. The results of this study were published in the scientific online journal "Scientific Reports" of the Nature Publishing Group.

In the course of a long-term study of wolf health in Germany, the internal organs of 53 wolf carcasses were studied in detail. They came from wolves which had died in traffic accidents or were illegally killed between 2007 and 2014.

"Whereas tapeworms are recognisable with the naked eye, the identification of single-celled Sarcocystis parasites was a real challenge, since the species of this genus do not differ morphologically," explains Lesniak.

According to their developmental cycle, endoparasites can be grouped into two types: Some, such as many tapeworms, infect their hosts directly. Others, such as Sarcocystis parasites, first live in an intermediate host, the prey animal of the wolf, and reach their final host, the wolf, only if the intermediate host has been consumed by the final host. With the faeces of the final host, these parasites are released back into the environment. Potential prey animals of the wolf feed then on vegetation that was previously contaminated with the parasites. The parasites thereby invade the intermediate host and settle in the muscle flesh. Roe deer, red deer and wild boar are such intermediate hosts in central Europe. When these are eaten by a wolf, the parasites infect the final host -- the wolf -- and reproduce in its intestines.

By applying sophisticated molecular genetic analyses, the scientists identified 12 Sarcocystis species in the wolf carcasses. They also found four tapeworm species (cestodes), eight roundworm species (nematodes) as well as one fluke species (trematode). In order to examine parasite infections also in the wolf's large prey species, the team collected internal organs of shot prey animals from hunting parties.

In Germany, wolves mainly feed on roe deer, but also red deer and wild boars. Small mammals, such as hares, voles or mice, are very seldom "on the menu." The identified parasites provide indirect evidence for this insight, since fox tapeworms were found in only one of the 53 wolves. Fox tapeworms are transmitted by mice and can occur in all canids, but particularly frequently in foxes. "Good news," Lesniak says, because the larvae of fox tapeworms can cause severe diseases in humans.

The scientists found that the infestation of wolves with parasites varied during their lifetime. "Cubs carry many more parasite species than yearlings or adults." According to Ines Lesniak, such variation in parasite species prevalence can be explained by the more robust immune system of older wolves. Wolves, just like any other wild canid -- other than domestic dogs -- are never dewormed, after all.

Wolves that died at the beginning of the study period had a lower parasite diversity than those who died later. "The bigger the population, the more often wolves are in contact with each other and their prey, and the more often they became infected with different parasites," Lesniak summarises the results.

Currently, there are 46 wolf packs settled within Germany. A pack consists of the parents as well as the cubs of the current and the previous year and can comprise up to ten individuals. "Genetic analyses conducted by our cooperation partners for this study show that the ancestors of the Central European lowland population, which nowadays ranges from Germany to Poland, originated from Lusatia in eastern Germany," Lesniak says. This population was probably initiated by individuals who migrated from the Baltic region at the beginning of the millennium and settled between southern Brandenburg and northern Saxony. From there, they began to spread across northeastern Germany and southwestern Poland, a process which continues to this day.

"Wolves are shy, wild animals. Thus, contact between people and wolves is rare," Lesniak emphasises. "Nevertheless, hunters should boil the leftovers of shot game thoroughly before feeding this to their hunting dogs, in order to avoid possible parasite infections," warns Lesniak. It is also essential to regularly deworm hunting dogs in regions occupied by wolves.

Occasionally, it has been reported that wolves come closer to residential areas; sheep farmers are complaining about losses. "It may well be that today's wolves have learnt that it is easier to find food closer to humans -- those, who once eradicated their wolf forefathers" presumes Lesniak. Of course, it is more convenient for a wolf to break into a sheep enclosure than to chase roe deer in the forest. Therefore, the implementation of appropriate protective measures of domestic animals is very important and now also financially supported by the government in Germany.
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Current and former members of Alaska Air National Guards 211th Rescue Squadron bid farewell to the last of their HC-130N King Jan. 17, 2017, as it departed for Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. The older HC-130Ns are scheduled to be replaced with four new HC-130J Combat King II aircraft which are currently being manufactured at Lockheed Martin in Georgia. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Staff Sgt. Edward Eagerton)

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Ltd., Turbo Systems Verwaltungs Ltd, Turbocharging Bangladesh Limited, Turbocharging Brasil Ltda., Turbocharging Systems Co. Ltd., Turbocharging Systems France SAS, Turbocharging UK Limited, Turbosystems Nigeria Limited LTD, Validus DC Systems, Vectek Electronics, Ventyx, Verdi Holding Corporation, W.J. Furse & Co. Ltd., Yangzhou SAC Switchgear Co. Ltd, and Zhejiang Chargedot New Energy Technology Co. Ltd..

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The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. 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Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. 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Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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Harriet arrived at the shelter scared, sad and exhausted. After what she'd been through, it was completely understandable.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

A little over two weeks ago, the three-year-old Korean Jindo had been stuck in a cramped cage at a dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea, with about 200 other dogs. Like most dog meat farms in South Korea, the conditions were deplorable.

The dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea, from which Harriet was rescued | Humane Society International

"They did have shelter from the elements, but they didn't have anything on the sides to keep out the wind and the snow," Nash McCutchen, marketing coordinator for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, told The Dodo. "They had no soft bedding. All crammed in there. They were basically living in their own filth. Food was thrown in to fatten them up."

The dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea, from which Harriet was rescued | Humane Society International

If Harriet had stayed there, she and the other dogs would have been killed for their meat, and probably in a horrible, painful way. "They're tortured, and they aren't always dead when they skin them," McCutchen said. "It's a terrible existence."

Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Orphaned Deer Runs Back To The Wild With Her Best Friend

The dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea, from which Harriet was rescued | Humane Society International

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

"When she first got here, she was pretty despondent and aloof," McCutchen said. "She was interested in humans in that she would look at us, but she didn't initiate any interaction, and she didn't seem to want any interaction for the first several days." After about a week, Harriet started walking up to the front of her kennel, which McCutchen recognized as a good sign. "Some of the other dogs won't even do that - they just stay back in their kennels, with their backs against the walls," she said. The staff tried taking Harriet outside into the play yard, but getting her there was not easy. "We had to carry her out, because she didn't know how to walk on a leash," McCutchen said. "None of them do."

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

Harriet also had issues with open space - she didn't seem to know what to do, and just stood there, not moving a muscle, according to McCutchen.

Harriet too afraid to cross the threshold | Humane Society of Tampa Bay

Despite Harriet's issues, the shelter staff refused to give up on her. One day, Leslie Menichino, the shelter's volunteer manager, brought Harriet into the office area to get her away from the stress of the kennel.

Harriet standing in the middle of the room | Humane Society of Tampa Bay

"She just stood in the middle of the office on the blanket that I had laid down," Menichino said. "After a short while I saw her starting to doze off standing up. That is when I grabbed my phone and started filming."

Harriet continued to sleep standing up until Menichino helped her lie down on the fuzzy blanket, which acted as Harriet's very first dog bed. "We think that when she was on the farm, they were all so tightly packed in that they'd fall asleep standing up, and the others would hold them up," McCutchen explained.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

Eventually, Harriet settled in and snoozed for a few hours.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

"Being a witness to it brings to tears to my eyes and such happiness," Menichino said.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

Harriet still has a long way to go before she's ready to be adopted, but McCutchen said she's making excellent progress. "Just in the past three days, she's made progress," McCutchen said. "It might just take a little longer than a normal dog." After Harriet's first nap in a bed, she's enjoyed other firsts as well - for instance, she's eaten treats out of Menichino's hand for the first time, and finally gone on her first leashed walk.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

"There's still a lot of work to do for her to become comfortable enough for her to go into a home," McCutchen said. "We're just going to take care of her here until that happens." To help dogs trapped in the dog meat trade in South Korea, you can sign this petition. You can also make a donation to HSI so the group can rescue more dogs like Harriet.

Humane Society of Tampa Bay
This week, it came out that Mischa Barton was fired from The Hills: New Beginnings for an unforgivable TV sin: 
Abercrombie & Fitch Co., facing sluggish mall traffic and a shift to fast-fashion brands, is eliminating about 150 corporate jobs after years of struggling to turn around the chain.

The cutbacks are meant to ensure we are structured appropriately for the current retail environment, the New Albany, Ohio-based company said in a statement. The reductions would represent just 3 per cent of the 5,000 jobs Abercrombie had last year, though most of those positions are at stores, not the corporate level.

Abercrombie, once a hot destination for teen and 20-something shoppers, joins a parade of retailers making changes in the wake of a challenging holiday season. Macys Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp. are closing stores, and The Limitedanother former shopping-mall starsaid this month it would shutter all its stores and file for bankruptcy.

Hollister Co., Abercrombies more youth-focused division, also is revamping its Gilly Hicks brand in a bid to attract shoppers. The intimate-apparel line, which includes bras, underwear, swimsuits and pajamas, will be touted at in-store boutiques within Hollister locations.

Abercrombies shares plunged in November after earnings came in well short of analysts estimates, a sign that efforts to recapture its allure havent gained traction. Another possible concern for investors: The company still lacks a permanent chief executive officer, more than two years since longtime CEO Mike Jeffries stepped down in late 2014.

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When Trump administration appointee Wilbur Ross sat for a hearing on his commerce secretary nomination, one name kept coming up: Toyota. A senator from Vice President Mike Pences home state asked to be reassured trade reforms wouldnt compromise Indiana jobs. Another from Mississippi said he was tickled to death that Corollas are built in his state.

Call this the Japanese automakers red wall. Toyota started building it 30 years ago with its first assembly plant in Georgetown, Ky., in part to appease Washington during an era of icy U.S.-Japan trade ties. One after another, more factories sprang up in politically conservative states, including Alabama, Texas and West Virginia.

The questions put to Ross underscore concerns the White House is likely to hear if President Donald Trump keeps up his attacks on Toyota and its peers. After criticizing Toyotas plans to build a Corolla plant in Mexico, Trump this week rebuked Japan for sending the U.S. hundreds of thousands of cars from what he said were the biggest ships Ive ever seen. General Motors and its peers, meanwhile, struggle to sell their vehicles in Japan.

For years, Toyota was extremely paranoid about being a foreign company, and about the possibility of tariffs, said Jeff Liker, a University of Michigan professor whos written nine books on the company. They just try to be Boy Scouts, perfect corporate citizens, to hedge against a possible backlash.

Toyota built more than 1.38 million cars and trucks in the U.S. last year, behind only GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Still, Toyotas production fell about 1 million vehicles short of its sales in the country. Imported models include Japan-built Prius hybrids, Canada-assembled RAV4 and Lexus RX sport utility vehicles, and some Tacoma mid-size pickups manufactured in Mexico.

The $10-billion question for Toyota  its vowed to invest this much in the U.S. over the next five years  is whether all the roots its put down in America will be enough to mollify Trump. The carmakers shares have dropped 4 per cent since Trump called out its Mexico plans, following an 8-per-cent decline last year.

I want new plants to be built here for cars sold here! the president tweeted on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting with the chief executives of GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler.

Toyota is scrambling to find something more to offer Trump than the factory expansion and modernization plan revealed Jan. 9, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The search gained urgency after Trump thanked Ford and Fiat Chrysler for their U.S. investments and made no mention of Toyotas plans announced the same day, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.

Shortly after the president met with the U.S. auto CEOs Tuesday, Toyota said it would add 400 jobs and spend $600 million retooling and updating an Indiana plant.

Everybody in Mississippi wants more Toyota, said Haley Barbour, the former state governor who in 2007 offered a $293.9-million incentive package to lure investment from the company. I suspect youll find the same thing in Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and every other state where they operate.

Toyota is in the process of completing a new North American headquarters in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. The campus will use as much glass as nearly 50,000 Tacoma truck windshields and house about 4,000 employees, including 1,000 new hires.

Hoosiers working at plants including Toyotas in the state of Indiana could use reassurance their jobs wont be put at risk by Trump-proposed tariffs that may interrupt global supply chains, Republican Sen. Todd Young told Ross during a confirmation hearing last week.

The best way to deal with the trade deficit is increased exports. I think thats a No. 1 priority, Ross responded. No. 2 is to get the Toyotas and other companies like that to build their factories here.

Trumps anti-import rhetoric is reminiscent of the days then-Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca urged former president Ronald Reagan to limit incoming shipments of Japanese cars. Models like the Corolla and Honda Civic gained recognition for reliable quality and superior fuel economy during the 1970s energy crisis.

Toyota and its Japanese peers voluntarily agreed to quotas and sought political cover as laid-off Ford workers in Detroit smashed imported cars with sledgehammers. Toyota followed its American competitors to Southern states to dodge the United Auto Workers union, positioning the company in red states, where the Republican Party reigns supreme.

One option for Toyota to further reduce its flow of imports could be to add an assembly line at the plant Barbour championed in Blue Springs, Miss. That factory already makes Corollas and the company could increase output of the compact car there instead of the yet-to-be-opened Mexico facility Trump has criticized.

The Blue Springs plant opened in 2011 and may need more time to show it can maintain quality and productivity as it grows, Jim Lentz, chief executive of Toyota Motor North America, said in an interview this month. The company is actively studying a Blue Springs expansion as well as other options, he said.

Toyota is 100 per cent in support of Trumps push to create more good-paying jobs in the U.S., Lentz said. But he also said Trumps proposed border tax would add $1,000 to the cost of a Kentucky-built Camry.

Toyota has built goodwill over the years by avoiding layoffs even when idling plants, and by helping rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Still, Liker said company officials havent been this jittery about how theyre perceived in the U.S. since 2010, when some felt unfairly singled out while the carmaker recalled millions of vehicles over unintended acceleration concerns.

They became more comfortable after they started building factories here, but the wariness is still pretty high, Liker said.

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EVORA, PORTUGAL-You might say Patricia Canejo turned her passion for Portuguese food and traditions into a new profession by accident. While recovering from a mishap in Thailand, she decided she wanted to do something new with her life. So she ditched the banking world and founded Singulartrips to provide travellers with gastronomic tours and hands-on experiences. That was around two years ago.

In early 2016, Canejos friend Julia Oliveira joined Singulartrips. Oliveira, who is from the U.K., had stopped in Lisbon nearly 20 years ago on a round-the-world tour and is still there.

Now via their combined networks of family, friends and friends of friends, the duo have assembled an array of authentic Portuguese experiences. These can range from meals or cooking classes in local homes to food tasting tours in various regions of Portugal, to making salt, bread, sausage or artisanal cheese.

They introduce me to Portugal Through the Belly, a tour to immerse me in regional food, with Lisbon as home base.

Related story:Portugals history lies in its pastry

With a Eurail Pass in hand, I board a train in the city. Less than 90 minutes later Im in Evora, a spectacular, well-preserved medieval town in the Alentejo region, and the first stop on our tour. In the city centre we meet our local hosts, Joao Junqueira and his wife Nelia Martins, landscape architects who met studying at the University of Evora. The pair walk us through the cobblestoned winding lanes, pointing out stunning combinations of Roman, Gothic and Baroque architecture, for which Evora has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I ask Junqueira how many times he has had led this trek and perfected his schpiel. Just once, this is my first time doing this, he replies. It shows, because it feels like a friend is taking you around.

Oliveira says she and Canejo chose to work with the couple because they love to eat as much as we do.

The tour ends in the couples kitchen. Sitting with a glass of red Alentejo wine, its lovely to be adopted into a family home and conversation.

Fresh goat and sheep cheeses are laid out with breads and oils. Junqueira insists we try store-bought prosciutto versus the homemade version. Both are delicious, but the intense flavour of the homemade cured meat is incomparable. Theres more: fresh figs come from the couples house, Casa da Cerca de Lagos, in the Algarve, and the olives and olive oil are from Martins fathers farm in Alenquer, north of Lisbon.

Let me know when youre ready for lunch, says Martins, signalling after an hour that this is just the beginning.

Our first course is a simple and refreshing tomato gazpacho, paired with Herdade dos Grous wine, a local deep-flavoured red. The main course is a traditional roast lamb and potatoes, usually made for special occasions, such as Easter or Christmas. An everyday meal usually contains meat or fish, and a starch, like potatoes, rice or pasta.

According to Junqueira, life in this part of Portugal is slower, they often tease the locals for being so laid back. In Alentejos we have time, he says. To look at the stars, to have a meal, to appreciate the finer things in life.

We appreciate the fine lamb right through to the fine rice pudding  all paired with fine expertly selected wine.

With such riches in quiet, calm surroundings Im ready to move to Evora and dedicate my life to eating really slowly. Canejo talks about this and the comparison to life in the city. She says life in Lisbon really isnt a whole lot different. The Portuguese really love and respect their cuisine. Lunch isnt an eat at your desk kind of affair.

I cook every day, she says. For my family, for my children. Its the best time of day, when I ask them how was school? How was your day? Making food with them is a real shared experience.

Canejo and Oliveira believe gastronomy is the best way to get to know the culture of a people. They say that in Portugal, its at the dining table that business deals are closed, friendships are shared and marriage proposals are made. After spending one day in Evora with good company, good food and copious amounts of good wine, I can say the dining table is an excellent place to be introduced to Portugal.

Mallika Viegas was hosted by Eurail in partnership with Singulartrips, both of which didnt review or approve this story.

When you go

Get there: Its a seven-hour direct flight from Toronto to Lisbon on TAP Portugal or Air Transat.

Eurail Global Pass: For see-it-all train travellers, the Eurail Global Pass is the best option. Covering 28 countries, the Global Pass allows you to travel freely through most of Europe, from Portugal to Finland to Turkey (except Great Britain). Unlike the Select Pass, the Global Pass offers a consecutive-day continuous version  particularly convenient and cost-effective if youre riding the rails almost every day.

You can catch an hour-long train trip to Evora from either station in Lisbon. The Lisbon to Evora train service is operated by Comboios de Portugal, Portugals national train company. Trains only run during rush hours.

Get around:Singulartrips can plan your transportation and itinerary. Most of its tours are tailor-made, according to the preferences of individual clients.

Stay: If you plan on making Evora more than a day trip, the Pousada Convento Evora hotel in the centre of town features 36 monks cells that have been converted into small but comfortable rooms. The monastery dating from the 15th century retains a sense of place and history.

Explore: Visit Igreja de Sao Francisco church, a huge structure that incorporates Mudejar and Gothic elements and a Chapel of Bones, where 5,000 skulls line the walls where monks contemplated the ephemeral nature of life. Admission is 2 ($2.86 Canadian). Universidade de Evora (University of Evora) also is worth checking out. Classrooms boast original architecture, and the professors pulpit and tilework in each room represent the subject being taught. You can also wander down the artisanal shopping street Rua 5 de Outubro to buy souvenirs without the crowds. Details: evora-portugal.com

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WINNIPEGPrime Minister Justin Trudeau says tens of billions in federal health transfer payments are there for the taking if the provinces want them.

He also reiterated that Ottawa is offering an additional $5 billion in targeted funding over 10 years for mental-health care.

Weve put forward significant amounts of money. Its (up) to provinces whether they want that money or not, Trudeau said before a town-hall meeting in Winnipeg.

He did not answer a question about whether he would impose a deadline to reach a deal.

The three territories, three Atlantic provinces and Saskatchewan have signed onto the federal governments health-funding plan.

Trudeau said he is looking forward to working with the hold-out provinces to make sure were responding to the needs of Canadians.

For almost 10 years, the previous government had nothing to do with the provinces on health care . . . and therefore Canadians felt that their health-care outcomes and system was suffering.

The prime minister was in Winnpeg on Thursday as part of a cross-country tour to meet with Canadians and hear their concerns. It was the same day Manitoba launched an online ad campaign criticizing the federal governments plan to limit annual increases in health transfer payments.

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen has said the campaign is intended to educate Manitobans about what the Liberals are going to do in terms of reducing their health-care services.

The federal government has been criticized for weeks over its plan to limit how quickly health transfers increase.

A deal reached in 2004 saw transfers rise about 6 per cent a year for a decade. The Liberal government is offering annual increases of either three per cent or a three-year average of economic growth, whichever is higher.

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott has said the funding increases being offered are significant and will address gaps.

The $11.5-billion (in mental-health and home care) offer we put on the table in December has the potential to be transformative and make a difference in the lives of Canadians, she said in an email to The Canadian Press earlier this week.

Goertzen has suggested the hold-out provinces might also conduct public campaigns.

I can tell you that in the discussions that weve had with other provinces, they recognize the need to communicate the difficulty this will put them and their residents in.

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Heres what happened to newspapers.

In the early 1990s I worked at the Gazette in Montreal. In those days on a Saturday youd pick up your Gazette, shake five sections of classified advertising and home and car ads onto the floor, and go straight to the City pages, which featured a loving summary of local restaurants health-code violations.

The really good stories featured tales of city health inspectors encountering rodents or poo, or both in combination. Often the stories mentioned restaurants frequented by young Gazette reporters on a budget, which was always good for a frisson.

Since those days, a few things have happened. First, just about all the ads in the classified sections  apartments for rent, articles for sale, homes and cars  migrated to the Internet. Now you can sell your jalopy with no transaction cost at all; my colleagues and I get no piece of the action.

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Media cuts are a threat to Canadian democracy, new report warns

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Twelve ideas to help Canadas ailing news media END

This led to a collapse in newspapers revenue; endless hand-wringing by newsroom managers; and shrinking newsrooms. Today the Star has as many editorial employees as the Gazette had when I was there. The Gazette has barely any left, and will have several fewer next month than last month.

At my old paper, nobody troops off to the city offices to collect rat-poop restaurant reviews any more. Nobody reviews jazz clubs, nobody lives in Ottawa writing about the federal government for a readership that has always cared passionately about federal politics, and so on. Not because these things dont matter, but because there is no way to pay for all this journalism.

This is a cause of great anguish for people in my line of work. And on Thursday it led the Public Policy Forum, on contract from the federal government, to come up with a report proposing remedies, mostly a bunch of tax changes to fund a very large pot of money that would support fine journalism everywhere.

But the collapse of advertising isnt the only thing thats happened since my youth. Another thing that has happened is that a 10-second Google search can take you to where the City of Montreal keeps its food-code violations. Yikes, Restaurant Beijing Inc. on de la Gauchetiere St. W., it must have taken a lot of work to rack up $9,800 in fines in a single month.

So: When I was a kid, you had to pay me a little money when you had a car to sell, so I could go get you information about where it was safe to eat. Today you dont need me for either part of that. This is not your problem. Its mine.

Who will hold our politicians accountable? Well, their speeches, committee hearings and expenses are all online. The Canadian Press used to pay a reporter to sit in the House of Commons every minute it was sitting. This was long before my time. Society is not poorer because it no longer happens. Any citizen has direct access to vast quantities of information that used to require reporters as intermediaries: Whos playing at the Rex next Thursday, how this years Leafs starting lineup compares to last years, what Tom Mulcair said at the Macleans debate.

No, Im not trying to talk myself out of a job, although check back next week to see whether I managed it anyway. Im trying to talk myself out of a measure of your sympathy, and out of the astonishing campaign organized by the Trudeau Liberals to ensure that your tax dollars be made to fill holes left by the exodus of your advertising dollars.

Canadians still seek to be informed, the new Public Policy Forum study says in an unguarded moment. New technologies have not only made this possible, but increased the supply of news and opinion dramatically. This rather lets the cat out of the bag: Whats at risk is not your right to be informed, but mine to earn a buck informing you.

There may be room for changes to tax treatment of businesses that seem different (newspapers and websites) but find themselves in the same business (news gathering). But government should be exceedingly cautious, and I see no evidence that it is at all.

Two thoughts. First, if theres a fund for good journalism, the Liberals should appoint Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative MP who was in charge of election rules in the last Parliament, to run it. And if theyre not comfortable doing that, there should be no fund, because one day, after some future election, somebody like Pierre Poilievre will run it anyway.

Second: ask any Liberal MP how much stock they put in stories about cabinet ministers showing up at party fundraisers, or about the prime ministers vacations. I asked one this week, and she lit into me for not telling the whole story. Put those people in charge of deciding what journalism rises and what doesnt? No thanks.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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OTTAWACanadas closest allies are pumping billions into new cybersecurity plans as Ottawa ponders a new approach to defending the countrys vital cyber systems and networks.

A 2016 briefing note prepared for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand have all updated their cybersecurity strategies, with the U.S. planning to spend $24 billion to bolster the countrys defences.

Canada is still operating under a cybersecurity plan devised in 2010. And compared with the updated plans of the other Five Eyes countries, Ottawa spends comparatively little to protect the public and private systems that underpin everything from online banking to the governments top-secret network.

The briefing note was prepared by Canadas most senior public servant, Michael Wernick, and obtained under access to information law. In it, Wernick stated that these allied strategies reflect a fundamental enlargement of cybersecurity issues into policy areas including research and development, trade and market development, and international relations.

They also emphasize cybersecurity needs to be addressed across all government departments, Wernick wrote.

The Liberals have pledged to revamp Canadas approach to cyberdefence, and recently completed months of public consultations on the issue. The results of that survey have not been made public, but are expected to be released by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale sometime this spring.

Scott Bardsley, a spokesperson for Goodale, said that it would premature to talk about what the Liberals approach to cybersecurity will be.

When Canadas current cybersecurity strategy was launched over seven years ago, there was no Instagram and Netflix had just launched in Canada, Bardsley noted.

A lot has changed since then, which is why the prime minister mandated a review of measures to protect Canadians and our critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

Bardsley pointed to $77.4 million committed in the Liberals first budget to improve the security of government networks and information technology systems. But that money is spread out over five years, and only $27 million is expected to be spent before 2019.

Australia, Wernicks briefing note states, has committed $227 million for cybersecurity over the next five years. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also appointed a new minister of cybersecurity, as well as an adviser and cyber ambassador

In a statement earlier this week, Turnbull called cybersecurity the new frontier of warfare.

This is the new frontier of warfare, the new frontier of espionage, its the new frontier of many threats to Australian families, to governments, to businesses, Turnbull said in a statement.

Turnbull connected the threat directly to allegations that Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. American intelligence officials allege Moscow hacked the emails of several prominent Democratic Party officials and released them through Wikileaks.

In an unclassified report, U.S. spies alleged Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in the hacking campaign, a claim Moscow denies.

The U.S. has proposed $24 billion in spending to enhance their governments cybersecurity, as well as to help private businesses and individuals to protect themselves, the briefing note states. President Donald Trump, who dismissed the recent allegations of Russian hacking as a witch hunt and who has professed an admiration for Putin, has said that he will appoint a team within the coming months to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks.

Canada spent $780 million between 2001 and 2012 on various cybersecurity initiatives, according to an October 2012 report from the auditor generals office. That same month, the previous Conservative government committed an additional $155 million over five years for the Canadian Cyber Incident Reponse Centre, which assists other levels of government and the private sector in securing their networks.

But its difficult to say just how much money the federal government spends on cyber defence. Several departments have a mandate to protect Canadian government networks, including the Communications Security Establishment and Shared Services Canada.

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WINNIPEGManitoba Premier Brian Pallister is being criticized for saying young indigenous men with criminal records are responsible for night hunting which he previously said was fuelling a race war.

Young indigenous men  a preponderance of them are offenders, with criminal records  are going off shooting guns in the middle of the night, Macleans magazine quotes Pallister as saying from his vacation home in Costa Rica.

It doesnt make sense.

His comments came after a speech he made last week in which he said tension surrounding night hunting is leading to a race war.

Young indigenous guys going out and shootin a bunch of moose cause they can, cause they say its their right, doesnt make any sense to me, he said in the speech.

This is a poor practice. A dumb practice ... It should stop.

So what are we doing? Were organizing to bring indigenous people together and say the same thing I just said to ya, cause its becoming a race war and I dont want that.

The Opposition is demanding Pallister apologize for his latest comments and commit to educating himself about First Nations.

NDP legislature member Amanda Lathlin said Pallisters comments are ignorant and feed into a dangerous stereotype of indigenous people.

Those comments were racist and irresponsible, said Lathlin. He did not consult or talk to our hunters in that community. That conversation is absolutely missing.

Olivia Baldwin-Valainis, spokeswoman for Pallister, said in an emailed statement that the province has stepped up its enforcement of laws that ban the use of bright lights to hunt at night. She said that resulted in 44 charges in 2016.

Baldwin-Valainis didnt say how many of the people charged were indigenous or how many had criminal records.

Reports of dangerous hunting practices have increased, she wrote. Two human lives have been lost, livestock have been found shot on private property and agricultural equipment, homes and buildings have been hit by stray bullets.

She didnt address calls for Pallister to apologize or educate himself about treaty rights.

Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox met earlier this week with reeves from several communities in western Manitoba who are pushing for a ban on indigenous night hunting. She said the government plans to bring both sides to the table in the near future to try to work out an agreement.

Non-indigenous hunters are banned from hunting at night. Indigenous hunters are allowed  supported by a Supreme Court of Canada ruling  subject to safety restrictions.

Lathlin said hunting has a long-standing and revered place in indigenous culture, as does sharing the proceeds with the community. For indigenous people, hunting is about livelihood, not sport, she said.

At a time when Canada is supposed to be working toward reconciliation with First Nations, Pallisters comments perpetuate a negative stereotype, Lathlin suggested.

Here I am, an aboriginal woman raising my daughters to feel pride within our culture, and yet we have the leader of Manitoba taking a step backwards in regards to who we are as people. What kind of leadership is that?

Niigaan Sinclair, head of the native studies department at the University of Manitoba, issued a written invitation to Pallister.

Its evident ... you dont have a clear understanding of indigenous cultures, histories, or communities in Manitoba, treaties and the relationships we share here, or how indigenous and non-indigenous peoples can live alongside one another respectfully, mutually beneficially, and legally, he wrote.

I therefore offer for you to come to the University of Manitoba and our Department of Native Studies to receive the education you clearly need to make competent decisions that effect the lives of all Manitobans.

You must learn to stop your perpetuation of ignorant, factually incorrect, and divisive statements that draw on stereotypes and incite anger and violence if for nothing else than for the benefit of our home.

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Theres no beer like this beer, anywhere.

Torontos Henderson Brewing Co. has created an Honest Eds brew called The End of Honesty in homage to the now closed discount store.

Ed was a great guy and he really helped to shape the city, said Steve Himel, general manager of Henderson Brewing Co. We wanted to celebrate that great legacy.

Himel bills the brew as a drinkable, simple lager that at less than $10 for a four pack wouldnt seem out of place in the discount emporium.

The ingredients even include cheap commodity sugar snagged from Honest Eds before it closed at the end of 2016.

Its called an adjunct lager in the beer business, he said, and the joke is theyve added junk from Honest Eds to the beer.

Himel doesnt have any personal ties to Honest Eds. But in a strange twist, his great-uncle was Harold Kamin, also known as Bargain Harold, who ran one of Eds biggest discount competitors in the 1970s and 80s.

Himels west-end craft brewery has been making special brews that bring a story to life since it opened in 2014.

He was inspired by watching the Food Networks Cupcake Wars, where you take these people with a skill and you challenge them with a theme.

The brewery only makes each of its blends once. Which means, just like Eds sales, The End of Honesty is available for a limited time only.

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A campaign to save the McLaughlin Planetarium, slated for demolition on the University of Toronto campus, is gaining momentum.

In its prime, the planetarium was a standard field trip for generations of Toronto school kids to learn about the magic of the universe. Others fondly recall the laser shows in the 1980s, featuring music from Led Zeppelin, U2, Rush and Pink Floyd.

It is absolutely one of the most significant works of architecture built in the 20th century in Toronto, not only for its own formal esthetic merits but because of the cultural role that it played and the history of that building as a public venue, said Jeff Balmer, associate professor at the School of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Today, curious passersby who dont know the buildings history may wonder whats inside because the McLaughlin Planetarium sign has been removed. In 2014, the university proposed the demolition to make room for a building to house a new cultural centre.

A gift to citizens through an endowment fund from General Motors of Canada president and philanthropist Samuel McLaughlin, the planetarium opened its doors in 1968 and, over its 27-year run, attracted more than six million visitors.

He was fiercely proud of the planetarium and really believed in science, said Elizabeth Phillips, the great-granddaughter of McLaughlin, who recently joined the preservation efforts.

I think Toronto deserves and needs to fight and save it. (Were) a world-class city of enormous diversity and that includes architectural diversity. The McLaughlin Planetarium is part of that.

The Royal Ontario Museum abruptly shut the planetarium down in December, 1995, despite a small surge in attendance. Its closure was a direct result of a $626,000 cutback imposed by Mike Harriss Tory government.

Even as the ROM turned out the lights, the original endowment fund for the museum to run a planetarium in Toronto sat at $1.4 million.

ROM sold the building to the University of Toronto in 2009 for $22 million.

On Jan. 13, Balmer submitted a nomination for the McLaughlin Planetarium to the World Monuments Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving architectural and cultural sites. The preservation campaign also has the support of Docomomo, the Society of Documentation and Conservation of buildings, sights and neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement.

Balmer's Change.org petition, which encourages the U of T to save the McLaughlin Planetarium building, had more than 6,200 supporters as of Friday morning.

His efforts attracted the attention of Phillips, who believes her great-grandfather would have been upset to learn where his endowment went.

Its not a positive message. Why would I donate if, 30 years after the fact, it can be pushed to the sidelines? An endowment is a gift and should be treated as one . . . I think that other (philanthropists) might think twice, she said.

Sally Tindal, a ROM spokesperson, said the fund is now used to support other discovery-based spaces and galleries at the museum.

We work closely with our donors and these types of decisions are made in consultation with them, Tindal said in an email. The endowment is still being used and continues to have an impact on the ROM by supporting discovery-based spaces.

Scott Mabury, U of T vice-president, university operations, said there is currently no timeline for the planetariums demolition. Designs for the centre should be revealed to the public in the summer.

Mabury said he recognizes that theres some nostalgia for the building because of the planetarium experience. But he said U of T did a deep dive with the astronomy and astrophysics department, considered it for a recital hall for the music department but found that none of that is possible in the existing structure and that the building is redundant and not reusable.

Its a glorified locker, he said of the planetarium, which is currently being leased to the ROM as a storage space.

Mabury confirmed the new Centre for Civilizations, Cultures and Cities would cost in the neighbourhood of $100 million. Initial plans called for the building to house the departments of history, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, along with the Institute of Islamic Studies, as well as an auditorium for the Faculty of Music.

Proponents of the restoration efforts maintain the buildings architectural merit and that Toronto needs a major planetarium, pointing to other international cities as proof they are viable and valuable cultural operations.

Of the three dozen planetariums in North America, Toronto remains the only city to have one that has been slated for the wrecking ball without replacement.

Edmonton is currently reconstructing and reopening the Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium after it, like the McLaughlin, lay dormant for 30 years.

(Planetariums are) significant institutions for science education, Balmer said of the burgeoning renaissance. So Id be very much interested in knowing that all efforts have been made to imagine the adaptive reuse of ours.

Balmer has had some success in saving a part of Torontos cultural history. The ex-pat was part of the push to preserve the Sam the Record Man sign but says its harder to get the public to rally around the idea of preserving modernist buildings.

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TIMELINE

1968: Planetarium opens in the space race days. Architects Allward and Gouinlocks design referenced both ancient places of worship and modern observatories. The Theatre of the Stars had seating for 340 persons.

1968: The Royal Ontario Museum was formally granted its independence from the University of Toronto. The McLaughlin Planetarium  donated by philanthropist Samuel McLaughlin  ended up as a ward of the museum.

1995: The McLaughlin Planetarium is abruptly closed by the ROM, a direct result of cutbacks by the Mike Harris government.

1997: The original endowment fund donated to the museum by McLaughlin to run a planetarium was reported at $1.4 million by the Toronto Star.

1998: The planetarium is briefly transformed into The Childrens Own Museum, for kids aged two to eight. It had a three-year lease.

2005: William Thorsell (former director of the ROM) proposed a 46-storey condo complex to replace the planetarium but plan was rejected.

2009: The ROM sold the McLaughlin Planetarium to the U of T for $22 million.

2014: The U of T proposes a new complex to be built on the site. Initial plans for the Centre for Civilizations, Cultures and Cities called for the building to house the departments of history, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, along with the Institute of Islamic Studies, as well as an auditorium for the Faculty of Music.

2016: The U of T announces a partnership with high-profile architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

2017 summer: Architectural renderings to be unveiled for the centre.

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President Trump said Friday that he considers the media to be the opposition party in many ways, echoing a controversial assessment earlier this week by his chief White House strategist, Stephen Bannon.

Trump was asked about Bannons comments during a morning interview at the White House with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Read more: Trumps chief strategist calls media the opposition

Yeah, I think the media is the opposition party in many ways, Trump told Brody. Im not talking about all of them ... but a big portion of the media, the dishonesty, total deceit and deception. It makes them certainly partially the opposition party, absolutely.

Trump, who routinely criticized the media during his campaign and has continued the practice since taking office, also accused the media of being on the opposition partys side.

They treat me so unfairly, its hard to believe that I won the election, Trump said. But the fortunate thing about me is I have a big voice. I have a voice that people understand ... But yes, the media is a disgrace, and theyve called me wrong from the beginning.

Trump singled out the New York Times, claiming the paper lost subscribers because their readers even like me.

The Times has said it experienced a sharp uptick in paid subscriptions online and in print after Election Day.

In an interview Wednesday with the Times, Bannon repeatedly described the media as the opposition party and said: The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.

Until August, Bannon ran the right-wing website Breitbart News.

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Stephen P. Cohen, a Canadian-born professor who secretly brokered peace talks between Arab and Israeli officials for three decades, died on Wednesday at his home in Teaneck, N.J. He was 71.

The cause was advanced breast cancer, his wife, Elaine, said.

The son of a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe, Cohen found that his academic credentials and Canadian citizenship lent him the credibility to arrange the first direct and informal (but sanctioned) talks between the Israeli government and Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organization leader, early in 1986.

Cohen also met with Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president, in Alexandria before Sadat and prime minister Menachem Begin of Israel signed the Camp David Accords in 1978. Cohen was credited with advancing other Israeli peace initiatives with Egypt and Jordan.

In 1979, Cohen founded the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in Manhattan. Later independent of the university, the institute remained a vehicle for his advocacy on behalf of peace in the Middle East, however distant a prospect that was.

Strange how in the Middle East making peace looks so similar to waging political war, he lamented in an op-ed article in The New York Times in 1989.

In 1986, Cohen was the catalyst for the first three clandestine sessions in Paris and Brussels between Israeli and Palestinian representatives, two from each side.

Ostensibly, those talks were limited in scope to missing or captured soldiers, but they went beyond those matters. The talks stalled when the PLO refused to budge on its demand that the Soviet Union join on an equal footing with the United States in an international mediation conference, and they collapsed a few months later after Shimon Peres departed as prime minister.

Steve was the initiator of these meetings and served as the go-between, Shlomo Gazit, one of the two Israelis and a former head of the military intelligence service, said in an email on Thursday. The fact that Steve was Jewish did not in any way disturb the parties. Steve did not give up, and for years did his best to renew meetings and talks, unfortunately without success.

Ephraim Sneh, an Israeli politician and former deputy defence minister, described Cohen in an email as the lone guerrilla warrior of peace.

Despite repeated setbacks, Cohens broad recipe for peace in the troubled region remained remarkably consistent, according to The Go-Between, a memoir he published last year (written with Oren Rawls), as well as other accounts.

He generally favoured the gradual emergence of a UN-mandated Palestinian state supervised by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, though that, he wrote, would require the gamble for peace by a great regional leader and the American refusal to take no for an answer.

In an interview with the Times columnist Thomas Friedman in 2003, Cohen said: Israel cant force the Palestinians to be reasonable, to pursue their interests and not their passions, but it can create a context where they are more likely to do so than not. But with its relentless settlement activity, and responding to every Hamas provocation by smashing the Palestinian Authority, Israel has not done that.

Meanwhile, Cohen said in 2002, it turns out Arafat wanted two Palestinian states.

He wanted a Palestinian state for the West Bank and Gaza to be negotiated with Israel today, he added. And he wanted a Palestinian state inside Israel that would be brought about by a return of Palestinian refugees and their soaring birth rate tomorrow. Israel was ready to give him one Palestinian state, but not two. And Arafat didnt have the courage to tell his people that.

Stephen Philip Cohen was born in Quebec on May 28, 1945. His father, Harry, an immigrant from Lithuania, owned an auto parts business. His mother, born in Montreal to Jewish immigrants from Romania, was a bookkeeper.

He received a bachelors degree from McGill University in Montreal and a doctorate from Harvard. He was an assistant professor at Harvard, an associate professor at the City University Graduate Center and an analyst for the Israel Policy Forum, a Manhattan think tank that favours a two-state solution.

In 1973, after Egypt launched a surprise attack against Israel in what became known as the Yom Kippur War, Cohen took a leave from Harvard to enlist in the Israeli army and use his training as a social psychologist to bolster morale at the front.

In addition to his wife, the former Elaine Rachel Shizgal, he is survived by three daughters, Rabbi Tamara Ruth Cohen, Rabbi Ayelet Sonya Cohen and Maya Orli Cohen; five grandchildren; and a brother, professor Richard I. Cohen of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared chummy as they faced a curious world together for the first time Friday, pledging allegiance to the special relationship between their countries while trying to mask stark differences on some major issues.

It was Trumps first White House meeting with a foreign head of state, a hastily arranged confab held precisely one week after the businessman and reality TV star, who remains a largely unknown figure to European audiences, was sworn into office as president.

Trump sought to charm May from the outset, showing her the bust of Prime Minister Winston Churchill that hes using to decorate the Oval Office. He then opened a joint news conference by noting that his late mother was born in Stornoway, which is serious Scotland. Scotland is part of Great Britain.

Trump and May were seen briefly holding hands as they walked along the White House colonnade after leaving the Oval Office. Their talks continued in the State Dining Room over lunch of iceberg wedge salad, braised beef short ribs with potato puree and salted caramel creme brulee.

For her part, May congratulated Trump on his stunning election victory, and announced that he had accepted the queens invitation for a state visit for the president and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, later this year.

But the attempts at mutual flattery didnt completely mask the leaders differences over some issues, including NATO and Russia.

May tried to push Trump toward positions she supports, noting that he had assured her he was 100 per cent behind NATO, a world body he has dismissed as obsolete. Trump did not contradict May as they stood together and answered journalists questions in the White House East Room.

Read more:

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Trump poised to ban Syrian refugees, stop all entries from some Muslim nations

May also took a tougher stance on sanctions against Russia.

When asked how close the U.S. is to lifting penalties that were imposed on Russia after its incursion into Ukraine, Trump said it was very early to be talking about that. May said sanctions should remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented.

Trump has been less critical of Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, than his predecessor and some lawmakers, including fellow Republicans. He has cast doubt on findings by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him win the White House, and has praised Putins leadership. Trumps stance has fueled speculation that he could ease or remove the sanctions against Russia.

Trump also reiterated his belief that torture works. Britain takes a vocal stand against it.

The appearance alongside May was more amiable than Trumps most recent public appearance with a foreign leader: a joint news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last August. Trump was more staid and serious then, and read from lengthy prepared remarks.

Coincidentally, Trump and May met a day after Pena Nieto cancelled his own trip to Washington next week amid disagreement with Trump over which of their countries will pay for the wall Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump says Mexico will pay; Mexico says it wont.

Trump is something of a mystery to world leaders, many of whom expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election. They also dont know his administrations main interlocutors with foreign governments, including son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior adviser Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive.

So May was on a bit of a scouting mission.

She has strong reasons for wanting the relationship to work. Britain is set to leave the European Union and its 500 million-person single market, and is eager for a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. The United States is Britains biggest export market, and such a trade deal would be a major prize.

Trump has drawn parallels between Britains choice to leave the EU and his own success, using the Brexit vote last June to bolster his derision of the 28-nation bloc and his preference for striking bilateral agreements.

Often combative in the presence of journalists, Trump seemed relaxed and humorous alongside May. At one point, after a British journalist asked whether people should be alarmed by his past statements, Trump joked: This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship.

He backed Mays determination to make Britain strong and prosperous once it leaves the European Union, saying he thought Brexit would be a tremendous asset and not a tremendous liability.

And when asked whether the two very different leaders had found common ground, Trump said they had.

I think were going to get along very well, he said. I am a people person. I think you are also, Theresa.

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PARISIn a country that adores a good political scandal, the Penelope Affair is already a blockbuster hit.

This latest episode in the constant kerfuffle of French politics stars Penelope  known as Penny  Fillon, the august, British-born wife of Francois Fillon, the conservative front-runner in Frances upcoming presidential elections. A French newspaper reported Wednesday that Penelope Fillon had received more than $700,000 in public funds over the past decade for an assortment of parliamentary jobs she never did.

Given that Francois Fillon, a hard-line former prime minister, is running on the controversial pledge to slash what he says is unnecessary public spending and as many as 500,000 public service jobs, the Penelope Affair presents a particularly acute embarrassment. Especially for a family man who has been selling himself to voters as the honest and moral choice.

By Thursday night, Fillon  whom a number of polls had projected to win the election  was on national television, playing defence and insisting that nothing illegal had transpired. By Friday, he had announced that he would drop out of the race if he were formally placed under criminal investigation.

Only one thing would prevent me from being a candidate  if my honour were harmed, if I were placed under formal investigation, Fillon said.

Financial prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation, but only a judge can decide whether the prosecutors have an actual case. For now, Fillon is still in the race.

But the details have already begun to affect his campaign, and his political opponents, especially on the left, have seized on them.

According to Le Canard Enchaine, a satirical newspaper, Penelope Fillon received the bulk of the $700,000 from work she conducted as an assistant to her husband during his time in Parliament  proofreading his speeches and entertaining guests, work that Fillon has subsequently described as legal and perfectly transparent.

This is not necessarily false: Nepotism is not illegal in the French Parliament, and, according to estimates in the French media, approximately 10 per cent of deputies employ family members in at least some capacity. As Fillon said after the revelations appeared: My wife has been working for me forever, ever since I first got elected in 1981.

But the newspaper expose quoted a former aide of Fillons who said that he never actually saw Penelope Fillon do any of the things for which she was ostensibly paid. If in fact she received public funds for services that were never performed, that could be grounds for legal sanctioning.

The optics worsened with the additional revelation that Penelope Fillon had also been paid nearly $7,100 per month for over a year by the owner of the Revue des Deux Mondes, a literary review owned by an industrialist friend of Francois Fillons. Le Canard Enchaine suggested that she had done little for the publication besides cashing the monthly checks.

Frances presidential election is a contest that many analysts are now calling a race that will determine the immediate future of Europe in the wake of the Brexit vote and the surprise election of U.S. President Donald Trump. Fillon dropping out would lend even more uncertainty to a race without a traditionally strong leftist representative but with an increasingly popular National Front, Frances populist far-right party.

The two-round election will take place in late April and early May.

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Girls as young as 6 years old are less likely than boys to label people of their own gender as really, really smart, according to new research that raises questions about how stereotypical notions of male and female mental abilities shape the paths students take in life.

The findings, published Thursday by Science magazine, also show that 6-year-old girls tend more than boys to avoid games said to be for children who are really, really smart.

Researchers said their experiments suggest that gender stereotypes about brainpower take root at a pivotal point in childhood  around Grade 1  and can profoundly influence academic and career choices long afterward.

Small differences in daily choices about games and activities, starting at age 6 or 7, could accumulate over years, leading to life-changing gender gaps in experience and knowledge.

That might put girls at a disadvantage when pursuing fields that are perceived to rely on brilliance, said Andrei Cimpian, an associate professor of psychology at New York University and one of the authors of the study. Thats worrisome. These beliefs that seem to be present even in young children are the beginning of what might exclude girls from some of the most prestigious jobs in our society.

Cimpian teamed on the study with Lin Bian, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, and Sarah-Jane Leslie, a philosophy professor at Princeton University.

The findings were based on a series of experiments conducted with hundreds of randomly chosen children in Illinois aged 5 to 7.

In one, children heard a story about a person who was really, really smart and then were shown images of four unfamiliar men and women. They were asked to guess which image represented the protagonist. Many of the 5-year-olds, girls and boys, chose an image corresponding to their own gender. But 6- and 7-year-old girls were significantly less likely than boys to do so.

In another experiment, children were presented with two games  one for players who are really, really smart and the other for those who try really, really hard. Questions about their interest in these games found no gender differences in the one geared toward persistence. But girls were less interested in the one that relied on smarts.

Cimpian said the findings were revealing about young male attitudes. Theres also an element of boys being overconfident in their smarts, he said.

The findings could help illuminate the challenge schools face in combating gender stereotypes, even though girls often outperform boys in school. Girls drop out of high school at a lower rate than boys. Women are more likely than men to enrol in college, and they earn more college degrees each year than men.

But educators, business leaders and policy-makers are seeking to draw more women into higher-level studies in fields ranging from physics to philosophy. To varying degrees, stereotypes about brilliance, genius or brainpower can hinder girls and women in those and other disciplines.

Images of Albert Einstein or bearded ancient Greeks, reinforced by other notions on gender and braininess conveyed in media, can loom large in the minds of children, adolescents and young adults.

Andrew Meltzoff, a psychology professor at the University of Washington who has studied gender stereotypes, likened them to a disease that kids can catch through observing other people. He said the new study is an excellent paper that contributes to the quest for a cure.

The stunning fact is that we are role models for our 6-year-olds, he said. They want to be like us. If we hold stereotypes or biases, they are induced to hold them, too. Our children are taking data on how the adults in the culture act. Our stereotypes become their stereotypes.

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GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBAA new program is being developed to deal with Guantanamos feral cat population. Naturally, it will be called Operation Git-Meow.

It will be a more humane venture than others in the past. These cats may look cute and cuddly, but they have proven to be trouble, stated a 2013 story in the Joint Task Force Guantanamo publication, The Wire. The nuisance cats were fighting and threatening protected species such as Cuban boas and iguanas; once trapped, many were euthanized.

Git-Meows volunteers are raising funds and working with the U.S. navy to hire veterinarians to come to spay or neuter the cats. Those wild felines that can be socialized will be fostered and then either adopted by those living on the base or sent to D.C.

Safe, Humane, Legal, Transparent, is the motto of JTF Guantanamo and Git-Meow is certainly that.

If only it were as easy to convince the world that the infamous prison also complies with its slogan.

Safe? Perhaps. Detention centre spokesperson Navy Capt. John Filostrat said this week that the current prison population  41 detainees  is highly compliant, which means the guard force is more secure and there are fewer instances of prisoners encountering the militarys Quick Reaction Force of elite commandos.

Humane? Many would object. The majority of detainees that remain are known as forever prisoners. They will not be charged and are being held indefinitely.

Legal? Millions of dollars and more than a decade spent litigating that questions would say there is still serious doubt.

And transparent? No, not fully.

The job of painting a positive image of Guantanamo falls to the militarys public affairs officers, a team that has been rotating through here for the last 15 years, escorting journalists or reporting for The Wire.

It is a thankless task, and it is harder now with a president who thinks Guantanamo is great, not because it is safe, humane, legal and transparent, but because it isnt. Trump said during the campaign that waterboarding, a torture technique, works  and even if it doesnt, ah well, they deserve it anyway.

Filostrat has been here on two tours; his most recent is almost over. Asked if the administration impacts his job? Nope, Filostrat answered. We continue to do our mission down here, which is to safely house the law of war detainees and well continue to do it.

I know there are a lot of politics out there but at the end of the day were still focused on that mission.

If Trump decides to send more detainees to Guantanamo, Filostrat said as many as 255 could be accommodated pretty quickly.

And while Filostrat will not wade into Guantanamos politics, he did push for new barracks for the guards this week, saying their housing is substandard. Guantanamos prison, 15 years on, is showing its age. Infamous Camp X-Ray, which was built in three weeks to deal with the flood of prisoners from Afghanistan and elsewhere  it essentially looked like an outdoor kennel  is completely overgrown. As Filostrat says, its falling down, literally. Camp Iguana, where a group of Uyghur detainees lived before their transfer to Albania, Palau or Bermuda, looks derelict.

Guantanamo has always been a temporary base with tents, trailers and troops buzzing around on Kawasaki Mule 4x4s as they obey the islands 25 mph speed limit. The prison is what the army calls an expeditionary complex, one made to be erected and dismantled quickly in a war zone.

On Thursday, Filostrat escorted journalists on whats known as a windshield tour, driving past the signs declaring personal courage as Guantanamos value of the week and along the perimeter of the prison camps, which are empty except for Camp 6. On Saturday, he will escort journalists inside Camp 6, where 26 of the remaining 41 detainees are imprisoned.

Journalists are not allowed to see Camp 7, the secret prison holding 15 high-value detainees who were interrogated and tortured in so-called CIA black sites before being sent to Guantanamo. No one will talk about that prison or where on this base it is located. Filostrat says he has never seen it.

But five of the captives imprisoned there, the men accused of orchestrating in the 9/11 attacks, were seen in a war crimes court here Wednesday for pretrial hearings. Watching from a separate viewing gallery were six 9/11 survivors and relatives of those killed, flown to the base by the Pentagon to observe the proceedings.

Casser Baksh, who was just 10 years old on 9/11 when his uncle Michael was killed in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, said seeing the accused captives in person demythologized them. Theyre no longer figures of might and evil, theyre individuals who will get justice for the evil they have done, he said during an emotional press conference Friday afternoon.

All of the observers said they were impressed by the thoroughness and professionalism of the proceedings. I believe the military commissions are valid for something like this, especially (for) men that declare themselves warriors against the United States, said Daniel DAllara, who lost his twin brother John on Sept. 11, 2001. We live in a wonderful country that would afford enemies of the United States such very good, high quality defence counsel.

A draft executive order leaked this week is the only indication so far of where the Trump administration may be headed on Guantanamo  more detainees, more war crime trials before the controversial military commissions. Trump has already made it clear  if his Twitter feed amounts to presidential policy  that those here now will never leave.

That is especially troubling for the five captives who have long been cleared for transfer and may now be trapped here for at least another four years. They have been waiting for countries to accept them; or in the case of 51-year-old Abdul Latif Nasser, his repatriation deal to Morocco came too late, just after the required 30-day statutory notice informing Congress of a transfer. His lawyers failed to win last-minute legal appeals in Washington to waive the provision as the clock ticked down to Trumps inauguration.

But there is rhetoric and then there is the reality at this sleepy outpost with its 1,650 force of troops and civilians, its crumbling and mouldy buildings and its prisoners whose incarceration costs an estimated $10 million a year, per detainee.

The Pentagon announced this week the resumption of Guantanamos Periodic Review Boards for the forever prisoners. It seems Trump hasnt yet stopped these panels, which were established by the Obama administration to determine if the 26 men can be resettled.

If Guantanamo were to expand and more war crimes trials held here, its hard to envision the base functioning without a major facelift. Which means money. And Trumps not keen on that.

We spend $40 million a month maintaining it, Trump said in a campaign speech last year. I can guarantee you I could do it for a tiny, tiny fraction. I dont mean like 39 (million), I mean like maybe five, maybe three, maybe like peanuts.

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NEW YORKA Massachusetts man is accused of attacking a Muslim airline employee at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, allegedly kicking and shouting obscenities at the woman and telling her that President Donald Trump will get rid of all of you, authorities said.

Robin Rhodes, of Worcester, Massachusetts, had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts on Wednesday night when he approached Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, at the Sky Club in Terminal 2 while she was sitting in the utility office, authorities said. Khan is a contracted employee based at the Sky Club and works for a facility services company called ISS, according to Delta.

Khan told police that Rhodes came to the door and went on a profanity-laced tirade, asking her if she was praying, District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. Rhodes then punched the door, which hit the back of Khans chair, he said. The 60-yeaer-old Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and the 57-year-old Rhodes said shed done nothing, authorities said. He then cursed at her and kicked her in the leg, Khan told police.

When another person tried to calm him down, Rhodes moved away from the door and Khan ran out of the office to the front desk at the club, authorities said. Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down to imitate Muslim prayers and shouted obscenities, investigators said.

Brown said Khan recalled Rhodes saying: Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kinds of people. You see what happens.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes told officers, I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct, Brown said.

The airline condemned the behaviour in a statement Friday.

What happened in this incident is totally unacceptable and Delta has made its stance clear on these types of events, Delta said in the statement. People who are violent or exhibit bullying behaviour are not welcome.

Rhodes appeared in court Thursday night on charges of assault and menacing as hate crimes and is being held on $30,000 bail. He was represented by a public defender for the court hearing, but will have to get his own attorney for subsequent proceedings. His next court date is Feb. 8.

His mother, Dorothy Rhodes, said the behaviour alleged by authorities is uncharacteristic of her son.

Its not like him at all, she said. Hes not a violent person. Hes very kind.

Robin Rhodes is the president of Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions, a metals company based in Worcester.

Dorothy Rhodes said her son goes out of his way to hire people of different races and ethnicities.

Brown said Rhode displayed bigotry and hatred that have no place in a civilized society  especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation.

Khan was taking some time off from work, her employer said.

Our main priority right now is to ensure that the involved employee knows how much we support and value her, ISS said in a statement. When she is ready, we look forward to her safe return to work.

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WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive action on Friday implementing new vetting measures that he says are aimed at keeping radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States.

We dont want them here, Trump said.

The president signed the executive action, titled Protection Of The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States, at the Pentagon, where he met with the joint chiefs of staff and participated in a ceremonial swearing-in for Defence Secretary James Mattis.

A draft of the order obtained by The Associated Press includes an indefinite ban on accepting Syrian refugees, and a pause in the broader refugee program extends for 120 days.

The draft order would also stop all entries for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen for at least 30 days.

The White House has yet to release the text of the signed document.

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, repeated key details of the draft order to CNN shortly after the signing ceremony.

Trump said he only wants to admit people to the United States who will support the country. His comments echoed his campaign pledge to implement extreme vetting programs, particularly for people coming from countries with ties to terrorism.

Im establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America, Trump declared. We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people.

Joined earlier in the day at the White House by British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump reaffirmed the United States special relationship with Great Britain.

But he was also asked about more contentious issues, including his recent statements that torture does work in prying information out of terror suspects. Giving ground, he said his defence secretarys opposition would override his own belief. Hours later he stood at the Pentagon as Mattis, the retired general, was sworn in as the militarys chief.

Response from political figures

Trump was also pressed on whether he would revert to Bush-era use of torture, in the news since The Associated Press and other news organizations obtained copies of a draft executive order signalling sweeping changes to U.S. interrogation and detention policy.

Trump said he would defer to the views of Mattis, who has questioned the effectiveness of such practices as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding, or however you want to define it. ... I dont necessarily agree. But I would tell you that he will override because Im giving him that power. Hes an expert, Trump said.

The draft order, which the White House said was not official, also would reverse Obamas effort to close the military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba  a place Trump has said he wants to fill up with bad dudes.

The draft also requests recommendations on whether the U.S. should reopen CIA detention facilities outside the United States. Critics said the clandestine sites have marred Americas image on the world stage

Trump held firm Friday on another controversy  trade and illegal immigration from Mexico. He told reporters at a joint news conference with May that he had a very good call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier in the day, but he reaffirmed his belief that Mexico has outnegotiated and beat us to a pulp on trade  and that would change.

Were no longer going to be the country that doesnt know what its doing, he declared a day after the Mexican leader cancelled his visit to Washington in response to Trumps plans to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it.

While the refugee actions are aimed at thwarting terrorists, the border wall is more for keeping out immigrants trying to enter the U.S. for economic reasons  though Trump has continually also raised concerns about criminals flowing north.

The flurry of national security moves and foreign policy outreach capped a hectic first week for Trump at the White House, giving Americans an initial look at how he intends to position the United States around the globe.

Trump has the authority to determine how many refugees are accepted annually; he can suspend the program at any time. Refugee processing was suspended in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and restarted months later.

During the past budget year, the U.S. accepted 84,995 refugees, including 12,587 people from Syria. President Barack Obama had set the refugee limit for this budget year at 110,000.

Trump, according to the draft of the executive action, plans to cut that to 50,000. The draft order says that while the program is suspended, the U.S. may admit people on a case-by-case basis when in the national interest and the government will continue to process refugee requests from people claiming religious persecution, provided that the religion ... is a minority religion in the individuals country. That suggests it would allow the admission of Christians from Muslim-majority countries.

In an interview with CBN News, Trump said persecuted Christians would be given priority in applying for refugee status. We are going to help them, Trump said. Theyve been horribly treated.

Applauded by some in his own party, Trumps refugee action was strongly criticized by some Democrats.

Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition of America, welcoming immigrants, that has existed since America was founded has been stomped upon, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. Taking in immigrants and refugees is not only humanitarian but has also boosted our economy and created jobs decade after decade. This is one of the most backward and nasty executive orders that the president has issued.

Trumps order was signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which brought to mind the global effort to help refugees during World War II and its aftermath.

On another international issue, Trump is expected on Saturday to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the news conference with May, he was asked if he was considering lifting U.S. sanctions against Russia. But Trump was noncommittal, saying, Well see what happens. As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that.

Obamas administration and the European Union slapped Moscow with sanctions for its annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Relations have plunged to post-Cold War lows over Ukraine, Putins backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.

May, for her part, said the United Kingdom supports continuing the sanctions for now.

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President Trump says that it is not safe to accept certain kinds of refugees without extreme vetting that he has yet to detail. So he has now banned people from seven countries, including Syria, which I fled with my family in 2014. But we were thoroughly vetted before we came here, just like other refugees  exhaustively, endlessly vetted. We are not terrorists. And if wed been stopped from coming here, we would be suffering horribly right now.

When our 7-day-old son died while receiving treatment for jaundice in a Damascus hospital, my husband and I decided to flee the country with our daughters. We ended up in a cramped apartment in Tripoli, Lebanon, where we soon spent our savings; we were living hand-to-mouth.

After a year, I received a call from the United Nations asking if my family would like to resettle somewhere else. Based on our documents, stories and circumstances  our large family, five girls, my husbands potential as a healthy worker  we had been deemed eligible to apply for refugee status.

We could not return home to Syria. We could not continue living on the brink of starvation in Lebanon. A safe option was available: We began the application process to come to the United States.

The process started with a series of meetings with U.S. government representatives  at least five in-person interviews with each of us and countless phone conversations. The questions were very detailed: about my family, my friends, how I spent my time. The interviewers often knew the answers to the questions before they asked them. They asked about my life going back to the day I was born; they even knew the location of the hospital. My story is my story, so I knew that the details would match their information. But I was stunned by the level of scrutiny and the length of the process.

Each member of the family told their story, and those stories had to be consistent with interviews given by other people who knew us. If our answers didnt match information U.S. officials already had, or if they couldnt validate our information, we didnt progress to the next step. I had only a glimmer of hope that this would work  and that we could have a safe life for my daughters. We lived on that hope.

Finally, more than a year after we began applying and more than two years after we fled Damascus, we were cleared in December 2014 to resettle in Baltimore. We had $30 (U.S.) for the journey. During an airport layover in Germany, I bought a drink and, without realizing it, spent a third of our savings on a $10 bottle of water. My husband joked that now we were really finished and should just turn back.

We, too, have been appalled by terrorist attacks by Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL, around the world, and we condemn them wholeheartedly. My family and I lived through horrific acts like these. I believe the screening we underwent was so intense, so thorough and so long that it would be impossible for militants to come here.

Now my daughters, who previously spoke no English, are in school, and my husband has a good job as a driver for a clothing company. My biggest dream is for them to have a good education and good careers, and for us to be part of this society: to learn the language, to do something productive, to integrate. Thats exactly what Trump believes is impossible.

If we hadnt been able to come here, we would have been stuck. My parents and siblings are still in Tripoli, and they say the situation is so bad that you cant imagine it. Theres no work, the rent for houses is unaffordable and half the people are supported by the UN There is little medical assistance, and people who get sick dont have money for medicine. The situation is very bad. It is like this in other refugee destinations, too  in Jordan, Turkey and Egypt.

Things in Damascus, my hometown, are even worse. My sister still lives there with her sick husband and five children; we talk by WhatsApp every once in a while. They go four or five days without eating, even though she was recently pregnant. Because there are few doctors (and the ones that remain cost too much money), my sister gave birth by herself at home seven days ago. She isnt well-nourished enough to nurse the little girl, so theyve begun cooking rice kernels and feeding them to the infant. They are going to lose the baby if they keep that up, but its really hard to see your kid starve to death in front of you, so what are they supposed to do?

Trump says he wants to fight terrorism, but instead hes fighting the victims of terrorism. I want to ask him: If America is based on diverse people from different cultures and countries, what right do you have to tell suffering Muslims that they are unwelcome. Even your wife is an immigrant! Is it because shes not from a Muslim country?

With Trumps policy, we are telling people who are dying: We cant help you. Stay where you are, and die there.

 Linda J. and her family are Syrian refugees who made their way from Damascus to Lebanon and then to Baltimore. She worked with a caseworker and a translator from the International Rescue Committee, the non-profit that helped them resettle here, to tell her familys story of asylum. Nabila Hejazi, a Syrian American social-work student, provided further translation assistance. The Washington Post agreed that she could abbreviate her last name and omit other identifying details to protect family members in Damascus from persecution.

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A statement from President Donald Trump marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day omitted any mention of Jews or anti-Semitism, an apparent oversight that marks a departure from recent bipartisan precedent set by previous presidents.

The statement calls for remembrance of victims, survivors and heroes, but nowhere does it mention the millions of Jewish people killed during the Holocaust nor does it mention the ideology of anti-Semitism that led to the killings.

Heres the statement from Trump in full:

It is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.

Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.

In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good. Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world.

In a series of tweets, Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, noted the omissions.

@WhiteHouse statement on #HolocaustMemorialDay, misses that it was six million Jews who perished, not just innocent people, Greenblatt tweeted. Puzzling and troubling @WhiteHouse #HolocaustMemorialDay stmt has no mention of Jews. GOP and Dem. presidents have done so in the past.

The international day of remembrance has fallen on the day the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated since 2006. Former president Barack Obamas statements on the day noted the 6 million Jews and millions of other people who were killed by Nazis. In 2005, when President George W. Bush marked the 60th anniversary of Auschwitzs liberation, he declared it a reminder that when we find anti-Semitism, we must come together to fight it.

In 2007, Bushs statement marking the day noted: We must continue to condemn the resurgence of anti-Semitism, that same virulent intolerance that led to the Holocaust, and we must combat bigotry and hatred in all their forms, in America and abroad.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Fred Brown, a spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition, blamed the controversy on political partisans.

Its outrageous that people are using Holocaust Remembrance Day for partisan reasons or to try and settle scores, Brown said in a statement. The horrors of the Holocaust are not to be taken lightly. We must never forget the millions of Jews who suffered at the hands of hate, and the heroes who died fighting it.

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A proposed executive order that would reduce the number of immigrants and refugees from the Middle East and North Africa will likely affect thousands of Iraqi interpreters and soldiers that served alongside U.S. troops and have applied for United States visas, according to two refugee and immigrant advocacy groups familiar with the draft document.

The order being considered by the Trump administration probably would affect Iraqi interpreters who apply for the Special Immigrant Visa, said Mac McEachin, a national security policy associate at the International Refugee Assistance Project. If authorized, the executive action would temporarily block visas from seven countries for 30 days and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days.

Were trying to prepare for any eventuality, McEachin said.

Though a far cry from President Donald Trumps call during the election campaign for a complete shutdown on Muslim immigration, the move is aimed at immigrants and refugees from countries whose citizens would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, according to the document. Besides Iraq, those countries outlined in the draft are Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. The order would also effectively ban Syrian refugees from the United States for the foreseeable future. Though the listed countries are considered Muslim-majority countries, places such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey are not listed.

If Trumps final version of the order overlooks the program for interpreters and translators, the administration would be making a tactical error when it comes to future conflicts, McEachin said.

We might need interpreters in the future and the last thing you want to do is make people think well use them when its politically expedient and then get rid of them as soon as the next administration comes in, he said.

The Iraq and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa programs were started in 2008 and 2009 respectively as a commitment to help those who have helped us. While the Afghan program is ongoing  with roughly 2,300 applicants currently going through the visa process  the final allotment of visas for Iraqis was in 2014. Current Iraqi translators that are serving alongside the 5,000 U.S. forces in Iraq fighting Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL, still can apply for visas, as there are more than 1,000 still available. As of June 2016, more than 800 applicants and their families are awaiting Iraqi special immigrant visas, according to recent State Department data.

Once some restrictions are eased following Trumps temporary ban on refugees, priority for visas would be given to those claiming religious persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individuals country of nationality, according to the proposed order.

Matt Zeller, a former Army captain and the co-founder of the interpreter advocacy group No One Left Behind, said that he has tried reaching the White House and State Department in recent days to persuade them to put a clause in the order to no avail.

Its a complete 180 from a week ago, Zeller said, noting that under the Obama administration both offices were quick to engage on the subject. This is an overreach. Weve attempted to talk to the administration and our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Officials in the Trump administration are mistaken if they think more vetting is possible for candidates in the program, Zeller said. Current requirements for the visa include proof that the applicant served alongside U.S. troops for at least 12 months; a rigorous background check from multiple intelligence agencies; and a letter of recommendation from a U.S. military officer who worked with the visa candidate. The letter must vouch for the applicant and indicate that the person is in danger after having served with U.S. troops, Zeller said.

Weve let thousands of people in since 2008 and not a single one has been convicted, Zeller said. If this goes through, we will fully have failed to keep faith with our allies.

Chase Millsap, a former Marine officer and Army Green Beret, said the notion of a ban on refugees has devastated his friend, an Iraqi Army officer whom Millsap credits for protecting him from sniper fire in a 2006 incident.

He saved my life, Millsap said, who has spent the last two years trying to get his friend to the United States. If this executive order gets signed, the chances of him coming here are done.

The Iraqi veteran, who has been living in Turkey since fleeing Iraq in 2014, applied to come to the United States under the Refugee Assistance Program and was setting up his visa interviews when Trumps proposed plan leaked.

The Iraqi officer, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution from Daesh, said he feels lost and hasnt slept since the draft leaked Wednesday.

I wish to speak to my children when they grow up [about] how my relationship with my brother Marines and how we shared everything, the officer said. I do not want to tell them there are people who abused humanity under the name of religion.

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I was gob-smacked last week when I learned of the Ontario College of Teachers decision to revoke Chris Spences teaching qualifications. Dumbfounded. Confused. Irritated. Angry.

I thought I was witnessing a professional lynching.

Spence had always been motivated first and foremost by the welfare of our children, especially those at risk of falling through the cracks; hed been a courageous educational leader who supported front-line teachers and behind-the-scenes administrators. As the Toronto District School Boards Director of Education he spent more time in schools than any of his predecessors, he got his hands dirty, had little time for boardroom back-scratching or game-playing. Sure he was ambitious, but as a TDSB trustee and chair I was never threatened by that  and crucially, neither were the kids.

I was on the committee of trustees that hired Chris Spence. It was a grueling process that took more than six months. We scoured North America looking for the best candidate when we lured him back from Hamilton-Wentworth to Toronto where he had risen through the ranks from teacher to principal to superintendent, where he started the Boys to Men initiative, mentoring students and raising their expectations of themselves.

Spence paid dearly for his acts of plagiarism first revealed by the Toronto Star, resulting in the loss of his professional stature, his salary, and his reputation in the community. But he took responsibility and owned up to his mistakes.

In the context of Spences clear remorse for his acts, I saw an opportunity for Spence to talk to kids about academic ethics, about putting in the hard work and not taking short-cuts, and about taking responsibility when you mess-up. I believe Spences fall from grace remains a teachable moment.

This week I dug deeper into the discipline process for teachers in Ontario. The Ontario College of Teachers has a three-person panel that hears complaints. Three years after Spence resigned as Director of Education the complaint about him was officially heard. In essence, the panel concluded that Spence failed to maintain the standards of the profession because he gave speeches and wrote articles and blog posts and books which they allege contained plagiarized material. This month they decided that he would lose his certification to teach. A written decision is coming.

In my view, to a reasonable person taking away Spences certification to teach is not proportional to the magnitude of his mistakes. On the contrary  it is patently unfair and heavy-handed.

Combing through the decisions that the College of Teachers renders each year reveals dozens of teachers revoked, suspended, and reprimanded for transgressions. A teacher found guilty of having sex with a student: teaching certificate revoked. Pushing or hitting a student and calling him "a faggot": three-month suspension. Stealing $1,100 from a colleague: reprimanded. Beating a prostitute while in British Columbia: three-month suspension. Texting inappropriately, hanging out with students while they drank and smoked weed: nine-month suspension. These are examples of what I would argue are greater betrayals of trust, yet none resulted in lifetime decertification. I could not find one example of a teacher losing his or her teaching certificate for plagiarism.

Last week I also read in the Star of a physician suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons for only nine months after he was found guilty of groping multiple patients. That one, too, left my head shaking.

I stand by Chris Spence. If the opportunity had been presented, I would have advocated on his behalf at his discipline hearing. I would have told the panel without equivocation or doubt: this man should still be teaching children and leading teachers.

Bruce Davis is the former Chair of the Toronto District School Board and was a trustee from 2000-2010. He is currently the President of the Gananoque Brewing Company and a public policy consultant.

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Surprise. Donald Trump means what he says.

Those planning to deal with the new U.S. president, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, should keep that in mind.

Yesterday, the Trump carnival continued apace. Yes he is going to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, Trump tweeted. Just as he promised. And yes he is going to make the Mexicans pay for it.

If Mexico doesnt like the idea, Americas Tweeter-in-chief continued, then President Enrique Pena Nieto might as well cancel his planned visit to the White House next week. Pena Nieto obliged.

This came after a television interview in which Trump said he may re-introduce torture as an interrogation tool (as promised).

He has issued orders to crack down on illegal immigrants (as promised). And he is reportedly ready to temporarily ban all visitors and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries (as promised).

In short, he is doing everything his critics said were either insane or undoable. And yet Ottawa still seems to think Trump will give Canada a pass when it comes time to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact he yesterday called a total disaster.

It is true that Trump has saved most of his anti-NAFTA venom for Mexico. He has threatened U.S. companies planning to build new manufacturing capacity in that country instead of America. Some have responded by changing their plans.

So far, he hasnt mentioned Canada in his anti-NAFTA rants. But that may simply mean he has not yet turned his baleful gaze to the north.

The slogan of his inauguration, Buy American; hire American seems both clear and all-encompassing.

Still, the Trudeau government remains resolutely upbeat. It points out that Canada is the top export market for 35 American states. Its officials talk knowledgeably about supply chains and the economics of continental integration.

The Trudeau ministry was cheered when Stephen Schwartzman, the head of a business group advising Trump, showed up this week at their Calgary cabinet retreat to praise Canada.

But civil libertarians were equally cheered this month when four senior Trump appointees, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, said they opposed torture. That didnt stop Trump from raising this particular idea again.

Similarly, the views of Schwartzman, whose influence in Trump circles is unclear, may not reveal much about what the president thinks.

Some 23 American states export $1 billion each to Mexico each year under NAFTA. Yet that has not moderated Trumps views. Im not sure why the Canadian government thinks its facts and figures will be any more successful.

At a Republican congressional retreat yesterday, Trump said he wants to replace multilateral trade agreements with one-on-one deals. Does that formula apply to NAFTA? Does he want to replace it with separate Canada-U.S. and Mexico-U.S. pacts? He didnt say.

When his negotiators eventually start talking to Canada what will they want? He didnt address that either.

Some have suggested that the Trumpites will want to strengthen domestic content rules that allow manufacturers to include a certain percentage of parts made outside of North America in goods allowed to move duty-free among the three NAFTA countries.

Depending on the circumstances, changes here might benefit Canadian manufacturers and workers.

The Canadian government talks of modernizing NAFTA by making it easier for more professionals to get visas. There are hints that the U.S. would like stricter country-of-origin rules so that Canadian beef, for instance, would have to be labeled as such when sold in American stores.

All of these qualify as tinkering and can be done without too much harm to Canada.

But what if Trump wants considerably more? What if he wants to treat Canadian medicare, which is cheaper than the private health insurance many American workers have, as an illegal wage subsidy.

What if he wants to put paid to the supply management system that Canadian dairy and poultry farmers depend upon? What if he takes direct aim at medicare by insisting that U.S. private insurers be allowed to finance two-tier health care in Canada?

What if he demands that the big auto companies move their manufacturing plants south of the border?

The Trudeau government seems to think that rationality is on its side. It forgets that Trump operates under a different logic.

There is nothing wrong with renegotiating NAFTA. But is the Liberal government willing to walk away from free trade with the U.S. if Trumps demands prove too much to bear?

It had better be. Otherwise, Trudeau enters these talks not as a partner but as a supplicant.

Thomas Walkom's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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Re: Loonie loses groung, Jan. 19

Loonie loses groung, Jan. 19

Stephen Poloz is at it again by making statements that he knows will negatively affect the value of the Canadian dollar. Since leaving Export Development Canada and taking over as governor of the Bank of Canada, Poloz has been on a mission to lower the value of the Canadian dollar with the hope that this will stimulate exports. He has already admitted this strategy has not worked yet he refuses to give up.

The problem is not the value of the Canadian dollar but the failure of the few Canadian manufacturers that still exist to invest in the research, development and innovation necessary to compete in a global marketplace.

A better approach would be to encourage these manufacturers to make these necessary investments by taxing the capital funds they are currently simply sitting on.

Greg Sheehan, Mississauga

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Re: School closings a threat to small towns, Jan. 23

School closings a threat to small towns, Jan. 23

The problem of school closings in small towns could be solved by simply combining all public and Catholic schools into one public system. This would not only allow areas to retain a community school but would also solve the problem of having to provide a full secondary school system for minuscule numbers of public French language students because most French language students are Catholic.

While some may suggest that the Catholic school system in Ontario is guaranteed by the Constitution of Canada, such is not really the case. Both Newfoundland and Quebec removed the protection for religious schools by a simple resolution forwarded to the Parliament of Canada.

This could easily be done by the Ontario Legislature. Not only would this solve most problems for small communities but it would save huge amounts of money that could be used to fund many of the education deficits in our education system such as providing appropriate education for special needs children.

It is time to move Ontario education into the 21st Century.

William Phillips, Toronto

The potential impact of closing small rural schools is just another step in the challenges facing by rural Ontario, in particular the north. The decline of small communities is largely economic, but part of the blame rests with the Ontario government.

Many small communities used to host government facilities such as a police detachment, natural resources base and highway maintenance yard. As the various ministries retrenched to more centralized locations, the stable, well-paid, year-round staff and their families went with them. The decline of community facilities naturally followed.

To be true, however, a family that already lives a hours bus ride from a rural school must accept the restrictions that decision imposes.

Len Aitchison, Tiny

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Re: Hovering to Niagara, Jan. 20

Hovering to Niagara, Jan. 20

On the front page of Fridays GTA section, a teaser at the top of the page urges readers to turn to a story about a proposed hovercraft service from Toronto to the world-famous falls. Sadly, that is not the case.

According to the story, the proposed hovercraft would start in Toronto then skip across 51-kilometres of water before arriving at Niagara on the Lake, not Niagara Falls, as promised by the front page teaser photo.

Physically, the two communities are 23 kilometres apart. In terms of style and elegance, they are virtually worlds apart.

If Star editors do not know the difference between the two communities, I fear that the next time they do a story on Toronto, they may include photos from Wonderland (located in Vaughan, not Toronto) or Lester B. Pearson International Airport (in Mississauga).

Paul Russell, Toronto

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Saudi Arabia's state oil company is another step closer to its eagerly awaited initial public offering.

Saudi Arabian Oil, better known as Saudi Aramco, hired energy consultancy Gaffney, Cline and Associates to assess its crude oil reserves, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. The audit by the U.K.-based firm is a prerequisite for listing Saudi Aramco in the capital markets, which could happen as soon as next year, according to the Journal.

The assessment will play a critical role in determining the value of the company. Aramco is said to be worth between $2 trillion and $3 trillion, according to Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That would put the company well above Action Alerts PLUS holdingApple's (AAPL) $642 billion market capitalization. It would also be roughly three times larger than the market cap of the three U.S. supermajors ExxonMobil (XOM) , Chevron (CVX) and ConocoPhillips (COP) combined.

Gaffney, Cline declined to comment on the matter. Saudi Aramco did not immediately return our request for comment.

Saudi Aramco says it has 261.1 billion barrels of crude oil and condensate reserves. But considering that OPEC's leading producer pumps out more than 10 million bpd of crude oil a day, there is uncertainty about the actual size of the reserves.

By comparison, ExxonMobil had about 8 billion barrels of proved crude oil reserves along with approximately 25 billion barrels of proved oil-equivalent reserves, according to its 2015 annual filing with the SEC. (ExxonMobil is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and year-end results on Jan. 31. and will provide an update on its reserves in its 10-K filing with the SEC.)

While Gaffney, Cline and Associates will not be able to reveal the number of barrels Saudi Aramco manages, it will be able to say how long its reserves would last under normal conditions, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to a bond prospectus from October, the kingdom's oil reserves are expected to last for another 70 years. Should Gaffney, Cline and Associates confirm that number, investors will be more comfortable with Saudi Aramco's valuation.

Saudi Arabia is considering listing up to 5% of Aramco, which could be worth between $100 billion and $150 billion. That size would dwarf even Alibaba's (BABA) record-setting $25 billion, 2014 IPO.

The company is reportedly asking banks, including Goldman Sachs Group (GS) and HSBC Holdings HSBC, to play an advisory role on its IPO, according to Bloomberg. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Michael Klein's consulting firm have already been selected to advise on the IPO, Bloomberg reported.

Saudi Aramco has not yet determined where its shares will be listed, besides The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

Editor's pick: This article was originally published on Jan. 26.

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President Donald Trump may be a fan of building walls around the U.S., but he may face a tougher time preventing the free movement of talent -- even from his trade nemesis China.

Facebook's (FB) hiring of ex-Xiaomi executive Hugo Barra to head its virtual reality business Oculus may simply be a reflection of Mark Zuckerburg's desire to tap into a fellow Silicon Valley alumni, but it's also a reminder that talent in the tech world is borderless, and has long been so.

It may also signify the irreversible edge the Chinese tech world has achieved over the past few years, building their own ever-growing tech dimension -- separate to the Googles (GOOGL) , Facebooks, and Amazons (AMZN) -- to attract a market representing a fifth of the global population.

The Brazil- born Barra's stint at Xiaomi -- during which he adopted the Chinese name 'Tiger Brother' -- may have significance for Facebook and fellow Silicon Valley players, not only that he succeeded in his mission to globalize the company, but also in that he submerged himself in an environment perhaps parallel to the Valley where fearless adoption of state-of-the-art technology to catch up and overcome other global tech players quickly became the norm.

And indeed, Xiaomi gained prominence in the smartphone market soon after he joined in October 2013, doubling its share of the global pie to more than 5% a year later. In 2015, the company ranked No.5 in the global smartphone market, according to market research firm IDC.

The quick emergence of Xiaomi, co- founded in 2010 by CEO Lei Jun and seven others, has partly been thanks to its active introduction of advanced tech, which has then posed serious threats to existing giants like Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (SSNLF) . Some of the co-founders have experience at Google, Microsoft (MSFT) , and Motorola (MSI) . Barra himself was a product manager at Google since 2008, prior to joining Xiaomi.

When Barra unveiled Xiaomi's first global flagship smartphone - the Mi 5 - at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2016, he highlighted the adoption of Qualcomm's (QCOM) Snapdragon 820, its newest processor.

Xiaomi may also have raised the bar for other Chinese players. Since the company's emergence, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have not only overshadowed Xiaomi, they have also grabbed share from Apple and Samsung.

While all this was happening, China has also enjoyed a fast-paced boom of its own tech world.

Alibaba (BABA) , the equivalent of Amazon, and major Internet company Tencent (TCEHY) are well-known names trading in New York.

But it may be a lesser known fact that under these giants, a unique ecosystem has quickly developed to grab a meaningful portion of the global market and creating a world parallel to the west.

Tencent's free messaging app WeChat, released in 2011, had 846 million monthly active users in the third quarter of 2016, according to Statista. The number stands in good comparison with Whatsapp's 1 billion.

Meanwhile, SinaWeibo, partly owned by Alibaba and described as a combined version of Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook, had monthly active users of 275 million in mid-2016, compared with 320 million for Twitter.

Facebook equivalent Renren (RENN) has also played a part in the Chinese social networking world, but with lesser success.

(Apple, Alphabet, and Facebook are held in Jim Cramer's charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS. See all of his holdings here.
This article, originally published at 12:26 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, has been updated with market data.

Last fall, the U.S. Labor Department opened a "top to bottom" review into labor complaints against Wells Fargo (WFC) , including a claim that some employees worked off the clock to meet the ambitious sales quotas at the heart of a fake-account scandal.

The agency even added a page to its website with advice for workers at the San Francisco-based bank who believed their rights had been violated.

Now, less than a week after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a real estate mogul who promised on the campaign trail to eliminate excessive federal regulation, that page has disappeared.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, wants to know why.

"I am concerned that the Department of Labor has removed the website where Wells Fargo's employees who were victims of the company's fraudulent actions could file labor complaints or report illegal activity," Warren wrote in a Thursday letter to Acting Labor Secretary Edward Hugler. "Taking down this website enables Wells Fargo to escape full responsibility for its fraudulent actions and the department to shirk its outstanding obligations to American workers."

Warren said the page was still accessible on Jan. 20, the day of Trump's inauguration but it had disappeared by Jan. 24.

However, Labor Department spokesman Stephen Barr said Friday that the Wells Fargo page was removed on Jan. 9 while President Obama was still in office. Barr added that he did not know why the page was removed or whether it will be restored.

Warren and other senators had requested Labor's probe in September, after complaints of wage-and-hour violations surfaced following Wells Fargo's $185 million settlement with regulators over the fake accounts.

Employees under pressure to sell as many as eight products per household had opened both credit card and savings accounts for existing customers who hadn't approved them, authorities said.

Then-CEO John Stumpf, who said more than 5,300 employees were dismissed for the practice over a five-year period, was subsequently summoned to two contentious Congressional hearings before abruptly retiring in October.

The scandal also cost the bank lucrative deals with government bond-issuers, prompted lawsuits from shareholders and customers, and spurred probes by state attorneys general and the U.S. Justice Department.

The removal of the web page now, with fresh complaints emerging as recently as this week, is particularly worrisome, Warren said.

CNN Moneyreported Tuesday that the bank may have found some evidence that whistleblowers suffered retaliation after they tried to stop illegal sales tactics. Richele Messick, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman, said Friday that there is no place for retaliation at the company.

In addition, the Wall Street Journalreported Tuesday that more than a dozen current and former Wells Fargo employees said they saw colleagues shred papers that could have been related to the bogus accounts.

The company's shares dropped -1.1% Friday to $56.63. Wells Fargo lost as much as 11% of its market value in the wake of the settlement before erasing losses amid a broader rally in bank stocks after Trump's election.

For workers, he Labor Department's decision sends a horrible message, said Boston University Law Professor Cornelius Hurley. "The true test will be what the new labor regime does with the complaints that are filed either on the site when it existed or through other channels," he said.

While it's not clear who removed the page, Hurley says it was clearly either someone in the Trump administration or a career staffer who "recognizes that there is a new sheriff in town and they better behave accordingly."

While Trump's team has wasted no time communicating his wishes to federal agencies, the president's nominee to lead the Labor Department has yet to take office.

A confirmation hearing for Andy Puzder -- the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which controls fast-food chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's -- was postponed on Thursday for the third time to allow him more time to submit required paperwork.

Warren's letter doesn't mention Elaine Chao, Trump's pick for Transportation Secretary and a board member at Wells Fargo. Chao, also a former Labor Secretary in the George W. Bush administration, is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and one of the most powerful U.S. lawmakers.

Listed first among her principal qualifications and experience on Wells Fargo's most recent annual shareholder ballot is "government relations."

Chao, who is expected to step down from her Wells role and other directorships once confirmed, attended a hearing for the post on Jan. 11. She was OK'd by the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee earlier this week, but still awaits approval by the full Senate.

Under the Obama administration, "robust Department of Labor enforcement of wage and hour laws meant that 1.7 million hardworking Americans were finally paid the wages they were owed," Warren wrote.

"I hope that the department will continue this important work under President Trump and will ensure that every Wells Fargo employee that was cheated out of wages for their work or illegally retaliated against will be provided all of the remedies available," she added.

Warren had previously criticized Wells Fargo's auditor, KPMG, and the post-Enron Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE: Wells Fargo is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust portfolio.Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells the stock? Learn more now.
Donald Trump ran for president with the promise of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to quell the influx of illegal immigration into the country from our southern neighbor.

In order to get Mexico to pay for the wall, now-President Trump has proposed a 20% import tax on goods coming into the U.S. from Mexico. Bloomberg reporter Michael McKee appeared on Friday morning's Bloomberg Markets to discuss the ramifications of the tax.

Anchor Mark Barton asked McKee if it would be possible to "pry apart" the two economies without "huge" economic consequences.

"No, it would be very, very difficult to do," McKee responded. "The two countries are so intertwined, particularly in supply chains. And that is particularly true in the auto industry, one of the focuses of the president's complaints lately."

Auto parts and components are made and assembled in one or both countries and then put into cars in Mexico, which are then brought into the U.S., McKee explained. It would be difficult to untangle that relationship.

If such a tax went into effect, two areas that would be impacted most are machinery and electronics. Most TV sets sold in the U.S. are assembled from parts brought into Mexico, McKee continued.

"Agriculture would also be very severely affected; people are already talking about, in terms of this 20% tax, carve-outs for things like agriculture. Mexico produces things we don't get enough of here in the United States, like avocados."

The 20% tax would be implemented to fill the hole in the U.S. budget that cutting the corporate tax rate would leave, another Trump campaign promise.

"They want to cut [corporate taxes] from 35% to 20% [under the] House Republican plan. That would create a big budget deficit. They'd fill that with an import tax that brings in extra cash," McKee said.

The cost of building a border wall has been debated, with the Trump administration saying it will cost $12 billion and others saying $15 billion to $20 billion. But McKee noted an

MIT study

saying the cost will be closer to $40 billion.
Editors' pick: Originally published Jan. 27.

Want to go old school when using social media? Perhaps, so old school that you use a key to lock down your Facebook (FB) ?

Well, now you can. Only it's not so much like the key we've grown used to.

For most services, you only need a password to get into your email, subscriptions or in this case, your Facebook account. However, the social media giant has made it so that users can now "link a hardware token to their accounts," according to CNET.

Basically, it will allow users to log in from different geographies or computers and when the hardware is plugged in via a USB port, the network will know you are the one actually logging in.

It's what the industry refers to as two-factor authentication. In this case, you're using a password and a hardware authentication process. The "key" in this case looks sort of like a flash drive. While this may not seem like the most convenient process, it is one of the most secure for users.

In order to get their hardware, users can look to companies like Yubikey and Nitrokey for solutions.

Shares of Facebook closed at $132.18 Friday, down 0.5%.

It's earnings season, and with a number of big names having already reported -- the banks earlier this month, as well as Microsoft (MSFT) , Alphabet (GOOGL) and Starbucks (SBUX) all reporting Thursday -- most investors will shift their attention to another big name set to report next week: Apple (AAPL) .

Apple, Facebook, Alphabet and Starbucks are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL, FB, GOOGL or SBUX? Learn more now.

Apple is scheduled to release its results on Jan. 31 after the close, and while total iPhone sales should show a year-over-year gain, the average selling price for the device is expected to fall according to some analysts.

What does that indicate? Despite the significant overhaul that Apple made on the inside of the iPhone, some buyers just aren't finding it worthwhile to upgrade to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Instead, they are opting for the previous version, the 6S and 6S Plus, which come with a lower price tag.

Of course, sales have still been impressive for the device, but that doesn't mean a number of users aren't holding out on their own devices -- the 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus - in hopes that the next iPhone will really knock their socks off.

This isn't so much a negative mark on Apple's latest phone, as it is a positive mark on its older devices. The company's iPhone is of high enough quality that as long as some customers don't shatter the screen or drop it in the toilet, they will continue to use the device so long as it still functions well.

The hope from investors is that sales of the iPhone 7 will be strong enough to carry the company into the fall, when the expected iPhone 8 will be launched. If iPhone 7 sales can't bare the load alone, investors may look to Apple Services to help carry some of the burden.

While revenues from Services aren't like the revenues generated from iPhone sales, the impressive growth rate may win investors over.

Shares of Apple closed at $121.72 Friday, down 0.2%.

Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is feeling a little bit down lately. And no, it's not because of his Boring Company. Musk has been joining arms with President Donald Trump in the latter's initiative to boost U.S. jobs growth and #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.

However, with many in the tech space opposing Trump pre-election -- and Musk wasn't exactly supporting him -- some followers that are seeing Musk get behind Trump are a bit baffled.

Musk was previously a part of Trump's business advisory team, a group of American CEOs and business leaders that the president wants to meet with over the course of his term to help keep a pulse on the U.S. economy.

Given that Musk runs an automaker, he is also joining Trump's new manufacturing initiative, as is Ford (F) CEO Mark Fields. From the tech space, the list also includes Intel (INTC) CEO Brian Krzanich and Dell founder Michael Dell.

For tech followers and Democrats, it's easy to feel that Musk is "going to the other side," so to say. But really, he is fully entrenched in running his businesses and is only trying to improve the situation.

In response to one poster, who asked what Musk was doing and said the tech leader was losing credibility, Musk responded in a tweet that he's "hearing this from a lot of people & it's getting me down. I'm just trying to make a positive contribution & hope good comes from it."

In Musk's case, it's hard to blame him. For starters, he's already created a bevy of U.S. jobs - about 25,000 - with more on the way. That's got to please Trump. Additionally, it wouldn't hurt for Musk to stay in the good graces of the new administration, with his companies receiving government incentives and contracts.

Shares of Tesla closed at $252.95 Friday, up 0.2%.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai praised the "new family of beautiful hardware devices" that includes the new Pixel phone, during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call after the close on Thursday.

However, Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) didn't disclose much detail on how well the new device sold. The phone debuted in October and is the first mobile device with Google Assistant built in.

"We are thrilled with the reception as well as the really happy customers we saw over the holiday season," Pichai said about reaction to the Pixel and the Google Home voice-activated speaker and personal assistant.

Shares of Alphabet closed Friday at $845.03, down 1.4%, after the company missed fourth-quarter earnings.



After analyzing Alphabet's fourth-quarter numbers Friday, Deutsche Bank analyst Lloyd Walmsley estimated the company sold 1.5 million of the new phones, the only devices with Google Assistant built in. At an average price of $525 each, Walmsley notes, sales of the devices would come to $778 million in the quarter.

Assuming that Alphabet spent $100 million on marketing for the Pixel, Walmsley expects sales of the device produced $233 million of gross profit in the quarter.

Along with new features on YouTube and new cloud computing products, Pichai said the launches of the Pixel and Google Home products were Google's three "biggest bets" during the quarter.

While data on the Pixel launch are lacking, the market's reaction seems favorable. Verizon (VZ) President of Operations John Stratton singled out the Pixel as the most notable phone to launch during the quarter during his company's earnings call Tuesday.

Wells Fargo analyst Peter Stabler suggested the Pixel provided a lift to Google's hardware operations. "We view hardware as a mixed story where apparent success of Pixel phones could be offset by competitive challenges facing Google in catching up to [Amazon.com (AMZN) ] in the fast-growing home assistant market," Stabler wrote.

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly critical for the big tech players to differentiate their products and services. As the competition heats up among Google Assistant, Amazon's Alexa and Apple's (AAPL) Siri, the Pixel could serve as a showcase for Google's technology.

Alphabet and Apple are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GOOGL or AAPL? Learn more now.
The following companies are subsidiares of Novo Nordisk A/S: Aldaph SpA, Beijing Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Science & Technology Co. Ltd., CS Solar Fund XIV LLC, Calibrium, Corvidia, Corvidia Therapeutics Inc., Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc., Emisphere Technologies, Emisphere Technologies Inc., MB2 LLC, NNE A/S, Neotope Neuroscience Limited, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk (Pty) Limited, Novo Nordisk (Shanghai) Pharma Trading Co. Ltd., Novo Nordisk B.V., Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Novo Nordisk Colombia SAS, Novo Nordisk Comercio Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Novo Nordisk Denmark A/S, Novo Nordisk Egypt LLC, Novo Nordisk Farma OY, Novo Nordisk Farma S.R.L., Novo Nordisk Farma dooel, Novo Nordisk Farmaceutica Limitada, Novo Nordisk Farmaceutica do Brasil Ltda., Novo Nordisk Finance (Netherlands) B.V., Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Novo Nordisk Hellas Epe., Novo Nordisk Holding Limited, Novo Nordisk Hong Kong Limited, Novo Nordisk Hrvatska d.o.o., Novo Nordisk Hungaria Kft., Novo Nordisk Inc., Novo Nordisk India Holding Pte Ltd., Novo Nordisk India Private Limited, Novo Nordisk Kazakhstan LLP, Novo Nordisk Kenya Ltd., Novo Nordisk Lanka (PVT) Ltd, Novo Nordisk Limited, Novo Nordisk Limited Liability Company, Novo Nordisk Ltd, Novo Nordisk Mexico S.A. de C.V., Novo Nordisk North America Operations A/S, Novo Nordisk Norway AS, Novo Nordisk Panama S.A., Novo Nordisk Pars, Novo Nordisk Peru S.A.C., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Novo Nordisk Pharma (Private) Limited, Novo Nordisk Pharma (Singapore) Pte Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Taiwan) Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma (Thailand) Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma AG, Novo Nordisk Pharma Argentina S.A., Novo Nordisk Pharma EAD, Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH, Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf FZE, Novo Nordisk Pharma Inc., Novo Nordisk Pharma Korea Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Limited, Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharma Operations (Business Area) Sdn Bhd, Novo Nordisk Pharma Operations A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharma S.A., Novo Nordisk Pharma SARL, Novo Nordisk Pharma SAS, Novo Nordisk Pharma Sp.z.o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharma d.o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharma d.o.o. Belgrade (Serbia), Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries LP, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Services Sp. z o.o., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals (Philippines) Inc., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech US Inc., Novo Nordisk Production SAS, Novo Nordisk Production Support LLC, Novo Nordisk Producao Farmaceutica do Brasil Ltda., Novo Nordisk Region AAMEO and LATAM A/S, Novo Nordisk Region China A/S, Novo Nordisk Region Europe A/S, Novo Nordisk Region Japan & Korea A/S, Novo Nordisk Research Center Indianapolis Inc., Novo Nordisk Research Center Seattle Inc., Novo Nordisk S.P.A., Novo Nordisk Saglik Urunleri Tic. Ltd. Sti., Novo Nordisk Saudi for Trading, Novo Nordisk Scandinavia AB, Novo Nordisk Service Centre (India) Pvt. Ltd., Novo Nordisk Slovakia s.r.o., Novo Nordisk Tunisie SARL, Novo Nordisk US Bio Production Inc., Novo Nordisk US Commercial Holdings Inc., Novo Nordisk US Holdings Inc., Novo Nordisk Ukraine LLC, Novo Nordisk Venezuela Casa de Representacion C.A., Novo Nordisk d.o.o., Novo Nordisk s.r.o., PT. Novo Nordisk Indonesia, S.A. Novo Nordisk Pharma N.V., UAB Novo Nordisk Pharma, Xellia Pharmaceuticals, Ziylo, and Ziylo Limited.

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January 27-28, the Polish city of Rzeszow holds the tenth Poland-Ukraine Forum.

About 900 participants from Ukraine, Europe and the United States will take part in the Forum activities, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

During two days, 35 discussion panels will be held on four thematic areas: "Business and Economy", "European Integration and Reform", "International Affairs", and "Society".

The most important side-event will become the "East Fair", which is organized within the framework of the Forum for the first time. In particular, about 50 companies, mainly Polish and Ukrainian ones, will represent engineering, real estate, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, insurance, financial and recreational industries.

A significant number of Ukrainian politicians, experts, businessmen and journalists are expected to attend the Forum.

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In 2016, more than half of Ukraine's grain exports were sent to Asian countries, namely China, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

This is reported by the press service of the National Research Center 'Institute of Agrarian Economics' (IAE), citing IAE Deputy Director Mykola Puhachov.

A distinctive feature of the year 2016 in Ukrainian grain exports was further strengthening of the Asian vector. Countries of this region took nine positions in the Top 10 main importers of Ukrainian cereals with a total share of 54.3%, the report states.

Indonesia's grain imports increased by 2.1 times ($331 million), and its share reached 5.4%. Thailand's grain imports increased to $301 million with a share of 4.9%. China's share in Ukraine's total exports came to 7.6%.

India significantly increased the volume of grain purchases, although it imported a small amount of Ukrainian cereals in previous years. Last year Ukraine's grain exports to India amounted to $316 million, which is 5.2% of the total exports. Bangladesh also increased the volume of import deliveries from Ukraine.

According to Puhachov, Egypt has been taking the lead among the importers of Ukrainian cereals for years. In 2016, its share in Ukraine's exports was 12.4% ($755 million in value terms).

A reminder that Ukraine's grain exports came to 40.2 million tonnes in 2016, which is 7.5% higher than that recorded in 2015.

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The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted the declaration condemning Russia for its terrorist activities in Ukraine.

Vice President of the PACE, Ukrainian MP, and one of the authors of the document Georgii Logvynskyi posted this on his Facebook page.

"The deputies of all PACE political groups, except the united left, have condemned the actions of the Russian special services aiming to assassinate member of the Parliament of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko," he wrote.

The investigation has revealed that the suspects were recruited by the Russian secret service. The two men previously served a jail sentence in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and were released early by the occupation authorities in order to commit this crime. The main motive was to murder a prominent Ukrainian statesman. Mr. Gerashchenko has co-authored the Myrotvorets International Terrorist Database and is well-known for his anti-Russian stance. We urge the governments of the Council of Europe Member States to exert pressure on Russia to make it stop financing and plotting terrorist activities in Ukraine and put an end to human rights violations, the declaration says.

Logvynskyi noted that PACE members from Georgia had informed of a similar situation in their country "when representatives of the Russian security services used criminals and former prisoners from the occupied territories with the aim of organizing terrorist attacks and assassinating politically undesirable persons."

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin says meetings with representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump's Administration may be held during a visit of the Ukrainian delegation to the United State in February, where Ukraine will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council.

When asked by reporter about the plans for first official meetings with the new U.S. Administration, Pavlo Klimkin said: Were carrying on a dialogue. As for the dates, Ill announce them a little bit later. This means Ill be [in New York] next month, because, as you know, well chair the Security Council. We will have two very important ministerial meetings: one is dedicated to critical infrastructure threats and another one is devoted to conflicts in the European area. Of course, Ill meet there with representatives of the U.S. Administration," Klimkin said.

He also added that in the near future he will inform on the dates of meetings.

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The United Nations aid chief warned on Thursday that Yemen was sliding deeper into humanitarian crisis and could face famine this year
January 26, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Shigeki Sumi officially launched the Year of Japan in Ukraine.

As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, the ceremony was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, Ukrainian parliamentarians and government officials, representatives of the Ukrainian-Japanese business community and cultural organizations.

"Ukraine considers Japan to be a very important partner. Over last 25 years, Japan has proved that it is a true friend of our country, which supports us morally and provides comprehensive support for the reforms," Klimkin said.

Klimkin reminded that President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko during his official visit to Japan in April 2016 had announced his intention to declare 2017 the Year of Japan in Ukraine in a sign of respect and gratitude for 25 years of friendship and partnership between our countries.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Shigeki Sumi, in turn, stressed that 25 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries showed fruitfully cooperation in many areas. In particular, he noted the exchange of experience in overcoming the consequences of nuclear accidents.

"Japan is working closely with the G7 and the European Union, but the Ukrainian issue is also on the agenda of our country, and the bilateral relations between Japan and Ukraine are important to us. We will continue to support and cooperate to ensure peace and stability in Ukraine," the diplomat noted.

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Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Waschuk has handed over ten ambulances to representatives of medical institutions from different regions of Ukraine. The ambulances were purchased for the funds of Canadian benefactors.

As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, the solemn ceremony of handing over took place within the framework of celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Canadian-Ukrainian diplomatic relations on Friday.

"The funds for these ambulances were collected across Canada. They were adjusted to the Ukrainian standards in the five provinces. Hundreds of people from civil society, provincial governments and the federal government participated in this process. The ambulances are handed over to the hospitals from Luhansk to Chernivtsi, i.e. from the east to the west, as we collected money for them from the east to the west of Canada. That is why it is a gift from the entire Canada to the whole united Ukraine," Waschuk said.

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The Information Policy Ministry of Ukraine, the Embassy of Japan and National News Agency Ukrinform are launching an information program dedicated to the Year of Japan in Ukraine.

Head of the Information Policy Ministrys sector of the media communication and cooperation with media, Maryna Sobotyuk told Ukrinform that yesterday, January 26, the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Japan was marked.

She recalled that in order to enhance the bilateral cooperation and strengthen relations between Ukraine and Japan, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko issued a decree declaring the year 2017 the Year of Japan in Ukraine. Therefore, the Information Policy Ministry in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine are planning to hold a range of events aimed at acquainting Ukrainians with the culture, traditions and history of Japan. According Sobotyuk, the Student Council at the Informational Policy Ministry, experts of international communications are gathering information about ten unique features of Japan that may be useful for Ukraine. She also added that the ministry is planning to hold joint activities that will render the experience of Japan in the information technology sector.

As a reminder, on January 20, a ceremony of signing of agreements on grant assistance for grassroots projects (Kusanone programme) of the Japanese government was held at the Embassy of Japan in Kyiv. On January 21, a tea ceremony with the participation of the Ukrainian branch of the Japanese School of Tea Ceremony Urasenke was held at the National Art Museum of Ukraine.

Thus, according to the program of events foreseen within the Year of Japan in Ukraine, which is available to Ukrinform, on February 19, the National Art Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv will host an exhibition of Japanese Ukiyo-e prints. The event organizers are the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine and the National Art Museum of Ukraine.

On January 27-29, classes of Japanese are to be held at the National Art Museum, as well as lectures about the Japanese culture on January 29 and February 5-12.

On February 1-15, an art project "Internal Japan" is to take place at Kyiv History Museum. The organizer is the Fund for Cultural Initiatives ArtHuss.

On February 5-12, the Ukrainian-Japanese center at the National Technical University of Ukraine KPI will host Hatsugama, the festival of the first cup of tea in the new year. The organizer is the Ukrainian branch of the Japanese School of Tea Ceremony Urasenke.

On February 8-12, an origami exhibition is to take place at the National Art Museum of Ukraine, as well as origami master classes scheduled for February 11. The organizers are the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, the National Art Museum of Ukraine and Kyiv Origami Club.

On February 17-19, the Japanese Film Festival is to take place at Kinopanorama cinema.

On March 3-16, the National Museum in Lviv will host an exhibition of Japanese Ukiyo-e prints.

On March 11, the National Museum of Chornobyl in Kyiv will host an exhibition of Okiagari-koboshi dolls.

On March 17-18, the 9th International Symposium on Japan and Japanese Studies 2017 "Study and Research of Japanese language and literature: the impact and understanding of Japanese realia" is to be held at the Institute of Philology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

On March 18, the Ukrainian-Japanese Center at the National Technical University of Ukraine KPI will host the 16th all-Ukrainian workshop on problems of teaching the Japanese language. The organizer is the Japanese Language Teachers' Association of Ukraine.

On April 2, a joint performance of Terada Ballet Art School and Kyiv State Choreographic School is to take place in Kyiv Operetta Theater. The organizers are Terada Ballet Art School and Kyiv State Choreographic School.

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 Starting a decade ago, a group of small U.S. cities began passing laws to block undocumented immigrants from living within their borders.

They were a collection of mostly white exurbs and faded manufacturing towns whose populations suddenly were transforming. More Latinos were arriving in search of jobs, and the towns leaders complained of burdened schools and higher crime.

Here in this northeastern Pennsylvania city, then-Mayor Lou Barletta said he would do what he could to restore law and order and take back his city. It was time, Barletta said, for a war on the illegals.

And while that sentiment is shared among some advisers to President Trump, the experiences of these towns show how measures targeting undocumented immigrants can leave lasting and bitter racial divisions while doing little to address the underlying forces that often determine where newcomers settle.

The laws in most cases aimed to make it illegal for landlords to rent to undocumented immigrants and threatened fines for employers who hired them. But among the six most high-profile towns that tried to pass such laws, all have been foiled by court rulings, settlements or challenges with enforcement. Several have been ordered to pay the legal fees for the civil rights groups that brought suits. And in five of the six towns, the Latino population  legal or illegal  has continued to grow, attracted by a continued rise in low-paying jobs.

It wound up costing our city $9 million in attorneys fees, said Bob Phelps, the mayor of Farmers Branch, Tex., a Dallas suburb that saw its ordinance defeated in court after a seven-year legal battle. And we accomplished zero.

The local efforts were championed by two men who are now Trump advisers and reportedly were considered for Cabinet positions. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who counseled most of the cities in their legal challenges, consulted with Trump during his campaign about issues including a border wall with Mexico. Barletta is now a U.S. House member and was part of Trumps transition team.

Trump on Wednesday rolled out the first phase of what is expected to be sweeping immigration policy changes, signing orders for the construction of a border wall and the targeting of sanctuary cities that resist the deportation of undocumented immigrants. His administration is also considering tighter restrictions on refugees from several Muslim-majority countries. Trump has more latitude to carry out immigration policy changes than states or cities do, but his policies could face legal challenges  or bring about unintended economic consequences.

[D.C., other sanctuary cities defiant in the face of Trumps threats]

These ideas are more easy to sell as political talking points than as real policy options, said Muzaffar Chishti, the director of the Migration Policy Institute at the New York University School of Law. Just because you say you want to do something doesnt mean youll be able to.

Difficulties with enforcement

The towns that took action  Hazleton; Farmers Branch; Valley Park, Mo.; Riverside, N.J.; Escondido, Calif.; and Fremont, Neb.  did so largely out of frustration, fed up with swift demographic changes and what they saw as the rising costs of caring for undocumented residents. The newcomers were drawn by cheaper housing costs and new industries that attracted low-wage labor.

The presence of illegal aliens places a fiscal burden on the city, Fremonts ordinance read.

(Alice Li/The Washington Post)

At the same time, the federal governments inability to seal the border was helping to drive an argument that towns and states had the legal right to do a job that Washington could not manage. Kobach, a longtime activist who worked at the time for the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, sought to use those towns as a testing ground for his aggressive stance. Most of the laws were passed in a flurry between 2006 and 2007.

Although immigration enforcement had long been the purview of the federal government, finding those who had crossed the border illegally or overstayed visas was not doable without the help of local law enforcement, said Rosemary Jenks, the director of government relations at NumbersUSA, which favors a reduction in immigration.

You should help states and localities do what they want to do voluntarily in order to help the enforcement of immigration law, Jenks said.

But localities have not gotten the chance. In Hazleton and Farmers Branch, federal judges ruled the ordinances discriminatory and unconstitutional. In Escondido, the town quickly backed away after a challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union. In Valley Park, the towns mayor decided to no longer enforce what his predecessor had put in place. In Riverside, as legal bills piled up, the city council rescinded the ordinance, fearing damage to businesses. Dozens of other towns considering Illegal Immigration Relief Act laws backed off.

The municipality that has come the closest to successfully implementing such a law is Fremont, a meatpacking town west of Omaha where a six-year court fight, financed through a tax increase, won the city the right to ban undocumented immigrants from rental housing. But just as the citys officials put the law in place in 2014, they realized it would not be effective: Fremonts rental applications, with their wording approved by the courts, did not require the information, such as a Social Security number, that could help determine whether a person was in the United States legally.

Courts also have weakened several states illegal-immigrant laws, most notably in Arizona. Michael Hethmon, who is senior counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute and helped Kobach handle the Hazleton case, said that the local efforts have faced more setbacks than victories but that the towns money has been well spent in taking a stance. The towns had no data on the number of undocumented residents before or after the ordinances, making it difficult to measure how well the laws worked in driving away that part of the population.

If you compare our advocacy struggle to other issues  civil rights issues or LGBT  you have to remember that those folks lost a lot more [at the beginning] before they ultimately prevailed, Hethmon said.

The battles over the local ordinances, residents of those towns say, helped create fault lines that remain visible. Escondido in 2014 rejected a permit for a shelter that would have housed unaccompanied minors who had come across the southwest U.S. border; a new ACLU lawsuit alleges that the rejection was driven by anti-immigrant sentiment. In Fremont, the town has been split by a proposed new Costco poultry processing plant  one that would add hundreds of jobs but probably would accelerate the arrival of immigrants.

The makeup of our town has really changed, and again with this chicken plant, theres going to be a majority of low-income jobs that will not bring us taxpayers and homeowners, said Dawn Wiegert, 55, who has lived in Fremont for 25 years. People that will be a burden on all of our other resources  I dont know how else to say it without sounding racist.

In Hazleton, the first place to propose an illegal-immigrant law, some of the tensions have worsened with the proliferation of social media, said Joleen Reis, 24, a Hazleton day-care worker who is one of the few who straddle the white and Latino communities. Her father came to Pennsylvania from Peru as a migrant worker and met her mother, who is white.

Reis pulled up a local-news page on Facebook. The latest item mentioned a police report  two men in dark clothing stealing from vehicles.

So are you ready for America without illegals? one commenter said. Because I am!

Filthy animals! another said. Send them back somewhere now!

Reis sighed.

I try not to read this stuff, typically, Reis said. But they assume everyone is illegal. And its always us versus them. 

Blamed for towns woes

Tucked under the crisscross of highways near the Pocono Mountains, Hazleton had endured the slow-motion decay common in blue-collar manufacturing and mining towns, only this time there was a twist: A newer set of state tax breaks helped lure a blitz of distribution centers, as well as a Cargill slaughterhouse, to the outskirts of town. The Latino population, at 4 percent in 2000, had soared to 38 percent by 2006, with many Dominicans moving from the Bronx and Brooklyn in search of jobs and cheaper housing. Barletta said he was concerned about higher crime rates, and when a 29-year-old was killed, allegedly by undocumented immigrants, he decided to act.

He searched on his computer about get-tough laws on immigration, finding an ordinance, debated but never passed, written by the city council in San Bernardino, Calif. Barletta copied the text almost verbatim. Hazletons ordinance would make it illegal for businesses to hire undocumented immigrants and called for fines for landlords who rented to them.

Several months later, Hazleton had a new law and CNN trucks outside its city hall.

Barletta emphasized that he opposed only those in the United States illegally and was driven to act by several obvious problems: The population was booming, but the tax base wasnt  a sign, he said, of undocumented immigrants not contributing to the system. Schools were spending more money to educate Spanish-speaking students. Hazletons woefully understaffed police force  short by about 30 officers  was struggling to deal with an uptick in violent crime.

I saw how it affected the lives of people, our emergency rooms, our schools, Barletta said in an interview. A mayor had to take the stand. Listen, it wasnt fun  trust me. When my dog barked in the middle of the night, I had a shotgun under my bed.

The law easily won the city councils approval, but its enforcement was held up by an injunction and a lawsuit brought by civil rights groups, including the ACLU. In court, some of Barlettas arguments for the law ran into trouble: He said he didnt know how many undocumented immigrants lived in Hazleton or how many had committed crimes. The town hadnt studied it.

A federal judge eventually ruled that the law was illegal because it usurped the federal governments power and would affect not just undocumented immigrants but those who look or act as if they are foreign. Other courts upheld that ruling over eight years. Kobach, paid $250,000 by Hazleton, did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment.

In 2015, a federal judge ordered Hazleton to pay $1.4 million to the lawyers who had fought the town.

The city, with a budget of $9 million, took out a bank loan and cut a check to the ACLU, said Joseph Yannuzzi, the mayor who succeeded Barletta.

With that money, Yannuzzi said, we could have hired 12 police officers.

No choice about the changes

Latinos now constitute 50 percent of Hazletons population. Theyve opened up carnicerias and beauty salons and boutiques along once-decrepit Wyoming Street. They tend to be younger and much likelier to work than Hazletons white residents, according to census data, and now make up much of the labor force at the airport-size distribution centers of American Eagle and Amazon.com (whose chief executive, Jeffrey P. Bezos, owns The Washington Post). Hazleton native Joe Maddon, the manager of the Chicago Cubs, several years ago opened up a community center aimed at building closer relationships between whites and Hispanics.

To be honest, residents who were here before dont have no choice about the changes, said Eric Garcia, 37, a Dominican who moved to Hazleton from New York in 2005 and owns a photo studio.

But many longtime residents, unnerved by the influx of foreigners, have left the city limits for what they call the valley suburbs. With an immigration message similar to Barlettas, Trump won nearly 60 percent of the votes in Hazletons Luzerne County.

Jamie Longazel, a Hazleton native and University of Dayton sociologist who in 2016 published a book about his home town, Undocumented Fears, said that Barletta, with his ordinance, introduced a villain that people barely talked about beforehand. Longazel found in his research that only 0.7 percent of crimes in Hazleton between 2001 and 2006 had been committed by undocumented immigrants.

I dont want to made it sound like Hazleton is only full of backwards racists, said Longazel, who conducted focus groups and interviews with longtime white residents. I want to emphasize this point that a lot of the scapegoating we see is top-down. Politicians are speaking this language and then we tend to echo it, rather than there being malicious intent from the bottom.
The deadline to sign up for this free community event that is open to all is Nov. 16.

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"We need to invest in our kids," said resident Brenda Robinson. "That's how we keep graffiti out of Waterhouse Center and mischief out of the downtown on Saturday night."
Evzio is used to deliver naloxone, a life-saving antidote to overdoses of opioids. As demand for the product has grown, Kaleo has raised its twin-pack price to $4,500, from $690 in 2014. (Cam Contrill /For The Washington Post)

First came Martin Shkreli, the brash young pharmaceutical entrepreneur who raised the price for an AIDS treatment by 5,000 percent. Then, Heather Bresch, the CEO of Mylan, who oversaw the price hike for its signature EpiPen to more than $600 for a twin-pack, though its active ingredient costs pennies by comparison.

Now a small company in Richmond called Kaleo Pharma is joining their ranks. It makes an injector device that is suddenly in demand because of the nations epidemic use of opioids, a class of drugs that includes heavy painkillers and heroin.

Called Evzio, it is used to deliver naloxone, a life-saving antidote to overdoses of opioids. More than 33,000 people are said to have died from such overdoses in 2015. And as demand for Kaleos product has grown, the privately held firm has raised its twin-pack price to $4,500, from $690 in 2014.

Founded by twin brothers Eric and Evan Edwards, 36, the company first sought to develop an EpiPen competitor, thanks to their own food allergies. Now, theyve taken that model and marketed it for a major public health crisis. Its another auto-injector that delivers an inexpensive medicine.

One difference, though, is that Evzio talks users through the process as they inject naloxone. The company says the talking device is worth the price because it can guide anyone to jab an overdose victim correctly, leave the needle in for the right amount of time and potentially save his or her life.

According to Food and Drug Administration estimates, the Kaleo product, which won federal approval in 2014, accounted for nearly 20 percent of the naloxone dispensed through retail outlets between 2015 and 2016, and for nearly half of all naloxone products prescribed to patients between ages 40 and 64  the group that comprises the bulk of naloxone users.

And the cost of generic, injectable naloxone  which has been on the market since 1971  has been climbing. A 10-milliliter vial sold by one of the dominant vendors costs close to $150, more than double its price from even a few years ago, and far beyond the production costs of the naloxone chemical, researchers say. The other common injectable, which comes in a smaller but more potent dose, costs closer to $40, still about double its 2009 cost.

Still, experts say the devices price surge is way out of step with production costs and a needless drain on health-care resources.

Theres absolutely nothing that warrants them charging what theyre charging, said Leo Beletsky, an associate professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston.

Kaleo, which is trying to blunt the pricing backlash and turn Evzio into the trusted brand, is dispensing its device for free  to cities, first responders and drug-treatment programs. Such donations were also essential to the EpiPens business strategy.

The device has been invaluable to patients, said Eliza Wheeler of San Franciscos Harm Reduction Coalition, a nonprofit organization that works to combat overdoses and has received donations of Evzio. But at $4,500 a package?

I might have $10,000 to spend on naloxone for a year to supply a whole city, Wheeler said. If I have 10 grand to spend, I certainly cant buy two Evzios.

Mark Herzog, Kaleos vice president of corporate affairs, said in an email that most earlier naloxone devices were developed, designed and intended for use in medically supervised settings.

Prior kits contained a pre-filled syringe. The Evzio was the first to help nonprofessionals dispense the drug. And competition is limited: One of the few consumer-friendly alternatives to Evzio is a nasal-spray device for naloxone which costs $125 for two doses.

A growing market

The opioid crisis has led more experts to call for expanded access to naloxone  for people navigating addiction and for those around them. The idea is that if someone nearby could overdose, dispensing the drug should be as easy as pulling the fire alarm.

Federal and state governments have spent millions of dollars equipping police officers and other first responders with naloxone. In communities particularly hard-hit by drug overdoses, places such as schools, libraries and coffee shops are keeping the antidote on hand. Physicians are prescribing it to patients who are taking prescription painkillers in an effort to make sure they  and their families and friends  are prepared.

The Evzio could be ideal, especially when medical professionals are not nearby, noted Traci Green, an associate professor at Boston Universitys School of Medicine. But the price limits access.

Its a really good product, she said. Its elegant. People do like it  but they cant afford it.

Theres a lot of value to this formulation, said Ravi Gupta, a medical student and lead author of a December op-ed on the pricing issue, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. But its not justified. This pricing is not justified.

But consumers may not yet be pinched. In another Mylan parallel, Kaleo offers coupons to patients with private insurance, so they dont have any co-pay when they pick up the device.

So Kaleo would say the price hikes are essentially moot. Herzog said they are necessary to subsidize programs that do not offer co-payments. In a follow-up email, he added that the list price is not a true gauge, because insurance companies can sometimes negotiate rebates and discounts. And, he said, since the price increase, more patients have gotten Evzio prescriptions filled  so the cost doesnt seem to be stopping them.

Mylan provides a similar EpiPen discount  a move thats helped cement it as the dominant epinephrine provider. But even if consumers dont directly pay for the price increases, theyre affected, analysts cautioned.

When you have these kinds of programs, the cost is still borne by patients, because insurance premiums go up, Beletsky said.

That, analysts say, undermines Kaleos argument that theyre somehow increasing access. After all, while some government agencies and private organizations get the drug for free or at a deep discount, that isnt true across the board. For those who dont get that deal, the list price matters.

Take Vermont. The states been particularly hard-hit by the epidemic  more than 70 people died of opioid overdose in 2015, and its been dubbed Americas heroin capital.

Its health department is trying to get naloxone into the hands of people using opioids, setting up distribution sites around the state. But because of its high cost, Evzio isnt an option, said Chris Bell, who runs the state health departments emergency preparedness and injury prevention division. So it is opting for the nasal spray that costs a fraction of the price.

Thats not true everywhere, though. The Veterans Health Administration, known for its especially high rate of patients taking opioid-based prescription painkillers, covers the auto-injector. It can do so, though, because of its bargaining power  the agency is legally authorized to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies.

As a result, Veterans Affairs is paying far, far less than the Evzio list price, said Joseph Canzolino, deputy chief consultant for pharmaceutical benefits management at VA. (He would not release the precise figure.)

The agencys buying power is such, he added, that even when companies drive up prices, what VA pays will stay more or less stable  far below a figure he called pretty exorbitant.

Thanks to an infusion of public funding to combat opioid overdoses, other institutional buyers may also be able to afford Evzios. Their budgets are larger right now, so theyre less price sensitive, said Nicholson Price, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School.

But that money comes from somewhere  most probably taxpayers. And its hardly sustainable, Price noted, saying at some point in time, the rubbers got to hit the road.

Kaleo has given away more than 180,000 devices, Herzog said, distributed in 34 states among about 250 organizations such as police departments and nonprofit groups that distribute naloxone to people at risk of overdose.

Advocates and pharmacy groups have made videos touting the product. In neighborhoods where overdose is common, businesses  such as fast-food restaurants, grocery stores and other retail establishments  are interested in keeping readily dispensable naloxone on hand.

But those whove accepted free Evzio devices and have come to rely on it may soon face withdrawal. Last year, Kaleos donation supply was exhausted by July. Herzog said the company has added to its donation supply and is taking applications from groups hoping for free devices.

Barring a meaningful expansion, the free device program could run out of supplies even sooner if the opioid crisis keeps up.

The problem, Price noted, is that policymakers havent found a solution to get people needed medication and keep pricing in line with value.

EpiPen happened, and everyone was like, Wow, this is terrible, we shouldnt allow this to happen,  he said. And we havent done anything about that, and its not clear what the solution is. Now, shocker, its happening again.

Correction: This story has been changed to correct the price for two doses of a nasal-spray device for naloxone. It is $125 not $150. Contrary to what an earlier version of this story stated, that price has not climbed.

Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health newsroom whose stories appear in news outlets nationwide, is an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Butch Trucks, a drummer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, one of the most prominent Southern rock groups, died Jan. 24 at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was 69.

Page Stallings, Mr. Truckss booking agent, confirmed the death. The cause was not disclosed.

Mr. Trucks was one of two original drummers, along with Jai Johanny Jaimoe Johanson, who helped formed the rhythms and the drive for the Allman Brothers. Formed in 1969 and led by brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, the group helped define the Southern rock sound that incorporated blues, rock, country and jazz.

Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., Trucks joined with the Allman siblings to form the band, including guitarist Dickey Betts and bassist Berry Oakley. They moved to Macon, Ga., to cut their first record with Capricorn Records.

The two drummers melded their individual styles, with Mr. Trucks considered the straightforward, driving train rhythm player, while Johanson added his R&B and jazz drumming influences.

The bands 1971 live album, At Fillmore East, became its seminal breakthrough album. It featured songs such as You Dont Love Me and a 22-minute version of Whipping Post.

Duane Allman died shortly after that record in 1971, and Oakley died in 1972, both in motorcycle wrecks. The band continued to record and tour before breaking up in the late 70s. Over the past three decades, they have re-formed several times with additional band members.

In 1995, the Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Claude Hudson Trucks was born in Jacksonville on May 11, 1947. He began drumming in grade school and was a tympanist in local symphony orchestras. He attended Florida State University, quipping that he majored in staying out of Vietnam.

He was playing with a rock combo called the Bitter Ind when the Allman brothers spotted him at a club in Daytona Beach, Fla. A few years later, they brought him into their new band.

Mr. Trucks also helped encourage a family lineage of musicians. One nephew, Derek Trucks, is the frontman of the Tedeschi Trucks Band and also joined the Allman Brothers band in 1999 as a guitarist. Another nephew, Duane Trucks, is the drummer for Widespread Panic.

Mr. Trucks was most recently touring with his band, Butch Trucks and the Freight Train. He is survived by his wife, Melinda, and four children.
The CIA was able to set up its secret complex of overseas black site prisons in 2001 only because it had legal approval from government lawyers, cooperation from Congress and foreign allies, and the ability to operate without detection.

None of those conditions exists today, making it highly unlikely that President Trump would be able to restart the much-maligned program even if he ordered it to happen.

And some of the programs original architects would strongly advise him against it anyway. John McLaughlin, deputy CIA director when the program was established and a fervent supporter of its value ever since, said flatly, No, when asked whether rebooting it was a good idea. This is not something you can do without legal support, congressional support and public support, and that support does not exist.

[Does waterboarding work? Seven questions about the interrogation technique]

International uproar over revelations that the CIA was secretly holding high-ranking al-Qaeda members, and torturing some of them, forced President George W. Bush to transfer them to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The issue has remained so politically toxic that U.S. forces stopped capturing most top terrorists on the battlefield altogether and began killing them instead. Then-President Barack Obama increased the number of such targeted killings using drones, CIA paramilitary forces and the militarys most secretive unit, the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC.

(Whitney Leaming/The Washington Post)

Today, U.S. forces have little contact with Islamic State prisoners, who are held in Iraq by Iraqi or Kurdish forces.

As a candidate, Trump linked his embrace of torture, which is prohibited under U.S. and international law, to his desire for retaliation and his fear of what he called radical Islamic terrorism. He said the Obama administration was failing to defeat the Islamic State because it was not tough enough.

Neither Trump nor his campaign have ever detailed his plan to defeat the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

As far as Im concerned, we have to fight fire with fire, Trump said in an interview this week with ABC News after he described the Islamic States practice of beheading. But the president also said he would ultimately rely on the judgment of Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, both of whom have repudiated torture and waterboarding in particular. And if they dont want to do it, its 100 percent okay with me. Do I think it works? he said, referring to waterboarding, Absolutely.

[Read the draft of the executive order on CIA black sites]

Whether torture works in forcing terrorists to divulge information remains a contentious question, even after 10 years of debate. A lengthy Senate Intelligence Committee report determined that the CIA never proved it works, but rebuttals to that came from CIA officials involved with an interrogation program that used waterboarding and that has left many detainees mentally impaired.

Beyond the lack of consensus on that basic question, torture has been outlawed in the United States because of the lasting damage it can inflict on a country that holds itself up as a beacon of human rights and of the rule of law. The black sites were specifically created to get around the constraints imposed by U.S. law on the humane treatment of defendants who were in custody and awaiting trial or of prisoners of war who were held until the end of the conflict.

Many terrorism analysts say that the existence of CIA prisons, the use of torture and the military abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay were potent recruitment tools for a new generation of terrorists. Most Americans and Europeans captured and beheaded by the Islamic State were photographed wearing orange uniforms similar to those worn by Guantanamo detainees.

The revelations of CIA prisons also prompted government investigations across Europe. The investigations unearthed the names, and eventually ended the careers, of officials in Poland, Italy, Lithuania and elsewhere cooperated in maintaining secret prisons or capturing and flying suspected terrorists through their countries airspace.

[What are black sites? Six key things to know abut the CIAs secret prisons.]

An Italian court pursued cases against the CIA officers involved in the rendition kidnapping of an Egyptian imam off the streets of Milan and the transfer of the man to Cairo. A German prosecutor helped a German national prove that the CIA had wrongfully abducted him and sent him to a CIA prison in Afghanistan called the Salt Pit.

It is unlikely the United States could count on Europes secret cooperation again to allow the transit or even flight rights for detainees moving to new CIA secret prisons, former CIA officials and others said.

Other countries that cooperated with us in the past feel burned, said John Yoo, author of the original White House legal memos approving CIA interrogation methods that were later repudiated as torture. They may feel they cant trust us anymore.

But Yoo predicted that recent terrorist attacks in France and Germany would make European nations more willing to cooperate again on extreme counterterrorism measures. I think its sensible for the president to reconsider secret prisons and to keep all options on the table.

Trump also said this week that he will order that more detainees be sent to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, which Obama had tried unsuccessfully to close. Forty-one prisoners remain there.

If Trump were unable to find foreign countries willing to host new secret prisons, he might try use Guantanamo Bay, which originally hosted a small CIA secret prison. But it is likely that the Defense Department would vigorously fight against the move, as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had when Bush decided to send the remaining CIA captives there.

He fought the move, he wrote in his memoir, Known and Unknown, because I was convinced the military would be damaged further by allegations of detainee mistreatment if the CIA program became conflated with the Department of Defenses detention operations.

The biggest impediments to new CIA prisons, though, would come from CIA employees, many of whom feel unfairly blamed for a practice the Bush White House ordered and authorized, and from current U.S. law, which prohibits using anything other than the Army Field Manual to interrogate detainees, even terrorists. That law would have to be repealed.

Julie Tate contributed to this report.


Tom Holland inside his Juice Joint Cafe, which he had to shutter in October. (Astrid Riecken/for The Washington Post)

At the start of the new year, Tom Holland changed his health insurance. He signed up for a plan through the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. He had little choice: His previous insurance didnt cover many of the services he needed, including a biopsy scheduled for Jan. 9.

The former owner of the Juice Joint Cafe in downtown Washington had already canceled the biopsy once after learning it would cost a grand to get that done, he says. He knew he shouldnt let the procedure slide any longer. The lump in his neck had not gotten any smaller since he first discovered it last spring.

I did less [for my health] because I was underinsured. . . . Its the perfect Catch-22: Youre damned if you do, damned if you dont, says Holland, 56. If I didnt have Obamacare, I wouldnt have the quality of insurance I have now.



The federal government forms for applying for health coverage under Obamacare. (Jonathan Bachman/Reuters)

How long Holland will continue to have Obamacare is anyones guess. Since taking office, President Trump has wasted little time keeping a campaign promise to repeal and replace the ACA. His first executive order was to instruct all federal agencies to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the Act that would impose a fiscal burden on individuals, businesses and others affected by the law.

Experts debate the impact the order will have on Obamacare, but it could, in the short term, waive the penalties that individuals and employers face in dealing with the ACAs mandates. That alone would be a step in the right direction for groups such as the National Restaurant Association, which has opposed the employer mandate  and all the administrative burdens it places on businesses.

On the other hand, if the Republican-led Congress dismantles the ACA, millions of workers might find themselves without health insurance, or with a policy with fewer benefits, depending on what the GOP offers as a replacement. Four Senate Republicans put forth a new health-care plan on Monday that would allow states to tailor their insurance systems but would maintain the ban on denying coverage based on preexisting conditions. Other proposals are forthcoming.

Restaurant workers could be among the hardest hit by a rollback. With more than 14 million workers nationwide, the hospitality industry employs 10 percent of the American workforce, according to the National Restaurant Association. And many of them are on edge as Congress reconsiders Obamacare, says Saru Jayaraman, co-founder and co-director of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United), an advocacy group for restaurant employees.



President Trump hands Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, right, an executive order that directs agencies to ease the burden of Obamacare. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

By ROC-Uniteds estimates, about 10 million restaurant workers are now covered under the ACA or Medicaid, which was expanded in many states under Obamacare.

Very few restaurant workers before the ACA had anything at all, she says. When you have [insurance], then you start to deal and treat things that have been a problem for a very long time. When you cut it off, its almost worse than never having insurance at all.

ROC-United has, for years, floated a theory: Whats bad for American restaurant workers is bad for the American people. The hospitality industry, the organization argues in a 2010 publication, Serving While Sick, offers low-paying jobs in a fast-paced, high-risk environment with hot stoves, sharp knives and slick floors. In surveys of more than 4,300 restaurant workers, nearly half of them reported they had been cut on the job. More than 63 percent reported they had cooked or served food while sick.

Employees, of course, rely on workers compensation for accidents that occur in the restaurant, but before the ACA, many had no insurance to pay for hospital visits for injuries at home or elsewhere, Jayaraman says. U.S. taxpayers end up footing the bill for those unpaid hospital bills, she says, just as American diners pay the price for cooks and servers who, without access to health care or paid sick days, show up for work when ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that most norovirus outbreaks from contaminated food occur in food service settings like restaurants, the result of sick employees.

We all know that our folks work sick, says Jayaraman. They perpetuate the public health problem.



Sarah Gordon, left, and her wife, Sheila Fain, are co-owners of Gordys Pickle Jar. (Astrid Riecken/for The Washington Post)

Sarah Gordon is the co-owner of Gordys Pickle Jar, the Washington-based company dedicated to pickled produce, and she is no longer sick. This month, Gordon will celebrate her 14th year of being cancer-free. Shes just 35 years old.

In 2003, when she was a senior in college, Gordon was diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma in her right buttock. She was devastated. Always active, she was told she might never run again. But after nine months of treatment, Gordon survived the cancer scare with a minimum of damage. The only thing I cant do is tie my shoe because of scar tissue, she says.

The bills for her care were large, Gordon remembers. She doesnt recall the final price. She, after all, was on her parents insurance at the time. But she frets now about her own coverage, which she purchased through the ACA. Its a plan, for which she pays about $214 a month, without any subsidy. Her deductible is high  $5,000  and her maximum out-of-pocket expense per year is $7,150. But the plan appears to cover everything she would need should her cancer return.

The thought that she might be denied coverage in the future because of her preexisting condition sets Gordons teeth on edge. (Gordys, incidentally, will start offering health insurance this year to its four full-time employees.) She equates it to the days before same-sex marriage was legal in the United States: An insurance company can deny you benefits based on who you are. It makes me feel like Im being discriminated [against] for having a preexisting disease, she says.



Demonstrators support the Affordable Care Act at a rally in Newark on Jan. 15. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters)

The National Restaurant Associations board of directors is meeting this week to determine its official stance on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. Historically, says association spokeswoman Leslie Shedd, the group has not supported a full repeal, but has lobbied the government to ditch the employer mandate, which comes with huge amounts of paperwork for businesses with more than 50 employees. A repeal of the mandate, the group argues, would not be the death of employer-provided health insurance.

Our employers see offering health insurance as a very powerful tool to recruit and retain employees, says Robin Goracke, the associations director of health-care policy.

But ditching the mandate would relieve larger restaurants of the administrative burdens. The paperwork includes monthly reports listing the number of full-time employees, the health coverage offered to them (and their dependents), if any, and how much employees paid out of pocket for monthly premiums. This kind of tracking would be burdensome for any company, the association argues, but its even tougher on restaurants with typically high turnover.

Goracke estimates the ACAs reporting requirements can cost a restaurant between $30,000 and $400,000 a year in labor or outside vendor fees. This is money, she notes, thats not actually improving the health care they offer employees or improving their restaurants.



About the possibility of changes to Obamacare, Tom Holland says, Im trying not to think about it. (Astrid Riecken/for The Washington Post)

Tom Holland will soon be shelling out money, too. His biopsy results came back on Jan. 13. It was a Friday, naturally. The exam confirmed his fears: He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer that, left untreated, can lead to serious complications, according to the Mayo Clinic.

He had no time to contemplate the dark Shakespearean turn his life had taken: For more than 20 years, he was the proprietor of a cafe dedicated to helping people eat healthful meals, but had to shut down his business in October to focus on his own health. The cafe had been struggling with declining revenues, which is why he had stopped offering health insurance for his 12 or so employees a few years ago  and part of the reason he hadnt been following up with his own medical treatment.

Right now, Holland had to start seeing oncologists to understand how far the cancer had spread during the months he did nothing to stop it. This week, he underwent a PET-CT scan, which offered some good news: The cancer remains localized in his neck. He plans to have a biopsy Friday to determine whether he needs to remove his tonsils, and possibly more tissue, as well as the cancerous growth. Surgery is planned for next week.

Hollands HMO plan under Obamacare includes a $1,000 deductible and a maximum out-of-pocket expense of $4,500. So far, hes paid only $30 co-pays for office visits. The bills will come due later. But for now, at least, his cancer treatments are covered.

That could change when Obamacare changes. In the eyes of a new provider, Holland will officially have a preexisting condition called cancer.

Im trying not to think about it, Holland says. At this point, what am I going to do?


Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman in director George Cukors 1944 film Gaslight  a term that has now become a buzzword in psychology and politics. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

She hears footsteps from above, shuffling against the attic floorboards. A framed painting suddenly vanishes from a wall. The gas-fueled flames of the chandelier flicker and dim.

She is certain it happened  but her husband assures her that shes imagining it all. Its her behavior that seems odd, he insists; perhaps shes going mad? And, slowly, she begins to believe him.

This is the plot of the 1944 Ingrid Bergman film Gaslight. It is also the origin of a buzzword that has spread from pop culture to clinical psychology and back again  but has never been more visible than it is now, in commentary about the conduct of President Trump:

CNN: Donald Trump is gaslighting all of us

Teen Vogue: Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America

NBC: Some Experts Say Trump Teams Falsehoods Are Classic Gaslighting

This is a very specific accusation. To gaslight someone isnt just to lie to them or to manipulate their emotions. It is a deliberate attempt to deceive someone into questioning their own perception of reality. (Suddenly, Im beginning not to trust my memory at all, says Bergmans character, Paula, as her faith in her senses begins to fray.)

Throughout Trumps ascent to the presidency, he was repeatedly accused of this sort of manipulation. When he wanted to shift attention away from his vocal support of the birther movement, he falsely claimed that Hillary Clinton had started the conspiracy theory. Trump told the New York Times that it was a mistake for him to retweet an unflattering photo of Ted Cruzs wife  then later insisted in a TV interview, I didnt actually say it that way. He vehemently denied that he had mocked a disabled reporter, despite a widely circulated video that showed him doing exactly that. After winning the election by a narrow margin, losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million, Trump hailed his victory as a landslide. Most recently, Trump and his administration have insisted that the crowd at his inauguration was the largest in American history  even as aerial photographs, crowd estimates, Metro ridership numbers and witnesses on the scene show otherwise.

Naveen Joshi, a professor of cultural studies at Humber College in Toronto, isnt surprised that commentators have assigned a clinical label to Trumps tendencies. Gaslighting was adopted by psychologists after the movie, which was based on a 1938 play.

But with the rise of people talking about mental health, you see people using these terms more effectively now, well beyond professional settings, Joshi says. And especially with online social networking, they can circulate like wildfire.

The idea of a malevolent force messing with your mind is deeply embedded in our popular fiction  a central plot point, Joshi says.

Long-running soap operas such as Guiding Light were among the first to seize on the concept, he says. Victor Newman is constantly gaslighting his children in The Young and the Restless to convince them that the problems with the family are their fault and not his.

Jack Nicholsons character in The Shining tries to convince his wife that she is overreacting to alarming occurrences in a haunted hotel. In Showtimes Homeland, Claire Daness character is gaslighted by enemy operatives who swap her bipolar medication and send her spiraling into a full-blown breakdown. The HBO drama Westworld is centered on an entire race of androids who have their memories controlled and repeatedly wiped clean by human overlords. In last years thriller The Girl on the Train  spoiler alert  gaslighting was an essential part of the films climactic plot twist.

These sorts of stories resonate, Joshi says, because they reveal just how easy it is for people to become disoriented, especially when theyre vulnerable, he says. It speaks to how helpless we are when were screaming for information and we dont know whether its true or not.

But it wasnt until 10 or 15 years ago that the term itself became popular, popping up frequently in advice columns or news stories about domestic violence.

As is common with people who mistreat others, Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax told a troubled reader in 2013, your partner responded by blaming you and apparently gaslighting you off to therapy.

(Obtained by The Washington Post)

Until recently, it was rare to see the word used in a political context  though in a 1995 New York Times column, Maureen Dowd argued the Clinton administration was gaslighting then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich by needling him with minor slights. (She predicted it wouldnt work: In the movie, the husband tried to make the wife unstrung because she wasnt unstrung. You cant Gaslight someone who is already a little lit.)

It wasnt until late 2015 that we began to see gaslighting applied to Trump. Among the first to do so was conservative pundit Matt K. Lewis, in a November 2015 article for the Telegraph: Any introspective person covering Mr Trump will eventually have to grapple with whether or not they want to believe The Donald or their lying eyes.

And then, even some psychologists took up the idea, drawing parallels between Trumps actions and the classic tricks of gaslighting  such as undermining the victims perspective, controlling the topic of conversation and forcefully denying the truth.

Leah McElrath, a psychotherapist and political activist, analyzed Trumps quasi-apology after the release of the notorious Access Hollywood video in which he made vulgar comments bragging about assaulting women.

Trumps insistence that these words do not reflect who I am amounted to gaslighting, McElrath wrote  similar to the language shes heard from domestic abusers  effectively telling the public that the reality you just experienced didnt actually happen. (Her Twitter thread on the subject was retweeted thousands of times.)

Fortunately, some of our gaslighted heroines from fiction offer tips on how to break free of the cycle, Joshi says.

Either it becomes so evident that something is wrong  as in The Shining, where blood pouring out of the elevator is hard to ignore  or you need a witness, someone who is there to help you through it and point it out, he says.

But as gaslighting slips into common parlance, he worries were not always using it correctly: It ends up getting flattened, and it begins to mean nothing. Gaslighting does not apply to every type of deceptive behavior, he says  even if he would argue that its been fairly applied to Trump in some cases.

Its quite obvious to see that theres some form of manipulation going on, Joshi says. Were going to have to read ourselves out of it. We need multiple sources. We should be critical of everything  even the word gaslighting itself.
President Trump said he will sign a bill blocking the District from spending local tax dollars to subsidize abortions for low-income women, bolstering antiabortion forces Friday as they marched on the Mall.

Timed to coincide with the March for Life, House Republicans this week passed a bill that would codify what is known as the Hyde amendment into law.

Although the bill has been introduced in prior sessions and has never been brought to the Senate for a vote, abortion foes hope this year will be different. With Trumps backing and the potential support of some vulnerable Democrats from red states, abortion opponents are optimistic. We are certainly going to be encouraging the Senate to vote, said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee. We know there would be overwhelming support among the American people for it.

The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) with companion legislation introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), would put into law a prohibition against the use of federal funds for abortion, which lawmakers already routinely insert into larger pieces of legislation. It would also ban the District from using locally raised tax dollars to provide abortion services to poor women.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has not publicly said whether he will bring the bill to the floor for a vote. His office declined to comment as Senate Republicans gathered in Philadelphia for their retreat.

1 of 34 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Photos from the scene of the March for Life rally in Washington View Photos The 44th annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. Caption The 44th annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. Jan. 27, 2017 Jaime Brown, 22 and Molly Hurtado, 30, both from Connecticut, pose before the rally. Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

But Politico on Wednesday reported on a behind-closed-doors exchange in which McConnell said the bill could not pass the Senate because Democrats have enough votes to block it. His office declined to confirm the exchange.

Unlike the House, theres not a lot of will to have these fights in the Senate, said Jennifer Duffy, an expert on the Senate at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Sure, there are a few members but not the numbers they have in the House.

Senate Democrats could filibuster to block a vote on the antiabortion bill. And even if the legislation came up for vote, passage would be difficult. To meet the 60-vote threshold, Republicans would need to deliver all their members  already a tall order  and gain eight Democratic defectors.

Right now, unfortunately, the majority of Democratic senators are linked at the hip with Planned Parenthood, Tobias said. When the abortion lobby says, Jump, these Democratic senators say, How high? I dont have a lot of respect for them because I dont believe they are showing a lot of independence.

Abortion opponents would have to rely on Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin III (W. Va.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), who all face reelection in 2018 in states that voted for Trump. They also all opposed changing the Democratic Partys platform to call for the repeal of the Hyde amendment, which bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the woman or in cases of incest or rape.

Keeping taxpayers out of the abortion business should be a bipartisan issue and we hope that Senate Democrats will support this reasonable and popular principle, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which opposes abortion, said in a statement.

Casey, the antiabortion son of a former Pennsylvania governor with similar views, supports the Hyde amendment and has introduced legislation to codify it into law in the past. His spokesman, John Rizzo, said he would review the bill if it came to the Senate.

Although Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) supports the Hyde amendment, he opposes Smiths bill because it restricts District funds and prevents women from purchasing insurance coverage for abortion services through the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

The Trump administration strongly supports the bill, according to a policy statement issued by the White House on Tuesday.

[Trump reverses abortion-related U.S. policy, bans funding to international health groups]

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order reinstating a rule that prevents U.S. aid from going to foreign organizations that perform abortions.
Investigators found no evidence that a 16-year-old girl fatally shot inside her Maryland home on New Years Day was targeted by a 15-year-old classmate at her high school, Howard County police said Friday.

Police said they found no personal relationship between Charlotte Zaremba and Sean Crizer, who broke into her familys home early on Jan. 1 wearing a mask and killed her before committing suicide.

Detectives reviewed cellphone records and computers, but found no communication between Charlotte and Crizer, according to a statement released Friday morning. While they were acquaintances at Howard High School, investigators do not believe they had a close friendship or relationship.

Police still do not know Crizers motive for entering Zarembas house in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, and may never be able to determine his intent, the statement said.

Shortly before 2 a.m. on New Years Day, Crizer, a student at Howard High, entered the Zarembas ranch home in Ellicott City, Md., and made his way into Charlottes bedroom. She had just returned from a friends house. Police said Charlottes mother, Suzanne Zaremba, 52, a registered nurse, first heard a scuffle and ran into Charlottes bedroom, where she saw her daughter and a masked intruder fighting.

People console each other next door after learning that Charlotte Zaremba, 16, had been shot and killed in her home on New Years Day. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

[Girl, 16, fatally shot, mother wounded in attack in Ellicott City, Md.]

Crizer first wounded Suzanne in the leg, then shot and killed Charlotte, before turning the gun on himself in her bedroom, in front of Charlottes mother and father, Jim Zaremba, 51, also a registered nurse. Charlotte, the the youngest of the Zarembas two daughters, was rushed to Howard County General Hospital that morning and pronounced dead. Suzanne was treated and released later that day. Crizers death was announced two days later on Jan. 3 as a result of the self-inflicted gunshot wound.

From the outset of the investigation, police struggled to find any significant link between Charlotte and Crizer. He lived about a half-mile away from her with his grandparents.

Police said Crizer had burglarized at least two homes in their neighborhood in the run-up to the homicide. He had stolen the gun he used against the Zarembas from a nearby house, police said.

In the weeks since Charlottes death, police learned that Crizer had stolen several other items in the neighborhood, including womens underwear, family photographs, keys and jewelry. Police said they suspect two other juveniles were collaborating with Crizer in the burglaries but were not with Crizer the morning of the murder, according to Fridays press release.

One 15-year-old male from Ellicot City has been charged with burglary; a second juvenile may also be charged, police said. Investigators believe up to seven homes may have been burglarized. Police said their investigation into the homicide and burglaries remains open.
People in the city of Mosul have set up a market on a broken bridge.

The bridge is one of several damaged or destroyed in fighting between Iraqi government troops and Islamic State (IS) militants. Government troops now control almost all of Mosul east of the Tigris River.

Sixteen-year-old Ahmed says the militants blew up most or all of the bridges before the army arrived. Maybe it was strategic. But I think they just want(ed) to destroy things.

The market opened just a few days after IS militants were forced out of the area two weeks ago. Helicopters still attack militants in some nearby neighborhoods. Smoke can be seen rising from airstrikes and shells exploding. But the market continues to grow.

A man named Mohammed sells dairy products, frozen chickens and bottled water on the bridge.

I didnt choose to stay and live under Islamic State rule, he says. But where else would I go?

Mohammad is joined by others selling fruit, credit for telephone service, cleaning products and other goods. On the street near the bridge, people sell fuel, snack foods, cigarettes and other things. Groups of young men sell vegetables. Another young man sells containers filled with cooking gas.

Over the past few months of IS rule, prices in Mosul rose sharply. Food and fuel prices were five to 15 times their usual level. The increases harmed many people in Mosul.

Prices are now back to normal. But people say they and others have little money to spend.

People selling goods on the bridge say they are much happier now than they were in the past few months. They say the militants became cruel as Iraqi army troops moved closer to the city.

A young man says he helps people move goods from place to place, using his wooden cart. He says he earns $8 to $12 a day for this service. Carts like his must be used because automobiles are banned in areas of the city controlled by government forces. That is because troops fear the vehicles will be used by suicide bombers.

But Iraqis are still moving around the city. Some of them are returning to the homes from which they fled. Others are fleeing Mosul. And many people are searching for supplies after many months -- or even years -- of isolation.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

VOA Correspondent Heather Murdock reported this story from Mosul. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her report into Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

strategic  adj. of or relating to a general plan that is created to achieve a goal in war, politics, etc.,

dairy  adj. relating to foods made from milk

snack  n. a small amount of food eaten between meals

cart  n. a small wheeled vehicle that is pushed

isolation  n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others
Leaders of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland have introduced legislation to restructure a burgeoning medical marijuana industry that has come under scrutiny for a lack of racial diversity.

Bills introduced this week would change the membership of the 16-person Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission to better reflect the diversity of the state, while requiring the agency to rescore applications for cultivation licenses and give extra weight for black-owned businesses.

Black state lawmakers have criticized marijuana regulators for authorizing cultivation operations led almost entirely by white executives, despite provisions in the 2014 legalization law calling for a diversity among growers. They note that African Americans nationwide have been disproportionately locked up for marijuana offenses, and they say black-owned companies have been underrepresented in the lucrative legal industry.

[Read the full marijuana diversity bill]

The attorney generals office has previously said state officials must demonstrate racial disparities in the medical marijuana industry or similar industries before offering racial preferences in licensing. The cannabis commission is hiring a consultant to advise on whether to conduct such a study.

Del. Cheryl D. Glenn, a Baltimore Democrat who chairs the black caucus, says details of the legislation are still being drafted. She said the 15 companies already approved to grow marijuana would not lose their licenses under the bill, but would not be able to start operating until additional minority-owned businesses also were approved.

Glenn also said there is legislation in the works that would aim to dissolve the commission outright and re-create it as a division of the state health department.

Paul Davies, chairman of the commission, blasted the proposals as detrimental for patients and said he would request a legal review.

To introduce a bill that calls for dismantling the commission is not only an insult to the dedication of the commissioners who have volunteered an exorbitant amount of time to the program, but threatens the quality of the program and its very existence, Davies said. Restarting the application review process is completely unjustified.

Regulators have previously said they hope medical cannabis would hit dispensary shelves by the end of the year.

Democratic legislative leaders have yet to take a position on the new medical marijuana legislation. A spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who has assigned two top aides to help the black caucus address diversity issues in medical marijuana, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bills.
Immigration activists say they are working with Maryland lawmakers to draft the Trust Act, a bill modeled after a California law that limits the states cooperation with federal deportation authorities. (Mark Gail/The Washington Post)

Maryland was one of the first states to approve a Dream Act, which provides in-state tuition breaks for undocumented immigrants. It also passed a law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses.

Now immigration advocates say they are working with Maryland lawmakers to draft the Trust Act, a bill modeled after a California law that limits the states cooperation with deportation authorities.

The bill would include a provision to prohibit Maryland from implementing a Muslim registry, an idea that President Trump appeared to embrace during his presidential campaign.

Gustavo Torres, the executive director of CASA de Maryland, said Friday that advocates are hoping to build off Marylands huge history of providing opportunities and protections to foreign-born residents, especially as Trump (R) moves to enforce his immigration crackdown.

Torres was one of several advocates who rallied in front of the State House in Annapolis on Friday to denounce Trumps executive order to cut off funds to cities that do not report undocumented immigrants to federal authorities, and his draft order to temporarily ban Muslim immigrants from the United States.

We want to send a strong message about the anti-hate in Maryland, Torres said. We are very confident that Maryland is going to be a hate-free zone.

Torres said advocates are trying to ensure that whatever bill is proposed passes both chambers with veto-proof majorities, because we dont know what the governor is going to do.

Shortly after taking office, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) agreed to notify federal authorities when an illegal immigrant targeted for deportation was released from the state-run Baltimore city jail. Former governor Martin OMalley (D) had refused that request from federal authorities.

Under the Trust Act, police and sheriffs departments would be forbidden to acquiesce to requests to hold undocumented immigrants longer than required by the local criminal justice system.

Del. Marice I. Morales (D-Montgomery), who plans to sponsor the legislation in the House, told the crowd that she and other lawmakers want to do whatever we can to push against Trumps actions.

The bill has not been submitted yet, but state Sen. Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince Georges) said Friday that he plans to sponsor the measure.

Were a leader in Maryland, said Rameriz, referring to immigration-related laws. What we dont want to do is go backwards.

Del. Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince Georges) urged protesters to make their voices heard by calling and writing legislators and attending hearings on immigration-related legislation.

This is a tough time in our country, Pena-Melnyk said. Its important for our state to stand and say: this is not acceptable.
Bernard Redmont, an award-winning foreign correspondent who covered Leon Trotskys assassination in Mexico, Juan Perons dictatorship in Argentina, the Six-Day War in the Middle East and the Vietnam War peace talks in Paris, and who made news himself when he was smeared during the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s, died Jan. 23 in Canton, Mass. He was 98.

The cause was congestive heart failure, said his son, Dennis Redmont, a former Rome bureau chief for the Associated Press.

Mr. Redmont entered journalism in his teens, working for the Brooklyn Eagle in his native New York. Later, he received a Purple Heart for wounds received as a Marine combat correspondent during World War II. After the war, he was one of the early hires of what became U.S. News & World Report.

He spent much of his career in Paris, reporting for news outlets that included Westinghouse Broadcasting and CBS News. In the 1970s, CBS posted him to Moscow, where he reported on Soviet dissidents such as Andrei Sakharov and Yelena Bonner.

Politics had once nearly derailed Mr. Redmonts own burgeoning career when his name surfaced in press reports at the start of the Red Scare.

In 1948, Elizabeth Bentley, a onetime courier for a Soviet spy ring in Washington who then turned double agent, mentioned Mr. Redmont at hearings of a Senate investigating body probing alleged communist influence in government. Bentley had encountered Mr. Redmont during his early wartime stint with the federal Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs.

Bentley, an alcoholic, was an erratic witness at many hearings and trials involving alleged communists. She did not call Mr. Redmont a communist or say he was involved in espionage. But she changed her story two years later when the journalist, then working as a Paris correspondent for U.S. News, was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

He was called as a witness for William Remington, a former Commerce Department official who had been accused of lying under oath to a grand jury about his communist affiliations. The two men had known each other in Washington, and Bentley had accused them of having been in the company of her former Soviet handler.

Mr. Redmont denied ever being a communist or a member of a communist front organization. He refused to name Remington as a communist.

The hearing took an unseemly personal turn when U.S. Attorney Irving Saypol, who later was a federal prosecutor in the conspiracy trial of accused atomic spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, began asking innuendo-laden questions about his background and his young son.

Saypol asked Mr. Redmont whether he had changed his name from Rothenberg and about his involvement with the left-wing American Student Union while attending the City College of New York in the 1930s.

Mr. Redmont said he changed his name based on the belief that anti-Semitism would have hindered his career prospects. Regarding his student activity, Mr. Redmont quipped, If youre trying to prove I was a radical at college, Ill answer that. I was a radical at college.

Saypol then asked Mr. Redmont if he had named his 8-year-old son, Dennis Foster Redmont, after prominent Community Party USA officials William Z. Foster and Eugene Dennis.

I certainly did not, Mr. Redmont said. We named him Dennis because we liked the name. We named him Foster after his great-grandfather.

Remington was convicted of perjury and sent to prison, where he was killed in 1954 during an assault by other prisoners. Meanwhile, Mr. Redmont was fired by U.S. News the day after his testimony. The State Department impounded his passport and, from Paris, he engaged in a years-long legal battle to get it back.

Mr. Redmont stayed in France, scrounging for work to support his family. At one point, he later said, I set a record in amassing the largest number of jobs in Paris, with the lowest aggregate income.

Eventually, he became a correspondent for Westinghouse, and his coverage of the peace talks to end the Vietnam War won the 1968 Overseas Press Club award for best radio reporting from abroad.

By the early 1980s, he was serving as dean of Boston Universitys college of communication. He stepped down in 1986 after refusing to endorse university president John R. Silbers agreement to provide journalism training for Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

The refugees had fled Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, and the effort was being financed through a government grant. Mr. Redmont said the program, if done at all, should be held in Boston to ensure it would be journalistically sound and not propaganda masking as journalism.

Bernard Sidney Rothenberg, the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, was born in New York City on Nov. 8, 1918. He graduated in 1938 from the City College of New York, where he edited the student paper. The next year, he received a masters degree from Columbia Universitys journalism school and was awarded a Pulitzer traveling scholarship that eventually took him to Mexico. There, he covered Trotskys assassination in 1940 for the United Press wire service.

That same year, he married Joan Rothenberg (no relation). She died in August. Survivors include two children, Dennis Redmont of Rome and Jane Redmont of Boston; two grandsons; and four great-grandchildren.

After leaving Boston University, Mr. Redmont worked through the International Executive Service Corps to train journalists in former Soviet bloc countries after the fall of the Iron Curtain. He also wrote a memoir, Risks Worth Taking (1992).

The New York Times covered the 50th anniversary of his Columbia class reunion, and he recalled a half-century earlier a piquant observation made by William L. Shirer, the CBS radio journalist who distinguished himself covering the rise of Hitler.

The lessons I learned here were indelible, Mr. Redmont said. When he came to speak to us, someone in the class asked William L. Shirer how long it took to write a 1 -minute spot from Berlin, and he said, 20 years. I will never forget that.
Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Noel Hemmendinger, law firm founder

Noel Hemmendinger, 103, who helped start the Washington-based international trade law firm Stitt, Hemmendinger & Kennedy in 1957 and remained with it and successor firms until 1991, died Jan. 3 at his home in Alexandria, Va. The cause was an aortic valve disorder, said a son, Eric Hemmendinger.

Mr. Hemmendinger, a native of Bernardsville, N.J., received the Bronze Star Medal for his Army service in Europe during World War II. After an early career at the Justice Department, he worked on the State Departments Far East desk from 1946 to 1956. He was also a founder and trustee of the U.S.-Japan Trade Council and a member of the Cosmos Club.

Charles Bernie Barfoot, research analyst

Charles Bernie Barfoot, 83, who published technical papers on models of combat as a senior operations research analyst for organizations including the Center for Naval Analyses, died Dec. 22 at a hospital in Fairfax County, Va. The cause was an intracranial hemorrhage, said a daughter, Alison Barfoot.

Mr. Barfoot was born in Gadsden, Ala. After Navy service, he spent the early 1960s with Technical Operations Inc. as a member of its combat operations research group at Fort Monroe and Fort Belvoir, both in Virginia. He worked at the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded military research center in Alexandria, Va., from 1966 to 1999.

He volunteered for the peer-reviewed technical journal of the Operations Research Society of America (now INFORMS). He lived in Alexandria until moving to a retirement facility at Fort Belvoir two years ago.

Barbara Zanner, church co-founder

Barbara Zanner, 85, who co-founded Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Md., volunteered as a piano teacher and was a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Friday Morning Music Club, died Dec. 12 at her home in Gaithersburg. She had complications from Parkinsons disease and dementia, said her husband, Dr. Albert Zanner.

Mrs. Zanner was born Barbara Harter in Elizabeth, N.J, and grew up in the District. At the National Security Agency from 1953 to 1955, she worked as a code analyst and won a Miss NSA beauty contest.

Katherine Fifi Edison-Chase, florist and docent

Katherine Fifi Edison-Chase, 90, a self-employed florist and a Smithsonian Institution docent, died Dec. 17 at a nursing home in Rockville, Md. The cause was respiratory failure, said a son, Noel Edison.

Mrs. Edison-Chase was born Katherine Fisher in Washington and spent most of her life in Kensington, Md. From 1968 until a year before her death, she led tours as a docent at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

William Billy Mills, physicist

William Billy Mills, 87, a physicist who specialized in radiation safety and became chief of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions health effects branch, died Dec. 22 at a medical care center in Sandy Spring, Md. He had Alzheimers disease, said a son, Dan Mills.

Dr. Mills, a Sandy Spring resident, was born in Lynchburg, Va. He was a physicist at the national laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Los Alamos, N.M., before settling in the Washington area in 1963 for a U.S. Public Health Service job helping oversee a radiological health laboratory.

He later managed radiation exposure standards for the Environmental Protection Agency. After his Nuclear Regulatory Commission work ended in 1995, he was a Washington-based physicist with the Oak Ridge Associated Universities. He was a founding member and former president of the Health Physics Society.

Michael Johnson, drummer and police officer

Michael Johnson, 65, a retired Pentagon police officer and drummer in the Spectrum, LTD band in the 1970s, died Dec. 12 at a medical center in Glen Burnie, Md. The cause was Kennedys disease, a condition of spinal and muscular atrophy, said a half-brother, Truth Thomas.

Mr. Johnson, a resident of Crofton, Md., was born in Washington. He was one of the founders of the Spectrum band. Later he worked in a printing section of the State Department and then for 20 years was a Pentagon police officer, retiring in 2013. He was also a freelance photographer.

 From staff reports
Bricks thrown by protesters rest at the feet of police officers during a demonstration after the inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20 in Washington. (John Minchillo/AP)

Prosecutors on Friday dropped a felony rioting charge against one of at least three journalists swept up in the arrests by D.C. police of scores of people during violent Inauguration Day protests.

The decision clears 30-year-old Evan A. Engel of Brooklyn  who was on assignment for Vocativ, a media and technology enterprise  of a criminal charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District said in a statement that the case was dropped after meetings with Engels attorney and reviewing evidence presented by police. Prosecutors said they are reviewing charges against all remaining defendants, including a producer for an online documentary show and a journalist who worked for RT America, a Russian outlet.

Some media outlets have reported that a few other journalists also were among the 230 people arrested Jan. 20 and charged with felony rioting. Some work independently and could not be reached.

On Friday afternoon, Engel posted Case DISMISSED on his Twitter page and added, My thoughts are with all journalists still charged.

Engel and representatives from Vocativ did not immediately return calls Friday. The news organization quoted its editorial director, Ben Reininga, in an online story, saying that the reporters arrest served as a chilling reminder that we must never take our First Amendment freedoms for granted.

Journalists covering large-scale demonstrations are not immune from arrest but are generally given wide latitude to be close, if not immersed, in trouble that might erupt. Its sometimes difficult for police trying to restore order in the midst of clashes to distinguish between reporter and protester, and disputes are often settled after a person is taken into custody.

[Protesters who destroyed property on Inauguration Day were well organized]

None of the people identifying themselves as journalists who were arrested had company identification, according to law enforcement authorities and interviews with some news outlets. One wore a jacket with a news organizations insignia on the back, but officials said he could not provide an office contact number. The Guardian first reported the arrest of people saying they were reporters.

D.C. police said in a statement that officers respect and protect the rights of journalists to have access and the ability to report on events of local as well as national importance. It also says that officers are directed to attempt to identify journalists and to not arrest them during demonstrations.

Police confirmed that several journalists who were initially detained during the incident were released after authorities confirmed their identities.

The police detention of journalists on Jan. 20, along with the subsequent felony charges that were filed, has raised concern from the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international organization that advocates for press freedoms.

The committees senior America program coordinator, Carlos Lauria, said the primary concern is the inappropriateness of the charges. Typically, when reporters are charged in connection with protests, they face misdemeanor counts of blocking access or failing to obey police orders  crimes more for trying to get close to the action and observe rather than being accused of participating in a riot and facing up to 10 years in prison.

Lauria said the felony charge raises the concern for future protests that it may send a chilling message for journalists. In many cases, police seized cellphones and cameras, though one reporter said his camera was returned with nothing deleted.

Police arrested the 230 people after a small group of demonstrators rampaged through a four-block area of downtown, breaking windows on cars and stores and knocking over mail and newspaper boxes. A stretch limousine was later torched, and police were pelted with rocks and bricks. Officers in riot gear responded by firing plumes of pepper spray and crowd-control devices that emitted disorienting bangs, smoke and flashes of light.

Police herded a large group to a downtown street and began arresting them, a process that took hours. Protest group leaders said the main instigators of violence  anti-capitalist protesters known as the black bloc who were armed with hammers and crowbars  largely escaped the roundup.

Defense lawyers complained that the arrest affidavits are identical, with no proof offered to show which suspect committed which act. All are linked to what police describe in the affidavits as to moving in a cohesive unit and participating in acts of violence in furtherance of the riot.

[Demonstrators clash with police during downtown protests]

One reporter who officials say was covering the protests is Alexander Rubinstein, from New York City, who told police he was working for RT America, a state-run television outlet formerly known as Russia Today. He tweeted a picture of a crowd-control device that had been used and wrote, Cops encircled crowd when I couldnt see; arresting everyone.

RT America did not respond to requests for comment.

John Keller, a newly hired producer for an Internet-based documentary show called Story of America and a resident of Fairfax County, also said he was unfairly arrested as a journalist. He was assigned to the demonstration as part of the shows look at a divisions in the United States. It is produced in Silver Spring.

In a statement, Keller said, I want to make it absolutely clear, as I did to the arresting officer, that I was there as a journalist and was simply observing the . . . protest.

His boss, Annabel Park, said Keller was just following and documenting the protesters. Then the police just blocked off the area, and they started arresting everybody. She complained the group was detained outside for hours and then held overnight until its first court appearance Saturday.

Park said Keller had no media identification, but she also said that police didnt care. I think they were told to take everybody in, and they didnt bother to check.

Defense attorneys representing about three dozen of those arrested said that, in addition to reporters, legal observers and medics used by the protest group to treat their wounded were also among those detained.
Police say school volunteer Deonte Carraway, 22, made pornographic videos with children during school hours and on the grounds of Judge Sylvania W. Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, Md. (Mark Gail/For The Washington Post)

A former elementary school volunteer arrested in a child pornography case involving at least 23 children is scheduled to appear in federal court next week for a plea hearing, public court files show.

It is not clear from the records whether Deonte Carraway, 23, intends to admit guilt in the wide-reaching case that roiled Prince Georges County. Online court records show a hearing is scheduled for a Guilty Plea-Arraignment Hearing in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

The government has accused Carraway of persuading and directing several children to engage in sexual activities that were recorded on cellphones, with Carraway supplying some of the phones.

Some of the videos and alleged sex acts occurred on the campus of Judge Sylvania W. Woods Sr. Elementary School in Glenarden, Md., during the school day, federal prosecutors charge. Police and prosecutors said incidents also took place in private homes, a church, a public pool and a Glenarden government building, with Carraway leveraging his position as a teachers aide, school volunteer and community choir director to coerce the children involved.

[Child-porn suspect always had six or seven kids around. Its a little strange.]

Prince Georges County police say Deonte Carraway, 22, abused at least 17 children. (Prince Georges County Police Department/Via AP)

The office of the federal public defender, which is representing Carraway, and the Maryland U.S. attorneys office declined to comment on the scheduled hearing.

No tentative plea agreement has been listed in public court files.

Plea agreements can be rescinded. A judge would need to accept any guilty plea at a public hearing.

Mondays scheduled hearing comes almost one year after Carraways Feb. 4 arrest. Carraway pleaded not guilty at his first federal court hearing in March.

A federal grand jury indicted Carraway on 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography. The federal charges involve 12 children. Carraway also faces 270 counts of child pornography and related charges in Prince Georges County. All told, local and federal investigators have said they believe Carraway abused at least 23 children between the ages of 9 and 13 over a year.

[For years, Pr. Georges didnt strengthen school sex-abuse policies]

The case came to light after an uncle checking a students cellphone found inappropriate photos on the device and went to Prince Georges County police.

Carraway told police he gave children phones and told them to send explicit images of themselves through an anonymous messaging app, according to federal and local charging papers. Carraways federal public defenders have said in court filings that Carraways confession to the incidents should be considered invalid because he did not give it voluntarily and did not fully understand his rights when speaking with law enforcement.

The case shocked the Prince Georges County school system and angered Woods Elementary parents, who questioned why Carraway was allegedly allowed to be alone with students.

After Carraways arrest, the county school system created a task force to review how employees are trained to identify and report suspected child abuse. The task force issued a report in May, saying the system should make sweeping improvements to better protect students.

The criminal case has spawned at least nine civil suits against the school system or Glenarden officials, including at least one class-action lawsuit.
A Georgetown University student was abducted from a residential street in Georgetown on Thursday afternoon, forced into a vehicle and driven to two stores and several bank machines in attempts to get money or merchandise, according to D.C. police.

The transactions were all denied and the abductor eventually drove off, leaving the victim behind, police said. The victim told police that he was driven around the District and into Maryland.

Georgetown University identified the victim as a student in a campus safety alert e-mailed to students Friday.

Police said the incident began about 3:20 p.m. when a man in a silver or gray SUV pulled up to the victim in the 3400 block of O Street NW, a cobblestone street lined with million-dollar rowhouses.

The victim told police the man asked him for money, and when he hesitated, the man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the vehicle. Police said the man drove to several ATMs and two stores in attempts to withdraw money or buy something. In each case, police said, the transactions did not go through.

A picture of the man D.C. Pollice believe is involved in a kidnapping in Northwest. (Courtesy of D.C. Police)

The police report says the man and the victim were known to be in the 4500 and the 5400 blocks of Wisconsin Avenue NW.

Police said they are looking for a white man in his late 30s to 40s standing 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall with a medium build, dark hair, dark mustache and a beard. He was wearing a black suit, black shirt, gray necktie and black shoes. Police say no weapon was used in the incident.

The vehicle is described as a four-door light gray or silver sport utility vehicle or crossover. The make and model were unknown.

A surveillance video, released by police, shows the suspect and the vehicle.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump wave as they walk down the parade route on Inauguration Day. (Evan Vucci, Pool/AP)

A Maryland judge ruled Friday that first lady Melania Trumps libel suit against a political blogger can go forward, rejecting the bloggers argument that her action was brought in bad faith as an effort to curb his right to free speech.

The ruling paves the way for Trump to pursue defamation claims against Webster Griffin Tarpley in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Tarpley, who publishes Tarpley.net from his townhouse in Gaithersburg, wrote last summer that Trump was reportedly obsessed by fear over possible revelations that she allegedly once worked as a high-end escort, according to court records.

Soon afterward, he retracted the story and apologized for any duress the story may have caused.

Trump has filed similar libel claims in Montgomery against the online publication of Britains Daily Mail. Circuit Court Judge Sharon Burrell heard arguments related to that suit as well but said she would rule later on those matters.

Trump did not attend Fridays hearing.

(The Washington Post)

Her attorneys have said the escort-related stories on Tarpley.net and in the Daily Mail were false and tremendously damaging to her personal and professional reputation. A trial, if necessary, is set for Nov. 6

[Last time, Melania Trump came to court in Rockville]

Tarpley has said he did not libel Trump and was passing on unfounded rumors and innuendo that had appeared on the Internet, according to court records.

[Melania Trump: Maryland blogger held reckless disregard for the truth ]

In suing the Daily Mail, Trumps attorneys sued an entity called Mail Media Inc., which Trumps team describes as the publisher of www.dailymail.com, where the Daily Mail article in dispute appeared.

Mail Media, in court filings, has responded that the article was acceptable because it discussed allegations that had been disseminated about the then-potential first lady, and the impact even false rumors could have on the presidential race.

In September, after its story ran, the Daily Mail published a retraction.

Mail Media also asserts that it is not the publisher of the Daily Mail website and that the publisher is another entity, the British-based Associated Newspapers Ltd., which also publishes the Daily Mail tabloid newspaper, according to court records. Mail Media also says that because it is based in New York, the Maryland filing is not proper.

The issues of corporate definitions and jurisdiction were among those the judge said she would rule on later.

In court filings, Trumps attorneys cite several reasons that Montgomery is an appropriate venue for the lawsuit: Tarpley lives in the county; the Daily Mail website  by virtue of all its readers in Maryland  does business in the state; and for simplicitys sake, its best to try the whole case in the same courtroom.

At a previous hearing in the case  a routine scheduling conference on Dec. 12  Trump accompanied her attorneys. That appearance, which sent the county courthouse abuzz, was noteworthy because in the early stages of such lawsuits, the actual litigants often dont appear in court.

Trump was at the December proceeding to meet the judge, meet opposing counsel and show her commitment to the case, her attorney, Charles J. Harder, said at the time.
When Michael Sheehan spoke at Saint Anselm College in 2016, he asked students to thank their parents for making their college education possible.

As his request, graduates of the New Hampshire school stood and cheered their parents.

That was beautiful, said Sheehan, a top official of The Boston Globe newspaper. Now maybe mom and dad wont mind so much when you move back in with them.

The college graduates and their parents laughed.

But Sheehans words hold much truth.

In the United States, lots of young adults are living at home with their parents, according to the Pew Research Center.

Pew researchers found that 32 percent of 18-to-34-year-old Americans lived at their parents home in 2014. That is the highest percentage nationwide since 1940.

More young adults lived at home with their parents than lived with a husband, wife, or partner in 2014, the center said. In that year, 31 percent were married or living with a partner -- half what it was in 1960, it said.

Student Will Return Home after Graduation

Hannah Raines plans to move back in with her parents after she completes her study program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The 21-year-old would like to get a job and save money for graduate school.

Raines parents, Jim and Juli, already have experience with an adult child returning home. Hannahs twin brother, Dakota, returned home last year after the building where he lived was put up for sale.

It was very natural, Juli Raines said. She said having their adult children back at home is good for her and her husband.

It wasnt anything I had to think about, Raines said. The only problem is figuring out where all four family members should park their cars, she noted.

Experts say younger Americans are experiencing different economic problems than earlier generations. Pay is not keeping up with housing costs or the bigger loans many graduating students must pay off after leaving school.

Pavel Marceux is an economic expert with Euromonitor International, a market research company. He said moving home for young adults may be a good decision. They can live at home with no or low rental payments, he said.

This will enable them to save money or pay down loans. It can also help aging parents deal with changing technology, Marceux said.

Not everyone who has returned home to live with one or both parents is struggling with their careers.

Damon Casarez is a photographer. He took pictures of his peers for The New York Times Magazine in 2014. But even with selling his photos to the New York Times and other successes, he needed to return home to save money.

Saving is necessary so he can repay $120,000 in loans that went toward his studies at the Art Center College of Design in California.

He said, If I didnt have that loan, Id easily be able to live on my own somewhere comfortably.

Grateful for Education, Despite Cost

Casarez said he is happy about his education, even with the high cost. His father wanted to go to art school to study painting, but never got the chance. He said his mother also did not get to go to college.

Both parents wanted him to get a good education to move forward with his career goals, Casarez said.

Another young adult who recently moved back home is Giovanna Tolda of Northampton, Massachusetts. The 31-year-old is completing a masters degree in special education.

Tolda said her parents were glad to have her back home.

While Tolda is back at home, she said her parents are talking to her about ways to buy a house after graduation, instead of renting one. Her own goals include a doctorate degree program in education, a job as a special education administrator and, yes, owning her own home.

Im Caty Weaver

Marissa Melton reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

___________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

graduate - n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

mind - v. to be bothered by something

park - v. to leave a car, truck or motorcycle in a particular place

rent - n. money that you pay in return for being able to live in an apartment or house

peer - n. a person who belongs to the same age group or social group as someone else

comfortably - adv. causing no worries
Nicholas Cormier was arrested and charged for his alleged connection to a series of burglaries in Franconia, Va. (Courtesy of Fairfax County Police)

Warnings had been posted on a social media site called Nextdoor to watch out for a possible serial burglar who struck several homes in mid-January around the Alexandria area in Northern Virginia.

Fairfax County Police credited neighbors assistance and the online posts in helping them nab a man they believe was behind the break-ins.

Nicholas Cormier, 19, of Alexandria, was arrested and charged this week with five counts of grand larceny and seven counts of burglary, according to police.

He allegedly broke into several homes from Jan. 10 through Jan. 15 in the Glenwood Mews and Hayfield View neighborhoods.

Police officers and area neighborhood watch leaders shared information of the break-ins. And one neighbor gave police what they called valuable surveillance video from his home. It was not immediately clear if his home was also burglarized.

Then he struck again.

In the evening on Jan. 15, police said, a man who matched the description officials had was reported to be acting in a suspicious way in the 5600 block of Glenwood Mews Drive. When an officer arrived and talked to the man, who was later identified as Cormier, she noticed that he was wearing jewelry that was similar to items that had been reported stolen in at least one of the burglaries.

She took a picture of the jewelry and the detective on the case identified its owner.

Cormier was initially charged Jan. 15 and then he faced more charges on Thursday.

In a statement, Fairfax County Police said, the case exemplifies the invaluable relationship between its community and the department.
Activists who attracted international attention when they climbed atop a construction crane in downtown Washington vowed Thursday to continue pushing back against the Trump administration even as they face criminal charges in connection with the protest.

With their legs and ankles shackled with iron restraints, the seven activists, affiliated with the international environmental group Greenpeace, stood before a D.C. Superior Court magistrate judge during a Thursday hearing. They had been arrested on misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry, destruction of property and unlawful demonstrating.

The judge ordered the four women and three men released from police custody but instructed them to stay out of the 1100 block of 15th Street NW, where their Wednesday protest occurred.

The protesters, who used harnesses and other climbing equipment, had perched on the 270-foot crane for hours, unfurling a large banner with the message: Resist. D.C. police shut down traffic near the site, about a half-mile from the White House, and passersby stopped to watch.

[Greenpeace protesters climb 270-foot crane in downtown Washington]

Greenpeace protesters unfurl a banner that reads Resist near the White House in Washington on Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

After the seven were released, about 20 friends who had waited in the audience cheered and applauded. They handed the defendants bottled water as they exited.

One of the protesters, Karen Topakian, 62, of San Francisco, said she is so afraid of heights that she wont climb a ladder in her home to change a lightbulb. But she said she needed to help get the groups message out.

I put my fears aside to fight for justice and what I believe in. I thought about people who were afraid and pushed through their fears to fight for civil rights at lunch counters, to fight for womens rights, to fight for the environment, she said. I choose to resist and to resist the policies and promises of the Trump administration.

Another protester, Pearl Robinson, 26, of Oakland, Calif., said she was confident that her climbing equipment would keep her safe. On Wednesday, Robinson spoke to reporters by phone from atop the crane.

Greenpeace said the organization was protesting the Trump administration and the presidents decision to push forward with the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.

According to a police affidavit, the protesters cut a lock to enter the construction site around 3 a.m. In a statement, Greenpeace said that information was incorrect and that no locks had been cut.

The group carried food, their banner and radios. They started their ascent about 4 a.m. and made it back down about 10 p.m.

According to court documents, the total estimated damages to Clark Construction was about $500,000. Police said 150 construction workers were sent home and were not paid.

The protesters were ordered to return to court March 1. Tom Wetterer, an attorney for the group, said there would be additional demonstrations.

We will continue to speak loudly and clearly, he said.

Peter Hermann contributed to this report.
A 15-year-old boy from Southeast Washington was arrested and charged after he allegedly sexually assaulted women in two separate incidents in Northeast last week.

The teens name was not released because he is a minor. D.C. Police said he is charged with two counts of third degree sexual abuse.

One of the incidents happened Jan. 17 just before 8 p.m. in the 1000 block of 8th Street NE. And the other incident took place Jan. 18 around 9:44 p.m. a few blocks away in the 800 block of L Street NE near Florida Avenue.

In each of the incidents, police said, the suspect approached the women who were walking and sexually assaulted them.
Police and investigators cover the body of one of the men killed in an Amtrak train crash in Chester, Pa., on April 3. (Michael Bryant/AP)

All three of the people involved in a fatal Amtrak crash near Philadelphia last April tested positive for drug use, including the trains engineer and two members of a railway work crew who both were killed, according to federal investigators.

The engineer, Alexander Hunter, 48, who survived the crash, had used marijuana, investigators said. A backhoe operator, Joseph Carter Jr., 61, had used cocaine, testing showed. The supervisor of the work crew, Peter John Adamovich, 59, had used oxycodone, according to test results.

Both Carter and Adamovich were killed when a southbound passenger train traveling at 106 miles per hour struck the backhoe as it was at work on an adjacent track, the National Transportation Safety Board said after the April 3 crash in Chester, Pa.

The trio of positive drug tests were part of an alarming increase in drug use by railroad workers that was documented last year by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Nearly 5 percent of workers involved in accidents in 2016 were found to have used illegal drugs.

The FRA reacted to the Chester crash by requiring that track-bed maintenance workers be included in the extensive drug testing program that has been in place for train crew members for more than 30 years.

[Number of U.S. railroad workers testing positive for drug use skyrockets]

The fatal collision between Amtraks Palmetto train, with 330 passengers and seven crew members, and a backhoe being operated by Carter under Adamovichs supervision, took place early on a Sunday morning. The southbound train departed Philadelphias 30th Street Station at 7:32 a.m. and was gathering speed about 18 minutes later as it began to pass through Chester.

A massive cleaning machine had been sitting all weekend on track number 2, one of four tracks that pass through the area. That track had been shut down for the maintenance work. Carter and Adamovich had positioned their backhoe on track number 3, the one which Hunters train was roaring down at 106 miles per hour.

Hunter told investigators he pulled the trains emergency brake after seeing something on track number 3, but it was too late to avoid the crash.

Then, you know, once I realized like  I knew  like, I could see, like when I got closer, that [the backhoe] was pretty well onto my track and I  you know, I knew I was going to hit him, Hunter told the NTSB investigators two days after the accident. I could feel the train lift up, and . . . I just kind of curled up in a ball in the deck of the locomotive and waited for it to stop.

The engine derailed but remained upright. Hunter and 40 people on board were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Release of the NTSBs investigative docket Thursday will be followed at an as yet undetermined date by the boards finding of probable cause for the accident. (The NTSB concluded that a post-accident test that found morphine in Adamovich was the result of the drug being administered when he was taken to a hospital emergency room.)

The FRA knew by April that drug use among railroad workers was on the rise, but when tests on Carter, Adamovich and Hunter came back positive, alarm bells went off.

In 2014, no one tested positive for drug use after a rail accident. In 2015, there were just two post-accident positives.

Railroad workers are among the most heavily drug-tested employees in the country, faced with drug screening before they are hired, random on-the-job testing and another round of testing every time they make a significant mistake.

After several years in which heroin and illegal opioid use had increased in the general population, it was evident that use of those and other drugs was on the rise in the railroad industry.

In approximately 50,000 random tests each year, there had been no appreciable increase since 2009. But that changed abruptly in 2015: Random tests of railway workers  including engineers, train crew and dispatchers  found drug use had soared by 43 percent.

[After Amtrak workers killed in crash, federal regulators order safety review]

Then-FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg reacted swiftly to that news. She summoned the heads of the nations passenger and freight lines to a closed-door session in Washington last year, laying out her concerns and asking for their help in combating the swelling problem.

Feinberg had a similar meeting with rail union leaders and then relayed her concerns to the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee. She also issued a rule requiring maintenance workers like Carter and Adamovich be added to the list of railroad employees subject to drug testing.

When the railroad industry asked for a one-year delay in the testing program  saying they were concerned over whether it covered contract workers  Feinberg denied the request.

Feinberg also instigated a decertification process against Hunter that would prevent him from operating a train again. Federal regulators generally defer to the railroad in such situations, allowing it to discipline or fire workers after positive drug tests. But that process can become entangled union contact rules, so the FRA moved ahead with decertifying him to ensure he could not operate a train again.

Hunter spent 17 years operating trains, most of that time with New Jersey Transit, followed by two years at Amtrak. When asked if he was still with the railroad, Amtrak responded with a statement that said: Drug use in the workplace at Amtrak is unacceptable and is not tolerated, but did not respond to that direct question.

The derailment was about 25 miles from the North Philadelphia location where a May 2015 derailment killed eight and injured more than 200.

The 2015 crash, though drug and alcohol use were not a factor, prompted questions about the safety of the countrys aging rail infrastructure. The train in that incident sped up from 70 mph to more than 100 mph in less than a minute before derailing.

It was one of the deadliest crashes ever to occur in the Northeast Corridor, the heavily trafficked Amtrak route stretching from Boston to Washington.
Corey Stewart, a Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, at a campaign kickoff rally at a restaurant in Occoquan, Va., on Jan. 23, 2017. (Steve Helber/AP)

On a day when antiabortion activists were marching in Washington, a Republican running for governor in Virginia attacked one of his rivals as soft on the issue.

Ed Gillespie and Corey Stewart, two of the four Republicans in the race, both call themselves pro-life and took part in the annual March for Life on Friday. On the eve of the march, each was asked about his stance on a bill before the General Assembly that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks.

Stewart told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that as governor he would sign it. Gillespie said he would support such a ban if it made exceptions for rape, incest or when the mothers life was in danger. The bill before Virginias legislature calls for an exception only for the life of the mother.

In response, Stewart posted a video on Facebook accusing Gillespie of supporting late-term abortions and calling on him to drop out of the race.

[Trump win shakes up race for Virginia governor]

My opponent, Ed Gillespie, Establishment Ed, just came out that he would not sign a bill prohibiting late-term abortions in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Stewart said on the video. I believe that life is sacred from the moment of conception. There should be no exceptions. . . . I just am having a hard time understanding how Ed Gillespie can call himself a conservative, how he can call himself a Catholic, how he can call himself, frankly, even a good man.

Stewarts attack drew swift condemnation from some of Virginias most prominent antiabortion voices. Among them was Del. David LaRock (R-Loudoun), who sponsored the bill calling for the ban on abortions after 20 weeks.

@CoreyStewartVA, this is patently false, LaRock tweeted. You should be ashamed.

Republican delegates Jackson H. Miller, Timothy D. Hugo and Kathy J. Byron  all vocal antiabortion legislators  also rallied around Gillespie

@CoreyStewartVA you are a good friend of mine, but you know this is simply not true, Miller tweeted.

State Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (R-Rockingham) summed up Stewarts attack as: More of the same crazy, divisive and self-serving hyperbole from @CoreyStewartVA that got him fired as Trump Chair.

Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, also served as chairman of President Trumps Virginia election campaign. He was ousted before Election Day for his role in an unauthorized protest outside of Republican National Committee headquarters.

Gillespie, a former RNC chairman and counselor to President George W. Bush, did not respond directly, but he tweeted a picture of himself taken with Vice President Pence, who addressed antiabortion marchers Friday.

Was honored to be with my friend @VP @mike-Pence after his historic speech at the #MarchForLife, Gillespie tweeted.

Shaun Kenney, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, paired that tweet with one from Stewart that said: Vice President Pence just drove by at March for Life!

Thats gotta hurt, Kenney said. Wonder if @CoreyStewartVA waved at @EdWGillespie when he did.

Gillespie also appears in a photo tweeted by Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion Susan B. Anthony List.

With my friend #prolife #Catholic @EdWGillespie at the #marchforlife, she wrote.

In an interview, Stewart stood by his criticism of Gillespies position.

How can you possibly support exceptions on late-term abortion? he said. This is at 20 weeks. And an exception is a gaping wide-open hole. . . . Anybody who would allow an abortion under any circumstance for a baby thats five months old  20 weeks old  cannot call themselves pro-life.

Stewart was dismissive of the tweeted photo of Gillespie with Pence, calling it proof that his rival is a classic Washington insider, not an antiabortion crusader.

He knows everybody, Stewart said. He always has.
With pension costs eating up a growing proportion of Fairfax County expenses, officials are weighing whether to phase out a unique program that pays a small additional stipend to employees who keep working after reaching retirement age.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D) said the county also may explore raising the minimum retirement age for new employees to 60, after boosting it from 50 to 55 four years ago.

I dont see us going back on our commitment to employees who came to the county with the expectation that would be one of their benefits, but we are looking at whether or not we should do something different for new employees, Bulova said.

The possible changes to the countys retirement system are in the early phases of discussion, with budget office employees studying potential savings. Local unions have vowed to oppose any changes.

[This model of wealthy suburban living is starting to fray]

Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D). (Tom Jackman/The Washington Post)

Since 2010, pension expenses in Virginias largest jurisdiction have nearly doubled to $219.5 million at a time when the stubbornly lukewarm local economy has kept revenue down. Nationwide, government pension-fund costs have risen as well, the result of a growing population of retirees who are living longer, as well as weak investment returns on Wall Street after the 2008 Great Recession.

In the countrys 50 largest local governments  including Fairfax County  pension costs totaled $17.6 billion in fiscal 2015, up 137 percent from 2005, according to an October report by Moodys Investors Service. Analysts with the Wall Street ratings agency say costs are likely to continue rising over the next two years in what is expected to be a volatile investment market.

Fairfaxs three pension funds cover about 31,000 current and former general county employees, police officers, firefighters and other uniformed personnel  up from 27,000 in 2008.

Last year, the police pension fund grew by 1 percent, after increasing 20.8 percent in 2010; the fund for general county employees shrank by 0.4 percent, after a 25.2 percent return six years ago; and the fund for firefighters and other uniformed personnel shrank by 0.8 percent, after a 15.5 percent increase in 2010.

As a result, pension contributions the county makes to meet its retirement plan obligations to employees are taking up a larger share of the general-fund budget: 6.3 percent of overall expenditures last year, compared with 4 percent in 2010.

The reality of 2008 and the impact of the market cant be understated, said Joseph Mondoro, the countys budget director. Were still recovering from that.

In 2013, county supervisors made an effort to save money by adjusting pension-eligibility requirements for new employees. Currently, most county workers cant retire until they are at least 55 and their age and years working for the county add up to at least 85 years. Police and firefighters can retire at age 55 or with 25 years of service. The changes, which included limiting the amount of unused sick leave that could go toward calculating retirement eligibility, were projected to save $11.5 million by 2027.

But with pension costs still growing and the county facing a projected $83 million budget shortfall after years of trimming services and spending, community groups are urging the Board of Supervisors to do more.

The prime target right now is a retirement benefit known as the Pre-Social Security Supplement, which last year paid about $40 million to 2,900 employees who continued working after becoming eligible to retire. The perk  adopted in the early 1970s to lure and keep the best workers in what was then a rapidly growing county  is the only one of its kind in the region.

This is something that is not left nor right nor any kind of partisan issue, said Jeff Barnett, president of the McLean Citizens Association, which recently publicized its own calculations of the countys steadily rising pension costs. Its just simple mathematics. The status quo does not seem to us to be practical.

Several supervisors agree.

I definitely think that, going forward for new employees, its an extra we cant afford, Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) said of the Pre-Social Security Supplement.

Cook also argued for changing the retirement eligibility requirements for new employees so their age and years with the county government have to add up to 90 years, a standard he said most county employees already meet.

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) called the supplement an unnecessary drain on county resources that keeps Fairfax from spending money needed for schools, parks and employee wages. He also has been pushing the county to adopt a hybrid pension system that includes a less costly 401(k) retirement plan option  a choice increasingly embraced by private employers.

You cant say youre fiscally responsible if youre not addressing this basic issue, Herrity said.

Fire Department Capt. John Niemiec, president of the countys local union for firefighters and paramedics, said eliminating the Pre-Social Security Supplement would keep good rescue workers from staying on the job longer and steer qualified applicants into other jurisdictions.

There is no way our union is going to sit idle and let them start taking away our benefits, said Niemiec, adding that county employees already have endured several years without significant pay raises. Enough is enough.

Randy Creller, who chairs the countys Employee Advisory Council, said carving into pension funds, even for future employees, would hurt morale. If you start tampering with that, people start making decisions over whether to stay or not stay, he said.

Yet with tax revenue failing to keep up with increasing demand for government services and Fairfax supervisors unwilling to raise property taxes after increasing them last year by an average $304 per household, the county is faced with hard spending choices.

That combination requires strategic thinking, said Supervisor Penelope A. Gross (D-Mason), who chairs the committee overseeing county pensions. She has not yet taken a position on what should be done about the escalating costs.

Weve seen that on all the investments that the county has, millions of dollars in interest income isnt there anymore, which has made our lives more difficult, Gross said. Its not bad news. Its just the reality.
Chinese New Year is January 28 this year. To celebrate, millions will leave the cities where they work and travel home.

But this year, some Chinese workers are not going home. They are staying to protest. They say their employers have not paid them for their work.

Arguments over pay in China are common around the New Year, especially in traditional industries such as construction and steel. But these protests are different. This time, the protesters are unpaid workers from the new-economy industries.

New economy industries refers to e-commerce, such as online sales and services.

China Labor Bulletin is a pro-worker organization and media outlet. The organization's Strike Map estimates that China has seen over 2,000 street protests about unpaid wages since February 2016.

It found that workers across China had already staged more than 130 protests in the month of December.

And it expects the number of worker strikes to grow in the next few weeks.

Theres no other way but to spend the Chinese New Year here

Zou Zhanhai and his fellow villagers from Hebei province are among those who are demonstrating. In September 2015, he and 21 others worked on an oil project. They are still missing the final payment of some 530,000 yuan, or about $77,000, from their employer.

Zou spoke to VOA from the city of Xian. He has been protesting since late December in front of the oil companys headquarters.

We couldnt get by without this small amount of money, which hasnt arrived yet. Each of us has to work to support his family of five or six, Zou explained.

Despite the new regulations, Zou says public servants have not yet helped him:

The employer now asks us to go home, saying that we will be paid after the Chinese New Year. But we cant keep taking their word for it. We plan to hold on to our protest unless were paid. Theres no other way but to spend the Chinese New Year here, he said.

The employer, Tien Yu Company, is what is known as a subcontractor. A subcontractor is a person or company hired to do part of a job that another company has been hired to do.

Tien Yu could not be reached by VOA for comment.

Increased regulations and oversight

China has tried to address the problem of unpaid workers in recent years by increasing regulations and oversight. Earlier this month, the State Council set a goal to end the country's wage situation.

Some of the increased regulations include jail terms and fines for company executives who are found guilty of not paying wages.

However, many critics find the maximum fine of 20,000 yuan, or about $3,000, is not enough.

Government officials add that subcontracting has made holding employers responsible a difficult issue. And the current economic downturn does not help businesses survive, they added.

What Can Be Done?

Zou Zhanhai, the worker who is striking in front of the oil company, says the regulations are not resulting in him getting paid.

The government may be trying to help, he says, but government officials cannot seem to be able to enforce the measures.

Keegan Elmer is a labor researcher for China Labor Bulletin. Elmer also believes that the government's approach has not been effective.

Instead, he wants to stop the problems before they start. Elmer says workers should be able to use collective bargaining to manage their employers.

They should also be able to talk openly with their employers, he says, and understand how employers are doing business.

In short, he says workers and employers should have ways to solve these conflicts before they turn violent and dangerous.

I'm John Russell.

Joyce Huang wrote this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

unpaid  adj. needing to be paid

e-commerce  n. activities that relate to the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet

subcontractor  n. a person or company who is hired to do part of a job that another person or company has been hired to do

regulations  n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done

oversight  n. the act or job of directing work that is being done

collective bargaining  n. talks between an employer and the leaders of a union about how much a group of workers will be paid, how many hours they will work, etc.
The White House on Thursday ordered federal health officials to immediately halt all advertising and other outreach activities for the critical final days in which Americans can sign up for 2017 health coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

The directive stunned some staffers within the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a source close to the department who was briefed on the action. Staff members protested to Trump appointees at HHS that the sudden ban on outreach would suppress the enrollment of the most desirable customers  younger, healthier people who tend to buy coverage at the last minute  which in turn could raise insurance prices in the future, the source said.

An HHS spokesman declined Thursday night to confirm the directive, saying only that HealthCare.gov, the website for the laws federal insurance exchange, was continuing to accept sign-ups. A federal call center for ACA marketplaces was also still operating, and there was no indication that either would be dismantled before the open-enrollment periods scheduled end on Tuesday.

Three other sources described the written message, speaking on the condition of anonymity about a decision that the new administration has not announced.

One source said that the White House instructed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees much of the ACAs implementation, to withdraw all communication contracts, marketing plans and advertising set for between Thursday and the end of January.

[Trump signs executive order that could effectively gut Affordable Care Acts individual mandate]

According to the sources, the move included a halt to ads that the government already had bought. Before the Obama administration ended with Trumps inauguration, federal health officials paid for several million dollars worth of ads for the enrollment periods final week to encourage people to sign up for ACA health plans, according to one source, who said it was unclear whether the government could recoup that money.

The White Houses order could hamper one of the two weeks of the enrollment season, which began in November, that have the greatest surge of consumers signing up. In the three years since the ACA marketplaces began, the final deadline for enrollment has been the second-biggest day, topped only by the December deadline for people seeking coverage effective Jan. 1.

Research has shown that the last week of open enrollment tends to draw younger enrollees  an important group, underrepresented in the ACA marketplaces, whose scant use of medical services can help keep insurance prices lower for everyone in a given health plan. For the last week of the sign-up period, HHS had planned a major advertising campaign specifically aimed at that younger cohort, as well as emails and text messages to people who have looked at the HealthCare.gov site in the past but not signed up.

[Obamacare is the Affordable Care Act: So whats in it?]

On Jan. 10, Obama administration health officials announced that 11.5 million people had signed up for  or been automatically re-enrolled in  ACA coverage by Christmas Eve in the federal exchange on which 39 states rely or similar marketplaces run by the remaining states and District of Columbia. That figure was slightly ahead of a year ago.

The halt to these enrollment efforts comes after President Trump signed a broad executive order just hours after his inauguration last week, instructing federal agencies to soften or eliminate unspecified federal rules to ease the cost, fee, tax, penalty or regulatory burden the ACA places on consumers, the health-care industry and medical professionals. No rules have been altered yet, though, and Thursdays ban on enrollment outreach activities was the administrations first concrete action to undercut the law it has vowed to abolish.

As word of the directive seeped out late Thursday, it triggered an immediate backlash from former health officials from the Obama administration and other ACA proponents.

Its outrageous. Its irresponsible, said Ben Wakana, a senior HHS spokesman until Trump took office. They are deliberately undermining open enrollment to try to get a lower enrollment number.

Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a consumer health lobby, wrote in an email: The Trump administrations mean-spirited decision to pull the already-paid-for enrollment ads belies the presidents promise that he wants to cover everybody with health insurance.
UNTIL A few days ago, the U.S.-Mexico relationship was a strong one that benefited both countries. In the first week of his term, President Trump seems determined to change that  and for no good reason.

After decades of economic integration, the United States and its southern neighbor have established a valuable trading relationship exchanging $1.4 billion in goods every day. Mexico is the second-largest foreign market for U.S.-made products. Trade and investment between the two nations create wealth for both nations, and for innumerable American companies, workers and consumers, all of whom would be harmed by a trade war. Moreover, Mexico has become a valuable partner in promoting liberal values, having institutionalized multi-party democracy and steadily increased economic freedoms within its borders. As it has matured into a middle-class nation, the flow of Mexicans north has reversed, with more returning home in recent years than migrating to the United States.

In deference to this mutually beneficial relationship, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has strained against provocation to get along with Mr. Trump. He invited him to a meeting in Mexico City last year, to Mr. Trumps political benefit and at Mr. Pena Nietos own political risk. He was planning a visit to Washington next week to look for constructive cooperation.

Then, boom. Mr. Trump planted a stick of dynamite under a structure that leaders of various parties in both nations have been carefully constructing for decades. And for what?

The president first announced this week that he intended to proceed with construction of an expensive and unnecessary border wall, fulfilling a campaign promise based on misunderstandings of both the extent of illegal immigration and the best way to deal with it. Then Mr. Trump revived his pledge that Mexico would finance its construction. The humiliation was too much to bear for Mr. Pena Nieto, who faced understandable political pressure at home. The Mexican president canceled a scheduled meeting with Mr. Trump.

At that point, wiser heads still could have defused and de-escalated. Instead, White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced that the president is considering a new tax on Mexican imports to pay for his gratuitous wall. Mr. Spicer, without providing many details, suggested the tax would raise some $10 billion a year. He later explained that this is just one of several options. Depending on its design, such an imposition could indeed hurt Mexico. But it also would likely act as a tax on American consumers of Mexican goods. American consumers, that is, would pay for the wall by paying higher prices for Mexican-grown tomatoes, Mexican-sewn clothing and Mexican-built cars.

U.S. officials should reach out and seek to repair the weeks damage. It took the United States nearly a decade to recover from the economic wreckage of the last recession. A wealth-destroying trade war with one of Americas closest partners would threaten that long-sought recovery.
People protest in front of the White House on Jan. 25 to condemn President Trump's expected move to undo sanctuary city policies. (Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post)

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) recently announced the creation of a legal defense fund for immigrants facing deportation [New legal fund to aid immigrants, Metro, Jan. 10]. This proposal fills a gap in our federal governments ability to protect due-process rights for all. With no right to appointed counsel for immigrants facing deportation, more than 80 percent of detained immigrants represent themselves in immigration court.

The Jan. 23 editorial Measured sanctuary encouraged Ms. Bowser to exempt certain immigrants from receiving representation based on their criminal record. Yet immigrants with criminal convictions often have family members who are U.S. citizens and may be eligible for valid defenses against deportation. Since when do we allow a persons rap sheet to determine whether she or he has the right to a zealous defense in court?

The editorial board conflated legal representation with another aspect of D.C.s sanctuary policy: the limits imposed on the Districts compliance with federal immigration detainer requests. On that question, the board has succumbed to a narrative of fear rather than focusing on sound law and policy. A federal district court recently found Immigration and Customs Enforcement in violation of federal law in its detainer practices. Localities such as the District are acting responsibly when limiting their participation in this federal enforcement program.

Heidi Altman, Washington

The writer is director of policy for the

National Immigrant Justice Center.
David M. Dorsen, a Washington lawyer, is author of The Unexpected Scalia: A Conservative Justices Liberal Opinions, to be published by Cambridge University Press on Feb. 24.

As President Trump prepares to name a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia, the conventional wisdom is that the choice will not change the liberal-conservative balance on the court. After all, this argument goes, if Trump chooses any of the names on his previously published list, the court and the country will simply be swapping one conservative justice for another.

That understanding is incorrect and, as the Senate considers Trumps nominee and the impact on the court, could be dangerously misleading. This will come as a surprise to many, but in a number of important areas, including the rights of criminal defendants and freedom of speech, the justice was actually quite liberal, as that term is commonly applied. Of Scalias approximately 879 opinions, including comments on denials of petitions for certiorari, I have counted 135 as liberal and a number of others as arguably liberal.

No doubt, Scalia was personally a committed conservative and originalist. He relied on that pair of approaches to render conservative opinions on abortion, the right to die, womens rights, rights of gays and lesbians, obscenity, the death penalty, habeas corpus, the exclusionary rule relating to illegal searches and seizures, regulatory takings of private property, gun rights, establishment of religion, states rights, standing to challenge federal regulatory statutes, the scope of the commerce clause, the Freedom of Information Act and more.

Yet Scalias commitment to his jurisprudence led him to write many important liberal opinions, although they are less well-known than his conservative decisions, with their often provocative language.

In criminal cases, Scalia was the courts leading protector of defendants rights under the confrontation clause. Because the testimony had not been subject to cross-examination, he disallowed the use of previous grand jury testimony by a witness who was unavailable at trial. He prevented screens to shield child witnesses in child abuse cases from seeing their alleged abusers. Likewise, Scalia was liberal in his interpretation of the double jeopardy clause and the prohibition against ex post facto judicial decisions under the due process clause. He insisted that indictments, to be valid, list all the elements of a crime, and consistently relied on the rule of lenity, which requires criminal statutes to be clear before they are enforced against a defendant. He also broadly supported the right to trial by jury in civil cases, protected by the Seventh Amendment.

Scalia took a similarly liberal approach on questions of what constitutes an unreasonable search or seizure. He protected homes from searches by heat-detectors seeking signs of marijuana plants or dogs sniffing around a house to detect narcotics. He dissented when the court upheld the taking of a DNA sample from the mouth of someone arrested on one offense and then charged with another crime based on a DNA match. Invasive searches to detect the commission of other crimes, he said, violated the Fourth Amendment and due process. He insisted that any interference with personal property by law-enforcement officers amounted to a search that required a warrant or exigent circumstances, such as when the police affixed a GPS device on a suspects car without a warrant.

When it came to the Sixth Amendments right to trial by jury, Scalia once again was a leader of the liberal position. He insisted that juries, not judges, make the critical decision of whether an action amounted to a hate crime, and therefore was subject to more severe punishment. Scalia made the powerful point that judges were part of the state, and that trial by jury was designed to protect Americans from the state.

On matters involving the First Amendment, Scalia advocated a broad scope for freedom of speech. Notwithstanding Trumps argument that flag-burners should be subject to criminal prosecution, Scalia joined the opinion of liberal justice William Brennan striking down laws making flag desecration a crime as unconstitutional. He wrote his own opinion striking down a law prohibiting cross-burning that intimidated African Americans. Scalias First Amendment prohibited making distinctions based on the content of a statement. He opposed extending the limited protections afforded obscenity to animal cruelty and violence on First Amendment grounds. However, to the dismay of many liberals, he rejected all attempts by those who sought to curtail the influence of money in politics by voting to hold all limitations on campaign contributions and spending unconstitutional under the First Amendments right to freedom of speech.

When the time comes to evaluate Trumps nominee to the Supreme Court, we should not be misled by statements that he or she is a conservative in the mold of Scalia. The reality is much more nuanced. The odds are that we are going to have a nominee who not only follows Scalias conservative opinions, but also rejects his liberal ones. In short, the court without Scalia is likely to be a lot worse than the one with him still serving.
Regarding the Jan. 24 Politics & the Nation article Trumps ban hits foreign abortion rights groups:

President Trumps decision to freeze all federal funding to foreign organizations that so much as mention abortion is not pro-life in any normal meaning of the word.

Having served at the intersection of family planning, international health and health-care access in Uganda and South Africa, I feel an obligation to the wonderful people there who graciously recounted their reproductive health-care experiences with me (the good, the bad and the funny) to explain why Mr. Trumps rule is so counterproductive.

U.S. funds have never been used for abortions internationally. Mr. Trumps rule will hurt health organizations that are the main and often the only source of health care for whole communities. Health centers in many parts of Africa provide primary care and reproductive health care. Entirely stripping funding just for talking about abortion can shut down clinics, eliminating basic health services (preventive or tertiary) as well as preventive care to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

Marie Stopes International estimates that reinstating the rule will result in 21,700 maternal deaths in developing countries by 2020. It will create higher abortion rates, 6.5 million unwanted pregnancies and 2.1 million unsafe abortions. It will threaten the welfare of more than 225 million women.

For the people who think the world came together on Jan. 21 to protest a lost election, Mr. Trumps rule offers an example of the policies that those demonstrators aimed to oppose and eventually eliminate.

Rebecca Gale, Baltimore

Again, we witness white men denying women their right to choose. I sincerely hope that last weeks swarm of womens marches around the world will spark a renewed fight to take back our bodies.

Kathleen Baldwin, Annapolis


Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has cancelled a meeting with the new president of the United States, Donald Trump. The meeting had been planned for next week. Pena Nieto acted shortly after Trump posted on Twitter about plans for building a wall between Mexico and the U.S.

Trump tweeted early Thursday, If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.

Pena Nieto later tweeted, "This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the work meeting planned for next Tuesday with @POTUS. POTUS stands for President of the United States.

Trump administration official Sean Spicer said: "We'll look for a date to schedule something in the future. And he added, We will keep the lines of communication open."

Jorge Castaneda served as Mexicos foreign relations secretary under its former administration. In his words, "Pena Nieto has no other choice but to say 'I'm not going.'

Tensions have increased between the two countries since Trump launched his campaign in 2015. Trump had said immigrants from Mexico brought drugs and crime into the U.S. He promised to build a wall to stop them and said Mexico would pay for it.

The new U.S. President has also blamed Mexico for taking jobs away from Americans. He wants to re-negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA. Calling it a total disaster, he said it costs the U.S. as much as $60 billion each year in trade deficits to Mexico.

On Wednesday, Trump signed an order to build the wall as Mexicos Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray arrived for a meeting with the White House staff.

Republican leaders of the U.S. Congress estimated the cost of building the wall would be between $10 billion to $20 billion. Trump said the U.S. will finance the wall initially. But, he said Mexico will repay the United States.

There will be a payment, it will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form," Trump said in an interview with ABC News.

Late in the day, a White House spokesman said that Trump is calling for a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for the wall.

Im Anne Ball.

Hai Do wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

schedule - v. to plan at a certain time

complicated - adj. hard to explain, understand

interview - n. a meeting between a reporter and another person in order to get information for a news story

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
Jason Chaffetz, a Republican, represents Utahs 3rd Congressional District in the House and is chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Jim DeMint, a former Republican senator from South Carolina, is president of the Heritage Foundation.

The D.C. Council last year made a serious error when it passed the Death With Dignity Act, legalizing physician-assisted suicide in the District. Now it is Congresss duty and constitutional obligation to ensure the act does not stand.

Those who argue that the D.C. Council, in its capacity as the local government, has spoken for the citizens of the District ignore a central and crucial fact: The awesome responsibility of acting as the state for the citizens of the District lies not in the hands of a local government, but with Congress. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution vests Congress with exclusive legislative jurisdiction.

While the Home Rule Act of 1973 delegated to the District the ability to carry out some legislative functions and the authority to form a local government, the act reserved the role of state for Congress alone, and Congress has rightfully provided itself with the ability to review all legislation passed by the District.

During the review of the Death With Dignity Act, Congress can and should pass a joint resolution of disapproval. If it does and the resolution is signed by the president, the misguided Death With Dignity Act would be nullified.

From the earliest political philosophers to our countrys Founding Fathers to renowned literary giants, the sanctity and value of life has long been extolled.

The philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas reasoned that suicide was contrary to natural law and to charity because everything naturally loves itself, the result being that everything naturally keeps itself in being, and resists corruptions so far as it can. Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and to charity whereby every man should love himself.

In drafting the Declaration of Independence, our esteemed Founding Fathers set a moral standard for this country, eloquently stating, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

These great thinkers and others agree on the fundamental responsibility of government to protect the lives of its citizens. With this act, the District is doing just the opposite.

D.C. Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt testified against the bill and identified numerous concerns with it, including the potential for abuse and coercion, particularly for individuals with disabilities.

The American Medical Association is against physician-assisted suicide and asserts in its policy statement that such practice is fundamentally incompatible with the physicians role as healer . . . and would pose serious societal risks.

We must take heed of such warnings. We need only look across the Atlantic for a view down the slippery slope of physician-assisted suicide.

In a number of European countries where assisted suicide is legal, the option is no longer limited to only those with a terminal illness. People struggling with addiction, depression or autism have received the state seal of approval to end what might have otherwise been long and prosperous lives.

Rather than facilitate suicides, the governments role should be to prevent them.

Certainly the federal governments commitment to preventing suicide is clear. In fiscal year 2015, Congress allocated $55 million in the annual budget for suicide prevention efforts. The National Institutes of Health has spent more than $250 million since 2012 studying suicide prevention.

The Districts bill is incompatible with this priority to prevent the needless death and grief caused by suicides.

We should not now or ever take steps to help facilitate, encourage or tacitly accept measures that prematurely end lives.

In the interest of protecting D.C. residents, it is imperative that Congress act.

In the acclaimed poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, Dylan Thomas implores us to rage, rage against the dying of the light and to harness the natural, human instinct to fight for life.

We will rage for the citizens of the District and ensure the seat of our federal government remains a place where the most basic right to life is protected for all residents.
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.

March 17, 2017 President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

The flurry of bold executive orders and of highly provocative Cabinet nominations (such as a secretary of education who actually believes in school choice) has been encouraging to conservative skeptics of Donald Trump. But it shouldnt erase the troubling memory of one major element of Trumps inaugural address.

The foreign policy section has received far less attention than so revolutionary a declaration deserved. It radically redefined the American national interest as understood since World War II.

Trump outlined a world in which foreign relations are collapsed into a zero-sum game. They gain, we lose. As in: For many decades, weve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries while depleting our own.

And most provocatively this: The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world. Bernie Sanders believes that a corrupt establishment has ripped off the middle class to give to the rich. Trump believes those miscreants have given away our patrimony to undeserving, ungrateful foreigners as well.

JFKs inaugural pledged to support any friend and oppose any foe to assure the success of liberty. Note that Trump makes no distinction between friend and foe (and no reference to liberty). Theyre all out to use, exploit and surpass us.

[Newt Gingrich: Margaret Thatcher is the real model for the Trump presidency]

No more, declared Trump: From this day forward, its going to be only America First.

Imagine how this resonates abroad. America First was the name of the organization led by Charles Lindbergh that bitterly fought FDR before U.S. entry into World War II  right through the Battle of Britain  to keep America neutral between Churchills Britain and Hitlers Reich. (Then came Pearl Harbor. Within a week, America First dissolved itself in shame.)

Not that Trump was consciously imitating Lindbergh. I doubt he was even aware of the reference. He just liked the phrase. But I can assure you that in London and in every world capital they are aware of the antecedent and the intimations of a new American isolationism. Trump gave them good reason to think so, going on to note the right of all nations to put their own interests first. America included.

Some claim that putting America first is a reassertion of American exceptionalism. On the contrary, it is the antithesis. It makes America no different from all the other countries that define themselves by a particularist blood-and-soil nationalism. What made America exceptional, unique in the world, was defining its own national interest beyond its narrow economic and security needs to encompass the safety and prosperity of a vast array of allies. A free world marked by open trade and mutual defense was President Trumans vision, shared by every president since.

Until now.

Some have argued that Trump is just dangling a bargaining chip to negotiate better terms of trade or alliance. Or that Trumps views are so changeable and unstable  telling European newspapers two weeks ago that NATO is obsolete and then saying NATO is very important to me  that this is just another unmoored entry on a ledger of confusion.

But both claims are demonstrably wrong. An inaugural address is no off-the-cuff riff. These words are the product of at least three weeks of deliberate crafting for an address that Trumps spokesman said was intended to express his philosophy. Moreover, to remove any ambiguity, Trump prefaced his America First proclamation with: From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

[Trump is his administrations own worst enemy on foreign policy]

Trumps vision misunderstands the logic underlying the far larger, far-reaching view of Truman. The Marshall Plan surely took wealth away from the American middle class and distributed it abroad. But for a reason. Altruism, in part. But mostly to stabilize Western Europe as a bulwark against an existential global enemy.

We carried many free riders throughout the Cold War. The burden was heavy. But this was not a mindless act of charity; it was an exercise in enlightened self-interest. After all, it was indeed better to subsidize foreign armies  German, South Korean, Turkish and dozens of others  and have them stand with us, rather than stationing even more American troops everywhere around the world at greater risk of both blood and treasure.

We are embarking upon insularity and smallness. Nor is this just theory. Trumps long-promised but nonetheless abrupt withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the momentous first fruit of his foreign policy doctrine. Last year the prime minister of Singapore told John McCain that if we pulled out of the TPP youll be finished in Asia. He knows the region.

For 70 years, we sustained an international system of open commerce and democratic alliances that has enabled America and the West to grow and thrive. Global leadership is what made America great. We abandon it at our peril.

Read more from Charles Krauthammers archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
From counting bees to studying stars, amateur scientists can make contributions to professionals work, Caren Cooper argues. Science doesnt have to be authoritarian, she tells her fellow researchers. (Rob O'neal/Associated Press)

Deborah Blum is the author of five books, most recently The Poisoners Handbook, and the director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT.

As the daughter of an entomologist, I came to citizen science early. By the time I was in elementary school, I could identify the tiny black ants (Argentine) marching in determined lines down the sidewalk. By the time I was in high school, I was volunteering to help study the mating chemistry of bees. Dont worry, my father shouted as I stood in a buzzing cloud of male drones, clutching a balloon bearing an array of come-hither pheromones. They dont sting.

I shut my eyes anyway, but he was right. They didnt. Male drone bees are designed for reproduction rather than hive defense. And I wasnt particularly worried  standing in a buzz of bees was just part of my normal life. Or so I sometimes resentfully thought. It was only later that I realized how much the everyday science of my childhood had shaped the way I would see and value the intricate and unexpectedly beautiful weave of life around me.

That kind of illumination is cited in many of the arguments offered today by those promoting citizen participation in scientific research. The movements leaders are looking beyond the education of the individual; they also emphasize the way direct participation makes science more accessible to Americans who, many worry, are becoming alienated from the research process.

Further, there are areas of research that require a near-army of data-gatherers. Tracking shifts in bird migration, say, in response to climate change cannot be done without dedicated volunteers.

"Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery," by Caren Cooper (Overlook Press)

[A Sting in the Tale, Dave Goulson chronicles his adventures with bumblebees]

All of these issues have helped foster an increasingly well-managed array of citizen science projects far beyond the father-recruits-daughter approach of my childhood. Consider, for instance, the rise of websites such as ISeeChange.org, an online journal in which everyone adds to a portrait of climate change by detailing change in their own communities  or even back yards. Or programs such as SciStarter, which are designed to help people find an intriguing research project or even design one.

And consider the corresponding increase of books on the subject over the past several years. These include Sharman Russells lovely Diary of a Citizen Scientist and Chandra Clarkes Be the Change: Saving the World With Citizen Science, both from 2014; last springs The Rightful Place of Science: Citizen Science by Darlene Cavalier and Eric B. Kennedy; and this falls elegant quasi-memoir Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction by Mary Ellen Hannibal.

The most recent of these books, Caren Coopers Citizen Science: How Ordinary People Are Changing the Face of Discovery, is an engaging overview of the movement written with the energy and the enthusiasm of a crusader for the cause. Cooper, the assistant director of the biodiversity research laboratory at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to expand and update the SciStarter program and is a believer in the idea that science should become less insular. Scientific practice is an authoritarian system with which to produce trustworthy knowledge, she writes, but it doesnt have to be authoritarian.

After all, intelligent amateurs have been improving science for centuries. As an early example, Cooper cites the contributions of 17th-century Amsterdam cloth merchant Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, still famed for his dazzling improvements to microscopes of the time. In fact, van Leeuwenhoek not only developed powerful new standards of magnification; he did such detailed studies of microbes (which he called animalcules) that Englands Royal Society recognized him as a researcher of merit.

About a century later, in the 1770s, the American patriot and revolutionary Thomas Jefferson picked up the philosophical torch, organizing a network of volunteers to track climate patterns in his new country. Jefferson, Cooper notes, went on to experiment with the designs of rain gauges and barometers; he abhorred gaps in his data. And in past decades, citizen scientists have worked with professional researchers on projects ranging from studying monarch habitat and California wetlands to monitoring East Coast sea turtles, counting ladybugs and searching the skies for the shimmer of distant stars.

Citizen astronomers, she points out, have on occasion done such pioneering work that it blurs the lines between the concept of amateur and professional; we should remember, Cooper notes, that some distant planets and comets were first sighted by dedicated citizens with good telescopes. Amateurs are unique among citizen scientists in that they carry out independent research just like professionals do. Mutual respect is a central point in the book; underneath Coopers easy conversational tone is a firm request for more respect and less self-protective arrogance from her fellow scientists.

Citizen contributions should be recognized and respected by the research community, she argues, and not only in astronomy. She cites numerous examples in environmental research, from Inuit work on ice depth in a time of climate change to the online iWitness Pollution Map, which allowed residents of Louisiana to upload information on the impacts of the 2010 BP oil spill, and which continues tracking incidents today.

As the books subtitle suggests, Cooper sees genuinely revolutionary potential in connecting professional researchers with their citizen counterparts. She also sees the connection as essential to our preservation: Observing and sharing our observations will become what it means to be a responsible human being residing on planet earth.

I dont know that Id go that far in assessing our future. But she is an excellent advocate for today. When I finished the book, I decided to check out citizen scientist projects in my part of the country. Im looking, of course, for one without bees.
This week, Antwan Wilson becomes the chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, stepping into one of the most scrutinized school superintendent roles in the country  a position that vaulted former chancellors Michelle Rhee and Kaya Henderson to national prominence.

Its a critical pick for our children and for the legacy of progress DCPS has made toward providing every student with access to equitable education. For example, under Hendersons tenure, DCPS became the fastest-improving urban school district in the United States. In 2015, National Assessment of Educational Progress reading scores for fourth-grade students in DCPS grew by seven points over the 2013 test. Under her leadership, enrollment increased after decades of decline, and graduation rates climbed to the highest theyve been in the Districts history.

Superintendents and their staff can make a huge impact in the lives of their students and teachers, and I am heartened as I learn more about Wilsons track record of collaboration, focus, talent and innovation as superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District in California.

The national nonprofit I work for, Education Pioneers, believes that extraordinary change in education requires extraordinary people. We recruit, connect and advance leaders in education who solve problems from outside of the classroom so students and teachers succeed in the classroom.

At Education Pioneers, we also spend a lot of time thinking about and researching what makes a transformative education leader, whether he or she is a superintendent or just entering the education sector. From what weve seen in collaborating with Wilson in Oakland, we think he demonstrates many important leadership traits.

 Bridge-building: Transformative leaders collaborate with community organizations and families to support and develop the whole child, from social-emotional learning to nutrition. They also oversee enrollment processes that provide equitable access to high-performing schools.

Time and again we saw Henderson collaborate with community leaders and families to find common ground in the best interests of D.C. students and their schools. In Oakland, Wilson set up key partnerships with city and community organizations, and he created the African American Male Achievement initiative that has been recognized as a groundbreaking effort to address opportunity gaps. Bridge-building leaders create authentic connections and engage in a continuous process of growth and development. They should be comfortable reflecting on their own biases, actions and experiences.

 A talent mind-set. Transformative leaders cultivate a diverse talent pool and a driven set of leaders within their organization. They develop collaborative approaches to improve teacher preparation with universities and nonprofit organizations. They improve supervision, evaluation and support systems for school leaders. They provide clear teacher career ladders and supports, beginning at the point of hire. They shift from compliance-based human resources practices to strategic human capital management.

Henderson was a champion of talented people: of finding and supporting them and helping them grow. She invested in teacher and staff development and gave principals autonomy. She found ways to get the stuff of school operations off principals long lists of responsibilities to ensure theyd have time to be the instructional leaders our teachers and schools need, and she shrank the central office to divert more resources to schools.

Wilson was recognized for increasing resources and support for schools serving the most disadvantaged students.

 Continual progress. Transformative leaders are always innovating and prepared to respond to new and existing challenges. Education Pioneers alumnus Brian Pick is chief of teaching and learning for DCPS. In the 2015-2016 school year, he launched the DCPS Cornerstone initiative, which created rigorous lessons for every DCPS student in reading, math, science, social studies, art, music, physical education, health and world languages, and was developed by top teachers in DCPS.

Henderson supported innovation at DCPS. Wilson did also in Oakland when he oversaw the redesign of five high schools.

It might seem from the outside that school district leaders are distant from the classroom, but in the District, we know that school chancellors and other central office leaders have an enormous effect on the success of our teachers and students. Wilson does not have an easy job ahead of him and will need support from our community.

The community should get behind Wilsons bold vision to ensure the success of all D.C. students.

The writer is director of Education Pioneers.
A NATION under the rule of law must have a commitment that no one is exempt from justice. China has courts, judges and lawyers, but the Communist Party remains above the law. Two recent cases have dramatically illustrated how brutal and arbitrary punishment from the Chinese party-state can be, including its use of torture to silence dissent and break dissenters.

Imprisonment, forced confessions and deprivation are hardly new in China, but the fresh examples are raw and disturbing. The victims were lawyers committed to peaceful advocacy of human rights and dignity.

Xie Yang, 44, a lawyer from the southern province of Hunan, was rounded up in a mass crackdown on human rights lawyers and advocates that began in July 2015. He is still in prison. In early January, he met with his attorneys and courageously gave them a harrowing account of how he has been tortured. The transcript has been published on the website China Change, and it is a story of beatings and abusive punishment designed to crack his willpower. They just deliberately tortured and tormented me, he recalled. For example, Mr. Xie said, he was subject to a perverse technique called the dangling chair. He was forced to sit on a tower of stacked plastic stools for nearly 24 hours a day, both feet unable to reach the ground. His legs became swollen and painful. Other times, guards sat on either side of him for hours, smoking cigarettes and exhaling in his face. They threatened to harm his family and beat, kicked and head-butted him in an effort to coerce a confession. He insists he is innocent of the subversion charges against him.

Another lawyer, Li Chunfu, also 44, once was a lively and tough human rights lawyer who had advocated against the use of torture, according to a report by The Post . Mr. Li was kept in secret detention for 500 days, and when finally released on Jan. 12, his wife, Bi Liping, said he was thin, was ill and had become paranoid. Associates and relatives told the same China Change website that Mr. Li was tortured and drugged while confined.

On top of all this, the chief justice of the countrys Supreme Court, Zhou Qiang, gave a speech this month imploring provincial judges to resist erroneous Western ideals of judicial independence, constitutional democracy and the separation of powers. Jerome Cohen, a professor at New York University School of Law, called the speech the most enormous ideological setback for decades of halting, uneven progress toward the creation of a professional, impartial judiciary. In effect, the chief justice was telling legions of judges and lawyers: The party, not the law, reigns supreme.

The United States has regularly spoken out about the universal values of human rights and rule of law. President Trump has shown no interest in either and has endorsed the use of torture in interrogations. That can only embolden Chinas leaders the next time they decide to apply thumbscrews to the champions of democracy and rule of law.
Many Virginians thought Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) forgot the General Assembly existed after his unilateral decree regarding felon voting rights last year. However, we have reason for encouragement this year as McAuliffe announced several reforms he wants to accomplish in his final year in office. Better late than never.

Though these proposals will likely be lauded on the left as some sort of progressive dream, the reality is that conservatives in red states have been producing successful results in criminal-justice reform for many years. While liberals try to talk about amorphous concepts such as social justice, conservatives have stuck to the facts and focused on data-driven solutions that enhance public safety.

In fact, some of McAuliffes latest proposals seem to be coming straight out of the heart of Texas. This month, he called for a higher threshold for felony theft.

Virginia is tied with New Jersey for the lowest felony theft threshold at $200. That means if someone steals an item worth more than $200, the crime becomes grand larceny, a felony, rather than a misdemeanor, and that individual can face up to 20 years of imprisonment.

Research from the Pew Public Safety Performance Project shows that a majority of states

have increased their theft threshold since 2001. Of the 23 states analyzed by Pew that made the change between 2001 and 2011, the larceny and property crime rates decreased in 19 states. On the whole, the states that increased the theft threshold had greater decreases in property crime and larceny rates than the states that did not increase the threshold.

This is where the Lone Star State truly shines. Texas and Wisconsin have the highest threshold, at $2,500, more than 10 times the amount in the commonwealth. Texas enjoys its lowest overall crime rate since 1967.

There are several good reasons to increase the outrageously out-of-date threshold in Virginia. There is the logical reason: Over time, as we all know, the value of a dollar decreases. The purchasing power of $200 when the threshold was set in 1980 is greater than $500 today.

Maintaining such a low threshold will pull low-risk individuals into the criminal system with a felony. We should be focusing our resources on more serious offenders. This is especially a problem for juveniles. Prison Fellowship, Right on Crime and the Thomas Jefferson Institute, in a report published in 2015, explained that because the threshold is so low, there is potential for nonviolent youths to be sentenced to juvenile correctional facilities, a wildly expensive system ($150,000 per child) that leads juveniles down the path to more crime.

Another McAuliffe proposal has been ripped from the headlines and policy papers in Texas. I agree with the governor that it is truly outrageous for our government to suspend a citizens drivers license for not paying fines and fees, akin to the Texas program opposed by conservatives. This has become governments version of squeezing blood from a turnip, and it is a fight in which conservatives in Virginia can work to limit government abuse.

The commonwealth still has a long way to go when it comes to reforming our criminal-justice system, but it will be conservative policies that get us to a better place. Conservatives in many red states have an incredible track record of reform, including discovery, juvenile justice and criminal-intent reforms. Even liberals such as McAuliffe have been unable to ignore this success.

Though McAuliffe may have co-opted the Texas model for his own purposes, it will be up to Virginia conservatives in the General Assembly and elsewhere to lead the way on criminal-justice reform in this session and beyond.

The writer, a former attorney general of Virginia, is a signatory to the Right on Crime Statement of Principles.
I have lived in Montgomery County for 28 years. I love the libraries, the parks and the progressive and diverse population. My son attended the countys excellent schools from kindergarten through 12th grade.

But heres what I dont love: In an era of rapid global warming, part of my county tax dollars goes directly to buying stock in mega-polluting companies such as ExxonMobil, Arch Coal and BP. The Montgomery County Council allows this to happen to help underwrite the countys pension fund for workers. The result? More than $65 million of county tax funds now finance dozens of companies that contribute enormously to sea-level rise, bigger storms and a full range of other terrifying climate impacts. So while the county school system has prepared my son for a positive future, my tax dollars help pay ExxonMobil to destroy that very same future by baking the planet.

Now, with a president who has called climate-change a hoax, its more important than ever for localities to move our nation toward rational climate policies. That is why activist Bill McKibben and the group 350.org have launched a movement to get colleges, governments and other institutions to divest from fossil fuel companies. Legislation is before the Montgomery County Council to do just that.

Council members Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), Nancy Navarro (D-Mid-County) and Marc Elrich (D-At Large) introduced Bill 44-16, which would require the county pension fund to sell direct holdings in fossil fuel companies. Thats about $65 million in a portfolio of more than $4 billion, so it would have almost no impact on the overall health of the fund. In fact, with average prices for dirty energy falling in recent years, this divestment will almost certainly help the pension fund.

Unfortunately, some council members and the editorial board at The Post object. They say it is ethically fine to use tax dollars to invest in companies that profit from global warming. They add, Whats next  divest from Coca-Cola since sodas contribute to diabetes? Its a silly question, of course. Global warming is an existential threat to our society, and ExxonMobil is not a soda company. The fossil fuel industry is knowingly pushing the world toward climate catastrophe for its own short-term profits.

Critics also claim that the small brokerage fees incurred for selling dirty-energy stocks would be a burden to the county. Really? Imagine telling your kids, We wanted to help stave off climate calamity, but the routine transaction costs of selling and reinvesting in greener companies was just too much to bear, so we kept investing in climate calamity.

Im proud that Montgomery County already leads the nation in many programs to fight climate change. We invest heavily in energy-efficiency measures and in wind power for county buildings. But now its time to put our pension investment dollars where our mouth is. If apartheid still existed in South Africa, would we invest there? No. Would we knowingly invest in companies today that profit from child labor or human trafficking? Of course not. And now the act of investing directly in mountaintop removal for coal has grown similarly controversial. The act of profiting from hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, for planet-warming oil and gas has reached a special level of moral offense. Its time to stop. Period.

Bill 44-16 would end these direct investments. I love this county  and I will love it even more when its investment patterns align better with the deep environmental values of its voters.

The writer is executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
MONTGOMERY COUNTYS minimum wage of $10.75 per hour already exceeds that of most of the rest of the United States by $3.50 per hour, and most of Maryland by $2. Believing this insufficiently supportive of low-wage workers, a progressive coalition led by local labor unions persuaded the County Council to pass a bill raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020  to which County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) has quite wisely said no. In a Jan. 23 memorandum explaining his veto, Mr. Leggett said he might be willing to go to $15, but not unconditionally, not before 2022 and not without an objective economic study of all the ramifications, intended and unintended.

The measures supporters, who had mustered five votes on the nine-member council, one fewer than a veto-proof majority, attacked Mr. Leggetts veto: Working families who fear life under the Trump presidency need not wait for the White House to make their lives harder  their own local leaders have already started, the MD/DC Fight for $15 Coalition said Monday. This is hyperbole. Actually, Mr. Leggett took the action he did out of well-founded concerns, including the significant financial impact on county government from jacking up wages for entities that provide taxpayer-supported services.

Specifically, labor costs would rise to the tune of $21.1 million for the countys nonprofit developmental disability service providers alone in the next fiscal year. Medicaid service providers would see their costs of doing business rise by 5.5 percent. And that is on top of the potential competitive disadvantage Montgomery businesses might face relative to those in neighboring jurisdictions, as Mr. Leggett noted. Theres no use raising wages for less-skilled or entry-level workers if most of the businesses that might hire them migrate elsewhere  or are deterred from opening or expanding. As Mr. Leggett pointed out, Seattle and New York City are tourist destinations whose hotel and restaurant industries can pass on some of the increased labor costs to non-residents. Not so Montgomery County. Even deep-blue Californias $15 minimum doesnt kick in until 2022  or later if certain economic conditions persuade the governor to impose a pause.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took up the cry of 15 bucks an hour! during his run for the presidency in 2016, converting support for that objective into a litmus test of true progressivism for many liberals. It takes a certain amount of political courage for those who support the goal of supporting low-income workers, but not necessarily this method, to say so. Mr. Leggett, and the four council members who voted against the measure, have shown that kind of courage.
Newt Gingrich, a Republican from Georgia, was speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999. He served as vice chair of the Trump transition team.

As British Prime Minister Theresa May becomes the first foreign leader to visit President Trump, it is a good time to consider that Margaret Thatcher, much more than Ronald Reagan, is the real model for the Trump presidency.

Trumps inaugural address last Friday had the directness and confrontational tone of a Thatcher speech. The president was clear that he stood for dramatic, bold change and that he regarded his election as a victory of the American people.

Trumps speech was not designed to reconcile with the Washington power structure. In fact, it was a declaration of loyalty to the American people against that very power structure.

Furthermore, the address represented a direct threat to the value system of the left. In this head-on challenge to power and ideology, Trump resembles Thatcher far more than Reagan.

Reagan was focused on breaking the power of the Soviet Union, not breaking the power of political correctness and the elite media that has increasingly dominated the United States. They were frightened of Reagan, but they werent enraged by him.

[Trump is his administrations own worst enemy on foreign policy]

Trump is a direct, mortal threat to both the power structure and the ideology of the left. The left knows it and is responding just as the British left wing responded to Thatcher.

The young liberal fascists breaking windows and intimidating Trump supporters on Inauguration Day displayed the kind of hostility that Thatcher evoked on the left.

The congressional Democrats decision to adopt pure negativity and opposition tactics is much more like the Labour Partys reaction to Thatcher than then-House Speaker Tip ONeills much more nuanced approach to Reagan. One-third of the House Democrats voted for the Reagan economic program in the summer of 1981. It is hard to imagine that happening in the House today.

The left in Britain became so unhinged with its bitter hostility that it kept drifting further and further out of the mainstream. The term loony left became a common description of the Labour Party in the 1987 election.

Today, the hysteria of the American left as the Elizabeth Warren-George Soros wing talks only to its own partisans is becoming increasingly bizarre. Think about the optics of last weekends anti-Trump marchers, with their vulgarity and dreams of blowing up the White House. This sort of rhetoric repels most Americans.

Claire Berlinski, in her brilliant book There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters, argues that Thatcher had two great historic goals. First, Thatcher was dedicated to destroying the moral legitimacy of socialism. Second, she was determined to break Arthur Scargill and the coal miners union, which was the most powerful structure threatening the Parliaments right to govern.

Thatcher believed socialism was destroying the spirit of individual responsibility, hard work and entrepreneurship, which she felt was at the heart of Britains success. Her campaign against the values and principles of socialism was a moral campaign.

Furthermore, she believed Scargill was challenging the legitimacy of a popularly elected government to set the rules.

In Thatchers analysis, if socialism prevailed and the coal miners union could dictate its own terms, then Britain as a country would be transformed into a very different place. Thus, she saw her fight as Churchillian in the depth and intensity of the fight and the scale of the stakes.

Trumps decision to put a bust of Winston Churchill back in the Oval Office is a clear signal of that same resolve.

Like Thatcher, Trump is similarly focused on destroying the moral legitimacy of the left and breaking the power of the lobbyist and bureaucratic establishment in Washington. His actions thus far in office, including steps to restore the rule of law in immigration and move forward with vital energy infrastructure projects, have been consistent with these goals.

[Trumps foreign policy revolution]

It is no accident that May will be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump. The president instinctively wants a much closer alliance with Britain. Where President Barack Obama warned that voting for Brexit would put Britain at the back of the line, Trump believes the vote for Brexit puts Britain at the front of the line. Britain may have had more riding on the outcome of the U.S. election than any other foreign country.

Those who fear Trumps protectionism might note that one of his first goals is to begin working on a bilateral agreement with Britain (which may become a trilateral agreement if the Canadians are invited in). This is a much more sophisticated president than his critics believe.

This weeks visit may revitalize the special relationship that the United States and Britain have had ever since 1941. Prime Minister Thatcher would have approved.
Regarding the Jan. 23 Politics & the Nation article Watchdog to sue Trump over alleged violation of constitutional provision:

If Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington succeeds in having a court hear its suit, it is likely that President Trump will encounter another conflict of interest. Because the case involves a constitutional issue, it almost certainly will be appealed to the Supreme Court. Permitting Mr. Trump to nominate someone to fill Justice Antonin Scalias seat in advance of the court hearing this case, something that the president has promised to do, would allow Mr. Trump to act as judge and jury.

Mr. Trump should refrain from nominating anyone to the Supreme Court until after CREW and other plaintiffs cases have been heard and decided to avoid this conflict and to preclude the Senate from raising this conflict as a reason for refusing to vote on a Supreme Court nominee.

Bruce N. Shulman, Silver Spring
Theodore Roosevelt, center, with members of the Rough Riders in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Roosevelt thought that such wars kept a nation strong. (Associated Press)

Dennis Drabelle is a former contributing editor of Book World.

Ambrose Bierce mocked it as the Yanko Spanko War. Speaker of the House Thomas B. Reed opposed it. So did two former presidents, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison, as well as a once-and-future candidate for that office, William Jennings Bryan. But they couldnt overcome the warmongers, led by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge and the incumbent president, William McKinley. The Spanish-American War, as it is less sardonically known, came and went during a few months in 1898.

Former New York Times foreign correspondent Stephen Kinzers peppery new book, The True Flag, is about what happened next, after a series of easy victories in various sectors of the Spanish Empire left the United States holding Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. The question of what to do with those far-flung islands, Kinzer asserts, generated a debate the likes of which had not been seen since the period when the United States was founded.

You may have noticed that although Mark Twains name appears in the books subtitle, I didnt list him among the wars prominent opponents. Thats because he  along with another renowned anti-imperialist, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie  supported the invasion of Cuba, which was billed as a humanitarian mission to liberate an oppressed people from Spanish rule.

[The Great American Railroad War, how two reporters took down the notorious Central Pacific Railroad]

"The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire," by Stephen Kinzer (Henry Holt )

In bestowing their approval, the worlds most famous writer and its richest tycoon discounted less-savory motives. A crush on warfare was one, with Roosevelt the most besotted swain of all. Combat makes boys into men, he insisted, and keeps a nation from going soft. Other reasons included opening up new markets for American commerce, gaining admittance to the club of colonial powers and spreading American values. The last two motives, however, were hard to square with each other. How could a nation founded on principled rebellion against colonial rule turn around and acquire colonies of its own? The answer given by Lodge and company was a form of American exceptionalism: Were so rich and righteous that we have a duty to make our inferiors more like us.

The first climax of The True Flag is the Senate debate on the Treaty of Paris, by which title to the captured islands would pass from Spain to the United States. The anti-imperialists seemed to have the edge, not least because, under the Constitution, a treaty takes effect only if ratified by at least two-thirds of the voting senators.

Then a bombshell hit. Bryan came out in favor of ratification. He was preparing to run for president again, and the war had won popular acclaim as a symbol of Americas coming of age. Bryan also suffered from wishful thinking. He convinced himself that the best way for the former Spanish possessions to stand on their own was first to be seized and outfitted with training wheels by the United States. Observers differed as to whether the Great Commoners defection cost the anti-imperialist side a mere seven votes or as many as 15, but it seems clear that the treaty owed its two-vote margin of victory to what one historian called the baffling figure of Mr. William Jennings Bryan.

[How a splendid little war built the American empire.]

Two years later, Bryan had a chance to make amends. He was running for president, and in the meantime bloody uprisings in the Philippines had eroded American support for retaining the islands. Bryan opposed the continued occupation, and it was widely thought that the only thing blocking his path to the White House was free silver. If Bryan could bring himself to jettison that lost cause, the reasoning went, he would appeal to big business, deny McKinley a second term and check U.S. imperialism. But free silver, as articulated in the perfervid Cross of Gold speech, had been the making of Bryan as a national politician, and he couldnt bear to let it go. His stubbornness cost him the election, proving that Bryan, in the words of the unfailingly witty Speaker Reed, would rather be wrong than president.

Which brings up one of the most striking features of the war and its aftermath: the number of catchphrases it inspired. Yellow-press lord William Randolph Hearst reputedly cabled one of his photographers, You furnish the pictures and Ill furnish the war. Rudyard Kipling justified this and other, similar wars as the white mans burden. Back home after his triumph on San Juan Hill, Roosevelt said he felt as big and strong as a bull moose. Secretary of State John Hay summed up the conflict as a splendid little war. As Filipinos continued to resist, Henry Adams wrote to a friend, I turn green in bed at midnight if I think of the horror of a years warfare in the Philippines.

No single remark of Twains stands out, but he denounced American empire-building often and scathingly, unruffled by accusations that he was spouting treason. To my mind, however, the most damning indictment was brought by Chief Justice Melville Fuller in a 1901 case about whether the United States could legally subject the occupied islands to what was essentially martial law:

The idea that this country may acquire territories anywhere upon the earth, by conquest or treaty, and hold them as mere colonies or provinces  the people inhabiting them to enjoy only such rights as Congress chooses to accord to them  is wholly inconsistent with the spirit and genius, as well as with the words, of the Constitution.

It remains to be said that Fuller was writing in dissent; by a 5-to-4 vote, the court ruled in favor of the government.

Kinzer gets a bit carried away in his last chapter, The Deep Hurt, a potted survey of the interventions and invasions launched by the United States in the century-plus since 1898. Its more sermon than history, and most readers will already be well aware of the authors examples from their own memories or previous reading.

What Kinzer does extraordinarily well, however, is to remind us how easily the pivotal decisions  the treaty vote, the Supreme Court case and others  could have gone the other way. If one justice or three senators had switched sides, or if Bryan had been less of a baffling figure, the United States might have become a very different country.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the author of the novels Wench and Balm. She is a visiting assistant professor in the Literature Department at American University.

Their mother was Eritrean and their father African American, but the two sisters, Lana and Asha, had vastly different experiences growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s because of their different skin tones. When Asha was born, she was the color of milk, Lana said. When I was born, I looked like a chocolate drop. As a teenager, Lana wished she had lighter skin, while her fairer sister had no idea of her longing.

In her book Same Family, Different Colors, Lori L. Tharps explores the impact on families when members have varying shades of skin color and the reaction in society when an individual has a darker, or unexpected, skin tone. Tharps argues that skin tone will become more important than race as America becomes less white and more multiracial as a result of mixed relationships and immigration. Americans are on a collision course with a future in which the word race gets redefined or perhaps even retired from official government use, she writes. In the meantime, skin color will continue to serve as the most obvious criterion in determining how a person will be evaluated and judged.

"Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America's Diverse Families," by Lori L. Tharps (Beacon)

Tharps presents significant evidence that there are real-life ramifications to having darker skin. She cites a 2006 University of Georgia study that found that employers of any race prefer light-skinned Black men to dark-skinned Black men regardless of their qualifications. Economist Joni Hersch of Vanderbilt University Law School has found that immigrants with lighter skin earn between 8 and 15 percent more than similarly qualified immigrants with darker skin.

[Tears We Cannot Stop, Michael Eric Dysons sermon on the unbearable whiteness of America.]

Same Family, Different Colors examines skin hue issues for African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and mixed-race families, and probes the historical origins of a preference for lighter tones. In China, Japan and Korea, Tharps says, the desire for fairer skin was largely tied to notions of beauty and class. In the Philippines, light skin was associated with the power structure  that is, white colonizers and, later, the mixed-race mestizos. In India, Tharps notes that British colonization institutionalized the discrimination of people with darker skin.

Tharps delves into the family dynamics of different skin shades in an effort to understand how the issue plays out on the societal level. Does the experience within families point to the roots of pressures outside the home? Families want to match, she argues. Theres something about the concept of family that demands a sense of uniformity, of sameness  same race, religion, class, and, yes, skin color, Tharps writes. It is a small step, she implies, from the family to society. Skin color matters because we are a visual species and we respond to one another based on the way we physically present, she observes. Add to that the like belongs with like beliefs most people harbor, and the race-based prejudices human beings have attached to certain skin colors, and we come to present-day society, where skin color becomes a loaded signifier of identity and value.

[In Writing to Save a Life, John Edgar Wideman examines the separate deaths of Emmett Till and his father Louis.]

While darker skin subjects people to discrimination, a lighter hue also can pose problems. Tharps recounts the experience of Enrique Martinez, a young medical student who was born in Mexico and spent his high school and college years in San Diego. The first time I met Enrique I was shocked to discover he is Mexican, Tharps writes. Why? Because he has milky-white skin and thick, flaming red hair that hangs just below his shoulders. Tharps reveals that meeting him forced her to acknowledge how deeply ingrained stereotypes are, because even after learning of his heritage, I grappled with reconciling Enriques physical appearance with his Mexican identity.

Enrique described his mother as Mediterranean white and his father and brother as brown with dark hair. While his parents never focused on the difference in skin color between him and his brother, others couldnt help noticing. People didnt believe they were brothers. Enrique wasnt even permitted to pick his brother up at school because the teacher didnt believe that they were related. Enrique also found that his lighter skin gave him advantages in the United States denied to his darker father and brother. When passing through border control on their trips from Mexico, the agents readily accepted his declaration of American citizenship but spent time questioning his father and brother. This was when I started to realize that my skin color in the United States was going to be very important in how people saw me, Enrique said.

Author and journalist Sandra Guzman was one of five children in a mixed Puerto Rican family; her father was black, and her mother had a Spanish heritage and a light complexion. Guzman described herself as having African features, a flat nose, and curlier hair,  Tharps writes. One of her sisters had blond hair, European features and their mothers coloring, and that sister was favored by both of their parents. Guzman admitted to Tharps: I always felt like if I were just a little blonder, if I just looked a little lighter skinned, maybe [my father] would love me more. Her nose became her chief focus, and finally, just before she finished college, she saved up her money and got a nose job. Even with her new nose and straightened hair, Guzman carried the wounds of her skin and her upbringing.

She understands that her parents are responding to social pressures that favor lighter skin; those demands affected her familys life and ironically pushed her relatives to discriminate in ways they would condemn in others. To grow up with a mother and an extended family that is so racist   Guzman told Tharps, then stopped herself. Its not racist exactly; its just that theyve been literally brainwashed to believe that theyre not beautiful.
President Trump is never at a loss for words. So why do so many people in his orbit seem to have trouble finding theirs?

Melania Trump lifted from a speech that had been delivered by Michelle Obama.

Monica Crowley backed out of a senior position on Trumps National Security Council after evidence of plagiarism was found in her book, columns and PhD dissertation.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency, put most of a letter sent to him by an oil company onto his own official letterhead and sent it to the EPA.

And now we have another case of curiously repetitive prose  by none other than the man who just became Trumps White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn.

On Nov. 19, 2015, McGahn, then a partner with the firm Jones Day representing the Trump campaign, filed a brief with the Federal Election Commission that looked like a cut-and-paste of a brief filed by another respondent 15 days earlier. A chunk of more than 300 words, essentially the entire analysis, is a word-for-word reproduction of the other brief.

Melanie Sloan, a consultant and longtime ethics watchdog, found the nearly identical briefs while reading FEC filings and was stunned to see the wholesale duplication of an argument filed by another lawyer for a totally different client, she said.

The case involved was relatively minor. But Lawrence Noble of the Campaign Legal Center, who was general counsel of the Federal Election Commission for 13 years, said such a shortcut was a rare occurrence. It is not unusual for different parties to coordinate, but I dont remember seeing many where they copy it word for word, he said.

The author of the first-filed brief, Andrew Herman of the firm Miller & Chevalier, told me this is not a case of plagiarism but the product of a joint defense between the parties. He didnt explain how they collaborated, or which firm drafted the language. Respondents in FEC cases are permitted to coordinate their responses.

But Trevor Potter, a Republican former chairman of the FEC, said this does not explain the near-identical briefs. Joint defense agreement are not uncommon and allow two defendants with common interests to share information within the attorney/client privilege, he said. However, that has nothing to do with filing nearly word-for-word identical legal briefs with the FEC. That is a different issue and seems very unusual.

One lawyer who has argued enforcement cases before the FEC for more than two decades said he had never seen an argument copied word-for-word like this. The lawyer, who was not authorized by his firm to be named, said submitting a nearly identical brief is at the very least bad form.

Kevyn Orr, the Jones Day partner in charge of the firms Washington office, declined to comment. My email inquiries sent to the White House press office and to McGahn received no response.

The filings, made public by the FEC last week on the eve of the inauguration, are a postscript to one of the stranger tales of the campaign: the hiring of actors, reportedly for $50 apiece, to cheer at Trumps June 2015 kickoff event at Trump Tower, and the campaigns alleged failure to pay the firm that helped organize the event, Gotham Government Relations. The Trump campaign paid up after a complaint was filed with the FEC alleging an in-kind contribution to Trump from Gotham. The FEC decided the remaining stakes  a few months worth of interest on $12,000  did not merit action. After Trumps victory, Gotham announced it was opening a Washington office.

Most of McGahns brief repeats the Gotham brief verbatim.

The Complaint is legally deficient and must be dismissed because it fails to clearly and concisely recite any verifiable facts that constitute a violation of the Act or Commission regulations, Herman wrote.

The Complaint is legally deficient and must be dismissed because it fails to clearly and concisely recite any verifiable facts that constitute a violation of the Act or Commission regulations, McGahn wrote for Trump.

At best, the Complaint is nothing more than a few sensationalized and erroneous news reports dressed up as a complaint, Herman wrote.

At best, the Complaint is nothing more than a few sensationalized and erroneous news reports dressed up as a complaint, McGahn wrote.

And so on. In one case, McGahns brief dropped a word but left the comma that followed it, garbling the sentence.

If the two men worked jointly, as Herman said, the incident is not a case of unauthorized use of anothers words but a slapdash legal filing. Given that one of the men involved is now the top lawyer in the White House, thats not entirely reassuring.

Twitter: @Milbank

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Republican lawmakers aired sharp concerns about their partys quick push to repeal the Affordable Care Act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, according to a recording of the session obtained by The Washington Post.

The recording reveals a GOP that appears to be filled with doubts about how to make good on a long-standing promise to get rid of Obamacare without explicit guidance from President Trump or his administration. The thorny issues with which lawmakers grapple on the tape  including who may end up either losing coverage or paying more under a revamped system  highlight the financial and political challenges that flow from upending the current law.

Senators and House members expressed a range of concerns about the task ahead: how to prepare a replacement plan that can be ready to launch at the time of repeal; how to avoid deep damage to the health insurance market; how to keep premiums affordable for middle-class families; even how to avoid the political consequences of defunding Planned Parenthood, the womens health-care organization, as many Republicans hope to do with the repeal of the ACA.

[In private meeting, Pence vows full probe into voter fraud claims]

Wed better be sure that were prepared to live with the market weve created with repeal, said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). Thats going to be called Trumpcare. Republicans will own that lock, stock and barrel, and well be judged in the election less than two years away.

(Jayne Orenstein/The Washington Post)

Recordings of closed sessions at the Republican policy retreat in Philadelphia this week were sent late Thursday to The Post and several other news outlets from an anonymous email address. The remarks of all lawmakers quoted in this article were confirmed by their offices or by the lawmakers themselves.

Our goal, in my opinion, should be not a quick fix. We can do it rapidly  but not a quick fix, said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). We want a long-term solution that lowers costs.

[Republicans attempt to hash out health-care plan]

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) warned his colleagues that the estimated budget savings from repealing Obamacare  which Republicans say could approach a half-trillion dollars  would be needed to fund the costs of setting up a replacement. This is going to be what well need to be able to move to that transition, he said.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) worried that one idea floated by Republicans  a refundable tax credit  would not work for middle-class families that cannot afford to prepay their premiums and wait for a tax refund.

Republicans have also discussed the idea of generating revenue for their plan by taking aim at deductions that allow most Americans to get health insurance through their employers without paying extra taxes on it. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who has drafted his own bill to reform the Affordable Care Act, said in response, It sounds like we are going to be raising taxes on the middle class in order to pay for these new credits.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), who chairs a key tax-writing subcommittee, countered, I dont see it that way, adding that there is a tax break on employer-sponsored health care and nowhere else equal to $3.6 trillion over 10 years.

Could you unlock just a small portion at the top to be able to give that freedom [to self-employed Americans]? That is the question, Brady said.

Rep. John Faso (R-N.Y.), a freshman congressman from the Hudson Valley, warned strongly against using the repeal of the ACA to also defund Planned Parenthood. We are just walking into a gigantic political trap if we go down this path of sticking Planned Parenthood in the health insurance bill, he said. If you want to do it somewhere else, I have no problem, but I think we are creating a political minefield for ourselves  House and Senate.

The concerns of rank-and-file lawmakers appeared to be at odds with key congressional leaders and Andrew Bremberg, a top domestic policy adviser to Trump, who have laid out plans to repeal the ACA using a fast-track legislative process and executive actions from the administration. However, these leaders acknowledged in Thursdays meeting, as they have before, that Obamacare cannot be fully undone  or replaced  without Democratic cooperation.

That and other aspects of the unfinished GOP plan prompted several wary lawmakers to urge their leaders to move more deliberately  even as the Trump administration appears to be moving ahead with repeal. Thursday, the White House ordered federal health officials to immediately halt all advertising and other outreach activities for the critical final days in which Americans can sign up for 2017 health coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The administration partly retracted that directive on Friday, allowing the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to contact people eligible for ACA coverage by email, text and automated phone calls, and reviving use of a HealthCare.gov Twitter account.The new directive also allows airing of some ads if the government would otherwise lose the money it paid for them upfront.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) dismissed the concerns aired in the meeting during an interview at a Politico event Friday.

We have a responsibility to work for the people that put us in office, he said. Thats the oath we take: to defend the Constitution, to fight for the people we represent, and this is a fiasco that needs to be fixed.

[White House stops ads, outreach for last days of 2017 ACA enrollment]

Of particular concern to some Republican lawmakers was a plan to use the budget reconciliation process  which requires only a simple majority vote  to repeal the existing law, while still needing a filibuster-proof vote of 60 in the Senate to enact a replacement.

The fact is, we cannot repeal Obamacare through reconciliation, McClintock said. We need to understand exactly: What does that reconciliation market look like? And I havent heard the answer yet.

Several important policy areas appeared unsettled. While the chairmen of key committees sketched out various proposals, they did not have a clear plan for how to keep markets viable while requiring insurers to cover everyone who seeks insurance.

At one point Cassidy, a physician who co-founded a community health clinic in Baton Rouge to serve the uninsured, asked the panelists a simple question: Will states have the ability to maintain the expanded Medicaid rolls provided for under the ACA, which now provide coverage for more than 10 million Americans, and can other states do similar expansions?

These are decisions we havent made yet, said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.).

Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) worried that the plans under GOP consideration could eviscerate coverage for the roughly 20 million Americans now covered through state and federal marketplaces and the laws Medicaid expansion: Were telling those people that were not going to pull the rug out from under them, and if we do this too fast, we are in fact going to pull the rug out from under them.

Republicans are also still wrestling with whether Obamacares taxes can be immediately repealed, a priority for many conservatives, or whether that revenue will be needed to fund a transition period.

And there seems to be little consensus on whether to pursue a major overhaul of Medicaid  converting it from an open-ended entitlement that costs federal and state governments $500 billion a year to a fixed block grant. Trump and his top aides, including counselor Kellyanne Conway, have publicly endorsed that idea. But doing so would mean that some low-income Americans would not be automatically covered by a program that currently covers 70 million Americans.

Many of the concerns aired Thursday were more political than policy-oriented. Fasos remarks about Planned Parenthood generated tepid applause. Ryan said this month that he expects the House to pursue the organizations defunding in the reconciliation bill.

Those expressing qualms included some of the top congressional leaders who are in line to draft the health-care legislation. Alexander, for one, is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Ryan and other leaders have said they intend to pursue a piecemeal approach, following the reconciliation bill with smaller ones that address discrete aspects of reform.

Bremberg, chairman of Trumps domestic policy council, offered little detail in the session about particular executive actions the Trump administration intends to take or what legislative proposals the new president favors.

Instead, he pointed to the executive order Trump signed last week, his first, as proof of his commitment to undoing Obamacares mandates and said his choice of Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to be his health and human services secretary should speak volumes to people trying to understand what hes hoping to achieve.

This is not a technocrat, Bremberg said. This is an experienced, compassionate doctor who has experienced the health-care system firsthand and who has been a leader here in Washington trying to address the policy reforms that need to take place. Having both of those in a secretary is going to be very important and very powerful.

Even as Bremberg offered few details about what the president plans to do, he emphasized that last weeks executive order repeatedly used phrases such as to the maximum extent permitted by law  to enable his political appointees to start dismantling the ACA by executive authority.

Im sure many of us have been very concerned about the interpretation of that phrase in the last six or so years, Bremberg quipped, referring to the previous administration. The president has now officially given direction [not only] to HHS, but to all of these agencies that have responsibility . . . to exercise all available discretion to begin helping the American people and to begin fixing our health-care system.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Brembergs remarks.

Faso warned that by defunding Planned Parenthood in the reconciliation bill, we are arming our enemy in this debate.

To me, us taking retribution on Planned Parenthood is kind of morally akin to what Lois Lerner and Obama and the IRS did against tea party groups, he said, a reference to accusations that the Internal Revenue Service improperly targeted conservative political groups for audits.

Faso continued: Health insurance is going to be tough enough for us to deal with without having millions of people on social media come to Planned Parenthoods defense and sending hundreds of thousands of new donors to the Democratic Senate and Democratic congressional campaign committees. So I would just urge us to rethink this.

Robert Costa, Juliet Eilperin and Paul Kane contributed to this report.
The climate change conference that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly canceled just before President Trumps inauguration is back on  thanks to former vice president Al Gore and the sponsorship of nongovernmental groups such as the Harvard Global Health Institute, the Turner Foundation and the Climate Reality Project, an advocacy and education organization Gore founded.

The summit will still be held next month in Atlanta  at the nonprofit Carter Center  and will be a single day instead of three.

According to Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, he and Gore talked after CDCs still unexplained retreat on the conference and agreed that theres still a void and still a need. Organizers say they are aiming to attract as many as 200 attendees to talk about the mounting risks to human health posed by climate change.

 Brady Dennis
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), seen here in a file photo, is pushing to make worries over the repeal of the Affordable Care Act an issue at the front of voters minds. (Bill O'Leary/Washington Post)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrived at her weekly news conference determined to talk about saving the Affordable Care Act. She was flanked by 15 uniformed nurses and spoke from a lectern with a sign reading #ProtectOurCare.

But after just one question on her chosen topic, reporters moved on to other subjects: President Trumps allegations of voter fraud, Trumps plans for a new border wall, Trumps desire to ban refugees from Muslim countries and Trumps hiring freeze.

Pelosis responses grabbed headlines. Her warning about repealing Obamacare did not.

The scene, which played out Wednesday in front of eight television cameras, underscores the stark challenge Democrats face in getting their message out in the early days of an administration that is generating rapid-fire headlines  sometimes shifting the story line several times a day.

[Reality check: Many of Trumps early vows will never actually happen]

Since taking office just a week ago, the new Republican president has issued a slew of attention-grabbing executive actions, on topics as far flung as pipeline construction and global abortion policy, caused uproars with comments on Twitter that no one saw coming and dominated the conversation with off-the-cuff musings about crowd sizes and voter fraud.

With a Supreme Court pick coming next week, growing discord with Mexico and a renewed debate about torture, theres no sign of things settling down anytime soon.

The dynamic makes it difficult for Democrats to break through the noise with sustained pushback on any one of these issues, let alone mount a campaign around some of their own priorities  and expect the media to pay attention.

Aides say Trumps primary aim has been to show that he is a man of action, as White House counselor Kellyanne Conway put it in a tweet this week. But others also see a deliberate strategy meant to keep Trumps detractors unsettled  not unlike what he did during the presidential campaign.

Its very much a part of how he does business, said former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele. Hes not going to give people a chance to catch their breath before he moves on. Its part of how he operates. He likes to keep political opponents back on their heels.

[Trump pledges to work with Republicans in busiest Congress  maybe ever]

During the campaign congressional Republicans often balked at being asked to respond to the latest controversy stirred by Trump, but now some in the GOP are noting the benefits of this style when it comes to drowning out the opposition.

You have so much going on at once, its hard to find one thing to be critical of, said Republican strategist Doug Heye.

On a day this week when Trump was particularly prolific, Jared Leopold, the communications director for the Democratic Governors' Association, acknowledged a dilemma.

I cant even decide which executive order to speak out on today, he said.

He wound up issuing a lengthy news release about the steadfast opposition of Democratic governors to Trumps plan to turn Medicaid into a block-grant program, calling it a scheme that would throw state budgets into disarray and threaten health care benefits for millions.

Much of the media had already moved on to other things, Leopold acknowledged, but he said the decision reflected a desire to try to stay focused on issues with the most impact on real people.

One of the new challenges facing Democrats is finding the discipline to disregard many of the less weighty things the president says, Leopold and others suggested.

I think the flurry of activity its having its desired effect, said Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, chairman of the DGA. I worry that it is a long-term subterfuge to make sure people arent paying attention to the real issues.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, argued it would be a mistake for Democrats to engage Trump on his terms.

While Trump floods the zone, we need to have a consistent, thematic message, he said. Our side will be at its weakest if were offering ad hoc responses to issue after issue.

The core of the opposition message, Green said, should be that Trump is betraying even his own voters by giving away the farm to billionaires and Wall Street at the expense of working families.

[Trump seeks to revive Dakota Access, Keystone XL oil pipelines]

That can be a challenge, however, for groups seeking to fight Trump on individual issues.

Following an executive order this week seeking to revive the Dakota pipeline, Our Revolution, an advocacy group that grew out of the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), took up the flag opposing the project.

Native American groups have protested the pipeline, which would carry oil from the booming shale reserves in North Dakota to refineries and pipeline networks in Illinois. Opponents say it would imperil their water supplies and disturb sacred burial and archaeological sites.

Jeff Weaver, president of Our Revolution, acknowledged difficulty in getting the mainstream media to pay attention to the groups arguments.

Not only do you have to get your views out there, you have to break through the coverage of these other outlandish things, said Weaver, who served as Sanderss campaign manager. The Dakota Pipeline is a big issue, but no ones talking about the Dakota Pipeline just a couple of days later. Thats the problem. The media wants to chase the newest shiny object.

He credited the Trump White House for understanding how that works.

I do think the White House is artful in throwing up smokescreens to protect itself from the bad things its doing, Weaver said.

[Senate Democrats unveil a Trump-size infrastructure plan]

Several senior Democrats in Congress expressed confidence that over time, Trump, who already has low approval ratings, will suffer from his scattershot focus.

House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), said he thinks Democrats are already connecting with the public on the need to protect the Affordable Care Act, for example.

The Affordable Care Act has energized people, Hoyer said. I think were doing well so far. As time goes by and the American public has more time to focus on the machine-gun issuance of policies without thought, vetting or consideration, I think were going to be even more successful.

Hoyer was aboard a plane about to depart for Utah, where he was set to visit the Sundance Film Festival to attend Democratic fundraisers and see some movies. At the airport, he said two or three people had stopped him and said, We want to get involved, you stay in there we need to fight this administration from doing things he proposes to do.

Drew Hammill, the longtime spokesman for Pelosi, said Democrats need to be out there beating the drum about whats good about the Affordable Care Act.

Youre not going to poke through every single day, but we consistently do, he said.

That lack of message discipline is not going to be good for this White House, Hammill added. Straying from topic to topic based on whatever verbal pretzel youve gotten yourself into is not the way to get things done at the end of the day. These executive orders are largely message, theres not much reality to them. At the end of the day, [Trump will] have to build public support to get them through Congress. That requires message discipline.

In the short term, however, what broke through at Pelosis weekly news conference were her reactions to Trump. She called him insecure for suggesting that millions of fraudulent ballots had been cast. She said that freezing federal employees hiring was an assault on the public sector and that the new administration seemed eager to establish a fact-free zone.

Arguably the biggest messaging success for Democrats of the past week was a news conference staged by Senate Democrats to detail a plan they crafted in response to one of Trumps signature campaign promises: investing in the countrys infrastructure.

Their $1 trillion plan to revamp the nations airports, bridges, roads and seaports drew widespread media coverage.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who leads her caucuss policy and messaging operation, said there have been other successes. She cited the slowed-down consideration of some Trump Cabinet nominees after Democrats spoke out so that the American people have more time to engage. It remains unclear if any of the nominees Democrats have targeted will actually be derailed.

Stabenow said Democrats plan to keep speaking out to their constituents, particularly to those feeling downtrodden by Republican control of the White House and Congress.

Were going to let them know that this democracy is about everybody in this country and its not owned by a privileged few, she said. What Im hearing when I go through the airport is, Thank you. Thank you for engaging.
An Inauguration Day memo instructing employees of the Department of Health and Human Services not to communicate about regulatory policy with members of Congress has triggered fresh accusations that the Trump administration is trying to censor federal employees.

Representatives Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) wrote the White House on Thursday asking President Trump to make it clear that federal employees have an unrestricted ability to communicate with lawmakers.

They said the HHS memo, along with others sent in recent days by other agencies, appear to violate multiple federal laws, including one that protects federal whistleblowers.

We request that the President issue an official statement making clear to all federal employees that they have the right to communicate with members of Congress and that he and his Administration will not silence or retaliate against whistleblowers, the two Democrats wrote in a letter to White House Counsel Donald McGahn II.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. At HHS, however, a subsequent clarification of the memo told agency employees that the directive should not be interpreted in any way that would preclude or in any way interfere with HHS staff addressing their concerns to their elected representatives in person or in writing.

A senior HHS communications adviser said the department continues the process of communicating on a daily basis. They have also been very responsive in reviewing policy related communications to ensure they reflect the policies of the new administration.

The Interior Department ordered a shutdown of all its Twitter accounts after the National Park Service retweeted photos showing a substantially smaller crowd at Trumps swearing-in last Friday than had attended former president Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009. Trump expressed anger about the tweets in a phone call the next day to the Park Services acting director. The departments Twitter account was subsequently restored, but only after the Park Service deleted the offending tweets.

In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency and Agriculture Department issued formal policies limiting what staff should convey to the public about their work. The latter agency has since reversed that.

The HHS memo was particularly galling to Cummings and Pallone, according to their aides, because they learned about it from HHS staffers who balked at providing information requested by their committees. The congressmens offices said employees at the Food and Drug Administration, which is part of HHS, cited the directive when they canceled meetings with congressional staff.

The memo appears to have been written as part of a more traditional presidential transition effort to freeze rulemaking by federal agencies until the new administrations officials have a chance to review new rules.

However, the HHS memo from Acting Secretary Norris Cochran went further than the typical transition instruction and the restrictions issued by other federal agencies. It told employees that no correspondence to public officials (e.g. Members of Congress, Governors) or containing interpretations or statements of Department regulations or policy, unless specifically authorized by me or my designee, shall be sent between now and February 3, during which time you will have the opportunity to brief President Trumps appointees and designees on any such correspondence which might be issued.

Cummings and Pallone complained that the memo violated the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act because they do not include a mandatory statement that employee communications with Congress and Inspectors General are protected. The act, passed by Congress unanimously in 2012, prohibits agencies from implementing or enforcing any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement that does not include the mandatory statement.

In their letter, the two lawmakers also cited an apparent violations of other laws, including a 1912 statute designed to protect the rights of federal employees to freely furnish information to either House of Congress, or to a committee or Member.

The memos from HHS and other agencies, they said, create the impression that the Trump Administration intends to muzzle whistleblowers.

At the White House this week, press secretary Sean Spicer said that the administration had not asked any agency to impose new restrictions on communications.
No one can accuse Donald Trump of campaigning in poetry. But after just one week in the White House, the new president is bumping up against the hard reality of governing in prose.

Many of the sweeping actions President Trump vowed this week through his executive orders and proclamations are unlikely to happen, either because they are impractical, opposed by Congress and members of his Cabinet, or full of legal holes.

The reality  that yawning gap between what Trump says he will do and what he can do  underscores his chaotic start, which includes executive actions drafted by close aides rather than experts and without input from the agencies tasked with implementing those actions.

On a host of issues, including health care, trade and immigration, Trump began his presidency with executive orders intended to both placate and excite his base by keeping his bold campaign promises  in rhetoric, if not immediate, tangible results. And the White House says Trumps executive actions should be viewed as initial moves to enact his agenda.

Were taking the first steps to get it done, with the understanding that some of these things may be a process, but you have to begin the process and thats what hes doing  taking bold action and doing everything he can to make sure these things happen, said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the principal deputy White House press secretary. I have no doubt these things are going to happen.

(Jayne Orenstein/The Washington Post)

[In his first major TV interview as president, Trump is endlessly obsessed with his popularity]

But the reality is far more complicated. On immigration, for instance, Trumps call for a border wall paid for by Mexico has to be funded first by Congress. And the possibility that Mexico would pay for the wall  always a long shot  grew even more remote this week after Mexicos president on Thursday canceled his planned visit to Washington to meet with Trump, citing disagreement over the wall. The White House said that one possible option would be to pay for the project with a border tax on Mexican imports.

On trade, Trump can withdraw from and renegotiate trade agreements, as he promised during the campaign. But there is no guarantee that he will have willing partners with whom to renegotiate better trade deals, and certainly not necessarily with better terms. And change will hardly be instantaneous: Under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, for example, the president or any other leaders must give six months notice of his or her intention to withdraw.

Trump has also promised to order an investigation into his false claims that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally in November for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote by nearly 3 million. But there is no evidence to support Trumps claim, and although he has the authority to launch a fact-gathering investigation, it is unlikely to unearth the extensive election fraud he is asserting.



One national security executive order he is considering would allow the Central Intelligence Agency to reopen black site prisons abroad, as well as reconsider the agencys now-shuttered enhanced interrogation program. But it does not have buy-in from Defense Secretary James Mattis or CIA Director Mike Pompeo, both of whom privately told lawmakers they were not consulted. Many lawmakers in both parties have also expressed strong opposition to the directive.

[People were taking Trump seriously. Now theyre starting to take him literally, too.]

The ad hoc nature of Trumps executive orders  including some finalized at the last minute or prompted by an off-the-cuff conversation Trump had with a friend or business executive  has further undermined their impact.

Trump, for example, said that only after a discussion with industry leaders this week did he realize that the nations pipelines are not necessarily made with U.S. steel. The epiphany scrambled aides to draft an executive order requiring that they be constructed with solely American-made materials. But specifying U.S.-made steel is a violation of the World Trade Organization agreement, except in cases of national security  which this is not.

It would certainly be subject to challenge at the WTO, said Rob Shapiro, a Commerce Department official under President Bill Clinton. Although it could take five years to adjudicate at the WTO, he said, there is also the possibility of retaliation by whoever does produce them. The truth is that America first is contrary to global trade.

Trump, however, does not seem to realize the limited power of his executive orders and has made public signing ceremonies a trademark of his first week.



President Trump needs to go back to civics class, because he can direct his employees to do various things, but he cannot repeal a bunch of laws through his executive orders because he needs congressional consent  and the executive orders themselves say that, said Rena Steinzor, a professor at the University of Marylands law school.



Steinzor, who is also a member of the Center for Progressive Reform, added that the language in many of Trumps executive orders explicitly acknowledges that they can be done only in accordance with the law. He cant just sit there and show people pieces of paper with his overly emphatic signature and say, I have changed the world, because thats not how we do it, she said.

Some of Trumps actions have caught fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill off guard. I havent seen the new action or whats being proposed, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (S.D.) said as he was peppered this week with questions about Trumps draft order revisiting interrogation practices.

And although there is broad consensus among Republicans about the need to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act  a process Trump began with an executive order the day he was sworn in  there is far less harmony on exactly when and how to handle the issue. Trade, infrastructure and tax restructuring have also exposed rifts in the party.

Punitive tariffs are not helpful, said Rep. Charlie Dent, a Republican centrist from Pennsylvania. Trade wars do not end well.



In many ways, Trump is simply experiencing the stark difference between campaigning and governing, a riddle that has bedeviled nearly every incoming president, including Barack Obama.

Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster, said that although it would be a serious mistake to underestimate the patience Trump supporters have for him and his agenda, he wondered if Trump himself may grow frustrated. Hes going to find that running a business is a lot simpler than running the government, Newhouse said.



[Tracking Trumps promises]

David Axelrod, a former senior Obama adviser, pointed to Obamas executive order his first week in office to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, noting that he faced stiff congressional opposition and never completed his pledge.

But Trump, he said, could face an even more difficult challenge, in part because he presented himself  rather than his policies  as the linchpin.

The appeal he had as a candidate is that people clearly want someone to snap their fingers and just make something happen, and he saw that desire and played to that desire, Axelrod said. Now comes the reality, and hes going to be snapping in the dark.

Axelrod added, He campaigned as an autocrat and now hes the president, and the president isnt an autocrat  and hes going to find that some of the things he wants to do are difficult.

Many Republicans, however, say that Trumps supporters may give him a generous amount of time and latitude before demanding concrete results. Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, said a goal such as building a wall along the border with Mexico is largely symbolic.

Its symbolic of greater security and greater control, Ayres said. If he gets part of a wall built and Congress has to pay for it, the response from his supporters will be, Well, we didnt get Mexico to pay for it, but at least we got the wall. 

Judd Gregg, a former Republican governor and senator from New Hampshire, said that for Trump supporters, concrete changes may be beside the point, at least initially.

Theyre more interested in the verbal jockeying and the confrontational verbal approach than the results, he said. So as long as hes poking a stick in the eye of the people his constituency feels are a problem, the rest wont matter.

Steven Mufson contributed to this report.


Protesters hold signs and chant in Thomas Paine Plaza to protest President Trump's visit at a GOP retreat in downtown Philadelphia on Thursday. (Bryan Anselm/For The Washington Post)

The rally didnt start until 11 a.m., but Jackie Hamilton and Barb Beattie had shown up to the downtown plaza by 9:45 a.m. Planning to march in support of the Affordable Care Act, the retired schoolteachers donned attire that they sensed, wearily, would get a lot of use over the next four years.

Ready? asked Beattie, 68, putting on the pink knit hat shed acquired for the Womens March on Washington just days earlier.

I feel like were being stirred up, said Hamilton, also 68, adjusting the pink sash she got at the same place. Trump is stirring us up and distracting us with all of his  whatever  and meanwhile Congress . . . She trailed off. Im so angry. I cant believe were having to deal with all this stuff. Still. Again.

Several thousand protesters converged Thursday in Philadelphia, hoping to have their voices heard by President Trump and Republican members of Congress, who were meeting in a hotel blocks away to plan their legislative agenda for the coming months.

Less than a week after Trumps inauguration inspired demonstrations  notably, the millions of marchers who descended on Washington and cities worldwide to protest his presidency  the Philadelphia gathering seemed to signal a new era of what could turn out to be perpetual protest.

And marching  an age-old protest strategy  has taken on new meaning as a tool against a leader who is uniquely preoccupied by numbers and size.

The crowd that gathered in Thomas Paine Plaza focused on one of the most aggressive measures of the new Republican administration  an effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Signs at the rally protested this plan but raised other angers as well, residual and new: Scientists Against Trump. Not a Journalist, and I want to see your tax returns. Stand Up Against Alternative Facts.

Organizers said that about 5,000 people showed up in response to their invitation to try to disrupt the new presidents first jaunt away from the White House. The protests appeared to unfold peacefully, with no reports of widespread arrests or clashes.

[The genius  and flaw  of Greenpeaces RESIST protest at the White House]

Hamilton and Beattie found a patch of concrete and tried to hear the speakers from One Pennsylvania, the coalition that had organized the rally.

Im honored to be here for the resistance, the first speaker yelled. Who else is here for the resistance?

Beattie and Hamilton yelled back that they were there for the resistance, along with the other several thousand attendees. Beattie said she was also there for her daughter, who had gone from being a healthy 33-year-old to an invalid with rheumatoid arthritis in a matter of weeks, and who was covered by the Affordable Care Act. Hamilton was there because each passing day of Trumps presidency, in her opinion, seemed to bring a new outrage, one tumbled on top of the other. The nominee for secretary of state terrified her. The nominee for secretary of education offended her public-school sensibilities.

The country seemed to be spinning out of control, and the only outlet for Beattie and Hamiltons rage was to protest, and to call their senators, and to follow the action steps sent to their inboxes every day.

The thing about marching is we get there, and  how much are we really affecting them? asked Robin Gauri, a mother of young children who was standing next to Hamilton and Beattie. The first protest shed ever attended had been the Womens March on Saturday; this was her second. Are they even hearing us?

I know, but I would rather march, said her friend Judith Kaplow-Applebaum, a protest veteran of several decades. I would rather march, even if we dont know what its doing, even if it takes a long time. You should see  up until last week, the crowds at Philadelphia protests were minimal. Now, after him, she said, pausing to gesture to the packed plaza, where attendees spilled down side streets. I would rather march.

One of the organizers on a loudspeaker announced that the rally would begin to move down the streets of Philadelphias Center City, toward the hotel where the president might hear them.

I just got a news alert, Beattie said, showing her phone to Hamilton. The Mexican president just canceled his visit with Trump.

They marched.

A few minutes later, Beattie got another one and read it out loud: The State Departments entire senior management team just resigned, she said.

They marched.

Far ahead of them, the march had lurched to a stop. Is this it? Hamilton asked, craning her neck. Is this where Trump is?

Hes behind that building, the man next to her said. Hes in the Loews hotel, but they blocked it off with garbage trucks. We cant go any further.

Another chant broke out from the head of the crowd. The people united, the caller began.

Cannot be divided, Hamilton and Beattie joined in automatically. Hamilton yelled louder on the second round. The people united cannot be divided.

Inside was the man they couldnt get to, planning things they didnt want to imagine. They were still angry. They were still so angry and scared.


Thousands of people came to Washington to attend the March for Life demonstration on Friday.

The yearly gathering protests abortion. An abortion is a medical operation that ends a pregnancy and results in the death of the fetus.

The march took place almost one week after about 500,000 people marched in Washington the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Many of those demonstrators called for the protection of reproduction rights.

Friday, activists opposed to abortion gathered near the Washington Monument to hear speeches from Vice President Mike Pence and other politicians.

Pence told the crowd that life is winning again in America. Pence is a longtime opponent of abortion.

Along with you, we will not grow weary, we will not rest until we restore a culture of life in America for ourselves and our posterity," Pence said.

Demonstrators oppose abortion decision

Demonstrators have come together for 43 years to protest the Supreme Court decision known as Roe versus Wade. That decision, in 1973, made abortion legal in the United States.

Fern Parent came from Greenwood Lake, New York to attend the march on a windy day. She said that she came this year to support the rights of the unborn children.

Theres a large group of people in this country that believe that every individual has rights, including people who cant speak for themselves.

The demonstrators welcomed a recent action by President Trump.

In one of his first acts, Trump signed an executive order. It prevents U.S. funding from going to any foreign organizations that support abortion. It is known as the Mexico City policy.

Trump does not have a consistent record on the issue of abortion.

In 1999, he said he was very pro-choice. He later changed his position. Trump created controversy during the presidential campaign in 2016 by saying that women seeking abortions should face some sort of punishment.

On Friday, Trump tweeted his support for the marchers: The #MarchForLife is so important. To all of you marching --- you have my full support!

Abortion an issue for a future Supreme Court Justice

Currently, the Supreme Court has eight justices instead of nine. The president has said he will nominate a justice who opposes abortion.

Trump is expected to announce his choice to fill the high courts vacancy next week.

Rob Van Rite from Maryland is hopeful that this years march will help influence the president to nominate a justice that supports the anti-abortion or pro-life cause.

The president has the unique opportunity to appoint a member to the Supreme Court. The battle for pro-life has been waged and has gone back and forth. And those nine wise souls are now eight, and their needs to be some balance restored.

Rite also said that he believed the goal of the march was to have everyone value and share respect for life.

In his words, they "want to return to a view where life trumps death."

The word trump means to be more important than something else. It is also the last name of the U.S. president.

Im Anne Ball.

This story was originally written for VOANews.com by Katherine Gypson. Phil Dierking adapted this story for Learning English using other media. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

abortion  n. a medical operation that ends a pregnancy and results in the death of the fetus.

fetus  n. a human being before it is born

reproduction  n. the process by which plants and animals give rise to offspring

posterity  n. people in the future

consistent  adj. always acting or behaving in the same way

controversy  n. argument that involves many people who strongly disagree about something

vacancy  n. a job or position that is available to be taken

wage  v. to start or continue a war or battle, etc. to get something or achieve something

soul  n. the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever
President Trump said Friday that he continues to believe torture methods can be effective to combat terrorism, but he pledged to defer over whether to implement such tactics to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who has opposed them.

He will override, Trump said in a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House. Im giving him that power.

During his campaign, Trump had expressed support for enhanced interrogation techniques, in particular simulated drowning known as waterboarding, which was forbidden by the Obama administration. His vow to allow Mattis to set the direction for his administration on the issue came on a day when Trump planned to visit the Pentagon and sign new executive actions related to national security, including the fight against terror groups such as the Islamic State.

I happen to feel that it does work. Ive been open about that for a long period of time. But I am going with our leaders. And were going to  were going to win with or without, but I do disagree, Trump said about torture or waterboarding or however you want to define it.

Trumps meeting with May was his first with a foreign leader, a summit on trade and security that was being closely watched around the world. It represented a chance for the new American president to demonstrate his administrations commitment to maintaining close relations with a key U.S. ally while pursuing new trade ties as Britain works to exit the European Union.

1 of 83 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See what President Trump has been doing since taking office View Photos The new president is expected to make his mark on an aggressive legislative agenda. Caption The beginning of the presidents term has featured controversial executive orders and frequent conflicts with the media. March 17, 2017 President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One at the White House en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

[When Theresa meets Donald: A geopolitical odd couple with big implications for the West]

May sought to tie Trump more closely to the long-standing U.S.-European security alliance, saying her opening statement that the two leaders were united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense.

Yet there were signs of potential differences. White House aides have said Trump, who is scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, is considering lifting U.S. economic sanctions on Russia over its military incursion into Ukraine.

May declared at the news conference that she expects the sanctions imposed jointly by the United States and European countries to remain in place until Moscow abides by the Minsk agreement in 2104 to halt the hostilities.

Its very early to be talking about that, Trump said when asked if he favored lifting the sanctions. If we can have a great relationship with Russia and with China and with all countries, Im all for that. That would be a tremendous asset.

Trump grew defensive about his relationship with Putin, whom he has praised during the campaign as a stronger leader than former president Obama. Trump has said he is willing to work with Putin despite the assessments from U.S. intelligence agencies that Moscow meddled in the presidential elections to help him.

Though the president has acknowledge Russias involvement in the hacking of Democratic Party emails, Trump has insisted that he does not believe Putins regime wanted him to win.

I dont say good, bad or indifferent. I dont know the gentleman, Trump said of Putin on Friday. I hope we have a fantastic relationship. Thats possible and its also possible that we wont. We will see what happens.

Trump emphasized that in talking with Putin, he would represent the American people very, very strongly, very forcefully. Referring to the Islamic State, the president added that if we have a great relationship with Russia and other countries, and if we go after ISIS together, which has to be stopped -- thats an evil that has to be stopped -- I will consider that a good thing, not a bad thing.

[British Prime Minister Theresa May warns Trump he cannot trust Putin]

Trump and May vaulted to power last year by speaking to similar strains of populist anxiety over broad global shifts in the economy and immigration that led voters to reject the status quo and take a gamble on forces who promised sweeping change. Trumps skepticism toward international institutions and multilateral partnerships have raised questions abroad about the future of U.S. leadership on the world stage.

Trump used a prepared opening statement to deliver a forceful defense of Brexit  the British vote to leave the European Union. He cast the surprise victory of a populist referendum as a stroke for liberty.

The United States respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self-determination, Trump said. A free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world.

If that wasnt a clear enough rebuke of the 28-nation European Union and its common market, Trump later praised Brexit as a building block for better trade relationship for Britain, and he noted that his own business dealings with what he called the consortium had been arduous and disappointing.

I think Brexits going to be a wonderful thing for your country, he told May, adding that Britain will be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you.

And he seemed to agree with political analysts who saw the Brexit vote in June as a harbinger of an anti-establishment, populist wave that carried him to victory five months later.

Brexit was an example of what was to come, he said.

Trump has sought to follow through on his promises of change in a whirlwind first week as he signed a flurry of executive actions meant to shake up the United Statess role internationally. He has withdrawn U.S. participation in a 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal, ordered planning to begin on a border wall with Mexico and floated plans to block refugees and immigrants from Syria and other Muslim-majority countries.

Now is the dawn of a new era of American independence, a rededication to the idea that the people are in charge of their own destiny, Trump told Republican lawmakers at a congressional retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.

His meeting with May, who replaced David Cameron in July, represented Trumps opening bid to begin pursuing the sort of bilateral negotiations on trade and security that he prefers over the kind of multilateral partnerships that former president Obama favored.

[A year ago, Britains Parliament debated banning Trump. Now hell be a guest of the queen.]

In their first meeting, Trump and May both spoke of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. But when a BBC reporter asked Trump about worries in Britain over Trumps support of torture, praise of Russia and potential ban on Muslim immigrants, Trump looked at May and joked: This was your choice of a question?

Drawing laughs from White House staff and reporters, Trump continued: There goes that relationship.

But the question highlighted that Trumps rapid-fire moves since taking office have prompted a vocal backlash at home and abroad. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled a visit to the White House scheduled for next week.

Trump aides reacted by suggesting that the United States could pay for the wall, which is projected to cost billions of dollars, through a 20 percent import tax on goods from Mexico, a move that, if carried out, could spark a trade war with the United States third-largest trading partner.

On Friday morning, Trump and Pena Nieto spoke by phone for an hour, White House officials said.

Mexico has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders. Theyve made us look foolish, Trump said during the news conference. Im not going to let that happen.

Anne Gearan, Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker contributed to this report.
A view of the crowd at the U.S. Capitol ahead of the inauguration of President Trump on Jan. 20. (Bill OLeary /The Washington Post)

On the morning after Donald Trumps inauguration, acting National Park Service director Michael T. Reynolds received an extraordinary summons: The new president wanted to talk to him.

In a Saturday phone call, Trump personally ordered Reynolds to produce additional photographs of the previous days crowds on the Mall, according to three individuals who have knowledge of the conversation. The president believed that the photos might prove that the media had lied in reporting that attendance had been no better than average.

Trump also expressed anger over a retweet sent from the agencys account, in which side-by-side photographs showed far fewer people at his swearing-in than had shown up to see Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009.

According to one account, Reynolds had been contacted by the White House and given a phone number to call. When he dialed it, he was told to hold for the president.

For Trump, who sees himself and his achievements in superlative terms, the inaugurations crowd size has been a source of grievance that he appears unable to put behind him. It is a measure of his fixation on the issue that he would devote part of his first morning in office to it  and that he would take out his frustrations on an acting Park Service director.

(The Washington Post)

Word rapidly spread through the agency and Washington. The individuals who informed The Washington Post about the call did so on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the conversation.

Neither Reynolds nor the Park Service would talk about it.

The National Park Service does not comment on internal conversations among administration officials, agency spokesman Thomas Crosson said.

White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the call simply demonstrated that Trumps management style is to be so accessible, and constantly in touch.

Hes not somebody who sits around and waits. He takes action and gets things done, Sanders said. Thats one of the reasons that he is president today, and Hillary Clinton isnt.

On Saturday, the same day Trump spoke with Reynolds, the new president used an appearance at CIA headquarters to deliver a blistering attack on the media for reporting that large swaths of the Mall were nearly empty during the event.

Its a lie, Trump said. We caught [the media]. We caught them in a beauty.

1 of 109 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene in Washington on Inauguration Day View Photos Trump supporters and protesters gather in the capital as a new presidency begins. Caption Trump supporters and protesters gather in the capital as a new presidency begins. Jan. 20, 2017 Keilaun Wilson of Columbia, S.C., sells T-shirts to Trump supporters leaving parties. Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

It looked like a million, a million and a half people, Trump said, vastly inflating what the available evidence suggested.

[Federal agencies ordered to restrict their communications]

Later that day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated Trumps complaints about media coverage of the crowd in a tongue-lashing from the lectern of the briefing room.

These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong, Spicer said.

The Park Service does not release crowd estimates. Experts, however, have estimated that the 2017 turnout was no more than a third the size of Obamas eight years earlier.

Reynolds was taken aback by Trumps request, but he did secure some additional aerial photographs and forwarded them to the White House through normal channels in the Interior Department, the people who notified The Post said. The photos, however, did not prove Trumps contention that the crowd size was upward of 1 million.

Reynolds, who had served as the Park Services deputy director of operations for six months before assuming the post of acting director, is a third-generation employee who has worked there for more than 30 years. As deputy director, he oversaw the Park Services $2.8 billion budget and more than 22,000 employees.

In the days since Trumps election, the Park Service has become an unlikely protagonist in a battle between the new president and some career government employees.

The trouble began late Friday, when the agencys official Twitter account retweeted two messages that could be perceived as critical of the new administration: the one comparing the relative crowd size for Trumps inauguration to that of Obamas 2009 swearing-in, and another that noted policy pages that had been removed from the White Houses website.

That prompted an urgent directive to Interior employees that they shut down Twitter platforms immediately until further notice, which was lifted early Saturday morning. Crosson then apologized on Twitter for mistaken RTs from our account.

On Tuesday, the Badlands National Parks Twitter account became a social-media sensation when it posted four tweets in a row about rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the threats posed by climate change.

Those tweets were then deleted. An NPS official later explained that Badlands NPS officials learned they were posted by a former employee who still had access to the account, and decided to remove them.

[Interior Department reactivates Twitter accounts after shutdown following inauguration]

Spicer told reporters this week that White House officials had not dictated any agency to impose new restrictions on public communications and that some federal officials, such as those at the Park Service, were not in compliance with their own departments policies.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to press the argument that the media has given a misleading account of the crowds that attended his inauguration.

I had a massive amount of people here, the president told ABC News anchor David Muir in an interview Wednesday. They were showing pictures that were very unflattering, as unflattering  from certain angles  that were taken early and lots of other things.

As he guided Muir through the West Wing, Trump paused at a photo on the wall, taken from behind him as he delivered his inaugural address: Heres a picture of the event. Heres a picture of the crowd. Now, the audience was the biggest ever, but this crowd was massive. Look how far back it goes. This crowd was massive.

Brady Dennis and Lisa Rein contributed to this report.
A woman lights a candle during an International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Jan. 27. (Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

A statement from President Trump marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day omitted any mention of Jews or anti-Semitism, a departure from recent bipartisan precedent set by previous presidents.

The statement calls for remembrance of victims, survivors, heroes, but nowhere does it mention the millions of Jewish people killed during the Holocaust, nor does it mention the ideology of anti-Semitism that led to the killings.

Heres the statement from Trump in full:

It is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.

Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.

In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good. Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world.

In a series of tweets, Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, noted the omissions.

@WhiteHouse statement on #HolocaustMemorialDay, misses that it was six million Jews who perished, not just innocent people,  Greenblatt tweeted. Puzzling and troubling @WhiteHouse #HolocaustMemorialDay stmt has no mention of Jews. GOP and Dem. presidents have done so in the past.

Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, was also critical of the White House statement.

President Trumps statement today for International Holocaust Remembrance Day makes NO MENTION of Jews, he said in a statement. How can you forget, Mr. President, that six million Jews were murdered because they were Jews? You chose the vague phrase innocent people. They were Jews, Mr. President.

The international day of remembrance has fallen on the day the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated since 2006. Former president Barack Obamas statements on the day noted the 6 million Jews and millions of other people who were killed by Nazis. In 2005, when President George W. Bush marked the 60th anniversary of Auschwitzs liberation, he declared it a reminder that when we find anti-Semitism, we must come together to fight it.

In 2007, Bushs statement marking the day noted: We must continue to condemn the resurgence of anti-Semitism, that same virulent intolerance that led to the Holocaust, and we must combat bigotry and hatred in all their forms, in America and abroad.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Fred Brown, a spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition, blamed the controversy on political partisans.

Its outrageous that people are using Holocaust Remembrance Day for partisan reasons or to try and settle scores, Brown said in a statement. The horrors of the Holocaust are not to be taken lightly. We must never forget the millions of Jews who suffered at the hands of hate, and the heroes who died fighting it.
Deadlines on Capitol Hill can be deadly, particularly those artificially set for political appearances. So Republicans made a smart early decision by giving up on the traditional marker of measuring a new presidents success in the first 100 days, an outdated calculation dating back to the Great Depression.

The question is whether they were smart enough.

The Republican retreat here this week included a presentation by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) titled the Two Hundred Day Plan, outlining how the Republicans want to overhaul the health-care industry and the nations tax code.

On Thursday morning, Ryan acknowledged that it was really more like a one-year plan, with a goal of getting as much as possible done by the time Congress breaks in early August for the traditional five-week recess, then coming back in the fall to finish off what would become one of the most ambitious first-year agendas of recent new presidential terms.

By late Thursday, even the most rabble-rousing lawmakers seemed to understand the weight of how many major issues Republicans were trying to bite off in one swoop. Some suggested that the goal should be simply to move quickly without hard and fast deadlines  other than those already set by law.

(The Washington Post)

Think about all the things that are coming. In a typical year, you have one or two kind of sort of big moments, said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, which in the past two years frequently caused headaches by bucking party leaders.

Jordan listed seven major moments ahead, from an April deadline to fund federal agencies to two budget resolutions designed to revamp health-care and tax laws. He finished counting at seven and made it clear that he wouldnt blame leadership if a few things went beyond the first 200 days.

In a typical year, you get one or two, maybe three. This year youve got seven, so those are seven big moments, Jordan added.

That estimate did not include the Senates consideration of Trumps first Supreme Court nominee, expected to come next week amid lingering Democratic bitterness that McConnell never allowed consideration of former president Barack Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, over Obamas last 10 months in office.

That math left Ryan at times presenting a rosy portrait of his ambitions for the year  and then alternately trying to dial back expectations.

Our goal is by the end of 2017, we have made good on so many of the promises that we made to the people and the policies that we ran on, Ryan told reporters at a media briefing with McConnell at his side.

But as the retreat went on, most lawmakers seemed to grasp another possibility: that they are playing with live ammunition this time around  that these policy proposals might become law now that President Trump is in office, and they might blow up in the GOPs lap if they dont.

Democrats went through this in 2009, after the 2008 elections delivered massive majorities in the House and Senate and placed Obama in the White House. The lesson there is that fast movement is better for winning passage of key initiatives  but once the other side knows your deadline, they will do everything possible to block, delay and create a sense of political malaise with every missed deadline.

Democrats managed those 2009 expectations poorly, ending up in a long legislative quagmire that did not result in the Affordable Care Acts passage until 15 months into Obamas first term. The Dodd-Frank bill regulating Wall Street was not enacted until the summer of 2010.

At that point, public sentiment had turned against Obama and congressional Democrats for not delivering quickly enough. The 2010 midterm elections delivered a crippling blow: the loss of the House majority and governors mansions and state legislatures across the country.

Leading up to that moment, McConnell played the intentional role of slowing every piece of legislation he could with a powerful tool: the expansive rights afforded the minority party in the Senates rules.

McConnell watched as then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set an initial deadline for her chambers version of the Affordable Care Act by the time of the 2009 August recess. It is the same initial deadline that Ryan and McConnell seemed to set this week for approving multiple pieces of equally significant legislation.

But the negotiations bogged down in the House, and only their committees approved versions of the health law. In August 2009 the conservative tea party movement had its moment, flooding town halls and screaming at lawmakers about the proposed law. Momentum stalled, the House didnt pass its bill until November 2009 and then McConnell used every stalling tactic possible, forcing Democrats to pass their version of the bill on Christmas Eve.

Just a few weeks into 2017, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is showing signs of reading from McConnells old playbook. Even non-controversial nominees for Trumps Cabinet posts are facing drawn-out debate and then full roll-call votes.

Its easy to see Schumer trying to jam up the Senate  he has 48 members in his caucus, much more leverage than McConnell had eight years ago with just 40 and 41 senators in his caucus.

Ryan and McConnell seem to be trying to thread the needle, hoping to find momentum coming out of Philadelphia but not promising results too quickly.

We dont want to set arbitrary deadlines on things. We want to get things right. We want to get them done the right way. We want to move quickly, but we want to get things right, Ryan told reporters.

McConnell said, The speaker understands the challenges of getting things through the Senate. Thats been true for 240 years. But were aware of those challenges and we think we can move forward.

One thing is certain: time will tell.

Read more from Paul Kanes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
A $1.4 billion breach of contract lawsuit brought against the Oregon Department of Forestry by Linn County and 100 other taxing districts is h
Former French prime minister and right-wing candidate for the upcoming presidential election Francois Fillon attends an event on Jan. 26. (Thomas Samson/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

In a country that adores a good political scandal, the Penelope Affair is already a blockbuster hit.

This latest episode in the constant kerfuffle of French politics stars Penelope  known as Penny  Fillon, the august, British-born wife of Francois Fillon, the conservative front-runner in Frances upcoming presidential elections. A French newspaper reported Wednesday that Penelope Fillon had received more than $530,000 in public funds over the past decade for an assortment of parliamentary jobs she never did.

Given that Francois Fillon, a hard-line former prime minister, is running on the controversial pledge to slash as many as 500,000 public service jobs and what he says is unnecessary public spending, the Penelope Affair presents a particularly acute embarrassment. Especially for a family man who has been selling himself to voters as the honest, moral choice.

By Thursday night, Fillon  whom a number of polls have projected to win the election  was on national television, playing defense and insisting that nothing illegal had transpired. By Friday, he had announced that he would drop out of the race if he were formally placed under criminal investigation.

Only one thing would prevent me from being a candidate  if my honor were harmed, if I were placed under formal investigation, Fillon said.

Financial prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation, but only a judge can decide whether the prosecutors have an actual case. For now, Fillon is still in the race.

But the details have already begun to affect his campaign, and his political opponents, especially on the left, have seized on them.

According to Le Canard Enchaine, a satirical and investigative newspaper, Penelope Fillon received the bulk of the $530,000 from work she conducted as an assistant to her husband during his time in Parliament  proofreading his speeches and entertaining guests, work that Fillon has subsequently described as legal and perfectly transparent.

This is not necessarily false: Nepotism is not illegal in the French Parliament, and, according to estimates in the French media, approximately 10 percent of deputies employ family members in at least some capacity. As Fillon said after the revelations appeared: My wife has been working for me forever, ever since I first got elected in 1981.

But the newspaper expose quoted a former aide of Fillons who said that he never actually saw Penelope Fillon do any of the things for which she was ostensibly paid. If in fact she received public funds for services that were never performed, that could be grounds for legal sanctioning.

The optics worsened with the additional revelation that Penelope Fillon had also been paid nearly $5,400 per month for over a year by the owner of the Revue des Deux Mondes, a literary review owned by an industrialist friend of Francois Fillons. Le Canard Enchaine suggested that she had done little for the publication besides cashing the monthly checks.

Frances presidential election is a contest that many analysts are now calling a race that will determine the immediate future of Europe in the wake of the Brexit vote and the surprise election of President Trump. Fillon dropping out would lend even more uncertainty to a race without a traditionally strong leftist representative but with an increasingly popular National Front, Frances populist far-right party.

The two-round election will take place in late April and early May.

Read more:

Francois Fillon, Frances conservative front-runner, promises the return of the traditional right

In secular France, Catholic conservatism makes a comeback

In France, once powerful Socialists stand little chance of winning election

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Mizgin Rashid, 23, is a Syrian refugee from Aleppo. Rashid, who is five months pregnant, poses for a picture outside her shelter at the Ritsona refugee camp in Greece on Jan. 11. (Muhammed Muheisen/AP)

With a cold snap bringing snow and freezing temperatures to Greeces overcrowded refugee camps, a new type of migrant crisis is overwhelming tens of thousands of people who fled war and poverty in the hopes of a better life in Europe.

The chilly weather this month has already cost the lives of several asylum seekers in the Balkans, as tents and other lightweight shelter that are adequate to Greek islands balmy summers have proven inadequate for winter gusts. Heavy snowfall on the islands has piled up on tents, and freezing temperatures have been recorded even on islands that usually have temperate winter weather.

The poor conditions in Greece have highlighted Europes ongoing challenge to address the migration crisis, even during winter months in which fresh arrivals have slowed to a trickle because of a forbidding sea crossing. Although the camps have drawn condemnation from the United Nations and senior E.U. leaders, the European Union has left the cash-strapped Greek government to handle the challenge mostly on its own.

With so many children and vulnerable people remaining in filthy camping tents, the need is great for Europe to show solidarity and take responsibility, said Roland Schonbauer, an Athens-based spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency. He added that refugees have been wandering through overcrowded camps to keep warm.

[Number of stranded refugees in Greece could rise under latest E.U. plan]

Migrant Petram Mehdi, 2, from Tehran, stands by the window of his familys shelter at the Ritsona refugee camp on Jan. 12. The European Commission says conditions for the refugees are untenable during the winter. (Muhammed Muheisen/AP)

At the Pikpa refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, temperatures in recent days have dropped to the low twenties.

The camp is better than anything weve seen before, said Najwa Hassan, who escaped the Islamic State takeover of Mosul and has been living in the camp since July. But its difficult to keep them warm, they cant move, she said, referring to her children.

Hassan said two of her three children lost their ability to walk after the Islamic State threw them off the roof in Mosul. Her husband was beheaded in front of their children; Islamic State militants subsequently beat her up.

Her 15-year-old son, Ahmed, sleeps from dawn to dusk, covered under too few blankets to keep him warm. The scarce moments hes awake are filled with screaming, Hassan said.

I dont know if hes in pain, or if hes afraid or maybe only cold, she said. She said they have not had access to a doctor. At least 15 percent of the population in the refugee camps faces a disability or trauma, according to an estimate from Human Rights Watch, an advocacy organization.

With all of the camps heavily overcrowded, often reaching three times their capacity, aid workers find themselves trying to help with steeply curtailed resources. Some refugees have been forced to take matters into their own hands, burning anything they can find to heat their tents, according to Loic Jaeger, the head of the Greek mission of Doctors Without Borders, which works in the refugee camps.

Weve been donating winter clothes, socks and blankets, but what we really need is appropriate shelter, which is something only the authorities can decide on, Jaeger said.

An elderly Syrian refugee walks to his shelter on frozen ground at the Ritsona refugee camp. (Muhammed Muheisen/AP)

In recent days, Greek authorities have offered a temporary solution by converting a tank landing ship into a dorm for some male asylum seekers.

[Over 7,100 migrant deaths in 2016 is a world record. More than half were in the Mediterranean.]

European officials have also condemned the conditions and implored other E.U. nations to step up their aid efforts.

We all  Greeks, Europeans  have a humanitarian imperative to alleviate the situation here on the islands, said Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner charged with migration issues, during a recent visit to Lesbos.

But Greece has been told to cope using its own resources, and a system that would send some asylum seekers back to Turkey to ease pressure on the camps has largely stalled. About 50,000 refugees and migrant are in Greece, according to U.N. refugee agency figures.

The paralysis has frustrated refugee advocates.

The situation today is the result of eight months not doing enough, said Jaeger, of Doctors Without Borders. We all knew that winter would come.

Michael Birnbaum contributed to this article.

Read more

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A shipwreck off Libya raises the already horrific death toll for migrants in the Mediterranean

Migrants get stuck in Greece as door closes to Europe

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande prepare to lay flowers on Jan. 27 at the site of the December truck attack at a market in Berlin. (Monika Skolimowska/AP)

A new U.S. presidents first official calls to the leaders of Germany and France are supposed to be kumbaya moments  a coming together with two of Washingtons firmest global allies. But President Trumps upcoming chats with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande promise to be two uncomfortable tete-a-tetes.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed Friday that those tricky first conversations will happen Saturday  with Trump tellingly fitting in calls to Merkel and Hollande on the same day he speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

[Trump says it is very early to discuss lifting sanctions on Russia]

In Merkel, Trump will speak with a leader whose core refugee policy he has called a disaster. For her part, in thinly veiled comments Friday, Merkel suggested that Trump, in his first days in office, was already in danger of upending the world order.

In Hollande, meanwhile, Trump will speak with a man who last summer not so subtly said that the new U.S. president makes you want to retch.

Thats all sticks and stones compared with the serious issues suddenly threatening to put a gulf between Washington and officials in Berlin and Paris, dividing the West at time when British Prime Minister Theresa May  in Washington to see Trump this week  is preparing to yank her country out of the European Union.

In Germany and France, the highest ranks of government have grown deeply worried by Trumps sniping at NATO and his dismissal of the European Union. Signs of fence-mending with Russia could also signal a new security threat for Europe  especially for Germany, which is already a fierce target of Russian disinformation ahead of September elections in which Merkel is seeking a fourth term.

Merkels Germany, in fact, is being increasingly seen as a potential counterpoint to Trumps United State. Although she is center-right politically, Merkels dedication to human rights, free trade, combating climate change and holding sanctions on Russia for its de facto invasion of Ukraine have earned her a reputation as a liberal democratic progressive. As the leader of by far the E.U.s largest economy, she is also Europes decider  and Europes decider is worried.

During a joint news conference with Hollande in Berlin on Friday, Merkel did not mention Trump by name. But there was little doubting who she meant as she said: We are seeing that the global framework is changing dramatically and rapidly. We have to respond to these new challenges, when it comes to defending a free society as well as defending free trade.

Seeming to push back at comments this month in which Trump said he does not think the E.U. matters much for the United States, Merkel also warned that we need a clear common commitment to the European Union.

There are many challenges, from climate change to trade deals and the other issues I mentioned, for which we need Europe, she said.

Her close associates in Germany have been blunter.

Departing foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier  who is set to take over the job of Germanys ceremonial president  said in an exit interview published by the daily Suddeutsche Zeitung on Friday that he had never seen anything quite as politically disturbing as Trump.

Despite long years in politics, I was shocked by this American election campaign, he said. This it not about little things but about fundamental questions of how we see ourselves, such as the attitude towards torture.

He added, That a French and a Chinese president publicly need to inform their new American colleague about the advantages of an open world and free world trade, I could not have envisioned until a couple of days ago by any stretch of the imagination.

In France, Hollande has been blunter still.

When Trump calls Hollande, he will be speaking to a head of state whose days in office are numbered. The unpopular Hollande announced in December that he will not be seeking reelection in presidential voting this spring.

Nevertheless, the conversation is likely to focus on a range of issues including Europes refugee crisis and Islamist terrorism  a sensitive topic in France, where 230 have died in attacks in the past two years.

Trump has repeatedly lambasted French security services for what he has described as their failure to prevent the attacks. After the summer, when 86 were killed in a truck attack in Nice and a village priest was murdered in the middle of conducting Mass, Trump declared that France is no longer France  a remark that outraged French leaders.

Consequently, during the throes of the U.S. election campaign, Hollande did not mince any words, urging Americans to reject Trump outright.

His excesses make you want to retch, Hollande said after the Republican National Convention, when Trump criticized the parents of Humayun Khan, a Muslim U.S. soldier killed on duty in Iraq in 2004.

Then, in the final hours before polls closed on Nov. 8, Hollande suggested, not so subtly, that Americans should waste no time in voting for Hillary Clinton.

I have confidence in the American people to know which is the choice that best reflects their values, their principles, to freedom, to this relationship to Europe, he said.

On Friday  one day before he was due to speak with the new U.S. president  Hollande said that Trump posed challenges for the future of Europe.

Speaking at the news conference in Berlin alongside Merkel, Hollande said: Lets speak very frankly. There are challenges. There are the challenges the U.S. administration poses to our trade rules as well as to our ability to resolve conflicts around the world.

McAuley reported from Paris. Stephanie Kirchner in Berlin contributed to this report.

Read more:

Europe relies on the U.S. more than it wants to admit

Europes leaders bid goodbye to Obama and look with unease at Trump era

As Europe braces for the Trump era, a showdown looms over values

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Amid one of the worst crises in U.S.-Mexico relations in years, President Trump and President Enrique Pena Nieto sought to ratchet down the tension, speaking for an hour over the phone Friday morning and agreeing, at least according to the Mexican side, not to discuss publicly the funding of a border wall that Trump has vowed to build.

Even with that slight rapprochement, the threats that Mexicans see to their economy from Trumps proposals remain unchanged. The potential disruption of cross-border free trade, even more than the wall, has upended the normal order in Mexico.

The reclusive billionaire Carlos Slim, who rarely addresses the media, held a news conference for more than an hour to discuss the civilizational changes underway and to warn that a proposal to impose punitive tariffs or a tax on Mexican goods would come back to bite American consumers and make the U.S. economy less competitive.

The best wall is investment, which generates employment in Mexico, Slim said. Mexico is the best partner the U.S. has and also the most complementary.

Pena Nieto on Thursday called off a scheduled visit to Washington amid a dispute over who would pay for Trumps border wall. Trump has insisted that Mexico will pay, but Mexico has refused. The makeup call on Friday was described by Trump as very friendly, but he also suggested that it was a prelude to tough negotiations over what he described as an unfair trade relationship.

1 of 25 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See what it looks like along the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico View Photos About 650 miles of fencing is already in place in parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, but the border is nearly 2,000 miles long. Caption About 650 miles of fencing is already in place in parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, but the border is nearly 2,000 miles long. Jan. 26, 2017 A photo taken by a drone shows the fencing on the border on the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico. Mario Vazquez/AFP/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

Mexico has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp, he said. Theyve made us look foolish.

Pena Nieto agreed that the call was constructive. On the issue of payment, a Mexican statement said both sides agreed to resolve their differences as part of ongoing discussions about the bilateral relationship.

The presidents also agreed for now not to talk publicly about this controversial issue, the statement said.

[Why Trump cant simply build a border wall with an executive order]

Trumps decision to move forward with building the wall and his threats to dismantle the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have opened a serious rift between the two neighbors. Mexican business leaders and politicians warned of economic trouble and the possibility of unrest if trade ties between the countries are disrupted by measures proposed by the Trump administration.

Mexicos economy was sluggish even before the prospect of a U.S. abandonment of NAFTA or an imposition of a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico  an idea the White House floated Thursday. The value of the peso has fallen 13 percent since the election and is plumbing historic lows against the dollar. Economists have downgraded prospects for economic growth. A rise in gas prices that started this month, part of reforms by Pena Nieto to wean the country off fuel subsidies, sparked looting, roadblocks and clashes between protesters and police.

If Mexico goes into a recession, as some economists have predicted if a trade war erupts with the United States, this could lead to further violence in a country already on edge.

We might have unrest, former president Vicente Fox said in an interview this week. If you have a poor Mexico, yes. If there is hunger, yes. If unemployment comes back to high levels, yes, we will have problems. And the consequences will hit right back on the United States.

Mexico once had an economy so closed that smuggled candy was sold in itinerant markets. These days, Mexicans sip Starbucks beverages, shop in Walmart stores and watch shows on U.S. streaming services such as Netflix.

[Mexicans are angry at their own president for meeting with Trump]

Mexicos exporters also rely heavily on the U.S. market. Northern Mexico has been transformed in recent years into a robust manufacturing belt that produces automobiles, flat-screen televisions and countless other products. Major American corporations  including Whirlpool, John Deere, Ford and General Motors  have become fixtures here.

Mexican agriculture and food exports are ubiquitous in U.S. stores. Mexico is the worlds largest beer exporter, and the country supplies 80 percent of the avocados consumed in the United States. Growers expect that more than 10,000 tons will be eaten in the form of guacamole on Super Bowl Sunday. Avocado farmers think they have stimulated the American appetite, which builds the market for business on both sides of the border.

We dont think that we have competitors, said Ramon Paz, president of an association of Mexican avocado farmers. There is no other country that can supply the consumption in the United States.

Mexico has expressed a willingness to discuss reforms to NAFTA, but if the country is offered a deal that is worse than the present arrangements, it might walk away from the agreement, jeopardizing jobs on both sides of the border. Mexican business executives and officials noted that a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico would make those products more expensive for American consumers. Some expressed exasperation that so much effort must be expended to convince the United States about the benefits of free trade.

Its paradoxical, Juan Pablo Castanon, the president of Mexicos Business Coordinating Council, a coalition of business groups, said in an interview. Twenty-five years ago, the United States convinced Mexicans about free trade. Today were trying to convince Americans about free trade.

[Border Patrol chief resigns after clashing with powerful union]

Castanon said Mexico should reciprocate on any U.S. tax or tariff. If the United States negotiates with Mexico as a sovereign and respected partner, he said, both countries can become more competitive and prosperous. If not, then the first option is not to have NAFTA.

The public appearance by Slim, one of the worlds richest men, showed the degree to which Trumps proposals have unsettled the business community here. Slim recently had dinner with Trump in Florida and called him a great negotiator. But he also suggested that Trump was naive to think he could recapture the lost glory of 20th-century U.S. manufacturing. He said it was totally irrational, costly [and] unaffordable to transfer thousands of Mexican industrial jobs to the United States.

Slim predicted an arduous and difficult negotiation with the Trump administration but said Mexico has its own economic strengths, and he expressed surprise and satisfaction over his countrys national unity in the face of Trumps challenge.

Still, others were less sanguine about what lies ahead. Gov. Graco Ramirez of Morelos state told a Mexican newspaper that Trump has declared war on Mexico and that dialogue with the U.S. president was already exhausted.

Branigin reported from Washington. David Agren and Gabriela Martinez in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Read more:

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Cups depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump for sale in St.Petersburg, Russia. The two leaders are set to talk Saturday. (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)

President Trump said Friday that it is very early to discuss lifting sanctions on Russia, suggesting no action is likely in a Saturday call that will be his first official conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump spoke at a White House news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who reaffirmed her support for keeping the sanctions in place until substantive progress has been made toward ending the conflict in Ukraine. She said she would continue to press that argument with other European allies.

The United States and Europe imposed sanctions, beginning in 2014, to protest Russias annexation of Crimea and military intervention on behalf of Ukrainian separatists. Additional U.S. sanctions were levied by the Obama administration last month as punishment for what the intelligence community said was Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election process.

U.S. policy toward Russia has become one of the front lines in a simmering power struggle between the White House and powerful congressional Republicans, some of whom have looked to members of Trumps foreign policy team for support.

At the news conference, Trump said he hoped for a great relationship with Russia but had no guarantees.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Don Emmert and Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

As far as again Putin and Russia, I dont say good, bad or indifferent, he said. I dont know the gentleman. I hope we have a fantastic relationship. Thats possible. And its also possible we wont. We will see what happens. I will be representing the American people very, very strongly, very forcefully.

Couching a possible relationship in personal terms, Trump said, Ive had many times where I thought Id get along with people and I dont like them at all.

[Trump meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May]

Trumps comments followed earlier remarks by a senior White House adviser that sanctions removal was under consideration, sparking warnings from senior Republican lawmakers.

In a statement Friday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that he hoped Trump will put an end to this speculation about lifting sanctions and reject such a reckless course. McCain and leading lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have threatened to introduce legislation to prevent it.

Defense Secretary James Mattis, prodded by McCain at his confirmation hearing earlier this month, said: We have a long list of times where weve tried to engage positively with Russia. We have a relative short list of successes in that regard . . . and I think the most important thing right now is that we recognize the reality of what we deal with with Mr. Putin.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday that he was against lifting any sanctions on the Russians. These sanctions were imposed because of their behavior in Crimea, eastern Ukraine, and now we know theyve been messing around in our elections as well, McConnell told Politico. If theres any country in the world that doesnt deserve sanctions relief, its Russia.

(Jenny Starrs, David Filipov, Julie Vitkovskaya / The Washington Post)

Numerous Russia analysts outside government have also opposed lifting sanctions, while some have also cautioned against legislation that could weaken Trumps leverage with Putin by signaling, early in the administration, that the new U.S. presidents powers are limited.

I think its a bad idea, almost as bad as some in the Senate, which would deprive President Trump of the opportunity to set his own policy, said Dimitri K. Simes, president of the Washington-based Center for the National Interest.

Trump himself first gave rise to speculation about reversing the sanctions. After repeatedly praising Putin during his campaign, he told the Wall Street Journal days before his inauguration that he expected to keep them intact for a period of time. But, he said, if you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebodys doing some really great things? In an interview with the New York Times, Trump suggested sanctions could be scrapped in exchange for nuclear arms reductions.

Statements by McCain, McConnell and others followed remarks Friday morning by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway that sanctions would be under consideration when Trump speaks to Putin.

Asked just hours before Trumps news conference whether Russia, before sanctions are lifted, would have to change its behavior in Ukraine and in Syria, where Russian warplanes have aided the Syrian government in bombing rebels and civilians, Conway told Fox News, You know what the president has said  its America first, and that includes in his foreign policy and his national security moves.

The scheduled Saturday call was first announced early Friday in Moscow by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

[Trump lays groundwork to change U.S. role in the world]

Putin has cautiously expressed optimism that Trump can improve the U.S.-Russia relationship. In addition to the lifting of sanctions, Russia is also pushing for a reduction of NATOs military presence near its borders and counterterrorism cooperation in Syria.

On a grander scale, Moscow hopes the new administration will relax what it sees as a policy of containment since the fall of the Soviet Union left the United States as the worlds sole superpower, allowing the Kremlin to have a greater influence in world affairs and, in Russias view, to feel more secure at home.

Saturdays call will cap a week in which Trump has begun sweeping foreign policy changes in line with the America first approach to global affairs that he has promised.

But Moscow has consistently cautioned about excessive optimism over what Trumps presidency will mean for Russia, and Peskov stayed on script Friday. One can hardly expect substantive contacts on the entire range of affairs from this call, he told reporters. Let us wait and see. Let us be patient.

Moscows establishment has welcomed Trump as a pragmatist who will not try to enforce American values on the rest of the world. In a nationally televised news conference earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov railed against the messianism and export by the West of post-Christian values that embrace permissiveness, a nod toward the conservative ethos that has found increasing support in the Kremlin.

If we hear that in the foreign policy of Donald Trump the main thing will be the fight against terrorism, then we, of course, can only welcome that, since that is exactly the thing that has been lacking with our American partners, Lavrov said.

The Obama administration frequently characterized Russia as an unreliable partner at best and raised cautions about Trumps willingness to work with Putin amid growing concerns about the nature of his ties to Moscow.

Trump has denied any business involvement in Russia, a claim that is impossible to verify because he has refused to release his tax returns. But a look at his record since the 1980s shows that he and his family have launched several efforts to do business in Russia. Just after the election, a Russian deputy foreign minister was quoted saying his government had been in contact with Trumps campaign, and afterward, reports emerged that Russian intelligence had compromising information on the future president.

Trump has vehemently denied the allegations and has sought to portray his upbeat words about Putin as a positive. Putin has also dismissed the reports that Russia had gathered material on Trump as a fabrication to undermine the legitimacy of Trumps presidency.

Philip Rucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Obama administration announces Russia sanctions for election interference

Putin won 2016, but Russia has its limits as a superpower

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How a Car Crash Led to the Arrest of a Man Allegedly Using a False Identity He Stole After Prison Escape

When Florida Highway Patrol officers responded to a minor two-car fender bender in August, they went through the normal routine of documenting the accident and checking drivers licenses.

Thats when, police say, they found a discrepancy.

One of the drivers allegedly handed them a Florida drivers license with the name Joel Dean Hanes, with a birth date of Jan. 15, 1949. When police ran the social security number, they found that the real Joel Dean Hanes had died as an infant on Feb. 1, 1949.

On Wednesday, police arrested the driver, identified as 64-year-old Stephen York, and charged him with six charges relating to fraud and identity theft.

In their application for an arrest warrant, which was obtained by PEOPLE, police say the fraudulent drivers license was issued more than 40 years ago, during the time that York was a fugitive from justice.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

According to online records, York had been serving time for armed robbery in North Carolina when he escaped in early 1975. He was recaptured in 1980 and served three more years in prison.

But during the years that York was on the run, police believe that he stole the identity of Joel Dean Hanes. According to the arrest warrant application, York used Hanes identify for more than four decades. He allegedly used the name to register his vehicles, purchase insurance and even file claims for automobile crashes.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

This accident wasnt Yorks first encounter with police. PEOPLE searched the Florida records of Joel Dean Hanes. Since 1986, he has been ticketed at least 46 times for minor traffic violations. It doesnt appear that any of these police encounters raised suspicion. The arrest warrant application notes that York had dozens of interactions with police under the assumed name.

After police issued an arrest warrant, York turned himself in on Wednesday. Jail records show hes being held on $30,000 bail. It is unclear whether he has obtained an attorney.




Warning: Graphic image

A 3-year-old Brazilian girl received a life-saving surgery from a team of U.S. doctors who were moved by her parents pleas on social media.

Melyssa Delgado Braga of Sao Paolo, Brazil, is still recovering from the surgery that removed a 5-pound tumor from her face.

The rare and aggressive benign tumor, called a myxoma, had eaten away the young girls jaw, displacing her tongue and making it difficult to eat and breathe.

After learning that doctors in Brazil couldnt operate, Melyssas family shared a video plea on social media asking for help getting to the U.S. for treatment.

The campaign caught the attention of Dr. Celso Palmieri Jr., a Sao Paolo native who now works as an assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Louisiana State University. He sent the plea his colleague and department chairman, Dr. G.E. Ghali, who said he could help.

It was heartbreaking, Dr. Ghali told PEOPLE of Melyssas condition. She couldnt even hold her head up the tumor was so huge. She could hardly swallow at all and she was beginning to have problems breathing.

Her tongue was pushed all the way back to her throat, he continues, it was just a matter of time before this thing was going to suffocate her.

The family had been scraping together money for plane tickets to the U.S., but had no hope of paying for an operation of this kind, which can cost up to $400,000, Dr. Ghali says.

Dr. Ghali approached Willis-Knighton Health System President James K. Elrod, who agreed to provide housing and have the health system underwrite the cost of the hospital stay. A medical team agreed to donate their time for the procedure.

Dr. Palmieri reached out to the family for the good news, and within one month they arrived at LSU Health-Shreveport. During the 8-hour operation on December 20, doctors removed the tumor and reconstructed the young girls jaw, mouth and tongue.

All of the procedures were donated, everybody did everything pro bono and the hospital and healthcare system donated their space and equipment,  Dr. Ghali says. I looked at it as our Christmas gift to this little girl and her family.

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When Melyssas parents saw her for the first time after the surgery, they both burst into tears.

They were so happy they were crying, Dr. Ghali says. They were very appreciative of what was done for them.

Melyssa will need more reconstructive surgery in a few years, but as Dr. Ghali explains, the hardest part is behind her.

To be able to treat little kids like this and have an impact thats going to be everlasting in their life is a great thing, he says.

At a news conference last week, Dr. Palmieri translated a message of thanks from Melyssas father, Manasses Braga, to her medical team.

I really to thank everybody for what all of you did, Manasses said. We had been waiting for help for such a long time and in one month everything happened.




Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. TRUMP SETS OFF CLASH WITH MEXICO OVER TAX PROPOSAL

Mexico's president abruptly scraps next week's trip to Washington after the White House proposes a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for a border wall.

2. HOW TRUMP MIGHT STEP UP FIGHT AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE GROUP

The president will visit the Pentagon to ask for options, which could include adding significantly more U.S. troops and boosting military aid to Kurdish fighters.

3. SCIENTISTS GROW HUMAN CELLS INSIDE PIG EMBRYOS

It's a very early step toward the goal of growing livers and other human organs in animals to transplant into people.

4. GAMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Hundreds of thousands of cheering people jam the roads to welcome President Adama Barrow, eager for democratic reforms after the departure of longtime dictator Yahya Jammeh.

5. TRUMP MAY SEEK BIG EPA STAFF AND BUDGET CUTS

Myron Bell, the former head of Trump's transition team at the EPA, told the AP the president is likely to seek significant reductions to the agency's workforce.

6. WHO DOUBTS THAT WOMEN CAN BE BRILLIANT

A study published in the journal Science suggests that girls as young as 6 can come to believe men are inherently smarter and more talented than women.

7. VIDEO SHOWS TEXAS OFFICER PUSH TEEN INTO CAR WITH FOOT

The bodycam video was provided to the AP by attorneys representing the teen's mother, who had summoned police for a family matter.

8. SETBACK FOR OHIO'S EFFORTS TO RESTART EXECUTIONS

A federal judge declares the state's latest lethal injection process unconstitutional and delays three executions.

9. NFL SAYS CONCUSIONS AND OTHER INJURIES DOWN

The league released data that show overall concussions for the preseason and regular season were down from 275 in 2015 to 244 in 2016.

10. WILLIAMS SISTERS ADVANCE TO AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Win or lose, Serena Williams sees the all-sister final as cause for celebration: "A Williams is going to win this tournament."
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands (AP)  Authorities in the Turks & Caicos Islands say they have recovered three more bodies for a total of 15 in an ongoing search for a group of Haitian migrants aboard a boat that capsized this week.

Police spokesman Keith Clarke said in a Friday update that authorities have accounted for only 16 of 69 people aboard the boat. Officials say they've arrested one man and that an undetermined number of migrants made it to land.

The boat capsized on Tuesday near the northwest point of Providenciales island. It was carrying 50 men and 19 women.

The British Caribbean territory lies between Haiti and the Bahamas and has long been a favored destination and smuggling route for Haitian migrants.
Reuters

(Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Friday again declined to block President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt, this time in a challenge brought by two Indiana borrowers, even as a lower court considers whether to lift a freeze it imposed on the program in a different case. Barrett denied an emergency request by the Indiana borrowers, represented by a conservative legal group, to bar the U.S. Department of Education from implementing the Democratic president's plan to forgive debt held by qualified people who had taken loans to pay for college. Barrett on Oct. 20 denied a similar request by a Wisconsin taxpayers organization represented by another conservative legal group.
THE VILLAGES, Fla. (AP)  Authorities say two students who were plotting a Columbine-style attack at a central Florida middle school have been arrested.

Sumter County Sheriff's officials said in a news release that the boys, ages 13 and 14, planned the attack at The Villages Charter Middle School for Friday.

Deputies say rumors about a shooting began circulating Tuesday. The 13-year-old was questioned as he arrived at school Wednesday and told deputies he and another boy had talked about the plot. When the older boy was questioned, he mentioned the 1999 Columbine shooting that killed 12 students and a teacher at the Colorado high school.

Neither boy had weapons at school, but deputies say guns were found at their homes when they were arrested Thursday.

They've been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
On Thursday, workers from CKE Restaurants, which owns Hardees and Carls Jr., filed 33 complaints against franchises of the company, which is run by Donald Trumps nominee to head the Department of Labor.

Already, Puzder had been facing strong headwinds on his road to confirmationand he hasnt even had a hearing yet amid delays. The controversy has included sexist ads for Carls Jr., CKEs low wages saddling taxpayers with a $250 million bill, and calling his employees the worst of the worstwhich provoked Joe Scarborough to call Puzder a loser.

This week, current and former workers have filed 33 complaints in 10 states: Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Of the complaints, 22 are regarding wage and hour issues, like wage theft and manipulated overtime, 7 are unfair labor practice complaints, and 4 are sexual harassment charges.

The sexual harassment charges, whose allegations include threats of sexual violence and multiple instances of retaliation, like moving the reporting employee to a less-desirable shift after they complained to HR, have been filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.The labor practices complaints have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The wage and hour complaints, however, have been mostly filed with the Department of Labor, the agency CKEs CEO Puzder would be heading, which has a Wage and Hour division.

Carls Jr. employees hold a sign protesting CKE CEO Andy Puzder, Donald Trumps nominee for Secretary of Labor.

On a call with the members of the press organized by members of the Fight for 15 group and the National Employment Law Project, former workers spoke of intimidation, wage theft, and sexual harassment and retaliation. One Los Angeles worker at Carls Jr. named Ivan Nava said his manager moved his shifts to coincide with this college classes after she learned he had begun organizing to raise the minimum wage.

If it wasnt for food stamps, I dont know how we would put food on the table, he said. He also described not being allowed to attend to on the job injuries caused by the fryer and ice machine until after his shifts had ended.

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The food stamp issue sheds light on one of the controversies that has emerged in the run-up to Puzders Feb. 7 hearingit was delayed once again on Thursday just before the announcementthe necessity of public assistance to subsidize CKE workforce.

Labor Secretary nominee CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder (L) walks with former Exxon Mobile CEO and Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson (R) and Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin.

In addition to highlighting the role of public assistance for CKEs franchises, National Employment Law Projects General Counsel Cathy Ruckelshaus noted another issue: these transgressions that trim operating costs make it much harder for law-abiding businesses to compete.

In Birmingham, Ala., Torrence Chambers, a worker who found himself performing a wide variety of jobs described being paid via debit card, which after fees left him earning below states minimum wage of $7.25, and at the federal lower limit. This has not been an uncommon issue with other restaurant chains, such as Darden Restaurants.

According to Kendell Fells, an organizer with Fight for 15, the group that filed the complaints, the complaints reveal a pattern of abuse, neglect that is a part of Andy Puzders business model. These complaints on top of Puzders history of opposition to basic worker protection should disqualify him.

If confirmed as Labor Secretary, Puzder would oversee the organization fielding the complaints against the CKE franchises, a potential conflict of interest.

Reached for comment, a CKE spokesperson gave the following statement: While we do not comment on pending litigation, wed like to offer a reminder that CKE Restaurants is nearly 95% franchised. Each of these 2,769 franchise stores are run independently and solely responsible for their employees, management and adherence to regulations and labor practices.

Carls Jr. and Hardees franchise owners with the most complaints did not return email and phone requests by Yahoo Finance for comment by publication.

Who is responsible for working conditions in a franchise business model is currently in question. The NLRB has been holding hearings to determine whether McDonalds is a joint-employer with its franchises, which would hold it accountable for violations. (McDonalds is around 90% franchised.) An NLRB ruling wouldnt affect CKE, but it could set a precedent for other fast food chains to be considered as such, according to the Chicago Tribune. Puzder opposed this joint-employer concept in an Wall Street Journal op-ed in 2014.

On Thursday, workers in 31 cities protested outside of CKE restaurants and Department of Labor branches, holding signs referencing, among other things, Puzders infamous quote to Business Insider last May on the advantage of automation and robots: Theyre always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, theres never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case, Puzder said.

These arent the first complaints filed against Carls Jr. or Hardees restaurants. According to Bloomberg, 60% of Department of Labor investigations of CKE restaurants since 2009 regarding wage and hour complaints have found violations. Since Puzder took the reins in 2000, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) chalked up 98 safety violations, of which 36 could have caused serious harm or death, according to Huffington Post. Carls Jr. and Hardees have also been slapped with more public discrimination lawsuits than any other hamburger chain, according to Capital & Main analysis from U.S. Court data.

With this round of new complaints, it is clearer now more than ever that Andy Puzder presides over a fast-food empire that routinely exploits and abuses the workers who build its profits, Ruckelshaus said. The US Senate has all the reason it needs to reject this nomination and demand a labor secretary who will look out for working Americans instead of one who looks for ways to keep them down.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, tech, and personal finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann.

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On Jan. 27, AAA released its annual lists of Four and Five Diamond hotels. In total, 94 properties across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean were added to the distinguished lists this year.

AAA's Diamond Rating is one of the few hotel appraisal systems that rely on physical on-site evaluations. The company's team of inspectors assesses each of the nearly 28,000 eligible properties based on comfort, cleanliness, security and available services and amenities. Each hotel is then awarded a Diamond Rating between one and five, with five being the best.

Of the nearly 28,000 hotels evaluated, just 120 properties earned Five Diamond distinction for 2017. Six of those properties are newcomers, including the first Five Diamond Award-winning hotel in Grenada, the Spice Island Beach Resort in St. George's. Other new additions to the list include the Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Lanai City, Hawaii, The St. Regis New York in New York City, The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, the Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City, and Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Dorado, Puerto Rico.

These newcomers join an impressive list of first-rate properties, but they have more work to do before achieving the enduring success of the 11 Five Diamond hotels that have managed to sustain the top-tier status for the past 25 consecutive years. They range from smaller boutique hotels such as The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado, and The Inn at Little Washington in northern Virginia to larger resorts that are under the umbrella of well-known luxury brands such as the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton. The Broadmoor's reign is even more impressive: This outpost in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been a Five Diamond Award recipient for 41 consecutive years, since the Diamond Ratings originated in 1976.

"Five Diamond establishments represent the upper echelon of hospitality, redefining personalized service, using creativity to enhance guest comfort and providing memorable experiences," Michael Petrone, director of AAA Inspections & Diamond Ratings, said in a news release. AAA also notes in the release what amenities help a Five Diamond hotel stand out from the competition. "These leading edge properties are well-positioned to meet the needs of discerning travelers. Their noted attributes include contemporary design trends and the highest quality food and amenities. Personalized, attentive service is foremost, delivered in ways that offer guests inspiring and memorable local experiences," Petrone said.

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[Read: Best Hotels in Canada.]

While not as selective as the Five Diamond Award list, the Four Diamond list is still considered an esteemed group. In 2017, 88 new hotels joined the Four Diamond list, including traveler favorites such as the Nautilus, a SIXTY Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta, The Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, Massachusetts, Greektown Casino-Hotel in Detroit, The Venetian Las Vegas and Hyatt Ziva Cancun. In total, 1,615 properties earned Four Diamond distinction this year.

Once again, New York City lays claim to the highest number of Four and Five Diamond awards. A total of 64 New York City hotels received recognition in 2017. Chicago has the next-highest count of total Diamond awards with 37, and Toronto boasts the third-highest count with 27 total Diamond awards. Meanwhile, California is the state home to the most Four and Five Diamond awards: In total, 193 hotels were honored.

[Read: Best Hotels in Mexico.]

To learn more about the Diamond Ratings or to view all of the Four and Five Diamond award recipients, visit AAA's website. For information on the 2017 U.S. News & World Report Best Hotels rankings, which use AAA Four and Five Diamond awards as part of the scoring formula, check back when the lists are released on Feb. 2.

Hannah Cheney is an Assistant Editor for the Travel section at U.S. News, where she oversees the Best Hotels in Europe annual ranking list. She also frequently writes travel articles, slideshows and destination guides. Prior to joining U.S. News in 2015, Hannah worked for the travel books department of National Geographic, and had articles published in Men's Health, Boston Magazine and Washingtonian magazine. Hannah is originally from Boston, where she earned her master's degree in writing and publishing from Emerson College, but has happily called Washington, D.C. home since 2012. Follow Hannah on Twitter or email her at hcheney@usnews.com.
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Not every dog can make it as a police dog.

SEE ALSO: Study shows dogs love reggae, my dudes

Police dogs have to be highly intelligent and trainable. They are generally medium to large in size. They have great stamina and endurance.

These attributes don't really apply to pugs. Pugs are small, round and cute. They don't really scream authoritative or police work.

However, that didn't stop the Rochester Police Department from welcoming a pug into the police family. Cops posted a picture of Hercules the pug to the department's Facebook page, and the cutest police dog that ever was went viral.

"He's a sucker for a belly rub and does not enjoy running," reads the description of Hercules. This makes sense, as everyone knows a good police dog has to be relatable to the people.

The Rochester Police Department did make sure to let everyone know that Hercules is not actually part of the K9 Unit. He just belongs to the policeman pictured in the photo, and they snapped the photo of the two of them together when Hercules visited the station.

But even though this was all in the spirit of fun, Hercules will always be a police dog in our hearts. We just feel safer knowing his squishy face is out there, making sure all loose treats are brought to justice.
By Sami Yusafzai and Jibran Ahmad ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The leader of the Afghan Taliban recently replaced "shadow" governors in 16 of the country's 34 provinces, as he sought to consolidate his influence over the insurgency, senior figures in the movement said this week. A list seen by Reuters, and confirmed by the Islamist militant movement's main spokesman, names another eight provincial-level officials, including one whose job will be to offer technical support for major attacks on urban areas. Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada took over the movement fighting to topple the Kabul government in May last year, after his predecessor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was killed in southwestern Pakistan by a missile fired from a U.S. drone. The Afghan Taliban has been weakened in the past by internal divisions and defections to rival groups like Islamic State, and, while senior militant sources said some new appointments would strengthen Akhundzada, there was no change in Helmand. The southern province, much of it under Taliban control, provides the group with much of its funding through opium. Several Taliban sources said Akhundzada did not wield the same influence over Helmand that Mansour once did. "Mullah Haibatullah is trying to consolidate his position and power, but is apparently moving forward extremely carefully," said a senior Taliban figure and ex-minister now based along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, imposing a harsh interpretation of Islamic law before being ousted by a U.S.-led military campaign. "SPECTACULAR ATTACKS" The list of 24 was verified by official spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid and two other Taliban figures in Qatar and Afghanistan. Some of the titles reflect the Taliban's hierarchical organization, such as "director of technical/weapons funding and support", a job that went to a commander Alladin Agha, formerly in charge of training camps for fighters. "Agha will be providing technical support to carry out spectacular attacks within cities," said another Taliban official, an envoy living outside Afghanistan. However, there are no changes to the Rahbari Shura, a central leadership council, or in Helmand province, where the Taliban control large swathes of territory. The Taliban envoy said relations between Haibatullah and Helmand shadow governor Manan Akhond were tense. Taliban spokesman Mujahid denied any disharmony among the ranks and said the replacements were a routine reshuffle. "This is quite common, and the leadership make changes from time to time," he said. One success for Haibatullah, sources said, was in naming Baz Mohammad as shadow governor for Wardak province, located to the west of the capital. Mohammad was part of the splinter group that rebelled against Mansour when he assumed leadership in 2015, after it was revealed that he had kept secret the death of Taliban founder and longtime leader Mullah Mohammad Omar for two years. "Mullah Baz Mohammad is very important," the Taliban envoy said. "He is from Haibatullah's own Noorzai tribe, so his return will strengthen Haibatullah's position." (Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared chummy as they faced a curious world together for the first time Friday, pledging allegiance to the special relationship between their countries while trying to mask stark differences on some major issues.

It was Trump's first White House meeting with a foreign head of state, a hastily arranged confab held precisely one week after the businessman and reality TV star, who remains a largely unknown figure to European audiences, was sworn into office as president.

Trump sought to charm May from the outset, showing her the bust of Prime Minister Winston Churchill that he's using to decorate the Oval Office. He then opened a joint news conference by noting that his late mother was born in "Stornoway, which is serious Scotland." Scotland is part of Great Britain.

Trump and May were seen briefly holding hands as they walked along the White House colonnade after leaving the Oval Office. Their talks continued in the State Dining Room over lunch of iceberg wedge salad, braised beef short ribs with potato puree and salted caramel creme brulee.

For her part, May congratulated Trump on his "stunning election victory," and announced that he had accepted the queen's invitation for a state visit with his wife, first lady Melania Trump, later this year.

But the attempts at mutual flattery didn't completely mask the leaders' differences over some issues, including NATO and Russia.

May tried to push Trump toward positions she supports, noting that he had assured her he was "100 percent" behind NATO, a world body he has dismissed as "obsolete." Trump did not contradict May as they stood together and answered journalists' questions in the White House East Room.

May also took a tougher stance on sanctions against Russia.

When asked how close the U.S. is to lifting penalties that were imposed on Russia after its incursion into Ukraine, Trump said it was "very early to be talking about that." May said sanctions should remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented.

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Trump has been less critical of Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, than his predecessor and some lawmakers, including fellow Republicans. He has cast doubt on findings by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him win the White House, and has praised Putin's leadership. Trump's stance has fueled speculation that he could ease or remove the sanctions against Russia.

Trump also reiterated his belief that torture works. Britain takes a vocal stand against it.

The appearance alongside May was more amiable than Trump's most recent public appearance with a foreign leader: a joint news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last August. Trump was more staid and serious then, and read from lengthy prepared remarks.

Coincidentally, Trump and May met a day after Pena Nieto canceled his own trip to Washington next week amid disagreement with Trump over which of their countries will pay for the wall Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump says Mexico will pay; Mexico says it won't.

Trump is somewhat of a mystery to world leaders, many of whom expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election. They also don't know his administration's main interlocutors with foreign governments, including son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior adviser Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive.

So May was on a bit of a scouting mission.

She has strong reasons for wanting the relationship to work. Britain is set to leave the European Union and its 500 million-person single market, and is eager for a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. The United States is Britain's biggest export market, and such a trade deal would be a major prize.

Trump has drawn parallels between Britain's choice to leave the EU and his own success, using the Brexit vote last June to bolster his derision of the 28-nation bloc and his preference for striking bilateral agreements.

Often combative in the presence of journalists, Trump seemed relaxed and humorous alongside May. At one point, after a British journalist asked whether people should be alarmed by his past statements, Trump joked: "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship."

He backed May's determination to make Britain strong and prosperous once it leaves the European Union, saying he thought Brexit would be "a tremendous asset and not a tremendous liability."

And when asked whether the two very different leaders had found common ground, Trump said they had.

"I think we're going to get along very well," he said. "I am a people person. I think you are also, Theresa."

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (AP)  President Donald Trump incorrectly claimed in a television interview that two people were shot and killed in Chicago during then-President Barack Obama's farewell speech.

Trump referenced Obama's speech in an interview Wednesday with ABC News and said, "Two people were shot and killed during his speech."

"They weren't shot at the speech. But they were shot in the city of Chicago during his speech," he added. The portion of the interview in which Trump made the remarks was not televised, but was included in a transcript that ABC posted online.

Chicago police records show no one was fatally shot in the city on Jan. 10, the day of Obama's speech. There were five shootings, but none occurred while Obama was speaking.

Trump has criticized Chicago for its soaring violence, saying on Twitter this week that he would "send in the feds" if the city can't "fix the horrible 'carnage.'"

During Wednesday's interview, he said the nation's third-largest city is "like a war zone."

Chicago ended 2016 with 762 homicides  or an average of two people killed per day, a rate that was widely reported at year's end. It was the highest number of homicides in the city in two decades and more than Los Angeles and New York combined.

There were 3,550 shootings, a nearly 50 percent increase over 2015. The majority of the shootings occurred in only five of the city's 22 police districts. Those five districts, located on Chicago's South and West sides, are poor and predominantly black areas where gangs are most active.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  Three astronauts who died 50 years ago this week were remembered at a public ceremony in Florida on Thursday (Jan. 26), not far from the launch pad where a fire claimed their lives.

The Apollo 1 crew members, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee, were honored at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's NASA Day of Remembrance at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The annual event also paid tribute to the 14 space shuttle crew members and seven other U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the pursuit of exploration and whose names are engraved on the Space Mirror Memorial, a national monument to the fallen space explorers.

"Every year at this time, NASA remembers all of our brave family members we have lost and who've given everything, a full sacrifice, to advance this mission of exploration," said Robert Lightfoot, the newly-appointed Acting Administrator of NASA. "Particularly poignant this year because it marks 50 years since Apollo 1." [Photos of the Apollo 1 Fire: NASA's First Disaster]

"We can't forget our fallen heroes  and they are heroes," said Lightfoot. "To those in my generation who watched as these folks pushed that envelope and ultimately got us to the moon, that is why I am here, [and] that is why most of the people of my generation are here."

Grissom, White and Chaffee were taking part in a routine "plugs out" test atop their Saturn IB rocket at Complex 34 in Cape Canaveral when a spark, set off by a short circuit, ignited a flash fire inside the pure oxygen environment of the Apollo command module. Unable to open the hatch as a result of its design and the pressure within the capsule, the astronauts died within 30 seconds of the blaze erupting due to smoke inhalation and thermal burns.

"Today we are not here for a space launch, no launch this time," said astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited Earth on Gemini 10 and orbited the moon on Apollo 11. "But just as important, [we are here] to contemplate a launch which did not take place but that in many ways was just as important as any which flew later."

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Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins addresses guests at Kennedy Space Center's Day of Remembrance, Jan. 26, 2017. NASA/Kim Shiflett

"Without Apollo 1 and the lessons learned from it," Collins continued, "in all probability, such a fire would have taken place later in flight and not only a crew, but the spacecraft would have been lost, and NASA  with no machinery to examine  would only be able to guess at the causes and how to prevent still another occurrence." [Remembering the Apollo 1 Fire (Infographic)]

"Yes, Apollo 1 did cause three deaths," said Collins, "but I believe it saved more than three later."

One of NASA's original seven astronauts, Grissom flew on the second U.S. piloted space flight, Mercury-Redstone 4, in July 1961, and led the first crewed mission on the space agency's two-seat spacecraft, Gemini 3, in March 1965.

White followed Grissom into Earth orbit three months later on the Gemini 4 mission, becoming the first American (and second person worldwide) to spacewalk on June 3, 1965.

Chaffee was preparing for his first flight, the maiden launch of NASA's later moon-bound space capsule, when he and his two Apollo 1 crewmates were caught up in the fire.

Early morning sunlight illuminates the names on the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida NASA/Kim Shiflett

"I cannot believe it's been 50 years since I lost my father, along with his Apollo 1 crewmates, Gus and Ed," remarked Sheryl Chaffee, who was eight years old at the time of the fire and later worked at the Kennedy Space Center for 33 years. "Although on that January day they lost their lives across the river on Complex 34 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, their story did not end there and their legacy lives on today."

Three astronauts, Theodore "Ted" Freeman, Elliot See and Charles Bassett, were killed in jet aircraft accidents prior to the fire. The Apollo 1 tragedy was the first time that NASA lost a crew aboard a spacecraft, albeit on the ground.

Nineteen years (and one day) later, the STS-51L mission crew  Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe  died aboard the space shuttle Challenger when it broke apart 73 seconds into flight on Jan. 28, 1986.

It was then 17 years later, on Feb. 1, 2003, when the STS-107 mission crew  Rick Husband, William McCool, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon  were killed aboard the space shuttle Columbia as it reentered Earth's atmosphere after a 16-day mission dedicated to science.

Four other astronauts are honored on the Space Mirror  Clifton "C.C." Williams, Michael Adams, Robert Lawrence and Manley "Sonny" Carter, all victims of aircraft accidents between 1967 and 1981.

Thursday's ceremony was followed by a wreath laying at the Space Mirror Memorial. In addition to Collins, Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke took part in the ceremony. Apollo veterans Buzz Aldrin and Thomas Stafford also attended, as did former space shuttle and current space station crew members.

The ceremony preceded two additional Apollo 1 memorial events set for Friday, the day of the 50th anniversary of the fire, including the reveal of a new public exhibit displaying the Apollo 1 spacecraft's three-part hatch, and an evening ceremony at Pad 34, the site of the tragedy.

Watch the NASA Day of Remembrance ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire at collectSPACE.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2017 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.

Editor's Recommendations
Sudden death is always shocking, and even more so when those who die are heroes who defied danger in the past. But on Jan. 27, 1967, when the U.S. lost its first three astronauts killed in the line of duty  Lieut. Colonel Virgil Gus Grissom, 40; Lieut. Colonel Edward White, 36; and Lieut. Commander Roger Chaffee, 31  the worlds reaction contained an extra level of shock.

The reason why is suggested by the fact that, though the mission on which they were killed is now known as Apollo 1, that phrase never appears in TIMEs original 1967 cover story about the event. The men were not killed during a grand attempt to reach the moon, but rather during what was supposed to be a routine pre-flight test for what was then known as Apollo 204 or AS-2014, so called after the spacecraft in use.

As TIME presented the story, the nation and the world knew that the effort to put a man on the moon was a dangerous one. Every time a brave astronaut took another step forward  orbits or space walks, for example  a collective breath was held, with the awareness that it would be so easy for something to go wrong. Grissom and White themselves were already famous for their death-defying feats. But when Grissom, White and Chaffee died, they were motionless and earth-bound, reclining in the charred cockpit of a vehicle that was built to hit the moon 239,000 miles away, but never got closer than the tip of a Saturn rocket, 218 ft. above Launching Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy.

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Heres how TIME explained what happened that day:

At 1 p.m. on Friday last week, Grissom, White and Chaffee strolled casually into the gantry elevator on Pad 34, rose swiftly to a sterilized white room, then ambled along the 20-ft. catwalk to the stainless-steel hull of the capsule, now secured to the Saturn rocket inside the launching complex. The craft was like an old friend, for they had spent hours in it during vacuum-chamber tests in the Houston Space Center, had run through identical launch-simulation procedures several times before. All spacecraft have their own personal quirks, and 204 had been balky from the start. As an Apollo engineer said: The first article from the factory cannot come out without birth pains. The spacecraft gave repeated trouble. The nozzle of its big engine shattered during one test. The heat shield of the command module split wide open and the ship sank like a stone when it was dropped at high speed into a water tank. Certain kinds of fuel caused ruptures in attitude-control fuel tanks. The cooling system failed, causing a two-month delay for redesign. But all the bugs were eventually ironed out, as far as the experts knew, after arduous testing under every conceivable circumstance. Last weeks test was billed as the ships first full plugs-out operationmeaning that the craft was to rely solely on its own power system instead of using an exterior source. The trio climbed inside the ship, hooked up their silver suits to the environmental control system (which feeds oxygen to the suits and purifies the air in the cabin), snapped their faceplates shut and waited while the suits became pressurized. At 2:50 p.m., the airtight double hatch plates were sealed. And the familiar routine began, an infinitely detailed run-through that was scheduled to last slightly more than five hours. Things progressed smoothly enough; a few glitches (minor problems) stalled the operation. At countdown-minus-10-minutes, the procedure was stopped again because of static in the communications channels between the spacecraft and technicians at the operations center. It took 15 minutes to correct the problem, and the simulated count was ready to begin again. Then, at 6:31 p.m., a voice cried from inside the capsule: Fire aboard the space-craft! At the same instant, a couple of technicians standing on a level with the craft windows saw a blinding flash inside the ship. Heavy smoke began to seep from the capsule, filling the white room. A workman sprinted across the catwalk leading to the craft, tried desperately to loosen the hatch cover. He was driven back by the intense heat and smoke, but half a dozen other technicians, some wearing face masks and asbestos gloves, raced to help. One or two would try to wrench open the hatch, then fall back from the scorching heat while others struggled with it. Six minutes after the cry of alarm, the hatch sprang open. A blast of hot air shot out, followed by suffocating clouds of smoke. The rest was silence. The flames were apparently sucked into the astronauts space suits, killing them as soon as they noticed the fire. The three charred bodies were left strapped to their couches for more than seven hours while anguished experts sought to piece together the reasons for the accident.

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By April, it had been determined that, though it was unlikely that technicians could ever figure out with 100% certainty what had happened, the fire was probably started by a conductor that malfunctioned and spurted its electrical current.

Although the routine nature of the test that killed those men could have potentially detracted from their sacrifice, it did just the opposite: they were all-too-human reminders of the danger of space, and of the level of technical ability required of all astronauts. And as such, though some feared that the accident would cause the U.S. to pull back on the effort to make it to the moon, NASA continued to move steadily ahead, confident in the knowledge that Grissom, White and Chaffee, professionals till the end, would have wanted it that way.

New as it is in the history of mankinds progress, the conquest of space symbolizes one of mans oldest, most basic drives: the hunger for knowledge, the lure of every new frontier, the challenge of the impossible, as TIME noted. And that is the legacy left behind by Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee just as it was by men like Marco Polo, Magellan, Charles A. Lindbergh and Explorer Robert Falcon Scott, whose Antarctic memorial bears an inscription from Tennysons Ulysses: To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

And NASA soon took another step forward, too: announcing that the mission for which the three men had been preparing would be known as Apollo 1.

See the full issue, here in the TIME Vault: To Strive, To Seek, To Find, And Not To Yield
Conakry (AFP) - In pushing Yahya Jammeh to give up The Gambia's presidency, negotiators played on two key cards: his deep Muslim faith and his professed love of country.

Jammeh finally quit as president and went into exile on Saturday following intense lobbying by international powers, ending more than a month of crisis that began when he rejected the result of the December 1 election.

Tibou Kamara, a former government minister from Guinea, went early in the crisis to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years in power in favour of Adama Barrow, who won the ballot.

He was joined last week by Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea's President Alpha Conde, to win over Jammeh before a "last chance saloon" deadline.

"It was not easy, because against the determination of the international community, there was a fierce resolve to defend what he saw as law, truth and justice, but especially the independence and sovereignty of his country," Kamara said in an interview with AFP.

Kamara had approval to negotiate from Jammeh's wife, whose younger sister is married to a former president of Guinea. Both women have Guinean fathers.

"We appealed to his faith," Kamara said, adding that Jammeh himself often said that "everything that happens to a man is God's will. This carried a lot of weight."

Jammeh had long cultivated the image of a devout Muslim, often appearing with prayer beads in hand, and starting his speeches with passages from the Koran.

- Muslim and patriot -

During a day of talks led by the Mauritanian and Guinean leaders -- interrupted by a break for Friday prayers -- negotiators also reminded Jammeh of his potential place in history.

"Everybody told him that it wasn't necessary to drag his country into war," Kamara said, especially as Jammeh prides himself on having come to power without spilling any blood.

The former Gambia president had also made a point of keeping his country out of the many conflicts that have ravaged West Africa.

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Negotiators urged Jammeh to "secure" this legacy by agreeing to "leave with dignity", Kamara said.

The arguments worked: Jammeh cited them specifically during his televised speech in the early hours of January 21, when he agreed to stand down.

"As a Muslim and a patriot, I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed," he said.

"My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you, the Gambian people, and our dear country."

For Kamara, the tense but ultimately successful talks were a victory for Gambians and the region as a whole, under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc.

But he also warned against "score-settling" or "witch hunts" against Jammeh's associates, and diplomats have called on Barrow's government to guarantee Jammeh's civil rights, including his eventual return after leaving the country for Equatorial Guinea.

Kamara's efforts have paid off: on Wednesday, Guinea's president named him his "personal advisor" with rank of government minister.
By Paul Carsten ABUJA (Reuters) - Around 1.8 million people are at risk of starvation in northeast Nigeria, victims of an Islamist insurgency that is undermining efforts by the World Food Programme (WFP) to ferry in aid, it said on Friday. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more than 15,000 people since 2009 and forced some two million from their homes. The Nigerian army, backed by neighbors, has retaken most areas held by the group, but it has recently stepped up attacks and suicide bombings. Aid groups entering the region in recent months have warned that shortages of food, shelter and medical care were threatening refugees with widespread famine and disease. WFP executive director Ertharin Cousin said in all an estimated 4.4 million people were in need of food assistance in the northeast, though the full scale of the crisis was still unknown as some areas remained unreachable. "The challenge is that there are areas in (Boko Haram heartland) Borno state in particular that are still inaccessible, and we have no idea of the food security situation (there)," she told Reuters. Even in parts of the northeast held and defended by the army, Boko Haram attacks were jeopardizing aid programs, Cousin said. In January, the WFP failed to reach some 300,000 people of the 1.3 million targeted because of bombings of camps for internally displaced people and attacks on markets. The executive director told reporters a colleague who visited areas recently recaptured from Boko Haram compared the state of women and children there to images of people liberated from Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps in World War II. Friday marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day. "I am imploring the international community to continue to provide us with the support that is necessary," said Cousin. Ending the insurgency will require a political as well as a military solution, Cousin told Reuters, adding: "Until we resolve those issues the humanitarian situation will not improve to a level that allows us to reach all of those in need." The government has told aid agencies it expects the conflict to end in six months, she said. There have been no signs that Nigeria's government has engaged with Boko Haram, which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in the northeast, on a political level. (editing by John Stonestreet)
MADRID (AP)  Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will meet in the Copa del Rey semifinals, and Celta Vigo will face Alaves.

Atletico will host the first leg against the two-time defending champions next week at a date to be determined.

Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto says "we know each other very well. I'm sure it will be complicated, as it always is against them."

Barcelona, the tournament's most successful club with 28 titles, will be playing in the semifinals for the seventh straight season.

Celta, which ousted Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, is at home for the first leg against Alaves. Neither club has won the competition.

The final will be on May 27.
Barcelona (AFP) - The mayor of Barcelona on Friday banned the opening of new hotels in the saturated city centre, to end the flow of locals out of the area due to pressure on housing from the tourism sector.

The new initiative is part of a broader urban planning scheme for Spain's second city, which is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations.

The Catalan municipality, led by leftist mayor Ada Colau, took the measure "to begin to regulate tourism", local official Janet Sanz explained.

A city which attracts tourists in large numbers is only a problem "in as much as it detrimentally affects the residents," Sanz said.

Colau, a former anti-eviction activist who became mayor in 2015, has long signalled that the right to housing is one of her priorities and has vowed to build 8,000 new social housing flats.

She has already begun to crack down, through fines, on the proliferation of unlicensed tourist accommodation in the city, often accessed through websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway.

Last year Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million inhabitants, received 30 million tourists from around the world, according to the municipality.

Tourism accounts for around 13 percent of the city's economy. But it also contributes to high rent increases, crowded public spaces and night-time disturbances.

In some parts of the city there are more tourists than locals.

In 2015 the issuance of new hotel licences was frozen.

Under the new plan, adopted with the support of parties on the left, it will not even be possible to replace hotels which close in the city centre.

Outside the centre future growth in the number of tourist beds will be capped at 11,000.

On Thursday the associations representing hoteliers, tradespeople and restaurateurs accused the municipality of "choosing paralysis and decline".

Conservative councillor Jordi Marti, called the plan a "bad tool" which could seriously damage the city.
The mayor of Barcelona on Friday banned the opening of new hotels in the saturated city centre, to end the flow of locals out of the area due to pressure on housing from the tourism sector.

The new initiative is part of a broader urban planning scheme for Spain's second city, which is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations.

The Catalan municipality, led by leftist mayor Ada Colau, took the measure "to begin to regulate tourism", local official Janet Sanz explained.

A city which attracts tourists in large numbers is only a problem "in as much as it detrimentally affects the residents," Sanz said.

Colau, a former anti-eviction activist who became mayor in 2015, has long signalled that the right to housing is one of her priorities and has vowed to build 8,000 new social housing flats.

She has already begun to crack down, through fines, on the proliferation of unlicensed tourist accommodation in the city, often accessed through websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway.

Last year Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million inhabitants, received 30 million tourists from around the world, according to the municipality.

Tourism accounts for around 13 percent of the city's economy. But it also contributes to high rent increases, crowded public spaces and night-time disturbances.

In some parts of the city there are more tourists than locals.

In 2015 the issuance of new hotel licences was frozen.

Under the new plan, adopted with the support of parties on the left, it will not even be possible to replace hotels which close in the city centre.

Outside the centre future growth in the number of tourist beds will be capped at 11,000.

On Thursday the associations representing hoteliers, tradespeople and restaurateurs accused the municipality of "choosing paralysis and decline".

Conservative councillor Jordi Marti, called the plan a "bad tool" which could seriously damage the city.
To ring in the year of the Rooster, which begins with Chinese New Year on Saturday, tradition holds that celebrants should feast on foods like dumplings, tangerines, fish, noodles and rice cakes because some of the Chinese words for these foods also sound like the words for fortune, good luck and abundance.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., those who celebrate by enjoying Chinese food will likely end their meals with another take on fortune: the fortune cookie.

That sweet treat is the product of more than a century of complicatedand not always pleasanthistory. And that history is now changing, as the Chief Fortune Writer at Wonton Food Inc., which identifies itself as Americas largest manufacturer of noodles, wrappers and fortune cookies, hands the reins to someone new. During this transition, Wonton Food gave TIME a look behind the scenes at its Queens, N.Y. factory, which churns out 4.5 million fortune cookies a day, to see fortune-cookie history in the making.

I have writers block, says Donald Lau, a former corporate banker who has for the last three decades been Chief Financial Officer and Chief Fortune Writer at Wonton Food. I used to write 100 a year, but Ive only written two or three a month over the past year.

So for the past six months, hes been training his successor: James Wong, 43, a nephew of the original founder of Wonton Food. Wong is now officially the Chief Fortune Writer.

I passed the pen to him, says Lau. Its his responsibility now.

Crumby Origins

Wong and Lau are part of a long American tale that, ironically for a product that often bares uplifting messages, has a depressing backstory.

The fortune-cookie origins story that Lau chooses to believe is one that dates back to the Ming Dynasty, when people would give each other mooncakes containing secret messages. But research by Yasuko Nakamachi, a Japanese folklore specialist, has pinpointed the precursors of fortune cookies to small bakeries around a popular Shinto shrine outside of Kyoto, Japan, that had been making crackers in the shape of fortune cookies. The treats journey to the U.S.and to being perceived as a Chinese dessertstarts in the late 19th century, during the California Gold Rush, when a different kind of fortune could be made.

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American Protestant missionaries stationed in the south of China spread word of what was happening on the other side of the Pacific, and adventurous Chinese men were lured to America by the prospect of gold. By 1870, they represented almost 10% of the population in the state of California and about 20% of the states labor force, according to Yong Chen, a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Chop Suey USA. Chinese immigrants began to work on farms as agriculture ramped up after the Civil War, and also worked building railroads. Despite their positions in critical jobs for the nations growth, many white Americans looked down on them. In 1882, Congress passed the notorious Chinese Exclusion Act, which basically banned Chinese manual labor, Chinese immigration and prohibited Chinese immigrants from becoming U.S citizens.

Kept from lucrative jobs and banned from becoming legal residents if they were manual laborers, many of those who had come over before 1882 turned to the service sector, according to Anne Mendelson, author of Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey. They started laundry businesses and restaurants.

Meanwhile, the racism and stereotyping that Chinese immigrants suffered also extended to Japanese people. Butperhaps because Japanese immigration was taking place at a slower pacethe initial 1882 law did not keep them from manual labor jobs. There was a racist perception that the Chinese were really cunning and malevolent and would take any opportunity to take over this country, Mendelson says. And somehow, because the Japanese had not immigrated in as large numbers, people didnt form the same idea of them as being filthy and malicious.

As that population of Japanese Californians grew, they began to get into the service sector too. In the early 20th century, realizing that their native cuisine was too exotic for many American palates, they instead opened Chinese restaurants, which by that point had become familiar to Californian diners of all backgrounds. But, in doing so, they brought some of their own traditions to the Chinese-American table. Though it is not known exactly who invented the fortune cookie, the American version was a product of this amalgamation, says Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.

Things changed after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. President Franklin Delano Roosevelts Feb. 1942 Executive Order 9066 authorized the military to designate certain regions as military areas, which enabled them to force the relocation of many Japanese-Americans to internment camps. Many of the Japanese-American people who owned the restaurants where fortune cookies were served were locked up. Lee says it was during this era that fortune cookies mysteriously jumped from being basically something that was clearly defined as Japanese to something that is Chinese.

At the same time, during World War II, the demand for fortune cookies increased as soldiers who were passing through California visited Chinese restaurants that served the treats, and brought that taste home with them to middle America. And so the fortune cookie spread across the U.S., becoming a symbol of the Chinese presence in Americaa thriving presence these days, as people of Chinese descent are the most widely represented group of Asian-Americans, the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S., according to a Pew study.

And that tasty ending is appropriate, in a way: There is a type of Chinese fortunetelling, says Min Zhou, professor of Sociology and Asian-American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles, that holds that there is always a way to turn your bad fortune into a good one.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

Catering to Different Tastes

But fortune cookies have remained a distinctly American phenomenon. In the early 1990s, Wonton Food Inc. attempted to expand its business in China, but found that the idea didnt quite translate. Chinese diners, unfamiliar with the idea, kept accidentally eating the fortunes, Lau says. (Americans have sometimes gone the opposite way: a survey in the late 80s found that nearly a quarter of diners dont actually eat the cookie.)

The company spent a lot of money to explain what a fortune cookie is, says Lau. It took too much time. And at that time, about 30 years ago, I think the government was not encouraging. If someone found a fortune, the government may have considered it superstitious.

In general, the idea that modern Chinese history would have made the nation less receptive to something like fortune cookies makes sense, says Herb Tam, director of exhibitions at the Museum of Chinese in America, which is currently hosting an exhibit about Chinese food in America. Reform efforts by the Communist government in the 1950s and 60s trickled down to how people ate and which ingredients were available. People had problems just getting enough rice and basic staples to go around, says Tam, so by the time fortune cookies came around, I dont think there was much of a place for such a weird, luxury item.

Today, though the Chinese economy has changed significantly, fortune cookies are still not widely consumed thereand in fact, just as the economic and political history of the 19th and early 20th centuries helped create the fortune cookie, new global forces are at work. Thanks to globalization, its easier for American consumers to access real Chinese food and other goods, so the climate that produced something like the fortune cookie is disappearing.

Leaving a Sweet Impression

In Japan, the older the fortune, the more valuable it is, as Nakamachi has put it. Yet in the U.S., fortune-cookie fortune writers are pressured to come up with new, unique, inspirational messages all of the time.

And the fortunes they come up with today are the product of very recent history.

Lau says that when he became Chief Fortune Writer in the 80s, the yellowed stack of fortunes presented to him sounded like vague horoscopes (You will meet a new friend tomorrow). Nowadays, they contain fewer predictions and more sayings that could help people be happier. He has also attempted to use U.S. politics as an inspiration for fortunesWatching the debates on TV during the primaries last year, when everyone was accusing everyone of being a liar, I came up with a fortune that said, Dont run for president, youre not a good liar,' he says. But those fortunes are less likely to be approved by the committee of Wonton Food employees who pick the final fortunes, and he also worries that such fortunes will lose their punch as the news evolves.

The company has explored fortune-writing contests and soliciting fortunes online, and they also keep track of diner reactions. A run of brutally honest fortunes about a decade ago didnt go over well, and authorities briefly investigated the company in 2005, after 110 Powerball lottery players won about $19 million after using the lucky numbers on the back of fortunes. Once a jilted wife wrote in to complain that her husband had gotten a fortune promising him romance on his next business trip, and a satisfied customer wrote to say he got a new job after reading a fortune about a new opportunity coming his way.

For Wong, who has a 10-year-old daughter, his new gig is personal.

I think about what I need to talk to her about, he said during TIMEs Jan. 18 visit to the factorys corporate headquarters in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. One thing that came to me fairly recently is based on an old Chinese proverb: failure is the mother of success. Thats something that I really want my daughter to embrace  that its okay to fail, but if you learn from every failure, you will become successful. Maybe the things I want to say to my daughter will be useful for other people.

And in the end, Lau believes happy messages make happy customers, while speaking like a practical businessman.

When they eat their fortune cookie, I want the customers to open the fortune, read it, maybe laugh, and leave the restaurant happy, he says, so that they come back again next week.
By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese astronauts took center stage on Friday at state television's annual glitzy, kitsch and often much derided marathon show welcoming in the lunar new year, but for many viewers a performing donkey was the star. Traditionally, hundreds of millions gather round their televisions to watch the "CCTV Spring Festival Gala," a more than four-hour showcase of skits, music and dance which has been a TV staple since the first edition was broadcast in 1983. Last year's show was panned online for being too nationalistic and propaganda heavy, especially songs praising the Communist Party. While this year's event was more crowd-pleasing, featuring wholesome Chinese teenyboppers TFBoys, the ruling party and its achievements were never going to be entirely absent. Backed by a large Chinese flag, 11 Chinese astronauts stepped forward on the main stage to introduce themselves and place their hands in clay moulds which will displayed at a museum. "Our space flight ranks are increasingly growing in strength," said Yang Liwei, China's first man in space. "We welcome even more people to join our ranks, to build our country into a strong space nation." Among the handpicked studio guests, five old revolutionaries who fought in China's civil war in the 1930s were given a warm welcome. They were followed by a military choir singing in front of a large screen showing fighter jets scrambling, China's first aircraft carrier and what appeared to be shots of one of the Chinese occupied islands in the disputed South China Sea. It was not all serious though. Swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who became a social media celebrity thanks to her humorous pool-side interviews at last year's Rio Olympics on topics ranging from menstruation to boys, performed in a short comedy routine. A donkey who bowed on command and offered his hoof to shake hands with a performer delighted many. "When that donkey came on, bowing his head and shaking hands, it really lit up the program. It was really great," wrote art critic Zhang Zujian on China's Twitter-like Weibo service. The lunar new year, which officially starts on Saturday, is the only holiday of the year for lots of Chinese, and is normally marked by riotous displays of fireworks and countless firecrackers. But Beijing was quieter than normal, with the government cracking down this year to prevent a recurrence of the smog that has chocked large parts of northern China this winter. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
BRUSSELS (AP)  Belgium has sealed an agreement with France and the Netherlands to draw up passenger lists and introduce passport checks on Thalys and Eurostar international rail services.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon told VRT broadcaster Friday that the move will tighten security on the high-speed trains and help track criminals who might be using them.

"The aim is to have the system operational by the end of the year," Jambon said.

He noted that Germany has decided not to take part. Berlin attacker Anis Amri drove a truck into a central Berlin market on Dec. 19, killing 12 people. He died in a shootout with Italian police four days later after transiting to Italy through the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

"If the system works they can join in," Jambon said, noting that "there is an election coming up in Germany. Maybe that has something to do with (their decision)."

Belgium, the Netherlands and France are part of Europe's 26-nation Schengen passport-free area, where ID checks on travelers do not usually take place.

The scheme will not be enforced on regular international rail and bus services.
BERLIN (AP)  The mayor of Berlin is calling on U.S. President Donald Trump not to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Berlin was divided by a wall from 1961 until 1989. It was built by the socialist dictatorship in East Germany to stop its citizens from escaping to the West, becoming a potent symbol of Cold War oppression.

Mayor Michael Mueller said Friday that "we Berliners know best how much suffering the division of a continent, cemented by barbed wire and concrete, caused."

He said Berliners "mustn't simply accept that all our historical experience is discarded by those to whom we largely owe our freedom, the Americans."

Citing former U.S. President Ronald Regan's famous appeal to "tear down" the Berlin Wall, Mueller urged Trump: "Don't build this wall."
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  Schools are going beyond "Just Say No" as they teach students as young as kindergartners about the dangers of opioids in the hope that they don't later become part of the growing crisis.

Some states have begun requiring instruction about prescription drugs and heroin, and districts are updating their anti-drug teachings to move toward interactive and engaging science-based lessons they hope will save lives.

States including Ohio and New York have passed laws requiring that schools include opioid abuse prevention in health education, and Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pledged to do the same this month.

"The message will be simple and direct and start in kindergarten," Christie said, "the medicine in Mom and Dad's medicine cabinet is not safe for you to use just because a doctor gave it to them."

Savannah Wilson, a 17-year-old junior at State College Area High School in Pennsylvania, said a lesson including the science of opioid addiction and a video with stories from young addicts stuck with her when she got an oxycodone prescription following a recent surgery.

"I'm not sure if I would have had any issues, but it was definitely good to know, don't take more than you absolutely need to," Wilson said. "They're really strong drugs. They prescribed me way more than I needed. I had a lot left over. It's kind of scary how easy they make it for you."

Wilson said that she has gotten anti-drug lessons throughout school but that "before, it was kind of 'Just don't do it.'"

"Up until this year I didn't really get a full understanding of how easily it is to get addicted to some of these drugs and how open they are to people," she said.

The growing crisis has pushed her teacher, Melanie Lynch, to spend time focusing on opioids and not just drugs in general. One of her lessons was teaching students that they are consumers and that it's OK to discuss prescriptions with doctors.

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"When you can get a teenager to acknowledge that that can happen to me  because nothing can happen to me, I'm invincible  that's a lesson that's a keeper," Lynch said. "It's not a scare tactic. They've internalized it."

The number of students abusing opioid prescription drugs is declining, according to a survey of 45,473 students by the National Institutes of Health. It found that misuse of opioid prescription drugs among 12th-graders dropped from 9.5 percent in 2004 to 4.8 percent in 2016.

But with the epidemic killing family members and recent graduates, teachers and administrators are looking for ways to teach about the issue.

While teachers like Lynch dedicate their time to coming up with creative methods, Kevin Lorson, director of the physical education licensure program at Ohio's Wright State University, said many others are desperate for help.

"I feel like schools are crying out for the help more than me telling them it's important," said Lorson, who is helping to create the grade-appropriate curriculum for Ohio schools. "Everybody is affected in some way, shape or form, whether it be a current student, former student, parents; everyone is impacted in some way."

Schools are bringing in people recovering from addiction to tell their stories, teaching about the science behind drug addiction, and working to get students and parents talking to each other and recognizing signs of abuse.

In the Norwin School District, near Pittsburgh, Superintendent William Kerr is having his middle school teachers start using Operation Prevention , a curriculum created by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Discovery Education.

It includes digital lesson plans aligned to federal science and health education standards, a social media video challenge, and tools for parents.

"We want to make sure that parents know the signs, that students understand the negative aspects, how to understand refusal skills," Kerr said. "We do believe that the earlier the conversations start between parents and children the better, and so we will also be exploring at the elementary level."

The best approach is to address underlying factors that encourage use, including easy accessibility, said Linda Richter, director of policy research and analysis for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse .

She advises schools against developing their own program and suggests they invest in proven prevention programs that have been rigorously evaluated and connect them with overall lesson planning in schools.

"It's important for kids (and adults) to understand how drugs affect the brain and body," Richter said in an email, "but to really make a dent in the problem, parents, schools, and communities have to be involved in overall prevention and in identifying and helping kids who show signs of risk get the help they need."

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Associated Press reporter Kantele Franko in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. Contact Cornfield at https://www.twitter.com/JoshCornfield .
By Timothy Mclaughlin (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers in several central U.S. states are pushing bills that would crack down on demonstrations, drawing criticism from free speech campaigners and underlining the polarization over protests in the era of President Donald Trump. Bills have been introduced over the past month in states including North Dakota, Indiana and Iowa that would impose measures such as harsher penalties for demonstrators who disrupt traffic, and scrapping punishment for drivers who unintentionally strike protesters blocking their vehicles. The push for stricter laws comes as opponents of Trump have vowed to take to the streets to demonstrate against his policies on issues ranging from immigration to abortion and climate change. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in women's marches on Jan. 21 in cities across the country. While the fate of the bills was not immediately clear, supporters say they sum up the frustration some people feel about protests that get in the way of their daily lives. "People are just kind of sick and tired of this garbage," Nick Zerwas, a Republican state representative in Minnesota, said by telephone. "If you block a freeway, you ought to go to jail and when you get out, you ought to get the bill." Zerwas has introduced two bills, one of which would increase the penalty for obstructing traffic to a gross misdemeanor, meaning offenders could face up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. The other would make protesters pay policing costs if their protests were deemed illegal or a nuisance by a court. In Iowa, Republican state senator Jake Chapman is the lead sponsor of a bill that would make it a felony to block traffic on roads with speed limits of 55 miles-per-hour (88 km) or more. Offenders would face up to five years in jail and a $7,500 fine. "People are really fed up with it," Chapman said of the disruption caused by demonstrations. He said his constituents were not against the protests as such, but that they did not want their travel affected. He said demonstrations should be held in "appropriate" places. 'TRULY ALARMING' Free speech advocates said the proposals are worrying. "What's happening is a truly alarming spread of state legislation that, if passed, will have the intent or impact of criminalizing peaceful protests," said Lee Rowland, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union rights group. The bills were "unconstitutional right out of the gate," Rowland said, adding that protests should be seen as a "success of representative democracy," not a problem to be solved. Gregory Magarian, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, said the bills present a "major First Amendment problem," referring to the section of the U.S. Constitution that guarantees the right to free expression. "They (the lawmakers) are putting their petty ideologies over the principles of free speech," Magarian said. Defenders of the proposals, however, argue that they were formulated out of concern for public safety above all. One bill by Indiana Republican state senator Jim Tomes calls for police "to use any means necessary" to clear roads of people unlawfully blocking traffic no more than 15 minutes after law enforcement learns of the obstruction. In an emailed statement, Tomes said he had no problem with protesters who apply for permits in advance. In North Dakota, where hundreds have been arrested during protests against a pipeline, a bill by Republican state Rep. Keith Kempenich would shield motorists from liability if they unintentionally hit a protester on a roadway, injuring or killing them. Kempenich did not respond to requests for comment, but has said he introduced the bill after his mother-in-law was caught in a protest while driving. "It's shifting the burden of proof from the motor vehicle driver to the pedestrian," he told the Bismarck Tribune. (Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Bernadette Baum)
A former executive at the mortgage lending company Quicken Loans has been charged with murder after he allegedly stabbed his wife to death with a kitchen knife on Monday, PEOPLE confirms.

Investigators described a gruesome scene at the home of Noah Ravenscroft in Commerce Township, Michigan: He was arrested there Monday night after his wife, Kristy Ravenscroft, was found stabbed to death, according to an Oakland County Sheriffs Office statement.

Deputies who first responded to the home were greeted by Noah, who opened the front door while covered in blood and told them that his wife was dead, the sheriffs office alleged.

He is charged with premeditated murder and was denied bond at an arraignment Wednesday afternoon, the Oakland Press reports. A judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, according to the Detroit News.

Oakland County deputies were responding Monday to a domestic violence call made by one of the Ravenscrofts three children, according to the sheriffs statement.

The child told the 911 dispatcher his father said he was going to get a knife. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told local radio station WWJ that the couples 10-year-old son saw his father on top of his mother, who told her son to run.

Afterward, as they made their way inside the home, deputies discovered Kristys body on the living room floor, according to the sheriffs statement.

The couples three children were found on the second floor of the home, unharmed.

 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.

Police believe Ravenscroft used a knife from the kitchen to allegedly stab his wife. Before being booked, Ravenscroft was taken to a local hospital for self-inflicted wounds, according to the sheriffs office.

Following the arrest, Sheriff Bouchard released a statement comparing the case to another domestic violence incident his agency was handling.

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Two different husbands attacked their wives, Bouchard wrote, describing the incidents as tragic.

I have been in this business a long time and the sadness only seems to grow, he continued. I still hope society will learn how to deal with abusers and create a fully functional mental health system. Prayers and peace to the victims.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

During the altercation, Noah allegedly stepped away from his wife and grabbed a knife from the kitchen, Sheriff Bouchard told WWJ. This, he said, makes the alleged murder premeditated.

There is a moment when someone steps away from the heat of the moment  and yet goes and obtains what ultimately becomes the fatal instrument. Thats premeditated. Thats an articulated plan, he said.

According to a Quicken Loans spokesman, the Free Press reports, Noah resigned from his position in December. There had been no previous calls to the Ravenscroft home for domestic violence.

Noah, who has been ordered to have no contact with his children, is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 8, according to the Oakland Press.

It is unclear whether he has an attorney.

Kristy was a very dedicated mom, and her husband seemed to work long hours to take care of his family, a family acquaintance told the Free Press. They enjoyed camping, and her kids are beautiful and have been in our Sunday school classes.




By Pedro Fonseca and Rodrigo Viga Gaier RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian police are seeking the arrest of fallen commodities tycoon Eike Batista as part of a vast political bribery probe, investigators said on Thursday, adding that the former billionaire appeared to have already flown to New York. Batista, Brazil's richest man just five years ago, seems to have left the country on a German passport on Tuesday night and will be considered a fugitive if he does not surrender soon to authorities, police investigator Tacio Muzzi told reporters. Representatives for Batista confirmed that he was outside of Brazil, citing professional obligations. They said he had offered to cooperate with investigations and would soon present himself to authorities, without commenting on allegations of criminal behavior. Globo TV reported late on Thursday that Batista would fly back from the United States to Brazil on Friday, citing his lawyers. The report could not be immediately verified. Police said they believe Batista and eight others facing detention orders on Thursday took part in a $100 million money laundering ring tied to kickbacks on lucrative contracts in a scheme centered on state-run oil firm Petrobras. "We can't categorically affirm that there was an intention to flee," said Muzzi. Globo TV reported he had arrived in New York. Brazilian police asked Interpol to issue a international "red notice" calling for Batista's arrest, according to a police media representative. Batista's arrest would cap a dramatic fall for a man who was among the 10 richest in the world before the global commodities crash hammered the business empire he has been forced to sell. One of Brazil's most outspoken entrepreneurs, Batista's fortune has dwindled from more than $30 billion to nearly nothing as his Grupo EBX, a constellation of energy, mining and transportation companies, crumbled in recent years. Two of the companies that filed for bankruptcy protection, miner MMX Mineracao e Metalicos SA and shipbuilder OSX Brasil SA, said in securities filings that the legal proceedings against Batista would have no effect on them. Prosecutors said Batista had paid a roughly $16 million bribe in 2011 to former Rio Governor Sergio Cabral, who was arrested in November on corruption charges. Investigators did not specify what advantages Batista allegedly gained, but said he was part of the corruption and money laundering operation. WIFE AND CHILD Brazil and the United States signed an extradition treaty in 1961. Police told a news conference earlier on Thursday that they could not yet be certain whether Batista had boarded the flight to New York with a ticket bought in his name or whether he might have flown onward from there. Batista has family ties to Germany, which does not have a formal extradition treaty with Brazil but has collaborated in the past on high-profile criminal cases. A federal police source told Reuters that it appeared Batista was followed to New York the next day by his wife and one of his children. Police declined to say where Batista would be jailed once apprehended. Inmates with a college degree, which Batista lacks, are usually separated from the rest of the population in Brazil's crowded and chaotic prison system, which has suffered a series of violent riots this year. The collapse of Grupo EBX has already triggered fraud investigations into Batista. A ruling by Brazil's securities watchdog CVM in November 2015 barred him from any management role at publicly traded companies for five years. Regulators are also looking into allegations of insider trading by Batista. Last year Batista testified in the sweeping Petrobras case that former Finance Minister Guido Mantega had allegedly solicited an illegal contribution to the ruling party at the time. Mantega has repeatedly denied the accusations. (Additional reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Marta Nogueira in Rio de Janeiro; Writing and additional reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal, Brad Haynes and Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Meredith Mazzilli and Bill Rigby)
(CURITIBA, Brazil)  The lead federal prosecutor in a massive corruption investigation roiling Brazil says that recent developments could double the size of the case, a staggering possibility given that the probe has ensnared many of the countrys elite, threatens to bring down President Michel Temer and is expanding to other Latin American countries.

Nearly three years after the first arrests in March 2014, the so-called Car Wash investigation has no end in sight, said Deltan Dallagnol, coordinator of the task force in the state of Parana, where the operations began and are still largely centered under the jurisdiction of Judge Sergio Moro.

I would say that the new plea agreements could allow the Car Wash operation to double its size in the future, Dallagnol told The Associated Press on Thursday, declining to go into detail because the cases were ongoing.

What started as an investigation into money-laundering has morphed into a corruption scandal so large that it has shocked Brazilians long accustomed to graft in politics. Investigators say more than $2 billion in bribes were paid out in a kickback scheme that was centered at state oil company Petrobras and included major construction companies like Odebrecht. In the last few years, dozens of politicians and top businessmen have been convicted and jailed, and many more are facing charges.

In a wide-ranging interview, Dallagnol said the investigation lives at risk because of forces trying to snuff it out. He said the pressures were increasing as the number of powerful people caught up in it grows by the day.

Dallagnol said the loss of Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki, who was overseeing a large part of the investigation and died in a plane crash last week, was a huge blow but ultimately would not derail the many cases in progress.

He said that while many believed the investigation was creating a new Brazil, its long-term impact depended on whether Latin Americas largest nation took measures to reform its political and judicial systems. He likened it to an ill patient who goes to the doctor and gets a diagnosis but doesnt act on the medical advice.

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Unfortunately, we are still at the diagnostic stage, said Dallagnol, who studied law in Brazil and then did a masters degree at Harvard University.

Dallagnol said the Car Wash investigation was succeeding thanks to a four-pronged strategy: plea bargains that lead to new revelations, operational phases that build on each other, close cooperation between justice and legal officials, and a transparent communication strategy that includes divulging details of cases once arrests are made.

Dallagnol also praised Moro, the judge, saying his vast knowledge of laws related to corruption and ability to succinctly apply the law were key factors.

To many Brazilians, fed up with corruption and their political leaders, Moro and Dallagnol are heroes, a designation that Dallagnol flatly rejects.

We are just doing our jobs, he said.

The investigation has become so large that it is expanding to other states and judges. The arrest warrant issued Thursday in Rio for Eike Batista, previously one of the worlds richest men now wanted for allegedly making bribes, is a testament to how far the Car Wash investigation and its offshoots have gone.

Last year, prosecutors reached a plea agreement with dozens of executives of constructor Odebrecht. The agreements, expected to be made public early this year, are believed to have damning evidence of bribes against top politicians in Brazil and possibly in other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Peru and Venezuela.

Temer, who has been fingered in other plea bargains but never charged, could be removed by the electoral court if Odebrecht plea bargains detail illegal campaign financing that he has long been accused of accepting. Temer has denied wrongdoing.

Dallagnol brushed off criticism of the tactics used during the investigation, which have included building cases based in part on plea bargains, wire taps and making accusatory statements about defendants who have not been convicted.

While detailing money laundering and corruption charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in September, Dallagnol called Silva the the maximum commander of the corruption scheme identified as Car Wash.

Supporters of Silva and his Workers Party immediately accused Dallagnol of playing politics since Silva had yet to even stand trial. Silva, president between 2003 and 2010, has expressed interest in running for the presidency in 2018 and leads in preference polls.

Dallagnol defended the designation, saying it was based on all the cases against Silva, not just the charges being presented that day. Dallagnol noted that only two of the five cases against Silva are in his jurisdiction.

In Car Wash, Ive learned that politicians are never corrupt, Dallagnol deadpanned. They are always persecuted.
BERLIN (AP)  German authorities captured a man who's been on the run for a dozen years after being convicted in Brazil of tax evasion and other criminal activities connected to moving hundreds of millions of dollars out of the country, but had to release him after learning his crimes were past the statute of limitations.

The man, identified only as a 60-year-old who is now an Italian citizen, was apprehended in Munich on Thursday, the dpa news agency reported Friday.

He was apparently en route to the U.S. but turned back to Italy due to a problem with his passport, and was on his way to Venice through Munich when arrested.

Focus magazine reported he allegedly moved $820 million out of Brazil illegally and the country has had an international arrest warrant out for him since 2004.

Prosecutors' spokesman Joachim Ettenhofer told The Associated Press the details of the man's crimes in Brazil were not clear, but said after his arrest Brazilian officials informed Munich authorities they were past the statute of limitations so the man had to be released.

He said it is not clear whether the man has now returned to Italy.
PARIS (Reuters) - Britain is becoming subservient to a United States that will be extremely difficult to cooperate with judging by President Donald Trump's "serious and worrying" first acts, French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will hold talks with Trump later on Friday, wants a renewal of the "special relationship" between London and Washington at a time her conservative government redraws its relationship with Europe. "Britain lived in an equilibrium with Europe," Macron told France Culture radio. "But now it is becoming a vassal state, meaning it is becoming the junior partner of the United State." French opinion polls show Macron, a former investment banker running as an independent in this spring's presidential election, closing in on the two frontrunners, conservative candidate Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Speaking about Trump, May joked on Thursday that "opposites attract" as she signaled a shift in foreign policy that will bring her position more in line with that of Trump. Macron said Trump's early policy moves suggested the United States might become a destabilizing force on the world stage. "What's happening today with Trump's first statements and choices is extremely serious and worrying," Macron said. "It's firstly a choice that it will be an America that provokes... an America that destabilizes things that have been built for decades." Macron has previously said he was sure Trump would maintain close ties with the European Union, but on Friday he appeared to concede this may no longer be the case. "It signifies that the U.S. will no longer be in a position to co-organize globalization and be the world's policeman with the European Union," the former economy minister said. "The unpredictable choices, the outbursts and the inward-looking United States of Trump no longer guarantees Europe's security." (Reporting by John Irish and Emmanuel Jarry; Editing by Andrew Callus and Richard Lough)
By Nina Chestney LONDON (Reuters) - British plans to leave the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) when it exits the European Union could raise costs, delay new nuclear power projects and complicate research and international cooperation agreements, experts said on Friday. On Thursday, Britain published the legislation it will use to seek parliamentary approval for triggering the process for leaving the European Union, saying the Prime Minister has the power to notify the European Council of withdrawal. That includes withdrawal from Euratom, an accompanying document to the bill said. Britain plans to build new nuclear reactors as it faces an electricity supply gap in the coming decade, the biggest of which is the $24 billion Hinkley Point C project being built by French utility EDF. "Clearly this is something which could impact the industry's complex supply chain and it may well have an impact on Hinkley Point," said Anthony Froggart, senior research fellow at thinktank Chatham House. He added that EDF has already raised concerns to the UK government about the impact of Brexit on labor movement and trade restrictions which could potentially raise the cost of construction. In December, EDF said that Britain should "ideally" remain in Euratom, because it provides a framework for compliance with international safeguards to control the use of uranium and plutonium. "None of the current new-build projects in the UK are British designs, and most are reliant on foreign technology that is accessible only via the existing bilateral treaties through Euratom," said Vince Zabielski, senior lawyer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. "If the U.K. leaves Euratom before new stand-alone nuclear cooperation treaties are negotiated with France and the United States, current new build projects will be placed on hold while those stand-alone treaties are negotiated," he added. Europe's nuclear lobby group Foratom said Britain will need to negotiate transitional agreements with its partners in Europe if it leaves Euratom. "The U.K. should remain a member of Euratom until these arrangements are put in place," it said. Britain also has several international nuclear cooperation agreements with countries outside the EU which are reliant on Euratom safeguards being in place. Japan's Toshiba and France's Engie, through a joint venture called NuGen, plan to build three reactors in Britain from U.S.-based Westinghouse, while Horizon, owned by Japan's Hitachi, also plans new nuclear capacity. A spokesman for Horizon said withdrawal from Euratom would present issues which would need to be addressed but the firm is confident they can be resolved so they deliver their lead project on time. Toshiba said on Friday it would review its struggling nuclear operation, without mentioning the NuGen project. Euratom is the EU's framework for nuclear energy safety and development, establishing a European market for goods and services and compliance with international nuclear safeguards. Euratom was formed before the EU in 1957. Although it is legally separate from the EU, it has the same members and is governed by EU institutions. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the government is confident it can ensure effective arrangements for nuclear cooperation with Europe and the rest of the world. (Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Washington (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May arrived at the White House on Friday for talks with US President Donald Trump -- becoming the first foreign leader to meet the Republican since he took office a week ago.

May, dressed in red, was greeted in person by Trump. They are to meet in the Oval Office before a joint press conference.
As a candidate, Donald Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization obsolete. But as he stood next to British Prime Minister Theresa May Friday, she told the world that he was 100% behind the alliance.

Speaking before the first joint press conference of the Trump Administration, the British leader said she had obtained Trumps reassurance that he stands behind NATO, despite his earlier comments.

She also stated her opposition to any weakening of Russian sanctions until the Minsk agreement for a ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine is upheld, getting ahead of Trumps upcoming call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense and today weve reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to our alliance, May said. Mr. President, I think you saidconfirmed, that you are 100% behind NATO. But were also discussing the importance of NATO continuing to ensure it is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber-warfare as it is to fight more conventional forms of war.

Mays comments appeared to successfully push the new President further than he intended in defending the alliance, providing the first test of Trumps mettle on the international stage. Trump appeared to confirm Mays characterization of his beliefs during the press conference.

During the campaign and the transition, Trump frequently maligned the Cold War-era alliance as obsolete, saying that it is unprepared for the contemporary environment, including terrorism. Trumps opening remarks were silent on the alliance, as he paid tribute to this most special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K.

Trumps comments have been met by criticism and fears, particularly in Eastern Europe, where American support is viewed as vital to prevent Russian aggression.

The call with Putin comes as Trump has promised to try to reboot the U.S. relationship with Russia after relations deteriorated under President Obama amid the invasion of Crimea, Russian support for Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and Russian hacking related to the 2016 election. The Obama Administration instituted several sets of sanctions on elements of the Russian government and people close to Putin in retaliation.

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Kellyanne Conway, a senior aide to Trump, said on Fox that lifting the sanctions against Russia is under consideration for the call.

But May signaled that the U.K. would oppose such a move as long as Russia doesnt abide by the ceasefire agreement.

We have, as far as the U.K. is concerned on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement fully implemented, she said. We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented and weve been continuing to argue that inside the European Union.

In an apparent nod to Trumps comments critical of European nations that have not met NATOs 2 percent of GDP target for defense spending, May said she would continue to encourage her fellow leaders to spend to meet that mark.

Ive agreed to continue on my efforts to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver on their commitments to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense so that the burden is more fairly shared, she said.
Travel between the US and Asia is about to become cheaper with the arrival of low-cost airline AirAsiaX.

The Malaysian carrier has become the first budget Asian airline to receive clearance from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to fly to the US.

Details on destinations are sparse, but the carrier said it is considering several US states including Hawaii as part of its route expansion plans.

The airline also said it is looking to resume flights to London.

The announcement comes at the threshold of a new era in commercial aviation, with the proliferation of ultra low-cost carriers offering never-before seen prices for transatlantic flights.

Carriers like Norwegian Air, Iceland's Wow air, Canada's WestJet and Morocco's Royal Air Maroc are some of the no-frills airlines which have launched flights across the Atlantic in recent months thanks to the cheaper cost of jet fuel.

On Wow Air, for instance, travelers can fly return between Boston and Reykjavik in January and February for $209 -- taxes included.

A return flight between Los Angeles and Stockholm on Norwegian Air, meanwhile, can be found for as low as $331 for travel in February.

AirAsia X has taken the title of World's Leading Low-Cost Airline four years in a row at the World Travel Awards and is the current titleholder.
SOFIA (Reuters) - The interim government running Bulgaria until parliamentary elections in late March will make ensuring the ballot is free and fair its top priority, the new prime minister said on Friday. Veteran centrist Ognyan Gerdzhikov, a former parliament speaker, was appointed by President Rumen Radev on Tuesday to manage the political transition up to the election following the resignation late last year of a coalition government led by the center-right GERB party. "The main task of the interim government is to organize fair elections," Gerdzhikov, a 70-year-old professor of civil and commercial law at Sofia University, told reporters. The previous government revived Bulgaria's small but open economy, cut unemployment and put public finances in the black, but its failure to tackle widespread corruption has frustrated voters. "In the past decades we have witnessed many disgraceful practices such as vote buying... We will make everything possible to seriously reduce this if not completely eradicate it," Gerdzhikov said. He said he would also make "utmost efforts" to ensure state finances remained stable during his tenure. Analysts say the election was again unlikely to produce a strong majority government able to implement the judicial reforms the country needs. If elections were held today, five parties would enter parliament, according to a poll by Alpha Research published on Friday. Some 32.6 percent would vote for GERB party, led by ex-Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, and 28.8 percent for the Socialist Party. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov and Tsvetelia Tsolova; editing by John Stonestreet)
Paris (AFP) - The failure of the US to punish the perpetrators of torture had "left the door open" for future abuses, former officials of the administration of US president George W. Bush said Thursday.

"Donald Trump has promised to walk through that door," Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff of Bush's secretary of state Colin Powell, told a conference in Paris, the day after the new president said he thinks "absolutely" that torture works.

Under Bush, "what worried me was that no one of any stature" such as then CIA chief George Tenet or White House counsel Alberto Morales -- who drafted the infamous January 2002 "torture memo" setting out a legal rationale for torture -- "had in any way, fashion or form been punished," Wilkerson said.

"Indeed, it looked a lot to me like they had been rewarded for their good work under pressure," he said.

The conference on seeking justice for victims of US torture was organised by leading rights groups including the International Federation for Human Rights and the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights.

Under president Barack Obama, those in the government "who found these practices reprehensible were hoping that (he would) reopen the issue of accountability, close Guantanamo (the US military prison in Cuba), which he promised to do, and bring some light into what happened so that most of all it wouldn't happen again. It didn't happen."

Wilkerson was part of a panel that also included former anti-terrorism investigator Mark Fallon, author of "Unjustifiable Means: The Inside Story of How the CIA, Pentagon, and US Government Conspired to Torture" to be published in March.

Fallon, speaking to AFP, said he thought any return to torture could be tamped down by cooler heads.

On Thursday defence chief James Mattis said the Pentagon was sticking with the ban on torture introduced in 2009 shortly after Obama took office.

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And top Republican Senator John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said Trump could not reinstate it with an executive order.

"The law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America," he said, in remarks echoed by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Nevertheless, Fallon said he feared a new terror attack on US soil could weaken such resolve.

- 'One terrorist attack away' -

"We're one terrorist attack away from torture," he said.

Also speaking at the conference were two former Guantanamo inmates, Mourad Benchellali and Nizar Sassi.

Benchellali, who spent two and a half years in detention before being released without charge, described abuse such as sleep deprivation and extremely cold air conditioning before saying: "There were other things that were too humiliating to describe. Let me just say it was similar to what happened at Abu Ghraib, without going into details."

He was referring to the US military prison in Iraq where photographs of torture and other abuse perpetrated on prisoners by US contractors shocked the world in December 2003.

Both Benchellali and Sassi said the US torture programme was a propaganda bonanza for jihadists.

"If you wanted to create something to create hatred, create Guantanamo," Sassi said.

Speaking to AFP earlier, Wilkerson said the fact that torture does not work "was never entertained because they had all these people, neo-conservatives in particular... who infected the whole system."

He said condoning torture "at the highest levels of the land as we did is unconscionable, because then you open all those floodgates."
Washington (AFP) - Barack Obama left the presidency just days ago, but already his smiling face is gone from a mural on the wall of an iconic eatery in the US capital.

An outer wall of Ben's Chili Bowl -- famous for its chili half-smoke sausages -- on very hip U Street is now just a vast white space.

Also painted over is the face of Bill Cosby, the groundbreaking comedy legend now reviled as a suspected serial sexual predator.

Passersby who were used to seeing those two faces on the colorful mural are doing a double-take. In its place are written the words "new year, new mural" and the address of the restaurant's website.

"I'm shocked that they actually took it down," said Shadarryl Brown, a 43-year-old African American.

To boot, also gone are the faces of funk guitarist and band leader Chuck Brown and a local radio DJ named Donnie Simpson.

There is nothing political about the removal, the restaurant insists. It is letting people vote on which faces go up now.

Nor is the eatery trying to dissociate itself from Cosby, who will go on trial in June, said owner Virginia Ali.

- Vote for next mural -

As for Obama, his departure from the White House last Friday is just a coincidence, she insisted.

"We removed the mural because it's been there five years. It needs to be done again. And we decided that for the new year, we should do a new mural. For the next five years," said Ali.

"I had no idea my little wall was so important," Ali said with a smile.

The decision to give the wall a makeover was made last spring.

The new one will go up around April, and the idea is to let people vote on who they want to see -- even Obama again, maybe, this time with wife Michelle.

Brown said it was good that people can express their preference.

His first choice is Michael Jackson -- "when he was black" -- and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whose assassination in 1968 triggered riots along U Street and elsewhere in America.

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People can choose from some 60 candidates, most of them black. Washington is a mainly black city, and the U Street area also used to be mainly African-American until it underwent gentrification.

Starting Thursday, people can now weigh in on the future mural and suggest up to six candidates.

The restaurant is even suggesting some combinations of famous faces. One brings together King, Mahatma Gandhi, Obama, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Desmond Tutu.

Voting will be open until late February but already thousands of people have cast their ballot, said Kamal Ali, son of the owner.

"So far Michelle and Barack Obama are leading," he said. "They are leading overwhelmingly."
Ottawa (AFP) - Canada is considering contributing to a Dutch-led international fund to support abortion services in developing countries, set up in response to US President Donald Trump's order to halt financing of NGOs that support the practice.

A spokesman for International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told AFP the minister had spoken with her Dutch counterpart about the fund, and was considering donating an unspecified sum to it or a similar measure that would support "sexual reproductive rights, including abortion" abroad.

"Sexual health and reproductive rights will be at the heart of Canada's new international assistance policy," spokesman Louis Belanger said in an email.

"We will continue to explore opportunities to work together to advance women's empowerment by expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services including abortion," he said.

Canada is set to unveil its new foreign aid strategy in the coming weeks. A decision on the fund would either be included or follow soon after that announcement.

Trump on Monday signed a decree barring US government funding for foreign NGOs that support abortion. The restrictions prohibit them from also providing abortion information, counseling or referrals, or engaging in advocacy to promote abortion.

Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, said when she announced the new fund that the Netherlands must do everything in its power to offset the US ban, in order for "women can remain in control of their own bodies."
San Salvador (AFP) - Central America's northern three countries -- Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras -- remain among the most violent in the world despite intensified security crackdowns on their lawless gangs.

According to a compilation of the latest official figures, there were 15,809 murders last year in those three nations, collectively known as the Northern Triangle.

"The situation remains difficult. Even though the number of murders has dropped, the pain and suffering of many families in the Northern Triangle continue," the head of El Salvador's Human Rights Commission, Miguel Montenegro, told AFP.

The Northern Triangle is a major source of US-bound migrants fleeing gangs and poverty.

The United States has allocated $650 million to the region to try to stem the flow by improving prosperity and security.

But, while governments have greatly stepped up mixed patrols and raids by police and soldiers, Montenegro said "the repression by the states has not made inroads against the violence."

- El Salvador most dangerous -

On average across the three countries, there were 50.6 murders per day per 100,000 inhabitants last year.

That's lower than the 57.1 murders per day recorded in 2015, but still many times higher than the world average of 6.7 calculated by the World Health Organization.

Per capita, El Salvador was the most dangerous, with 81.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Then came Honduras at 58.2, and Guatemala with 34.1.

"The violence isn't going to go away overnight," an analyst and former El Salvador rebel, Juan Ramon Medrano, said. "It came about over several decades through social and economic conditions. To get rid of it will need many years."

The gangs blamed for much of the violence were born on the mean streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s, when Central Americans fleeing Cold War-fomented civil conflicts sought refuge in the United States and fought Mexican gangs.

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Deported back home, they brought the gang culture and violence back with them, and today whole neighborhoods are prey to the groups and their turf wars, with local youths forced to join or to run.

"There is no solution to the gangs. Young people are looking for a family and entering a gang gives them an artificial family. There are no rehabilitation programs," said Ricardo Puerta, a Honduran sociologist.

Honduras is home to up to 36,000 gang members, according to police and international organizations. Some 70,000 are in El Salvador, and 10,000 in Guatemala.

"The gang situation seems more under control in Honduras and Guatemala," Salvadoran university professor and researcher Carlos Carcach said. "In El Salvador, territorial expansion by the gangs is rapid and broad."

- Weak states -

With the region acting as a transit corridor for illegal drugs heading from South America to the United States, and cartels in nearby Mexico active, there are fears the gangs could become transnational outfits.

That has prompted prosecutors to join forces for a cross-border strategy, while police and troops in the Northern Triangle have formed a trinational force.

But analysts believe the more effective way for the countries to handle the problem is to fix their shaky economies and institutions -- to provide jobs and social participation.

"The fragility and weakness of the national democratic systems isn't allowing them to be strong states able to mount a fight against the problems causing the violence," Carcach said.

The institutional shortcomings in the countries left over from the civil wars meant impunity reigned for former soldiers and rebels, he said, and that colored society afterward.

An additional problem, he noted, was the lack of control in the region over the illegal sales and trafficking of weapons from those conflicts.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Prosecutors have dropped the felony rioting charge filed against a journalist who was arrested after protesters began breaking windows in Washington on Inauguration Day.

William Miller, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia, said Friday that prosecutors decided not to pursue the case against Vocativ Senior Producer Evan Engel after reviewing evidence and consulting with his attorney.

Engel was among 230 people arrested during the Inauguration Day unrest. The protesters described themselves as anti-capitalists.

The Guardian newspaper reported earlier this week that Engel was one of six journalists charged. The group was charged with felony rioting, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Miller said his office won't comment on other cases.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago's chief of police, Eddie Johnson, was recovering on Friday afternoon after he appeared nearly to faint at a news conference, according to a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.

Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter that Johnson, 56, has "a longstanding kidney issue" but said Friday's incident was unrelated to that. The Chicago Sun-Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that Johnson needs a kidney transplant.

Johnson will be released from the hospital in the next few hours and was "fine & in great spirits," Guglielmi said in his Twitter post. Johnson will brief media on his health episode following his discharge.

Johnson was named the chief of police last March. His predecessor, Gerry McCarthy, was ousted amid public outrage that the city delayed for more than a year the release of a video that showed a black teenager being fatally shot by a white officer.

Johnson's selection answered calls from civic leaders for an African-American veteran of the force to be chosen.

On Friday, Johnson was standing alongside Mayor Rahm Emanuel as Emanuel addressed reporters when Johnson began to stagger, video of the event showed.

Emanuel asked Johnson if he was "OK," before the news conference was quickly stopped. Johnson was helped to a chair by Emanuel and police officers. Reporters were then asked to clear the room, video showed.

Guglielmi said on Twitter that Johnson "felt light headed" but did not lose consciousness.

"Supt Johnson walked to his car on his own w Mayor Emanuel and will go to hospital to be checked out. He was talking, alert & feeling better," a second message said.

Friday's news conference was held to highlight increased use of technology aimed at aiding police officers' fight against violent crime. Chicago, the third largest U.S. city with a population of 2.7 million, struggled last year with a surge in murders.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin and Karen Piergo in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler)
On Wednesday, the president of the United States threatened Chicago with federal intervention if it fails to bring down its homicide numbers. Mangling recent homicide statistics, President Trump said he would send in the Feds if Chicago did not fix the horrible carnage going on.

Later, in an interview with ABC Newss David Muir, Trump elaborated on his threat. The nature of Trumps contemplated intervention remains unclear, but the president offered a hypothesis for why Chicago is facing so much deadly violence.

Now if they want help, I would love to help them. I will send in what we have to send in. Maybe they're not gonna have to be so politically correct, Trump told Muir. Maybe they're being overly political correct. Maybe there's something going on. But you can't have those killings going on in Chicago. Chicago is like a war zone.

Chicagos homicide rate is higher than that of other major cities at a time of relatively low rates of violent crime across the country, although it is not as high as it has been in the past. Trump is certainly not the first to compare Chicago to a war zone, but its an inapt metaphorwars are won by overcoming the enemy through brutal and overwhelming force. Comparing Chicago to a war zone turns police into soldiers and its own residents into the enemy.

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Trumps diagnosis, that the citys crime rate is the result of political correctness, is equally revealing. Trump often invokes the term when he believes problems could be solved if only those in charge were willing to apply sufficient violence and brutality as a solution. Trump invokes political correctness when discussing immigration, crime, the torture of terrorism suspects, or banning Muslims from entering the country.

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This is a consistent feature of an authoritarian mindset: The belief that there is no problem that cannot be solved by greater force or violence.

The feds have already been to Chicago however, and what they found was not an excess of political correctness. On the contrary, the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division found that Chicago police frequently racially profiled residents (even sometimes off-duty black cops), expressed bigoted views (including on social media), and used excessive force with little or no accountability. The report was sparked in part by video evidence of the police killing of Laquan McDonald, which the city attempted to hide and when released flatly contradicted the statements of police officers that McDonald was shot because he posed a threat.

CPD also has failed to hold officers accountable when they use force contrary to CPD policy or otherwise commit misconduct, the report reads. This failure to hold officers accountable results in some officers remaining with the Department when they should have been relieved of duty. This may be among the last comprehensive investigations of police abuse for some timeTrumps attorney general nominee, Jeff Sessions, has vowed to end them because they hurt police morale.

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According to the report, the pattern of the excessive use of force in violation of the constitutional rights of Chicago residents included shooting fleeing, unarmed suspects in the back, many circumstances in which officers accounts of force incidents were later discredited, in whole or part, by video evidence, and even incidents where excessive force was used against children, including a teenage girl beaten with a baton for having a cell phone in school.

Allowing police to, in some cases, literally get away with murder hasnt improved matters in Chicago. Instead, it has produced a community that fears and distrusts the police too much to help them prevent or solve crimes. Its not just that the homicide rate has skyrocketed, its that the homicide clearance rate has plummeted. Would you feel comfortable talking to police if as described in the report, they were known to do things like point guns at children riding their bikes and then handcuff them face down on the ground because neighbors said they were playing on your property?

Though New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was criticized by tough on crime ideologues for his decision in 2013 not to appeal a judges ruling that found the citys stop and frisk program to be unconstitutional, New York Citys crime rate remains historically low.

Between New York and Chicago, it is the city that embraced what critics pilloried as politically correct policing that has grown safer. The reasons for that divide remain unclear, but at the very least, it suggests there is no simple solution to the problems facing Chicago.

As for Trumps proposal, we already know what the results of a Chicago police department with no oversight, accountability, or in his words, political correctness would look like. It looks like carnage.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
The worst forest fire in Chiles recent history has ravaged an entire town, destroying buildings, farms and livestock.

The fire that ripped through Santa Olga  the largest of several affected communities in Central Chiles Maule region  destroyed more than 1,000 buildings, the Guardian reports. Aerial footage showed block after block reduced to smoldering rubble.

Most of Santa Olgas residents were safely evacuated, but rescuers recovered one body from the ruins and two people have been reported missing.

What we have experienced here is literally like Dantes Inferno, Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the nearby city of Constitucion, told the Guardian. We were recovering after the last earthquake, but this tragedy has messed up everything, Valenzuela added.

At least seven people, including four firefighters, have died in more than 90 forest fires that have blazed across central and southern Chile in recent weeks, according to local media. Some 238,000 hectares of forest has been burnt across the country, the National Forest Corporation said, leading to the evacuation of at least 4,000 people.

Chiles President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency and called for international help to stymie the wildfires. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. has sent a Boeing 747-400 Super Tanker help fight the fires.

With forecasts of more strong winds and hot temperatures, the countrys Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy said more fires are expected.

[The Guardian]
By Dan Freed

(Reuters) - Citigroup Inc <C.N> has quietly launched a website to make small business loans of up to $1 million, the latest effort by a big bank to make the process of smaller loans more technology-friendly.

Citigroup's online toe in the water comes after similar moves by several other banks. For example, JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> announced a partnership with online lender On Deck Capital Inc <ONDK.N> in December 2015 and Wells Fargo & Co <WFC.N> launched a fast-decision online small business loan product some eight months ago.

Banks have been cautious about entering the online lending space despite the proliferation of online non-bank lenders such as On Deck, LendingClub Corp <LC.N> Prosper Marketplace and other startups. Early optimism about prospects for such companies soured after LendingClub's CEO resigned over a loan-selling scandal.

Citigroup's website is run by Biz2Credit, a New York-based startup. Borrowers visiting the Citigroup website are directed to a separate website run by Biz2Credit where they fill out an online worksheet before following up with a Citigroup small business banker.

Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora said being online makes it easier for Citigroup to fulfill its obligations to small and underserved borrowers under the Community Reinvestment Act because it allows access for customers who live far from a branch.

Citigroup and Biz2Credit chose not to publicize the effort because it is still in very early stages, Arora said.

"If you make a premature announcement the expectations go very high and then you're in the public eye all the time," he said.

A Citigroup spokesman declined to comment.

Separately, a small business lending website backed by Citigroup and the U.S. Treasury Department and run by Biz2Credit will shut down. Launched in May 2015, DCSmallBizLoans.com was intended to bring online lending technology to small businesses in underserved Washington D.C. communities.

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The website matched up small businesses with four Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), government-backed lenders that serve low-income communities. Citigroup had agreed to fund the website for two years, after which it was expected to become self-sustaining, said Steve Glaude, president and chief executive officer of the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, a non-profit that organized the effort.

Though it would only have cost each CDFI about $1,000 per month to keep the site operating, there was not enough interest to warrant even so small an investment, according to Glaude.

"In some ways I think we were ahead of our time," he said.

(Reporting by Dan Freed in New York; Edited by Carmel Crimmins and David Gregorio)
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels announced a plan on Friday to substitute illegal crops and eradicate vast tracts of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine, over the next year as part of a peace deal to end a half-century conflict. Colombia, which according to the United Nations has more than 96,000 hectares (237,000 acres) sown with coca, manually destroyed 17,642 hectares last year and seized a record 378 tons of cocaine. Planting of coca was up 39 percent in 2015 after the government halted aerial fumigation with the chemical glyphosate, which was a key part of its U.S.-backed counternarcotics strategy. Colombia and neighboring Peru are the world's leading producers of cocaine. "The goal is to replace approximately 50,000 hectares of illicit crops during the first year of implementation in more than 40 municipalities in the most affected departments," the government and the rebels said in a joint statement. The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was considered one of the biggest players in Colombia's drug business. President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leadership agreed on the crop substitution program as part of last year's peace agreement. Post-Conflict Commissioner Rafael Pardo said the government would invest $340 million in the substitution program, which he said would benefit 50,000 families. Cacao and fruit trees are among crops that will be planted instead of coca, depending on soil characteristics. Colombia's conflict, pitting leftist rebels against right-wing paramilitaries and the military, has lasted almost 53 years and taken more 220,000 lives. The FARC initially "taxed" coca production by farmers in rural areas under its control but it went on to dominate trafficking in those same areas. The guerrillas vowed to abandon the lucrative drug trade once a peace deal was reached but other armed groups, including paramilitary groups and other crime gangs have been looking to replace the FARC and take over its old income stream wherever possible. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by Tom Brown)
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., accused President Trump of repeatedly lying to the American people and using propaganda to stir confusion and mislead the public.

In a Thursday night interview with CNNs Erin Burnett, Booker said the media coverage of Trump should resemble reporting on any other politician. He argued that liars should be called liars and propaganda should be called propaganda.

I dont understand why the media is treating Donald Trump with such kid gloves. These are not untruths. These are not alternate facts. These are lies and propaganda, Booker said.

We have seen the president of the United States and his officials repeatedly lying to the American public and pushing out  what could be called propaganda to mislead the public. He needs to be called on it, and we as the American public should not accept a president that routinely lies blatantly to the American people.

Booker similarly called Trump a repeated liar and propagandist in a conversation with MSNBCs Chris Hayes on Thursday night.

Booker, who rose to national prominence as mayor of Newark from 2006 until 2013, said Trumps hardline agenda to crack down on illegal immigration will actually leave U.S. cities more dangerous. On Wednesday, Trump signed two lengthy executive orders on illegal immigration and border security. According to Booker, key sections of the orders are un-American, and other sections would have unintended consequences. He cited a provision that reinstated Secure Communities, a controversial program that grants local law enforcement officials greater power to enforce immigration laws.

Sen. Cory Booker and President Donald Trump. (Photos: Mike Coppola/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Now you have immigrant communities afraid to report crimes or cooperate with local law enforcement, Booker said. There should be this distinction, and what Donald Trump is doing is actually making our communities less safe, and creating environments that create schisms as opposed to cooperation that local law enforcement needs.

Booker declined to comment on whether his colleague Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was correct in calling Trump delusional  the New Jersey lawmaker said he doesnt know the presidents mental state.

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Booker also criticized Trump for an expected executive order, under which he is reportedly planning to bar refugees from entering the United States for up to four months.

We are the United States of America. This is not a time to allow terrorists to make us turn our back on our values, he said. We should actually be doubling down on the truth of who we are as a country.

Read more from Yahoo News:
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- For decades, bars along Bourbon Street have had an open-door policy, enticing anyone over 21 to walk in at all hours with drink specials, blaring music and neon lights. Come in, order a drink and carry it back out to the street, if you like.

City and state officials want to put an end to this easy access, and they are proposing the bars close their doors at 3 a.m.  but remain open for business  in an effort to curb violence that has stained the city's image.

"I don't see what the point is in it," said Earl Bernhardt, owner of Tropical Isle and other clubs on and near Bourbon. He worries the policy might affect his bottom line. "We do a lot of business after 3 o'clock."

Officials hope a simple closed door will diminish the intensity of on-the-street, alcohol-fueled hoopla that has, at times ended abruptly in gunfire. They say it's not a curfew for a city known for all-night partying.

"Right now, the doors are open, so it's an open pedestrian party at 3 o'clock in the morning," Mayor Mitch Landrieu told reporters this week. "We're going to try to encourage them, through changing their environment, that it's going to be a little bit more comfortable for them to go inside the bars, which they'll be able to do until whatever hours they want to."

The closed-door initiative, which needs City Council approval, is one part of an anti-crime program Landrieu, city officials and Gov. John Bel Edwards unveiled this week. The city is dealing with a depleted police force and a murder rate that spiked last year to 175 killings. It had reached a 43-year low of 150 in 2014.

The plan calls for more early morning street sweeping in the French Quarter, as well as the use of high-tech gadgetry such as license plate readers and high-definition cameras to keep an eye on the crowds.

Deputy Mayor Jeff Hebert said he was unaware of any other city with a similar closed-door policy and that most other cities have a time when bars must completely shut down.

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"What we wanted to do was come to a middle ground," Hebert said.

Security expert Cynthia Deloach of Atlanta-based THG Consultants said it could help bar managers keep a closer watch on traffic, preventing someone excessively drunk or under-aged from entering. Conversely, it could keep trouble from spilling into the street.

Peter Scharf, a criminologist at the LSU School of Public Health, said the policy might give police and cameras a clearer view of the streets, while encouraging bar patrons to stay inside might help with crowd control.

But, Scharf said, it's a Band-Aid solution in a city where violent crime is "a gushing artery." And Bourbon Street isn't a hotspot for violent crime compared with other parts of the city, he noted.

Indeed, few of last year's homicides took place on Bourbon or in the surrounding French Quarter. Officials emphasized that the anti-crime plans are to apply city-wide. Another step lets officers who live in the city take home patrol cars so they can park them in neighborhoods.

Still, violence on Bourbon brings unwanted international attention to the tourism-dependent city. In 2014, a gunfight broke out between two men at 2:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning, leaving a visitor dead and nine other people wounded, including tourists from neighboring states and Australia. It was a similar story last November when a dispute broke out between two out-of-towners. The resulting gunfire around 1:30 a.m. left an uninvolved Baton Rouge man dead and nine others injured.

Landrieu's proposal was met with skepticism from some, but not all, on Bourbon Street one recent evening. After all, fights in bars are almost as commonplace as the booze.

"What do they expect to accomplish?" asked Dawn Kesslering, a longtime bartender at Johnny White's. "Are they trying to keep the people in the bars from emptying into the streets? What does closing the doors do?"

Gafur Tursanov, of Miami, said it might work if all the bars cooperate, but added: "I don't' think it will really do a lot."
A boy looks at U.S. workers building a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall at Sunland Park, U.S. opposite the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

U.S. President Donald Trump could pay for a wall on the southern border with a new 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico, the White House said on Thursday, deepening a crisis after plans for a summit with the Mexican president fell apart.

Trump wants the measure to be part of a broader tax overhaul package that the U.S. Congress is contemplating, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear how the tax would work. Parts of the proposal that Spicer described resemble an existing idea, known as a border adjustment tax, being considered by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives.

Spicer said: We have a new tax at $50 billion at 20 percent of imports -which is, by the way, a practice that 160 other countries do right now.

Our countrys policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous. But by doing it that way we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall. Just through that mechanism alone, Spicer told reporters traveling with Trump to Philadelphia.

The White House later on Thursday said it was not endorsing the border adjustment tax. No further details were available.

News of the tax proposal widens a rift with Mexico which earlier on Thursday scrapped a planned summit between President Enrique Pena Nieto and Trump over the Republicans demands that Mexico pay for the border wall to stem illegal immigration.

Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that he was pulling out of the planned meeting with Trump in Washington next week.

He was responding to an earlier tweet from Trump who said it would be better for the Mexican leader not to come if Mexico would not pay for the wall.

Trump later presented the scrapped plan as a mutual agreement.

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Addressing Republican members of Congress at a meeting in Philadelphia, he said he and Pena Nieto had agreed to cancel the meeting, adding it would be fruitless if Mexico did not treat the United States fairly.

Ive said many times that the American people will not pay for the wall, Trump told the gathering. Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route.

Trump views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has long insisted it will not heed Trumps demands to pay for the construction project.

Trump, who took office last week, signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday, just as a Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray arrived at the White House for talks with Trump aides aimed at healing ties.

The timing of that, and Trumps reiterated call for Mexico to foot the bill, caused outrage in Mexico, with prominent politicians and many on social media seeing at as a deliberate snub to the governments efforts to engage with Trump, who has for months used Mexico as a political punching bag.

UNDER PRESSURE

Pena Nieto was under pressure to cancel the summit.

We have informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday with @POTUS, he tweeted on Thursday. Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that favor both nations.

Relations have been frayed since Trump launched his campaign in 2015, characterizing Mexican immigrants as murderers and rapists.

Trump has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and slap high tariffs on American companies that have moved jobs south of the border.

Mexico ships 80 percent of its exports to the United States, and around half of Mexicos foreign direct investment has come from its northern neighbor over the last two decades.

The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting, Trump said in his tweet before the planned Pena Nieto talks were scrapped.

The United States runs a $58.8 billion trade deficit with Mexico, according to the latest U.S. government figures. But Mexico is also the United States second-largest export market.

Former foreign minister Jorge Castaneda said the Mexican government should have canceled the summit earlier in the week, when it became clear that Trump was going to go ahead with measures to build the wall and clamp down on immigration.

There is an atmosphere of crisis in the United States and it is going to last a long time. We are going to have to get used to living like this, he said on Mexican radio.  By Steve Holland and Miguel Gutierrez | PHILADELPHIA/MEXICO CITY

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington and Frank Jack Daniel, Dave Graham and Christine Murray in Mexico City; Editing by Alistair Bell)

The post Crisis deepens as Trump floats 20 percent tax on Mexico goods to pay for wall appeared first on UNTV News.
TULSA, Okla. (AP)  Attorneys for a white Oklahoma police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year are acting unethically by bringing up testimony that hasn't been allowed in court, a prosecutor said Friday.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said attorneys for the officer are trying to influence public opinion by alleging that a veteran homicide sergeant told the top prosecutor he filed an unwinnable case because there wasn't enough evidence to support a charge.

"If we allow ourselves to attempt to influence people outside the judicial process, we erode the very integrity that the criminal justice system is built upon," Kunzweiler said Friday in a brief interview.

Officer Betty Jo Shelby has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the September shooting death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher. She is due back in court Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Shelby acted unreasonably because Crutcher wasn't armed or combative when she approached him on a north Tulsa street after his SUV broke down and obeyed orders to raise his hands.

Shelby's attorneys say she shot Crutcher because she feared for her life, believing Crutcher was reaching into his vehicle for a gun.

Defense attorney Shannon McMurray said prosecutors were quick to charge Shelby as "a political move to try to quell whatever civil unrest they thought was going to occur."

"They just offered her up as a hysterical female," McMurray said Friday. "Come on, people."

Crutcher's Sept. 16 shooting was captured on video from a police helicopter and a dashboard camera. The footage showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby with his arms in the air, but the images don't offer a clear view of when Shelby fired the single shot.

Shelby's attorneys filed a motion on Jan. 11 asking a judge to dismiss the case for lack of evidence. Attorneys told the court that a homicide sergeant would testify that he advised detectives there wasn't enough evidence to support a criminal charge and that Shelby was within her rights to use deadly force to defend herself.

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The officer's attorneys weren't allowed to ask those questions during a November preliminary hearing when Shelby was bound over for trial.

Prosecutors responded Wednesday, claiming defense attorneys are "attempting to score points with the public and the media instead of making legal argument to this court."

A spokeswoman for the Crutcher family didn't immediately return a call seeking comment on the case Friday. Crutcher's attorneys have previously said that Shelby should be held accountable "for her unlawful actions."
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  A preliminary review indicates police were justified last month when they fatally shot a man suspected of killing a Pennsylvania state trooper, a prosecutor said Friday while disclosing no new information about how the shooting occurred.

Huntingdon County District Attorney David Smith said he is not sure when his review of facts surrounding the killings of Trooper Landon Weaver and suspect Jason Robison will be complete.

"We recognize the highly sensitive nature of these circumstances and the public's desire to have answers and action in a timely fashion," Smith said. "It is equally important as a matter of truth and justice that we get it right."

State police have said Robison shot Weaver in Robison's home in Hesston, in rural central Pennsylvania, on Dec. 30 while the trooper was questioning Robison about the possible violation of a protective order.

Police have said they tracked Robison, 32, to a nearby mobile home the next day and shot him after he made threats and did not comply with commands. They have not answered questions about the number of shots fired, whether the trooper who shot Robison was put on leave, what threats were made or what commands he ignored.

Weaver, 23, had been a trooper for about a year. He was married in June, about the time he started patrolling out of the Huntingdon station.

Smith said his preliminary review satisfied him that the state police actions were justified.

"However, any final prosecutorial decision, and/or justification regarding the use of deadly force, will be made when our office has reviewed all of the evidence from the investigation," Smith said.

He said investigators from outside the local state police station have photographed, mapped and processed both shooting scenes and witnesses have been interviewed.

Smith said he has not received information from the two autopsies, nor has he been provided with results of ballistics analysis. Search warrants issued in the investigation were sealed for two months. The prosecutor said additional details about the investigation were expected to be made public next week.

An arrest warrant issued for Robison before he was shot said he texted his son's mother after Weaver was killed, saying he "killed the cop" and "shot him twice in the head."

Robison's mother, Sherry Robison, told investigators she saw her son pull a black gun from his pants before he stepped into an adjacent room and she heard a "pop." She said she saw Weaver fall face-down into the kitchen, bleeding.
Heres the Breakdown of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicers Feud With Dippin Dots

Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary for the Trump administration, is feeling the heat lately over a pretty cold issue. Between 2010 and 2015, the then-communications director for the Republican National Committee sent a series of angry tweets, continually denying that Dippin Dots was the ice cream of the future, as the company claims. The oddly inflamed Twitter rants aimed at the pellet-shaped ice cream has created a hilarious uproar. In response, Dippin Dots has called for a truce and is extending an olive branch: Weve seen your tweets and would like to be friends rather than foes. After all, we believe in connecting the dots, read the letter, signed by Dippin Dots chief executive Scott Fischer.

Sierra Nevada Beer Recalls Bottles in 36 States for Broken Glass Defect

Sierra Nevada issued a voluntary recall of more than one in 10,000 products purchased in 36 Midwestern, Southern, and East Coast states and the District of Columbia, due to a safety defect.

Cheesecake M&Ms Are Here in Time for Valentines Day

The latest limited-edition, romantically themed M&Ms flavor is White Cheesecake. The bag of pink, white, and yellow M&Ms comes with three separate flavors, cheesecake, white chocolate, and graham cracker crust, which when consumed together tastes  we assume  like white chocolate cheesecake. Only Walmart is selling them from now until Valentines Day, so get them while you can.
Dallas school officials Thursday suspended an art teacher who staged a mock assassination of President Donald Trump and posted a video of it on social media.

Payal Modi was placed on administrative leave for posting the video showing her firing a squirt gun at an image of the president and yelling, Die! At the time, the inauguration was being broadcast on her classroom whiteboard.

The 9-second video was posted to a personal Instagram account, the Dallas Morning News reported, with the accompanying message: Watching the #inauguration in my classroom like#no #stop #denial #squirtgun #hypocrisy #powerless #saveusall #teachthembetter #atleastitsfriday, Fox News reported.

It was unclear whether any of her students were in the classroom when the video was made although voices can be heard in the background.

Modi is an art teacher at Adamson High School. The Instagram account has been made private since, but the video is available on YouTube and Twitter as well as on various conservative websites.

"Today, we were made aware of a social media posting being circulated involving a teacher at W.H. Adamson High School. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave and the district has opened an investigation. This is a personnel matter and, as such, we cannot comment," a statement issued by the school district said.

Fox News reported the Secret Service office in Irving, Texas, has been made aware of the video but declined comment.

This isnt the first mock Trump assassination to be staged in Texas. Two San Antonio high school students and their teacher were reprimanded over a skit performed shortly after the November election titled, The Assassination of Donald Trump. It featured one of the students making a gunfire sound with his cellphone and the other falling to the ground, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The skit was part of a class assignment but the students reportedly changed theirs after it had been approved.

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A Kentucky woman tweeted earlier this month allegedly soliciting Trumps assassination.

The Secret Service office in Louisville said it was investigating Heather Lowrey, 26, for the tweet, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. Her Twitter and Facebook accounts have since been deleted, and her employers posted statements saying she had been fired.

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Rescuers retrieved the bodies Friday of another four Indian soldiers buried beneath tonnes of snow in Kashmir, taking the death toll from a series of avalanches to 20, the military said.

The disaster struck an army post and a patrol along the de facto border that divides the disputed territory with Pakistan on Wednesday.

All eleven members of the patrol, that was approaching a border post along the Line of Control (LoC), were killed.

"Four more bodies were recovered today (Friday). No one else is missing," army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told AFP.

Another separate torrent of snow in the same remote Gurez area buried three other troops at an army post.

The bodies of 10 soldiers were pulled from the snow Thursday.

Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers are killed by avalanches almost every winter along the LoC.

Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit).

Four members of a single family died Wednesday in the same area when the house they were sleeping in was hit by an avalanche. A lone survivor was rescued.

One soldier was also killed in northern Sonmarg area of the territory when a camp was hit by an avalanche.

Authorities have issued avalanche warnings, advising residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.

On Thursday a 60-year-old man died when he came under mounds of snow as he stepped out of his home on a hilly slope in northwest Uri near the LoC, a police officer said.

Police last week evacuated 80 villagers from Waltengoo Nar -- where dozens were killed after a series of avalanches hit the area in 2005 -- in the south of the territory.
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - The death toll in avalanches in the heavily militarized Himalayan region of Kashmir has risen to 19 after the bodies of four more Indian soldiers were recovered on Friday, army and police officials said. Kashmir has seen heavy snow this week and authorities have warned of the "high danger" of avalanches over the next two days. Power and communication lines have also been cut in some areas. The army recovered the bodies of the four soldiers who had been patrolling near the Line of Control that divides the territory when the snowslide struck on Wednesday, bringing the military toll to 15, said spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia. Four civilians who were also killed included two children from a family whose house was hit by a separate avalanche on Wednesday. More avalanches hit the region on Thursday, although there were no reports of further casualties. In 2012, a massive avalanche in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers. Kashmir, divided between the India and Pakistan, has long been a source of tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours. (Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Paul Tait)
Its a digital world out there. And Denmarks decided to get with the times. On Friday, Denmark unveiled plans to put in place a digital ambassador to liaise with some of the worlds top tech companies, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Its the first position of its kind anywhere in the world.

Big companies affect Denmark just as much as entire countries, Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said in an interview with Danish newspaper Politiken. These companies have become a type of new nations and we need to confront that, he added.

He isnt wrong. The worlds top companies are gaining more dollars, reach, and international influence than many countries. (Though Denmark is not the first to admit businessmen can be akin to ambassadors  Foreign Policy gave its Diplomat of the Year award to Googles Eric Schmidt in 2016).

The new ambassadorship, which hasnt been filled yet, will open a new Danish diplomatic line to the United States beyond Washington (which may be useful in itself, given the prospects of strained U.S.-European relations under President Donald Trump).

Its also a way to lobby digital businesses to invest in Denmark. In this, Denmarks already had some success; both Facebook and Apple announced plans to build massive data centers in Denmark, creating some nice new jobs and cash for the country.

But Denmark wont be closing up shop on its traditional embassies any time soon, Samuelsen said. We will of course maintain our old way of thinking in which we foster our relationships with other countries. But we simply need to have closer ties to some of the companies that affect us, he said. After all, its still a Westphalian world out there; Google and Apple can buy a lot of things, but not national sovereignty. Yet.

Photo credit: THOMAS LEKFELDT/AFP/Getty Images
DESTNE, Czech Republic (Reuters) - With a police patrol and handlers fueled by hot rum tea, around 80 dog sled teams from across Europe are racing through the Czech Republic's Orlicke mountains in the annual Sedivackuv Long race. The four-day trek over a 239 km (148 miles) stretch near the Polish border, now in its 21st year, will conclude on Saturday, with more than 600 dogs taking part. Handlers, known as mushers, have been buoyed by heavy snow fall in the region. "Finally after six bad years it is splendid. Lots of snow, well prepared tracks, real frosty winter weather, marvelous," Czech musher Roman Habasko said. The event is named after a Siberian Huskey called Sedivak, who was shot by a local resident after running off before the start of the first ever race. Police have been deployed along the route to ensure safety for dogs and participants, with helpers handing out hot drinks to mushers as temperatures fall below minus four degrees Celsius (24F). (Writing by Patrick Johnston in LONDON; Editing by Susan Fenton)
OSWIECIM, Poland (Reuters) - Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and some of the last survivors of Auschwitz paid homage to the victims of the Holocaust on Friday, 72 years after the Nazi death camp was liberated in the final throes of World War Two. At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe, Szydlo told dozens of people gathered in the camp that the suffering of the victims was a "wound that ... can never be healed and should never be forgotten". "No one can understand this suffering," Szydlo said. "I want a message to go out again from this place today that what happened in this German camp was evil ... An evil that can be overcome with good. Memory and truth are our responsibility, they are our weapons against evil." Nazi German occupation forces set up the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Oswiecim, around 70 km (45 miles) from Poland's second city, Krakow. Between 1940 and 1945, Auschwitz developed into a vast complex of barracks, workshops, gas chambers and crematoria. More than a million people, mainly European Jews, were gassed, shot or hanged at the camp, or died of neglect, starvation or disease, before the Soviet Red Army entered its gates in early 1945 during its decisive advance on Berlin. Szydlo's conservative government worries that the world will forget that Auschwitz was a German camp, and has launched a campaign against any mention of "Polish death camps" in international media. Of the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust, about half had been living in Poland. (Reporting by Janusz Chmielewski; Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Lidia Kelly and Kevin Liffey)
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday pleaded with the country's Muslim separatist groups to deny sanctuary to militants with links to Islamic State, warning a war would ensue that would put civilians in danger. His appeal comes a day after his defense minister said foreign intelligence reports showed a leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group was getting instructions from Islamic State to expand in the Philippines, in the strongest sign yet of links to the Middle Eastern militants. Duterte said he could no longer contain the extremist "contamination" and urged two Muslim separatist rebels groups - the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front - to rebuff Islamic State's advances. "I am earnestly asking, I am pleading to the MNLF and the MILF, do not provide sanctuary to the terrorists in your areas," he told troops at a military camp in Mindanao, his home region. "Because if that happens, then we will be forced to go after them within your territory, and that could mean trouble for all of us. I don't want that to happen. "The government is going after them, they have done wrong, they killed a lot of innocent people." The south of the predominately Christian Philippines has for decades been a hotbed of Muslim insurgency but Duterte is worried some smaller groups and splinter factions that have pledged allegiance to Islamic State could host IS fighters being driven out of Iraq and Syria. They include the Maute group in Lanao del Sur province and the Abu Sayyaf in the Sulu Archipelago near Malaysia. Abu Sayyaf, which means "bearer of the sword", is notorious for piracy and kidnapping and for beheading foreign hostages for whom ransoms are not paid. It has used the Islamic State flag in hostage videos posted online. (Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel)
There has been much ink spilled on the lack of empathy in politics and policy today  lack of empathy for U.S. President Donald Trumps voters, for people of color, for people in other countries, and in Trumps own heart and mind.

And so, amidst talk of walls and tariffs and the media as the opposition and ahead of the first presidential phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, we suggest an empathetic antidote in the form of the writings of the grandson of a Russian peasant, a doctor turned author  Anton Chekhov, whose 157th birthday is this Sunday.

On the one hand, Chekhov might not be the first name to read on foreign policy. Theres not a lot of writing about foreign lands in a literal sense, Cathy Popkin, a Chekhov scholar at Columbia University, admitted to Foreign Policy. But sometimes characters might as well be foreigners to each other. And sometimes theres a groundswell of hope.

And so, without further ado, some stories by Chekhov that you, whatever your position, can check out for a lesson on empathy, or what happens when its sadly lacking.

Rothschilds Fiddle, the story of a man who learns, if only for a moment, not to be an anti-Semite.

Ward 6, the story of a doctor who visits with inmates and learns that it is very easy to say things like, There is no real difference between a warm, snug study and this ward  A mans peace and contentment do not lie outside a man, but in himself only when you yourself are not in the ward.

Anyuta, the story of a medical student who treats a woman like no more than an instructive prop.

A Nervous Breakdown the story of a law student who is overcome by the scale of human suffering after meeting prostitutes.

Enemies, the story of a doctor who is taken to make a strange house call on the night his son dies, and who is consumed by irritation at his client long after he is done mourning his son.

Finally, read The Lady With the Little Dog. Its not really about empathy at all (its about a love affair), but it ends with the lines, And it seemed as though in a little while the solution would be found, and then a new and splendid life would begin; and it was clear to both of them that they had still a long, long road before them, and that the most complicated and difficult part of it was only just beginning.

Because we all need a reminder that yes, life can be, and probably soon will be, much worse.

Photo credit: Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images
MILAN (Reuters) - The European Food Safety Authority will re-examine its warning on health risks stemming from palm and other vegetable oils, a spokeswoman at the European body said in light of a recent study expressing less concern than EFSA. Food producers across Europe are closely monitoring independent authorities' indications on health risks related to palm oil, a low-cost ingredient which is used in a wide range of products from biscuits to chocolate spreads. Last May the Italian-based EFSA said palm oil generated more of a potentially carcinogenic contaminant than other vegetable oils when refined at temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius. It did not, however, recommend consumers stop eating it. In Italy the warning triggered a consumer backlash against foods containing the oil, pushing the country's largest supermarket chain Coop to boycott it. Barilla, Italy's largest producer of baked goods, eliminated palm oil after EFSA's opinion, but Nutella maker Ferrero mounted an advertising campaign to defend its use. EFSA scientists will take into account a report the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published in November. In the study, the WHO and FAO flagged the same potential risk regarding contaminants produced when refining vegetable oils, but were less concerned about consumers' exposure to some of these substances. (Reporting by Francesca Landini, editing by David Evans)
Valletta (AFP) - EU countries must do more to stop the trafficking of unaccompanied migrant children, some of whom are suffering sexual abuse, the bloc's migration commissioner warned Friday.

EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos urged politicians in the 28 member states to go against a rising tide of populism on the continent and speak out on the subject of young migrants.

"Many children are in the hands of smugglers, traffickers," Avramopoulos told a conference in Malta after EU interior ministers met to discuss the migration crisis. "Many are sexually abused."

"If we don't bring public opinion on board, we will not succeed because these children are on the streets of our cities," he added.

Avramopoulos, whose native Greece has been hardest hit by the wave of refugees and migrants fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere, said that EU countries "must take up their responsibilities."

"Some politicians are good in rhetoric but not in doing things," he told the conference, organised by the Brussels-based NGO Missing Children Europe.

EU data shows that around 90,000 unaccompanied children entered Europe in 2015 among a record number of asylum seekers.

The European police agency Europol caused a stir a year ago when it announced that some 10,000 migrant children had gone missing, raising alarm that many of them could have fallen into the hands of traffickers for labour, sexual or criminal exploitation.

Heidi de Pauw of Missing Children Europe told the conference that politicians had to "lead" efforts to change views about migrants at a time when right-wing anti-immigration parties are on the rise.

"We have to admit public opinion is not in favour of migration," de Pauw said.
The EU slapped definitive anti-dumping duties on steel products from China and Taiwan on Friday, as it broadens its campaign to protect struggling steel manufacturers in Europe.

The measure is part of an EU push against China, which makes more than half the world's steel, for allegedly flooding global markets in violation of international trade agreements.

It comes as protectionist US President Donald Trump promises to crack down on China's dominance of world trade, prompting a vigorous defense of globalisation by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week.

"The European Commission's investigation confirmed that Chinese and Taiwanese stainless steel tube and pipe butt-welding fittings had been sold in Europe at dumped prices," the EU's executive arm said in a statement.

The targeted products are used to join steel pipes and tubes, and are commonly used in industries such as food processing and shipbuilding as well as energy and construction.

The EU has had a series of trade disputes with China, its second-largest trading partner, but is also seeking to resolve the stand-off over steel with Beijing through the OECD, the Paris-based group of developed economies.

Brussels now has more than 100 trade defence measures in place, 39 of them targeting unfair imports of steel products of which 15 are Chinese.
Marseille (AFP) - Former France full-back Patrice Evra indicated Thursday he saw himself as the old cool head to stabilise Marseille after joining the club from Juventus.

"I am someone who looks after the wellbeing of the dressing room," said the 81-cap, 35-year-old former Manchester United star, who has been released from the last six months of his contract with Juve.

"That is my first objective," Evra told a press conference officially unveiling him.

With five Premier League crowns and a Champions League also won with United, Evra is now seeking to act as a steadying influence at the former European champions, currently sixth in Ligue 1 and 15 points off the top three.

"They know my personality. I have not come here to take somebody's place. It is a privilege for me to be here," Evra insisted.

He added that the Stade Velodrome was an impressive fortress of a stadium and that had France played there in the final of Euro 2016, they would have see off final conquerors Portugal.

Quizzed on a potential return to the national side he said: "The France team is not a priority -- but if the youngsters don't perform I shall be there."

Evra is due to make his debut at the Velodrome on Friday against Montpellier.
By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted trips by staff to interview refugees abroad as it prepares for a likely shakeup of refugee policy by President Donald Trump, two sources with knowledge of the decision said on Thursday. The decision effectively amounts to a pause in future refugee admissions, given that the interviews are a crucial step in an often years-long process. The DHS leadership's decision to halt the interview trips was communicated to those involved in the U.S. refugee admission process on Wednesday, one of the sources said. It means that though Trump has not yet ordered a temporary halt to the refugee program, future admissions are likely to be delayed. Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Thursday that Trump could sign several executive orders on Friday, but that the nature of those had not been decided yet. Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project at the New York-based Urban Justice Center, said she was informed of the decision to halt the overseas interviews by several people in and outside of government. Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security and which conducts the interviews, said the agency had delayed "a number of upcoming trips" but that they had not been "officially cancelled." DHS officers regularly visit countries such as Jordan, Malaysia, El Salvador, Kenya and Ethiopia to interview refugees seeking to enter the United States. It is usually one of the last steps in the refugee resettlement process. Heller said the decision to halt the overseas interviews would cause delays in refugee processing even if Trump decides to maintain the refugee program or re-start it after a temporary closure. "In the past, when we've frozen the refugee program to re-examine security issues, it's been really important to continue processing even if you can't admit people, because processing times in this program can be two to three years," Heller said. During the election campaign, Trump decried former President Barack Obama's decision to increase the number of Syrian refugees admitted to the United States over fears that those fleeing the country's civil war would carry out attacks. Obama approved allowing up to 110,000 refugees in the 2017 fiscal year, compared with 85,000 the prior year. Trump said during the election campaign that there was no proper system to vet refugees. In addition to the interviews, refugees hoping to be resettled in the United States undergo extensive security screening by multiple U.S. agencies as well as vetting by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Kieran Murray and Leslie Adler)
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)  A 7-month-old boy from Ohio is the new face of Gerber baby products.

Though he probably won't be saying much anytime soon, the spokesbaby named Riley has an "infectious laugh and big, gummy smile," according to his mom, Kristen Shines.

Gerber announced Thursday that Riley, who lives with his family in Lewis Center, beat out more than 110,000 other entries. He now has the chance to star in a future ad.

Riley's parents will receive $50,000 plus $1,500 in Gerber clothing. Shines says the money will help start a college fund for her son.

The annual Gerber baby photo search began seven years ago. It pays homage to Ann Turner Cook, whose face has been featured on Gerber's packaging since 1928. She recently celebrated her 90th birthday.

Gerber is based in Florham Park, New Jersey, and is a unit of Nestle SA, based in Vevey, Switzerland.
(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has found high amounts of a toxic substance in homeopathic teething tablets, warning of its potential risk to infants and children. According to laboratory analysis by the health regulator, the amounts of belladonna, a toxic substance, sometimes far exceeded the amount claimed on the label of these teething tablets. Homeopathic teething tablets are used to provide temporary relief of teething symptoms in children. Inconsistent levels of belladonna can cause seizures, excessive sleepiness, muscle weakness and skin flushing in children. The FDA asked Standard Homeopathic Co, the manufacturer of Hyland's teething products, to recall its homeopathic teething tablets from the market. The company did not agree to the recall, the FDA said. In November, Raritan Pharmaceuticals Inc recalled three belladonna-containing homeopathic products, two of which were marketed by CVS Health Corp. In 2010, Standard Homeopathic had voluntarily recalled Hyland's teething tablets from the market to address manufacturing issues. (http://bit.ly/2jnvJsO) (Reporting by Divya Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
This week, Republicans leaders reportedly engaged in a brief debate about killing the Senate filibuster in a closed-door retreat in Philadelphia. That discussion could intensify as the GOP moves to approve a Supreme Court nominee and new legislation in the Senate.

Politico said on Wednesday

two House Representatives, Trent Franks and Bruce Poliquin, pressed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senates reluctance to kill the filibuster entirely, after former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid killed much of it in 2013.

The Senates remaining filibuster rules require a cloture vote by 60 Senators to end debate on proposed Supreme Court nominations and legislation. Reids parliamentary move in 2013 killed the filibuster for federal judicial and executive-office nominees.

McConnell reportedly was non-committal at the meeting, but back in November, he told the press that Senate rules changes need to be taken seriously. Frequently new majorities think its going to be forever. Nothing is forever in this country, Reid said. Weve been given a temporary lease on power, if you will. And I think we need to use it responsibly.

But some political observers think that the upcoming Senate debate over President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee could force the issue. (The questions on the filibuster on Wednesday were related to legislation stalled in the Senate by cloture rules.)

Representative Poliquin spoke with Politico after the meeting and said if the filibuster remained in place, Senators who invoked it should be forced to take the Senate floor and keep it, in an old-style type of filibuster. Representative Jeff Duncan also said hed like to see a filibuster proponents take the floor like Strom Thurmond did and hold it for about 24 hours, said Politico.

The filibuster in its original form dates back to the 1830s and it allows a Senator (or a group of Senators) to delay a vote by taking the Senate floor and physically holding it as long as possible. The House got rid of its version of the filibuster in 1842. (The filibuster itself is not in the Constitution; it is a rule established by Congress under its Article I rule-making powers over its own sessions.)

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Talking filibusters are rare nowadays because the Senate changed its rules to allow for silent filibusters. This happens when a Senator tells his or her floor leader that they wish to filibuster a vote. At that point, at least 60 Senators have to agree to override the filibuster in a cloture vote.

A test for the filibuster could come with the Supreme Court nominee vote on the Senate floor, if Senate Republican leaders cant get eight votes from Democrats to reach the 60 votes required. Under the Constitution, the President nominates a Supreme Court candidate to the Senate for confirmation. Once the nomination is approved by and sent to the entire Senate for a floor vote, a simple majority is needed to confirm the nominee. However, 60 votes are needed under cloture rules for the nomination to make it to the floor.

President Donald Trump has told Fox News that he would encourage McConnell to eliminate the filibuster of Supreme Court nominees, if needed.

The significance of changing the filibuster rule could be far-reaching and politically volatile, but filibusters against Supreme Court nominees are rare. In 2006, a brief, failed effort was launched against Samuel Alitos nomination that included Senator Barack Obama. In 1968, a successful effort was made against Abe Fortass nomination to Chief Justice that may have been a filibuster.

The elimination of the legislative filibuster also could be in play if some of the Republicans proposed laws related to health care and taxes dont fall within the Senates reconciliation process, which only requires a simple majority vote.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.

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French prosecutors are investigating whether presidential candidate Francois Fillons British-born wife was paid 500,000 euros ($538,000) from parliamentary funds but never actually did any work.

Accusations of financial impropriety are nothing new in France. Both former President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppe were convicted of misusing public funds in the mid-1990s.

Fillon, a former right-wing prime minister who is seen as the front-runner in the presidential race, has rejected the accusations, saying they showed contempt and misogyny.

"I see the stink bomb season has started," Fillon said, referring to the election campaign. He faces far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen and a Socialist candidate who will be selected Sunday, either education Minister Benoit Hamon or former Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

"This affair will go 'pschitt,  Fillon attorney Bruno Retailleau said Thursday, using a word that describes the sound fireworks make when the fuse burns but the firework fails to ignite.

The satirical French weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported it found little evidence Penelope Fillon did any work as a parliamentary assistant from 1992 to 2002, first for Fillon and then for his successor in the National Assembly, or in a later job as a literary reviewer for a cultural journal, Reuters reported.

It is not illegal for members of the French Parliament to hire family members, but they are expected to earn their salaries.

Much of Le Pens campaign centers on removing the rotten political establishment ways of doing things, but the National Front also is under investigation for alleged improper financial conduct. Le Pen has been uncharacteristically reticent about the allegations.

Fillon spokesman Thierry Solere told Agence France-Presse Penelope Fillon worked as a spokeswoman for her husband, saying it is common for the spouses of MPs to work with them.

Just because she is my wife she should not be entitled to work? Could you imagine a politician saying, as this story did, that the only thing a woman can do is making jam? All the feminists would scream," Fillon said.

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The controversy spawned the hashtag #PenelopeGate.

Penelope Fillon told Londons Sunday Telegraph she spent her time at the couples 12th-century chateau near Le Mans in western France while her husband was in office.

"I'm just a country peasant, this [Paris] is not my natural habitat," she said.

The Paris newspaper Le Monde said the allegations could derail Fillons proposals to trim the French bureaucracy by 500,000 civil jobs. The newspaper said Fillons mission to make France perfect can only be accomplished if he himself is perfect.

"You can't be the candidate of honesty and transparency and not respond," Socialist Valls told France Inter radio.

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Friday it would sell a plug-in device to enable features like remote start, security alerts, a Wifi hotspot and vehicle location assistance on 2010-2016 model year Ford and Lincoln cars. The device would compete with similar products sold by other companies, including devices from AT&T and Verizon that add a Wifi hotspot to older model cars. The SmartLink technology in the Ford device allows models that do not come pre-equipped with a modem to be more connected, enabling doors to be locked and unlocked remotely and supplying engine management alerts, the company said in a statement. The after-market device, which plugs into the car's OBD II port below the steering wheel, would be sold at dealerships beginning this summer. Ford did not disclose a price. All U.S. cars built after 1996 model year are mandated by law to have an OBD II port, which has historically been used for onboard diagnostics. Carmakers worry third-party devices can interfere with their own embedded systems, introduce security bugs, and exploit data they say is their own, such as the car's health or miles driven. (Reporting By Alexandria Sage; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Even in the darkest times, there are heroesthough sometimes they may be the people we least expect.

Thats the message a global nonprofit group hopes to spread Friday on Holocaust Remembrance Day, when it displays a small exhibit in a New York synagogue highlighting the little-known stories of Muslims who risked their lives to rescue Jewish people from persecution during World War II. Though the two religious groups are often presented in opposition, this exhibit is a reminder that they have also shared an important history of cooperation and mutual assistance.

The tales include those of Khaled Abdul Wahab, who sheltered about two dozen Jews in Tunisia, and Abdol Hossein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat who is credited with helping thousands of Jews escape Nazi soldiers by issuing them passports.

The group also recognizes the Pilkus, a Muslim family in Albania who harbored young Johanna Neumann and her mother in their home during the German occupation and convinced others that the two were family members visiting from Germany. They put their lives on the line to save us, Neumann, now 86, told TIME on Friday. If it had come out that we were Jews, the whole family would have been killed.

What these people did, many European nations didnt do, she added. They all stuck together and were determined to save Jews.

The collection of 15 stories shows how people organically came to protect one another, even in extreme environments of war and conflict, organizers said. Those stories are very powerful together because they show a different side to humanity. It shows that we can have hope even at a time like the Holocaust, said Mehnaz Afridi, a Manhattan College professor who specializes in Islam and the Holocaust.

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Though the narratives are being exhibited on a day observed by remembering the past, they are also vital to remember in todays world, given the rise of hatred, said Dani Laurence Andrea Varadi, co-director of I Am Your Protector, the organization behind the exhibit.

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The New York City-based group encourages societies and people to stand up to injustices, and Varadi points as an example to the climate faced by many Muslims around the world and in the U.S. as an example of what can happen when a group of people are seen as a monolith rather than as individuals. Hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S. soared 67% in 2015 from 154 in 2014 to 257, the latest figures from the FBI show. During his campaign, President Donald Trump pledged to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country. Just this week, Trumps administration announced new immigration plans, and the White House is expected to order that the U.S. temporarily stop issuing visas to people from several majority-Muslim countries.

It makes people think its legitimate to hate, Varadi said. It is natural and normal to be scared and to think that we have to resist or fight, but we can also have a mechanism where we can catch ourselves and say, OK, there are some people who might be problematic, and we can look at them one on one.

She added that the historic tales of courage show the impact that can be made when people protect targets of hate in climates of rising fear, suspicion and hatred. Varadi hoped the stories inspire others to follow suit.

We can speak up, stand up for the other when we witness something, raise our voices in a peaceful, nonviolent way, she said. Whenever people think, Theres nothing I can do. I cannot make a difference, this is the most dangerous thing to think because it is not true.

The exhibit debuted in the headquarters of United Nations in Geneva a few weeks ago. I Am Your Protector will revive the display for a one-day commemoration event Friday at New York Citys Temple Emanu-El. However, organizers hope the stories have a lasting effect.

I think history shows that people stand up for each otherand those were the ones who created change. And if theres enough people who do that, then the whole reality changes, Varadi said. When communities come together with that mindset, whether its small or big, it becomes a huge force that can basically change the course of history.
By David DeKok

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - A former long-time mayor of Pennsylvania's capital was sentenced to two years of probation on Friday after pleading guilty on charges related to the theft of artifacts purchased with public funds for a museum that was never built in the city.

Stephen Reed, a collector of American West memorabilia who served as the mayor of Harrisburg for 28 years, was given no jail time in a case that initially included nearly 500 charges.

He pleaded guilty earlier this week to 20 counts of receiving stolen historical items that had been intended for a Museum of the American West that he championed as a tourist draw for his financially strapped city. In his defense, Reed said he mistakenly took home some artifacts that did not belong to him.

In handing down the sentence in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, Judge Kevin Hess praised the 67-year-old Reed for his long service to the city.

Hess said he was imposing no jail time because Reed had taken full responsibility for his actions, and said it was far from certain Reed would have been convicted if he went to trial.

Reed revitalized the city of Harrisburg in ways that are obvious to anyone who looks out of this courthouse, Hess said.

After the sentencing, Reed said he was relieved the ordeal was over. I will focus on a significant health challenge I face, said Reed, who is being treated for prostate cancer.

The judge previously threw out many of the most serious charges, including siphoning money from city and school district bond issues, because of the statue of limitations.

Reed may apply to end the probation as soon as he pays a $2,000 fine and the costs of prosecution.

Prosecutor Rebecca Franz said justice was achieved by the verdict.

But Harrisburg's current mayor, Eric Papenfuse decried the sentence, attributing many of the citys financial problems to Reed. Harrisburg in 2011 filed for bankruptcy, but was put into receivership after the case was thrown out.

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After the hearing, Papenfuse said his predecessor should have received two to five years in prison because of damage he did to the city in the museum case and other matters, including a failed incinerator retrofit project.

Reed claims more than 1,800 artifacts seized from his home during the investigation rightfully belong to him, and he has asked the court to return them.

A hearing on his motion is scheduled in March.

(Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler)
Paris (AFP) - Benoit Hamon, the surprise frontrunner in the French Socialists' presidential nominating contest, is on a mission to reclaim the party's leftist roots.

Hamon, 49, whose signature proposal is the introduction of a universal basic income, is ahead of reformist ex-prime minister Manuel Valls as Sunday's leftwing primary showdown looms.

Neither man is considered to have a real shot at the ultimate prize, which will be determined in a two-round election due in April and May.

Instead, their duel has been cast as a fight for the future of the deeply split Socialist party, with Hamon embodying its traditionalist left flank.

"A vote for Benoit Hamon will be a vote of conviction," political scientist Philippe Braud told AFP.

"You want to go down with the sinking ship rather than lower the flag."

Polls show the Socialist candidate failing to get past the first round of the presidential poll, with the run-off seen as a battle between the front-running rightwing Republicans party candidate Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Hamon's key proposal is of a universal basic income, a state handout to all adults irrespective of income.

It would entail a costly and radical reform of state spending -- some 300 billion euros ($321 billion) a year, by Hamon's own estimates.

Even Hamon's ally on the Socialists' left flank, protectionist former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg, has questioned its cost. The usually left-leaning satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo knocked the plan in this week's cover cartoon, titled "The layabouts have their candidate".

The former education minister argues that growing automation is squeezing jobs, making it critical to find ways of supplementing or replacing wages.

Valls, 54, has dismissed Hamon as a "dreamer" sorely lacking in the credibility that the older man enjoys thanks to his experience at the helm of government.

"What I propose is not peddling dreams, it's not peddling anything," he said in a final debate with Valls on Wednesday. "I'm proposing justice."

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Hamon, an admirer of US Senator Bernie Sanders, tweeted after meeting the losing Democratic presidential candidate last year that he "succeeded in bringing social issues back to the centre" of US politics, adding: "Now it's our turn."

Like Sanders defending his idea of free tuition at public universities, Hamon defends his proposals as investments in the future.

"People always take a strict accountant's view," he has said. "Let's not look just at what it costs but at what it delivers. Otherwise, there's no point in investing."

He also wants to tax robots to raise income, legalise cannabis, introduce stricter rules on chemical products, and introduce a new corps of state inspectors to combat discrimination.

Hamon, who resigned as education minister in 2014 in protest at what he saw as the deeply unpopular Socialist government's rightward drift, had kept a low profile for two years before throwing his hat in the ring.

- Student leader -

Hailing from western Brittany, the blue-eyed, fast-talking Hamon is the son of a secretary mother and a dockworker father who moved the family to Senegal for several years while Hamon was a child.

The father of two children with his partner Gabrielle Guallar, Hamon is a history graduate.

In 1986, aged 18, he joined massive student protests against proposed reforms that would have raised tuition fees, allowed universities to admit students selectively and abolished state diplomas, which give graduates equal qualifications regardless of where they study.

Jacques Chirac, the then rightwing president, had to withdraw the proposal in the face of the protests in which one person was killed and some 200 injured.

Hamon's role in the student movement led to his becoming president of the Movement of Young Socialists from 1993 to 1995.

He went on to work in the cabinet of Martine Aubry, the left-leaning social affairs minister from 1997 to 2000, becoming her spokesman when she was named first secretary of the Socialist Party in 2008.
Paris (AFP) - French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon was counting the cost Friday of claims his wife had a fake job in a scandal overshadowing this weekend's vote to pick a leftwing candidate.

Fillon said in a TV interview Thursday that he was "disgusted" at allegations that Welsh-born Penelope Fillon did nothing to earn half a million euros ($534,000) paid from public funds over more than a decade.

He said his wife had "always worked for me" during his four-decade political career and listed tasks she had carried out, including "editing my speeches" and representing him at events.

France's national financial prosecutor has opened a preliminary inquiry into the claims that she was paid from an allowance available to her husband as a member of parliament.

A new opinion poll Friday showed that the popularity of Fillon, a former prime minister who is widely seen as the frontrunner in the presidential contest, had taken a hit over the allegations.

Thirty-eight percent of voters across the political spectrum have a "good opinion" of him in the wake of the claims about his wife's jobs, a drop of four points from a poll on January 8, and 16 points less than in early November, the Odoxa poll of 1,012 people showed.

Le Canard Enchaine, the newspaper that made the claims, also alleged that in 2012 and 2013, Penelope Fillon had a second paid job at a literary periodical, La Revue des Deux Mondes, which is owned by a billionaire friend of Fillon, Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere.

- Juppe not standing in -

The former publisher of La Revue des Deux Mondes, Michel Crepu, said this week that while Fillon's wife had contributed comments to several articles, "I do not have the slightest indication of what could be described as a job as a literary consultant."

Crepu was questioned Friday by investigators probing the case.

If Fillon does drop out of the race, the man he beat to the rightwing nomination last year, veteran centrist Alain Juppe, on Friday "clearly and definitively" ruled out any suggestions he could step in.

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In a race being watched closely after Britain's vote to leave the EU and Donald Trump's victory in the United States, Fillon is currently forecast to reach the presidential runoff in May, with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen his most likely opponent.

But centrist Emmanuel Macron is increasingly in contention, having attracted packed crowds to campaign events.

On Sunday, former premier Manuel Valls and leftwing radical Benoit Hamon will fight it out for the nomination of the governing Socialist party.

The leftwing primary has become a battle of two factions within the Socialist party, with Valls's reformist agenda clashing with Hamon's attempts to claw back the party's "true" ideals.

Whoever wins, he will face an uphill task, with polls showing the Socialist candidate will be eliminated in the first round as the party pays the price for five years of economic stagnation under deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande.

Hamon has made headlines with a proposal to adopt a universal basic income -- a state handout of around 750 euros a month, paid to everyone.

He would pay for it partly by taxing the wealth created by robots, and abandon a labour law introduced last year that made it easier to hire and fire employees.

Valls has argued that the basic income plan would "ruin" France and that a Hamon victory would spell "certain defeat" in the presidential race.

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By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France's foreign minister travels to Iran on Monday, seeking to reaffirm Europe's commitment to the nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to annul. The deal struck in 2015 with three European countries, Russia, China and the United States gave Iran relief from a range of sanctions, allowing it to strike major business deals with Europe for the first time in years. After taking one of the hardest lines in the negotiations, France has been quick to restore trade ties. Planemaker Airbus, oil major Total and automobile manufacturers Peugeot and Renault have all signed deals. Some 50 French firms will take part in a Franco-Iranian economic forum on Tuesday at which more will be signed. "Jean-Marc Ayrault is going to underline the importance that all sides which backed the deal strictly respect their commitments," Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal told a daily briefing. Trump has called the deal, which imposes limits on Iran's nuclear activities, "the worst deal ever negotiated" threatening to annul it or seek a better agreement. Despite their often fraught ties, the EU says it is in full agreement with China and Russia over the need to keep the nuclear deal alive. "That the Iranians have been destabilized by Trump's election and statements is certain and I think they must be worried," a French diplomatic source said. "But developing commercial ties strengthens the moderates in Iran. We want to reinforce them to show the population that the deal is good for them because the radicals won't be able to say that they have got nothing from it." Despite the sanction relief, including on banking restrictions, Iran continues to struggle to access Western finance, partly due to banks fears about penalties related to remaining U.S. sanctions. France's relationship with Shi'ite Muslim Iran is complicated by its political and commercial ties with Sunni Gulf Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia, Tehran's main regional rival. Ayrault was in Riyadh on Jan. 24 partly to discuss the trip to Tehran with an eye on Iran's role in the region, especially in Syria where Paris and Riyadh back opponents to Iranian ally President Bashar al-Assad. "We don't agree on Syria and will remind them that France and the European Union are directly concerned by the Syria crisis and among the first to suffer its consequences. So we must have a role in helping find a solution," the source said. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Paris (AFP) - What role will work play in our future lives populated with robots and driverless vehicles? As France prepares to elect a new president, it is wrangling with bigger issues than simple election manifestos.

The catalyst for the soul-searching has been a proposal from leading Socialist party candidate Benoit Hamon to adopt a universal basic income -- a state handout of around 750 euros ($805) a month, made to everyone.

"I expect that the digital revolution is going to make work increasingly rare... and we need to prepare for that," Hamon says, underlining how advances in the welfare system have been criticised in the past.

That the idea has taken hold in France, which has a minimum working week of 35 hours and a strong attachment to enjoying the pleasures of life, will likely not surprise cynics.

French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo devoted its front page to the issue, writing "The work-shy have their candidate" alongside a cartoon depicting a man begging for money to vote for Hamon.

Yet basic income is gaining traction in other Western democracies too. Finland this month began a two-year experiment paying 2,000 unemployed workers a monthly stipend.

Hamon's embrace, if he becomes the Socialist nominee this weekend, would provide another boost for a radical idea that has some high-profile business and economist supporters, as well as many critics.

It also points to what could develop into a fracture between politicians in the rich world.

The overwhelming majority continue to see a government's main role as helping to create and provide employment, viewing it not just as economically vital but of obvious social benefits.

Work and the workplace has served for centuries as a space for personal fulfilment and learning, socialising and the integration of outsiders such as immigrants.

Donald Trump's successful campaign for the US presidency had one constant message: a pledge to blue-collar workers to bring back factory jobs to their communities.

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"I'm for a society of work," ex-French prime minister Manuel Valls said in a debate Wednesday with Hamon, whom he hopes to defeat to clinch the Socialist nomination this weekend.

The message of universal income is one of "discouragement, of abdication," he said, adding that some jobs would be destroyed, but others would emerge.

- A life of leisure? -

But Hamon and others are convinced that robotisation and automation will make human toil seem old-fashioned, offering us greater leisure time.

The 49-year-old also wants to encourage people to work fewer hours, below the 35-hour minimum week introduced by a Socialist government in 1998 with the logic of sharing around increasingly scarce jobs.

The short work week -- in reality most French workers work more than 35 hours -- is still contested by French employers for making France uncompetitive in the global workplace.

"The project that I propose is a long-term project," explains Hamon, who is tipped by polls to triumph against Valls.

Hamon's prospects in the presidential election in April and May are viewed as dim by pollsters, however, but many analysts caution against making forecasts in a highly unpredictable race.

In his long-term vision, Hamon can count on the support of American business luminary Elon Musk, the head of electric vehicle group Tesla, and renowned left-leaning French economist Thomas Piketty.

Musk admitted last November that "there's a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income due to automation. I'm not sure what else we can do".

- Fertile ground -

Prominent French sociologist Dominique Meda also backs the discussion about the role of work in comments that hint at why France could be fertile ground for the idea.

"What's interesting in Hamon is that he's finally posing the difficult questions: what do we do if economic growth doesn't come back? Can we have jobs and good jobs with less growth?" she said.

The country is widely pessimistic about its economic prospects and has long grown accustomed to stubborn unemployment of around 10 percent, with youth unemployment more than double that.

Germany -- a global centre of highly automated manufacturing -- has an unemployment level of around 6.0 percent. In Britain, it is around 5.0 percent.

Economists point to other difficult questions: what is the impact on people's work ethic if they can count on basic income? Aren't vibrant economies made up of economic strivers?

And how do you create the wealth in the first place before distributing it to everyone?

The French Economic Observatory, an independent research unit at Sciences Po university in Paris, estimated that universal basic income would cost 480 billion euros annually.

A poll published Monday showed that Hamon has work to do to sell the idea to a sceptical public.

Of 1,000 French workers aged over 18 surveyed, only 38 percent were in favour of the proposal, according to the survey by the Harris group and published by the LCP channel.
Berlin (AFP) - German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was appointed foreign minister on Friday, days after he bowed out of this year's election battle against Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Social Democrat on Tuesday said his low popularity ratings had led him to make way for his party colleague Martin Schulz, the former European Parliament president, as the top candidate in the race for the chancellery.

Gabriel, 57, now replaces as Germany's top diplomat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is set to take over the largely ceremonial post of federal president in mid-February.

Outgoing President Joachim Gauck formalised Gabriel's resignation as economy minister, a portfolio he hands over to Brigitte Zypries.

Gabriel's centre-left Social Democrats are the junior coalition partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU block.

If the general election results in another left-right 'grand coalition' led by Merkel's party, Gabriel would be expected to stay on as foreign minister.

On his first trip as foreign minister, Gabriel will head to Paris on Saturday to meet his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault.

"The partnership, close friendship and trust between Paris and Berlin is very important to Foreign Minister Gabriel too and that's why he is travelling to France right away," a ministry spokesman told reporters.

Gabriel hopes to visit the United States soon after the Senate confirmation and appointment of nominated Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the spokesman added.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's incoming foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, will hold talks with President Donald Trump's administration in the United States next week, Handelsblatt newspaper said on Friday, after a cool start to relations between Berlin and the new U.S. leader. Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, enjoyed a close relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. When Trump won the White House race in November, Merkel pointedly offered to work closely with him on the basis of values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law. Gabriel, a Social Democrat and a frequent critic of Trump, will meet with Vice President Mike Pence and Trump's designated secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, Handelsblatt reported, citing government sources. Gabriel left his job as economics minister and replaced Frank-Walter Steinmeier as foreign minister in a ceremony on Friday. A source told Reuters Merkel was likely to speak with Trump on Saturday, with the conversation likely to center on Russia. It was unclear if Trump would discuss a possible lifting of the U.S. sanctions that were imposed on Russia in the wake of its intervention in Ukraine. Gabriel and his Social Democrats historically favor more dialogue with Moscow and have been more open to the idea of gradually reducing sanctions than Merkel and her conservative Christian Democrats. Gabriel will begin his new post with a short trip to France on Saturday, officials said. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Richard Lough)
BERLIN (AP)  German prosecutors say they've charged a 21-year-old Afghan man with membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to murder on allegations he helped the Taliban carry out executions in his home country.

Prosecutors' spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said in a statement Friday that Kahn A., whose last name wasn't given in line with German privacy laws, is accused of joining the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2014.

She says he was armed with an assault rifle, and assigned as a bodyguard to a regional leader. In that capacity, Koehler says, he was present "in countless cases" when Taliban enemies were apprehended and executed.

The statement did not say when Kahn A. entered Germany, or why, and Koehler did not immediately return calls for comment.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German prosecutors said Friday they were investigating Volkswagen's former chief executive Martin Winterkorn on suspicion of fraud over the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal, dealing a blow to the auto giant's attempts to move on from the crisis.

Investigators say they have "sufficient indications" that Winterkorn may have known earlier than he has so far admitted about the cheating, adding his and 15 other names to a growing list of people facing probes for fraud and false advertising.

Winterkorn is already under investigation for suspected market manipulation related to the scandal.

The new evidence comes from the "questioning of witnesses and suspects and the examination of confiscated computer files," the prosecutor's office in the north German city of Brunswick said in a statement.

With the 16 names added Friday, there are now a total of 37 people under investigation.

Prosecutors added that they had this week searched 28 homes and offices linked to the new names on the list.

Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to installing so-called "defeat devices" in 11 million vehicles worldwide, after their existence was revealed by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The software caused engines to reduce emissions of harmful nitrogen oxide when they were undergoing regulators' tests.

Winterkorn -- known inside VW as "Mr Quality" for his perfectionism -- stepped down the same month, but has always denied any knowledge of the cheating before it became public.

US investigators and German media have alleged that VW executives knew of the scandal as far back as July 2015, but decided to say nothing.

"That is not the case," Winterkorn told German lawmakers at a parliamentary hearing into the dieselgate affair earlier this month.

- 'Very expensive' -

VW agreed this month to plead guilty to fraud and pay fines amounting to $4.3 billion (4.0 billion euros) in the United States to close its emissions cases with the Department of Justice.

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The payment, which will allow VW to avoid a trial, comes on top of $17.5 billion in fines and compensation already agreed to cover the costs of the scandal in the US.

But if it is proved that Winterkorn knew about the cheating earlier and colluded in covering it up, VW's legal bills could skyrocket, according to auto industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer of Germany's CAR institute.

"Winterkorn would become very expensive for VW," he told AFP.

In Germany alone, investors have filed claims seeking some 8.2 billion euros in damages, saying the carmaker failed to inform them quickly enough about the cheating scandal before its shares plunged in September 2015.

Along with Winterkorn, investigators are looking into former finance director Hans Dieter Poetsch -- now supervisory board chairman -- and VW brand chief Herbert Diess on suspicion of holding back information from investors.

Much of the scandal relates to "the old system at VW" under Winterkorn, Dudenhoeffer said. Under chief executive Matthias Mueller, installed after Winterkorn's departure, "the new VW we're seeing looks different", he added.

As part of its efforts to turn the page on the crisis, the firm has announced a massive restructuring, with plans to shed 30,000 jobs and invest in a slew of new electric models in coming years.

But in a sign that "dieselgate" continues to make waves at the carmaker, compliance chief Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, a former judge, stepped down this week -- just a year after she was brought to help clean up VW's image.

VW said it would nevertheless "press forward with changes to its way of thinking and working" in the wake of her departure.

Hohmann-Dennhardt's leaving was "a bad sign" that "the cultural change is a battle that's continuing," Dudenhoeffer said. "She stood for the new direction at VW."

Volkswagen shares fell by 0.79 percent to 151.30 euros in afternoon trading in Frankfurt, underperforming the DAX index of leading German firms which was down 0.19 percent.
Berlin (AFP) - A German right-wing populist politician was barred Friday from a Holocaust memorial event after he sparked outrage by arguing his country should focus less on its guilt over the Nazi past.

Bjoern Hoecke of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) had labelled Berlin's central Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame in the heart of the capital".

Hoecke, AfD chairman in Thuringia state, also called in his January 17 speech for "a 180-degree shift in the politics of remembrance", arguing Germany should focus less on its shame over World War II and the Holocaust.

When Hoecke showed up Friday at the Thuringia state assembly, the speaker barred him from attending a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day and honouring those killed at the Buchenwald concentration camp.

The speaker of the regional parliament, Christian Carius, said he had told Hoecke that "his presence would be seen as a provocation" and barred him from the chamber, reported news agency DPA.

Another row was brewing after Hoecke said Thursday he planned to attend a Holocaust memorial event at the Buchenwald memorial site, despite a request by organisers there that he stay away.

"After this speech... Mr Hoecke's participation in the wreath laying in the former Buchenwald concentration camp is not acceptable," wrote Rikola-Gunnar Luettgenau, the deputy head of the foundation which manages the memorial site.

Hoecke immediately replied in a letter that was quoted by German media as saying: "It is simply not up to you to decide who can participate... in this official commemoration and who cannot," adding that he was "obviously" sticking to his plan to attend the event later on Friday.

French Holocaust survivor Bertrand Herz, 86, spoke out against any "attempts to trivialise the commemoration" of the victims.

"The survivors of Nazi barbarism and the relatives of those murdered cannot allow the importance of the Holocaust to be relativised and the memory of the victims to be degraded," wrote Herz.

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The remarks by Hoecke, a former history teacher who is considered to be on the right-wing fringe of the party, caused debate within the AfD but it ultimately decided against expelling him.

The AfD, which started as a eurosceptic party in 2013, has since shifted to mainly railing against multiculturalism, Islam and the over one million asylum seekers who arrived since 2015 under Chancellor Angela Merkel, its declared enemy.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the January 27, 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, to honour the memory of the six million European Jews and the millions of other victims of the Nazi genocide.
Berlin (AFP) - German Holocaust remembrance events were marred Friday by an ugly spat with a rightwing populist politician who has argued that the country should focus less on its World War II guilt.

A state parliament and the memorial foundation at the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp both barred Bjoern Hoecke of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from attending their commemoration ceremonies.

Hoecke, a former history teacher from the AfD's rightwing fringe, had sparked outrage by labelling Berlin's central Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame in the heart of the capital" in a January 17 speech.

The AfD chairman of Thuringia state, where Buchenwald is located, also called for "a 180-degree shift in the politics of remembrance", arguing Germany was too caught up by its shame over the war and Holocaust.

Modern Germany is seen to have confronted its dark past openly and has long shied away from strong displays of patriotism.

This reluctance has been slowly fading as the last of the last generation of old Nazis and Holocaust survivors die, and the AfD has been at the forefront of those who argue Germany must become a "normal country" again.

When Hoecke, 44, showed up Friday at the Thuringia state assembly for a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the speaker, Christian Carius, barred him from attending.

Carius told Hoecke that "his presence would be seen as a provocation", especially by Buchenwald survivors in the audience.

The AfD slammed the exclusion as "a low point in the history" of the state parliament which, it charged, "raises considerable doubts about their understanding of democracy".

The AfD, which started out as a eurosceptic party in 2013, has since shifted to mainly railing against multiculturalism, Islam and the over one million asylum seekers who arrived since 2015 under Chancellor Angela Merkel, its declared enemy.

Story continues

- 'Nazi barbarism' -

Later on Friday, Hoecke was also prohibited from entering the Buchenwald site for a wreath-laying ceremony.

"After this speech... Mr Hoecke's participation in the wreath laying in the former Buchenwald concentration camp is not acceptable," its deputy head had written the previous day.

Hoecke had initially vowed to show up anyway, arguing in a letter that "it is simply not up to you to decide who can participate".

French Holocaust survivor Bertrand Herz, 86, had also spoken out, saying that "the survivors of Nazi barbarism and the relatives of those murdered cannot allow the importance of the Holocaust to be relativised and the memory of the victims to be degraded."

Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the January 27, 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland by Soviet troops.

The day honours the memory of the six million European Jews and the hundreds of thousands of other victims of the Nazi genocide, including Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and homosexuals.

Germany, in a solemn parliamentary ceremony, marked the day with a tribute to the 300,000 ill and disabled people killed under the Nazis' "euthanasia" programme, who are often seen as the era's forgotten victims.

Parliament speaker Norbert Lammert said the programme was the first to use gas to murder those considered "unworthy of living" and served as a "trial run for the Holocaust".

- 'Left to starve' -

Adolf Hitler's euphemistically named euthanasia programme sought to exterminate the sick, the physically and mentally disabled, those with learning disabilities and those considered social "misfits".

In 1940-41, doctors systematically gassed more than 70,000 people at six sites in German-controlled territory.

Tens of thousands more died across Europe until 1945 through starvation, neglect or deliberate overdoses, while many others endured bizarre medical experiments and forced sterilisations.

In Friday's ceremony, an actor with Down's syndrome read out a letter one of the victims, Ernst Putzki, wrote to his mother in 1943.

"Death from starvation is hard on our heels and no one knows who will be next," he wrote about conditions at the institution where he was being held in Weilmuenster, western Germany.

"Before, the people here were killed more quickly and their bodies were taken for burning at dawn. But this was met with resistance from the locals. So now we are simply left to starve."

Putzki died in January 1945, officially of pneumonia.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin police are hunting for 27 suspected "far-right extremists", including four accused of involvement in violent acts, the German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported. The paper, quoting information provided by Berlin's interior state secretary to a Green lawmaker, said there were 36 separate arrest warrants for the 27 missing suspects, of whom 20 had their last known residence in Berlin. It said one of the four violent acts was politically motivated, but other crimes they were accused of were not political. The state secretary's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was not immediately clear if the warrants, reported in the newspaper's Friday's editions, were linked to police searches of a dozen homes in six German states on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a far-right group suspected of planning attacks against police, Jews and asylum seekers. Authorities found weapons, munitions and explosives during those raids, the chief federal prosecutor's office said. One of two people detained on Wednesday was formally arrested on Thursday on suspicion of having violated German weapons and explosives laws, the prosecutor's office said. The man, a 51-year-old German citizen identified only as Thiemo B., remains under investigation, accused of having worked with others to create a new ultra-right terrorist group, it said. German officials said the raids were a sign of the government's determination to crack down on growing numbers of increasingly violent ultra rightists across the country. The number of outstanding arrest warrants has declined sharply since late 2016, when authorities had 60 outstanding arrest warrants for 50 far-right suspects, Tagesspiegel reported. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams)
Berlin (AFP) - Germany on Friday marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a tribute to the 300,000 ill and disabled people killed under the Nazis' "euthanasia" programme, who are often seen as forgotten victims of that era.

In a solemn ceremony at the German Bundestag, parliament speaker Norbert Lammert said the programme was the first to use gas to murder those considered "unworthy of living" and served as a "trial run for the Holocaust".

"It became the model for the mass murder that would follow in the Nazi extermination camps," he said in a speech attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel and relatives of victims.

Adolf Hitler's euphemistically named euthanasia programme, in which doctors and scientists actively participated, sought to exterminate the sick, the physically and mentally disabled, those with learning disabilities and those considered social "misfits".

Between January 1940 and August 1941, doctors systematically gassed more than 70,000 people at six sites in German-controlled territory, until public outrage forced them to end the overt killing.

But tens of thousands more died across Europe until the war's end in 1945, through starvation, neglect or deliberate overdoses administered by caregivers.

Many also underwent bizarre medical experiments and forced sterilisations because of their supposed genetic inferiority.

In Friday's ceremony, an actor with Down's syndrome read out a letter from one of the victims, Ernst Putzki, who wrote to his mother in 1943 describing the inhumane conditions at the institution where he was being held in Weilmuenster, western Germany.

"Death from starvation is hard on our heels and no one knows who will be next," he wrote.

"Before, the people here were killed more quickly and their bodies were taken for burning at dawn. But this was met with resistance from the locals.

"So now we are simply left to starve."

Story continues

Putzki died in January 1945, officially of pneumonia.

Ceremonies are held around the world each year on January 27 to remember the World War II victims of the Nazis.

The day coincides with the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland by Soviet troops in 1945.

Of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, one million were murdered at Auschwitz, mostly in its notorious gas chambers, along with tens of thousands of others including Poles, Roma and Soviet prisoners of war.
The letters spelling out Google were festooned in red Friday to herald the 2017 Lunar New Year in Googles latest Doodle.

The doodle  which features firecrackers, fried dumplings and traditional Chinese decorations  marks the turning of the Chinese zodiac from monkey to rooster. Each year of the Chinese zodiac is associated with both an animal and one of five elements. 2017 is the year of the fire rooster, which according to lore is trustworthy, with a strong sense of timekeeping and responsibility.

Lunar New Year  which is sometimes called Chinese New Year even though it is celebrated across East Asia  falls on the first new moon between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 each year, Google explains. Its a time for families to clean their houses, gather together and enjoy festive meals. And just like Christmas, its also, notoriously, a time when older relatives bug singletons about why they dont have a boyfriend or girlfriend, young couples about when theyre going to get married, and newly weds about why they dont hurry up and have a baby already.

Along with grandmotherly prodding, Lunar New Year is marked by firecrackers and lion dances, in which revelers don papier-mache masks and flash silken tails to crashing cymbals. The din and the prominence of the color red were traditionally thought to scare off the nian, a mythical beast said to attack ancient villages every New Years Day.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya returned to Gaza Friday after five months abroad, an AFP reporter said, praising improving ties with neighbours Egypt.

Haniya, Gaza head of the Islamist movement, left in September to perform the Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, returning via Gulf countries and Egypt, where he sought to mend frayed relations.

"The movement's delegation completed a successful visit to Egypt," a Hamas statement read, saying they had a series of "fruitful" meetings with Egyptian officials, including head of general intelligence Khaled Fawzy.

Upon his return home in the Shaati refugee camp west of Gaza city, Haniya told journalists the relationship with Egypt was improving.

"(Hamas) will continue to develop this relationship and strengthen it," he said.

It was Haniya's first trip outside Gaza since the isolation and eventual overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's Islamist president and Hamas ally, in 2013.

Relations between Egypt and Hamas soured following Morsi's overthrow and the subsequent election of former military leader Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Egypt's army largely closed the border with Gaza after Sisi's rise to power, destroying dozens of illegal trade tunnels that brought in a key part the Gazan economy.

Cairo has accused Hamas of supporting Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement and even of involvement in the 2015 assassination of Attorney General Hisham Barakat.

However relations between the Islamist Palestinian faction and Sisi's government have improved in the past year and the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is due to open Saturday for a few days.

Hamas has run Gaza since 2007 after a near civil war with rival Palestinian faction Fatah.
Photo: Fox News

Sean Hannity looks at Donald Trump the way a golden retriever gazes at his master, with ardent longing and wet loyalty. The dog had his day on Thursday in an exclusive Second After David Muir And ABC News interview on Fox Newss Hannity. When Trump said for the 500th time that the media is hostile  angry  very dishonest, Hannity practically fell off his chair in his haste to give his assent: I said journalisms dead, so we agree! (Indeed, Hannity exists weeknights at 10 to prove its hosts assertion.) A bit later, when the president brought up Iran, Sean chattered, I actually agree with you wholeheartedly about the Iran deal. Going to a commercial, Hannity said, Coming up, Donald Trump takes me inside the Oval Office in a tone that made it sound as though his favorite uncle was about to sneak him onto the big-boy roller coaster.

The hourlong interview was filled with Trumps uniquely revealing locutions. Talking about his recent speech at the CIA Memorial Wall: I paid great homage to the wall with the stars, as though he were talking about a vertical version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. About the use of torture: Waterboarding, Im sure its not pleasant. The Islamic State brought out the Jimmy Cagney in the president: Theyre sneaky, dirty rats.

As always, the commander in chief is intensely interested in communicating to the American people his fervent positions on  show business figures. On Madonna and her loony womens-march comment about blowing up the White House: Honestly, shes disgusting, I think she hurt that whole  his voice trailed off for just a second, so Hannity leapt in with the word cause just as Trump said, cause. See? They complete each other! Hannity also provided Trump with ample time to slap Saturday Night Live around. Its a failing show, its not funny. Alec Baldwins a disaster, hes terrible on the show and, by the way, I dont mind some humor but its terrible. Trump also brought up the unfunny, unkind tweet written by SNL writer Katie Rich, yet even here, Hannity sabotaged his own interview with incessant obsequiousness. Trump was summoning a mighty thunderbolt  For them to attack, for NBC to attack my 10-year-old son  when Hannity cut in with, Hes a great kid, I met him!

There have been reports that Trump gets his news primarily from Fox News. I guess this night Trump was sprawled in the White House, gazing at a TV screen and musing, This guy playing the president is great, but whos this other guy who keeps interrupting? Hes terrible! Very dishonest!

Hannity airs weeknights at 10 p.m. on Fox News.
Chicago police chief discloses he needs kidney transplant

CHICAGO (AP)  Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson disclosed after a public dizzy spell on Friday that he has battled a kidney condition for more than three decades and is on a waiting list for a transplant.

Johnson said his dizziness at a news conference announcing a crime initiative was due to taking blood pressure medication on an empty stomach. He was taken to a suburban Chicago hospital for several hours of evaluation and later released.

"For 32 years I've been treating a kidney condition that hasn't interfered with my ability to lead a normal life or be your police superintendent," he said at a news conference later in the day. "I don't require dialysis nor do I have diabetes."

Johnson said that once a donor is found and the operation takes place he should be back to work after three to five weeks. Johnson said that he informed Emanuel of his kidney condition before he was appointed superintendent in March.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed "absolute confidence" that Johnson can run the department and his deputies can run the department in the event Johnson had to take leave.

Earlier Friday, Johnson appeared dazed and had to sit down while Emanuel was announcing an initiative to reduce homicides and shootings.

While Emanuel was speaking at the podium during the news conference, he stopped suddenly and turned to the police superintendent, asking "Are you OK?"

People then surrounded Johnson and several shouted: "Call 911." Emanuel handed Johnson a bottle of water and the superintendent drank from it after sitting down in seats reserved for reporters.

Dr. Paul Crawford, a nephrologist, said Johnson's test results did not contain anything that would require admission. He also stressed that one of every nine people in the U.S. has high blood pressure

Johnson and the mayor were announcing technological advances for police at a station on the city's South Side. Chicago police and city officials are under tremendous pressure to curb a rash of homicides and shootings in recent years.

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Chicago ended 2016 with 762 homicides  or an average of two people killed per day, a rate that was widely reported at year's end. It was the highest number of homicides in the city in two decades and more than Los Angeles and New York combined. Last year, there were 3,550 shootings, a nearly 50 percent increase over 2015.

Three days ago, President Donald Trump tweeted that he would "send in the Feds" if the city couldn't fix the problem.

Johnson told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday that Trump's tweet baffled him.

"The statement is so broad. I have no idea what he's talking about," Johnson said.

Johnson replaced former Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who was fired following the release of dashcam footage showing a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager 16 times. He didn't apply to be the city's top police officer. Emanuel chose Johnson for the job in March 2016, after rejecting three finalists recommended by the city's police board.
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Friday: U.S.-BRITAIN Trump says he wants good relations with Russia and declined to say whether he was ready to lift sanctions on Moscow, which visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May said must stay in place. U.S.-MEXICO A day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a Washington trip, Trump says they had a friendly phone call but asserted he will renegotiate trade deals and other aspects of the countries' ties because Mexico has "beat us to a pulp" in the past. The White House says that Trump and Pena Nieto recognized their differences on Trump's plan to build a wall on the southern U.S. border but have agreed to "work these differences out." IMMIGRATION Trump is poised to sign an executive order on Friday to temporarily halt refugees from some Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States, a White House official says. Trump's executive order taking away federal funding from "sanctuary cities" has an exemption for one of his favorite constituencies, the police, who would be protected from cuts. But opponents say that could be grounds for a legal challenge. U.S.-RUSSIA Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are likely to discuss the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine when the two leaders speak by telephone on Saturday, a senior White House aide says. U.S. Senator John McCain, addressing speculation about lifting sanctions, hopes the administration will reject that "reckless course" and calls Putin a murderer and thug. ABORTION Vice President Mike Pence fires up tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists in Washington for the 44th March for Life, celebrating a political shift in their favor with Trump's election. U.S.-U.N. Nikki Haley, the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, pledges to overhaul the world body and warns U.S. allies that if they do not support Washington, then she is "taking names" and will respond. PIPELINE Trump's move to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline is part of his plan to boost U.S. drillers and create new U.S. jobs, but the project's biggest winners may be Canadian. ELECTION Vice President Mike Pence reportedly tells Republicans a "full evaluation of voting rules" will likely be part of the Trump administration's investigation into what the president claims is widespread voting fraud. (Writing by Bill Trott; Editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis)
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Friday: FOREIGN RELATIONS Trump, scheduled to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, says he is in the early stages of considering whether to lift U.S. sanctions on Russia, but British Prime Minister Theresa May, other foreign officials and U.S. lawmakers say such a move would be premature. The United States' and Mexico's leaders speak by phone after relations between the two countries frayed further over Trump's border wall plan, with the U.S. president calling the talk friendly but still demanding reworked trade and other ties. Nikki Haley, the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, pledges to overhaul the world body and warns U.S. allies that if they do not support Washington, then she is "taking names" and will respond. IMMIGRATION Trump signs an executive order he says will impose tighter vetting to prevent foreign terrorists from entering the United States. Trump says Syrian Christians will be given priority when it comes to applying for refugee status in the United States. Trump's executive order taking away federal funding from "sanctuary cities" has an exemption for one of his favorite constituencies, the police, who would be protected from cuts. Opponents say that could be grounds for a legal challenge. ABORTION Vice President Mike Pence fires up tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists in Washington for the 44th March for Life, celebrating a political shift in their favor with Trump's election. ELECTION Pence reportedly tells Republicans a "full evaluation of voting rules" will likely be part of the Trump administration's investigation into what the president claims is widespread voting fraud. DEFENSE SPENDING Defense Secretary James Mattis orders cost-cutting reviews of two major aircraft programs, Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet and Boeing's next-generation Air Force One presidential plane, according to Pentagon memos. CABINET Trump's Cabinet is worth a combined $14 billion, and they have been catching flak in recent weeks for confessing an inability to keep track of their vast wealth. PIPELINE Trump's move to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline is part of his plan to boost U.S. drillers and create new U.S. jobs, but the project's biggest winners may be Canadian. (Compiled by Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)
Nine Singapore armoured troop carriers impounded by Hong Kong while in transit from military exercises in Taiwan are on their way back home, the city-state's defence minister said Friday.

The release of the Terrex vehicles closes the curtain on a diplomatic row that also involved China, which has sovereignty over Hong Kong and considers Taiwan a renegade island awaiting reunification.

"Terrexes left Hong Kong port this morning at 0415hrs. Next stop, home," Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.

Ng had said on Wednesday that the journey would take a week.

Hong Kong customs authorities had impounded the vehicles in November while they were being shipped home following exercises in Taiwan, where land-starved Singapore has for decades trained its troops.

Following the seizure, China lodged a diplomatic protest to Singapore over its military cooperation with Taiwan.

Ties between China and Singapore were already strained over the city-state's perceived support for Southeast Asian nations disputing Beijing's extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous after being handed back by Britain to China in 1997. But Beijing controls foreign affairs issues and there are increasing fears over its interference in other matters.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's request that a judge bar the state from paying 63,000 government employees to get feuding Republicans and Democrats to move on a budget deal was decried Friday by GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner, who claimed the Democrat is attempting to "cause a crisis" and shut the government down.

Madigan filed the motion Thursday in St. Clair County, a staunch working-class Illinois suburb of St. Louis where a judge nearly two years ago ordered that withholding paychecks, even without a budget, would violate the state Constitution's requirement that contractual agreements be honored.

She wants the court to set a Feb. 28 deadline, giving Rauner and Democrats who control the Legislature "additional time to enact appropriations" before the comptroller stops cutting checks.

Madigan's move could halt $400 million-a-month in payroll to state workers, forcing major parts of state government to temporarily close. With no budget since July 2015, it's the longest a state has gone without spending authority since at least World War II.

"We won't abandon the prisons and the state police won't park their cars, but most of state government will grind to a halt," said Springfield political scientist Kent Redfield.

Rauner criticized the attorney general. Lisa Madigan is the daughter of powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Chicago Democrat whom Rauner has held up as emblematic of problems he wants to fix.

"I hope this is not a direct attempt to cause a crisis to force a shutdown of the government ... as a step to force a tax hike without any changes to our broken system," Rauner told reporters Friday in Chicago.

The first-term Republican governor campaigned on smaller government and often impugned state workers. But he became their biggest ally in 2015 when their paychecks were threatened and a work stoppage would have evaporated his leverage. Rauner wants to tie a balanced budget to restructuring the business climate to boost commerce, curtail union influence and curb politicians' power.

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Rauner noted that the Senate continues negotiating a bipartisan budget plan to break the deadlock. Leaders promised a January vote which didn't materialize, but pledged to try again next month.

A government shutdown would appear to favor Democrats who want to tackle the shortfall with tax increases, spending cuts  and no Rauner policy changes, said Nick Kachiroubas, a DePaul University political scientist. But played shrewdly, Rauner could reject a tax increase, weather the short-term pain of a possible shutdown, and still recover, with help of his personal wealth, in time for the 2018 governor's race, he said.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall said the union was "shocked and extremely disappointed" by the filing.

AFSCME is fighting Rauner on another front. The union's 35,000 members have been without a ratified contract for two years. A state labor board has declared negotiations irrevocably stalled and allowed Rauner to impose the contract he prefers. The union has scheduled its first ever vote seeking membership support for a strike. It begins Monday at work sites and continues to Feb. 19.

A possible shutdown would not dampen enthusiasm for a strike vote, said Robert Bruno, director of the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "It could only have the effect of further encouraging it."

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Contact Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/john-oconnor.
(Reuters) - Global banks have warned they could move thousands of jobs out of Britain to prepare for the expected disruption caused by the country's exit from the European Union, posing a risk to London's status as a major financial center.

Leading financial firms warned for months before last June's Brexit referendum that they would have to move some jobs if there was a leave vote, and have been working on plans for how they would do so for the past six months.

More details are starting to emerge after Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed Britain would leave the European single market, ending banks' hopes they might retain "passporting" rights that let them sell their services across the EU out of their London hubs.

Below are comments and reports on banks about their potential Brexit plans

HSBC

Stuart Gulliver, CEO of HSBC <HSBA.L>, Europe's biggest bank, said his bank will relocate staff responsible for generating around a fifth of its UK-based trading revenue, or around 1,000 people, to Paris.

BARCLAYS

Barclays <BARC.L> Chief Executive Jes Staley told BBC Radio in an interview in Davos that the bank will keep the bulk of its activities in Britain after the UK leaves the European Union, saying that any changes to how the bank operates will be small and manageable.

The bank is preparing to make Dublin its EU headquarters for when Britain leaves the EU, according to a source familiar with the matter.

UBS

Swiss bank UBS's <UBSG.S> Chairman Axel Weber said at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January that about 1,000 of the Swiss bank's 5,000 employees in London could be affected by Brexit.

Separately, Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti said that UBS has a degree of flexibility if its UK outpost looks set to lose its ability to operate across the European Union once Britain leaves the bloc.

The world's biggest wealth manager has also set up a bank in Frankfurt to consolidate most of its European wealth management operations, after Britain's vote to leave the European Union dashed London's chances of being the host city.

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CREDIT SUISSE

Credit Suisse's <CSGN.S> Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam said in September that his bank was relatively well placed to deal with the impact of Brexit and that only around 15-20 percent of volumes in the investment bank would be impacted.

LLOYDS

Lloyds Banking Group <LLOY.L>, Britain's largest mortgage lender and the only major British retail lender without a subsidiary in another EU country, is considering setting up a subsidiary in Frankfurt as Britain prepares to leave the European Union, a person familiar with the plans told Reuters.

GOLDMAN SACHS

U.S bank Goldman Sachs <GS.N> is considering moving up to 1,000 staff from London to Frankfurt because of concerns over Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper reported in January, citing financial sources.

The bank is considering halving its London staff to 3,000 and moving key operations to New York and continental Europe, particularly Frankfurt, the paper reported.

Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters in November that Goldman Sachs is considering shifting some of its assets and operations from London to Frankfurt.

MORGAN STANLEY

U.S. bank Morgan Stanley <MS.N> has identified many of the roles that will need to be moved from Britain following its exit from the European Union, sources involved in the processes told Reuters.

Morgan Stanley, which bases the bulk of its European staff in Britain, will have to move up to 1,000 jobs in sales and trading, risk management, legal and compliance, as well as slimming the back office in favor of locations overseas, one source told Reuters.

CITIGROUP

Citigroup <C.N>, which has also identified roles that will need to be moved out of the UK and has a large banking unit in Dublin, will need to shift 100 positions in its sales and trading business, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

JPMORGAN

JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> could be forced to move 4,000 of its 16,000 staff currently based in Britain if the country loses access to the single market, bank CEO Jamie Dimon warned in June.

"It looks like there will be more job movement than we hoped for," Dimon told Bloomberg TV in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.

BOFA

Bank of America Corp <BAC.N> said in August that its businesses and results could be adversely affected and it may have to incur additional costs if Britain's exit from the European Union limits the ability of its UK entities to conduct business in the bloc.

(Compiled by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru)
India's top court Friday rejected a petition seeking a nationwide ban on cow slaughter, a flashpoint issue for Hindus who consider the animal sacred.

The Supreme Court dismissed an activist's proposal to prohibit the slaughter of cows across India, a measure that would have effectively banned beef consumption in the nation of 1.25 billion.

Cows are revered in the Hindu scriptures as the 'mother' of civilisation and many worshippers equate the slaughter of cows or eating beef as blasphemy.

But millions from India's huge minority populations -- including Muslims, Christians and lower caste Hindus -- eat beef, which isn't widely available and is banned altogether in some states.

Just eight of India's 29 states permit the consumption of beef or the slaughter of cows.

"One state may ban slaughter, the other may not," the court said in rejecting the petition.

"We will not interfere in state laws."

Several radical religious groups, and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have long campaigned to implement a nationwide ban on cow slaughter.

The BJP won national elections in 2014 with a thumping majority, pledging in part to ban cow slaughter. But so far the government in Delhi has failed to convince the states to pass such sweeping measures.

Some BJP-ruled states have in recent years pushed through tougher penalties including ten-year jail terms for those convicted of cow slaughter or possession or consumption of beef.

Simmering tensions over the issue have spilled into violence since BJP's national ascent to power, with a string of attacks on minorities by right-wing Hindu vigilantes resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people.

In 2014, a 50-year-old Muslim man accused of slaughtering a cow and consuming its meat was murdered by a mob at his home near New Delhi.

The lynching prompted international outrage and accusations of a rise in religious vigilantism under the Modi adminstration.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A former Indonesian finance ministry official has been detained on his return home after being deported from Turkey for trying to cross into Syria on suspicion of intending to join Islamic State, Indonesian authorities said on Friday. Police identified the man as Triyono Utomo and said he was detained along with his wife and three children after they arrived back in the Indonesian island of Bali on Wednesday. The finance ministry issued a statement to "clarify media reports about an ex-finance ministry official" being detained, but it did not give his name. "He was a former civil servant at the finance ministry," the ministry said, adding that the man had held a junior position and had resigned in early 2016, saying he wanted to set up an Islamic school on the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta. "No legal assistance will be provided to him," the ministry said. Utomo and his family were in detention on Friday and not available for comment. It was not clear if he had a lawyer. National police spokesman Rikwanto said Utomo and his family would be held for questioning for seven days, and it would then be decided whether or not to proceed with the investigation. Media said Utomo had studied for a post-graduate degree in Australia. Hundreds of people from Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, have attempted to travel to Syria in the past few years. Some have been on humanitarian missions, some trying to join militant groups including Islamic State. Indonesia has seen a recent resurgence in militant activity, inspired in part by Islamic State. Last year, four men linked to the group mounted a gun and numb attack in the heart of the capital and killed four people. It was the first attack in the region to be claimed by Islamic State. (Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo and Nilufar Rizky; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Robert Birsel)
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP)  In struggling Wapello County, a swath of southeast Iowa Donald Trump was the first Republican to carry in 44 years, his earliest and most devout supporters cheer the new president's quick action on health care, trade, energy and immigration, including accelerated construction of the long-promised Mexican border wall.

And yet, even these voters, to whom Trump disproportionately owes his presidency, roll their eyes at his ongoing fixation with his popularity.

"He's said what needs to be done, and he's doing it," said Viki Wilson, a retired trucking company operator from Ottumwa, Wapello County's seat. "He's just got to sort the small stuff from the big stuff."

Far from the cacophony enveloping Washington in Trump's first week in office, the Iowa voters who helped him capture the state and the presidency last November give the president high marks for reversing eight years of Democrat Barack Obama's policies. But they shake their heads at his widely debunked claims about the crowd size for his inauguration and voter fraud costing him the popular vote.

Wilson is like hundreds of Trump supporters in this county of about 35,000 people, a former Democrat in a once union-heavy city who embraced Trump's candidacy out of frustration with the region's high unemployment.

Like Wapello, working-class counties that were once home to thriving union Democratic precincts, such as Racine County, Wisconsin, and Macomb County, Michigan, voted decidedly for Trump in November, and helped him carry the entire northern arc of states from Iowa to Pennsylvania.

Cherie Westrich of Ottumwa had never been politically active. But the 51-year-old antique car rebuilder had researched the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement between the United States and Asian nations, and concluded the treaty would benefit U.S. corporations, not its workers.

By signing an order withdrawing from the 12-nation treaty brokered by Obama, Trump made good on what he argued was a pledge to protect U.S. workers from competition in low-wage Asian countries.

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"No matter if you agree or disagree on this campaign promise, there's no question he's jumping right on it," said Westrich, who became an active volunteer for Trump in Ottumwa last fall.

It's the kind of promise that drew hundreds of newcomers to Wapello County's Republican presidential caucuses almost exactly a year ago when Trump finished a surprising second to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Wilson and Westrich, like thousands of other voters in this onetime coalmining and manufacturing hub, had drifted away from their Democratic roots, emblematic of the region's shift from labor unions.

For decades, the voters backed Democratic presidential candidates after supporting Richard Nixon in 1972.

Vestiges of Ottumwa's better days  rows of once-majestic Victorian homes  loom on bluffs overlooking the Des Moines River where barges used to haul coal to the Mississippi. Gone are the mines and dozens of manufacturing plants, replaced by a JBS  formerly Swift  non-union meatpacking plant, the county's top employer with about 2,400 workers. John Deere's Ottumwa plant is the city's lone heavy manufacturer and, while still a union shop, employs about a third as many as the Swift plant.

Making good on his trade promise and immediately giving federal agencies leeway to ignore Obama's health care law have Wapello County Republicans feeling vindicated. It has eased concerns that Trump is too easily distracted by his image and refighting his 18-month campaign.

Westrich was among the 1,200 Wapello voters who attended the county's Republican presidential caucuses, twice as many as party officials had planned. She supported Trump on the hope that the brash billionaire could help revive what was once a thriving manufacturing base.

Trump won her county in the caucuses nearly a year ago. And in November, he won Iowa, which was carried by Obama in 2008 and 2012.

But the election is over, Westrich said.

"He borders on being embarrassing. And I wish he'd stop," she said. "But when it comes to doing things that mean something, he's coming through."

Trump complained last week that news organizations had underreported the size of the crowd assembled on the National Mall for his inauguration. He has repeated the false claim that he lost the popular vote  despite his Electoral College win  because millions of immigrants ineligible to vote cast ballots. Trump wants an investigation.

"I don't like that he wanted to choose crowd-size at his inauguration as a fight to wage on his first day. That's piddly," said Mark Feller, an early Trump devotee from Dennison, in conservative western Iowa. "And you can't tell me he didn't win. C'mon."

Instead, Feller is happy Trump revived plans to construct the Keystone XL petroleum pipeline, which was halted under Obama.

Even Trump's equivocation and uncertainty about deporting children of immigrants in the country illegally is forgivable, in light of the list of other action he's tackling, said Sandy Brus of rural Crawford County near Denison. On Wednesday, Trump signed executive actions to speed construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall and cut federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities."

Brus, a retired teacher, is concerned the influx of immigrant children into Denison, with a roughly 70 percent immigrant enrollment, is overburdening the district and underserving the students, including immigrants.

"He's got people around him that are encouraging him to think things through," Brus said. "Now, they just need to take away his Twitter."

___

The story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Denison.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel handed over the bodies of two Palestinians killed carrying out attacks on soldiers and civilians to the families on Friday, an army spokeswoman said.

She identified the two as Nidal Daud Mahdawi, who was killed trying to stab soldiers on January 17, and Majd al-Khudur who was killed during a 2016 car-ramming attack that wounded two civilians.

Both attacks took place in the occupied West Bank.

Hospital officials have identified Khudur as an 18-year-old woman.

A wave of Palestinian attacks that erupted in October 2015 has resulted in the deaths of 251 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.

However, the violence has greatly declined in recent months.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities, with others killed during protests, in clashes or air raids on Gaza.

Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a leading cause of the violence.

Israeli authorities have confiscated the bodies of killed Palestinians since the violence began, often keeping them for many months as a means of deterrence and to prevent clashes during funerals.
MADRID (AP)  Leaders of Italy and Spain agreed Friday to seek a bigger role in strengthening an embattled European Union during upcoming summits as France, Germany and other countries prepare for elections that could weaken western Europe's leadership.

"Italy and Spain can play a key role in the coming months, primarily as protagonists in the European Union revival," Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said at a news conference after talks in Madrid with his Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy.

Gentiloni and Rajoy are scheduled to join the leaders of Portugal, France, Greece, Malta and Cyprus for a one-day summit in Lisbon on Saturday. They also plan to attend talks with the 28 leaders of the EU next month in Malta and for a March gathering in Rome to mark 60 years since the establishment of a European economic union.

The leaders also agreed to resume regular bilateral summits, halted since 2013 amid frosty relations between Rajoy and the former Italian Premier, Matteo Renzi.

On Friday, Rajoy offered Gentiloni his government's condolences for the devastating avalanche that killed 29 in a hotel crushed by tons of snow.

Asked about the souring of relations between the U.S. and Mexican governments, Rajoy said he hoped the countries would "get along as neighbors should."

"We are sure that good judgment, sanity and common sense will prevail," he said.
Tokyo (AFP) - Toshiba said on Friday it will spin off its memory chip business, following reports that the vast conglomerate is planning to sell a stake in the unit to repair its battered balance sheet.

Local media in recent days have said the company -- dented by a major accounting scandal and huge losses in its nuclear business -- is looking to raise as much as $2.6 billion from selling around 20 percent of the chip division.

While it did not confirm any sale plans, Toshiba said Friday it was considering "outside capital" to help restore its finances.

"We have decided a plan to spin off our storage and electronic devices solutions company into a separate firm effective around March 31, 2017," it said in a statement, referring to the chip unit.

A once-proud pillar of corporate Japan, Toshiba has been besieged by problems, most notably the profit-padding scandal in which bosses for years systematically pushed subordinates to cover up weak financial results.

The firm, which makes everything from laptops to nuclear reactors, said turning the chip unit into a separate firm would help speed up decision making, but added that the business would remain under its umbrella.

A number of potential bidders have shown interest, including camera and copier maker Canon, the world's top hard-disc producer Western Digital, and global investment funds including Bain Capital and Permira, Japanese media reported.

Toshiba has been selling off cash-cow businesses and assets as it braces for losses in its US nuclear business that could reach 700 billion yen ($6.1 billion).

Last month, Standard & Poor's downgraded Toshiba's credit rating in response to the possible losses, which Toshiba is expected to detail in mid-February.

The company has already sold its medical devices unit to Canon and most of its appliance business to China's Midea Group.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Jihadists from al Qaeda's former Syria branch and rebels who have recently joined forces against them fought in heavy clashes in the northwest of the country on Friday, a rebel official and a monitoring group said. Fighting between Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, and more moderate, foreign-backed factions erupted this week in areas west of Aleppo and the adjacent rebel-held province of Idlib. The clashes, which are taking place separately to the main battle in Syria's conflict - that between rebels and the Syrian government - threaten to further weaken opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in the insurgents' biggest territorial stronghold. A rebel source said Fateh al-Sham launched fierce new attacks on Friday. "A short while ago there was tank bombardment of the base of the headquarters of our brothers in the Jaish al-Islam (faction) in Babsiqa," a rebel source in one of the groups involved in the fighting told Reuters. "Activists are reporting casualties in a camp for women nearby from the tank and mortar bombardment." The clashes appeared to take place in two areas of Idlib - one west of Aleppo and close to the Turkish border, and the other south of Idlib city, close to the main highway linking Aleppo to Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said each side was using "heavy weaponry", and reported a number of civilian casualties. In towns close to the fighting, several hundred people protested against Fateh al-Sham for targeting rebel factions, or called for the clashes to stop so civilians would not get hurt, the British-based Observatory said. Fateh al-Sham, which routed at least one Free Syrian Army rebel faction this week, is now fighting against a number of groups that have joined forces under the powerful Islamist Ahrar al-Sham to fend off the assault. Ahrar al-Sham, which presents itself as a mainstream Sunni Islamist group, sided with the FSA groups and said Fateh al-Sham had rejected mediation attempts. Fateh al-Sham said on Tuesday it had been forced to act preemptively to "thwart conspiracies" being hatched against it. The groups it has attacked include factions that attended peace talks in Kazakhstan sponsored by Damascus allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey. (Reporting by Tom Perry and John Davison; editing by John Stonestreet)
Los Angeles (AFP) - Citing President Donald Trump's visa crackdown, Kurdish filmmaker Hussein Hassan has scrapped plans to attend the US premiere of his critically acclaimed film on the Yazidi minority, it was announced Friday.

Jaie Laplante, director of the Miami Film Festival, where the Kurdish-Iraqi movie "The Dark Wind" is to be screened in March, said Hassan had decided to withdraw his visa application in protest at Trump's forthcoming executive orders that are set to suspend the US refugee program and restrict visas to citizens of certain countries, including Iraq, Iran, and Syria.

"One of Miami Film Festival's core values is to bridge cultural understanding, to provoke thought and discussion, and 'The Dark Wind' is one of the most timely, moving and important films in this year's festival," Laplante said.

"It is essential that roadblocks not be put in place that will prevent artists from the free discussion of their work, and equally essential that the world's artists are made to feel welcome in the United States."

Hassan's move comes days after the Iranian star of the Oscar-nominated film "The Salesman" said she would boycott the upcoming Academy Awards to protest what she calls Trump's racist policies.

"Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest," tweeted Taraneh Alidoosti, the film's 33-year-old lead actress.

Trump's impending executive order on visas is expected to ban citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from seeking entry into the United States for a month.

He is also expected to suspend the US refugee program for four months as officials draw up a list of low risk countries.

Hassan's film tells the tale of a young Yazidi couple preparing for their wedding when fighters from the Islamic State group attack their village.

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The movie was inspired by the true-life massacre of thousands of Yazidis after IS took over the Sinjar area in Iraq in August 2014. Thousands of Yazidi women were abducted and turned into sex slaves during the IS campaign.

"The US are the closest and most important allies for Kurdistan," the film's producer Mehmet Aktas said in a statement.

"Now it seems to be impossible for a Kurdish artist to visit the US to present his work. As an act of peaceful protest, Hussein Hassan decided to withdraw from his visa application. We as Kurdish filmmakers hope that Donald Trump will acknowledge the Kurdish people," Aktas said.
The director of hit romantic musical "La La Land" said on Friday he was jolted and honoured when he learned that his film had earned a record 14 Oscar nominations.

Damien Chazelle's whimsical tribute to Hollywood's Golden Age of musicals topped the Academy Award nominations list on Tuesday, tying an all-time record set by "All About Eve" and "Titanic".

"It was a little bit of a shock and it was a huge honour," Chazelle told a press conference a day after the film's Japan premiere.

The movie scored nods for best picture, best director and acting nominations for its two stars, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Its 10 other nominations came in nine categories.

"Ryan and I were staying in the same hotel when we found the news, so we were able to celebrate together with champagne," Chazelle said.

Gosling stressed the "collaborative" nature of the production.

"If you're lucky enough to be recognised in this way for your film in most cases only a few people are singled out," the Canadian actor said.

"So to see so many our collaborators recognised just really made it that much more special."

When asked if he had included any references to other films in the production that have gone unnoticed, Chazelle said he might have borrowed something from a Japanese yakuza movie from the 1960s.

"I feel like I took a little from this Japanese movie "Tokyo Drifter" by Seijun Suzuki and his whole kind of oeuvre of movies," Chazelle said.

"His super wide frames and very pop-art colours -- they feel like musicals to me, but with guns."

"Maybe that's like a kind of hidden homage, at least not one that anyone in the US would get."

Chazelle and Gosling also participated in a ritual ceremony and cracked open a wooden sake barrel, hoping for the movie's success in Japan.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on President Donald Trump's visit with British Prime Minister Theresa May (all times local):

1:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump says his experience as a businessman dealing with Europe was "very, very tough," and "a very bad experience," while dealing with Britain was far smoother.

He says that's why he thinks Britain's exit from the European Union will be "a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom."

Trump says he expects to get along well with May because they both enjoy being around other people. He quipped: "I'm not as brash as you might think."

May says they share a political approach of putting "the interests of ordinary people right up there center-stage."

___

1:30 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is taking a tougher stance on sanctions on Russia than is President Donald Trump.

Trump was asked at a joint news conference after his White House meeting with May how close the U.S. is to lifting sanctions on Russia over its incursion into Ukraine.

Trump says it is "very early to be talking about that." He says the U.S. looks to have a great relationship with all countries, including Russia.

May says Britain wants to see sanctions remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented.

___

1:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he had a "friendly call" with the Mexican president.

At a news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump confirmed he had an hourlong call with President Enrique Pena Nieto (PAYN'-yuh nee-EH'-toh). The call came a day after the Mexican leader cancelled a visit to Washington after Trump moved forward on building a border wall.

Trump reiterated his stance that the US-Mexico border is porous and drugs are making their way into the U.S.

He also vowed to renegotiate American trade deals with Mexico.

___

1:20 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May says President Donald Trump has reaffirmed both countries' "unshakeable commitment" to the NATO military alliance.

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Trump had rattled European allies by suggesting NATO is "obsolete" and that the United States might not come to the aid of countries that don't meet targets for their own defense spending.

May's comments after their meeting Friday are meant to put that concern to rest. She says the two also agreed it is important for member countries to "invest properly to face our shared challenges together."

May also says she extended an invitation to visit England on behalf of the queen and that Trump has accepted.

___

1:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is pledging support for what he calls a "most special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain.

Trump says in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May it is an honor to have her at the White House as his first official visit from a foreign leader.

He says, "The special relationship between our two countries has been one of the great forces in history" for justice and peace.

He says the U.S. "respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self-determination" and says both counties understand "that governments must be responsive to everyday working people."

___

12:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump is showing off a bust of Winston Churchill that decorates the Oval Office as he hosts British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Trump says "it's a great honor" to have the bust back in the Oval Office. President Barack Obama was criticized for removing the bust of the beloved British prime minister.

May is the first foreign leader to visit since Trump took office last week.

May says it's "an honor" to be at the White House.

The two are expected to hold a joint news conference and lunch later Friday.

___

12:01 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump.

The president is hosting May Friday in the Oval Office. She's the first foreign leader to visit since Trump took the oath of office last week.

The White House said late Thursday that May and Trump would hold talks, followed by a news conference and a working lunch.

___

10:11 a.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

The ceremony comes in advance of her meeting with President Donald Trump.

Dressed in black and flanked by a military honor guard, May walked along the broad avenue leading to the white marble tomb, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Bradley Becker, the U.S. military commander for Washington.

She laid a wreath of red poppies, then paused silently while a military bugler played "Taps." May wiped away sniffles as she walked up the stairs to the cemetery's neoclassical museum.

In a speech Thursday in Philadelphia, May signaled she would be more reluctant than some of her predecessors to commit to foreign military engagements like the Iraq War.

___

3:37 a.m.

President Donald Trump is set to meet his first world leader since taking office  British Prime Minister Theresa May, a friendly ally who hopes to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream.

The visit Friday comes a day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off his own trip to Washington, planned for next week, amid wrangling over who will pay for Trump's planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump's spokesman said the president would seek a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for the barrier, then later clarified that such a tax would be a possible approach.

May's meeting with the president in the Oval Office is being hailed by the British government as a sign that the trans-Atlantic "special relationship" is valued by the new administration.




Getty Image

Imagine youre sitting on Twitter and you read the phrase Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Youd automatically assume that, if this happens, it would mean L.A. would need to split with one of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, or DeAndre Jordan, right?

As it turns out, the two sides are reportedly talking about a deal that would send Anthony out west. The catch, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, is that the Clippers wouldnt need to give up any of their three stars.

The Knicks and Clippers are discussing a deal for Carmelo Anthony that does not include Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan going to New York, the Daily News has learned. The Knicks, according to a source, are open to trading Anthony to Los Angeles even if they dont get one of the Clippers Big 3 in return. In fact, the Knicks are prohibited from acquiring Blake Griffin due to a complicated rule in the collective bargaining agreement. The rule states that a team cannot have two Designated Rookie Max extensions on your roster acquired via a trade at any time. Derrick Rose falls under that category.

Now its important to remember that this is just a rumor, and of all the deals weve heard involving Anthony, this is probably the most absurd. Isola mentioned that Los Angeles could, realistically, propose a deal that involves splitting with two of Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, and J.J. Redick, along with a few other pieces.



While Phil Jackson does seem like hes eager to move on from Anthony (ok, thats an understatement), its hard to imagine that hed go from pursuing Kevin Love to accepting a trade for role players. In fact, Isola said that the Knicks will likely seek a better offer with the deadline being a little less than a month away.

If the Knicks are seriously looking into deals like this with any seriousness, it is a testament to how badly the organization wants to move on from Melo. Of course, he still has to waive his no-trade clause, and its still up in the air whether he wants to stay in New York or not. But no matter what, this seems like its the closest that the Knicks have come to actually dealing their star forward. Its going to be a crazy, rumor-filled month in New York City.

(Via New York Daily News)




On Thursdays The Daily Show, Laurence Fishburne described inhabiting the role of Nelson Mandela for the BET series Madiba.

As The Matrix star walked on, Trevor Noah joked, If there was ever a time for you to tell us this was not the real world, give us the red pill and get us the f*** out.

Fishburne described how much of an honor it was to portray the South African leader who helped end Apartheid. He said, Its a refresher course in what I think we need to do as a country in order to come together.

Fishburne went on to explain that the movement to end Apartheid comprised many people. Even though Nelson Mandela has died, Fishburne explained that the United States could use Mandelas legacy to help heal our nations divide.

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Watch: Key & Peele bring back Obamas anger translator one last time:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram  or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Cynthia LuCiette, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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LeBron James has entered the phase of his career where he will say whatever he wants, without having to worry about the ramifications and potentially upsetting people.

Recently, hes been ripping into the Cavs for not building a better team around himself, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, and hasnt taken a second thought to being very direct about his frustrations. In the lead up to the 2016 Presidential election, he was vocal in his support of Hillary Clinton, making him one of the rare super famous athletes to take an active, forward stance in politics.

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So, it should come as no surprise that the NBAs most prominent superstar would have no problem making a joke at President Donald Trumps expense when asked about some weird All-Star votes that came from the players this year.

LeBron James on the questionable player voting for the All-Star game: "There's always goofy votes. Donald Trump is our president"  Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 27, 2017

That is a tremendous one-liner from LeBron, and Im all here for when athletes get to such a comfortable point with their careers and fame that they just speak their mind. James isnt worried about angering Trump supporters. Hes not Michael Republicans buy sneakers too Jordan. He just has a feeling and lets people know about it. In this case, its befuddlement about how Trump won the Presidential election.
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The Salesman begins with what seems like an earthquakethe ground starts to shake at a comfortable-looking abode in Tehran, cracks suddenly appear in the walls, and the happily married Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) have to flee into the street. The newest film from Irans master of the domestic potboiler, Asghar Farhadi, is as subtly and methodically told as his other works, but to begin, he does allow himself one obvious visual metaphor. Emad and Ranas life together is going to come apart at the scenes, seemingly out of nowhere, like a cruel act of god.

In fact, it isnt an earthquake that troubles the couples home, but nearby construction. Nonetheless, they have to temporarily move to another, shabbier apartment, where the previous tenant has left many of her possessions. Theyre simultaneously playing the lead roles in a local production of Death of a Salesman, that canonical work on the myth of American exceptionalism. But Farhadi is not looking to draw some obvious parallel between Arthur Millers play and the lives of this couple. Rather, he wants to explore the terrifying speed with which conflict can disrupt our mundane lives, and the unconscious need we possess to slip into more outsized roles. The Salesman is a typically wrenching film for Farhadi, one that morphs from a quiet family drama to a low-key tale of revenge, and is all the more impressive for how seamlessly it executes that shift.

Farhadi won a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2011 for A Separation, which followed a middle-class Iranian couples attempt to divorce, and the various familial and courtroom troubles that then besieged them (The Salesman was similarly nominated for an Oscar this year). Farhadis cinematic style could kindly be described as sparingthe score is minimal, the camerawork lacking embellishment, the visuals strictly verite. When Farhadi cuts to the couples staging of Death of a Salesman, the exaggerated set behind them, decorated with neon signs advertising casinos and bowling, seems all the more lurid and cartoonisha tightly restrained cultures view of a shamefully extroverted land.

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That notion of extroversion is what begins to eat away at Emad and Ranas relationship. When rehearsing Death of a Salesman, one of the male actors can barely stay in character at the sight of a female actor in the role of Miss Forsythe, who is implied to be a prostitute. Even the very idea of an actress pretending to be such a person feels like science fiction to him, and he cant help but laugh at it. But fiction edges into reality for Emad and Rana, who learn that their new apartments previous tenant was similarly scandalous. The couples new neighbors remember her as a woman with a lot of acquaintances and who lived a wild life, but Emad and Rana are desperate to avoid discussing the subject. Their lives seem otherwise blissful: Their relationship is happy, and Emad is a beloved teacher at a local high school.

Recommended: On Pitying Melania

That peace is disturbed when a client of the former tenant calls at the couples apartment and scuffles with Rana when he realizes shes not who hes looking for. This action unfolds entirely off-screen, while Rana is home alone. She cant identify her assailant, nor does she want to address it with the police, afraid of the judgment that might follow, unfair or no. Its an upsetting situation, but not a cataclysmic onea crack in the wall, rather than a break in the foundation. But its enough to send Emad in search of retribution, a quest that will offer no help to his rattled wife (who doesnt want the matter to spill out into the public eye), but might nonetheless satisfy his own anguish about failing to protect her.

Farhadi is the best kind of political filmmakerone who focuses his stories on mundane family matters and believable domestic dramas, whose works build to a catastrophe by upsetting the smallest societal norms. In The Salesman, you can feel Farhadi (who wrote and directed) putting his finger on the scale ever so slightly with the films big plot twist, then letting Emads own fragile masculinity do the rest. The tension in The Salesman all hinges on this one incident of mistaken identity and brief violence, one that cant be undone or repaired. There is no grander escalation on the way, no confrontation with the former tenant who has inadvertently caused this mess (she remains a character only spoken of, an archetype as easy to imagine as the one the actors in Death of a Salesman snicker at).

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As tense as Emads revenge quest gets, The Salesman still falls short of the devastating heights Farhadi has hit with his best films (along with A Separation, the brilliantly-calibrated About Elly, also starring Alidoosti, is a vital work). The Salesmans conclusion, while gripping, feels somewhat pat, focusing on a confrontation that wraps things up too neatly and quickly, even if Emad and Ranas marriage remains deeply troubled. As the film goes on and Emad feels further emasculation and rage, Hosseini plays him as almost physically burdened by the unsolved crime, slightly more stooped over, with a bit of a dejected shuffle. Its then, finally, that viewers can really see some Willy Loman in him.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
MIAMI (AP)  Miami-Dade County's mayor instructed jail officials in that South Florida community on Thursday to honor all immigration detainer requests, a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would strip federal funding from sanctuary cities.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez sent a memo to the county's corrections director saying jails should hold undocumented immigrants detained by police and turn them over to the Department of Homeland Security when requested.

Trump seemed to approve of Miami-Dade's decision, saying in a tweet late Thursday: "Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!"

Before Thursday, Miami-Dade only held detainees if federal immigrations officials agreed to reimburse the county for the detention costs. The condition set in 2013 put the county in a Department of Justice report that listed sanctuary places that refused to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Miami-Dade turned over about 180 people to immigration officials in 2016 but was not reimbursed for any costs. Miami-Dade County mayor's spokesman, Michael Hernandez, said that it costs the county about $200 to hold a person for a day.

Gimenez said in an interview with The Miami Herald that he didn't want to risk losing millions in federal funds for $52,000, the cost of holding 100 undocumented immigrants that it declined to keep for immigration officials in 2016.

"I want to make sure we don't put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issue," he told the newspaper. "It doesn't mean that we're going to be arresting more people. It doesn't mean that we're going to be enforcing any immigration laws."

The Florida chapter of American Civil Liberties Union said it was disappointed to learn of the mayor's instructions. "Today's decision by Mayor Gimenez flies in the face of Miami's long history as a city of immigrants," said executive director Howard Simon.

The Migration Policy Institute, a Washington think tank, estimates 610,000 undocumented people live in Florida. The majority of them are Mexicans and Central Americans.
Curitiba (Brazil) (AFP) - Brazilian state prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol describes himself on Twitter as a "Follower of Jesus" and a "prosecutor by vocation."

But he insists the huge corruption investigation he is helping lead at the age of 37 "is not a moral crusade."

"It is an island of justice and hope in a sea of impunity," he says.

Dallagnol is a senior member of a team probing the Petrobras scandal, shaking Brazilian politics to its foundations.

Along with judge Sergio Moro, he has been accused of overusing powers of preventive detention and plea deals.

Dallagnol says that without such methods -- and a lot of luck -- the investigation would fail.

An amateur surfer, he spoke to AFP in his office in the seaside city of Curitiba, the center of the probe.

- Investigation methods criticized -

The investigation, dubbed "Lava Jato" or "Car Wash," has made Dallagnol and his team stars in the eyes of many.

Their opponents criticize their methods: having suspects held in pre-trial detention and offering scores of them lighter sentences for testifying against others.

Dallagnol says it was "luck" that the judges selected to handle the case have been in favor of such methods.

It is one of many things he attributes to luck.

Dallagnol is one of a wave of Evangelical Christians to come to prominence over recent years in a mostly Catholic country.

"Lava Jato has made progress for two reasons: by using a new model for an investigation and also due to a series of random fortuitous factors," he says.

The Harvard law school graduate nearly skipped the case to begin with. When colleagues asked him three years ago to get involved, he replied that he had a holiday booked.

But they persuaded him and he ended up tugging the thread that led the case to unravel into a $2 billion bribery affair.

A routine inquiry into a minor suspect led investigators unexpectedly to a bigger one: former Petrobras executive Paulo Roberto Costa.

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He became the first suspect to strike a plea deal, and opened the floodgates.

"He was the contact who revealed the Petrobras scheme," in which executives bribed officials in the state oil firm to win contracts, Dallagnol says.

- Thousands of crimes -

Lava Jato has already put hundreds of white-collar suspects behind bars.

Among them, scores of former executives from the disgraced construction firm Odebrecht have agreed plead deals.

Dallagnol says that will double the total number of suspects charged in the affair.

"We are investigating thousands of multimillion-dollar crimes committed by hundreds of people," he said.

The firm's former head Marcelo Odebrecht was reported last year to have given testimony implicating President Michel Temer.

A key judge involved in taking testimony from Odebrecht executives, Teori Zavascki, died in a plane crash last week. Police are investigating.

"Criminal cases do not change a country," Dallagnol admits.

"They can convict a few people and recover the embezzled money. But unless the structures that lead to corruption are changed, we won't get anywhere."
President Trump has repeatedly claimed, without proof, that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election. Now hes identified one potential source for the claim, and he has no proof either.

On Friday morning, Trump tweeted a note of encouragement Friday to Gregg Phillips, a Texas man who has repeatedly claimed that he and a team of people have verified that 3 million votes were cast by non-citizens.

Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000 votes were illegal. We must do better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

Phillips has yet to offer any concrete evidence to support his accusation, which has been debunked by multiple independent experts and election officials from both parties. Still, Trump, who lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, has continued to make the claim and asked aides to prepare an executive order to launch a voter fraud probe.

Heres what we know.

Theres little evidence that voter fraud is a serious problem.

The Washington Post found only four documented cases of voter fraud in the 2016 elections. The primary author of one study cited by the White House said it did not show any evidence of voter fraud. And Trumps own attorneys argued in a legal filing about a recount effort that there was no evidence of voter fraud.

Phillips works on voter fraud.

He used to serve as Texas Deputy Health and Human Services Commissioner and once headed Mississippis Human Services Department, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

Phillips is now behind a mobile app called VoteStand, which allows Americans to report and read about suspected incidents of voter fraud at nearby and national polls.

He is also a board member of True the Vote, a nonpartisan group that grew out of a Tea Party effort in Texas, according to the New York Times.

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He wont release evidence anytime soon.

Phillips told CNNs New Day on Friday morning that he wont release any information about his claim about widespread voter fraud but claimed the number of illegal votes is larger than 3 million.

We believe that it will probably take another few months to get this done, Phillips said. We know we have the answer. The numbers actually bigger.

He did not disclose how he reached the massive number but hinted that early voting returns partially played a role. Were doing it as fast as we can, Phillips said. You can reach a conclusion and still verify.

About 30 minutes after the interview, Trump tweeted that he is looking forward to seeing final results of VoteStand.
Donald Trump will have an official White House photographer after all.

Sean Spicer, Trumps press secretary confirmed Thursday that photojournalist Shealah Craighead will take over Pete Souzas mantle after he photographed all eight years of Barack Obamas presidency.

For weeks, it remained unclear whether Trump would appoint a personal photographer, a role that has been viewed as crucial for the preservation of history.

It wont be Craigheads first stint in the White House though. In the past she has worked as Vice President Dick Cheneys photo editor and the First Lady Laura Bushs personal photographer.

In 2008, she was the campaign photographer for Sarah Palin, who, she writes on her website, was the first of many aspiring candidates to seek out her keen eye and un-intrusive presence. She has worked for Florida governor Rick Scott and Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson among others.

Her photos, she says, capture the immediacy and impact of the political machinations of our nations Capitol.

Craighead did not return TIMEs calls for comment.
Melania Trump is eating diamonds on the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico [Photo: Vanity Fair Mexico]

Just one day after President Donald Trump announces he really was serious about building a wall on the Mexico border comes a magazine cover that no one could have predicted.

New First Lady, Melania Trump, is the latest cover star of Vanity Fair Mexico. You read that right.

Appearing on the front of the magazines February issue, Melania seems to be flaunting her wealth by eating some rather expensive-looking jewellery.

The cover line explains how Melania deals with her husband (very good question) along with how she may become the next Jackie Kennedy.

The magazines decision has caused outrage among Mexicans [Photo: Getty]

The photograph and accompanying interview arent new. They actually appeared in GQ last spring. But the inclusion of Melania on a Mexican publication in the midst of tense times between the two countries is strange to say the least.

Mexicans have been taking to social media to express their dismay at the cover, calling it a humilitation for the country and its people.

On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order that will begin plans for building a wall on the US border with Mexico. He also signed another order to substantially increase the number of border patrol enforcement officers along the border.

As with every major decision he makes or thought he has, Trump was very vocal on Twitter, saying it would be better to cancel a planned meeting with Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

His calls were answered as the Mexican President then also took to Twitter to announce that he had cancelled the scheduled meeting with Trump.

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Mexicos former President, Vicente Fox Quesada, went even further on social media regarding the wall, telling Trump: Mexico is not going to pay for that f**king wall.

Sean Spicer, Ive said this to @realDonaldTrump and now Ill tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall  Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) January 25, 2017

Looks like the new Presidents popularity wont be rising any time soon.

Does Melania Trump need freeing? Kelly Rowland tells First Lady to blink twice if you need help

First Family style: Every look from the Trump women
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande underscored the need for European unity in the face of growing internal and external threats, including the rise of populism across Europe and U.S. threats to abandon free trade. "Europe faces big internal and external challenges which we ... can only master by working together," Merkel told a news conference on Friday with Hollande. She added: "We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished, and to the values of our liberal, democratic democracies." Hollande said the rise of populists on the continent was a major threat for the European Union. "To be very honest, what threatens Europe doesn't only come from outside. It is also from inside. This means the rise of extremists who use external factors to cause disruption internally," Hollande said. The two leaders did not take questions. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Michael Nienaber)
The digital image shows a clenched fist bathed in the red, white and green of Mexicos flag and decorated with the nations emblematic eagle. Consumers, to the Shout of War, it says in Spanish above the fist. Consume products made in countryUse your buying power to punish the companies that favor the politics of the new U.S. government.

Created by a Mexican food-activist group, the image is part of a slew of messages, memes and videos that have been spreading in Mexico in recent days as President Donald Trump pushes for a border wall, deportations and punishing new trade rules. Others messages call for specific boycotts of U.S. companies in Mexico, including McDonalds, Walmart and Coca-Cola. One of the most heavily trending hashtags is #AdiosStarbucks, or Goodbye Starbucks, referring to the Seattle company which has opened hundreds of coffee houses here.

The boycotts illustrate the defiant mood brewing in Mexico in reaction to Trumps tumultuous first week in the White House. President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a bilateral meeting in Washington on Thursday after Trump insisted Mexico should pay for the border wall. The Mexican government and leading business lobbies have said the country should pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, rather than accept a bad rewrite. And opposition leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has called for a lawsuit in the United Nations against the planned border wall.

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If a trade war is brewing, it will not be fought on a level playing ground. Mexico has an economy that is only the tenth of the size of its northern neighbor and U.S. import tariffs and the deportation of millions of migrants could push it into recession. But however daunting the Trump White House is, Mexico looks like it wont go down without a fight.

We need to stand up to Trumps threats and his economic war, says Enzzo Omar Sosa, part of a collective called Mexicanos Al Grito de Guerra, or Mexicans to the Shout of War. The group has social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers, in which it has been heralding the cries to boycott U.S. companies. We need to support Mexican companies, which provide jobs and maintain our macro economy, he said. Hitting U.S. companies could also make them pressure President Trump over his aggressive positions against Mexico, he said.

It is as yet uncertain how much boycotts will affect the bottom line of U.S. businesses here, but they have gained prominence since Trump signed the executive order for the border wall on Wednesday. A shift manager at a Starbucks in the middle-class Roma neighborhood of Mexico City said Thursday he had already seen a slump of about 10 percent in customers at that particular outlet. Its bad because this is a franchise and it affects the jobs of Mexican workers, said the manager, who asked his name not be used as he was not an authorized spokesman. Starbucks has not voiced any political support for Trump, and was itself the subject of a protest by Trump supporters in December.

There have also been several demonstrations against Trump outside the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, where protesters have burned pinatas of the president. Protester Maria Garcia, of the Bi-National Coalition Against Trump, said the insistence that Mexico pays for the wall is the main contention. They can build what they want in their territory. But pay for it themselves. The demand we pay for it is a weapon to beat us into submission. It is blackmail.

The White House has sent mixed messages on how it will actually get Mexico to foot the bill for a wall that could cost up to $15 billion. Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday floated the idea of a 20% tax on Mexican imports, but then later said that was just one idea. During the campaign, Trump discussed a wall tax on the $25 billion in remittances sent home by Mexican migrants working in the United States every year. Either of those would, if enacted, have a catastrophic impact on Mexicos economy.

These positions and others have made Trump a despised figure in Mexico, with a poll in September finding fewer than 3% here had a positive opinion of him. Yet President Enrique Pena Nieto does not fare much better among his own people. A recent Reforma poll found his approval rating had plunged to 12 percent, the lowest among a Mexican president in recent history. Corruption scandals, violent crime and rising prices have all paid their toll on him.

Diverting the anger to a foreign figure could provide Pena Nieto with some relief. But politics expert Maria Eugenia Valdez thinks he has failed to capitalize on it. He has taken all the wrong steps. He should never have planned to meet Trump so early in his presidency. He is not offering a convincing leadership, she said. Valdez thinks that the MexicoU.S. relationship is likely headed for disaster, whatever people do. NAFTA is already dead, she said. It is like a marriage is breaking up. But it is not going to be an easy divorce.
By Steve Holland and Miguel Gutierrez PHILADELPHIA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump could pay for a wall on the southern border with a new 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico, the White House said on Thursday, deepening a crisis after plans for a summit with the Mexican president fell apart. Trump wants the measure to be part of a broader tax overhaul package that the U.S. Congress is contemplating, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Thursday. It was not immediately clear how the tax would work. Parts of the proposal that Spicer described resemble an existing idea, known as a border adjustment tax, being considered by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives. Spicer said: "We have a new tax at $50 billion at 20 percent of imports -which is, by the way, a practice that 160 other countries do right now." "Our country's policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous. But by doing it that way we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall. Just through that mechanism alone," Spicer told reporters travelling with Trump to Philadelphia. The White House later on Thursday said it was not endorsing the border adjustment tax. No further details were available. News of the tax proposal widens a rift with Mexico which earlier on Thursday scrapped a planned summit between President Enrique Pena Nieto and Trump over the Republican's demands that Mexico pay for the border wall to stem illegal immigration. Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that he was pulling out of the planned meeting with Trump in Washington next week. He was responding to an earlier tweet from Trump who said it would be better for the Mexican leader not to come if Mexico would not pay for the wall. Trump later presented the scrapped plan as a mutual agreement. Addressing Republican members of Congress at a meeting in Philadelphia, he said he and Pena Nieto had agreed to cancel the meeting, adding it would be fruitless if Mexico did not treat the United States "fairly". "I've said many times that the American people will not pay for the wall," Trump told the gathering. "Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route." Trump views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has long insisted it will not heed Trump's demands to pay for the construction project. Trump, who took office last week, signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday, just as a Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray arrived at the White House for talks with Trump aides aimed at healing ties. The timing of that, and Trump's reiterated call for Mexico to foot the bill, caused outrage in Mexico, with prominent politicians and many on social media seeing at as a deliberate snub to the government's efforts to engage with Trump, who has for months used Mexico as a political punching bag. UNDER PRESSURE Pena Nieto was under pressure to cancel the summit. "We have informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday with @POTUS," he tweeted on Thursday. "Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that favour both nations." Relations have been frayed since Trump launched his campaign in 2015, characterizing Mexican immigrants as murderers and rapists. Trump has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and slap high tariffs on American companies that have moved jobs south of the border. Mexico ships 80 percent of its exports to the United States, and around half of Mexicos foreign direct investment has come from its northern neighbour over the last two decades. "The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers... of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump said in his tweet before the planned Pena Nieto talks were scrapped. The United States runs a $58.8 billion trade deficit with Mexico, according to the latest U.S. government figures. But Mexico is also the United States' second-largest export market. Former foreign minister Jorge Castaneda said the Mexican government should have cancelled the summit earlier in the week, when it became clear that Trump was going to go ahead with measures to build the wall and clamp down on immigration. "There is an atmosphere of crisis in the United States and it is going to last a long time. We are going to have to get used to living like this," he said on Mexican radio. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington and Frank Jack Daniel, Dave Graham and Christine Murray in Mexico City; Editing by Alistair Bell)
A Florida mayor is taking a harder line on immigration in response to President Donald Trumps pledged crackdown on sanctuary cities.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, a Republican who voted for Hillary Clinton, has ordered county jails to comply with federal immigration detention requests, one day after Trump signed an executive order to target undocumented immigrants, the Miami Herald reports. The order threatened to cut funds to sanctuary cities, local governments that dont cooperate fully with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In light of the provisions of the Executive Order, I direct you and your staff to honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security, his brief memo read.

.@MayorGimenez issued this Executive Order early this evening. pic.twitter.com/GPG2SVhufe  Mike Hernandez (@HernandezMA5) January 26, 2017

Although Miami-Dade has never officially declared itself a sanctuary, it has previously refused to indefinitely detain prisoners who are undocumented and wanted by ICE.

In a tweet sent Thursday night, President Trump praised the Gimenez order. Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong! he tweeted.
Miamis mayor, fearing loss of federal funds, Thursday said the city would comply with federal immigration detention requests.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez made the announcement a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to cut aid to any areas that dont cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mayor of other cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, vowed to defy the policy.

Trump praised Gimenez decision.

Miami never called itself a sanctuary city but last year declined to hold 100 people wanted by the immigration officials. Detention would have cost the county $52,000, a fraction of the $355 million it expects to receive in federal funds in 2017.

I want to make sure we dont put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issue, Gimenez told the Miami Herald. It doesnt mean that were going to be arresting more people. It doesnt mean that were going to be enforcing any immigration laws.

Miami-Dade has refused to detain undocumented immigrants indefinitely since 2013 because the federal government does not reimburse the costs.

In light of the provisions of the Executive Order, I direct you and your staff to honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security, Gimenez wrote in a brief memo to Daniel Junior, the interim director of the corrections and rehabilitation department.

By contrast, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to defend all f our people regardless of where they come from, regardless of their immigration status. In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Chicago would remain a sanctuary city: Whether youre from Poland or Pakistan, whether youre from Ireland or India or Israel and whether youre from Mexico or Moldova, where my grandfather came from, you are welcome in Chicago as you pursue the American dream.

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During the election campaign, Trump pledged to deport everyone in the United States illegally. He has since softened that stance, saying his administration would concentrate on 2 million to 3 million criminals.

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The "Manchester by the Sea" actress will play a key role in Jonah Hill's directorial debut, "Mid-90s," which is to enter production in June 2017.

Four-time Academy Award nominated Michelle Williams is in with a shout of picking up her first Oscar this February for her performance in critical darling "Manchester by the Sea," and the one-time "Dawson's Creek" and "Brokeback Mountain" actress is teaming up with Jonah Hill for comedy drama "Mid-90s."

She'll play the co-dependent mother of the central character, Stevie, a high school student who falls in with a group of skateboarders.

Jonah Hill has proven his range in front of camera with memorable performances in comedies "Knocked Up," "Superbad," the "21 Jump Street" movies, "War Dogs" and "Sausage Party"; it was his turns in dramas "Moneyball" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" that earnt recognition from the Oscars academy.

As well as "Mid-90s," Williams has booked the lead role in Janis Joplin biopic "Janis," novel adaptation "Wonderstruck," and P.T. Barnum biopic "The Greatest Showman," the latter two of which are both expected in 2017.
Four days after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, mental health counselors hosted a webinar on how their fellow American Muslims could cope. They surveyed the political landscape: a White House framing Islam itself as a threat, a surge in anti-Muslim hostility and suspicion of immigrants in general.

The counselors offered tips such as limiting time on social media. And they cautioned against withdrawing in discouragement, worried about losing whatever foothold Muslims have gained in public life since the crucible of Sept. 11.

"It's very easy to tell a story of victimization, fear, feeling ... not welcome in our own home," said Ben Herzig, a Massachusetts therapist with a specialty in Muslim mental health. "But the narrative of Islam in American can be a positive one."

While many express alarm at Trump's statements, Muslim leaders are pushing back. They are organizing protests, hosting elected officials at their mosques, building ties with other faith groups and encouraging Muslims to run for elected office. Many of these initiatives had been planned before the general election, but have taken on a new urgency since then.

Trump signed an executive order Friday setting "new vetting measures" to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States.

The order indefinitely stopped Syrian refugee and immigrant entry into the U.S., suspended all refugee entry for four months and suspended refugee admissions for three months from countries with terror concerns, naming majority-Muslim nations including Iraq, Syria and Iran. The new president and his supporters say his measures are needed to strengthen national security.

Farhana Khera, head of the civil rights group Muslim Advocates, said the order "relies on grotesque and bigoted stereotypes of Islam."

In Texas, a state lawmaker recently sent a provocative survey to local Muslim leaders asking, among other things, their views of Islamic law and whether they would pledge not to harm Muslims who left the faith. On Wednesday, a businessman attacked a Muslim airline employee at New York's Kennedy Airport, kicking her, shouting obscenities at her and saying that Trump "will get rid of all of you," authorities said.

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"The discourse has shifted from good Muslims and bad Muslims to 'how bad is the Muslim you're talking about?'" said attorney Hassan Ahmad, an immigration law specialist in Virginia with many clients from Muslim countries.

Muslim leaders acknowledge they are in a relatively weak position from which to advocate, amid the nation's inflamed mood over immigration, religion and terrorism.

The U.S. is home to only about 3.3 million Muslims, which means just a small number of Americans actually know a member of the faith. Many U.S. Muslims come from families that only arrived a generation ago. But they have more organizations, charities and cultural clout than ever, built by a post-9/11 generation eager to assert their American identity.

Companies like Amazon, Nabisco and CoverGirl have recently featured Muslims in their advertisements. The night after Trump's inauguration, comic Aziz Ansari, speaking from one of the most influential platforms in pop culture, as host of "Saturday Night Live," called out anti-Muslim prejudice, white supremacy and other bias that has come to the forefront.

"It's very clear that one of the goals of bigoted language is to make the victims feel isolated and make them feel that they have no allies and they have no power to get them to be silent and intimidate them and make them give up," said Dalia Mogahed, director of research for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, an American Muslim think-tank.

Last month, about 2,600 people filled the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, for an interfaith event expressing support for the community. Among the speakers were U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

This month, Wardah Khalid, a 30-year-old graduate of Texas A&M University, started a Washington organization called Poligon to train American Muslims how to lobby Congress. She got the idea from working as an analyst for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker public policy organization.

"There are other groups visiting (congressional offices) every single day of the year and it makes a difference in terms of policy asks," Khalid said. She said she's received a strong response to the launch on Facebook and through her website. "It got a lot of momentum," Khalid said. "People are finally waking up."

Muslims for American Progress, a project just launched by Mogahed's institute, aims to highlight American Muslim contributions to the country in medicine, science, sports, business and other fields. The profiles are based in part on data the institute has collected about Muslim professionals.

"For 15 years American Muslims have been asked to tell the world what they condemn versus what they contribute, and the conversation in this presidential campaign was with one candidate who thought Muslims were a cancer and the other who basically thought that Muslims were benign and useful as an instrument of counterterrorism. But neither of them understood the value of the American Muslim community to our country outside of counterterror," Mogahed said.

Jerusha Lamptey, a professor of Islam and ministry at Union Theological Seminary, a liberal Christian school in New York, had just wrapped up the school's first leadership training program for Muslim women when details emerged over the last week of Trump's plan to sharply restrict refugee flow.

"The scheduling turned out to be very important because it created something for us to do that was constructive and somewhat hopeful," Lamptey said. "This anxiety for the American Muslim community is not new. But this last year, it's been wildly out of control."

That angst is causing deep fatigue, especially among Muslim college students and parents desperate to protect their children, said Kameelah Rashad, founder of the Philadelphia-based Muslim Wellness Foundation, which educates Muslims on mental health issues. Rashad's son, who is in sixth grade, heard one of his teachers say people upset by Trump's election "should just get over it." Rashad said

"We are such a small minority in the country overall, so it will really just take more than us standing up and saying, 'This is inexcusable,'" Rashad said. "We're very resilient, but we also have to comfort our children. We have to figure out if my place of worship is safe on Friday. How will I be treated at work? There's an emotional exhaustion."

Surveying Trump's first week in office, she said: "I think it will get worse before it gets better."
A mother has fired back at online critics who slammed her for giving her infant daughter a form of physiotherapy that harsh commenters have deemed abusive, saying she believes the mean remarks come from a place of ignorance and that shell do whatever is necessary to make her child feel better.

Daisy Evans, of Birmingham, England, has cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that affects the lungs and pancreas. The 15-week-old baby tested positive for one rare strand and one common strand of the condition, for which there is no cure.

It affects everything, every outing [and] holiday, all the family, for life. We never get a day off, Daisys mother, Sam Carrier, told InsideEdition.com.

As the mother-of-two and her family learned what caring for Daisy would entail, she decided to share parts of their life with others in an effort to spread awareness and help raise funds for research into medications and a possible cure.

Carrier created the Daisy Evans Journey Facebook page, posting updates on her little girls progress and insights to their daily life.

Read: Boy With Severe Disabilities, 3, Becomes Victim Of Heartbreaking Internet Meme

On December 24, Carrier shared what her daughters morning physio looks like, writing, I realize this is shocking if you dont realize why. But trust me its not as shocking for u as it is for us [cystic fibrosis] moms/ dads who are told when our babies are 2 and a half weeks old that we need to do this to our child to try prevent lung damage.

Carrier included an almost five-minute-long video to Facebook of the therapy, showing a relaxed Daisy lying in her lap as she patted firmly on the babys chest.

"The treatment lasts 25 minutes and is 3 times a day. It doesn't hurt her we are taught how to do it properly so it doesnt. Generally she just falls asleep," Carrier wrote. "Or she lies there smiling at me. It makes them feel better. Its like when we have an irritating cough and we finally get it off our chest, how much better we feel. This is what it does for them."

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Though many Facebook users wrote messages of support, some online commenters who apparently didnt understand what the 29-year-old mother was doing accused her of abuse, she said.

Youll break her ribs, one user wrote.

Read: Megyn Kelly Faces Hateful Amazon Reviews For New Book

Omg stop, another posted.

Some were less polite, resorting to insults and threats to voice their disapproval, Carrier said.

I did start to get messages calling me a f****** b****, a child abuse[r], one woman said I was a waste [of] sperm and someone said that me and Daisy should be killed, she told Edition.com.

Carrier doesnt regret posting the video of the therapy session  something she needs to do for her daughter up to four times a day  saying she was proud of the awareness the video and ensuing attention has led to.

Speaking directly to her trolls, Carrier said: Id first [say] educate yourselves before you accuse people of beating their child. Im extremely strong so [the comments] never upset me."

Most of all, what matters is Daisy, Carrier said.

Referring to her as their perfect beautiful little girl, Carrier wrote on a JustGiving page dedicated to her daughter, We love you so much and will fight for your right to a life unlimited every day."

Watch: Mother Survives 6 Days Without Lungs Before Transplant: 'I Would Have Died'

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RABAT (Reuters) - Moroccan authorities said on Friday they had arrested seven suspected militants linked to Islamic State and seized weapons and explosive belts. A statement from the interior ministry said the group had ties with commanders of the Sunni Islamist group in Syria, Iraq and Libya and had set up a hideout in the coastal town of El-Jadida. It said the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation seized an assault rifle, seven pistols, ammunition and bomb-making material. Authorities said they also found two explosive belts in the raids in El-Jadida, Sale and other towns. Morocco, a Western ally against Islamist militancy, says that since 2002 it has dismantled more than 150 militant cells linked to groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined militant groups in the Middle East and Libya. Security experts say some try to return and create new jihadi groups in their home countries. Authorities blamed Islamists for a bomb which killed 17 people at a tourist cafe in the city of Marrakesh in 2011. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by Patrick Markey and Andrew Roche)
By Gina Cherelus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Massachusetts man who prosecutors said yelled that President Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you" after assaulting a female Muslim employee at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport faces nine hate crime charges.

Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester attacked Rabeeya Khan, who was wearing a hijab, or head scarf, while she was working at Delta Airlines' Sky Lounge on Wednesday evening, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement on Thursday.

Rhodes, who was waiting for a connecting flight home after arriving from Aruba, approached the door of the office where Khan was working and said: "Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?"

He punched the door, which struck Khan's chair, and then threatened her and kicked her in the right leg, according to Brown's statement.

Khan tried to flee, but Rhodes blocked her until a passerby stopped and attempted to calm him down, the statement said.

She was then able run out of the office. Rhodes followed her to the lounge's front desk, where he got down on his knees and began to bow in imitation of a Muslim praying, prosecutors said.

"Trump is here now," Rhodes shouted, according to Brown's statement. "He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens."

According to the statement, Khan suffered pain in her right leg and was afraid Rhodes would hurt her more.

Delta spokesman Anthony Black said Khan worked for an Israeli company that provides services to the airline, which had reached out to her employer to offer support.

In a statement, the airline said: "People who are violent or exhibit bullying behavior are not welcome."

Rhodes is due to be arraigned in Queens Criminal Court, where he will face nine hate crime charges, including third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and first-degree harassment. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.

An official at Brown's office said contact details for Rhodes' lawyer were not immediately available.

(Additional reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Lisa Von Ahn)
By Nick Mulvenney MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal had to be at his battling best to outlast Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 5-7 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-4 at the Australian Open on Friday and set up a mouth-watering ninth grand slam final meeting with his great rival Roger Federer. The Spaniard looked every inch a 14-times grand slam champion as he slugged it out with his 25-year-old opponent over nearly five hours on Rod Laver Arena to reach his first major final since the 2014 French Open and 21st overall. "Grigor was playing unbelievable, it was a great match," the 30-year-old said. "I think both of us deserve to be in that final, it was a great fight. Finally it was me, I feel lucky and I am very happy for that." With 35-year-old Serena Williams facing her 36-year-old sister Venus in Saturday's women's final and a rested Federer, 35, waiting for Nadal on Sunday, it is the first time in the open era that all four grand slam finalists have been over 30. Dimitrov, riding high on a 10-match winning streak and seeking his first grand slam final, did his best to keep the twentysomething standard flying into the weekend. There were no signs of the mental frailties that have prevented Dimitrov from fulfilling the potential promised by his nickname "BabyFed" as he went blow-for-blow with the powerful left-hander. "It's never easy to lose a match like that," said Dimitrov, who hit 79 winners. "But it also shows me that I'm on the right path. At least one thing I can say is I left it all out there on court." Ninth seed Nadal was forced to save two break points in the opening game alone, setting the tone for a frenetic evening. The 2009 champion soon hit his stride, though, and a booming pass that the world number 15 was unable to get back gave Nadal a break for 3-1 and he wrapped up the opening set in 35 minutes. The Bulgarian refused to buckle, though, and pounced to break to love for a 3-1 lead in the second set, Nadal perhaps distracted by a time violation warning. From there, the set descended into chaos with both players broken twice and Nadal forced to save four set points before Dimitrov evened up the contest on the fifth. The break points continued to come thick and fast in the third set, Nadal converting his third and Dimitrov his fourth to keep the set on serve. BLISTERING FOREHAND After a short break while a spectator received medical attention, Nadal held for 6-6 and the set went into a tiebreaker. Nadal missed a large part of the 2016 season because of a wrist injury but proved there was nothing wrong with his fitness as he scrapped to go 2-1 up, sealing the deal with a blistering forehand which Dimitrov parried into the net. Another tiebreaker looked inevitable when the break points dried up in the fourth set, and Dimitrov quickly took control before serving up a 195 kph bomb to send the contest into a decider. There were chances for both men in the fifth but, with midnight long past, Nadal came to the net to punch a backhand into the back court, break for 5-4 and earn the right to serve for the match. Still Dimitrov would not lie down, though, and Nadal needed three match points to win his 12th straight grand slam semi-final and reach his fourth Australian Open final. "It's special to play Roger again in the final of a grand slam, I cannot lie," Nadal added. "I need to go back to the hotel, to rest well, and to recover." (Editing by Ed Osmond)
The National Park Service and NASA set up rogue Twitter accounts.

NASA and the National Park Service are just two of the latest government agencies that have defied the Donald Trump administration and launched rogue Twitter accounts that are beyond the reach of the government.

The Donald Trump administration has recently placed new orders that aim to limit contact with the public from various government agencies, including the National Park Service, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Despite the fact that these government agencies are funded by taxpayers, the new Trump administration is placing bans on certain social media postings.

Earlier this week on the official Twitter account of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, National Park officials posted a tweet on the detrimental affects of global warming. This post was later deleted and there was a huge public outcry over the idea of the Trump administrations censorship, as NPR reported.

Michael Meyer discusses NASAs Mars Exploration Project on November 5, 2015. NASA have set up their own rogue Twitter resistance account in defiance of Donald Trumps administration. [Image by Win McNamee/Getty Images]

Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years. #climate.

However, earlier this week the National Park Service launched their own rogue Twitter account at @AltNatParkSer which is beyond the reach of the Trump administration as it is an unofficial account. On their Twitter account, they note that they are the unofficial resistance team of the National Park Service and are not taxpayer subsidized.

Click here to continue and read more...

NASA And The National Park Service Launch Rogue Twitter Accounts In Defiance Of Donald Trump Administration is an article from: The Inquisitr News
By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA on Friday marked the 50th anniversary of Apollo 1's fatal launchpad fire with the first public display of the scorched hatch that trapped three astronauts in the spaceship during a routine pre-launch test. NASA astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee died when thick smoke filled the crew module of the Apollo 1 capsule on Jan. 27, 1967. The men were unable to open the capsule's three-part hatch before being overcome by smoke. Emergency rescue teams rushed to battle the fire at the launchpad, located at what is now Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, but were too late. The hatch has now been taken out of storage and incorporated into a new display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to honor the fallen astronauts and serve as a reminder of the risks of spaceflight. "Had that accident occurred in space, we'd have never known exactly what had happened," former Gemini and Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford said at a ceremony to mark the exhibit's opening. Investigators discovered several problems with the Apollo capsule design that led to the fire, including an electrical wiring issue, a pure-oxygen environment and flammable materials throughout the crew cabin. NASA made dozens of changes and resumed flying in October 1968, setting the stage for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969. The deaths of these "three great heroes ... helped save at least one other in flight, maybe two," Stafford added. The ceremony was one of several events this week where NASA also paid tribute to the Space Shuttle Challenger crew, killed during launch on Jan. 28, 1986, and the Shuttle Columbia astronauts, who died when the spaceship broke apart as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003. A private evening service is being held on the launchpad where the Apollo 1 fire occurred. Kennedy Space Center director and former shuttle astronaut Bob Cabana, who spearheaded the new exhibit, said it is intended to highlight the importance of a work culture where people feel free to voice concerns. Management and communications problems contributed to both space shuttle accidents, investigators found. NASA is preparing to turn over crew flights to the International Space Station to privately owned by SpaceX and Boeing Co as early as 2018. Cabana said the companies must learn from NASA's mistakes. "I always have concerns," Cabana said in an interview. "We have to continue to speak up and make sure that everyone is heard." (Reporting by Irene Klotz; editing by Colleen Jenkins, G Crosse)
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli police have questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the third time as part of a corruption investigation into allegations that he improperly accepted gifts and tried to trade favors with an Israeli newspaper.

The Haaretz daily and other outlets say Netanyahu was questioned on Friday. Most details of the spiraling scandal have emerged from media reports.

Police are interrogating the prime minister for allegedly receiving gifts from high-powered Hollywood and business figures and separately over secret talks with the publisher of Yediot Ahronot, a major Israeli newspaper, for positive coverage in exchange for diminishing impact of a free pro-Netanyahu daily in 2014.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, portraying the accusations as a witch hunt against him and his family by a hostile media opposed to his hard-line political views.
CAIRO (AP)  Hamas, the ruling Palestinian movement of the Gaza Strip, concluded a "successful" visit to Egypt on Friday, according to Egypt's state-run news agency, the first visit by the group's top leader in over three years.

Hamas top official Ismail Haniyeh and his delegation departed Egypt to return to Gaza after talks with the country's security and political authorities, including intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy, Egypt's MENA reported. The two sides discussed Israel's blockade of Gaza, Palestinian reconciliation and the lingering power outage in the strip.

The agency quoted Hamas' statement as saying the talks will have "positive results" on the situation in Gaza. It said that the delegation stressed that it doesn't interfere in Egypt's internal affairs.

"The Egyptian brothers have presented a comprehensive vision on all issues ... such vision will have positive results on the Egyptian and the Palestinian people," it said.

The agency gave no further details on future arrangements. But Haniyah posted on his Twitter saying after arriving in Gaza that the relations with Egypt will witness "paradigm shifts."

Egypt's relations with Hamas deteriorated since the 2013 military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood group, Hamas' mother movement. Authorities accused the group of supporting militants to carry out attacks in Egypt.

For most of the past decade, Egypt has been a quiet partner with Israel in the blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, stifling the economy and largely blocking its 2 million people from moving in and out of the territory.

In recent months, Cairo has increased the number of people allowed to exit through the Rafah border crossing, Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. It also has begun to allow Gaza to import commercial goods through Rafah for the first time since 2013, and sent public signals that it is interested in improving relations.

Haniyeh left Gaza in September to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca  the first time Egypt allowed him to leave the territory since Morsi's ouster. He then went to Qatar to see Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal.
Musician, author and actor Nick Cave is one of three songwriters to become an Officer of the General Division of the Order of Australia as part of 2017's Australia Day celebrations.

Well known as the frontman for The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Grinderman, Cave received the January 26 honor for "distinguished service to the performing arts as a musician, songwriter, author and actor, nationally and internationally, and as a major contributor to Australian music culture and heritage."

Joining him from the musical fraternity are Scottish-born Australian chart-maker Jimmy Barnes and a third accomplished Aussie rocker, Paul Kelly.
ABUJA (Reuters) - A Nigerian court has ordered the temporary forfeiture of assets and the transfer of operations of a long-disputed oilfield owned by Shell and Eni, among others, to the federal government, court papers released on Thursday showed. The court orders will last until Nigeria's anti-corruption agency concludes an investigation into how the current owners acquired oil prospecting licence (OPL) 245, the papers said. This is the latest of many inquiries, including by Dutch and Italian authorities, into the 2011 purchase of the OPL 245 block which could hold up to 9.23 billion barrels of oil, according to industry figures. The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria declined to comment. Eni did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Additional reporting by Libby George in London; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by Alexander Smith)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi father pleaded guilty Friday in the hot car death of his baby daughter but won't go to prison, under a deal with prosecutors.

Joshua Blunt, 26, pleaded guilty to culpable negligence manslaughter and was given a five-year suspended sentence. His attorney, Carlos Moore, said Blunt agreed to the plea after the prosecutor in Grenada County acknowledged Blunt did not intentionally kill 8-month-old Shania Rihanna Caradine.

The child died last May 19 after being found unconscious in Blunt's car, where she was left while he worked at a restaurant job in Grenada, a town about 100 miles north of Jackson.

In August, grand jurors in another Mississippi county declined to indict a white mother whose 2-year-old died in a hot car eight days before Shania died.

Moore has repeatedly said he believes Blunt, an African-American, was treated more harshly because of his race. Blunt forgot his baby was in the car, and that's something that could happen to many parents, Moore said.

"There are no winners here," Moore said in a statement Friday. "A child is dead, Mr. Blunt is a convicted felon, and the state did not get Mr. Blunt behind prison bars as it had so desired prior to today. I personally am sick and happy at the same time."

District Attorney Doug Evans did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday, but a court clerk confirmed details about Blunt's plea and sentence. His trial had been scheduled to begin next Monday.

Blunt has been free on bond since five days after his daughter's death. He originally was charged with second-degree murder, which would entail a maximum sentence of life in prison. In July, a grand jury indicted him on the reduced charge of manslaughter.

Blunt's fiancee and the mother of Shania, Shanice Caradine, is pregnant, and Moore said Blunt didn't want to risk facing a possible 20-year prison sentence by going to trial.

Shanice Caradine said in a sworn court statement in August that she did not think Blunt should be charged in the death of their daughter: "I honestly believe that it was a tragic accident."

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Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus .
New York (AFP) - Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani student activist and Nobel Peace laureate, said Friday she was "heartbroken" by Donald Trump's order on refugees and urged the US president not to abandon the world's "most defenseless."

"I am heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war," said the 19-year-old, shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 after publicly advocating education for girls in her home country.

"In this time of uncertainty and unrest around the world, I ask President Trump not to turn his back on the world's most defenseless children and families," she added in a statement just moments after Trump signed the decree.

Yousafzai is the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which she shared in 2014 with India's Kailash Satyarthi, a fellow education activist.

Now living in England, she made a remarkable recovery after undergoing medical treatment and has traveled the world as a campaigner.

"I am heartbroken that America is turning its back on a proud history of welcoming refugees and immigrants -- the people who helped build your country, ready to work hard in exchange for a fair chance at a new life," she said.

The decree signed by Trump was entitled: "Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States."

The White House did not immediately make the wording public, but a draft text leaked to US media said it would suspend the entire US refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days while tough new vetting rules are established.

In addition, it specifically bars Syrian refugees from the United States indefinitely, or until Trump decides that they no longer pose a threat.

"I am heartbroken that Syrian refugee children, who have suffered through six years of war by no fault of their own, are singled out for discrimination," said Yousafzai.

She named a friend who had fled wars in Somalia, Yemen and Egypt to study in the United States, where she had hoped to be reunited with her sister.

"Today her hope of being reunited with her precious sister dims," she said.
Ottawa (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Thursday again lambasted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), calling it a "one-sided deal" that cost the United States jobs and generated a $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico.

Trump has demanded that the deal be renegotiated or, failing that, scrapped, but the 23-year-old pact has significantly boosted trade among Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The following explains what NAFTA entails, who benefits -- and who would lose if the agreement were to be changed.

- What is NAFTA? -

The agreement came into force in 1994 and remains one of the most important trade pacts in the world, allowing nearly unfettered access for goods and services to a combined market of 478 million people in Canada, Mexico and the United States. It was negotiated by the Republican administration of George H.W. Bush but was signed by his Democratic successor Bill Clinton.

It replaced a 1989 bilateral free trade agreement between Canada and the United States, which Ottawa has said it will fall back on if NAFTA is ripped up.

NAFTA removed most tariffs on goods traded between the three partners, liberalized investment rules and allowed greater movement of workers between the countries.

Some goods are exempted from the accord, such as softwood lumber, which Canada and the United States have repeatedly fought over.

- NAFTA advantages -

Prior to Trump's election, officials in the three countries routinely promoted free trade, notably praising their close ties under NAFTA, saying the accord had created jobs and wealth.

According to the NAFTA secretariat, nearly 40 million new jobs were created, including 25 million in the United States, over the first 15 years after the pact was ratified.

Canada raked in the largest share of foreign investment, ahead of the United States and Mexico.

- Trade explosion -

With the elimination of tariffs, trade between the three nations has exploded; however, that has aggravated trade imbalances between Mexico and the United States.

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Mexican exports to the United States increased sevenfold between 1993 and 2016, but less than threefold to Canada.

The US trade deficit with Mexico went from a US$1.6 billion surplus on the eve of NAFTA to a US$60 billion deficit last year, according to US government figures. Even so, US exports to Mexico surged to US$212 trillion last year from just US$42 billion in 1993.

However, a large part of the US deficit is from petroleum imports, which were US$12.5 billion from Mexico and US$55 billion from Canada in 2015.

Canada's trade deficit with Mexico also widened to US$7.5 billion in 2016, according to Canadian government statistics.

- Mexico-US trade -

Moving factories and jobs from the United States to Mexico has changed the dynamic of the trade relationship. There is a total of US$531 billion in two-way trade and Mexico is the third largest US trading partner. Some 80 percent of Mexico's exports go to the United States.

US automakers often send parts back and forth across the border before a car or truck is fully assembled. The US trade deficit in transportation equipment with Mexico has nearly tripled to US$64 billion in the 10 years to 2015.

Trade in agricultural and food products is balanced, but the United States has a small deficit with Mexico in clothing and textiles. And the US Trade Representative (USTR) said there was a US$9 billion surplus in services.

- Who is hurt if NAFTA dissolves? -

The main victims should NAFTA dissolve are the workers in the export industries.

Canada, which sends 75 percent of its exports to the United States, accounting for 20 percent of the country's economy, may be insulated since it could return to its bilateral free trade agreement with the United States if NAFTA vanishes.

Mexico had 2.5 million people employed in export-oriented manufacturing industries last year, including autos and machinery which are among the biggest categories of exports to the US market.

Another 270,000 are employed in other manufacturing industries, and nearly seven million in agriculture and fishing. Mexico is the second biggest supplier of agricultural goods to the United States, at US$21 billion in 2015.

According to the US Commerce Department, exports of goods and services to Mexico alone supported an estimated 1.1 million American jobs in 2014. And those jobs pay an estimate 15 to 20 percent more on average than jobs lost to trade.

In addition, the borderless trade reduces costs for consumers in all three countries. Although critics argue it has also held down wages.

- Canada, US still richest -

Despite attracting American and Canadian companies and creating jobs under NAFTA, Mexico's economic growth continues to trail both Canada and the United States and nearly half of its population of 120 million people lives in poverty.

Mexican per capita gross domestic product increased by a factor of 1.6 between 1993 and 2015, according to the World Bank. By contrast Canadian and US per capita growth more than doubled.

With a per capita GDP of about US$9,000 in 2015, Mexico trails Canada (US$43,300) and the United States (US$56,115).
On Wednesday, President Trump made good on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration, signing executive orders that will commence the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and eliminate federal funding to sanctuary cities. He also took some first steps to ramp up deportations of immigrants who are living in the country illegally by increasing the number of immigration patrol and enforcement officers and expanding priority deportations to include those with even minor criminal offenses. And Trump has promised more, including dismantling the Obama administrations deferred action programs that were designed to keep children together with their parents by protecting them from deportation if they met certain requirements and registered with the government.

But lost amid the anti-immigrant bluster of his campaign, the flurry of executive orders, and the whirlwind of partisan politics in Washington, is a stubborn fact: Very few Americans, and even few Republicans, say their preferred policy solution to the countrys illegal immigration problem is the deportation of an estimated 11 million people. That is the clear result of a study based on over 120,000 interviews with Americansincluding 40,509 conducted during the 2016 campaignthat was conducted by my organization, PRRI, over the last three years.

Through the ups and downs of immigration-reform legislation and even under the darker shadows of the 2016 election season, American opinions about concrete policy solutions have remained remarkably stable. When asked about how the immigration system should deal with immigrants who are currently living in the country illegally, the new study found nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans say we should allow them a way to become citizens provided they meet certain requirements, and another 15 percent say we should allow them a way to become permanent legal residents but not citizens. Only 16 percent of Americans, and only 28 percent of Republicans, say their preferred policy option is to identify and deport those who are living in the country without legal documentation.

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If these findings seem surprising, it is because they are certainly dissonant with the loudest rhetoric around immigration in the country today. But they are corroborated by poll after poll. A CBS News poll released last week found nearly identical results. When asked about what to do about illegal immigrants living in the country today, 61 percent say they should be allowed to stay in the U.S. and eventually apply for citizenship, and another 13 percent say they should be allowed to stay in the U.S. legally, but not be allowed to apply for citizenship. Only 22 percent of Americans, and only 37 percent of Republicans, say they should be required to leave the U.S. A two-way question in a Gallup poll conducted last June found that 84 percent of Americans favor allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time. Among Republicans, 76 percent favored a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, compared to 24 percent who opposed it.

Recommended: The Dog-Whistle Secret Code of 'Voter Fraud'

While the depictions of immigrants at the two political party conventions this summer could not have been more starkmurderers killing neighbors at the first, and soldiers dying for their country at the secondthese surveys are reminders that the differences between everyday Americans on this issue are more of degree than kind. Even conservative Republicans, for example, are twice as likely to support some legal recognition for illegal immigrants than to support deportation.

And even in states where Trumps assertion that he won in a landslide is true, these patterns persist. In West Virginia, which Trump won by 42 percentage points, only 29 percent favor deportation; and in Oklahoma, which Trump won by 36 percentage points, only 20 percent favor deportation as their preferred policy solution. There is no state in the countrywhether red, purple, or bluein which a majority prefers deportation as the means of solving the countrys illegal immigration problem.

Recommended: What Does the Billionaire Family Backing Donald Trump Really Want?

It turns out that even though Democrats and Republicans have different concerns about the economic and cultural impact of immigrants, Americans of both parties approach solutions to this thorny problem with a heavy dose of realism and practicality. They understand that many illegal immigrants have been here for decades, harvesting American crops, constructing our buildings, and cleaning our housesall with eyes fixed on a better future for their kids. Regardless of their policy preference, seven in 10 Americans say it would be very difficult to deport everyone who is living in the country illegally. Of course, Democrats and Republicans may come to this conclusion by different paths. Democrats and liberals tend to focus on the humanitarian impacts of what a massive deportation program would mean for immigrant families who are often of mixed legal status. And Republicans and conservatives voice concerns that such an undertaking would require one of the most expensive and massive government programs ever launched.

The key to understanding these surprising numbers is to understand that most Americans approach the issue of immigration not ideologically but from a place of pragmatism tempered by compassion. There were ugly, nativist elements in this election, and some found a home in Trumps campaign. These fearful and reactionary tendencies have historically appeared under the banner of populism. But if Trump wants to truly give the government back to the people, as he claimed in his inaugural address, he must understand that a harsh deportation regime does not represent the views of the country, or even of his own supporters.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
The U.K. governments eagerness to seal a lucrative post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. may obscure an unpleasant truth for President Donald Trump: many people in the nation of his mothers birth despise him and everything he stands for.

Prime Minister Theresa May will be the first world leader to meet Trump as president on Friday. May and her allies are pragmatists, who view the building of a relationship with the President to be in Britains overall interests. Closer economic ties with the U.S. could be essential for when the U.K. leaves the European Union and membership of its single market, which is worth about 4% to its economy.

But, back at home, there is anger  particularly among the left  at what some view as the government cosying up to a figure who has, in their view, legitimized racism and sexism ever since running for office. They do not believe, as May said yesterday, that opposites attract in the world of politics.

That anger could be seen on the streets of London on Jan. 21, as 100,000 marched as part of the global Womens March movement, supported by such diverse groups as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Greenpeace, Oxfam GB, Solidarity with Refugees, and Black Pride. As in the U.S. marches, many held anti-Trump signs and effigies of the President.

Theres a huge amount of anger in the U.K. at the reality of what is now a President Trump, says Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the U.Ks Green Party. Hes already starting to tear up climate change agreements. The womens march was anti-Trump and anti his values  British people, for example, wanted to stand up for the Mexicans on the other side of his wall.

The British population are horrified by Trump for his aggressive loose cannon tendencies and their view of him as a dictator in American caricature form, says Dr Mike Galsworthy, co-founder of Scientists for E.U., which also backed the marches.

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The Womens March was primarily about the effect Trumps policies could have on women, of course, and many at the London march were focused on access to healthcare for women. Although the campaign to defund Planned Parenthood is being driven by the Republican-led Congress, one of Trumps first acts was an aggressive expansion of the global gag rule on abortions, to apply to every health organization that receives U.S. government funding. If abortion is even mentioned by, for example, an organization that treats HIV/Aids in Africa, they risk losing all their U.S. state funding.

He threatens the essential freedoms of women, Sophie Walker, leader of the Womens Equality Party, tells TIME. He wants to curtail reproductive health, which denies womens rights over their bodies  a fundamental human right.

The ascent of a President widely accused of sexism and misogyny ensures women will remain second class citizens, Walker adds. Hes normalising misogyny  at a time in Britain where a similar right-wing populism could be emboldened by Trumps actions. Theresa May needs to raise all this with Donald Trump when she goes and talks to him. Theres no point being a woman in a powerful position if it doesnt produce opportunities for other women.

Activists and labor unions fear a Trump presidency will turn up the volume on the kinds of xenophobic and anti-immigration rhetoric that flourished during the campaign to leave the E.U. Malia Bouattia, president of the National Union of Students and a black Muslim, says: Trumps policies threaten every aspect of my identity, and the identity of thousands of students across the U.K. Since Brexit weve seen hate crime rise in the U.K, and the election of Trump gives further validation to a culture of hate across the world.

Others simply fear a deal with Trumps White House will not work out well for Britain. Len McCluskey, general secretary of the U.K.s biggest labor union, Unite, says bi-lateral [trade agreements] negotiated with an America First president will not be in the countrys best interests. It is hard to see what the U.K. can secure from Donald Trump without paying a heavy price in our safety standards, living standards, and, I fear, our National Health Service which has long been a target of the voracious U.S. private healthcare providers. The Prime Minister must proceed with extreme caution.

May does receive some surprise sympathy from an old political foe: Alastair Campbell, who was press secretary to Labour Party Prime Minister Tony Blair, says the Prime Minister is stuck between a rock and a hard place on Trump. Its a difficult position to be in. Trumps a president that most people find appalling, he tells TIME. But a Prime Minister has a responsibility to have good relations with the U.S. My worry is that shell be so desperate to do a deal that she wont have the ability to stand up for our values.
NEW YORK (AP)  When Armando Lucas Correa was a child in Havana, his grandma would say that "for the next 100 years Cuba would pay for what it did to the Jewish refugees."

She was referring to the case of the St. Louis, a transatlantic liner that arrived from Hamburg with more than 900 immigrants fleeing Nazi Germany, which Cuba rejected after letting in only 28 passengers. Also rejected by the United States, the ship was forced to go back to Europe, where 287 passengers were given asylum by Great Britain. From the rest, many died in concentration camps.

The story led Correa to write his acclaimed debut novel, "The German Girl."

"I grew up with that, arguing with my grandmother, blaming (Fulgencio) Batista, that was the chief of the army, discussing who was to blame, how did they not accept those Jews, saying that it was a disgrace," Correa said in a recent interview in New York, where he lives and works as editor-in-chief of People en Espanol.

Published by Atria Books in Spanish and English (with a translation by Nick Caistor), "The German Girl" follows Hannah, a young Berliner who arrives in Cuba with her family on the St. Louis, and Anna, a girl of the same age living in today's New York, whose paths intertwine. It is narrated in the first person by the two girls in alternate chapters that take them from Germany's capital to the Big Apple and a colorful Havana.

The first line of the novel captures the reader's attention: "I was almost twelve years old when I decided to kill my parents," Hannah says.

"The beginning started as a page, that page turned into three paragraphs, those three paragraphs into one until I got to that sole phrase," Correa said. "I wanted to get you inside of that world and see the level of desperation of a girl that can make such a drastic decision."

After a long and obsessive research process  Correa not only read all the books about the St. Louis, he also brought them along with many related artifacts  the author shaped his novel inspired by his own family's experiences and found the voice of his young Hannah at home: "All the time, while I was writing, I thought about my daughter. I felt like a father to those children," he said.

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He recalled that when he started middle school in Cuba, he was taught Russian, not English, so his grandmother would send him to get English lessons from a grouchy German teacher that all the kids hated  they called him the Nazi.

"Then, when I went to college, I learned from a friend that that old man was actually a Jewish refugee that my grandmother was helping," Correa said.

Hannah, when growing up in Cuba, becomes an English teacher who's called "the Nazi" by the children. Her mother, Alma, says in her old age that Cuba will pay for what it had done for the next 100 years.

Correa has met with some of the St. Louis survivors. He plans to write two more books about their stories.

___

Sigal Ratner-Arias is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sigalratner

___

Online:

http://www.armandolucascorrea.com/
What does it take to be an Airbnb host, and better yet, a superhost who racks up 5-star reviews? Search Airbnb's superhost listings and you get a sense of the space thats for rent, house rules, and important amenities, such as WiFi and free parking. Hosting is competitive, and Airbnb claims more than 2 million listings worldwide. And they aren't the only optionVacation Rental By Owner and HomeAway, among others, also offer vacation rentals.



Airbnb, for one, gives off a casual, cool vibe, despite shaking up the hospitality industry. But hosting on Airbnb and other rental operations is a business, with the rules spelled out. Its essential that the space you rent out is clean, and that any electronics and appliances work. If you have the space, it's nice to create a living area devoted to guestsit's less disruptive to your family routine.



Once youve figured out who your Airbnb guests arefamilies, business travelers, bohemians on a tight budgetyoull then have a good idea what they expect and would like. Here are five essentials for hosting, plus three nice extras, with standouts from Consumer Reports tests.

Airbnb Basics

Keyless Lock

Why worry about key exchanges, lost keys, and where your house key might wind up? An electronic lock or even one that gives you remote-control access eliminates those worries. Consumer Reports' past tests found that the $200 Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt with Alarm BE469NX CAM 619 was the best of the connected models, and allows you to program temporary codes for Airbnb guests. See this lock buying guide to get started.

CO and Smoke Detectors

Airbnb urges hosts to install smoke and CO detectors in the rented space, and if you dont, then mention that in your listing (some municipalities require them). The $30 First Alert 3120B was the best of the dual sensor smoke alarms, which detects both fires that flare, and fires that smolder. Among CO detectors, the $30 First Alert CO615 was tops. This smoke detector and CO alarm buying guide highlights your options, and our smoke and CO alarm ratings include smoke, CO, and interconnected models that communicate with each other.

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Mattresses

Lumpy, uncomfortable, and funky mattresses wont do. A bad nights sleep will probably be mentioned in Airbnb guests' reviews. A solution is to buy an affordable mattress that earned good scores for support in our tests. The Denver Mattress Doctors Choice was a winner, and at $500 for a queen size, the price is appealing. See Best Mattresses for Guest Rooms for other comfortable, affordable beds.

Coffee Maker

Without caffeine in the morning, some of us are grumpy (and may write snarky reviews). The $100 Cuisinart Perfec Temp DCC-2800 was the best of the drip coffee makers tested. Our coffee maker ratings spill the beans on dozens of other models.

Nice Extras

These three items are essential for some Airbnb guests, while others might consider them nice-to-haves. It all goes back to who you think your guests are.



Electric Tea Kettle

They're popular abroad, so some travelers may expect an electric kettle here. It quickly brings water to a boil for tea, instant oatmeal, or late-night ramen noodles. The stylish Capresso H20Plus, $70, holds 6 cups of water, and reached a raucous boil in less than 4 minutes. The $20 Hamilton Beach 40998 was about as fast, and holds 4 cups of water. Read "The Best Electric Tea Kettles" for all the details.

Microwave

A countertop microwave can come in handy for a family that wants to eat a quick breakfast before leaving in the morning, or for heating those restaurant leftovers after a long day of sightseeing. Three affordable midsized microwaves top our microwave tests, including the LG LCS1112ST, $140, the Avanti MO1250TW, $130, and the Kenmore 72123, $150.

Television

Family friendly is highly searched on Airbnb, and for Airbnb guests, relaxing in front of the TV after a day of sightseeing is welcomed. The 50-inch Samsung UN55KU6300, $800, will impress and is recommended by our testers. Our television ratings include less expensive TVs, such as the $550 Sharp LC-50N7000U, a 50-inch model that's also recommended, as well as TVs with smaller screens and lower price tags.







More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2017 Consumers Union of U.S.
By Mubasher Bukhari ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani police said they filed a criminal case against the parents of slain social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch, alleging they were bribed to change their testimony to protect one of two sons facing trial in her suspected 'honor killing'. Baloch, an avowed feminist whose raunchy photos posted online challenged social norms in Pakistan, was found strangled in July at her parents' home in Muzzafarabad, a village near the city of Multan in eastern Punjab province. Her death drew renewed attention to the practice, widespread in Pakistan, of relatives killing women thought to have brought shame on their family. The government has since tightened legislation against such 'honor killings', including removing the right of families to forgive those responsible. Baloch's parents, Muhammad Azeem and Anwar Bibi, had originally implicated two of their sons in the killing, but in court proceedings on Wednesday they said their elder son, Aslam Shaheen, was not involved. In a First Information Report (FIR), which marks the formal opening of a criminal investigation, Muzzafarabad police officer Allah Bakhsh alleged seeing Baloch's parents receive an envelope from Aslam Shaheen outside the courthouse in Multan, where the murder case is being heard. "He told them that he has fulfilled their demand. Now, they should record their statement in the court in his favor," reads the FIR, indicating that the parents had taken a bribe to change their testimony. Baloch's parents denied the accusation "We had wrongly nominated Aslam Shaheen in Baloch's murder case. It was the outcome of anger," Muhammad Azeem and Anwar Bibi told a news conference outside their home. Baloch received frequent online abuse including death threats before her murder but refused to back down, writing in one Facebook post about changing "the typical orthodox mindset" of people in Pakistan. (Writing by Saad Sayeed; editing by John Stonestreet)
The world is one step closer to a human animal hybrid, according to researchers at the Salk Institute in La, Jolla, California. Stem cell scientists created a pig embryo partially made up of human cells, successfully overcoming a major hurdle in growing human organs in animals for transplants.

We see the human cells become the precursors of the cardiomyocytes  the heart  and also the liver, the pancreas and the gut, Jason Wu, a scientist at the Salk Institute and the studys lead author, told San Diego Public Radio. So the potential is here.

The research team, whose work was published Thursday in Cell magazine, is hoping to eventually be able to take human cells from a patient in need of a transplant then grow them in an animal embryo in order to transplant them back into the patient without being rejected.

The resulting pig embryo with human cells is known as a chimera, the name for an animal with a combination of cells from different species. However, the creation of chimeras, and research with stem cells in general, is not without issues. The topic is hotly debated and the ethics, to some, are murky. Stem cells come from a human blastula, the cluster of cells that grows from a fertilized egg. Critics of the research argue that using blastulas destroys what is technically an unborn child, while proponents say that a blastula is not yet a child.

Chimeras, on the other hand, run the risk of consciousness or having human-like features if a high enough concentration of human cells is added to the brain, according to a report published in Stem Cell Research and Therapy.

The success of the experiment bodes well for human organ transplants, complicated medical procedures that often result in the bodys rejection of the organ or death before an organ can be acquired.

The advances here make me confident that a solution will be found and human organs will be made routinely in animals, Scripps Research Institute stem cell scientist Jeanne Loring told San Diego Public Radio.

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There are currently more than 119,000 people on the national waiting list for a transplant, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and 22 people die every day while waiting for a transplant.

GettyImages-103686234

Photo: Getty

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Washington (AFP) - US Defense Secretary James Mattis has assured European counterparts about Washington's commitment to NATO, officials said Friday, as President Donald Trump plans to speak to the leaders of France, Germany and Russia.

Mattis spoke by phone to the defense ministers of France, Germany and Israel on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said.

Speaking to German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, he "assured the minister of the United States' enduring commitment to the NATO alliance," Davis said in a statement.

"He thanked Minister von der Leyen for her country's leadership in NATO activities on the Eastern Flank and in Afghanistan, and acknowledged the role that Germany plays in fighting terrorism, specifically in the counter-ISIL coalition," he added, using an acronym for the Islamic state jihadist group.

"He also cited the strategic importance of Germany as the host to 35,000 US personnel, the largest US force presence in Europe," Davis said.

Mattis also stressed NATO's importance to his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, with whom he discussed "the long-time allies' security cooperation, which is stronger than ever as both countries engage side-by-side in the fight against terrorism," he added.

As the European Union's leading members, both countries have been rattled by Trump's denigration of NATO, which he has called "obsolete," and his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they accuse of seeking to undermine Western unity.

Trump, who has often praised Putin, is expected to speak to him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on Saturday, the White House said.

Trump took office last week with US relations with Russia at new Cold War-level lows amid accusations by American intelligence agencies that the Kremlin leaked hacked Democratic Party emails as part of a campaign to influence November's election.

Trump -- who has raised the prospect of easing sanctions imposed against Russia after its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 -- has cast doubt on whether Russia meddled in the election.

Mattis also spoke by phone with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday "to underscore his unwavering commitment to Israel's security," Davis said.
Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has ordered a review of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter program after President Donald Trump assailed its $400 billion price tag, the Pentagon announced Friday.

At the same time, Mattis ordered a similar review of the $4 billion cost for developing a new aircraft for the US president, Air Force One, the ultra-high-tech and secure 747 built by Boeing.

"The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is a critical acquisition program that warrants a detailed assessment to reduce associated program costs," Mattis said in the order.

He said the deputy secretary of defense will oversee the review to find ways "to significantly reduce the cost" while ensuring the new jets, which cost about $100 million each, meet US defense needs.

He said the review should also compare the F-35 with the Boeing-built F-18 Super Hornet fighter to see if the latter, which costs significantly less, can meet US needs.

In December, Trump assailed both the F-35 and Air Force One programs as overly costly, and after that met with the chief executives of Lockheed Martin and Boeing to try to extract savings.

"The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases," Trump said on Twitter at the time.

- Lockheed shares sink -

The first 200 F-35s of a program that envisions some 2,450 ultimately being acquired by the different US armed services have been delivered. The aircraft have also been sold to Israel, with the first two delivered in December.

Proponents tout the F-35's radar-dodging stealth technology, supersonic speeds, close air-support capabilities, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors giving pilots unparalleled access to information.

But the program has faced numerous setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to ground planes until the problem could be resolved.

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News of Mattis' order sent Lockheed shares tumbling. They were trading up about 1.0 percent before the announcement; dropping 1.0 percent at $252.18 afterward.

Boeing shares fell in early trade and were off 0.9 percent after the announcement.

Lockheed said in a statement that it "welcomes" Mattis's review and its focus on costs.

The company said costs can be cut if the program adopts a multi-year procurement approach that would allow components to be bought on a large scale.

It also argued that the F-35 is the best alternative.

"We are confident such a thorough and objective analysis will show that only the F-35, with its advanced stealth and sensors, can meet the 21st century air superiority requirements of all of our military services," Lockheed said.

On Tuesday, Lockheed chief executive Marillyn Hewson sought to assuage shareholders by saying the new president's objective is not "about slashing our profits."

"We understand his concerns about affordability and we certainly share that," she said in a conference call with analysts. "It's about how do we get the costs down today and in the future."
LIMA, Peru (AP)  A replica of Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ statue donated to Peru by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht has been vandalized to protest a massive bribery scandal involving the firm.

The 21-meter (69-foot) statue overlooking Peru's capital was inaugurated in 2011 by then-President Alan Garcia. The $1 million statue was widely seen as a vanity project by Garcia.

This week, vandals sprayed slogans on the statue reading "Alan is Guilty" and "Odebrecht Get Out."

Odebrecht last month admitted in a plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that it bribed officials to the tune of almost $800 million to win business in 12 countries. In Peru, it paid $29 million to officials in the three governments since 2000.
Mexico City (AFP) - By picking a fight with Mexico, US President Donald Trump is needling a strategic partner that could retaliate with a trade war and less cooperation on immigration and the drug war, analysts say.

The neighboring countries face the biggest diplomatic rift in decades over Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for construction of a wall along their 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border.

The dispute prompted President Enrique Pena Nieto to scrap a meeting with Trump in Washington that had been scheduled for next week, while the White House raised the possibility of slapping tariffs on Mexico to fund the wall.

The two leaders sought to mend fences on Friday as they spoke on the phone for an hour, acknowledging their differences over who should pay for the wall while agreeing to seek a resolution.

The two governments issued a nearly identical statement about the conversation, except for one line that only appeared in the Mexican government's text: "The presidents also agreed for now to no longer speak publicly about this controversial issue."

Neither statement indicated whether the two presidents would reschedule their meeting, though they instructed their teams to continue negotiations.

For Jesus Velasco, an expert in US-Mexico relations at Tarleton State University in Texas, it is "even worse" than the last major diplomatic crisis in 1985, when a drug cartel tortured and killed a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent, prompting Washington to briefly close the border.

"Trump is cornering the Pena Nieto administration so that there is no room for negotiations," Velasco told AFP.

- Countering the 'bully' -

Urging Mexico to "defend itself against the bully," former president Felipe Calderon said the government could hit back through its drug war cooperation.

The army, for example, could stop checking trucks for narcotics before they cross the border, he said.

"Decisions must be made to make them understand that Mexico's support and collaboration (on security) do not come free," Calderon told Radio Formula.

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The US Congress has appropriated $2.5 billion for the Merida Initiative, an aid program that has provided equipment and training to Mexican law enforcement agencies.

But in his search for wall funds, Trump has ordered officials to scour US government departments and agencies in search of aid to the Mexican government and report back within 30 days.

Duncan Wood, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington, said Mexico needs to do a better job of explaining why the country is important for US security.

"Now Mexico needs to make the case of, 'Look, you are damn lucky you have a friendly nation on your southern border, and that's worth thinking about,'" Wood said.

In a symbol of such cooperation last week, Mexico extradited the man who was considered the world's most powerful drug baron, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, to New York on the eve of Trump's inauguration.

- Let immigrants through -

While Trump claims that Mexico is not curbing illegal immigration, Velasco said the two countries have "one of the most successful (border) cooperations in the world."

Under pressure from former president Barack Obama's administration after a massive surge of unaccompanied child migrants from Central America in 2014, Mexico launched a crackdown on illegal immigration at its border with Guatemala.

Mexico deported 147,370 migrants last year, compared to 80,900 in 2013, most of them from Central America, according to interior ministry figures.

But Mexico could feel less inclined to help, letting Central American migrants cross the border and telling the Trump administration, "I'm not going to have any single cooperation on the border," Velasco said.

The Trump administration ramped up the threats on the wall payment, with the White House floating the idea of a 20 percent tariff on imports from Mexico.

"If the United States imposes a tax of this type, Mexico will impose a similar one," said Luis de la Calle, an economist who was among the negotiators of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s.

NAFTA is also on the table, as demanded by Trump, but Mexican officials warned this week that the government could leave the pact if negotiations fail.

Calderon said Mexico could show Americans the importance of trade by cancelling imports of US corn, which average 10 million tons per year.

The former president said Mexico should make "Trump's electoral base feel as quickly as possible the possible effects of cancelling" trade with Mexico.

Mexicans, meanwhile, launched a campaign on Twitter to boycott American products with the hashtag #AdiosProductosGringos (Goodbye gringo products).
When Cheryl Kennedy of Chicago went to fill a pinworm prescription for her 4-year-old daughter, she was astounded to learn that four tablets of the drug Albenza cost almost $700even with insurance.

"I called the doctor and asked if there was an alternative," Kennedy recalls. "Thats when he suggested we try an over-the-counter remedy" called Reeses Pinworm Medicine that costs less than $15.

The OTC drug quickly cleared up her daughters pinworm, a common and highly contagious infection that affects 40 million Americans each year, most of them schoolchildren. Pinworm attacks the intestines and causes itching and rashes around the anus. (Get more information about pinworm and how to prevent it.)

Kennedys experience isnt unusual. According to medical experts, doctors are routinely prescribing both Albenza (the brand name for albendazole) and another drug called Emverm (the brand name for mebendazole) without realizing how increasingly expensive they are. Both drugs are made by Impax Laboratories.

Albenza, for instance, has shot up from $6 per pill in 2010 to $190 per dose now; that same year mebendazole generic sold for about $16 per pilland today, Emverm sells for about $430 per dose, according to Symphony Health, which tracks the pharmaceutical market.

Why Do Doctors Prescribe the Pricey Drugs?

"In the case of albendazole, the answer is very simple: Most doctors have no idea that an older, off-patent drug like albendazole could cost $200 per dose," says Jeremy A. Greene, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and the history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. That is, until a patient comes back from the pharmacy in shock over the high price.

Because the two drugs are old, "the average prescribing physician is conditioned to think that it must be very cheap, Greene explains. And they know also that it's a drug that's almost free in other countries. The concept that it could cost $200 per pill is unfathomable."

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Consumer Reports own research suggests that doctors are often in the dark about drug prices. A poll last year of 200 internists showed that the biggest reason doctors have a hard time discussing drug costs with patients is that they dont have access to prices or the patients insurance coverage. Yet 8 out of 10 doctors said they are concerned about their patients ability to afford treatments.

"Even when physicians are concerned about prescribing affordable drugs, they have only limited tools available to understand the pricing implication that any given prescription will mean for their patients when they get to the pharmacy," notes Greene of Johns Hopkins.

High Price for a Cheap Cure

How both Albenza and Emverm came to be so expensiveespecially when theres a cheap OTC version availablehighlights the confusing and contradictory nature of drug pricing in the U.S.

Albendazole was relatively inexpensive until 2010, when the manufacturer stopped making it. Amedra Pharmaceuticals later acquired marketing rights to the drug in 2013 and started raising its price from $6 per pill. Amedra was subsequently acquired by Impax Laboratories in 2015.

Mebendazole, meanwhile, was an inexpensive generic drug for decades, then went off the market in 2011. Amedra also purchased the rights to that drug, so it owned the only two prescription pinworm treatments available. The company was acquired by Impax Laboratories in 2015, and by January 2016 it launched a chewable version called Emverm, pricing it around $400 per pill. The inexpensive version of mebendazole is no longer available.

When Consumer Reports asked why the prices of both prescription drugs are so high, Impax spokesman Mark Donohue had this response:

"Emvern is the only FDA-approved prescription treatment for pinworm, with a 95 percent cure rate in a single tablet," Donohue said. He added that the company offers a savings card on Emvern's website.

Donohue said he couldnt comment on albendazole. (The drug is used "off label," meaning it hasnt been approved by the FDA for pinworm but is legal for doctors to prescribe.)

Consumer advocatesincluding Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization arm of Consumer Reportssay a lack of federal regulations to curb such price increases means it could happen with other medications.

"The fact that the manufacturers of these once-affordable prescription drugs could get away with engineering such steep price hikes is one more demonstration that our current laws are not giving us a marketplace that works for consumers," says Victoria Burack, health policy analyst at Consumers Union. "We will continue pushing for Congress to fix those broken laws."



Editor's Note: This article and related materials are made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, which is funded by the multistate settlement of consumer-fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin).





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Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2017 Consumers Union of U.S.
London (AFP) - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is to visit Hull midfielder Ryan Mason in the hospital because the former Spurs player remains a very special person to the Argentinian manager.

Mason, whom Pochettino sold to Hull for a reported 13million (15.3m, $16.3) just prior to the beginning of this season, fractured his skull in a horrific clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill last Sunday.

According to his club, he is making "excellent progress".

Pochettino, who was in Barcelona with the Spurs players when the incident took place, said 25-year-old Mason was a hero in his own household.

"Yes, a little bit, I cannot lie," replied Pochettino, who along with the players sent Mason a video.

"I cannot keep a secret. He is special. I feel when he took the decision to move to Hull it was a very tough moment for me."

Mason, capped once by England, had a series of injuries as he progressed through the ranks at Spurs but under Pochettino's watchful eye he developed into a first-team player.

"He is a special player for us and to me personally, he grew up here at Tottenham, he is a person that we love," he said.

"We have kept in touch with his family and his fiancee. We were very worried about the action and like all of the people that know him, it was hard and it was difficult.

"The good thing now is he is recovering well and has made a lot of progress, we will go after the press conference to visit him and see how he is doing."\
President Trump told the Christian Broadcasting Network on Friday that he will help persecuted Christians under his new refugee policy, although he did not say whether he would do so for other religious groups.

In an interview with David Brody, a popular evangelical newscaster on Christian television, Trump was asked if he will make persecuted Christians a priority. He said he would.

Theyve been horribly treated, Trump said. Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossibleat least very, very tough to get into the United States? If you were a Muslim, you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible. And the reason that was so unfair is thateverybody was persecuted in all fairness, but they were chopping off the heads of everybody, but more so the Christians. And I thought it was very, very unfair, so we are going to help them.

There were 37,521 Christian refugees admitted to the U.S. during fiscal year 2016almost the same as the number of Muslim refugees (38,901) admitted to the U.S. during that time, according to a data analysis by the Pew Research Center.

Overall, more Christian refugees than Muslim refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since fiscal year 2002, according to Pew. But in 2016in the midst of the Syrian refugee crisisMuslims made up a slightly larger percentage of refugees entering the United States. A 2010 estimate by Pew determined that Syrias religious composition was 93% Muslim and 5% Christian.

Trump is expected to sign executive actions that will limit the flow of refugees into the country and institute a policy of extreme vetting.

In the portion of Brodys interview released Friday, Trump was not asked about how he will prioritize Muslim refugees under his new plan. The entire interview will air Sunday at 11 p.m. on Freeform.
New York (AFP) - Two of Prince's siblings have decried what they called mismanagement of the late pop icon's tribute concert and sought a clearer accounting of the proceeds.

Prince, who died suddenly in April, was remembered in a funk-driven, five-hour concert on October 13 in his native Minnesota that starred his friend Stevie Wonder.

But the lineup emerged just a month before the show, which was moved to the 20,000-seat XCel Energy Center in state capital St. Paul from the newly built, 66,200-capacity US Bank Stadium in adjacent Minneapolis.

In a court filing this week, Prince's sister Tyka Nelson and half-brother Omarr Baker asked that a special administrator that had been put in charge of the estate remain financially liable after it hands over control at the end of the month.

The siblings said that the administrator, Bremer Trust, caused "damage to the Prince brand" and said the family had "no way of knowing who profited" from tickets, merchandise and other sales.

The pair said Bremer Trust passed over concert giant Live Nation to give the project to newly created company Jobu Presents, which withdrew in August, in part over the failure to secure talent.

The siblings alleged that Prince's longtime lawyer L. Londell McMillan, who was acting as an advisor to Bremer Trust, orchestrated the saga as he ultimately put himself in charge of the show.

"The Special Administrator's disastrous mismanagement of the tribute and lack of supervision of the advisors is its own fault," said the filing, which redacted monetary figures from the public record.

McMillan denied the allegations and said he was working to preserve Prince's estate and legacy. He wrote on Twitter: "Some people lie with intent. We ignore gossip. We rise above hate."

Prince, who died from an accidental overdose of painkillers, left no will and had no children.

At the end of the month Bremer Trust will transfer control of Prince's estate to Comerica, a Dallas-based financial services company.
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - Pro-Kiev protesters on Friday blocked a railway line into Ukraine's rebel-held east to protest against trade with Russian-backed separatists, their spokesman told AFP.

Several dozen pro-Kiev former volunteer fighters as well as members of parliament blocked the main railway into the rebel-controlled part of the Lugansk region, Bogdan Lozytsky said.

"This is a protest with no time limit," Lozytsky said by telephone from the protest site. "We are stopping the flow of smuggled coal and other goods between Ukraine and the occupied territories."

The protesters also plan to block roads in the next few days, Lozytsky said.

Since separatist rebels sparked a conflict with government forces in 2014 in the coal-mining Donbass region bordering Russia, nearly 10,000 have lost their lives on both sides.

An "indefinite" ceasefire declared in late December has failed to entirely stop the violence.

Ukraine in 2015 banned almost all trade with the rebel-controlled areas, prompting a boom in smuggling. The government only made it legal to buy coal from the separatist regions.

The pro-Kiev governor of the Lugansk region, Yuriy Garbuz, warned the action "threatens the energy security of the country," in the height of winter.

Garbuz said the protesters "had blocked empty train cars intended to transport coal into the territory controlled by Ukraine."

"If fuel supplies aren't restarted, heat and power stations in central and Western Ukraine will be left without fuel," he warned.
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government needs to pass legislation before it can trigger the formal Article 50 process of leaving the European Union. Below is a summary of the legislative process and the points to look out for. OVERVIEW Prime Minister Theresa May has said she wants to trigger Article 50 by the end of March. Britain's Supreme Court has ruled that parliamentary approval to do so is required. In response, the government has said it intends to seek approval by passing legislation. This means drawing up a bill and getting approval from both the elected lower house and unelected upper house of parliament to pass that bill into law. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that the measure goes through swiftly and that while it is properly scrutinised, it is a simple and straightforward bill that delivers the triggering of Article 50 by March 31," Brexit minister David Davis told parliament. KEY POINTS - The bill was published on Jan. 26. See the text here: - It will be subject to votes in both houses of parliament. - It is expected to pass both houses in time to trigger Article 50 by the end of March. - Members of parliament are expected to try to amend the bill in both houses of parliament. This could slow the process but is not expected to cause significant delays. - The first two-day debate is scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. A further three days of debate will begin on Feb. 6. - The Institute for Government think tank predicts the earliest the bill could get through the full process is by the end of February, but early March is more likely. - Parliament breaks for a recess from Feb. 9-20, which will interrupt the process. - The Conservative government has a working majority of 16 in the 650-seat lower House of Commons. Votes are passed by a simple majority. PARTY POSITIONS CONSERVATIVE (329 seats): May's ruling Conservatives are expected to vote in favour of the legislation, with a small number who may abstain or vote against. LABOUR (229 seats): Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will ask his MPs to vote in favour of passing the legislation. Corbyn is expected to try to amend the bill but says he will not frustrate the process. A number of Labour MPs could defy his wishes. SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (54 seats): The SNP have said they will seek to amend the bill in parliament. Scotland's Brexit minister said SNP MPs would vote against the triggering of Article 50. LIBERAL DEMOCRATS (9 seats): The party has said it will try to amend the legislation to provide for a second referendum on the shape of Britain's final deal with the EU. If unsuccessful its MPs will vote against the legislation. STAGES OF A BILL: FIRST READING - A formality. SECOND READING (Jan. 31 to Feb 1) - A debate is held to allow the house to agree to the principle of the legislation. No amendments can be made at this stage. MPs must vote to approve the second reading for the bill to progress. PROGRAMME MOTION - Immediately after the second reading, the government will then put forward a programme motion, setting out the time it plans to allow for debate at each of the remaining stages. This is the first hurdle to be passed as if MPs do not feel the government is allowing enough time for debate they could reject this motion. COMMITTEE STAGE (Feb. 6 to Feb. 8)- This will be the first opportunity for MPs to put forward amendments to the bill. They can either propose changes or add new clauses. The deputy speaker will select which amendments are going to be debated. The House of Commons will then debate the bill and the amendments. Usually at least a week would be allowed for this. They will then be asked to vote on the bill and each of the amendments. REPORT STAGE - If any amendments are voted through by the house at committee stage, the bill will pass to report stage. This is a new opportunity to add amendments. The speaker of the house oversees this process. THIRD READING - This takes place immediately after report stage. It usually lasts an hour and is a general discussion of the bill. No amendments can be made. HOUSE OF LORDS - The bill then passes to the House of Lords. The lords do not set out a programme detailing how much time they intend to spend discussing a bill so this stage is harder to predict. Lords can put forward amendments, each of which will be discussed and decided on in turn. The lords are not expected to want to be seen to be frustrating the will of the people by opposing the bill or slowing it down too much, but may seek to make some changes. If the lords agree amendments the bill passes back to the commons for their approval. PING PONG - If the bill passes back to the commons, they debate and vote on the lords' amendments. No new amendments can be introduced. In theory the bill can continue passing back and forth between the lords and commons until the final bill is agreed upon. ROYAL ASSENT - Once the bill has been agreed by both houses of parliament, it is given royal assent, when the Queen formally agrees to make the bill into an Act of Parliament. (Compiled by William James and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Stephen Addison)
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump will hold telephone talks Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House said.

Trump is hosting British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House on Friday to discuss post-Brexit trade ties and inject new momentum into the "special relationship" between the United States and Britain.

"Getting the most out of the 1st full week -- tomorrow @POTUS will speak by phone with leaders of France, Germany and Russia," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Twitter Friday.

The Trump-Putin call will be their first official contact since the Republican took office a week ago.

The pair spoke by telephone in November, shortly after Trump's election victory, and "declared the need for active joint work to normalize" ties, according to the Kremlin.

Trump told Putin he is looking forward to "a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia," according to Trump's team.

Relations were strained under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, notably over the crisis in Ukraine and Moscow's alleged interference in the November election.
Norwich (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II on Friday carried out her first visit since suffering a cold over Christmas, visiting an exhibition on Fijian art and culture.

The 90-year-old sovereign, who is the Church of England's supreme governor, missed the Christmas Day church service at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, with a heavy cold that lasted around a fortnight.

But she conducted her first visit of 2017 with a trip to the nearby town of Norwich to see an exhibition, "Fiji: Art and Life in the Pacific."

Two Fijian warriors carrying war clubs and wearing skirts made from dried bark strands symbolically guarded the monarch on her arrival.

One of them was 19-year-old Joe Cokanasiga, a winger with London Irish rugby club.

"It was a bit cold out there but a real experience and honour to be asked to be here -- we added some atmosphere to the occasion," he said.

The head of state was fascinated by the war clubs inside the exhibition.

"We talked about the impact of one of those clubs, which would be quite impressive," said co-curator Karen Jacobs.

Queen Elizabeth saw the tabua, or ceremonial whale tooth, which was presented to her during her first visit to Fiji in 1953.

The exhibition features sculptures, textiles, and ceramics alongside ivory and shell regalia.

Following its independence from Britain in 1970, Queen Elizabeth was Fiji's monarch until 1987 when a coup installed a republic.
By Robin Respaut and Hilary Russ SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's push to fulfill a campaign promise to replace Obamacare, his predecessor's signature healthcare plan, with the help of a Republican-controlled Congress, could add to U.S. states' financial strain. That is because a key component of the 2010 law allowed states to expand Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income Americans, and collect extra dollars that came with expansion. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia chose to expand Medicaid enrollment through Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. (Graphic - http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/USA-OBAMACARE-MUNICIPALS/010031LN3PD/index.html) While Republicans have not agreed to specific plans, one idea gaining traction has been to convert the current system, in which states share the cost of Medicaid enrollees with the federal government, into fixed payments, or block grants, sent to the states. Trump's nominee to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Representative Tom Price, has long advocated such a plan. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates a repeal of Obamacare and a cap on federal Medicaid spending, such as through a block grant or a per capita cap, could cut Medicaid funding by 41 percent over the next decade. That would likely handicap states' ability to respond to larger enrollments during recessions. "It will have clear implications for state budgets," said Robin Rudowitz, the Washington-based associate director at Kaiser's Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured. "States could raise revenue and spend less in other areas, but these are not easy choices to make." The foundation is a nonprofit focused on health issues. Faced with inflexible federal funding, states might also decide to limit Medicaid eligibility or freeze new enrollment, reducing the number of people covered. In a letter to congressional leaders on Tuesday, the National Governors Association pleaded with lawmakers not to "shift costs to states." New Jersey, one of many states struggling with ballooning public pension costs and modest revenue growth, expanded Medicaid under Republican Governor Chris Christie. That state could lose up to $3 billion in federal aid if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and have to spend $1 billion more from its budget, Democratic state lawmakers there said this week. MONEY FLOWS FROM THE HEART Medicaid sits at the heart of the federal-state fiscal relationship. Over $330 billion in federal Medicaid dollars flowed to states in fiscal year 2016, accounting for more than half of all federal grants sent to state and local governments and the largest individual program, according to Standard & Poor's. In 2015, the federal government paid about 60 percent of total Medicaid costs while states paid 40 percent. Medicaid enrollment also tends to spike during an economic downturn, just as state revenues are most strained, spurring the federal government to send more money to states. Despite calls from Trump to Republican lawmakers on Thursday for swift action on replacing Obamacare and on other priorities, changes will likely still take time to work out. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said the agenda would take more than 100 days and said the goal "is to get these laws done in 2017," without guaranteeing an Obamacare replacement would be enacted by the end of December. With so many details still up in the air, public officials are hard-pressed to craft budgets that directly respond to their concerns. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday said his next budget would hold a record amount of money in reserve and seek at least $1 billion of savings citywide to compensate for "a huge amount of uncertainty" emanating from Washington. In California, Medicaid enrollment jumped from nearly 8 million in 2012 to more than 14 million today, thanks in part to federal healthcare reforms. In a letter earlier this month to U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Democratic California Governor Jerry Brown pleaded that Congress consider reforms that do not burden state budgets. "That would be a very cynical way to prop up the federal budget - and devastating to millions of Americans," Brown wrote to the Republican congressman from California. However, Brown's proposed budget this month did not include a contingency for a potential repeal of Obamacare or the threat of changes to the federal tax code. "Until there is a change in policy at the federal level, we will continue to budget under the current rules of the road," said California Finance Department spokesman H.D. Palmer. (Reporting by Robin Respaut in San Francisco and Hilary Russ in New York; editing by Daniel Bases and Jonathan Oatis)
By David Ljunggren and Ethan Lou OTTAWA/CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A review of TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline will start again from the beginning, Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) regulator said on Friday, voiding all decisions from the project's previous examining panel that has been accused of bias. The new review will be conducted by the NEB in its current form, said the Natural Resources Canada federal agency, despite the ongoing reform of the energy regulator. Last year, the review stalled amid protests by environmentalists and after the resignation of the examining panel due to revelations that members met privately with a TransCanada consultant. Cabinet ministers were upset by the incident and the government may eventually curb the NEB's power, sources have said. The move to restart the review would appear to spare the Liberal government from making a politically charged decision on the pipeline's future before the next federal election in October 2019. Approving Energy East, which would take crude oil from Alberta to the Atlantic coast, may anger the progressive base that helped Prime Minister Justin Trudeau win power in late 2015, while rejecting it could alienate voters in Canada's energy-rich West. However, Energy East's importance has diminished for TransCanada. U.S. President Donald Trump this week signed an order reviving the company's Keystone XL pipeline, which would run from Alberta's oil sands to U.S. refineries. "TransCanada now has to calculate if Keystone goes ahead, does it still want to pursue this project?" said University of Toronto politics professor Nelson Wiseman. The project was originally to begin in 2017, but construction now cannot start until at least 2019. Teika Newton of Transition Initiative Kenora, an environmental group that had filed a legal challenge against the pipeline's review process, welcomed the decision. But she said the NEB should not start a new hearing until Trudeau's government fulfills a promise to update laws on environmental assessments. Liberals say that will not happen until the end of 2018. The NEB said in a statement the new panel examining the project would decide how to proceed. It will first have to decide whether TransCanada's application was complete. NEB spokeswoman Sarah Kiley said there was no decision deadline. Once the panel decides to restart the hearings, it has 21 months to complete the process. After that, the federal government has another six months to decide whether the pipeline can be built. TransCanada did not specify its next steps for Energy East, saying only it will review the NEB decision. (Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
Photo credit: Michael Stillwell

From Popular Mechanics

This puzzle is similar to Riddle of the Week #5: A Life-or-Death Question About Hats, but it is slightly harder and requires another layer of deduction. If you haven't solved the Hats Riddle yet, or if you are having trouble with this one, it might be worth revisiting the prisoners with their black and white headwear to get on the right track.

Now on to the riddle.

Problem

Three super spies are caught sending sensitive information to an enemy state. These three double agents are apprehended and taken out to a remote spot in the woods. They are told that one of them will be part of a prisoner exchange, and the other two will be executed.

To decide who lives, the guards decide to play a game. They show the captives eight stamps: four red, and four green. They then blindfold the three men and stick two stamps to each of their foreheads. One of the guards puts the remaining two stamps in his pocket.

The guards then take the blindfolds off the captives, who can each see the stamps on the other two men's heads, but not the two stamps on their own head, and not the two stamps in the guard's pocket. These spies are highly intelligent-they're perfect logicians who know they can count on each other to correctly and quickly interpret the information they have.

The guard captain tells them that the first man to figure out the color of the stamps on his own head will be used for the prisoner exchange, and the other two will be executed. If anyone guesses wrong, they will be shot dead on the spot.

The captain then asks the spies in order if they know what color stamps they have on their head. The answers are as follows:

A: "No."

B: "No."

C: "No."

A: "No."

B: "Yes."

Spy B answers correctly. What color are the stamps on his head, and how does he know?

Hint

Don't forget about the stamps in the guard's pocket.

Solution

When you are ready to be exchanged for other prisoners, and let your two fellow spies meet their maker, you can check the solution here.

Story continues

*See all of our riddles here.

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(LONDON)  It took more than a years worth of beatings, sleep deprivation, psychological abuse and threats to his family before former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg said he cracked and confessed to being a member of the al-Qaeda terror network. The only problem, he said, was that it was a lie.

It was only a matter of weeks for Mourad Benchellali, a Frenchman detained first at Kandahar in Afghanistan. Because I was afraid, because I hurt, and because I told myself, when this is all worked out, Ill tell the truth. But for now, better to tell them what they want to hear, he said.

Chris Arendt, a former guard at the U.S. detention facility in Cuba, said he routinely saw what could be defined as torture, including prisoners being unnecessarily pepper-sprayed or taken for interrogations that never happened. Instead, they were left shackled for hours as a means of punishment.

During the year he spent at the U.S. detention facility in 2004, Arendt said it was clear that most of the detainees had relatively little valuable intelligence.

I thought that if I confessed I would at least get access to the courts and my interrogations would stop being so adversarial, said the 48-year-old Begg, who confessed in 2003 but wasnt released until 2005, along with three other British detainees. Like most Guantanamo detainees, he was never charged.

President Donald Trump is asking for recommendations on whether torture works, if secret CIA black sites should be used again to interrogate suspects and whether the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay should not only stay open, but should accept future detainees, according to a draft executive order that signals sweeping changes to U.S. interrogation and detention policy. The Associated Press and other news organizations obtained a copy.

The draft directive, which the White House said was not official, would reverse President Barack Obamas order to close the Guantanamo Bay facility  a place Trump has said he wants to fill with bad dudes.

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Trump, who has pushed for tougher interrogation techniques, said he would consult with new Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA director Mike Pompeo before authorizing any new policy. But he said he had asked top intelligence officials: Does torture work? And the answer was Yes, absolutely.'

To say that torture works is a bit like saying slavery works as a model of economic production, said Nigel Inkster, former director of operations at Britains foreign intelligence agency, MI6. Its not the conversation we ought to be having.

Even if it were, the answer is resoundingly negative, said Mark Fallon, who served as a U.S. counterterrorism investigator and tried to oppose the torture at Guantanamo when he learned about it during the administration of President George W. Bush.

Torture is a very effective method to get somebody to say something you want them to say. It is not an effective method to get somebody to tell the truth or reliable information, he said.

If the Trump administration resuscitates policies used under the Bush administration, it could jeopardize relations and intelligence sharing between the United States and European allies such as Britain. Prime Minister Teresa May, who is scheduled to meet Trump on Friday, told reporters that Britain absolutely condemns the use of torture.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the draft order was not a White House-originated document, and House Speaker Paul Ryan said it was his understanding that it was written by someone who had earlier worked on the Trump transition team. This is not something the Trump administration is planning on, working on, Ryan said.

While its unclear whether the Trump administration will return to policies seen in the war on terror, rights advocates say even the smallest move backward could bring legal troubles, especially with regard to CIA black sites that were used for interrogation.

Binyam Mohamed is a former Guantanamo prisoner who was held at such a site in Morocco.

The British and Ethiopian national was first arrested in Pakistan and then transported to Morocco under the U.S. extraordinary rendition program, where he said his penis was sliced with a razor blade. He was then transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2004 and released in 2009.

Mohamed and other detainees sued the British government for collusion with U.S. authorities, and in 2010, the U.K. Court of Appeal ruled that he had been subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by the U.S. authorities. He and others were awarded a compensation settlement in 2011.

It would become impossible for the U.K. to share any intelligence that could potentially lead to the mistreatment of anyone, Inkster said. And I dont think there are many people in Western intelligence who regard Guantanamo as a success.

After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, no two prisons came to symbolize the war on terror like Guantanamo Bay and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

When the Guantanamo Bay camp opened in January 2002, months after the Sept. 11 attacks, European reporters flocked to the outpost, plastering front pages with the first images of terror suspects. The men, clad in orange jumpsuits, were shown kneeling and bound next to U.S. military guards.

More than 900 prisoners have since circled through the prison camp, some held for years without ever being charged. It also attracted a steady stream of controversies, including documents that showed prisoners were subjected to abuse.

The bad press at Guantanamo coincided with graphic pictures of abuse out of Iraqs Abu Ghraib prison.

The 2004 photographs documented a wide array of abuses against prisoners held in U.S. custody there. Prisoners were stripped naked or put in degrading poses. Two photographs showed a female guard holding a leash attached to a prisoners neck while another hooded prisoner was forced to stand on a box.

Some fear that if Trump embraces past policies, there could be a backlash from extremist groups, increasing the threat of terrorism against the United States. The Islamic State group has often shown prisoners wearing the same orange jumpsuits as Guantanamo detainees.

Experience has shown that using torture doesnt work; it only grows hatred, said Ewan Watson, a spokesman at the International Committee of the Red Cross. It sows the seeds of revenge, destroys the social fabric of communities and degrades a societys institutions.

The American Civil Liberties Union warned that if past policies return, the United States could see itself in the middle of a flurry of legal challenges at home and internationally. Torture is prohibited under international law.

Trumps executive orders bring us back to the dark, lawless days of the Bush administration, said Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU. Black sites, Guantanamo, torture appear to be back on the table as official policy of the U.S. government, even if these actions are known to be unlawful.

Arendt, who was a guard when Begg was in Guantanamo, now works at a tattoo shop in Detroit but is still haunted by his experience.

If I could deliver a message to Trump it would be: Please stop and look at history. Dont make us a country of concentration camps and black sites, he said. No good country should have to stoop to this level.

The words concentration camp flashed through Nizar Sassis mind when he found himself in a pile of naked men after being violated in front of a roomful of military physicians in Kandahar. Freed from Guantanamo in 2004, the Frenchmans email address still bears the number he was given at the camp: 325.

I no longer believe in the justice of man, he said. Im not going to torture myself. Hatred that normally should be inked in my heart with what Ive endured would finish by destroying me first.

___

Hinnant reported from Paris.
SAO PAULO (AP)  Brazil's federal government and Rio de Janeiro state have agreed on a package of austerity measures that will partially plug the financially struggling state's anticipated $8 billion deficit.

The federal government offered Thursday to defer the state's debt payments for up to three years, in exchange for spending cuts and tax increases.

Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told a news conference the measures would yield around $6 billion in total. They include nearly $3 billion in spending cuts.

Rio has been experiencing a serious financial crisis in which thousands of state employees and retirees have not been paid or have been paid months late. Anger over late payments and potential austerity measures led to massive protests last year.

The measures announced Thursday must still be approved by the Rio state assembly.
From Popular Mechanics

North of the Arctic Circle has traditionally been a demilitarized zone. The militaries of the world tend to stay clear of that part of the world for two reasons: It's hard to defend and there's generally nothing worth fighting over. Unfortunately climate change is changing that, and Russia is taking the lead in fortifying its share of the region.

The Arctic Circle is generally regarded as north of the 66 degrees, 34 minutes north latitude. It covers roughly four percent of the Earth's surface and is in a perpetual winter, with most of the arctic region locked in ice. But rising temperatures are contributing to a decline in the amount of that very ice. Less sea ice means previously unreachable resources-particularly oil and natural gas-can now be accessed and a new ice-free Arctic shipping route servicing the northern hemisphere appears almost certain.

Russia, which spans eleven times zones across the Northern Hemisphere is staking a claim to the arctic. Perhaps predictably, it's going a little overboard about it. In 2007, Russian robotic submarines planted the national flag under the North Pole. Russia claims the North Pole on the grounds that the Lomonosov Ridge, an extension of Russia's continental shelf territory, passes underneath the pole.

As this new map at Foreign Policy shows, Russia is prepared to back up those claims. By 2015, it had established six new bases north of the Circle, including 16 deepwater ports and 13 airfields. While many of these ports are minor ones for resupply of distant, lonely outposts and many airfields are for emergency use only, it's a network that is growing increasingly robust and well defended. Russia has deployed advanced S-400 long range surface to air missiles, as well as "Bastion" supersonic anti-ship missiles, to protect some of the larger bases.

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The map was released by Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, who is pressing the new Trump Administration to hammer out an Arctic strategy. The U.S. has no major bases north of the 66 degree parallel but is increasingly training to go there if necessary. In 2015, a combined Army and Air Force exercise deployed Stryker combat vehicles to Deadhorse Alaska, one of the northernmost communities in the United States. In March, ICEX 2016 saw two nuclear submarines rendezvousing at the North Police, where they were joined by helicopters and paratroopers.

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Melbourne (AFP) - Second seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova took out the Australian Open women's doubles title on Friday to be crowned Grand Slam champions for a fourth time.

The American-Czech pairing battled past 12th-seeded Andrea Hlavackova, also from the Czech Republic, and China's Peng Shuai 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena.

Mattek-Sands and Safarova got the decisive break in the fourth game of the deciding set to go 3-1 up after Hlavackova sent down a double fault.

There was no looking back, with Mattek-Sands clinching the title with a volley as they jumped for joy and then celebrated with a dance routine in front of the trophy.

It was their fourth major title together, and ninth overall, after winning at Melbourne and Roland Garros in 2015 and at the US Open last year.
By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Russian-born wife of the California man accused of supplying guns used by another couple who killed 14 people in San Bernardino pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal immigration fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Mariya Chernykh, 26, became the second person convicted in an immigration fraud scheme linked to the December 2015 massacre by Syed Rizwan Farook and his Pakistani-born wife, Tashfeen Malik, who authorities said were inspired by Islamic extremism. The man she admitted paying to marry her, Enrique Marquez Jr., is charged with furnishing two assault rifles used in the shooting rampage by Farook, a U.S. native of Pakistani descent, and Malik, whom he married in 2014 in Saudi Arabia. The couple were killed in a gunfight with police four hours after the massacre. Marquez also is accused of having plotted with Farook to stage similar shooting attacks in the suburbs east of Los Angeles in 2011 and 2012 that were never carried out. He is scheduled to go on trial on Sept. 26. Farook's brother, Syed Raheel Farook, 31, pled guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit fraud earlier this month, admitting that he lied on immigration forms that paved the way for Chernykh, his wife's sister, to engage in a fraudulent marriage to Marquez. Chernykh, a Russian citizen, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy, perjury and making false statements, and now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when she is sentenced in November, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. Her would-be brother-in-law, Raheel Farook, could receive up to five years in prison. His wife, Tatiana Farook, a third defendant in the immigration fraud case, is slated to go on trial in March. The slaying of Rizwan's Farook's co-workers at a holiday office party on Dec. 2, 20015, ranks as one of the deadliest attacks by Islamist militants in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington. In addition to acknowledging in court on Thursday that she falsified immigration documents and paid Marquez to participate in the sham marriage, Chernykh admitted making false statements to federal investigators in the immediate aftermath of the San Bernardino attack, authorities said. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Mica Rosenberg, Dan Levine and Andy Sullivan (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to take away funding from self-proclaimed sanctuary cities had one big exemption for one of his favorite constituencies: the police, who would be protected from cuts. But Trump's opponents say that very exemption makes it much more likely that a judge could strike down that section of the order as unconstitutional. It is just one example of the legal arguments that cities, immigration groups and other opponents are readying as they prepare to fight an executive order signed by Trump on Wednesday that would cut federal aid to "sanctuary" jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Lawyers for the potential challengers pointed to court rulings that said the federal government can only withhold funds to local jurisdictions if the money is directly tied to the behavior it objects to. The Trump administration cannot cut funds for sanctuary cities' healthcare and education while preserving money for police, since those jobs relate more closely to immigration enforcement, said Richard Doyle, city attorney in San Jose, California. He said it was not clear whether existing federal funding or only future grants would be targeted. Supporters of the new Republican president's actions say that sanctuary cities ignore federal law and think the White House will be able to answer with a strong case in court. Federal law allows Trump to restrict public assistance "of any kind where an illegal alien could possibly benefit," said Dale Wilcox, executive director of the Washington-based conservative Immigration Reform Law Institute. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'LESS THAN MEETS THE EYE' In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio in a news conference said his chief legal officer would be in court the "hour" after any specific action to withhold money came through. "There is less here than meets the eye. This executive order is written in a very vague fashion," said de Blasio, a Democrat. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, also a Democrat, said his office was still examining whether it could sue before Trump made any specific move to cut funds. Trump's order directed that funding be slashed to all jurisdictions that refuse to comply with a statute that requires local governments to share information with immigration authorities. Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project, said the cities can argue "they are fully in compliance with that statute," since they do share information with federal authorities, but offer limited cooperation when it comes to turning over immigrants who are not convicted criminals. There could also be procedural snarls to implementing the cuts, lawyers who specialize in federal grants said. If the U.S. government seeks to cut off grants to a certain recipient, it must go through a complicated process known as "suspension and debarment," and cities would have the right to appeal. "It's fair to say that they don't understand the scope and reach of federal grants law," said Edward Waters, who heads the federal grants practice at the law firm Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell in Washington, referring to the Trump administration. The White House would also have to negotiate with states that are home to sanctuary cities. Nearly 90 percent of $652 billion the federal government handed out through more 1,500 separate grant programs in the most recent fiscal year went to states, not directly to cities, according to a Reuters review of federal spending data. If the Trump administration wanted to try to cut off Medicaid money to Chicago, for example, it would have to work through the state government of Illinois, which could pose an additional barrier, Waters said. Advocacy groups for immigrants' rights said they are also preparing their own legal challenges to other aspects of two executive orders Trump signed on Wednesday, examining sections that deal with expanding detention of immigrants and changing how asylum requests are processed. "All of our legal research is done, most of the complaints are all drafted," said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, based in Los Angeles. She said litigation could be filed in the next days. (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York, Dan Levine in San Francisco and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Additional reporting by Hillary Russ in New York; Editing by Amy Stevens)




Scandal got off to an explosive start Thursday night when Huck and Quinn were walking through the woods toward a cabin and the cabin exploded. And that was just the beginning of a crazy episode full of shocking moments and wild twists.

It was election night and Gov. Frankie Vargas pulled out a narrow victory over Mellie Grant. But the fun didnt last long for Vargas, as he was gunned down during his victory speech.

Olivia immediately went to papa Pope to blame him, but he put the idea in her head that it was Vice President-elect Cyrus Beene. And after Vargas officially died, Olivia was determined to prove Cyrus was behind it. Even though they couldnt find any evidence, Olivia went to the hospital to confront Cyrus, only to find him in shock. So with President Grant waiting to endorse either Cyrus or Mellie to be the next president, Olivia assured him that Cyrus didnt do it.

The president told Cyrus, I am handing you the most beautiful thing in the world. I am handing you America. Take care of it. While President Grant was announcing that Vargas had died, with Cyrus by his side, Olivia was discovering that it actually was Cyrus who was behind the assassination. And the show ended with Olivia whispering into Cyruss ear, I know you killed him, and Im going to prove it.

Scandal airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of Scandal for free on Yahoo View.

Watch: Kerry Washington Says Scandal Had to Rewrite Russian Hacking Plot Line:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram  or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Cynthia LuCiette, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
In a recent experiment to help out mice that were missing their pancreases, scientists grew new pancreases from mouse stem cells in the bodies of rats, and then transplanted those pancreases into the mice.

The researchers found that this technique could reverse diabetes in the mice, according to a new study. Moreover, this strategy of growing the organs of one species inside the body of another could one day help to produce transplantable human organs grown in large animals, such as pigs or sheep, the researchers said.

The work holds promise for alleviating the severe shortage of donated human organs, they said. "However, there is a much greater evolutionary distance between humans and pigs or sheep than there is between mice and rats, and this could create challenges," said the study's senior author, Hiromitsu Nakauchi, a stem cell biologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. "So much more research needs to be done to ensure that this approach is both safe and effective."

Currently, there are more than 76,000 patients in the United States awaiting organ transplants, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life]

In the new study, scientists explored interspecies organ growth with rats and mice, which are closely related.

The scientists used pluripotent stem cells, which, in principle, can become any type of cell in the body.

In 2010, Nakauchi and his colleagues used such cells to grow a rat pancreas in a mouse. However, the organ grew to only the size of a normal mouse pancreas, and was therefore not big enough to be transplanted into the much larger rat and tested to see if it worked. In the new study, the scientists attempted the opposite experiment: growing a mouse pancreas in a rat. [Top 3 Techniques for Creating Organs in the Lab]

The researchers injected mouse pluripotent stem cells into embryonic rats that had been conceived just a few days earlier and were genetically modified to lack the ability to grow their own pancreas. The pancreas produces insulin, the hormone that helps the body control blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes results when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. Currently, about 1.25 million Americans have type 1 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

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These implanted mouse cells developed into pancreases that were the appropriate size for rats and had the key, insulin-secreting "islet cells."

The scientists noted that some of the rats' immune systems rejected the mouse pancreases, but they also said that this was uncommon. It's likely that the mouse cells were injected into the rat embryos before the rats' immune systems had developed enough to recognize the mouse cells as foreign, the researchers said.

When the scientists isolated the mouse islet cells from the rats and transplanted them into diabetic mice, the transplanted mouse tissues carried along a few stray rat cells, the researchers said. They treated each recipient mouse with immunosuppressive drugs after the transplant to prevent rejection of the transplanted tissues. However, "the recipient animals only needed treatment with immunosuppressive drugs for five days after transplantation," rather than lifelong treatment, Nakauchisaid in a statement. In humans, such drugs have serious side effects.

The transplants successfully returned the blood sugar levels of the mice to normal for more than a year. The scientists detailed their findings in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Nature.

After about 10 months, the researchers removed the islets from some of the mice for inspection. "We examined them closely for the presence of any rat cells, but we found that the mouse's immune system had eliminated them," Nakauchi said in a statement. "This is very promising for our hope to transplant human organs grown in animals, because it suggests that any contaminating animal cells could be eliminated by the patient's immune system after transplant."

Moreover, the scientists did not see any signs of tumor formation or other abnormalities caused by the implanted pluripotent mouse stem cells. Tumor formation is often a concern when pluripotent stem cells are used in animals because of their ability to become any cell in the body.

The researchers cautioned that many ethical and legal challenges remain when it comes to using human stem cells in animal embryos.

"Many researchers and ethicists are concerned that injecting human pluripotent cells into an animal embryo could result in an animal with a larger proportion of human cells throughout their body than was anticipated, including perhaps in the brain or the germ cells that give rise to the sperm and egg," Nakauchi told Live Science. "Researchers take these concerns seriously, and are working to come up with ways to avoid this outcome without compromising the field's promise."

Nakauchi acknowledged that people may feel that researchers pursuing this type of study are creating unnatural, monster-like creatures. However, "these animals simply consist of two genetically different types of cells," he said in an email. "They are not new species, and they cannot reproduce themselves through mating."

The researchers said they are now working on similar experiments to generate kidneys, livers and lungs.

Qiao Zhou, an associate professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard University, who did not participate in this work, said interspecies organ growth may face many technical challenges. For example, in a commentary published online Jan. 25 in the journal Nature, Zhou noted that although mouse immune systems could efficiently get rid of rat cells in this work, when it comes to larger organs, deeply embedded contaminating cells may not be so easy to remove, potentially leading to strong immune responses that could cause substantial organ damage.

Originally published on Live Science.

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By Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - The 30 severed heads left by a gang war at a Brazilian prison this month were inspired by the tactics of Mexican cartels and represent a sea change in the country's drug violence, a senior security official believes. Videos showed machete-wielding members of the North Family gang tossing the heads of rivals onto the blood-soaked yard of the Compaj prison in the state of Amazonas during the violence on Jan. 1. Even Brazilians, used to some of the world's highest crime rates, were shocked by the brutality. The incident sparked a spate of gang-related prison massacres that have killed at least 130 people this month. Amazonas State Security Secretary Sergio Fontes, a former federal police chief with 20 years of experience on Brazil's northern frontier, said drug gangs were following in the steps of Mexican cartels that publicize their bloody executions on the Internet. "When it comes to cutting heads the Mexicans started well before our gangs adopted that strategy of mixing terror with crime," said Fontes in a telephone interview. "Our violence is imitating theirs." More than half of the 56 inmates slaughtered by the North Family, Brazil's third-largest criminal group, in the Compaj massacre were decapitated. A few days after the killing, a favela dance song praising the beheading circulated on social media, reminiscent of Mexican folk songs that recount tales of drug dealers and their exploits known as "narcocorridos." Brazil's overcrowded prisons are now the battleground in a rapidly escalating war between the nation's two biggest drug gangs, the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command from Rio de Janeiro, which has allied itself with the North Family. In the early 2000s, Mexico's once-dominant Sinaloa cartel began to publicize its violence, previously done in secret, with YouTube videos of masked hitmen torturing and decapitating rivals with machetes. In Amazonas, the prison carnage, described by a judge who witnessed the riot as a "Dantesque scene", sparked a wave of gruesome killings across penitentiaries in the north. Crime researchers in Brazil say beheadings are not new in prisons, but have never been seen on this scale. "The magnitude of the violence clearly reflects the worsening of this turf war between drug gangs," said Victor Neiva, a researcher with the Federal University of Minas Gerais. There is no evidence of commercial links between Mexican cartels, which smuggle cocaine into the United States, and Brazilian gangs that sell domestically as well as ship drugs to Europe. Still, Fontes said authorities need to act now to stop local drug gangs from growing in size and power and dominating swathes of territory, as they have in Mexico. "That risk certainly exists if we don't pay attention to the signs. As we didn't before these killings," he said. (Reporting by Alonso Soto; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Frances Kerry)
Though some wartime propaganda art has since become iconic, plenty of posters from the World War II era are rare, with few original examples having survived through the decades.

World War II Posters, a new book, brings to light some of those artifacts. The book features highlights from the more than 10,000 posters collected over the past 20 years by Delaware-based vintage poster dealer David Pollack, who started collecting these kinds of posters for fun to decorate his apartment while working as a photographer for various news outlets like TIME. (He covered student uprisings in South Korea for the magazine in the 80s, among other topics.)

The above gallery features some of the rarest World War II posters out there, such as the one featuring Doris Dorie Miller. The Navy man, on the morning of the Pearl Harbor attacks of Dec. 7, 1941, helped carry his mortally wounded captain to safety, then aimed his machine gun at Japanese planes, blasting away until he ran out of ammunition. (He was played by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2001 feature film about the attacks on Pearl Harbor.) Another poster highlights the competition between the Army and Navy. Before the National Security Act of 1947 created the Air Force, the two branches competed for the best pilots for their respective air divisions.

And, more than 70 years after the end of the war, propaganda posters like these are more relevant than ever, Pollack argues: Look at the Womens March. What did you see? Posters! Theyre always the most important of all of those marches. People still relate in a visceral sense to paper-printed posters.
Mogadishu (AFP) - Islamist Shabaab fighters attacked a Kenyan military base in southern Somalia on Friday in the second assault by the Al-Qaeda linked group this week.

The attack on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) base at Kolbiyow, close to the Kenyan border in Somalia's Lower Juba region, began with suicide truck bombers blasting their way into the camp, followed by militants attacking from different directions.

Shabaab claimed in a statement to have overrun the base, captured military vehicles and equipment and to have killed 57 Kenyan soldiers.

"Fighters have taken control of the base and the overall Kolbiyow area after massacring the Kenyan infidels," the statement said.

KDF spokesman Paul Njuguna denied the Shabaab claims and said Kenyan soldiers had fought back, killing many of the Islamists.

Njuguna said Kenyan soldiers "fiercely engaged an Al Shabaab group which had attempted to attack the camp" before dawn.

"KDF soldiers repulsed the terrorists killing scores," he said, but did not give any figure for Kenyan casualties.

Shabaab frequently overstates the death toll from its attacks while Kenya commonly underplays its losses.

- Anarchy and conflict -

In January last year a Kenyan base at El-Adde was attacked and overrun by Shabaab fighters who claimed to have killed over 100 Kenyan soldiers. The government refused to give its own toll.

The Shabaab, which once controlled much of Somalia, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.

It launches regular attacks on government, military and civilian targets and has carried out a series of deadly assaults against foreign soldiers deployed in Somalia.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is a 22,000-strong force comprising soldiers from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Over the last two years Shabaab has rampaged through bases manned by Burundian soldiers in Lego, Ugandan troops in Janale and the Kenyans in El-Adde, inflicting high casualties and stealing military equipment each time.

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The Kolbiyow raid is the second major attack this week in Somalia, coming three days after 28 people were killed when Shabaab bombers and fighters attacked a hotel in the capital.

Somalia is due to hold a presidential vote in early February, signalling the end of a drawn-out electoral process in which a new parliament has also been selected.

Political infighting and ongoing insecurity scuppered plans for a universal vote in 2016, with lawmakers elected by specially selected delegates.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of president Siad Barre's military regime, which ushered in more than two decades of anarchy and conflict in a country deeply divided along clan lines.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - Germany's outspoken vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, better known for his stormy temperament than his diplomatic finesse, is the first to admit he's an unlikely choice for foreign minister.

But that's exactly the role the burly 57-year-old finds himself in on Friday after abandoning his long-held ambition to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel for the top job, bowing to his low approval ratings.

In a head-spinning round of political musical chairs this week, Gabriel said European Parliament head Martin Schulz would replace him as leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and take on the mighty Merkel in September's general election.

In the same breath, he announced he would step down as economy minister to take over the foreign ministry portfolio from Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is expected to become the country's next president in February.

For a man who once compared Israeli policy towards Palestinians to an "apartheid regime", Gabriel's new role as Germany's top diplomat has raised eyebrows.

The conservative daily Die Welt called the move "a joke" in an editorial and said it feared Gabriel would crash onto the international stage "like a bull in a china shop".

Gabriel acknowledged the criticism in his final press conference as economy minister, but added he was confident he could learn to speak "diplomacy German".

"I like to think I'll be able to refrain from triggering any foreign policy crises with my words," he quipped.

- Baptism of fire -

Faced with the unpredictability of a Donald Trump presidency in the United States and the start of Britain's divorce talks from the European Union, Gabriel can expect a diplomatic baptism of fire.

His first test will come as early as next month when Germany hosts a G20 gathering of foreign ministers, also expected to see the international debut of Trump's pick for US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.

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Gabriel, who labelled Trump's inauguration speech "highly nationalistic", has warned that the world should brace for a rough ride under the US billionaire.

But he has also urged Germans to face the coming geopolitical challenges "with confidence", and said any US withdrawal from the world stage should be seen as an opportunity for Europe to forge closer ties with countries like China.

As the new face of Germany's foreign policy, Gabriel will be hoping to put past gaffes behind him.

In 2015, he became the first top Western official to visit Iran following its historic nuclear deal. But the trip -- already viewed with scepticism in Berlin -- descended into controversy after Gabriel said cooperation between the two countries would require Iran to recognise Israel.

He also ruffled feathers in Beijing when he accused the Asian giant of "unfair" trade practices ahead of a visit there last November, leading to a chilly reception from his Chinese hosts.

- Staunch Nazi father -

A former teacher who took the reins of the SPD in 2009, Gabriel has seen his popularity tumble since he joined Merkel's coalition cabinet in 2013 as deputy chancellor and economy minister.

The father-of-two started out with high hopes of shifting government policy to the left, but critics say he has failed to make his party's achievements stand out while forever governing in Merkel's shadow.

Support for the SPD has eroded on his watch, its voters flocking to the far left and even the rightwing populist AfD party on concerns over immigration.

The SPD is currently polling at around 20 percent, trailing Merkel's CDU/CSU block with some 37 percent support.

Born in the northern town of Goslar, Gabriel had a complicated childhood. He revealed in a 2012 book that he had a difficult relationship with his father, who remained a staunch Nazi until the day he died.

When asked by Die Zeit newspaper how his father's past had affected him, Gabriel said it left him with an "almost uncontrollable anger".

"When I perceive something as unjust, when people are being wronged, I can get really worked up."

He caused a stir last year when he flipped his middle finger at a group of rightwing hecklers who were shouting praise for his father's beliefs.

"My only mistake was not using both hands," he said afterwards about the decidedly undiplomatic gesture.
Putin on Line One. Amid swirling rumors that President Trumps team is preparing an Executive Order lifting U.S. sanctions on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state-run TASS media agency Friday that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak by phone on Saturday. Peskov wouldnt comment on what the conversation will entail, telling reporters in Moscow, Lets see, lets just be patient.

Likewise, a source told Reuters Friday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also scheduled to speak with Trump Saturday, and you can bet that Russia will be high on the agenda in that chat. But the news service reports that if Washington walks away from the sanctions on Moscow, its far from certain that the European Union would follow.

Odd Future. Any move by President Trump to lift sanctions on Russia is guaranteed to run into a storm of criticism on Capitol Hill, particularly among Congressional Republicans who spent years complaining that then-President Barack Obamas economic penalties didnt go nearly far enough. For more, check the recent FP story that noted the complaints from some U.S. defense officials about the sanctions, and how the Russian war machine found ways to grow and even profit under the penalties.

Not the only great power in town. While the Kremlin might be on speed dial, Washingtons relationship with Beijing looks to be heading in the opposite direction. And Chinese officials are warning that the Trump team is making the possibility of conflict more likely.

Wading to these contested waters is FPs Dan De Luce, who writes that recent aggressive comments about the South China Sea from Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson and White House spokesman Sean Spicer suggest President Donald Trumps White House is eager to take an aggressive tone with Beijing, but lacks a coherent strategy to deal with China or a basic grasp of the legal and security issues at stake in the South China Sea, said former officials, diplomats, Asia experts and congressional aides. Evan Medeiros, who served as the top advisor on Asia in Obamas White House, tells FP, this is how you can stumble into a crisis. Read the whole thing here.

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War ready. Trump will visit the Pentagon on Friday afternoon to formally swear-in Defense Secretary James Mattis, who, the New York Times reports, could soon be tasked with devising plans to more aggressively strike the Islamic State, which could include American artillery on the ground in Syria and Army attack helicopters to support an assault on the groups capital, Raqqa. Trump wants the new war plan in 30 days, an official said.

The White House is also pushing for a review of the United States nuclear posture, as well as a report on how to get after meeting the presidents goal of fielding a state of the art antimissile system. The Washington Post is also hearing things, and reports there are more orders coming down for a review of cyber capabilities and vulnerabilities, in advance of what is expected to be greater use of offensive powers; and [to] direct the Pentagon to quickly develop plans to reduce spending on items not deemed highest priority, while ramping up programs to expand the armed forces.

You might want to circle back to a recent story in FP by Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary outlining some of the thinking from current and former military brass on the wisdom of sinking more U.S. assets  including ground troops  into Syria.

The bill. A bigger military costs more money, and President Trump doesnt have a problem increasing the national debt to get there. He told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday that while a balanced budget is fine, hes not too worried about it. Sometimes you have to fuel the well in order to really get the economy going. And we have to take care of our military. Our military is more important to me than a balanced budget. This stands in stark contrast to the anti-deficit, small budget mindset of Trumps pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney. You can read more on Mulvaneys budget hawkery  and his conflicting comments on Trumps defense spending plans, from FP here.

You used to call me on my cell phone. The White House abruptly asked several senior State Department officials to leave this week, including a key official who wouldve been in charge of implementing President Donald Trumps plans to curtail refugees from Muslim-majority countries, FPs John Hudson reports in a new get. Contrary to a report that the departures amounted to a mass exodus of officials who dont want to stick around for the Trump era, the officials received letters from the White House that their service was no longer needed. Characterizing these as protest resignations is totally inaccurate, a State Department official told Hudson.

Welcome to SitRep. Send any tips, thoughts or national security events to paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or via Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley.

Philippines

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says the basing deal the U.S. signed with the country is still on despite the anti-American rhetoric from the countrys mercurial president, Reuters reports. The U.S. and the Philippines inked a deal called the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2014, allowing for the U.S. to beef up rotations at five different bases throughout the country. The move had been seen as a hedge against the rise of China, which holds a number of territorial disputes with Manila, but the election of President Rodrigo Duterte and his verbal broadsides against the Philippines defense relationship with the U.S. had put a question mark over whether the deal would continue.

U.K.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is in town and ready to talk NATO. May is in the U.S. for her visit with President Trump and gave a hint of the message she might deliver to him in a speech to Congressional Republicans in Philadelphia on Thursday. She spoke of the need both to reform multilateral institutions like NATO but also highlighted their centrality to dealing with tough problems like the spread of ISIS. May also showed some acceptance of Trumps tilt toward Moscow but offered the admonition of engage, but beware.

Russia

Something odd is happening in Russia. On the heels of the reported arrests of two cybersecurity figures, including a former intelligence officer in Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) and a senior cybersecurity researcher at the Kaspersky Labs, Buzzfeed rounds up the latest news from Russian language media and finds that there are more shakeups in Russias cybersecurity world. Major Dmitry Dokuchayev, an FSB officer who had worked at the Mikhailov in the the Center for Information Security, was also reportedly arrested in December and the head of the agencys Center for Information Security, Andrei Gerasimov, was also fired recently.

Russia is getting cozier with the Taliban, threatening to upending American influence in the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Over the past month, Russia has carried out a series of actions to lend legitimacy to the Taliban, including holding direct talks with the group in order to formulate a joint strategy with Moscow against the growth of the Islamic State in the country. Russia also threw a wrench into a component of a peace deal hammered out by the Afghan government to bring notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar into the political process by blocking his removal from the U.N. sanctions list.

Homeland Security

President Trumps executive order prohibiting visas from being issued to residents from a handful of predominantly Muslim countries doesnt actually align with where foreign terrorists have come from since 9/11, according to numbers crunched by Commentarys Max Boot. Trumps executive order covers seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. But when Boot looked at the 89 identified terrorist suspects involved in 56 attacks and plots in the United States since 9/11, most of them were Americans. The remaining 42  save for three Somalis  were all from countries not on Trumps visa ban list.

Oops

One of the Trump administrations hires is facing a criminal charge after trying to take a handgun on board a flight with him at Reagan National Airport. The Wall Street Journal reports that Breitbart editor and television pundit Sebastian Gorka has a misdemeanor charge before he begins work at the White House under Steve Bannon, President Trumps chief strategist and senior counselor. Its unclear whether the weapon Gorka allegedly tried to bring on board the flight was loaded or whether he will have to pay a fine, serve out some kind of sentence or if the charge will be dismissed entirely.

Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Brecht
Independent film festival Slamdance has given its 2017 grand jury prizes to corporate comedy drama "Dim the Flourescents," violin-crafting documentary "Strad Style," while the Audience Award went to unexpected adventure "Dave Made a Maze."

Slamdance jurors called "Dim the Flourescents" a delight.

The film is about two women who try to parlay their theatrical skills into corporate information skits, and is "empathetic, weird and insanely funny," the jury statement said.

"Strad Style" follows Danny Houck who commits to replicating of one of the world's most valuable violins, a Guarneri, which are considered a rival to the more famous Stradivari-created instruments.

The annual Park City, Utah festival for low-budget filmmaking praised the story's passion, commitment, honesty, and against-all-odds triumph.

Winning the Audience Award was directorial debut "Dave Made a Maze," which is all about an artist who starts building a fort in his living room and turns it into a trap-filled labyrinth.

Watch a trailer for Dave Made a Maze: youtu.be/MZKLaH64SgI
By Kim Daewoung PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - South Korean and U.S. Marines are conducting military exercises on ski slopes in sub-freezing temperatures, including shirtless hand-to-hand combat in the snow, prompting warnings of retaliation from North Korea over "madcap mid-winter" drills. More than 300 Marines are taking part, simulating combat on the ski slopes of Pyeongchang, host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, amid speculation North Korea could be planning another missile test in defiance of U.N. resolutions. "U.S. Marine Corps and ROK (Republic of Korea) Marine Corps partnered together at every level to build a camaraderie and friendship of the two countries militaries but also to increase our proficiency in the event where we have to fight a war together," U.S. Captain Marcus Carlstrom told reporters. The training began on Jan. 15 and ends on Feb. 3 in Pyeongchang, about 180 km (115 miles) east of Seoul. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea in joint defense against North Korea, which is under U.N. sanctions over a series of nuclear and missile tests and which regularly threatens to destroy the South and the United States. Poverty-stricken, reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. James Mattis, in his confirmation hearing as U.S. defense secretary, described "the Pacific theater" as a priority and analysts expect new U.S. military spending under President Donald Trump to strengthen the U.S. presence in Asia. Topping U.S. concerns in the region are North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs and China's military moves in the South China Sea. North Korean media was dismissive of the exercises, but warned of retaliation. "The colonial puppet forces, no more than a rabble, are keen on escalating the tension and the moves to ignite a war at a time when even their American master is at a loss how to cope with the DPRK's powerful nuclear deterrent," North Korea's Minju Joson newspaper, quoted by the KCNA news agency, said. "... If the south Korean warmongers ignite a war against the DPRK, totally counting on the U.S., the revolutionary forces of the DPRK will wipe out the aggressors to the last man by fully displaying their tremendous might ..." DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn said on Monday the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system should not be delayed in the face of the growing North Korean nuclear missile threat. [nL4N1FD1A3] South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said on Friday North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles were "a direct and substantive threat" and ordered thorough military readiness, Yonhap News Agency said. (Additional reporting by Nataly Pak in Seoul; Writing by Hyunyoung Yi and Nick Macfie; Editing by Paul Tait)
Donald Trump sat down with a group of union leaders on Monday for a listening session to discuss American jobs. While most labor leaders supported Hilary Clinton in the election, Trumps message about jobs and protecting American workers appealed to their members, many of whom voted Trump.

Now the president is hoping that moves like withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and promised infrastructure projects will bring union leaders into his camp. However, even if he succeeds, hell find a smaller, less powerful bloc than he might have a decade or two ago.

Related: 15 Great Jobs for Retirees

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that union membership hit a record low in 2016, with just 10.7 percent of Americans belonging to organized labor. When the BLS started tracking such data back in 1983, union membership was over 20 percent.

One in three public-sector workers belonged to a union in 2016, while just 6 percent of private-sector workers were organized. Men were slightly more likely to belong to unions than women, and black workers more likely to be union members than whites, Asians or Hispanics.

Workers between the ages of 45 and 64 were most likely to be in a union.

Union membership varied by geography, as well. New York state had the highest union membership rate (24 percent), followed by Georgia (19.9 percent) and Alaska (18.5 percent). Union membership was lowest in South Carolina, where just over 1 percent of workers were union members.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Donald Trump is in the White House, and Yahoo News is taking a look at the top stories to watch in his first 100 days. From the unusual role family members will play as White House advisors to his promises to aggressively transform U.S. trade policy, and from investigations into Russian election interference to his relationship with Paul Ryan, well be rolling out 15 stories over five days  signposts for the road ahead.

The stakes: After a campaign in which they were considered one of his biggest political assets, Donald Trumps family is expected to play an unprecedented role in his presidency, both formally and informally.

The story: On the afternoon of Jan. 22, barely 48 hours into his presidency, Donald Trump entered the State Dining Room at the White House, where he presided over the formal swearing-in of members of his senior staff, a public tradition that has been carried out by every president in recent memory.

But just as Trump ran a gleefully unorthodox campaign for the presidency, the ceremony was a reminder of how truly untraditional his White House is likely to be.

The players: Front and center among Trumps incoming staff was Jared Kushner, the New York businessmans 35-year-old son-in-law who was said by many to have been the true manager of Trumps insurgent campaign for the presidency. Kushner, who is married to Trumps oldest daughter, Ivanka, now takes on an official role in the West Wing, working as a senior adviser to his father-in-law  the most high-profile family member to formally serve a president since John F. Kennedy appointed his brother Robert F. Kennedy to be his attorney general back in the 1960s.

Kushner, who will not take a salary, is expected to have a wide-ranging portfolio in his father-in-laws administration, perhaps the most important being someone who has Trumps ear on virtually every issue. But that also comes with Trumps heavy expectations. Giving a shout-out to Kushner before supporters at a pre-inaugural ball last week, Trump told him, If you cant produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can. Trumps lofty declaration stunned many in Washington, given that Kushner has no experience in public policy or diplomacy. But it was classic Trump, a man who has relied heavily on family, both in business and in politics, and who will continue that close relationship in potentially unprecedented ways as he navigates what many anticipate will be an unconventional presidency.

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Though she sat in the audience at Sundays swearing-in ceremony watching her husband and father, Ivanka Trump is also poised to play some role in the new White House  though its still not clear what it will be. Earlier this month, she said through a spokeswoman that she had no plans to take an official White House job, with an office or a salary.

But Ivanka, who took a formal leave of absence from the Trump Organization as well as her fashion and accessories label earlier this month, is already having behind-the-scenes influence in her fathers presidency. She was said to have been behind the hiring of Dina Powell, who worked as a foreign policy advisor in George W. Bushs White House, to advise Trump on womens issues. And she was also credited with some of her fathers attempts to open lines of communication with critics, including former Vice President Al Gore who recently came to Trump Tower thinking he was there to see Ivanka, only to also get an audience with the new president on climate change and other environmental issues.

Ivanka repeatedly rejected claims that she was a key political adviser to her father during the campaign, insisting she was just a daughter. But she championed issues like improved child care and family leave policies and has made moves in recent weeks indicating she will continue to do so. In December, she and Trump transition staff members reportedly began reaching out to members of Congress on child-care issues.

Just days before she moved to Washington, Ivanka met privately with dozens of high-profile female executives and media personalities at a dinner hosted by her friend Wendi Deng, the ex-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. She told attendees she was on a listening tour to figure out how she could best make a difference in her fathers administration.

Whether it is official or unofficial, Ivankas expected policy role is unprecedented for a first daughter, comparable only to a role traditionally played by a first lady  which has added some intrigue to her position in the White House. First Lady Melania Trump, who was a reluctant figure in her husbands presidential campaign, is expected to stay in New York at least until late spring, according to administration officials, allowing the couples 10-year-old son, Barron, to finish out the school year.

That schedule makes it unclear if the new first lady will embrace duties usually overseen by her office, including the organization of state dinners and other social efforts. There has been speculation that Ivanka Trump would step into that role  though Trump officials have repeatedly denied she will serve as an unofficial first lady of the White House. But some wonder if Ivanka will have any choice. Among the positions that have not yet been filled in the administration are the first ladys chief of staff and the White House social secretary, who usually helps organize traditional events like the upcoming Easter egg roll on the South Lawn and dozens of other annual events on the White House calendar, including a congressional picnic and a dinner honoring the nations governors.

Trumps oldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric, have been tapped to oversee the family business while their father serves in the White House. Under an agreement unveiled by the new president earlier this month  and one that is the subject of a lawsuit filed this week  Trump has stepped aside from his business holdings and insists he will not talk business with his sons. But many close to the family say its impossible to imagine they wont remain close advisers to their father, as they were during the campaign.

Unofficially, the Trump kids may also serve another important role. In the hours and days after Trump was sworn in as the nations 45th president, Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric, as well as Erics wife, Lara, all began posting candid photos of the familys arrival at the White House to social media, including photos from inside the rarely seen family residence and video of them trying out the bowling alley.

For a White House that has yet to hire an official photographer, the Trump kids may be the publics only candid view of their fathers life in the White House.
Donald Trump is in the White House, and Yahoo News is taking a look at the top stories to watch in his first 100 days. From the unusual role family members will play as White House advisers, to his promises to aggressively transform U.S. trade policy, and from investigations into Russian interference in the election to his relationship with Paul Ryan, well be rolling out 15 stories over five days  signposts for the road ahead.

_____

THE STAKES

On the campaign trail throughout 2016, Donald Trump repeatedly vowed to revoke Barack Obamas executive action protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation. A decision to end deportation relief could affect some or all of the 750,000 young immigrants who were protected under a 2012 executive order signed by then President Obama.

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THE STORY



Now that hes in the Oval Office, there are some signs the new president is backing off that campaign promise  a key part of his larger message of cracking down on undocumented immigrants with a wall on the southern border, deportation task forces and stricter enforcement of visa overstays.

While Trump has signed orders this first week focused on strengthening immigration enforcement and starting the process that would lead to construction of a border wall, he has not addressed the question of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (or DACA) policy.

Trump has shown some sympathy for DREAMers  the term advocates and lawmakers use for children who were brought to the country illegally by their parents  since winning the election. He told Time magazine he wanted to work something out for that particular group.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer dodged several questions Monday about whether Trump would rescind the order, saying that the presidents focus is on immigrants with criminal records. Were going to continue to work through the entire number of folks who are here illegally, Spicer said, leaving open the possibility that the administration would eventually deport the DREAMers.

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Adding to the confusion, Vox has reported that a draft executive order to end the DACA policy exists.

Though DREAMers fates are uncertain, its clear the new Trump administration is in no hurry to deal with them. That could anger the new presidents base, given how central anti-immigration rhetoric was to his campaign. But Republican lawmakers in Congress, who are eager to use their momentum to pass tax reform, repeal Obamacare and other measures, do not want to be bogged down in a legislative debate over the nations most sympathetic undocumented immigrants.

Reforming the immigration system as a whole will be the larger problem  no Congress has managed a comprehensive overhaul since 1986. Trump has said he wants to limit high-skilled HB1 visas. Its unclear if he would ever support a way for some of the countrys 11 million undocumented immigrants to apply to legalize their status.

The way in which Trump handles the DREAMers and immigration overall this year will be a test of whether he is able to govern as a pragmatic businessman free of partisan shackles, as he pitched himself, or if he is more beholden to his base.

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THE PLAYERS



If Trump does pull the trigger on the executive action, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, of Illinois, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, have introduced a bill that would essentially extend Obamas executive action for three years legislatively. The measure would continue protections from deportation and access to work permits as Congress hypothetically worked to reform the immigration system.

Their colleagues in the House may have a fiercer battle over the issue. House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul, of Texas, told an audience at a Bloomberg Government event this week that while his caucus was concerned about undocumented immigrants, the question remained, What do you do about the 12- and 15-year-olds? I dont think youre going to see mass deportations.

But Rep. Steve King, the Republican from Iowa who is the leading hardliner on immigration, has said Trumps only option is to rescind the DACA order.

Hes got to keep his word, or his presidency will be rendered toothless and ineffective and non-credible for the duration, King said.

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Read more from Yahoo News:
The idea had been brewing for a while, but it only took a few hours to turn it into a reality.

Thats how Russel Neiss, 33, explains the genesis of the Twitter account St. Louis Manifest, which on Friday tweeted the names of passengers on the St. Louis, a ship full of refugees from the Holocaust that was infamously turned away from the United States and Cuba in 1939.

As TIME reported back then, the liner bore 937 German-Jewish refugees who believed they would be able to disembark in Cuba and from there come to the United States; arriving in the waters off Florida, they found that almost all of the passengers would be barred from landing in Cuba, and that the nearby U.S. would not take them in either. The St. Louis returned to Europe, and eventually about a quarter of the passengers were killed during the Holocaust. Those 254 names are the ones being tweeted.

Theres a ritual around not only Holocaust remembrance, but other remembrances too, where one of the things you do is you read the names of the victims, Neiss explains to TIME. What does it look like to recreate this ritual for a digital age?

Though he had been thinking about that question for a whileNeiss builds apps and interactive technology for Jewish educationit had never felt appropriate. But, with the approach of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is being observed on Friday, he realized that it might look like this: a bot that, using data available from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which had already done the extensive work of cataloging the identities of the people who were on the St. Louis, read the names of the victims.

At a rate of one every five minutes, the project will last for a total of about 21 hours.

My name is Joachim Hirsch. The US turned me away at the border in 1939. I was murdered in Auschwitz pic.twitter.com/pfvJtMpIps  St. Louis Manifest (@Stl_Manifest) January 27, 2017

Neiss says that, as someone who had two grandparents who were Holocaust survivors and refugees, he cant remember when he first heard about the St. Louis, but that its plight has always been a story that stuck with him.

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As an American, not just as a grandchild of refugees or a Jew, its one of those stories that kicks you in the shin, he says. You think we were the good guys, but here you have hundreds of people and we sent them back to perish.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

The project was launched with few expectations; Neiss knew there were other name-reading Twitter bots (like the Every Three Minutes account, which uses the fact that a person was sold in slavery every three minutes in the antebellum U.S.) but he wasnt sure whether thered be much reaction to it. Though Neiss told TIME he hadnt had much of a chance to sit down and look at the feedback so farand a follower count in the 11,000 range as of 3 p.m. Easternhe thinks that the current political climate and the conversation about refugees has perhaps made the resonance of the project clearer to some people. It is perhaps the same reason that another Twitter message related to the period went viral in late 2015.

He just hopes that those people react by expressing their feelings about the refugee issue in productive ways, for example by communicating those feelings to their elected representatives.

It makes you think. People say never again and people say remember, but what does that mean and do we really? he asks. Im hopeful that if this story speaks to people, that they actually act on it. That they dont just retweet.
LONDON (AP)  New research suggests a worrying number of people in China may be infected with bacteria resistant to an antibiotic used as a last resort.

Researchers examined more than 17,000 samples from patients with infections of common bacteria found in the gut, in two hospitals in China's Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces, over eight years. About 1 percent of those samples were resistant to colistin, often considered the last option in antibiotics.

The study, published Friday in the Lancet journal, is one of the first to document the extent of drug-resistant infections in more than one Chinese province.

For decades, China has used colistin in its agriculture industry to speed animals' growth, but the drug was not used in people. Scientists say the latest work is further evidence that overuse in animals can spread to people. Chinese officials earlier this year approved colistin for use in hospitals, raising fears that it could worsen the resistance problem.

"It will be very important to ration its use so that it's only used when absolutely nothing else will work," said Mark Enright, a professor of medical microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, who was not part of the research.

Health officials have long worried that colistin-resistant bacteria might spread more widely, setting the stage for superbug infections that would theoretically be impervious to medications. Only a small number of such cases worldwide have been detected, including in the U.S.

Rising concerns over drug-resistant germs have prompted the United Nations to encourage countries to cut back on antibiotic use and develop new medicines.

People infected with these resistant strains can usually be treated with current antibiotics, but doctors warn that as these bacteria  which are already untreatable with last-resort drugs  acquire resistance to current drugs, the infections may become impossible to treat.

Experts also noted a surprise: the apparent ease with which the resistant gene spread between bacteria, including different species of bugs.

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"It now looks like there's potential for the resistance gene to move around and spread between different species of bacteria," said Nigel Brown, a spokesman for Britain's Microbiology Society, adding that it could lead to a jump in infections.

In a separate study also published in the Lancet, another group of Chinese researchers analyzed samples from patients with blood infections at 28 hospitals. About 1 percent had the colistin-resistant gene  a much higher figure than would be expected in developed countries.

Colistin's use in hospitals should be restricted to avoid problems, said Yunsong Yu, one of the study's authors.

"This is a warning shot about the possible scenario where we don't have very much left in the armory to treat (bacterial) infections," said Brown. "I don't think we are very close to that happening, but it is a remote possibility if we aren't careful about how we use our antibiotics."
Geneva (AFP) - The timing of the next Syria talks in Geneva was thrown into doubt on Friday after the UN said it could not confirm a Russian announcement that they had been postponed.

Meeting in Moscow with minor Syrian opposition figures, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the UN-hosted talks planned for February 8 had been "put back" until the end of the month.

But a spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said there was "no confirmation" the talks had been postponed.

Lavrov's remarks were made three days after talks between Damascus and rebel representatives wrapped up in the Kazakh capital Astana without tangible progress.

Ahead of the Geneva meet, de Mistura was scheduled to head to New York on Monday for talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and would also update the Security Council, his spokeswoman said.

"We're going to be sure when the special envoy is back," she said.

UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci also said the list of those invited to Geneva had not been finalised.

Last month, the UN said it "intended" to hold the next negotiations on February 8, and de Mistura has since referred to that date as the "target" for the next round of talks.

Key players Russia, Turkey and Iran backed the Astana talks and the main result was an agreement by the three sides to try to shore up a shaky ceasefire on the ground.

Representatives from the two sides had been expected to hold their first face-to-face talks in the Kazakh capital, but the rebels refused and mediators had to shuttle between the two sides.

The latest peace initiative comes after President Bashar al-Assad's regime, with the help of Russian and Iranian firepower, dealt rebels a crushing blow by ousting them from eastern Aleppo last month.

The main opposition groups stayed away from Friday's meeting in Moscow as the Kremlin seeks to impose its influence as the key powerbroker in Syria.

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Russia has sidelined the West with its diplomatic push to find a political settlement to the war in Syria, after its military support for Assad transformed the situation on the battlefield.

On Thursday, Britain, one of the harshest critics of Moscow's actions in Syria, signalled a possible policy shift, with Foreign Minister Boris Johnson saying Assad could be allowed to run for re-election and mentioning a possible "arrangement" with Russia.

More than 310,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since 2011.
taraneh-alidoosti

Getty Image

In 2011, Asghar Farhadis brilliantly complex divorce drama A Separation won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the same category his new movie, the equally wonderful The Salesman (our review), is nominated in this year. But the films star, Taraneh Alidoosti, whos widely hailed as one of Irans most accomplished actresses, wont be anywhere near Hollywood on February 26. Shes boycotting the Oscars over President Donald Trumps plan to restrict immigration and access to the United States for refugees and some visa holders from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

Trumps visa ban for Iranians is racist, Alidoosti tweeted on Thursday. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I wont attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest. (Farhadi and her co-star Shahab Hosseini have yet to comment.) Between Constance Wu noting that Casey Afflecks win will be a nod to Trumps, and now Alidoostis boycott, the 89th Academy Awards is proving to be an effective platform for voicing discontent with President Trump. Though I guess we should have seen that coming, considering Meryl Streeps damning acceptance speech at the Golden Globes.

After Trump laid out his proposed visa ban, the National Iranian American Council released the following statement: This is discriminatory. This is un-American. And last but not least: This is dangerous as it pits Americans against Americans while undermining the very principles of inclusivity and tolerance that define America. We will not be silent and will use every resource at our disposal to fight these shameful actions and protect the values and people who make America great.

Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not,I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest pic.twitter.com/CW3EF6mupo  Taraneh Alidoosti (@t_alidoosti) January 26, 2017

(Via Twitter)
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order as soon as Friday that would suspend refugee admissions and temporarily block new visas for people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. If it goes into force, the plan could disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of people.

The details of Trumps directive remain unclear, but uncertainty now rules thousands of lives in the Middle East and Africa. Citizens of those six countries fear that new rules will leave students and workers unable to return to studies and jobs in the U.S and families divided.

Its tearing families apart. Already the wait was long for these applications to be processed. Now were looking at the fact that theyre not going to be coming, says Abed Ayoub, the legal director at the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Center in Washington.

News of the visa ban was not unexpected; during the presidential campaign Trump called for an even more sweeping ban on all Muslims entering the United States, a proposal that was widely derided as an expression of bigotry. Trumps administration says the measure is needed for reasons of security (a leaked draft of the executive order says it is aimed at Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals).

The visa restrictions come alongside other orders to build a wall on the United States border with Mexico. Trump is also expected to bar Syrian refugees, at least temporarily, and freeze most other refugee admissions.

There is no evidence the new rules would increase security. Rather than sending foreign operatives, jihadist groups such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State have pivoted to recruiting would-be attackers among the citizens of western states, or inspiring sympathizers who already live inside the target counties, as was the case in the deadly mass shootings in San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, Florida.

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Rights advocates say Trumps plan is nothing more than a bid to further stoke racist sentiment. This is not about national security. This is about Islamophobia and xenophobia, Ayoub says. If these measures were in place September 10, 2001, it would not have prevented 9/11.

Here are just three stories of people who expect their lives to be disrupted by Trumps executive order:

Amer Arab, 35, a Syrian software engineer living in Istanbul

A Syrian citizen of Palestinian descent, Arab grew up in the Palestinian refugee district of Yarmouk, in Damascus. Arab has lived in Turkey since 2003, and since 2010 has been married to an American woman who also lives in Istanbul, working as an editor for an economic research firm.

With growing instability in Turkey, including a failed military coup last July, and a series of terrorist attacks on civilians, the couple decided to leave the country, and Arab applied in October to emigrate to the U.S. They had planned to move next summer, either to California or to Washington, D.C., where he planned to continue working as a software engineer, or as an Arabic-English interpreter.

That ruins all our plans, he said of the expected visa ban. For me, I could probably live here longer, but Im worried for the safety of my wife. Shes an American citizen. The reason we decided to leave the country this year is because of whats happening in Turkey. Its becoming more and more dangerous. Shes basically stuck here because of me.

Hes not a president who cares about facts. Theres nothing I can tell him, he says of Trump. I cant tell him its fine that immigrants and refugees never caused any problems in the United States. Hes not going to listen. Hes going on alternative facts.

Beheshteh Farshneshani, 30, an investment firm employee in Washington, DC

The Iranian-American dual citizen is planning to hold her wedding at a private estate overlooking the Pacific in Malibu, California. Raised in America since the age of five, Farshneshani planned to invite 12 relatives from Iran to attend the wedding. Some of her relatives had visited the U.S. before, but this time she wanted to show them a different side of the country, the west coast.

The visa process for Iranians was already far from smooth. The path to an American visa usually involves a pricey trip to Dubai or Turkey in order to access American consular services that are unavailable in Iran. This time an uncle and a cousin had their visa appointments abruptly cancelled. Then on Jan. 24, news broke of Trumps expected plan, ending any hope that theyll be able to attend the ceremony.

Its really difficult to swallow, Farshneshani tells TIME. I imagined them being at my wedding, from when I was very young, a little girl, getting married and thinking, my best friend, whos my cousin at my wedding. She got married, I went to her wedding. She had no choice but to strike her familys names from her guestlist.

Faisal, 26, an Iraqi asylum seeker in Baltimore

Originally from Baghdad, Faisal has been living in the United States for about 10 months. Back in Iraq, he worked as a writer and producer on a political satire show called al-Bashir Show. The program made fun of everyone from Iraqs politicians to the Islamic State gunmen who seized much of the country in 2014. As a result, Faisal and the others working on the show received repeated death threats. Fearing for his safety, he cannot return to Iraq. He asked to be identified by his first name only.

Faisal has two brothers, one living in Baltimore, and another, who left Iraq after working with a company contracted by the United States presence there. His parents are also in Jordan. Hed like them to join him in the United States, but Trumps executive order throws his plans into doubt.

Theres going to be certainty about the extent to which were screwed when he actually signs the document, but right now were in limbo, he tells TIME.

Im really freaking out, and Im not one whos easily freaked out, he says. I live here alone. My brother lives here as well. But Ive been living with my family my entire life. Were very close. Ive been telling myself ever since I came here that, well, its just going to be a few months or a couple of years, and they can actually come here and start a life.

I try to be as pragmatic as possible. My brother and my dad keep calling me about my take on everything, and I wish, I really wish at the time that I could tell them, Oh, dont worry! Its going to be fine. Because its just not. Its not going to be fine.
Tehran (AFP) - A senior Iranian firefighter paid tribute Friday to rescuers' bravery tackling a blaze last week that triggered the collapse of Tehran's oldest high-rise, killing 26 people.

The 15-storey Plasco building toppled on January 19 while emergency services were still evacuating people from it, four hours into the inferno.

Amir Mahdiani, a fire department commander, addressed worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran's vast Mosalla mosque as the search for those still missing in the collapse neared its end.

"If it wasn't for the sacrifice of the firemen, maybe the building would have collapsed two hours earlier and hundreds would be buried," he said, before bursting into tears.

His leg was in a splint due to an injury sustained during the fire.

Mahdiani said the death toll could have been lower if people had cooperated with the authorities and left the building more promptly.

He urged the government to help import modern firefighting equipment.

The Plasco building was Iran's oldest high-rise and contained a shopping centre and hundreds of clothes shops and workshops.

The disaster sent a shockwave across Iran, topping the news agenda for a week as rescue teams worked round the clock to recover bodies from the rubble.

Fire and smoke persisted at the site for days as bulldozers unearthed metal rods still red with heat.

The bodies of 15 firefighters and four civilians had been recovered from the rubble by Friday while six were still missing, the fire service said. Another firefighter died in hospital.

Bulldozers had removed 1,600 truckfuls of rubble from the site by Friday reaching underground floors after nine days of searching with sniffer dogs.

Some of the bodies recovered were unidentifiable and awaited DNA testing.

Authorities said the firefighters would be buried as "martyrs" next to those killed in a stampede during the 2015 hajj pilgrimage.

The last body was recovered late Thursday and officials hoped to clean up and lift traffic restrictions near the site by Saturday.

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A deputy mayor said crews removing the rubble were set to complete the job by around 5 pm (1330 GMT) Friday.

The damage was estimated at 15,000 billion rials ($390 million, 365 million euros) and some 3,500 workers lost their jobs as a result of the blaze.

The government announced a relief programme to help businesses and uninsured workers.
By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - When President Donald Trump was elected last November, Republican lawmakers enthusiastically joined his call to rewrite the tax code and dismantle Obamacare in the first 100 days of his presidency.

But as congressional Republicans gathered for an annual policy retreat in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the 100-day goal morphed into 200 days. As the week wore on, leaders were saying it could take until the end of 2017 - or possibly longer - for passage of final legislation.

Trump had a different idea when he spoke to lawmakers in Philadelphia, telling them: Enough talk. Time to deliver.

The divergent views on the timetable were among many indications of tensions that simmered just below the surface at the three-day Republican retreat.

Before the cameras, Trump and Republicans sought to convey an image of a happy, unified family, playing down differences over tax policy, whether to reinstate torture interrogation techniques and investigating 2016 election fraud.

And clearly there is none of the open warfare that has sometimes erupted among Republicans, such as when Senator Ted Cruz infuriated many of his colleagues by leading a standoff over Obamacare that partially shut down the government in 2013.

But barely visible in Philadelphia, there are potential flashpoints of disagreement within the Republican rank-and-file in Congress as well as between Republican lawmakers and the unorthodox new president.

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These include how and when to replace Obamacare if Republicans succeed in their quest to repeal it; how to revamp the multi-layered tax code, whether to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and the nature of the U.S. relationship with Russia.

When it comes to tax reform, senior congressional aides said the spring of 2018 might be a more likely time than this year for the passage of legislation.

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EXPENSIVE WISH LIST

Republican lawmakers lavished praise on Trump in public. In dozens of interviews, many said they felt he would be an energetic champion of issues they cared about. But some also voiced fears that his big agenda would drive up deficits and said they were still searching for details on his plans.

Several Republican lawmakers and aides said they were wary of the cost of his plan to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Republican leaders have said the wall proposal under discussion would cost $12 billion to $15 billion cost but some congressional aides say it could end up easily topping $20 billion.

Republican Representative Will Hurd, whose Texas district partially borders Mexico, went a step further, calling the wall an ineffective tool for stopping illegal immigration.

Others warned a border adjustment tax on foreign goods to pay for that wall could hurt U.S. companies' profits, raise costs for American consumers and spark retaliation by foreign trading partners.

Some lawmakers also worry that some of their constituents could be at risk of losing healthcare coverage if the push to repeal Obamacare moves too quickly.

Republican Representative Tom Cole said rank-and-file lawmakers have an incentive to fall in line behind Trump.

"You dont want to be the reason why we werent successful in getting these things done," he said.

Still, Cole said Republicans are taking stock of the potential cost of the biggest items on Trump's agenda such as the wall, infrastructure projects, tax cuts and beefing up military spending.

"I think they worry about it," Cole said.

Following Trump's speech to the lawmakers on Thursday, Senator James Risch said that no decisions had been made on the replacement of Obamacare, a complex law that has expanded healthcare insurance to millions of Americans.

"It's going to take a while to resolve it," Risch said. Asked by reporters whether Republicans had a clear idea of what Trump would like to replace Obamacare with, Risch responded, "In detail, no."

(Reporting By Richard Cowan, David Morgan and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Caren Bohan and Alistair Bell)
London (AFP) - Britain's biggest retailer Tesco agreed Friday to buy wholesaler Booker for A3.7 billion in a surprise play to become the nation's top food business, slash costs and take on German-owned discounters.

The purchase, worth $4.7 billion or 4.4 billion euros, sent Tesco shares soaring and was hailed by analysts as a "crucial" moment for the supermarket giant and the broader retail sector.

Tesco, which has been troubled in recent years by an accounting scandal and fierce domestic competition from German discounters Aldi and Lidl, added Friday that it was seeking to "enhance" its growth prospects.

"Tesco has made significant progress in turning around our UK retail business," said Chief Executive Dave Lewis.

"This merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital.

"Wherever food is prepared and eaten -- in home or out of home -- we will meet this opportunity with the widest choice and best service available."

Booker is the country's biggest cash-and-carry operator and sells goods to more than 503,000 customers -- including grocers, pubs and restaurants. It also owns convenience store chains Budgens, Londis and Premier, as well as trade-facing Makro and Booker Wholesale.

Tesco expects annual pretax synergies of at least A200 million within three years of completion. It also aims to achieve A175 million of extra cost savings in areas like distribution and procurement.

The cash-and-shares transaction will hand Booker 16 percent of the new company. Booker investors will receive 0.861 new Tesco share and 42.6 pence in cash for every share they own.

"Booker is committed to improving choice, prices and service for the independent retailers, caterers and small businesses that we are proud to serve," added Booker Chief Executive Charles Wilson.

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"We believe that joining forces with Tesco offers the potential to bring major benefits to end consumers, our customers, suppliers, colleagues and shareholders."

The deal -- worth 205.3 pence per share -- represents a 12 percent premium on Booker's closing share price on Thursday. It is expected to complete in late 2017 or early 2018, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.

"What we are doing is bringing together two very complementary businesses which have a focus on food and a focus on customers," Dave Lewis told BBC radio.

- 'Crucial' moment for industry -

In late morning deals, Tesco shares rallied 10.05 percent to 208 pence on London's flat stock market as investors applauded the move.

"Tesco shares soared after it announced plans to merge with Booker Group, a major strategic play for the UKas largest retailer at a crucial moment for the industry and in its turnaround process," said ETX Capital analyst Neil Wilson.

"At first glance Tescoas merger with Booker makes perfect sense. Tie up the end-to-end wholesale/retail business and make savings in the process."

In recent years, meanwhile, Britain's "Big Four" supermarkets -- comprising Tesco, WalMart division Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrison -- have lost market share to Aldi and Lidl.

German discount chains boomed as customers tightened their belts during the downturn, and remain popular despite the economy's steady recovery.

"Tesco is also taking on the discounters like Aldi and Lidl," added Wilson.

"Like the rest of the 'Big Four' supermarkets, Tesco has been squeezed by discounters and is fighting back.

"We have already seen discounter growth and market share flattening off and this could continue."
BERLIN (Reuters) - Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc <TSLA.O> confirmed on Thursday it was the customer that canceled a large order with German supplier SHW <SW1.DE>, but denied it had anything to do with the new U.S. administration.

The loss of the 100 million euros ($107 million) order sent shares in SHW, which assembles pumps and engine components as well as brake discs, to a four-month low on Tuesday.

German media reports said the cancellation resulted from political pressure after U.S. President Trump met chief executives, including Tesla boss Elon Musk, on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Tesla Europe said on Thursday the order was canceled because the supplier's product did not meet its technical standards.

"The main reason why we now confirm that we canceled the order is to counter those utopian claims that we were acting in response to political pressure," she said. "The fact is the order was canceled because technical standards weren't complied with."

SHW, which had declined to name the company behind the canceled order, had said on Tuesday the customer felt technical specifications for axle-drive pumps failed to meet its requirements, but added that it did not accept the reason.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Writing by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Count Tesla Motors Inc (ticker: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk as one executive who is taking a wait-and-see attitude toward President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Musk replied to a tweet from The Economist to show encouragement for Trump's nominee for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) CEO Rex Tillerson. Musk followed up with another tweet in support of a carbon tax, reports Fortune.

@TheEconomist This may sound surprising coming from me, but I agree with The Economist. Rex Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State.

-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

January 24, 2017

"This may sound surprising coming from me, but I agree with The Economist," Musk says. "Rex Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State."

Rex Tillerson supports a carbon tax. This is what is really needed to move the needle. https://t.co/6ne01TOzs1

-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

January 25, 2017

Gizmodo asked Musk in a chat interview whether he thought a policy like a carbon tax would exist in Trump's administration given the president's statements that global warming is a "hoax." Musk advocated for an approach that doesn't involve "attacking" the president.

"This is something we need to strive for and the more voices of reason that the president hears, the better," Musk said. "Simply attacking him will achieve nothing. Are you aware of a single case where Trump bowed to protests or media attacks? Better that there are open channels of communication."

Musk added that Tillerson would be the best person to fight for such a tax. " ... [Tillerson] has publicly acknowledged for years that a carbon tax could make sense. There is no better person to push for that to become a reality than Tillerson."

Musk, initially critical of Trump during his campaign, is a member of Trump's strategic and policy forum of business leaders. Tesla shares shot up following his election, now up more than 17 percent on the year.

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"When you look at the businesses Tesla is in, you see many areas of overlapping interest," Adam Jonas, an automotive analyst at Morgan Stanley, told The New York Times (the overlap referring to the Trump administration). "To the extent the new administration prioritizes the creation of valuable, innovative high-tech and manufacturing jobs, Tesla stands at the epicenter of that."

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David Oliver is Associate Editor, Social Media at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, or send him an email at doliver@usnews.com.
(Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's Barr Laboratories Inc has reached a $225 million settlement in an antitrust class action that accused the drugmaker of keeping a generic version of Bayer AG's antibiotic Cipro off the market, court documents showed. The case, which began in 2000 in California state court, centers on a series of settlements in the late 1990s under which Bayer allegedly paid Barr Pharmaceuticals, since bought by Teva, $398 million not to market Cipro's generic version. Bayer had earlier sued Barr claiming that generic Cipro would infringe a Bayer patent. http://reut.rs/2jkzNtL The plaintiffs, a group of non-profits and individuals in California who bought Cipro, claimed that the settlement drove up the price of the drug and violated California's antitrust law and the Cartwright Act. In December, Teva Pharmaceutical agreed to pay more than $519 million to settle U.S. criminal and civil allegations that the company bribed overseas officials to gain business for its medications. The settlement requires an approval from California's highest court. (Reporting by Komal Khettry in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas inmate was executed on Thursday for killing two sandwich shop employees during a robbery in 2002 after the Supreme Court denied appeals that argued he was not the trigger man and his case was tainted by prosecutorial misconduct. Terry Edwards, 43, died of lethal injection at 10:17 p.m. at the state's death chamber in Huntsville, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark in a statement. Yes, I made peace with God. I hope yall make peace with this," Edwards said before he was put to death, according to the statement released by Clark. The execution was put on hold for about four hours as the Supreme Court considered several motions citing what lawyers for Edwards said were faults in previous legal proceedings. The court rejected those requests late on Thursday evening. The execution was the 540th in Texas since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, the most of any state. Edwards was convicted along with co-defendant Kirk Edwards, an older cousin, of the July 2002 murders of Dallas Subway sandwich shop employees Mickell Goodwin and Tommy Walker in a robbery. Kirk Edwards has a projected release date of July 2027, Texas Department of Criminal Justice online records showed. In an editorial posted online on Wednesday, the Dallas Morning News said the execution should be halted because there are too many unanswered questions in the case. "These questions do not paint Terry Edwards as innocent. But they do raise uncertainties as to whether the jury was misled when it determined he had pulled the trigger and deserved to die, it said. Lawyers for Texas have argued that new counsel for Edwards previously tried to halt the execution on similar grounds and that his conviction and sentencing were legal and proper. John Mills, an attorney for Edwards, said he had evidence indicating that Edwards was not the gunman. "Previous counsel has done virtually almost nothing to ensure that his case was investigated and that the powerful evidence undermining the reliability and the fairness of his conviction was brought to light," Mills said in an interview. One of the main pieces of evidence was gunshot residue testing, which at trial was presented and used by prosecutors who said Terry Edwards fired the fatal shots. In court papers, lawyers for the Terry Edwards said the gunshot residue evidence was improperly interpreted and actually show that Edwards was not the shooter. (This version of the story was refiled to add word, delete extraneous word in paragraph 1) (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by James Dalgleish, Leslie Adler and Michael Perry)
A gang of Thai con-artists, led by a monk, have been arrested after masquerading as palace officials to dupe couples into paying for bogus royal visits to their weddings, police said Friday.

Falsely claiming royal ties is a particularly grave offence in Thailand, where the monarchy carries enormous prestige and is protected by one of the world's harshest defamation laws.

The three women and five men, including a monk who allegedly ran the racket, were detained on fraud charges after operating the scam for several years, reportedly raking in over $500,000.

"The monk and his people asked some couples to pay money for special 'high-up' (royal) individuals to attend their weddings," Police Colonel Pumin Pumpunmuang, a regional commander overseeing the case, told AFP.

They faked documents from the royal household bureau to add credence to their cover story, he said, adding cops finally uncovered the scam after a victim complained.

The gang has been operating out of provinces bordering Bangkok for several years, Pumin added.

He declined to comment on whether the gang were also charged with royal defamation, a crime carrying to 15 years in prison per offence.

Fabricating royal connections can lead to heavy jail sentences in Thailand, where the monarchy is extolled as a beacon of virtue by state and palace propaganda.

In November a 62-year-old woman was jailed for 50 years for trumping up palace ties to swindle victims out of more than $100,000 among other offences.

A year earlier, a famous Thai fortune teller was charged with improperly using his royal connections to make money.

He later died in military custody under mysterious circumstances.

Veneration for the Thai monarchy solidified under the reign of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a beloved figure who died last October at age 88 after seven decades on the thrown.

His only son and successor, 64-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is now shepherding the kingdom through a new and uncertain era.

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The kingdom's royal defamation law was used aggressively during the final years of Bhumibol's reign, especially after a royalist junta seized power in 2014.

Observers say that Vajiralongkorn's legacy will in large part rest on whether he endorses or backs away from the government's use of the law.

In the first lese majeste case of 2017, an anti-junta activist was sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison on Friday for comments posted on Facebook and in a private message chat, according to legal watchdog iLaw.

All media based in the country must self-censor to avoid violating the royal defamation law known as Article 112.
The White House released what it billed as a Joint Statement on U.S.-Mexico Relations after President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had a telephone call on Friday morning. However, the version of the statement distributed by the Mexican government contained one big difference.

The presidents also agreed for now not to speak publicly on this controversial topic, the Mexican government statement said, in Spanish.

That line was missing from the American version, which was otherwise identical.

The statements followed a spat between the two countries that started Wednesday, when Trump signed an executive order calling for the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border. The wall was one of his signature campaign promises. Trump has repeatedly said that he will get Mexico to finance the wall, but Pena Nieto has stressed that his country will not pay for the project.

Pena Nieto then signaled that he was rethinking a scheduled meeting with Trump next Tuesday. Trump responded by saying that it might be better to scrap the meeting, and then the Mexican president did exactly that.

Both statements about Friday mornings call said that the presidents spoke for an hour and that the conversation was mutually arranged by both of their teams. The two statements also said that the leaders discussed Trumps promise to have Mexico pay for a border wall and that both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.

Yahoo News has asked both the White House and the Mexican government why the two statements were different. As of this writing, we have not received responses from either Mexico or the White House. Foreign governments sometimes give different accounts of their communications with the White House, but in this case, Trumps team billed their announcement as a joint statement.

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Both the White House statement and the Mexican one described the conversation as a productive and constructive call regarding the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The two statements said that Trump and Pena Nieto discussed the current trade deficit the United States has with Mexico, the importance of the friendship between the two nations, and the need for the two nations to work together to stop drug cartels, drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales.

Both presidents have instructed their teams to continue the dialogue to strengthen this important strategic and economic relationship in a constructive way, the statements concluded.

The executive order described the planned wall as a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier. Trump held a brief news conference alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday to discuss her visit to the White House. Trump took four questions and then departed, which is customary for joint appearances with presidents and a foreign leader. As he left, Yahoo News asked if he could describe how the wall would look. Trump did not respond.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Photo credit: Nord-West-Media TV/dpa / AP

From Popular Mechanics

Police in northwestern Germany are searching for a brazen thief - or thieves - who knocked down the wall of a house with a tractor and made off with a safe.

Police say the tractor was used early Thursday morning to bash down the wall of the home in the town of Buende, west of Hannover, according to the dpa news agency.

The thief or thieves grabbed the safe and fled, and the John Deer farm tractor was left halfway inside the house.

Authorities say the home's residents weren't harmed in the robbery but refused to say what was being kept in the safe or to give any further information because of the ongoing investigation.

Photo credit: Nord-West-Media TV/dpa / AP

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President Trump signed an executive order that among things suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and bars all Syrian refugees until further notice. More here

British Prime Minister Theresa May became the first foreign leader to meet with President Trump at the White House. More here

Were tracking the news stories of the day below. All updates are in Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese are heading to temples and fairs to wish for an auspicious start to the Lunar New Year. Thousands gathered at Beijing's major temples on Saturday, the first day of the Year of the Rooster. Wearing heavy winter coats, they lit incense sticks and bowed as they prayed for good fortune and health. Beijing's sprawling temple fair opened at Ditan Park, where empty tree branches were festooned with red lanterns and traditional goods and foods were for sale. Other New Year's traditions include the eating of dumplings in northern China and the lighting of fireworks. Local media reported air pollution levels in Beijing and several other cities shot up Friday night and early Saturday morning.

HONG KONG (AP)  Saturday marks the start of the lunar Year of the Rooster and families in China will reunite for festivities, fireworks and food. While tradition calls for feasting on "auspicious" foods, many will also munch on staple snacks like "phoenix claws," the Chinese name for chicken feet. With reptilian looks and lowly status from scratching around farmyards and coops, humble chicken paws are considered a throwaway in the West, where farmers often grind them into feed for pets and livestock. But across much of Asia, where diners prefer eating meat on the bone, they're a considered a delicacy.

LIUMINYING VILLAGE, China (AP)  Four men in traditional yellow costumes bang large drums to announce the start of the New Year's Eve banquet in Liuminying village. Inside the meeting hall, 100 tables are set with a dozen plates, bearing sausages, nuts and fruit. Sitting in a storage shed outside are thousands of half-moon shaped dumplings, made by hand the day before, ready to be boiled and served. Villages and cities across China are preparing this weekend to celebrate Lunar New Year, though few feasts are as elaborate as the one in Liuminying, a hamlet in Beijing's suburbs. Festivities in recent years have been more muted as China's economy has slowed down  hitting its lowest level of growth in three decades last year  and its top political leadership has issued calls for austerity.

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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine troops have launched airstrikes and ground assaults that reportedly wounded one of Southeast Asia's most-wanted militant suspects who is trying to establish a new base for an alliance backing the Islamic State group, officials said Friday. Intelligence reports showed the assaults killed at least four militants, possibly including a Malaysian, and reportedly wounded the main target, Isnilon Hapilon, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told The Associated Press. He said Hapilon apparently managed to flee from a camp in the mountainous hinterlands of Butig town in southern Lanao del Sur province. "Army troops are still in hot pursuit," Lorenzana said.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  An Indonesian man arrested in Bali this week for suspected links to the Islamic State group after traveling to Turkey was an Australian-educated former Finance Ministry official, authorities said Friday. The Ministry of Finance said Triyono Utomo resigned from his job in the ministry's fiscal policy office in February last year because he wanted to focus on managing an Islamic boarding school in West Java. At the time he was in line to be appointed as a division head within the office. National Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said Utomo, aged about 40, was well educated and studied for his master's degree in Australia.

BANGKOK (AP)  A court in Thailand on Friday sentenced an opponent of the military government to more than 11 years in prison for posting material on the internet judged insulting to the country's monarchy. The military court halved the sentence for Burin Intin from an original 22 years, 8 months for two offenses because he pleaded guilty to the lese majeste charge as well as to violating the Computer Crime Act by posting illegal content. Lese majeste, insulting the monarchy, carries a penalty of three to 15 years in prison. Burin was arrested in April 2016 as he participated in a protest in Bangkok against the military regime that seized power from an elected government two years earlier.

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Most Filipinos want their government to assert the country's rights in the disputed South China Sea after an arbitration tribunal invalidated China's vast territorial claims and ruled the Philippines can fish and exploit resources in the contested waters, according to an opinion poll released Friday. The Dec. 6-11 survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia showed 84 percent of 1,200 adult Filipinos polled nationwide agreed the government should uphold its rights in the disputed waters. It said 3 percent disagreed and 12 percent neither agreed nor disagreed. The survey had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

SRINAGAR, India (AP)  The death toll from two avalanches that struck the Himalayan region of Kashmir has risen to 14 after the bodies of four more Indian soldiers were recovered, the Indian army said Friday. Army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said rescuers recovered the bodies early Friday after digging through piles of snow in the Gurez sector near the de facto frontier that separates the Indian and Pakistani portions of the region. Separate avalanches buried a military post and swept away a patrol on Wednesday night in Gurez, burying a total of 21 Indian soldiers. Seven soldiers were rescued. Kalia said bad weather, including heavy snowfall, hampered rescue operations.

BANGKOK (AP)  Thai police said Friday they have arrested a gang of wedding crashers led by a Buddhist monk who scammed couples by pretending to be officials with royal links and demanding money for their prestigious presence at nuptials. Police Col. Phumin Pumpanmuang said eight suspects, the monk and seven relatives, have been taken into custody. The monk would attend weddings as an honored guest, with his relatives pretending to be high-ranking and respected figures presenting him with offerings. They would then press the wedding party for donations, which would be awkward to refuse. Buddhist monks in Thailand are treated with great deference as holy men, while the monarchy is the country's most revered institution.

SYDNEY (AP)  A 69-year-old seaplane that crashed, killing the pilot and his passenger, in front of thousands of onlookers during an aerial display above the city of Perth had flown from the United States to Australia in recent years, an official said Friday. Owner and pilot Peter Anthony Lynch, 52, and his Indonesian partner Endah Cakrawati, 30, were alone in the 1948 Grumman G-73 Mallard flying boat when it crashed into the Swan River on Thursday to the horror of up to 60,000 witnesses who were gathering to watch an annual fireworks display. The fireworks to celebrate Australian Day were cancelled.
Every parent celebrates the first time their baby crawls, but the milestone was all the more special for this Oklahoma family, who were once told their daughter would never be able to due to her spina bifida.

Read: Meet the 5-Year-Old Boy Whose Rare Condition Causes Skin to Grow 10 Times Faster Than Normal

Meet 21-month-old Poppy Cox, of Broken Arrow, the baby defying all odds after being diagnosed with spina bifida while she was in the womb.

Her mom, Jordan Cox, told InsideEdition.com that she found out her third child would be disabled at her 20-week ultrasound.

It was definitely a dark day, just leaving with the uncertainty, Jordan said. We walked in pregnant with a baby and felt like we were finding out we were pregnant with a diagnosis and that was just really devastating."

Doctors explained their babys spinal cord was not developing normally, and said it would likely cause her legs to have little feeling, and limited mobility. Doctors even said little Poppy may never be able to crawl.

Weeks later, doctors performed neo-natal surgery on her baby, where they were able to take little Poppys backside out of the womb, operate on the affected part of her spine, and place her back into the womb, where she continued to grow for the duration of her moms pregnancy.

Although doctors called the surgery a success, Jordan said they were still unsure how her daughter would be affected once she was born.

Read: Blind and Deaf 3-Year-Old With Rare Disorder Hears Mom's Voice for the First Time With Cochlear Implant

"One of the hardest parts about being pregnant with her was feeling scared of her, she said. Most of the time when youre pregnant, youre excited for your baby to be born and you cant wait to see them, and I just remember being scared of her [and] all these issues that we have no idea what it will look like."

Little Poppy was born premature in April 2015, and for the first year, the entire family worked hard to help her reach her milestones.

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For a really long time, everything was very stressful, Jordan said. Just knowing we have a special needs child, that just seems so hard.

But, little Poppy never gave up, and even her siblings pitched in to support her every move.

Jordan said she recalls her 6-year-old son, Gavin, lingering around during Poppys bath time, and moved her legs around the water, exclaiming: Ill splash your legs for you, Poppy!

It was really sweet and a great way for her to know that shes supported and encouraged, and has lots of cheerleaders in her life, the mother of three said.

One day, at about 14-months-old, little Poppy started to crawl  not just with her arms, but with her legs as well.

It was the moment my husband and I both felt like, This is going to be really good. Our lives are going to be great. Her life is going to be great, Jordan said. It just felt very rewarding to see that  especially as a surprise milestone.

Read: 3-Year-Old Boy Battling Terminal Cancer Sworn In as Honorary FDNY Firefighter

Today, Poppy continues to do physical therapy twice a week, where she works on standing up on her own, and even taking her first step, which her mom calls a nod to her namesake.

Her official name is Gabrielle Poppy Cox. We wanted to call her Poppy Cox because 'poppycock' means nonsense, or rubbish, her mother explained. We think back to the day we were diagnosed with spina bifida and just how sad we were when our joy felt so stolen. Her little life just says poppycock to all of that. Were going to be happy."

Watch: 4-Year-Old With Cerebral Palsy Walks for the First Time, Thanks to Stranger's Donation

Related Articles:
Montreal (AFP) - Canadian pipeline builder TransCanada announced it had submitted an application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial project that has been given the green light by US President Donald Trump.

Trump on Tuesday gave a conditional go-ahead for the project, which was put on hold by former president Barack Obama over environmental concerns.

Calgary-based TransCanada said in a statement it had filed a "presidential permit application" with the US State Department for approval of the project.

The 1,180-mile (1,900-kilometer) pipeline would carry oil from Canadian tar sands to US Gulf Coast refineries, with some 870 miles winding through the United States.

Trump repeatedly asserted during the US presidential campaign that he would approve the pipeline.

"This privately funded infrastructure project will help meet America's growing energy needs as well as create tens of thousands of well-paying jobs," TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a statement.

The statement added that the project would add $3.4 billion to the US economy.

TransCanada must now wait while the US conducts a new study of the Keystone XL project. But between Trump's conditional go-ahead and his nomination of Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, as secretary of state, the project is likely to be approved.

Canada is the world's sixth-largest oil producer thanks to the Alberta tar sands, which produce some of the "dirtiest" crude in the world.

Unlike traditional crude which gushes from a well, tar sand oil must be dug up and essentially melted with steaming hot water before it can be refined. It results in huge lakes of polluted water and the strip-mining of millions of acres of once-pristine boreal forests.

Environmentalists say that tar sand oil contains a harmful and corrosive component -- bitumen -- which makes pipeline ruptures or leaks more likely and carries greater health and safety risks.

TransCanada says that buried pipelines are far safer for transporting oil than ships or trains, and that bringing another 830,000 barrels of oil a day from friendly, neighboring Canada would reduce US dependence on the Middle East and Venezuela by up to 40 percent.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who supports building the pipeline, recently said he wants to gradually halt exploration of the oil sands and transition away from fossil fuel.
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If there's one thing the internet is good for, its disrupting normal proceedings.

So nobody should have been surprised when a number of cheeky social media users piled on the "Hottest 100," an annual tradition hosted by Australian indie radio station Triple J.

A public poll that's been around since 1993, the countdown is announced in real time online as well as over the radio, setting it up as the perfect fodder for "sh*tposters."

SEE ALSO: Coachella 2017 lineup features Beyonce, Radiohead and...Hans Zimmer?

So, while the station counted backwards from 100, merry pranksters like Ben Lawson and Jack Taylor showed off their trolling skills.

Taylor's route was to make an occasionally NSFW pun based on each song's title, resulting a host of wordy gems. Highlights include his comment on the placement of Milky Chance's "Cocoon."

Image: Facebook/Jack Taylor

And his excellently lame response to "Ultralight Beam":

Image: Facebook/Jack Taylor

Plus his Avalanches-themed takedown, a burn posted after "Frankie Sinatra" hit the countdown.

Image: Facebook/Jack Taylor

Fellow troll Ben Lawson had a less complicated approach, making the joke...

Image: Ben Lawson/Facebook

...over and over.

Image: Ben Lawson/Facebook

And over.

Image: Ben Lawson/Facebook

And again.

Image: Ben Lawson/Facebook

Soon, his staple response became a meme, as everyone's attention began to get diverted away from the list and onto Lawson.

After 99 claims that the song in question should have ranked higher, he finally dropped his comment on the number one track, Flume's "Never Be Like You".

Darryl Braithwaite's "The Horses" is Australia's version of "Never Gonna Give You Up." It's a perpetual punchline of a tune that people both love and cringe at.

Think we know who the real winners of the competition were. Well played, boys.
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump intensified his feud with the media on Friday, likening the press to "the opposition."

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump was asked about criticism of the media made by a top aide.

Steve Bannon has suggested the media was the opposition and that it should "shut up."

Trump appeared to agree.

"A big portion of the media, the dishonesty, total deceit and deception makes them certainly partially the opposition party, absolutely, I think they're much more capable than the opposition party," Trump said, referring to the Democrats.

"The opposition party is losing badly, the media is on the losing opposition's side. I say they treat me so unfairly it's hard to believe I won, but the fortunate thing about me is I have a big voice.

"The media is a disgrace," he added.
Jonah B. Gelbach (University of Pennsylvania Law School) has posted The Triangle of Law and the Role of Evidence in Class Action Litigation (University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 165, Forthcoming) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

In Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, a "donning and doffing" case brought under Iowa state law incorporating the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime pay provisions, the petitioners asked the Supreme Court to reject the use of statistical evidence in Rule 23(b)(3) class certification. To its great credit, the Court refused. In its majority opinion, the Court cited both the Federal Rules of Evidence and federal common law interpreting the FLSA. In this paper, I take a moderately deep dive into the facts of the case, and the three opinions penned by Justice Kennedy (for the Court), Chief Justice Roberts (in concurrence), and Justice Thomas (in dissent) to explain why the case highlights the symbiotic relationship between Rule 23's certification-relevant provisions, underlying substantive law, and the Federal Rules of Evidence. I argue that the petitioners' attempts to forge a common law of statistical evidence for class certification was at war with core Federal Rules of Evidence and, consequently, with the Rules Enabling Act.



Along the way, I introduce the category of counterfactually relevant evidence. I show that the statistical and other representative evidence deployed by respondents fit in this category. I then explain why arguments against the use of this evidence--whether at trial or for other purposes such as class certification--must fail.



I close with a graphical depiction of how the three sources of positive law at issue in class certification--Rule 23, substantive law, and the Federal Rules of Evidence--interact with evidence used to prove that certification is warranted. The result is what I call the Triangle of Law, with each source of law occupying a vertex and the evidence at issue situated at the Triangle's center. This formulation should help scholars, practitioners, and courts focus attention on the independent but interconnected roles played by evidence and the three sources of law involved in class certification questions.
Donald Trump ABC News interview

"Afghanistan is not like what's happening in Chicago."

President Donald Trump repeated a threat that he would "send in the feds" if law-enforcement officials in the nation's third-largest city fail to reduce the crime rate.

During an interview with ABC News' David Muir on Wednesday night, Trump asserted that "carnage" in Chicago is getting out of hand.

"People are being shot left and right, thousands of people over a short period of time," the president said. "This year, which has just started, is worse than last year which was a catastrophe."

Trump has previously urged Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to seek US help if the city fails to reduce its homicide rate. January could become a record-setting month for shootings and homicides in the city.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson issued this response to a tweet on Chicago violence that was sent from Trump's personal account one night earlier: "The Chicago Police Department is more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our relationships with DOJ, FBI, DEA and ATF and boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes in Chicago."

Trump continued during his ABC News interview on Wednesday: "If [Chicago] wants help, I would love to help them. I will send in what we have to send in."

Black Lives Matter protest

During and after the presidential election, Trump often labeled urban cities like Chicago as the centers of crime and violence, while touting his intentions to usher in an era of "law and order."

Civil rights groups have interpreted Trump's rhetoric on the matter as a call for increased policing in large urban centers. The same groups insist that such areas are already over-policed. Some advocates have pointed to the record numbers of black citizens who have been killed during police encounters as evidence of that.

Story continues

During his ABC News interview Wednesday night, Trump also suggested that reducing crime in Chicago could include methods that are less "politically correct," a suggestion that civil-rights advocates have interpreted as a call for more heavy-handed policing.

Watch a portion of Trump's ABC News interview below:

Pres. Trump says he wants Chicago to fix violence problem: "Afghanistan is not like whats happening in Chicago." https://t.co/44NFiXe2ao pic.twitter.com/C1IdeWQTDp  ABC News (@ABC) January 26, 2017

NOW WATCH: Watch reporters grill the White House press secretary over Trump's false claims that millions voted illegally





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By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - It has been a bleak winter for Europe's long-suffering left. In the span of less than two months, Francois Hollande, Matteo Renzi and Sigmar Gabriel, the center-left leaders of France, Italy and Germany, have all fallen on their swords. Britain's Labour Party has turned its infighting into a public spectacle. And in Brussels, the left has ceded the presidency of the European Parliament to a conservative, handing the center-right control of the top three EU jobs in Brussels. But after struggling to articulate a clear vision for the better part of a decade, European leftists may have finally found their savior, a leader who can restore their sense of purpose and, if they play their cards right, halt a dizzying electoral tailspin. His name is Donald Trump. No one expects the new U.S. president to change the arc of European politics, which has been bending towards the populist fringes over the past year and away from mainstream parties of both the left and right. But analysts and officials say Trump's victory - and the defeat of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton - can teach Europe's left some important lessons and help guide their campaigns at the start of a busy election year in which Dutch, French, German and probably Italian voters will go to the polls. Both Emmanuel Macron, the 39-year-old former French economy minister who has emerged as a contender for the presidency, and Social Democrat Martin Schulz, who will challenge Germany's Angela Merkel in the autumn, are expected to run campaigns that double down on anti-Trump themes of "Europe" and "values". "The left needs a narrative and in the current context of Trump and Brexit it can offer an alternative vision," said Henning Meyer, editor of Social Europe and a research associate at the London School of Economics. "If you style yourself as the intellectual opposition to Trump, there is a real opportunity." LESSONS FOR LEFT What has gone wrong with the European left? After the fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the Soviet Union killed the socialist dream, center-left politicians such as Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroeder pursued a "third way", ditching ideology for a more transactional kind of politics that accepted neo-liberal economic orthodoxy. This worked well in the 1990s when times were good. But it became a liability as the new millennium dawned and economic inequalities began to rise, sowing deep divisions within the German SPD, the French Socialists and Britain's Labour Party. When the global financial crisis hit in 2008/9, voters viewed the left as complicit. Blue-collar workers and jobless younger voters, who saw little difference between mainstream parties on the left and right, began turning to the fringes. In Austria's presidential run-off election in December, 85 percent of blue-collar workers backed the far-right populist Norbert Hofer. And in the constitutional reform referendum in December that forced Renzi out as Italian prime minister, it was younger voters that helped seal his defeat. "When the left has been in government, it hasn't been able to fundamentally shift policy in a more leftist, growth- and social-oriented direction," said Italy's Europe minister Sandro Gozi. Michael Broening of the left-leaning Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin says the center-left in Europe is "fighting for its very survival". Some officials now say there are lessons from the decline of the past decade that fit well with those emanating from Trump's victory an ocean away. The first is that authenticity and a compelling narrative count in a world where voters have grown weary of poll-driven politicians who try to please everyone. And second, new faces that can articulate a fresh vision are better than old ones. A fear of becoming Europe's Hillary Clinton may have convinced the deeply unpopular Hollande not to run for a second term as French president, and Gabriel to make way for Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament who is a relative unknown on the German domestic political scene. "The lesson for Europe from Trump's victory in the United States is that putting an outsider against the establishment works," said Pascal Lamy, the former president of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and a top aide to French Socialist Jacques Delors when he was president of the European Commission. "This is what is giving Macron a lift. He's a new face, younger and fresher than Marine Le Pen or Francois Fillon," Lamy said, referring to the far-right and center-right candidates for the presidency. Talking up the virtues of Europe and liberal values in an age where nationalism and cultural divisions are spreading may seem like a poor strategy for winning elections. And while Macron, who is running as an independent, may have a legitimate shot of winning in France, Schulz is expected to struggle to make headway against Merkel, whose conservatives are some 15 points ahead of the SPD in opinion polls. But anecdotal evidence suggests the SPD will benefit from sending an unabashed pro-European into the race instead of Gabriel, who has a history of bending with the political winds. In the 48 hours after it chose Schulz, 450 people rushed to join the SPD, the party says. And a poll on Wednesday showed Schulz, a former bookseller who left high school before receiving his diploma, level with Merkel in a hypothetical direct vote for chancellor. "The left needs a narrative, a vision," said Meyer of Social Europe. "Trump established his authenticity, his relationship with the people, and everything else followed from that. There is a lesson there." (Reporting by Noah Barkin; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai addresses delegates at a London conference on Syria in 2016. (Photo: Ben Stansall/Reuters)

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Friday condemned President Trumps executive order establishing new vetting measures for immigrants.

I am heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war, Yousafzai said. I am heartbroken that America is turning its back on a proud history of welcoming refugees and immigrants  the people who helped build your country, ready to work hard in exchange for a fair chance at a new life.

Yousafzai, 19, issued the statement at about the same time that Trump announced his latest executive orders, including one that reportedly will suspend the U.S. refugee program for 120 days. The text of the order was not immediately available.

According to CNN, drafts of the order also bar all persons from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen from entering the United States for 30 days.

Yousafzai specifically addressed some of those countries in her statement. The young Pakistani activist, who now lives in Britain, gained international attention in 2012 when the Taliban shot her in the head for embracing education for girls. She has since campaigned for education rights across the globe and won the Nobel Prize in 2014.

I am heartbroken that Syrian refugee children, who have suffered through six years of war by no fault of their own, are singled out for discrimination, Yousafzai said. I am heartbroken for girls like my friend Zaynab, who fled wars in three countries  Somalia, Yemen and Egypt  before she was even 17. Two years ago she received a visa to come to the United States. She learned English, graduated high school and is now in college studying to be a human rights lawyer.

She ended her statement: In this time of uncertainty and unrest around the world, I ask President Trump not to turn his back on the worlds most defenseless children and families.

Read more from Yahoo News:
President Donald Trumps determination to upend the accords that frame American trade policy are taking root. Even before Trump spiked the TransPacific Partnership on Monday, the White House had signaled that the new president would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, the worst trade deal in the history of this country, as Trump called it on the campaign trail last year.

If thats debatable, so is the prospect that, managed badly, this could produce the worst outcome on the trade side since the SmootHawley Tariff helped turn a recession into a depression in 1930.

Related: 5 States That Would Get Hit Hardest in a Trump Trade War

NAFTA, implemented in stages from 1994 to 1998, is a three-sided accord opening Americas borders with Mexico and Canada, and theres no question it fundamentally reshaped economic ties across the board.

While Canadas a major trading partner, the U.S. merchandise deficit was a very modest $15 billion in 2015. (Add in services, and the U.S. ran a surplus.) At this point Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ducking for cover; he has already indicated that hes willing to supersede NAFTA with a bilateral accord if thats what things come to.

Mexicos the pebble in Trumps shoe, as he has long made plain. They run an annual merchandise surplus with the U.S. of almost $60 billion; when an American plant pulls up stakes in the Midwest, its almost always to set up south of the border.

Trumps not wrong to complain that NAFTA has led to American job losses. The Economic Policy Institute puts the figure at 700,000; the Council on Foreign Relations cites 600,000.

Related: Is This How Trump Will Get Mexico to Pay for His Wall?

More saliently, in my view, NAFTA has put Americans in unfair competition with workers in a completely different economic context. Having thus disarmed Americans at the bargaining table, NAFTA is effectively complicit in the wage stagnation and worsening income inequality evident over the last couple of decades.

Story continues

But Trump betrays two potentially fatal problems, both symptoms of his profound lack of sophistication in diplomacy and international economics.

One, by signing an executive order Wednesday to begin his border wall, just as President Enrique Pena Nieto was about to begin a state visit, Trump just repeated the same mistake he recently made with the Chinese. The wall is to U.S.Mexican ties as Taiwan or the South China Sea are to SinoU.S. ties.

Mixing touchy politics, sovereignty, and national pride with economic and commercial problems is a mistake almost by definition. As a result, Pena Nieto, under intense political pressure at home, canceled his visit Thursday morning and is talking a much tougher game on NAFTA, immigration, and other such issues.

Two, and again as with China, Trump entertains a grossly simplistic notion of NAFTAs mechanics, its plusses and minuses, and the prospect of reshaping it to better U.S. advantage.

Related: Who Will Really Pay for the Wall? GOP Struggles Over $12 Billion Price Tag

Trump has said little about what he wants to emerge from a renegotiated NAFTA, but his proposed 20 percent tariff on imports from Mexico will be met with countervailing duties on imports from the U.S.

Thats called a trade war.

Trump doesnt seem to understand even the rudiments of supply-chain manufacturing structures and related production practices. Products made in Mexico may have components made in U.S. factories and shipped across the border. And vice-versa. What will happen if supply chains are disrupted? In all likelihood, U.S. companies will resort to another low-wage producer with whom the White House isnt picking a fight.





Trumps not taking the lesson he should have when Carrier consented not to shift some factory production to Mexico after Trumps election victory. Increasing U.S. manufacturing production does not equal increases in American jobsnot any longer. Many jobs that Carrier wont send to Mexico will be automated in Indiana. Trump may revive U.S. manufacturing to one or another degreeor oversee the trend, anywaybut the big winners will be production-floor robots.

Although trade among the NAFTA signatories has tripled, the agreement has had a surprisingly modest impact on GDP growth. On balance, there is too little in it to protect workers, towns, and cities from the negative fallout that was perfectly predictable.

But 23 years later, its hard to see how Trump can do much more than ameliorate a few of the negative consequences unless he wants to risk a trade war or some other unimaginable mess.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and US President Donald Trump sought to tone down diplomatic tensions over the Republican's planned border wall, agreeing to seek a resolution to the thorny dispute.

One day after the spat boiled over, with Pena Nieto cancelling a trip to Washington next week in response to Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for the barrier, the two leaders held an hour-long phone conversation.

Trump described the talks as "very friendly" while the two governments issued a nearly similar statement saying it was "constructive and productive."

The discussion capped a week that saw relations between the neighboring nations plunge into the biggest diplomatic crisis in decades as Pena Nieto vowed that Mexico will never pay for the border barrier.

While Trump and Pena Nieto "recognized their clear and very public differences" about who should pay for the wall, they agreed to "resolve these differences as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relation," the statement said.

But the Mexican government's version of the statement included a line missing from the White House text: "The presidents also agreed for now to no longer speak publicly about this controversial issue."

Trump and Pena Nieto spoke about the US trade deficit with Mexico, "the importance of the friendship between our nations" and the need for the neighbors to work together to curb drug and weapons trafficking, the statement said.

The presidents instructed their teams to continue the dialogue, but there was no indication that they would reschedule their own meeting any time soon.

- 'Beat us to a pulp' -

Speaking at a press conference during talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington, Trump said he had a "very good relationship" with Pena Nieto.

The US leader said he looked forward to renegotiating trade deals and other aspects of US relations with Mexico.

Story continues

"As you know, Mexico with the United States has outnegotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders. They've made us look foolish," he said, noting that the US has a $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico.

Trump wants to renegotiate the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

Both Trump and Mexican officials have threatened to pull out of the pact if they fail to get a good deal.

"We are going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship, but the United States cannot continue to lose," Trump said.

Before the phone call was made public, Trump had railed against Mexico on Twitter, saying the country "has taken advantage of the US for long enough."

He complained about "massive trade deficits" and exclaimed that "little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!"

But he did not mention the wall payment.

- Stiff tariff -

The spat over the wall has created the biggest diplomatic rift since a drug cartel tortured and killed a US undercover agent in 1985.

Trump has angered Mexicans, perplexed economists and energized his nationalist political base by vowing to build a wall along the US frontier -- and then somehow make Mexico pay for it.

Mexico's leaders have repeatedly said their country will never pay for the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border barrier that Trump says is needed to stop illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from coming over.

Trump's response has been to ask the US Congress to find between $12-15 billion for construction and to help him find a way to recoup the money with some kind of tariff on Mexican imports.

His team has floated several ideas for how to do this. On Friday, for example, senior aide Kellyanne Conway told CBS television that a five to 20 percent tax may be imposed at the border.

On Thursday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer suggested that one option -- not necessarily the favored one -- would be a border adjustment tax of the kind favored by Republicans in the US Congress.

Visiting Washington on Thursday, Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray scoffed at the notion, arguing that this would just pass the cost of the wall on to US consumers buying Mexican goods.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim weighed in on the diplomatic row on Friday, saying his country was united and in a position of strength in the negotiations.

Slim, who criticized Trump during the US presidential campaign, joked that while Trump was a good negotiator, he was not the "Terminator."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recognized their differences on Trump's plan to build a wall on the southern U.S. border but have agreed to "work these differences out." "With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship," the White House said in a statement. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Chris Reese)
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump is expected to order up a new plan for defeating the Islamic State group with expanded US military involvement as he makes his first visit to the Pentagon Friday.

Trump, who pledged to eradicate the extremist group during the presidential campaign, is reportedly preparing to direct new Defense Secretary James Mattis to more aggressively attack IS positions with the aim of defeating them more quickly.

That could mean more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria, according to analysts.

"We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice," Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the jihadist group.

"This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen."

After his predecessor Barack Obama took a longer term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces, "President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table," retired general David Barno told National Public Radio Friday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump will give the Pentagon 30 days to come up with a new set of options for a tougher campaign against IS.

The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as "advisors" -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight.

They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State's hold on the key city of Mosul.

The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of the part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighborhoods on the river's west bank.

- More boots on the ground? -

According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armor and helicopters involved in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces.

Story continues

Trump "could elect to put American boots on the ground on larger numbers," Barno said. "That all entails new uses of military power .... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties."

Trump promised during his presidential campaign to eliminate Islamic State, saying he had a secret plan to quickly defeat the group.

Last week, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would present Mattis with options to "accelerate the campaign" against IS.

"What is really important is first that we have a conversation about what we are doing today, why we are doing it, and what other things might be done and why we haven't done it to date," Dunford told reporters in Brussels.

Trump is also open to conducting joint operations with Russia against the Islamic State in Syria, his spokesman said earlier this week.

"If there's a way we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it's Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we'll take it," press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

During his Pentagon visit, Trump is expected to sign executive orders limiting the flow of refugees into the United States and setting up "extreme vetting" of some migrants, according to CNN.
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Friday played down talk that he might quickly lift sanctions on Russia, as he stepped onto the global stage alongside Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May.

Britain is a strong supporter of maintaining international pressure on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine, and Trump took a cautious line at their first joint news conference.

Trump has also come under withering attack at home from hawkish critics in Congress, worried that his stated desire to become friends with President Vladimir Putin might weaken US resolve.

But the new US leader plans to have a telephone conversation with Putin on Saturday, and his aides say he is re-considering the sanctions regime.

"We'll see what happens as far as the sanctions -- very early to be talking about that," Trump said, welcoming May to the White House as the first foreign leader to visit since he was sworn in a week ago.

May took a sterner line, insisting that Putin must live up to the Minsk Agreements that would put an end to Russian military interference in Ukraine.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented, and we've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," she said.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer had earlier announced on Twitter that Trump plans to talk to Putin, France's President Francois Hollande and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel over the weekend.

France and Germany brokered the Minsk Agreement between Russia and Ukraine and have been pressuring both sides to live up to it.

- Cold War -

Appearing on Fox News, Trump's senior advisor Kellyanne Conway said the new commander-in-chief was indeed considering lifting sanctions on Russia.

"All of that is under consideration," she said.

"If another nation that has considerable resources wishes to join together with the United States of America to try to defeat and eradicate radical Islamic terrorism, then we're listening."

Story continues

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would congratulate Trump on his inauguration.

But he refused to comment on rumors that Trump might already be gearing up to roll back the measures that have helped drive ties to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

"This is the first contact by phone since President Trump assumed office so it is hardly likely there will be substantive contact on all issues. Let's be patient," Peskov said.

On Thursday, in a speech to US Republican lawmakers, May had suggested Washington engage Putin but be wary of him.

Trump has sparked concerns among Washington's European allies and foreign policy hawks at home by repeatedly declaring his desire to forge closer ties with Moscow.

He won the presidency amid charges that Russia interfered in last year's election on his behalf, in part by hacking the emails of top officials in his rival Hillary Clinton's campaign.

- Murderer and thug -

Republicans in Congress have warned against softening Washington's stance on Putin.

"He should remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn," Senator John McCain said.

Of talk of lifting the sanctions, McCain said: "I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course.

"If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law," he added.

The Trump-Putin call will be their first official contact since the Republican took office a week ago.

The pair spoke by telephone in November, shortly after Trump's election victory and, according to the Kremlin, "declared the need for active joint work to normalize" ties.

Today there are several sets of sanctions on Russia, including the Magnitsky Act, which Congress passed in 2012 to punish corrupt officials.

Such legislation would be difficult to repeal, but sanctions imposed over Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea could be rolled back with a stroke of Trump's pen.
Even before President Donald Trump formally issued an executive order Friday to bar refugees and suspend some immigrant visas, the directive was already prompting panic in the U.S. immigrant community and leading State Department officials and contractors to weigh warning Arab students not to leave the country.

U.S. officials confirmed to Foreign Policy that since Trumps inauguration, theyve started seeing abrupt changes to current practices and increased reports of foreign nationals from the Middle East being blocked from entering the United States, despite having valid visas.

One government official working on immigration issues, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Friday that there have been more complaints than usual this past week from Middle Easterners  many of them students  who have had their visas revoked, sometimes even after reaching U.S. soil.

And on Wednesday, Trump officials told Department of Homeland Security staff that all trips to conduct in-person interviews of refugee applicants should be stopped, FP has learned. That includes one on tap almost immediately to Turkey, which is hosting more than 2.8 million Syrian refugees.

On Friday, the American Immigration Lawyers Association posted a travel warning directing attorneys to consider advising clients who might be affected by Trumps forthcoming executive order to refrain from traveling abroad or, if already outside the country, to return as quickly as possible.

The [draft] order also does not define what it means to be from a designated country, the statement read. Thus, in an abundance of caution, it may be best to interpret the term broadly to include passport holders, citizens, nationals, dual nationals, etc.

Trumps executive order, which he signed at the Defense Department on Friday, is ultimately a sweeping, seismic upending of decades of U.S. policy on immigration and refugees that threatens to complicate the U.S. fight against extremists in the Middle East and North Africa.

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The order, released late Friday evening, suspends the entire U.S. refugee admissions program for at least four months, and, once resumed, cuts it roughly in half, to 50,000. It indefinitely freezes the entry of refugees from Syria, and bars for at least three months an almost unlimited group of travelers from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, deeming their entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.

We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people, Trump said in the signing ceremony at the Pentagon. We will never forget the lessons of 9/11.

Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States,' he said, reading the title, We all know what that means.

During the presidential campaign, Trump called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States  whether as refugees or immigrants or visitors  until authorities can figure out whats going on. But Trump later appeared to soften that stance, with his initial call for a Muslim ban morphing into something he calls extreme vetting.

Fridays order suspends immigrant and non-immigrant entry, a category that includes those with student visas,. As written, the ban may even be applicable to those who had merely visited those countries. But the order carves out explicit exceptions and priority for entry of people in the national interest, including those of a persecuted religious minority in their country of origin  i.e, in the context of the seven blocked Muslim-majority countries, non-Muslims.

Trump has promised a Muslim ban and is by all accounts poised to sign an order targeting Muslims and preferring Christians, said Omar Jadwat, the director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project, before the order was released. It would not be surprising if the agencies he now controls were also taking other measures to translate the extreme bias that he has espoused into official action.

Sherizaan Minwalla, a human rights lawyer at American University who has worked with Iraqi Yazidis, said there has been a lot of panic among lawyers and immigrants over the executive order draft. If that is what we are going to start seeing, that is a huge cause for concern, she said.

Friday evening and the weekend have seen chaos at airports around the world and in the United States, with DHS and the White House apparently still working out the details of the executive orders implementation. Trump, signing additional executive orders at the White House Saturday afternoon, including reorganizing the National Security Council and calling for an anti-ISIS plan, said the refugee ban is working out very nicely.

Its not a Muslim ban, but we were totally prepared, Trump said. You see it at the airports, you see it all over.

While Trump presented the order signed Friday as following through on his pledge for extreme vetting, Homeland Security had already days before stopped all in-person interviews with asylum-seekers, an important part of the vetting process that potential refugees go through that takes nearly two-years, on average.

Two senior DHS officials told FP that all trips related to refugee interviews have been scrapped; officially, DHS says they are just on hold.

While U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has delayed a number of upcoming trips, those trips have not been officially canceled, DHS spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said in a statement Thursday to FP.

Most DHS and State Department interviews have taken place in Istanbul and Amman, Jordan, but in 2015 the State Department doubled the number of screening outposts available to refugees in the Middle East by opening new processing centers in Irbil, Iraq, and reopening in Lebanon. From fiscal 2011 to the end of 2015 alone, DHS had conducted more than 7,000 in-person interviews of Syrians.

Trumps executive order also requires periodic reports on foreign nationals in the U.S. who have been charged with or engaged in terrorism-related offenses. He may not get the kind of data hes seeking: Since 1990, of the 182 terrorists inspired by jihadist ideology who have attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S. or on U.S.-bound flights, 101 were U.S. citizens and few were recent arrivals, according to testimony by the RAND Corporation.

Of the some 12 million people displaced from Syria alone, the United States only accepted 13,120 refugees by the end of last year. According to the Obama White House, as of late 2015, not a single one of those accepted from Syria have ever been arrested under suspicion of terrorism.

The potential imposition of limits on immigration and Muslim entry into the United States also seems to be hitting university students with F-1 visas.

Hazami Barmada, a Harvard University student and activist, said she has learned of at least four cases in the past week of Arab students on valid student visas who were barred from re-entering the United States after winter break and given no explanation for their visas being revoked. All four are graduate students, some at Harvard and Brown University, and claim to have up-to-date, multiple-entry visas.

In one case, she said a student arrived to the United States and was told his visa was cancelled. He was detained and given the choice of buying a ticket to fly back to his home country or being forcibly removed.

The students did not come exclusively from countries singled out by Trumps drafted executive order, said Barmada, adding that lawyers advised them to keep their identities private while their cases are pending.

A spokesperson from Brown declined to discuss specific visa situations of students but said, We have been vigilant and persistent in reaching out to international students to ensure that we are knowledgeable about their status. Harvard declined to comment on the matter.

Senior DHS officials told FP that they were unaware of any policy change revoking visas from F-1 students or other immigrants on valid short-term or multiple-entry visas. A spokesperson at Customs and Border Patrol said he was unable to comment on any specific cases due to privacy laws.

Work and study visas can be suddenly revoked without explanation, in particular for people from the Middle East, and similar incidents occurred during the Obama administration. But the timing and the swiftness of the recent refusals of entry  during Trumps tumultuous first week in office  have added to the uncertainty and fear many feel over the roll out of his immigration policy.

It was a misinterpretation of the law, either in error, or some kind of policy that hasnt been disclosed openly and honestly, Barmada said. It feels like post-9/11 era all over again.

This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Photo credit: SHAWN THEW/Pool/Getty Images
Well, that did not take long. President Donald Trump has impulse-tweeted his way to his first diplomatic crisis and seems intent on destabilizing Mexico, one of the United States most important partners.

If Trump continues to recklessly squeeze the Mexican economy, undermine the Mexican rule of law, and fuel Mexican nationalism, he would soon unleash a full-blown national security crisis that would make the United States less prosperous and less secure.

Undermining Mexico is no minor thing; Mexico is the United States third-largest trading partner and the United States is by far Mexicos most important economic partner. Mexico ranks second among U.S. export markets and more than 40 percent of the value added in Mexican exports to the United States is of U.S. origin. In 2015, total bilateral trade amounted to $531.1 billion. Mexico is also a critical security and counternarcotics partner.

In recent years, migration from Mexico, in no small measure because of its enhanced prosperity, has basically dried up  the vast majority of migrants crossing the Southwest border into the United States are from elsewhere in the Americas and the world. But a surefire way to restart Mexican migration would be to plunge Mexicos economy into crisis. We last saw that when the so-called 1994-1995 Tequila Crisis contributed to high levels of migration through the early 2000s.

The weakness of Mexicos currency shows how Trump has systematically undermined the Mexican economy by creating uncertainty about the U.S.-Mexico partnership at every turn. The day after Trumps election victory, for example, was the Mexican pesos worst day since the 1994-1995 crisis. Now, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos canceling of his Jan. 31 meeting with Trump has erased the pesos steady recovery in recent days, when it seemed something like normality was returning to the partnership.

Trumps plan to build a border wall funded by U.S. taxpayers  that his own Homeland Security secretary says wont work  and then somehow extort payment while threatening big border taxes for goods entering from Mexico only further undermines our neighbors economy and stability. As if these unintended consequences were not proof enough that Trump is in over his head, the border wall executive orders call for a report on the last five years of U.S. assistance to Mexico shows that whoever wrote it does not have the first clue about the relationship. The White House should not hold its breath waiting for a number found in a basic Google search if it thinks assistance somehow gives it leverage to extract payment for Trumps wall.

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Credible estimates of the cost of Trumps U.S. taxpayer-funded wall put the price tag at $25 billion to build and $7.5 billion to maintain. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service puts total U.S. assistance to Mexico during the past five years at $1.1 billion. At that rate, it will take 100 years of withholding future assistance to break even just on construction costs. Even if the math worked, withholding assistance, much of it dedicated to supporting rule-of-law reform, would be counterproductive. Mexico needs more effective courts and better police  for the benefit of both countries  as more effective rule of law is key to Mexicos long-term stability and prosperity.

The presidents destabilization efforts do not stop at his wall obsession. Nor do they stop at self-defeating threats to cut assistance. They extend to his de facto policy of mass deportation, set in motion with yet another executive order. A major influx of deported nationals to Mexico would add economic and social tension to a country already struggling with the economic effects of belligerent tweets and the low price of oil.

Beyond the direct negative effects of the presidents actions, he is making us less safe by stoking Mexican nationalism, making it harder for Pena Nieto and political leaders to maintain the role of the adult in the relationship and seek cooperation with the United States.

Eventually, political reality will force the hand of Mexicos political leaders to do more than cancel visits to Washington. When it does, the breakdown in cooperation, including vital security partnerships, will have an immediate effect on U.S. security interests. Antagonizing Mexico is precisely the opposite of what needs to happen if the United States, Mexico, and others are going to effectively manage the security crisis unfolding in the Northern Triangle of Central America.

Trump speaks of Mexico as if it was a source of chaos and conflict that endangers the United States. It is not. But unless the president quickly comes to his senses, his policies might make for a self-fulfilling prophecy and harm hundreds of millions of Americans and Mexicans.

Photo credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a "very good" phone call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday and agreed to work to improve ties after a meeting between the two leaders was scrapped amid a dispute over funding Trump's planned border wall. "We had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico ... but, as you know, Mexico with the United States has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders. They've made us look foolish," Trump told a news conference at the White House. Trump said the call was friendly and he looked forward to renegotiating the U.S. trade relationship with Mexico in the future. (Reporting by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, Roberta Rampton and Emily Stephenson; Writing by David Alexander)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview on Friday that he has the right to impose a tax on imports from Mexico, but there were other options that could be "much more positive" for both countries. "Its something that I have the right to do. Its something I can impose if I want," Trump said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. But Trump, noting he had just spoken with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, said the two countries were "getting along actually very well." "So Im not against something like that but with respect to Mexico, something else could happen which would be much more positive for both Mexico and the United States," Trump said. (Reporting by Eric Beech and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Mary Milliken)
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From Cosmopolitan

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President Donald Trump declared Wednesday he believes torture works as his administration readied a sweeping review of how America conducts the war on terror. It includes possible resumption of banned interrogation methods and reopening CIA-run "black site" prisons outside the United States.

In an interview with ABC News, Trump said he would wage war against Islamic State militants with the singular goal of keeping the U.S. safe. Asked specifically about the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, Trump cited the extremist group's atrocities against Christians and others and said: "We have to fight fire with fire."

Trump said he would consult with new Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo before authorizing any new policy. But he said he had asked top intelligence officials in the past day: "Does torture work?"

"And the answer was yes, absolutely," Trump said.

He added that he wants to do "everything within the bounds of what you're allowed to do legally."

A clip of Trump's interview was released after the Associated Press and other news outlets obtained copies of a draft executive order being circulated within his administration.

Beyond reviewing interrogation techniques and facilities, the draft order would instruct the Pentagon to send newly captured "enemy combatants" to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, instead of closing the detention facility as President Barack Obama had wanted. Altogether, the possible changes could mark a dramatic return to how the Bush administration waged its campaign against al-Qaida and other extremist groups.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer, questioned about the draft order, said it was "not a White House document" but would not comment further.

The draft says U.S. laws should be obeyed at all times and explicitly rejects "torture." But its reconsideration of the harsh techniques banned by Obama and Congress raises questions about the definition of the word and is sure to inflame passions in the U.S. and abroad.

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After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, President George W. Bush authorized a covert program that led to dozens of detainees being held in secret locations overseas and to interrogation tactics that included sleep deprivation, slapping and slamming against walls, confinement in small boxes, prolonged isolation, and even death threats. Three detainees faced waterboarding. Many developed psychological problems.

While some former government leaders insist the program was effective in obtaining critical intelligence, many others say the abuses weakened America's moral standing in the world, hurt morale among intelligence officers, and proved ineffective before Obama shut it down.

The AP obtained the draft order from a U.S. official, who said it had been distributed by the White House for consultations before Trump signs it. The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

The Pentagon didn't immediately comment and Spicer, Trump's press secretary, said, "I have no idea where it came from." But reports of the upcoming order quickly sparked alarm among Republicans and Democrats.

"The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law," said Republican Sen. John McCain, tortured himself as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. "We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America."

On the campaign trail, Trump spoke emphatically about toughening the U.S. approach to fighting the Islamic State group. He said he would authorize waterboarding and a "hell of a lot worse." After winning the election, however, he appeared to backtrack, pointedly citing Mattis's advice that torture is ineffective.

Pompeo, Trump's CIA director, said in his confirmation hearing that he would abide by all laws. But he also said he'd consult with CIA and other government experts on whether current restrictions were an "impediment to gathering vital intelligence to protect the country or whether any rewrite of the Army Field Manual is needed."

Specifically, Trump's draft order calls for reinstating an executive order - "to the extent permitted" by current law - that President Bush signed in 2007 and Obama later revoked.

Trump's draft would reverse two other executive orders of Obama's. One called for closing Guantanamo Bay. The other ordered the CIA to shut any detention facility it operated and prohibited the U.S. from using any interrogation technique not listed in the Army Field Manual, demanding treatment in compliance with the Geneva Conventions, including timely access for the International Red Cross to all detainees.

Among the interrogation techniques banned by the manual were forced nakedness, hooding, beatings, sexual humiliation, threatening with dogs, mock executions, electric shocks, burning, and waterboarding.

Any changes would face steep legal and legislative hurdles.

McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee's chairman, may be the most formidable opponent in Congress, but he is not the only one.

"It is wrong and I hope he will rethink it," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said.

On Guantanamo, the draft order says detention facilities "are a critical tool in the fight against international jihadist terrorist groups who are engaged in armed conflict with the United States, its allies and its coalition partners." About 40 detainees remain in Guantanamo.

The document says "over 30 percent of detainees" who've been released have returned to armed conflict, with at least a dozen conducting attacks "against U.S. personnel or allied forces in Afghanistan." Six Americans, including a civilian aid worker, died as a result of those attacks.

U.S. intelligence agencies say 17.6 percent of detainees released from Guantanamo are confirmed to have re-engaged in conflict. An additional 12.4 percent are "suspected" of re-engaging.

Trump pledged on the campaign trail to "load it up with some bad dudes."

But it's unclear who the new detainees would be. As American ground troops have stepped back this decade from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, captures of high-level detainees have become much rarer, and Obama tried to direct them through the U.S. justice system.

AP writers Eric Tucker and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

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The Trump administrations ill-defined quest to make Mexico pay for the border wall through some sort of tariff has sown confusion in both countries, threatens two-way trade, and has deeply soured relations in Donald Trumps first week in the White House.

On Thursday, after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly cancelled a planned trip to Washington, Trump aired vague threats on Twitter hinting at a large tax on Mexican imports. White House press secretary Sean Spicer later waded into the fray, suggesting a tax or tariff along the same lines, similar to a plan under consideration by House Republicans.

Spicer couched the idea not as part of readjustment of trade policy toward Mexico, but rather as a way to raise money to offset the cost of building a wall along the border.

Weve been asked over and over again, How could you possibly do this? Theres no way that Mexico will pay for it. Heres one way. Boom. Done. We could go in another direction. We could talk about tariffs, Spicer said.

At a press conference Friday with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump said that he spoke for an hour with Pena Nieto, and had an excellent conversation. But the two have apparently not buried the hatchet. Trump repeated complaints about U.S. trade with Mexico, saying it had outnegotiated the United States and has beaten us to a pulp. He did not offer any more details on the notion of a tax or tariff, and the White House did not respond to requests for clarification.

The administration seems to believe that a border tax or tariff  either of which would likely be challenged under current trade rules  would be borne by Mexico, to help defray the cost of Trumps $20-billion odd border wall. Trump has repeatedly vowed to make Mexico pay the for wall, though current and former Mexican presidents have made clear it never will. But U.S. consumers, not Mexico, would of course pay the higher cost of imports.

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The claim that the Mexicans are going to pay this tax and Trump will use this to build the wall is ridiculous, Michael Davis, an economics professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas, told Foreign Policy. It will not be the Mexicans who will be paying the tax, its the Americans.

The spat has plunged U.S.-Mexico relations into a tailspin, even as Trumps hand grenade diplomacy has frightened allies in Asia and terrified NATO partners in Europe. Mexican daily Excelsior, for example, highlighted the rapid deterioration in just one day of relations between the two countries, while former Mexican President Vicente Fox told Trump to grow up.

Importantly, the bellicose talk on trade, including the promised renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and some kind of border tax or tariff, threatens cross-border trade that is crucial to the American manufacturing economy, one sector that Trump says he wants to help.

Mexico is the United States third-biggest trading partner, with a two-way trade worth about $1.4 billion every day. But the reason that trade has grown so dramatically in the twenty years since NAFTA came into effect is because companies have created supply chains with operations on both sides of the border, which makes manufacturing more efficient and companies more competitive.

Much of the two-way trade is in automobiles and automotive parts, but other U.S. sectors also have supply chains that reach across the border. U.S. manufacturing industries, including automotive, electronics, appliances, and machinery, all rely on the assistance of Mexican manufacturers, the Congressional Research Service noted in a recent report.

A huge chunk of U.S. imports of goods from Mexico consists of goods originally exported from the United States as part of the manufacturing process. All that means that any increase in the cost of cross-border trade will make U.S. companies less competitive globally, and would likely lead to job losses. It will make production much more expensive and much less efficient, Davis said.

And a tax or tariff will also disproportionately affect U.S. states near the border, such as Arizona and Texas. The White Houses vague plan drew immediate fire from Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.), who said the free flow of trade has been the foundation of U.S. economic policy for decades, and a major factor in our prosperity and greatness.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.), for his part, zeroed in on the potentially higher cost of Mexican foodstuffs after a tariff.

Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad, he tweeted.

Photo credit: Getty Images
By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - President Donald Trump pushed Republican lawmakers on Thursday for swift action on a sweeping agenda including his planned U.S.-Mexican border wall, tax cuts and repealing the Obamacare law, despite tensions over timetables and priorities. Congressional Republicans were in Philadelphia for a three-day retreat to hammer out a legislative agenda, with the party in control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives for the first time in a decade. "This Congress is going to be the busiest Congress we've had in decades, maybe ever," Trump said in a speech to the lawmakers at a Philadelphia hotel. "Enough 'all talk, no action.' We have to deliver," Trump added. But Trump did not hold an expected question-and-answer session with the lawmakers, and his speech veered into side issues such as predicting crowd size for an anti-abortion march in Washington, alleging American voting irregularities and touting winning Pennsylvania in the Nov. 8 election. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who initially hesitated in endorsing Trump last year and has criticized him on some issues, disputed the notion that congressional Republicans were not in synch with the New York businessman who was sworn in less than a week ago having never previously held public office. "We are on the same page with the White House," Ryan said during a joint news conference with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "This is going to be an unconventional presidency," Ryan added. "I think you know this by now. ... I think we're going to see unconventional activities like tweets and things like that. I think that's just something that we're all going to have to get used to." Trump pressed the lawmakers for action on repealing and replacing Democratic former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, even as Republicans scramble to devise a replacement plan, and lowering taxes on "all American businesses" and the middle class. For weeks, Republicans talked about formulating an agenda for the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. In recent days, the talk has turned into a 200-day agenda for passing major legislation before the lawmakers' August recess. "It's going to take more than simply 100 days," Ryan said. Ryan said that it is "our goal is to get these laws done in 2017," without guaranteeing that a replacement for Obamacare and a tax reform bill would be enacted by the end of December. McConnell said lawmakers will take up legislation to provide $12 billion to $15 billion to pay for Trump's planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday for the wall to proceed, part of a package of measures aimed at curbing illegal immigration, although the action has tested already frayed relations with Mexico. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said the pace of legislative action may frustrate Trump. "President Trump comes from a different world," McCarthy told reporters. "Out in the business community, he likes things done fast, and he's going to continue to push them." PROTESTS IN PHILADELPHIA Thousands of anti-Trump protesters took to the streets in Philadelphia, a heavily Democratic bastion that is one of the cities that could be stripped of federal funds for protecting illegal immigrants under a Trump directive. Marchers carried signs including, "Fascist Pig," "Protect My Health Care," "Immigration Makes America Great," "Planet Over Profit" and "Impeach Trump." During his speech, Trump took time to explain his side of the story on Mexico's president canceling a meeting next week because of Trump's insistence that America's southern neighbor eventually pay for the wall. Mexico has said it will not. Trump said a tax reform bill "will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall, if we decide to go that route." McConnell and Ryan did not say whether Congress would offset the wall's cost by cutting other programs or simply add to huge budget deficits that Republicans have criticized for years. Ryan and McConnell also indicated congressional Republicans do not plan to modify U.S. law banning torture even as Trump considers bringing back a CIA program for holding terrorism suspects in secret overseas "black site" prisons where interrogation techniques often condemned as torture were used. "I think the director of the CIA (Mike Pompeo) has made it clear he's going to follow the law. And I believe virtually all of my members are comfortable with the state of the law on that issue now," McConnell said. "Torture's not legal," Ryan said. "And we agree with it not being legal. In a highly unusual move for a visiting foreign leader, British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will see Trump in Washington on Friday, addressed the retreat, calling herself a "fellow conservative who believes in the same principles that underpin the agenda of your party." She was loudly applauded for praising Trump's victory. "Because of what you have done together, because of that great victory you have won, America can be stronger, greater, and more confident in the years ahead," May said. (Additional reporting by David Morgan and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman)
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Friday that he will defer to his Pentagon chief regarding interrogation techniques widely condemned as torture, although he himself continues to support their use.

Defense Secretary James Mattis "will override because I'm giving him that power," Trump told a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. "He is an expert. He is highly respected."

"And he has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding or however you want to define it -- enhanced interrogation I guess would be words that a lot of people would like to use," Trump said, adding that he himself does "not necessarily agree."

Trump's views on torture have raised concerns that he will try to reverse laws put into place by predecessor Barack Obama outlawing the brutal interrogation techniques like waterboarding used by the CIA on suspects following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

US media earlier this week reported that the Trump administration was drafting a order that would reauthorize the "black site" prisons around the world where US officials subjected suspects allegedly tied to Al-Qaeda to now-illegal "enhanced interrogation techniques."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer denied that the document had originated in the White House.

But in an interview Wednesday Trump said that torture is effective.

"Do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works," he told ABC News.

During a hearing earlier this month to confirm his position as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, former Congressman Mike Pompeo said he would not back torture and "can't imagine" that he would be asked to do so by Trump.

But he suggested that he could support changing the law, if useful.

"If experts believed current law was an impediment to gathering vital intelligence to protect the country, I would want to understand such impediments and whether any recommendations were appropriate for changing current law," he said.
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump unleashed a wave of alarm Saturday with his order to temporarily halt all refugee arrivals and impose tough controls on travelers from seven Muslim countries including war-wracked Syria.

Making good on one of his most controversial campaign promises, and to the horror of human rights groups, Trump said he was making America safe from "radical Islamic terrorists."

"This is big stuff," he declared at the Pentagon, after signing an executive order entitled "Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States."

Trump's decree suspends the entire US refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days while tough vetting rules are established.

These new protocols will "ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States."

In addition, it specifically bars Syrian refugees from the United States indefinitely, or until the president himself decides that they no longer pose a threat.

Meanwhile, no visas will be issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from seven mainly-Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

In reaction to the order the United Nations on Saturday urged the US to continue its "strong leadership role and long tradition of protecting those fleeing conflict and persecution."

In a joint statement the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration said they believed "refugees should receive equal treatment for protection and assistance, and opportunities for resettlement, regardless of their religion, nationality or race."

- Extreme vetting -

The order laid the way for what Trump has pledged will be the "extreme vetting" of visa applicants' backgrounds -- with some exceptions made for members of "religious minorities," a caveat many see as a way to apply favorable treatment to Christians from majority-Muslim states.

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Civil liberties groups and many counterterrorism experts condemned the measures, declaring it inhumane to lump the victims of conflict in with the extremists who threaten them.

"'Extreme vetting' is just a euphemism for discriminating against Muslims," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Romero said Trump's order breached the US constitution's ban on religious discrimination by choosing countries with Muslim majorities for tougher treatment.

Ahmed Rehab, director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP his group would mount legal challenges to fight the order "tooth and nail."

"It is targeting people based on their faith and national origin, and not on their character or their criminality," he told AFP.

Speaking in Tehran Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani did not comment directly on the visa ban but said Iran had "opened its doors" to foreign tourists since the signing of a nuclear agreement with world powers in 2015.

He also said now was "not the time to build walls between nations," a reference to Trump's plans to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

But the US leader did get backing from Czech President Milos Zeman, who praised him for being "concerned with the safety of his citizens".

Zeman, a vocal supporter of Trump, has denounced Syrian refugee arrivals in his own country as "an organized invasion" and said Muslims were "impossible to integrate".

- The most vulnerable -

The travel controls will be popular with Trump's nationalist base, though they stop short of a threat made during last year's campaign to halt all Muslim travel to the United States.

Trump's supporters defend the measures as necessary to prevent supporters of Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group from infiltrating the US homeland disguised as refugees.

The US State Department, which with the Department of Homeland Security will have to implement the policies, said it was ready to put them into immediate effect.

"We will announce any changes affecting travelers to the United States as soon as that information is available," spokesman Mark Toner said.

"We take seriously our responsibility to safeguard the American public while remaining committed to assisting the world's most vulnerable people."

Trump's order also cut the number of refugees the United States plans to resettle in fiscal year 2017 -- which is calculated from last October on -- from 110,000 to 50,000.

During the ceremony, he also signed an order to "rebuild" the US military and watched Vice President Mike Pence swear in former Marine general James Mattis as his new secretary of defense.

Earlier Trump had admitted he would allow the general's opposition to the use of torture to override his own enthusiasm for harsh measures.

- 'Wonderful thing' -

Trump also met Friday with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, the first foreign leader to visit his White House since his inauguration.

He praised Britain's decision to leave the European Union as a "wonderful thing."

Over the weekend, Trump is due to hold calls with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, France's President Francois Hollande and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

He is keen to develop friendly ties with Moscow, but has played down reports that he might quickly end US economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine.
President Trump told reporters on Friday that he wants a great relationship with Russia, but declined to say whether he has decided to ease U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia to punish Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. Trump spoke at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who made clear that her country opposes loosening the economic vise on Vladimir Putins government.

As far as the sanctions, [its] very early to be talking about that, said Trump, who is scheduled to speak with Putin on Saturday. If we can have a great relationship with Russia and with China, and with all countries, Im all for that. That would be a tremendous asset, he added. No guarantees, but if we can, that would be a positive, not a negative. OK?

May, the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the presidents Jan. 20 inauguration, said London wants to keep Western sanctions on Russia until that country abides by an agreement to end its incursion in eastern Ukraine.

We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented, and weve been continuing to argue that inside the European Union, she said.

Trump also said that he believes that torture works but will defer to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is known to fiercely oppose the practice as illegal and ineffective.

I dont necessarily agree, but I would tell you that he will override because Im giving him that power, Trump said. I happen to feel that it does work.  Were going to win with or without.

Trump also confirmed that he had spoken by phone earlier in the day with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who on Thursday abruptly canceled a visit to the United States. The announcement came amid an escalating spat over the U.S. leaders plan to build a border wall paid for by the United States southern neighbor.

We are going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship, said Trump, who charged that Mexico beat us to a pulp in past trade negotiations and again vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which binds the United States, Canada and Mexico. But it was a very, very friendly call, he said.

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May revealed that she had passed along an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II for Trump to visit Britain later this year, and that the president had accepted.

The president, making his first real foray on the world stage since his inauguration, left it to May during opening statements to delve into the policy details of their previous, private conversation. But while taking reporters questions with the prime minister, he delivered a full-throated endorsement of Britains vote to leave the European Union, popularly known as Brexit.

Brexits going to be a wonderful thing for your country, he said. It will end up being a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom. I think in the end, it will be a tremendous asset, not a tremendous liability.

Standing side by side in the White Houses ornate East Room, a typical backdrop for a presidential press conference, the two leaders played down their differences on issues like sanctions against Russia and played up their personal chemistry.

There will be times when we disagree and issues on which we disagree. The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion, May said, using the traditional two-word description for the United States closest alliance.

A British reporter asked how May, the hard-working daughter of a vicar, and Trump, the brash TV extrovert, would get along.

Actually, Im not as brash as you might think, Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

May seemed to try to reassure European leaders fearful that the new president is not committed to NATO. Trump has repeatedly called the alliance obsolete and ill-suited to battling terrorism. He has also suggested that he would only enforce its core mutual defense agreement for countries that have met the pledge to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.

We are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense, and today weve reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to this alliance, the prime minister said, describing Trump as 100 percent behind NATO.

President Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Top Trump staffers packed the first two rows of seats at the press conference, including White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus; top advisers Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway; Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner; policy aide Stephen Miller; communications strategist Hope Hicks and press secretary Sean Spicer.

Throughout the presidential campaign, Trump made clear his admiration for Putin and eagerness for better relations with Moscow. U.S. intelligence agencies have accused Russia of trying to shape the election by hacking and releasing the emails of Democratic political figures tied to Hillary Clinton. And U.S. authorities are reportedly investigating top figures in Trumps orbit for potentially inappropriate connections with Russian officials.

Trump aides have made little secret of the fact that he could opt to ease U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and annexation of that countrys Crimea region.

Conway told Fox News on Friday that lifting sanctions is under consideration.

But many Republicans, who see Putin as a de facto enemy of the United States, have vowed to oppose any attempt to lessen economic pressure on Moscow.

For the sake of Americas national security and that of our allies, I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said Friday. If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law.

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By Warren Strobel and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" rhetoric and confrontational negotiating style have sparked frantic calls to the White House and Congress from diplomats and lobbyists concerned the United States no longer has their back. When word swirled through Washington on Thursday that Trump might be preparing to ease U.S. sanctions on Russia, worried European diplomats began calling the National Security Council and asking if the rumors were true, said a former U.S. official familiar with the situation. The White House officials could not answer their questions because they, too, have been kept in the dark, said the former official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.Trump's new United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, sent another shiver through America's allies on Friday, warning them that if they do not have Washington's back, she is "taking names" and will respond. "Trump's foreign policy is totally unpredictable," said a senior official of the 28-nation European Union, which Trump has said is bound for a break-up. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson "have said all the right things," the EU official said. "But this could be like the Iraq war policy all over again, when we saw how a segment of government decides policy, not the secretary of state." Another Western diplomat said foreign ambassadors were explaining their countries' positions to Congress in the hope that they would find their way to the White House. Other countries are expanding their lobbying efforts. At the end of last year, Ukraine signed a $50,000-a-month lobbying contract with Haley Barbour, a former Republican chairman and Mississippi governor. In January, the government-run China Council for the Promotion of International Trade hired Husch Blackwell LLP, to lobby about the importation of stainless steel, according to records filed with the Department of Justice. Some uncertainty is normal when a new U.S. president finds his footing and voice on foreign affairs and installs his people in policy-making slots. But in the week since his inauguration, Trump has sent a blizzard of conflicting signals, and key slots at the State and Defense departments and the NSC remain vacant. "We're trying to figure out who is who," one European diplomat said, referring to efforts to determine whether long-standing tenets of U.S. foreign policy still apply. One of President Trump's first major meetings, with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, was canceled due to Trump's demand Mexico pay for a border wall he plans to build. The two spoke by telephone on Friday after the cancellation. Trump said Wednesday he would back safe zones for refugees in Syria, but gave no indication how he would coordinate this with Turkey, Russia and allies in Europe and the Middle East. Presidential spokesman Sean Spicer's suggestion the United States would stop China from taking over territory in the South China Sea and Trump's Jan. 2 tweet that a threatened North Korean test of an intercontinental ballistic missile wont happen could raise the chances of a military confrontation, Asian officials said. Some commentators say it's too soon for allies to panic. "It is not appropriate to be too worried, but it is not appropriate not to worry at all," said Fumiaki Kubo, a professor of American government history at the University of Tokyo. A senior official from a member of the Five Eyes nations that make up the world's leading intelligence-sharing network said it was still important to keep intelligence channels open with Washington. The grouping comprises the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain and New Zealand. "We will continue to share intelligence with the Americans, who supply the majority of information that circulates among the Five Eyes. If we hold data back from them, they could decide to do the same to us, and then we would suffer much worse consequences." But others suggested that the greater the uncertainty and the longer it lasts, the greater the chances of miscalculations by other nations that could harm U.S. interests. ASIAN NERVES The high geopolitical anxiety is most evident in East Asia, where China's ambitions are colliding with longstanding U.S. dominance in the Pacific. During his presidential campaign, Trump suggested Japan and South Korea, which rely on a U.S. security umbrella, should defend themselves or pay Washington more to do so. Defense secretary Mattis will make his first overseas trip next week to the two countries, a choice intended to send a "reassurance message," a Trump administration official said. "This is for all of the people who were concerned during the campaign that then-candidate, now President Trump was skeptical of our alliances and was somehow going to retreat from our traditional leadership role in the region," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Yet Mattis has voiced sharply different opinions from Trump on key questions, including the value of the NATO alliance and the threat from Russia, and that has led officials in Tokyo and Seoul to wonder who speaks for U.S. policy. Trump took a call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a rogue province, and has questioned Washington's decades-old adherence to the "one China" principle. "China's attitude at the moment is very cautious, but that does not mean weak," said Shi Yinhong, who heads the Centre for American Studies at Beijing's Renmin University and has advised the government. Allies, though, worry that instead of being based partly on shared values such as democracy, free trade, and the rule of law, their dealings with the United States might become transactional and start to resemble Trump's real estate deals."We are business people. We are not going to govern this country with diplomatic niceties; we are going to govern this country as a business," said a Western diplomat, quoting a Trump advisor. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Matt Spetalnick, Jonathan Landay, Ginger Gibson and David Brunnstrom in Washington, Robin Emmott in Brussels, Linda Sieg in Tokyo and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by John Walcott and James Dalgleish)
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Friday threatened to abandon a key pillar of a deal with the EU to reduce the migrant flow after Greece blocked the extradition of alleged coup suspects.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara was considering scrapping a "readmission agreement" under which Turkey has been taking in migrants sent back across the Aegean after landing illegally in Greece.

His remarks followed Thursday's decision by the Greek Supreme Court not to hand over eight former military officers wanted in connection with last year's failed putsch in a move which angered Ankara.

The move has put a severe strain on diplomatic ties between the two neighbours who have been working closely on both the refugee issue and to resolve the Cyprus dispute through talks in Geneva.

"We are now considering what we are going to do," Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber a day after the ruling.

"We have a readmission agreement between us and Greece, with the European Union. We are going to take necessary steps, including the cancellation of this readmission agreement," he added.

- 'Political' ruling -

Last March, Turkey and the EU signed a landmark agreement in which Ankara pledged to take back all illegal migrants landing in Greece to help stem migrant flows to the EU.

There is also an existing agreement between Ankara and Athens on Turkey's readmission of illegal migrants.

The March deal helped put the brakes on a massive influx of migrants and refugees, especially from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which has mushroomed into a combustible political and social issue in Europe.

Turkey's pledge was aimed at deterring migrants from making the perilous sea crossing in the first place, knowing they could be sent back.

Some 1,183 migrants have been returned to Turkey in the past 12 months, Greek police figures show.

Turkey could not "look favourably on a country which protects terrorists, traitors, coup-plotters," Cavusoglu said.

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"Greece needs to know this."

The Greek court's decision blocked the extradition on grounds the men would not have a fair trial in Turkey, in a move which Cavusoglu denounced as "political".

The suspects landed by helicopter in Greece a day after the botched putsch, demanding asylum. They were immediately taken into custody on grounds of entering the country illegally, but the Supreme Court ordered them released.

However they remain in police custody "for reasons of national security," Greek state agency ANA said, citing police sources. This stems from their illegal entry.

Earlier Friday, the Turkish justice ministry submitted a second extradition request to Greece for the return of the officers, state-run news agency Anadolu said.

The officers deny any part in the attempted putsch to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and say their lives would be in danger should they return to Turkey.

Their asylum requests were initially rejected but appeals are currently being processed.

- 'Deal continues' -

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' office defended the court's refusal to extradite, stressing that the Greek justice system was "solely qualified to deal with such issues and (that) its decisions are binding."

Historical foes but now NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have enjoyed warmer ties under Erdogan, though tensions never completely disappeared.

In a bid to mollify Ankara, Tsipras' office released a statement stressing that "those responsible for the coup are not welcome in our country."

But Cavusoglu said the ruling would have an "effect on relations whether we want it to or not."

Despite his remarks, European Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud said she was confident that the migrant deal would remain in place.

"The EU-Turkey statement continues to be applied by both sides and we are confident that it will remain the case".

The deal has already come under strain over the delay in granting Turkish citizens visa-free travel to Europe in the Schengen zone, which Ankara sees as the EU's side of the bargain in the accord.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has demanded the retrial of eight soldiers who fled to Greece after a failed coup last year and said it may take measures, including scrapping a migration deal with Athens, after a Greek court rejected an extradition request. Greece's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against extraditing the soldiers, who have sought political asylum, saying they feared for their lives in Turkey. Ankara says they were involved in the July 15 coup attempt and branded them traitors. "We demanded that the eight soldiers be tried again. This is a political decision, Greece is protecting and hosting coup plotters," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber on Friday. "We are evaluating what we can do. There is a migration deal we signed, including a readmission deal with Greece, and we are evaluating what we can do, including the cancellation of the readmission deal with Greece," Cavusoglu added. Subsequently, a European Union spokeswoman said it was confident its cooperation with Turkey on migration will continue to hold firm. Relations between Greece and Turkey, neighbours and NATO allies, have improved over the years but they remain at odds over territorial disputes and ethnically split Cyprus. In 1996, they almost reached the brink of war over an uninhabited islet. The two countries play an important role in the handling of Europe's worst migration crisis in decades and the EU depends on Ankara to enforce a deal to stem mass migration to Europe. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Angus MacSwan)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey is enduring the biggest challenge of a five-month military campaign inside Syria as it battles to capture the town of Al-Bab from Islamic State (IS) jihadists, taking heavy casualties and testing an army stretched by post-coup purges.

The ambitious "Euphrates Shield" operation -- with Turkish forces backing pro-Ankara Syrian rebels in an unprecedented incursion -- began in spectacular style in August as the army ousted jihadists from a succession of border towns including Jarabulus.

But Al-Bab, which symbolically means "The Gate" in Arabic, has proved far tougher, with Turkish officials predicting repeatedly in the last few weeks that it will be taken imminently but with no clear end in sight.

At least 48 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the incursion so far, according to an AFP tally, the vast majority in the battle for Al-Bab since the fight for the town began on December 10.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Friday that Turkey would "finish the job" in Al-Bab, but indicated it was not necessary to push any deeper inside Syria.

Turkey has repeatedly complained of being isolated by its NATO allies in the operation, although Ankara has recently won some backing from its newfound ally Moscow.

But the operation has come with NATO's second largest standing army facing troubles after the failed July putsch, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 168 generals -- half the entire pre-coup contingent -- arrested in the crackdown.

Showing the tremors from the coup are still shaking the army, several soldiers who had been due to go on trial last week did not appear in court in Istanbul as they were waging the Al-Bab campaign.

- 'Syria quagmire' -

"Euphrates Shield is under-resourced," said Aaron Stein, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East.

"The rebels Turkey is fighting with are poorly trained and have, for years, proved incapable of taking and holding territory."

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Whereas Jarabulus is practically on the border, Al-Bab is 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the frontier and a far tougher logistical proposition.

Faruk Logoglu, a former Turkish ambassador to the United States and ex-opposition MP, said the Turkish-led campaign "is lacking final objectives and an exit strategy".

"The target given is well beyond what's achievable. That's the problem," he told AFP. "Turkey risks being drawn further into the Syria quagmire."

IS in December claimed to have burned to death two Turkish soldiers -- although this was never confirmed by Ankara -- while the corpses of two kidnapped soldiers were returned this month.

- 'Moved forward alone'-

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute, said Turkey had suffered from the lack of support for the operation from the United States.

"Because Ankara launched its move to take Al-Bab from ISIS without securing concrete cooperation with the US, Turkey had to move forward alone," he told AFP.

"This naturally slowed down the operation. This is why Ankara has moved to secure Russian air support."

In November, the Pentagon said the US-led international coalition was not backing the Al-Bab campaign because it was "independently" launched by Turkey.

That prompted Ankara to turn to Moscow, even though the two countries have been on opposing sides of the Syria conflict since it erupted in 2011.

But Turkey and Russia late last year brokered a ceasefire in Syria and have stepped up cooperation since.

The two countries on January 18 staged their first joint air strikes against IS around Al-Bab, the Russian defence ministry announced.

By taking Al-Bab, Turkey is keen to prevent Syrian Kurdish militia allied to the US establishing a stronghold in the area. Ankara even wants to push northeast to Manbij, where the Kurds already ousted IS.

In January, the US-led coalition also conducted four strikes near Al-Bab and Turkey has greater expectations from the new US administration under President Donald Trump.

Cagaptay said Turkish forces were being targeted by IS foreign fighters who had been largely encircled by offensives in Syria and Iraq and were engaged in a fight to the death, ready to employ suicide bombers.

"For these foreign fighters, there are two ways out: capture by anti-ISIS forces, or death," he said.
Beirut (AFP) - Ten civilians, including a child, have been killed in Turkish air strikes and shelling in and around a Syrian town held by the Islamic State group, a monitor said Friday.

The bombardment hit the northern town of Al-Bab and the nearby area of Tadif, both held by IS, on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Al-Bab has come under heavy assault in recent weeks, with Turkish, Russian and Syrian warplanes carrying out strikes in or around the town.

The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of a ground operation it launched in Syria last August targeting both IS and Kurdish fighters. Several this month have been joint operations with Russia.

But Turkish officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties and have vehemently denied claims civilians have been killed in previous strikes.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday that 22 IS "terrorists" had been killed in the latest round of Turkish strikes on Syria, against a total of 272 IS targets.

IS is not included in a fragile nationwide ceasefire in force since December 30 that led to peace negotiations jointly organised by Turkey, Russia and Iran in Kazakhstan this week.

There was no major breakthrough in the talks, which brought a government delegation together for indirect talks with representatives of armed groups for the first time.

Ankara has backed rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Moscow and Tehran have supported the government.
MIAMI (Reuters) - Two Florida ports have canceled plans to sign cooperation pacts with Communist-ruled Cuba after state Governor Rick Scott threatened to cancel their funding if they did business with the "Cuban dictatorship." The news comes as Cuba watchers are looking closely for signs of how the United States' fragile detente with Cuba will fare under President Donald Trump. Trump has threatened to scrap moves to normalize relations, one of former President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy initiatives, if he doesn't get "a better deal." "Disappointed some (Florida ports) would enter into any agreement with Cuban dictatorship," Scott wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "I will recommend restricting state funds for ports that work with Cuba in my budget. Port authorities along the U.S. Southern coast are strong proponents of increased trade and travel with Cuba, and some have expressed interest in using Mariel, located on the northwest coast of the Caribbean island, as a transshipment hub. The Ports of Everglades and Palm Beach had been planning to sign agreements with Cuba during the visit of a Cuban trade delegation this week but said they decided to withdraw the deals. Port of Everglades spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said this move would not impact trade with Cuba, which was conducted by tenants rather than the ports themselves. One of Port Everglades' tenants, Crowley Maritime Corporation, has been exporting U.S.-made goods including poultry and medicine to Cuba since obtaining a license to do so from the Office of Foreign Asset Control in late 2001. On Tuesday, Crowley also imported two containers of charcoal from Cuba, the first direct legal import from Cuba to the United States in more than half a century. Kennedy said the memorandum of understanding had been designed to be a "good will gesture" to form a strong alliance with Cuban ports. Cuba and the United States have restored diplomatic ties and signed various cooperation agreements since Obama agreed with Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014 to work to normalize relations. Obama, a Democrat, used executive orders to circumvent the longstanding U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and ease some restrictions on travel and business. The embargo can only be lifted by the U.S. Congress, which is controlled by Republicans. Trump, who can reverse Obama's executive orders, has threatened to end the detente if Cuba does not make further political and other concessions, although he has not specified what these should be. (Reporting by Zachary Fagenson in Miami; Writing by Sarah Marsh in Havana; Editing by Sandra Maler)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - U.S.-based mutual fund company Fidelity Investments has marked down the value of its holding in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart Online Services Pvt Ltd by around 36 percent. Two mutual funds run by Fidelity logged the price of its holding as $52.13 per share as of Nov. 30, from $81.55 at the end of August, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dated Jan. 24. That would value Flipkart at $5.58 billion, as per the available record of outstanding shares, Mint newspaper reported. Fidelity did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Flipkart declined to comment. The mark down comes as Flipkart faces increasing competition from Amazon.com Inc's Amazon India. It follows a string of similar moves by mutual funds and investors in the last year, local media have reported. Flipkart has undergone change in top-level management in recent months, something widely interpreted as renewed focus on profit margin over volume growth. (Reporting by Promit Mukherjee)
By Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two lawmakers and six consumer advocacy groups on Thursday sought to join a court case involving the U.S. consumer financial watchdog as worries that President Donald Trump will dismantle the agency reached a fever pitch. Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Representative Maxine Waters of California petitioned a federal court to be allowed to intervene on behalf of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in its appeal of a decision that its structure is unconstitutional. Meanwhile, six groups including U.S. Public Interest Research Group made a similar request. The ruling, that the president should be able to remove CFPB Director Richard Cordray at will, has been stayed pending appeal. Currently the director can only be fired for cause. The filings followed a request from state attorneys general to also be able to intervene in the case. Currently the whole U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is deciding whether to review the ruling in a case brought by mortgage servicer PHH Corp [PHH.N]. It could announce it will take the appeal, which most watchers expect, as early as next week. Republicans want Trump to remove Cordray, saying the director has gone beyond his authority and provided cause to be fired. Trump has met with former Texas Representative Randy Neugebauer, a CFPB critic, indicating Trump is already seeking Cordray's replacement. Also, Republican Senator Deb Fischer, of Nebraska, recently introduced legislation to put a commission in charge of the CFPB, and there is a good chance it will become law. "Theres quite a lot of reasons to be concerned," said Michael Burr, faculty director at University of Michigan's Center on Finance. "It would be devastating to the very people who supported President Trump to attack and dismantle the CFPB." The CFPB, created in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law to guard individuals from fraud in mortgages, student loans and other financial products, does not need permission from the Justice Department to file cases in courts below the Supreme Court. That means Trump may also ask the Justice Department to file a brief in opposition in the appeal, essentially setting two agencies against each other, said Mark Calabria, who studies the CFPB for the conservative Cato Institute. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG's dealers will receive an average of $1.85 million in a $1.2 billion settlement approved by a U.S. judge on Monday over its diesel emissions scandal. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the 650 U.S. dealers would be paid over 18 months, ruling the settlement "fair, reasonable, and adequate." VW also agreed to keep making volume-based incentive payments to dealers, and will allow them to defer capital improvements for two years. In total, VW has now agreed to spend up to $22 billion in the United States to address claims from owners, environmental regulators, U.S. states and dealers stemming from the excess vehicle emissions. VW admitted in September 2015 to installing secret software in its diesel cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests and make them appear cleaner in testing than they really were. In reality, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times the legally allowable pollution levels and dealers say the resulting scandal tarnished the brand and cost them sales. VW North American Chief Executive Officer Hinrich Woebcken said earlier the company believed the agreement with "dealers is a very important step in our commitment to making things right for all our stakeholders in the United States." Beyond the $1.2 billion cash payments, the settlement is valued at total of more than $1.6 billion for the VW brand dealers, said law firm Hagens Berman in a statement. The settlement includes $270 million through a provision for prior payments and $175 million in the continued sales incentives. "The Volkswagen-branded franchise dealer class-action settlement finalized today represents an outstanding result for Volkswagens affected franchise dealers who, like consumers, were blindsided by the brazen fraud that VW perpetrated," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and lead attorney for the dealers.
By Steve Holland and Miguel Gutierrez PHILADELPHIA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso tumbling and deepening a crisis between the two neighbors. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced on Twitter around midday on Thursday that he was scrapping a planned trip to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that Mexico pay for a wall on the U.S. border. Later in the day, White House spokesman Sean Spicer sent the Mexican peso falling to its low for the day when he told reporters that Trump wanted a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for construction of the wall. Spicer gave few details, but his comments resembled an existing idea, known as a border adjustment tax, that the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is considering as part of a broad tax overhaul. The White House said later its proposal was in the early stages. Asked if Trump favored a border adjustment tax, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said such a tax would be "one way" of paying for the border wall. "It's a buffet of options," he said. The plan being weighed by House Republicans would exempt export revenues from taxation but impose a 20 percent tax on imported goods, a significant change from current U.S. policy. "If you tax exports from Mexico into the United States, you're going to make things ranging from avocados to appliances to flat-screen tvs, you're going to make them more expensive," Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told reporters at the Mexican Embassy in Washington on Thursday night. Countries like Mexico would not pay such taxes directly. Companies would face the tax if they import products made there into the United States, potentially raising prices for American consumers. The idea is unpopular with retailers and businesses that sell imported goods in the United States. It also has met opposition from some lawmakers worried about the impact on U.S. consumers. Trump himself appeared to pan the idea in a Wall Street Journal interview last week, saying the House border adjustment provision was "too complicated." Even after Trump's comments, congressional Republicans have continued to discuss the issue with White House officials in an effort to bring them on board with the idea. RIFT WITH MEXICO Trump, who visited Republican lawmakers at their policy retreat in Philadelphia, told them he would use tax reform legislation to pay for the border wall. "We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," he said. Trump, who took office last week, views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has long insisted it will not heed Trump's demands to pay for the construction project. He signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday. The move provoked outrage in Mexico. A planned meeting between Videgaray and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was canceled, a department spokeswoman said. Videgaray said Mexico would work with Trump but that paying for the wall was out of the question. "There are things that go beyond negotiation," he said. "This is about our dignity and our pride." Pena Nieto, who had been under pressure to cancel the summit, tweeted on Thursday: "We have informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday with @POTUS." Trump had tweeted earlier that it would be better for the Mexican leader not to come if Mexico would not pay for the wall. He said later the meeting was canceled by mutual agreement. Relations have been frayed since Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, characterizing Mexican immigrants as murderers and rapists. His trade rhetoric has hit the Mexican economy, causing consumers to rein in spending and foreign businesses to wait on new investments, according to the International Monetary Fund. Trump has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada and slap high tariffs on American companies that have moved jobs south of the border. Mexico ships 80 percent of its exports to the United States, and about half of Mexico's foreign direct investment has come from its northern neighbor over the past two decades. The United States runs a $58.8 billion trade deficit with Mexico, according to the latest U.S. government figures. But Mexico is also the United States' second-largest export market. (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe in Washington, David Morgan in Philadelphia and Frank Jack Daniel, Dave Graham and Christine Murray in Mexico City; Writing by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate's Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Friday he opposes lifting any sanctions on Russia, a day before President Donald Trump is to have his first official telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "These sanctions were imposed because of their behavior in Crimea, eastern Ukraine and now we know theyve been messing around in our elections as well," McConnell said in an interview with Politico on Friday. "If theres any country in the world that doesnt deserve sanctions relief, its Russia." (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chris Reese)
By Noel Randewich

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. supermarket operators fell on Friday as President Donald Trump kept up his criticism of Mexico, which is a major supplier of produce and other foods for U.S. consumers.

A day after the White House suggested that the United States could impose a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico, shares of Wal-Mart Stores <WMT.N> and Kroger Co <KR.N> fell more than 1 percent, while Whole Foods Market <WFM.O> dropped 2.8 percent.

Trump on Friday repeated statements that Mexico, a major exporter of vegetables, fruits and beer, has taken advantage of the United States. Mexico, he said, "beat us to a pulp," deepening worries about a crisis between the two trading partners.

On Thursday, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped a planned trip to Washington to meet Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that Mexico pay for a wall on the U.S. border to halt illegal immigration. The White House later said the potential 20 percent tax could be used to pay for the wall.

Mexico was the second-largest supplier of agricultural exports to the United States in 2015, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR.

Mexican agricultural exports to the United States in 2015 totaled about $21.6 billion, up 191 percent from 1993, before the two countries and Canada cemented the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to the USTR.

Less than 1 percent of Hass avocados - the main ingredient in guacamole - sold in the United States so far in 2017 were domestically grown, with 93 percent arriving from Mexico, according to the Hass Avocado Board.

The United States consumes nearly all of its own tomatoes, exporting just 6 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Of the tomatoes the United States imports, Mexico accounts for 71 percent, with Canada supplying most of the rest.

A new tax on food imported from Mexico would leave supermarkets with the difficult choices of raising prices, sacrificing already low profitability, or a mixture of the two.

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U.S. grocers deal with a higher-than-average cost of goods sold than most other industries, resulting in razor-thin margins. Through 2015, the six-year average cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue for U.S. grocers was 73.4 percent versus around 56 percent for all U.S. industries, according to Plunkett Research.

Shares Kroger and Wal-Mart are down about 3 percent from before Trump's inauguration a week ago while food distributor Sysco <SYY.N> has lost about 1.5 percent.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by Leslie Adler and Meredith Mazzilli)
White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters travelling with the president on Thursday that President Donald Trump has decided to pay for his proposed border wall with Mexico by levying a 20 percent tax on all imports from that country.

However, there is considerable confusion over what exactly the White House is proposing. Spicer said that the tariff would be enacted as part of broader tax reform. And the Republicans in the House of Representatives are considering a proposal that would create a border-adjusted tax of 20 percent on imports. But the House proposal would apply to all imports, while Spicer appeared to be talking only about Mexican goods.

Related: Before the Wall -- 18 Photos of the US-Mexico Border

Trade policy isnt normally announced in the press gaggle on Air Force One, so the details of whats really going on are difficult to determine at the moment. Whats clear though, is that slapping a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports would raise prices on an awful lot of things that U.S. consumers buy every day.

According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Mexico is the United States third-largest trading partner, with $587 billion in goods and services crossing the border in 2015. That breaks down to $267 billion in American goods and services exported to Mexico and $316 billion flowing the other way.

If the sellers of those $316 billion worth of products purchased by Americans are hit with a 20 percent increase in costs, they are going to do their best to pass that increased expense on to American consumers. And it will hit American checkbooks in multiple ways.

Related: Trump Cracks Down on Sanctuary Cities  and It Could Cost Them Billions

According to Commerce Department data, the U.S. imports from Mexico in 2015 were:

* $74 billion in vehicles,

* $63 billion in electrical machinery,

* $49 billion in other machinery,

* $14 billion in fuel and

* $12 billion in medical instruments.

Mexico is also one of the largest exporters of agricultural products to the U.S., sending $21 billion worth of fruits, vegetables, beer, snack food and more across the border in 2015. Like your strawberries in February? Get ready to pay more for them.

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And there is every reason to expect that Mexico would hit back if Trump imposed an across-the-board tax on Mexican imports. U.S. exports to Mexico support an estimated 1.1 million jobs in this country, and American exporters would likely find their goods were suddenly less affordable for their Mexican customers.

Mexico is the second largest importer of U.S.-manufactured goods, and according to the Commerce Department, the same kinds of things that cross the border going north also cross it going south. According to the U.S. Trade Representative, The top export categories ... in 2015 were: machinery ($42 billion), electrical machinery ($41 billion), vehicles ($22 billion), mineral fuels ($19 billion), and plastics ($17 billion).

Related: Did Trump Just Say That Only Fools Honor the Geneva Conventions?

Mexico is the third-largest buyer of U.S. agricultural products as well, with $18 billion in produce and meat shipped south in 2015.

Again, it is not completely clear how serious the administration is about applying an import tax specifically to Mexico. But a couple of things are clear.

If Trump intends to effectively tax Mexican goods in order to raise money for the wall, it wont be Mexico paying for it, as he long promised, it will be American consumers.

And if Mexico retaliates against U.S. exporters, costing them sales and perhaps jobs, the American people will have paid for it twice.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
The annual anti-abortion march that takes place in Washington D.C. every year will  for the first time in history  host the vice president of the United States as a speaker for its 2017 edition. The March for Life on Thursday announced that Vice President Mike Pence has agreed to speak at the march scheduled for Jan. 27.

We are very pleased to welcome Vice President Mike Pence to speak at this years March for Life. His appearance marks a historic moment for the pro-life movement as Vice President Pence will be the first Vice President or President to speak at the March for Life, said Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life, in a press release.

The anti-abortion march is held every year to mark the anniversary of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, better known as Roe v. Wade. This year the organizers expect tens of thousands to rally on the National Mall around noon Friday before marching to the Supreme Court.

mike pence

Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Noting Pences pro-life endeavors through his time as a Member of Congress, Indiana Governor and the Vice President, Mancini said: Pro-life leaders, activists, volunteers and marchers will be thrilled to hear from Vice President Pence and are bound to leave the March for Life even more energized than when they came.

Pence is not the only member of President Donald Trumps administration who will be speaking at the rally. He will be joined by Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, whose presence was confirmed earlier in the month.

The list of the other confirmed speakers is below:

Kellyanne Conway, Senior Counselor to President Trump

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)

Rep. Mia Love (R-UT)

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)

Benjamin Watson, Tight End for the Baltimore Ravens

Abby Johnson, Former Planned Parenthood Director and founder of And Then There Were None

Karyme Lozano, Mexican telenovela star

Eric Metaxas, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and host of The Eric Metaxas Show

Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr., President at Church of God In Christ World Missions

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The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has expressed shock and disgust at a terror attack in Mogadishu in which a hotel in the city centre was targeted by two detonated explosive-laden cars. Several innocent people were killed while many more were wounded.

Image by 123RF

In this terror attack, seven journalists who came to cover the attack were wounded when a second device apparently dentonated.

Among the wounded journalists who were admitted to Madina hospital were: Abdulkadir Abdullahi Ga'al (HornCable TV), Farah Abdi Warsame (AP news agency), Abdulkadir Abdullahi (Radio Kulmiye), Yusuf Jama Abdullahi (Aljazeera TV) and Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP news agency).

Journalists were wounded by a second car bomb which exploded some 15 minutes after the first suicide bomber.

We condemn the continued vile attacks against civilians. Given that the journalists were wounded by the explosion of the second car, today's attack was also designed to hurt journalists who came to the site to do their jobs, said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

NUSOJ says journalists have suffered a heavy toll in such terror and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, and called on journalists to take extra precautions for their safety in such bloody and cruel attacks.

We wish the wounded journalists a speedy recovery from their injuries, added Osman.

This statement was originally published on nusoj.org on 25 January 2017.
Anti-abortion activists are gathering in Washington on Friday to take part in the 44th March for Life  and Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trumps counselor Kellyanne Conway are set to address the crowds.

The March for Life, described on its website as a peaceful demonstration to share the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, legalized abortion on demand, is an annual event held on or around the anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision to legalize abortion in the case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973.

According to Reuters, tens of thousands of supporters are expected to converge on the National Mall for the march, which goes to the Supreme Court (about 1.5 miles). As well as Pence, a longtime supporter of the anti-abortion movement, and Conway, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and several Republican lawmakers also are scheduled to speak.

The March for Life comes six days after Washington was flooded by hundreds of thousands of demonstrators for the Womens March.

In his first week in office, President Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Mexico City Policy, a ban on funding to international organizations that either perform or provide information on the procedure. He has also said that he will nominate a Supreme Court justice next week, and hes promised to appoint justices who would work to overturn Roe v. Wade.
London (AFP) - West Ham signed Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass in a A10.2 million ($12 million) deal from Hull on Friday.

Snodgrass agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract to become West Ham's second January signing after their swoop for Southampton defender Jose Fonte.

With Hammers playmaker Dimitri Payet still trying to engineer a move back to his former club Marseille, Snodgrass would be a ready-made replacement for the France international.

Snodgrass could make his West Ham debut in Wednesday's Premier League clash with Manchester City.

"I'm delighted because this is a massive club with great tradition," Snodgrass said.

"This is the sort of club which speaks for itself, the fans who come here and support week-in week-out and moving to and selling out this new stadium is terrific and I want to be part of it.

"The owners and the manager are trying to build something here and I just can't wait to get started. I feel this is a club with real ambition, with the new stadium, great players and a manager of his calibre at Premier League level.

"The club has had a few good weeks with results and if I can add to that, great. I'm just looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and getting started."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump, engaged in a diplomatic row with Mexico, plans to shake up trade across North America.

Trump is vowing to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement  or pull out of it altogether. His efforts are injecting worrisome doubts about the future of business among the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Here's what's at stake:

___

WHAT IS NAFTA?

Negotiated by President George H.W. Bush and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, NAFTA took effect on Jan. 1, 1994. The trade pact eliminated tariffs  taxes on imports  and other trade barriers among the United States, Canada and Mexico. The impact on some vulnerable U.S. industries was delayed. Tariffs on textiles and clothing, for instance, were phased out only gradually. So were many trade barriers in the auto industry.

Supporters said the agreement would promote trade and create jobs across a North American single market. It would be, in other words, a victory for everyone. Critics countered that low-wage competition from Mexico would wipe out American factory jobs. In 1992, U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot famously predicted "a giant sucking sound" as American jobs migrated south across the border.

___

SO WHAT ACTUALLY DID HAPPEN?

Trade among NAFTA countries exploded. But so did America's trade deficit with Mexico.

In 1993, the year before NAFTA took effect, the United States had sold Mexico $41.6 billion in goods and bought $39.9 billion for a trade surplus of $1.7 billion. By 2015, the U.S. had exported $235.7 billion in goods to Mexico (a 467 percent increase) and imported $296.4 billion (up 643 percent). That created a trade deficit in goods of $60.7 billion.

It's a figure Trump has invoked to argue that naive American policymakers had been out-negotiated by their Mexican counterparts. But the trade gap has widened partly because American consumers are eager to buy relatively low-priced cars and other goods from Mexico.

NAFTA's impact on the economy was more modest than partisans on either side of the debate had expected. In part, that's because trade represents a surprisingly small portion of the U.S. economy  28 percent in 2015, according to the World Bank, one of the lowest shares in the world. And trade with Mexico is a smaller still portion.

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The Congressional Research Service has concluded that the impact of NAFTA on the US. economy "has been relatively small." The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a pro-free trade think tank in Washington, estimates that the U.S. loses about 203,000 jobs and gains 188,000 annually" on account of two-way trade with Mexico." That's a net loss of 15,000 jobs a year a mere rounding error in a country with 145 million jobs.

___

WHAT DOES TRUMP WANT TO DO?

The president has vowed to negotiate a better NAFTA  or to walk away from the agreement if he can't get one. Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute, says he thinks the agreement should be updated to reflect, for instance, the rise of the internet businesses over the past 23 years ago. Trump hasn't spelled out how he wants to change the deal. But he clearly seeks to shrink the trade gap with Mexico by reducing imports, increasing exports or both. One likely target: U.S., Japanese and other automakers, which shipped more than $100 billion in autos and auto parts from Mexico to the United States in 2015.

After NAFTA, automakers began producing small cars in Mexico and shipping them across the border to the United States. Mexican auto workers still earn less than $10 an hour, allowing manufacturers to keep small car prices low  and affordable to U.S. families on a budget.

But U.S. and other companies have built complicated supply chains that span the U.S.-Mexico border. Pulling out of NAFTA would throw their operations into disarray. Although they build cars in Mexico, U.S. companies also do a big business ($30 billion worth in 2015) shipping auto parts to Mexico.

The nonprofit Center for Automotive Research estimates that the U.S. would lose at least 31,000 jobs if Trump went ahead with his threat to impose a 35 percent tax on Mexican auto imports.

___

Follow Paul Wiseman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PaulWisemanAP
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British Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed hopes to rekindle Britain's special relationship with the US now that Donald Trump is president.

SEE ALSO: Trump's inauguration speech sounded like it was ripped from Bane from 'The Dark Knight Rises'

But her aspirations suffered a minor setback after the White House press team misspelled her name thrice in the schedule for her meeting with the US president.

May's name was spelled "Teresa" in the introduction to the daily guidance and press schedule email, which included an hourly breakdown of the president's workday.

"In the afternoon, the President will partake in a bilateral meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister, Teresa May. A joint press conference between the two parties follows," the first misspelling read.

Image: whitehouse

The other missing "h" were in parts of the daily guidance about a bilateral meeting with May and a "working luncheon" before 2pm.

Image: whitehouse

Admittedly, it's a teeny, tiny misspelling. But it's important to get these details right. "Teresa May" without the "h" is the name of a retired glamour model.

The typos were corrected 20 minutes later. May will be the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his inauguration.

BONUS: Here's a clip of Kellyanne Conway's previous (and mercifully brief) career in stand-up comedy
For six excruciating days, a Canadian woman was kept alive without her lungs by surgeons desperate to save her while waiting for an organ donor.

Melissa Benoit, 33, suffered from cystic fibrosis, a congenital disorder that causes a thick build-up of mucus in the lungs. But her condition last spring was far worse than that  a bad bout of the H1N1 virus left her with severely infected lungs that couldn't function.

Read: Former Firefighter Who Received Face Transplant Meets Mother of Donor for First Time

The infection had spread throughout her body and was resistant to antibiotics. Even a ventilator couldnt provide her system with enough oxygen to survive.

Her organs, one by one, began to shut down. She was drowning in mucus, pus and blood, doctors said.

Melissa was dying before our eyes, said Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, a chief surgeon at Toronto General Hospital.

She desperately need a double transplant, but was too sick to undergo surgery. So physicians spoke with the womans family and suggested removing both of Benoits lungs - the source of her deadly infection - and keeping her alive with artificial breathing machines until a donor could be found.

Her family didnt hesitate. Do it, they said. Do it now.

My mom said she was very calm listening to the doctors, Benoit told InsideEdition.com Thursday. She knew I was going to come back. Im going to chalk that up to mothers intuition.

It took surgeons nine hours to remove both organs. They inserted a portable artificial lung into her chest cavity, and hooked her to an external device that pumped oxygen-rich blood into her body.

Six days later, a donor was found.

Read: Woman Celebrates Christmas With Teen Who Received Her Son's Heart

Benoit lost about two months of her life to being sick and undergoing surgery.

When she came to in the hospital, her muscles had so atrophied the only thing she could move was her tongue.

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I had to learn to hold my head up. I had to learn how to use my hands all over again. I had no strength, she said.

Its been long, I wont lie, she said of her recovery. I would cry. I was in so much pain - from my muscles, from my bones.

Every day, hospital staff forced her to get out of bed and walk, and to sit in a chair for at least an hour.

It broke everyones heart to make me sit there, she said. My mom would pretend like we were at a spa. Shed bring water for me to soak my feet  and paint my toenails to distract me.

After months of physical therapy, Benoit feels better than she has in decades. She can play with her 2-year-old daughter, Olivia. She can walk without wheezing. She can drive a car.

Breathing feels oh, so different, she said. I feel like Ive never breathed up till now. I always felt like I was breathing through a straw.

Its so different to feel air actually going into your lungs, she said.

She has experienced no signs of rejection, she said. She considers herself amazingly lucky.

Its pretty unbelievable, she said. It feels surreal.

Watch: Doctos Find Donor Match in 40 Minutes for 5-Month-Old in Need of Transplant

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At the Womens March on Washington, one of the more striking moments came early on, during a speech from actress America Ferrera. She asked marchers, many of whom protested specifically against President Trump, to refuse his divisive rhetoric and the policy proposals that could disproportionately affect women, LGBTQ groups, and communities of color:

The president is not America. His Cabinet is not America. Congress is not America. We are America, and we are here to stay. ... This is only day one in our united movement.

It was a call to action that forced listeners to consider what would happen after the marcha natural concern for pumped-up protesters bent on opposing Donald Trump, and one that hung over the event. The Womens March was unprecedented, with more than 3 million participants estimated worldwide. Yet the marchers face two major questions moving forward: Can Saturdays energy be sustained and channeled into political power? And could divisions among marchers weaken their efforts to fight against the new administration?

The principle issue among marchers is whether people will organize within their local communities after the excitement dies down. While Trumps victory triggered the event, liberal womens groups have long fought against conservative policies they believe limit womens reproductive and economic freedoms, among others. But they were unable to prevent the GOP from taking control of Washington and most state legislatures, so what makes the Womens March different? The activists I spoke with seemed confident that the reality of Trumps presidency will move more people to get involved.

I dont think we are going to lose the momentum, said Terry ONeill, president of the liberal National Organization for Women, one of the marchs partner groups. The people I spoke to at the march know weve got a long road. ... They know that were going to lose a lot of battles in Washington, D.C. But they also know that there are really promising possibilities at the state and community level.

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Community involvement could take different forms based on a persons options and interests. After the march, the organizers launched a 10 actions for the first 100 days campaign, the first of which involved participants writing their senators, and Planned Parenthood held a training session for hundreds of activists. Some marchers also appear to be seeking out opportunities for activism on their own.

Abby Wright, 36, who traveled from Atlanta, Georgia, to march in Washington, was not involved in political activism prior to November. After the election, Wright said she wanted to contribute more to issues like education, which is an area she is passionate about. She has since joined her local parent-teacher association and is working on a website that seeks to keep residents of her district informed about local policies.

Sixty-two-year-old Cheryl Witmer was similarly inspired. A resident of York County, Pennsylvaniawhere 62 percent of the vote went to TrumpWitmer said the Washington march allowed her to connect with like-minded people in person and on social media to discuss the next steps.

But preaching to the choir of anti-Trump women is one thingworking to bridge divides with Trump supporters, in an era of staunch partisanship, is another battle entirely. Does a successful movement require cooperation with the other side, or can women effect the change they want through sheer resistance?

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Opinions on that question are mixed. Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA, another partner organization for the march, said one important next step for activists will be trying to facilitate conversations with the Trump coalition in a way that does not compromise their own position.

If were not open to talking with them and if were not open to working with them, then its going to make it harder for them to make that shift, Huang said. Were going to need them to make that shift. We are going to need people who supported him to call it out when he undertakes steps that are harmful.

Stephanie Zhou, a 23-year-old living in New York City, said she failed to see much unity.

But thats easier said than done for many of Saturdays marchers. Holly and Leigh Houser, sisters who traveled to the capital from Colorado, said it has been difficult to see their parents and other close relatives back Trump. While they discuss their concerns about the president with family, they sometimes avoid talking politics to ease the tension. Sue Gibson, a resident of Jefferson City, Missouri, is a bit more strict in her approach. The 60-year-old is very open to discussing her opposition to the Republican Party, but theres only so much you can do, she said. She added that she wont waste time with people who are unwilling to engage, an approach she said has caused her to sever some relationships with Trump supporters in her life.

Perhaps the most significant threat to the Womens March cause is not the stark ideological divide between liberals and Trump voters, but instead division within the group that marched last weekend. Intersectional feminismthe recognition of issues that affect women from different races, religions, economic statuses, sexualities, and abilitieswas a major focus for the march organizers, who emphasized the diversity of womanhood in their official mission statement. Saturdays lineup of speakers reflected that: It included prominent activists Gloria Steinem and Angela Davis, immigration activist Sophie Cruz, trans writer Janet Mock, and Muslim civil-rights lawyer Zahra Billoo.

Recommended: How Trumps Executive Orders Could Set America Back 70 Years

Most of the white marchers I talked to expressed solidarity with the diverse racial and gender groups represented at the rallybut not all of the women of color saw that solidarity in action. Stephanie Zhou, a 23-year-old living in New York City, said she failed to see much unity. She said the predominantly white group of marchers seemed disinterested in engaging with and learning from the other participants. In an opinion piece for The Huffington Post, Zhous friend Chi Nguyen called out some of these white marchers for failing to chant Black Lives Matter and for ignoring non-white speakers during the pre-march rally.

Zhou said this dynamic highlights a major flaw in mainstream activism, which at times fails to advocate for non-white communities. Others also questioned the intent of their fellow marchers. In an essay for Vox, writer Arielle Egozi wondered if she would see an authentic or a safe, trendy display of solidarity among all the marchers. And actor Amir Talai asked on his march sign: Ill see you nice white ladies at the next #BlackLivesMatter march, right?

Ultimately, these skeptics say that inclusion requires showing up and speaking out for these groups beyond the Womens March. Black women have been shot in the streets and discriminated against for years. Trans women of color have been killed or otherwise brutalized for years. Native American and Alaskan Native womenan estimated 56 percenthave experienced sexual violence for years. In an essay explaining why she would not attend the Womens March, Jamilah Lemieux notes that many white women have not responded to the crises of minority communities with the same force theyre deploying now, in response to perceived threats against themselves. NOWs Terry ONeill said that women of color have every right to be skeptical. In order to succeed, she added, white women of the movement will have to reckon with this critique if they want to fulfill the marchs goals of unified political resistance.

Zhou, for one, said she remains hopeful, but cautious about whats next for the marchers. In the first week of his presidency, Donald Trump has taken steps to limit abortion access worldwide, restrict refugees and Muslims entry into the United States, roll back the Affordable Care Act, reduce funding for environmental science, and plan for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. These are policies that will affect people at all levels of American society, and a united front in this womens movement could make a difference in how easily Trump and his party can carry out their plans.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
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Ferrari Land  it might sound like fantasy but pretty soon it will be a full-blown theme park packed full of mini Ferraris and some of the fastest rides in Europe.

A maze of super-speed rides in the Italian car company's signature red, Ferrari Land will open at the PortAventura amusement park in Spain on April 7. While there's already a Ferrari World in Dubai, this is the first park of its kind in Europe.

SEE ALSO: Disney is building an 'Avatar' theme park and it looks unreal

Rides at the park will aim to live up to the car's famous name in speed and design. For one, there's the Vertical Accelerator, which is the tallest roller coaster in Europe at 368 feet high and reaches up to 112 miles per hour in just five seconds, Conde Nast Traveler reports.

Other rides go beyond just high speeds, like the Bounce-Back Tower which, like its name suggests, creates movements that feel like jumpy engine pistons.

Sabias solo quedan 73 dias para la apertura de #FerrariLand? Descubre un nuevo espacio para eventos especiales: https://t.co/Y6iamxXiHM pic.twitter.com/Z9lyXOlyi3  PortAventura Events (@PortAventuraBE) January 23, 2017

A massive structure in the park will play host to a gallery and a bunch of virtual experience simulators that have not yet been revealed. "All the secrets of this building will be revealed very soon," the theme park's website explains mysteriously.

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Ferrari Land also pays tribute to the brand's homeland. A faux Italian village will be featured at the park, with select Formula One cars and various models along its street. Italian recipes also make up much of the park's food, from quick snacks to the offerings at Trattoria, a recreation of the "favorite restaurant" of Formula 1 drivers in Maranello. And there will even be a reproduction of the Ferrari production line, creating a scene right out of its factory.

Visitors can purchase tickets for Ferrari Land and PortAventura, its host park, for $55 (or 52) per adult with access to both parks on the same day.
Shay Mitchell recently visited Rwanda, where she did a photo shoot for Modeliste Magazine. (Photo: Instagram)

Since wrapping up filming of Freeforms hit series Pretty Little Liars, Shay Mitchell has spent time traveling the world, documenting her adventures in numerous Instagram posts.

While in Cape Town recently, the 29-year-old Canadian actress and model posed in a black Adidas tracksuit that featured the labels signature striped pattern interspersed with artistic animals. Leaving her mane untamed and accessorizing with unique Quay Australia sunnies, the actress appeared to be having a great time in South Africa.

Channeling my spirit animal or maybe its just the outfit. Whatever it was, passers-by at the @oocapetown wondered what the $%&! I was doing! LOL #RWARRR, she captioned the image.

Only a week before her visit to Cape Town, Mitchell was busy shooting with Modeliste Magazine in Rwanda.

Got to spend the last couple days with an incredible group of people in one of the most amazing settings and one of my favorite countries, Rwanda. Cant wait for you all to see it! she captioned the post.

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In many of the images, Mitchell is featured wearing bracelets and handbags from Songa Designs International, a fine handcrafted accessories collection by artisans in Rwanda.

The actress also spent time exploring and hanging out with young Rwandan children. In one clip, Mitchell can be seen playing with the kids and showing them how to use a Snapchat filter.

Everyone loves a good Snapchat filter ???? @shaym playing with the kids of @songadesigns on our shoot in beautiful Rwanda. Styled by @brunolimadesign Makeup by @shaym and Hair by @josephchase #shaymitchell #prettylittleliars #modeliste A video posted by Modeliste Magazine (@modelistemagazine) on Jan 22, 2017 at 10:41pm PST

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And the study is useful for non-runners, too.

The notion that running can damage your knees is practically common knowledge.

Running, the theory goes, contributes to the deterioration of cartilage in the knee joints, and can even cause arthritis.

But a new report, published in the European Journal of Applied Physiologyat the end of 2016 suggests the opposite. Running isnt just a part of healthy lifestyle, the (small) study foundit could actually prevent degenerative disorders.

Researchers at Brigham Young University studied synovial fluid from the knees of 30 young, healthy individuals. While only six runners were able to provide complete blood and synovial fluid samples, the data was interesting and consistent, noted the New York Times. The small pilot study showed drastically decreased levels of inflammatory molecules after a 30-minute run, compared to a control group that had been asked to sit for 30 minutes.

COMP (cartilage oligomeric matrix protein), a substance prevalent in the synovial fluid or diseased or arthritic knees, also decreased in runners. Sitting, on the other hand, produced increased levels of COMP and one of the key inflammatory cells.

What we know now...is that for [healthy individuals] exercise creates an anti-inflammatory environment that may be beneficial in terms of long-term joint health, Robert Hyldahl, the reports lead author, said in a statement from the university.

As The New York Times noted, studies of long-term runners have already indicated a decreased occurrence of osteoarthritis than non-runners in the same age group.

For some travelers, this could be read as a great excuse to explore a new city by foot and enjoy that runners high. But if youre not inspired to lace up the cross trainers and go for a jog, the data gleaned from the control group is equally enlightening.

Running may be a proactive way to prevent or delay the development of joint disease. But sitting still could actually make the knee biochemically more vulnerable, suggested Times writer Gretchen Reynolds.

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So the next time youre on a long-haul flight, do yourself a favor and take a stroll around the cabin a few times, and don't forget a pre- and post-flight stretch.

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If you're using a VPN app on your Android device, there's a surprisingly strong chance that your data is at risk, and that your phone or tablet might even become infected with malware.

Credit: Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock

Credit: Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock

In a study published recently by researchers from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the University of New South Wales (which issued a non-technical press release) and the University of California, Berkeley, 283 Android VPN apps were analyzed for security and privacy. The researchers found that the apps often fell far short of their promises of enhanced security, and in many cases, injected malware or adware into user devices.

"Millions of users appear to trust VPN apps despite their potential maliciousness," the study noted. Yet "VPN apps like HideMyAss and VPNSecure which claim to provide security and anonymity are not effective against surveillance and malicious agents."

MORE: How a Virtual Private Network Can Boost Your Security

One of the worst offenders was AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield, which has been installed on more than 10 million Android devices. The study found that Hotspot Shield actively injected JavaScript into web pages, and redirected e-commerce traffic to AnchorFree's partners. On the other extreme, F-Secure's Freedome service was found to block ads and third-party trackers, adding another degree of privacy.

Hotspot Shield didn't inject malware into user devices, but plenty of other apps apparently did, including CrossVPN, EasyVPN and SuperVPN.

Seventy-five percent of all the Android VPN apps the researchers tested used third-party tracking software to follow users' movements around the internet, and 82 percent requested access to private data, such as user accounts and text messages. Even worse, 38 percent of the apps contained code pertaining to some form of malware or adware. And 18 percent of the VPN apps couldn't even do their most basic jobs  they didn't use encryption for their tunneling protocols.

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"Our results show that  in spite of the promises for privacy, security and anonymity given by the majority of VPN apps  millions of users may be unawarely (sic) subject to poor security guarantees and abusive practices inflicted by VPN apps," the researchers wrote in the report.

The dodgy VPN apps were a mix of free and paid apps. EasyVPN and OKVPN, the two apps with the highest malware count, were paid. Since the study was conducted, both have been removed from Google Play.

VPN services promise to deliver all kinds of important security and privacy features to users. They can protect a user's data and communications while using an unsecured Wi-Fi network, for example. They can protect your identity when you're surfing around the web. They can also be used to circumvent censorship or get access to copyrighted content that might not otherwise be available in certain countries.

Still, the researchers' study suggests that not all VPNs are created equal. Although they make the promise of better security, they might not always deliver that. What's worse, the apps are readily available in the Google Play marketplace, suggesting people around the globe are able to easily access them and unwittingly get more than they bargained for when they downloaded the programs.

"The average mobile user rates VPN apps positively even when they have malware presence," the study noted. "Only a handful of users has raised any type of security and privacy concern in their [Google Play app store] reviews."

"The vast majority of users remain unaware of such practices"  tracking and adware  "even when considering relatively popular apps."

In other words, be very careful in the VPN apps you choose.

See also : 15 Best Mobile Privacy and Security Apps
By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi ZURICH (Reuters) - Bitcoin wallet provider Xapo said it has received conditional approval from Switzerland's financial market watchdog to operate in the country in a regulatory breakthrough for companies that provide safekeeping for the virtual currency. "After almost two years of substantial effort and investment, Xapo has received conditional approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to operate in Switzerland," Xapo CEO Wences Casares said in a blog on the company's website. The approval depended on several factors, including membership of a "self-regulatory organization", Casares said, but added that the company was optimistic of meeting the conditions and being able to serve non-U.S. customers from Switzerland. FINMA declined to comment on an individual company's status. Olga Feldmeier, a former managing partner of Xapo who coordinated the Swiss licensing process for the company, told Reuters that Xapo had been designated a financial intermediary, meaning it will not require a costly banking license. Wallet providers like Xapo, which was founded in Silicon Valley, store the private keys that allow clients to access their digital currency funds. While other crypto-currency firms already operate in Switzerland, Xapo's operation as a bitcoin wallet provider had raised questions over whether it required a banking license. A burgeoning industry surrounding bitcoin - a web-based "crypto-currency" that has no central authority, relying instead on a global network of computers that validate transactions and add new bitcoins to the system - has posed questions for lawmakers and regulators. Xapo argued it did not accept deposits. Swiss authorities are eager to secure a leading role for Switzerland while playing catch-up in a rapidly changing financial technology (fintech) landscape. Bitcoin Suisse operates a network of bitcoin ATMs across the country, as well as an online and in-person brokerage for buying and selling bitcoins. But it does not itself store the private access keys that led to questions about whether Xapo was taking deposits. Switzerland's cabinet in November proposed new light-touch regulations for fintech companies aimed at bolstering business and competitiveness. The proposals include a fintech license, granted by FINMA, for institutions which are restricted to taking deposits of up to 100 million Swiss francs ($99.9 million) and do not lend. Xapo is now in the process of joining a self-regulatory organization required under Swiss anti-money laundering regulations to begin operations, Feldmeier said. (Editing by Adrian Croft)
By Engen Tham SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese banks are hiring blockchain experts as the government pushes use of the technology behind bitcoin to increase transparency and combat fraud in its financial sector. Lenders have struggled for years with outdated and disparate technology. While four Chinese banks rank among the world's five largest by capital, many still use paper, faxes and traditional chop stamps to verify documents. Now, spurred by regulators, they are looking to use blockchain to leapfrog a generation of technology and clean up the system, bankers and blockchain experts say. Demand from Chinese banks for experience in blockchain more than doubled last year and will grow further this year, headhunters and blockchain professionals say, as lenders scramble to catch up with Western counterparts that have already invested $1.5 billion in the technology. "Demand is increasing rapidly and shows no sign of slowing. We expect similar levels of year-on-year growth in 2017," said Simon Lance, managing director of executive search firm Hays in China, which is hiring for a number of Chinese banks. Banks and headhunters are trawling Chinese universities for talent and luring tech start-up executives with 50 percent pay rises and salaries of up to 1.2 million yuan ($175,000). Blockchain is a ledger system that processes, stores and tracks digital information, from crypto-currencies to loan agreements. Because blockchain documents all changes and is hard to tamper with, financial firms and regulators see it as a potential way to make transactions more transparent, auditable and secure. Beijing wants banks to adopt the technology to help combat chronic fraud such as fake trade finance deals. Banks including Ping An Bank <000001.SZ> and Bank of China <601988.SS> have unveiled blockchain investments and projects, and around ten banks are looking to hire some 30 blockchain professionals, said Steven Shen, a senior manager at executive search firm Robert Walters in Shanghai. Six Chinese banks contacted by Reuters declined to comment. OUTMODED TECHNOLOGY Last year, multiple cases of fraud emerged in the archaic bills financing industry when it was found bills thought to have been kept in a safe were actually old newspapers, and the real documents had been used to raise margin financing. According to business intelligence firm Kroll, 86 percent of companies surveyed in China reported fraud in 2016, four percentage points above the global average, and up 13 percent on 2015. In October, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology identified blockchain as a fraud-fighting tool, and called on "every level of government" to encourage large firms to invest more in the technology. The People's Bank of China, the top financial regulator, has also signaled support for blockchain, with the central bank's chief Zhou Xiaochuan telling local media last year it had spent "significant resources" researching the technology. "China is really interested in blockchain," said Brian Behlendorf, executive director of the Hyperledger Project, one of the biggest global blockchain projects, and a former technology adviser to the White House. "They're looking at this as a leapfrog technology. Can you take a very backward, very paper based market, and reinvent that using blockchain?" Banks are testing blockchain for know-your-client documentation, trade finance transactions, payments, and asset custody. Over the past year, financial conglomerate Ping An has built a core blockchain team of around 35 people at group level to look at initiatives for asset registries, credit, payments and digital currencies, said Daniel Tu, group chief innovation officer at Ping An Insurance <601318.SS>. If the projects are successful, Ping An subsidiaries will also assign full-time blockchain experts, he added. Ye Xiaofeng, founder of blockchain start-up ZerOne.IO, said he was talking to two of China's four biggest banks looking to use blockchain for monitoring bills of exchange and credit tracking. This means people with the skills to lead these projects are in demand. "The market isn't lacking people who know how to design simple systems on blockchain, rather people who have a broader understanding of how to put blockchain to use," said Shen at Robert Walters, adding those individuals could command 50 percent pay rises when moving jobs. A senior person with blockchain expertise and financial systems knowledge could expect a salary of between 600,000 yuan and 1.2 million yuan, he said, while a mid-level employee is paid 400,000-600,000 yuan. Chinese banks are focused for now on hiring home-grown talent for language and cultural reasons, but increasing demand may force them to scout overseas, headhunters said. HYPE CYCLE About 80 percent of top global banks will have launched blockchain projects by next year, the World Economic Forum said in August, describing the technology as the future "beating heart" of the financial sector. While China accounts for most of the global trading in the bitcoin crypto-currency, Chinese lenders lag Western rivals on blockchain adoption by up to 12 months, and are playing catch-up, industry insiders say. China Minsheng Banking Corp <600016.SS>, Ping An, China Merchants Bank <600036.SS> and the China Foreign Exchange Trade System last year joined R3, a U.S.-based blockchain consortium founded by nine global banks in 2014. "They're still going through the hype cycle," said Tim Swanson, a director at R3, which is now backed by 75 financial institutions. To be sure, many blockchain projects globally are still in their infancy, but the complexity of Chinese bank legacy systems could make it even tougher to apply the technology successfully, said Zennon Kapron, founder of market research firm Kapronasia. "It's all nice you have a blockchain solution, but being able to integrate that back into your existing systems in a sensible way is where a lot of these organizations will be challenged." (Reporting by Engen Tham, with additional reporting by Jemima Kelly in LONDON; Editing by Michelle Price and Ian Geoghegan)
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's securities regulator said brokers in the city had suffered cyber attacks and warned of possible further incidents across the industry. Regulators in Hong Kong have been stepping up efforts over the past year to combat the growing menace of cyber attacks on companies. A survey in November showed the average number of such attacks detected by firms in mainland China and Hong Kong grew a whopping 969 percent between 2014 and 2016. [nL4N1DU35T] In a circular to licensed firms late on Thursday, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said it had been informed by the Hong Kong police that brokers had encountered so-called "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) attacks targeting their websites and received blackmails from criminals. "The DDoS attacks have caused service disruption to the brokers for a short period. It is possible that similar cyber security incidents would be observed across the securities industry," the SFC said in the notice. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, among the most common on the Internet, involve cyber criminals using hijacked and virus-infected computers to target websites with data requests, until they are overwhelmed and unable to function. The SFC urged firms in the financial center to implement protective measures, including reviews of the IT systems and DDoS mitigation plans. (Reporting by Michelle Price; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Generally speaking, Windows Phone is not doing super well in its quest to be a viable smartphone platform. Its not that the operating system is broken or even bad  though one could argue the latter  its just that nobody really seems to want to use it. We rarely get any hard numbers on just how many Windows Phone devices Microsoft is managing to sell, but in its earnings call today the company did show its hand a bit, and things arent looking great.

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Buried in its overall positive earnings report, Microsoft noted that its revenue grouping labeled More Personal Computing dipped roughly five percent year over year, and that it was driven primarily by lower phone revenue. Just how much lower? The company reported that revenue from phones declined by a whopping 81 percent, which figures to be right around $880 million.

There are a few factors that play into that huge drop. For starters, Microsofts market share in smartphones has been in a downward spiral for many, many months now. As of the latest IDC report, Windows Phone represents just 0.3 percent of the smartphone market. At the end of 2015, the platform had 1.2 percent market share. On top of that, Microsoft just got done selling off its feature phone business  which uses the Nokia branding  to Foxconn. That transaction finalized in November, and likely played a part in the overall dive in phone revenue, but its still not looking great for Windows mobile devices.

Microsoft has said it wants to reorganize its smartphone efforts and still plans to try to make Windows Phone a thing. At this point, its hard to know whether thats a wise move or not.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
On January 27, 1975, Senator Frank Church led a new Senate committee formed to investigate allegations of U.S. government spying on its own citizens. The committees report laid the groundwork for todays controversy over NSA surveillance programs.

Back in the post-Watergate era, Church and his colleagues werent concerned with international terrorism. But there was an overseas connection to Chile. The committee was a reaction to revelations that the FBI and CIA appeared to engage in unconstitutional surveillance of Americans during the era.

Link: Read The Church Committee Report

There are elements of the story that seem familiar today. On December 22, 1974, Seymour Hersh, a New York Times investigative journalist, reported on a previously confidential CIA operation involving Chile.

Part of Hershs report also detailed what appeared to be illegal spying operations on thousands of Americans by their own government.

The Church Committee labored against government concerns about revealing confidential information and it didnt receive wide bipartisan support in Congress. But its resulting reports in 1976 led to momentum in Congress to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. Under FISA, the National Security Agency would now work with the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court to approve surveillance on Americans and foreign nationals.

Link: Read The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Revelations in the Church Committee report included the early existence of NSA surveillance programs that dated back to the Truman administration and the Vietnam War. Project Shamrock started in 1947 and it allowed the government to copy telegrams sent overseas without obtaining warrants. Five years later, Truman formally established the National Security Agency to handle such efforts.

In the 1960s, the NSA started another operation, Project Minaret, to monitor the communications of watch listed individuals without a warrant. People on the watch list included those who attended public protests about the Vietnam War, such as Muhammad Ali, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and even Senator Frank Church.

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During the Church Committee hearings, Senator Walter Mondale publicly asked if the NSA could be used by President A in the future to spy upon the American people, to chill and interrupt political dissent.

Activities related to FISA in the post-Watergate era went mostly under the radar until New York Times reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau revealed in 2005 that the government bypassed the secret FISC court to conduct surveillance on Americans in the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In retrospect, the Church Committees legacy is the attention it gave to constitutional issues and the balancing act between personal freedoms and national security. It is this indifference to constitutional restraints that is perhaps the most threatening of all the evidence that emerges from the findings of the Church Committee, said historian Henry Steele Commager.

But the committee had its critics. In 2007, Charles Fried told PBS that it has a mixed legacy at best that is tied to the Watergate era. FISA is one of the bad prices were paying for Nixon, Fried told Bill Moyers back then, in a discussion about the Bush administrations interpretation of FISA in the post-9/11 era.

Another voice, former CIA inspector general Brit Snider, said in an article on the CIAs website that the Church Committee helped the NSA operate within the law. Snider was a counsel on the Church Committee tasked to investigate the NSAs activities. As upsetting and demoralizing as the Church Committees investigation undoubtedly was, it caused NSA to institute a system which keeps it within the bounds of US law and focused on its essential mission. Twenty-three years later, I still take some satisfaction from that, he said in 1999.

Today, the issues in front of the Church Committee still remain in the public arena as a constitutional debate continues over the Fourth Amendment, privacy and national security.
By Anna Irrera and Olivia Oran (Reuters) - With investment firms cutting costs and portfolio managers combating a barrage of information, financial research shops around the globe are looking for new ways to keep their product relevant. A raft of startups have launched to support that effort, offering tools that can use Google search data to get an edge on retail sales, deploy drones to examine oil supplies or allow investors to rank analysts and bid on their reports, like a Netflix or eBay of research. Whether these innovations will lead to smarter investments, or be used widely enough to prop up research budgets, is yet to be seen. But the startups are forming alliances with banks, brokerages and investors by the dozen. People who use and sell the tools say the trend is changing how research is financed, distributed and consumed for the first time in decades. "We are coming up on a very different age for equity research," said Lex Sokolin, global director of fintech strategy at Autonomous Research. Investors now see research as a product that must stand on its own rather than a freebie offered as part of a broader relationship with an investment bank, Sokolin said. Technology can improve the quality and distribution of research, he said. A few factors are driving the changes. Asset managers are under enormous pressure to cut fees due to weak returns and competition from low-cost options like index funds. The fee squeeze is making firms more selective about how they spend research dollars. At the same time, the long-running practice of paying for research through trading commissions is being upended by new regulations in Europe, known as the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, or MiFID II. Part of the sprawling overhaul will force investors in the European Union to pay for research directly. Global asset managers are expected to "unbundle" payments in other regions as well. Perhaps most importantly, investors say they are sick of their inboxes piling up with run-of-the-mill reports each day. At a time when people share snippets of information through WhatsApp and Slack and a tweet can move a stock in seconds, sharing loads of PDF files through email is not only passe, but makes it hard to know what is worth reading, industry sources said. "There are 40 analysts just covering Apple: how do you find the insight?" said Alap Shah, chief executive of Sentieo, a San Francisco-based startup that aggregates information about publicly traded companies. Before launching Sentieo in late 2011, Shah was an analyst at Citadel LLC, where he received hundreds of research reports a day. It was difficult to search through documents for important information, collate those details into one place and access them when he was not in front of his office computer, he said. Those frustrations led Shah to set up Sentieo, which allows users to search reports by a stock ticker or hashtagged phrase like #revenuegrowth. They can also highlight key passages and access information remotely. Shah says 200 firms are now using Sentieo, including Longhorn Asset Management LLC and JNK Securities Corp. DRONES AND DATA SCIENTISTS Other startups are going beyond aggregation. Customers of London-based StockViews can rate analysts with stars the way they might rate a show on Netflix, and request custom-made research "on demand." Edinburgh-based Electronic Research Interchange (ERIC) allows fund managers to bid on analyst reports the way shoppers do on eBay. Another company, Orbital Insight, uses satellites and drones to collect data that can affect a variety of stocks, like how much oil is stored in tanks. In a recent report, JPMorgan Chase & Co telecommunications analyst Rod Hall drew on Orbital Insight research to tell investors there were fewer cars parked at large electronics stores following the U.S. presidential election, which might lead to lower smartphone sales. Wall Street banks say they are also using their own techniques to modernize research. In interviews, executives highlighted data-crunching as a particular focus to win more business from funds that rely on algorithms to make investment decisions. Morgan Stanley's research team employs 30 data scientists in a unit called AlphaWise to support research from traditional stock analysts. Last year, Goldman Sachs Group Inc analysts used data from Google Trends and social media monitoring firm Crimson Hexagon to conclude that Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon Go was so popular it would affect future games it releases. "Ten years ago, we would have interviewed consumers in a mall to figure out what the hottest fashion trends are," said Simon Bound, head of research at Morgan Stanley. "Now we will also use big data techniques and machine learning." For a graphic on equity commissions and "unbundling" click http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/BANKS-FINTECH/010031KR3M3/BANKS-FINTECH-RESEARCH.jpg (Reporting by Anna Irrera and Olivia Oran in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Meredith Mazzilli)
Boeings Chris Ferguson, a former astronaut, models the Starliner spacesuit. (Boeing via YouTube)

The spacesuit designed for astronauts riding Boeings Starliner space taxi makes a fashion statement for the 21st century, from its touchscreen-sensitive gloves to its color-coordinated shoes.

And all of it in Boeing blue.

The spacesuit made its public debut today during a media extravaganza at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with former NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson as one of the emcees.

I was essentially the model for this as they built the suit around me, said Ferguson, who commanded the final space shuttle mission in 2011 and now serves as Boeings director of crew and mission systems.

The CST-100 Starliner is being developed as a transport vehicle for NASA crews heading to and from the International Space Station. Theres a chance that Ferguson could take a ride as a Boeing test pilot, but for now, the composition of the initial crews is up in the air.

NASA has tapped four current astronauts  Eric Boe, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley and Suni Williams  to train for the first round of commercial flights on the Starliner as well as on SpaceXs Crew Dragon.

All four of those astronauts have been involved in testing the Starliner suit, which is designed for use inside the spacecraft during launch and entry.

The most important part is that the suit will keep you alive, Boe said in a NASA report on the unveiling. It is a lot lighter, more form-fitting and its simpler, which is always a good thing. Complicated systems have more ways they can break, so simple is better on something like this.

At less than 20 pounds, the suit weighs about 10 pounds less than the traditional orange launch-and-entry suit used during the shuttle era. The material lets water vapor pass through to keep astronauts from getting drenched in sweat, while retaining the air inside the suit.

NASAs graphic highlights design features of the Starliner spacesuit.

The launch-and-entry suit cant be used during spacewalks. Extravehicular activity requires a much bulkier suit that weighs about 280 pounds. This is really something used internally, in the spacecraft only, Ferguson explained.

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The suit, designed by David Clark Company for Boeing, is meant to be pressurized in the event of an in-flight emergency.

The spacesuit acts as the emergency backup to the spacecrafts redundant life support systems, said Richard Watson, subsystem manager for spacesuits for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. If everything goes perfectly on a mission, then you dont need a spacesuit. Its like having a fire extinguisher close by in the cockpit. You need it to be effective if it is needed.

A lightweight helmet and visor are incorporated into the suit, and hang back like a hood when not in use. When the helmets needed, the wearer pulls it down over his or her face and simply zips it up.

The suit comes with twist-on, twist-off gloves, with fingertips that are touchscreen-sensitive so that astronauts can operate the Starliners streamlined displays. The integrated shoes look like cross-trainers, and come in a stylish color scheme that fades from deep blue to white.

Boeing and NASA will continue putting the adjustable blue suits to the test over the months of training to come. The current schedule calls for the first Starliner test flight to the space station to take place during the summer of 2018.

Boeings Chris Ferguson stands tall in the Starliner suit. (Boeing Photo)

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Conan is on the move again! The ginger giant will be taking his TBS talk show to Mexico City for a special called Conan Without Borders: Made in Mexico.

With an all Mexican staff, crew, guests, and audience, Conan will shoot one episode in the capital city to be aired on March 1st at 10 p.m. The series has been making headlines lately about proposed format changes, and this new travel special may give us a preview of whats to come. Or itll fall in line with Conans time-honored tradition of globetrotting adventures in Korea, Armenia, and Cuba, to name a few. Lets take a look at SuperFan TVs Favorite Conan Abroad Moments

Conan Without Borders: Made in Mexico airs Wednesday, March 1 at 10 p.m. on TBS.

#1. Conan Does Korea, 2016

A Korean language lesson goes terribly wrong when Conan cant stop creeping out his instructor.

#2. Conan in Cuba, 2015

While getting to know the locals on Havanas El Malecon, Conan falls victim to peer pressure.

#3. Conan in Berlin, 2016

Any trip to Germany wouldnt be complete without visiting Berlins famous nude beach.

#4. Conan In Armenia, 2015

Conan takes his assistant Sona to an Armenian matchmaker, but the suitable suitors prefer their own gags.

#5. Conan in Qatar, 2016

On the Al Udeid Air Base, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Division suited Conan up in a bombproof suit.

The Best of Conans First 6 Years on TBS

Tell us what you think! What was your favorite Conan adventure? And do you think hell be able to make it back stateside before Trumps wall goes up? Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.
The race for the position of deputy minister of Tourism keeps getting tighter, as new names are dropped each day of possible industry stakeholders who would take over.

Click here to read the latest entertainment news in Ghana

There have been chatter about persons in the Arts industry who have lobbied for the position to assist the Tourism, Arts and Culture minister designate, Catherine Afeku.

Oscar Provencal

READ ALSO: This throwback of young Zanetor Rawlings as a cadet is the best thing on the internet today

So far, names like Kojo Antwi and Socrates Safo have been mentioned as part of the possible candidates up for the position.

Another new name has just cropped up, whom some believe might be the best candidate for the position, and that is veteran Ghanaian actor, Oscar Provencal.

In an interview with Onua FM, Mr Provencal said, "its good to have somebody who is knowledgeable about the industry. However, it does not take away having somebody who is not in the industry but has the capacity, [the person is] competent, smart, intelligent, somebody who can unite, mobilize, good human relation, skills etc."

PAY ATTENTION: Get the best news updates on the go with the YEN.com.gh app right here

He further stated, "but there is an added edge when you have somebody who is from the industry and knows the industry.

Oscar Provencal was best known for his role as 'Inspector Bediako' in the popular 90s TV series of the same name.

In 1996 he was featured in Deadly Voyage, a television film directed by John Mackenzie and written by Stuart Urban. Produced by Union Pictures and John Goldschmidts Viva Films for joint distribution to BBC Films and HBO Films.

READ ALSO: Two illegal chainsaw operators forced to slap each other as punishment

Source: YEN.com.gh
LONDON  A study by STR and Tourism Economics indicates that the United Kingdom's tourism and hospitality sectors have benefited from an increase in arrivals from North America, brought on by the devaluation of the British pound following the June EU Referendum.

Inbound Tourism

According to the International Passenger Survey (IPS) conducted by the Office for National Statistics, U.K. arrivals from North America were up 6.8% between July and October 2016 when compared with the same period in 2015. From January to June, the "pre-Brexit" vote period, arrivals from North America increased at a more modest rate (+0.5%) compared with first six months of 2015.

Meanwhile, arrivals from Europe have dropped off slightly following the referendum, down 0.1% between July and October 2016. Overall during the first 10 months of 2016, international arrivals to the U.K. were up 1.7% to 31.4 million.

October 2016 year-to-date figures also show that holiday arrivals to the U.K. were down 3.7% overall. But between July and October, this rate of decline slowed somewhat to 2.9%. Meanwhile, business trips to the U.K. still showed growth in 2016, but slowed from 4.3% between January and June to 1.8% between July and October.

"While we've seen a recent slowdown in business travel to the U.K., it's important to put it in perspective that 2015 was a standout year for business arrivals, up 7.1% compared with 2014," said David Goodger, Director for Tourism Economics in Europe. "What remains to be seen is how holiday travel will be impacted in summer 2017. As the referendum vote occurred towards the end of June, when many already had July or August vacations planned, we'll see how a favorable exchange rate for holiday visitors from North America will play out this coming summer."

Impact on Hotels

For U.K. hotels, performance growth has been mixed between London and Regional U.K. (U.K. excluding London). In 2016, hotels in Regional UK recorded a 3.1% increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR), driven solely by an increase in average daily rate (ADR) as occupancy remained flat. London, on the other hand, recorded a 0.9% decline in RevPAR, brought on by flat ADR coupled with a 0.9% drop in occupancy. STR analysts attribute the decline to an increase in supply and a slow start to the year.

Hotel Forecast

The most recent market forecast report from STR and Tourism Economics projects that hotels in London will be affected by shifts in demand throughout 2017, which will likely bring down both occupancy and ADR growth throughout the year. On the other hand, hotels in Regional U.K. are expected to post RevPAR growth within the range of 2% to 6% from month to month throughout 2017.

"While the capital has faced challenges in 2016, we have certainly not seen a slowdown in development," said Robin Rossmann, STR's international managing director. "London currently has more than 15,000 hotel rooms under construction or planned for development, which is more than all countries in Europe except Germany and Russia. This supply growth will put downward pressure on occupancy levels, but recent signs are showing the weak Sterling may help to grow arrivals sufficiently to offset this. For Regional U.K. hotels, an increase in 'staycations' should boost performance, as outbound travel has become more expensive for U.K. residents given the current exchange rate."

About STR

STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com.

Alex Anstett

Media & Communications Coordinator - STR

STR
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Yesterday, the Third Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL) discussed the newly implemented law that aims to prevent money laundering and terrorism-financing activities.

According to Committee president Cheong Chi Keong, one of the topics discussed was the separation of the prior crimes that might be the origin of the money laundering activities. Opinions expressed suggested that these prior crimes should be treated separately from the charge of money laundering. This would promote a radical change on laws currently in force, which follow the directives from the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).

Cheang said, the number of reports in the past 10 years are not few, but after being sent to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), the cases were not pursued.

He explained that because most of these prior crimes were committed out of the territorys jurisdiction, barriers to the application of the law are created.

According to the figures cited by Cheang, only about 10 cases reached the prosecution stage, adding that this happens because information from outside must be requested, and this information is sometimes provided too late when processes have already been archived.

Methods of promoting this in the new law without double penalization and the penalties framework will be topics to be addressed in the upcoming meeting, said Cheang.

The second topic addressed was the supervision over the Bank Accounts, which, according to Cheang, is a topic on which the committee had received correspondence commenting on potential problems of implementation.

The government has said to the committee that there will be a transition period in which all rules will be explained clearly, especially to the Bank and Finance sectors as well as the Real Estate sector.

The final topic of discussion was the implementations directly related to the gaming sector. The topic has been slated by the government for further clarification in the next meeting.
Apple Inc. has filed suit in China challenging Qualcomm Inc.s fees for technology used in smartphones two years after Chinese regulators fined the chipmaker for its licensing practices.

Two lawsuits filed by the iPhone maker accuse Qualcomm of abusing its control over essential technology to charge excessive licensing fees, a Beijing court said on its microblog. It said Apple reports suffering 1 billion yuan (USD145 million) in economic losses and asks for 2.5 million yuan ($360,000).

Most of Apples iPhones and other products are assembled in China by contractors.

Apple filed a similar complaint on Jan. 21 in U.S. federal court in San Diego, California, accusing Qualcomm of demanding royalties for innovations on iPhones that have nothing to do with Qualcomms technology. The U.S. lawsuit seeks $1 billion in damages.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also has filed a lawsuit accusing Qualcomm of imposing unfair licensing terms on manufacturers.

Qualcomm, headquartered in San Diego, said in a statement it had not seen Apples complaint to the Chinese court but defended its fees. The company said Apple rejected terms consistent with those accepted by more than 100 Chinese manufacturers.

Qualcomm agreed to change its licensing after Chinese regulators fined the company 6 billion yuan ($975 million) in 2015 on charges it abused its control over technology to charge excessive fees.

In a separate statement, Apple complained Qualcomm demands royalties for phone features that nothing to do with its technology.

For many years Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with, said the Apple statement.

It also accused Qualcomm of withholding nearly $1 billion in payments due to Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, in retaliation for cooperating with investigations by regulators in the United States, Europe, South Korea and Taiwan.

Qualcomm said its fees were consistent with changes worked out with Chinese regulators.

These filings by Apples Chinese subsidiary are just part of Apples efforts to find ways to pay less for Qualcomms technology, said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, in the statement.

South Korean regulators last month fined Qualcomm $853 million for violating antitrust laws, a decision Qualcomm is fighting. AP
The Red Army has liberated the Nazis biggest concentration camp at Auschwitz in south-western Poland.

According to reports, hundreds of thousands of Polish people, as well as Jews from a number of other European countries, have been held prisoner there in appalling conditions and many have been killed in the gas chambers.

Few details have emerged of the capture of Auschwitz, which has gained a reputation as the most notorious of the Nazi death camps.

Some reports say the German guards were given orders several days ago to destroy the crematoria and gas chambers. Tens of thousands of prisoners  those who were able to walk  have been moved out of the prison and forced to march to other camps in Germany.

Details of what went on at the camp have been released previously by the Polish Government in exile in London and from prisoners who have escaped.

In July 1944 details were revealed of more than 400,000 Hungarian Jews who were sent to Poland many of whom ended up in Auschwitz. They were loaded onto trains and taken to the camp where many were put to death in the gas chambers.

Before they went they were told they were being exchanged in Poland for prisoners of war and made to write cheerful letters to relatives at home telling them what was happening.

According to the Polish Ministry of Information, the gas chambers are capable of killing 6,000 people a day.

Another report from Poland told of mass arrests in the village of Garbatka near Radom in the early hours of one morning in August 1942. Workmen were accused of plotting to blow up a local factory. Twenty were executed on the spot, the rest were sent to Auschwitz.

Since its establishment in 1940, only a handful of prisoners have escaped to tell of the full horror of the camp.

In October last year, a group of Polish prisoners mounted an attack on their German guards. The Germans reportedly machine-gunned the barracks killing 200 Polish prisoners. The Poles succeeded in killing six of their executioners.

When the Red Army arrived at the camp they found only a few thousand prisoners remaining. They had been too sick to leave.

The capture of Auschwitz comes as the Red Army has made important advances on three fronts: in East Prussia to the north, in western Poland as well as Silesia in eastern Germany. Fighting is continuing around the historic Polish western city of Poznan.

The Polish capital, Warsaw, was liberated a week ago after five-and-a-half years of German occupation.

Courtesy of BBC

In context

Although few details of the liberation of Auschwitz were given in the British press at the time, it had gained a reputation as the worst of the German concentration camps.

On 8 May 1945 a State commission compiled by the Soviets with advice from Polish, French and Czechoslovak experts revealed the full horror of conditions at the camp.

Nearly 3,000 survivors of various nationalities were questioned and on the basis of their evidence the report estimated 4,000,000 people had perished there between 1941 and early 1945.

The dead included citizens from the Soviet Union, Poland, France, Belgium, Holland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Italy and Greece.

The commission, which had previously investigated conditions at Majdanek, Treblinka and other camps, described Auschwitz as the worst in its experience.

It found evidence of experiments carried out on humans of a revolting character.

According to the evidence, the commission said the Germans had moved out up to 60,000 inmates  those still fit enough to walk  when they retreated. The few thousand who were left behind were freed by the Russians.

They also found seven tons of womens hair, human teeth, from which gold fillings had been extracted and tens of thousands of childrens outfits.

The final death toll was later revised downwards, by the Auschwitz Museum, to between 1 and 1.5 million, including almost 1m Jews.
Macau will suspend its live poultry trade for at least three days immediately after a chicken sample tested positive for the H7 strain of bird flu yesterday. Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau chief, Jose Tavares, told the press that the flu-positive chicken were imported from the Chinese mainland and all poultry markets in Macau will receive strict sterilization procedure. He said all markets in Macau will suspend live poultry trade for at least three days. The bureau said they have sealed the market where the positive sample was found, and no infected birds have entered retail markets. Some 14,000 chicken and 4,000 pigeons in the market will be culled. The Health Bureau said a driver from the Chinese mainland has been recognized as having had close contact. The driver had return to the mainland and the bureau already reported the situation to mainland authorities. This is the first time in 2017 that Macau suspended its live poultry trade because of bird flu report. In 2016, the region had three suspensions of the live poultry trade for this reason.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong clarified yesterday that a proposal for the implementation of a universal minimum wage will be ready within three years. Leong was speaking during the meeting of the third standing committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL).

First we will do a review on the implementation of the law that established a minimum wage for the two professions [cleaning and security staff of buildings management], Leong said. He added that the next step would be a public consultation to hear many more voices from the public before the report from the Executive Council and the discussion at the AL.

Of course, the government is making efforts to implement this [law] within the next three years, but we must respect our mechanism, Leong said. He said that after a law is presented to the AL, the lawmakers must also present their opinions and discuss the topic.

He added that the approval of such laws is largely in the hands of the lawmakers, which is why the government cannot compromise itself with a date for the entry into force [of such a law]. Leong concluded that if we state one date, this would be disrespectful to the AL.

In regard to the recent reports of a significant decline in the number of licensed gaming junkets operating in Macau during the past year, Leong said, We hope that the gaming sector can develop in a healthy and sustainable way.

He added, The fall in the number of junkets can have several reasons, like the government tightening regulations and guidelines for the junket operations. I wont deny that with the adjustments

in Macau economy that moved to other locations, but this also happened in the past with a movement in and out of the market.

He concluded by saying that the government hopes to improve also the junkets conditions so the gaming sector can develop. This change might be a positive factor in the healthy and sustainable development of the sector. RM
A nonprofit running schools for children from Indias lowest caste may run out of money to pay teachers in just months. A health institute in Bangalore is taking the government to court so it can continue its work, including anti-tobacco campaigns. A lawyers group wanted to know why it lost its license to receive foreign donations, only to be told the government wasnt obliged to explain why.

The government has canceled such licenses for more than 200 nonprofits, accusing them of engaging in anti-national activities. But the nonprofits see the removal of their funding mainstay, as well intimidation and harassment by government agencies, as attempts to suppress dissenting voices.

All our work in the social sector has come to an abrupt halt, said Martin Makwan, founder of Navsarjan, which has been fighting caste prejudice and inequality in the poorest parts of Gujarat state for nearly three decades.

Makwan opened the first of the three schools for Dalit children in 2005. The lowest caste in the hierarchy, Dalits face discrimination and violence from higher-caste children and teachers in regular schools.

In August, Navsarjans license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act received its regular renewal. But four months later, the nonprofit received a letter from Indias home ministry saying the license was being withdrawn for activities detrimental to national interest.

Eighty staff members, mostly social workers and legal assistants, were laid off immediately. Appeals for local donations are falling short. We hope to keep the schools running till the end of March, but after that we wont be able to pay teachers salaries, Makwan said by phone from Ahmadabad, Gujarats main city.

In the southern city of Bangalore, a health nonprofit has taken the federal home ministry to court after it received a one-line email saying its FCRA renewal had been denied.

The Institute of Public Health has worked closely with the federal and Karnataka state government on several health-related and anti-tobacco campaigns. It will have to halt its programs without donations from foreign groups like the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The law regulating foreign donations passed in 2010, but activists say the pressure on nonprofits increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in 2014. An Intelligence Bureau report that year said economic growth was damaged when nonprofits rallied communities against polluting industries or infrastructure projects that would damage the environment.

Activists see a connection between the crackdown and the work done by such non-governmental organizations. Many infrastructure and industrial projects pushed by Modis government are mired in problems over acquiring land from farmers, and many NGOs have stepped in to ensure the farmers are adequately compensated.

The Indian Social Action Forum has opposed government plans to build new nuclear power plants and promote genetically modified crops. When INSAF coordinator Anil Chaudhary challenged the license cancellation in court, he was told the government was not obliged to reveal the reasons for its actions.

The law does not explain on what basis a groups activities could be deemed harmful to the nations interests. And it allows for no arbiter or appellate authority to hear challenges of the governments licensing decisions.

The court allowed INSAF to use funds it already has, but it cant receive fresh funds from abroad till the case is resolved. We won a brief reprieve in court, Chaudhary said, but the months lost gathering evidence and in court appearances could have been spent doing more constructive work.

The government denies there is any political motivation in the FCRA decisions. All nongovernment organizations are supposed to follow FCRA rules. Any violation is being dealt with under the law. Theres nothing beyond that, said K.S. Dhatwalia, a Home Ministry spokesman.

The U.S., Britain and Germany are the biggest donors to Indian nongovernment organizations. In 2011, the most recent year for which figures are available, Indian nonprofits received more than USD2 billion from foreign countries, including $650 million from the United States.

Most activists also see the crackdown as part of a global wave of conservative governments acting to decrease the scope for civil society.

Other activists say the freedom historically enjoyed by civil society groups in India has greatly contributed to the countrys image as a vibrant democracy and role model on the world stage. Nirmala George, New Delhi, AP
Beijing residents concerned about breathing the capitals thick gray air are adapting, inventing and even creating businesses to protect the health of their families and others. Some of their efforts could help people around the world READ MORE

* Movies: The Red Turtle

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Extra 2732  Inspired by the Smog
RUPERT  Human remains were found in the burned rubble of a home belonging to a Rupert man who is wanted by police.

Detective Jeff McEwen with the Rupert Police Department said officials hadnt identified the remains Thursday that were found in Dale Mounces home near First and C streets.

Police ask anyone with information on Mounce to call Rupert police at 208-434-2330.

McEwen said firefighters and police were at the house Wednesday when the fire started, but he declined to give more details.

A judge issued a bench warrant Wednesday after Mounce failed to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on aggravated battery charges.

Mounce was charged in November after police said he hit three people at the same house with a .9mm pistol during a fight.

After the fight, a man told police that Mounce pulled the gun from his waistband at the home and started hitting him on the head with it, which knocked him to the floor.

One woman at the home said she and a second woman tackled Mounce and he hit them both in the head with the gun. Both woman received head injuries in the attack.

Along with three counts of felony aggravated battery, Mounce was charged with grand theft and possession of a financial transaction card.

Susan Fowler, who lives near Mounces home, said she was doing housework when she heard loud noises Wednesday that sounded like ammunition going off.

Residents within two blocks of the home were told to leave their homes. An emergency shelter was set up for them.
BOISE  Wendy Olson, who has served as Idahos top federal law enforcement officer since June 2010, will leave office Feb. 25. She submitted her letter of resignation last week.

Rafael Gonzalez, first assistant U.S. attorney, will step in as acting U.S. attorney until President Donald Trump appoints Olsons replacement.

My plan is to stay in Boise and I anticipate I will go into private practice, Olson told The Idaho Statesman.

She said she hasnt decided on a particular area of the law to specialize in.

Its too early to say at this point. Ill have to see what the options are, Olson said.

Olsons office successfully prosecuted Boise resident Fazliddin Kurbanov, who was convicted in 2015 of supporting a foreign terrorist organization in Uzbekistan and possessing a destructive device. She said she was also proud of the 2014 conviction of four executives of Meridian property management company DBSI, which authorities said became a pyramid scheme as the company struggled to pay investors. The convictions are under appeal.

Olson also mentioned Kelly Schneider, a 23-year-old Nampa man who on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty to a federal hate crime. He beat to death Steven Nelson, a gay man Schneider lured to Lake Lowell before robbing him and beating him. Nelson later died at a hospital.

On Monday, Schneider pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Canyon County 3rd District Court. Afterward, federal officials took custody of him and unsealed an indictment for the hate crime.

Olson praised the staff attorneys and support staff whom she said made the office successful during her tenure.

The people who work here are hardworking, federal employees who take seriously their mission and who work very hard for the people of Idaho, certainly, and for the entire nation, Olson said.

Former President Barack Obama asked all of his political appointees, including Olson and other U.S. attorneys, to submit letters of resignation. Some of the resignations took effect before Obama left office, others when Trump took office a week ago and many, like Olsons, will take place in the next few weeks.

Republican U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are expected to make recommendations on Olsons replacement. Its unclear how long the process could take.

Ever since Ronald Reagan was president in the 1980s, it has become standard procedure for most U.S. attorneys to be replaced by an incoming administration.
TWIN FALLS  With four months until high school graduation, 17-year-old Cameron Campbell has a solid plan for his future.

The Twin Falls High School senior enlisted in August for delayed entry into the U.S. Army.

He starts basic training July 3 at Fort Jackson, S.C. and will go into helicopter repair. Hell serve six years of active duty.

Campbell said he thinks it will be a good path for him. Hes the fourth generation in his family who will serve in the Army.

I didnt know that until after I enlisted, he said.

Campbell said he expressed interest in joining the armed forces on a test thats optional for juniors at Twin Falls High. Its called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB).

After that, a recruiter reached out to him. He enlisted on the same day as a friend and knows other classmates at Twin Falls High who are planning to join the armed forces.

It definitely gets more and more each year, he said.

But its becoming more competitive. According to 2014 reports from the Pentagon, more than two-thirds of young people dont qualify for military service because of obesity, felonies on their record, lacking a high-school diploma or for medical reasons.

Yet, the number of Twin Falls School District graduates pursuing service has increased in recent years  along with overall enrollment numbers  and hovers around 10 percent of graduating seniors.

Whats impressive about that is that its harder to get into the military, said school district operations director Brady Dickinson, a former principal at Canyon Ridge High School.

The topic came up during a state of the district presentation in late November at the school district and Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerces legislative tour.

The Twin Falls School District gathered information from local recruiters of people within the 83301 zip code whove enlisted in the U.S. armed forces. Data wasnt available for the U.S. Coast Guard or Army National Guard.

In total, 57 people enlisted in 2016  up from 43 in 2014. That doesnt mean all of those enlistees graduated from Twin Falls schools, though.

U.S. Navy petty officer David Luper  whos based in the Magic Valley  said the majority of those who enlist in the Navy are recent high school graduates.

But for us, it has always remained constant, he said about the number of enlistees over the last 10 years. I dont think theres any more or less than there has been.

But numbers obtained by the school district show growth over the last few years.

In total, 21 people enlisted in the Navy from the 83301 area code during 2016, compared with 12 in 2014.

Beyond the traditional path

A lot of times, people think of the military as a last option or a second option, Luper said.

But thats not the case for Emily Pilling.

After taking the ASVAB, Pilling  a Twin Falls High School senior who will be a valedictorian  was approached by the U.S. Navy, encouraging her to apply for a college scholarship because of her high scores on the test, in the 98th percentile.

She completed a lengthy application process  which Pilling said was much harder than her college applications. She also has to undergo physical exams. She passed them all and got the scholarship.

If she goes to the University of Washington, shell receive up to $180,000 through the Navy ROTC program.

That could go toward whatever level of education she pursues, whether a bachelors degree or beyond.

It covers as far as I keep going until the money runs out, Pilling said, adding she couldnt believe the news about the scholarship.

The U.S. Navy is paying for every dime of her schooling, Luper said.

Pilling will hear back from the admissions department at the University of Washington in February. Shes interested in becoming a physical therapist.

If shes accepted to UW and decides to attend, she wont have to sign a contract with the Navy until her sophomore year of college.

After shes done with her schooling, Pilling would serve six years in Navy.

Pilling said she never considered the U.S. armed forces as an option, but it provides so many opportunities and career paths. And its a really cool way to see the world.

Go on rate

About 50 percent of Idaho high school seniors continue their education within a year after graduation. But going into the armed forces isnt factored into that calculation.

School district support services director Mike Gemar said its frustrating that students who enter the armed forces arent counted as going on.

Gemar  former vice principal at Canyon Ridge High  used to have recruiters work through him at the high school.

For a lot of our kids that went the military route, its a really good option, he said.

Many of the teenagers who enlist want a challenge or dont think theyll get through or pay for college, Gemar said. We just wanted our kids to have choices post high school.

For many students, its a good way to pay for college by being able to later access GI Bill funding, Dickinson said.

Process of enlisting

When can students start the process of enlisting? It can be as early as the end of junior year of high school.

Gemar has also seen students sign up the summer after graduating from high school.

As a school principal, Dickinson said one of his biggest fears was recruiters being overzealous.

But, he said, he always found them to be respectful and considerate, and they wanted to make sure teenagers are absolutely committed.

Deciding whether to go into the armed forces is like deciding on a college or job field, Dickinson said. It requires research about what specifically students are interested in doing in the military, he added.

And, regardless of which post-high school path a student is considering, Dickinson said, they need to talk about it with their parents.

The military recruiters understand its a family decision, Gemar said.

Campbell said his parents are good with his choice, but will be sad to see him go.

He said his mother wasnt happy that he surprised her with the announcement. I kind of sprung it on her.

But, he said, he talked with his father about the Army when he was younger.

Campbell scored high enough on the ASVAB that he had multiple options for a specialized position with the Army, and after hearing the choices, he made a decision.

Another pathway for students is military academies, which are highly competitive. But thats rare for students in Twin Falls, Dickinson said.

Regardless of the pathway students choose, theyll learn valuable life skills such as discipline through serving, Gemar said.

Its scary to think about going into the armed forces, Pilling said, but shell likely be serving at a military base and will have a chance to cultivate a career. You can take it and can make a life out of it.
BOISE  A House committee has voted to print a bill declaring the state Legislature the final arbiter of whether something is constitutional and directing state agencies not to enforce any federal laws, regulations or court rulings the Legislature deems unconstitutional.

The purpose of this bill is to provide a legal process to bring checks and balances to all federal government actions that may be unconstitutional when Article I, Section 8 is applied to those actions, bill sponsor Rep. Paul Shepherd, R-Riggins, told the House State Affairs Committee Thursday.

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution outlines the powers of the federal government, powers which Shepherd believes the federal government today far exceeds. His bill says any legislator can claim an executive order, federal law or regulation or court ruling is unconstitutional, and if the Legislature passes enacts a law agreeing, no state agency or department could enforce it.

To have a legal process in statute to comply with the Constitution is the best way I know of to keep our oath of office, Shepherd said.

The committee voted to print the bill, clearing the way for a full hearing, with the only No vote coming from Democrat Eva Nye, who is filling in for Rep. Elaine Smith while she is in the hospital.

This is something that we need to talk more about, said Rep. James Holtzclaw, R-Meridian. We need to bring this to light and really get our arms around (it).

Rep. Randy Armstrong, R-Pocatello, asked Shepherd whether the Legislature has the power to declare something unconstitutional.

Isnt that an area judges rule on? Armstrong asked.

Shepherd replied that the states existed before the federal government and that Legislature has the responsibility to provide a check if the federal government is exceeding its powers. The Constitution, Shepherd said, was written for laymen and you dont have to be a lawyer to understand it.

One hundred five of us, we just roll over for five on the Supreme Court? Shepherd said, 105 referring to the number of Idaho state legislators.

The general view that the federal government has gone beyond what the Founding Fathers intended and needs to be reined in is fairly common among conservatives. Debates over federal power and perceived federal overreach are a staple of Idaho politics and legislative sessions  less than two hours after Shepherds bill was printed, the Idaho House argued over similar issues in a debate over a tax conformity bill that some Republicans felt violated the state Constitution by recognizing gay marriage.

The idea that states can respond by nullifying federal laws, though, is more controversial, although variants of it have cropped up here and elsewhere in recent years. Idaho is one of a number of states with legislation directing state law enforcement not to comply with new future federal gun control laws. A bill to nullify the Affordable Care Act passed the Idaho House in 2011 but stalled in the Senate.

Federal courts have held consistently that they, not the states, have the right to decide whether a law is constitutional. Attempts by states to nullify federal laws were fairly common in the 1800s but mostly stopped after the Civil War. The last time the U.S. Supreme Court took up the question was in 1958, when it blocked attempts by Southern states to nullify the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision ordering an end to school segregation.

Shepherd is a strong believer in state over federal power and has introduced legislation in keeping with that theme in the past, including a bill in 2014 to nullify Environmental Protection Agency regulations and a resolution in 2015, prompted by court rulings declaring a constitutional right to gay marriage, calling for the impeachment of federal judges who dont follow the Constitutions original intent.
TWIN FALLS  St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center could break ground on a medical office building as early as next week.

The hospital plans to construct a nearly 58,000 square-foot, two-story building on its hospital campus, west of the outpatient surgery center. The $27.2 million project is expected to take about a year.

Hospital administration say the new offices will allow for expansion of outpatient services and open up room for growth inside the main building.

This has been part of our long-term planning as we have been looking at population growth and the health care needs of the community, said Debbi Kytle, administrator of physician services and population health for St. Lukes east region.

The offices will host internal medicine, endocrinology and diabetes management, otolaryngology, rehabilitation services, occupational health and outpatient imaging services. Space in the internal medicine area will be designated for behavioral health and care managers.

The environment will really be very specific to outpatients, Kytle said.

Fifteen existing providers will move over to the building when it opens, scheduled for February 2018. Nine more providers are being recruited, with room for four more in the future.

St. Lukes Magic Valley typically hires 20 to 25 new providers  physicians, nurse practitioners and physicians assistants  per year.

We already recruited so far for this year 15 new providers, Kyle said.

The hospitals plans for the medical offices have been approved, and Twin Falls Building Official Jarrod Bordi said the plans are being processed for a building permit.

They are right on task, Twin Falls Zoning and Development Manager Renee Carraway-Johnson said. It is something I believe the city of Twin Falls supports and were helping them as much as we can.

Approximately 25 subcontractors will work on the project. During construction, St. Lukes Drive or the roadway to the emergency department from St. Lukes Drive may be reduced to one lane of traffic. St. Lukes plans to have flaggers in place.

Additionally, the hospital has let neighbors know that its walking path will have partial closures and detours around the construction area.
Congressman Mike Simpson, the embodiment of the Republican congressional establishment when John Boehner was riding high in the House speakers chair, is the new maverick in the Idaho congressional delegation. At least when it comes to Donald Trumps presidency.

Meanwhile, Congressman Raul Labrador  the one-time bad boy of the delegation for wanting to shake up Washington and chase away the likes of Boehner from leadership  has emerged as a leader of the new establishment. Again, when it comes to President Trump. Labrador campaigned vigorously for the winning candidate during the stretch run of the campaign and was interviewed by Trump for the Interior secretarys job. Labrador could be one of Trumps key allies during the early stages of his administration.

My agenda has much in common with our new presidents plans and I look forward to a very productive partnership, Labrador wrote in a recent newsletter.

Its much different with Simpson. Three weeks before the election, after the release of that infamous Access Hollywood recording, Simpson declared Trump unfit to serve as president. Apparently, he has not backed away from that view. His office did not respond to my request to interview him or provide an update on his position.

Idahos two senators, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, had harsh comments after the Access Hollywood episode. Crapo pulled his endorsement of Trump but came back to the fold before the election. Both senators, as with most other Republicans, are celebrating the beginning of Trumps presidency and especially the end of Barack Obamas.

I want to give him every opportunity to succeed and will help him in any way that I can, Risch told me. This was a change that was engineered by the people of America. Politicians didnt do it. The institutions didnt do it. The people of America did it, against all odds and all predictions.

Crapo sees the new administration as an opportunity to make government more efficient and the national defense stronger. Action like this puts him in step with what I have heard from many Idahoans, Crapo said.

Simpsons view, no doubt, would be applauded by Democratic Congressman John Lewis, who questions the legitimacy of Trumps presidency. It may not sit so well with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was one of the establishment Republicans eating crow after Trump won the election. But thats what a lot of people like about Simpson. He says whats on his mind and doesnt buckle to political pressure.

Simpson can afford to be his own man. In Idahos 2nd District, Simpson is the man in the high castle  more powerful than the collective forces of Trump, Ryan, and the Republican Partys rank-and-file. His seat on House Appropriations is a magnet for campaign contributions, and the mainstream media in his district love him. Detractors will complain about him, but they cant beat him.

The only thing missing from his high castle is a moat.

Simpson hasnt totally abandoned his party. Recently, he joined his fellow Republicans in taking the first step to repeal Obamacare  describing his action as creating a path for real healthcare reform that puts decisions back into the hands of families, patients and doctors.

But if Trump is unfit for the presidency, how can anyone expect him to come up with a viable alternative to Obamacare  or to do anything constructive, for that matter? In Simpsons mind, apparently, the new era in American politics gives us a presidency thats doomed for failure.

The three other members of Idahos congressional delegation, as with Simpson, have safe seats. But unlike Simpson, they are not poking their fingers in the eyes of their Republican base.

Were going to be much more secure with Donald Trump as president, Risch says. We have the most powerful military in the world, and were going to use it  but only if we have to and only after every alternative has failed. Risch says that former President Obama did not inspire that level of confidence.

Crapo thinks the new administration, working with a GOP majority in Congress, can get a grip on spending, government regulations and a tax code that he describes as unfair and anticompetitive.

Labrador sees the Trump presidency and Republican majorities as a mandate from the people to change business as usual in Washington.

Simpsons message is not so uplifting to Republicans in his district who overwhelmingly supported Trump in the last election. But, he remains true to himself.
The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View:

Keystone XL is back  along with the usual misconceptions about its virtues and dangers. There should be no doubt, however, that President Donald Trumps executive order advancing the project is a good thing.

The reason is simple: By carrying heavy crude from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond, Keystone XL would strengthen U.S. energy security.

Keystone would not, as Trump suggests, create a lot of work for Americans. It will take maybe 10,000 people to build the pipeline, and those jobs will be temporary. Only a few dozen will be needed once it is operational.

At the same time, many environmentalists warnings about Keystone are exaggerated. Pipelines are a safe, reliable and efficient way to carry oil. Given that Keystone would be built to the latest safety requirements, it would be less spill-prone than the tens of thousands of miles of older pipelines that crisscross the U.S. (This advantage also holds true for the Dakota Access pipeline, another project Trump advanced on Tuesday.)

Keystone opponents also make more universal objections. Crude extracted from oil sands generates more than its share of greenhouse gases, because more energy is needed to remove the sand and dilute it for transport. Technology is already limiting this problem, however. Moreover, oil-sands emissions can be offset with reductions in other parts of the economy  a likely scenario now that Canada has agreed to reduce carbon emissions as part of the Paris climate-change agreement, and Alberta has adopted a carbon tax.

Finally, many environmentalists argue that pipelines such as Keystone only encourage the further extraction and use of fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming. Regardless of whether this will prove to be true, the reality is that there arent enough sources of clean energy to meet the worlds needs. And to protect against price shocks, it is preferable for the U.S. to get its oil from domestic sources or from friendly neighbors like Canada.

With or without Keystone, in any case, crude will continue to be extracted from the Alberta oil sands. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently approved two new pipelines designed to carry that oil through Canada to world markets.

Trumps executive order does not amount to approval for Keystone  the company behind the project will have to submit another application  and there is always a danger, Trump being Trump, that he will make unreasonable demands. On Tuesday he suggested that he wants to the pipeline to use only American steel, and in the past he has vowed to demand a share of the pipelines profits.

This would be unwise. Better not to jeopardize a decision that can be justified as a matter of both energy and economic policy and see to it that the pipeline, now almost a decade on the drawing board, is finally built.
Recently a young journalist bemoaned harsh words used by some baby boomers in describing millennials. As a boomer, I apologize for those who would slander others because of their youth. Although I scarcely recall having been young, I have read about it. The bigger issue, however, related to this journalists haughty headline concerning how she and other millennials were going to change the world, because lacking enough time on Earth to have observed enough causes and effects related to societal evolution, I doubt this young lady is qualified to do so in a rational way.

When this baby booming journalist was learning the craft, he was taught it was his responsibility to provide balanced, well-researched information to the public who would be the final arbiters of that information. Yet, it seems our last few graduating classes of journalists have been taught it is their responsibility to change the world for  their idea of  the better. But, when uninformed egotism meets unbridled apathy, whos to say the uncensored use of the combination wont leave us with changes that create an even greater need for change?

In 1492, Columbus set out to find the East by sailing west, thus proving the earth was round, although that had been proven 2,000 years earlier. But then, he did get Isabellas jewels and had some great fishing along the way. Which is worse, though, ignoring the news or passing on an agented version? I think this millennial journalist would be well-served by 1) learning the difference between the news that bogs her down and the commentary, which undoubtedly makes her opportunistic heart soar, and 2) on finding herself leaning toward commentary, seeking a career with NPR, wherein a British accent can often lend credibility to the incredible.

William Denham

Twin Falls
  

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The government will prioritize 12 out of the initial 40 projects lined up for funding by the Chinese government at an indicative cost of $4.4 billion, the Finance Department said Friday.

The economic team of President Rodrgio Duterte earlier this week flew to China to finalize the $15-billion investment pacts from Beijing. The team, led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, submitted 40 project proposals.

They include the $3.4-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in the provinces of Cagayan and Kalinga with an estimated total project cost of $53.6 million; the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project in Quezon, $374.03 million; and the South Line of the North-South Railway running from Manila to Legaspi City in Bicol, $3.01 billion.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III

The other nine projects with an indicative cost of another $1 billion were under feasibility study.

These are North Luzon Expressway East Project, Panay Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges, Davao City Expressway, Ambal-Simuay Sub-Basin of the Mindanao River Basin Flood Control and River Protection Project, Dinagat (Leyte)-Surigao Link Bridge, Luzon-Samar Link Bridge, Agus 3 Hydroelectric Plant, Pasacao-Balatan Tourism Coastal Development Program, and the Camarines Sur Expressway.

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These projects aim to interconnect the countrys three main island-groups, boost tourism and construct a flood control system in Mindanao and ensure stable power supply.

Dominguez said the three large projects that would undergo Chinas loan application process were already approved by the board of the National Economic and Development Authority and the Investment Coordination Committee.

Dominguez said the Philippine government would recommend three priority projects for loan financing under the $3.4-billion assistance made available by the Export-Import Bank of China to the Philippines, including $2 billion in new commitments.

The three projects aim to raise the productivity of small farmers, improve transportation and logistics services in underserved areas of Luzon, and ensure a steady water supply to Metro Manila, he said.

We are looking at implementing large infra projects in the rural areas particularly in irrigation, logistics in bridges and roads to connect communities to the major markets, Dominguez said in an interview with the Chinese media during the Jan. 23-24 mission.

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A diplomatic rift between the United States and Mexico widened Thursday as Donald Trump's administration suggested taxing imports from the southern neighbor to fund a border wall and Mexico's president scrapped a US visit.

Trump had been scheduled to receive Enrique Pena Nieto at the White House on Tuesday.

Instead, the Republican president is managing a foreign policy spat with a normally friendly nation and key trade partner during his first week in office.

The escalating war of words over who would pay for the proposed border wall  a central pledge made by Trump during his successful presidential campaign  hit the breaking point on Thursday.

"If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump said on Twitter in the morning.

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Under pressure at home to cancel the trip, Pena Nieto, who had good relations with former US president Barack Obama, tweeted later that he had informed the White House that he will "not attend the working meeting" next week.

"Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements in both nations' interests."

Hours later, Trump told Republican lawmakers at a retreat in Philadelphia that the cancellation was by mutual agreement.

"Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. I have no choice," he said.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the "lines of communications" would remain open and Washington hoped to "schedule something in the future."

 Big price tag 

But in a move that is sure to increase tensions, Spicer said Trump could fund construction of the wall  meant to keep out illegal immigrants  by slapping a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico.

He later specified that it was "one idea that gets it done real easy" and that it could be part of an overall tax reform package.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham criticized the suggestion, writing on Twitter that Mexico could retaliate with its own levy and that it would be a "huge barrier" to economic growth.

Manuel Herrera, president of Mexico's Confederation of Industrial Chambers, said the idea was "truly worrisome not just for Mexico but for US companies, too."

Trump signed an order Wednesday for work to begin on building a wall along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border.

But the US leader has struggled to articulate how the wall will be paid for, though he has suggested recently that the United States would fund it first and Mexico would reimburse the cost later.

During the campaign, Trump threatened to tap into remittances that Mexican migrants send home, which last year amounted to $25 billion.

Trump has also ordered officials to scour US government departments and agencies in search of "direct and indirect" aid or assistance to the Mexican government and report back within 30 days.

Republican leaders announced Thursday they would try to carve out $12-$15 billion worth of US taxpayer money for the project.

Speaking at the Mexican embassy in Washington on Thursday evening, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said, the idea of his country paying for the border wall was out of the question.

"The fact that it is being said that Mexico should pay for the wall is something that is simply not negotiable," Videgaray told reporters during a press conference.

 Mexican leader lauded at home 

The dispute has set off the biggest diplomatic rift in decades.

Jesus Velasco, an expert in US-Mexico relations at Tarleton State University in Texas, said the lowest previous point in relations was in 1985, when a drug cartel tortured and killed a US undercover agent.

"This is even worse," Velasco told AFP.

While Pena Nieto repeated late Wednesday that Mexico will never pay for the wall, he initially dithered on whether to travel to Washington despite pressure from Mexican politicians to stay home.

After he scrapped the trip, the unpopular Mexican leader, whose popularity is below 25 percent, was applauded by opposition leaders and other politicians.

"Bravo @EPN! Mexico deserves dignity and respect, we can't have dialogue when neither exists," former president Vicente Fox wrote on Twitter.

Around two in three Mexicans have a favorable opinion of the United States, according to Pew surveys, but anti-American and anti-Trump sentiment is not uncommon.

Pena Nieto saw his own approval rating slide late last year after he hosted Trump  then still a White House candidate  in Mexico City.

 NAFTA a 'one-sided deal'? 

Trump also took to Twitter to gripe about the trade gap between Mexico and the United States within the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he wants to renegotiate.

"The US has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost," he said.

That deficit for the trade in goods is slightly higher than the overall trade deficit  including services  of $49 billion in 2015.

The NAFTA renegotiation could provide one way for Trump to claim victory, through increased tariffs on Mexican goods or higher border transit costs.

But it could also risk retaliatory tariffs or blowback from US firms that export $267 billion a year south of the border.

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SAN SALVADORCentral Americas northern three countries  Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras  remain among the most violent in the world despite intensified security crackdowns on their lawless gangs.

According to a compilation of the latest official figures, there were 15,809 murders last year in those three nations, collectively known as the Northern Triangle.

The situation remains difficult. Even though the number of murders has dropped, the pain and suffering of many families in the Northern Triangle continue, the head of El Salvadors Human Rights Commission, Miguel Montenegro, told AFP.

The Northern Triangle is a major source of US-bound migrants fleeing gangs and poverty.

The United States has allocated $650 million to the region to try to stem the flow by improving prosperity and security.

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But, while governments have greatly stepped up mixed patrols and raids by police and soldiers, Montenegro said the repression by the states has not made inroads against the violence.

On average across the three countries, there were 50.6 murders per day per 100,000 inhabitants last year.

Thats lower than the 57.1 murders per day recorded in 2015, but still many times higher than the world average of 6.7 calculated by the World Health Organization.

Per capita, El Salvador was the most dangerous, with 81.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Then came Honduras at 58.2, and Guatemala with 34.1.

The violence isnt going to go away overnight, an analyst and former El Salvador rebel, Juan Ramon Medrano, said. It came about over several decades through social and economic conditions. To get rid of it will need many years.

The gangs blamed for much of the violence were born on the mean streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s, when Central Americans fleeing Cold War-fomented civil conflicts sought refuge in the United States and fought Mexican gangs.

Deported back home, they brought the gang culture and violence back with them, and today whole neighborhoods are prey to the groups and their turf wars, with local youths forced to join or to run.

There is no solution to the gangs. Young people are looking for a family and entering a gang gives them an artificial family. There are no rehabilitation programs, said Ricardo Puerta, a Honduran sociologist.

Honduras is home to up to 36,000 gang members, according to police and international organizations. Some 70,000 are in El Salvador, and 10,000 in Guatemala.

The gang situation seems more under control in Honduras and Guatemala, Salvadoran university professor and researcher Carlos Carcach said. In El Salvador, territorial expansion by the gangs is rapid and broad.

With the region acting as a transit corridor for illegal drugs heading from South America to the United States, and cartels in nearby Mexico active, there are fears the gangs could become transnational outfits.

That has prompted prosecutors to join forces for a cross-border strategy, while police and troops in the Northern Triangle have formed a trinational force.

But analysts believe the more effective way for the countries to handle the problem is to fix their shaky economies and institutions  to provide jobs and social participation.

The fragility and weakness of the national democratic systems isnt allowing them to be strong states able to mount a fight against the problems causing the violence, Carcach said.

The institutional shortcomings in the countries left over from the civil wars meant impunity reigned for former soldiers and rebels, he said, and that colored society afterward.

An additional problem, he noted, was the lack of control in the region over the illegal sales and trafficking of weapons from those conflicts.

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2017 is the Year of the Rooster, ushered in by the Chinese New Year that we celebrate today. In Chinese astrology, Fire is also the prevailing element of the year. Thus, according to Zhao Li, director of the China Culture Centre in Sydney in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, This year is special, full of expectation. She described the rooster as proud and confident, hardworking and punctual while fire by its very nature is the element associated with brilliance, warmth, passion, spark. Zhao said, A brilliant and enthusiastic rooster, combined with the salient characteristics of fire, heralds an enterprising and fruitful year, a year of results, achievements. She concludes: This year we can fulfill all of our dreams.

It looks like that this is the year that China will begin fulfilling its dream to become the undisputed leader of the world. I thought this would eventually happen in a decade or two, but now it is within reach.

It is ironic that the administration of Donald J. Trump, who triumphantly shouted America First twice in his inauguration speech last Friday, is likely to usher in a new global order where the United States of America will become a second-rate nation. In place of America, we will see a China ascending to be the most looked up and admired among the biggest and most powerful countries, the global leader without par.

Instead of a Trump-led USA becoming great again, it will become desolate, an angry place, and not respected by both friends and enemies. In its first week, we already see the worst happening as scientists are silenced, the protection of the environment abandoned as a government priority, climate change denied, torture as a policy reinstated, rich banks favored over homeowners, health rights of women threatened, trade wars initiated, Muslims discriminated against, and immigrant and refugee rights trampled on.

Compare the terrible, pessimistic, and xenophobic inauguration speech of President Trump to that delivered by President Xi Jinping in Davos, Switzerland last Jan. 17, a few days before Trumps oath-taking. President Xi exuded confidence, solidarity, humility, and leadership.

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Quoting Charles Dickens, he described what the world was facing It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . Today, we also live in a world of contradictions. On the one hand, with growing material wealth and advances in science and technology, human civilization has developed as never before. On the other hand, frequent regional conflicts, global challenges like terrorism and refugees, as well as poverty, unemployment and widening income gap have all added to the uncertainties of the world.

Before these challenges, Xi said, we must not retreat. Citing Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, he pointed out, Our real enemy is not the neighboring country; it is hunger, poverty, ignorance, superstition and prejudice. We need to have the vision to dissect these problems; more importantly, we need to have the courage to take actions to address them.

Xi continued: As a line in an old Chinese poem goes, Honey melons hang on bitter vines; sweet dates grow on thistles and thorns. In a philosophical sense, nothing is perfect in the world. One would fail to see the full picture if he claims something is perfect because of its merits, or if he views something as useless just because of its defects. It is true that economic globalization has created new problems, but this is no justification to write economic globalization off completely. Rather, we should adapt to and guide economic globalization, cushion its negative impact, and deliver its benefits to all countries and all nations.

In the Davos speech, President Xi committed China to growing an open global economy to share opportunities and interests through opening-up and achieve win-win outcomes. Using metaphor of a storm to reject protectionism and trade wars, he encouraged faith and optimism: One should not just retreat to the harbor when encountering a storm, for this will never get us to the other shore of the ocean. We must redouble efforts to develop global connectivity to enable all countries to achieve inter-connected growth and share prosperity. We must remain committed to developing global free trade and investment, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation through opening-up and say no to protectionism. Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself up in a dark room. While wind and rain may be kept outside, that dark room will also block light and air. No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war.

Its interesting, given its notorious behavior in the South China Sea, including that portion we call the West Philippine Sea, that President Xi proposes a model of fair and equitable governance for the world: As the Chinese saying goes, people with petty shrewdness attend to trivial matters, while people with vision attend to governance of institutions . . . Countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are all equal members of the international community. As such, they are entitled to participate in decision-making, enjoy rights and fulfill obligations on an equal basis.

On international commitments, including the Paris Agreement, President Xi does not mince words: We should honor promises and abide by rules. One should not select or bend rules as he sees fit. The Paris Agreement is a hard-won achievement which is in keeping with the underlying trend of global development. All signatories should stick to it instead of walking away from it as this is a responsibility we must assume for future generations.

In Davos, President Xi shared a Chinese adage, Victory is ensured when people pool their strength; success is secured when people put their heads together. He elaborated: As long as we keep to the goal of building a community of shared future for mankind and work hand in hand to fulfill our responsibilities and overcome difficulties, we will be able to create a better world and deliver better lives for our peoples.

Concluding his speech, Xi is both realistic and hopeful: World history shows that the road of human civilization has never been a smooth one, and that mankind has made progress by surmounting difficulties. No difficulty, however daunting, will stop mankind from advancing. When encountering difficulties, we should not complain about ourselves, blame others, lose confidence or run away from responsibilities. We should join hands and rise to the challenge. History is created by the brave. Let us boost confidence, take actions and march arm-in-arm toward a bright future.

I have no illusions about China. Given its recent behavior in our sea dispute with them, I am skeptical if they will walk their talk of global solidarity. Nor am I ready to write off America: I suspect that the backlash will be quick and the Republicans will lose heavily in the 2018 midterm elections and Trump will be a single term president. But for now, the odds are on China rising, beginning in this Year of the Rooster.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! GAng xC fA cai! (Congratulations and Prosperity) Jinian jixiang! (Good luck for this Rooster year).

Facebook: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

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The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has been involved in promoting awareness about the severity of cleft lip and palate among children in partnership with the International Cleft Charity Smile Train.

Continuing with this charity cause, 17 Miss Universe candidates USAs Deshauna Barber, Colombias Andrea Tovar, Indonesias Kezia Warouw, Jamaicas Isable Dally, Myanmars Htet Htet Htun, Mexicos Kristal Silva, Haitis Raquel Pellisier, Nigerias Unoaku Anyadike, Indias Roshmita Harimurtthy, Chinas Li Zhenying, US Virgin Islands Carolyn Carter, Germanys Johanna Acs, Great Britains Jaime Lee Faulkner, Dominican Republics Rosalba Garcia, Argentinas Estefania Bernal, Vietnams Aang Tha La Hang  engaged a one-on-one dialogue with some cleft patients during the Smile Train international children charity held at the Taft Room of Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, Friday morning.

The candidates were able to speak with Smile Trains cleft patients about some of the changes in their lives since receiving free cleft surgery sponsored by the organization, challenges theyve overcome and their dreams and ambitions. The titleholders were there to support the patients and provide advice and words of encouragement about working toward their goals and never giving up.

While at the hospital, the titleholders were given the opportunity to learn more about the organizations sustainable model and interact with cleft patients, parents, social workers and medical professionals who are on the ground helping in the local community 365 days a year. Following the hospital visit and empowerment workshop, Smile Train hosted a private Q&A panel discussion led by television host Lexi Schulze, and some of the Miss Universe candidates at the Conrad Hotel. The candidates had the ooportunity to reflect and discuss the days worth of activities.

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Miss Myanmar Htet Htet Htun, a 24-year old model, has been involved by the Miss Universe Myanmar Organization as a volunteer with Smile Train and wants to raise awareness for those who are suffering with HIV.

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach met with Smile Trains Country Director for the Philippines, Kimmy Flaviano, to kick-off the MUOs partnership with Smile Train inked in December 2015. Since then Wurtzbach has lent her voice in raising awareness for children born with cleft lip and palate in the developing world, including home country. In September 2016, Wurtzbach joined Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan as Smile Trains ambassadors for the star-studded Charity Day to The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund participated by charities celebrity ambassadors to conduct trades on the phone with clients.

We are extremely proud to work with Smile Train, an organization that is committed to delivering a positive impact to communities in which we work, and we are steadfast in our commitment to help support their efforts and long-term sustainability, said MUO President Paula M. Shugart.

Since 1999, they year it was founded, Smile Train has provided more than one million cleft repair surgeries across the world. As official charity partner of MUO, it hopes to mobilize MUOs incredible voice to raise awareness for the vital cause of cleft lip and palate repair and related treatment and help transform lives in the process.

While Smile Train Philippines is honored to be working with the Miss Universe Organization to help raise awareness and bring more smiles to children with clefts, said Coseteng-Flavaino. Since the beginning of the partnership in December 2015, there has been great support and involvement from the organizations international titleholders.

For more information about the Smile Trains global efforts and to make a donation, you may visit smiletrain.org. Or follow Smile Train on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrain and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/SmileTrain.

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La imagen del nino musico que llora fue catalogada como una de las fotografias mas emotivas de la historia moderna. Esta foto fue tomada de un nino brasilero de 12 anos (Diego Frazzo Turkato), tocando el violin en el funeral de su maestro, la pieza musical favorita del fallecido, que lo salvo del ambiente de pobreza y crimen en el que vivia. En esta imagen, la humanidad habla con la voz mas fuerte del mundo: "Cultiva el amor y la bondad en un nino y acumularas amor y bondad. Y solo entonces construiras una gran civilizacion, una gran nacion". Fotografo: Marcos Tristao
Moroccan security services have foiled this Friday another terror plot with the arrest of a jihadist cell linked to the Islamic extremist group ISIS. The seven-member cell was active in several Moroccan cities including El Jadida, Sale, El Gara, the rural commune of Boulaaouane and the Maatallah village in the province of Taza, Eastern Morocco.

During the police raid operation, several firearms were confiscated including a machine gun, 7 hand guns, a large quantity of ammunition, 4 large-size knives, two telecom apparatuses, military pants, chemical materials and suspicious liquids, says the Moroccan Interior Ministry in a statement.

Two waistcoats with explosive belts were seized, says the Ministry, noting that the captured jihadists were planning to recruit young people and incite them to carry out terrorist acts to undermine the North African Kingdoms stability.

Moroccan authorities are waging tireless war against Islamist extremists and fanatics. As the international coalition intensified its airstrikes against the terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the extremist group started moving to North Africa and particularly to Libya where the jihadists have enhanced their influence and presence.

Neighboring Tunisia and Egypt have already suffered numerous deadly attacks by militants of the Islamic State.

Morocco has worked out a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that includes vigilant security measures, regional and international cooperation, and counter-radicalization policies.

The North African country has placed counterterrorism at the top of its priorities following the Casablanca terror attacks in 2003 and the subsequent attacks of 2007 and 2011.

Moroccan authorities have dismantled multiple groups with ties to international networks that included ISIS. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and ISIS continue efforts to recruit Moroccans.
Supporters of the 75-year old Shia cleric Sheikh Issa Qassim have been protesting against his detention and trial since July when he was arrested and charged for illegal fundraising and money laundering. The protests in Diraz got violent on Thursday and reportedly left at least one person dead and another injured with a live bullet.

Violence erupted when a police raid at dawn targeted those who have been staging sit-ins since authorities revoked Sheikh Issa Qassims citizenship in June. Dozens of residents in Diraz later staged a protest chanting slogans hostile to the authorities, according to press reports. The raid could be linked to the new hearing of the Sheikhs case on Monday as the Interior Ministry accuses him of serving foreign interests. Qassim is accused of sowing sectarian divisions.

The majority Shia population thinks that their rights are stifled by the minority ruling Sunnis, with the support of Saudi Arabia. They have been demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected Prime Minister since 2011. Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since security forces crushed Shia-led protests demanding such reforms and it has also been cracking down on human rights activists.

Nabeel Rajab, a Bahraini human right advocate, was given a lengthy sentence on Monday after he was charged with defaming the state by publishing false news and malicious rumors that undermine the prestige of the Kingdom. The said false news refer to a list of journalists, academics and NGO representatives who have been denied entry to the country since 2011. The list was compiled by the Bahrain Watch, a campaign group. Rajab has also been prosecuted in a separate case for spreading rumors in wartime, insulting a neighboring country and a statutory body, and could spend more than two decades behind bars.

Bahraini authorities have always reacted to criticism through the court although many claim that the process is just a formality. Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of advocacy at Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), lamented that Bahrain targets anyone who opposes the regime with arrest and imprisonment, and they ban entry to journalists and human rights groups to stop the story from getting out.
The Mecca Criminal Court that has been hearing the charges against 13 people who allegedly played roles in the crane collapse that killed scores of people and injured many at the Grand Mosque near the Kabba in September 2015 has dropped the case.

The court claimed that it does not have the jurisdiction to make a ruling as it does not have the competency to deal with safety breaches.

The court has been hearing the case for the past five months.

The crane collapsed after heavy winds toppled it leading to a fatal accident. The Bin Ladin Group was carrying out expansion works at the Grand mosque when the deadly accident occurred. It led to charges of negligence leading to death, damaging public property and ignoring safety guidelines against six Saudis, two Pakistanis, a Canadian, a Jordanian, a Palestinian, an Egyptian, an Emirati and a Filipino. One of the Saudis is said to be a billionaire. The prosecution is planning to appeal the courts ruling.

However, eyebrows have been raised over the courts decision, which referred to 13 people instead of the 14 who have been charged. It is unclear if it was an error or charges against one of the plaintiff have been dropped without making it public. Authorities have not yet commented on the matter.

Last week judge Abdulaziz Hamoud al-Tuairki rejected a plea from the defense lawyers requesting to prevent newspapers from covering the case.

Saudi Bin Ladin Group, which developed landmark buildings in the Kingdom, was founded more than 80 years ago but shortly after the accident, King Salman suspended it from taking part in new public contracts.
A senior Palestinian official has confirmed that the Palestinian Authority has received the $221 million transfer authorized by former US president Barack Obama hours before he handed over power to Donald Trump.

Husam Zomlot, strategic affairs advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas said the money has been transferred from the US Agency for International Development and they have already received it. The move was unpopular with certain factions of the US Republican party but Zomlot is hoping that the new Trump Administration will carry on with the (aid) policy that their predecessors had been doing.

President Trumps campaign has been much more oriented towards supporting Israel and he stated weeks before his inauguration that we cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect after the Obama administration refused to veto a non-binding UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories and construction of illegal settlements.

Trump had then urged Israelis to stay strong until he assumes presidency because they used to have a great friend in the US, but not anymore under Obama.

Zomlot reserved commenting on future relations with Washington saying that once they announce a new position, we will react. Analysts forecast gloomy Palestine-US relations as Trump had promised during his campaign to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The plan has been questioned by many Muslim States and Iraqi cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr warned that going ahead with the plan would be a public and more-explicit-than-ever declaration of war against Islam.

Meanwhile, Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman warned at a conference at the Institute of National Security Studies that Israel will use its full strength in the next conflict with Palestine until the latter yells gevalt and raises a white flag. He also hinted that occupation would be increased depending on the need.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
The Nigerian government on Wednesday dismissed rumors suggesting President Muhammadu Buhari is sick.

President Buhari, who clocked 73 last December, left Abuja last week for the United Kingdom on a short leave, which is part of his annual vacation.

News of the presidents medical leave sparked a flurry of talk in Nigeria over the week.

The Presidential office on Wednesday said Buhari is in good health, urging people to disregard what it said were false and subversive messages on social media.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohamed, urged Nigerians to disregard the subversive messages being circulated via text messaging and on the Social Media. The fabricated messages are being orchestrated by those who feel threatened by the emerging order, he said.

There is no iota of truth in the messages being circulated on the health of the President, who is hale and hearty, the Information Minister insisted.

Buhari had on three recent occasions cancelled official trips within and outside the country due to health problems. The president suffers from an ear infection, called Meniere Disease, a challenge which has drastically reduced his outings.

The President is expected to resume work on February 6, 2017.
The Doctors union in Kenya on Thursday said a seven-week strike would continue until their demands are met, ignoring a court ruling ordering a return to work in five days or jail for union leaders.

According to local news reports, doctors have accused the Ministry of Health of twisting the arms of health workers to return to work, yet their concerns  including promotions, better remuneration and review of job groups  have not been resolved.

The doctors nationwide strike has officially entered its seventh week and continues to paralyze the countrys public healthcare system. Doctors are demanding a 300 percent pay increase.

The East African states government says it can only afford a 40 percent pay rise but would work to meet other conditions.

The thousands of patients who rely on public health facilities have been forced to seek treatment at the few private hospitals across the country. Due to the strike, most of private facilities have hiked up their charges to levels most Kenyans cannot afford.

The Kenyan government is reportedly planning to hire foreign doctors from Cuba and India to replace the striking doctors.

Doctors have clashed with riot police in street protests over the strike.
About 150 suspected Burundian rebels, who have been detained in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), face imminent extradition, according to reports.

Accused of attempting to carry out armed actions in Burundi, the suspected rebels, currently detained in Uvira, Bukavu and the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, are now facing extradition.

They were captured near the two countries border in 2015 and early 2016 amid violence that broke out after Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans to seek a third term, a move his opponents said violated the constitution.

A Congolese military source quoted by RFI, said the suspected Burundian rebels were undesirable on Congolese soil. We are tired of keeping foreigners with us, the senior officer said.

We are finalizing plans to extradite them, Congos government spokesman Lambert Mende confirmed in a statement to Reuters.

At least 450 people have died since 2015 in Burundi in clashes between protesters and security forces, revenge killings and a failed coup, stoking fears of wider unrest in a region still haunted by neighboring Rwandas 1994 genocide.

U.N. experts said last year that some of the alleged rebels captured in Congo confirmed receiving military training or other support from Rwanda.

The Burundi government maintains that the political crisis is over and what it needs is regional support to stabilize the country.
THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens.
@ByKristenMClark

Ardent school choice supporters who are in charge of K-12 education policy and spending in the Florida House say 2017 is their year and they don't aim to waste it.

"It's a wonderful foundation that we've created in Florida" for school choice, House education committee chairman Michael Bileca, R-Miami, said Thursday. "That foundation, we can't take for granted; that foundation is an envy of the rest of the country, where they point to us. It's incumbent upon us to understand and appreciate this platform but not be satisfied with it -- not be satisfied with incremental opportunities for our kids but really be focused on transformational opportunities."

House Pre-K-12 education budget chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, agreed: "What you're seeing right now is an opportunity for us to really blow open some of those school choice opportunities, blow open some of those opportunities that may be outside the box that everyone is always trying to block."

Bileca and Diaz were both featured speakers Thursday at a luncheon in honor of National School Choice Week put on by the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee, a public policy research organization that advocates for school choice education policies.

Diaz joked that it's not often he gets to speak to such an amenable crowd, since school choice remains such a polarizing issue in Florida. And he predicted "large opposition" ahead for future changes Florida House Republicans want to implement under the leadership of Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O'Lakes Republican who himself is a passionate supporter of school choice.

"It always bothers somebody in the status quo and they always want to protect it and give you excuses why you can't do it," Diaz said. "But guess what? Those excuses are always about the institutions and the organizations and never about the kids and never about freedom and never about opportunity."
House Speaker Richard Corcoran said Thursday he has asked two legislators with finance backgrounds to investigate the $100 million in legal bills the state has received in the protracted lawsuit against Georgia over access to water in the Flint-Chathoochee-Apalachicola River basin.

Corcoran, R-Lake O'Lakes, said he has asked Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, an attorney expert witness in insurance matters and Rep. David Richardson, D-Miami Beach, a forensic auditor, to look at the bills. He said he supported the litigation but "the question is: what is the fair market cost."

"I think you're going to find really fast that defending the rights of Floridians, yes, it's an absolutely worthy expense,''Corcoran told reporters. "Spending $100 million in legal fees, we are getting gouged and that needs to be fixed."

Last week, the House budget staff determined that since 2001, the state has been billed $97.8 million on the water wars and has spent $71.9 million to date. Nearly $54.4 million of it was spent in the last two years after Florida asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and the court appointed a special master to resolve the dispute.

After legislators started asking questions, Gov. Rick Scott withdrew a request asking the House and Senate Joint Legislative Budget Commission to approve another $13 million, bringing the the total cost for the year would be about $41 million.

According to a spreadsheet obtained by the Herald/Times, the numbers showed that the lead lawyers, Washington-based Latham Watkins, would be paid $35.9 million between 2015 and 2017.

Foley Lardner, the Florida firm where Steversons predecessor, Hershel Vinyard, works and where Steverson is now headed, would be paid $2.6 million over the same time. Two other firms also were paid lesser amounts: $1 million to Blankenau and $966,000 to Carlton.

The records also show that Latham Watkins charged the state for 32 to 35 full-time legal staff for 40 hours a week over four months. The firm also charged significantly more than the other firms for lawyers of comparable experience.

Two days after the inquiry, Department of Environmental Secretary Jon Steverson announced that he was resigning his post effective Feb. 3 and would be going to work for Foley Lardner. The Florida firm not only has represented DEP in the water wars litigation but also represents the department in litigation over the Everglades.
@MichaelAuslen

If federal judge Robert Hinkle plans to side with the state of Florida in an abortion lawsuit, he showed no signs of it in his courtroom Friday.

For nearly an hour, Hinkle asked hard questions and picked apart the state's defense in a case that aims to throw out provisions of an abortion law passed by the Legislature last year. At times, he looked incredulous, even frustrated with the state's lawyer, Blaine Winship.

It's the latest high-profile case that brought the state's lawyers into Hinkle's courtroom -- where he's frequently ruled against them. Last summer, he threw out provisions from the same abortion law now being challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

In this latest case, the ACLU sued the state's Agency for Health Care Administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi back on behalf of Orlando Rev. Bryan Fulwider and several organizations who counsel women considering abortions claiming a new state law violated their First Amendment rights to free speech.

The law, signed last March by Gov. Rick Scott, in part requires anyone who "provides advice or help to persons in obtaining abortions" register with AHCA, thus making their work known and, according to Hinkle and the ACLU, opening a path for prosecution of a decades-old law that requires they give a "full and detailed explanation of abortion" and its alternatives.

Fulwider says being forced to register with the state voilates his First Amendment right, in part because it costs $200 to register every other year. The law "attempts to encroach into pastoral counseling," he said, calling the state "Big Brother."

Hinkle seemed to agree.

"What they have to do right now is pay some money in order to speak," Hinkle said.

The state disagrees. AHCA has interpreted that the law to only applies to organizations who receive donations specifically earmarked for abortion counseling and that the registration fee doesn't constitute a restriction on speech.

It's not clear when Hinkle will rule -- or how -- but his comments on the bench gave some indication.

While the state's arguments insisted the law was not about targeting abortion-related organizations, Winship differentiated from other procedures saying that "there's not another life involved" in them.

"Aha," Hinkle said. "Now you're really saying we're doing this because abortion is different."

Photo: Sen. Kelli Stargel, R- Lakeland listens to former Sen. Nancy Detert, R- Venice, during a debate on an abortion bill. Detert voted against the bill. (Scott Keeler, Times)
@ByKristenMClark

Florida lawmakers could propose some changes this year in how public schools educate students about American government, history and the democratic system.

Miami Republican Rep. Michael Bileca, the House Education Committee chairman, says the issue is "near and dear" to him, and his primary goal is to streamline civics education so it runs from elementary school through college.

"It's a conversation you'll hear a lot in the House," he said while speaking at a luncheon at the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee on Thursday.

No specific policy has been presented yet, but Bileca said: "It's something that we're really looking at -- our civics, our history -- all the way from K-12 to our college system, on how do we really inculcate a sense of civic understanding, appreciation for our institutions and what a republic stands for and have a fully informed and fully educated citizenry that's able to participate in the democratic process."

Florida already requires civics classes for middle- and high-schoolers.

High school students need three credits in social studies in order to graduate. Those include mandatory courses in U.S. and world history, economics and U.S. government.

And in order to advance to high school, students in middle school need to complete "at least a one-semester civics education course that includes the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments; the structures and functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government; and the meaning and significance of historic documents, such as the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States." That requirement was enacted just a few years ago.

But Bileca said he's looking for more "continuity of the importance of civics and understanding of history" across all grades.

"Something to look at there is the focus on history and civics and the foundational documents -- the Declaration of Independence, understanding the Constitution, the importance of separation of powers," he said. "These are good, basic frameworks and pillars of democracy that we want our kids by college and high school to be able to critically think about. ... Right now we're asking them to critically think about these systems of government that they know nothing about."

Photo credit: Miami Republican and Florida House education committee chairman Michael Bileca -- joined by state Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah -- speaks during a luncheon at the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee, Fla. on Jan. 26, 2017, in honor of National School Choice Week. Kristen M. Clark / Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau
Aja Sherrard quietly walks up to the wall at the University Center Gallery and picks a ceramic tablet, each lined like notebook paper and arranged in rows.

She silently steps over a free-standing sink nearby and begins scrubbing the surface bare. Depending on which tablet she picked, it might be filled with her own journal-like writings about her father, who died of cancer two years ago. It could have the writings of an anonymous gallery visitor: Nearby, she's arranged a small desk with blank tablets and pencils, where people are invited to record their own thoughts and hang them on the wall.

All of them eventually will end up in Sherrard's hands. She'll wipe them clean of their anonymous confessions and hang them on another part of the wall dedicated to the clean slates, although there are illegible ghost lines from the graphite.

For her exhibition, "The Accumulation of Endlessness," Sherrard will go to the gallery every day, Monday through Friday, from noon to 1 p.m. and repeat the ritual. Afterward she hangs the sponge she used for the cleaning, which leaves them quite ragged, on the wall in a grid, one for each day of the show.

On a recent weekday, visitors filtered in. The gallery attendant told them about the exhibition as they walked in. A few looked around. One man filled out a tablet at the desk. Then he filled out another.

Sherrard's father, Dale, died in 2015 of an aggressive cancer that claimed him only two months after his diagnosis. She was one of his primary caregivers, along with her stepmother.

She developed a compulsion to wash dishes while coping with his illness and the aftermath of his death. She also found that she was more open to others. They sought out her help. She turned those observations from a year of mourning and grief  "cleaning as a metaphor for small acts of repair, small acts of resolution"  into a master's show last spring at the University of Montana, which also used tablets with writings of her own and others that she'd wipe away.

"It was through being vulnerable that the generosity happened, both for me as the person who's washing and for the people who contribute. Because as people add their voices they're shielded by the other anonymous voices on the wall, and every time you add something that's a vulnerability of yours to participate," she said.

***

This semester, Sherrard is finishing her thesis for a master's degree in art history at UM. After it's complete, she'll graduate with an accompanying MFA in visual art. She's mostly teaching classes now instead of taking them.

Her father also taught at UM, in his case it was the School of Media Arts. Dale Sherrard was a sound designer and artist from New York City, who moved here in 2007 with his wife, Prageeta Sharma, a poet, who was hired by the creative writing program.

Sherrard enrolled in the MFA program at UM in 2013 to be closer to him and "repair" her relationship with father. It had become strained by the distance and complications with other family members.

Dale Sherrard had thoroughly embedded himself in his new community. He brought an impossibly cosmopolitan background to western Montana: He was a part of the downtown New York art scene, and had collaborated with the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat and read his work at CBGB's. Here, he worked with filmmakers and musicians and visual artists, bringing a deep knowledge of theory with downtown attitude.

For his students, Sherrard said her dad was a "perfect mix of a cynic and sincere person."

He "gave people permission to be deeply flawed by being cynical and irreverent and brash," she said.

"His impact on his community can never be understated," Sherrard said.

Dale Sherrard died in January 2015, only two months after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was only 53. Six months later on Dale's birthday, her grandmother died.

***

There are additional drawings and paintings, her original medium, in the UC.

"The Accumulation of Grief" is a sculptural work. At her previous show, the water in the self-contained sink began thickening with the residue of the sponges and the graphite. She strained it through a pillow case, where it took on the shape of parched black earth. "It's just matter," she said. "But knowing that it consisted of this grief and this sorrow and this process made it haunted somehow." In "Studies in Erasure," a triptych of drawings, she painted over writings. Each in the series has fewer and fewer words visible.

Near the entrance, she's hung the worn sponges for the previous exhibition in a line.

Sherrard, who left behind painting for conceptual art, was surprised by the responses to the master's exhibition.

"I felt like people were more personally invested in this piece than anything else I've ever done. In a way, I think the vulnerability on the table cut through a lot of the hypothetical or intellectual response that you can have to the work, and people felt very personally implicated," she said.

To respect the anonymity of people who participated, she avoided looking at visitors when they wrote something and hung it on the wall. One day, she happened to pick a visitor's tablet while they were still in the room and began cleaning it.

"When I looked up, there was a girl watching me wash it and crying. She gave me a hug afterward and thanked me," Sherrard said.

Sometimes she had to resist the immediate response of giving them advice for a problem. Some of the writings were startling, since there's no context for them. They served as a reminder of the burdens people carry with them.

She said expressing her own thoughts about her father's death is a risk, but people respond by giving their own secrets in public.

"I think we are more giving and more generous in our fragility than we are in our austerity or strength," she said. "It's a risk, I think, but I'm creating an anonymous space by giving pretty honestly from myself and whatever people can contribute to that is shielded by my own vulnerability. And what they add as they add, their anonymity blends into a sort of unified act of presence."
In 2010, an eccentric New Mexico artifacts dealer named Forrest Fenn stowed a 10-by-10-inch chest filled with treasure somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

It was free, he proudly said, to whomever could find it. The only clues the octogenarian and cancer survivor provided were embedded in his memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase," which contained a vague poem that he says will guide seekers to the hidden bounty.

Depending on who you believe the treasure is still out there. Others say they've solved his riddle, but the gold was gone. Others say there might not be any treasure at all. Fenn, for his part, says that people have come within 500 feet of it.

A 2016 documentary, "The Lure," examines Fenn's challenge and the people who take it upon themselves to find it in a beautiful, searching manner. Tomas Leach's second feature documentary takes an impressionistic approach to a story that could easily be framed as reality television fodder. In a further sign of its pedigree, it was executive produced by Errol Morris, whose own writings and films question the nature of knowledge and truth.

The tone is established quickly, with gorgeous, slowly panning shots of uninterrupted wilderness accompanied by voice-overs of Fenn, a well-read man prone to musings like "imagination is more important than knowledge." He remains a mostly peripheral presence in the film: Leach instead joins a series of treasure hunters on their quixotic search for a treasure hidden somewhere in a mountain range that spans the entire country, from Montana to New Mexico.

Leach lands viewers directly into conversations with them and gradually reveals their reasons for pursuing what they logically know is likely a hopeless pursuit. For many, the research and the long hikes into the New Mexico wilds fills an existential need, in which the search itself is more important than the admittedly grim odds of success. They range from young mothers who get out camping sans friends and husbands, to people with illnesses who identify with the mortality underscoring Fenn's memoir. Leach's panning shots of forests and mountains underscore the idea that the experience is likely the reward, regardless of whether Fenn is a great American genius, a classic American huckster, or both. Crucial to the film's success, Leach doesn't fall into the online wormhole, where rabid fans decode clues and debunk theories. The chase is on, and he wants to know what that in and of itself means.

A computer-programmer turned rancher named David muses about how he left behind a well-paying but suffocating job in Southern California for a simpler life. Even his rustic days often seem too modern, he says. The hunt ties him to an older and harder time in the West, but one he feels has stronger moral and ethical bearings.

He's the rare treasure hunter who gets a meeting with Fenn. It's an awkward exchange, as the poker-faced Fenn carefully chooses his words, knowing that his every utterance is dissected for hints, which David visibly is. He asks David what he would do if he found it, a question David is torn by. He's not even sure he wants the treasure, he admits at one time. He seems to want to know that he could find it.
The committee charged with considering the future of fishing management on the upper reaches of the Bitterroot River, including the popular West Fork, will begin its work Monday.

The 16-member Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Bitterroot River Recreation Committee will hold two day-long meetings next week as it begins to develop a list of potential management actions to address crowding on the upper river.

If things go as planned, the committee members meet for two eight-hour days next week and then finish up in a similar two-day session in the middle of February.

That intense work schedule is a change from the original series of once-a-month night meetings that could have stretched well into late spring before any recommendations were made.

The structured decision-making process will be led by Mike Mitchell, head of the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Montana. Mitchell used the process to help develop the complicated season-setting for mountain lion quotas in the state.

He handled that really well, said FWP Fishing Access Site Program Manager Christine Oschell. Hes used the process to work through other complicated issues for FWP and other organizations.

The intense process follows specific steps that will allow the committee to quantify its recommendations more clearly to the public, she said.

The meeting on Monday will be held at the Bitterroot National Forest Supervisors Office in Hamilton, 1801 N. 1st St. On Tuesday, the meeting will move to the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 4567 Wildfowl Lane, near Stevensville.

Both meetings will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oschell said there will be ample time for members of the public to weigh in during the course of the day. If people can only attend for a short time, she said the committee will make time to listen to their comments.

The committee is tasked with developing recommendations for managing river recreation on the Upper Bitterroot River and West Fork of the Bitterroot.

Specifically, the committee will:

 Assess river recreation information and existing conditions.

 Identify desirable or acceptable recreation conditions.

 Develop a list of management actions, from less restrictive to more restrictive.

The committees list of alternatives and recommendations will be considered by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. Plans call for that happening later this year.

Oschell doesnt expect there will be management changes implemented in the upcoming fishing season.

There is no reason to do it quite that soon, she said. We will need time to offer some education.

Mondays meeting will begin with a discussion on all the data collected about the fishery and angling pressure on the upper river. Bitterroot National Forest officials will also explain the permitting system in place for fishing access sites on national forest lands along the West Fork of the Bitterroot.

We want to share the data that led us to start down this path, Oschell said.

People interested in following the process and receiving meeting notes and times can call Oschell at 406-542-5562 or email at coschell@mt.gov.
Mountain Water Co. must provide customer service data and human resource information to the city of Missoula, according to a Montana Supreme Court order.

In a decision the state high court affirmed in August, the city of Missoula won the right to use its power of eminent domain to force a purchase of the water utility.

But the city hasn't paid for the company yet.

Mountain Water argued the data is part of its property, and the city isn't entitled to the information until it pays.

The city, on the other hand, argued it needs the data in advance of ownership to ensure a seamless transition for water customers.

In the brief order Thursday, the Montana Supreme Court denied the utility's emergency request that it reverse the lower court's ruling that it provide the city access to customer service data and human resource information.

"Although the city initially requested the court to grant it access to a lengthy list of information, models, records, and Mountain Water premises and facilities during a proposed transition period, the District Court's order is much narrower," said the Montana Supreme Court.

"Noting the critical need for the water system to continue to operate without interruption or impairment, the District Court carefully tailored its order to require the disclosure of limited information necessary to enable an orderly transition."

In a court proceeding, water commissioners set the amount of money the city will pay for the water company at $88.6 million.

In a separate case pending in District Court, though, a group of developers argue they are entitled to a portion of that money, having fronted developments that commissioners included when they determined the value of Mountain Water.

The city agrees. It has proposed to pay the $88.6 million directly to the court so the court can restrict the funds in dispute with developers.
Carmen Thissen is studying climate change at the University of Montana, and she said time is of the essence to get the planet on course.

Thursday, Thissen was among roughly 100 students and at least a couple faculty members who demonstrated against the climate skepticism in Trump's administration.

President Donald Trump has called climate change a "hoax" and some of his nominees disagree with the scientific community's conclusion that humans are the primary driver of global warming.

"I don't think we have four years to ride it out and wait," Thissen said. "We don't have any time at all."

Reinvest Montana organized the event, part of a national walkout, as part of its campaign to urge the UM Foundation to divest of fossil fuels.

"If I had legs, then I would walk out for climate," read a sign directing the activists into the Payne Family Native American Center.

The UM Foundation maintains it has an obligation to provide the best possible returns for the university and needs freedom in its investment strategies.

At the event, student Jake Cohen said people need to stand up to the current administration and its policies on climate, and the walkout Thursday provided an opportunity to do so.

"It's more important now than ever for people of all stripes to come together and face Donald Trump and demand a better future," Cohen said.

At least a couple professors were present at the center as well. Neva Hassanein, professor in the environmental studies program, joined after her 18 students opted to leave class, called research methods for social change.

She agreed to split the time with her students, but she wasn't going to bar the door.

"My students walked out, so I came with them," Hassanein said.

As part of the presentation, UM staff member Joseph Grady talked about taking students to the Standing Rock encampment in North Dakota. There, protesters and environmental advocates are opposing the proposed Dakota Access pipeline as hazardous to a water source and destructive of land sacred to Native Americans.

Trump signed an executive order to advance the project, but Grady said the land represents more than profits to him and to future generations.

"When I look out at the land, I don't see dollar bill signs," Grady said. "I see the future of my children. I see the future of your children.

"If Standing Rock stood for anything, it's that a different paradigm, a different philosophy for living is possible."

UM students have been advocating for divestment for three years, according to Reinvest Montana. Last spring, 16 students were arrested in protest of the foundation's investments in fossil fuels, the organization said.

The UM Foundation confirmed Thursday its policy on divestment remains unchanged since September 2015.

In a public forum last February, then-UM President Royce Engstrom said divestment is an ongoing conversation, and in a state like Montana, students and donors arent aligned on the issue.

Current President Sheila Stearns was in Helena accepting an award late Thursday afternoon and could not be reached for comment.
I have spent my adult life advocating for public education and am the proud mother of two children who are products of Montanas public schools. Unfortunately, many of the divisions unraveling on the national stage are being thrust into our communities and our schools.

Despite pledges to drain the swamp and fight corruption, President Trump is filling his cabinet with political donors like billionaire Betsy DeVos.

According to the Helena-based National Institute on Money in State Politics, Betsy DeVos has given nearly $2.7 million in political donations to 370 individuals and causes over the past 20 years, including many of the senators overseeing her Senate confirmation hearing. Of note, the DeVos family has contributed $46,800 to Sen. Steve Daines, and Betsy DeVos has contributed $5,200 herself, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

DeVos has no personal experience in public education, nor has she taken the time to familiarize herself with pertinent details, as was made clear in her hearing last week. Whether the issue was services for students with special needs, or testing for proficiency versus growth, DeVos was at a loss. Her longtime support of charter schools is a further indicator that advocating for public schools is not in her wheelhouse. Why should we entrust her with the responsibility of steering our Department of Public Education?

There comes a time when a good senator a must decide whom he represents and to whom he is beholden. Will Sen. Steve Daines be a champion for Montanas children or beholden to billionaire interests?

Enough with jockeying for fleeting power in Washington; its time to invest in the future our state. Speak up now and tell Daines to vote no on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos.

Call. Write. Be heard. This is our state; these are our children and they are our future.

Lisa Cordingley,

Helena
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The Mai Wah Society will once again host Butte Americas annual Chinese New Year Parade, which has been described as the shortest, loudest and (sometimes) coldest parade in Montana. Celebrating the Year of the Rooster, the parade will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4. It will kick-off at 3 p.m. at the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse, 155 W. Granite St.

Following opening remarks, the parade will head east on Granite Street with the dragon stopping along the route to bless business sponsors. Those in attendance are encouraged to follow the dragon and become part of the procession. Chris Fisk and his Butte High students will serve as dragon dancers this year. Following the parade, a reception with refreshments will be held at the Mai Wah Museum, 17 W. Mercury St.

The Mai Wah is unable to have fireworks as part of the parade due to insurance issues this year; however, the public is encouraged to bring anything that can be used as noisemakers  cymbals, drums, pots and pans, or whatever people have! Because of the noise level, this is not a pet-friendly event.

For Chinese New Year, the Butte Silver Bow Arts Foundation is hosting an art exhibit for K-12 students. The art will be displayed at the Venus Rising Coffee House, 128 W. Granite St., and the community will vote for winners between Jan. 27 and Feb. 21. Details and entry rules: 406-723-1150.
There was a time when folks danced outside the home in swanky Butte ballrooms  way before Nintendo Wii dance video games kept them in their living rooms and out of the public eye.

Three forgotten spaces are only a few of ballrooms past that now sit empty, like dusty interior ruins that few generations have seen.

Once a go-to ballroom for the middle-aged and devoted members, the Pioneer Ballroom above Headframe Spirits, 21 S. Montana St., hosted regular dances for members of the Butte Pioneers Club.

Across the street, the Elks Lodge, No. 240 at 206 W. Galena, boasts a once-glorious ballroom upstairs with 15 stuffed elk heads adorning the walls and at least four built-in thrones equally spaced along the member chairs splashed up flush to the walls.

Elks members danced, held ceremonies and the exalted rulers sat at the thrones, holding court over their membership during rituals, ceremonies and dances.

We dont use the second floor and third floor anymore, said 50-year member Frank Snyder, volunteer manager of the entire Elks building with wife Scharlene. Both are past exalted rulers, as is son, building volunteer Marvin Snyder.

Sparingly used now as membership has steeply declined in recent years, the ballroom may be used for Civil Air Patrol drills, said Frank Snyder. The sprawling three-story building was built in 1924 and has 2,240 square feet of space on the second floor alone. It's too expensive now for low membership to heat the top floors, he said.

The Mother Lode Theatre, built in 1923 at 316 W. Park St., now uses its expansive old ballroom upstairs for storing myriad theatrical equipment and materials, scattered willy-nilly across the dance floor. A large throne for the adjacent Masonic Lodge is built into one end and tall corners show water damage and disrepair.

Historian Richard Gibson said the Masonic Temple annex to the immediate east of the Mother Lode was built in 1901. The Masons used the ballroom, he said, until about 1930, when the space was rented as a movie theater.

Like so many other fraternal organizations, the Masons struggle for membership, as fewer modern young families join due to competing activities.

Still, it's easy to imagine members floating past, dancing to a live orchestra or band.

Like all the forgotten ballrooms, it seems as if ghosts of dances past simply got up and left. The Pioneer Club's hand-painted maple floor still has connected rows of wall seats with old-time, built-in hat racks under the seats, panoramic photos of the huge 1950-era memberships on the walls, a stage in one corner and adjacent kitchens replete with cooking utensils and appliances.

Courtney and John McKee bought the Schumacher building in 2010 to open Headframe Spirits, but spirits of a different kind seem to lurk quietly upstairs, where Pioneer Club members, dressed to the nines, climbed stairs to dance and socialize evenings away until a few decades ago. An old newspaper clipping touted it as Buttes Premiere Dance Floor.

What a great opportunity to be the stewards of history  whatever we do, eventually well do what we can to honor the spirit of the club, said McKee. "There's no reason to let it all decay."

Such social clubs meant getting out of the house, catching a trolley, and putting your best foot forward during Buttes heyday of mining and bustling city life.

Now modern organizations like the Butte Idea Exchange and the Silver Bow Democrats hold occasional events in the Pioneer Club ballroom.

McKee envisions opening the space to yoga classes and dances  or whatever events the public demands. An upstairs railing overlooks the dance floor. Five turnbuckles and a wall on the first floor  where the distillery is now  hold up the moving 5,000 square-foot dance floor and absorb shock.

The McKees plan to install an elevator for easier access to the ballroom. But for now, they want to stay true to the original space as much as possible.

Otherwise, weve had no changes, she said. Whatever I do with it, I want to do with respect to the history.

Forgotten or not, the ballrooms evoke images of joyful days past when folks socialized face-to-face instead of online.

One can only imagine the gown-and-black tie attendees and lovely music wafting throughout the ballrooms, sitting demurely, waiting patiently for someone to fill their dance card.
People will still be able to use a Montana ID to enter federal courthouses in the state after parts of the REAL ID Act of 2005 take effect Monday.

The United States District Court for the District of Montana is granting an exception to the REAL ID Act, which will prevent people from using a Montana drivers license to enter most federal facilities, military bases and nuclear power plants beginning Jan. 30. The federal courts are located in Helena, Billings, Butte, Great Falls and Missoula.

Montana is one of several states refusing to comply with the act, which is designed to improve national security and prevent identity theft. State officials and the Legislature were concerned about the privacy of Montanans and passed a law in 2007 prohibiting compliance with the federal law.

At a confirmation hearing for John Kelly to lead the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., asked about implementation of the REAL ID Act and mentioned his concern about a national database of private documents.

The Department of Homeland Securitys Rumor Control page says REAL ID does not create a national database. The website says the federal government does not have access to state drivers license data and states will continue to maintain their own records.

After two years of extensions, Montana was denied a third in November. Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont, and Tester introduced legislation to repeal parts of REAL ID, but it hasnt been scheduled for a committee hearing. Similar legislation to repeal the REAL ID Act was introduced by both senators and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., in the last session, but failed.

A Montana drivers license will not prevent people from voting, applying for federal benefits or entering a federal facility that doesnt require identification. In January 2018, Montana drivers licenses will not be accepted as valid IDs in airports.
Tom Kenneally, on behalf of the Town Pump Charitable Foundation, and Jerry Sullivan, president of Granite Mountain Bank of Butte, have each awarded $25,000 grants to the production of "No Greater Love," an original musical commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Granite Mountain/Speculator mine fire.

The two-act musical honors the memory of the 168 miners who perished on June 8, 1917. These two major donations, when combined with the fundraising efforts of the all-volunteer board, brings the total raised to date to 68 percent of the budgeted $135,000 required for the production, a news release said.

Numerous local businesses, individuals, and clubs have made financial or in-kind pledges to ensure this unique stage production. The script, co-written by Dr. Gary Funk and his wife Sylvia, is set to music by Gary Funk. The work premieres on Friday and Saturday, June 9 and 10, at the Mother Lode Theatre. Tickets will be available later this spring.

Ongoing fundraising events:

The students at East Middle School recently held a walk-a-thon and student talent show to support the musical's production. On Saturday, March 4, the Knights of Columbus will host a Burgers & Beer fundraiser at the KC Hall, Park and Idaho.

To make a tax-deductible donation online, visit www.nogreaterlovebutte.com, or send checks to Greater Love, Box 83, Butte, MT 59703. Details: Mary McMahon, 406-565-0388.
FRIDAY, JAN. 27

MONTANA-MADE FILM AT COVELLITE

A screening of the award-winning Montana film "What Separates Us" runs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Covellite Theater, 215 W. Broadway St. Directed by Bryan Ferriter, who also stars in the film, the romantic film was shot in and around Helena and is described as a raw depiction of how young men come of age in the mountains. Tickets are $10 and are available through Eventbrite.com.

BULL-RIDING EVENT

The 2017 Elite Professional Bull-riding event is Friday and Saturday at the Butte Civic Center, 1340 Harrison Ave. Doors will open both days at 6 p.m.; showtime is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 general, $17 reserved, and $22 premium reserved. Two-day packages are also available. Details: 406-497-6401.

FAMILY SKATE NIGHT

Family Skate Night starts at 6 p.m. at the High Altitude Skating Center, behind Three Bears Alaska off Continental Drive. Concessions and skate rental available.

HOMELESS PROGRAM

Project Service Connect, an annual event to connect homeless people with important services, is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Maroon Activities Center, 550 E. Mercury St. The following services and informational tables will be available at the event: special veterans services; food; medical and dental checks; dental services; showers; haircuts; clothing; diabetes education; and information on mental health, housing, Social Security, early childhood education, disability services, literacy, legal, and adult education. Details: 533-6855.

COMPUTER CLASS

The Butte Public Library will offer a free computer class at 11 a.m. at the south branch (Butte Plaza Mall). This week is Excel Basics. Registration is required; visit our website or call 406-723-3361.

CAT IN THE HAT

The Bank of Commerce Performing Arts Series and University of Montana-Western fine arts department will present Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Individual performance tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth at the door. UMW students are admitted free.

EDUCATION FUNDRAISER

The fifth annual Snowflakes and Candlelight, a fundraiser to raise money for womens education, is in the Lewis and Clark Room on the University of Montana-Western campus. Cocktails are at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7, and the auction starts at 8. Tickets are $40. Details: 406-660-0223.

THINK TANK

The Fountainhead Coworking and Montana Tech Business Guild Collaboration will continues its ongoing Think Tank Series to help business owners with their challenges. This month's session is on SEO (search-engine optimization, or online presence). The event is at 6:30 p.m. at 66 W. Park St., suite 210, and is free. To reserve your spot, contact Maria at 406-299-3256 or fountco@hotmail.com or Jessica at 406-593-7896 or jnyork@mtech.edu.

TALENT SHOW

East Middle School students are stepping up to help raise money for "No Greater Love," an original storied musical tribute to the 168 miners who perished on June 8, 1917, in the Granite Mountain/Speculator Mine tragedy. They will be holding a talent show at 6 p.m. in the East Middle School auditorium and are charging a small admission fee to raise additional money.

CLUBS AND MEETINGS

BUTTE

Chess Club meets from 2 to 4:45 p.m. Fridays at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St. It is free, and no experience is necessary. Details: 406-723-3361.
Lets think about it, just for a moment. What exactly, if anything, would justify the purposeful infliction of intense animal suffering? Frame your answer by imagining a feral animal building a shelter, or searching for food or wateryou know, simply executing the elementary tasks of survival. Suddenly, its endeavor is abruptly disrupted as powerful steel jaws snap shut around a front leg. At first overwhelmed by sheer indescribable pain, this nightmare is quickly exacerbated and overtaken by panic and terror. It is pinned, the cruel jaws unyielding against the now crushed and broken skeletal mass. Immobile, its life is now reduced to the horror and agony of entrapment. There is no respite: no solace, no hope, no relief. Traumatized, the torture can only be endureduntil it intensifies as its sense of vulnerability is increasingly heightened. Minutes pass into hours, then days. The tongue, now severely swollen from dehydration, accentuates both the anguish of its ever-more-belabored breathing and the thirst which by now has itself become unbearable. There are only two avenues of escape: chew through its own flesh (can you imagine this?!) and perhaps bleed out; or, await an ugly death at the hands of its captor or some other predator.

I ask again, what could possibly justify the conscious infliction of such misery? Lets summarize the primary candidates that parade as satisfactory answers. How about: the opportunity to experience and become educated in the ways of the natural world? Really? Have we ever heard of hiking, exploration and observation? Or, how about: the need to control the proliferation of a species? Are you serious? The benefits of population control licenses the above described carnage? Please explain this. And are we going to pretend that our goal as trappers  the occasion for donning our trapping gearis the enhancement of the natural order? Good luck. What of livestock protection? Sorry. Did you know that wolf predation of Montana livestock in 2015 was a staggering 0.002 percent? Notice: even doubled, the number still doesnt matter, does it? Or how about our God-given right to recreate, and also earn a living by marketing fine furs? Recreate? Again, really? You enjoy this? Profiteering? We have a right to impose this nightmare upon the life of another? Why not step up to human trafficking, which is much more lucrative?

But isnt trapping a vital and essential method of animal disease control? Again, sorry. This unfortunate and disingenuous contention is decisively undermined by common knowledge: sickly animals are simply not attracted to the bait. Worse, it would have us believe in magicas if the traps themselves were capable of selecting their own catch. But in fact we know that traps are notoriously victim-indiscriminate. The documented, not to mention the unreported, capture of non-targeted species is staggering (42 percent of respondents to a 2012 Idaho wolf-trapping survey reported non-target captures. Over 55 percent of those captured died. They all suffered.). Yes, the victim is too often deer, moose or even your beloved pet. I doubt that this is your idea of fair-chase hunting. Is it?

So let us be clear. The haunting challenge here is profoundly moral in character; at issue is the progressive corruption of the dignity of the natural world. It is about the unspeakable trauma inflicted upon beautiful, unique and precious animal livesthe well-being of which is tragically wasted under a misguided, and I fear too often, indifferent, if not callous rationale.

The defeat of Initiative 177 in this past electionwhich sought to curtail the exercise of trapping on public landssignals the depth of public misunderstanding of what is at stake. So, if you find it difficult to embrace the very idea of the massive suffering generated by this practice, then please help locate the resources which will deliver this grim message with the widespread impact it deserves. Even now, legislation which would further enshrine animal trapping is under consideration. Your leadership is needed. Contact info@footloosemontana.org.

-- David K. Clark is a recently retired 20-year philosophy professor at the University of Montana in Missoula. He specializes in the area of ethics and metaphysics, with multiple professional publications.
A federal judge this week ruled that the actions of two former Yellowstone County sheriffs deputies who fatally shot a 28-year-old man near Huntley were unreasonable and that they are not entitled to protections under the law.

In a 33-page order filed on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Watters ruled for Loren Benjamin Simpson's estate saying that Yellowstone County Deputies Chris Rudolph and Jason Robinson are not entitled to qualified immunity on Simpsons claim of excessive force.

Kevin Gillen, Yellowstone County deputy attorney, said Thursday the county disagrees with the courts opinion and is considering whether to appeal it to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

We believe we have appealable issues that come out of that ruling, Gillen said.

Nathan Wagner, a Missoula lawyer who represents Simpsons family, said on Thursday he was pleased with the ruling. This is a big step in the right direction, he said.

From the outset, we have believed that qualified immunity was not applicable to the facts of this case because the officers conduct was so abhorrent, Wagner said.

The court has now agreed that the officers conduct was unreasonable and improper, and has refused to apply the doctrine of qualified immunity to protect them from the consequences of their actions," Wagner said.

The deputies shot and killed Simpson on Jan. 8, 2015, near Huntley. Simpson approached the deputies on White Buffalo Road while driving a Ford Explorer that had been reported stolen. The deputies fired at the vehicle with a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle, striking Simpson multiple times, including a fatal shot that hit him in the back of head.

Deputies told investigators after the shooting that they felt threatened by the vehicle coming toward them. Both deputies resigned five days after the shooting.

Simpsons family then sued Yellowstone County, the deputies and other county officials, alleging the deputies actions violated Simpsons civil rights and alleging other claims. The case was moved from state District Court to federal district Court in October 2015.

The county has argued the deputies have qualified immunity from federal claims.

Qualified immunity provides a government employee sued for money damages under federal Constitutional claims with immunity if it was reasonable for the employee to believe his actions would not violate a clearly established legal or constitutional right.

Unless the ruling is appealed, the case would proceed on the civil rights claims.

No trial date has been set and other issues are pending, Wagner said.

Once the issues have been settled, Wagner said he expects there will be a round of negotiations supervised by a U.S. magistrate judge. If the case is not resolved, it will be set for trial, he said.

An earlier attempt to settle the case through mediation failed.

Wagner said he thought one of reasons for the unsuccessful mediation was that the county thought it had a good chance of succeeding on the issue of qualified immunity.

Wagner also said he expects that Watters ruling against the county will affect the negotiating positions of the parties.

Watters said a review of the facts, including a dash camera video, suggest that it was not objectively reasonable for the deputies to believe that Simpson was accelerating and driving the Explorer toward Robinson or to keep firing at the Explorer after it passed.

Watters also said, In sum, the force used by the deputies was severe, the crime they suspected Simpson had committed was minor, the danger to the deputies was minimal, and the deputies could have used less intrusive means to effect the investigative stop.

A jury, the judge continued, could conclude that Simpson was not an immediate threat to the deputies or others at the time he was shot and killed, or even if he posed a threat, that the deputies response to that threat was unreasonable and violated Simpsons Fourth Amendment rights.

The Fourth Amendment protects against unlawful searches and seizures.
Cash-strapped MSE Technology Applications Inc. has shed half its workforce, and its remaining 25 engineers and technicians are leaving the sprawling facility just south of Butte and moving Uptown.

The decision follows mounting, unpaid bills  including taxes and utilities  and an area bank selling a large portion of debt on the once-thriving industrial and technology complex to a Texas financial firm for what appears to be $1.4 million to $1.6 million.

That would be less than 1 percent of the $168 million spent building the facility in the 1970s, initially as a federally funded venture to test clean coal technology. It has been struggling mightily since Congress stopped doling out federal earmarks six years ago.

Officials with MSEs owners  the Montana Economic Revitalization and Development Institute  told The Montana Standard on Thursday that some people in Butte are interested in trying to make a deal with the Texas firm  E Capital Partners LLC based in Fort Worth  and saving the complex and its machinery and equipment.

But the firm can do a number of things if it chooses, including foreclosing on MSE and then selling everything as salvage.

MOVING UPTOWN

For now, MERDI President Jim Kambich and longtime board member Don Peoples Sr. said MSE is leaving the facility south of Bert Mooney Airport to avoid further holding costs and moving to offices Uptown.

MSE employed about 50 well-paid engineers and technicians about two months ago, but half have been laid off since then, they said. The mounting debts include a significant amount of unpaid electricity and gas bills owed to NorthWestern Energy, they said.

The remaining employees began moving into the Thornton Building, 65 E. Broadway St., on Thursday, and they might use a building at Platinum and Excelsior Streets as a lab. MERDI operates from the Thornton Building and has helped land other tenants there.

MSE helps clients research and develop products and industrial processes through engineering, drafting, prototyping, testing, and other means. It also provides laboratory and research-and-development services.

Now the challenge will be to dig out, stabilize, and try to grow, Kambich said. It will be just like starting up a company.

The few tenants that remained at the complex are moving out too, he and Peoples said, which will leave all of the buildings at the site empty.

Numerous people had been working behind the scenes for months to keep the complex afloat, including having talks with Butte-Silver Bow officials about making loans or purchases through the Port of Montana or the Tax Increment Financing Industrial District.

Peoples said a $5.1-million promissory note on the facility sold in late December for what seems like an embarrassingly low amount, given the original cost.

Im disappointed we didnt get more help from city-county government, he said. We think there was a way to do it, but there wasnt the will to get it done.

Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Dave Palmer, who took office this month, had been exploring ways of helping save the facility and its infrastructure, which includes buildings, industrial cranes, electrical equipment, and machinery to pulverize and process coal.

He and many others are worried about Butte losing the machinery and equipment, because if it goes, so goes its potential to draw future firms, manufacturers, and jobs. A message was left with Palmer late Friday morning seeking comment.

Former chief executive Matt Vincent, who lost to Palmer in last Novembers election, said in December that county officials had worked tirelessly to keep the complex alive, but some options floated were questionable legally or troublesome financially.

Philipsburg-based Granite Mountain Bank, which has a bank in Butte, gave a $5.6-million loan to MSE in 2010 that was backed by a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. But over the past several years, MSE  even with other financial help  has primarily made interest-only payments.

The bank put a remaining $5.1-million promissory note on the market in late November, and there was a Dec. 21 deadline for submitting bids. The note sold, but the precise purchase price has not been disclosed publicly.

However, officials with USDA Rural Development in Bozeman say their agency paid the bank nearly $3.4 million for its loss. Their guarantee was to cover 90 percent of any loss the bank took on its initial loan to MSE.

Roughly, that means the loss was about $3.7 million, so the note likely sold for between $1.4 million and $1.6 million.

Jerry Sullivan, chief executive officer at Granite Mountain Bank, said Friday he could not comment.

Efforts to contact E Capital Partners were not successful Friday. The company has existed for about three years, does some investment banking, and has purchased liens on at least two Florida properties, records show.

Peoples said he thinks the firm might have bundled the purchase with others and might be looking to flip it  meaning sell it for more money and be done with it.

It looks like they bought a number of distressed loans  and if they do good on one or two, they could take a loss on the others, Peoples said. I guess they thought they were hitting a home run here.

Peoples and others close to the MSE situation have said officials with Granite Mountain Bank had extended deadlines numerous times, had been extremely gracious, and were not to blame for selling the note.

Even though the Texas firm has it now, MSE still owes the $5.1 million, still has an outstanding line of credit with another bank, and is far behind on utility bills.

When asked Thursday if the power had been shut off, Peoples said, Not as of today  a clear indication that could come any time.

PROPERTY TAXES

MSE also is three years delinquent on its property taxes and owes more than $330,000 in payments, penalties, and interest, according to county records. It owes another $79,757 this year and missed its first payment in December.

If it does not pay at least its 2013 taxes by March 1, county officials say, it would then have to pay 2013 and 2016 taxes or face a possible tax deed being issued and the property being put up for tax sale late this year.

Peoples said Uptown Butte at least is gaining about 25, jobs and Kambich is hopeful MSE can survive and grow.

Youre basically starting from ground zero, but you regroup and build back as an engineering firm and get after it, he said. They will be working hard to develop a base again  without a lot of holding costs that are associated with a huge facility.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A Muscatine man will face charges of sexual abuse, incest, and indecent contact with a child after allegedly performing a sex act on a child under the age of 12.

Thomas Brady Haulk, 32, has been charged with one count of second-degree sexual abuse, a class B felony, incest, a class D felony and indecent contact with a child, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Haulk allegedly performed a sexual act on a child between Sept. 1, 2012, and Aug. 1, 2013, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Clarence Police Department. The child would have been an eight- to nine-year-old at the time of the alleged incident.

He also allegedly touched an eight- to nine-year-old between July 1, 2013, and June 1, 2014, in the groin area.

Haulk waived the right to a preliminary hearing, and a bond reduction hearing was held Jan. 26, but bond was not reduced, according to online court records. A date for the trial has not been set.

Haulk is being held in the Cedar County Jail on a $75,000 cash bond for both cases.

Emily Wenger of the Muscatine Journal
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A Muscatine man was found guilty by a jury this week of violating Iowa sex offender registry laws.

Juan Gomez, Jr., 39, was found guilty of a violation of Iowa sex offender registry requirements, an aggravated misdemeanor, after the jury determined Gomez failed to update his registration information concerning his residence, according to a blog post by Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren.

According to Ostergren, Gomez was previously convicted for third-degree sexual abuse, a class C felony, and went to prison in 1996.

The trial began Monday, January 23, 2017. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours.

In the blog post, Ostergren thanked the jury and the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office.

"The defendant has a lengthy history of criminal convictions for felony offenses, many for crimes of violence," Ostergren said. "I am pleased that we have been able to hold him accountable for his registry violation."

Some of the felony convictions, Ostergren said, include terrorism, criminal gang participation, and assault with a weapon.

Gomez's sentencing has been set for 9 a.m. Friday, March 24. He faces a maximum sentence of incarceration for a term not to exceed two years and a fine of $6,250.

Emily Wenger of the Muscatine Journal
MUSCATINE, Iowa  When John Dabeet received a call from the state capital to meet with Iowa Governor and Ambassador to China nominee Terry Brandstad Thursday, he thought the discussion would center on the Sister City initiative and its relationship with China.

Sister Cities did enter into the conversation but it turned out that Gov. Brandstad was also awarding a plaque to the Muscatine educator in recognition of his involvement with Sister Cities International based in Washington, D.C.

It was a big surprise for me because the meeting was arranged to talk about sister cities, Dabeet said.

Dabeet was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for Sister Cities International, becoming only the second Iowan to receive the honor and the first Palestinian-American member of the Board of Directors. Bob Utter of Des Moines served on the board in the early 1990s.

His involvement with the Sister City initiative goes beyond the 21 years that Dabeet has served on the Sister City Muscatine board and the many years he has led the organization. And it may be new to him to serve on the international board but he is not new to Sister Cities International as he received the 50th Anniversary Distinguished Volunteer Award in July 2006 and the 60th Anniversary Distinguished Volunteer Award in 2016.

It is very exciting to have our governor nominated to be the ambassador to China, Dabeet said. The City and County of Muscatine, the State of Iowa, and this country will benefit from his relationship with the people of China.

Brandstad will be in Muscatine Wednesday night when the Shaanxi Province Song and Dance Theater National Orchestra performs a free concert at Calvary Church.

Dabeet will lead the policy, procedure, and bylaws team at Sister Cities International and work with governments around the work in development Sister City agreements. He will also service as the Global Outreach Representative in connecting United States and Palestinian cities.

It is important to recognize that Sister Cities International and local Sister City organizations work on different planks but towards the same goal, Dabeet said. We seek to build bridges of understanding and peace, provide educational opportunities through exchanges, and work toward economic development.

It takes a lot of work but Dabeet is used to that. While working as the business department chair and professor of economics and statistics at Muscatine Community College, Dabeet also finds time to help not only Muscatine but many other communities in the United States and abroad develop Sister City relationships.

People to people is a major part of this organization, Dabeet said. Matching cities takes a lot of work and commitment by all parties, especially to keep the relationships going.

There are certain requirements that must be met in matching cities, Dabeet noted, but it does make it easier when a community in the United States has a culturally similar community already established.

Muscatine Sister Cities, Inc., was established in 1986 offering the opportunity for residents of Muscatine and similar cities around the world to become acquainted. Muscatines current sister cities include Parana, Argentina, Ludwigslust, Germany, Ichikawamisato, Japan, Lomza, Poland, Kislovodsk, Russia, Drohobych, Ukraine, and most recently Zhending, China.

I do not foresee adding to our list locally,Dabeet said. We have a lot of good relationships with these cities and we will keep working together toward better understanding.
WAPELLO, Iowa  Louisa Countys largest spending budget was reviewed on Thursday, the final day of the county supervisors week-long examination of proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 departmental budgets requests.

According to the budget work sheet provided by County Engineer Larry Roehl, the countys secondary roads department is planning to spend around $4,092,794 in FY18. That would almost match the $3,995,043 projected for this year. Revenue is expected to grow from this years $2,601,719 to $3,810,301. Most of the increase in revenue will come from a $1,142,278 county transfer, with another $30,000 earmarked from roadside brush control sources.

Theres not a big difference between 2017 and 2018, supervisor Randy Griffin, a former secondary roads department employee, said.

Going through each general category of expenses, Roehl reminded the supervisors that spending priorities could change over the next 18 months and lead him to shift construction money around the budget.

That concern will certainly apply to the planned replacement of the County Highway 99 bridge over the Iowa River at Wapello.

The elephant in the room is the Wapello bridge. I can come up with $9 million Roehl said, pointing out one estimate for the new bridge was around $11 million.

He said some engineering reports on the bridge were still incomplete, but he expected everything to be finished by the end of the month. Once those reports are submitted, Roehl suggested a joint city/county meeting might be needed to decide on the next steps to take with the replacement project.

Roehl said the proposed budget included a 2.5 percent hike in salaries, which is the amount the countys two unions, including one representing secondary road employees, negotiated last year with the county. The supervisors have also identified that percentage as the wage increase target for most other county employees.

He said the other general boost in spending came from an additional $10,000 for rock, which pushed that line item to $675,000; a $39,000 boost to a total spending of $100,000 for hot mix asphalt repair and maintenance; and a $110,000 increase in the new construction and maintenance equipment line item for a new grader and a truck. That increase will push the new equipment spending to $430,000.

The supervisors also reviewed the mental health and disability budget proposal presented by Coordinator of Disability Services Bobbie Wulf. It calls for $392,034 in spending, compared to FY17 spending of $390,635. The proposed amount is based on a per capita cost of $35.05 that has been established by Southeast Iowa LINK (SEIL), the regional mental health consortium established several years ago under state mandate.

Mental health services for the eight counties that make up SEIL are then administered through the regional group and funded through county appropriations or county mental health fund balances that were created with the regional group when it became operational.

Currently, Louisa County has an estimated balance with SEIL of nearly $1.2 million and the supervisors said they hoped to draw that down.

Wulf warned the effort at the federal level to rollback provisions in the Affordable Care Act could significantly impact future mental health costs in the region.

The supervisors also reviewed the countys General Assistance budget with director Cyndi Mears. Mears proposed spending in FY18 of $32,689, which compares with $38,951 initially projected for this year. She did not anticipate any revenue.

County Auditor Sandi Elliott also presented her FY18 budget, with projected spending of $259,196. That compares to an initial FY17 projection of $269,612. She projected $60,500 in revenue next year, compared to this years forecast of $60,200.

The supervisors will continue to study the proposals over the next several weeks before taking any action.
DES MOINES  Iowa Republicans are proposing to increase state id to K-12 public schools by $40 million next school year, roughly half of what Gov. Terry Branstad proposed and what minority Democrats call an absolute minimum.

Officially, Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, arent divulging details of their Supplemental School Aid (SSA) plan. However, in weekly newsletters published Thursday, lawmakers said the plan calls for an increase right around $40 million, or 1.1 percent.

Which considering our budget, Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, wrote, is significant and shows the commitment House Republicans have for Iowas schools.

He was referring to a shortfall in the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30. The Senate approved a $118 million de-appropriations plan Thursday and the House is expected to follow suit Monday. GOP Gov. Terry Branstad and Republicans lawmakers say the cuts are necessary because tax revenue has not met projections due to a downtown in the state economy.

K-12 school funding is approaching $3.2 billion or 43 percent of the state budget.

Adding to the debate, Sen. Rich Taylor, D-Mount Pleasant, filed a bill Thursday calling for a 4 percent SSA increase in each of the next two years.

If the Legislature approves anything less than 4 percent and 4 percent, more rural schools will be forced to close and consolidate, Taylor said. That would be devastating for the small towns in my district, and for hundreds of school districts in small towns across Iowa.

House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, warned that anything less than a 2 percent increase -- $79 million  would result in school staff reductions, larger classroom sizes and higher property taxes. In Marshalltown, he said, the school board raised property taxes 21 cents per $1,000 valuation two years ago and 30 cents last year because SSA wasnt increasing enough to cover expenses.

A survey of school superintendents by legislative Democrats found that if lawmaker approve a SSA increase of 2 percent or less about two-thirds of them will be forced to raise class size, cut teachers and reduce opportunities for students.

Seventy-one percent said they would have to increase class sizes, 61 percent would layoff teachers, 58 percent would reduce class offerings and 65 percent would delay purchases of up-to-date textbooks and classroom materials, according to the survey.

House Education Committee Chairman Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, said Republicans plan to give school boards more flexibility in how they spend their budgets.

More money is good, but the Number 1 thing I hear from school boards and administrators is they want relief from burdensome regulation, mostly by the Department of Education, Rogers said. They want flexibility.

The House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up House Study Bill 55 https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=87&ba=hsb55 in a subcommittee at noon and in full committee later in the day. A floor vote is expected Feb. 2. Lawmakers want to meet requirement in state law to set the SSA number within 30 days of the beginning of the legislative session. They hasnt been done in recent years when the GOP controlled the House and Democrats were the majority in the Senate.
DES MOINES  Republicans who now control the Iowa Senate took their first official floor action Thursday to head off a projected state budget shortfall by making $117.8 million in spending adjustments that minority Democrats assailed as unnecessary mid-year cuts that will hurt Iowans.

Were doing our best to try to fix a problem we did not make, said Sen. Charles Schneider, a West Des Moines who managed debate on Senate File 130  a de-appropriations bill that included $88.2 million in targeted cuts and $25 million in fund transfers to balance the fiscal 2017 ledger.

The budget adjustments  approved 28-19 by senators and slated for House debate on Monday  were precipitated by lackluster revenue growth blamed on a sagging farm economy that threw out of balance the $7.2 billion spending plans passed by last years split-control Legislature and signed by Gov. Terry Branstad.

Schneider said Thursdays remedial action was a symptom of several years of overspending by Senate Democrats, House Republicans and the governor that erased a $927 million surplus. GOP legislators agreed with the governor to exempt K-12 schools, Medicaid, property tax credits and backfill to local governments and communities from the mid-year reductions.

That meant cuts of $18 million to the regent universities -- $8 million each at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University and $2 million for the University of Northern Iowa -- $3 million for community colleges, $5.5 million for correctional facilities, $4.5 million for the state Department of Education, $3 million for the court system, $1 million for public safety, and $11.5 million in what Democrats called secret, mystery cuts through executive-branch operations through June 30.

This is a bad budget that does real harm to Iowans. We dont have to do this, said Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids.

Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, called the cuts an appropriate way to fix a mess.

Weve come in here surgically to make sure that certain areas arent affected, said Chelgren.

But Democrats said the cuts hit vulnerable children, seniors and people with disabilities, along with students and public safety in a way that was dangerous and would lead to higher tuition, more college debt and a continued lack of qualified, skilled workers for desperate employers.

Your surgical cuts are really a knife into the heart of education funding in this budget, said Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo.

Our employers are crying for a more skilled and educated workforce. This bill tells them to go fish, added Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City. You all campaigned on supporting education and your first vote on the Senate floor is to cut funding for education. Nice broken promise.

Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said it was easy for Democrats to criticize without offering any solutions other than miniscule, tiny little token proposals to cut funding for the governors office and shave one extra day of session expense money and not pay for out-of-state travel for the legislative branch.

This is hard work. We didnt ask for this problem but we have a reasonable proposal here that does solve the problem that were in, Garrett noted.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, noted the governors budget was spared under GOP legislators compromise revisions. He doesnt have to give up so much as a flower pot, he said, while Bolkcom complained that state tax credits to corporations also were not part of the state belt-tightening process.

You are asking for nothing from the fat cats who have benefited from record tax cuts and special tax giveaways, said Bolkcom The people who clean this building pay more in state taxes than the big guys. The burden of the cuts is all being shouldered by average Iowans.

Schneider said Republicans looked at opportunities to save money via tax credits, but there were none to be had this far into the budgeting cycle. Money was transferred from several economic development accounts and $6.1 million was scooped from the states cultural trust fund to erase the projected shortfall.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Upcoming Kenyan femcee Yviona Musa May has dropped a remix of Davidos song Coolest Kid in Africa featuring Nasty C.

Dubbed Baddest B*tch in Africa, the song is for the ladies according to the 20-Year-Old rapper.

I just felt like men have been rapturous always singing about how they got juice, they got sauce. So I just felt like doing something for the ladies.

So, its a song for the ladies and I know they are happy singing to Baddest B**ch In Africa, Yviona told Word Is.

Yviona is best known for the 2016 song Thug Love with King Kaka.

Give it a listen below:


Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko has moved to condemn the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) for linking him to the violence against Governor Kidero in Dandora on Wednesday.

During the incident, three mediamax journalists in Kideros convoy were injured after the vehicle they were traveling in was pelted with stones by rowdy youth.

Condemning the incident, KUJ linked the violence to Mike Sonko, allegations the senator claims are meant to tarnish his name.

Read his full statement below:

It is with deep shock that the Kenya Union of Journalists has today without verifying facts linked me to the violence that erupted during a political meeting convened by Dr. Evans Kidero in Dandora estate.

I wish to first condemn such acts of hooliganism and violence against innocent journalists who were on assignment. I wish them quick recovery.

However, I wish to challenge KUJ for failing to carry out serious investigations on who might have invited the youths against the journalists.
The year is 2017 and for the first time in forever, there is a Nairobi matatu hospitable enough to give passengers free drinks.

The matatu, christened Punisher is staying ahead of the cut-throat game that is Matatu culture by giving out free soda, water, and energy drinks to its passengers.

Punisher plies the Nairobi-Ngong route and recently earned the accolade of Nairobis hottest matatu in a survey conducted by a local daily.

According to one of its managers, Calvin Odhiambo, the free drinks are given four times every week.

We are giving out the free drinks on every Tuesdays and Fridays for all passengers heading to Ngong from the City centre and this will continue just like it happens in flights, said Calvin.

For the one of a kind hospitality to work, the owner has to cough up Sh 10,400 per week to keep the passengers coming back.

We do this twice a day that is Sh5200, the second trip of the day and last one while heading to Ngong from the City centre around 5:30pm, this has made the matatu popular in the City because people from across Nairobi also hire it for private trips added Calvin.

Punisher also boasts of being the first matatu to install a mini refrigerator that was initially meant for passengers to keep their drinks but is now used to keep and cool the free drinks.
Two policewomen based at Mlolongo Police Station were on Wednesday charged with the theft of Sh 10 Million from two Chinese nationals.

Mary Muthoni and Eunice Mutuku, allegedly robbed Xing Shaoxiong and Jing Da Fei, employees of the China Road and Bridge Company, the firm contracted to build the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) on January 4th.

They denied the charges before Makadara Senior Principal Magistrate Angelo Kithinji.

The prosecution told the court that the two officers, assigned to guard a section of the SGR project, were armed with pistols at the time of the robbery, reports The Standard.

The court heard that the Chinese workers had withdrawn the money from a bank at Sameer Business Park on Mombasa Road when they were accosted by the law enforcers. They allegedly forced the complainants out of a car they were traveling in and threatened to shoot them if they raised the alarm.

They are alleged to have conspired with a taxi driver, Wilson Kamau, to steal the money.

The judge has ordered the arrest of Mr Kamau after he jumped bail and failed to appear in court Wednesday.

Of the stolen Sh10 Million, police have recovered only Sh135,000.

The officers were released on a surety bond of Sh1 million each pending the mention of their case on February 8.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump's sweeping preview of his plans to investigate voter fraud in the United States includes those registered in more than one state.

A number of people closest to the president fall into that category, including his Treasury Secretary nominee, Steve Mnuchin, Trump's son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, as well as his younger daughter, Tiffany Trump.

The president tweeted on Wednesday that he will be asking for a "major investigation" into voter fraud, "including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)," he said.

"Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!"

It's not illegal to be registered in two states and just because someone is, it doesn't mean they vote in both. Trump's comments likely suggest a crackdown on those who actually vote in two or more states  claims that secretaries of state across the country have dismissed as baseless.

Mnuchin is registered in New York and California, according to a public voter database, and Kushner in New York and New Jersey. Tiffany Trump is registered in New York and Pennsylvania, where she went to college, according to the database  something presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway called "flatly false."

"She had been registered in Pennsylvania and went through the process, (and) said it was very byzantine and took a long time, but she said that she is not registered to vote in two states," Conway said Thursday on NBC's "Today."

The president's chief counsel, Steve Bannon, shifted his Florida registration last summer, from a former home in Miami-Dade County where his ex-wife once lived, to a beachfront home owned by a Breitbart colleague in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast. On Wednesday, Sarasota Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner told reporters that Bannon never voted in the county and had been removed from the county's rolls this week based on information received from New York City's elections office.

A request for comment from the White House on how the proposed investigation might seek to address the two-state registration issue was not immediately answered.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have finalized their election results with no reports of the kind of widespread fraud that Trump alleges.

Trump has long asserted that the system is "rigged," but he increasingly vocalized his concerns in August after courts rejected tough voter ID rules put in place for the first time in a presidential election in states including North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. The rulings cited a risk of disenfranchising the poor, minorities or young people who were less likely to have acceptable IDs  and who are more likely to vote Democratic.

Trump's tweet on the investigation alarmed Democrats who already believe that moves to tighten voter ID laws are a means to restrict access to the ballot box. Like the president, Trump's pick for attorney general, Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who could oversee any federal probe, has shown sympathy toward claims of voting fraud.
Alain Fouquet French Cooperage, a premium wine barrel producer in France distributed through Alain Fouquet & Associates, Inc., Napa, welcomes Lucas Farmer as a sales team representative in the United States and Canada.

A native to the Napa Valley, winemaking is not new to Farmer. He brings to the company his many years of industry experience in enology and farming, as well as barrel operations and fermentation science, said a news release.
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates topped 7% for the first time in more than two decades this week. Get more info on that and more recent business news here.
ST. HELENA  The St. Helena City Council has approved an 8-unit apartment project on McCorkle Avenue, over the objections of neighbors who are concerned about soil contamination, traffic and safety.

After a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the council approved the project by a 3-2 vote, with Councilmember Paul Dohring casting the deciding vote that allowed the project at 632 McCorkle Ave. to move ahead. Councilmembers Geoff Ellsworth and Mary Koberstein cast dissenting votes.

Applicant Joe McGrath said hes willing to work with staff to make minor changes to the projects design, but the altered plans wont have to come back for another hearing.

The Planning Commission approved the project on Dec. 6, by a 2-1 vote. Attorney and St. Helena resident David Bradshaw of the law firm Jackson Lewis led an effort to appeal the commissions ruling to the city council.

His wife Vickie Bradshaw spoke against the project on Tuesday, and after the hearing confirmed that she plans to file a lawsuit challenging the citys ruling. During the hearing she faced off with City Attorney Tom Brown over several intricate legal points, with Bradshaw claiming the city was failing to review the projects full impacts as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Councilmembers Geoff Ellsworth and Mary Koberstein wanted McGrath to redesign some aspects of the project in response to criticism over the lack of space for children to play, insufficient natural light and air in the first-floor apartments, the lack of usable outdoor space on the second floor, and the designs compatibility with historic homes in the area.

Im as big a housing advocate as anybody, but I think that as we start to pursue and encourage multi-family housing, we really (need to) consider the standard that we are setting in the design, said Koberstein, who raised similar points when she voted against the project as a planning commissioner.

Councilmember Paul Dohring said he wasnt in favor of a full redesign, but he wanted expert opinion on the designs compatibility with historic homes.

(Compatibility) is such a loaded word, and that requires experts to tell me what that actually means, he said.

White said he liked the design and congratulated McGrath on a project that meets the citys standards and contains the minimum number of units allowed by the zoning. White said McGrath was willing to tweak the design on his own to address some of the concerns, and any further delays imposed by the city would just add to the cost of the project and eventually result in higher rents for tenants.

White said he preferred to leave it up to Mr. McGrath and the Building Department to come up with their own ideas.

Mayor Alan Galbraith agreed. (McGrath) has told us hes all ears, and I trust that, he said.

Opponents say McCorkle Avenue is the wrong place for development because its a dead-end street with a dangerous combination of many cars and many children who play in the street because there are no parks in the immediate area (the closest one is Meily Park a few blocks away). Neighbors generally supported Our Town St. Helenas 8-unit Brenkle Court project a few doors down, but they say the McGrath project is too much.

Neighbors said theyre also worried about soil contamination that occurred on the McGrath property under its previous owner, whom theyve described as a hoarder. The Napa County Department of Environmental Health will oversee and monitor McGraths remediation of the contaminated soil.

However, City Attorney Tom Brown said a legal technicality prevented the council from basing its decision on those environmental factors. He said the state recently forced St. Helena and many other cities to allow multi-family housing projects in areas zoned high density without requiring a use permit.

Its a fight that cities had for a long time but lost, Brown said.

Since McGraths project only required design review, the councils decision had to be based strictly on the projects design, not the environmental issues such as traffic and public safety that typically arise when the city is considering a use permit, Brown said.

Vickie Bradshaw strongly disagreed, saying the publics concerns about parking, traffic, the lack of play space for kids, and soil contamination deserve a full environmental impact, rather than the CEQA categorical exemption recommended by city staff.

Neighbors said there were grounds to deny the project on the basis of its design, which Ron Sproat called butt-ugly. But their most passionate arguments were based on the safety of children who play in the increasingly busy street.

We do not want to subject any of the children living on our street to these unsafe conditions, said Elizabeth Goelz.

However, the council didnt consider that factor because it didnt relate to design.

I think the frustration in this room is palpable, Koberstein said. But she and other council members accepted Browns advice on the limits of their discretion over the project.
The bright-pink afterglow of the weekend's massive Women's March on Washington had barely faded Sunday and thousands of women were still boarding planes and buses home when the critics came out swinging.

No, not President Donald Trump, who did wonder Sunday on Twitter, "Why didn't these people vote?"

The critics were women and men of color.

They saw privilege in the march that allowed hundreds of thousands of women - the overwhelming majority of them white - to march freely, beyond the borders of their permitted route in Washington, filling the streets in Los Angeles, effectively shutting down downtown Chicago, yet never encountering police in riot gear, never having to wipe away pepper spray, never fearing arrest. They saw privilege in the women posing for photos with grinning officers wearing pink "pussy hats" alongside them. High-fiving police, even.

And how did Madonna get away with talk of "blowing up the White House" in a speech on the Mall when those with darker skin fear saying such things even in private company?

On social media, the peaceful march had started a ruckus.

"White women and white bodies can hold space on streets and shut down cities 'peacefully' because they are allowed to," wrote blogger and author Luvvie Ajayi in a Facebook post that has been shared more than 6,000 times. "Black and brown people who march are assaulted by cops."

"In a world that doesn't protect women much, when it chooses to, it is white women it protects," Ajayi wrote.

Others burst the congratulatory post-march bubble with posts that contrasted gleeful, pink-hatted white protesters from Saturday with last summer's viral image of Ieshia Evans, a young black nurse and mother photographed during protests in Louisiana over the death of Alton Sterling, as she stood, alone and stoic, facing two officers in riot gear barreling toward her.

In a phone call from Philadelphia, Ajayi, whose book "I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual," debuted last year on the New York Times bestseller list, elaborated. "Nobody got arrested," she said. "But I felt I had to remind them why nobody got arrested and what creates the atmosphere where they can have a successful march."

She and others said they believed that the march is being heralded as a peaceful one because most of its participants were white.

"This march, the fact that it could go off peacefully and cops are wearing pink hats, and no one felt like they were in danger, and militarized police didn't show up, that's white privilege at its core," she said. "They have the access and ability to do the things the majority of black and brown people who protest don't have."

Ajayi didn't attend any march. She says she felt she didn't need to. "Black women showed up, and we voted for Hillary," she said.

"It's something they almost brag about. 'No one was arrested. The police gave us high-fives,'" said Johnetta Elzie, a Ferguson protester who also refused to attend any of the women's marches. "The people I've seen saying that are white women, and that's really spoken from a complete place of privilege."

In response, organizers of the march said in a statement that "the Women's March on Washington was a women-led grass-roots movement that served to bring people of all genders and backgrounds together to take a stand on social justice and human rights issues ranging from race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration and health care." Three of its organizers, the statement noted, are women of color.

Officers in Washington donned riot gear on Friday as widespread inauguration protests resulted in property damage, fires and attempts to shut down entry points to the swearing-in. Police arrested and charged hundreds.

But Sgt. Matthew Mahl, chairman of the D.C. Police Union, argued that the response was relatively subdued. "We are very restrained," he said. "And not all of our civil disturbance units were in riot gear on Friday."

And "Saturday, we were ready, just in case. But it just didn't turn out that way."

In Washington, where "there is some sort of First Amendment activity happening every day," the response to demonstrations is nuanced as a policy, Mahl said.

He noted that Washington is a town where the second Million Man March could be held peacefully in 2015, and where the KKK has also marched on the Capitol a few times.

Tension over diversity questions plagued the march in the weeks before the event. Anger erupted over the event's original name, the Million Women March, which echoed, without attribution, an important 1997 march by African-American women in Philadelphia. After a post on the march Facebook page by ShiShi Rose, a member of its social media team, that reminded marchers to recognize the activist work among people of color that started ages ago, some white would-be marchers said they would no longer attend.

Despite reservations among some black women about attending the march, too, Brittany Packnett, a D.C.-based educator and activist, went to the Women's March and calls its turnout "a feat."

"I went there not because I expected it to be perfect. I went with a bit of hope. But I also don't blame anybody who didn't go."

Afterward, she had a message for those who hoped to continue the march's momentum going forward.

"If we're going to say 'all women,' then we need to consider the way that different women experience life," she says. "When you are the kind of woman who has always been prioritized, it can be difficult to realize there are different experiences."

She added: "When we acknowledge various realities, we actually knit together a stronger movement - when we are considerate of the fact that every woman is not comfortable walking up to a police officer, given the way police have brutalized black and brown women in this country.

"We shouldn't dismiss that. We shouldn't say, 'Oh, well today was about unity, why are you complaining?' "
One problem in having a President who operates without much regard for facts, truth or consistency  one whose staff has devised the concept of alternative facts  is that when he says or promises something, no one can know whether he means it.

So it was with President Trumps mid-January promise of health insurance for everybody, including better coverage, more choice among policies, lower deductibles and no one left behind  far different from anything his Republican allies in Congress ever promised in their many efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Trump later walked back this commitment, promising now only that There will be nobody dying on the streets in a Trump administration. Then, in his first executive order, he authorized officials to disregard or delay parts of the ACA, including the unpopular mandate that most Americans must buy insurance or pay a tax.

For now, details of what some are calling Trump-care remain a mystery. But theres plenty of information available on what Obamacare has meant in California. Here are some facts: The number of previously-uninsured Californians covered under Medi-Cal (the states version of federal Medicaid) and the Covered California program of group and individual policies jumped this winter above 5 million  most of whom had no coverage before Obamacare.

Premiums have risen for them, but so have federally-funded subsidies to help many cover those costs  unless Trump and his allies undo the subsidies.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein says more than 3.7 million low-income California adults would lose health coverage if the ACA were repealed, as Republicans in Congress voted tentatively to do the other day.

Another 1.2 million here would lose the tax breaks they now use to buy insurance through Covered California.

But Republicans in Congress, led by House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, insist they wont merely repeal what exists now; theyll replace it with something better. Most versions they have floated of that improvement would include higher deductibles and lower coverage at greater cost, but the GOP says customers would then comparison shop and see market competition drive prices down.

Now comes Trump, at first promising something no other Republican ever touted: In a telephone interview with the Washington Post, he promised universal coverage, which Democrats sought for decades but never achieved. He also vowed to force drug companies to negotiate prices directly with both Medicare and Medicaid, possibly lowering prices for seniors on Medicare Part D and for some others.

Said Trump, There was a philosophythat if you cant pay for it, you dont get it. Thats not going to happen with us. Rather, he said, everyone in America can expect to have great health careMuch less expensive and much better.

We already know that if Obamacare were simply abandoned, left moldering beside historys highway with no replacement, at least some deaths and disabilities would follow. Cancer patients who could previously get no care once again would get little or none. Immunizations would drop drastically. Treatment for everything from kidney stones to the common cold would be cut, with commensurately more epidemics.

All this could happen if Trumps still secret new plan for health care doesnt work and amounts in real life to a simple repeal of Obamacare. Obama claimed in one of his many exit interviews that the ACA has established that mass insurance can be done; Trumps mixed messages leave it unclear whether he buys this idea.

And what if Trump-care actually appears and it works? The first reality is that this would likely see Trump and his fellow Republicans re-elected easily both in 2020 and in the mid-term year of 2018.

A second is that if health care becomes available to all at lower prices than todays, California and America will be healthier places.

But there is no assurance anything remotely like this will happen, or that it will work if it is mandated. In fact, Trump backtracked at least twice on what he said about universal access to health care. The devil is always in the details, of course, and thats especially true with any Trump proposal, if only because he so often plays fast and loose with both facts and his own past statements.
From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, the Grace Episcopal Youth Group will host a spaghetti dinner and silent auction to raise funds for the youths Guatemala mission trip in June.

The cost is $35 for adults in advance. At the door, cost is $40 for adults, $20 for youth from 12 to 18, and $10 for children younger than 10. Reserve a spot by mailing a check to Grace Episcopal Church, 1314 Spring St., St. Helena, CA 94574 or calling Deborah at 967-4655.
The White Barn to celebrate Valentines Day on Feb. 11

St. Helenas The White Barn celebrates Valentines Day with an evening of music and song devoted to that tenderest of emotions at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.

This evening will feature the Napa Valley Duo (pianist Terry Winn and cellist Jeffrey McFarland Johnson) along with soprano Cynthia Ermshar. Together, these accomplished local musicians will fill the Barn with classic love songs and ballads from the Broadway stage as well as the American songbook, including medleys of Rodgers and Hammerstein, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and others.

Refreshments at intermission include renowned Tcho confections and special chocolate-covered strawberries.

Seats are $35, available through Brown Paper Tickets (brownpapertickets.com/event/2795375) or by calling 987-8225. A portion of the proceeds from this event will help support local charities.
For years, I thought that legally the definition of vodka was a spirit that was colorless and tasteless. Was I ever wrong!

I discovered my error when I was checking the web for award-winning vodkas and I found these critics entries for two top-tier bottles.

Adnams Longshorerich in texture, with barley and sherbet aromas, roasted cereal flavors and an extremely long finish.

Then, I spotted one even more glowing:

Moulin Vodka by Jean-Paul Clear, attractive aromas suggest bison grass, whipped cream, pear, anise cookie, and powdered sugar with a satiny, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and an intricate interplay of peppery and confectionary spice, sweet wheat pastry, and mineral notes.

Wow! I love bison grass! Who doesnt?

So, I decided to have my own tasting to see what flowery adjectives I could conjure up.

I picked out nine well-known vodkas. I slightly chilled all of the bottles and tested each brand blind so as not to be swayed by the bottle, the name, or its advertising.

This requires extremely deep concentration, but, after all, I AM a professional. I did this at the cocktail hour for authenticity. After tasting, I ranked the vodkas in the order I perceived them. Without fanfare, here are the results:

1. Belvedere (tied for first) From Poland. Clean, and beautifully clear. On the nose, strong notes of alcohol and water. Lots of alcohol in the aftertaste, which soon dissipates into the essence of the vodka itself. A classic. Excellent.

2. Gray Goose (tied for first) From France. Beautifully clear and clean. On the nose, strong notes of water and alcohol. Plenty of strong alcohol in the aftertaste, which soon segues into the essential taste of vodka itself, only more so. Not a trace of bison grass. A classic. Excellent.

3. Chopin (tied for first) Also from Poland. In the glass, this vodka is beautifully clean and equally clear. Upon inhaling, there are predominant notes of both water and alcohol in fine balance. In the aftertaste, strong overtones of alcohol, which soon dissipate into something or other. A classic. Excellent.

4. Smirnoff (tied for first) Formerly from Russia, now USA. Upon pouring into a glass, this vodka shows equal amounts of clean and clear. Taking a big whiff, the fresh scents of alcohol and water emerge. After swallowing, the top notes of water and alcohol stay on the palate then give way to bottom notes of alcohol and water. A classic. Really excellent.

5. Absolut (tied for first) From Sweden. Clean and wonderfully clear. Lots of oomph in the nose from alcohol and water. This carries through in the taste and aftertaste, which then leaves the impression of clean and clear vodka. A classic. Excellent. Love the ads. Is this how its spelled? What happened to the e?

6. Finlandia (tied for first) Not surprisingly, from Finland. Clean and clear, and upon sniffing it, lots of vodka and water come through. In the after taste, not quite sure, mouth getting a little numb. FunnyI cant feel my tongue. Still a classic. Excellent.

7. Purus (tied for first) From Italy. Clean and wonderfully clear, which is good, because I just spilled the stuff all over my shirt. Nuts! I dropped my pen, too. Doesnt have much taste but what the devil would you expect? Mouth is really numb; maybe this is a good time to see my dentist. This is vodka, all right. From Italy? I thought Italy made wine! Must have had some grapes left over. Recession and all that. Still, a classic and darned good! Speaking of classicsdidnt the Renaissance come from Italy? Maybe a good name for a vodka would be Pisa. Lean and pure. Get it? OK, its not that funny.

8. Grey Goose (tied for first) Oops! I think I did that already. Hard to read my notes. Notes are blurry.

9. Blue Ice From the good old USA. Buy American! Say, this is really good stuff! The bottle looks like an icicle. I am having trouble writing this down, but it is certainly a good vodka from the good old United States and I think you should buy this, because its a classic and we should drink locally.

Summaryall tied for first. No seconds here. Everything good. Its only 7 p.m, but I think I will turn in early. Lets see...which way is the bedroom? I think it went that way.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed closer cooperation between the Alliance, Kuwait and other Gulf partners on Tuesday (24 January 2017). During a joint press conference with First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, the Secretary General praised Kuwaits efforts to build greater security and stability in the Gulf region.
When Solveig Cunningham was first thinking about applying for a Fulbright grant, a friend asked if shed lost her mind. She said, Do you know what a huge mess it is to pack up your whole life? Cunningham recalls from her new living room in Brussels, where shes now living with her husband and three young children.

But Im at a stage in my career where its nice to have a bigger perspective in terms of long-term research, the opportunities for collaborations and global impact, says Cunningham, associate professor of global health at Emorys Rollins School of Public Health. (The packing was a bit messy, she admits.)

A demographer and sociologist who researches child and immigrant health, Cunningham had been working with refugee communities in Clarkston, Ga., and was looking to develop a parallel project abroad. Thats when she heard about an informational lunch that Emorys Office of Global Strategy & Initiatives (GSI) was hosting about the Fulbright Scholar Program.

GSI really put this opportunity on my radar, she says. Thats by design: as part of the universitys global strategy, Emory has increased support for direct faculty exchanges in recent years.

Cunningham was drawn to Belgium, which has become a major destination for immigrants during Europes refugee crisis.

When immigrants first arrive in the United States, they tend to be in good health. But after 10 years, they reach the same obesity and diabetes levels as native-born Americans. Researchers have long thought this to be a result of immigrants exposure to an obesogenic environment.

But immigrants also develop higher rates of obesity and diabetes in Belgium, despite the fact that its childhood obesity rate is the lowest in Europe. Cunningham and her colleagues are trying to figure out why, looking at factors like the stress of migration.

Shes collaborating with Hadewijch Vandenheede of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, whom she met through the Fulbright process, and Bruno Schoumaker of the Universite Catholique de Louvain on the study.

Those partnerships bring in expertise from both Dutch-speaking and French-speaking institutions, and carry the added benefit of increasing the researchs visibility and impact: Internationally coauthored publications are cited six times as often as publications with only domestic coauthors. Cunningham is also setting up a summer practicum for some Emory students to participate in the project.

In the meantime, shes getting firsthand experience with the adventures and challenges of moving to a new country. Its the overlap of the actual experience of being an immigrant and studying immigration, she says.

In the aftermath of genocide

Back in Atlanta, Ralph Buchenhorst is navigating an immigrant experience of his own, having arrived from Germany in August. Atlanta traffic was a shock, but there have also been pleasant surprises: the warmth of strangers, the strength of academic infrastructure.

If you need a book, you get it, says Buchenhorst, a visiting associate professor in the Department of Philosophy. In Germany, sometimes you have to fight for it. Its very easy to do research here, and Im grateful for that.

Buchenhorst, who researches memory discourses related to the aftermaths of genocides, is teaching a graduate seminar on critical theory and an undergraduate course on representations of the Holocaust, thanks to funding from the German Academic Exchange Service.

In Germany, for the first 15 years after the Second World War, nobody was talking about the Holocaust, he says. It was simply taboo. The most important issue right then was to reconstruct the country. But its important to show that history is not only made by the victors. Its also made by the victims.

Although hes in the U.S. primarily to teach, The Carter Center and the Center for Civil and Human Rights made Atlanta a good place for research, too. And not just for Buchenhorst  The Carter Center was a big draw for Kalani Medagoda, a Sri Lankan lawyer who spent the fall semester at Emory as a Fulbright visiting research scholar studying the American legal framework for disability rights.

Rethinking disability rights in Sri Lanka

As a young lawyer, Medagoda struggled to argue cases in front of judges who were unfamiliar with Sri Lankas disability laws.

When a disabled client came to meet with us, the building only had stairs, so I always had to go down to meet with them, she says. We had blind people signing documents with no Braille.

Today, 10 percent of Sri Lankas 20 million people are disabled, and the country is aging. As an assistant legal draftsman for the federal government, Medagoda writes access rules that form the basis of laws passed by the parliament.

But she doesnt think these laws will bring about true change until the country shifts from a charity model to one that empowers people with disabilities.

Visits to Atlantas Shepherd Center, which offers spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation, and conversations with Emorys disability community have been eye-opening.

It made me think more broadly, she said. If you dont teach young people to be passionate about disability rights, the law cant do anything. It has to be part of the education system.
An Emory College German Studies professor will receive a national award for her debut book examining the evolution of protagonists in modern Yiddish literature.

Miriam Udel, associate professor of Yiddish language, literature and culture, and director of graduate studies at the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, has won the National Jewish Book Award in Modern Jewish Thought and Experience for her work, Never Better! The Modern Jewish Picaresque.

Her book examines Yiddish fiction as it grew out of the Jewish enlightenment of the 18th and 19th centuries  which, like broader literature, was concerned with the repair and improvement of readers  and into a genre less driven by change.

The title gestures at the comic spirit of one of the authors she writes about, Sholem Aleichem. His characters might have answered the question, How are you? with a cheerful, Never better! even as they feared life might not actually get better.

The genre therefore embraces the Jewish role of outsider or person living at the margins of community. In that way, literature has been a response to the marginalization of Jews and Jewish aspiration, Udel says.

To have it win in a category other than scholarship tells me that this book has something real to contribute to the conversation about modern Jewish thought, she says. I believe it has the potential to shape what we talk about and how we discuss issues.

The Jewish Book Council will honor Udel and other award winners at a ceremony in March at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. The council began recognizing authors through its awards program in 1950.

Hiram Maxim, chair of the Emory German Studies department, is proud of the Udels award and its timing, coming during her second year of a deep dive with Emory colleagues into the often overlooked body of 20th-century Yiddish childrens literature published between and immediately after World Wars I and II.

The award is a wonderful affirmation of Dr. Udels outstanding contribution to the scholarship on modernist Jewish literature, and the department is already excited about her next book project on Yiddish childrens literature, a topic that she is exploring this semester in a jointly taught course with Dr. Marshall Duke from the psychology department, Maxim says.

Udel says she also collaborated with her husband, Adam Zachary Newton, a distinguished visiting professor at the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, on her debut book.

She is eager to personally present the book to the only living author whose work she addresses, celebrated Israeli novelist David Grossman. Grossman will lecture as part of the 20th anniversary of the Tenenbaum Family Lecture in Judaic Studies on Feb. 28.

It will be an honor, Udel says.
23:33

The office of former prime minister Manmohan Singh may have taken a special interest to try and keep afloat Vijay Mallya's ailing Kingfisher Airlines against the run of play, emails and letters claiming this and accessed by CNN-News18 indicate.





In the series of emails and letters making these claims , Mallya thanked the former PM for sparing the time to talk to him and also acknowledged that former principal secretary TKA Nair spoke to the ministries concerned - apparently civil aviation and petroleum - to help the ailing airline.





Thank you for sparing time to meet me on September 8th to explain the... difficulties being faced by Kingfisher Airlines. I had also informed your goodself that we had approached our consortium of Banks, led by State Bank of India to grant us additional financial support urgently. You had asked me to follow up with Mr TKA Nair , which I did and I am deeply appreciative of the fact that Mr Nair immediately spoke to the concerned people in the Ministries involved (sic), Mallyas letter to Singh on October 4, 2011 said.









Another letter sent by Mallya to his top management showed the business tycoon was expecting an infusion of funds after his requests to the top government.





In a third letter, Mallya thanked Singh for the "positive statement of support" issued during a formal meet-the-press on board Air India One while returning from a trip to Maldives.





This was what Singh had said then: Private sector airlines have to be managed efficiently if they do get into difficulties. We have to find ways and means to help them get out of their losses. But I have not applied my mind to Kingfisher problems. When I get back, I will talk to Mr Vayalar Ravi (then civil aviation minister) and we will explore ways and means in which the airlines can be helped.
International Festival set at SIU

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, which has welcomed students from around the world since 1947, will celebrate its students and their diversity during International Festival 2017.

Unity in Diversity is the theme of this years celebration. SIU is home to students from more than 100 nations and many will join together to carry their countries flags during the International Parade of Flags at 10 a.m. on Feb. 6. Some of the participating students will wear traditional homeland attire as they parade from Woody Hall to the Student Centers International Lounge. There, Interim Chancellor Brad Colwell will sign the International Festival proclamation and give the official welcome at 10:30 a.m.

The ever-popular International Food Fair gives participants the chance to sample cuisine from around the world. The fair is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 8 in the Student Center Ballrooms. The menu will feature a wide variety of foods and drinks prepared by students from many countries. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Tickets are just 50 cents each and diners can purchase items ala carte or as complete meals with the number of tickets required varying. Beat the crowd and buy food fair tickets in advance from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays Feb. 1-7 at the Student Center Business Office windows, located on the second floor. Tickets will also be sold in advance from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 6-7 near the north escalators on the first floor of the Student Center. Tickets will be available at the door as well.

The Cultural Show at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the Student Center Ballrooms wraps up the festival. SIU students from across the globe will spotlight their countries and cultures through performances of song, dance, short plays, martial arts demonstrations and various other acts. The family friendly show is free and open to the public.

Sponsors of the 2017 International Festival include the Student Center, International Student Council, First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust, Roland C. and Betty J. Person, Bob Hall and friends, Sound Core Music and Video and the International Friends Club.

You can find additional information, including the menu for the International Food Fair, at www.studentcenter.siu.edu/internationalfest. Or, for additional information, call 618/453-5714.
He will address a rally in Jalandhar today and another in Ludhiana on January 29.

Besides, Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Ramlal, Narendra Tomar and Avinash Rai Khanna will campaign for the BJP candidates.

The BJP's Punjab manifesto focuses on implantation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The manifesto focuses on physical infrastructure, poverty elimination, education and health care.

The BJP's manifesto for Punjab includes free education till PhD for girls belonging to economically weaker sections and job for every family.

Punjab will vote on February 4 and the counting will take place on March 11. (ANI)
Industries and Commerce minister of Tripura Tapan Chakraborty has laid the foundation stone for third integrated check post (ICP) at Bangladesh border at Manughat of Kailashahar in North Tripura. Mr Chakraborty yesterday said Manughat ICP will be functional by next two years and it will be the biggest land port in the state so far to be built at Bangladesh border to facilitate import-export between two countries. The ministry of Commerce has sanctioned Rs 12.62 crore for infrastructure development and building of ICP at Manughat over seven acre of land in the North-west border along India and Bangladesh in Tripura. He said earlier two ICPs Akhaura in Agartala and Srimantapur in Sonamura of West Tripura were made operational that increased the volume of formal trade between two countries thereby generating a sizable employment and scope of business for the people of Tripura. The Manughat ICP will have bank, land port office, BSF check post, Weigh Bridge, transport bay and modern amenity centre, which will not only promote tangible business, also further strengthen people to people contact between two nations and boost tourism, Mr Chakraborty said. He, however, urged upon the Central government as well as the business community to extend support for bridging the gap between import and export volume in India and Bangladesh.UNI BB AD1111 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1124491.Xml
PI BT Baravkar and GD Pingle of the Kapurbawdi and Chitalsar police stations said the banners were put up at different locations in the city without permission.

The banners depicted a broken arrow and a saffron lotus on a chair described as `mayor's chair'.

The police at both the police stations have registered offences under sections 153 1, (a), 501 rw 34 of the IPC and also section 3 and 4 of Maharashtra Defacing of property rules 1995 against the alleged accused persons in connection with the offence.

The publishers name was given as Prabhakar Sawant, the police added.

The arrested were identified as Shiv Shravan Varma and Rajesh Pandurang Shinde, who had printed the banners and Subhedar Ramker Bind, Guddu Rambasant Brid, Jamvant Indradev Brid, Mukesh Shivkumar Sharma, Santosh Joku Bind, Rohit Harishchandra Gupta, who had mounted the banners.

Further investigation was on.

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Police said that following the appointment of Manoj Karpe as the Upa Shakha Pramukh of the Manohar Pada, a group of around 10-15 shiv sainiks were having a get together at the bunglow of one Bharat Sherekar on the intervening night of January 25-26. Around 0300 hrs, the alleged accused barged in at around 0300 hrs and picked up a fight with them.

The intruders attacked the sainiks with beer bottles, badly injuring the complainant Satish Gawde (42).

He was rushed to the hospital where he had to be administered several stitches on his head.

Mr Gawde happens to be the Thane City Co-ordinator of the Maharashtra Shiv vahatuk Sena, a transport wing of the Shiv Sena.

They also snatched away jewellery worn by him worth Rs 1.92 lakhs, the complaint stated.

The alleged accused were identified as Avinash Sunil Shinde and Vijay Ghone, and another unidentified person, police said.

An offence under sections 394 rw 34 of the IPC has been registered against the attackers and one of the injured sena leader has been hospitalised with stitches on his head the police added.UNI XR NV SB 1252

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Armed dacoits looted property worth lakhs of rupees from the house of a Mukhiya at Gokhulapur village under Narpatganj police station in the district last night. Forbesganj Sub Divisional Officer Ajit Singh said here today that more than ten dacoits raided the house of the Mukhiya of Mudaul panchayat Satyam Singh and looted cash, jewellery and other valuables after making family members captives at gun point. Mr Singh said the Mukhiya lodged an FIR at the police station. He alleged that the dacoits had raided his house with an intention to kill him. Further investigation is on, police added.UNI XC-DH KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1124719.Xml
A man and two women died when the maxicab they were travelling in met with an accident near Khumtung village in eastern Mizoram today. Police said the Aizawl-bound maxicab, coming from Serchhip town, ran off the road and fell into a deep gorge following which Lalhruaitluang, 35, and two womenLinda Lalsangzuala and Lalkhumi died on the spot. The driver and another passenger were injured and admitted to hospital. Five of them were travelling in the vehicle.UNI ZS KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1124771.Xml
He was 86. He is survived by his wife Mahalakshmi and three children.

Mr. Gowda was elected to the Lok Sabha on a Janata Party ticketin 1977. He was one of the two non-Congress members elected to theLok Sabha from Karnataka in those elections with the other beingK.S. Hegde, who contested from Bangalore South.

He was a native of Shivara village in Channarayapatna taluk,obtained his BE degree from the Engineering College in Davangere.

Entering politics in the 1960s, he was initially associated withthe Praja Socialist Party. He served as taluk development boardPresident in 1968, small industries advisory board member, MysoreUniversity senate member, and the vice-president of the MalnadTechnical Education Society.UNI BSP RS GM CS 1533

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Apple executives met with the Indian Government officials on Wednesday to discuss a plan to make iPhones in the southern city of Bangalore. Apple in a statement said it appreciated the constructive and open dialogue that took place with the government about further expanding our local operations, but it did not go into detail, CNNMoney reports. The iPhone maker is trying hard to increase its presence in the fast-growing south Asian country as global sales stagnate. A year ago, it applied to open retail stores in India. . Apple currently sells iPhones and other products in India through local distributors, but it lags far behind Samsung and Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Lenovo in terms of market share. India is pursuing a "Make in India" campaign to attract companies such as Apple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken several steps to promote foreign investments, including partial exemptions to a rule that overseas firms must source 30 percent of raw materials locally. But so far it has stopped short of granting additional concessions to Apple, according to local media reports. The potential payoff is huge. India has more than 300 million Smartphone users, according to technology research firm Counterpoint. It is projected to overtake the U.S. as the world's second largest Smartphone market this year. India's fast-growing middle class presents an obvious opportunity, but with average annual incomes of $1,500, most of its 1.3 billion people can't afford Apple's expensive products. "If you're importing complete units the taxes for those are increasing and we don't see the government backing down in that regard. For Apple, not having manufacturing in India raises the price of the iPhone even more," said Kiranjeet Kaur, a research analyst at consulting firm IDC. (ANI)
The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) India, Madras Chapter, will be organising the two-day National Conference on Internal Audit here on February three and four. The theme of the conference was Staying Ahead, Staying Relevant. Mr. Richard Chambers, Global President and CEO, Institute of Internal Auditors, USA will inaugurate the conference. The Conference will focus on the use of technology to improve speed, quality and reporting systems of Internal Audit. Around 300 delegates from India, Asia, Middle East, Sri Lanka and other neighbouring countries were expected to participate. There will be 18 current and contemporary technical sessions and two panel discussions during the conference. The special feature of this year's conference is that the IIA has planned to reward excellence in Internal Audit by presenting three National Awards under the categories 'Internal Auditor of the Year', 'Innovation Award' and 'Agile Technology Application in Internal Audit'. The second feature was that IIA would be releasing a handbook on 'Role of Internal Auditors in Internal Financial Controls' which would beunique and provides value for Internal Auditors.UNI GV CS 1710 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1125085.Xml
Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has blamed the RSS and BJP for the violence in Kerala and alleged that the RSS move to expand its base was leading to unrest. "RSS and BJP were instigating violence in the name of Hindutva and to expand their base in North Kerala after they won one assembly seat in the elections," he told reporters here. Mr Yechury said the attack on the RSS and BJP cadre was a retaliatory one after they tried to instigate the people on communal lines.Yesterday, the state secretary of the CPI(M) was attacked by the RSS people in Kannur. "I appeal to the RSS and BJP leaders of Kerala to participate in the peace talks initiated by the Kerala Chief Minister so that the situation could be defused," he added.UNI MB AE SHK 1704 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1124943.Xml
The attack took place when CPI (M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was addressing his party workers..

Alleging that the RSS uses standard methodology of polarising communalism to expand its base, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the cycle of violence in Kerala has been started by the saffron outfit.

"This cycle of violence in Kerala has been started by the RSS. The RSS practices a standard methodology all over India in efforts to widen its political base and that methodology is to create violence, sharpen communal polarization," said Yechury,

"And on the basis of violent attacks against their political opponents, they seek to expand and consolidate their base. It is unfortunate, but this is the type of politics the RSS practices," he added.

Earlier last night, a bomb was hurled near the venue of a public meeting called by CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at Thalassery. (ANI)
To give a boost to their last minute alliance for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav will unfold their campaign plan in a joint press conference here on January 29."Rahul Gandhi is coming to Lucknow on Sunday and will hold a joint press conference with Akhilesh Yadav, confirmed chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) Satyadeo Tripathi here today. Earlier, the two were scheduled to make a joint announcement about the alliance on January 22, but later the two state chiefs Raj Babbar and Naresh Uttam did the honours and addressed a press conference. The deal was sealed after overcoming a series of hiccups. However, the low-profile launch couldn't make the desired impact, therefore a joint press conference has been hastily planned, confirmed sources in the Congress.Akhilesh has already started addressing rallies, but Rahul is so far busy in Punjab which is going to the polls in the first phase on February 4. He is likely to fly to Lucknow for a joint press conference on Sunday after addressing a meeting in Punjab. Thereafter, joint rallies of the two leaders are likely to be scheduled."The Akhilesh-Rahul show is aimed at removing confusion and promote mutual confidence to make it a smooth and long-lasting friendship," says a UP Congress leader. Large-scale preparations are underway to make the joint press conference a mega event. An extensive media coverage of the event has been planned. Sources said that Akhilesh and Rahul-Priyanka Vadra are in constant touch through strategist Prashant Kishore to draw the strategy for the event.UNI MB SNU 2228 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1125629.Xml
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said that the United Kingdom accepts that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be allowed to run for re-election in the event of a peace settlement in Syria. This is a dramatic reversal of the British policy stretching back to the early days of the civil war that the president must go, reports the Guardian. Speaking on the eve of UK Prime Minister Theresa May's meeting with Donald Trump in Washington, Johnson acknowledged that with the U.S. President taking presidency, all sides need to rethink their approach to Syria. "It is our view that Bashar al-Assad should go, it's been our longstanding position. But we are open-minded about how that happens and the timescale on which that happens," Johnson told the Lords international relations select committee. "I have to be realistic about how the landscape has changed, and it may be that we will have to think afresh about how we handle this. The old policy, I am afraid to say, does not command much confidence," he added. The official Foreign Office view has long been that Assad can stay only for a short period as part of a transitional government. In the days after he was appointed as foreign secretary in July last year, Johnson insisted that Assad had to go. Johnson said it was crucial that the Trump administration recognised that any deal with Russia on ending the Syrian conflict would also involve accommodating Iran, another key Assad ally. Johnson also held out the conditional prospect of the UK working with Russia militarily to defeat Islamic State. The UK has been one of Russia's strongest critics but, in a change of tone that reflects the new mood in the White House, Johnson said Moscow had to be engaged. "We cannot endlessly push them away and demonise them," he said. (ANI)
MoD spokesperson Dawlat Waziri said on Thursday that more than 400 female recruits are in training at the Defence Ministry institutions currently, reports the Tolo News.

"There are 5,000 positions for female recruits in the national army. We have introduced two categories of posts which are only allocated for women. In case a male officer is employed in the post, we immediately terminate his job and introduce a female officer for it," he said.

According to the MoD, over 30 women are in training at the National Military Academy, 62 women at the ANA Officers Academy, 143 women at Malalai Military School and another 109 female recruits are in training in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Nazifa Zaki, member of Wolesi Jirga's (Lower House of Parliament) internal security commission criticized discrimination against women in the ranks of the Afghan security forces.

"Salaries and other allowances which are paid to men are not paid to women," Zaki said.

According to the MoD, 1,575 out of 195,000 female soldiers are serving in the ranks of the ANA.

A female soldier, Zahra Kazimi, meanwhile raised her concerns over the discriminatory approach against female recruits among security forces. (ANI)
Authorities have clarified that the allotment of 90 acres land to former Pakistan army chief General (Retd.) Raheel Sharif was made through a 'constitutional provision'. In a statement on Thursday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, "Issue of allotment of agricultural land to Army officers and soldiers is being debated and conjectured for last few days. In this regard it may be known that such allotments are through constitutional provision. Allotment to former COAS General Raheel Sharif, Retd is also under same provision and through government / Army procedures." The statement comes after the news created much controversy. It added, "This debate with intent of maligning Army also has the potential to create misunderstandings between state institutions thus considered detrimental to existing cohesion." According to the documents, which were circulated on social media and published by some newspapers, Sharif was gifted about 90 acres on Bedian Road in the capital of Punjab province through the army-controlled Border Area Committee. This was reportedly done by the army without consulting the civilian government. The total value of the land has been estimated at Rs. 1.35 billion. Sharif was reportedly allotted 50 acres in line with his rank as a four-star general, and another 40 acres as the chief of army staff. The land is in Mauza Rukh Bathant, located on the western side of the BRB Canal and adjacent to Mauza Heear, close to the Indian border. Experts said the allotment of land and distribution of other facilities to senior army officers is done directly by the army's General Headquarters through the adjutant general, an officer of the rank of lieutenant general. All Border Area Committees across Pakistan have the records of all the land along the frontier and these lands are given only to army officials. (ANI)
Jordan's King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump."HM King Abdullah II will start a working visit to US on Monday during which he will meet w/new administration & Congress," the Jordanian embassy in Washington said on Twitter yesterday. It did not say whether a meeting between Abdullah and Trump was scheduled.Abdullah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. Jordan is part of a US-led military campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria.Less than a week into his presidency, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that he would "absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.The creation of safe zones would ratchet up US military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from former President Barack Obama's more cautious approach. Increased US or allied air power would be required if Trump chose to enforce "no fly" restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas.Abdullah's visit comes as Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran.Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the Syrian conflict began. The vast majority of refugees referred by the UN refugee agency to the United States come from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.Abdullah, who has a role as custodian of the Muslim sacred sites in Jerusalem, has also been key to efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. Since Israel's creation in 1948, Jordan has absorbed waves of Palestinian refugees, as well as fugitives from the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon and from Iraq.While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a statement that drew an outcry from Palestinians and others who said it would kill any prospect for peace. REUTERS PS 0755 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1124406.Xml
South Korean and US Marines are conducting military exercises on ski slopes in sub-freezing temperatures, including shirtless hand-to-hand combat in the snow, prompting warnings of retaliation from North Korea over "madcap mid-winter" drills.More than 300 Marines are taking part, simulating combat on the ski slopes of Pyeongchang, host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, amid speculation North Korea could be planning another missile test in defiance of UN resolutions."US Marine Corps and ROK (Republic of Korea) Marine Corps partnered together at every level to build a camaraderie and friendship of the two countries' militaries but also to increase our proficiency in the event where we have to fight a war together," US Captain Marcus Carlstrom told reporters.The training began on January 15 and ends on February 3 in Pyeongchang, about 180 km east of Seoul.About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea in joint defence against North Korea, which is under UN sanctions over a series of nuclear and missile tests and which regularly threatens to destroy the South and the United States.Poverty-stricken, reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.James Mattis, in his confirmation hearing as US defence secretary, described "the Pacific theatre" as a priority and analysts expect new US military spending under President Donald Trump to strengthen the US presence in Asia.Topping US concerns in the region are North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programmes and China's military moves in the South China Sea.North Korean media was dismissive of the exercises, but warned of retaliation."The colonial puppet forces, no more than a rabble, are keen on escalating the tension and the moves to ignite a war at a time when even their American master is at a loss how to cope with the DPRK's powerful nuclear deterrent," North Korea's Minju Joson newspaper, quoted by the KCNA news agency, said."... If the south Korean warmongers ignite a war against the DPRK, totally counting on the US, the revolutionary forces of the DPRK will wipe out the aggressors to the last man by fully displaying their tremendous might ..."DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn said on Monday the deployment of a US anti-missile defence system should not be delayed in the face of the growing North Korean nuclear missile threat.South Korean Defence Minister Han Min-koo said today North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles were "a direct and substantive threat" and ordered thorough military readiness, Yonhap News Agency said. REUTERS SHS RK1129 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1124492.Xml
As some Native American tribes renew their push for more control over the natural resources on their lands, they will also urge Congress and President Donald Trump to prohibit state taxation of energy and resource development on reservations.States are generally prohibited from taxing Indians on reservations, but they are allowed to tax non-Indian companies extracting resources from tribal lands.The tribes, which have their own governments, argue they should have sole authority to levy taxes on such projects. Additional state taxes drives away company investment and economic development, tribal leaders told Reuters.Tribes including the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation in North Dakota's Bakken oil fields and the Navajo Nation in the US Southwest said hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues on their energy production goes to the states in which their reservations are located - with the tribes getting few state services in return."Dual taxation is an impediment to development," MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox said in an interview with Reuters.More than half of the tax revenues on energy projects "are taken out of the reservation and not put back in any shape or manner, aside from paving some state highways."Oil drilling on the Indian reservation of Fort Berthold accounts for about a third of North Dakota's production.The North Dakota Treasurer's office declined to comment.Native American lands are managed by the federal government, which provides financial support and services to tribes through a slew of initiatives - from housing aid, to jobs assistance, to historic preservation programs. States are not required to provide services on Indian reservations.Trump promised during the presidential campaign to strip away regulations on energy development, and his advisors are studying ways to ease especially burdensome regulations governing drilling and mining on tribal lands.A Trump administration official did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the question of state taxation.The Navajo Nation, which has also complained about the state taxation of tribal energy production in New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, said it will partner with the MHA Nation to lobby for changes to policy in Washington this year."If we are developing on our own lands, we shouldn't be required to pay royalties to the state," said Jackson Brossy, a representative of the Navajo Nation in Washington DC.Officials in the states of New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona did not respond to requests for comment.Fox said that North Dakota has collected close to 1 billion dollars from shared taxes from oil development on Fort Berthold. The money could have been better invested by the tribe in infrastructure and services, as well as programs to tackle the problems that an oil boom can bring, such as pollution and drug abuse."We have crime like we've never seen before," Fox said.REUTERS SHS VP1157 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1124532.Xml
German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung has once again released some more documents supposedly linking Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif to the company that owns the Park Lane flats in London despite the Sharif family pleading innocence in the Panamagate case before the Supreme Court. SZ Investigativ, the investigative arm of the German publication, on Thursday tweeted some more documents relating to the case. "For public interest, the loans from Deutsche Bank AG to two offshore companies owned by [the] daughter of PM of Pakistan according to Panama Papers," the Dawn quoted the first tweet accompanied by two documents as saying. The German publication in another tweet released redacted screenshots of email correspondence between Michael Rossiter of the Minerva Trust and Corporate Services and Sandra N. de Cornejo, Mossack Fonseca's head of compliance, as well as other internal Fonseca communications. "In these Panama Papers emails the daughter of Pakistan's PM is clearly named as owner of 2 offshore companies & London flats," said the screenshots accompanied by the message. The tweets once again revealed Mariam Safdar as the beneficial owner of both Nescoll and Neilsen, which are said to own one flat each in Avenfield House. However, the Pakistan Supreme Court has repeatedly expressed concern over the authenticity of these documents as they have not been cross-examined by the court. However, in a statement, Maryam Nawaz has already denied being the recipient or a participant in the correspondence between Mossack Fonseca and the British Virgin Islands' FIA. "Mossack Fonseca is a law firm and not a court of law and no letter of the firm could confer the title of properties on her," her statement submitted to the court said. Maryam in her written reply submitted to the apex court on Tuesday had rejected the allegations that she was a beneficial owner of the London properties. She also denied having correspondence between the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands and Mossack Fonseca. The German newspaper earlier in a tweet said, "For those in Pakistan who doubt the role of the prime minister's daughter Mariam Safdar in Panama Papers - some of the documents. Judge yourself," The newspaper tweeted the attachments purportedly shows her involvement with Minerva Financial Services. The tweet was accompanied by a document titled "Minerva Financial Services Limited Personal Information", which contains the personal details of Maryam Safdar. A copy of the Maryam's old passport was also accompanied with the tweet. Suddeutsche Zeitung was the first news outlet to receive the 11.5 million secret files from Panama-gate, which included the names of Pakistanis with off-shore holdings. (ANI)
Matters of mutual interest including regional security issues were discussed during the meeting, said an Inter-Services Public Relations statement.

The German envoy acknowledged Pakistan Army's achievements in fight against terrorism and continued efforts for peace and stability in the region. (ANI)
Latin American countries and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) expressed concern over US President Donald Trump's decision to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. "Most countries in Latin America maintain close friendly ties with the people of the US. Because of that, the Brazilian government is concerned about the idea of building a wall to separate sister nations on our continent, without a consensus between them," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry also encouraged such matters to be resolved through dialogue instead of isolationist measures, Xinhua news agency reported. "Brazil has always worked with a firm belief that matters between friendly people's, as is the case with the US and Mexico, should be resolved through a dialogue and the construction of spaces of understanding," the government said. Bolivian President Evo Morales called on embattled Mexico to look southward and help strengthen Latin American integration. "I call on our Mexican brothers to look more towards the south, to jointly build unity based on our (shared) Latin American and Caribbean heritage," Morales posted on Twitter. The message comes just hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled an upcoming meeting with his US counterpart amid a bilateral dispute over the latter's decision to erect a wall along the US-Mexican border. The UNASUR, which comprises Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, issued a scathing criticism of the US decision. In a statement from the bloc's headquarters in Quito, UNASUR Secretary General Ernesto Samper rejected the proposal as "humiliating" for Mexicans and Trump's stance as defiant. Trump has also floated the idea of slapping a 20-per cent tax on Mexican imports to finance the wall. Samper added that the UNASUR was "concerned by the tension in hemispheric relations, resulting from these types of measures, which affect the security and quality of life of our fellow citizens residing in the US". Deteriorating relations may also affect other developments in the region, including a peace process in Colombia and rapprochement with Cuba, he said. --IANS soni/vd ( 361 Words) 2017-01-27-19:16:07 (IANS)
US President Donald Trump will hold telephone calls with the leaders of Russia, Germany, and France on Saturday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a tweet on Friday.The Kremlin earlier said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump would speak. Separately, a source in Berlin said Chancellor Angela Merkel would talk with Trump, although Merkel's spokeswoman declined to comment. French President Francois Hollande and Merkel held a joint news conference earlier on Friday.REUTERS CJ AN1943 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1125496.Xml
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was appointed the Foreign Minister on Friday, days after he bowed out of this year's election battle against Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to Deutsche Welle, Gabriel moved out of the Economic Ministry into the Foreign Ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle on Friday. Earlier this week, Gabriel also stepped down from his post as the head of the Social Democratic Party. The Social Democrat on Tuesday said his low popularity ratings had led him to make way for his party colleague Martin Schulz, the former European Parliament president, as the top candidate in the race for the chancellery. Gabriel, 57, now replaces as Germany's top diplomat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is set to take over the largely ceremonial post of federal president in mid-February. In his roles as economy minister and Merkel's vice chancellor, Gabriel has drawn praise from businesses for fighting for unrestricted trade. He managed to circumvent opposition from within the SPD to such agreements as the US's Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada. Outgoing President Joachim Gauck formalised Gabriel's resignation as economy minister, a portfolio he hands over to Brigitte Zypries. Gabriel's centre-left Social Democrats are the junior coalition partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU block. Gabriel's efforts have contrasted with Merkel's, however. Though the chancellor and former US President Barack Obama demonstratively expressed support for TTIP, Gabriel was more straightforward when the deal finally appeared dead. If the general election results in another left-right 'grand coalition' led by Merkel's party, Gabriel would be expected to stay on as foreign minister. On his first trip as foreign minister, Gabriel will head to Paris tomorrow to meet his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault. "The partnership, close friendship and trust between Paris and Berlin is very important to Foreign Minister Gabriel too and that's why he is travelling to France right away," a ministry spokesman told reporters. Gabriel hopes to visit the United States soon after the Senate confirmation and appointment of nominated Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the spokesman added.(ANI)
Yemen has roughly three months supply of wheat left to draw from, leaving the country exposed to serious disruption as a central bank crisis cuts food imports and starvation deepens, the top U.N. aid official in the country told Reuters.A decision by Yemen's internationally-recognised government in August to move the central bank out of Sanaa, the capital city controlled by the armed Houthi movement with which it is at war, to the southern port city of Aden has triggered bigger hardships for Yemenis and paralysed the bank.Reuters reported in December that Yemen's biggest traders had stopped new wheat imports due to a shutdown in trade finance and no import guarantees from the central bank for some months.Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, said the Arab peninsula's poorest country had only three months left of wheat stocks and that was also likely to be the case for other key food grains such as rice."If we have only got three months supply, there is a possibility there will be a gap for a period of time," he said on the sidelines of a Yemen aid forum in London this week."One of the big concerns is how do we get liquidity into the system to allow people like importers to bring in these key commodities?," he said. "What happens next, no one is quite sure."Nearly two years of war between a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Houthi movement, which is aligned to Riyadh's arch rival Iran, has left two-thirds of the population in need of aid.The situation has become more desperate as many Yemenis face destitution after months of unpaid salaries."The economy has become part of the conflict equation," said McGoldrick.PRIVATE SECTOR CRUCIALSince the start of the year some wheat cargoes have been booked for Yemen as importers find ways around the payment freeze. But trade sources say it is not likely to make a major difference given the small quantities involved.McGoldrick said an "informal economy" brought in some food, but it was not enough to meet the basic needs of the population.Yemen's commercial sector was responsible for up to 90 percent of the country's imports and diplomats have also reiterated they must play a crucial role."The entry of commercial goods and humanitarian aid needs to keep flowing and this is the biggest threat," Antonia Calvo Puerta, head of the European Union's delegation to Yemen, told Reuters separately at the forum."We need to help the private sector to be able to do what they do best and for that we need a functioning (central) bank," she said, adding that wheat stocks were likely to be even lower than three months worth.Puerta said "trust and confidence building" needed to be built before the two rival central banks could work together.She said the World Bank's announcement earlier this month to provide $450 million in emergency support for Yemen was a first "brave step"."They are forcing others to put on the table new solutions," she added.The U.N.'s McGoldrick said the Saudi-led coalition still had to be "convinced the problem is that big"."Without the money, starvation is looming large," he said.The U.N. has flagged separately it will need around $2 billion this year for humanitarian work in Yemen in what it says is now the "largest food security emergency in the world".U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council on Thursday "famine is now a possible scenario for 2017" if no immediate action is taken in Yemen. REUTERS CJ AN2038 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1125608.Xml
Russia's Foreign Minister,Sergey Lavrov said in a meeting with Syrian opposition representatives in Moscow that U.N.mediated Geneva talks, previously set for February 8, have been postponed until the end of the month.

However, there was no confirmation from the United Nations on the latest plans for the next round of talks between the Syrian regime and opposition.(ANI)
The United Nations on Friday said that there has been no confirmation that talks on the Syrian conflict planned for February 8 in Geneva have been postponed as earlier announced by Russia. A spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said today that there is no confirmation that the talks are postponed. He said, UN will confirm after the special envoy is back from talks next week with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier today that the Geneva talks would be postponed until the end of February.(ANI)
Russias embassy in Britain on Friday ridiculed Prime Minister Theresa May for her warning to US Republican lawmakers that the West should "engage with, but beware" of President Vladimir Putin. May invoked the spirit of the Cold War on Thursday, when she warned of a possible "eclipse of the West" if they failed to engage with Moscow "from a position of strength". Her caution to US politicians came ahead of a planned phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump on Saturday, when the two leaders will speak directly for the first time. In response, a mocking poem poking fun at the PM's "Cold War" mindset was posted on the official Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in London. Addressing a Republican "retreat" in Philadelphia, May said: "When it comes to Russia, as so often, it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who, during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev, used to abide by the adage trust but verify." "With President Putin, my advice is to engage but beware". In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump said it would be to the advantage of both Russia and the US to mend ties and pool their efforts in the fight against terrorism, adding that he was looking forward to speaking with his Russian counterpart. "He called me after I won, but I haven't had a discussion, but I understand we will be having a discussion soon," he said. Russian envoys around the world are known for their tweets poking fun at Western leaders. In September of 2014, the Russian embassy to the United Arab Emirates trolled NATO's release of satellite images described as "proof" of Moscow's military involvement in Ukraine. The diplomats posted a picture of toy trucks, tanks, and armoured vehicles all lined up on the ground, with the words: "#NATO's latest evidence of #Russian armour invading #Ukraine has been leaked! Seems to be the most convincing ever!" --IANS ahm/vd ( 340 Words) 2017-01-27-23:00:08 (IANS)
Attorney General Jeremy Wright (L, front) arrives at the British Supreme Court in London, Britain, Jan. 24, 2017. The British Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled on that Prime Minister Theresa May must consult Parliament before triggering formal negotiations on Britain leaving the European Union. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The British Government laid a brief bill before parliament Thursday to pave the way for Britain's exit from the European Union.

There was no debate when the bill, taking up just two sentences, was formally presented in a process that took less than one minute.

The Leader of the House of Commons David Lidington announced that there will be five days of parliamentary debate before a vote is taken.

David Davis, the government's main Brexit minister, said in a statement: "The British people have made the decision to leave the EU and this government is determined to get on with the job of delivering it."

"So today we have introduced a Bill in Parliament which will allow us to formally trigger Article 50 by the end of March. I trust that Parliament, which backed the (June 23) referendum by six to one, will respect the decision taken by the British people and pass the legislation quickly."

A number of pro-EU members of parliament have already indicated they plan to table a range of amendments to the bill.

The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) has said it will vote against the bill, while the leader of the minority Liberal Democrats Tim Farron has said his party will oppose it unless there is a guarantee of a second national referendum on the terms of the final deal Westminster makes with Brussels.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, has said Labor MPs will be told to vote in favor of the bill to enable the government to trigger article 50.

Labor's Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said: "We will not get in the way of it, but we will try and amend the legislation in order to ensure that they keep coming back, that we keep an eye on them. And, if necessary, there will be hand-to-hand combat on this."

But a number of Labour MPs, reported to be as many as 60, have threatened to disobey Corbyn's instruction and vote against, deepening the continuing rift between the leader and opponents within his own ranks.

Political commentators in London say it could lead to a number of Labour shadow ministers resigning over the issue.

Within minutes of details being published there were claims by some politicians that they were being gagged by the government in the way the process was being handled.

Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said on social media the restriction of debate on the bill to just a few days was a disgrace.

The Daily Mail newspaper said battle lines had been drawn with the publication of the article 50 bill.

Parliament is in an unprecedented position in that it is being asked to vote for Brexit - something 75 percent of MPs are opposed to, according to BBC.

Constitutional expert Vernon Bernard Bogdanor said in a media interview Thursday that the House of Lords will be more of a problem for the government because it does not have a majority there.

Bogdanor said Prime Minister May could call a general election if the House of Lords tried to thwart the legislation.

Official papers announced the bill will be debated in the House of Commons on Tuesday and Wednesday, with further debates the following week.

It will also have to be approved by the House of Lords where it could face more opposition.

Once it has completed its passage through both houses of parliament, Queen Elizabeth will add her signature, giving legal Royal Assent to the bill.

The aim of the government is for the whole process to be fast tracked, to be completed within weeks to enable Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger article 50, the process for exiting the EU, before the end of March.

May had hoped to trigger article 50 without parliamentary approval, but the Supreme Court has ruled that the government must first seek parliamentary agreement.

Official documents summarize the brief bill saying it is a "bill to confer power on the Prime Minister to notify, under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the EU."
HANGZHOU, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibaba's financial arm, announced late on Thursday that it has reached a deal to acquire U.S. money-transfer company MoneyGram for 880 million U.S. dollars.

"The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world," said Eric Jing, chief executive officer of Ant Financial Services Group.

The company owns Alipay, one of China's biggest online payment platforms and controls the company that manages the country's largest money market fund, Yu'ebao.

The transaction will connect MoneyGram's money transfer network of 2.4 billion bank and mobile accounts and 350,000 physical locations with Ant Financial's users, according to the statement.

MoneyGram will remain headquartered in Dallas and continue to operate under its existing brand, it said.

The transaction will help expand Ant Financial's business following its partnering with Paytm in India and Ascend Money in Thailand, it said.

Alex Holmes, CEO of MoneyGram, said Ant Financial is an ideal partner. "We will be able to expand our business, and in doing so, offer people around the world access to a reliable financial connection to loved ones," Holmes said.

The transaction is subject to approval of MoneyGram's stockholders and regulatory approvals. The acquisitions is expected to finish in second half of 2017.
EU Commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, addresses a press conference following an informal meeting between him and Malta's justice and home affairs ministers at the presidential palace in Valletta, capital of Malta, on Jan. 26, 2017. EU Commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, highlighted on Thursday the importance of tackling migration from Libya in the European Union (EU). (Xinhua/Mark Zammit Cordina)

VALLETTA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- EU Commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, highlighted on Thursday the importance of tackling migration from Libya in the European Union (EU).

Addressing a press conference following an informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers in Malta, Avramopoulos said it was crucial to tackle migration from around the Libyan route.

He said member states needed to focus on fighting human smuggling, helping to manage migratory flows in a more effective way, continuing to save lives at sea and also improving conditions of migrants and refugees in Libya and neighboring countries.

"All countries need to be respecting international and fundamental human rights. This is a basic principle we will not weaken," Avramopoulos said.

The European Commission this week rejected a suggestion by Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to offer Libya a deal similar to the EU's agreement with Turkey on migration.

Malta's Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela spoke of the need for a holistic approach to better manage migration with member states, not only when it came to internal factors, but also external ones.

"The internal and external factors are interlinked to try and find a better way to manage migration," Abela said.
BRUSSELS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Eurogroup urged Greece and its creditors to swiftly resume negotiations to agree on a policy reform package on Thursday in a bid to maintain the sustainability of Greek debt.

The reforms concerned Greece's labor and product markets, its energy sector and other areas, the Eurogroup said in a statement released following the Eurogroup meeting on Thursday.

Ministers of the 19-country single currency zone also expected that an agreement would be reached on Greece's medium-term fiscal strategy.

The second review of the Greek bailout program was initially scheduled to close in 2016, but has stalled over diverging views on thorny issues, including fiscal targets and labor reforms. Enditem
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday.

Spicer said Trump wanted to use the new tax to fund the proposing wall between the United States and Mexico.

Spicer's words were spoken hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled the work meeting with President Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.

Spicer didn't release any detail about how the new tax will work.

Building a wall at the U.S. southern border with Mexico to be paid by Mexico was one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to build "a large physical barrier" between the two countries.

Trump reiterated Wednesday during an interview that the wall project will start as soon as possible and financed by Washington, but Mexico will "100 percent" reimburse the United States at "a later date," which has been rejected by Mexican government for several times.
By EVAN DUGGAN

VANCOUVER, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Vancouver has been named one of the world's most unaffordable cities for housing, according to an annual international study.

Vancouver is Canada's third-largest metropolitan center and home to about 2.5 million people. The West Coast city ranked third on the 2017 Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey. Vancouver ranked second overall last year.

Demographia compares 406 metropolitan housing markets in nine countries including Canada, China, Australia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The report, now in its 13th year, links median house prices to median household incomes, for a so-called median multiple. Vancouver's median multiple is 11.8. A value of 3.0 or less is considered affordable.

The findings blasted Vancouver as having the worst housing affordability in all of Canada, rating the city as "severely unaffordable".

Since 2004, Vancouver's median multiple climbed from 5.4 to 11.8.

This year's study also said that more people moved out of Vancouver last year than moved in.

Only Hong Kong, and Sydney, Australia were rated as more unaffordable than Vancouver, with a median multiple of 18.1 and 12.2, respectively.

Vancouver was trailed on the list by cities such as: Santa Cruz, California (11.6); Santa Barbara, California (11.3); Auckland, New Zealand (10.0); San Jose, California (9.6); Melbourne, Australia (9.5); and Honolulu, Hawaii (9.4).

The study called for governments to take action to address housing prices and it placed significant blame of deteriorating conditions on urban containment policies, which limit urban expansion.

"We should not accept extreme price levels in our housing markets," wrote Oliver Hartwich in the forward of the report. He is the executive director of the New Zealand Initiative, a think-tank focused on housing affordability.

"High house prices are not a sign of city's success but a sign of failure to deliver the housing that its citizens need," he said.

Vancouver has a reputation as a highly livable and safe city, with a clean environment, natural beauty and good schools. But the cost of housing has been at a crisis level in recent years.

The overall vacancy rate for purpose-built rental housing is now 0.7% in Metro Vancouver, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Meanwhile, the average rent for a home in the region climbed to 1,223 Canadian dollars (933 U.S. dollars), up six percent over last year.

As part of its strategy to ease investor speculation in the Metro Vancouver housing market, the provincial government last year enacted a 15 percent tax on the purchase of homes by foreigners. The effects of that policy on the region's housing market remains unclear.

The cost of housing puts a strain on people who work in the city, including some of its most important workers. The Vancouver Fire Department employs about 800 uniformed staff, most of whom can't afford to live in Vancouver proper, said Vancouver Fire and Rescue spokesman, Capt. Jonathan Gormick.

Instead, they must commute in heavy traffic from nearby cities, he said.

"It is challenging and we do have restrictions on how far out of the city the majority of our staff can live," he told Xinhua this week. He said 70 percent of fire department staff must live within a boundary including Vancouver's neighbouring municipalities.

"That's to make sure that in a large emergency that we can get enough staff to respond for call-out if needed."

"It's difficult when we work in a city that is highly desirable to live in because of climate and because of location, but Vancouver is also extremely limited in the amount of property it has," he said.

"We don't have the ability to sprawl like a lot of other cities do, like for example Calgary or Ottawa. We're limited on three sides by water, and of course the [U.S.] boundary on the other side," he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) returns to the White House from Philadelphia, in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 26, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday.

Spicer said Trump wanted to use the new tax to fund the proposing wall between the United States and Mexico.

Spicer's words were hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled the work meeting with Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.

Spicer didn't release any detail about how the new tax will work.

"We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," said Trump at a party retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Analysts said although U.S. President has the authority to impose tariffs, Trump cannot simply impose a new tax on imports from Mexico because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which eliminated all tariffs among Canada, United States and Mexico.

If Trump wants to impose a border tax against Mexico, he needs to withdraw the United States from NAFTA first. After notifying the other two signatory nations for six months, the United States can impose tariffs against Mexico.

Building a wall at the U.S. southern border with Mexico to be paid by Mexico was one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to build "a large physical barrier" between the two countries.

Trump reiterated earlier Wednesday during an interview that the wall project will start as soon as possible and financed by Washington, but Mexico will "100 percent" reimburse the United States at "a later date," which has been rejected by Mexican government for several times.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (R) addresses a joint press conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (L) after their meeting in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Aug. 31, 2016. (Xinhua/Str) (fnc)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday.

Spicer said Trump wanted to use the new tax to fund the proposing wall between the United States and Mexico.

Spicer's words were hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled the work meeting with Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.

Spicer didn't release any detail about how the new tax will work.

"We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," said Trump at a party retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Analysts said although U.S. President has the authority to impose tariffs, Trump cannot simply impose a new tax on imports from Mexico because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which eliminated all tariffs among Canada, United States and Mexico.

If Trump wants to impose a border tax against Mexico, he needs to withdraw the United States from NAFTA first. After notifying the other two signatory nations for six months, the United States can impose tariffs against Mexico.

Building a wall at the U.S. southern border with Mexico to be paid by Mexico was one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to build "a large physical barrier" between the two countries.

Trump reiterated earlier Wednesday during an interview that the wall project will start as soon as possible and financed by Washington, but Mexico will "100 percent" reimburse the United States at "a later date," which has been rejected by Mexican government for several times.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Special Representative for The Gambia, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, plans to have further discussions with Gambia's new President Adama Barrow in the Gambian capital of Banjul, said a spokesperson here on Thursday.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing that Chambas arrived in Banjul earlier on Thursday and will meet with the president, the speaker of the national assembly, the diplomatic community and civil society organizations in the country.

"He will assess how the UN Office for West Africa can best assist the political transition," said Dujarric.

On Jan. 19, Barrow was sworn in as new Gambian president at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, capital of Senegal. He is now back to the Gambian capital.

Barrow won Gambia's presidential election on Dec. 1, 2016. However, his election win was challenged by former President Yahya Jammeh who had refused to cede power to him.

Under the mediation of West African countries, Jammeh has recently agreed to step down and leave the country.
CANBERRA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is facing pressure from within his own cabinet to take action on "negative gearing", following a backlash to a report which showed property prices in Sydney and Melbourne were among the highest in the world.

Negative gearing occurs when a property investor takes a short-term loss on their property to get ahead of the market; they take in less income than what their mortgage costs, but the increase in property value over time outweighs the initial shortfall.

The practice is used by many property investors, but is criticized by those looking to enter the property market for the first time, as it often means they can be "priced out" by investors looking to add to their portfolio.

Despite findings which showed Sydney and Melbourne were among the most expensive to live in worldwide, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday said making changes to negative gearing tax concessions would not make housing more affordable, as many of those who negatively gear their investment properties were younger or middle income earners.

"We have looked at it," Turnbull told Macquarie Radio on Friday.

"The reality is the vast majority of people who negative gear, that is to say who buy a rental property and offset the loss against their wage or salary, the vast majority are Australians on middle incomes.

He said the solution to the housing affordability crisis would be to simply build more houses.

"There is a tendency for people on the left to overlook the fundamental reality which is that the reason housing affordability has deteriorated is simply because demand has been consistently exceeding supply," Turnbull said.

"We have not been building enough dwellings, and that is one of the reasons why I have taken a very different approach to my predecessors -- both Labor and Liberal --in terms of federal government's role in cities.

However, Turnbull is facing pressure from within his own cabinet. Sydney MP John Alexander told News Corp that Turnbull was "playing politics" -- refusing to take action on the issue simply because Labor said they would.

Alexander said "the proof was in the pudding" after the report showed Sydney and Melbourne were among the most expensive cities in the world.

"That was pre-election and we have now passed the election, we have had the hearing completed into housing affordability and the findings have been tabled," Alexander said.

Meanwhile the opposition has also stepped up the pressure on the government to make owning property in Australia easier.

Opposition spokesperson Anthony Albanese told the Nine Network on Friday that keeping high-earning property investors in the city at the expense of a younger generation could drive people away.

"The government itself, this time last year, was speaking about getting rid of the excesses of negative gearing. They know that they're there, they know that young people are going to an auction and competing with investors for the same house that is pricing them out of the market," Albanese said.

"We run a risk in this city of Sydney and other cities of simply saying to the younger generation 'you will never own your own home'."
COPENHAGEN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen hopes the Year of the Rooster will be an opportunity to further upgrade Denmark-China partnership.

Denmark and China are already close strategic partners, and their relations between the two countries are like wine -- the older, the better, the prime minister said in a message to the Chinese people on the occasion of the Spring Festival that falls on Saturday.

"I am very pleased to wish the Chinese people a happy new year of the rooster," Rasmussen said.

"There is an old Chinese saying, that 'friendship is like wine -- the older the better'. The warm relations between China and Denmark prove just that," he said.

Rasmussen said Denmark and China have shared a wish of mutual understanding and prosperity for centuries, and the two countries have inspired each other in many ways.

He noted that the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote a fairytale about ancient China, "The Nightingale."

"Likewise, the progress of modern China is a fairytale," the prime minister said. "Every time I visit your great country, I am struck by your drive, skills and grandness. You make the impossible possible."

"In Denmark we look forward to following and joining your journey of progress, in 2017 and beyond," he added.

China and Denmark will jointly launch the first ever "China-Denmark Year of Tourism" on Feb. 24 in Beijing.

"Denmark is honored to be the first European country to celebrate a year of tourism with China," Rasmussen said, noting that many interesting events will take place throughout the year.

Rasmussen said the ancient Danish capital city of Copenhagen is the favorite destination for Chinese tourists in Denmark.

Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city on the Jutland peninsula, has been designated as the European Capital of Culture in 2017.

The prime minister hopes that the Chinese tourists will also visit the city and celebrate the cultural event with the Danish people.
DUBLIN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny on Thursday extended his greetings to the Chinese community in Ireland on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

"On behalf of the Irish people, I wish to send my warmest greetings to the Chinese community as you celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster," Kenny said in his Chinese New Year message.

"On this occasion, I would like to wish all the Chinese community in Ireland health, prosperity and happiness throughout the Year of the Rooster," he added.

He said the Chinese New Year is a wonderful occasion to showcase and celebrate Chinese culture in Ireland.

"I am glad that the tradition is now widely celebrated throughout the country by many people of differing traditions," said Kenny.

Modern Ireland is now a richly diverse country and the Chinese community continues to make an important contribution to all aspects of modern Ireland -- social, cultural and economic, noted Kenny.

He said Ireland and China continue to enjoy a very special and close relationship.

"While we are both rooted in our rich and ancient cultures, we are also well adapted to meeting the challenges of the modern world," he said.

"Working ever closely together is an important aspect of our mutual goal to increase the prosperity and well-being of our peoples," he added.
Revelers perform dragon dance at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 27, 2017. Lion and dragon dances were performed in Cambodia on Friday to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Lion and dragon dances were performed in Cambodia on Friday to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Saturday.

Three lion and dragon dance troupes staged at the Royal Palace and the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh on Friday morning.

At the Royal Palace, the troupes were welcomed by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Royal Palace Minister Kong Sam Ol, while at the Chinese Embassy, they were greeted by Ambassador Xiong Bo.

Xiong said he was very pleased to see overseas Chinese and Cambodians of Chinese descent preserve Chinese traditions and custom well.

"May the Year of the Rooster bring luck, fortune and prosperity to the Chinese people, the Cambodians of Chinese descent, and all Cambodian people," he said.

The ambassador was strongly confident that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation between China and Cambodia would be further deepened in the New Year, particularly under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

Luo Si Xing, vice-president of the Association of Khmer-Chinese in Cambodia, said lion dance was to greet the Spring Festival and to promote Chinese culture and traditions in Cambodia.

Lion dance is usually invited by traditional Chinese families to perform as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Spring Festival and to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.

Chinese New Year is broadly celebrated in this Southeast Asian country, though it is not a public holiday here.

On Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen sent his greetings to overseas Chinese and Cambodians of Chinese descent on the occasion, blessing them with good luck, fortune and happiness in the New Year.

It is estimated that more than 700,000 Cambodians of Chinese descent are living in Cambodia.
SINGAPORE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Singapore must renew its economy to stay relevant to the world as well as maintain vibrant and prosperous, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday in his Chinese New Year Message 2017.

Lee wishes all Singaporeans a Very Happy Lunar New Year via the message. As New Year is a time for thanksgiving and reflection, he urged Singaporeans to take a longer look back, to remind them how far the nation has come and what contribution the earlier generations have made in the past.

Lee said one important area of renewal for Singapore is the economy. Singapore must continue economic restructuring especially at this moment when there is such uncertainty in the global environment.

Singapore's economic growth was sluggish last year, although it picked up towards the end of 2016. He hopes the pickup will continue through this year, he said.

"In Singapore, we have always grown by renewing ourselves, taking our economy in fresh directions, opening new markets and fields of business. That is how we have stayed relevant to the world, vibrant and prosperous," said Lee.

The prime minister revealed that the Committee for the Future Economy will deliver its report soon, setting out strategies for growth in the next 10 to 15 years.

"Here in Singapore, we tackle our challenges together. Government, businesses and workers all play their part, coming together to plan ahead, support one another and seize new opportunities," Lee said.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Rio de Janeiro state government of Brazil signed on Thursday an agreement with the federal government to receive financial aid to overcome a serious financial crisis.

Rio de Janeiro state declared state of fiscal calamity in mid-2016, and state workers have not received their salaries. State universities also suspended classes because they lacked infrastructure to operate.

Rio de Janeiro state's deficit is estimated at up to 26 billion reals (8.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017.

With the agreement, the Rio government will take two loans of 6.5 billion reals (2 billion dollars).

In exchange for that, the state will have to fulfill several conditions related to expenses cuts amounting to 9 billion reals (2.8 billion dollars) and measures to increase the tax collection by 1.2 billion reals (377 million dollars).

The deal is valid for three years and can be renewed if it proves necessary. During that time, the state will not have to pay its debts to the Union.

Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said other states will be able to request federal help as well, if they fulfill the requirements.

The agreement which was signed in Brasilia by President Michel Temer and Rio de Janeiro Governor Luiz Fernando Pezao, needs to be validated by Congress and the Rio state assembly to take effect.
SYDNEY, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A rural telecommunications project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) will give 1.2 million people access to the internet, the World Bank has announced.

Set to begin development in August 2017, the project will improve access to telecommunications infrastructure and services in rural and remote areas of PNG, the World Bank said Thursday.

The World Bank has been advising the PNG government on its telecommunications since 2008.

"The ongoing rural communications project has financed the installation of mobile base stations at 59 sites in remote areas and has increased telecommunications coverage from 20 percent in 2009 to 90 percent in 2016," the World Bank said.

"It has contributed to providing basic telecom services to over 500,000 people previously unserved by any form of telecommunications services," it added.
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mexico City's Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera on Thursday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for treating bilateral ties with Mexico as if it were a "business contest."

"He really looks as if he is handling a business contest," Mancera said in an interview with Radio Formula, adding that Trump is not working on "constructive political ties."

These remarks came amid spiraling tensions between the two countries, as Trump is trying to impose a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico to fund the wall he proposed between the United States and Mexico.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled a working meeting with Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington, after Trump posted on Twitter that "if Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting."
KUNMING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two people implicated in the sale and distribution of drugs have been detained in southwest China's Yunnan province, said local police on Friday.

Menglian County Police in Pu'er City were tipped off last Thursday that a woman from Myanmar had contact with some dealers inside China.

Midnight Sunday, officers stopped a small truck, which was found to be carrying drugs, in Jinghong city, and caught Ding and Dai, both natives of Yunnan.

Police later discovered nearly 24 kilograms of heroin hidden in the water tank.

The investigation continues.
by Muhammad Tahir

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Political and foreign affairs experts in Pakistan do not expect major changes in the U.S. policies under President Donald Trump, but some anticipate a tough time ahead for the country.

The Pakistan-U.S. ties had been tense during former U.S. President Barak Obama's tenure and last year Washington stopped a 300-million-dollar military aid to Pakistan and suspended the sale of F-16 fighters on subsidized rate.

The United States cited Pakistan's "lack of cooperation" to take action against the Taliban-linked Haqqani network and to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiation table.

"I think the United States will keep on exerting pressure on Pakistan to take action against those who pose threat to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The country is likely to urge Pakistan either to bring the Afghan Taliban to the table or take action against them," Sarfaraz Khan, director at Area Study Center in Peshawar University, told Xinhua.

On their part, Pakistani officials insist the Haqqani network has been expelled from the country's North Waziristan tribal region as the result of major military offensive in 2014. However, U.S. leaders were seemed dissatisfied and pressed Pakistan to "do more".

A senior Pakistani official, dealing with Afghanistan and was part of many meetings with the American officials, however, said that it is in fact the United States that has harmed diplomatic efforts for peace process in Afghanistan.

He referred to the killing of the Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a U.S. drone strike in May last year.

The strike was just three days after a quadrilateral group meeting of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States in Islamabad called for political negotiations to solve the Afghan problem.

Pakistan's former ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand said he does not expect any major change in the U.S. policies under Trump toward Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"There are indications the United States could come much closer to India as it needs a major partner and India could be fit for it. As the United States goes closer to India, this policy would widen gulf between Pakistan and the United States," Mohmand told Xinhua.

Pakistani lawmakers are urging Pakistan to adopt independent foreign policies and protect own interests like the United States.

"Pakistan has suffered a lot because of the nature of relationship with the United States. We should review our policies even if Trump, Obama or Bush rules the U.S. or any other leader," Sajid Nawaz, an opposition member of the parliament said.

"We should adopt independent and aggressive policies rather than looking to others. We should focus on own policies and interests," Nawaz, who belongs to the second main opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party, told Xinhua.

Rahimullah Yousafzai, a senior Pakistani journalist who writes on security and foreign affairs, said that the whole world has serious concerns about Trump's approach during his election campaign.

"Trump has not much foreign affairs and he will mainly focus on internal matters. I think, like his predecessors, he would also have complaints about Pakistan regarding Afghanistan," Yousafzai opined.

The majority in Pakistan were disappointed at some of Trump's remarks during his media interaction about Pakistan, including his remarks to order the repatriation of a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi, who is accused of helping the U.S. military carry out operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

Afridi was found guilty of carrying out a fake vaccination campaign to get information about Osama bin Laden, who was killed in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in May 2011. Islamabad was angry with the United States as it was not informed about the unilateral action.

In spite of suspicions expressed by independent analysts about the Trump administration's possible approach, Pakistan Foreign Ministry insists Trump has "considerable goodwill toward Pakistan."

"We are looking forward to working with the new administration. We have a long-standing relationship with the United States," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at his weekly briefing on Thursday when asked about Pakistan's expectations and apprehensions about the new U.S. administration.
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mexico will not pay for the border wall U.S. President Donald Trump wants to build, said Vanessa Rubio, Mexico's deputy minister of finance, on Thursday.

"Mexico will not pay if the United States continues with the building of this wall. Pretending that Mexico will pay for that wall is absurd," Rubio told a press conference.

She continued to warn that the sovereignty of Mexico would not be up for negotiation.

"We are living a new age for our country, and these are new times for our country and for the world," she added. "We will take firm, resolute and opportune decisions but we will not be pressured."

For Rubio, Mexico can count on a macroeconomic structure which is "healthy and stable" and that all measures to maintain this will be prioritized.

The deputy minister noted that the country is taking financial, fiscal and monetary measures that would not skimp on the options Mexico has before, based on the evaluation of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, including the exchange rate.

Rubio was speaking as it was announced that Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto would not meet Trump in the White House as planned on Jan. 31, due to the wall issue.

Rubio recognized that the Mexican government will continue to work for its sovereignty as well as to protect its nationals in the United States, including undocumented migrants Trump has threatened to deport.

"Mass deportations are currently a perception, not a reality. There is much uncertainty about this topic and we must wait for the negotiations that are a main topic on the Mexico-U.S. agenda," concluded the deputy minister.
MALE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives Foreign Ministry sent its warmest greetings on Friday to China for the occasion of the Chinese New Year.

"On behalf of President Abdulla Yameen, and the People of Maldives, I convey my greetings to President Xi Jinping and the people of China for the Chinese New Year," Foreign Minister Dr. Mohamed Asim said.

Asim said the Maldives and China shared strong relations which has been further strengthened following President Xi's visit to the Maldives and the two visits by President Abdulla Yameen to China within the last three years.

He said the number of Chinese investments in the island country is expected to increase in the future, and the Maldives has welcomed a number of Chinese investments including the bridge project and the development of the Velana International Airport.

He also underscored that this year would be a historical year for the two countries as they marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Image taken on Jan. 25, 2017, shows people watching a section of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Tijuana city, Mexico. U.S. President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday. (Xinhua/Str)

RIO DE JANEIRO/LA PAZ/QUITO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Latin American countries and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) on Thursday expressed concern over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Most countries in Latin America maintain close friendly ties with the people of the United States. Because of that, the Brazilian government is concerned about the idea of building a wall to separate sister nations on our continent, without a consensus between them," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also encouraged such matters to be resolved through dialogue instead of isolationist measures.

"Brazil has always worked with the firm belief that matters between friendly peoples, as is the case with the United States and Mexico, should be resolved through dialogue and the construction of spaces of understanding," the government said.

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Thursday called on embattled Mexico to look southward and help strengthen Latin American integration.

"I call on our Mexican brothers to look more towards the south, to jointly build unity based on our (shared) Latin American and Caribbean heritage," Morales posted on Twitter.

The message comes just hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled an upcoming meeting with his U.S. counterpart amid a bilateral dispute over the latter's decision to erect a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

After months of pledging to erect a wall between the United States and Mexico, Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to "build a large physical barrier on the southern border."

The order was signed as two high-level Mexican envoys were in Washington to prepare for the two leaders' meeting.

Trump said the wall is needed to keep out illegal migration and drug trafficking, though experts said it would not solve those problems.

The UNASUR issued a scathing criticism over the U.S. decision. The organization gathers countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

In a statement from the bloc's headquarters in Quito, UNASUR Secretary General Ernesto Samper rejected the proposal as "humiliating" for Mexicans and Trump's stance as defiant."

"I express my rejection of the defiant decision adopted by the new president of the United States to impose on the Mexican people the humiliating obligation of paying, and the even more humiliating wall intended to be built to physically separate the United States and Canada from Mexico and Latin America," Samper said.

On Thursday, Trump floated the idea of slapping a 20-percent tax on Mexican imports to finance the wall.

Samper added UNASUR was "concerned by the tension in hemispheric relations, resulting from these types of measures, which affect the security and quality of life of our fellow citizens residing in the United States."

Deteriorating relations may also affect other developments in the region, including a peace process in Colombia and rapprochement with Cuba, he said.
MOGADISHU, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab attacked a Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) camp at Kulbiyow in southern Somalia early Friday with casualties feared, officials have said.

Security officials from both Kenya and Somalia confirmed that KDF troops who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) destroyed two suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIED) which were used by the militants.

There were no more details concerning the number of casualties in the attack which took place at Kulbiyow, an area near Kenya's border with Somalia.

"KDF have today morning destroyed two suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIED) within the vicinity of their Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Kulbiyow," said an official who did not want to be named.

He said security has been beefed up in the area and the troops have surrounded the attackers, who are still at the scene.

"More situation reports and battle damage assessments will be reported later," he said.
WUHAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- This Spring Festival, a group of foreigners volunteered to give something back to China as a gesture of thanks for what China has done for them.

Yu Zhongyan, was among about 80,000 passengers that will use Wuhan railway station each day during the Spring Festival travel rush, or Chunyun, this year.

She was deeply touched when the volunteers offered to help her with her bags.

"They made our holiday special this year," said the granny with her grandson in arms.

Wuhan, the capital city of the central province of Hubei, is one of the country's busiest railway hubs. This year 28 foreign students from 15 countries, wearing yellow hats and orange vests, were on hand to help passengers.

Thursday is Bassim Mohammed Dahash Aljizani's last day in Wuhan. He earned his doctorate at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Together with his wife and three sons, the man had five suitcases and a buggy. Sadi Makangila Patrick from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Agil Mubariz from Azerbaijan hurried to help.

Aljizani told Xinhua that he will take the train to Guangzhou, before flying back to Baghdad. "I have been in Wuhan for four years and I really don't want to leave, but my country needs me," he said.

"It is great experience to see people off at the station," said Areen Muhammed, a student from Iraq. "The work is tiring. But when I see the smiles, I feel so happy."

"China's government provides us scholarship for our study here," said another volunteer from Sri Lanka. "China helped me, and in return, I would like to do something for the people here." [ Yuan Gaoping, an official with Wuhan railway bureau, said that by working in the station, the volunteers could experience Chunyun, and experience Chinese culture and the development of its railway firsthand.

Yu Zhongyan asked Patrick to pose for a photo together, before bidding farewell to the foreign "uncle." "Thank you," said the boy, while Yu waved, "Happy New Year."
RIYADH, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- German police have launched training for 16 Saudi female border guards on search and confiscation, Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper reported on Friday.

The training is part of a security agreement signed by the interior ministries of both countries. The Saudi General Directorate of Border Guard has highlighted that the participants are learning new security skills, such as arrest, search, transport of detainees and confiscation.

They are among 60 women who are distributed among Saudi borders to deal with female travelers or suspects. The conservative state doesn't allow men to deal with female suspects or arrestees.

The announcement of the training came after news reports published last week confirmed that terrorists have been exploiting the attitudes of Saudi society towards women in carrying out their terrorist acts.

According to the latest security operations, a number of fugitives succeeded in moving freely while wearing women clothing, as many women in Saudi Arabia are fully covered, while others recruited women to coordinate terrorist operations. Some make sure to have female partners so they can rent accommodations easily in residential areas.
Women attend the Jeddah International Book Fair on December 17, 2016 in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah. (AFP PHOTO)

RIYADH, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- German police have launched training for 16 Saudi female border guards on search and confiscation, Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper reported on Friday.

The training is part of a security agreement signed by the interior ministries of both countries. The Saudi General Directorate of Border Guard has highlighted that the participants are learning new security skills, such as arrest, search, transport of detainees and confiscation.

They are among 60 women who are distributed among Saudi borders to deal with female travelers or suspects. The conservative state doesn't allow men to deal with female suspects or arrestees.

The announcement of the training came after news reports published last week confirmed that terrorists have been exploiting the attitudes of Saudi society towards women in carrying out their terrorist acts.

According to the latest security operations, a number of fugitives succeeded in moving freely while wearing women clothing, as many women in Saudi Arabia are fully covered, while others recruited women to coordinate terrorist operations. Some make sure to have female partners so they can rent accommodations easily in residential areas.
MOGADISHU, Jan. 27 (Xinhua)-- The Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab has taken control of a military camp manned by Kenyan soldiers who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) following heavy fighting early Friday.

Residents in the remote town of Kulbiyow said many casualties are feared after heavy explosions and gunfire broke out between the military and the insurgents.

"Heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the military base in Kulbiyow early Friday. Heavy explosions and gunfire could be heard from the base," a resident told Xinhua.

Both Kenyan and Somalian military officials have not confirmed the number of casualties yet, but residents said the attack was deadly. Some residents said some Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers had crossed into Kenya.

The residents said the militants were seen moving weapons and military vehicles out of the devastated KDF base in Kulbiyow town.

Reports say several dead bodies in KDF uniforms could be seen at the scene in Kulbiyow town.

The KDF said it sent reinforcement which was able to destroy two vehicles loaded with improvised explosive devices within the vicinity of their Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Kulbiyow, an area near Kenya's border with Somalia.

The terrorist attack came a year after the Al-Qaida allied terrorist group killed an unknown number of Kenyan soldiers at a KDF base at Elade in the Gedo region.

Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the Jan. 15, 2016 attack saying it had taken over the base and killed more than 63 KDF soldiers. Kenya has not released the number of casualties.

Al-Shabaab has vowed reprisal attacks in the country, mainly targeting security forces in border towns of northern Kenya, where dozens of people have been killed in landmine and grenade attacks blamed on the militant group.

The group, which has teamed up with the global terror network Al-Qaida and Islamic State or ISIS, has vowed an all-out war in Kenya, in retaliation against what it called a military incursion "against our brothers in Somalia."
ANKARA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed after targets belonging to terrorists were hit by Turkish army in Al-Bab of northern Syria in last 24 hours, Turkish General Staff stated on Friday.

According to the Turkish army, 272 targets belonging to the terrorists have been shelled.

Meanwhile, Turkish jets hit 24 IS targets in al-Bab and Bzagah districts, destroying 21 buildings used as hideouts, including so-called headquarters and an ammunition depot.

Four bomb-laden vehicles have also been destroyed in the operations, the military added.

A total of 3282 improvised explosive devices and 55 mines have been destroyed since the beginning of the operation, the military added.

The Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation last August against both IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey regards the YPG and the PYD as terrorist organizations due to their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
by Grandesso Federico

BRUSSELS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China and many developing countries in Asia are ready to take the driving seat of globalization, while the Western world is closing on itself, a visiting Italian scholar told Xinhua in an recent interview.

The world seems to be upside down. "The West, Europe included, is closing on itself, becoming increasingly weary of free trade, transnational alliances, regional organizations and globalization," said Francesco Mancini, assistant dean and visiting associate professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

"The reset button for the future, instead, has been pressed in Davos by Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose speech could have been pronounced by a Western leader in the 1990s," said the associate professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

According to Mancini, this crucial change was not taking place last June when the British people decided to withdraw from the European Union, and neither in November, when Americans voted to "make America great again."

"Those are nostalgic attempts to go back to an illusionary glorious past, a world in which some feel more comfortable, but it does not exist any more," the Italian scholar explained.

In this regard, Xi underlined in his Davos speech that the world must remain committed to developing global free trade and investment, promote trade and investment liberalization through opening-up, and rejecting protectionism, Mancini said.

"Meanwhile, China, which engaged in globalization on its own terms, managed to accomplished what no other developing countries got close to it: lifting more than 600 million people out of poverty," the scholar said.

The Italian professor noted that Xi reiterated his belief in win-win solutions to global problems.

"President Xi made it clear that the global governance system is inadequate in terms of representation and inclusiveness, for which he meant that China needs more voice in the global institutions. On this, it is hard to disagree," Mancini added.

Mancini stressed how Xi emphasized that countries must develop according to their own conditions. Each country should be allowed to follow its own national development path and governance.

"In other words, China is working towards a global order where different ideologies can coexist. History has just restarted and not along the lines of liberal order," he said.

"There is the hope that this notion of globalization, which embraces cooperation for global issues like fighting climate change, trade and economic development, is grounded in the respect for national values, domestic affairs and borders, is also what Europe needs to regain its enthusiasm for a more united world," Mancini concluded.
RABAT, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- After leaving the pan African organization three decades ago, Morocco is set to rejoin the African Union (AU) during the 28th African summit scheduled for January 30-31 in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.

In 1984, Morocco decided to withdraw from the Organization of African Unity, which later became the AU.

For over three decades, Morocco has refused to be part of the organization, but recently the country has changed its policing, making the readmission to the AU on the top of its agenda.

Last July, King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent a message to the 27th AU summit in Kigali, Rwanda, saying that his country "should not remain outside its African institutional family, and it should regain its natural, rightful place within the AU."

Explaining the reasons for returning to the pan African organization, the king mentioned the repeated call of many African friends of the kingdom as well as a thorough reflection, which concluded that "when a body is sick, it is treated more effectively from the inside than from the outside."

He also stressed that from within, "Morocco will contribute to making the AU a more robust organization, one that is both proud of its credibility and relieved of the trappings of an obsolete era."

Two months after the king's message to the African leaders, the North African kingdom formally submitted a request to re-join the continental body in September.

The request was submitted after Morocco received the support of a group of 28 AU member states, representing more than the majority of the 54 African Union member states required for admission.

Following this request, the Moroccan king toured numerous African countries, including some that Rabat has long regarded as hostile to its territorial unity, on the top of which the African giant, Nigeria.

Consequently, the north African kingdom raised the total of the supporters to its bid to 40 as was announced by the Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar during a parliamentary session to review the constitutive act of AU a week earlier.

Last week, both houses of the Moroccan parliament unanimously adopted the constitutive act of AU, its additional protocol and the bill on the approval of the act, preparing the ground for the Kingdom's return to the African Union.

On Jan. 10, the council of ministers, which is chaired by the king, approved the draft texts.

While Morocco has not being a part of AU, it has developed strong ties with many countries in the continent, particularly in French-speaking states in West and Central Africa. The north African kingdom is already the top investor in west Africa and the second largest African investor in the continent. In addition, Moroccan firms have strong holds in the many African markets, especially those related to banking, insurance, air transport, telecommunications and housing.

According to official statistics from the country's economy and finance ministry, over the decade ending in 2016, Morocco's investment in sub-Saharan Africa represented 85 percent of its overall foreign direct investment stocks.

In addition to economic relations, Morocco has strong cooperation with many African countries, particularly in the fields of security, peacekeeping operations and managing religious affairs.

Through rejoining the AU, Morocco looks ahead to expand its influence in the continent and join hands with member states to meet the countless challenges facing the continent.
BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The far-flung celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year around the world offer people beyond the country an opportunity to feel the charm of China's traditions and culture, and also testify to its increasing soft power.

A growing number of people around the world are now celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Chinese Spring Festival, which lasts several days. The holiday, which is about reunion and togetherness, has become a highly anticipated annual event not only for the Chinese.

Over 1,000 Ghanaian students from the capital's junior high schools on Wednesday performed Chinese songs and dances to celebrate the Spring Festival.

The event was hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana Basic School, Legon. During the event, students from the Confucius Institute also displayed their proficiency in the spoken Chinese language and knowledge of Chinese music, dance and traditional costumes.

Chinese embassies as well as people of Chinese origin hold various receptions and parties during this time of the year in their respective countries to socialize with their counterparts and friends.

Earlier this month, the Chinese Embassy in Cuba held a New Year's reception, welcoming dozens of people of Chinese descent and Cuban guests.

The Chinese Ambassador to Cuba, Chen Xi, assured that the next 12 months will be decisive for strengthening political and commercial ties between the two countries in search of bilateral prosperity, as well as the bonds of friendship that have existed for more than 50 years.

The Chinese embassies in the United States, Nepal, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt and Rwanda held all kinds of activities to mark the occasion, attracting members from various circles of their host countries.

President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone also threw a party in Paris recently to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

On the festive occasion, many national leaders have expressed their wishes for a stronger bilateral relationship.

While sending her wishes to those celebrating the festival worldwide, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday that the starting point of bilateral relations between Britain and China is stronger than ever before.

"We receive more Chinese investment than any other major European country. We've got around 150,000 Chinese students studying here and the number of Chinese tourists visiting has doubled in five years," she said.

"The Rooster -- the Fire Rooster -- represents so many of the characteristics we need to employ in that endeavor: openness, confidence, hard work and leadership," May said. "Indeed, they are characteristics demonstrated day in, day out by the British Chinese community."

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent a message to the Chinese people and wished them a happy Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday.

In a video message, Guterres said the Year of the Rooster symbolizes early starts and new beginnings. "It stresses the importance of energy, determination and a strong sense of responsibility at work."

"These are inspiring attributes to help guide us in troubled times," he said in the video released Wednesday night.

Czech President Milos Zeman on Wednesday evening invited reporters from China Central Television (CCTV) to convey his best wishes for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has also sent his greetings to overseas Chinese and Cambodians of Chinese descent ahead of the Chinese New Year.

"As the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rooster, draws near, in the status of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, I'd like to join the celebrations with all brothers and sisters who have always lived and shared happiness and difficulty with each other since old times," he wrote in a message sent to the Association of Khmer-Chinese in Cambodia on Monday and released to the media on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with villagers and local cadre at the home of villager Xu Haicheng in Desheng Village, Xiaoertai Township of Zhangbei County in north China's Hebei Province, on Jan. 24, 2017. Xi Tuesday pushed for increased efforts on poverty alleviation during an inspection tour to the city of Zhangjiakou. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- As most Chinese are busy preparing for Spring Festival, China's top leader this week was in the snow-covered grassland of northern China, facing the country's arch enemy.

For the fifth year in a row, Xi Jinping's New Year inspection tour had taken him to the front lines of China's war against poverty.

This time, the battleground was Desheng, a small village in Zhangbei County, Hebei Province.

Left out of China's headlong rush to riches following decades of economic reform, Zhangbei -- just 200 kilometers north of Beijing -- has been classed as a deprived county since 2013, with one eighth of its population still living on less than one dollar a day by October last year.

Fighting poverty is the fundamental task in building an all-round moderately prosperous society," Xi told villagers in Desheng days ahead of the traditional Chinese New Year.

China is striving to become "Xiaokang," or a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, by 2020, just before the centennial anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

One aim is to make sure that those yet to be lifted out of poverty, about 45 million by 2016 year-end, could take their rightful place as citizens of a well-off society with the rest of the nation.

In Xi's own words, "no one should be left behind.

Though Xi's words hardly deviated from what had been said on previous occasions, the timing nonetheless gave them a little extra weight.

Chinese leaders have made it a tradition to visit ordinary people in both urban and rural areas ahead of Spring Festival.

Xi himself visited Gansu Province and Beijing in early 2013, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2014, northwest China's Shaanxi Province in 2015, and east China's Jiangxi Province in 2016.

Most of the places he has visited during the festive seasons have been locked in a relative development backwater.

Xie Chuntao, a professor from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said Xi's new year visits underscored the current leadership's greater commitments to achieving "Xiaokang."

His words were echoed by Xu Yaotong from the Chinese Academy of Governance.

"Xi is first and foremost concerned with 'Xiaokang' of all Chinese people," said Xu.

In addition to inspection tours, Xi has raised poverty alleviation with national lawmakers during the annual March sessions of the top legislature.

The country's 13th Five-Year Plan, which outlines priorities for national development from 2016 to 2020, also proposes support for poor villages to develop signature products and services.

In early December, guidelines were issued calling for enhanced collaboration between developed eastern regions and under-developed western regions to bridge the regional development gap and meet 2020 poverty-reduction targets.

Already, all these efforts have been translated into encouraging signs of achievements. China had seen its rural population living in poverty decrease from 770 million to 55.75 million between 1978 and 2015.

An additional 10 million people shook off poverty last year, and China is aiming to help at least another 10 million become members of the well-off society this year.

In Zhangbei alone, 20,700 of its 372,000 residents were lifted out of poverty in 2016. Thanks to a major poverty-alleviation program, the county is receiving support, including measures to promote profitable agricultural products and emerging industries such as solar power.

But as Xi himself admitted in Hebei this week, "poverty alleviation is getting more and more difficult as it progresses to the end," Xi said.

Nonetheless, he insisted that local Party and government authorities must make sure that all must be lifted out of poverty "in time."

He stressed the importance of making sure every poor family had a program for increasing their income and every poor person had a way of casting off poverty.

The president pointed to relocation as an important supplementary approach when fighting poverty and highlighted the role of ecological compensation, which would not only help improve the ecological environment but also boost incomes.

Stressing the importance of education in poverty alleviation, Xi said, "Making sure children of impoverished families enjoy access to high-quality education is a fundamental solution to poverty."

Xie Chuntao agreed. "If we compare China's development to a wooden bucket, the amount of water a bucket can hold is determined by its shortest plank," Xie said, adding that poverty is one of the short planks.

"President Xi has just spelt out the way to fix those short planks," he said.
NAIROBI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday sent festive wishes to the Chinese people who will celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday.

In his message, Kenyatta said the economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between the two countries are stronger today than they have ever been.

"We fought colonialism together in the past; today, we fight for development that serves our people and protects our planet, and for an international order that respects the equal dignity of all peoples," Kenyatta said.

He said during this period, the two countries celebrate the vibrant friendship, and hoped that the relations will continue blossoming in future.

"I wish you all a productive and peaceful Chinese New Year 2017," the president said.

The Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. Every year, hundreds of millions of Chinese travel home during the time for reunions with their families.
HANGZHOU, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- For decades Tu Maojiang, dreamed about wearing leather shoes.

Tu, 73, from the eastern province of Zhejiang, was a victim of Japanese biological warfare during World War II.

"The Japanese invaded our village," Tu recalled. His home is in Xilongkou Village, Quzhou city, where fortifications laid by Chinese soldiers are still standing.

"My parents told me that the Japanese would raid our houses and take away the livestock," he said. "When they came we all rushed to hide. An old man who didn't was shot dead in his home."

Those who survived the raids, however, may have escaped death but their suffering would be long and drawn out. Tu along with his father, uncles and three brothers soon showed signed of a severe bacterial infection, which caused their legs to rot and left them in constant pain.

The disease was not just limited to Tu's family, their symptoms -- itchy, festering, pus-filled wounds -- were common among those who lived along the railway. The symptoms were consistent with glanders, one of many biological and chemical weapons that the Japanese had experimented with during WWII.

For half a century, Tu could only wear wellington boots or sandals, because his wound would ooze now and then.

In 2015, Wang Xuan, a lawyer for the Association of Chinese Victims of Germ Warfare; Wang Zhengguo, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering; and Tecent jointly launched a project to help people like Tu access medical treatment.

Under the program, Tu was admitted to Quhua Hospital in November 2015.

"We removed the crust, cleaned the wound and made skin grafts," said Zhang Yuanhai, vice head of the hospital.

Between September 2015 and the end of 2016, they had treated 57 patients, most of whom had to have operations.

On Thursday, a day before the eve of the Lunar New Year, Luo Shouxiang left hospital. "This is the perfect reason to celebrate the New Year," he said with a smile.

Sun Wenxi, 88, will have to spend the New Year in hospital. "This is the first time my father has been away from home for the New Year," said his son Sun Qingfu. "But it is OK. His treatment means we have better days ahead of us."

Ye Chunjiang, another doctor, told Xinhua that they were racing against time to cure these victims. "We want them to spend their remaining years in comfort."

Tu's life has been transformed by the treatment.

"Now I don't have to change my gauze and apply medicine every day," he said.

"In Xilongkou, where Tu lives, there were more than 40 people with rotten legs. Now only three are still alive," said Wu Jianping, a volunteer of the project.

His father, a member of the Chinese Victims of Imperial Japanese Army's Germ warfare program, who tried to bring charges against Japan, told him more than 50,000 people in Quzhou had died as a result of biological warfare.

Wu's father died, but he wanted to help those still alive.

"I want to see them wearing socks and leather shoes and welcoming guests outside the doors, just like healthy people."
MANILA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended his greetings on Friday to the Chinese Filipinos as they celebrate the Spring Festival, popularly known in the Philippines as the Chinese New Year, on Saturday.

In his message read by Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella during his regular news briefing at Malacanang, the presidential palace, on Friday, Duterte said the government shares the joys and hopes of the Chinese friends and Chinese Filipinos who have found a root and reason for staying in the Philippines.

He cited how the Chinese have enriched the Filipino culture and history and their contribution to the Philippine economy by trade and investments.

"Their cuisine has been dearly familiar in many Filipino homes. Their philosophy and attitude in life are a wellspring of practical lessons that all of us, regardless of nationality, can learn from," he said.

"May all of us develop a more profound appreciation of our heritage as two distinct yet intertwined peoples, and further fortify the goodwill that we have shared over the years," the president said.

"To everyone else who believes in the miracle of beginnings and who makes a choice for hope against fear, my best wishes on this auspicious season of the Chinese New Year."

January 28 is declared as a special non-working day in the Philippines in observance of the Spring Festival.
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government intelligence operatives arrested an Abu Sayyaf member, tagged in the kidnapping of Malaysian Sipadan tourists almost 17 years ago, during a raid in a coastal village here, local senior police official said on Friday.

Chief Superintendent Billy Beltran, regional police director, said Faizal Jaafar, a Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf known with the aliases of Jaafar Mundi, Abu Jaafar, Aren, Ben, and Abu Raba, was arrested at a safehouse past 12:30 a.m local time on Friday in the village of Cawit, west of the city.

Beltran said Jaafar, facing 87 counts of kidnappings with serious illegal detention, was captured by a joint law enforcement team.

The charges included in the warrant issued by an Isabela City, Basilan court and Puerto Princesa, Palawan court also include murder and illegal possession of firearms, according to Beltran.

He said Jaafar's arrest stemmed from his involvement in the Sipadan kidnapping incidents in April 2000 where 21 tourists, including 10 Europeans, nine Malaysians, and two Filipino resort staff where taken from the dive resort off Sabah and brought to Sulu by the Abu Sayyaf group.

The victims were only freed in batches after payment of ransom during the five months crisis.

Beltran commended the operating units of police and military in the arrest of Jaafar who were be brought to Bicutan jail in Taguig, Manila.

The police director also urges the general public to continue its support and cooperation with the authorities by providing timely and relevant information on any terrorist who may be hiding in their respective places.
LUSAKA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has repatriated 147 Ethiopian illegal immigrants who were facing jail sentences for illegal entry, the country's immigration authorities said Friday.

The Ethiopians were repatriated back to their country on Thursday afternoon after they were pardoned by Zambian President Edgar Lungu in December last year.

They were repatriated under an assisted voluntary return program by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) through the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, according to a statement released by the Immigration Department.

Among those deported were 145 men and two women.
Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan He Xiangdong (2nd R) hands over medical supplies to local officials at Paloich Friendship Hospital in Upper Nile State, northern South Sudan, on Jan.25. The Chinese Embassy in South Sudan contributed medicines and medical equipment valued at 60,000 U.S. dollars. (photo by Chinese Embassy in South Sudan)

JUBA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has contributed medicine and medical equipment worth 60,000 U.S. dollars to the Paloich Friendship Hospital in Upper Nile state, northern South Sudan, the Chinese Embassy has said.

The donation made through the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan included 27 categories of medicines such as Ampilcllin, Saline, Amoxilline, pain killers among others.

The embassy also donated nine medical devices, including microscopes, a Digital Blood Pressure machine and a Diabetes testing machine.

Speaking during the handover ceremony on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, He Xiangdong, said: "Humanity has no boundaries; hence Beijing fully understands the challenges and difficulties faced by South Sudan's health sector."

The Paloich Friendship hospital was built in 2006 with the support from the China National Petroleum Corporation. A team of Chinese doctors is now working at the hospital.

Ambassador He said that the practical cooperation between China and South Sudan in the health sector has gained momentum in recent years.

"The dispatch of Chinese medical teams, the offering of government scholarships in medicine and medical donation by China all greatly improved the level of health service in different areas in South Sudan," he said.

The head of the Paloich Friendship Hospital, who identified himself as Modesto, expressed his gratitude for donation and also thanked the Chinese people for their continued support to the country's health sector over the past years.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed. This batch of medical donation is just what the local people need desperately to eradicate diseases," Modesto said.
RABAT, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Seven suspects were arrested during an ongoing anti-terrorism operation in Morocco on Friday.

Meanwhile, explosion is heard and real bullets are used during the operation.

Moroccan security forces have launched a large scale anti-terrorism operation in five cities, local media reported.
NAIROBI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan soldiers have foiled the Al-Shabaab terrorist attack on their military camp in the southern Somali town of Kulbiyow early Friday, and are pursuing the Al-Shabaab fighters, Kenya Defense Forces said here Friday.

Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) spokesman Col. Paul Njuguna said the Friday morning attack on the Kenyan military camp at Kulbiyow by the Islamist group Al-Shabaab had failed, and Kenyan soldiers are now pursuing the attackers.

"There was an attempted attack at 5:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Friday but the attackers were repulsed and are on the run. Our troops are pursuing them in a big operation dubbed Pacification. The operation will take some time," Njuguna told Xinhua by telephone in Nairobi.

The KDF spokesman also dismissed reports that Al-Shabaab overran the Kenyan military base in Kulbiyow town, an area near the Kenyan border.

"We are at the camp now. There is no way Al-Shabaab could have raided the camp, and the claim that they killed 57 Kenyan soldiers is not true," Njuguna said, without giving casualty figures.

A Somali military commander under the Somali National Army has confirmed the attack to Xinhua but noted details were still scanty.

"We have information that Al-Shabaab attacked a Kenyan military base in Kulbiyow. We are yet to get more details," said the commander, who did not want to be named.

Al-Shabaab militants rammed two suicide car bombs into the military base in Kulbiyow town before engaging in a gunfire attack on Kenyan soldiers.

Locals said there were huge blasts at the base followed by gunfire.

"We heard heavy blasts then a gunfire fight at the base. We learnt that Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the Kenyan forces," Farhan Jama, a local, told Xinhua.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Friday attack. Al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab said they had killed at least 57 Kenyan soldiers, seized a dozen battlewagons from Kenyan forces, and had taken full control of the camp.

The terrorist attack came a year after the Al-Qaida allied terrorist group killed an unknown number of Kenyan soldiers at a KDF base at Elade in the Gedo region.
File photo shows Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. (Xinhua)

NAIROBI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday sent festive wishes to the Chinese people who will celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday.

In his message, Kenyatta said the economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between the two countries are stronger today than they have ever been.

"We fought colonialism together in the past; today, we fight for development that serves our people and protects our planet, and for an international order that respects the equal dignity of all peoples," Kenyatta said.

He said during this period, the two countries celebrate the vibrant friendship, and hoped that the relations will continue blossoming in future.

"I wish you all a productive and peaceful Chinese New Year 2017," the president said.

The Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. Every year, hundreds of millions of Chinese travel home during the time for reunions with their families.
JAKARTA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian police gave a warning on Friday that the Islamic State (IS) recruitment has expanded into several universities and targeted highly educated people.

National Police Spokesman Brig. General Rikwanto said based on the investigation of the anti-terror squad, IS recruiters have launched their mission on academic activities.

The spokesman said one former government official, who graduated from a university in the country and has studied a post-graduate degree in Adelaide Flinder University of South Australia, has been nabbed for alleged IS linkage.

Triyono Utomo Abdul Bakti was arrested along with his wife and three children after being deported from Turkey for trying to cross into Syria to join the IS activities.

"This shows that the IS recruitment is not only among the ordinary people or those living in villages, but also the persons with high education," the general said.

"The IS recruiters have penetrated into several universities to launch their mission through academic activities. This is based on the investigation of police anti-terror squad," Rikwanto said.

The Indonesian authorities have attempted to stop hundreds of citizens trying to enter Syria for joining IS global terrorist group since the last few years, and have been monitoring the activities and movement of dozens of those backed from Syria after taking part in the IS activities.

Indonesia has been hit by a series of strikes inspired by the IS in recent years, including the suicide bombings in the heart of the country's capital in January last year that killed eight people and wounded nearly 30 others.
BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- While millions of Chinese are scrambling for a ticket home to catch the eve of Spring Festival, China's Lunar New Year, Wei Xudong, who boarded his train home on Tuesday, is bound to miss the important moment.

The train he is taking, K4 from Moscow to Beijing, will travel across a distance of more than 7,600 km and take more than five days to arrive.

Wei works on the train. The K3/4 train, began running between Beijing and Moscow in 1960, is the first and longest international rail managed by China's railway authorities.

For 57 years, the train has traversed the Eurasian continent on a weekly basis.

Wei joined China's railway system in 2008 to work on the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet railway. It never occurred to him that six years later, he would be working on an even more legendary route.

"I can't recall how many times I have missed the Lunar New Year and been apart from my family," Wei said.

NEW YEAR ON EURASIAN ROUTE

Ma Yongsheng visited his daughter in Europe and they decided to travel back to China by train from Moscow. They arrived in Beijing on Monday.

"The train itself is a bit old, but the service surpasses that of European trains," said Ma.

Boarding the K4 alongside Ma in Moscow were Kevin Puzicha and Joscha Krieglsteiner from Hamburg, Germany. Both were traveling to Beijing for the first time.

"I want to experience Spring Festival first-hand," said Puzicha.

"The whole trip was great, and the crew treated us very well," he said, adding that he felt the warmth of the Chinese festival as soon as he boarded K4 at the other end of the Eurasia continent.

"Two days ago, the crew invited us to taste Chinese dumplings that they had made," Krieglsteiner said. "They were quite tasty."

The two German passengers plan to proceed to Shenzhen and then to Hong Kong, where they will watch the New Year parade.

Both homecoming and travelling passengers are not strange for Sun Guoxiang, head of the train crew, who has been working for Train K3/4 for almost 32 years.

"I feel honored to represent China on this international railway route," said Sun, reflecting upon the time when he joined the crew. Sun is now the longest-serving Chinese crew member.

"Spring Festival is the most important Chinese holiday. To be honest, I miss home a lot," he continued, adding that the sacrifices the railway workers make allow tens of thousands of households to enjoy the festival.

In celebration of Spring Festival, Sun and his colleagues have posted the character "fu," which means fortune and happiness, onto the doors and windows of the train alongside other paper-cuts, an established Chinese tradition.

On the eve of Chinese New Year, Sun and his colleagues will make Chinese dumplings and share them with the passengers.

"Many foreigners join us in making the dumplings. We have a translator who explains everything to them," said Sun. "They enjoy it."

Over the years, Russia's railway workers and border control officers have come to understand what Spring Festival means to Chinese, Sun said. "During the festival season they extend greetings to us Chinese crew, and we send them warm wishes on Christmas and Easter as well."

COLD JOURNEY, WARM HEART

The journey between Beijing and Moscow offers passengers spectacular views of the vast Gobi Desert, grasslands with clear creeks, Lake Baikal and boundless forests. These picturesque sights are famous among tourists around the globe.

For Puzicha, working on the K3/4 train seems to be "a cool job."

Cool it may be, but the job can also be trying.

For instance, as long portions of the route are through frigid landscapes, the train needs to be heated for as much as eight months of the year.

During winter, the temperature in Russia regularly dips to below negative 30 degrees Celsius. In order to ensure the comfort of the passengers, a trans-Eurasia trip requires five tons of coal for each carriage -- and all of that coal has to be shoved into the stove by two crew members.

A shift typically lasts for eight hours, and five hours of that shift may be occupied with shoveling, Sun said.

"Their hands and faces are filthy by the end of their shifts," Wei said.

For 57 years, Train K3/4 has marched onward, undaunted by wind or snow. Its total mileage amounts to 1,250 trips around the Earth's circumference. It has served 1.5 million passengers from over 100 countries.

Every Monday over the last 18 years, Gao Jun, deputy head of the Beijing Passenger Transport Department of the Beijing Railway Bureau, walks onto the platform of the Beijing Railway Station, waiting to meet his colleagues and passengers who have just finished the long journey.h In 1982, Gao joined the railway authority, and he was chosen to work as an attendant on Train K3/4 in 1985.

Gao left his position as the crew chief in 1999, but still walks across the street to Beijing Railway Station to welcome his colleagues when the train rolls into town.

"I feel so attached to the train," said Gao, fully uniformed. "Beijing, Siberia and Moscow dominate my memories of younger years."
GENEVA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office of the Special Envoy for Syria did not confirm Friday a statement issued by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that intra-Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in Geneva on Feb. 8 would be postponed until the end of next month.

"There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed," the special envoy's spokesperson Yara Sharif told reporters.

The special envoy will have a better idea of whether or not negotiations will take place as planned once he has briefed the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council in New York next week, Sharif said.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, had planned to reconvene Syrian warring factions back to the negotiating table on Feb. 8 in a bid to broker a political solution to the conflict.

The Syrian internal war has claimed some 400,000 lives and displaced millions since it broke out in March 2011.

De Mistura had also hoped that Russia and Turkish-brokered talks which took place in Kazakhstan's capital Astana earlier this week would reinforce a fragile truce in place since Dec. 30 while paving the way towards broader UN-mediated negotiations next month.

"Astana talks have provided a remarkable contribution for the exerted efforts to push for peace in Syria," Sharif said.

"The UN asserts that a comprehensive ceasefire is pivotal for reaching a political solution which is the only path of achieving peace in Syria brought about by intra-Syrian negotiations under the aegis of the UN," she added.
TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's interior minister said initial investigations has shown that electrical malfunction has been the initial cause of fire that razed the 17-story building in downtown Tehran last week, Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.

Experts are yet to make more comments on the incident, the Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli was quoted as saying.

According to the report, the rescue operation to find people stuck in the rubble of the building reached its final stages on Friday.

On Jan. 19, Tehran's mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf confirmed the death of 20 fire fighters in the collapse of the 54-year-old building with 600 commercial shops.

Some 25 people are believed to have been inside the steel-and-concrete building when it collapsed, Tasnim said.

Local media also reported that over 200 people were also injured in the incident.

At 8:00 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Jan. 19, the fire started from the eighth and ninth floors of the building located on Jomhouri Eslami street, in the downtown area of the capital, and soon it was spread to the upper floors, ending in the collapse of the building after four hours.

The residents of buildings in the neighborhood have been warned by the police and the rescue operators to leave the buildings.

Also, nearby buildings including the embassies of Turkey and Britain were evacuated.

Authorities at Tehran's governor's office have ruled out terrorism, Press TV said.
BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Amid the country's effort to build a greener energy system, the country's raw coal production by its large-size coal companies continued to decline in 2016.

Combined raw coal production from the country's designated large coal companies with annual turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.9 million U.S. dollars) stood at 3.36 billion tonnes in 2016, down 9.4 percent from 2015, latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

Raw coal production from those companies in December 2016 alone was 310 million tonnes, down 3 percent year on year, said the NBS.

Coal is the main energy source in China, accounting for 64 percent of total energy consumption in 2015.

Cutting overcapacity in sectors including coal and steel is part of the country's supply-side structural reform and high on the government agenda.

The world's largest coal producer and consumer will cut outdated coal capacity by 800 million tonnes per year by 2020, while increasing use of cleaner coal by 500 million tonnes each year, according to the coal industry 2016-2020 development plan.
TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and about 1,700 houses were damaged after the recent floods hit the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, Tasnim news agency quoted the governor of the province as saying on Friday.

Following Thursday's floods, rescue operators saved the lives of the people and prevented closure of roads, Ali Osat Hashemi said.

Osat Hashemi said that the houses have been damaged mostly because the houses were made of mud-bricks.

An old woman lost her life in the floods after her 50-year-old mud-brick house collapsed, he added.

In the meantime, the provincial governor highlighted the importance of recent heavy rains in the province and said, before the rain, all of the palm trees of the province were dying because of lack of water.
MANILA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made an earnest appeal to Muslim rebels on Friday not to provide sanctuary for terrorists who wish to establish a caliphate in the Philippines.

He made the appeal to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels during his visit to wounded soldiers at Camp Siongco Station Hospital in Maguindanao province.

He warned that he would be forced to order the military to conduct operations in MNLF- and MILF-controlled camps if it is proven that these camps are being used to protect Islamic State terrorists.

"I am earnestly asking the MNLF and MILF not to provide sanctuary to terrorists, or we will be forced to go after them within your territory. And that would mean trouble for all of us. I don't want that to happen," he said.

He also warned that he might be forced to scrap his administration's plan to talk peace with both Muslim rebel groups.

Duterte's appeal came a day after his defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, said the Philippines has received intelligence that the Middle East-based extremists are seeking closer links with the violent Abu Sayyaf militants.

Lorenzana told reporters that the IS militants have instructed a local extremist leader, Isnilon Hapilon, to look for an area in Mindanao island in southern Philippines where the IS rebels can operate.

"Isnilon Hapilon left his traditional area of operation on Basilan island and went to Lanao del Sur to see the area and find out if it is convenient for them to move there," claimed Lorenzana.

Lanao del Sur is on the main Mindanao island in southern Philippines.

Duterte said on Jan. 9 that the IS' brutal and violent ideology has allegedly reached the Philippines. "We are now of the opinion in the Cabinet that the IS ideology is here to stay," he said in a speech at the presidential palace.

He added, "They are outdoing each other in brutality. The more brutal you are in raising the ideology the more credential that you may have for a recognition. That's exactly what is happening. So, we have this problem of terrorism."

The MNLF and the MILF are the two biggest Muslim rebel groups operating in southern Philippines. The Abu Sayyaf is a smaller group notorious for kidnapping-for-ransom and bombings in southern Philippines.
MOSCOW, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A UN-backed intra-Syrian meeting in Geneva has been postponed to the end of February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday, but the UN said it cannot confirm the date change.

"This date has been moved again from February 8 to the end of next month," Lavrov said at a meeting with Syrian opposition delegates days after a round of intra-Syrian talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on a political settlement in the war-torn country.

"We believe that the passivity of our UN colleagues, who have not held any rounds of the talks since April 2016, is unacceptable," Lavrov added, according to an official transcript of Friday's meeting posted on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Rounds of Syrian peace talks have taken place in Geneva under the auspices of the UN but little progress has been made mainly due to continuous fighting in the Middle Eastern country.

Yet UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who said last month that the Geneva dialogue will resume in February, cannot confirm or deny the postponement of the meeting.

"There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed," the special envoy's spokesperson, Yara Sharif, told reporters.

"The special envoy is heading to New York next week and is going to discuss this issue with the UN secretary-general. We will have a clear image once he is back," he added.
Panda cub "Jianjian" plays at a zoo in Macao, south China, Jan. 27, 2017. Seven-month-old twin panda cubs "Jianjian" and "Kangkang" and their keepers met the media here, on the eve of the Spring Festival. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

MACAO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two panda cubs in Macao welcomed public visitors on Friday, the first day they meet the public on a regular basis during the Spring Festival holidays.

The twin brothers were held by nurses in the Macao Giant Panda Pavilion behind the glass windows when visitors watched them with joy and ecstasy. The older one Jianjian started climbing a tree in the pavilion while the younger one Kangkang tried his best to sit on a tree stool.

One of the panda care team members said Jianjian now weighs about 13 kg and Kangkang more than 12 kg. Considering Kangkang was only 53 grams at birth, the younger brother grows more than 240 times since birth.

The two are still in the baby stage, but their behavior and motion response are all at normal level to meet the public regularly, he added.

The brothers and their parents will meet the public in Macao from Jan. 27, the eve of the Lunar New Year, to Feb. 6, the 10th day of the first month of the lunar year.

A female panda Xinxin gave birth to a pair of male twin cubs on June 26, 2016. The cubs were named Jianjian and Kangkang by the Macao SAR government from over 1,700 names recommended by Macao citizens. In Chinese Jian Kang means "being healthy."
NAIROBI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is putting in place policy reforms to boost local textile production, including by encouraging domestic sales, a senior official said Friday.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives Adan Mohamed told a media briefing that the measures include allowing textile firms in the Export Promotion Zones to sell up to 20 percent of their produce locally without paying duties.

"This will allow textile firms to take advantage of growing demand for apparel products by the growing middle class and hence boost the sector," Mohamed said.

"We want to make sure our citizens have access to the high quality export products that are sold to overseas market," he said during the launch of the Progress Report on Textile and Apparel Industry.

According to the report, Kenya's textile and apparel exports had grown to 415 million U.S. dollars by the end of 2016, accounting for 30 percent of industrial exports over the past five years.

The East African nation however is major importer of second-hand clothes despite its vibrant textile sector. The minister noted that increased local production will make consumers switch from purchasing second-hand clothes.

Mohamed said the government is targeting labor-intensive low-tech industries such as textile as part of the realization of the industrialization agenda that will transform Kenya into a newly-industrializing, middle-income country.
TOKYO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Panasonic Corp. said on Friday it will end its vacuum cleaner development business in North America at the end of March as its vacuum business is failing to deal with cheaper competition.

Panasonic set up a plant for its vacuum cleaners in the U.S. state of Kentucky in 1990, and along with another plant in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, has produced 600,000 units a year, which are then sold on to Sears department store under a special manufacturing equipment agreement.

But the Osaka-based firm said that sales have been falling in the face of stiff competition and Panasonic will continue to sell vacuum cleaners in the United States, but they will be sourced through consignment production at local factories, or shipped in from its plant in Malaysia.

Panasonic said its Kentucky facility will close at the end of March, while the Mexican plant operations will be switched from vacuum cleaners to car seat warmers and other auto equipment from April, officials from the company said.

Panasonic said it expects its group net profit to tumble 25 percent on-year to 120 billion yen (1.04 billion U.S. dollars) for the year ending March 31.

It said a stronger yen and slowing sales in its Chinese and European markets were responsible for the group net profit slide.

To counter the losses, the firm has initiated some wholesale restructuring plans, including teaming up with Tesla Motors Inc. to expand its battery business and cutting its LCD TV panel production business at a plant in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan.
TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Russia have developed a roadmap to jointly produce nuclear fuel, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Friday.

Kamalvandi said that the agreement, signed during his recent visit to Russia, is an important accord "given that what we seek from (uranium) enrichment is to become able to generate fuel," Press TV reported.

He also talked about singing another bilateral agreement during his Russia visit featuring cooperation in the field of producing stable isotopes, which have applications in medical and industrial fields.

The deal will be implemented at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, making Iran the forth place in the world where such isotopes are produced alongside Russia, the United States, and France.

During his trip, he also discussed the construction of two power plants in Iran with the help of Russia, Kamalvandi was quoted as saying.
LONDON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- More than 900,000 British people live long term in mainland Europe, with over a third setting up home in Spain, official data revealed on Friday.

Statisticians at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have carried out a detailed analysis of the number of British people who are long-term residents of European Union countries.

France, Ireland and Germany also have high numbers of British people living within their boundaries.

The ONS looked at the numbers living more long term outside of Britain, residing for at least a year in other countries.

Of the 308,805 British people living in Spain, a third are aged over 65, confirming the sun-soaked Spanish resorts as favorite retirement spots for older people.

Jay Lindop, deputy director for population at ONS, said ONS has produced this analysis to give a clearer picture of British citizens living in the EU and European economic area.

"These data are from censuses held in 2011, the most recently available source of comparable data for all countries. Our research suggests that there has not been a great deal of change in the numbers between 2011 and 2016," Lindop said.

ONS says the total number of people born in Britain, but registered as living in EU countries, is almost 1,140,000.

Statistic experts at ONS explain the higher figure includes foreign nationals born in Britain or British nationals born abroad.

"It gives a less precise estimate of how many British citizens might be affected when the UK exits the EU because they do not have citizenship of another EU state to use," said ONS.

Across EU countries, over 280,000 people aged 30 to 49 form the biggest group of British residents. Lithuania is the least popular, accounting for just 231 British residents.

While many Polish people head to the shores of Britain in search of work, just over 2,000 British people were registered as residing in Poland.

One of Europe's smallest countries, Switzerland, which falls within the European Free Trade area, is home to almost 34,000 British people.
LUSAKA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has given Zambia 250 condom dispensers to be distributed to provinces with high HIV prevalence rates, said a statement released on Friday.

The condom dispensers have been provided under a Condomize Campaign, a joint effort aimed at promoting the use of condoms in HIV prevention in the southern African nation.

This is the second donation the UN agency has made to Zambia at a total cost of 64,650 U.S. dollars, it added.

The UNFPA said it had continued to support access to male and female condoms as part of efforts to reduce new HIV infections, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and reduction on unintended pregnancies.

Scaling up the use of male and female condoms is also expected to contribute to reducing stigma associated with condom use for sexually active individuals, it said.

Five of Zambia's 10 provinces have HIV prevalence rates above the national rate that currently stands at 11.6 percent of adults aged 15 to 49.
KABUL, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations remains firmly committed to supporting Afghanistan and its people, said a senior visiting UN official.

Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca, who concluded a four-day visit on Friday, said, "The UN stands ready to assist in any efforts to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process."

Jenca met with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and the recently appointed Afghan electoral commissioners, among others, according to a statement issued by UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Friday.

The UN official underlined the importance of regional cooperation to achieve durable peace and prosperity.

Jenca discussed the Afghan government's commitment to unity and reform, which has secured long-term support from international partners in security and development, according to the statement.

"This support provides important opportunities for ensuring that Afghanistan can move toward stability, accountability and greater self-reliance," Jenca was quoted as saying.

"The UN shares the hope for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan, and remains committed to supporting the government's progress to reduce poverty and improve the still vulnerable situation of Afghan women," he said.

Jenca also echoed the call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make 2017 a year for peace and make full use of preventive diplomacy, the statement noted.
RABAT, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's interior ministry announced on Friday the foiling of an Islamic State's (IS) terror attack, a new operation that shows the imminent threat the group poses to the country.

Morocco has been targeted by terrorist groups. Terror attack in 2011 in the tourist city of Marrakesh claimed the lives of at least 15 people. In recent years, it was the IS group that has been plotting attacks against sensitive spots in the country.

According to official figures, in 2016 alone, Morocco busted 19 terrorist cells and arrested of 273 suspects, most of them linked to the group which control large swaths in Syria and Iraq.

Friday's operation led to the bust of the seven-member cell in five cities, namely El Jadida, Settat, Sale, Meknes and Taza, the ministry said in a statement.

The interior ministry said that the police raided the cell's safe house in the coastal city of El Jadida, some 190 km south of the capital Rabat, adding that the mastermind of the cell was preparing terror attacks following orders from IS field leaders.

National TV channels showed the seized firearms, ammunition, bladed weapons, telecommunication devices, chemical substances and suspicious liquids.

The ministry said that these materials are likely to be used in the production of explosive devices, noting that the suspicious objects will be submitted to scientific expertise.

While the ministry did not reveal details about the operation in El Jadida, le360.ma news site reported earlier on Friday that the Moroccan police started since the early hours an operation where real bullets and explosion were heard in the coastal city.

The explosion was also reported by Alyaoum24.com news site, which cited local sources saying that the city has been on high alert.

The ministry noted that the cell planned also to recruit young people to conduct operations that kill as many people as possible and undermine the country's stability.

The statistics of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) indicate that since 2002, 167 cells have been dismantled, 46 of which were closely linked to groups active in IS conflict zones.

A total of 341 terrorist attempts have been foiled by Moroccan security services and 2,963 individuals arrested were arrested and brought to justice, according to the same figures.
KATHMANDU, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 100 reknowned Nepali literary figures, artists and journalists have gathered in the lake city Pokhara to attend the 6th edition of Nepal Literature Festival that kicked off on Friday.

The country's only international literary extravaganza was inaugurated by eminent Litterateur of the Himalayan country Dhruba Chandra Gautam in Pokhara, some 200 km away from the capital city.

Issuing a statement, the organizer Bookworm Foundation stated the four-day long literary extravaganza will host literary and artistic dialogues.

This year, the event has featured special sessions with three international writers.

The only of its kind in Nepal, the festival is regarded as a platform for vibrant celebration of words and ideas, culture, music and creative expressions through discussions and dialogues on contemporary issues.

Nepal Literature Festival, which has been organized since 2011, is aimed at promoting writing, arts and aesthetics in Nepal.
People are seen crossing at an army checkpoint, as rebel fighters and their families prepare to leave the town of Deir Kanun in the Wadi Barada region, on January 11, 2017, as part of a ceasefire deal with the Syrian government. (AFP/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed after targets belonging to terrorists were hit by Turkish army in Al-Bab of northern Syria in last 24 hours, Turkish General Staff stated on Friday.

According to the Turkish army, 272 targets belonging to the terrorists have been shelled.

Meanwhile, Turkish jets hit 24 IS targets in al-Bab and Bzagah districts, destroying 21 buildings used as hideouts, including so-called headquarters and an ammunition depot.

Four bomb-laden vehicles have also been destroyed in the operations, the military added.

A total of 3282 improvised explosive devices and 55 mines have been destroyed since the beginning of the operation, the military added.

The Turkish Armed Forces launched the Euphrates Shield Operation last August against both IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey regards the YPG and the PYD as terrorist organizations due to their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
BUDAPEST, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto on Friday called for accelerating the process of admitting Montenegro to NATO and the European Union (EU).

Szijjarto claimed that Montenegro's integration into the EU and NATO could guarantee long-term stability and peace in the region.

Szijjarto made the remarks after a meeting with Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic.

Szijjarto warned that tension from past differences and the ongoing threat of migration could destabilize the region if effects accumulate.

Montenegro has been in negotiations to join NATO since 2010, and was formally invited to join in 2015. An accession protocol was signed in 2016, but several countries, most notably the United States, have not yet ratified it.

Hungary has been serving as the liaison between NATO and Montenegro since 2010. Szijjarto said he hoped the stragglers would ratify the protocol as soon as possible.

Montenegro has also been negotiating EU membership since becoming independent. Formal accession negotiations between the EU and Montenegro began in 2012 and are expected to be concluded in 2019.

Szijjarto said Hungary is the fourth largest investor in Montenegro.

On his part, Darmanovic said membership in NATO and the EU had been his country's strategic foreign policy objectives since it became independent in 2006.
NAIROBI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of civil society experts on Friday called on African leaders to step up fight against illicit financial flows, an issue which is of critical importance to regional development.

In a joint statement, the experts said illicit financial inflows (IFFs) was robbing the African continent of more than 70 billion U.S. dollars, representing one of the largest problems facing Africa today.

The group, which also issued a set of recommendations highlighting 14 steps dubbed Accelerating the IFF Agenda for African Countries, said the African leaders should take steps to address illicit financial flows (IFFs).

Among the recommendations are suggestions to establish a multi-agency approach to fight IFFs, to collect information to identify corporate ownership, and certain tax-related measures.

Jason Rosario Braganza, Deputy Executive Director of Tax Justice Network-Africa (TJN-A) in Kenya, said the accelerated IFF agenda for African countries comes at a time where there is vacuum in global leadership on the issues of IFFs.

"The 14 point agenda integrates fundamental political and institutional steps that African governments and African multilateral agencies have begun taking to curb IFFs from the continent," Braganza said.

"The Accelerated IFF Agenda is timely as African governments take up the mantle of leadership to track it, stop it, get it in order to further the continents' development agenda," he added.

The international community has already recognized IFFs as a major impediment to development, incorporating reduction of IFFs into the Financing for Development Conference's Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Global Financial Integrity President Raymond Baker said development experts have identified domestic resource mobilization as the most crucial ingredient in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Illicit financial flows are corrosive to development efforts and curtail the ability to capture domestic resources. It will require energetic and concerted action from governments to fix the problem and the Accelerated IFF Agenda identifies effective steps to kick-start the process," Baker said.

Donald Deya, Chief Executive Officer of the Pan African Lawyers' Union (PALU) said the Accelerated IFF Agenda addresses governance and accountability concerns and why the African Union should take note of the document in its discussions this week.

Deya said the AU has taken a lead role in recognizing the problem of IFFs on the continent.

"It can take a step further by including IFF-measures in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), stating loud and clear that good governance means addressing IFFs. I am in Addis Ababa this week to commence this discussion with government representatives, on behalf of our colleagues," he said.
LONDON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A former leading Irish diplomat said Friday that Ireland might have to opt for an "Irexit" and quit the European Union (EU).

Ray Bassett, Ireland's one time ambassador to Canada, said Ireland faced a "momentous decision" after Brexit, but had stubbornly chosen to stick with the EU regardless.

Writing in the Belfast News Letter on Friday, Bassett said Dublin should instead keep its options open.

Bassett is one of the first Irish establishment figures to float the idea of an "Irexit" -- Ireland leaving the EU, said the newspaper.

In his article, Bassett said following the referendum vote by the British people to leave the EU, the Irish Department of Finance outlined "a dire scenario in the event of a hard Brexit", warning of a 30-percent fall in exports to mainland Britain, leading to 40,000 job losses in Ireland.

But he said the department had not examined the cost of leaving "the EU and keeping a free trade area with post Brexit Britain."

"It is the height of folly not to consider all options," Bassett wrote.

He said the Irish government also had to take into consideration the Belfast Agreement, which was agreed under the umbrella that both Britain and Ireland were members of the EU.

The Belfast Agreement, a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s, ended three decades of bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

Bassett said there must be serious doubts about the sustainability of the peace agreements if the basis on which they were constructed were altered by a hard Brexit.

Ireland joined the EU in 1973 at the same time as Britain.
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Friday expressed the hope that a regional summit, which was scheduled to be held in Islamabad November but was postponed over India boycott, will be held soon.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz talked to Arjun Bahadur Thapa, the outgoing secretary general of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), in Islamabad that India "impeded the SAARC process and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter."

"Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the SAARC umbrella can be pursued more vigorously," Aziz said, according to a Foreign Ministry's statement.

Thapa emphasized the need to overcome the difficulties that the organization faced and expressed the hope that the 19th SAARC Summit would be held in Islamabad as soon as possible.

India boycotted the summit amid tension after gunmen attacked an army center in the Indian-controlled Kashmir in September. The unclaimed attack killed 19 Indian soldiers.

Aziz reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional cooperation under the framework of SAARC for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, economic progress, social uplift and cultural cooperation.

Aziz believed that the SAARC Secretariat could play an important role as catalyst to bring all the member states together and ensure timely and effective implementation of programs and activities that would benefit the region.
TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran has started exporting condensate, a form of ultra-light oil, from its South Pars gas field to Japan, Press TV reported on Friday, quoting an Iranian energy official as saying.

Pirouz Mousavi, the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Terminals Company, said the consignment sent to Japan contained 160,000 barrels of condensate.

Media reports said earlier that Iran was already expanding the market for its condensate, which can be used to make both fuel and plastic, by sending it to Europe.

According to the report, South Korea is the top importer of Iran's condensate.
NICOSIA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus's annual gross domestic product (GDP) of about 20 billion euros (21.4 billion U.S. dollars) is projected to expand by 3.1 percent in 2017, according to a study funded by the European Union (EU).

The study, released on Friday by the Economics Research Center (ERC) of the University of Cyprus, said this year's growth would be based on a solid 2.9-percent comeback of the economy in 2016.

Cyprus was pulled back from the brink of bankruptcy by the Eurogroup and the International Monetary Fund in March 2013, under a 10-billion-euro economic assistance package that involved tough austerity for the people and a shakeup of the banking system.

ERC said the main drivers of the Cypriot growth were expected to be a moderate growth in the euro area and the EU, and a further strengthening of economic sentiment in Cyprus and in the EU.

Other factors cited were the ongoing normalization of the domestic banking sector, which included the listing of the leading lender Bank of Cyprus on the London Stock Exchange and a marked increase in deposits, deleveraging, and low lending interest rates.

Downside risks for the Cypriot economy listed by ERC were an expected slowdown in Britain and the depreciation of the pound against the euro because of the Brexit uncertainty, weaker than expected growth in the EU, the high level of private borrowing from the banks and the high public debt-to-GDP ratio.

"This renders Cyprus vulnerable to external negative shocks," ERC said.

But these risks were mostly offset by improved economic conditions in Russia.

A increased number of Russian visitors helped Cypriot tourism grow by about 20 percent in 2016, making it the best year so far. Enditem
GARISSA, Kenya, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two Kenyan police officers were killed and four others seriously wounded on Friday when their vehicle was hit by explosive device along the border with Somalia.

A security officer said the deceased from Administration Police were responding to an attack by Al-Shabaab terrorists on a Kenya Defence Forces base in Kulbiyow when they were attacked.

"We lost two officers while the other four have been admitted at the hospital here in Nairobi. They were responding to the attack on KDF base in Somalia," said an official aware of the incident.

The security office who declined to be named said their vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as it crossed the border to Somalia to rescue KDF personnel who were under siege.

The injured were flown to Nairobi for specialized treatment and those who saw them said they had serious multiple injuries. The incident forced the officers to abandon their mission.

"Reinforcements deployed by the KDF in Kenya encountered massive IEDs along the MSR (military service requirements) and had to abandon mission," said the official. A reinforcement that arrived hours later managed to take control of the base.

Somali militants staged a dawn attack on KDF camp in Kolbiyow and killed an unknown number of Kenyan soldiers who are part of the AMISOM troops. The militants used twin suicide vehicle bound improvised explosive devices (SVBIED).

KDF said it sent reinforcement which was able to destroy two vehicles loaded with improvised explosive devices within the vicinity of their Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Kulbiyow, an area near Kenya's border with Somalia. Enditem
VILNIUS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Japan opened on Friday its market to Lithuanian poultry.

According to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, Japanese institutions informed that as of Jan. 27, Lithuanian producers are allowed to export poultry and their products to Japan.

From January to November in 2016, Lithuania's exports to Japan reached 117.75 million euros (125.77 millio U.S. dollars), growing almost three times, compared to the same period in 2015, according to the ministry. Enditem
Baku, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan and Ukraine signed a cooperation program in the field of social policy here on Friday, according to the official media.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Salim Muslumov and Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy Andriy Reva have signed the document as part of Reva's two-day visit to Azerbaijan.

Following the signing ceremony, Andriy Reva said that the document provides conditions for the implementation of the agreements earlier signed by the two countries.

"The program specifies those measures that we are going to take to fulfill already reached agreements. These practical measures will be implemented by our agencies in order to give real meaning to the already existing agreements. We do not think that there is a need to sign something new; we just need to focus on implementation of what we have already agreed. We are talking about such areas as labour, social protection, including pensions, social insurance, employment, labor protection and other areas," said the Ukrainian minister.

Salim Muslimov pointed out that the four agreements have been already signed between the Ukrainian and Azerbaijani ministries including the agreement envisaging social protection of Ukrainian citizens working in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani citizens working in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy Andriy Reva's visit to Baku focused on new areas of cooperation in the field of labor and social protection. The Ukrainian side is also willing to benefit from experience of Azerbaijan in the sphere of accommodation of refugees and internally displaced persons.
U.S. President Donald Trump waves upon his arrival at the White House from Philadelphia, in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

LONDON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- As British Prime Minister Theresa May becomes the first foreign leader to meet new U.S. President Donald Trump, Britain's ties with the U.S. is set to prosper under the Trump presidency, British experts have said.

"That Trump is meeting May is significant," Robert Busby, senior lecturer in politics and an expert on American politics with Liverpool Hope University, said in an interview with Xinhua.

Such a special relationship, however, could become more of an illusion if Trump forges a new relationship with Russia or if he acts in a way alien to British public and political opinion,

Busby said he expects the British-U.S. ties to prosper following two terms of Barack Obama in the White House.

"Trump was supportive of Brexit and saw that movement as being indicative of a greater anti-globalism concern among voters, which could be replicated in the U.S.," he said.

The reinforcement of close relations with Britain, he said, would also resurrect the Reagan-Thatcher memories that were fondly remembered by U.S. Republicans in particular.

Britain and the U.S. had enjoyed close relations in the 1980s, under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagon.

"There are perceptions that Britain may become isolated after Brexit. (But) the message from Trump is that there are old relationships that can be rediscovered," Busby said.

Trump's meetings with Nigel Farage, former leader of British political party UKIP, and now May are testament to a sympathy for British ideas and legacies, he said.

Busby said while there are opportunities for Britain following Brexit with a sympathetic president in place, there may be greater problems in getting concrete actions, particularly in the short term.

"The Brexit process, as has been shown, will be a slow and arduous procedure," he said.

May has indicated that Britain will trigger Article 50, the formal procedure by which an EU member state notifies the European Council that it intends to leave the block, by the end of March.

Once triggered, Article 50 requires "divorce" negotiations to be completed within two years.

According to Busby, it will take some time to get trade deals enacted with the U.S., and this is not in Trump's hands alone as there will be a need for support from the U.S. Congress.

"Trump's interest is not in ensuring that the UK has a post-Brexit ally per se, but rather that American jobs are created and that there are markets for American goods," he said.

Britain may find itself in a trade deal, but not necessarily one where it holds the advantage in comparison with a much bigger and more powerful economy, he warned.

"I don't think that we can assume that Trump-May will evolve into a Reagan-Thatcher relationship," Busby said.

"Trump, a recent convert to the Republican party, seems much more pragmatic in his approach to politics, and May will be expected to use her opportunities in forging a relationship to hold Trump to account in some of his more controversial policy areas.

"I'd expect a warm association between the two, but a much more business like relationship as opposed to the personal friendship of Reagan and Thatcher. Inevitably however constant comparisons will be made," Busby said.

There may be a period when both countries have an immediate need for one another -- Britain to look beyond the shockwaves of Brexit, while Trump to have a strong global ally in a world where there is uncertainty.

"This however could be short term," he warned.

If new relationships are forged between the U.S. and Russia, or if Trump acts in a way that is alien to British public and political opinion, then the special relationship may well be more of an illusion than a hard practicality which would benefit both nations, he said.

Prof. Patrick Minford, a global expert in macroeconomics, was a special adviser to Thatcher, famed for her close working relationship with former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Minford, Professor of Applied Economics at Cardiff Business School of Cardiff University, told Xinhua the Trump-May relationship could easily match that of the Reagan-Thatcher era.

"I believe the Trump-May relationship will work well in the same way there was a chemistry between Reagan and Thatcher.

They were complete opposites between Reagan and Thatcher. They could not have been more different.

"Similarly with Trump and May, there is a coincidence of interests, problems and approaches, and two very different people.

"We are going for free trade options to satisfy our citizens left out of the process of globalization. It is because of an absence of free trade, caused as a result of the EU's protectionist policies in things such as agriculture.

"Trump is facing the problem of illegal immigration and areas such as Detroit being denuded of jobs. What we could see is a trickle down effect because of his approach to the problems America faces.

"The U.S.-UK coincidences continue, with both countries wanting fast moving economies, cuts in regulations and curbing unskilled immigration. It could lead to an improvement in the economies of both, more of a tremendous storm than a perfect storm."

Minford predicted there will be a free trade agreement with the U.S. under the Trump presidency, backed by the fact Britain pays its way on defense and the fact both countries are already good allies.

Britain is not seen as a threat to America since the two nations are complimentary allies. On the other hand, Trump might be tough on mainland Europe, he said.

"Of course he needs to tread carefully in respect of the North American Free Trade Agreement because of the importance of the supply chain. He may have to put some stuff on hold," Minford added.
WINDHOEK, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hopes of farmers in northern Namibia's Ondjungulume village for a bumper harvest are being dashed, following the invasion of elephants at the village.

For the past three weeks, the elephants have been destroying crops and homesteads at the village.

The elephants strayed to Ondjungulume village from Ruacana in search for water and greener pasture, according to Chief Control-Warrant for the northern regions Rehabeam Erkki.

"The elephants are drawn to the area by the good rains received," Erkki said.

Valeria Namboga from Ondjungulume village in the Otamanzi Constituency in Omusati region has been farming pearl millet and sorghum there for over 10 years.

Hard hit by a dry spell over the years, the region recently received good rainfall. "The good rainfall received gave us hope for better and improved faring season," said Namboga.

But her hopes for a better yields are being shuttered by elephants that invaded her field and destroying her crops.

Namboga said the wild animals have visited and destroyed her crops three days in a row.

"They are destroying my crops and disturbing our farming routine," Namboga bemoaned.

That is not all. Not only are the elephants destroying their crops, but the villagers are living in fear as the wild animals are also terrorizing their homesteads.

Paulus Nuyoma, a chief from the village leadership, said that the animals are putting their lives in danger.

"They are vandalizing our villagers' fences and homes. This has a negative impact on our people's livelihood," he said.

As part of interventions, Erkki explained that, through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the regional team had dispatched nature conservation officials to monitor the behavior and movement of the elephants to prevent them from destroying any more crops.

But villagers are not satisfied about the arrangement and said that the monitoring officials are not doing much to prevent the elephants from damaging the crops.

According to Namboga, although nature conservation officials in the region have stepped in; and are herding the elephants during the day to scare them off them off, at night, the elephants wander freely and still destroy the crops.

"We endured a dry spell, and our last hope for recovery is being threatened. This human-wildlife conflict is costing us our livelihood that we are striving to re-build after a long period of drought," vented Namboga.

In the meantime, the villagers are appealing to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and nature conservation officials to come up with more hands-on interventions to remove the elephants from the village before it is too late.

"They should remove the elephants from the area before more damage is done," Namboga said.

Information from the Ministry of Environment and Environment shows that the major problems of conflicts between wildlife and human activities takes place on communal land, where predators and most elephants stray outside protected areas.

Human-wildlife conflict is also experienced on commercial farmers given that more than 40 percent of the land use in Namibia dedicated to commercials farming.
SKOPJE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) office in Macedonia launched the EU for You campaign here on Friday to raise awareness and inform the Macedonian public of EU assistance in the country, local media reported.

The EU for YOU campaign highlights the importance of maintaining a clean environment, one of the key EU policy and sector priorities and areas of EU investment, EU Ambassador to Macedonia Samuel Zbogar told reporters at a press conference.

According to him, overall EU assistance in the field of environment in Macedonia amounts to more than 80 million euros (86 million U.S. dollars) under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

There is further support planned for 100 million euros under the next IPA financial allocation, Zbogar told a press conference. (1 euro = 1.07 U.S. dollars) Enditem
U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 27, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that it is "very early" to talk about lifting sanctions on Russia in relation to the Ukraine crisis. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is "100 percent" behind NATO, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Friday as she paid a visit to the United States.

"On defense and security cooperation, we are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense, and today we've reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to this alliance," May said at a joint press conference following a meeting with Trump.

"Mr. President, I think you said, you confirmed that you're 100 percent behind NATO," she added.

In a recent interview, Trump said NATO was "obsolete because it was not taking care of terror," and he complained that various members of the bloc were not paying their dues, which was "very unfair to the United States."

However, Trump added that NATO was very important to him.

May is the first foreign leader to hold face-to-face talks with Trump after he was inaugurated a week as the new U.S. President.

At the press conference on Friday, May said she will ensure that other European leaders follow through on their commitments to NATO.

"We're also discussing the importance of NATO continuing to ensure it is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber warfare as it is to fight more conventional forms of war," May said.

The British leader added that she will also continue to encourage other European leaders to deliver on their commitments to spend 2 percent of their country's GDP on defense "so that the burden is more fairly shared."

Related:

News Analysis: UK-US ties under Trump may become "more of an illusion"

LONDON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- As British Prime Minister Theresa May becomes the first foreign leader to meet new U.S. President Donald Trump, Britain's ties with the U.S. is set to prosper under the Trump presidency, British experts have said.
NAIROBI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's military confirmed Friday that nine of its personnel were killed and 15 others were injured in the dawn Al-Shabaab attack in southern Somalia town of Kolbiyow.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Col. Paul Njuguna said over 70 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and scores were wounded in the attack which was repulsed by the soldiers operating under Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Njuguna said KDF soldiers successfully defended the military camp located in Kolbiyow, Lower Juba, following an attempted attack by Al-Shabaab terrorists.

"During this engagement KDF lost two officers and seven servicemen. Fifteen KDF soldiers who were injured during the engagement have been evacuated to Defence Forces Memorial Hospital for further medical attention," he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

However, Al-Shabaab which claimed responsibility for the attack said it had killed at least 57 soldiers. Al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab also said they took full control of the camp and killed several soldiers before withdrawing later in the afternoon.

Njuguna said a wave of terrorists supported by two Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) attempted to attack the camp but the attempt was unsuccessful due to fire from KDF troops in defensive positions.

"Over 70 Al-Shabaab terrorists were killed and scores wounded in the attack. Additionally, KDF soldiers launched a hot pursuit on the fleeing terrorists," he added.

Njuguna said KDF's Quick Reaction Force, Land and Air Forces arrived at the Kolbiyow Camp early Friday and reinforced the defence and pursuit efforts.

He said pacification efforts are still on going, as well as consolidation of personnel and defensive posture at the camp.

"The KDF soldiers remain vigilant and will continue to relentlessly pursue the terrorist to ensure peace and security of our country Kenya, as well as support AMISOM operations in order to stabilize Somalia," said Njuguna.

The attack happens a year after a similar attack at El Adde which resulted in the deaths of over 100 Kenyan troops. However, Kenya has not provided official figure yet for the January 15, 2016 attack. Enditem
U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 27, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that it is "very early" to talk about lifting sanctions on Russia in relation to the Ukraine crisis. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that it is "very early" to talk about lifting sanctions on Russia in relation to the Ukraine crisis.

"I hear a call was set up. We' ll see what happens," Trump said at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. "As far as sanctions, it's very early to be talking about that."

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a telephone conversation on Saturday, according to U.S. officials and the Kremlin.

Trump has hinted that he could lift the sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States.

Trump's openly pro-Russia stance has been scrutinized recently amid U.S. intelligence's conclusion that Russia helped him win the presidential election through hacking activities.

Russia has denied being behind the cyber-intrusions, which targeted the Democratic National Committee and the private emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign Chairman John Podesta. Trump has repeatedly said he doubts the veracity of U.S. intelligence blaming Moscow for the hacks.

At the press conference on Friday, May said the sanctions on Russia should continue until Russia fully implements its commitments to the 2014 Minsk Agreement.

"As far as the U.K. is concerned on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement fully implemented," May said.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented and we've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," she added.
VILNIUS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian leaders pledged to rapidly adopt law amendments aimed at improving child rights protection services in the wake of a four-year-old minor who being severely beaten to death in Kedainiai.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite stressed on Friday that not every level of the child rights protection system was operating properly and professionalism was lacking in the case of a stepfather suspected of having beaten his four-year-old stepson to death.

The tragic incident took place in a central Lithuanian town on Thursday. After being severely physically abused at his home, the victim died early Friday morning in hospital.

The boy's mother and her boyfriend were suspected of the crime and arrested, and a pre-trial investigation was launched, news agency Elta reported.

"Some elements of the chain (of the social care system) either are afraid or don't want to take responsibility, for example, in cases when it must be decided whether the child must be taken away from his family; if it is not done, the child might face physical harm and his life may be endangered, as the latest case proved," Grybauskaite was quoted as saying by local media.

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis underlined that the boy could have been protected from violence weeks ago but this was not done.

"There are amendments submitted by the president that oblige child rights protection services to respond promptly and accommodate kids in a safe environment not later than one working day," Skvernelis noted.

"This (legislation) must be adopted under utmost urgency," the prime minister added.

Lithuania parliament (Seimas) intends to hold an extraordinary session after the fatal child abuse case in order to urgently consider draft laws on children's rights.

Reacting to the tragedy involving the child's death, Lithuanian society lit candles in towns across the country to show support to children and express their outrage about violence against minors.

At the beginning of 2017, President Grybauskaite submitted legal amendments to the Seimas to secure children's rights protection. The president underlined at the time that the government and society must do everything possible to stop multiple incidents when children face aggression or lack of adult responsibility within their family environment.

As the President's Office said earlier, currently, there are around 18,664 children being raised in about 10,000 at-risk families in Lithuania. More than 2,000 children were victims of domestic violence in 2016.

The legal amendments were for more effective and timely activities by the state's child rights protection and adoption service, and a legal framework to ensure activities of professional guardians who would immediately take care of children facing serious problems at home.

Nearly a year ago, a similar tragedy occurred, also in Kedainiai district. On Jan. 2, 2016 in Savieciai, a small village in the district, a man killed two out of four of his kids by throwing them into a well during a family conflict.

After the Savieciai tragedy, responsible officials were called to prepare a binding methodology for children's rights municipal departments, local health centers, and other local institutions. However, multiple experts and observers were insisting it was a matter of time until the next issue in terms of children safety in their domestic environment.

Domestic violence against children has been one of the most sensitive public issues recently in Lithuania, a Baltic country facing serious demographic challenges, such as a rapidly aging society and a shrinking population.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 23, 2016. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

MOSCOW, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to hold his first phone conversation with the new U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, the Kremlin said Friday.

"Putin intends to congratulate Trump on assuming the presidency. And as is usual during such contacts, an exchange of views on the main parameters of the current state of bilateral relations takes place," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency.

Peskov denied knowledge about the veracity of reports that the Trump administration plans to alleviate sanctions against Russia imposed due to the Crimea issue and Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

"No, nothing is known about this," Peskov said.

Putin was among the first leaders of major powers to send congratulations to Trump after the result of the U.S. presidential election was announced in November.

During a call in mid-November, Putin and the then U.S. president-elect agreed that the current ties between Russia and the United States "could not get worse" and vowed to help "stimulate a return to pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation."
MADRID, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Friday he is convinced that common sense will win in the relationship between Mexico and the United States.

In a press conference after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni, Rajoy highlighted the good relationship Spain has with both Mexico and the United States, appealing for common sense and good relations between neighboring countries.

"What we want and we are convinced that this will happen, is that judgment, sense, common sense will win, as almost always occurs," he said, adding that the "relations between neighbors will be the same relations we all want to have with our neighbors."

He emphasized that Spain had very close relations with both countries, sharing values with the Unites States and having a good and positive relationship benefited for the two countries.

"With Mexico, we have historical ties, personal ties, language, culture, and it is a very close relationship between the countries and people from both countries," he said, describing the relations as "intense and friendly."

Rajoy said that the European Union would remain united.

On his part, Gentiloni added that if Europe is united and reaffirms its values, it "will establish relations with the American administration in the best of ways."

In the meeting, they also talked about the new American administration and other international issues such as the Syrian war, immigration, the fight against terrorism and strengthening the European Union.

During the press conference, both Rajoy and Gentiloni highlighted the strong historical ties between Spain and Italy and announced the resumption of bilateral summits between the two countries.
Xie Xiaoyan (L), Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Syrian Issue, is interviewed by Xinhua News Agency after meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 6, 2017. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

MOSCOW, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A UN-backed intra-Syrian meeting in Geneva has been postponed to the end of February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday, but the UN said it cannot confirm the date change.

"This date has been moved again from February 8 to the end of next month," Lavrov said at a meeting with Syrian opposition delegates days after a round of intra-Syrian talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on a political settlement in the war-torn country.

"We believe that the passivity of our UN colleagues, who have not held any rounds of the talks since April 2016, is unacceptable," Lavrov added, according to an official transcript of Friday's meeting posted on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Rounds of Syrian peace talks have taken place in Geneva under the auspices of the UN but little progress has been made mainly due to continuous fighting in the Middle Eastern country.

Yet UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who said last month that the Geneva dialogue will resume in February, cannot confirm or deny the postponement of the meeting.

"There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed," the special envoy's spokesperson, Yara Sharif, told reporters.

"The special envoy is heading to New York next week and is going to discuss this issue with the UN secretary-general. We will have a clear image once he is back," he added.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other top UN officials on Friday said that the world has a duty to remember that the Holocaust was a systematic attempt to eliminate the Jewish people and so many others.

Marking the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, Guterres noted that building a future of dignity and equality for all will honour the victims of this "incomparable tragedy in human history...who we will never allow to be forgotten."

On Jan. 27 each year, the United Nations remembers the Holocaust that affected many people of Jewish origin during World War II. This day is called the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. It also commemorates when the Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland on Jan. 27, 1945.

The secretary-general said in a video message that it would be a dangerous error to think of the Holocaust as simply the result of the insanity of a group of criminal Nazis.

"On the contrary, the Holocaust was the culmination of millennia of hatred, scapegoating and discrimination targeting the Jews, what we now call anti-Semitism," Guterres said, adding that tragically and contrary to the international community's resolve, anti-Semitism continues to thrive.

Moreover, the world is also witnessing a "deeply troubling" rise in extremism, xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim hatred, he said. "Irrationality and intolerance are back."

Stressing that this is in complete contrast to the universal values enshrined in the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he said, "We can never remain silent or indifferent when human beings are suffering."

"We must always defend the vulnerable and bring tormentors to justice. And as the theme of this year's observance highlights, a better future depends on education," he said.

"After the horrors of the 20th century, there should be no room for intolerance in the 21st," Guterres said. "I guarantee you that as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I will be in the frontline of the battle against anti-Semitism and all other forms of hatred."

Also on Friday, in his remarks, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the day of remembrance for the victims of the Nazi Holocaust forces the world to contemplate the horrors to which bigotry, racism and discrimination ultimately lead.

"The sadistic brutality of the atrocities inflicted by the Nazi regime on Jews, Roma, Slavs, persons with disabilities, political dissidents, homosexuals and others was nourished by layer upon layer of propaganda, falsifications and incitement to hatred," he said, adding that they were denigrated and smeared; one after another, their rights were refused, and finally, even their humanity was denied.

'It happened, therefore it can happen again,' wrote Primo Levi, who endured and survived the concentration camp at Auschwitz Birkenau, he said. "As we honour the victims of the Holocaust, we must also acknowledge the need to prevent the recurrence of anti-Semitism and all forms of racial and religious hatred and discrimination today."

It is therefore essential to uphold independent rule of law institutions and a free press, which can hold leaders to account and establish a truthful record of the facts. It is crucial to maintain respect for human rights, especially in respect of the right to life and wellbeing of all people regardless of their origin or ethnicity.

"Above all, education must be at the core of all efforts to combat anti-Semitism, racism, and all forms of discrimination. Although an important part of that work must be centred on schools and other academic fora, education in this sense must extend far more broadly, so that we can undo the stereotypes which generate so much injustice and prejudice throughout society," Zeid said.

A Holocaust Memorial Ceremony was held on Friday at UN Headquarters in New York, hosted by the the UN under-secretary-general for communications and public information, Cristina Gallach.

Speakers included Peter Thomson, the president of the UN General Assembly, Danny Danon, the permanent representative of Israel to the UN, and Michele J. Sison, the U.S. deputy permanent representative to the UN.

Noah Klieger, a 90-year old Holocaust survivor, was keynote speaker.

The ceremony also featured music by guitarist Gary Lucas and vocalist Rachel Joselson, Doctor of Music Arts and Associate Professor at the U.S. University of Iowa.

Holocaust survivors and various leaders make their voices heard on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. Many of them speak publicly about the Holocaust or their experiences around the event, its aftermath and why the world should never forget what happened in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

Many statements emphasize the need for future generations to learn about and remember the Holocaust and for everyone to work towards preventing genocide.
U.S. President Donald Trump waves upon his arrival at the White House from Philadelphia, in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 26, 2017.(Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that it is "very early" to talk about lifting sanctions on Russia in relation to the Ukraine crisis.

"I hear a call was set up. We' ll see what happens," Trump said at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. "As far as sanctions, it's very early to be talking about that."

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a telephone conversation on Saturday, according to U.S. officials and the Kremlin.

Trump has hinted that he could lift the sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States.

Trump's openly pro-Russia stance has been scrutinized recently amid U.S. intelligence's conclusion that Russia helped him win the presidential election through hacking activities.

Russia has denied being behind the cyber-intrusions, which targeted the Democratic National Committee and the private emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign Chairman John Podesta. Trump has repeatedly said he doubts the veracity of U.S. intelligence blaming Moscow for the hacks.

At the press conference on Friday, May said the sanctions on Russia should continue until Russia fully implements its commitments to the 2014 Minsk Agreement.

"As far as the U.K. is concerned on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement fully implemented," May said.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented and we've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," she added.
SANTIAGO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua)-- President Michelle Bachelet on Friday thanked the international community for the help it has given Chile in fighting unprecedented forest fires across the country.

The fires have raged and burned 280,000 hectares and destroyed over 1,200 homes. The country has mobilized 46 planes and around 4,000 ground troops to battle the flames, aside from residents trying to save their possessions.

Until now, at least 10 firefighters have died in trying to control the fires.

Speaking at a press conference, Bachelet noted that Spain has sent an Air Tractor plane, the U.S. has sent an Air Tractor and a Bell 205 helicopter, while Peru has sent a helicopter and a Comac plane.

Furthermore, countries have made economic and material contributions, with the U.S. sending 100,000 U.S. dollars, Colombia sending 29 troops and Mexico dispatching a group.

On Friday morning, Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz also confirmed that rescuers had also arrived from France, Peru, Spain and Argentina.

Bachelet also said that a Russian plane was also being awaited bearing 12 experts who will lend their technical assistance to the operation.

The European Union also announced Friday they would be responding to Chile's call for aid with a spokeswoman stating "the EU is sending aid to Chile as it may face the severe forest fires in the country."

Bachelet reiterated "the gratitude of the government to all the firefighters, rescuers and volunteers that are arriving to protect the lives of our citizens."
DUBLIN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ireland on Friday announced the establishment of a taskforce to reverse the decline of the curlew as a breeding species in the western European country.

The decline of the curlew is of serious concern, the Irish government said, adding that both the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have already worked closely together in prioritizing curlew locations and in developing a measure that works for both the farmers and the birds.

It also said that by convening this taskforce, it is bringing together the relevant experts and decision makers to undertake further positive actions for the curlew.

While Ireland is home to thousands of curlew each winter, particularly along our coasts where migrant birds come to escape colder weather in Scotland or Scandinavia, Its national breeding population has declined to below 150 pairs, a decline of 97 percent since the 1980s.

The curlew is one of Ireland's most distinctive birds, with long legs and a long, curved bill. It is renowned for its plaintive, bubbling call and can be found during the spring and summer in high nature value farmland areas and bogs.

The curlew is a red listed species under the Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland and is Ireland's only species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of endangered species.

A recent survey shows how serious a situation Ireland's own native curlew are in, with just 122 breeding pairs recorded. This represents a 97 percent decrease since the 1980s.
People hold banners and candles protesting against President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration in Los Angeles, the United States, Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
Photo taken on Jan. 25, 2017 shows a illuminated road in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Decorations and festive lanterns in many places of China were illuminated to greet the upcoming Spring Festival that starts on Jan. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Yu Fangping)
People watch lion dance during celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year at the "Republic" station of the Subway, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Jan. 26, 2017. The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, is celebrated on Jan. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Rahel Patrasso)
Guyanese strangled

An autopsy done yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, on the body of 44-year-old Kwesi Mona, revealed he was strangled.

The other man, who is 23, remains warded at the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex (EW MSC) in Mt Hope. It is expected that he will be interviewed by police who are investigating Monas murder.

Relatives yesterday said Mona who was a father of one, lived a secret lifestyle but they do not know if his murder had anything to do with his double personality. Both men were discovered just before midnight shortly after screams were heard coming from Monas apartment. As he regained consciousness, the man told police that he was drinking alcohol at Monas home when Mona began making sexual advances toward him. The man claimed he did not know what happened after.

We dont know if his death had anything to do with his alternate lifestyle, said a relative yesterday at the Forensic Centre. We are trying to figure out what happened. We dont know if he was hanging out with someone and an argument ensued. We just dont know. Mona was described as an amicable person who moved to Trinidad from Guyana 19 years ago and worked as a security guard.

We dont understand why anyone would do this to him. He was such a nice guy, said the relative.

He was very helpful. Anything that you needed, he would try to help as long as he had the time. All people mattered to him and I think that is how people should live with one another. It should not matter what kind of life you lead...you did not give life, so you should not take it. The pathologist who performed the autopsy noted multiple injuries including lacerations to Monas head and face but cause of death was caused by strangulation. No arrest has been made.
This is just another murder

Lorenzos body was found at Clifton Hill in Port-of-Spain on Wednesday morning. The 25-yearold man who lived at Upper Bombay Street in St James was shot no less than 15 times, an autopsy performed yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre revealed.

Asked if they think the police would ever prosecute anyone for Lorenzos murder, a relative said, as far as the family is concerned, this is going to be treated as just another murder, said the relative. Look around and ask yourself, how many murders have been solved in this country? The police are clueless.

It almost seems as if police just jot down information in a book and then move on. Its like if they put these cases in a file and then dump it in some drawer like garbage. There will be no justice, this we know, the relative added.

According to reports, residents of Clifton Hill were awakened by gunshots at 1 am on Wednesday and the police were contacted. Officers arrived on the scene but saw nothing untoward. At 7.30 am on Wednesday, persons walking along the road found Caesars body in a drain at the side of the road. No arrest has been made.
Big Foot thief jailed for 12 months

Forde-John, presiding in the San Fernando First Magistrates Court, passed the sentence on Ian Kurt Kuar, 57, yesterday when he re-appeared for sentencing.

Police arrested Kuar, of no fixed place of abode, in a room of the cafeteria on Friday when they also retrieved tools including a hammer and a wrench.

PC Mohess of the San Fernando CID laid the charges.

Kuar also known as Wayne first appeared before Forde-John on Monday when he pleaded guilty to the offences and she had remanded him into custody to reappear today for tracing.

Police prosecutor Sgt Chanardath Jhilmit had told the court that on Friday last at about 3 pm ,the owner of the cafeteria at the College at Park Street, San Fernando, secured the business and went away.

The prosecutor added that the owner returned a few hours later, at about 8 pm, when he discovered the business broken into and several items, together valued $152, missing.

Entry into the cafeteria was gained via cutting a hole in the eastern side of the building.

The owner reported the matter to the San Fernando Police Station and PC Mohess together with other officers visited the cafeteria where they arrested Kuar in a room.

The prosecutor added that the officers recovered all the stolen snacks and retrieved housebreaking implements namely a hammer and a wrench.

When the officers questioned him about the report, Kuar responded, Boss I really break into the place and I was really hungry (sic). In a separate and similar matter, Kuar also appeared before the same magistrate on Monday charged with house breaking and larceny.

He had also pleaded guilty and prosecutor Jhilmit said on July 20, 2016 at about 9 am, Duane Diaz of Circular Left in Pleasantville secured his home and went away.

The court heard Diaz returned shortly after noon, discovered the house broken into and observed Kaur leaving the premises.

Checks revealed that a quantity of jewelry and cologne, together valued at $28,700, was missing as well as US $300.

Diaz reported the matter to the Mon Repos Police Station where Cpl Crawford and other officers visited the house and obtained workable prints.

On Saturday, the victim positively identified Kaur at the San Fernando Police Station and Cpl Crawford charged him with the offence.

Yesterday, the court heard Kaur had several convictions for similar matters.

On the two housebreaking charges, the magistrate sentenced him to 12 months each and for possession of the house breaking implements, 30 days in jail.

The sentences are to run concurrently.
Morvant teen charged for brothers murder

Hannibal will return to court on February 20.

The charge alleged that Small was at his home at about 12.30 pm when he got into an argument with a man who pulled out a knife and stabbed him six times before fleeing.

The incident allegedly took place in full view of other relatives. Small was taken to the Portof- Spain General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. PC Shane Rambhajan of the Homicide Investigations Bureau (Region II) laid the charge.

In another court case, two years after he was convicted of marijuana trafficking, Russell Basdeo, cameraman for Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne, had a threeand- a-half year jail sentence quashed by the appellate court on Tuesday.

Basdeos appeal against conviction came up for hearing before Justices of Appeal Alice Yorke- Soo Hon and Mark Mohammed. He was represented by attorneys Daniel Khan and Ula Mathai-Lutchman while the State was represented by Mauriceia Joseph.

Khan successfully argued that Basdeos good character was not taken into consideration, when he was convicted.

He also submitted that Senior Magistrate Cherril- Anne Antoine erred in analysing the evidence against his client.

In quashing Basdeos conviction, the appellate judges ordered a retrial. Basdeo spent five months in prison after conviction on February 25, 2014. He was granted bail in July of that year, pending the outcome of his appeal.

Basdeo, 28, of McKenzie Street, Frederick Settlement, Caroni was arrested on September 21, 2011, by members of the North Eastern Division Task Force (NEDTF) led by Sgt Roger Alexander.

Basdeo, then employed with Central- based television station WINTV, was allegedly driving the companys white Nissan Almera along the Uriah Butler Highway near Grand Bazaar, when he was intercepted by police.

Police alleged the car contained 1.9 kilos of marijuana wrapped in plastic. The charge was laid by PC Johnson of the NEDTF.
MAN CRIES RAPE

In the first incident, at 11 pm on Tuesday, an 18-year-old man boarded a PH taxi at the corner of Queen and Henry streets in Portof- Spain and asked the driver to be taken to his home in Belmont.

Apart from the teen, who sat in the front passenger seat and the male driver, two other men were sat in the backseat.

The driver proceeded north along Belmont Circular Road and then turned into Makai Lands off Belmont Valley Road, where the car came to a halt.

The teen later told police that the man seated behind him, reclined the front seat and held on to his hands. The second man and the driver then held down the teen victim and pulled down his pants. As the driver indecently assaulted him, the teen began to scream for help and tried to break free.

The two male passengers spoke in broken English with a heavy foreign accent. A passerby who heard the screams later walked up to the car and knocked on the back door, causing the three men to let go of the teen who unlocked the door, jumped out of the car, put back on his pants and run off.

The teen later made his way to the Belmont Police Station and filed a report.

Police said that there are several reports of a man pretending to be a PH driver who has been preying on young men seeking transport at nights.

The driver, police sources said, rides with two other men. Police have contacted the Counter Trafficking Unit to assist them in this investigation.

In an unrelated incident, at about 4.30 pm on Tuesday, a 36-year-old woman boarded a car at Harris Promenade in San Fernando asking the driver to take her to Princes Town. The victim observed two men seated in the back of the car. Instead of proceeding to Princes Town, the driver drove to Balisier Avenue in Pleasantville.

Police said that when the woman asked the driver why he had diverted from the route, one of the men in the backseat grabbed her. The woman was blindfolded and gagged.

She was taken to an unknown located and raped by one of the men. The woman was then dropped off in Golconda. A report was made to San Fernando police.

In the third incident, a 23-yearold bar attendant boarded a Nissan B14 taxi at Library Corner in San Fernando at 4.35 am on Wednesday and asked to be taken to Sobo Village in La Brea. Police said that on reaching Sobo Village, the driver pointed a knife at the woman and threatened to kill her. He then brought the car to a stop at an abandoned shack close to the main road and pushed the woman into the shack.

The woman was raped by the man who later left her in the shack and drove off. She made her way to the La Brea police station and made a report. Police are calling on men and women to exercise extreme caution - especially at night - when seeking transport.

When possible, police said, try and travel in groups and avoid seeking the service of PH drivers.

No arrest has been made in these three incidents and investigations are continuing.
Mayor to remove Citys homeless

When I came in as Mayor, the Prime Minister indicated that the city of Port-of-Spain was not in a well state. He said the streets were filled with a lot of homeless people who seem to be living in our parks and on the streets.

Thats not good for the city, its affected a lot of people. What I understand from corporate citizens is that they are frustrated with what has happened with the homeless.

They have taken over the parks in downtown Port-of- Spain and that is not a good sign, he said.

Martinez was speaking to members of the media yesterday after the City Corporations first statutory meeting at the Council Chambers, Port-of-Spain City Corporation, City Hall, Knox Street.

The mayor said Port-of-Spain had homeless people like every other city in the world and how one treated their homeless people, how they dealt with them, was up to those in charge.

We are the leaders, we have to deal with it. I am the new Mayor of Port-of-Spain, I have just come in, I have a mandate to assist in clearing up the city and to make it clean.

And part of making it clean is to make sure people are not defecating on the streets, and urinating on every wall, and sleeping on the streets and eating out of the garbage and spewing the containers all over. You have to have law and order, he said.

Martinez said to do that, they had to take care of the homeless, adding that there are different categories of homelessness. He said there are people who had fallen through the cracks,those who had been displaced, those who had been deported and had nowhere to go and some who are drug addicts and there were those who were mentally ill.

The mentally ill persons pose a challenge to the right thinking citizens who walk down the street.

They feel affected that at any point in time, one of these mentally people can attack them and there is really no redress.

Citizens feel uncomfortable.

These (homeless) people are vulnerable ... but we have to implement rules, and make sure they are taken off the streets, he said. Martinez said he has been in touch with the Social Development Ministry, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Health and the Attorney Generals Office. He said Social Development Minister, Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, has laid out a plan to go forward and has asked that a task force be set up so they could treat with the issue once and for all.

We want to do it in a very humane manner and in a civilised way. We want to bring all the NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and everybody who can possibly help together, even the merchants, the mayor said.
EMR traffic disruption this weekend

The Ministry also warned that heavy equipment will be used to clear and collect unwanted waste within the municipality of San Juan/Laventille including Belmont, Laventille, Morvant, Barataria, San Juan, Santa Cruz Old Road, Santa Cruz, Maracas, La Fillette, Mt Hope, Cascade, St Anns, Aranjuez, Beetham and El Socorro. As such, caution is advised when motorists and pedestrians are these areas.

The ministry release apologised for any inconvenience caused.
Uber to work closely with Govt

Uber officials met on Tuesday with Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan; Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi; Transport Commissioner Wayne Richards and representatives of the TT Police Service at the Transport Ministrys Port-of-Spain office.

In a statement, Uber stressed its commitment to safety, pointing out that, all rides on its platforms are insured and citing its partnership with Guardian General to provide insurance coverage for both riders and third-parties using UberX in Trinidad and Tobago. Uber is committed to working with the Ministry to ensure legislation is modernised to protect the travelling public. We are certain this meeting is the beginning of a beneficial dialogue with the Ministry and other regulatory bodies in Trinidad and Tobago.

Together we can make sure all citizens have access to reliable, safe and efficient ways to move around, the company stated.

For example, no Uber partner can have access to the platform as a driver without providing a series of documents including a Certificate of Character, Uber stated adding, we also noted that Uber uses GPS to keep a record of the route a driver takes during the ride, creating accountability and a strong incentive for good behaviour. The company noted that approximately 6,000 opportunities for self-employment would be available in its first year of operation and it will investing over $2 million in the local economy.

The Works and Transport Ministry in a media release pointed out that Uber was informed of the need for strict adherence to the laws of Trinidad and Tobago and requested full disclosure of Ubers operating structures. Uber undertook to provide full disclosure of all requested information with a view to facilitating the Ministrys advice on its legal operation of services under a co-sharing arrangements for transportation, the Ministry stated.

It added that Uber also pledged to disclose its corporate and legislative structures in other jurisdictions as well as its insurance coverage in all markets including Trinidad and Tobago. The Ministry is actively leading a thorough consideration of the situation and will be in a position to report further in the near future, the release stated.
Suicide suspected

According to reports, Eddison Almandoz went to the St Joseph police station and reported seeing someone jump from a window on the top floor of his neighbour Joseph De Fours house in North Street at 12.20 am.

When police went to the house they did not see De Four and the house did not appear to be ransacked.

Police returned at 7 am in company with De Fours neighbour Nelson Hublin. About 50 feet from the house, they came upon De Four body lying face down in bushes.

District Medical Officer Dr Shivonne Ramroop later viewed the body and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre for autopsy. Foul play is not suspected in the mans death.

In an unrelated incident, investigations are continuing into the discovery by TT Coast Guard officers of over $160,000 in marijuana during a routine patrol at sea on Tuesday night.

According to a TT Coast Guard press release, officers intercepted a 28-foot-long pirogue five nautical miles off the coast of Chacachacare Island, with two occupants on board. While searching the vessel, 24 packets of marijuana were found. Each packet weighed about 13 kilos.

The men were detained by Coast Guard officers and later handed over to the Organized Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau of the TT Police Service.

Charges of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking have since been laid against the men who appeared yesterday before a Por-tof- Spain magistrate.
Nadine gives up Senate job for THA

Stewart-Phillips was sworn-in yesterday at the 10th Inauguration ceremony of the THA by President Anthony Carmona.

Speaking with Newsday after the ceremony, which took place at the Assembly Legislature in Scarborough, Stewart-Phillips indicated that she resigned her post as senator with effect from Wednesday. Contacted for comment, former diplomat and head of the public service Reginald Dumas noted that while he was unaware of Stewart Phillips resignation, she had to resign as there was no way she could hold the two portfolios. Stewart-Phillips is being tipped to be sworn-in as the Secretary for the Division of Tourism and Culture at a ceremony scheduled to be held this morning.
JSC still meeting

Sources yesterday indicated the leaking of Persad-Bissessars letter to Trump could undermine the work of the parliamentary joint select committee (JSC), which the Opposition demanded, to deal with the Tax Information Exchange Agreement 2016. The bill is critical to this country being FATCA compliant.

Imbert said,The JSC on the tax information exchange bill, also known as the FATCA bill, is still meeting. He continued, It would not be proper to speak about this until the committee completes its work. The committee is due to report to the House of Representatives on February 3. When Government bowed to the Oppositions request for a JSC in the House on January 6, Imbert said that a vote will be taken on the bill on February 3.

Well-placed sources added, The leaking of this letter while the JSC is still meeting, sets a bad precedent and could undermine the work of the committee. The committee comprises Imbert (chairman); Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi; Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young; Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald; Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh; Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie; Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon; Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat; Government Senator W Michael Coppin; Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen and Independent Senators Hugh Russell Ian Roach and Taurel Shrikissoon.

The January 13 letter, in which Persad-Bissessar asked Trump to state his position on FATCA, was not provided to Newsday. In the letter, Persad-Bissessar referred to comments, reportedly made by Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mark Meadows, about repealing FATCA. She indicated to Trump that the JSC was about to begin work on the bill and, it would be very helpful for us to know if the relevant US law may soon be nullified either by legislative or executive action or both. The Republicans have the majority in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate.
Guns and ammunition secure

Gomez told JSC members that an equally robust system is used to check ammunition used by TTDF personnel. He said that in the event of any breach, the TTDFs systems allow it to regulate any such event very quickly. Gomez and TT Fire Service representative Robert Williams outlined to committee members the process whereby vehicles in their respective organisations are acquired, maintained and disposed of.

When committee member, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat asked about the fate of a fire truck which fell down a precipice in Blanchisseuse in 2013 and was removed at a cost of $6.8 million, Williams said that truck, is now at the Chaguanas Fire Station. He said it is not in use and has not been disposed of. Williams was unable to explain why this was the case.

Rambharat, who recused himself earlier in the proceedings when the JSC met with representatives from his ministry, said he took a decision on assuming office in September 2015, to dispose of a Porsche Cayenne vehicle purchased for the use of his predecessor Vasant Bharath.

Agriculture Ministry officials said that vehicle was auctioned last year.

Rambharat explained he directed the Porsche Cayenne be disposed of because of the signal it sent and not because of the cost.

The minister also expressed aggravation over the acquisition of a particular fire engine with chrome wheels and paintings on its exterior as well a report which spoke about the acquisition of cars by the Fire Service. JSC chairman and Speaker of the House of Representatives Bridgid Annisette-George, directed National Security Ministry Permanent Secretary Lydia Jacobs to provide additional information to the committee, in writing, by February 3.
Are Trump and British PM May this generations version of the Reagan-Thatcher power couple?

Thirty years ago, President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Iron Lady Thatcher formed an unbreakable bond and unstoppable global alliance that won the Cold War and brought peace, prosperity and stability to the planet.

Now, though its extremely early in their terms, some have begun to convey the Reagan-Thatcher power couple status upon President Donald J. Trump and Britains Theresa May.

He was a skilled communicator and a celebrity. She was strong-willed and shared his disdain for big government, USA Today noted. They were the power political couple of the 1980s.

The two are set to meet in Washington on Friday, and already the political relationship seems to be taking off. On Thursday, in the city where the American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain some 240 years ago, May told Republicans at an annual congressional retreat in Philadelphia that the U.S.-Britain special relationship was alive and well.

The leadership provided by our two countries through the special relationship has done more than win wars and overcome adversity. It made the modern world, she said. It is through our actions over many years, working together to defeat evil or to open up the world, that we have been able to fulfill the promise of those who first spoke of the special nature of the relationship between us, she said. The promise of freedom, liberty and the rights of man. (RELATED: See how evil is rising in the world at Evil.news)

Trump  who returned a bust of Britains World War II prime minister, Winston Churchill, to the Oval Office shortly after being sworn in  and May are expected to discuss a range of foreign policy and economic issues when they meet in D.C. That will include terrorism, how best to end Syrias civil war, relations with Russia and cooperation with NATO. A bilateral trade deal once the United Kingdom formally leaves the European Union by around 2019, as it voted to do last year, is also a likely topic of discussion.

Currently, trade between the U.S. and U.K. amounts to around $187 billion; the U.S. is the single largest investor in the U.K., USA Today reported.

The symbolism of the visit actually matters more than the substance for the British government, because of the longstanding special relationship with Londons former colony.

Before he spoke with May, Trump had conversations with nine other world leaders in the 24 hours after he won the election in November. The trip helps put to rest concerns within Mays ruling Conservative Party that former U.K. Independence Party chief Nigel Farage could get in the way of a strong relationship between the prime minister and Trump, the paper reported.

Shortly after he won, Trump hinted that Farage  an anti-establishment, anti-immigration advocate  should become Britains U.S. ambassador, but May quickly rejected that idea. But there is still plenty of verve; observers believe they could be the incarnation of the Trump-Thatcher relationship, which heralded in nearly unprecedented closeness between the two countries.

Mays will be the first face-to-face meeting of a foreign leader with the new president. (RELATED: How is Trump doing in his first 100 days? Stay tuned at WhiteHouse.news)

We have always had a strong relationship with the United States, but under the last president [Barack Obama] theres been a sense over here that it wasnt as strong as it could be, said Conservative Party politician, Iain Duncan Smith, who was a member of former prime minister David Camerons cabinet. Obama appeared to spend the first four years in office forging relationships with everyone else. Now we have an opportunity to reinstate what we once had.

Ideologically and personally, Reagan and Thatcher were closer than any previous U.S.-British leaders since Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill during World War II. Both revered free-market economics, were fervent anti-communists, were skeptical of big government and had a good chemistry when dealing with a wide range of issues from the Soviet Union to Northern Ireland.

There was an incredible degree of affection  he admired her work ethic and she admired his ability to communicate with such great ease, said Conor Burns, a Conservative Party lawmaker.

However, Burns nevertheless sounded a note of caution against drawing too many comparisons between Reagan-Thatcher and May-Trump. We wont know what the chemistry will be, he pointed out.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

USAToday.com

Trump.news

TheNationalSentinel.com

Submit a correction >>
Did President Obama try to start a war with Russia before January 20?

The Obama administration and careerists within the intelligence community who are repulsed at the prospect of a President Trump  someone who plans from the outset to hold people accountable  were very busy laying political landmines for him ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. One of the biggest was laid by the president himself.

Obama appears to have done all he could to either sabotage any chance Trump has at actually producing better relations with Russia, or make it so that one of the first things the billionaire-turned-politician will have to do is engage the U.S. military against Russian forces.

As reported by Breitbart, Obama ordered U.S. forces to Poland, which borders Ukraine, to the southeast, and the Baltic nations of Belarus and Lithuania, to the east and northeast, respectively. These nations were once part of the Soviet Union and harbor sizable Russian populations.

In addition, Poland butts up against the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, a city and region that still belongs to Mother Russia.

Obama sent 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland, which admittedly welcomed the move, prompting Russia to respond by deploying sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft missiles around the capital of Moscow. (RELATED: Keep up with all U.S. military actions and deployments at NationalSecurity.news)

The UKs Daily Mail, quoting the Russian Defense Ministry, reported further:

The SAM combat squads of the Moscow Region aerospace forces have put the new S-400 Triumph air defense missile system into service, and have gone on combat duty for the air defense of Moscow and the central industrial region of Russia. The main task of the anti-aircraft missile troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces is air defense and protecting vital state, military, industry and energy facilities, as well as the Armed Forces troops and transport communications, from aerospace attacks.

Such troop deployments are not made spontaneously or in haste, short of a legitimate national security emergency (like the build-up of enemy forces on a border or an outright attack on U.S. forces). So two things are more likely: 1) Obama approved this troop movement months ago in anticipation of Hillary Clinton winning in November and continuing his policies of provoking Russia; or 2) He did so to antagonize Russia on his way out the door, leaving Trump holding the bag.

Either way, its a problem that the Trump team will have to deal with almost immediately.

Trump and appropriate incoming administration personnel have also been briefed already on what the Pentagon is doing, whats coming up and what has already been approved. Trump and his defense/national security team are probably already working on alternative plans for de-escalating tensions with Moscow  not because Trumps a Vladimir Putin stooge like the insane Leftist Democratic Party claims, but because its the right thing to do. There is no reason to be pushing Russias buttons other than to antagonize Putin for some geopolitical reason that has nothing to do with hacking the U.S. election. The globalist cabal Obama belongs to obviously appears intent on starting something with Russia, when in fact the better play would be to improve relations with Moscow as a way to counter a rising China. (RELATED: What else will Obama do to provoke World War III? Find out at Collapse.news)

Before exiting the White House, Obama appears to have done all he could to antagonize China, as well.

As noted by Reuters, both China and Russia are objecting to the U.S. deployment of THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) missiles to South Korea, ostensibly as a means of countering North Korean ballistic missiles. Moscow and Beijing are aware that THAAD can also be used to counter their ICBMs in the region.

What if Mexico allowed Russia to place troops south of our border? What if Cuba decided to do so? That would be no different than what Obama has just done in Poland, given the nations proximity to Kaliningrad, if nothing else.

These actions threaten our interests, our security, Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said. Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders. Its not even a European state.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

Breitbart.com

TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com

Reuters.com

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Number of Americans retiring and moving abroad on the rise as economy nosedives

Consumer confidence might be higher than it has been in a long time following the election of Donald Trump as President-Elect, but the current state of the economy isnt too reassuring to many retirement-age Americans. Many aging Baby Boomers are deciding to retire across the border and even overseas to enjoy a better quality of life than they otherwise could stateside, as cost of living, access to healthcare, and various other factors are apparently better in many other countries than they are here in the United States.

According to the latest statistics, more Americans than ever before are retiring outside the U.S.  some 17 percent more between 2010 and 2015 compared to years prior. Almost 400,000 American retirees now reside abroad, says the Social Security Administration (SSA), with the most popular destination options being Canada, Japan, Mexico, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The most common reason cited for choosing someplace other than America is cost of living, according to University of Pennsylvania Pension Research Council director Olivia S. Mitchell. After working hard all their lives, she says, American retirees who are still able want to explore, experience, and enjoy  at the lowest possible cost, as many are on fixed pensions or retirement incomes.

I think that many people retire when they are in good health and they are interested in stretching their dollars and seeing the world, Mitchell told ABC News about this growing phenomenon, which has been made possible in large part due to the growth of the internet and the ever-increasing mobile culture that allows folks to travel and live other places while still staying connected to their loved ones.

Lower cost of living is great, but what about language and cultural barriers?

Cost of living encompasses many factors, including rent, utility costs, property values, and taxes. In countries like Mexico, for instance, land and homes can be purchased for considerably less than in the U.S., especially due to a favorable exchange rate, and property taxes are minimal. This means that retirees can take their American retirement incomes and live much better than they could in the U.S.

Hiring workers to do chores and other manual labor is also cheaper in many other countries, which is particularly appealing to aging folks who know that theyre only going to become increasingly less able to do what they could in their younger years. For folks like now-widowed Kay McCowen, having extra help around the house at a lower cost was a no-brainer, not to mention a warmer climate.

I wanted to find a place where I could afford to live off my Social Security, McCowen, who now resides in Mexico, told ABC News. The weather here is so perfect, and its a beautiful place.

But not everything is rosy when it comes to emigrating elsewhere during ones retirement years. In most other countries, the language barrier alone can make it difficult to perform routine duties like buying groceries, getting a car repaired, receiving proper medical care, or even conversing with neighbors. Consequently, it can be difficult to assimilate into a new culture, which can create feelings of isolation and loneliness.

On the flip side, the retirement years allow elderly folks more time than ever to learn a new language, for instance, and engage in new experiences  and in many cases, they end up living around other retirees who are in a similar position of wanting to make new friends and meld into a new culture, which for some is actually better than what they currently have in the U.S.

We have a real strong sense of security here, a man by the name of Joseph Roginski, who retired to Japan in 2011, told ABC News about his experience in eastern Asia. I can leave my door unlocked and no one will take anything. When I go to another country I feel nervous, but when I come back I feel like Im home.

Sources:

ABCNews.Go.com

CSMonitor.com

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The Liberty Amendment that could fully restore ALL of your constitutional rights

There is a political movement afoot that is decades in the making and has been taking place largely in the shadows, but will nonetheless have a profoundly positive effect on our constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms, if it successful.

In 1975, Rep. Larry McDonald, D-Georgia, took to the House floor to discuss the slow erosion of freedom and liberty Americans had been suffering for years. Besides the loss of constitutional protections, Americans were being pickpocketed by a growing, invasive and debt-ridden federal government.

The marvelous, highly productive economy, of which he is a part, once free, is now grinding to a halt under the massive weight of Government controls. Decisions that were once his to makethe kind of food he eats, the kind of car he drives, how and where his children are educatedare now being made by Government bureaucrats, said McDonald, as reflected by the Congressional Record.

As you may have guessed, things have only gotten worse in the 40-plus years since. The federal government now controls or influences every aspect of our lives, along with every function and aspect of business. Federal rules and regulations cost the economy trillions of dollars each year, depriving us of hundreds of thousands of new jobs and opportunities.

And the regulatory burden has really accelerated since 2000, with the addition of several new agencies.

But McDonald did not take to the House floor merely to point out how bad federal encroachment had become; he also offered a solution: The Liberty Amendment, which has four basic elements:

Sec. 1. The Government of the United States shall not engage in any business, professional, commercial, financial or industrial enterprise except as specified in the Constitution.

Sec. 2. The constitution or laws of any State, or the laws of the United States shall not be subject to the terms of any foreign or domestic agreement which would abrogate this amendment.

Sec. 3. The activities of the United States Government which violate the intent and purpose of this amendment shall, within a period of three years from the date of the ratification of this amendment, be liquidated and the properties and facilities affected shall be sold.

Sec. 4. Three years after the ratification of this amendment the sixteenth article of amendments to the Constitution of the United States shall stand repealed and thereafter Congress shall not levy taxes on personal incomes, estates, and/or gifts.

According to Congress.gov, the last time the amendment was introduced was 2009, by then-Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

So far, nine states have approved the amendment: Wyoming, Nevada, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arizona, and Indiana. In all, 38 states (three-fourths of the states) must ratify a constitutional amendment before it goes into effect.

The amendment process is described in Article V of the Constitution. Amendments can be proposed in two ways:

1) By two-thirds of both chambers of Congress, the House and Senate;

2) Upon application by two-thirds (currently 34) states to Congress to call a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of proposing amendments, and any amendment proposed would again need three-fourths of the states to ratify.

No constitutional amendment since the Bill of Rights was ratified has ever been proposed by Constitutional Convention, but an Article V convention of the states was the basis for a recent book by attorney, legal scholar, talk show host and former official in the Reagan Justice Department, Mark Levin. His book, The Liberty Amendments, discussed the convention ratification process in great detail, while also proposing 11 new amendments aimed at devolving power from the federal government and back to states and the people, as the founders envisioned.

A convention is closer than you might have imagined. As reported by National Review, delegations from all 50 states, consisting primarily of state legislators, met in Colonial Williamsburg, with the intent of rolling back power stolen by the federal government over the years. The assembly of 137 delegates convened quietly in a simulation that, when officially convened, would likely return more power to the states than any time since our founding.

Stay tuned.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

NationalReview.com

Freedom.news

Archives.gov

LibertyAmendment.com

Submit a correction >>
THIS is why Trumps border security measures are desperately needed

When he announced he would run for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald J. Trump touched off a firestorm of protest from the perpetually angry Left. His pledge to Make America Great Again included the deporting of illegal aliens, building a border wall and curbing migration to the U.S. from terrorism-infested regions of the world.

The future president said he was concerned about the Obama administrations lax border policies for a number of reasons: They encouraged people from the poorest parts of the world to violate our laws with impunity, forcing Americans to take care of them; those who could work stole jobs and opportunities from Americans; criminal illegal aliens were murdering, raping and robbing Americans on their own soil; and the age of terrorism demands that our borders be much more secure than they are.

For that he was labeled a racist, a xenophobe and a bigot, among other things. But it turns out our current presidents concerns were justified, especially when they dealt with shoring up border security in the age of international terrorism.

As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the Department of Homeland Security stopped more than 22,000 high risk travelers from entering the U.S. in 2015, but DHS and border security officials are not sure if screening methods are effective enough. (RELATED: Will the U.S. be overrun with terrorists? Stay in the know at Collapse.news)

That means its possible that risky individuals like terrorist operatives are being granted entry into the United States, said the report, which laid bare flaws in the current screening system.

The GAO found that more than 8,100 known or suspected terrorists, or individuals with connections to known or suspected terrorists, attempted to apply for travel to the United States or board U.S.-bound flights in 2015. The agencys report goes on to criticize Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for being unable to determine how effective the agencys current terrorist screening methods are. CBP falls under Homeland Security.

The report provides further details about additional potential flaws in CBPs screening methods for pre-flight conditions. GAO recommended that the border agency make a broader, more concentrated effort to learn the effectiveness of its pre-flight investigative process, the Washington Free Beacon said.

The website noted further:

Officials noted that CBPs process has become increasingly critical as a greater number of foreign terrorists and fighters attempt to fly into the United States and exploit security gaps in the agencys methods. Effective security screening will become even more difficult as the CPB works to expand pre-clearance programs at foreign airports, according to the report, which is a public version of a restricted report originally published late last year.

Recent events have highlighted the increased threat of one group of high-risk individuals, namely foreign fightersindividuals who leave home, travel abroad to terrorist safe havens, and join or assist violent extremist groups, the report noted. In February 2016, the Director of National Intelligence reported that more than 36,500 foreign fightersincluding more than 6,600 from Western countrieshad traveled to Syria to train with, support, or join extremist groups, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

During his campaign, Trump heavily criticized the Obama administrations immigration and migrant policies  which he claimed his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, would continue if she won. (RELATED: Find out what else Team Trump has planned to shore up border security at WhiteHouse.news)

Also during fiscal year 2015, the report noted, U.S. authorities detected in excess of 22,000 high risk air travelers out of more than 104 million people traveling to the U.S. during that time.

GAO determined that while CBP had demonstrated an ability to identify and prevent potential terrorists from boarding flights, the agency has nevertheless failed to show how effective its methods really are.

There is also the physical aspect of defending U.S. borders  a job that falls primarily to the U.S. Border Patrol, which also falls under DHS. Following Trumps pledges to shore up border security and authorize the building of the border wall on the campaign trail, he was endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council in March 2016.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

FreeBeacon.com

GAO.gov[PDF]

AP.org

Submit a correction >>
In an earlier column, I wrote about a question that comes up repeatedly on a few social book sites that I follow. That one concerned how a person can read more than one book at a time. On those book sites, people also like to debate about whether one actually reads an audiobook.
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Opening the closed land borders between Morocco and Algeria would usher in an era of economic cooperation and the two North African countries should follow the example of India and China, which strengthened their trade ties despite an unresolved border dispute.

The point was made by Francis Ghiles in a paper published early January on the website of the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB.)

North Africa has been gripped for two generations by any number of fears that have resulted in relations between Algeria and Morocco being frozen. The border between the rival powers in North West Africa have been closed since 1994, the CIDOB Associate Senior Researcher wrote.

He pointed out that the situation is all the more absurd if one considers that countries in the Maghreb al-Aqsa  Land of the Setting sun  are doing much better, individually, than most of their Arab peers bar the oil-rich Gulf states.

Despite their economic complementarities and their shared historical, linguistic and human ties, the Maghreb region remains one of the least integrated in the world partly due to the closed borders between Morocco and Algeria.

The author of the paper insists on the complementarity between the economies of Morocco and Algeria, which could be beneficial for both countries, had their borders been open to trade. He mentions, as an instance, Moroccos thriving fertilizer industry that could benefit from Algerian gas while Algeria could benefit from the Moroccan crop nutrient.

Even though Moroccos fertilizer industry requires growing amounts of energy and Algerian gas is the cheapest feedstock, Rabat has bought a minimum amount of energy from its neighbor, despite the existence of a pipeline that has been carrying Algerian gas through Morocco to the Iberian Peninsula since 1996, the researcher noted.

Morocco can supply Algeria with foodstuffs and a range of manufactured goods, he added, insisting that private entrepreneurs in both countries would quickly take advantage of freer movement between the countries if the border is reopened.

The author of the paper recalled recent remarks made by Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerias foreign minister from 1991 to 1993, when he suggested that Morocco and Algeria should follow the example of China and India.

Lakhdar Brahimi argued at a recent conference on inter Arab affairs in Algiers that Algeria and Morocco should start talking to each other seriously. He referred to the vastly expanded relations between China and India, two erstwhile enemies, which fought a bitter war in 1962 when China seized a border territory in the Himalayas disputed with India.

Although the two Asian giants failed to reach agreement on the territorial dispute, they have worked to increase their bilateral economic relations  trade flows have increased dramatically and are expected to rise further, Francis Ghiles pointed out.

Maybe it is high time Morocco and Algeria put their dispute over the Sahara on hold, and focus on reinvigorating their economic ties, as did China and India. This would be beneficial to all the Maghreb region.
As Morocco gathers support in favor of its return to the African Union (AU) after a 33-year old absence, the Chairperson of the AU commission, South Africas Dlamini Zuma stubbornly continues her desperate attempt to obstruct Moroccos legitimate African ambition.

Her repeated diatribes against Morocco reflect her desperation and failure to use the continental body to advance the Algeria-sponsored separatist thesis.

The head of AUs executive body, whose tenure comes to an end leaving the continents key security and development issues unaddressed, delivered her last speech before the AUs executive council warning against Moroccos return to the continental organization. After she failed to obstruct Moroccos legitimate right to regain its seat at Africas institutional family, Zuma purported that admitting the Kingdom will bring divisions.

Blinded by her hostility to Moroccos territorial integrity, Dlamini Zuma, together with Algerias Foreign Minister, makes yet another maneuver suggesting the submission of the kingdoms bid to return to the AU to a political review by raising an issue that falls within the jurisdictions of the UN, that of restoring the civilian component of the MINURSO.

These desperate attempts to block an inevitable return of Morocco to the pan-African organization came after the Kingdom secured the support of over 40 African countries, with 28 of them having called for ousting the Polisario from the African Union during the last summit in Kigali.

Moroccos opponents are actually alarmed by the increasing clout of the country in the continent and its credibility as a political, economic and security partner to several African states. They see Moroccos return to the African Union as a prelude to the ejection of the separatist Polisario entity and probably the reduction of its status to a mere observer.

Along with Moroccos readmission, the upcoming 28th summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa will have on its agenda the election of a successor to Dlamini Zuma whose tenure at the AU was an utter fiasco.

When Dlamini Zuma took office, Africa was struggling with multiple security, environmental and health challenges. Her input to resolving the political crises that erupted during her term, whether in South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Libya or recently in Burundi, was so insignificant and reflective of a lack of knowledge about Africa.

The same thing can be said about her poor handling of the Ebola outbreak and the migration crisis. It took her eight months and the tragic death of 2800 persons to organize the first emergency meeting of the AU.

Several African media outlets decry Dlaminis poor achievement and point that her tenure as the AU Commission Chairperson was used as a means to gain political support in her home country rather than to addressing Africas pressing issues.

Yet, plotting against Moroccos interests and territorial integrity was the only task Dlamini Zuma has been keen to pursue.

Morocco withdrew from the predecessor of the AU, the Organization of African Unity, in 1984, to protest the biased decision of the OAU, which had actually violated neutrality in the Sahara conflict by admitting the Algeria-based separatist entity, SADR, as a full-fledged member.

Moroccos return to the African institutional family hinges on a simple majority vote by the member countries. So far, more than 40 countries, making more than the majority of the 54 African Union member states, have expressed support for Moroccos return.
Moroccos Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) dismantled a terrorist cell loyal to ISIS terrorist organization, which was plotting attacks in several cities in the Kingdom, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The security operation resulted in the arrest of the seven members of the cell, which operated in six cities and localities across Morocco, including Sale, EL Jadida, Taza and El Gara.

Local reporters said that an exchange of fire took place when the BCIJ elements raided the hideout of the mastermind of the terrorist cell in El Jadida. Fire arms, explosives, chemical substances, explosive belts, communication tools and uniforms were seized during this operation.

This operation enabled the identification of the hideout of the mastermind of the new terrorist cell where the large-scale terrorist attacks on the Kingdom were plotted in connivance with the commanders of Daesh in the Syrian, Iraqi and Libyan battlefields, said the statement.

The Ministry added that the cell was planning to recruit and train youngsters to perpetrate destructive acts and undermine public order.

Last week, Moroccan police, in coordination with the BCIJ, dismantled a criminal gang led by an individual with loyalty to ISIS.

Since its creation in 2015, the BCIJ dismantled no less than 45 terrorist cells and arrested at least 548 terrorists who were brought before justice (275 in 2015 and 273 in 2016.)
King Mohammed VI headed Friday to Ethiopia where he is expected to take part in the 28th summit meeting of the African Union scheduled in Addis Ababa this January 30-31.

The visit to Ethiopia is part of the actions undertaken by the King since Morocco decided to return to the African fold last summer.

Moroccos return to the AU will actually be enacted during the Addis Ababa summit after an overwhelming majority of AU member countries has openly voiced support to Moroccos decision to regain its place within its natural African family.

This strong support has thwarted the attempts of Algeria and the outgoing president of the African Commission, Dlamini-Zuma, to delay the North African Kingdoms return to its African family.

The Kings visit to Ethiopia was preceded by a large-scale diplomatic campaign, spearheaded by the sovereign who has visited several African countries during the last quarter of 2016.

King Mohammed VI thus made trips to several African countries, including to some East African states that are known for their support to the Algeria-backed separatist Polisario front, claiming the independence of the Moroccan Sahara.

In each of these stops, whether in Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia or Nigeria, the issue of Moroccos return to the AU was brought up and all the Kings interlocutors have voiced support to the decision and vowed to defend it during the African summit.

African countries are all fully aware of the key role Morocco plays in Africa at the economic, humanitarian, religious, and security levels and know that Moroccos return to the AU will be a valuable asset to the African organization and will give a tremendous impetus to overall inter-African relations.

Morocco had announced its decision to reintegrate the AU, last July, during the latest African Summit held in Kigali (Rwanda), thirty-two years after it quitted the AUs predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), to protest against the admission of the pseudo-Sahrawi Republic SADR, self-proclaimed by the Polisario with the support of Algeria.

Immediately after Morocco announced its return decision, 28 African countries out of the AU 54 members tabled a motion welcoming Moroccos application to rejoin the African Union.

The number of supporters has since then increased to over 40, at a time Morocco only needs the support of a simple majority of the member countries to reintegrate its seat.

Actually as stipulated in Article 29 of the AU Constitutive Act related to Admission to Membership, admission shall be decided by a simple majority of the Member States. The decision of each Member State shall be transmitted to the Chairman of the Commission who shall, upon receipt of the required number of votes, communicate the decision to the State concerned.
Theresa May. Photo: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images

British prime minister Theresa May is meeting President Donald Trump on Friday, the first major foreign leader to stop by the White House. But before that, she addressed Republican lawmakers at their retreat in Philadelphia, delivering a foreign-policy speech that stressed the importance of the United States and United Kingdoms world leadership. But she included a dash of Trump with her declaration that the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.

Theresa May: "The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in attempt to remake the world in our own image are over."  Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) January 26, 2017

May said for Britain there would be no return to the failed policies of the past, a clear criticism of her predecessors. At the same time, May stressed that neither Britain nor the United States could take a complete step back, saying the countries could not afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart, and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.

May also hammered the importance of the United Nations and NATO. The institutions upon which that world relies were so often conceived or inspired by our two nations working together, May said. On NATO, which Trump has criticized, the prime minister called it the cornerstone of the Wests defense.



May also took a hard line against ISIS, saying Britain shares in your determination to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamic extremism. But in perhaps a subtle rebuke to Trumps executive order to ban refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim countries, May stressed:

We should always be careful to distinguish between this extreme and hateful ideology, and the peaceful religion of Islam and the hundreds of millions of its adherents  including millions of our own citizens and those further afield who are so often the first victims of this ideologys terror. And nor is it enough merely to focus on violent extremism. We need to address the whole spectrum of extremism, starting with the bigotry and hatred that can so often turn to violence.

May used Islamic extremism to segue to Syria and then to Russia. Knowing her audience, she invoked Reagan to the GOP crowd: When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan, who, during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev, used to abide by the adage trust but verify, May stated. With President Putin, my advice is to engage but beware.

Standing ovation at US #RepublicanRetreat as @theresa_may says @realDonaldTrump's watchword on Russia should be "engage but beware"  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) January 26, 2017

This is long but important: Theresa May says it's time to engage with Putin and calls for cooperation with Russia rather than conflict. pic.twitter.com/6rOqpX9LXQ  Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) January 26, 2017

May also touted the importance of the Iran deal, something both the GOP and Trump has also lambasted.

UK PM @theresa_may noting Iran deal has stopped Iranian nuclear program for a decade and dismantled 100's of centrifuges. Preserve it pic.twitter.com/0KSLbnd0qw  janine davidson (@janinedavidson) January 26, 2017

May concluded with her hope, as the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union, that the two countries could work out a favorable trade deal. Because of these strong economic and commercial links  and our shared history and the strength of our relationship  I look forward to pursuing talks with the new administration about a new U.K.-U.S. free trade agreement in the coming months, May said. It will take detailed work, but we welcome your openness to those discussions and hope we can make progress so that the new, global Britain that emerges after Brexit is even better equipped to take its place confidently in the world.

May concluded with another Reaganism in a speech that appeared to mostly play well with Republican lawmakers present, even if it differed in tone and content from some of Trumps positions. Mays promise of avoiding interventionism nodded to Trumps America First statements, but she also returned again and again to the the history of Britain and the United States special relationship, appearing to remind her audience of the dangers of taking its isolationism too far.

Republicans got to their feet 5 times for @theresa_may in Philly - interestingly one ovation was for the idea of a swift trade deal with UK  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) January 26, 2017

Republican politicians queuing for selfies with Theresa May. Most loved her, though one is loudly pointing out she was anti-Brexit. pic.twitter.com/DVSuh66NKr  Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) January 26, 2017

But May still has to sit down with Trump before she leaves the U.S. She told reporters she believes she can work with the new president because sometimes opposites attract.
Enrique Pena Nieto. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

The White House trip is off. Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto is canceling his meeting with Donald Trump next week after the U.S. president signed his executive order to begin construction on the border wall, and the administration insisted, once again, that Mexico would pay for it one way or another.

Esta manana hemos informado a la Casa Blanca que no asistire a la reunion de trabajo programada para el proximo martes con el @POTUS.  Enrique Pena Nieto (@EPN) January 26, 2017

Pressure for Nieto to call off the White House visit, originally scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, spiked after Trump signed the order to build the wall, which  beyond repeatedly asking for payment  is seen as deeply offensive to the country, and the culmination of Trumps barbed rhetoric toward Mexico on both immigration and trade. Nieto, before officially calling off the meeting, repeated, Mexico does not believe in walls. I have said time and time again, Mexico will not pay for any wall.

Trump shot back at Nieto, on Twitter, and did little to convince Nieto to keep his appointment:

The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

The White House meeting might be off, but the Twitter feud continues. Nieto, after backing out of the meeting, added that Mexico is still willing to work with the United States to achieve agreements in favor of both nations.

Mexico reitera su voluntad de trabajar con los Estados Unidos para lograr acuerdos en favor de ambas naciones.  Enrique Pena Nieto (@EPN) January 26, 2017

White House press secretary Sean Spicer, responding IRL, said about Nietos cancellation: Well look for a date to schedule something in the future. Well continue to coordinate.

Trump chimed in again Thursday, at a GOP retreat in Philly, this time seeming to imply that he nixed the meeting and doing little to deescalate the rising tensions with the U.S.s third-largest trading partner. Unless, Mexico is going to treat America with respect, he said, I want to go another direction.

Trump on canceled meeting with Mexican President: "Unless, Mexico is going to treat America with respect. I want to go another direction." https://t.co/BgNjm19PUQ  NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) January 26, 2017

This post has been updated with Trumps additional comments.
Five of the 95 Americans who were naturalized in New York City on January 13. Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

At 11:05 a.m. on Friday the 13th of January, an Iranian woman was the first to check in for New Yorks last naturalization ceremony during Barack Obamas presidency. She approached the kiosk alone  her husband was too ill to accompany her  and, when she handed over her green card, began to cry. Her journey had begun way back in 1996, she later explained, when she left Iran with her husband, two children, and $15,000 in her bank account. Her tears set the tone for what many staff on duty that day described as one of the more emotionally loaded citizenship ceremonies they have experienced at 26 Federal Plaza. A total of 95 people from 41 different countries officially became American, but it was a video message from the president that turned the room into an emotional hotbox. One 39-year-old, from Senegal, said his aunt had been teasing him about getting his letter of citizenship from Donald Trump. I was like no! I do not want that letter, he said. When I opened the envelope and I saw Obamas signature I was jumping up and down.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Juana, 34, Dominican Republic

A few days ago, it was like I didnt exactly belong. But today, the morning after the ceremony, I woke up feeling like a different person. Knowing Im a citizen felt like a dream. I cant put all the emotions into words. I was so happy. I smiled all day and I hurt my face because I was smiling so hard. Today I feel more friendly. I have rights. Now I can vote!

They played a video of Obama speaking and he said that if we give back to America just a little bit we can make change. I felt sad seeing him because I dont know what the other president will do. But I also loved seeing him and hearing his words because I knew they were from his heart. It was like, hes a human  and hes a human who knows what its like to not always feel like you belong. They talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and how he got so many people to make a little bit of change and I was almost crying because its true, and I am part of this history now, too.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Papa, 39, Senegal

My father moved here in 1984, when I was only 2 years old, and now I am 39. In the beginning, I did not like it here. I only spoke French; I didnt speak any English. I had to learn English myself from watching TV  I was watching those devil movies and laughing. You know, like Friday the 13th? Id watch them over and over again. Its funny; I got my citizenship on Friday the 13th! I got out of D.C.; I needed 24-hour culture, and fashion. D.C. was not my space, so I joined my aunty in Harlem.

Yesterday was like a daydream, or a fantasy. As soon as I read the papers they sent me about the ceremony I decided to wear a suit, and I only have one. My aunt bought me the tie from Macys. I had to work but I told her I wanted a black one with a specific design. We were FaceTime-ing while she chose my tie. She was there with me yesterday and I looked at her and she was crying. I said, Why are you crying! She said, Because you are so happy and I love you and you are such a kind boy and I am so happy for you. I said, I dont want you to cry because I will, too.

I have a son who lives in Senegal, I havent seen him for five years. I miss him so much and he wants me to come visit so bad, but I havent been able to afford it. Each time we talk I am crying. Now I can make plans to have him and my mom here with me for good.

But back to Friday the 13th. I was happy, but I knew if I thought hard about it I would be sad about everyone who cant have this. All those people who have been here 40 years and they have no papers. They are so scared. We dont know what Trump is going to do  we dont know.

When I woke up today I was like, I am still from Senegal. If you ask me tomorrow I will say I am an American citizen but I am not going to go into detail and I will not tell people unless they ask. And thats because I dont want to brag about it. I know I got lucky.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Constance, 52, France

My husband of 26 years, an American, came with me to the ceremony. He was very emotional  he comes from a family that has always had a great sense of civic duty. We celebrated with New York oysters in the evening. Aside from avoiding the harassment every time I go through U.S. immigration, Im happiest about joining my husband and my three sons. And I am very proud to join this great nation. I have a photo that shows the flag my grandmother and her sisters sewed 72 years ago to welcome the U.S. soldiers about to liberate their town in eastern France. She loved the U.S.  and Louis Armstrong! She would have been so happy 

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Maru, Argentina

It was funny that the ceremony took place on Friday the 13th. Lots of friends made fun of that, you know: Bad luck for America lolz. I told them that beyond anything else I was so grateful to become American under Obamas presidency. The most meaningful moment during the ceremony was when I watched Obama welcome us to the United States. His speech is actually the only thing I recorded. Im unbelievably proud to be an American under his excellent presidency. We moved to New York before he got elected and Ill never forget the night he won. Pure magic. New York was on fire that night. I could live off that energy forever.

We all know that theres a ton of work to do to make sure the new president is not normalized. I see so many petitions and actions that American citizens can take to make sure there are checks and balances in place and that the government is held accountable for its actions. Before Friday I could never sign any of those. I could never speak to my representative. Now I can, and you bet I will  in fact Im registering to vote this week.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Ana, 30, Dominican Republic

I was so proud to watch Obama speak on that video. I was proud of him not only as a president but as a humble man who knew how to reach his people. Maybe we were the last to hear those words. When I watched him speak I was thinking about how excellent he was as president. His words were spoken as if he knows us. I was happy and emotional because this country is difficult and hard but I know that everything I have been through since I got here has made me strong and independent. I was proud of myself. It is another step. This is an achievement. Maybe I am just a grain of sand, but together with others one grain of sand becomes thousands, and we can make a difference.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Carlos, 47, Venezuela

I had mixed feelings when I surrendered my green card to the officer. A part of me felt weird because that had been my main ID for such a long time, but, on the other hand, I was excited because I knew it marked the beginning of a new life with plenty of goals, opportunities, and challenges. Of course I could feel the positive energy in the room, I think we all felt it, right?

I feel so fortunate that I will be able to exercise my right to vote in elections to come. I believe that it was a big mistake Donald Trump won. We all know he is a very successful businessman but I think we need an experienced politician to guide this country, and this is now my country. From now on, this is my country.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Yong Zhao su, 51, China

We arrived about 22 years ago. At first we stayed with relatives in Chinatown; its a typical immigrant story. We hardly knew anyone. Eventually we moved to Bensonhurst where there was also a very strong Chinese community, and now I live Chelsea. When we first got here my husband worked in restaurants in Chinatown  he was a chef back in China  and I sewed clothes. I moved on to working other low-wage jobs and now I work in child care, back in Chinatown.

On Friday, I felt relief because now our entire family has citizenship. Luckily my daughter was on her break from college, so she came with me. She said that she was sad, a bit, because she knew that everyone in the room has struggled for so long to get citizenship, tests, paperwork, and answering all these questions that so many Americans dont even know. I think there were a few other Chinese people, but there were so many Dominicans! Everyone clapped so loudly when they stood up. Many people were dressed in suits and nice outfits. I cant really read in English, so my daughter looked at the instructions and told me to wear something nice. She said, Be respectful.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Astero, 49, Cyprus

I was 6 years old when the war happened in Cyprus. I lived with my grandmother in the village. I survived bombings; when bullets came flying through our windows I hid with my 3-year-old brother under a table. We had to flee our village on a tractor as my grandfather did not own a car. He went back to the house that same night to feed the farm animals and was captured as a prisoner of war 

Before Friday I thought that the ceremony would just be a bureaucratic exercise, but it was so much more than that. The best and most solemn part for me was when I took the oath of allegiance. It was as if, during that precise moment, I made the transition to being a U.S. citizen. It was like I crossed over. But it was a day of mixed emotions. I was happy that the long path to citizenship had successfully come to an end but I was emotional rethinking about how much it took to for me get there. I did not expect it but, by the end of the ceremony, a new sense of pride, for a country that I can now call my own, overwhelmed me. I came to the ceremony with my partner, Nicholas. It was a special day for both of us. As soon as it was over I called my family back in Cyprus to share with them the good news. Unfortunately, I had no time for a special celebration as I prepare intensively for another landmark in my life, my Ph.D. viva, which is scheduled for next Friday. I hope to have a double celebration then!

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Bandar, 33, arrived from Syria (via Saudi Arabia)

I moved here in 2001 to attend school in Worcester, Massachusetts; I was only 19, and 2001 was a very interesting year to come to the U.S.  Not only did I have to adjust to this different culture, but I also had to adjust to post-9/11 America  the terrorist attacks happened two weeks after I got here. My immigration journey was further complicated by the introduction of screening processes to people from certain countries  I am Syrian but I grew up in Saudi Arabia.

Now Ill be able to travel more freely and go back to see my family more often  I have not left the USA in almost seven years. And this also means that my family can get an immigration status and the process of them coming here to visit will be so much easier. And I am very excited to vote and participate in American democracy. I will vote in every election  so much sacrifice was made and is still being made around the world for people to obtain the right to vote and participate in picking the political, social, and economic future of their nations. Voting is a right and duty that should be cherished and honored. No one should ever say that their vote wont matter.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Emilsis, 38, Dominican Republic

I was in tears the whole day. I thought about the men and women who made America and especially New York a land of opportunities. I felt proud of this country, and I felt proud of myself and my parents and proud of all those people out there who make this country safe. Even though I felt very happy, I was sad, too. Happy because of the opportunities I have been given to serve others and the right to use not only my voice but my vote, but I felt sad because I was all the time thinking about the people who work as hard as I work every day in this country and have no legal documents.

I came with my partner of life  I call him My Super A. We met when I was in a very hard place. I had cancer and he took care of me and wanted to marry me even though I was sick, could you imagine? I said no, because I thought I was going to die. I didnt think it was fair to him to marry someone who was going to die soon.

The day of the ceremony, when we left the building, something strange happened  We are from Yonkers so we are not very familiar with the businesses in the area. In front of the Federal Plaza building there is a jewelry store. When we head to walk to the train station, a man standing outside of the jewelry store invited us to enter to see the engagement rings. Why engagement rings? I dont know. But we looked at each other and said Sure, why not? And guess what? My Super A bought the rings that day. What a day for us! Im so excited. I had to return to my job, but after work we went to celebrate at a Mexican restaurant here in Yonkers called Rancho Grande. We ate tacos, drank mojitos, and sang Juan Gabriel songs.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Glenroy, 43, Jamaica

That was one of those moments that you can only describe as surreal. I woke up the next day and I thought: Wow, I am a citizen of the most powerful country in the world.

I was crying! It actually made me cry. The tears started when Obama spoke. I always wanted to become American under Obama. I was getting nervous knowing Trump is on his way. And as a matter of fact, they called me and told me about the ceremony only a week before. They called in case I didnt get the letter. My letter is signed by Obama. I wanted to become a citizen under Obama.

I remember the first time I traveled after getting my green card. Instead of all the fingerprints and questions and fear that they will just say, Go! Go away for no reason, they said, Welcome home. You can imagine how much better it is going to be next time I leave the country and come back. When I hear those words, I am going to be so happy. You bet I will be listening for those words, and if I dont hear them I will say, excuse me, did you forget something?

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Abul, 60, Bangladesh

My son was the one who got the call and then I got the letter. It was such short notice, less than a week. Then we got the letter and we were so excited when we saw Obamas signature  If it had been Trumps  what a joke. Im a die-hard Hillary fan and it is the saddest thing that I could not vote for her. Thats the only sad part, if only I could have voted this year.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Johannes, 26, Germany

I loved seeing the excitement on other peoples faces. Im privileged because I came from a safe and economically stable country, but other people in the room are not as lucky as me. The woman I sat next to told me that her parents never had the chance to make it to the U.S. after decades of trying.

I had no idea what to expect on Friday and maybe I was still anxious because I actually made sure I know all the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner  just in case they quizzed us!

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Mayumi, 46, Japan

When I first came to America I was here to meet a guy who lived in Los Angeles. But when I arrived his wife showed up. It was a complete shock to me, but I had a friend in New York City who invited me to come for the remainder of my visa. I was living in the Bronx, off of Watson Avenue. I didnt know it was an extremely bad area. I did get robbed.

I met a guy who impressed me with his style and fun, and I enjoyed New York so much I didnt want to leave. And when I was supposed to go back to Japan he cried and begged me to stay and to marry him. I did. I felt he really wanted me and I really wanted to be part of New York. But it was a big mistake, because it turned out he had a long criminal history and he was extremely violent. Things quickly changed after we got married. I could have lost my life; he beat me and once he put a gun to my head. Finally, he was arrested after he showed up to a friends house looking for me with a gun. My life was hell for a little while, but good things always come out of bad. I met my current husband in a club at the Bronx way back in the day, and we communicated by writing on napkins, because I am deaf. Together we researched American history that we dont often read in books. I wrote my autobiography in Japan in 2000  it was called Fighto, and its about how I had to fight my way through life being deaf. Its very difficult for deaf people in Japan, and when I came to America it was a whole other experience.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Paul, 33, Ireland

When the speaker said Remember this flag, it may have only cost all of only 5 cents to make, but its your first American flag, remember that. I will never forget those lines.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Taraneh, 56, Iran

The ceremony started at 11:05 and I was the first person to get there. As soon as I went to the kiosk to hand my green card to the lady I started to sob. And I stayed very emotional the whole morning.

I first came from Iran during the IranIraq war  I didnt want my son to be drafted. People born here take this country for granted. But if you work hard and you are talented you can become whatever you want. It gives you everything; you just have to want it. Those who live here, they see this from the beginning and they dont realize how lucky they are to  just express an opinion! To talk about stuff  I see people who are upset about the elections and they can open their mouth and say things about it and thats because we have democracy. It doesnt matter: You have democracy, and that is so beautiful and thats what brings you here. You get an identity when you get here. You can show your talent. You can talk-talk-talk and you can talk so openly; its not like that in my country. After being in America I realized I had some stuff inside me and I started writing music. I was able to let my talent grow. Thats what America is all about. You can get what you want if you are capable.

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Yasmine, 47, Nevis

I came to Obamas America, so it was so emotional to reach the milestone of being a citizen just before hes going. Coming here was rough. I was a single parent, but thank God I kept struggling and going. I lived in the Bronx with family who I didnt really know, and I was treated like a stranger. It was a horrible experience for me, but I have five kids and I kept strong for them  worked as hard as I could. In June 2011 my kids finally came and we were all together. Ive cried so many times about how hard it was, but by 2012 we finally got our own apartment. I thank God every day.
Donald Trump. Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

After a canceled face-to-face White House meeting and some sparring on Twitter over the border wall, President Donald Trump and Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto talked over the phone for about an hour on Friday morning. Officials from both countries confirmed the chat, and issued a nearly identical joint statement, except the White House version left out one key detail about the conversation that appeared in the official statement from the Mexican presidents office. Nietos administration said that the two leaders agreed to stop sounding off about the wall, and who (or who isnt) paying for it in public. The Trump administration did not say this.

Specifically, Mexican officials said, with respect to the border wall, that the two presidents also agreed for now not to speak publicly about the controversial issue.

The White House statement is the same when translated except for that part. (U.S. here, and Mexico here.) El Universal reports that the White House has not provided any information about this alleged omission on a statement that apparently should be the identical.

What both the Mexican and U.S. administration officials did both say about the wall was that both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences on this sensitive issue, and they agree to resolve these differences as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationships.

Mexican and U.S. officials described the call as constructive and productive, and Trump sort of echoed that sentiment when the question came up at his press conference with British prime minister Theresa May. We had a very good call, Trump said. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I work with the Mexican people all the time. Then, he added: But as you know, Mexico with the United States, has outnegotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders. Theyve made us look foolish. We have a trade deficit of $60 billion dollars with Mexico; on top of that the border is soft and weak, and drugs are pouring in, and Im not going to let that happen. So if a moratorium did exist, it wouldnt have lasted long, though Trump technically did not use the word wall.

Pres. Trump on his call with @EPN- "We had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico." pic.twitter.com/hJ6lHB1PnF  CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 27, 2017

Acording to El Universal, Nieto and Trump did discuss some of the touchy issues between the two countries, including trade, and the need for the two countries to work together to stop drug- and arms-trafficking across the border. They also, reportedly, talked about the importance of the friendship between these neighbors.

It sounds as if the call, which took place around 9:30 am, struck a markedly different tone than the one Donald Trump tried out when he began his morning tweeting ritual:

Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

Trump threw in the latest comment after tensions between the countries, summed up by a few 140-character barbs, hit a crisis point Thursday, when Nieto bailed on a White House meeting with Donald Trump scheduled for next week. He did so after the U.S. president signed an executive order calling for the immediate construction of a border wall, said again Mexico would pay for this wall, and then insulted Mexico on Twitter after its leader repeated the country wasnt going to pay for a wall it didnt want in the first place.

After Nieto canceled, Trump spoke to GOP lawmakers and made it seem as if scrapping the meeting had been his idea, saying it would have been fruitless. Then, in a conversation with reporters, White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggested a 20 percent import tax could be used to finance the wall. The White House clarified that it was a policy option in line with a popular GOP tax proposal, called a border-adjustment tax. The Mexican media, seizing on the tariff-that-wasnt along with the U.S. press, was still quick to point out that American consumers, not Mexico, would mostly end up paying for this wall if such a policy went through.

As the New York Times points out, Nieto has had to walk a difficult line in his dealings with Trump, saying Mexico would not foot the bill for the wall, but signaling a willingness to work with its northern neighbor  which was driven in large part by necessity. Yet Trumps barbs have galvanized Mexico  and Nieto, who is a really unpopular president  is seeing the country unite around the perceived bullying from the north. The Mexicans press  often describing it as el huracan Trump (the hurricane)  have characterized these escalating tensions, fueled by Trumps nationalistic and offensive rhetoric, as a new era of hostility. Former Mexican president Vicente Fox, who has been very blunt in his criticism of Trump, said the president had brought back a very strong Mexican spirit.

This post has been updated throughout.
No puppet, no puppet. Photo: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin will talk on the phone Saturday, their first time speaking since a congratulatory phone call Putin made after the election, the Kremlin announced Friday.

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov said little about what would be discussed, mentioning only that the men are expected to exchange views about main parameters of current bilateral relations.

Trumps White House adviser and propaganda minister Kellyanne Conway provided slightly more detail about the discussion on CBS This Morning. She said the two leaders would discuss where they can find common ground and specifically mentioned finding ways the U.S. and Russia could maybe defeat radical Islamic terrorism.

In a separate interview on Fox & Friends, Conway said the call could include discussions on removing Russian sanctions. According to one report, an executive order to do just that has already been drafted. Asked by Brian Kilmeade if Russia would first have to stop destroying families and towns indiscriminately like theyre doing in Syria before sanctions could be lifted, Conway said Trumps policy is America first.
GOP congressional leaders cheered Donald Trump in Philadelphia today, but not because he gave them any help. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

The congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia this week was supposed to foster highly efficient private discussions and briefings, and let the solons emerge from their labors revealed as a lean, mean, legislating machine. From reports at the end of the first day, however, they looked more like lost sheep, disappointed at the inability of their leaders to provide clear direction on how they would negotiate the tangle of health care, budget, and tax legislation theyve committed to enact. There is particular anxiety about the very first item on everyones agenda: the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.

Exact, specific and detailed  thats what people want, said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.), the chairman of the House Rules Committee. Were going to own this stuff, and we better be able to explain it.

They sure didnt get that kind of guidance. Heres an example:

I dont think you will see a plan, said Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi (R-Ohio), chairman of a key subcommittee on health care. I think you will see components of a plan that are part of different pieces of legislation that will make up what will ultimately be the plan.

Thats clear as mud, isnt it?

Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan tried to generate a sense of decisiveness and momentum by talking about the timetable for one reconciliation bill to repeal (and replace?) Obamacare, another to cut taxes, and additional actions required on appropriations. But the content of all this frenetic activity was left maddeningly vague.

The big problem Republicans face, of course (beyond the unpopularity and the fiscal unfeasibility of much of what they want), is that theyve chosen a partisan strategy to enact their agenda, which means precision timing and, most of all, advance assurances their own president is onboard are critical. Nobody wants to be halfway through an amendment vote-a-rama on a budget-reconciliation bill repealing Obamacare to find out via Twitter that Donald Trump has changed his mind or finally understood some key issue thought to be long resolved. So the Republicans in Philadelphia expected some guidance and feedback from the president, scheduled to address them on the second day.

Instead, Trump gave them a ton of headaches even as they arrived in Philadelphia, with a bunch of executive orders on hot-button issues. It was painfully clear nobody at the gathering had been given a heads-up on what he planned to do while they were away from Washington, and new issues to grapple with were absolutely the last things they needed.

But the senators and congressmen dutifully cheered the new boss during his pithy remarks today, even as many inwardly cringed at his cavalier disregard for their needs, and his insistence on pursuing entirely imaginary priorities like voter fraud, a reminder that he is still upset about losing the popular vote last November.

What they did not get from Trumps speech was even an ounce of guidance. His comments on tax reform amounted to one vague sentence. On Obamacare, he spent most of his time making the strange and incredible claim that he had thought seriously about letting the present system stay in place until it collapsed, but instead decided to help out Democrats by putting it to the sword. He did mention his interest in a big fat infrastructure spending binge, which most Republicans, worried about the red ink he seems determined to spill, would love just to go away. All in all, it was a sort of unplugged version of a 2016 Trump campaign speech.

Sure, Trump or his underlings could convey more concrete hopes, wishes, and instructions informally whenever they wanted. But listening to Republicans in Philadelphia and elsewhere, it sure sounds like thats not happening, at least not yet. And so they rush toward the deadlines theyve set for themselves, without the slightest assurance any of their complex legislative maneuvers will turn out well.

Its probably an understatement to say that few of the women and men gathering in Philly had any idea, on the morning of November 8, theyd be where they are now, waiting to see whether Donald J. Trump will consummate or squander the best opportunity Republicans have had in many years to realize their most avaricious dreams.
Barack Obama dodged a bullet, thanks to Paul Ryan. Photo: Al Drago/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Paul Ryan spent eight years under Barack Obama issuing dire warnings of an impending fiscal crisis. While not quite severe enough to justify trading even small increases in tax revenue for spending cuts  no crisis could be that dire to Paul Ryan  the deficit was still a civilizational calamity. Ryan repeatedly promised his party would solve the problem if given power. Now Republicans have the power. Ryan is no longer promising to save the Republic from the Greece-like fate in store for our people. Indeed, when reporter Steve Dennis asked Ryan the other day if he would merely promise not to increase the budget deficit, Ryan refused to commit to clearing even that low bar.

Ryan is carrying on the modern Republican tradition of demanding fiscal austerity in opposition and implementing fiscal promiscuity in power. This chart, via The Wall Street Journal, shows an interesting pattern. The dotted, colored lines depict the projected deficit or surplus every president since Ronald Reagan has faced since entering office:

Photo: Wall Street Journal

Reagan and George W. Bush didnt run on platforms of creating big deficits. Quite the contrary: Reagan campaigned by denouncing Jimmy Carters alleged fiscal irresponsibility. Bush promised to pay off the entire national debt. Both presidents enjoyed favorable forecasts for surpluses, which they used to pass enormous tax cuts and military buildups. The favorable budget forecasts they inherited gave them free money to play with, letting them put their imprint on the government without the painful tradeoffs that would limit their options. Obama entered office facing a $1.2 trillion deficit projection, which subjected all his long-term budget changes (after the immediate, one-time fiscal stimulus) to the requirement that they reduce the debt. Obamacare would have been a much easier law to write if Obama had put the whole thing on the national credit card, the way Bush financed Medicare Part D, rather than prying every last dollar out of Congress.

Trump wont have as bad a situation as Obama, but neither does he enjoy the same luck as Reagan and George W. Bush. He has a deficit running toward 5 percent of the economy. Trump wants to pass huge tax cuts, infrastructure, a military buildup, plus of course terrific health care for everybody without any of the terrible things in Obamacare that pay for it. Whether Trump will hit his limit when the deficit is at 5 percent of GDP or 6 percent or 8 percent, it will come.

There is another conclusion to draw from this. Obama faced unrelenting pressure throughout his presidency to make a deal to cut the deficit. The default position of centrist pundits over the course of his first term and a half was that the definition of success was a bipartisan debt agreement. This was bad fiscal policy during the first few years, when the economy was recovering from the biggest economic crisis in three-quarters of a century. And in any case it was impossible to get a deal with a Republican Party that refused to make any concessions on revenue.

But the dynamic facing Trump indicates yet another reason why its a good thing Obama didnt strike that deal. The better the budget forecast he left, the more leeway he would have given the Republicans to give the money away in the manner of their choosing. Thats what happened when Bill Clinton left Bush a huge surplus  Bush dissipated it on Republican priorities. Trump would have done the same thing if Obama had left him a balanced budget.

The fabled bipartisan commitment to fiscal responsibility only works if both parties actually care about it. If one party only cares about low taxes, and pretends to care about deficits when the other party controls government, then the budget is an iterative game where using your political capital to reduce the deficit is a suckers play.
Enacting laws is less fun than it looks. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump spent his first days in office chaotically unveiling executive orders in an effort to prove hes making good on his campaign promises. Judging from the stream of unsettling headlines, Trump dealt serious blows to Obamacare, sanctuary cities, and immigration policy  all while obsessively poring over photos of the crowd at his inauguration.

While Trumps orders have led to protests, widespread confusion, and the detention of many people trying to enter the U.S., upon closer examination, he did not instantly undo major elements of the Obama administration with just a few strokes of his pen. The documents were drafted primarily by Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, the Breitbart faction of Trumps advisers. Since they consulted with virtually no one, some of the orders are vague, legally questionable, or even impossible to carry out. Heres what Trumps first executive orders might actually do.



Note: This post was originally published on January 27, 2017. It has been updated to include Trumps most recent executive orders.

Restrict Immigration and Refugee Resettlement

What Trump ordered: He suspended the resettlement of refugees in the U.S. for four months, ostensibly to give federal agencies time to develop enhanced vetting procedures. Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely. There is also an exemption for religious minorities facing persecution by their governments, and Trump said in an interview that Christians would receive preferential treatment.

The order also bars immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries  Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen  for 90 days. It applies to people who hold dual citizenship with those countries and another nation.

There were contradictory messages from the Trump administration about whether the order applied to green-card holders. Initially, the Department of Homeland Security said the ban did apply to U.S. permanent residents from those seven countries; then, one day later, the White House said green-card holders were exempt, though they may have to undergo additional screening.

Can he do that? The courts will decide. Over the weekend, federal judges in five states blocked the removal or detention of those who were in transit when the order went into effect. Four states  Washington, New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia  are involved in lawsuits that argue the order is unconstitutional.

On Monday, acting attorney general Sally Yates advised the Justice Department not to enforce the new measures, saying it wasnt clear that the order was legally defensible. Trump responded by firing Yates from her post, saying the Obama administration holdover  in charge until Jeff Sessionss confirmation  had betrayed the DOJ.

The president, however, does have broad powers to regulate immigration  and there is good reason to think that this temporary order is just a first step in Trumps plan to use those powers aggressively. The Immigration and Nationality Act allows the president to bar any immigrants he considers detrimental to the interests of the United States. But experts say the order, which did not go through the normal vetting process, may violate federal and constitutional law.

For starters, the Immigration and Nationality Act also states that no person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the persons race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence. That applies only to green-card holders, not refugees hoping to come to the U.S.

Add Steve Bannon to National Security Council Meetings

What Trump ordered: Its typical for presidents to issue orders reorganizing the National Security Council at the start of their term, but putting a political adviser on the Principals Committee is not. While presidents usually want to show that theyre not letting politics affect national security decisions, Trump made Bannon a regular attendee of the Committee, an interagency forum for considering national security issues.

Can he do that? Yes. A tweet by Jonathan Alter sparked reports that an obscure law required Bannon to be confirmed by the Senate, but Harvard law professor Larry Tribe told Snopes thats a misreading of the law. He explained that Bannon has not been made a member of the NSC itself  hes just been invited to attend meetings of the Principals Committee:

Nothing in the Constitution or in any Act of Congress makes membership in what has been called the Principals Committee, which is formally and structurally not part of the National Security Council but an advisory group hitched to the Council by an invisible cord, a position that mandates the Senates advice and consent.

Tribe said he thinks Bannons role is crazy and dangerous, but it doesnt appear to violate the law  though it probably should.

Meanwhile, Trump downgraded the director of National Intelligence and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to being optional members. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer pushed back against criticism of this move, saying the two officials are at every NSC meeting and are welcome to attend the Principals meetings as well.

Dismantle the Affordable Care Act

What Trump ordered: Hours after his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order declaring that his administration will take all actions consistent with the law to ease the burden of Obamacare. It instructs the heads of all executive departments and agencies to exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay parts of the Affordable Care Act that put financial burdens on individuals, health-care providers, or states.

Can he do that? Yes, but its not clear what that is. Only Congress can repeal the Affordable Care Act, but the Trump administration can severely weaken the law by changing how its carried out. The Incidental Economist blog compiled a long list of administrative changes that could be made to the law immediately, from reducing reinsurance payments to insurers, to removing the requirement that health plans cover all forms of contraceptive.

Trump is reportedly mulling whether to kill the individual mandate, which could send the individual-health-insurance market into the proverbial death spiral. The secretary of Health and Human Services can grant hardship exemptions from the mandate using any criteria he or she wants. That means that, without touching the law itself, the Trump administration could effectively kill the individual mandate by granting an exception to everyone.



As FiveThirtyEight notes, Trump HHS secretary pick Tom Price could have done this even before Trump issued his order, but in case there was any question, the folks at HHS now have their bosses itemized list of priorities. Of course, Price hasnt even been confirmed yet, so it may be weeks before we know what the Trump administration will actually do to the ACA.

Cut U.S. Aid to Groups That Provide or Promote Abortion Overseas

What Trump ordered: He reinstated and expanded the Mexico City policy, also known as the global gag rule, which stipulates that foreign nongovernmental organizations that promote or provide abortion cannot receive U.S. federal aid. Previously, the policy only applied to groups that receive U.S. family-planning funding, but Trumps version applies to organizations that get global health money as well.

Can he do that? Yes. Ronald Reagan implemented the policy in 1985, and its subsequently been rescinded by every Democratic president and restored by every Republican president. Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, argued in The Hill that this showcases the troubles with governing by executive order, but its generally accepted that every president will change the Mexico City policy upon taking office.

The Kaiser Family Foundation explains that Congress could step in, but obviously thats not going to happen with Republicans in control:

While Congress has the ability to institute the policy through legislation, this has happened only once in the past: a modified version of the policy was briefly applied by Congress during President Clintons last year in office as part of a broader arrangement to pay the U.S. debt to the United Nations. (At that time, President Clinton was able to partially waive the policys restrictions.) Other attempts to institute the policy through legislation have not been passed, nor have legislative attempts to overturn the policy.

Withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership

What Trump ordered: He signed a brief presidential memorandum declaring that the U.S. is withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and that his administration intends to deal directly with individual countries on a one-on-one (or bilateral) basis in negotiating future trade deals.

Can he do that? Yes. The TPP was never ratified by Congress, so Trumps order was mostly symbolic. The 11 other countries say they want to salvage the deal, but it would have to be revamped significantly and would have much less weight without the U.S.

Build a Border Wall

What Trump ordered: As part of two sweeping executive orders on immigration, Trump said his administration intends to secure the southern border of the United States through the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border.

Can he do that? Not without help from Congress. Republican lawmakers believe the president has the authority to construct the wall under the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which called for the construction of at least 700 miles of physical barrier along the southern border. The fence was never completed, and the Homeland Security secretary could interpret physical barrier to mean a big, beautiful concrete wall.

But the wall could cost as much as $20 billion, and Trump cant come up with that money on his own. He ordered the Department of Homeland Security to look for available funds within its $41 billion annual budget, but the House and Senate appropriations committees would have to approve an internal reallocation of money, and it still wouldnt be enough to fund the entire project.

Luckily for Trump, congressional Republicans are willing to put a massive amount of U.S. taxpayer money toward the project. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday that Congress intends to fund the wall through a supplemental appropriations bill in the spring.

When pressed on how theyd make Mexico pay for it, GOP leaders suggested theyd leave that to Trump. We intend to address the wall issue ourselves and the president can deal with his relations with other countries on that issue and others, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

End the Catch-and-Release Policy

What Trump ordered: His two executive orders on border security said he is terminating the policy known as catch and release, in which people caught crossing the border illegally are freed, pending hearings. In order to hold and process them, Trump called for the construction of new detention facilities, the hiring of 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents, and 10,000 additional U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.



Can he do that? The cost and logistics are daunting. Reuters reports that in the last three months of 2016, 136,670 people were caught crossing the border, and about 48 percent were unaccompanied children or families with children. Existing facilities have about 34,000 beds.

Trumps order directs his cabinet secretaries to take all appropriate action and allocate all legally available resources to immediately construct, operate, control, or establish contracts to construct, operate, or control facilities to detain aliens at or near the land border with Mexico. But he wont find the money needed for such an enormous undertaking without approval from Congress.

Politico did some rough math, and concluded that Trumps immigration proposals could increase federal spending by $13 billion a year, not including the wall. The combined budgets for ICE and border protection in 2016 came to $19.4 billion.

John Sandweg, who was acting director of ICE in 2013 and 2014, estimated that Trumps plan would require four or five times as many detention beds per day, which would cost $10 billion annually. Hiring another 10,000 ICE agents could cost $3.9 billion a year, and adding 5,000 Border Patrol agents could add $900 million annually.

Immigration courts are already severely backlogged, and its illegal to keep children in immigration detention indefinitely. Even if Congress gave Trump the money, the time and effort it would take to establish new detention centers, train new officers, and fend off legal challenges would be enormous. I just view this as a political document more than anything, Sandweg said of the executive orders.

End Sanctuary Cities

What Trump ordered: Cities and counties that limit their cooperation with federal immigration officials are not eligible to receive federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law-enforcement purposes. As Vox notes, nothing has been defunded yet:

Instead, it tells the secretary of homeland security and the attorney general to make sure that no jurisdiction getting federal grants is getting in the way of law enforcement, and lets the attorney general pursue enforcement actions against jurisdictions that do. There are at least 39 cities and 364 counties that count themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Can he do that? Its unclear, and it would take a massive legal battle to find out. The Trump administration could try to sue the cities for violating federal law, but the federal government cant force state and local law enforcement to enforce federal law. In 2014, a federal appeals court ruled that local police do not have to hold undocumented immigrants for ICE agents.

The Trump administration could try to coerce sanctuary cities into following the law by withholding certain federal grant money. Some federal money is distributed by Congress, but Republicans may go along with Trumps effort. Several Republican lawmakers have tried to pass laws that would cut money for sanctuary cities in recent years. Even if Congress doesnt approve, the Trump administration could withhold the grants administered by federal agencies, potentially cutting off funding for various local programs.

Mayors from several cities  including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles  have already vowed to stand up to Trumps crackdown on sanctuary cities, but on Thursday, Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an executive order ordering his corrections department to comply with all ICE requests. He said his county cant afford to lose out on the $355 million its set to receive in federal funding next year.

Advance the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines

What Trump ordered: He reversed decisions made by the Obama administration by inviting the TransCanada Corporation to promptly resubmit its application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, and directing the Army to review and approve in an expedited manner the last section of the Dakota Access pipeline. He told reporters he would renegotiate some of the terms and ordered his secretary of commerce to develop a plan to ensure that all of the pipelines are built and repaired using U.S.-made steel.

Can he do that?: Trump can help advance the pipeline projects, but even he acknowledged that it wasnt a sure thing. Well see if we can get that pipeline built, he said. A lot of jobs. Renegotiating the terms of the deals would be a lengthy and legally questionable process  plus he would have to contend with the environmentalists and Native American rights activists protesting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.

Legal experts tell CNN that the executive order may also violate the constitutional right to due process and the Establishment Clause. While the order says nothing about banning Muslims, Trump and his surrogates have made public comments suggesting that was the aim. The courts could rule that the order discriminates on the basis of national origin or religion, while offering no rational justification for why people from the seven countries pose a particular terror threat.

Trade-policy experts have criticized the order that the pipelines be constructed from U.S.-made material, as it would violate international trade laws that say a government cant treat foreign and domestic companies differently.

First of all, this is private investment, so theres no legal authority for the government to require a private company to use domestic materials, Dan Ikenson, director of the Cato Institutes Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, tells CNBC.

Is it good policy to have the president dictate where U.S. companies buy their inputs? No. I think thats terrible. I think thats dictatorial. I think its very bad precedence.
Last year, on October 21, your digital video recorder  or at least a DVR like yours  knocked Twitter off the internet. Someone used your DVR, along with millions of insecure webcams, routers, and other connected devices, to launch an attack that started a chain reaction, resulting in Twitter, Reddit, Netflix, and many sites going off the internet. You probably didnt realize that your DVR had that kind of power. But it does.

All computers are hackable. This has as much to do with the computer market as it does with the technologies. We prefer our software full of features and inexpensive, at the expense of security and reliability. That your computer can affect the security of Twitter is a market failure. The industry is filled with market failures that, until now, have been largely ignorable. As computers continue to permeate our homes, cars, businesses, these market failures will no longer be tolerable. Our only solution will be regulation, and that regulation will be foisted on us by a government desperate to do something in the face of disaster.

In this article I want to outline the problems, both technical and political, and point to some regulatory solutions. Regulation might be a dirty word in todays political climate, but security is the exception to our small-government bias. And as the threats posed by computers become greater and more catastrophic, regulation will be inevitable. So nows the time to start thinking about it.

We also need to reverse the trend to connect everything to the internet. And if we risk harm and even death, we need to think twice about what we connect and what we deliberately leave uncomputerized.

If we get this wrong, the computer industry will look like the pharmaceutical industry, or the aircraft industry. But if we get this right, we can maintain the innovative environment of the internet that has given us so much.

We no longer have things with computers embedded in them. We have computers with things attached to them.

Your modern refrigerator is a computer that keeps things cold. Your oven, similarly, is a computer that makes things hot. An ATM is a computer with money inside. Your car is no longer a mechanical device with some computers inside; its a computer with four wheels and an engine. Actually, its a distributed system of over 100 computers with four wheels and an engine. And, of course, your phones became full-power general-purpose computers in 2007, when the iPhone was introduced.

We wear computers: fitness trackers and computer-enabled medical devices  and, of course, we carry our smartphones everywhere. Our homes have smart thermostats, smart appliances, smart door locks, even smart light bulbs. At work, many of those same smart devices are networked together with CCTV cameras, sensors that detect customer movements, and everything else. Cities are starting to embed smart sensors in roads, streetlights, and sidewalk squares, also smart energy grids and smart transportation networks. A nuclear power plant is really just a computer that produces electricity, and  like everything else weve just listed  its on the internet.

The internet is no longer a web that we connect to. Instead, its a computerized, networked, and interconnected world that we live in. This is the future, and what were calling the Internet of Things.

Broadly speaking, the Internet of Things has three parts. There are the sensors that collect data about us and our environment: smart thermostats, street and highway sensors, and those ubiquitous smartphones with their motion sensors and GPS location receivers. Then there are the smarts that figure out what the data means and what to do about it. This includes all the computer processors on these devices and  increasingly  in the cloud, as well as the memory that stores all of this information. And finally, there are the actuators that affect our environment. The point of a smart thermostat isnt to record the temperature; its to control the furnace and the air conditioner. Driverless cars collect data about the road and the environment to steer themselves safely to their destinations.

You can think of the sensors as the eyes and ears of the internet. You can think of the actuators as the hands and feet of the internet. And you can think of the stuff in the middle as the brain. We are building an internet that senses, thinks, and acts.

This is the classic definition of a robot. Were building a world-size robot, and we dont even realize it.

To be sure, its not a robot in the classical sense. We think of robots as discrete autonomous entities, with sensors, brain, and actuators all together in a metal shell. The world-size robot is distributed. It doesnt have a singular body, and parts of it are controlled in different ways by different people. It doesnt have a central brain, and it has nothing even remotely resembling a consciousness. It doesnt have a single goal or focus. Its not even something we deliberately designed. Its something we have inadvertently built out of the everyday objects we live with and take for granted. It is the extension of our computers and networks into the real world.

This world-size robot is actually more than the Internet of Things. Its a combination of several decades-old computing trends: mobile computing, cloud computing, always-on computing, huge databases of personal information, the Internet of Things  or, more precisely, cyber-physical systems  autonomy, and artificial intelligence. And while its still not very smart, itll get smarter. Itll get more powerful and more capable through all the interconnections were building.

Itll also get much more dangerous.

Computer security has been around for almost as long as computers have been. And while its true that security wasnt part of the design of the original internet, its something we have been trying to achieve since its beginning.

I have been working in computer security for over 30 years: first in cryptography, then more generally in computer and network security, and now in general security technology. I have watched computers become ubiquitous, and have seen firsthand the problems  and solutions  of securing these complex machines and systems. Im telling you all this because what used to be a specialized area of expertise now affects everything. Computer security is now everything security. Theres one critical difference, though: The threats have become greater.

Traditionally, computer security is divided into three categories: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For the most part, our security concerns have largely centered around confidentiality. Were concerned about our data and who has access to it  the world of privacy and surveillance, of data theft and misuse.

But threats come in many forms. Availability threats: computer viruses that delete our data, or ransomware that encrypts our data and demands payment for the unlock key. Integrity threats: hackers who can manipulate data entries can do things ranging from changing grades in a class to changing the amount of money in bank accounts. Some of these threats are pretty bad. Hospitals have paid tens of thousands of dollars to criminals whose ransomware encrypted critical medical files. JPMorgan Chase spends half a billion on cybersecurity a year.

Today, the integrity and availability threats are much worse than the confidentiality threats. Once computers start affecting the world in a direct and physical manner, there are real risks to life and property. There is a fundamental difference between crashing your computer and losing your spreadsheet data, and crashing your pacemaker and losing your life. This isnt hyperbole; recently researchers found serious security vulnerabilities in St. Jude Medicals implantable heart devices. Give the internet hands and feet, and it will have the ability to punch and kick.

Take a concrete example: modern cars, those computers on wheels. The steering wheel no longer turns the axles, nor does the accelerator pedal change the speed. Every move you make in a car is processed by a computer, which does the actual controlling. A central computer controls the dashboard. Theres another in the radio. The engine has 20 or so computers. These are all networked, and increasingly autonomous.

Now, lets start listing the security threats. We dont want car navigation systems to be used for mass surveillance, or the microphone for mass eavesdropping. We might want it to be used to determine a cars location in the event of a 911 call, and possibly to collect information about highway congestion. We dont want people to hack their own cars to bypass emissions-control limitations. We dont want manufacturers or dealers to be able to do that, either, as Volkswagen did for years. We can imagine wanting to give police the ability to remotely and safely disable a moving car; that would make high-speed chases a thing of the past. But we definitely dont want hackers to be able to do that. We definitely dont want them disabling the brakes in every car without warning, at speed. As we make the transition from driver-controlled cars to cars with various driver-assist capabilities to fully driverless cars, we dont want any of those critical components subverted. We dont want someone to be able to accidentally crash your car, let alone do it on purpose. And equally, we dont want them to be able to manipulate the navigation software to change your route, or the door-lock controls to prevent you from opening the door. I could go on.

Thats a lot of different security requirements, and the effects of getting them wrong range from illegal surveillance to extortion by ransomware to mass death.

Our computers and smartphones are as secure as they are because companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google spend a lot of time testing their code before its released, and quickly patch vulnerabilities when theyre discovered. Those companies can support large, dedicated teams because those companies make a huge amount of money, either directly or indirectly, from their software  and, in part, compete on its security. Unfortunately, this isnt true of embedded systems like digital video recorders or home routers. Those systems are sold at a much lower margin, and are often built by offshore third parties. The companies involved simply dont have the expertise to make them secure.

At a recent hacker conference, a security researcher analyzed 30 home routers and was able to break into half of them, including some of the most popular and common brands. The denial-of-service attacks that forced popular websites like Reddit and Twitter off the internet last October were enabled by vulnerabilities in devices like webcams and digital video recorders. In August, two security researchers demonstrated a ransomware attack on a smart thermostat.

Even worse, most of these devices dont have any way to be patched. Companies like Microsoft and Apple continuously deliver security patches to your computers. Some home routers are technically patchable, but in a complicated way that only an expert would attempt. And the only way for you to update the firmware in your hackable DVR is to throw it away and buy a new one.

The market cant fix this because neither the buyer nor the seller cares. The owners of the webcams and DVRs used in the denial-of-service attacks dont care. Their devices were cheap to buy, they still work, and they dont know any of the victims of the attacks. The sellers of those devices dont care: Theyre now selling newer and better models, and the original buyers only cared about price and features. There is no market solution, because the insecurity is what economists call an externality: Its an effect of the purchasing decision that affects other people. Think of it kind of like invisible pollution.

Security is an arms race between attacker and defender. Technology perturbs that arms race by changing the balance between attacker and defender. Understanding how this arms race has unfolded on the internet is essential to understanding why the world-size robot were building is so insecure, and how we might secure it. To that end, I have five truisms, born from what weve already learned about computer and internet security. They will soon affect the security arms race everywhere.

Truism No. 1: On the internet, attack is easier than defense.

There are many reasons for this, but the most important is the complexity of these systems. More complexity means more people involved, more parts, more interactions, more mistakes in the design and development process, more of everything where hidden insecurities can be found. Computer-security experts like to speak about the attack surface of a system: all the possible points an attacker might target and that must be secured. A complex system means a large attack surface. The defender has to secure the entire attack surface. The attacker just has to find one vulnerability  one unsecured avenue for attack  and gets to choose how and when to attack. Its simply not a fair battle.

There are other, more general, reasons why attack is easier than defense. Attackers have a natural agility that defenders often lack. They dont have to worry about laws, and often not about morals or ethics. They dont have a bureaucracy to contend with, and can more quickly make use of technical innovations. Attackers also have a first-mover advantage. As a society, were generally terrible at proactive security; we rarely take preventive security measures until an attack actually happens. So more advantages go to the attacker.

Truism No. 2: Most software is poorly written and insecure.

If complexity isnt enough, we compound the problem by producing lousy software. Well-written software, like the kind found in airplane avionics, is both expensive and time-consuming to produce. We dont want that. For the most part, poorly written software has been good enough. Wed all rather live with buggy software than pay the prices good software would require. We dont mind if our games crash regularly, or our business applications act weird once in a while. Because software has been largely benign, it hasnt mattered. This has permeated the industry at all levels. At universities, we dont teach how to code well. Companies dont reward quality code in the same way they reward fast and cheap. And we consumers dont demand it.

But poorly written software is riddled with bugs, sometimes as many as one per 1,000 lines of code. Some of them are inherent in the complexity of the software, but most are programming mistakes. Not all bugs are vulnerabilities, but some are.

Truism No. 3: Connecting everything to each other via the internet will expose new vulnerabilities.

The more we network things together, the more vulnerabilities on one thing will affect other things. On October 21, vulnerabilities in a wide variety of embedded devices were all harnessed together to create what hackers call a botnet. This botnet was used to launch a distributed denial-of-service attack against a company called Dyn. Dyn provided a critical internet function for many major internet sites. So when Dyn went down, so did all those popular websites.

These chains of vulnerabilities are everywhere. In 2012, journalist Mat Honan suffered a massive personal hack because of one of them. A vulnerability in his Amazon account allowed hackers to get into his Apple account, which allowed them to get into his Gmail account. And in 2013, the Target Corporation was hacked by someone stealing credentials from its HVAC contractor.

Vulnerabilities like these are particularly hard to fix, because no one system might actually be at fault. It might be the insecure interaction of two individually secure systems.

Truism No. 4: Everybody has to stop the best attackers in the world.

One of the most powerful properties of the internet is that it allows things to scale. This is true for our ability to access data or control systems or do any of the cool things we use the internet for, but its also true for attacks. In general, fewer attackers can do more damage because of better technology. Its not just that these modern attackers are more efficient, its that the internet allows attacks to scale to a degree impossible without computers and networks.

This is fundamentally different from what were used to. When securing my home against burglars, I am only worried about the burglars who live close enough to my home to consider robbing me. The internet is different. When I think about the security of my network, I have to be concerned about the best attacker possible, because hes the one whos going to create the attack tool that everyone else will use. The attacker that discovered the vulnerability used to attack Dyn released the code to the world, and within a week there were a dozen attack tools using it.

Truism No. 5: Laws inhibit security research.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a terrible law that fails at its purpose of preventing widespread piracy of movies and music. To make matters worse, it contains a provision that has critical side effects. According to the law, it is a crime to bypass security mechanisms that protect copyrighted work, even if that bypassing would otherwise be legal. Since all software can be copyrighted, it is arguably illegal to do security research on these devices and to publish the result.

Although the exact contours of the law are arguable, many companies are using this provision of the DMCA to threaten researchers who expose vulnerabilities in their embedded systems. This instills fear in researchers, and has a chilling effect on research, which means two things: (1) Vendors of these devices are more likely to leave them insecure, because no one will notice and they wont be penalized in the market, and (2) security engineers dont learn how to do security better.

Unfortunately, companies generally like the DMCA. The provisions against reverse-engineering spare them the embarrassment of having their shoddy security exposed. It also allows them to build proprietary systems that lock out competition. (This is an important one. Right now, your toaster cannot force you to only buy a particular brand of bread. But because of this law and an embedded computer, your Keurig coffee maker can force you to buy a particular brand of coffee.)

In general, there are two basic paradigms of security. We can either try to secure something well the first time, or we can make our security agile. The first paradigm comes from the world of dangerous things: from planes, medical devices, buildings. Its the paradigm that gives us secure design and secure engineering, security testing and certifications, professional licensing, detailed preplanning and complex government approvals, and long times-to-market. Its security for a world where getting it right is paramount because getting it wrong means people dying.

The second paradigm comes from the fast-moving and heretofore largely benign world of software. In this paradigm, we have rapid prototyping, on-the-fly updates, and continual improvement. In this paradigm, new vulnerabilities are discovered all the time and security disasters regularly happen. Here, we stress survivability, recoverability, mitigation, adaptability, and muddling through. This is security for a world where getting it wrong is okay, as long as you can respond fast enough.

These two worlds are colliding. Theyre colliding in our cars  literally  in our medical devices, our building control systems, our traffic control systems, and our voting machines. And although these paradigms are wildly different and largely incompatible, we need to figure out how to make them work together.

So far, we havent done very well. We still largely rely on the first paradigm for the dangerous computers in cars, airplanes, and medical devices. As a result, there are medical systems that cant have security patches installed because that would invalidate their government approval. In 2015, Chrysler recalled 1.4 million cars to fix a software vulnerability. In September 2016, Tesla remotely sent a security patch to all of its Model S cars overnight. Tesla sure sounds like its doing things right, but what vulnerabilities does this remote patch feature open up?

Until now weve largely left computer security to the market. Because the computer and network products we buy and use are so lousy, an enormous after-market industry in computer security has emerged. Governments, companies, and people buy the security they think they need to secure themselves. Weve muddled through well enough, but the market failures inherent in trying to secure this world-size robot will soon become too big to ignore.

Markets alone cant solve our security problems. Markets are motivated by profit and short-term goals at the expense of society. They cant solve collective-action problems. They wont be able to deal with economic externalities, like the vulnerabilities in DVRs that resulted in Twitter going offline. And we need a counterbalancing force to corporate power.

This all points to policy. While the details of any computer-security system are technical, getting the technologies broadly deployed is a problem that spans law, economics, psychology, and sociology. And getting the policy right is just as important as getting the technology right because, for internet security to work, law and technology have to work together. This is probably the most important lesson of Edward Snowdens NSA disclosures. We already knew that technology can subvert law. Snowden demonstrated that law can also subvert technology. Both fail unless each work. Its not enough to just let technology do its thing.

Any policy changes to secure this world-size robot will mean significant government regulation. I know its a sullied concept in todays world, but I dont see any other possible solution. Its going to be especially difficult on the internet, where its permissionless nature is one of the best things about it and the underpinning of its most world-changing innovations. But I dont see how that can continue when the internet can affect the world in a direct and physical manner.

I have a proposal: a new government regulatory agency. Before dismissing it out of hand, please hear me out.

We have a practical problem when it comes to internet regulation. Theres no government structure to tackle this at a systemic level. Instead, theres a fundamental mismatch between the way government works and the way this technology works that makes dealing with this problem impossible at the moment.

Government operates in silos. In the U.S., the FAA regulates aircraft. The NHTSA regulates cars. The FDA regulates medical devices. The FCC regulates communications devices. The FTC protects consumers in the face of unfair or deceptive trade practices. Even worse, who regulates data can depend on how it is used. If data is used to influence a voter, its the Federal Election Commissions jurisdiction. If that same data is used to influence a consumer, its the FTCs. Use those same technologies in a school, and the Department of Education is now in charge. Robotics will have its own set of problems, and no one is sure how that is going to be regulated. Each agency has a different approach and different rules. They have no expertise in these new issues, and they are not quick to expand their authority for all sorts of reasons.

Compare that with the internet. The internet is a freewheeling system of integrated objects and networks. It grows horizontally, demolishing old technological barriers so that people and systems that never previously communicated now can. Already, apps on a smartphone can log health information, control your energy use, and communicate with your car. Thats a set of functions that crosses jurisdictions of at least four different government agencies, and its only going to get worse.

Our world-size robot needs to be viewed as a single entity with millions of components interacting with each other. Any solutions here need to be holistic. They need to work everywhere, for everything. Whether were talking about cars, drones, or phones, theyre all computers.

This has lots of precedent. Many new technologies have led to the formation of new government regulatory agencies. Trains did, cars did, airplanes did. Radio led to the formation of the Federal Radio Commission, which became the FCC. Nuclear power led to the formation of the Atomic Energy Commission, which eventually became the Department of Energy. The reasons were the same in every case. New technologies need new expertise because they bring with them new challenges. Governments need a single agency to house that new expertise, because its applications cut across several preexisting agencies. Its less that the new agency needs to regulate  although thats often a big part of it  and more that governments recognize the importance of the new technologies.

The internet has famously eschewed formal regulation, instead adopting a multi-stakeholder model of academics, businesses, governments, and other interested parties. My hope is that we can keep the best of this approach in any regulatory agency, looking more at the new U.S. Digital Service or the 18F office inside the General Services Administration. Both of those organizations are dedicated to providing digital government services, and both have collected significant expertise by bringing people in from outside of government, and both have learned how to work closely with existing agencies. Any internet regulatory agency will similarly need to engage in a high level of collaborate regulation  both a challenge and an opportunity.

I dont think any of us can predict the totality of the regulations we need to ensure the safety of this world, but heres a few. We need government to ensure companies follow good security practices: testing, patching, secure defaults  and we need to be able to hold companies liable when they fail to do these things. We need government to mandate strong personal data protections, and limitations on data collection and use. We need to ensure that responsible security research is legal and well-funded. We need to enforce transparency in design, some sort of code escrow in case a company goes out of business, and interoperability between devices of different manufacturers, to counterbalance the monopolistic effects of interconnected technologies. Individuals need the right to take their data with them. And internet-enabled devices should retain some minimal functionality if disconnected from the internet

Im not the only one talking about this. Ive seen proposals for a National Institutes of Health analog for cybersecurity. University of Washington law professor Ryan Calo has proposed a Federal Robotics Commission. I think it needs to be broader: maybe a Department of Technology Policy.

Of course there will be problems. Theres a lack of expertise in these issues inside government. Theres a lack of willingness in government to do the hard regulatory work. Industry is worried about any new bureaucracy: both that it will stifle innovation by regulating too much and that it will be captured by industry and regulate too little. A domestic regulatory agency will have to deal with the fundamentally international nature of the problem.

But government is the entity we use to solve problems like this. Governments have the scope, scale, and balance of interests to address the problems. Its the institution weve built to adjudicate competing social interests and internalize market externalities. Left to their own devices, the market simply cant. That were currently in the middle of an era of low government trust, where many of us cant imagine government doing anything positive in an area like this, is to our detriment.

Heres the thing: Governments will get involved, regardless. The risks are too great, and the stakes are too high. Government already regulates dangerous physical systems like cars and medical devices. And nothing motivates the U.S. government like fear. Remember 2001? A nominally small-government Republican president created the Office of Homeland Security 11 days after the terrorist attacks: a rushed and ill-thought-out decision that weve been trying to fix for over a decade. A fatal disaster will similarly spur our government into action, and its unlikely to be well-considered and thoughtful action. Our choice isnt between government involvement and no government involvement. Our choice is between smarter government involvement and stupider government involvement. We have to start thinking about this now. Regulations are necessary, important, and complex; and theyre coming. We cant afford to ignore these issues until its too late.

We also need to start disconnecting systems. If we cannot secure complex systems to the level required by their real-world capabilities, then we must not build a world where everything is computerized and interconnected.

There are other models. We can enable local communications only. We can set limits on collected and stored data. We can deliberately design systems that dont interoperate with each other. We can deliberately fetter devices, reversing the current trend of turning everything into a general-purpose computer. And, most important, we can move toward less centralization and more distributed systems, which is how the internet was first envisioned.

This might be a heresy in todays race to network everything, but large, centralized systems are not inevitable. The technical elites are pushing us in that direction, but they really dont have any good supporting arguments other than the profits of their ever-growing multinational corporations.

But this will change. It will change not only because of security concerns, it will also change because of political concerns. Were starting to chafe under the worldview of everything producing data about us and what we do, and that data being available to both governments and corporations. Surveillance capitalism wont be the business model of the internet forever. We need to change the fabric of the internet so that evil governments dont have the tools to create a horrific totalitarian state. And while good laws and regulations in Western democracies are a great second line of defense, they cant be our only line of defense.

My guess is that we will soon reach a high-water mark of computerization and connectivity, and that afterward we will make conscious decisions about what and how we decide to interconnect. But were still in the honeymoon phase of connectivity. Governments and corporations are punch-drunk on our data, and the rush to connect everything is driven by an even greater desire for power and market share. One of the presentations released by Edward Snowden contained the NSA mantra: Collect it all. A similar mantra for the internet today might be: Connect it all.

The inevitable backlash will not be driven by the market. It will be deliberate policy decisions that put the safety and welfare of society above individual corporations and industries. It will be deliberate policy decisions that prioritize the security of our systems over the demands of the FBI to weaken them in order to make their law-enforcement jobs easier. Itll be hard policy for many to swallow, but our safety will depend on it.

The scenarios Ive outlined, both the technological and economic trends that are causing them and the political changes we need to make to start to fix them, come from my years of working in internet-security technology and policy. All of this is informed by an understanding of both technology and policy. That turns out to be critical, and there arent enough people who understand both.

This brings me to my final plea: We need more public-interest technologists.

Over the past couple of decades, weve seen examples of getting internet-security policy badly wrong. Im thinking of the FBIs going dark debate about its insistence that computer devices be designed to facilitate government access, the vulnerability equities process about when the government should disclose and fix a vulnerability versus when it should use it to attack other systems, the debacle over paperless touch-screen voting machines, and the DMCA that I discussed above. If you watched any of these policy debates unfold, you saw policy-makers and technologists talking past each other.

Our world-size robot will exacerbate these problems. The historical divide between Washington and Silicon Valley  the mistrust of governments by tech companies and the mistrust of tech companies by governments  is dangerous.

We have to fix this. Getting IoT security right depends on the two sides working together and, even more important, having people who are experts in each working on both. We need technologists to get involved in policy, and we need policy-makers to get involved in technology. We need people who are experts in making both technology and technological policy. We need technologists on congressional staffs, inside federal agencies, working for NGOs, and as part of the press. We need to create a viable career path for public-interest technologists, much as there already is one for public-interest attorneys. We need courses, and degree programs in colleges, for people interested in careers in public-interest technology. We need fellowships in organizations that need these people. We need technology companies to offer sabbaticals for technologists wanting to go down this path. We need an entire ecosystem that supports people bridging the gap between technology and law. We need a viable career path that ensures that even though people in this field wont make as much as they would in a high-tech start-up, they will have viable careers. The security of our computerized and networked future  meaning the security of ourselves, families, homes, businesses, and communities  depends on it.

This plea is bigger than security, actually. Pretty much all of the major policy debates of this century will have a major technological component. Whether its weapons of mass destruction, robots drastically affecting employment, climate change, food safety, or the increasing ubiquity of ever-shrinking drones, understanding the policy means understanding the technology. Our society desperately needs technologists working on the policy. The alternative is bad policy.

The world-size robot is less designed than created. Its coming without any forethought or architecting or planning; most of us are completely unaware of what were building. In fact, I am not convinced we can actually design any of this. When we try to design complex sociotechnical systems like this, we are regularly surprised by their emergent properties. The best we can do is observe and channel these properties as best we can.

Market thinking sometimes makes us lose sight of the human choices and autonomy at stake. Before we get controlled  or killed  by the world-size robot, we need to rebuild confidence in our collective governance institutions. Law and policy may not seem as cool as digital tech, but theyre also places of critical innovation. Theyre where we collectively bring about the world we want to live in.

While I might sound like a Cassandra, Im actually optimistic about our future. Our society has tackled bigger problems than this one. It takes work and its not easy, but we eventually find our way clear to make the hard choices necessary to solve our real problems.

The world-size robot were building can only be managed responsibly if we start making real choices about the interconnected world we live in. Yes, we need security systems as robust as the threat landscape. But we also need laws that effectively regulate these dangerous technologies. And, more generally, we need to make moral, ethical, and political decisions on how those systems should work. Until now, weve largely left the internet alone. We gave programmers a special right to code cyberspace as they saw fit. This was okay because cyberspace was separate and relatively unimportant: That is, it didnt matter. Now that thats changed, we can no longer give programmers and the companies they work for this power. Those moral, ethical, and political decisions need, somehow, to be made by everybody. We need to link people with the same zeal that we are currently linking machines. Connect it all must be countered with connect us all.
13 items in this article 2 items on sale! Dreaming of a just-firm-enough side-sleeper pillow. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist

If you like snoozing on your side, youre in good company  its the sleep position preferred by 60 percent of adults. But side-sleeping is more than a comfortable way to cozy up; according to Keith Cushner, a product expert at SleepFoundation.org, and his colleague Logan Foley, a sleep-science coach and the managing editor at SleepFoundation.org, its also good for your health. Side-sleeping is one of the healthiest sleeping positions because of its ability to improve spinal alignment, reduce the risk of snoring, and reduce back pain, Cushner tells us. But to achieve the perfect spine, neck, and head alignment, choosing the right pillow is key. Dr. Rennes Toussaint-Keshinro, a chiropractor and mental-health coach, tells us that a side sleeper should maintain a neutral position/posture of the back, which means your pillow should lift your head high enough that it lines up with your neck and your spine but not so high that it puts painful stress on that area.

While firmness and fill type are dictated by your sleeping preference, Cushner and Foley say that the loft, or height, of your pillow, is more important if you sleep on your side. Side sleepers usually need thicker pillows to fill the space between their head and neck, but a pillow that is too thick may cause neck pain and put pressure on the spine, Foley said. We spoke to Cushner, Foley, Toussaint-Keshinro, and three more experts about what to look for in pillows for side sleepers and which ones they recommend.

Best overall | Best (less expensive) overall | Best memory foam | Best height-specific | Best latex | Best vegan latex | Best adjustable loft | Best cooling | Best neck support | Best down | Best down alternative | Best for shoulder pain | Best body pillow

What were looking for

Loft: The loft, or height, of your pillow is a crucial factor for side sleepers to consider. Dr. Toussaint-Keshinro explains that keeping your head, neck, and shoulders in a neutral and even position is most important. If a pillow is too flat or too high, it can create an uneven muscle tone in the neck and shoulders, leading to spasms over time. While there isnt a formula to figure out the ideal loft of your pillow, Dr. Dennis Colonello, celebrity and professional-athlete chiropractor at Peak Wellness and all33 co-founder, suggests that your pillow be around four inches off of your mattress. But dont go breaking out your ruler just yet, as there is wiggle room with this number. For taller people with broader shoulders, a higher loft may be more comfortable, and conversely, a petite person with more narrow shoulders will likely rest comfortably with a lower loft.

Firmness: All of our experts agreed that medium-firm pillows tend to be the best option for people sleeping on their side. While there is room for personal preference here, a medium-firm pillow helps your head stay in the right position without sinking while you sleep. For people who like to dream on a bed that feels like fresh brioche buns instead of a firmer surface, gusseted-down and down-alternative pillows can be a plush compromise. Additionally, Cushner and Foley suggest memory foam pillows, as they sort of mimic the softness of down by contouring to your body, while still providing support.

Shape: Specialty pillows for side sleepers come in various shapes to help position your shoulders, neck, and head while you sleep. Whether these pillow shapes actually make a difference in your sleep quality is up for debate, and Dr. Thomas Schuler, chairman of the National Spine Health Foundations Medical and Scientific Board and founder of the Virginia Spine Institute, explains that these pillows are a relatively new product without much academic research examining their effectiveness. However, he allows that if a person tries one and finds that it seems to give some pain relief, then thats excellent. For people navigating chronic pain, a specialty pillow with a unique shape may be worth a shot, as they are designed to relieve bodily stress. Meanwhile, for the average side sleeper who is simply looking for comfort and support, a standard pillow shape can likely get the job done.

Best overall pillow for side sleepers

Eli & Elm Organic-Cotton Side-Sleeper Pillow From $130 75 percent latex, 25 percent polyester fiber fill | Adjustable loft | Adjustable firmness | Machine-washable cover With a unique U shaped design, Eli & Elms side-sleeping pillow nestles into the space between your head, neck, and shoulders like a puzzle piece to create the ideal spine alignment. Its filled with a blend of soft and supportive noodled latex and polyester fiber, and you can adjust the height and firmness by removing or adding filling. According to Cushner, most side sleepers need medium-to-high-loft pillows that provide enough cushioning for the head and neck without sinking too low, so the customizable fill level will help you figure out the loft that works best for your body. The filling is encased in a liner that is protected by a machine-washable exterior cover, however, the brand also sells a special pillowcase that fits the shape of the pillow seamlessly (and which you can bundle with the pillow at the time of purchase). From $130 at Amazon Buy From $125 at Eli & Elm Buy

Best (less-expensive) overall pillow for side sleepers

Himoon Sleeping Pillows From $25 Microfiber fill | High loft | Medium-soft | Machine-washable Covered in silky-smooth microfiber material, this set of two pillows is filled with CertiPUR-US & GREENGUARD Gold downlike fiber. The fluffy fiber fill, combined with the bowed pillow shape, creates a plump and springy surface to support your head and neck. The highly rated, high-loft pillows come in three sizes  standard, queen, and king  and fill the space between your head and the mattress while keeping your neck aligned. From $25 at Amazon Buy

Best memory-foam pillow for side sleepers

Nectar Sleep Resident Pillow $75 Shredded memory foam | Adjustable loft | Adjustable firmness | Spot-clean Memory-foam pillows are a dream for side sleepers, according to Cushner and Foley, owing to their thick filling and ability to contour to a persons body. The Nectar Sleep Resident pillow has a pillow-in-pillows construction that provides the contoured support of traditional memory foam surrounded by a cushy outer layer to add plushness. The pillow will arrive intentionally overstuffed so that you can remove fill as necessary to adjust it to fit your sleeping needs. Dr. Janet Kennedy, clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor, advises that memory foam can trap heat, making temperature regulation more challenging. However, thanks to the shredded-foam filling, the pillow is still breathable and doesnt trap heat. $75 at Nectar Sleep Buy

Best height-specific pillow for side sleepers

Pillow Cube Classic $70 Memory foam | High loft | Firm | Machine-washable cover We get it, this pillow looks like a brick  but there is actually some logic behind the Pillow Cube. The pillow is designed to completely fill that essential space between your head and the mattress to keep your neck aligned. Similar to the Elm & Eli pillow above, the Pillow Cube settles into that gap like a missing puzzle piece to lift your head into the perfect alignment. Instead of the U-shaped cutout that snuggles closer to your shoulders, the Pillow Cube has a 90-degree angle to hold your head in place. Its also on the firmer side and made of solid viscoelastic polyurethane and nanofibers (read: sturdy memory foam). The breathable, machine-washable cover helps to keep things cool while you snooze, and you can choose from two sizes that coincide with your height  the standard size is meant for people who are six-foot-three or shorter, the thick size for people who are six-foot-four or taller. And if you run especially hot, you can upgrade to an ice cube cooling cover for an extra $30. $70 at Amazon Buy $60 at Bed Bath & Beyond Buy

Best latex pillow for side sleepers

Saatva Natural Latex Pillow From $165 Shredded latex fill | High loft | Soft | Machine washable cover Cushiony and responsive, the Saatva latex pillow feels like a spring-loaded cloud. The interior is filled with shredded natural latex that Colonello says offers a cooler sleep by promoting superior breathability  and after sleeping on it for the last couple of months, I can confirm, as a naturally warm sleeper, that it helps me stay cool. While I usually fall asleep on my side, I tend to roll around throughout the night, and no matter which position I end up in, the Saatva pillow is supportive and incredibly comfortable. From $165 at Saatva Buy

Best vegan-latex pillow for side sleepers

Avocado Molded-Latex Pillow From $129 From $129 Molded latex | Medium loft | Medium-firm | Machine-washable cover Organic, sustainable, and vegan  the Avocado Molded Latex pillow is crafted with charcoal-infused, naturally sourced latex; the pillow is firm and maintains its shape over time. The charcoal infusion aids in temperature regulation, moisture-wicking, and odor control, and the machine-washable cover is made of organic cotton. From $129 at Avocado Mattress Buy

Best adjustable-loft pillow for side sleepers

Coop Home Goods Eden Shredded Memory Foam Pillow From $96 Cross-cut gel-infused memory-foam fill | Adjustable loft | Adjustable firmness | Machine-washable cover With a blend of Greenguard Gold and CertiPUR-US certified memory foam and microfiber, this adjustable-loft pillow is easy to customize with the included extra half-pound of fill and is plush yet supportive. The mesh gusseted perimeter promotes airflow and helps to keep the filling evenly distributed so your head is properly positioned while you sleep. The pillow is available in queen or king sizes with a machine-washable cover, and you can buy pillows individually or save a few bucks by purchasing a set of two. From $96 at Target Buy $96 at Amazon Buy

Best cooling pillow for side sleepers

GhostPillow Memory Foam $65 Gel-memory-foam fill | Medium-high loft | Medium-firm | Machine-washable cover Dr. Kennedy calls temperature regulation a key factor when choosing a pillow, regardless of your sleeping position. This memory foam Ghost Pillow has aerated gel memory foam and an aerated inner-mesh cover that work together to respond to your bodys temperature and maintain a cool sleeping surface. Meanwhile, the foam of the medium-loft pillow maintains its shape for continuous proper neck and head support. $65 at Target Buy $65 at Amazon Buy

Best neck-support pillow for side sleepers

Mediflow Water Pillow $60 Water-and-fiber fill | Adjustable loft | Adjustable firmness | Machine-washable cover Yes, water beds went out of style a few decades ago but Alanna McGinn, the founder and CEO of Good Night Sleep Site, and Dr. Toussaint-Keshinro both agree that water pillows are the gold standard for people in need of more neck support. Water pillows are perfect for any type of sleep position and many are chiropractor-approved, as the firmness provides the support for head, neck, and spine alignment that will help individuals with chronic pain, explains McGinn. A favorite of Dr. Toussaint-Keshinro, the Water Pillow by Mediflow has a soft layer of fiber that sits atop a layer of water that you fill yourself to create a responsive pillow that can help reduce neck pain. The uniquely adjustable pillow can be made firmer by adding more water or softer by removing some. $60 at Mediflow Buy $70 at Amazon Buy

Best down pillow for side sleepers

Parachute Down Side Sleeper Pillow From $159 85 percent down, 15 percent down plus feather fiber fill | High loft | Medium-soft | Dry-clean or machine-wash the entire pillow Down pillows are known for their supreme, luxurious comfort and cloud-like softness. Without skimping on plushness, thanks to its 750-fill-power European white down, the Parachute Side Sleeper pillow has a high loft and medium density to cradle your head and neck comfortably. However, the 3.5-inch gusset is the star of this pillow, as it helps it maintain its rectangular prism shape for consistent strain relief while you sleep. From $159 at Parachute Buy

Best down-alternative pillow for side sleepers

Nestwell Down Alternative Density Firm Support Bed Pillow From $20 Polyester fiber fill | Medium loft | Medium-firm | Entire pillow is machine-washable For those who want all the perks of down without the down itself, this pillow by Nestwell is filled with polyester fibers to create a similar feel. The pillow has a two-inch gusset to help it maintain its shape over time and a medium-firm feel that wont fall flat. The cover is made of 100 percent cotton, and you can toss the entire pillow in the wash. From $20 at Bed Bath & Beyond Buy

Best pillow for side sleepers with shoulder pain

Allswell Side Sleeper Memory Foam Pillow $37 $37 Memory foam | Medium-high loft | Firm | Machine-washable cover Truth be told, the shoulders are often abandoned in the pillow conversation, but they need comfort and support too! The singular piece of memory foam inside Allswells side-sleeper pillow has a cutout similar to the Eli & Elm pillow but offers a more structured and firm sleeping surface like the Pillow Cube. Infused with cooling gel, the memory foam has ventilation holes so that it wont trap body heat. The pillow is encased in an activated charcoal-infused cover that keeps dust mites at bay and extends the life of your pillow. The medium-firm construction helps keep your head in alignment while taking pressure off of your neck and shoulders. $37 at Walmart Buy

Best body pillow for side sleepers

Snuggle-Pedic Bamboo Shredded Memory Foam Body Pillow $70 now 10% off $63 Memory foam | Medium loft | Medium-firm | Entire pillow is machine-washable Body pillows are not exclusive to pregnancy and can offer total support for those who need it. Dr. Schuler tells us that aiming for proper alignment during sleep should apply to your whole body, advising side sleepers to always focus on having proper support under their head and between their knees. Having these two supports in place will keep the spine in a neutral position, reduce malalignment, and relieve pressure placed on the neck and back, he says, pointing to research that shows a pillow between your knees when lying on your side can reduce pressure on the spine by nearly half. Filled with shredded memory foam and covered in breathable bamboo fabric, the Snuggle-Pedic full-body pillow supports your knees, legs, and back while you sleep by helping to evenly distribute your weight. Since it is filled with memory foam, the pillow is able to hug and conform to your body for the ultimate level of support. And perhaps best of all, the entire pillow is machine-washable. $63 at Amazon Buy $63 at Amazon Buy

Our Experts

 Dr. Dennis Colonello, celebrity and professional-athlete chiropractor at Peak Wellness

 Keith Cushner, product expert at SleepFoundation.org

 Logan Foley, sleep-science coach and managing editor at SleepFoundation.org

 Alanna McGinn, founder and CEO of Good Night Sleep Site

 Dr. Rennes Toussaint-Keshinro, chiropractor and mental-health coach

 Dr. Thomas Schuler, chairman of the National Spine Health Foundations Medical and Scientific Board and founder of the Virginia Spine Institute

 Dr. Janet Kennedy, clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor

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Update: Ive used this now for almost a full year, and continue to deeply love it. I just pre-ordered one for 2018.

Starting in about fifth grade, decades before I found the Hobonichi Techo, I took great pride in having an incredibly neat planner.

My Day Runner, circa 1999

This was my high-school planner. A classic Day Runner, identical to the one my mother always carried around in her LeSportsac.

I dutifully kept track of my life in various Day Runners, Filofaxes, and Moleskines throughout college and my 20s, until I got an iPhone and started inputting dinners, weddings, and doctors appointments in that, while keeping my daily to-do lists in a reporters notebook, or one of the many free clothbound monogrammed notebooks my colleagues in the fashion department got as gifts during the holidays and would very kindly discard in our offices free bin. It wasnt until I was editing Leah Bhabhas ode to her Smythson planner that I realized after years of mooching off my co-workers and writing in notebooks emblazoned with gold initials that were not mine, it was time to buy my own. And that having an actual planner with the days of the week on it would be helpful (Ive never been able to get my iCal in order.) I loved the look of Leahs Smythson, but didnt have it in me to fork over $200 for it. On the lookout for other planners that fit my budget and aesthetic standards, I stumbled into the strange world of people who are ravenously obsessed with their Hobonichi Techo notebooks, and was convinced that I had to try one for myself.



The Hobonichi Techo in all its minimalist glory.

The Hobonichi Techo notebook was born in 2000 from the mind of Shigesato Itoi, a Japanese renaissance man who got his start as a sort of Milton Glaseresque branding/logo guy, and went on to become a talk-show host, editor-in-chief of the website Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shimbun, as well as the voice of Mei and Satsukis dad in Miyazakis My Neighbor Totoro. The notebooks became somewhat of a phenomenon, selling millions of copies in Japan, and in 2012, Itoi teamed up with Sonya Park, of the Japanese brand ARTS&SCIENCE, to create an English edition. Since then, these perfect little planners have gone on to inspire Tumblr pages, Reddit threads, and over half a million Instagram posts. After using mine for the past month, I can see why.

Toast!

First off, my notebook inexplicably came with a piece of plastic toast, which I very much appreciated, as well as this extra-fine ballpoint pen.

Each day gets its own page.

But as for the planner itself, heres why its great. The leather-bound book is hefty and feels like Im actually holding something substantial (unlike a Moleskine), while still being incredibly compact: Its little bit taller than my iPhone 6, and about the width of a Kit Kat. (Sometimes, if I have a meeting, Ill tuck my phone inside it so as not to seem rude.) Each day has its own page, with a little knife and fork for dinner plans at the bottom, plus a fun Japanese quote. (Last week, there was a poetic bit from a mushroom photographer about the art of observing mushrooms in the wild: The unique lighting and atmosphere of the forest are very important when observing mushrooms in the wild. If you pick them and take them home, they lose their appeal under the artificial indoor lighting.)

Some words of wisdom from Itoi himself.

The exquisite Tomoe River paper is sturdy, yet after a days worth of scribbling, each page becomes crinkled in the most satisfying way. (Apparently, after weeks of use, the notebook starts to expand in order to accommodate the crinkle effect.) A few weeks in, and I can leave it open on my desk without having to use a paperweight. (On the first few days, I used the plastic toast to keep it flat, which was delightful.) The graph paper suggests order without being confining (I always write beyond the lines), and for those who are more artistic than me, the pages are meant to be scribbled and doodled upon; a lot of people paint intricate watercolors on its high-quality pages. All in all: My days are frazzled and life is crazy, but the fact that I can fit everything into this stout and elegant little notebook makes me feel that much saner. And the plastic piece of toast gets me every time.

Note: At the moment, this particular planner is sold out on Amazon, but its available at JetPens, and a very similar one is available on Amazon.

The Strategist is a new site designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best notebook, black T-shirts, fashion-editor-approved jeans, toothbrush, and apartment decor. Note that all prices are subject to change.



If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.


Melania Trump. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

In September, Melania Trump filed a lawsuit for defamation against the Daily Mails parent company, Mail Media, as well as 70-year-old Maryland-based blogger Webster Griffin Tarpley.

In the case of the Mail, they had published a story that included claims from a Slovenian magazine that a modeling agency Trump worked with in her early days as a model also served as an escort agency. As for Tarpley, he wrote a blog post that stated Trump is obsessed by fear of salacious revelations by wealthy clients from her time as a high-end escort. Per the Washington Post, Tarpley has addressed the matter on his blog, saying he did not defame Melania Trump and he had simply passed on rumors and innuendo of others in his Aug. 2 Morning Briefing post.

Both articles have since been retracted, though the First Lady is still seeking damages of $150 million. And, as of Friday morning, shes won the first round of the suit against Tarpley.

Per Politico, Tarpleys lawyers attempted to get the case dismissed  arguing that it didnt meet the standard of actual malice, as well as invoking a Maryland law aimed at quickly shutting down bad-faith lawsuits intended to intimidate people speaking out on issues of public concern.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Sharon Burrell rejected those attempts, ruling:

The court finds the plaintiff has stated a claim for defamation. The court believes most people, when they hear the words high-end escort that describes a prostitute. There could be no more defamatory statement than to call a woman a prostitute.

Per the Associated Press, the ruling on a similar motion from the Daily Mail has been deferred.
Kennedy airport. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Per a statement by Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, a Kennedy International airport worker wearing a hijab was attacked by a man on Wednesday night who has since been charged with hate crimes.

Robin A. Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, Massachusetts, landed in JFK from Aruba and was set to take a connecting flight to his home state. Upon seeing Rabeeya Khan, a Delta employee sitting in her office at the Delta Sky Lounge, he came to her door and reportedly stated, Are you [expletive deleted] sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?



From there, he became more aggressive:

Rhodes then allegedly punched the door, which hit the back of Ms. Khans chair. It is alleged that when Ms. Khan asked Rhodes what she did to him, he stated, You did nothing but I am going to kick your [expletive deleted] ass. Rhodes then allegedly kicked Ms. Khan in the right leg. In an effort to get away, Ms. Khan moved in a corner of the office.

After Khan managed to run out of the office and to the front desk, Rhodes reportedly did not stop, choosing to chase after her, shouting about Islam and invoking President Donald Trump:



It is alleged, however, that Rhodes followed her and got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying and shouted, [Expletive deleted] Islam, [Expletive deleted] ISIS, Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens.

When he was arrested, Rhodes allegedly told police, I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldnt tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head. He was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing, and harassment  all as hate crimes.
Donald Trump, surrounded by his wife and daughters, greets Michelle Obama. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

I cherish women, Donald Trump said during the presidential primaries. I want to help women. Im going to be able to do things for women that no other candidate would be able to do, and its very important to me.

At the time, Trump was defending himself against accusations that hed implied Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was on her period while questioning him, but since taking office he has yet to do things for women. In fact, some of the actions his administration has taken will hurt rather than help them. A list of things that will impact women as a whole would consist of, well, everything, so here are the concrete things hes done that will restrict womens health care  well update it as his presidency unfolds.

1. Reinstated the Global Gag Rule.

On January 23, the third day of his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive action to enact the Mexico City Policy, otherwise known as the Global Gag Rule. Since Ronald Reagan first enacted the policy in 1984, each incoming Democratic president has revoked it, and each Republican has reinstated it. The rule bans federal funding for international nongovernment organizations that offer abortions. In other words, if NGOs continue to provide safe abortion access (or even information about abortions) to women, theyll lose their government funding.

As an earlier Cut article points out, a 2010 report from Population Action International found that the Global Gag Rule is actively harmful for womens health, and a 2003 report from the Center for Reproductive Rights points out that it contributes to unsafe abortions. Whats more, a study published in May confirms that restricting abortions does nothing to reduce their number. But Trumps version goes even further than Reagans  instead of barring funds from just two agencies (USAID and the U.S. State Department), it covers every agency, including those working to combat HIV/AIDS and promoting maternal and child nutrition. This is not the global gag rule we know, a policy analyst with the Guttmacher Institute told the New Yorker. This is a whole new policy.

2. Passed a bill to make the Hyde Amendment permanent law.

The day after Trump reinstated the Global Gag Rule, the House passed legislation banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, or to subsidize them via private insurance. The bill effectively makes the Hyde Amendment, which since 1976 has passed as a budget rider, permanent law  something Trump promised to do during his campaign. And as a previous Cut article notes, the Hyde Amendment disproportionately impacts low-income women and women of color who rely on Medicaid for insurance. Similar legislation passed the house in 2013 and 2015 before succumbing to a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, and odds are this bill will meet the same fate (that is, if the filibuster survives). But the bill serves as yet another sign that Republicans are dead set on restricting abortion.

3. Stripped U.S. funding from the United Nations Population Fund.

In April, the Trump administration announced it would strip all U.S. funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which provides family-planning and reproductive-health services to women and girls in more than 150 countries. The U.S. is the funds fourth-largest donor, and thanks to the administrations decision, the UNFPA will lose $32.5 million from the 2017 budget. Trumps administration justified the choice by claiming the UNFPA violates the 1985 Kemp-Kasten Amendment, which says the U.S. cant give money to organizations that contribute to forced sterilization or abortions  a State Department memo said the UNFPA partners with Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission, responsible for overseeing Chinas two-child policy  a loosened version of the notorious one-child policy in place from 1979 to 2015. (The same memo added that theres no evidence of such a partnership.) When George W. Bushs administration did the same thing in 2002, a Guardian op-ed estimated it would result in 2 million unintended pregnancies and the deaths of 77,000 children.

4. Allowed states to block health-care providers that perform abortions from receiving Title X money.

After a bill repealing the Obama administrations final rule barely passed the Senate in March (Republicans Mike Pence and Johnny Isakson  who was literally wheeled onto the Senate floor  were called in to cast the deciding votes), President Trump signed it into law in mid-April. The law allows states to withhold Title X family-planning money from health-care providers that offer abortion. The Title X program provides close to 4 million low-income Americans with basic health and family-planning services  because of the Hyde amendment, no federal funds state clinics receive can go toward abortions.

The law is seen as an attack on Planned Parenthood, which said in a statement that it could have far-reaching implications for peoples access to health care through the Title X family-planning program across the board, and could embolden states to discriminate against family-planning health-care providers, both Planned Parenthood health centers and independent clinics.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
If youre serious about going on an awesome trip, it generally comes down to going without. Photo: Lambert/Getty Images

Therese works in hospital administration in Baltimore, Maryland, and would love to take a big trip when she turns 30 in June. She doesnt know where shell go, but she wants to explore someplace new and far-flung. Her past travels have mostly been limited to weddings and visiting friends and relatives within the United States (plus a few beach vacations in Florida that werent particularly adventurous), and she wants this trip to be different  eye-opening and horizon-expanding. However, she doesnt have much in the way of savings, and she doesnt want to start her 30s in debt. How can she finance this trip responsibly?

Of all the ways to spend your hard-earned cash, travel is more like a gold mine than a money pit. It may be the only discretionary expense that has produced measurable data in improving ones happiness levels and capacity for empathy, and in my own personal experience, its worth a thousand times more than the material goods on which Ive frittered away my cash over the years. I cant name a single pair of shoes or an item of clothing I bought in 2013 (though Im sure there were many), but I have vivid memories of a trip to Switzerland that year, right down to a mysterious greasy sausage I purchased at a stand next to Rotsee Lake, which was so delicious I went back for seconds.

Travel can go awry, but even when it gets hellish  your luggage disappears, your hotel room (or, you know, hostel bunk bed) smells weird, and youre tethered to the bathroom with a miserable case of Montezumas revenge  the experience morphs into a lesson of adaptability, and makes your normal life feel like a vacation by comparison (theres nothing like homesickness to tilt your perspective). So, you get an A-plus for priorities, Therese. Chances are, this 30th-birthday adventure will leave you financially poorer, but much wealthier in worldliness and cocktail-party conversation, at the very least.

But as valuable as travel is, its no excuse for going into debt or cannibalizing your emergency fund.

To avoid this, youll need to do two things: (1) Sock money away, and (2) Scheme up a plan to travel within your means. No. 1 is infinitely more boring, but it must be done. If youre serious about going on an awesome trip, it generally comes down to going without, says Stephanie Parker, who writes the blog Big World Small Pockets. That means saying no to that great ticketed event and not buying that new dress. But keep your eyes focused on your goals. Write yourself notes about them, and put them on your office desk, next your bed, and wherever else youll look at them often.

To scrape together travel funds after college, Parker ginned up her own mathematical formula: I was living in London, working for arts charities and earning very little, she says. I knew I had to save hard if I wanted to go away in a short space of time, so I worked out how much I would need to travel, divided it by the amount of weeks until my departure date, et voila  that was the amount I needed to put away each week. I then made sure that every time my paycheck came in, I siphoned that amount into a savings fund and made myself survive off the meager remains. It was hard, but ultimately successful.

Discipline is key, but extreme asceticism can backfire. Be realistic, Parker cautions. Overestimating the amount you can save is ultimately counterproductive, because if you keep restricting yourself too much and failing, you will become disheartened and eventually abandon the project.

On the upside, planning this vacation could make you a better steward of your money in general. According to psychologist Brad Klontz, co-founder of the Financial Psychology Institute, visualizing positive goals for where you want your money to go (also known as a spending plan) is the most effective way to create healthy long-term habits, as opposed to a harsh deprivation mind-set (crap, I should spend less) that leads to burnout and emotion-driven splurges. If you can get excited about the big things you really want, it becomes easier to cut down on the things that dont matter, he says.

Ashlea Halpern, a former magazine editor turned full-time travel writer (shes now editor-at-large for AFAR and the founder/editor of Cartogramme), funded her first lengthy trip by saving scrupulously for years. It boiled down to fierce determination and reprioritizing what was most important to me, she says. When I had a steady paycheck, I was very disciplined about setting aside anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of it. For every purchase I considered, I would conduct a cost-comparison analysis: What would a $300 pair of shoes buy me in terms of travel? Well, it could equal three months travel insurance. It could be a ticket from Bangkok and Tokyo. It could be a weeklong stay in a boutique hotel in George Town, Penang. It could be two months worth of street food in Singapore. Everything is relative. Whatever it was, it wasnt worth the damn shoes  which I would probably destroy while traveling anyway.

Another trick is to automate. My husband and I have a certain amount of money transferred automatically to our savings account each time we get paid, said Shereen Rayle, author of Shereen Travels Cheap. That way, you never see it and you dont miss it. We also keep that account at a different bank, so theres no way we can mistakenly spend it. (Multiple studies have shown automation to be an effective method for saving in general  humans are cognitively lazy, so you might as well make passivity your friend.)

In tandem with banking as much of your paycheck as possible, plot out the specifics of what youll do with it. Knowing how much your trip will cost will obviously help you set exact financial benchmarks, but it will also build anticipation  a 2010 study showed that looking forward to a trip actually boosts happiness levels more than the post-trip glow. Whats more, research enables you to avoid money-sucking tourist traps and save cash on the two main expenses: airfare and lodging.

The internet is awash with flight-finding hacks, so I wont dive into them here, but standard tips include setting alerts with Google Flights and comparing prices on Matrix. Finding a place to stay is a more interesting venture, and variable depending on location. Go ahead and get obsessive about stalking Airbnb, VRBO, bed and breakfasts, and hotels  poring over your options will keep the trip front-of-mind, and reinforce what youre saving for.

Finally, take pride in putting some elbow grease into your itinerary. Theres no need to debate whose experiences are more authentic, but doesnt it feel cooler to discover something on your own, without paying someone else to spoon-feed it to you? Im sure my Swiss sausage wouldnt have been as appetizing (or memorable) if a tour guide had served it up to me on a plate  and it would have cost more, to boot. Really ask yourself, Is this something I could figure out how to do myself, or do I really need to pay this company to do it for me? says Halpern. Be independent. Be fearless. For most things in life, there is a way to DIY  it just takes determination.
A woman is arrested during a protest in Baton Rouge. Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Reuters

I remember watching my dad load his car for a trip to D.C. on an October day in 1995. He was headed for the Million Man March, where a million black men were scheduled to descend upon D.C. The march was intended to address important issues in the African-American community; topics like unemployment, health care, and government budget cuts to programs disproportionately affecting blacks were all on the table. Another thing the marchers wanted to push back on  and this is wild  were the negative stereotypes that plagued black men. A few rogue guys in the spotlight had made life tougher for everyone else, and now a million men had to go to Washington to set the record straight. If it werent so intensely necessary it would have been hilarious. Can you imagine a million white men marching to affirm they all arent necrophile serial killers like Ted Bundy? Its funny, until its not.

As a child, it was the first time I witnessed the compulsion to march for change. It was clear to me then as it is clear to me now that justice changes shape depending on your perspective. Protests and marches are tools we use to show others how justice looks to us. And now, a week into Donald Trumps presidency, a number of Americans are embracing those tools, looking to stand up for the rights of immigrants, the value of science, the importance of government honesty. The urge to protest comes from someplace visceral: an unignorable need to show up for whats right.

We protest when we are locked between helplessness and hope; frustration and galvanization; despair and optimism; fear and disgust. We feel helpless when we cant calibrate the telemetry required to see the world so differently. We feel hope when we are flanked by people who think as we do. Fear for our loved ones and ourselves unites us in action. Disgust at whats been threatened pulses through us all. A protest or a march is a reminder to others that their moral compass should point north. Last Saturday, an estimated 3.2 million people joined together in protest. The womens marches drummed up people from all walks of life: women, and men; young and old; gays, Muslims, Latinos, blacks, and Asians. But Saturday, when I looked around me, I saw crowds that were mostly white, many of whom appeared to be protesting for the very first time.

I asked a number of white women who were first-time marchers what had brought them out, and their responses were similar. The affront to their rights, as presented by the Trump administration, was too overwhelming to ignore. They couldnt believe that an unqualified stooge like Trump had ascended to the presidency. They were worried about everything from religious persecution to draconian immigration measures. They had never felt the power of protest before because their family members hadnt done it  the issues felt smaller or more distant, they couldnt imagine policy affecting their own lives in such a dramatic way. This was different, I heard again and again and again.

I thought about the first march I attended as an adult. Nothing had felt more potently relevant to my life and the lives of those around me than the issues raised by Black Lives Matter. Ive told people close to me about the feeling that festers inside me when I look at one particular photo of Trayvon Martin, and now Ill tell you. Its the photo where Trayvon is smiling and wearing a crimson Hollister shirt. He looks so blissfully sweet, completely unaware that his name will soon be a rallying call and a hashtag. When I see that photograph I cant help but think of my brother, who often wore the same Hollister shirt. I think about my sensitive, nerdy baby bro, who often walks with his head bowed, eyes on his phone. How his introversion might be misconstrued as combativeness. He was 14 when Trayvon was shot on a grassy patch in front of a Florida townhouse complex. The realization that a callous death constantly looms within close proximity to those I care about is something that I will carry with me forever.

So I marched for Trayvon, for Jordan, and for all of the little black boys who were and will be robbed of being little black boys. I marched for Sandra, because when youre black, something as patently innocuous as a failure to signal before a lane change is enough to get you killed. And I thought of all of this as these women told me that now was the time when theyd had enough, so they marched.

A funny feeling stirred inside me before I walked into Saturdays inspiring, powerful, emotional Womens March. It was a feeling shared by me and many black women who watched the protest grow from a kernel of an idea to a call-to-action behemoth. We hated the idea that only now was there a roster of issues so divisive, so indefensibly unacceptable that millions would be moved to march en masse. We hated that any hesitation to support the march might make us appear recalcitrant. We worried about our safety, the acute vulnerability of our bodies in close proximity to the Trump supporters who had descended upon Washington the day before. We feared the reaction of the police who would monitor the march, and really, could you blame us?

Not everyone will arrive at a point of political consciousness. And even for those who do, the transformation wont happen at the same time. This is a fact: As humans, we prioritize the issues that matter to us differently, the ways we feel their impact vary, and awareness arrives in disparate ways. That doesnt mean it hurts any less when I hear that Black Lives Matter wasnt enough to propel the millions that the womens marches did. In fact, it hurts more. But truth be told, Im happy that we march at all. I am reminded how its necessary, every day.
"I love You More Than You Love Yourself" is the 3rd song from Austra's brilliantto get video treatment. It's inspired by the story of Lisa Nowak, a former NASA astronaut who flew into space and was charged with attempted kidnapping, burglary, and battery a year later ( read more ). Nowak was derided in the media even though the attack stemmed from mental illness. Katie plays Nowak and attempts to reclaim the narrative.I was kind of upset with the way her story has been portrayed. Theres a photo of her in her NASA spacesuit, looking very wholesome and happy. I found it so insensitive that there was no regard for the fact that she was a NASA scientist who went to space before the age of 30. Shes a total genius! Lisa had a breakdown, and I dont think there was any compassion for mental health at all in her story and in the (media) narrative (surrounding it), so we wanted to try, in some ways, to give her a bit of justice.That was the craziest video Ive ever made. It took two 12-hour days of shooting  it was the most intensive shoot Ive ever done  and the whole thing was done with a secret camera, taking it into places we werent allowed to and just shooting there until we got kicked out. I didnt really have to do much acting because the situation itself was so weird and uncomfortable, going to these strip malls wearing a NASA spacesuit. Being a non-actor, its more effective to put me in a difficult situation and have that much more easily capture the tension of what it must have felt like when she was actually doing it.Future Politics is speaking of your own personal politics, rather than politics in general. Its really about breaking down barriers in the way that people think. I think that if we can really get into the minds of people, then thats the only way we can experience greater change in society. Its encouraging people to think differently, to realize that there are a lot of boundaries surrounding us, and encouraging this discussion about what things would look like if they werent there. Source: 1
Viola Davis 'shocked' by mother's excitement to attend Oscars: https://t.co/pgQrN36hH7 pic.twitter.com/aZhZ2Ulfe7  Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) January 25, 2017

[ Spoiler (click to open) ] her surrogate son Wes

Viewing/Discussion post for S3E10: 'We're Bad People'

Viola Davis (Annalise Keating) talks with Michael Strahan from Good Morning America about many topics such as: her Oscar nomination, receiving the Hollywood star and HTGAWM.: she hasn't thought much of her nomination yet but her mother is another story. Her mother is planning to go with to the Oscar this year, saying: "She said she wanted to go to the Oscars. I thought that was shocking. If you knew her you'd know how shocking that is. Most of the time she just wants to go to the track to play the slot machines.": "That was pretty spectacular to look at my family in the audience and my friends and to have Meryl Streep introduce me and those words were so emotional": "I have my fantasy that that's going to catapult her into kind of wanting the best for the rest of the Keating five and needing -- really needing -- them all to stay alive," Davis explained. "I'm waiting for it to get better. I'm like when does it gonna get better? ... I want maybe a nice house you know ... I want her to just do better, maybe go to therapy."
Dua is so gorgeous. This song sounds a lot like "Don't Let Me Down." Her song "Blow Your Mind" is such a good dumb song to yell.

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I know, she's grown on me so much. Now she's one of those voices I instantly recognize.

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I love Blow Your Mind and Hotter than Hell sfm.

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They need to just release Dua's album already, she's released upwards of 7 singles... she's not going to smash America and they need to stop trying to make it happen. I swear to god if I don't get at studio version of Genesis or Running i'm going to scream!!

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Well, she's been around for a while but I think people are finally paying attention after that Britney collab.

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after that Britney collab? that would mean people were/are paying attention to Britney, so i don't think that's it

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i love dua lipa but hate that her album got pushed from like next week to the summer because her label wants more collabs (cause the sean paul song was so.... good.....)

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Her collab with Sean Paul is on the radio all the time here in Mexico. They play it way more than her solo singles.

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Add CL to these 3 and you have my dream actual sequel to Lady Marmalade.



Zara is always bringing it so I'm gonna go with her track as my favorite.

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But none of them have #vocals sis, how can you say that?

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Idk about Dua, but the rest make it up with choreography, stage presense, charisma, and all around talent, fear not!



Unless ofc you prefer the Jesse J alternative, in which case the joke really is on you 

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Thank god for all three of these girls, I'm excited for all of their albums this year.



Quit You, sounds like something Chainsmokers would do so I'm not totally won over, but it's cute.



Zara and Dua are fast on their way to becoming huge, and I'm glad because we need some new blood in the pop game.

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but 2 On was released 3 years ago....

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Let me add these to my playlist.

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zara's is ok but the rest is a snore

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I cant believe this is her official single and the one she's going to push over the future worldwide smash hit that is I Would Like...

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I feel like all these newcomers with only collabs will never get an album. I mean, are albums needed anymore? I feel like the single format is not that bad. Just make a playlist and keep adding your fave's new songs.



Edited at 2017-01-27 05:46 pm (UTC)

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Kehlani just released an album w/o collabs - it slaps.

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a true artiste!

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I was hoping the EP trend would catch on (see Robyn's Body Talk Series, Kesha's Cannibal, Gaga's The Fame Monster etc) but it just wasn't meant to be...

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these are all kind of boring

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mte

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Seriously

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Edited at 2017-01-27 06:36 pm (UTC) srry op but the only newcomer that matters this friday is Kehlani's new shit #SweetSexySavage 

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i am OBSESSED with that album, omg!! escape, too much, i wanna be, advice, distraction... bop city!!!

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when personal, in my feelings, keep on come on tho



yassss too much slays she better serve that aaliyah homage!when personal, in my feelings, keep on come on tho

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i wish I could listen but spotify does not want to play it for me

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Ima listen to them but so far this year has been crappy. Minimal exceptions are Tiesto and Green day's new singles :(

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I really like Zara (haven't listened to this yet though). I admire Tinashe's hustle and think she's talented. I'm not sure if I've heard any of Dua's songs...

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Dua's Be The One was probably bigger than any single the other 2 have released tbh.

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Oh really?? I may have heard it and just don't remember. I'll have to check it out!

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this was such a waste of time, what a filler episode

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I mean, I liked it, but it def shouldn't of been mid-season premier. I want to know what's going on with Alex! Lol. I wish they told us what that girl did to end up in maximum security prison for life.

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i wouldn't have been so annoyed w/it if it came AFTER the resolution of the mid-season finale. it just felt like they were jerking viewers around

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right! my guess is that she killed someone in her fam which is why her mom hated her so much but i guess we'll never know

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They could've at least told us what she did to get locked up.

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that whole alex sl is so dumb

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very dumb

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This is my least fave season of Grey's so far. I love a messy nighttime soap, but it just isn't fun anymore.

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It was such a pointless episode.

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Grey-Sloane Memorial's reaction to new people is so over the top and ridiculous. Catherine was so correct that there must be something wrong with the program when a student is kicked out for not having the skills to be a surgeon only to thrive somewhere else and come back as a surgeon. Richard needs to accept the change and move on, this high school mess is not cute.

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Richard and the attendings set out to make Elizas first day at Grey Sloan a bumpy one.

WTF at the doctors acting like children???

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Richard is so fucking useless. I know people complain about the originals not being there anymore, but Richard should have left several seasons ago.

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I'm over this Alex shit. Drop the charges, let him come back to work, and give him a decent storyline. Preferably something without Jo, please.

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I liked last night's episode but I'm not sure what point they were trying to make with it. Maybe that people make mistakes and you shouldn't abandon them?? Idk but I hope it doesn't mean Jo and Alex will get back together.

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I feel like they have nothing else for Justin chambers to do so they gave him this dumbass storyline.

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"You didn't put him in prison. I did"



So alex being a violent controlling psycho is now jo's fault? Give me a fucking break.

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I hate Jo, but Alex is responsible for himself.

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What? alex is not a controlling psycho. What are you talking about?

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Fuck them for not telling us what she did. Grey's Anatomy isn't "high art", it doesn't need to leave things to the imagination.

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RIP Alex's characterization, or what little we've had of it for the past 5 years or so. You will be missed.

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This was the worst filler episode yet o m g it was so bad. I hated the girl that was in prison n I couldn't care less about Bailey, Jo, n the blonde one interacting with the pt. Why am I still watching?

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I liked yesterday's episode, it was cute.



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It's literally been one week.

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It would be kind of fascinating to watch the train wreck if I weren't on the train.

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That's my perspective on it as well. But then again, if Trump were running any other country, I'd feel sorry for them because, well, it's Trump.

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Hopefully the visa ban isnt extended. My uncle was planning on sponsoring my orphaned nieces and nephew but now he's put that on hold. I may have to instead.

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Except the ones he's doing business in.

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How come he's hesitant?

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My Muslim parents just got their green cards and were preparing to make their final move from their current country to the US. Now they're worried that it's a risk to quit a good job, sell all their belongings, and leave their home if they aren't certain they will be able to live in America safely.

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is this the same person who won't attend the oscars as protest? either way, they have my support

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Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not,I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest pic.twitter.com/CW3EF6mupo  Taraneh Alidoosti (@t_alidoosti) January 26, 2017

No, the woman boycotting the Oscars is Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti.

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ahhh. i remembered iran as the country but that's all (tbh with my fruit fly brain i'm impressed i even remembered that). ty!

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I hadn't any idea she was doing this. It makes me proud. I wonder if Farhadi will be protesting this as well.

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i'm a canadian citizen studying in NYC on a visa. my school told me that if i get stuck at the border, they won't help me out. they're not even returning my emails. trump's erratic actions have huge consequences.. i can't.

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From Canada though?



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yup. canadians are getting refused from the border. i'm also indian so i don't want to take any chances. if i was white, i wouldn't be as afraid.

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what the fuck?!

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Canadian citizens too? Well there goes my trip to NYC in March.

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which school is this???

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It is time to impeach him!!!!!!

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GOP will never impeach him. Ryan is fucking grade A douche. He voted against a Zika Virus funding but he is will to fund a fucking wall that could cost upwards of $10 billion.

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Trump has now come out in agreement with Trump



I'm assuming this is a typo but it's funny because I can see it happening soon, Trump saying something then later be like, I agree with that statement even though he's the one to make it

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*white man voice* but I thought you guys said punching people we don't agree with is okay, double standard!!!

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Lol @ his mom saying "but he's a nice guy!" if he attacked someone he was never kind

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There is the possibility he's had some kind of mental break (in which case I would still blame Tr*mp, because he and his ilk have saturated our society with this bullshit), but absent that, yeah. Sorry, Mama.

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My wife is a permanent resident w a green card. Fuck u for voting 4 him. I do not forgive u. I will never forgive u. pic.twitter.com/yiUE2oJ6Zy  Lucas Neff (@RealLucasNeff) January 26, 2017



I did not realize it extended to GC holders. Even citizens who immigrated from Iran may be indirectly affected. Yeah don't tell me to ever empathize or understand a Trump voter or anyone who said Hillary would be worse than him. I did not realize it extended to GC holders. Even citizens who immigrated from Iran may be indirectly affected. Yeah don't tell me to ever empathize or understand a Trump voter or anyone who said Hillary would be worse than him.

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I follow this guy and I saw this appear on my timeline and it made me cry.



And the whole time people were telling him his wife should have been a citizen and I'm like... how do you lack such basic compassion an empathy? She is now being told that she can't visit her family or she might be barred from seeing her husband. It's so ugly.

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I know of people who are very happy with the GC status and do not want to become a citizens. I mean that's the whole point of GC. You do not need to worry about bullshit like.

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As an Iranian immigrant this is truly terrifying, apart of me even feels afraid of leaving the country for vacation.

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I'm lucky that all my immediate family have become citizens but I have an uncle in Europe (he's on greencard) planning to visit in June and I guess he may not be able to come in. He is a Austria-Iran dual citizen.



I'm in a fb group with Iranians trying to come to the USA (some just for visit) or that are here and a lot are so fearful. Stories of how they left for vacation but their kids are in the USA and are afraid they may not be allowed back in.



Edited at 2017-01-27 10:35 pm (UTC)

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It's fucking scary - I've already warned my relatives with GC not to leave the country because you never know if these assholes will refuse to let you back in.



I hate everyone on here who laughed at me when I said ppl were voting Hillary out of fear of deportation. You thought I was being ridiculous but yet here we are....

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this campaign is going to be so bad pic.twitter.com/VfdA6JARi6  Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) January 27, 2017

Zuckerberg is really angling to run for office some day.

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Fuck him tbqh! I stopped reading when he refused to her parents as refugees but not his grandparents because you know only PoC can be refugees.

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um were his grandparents refugees? he says his great-grandparents are immigrants.

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Uhhhh, that's a really weird assumption to make, just because his great-grandparents were likely Jewish doesn't mean they were refugees.



I'm younger than him and my grandmother, while Jewish, was not a refugee. If he's talking about his GREAT grandparents then it's entirely possible they were just immigrants.

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Omg YAY I was waiting for that tag <3333

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this is late af but ty for advocating for those tags <3 i saw the thread in the tag request post and it's appreciated

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i want the statue of liberty yank the orange shart by his hair and throw him into the fucking ocean, but our oceans are already polluted enough

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Noted for history: A Trump administration executive order banned refugees from entering the United States on Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Benjamin Pauker (@benpauker) January 27, 2017





So, Bloomberg has this really interesting illustration about Trump's proposed immigration ban... https://t.co/j5kRsBdd7X pic.twitter.com/Ljc6JWVesG  Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) January 27, 2017







And were all going to pay much more for vegetables, fruit, machinery, electrical goods, chocolate, alcohol, etc thanks to Trumps dumbass import tax on Mexico. Americans will be paying for the billion dollar racist wall AND the cost of living will go up. Trumpsters dont complain tho cause you fuckfaces wanted your racist monument that wont even keep people out. They continue to get conned and were a week in. Like, Flint doesnt even have clean drinking water but Trump is going to throw billions of dollars into this shit. Pathetic. Fuck all of those March for Life hypocrites too. I love how Trumpsters are trying to rationalize this lasted con. They also don't grasp that undocumented people contribute to over $14 billion in taxes. Meanwhile where are Trump's tax returns?



He's going to hurt Mexico so bad and at this rate cause a global recession. I wish he would drop dead.





Edited at 2017-01-27 10:47 pm (UTC) And were all going to pay much more for vegetables, fruit, machinery, electrical goods, chocolate, alcohol, etc thanks to Trumps dumbass import tax on Mexico. Americans will be paying for the billion dollar racist wall AND the cost of living will go up. Trumpsters dont complain tho cause you fuckfaces wanted your racist monument that wont even keep people out. They continue to get conned and were a week in. Like, Flint doesnt even have clean drinking water but Trump is going to throw billions of dollars into this shit. Pathetic. Fuck all of those March for Life hypocrites too. I love how Trumpsters are trying to rationalize this lasted con. They also don't grasp that undocumented people contribute to over $14 billion in taxes. Meanwhile where are Trump's tax returns?He's going to hurt Mexico so bad and at this rate cause a global recession. I wish he would drop dead.

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cant say i blame him



ive never wanted to leave more

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So many Iranians have been escaping Iran since 1979, and now those who settled in the US are being punished for a regime they escaped from. I have so much family in the US and now I won't be able to see any of them, unless this shit is overturned at some point. He can label Iran as an active state sponsor of terrorism, but anyone with any sense knows that if Iran gave up its oil willy nilly like Saudi Arabia, this would never ever happen. Same with Iraq, since they had no issue feeding them weapons years ago, now they're the baddies when the US is full of saints.



Edited at 2017-01-27 11:58 pm (UTC)

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I tried to "like" this comment. I think I need a nap.



I hate this ban because I have so many friends that have the potential to be affected and it's rage-inducing. I'm also selfishly concerned about how it will affect travel because I've recently become obsessed with visiting Iran and even though it was safe enough before, I figured with the nuclear deal it would be even safer for me, but now this shit might derail that.

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idk how this will affect me



my dad is libyan and is planning on returning to libya this year. i'm pretty sure he's a citizen since my parents never divorced and he's lived in the US most of my life, but tbh i've never discussed citizenship w/ him and wonder if his travel is going to be restricted. someone please tell me i'm dumb and wrong bc i can't deal with this

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From what I understand if he has citizenship he should not be barred from reentry. It's only visa and non-citizen green card holders

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I'm a petty "I told you so" person so (and I know it's unbelievably fucked up to say this) I kinda wanna see America fall while in the tiny hands of Anus Cheetos. I want white racist Americans (especially white women) to see what their hate and ignorance has done. They thought they'd destroy the lives of immigrants and PoC and come out unscathed! Well, bitch you thought!!! Lol



I'm kinda living for the trump regrets tag on twitter. I can't believe how many white people didn't know they were on Obamacare!! Now they're all worried about their surgeries and medical issues lmaooo!!!



I think their tweets may be the thing that'll get me through the next 4 years.



Edited at 2017-01-28 12:16 am (UTC)

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Those tweets are a trip. Absolutely mind-boggling.

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They'll never see it because they'll just put the blame on everyone else.

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forreal I'm enjoying their freakouts at the fact that their ugly ass dodge ram trucks will cost an extra $10,000 bc they're manufactured in Mexico - it's petty but it's all I have left :/

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i'm on board the petty train. burn it, pour gasoline, let them see what they brought onto themselves.

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It premiered at TIFF and came out in the UK, so you're not wrong.

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I thought so too you're not alone. Glad I haven't missed it.

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mte

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it's out in australia as well

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When does it open wide in the us?

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I saw this. It came out like two months ago in the UK. I thought it was really good and we'll acted. A little long but I think it did the story justice. I'd definitely recommend. I guess it wasn't eligible for this year's Oscar if the US release date is 2017? Too bad it'll be forgotten by the next Oscars.

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love them both, love amma asante. excited for this!!

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i'd like to see this!

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is amma asante interested in anything other than black/white relationships or... 

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i came to this post to say exactly this....she really seems to be influenced by it a great deal

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Her art imitates her life.

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It's become a weird pattern..

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she has a white husband

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well of course lol

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I am excited. Pike deserves a better career. I love her posh condescending ass.

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I saw the trailer when I watched Hidden Figures, and I think I've gotten more empathetic in my old age because my gay ass was crying

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Amma! about time this movie opens



OT just finished watching A Monster Calls, it made me ugly cry but I would still recommend

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this was a really sweet film. and there was so much uncomfortable white laughter in the cinema lmao.

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Seeing this trailer before Hidden Figures pissed me off a little bit. I'm sorry, but I was about to watch 3 boss ass black women. I was not in the mood for a black guy won't give up his white woman movie.

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LMFAO. The trailer had me feeling a certain kind of way and I think I've pinpointed it. While White women don't have nearly the range of stories told about them that men do, we live in a world where Western media affirms white Women's femininity and desirability as partners. We almost NEVER see that when it comes to Black women. I'm gonna give this movie a hard pass.

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Yep! It's like, when are we gonna see a "white man won't give up his black wife for his people" movie? Oh, right. Never. We aren't seen as desirable enough for a movie like that.

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You summed up my feelings perfectly.

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I'm in for the whole 'fuck you British Empire!' angle plus real-life story, but ita.

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tbh, I'm seeing it for the feeling of "fuck the British Empire"

always on board for that

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Thank GOD someone here said it lol! I thought the *same* damn thing!

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same

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I love Amma Asante, but I'm kind of aggravated thinking about white women--especially after all that's been going on AND the Emmett Till story

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it was sickening reading carolyn bryant's "story". the entire episode is one of the most sickening chapter's in US history- idk fuck her, her husband and his half brother. i believe in hell and i think these people do too, so i hope they face the worst kind of retribution there that they never had to in this racist world. sick, evil beings

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she dun goofed tbh she should have a much bigger career rn if she played her cards right after gone girl

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yea wtf happened to her?

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So I'll be having a double feature on February 11th.

This and John Wick.

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On the day of U.S. President Donald Trumps inauguration the official White House website was rewritten including 361 brief words outlining the future of American Energy Policy. Titled An America First Energy Plan it starts with The Trump Administration is committed to energy policies that lower costs for hardworking Americans and maximize the use of American resources, freeing us from dependence on foreign oil. Canada is a foreign country. The U.S. is our largest buyer of oil and gas and we are their largest foreign supplier. This doesnt read well. There has been endless speculation on how awful this is going to be for a Canadian oilpatch finally emerging from the economic wilderness.

However, reading the other 323 words reveals no bad news. Trump will eliminate or soften environmental protection laws stating, Lifting these restrictions will greatly help American workers, increasing wages by more than US$30 billion in the next seven years. America will, as Alaska governor and Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin declared in the 2008 election, Drill, baby, drill. The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans. We must take advantage of the estimated US$50 trillion in untapped shale, oil and natural gas reservices, especially those on federal lands

Wouldnt it be nice if someone besides Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said these things?

Theres more. Less expensive energy will be a big boost to American agriculture; boosting domestic energy production is in Americas national security interest; achieving energy independence from the OPEC cartel and any nations hostile to our interests; and A brighter energy future depends on energy policies that stimulate our economy, ensure our security, and protect our health.

There have been many nervous moments surrounding Trumps inauguration on January 20 about a Border Adjustment Tax (BAT) and the notification of the intent to revisit NAFTA. But the White House is sending strong signals that whatever new policies the U.S. enacts, they dont appear to be directed at Canadian oil and gas.

A senior advisor to Trump met with the federal cabinet at a recent retreat in Calgary. The Calgary Herald reported January 24, Stephen Schwarzman, a billionaire businessman who chairs Trumps team of economic advisers  suggested that Canadian energy exports to the United States are unlikely to be hit with a new cross-border tax. Schwarzman said, There may be some modifications, but, basically, things should go well for Canada in terms of any discussions with the United States. Trade between the U.S. and Canada is really very much in balance and is a model for the way that trade relations should be.

A Bloomberg story in National Post carried the views of David McNaughton, Canadian ambassador to the U.S. McNaughton said, I dont think Canadas the focus at all. Their biggest concern frankly in terms of trade is the deficits they have with China and Mexico. Thats what theyve raised.

The Trump administration is looking positively friendly. On January 24, the White House issued an executive order to get the stalled Dakota Access pipeline finished and Keystone XL underway. It is not intuitive the U.S. would want more Canadian oil as a source of future BAT revenue instead of safe and secure energy supplies.

With the trade and tax issues becoming clearer, of greater interest should be what does cutting the American oil industry loose through fewer regulations and obstacles mean to future Canadian exports? In the past few years the mantra has emerged that our best customer has become our biggest competitor because the U.S. put 4 million b/d of new production on stream, primarily light tight shale oil (LTO). What does drill, baby, drill to unlock US$50 trillion worth of shale oil and gas mean for the WCSB?

Take a deep breath, examine the facts, and figure out on which side of the 49th parallel our challenges lie.

Everyone reads regularly about the unbelievable potential of American LTO. For two years weve been told the U.S. has replaced Saudi Arabia as the worlds swing producer. Every week when the U.S. active oil rig rises another analyst predicts lower oil prices are inevitable. The legendary Permian Basin is at the top of the news as is rig productivity, the fact new horizontal wells continue to do a bit better than the last ones due to continuous improvements in drilling speed, multi-stage completion systems, frac density, initial production rates and lower decline curves. Related: Cash Strapped Iranian Oil Industry Braces For Trump Impact

Considering it took a century to perfect the vertical well, that horizontals should continue to improve with technology and practice should surprise no one. This is reflected in lower F&D costs and higher recovery rates meaning LTO operators can do better at US$50 or less than ever before. Rising service prices, essential to get service companies on location and keep them in business, will increase costs somewhat. But the biggest gain is in equipment, technology and procedures.

But to the point of the new White House energy policy, are there actually 1 trillion barrels of oil to be unlocked through the bold policy initiatives of the Trump administration? Or including gas, 1 trillion barrels of oil equivalent. Thats what US$50 trillion works out to. Is this somehow a threat to Canadian oil exports? Is this even possible?

One trillion barrels of oil is a lot. Massive. According to worldatlas.com the proven oil reserves of the top ten oil producing countries in the world are listed in the chart below. The total is 1.4 trillion barrels.

(Click to enlarge)

Note the U.S. doesnt make the list. It ranks number 11 at 36.5 billion barrels. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) figure is higher at 39.9 billion proved barrels at December 31, 2015. At US$50 a barrel the EIA number would be worth nearly US$2 trillion. That a lot of oil and a lot of money. But it is 960 billion barrels short of a trillion and US$48 trillion short of US$50 trillion. Just sayin.

Gas looks the same. The EIA reports proved gas reserves at December 31, 2015 at 388.8 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Say gas sells for US$3.50 per mcf, which is the current price. If all of this were extracted and sold the total value is US$1.4 trillion, a pile of money. But its about US$48.6 trillion below the new presidents estimate.

Add them both up compared to the White Houses new stated energy opportunity and its about US$45 trillion below the stated potential. Thats a whack of hydrocarbons that must move from maybe to probable to proven. Which is fine. Based on technology and price and all the variables that accompany the upstream petroleum industry, you never know. What has already happened in the U.S. was thought impossible at the turn of the century. Higher prices will certainly help.

To give you an idea what an oilfield that can truly shape global markets or a country looks like, consider the Ghawar deposit in Saudi Arabia. Discovered in 1951, this single field was estimated to have recoverable reserves of 72 to 100 billion barrels, greater than the remaining reserves of the bottom three of worlds top ten countries ranked by proven crude reserves. This field has been chugging along at 5 million b/d for decades. Infield drilling, horizontal drilling and secondary recovery have helped prove Ghawar is not unlike the Permian Basin, except it is more prolific. The Saudis estimated in 2008 half was still available for production.

This is not to say North American fields are without promise. In November the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the Wolfcamp shale in the Midland portion of the Permian Basin could potentially hold 20 billion barrels of oil, 6 tcf of gas and 1.6 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. It if is all there thats a 50% bump in U.S. proven reserves. The release reads, This estimate is for continuous (unconventional) oil and consists of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources. In 2012 the USGS published another report indicating the fields in the Permian basin could have 2.7 billion more recoverable barrels than previously thought. It is a massive deposit. Opportunity for sure.

But back on planet earth, EIA statistics report for the four weeks ended January 13, 2017 U.S. oil imports average 8.3 million b/d. While this is down significantly from prior years thanks to the LTO miracle, net imports were 7.5 million b/d the U.S. now that the U.S. exports oil of certain grades to specific markets. Canada exports about 3.5 million b/d to the U.S., accounting for 42% of American imports.

But even under Trumps new regime and exciting new plays like Wolfcamp, is there a set of circumstances under which Canadian oil will no longer be required? Related: How The Saudi Rift With Egypt Is Spiraling Out Of Control

Never. Review the foregoing. Never. Without one or two Ghawars secretly concealed from U.S. explorationists for the past century or longer, the idea a Trump-fueled investment boom in some of the most expensive oil in the world will displace all  or even a meaningful portion  of U.S. imports anytime soon is fantasy. It will take massive drilling  federal lands included  to make a significant dent in imports. And judging by the wording of the White House energy statement and recent announcements, if and when America does reduce oil imports from Canada will be last to lose market share.

From a reserve and production perspective, for the U.S. to become everything President Trump figures it should or could be it will require much more than reversing Barack Obamas environmental protection legislation. It will take a geological miracle. So long as we dont do anything really stupid, Canada will be able to sell the U.S. all the oil this country can produce for the foreseeable future.

But the key words are really stupid. The last issue regarding Canada/U.S. energy relations which has yet to be properly addressed is economic competitiveness. This may be the greatest damage the Trump administration will inflict on the Canadian oilpatch. With the exception of lower service and labor prices since crude collapsed, operating costs in Canada have only been rising for some time. This include regulations, transportation and most recently, corporate tax increases, carbon taxes and an oil sands emissions cap. These costs are rising because of government policy, not geology.

If Trump delivers on streamlined regulations and increased opportunities (including access to restricted federal lands) while Canada continues in the opposite direction, capital will migrate to jurisdictions with the simplest rules and highest rate of return. When it comes to Alberta this is already underway. The destination for many larger Canadian operators has been U.S. basins like the Permian, Marcellus or Bakken. Capital formerly destined for oil sands is going elsewhere.

Even the weather makes it cheaper to operate in the U.S. where the extreme cycles of winter followed by spring break-up which affect activity and investment dont exist. Long-term planning and year-round operations are simpler and less expensive for Americans. Canadian efforts on climate change through carbon taxes are meant to ensure spring break-up always follows an historically cold winter. It is unlikely anybody considered the oilpatch would be more profitable in Canada if we could just level off the temperature fluctuations.

When Donald Trump talks about a new America First energy strategy, Canada must remember the U.S. deals with multiple suppliers. Canada shares with the U.S. the longest unguarded border in the world. The Keystone XL announcement indicates that for Trump, Canada is the bottom of the list of oil and gas importers that are an issue.

But for our oil and gas industry not to be affected by the Trump presidency we must remain economically competitive. In terms of energy policy, trade, fiscal regime and operating environment, the greatest threat to Canadas oil and gas industry comes from Canada, not the U.S.

By David Yager for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Irans crude oil and gas condensate exports are expected to rise to about 2.2 million barrels per day in February, thanks to a shipment to Indonesia  the first since sanctions against Tehran were lifted last year. Thats according to an unnamed source that spoke to Reuters.

This month, Iran is set to export some 2.16 million bpd. Post-sanction exports reached a high of almost 2.6 million barrels last September, Reuters notes, and this amount has not yet been exceeded. According to figures from Irans Oil Ministry, oil exports between March and December 2016 averaged 2.57 million bpd, with the December rate rising to 2.83 million bpd. These figures, however, have not been confirmed by external sources.

Earlier this month, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said that earnings from oil and condensate exports had reached US$29 billion in all of 2016, of which US$24.7 billion has been received. Whats more, export earnings for March 31, 2016, to March 31, 2017, Irans fiscal year, are expected to come in at US$41 billion. Related: Oil Price Meltdown  Is Trump Setting The Oil Markets Up For Another Bust?

Europe has come to account for a growing portion of Irans exports, local media reported yesterday. In December, oil shipments to Europe stood at 767,000 bpd, which represented a 10-percent increase on a monthly basis. This December daily rate is very close to pre-sanction export levels to Europe, which averaged 800,000 barrels daily.

Recently, Iran managed to clear one more hurdle to its oil export expansion: the International Group of P&I Clubs agreed to start offering almost full insurance coverage on export-bound oil cargoes from Iran. The insurers, 13 of them, will now offer up to US$3.08 billion per tanker, compared with US$830 million over the last year, as insurers and reinsurers steered clear of Iran cargoes because of remaining U.S. sanctions.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
After on Tuesday President Trump signed executive orders that put Keystone XL and Dakota Access back on the table, TransCanada was quick to submit a new application for a permit that would clear the way for the construction of its Keystone XL pipeline. The State Department has 60 days after final application to grant or deny the permit, as per Trumps instructions.

The Keystone XL pipeline was to transport a daily average of 800,000 barrels of heavy Canadian crude from Alberta to U.S refineries. It sparked an outrage among environmentalists, however, that led to a veto of the project from the last president. At the time, Barack Obama said the project raised too much environmental concern while its economic benefits were uncertain. Protests against the project have already started anew.

TransCanada argues that the Keystone XL project will create thousands of jobs and boost tax benefits for the communities along its 1,179-mile route. In its press release on the submission of the new application, CEO Russ Girling was quoted as raising this number to tens of thousands and noting that it will help ensure the U.S. energy security. Related: Russia Makes A Move On Asian Oil Markets As OPEC Cuts

Data from the State Department, however, counters these tens of thousands of jobs with calculations that the permanent jobs to be created as a result of the project will only come up to 35. Still the State Departments 2014 report acknowledges that the project will create a total of 42,100 year-long job positions.

Job creation aside, TransCanada might run into some cost problems with the project because of another document Trump signed this week: a memorandum that requires all pipelines that are to be built, retrofitted or repaired in the U.S. to be made from locally manufactured materials. The problem is that TransCanada has already bought a lot of the materials it would need for Keystone XL, from North America.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
And crude continues to be more choppy than Chuck Norris fighting Hong Kong Phooey fighting Bruce Lee, selling off today after yesterday's rally (after selling off on Wednesday after rallying on Tuesday...). Hark, here are five things to consider in energy markets today:

1) Let's take a look at Mexico, in relation to all the talk of import tariffs and taxes that has been swirling in recent days. Some 84 percent of Mexico's total exports go to its fellow NAFTA members, the U.S. or Canada. As recently as 2009, crude accounted for 30 percent of its export earnings, but amid diversification, this number has dropped to 6 percent in 2015.

In terms of exports from Mexico last year, vehicles are number one (at 24 percent), electronic equipment (21 percent), machines / engines / pumps are third (15.5 percent) followed by oil (again, 6).

Our ClipperData show the U.S. accounted for 60 percent of Mexican crude exports in 2015, before dropping to 48 percent last year. Nonetheless, 575,000 bpd of Mexican crude was imported last year, with 97 percent of it being heavy crude. Some 97 percent of it headed into the U.S. Gulf, with the vast majority of it being heavy Maya crude.

(Click to enlarge)

2) While Mexican crude exports to the U.S. could be hurt by a border tax or tariff, natural gas exports to our neighbors in the south are unlikely to come under pressure. Natural gas exports have more than doubled in the last two years, climbing above 4 Bcf/d. With further pipeline expansions and access to cheap LNG exports from the U.S. Gulf, this volume is only set to rise.

(Click to enlarge)

3) After discussing U.S. imports of Arab Gulf crude earlier in the week, there was a request to show these volumes by grade, so here it is below. The three Saudi Arabian grades - Arab Light, Arab Medium and Arab Extra Light - account for nearly 60 percent of all arrivals.

As Arab Light has dropped through the year, the other two grades have stepped up to fill this gap. Iraqi crude (Basrah Light, Basrah Heavy) account for 24 percent of the volume. The majority of the rest is made up of Kuwaiti crude, accounting for 13 percent of deliveries.

(Click to enlarge)



4) ...aaaand back we go to the BP energy outlook outlook, which is full of more interesting stats than we can shake a stick at. Today's tidbit comes from oil demand and supply projections out to 2035 (again, grab the salt shaker and take a grain or two), highlighting how oil demand is projected to reach 110mn bpd, driven by emerging markets, but in part offset by a material 8mn bpd drop from the OECD. Related: Keystone XL Still Faces Obstacles Even With Trumps Approval

In terms of supply growth, is seen coming from the holders of low-cost, large-scale resources (think: Middle East, U.S., Russia), with OPEC accounting for nearly 70 percent of this growth.

(Click to enlarge)



5 ) Finally, earlier in the week we highlighted how 240 million people in India were lacking access to electricity. As Prime Minister Modi focuses on eradicating this issue, and as he prioritizes solar to reach India's renewables target (hark, 40 percent by 2030), the world's largest solar power station in a single location has been completed in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The solar power station comprises of 2.5 million solar panel modules, 576 inverters, and 6,000 kilometers of cables; it has the capacity to power 150,000 homes. Should India stick to its 10-year blueprint for renewables, released last month, 57 percent of total electricity capacity should come from non-fossil fuels by 2027.

By Matt Smith

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The inevitable advance of technology and automation has upended industries such as car manufacturing and food processing. Now robotics is making its way into the oil fields by helping drilling activities and putting together heavy pipes.

For companies, more automation would mean higher efficiency, safer operations, and ultimately, lower drilling and production costs. For oil rig workers, it would mean that part of the jobs lost during the oil price downturn would never return. Also, part of the new job openings would require a different type of skill set: for example, information technology and advanced computer skills.

But even if automation is expected to increase, and some day take over drilling sites and drillships, it is not the norm in the oil and gas industry today. While there have been early adopters, the oil and gas drilling business is still years away from becoming an automated activity.

Companies that had been lavishly spending on drilling at oil prices at $100 per barrel were too busy pumping oil and gas to think of efficiency and production costs. But the oil price bust has squeezed their budgets, and the firms are now seeking to cut costs while increasing efficiency.

Apart from reducing the human factor in drilling such as shifts or fatigue, or work-related accidents and incidents, automation can reduce headcount costs.

Automated drilling rigs may be able in the future to reduce the number of persons in a drilling crew by almost 40 percent, from 25 workers to 15 workers, Houston Chronicles Jordan Blum writes, quoting industry analysts.

Drilling company Nabors Industries expects that it may be able to reduce the size of the crew at each well site to around 5 people from 20 workers now if more automated drilling rigs are used, Bloombergs David Wethe says.

However, a sensitive issue such as workforce in an industry that had slashed a couple of hundred thousand jobs during the downturn has just become even more sensitive with the new U.S. administration. Related: Oil Price Meltdown  Is Trump Setting The Oil Markets Up For Another Bust?

The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans, President Trumps America First Energy Plan states.

So companies are likely to keep a low profile on how much staff costs they would be saving.

Theyll more likely brag about the automation rather than these head counts, James West, an analyst with investment bank Evercore ISI, told Bloomberg.

Automation is also likely to drive small-sized subcontractors doing jobs for larger companies out of business.

Although it is expected in the not-so-distant future, automated rigs will not be replacing en masse human workforce this year or next. Right now, there are many conventional under-utilized rigs, especially in offshore drilling, where companies had slashed exploration and drilling expenditure.

In land drilling, activity in the U.S. oil patch is picking up, and employment has recently shown the first signs of gains after more than two years of declines.

Total job growth in Texas is expected to rise from 1.6 percent in 2016 to around 2 percent in 2017, Dallas Fed assistant vice president and senior economist Keith Phillips said earlier this month.

Job growth picked up in the second half of 2016 due to a stabilization of the energy sector, Phillips noted.



Part of the jobs lost over the past two and a half years may never return due to increased automation, but the recovery of U.S. drilling may send companies hunting again for staff this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Just days after Xiaomi Vice-President Hugo Barra put out a Facebook post declaring his decision to leave the company, a new post from his Facebook account clears that he will be joining Facebook shortly, to lead the virtual reality business of the social network giant.

The status read, "I'm excited to share my next adventure as I return to Silicon Valley-in a couple of months I'll be joining Facebook as VP of virtual reality (VPVR!) and lead the Oculus team."

Barra had shared his deteriorating health as a major reason to leave the Chinese company. The company was undergoing a crisis period after losing its top position in the Chinese market and also pulled back from a few global markets like Brazil and Singapore.

Hugo Barra mentioned Lei Jun in his post saying, "Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun always says that the highest calling of an engineer is to make technology breakthroughs quickly and readily available to the widest possible spectrum of humanity. That will be my mission at Facebook."

Responding to his post, Facebook Chief Mark Zuckerberg said, "Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They'll enable us to experience completely new things."
Pakistan ready to hold dialogue with India: FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria has said that Pakistan is ready to hold a dialogue with India to resolve outstanding issues, but Indian atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir are a threat to peace in the region.



He expressed these views here on Thursday in the weekly media briefing.



Nafees Zakaria said that the situation in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) was getting worse. "The killings, arbitrary arrests and fake encounters of Kashmiris continue and their fundamental rights are being denied constantly," he said, urging the international community to hold India accountable for their crimes against humanity.



Talking about the massacre in Hundwara on January 25 in 1990 in which 25 people were killed, he said that the manslaughter was committed by Indian occupation forces just three days after they killed more than 50 Kashmiris in Gawkadal. "The perpetrators of the two massacres are yet to face justice, while the victims' families have been suffering from the unforgettable and unbearable pain for the past 27 years."



He said that the two incidents were among one-and-a-half dozen massacres that Indian occupation forces have committed since 1990.



He said that the Pakistani High Commission in India was in contacts with Indian authorities regarding the two missing Pakistani boys.



On Indian involvement in Parachanar attack, he said that five to six terrorists apprehended had links with the Indian spy agency RAW. They were also planning to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. He said that law enforcement agencies were still investigating the matter.



The spokesperson said that Pakistan had added additional information of involvement of India in Pakistan in the dossier recently handed over to the United Nations (UN).



He said that at the end of an extensive three-hour debate on Kashmir, the House of Commons, UK, resolved that it "notes the escalation in violence and breaches of international human rights on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir".



The House of Commons called on the government to raise the matter at the United Nations and to encourage Pakistan and India to commence peace negotiations to establish a long-term solution on the future governance of Kashmir, based on the right of the Kashmiri people to determine their own future in accordance with the provisions of the UN Security Council resolutions.



He said that the painful episode of those young Pakistani men who were lured by unscrupulous agents and faced untold hardship when they were kidnapped for ransom.



"We and their families owe our gratitude to the Turkish authorities whose timely action helped rescue them and safely reunite them with their loved ones in Pakistan," he said.



On summoning Pakistani high commissioner in Bangladesh, he said it was regarding the cracker that went off outside the Bangladeshi deputy high commissioner's office in Karachi.



He said that after the incident, security of the deputy high commissioner and his residence had been enhanced.



He said that terrorism was global phenomenon and needed to be dealt with globally. He said that the United States and Pakistan had longstanding relations. He said that the last round of strategic dialogue between both the countries was held last year, and the two countries were cooperating in the areas of economic, security, defence, nuclear energy, education, science and education. He hoped that the new American administration would further strengthen relations between the both countries.



On former Afghan president Karzai's statements against Pakistan, he said that Pakistan's track record and actions against terrorists were above those of other countries. He said terrorists were also present in Afghanistan, and added that the blame game would not serve the interests of any country. He said that Pakistan wanted peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pakistan,Afghanistan have to go through extreme vetting process before entering US

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has indicated that both Pakistan and Afghanistan will be among the countries whose citizens will have to go through an extreme vetting process before entering the United States.



In an interview to ABC News, Mr Trump also said he was going to sign an order placing a ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries entering the US on Wednesday but it was delayed, apparently because of a huge public backlash.



The interview, broadcast on Wednesday night, was his first to a television channel since he took oath as president on Jan 20 and covered a wide range of subjects, from Obamacare to immigration and war against terrorists.



Reports that the Trump administration would establish a registry for collecting data about Muslims living in the US brought thousands of protesters out in a New York park on Wednesday night and a former secretary of state said she too would register as a Muslim if Muslims were asked to do so.



Madeleine Albright, the first woman US secretary of state, tweeted: I was raised Catholic, became Episcopalian and found out later my family was Jewish. I stand ready to register as Muslim in solidarity.



Her message was re-tweeted by about 20,000 people and liked by almost 40,000.



In the ABC News interview, recorded on Wednesday morning, President Trump said he was going to sign an order banning at least some Muslims from entering the United States in two hours. Later he did sign two orders  authorising the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border and deportation of illegal immigrants  but those did not include the proposed ban on Muslims.



Asked to name the countries whose citizens would not enter the US, the president said: Youll be hearing about it in two hours because I have a whole list. Youll be very thrilled.



He said he was focusing on the people who came with evil intentions. I dont want that. Theyre ISIS [Islamic State militant group]. Theyre coming under false pretence. I dont want that.



Later, he defended his plan in a tweet as well, saying as your president, I have no higher duty than to protect the lives of the American people.



When the interviewer, David Muir, asked why Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were not on the ban list, Mr Trump said: Were going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And were not letting people in if we think theres even a little chance of some problem.



Asked if this was the Muslim ban that he had talked about during the election campaign, he said: Its not the Muslim ban. But its countries that have tremendous terror.... And its countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems.



He said: Its going to be very hard to come in. Right now its very easy to come in. Its gonna be very, very hard. Mr Trump said he would also create safe zones in Syria for refugees to live in, as he would not allow them to enter the US.



He said his predecessor Barack Obama and secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry had allowed tens of thousands of people to enter the country.



The FBI is now investigating more people than ever before having to do with terror, and its from the group of people that came in, he said, adding: Our country has a lot of problems theyre deep problems, theyre serious problems. We dont need more.



Referring to the involvement of a Muslim Pakistani couple in the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, the president said: I dont want terror in this country. You look at what happened in San Bernardino.... You look at what happened in the World Trade Centre.



Asked if he was concerned that these measures could cause more anger among Muslims, he said: Theres plenty of anger right now. How can you have more? The world is as angry as it gets.



Explaining why he thought there was so much anger in the world, Mr Trump said: All of this has happened. We went into Iraq. We shouldnt have gone into Iraq. We shouldnt have gotten out the way we got out.



He also defended the suggestion he made as a presidential candidate that the US should have kept the oil in Iraq. We shouldve kept the oil when we got out had we taken the oil, you wouldnt have ISIS because they fuel themselves with the oil when we left, we left Iraq, which wasnt a government. Its not a government now, he explained.



We shouldve taken the oil. And if we took the oil you wouldnt have ISIS. And we would have had wealth. We have spent right now $6 trillion in the Middle East. And our country is falling apart.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
Members of the Korle Bu Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) have expressed regret, though not surprised about management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals involvement in alleged financial mismanagement, administrative and management misjudgments again.



The group has called for the interdiction of Dr Gilbert Buckle, the CEO, Director of Finance and the Internal Auditor with immediate effect!., and a forensic audit be undertaken under Dr. Gilbert Buckles tenure.



It also expressed the need for a new Board and Management teams be put in place as a matter of urgency and that the CEO, Dr Gilbert Buckle, led administration must not be allowed to organize the leadership training at GIMPA at the expense of the KBTH at the cost of about one hundred thousand Cedis (100.000) in February, 2017.



According to KOSSA, though they are not surprised at the development, since management is noted for that over years, the only difference now is that, the KBTH Management has succeeded in outsmarting the Board in this particular sordid financial affair, of which for once, they are not speaking the same language of falsehood.



KOSSAs views were contained in a press release signed by Augustine Sowah, Vice President of KOSSA, indicated that, this current financial tango between the Board and Management of the Hospital, where Management is alleged to have paid over one hundred thousand cedis so-called bonuses to a few at the blind side of the Board, additionally vindicates KOSSA in the situation of highlighting act of malfeance since 2009, and justifies their frequent squabbles with those in authority for being wrong in their actions most of the times.



The release has it that, the unfortunate reasons why these have festered on for so long had been the failure or refusal or connivance of those in authority to crack the whip and put deviants in line with correctness.



Making references to some correspondence between KOSSA and the powers that be, which were loudly ignored from the Ministry of Health, through to the seat of Government, they indicated two main letters/reports dated 16th April, 2016 and expressly addressed to the Minister of Health, with the heading: ACTS OF IMPUNITY BY THE KORLE BU TEACHING HOSPITAL BOARD AND management, and 20/05/2016 again addressed to the Minister of Health titled: CONSOLIDATION OF FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES TO RUN DOWN THE KORLE-BU TEACHING HOSPITAL (KBTH) BY UNPATRIOTIC PERSONS IN AUTHORITY  FRAUDULENT ELEVATION OF THE KBTHs INTERNAL AUDITOR TO THE STATUS OF A DIRECTOR, as evidence of steps they have taken to bring sanity to the hospital.



Below is the full press release issued by KOSSA on mismanagement of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital finances:



 for clarity of circumstances leading to this dubious December 2016 payments by Management to Management of the Hospital, I quote sections of our letter to the Minister, eight months ago:



We do recall that in 2014, a memo signed by the then Ag Chief Administrator dated 17th June, 2014 indicated, ELEVATION OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT TO A DIRECTORATE. This was copied to all Heads of Departments and all Directors.



KOSSA responded to this anomally in our letter dated 3rd July, 2014 addressed to the Hon. Minister for Health and copied others. No response came, even no acknowledgement from the then Minister Hon. Alex Segbefia.



Following that, on 24th November, 2014 in our letter, PETITION ON CONFIRMATION OF CHIEF INTERNAL AUDITOR, addressed to the then Board Chairman, Mr. Edward Annan and copied the Minister of Health reiterated our objections to this move. Still we had no response.



In this petition, we raised points of objection for this massive fraud on the Hospital. These included objections that, various financial irregularities, including those listed above, emanated under the watch of the Ag. CIA, which did not warrant his confirmation. This fell on deaf ears, and we were surprised; but later fully became aware that, his wrongful confirmation suited the agenda of the powers that be, to the detriment of the health of the Hospitals finances, service to patients, staff and well-being of the state of Ghana. This action has been duly queried by External Auditors who audited this institution.



To worsen the situation and confirm our suspicion on the trend of fraud trend since 2009, a letter dated 24th February 2015 and signed by Dr Gilbert Buckle, Chief Executive Officer with the heading, ADDENDUM TO CONDITIONS OF SERVICE FOR CHIEF INTERNAL AUDITOR (CIA),and referenced as number KB/P 8503. This letter is personalized to the Chief Internal Auditor, Mr. Stephen Ayer Perdison, and warranted payments and arrears of about 100,000.00 to him. The credible question is, was this payment budgeted for? And was it the person who has been elevated or the Internal Audit Unit of the Hospital?



It is thus clear that, these enhanced conditions of service to the person of Mr. Perdison is part of the gratuitous design of compromising laid-down processes and procedures for accountability and transparency in the Hospital. It is enlighten to note that all the infractions queried by the Ghana Audit Service were checked by Mr. Perdison but did not meet the test of professionalism. What then justifies this illegal enhancement packages. The answer is obvious.



We have also noticed that the addendum of benefits for the CIA, as against the rule, is in the same for line Directors of the Hospital. So the question is if the unit has not been elevated to a Directorate, why should heads of units be accorded same benefits as Directors of the Hospital? We are not against conditions of service for any position but our position is that the regulations must be respected and processes and procedures duly followed. There should be fairness and transparency in awarding, motivating and rewarding staff so as to avoid discrimination and under-hand dealings.



The Chief Internal Auditors participation and involvement in the regular decision-making process of Hospital Management and Board is the institutionalization of compromising the audit system and processes for open fraud and corruption in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.



As if by grand design, the former minister of Health hardly responded to the numerous calls to salvage the Hospital. The Ministers long lackadaisical attitude rather reinforced the embodiment of the rapists wrong doers to wrongfully interdict KOSSA President Mr. Charles Ofei-Palm. He has duly sued the Board and Management at the High Court.There are other similar cases in the courts.



KOSSAis very surprised that the immediate-past Government appointees to the Board are today claiming innocence of the outrageous payments allegedly made by the Dr Gilbert Buckle Management to itself. We at KOSSA do not believe this. But we ask, since when did Professor Mawuli Sallar and his Board lose confidence in Dr Gilbert Buckle and his leadership style? When we raised the preventive red flags about Dr Buckle, did he and his Board not rubbish it and came after us?



At the time, we thought as the father of the Hospital, it would have been the best time for the Board Chairman to understand the issues. But he decided to play the political game with the issues and enhanced systematic fleecing of the Hospital. Are the Board members not complaining now just because the Management has outsmarted them this time round?



We are not surprised by the actions of the current Management headed by Dr Gilbert Buckle to have paid themselves huge sums of monies as this due to their penchant for abuse of power, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds, with tacit support of the Prof Mawuli Sallar Board.



It is worthy to note that, Dr Buckle in 2015 had said he had stopped allowance payments until rationalization of such which he claimed was concluded in November, 2016. If so, where is the Boards approval for such payments? Did he approve himself because his contract ends 1st February 2017?? Is it not a clear case of create, loot and share?



Is it now not very clear that the Board and Management disregarded our protest to elevate the person of the Chief Internal Auditor to the status and position of mainline administrator to compromise his mandate to properly check expenditure?



Any wonder therefore that the Chief Internal Auditor, Mr. Stephen Perdison also benefitted a whooping 25,250.00 as Christmas bonanza? Why could he not query how genuine this payment was? Why did he enjoy it? This same Mr. Perdison was at post under the Eddie Annan Board with Rev Okpoti as CEO when all the corrupt acts were perpetrated. He is again at the centre of this saga. Can we all now see the culmination of the plot of events since 2014 and the appropriateness of our complaint in the KOSSA petition letter dated 3rd July 2014?



So it can be realised without any ambiguity that, intramural services and payments thereof are purely restricted to clinical staff. The question is, are these alleged beneficiaries within the clinical sector or within management? Why did all the management staff not benefit from the deal? Why did the Board not approve of the payment? Was the payment budgeted for? Is it true that the new Director for Finance, who is only four months old in the Hospital, also enjoyed the 21 months back-pay?



The excuse given by the kbth management in their press release is not tenable because those clinicians doing the intramural in the clinical areas can attest to the fact that they who are supposed to receive the highest of the intramural allowance has not received such.



The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Gilbert Buckle, the Director of Finance Bright Korkuyie and the Chief Internal Auditor Mr. Perdison among others, with all these lingering infractions of the rules and regulations, with impunity and careless abandon thus paid themselves a total of GHc306,000 with the CEO receiving 36,250.00,each director received GHc25,250 and same amount was received by the CIA Mr. Perdison allegedly at the blind side of the Board of Directors of the Hospital:



The purpose(s) for which the payments were made still remain unknown; so we are still asking questions and seeking answers. How did Management come to benefit from this money as a 21 month back-pay? How on earth? What level of impunity, disregard for honour and dignity is this? How can persons deemed honorable engage in alleged plain thievery and arbitrariness? Why could the Director of Administration fail to advice that such payments could be inappropriate and misplaced? Why did the Chief Internal Auditor fail in his duty? What is the competence of the Chief Executive? Why was it the Director of Finance that is alleged to have initiated payment and not the Director of Administration? Any doubt that this could be a high incidence of incompetence allowed for looting?



Ladies and gentlemen! Fellow Ghanaians,



Do these issues not support KOSSA warnings given many years ago for which most Ghanaians came after us and called us names? Would such people have the humility and honour to apologize to us?



Further questions that hinge on the competence of the whole management include:



Did management seek approval from the Board and who authorized the payment?



What kind of intramural services did they provide to warrant this payment?



Are the beneficiaries the only persons in Management at the Hospital? Or this payment was secluded to a click of favorites in a cult or club?



What role did the Chief Internal Auditor play in all this?



Are they privy to the requirements of Financial Administration laws and regulations?



Whose role according to the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 is it to appraise and report on the soundness and application of the control systems, provide assurance on the efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the administration of the programs and operations of the entity, evaluate compliance of a covered entity with enactments, policies, standards, systems and procedures?



KORLE BU TODAY



Fellow Ghanaians of integrity and fortitude!



Today the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is a far cry from its place of pride eight years ago. The Hospital today only survives on past glories. This is not good at all.



Our calls.



What are our immediate recommendations to sanitize the Hospital?



That Dr Gilbert Buckle, the CEO, Director of Finance and the Internal Auditor be interdicted with immediate effect!.



That forensic audit be undertaken under Dr. Gilbert Buckles tenure.

That a new Board and Management teams be put in place as a matter of urgency.



That the CEO, Dr Gilbert Buckle, led administration must not be allowed to organize the leadership training at GIMPA at the expense of the KBTH at the cost of about one hundred thousand cedis (100.000) in February, 2017

KOSSA hopes the incoming Minister for Health will be more concerned and proactive with the KBTH than his predecessors.



It is also our hope that new Board members to be appointed will be persons of integrity, competence and compassion.



CONCLUSION



Ladies and gentlemen and fellow patriotic Ghanaians!



At the time KOSSA was formed, we thought we were going to work with responsible officials for the mutual benefit of all Ghanaians. Unfortunately, soon after assumption of office, we had to enter battles of our lives to prevent the Hospital from descending into disuse. It is our hope that, with a new government, the paradigms will be positive. We shall have leaders who merit the name to get staff well motivated and psyched for efficient and effective service delivery to the satisfaction of the Ghanaian people. These we hope will move the Hospital forward, lives will be saved and not lost, for the Hospital to resume and excel its place of honour as the largest single facility in West Africa.



Thank You



SIGNED



Mr. Augustine Sowah



Vice President (KOSSA)

Source: myradio360.com









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Vermont has some great places to fish, and our area is just a short drive from the Green Mountain state. If you want to ice fish some of the waters in our neighbor to the east, Saturday is the day to get out without needing a fishing license.

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Albany has essentially swapped Ty Loney for Brandon Baddock. The Devils released Loney on Wednesday and Baddock was reassigned to Albany on Thursday.

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FORT EDWARD  A Hudson Falls man has been charged with sexually abusing two young girls, police said.

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Fort Edward Police Chief Justin Derway said the police investigation began last November, after one of the girls told her parents about alleged fondling by Minor at a home in Fort Edward. Minor was acquainted with the girls' family, police said. Both girls were under the age of 13 when the alleged abuse happened last year.

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QUEENSBURY  A letter that murder suspect Robert M. Henry sent to his girlfriend after his arrest last fall has become a legal hot potato as his case heads to trial next week.

Henry faces a second-degree murder count as well as lesser burglary, robbery and grand larceny charges in connection with the July 6 death of 58-year-old Kevin Jenks in his Glens Falls home. He and co-defendant Kevin Chapman, both Herkimer County residents, allegedly set up Jenks to rob him, but Jenks was choked to death, officials said.

Chapman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, saying Henry killed Jenks, but he was there and took part in the burglary/robbery. He is expected to testify against Henry.

Henry is to stand trial starting Monday. During pretrial hearings this week, lawyers have squabbled over whether a letter that wound up in the possession of his girlfriend, and which she turned over to prosecutors, should be used against him at trial.

The letter includes Henrys account of what happened at Jenks home that night, including claims that Henry  who knew Jenks  set up a sexual encounter between Chapman and Jenks, but that Chapman threatened Henry at gunpoint to participate in the robbery when they were in Glens Falls and that Chapman killed Jenks, officials said.

That version of events differs from the one Henry told investigators two days after Jenks death, as police tracked him and Chapman down in Herkimer County.

Defense lawyer Tucker Stanclift took issue with the prosecution using it because the letter was made out to Stanclift, but Henry had sent it to his girlfriend in central New York, asking her to keep a copy and send one to Stanclift. Inmates in jail are allowed to send legal correspondence to their lawyers at no charge, so it was unclear why Henry didnt send or give it to Stanclift.

It needs to be precluded, Stanclift said. It is a confidential, privileged attorney-client communication.

Warren County Assistant District Attorney Matt Burin disagreed, saying that the girlfriend, Janet Johnston, volunteered the letter when he was interviewing her about the case earlier this month. Henry waived the attorney-client privilege by sending the letter to her and directing her to keep a copy, he said.

Warren County Judge John Hall reserved decision on Stanclifts request.

Stanclift also argued that Hall should dismiss the nine-count indictment against Henry, saying that prosecutors have wrongly deviated from the theory of the case as they presented it to the grand jury. Chapman was charged with intentionally killing Jenks and Henry was not, but prosecutors are now going forward with a case in which Chapman will blame Henry.

Henry, a 45-year-old four-time felon, faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted of murder, but also faces up to 25 to life if convicted of any felony, should Hall deem him a persistent felon.

He formerly lived in the Glens Falls area and met Jenks during his time here. Police believe he set up the plot to rob Jenks.

Jenks Cadillac sedan was recovered in central New York, and police said Henry used credit cards that belonged to Jenks in Herkimer County, with at least several of the transactions captured on store surveillance cameras.

The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.
A three-hour ride north from New York City on a snowy winter night is no fun for anyone.

Particularly if youre stuck in the engine compartment of the van in which you were riding.

A 10-year-old cat, named Gumbo, who is from the Big Apple learned that the hard way this week, hitching a ride to Queensbury under the hood of a Honda Odyssey and somehow surviving the ordeal unscathed.

Jim Fitzgerald, director of the Warren County SPCA, was called to The Great Escape Lodge on Monday night by lodge security after a New York City family that had arrived for a stay reported finding a cat under the hood.

Fitzgerald said they smelled a foul odor that resembled cat urine in the car during the trip, and when they arrived in Queensbury, thought they heard meowing underneath the hood.

When they popped the hood, an orange cat was buried deep down under hoses, toward the passenger compartment.

When I first saw it, I said, Is it alive? Fitzgerald asked. Then I saw it move. It was a little standoffish at first and a little lethargic, but he let me get him out.

Shockingly, the tabby seemed to have made it the 240 or so miles with virtually no injuries. The engine compartment was filled with cat hair, but after an exam and some food and water, the cat was doing fine, according to Fitzgerald.

Animals sometimes climb under cars in the winter when they feel the warmth coming off them, Fitzgerald explained.

The storys ending got happier on Thursday and was capped off Friday evening, when the SPCA and its social media followers connected the wayward feline with his owner.

The SPCA shared the story on its Facebook page, and after more then 2,300 shares, Raven Huang of New York City came forward and identified the cat as his.

Huang and Gumbo were reunited Friday evening at the Warren County SPCA after Gumbo was missing for more than 13 days.

It is very comforting that there are a number of great people out there, Huang said after being reunited with his cat.

Huang said Gumbo escaped from a cat carrier in Manhattan Beach on his way to a veterinary appointment Jan. 14 to be neutered. Since Gumbo never made it to the appointment, the Warren County SPCA performed the procedure.

God bless the SPCA and to all the animal lovers out there who have love and compassion in their hearts for our animals, wrote Roberta Engelfried, a friend of the cats owner who had been involved in the New York City search, in a Facebook post. I am just over the moon and cant wait to see him!

Fitzgerald said Facebook has proved to be a great tool for reuniting owners with lost pets.

We put them on there and a lot of times within 10 minutes we find the owner, he said.

It was a great ending, Fitzgerald said.
GLENS FALLS  The committee planning how to spend the citys $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant is closing in on a Feb. 28 deadline to submit the plan to the state.

We are very close  about six weeks away from a final project, said Sarah Yackel, a consultant with BFJ Planning.

The committee will present its proposed plan at a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Heritage Hall at Glens Falls Civic Center.

After that, the city Common Council will review and recommend any minor changes before the plan goes to the state for approval.

Its been quite a process  a lot of input from the community, a lot of good ideas, said city Councilman at-Large Dan Hall, the committee co-chairman, at a public forum on Wednesday.

About 85 people attended the forum at Heritage Hall, which was designed to give the public a chance to advise the committee on prioritizing the dozens of projects being considered.

People at the forum received six green stickers and six red stickers and went around a sequence of easels to put green stickers on the six projects they considered most viable and red stickers on six projects they wanted the committee to reject.

Were asking that you put no more than one sticker on each project, Yackel said.

The activity was not a popularity contest, but a method to give the committee general insight, she explained.

Bob Dillon, who owns a marketing agency in downtown, said he likes the proposal to locate the SUNY Adirondack culinary program downtown.

It seems to me thats a really good idea, he said.

Ben Driscoll, a former city 5th Ward Councilman, said having a SUNY Adirondack presence downtown would give the college more of a regional image.

People think of the campus of being 50 miles away (from downtown), when it's only three miles away, he said.

Don Daniels, owner of The Gold Shade banquet house on Warren Street, said the proposed arts trail would encourage people to explore the outer streets of downtown, similar to the way people do on The Freedom Trail in Boston.

Im on Warren Street. So thats an important thing for me, he said.

Kate Boyle said she likes proposals to increase access to transit service.

I cant take the bus from my home in Queensbury to downtown Glens Falls, because I live on Peggy Ann Road, which is off the Greater Glens Falls Transit System route, she said.

Im interested in the waterfront along the Feeder Canal and Hudson River, said Deborah Liddle.

She suggested officials evaluate whether the water is deep enough to hold regattas.

I mean, people go all over the country for regattas, she said.

EDC Warren County President Edward Bartholomew, the grant administrator, said committee members keep repeating the slogan But for DRI to remind each other about prioritizing projects.

The slogan means funding should be reserved for projects that otherwise would not go forward, said Bartholomew.

Also, projects need to get underway soon and be completed within three years, Yackel said.

Were looking one-to-three years for implementation, not a 10-year-out process, she said.
THURMAN  Cynthia Hyde was given the duties of running Thurman in a brief meeting on Thursday that included a statement from the towns attorney that the Town Board was not holding illegal meetings.

Hyde and fellow board members Michael Eddy and Kathy Templeton met with attorney Mark Schachner in the assessors office starting at 6:38 p.m. ahead of the posted 7 p.m. start time of the meeting. After a reporter repeatedly pressed that this was improper, Schachner closed the door and said he would issue a statement at the meeting.

The statement said that town board members and other government officials need to meet with attorneys to seek legal advice.

Town board members have the right to seek and gain such legal advice in private from their town legal counsel as they wish in what we sometimes called an attorney/client privileged conference. This type of conference can occur anytime and anywhere and no public notice is required, because it is exempt by law from the Open Meetings Law, he said.

Schachner went on to say that the exemption applies as long as the town board is seeking and gaining legal advice and attorneys make sure the conference is limited in that manner.

An attorney/client privileged conference is different from executive session of an otherwise public town board meeting which can only occur for certain specific limited purposes and only upon proper motion made at a duly convened town board meeting, he said.

Schachner requested that members of the media contact the New York State Committee On Open Government to confirm what he has stated and include in their reporting that neither its previous attorney/client conferences nor any future ones were or would be unlawful.

The Post-Star will be following up with the Committee on Open Government.

After Schachners statement, the board voted on resolutions including allowing Hyde to handle payroll, prepays, sign checks and conduct the day to day administrative duties of the town until a supervisor is appointed.

The five-member board has two vacant seats. Evelyn Wood resigned as supervisor last week. Jey Youngblood, who had been an ally of Wood, resigned his board seat as well. The board formally accepted their resignations after they opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence for the death of Stuart Baker, who served on the Town Board and was a volunteer firefighter.

After signing a form from Cedarwood Engineering, the board passed resolutions seeking people for vacant positions on the Board of Assessment Review and the two Town Board seats.

Letters of interest are due by the close of business on Feb. 2. Applications for the cemetery superintendent position are due by the close of business on Feb. 13. Town Clerk Jeanie Sprague had been handling the cemetery superintendent duties. The board reserved the right not to appoint anyone to these positions.

The board authorized a payment of $870 for lodging at the Marriott Marquis for annual town board member training in New York City.

The board also voted to rescind the appointment of Christian Holt as an assessor. Thurman was going to share Holt with the town of Johnsburg. However, the new board did not like that idea and did not have a shared services agreement in place with Johnsburg.

It appointed Thomas Tucker Birdsall, who had been one of Thurmans elected assessors. Susan Baker, who had been an elected assessor, was appointed as Birdsalls deputy. Both will earn a salary of $11,000.

Former board member Gail Seaman repeatedly questioned the appointment from the audience, saying that Birdsall lacks certification to serve. She also said that the Baker was appointed as a clerk, which is a civil service position.

The board did not take privilege of the floor.

The board also will be using the services of McCarthy & Conlon to review the towns accounting ledgers and records. It will be a free assessment.

Eddy said afterward that that the board wants to make sure it is starting with a clean slate regarding its finances.

The town also voted to hire Debra Runyon as a part-time temporary bookkeeper at a rate of $12.50 per hour. The exact hours were not specified but part time is up to 20 hours, according to Eddy.

He said afterward that the bookkeeper quit. He just stopped showing up.

Neither the resolution about the financial assessment nor the one about the bookkeeper was in the packet of resolutions initially provided by the clerk on Tuesday. The assessment resolution was in the hard copy packet provided at the meeting.

There was no mention of any other controversies including the more than $7,000 worth of garbage bags that went missing during Hydes time as town clerk and an investigation into possible mishandling by Templeton of donations going to the American Cancer Society.

Hyde and Templeton declined any further comment regarding the proceedings by walking away from a reporter.

The board will meet again on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. to review letters of interest for the vacant positions.
Students at Hudson Falls Intermediate School participated in the Great Kindness Challenge for the second year this past week. The community was charged with committing as many acts of kindness as possible.

The week kicked off with a Community Kindness Tunnel, in which firefighters, police officers, elected officials and other community members surrounded the students on either side and gave them high-fives as they entered the building, according to fourth-grade teacher Heather Craner.

Craner said students were challenged to commit 10,000 acts of kindness. They also collected donation items to go to a local food pantry. Each class has been assigned an item that is needed.

Students also learned a kindness song, participated in a banner contest and dressed up for a kindness-theme spirit week.

Craner said school officials are trying to create a positive culture.

 Michael Goot

Mall departures

Zumiez, a skateboard-themed clothing and accessories company, closed its Aviation Mall store recently after more than 15 years there, one of three recent closings of stores in the Queensbury shopping center.

Zumiez has had a store in the mall since the summer of 2001, and also has a store locally in Wilton Mall. The company reported sales were down 3.4 percent last month, but no store closure announcements were made.

A gift store located two shops away from Zumiez, Ye Olde Gift Shoppe, and a Harley-Davidson themed shop also closed in the weeks since Christmas.

The Hallmark store, whose planned January closure had previously been announced, had its last day Wednesday.

At least 10 shops were vacant in the mall as of Wednesday, with two video game stores closing just before Christmas.

Mall management and marketing staff have not returned phone calls and emails about the mall in recent weeks, so it was unclear whether any prospective tenants were lined up to fill any of the empty spots.

Robotics open house

The Cambridge Central School FIRST robotics competition team is inviting the public to join them on Saturday for an open house.

The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in their workshop, located on the first floor at the 17 Mile VARAK Park Facility at 15 West Main St. in Cambridge.

The schools 5236 Man O War Robotics team will showcase the 2017 Steamworks Competition video, and attendees can experience the teams typical build day, including fabrication and production, electronics, programming and three-dimensional modeling, according to a news release.

In the 2016 competition, the team ended the regular challenge fourth out of 36 teams competing from New York, Canada, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Hawaii, China and the Netherlands, according to news release.

A team from Shenendehowa will also be on hand.

The teams are gearing up for the Steamworks competition, which will be held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on March 16-18.

 Michael Goot

Whats in a name?

The Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival is expanding and will now be known as the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival.

This event, held at the Washington County Fairgrounds Sept. 23 and 24, will continue to offer education on the products produced in fiber arts, raw fleece, roving, spinning supplies, needle felting, dyes, yarns and items needed to knit, crochet and weave.

The name change was made to represent the additions that this years and future festivals will include. New artisans and vendors will include pottery, body care products, healing arts, jewelry, culinary arts, craft beverage producers, leather, paper crafts, photography, printmaking, sculpture and wood arts.

For more information, email adkwoolandartsfestival@gmail.com or call 692-2464.

 Bill Toscano

Students donate food

Schuylerville Middle School students donated more than 1,600 items of food to Schuylerville Area Food and Emergency Relief.

The collection was part of the Future Business Leaders of Americas annual food drive challenge, which ran during December at the school.

Students were encouraged to form teams of up to eight friends. Sixth-graders Lucas Fitzgerald and Bailee Seymour made up the top team, the Corny Kids, which donated 673 items. The pair donated more items than any team in the past four years, according to a news release. They received a grand prize basket.

Students embraced the spirit of giving back to the community in many touching ways this year, said Heidi Smith, FBLA adviser, in a news release. Yes, there was an incentive prize basket for the winning team, but more kids each year are investing in our community.

Smith said that students used the resources available to them to get the word out about the food drive. Several seventh-grade students created flyers to distribute to neighbors and friends asking for donations, and seventh-grader Chloe Bartholomew asked guests attending her birthday party to bring a food donation in lieu of a birthday gift. She was able to donate 122 items.

Representatives of SAFER collected the donations on Jan. 13.

 Michael Goot

Leader conference

Argyle sophomore Collin MacKenzie has been selected to attend the Hugh OBrien Youth Leadership Leadership Seminar in June at SUNY Oneonta.

Collin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan MacKenzie. He participates in a variety of extracurricular activities including All-County Choral, NYSSSA Ballet, Schuylerville Community Theatre and the Hudson River Shakespeare Company, according to a news release. Collin spends much of his time working with Glens Falls Ballet and Dance studying a variety of dance genres.

The HOBY Foundation was established to give outstanding sophomores the opportunity to interact with recognized leaders in business, government, science, art and education through workshops designed to develop and stimulate young peoples leadership abilities.

 Michael Goot
A thoughtful reader has sent me a couple of emails that suggest the mental state of President Trump  specifically the extent to which he exhibits symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder  is a story the press is neglecting.

Trumps issues with truth, his self-aggrandizement, his inability to accept any criticism or evidence that he is not hugely popular, his vindictiveness, and his efforts that you cite to shut down the communication channels of contrary voices and opinions, are all symptoms of his NPD personality disorder, he writes.

He could be right, but Im not sure the why of what Trump says and does matters.

Hes the president of the United States. His actions are important. Historians of the future can agonize over his reasons.

Trump has put together a draft of an executive order on refugees that, among other things, would ban Syrian refugees indefinitely.

The order could stop Rutland, Vermont, from carrying out previous arrangements to welcome 100 refugees from Syria and Iraq. Just two refugee families from Syria have made it to Rutland. They are beginning what so many families have been through before  learning our language and culture, finding jobs, sending their children to school.

I was hoping Glens Falls could become a city where refugees are resettled, because we need people  especially motivated and hard-working people  and because the refugees need homes and communities. These families were displaced by violence and fleeing terror; their children, in many cases, have endured missile strikes.

For a previous column, I spoke with Ed Pawlowski, the mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania, which has welcomed refugee families from Liberia, the Sudan, Iraq and Syria.

The refugees have been the best of citizens, he said  excellent homeowners, small business owners, an excellent part of the fabric of our city.

Although Trump is taking a knife to that fabric, confronting him is tricky, because any one action can be explained and justified, minimized and normalized by his apologists.

Making a fuss over Trumps lies about voter fraud or the size of his inauguration crowd risks sounding hysterical; screeching about his immigration restrictions, his muzzling of federal workers, his support for torture or his multiple conflicts of interest can seem, in isolation, overblown.

But if you take it all together  the brushing aside of ethics, the lies, the lashing of the press, personalizing of disputes, scapegoating of the powerless  you see an autocrat in the making whose behavior is more reminiscent of Mussolinis than of any 20th or 21st century U.S. president.

The burden of Trumps pique is falling now on helpless folks outside the circles of the lives most of us lead. Even if wed like to help Syrian refugees, its easy to turn away. But how long can we keep shrugging off the indefensible? Our shoulders are going to get tired from all the shrugging.
















Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said there would be dangerous consequences following Israels announcement on Tuesday approving the construction of 2,500 housing units in settlements in the West Bank, Israel Radio reported Thursday morning.









Speaking at a meeting of his Fatah party in Ramallah, Abbas also reportedly said that Palestinian diplomats will work to try and put a halt to the construction and that he is in consultations with officials from both Arab and other unspecified countries on how to introduce the subject in international forums.









Following Tuesdays announcement, numerous Palestinian officials condemned the move, including Palestinian Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi .





Such a deliberate escalation of Israels illegal settlement enterprise constitutes a war crime and the flagrant violation of international law and conventions, in particular UN Security Council Resolution 2334, she said, a reference to a resolution from last month that condemned Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a flagrant violation under international law.





The settlement building needs to be condemned, Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog told reporters.









We believe that any action that is taken in violation of international law or Security Council resolution 2334, regardless of who violates that resolution, needs to be condemned, he said.

The ambassador, who holds the council presidency this month, said council members received an update on the situation but that no one pushed for immediate action during the talks, which were requested by Bolivia.





Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters the council must ensure that its own resolutions are upheld and that Israel must not get away with it by building in settlements.





He said the Palestinians are discussing all kind of ideas with council members and others to ensure that the resolution is implemented.





The Swedish ambassador said that despite taking no immediate action, everyone in the council [who] spoke today is eager to make sure we find ways to minimize the effects of unilateral action.













The possibility of passing a joint Security Council resolution condemning resolution appears unlikely, as US President Donald Trump harshly criticized the Obama administrations decision to withhold the USs veto last month, writing on Twitter that we cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect and encouraging Israel to stay strong until he assumed the presidency.





On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump was reportedly preparing two executive orders that would halt US funding to the UN and other bodies that grant full membership to the PA and the PLO.





This latest White House moves coincide with Republican efforts in the Senate to defund the United Nations over the Security Council passing a resolution last December that condemned Israeli settlements as illegal. While that measure  introduced by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R)  aims to punish the world body for its censuring Israel, it also aims to incentivize the UN to reverse course. The motion would strip the UN of American assistance until the president can certify to Congress that UNSC Resolution 2334 has been repealed.

Amid condemnation from the EU, UN, Germany and a number of other countries, the US did not condemn Tuesdays announcement on settlement construction, with White House press secretary Sean Spicer saying during Tuesdays daily press briefing that were going to have a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and well continue to discuss that. Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States, [Trump] wants to grow closer with Israel, to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East, Spicer said.





































O bama was seen storming away from the West Wing after staffers from Donald Trumps transition team began preparing the executive offices for the new administration. On Trumps orders, one of Obamas most secretive rituals is being reversed and all signs of it removed from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

For the past 8 years, to appease any Muslims working at or visiting the White House, silence has been ordered during the 5 times of Islamic prayer each day. In addition, prayer rugs and crescent moon symbols are available in several areas of the executive mansion to make Muslims more comfortable.









The administration has defended the practice by asserting that it also observes several other religious moments of silence and prayer out of respect, including a full 15 seconds for Christianity on Sunday morning while a chaplain blesses a staff breakfast. None of the prayers is mandatory or led by a government official, which has allowed the administration to subvert 1st Amendment issues, but the obvious favoritism towards Islam, which is observed for 25 minutes per day 7 days a week, tells a story this president has denied for 8 years.













President-elect Trump, who acknowledges that this country was founded by Christians and was built on Christian morals, is having all pagan symbols removed from the property unless they offer some historical significance. Only the cross in the White House chapel will remain for worship. Jim Mergernerlerny, head of the team that will transform the White House from the Obamas home to the Trumps second home, told MSNBC:









Mr Trump doesnt see the need to provide prayer rugs and false idols in a house built by Christians. Washington, DC offers a diverse cultural centre for the worship of any kind. You wont find any special considerations for Judaism or crucifixes to appease Catholics, either. There is a simple chapel with a single cross on one wall that is suitable for prayer by anyone. Our government doesnt need to be forcing prayer rituals down peoples throats just so we dont offend apologising people looking to blow us up .




































Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his long-held belief on Thursday that Iran poses the greatest danger to Israel and predicted that the worlds silence in the face of the Islamic Republics threats to annihilate the Jewish state will end now that US President Donald Trump is in office.





Speaking at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem in an address for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu said the greatest danger that we face, of hatred for the Jewish people and the Jewish state  comes from Iran. It comes from the ayatollah regime that is fanning [the] flames [of anti-Semitism] and calling outright for the destruction of the Jewish state.





Netanyahu lashed out bitterly at the worlds deafening silence when the Iranian regime merely calls to wipe out every Israeli, and expressed confidence that this approach would change with Trump as president. I believe it will change, he said.





Netanyahu referenced the phone call earlier this week between the two leaders in which they discussed the Iranian nuclear deal, a source of tension between Netanyahu and former president Barack Obama, among a host of other issues. I spoke a few days ago to President Trump and he spoke about the Iranian aggression. He spoke about Irans commitment to destroy Israel. He spoke about the nature of this nuclear agreement and the danger it poses. We spoke about it together, Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also denounced the rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incidents around the world, warning that the hatred and intolerance that drove [the Holocaust] has not been eradicated, even as he seemed to praise European leaders who have spoken out against the phenomenon.



Anti-Semitism is experiencing a revival in the enlightened West; you can see this in European capitals, just unbelievable. The rise of anti-Semitism, the resurgence of anti-Semitism. That is happening. And few would have imagined that this would be possible a few years ago, he said.





































A North Korean defector and former diplomat has claimed that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un could launch a nuclear missile aimed at Los Angeles, knowing that Washington would retaliate. During a BBC interview, Thae Yong-ho claimed Kim was liable to press "the button on these dangerous weapons when he thinks that his rule and his dynasty is threatened."





Thae, formerly deputy ambassador for the DPRK to the UK, and the longest-serving official in that embassy before fleeing to Seoul with his family in August 2016, is one of a slew of high-ranking officials who have defected from Pyongyang recently. He said the obstinate Kim "knows that if he loses the power then it is his last day so he may do anything, even to attack Los Angeles, because once people know that in any way you will be killed, then you will do anything. That is the human being's normal reaction."





The defector, speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire show, said, "Kim Jong Un knows quite well that a nuclear weapon is the only guarantee for his rule. If he lose the power then it is his last day. He may do anything."





Last week, Tom Zoellner, associate English professor at Chapman University, wrote in a Los Angeles Times op-ed that, "Even an inaccurately fired ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) stands a good chance of taking out millions of people instead of hitting lightly populated desert or mountains."





































The State Department has halted hundreds of millions of dollars in assets that the Obama administration previously authorized for the Palestinians in President Obamas final days in office.

The State Department is currently examining the transfer of $221 million intended for Ramallah. Former Secretary of State John Kerry ordered the money to be shipped to Israels eternal rival just hours before January 20. A source in Palestine told the Times of Israel that the Palestine Authority has already received $250 million from the US government in 2016.





































President Trump is expected to sign an executive order blocking Syria, plus six other Muslim majority nations, from getting visas until the scrutiny process is changed. However, a huge exception is being made for persecuted religious miniories, which includes the persecuted Christians of these nations:





Donald Trump is expected to block all refugees from Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries on Wednesday. Religious minorities escaping persecution will escape the ban which will last for several months, it is thought, until more aggressive vetting is in place.

Executive orders expected to be signed on Wednesday will block visas being issued to anyone from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, said aides and immigration experts close to the White House, according to Reuters









Both Trump and his nominee for attorney general, Senator Jeff Sessions , have since said they would focus the restrictions on countries whose migrants could pose a threat, rather than a ban on those of a specific religion.








































































































SBI standalone profit jumps 74 per cent to Rs 13,265 crore in the second quarter of FY23 as against Rs 7,627 crore a year ago.
Just last week, Iraqi forces reclaimed the eastern half of Mosul, and it's only a matter of time until the entire city is back in Iraqi hands. It's just the latest in a string of setbacks for the terror group, which has lost upwards of 50% of its territory so far.

Whether ISIS fighters happen to die fighting, or flee their positions to fight another day  they often leave a treasure trove of ordnance, propaganda, and intelligence materials that can prove helpful against them.

Here's what was left behind after ISIS took off.

contributed to a previous version of this article.

In much of its territory, ISIS has its own propaganda posted to show the people who's in charge, like this billboard with Quranic verses in the historic city of Palmyra, Syria.

And ISIS flags abound, like this one in an abandoned building.

Tripods and a projector were left inside an ancient hammam, or steam bath, which was used by ISIS as a media center in Manbij, Syria.

Here's what else remained there.

Some buildings feature tunnels, for fighters to move into and out of positions. This was found in Sinjar, Iraq.

Other buildings featured car parts, which, according to Syria Democratic Forces fighters, were used by ISIS militants to prepare car bombs.

This heavily-armored suicide car bomb was seized by Iraqi soldiers in Mosul earlier this week.

While this ISIS tank, along with other ordnance, was captured in November.

There seems to be no shortage of ammo. ISIS stacked these rocket-propelled grenades at a school in Fallujah.

They also left behind explosives ...

... And other ordnance and plenty of sandbags to protect the perimeter.

While Iraqi forces can take selfies in former ISIS strongholds ...

... Valuable intelligence can be gleaned from documents the group's fighters leave behind, like this book found in Fallujah.

These Russian passports were found in Mosul.

This is a marriage certificate issued by the Islamic State.

Besides the wide variety of ammo and weaponry found abandoned ...

... Or rooms dedicated to making powerful bombs ...

... Iraqi and US forces have found drones that ISIS uses to drop explosives.

Anti-ISIS forces have also discovered the haunting cells of former ISIS prisons.
Patrick Kennedy, the State Department's undersecretary for management, and three of his top officials resigned abruptly recently, The Post reported. All are career diplomats who have served under presidents from both parties.

Two other senior leaders in the State Department left earlier this month. Post columnist Josh Rogin characterized it as an "ongoing mass exodus of senior foreign service officers who don't want to stick around for the Trump era."

David Wade, who was the State Department's chief of staff under Secretary of State John Kerry, told The Post that it's "the single biggest simultaneous departure of institutional memory that anyone can remember."

"Department expertise in security, management, administrative and consular positions in particular are very difficult to replicate and particularly difficult to find in the private sector," Wade said.

Trump, however, built his presidential campaign around an antiestablishment mind-set. The Post said he had planned to find a replacement for Kennedy, who initially hoped to stay in his job under Rex Tillerson, Trump's nominee for secretary of state.

Still, Rogin said that "the emptying of leadership in the management bureaus" is "disruptive because those offices need to be led by people who know the department and have experience running its complicated bureaucracies."
Senior Magistrate Hassan Ahmad did not give the convicts an option of fine.

The convicts were also charged with possession of deadly weapons and possession of intoxicating substances.

The prosecutor, Insp. Haziel Ledafowa, had submitted that a team of policemen on patrol arrested one 27-year-old Abba Saadu and 32 others on Jan. 21.

He said that the convicts were arrested at various points at Kofar Mata and Kofar Nasarawa, while disturbing public peace and armed with dangerous weapons.
Tyokyaa was charged with culpable homicide punishable under Section 222 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004.

The prosecutor, Insp. Michael Iorundu, told the court that the case was reported at the Nigeria Police Divisional Headquarters, C Division, Makurdi, by one Isaac Kwaghga on Jan. 10.

Iorundu said Kwaghga told the police that on Jan. 9, the accused person went to the house of his younger brother, one Akwuave Tarpev at Tse-Yaji, Makurdi and hit his four-month-old baby boys head on the floor.

Kwaghga said that while the infant was sleeping, the accused lifted him up and hit his head on the floor, Iorundu said.

He said that the little boy was rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) for treatment, but later died.

According to the prosecutor, the accused person was arrested and he voluntarily confessed to have committed the crime.

However, when the case came up, plea of the accused was not taken for lack of jurisdiction of the court to entertain such matters.
The gruesome murder is reported to have taken place in Peki, where the carpenter was attacked by an unknown assailant.

READ ALSO: Gynecologist warns against fake dildos on Ghanaian market

The deceased, believed to be aged 37, was attacked while in his room. Reports indicate that he was butchered with a cutlass leading to wounds all over his body.

Narrating the incident to Citifmonline, an eyewitness said the victim, who initially passed out and had his intestines gushing out, was rushed to the Peki Government Hospital and later to the Volta Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Danjak of Danube River Close, Maitama, Abuja, was arraigned for theft.

Magistrate Mohammed Tahir, who handed down the verdict, said the court had no option than to sentence Danjak since he had pleaded guilty.

Tahir, however, did not give the convict an option of fine.

Earlier, Prosecutor Adama Musa had told the court that a man, Yohana Zakaria of Mararaba in Nasarawa State near Abuja reported the incident at Maitama Police Station on Jan. 15.

He said on the same day the complainant visited the accused at his place of work at Maitama,and while they were chatting, he stole the complainants Nokia phone valued at N13,500 and hide it somewhere.

The defendant denied stealing the phone but during investigation, it was recovered from him.
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His lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu, who confirmed this, said that no monetary figure can compensate Eric for the loss of life because being in prison for that long, if he were out he could have been promoted because he is a teacher, he could have done further courses and do well. He could have gotten married and had children and so on.

READ ALSO:

He told Accra-based Class FM that I think nothing less than 10 million Ghana Cedis should do for compensation for him.

Background

This was after a DNA test carried out on the child believed to be the result of the defilement proved that Asante was not the father.

In September 2005, Eric Asante was sentenced to 15 years in jail with hard labour by the Tamale High Court after being convicted of defiling and impregnating a female student, the result of which was a son.
Nana Addo did not appoint him (Asomah-Kyeremeh) as Regional Minister for Sunyani Region but as the Minister for the Brong Ahafoif the chiefs dislike him, they should rather write a letter to Nana Addo to request that no MCE be brought to Sunyani because thats their jurisdiction and not entire Brong Ahafo, he said on Accra-based Asempa FM.

The Sunyani Traditional Council has raised some concerns over the nomination of Mr Kwaku Asoma-Cheremeh as the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister-designate.

At a press conference at the Palace of the Sunyani Omanhene on Thursday, the Krontihene of the area, Nana Bofotia Boa Amponsem II said the conduct of Mr Asoma-Cheremeh towards the authority of the traditional council was unacceptable.

President Akufo-Addo in announcing the Bonno Ahafo Regional Minister designate on Tuesday said Mr Asoma-Cheremehs hard work enabled the NPP to win 20 seats in the region.

But Nana Amponsem said there is no way the traditional Council would be able to work with Mr Asoma-Cheremeh as the regional minister.

Backgound

The Paramount Chief, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri, in October 2016, declared support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate John Mahama.

He predicted that John Mahama will win the 2016 election in the region with an overwhelming 80%.

READ ALSO:

The NPP, however, condemned statement from the paramount chief, describing it as unfortunate and a breach of the countrys constitution.

The Regional Chairman of the NPP Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh then indicated that the Chief "stooped to the lowest level to call on residents of the region to endorse the Presidency of Mahama".

He asked the Paramount Chief not to have appetite for favours from the President at the expense of their subjects. Our chiefs should realize that power is transient and the word impermanence is attached to every sphere of life.

But the Traditional Council raised concerns with the comments by the regional executives and asked the Brong Ahafo Regional Council of Elders of the NPP to compel the regional executives to apologise.

The council said Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh had undermined the authority of the Sunyani Omanhene.

But the NPP failed to apologise for the comments. This has resulted in a misunderstanding between the two factions.

The Regional Youth Organiser however indicated that Asomah-Cheremehs response to them at the time had the endorsement of the entire Regional Executives and members of the NPP in the region.

We will deal with Asomah-Cheremeh if he goes to apologisewe want to reiterate that we stand by what we said, we have no regrets, the chiefs meddled in politics and that is unconstitutional so they must be told in the faceAsomah-Kyeremeh would be the Regional Minister, Kwame Baffoe said.
The declaration is constitutionally mandated of all public officers and comes after the president had tried but was unsuccessfully in declaring his assets.

Why couldnt he declare?

President Nana Akufo-Addo had a taste of the inefficiencies in Ghanas public service when he attempted to declare his assets to the Auditor General.

The president was hoping to fulfill the constitutional requirement of declaring his assets upon assuming the highest office of the land but that could not happen because the Auditor Generals department has run out of receipt books.

The president was said to be shocked when the official he sent to carry out the obligation, reverted with the news. The receipt book is needed to serve as proof that the mandatory exercise of asset declaration had been carried out by the president.

The situation was compounded when the official asked that a phone call be placed when the department had been restocked with receipt books so he could come back.

Surprisingly, he was told the landline phones at the department were also not working.

Analysis

President Nana Akufo-Addo assumed office on January 7, 2017 following a successful election campaign during which he promised to clamp down on corruption.

Although he is mandated to declare his assets only to the Auditor General before and after his term, the president has in the past committed to make that declaration public.
"They should ensure they involve Parliament so that at least the opposition knows what is going on. During Ghana@50 celebration they were invited but after a week of attending meetings those on the minority side stopped coming. But sadly, they were the same people making a lot of noise about the celebration. Im sure if the current minority side is fully involved in deliberations during meetings of this Ghana@60 anniversary celebration, the hullabaloo that characterized the previous celebration will not happen. Mpiani said on Kasapa FM.
That's not a lot of time. That's also why it's so important to make sure that your resume doesn't include any errors that might prompt a hiring manager to toss it straight into the "no" pile.

Jessica Pointing, a Harvard junior who was offered internships at companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, McKinsey, Bain, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, shared some insight on how to make sure your resume isn't discarded out of hand.

"Don't make your resume easy to be disregarded immediately," Pointing says. "There should be no errors in terms of spelling or grammar in your resume."

Sure, you should turn on spell-check, but there's also a surefire way of making certain that your resume is clean.

"After looking at your resume for so long, you become used to it. You won't notice any errors. The easiest way to make sure your resume is perfect is to have other people proofread it," Pointing, whose website the Optimize Guide features educational and career advice for high school and college students, told Business Insider.

"After I wrote my resume, I had five people read it. I asked my parents, my friends, and people at the college's career center. They proofread my resume and gave me feedback."
The accused, Kosoko, 21, Quam, 28, and Usman, 35, whose addresses were not known, are standing trial on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, receiving stolen goods and armed robbery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plea of the accused was not taken.

However, the charge sheet stated that the accused committed the alleged offences between Nov. 5 and Nov. 6, 2016, at Aroloya Street, Isale Eko in Lagos.

It stated that Kosoko and Quam, robbed various houses while armed with dangerous weapons, including cutlasses and guns.

The charge also stated that Kosoko and Quam, carted away properties from the houses they robbed, the value of which were yet to be verified.

It stated that Usman received the stolen items from Kosoko and Quam.

The charge stated that the offences contravened Sections 326 (1) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

It also contravened Sections 1(2) (9a) and 1(2) (a) (b) of the Robbery and Firearms Special Provision Act Cap 393 Vol. XXI, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

The prosecutor, Mr A. O. Fadipe, a lawyer with Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad, urged the court to remand the accused in custody.

He said that the file would be duplicated and sent to the office of the Directorate for Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

The prosecutor also said that the application for the remand of the accused was brought pursuant to section 264 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of the Federation.

Lawyers to the accused, Mrs Helen Ibeji, and Mr Prince Owen-Brown, urged the court to disregard the application of the prosecutor.

However, the Magistrate, Mrs A. T. Omoyele, remanded the accused in custody and ordered that the case file be sent to the DPP for legal advice.
Ojo said that the accused persons committed the offence on June 28 and Dec. 31, 2016 at a pond located at No 7, Ilupeju-Ekiti road, Itapa-Ekiti.

He alleged that the accused persons conspired between themselves to commit theft and stole 11,000 pieces of catfish fish, property of on Abioye Ayodeji, valued at N12 million.

According to him, the offence contravened Section 382 punishable under Section 390 Cap 38 of the Criminal Code Act, LFN, 2004.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read for them.

The counsel to the accused persons, Mr Raymond Anyawu, applied for their bail, promising the court that the accused would not jump bail.

The prosecutor, who opposed the bail application, was overruled by the court.The Presiding Chief Magistrate, Mr Idowu Ayenimo, granted the accused N200, 000 bail with two sureties in like sum.

He ordered that the sureties must swear to affidavits of means and produce two passport photographs, while one of the sureties must be a civil servant on Grade Level 12 and above.
PM Express gather that the officer, Sergeant Igweson Patrick, was hospitalized after Joseph rained blows on his mouth when he went to effect an arrest following a distress call in the Ajegunle area of the state.

It was learned that Sergeant Patrick was severely injured and could not use his mouth to eat or drink.

Trouble was said to have brewed when a local government health worker identified as Bright Akinpelu, went to Josephs house to effect environmental sanitation monitoring but he assaulted her, forcing her to contact the police to rescue her.

But when Sergeant Patrick who was detailed to go and arrest the suspect visited the scene for maintenance of peace and order arrest of the suspect, he was also attacked by Joseph who left him bleeding profusely from the mouth after the assault.

He was rushed to the hospital for treatment while other officers were mobilized to the area and Joseph was arrested and detained.

When a count charge of assault was read to the suspect, he pleaded not guilty and the presiding Magistrate, M.A. Etti, granted him bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety in like sum.
The accused, Ndubusi Okonkwo, was arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery, Daily Post reports.

ALSO READ: High Court sentences man to death by hanging

According to the prosecutor and state counsel in the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Abiodun Alapere, the convict was apprehended at Isida Street, Ilesa with dangerous weapons and a Mercedes Benz in his possession at about 10:30 pm on August 5, 2014.

The court heard that the unknown vehicle had registration number AAA75C and other particulars, all of which the convict had been unable to account for.

Alapere added that the crime had been committed by the accused and some others who are still at large.

He said that the offense was contrary to sections 6(1)(a) and 5(1) of the robbery and fire arm(Special Provision) Cap R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

However, the counsel to the convict, Mr Akponta Oku, pleaded with the justice to temper her judgement with mercy.

ALSO READ: 2 men sentenced to death for N5M robbery
The Kebbi State commander, Mr Bamaiyi Alhaji, who disclosed this at a news conference in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, added that the command also impounded 36 vehicles during the period.

He said, We arrested 102 suspected drug dealers, impounded 28 motorcycles , eight vehicles and seized eight tons of assorted drugs in 2016."

Most of the arrests were made in the border towns of two African countries: Benin and Niger Republics."

According to him, while the command had convicted 96 of the suspects, 47 are being counseled while 11 suspects were undergoing rehabilitation.

Alhaji also said, Some quantities of drugs were also recovered while in transit from Ogun and Oyo states through Yauri  Jega road, he said.

Alhaji added that the command also seized 794kilogrammes of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) within the period.

The commander commended the state government for the renovation of its dilapidated quarters and the prompt release of its monthly intervention fund.

The state government approved N10 million to be expended in the repairs of NDLEA quarters and which are functioning well now, he said.

He, however, appealed for assistance in the area of logistics so that the agency could effectively carry out its statutory duties.

With all these successes recorded, we relied on only one functional vehicle, while covering 21 local government areas.
Torkuma, 19, was charged with conspiracy, abduction and rape punishable under Sections 97, 274 and 284 of the Penal Code, Laws of Benue, 2004.

The accused hails from Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue.

The prosecutor, Insp. Hyacinth Gbakor, had submitted that Torkuma conspired with three others to abduct and rape the teenage girl while she was on her way to the market.

Gbakor said that the incidents occurred on Jan. 5.

He told the court that the rape victim was going to the Katsina-Ala Market to buy zips for sewing.

The prosecutor said that the teenage girl was found unconscious the following day near a river.

According to him, the victim was rushed to the Nguher Clinic where she later narrated what happened.

He said that the police arrested Torkuma during an investigation, while the others were still at large.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court did not take Torkumas plea for want of jurisdiction.
The accused, Oladapo Oyeniyi, 48, and Kunle Ayotoye, 45, whose addresses were not disclosed in court, are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and fraud before an Igbosere Magistrates Court.

The prosecutor, Insp. Amedu Adoga, told the court that the accused committed the offences between December 2012 and January 2013, at No. 3, Oje Imsisnvan St., Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said the accused and some others still at large conspired and issued an instruction to Habib Bank domiciled in UK to transfer $1.2 million to 12 different beneficiaries.

Adoga said that the duo issued the instruction to the bank in the guise that it was their employer, one Mr Chris Ejike that issued the instruction.

He said that the accused issued the instruction with the intention that it be acted upon as genuine.

The bank believed that the instruction emanated from their employer and carried it out without further verification, he said.

He alleged that the accused stole the said money.

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 285 (8), 361 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The counsel to the accused, Mr Bode Omoboriowo, urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.

The magistrate, Mrs A. O. Awogboro, granted the accused bail in the sum of N5 million bail each with two sureties each in like sum.

She said the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

Awogboro said the sureties must have landed property and should be blood relations of the accused.
According to a report by Vanguard Newspaper, the terrorists invaded the camp situated in Kamuya village of Buratai ward of Biu Local Government Area of Borno state.

The members of the terrorist sect reportedly sacked the soldiers at their duty post and carted away arms and ammunitions in the camp, which is 6 kilometres to Buratai, the ancestral home of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

The incident according to sources took place on Wednesday, but due to lack of telecommunication network in the area, as it was hitherto vandalized by the sect, the information had to be delayed before reaching the press.

There was a bloody attack on a military camp in Kamuya by suspected terrorists on Wednesday. The attackers first succeeded in sacking the soldiers at their duty post, after which, they invaded the camp and carted away with huge arms and ammunitions.

It was also gathered that three soldiers were feared dead with the setting ablaze of the entire camp, a source reportedly said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three suspected members of the sect were recently trailed to the bush in the area by members of the group, which led to their arrest.

Speaking to NAN in Gusau on Friday, the Commanding Officer of the 223 Light Tank Battalion, Col. Adamu Abdullahi, described the security tactics of the group as remarkable.

He said that security operatives, particularly the Army, had made several appeals to the public to always give useful information that could lead to the arrest of criminals in the state.

This is definitely one of the results of such appeals and we do not want it to go unnoticed because only God knows how many lives this effort has saved."

The commanding officer of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, declared that even with the surrender of arms and ammunition by repentant armed bandits to the government, military operations will continue until we rid the state of all forms of criminals."

I want to assure the public that the soldiers will continue to comb the bushes to arrest all other suspects, he said.

The Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, who handed over the suspects to the army at his palace, said he got a report that the sect members were 11 in number and, therefore, expressed the need for the arrest of the rest of the insurgents still at large  to give people in this area a peace of mind.

NAN reports that the suspects were found to have hid their weapons, including AK 47 rifles and ammunition, in a load mounted on camel back.
Justice Latee Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja gave the judgment on Thursday, January 26.

The jail term, however, will run concurrently for 10 years.

Ugo-Ngali was also ordered to return the N754 million to the Federal Government.

The convict would have been sentenced on January 13, the day she was found guilty of the crime, but she slumped in court just before the judgment was about to be passed.

She was rushed to Havannah Hospital in Surelere area of Lagos and later moved to the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.

Ugo-Ngali was said to have been brought to court on Thursday straight from LUTH and on a wheel chair, with plasters on her body.

But her ill-health did not stop Justice Okunnu from sending her to prison.

The judge rejected her lawyer's plea that the sentence should be non-custodial in view of his clients health.

"I have considered the plea of the defence counsel for a non-custodial sentence of the 2nd defendant. I have to say that the request to grant a non-custodial sentence must be rejected and I can only exercise my discretion on the length of time the convict will spend in prison," Justice Okunnu held.

The judge, therefore, sentenced Ugo-Ngali to a cumulative jail term of 69 years.

Justice Okunnu said the jail term will start reading from the day Ugo-Ngali and her accomplices were pronounced convicted, which was on January 13.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Ugo-Ngali, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited and its Chairman, Mr. Walter Wagbatsoma on eight counts.

Wagbatsoma, who is the first convict in the case, is said to be currently under house arrest in the United Kingdom.
In a statement signed by acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Rabe Abubakar, the attention of the general public was drawn to a new tactic being used by female suicide bombers in the Northeastern part of the country.

He further said they in turn appear as nursing mothers and free from detection by security operatives.

Abubakar explained further that the two recent suicide bomb attacks in Madagali, Adamawa State, were executed via this tactic.

Hence, the DHQ called on Nigerians to be patient and cooperate with the military and other security agencies while carrying out thorough security search and checks.

The statement also stated that the traffic snarls at military and security check points arising from rigorous security checks are not meant to cause discomfort, but to ensure that lives and properties are protected.

ALSO READ: Defence Headquarters raises alarm over fake National IDs
Oyewole, the institutions Pro-Chancellor, Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe, and the Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi, are standing trial on an 18 count-charge bordering on abuse of office, stealing and fraud to the tune of N409 million.

Majekodumi adjourned the matter saying that the interest of justice demands time to get its facts to determine if the court has the jurisdiction to entertain the case or not.

Mr Wale Adesokan, counsel to Ogunlewe, had brought an application seeking to quash his clients name from the case, saying the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case.

Adesokan said that Counts 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 deal with stealing while Counts 12, 13, 14 and 15deal with abuse of office.

He argued that that Count 1 did not provide details of what they alleged Ogunlewe stole.

The count does not disclose the amount of money which they said the accused conspired to steal.

Also counts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 alleged that the defendant stole and fraudulently converted certain sum of money.

According to him, Section 383(1) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun State, provides that a charge cannot alleged two offences in one stealing by taking and stealing by conversion.

The law frowns at that, it is not possible to do both stealing and conversion.

Section 36(6)( a) is lacking in those counts, so those counts are unconstitutional, Adesokan said.

He also contested Counts 12, 13, 14 and 15 which alleged abuse of office, saying that the matter could not be laid before the court except by the consent of a law officer.

Adesokan also raised observation that the signature on the application document of the EFCC was not signed by a legal practitioner.

But Mr Benedict Ubi, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), opposed the application, insisting that the court had jurisdiction to try the accused persons.

Ubi argued that the facts which were raised by Ogunlewes counsel were not contained in their application and submission.

He, consequently, sought for an adjournment in order for them to respond to the motion seeking to quash Ogunlewes name from the trial.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three principal officers of FUNAAB were arraigned on Nov. 25 on 18 counts bordering on N409 million fraud.
Emefiele was threatened with arrest alongside the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Ahmed Idris over oil licenses.

According to the House, the threat is in respect of the sale of Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPLs) and Oil Mining Leases OMLs to some international oil companies (OICs).

The Chairman of the House AdHoc Committee on OPLs/OMLs, Rep. Gideon Gwani (PDP-Kaduna), issued the threat while briefing newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

He said the committees mandate was to carry out investigation of all the OPLs and OMLs granted by the Federal Government.

Gwani further said that in the course of the investigation, the committee discovered that there were many anomalies in the process of the award of the oil blocs to IOCs by the government.

The lawmaker said that other issues being investigated by the committee include the award of marginal fields and signature bonuses among others.

Gwani also said that no production activity took place in some oil blocs awarded to the IOCs over 30 years ago.

He said that though there were pieces of evidence that about 26.2 dollars were invested by the government, no evidence of payment for the signature bonus was made in respect of the payment.

Our findings have shown that 1.4billion dollars may be lost by the Federal Government on the OPLs/OMLs deal, he said.

He also said that the committee needed clear evidence that the signature bonuses for the marginal fields were paid for by the IOCs.

Gwani said the officials would be arrested if Ministry of Petroleum Resources, CBN and AGF Office failed to provide evidence of payment of the signature bonuses on the sale of the oil blocs.

It is also worth mentioning that in the course of the investigation, the committee discovered a lot of issues being investigated to arrive at a conclusion.

Some of the discoveries include the award of oil blocs by persons other than those prescribed by the petroleum Act.

Other issues are the guidelines and the processes of the award where oil blocs were awarded to persons or companies other than those that participated at the bid rounds.The other one is the award of marginal fields for life.
The gunmen were said to have stormed the lawyer's house in the early hours - 2:27 am - of Thursday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, and shot him twice in the leg.

According to Punch, the assailants carted away four laptops.

It was reported that the attack is connected to the probe of Apostle Weeks' collapsed church building, which killed many worshippers and injured hundreds in Uyo last December.

The newspaper cited a family source who said the attackers accused Ekpo of being responsible for the lies Weeks told the Commission of Inquiry investigating the building collapse.

The gunmen, according to the source, claimed that Weeks never lies and that the drama that was seen in the Commission was purely Ekpo's handiwork.

Confirming the incident, the state chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Aniekan Akpan, said Ekpo is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

"I am just from the hospital now, where Ekpo is receiving treatment. The police are working on it," he said.

ALSO READ: Apostle Weeks says he got verbal approval to commence construction

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Cordelia Nwawe, denied knowledge of the attack.

Ekpo was the lead counsel for Weeks during the Commission of Inquiry set up by the state government to determine the immediate and remote cause of the collapsed Reigners' Bible Church building in Uyo Village Road in December 10, 2016.
Ali told newsmen on the sidelines of the International Customs Day celebration with the theme Data Analysis for Effective Border Management at Customs Staff College, Gwagwalada, on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the target was self-proposed, adding that the service had not been given revenue target by the Federal Government for 2017.

We have not been given any target yet but we are working between N700 and N900 billion. We will get the final figure when budget is finalised.

The customs boss said that the service had a revenue target of N937 billion in 2016 but was able to achieve N898 billion so we were a little bit short.

But if you appreciate the trading volume, you will know that NCS did extremely well.

Commenting on the ban on importation of cars through land borders, Ali said that the service had so far achieved a lot, adding that I think it is coming up well.

We are just 26 days into the ban; it will always take time to really get the message down to stakeholders but the actual fact is that we want to boost the economy of this great nation.

We want to bring back monies taken out of our country and tighten the security of this nation.

We discovered that through the importation of cars through land borders, arms andammunition were squeezed and smuggled into the country.

We cannot allow this to continue; apart from the economic aspect of it, security is fundamental in what we are doing.

Ali said that the NCS was joining its global customs community to bring to national discourse, the crucial importance of data as key element in customs modernisation.

He said automated customs process was fast turning the service into dependable data-bank for national planning.

He explained that apart from providing platform for synergy among security agencies in the country, the data generated and analysed from NCS ICT platform would alsohelp to measure performance and improve practice and integrity of the process.

The Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS) reporting module and the Integrated Reporting Information System (IRIS) enables the service and other security and regulatory agencies to generate reports which will help in decisions regarding trade and fiscal policies, he said.

He stressed that NCS is aware of the importance of data analysis to its operations.

Mr Ibrahim Magu, the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), commended the efforts of the NCS boss in the fight against corruption.

Magu said I believe in his (Ali) anti corruption way of life and anti corruption strategy.

I am always encouraged by his desire to fight corruption and continue fighting corruption. Corruption is one thing we cannot fight alone, we try to encourage everybody who fights corruption and we need all the support.

I dont care what strategy you use, I just want result and make sure you fight corruption.
The presiding judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, however gave Daniel an option to pay N5, 000 fine and warned him to desist from committing crime.

Daniel, who resides at Angwan Shaho, Karmo, was convicted on the two-count charge levelled against him.

The convict however prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy, saying times were hard.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Zannah Dalhatu told the court that one Amadu Bello of Angwan Hausawa Karmo reported the matter at Karmo police station on Jan. 26.

Dalhatu said that on that day, the convict and two of his accomplices who were now at large attacked the complainant.

He added that they attacked the complainant when he stopped to pick passengers with his tricycle along Agura junction, Abuja.

Dalhatu said that the convict and his accomplices collected N6, 000 from the complainant.

He said that the convict was arrested with the aid of passers-by.

The prosecutor said that during police investigation the N6,000 was recovered from the convict.
According to a report by Channels TV, the two helicopters were recently seized by the Nigerian Customs Service after the importers failed to comply with importation requirements.

The Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, Dan Ugo, made this known while handing over the helicopters to the representative of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Hyacinth Eze.

Ugo said: Due to the vigilance of the officers and their controller here, it was observed, when the requisite documents were requested for, that they breached our laws.

This kind of equipment should come with end user certificate and some other things and the law provides that if you import in breach of the law, we make a seizure of the items.

After seizing, it is not enough. we must go the whole hog. The process is that we go and appear before the court of law, file for condemnation and the court actually condemned it and forfeited it to the Federal Government of Nigeria, he told reporters.
Justice Lima Abdullahi struck out the application filed by Ken Saro Wiwa Associates in Port Harcourt on Friday.

He said the Decree that established the Special Tribunal on Civil Disturbances, including that of Ogoni, did not make provision for appeal.

According to him, those sentenced to death or long term imprisonment had no opportunity to appeal against such judgment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that three member Ogoni Civil Disturbances Special Tribunal found Wiwa, an environmentalist, and eight others guilty of murder and subsequently hanged.

The judge said the applicant, Ken Saro Wiwa Associates, did not state its interest, the relationship with the deceased persons or the damages or injuries it suffered by their death.

He said the applicants lawyer only attached a certified copy of the tribunals judgment without other documents relating to applicants relationship, interest and injuries suffered by the execution of the nine persons.

Abdullahi also noted that the counsel did not also attach the record of the tribunals proceeding.

Mr Golden Awi, counsel to the applicant had argued that the tribunal was not properly constituted, saying it had three instead of five members as required by the 1999 Constitution.

Awi told reporters that the applicants did not ask for compensation, rather the group wanted the tribunals judgment to be quashed.

He added that the associates wanted the judgment to be reviewed and said the group was heading for the Supreme Court.

Mr Gani Topba, National Coordinator of the associates, said the execution of Wiwa was not only a great loss to Ogoni, but also to the Niger Delta.
Buhari is currently in the UK, where official report says he is vacationing, but multiple media reports claim all is not well with the President's health, which fuelled his death rumour over the weekend.

The Presidency, however, insists that the President is hale and hearty, backing it with a photograph supposedly showing Buhari in a relaxed mood and watching a Channels Television program. The picture was said to have been taken at his London residence.

On Thursday, January 26, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, however, said the President cannot be compelled to speak from the UK.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC Africa, Adesina reiterated that Buhari is in London on vacation and not in any hospital.

"The fact that he is a President, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights. The President will talk if he wishes to. If he doesnt wish to, nobody will compel him to talk.

"The truth is that the President is on vacation and he has given a date on which he will return to work," Adesina said.

But the NLC argued that the right thing to do is for the President make a public appearance to put the rumours and anxiety in the country to rest.

"In the social media, stories circulate without confirmation; I think that the easiest way is to talk publicly to the nation because the citizens are concerned about their leaders whereabouts," the General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, told Punch.

"If there are those who orchestrated rumours and they are not true, the easiest way is for him to reach out to Nigerians through a public appearance and a statement.

"Nigerians have a right to be certain about the health situation of their President and the people who orchestrate rumours and unsubstantiated reports, one would wish for him to call their bluff by publicly addressing the citizens," he said.

On the contrary, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), says the President does not need to address Nigerians since the 10-day leave he requested has not elapsed.

ALSO READ: That moment when President was 'killed' by the internet

According to the TUC President, Mr. Bala Kaigama, Buhari making a public appearance is unnecessary because he demanded a rest and handed over government to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as expected.

He said: "Why do we have to make noise about this? He is coming back; if he were to go and stay for a very long time, it is a different thing. If we have patience, he will come back. We are just being unnecessarily demanding.

"This is somebody who demanded a rest and he has handed over the government to the Vice-President. So our concern is how the VP is handling it; but it his health that has become the issue of the moment.

"But we should allow the old man to have his rest. It is normal for somebody of that age to need rest from time to time. If he goes to rest that does not mean that government will not work now. Let the old man enjoy his rest.

"If he does not come back on the day he is supposed to come, that is when can talk, but for now, lets allow him to have his rest, why does he have to come and address us? It doesnt make any sense."

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, also denied reports that state Governors are planning to visit Buhari in the UK.
The recent picture, which has been going round on Twitter and other social media platforms, has the President looking calm on a sofa with Ogun Governor and other personalities.

Though the exact location in UK was not given, it is reported that the President is enjoying his 10-day vacation which expires this weekend.

President Buhari is expected to return to Nigeria, where he continues his position as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the democratically elected president.

ALSO READ: President will go on 10-day leave from January 23
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

No one can force Buhari to talk, says presidency

President Muhammadu Buhari is not ill and admitted in any hospital in London as being speculated. But he cannot be forced to speak to Nigerians, the presidency declared yesterday

Government may miss oil revenue target in 2017 budget

Revenue from crude oil may drop further from the $41.8 billion in 2016 to $38.5 billion (N1.174 trillion) this year. At yesterdays Brent crude price of $55.53 and with an improved production of 1.9 million barrels per day, the country is expected to earn N1.174 trillion by the end of 2017 if prices do not fall.

Female literary icon, Onyebuchi Emecheta, dies at 72

Foremost Nigerian novelist and author, Mrs. Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta, passed away on Wednesday in her London home at the age of 72. Emecheta, born in Lagos on July 21, 1944, published more than 20 books throughout her career. Her notable literary works include Second Class Citizen, Joys of Motherhood and The Bride Price.

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

2baba, other stars to march against Buharis policiesInnocent Idibia popularly known by his stage name 2baba has revealed that he will be embarking on a nationwide protest against the policies of President Muhammadu Buharis administration among others.

$1.2bn Malabu scam: Court grants FG interim ownership of Dan Etetes oil blocsABUJA A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, granted an interim order awarding ownership of controversial Oil Prospecting Licence, OPL 245, owned by former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Dan Etete, to the Federal Government, pending conclusion of investigation and prosecution of oil giants allegedly involved in the $1.2 billion Malabu oil bloc fraud.

Breaking: Buhari not ill or in any London hospital  PresidencyABUJA-Following the deafening speculations that President Muhammadu Buhari is critically ill with an undisclosed sickness that may lead to death, the presidency has said that he is not ill and also not on admission in any hospital in London.

THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Buhari not in London hospital, says Presidency

he Presidency yesterday insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari is hale and hearty. It declared that President Buhari is neither receiving treatment nor in an hospital in London, where he has been holidaying.

Reps seek ex-ministers trial over $470m CCTV contract

THREE former ministers are to face trial over the $470million Lagos and Abuja Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) contract  if the government accepts a committees recommendation.

EFCC seizes $1.6b Malabu oil block from Shell, others

Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 was ordered seized yesterday, but the big question  the whereabouts of $1.6 billion  paid for it remains as thorny as ever.

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Buharis health: President should address Nigerians, says NLC

The Presidency on Thursday insisted that despite the rumour doing the rounds on President Muhammadu Buharis state of health, the President is not ill.

Justice Yunusa admitted taking N1.5m from Rickey Tarfa  EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Thursday that Justice Mohammed Yunusa confirmed receiving N1.5m from embattled Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Rickey Tarfa.

Court orders interim forfeiture of Malabu oil block to FG
Aregbesola spoke in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, in Osogbo on Friday.

He said that the only panacea to the current economic crisis in the country was for every government to rise to the occasion and look for alternative means by exploring the abundant potential in agriculture.

According to him, only agriculture can rescue the nation from the economic recession currently being experienced as result of oil glut and the activities of the Niger Delta militants.

Nigerias enduring economic recovery will materialise only when the country revitalises its investments in agriculture and make it a venture that attracts the bulk of the most productive segment of the population.

Oil can no longer be the economic mainstay of the nation if it plans to exit the recession facing it presently.

We must forthwith stop importation of food items and start cultivating our own food crops.

We have everything we need to be a great agricultural nation. Let us undertake a survey to know where each state has comparative advantage over others.

The situation at present requires that we do everything humanly possible to awaken the huge potentiality of our agricultural sector, Aregbesola said.

The governor, however, said that the state would continue to invest massively in agriculture in making the state the food basket of the nation.

He also charged the state agriculture officers to redouble their efforts toward transforming the state from peasant, rural and subsistent agricultural to a modern, industrial and commercial agricultural state.
The call is coming from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Friday via a statement by Bayo Oladeji, Special Assistant on Media to the CAN President, Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle.

We call on the acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to intervene in all the clampdown on the Church in Nigeria after all, he is in the office primarily to represent the interest of the Christians and his studied silence is no longer golden."

The statement noted that while Christians are yet to recover from the Southern Kaduna killings, the Jigawa state government had allegedly began the pulling down of churches.

The statement made also noted the Department of State Security invasion of Ekiti on the purported arrest Apostle Johnson Suleiman.

Continuing, According to what we heard, they insisted on remaining in the hotel until Apostle Johnson Suleman surrendered himself for arrest. But for the timely intervention of the management of the hotel and other well meaning Nigerians around, the invasion could have resulted into bloodshed as the Minister of God was there with some MOPOL men and officers.

Apostle Suleman has become a refugee in Ekiti state as security operatives are said to be searching every nook and cranny of the state with a view to arresting him.

If there is an urgent need to interrogate Apostle Suleman on any issue, it would only have been proper to extend a formal or informal invitation to him from the DSS rather than Gestapo approach used in the attempt to arrest him.

It should be noted that under Nigerian Laws, he is presumed innocent until a court of law proves otherwise. Or have they extended the proposed obnoxious law that forbids religious preaching without the permission of the state governor down south too?

Treating Ministers of God and our members as common criminals is unacceptable to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Enough is enough.

Despite all the promises made by Governor Nasir el-Rufai, none of those who were responsible for the killings of our members in the Southern Kaduna has been brought to book.

Instead the Police have been releasing those who were arrested for the killing of our members in Kano and Kubwa (Abuja) while our leaders are being subjected to untold hardship for just no cause.

It is high time the overzealous security agencies knew that Nigeria remains a secular state and any attempt to turn the country into a refugee camp for Christians will not be acceptable and will be resisted with every lawful means.
Here are 7 things you should know about what's going on in the South of the Crocodile State:

a) Killings on a large scale in Southern Kaduna aren't new. But there have probably been under-reported in the past.

According to House of Reps member, Baballe Bashir(APC-Kano), the killings in Southern Kaduna have been going on for 37 years.

In the past, the affected communities have been Kafanchan, Zangon-Kataf, Godogodo, Gidan Waya and others.

b) The killings in Southern Kaduna border on religious extremism.

Like Boko Haram, reports say the attackers burn churches and slay Christians with chants of "Allahu Akbar".

The perpetrators of the killings are Fulani herdsmen.

Southern Kaduna is dominated by Christians. Those who have been killed are mostly Christians.

This is a religious war as much as it is a criminal and ethnic one.

c) As many as 1,000 persons may have lost their lives since this latest round of crisis in Southern Kaduna commenced.

In December of 2016, the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State disclosed that as many as 808 people were killed in 53 villages across the four local government areas in Kaduna where the crisis is at its worst.

According to Christian leaders in Kaduna, 1,422 houses and 16 churches had been burnt by Fulani herdsmen in Southern Kaduna as at December, 2016.

The local governments most affected are Kaura, Sanga, Jamaa and Kauru.

d) Between January 6 and 9, 2017, the killers struck Tachirak, Adu and Tsonje villages of Kagoro town in Kaura Federal Constituency of Southern Kaduna, killing 13 persons.

e) The attacks in Southern Kaduna have occurred in spite of the 24 hour curfew in place in the affected areas.

There's also heavy military and police presence in the affected local governments.

However, the attacks have continued unabated.

The Christian community in the State alleges that no Fulani herdsman has been arrested for their crimes.

f) In December of 2016, the local press reported that Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai decided to compensate the Fulani herdsmen in order to get them to stop their acts bordering on genocide.

The Governor reportedly said the herdsmen behind the killings aren't Nigerians.

El-Rufai was quoted as saying: Some of them were from and Fulanis are in 14 African countries and they traverse this country with their cattle.

So many of these people were killed, cattle lost during the crisis that followed the 2011 election and they organised themselves and came back to revenge.

ALSO READ:

"We took certain steps. We got a group of people that were going round trying to trace some of these people in Cameroon, Niger republic and so on to tell them that there is a new Governor who is Fulani like them and has no problem paying compensations for lives lost and he is begging them to stop killing.

"In most of the communities, once that appeal was made to them, they said they have forgiven. There are one or two that asked for monetary compensation. They said they have forgiven the death of human beings, but want compensation for cattle. We said no problem, and we paid some".

El-Rufai would later say that his comments had been taken out of context.

g) President Muhammadu Buhari who is also Fulani, has not been too keen on intervening in the crisis in Southern Kaduna, saying through his aides that the State has a Governor who is handling the crisis.

Last year, the Catholic Church rejected a N100M donation from the State Governor.

The money was meant for the reconstruction of worship places destroyed in the affected areas.

In rejecting the donation, the church said the money should be used to compensate those who have been rendered homeless by the crisis, instead.

According to the Catholic leaders, The herdsmen and their ilk turned the towns into killing fields and killed mostly women, children and the elderly who couldnt run for cover.

The level of barbarity was such that pregnant women got their wombs blown out and massacred before their children. And these innocent children were not spared either.
The last time viewers saw their favourite TV characters, Cyrus Beene was announced as Frankie Vargas' vice presidential running mate, while Jake Ballard was selected as Mellie's running mate.

On season six premiere, a shocking election result was announced, a death occurred and a president-elect was announced.

Check out four things that happened on the episode titled "Survival of the Fittest."

1. Mellie narrowly lost the election to Frankie Vargas. The results came down to just one county in California, and in the end, Mellie lost that to Vargas.

2. The President-Elect Vargas was shot thrice by a snipper on Live Television, while he was about to address the nation following his win.

3. Following Vargas' death, President Fitz had the responsibility of appointing the next President of the United States of America.

Torn between choosing his ex-wife Mellie and his one-time close friend Cyrus Beene, Fitz offered the position to Cyrus.'

ALSO READ: undefined

4. Cyrus killed Vargas! Earlier in the episode, Olivia confronted his father about Vargas' death. Papa Pope insisted he didn't do it, but thinks Cyrus did.

By the end of the hour, Olivia and her team confirmed that Cyrus Bean was behind Frankie Vargas' death.

"I knew you could pretend to grieve for one day, but two days in a row? Who knew you had the acting chops?" Olivia whispered into Cyrus' ear while also promising to prove him guilty.

"Scandal" is back and as expected, the first episode returned with so much drama. The next episode is titled "Hardball," and will air on February 2, 2017.
The former Akwa Ibom state governor made the comments on Thursday, January 26, during the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

There is no election that will be conducted in the former PDP 28 states that the party will not win. That is a matter of fact, Akpabio said according to The Cable.

As I speak, so many senators from the opposing party are eager to join PDP. All they want is return of peace to the party, once that is done I can assure that 20 senators are on their way to joining the PDP.

Message to those who are thinking of defection is to retrace their steps because PDP is bouncing back to victory in 2019," he added.
If we dont pray for Nigeria to succeed, all of us are collectively doomed. Governance is not easy; Buhari can be ill, he can be indisposed one way or another. He is a human being, APGA Chairman, Dr. Ike Oye, told journalists on Thursday, January 26, in Abuja.

There is nothing scandalous about somebody being sick. As a sincere man, he told you he was going on leave and checkup. If you see him at Kings hospital, is there anything wrong about that? What is wrong about being sick?

Buhari would have done better if Nigerians had wished him well. All these enemies fighting him left, right and centre, they are not fighting Buhari, they are fighting against the destiny of Nigeria.

If he dies tomorrow, it is his time; all of us will die. Is there anything strange about it? I will die someday. If President Buhari dies today, he dies for Nigeria because we gave him the trouble that killed him, Oye added according to Daily Trust.

President Buhari is currently in the United Kingdom on a medical vacation which has become the subject of controversy in Nigeria.

ALSO READ: That moment when President was 'killed' by the internet
The Senator also said that people of the state had suffered more hardship under Bellos administration than any other time.

Melaye had earlier accused Bello of teaming up with some people in the state to undermine his authority.

The Governor of Kogi State cannot undermine me in Kogi State neither can anybody undermine me in APC in Kogi State, Melaye said according to The Guardian.

I say this with every sense of responsibility and humility. I am the only member of the Board of Trustees of APC in Kogi State, even the Governor of Kogi State is not a member and I am also a member of the executive council of APC.

They said since I got into office I have not done anything, that I do not even have a secretariat; that is fallacious and a lie as I am the only Senator in the Federal republic of Nigeria who is actually building a permanent structure as an office complex that will be commissioned a few days from now, in this January, he added.

Melaye had shown his support for Bello during his inauguration and taunted former governor, Idris Wada by singing Bye bye to Wada Wada!

The senator also said it was God who made it possible for Bello to emerge governor and urged the people to support him in transforming the state.
The Imo PDP also said that Okorocha should be praying for President Muhammadu Buhari instead of chasing the 2019 presidency.

The party made the comments via a statement released by spokesman, Ray Emeana.

The statement reads:

This is just another fraud that will not in any way address the dwindling fortunes of the good people of Imo state but will rather serve the bogus 2019 political ambition of Governor Okorocha.

While records show that Governor Okorocha has received on behalf of Imo State, over N150 billion between January to December 2016 in Internally Generated Revenue, federal allocation, ecological funds, 13% derivation, local government allocation, bailout funds and recently the Paris Club Debt cancellation deductions, yet there is no trace of these funds in any sector of the state.

We had expected the governor to be bold enough to tell Nigerians that the aeroplane was procured as part of logistics for his 2019 presidential campaign. More worrisome is the governors haste at flagging off his presidential campaign at a time President Muhammadu Buhari is on a medical vacation rather than join well-meaning Nigerians to pray for the speedy recovery of Mr. President.
The commissions daily bulletin issued in Abuja on Friday gave the brake down to include one Returning Officer and three Local Government Area Collation Officers.

Others are 1,566 Assistant Presiding Officers (I,II & III), 376 Assistant Presiding Officers (VP), 97 Reserve Assistant Presiding Officers, four Local Government Area Supervisors, and 33 Registration Area Supervisors.

Etsako Federal Constituency is made up of three LGAs, 32 Registration Areas, 308 Polling Units (PUs), 522 Voting Points and 252,110 Registered Voters.

INECs Deputy Director for Voter Education and Publicity, Mr Nick Dazang in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the commission was fully prepared for the National Assembly by-election.

Dazang said the commission had deployed both sensitive and the non-sensitive materials for the election.

He urged the political parties, candidates and supporters to play by the rule to make the election peaceful.

As for us in INEC, we are fully ready to conduct a free, fair and credible by-election in the affected areas, but we cannot achieve this without the support of the stakeholders.
In an interview with ABC News, the new president of the United States of America recommended torture as the appropriate way to deal with the terrorist group.

In his words, "When they're chopping off the heads of our people and other people. When they're chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East, when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire."

ALSO READ: Nun reveals gory details of recent ISIS slaughter in church

Speaking on waterboarding, another form of torture, Trump said: "I will rely on [CIA director and [defence secretary and my group. And if they don't want to do it, that's fine. If they do want to do it, then I will work toward that end.

I want to do everything within the bounds of what we're allowed to do if it's legal. If they don't want to do it, that's fine. Do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works...I asked [intelligence figures] the question does waterboarding work? And the answer was yes, absolutely."

These statements have been criticised by many Christians, including Brian Zahnd, pastor of World Life Church.

Using his Twitter account, he wrote, "Once you try to reconcile 'love your enemy' with 'torture works', you know you've forsaken Christ and are only pretending to be Christian."

Speaking with Christian Today, PeterDixon, a spokesperson for Action by Christians Against Torture (ACAT), said: "Being realistic it is unlikely to happen because of the likely opposition from within the Senate and the Congress. It is reported that Republican Senator said yesterday that even if Presidentwere to sign an executive order allowing torture, US law is clear on the practice. It also appears that President 's Cabinet members, including his defence secretaryand the CIA Chief disagree with the President on this matter.

"We greet this response with gratitude and relief although we cannot disregard the statements of the new president. This matter will be kept under constant review by ACAT worldwide. ACAT UK stands by the UN Declaration of Human Rights when it says in Article 5: 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.' We stand with Archbishop ofwhen he said: 'Whoever tortures a human being, whoever abuses a human being, whoever outrages a human being abuses God's image, and the Church takes as its own that cross, that martyrdom."

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, has reacted to Trump's statements.

When asked, she said: "The UK Government's position on torture has not changed. We condemn torture and my view on that will not change whether I am talking to you or talking to the President. Our guidance is very clear about the position that the UK takes and our position has not changed. We have a very clear view in the U.K. That we absolutely condemn the use of torture and that has not changed and will not change."

Guess this makes Trump no different from Nigerian religious leaders that tell their congregation to attack Northerners.
Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMBs Head, Media and Information, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that the exercise would be jointly carried out with the officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He said the raid was meant to smash the operations of some syndicates operating cyber cafes to print fake UTME registration numbers and application documents to prospective candidates.

According to him, four suspects have already been apprehended in Ekiti for printing and selling fake registration documents for the 2017 examination.

This development is an eye-opener that same could be happening in other parts of the country."

We shall, in collaboration with the NSCDC, commence a national raid of all cyber cafe in the country, any moment from now."

We will not fold our arms and watch some elements defraud Nigerians, parents in particular, who desire education for their children."

These persons arrested in Ekiti were holed out in their cyber cafe, where they have been carrying out their illegal activities and had defrauded prospective candidates to the tune of over N10 million."

We had a synergy with NSCDC, which led to the discovery of serious illegal manipulation of JAMB registration forms, numbers as well as admission letters, he said.

Benjamin warned prospective candidates against handling information regarding the sale of the registration documents to avoid falling prey to the activities of the suspects.

We had warned severally that we had yet to commence the sales of the 2017 registration documents, and that candidates should be patient because we are putting finishing touches to the entire examination process."

This is because we want to tackle all the hitches that had been associated with the examination in the past years and make it almost 100 per cent hitch-free."

As soon as this is achieved, and we are set to roll out the registration documents, we will do massive sensitisation."
According to popular leak god Evan Blass (@evleaks on Twitter) in an article on Venture Beat, the new smartphones will not have the traditional navigation buttons that have been on every Samsung Galaxy handset in the seven years the line has been in existence.

The smartphones will also have displays that are larger than Samsungs traditionally oversized second-half flagship, the Galaxy Note, the report says.

The two models will have 5.8- and 6.2-inch QHD Super AMOLED screens respectively. The screens will cover 83% of the smartphone's front panels which makes their aspect ratio - 18.5:9 - slightly different from the industry standard 16:9. Both models will sport Samsung's "edge" display, which curves on both sides of the phone.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chipset and Samsung's own Exynos chipset will definitely be used in the phones and the chipsets are expected to make the phone 11 percent faster overall than the Galaxy S7, with 23 percent faster graphic processing. They are also expected to be 20 percent more efficient.

ALSO READ: Tech giant apologizes for Galaxy Note phones in US ads

As for battery size, 3000mAh and 3500mAh are expected for the 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch designs, respectively. This means improved power consumption will be critical to these phones since they are larger [in terms of screen size] than the S7 which has the same battery size.

Memory-wise, the 4GB of RAM will remain the de-facto RAM size but 64GB will now be the baseline as far as internal memory is concerned.

Charging will be carried out via a USB-C port located at the bottom of the phones right next to a - you guessed it - 3.5mm headphone jack.

Both phones will have a 12MP rear camera and 8MP front-facing selfie cameras, both of which possess lenses with f1.7 appertures. Also, since there is no hoe button, the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back of the phone beside the rear camera lens.
The Chinese-financed RZT mine in Nyarugusu in the north-west collapsed partly on Wednesday, leaving a group of miners and their Chinese supervisor trapped.

There was no confirmation whether the workers were dead or alive.

Rescuers managed to insert an air pipe into the 35-metre-deep shaft, but failed to establish communication with the people inside, mining official Yahaya Semamba said.

We are digging, but at the same time we are reinforcing the walls so as to prevent them from collapsing while the work is going on, he said.

When [my husband] walked out of the house on Wednesday evening, I thought I would see him the next morning, but until 10 p.m he was yet to return and I started to worry, said a tearful Neema Charles, whose husband was among those trapped.

Regional official Ezekiel Kyunga reportedly said the cause of the accident was not yet known, and urged people not to jump to conclusions.

The accident is the third in gold mines in the same region in seven years. In April 2010, 16 people were killed when the mine in which they were working collapsed, while in October 2015, one person was killed and five rescued.
EU interior ministers were in Valletta debating ways to reform the so-called Dublin rules that have put the onus on overstretched Greece and Italy to admit asylum seekers landing in Europe in record numbers.

"I hope that today finally we shall find the common ground on solidarity," EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told reporters before entering the talks. "I think one and a half years is enough."

Under the Dublin rules, would-be refugees must file for asylum in the first member state they enter, most often the Mediterranean nations of Greece and Italy.

If asylum seekers have travelled on to other EU nations, they are to be returned to their first port of call.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said France and Germany have both presented proposals to break the deadlock but did not elaborate.

"I think it is now the time to achieve a compromise in the coming months," de Maiziere said before entering the talks in Malta, which currently holds the six-month EU rotating presidency.

Eastern European countries like Hungary, Slovakia and Poland have been among the most reluctant in the 28-nation bloc to admit asylum seekers, suggesting they could help financially instead.

The ministers were meeting after Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat warned the EU could face an "unprecedented" flow of migrants in the spring across the central Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.

Smuggling on that route is picking up sharply with more than 180,000 migrants landing in Italy last year, compared with a previous annual record of 170,100 in 2014.

Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters in Valletta: "I think all our focus in this year has to be put on the (central) Mediterranean route."

An EU aid-for-cooperation deal struck with Turkey last March has dramatically reduced the numbers of asylum seekers arriving in Greece, the previous main entry point for Europe.

EU officials say the vast majority of people travelling over the central Mediterranean are migrants in search of work rather than fleeing war and persecution.
The attack on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) base at Kolbiyow, close to the Kenyan border in Somalia's Lower Juba region, began with suicide truck bombers blasting their way into the camp, followed by militants attacking from different directions.

Shabaab claimed in a statement to have overrun the base, captured military vehicles and equipment and to have killed scores of Kenyan soldiers.

"Fighters have taken control of the base and the overall Kolbiyow area after massacring the Kenyan infidels," the statement said.

KDF spokesman Paul Njuguna denied the base had been overrun, but gave no casualty figures.

"We are engaging the enemy and we have actually repulsed them, but it is ongoing," Njuguna said.

Shabaab frequently overstates the death toll from its attacks while Kenya commonly underplays its losses.

In January last year a Kenyan base at El-Adde was attacked and overrun by Shabaab fighters who claimed to have killed over 100 Kenyan soldiers. The government never gave its own toll.

The Shabaab, which once controlled much of Somalia, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.

It launches regular attacks on government, military and civilian targets and has carried out a series of deadly assaults against foreign soldiers deployed in Somalia as part of an African Union force.
Two other LNA officials confirmed to AFP that Qanfouda, the scene of fierce fighting since June, had fallen from jihadist hands.

One of the officials said there were still militants from the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Al-Sharia group present near Qanfouda.

Meanwhile a car exploded late Wednesday in the centre of Benghazi, leaving six wounded including five civilians and a soldier, according to the city's Al-Jala hospital.

A security service source told AFP that it was not yet known whether the explosion was due to a suicide bombing or a car bomb, adding that the attack was likely aimed at a military convoy travelling along the road.

Libya's unrest since the 2011 ousting of strongman Moamer Kadhafi allowed extremist organisations including the Islamic State group to gain a foothold in the country.

For nearly three years Benghazi has been the scene of bloody attacks and fighting between these groups and forces loyal to Haftar.

The country has fallen into chaos, with the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli failing to assert its authority over the country.

The GNA is opposed by a rival administration that is based in Libya's far east and backed by military strongman Haftar.

Haftar has managed to retake a large part of the eastern coastal city from jihadists since Benghazi came under their control in 2014.

But jihadists still control the central Benghazi districts of Al-Saberi and Souq al-Hout, according to the LNA.
The Ethiopians were repatriated back to their country on Thursday afternoon after they were pardoned by Zambian President Edgar Lungu in December last year.

They were repatriated under an assisted voluntary return program by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, according to a statement released by the Immigration Department.

Among those deported were 145 men and two women.

The 147 former Ethiopian convicts who were recently pardoned by President Edgar Lungu have successfully been repatriated to their home country.

The 147 comprise 145 men and 2 women who were serving various jail sentences in various Zambian correctional facilities across the country from 2011.

And International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Zambia Communications Focal Point Officer, Bertha Nguvulu explained that the 147 were repatriated under the IOM Assisted Voluntary Repatriation (AVR) exercise.

The excited former Ethiopian prisoners departed at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport aboard a ET863 Ethiopian plane at about 13:35 hours.

Nguvulu said the repatriation exercise cost about $150,000 and follows the joint agreement between the governments of Zambia and Ethiopia.

And the former Ethiopian convicts praised President Edgar Lungu, Minister of Home Affairs Steven Kampyongo and the Zambia Correctional Services (ZCS) Commissioner General Percy Chato for attaching great importance to the welfare of prisoners in the country.

In a joint interview with ZANIS at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, Biruk Alemu 35 and Abudulahi Debiso 25 said the Zambia Correctional Facilities have taught them how to love humanity.
In 1984, Morocco decided to withdraw from the Organisation of African Unity, which later became the AU, over the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as a full member of the organisation.

SADR claims sovereignty over the whole Western Sahara territory, which Morocco claims as its own.

For over three decades, Morocco has refused to be part of the organisation, but recently the country has changed its policing, making the readmission to the AU on the top of its agenda.

In July 2016, King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent a message to the 27th AU summit in Kigali, Rwanda, saying that his country should not remain outside its African institutional family, and it should regain its natural, rightful place within the AU.

The king however, explained the reasons for returning to the pan African organisation.

He mentioned the repeated call of many African friends of the kingdom as well as a thorough reflection, which concluded that when a body is sick, it is treated more effectively from the inside than from the outside.

He also stressed that from within, Morocco will contribute to making the AU a more robust organisation, one that is both proud of its credibility and relieved of the trappings of an obsolete era.

Two months after the kings message to the African leaders, the North African kingdom formally submitted a request to re-join the continental body in September.

The request was submitted after Morocco received the support of a group of 28 AU member states, representing over the majority of the 54 AU member states required for admission.

Following this request, the Moroccan king toured numerous African countries, including some that Rabat has long regarded as hostile to its territorial unity, on the top of which the African giant, Nigeria.

Consequently, Morocco raised the total of the supporters to 40 as was announced by its Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar during a parliamentary session to review the constitutive act of AU a week earlier.

Recently, both houses of the Moroccan parliament unanimously adopted the constitutive act of AU, its additional protocol and the bill on the approval of the act, preparing the ground for the Kingdoms return to the AU.

On Jan. 10, the council of ministers, which is chaired by the king, approved the draft texts.

While Morocco has not being a part of AU, it has developed strong ties with many countries in the continent, particularly in French-speaking states in West and Central Africa.

Report says Morocco is already the top investor in West Africa and the second largest African investor in the continent.

In addition, Moroccan firms have strong holds in the many African markets, especially those related to banking, insurance, air transport, telecommunications and housing.

According to official statistics from the countrys economy and finance ministry, over the decade ending in 2016, Moroccos investment in sub-Saharan Africa represented 85 per cent of its overall foreign direct investment stocks.

In addition to economic relations, Morocco has strong cooperation with many African countries, particularly in the fields of security, peacekeeping operations and managing religious affairs.
According to a report by BBC, the US president has said the revenue from the tax will be used by the US government to build a border wall.

However, the plan which was recently announced saw the Mexican president cancelling a visit to Washington, amid a row sparked by the question of who will pay for the wall.

Mr Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to create a wall on the US southern border with Mexico.

However, President Enrique Pena Nieto insisted that Mexico will not pay for the border wall, hence, cancelled his proposed meeting at the White House.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer reportedly told reporters that Trump had discussed the funding proposal with lawmakers, and the US Congress is considering making it part of a tax reform package.

Spicer said that a 20% tax could generate approximately $10bn (8bn) in tax revenue per year adding that the tax will "easily pay for the wall".
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
In the early days of Nevada, the states history was written mostly by clubwomen rather than by trained historians.

In the early days of Nevada, the states history was written mostly by clubwomen rather than by trained historians.

By some accounts Nevada did not get its first professional historian until the 1950s with the arrival of Russell Elliott.

The result was a history that was cleansed and oriented to community leaders and business. It was a narrow telling. The rich history of the immigrant groups who made up so much of the states population, for instance, got short shrift.

The nation fared better, but our national history has always been filtered to de-emphasize things like disreputable government actions (the Philippine conquest) and infamous grass roots activity (lynchings, by hanging or burning at the stake or dismemberment).

As a result, the publics ignorance of our nuanced history is nearly complete. We hit the high points in history classes and stop there. This is unfortunate, because current events keep offering opportunities for us to learn from history, if only we knew it.

In January, the federal government sold off a patch of land in Wyoming known as Teapot Dome. During the presidential administration of Warren Harding, oil leases from naval oil reserves were let for gifts and loans to Harding cabinet member Albert Fall worth about $400,000 (about $5,234,839.36 in 2014 dollars). I put those words in quotation marks in the same way we should always put campaign contribution in quotation marks today.

We know very little about Teapot Dome from our history classes, which is unfortunate. Today campaign contributions are institutionalized as a part of the electoral system, even though we cant slide a razor blade into the moral difference between them and bribes.

Heres another example; Last month Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tried to remove the phrase search for truth from the mission statement of the University of Wisconsin.

This would be bad enough in any state. But this is Wisconsin. In 1894, UW economist Richard T. Ely was haled before the Board of Regents on academic charges.

Ely, though a critic of socialism and a target of disdain by socialists, believed in teaching his students about all economic systems, including capitalism and socialism. The state school superintendent made accusations that were investigated by the regents.

Committees do not often produce great literature, but their statement exonerating Ely falls in that category:

[W]e could not for a moment think of recommending the dismissal or even the criticism of a teacher even if some of his opinions should, in some quarters, be regarded as visionary. Such a course would be equivalent to saying that no professor should teach anything which is not accepted by everybody as true  Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.

This statement became known as the Magna Carta of academic freedom.

A few days ago, a pharmacist said to me, Boy, someone should do an investigation of those pharmaceutical companies.

I reminded him of the 1959 investigation by a U.S. Senate committee headed by Sen. Estes Kefauver that found outrageous markups of prescription drugs  7,000 percent, in one case  an investigation that is now largely forgotten.

In October when Nevada began its 150th year, I published an account of the treatment of Great Basin tribes that took some people by surprise, given the highly sanitized version of our Nevada history taught in schools.

At the current session of the Nevada Legislature, Clark County Sen. Richard Segerblom has a measure, Senate Bill 211, to require enhanced instruction in the role of ethnic groups and ethnic culture.

To be sure, legislation is not a great way to deal with curriculum (much less including that language in the same bill with a provision for a longer school day), but Nevada already has at least 10 statutes mandating instruction in various fields of study, including the economics of the American system of free enterprise.

Segerbloms bill is certainly better than a measure that passed in Arizona, where lawmakers banned ethnic studies entirely in order to prevent the teaching of one kind of ethnic culture  that of Latinos, who make up half the student population.

Dennis Myers is an award winning journalist who has reported on Nevadas capital, government and politics for several decades. He has also served as Nevadas chief deputy secretary of state.
Crime Stoppers of the Quad-Cities and the Rock Island County Sheriffs Department are asking for the community's help in identifying possible suspects in a house fire that left an 88-year-old grandmother "fighting for her life."

Moline firefighters and deputies were called at 4:20 a.m., Sunday, to the 4000 block of 13th St. When they arrived the house was totally engulfed. A large boom was heard by neighbors seconds before the home went up in flame.
A Davenport man has been sentenced to seven years in a federal prison for attempting to blow up the apartment in which he and his then-girlfriend had been living.

Gramann Richard Barnes, 44, also was sentenced to serve three years on supervised release by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger during a sentencing hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court, Davenport.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Davenport Police Department arrest affidavit filed at the time of Barnes arrest, at 12:11 p.m. on March 15, 2016, Davenport police and firefighters were sent to 619 W. Locust St.

Barnes had been residing at that address with a woman and her 2-year-old child.

When Barnes and the woman got into an argument, he grabbed the woman by the hair and a struggle ensued, according to the arrest affidavit. During the struggle, the child was knocked into a cabinet and sustained an abrasion on the left side of his lower back. The woman grabbed the child and ran into a different room. Barnes pursued her and punched her in the legs.

The woman and the child left the home, but when they returned they found that Barnes had broken several items, thrown weights through all the televisions and caused more than $10,000 in damage.

Then, in an effort to either burn or blow up the duplex, Barnes placed paper towels inside the oven. He then fixed the burners on the stove so they would spew gas and removed the knobs from the stove. Before leaving the home, he turned on the oven.

Neighbors in the upstairs portion of the duplex could smell the gas coming from the stove, according to the affidavit.

Barnes fled the scene by stealing his fathers pickup. He was arrested April 5 in Texas, according to the affidavit.

In July, federal authorities took over the case and charged him with "attempting to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire and explosive, any building, real and personal property used in any activity affecting interstate commerce."

Barnes pleaded guilty to the federal arson charge in September, admitting he had rigged the apartment to explode, according to the news release from the Department of Justice, Southern District of Iowa.

The case was investigated by the Davenport Fire Department, Davenport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Crime Stoppers of the Quad-Cities and the Rock Island County Sheriffs Department are asking for the community's help in identifying suspects they think may be responsible for starting a home on fire Sunday that left an elderly woman injured.

Around 4:20 a.m. Sunday, deputies and the Moline Fire Department were called to the 4000 block of 13th Street, known as the Fruitland area, where a home was engulfed in fire.

A large boom was heard by neighbors seconds before the home went up in flames, according to a news release.

Two adults and a juvenile were able to escape, but an 88-year-old woman was trapped in the home, according to the news release. Moline firefighters were able to rescue the woman, who was taken to University Hospitals, Iowa City.

Her condition was not available Friday, but police say she is "fighting for her life."

Police are looking for an older white Buick with front passenger-side damage. Two males ran from the scene and got into the vehicle. They may have started the fire.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers tip line 309-762-9500. Callers will remain anonymous and will receive up to $1,000 cash if the information helps lead to an arrest.
DES MOINES  Republicans who now control the Iowa Senate took their first official floor action Thursday to head off a projected state budget shortfall by making $117.8 million in spending adjustments that minority Democrats assailed as unnecessary mid-year cuts that will hurt Iowans.

Were doing our best to try to fix a problem we did not make, said Sen. Charles Schneider, a West Des Moines Republican who managed debate on Senate File 130  a de-appropriations bill that included $88.2 million in targeted cuts and $25 million in fund transfers to balance the fiscal 2017 ledger.

The budget adjustments  approved 28-19 by senators and slated for House debate Monday  were precipitated by lackluster revenue growth blamed on a sagging farm economy that threw out of balance the $7.2 billion spending plans passed by last years split-control Legislature and signed by Gov. Terry Branstad.

Schneider said Thursdays remedial action was a symptom of several years of overspending by Senate Democrats, House Republicans and the governor that erased a $927 million surplus. GOP legislators agreed with the governor to exempt K-12 schools, Medicaid, property tax credits and backfill to local governments and communities from the mid-year reductions.

That meant cuts of $18 million to the regent universities  $8 million each at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University and $2 million for the University of Northern Iowa  $3 million for community colleges, $5.5 million for correctional facilities, $4.5 million for the state Department of Education, $3 million for the court system, $1 million for public safety, and $11.5 million in what Democrats called secret, mystery cuts through executive branch operations through June 30.

This is a bad budget that does real harm to Iowans. We dont have to do this, said Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids.

Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, called the cuts an appropriate way to fix a mess.

Weve come in here surgically to make sure that certain areas arent affected, Chelgren said.

But Democrats said the cuts will impact vulnerable children, seniors, people with disabilities, students and public safety in a way that was dangerous and would lead to higher tuition, more college debt and a continued lack of qualified, skilled workers for desperate employers.

Your surgical cuts are really a knife into the heart of education funding in this budget, said Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo.

Our employers are crying for a more skilled and educated workforce. This bill tells them to go fish, added Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City. You all campaigned on supporting education and your first vote on the Senate floor is to cut funding for education. Nice broken promise.

Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, said it was easy for Democrats to criticize without offering any solutions other than miniscule, tiny little token proposals to cut funding for the governors office and shave one extra day of session expense money and not pay for out-of-state travel for the legislative branch.

This is hard work. We didnt ask for this problem but we have a reasonable proposal here that does solve the problem that were in, Garrett noted.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, noted the governors budget was spared under GOP legislators compromise revisions. He doesnt have to give up so much as a flower pot, he said, while Bolkcom said state tax credits to corporations also were not part of the state belt-tightening process.

You are asking for nothing from the fat cats who have benefited from record tax cuts and special tax giveaways, said Bolkcom The people who clean this building pay more in state taxes than the big guys. The burden of the cuts is all being shouldered by average Iowans.

Schneider said Republicans looked at opportunities to save money via tax credits, but there were none to be had this far into the budgeting cycle. Money was transferred from several economic development accounts and $6.1 million was scooped from the states cultural trust fund to erase the projected shortfall.
Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds told a group in Scott County on Thursday that a task force will be formed to study the possibility of long-term changes to IPERS, the retirement system for public employees in the state.

However, she said later it was still in the formative stages. And Ben Hammes, a spokesman for Reynolds and Gov. Terry Branstad, said no steps had been taken to set up the group.

Reynolds, who soon will become the state's governor, said in remarks at a Scott County Republican Party fundraiser Thursday that commitments already made to IPERS members would be honored. "I feel very strongly about that," she said. However, she also raised the possibility of moving toward a "hybrid" system that would include the current defined benefit pension arrangement as well as a defined contribution component. The latter is akin to a 401(k) system that is common in the private sector.

Reynolds said states have grappled with defined benefit systems and that multiple private sector companies have shifted away from them. She said nothing would happen quickly, and a balance would have to be struck to protect people on IPERS to whom promises have been made. But, she added, there needs to be serious study of the issue.

"We're hoping there will be a way to do some kind of a hybrid, so shift to maybe a defined contribution moving forward. But we have to balance the two because you have to leave enough in to fund the people (to whom promises have been made)," she said.

"We've got several people coming together. We're going to have a task force and just, really thoughtfully and systematically, look through, working with maybe some of the companies that have done that, and see how they were able to do that and how we could maybe move that forward. But it's not going to happen tomorrow. It's going to take time, but at some time we probably need to figure out a way because it's not sustainable."

Afterward, Reynolds told a reporter "it's not done. I said we are looking at forming a working group or a task force, bringing people together that can help us walk through that. It's not in place. There isn't one existing, but we're trying to reach out to people that would be good on helping us look at options.

The IPERS fund, which has a market value of $28.3 billion, has a long-term unfunded liability of nearly $5.6 billion. Its funded ratio of 83.9 percent has held relatively steady since 2009 and is generally considered one of the better funded state systems in the U.S., though the ratio was higher in previous years.

Some conservative groups have called the IPERS defined benefit system outdated. Americans for Prosperity has called for a shift to a defined contribution arrangement. However, if changes were proposed, they would surely be opposed by public sector unions.

Late last year, Branstad surprised IPERS members when he said that he was open to the idea of changes to the system. The next day, though, he said he wasn't advocating anything specific, and that the system is one of the best run defined benefit systems in the country.

Branstad's comments did raise concerns, though. Iowa State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald told the Des Moines Register last year that public employees should be concerned about potential changes.

A defined benefit system typically pays a set amount to employees when they retire. Defined contribution systems do not promise a specific amount to beneficiaries.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration is investigating an incident that left one worker dead Wednesday night at Linwood Mining and Mineral near Buffalo.

Emergency crews were called to the mine, 401 E. Front St., Buffalo, around 10 p.m. for a report of a trapped worker, identified Thursday as Ronald Trich Jr., 52, of Rock Island.

Company president Jonathan Wilmshurst said Trich, a mine truck operator, was found buried in rock in a remote part of the mine where no operations were underway.

He was not in a vehicle at the time of the incident. Wilmshurst said there were no witnesses to what he called an "isolated incident.

He did not know why Trich was in that area of the mine and said Thursday morning that the portion of the mine is stable and that nobody is at risk.

Trich was pronounced dead by the Scott County Medical Examiners Office after his body was recovered, according to the Buffalo Police Department.

Wilmshurst said Trich had worked for the mine for 12 years.

Mine Safety and Health Administration is a federal regulatory agency that administers safety provisions and guidelines for the mining industry.

The agency gave Linwood the OK to continue operations elsewhere in the mine, Wilmshurst said. However, employees were sent home Thursday.

We didnt think it was a good idea to expect the guys to work after what weve been through, he said.

Agency representatives stayed through the night after the incident and will send out investigators in the next day or two, Wilmshurst said. He said the preliminary investigation could take a week or two and a full blown report could come in two to six months.

The Buffalo Police Department, Buffalo Fire Department, Scott County Sheriffs Office and Medic personnel responded to the incident.

Linwood Mining is an active underground limestone mine stretching between Davenport and Buffalo. It employs about 100 people and produces about 2 million tons of high-quality limestone annually.

Linwood Mining began operations in 1944.
A visit to downtown Davenports blustery riverfront could give those in search of extra warmth some protection from the cold.

Frequent passersby already may have noticed the recent additions to LeClaire Park near the Freight House.

Last weekend, about 200 colorful scarves and hats draped on lampposts, benches and trees appeared overnight just south of the railroad tracks along Beiderbecke Drive.

Members of a Catholic parish in Davenport anonymously planted the hand-knitted items there for those vulnerable to the Midwest's cold winters to take  for free.

Attached to each scarf with a piece of string, a small tag lettered, "Chase the Chill Quad-Cities," greets visitors with a short message, inviting them to claim a scarf:

"I am not lost. If you are stuck out in the cold, please take this to keep you warm."

Although the volunteers did not seek recognition, Lisa Willows, a confirmation coordinator at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Parish in northwest Davenport, opened up about the effort.

She called it a service project for her students "to bring awareness about the homeless population" in the community. About 40 students from John F. Kennedy Catholic School, the K-12 institution connected to Our Lady of Victory, learned to crochet and helped position the finished products downtown.

"It's supposed to be a random act of kindness," Willows said.

The Chase the Chill movement, which combines art, charity and yarn bombing, was founded in Pennsylvania in 2008, and since has spread across North America.

Willows, who launched the Quad-City chapter last year with 200-plus scarves, cleared this year's project with Davenport's parks and recreation department, the city's arborist and a representative of the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Ryan Jantzi, manager of operations for the Downtown Davenport Partnership, fully backs the work.

"These scarves are a sign to those in need that they are not forgotten and that our community cares about them," he said.

Pennie Kellenberger, director of The Center, the church-funded facility for homeless at 1411 Brady St., Davenport, also praised the initiative and its anonymity.

Its awesome they could do it without being recognized for it, she said. People can use them without asking for help. It brings dignity to people.

Meanwhile, the owner of Knit & Knot, a yarn store in Bettendorf, plans Friday to place hand-crafted winter gear from its network of knitting hands on the fence outside the shop at 1815 Grant St. Shop owner Joy Povich did the same thing last year, as well.

In two weeks, Willows said she plans to check on the stock of homemade goods spread around LeClaire Park. At that point, the organizers will take surplus scarves down, then wash and deliver them to homeless shelters in town.

Next year, she wants to teach the students how to create fleece scarves.

It doesnt take a lot to do this, Willows said. Small things help in big ways.
President Donald Trump's chief White House strategist says that the media should "keep its mouth shut."

In an interview with The New York Times, published Thursday, Stephen Bannon said that the media is the "opposition party" of the new administration and "should be embarrassed and humiliated" by the unanticipated election result.

Asked if he was concerned that press secretary Sean Spicer lost credibility after a forceful opening press conference peppered with false information, Bannon replied, "we think that's a badge of honor."

He adds, "The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence and no hard work."

Bannon, who was the executive chair of media company Breitbart News before joining Trump, told The Daily Beast in 2014, Im a Leninist. Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and thats my goal too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of todays establishment.

In August 2016, Bannon called Breitbart "the platform for the alt-right" in an interview with Mother Jones. "Alt-right" is a newer term for beliefs previously called neo-Nazi or white supremacist.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump's determination to wall off America's border with Mexico triggered a diplomatic clash and fresh fight over trade Thursday as the White House proposed a 20 percent tax on imports from the key U.S. ally and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped next week's trip to Washington.

The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

At the heart of the dispute is Trump's insistence that Mexico will pay for construction of the massive wall he has promised along the southern U.S. border. Trump on Wednesday formally ordered construction of the wall.

The plan was a centerpiece of Trump's election campaign, though he never specified how Mexico would fund the project or how he would compel payments if Pena Nieto's government refused.

The two leaders had been scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House next week. But Pena Nieto took to Twitter Thursday to say he had informed the White House he would not be coming.

"This morning we have informed the White House I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday," the Mexican president tweeted. He added that "Mexico reaffirms its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that benefit both nations."

In a speech in Philadelphia later Thursday, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

On the flight back to Washington, Trump's spokesman told reporters the president was considering the 20 percent import tax to foot the bill, the most specific proposal Trump has ever floated for how to cover a project estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

"By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said. "This is something that we've been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan."

Spicer said Trump was looking at taxing imports on all countries the U.S. has trade deficits with, but he added, "Right now we are focused on Mexico."

But the announcement sparked immediate confusion across Washington, and the White House tried to backtrack. During a hastily arranged briefing in the West Wing, chief of staff Reince Priebus said a 20 percent import tax was one idea in "a buffet of options" to pay for the border wall.

A 20 percent tariff would represent a huge tax increase on imports to the U.S., raising the likelihood of costs being passed on to consumers. Half of all non-agricultural goods enter the U.S. duty free, according to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The other half face import tariffs averaging 2 percent.

Mexico is one of America's biggest trade partners, and the U.S. is the No. 1 buyer from that country, accounting for about 80 percent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the U.S. economy and disastrous for Mexico's. And major harm to Mexico's economy would surely spur more people to risk deportation, jail or even death to somehow cross the border to the U.S.  undercutting Trump's major goal of stopping illegal immigration.

To some congressional Republicans, Spicer's comments appeared to be a welcome embrace of border adjustment tax, a core element of House Speaker Paul Ryan's tax reform proposal. As part of that proposal, a 20 percent corporate tax rate would apply to goods and services consumed in the U.S. but not applied to exports from America.

Earlier this month, Trump called that concept confusing. And during the White House's clean-up efforts Thursday, Spicer wouldn't say whether Trump agreed with the border adjustment tax being considered by the House GOP.

The new president has previously raised the prospect of slapping tariffs on imports, but had not suggested it as a way to pay for the border wall.
DALLAS | TransCanada has quickly filed a new application to build Keystone XL, one of two big oil pipelines being given a second chance by President Donald Trump.

Former President Barack Obama rejected the Keystone XL in 2015. The Army halted construction of the Dakota Access pipeline last month.

The move by Trump fulfills a campaign promise to revive the projects, which he says will create thousands of jobs and generate taxes for states and communities. However, the number of jobs created and the economic benefits have been hotly debated. Many experts believe any impact on the U.S. economy will be small.

Despite Trump's executive orders, both projects face likely court fights by environmental groups, and the Keystone XL pipeline faces uncertain demand from oil shippers.

JOBS

According to a 2014 report by the U.S. State Department, Keystone XL would support about 42,100 jobs including about 3,900 workers directly involved in construction. Workers, including those indirectly supported by the pipeline, would earn about $2 billion.

Once construction ends and oil starts flowing, the pipeline would support just 35 permanent jobs, according to the report.

The Dakota Access project has created about 12,000 construction jobs, according to project leader Energy Transfer Partners LP. But most sections of the pipeline are finished and most of the jobs are too.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The State Department said that construction of Keystone XL would contribute around $3.4 billion to the nation's output. The companies building the Dakota Access pipeline say they have spent more than $3.5 billion and would spend "hundreds of millions a month" to finish the work.

Those sums, however, are insignificant in the $18 trillion U.S. economy. The XL pipeline would contribute about 0.02 percent to the nation's gross domestic product.

"The macroeconomic implications of the latest executive orders on their own will be relatively minor, in our view" although Trump's orders "reinforce the message that the federal government has become much more pro-business," said Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics.

Environmental groups say the pipeline companies are overstating the economic benefits of their projects and understating the impact of using tar-sands oil, which they say generates higher carbon emissions in production than other crude. A civil engineer at the University of Nebraska concluded that TransCanada also significantly underestimated the likelihood of major pipeline spills.

TAXES

The State Department estimated that Keystone XL would generate $70 million in additional state and local taxes during construction and $55.6 million in property taxes once the pipeline begins operating.

The Dakota Access companies estimate that the project will result in $156 million in sales and income taxes during construction and $55 million in annual property taxes.

OIL

Keystone XL would carry about 830,000 barrels a day from Alberta to Nebraska. TransCanada, which is seeking $15 billion in damages from the United States over the 2015 rejection of its previous application, said it reapplied on Thursday. The State Department has 60 days to make a decision.

At an investor conference earlier this week, TransCanada CEO Russell Girling was optimistic but not convinced that Keystone XL can get built because of uncertainty about demand from oil producers.

"I believe the economics for this project are still there, but we'll see," Girling said. "This wasn't in our planning horizon in the middle of last year. We only have just re-engaged with our shippers on that topic."

Afolabi Ogunnaike, an analyst with Wood Mackenzie, said rising costs, continuing opposition from environmentalists, and competition from two other planned pipelines will complicate XL's future.

"This could be a race to get shipper commitments and a race to build," he said. "Maybe only two of the three pipelines get built."

Some of the biggest producers of tar-sands oil or bitumen are Canadian firms including Suncor Energy Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Other big producers include Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp.

The $3.8 billion Dakota Access project would carry about 500,000 barrels of oil per day of from North Dakota to Illinois.

MADE IN USA

Trump signed a separate memorandum this week that could lead to a requirement that new and retrofitted pipelines within the United States be built with U.S.-produced materials "to the maximum extent possible and to the extent permitted by law." But much of the Dakota Access pipe is already laid, and TransCanada has stockpiled much of the pipe it would use for Keystone XL  much of it foreign.

Vicki Granado, a spokeswoman for Energy Transfer Partners, said 57 percent of the pipeline used in the Dakota Access project was bought from manufacturers in Louisiana and Arkansas. That was the total U.S. capacity available when it was ordered, she said.

A TransCanada spokesman, Terry Cunha, said "a majority" of XL's pipe has come from the U.S. and Canada  he declined to break out the U.S. share. The company said in 2012 that three-fourths of the pipe laid in the project's U.S. section would come from the U.S. or Canada, with the rest from Italy and India.
PIERRE | South Dakota parents and educators are concerned that a bill approved this week could bring nonscientific theories into science classes.

State lawmakers approved a bill on Wednesday that would "protect the teaching of certain scientific information in classrooms," the Argus Leader reported.

Senate Bill 55 itself is fewer than 40 words, but it has science teachers and public educators across the state concerned about how to bring nonscientific theories into science classes.

I think this proposed legislation is a solution is in search of a problem, and thats concerning, said Lori Simon, superintendent of Rapid City Area Schools. Most districts already have policies in place that support teachers in addressing controversial topics. ... This kind of legislation not only is unnecessary but could potentially open up a school district to possible litigation.

Rachelle Smith, a parent of two children, said she fears her second-grade daughter will not learn the subject properly.

"Really, what we're doing is robbing our kids of education," Smith said.

Those in favor of the bill cite the importance of showing the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories.

However, Anne Lewis, spokeswoman of the South Dakota Discovery Center in Pierre, argues that scientists use the terms "probability and uncertainty" when discussing theories, not "strengths and weaknesses."

"'Weakness' says, 'Hey, this looks like it's wrong,'" said Lewis.

She noted that the term "uncertainty" calls for further investigation.

"It appears as though this opens the door for whatever you want," said Jarod Larson, superintendent of the Brandon Valley School District. "Versus the framework and the standards that are provided for our teachers."

The state senate voted 23-12 to move forward with the bill, despite opposing testimonies from public school groups.

Republican Sen. Jeff Monroe, who has sponsored the bill, has proposed similar statutes annually since 2014.
TORONTO | The company behind the Keystone XL pipeline submitted on Thursday a new presidential permit application to the U.S. Department of State for approval.

The project would move 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The application by TransCanada comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order earlier this week to expedite the project.

Trump directed the State Department and other agencies to make a decision within 60 days of a final application. He also declared that a 2014 environmental study satisfies required reviews under environmental and endangered species laws.

But Trump has also made a new requirement for the pipeline to be made with American steel and fabricated in the United States.

"We're gonna make that pipe right here," Trump said to Republicans in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Calgary, Alberta-based TransCanada made no mention of using American materials in a statement Thursday but stressed the project would create thousands of American jobs.

"KXL will benefit American workers, their families and the communities they live in as well as the U.S. economy," the company said. A spokesman for TransCanada declined to release the application.

Asked about possible buy American requirements, TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said they know the U.S. Secretary of Commerce will come up with a plan to implement Trump's executive order.

"We will need time to review and analyze the plan when it is released to determine its impact to KXL," Cunha said in an email.

Former President Barack Obama rejected Keystone XL in 2015, saying it would undercut efforts to cinch a global climate change deal in his environmental agenda.

That didn't go over well in Canada which needs infrastructure to export its growing oil sands production. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and is America's largest supplier of foreign oil. Ninety-seven percent of Canada's oil exports go to the U.S.

Keystone XL would carry more than one-fifth of the oil Canada exports to the United States.
PIERRE | Gov. Dennis Daugaard said Thursday that he plans to sign a Republican bill that would dismantle a voter-approved government ethics overhaul if it reaches his desk.

The state Senate was to vote on the bill, but legislators supported a procedural move to postpone more debate until next week. The House has already passed it.

The measure would repeal the ballot initiative that created an ethics commission, public campaign funding and strict limitations on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers. More than 51 percent of voters supported the ballot measure, and backers have criticized the Legislature for working to overturn the result of the Nov. 8 election.

The embattled law  called Initiated Measure 22  isn't in effect because of a legal challenge from GOP legislators and others. Republicans have said the initiative is probably unconstitutional.

"Whenever a bill is passed, or whenever a measure is initiated, if it's plainly unconstitutional, I think it's the duty of the Legislature to try to ascertain what was the motivation for this, and is there a constitutional means by which we can create law that responds to that motivation?" Daugaard said.

Senate majority leader Blake Curd, a Republican, moved to delay action because he said the bill is not yet "ripe." Lawmakers will "take the weekend and noodle on some new ideas and concepts" and revisit it next week, he said, declining to offer additional details.

Democratic lawmakers have criticized Republicans for their speed in advancing the measure, which had its first hearing Monday. Senate minority leader Billie Sutton said legislators will now have to go home and justify the repeal bill to the people who put them into office.

"I'm calling it a victory for our caucus and a victory for 180,000 South Dakotans who want their voice to be heard," he said.

The bill requires a two-thirds margin in each chamber to pass. An emergency provision attached to it means it would take effect immediately.

Curd said lawmakers have received telephone calls, emails and written messages about the bill, which shows that people have had the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Lawmakers have filed several potential replacement proposals for IM22, though none as sweeping. The proposals include a bill that would tighten restrictions on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers and a measure that would establish a board to review and investigate issues ranging from bribery to theft of public funds. Secretary of State Shantel Krebs has proposed a bill creating a campaign finance ethics commission, which would evaluate and enforce complaints over reported campaign finance violations.

"It is not true by any stretch of the imagination that the Legislature in South Dakota is rejecting the will of the people," Curd told reporters before the bill came up on the floor. "In fact, what it's trying to do is incorporate the will of the people in a constitutionally valid fashion." He did not say what parts of IM22 might be unconstitutional.
PIERRE | Democratic legislative leaders know there's a large amount of work to be done if they want to rebuild the party in South Dakota.

One thing they need to do better is distinguish themselves from Democrats who serve in Congress, said Sen. Billie Sutton, D-Burke. Hes the Senate minority leader.

Rep. Spencer Hawley, D-Brookings, agrees. Hes the House minority leader.

Weve allowed the other party to message for us, and thats not who we are, he said.

State legislative leaders spoke at a news conference Thursday at the Ramkota Hotel as part of Newspaper Day in Pierre.

Ballot measures supported by Democrats are often approved by South Dakota voters, but that doesnt translate to Democratic candidates being elected.

Were right on the ballot, Sutton said, referring to such issues as increasing the state minimum wage, the governors large projects bill and higher teacher pay.

In some of these districts (the Democratic candidate) could have been Jesus and not won.

Sen. Troy Heinert, D-Mission, said gerrymandered legislative district lines certainly arent friendly to his party. Hes the assistant minority leader.

The numbers are so lopsided in some districts that no sane Democrat would run, Sutton said.

He said hes been successful in a Republican district by distinguishing himself as a South Dakotan first and a Democrat second.

Hawley said the lopsided party numbers in most districts is the reason there needs to be an independent commission that oversees legislative redistricting in South Dakota.

However, that issue was on the ballot in November and was rejected by voters.

So, Sutton said, the work has to start at the local level by finding strong, appealing candidates to run for city council, school board and county commission.

Rep. Julie Bartling, D-Gregory, said the party needs to appeal to the increasing number of independent voters in South Dakota. They tend to be young people displeased with Washington who dont want to associate with either major party, she said.

Bartling is the assistant minority leader in the House.

There are 29 Republicans and six Democrats in the state Senate. There are 59 Republicans and 10 Democrats in the state House of Representatives, with another Republican, appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard, set to join the chamber next week.

Those numbers dont accurately reflect the makeup of the sate, Sutton said.

Republican leaders in the Legislature said they never dismiss out of hand any ideas raised by Democrats.

Interestingly, Sutton and Heinert room with Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel, while in Pierre for the session. Maher is the assistant majority leader.

The trio have some good and sometimes heated debates after leaving the Capitol for the day, said Maher, who served two legislative terms as a Democrat and is now in his third as a Republican.

The Democratic Party in the state has definitely dropped the ball. Theyre almost an extinct species, he said during the Republicans Newspaper Day news conference.

Maher said he gets significantly more support from the GOP than he did from the Democratic Party. It takes money to run for office, he said, and without a foundation in place to raise funds, its a tough go.
If you or your child has a fever, cough and sore throat, you're not alone.

You've got "what's going around" in South Dakota.

Flu cases are concentrated in the population centers of the state in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, but they are also showing up in high numbers in the northern Black Hills.

"In Rapid City and the Northern Hills, we have seen an increase that coincides with the state report. We are definitely on the upswing," said Julie Poppe, director of infection prevention and control at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Poppe said the hospital has seen more respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, than flu in children admitted there and more flu cases among adults.

"It's different for every community," she said.

In Sturgis, Meade School District registered nurse Heidi Komes said sickness among students in the district is not waning.

"We're still going strong," she said Thursday after dealing with another patient in her office. "I would say it has been pretty steady for the last couple of weeks."

Besides flu, the nurses in the Meade School District have seen an uptick in strep throat and a 24-hour stomach bug, she said.

Historical figures show that flu cases peak in January or February, but last year it wasn't until March when local health officials saw the peak, Poppe said. She added the unseasonably cold winter this year means people have spent more time inside, where they are exposed to more germs from others, thus leading to this year's early peak.

Komes believes more flu this year is tied to a lower number of Meade County students participating in the district's flu shot clinics. In past years, anyone through the age of 18 could get a flu shot for free through the district's clinic. The program was funded by the state.

"This year, if you wanted it (a flu shot), you had to pay for it out of pocket," Komes said. "Unfortunately, some families couldn't afford that. We did see a decrease in the number of people getting flu vaccines this year."

Even though Komes has seen a steady stream of ill students, the number has dropped from a high about two weeks ago, said Superintendent Don Kirkegaard.

"We had seen several buildings with 80 to 90 kids out. We also have had teachers out and had difficulty finding enough substitutes for them," he said.

The flu outbreak also seems to be easing in Belle Fourche schools, Superintendent Steve Willard said.

We werent so good Monday, he said. One hundred plus were out on Monday; Tuesday, 70; and today were down to 40. I think its just going to run its course."

The superintendent said the district is responding by having students and teachers wash their hands frequently and sending home students who have fevers.

Also, the maintenance staff is doing additional cleaning on surfaces that would be likelier to carry flu germs, he said.

Rapid City, too, has seen a noticeable spike in illness-related absences in the past two weeks.

One of our middle schools had more than 60 absences on Monday, said Rapid City district spokeswoman Katy Urban. The majority of our students are complaining about body aches, upset stomachs and fevers. This is typically the time of year when the number of absences spikes due to illness; even more reason to make hand washing and good hygiene a priority.

Komes and Poppe agreed, saying good hand washing is the best thing you can do to keep the flu bug from spreading. Its good advice because someone who doesnt know they have the flu can be contagious 24 hours before they get systems, Poppe said.

Symptoms of Influenza A include a fever, cough, sore throat and runny nose, but the biggest indicator is the fever, she said.

People I know who have gotten this say it comes on very quickly. You don't know you are sick and that contributes to the spread, she said. They are feeling fine, and a few hours later they feel awful.

Influenza is currently listed as widespread throughout South Dakota by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because of that, Regional Hospital is asking for the publics help in protecting patients from the spread of the disease.

Anyone who is not feeling well or who has had flu-like symptoms in the past week  fever, coughing and body aches  should not visit area hospitals.

But if you feel you must visit, family and friends are being asked to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and wash their hands. The hospital is providing masks and hand sanitizers at no cost in the lobby.

An illness outbreak of this caliber is common in the dead of winter, but this is the highest it has been in quite a while, Kirkegaard said, adding, Hopefully the worst is behind us.
The 7th Judicial Court ordered a $500,000 cash-only bond Thursday for a Rapid City man charged with stabbing another man to death at a local motel Monday.

Nathan Chase, 25, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jeremy Little, 30, at the South Dakota Rose Inn.

At Chase's first court appearance, Magistrate Judge Marya Tellinghuisen informed him that his murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence. Chase appeared via video linkup from the Pennington County Jail, where he has been detained since Tuesday morning.

Tellinghuisen granted the prosecutions request for a $500,000 bond after Deputy States Attorney Carolyn Olson told the judge there was strong evidence linking Chase to the killing.

Olson said a witness identified Chase as the person who stabbed Little in the neck. When authorities found Chase hours later, the prosecutor said, they found a folding knife with blood on it in his pocket and a pair of bloody boots in his house.

Olson also said that Chase is a danger to the community since he has a federal felony conviction as a juvenile in 2008. That took place in Montana, where Chase lived for two weeks before the motel stabbing, she said, which also makes him a flight risk.

A defense attorney asked for a maximum bond of $100,000, saying Chase had found a job in Rapid City that would keep him in the area.

City police said officers found Little unconscious, with multiple stab wounds, in a room at the motel after they responded to a stabbing call around 8 p.m. Monday. He was declared dead at the scene, police said.

A police affidavit in the case, filed at the Pennington County Courthouse, has been sealed from public view because of the ongoing investigation, said Deputy States Attorney Josh Hendrickson, who is prosecuting the case.

Mondays homicide at the motel, on East Boulevard North, is Rapid Citys third this year. There were nine in 2015 and two in 2016. There have been arrests and prosecutions in all but two of the cases, and convictions in four of them.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum sat down with tribal and camp leaders for five hours Wednesday night at the Prairie Knights Casino in what participants saw as a gesture of good faith from the new leadership.

"The governor listened to our concerns, and that goes a long way in showing his willingness to listen and learn ... from all sides, how we can help and rebuild and move forward," said Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II. "This has been very trying on everybody."

It was significant to many participants that the meeting took place in Fort Yates  a decision made by Burgum  and a step former Gov. Jack Dalrymple did not take during the Dakota Access pipeline protests.

Participants included current and former Standing Rock tribal council members, tribal elders, Oceti Sakowin camp headsmen, officials from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, North Dakota Highway Patrol Col. Michael Gerhardt Jr., Indian Affairs Commission Executive Director Scott Davis and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford.

The meeting, which lasted from 7 p.m. to midnight, was mostly a listening session for the governor, participants said. They wanted him to hear about the broken treaties with the Sioux people, what the Backwater Bridge closure was costing the tribe and their fears that President Trump would forcibly remove the protesters.

Archambault said he told the governor specifically: "If the president wants to use federal force ... let us know. We don't want anyone to be hurt. That's the nerve-wracking part, because he's making rash decisions."

Some also asked the governor to take meaningful steps to assist the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Most notably, they want the Backwater Bridge on N.D. Highway 1806 re-opened.

"The state needs to work with us first," said Cannon Ball Tribal Councilman Cody Two Bears, whose constituents say the closure affects their access to key medical services.

Although no concrete plans came out of the meeting, Burgum said in an interview Thursday that he asked the Morton County sheriff, North Dakota Highway Patrol, North Dakota National Guard and Morton County Commission to draft a plan for a phased reopening of the bridge.

Very concerned about an impending flood, Burgum said he would also advocate with the Army Corps of Engineers, if needed.

"We want to work with Chairman Archambault and the camp leaders and try to figure out a way to reduce the level of conflict and, at the same time, solve the public safety issues we have relative to the flood," Burgum said. "How do we take steps together?"

Another issue that state and tribal leaders are working together on is a deal to help people make a transition from the protest camps. On Thursday, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe said it was negotiating a lease for land on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

If the talks succeed, 50 to 60 members still residing at the Oceti Sakowin camp could move during the flooding season, according to Remi Bald Eagle, intergovernmental affairs coordinator for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Bald Eagle said the new camp would be a "safe space for our tribal members and anyone authorized by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe."

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chairman Harold Frasier supports tribal members who want to continue protesting the pipeline, Bald Eagle said.

He said the new camp could be for members coming from or going to the Oceti Sakowin camp, members who cannot get home maybe because of car trouble or weather or members who don't feel safe at the other camps.

The Cheyenne River Indian Reservation is directly south of Standing Rock.

Bald Eagle, who surveyed the property on Thursday, said the plot would be on private land near the current camps within Standing Rock's boundaries. The tribe plans to provide some support, including a medical tent and a warm area.

The proposal appears to conflict with a resolution passed by the Cannon Ball District and tribal council last week, which requested all protest camps in that area be cleared and people go home. Neither Archambault II nor District Chairman Robert Fool Bear was familiar with the plan.

"While we certainly dont want to go against the wishes of Cannon Ball or the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, we are not doing this for political reasons," Bald Eagle said. "We are merely doing this to provide a safe, warm place for our tribal members, who may be stuck."
Gary Boggs was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and lives in Denver. For the next two weeks, though, he will call the Super 8 Motel in Rapid City home. But what brings him to the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo is not the reason most people are coming: For him, it's negative ionic humidifiers.

Rapid City is dry and dusty. Humidew, a Canada-based brand of humidifiers Boggs represents, is here to help.

It moisturizes the air, removes any dust or allergens from the air, and you can add your own essential oils, Boggs said as two humidifiers infused lavender and peppermint into the air.

The oils are not in the water, Boggs explained, but are instead encapsulated in the water vapor because of the vapors negative charge. As a result, when you breathe in the vapor, the oils go into your lungs. It sounds bad, but its good for your lungs, immune system, and sinuses, he said, depending on what oil you use.

Last week, Boggs was in Denver for the National Western Stock Show. His stand, he described, was a floor above the livestock area. After 16 straight days of breathing dusty, musty, dry air, his wife and a lot of the people around him became sick with sinus infections.

With these, Boggs said, you dont get the allergies that would be floating around in the air. What you do get is some refreshing scented air.
A court hearing scheduled for Thursday and today regarding the fate of hundreds of wild horses in north-central South Dakota was canceled in favor of settlement negotiations, multiple sources said.

Lawyers had intended to argue a motion filed by the state and authorities in Dewey and Ziebach counties. The motion sought to transfer ownership of about 540 horses from the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros to Fleet of Angels and Habitat for Horses, two nonprofit groups, for adoption.

Authorities impounded 810 horses in October at the society's ranch near Lantry after learning that the animals were being neglected. A total of 270 of the horses have since been adopted.

County State's Attorney Steve Aberle confirmed that an agreement was under discussion.
HELENA  A state representative introduced Thursday a bill that would let lawmakers carry guns on state-owned property.

House Bill 280, carried by Rep. Randy Brodehl, R-Kalispell, would let legislators carry guns openly or concealed on state property, such as the Capitol. Weapons currently are banned at the Capitol and other state-owned facilities. The bill would not require lawmakers to get a concealed-carry permit to carry a gun.

Brodehl said he thinks lawmaker are among the most most vulnerable at the Capitol.

As a legislator Ive received a couple death threats and that makes me very aware we are at risk, he said.

Brodehl said he supported letting all citizens carry guns at the Capitol but recognized getting a law to allow that passed would be difficult. He said that lawmakers, through the elections process, are more vetted by the public and could be more trusted with weapons.

This vetting by our constituents by the vote process has given us one more layer of scrutiny, he said.

Who can carry guns in state capitols has been a brewing discussion over the past several years. Roughly 18 states permit lawmakers to carry guns.

No one spoke in support of the bill and the committee took no action Thursday. Two testified in opposition.

Rachel Carroll Rivas, co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, said the bill would make people who come to testify at the Capitol afraid.

A functioning democracy cannot happen at the barrel of the gun, Rivas said. Lets keep this home of democracy an accessible, safe and gun-free place.

Rivas said that if security at the Capitol is a concern, the Legislature could look at adding metal detectors and security at the doors. The Capitol does not have metal detectors, but there are a handful of police officers in the building.

Don Jones, who is a lobbyist for MEA-MFT, represents state union employees, also spoke in opposition.

He said state employees are honestly not really excited at the prospect of armed legislators walking the halls with them.

Jones also said that lawmakers with visible weapons could intimidate citizens who come to testify. Its scary enough to get up here and talk, he said.

He also asked if it would be safe to have armed legislators responding if someone came into the Capitol and started shooting.

I just imagine the chaos if someone armed with ill intent came into this room right now and five or 10 gun-carrying legislators started shooting.

Rep. Ellie Hill Smith, D-Missoula, called these types of bills media bills, saying the generate a lot of interest from the press but either die on the House or Senate floor or by a governor veto.

A bill that would allow adults to conceal carry without a permit was vetoed by Gov. Steve Bullock last session. Other bills to allow guns on college campuses have died in the process or been vetoed by the governor.
Citing state law, Attorney General Tim Fox said Thursday that Missoula's background check ordinance isn't legal.

"Plainly interpreted, the Montana Legislature has prohibited all forms of local government from exercising any regulatory power over the purchase, sale or transfer or firearms," he wrote.

Missoula City Attorney Jim Nugent said Fox's ruling came as no surprise.

I dont think anyone expected anything different, Nugent said. Pursuant to the attorney general opinion, it (the ordinance) cant be enforced.

The Missoula ordinance, passed in the fall, mandates a background check on all gun sales between private parties within city limits, with a limited set of exceptions. Such checks previously were not required.

In October, weeks after the Missoula City Council approved the measure, Montana House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, filed a formal request with Fox asking for a legal opinion on the ordinance. In particular, he asked Fox to weigh in on whether it conflicts with state law.

Nugent responded to Knudsens request for a legal opinion by saying the ordinance fell under an exemption to that law, which allows local government to prevent and suppress ... the possession of firearms by convicted felons, adjudicated mental incompetents, illegal aliens and minors.

According to Foxs interpretation of the same Montana Code Annotated (MCA) section that Missoula used to defend their ordinance, the citys law was illegal.

Fox said the section doesnt allow regulation of purchases, sales or transfers by felons or minors, only possession, the specific word used in the law.

He also wrote that the only situations where Montana state law allowed exceptions to the right to keep or bear arms involve convicted felons, not law-abiding citizens looking to purchase, sell or transfer a firearm.

This dragnet approach on all gun sales or transfers within the City of Missoulas borders ignores the long-standing statutory prohibitions previously discussed.

The state previously allowed cities to make their own laws regarding firearms sales, Fox wrote in his opinion, but a 1985 House bill repealed that section of the MCA and replaced it with new language that still is in place.

The purpose of HB 643 was clear  only the state should decide how firearm purchases, sales and transfers should be regulated, if at all.

Nugent held issue with one line especially in Foxs opinion, which said the ordinance would allow a city to require registration of firearms.

The word registration doesnt even appear, Nugent said of the ordinance. They dont seem to understand our rule closely.

Foxs new legal opinion has the force of law unless overruled by district court or the Montana Supreme Court.

Nugent said an appeal would be up to the City Council, and he and Ward 1 City Council representative Bryan von Lossberg said an appeal wasnt yet being discussed.

Von Lossberg brought the ordinance forward and spearheaded its passage, after more than a year of rewrites and several-hours-long public debates.

Some of his constituents, including members of the local chapter of the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America advocacy group presented von Lossberg with data about the many suicides and acts of intimate partner violence that were committed with guns that shouldnt have been in a persons possession.

Those are issues that really resonated with me, he said.

Though the ordinance is now legally unenforceable, the bright side is that it countered confusion and misinformation about the background check process, von Lossberg said.

He is a gun owner who has used background checks on private sales, as were many people who commented during the public debates.

Its raised awareness, von Lossberg said. Its leadership.

Missoula was the first city in Montana to pass an ordinance requiring background checks, though von Lossberg said thats small consolation.

More than anything, Im interested in saving lives, more than Im interested in making statements, he said.
BILLINGS  Greg Gianforte will seek the Republican nomination to replace Rep. Ryan Zinke in the U.S. House.

The Bozeman tech entrepreneur and 2016 gubernatorial candidate informed Montana Republican central committee members of his decision in a Wednesday email after paying the GOP's required $1,740 candidate filing fee.

"The direction of our country will be decided in the coming months and I decided to undertake this challenge because you deserve to have your voice heard and a champion who will always be on Montanas side," Gianforte wrote in the email.

"Let me make this abundantly clear: this race will be ground zero and the first official battle waged by the Democrats to stop the Trump/Republican agenda. I simply will not stand by and allow that to happen. Im ready to fight for our shared Montana values  and what a fight it will be!"

Zinke is President Donald Trump's pick to be U.S. Interior secretary. A special election will be held to fill Zinke's seat within 85 to 100 days of his resignation, which will come when the U.S. Senate confirms Zinke. That confirmation could take place in the next few weeks.

Roughly a dozen people have expressed interest in the states lone congressional seat. There will be no primary for voters to narrow the field. Instead, political parties will hold nominating conventions with each partys central committee members selecting a candidate.

Gianfortes interest had been rumored since December, but the Republican has kept his decision quiet. With a year of campaigning unsuccessfully for governor, Gianforte has already put more than 30,000 political ads before Montanans. The creator of Bozeman-based RightNow Technologies, a company that sold to Oracle for $1.8 billion in 2014, spent more than $5 million of his own money getting his name out.

In the election, Gianforte received 46.5 percent of the vote and trailed Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock by 19,818 votes.

Gianfortes interest began driving lesser-known candidates from the race last week.

It is obvious that Greg Gianforte already has enough votes to win the selection at the convention, said Gary Carlson, Republican House hopeful from Corvallis. Therefore, unless Greg Gianforte decides not to run, I will discontinue my campaign for Ryan Zinke's House Seat and consider other ways that I can still be of service.

Other Republicans to pay the candidate fee interested in the seat include former state legislator Ken Miller, of Laurel; state legislator Ed Buttrey, of Great Falls; Drew Turiano, of East Helena, and Dean Rehbein, the vice president of Riverside Contracting in Missoula.

Republicans expressing interest, but not paying the candidate fee, include legislators Daniel Zolnikov, of Billings; Scott Sales, of Bozeman, and Carl Glimm, of Kila; as well as Eugene Graf IV, a Bozeman developer.

Democrats who have expressed interest in running include Rob Quist, of Creston; Bozeman attorney John Meyer; and state legislators Amanda Curtis, of Butte, Kelly McCarthy, of Billings, and Casey Schreiner, of Great Falls. There is no fee to run as a Democrat.

There are two Libertarian candidates interested, Rick Breckenridge, of Conner; and Mark Wicks, of Inverness.
Comments and links to reports on science, and its applications.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Constitutional Council has recommended three names for appointment as election commissioners.

A meeting of the Constitutional Council held on Friday recommended Narendra Dahal, Ishwari Prasad Paudel and Sudhir Kumar Shah for appointment as election commissioners.

The recommendation of the Constitutional Council for appointment as election commissioners is taken as a part of necessary preparation to hold the elections.

As per the constitutional provision, there should be five commissioners in the Election Commission (EC), the constitutional body responsible to hold the elections.

Currently, the EC has two commissioners including the Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Ayodhi Prasad Yadav and Commissioner Ila Sharma as other commissioners have already retired.

In the CC meeting, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chief Justice Sushila Karki, Speaker Onsari Gharti, Main Opposition Party Leader KP Sharma Oli and Chief Secretary Dr. Som Lal Subedi were present.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari

KATHMANDU: A Nepal Army chopper carrying President Bidya Devi Bhandari made an emergency landing in Bhaluwang of Dang owing to the bad weather.

The President was flying to Dhangadhi of Kailali district to attend a function today.

The head of the state has been taken to an Armed Police Force camp in Bhaluwang, police said.

Information Officer at the Presidents Office Prahlad Prasad Pudasaini said the President would fly to Dhangadhi immediately once the weather cleared.RSS
The South China Sea  Some Fundamental Strategic Principles

CSIS

January 26, 2017

With the incoming administration likely to grapple early with South China Sea issues, the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, directed by Dr. Amy Searight, worked in collaboration with other Asia colleagues at CSISDr. Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair; Dr. Zack Cooper, Fellow, Japan Chair; Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia and Director, China Power Project; Andrew Shearer, Senior Adviser on Asia-Pacific Security; and Greg Poling, Director Asia Maritime Transparency Initiativeto provide the analytical context and some fundamental principles that should guide strategic thinking on South China Sea policy.

A critical and early Chinese test of U.S. resolve is likely to come in the South China Sea, where Washington has struggled to respond effectively to assertive Chinese behavior. Enduring U.S. interestsfreedom of navigation and overflight, support for the rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputesare at risk in the region. U.S. goals to uphold regional alliances and partnerships, defend international rules and norms, and maintain a productive relationship with China remain valid. China has seized the initiative in the South China Sea, however, and the United States needs to revamp its strategy to reverse current trends and escape the trap of reactive and ineffectual policymaking. To this end, the new administration should perform an early, top-down, and thorough strategic review to enable greater consistency and effectiveness in U.S. South China Sea policy.

China is undertaking a persistent, long-term effort to establish control over the South China Sea.Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has undertaken more assertive policies that have greatly improved Beijings position in the South China Sea. China remains uncompromising on sovereignty, has increased its capability to enforce its de facto control in disputed areas, and has sought to advance its claims while staying below the threshold for direct military conflict with the United States.

China has steadily built capabilities and infrastructure, most notably military facilities on artificial islands, that enable greater control of the South China Sea. The growing size and capability of the Chinese air force, navy, and coast guard allow Beijing to consistently monitor and exercise de facto control over most of the South China Sea. Chinas island outposts will increase this advantage as Chinese aircraft, ships, and paramilitary vessels will be able to rest and resupply in the southern portion of the South China Sea.

China is already providing indications of how it might act when it controls the South China Sea. China has harassed U.S. Navy ships operating in the South China Sea, warned military flights to stay away from its artificial islands, and recently seized a U.S. drone operating in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. These actions suggest that China might undermine freedom of navigation and overflight, principles of fundamental importance to the United States.

China has shown it is willing to accept substantial risk to achieve its ends, and has engaged in outright coercion against weaker neighbors like the Philippines and Vietnam. U.S. allies and partners in the region are drawing lessons from Chinese coercive behavior and the limited U.S. response to it, and some are beginning to doubt U.S. resolve and adjust their foreign policies in response.

U.S. responses to Chinas South China Sea activities have been insufficient to alter Chinas behavior and have fed the narrative that China is pushing the United States out of the region. Countering Chinas efforts has become a key test of perceived U.S. commitment to many in the region. If Chinese coercion goes unchallenged by the United States, it will send a dangerous signal about the strength of the U.S. alliance system and lessen the appeal of the United States as a security partner.

The United States has been largely successful at preserving its own freedom of action and deterring outright Chinese aggression in the South China Sea through routine presence operations. U.S. access to the South China Sea is coming under increasing threat as Chinese power increases, but can be preserved if the United States maintains a sufficient military advantage over China.

The United States has been less successful in supporting local partners as they resist Chinese coercion. The United States has an interest in seeing that these partners maintain their strategic autonomy, but capacity building efforts to help them resist coercion are not keeping pace with Chinas growing capabilities. This puts more pressure on Washington to intervene and U.S. allies and partners in Asia are watching carefully and drawing conclusions about U.S. commitment and staying power in the region.

The United States also faces a challenge in enforcing international law in the South China Sea. U.S. military advantage is of limited utility in this area and Washington has struggled to convince local partners to join in freedom of navigation operations. The United States needs to consider a wider variety of non-military responses to Chinas efforts to control the South China Sea, and more effectively build a local coalition to support these responses.

To counter Chinas efforts to control the South China Sea, the United States needs a sustainable strategy to bolster its own capabilities, work more effectively with capable allies and partners, and strengthen the regional order.

Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. The United States should continue to prioritize military presence in the Asia-Pacific at the same time as it invests in key capabilities, such as long-range precision strike, undersea warfare, cyber/space systems, and other capabilities that will preserve the U.S. ability to deter Chinese aggression.

The United States can do more to leverage its alliances in Asia to raise the costs of Chinese efforts to undermine the regional order. Allied efforts to support U.S. force posture in the region will remain vital, but the United States should also expect allies to make greater contributions in responding to Chinese coercion. Close allies such as Australia and Japan have a great deal to offer in terms of capability and capacity, and should be encouraged to do more.

Guidelines for a South China Sea Strategy

As the new administration sets out to revamp U.S. strategy in the South China Sea, it should keep the following guidelines in mind:

Pursue Deterrence and Cooperation Simultaneously

Although Chinese cooperation is necessary to address some regional and global issuessuch as North Koreas belligerent behavior and climate changethe United States should not be held hostage by concerns that a more robust deterrence strategy will thwart bilateral cooperation. Any temptation to alter U.S. policies in the South China Sea to preserve cooperation with China in other areas is unnecessary and potentially counterproductive. Cooperation on areas of shared interest is important not only to the United States, but also to China.

U.S. leaders should not be afraid of tension in the U.S.-China relationship. The United States can stand firm on its principles and deter China from undermining the regional order while maintaining a productive relationship. Giving ground on vital interests in Asia will not encourage greater cooperation on global issues. Instead, perceptions of weakness may encourage leaders in Beijing to embrace more assertive behavior. In short, adopting a more robust deterrence approach need not prevent cooperation that is in the interests of both countries.

Adopt Consistent and Sustainable Policies and Messages

The new administration should issue clear and consistent strategic messages, since inconsistent articulation of the objectives of the rebalance strategy has caused confusion in China and amongst U.S. allies and partners. In particular, shifting explanations for how the United States will manage Chinas rising power and influencealong with the military-heavy implementation of the rebalancehave exacerbated suspicions that Washington seeks to contain Beijings rise.

Inconsistent messaging and policiesincluding on freedom of navigation and routine presence operationshave also led to confusion in the region. The new administration should provide authoritative explanations of these operations and not alter their schedule in response to Chinese pressure. Moving forward, freedom of navigation and routine presence operations should be executed on a regular basis to demonstrate U.S. resolve to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. While consistency in U.S. messaging and policy execution is important, it should be balanced by carefully calculated unpredictability in operations and tactics to prevent Beijing from becoming overly confident in its ability to anticipate U.S. reactions.

Expand the Policy Toolkit

U.S. policy in the South China Sea has been overly reliant on military options, which may not always be the most effective response. Diplomatic, informational, legal, and economic responses are currently underrepresented in U.S. China policy, and their incorporation into the policy toolkit will be important for successfully dissuading China over the long-term. For example, targeted sanctions on Chinese companies involved in destabilizing activities could be considered. The United States has leverage over China in areas not directly related to South China Sea and may have to consider using or threatening to use these tools to stabilize the regional order.

Reinvigorate Engagement with Allies and Partners

The United States should intensify capacity building efforts with allies and partners to improve their ability to resist Chinese coercion. Successful capacity building efforts will allow Southeast Asian states to better help themselves, bolstering deterrence against low-level Chinese coercion and allowing the U.S. military to focus more on deterring high-level contingencies. To facilitate capacity building, Washington should preserve regional defense relationships while recognizing that the ability of the United States to partner with frontline states depends on their cooperation and adherence to good governance and human rights.

The United States has several enduring advantages that make regional states continue to seek it out as the security partner of choice, including the worlds best military, high favorability ratings in most local populations, and a less threatening foreign policy than that of China. Given these advantages, Washington can afford to focus on the long game in Asia, confident that Chinese adventurism is likely to push many states to turn to the United States for support.

Maintain a Principled Position on Disputes

The longstanding U.S. position that it takes no position on sovereignty disputes over land features in the South China Sea, while insisting that these disputes be resolved in a peaceful fashion and in accordance with international law, is sound and should be maintained.
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Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong's Kung Fu Yoga opens internationally today. We have a small clip to share with you.

In this clip, set in a massive ice cave, two professors -- Jackie Chan and Disha Patani -- have discovered a long-lost treasure, only to be faced with a nasty fellow, played by Sonu Sood, who will only be happy if he takes their treasure and leaves the professors and their companions dead. If someone would just tell Chan who this guy is in the first place!

Our own Peter Martin caught the film earlier this week and had this to say in his review

Like Railroad Tigers, his recently-released period movie, Kung Fu Yoga does not represent Chan at the high point of his career. But both movies show that it's still possible for his talents to be presented in an enjoyable and broadly entertaining fashion, surrounded by other talented performers. As a Chinese New Year's release, Kung Fu Yoga is a family-friendly reminder that Master Chan still has a trick or two up his sleeve.



Peter Martin contributed to this story.
Lavender, the thriler by Ed Gass-Donnelly, starring Abbie Cornish, will be coming to homes via DISH on February 3rd then cinemas and VOD one month later on March 3rd. We have a collection of stills and the trailer to share with you today.

Find out more about Lavender in the press release below.
Ryoo Seung-wan has been flying high since the massive success of 2015 cop thriller Veteran and he makes his return to Korean screens this summer with Battleship Island.

A period action-drama set during the Japanese invasion of Korea, the film tells the story of roughly four hundred Koreans who escape the titular Battleship Island, a work camp they were forcibly relocated to. Hwang Jeong-min and So Ji-sub star and judging by the first trailer the film is a bit of a departure for Ryoo, one that incorporates large scale set pieces but is really far more focused on the characters and melodrama. In many ways Crying Fist would appear to be the closest thing to it in Ryoo's filmography, though the subject matter there was obviously radically different.

Take a look below!
Short film programs at major film festivals are a tricky animal, always struggling to draw attention away from the longer form material on display. And yet for those who dip in there are some absolute gems to find. And Laurent and David Nicolas' Black Holes is very definitely a gem.

A gorgeously stylized animated short meant to launch a further television series, Black Holes revolves around Dave Nicholson - the astronaut chosen to lead NASA's mission to Mars. Dave is everything you would expect a top level astronaut to be. Smooth. Confident. A little bit brash. Other than the mandatory visit to NASA proctologist Dr Fingers, Dave's life is pretty much perfect. Perfect, that is, until he meets the hyper intelligent melon that is his new partner.

Yes, you read that right. Dave's co-pilot is a melon. A canteloupe, by the looks of it. And the melon has soon invaded every aspect of Dave's life. It's more popular with the ladies. It's more popular with their bosses. It's re-designed Dave's space suit. It's re-designed Dave's house. And suddenly Dave experiences self-doubt for the very first time.

Built around a very European design aesthetic with a fabulous US based voice cast including William Fichtner and Steve Little, Black Holes does a marvelous job of maintaining its off kilter energy and building a surprisingly sympathetic cast of characters. The nods to scifi classics come regularly - 2001 is openly referenced as a plot point - but it is very much its own beast.

The talent on display here is enormously obvious and while Black Holes functions just fine as a stand alone short it's pretty much impossible not to hope they get to continue on with the planned series. There is a rich world here, one that will draw a sizeable and fiercely loyal cult, and I can't wait to go back.
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 "Strict Liability's Criminogenic Effect" | Main | "Reducing Violent Crime in American Cities: An Opportunity to Lead" 

January 27, 2017

Texas completes its second execution of 2017

As reported in this AP piece, a "man convicted of a fatal robbery at a Dallas-area Subway shop just weeks after he was fired from his job there was executed Thursday night." Here are a few more details:

Terry Edwards, 43, received lethal injection for the $3,000 holdup at a Subway restaurant where two employees were shot to death in 2002. Asked by a warden if he had a final statement, Edwards replied: "I'm at peace with God. I hope y'all find peace in this." As the lethal dose of pentobarbital was administered, he began snoring quickly. Within about 30 seconds, all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead at 10:17 p.m. CST, 23 minutes after the sedative began flowing into his arms. Edwards never looked at five relatives of the two murder victims who stood a few feet from him, looking through a window. Edwards' execution, the second this year in Texas and the third nationally, was delayed about four hours until the U.S. Supreme Court rejected multiple last-day appeals that sought to halt his punishment. Lawyers for Edwards wanted to reopen his case to investigate claims that a court-appointed lawyer earlier in the appeals process provided deficient help by abandoning him. Attorneys also contended Dallas County prosecutors at his trial incorrectly portrayed Edwards as the shooter, that he was innocent of the shootings, that prosecutors manipulated evidence and testimony at his trial and improperly excluded black people from the jury. Edwards was black.... Mickell Goodwin, 26, and Tommy Walker, 34, were each shot in the head in the holdup. Walker, the store manager, had seven children and stepchildren. Goodwin was mother of two daughters. No one else was inside the store. "Tonight is a time for us to remember Mickey and Tommy," their families said in a statement following the execution. "Though this chapter of our journey is now over, we will always feel the loss of them in our lives."... Edwards was on parole at the time of the shootings. He'd been released in October 1999 after prison time for car theft and possession with intent to deliver cocaine. The second man involved, Edwards' cousin, Kirk Edwards, turned himself in to police a day after the shootings. He had a previous criminal record for burglary and theft and now is serving 25 years for aggravated robbery for the sandwich shop case.

January 27, 2017 at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Comments

The condemned and his accomplice should have been executed many years before they murdered two victims with great family responsibilities. The deaths of those victims are 100% the fault of the lawyer profession. It protected, privileged, and empowered their murderers, from childhood. Because these murders had 100% foreseeability, those lawyers should compensate the estates of the victims for their wrongful deaths. Instead they have dealt themselves absolute immunities.

If liability is a substitute for retaliatory violence, then absolute immunity absolutely justifies violence in formal logic.



Posted by: David Behar | Jan 27, 2017 12:28:58 AM

The corruption of due process made the final outcome both unsafe and contrary to the Constitution which charges all involved to ensure equal justice under the law. The multiple contraventions of that process, which led to the taking of a human life, reduces the death penalty to no more than an exercise of "an eye for an eye". A sophisticated 21 century, civilized society, is better than that. You have such a long way to go.

Posted by: peter | Jan 27, 2017 4:54:23 AM

Peter, Amen

Mr Behar, you really are Supremacy Clause unmasked.

Bruce Cunningham

Posted by: Bruce Cunningham | Jan 27, 2017 8:53:28 AM

Good riddance.

Posted by: federalist | Jan 27, 2017 9:30:04 AM

The two thugs' attacks stopped by THEIR DEATH BEFORE ...

they harmed others is far preferable than their later execution AFTER their murders.

DJB aka Kind Soul 

Posted by: Docile Jim Brady | Jan 27, 2017 9:41:25 AM

Enjoy, DAB.

Posted by: anon | Jan 27, 2017 11:33:54 AM

For those of you sniveling the death penalty is uncivilized, and it is better to jail these people for life instead, obviously you are being your typical liberal self. These murderers know full well they will never be getting out, so if the death penalty is eliminated, and these people know there is nothing more that can be done to them, then what stops these psychopaths from carrying out murder against the people who hold them in custody, or other inmates? Take off the "rose colored glasses" and wake up!

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 27, 2017 2:36:12 PM

Liberals. One of the people you describe tried to rape a female guard. She resisted, and he murdered her inside the prison. The Supervisor reacted angrily, "Now, he has done it. He is definitely losing his cafeteria privileges."

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 27, 2017 6:03:10 PM

Doug

It makes me sad that your blog is again being taken over by commenters who do not make a helpful contribution to the serious work you do.

Bruce

Posted by: Bruce Cunningham | Jan 27, 2017 6:26:19 PM

Just because we don't agree with you, and make valid points, you don't feel our contribution is valid??? Once again, if you don't agree with EVERYTHING a far left Liberal says, you are automatically dismissed, given no consideration, and thought of as lower than Plankton, why am I not surprised.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 27, 2017 7:25:53 PM

This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. I admired greatly justice scalia, His opinions in Crawford and Blakely are masterpieces.

I appreciate how hard Doug works to assist legal practitioners and the presence of commenters who keep recycling the same irrelevant opinions hinders learning

Dougs blog is not Hyde Park corner

Posted by: Bruce Cunningham | Jan 27, 2017 8:46:54 PM

Liberals. Even Prof. Berman was too young to remember the 1980's. An explosion of violent crime and murder made the cities nearly unlivable. These murders were carried out by what are, today, called non-violent drug offenders. The public was furious. It was about to do damage to the lawyer profession because lawyers on the bench were coddling criminals for the previous 20 years. This lawyer coddling and procedural games exploded the crime rate.

In a brilliant survival tactic, the lawyer profession came up with mandatory sentencing guideline. These were to rein in the judges coddling the criminals.Within 5 years, the usual time it takes for a law to have an effect, crime dropped 40% across the board. That is the greatest achievement of the lawyer profession of the Twentieth Century. That drop in crime was a factor in the economic boom, the gentrification of cities. These guidelines saved the lives of thousands of young black males who were not murdered.

So what could possibly be the problem? Everyone greatly profited, except for one small group, lawyers. Unemployment of lawyers became a huge problem. You may get an idea from this blog, with twice the views as this one.

http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/

So, Scalia, a lawyer before being anything else, such as conservative, led the long campaign against mandatory sentencing guidelines. In a series of devastating decisions, the Supreme Court dismantled the mandatory guidelines in the federal and in the state courts. Crime has soared from the millions, now, into the billions a year. The murder rate is increasing 10% year over year in 20 big cities.

Scalia was a lawyer rent seeker. He lived in Washington and assimilated into its Babylonian, rent seeking culture. When he visited a school, I was not allowed to interview him, nor were my questions submitted to him. I considered Scalia an implacable foe of crime and murder victims.

Blakely, a career violent offender, beat his wife, duct taped her, put her in a box. He forced the 13 year old son to drive a car following his truck to the location she was to be murdered and dumped. The son took off and called the authorities. Blakely had a three day sentencing hearing, and was not deprived of any right to due process. As data piled on about him, it earned him an enhanced sentence due to the glaring cruelty and lack of human consideration. Scalia berated the prosecutor during the argument for responding to the lack of humanity or of remorse. Meanwhile, Blakely solicited a fellow prisoner to murder his wife and daughter. So Scalia protected, privileged, and empowered a dangerous criminal, and berated the lawyer trying to protect the public. Blakely had also filed 80 civil lawsuits. Blakely was an excellent source of lawyer employment and was protected.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 27, 2017 10:19:17 PM

So what is it then, Haight-Ashbury, with your supercilious, hostile toward a dead man that isn't here to defend himself, it is quite easy to make vitriolic comments, but I met Judge Scalia, and completely disagree with your assessment of a decent and good man. This site is a complete waste of time, once again, either blame someone that is dead, or make excuses, the problem with the system in this country begins and ends with Liberals, ending with Barrack Hussein Obama, commuting the sentence of a traitor to the United States of America, Chelsea Manning, along with as many other dangerous criminals, the only thing I am surprised about is that Obama didn't pardon Sheikh Khalid Mohammed.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 28, 2017 12:16:10 AM

"Scalia berated the prosecutor during the argument in Blakely ". ??

I was there. Scalia was brilliant and funny. His best statement was to the Washington attorney general. "It seems to me the question presented is whether the Washington state sentencing system , or the Sixth Amendment, is unconstitutional "

The audience cracked up.

Posted by: Bruce Cunningham | Jan 28, 2017 11:07:05 AM

Bruce. Judicial review is prohibited by Article I Section 1, however entertained by Scalia, or gratified by his providing job security. Scalia forgot, the States are the parent, the federal government is the child. The states boss the federal government, not the other way around.

Do you live in the DC area? If you do, you will have no idea what I am saying, thinking yourself to be central to the function of the nation. Instead DC people are really toxic impediments to every thing ever achieved by the nation, including the criminal law.

I hold Scalia responsible for the foreseeable mass murders of the hundreds of excess murder victims since the guidelines were made discretionary. The foreseeability was in the same class as planetary orbits, as in the sun will rise in the East tomorrow. Almost all have been black. Criminals are, once again, totally coddled. Today, the coddling of criminals is enhanced by the lawyer view they are really victims.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 28, 2017 1:00:29 PM

Then put the blame where it belongs, incompetent, greed filled attorney's, Liberal lobbying of equally corrupt members of congress, and those of you that seem to play the violin, and make it sound like one man, Judge Scalia, caused all of this. I am of Hispanic descent, and I am deeply insulted by your insinuation that because of one's race, they are treated worse than another, I have never been arrested, profiled, or treated with anything but respect by law enforcement, so that leads me to ask the question, what is it you really are trying to achieve here??

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 28, 2017 1:24:05 PM

Mr. Behar, one final word, does it really matter in the end if "the state is the parent, and the federal government is the child?" The Supreme Court of The United States of America has the final say in all matters that are appealed up the chain, is this not a correct statement, if not, please explain, I am not trying to be flippant, or cavalier, I would just like clarification, thank you sir.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 28, 2017 1:49:21 PM

Libs. My purpose is to help the lawyer profession. Their failure is 100 times worse than any civilian has any idea.

You are not a lawyer. I have no dispute with you. I respect your opinion.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 28, 2017 1:51:56 PM

Thank you sir, true, 100%, I am not an attorney, however two of my first cousins are, as is my best friend, he would like you, he even mentioned from time to time going to a type of resort he refers to as a Lawyers college, and gains much insight. There is right and wrong on both sides of the criminal justice system, I just wish it would be resolved fairly. Just like I have heard many law enforcement members state while investigating many crimes, most of the time the truth ends up being somewhere in the middle. Thank you again sir.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 28, 2017 2:12:33 PM

Libs. Just to re-assure you about your cousins and friends, I love the lawyer, the rule of law, and the purposes of the law. I am putting in a lot of effort to improve it. If the lawyer would ever listen, make a small self sacrifice for the sake of its future, it would soar, in effectiveness, wealth, and public esteem.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 28, 2017 8:15:10 PM

Thank you for your efforts Mr. Behar, hopefully the profession will wake up and listen to you!

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 28, 2017 8:49:35 PM

Tweedle De? Is that you, Tweedle Dum?

Posted by: MarK M. | Jan 29, 2017 11:59:53 PM

No but you are a vitriolic, arrogant, myopic punk Mark M., I suppose the M stands for Moron, get over yourself, I have a degree in business, you think you are better than the rest of us, you aren't, just a pompous ass, making a fool out of himself. Grow up.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 30, 2017 1:43:56 AM

"I have a degree in business" and I suppose that means your qualified to do brain surgery also. What a hoot.

Posted by: Pat | Jan 30, 2017 6:54:29 PM

Pat, you must have a degree in being a Proctologist since you are so analytical ,and perhaps you are one of those wonderful ambulance chasers we so often hear about, if you are even any type of professional. "What a hoot." you must be older than dirt, that is an ancient cliche, have a nice day rear admiral Pat.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 30, 2017 8:40:18 PM

No wonder in an article a few weeks ago in our local newspaper, a poll taken of many thousands of American's regarding the most disliked, and distrusted professions in America, Politicians were number one (most of them are attorney's) followed second by Attorney's, bankers were third, insurance salesmen were fourth, and used car salesmen were fifth. I thought it quite humorous that even used car salesmen were more trusted than attorney's, I can certainly see why.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 30, 2017 8:50:56 PM

Haha. Direct hit. I have been mildly amused. Thanks!

Posted by: MarK M. | Jan 31, 2017 12:22:04 AM

Pat and Mark. You are mocking one of the owners of the law. He is entirely proper in complaining about the utter failure of your self -regulation. The idea of self regulation by any human enterprise is ridiculous. You need to take it easy.

I refer you to the Preamble [6] of the Model Rules of Conduct.

[6] As a public citizen, a lawyer should seek improvement of the law, access to the legal system, the administration of justice and the quality of service rendered by the legal profession. As a member of a learned profession, a lawyer should cultivate knowledge of the law beyond its use for clients, employ that knowledge in reform of the law and work to strengthen legal education. In addition, a lawyer should further the public's understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system because legal institutions in a constitutional democracy depend on popular participation and support to maintain their authority. A lawyer should be mindful of deficiencies in the administration of justice and of the fact that the poor, and sometimes persons who are not poor, cannot afford adequate legal assistance. Therefore, all lawyers should devote professional time and resources and use civic influence to ensure equal access to our system of justice for all those who because of economic or social barriers cannot afford or secure adequate legal counsel. A lawyer should aid the legal profession in pursuing these objectives and should help the bar regulate itself in the public interest.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 31, 2017 5:00:53 AM

Thank you Mr. Behar, however these people are like petulant children, if you don't play the game my way, I'm taking my marbles and going home.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 31, 2017 7:27:39 AM

Libs. It is worse. It is rent seeking. They cost us $trillion, and return nothing of value back. It is the greatest criminal enterprise in all human history.



Posted by: David Behar | Jan 31, 2017 9:39:04 AM

True that Mr. Behar.

Posted by: Liberals don't have a clue | Jan 31, 2017 6:57:36 PM

Love you two guys. Wouldn't be surprised to find out that you rehearse in front of a mirror prior to posting to each other.

Posted by: Pat | Feb 2, 2017 7:35:50 PM

Post a comment
In a letter sent to students Thursday, Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks affirmed that alt-right Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos would be granted the right to appear on campus at a planned engagement on February 1, perhaps also ensuring his own continued unpopularity until he departs the Chancellorship by the end of the year. Yet Dirks's letter to students, published by the campus newspaper the Daily Californian, was measured: We are defending the right to free expression at an historic moment for our nation, when this right is once again of paramount importance, Dirks wrote. In this context, we cannot afford to undermine those rights, and feel a need to make a spirited defense of the principle of tolerance, even when it means we tolerate that which may appear to us as intolerant.

Yiannopoulos's appearance at UC Davis was cancelled amid protests earlier this month, reportedly for fears regarding his safety, and his would-be interlocutor, the equally reviled "pharma-bro" Martin Shkreli, was pelted with poop and otherwise harassed by angry students. Similarly, other stops, like at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, have been canceled on his "Dangerous Faggot" tour. That's named for Yiannopoulos himself, who is gay but also revels in attacks on "political correct" LGBT culture in headlines like "Gay Rights Have Made Us Dumber, It's Time To Get Back In The Closet."

Dirks also added a bit of a warning in his letter. Our student groups enjoy the right to invite whomever they wish to speak on campus," he wrote, "but we urge them to consider whether exercising that right in a manner that might unleash harmful attacks on fellow students and other members of the community is consistent with their own and with our communitys values."



Meanwhile, San Francisco magazine contributing writer Scott Lucas caught up with another Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow on Berkeley's campus recently. There, as Lucas writes, he and Marlow sometimes sparred as undergraduates, and they reconnected for the purposes of the piece.

"Years before Marlow helped Donald Trump take the White House, he was taking shots at me, a college newspaper columnist at the Daily Californian in Berkeley who served up the kind of soft-boiled, mushy-headed, center-left political opinions that a young(er) Marlow couldnt help lashing out against. I was one of his first sparring partners. He was my very first troll." Now he's everyone's troll. According to Lucas:

Perhaps more than any other person working in media today, he has a direct line into the head of the 45th president of the United States. His most recent boss and constant adviser, Steve Bannon, stepped down as executive chairman of Breitbart in August to run Trumps campaign and has been named senior counselor in the White Houseone of the two or three closest advisers to the most powerful man on earth.

Marlow "denies any connection to the alt-right," he tells Lucas, but he's a staunch conservative. He says he was drawn to the opportunity to "descend into the belly of the liberal beast," at Berkeley, and in Lucas's words, "once there to give it a raging case of indigestion" as an outspoken campus republican. Nevertheless, in those days they were civil to and understanding of one another, and they were again in person for the interview. That's Lucas's point. To quote the magazine:

Marlow's a radical nationalist, yes, but hes also the product of an elite West Coast education, the son of a Jewish mother and a Catholic father, who likes his iced coffee from fancy third-wave cafes, who proposed to his girlfriend in the campus library at UC Berkeley, and who became an early adherent of the social-network-propelled new-media revolution right around the time Mark Zuckerberg was launching Facebook. Had they been paying attention, the experts might have gleaned that the head of the most importantand, some say, most insidious and dangerousright-wing news site in a generation isnt a them. Hes an us."

Discussing his piece, Lucas tells SFist that he's unbothered by the blatant bias of Marlow's work. "In the long sweep of the history of journalism, especially political journalism... what he does has been the model. It's partisan, it comes from a particular point of view, it owns its biases." In fact Lucas has plenty of praise for Marlow: "I think Breitbart is the most important news site right now, it's driving American politics, and Alex is driving it, [making him] frankly the most important political journalist."

So, should Marlow be the next Breitbart speaker at Cal? Lucas registered approval. "I think there's a lot that current students can learn from him, people who are interested in journalism and politics... can learn from what he's done."

Related: Martin Shkreli Pelted With Poop At UC Davis As Yiannopoulos Event Gets Canceled Amid Protest
In an age of destination dining, pricey prix fixes, and fusion cuisines that we don't call fusion anymore, it can be refreshing to return to a favorite local haunt. Whether it's the kind of cozy French spot that takes all its cues from Parisian bistros, or the sort of locals' spot with decent prices, reliably good food, and not a ton of press because it opened years ago and it does just fine with its regular clientele. San Francisco is often called America's most European city, and thankfully we have a solid cadre of European-style neighborhood eateries. And with all due respect to the Cafe Claudes, Zazies, and Chapeaus, none of which are hurting for praise or foot traffic, below we bring you SFist's picks for some of the city's most under-appreciated small-scale bistros, any of which is worthy of a date night if you happen to be nearby, but none of which are trying to win Michelin stars or attract Uber traffic from the Mission.





L'Ardoise

The name translates as "slate" or "chalkboard," and chalkboard menus and wine lists are a part of the intimate dining room at this Duboce Triangle mainstay. Both the classic French bistro fare and the wines are reasonably priced, especially for current-day SF, and chef Thierry Clement has been overseeing the kitchen here since he opened the place nine years ago  and I had to do a double-take when I spotted this 2008 review, because I could have sworn the restaurant was at least twice that old. The French-born Clement cut his teeth at The Bistro du Peintre in Paris, and in SF kitchens at Le Charm, Fringale, and Elizabeth and Daniel before opening this spot, and while the nightly specials are often divine, the house specialties like coq au vin, steak frites, and duck confit with garlic sauce are the perfect succor on a wintry evening, accompanied by a bottle of one of their well curated reds. Also, make sure to get the pommes landaises  fried potato coins  which don't show up often enough on American bistro menus, but they should.  Jay Barmann





Baker Street Bistro

The place may be enjoying an upswing of attention courtesy of Check Please!, which featured it in 2014 (see above), but Baker Street Bistro remains a hidden gem in my mind, one that I stumbled upon with friends a few years ago when we discovered some new and trendy spot nearby was closed. Chef Danel de Betelu says he tries to cook with his grandmother's passion, and having trained in France he is most certainly trying to evoke a Parisian bistro with everything from the artfully piped mashed potatoes to the Beaux Arts lettering on the restaurant's sign. His specialties include grilled lamb chops, his cassoulet with Toulouse sausage, and his perfect beouf Bourgignon, and the staff, like that at many of the bistros here, is legit French and warmly professional.

2953 Baker Street at Lombard







Bistro Central Parc

At this 2010-opened bistro, diners rave of the clams Bourguignon and the duck confit, the specialite de maison. As for pairings, the French-focused wine list and knowledgeable staff have you covered. Unlike much of the neighborhood that's often classified as NoPa, this spot is actually, literally, just North of the Panhandle, but you're forgiven for missing it in an area that's almost entirely residential. That said, maybe you have noticed it, on sunny days when outdoor seating is offered at brunch.  Caleb Pershan

560 Central Ave between Grove and Hayes Streets



Fan H. via Yelp

The Butler and the Chef

Situated right on South Park, a somewhat well kept secret that feels worlds away from the nearby SoMa bustle, this quaint and casual bistro is sure to charm. Open for breakfast and lunch only through 3 p.m. daily (closed Mondays), the provencal-inflected Butler and the Chef is known for morning staples like pain perdu and eggs Benedict. Savory crepes and croques madame et monsieur are popular all-day items, and beer and wine are also on offer. A final note, and a small aesthetic one, but their chairs are just right for the authentic bistro vibe. Caleb Pershan

155A South Park Street at 3rd Street





Matthew S. via Flickr

Chez Marius

When 15-year-old Noe Valley bistro Le Zinc closed at the end of last year, it changed hands to Laurent Legendre, the Parisian force behind Glen Park's beloved Le P'tit Laurent. His new bistro has been well received by the Noe neighborhood for its warm ambiance, unassuming, dog-friendly backyard patio area, and classic dishes like fresh salad Nicoise, bouillabaisse, and braised rabbit. Also, fans of french film will swoon at the name, derived, I would guess, from the same Pagnol trilogy from which Chez Panisse takes its name. Caleb Pershan

4063 24th Street between Noe and Castro Streets





A photo posted by steph (@stephanie.gerson) on Apr 9, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

Curbside Cafe

Since 1906, Curbside's 2417 California location has been home to a restaurant, and for that last couple decades, that restaurant's been Curbside. Founder Antoine Alliaume sold the restaurant to former Curbside waiter Olivier Perrier and his wife, Gwyneth in 2010 (they actually met when Olivier waited on her at the place!). With a location just off Fillmore, it's a reminder of what the area was like before it was overrun with high-end chain stores  it's cosy, intimate, and a little idiosyncratic. A neighborhood go-to for a casually romantic dinner, they also sport a great brunch (my favorite is the brie and sundried tomato omelette), with a cup of coffee that never goes cold. It's one of my surest-fire go-tos in the city.  Eve Batey

2417 California Street, between Fillmore and Steiner Streets





Garcon via Facebook

Garcon

Owned by Jerome Rivoire of Burgundy, France, and until recently helmed by longtime chef Arthur Wall, a New Orleans native who appears to be at work on a nearby cajun restaurant to be called Bayou, Garcon has been a staple on Valencia since 2005. Sometimes all you need is coq au vin or a steak frites, but take a look at the daily prix fixe to indulge. And, don't forget: Tuesday nights are BYOB with corkage on the house. - Caleb Pershan

1101 Valencia Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets





Photo: Cherylynn N./Yelp

Heirloom Cafe

While chef-owner Matt Straus, who came to SF to open his Mission restaurant in 2010 after years as a sommelier in LA, did not try to create anything outright French at his Heirloom Cafe, his passion for wine and simple food infuses the place with the cozy sensibility of the world's best bistros. Always warmly lit from electric candle sconces, with creaky wood floors and some old jazz playing softly on the speakers, Heirloom offers a changing menu that often features California spins on classics like bouillabaisse, duck breast and confit leg, and housemade gnocchi. The bacon and onion tart has remained on the menu throughout, as has the popular off-menu Epoisses cheeseburger, in which the pungent cheese is actually blended into the meat  which is ridiculously delicious. Also, the $65 three-course prix-fixe with wine pairings is a steal.  Jay Barmann

2500 Folsom Street at 21st





Photo: Yelp

Le P'tit Laurent

Parisian restaurateur Laurent Legendre relocated to San Francisco in 1996 and opened his first restaurant here two years later, ultimately bringing this perennially loved spot to Glen Park a decade ago, and more recently opening Chez Marius in Noe Valley. In as tight-knit and sleepy a corner of the city as Glen Park is, this bistro serves as one of just a few go-to gathering spots for neighbors, along with Gialina and the dive bar Glen Park Station. Go for chef Julio Caceres's fine takes on cassoulet and moules mariniere, and don't miss the top notch creme brulee.  Jay Barmann

699 Chenery Steret at Diamond





A Camembert dish from Revelry Bistro. Photo: Revelry Bistro/Facebook

Revelry Bistro

Less than a year old (they opened in March, 2016), SF chef Brad Roth's Revelry quickly got a rep as an unpretentious little French-inspired joint with great service and an impressive wine list. With a menu that changes regularly, you're told to check their Facebook page to see what their current entrees are... however, that page rarely contains that information. Best to approach a night at Revelry like a trip back to the old days, before Yelp and MenuPages and endless Instagramming of oysters. Drink the wine, eat the delicious bivalves, repeat.  Eve Batey

297 Page Street between Laguna Street and Octavia Boulevard

Related: 50 Things That Prove SF Is Still Rad
As the Trump Administration looks to gut, or just possibly renegotiate portions of the 23-year-old trade agreement with Mexico and Canada known as NAFTA, I point you toa 2015 piece from NPR's food blog discussing a notable benefit that Americans have enjoyed from the deal without necessarily realizing it. The agreement, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, "unleashed a dizzying array of market forces on agriculture," they report, not only giving US farmers new bigger markets in which to sell their crops, but also giving Americans cheaper and more plentiful produce year-round. Another nice side-effect of the deal: Mexico turned into a huge exporter of beer, with cervezas in fact being the country's largest agricultural export to the US.

In 2013 alone, we apparently bought some two million tons of Coronas, Modelos, and Tecates from Mexico, and what was once a specialty treat you'd only find in Southern California, a Corona with lime is now commonplace in bars from Boston to Duluth.

And that's another thing: limes. Florida used to be America's primary source of limes, but as Time reported during 2014's lime shortage, that all changed not because of NAFTA, though concurrent with NAFTA, largely because Florida's lime trees were decimated by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. While the US's demand for limes was only growing (we now consume 10 times as many limes as we did in 1980), Florida took about seven years to reestablish their lime crops, and in that time Mexico stepped in to fill the void, with cheap limes thanks to the trade deal. Florida limes could have made a comeback were it not for a small outbreak of citrus canker, a deadly tree disease that caused much of the newly replanted lime crop to be destroyed on the state's orders, lest the disease spread by wind and rain to valuable orange and grapefruit orchards. Thus we ended up with a nationwide shortage on limes and some astronomical prices on Mexican limes in the spring of 2014, when several factors including weather and disease ravaged Mexico's crop.

Under NAFTA, the US now imports twice as much fruit and three times as many vegetables from Mexico and Canada than we did twenty years ago, with half of our avocados, a fifth of our watermelons, and many millions of bushels of berries all coming from south of the border, helping even the most down-market supermarkets in the chilliest states carry strawberries at all times of the year.

This is all information from a February 2015 report on twenty years of NAFTA's impacts from the USDA. And while we can talk for days about the deal's benefits, and the ways in which it's made food and other goods more affordable for American consumers, there are negative impacts that Trump and his camp will talk about for months to come, including the loss of some US manufacturing jobs  jobs that some economists will say would probably have left the country anyway, NAFTA or not.

As the New York Times explains in this analysis, "NAFTA may have increased overall G.D.P. and average incomes in the United States  but at the same time contributed to the decline in well-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs that tended to be concentrated in certain cities and among certain groups of people, mostly blue-collar men."

And for all of Trump's big talk, making a rash decision and declaring the US's withdrawal from NAFTA would cause major, immediate problems for the US auto industry, corn farmers, and many vital areas of our economy. And such a symbolic move doesn't guarantee job creation either when all these industries have been doing business symbiotically with Canada and Mexico for over two decades, not to mention outsourcing all kinds of labor to China, Malaysia, and beyond during that same period.

More likely is that Trump will get Mexico and Canada back to the bargaining table and alter certain parts of the deal. But if Tecate is your cheap beer of choice, you better call your congressperson, because it might not be for much longer.
Check out my new blog post from #BigSur #California. Did you know there's a beach full of elephant seals?https://t.co/4wCo3U8IsX pic.twitter.com/2KOHT03T9V  Momentum Travels (@momentumtravel3) January 23, 2017

It's that time of year again when colonies of elephant seals flock to one of several beaches along the California coast to mate, give birth, and cause a general ruckus. Sometimes called one of the ugliest animals on the planet because of adult males' floppy, trunk-like snouts, baby elephant seals are actually quite adorable, and this is prime time to catch them at their cutest, before they even learn how to swim.

Ground zero for elephant seal rookeries in California is the protected beach at Piedras Blancas near San Simeon, 90 miles south of Monterey, which incidentally President Obama just added to the California Coastal National Monument two weeks ago. If that seems like too far a trek, there's a live cam you can watch any time, and things are quite crowded there right now, as you can see from the screencap below, from today.

Among the action you'll see will be juvenile males facing off with each other for sport, pups squealing, mothers honking and screaming at each other to preserve their beach real estate, and 5000-pound adult male bulls competing for mating dominance. And the seals are all tightly packed together in part to protect the pups from getting washed out to sea in rough surf.

As docent Curtis Replogle explained in the video below from last January, from the San Luis Obispo Tribune, high surf can mean a high mortality rate for the pups, since it will take them a few weeks to grow and begin swimming, after the mothers mate and leave them. Also, mothers and pups can get separated in the crowd, and each mother only gives birth to one pup at a time, and can only nurse one at a time  giving birth to a 75-pound baby that will quintuple in size in just a few weeks, during which time the mother will not eat.

Elephant seals are the largest seal species, and they spend 80 percent of their lives in the water, often descending to more than 5,000 feet below the ocean surface to feed on bottom-dwelling fish, according to the Marine Mammal Center.

Other spots where you can find rookeries  the peak of the birthing season is right about now and started in mid-December  include Point Reyes and Ano Nuevo State Park , another protected beach north of Santa Cruz where elephant seals also return year after year. See a map here.

Juvenile male seals can also be seen on these beaches in what's called the "fall haul out," when one- to three-year-old males gather to bask in the sun from September to October.


15 agencies including the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Yurok tribe  who for centuries has inhabited the areas surrounding the Klamath River in California  signed a deal last summer to cooperate on reintroducing the California condor to the wild. Now they've met for the first of five summits in Sacramento this week.





Its really exciting to take the condors which were once nearly extinct and put them back into an area that they historically occupied, Mike Long, the endangered species Southwest region division chief for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, told the Chronicle. It would bring us one step closer to bringing condors back to recovery.

The California condor, the largest land bird in North America with an impressive, 10-foot wingspan, were and are revered by the indigenous peoples of the area and remain a symbol of a wilder state. Their numbers declined in the 19th century when hunters and fur traders arrived, killing animals with lead shot whose secondary effect was to kill scavenging condors through lead poisoning.

With the reintroduction effort, which will be underway in two years' time, that remains a concern: Oregon is opposed to its own condors, as its hunting groups refuse to give up the use of lead shot. California, however, has passed laws banning the use of such shot, a ban that goes into effect in July 2019.

The supposed last wild condor to have been killed around the turn of the 20th century is mounted at the Clarke Historical Museum in Eureka, not far from where it was reportedly shot. Some birds, however, remained in Southern California, and were listed as an endangered species by 1967. Then, 1987, there were only 22 in the wild, so conservationists captured them and breed them in captivity, reintroducing some into the wild in 1992 in Central and Southern California as well as Arizona.

Today, there are reportedly 435 condors in the world, 250 to 270 of them in the wild and the rest in captivity. The plan here in Northern California is to release condors into the Bald Hills of Redwood National Park, an area that's part of Yurok ancestral territory.

Were definitely jazzed, said David Roemer, deputy superintendent of that park, told the Chronicle. Theres just the coolness of the bird itself, which is a missing part of our landscape... And then there is the relationship with the Yurok tribe and reconnecting the bird with their traditions and ceremonies.

Related: Where To Watch Elephant Seals Doing Their Annual Mating And Birthing Thing Along The NorCal And Central Coast


I'm so tired.

So tired of movies centered on morally bankrupt white men men who get rich off of the middle class, or the poor, or the backs of minority labor.

So tired of movies about ugly men with beautiful wives who are just there to be pretty and supportive when the story needs it, and then suddenly unsupportive and antagonistic when the male hero needs an excuse to fuck around on them.

So tired of movies using the "inspired" by true events moniker merely as a means to convince the audience that the story's absurdities should be believed.

So tired of movies using a rock-and-roll soundtrack, tricky camera shots, and anti-heroes because the director has seen one too many Martin Scorsese movies.

I am so tired of movies like , starring Matthew McConaughey and his fake (?) bald head, fake snaggle tooth, and real pot belly, which actually looks completely fake because it's paired with his still-jacked biceps; guess he wasn't willing to give up arm day at the gym.

He stars as Kenny Wells, the last in a long line of gold prospectors, in 1980's Nevada. After his father (Craig T. Nelson) dies, the family business begins to fail, forcing Kenny to make one last-ditch effort to strike it rich by pairing up with geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez), who is convinced there is gold to be found in the mountains of Indonesia.

After constant drilling and a near death from malaria, Kenny's trust in Acosta proves fruitful, and he returns to Nevada and the arms of his loving wife (Bryce Dallas Howard, to try to turn the strike into a billion-dollar venture.

A lot of boring business negotiation scenes follow, as Kenny's dreams turn into reality. Of course, along with success comes the hero's inevitable descent in excess and predictable failure. The only original thing about Gold is that none of its rags to riches to rags characters falls into a severe cocaine addiction.

In movies like this, the getting rich part is usually the most fun to watch. But despite its 1980s setting, Gold is so drab, filled with beige offices, dreary dive bars, ugly hotel rooms, and bad clothes, that none of it is enjoyable. One scene follows the next, with no real sense of progression. Until someone mentions a date near the end of the film, we really have no idea how much time the story has covered. It could be months or it could be years.

For about 90 minutes, Gold just plods along, an all too familiar morality play, until finally, something interesting happens... and then about 15 minutes later, the movie ends. But I will give it this: It's a rare film that manages to close with a final scene much better than anything in the two hours of movie that preceded it.
Much the way private shuttle buses like Chariot have been invading San Francisco for several years and providing more comfortable alternatives for the Muni-averse, a new public/private ferry service has just launched called Tideline, offering small-scale water taxis between San Francisco and the Berkeley Marina, and between San Francisco and Richmond. As KRON 4 reports, though, there seems to be a bit of a disagreement between the company and the City of Berkeley, with the latter saying Tideline hasn't yet gotten their permit to operate in the city.

The company, launched in November by some Marin County residents, says they thought they already had the green light from Berkeley, and their website says they're "an official Port of San Francisco water transportation service offering public and private commuter service." Launching this morning at 7:30 a.m. was the public Berkeley ferry line, which they say takes 20 to 30 minutes each way  and is clearly being marketed as an alternative to overcrowded BART trains and Bay Bridge traffic  even though each boat looks to have a pretty limited capacity. Ferries leave Berkeley at 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. only on Fridays (for now), and then depart San Francisco each Friday evening at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., with more days and times to be added according to demand. Each ride costs $8, and leaves from the K gate at Berkeley Marina, arriving at Pier 1.5 in SF. And a 50 percent cancellation fee is charged for any reservation cancelled within 12 hours or less of the departure time. (Reservations can be made here, but it appears walk-ons are allowed too.)

The Richmond service is a private shuttle that began in November and appears to operate Monday through Friday for $11 a ride, via prepaid packages only. That service also uses Pier 1.5, and arrives at Marina Bay in Richmond, with trips taking 35 minutes each way. Tickets are sold in packages of six for $66, or as monthly passes for $240, and no walk-ons are allowed.

"Redefine your commute," says the Tideline site, adding that each boat comes with wifi, beverage service, and flat screen TVs onboard. Also, they appear to be ready to launch a private commuter shuttle between Tiburon and SF as well, though that is still "pending."

At the time the company's Richmond service launch, Tideline Marine Group president Nathan Nayman discussed the venture with Richmond Confidential. San Francisco Bay historically was all about boats," he said. "It was all about clipper ships, transportation, bringing goods and services into the bay area. With the advent of the car, bridges and BART, we lost our focus on the bay. [At Tideline] We believe [we need] to have a complement of all sorts of waterborne vessels throughout the Bay.
Freemasonry for Beginners (For Beginners), by Robert Lomas

Far from being a sinister organization seeking world domination, or a bunch of duffers in fezzes, Freemasonry is a fraternal order dedicated to civic responsibility and charitable work. So says Robert Lomas, perhaps the most prominent contemporary writer on the subject in Freemasonry for Beginners. The slender book succeeds at summarizing the orders history, deflecting mythos of ancient roots, and shows that in many societies, the lodges formed networks of political and social power. The birth of the U.S. and the construction of the republic was undertaken in large part by Masons. Lomas called the U.S. constitution the most innovative and influential national constitution ever written, imbued with Masonic principles that made it a living, flexible document.

The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the U.S.A. (W.W. Norton), by Doug Mack

Like most Americans, travel writer Doug Mack has a hazy notion at best of America beyond the 50 states. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are the best known, but who has given thought to Guam or the North Marianas, much less visited those places? Mack decided to travel to five of Americas island possessions, research their histories and record his impressions in The Not-Quite States. With an eye for irony and amusing detail, his travelogue is often hilarious yet inevitably thoughtful. Turns out Guam is a destination for Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Russian tourists seeking a tawdry taste of American glitz in a duty free zone. Many of those islands were once ruled with iron hands by the U.S. Navy or federal officials, who deemed the natives as savages unworthy of citizenship. Nowadays the islanders can vote in presidential primaries but not in the general election and have no voting representatives in Congress. As Mack writes, a nation can endure as half republic and half empire. That doesnt mean it should.

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Six Encounters with Lincoln: A President Confronts Democracy and its Demons (Viking), by Elizabeth Brown Pryor

Abraham Lincoln was not a simple man and the multitudes he contained continue to present us with puzzles to solve. The award-winning historian Elizabeth Brown Pryor examines the16th president through his encounters with six citizens from the eve of the Civil War through the wars final weeks. Even before the shooting began, the violence and rancor of U.S. politics in the background of her account demolishes any thoughts of early America as a land of angels. Although she concludes that Lincoln moved the U.S. toward a broader democracy, she also concedes, his vision proved myopic in many instances. He found slavery distasteful, yet would not accept racial equality. Pryor opens fresh approaches to her subject by examining the words of those who wrote about Lincoln in real time, not after death admitted him to the pantheon of heroes.

The Slaveholding Crisis: Fear of Insurrection and the Coming of the Civil War (Louisiana State University Press), by Carl Lawrence Paulus

Although 19th century Americans often called their nation an empire of liberty, many saw no contradiction in holding millions in the bondage of slavery. Carl Lawrence Paulus examines the mentality of slave owners and advocates of the peculiar institution, finding that slavery was buttressed by racist attitudes denigrating blacks as simultaneously barbarous and childlike, thereby unable to assume the adult role of responsible citizenship. The barbarous half of the equation insured that fear undergirded the slave system, with the example of the bloody uprising of Haitian slaves never far from mind. Anxiety over the abolition of slavery became a driving force in American politics before the Civil War. The author concludes by acknowledging, white fears and stereotypes about black Americans have played a significant role in U.S. history and continue to shape America.
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Screenings

Free blood pressure screenings, 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living, front lobby. No appointment necessary.

Programs/Self-Help Groups

Al-Anon Information Center, call 712-255-6724.

Al-Anon and Alateen, meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 712-255-6724.

Alcoholics Anonymous, beginners information, call 712-252-1333.

Arc of Woodbury County, serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons.

Child Care Resource and Referral, provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers. Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180.

Co-Dependence Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church, Fireside Room.

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA), 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.

Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month (third Thursday in November and second Sunday December) in Mercy Medical Center's Leiter Room. For families who have lost children. Contact Nancy Webb 712-212-4032 or Don Mulder 712-541-5512.

Clinics

Siouxland District Health immunization clinics, call for appointment, 712-279-6119 or 1-800-587-3005.

Information

Family and Addictive Illness series, for more information, call 234-2300.

Iowa Fathers, 6 to 8 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month at Hope Lutheran Church, Education Building, 218 W. 18th St., South Sioux City, Neb. Support group to help single, divorcing and divorced parents residing in the state of Iowa.

Mercy Pathways Outpatient Program, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, on the third floor, Mercy's Central Medical Building, 801 Fifth St., Suite 360. Provides hope, help, opportunity to connect through group therapy for individuals experiencing personal, relationship, psychiatric issues. For more information, call 712-279-5991.

Narcotics Anonymous, meetings daily, various times, dates and locations. For more information, call 712-279-0733.

Overeaters Anonymous, 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive; 6 p.m. Tuesdays at St. John's Lutheran Church, 402 Lane Ave., Storm Lake; 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Nazarene, 226 N. Main St., Viborg, S.D.; 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at Newman Center, 320 E. Cherry St., Vermillion, S.D.; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. A 12-step recovery program for people who have problems with food and weight. No fees.

St. Lukes Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on fifth floor of St. Luke's, located at 2720 Stone Park Blvd. Offers several levels of outpatient care including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and group therapy. This program provides support and integrated treatment to individuals experiencing personal or relationship issues as a result of their mental illness. For more information and admission criteria, call 712-279-3906.

Sobriety By Faith, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For more information, call James Mothershead at 712-577-9715.

The Link-Recovery and Freedom, 1603 Glen Ellen Road; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday workshop, and Christian 12-step meeting 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For all ages. Call Dee at 389-7432.

Women in Recovery, meets monthly at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For details, call 712-255-4623.

Tarahouse Meditation Center, 8 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6:30 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, all at 3112 Rebecca St. Three easy 10-minute sessions in small group; beginners welcome. For more information, call 490-6410.

Blood pressure and blood sugar screening, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in the lobby at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Free to public.

Support Groups

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Hawkeye Club basement, 420 Jones St. For more information, call 277-5935.

Celebrate Recovery, Bible-based 12-step recovery group. Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Childcare provided. 712-490-3343. All welcome.

PFLAG of Siouxland, (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), 7 p.m., fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. St. Mark ELCA Church, 5200 Glenn Ave., in the upstairs meeting area. 712-258-3116.

Singles widowed and divorced, all ages, 4 p.m., Sundays. McDonald's at Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard. 712-252-2675.

GriefShare, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

HIV/AIDS Support Group, meets weekly. For more information, call Darla or Teri at Siouxland Community Health Center, 712-252-2477 or 888-371-1965.

Hospice of Siouxland, seeking volunteers. For more information, call 712-233-4144 and ask for a volunteer coordinator.

La Leche League of Siouxland, breastfeeding support group meets every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at Morningside Lutheran Church. Children are welcome. For more information, call Mary at 712-546-7280 or Jacquie at 712-255-2998.

Living Each Day Cancer Support Group, 7-8 p.m. second Thursday of the month, Floyd Valley Hospital, Conference Center Room 2, Le Mars, Iowa. Open to all cancer patients, cancer survivors and family members. No charge. Pre-register by calling 712-546-3441 or 800-642-6074, ext. 441.

Mom and Baby Support Group, 10-11 a.m. last Monday of the month at the Orange City (Iowa) Hospital, lower level. For new moms and babies. 712-737-5260.

Tri-State Sober Project, 12-step meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Friendship Community Church, 305 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff. 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, Transitional Services of Iowa, 1221 Pierce St., Sioux City.

Doug's Donors Support Group, information for organ donors and recipients, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Fridays, 5:15-6:30 p.m. second Thursdays of the month at Mercy Cafeteria Woodbury Room. 712-277-1050.

Divorce Care, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

NAMI Siouxland, (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Support Group meets 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday of the month at Friendship House, 1101 Court St. For individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. 712-255-4209.

New Life Life Support Group, 3:30 p.m. every Saturday at 2929 W. Fourth St. Spiritual 12-step program. For more information, call Donald at 712-574-1744 or James at 712-255-7624.

Orphan Sunday, 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday at Sunnybrook Community Church loft, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive.

Post Polio Support Group, 11 a.m. first Thursday of the month at Perkins Restaurant by Menards. 712-490-8213.

Relationship Support Group, 7 p.m. Fridays at Marketplace Mall. For more information, call 239-3129.

Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Individual and Support Groups. For more information, call CSADV in Sioux City at 712-258-7233; Plymouth County at 712-546-6764; Monona County at 712-423-3443. Advocacy and support available 24 hours a day at 1-800-982-7233. All services free of charge and confidential.

Sickle Cell Disease Support Group, 11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at St. Luke's Hospital, meeting room 1. For patients, their family and any concerned member. Call La'Keshia Rainey at 712-203-2019 for more information.

Single and Parenting, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

Sioux City Association of the Deaf, 7 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Morningside Church of Christ, 5015 Garretson Ave. Regular meeting, September-May; no meeting, June, July, August and December.

Siouxland Autism Support Group, second Thursday of the month at Northwest Area Education Agency, 1520 Morningside Ave. For more information, call Julie Case at 712-490-8939.

Siouxland Epilepsy Support Group, 5 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Prestwick Apartment Clubhouse, 4230 Hickory Lane. For anyone diagnosed with seizures or epilepsy and family or friends. For more information, call Steve at 274-6927.

Siouxland IC support group, meets quarterly in Sioux City. For patients struggling with interstital cystitis. For more information, call Jacque Dundas 316-641-9766.

Siouxland Informational Group for the Blind, 2-5 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Northern Hills Retirement Community, 4002 Teton Trace. For more information, call 712-266-8926 or 258-8151.

Grief support group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 5 for 13 weeks (may join at any time), Crescent Park United Methodist Church, 2826 Myrtle St., Sioux City. Scott, 712-899-6315.

Siouxland Ostomy Association, 2 p.m. first Sunday of each month (except September, which will be second Sunday; and no meetings June, July, August), in Room 300 at Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St. For more information, call Dick Lindblom at 251-2453.

Siouxland Parkinson Disease Support Group, 1 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at Siouxland Center for Active Generations, 313 Cook St. For more information, call Sally Reinert at 402-987-3516.

Sojourners, support group for families of persons with life-threatening illness, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Room 416. For more information, call Marjorie Jarvill at 402-241-8637.

South Sioux City Weight Support Group, 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church, South Sioux City. For more information, call 494-1401 or 494-2133.

Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland, 520 Nebraska St., Suite 101: Women's Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month; LGBT Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Friday of the month; Adult ADHD, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; Advocacy Group, 1:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 712-255-1065.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, group meetings various times, days and locations in Siouxland. For information on the chapter in your area, call 1-800-932-TOPS.

Voice Disorder Support Group, meets as needed at Mercy Medical Center, Buena Vista Room. 712-279-2686.

Women's Peer Support Group, in Wayne and South Sioux City, Neb., for those who have experienced domestic abuse. For more information, call the Wayne office at 402-375-4633 or 1-800-440-4633; in South Sioux City, call 402-494-7592. Help and support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services free and confidential.

Woodbury County D.M.D.A., noon-2 p.m. first Saturday of the month at Country Friendship Acres, 4501 West St.; 7-8 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at 515 Court St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at 441 W. Third St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at 409 W. Third St. in the Community Room. Support group for people with disabilities and mental disorders.

Natural Mamas in Siouxland, 1 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in the Garretson room of the Morningside Public Library. All ages of children are welcome to come with moms. For sharing natural living tips, recipes, natural remedies and health, homemaking, mothering, etc. For more information, call 402-913-0038 or visit their Facebook page.

A Step Beyond support group, 3:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, except for August, November and December when it meets at 5:30 p.m. (no meeting in January) at the Christy-Smith Resource Center, 1819 Morningside Ave. For more information, call 712-276-7319.

Divorce care, 5 p.m., Sundays. Fireside room, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 South Martha St.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings, 4 p.m. Thursdays at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 315 Hamilton Blvd.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Morningside Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave.; 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. John Lutheran Church; 7 p.m. Sundays, Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.. 712-277-2901.

Art therapy support group, 5:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Registration required, call 252-9387.

After Breast Cancer Support Group, 5:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call Brenda, 252-9370.

After Prostate Cancer Support Group, 5:15 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call 252-9426.

Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter Support Group, 2 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; 4 p.m. third Tuesday of the month (under age 65) at 201 Pierce St., Suite 110 (Famous Dave's building); and 6 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For more information, call Emily Lord at 712-279-5802.

Christy-Smith Funeral Homes of Sioux City, extensive grief library at the Morningside location. Open to the public during weekday hours. For more information, call 276-7319.

Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness Support Group, 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday of the month in the lower level of the Orange City Hospital. For more information, call 712-737-5260.

Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Mercy Medical Centers Older Adult Services Welcome to Medicare, 1:30-4 p.m., the first Friday of every month at Connections Area Agency on Aging, 2301 Pierce St. To pre-register, or for more information, contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-279-6900.
WASHINGTON  The men who sold it called it Mr. Miyagi, a mind-altering chemical compound mixed with vegetable material and resembling marijuana.

It was clear the drug was meant to be smoked for a potent high, notwithstanding the deceptive label that the product was potpourri not fit for human consumption. But less clear was how to punish the people who pushed it.

As drug enforcement authorities sound alarms over the effects and accessibility of synthetic drugs, the Mr. Miyagi case in Louisiana is but one example of how courts are struggling for consistency in dealing with substances that are developing faster than the laws to govern them.

The result is a sentencing process that's often bogged down by complex science and can yield uneven results in courtrooms around the country.

"It's been a challenge for the courts and for the regulatory agencies to manage and make appropriate, logical decisions relating to these new substances," said Greg Dudley, a West Virginia University chemistry professor who has testified in synthetic drug cases.

"If they're interpreted differently in different courts, you end up with broad disparities in sentencing for similar offenses."

Now the federal panel that sets sentencing policy is studying ways for courts to better handle cases involving drugs such as "bath salts," which can provoke violent outbursts, and the party drug Molly.

The issue matters, given the sustained popularity of synthetic drugs  man-made compounds that mimic more conventional street drugs and hallucinogens and are sold under catchy names in stores and on the internet.

Drug Enforcement Administration officials have repeatedly warned about the products' harmful effects but say it's hard to police them.

Those who make synthetic drugs can alter their chemical makeup faster than regulators can ban them, and those who sell them can skirt the law through misleading labeling.

Meanwhile, the DEA's forensic testing laboratories are "overwhelmed with the amount of substances" they're trying to identify and analyze, said spokesman Russ Baer.

Amid the concerns about consistency in punishment, the U.S. Sentencing Commission is doing a two-year study on synthetic drugs that, among other things, will look at whether to update the drug quantity table that federal judges rely on at sentencing.

Judges use the table to come up with the starting point for the sentence based on the amount of drugs involved, then factor in considerations like a defendant's criminal history and level of responsibility. That's easy for drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin that are listed on the table.

Problem is, "bath salts" and similar synthetic or designer drugs aren't included.

In prosecutions involving those drugs, judges consult the table to find the most similar drug to the one in their case, based on chemical makeup and pharmacological effects. They then convert the drug quantity in their case to the equivalent quantity of marijuana to calculate a base offense level. But that often causes confusion.

Selling something that gets you high isn't unnecessarily illegal "unless it's kind of like something on the list," said Lloyd Snook, a Virginia defense lawyer.

"Well, how kind of alike does it have to be? Who knows?" Snook said.

The commission says it's heard complaints about days-long hearings with dueling chemistry experts, disagreements about which drug is most analogous and varied sentences in similar cases.

The Mr. Miyagi case, for instance, turned on a dispute over which drug was most similar to the product the defendants' sold  pure THC, marijuana's principal ingredient, or marijuana itself.

A federal appeals court sided with the government's conclusion that it was most like THC. Since sentencing guidelines treat one gram of THC as equivalent to 167 grams of marijuana, the defendants, Thomas William Malone and Drew T. Green, were held responsible for 233,800 kilograms of marijuana and given long prison sentences. Each was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison.

The defendants had argued it was most like marijuana and that a 1:1 ratio was appropriate, an assertion that if accepted would have resulted in lighter punishments.

But, in an example of the disparate outcomes the guidelines sometimes yield, the ringleader in the case, sentenced in Florida, received only probation. And another man who worked with Malone and was charged in a similar case was allowed to avoid a conviction in New York by entering a diversion program, a supervised remedial plan for petty offenders.

"You just have a nightmare situation that cannot be explained to a defendant because it makes no sense," said Malone's attorney, Steven Sadow. "He's at the mercy of what the judge chooses to do with the ratio and how the judge treats certain people."

Some judges have openly struggled with formulas. In Florida, U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks said he found no scientific basis for the marijuana-to-THC ratio and rejected it in a case involving a designer drug known as XLR-11.

"Although I asked each of the experts at the hearing, no one could provide me with a reason for this ratio, which has major implications in determining the base level offense," Middlebrooks wrote. "After my own research and a phone call to the Sentencing Commission, I still could find no basis for this ratio."

Snook, the lawyer, said he was glad the commission was studying the problem but thought Congress might need to get involved.

"There are a lot of reasons why it's an arbitrary and capricious system and why it ought to get changed," he said.
OTO, Iowa | The city of Sioux City budgeted $1.4 million for snow removal in fiscal 2016. Sioux City, home to 82,821 residents, has 566 miles of streets and alleys to clear, a mix of paved and dirt roadways. No easy task.

On Thursday, I visited with several city officials in the wake of this week's storm. These leaders serving towns like Brunsville, Struble, Oto and Rodney have a similar task, though on a much smaller scale. Struble, for example, is home to 85 people, according to Mayor Joe Vollmecke.

"I wasn't here for the storm," Vollmecke said, noting how he had to leave his home for a few days because of a water main break.

Even without the mayor around, city officials hustled to remove more than 12 inches of snow. How did they do it? With a mix of paid and volunteer labor, that's how.

"We (the city) have a truck with a plow and a tractor," said Vollmecke, mayor for 36 years. "We also have a (Plymouth) county maintainer stored here in town."

Vollmecke said all five members of the city council -- Kenneth Urban, Bob Hughes, Mike Vander Mollen, Troy Hughes and Barry Jorgensen -- help move snow during times like this. Some, like Vander Mollen, feel more comfortable operating their own equipment. Others use city equipment.

"When they operate the equipment, we try to reimburse them," said Vollmecke, whose wife, Marilynn Vollmecke, oversees the budget as city clerk.

"It all got done here by the time we got back," Vollmecke said. "The people here are rather resourceful. They deserve the credit."

In Oto, Iowa, population 108, city maintenance director Dave Dorale finished his snow-removal work early Thursday afternoon. Dorale raved about the used pickup and plow the town just purchased, thanks to a $10,000 grant from Missouri River Historical Development. The truck and plow were put to use for the first time in this storm, allowing Dorale to clear four inches of snow from nine miles of streets in this southern Woodbury County community.

"We don't budget a lot for snow removal," Dorale said. "If we would have gotten a huge amount (like 12 inches), we would have had several community members and friends come in and help."

Mayor Steve Dickman of Brunsville, Iowa, said his community pays Plymouth County $250 per hour for Ron Shuff, who runs the county maintainer out of Brunsville, to remove snow from residential streets. Shuff, who started at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, created wind-rows of snow on two blocks of Oak Street downtown. That snow was then removed by Ken Krienert, a city councilman.

"We don't have much of a budget," said Dickman, a Brunsville native who has served as mayor for more than six years. "It's great that Plymouth County does that for us. It'd be much more expensive otherwise."

Snow-removal tasks represent a family affair in the Monona County burg of Rodney, population 60. For the past 10 years, Mark and Carrie Rosener and their children have removed snow during the winter and mowed grass during the summer. The city contract for this work currently resides with their son, Dillon Rosener, a 19-year-old student at Western Iowa Tech Community College.

"We went in and moved snow on Tuesday night," Carrie Rosener said. "We wanted to do it then, just in case a lot more came in overnight. We then went in and finished up on Wednesday, around 5 p.m."

The Roseners, she said, began helping her brother-in-law, Lloyd Cogdill, who had the contract with Rodney in 2007. They took over when Cogdill decided to give up the job.

"It's been a great job for our kids," Carrie said, who noted that son, Bryce Rosener, started this family effort, one that has seen their children, Tanya and Andrew, contribute to as well.

"We have a pickup with a plow on it and we have a snowblower," Carrie Rosener said with a laugh, setting up her final comment on the matter. "Otherwise, it's a scoop shovel."
DENISON, Iowa | Crawford County Sheriff James Steinkuehler's voice began to crack Friday as he described in detail the search and rescue efforts for a 15-year-old Denison girl who had been missing in a frigid river for more than a week.

It has been a tough eight days, a tearful Steinkuehler told reporters at a news conference.

The body of 15-year-old Yoana Acosta was found 2.25 miles downstream submerged in 24-inch deep water Thursday. A week earlier, the car she was in riding in with four other occupants left a county road and traveled more than a quarter of a mile, through a field, across railroad tracks and then through another field, before entering the Boyer River north of Denison.

A 16-year-old male passenger was able to get out of the submerged vehicle and walk about a quarter of a mile in soaking-wet clothes to a residence in the 2000 block of Beloit Boulevard to call for help.

The 16-year-old male, a 16-year-old female, Acostas 19-year-old sister, Valeria Acosta Rodriguez, and the 25-year-old driver, Ramon Hernandez, escaped from the river that evening. Hernandez has since been arrested on drug and reckless driving charges.

Steinkuehler said deputies were notified at 3 a.m. the night of the Jan. 19 accident. When they arrived, they found three subjects in the water close to banks and Yoana Acosta about 100 yards down river.

A deputy on scene was able to pull three of the stranded onto shore with his emergency rope after calling for additional help from authorities.

"But when the deputy turned his back to pull in the rope, (Acosta) was gone," Steinkuehler said.

The four survivors were hospitalized for treatment. Steinkuehler said he did not have an update on their current conditions.

Throughout the weeklong search for Yoana Acosta, numerous county authorities were voluntarily joined by dozens of local and state agencies from around Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska, including members of the Air National Guard 185th Refueling Wing, Siouxland Dive Team and Sioux City Fire Rescue.

Steinkuehler estimated more than 150 people helped with the search.

The sheriff said crews tried to work from dusk to dawn every day, but the search at times was hampered due to differing water depths, fog, ice and winter conditions.

We didnt want to give up, we wanted to continue on, because if I was in that place and that was my child or anybody elses child, he said, I would want to make sure we would give it all we had, and all we could.

Steinkuehler said every morning and evening he would sit down with the Acosta family to provide updates on how the rescue mission was going.

Every night they begged us not to give up and I told them we werent going to, he said.

Cadaver dogs were called in this week, per Acostas fathers request, who track the smell of human bodies.

They called me and said they had a hit right away, he said, adding that it was by the Crawford County Fairgrounds in Denison.

A rescue team then entered the river Thursday, following the dogs hit.

At about 2:12 p.m., her body was found 2.25 miles downstream from the site of the accident "in the middle of the river, he said.

Her body was sent to the Crawford County medical examiner for an autopsy.

Hernandez, was arrested Tuesday on preliminary charges of three counts of drug distribution to minors, a Class B Felony; one count of distribution to an adult, a Class D felony; marijuana possession, reckless driving, driving under suspension and failure to maintain control.

County attorney Roger Sailer believes formal charges will be filed within the week, and additional charges may still be added.

The search operation has concluded, but the investigation remains ongoing, Sailer said at the press conference. It has been from the beginning-- not just been a search and rescue operation-- but also a criminal investigation, and remains a criminal investigation. Because of that, it would be inappropriate of me to talk too much on facts, evidence, issues involved.

Because of the exhaustive search by agencies, his office has not received all of the reports and facts from investigators, he said.

During the search, Steinkuehler coordinated a prayer service for Acosta in Denison that drew over 500 people.

I thought it was important to ask for Gods help, he said.

The sheriff added after this incident the county requested funds to buy their own rescue boat.

"And on it, we will have 'In memory of Yoana Acosta," he said.
SIOUX CITY | Four men were charged with soliciting prostitution in a multi-agency police operation Thursday.

A Sioux City Police Department report released just before midnight Thursday said the operation was conducted at a city hotel earlier in the day.

Police said advertisements were placed on several well-known prostitution websites. Four men reportedly made contact with an undercover female police officer and came looking for a sexual act for money at the hotel, where they were arrested.

Those arrested were Justin Engel, 34, of Sioux City, Steve Schultz, 44, of Sioux City, Luis Chavez, 37, of South Sioux City, and Jacob Burgers, 60, of Hinton, Iowa.

Soliciting prostitution is an aggravated misdemeanor. All four men were taken to Woodbury County Jail.

The Sioux City Police Department was assisted by Iowa State Patrol and the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office, in a joint investigation with the Department of Homeland Security into human sex trafficking.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City teenager who was the driver in a fatal crash has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide.

Morgan Myers, 16, entered her written plea Thursday in Woodbury County District Court.

According to a Sioux City Police accident report, Myers was the driver of a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier during the April 13 fatal crash. The car went off the road near the 4000 block of 28th Street, struck a dirt embankment and rolled over.

Myers, Alexis Wilde, 15, of Sioux City, and Marcus Evert, 15, of Sergeant Bluff, were all transported to Mercy Medical Center, where Wilde, who had been the front-seat passenger, died from her injuries.

A police report said Myers had borrowed the vehicle from a friend and did not have a driver's license.

Myers was arrested last week.
LE MARS, Iowa | Some volunteer fire departments in Northwest Iowa sent firefighters to a testing center in Ames that is the subject of an emerging scandal.

Authorities revealed this week that more than 1,700 Iowa firefighters and emergency responders were granted state certifications from Iowa's fire academy between 2012 and 2016, despite failing exams. That number was about one-fourth of the certifications issued.

Iowa Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee was arrested Tuesday and charged with felonious misconduct in office and tampering with records.

The bureau has been the prime spot for training for the state's roughly 15,000 volunteer firefighters. Many departments require their firefighters to receive certifications to be employed or get promotions, although certifications are not required by the state.

Le Mars fire chief David Schipper said Thursday that none of his firefighters who have received certification through the state academy were affected. He added that the scandal should not be a reason to doubt the skill level of local firefighters.

"It's unfortunate this is the work of an individual or a couple people in the bureau," Schipper said. "It's not that the firefighters showing up at your door aren't trained or are not able to handle what the problems are."

Schipper said Le Mars uses its own in-house training to meet state requirements that firefighters are trained to certain standards. Schipper said recent events will not keep the department from using the academy for training.

In a statement Thursday, fire chief Tom Everett said Sioux City Fire Rescue provides its own training program, tests and evaluations to all of its firefighters that "exceeds the standards for certification within the state."

He said while some members have taken certification testing beyond the provided training, none of those firefighters were impacted by the problems uncovered at the Iowa Fire Services Training Bureau.

Sergeant Bluff fire chief Anthony Gaul said he also has not received word that any Sergeant Bluff firefighters had received incorrect scores.

"I think all of us want to do the job to the best of our ability," Gaul said. "The test is one thing, but its the ongoing practice, ongoing training thats going to make us the best for our community."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Editor's note: Because members of The Journal editorial board believe in the value to citizens in our state of the Iowa Public Information Board and support its important work, we share the concern about funding for the board expressed in today's guest editorial.

A resident of a town in western Iowa recently contacted the Iowa Public Information Board staff with a complaint about a local governments agendas and minutes. A formal complaint was avoided, however, after the Public Information Board staff advised the local government on preparing proper meeting agendas and minutes.

A central Iowa news reporter contacted the Public Information Board with a complaint about a police department withholding information covered by the Iowa Public Records Act. After a call was made by the IPIB staff to the department, the records were released.

An eastern Iowa man inquired about why a school district redacted names from emails he had asked for. After the IPIB staff advised the school the redactions were not supported by the law, the emails were released without redactions.

These are just three examples from the Iowa Public Information Boards 2016 annual report.

They are among the 875 complaints and inquiries handled by the board last year, which was an increase over 2015 and far more than initially projected when the board was created in 2012.

Although the Iowa Public Information Board has the power that is almost unique among the states to order compliance with open meetings and open records laws, the board in the vast majority of cases is able to resolve complaints informally and without either side having to hire a lawyer or go to court. Moreover, the boards staff conducts training for hundreds of public officials every year, informing them on how to operate openly and transparently under the law.

In short, the Public Information Board is meeting a vital demand by Iowans  citizens, state and local government officials and members of the news media  for fast and cost-free resolution of questions and complaints about public access to records and meetings of state and local governments.

This vital public service could come to a screeching halt, however, if the Iowa Legislature acts on a tentative budget agreement to deal with a revenue shortfall.

As part of the proposed agreement, lawmakers propose carving $75,000 out of the IPIBs already meager $350,000 annual budget. Since the budget year is half over, the cut would amount to a 44 percent reduction in what remains. And, since more than 90 percent of the budget goes to salaries and benefits for the two-member staff, it is hard to see how the cuts would not radically curtail the Public Information Boards ability to fulfill its public duty.

Furthermore, with a grim revenue outlook for the state in the next fiscal year, lawmakers may be reluctant to restore the IPIBs original budget.

So a line should be drawn in the sand now: The modest amount of money Iowa taxpayers are asked to contribute to the operation of the Iowa Public Information Board is money well spent. It should not be reduced now, and it should not be reduced in the future.

It is widely accepted that the people of Iowa have a right to know how their state and local tax dollars are spent and what is being done in their interest by the public officials they elect. That right to know is a hollow promise without vigorous enforcement of Iowas public meetings and public records laws. But it would in fact be a hollow promise if the Legislature acts to cripple the Iowa Public Information Board.

It should not happen.

Rox Laird is a member of the Iowa Newspaper Association Government Relations Committee.
DES MOINES | Legislation allowing Iowans to exercise a personal conviction exemption from state law requiring their children to be vaccinated before enrolling in licensed day care and public school won preliminary approval Thursday.

A three-member subcommittee approved House File 7 after Republicans argued the immunization mandate violates Iowans religious liberties and personal freedoms.

It always seems to me that to force somebody to put something in their body just seems against the liberties we have in this country, Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said. Although she promised to continue reviewing material presented by health care advocates, she said whether to immunize children should be an individual decision.

Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said immunizations are a public health issue and by making this exemption we are becoming a danger to others.

Iowa allows parents to exercise a religious or medical exemption to immunization requirements. HF 7 sponsored by Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, would add personal conviction. All states allow medical exemptions, 45 allow religious exemptions and 19 allow philosophical exemptions.

The number of religious exemptions in Iowa has risen to 1.3 percent or 6,737 K-12 students, Deborah Thompson of the Iowa Department of Public Health told lawmakers. Currently, Iowas immunization rate for MMR (Mumps, Measles and Rubella) is 91.8 percent, 43rd among states.

Although some people assume Iowans with philosophical opposition to vaccinations use the religious exemption, Thompson said evidence from other states shows a correlation between the number of exemptions and an increase in the number of children not immunized.

Pediatrician Nathan Boonstra said the most tragic things he has seen in his practice at pediatrician at Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines, have been cases of disease in children that could have easily been prevented with a vaccine.

Parents have latitude in making decisions for their children, but to not immunize without good medical reason puts that child at risk, he said.

The common good  protecting the community from preventable disease  even if it might seem to infringe on personal freedom was cited in arguments against the bill.

I think in this country, every now and then, when we decide you become a danger to yourself and others, we give up a little bit of our constitutional rights in order to protect the whole, Thompson said, suggesting drunken driving laws as an example.

Lori Harvey of Boone, representing Vaccine-Free Health and Iowans for Health Freedom, supported the bill because of studies linking vaccines and autism.

Autism has skyrocketed because of the mandate every single child be vaccinated, she said, asking the lawmakers to give parents the option to say no.

Complications from immunizations are rare, Wessel-Kroeschell said. I would like us to consider not only our own personal selves, but when we become a danger to others we need to take precautions.

However, Sen. Dennis Guth, R-Klemme, told the committee that although hes not anti-vaccine, I would be opposed to the fact we force people to do that.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness certainly includes what were going to stick in our bodies as far as vaccinations and things like that, Guth said.

Subcommittee Chairman Steve Holt, R-Denison, said he was speaking for parents who believe their children have been made sick by immunizations.

And while they may or may not be correct, I will not dismiss their concerns, he said. I believe in freedom. I do not believe in this context that government should have the right to order parents to immunize their children.

Instead, government should try to convince people of the value of immunizations, but ultimately, I believe that decision must be left up to parents.

The next decision will be up to the House Human Resources Committee.
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.
The following companies are subsidiares of NOV: APL France SAS, APL Norway AS, APL do Brasil Ltda., ASEP Otomotiv Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Acker Holdings LLC, Ackerman Holdings C.V., Ackerman Holdings GP LLC, Advanced Production and Loading, Advanced Wirecloth S. de R.L. de C.V., American Pipe and Construction International, Ameron B.V., Ameron International, Ameron International Corporation, Ameron Pole Products LLC, Ameron Polyplaster Industria E Comercio de Tubos Ltda., Ameron Singapore Holding LLC, Andergauge Limited, Andergauge Redback LLC, Arabian Rig Manufacturing Company, Big Red Tubulars Limited, Bondstrand Ltd., Brandt Oilfield Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., C.M.A. Canavera S.R.L., CJSC Fidmash, CJSC Novmash, Chemineer Inc., Coil Services Middle East LLC, Cooperatie Intelliserv Holding U.A., Cooperatie NOV NL U.A., Danco AS, Elmar Far East Pty Ltd, Enerflow Industries, Environmental Procedures LLC, Fiber Glass Systems (Qingdao) Composite Piping Co. Ltd., Fiber Glass Systems L.P., Fiber Glass Systems Oman L.L.C., Fiberspar, Fiberspar Australia Pty. Ltd., Fibra Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., FidService LLC, Fjords Processing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing AS, Fjords Processing Australia Pty Ltd, Fjords Processing France SAS, Fjords Processing Korea Co. Ltd., Fjords Processing Limited, Fjords Processing Middle East DMCC, Fjords Processing UK Ltd., Fryma S.a.r.l., GPEX L.P., Grant Prideco (Jiangsu) Drilling Products Co. Ltd, Grant Prideco (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Grant Prideco III C. V., Grant Prideco Inc., Grant Prideco Jersey Limited, Grant Prideco Mauritius Limited, Grant Prideco Netherlands B.V., Grant Prideco PC Composites Holdings LLC, Grant Prideco S. de R.L. de C.V., Grant Prideco de Venezuela S.A., GustoMSC B.V., Hebei Huayouyiji Tuboscope Coating Co. Ltd., Hydralift AmClyde Inc., Hydralift France SAS, Inspecciones y Pruebas No Destructivas S. de R.L. de C.V., IntelliServ Norway AS, Intelliserv GP Holdings LLC, Intelliserv Inc., Intelliserv International Holding Ltd, Intelliserv LLC, JiangYin Tuboscope Tubular Development Co. Ltd, Keystone Tower Systems Inc., MSI Pipe Protection Technologies UK Limited, Merpro Group Limited, Midsund Bruk AS, Mono Group Pension Trustees Limited, Mono Pumps New Zealand Company, Monoflo NOV S.A.I.C., Moyno Inc., NKT Flexibles I/S, NOV (Asia) Inc., NOV (Barbados) Holding SRL, NOV (Barbados) SRL, NOV (Caymans) Ltd., NOV (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., NOV - Oil Services Angola LDA., NOV APL Limited, NOV Africa Pty Ltd, NOV Australia Pty Ltd, NOV Azerbaijan LLC, NOV Brandt Europe France, NOV Brandt Oilfield Services Middle East LLC, NOV CAPS Pte. Ltd., NOV CV1 GP LLC, NOV CV2 GP LLC, NOV Canada ULC, NOV Completion Tools LLC, NOV Completion and Production Solutions Korea Ltd., NOV Denmark Cooperatief U.A., NOV Downhole Argentina LLC, NOV Downhole Bolivia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Colombia LLC, NOV Downhole Comercializacao de Equipamentos para Petroleo Ltda., NOV Downhole Congo LLC, NOV Downhole Eurasia Limited, NOV Downhole Italia S.R.L., NOV Downhole Kazakhstan LLC, NOV Downhole Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Downhole Pty Ltd, NOV Downhole Thailand LLC, NOV EU Acquisition SNC, NOV Elmar (Middle East) Limited, NOV Eurasia Holding LLC, NOV Expatriate Services Inc., NOV FGS Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NOV FGS Singapore (Pte.) Ltd, NOV Flexibles Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Flexibles Holding ApS, NOV Fluid Control B.V., NOV GEO GP LLC, NOV GEO LP1 C.V., NOV GEO LP1 LLC, NOV GEO LP2 C.V., NOV GEO LP2 LLC, NOV Gabon SARL, NOV Germany GmbH, NOV Germany Holding GmbH, NOV Ghana Limited, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Equipment Manufacturing LLC, NOV Grant Prideco Drilling Products Middle East FZE, NOV Grant Prideco L.L.C., NOV Holding Danmark ApS, NOV Holding Sub UK 1 Limited, NOV Holding UK 1 Limited, NOV Holding UK 2 Limited, NOV Holdings B.V., NOV India Private Limited, NOV Intelliserv UK Limited, NOV International Holdings C.V., NOV International Holdings GP LLC, NOV International Holdings LLC, NOV Intervention & Stimulation Equipment US LLC, NOV Intervention and Stimulation Equipment  Aftermarket Comercio de Equipamentos e Servicos Ltda., NOV Kenya Limited, NOV Kostroma LLC, NOV Kuwait Light & Heavy Equipment Repairing & Maintenance Co., NOV LP (Trading) LLC, NOV MFG India Private Limited, NOV Mexico Holding LLC, NOV Middle East FZCO, NOV Mozambique Limitada, NOV NL Mexico Holding B.V., NOV Oil & Gas Services Egypt (S.A.E), NOV Oil & Gas Services Senegal S.A.R.L., NOV Oil & Gas Services Uganda Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Ghana Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services Nigeria Limited, NOV Oil and Gas Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Tanzania Limited, NOV Oilfield Services Vostok LLC, NOV Oilfield Solutions Ltd., NOV Park II B.V., NOV Process & Flow Technologies AS, NOV Process & Flow Technologies Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies Pte. Ltd., NOV Process & Flow Technologies UK Limited, NOV QFZ LLC, NOV Rig Solutions Pte. Ltd., NOV Romania LLC, NOV Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd., NOV Saudi Arabia Trading Co., NOV Services Ltd., NOV Servicios de Personal Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., NOV Tanajib Kuwait for Services and Maintenance of Oil Rigs Refineries and Petrochemicals W.L.L., NOV Tuboscope Italia S.R.L., NOV Tuboscope Middle East LLC, NOV Tuboscope NL B.V., NOV Tubulars and Connectors Ltd., NOV UK (Angola Acquisitions) Limited, NOV UK Finance Limited, NOV UK Holdings LLC, NOV UK Holdings Limited, NOV UK Korea LP, NOV Wellbore Technologies Norway LLC, NOV Wellbore Technologies do Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Ltda., NOV Wellsite Services Germany GmbH, NOV Worldwide B.V., NOV-BLM SAS, NOVM Holding LLC, NOW International LLC, NOW Nova Scotia Holdings LLC, NOW Oilfield Services LLC, NQL Holland B.V., National Oilwell (U.K.) Limited, National Oilwell Algerie, National Oilwell Varco (Beijing) Investment Management Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco (Thailand) Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Algeria, National Oilwell Varco Almansoori Services, National Oilwell Varco Bahrain WLL, National Oilwell Varco Belgium SA, National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S, National Oilwell Varco Egypt LLC, National Oilwell Varco Eurasia LLC, National Oilwell Varco Guatemala Limitada, National Oilwell Varco Guyana Inc., National Oilwell Varco Hungary Limited Liability Company, National Oilwell Varco Korea Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco L.P., National Oilwell Varco MSW S.A., National Oilwell Varco Mexico S.A. de C.V., National Oilwell Varco Muscat L.L.C., National Oilwell Varco Norway AS, National Oilwell Varco Peru S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Petroleum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Poland Sp.z.o.o., National Oilwell Varco Pte. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Rig Equipment Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Romania S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco Solutions S.A. de C.V., National Oilwell Varco UK Limited, National Oilwell Varco Ukraine LLC, National Oilwell Varco de Bolivia S.R.L., National Oilwell Varco de Chile - Servicios Limitada, National Oilwell Varco do Brasil Ltda., National Oilwell de Venezuela C.A., National-Oilwell Pte. Ltd., National-Oilwell Pty. Ltd., PT Fjords Processing Indonesia, PT H-Tech Oilfield Equipment, PT NOV Oilfield Services, PT National Oilwell Varco, PT PROFAB INDONESIA, Pesaka Inspection Services SDN.BHD., Pipex Limited, Pipex PX Limited, Pridecomex Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., R&M Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd, R&M Energy Systems de Argentina S.A., R&M Energy Systems de Venezuela C.A., R&M Singapore Holding LLC, RE.MAC.UT. S.r.l., RHI Holding LLC, ReedHycalog International Holding LLC, ReedHycalog L.P., ReedHycalog LLC, ReedHycalog UK Limited, Robannic Overseas Finance A.V.V., Robbins & Myers B.V., Robbins & Myers Foundation, Robbins & Myers GP LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings LLC, Robbins & Myers Holdings UK Limited, Robbins & Myers Inc, Robbins & Myers Inc., Robbins & Myers Italia S.R.L., Robbins & Myers N.V., Rodic S.A. de C.V., Romaco S.a.r.l., STAR Sudamtex Tubulares S.A., STSA, Screen Manufacturing Company Unlimited, Slip Clutch Systems Limited, South Seas Inspection, Subseaflex Holding ApS, T-3 Energy Preferred Industries Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., T-3 Energy Services Cayman Holdings Ltd., T-3 Energy Services Cayman Ltd., T-3 Energy Services LLC, T-3 Energy Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., T-3 Investment Corporation IV, T-3 Mexican Holdings Inc., Telluride Insurance Limited, Tianjin Grant TPCO Drilling Tools Company Limited, Tuboscope & Co. LLC, Tuboscope (Holding U.S.) LLC, Tuboscope Brandt de Venezuela S.A., Tuboscope Norge AS, Tuboscope Vetco (France) SAS, Tuboscope Vetco (Osterreich) GmbH, Tuboscope Vetco Capital Limited, Tuboscope Vetco Moscow CJSC, Tuboscope Vetco de Argentina S.A., Tubular Coatings Solutions Ltd., Tucom Composites Polyester Sanayi Ticaret Ltd., Urban WLY LP, Varco BJ B.V., Varco CIS LLC, Varco International de Venezuela C.A., Varco L.P., Varco US Holdings LLC, Vetco Enterprise GmbH, Vetco Saudi Arabia Ltd., Visible Assets Inc., Wilson International, Woolley Inc., XL Systems Antilles N.V., XL Systems Europe B.V., XL Systems International Inc., voestalpine Tubulars Corporation, voestalpine Tubulars GmbH, and voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG.

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TopBuild Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the installation and distribution of insulation and other building products to the construction industry. The company operates in two segments, Installation and Specialty Distribution. It provides insulation products and accessories, glass and windows, rain gutters, afterpaint products, fireproofing products, garage doors, fireplaces, closet shelving, roofing materials, and other products; and insulation installation services. The company also offers various services and tools to assist builders in applying the principles of building science to new home construction, which include pre-construction plan reviews, diagnostic testing, and various inspection services; and home energy rating services. In addition, it distributes building and mechanical insulation, insulation accessories, and other building product materials for the residential, commercial, and industrial end markets. The company serves single-family homebuilders, single-family custom builders, multi-family builders, commercial general contractors, remodelers, and individual homeowners, as well as insulation contractors, gutter contractors, weatherization contractors, other contractors, dealers, metal building erectors, and modular home builders. It operates approximately 235 installation branches and 175 distribution centers in the United States and Canada. The company was formerly known as Masco SpinCo Corp. and changed its name to TopBuild Corp. in March 2015. TopBuild Corp. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
25-year-old Byron Leon-Ramos of the 2200 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf and 24-year-old Selvin Romero-Leon of the 3600 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md.

(Jan. 27, 2017)Police arrested and charged two suspects in the murder of Juan Gonzalez-Mejia last Saturday, Jan. 21. The suspects areandOn January 21st, at about 3:00 pm, a concerned citizen flagged down a Charles County sheriff's deputy after spotting a man lying in a wooded area in the 16900 block of Mattawoman Lane. The victim was suffering from trauma to his body and pronounced dead on the scene.The preliminary investigation reveals an argument escalated into the homicide. The suspects and victim knew each other. The two suspects are charged with first and second degree murder. They have admitted their involvement in the homicide. They're in custody of the Department of Corrections on a no-bond status.The investigation and arrests were conducted by the Homicide Unit of the Prince George's County Police.
LA PLATA, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(Jan. 27, 2017)The Charles County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE/ANIMAL CRUELTY: On January 25, a Prince George's County police officer was on his way home from work when he ran a tag on a U-Haul truck. When he found that the truck had been reported stolen to the Vermont State Police earlier that day, the officer broadcasted a lookout for the vehicle. At approximately 9:51 p.m., a Charles County officer located the vehicle in a parking lot off of Drury Drive in La Plata. The two occupants,, and, were arrested. Further investigation revealed 7 pit bull terriers, some with severe injuries, in the back of the truck that were kept in inhumane conditions. Animal Control responded and transported the dogs to the Tri-County Animal Shelter, where they are currently in stable condition. Malikah Shabazz was charged with 7 counts of animal cruelty and theft. Bettih Shabazz was charged with theft. Cpl. T. Yates is investigating.FOURTH DEGREE BURGLARY: On January 25 at approximately 3:38 p.m., officers responded to a junkyard located in the 10800 block of Charles Street in La Plata for the report of a theft from a motor vehicle. Investigation revealed that an employee observed two males stealing batteries from cars in the lot. When he confronted the males, they fled into the woods and back to their vehicle. Before they could get away, another employee pulled behind the suspect vehicle and stopped them until police arrived., was arrested and charged with burglary and theft. The juvenile that was with him was also charged. Pfc. M. VanHorn investigated.BURGLARY/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY: On January 26 at 8 a.m., a home repair contractor arrived at a home in the 7300 block of Port Tobacco Road in Welcome and found that the residence had been broken into by unknown suspect(s). The suspect(s) gained entry by breaking a window and screen. Nothing appears to have been stolen. Pfc. J. Marti is investigating.
LEONARDTOWN, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(Jan. 27, 2017)The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Vice Narcotics Division released the following incident and arrest reports. The Division is an investigative team comprised of detectives from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office and Federal Drug Agents (HIDTA Group 34). The Division was established on September 1st, 2007.Vice/Narcotics detectives observed a female, later identified as, seated inside of her vehicle in the parking lot of a local gas station. Detectives watched as she crushed pills, rolled a dollar bill and quickly ingested the crushed oxycodone. She was preparing to drive off, when she was detained by detectives. It was at that time the detectives observed a 2-year-old child in the rear seat.She was found in possession of two one dollar bills with suspected oxycodone residue, and 39 oxycodone pills (Street Value of $390.00) which were prescribed to someone other than her.A check of the vehicle's registration revealed the validation tab was stolen from another vehicle. Suspect Hebb was arrested and charged accordingly. Detectives notified the Department of Child Protective Services (CPS) for follow up investigation.Vice/Narcotics detectives received information related to, and his drug sales from a home in the 21000 block of Hancock Road in Lexington Park. Search and seizure warrants were obtained and executed with the assistance of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Team, K-9 deputies and Vice/Narcotics Support Team members. Items seized were Oxycodone pills, Opana pills, a quantity of marijuana and a digital scale. Suspect Savoy was arrested and charged accordingly with additional charges pending a review with the State's Attorney. Suspect Savoy was out on bail from an arrest on January 12th for drug and gun charges.Vice/Narcotics detectives conducted an investigation into a drug distribution location in Lexington Park. The location was operated by suspect. Suspect Nelson Jr. would arrive at a location in the 48000 block of Hillside Drive and sell cocaine and heroin from that location with the assistance of a second individual.Two search and seizure warrants were obtained for suspect Nelson's residence, which was a short distance away, and the location on Hillside Dr. The warrants were executed with the assistance of the Emergency Services Team, Sheriff's Office K9 and Vice/Narcotics Support Team members. Recovered from Nelson's residence were more than 30 grams of heroin (valued at over $4,600), more than 8 grams of crack cocaine (valued at over $800), two cellular phones, packaging material and a loaded handgun with the serial number obliterated. Suspect Nelson Jr. is prohibited from possessing any firearms.At the distribution point on Hillside Dr. detectives recovered a loaded shotgun, three cocaine covered digital scales, a large amount of cutting agent and an additional cellular phone. Suspect Nelson Jr. was arrested and charged, additional charges and arrests are pending a review with the State's Attorney.
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.




NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 24 January 2017. NASA

The Expedition 50 crew members explored a variety of space phenomena today to help researchers improve life for humans and stimulate childrens curiosity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Scientists are working to understand how fluids behave not just in spacecraft fuel tanks and containers but also inside an astronauts body. Microgravity creates a headward flow of fluids that increases pressure on the back of an astronauts eyes potentially causing damage and affecting vision.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Soyuz crewmates Oleg Novitskiy and Sergey Ryzhikov explored the effectiveness of a suit that may reverse these upward fluid shifts. Whitson and Novitskiy used a combination of eye exams and ultrasound artery scans on Ryzhikov today while he wore the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) suit today. The LBNP may offset the microgravity-induced fluid shifts possibly reducing the risk of vision changes in space.

Commander Shane Kimbrough reached out to schoolchildren this morning reading a story book and videotaping a simple fluids experiment. The Story Time From Space series seeks to increase science literacy by engaging students and teachers.

On-Orbit Status Report

Story Time From Space Meniscus Demonstration: The crew narrated and recorded a video demonstration exploring how a fluid behaves in free fall (microgravity) and how acceleration compared to free fall will make fluid behave the same as it would on the ground (1-G environment). Story Time From Space combines science literacy outreach with simple demonstrations recorded aboard the ISS. Crew members read five science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related childrens books in orbit, and complete simple science concept experiments. Crew members videotape themselves reading the books and completing demonstrations. Video and data collected during the demonstrations are downlinked to the ground and posted in a video library with accompanying educational materials. Todays demonstration was based on the childrens book Max Goes to the Space Station.

Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Hardware Reconfiguration Part 2: Today the crew successfully completed the MDCA reconfiguration to the Cool Flames Investigation (CFI) setup. The crew replaced the MDCA Needles, Igniters, Fiber Arm, and replace the fuel reservoirsThe crew then reinstalled the MDCA Chamber Insert Assembly (CIA) and reconnect Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL). . During the igniter exchange, a pin broke and remained in the receptacle. The crewmember was able to extract the stuck pin and continue with the remaining operations. The CFI provides new insight into the phenomenon where some types of fuels initially burn very hot, then appear to go out  but they continue burning at a much lower temperature, with no visible flames (cool flames). Understanding cool flame combustion helps scientists develop new engines and fuels that are more efficient and less harmful to the environment.

Fluid Shifts Chibis Imaging Day 2: The 48S subject performed their Chibis imaging part 2 session. The subject donned the Chibis device, and while the crewmember was exposed to the negative pressure (pulling the fluid feetward), Cerebral and Cochlear Fluid Pressure (CCFP), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE), and Tonometry exams were performed by an operator. During the DPOAE test, the crew had issues obtaining a good seal on the DPOAE probe tip in order to perform the test. After troubleshooting, the crew attached a backup and was able to proceed. Only one of the two DPOAE tests was able to be completed during the subjects allowable time in Chibis. Additionally, during data transfer power supplied by a 28 Volt DC to 120 Volt AC inverter was lost. The loss of power resulted in the loss of the OCT data. Due to the change in 48S landing, this session was considered a bonus data collection, and the loss of one DPOAE test point and OCT data is considered no impact. A repeat of the R-45 Day Fluid Shifts activities will be scheduled within the necessary window. The purpose of this investigation is to characterize the space flight-induced fluid shift, including intra- and extravascular shifts, intra- and extracellular shifts, changes in total body water and lower vs. upper body shifts. Noninvasive techniques are used to assess arterial and venous dimensions and flow parameters, ocular pressure and structure, and changes in intracranial pressure. Lower body negative pressure is being investigated for its ability to mitigate some of the effects of the space flight-induced fluid shift. Results from this investigation are expected to help define the causes of the ocular structure and vision changes associated with long duration space flight, and assist in the development of countermeasures.

Condensate Water Separator Assembly (CWSA) Maintenance: During Columbus Desiccant Module inspection and replacement, executed in February of 2016, possible contamination was found on CWSA1 debris screen and residues on the CWSA1 cover. Earlier today, the crew inspected, took samples and cleaned-up contamination found on various locations of the CWSA1 in Columbus.

They also replaced the core of CWSA2. The following ORU(s) were removed and replaced during the activity: Condensate Filter, Inlet Debris Screen, Fan Sub-Assembly, Air Check Valve, and Electronic Unit. CWSA2 failed at the end of July 2016 when the underspeed protection stopped the motor automatically.

Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Sample Collection: The crew conducted ITCS fluid sampling from the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM) and Node 3 (N3) Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) sample ports. These samples will be returned to the ground on SpX-10 for analysis. The return to ground samples are taken once a year to monitor the quality of the water in the ITCS loops.

Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Nitrogen Transfer: Today the crew installed a NORS Nitrogen recharge tank into the Airlock manifold and initiating Nitrogen transfer to the Airlock tanks. This is the first time the NORS has been used to transfer Nitrogen.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Biochemical urine test

URISYS Hardware Stowage

High Definition Video Camera Assembly 1 Activation in High Definition Mode

Story Time from Space Meniscus Demonstration Setup

ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Mode Algometry preparation for and measurement session

CWSA sampling and cleaning.

Story Time From Space Historical Photo

Fluid Shifts Laptop RSOS Transfer

Initiate water transfer from CWC-I to ???

Fluid Shifts OCT Service Module Setup Alternate

Progress 433 (DC1) Stowage and IMS Ops

Fluid Shifts OCT Service Module Power On

Fluid Shifts CCFP Service Module Configuration

MELFI 3 Nitrogen Pressure Check

Terminate water transfer from CWC-I to ???

MELFI 2 Nitrogen Pressure Check

Fluid Shifts DPOAE Service Module Setup

MELFI 1 Nitrogen Pressure Check

Columbus CWSA2 ORU Removal and Replace.

FLUID SHIFTS. CHIBIS Setup

Fluid Shifts Tonometry Service Module Setup

Fluid Shifts Experiment Service Module Data Collection  Operator

FLUID SHIFTS. Gathering Data in SM, Subject

FLUID SHIFTS. Chibis Closeout Ops

Fluid Shifts CCFP DPOAE Service Module End

Story Time from Space Meniscus Experiment Photography and Stow

Fluid Shifts Tonometry Service Module Stow

Search for missing equipment in the RS (CTB with ???, ????, ????, ??? equipment)

Fluid Shifts OCT Service Module Power Off

Fluid Shifts OCT Service Module Stow Alternate

JEM Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Sample Collection

Columbus CWSA2 Electronic Unit R&R

Airlock Flexible Ventilation Duct configured to exchange air with Node 1

Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Nitrogen Transfer Initiation

Robot Startup

Life On The Station Photo and Video

Columbus CWSA1 Condensate Filter R&R

Node 3 Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Sample Collection

Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus Hardware Replacement 2

Search for missing equipment on the RS (CTB with ???, ????, ????, ??? equipment)

Atmospheric Control System (ACS) Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Nitrogen Transfer Initiation

ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure Algometry Measurement Ops

Columbus CWSA worksite and COL1D1 closeout.

Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??

High Definition Video Camera Assembly 1 Switch to SD Mode

Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config Columbus Setup

PAO Preparation

??? maintenance

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) in Columbus

Multi Omics FOS Preparation

INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops

Combustion Integrated Rack Front End Cap Close

Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Close

Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Return

INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops

Airlock Flexible Ventilation Duct return to nominal configuration in the crewlock.

ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Algometry Measurement Session. Closeout Ops

Completed Task List Items

None

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

N1 MDM patch uplink

Sabatier Troubleshooting

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Wednesday, 01/25: N3 MCA R&R, Fluid Shifts, N2 ITCS Sample, Eye Exams

Thursday, 01/26: HTV5 (Depart/ROBOT OBTs, Final load, Hatch Closure, Vestibule Demate, CPA Install), Eye Exams, ARED Detent R&R

Friday, 01/27: HTV Release and Departure, SPHERES Zero Robotics Run

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  Off

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Idle

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Standby

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Off
When I first saw Coffeehouse Nishiya, it struck me as out of place. Its blue wooden sign boards, aged veranda, and white tiling all stood in contrast to the surrounding concrete mix of houses, apartments, and office buildings. Coffeehouse Nishiya was simple and unique, compact. It felt like maybe it had always been there on that street corner.

At the same time, it was odd to have walked 10 minutes from Shibuyas busy intersectiona place of giant billboards, thousands of people, and a cacophony of soundto find myself atan Italian bar.

Inside, owner Kyohei Nishiya stood behind a wooden counter. His co-worker Yoshiki Okada directed me to a spot at the far end of the counter. The two wore button-up shirts, neckties, and dress pantsthe Coffeehouse Nishiya uniform.

I ordered an espresso shake and asked Nishiya how he started.

He said that coffee wasnt his entry to barista work; it was meeting a real barista for the first time. He said the guy was cool, sophisticated, and a smooth talker. Nishiya was impressed. It wasnt what was in the cup that drew me to coffee, he said. It was everything around it.

I watched Nishiya prepare a drink. He worked with a smooth, well-practiced grace. Everything was where he wanted, each movement was efficient. There was an element of dance to ita rhythm and flow. He placed the finished drink on the counter, where Okada whisked it away to a waiting customer.

A singular kind of cool permeated the coffee shoppart of it performance, part of it atmosphere, and part of it design. Nishiya visited some hundred places around Italy for research. He wanted a place that would last, and said he wasnt interested in the makeshift, the slapdash, or the vintage. He had a very particular image in mind: of durable quality and the air of traditional Europe.

Nishiya Coffeehouse opened in September 2013. The first year was slow. At that time, there wasnt any clear signage out front; passersby thought it was a bar and simply kept passing on by. With time the menu was revised, and locals started coming. The pudding and the banana espresso shake gained a reputation. Business picked up, a crew of regulars developed, and, Nishiya says, theyve been busy ever since.

Nishiya said the menu develops based on customer needs. [It] is all the standards, he said. Im not interested in making something completely new. But if a customer asks for something, I want to provide it for them. I take the standard recipe, then add a little or take a little. Thats it.

The standards are the standards because theyre reliable, he continued. Established.

Whereas other successful businesses spur talk of growth, Nishiya isnt interested in expansion. He says that if he wasnt the one making the drinks, he couldnt maintain quality control. I asked about Okada, zipping around taking orders and clearing the counter.

He makes drinks tooI mean, I need to rest sometimes. But when Im here, I make the drinks.

Watching them work, I saw something of the traditional craftsman in Nishiya. The cafe was a physical manifestation of his style, a particular aura you felt in the service and tasted in the coffee. The whole reason its called Coffeehouse Nishiya, after all, is because its where youll find him.

Customers came, went, talked, and drank. Nishiya made drinks, Okada delivered them, and the two engaged in playful banter.

I wondered, is this what an Italian bar feels like?

There was no way of knowing. But what mattered was that Nishiya hadwith inspiration from his favorite coffee shopscreated a space that shared the style and service that most impressed him when he started in coffee some 13 years ago. That seemed like quite a feat.

And looking back at Coffeehouse Nishiya as I left, I found myself hoping it would be there for a long time yet; that years from now people might still talk about the pudding, the coffee, and the cocktails at that little Italian place on the corner, 10 minutes from Shibuya station.

Hengtee Lim (@Hent03) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in Tokyo. Read more Hengtee Lim on Sprudge.

Original photography by Sonia Cao.
Coffee Design is proudly sponsored by Savor Brands , your boost in coffeedence through maximizing designs in packaging, sustainability and tech.

Were big Fuglen fans here at Sprudge, following the brand from its roots in Oslo to its twin home in Tokyo, with an occasional New York City pop-up in-between. But a recent scroll through Instagram had us agog at where the brands Tokyo team are headed with packaging, anchored by the work of Norwegian contemporary artist Bendik Kaltenborn, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Le Monde, The Washington Post, and in a recent design collaboration with Aesop skincare.

Bendiks work for Fuglen is stirring comic art in a coffee context. To learn more about the story behind these bags we spoke with Kenji Kojima, manager of Fuglen Tokyo.

As told to Sprudge by Kenji Kojima.

Tell us a bit about your company.

Fuglen was established in Oslo back in 1963, and then opened the first foreign branch in Tokyo in 2012. We also run our own roastery, Fuglen Coffee Roasters, which was established 2 years after that, in 2014. We are not just a regular coffee shop that only serves coffee; we also sell Norwegian and Scandinavian vintage furniture, and serve some real cocktails in the night time.

When did the coffee package design debut?

We have been working with the package design since 2015, and finally launched it at the Fuglen Coffee Roasters 2nd anniversary in September 2016.

Who designed the package?

The package is designed by a Norwegian illustrator, Bendik Kaltenborn, who is a good friend of ours.

What coffee information do you share on the package?

Name of the coffee region, origin, variety, process, elevation, tasting profile, roast date.

What is this magical, mysterious creature on the front of the package?

The character illustrated on the package is a parrot called Jacko, which was a real parrot kept in cage at Fuglen Oslo from 1963 until 1985. It is a story-based illustration, where Jacko is drinking coffee and visiting different coffee producing regions.

Where is the bag manufactured?

Tokyo, Japan.

What type of package is it?

The package is made of a material kind that reminds of washi (Japanese traditional paper). It comes with a zip lock, and has a valve that allows air out of the bag. Each package is 200g.

Is the package recyclable/compostable?

Unfortunately, the current package we have is not recyclable. Japan is behind in environmental issues, and therefore it is difficult to obtain recyclable bags here in Japan. However, we are planning to switch the bag into recyclable/compostable within the year.

Where is it currently available?

The bag is available at Fuglen Tokyo, Fuglen Oslo, and several coffee shops mainly in Tokyo, but also in other prefectures across Japan as well. It is also available at our online store.

Company: Fuglen Coffee

Location: Tokyo

Country: Japan

Design Date: September, 2016

Designer: Bendik Kaltenborn

Coffee Design is a feature series by Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge. Read more Coffee Design here.
Paris, January 21, 2017 (SPS) - About forty Sahrawi people, supported by French activists, held a demonstration Friday afternoon in Fecamp (Seine Maritime department, Normandie region) to denounce the illegal shipment of marine oil from the occupied city of El Aaiun, said Saturday a Sahrawi source.

The demonstration, in response to the call of the Committee of twinning and international exchanges of Gonfreville and Orcher, should coincide with the docking of Key Bay ship carrying marine oil from Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco, to the company Olvea.

The Court of Justice of the European Union, in its decision of 21 December 2016, prohibited the import of products from the illegal exploitation of Western Saharas natural resources.

The Sahrawi demonstrators, living in France and supported by French local elected members, the Committee of twinning and international exchanges of Gonfreville and Orcher and the local union of general confederation of labour, denounced the violation of the judicial decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union and therefore of the international law.SPS

125/090/700
Soto won Thursdays $30,000 Preferred Handicap at Dover Downs while, Rockinonby captured the $21,000 Open at the Delaware oval.

For the second straight day, Art Stafford, Jr. drove the winner of the feature race on the card. Soto, who drew the rail, took command at the start and never looked back en route to a decisive victory. For the second time, Sweet Rock and Allan Davis, were runner-up with veteran Clear Vision driven by Yannick Gingras, finishing third third.

The win for the brown son of Rock N Roll Heaven-Incredible Beauty was his second in three races for trainer Eric Ell and Ken Wood, Bill Dittmar and Steve Iaquinta, who also owned Wednesday feature winner Celebrity Pegasus.

Tony Morgan used the passing lane driving Rockinonby to a 1:51.2 triumph in the $21,000 Open pace. Niss Allen Inc owns the Rockin Image-Stans Ann gelding. Cajon Lightning (Jonathan Roberts) was second best, with Screaman Seaman (Kirby) finishing third.

(With files from Dover Downs)
Round two of the Blizzard Series went postward Thursday evening at Woodbine Racetrack, and the event produced a pair of new winners in the $17,000 divisions.

Senseless Beauty and Stonebridge Pearl struck for wins in the opening leg of the event for female pacers, but round two bragging rights went to Kloof Street and I Deal In Kisses.

Kloof Street, who was a fast-closing runner-up in week one of the series, got up for a nose decision in her $17,000 on Thursday night.

Travis Cullen got away eighth  and held that position  while Manhattan Kelly and race favourite Collective Wisdom took turns on the lead through first-half fractions of :27.3 and :56.3. Collective Wisdom was still in charge at the three-quarter pole in 1:25.1, but Kloof Streets :29.3 closing speed was good enough to propel her from sixth to first in the final quarter. She prevailed by a nose over American Curves in 1:55.4. Tearful Of Happy was a lapped-on third beaten only three-quarters of a length.

Eric Adams trains the homebred for Millar Farms of Stouffville, Ont. The three-year-old Mach Three-Luck On The Run miss won for the first time this season and for the second time in her career. The 1:55.4 clocking was a career-best clocking for the winner of $22,750.

I Deal In Kisses, who didnt race in the opening leg of the series, was a front-stepping winner in Thursdays second division for the tandem of driver Louis Philippe Roy and trainer Rene Allard.

Roy was third and parked past the quarter pole in :28 with I Deal In Kisses, who eventually worked her way to the top. She crossed over to the pylons and proceeded to pace through middle panels of :56.4 and 1:26. She then used a :29.4 closing quarter to prevail by a length over race favourite Senseless Beauty in 1:55.4. Xelene Bayama was third.

Allard Racing Inc of Saint-Esprit, QC owns the four-year-old daughter of American Ideal-Kiss Me Nice. It was the fourth lifetime win from just seven assignments for the career winner of $26,725.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results  Woodbine Racetrack.
Owner Allan Smith has owned a number of solid racehorses, but none have taken him to the O'Brien Awards. That was until he got the call to notify him that Seven And Seven was a finalist as Canada's Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year.

"I have never been before so my family and I are looking forward to the evening to celebrate all of the really good horses and the people -- owners, trainers, drivers and caretakers -- that make it all happen," Smith told Trot Insider. "Maybe even make some new friends! Who knows, always great to have folks from different parts of life that have a passion for the same sport."

That statement exemplifies the electricity set to flow through the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale Hotel this Saturday night as Standardbred Canada hosts the 2016 OBrien Awards, the 28th edition of the annual black tie gala.

Owned by Smith along with breeder June Durand and her husband, trainer-driver Tom Durand of Oakville, Seven And Seven (Chapter Seven - Ally Oop) is a finalist for two-year-old trotting colt honours along with Ontario Sires Stakes star Mass Production.

"Well 'Seven' was a wonderful surprise this year," admitted Smith. "We expected to hopefully race him in New York Sire Stakes if he was good enough to race at two. I think Tom knew he had a lot of ability but did not want to get me over-excited...things can change a lot once they get to the track."

Seven And Seven hit the track, and he confirmed Durand's beliefs. A fourth-place finish in an overnight event propelled Seven And Seven into the Define The World Series at Mohawk.

"When he came a last quarter in :26.3 to win over Jake in the Define The World Final I was impressed."

Seven And Seven concluded his season with four wins from eight races and more than $226,000 in earnings. Along with his wins in the leg and final of the Define The World, the rookie swept the elimination and final of the William Wellwood Memorial where he posted a seasons mark of 1:55.3.

"When he beat some of most expensive U.S.-owned yearlings in the elimination and final of the Wellwood, well, that was inspiring," said Smith. "It was great that Paula, Mike and family were there to present the award. What a year they had in 2016."

In referencing the year enjoyed by the connections of Marion Marauder, Smith definitely had a season to remember in 2016 as well. He and the Durands also own OSS graduate and stakes winner Dia Monde ($207,912) as well as regular Preferred class competitor Whiskey Tax, who surpassed $1 million in career earnings with his runner-up score on October 7.

"Winning the Wellwood with John Campbell driving Seven was the highlight for sure," noted Smith. "Also a big deal to me was Whiskey Tax setting a new lifetime mark and going over a million at eight years old, still racing in the Preferred Trot at WEG."

Smith credits the Durands for their horsemanship and knowledge, making such a year possible.

"Well, it's a team effort obviously. Tom and June are special people; not only are they very good at picking out good horses on a budget, but they really take excellent care of all their horses. It's like they are family.

"They have also taught me patience is very important with horses...Im learning!"

Smith is hoping that patience pays off in 2017 with a few horses that didn't make the highlight reel this past year.

"We also had a couple of really nice three-year-olds that really started to look good at the end of year: Moonstar Mission and Veyron, to name a couple."

For now, Smith will keep trying to maintain his composure, stay patient and enjoy Saturday's awards ceremony while the on-track stars continue to train down in Florida over the winter.

"No question it's an honour just to be nominated," stated Smith. "It would be a real bonus to win, for sure."

For a full list of 2016 O'Brien Award finalists, click here. For details about the Black Tie Gala, click here.
Still moved by his recent entrance into the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame, Marty Wollam remains ever humble and continues to deflect the credit for this accolade by placing the credit upon none other than one of his charges, Striking Sahbra.

It all started with him, he said. He gave me Full Count and so much more. He was special and a source of great joy.

Striking Sahbra, a son of Supergill-Supreme Sahbra, entered the Ohio Harness Horse Hall of Fame in 2008 and his son, Dunkster, joined him in those hallowed halls this past Saturday (Jan. 21). The stallion collected $217,492 on the racetrack and was responsible for progeny that earned more than $67.8 million. The horse passed away from a ruptured aorta at age 22 in 2012.

Although his hooves no longer grace this earth, his presence clearly looms, not only within harness racings annals as a tremendous trotting sire, but within Wollams memory.

I remember when we brought him in as a yearling, he said. He was covered with burrs. You could not even touch his forelock. The young man that was taking care of him was just starting out and every time he would try to get those burrs out, the horse would strike out at him.

He was actually initially named Star Sahbra and Marvin Gross (his owner/breeder) already had another horse named that. It was years ago, but I went through the paperwork. I thought he would not want another horse with that name, even though it had been long enough for the name to be accepted. When we talked about it I suggested why not name him Striking Sahbra, because that is what he was doing, so that is how his name came about.

As Wollam trained him down, he didnt feel the colt was anything spectacular, but that just goes to show that in this sport, anything can happen.

He was small and really did not show us anything, except that he never ran, he said. But when he was in his first baby race at The Meadows I knew I had something. We used to race at night then and then we had a purse for those races that went for several hundred dollars. I was driving him and when another horse came at him, he took off. Thats when I knew this was a horse that had something not all horses do.

Under Wollams watchful eye, Striking Sahbra went on to a sterling two-year-old campaign in 1992 of 11-10-0-1. He banked $102,533 with the only blemish on his resume being a third in a Kentucky Sire Stakes contest at the Red Mile in only his third trip to the post (and first pari-mutuel start).

Mike Zeller was in the bike and he had the outside post position (Post 6 in a field of six), Wollam said. It was not the horses fault, he had some trouble in the race.

But just to see what he did as a two-year-old, that was something for a horse his age to win the rest of his races that year. Ill tell you it was some kind of thrill.

Striking Sahbra started out his sophomore campaign with Wollam, but was later transferred to another Hall of Famer in Bruce Nickells, then James Eaton, before returning to Wollams shedrow. The stallion closed out his two years of competition with a triumph in the Galt Stake at Maywood Park on Nov. 16, 1993.

I think we never really saw the best of him on the racetrack, Wollam said. I think there was much, much more, but circumstances never worked out for him to show that.

For him to go on and become the stallion he did demonstrates what he possessed. I cant explain what it was like to be associated with a horse like that.

While Striking Sahbra commenced his second career, Wollam continued with his primary profession, yet the stallion was ever present in his success. Full Count 4,1:55.4f ($238,692), an Ohio State champion, sired another Buckeye standout in Count Me In 4,1:53.2f ($439,319). Both were stars in the Wollam barn.

Having a racehorse like that is something rare, Wollam said. But to have the opportunity to train his sons and daughters, that is something you always hope for and are so fortunate to have the experience.

Despite being feted himself for his own induction into the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame, Wollam stresses the fact that the horses and those that complete the daily tasks at the barn are the ones that should be lauded.

People only came to the awards ceremony for the horses, he said. Those are the awards everyone cares about. That is what they wait all night for. And I had great help through my career; not only my wife, Patty, but my son, son-in-law and all the people that worked with me over the years. I was so very fortunate to have that in my life and feel so honoured I was selected for the Hall of Fame.

(USTA)
It was 17 years ago that Blissfull Hall was named Canada's Horse of the Year, and 17 years ago that he started his stud career. Now the pacing Triple Crown winner is coming home after concluding his years as a stallion.

The son of Cambest - Hundred Kisses concluded his on-track career in 1999 after a stellar career for trainer Ben Wallace and owner Daniel Plouffe. His three-year-old season was honoured with awards on both sides of the border after posting a 15-3-4 record from 23 starts and earnings exceeding $1.32 million. His campaign will forever be linked to his success in pacing's Triple Crown events -- the Cane Pace at Freehold, the Little Brown Jug at Delaware and the Messenger at The Meadows.

To date, Blissfull Hall's North American offspring have combined earnings in excess of $72 million with 19 performers in 1:50 or better. His downunder performers have earned more than $15 million with many still on the track.

Now 21, Blissfull Hall's stallion career has concluded after spending the last few years at Empire Stallions in Australia. His owner, Quebec's Daniel Plouffe, has always had a place in mind for him to settle down once he was done in the breeding shed.

"Daniel Plouffe wanted the horse to live the rest of his life in Kentucky," said Claude Brault on behalf of the ownership. "He thinks it's the greatest place and wanted the horse to have a home there."

Brault arranged to have Blissfull Hall turned out at Schare Adams' Saga Farm, not far from where the stallion was foaled at Walnut Hall in 1996. Those familiar with the stallion at Empire had nothing but praise for the pacer Wallace called "the perfect horse."

"We have had 'Bliss' with us for the last 10 years and he is the kindest, nicest stallion we have ever worked with," said Empire Stallions' proprieter David James. "Blissfull Hall was our farm favourite and we miss him already! We are very happy that he is going to live out his retirement at Saga Farms and hope to visit him the next time we are in Kentucky."
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Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

Ben Shapiros Family  Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...

QVC Shawn Killinger Bio  Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...

Liv Lo  Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...

Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...

Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...

Who Is Jessica Gadsden  Age, Net Worth & All About Charlamagne tha Gods Wife Jessica Gadsden is an American fitness coach as well as a personal trainer. She is better known as the spouse of popular American media personality, Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamange Tha God is a well-known TV and radio personality in the U.S. He has featured in several shows (both on the radio and TV) and is ...

Who Is Collins Tuohy  Michael Ohers sister ? Her Wedding, Husband & Net Worth Collins Tuohy is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, blogger, and social media personality. She is also better known as the adoptive sister of NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster The Blind Side. The Blind Side tells the true life story of Oher who grew up in an impoverished background consisting of a ...

Eye-Popping Facts About The Personal Life And Career Success Of Sportscaster Heidi Watney Heidi Watney is a media personality who has created a niche for herself as a sportscaster. Starting out as a radio presenter, the brilliant young lady has gone on to work for several prominent sports networks, and currently, she is with the MLB. The sportscaster is also known to have been an avid sports lady right ...

Marty Lagina Bio  Siblings (Martina and Rick Lagina), Net Worth and Wife Marty Lagina is an American engineer and businessman who has risen to fame as a reality TV star. This is thanks to his involvement in the adventure TV series, The Curse of Oak Island. The Curse of Oak Island is a long-running TV series which airs on the history channel. The show aims to solve ...

Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ...

Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ...

Natasha Bertrand Biography  Is She Married? Who Is the Husband & What Is Her Age? Natasha Bertrand is not just a young prominent journalist but a first-rate investigative reporter. With her natural beauty and smile, Natashas sharp, insightful political commentary also makes her a thorough reporter. Her sound political perspective and coverage in the country have made her a force to be reckoned with in the profession. Renowned for her ...

What Happened to Shane Kilcher? His Injury Update, Net Worth and More Shane Kilcher is well-known thanks to the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier. It is a show that documents the daily lives of the extended Kilcher family, people who live without plumbing or modern heating. The episodes follow their routines as they rely on hunting and farming for their nutritional needs as well as ...

Is Stephanie Gosk Gay or Lesbian, Who is the Wife or Partner  Jenna Wolfe? In August 2013, NBCs Today viewers were greeted with two shocking news. Today weekend anchor, Jenna Wolfe, announced that she was as a lesbian, introducing her partner as NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, and said the two are expecting their first child. A long time has passed since then and certainly, a lot of things ...

Nikki Mudarris  Bio and Net Worth: 5 Interesting Facts You Need to Know Nikki Mudarris, also known as Miss Nikki Baby, is a reality television star, model and fashionista. Shes best known for VH1s reality TV series Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood. Her entrepreneurial skills enable her to create and run a successful lingerie line Nude by Nikki. Not only that, but Nikki has also successfully run the Las ...

5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ...

Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ...

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SALEM  Smith Rock State Park has seen dramatic changes during the past five years.

The 652-acre park north of Bend has gone from a place known mostly for rock climbing to a bonafide tourist destination on par with Multnomah Falls and the Oregon Coast.

A sharp increase in visitors, which have almost doubled since 2010, has stretched the park to capacity.

How to deal with those crowds is the focus of an update to the park's master plan, a document that will guide decisions into the future. Last updated in 1991, the process of crafting the master plan is beginning with a series of public meetings and online surveys.

"This first round of meetings is all about listening to the public  finding out what people like, what they want to keep the same, and what problems we need to look at fixing," park manager Scott Brown said. "It's a long and slow process, but an important one."

A public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at REI in Portland. The public can also take an online survey (smithrockparkplan.com/survey), email comments (julia.cogger@oregon.gov) or call 503-986-0663 to make their voice part of the process.

By Brown's admission, the biggest issue by far is crowding.

From 2002 to 2012, the number of day-use visits to Smith Rock averaged 442,000 people per year. This past year, that number skyrocketed to 745,000. The number of people camping at Smith Rock has also exploded, from 11,036 camper nights in 2010 to 21,900 in 2016.

"Our facilities just haven't been able to keep up," Brown said. "On busy weekends, we have parking overflowing into our neighbor's yards, extremely long lines at restrooms and an overflowing septic system, and a lot of issues with our first-come, first-served campground."

While the problems are not unique  Oregon has seen massive growth in the number of people recreating in the state's outdoors  Smith Rock is an extreme case, Brown said.

A number of possible solutions have been pitched, Brown said.

Smith Rock could embrace the crowds by expanding its parking lot  the current lot has 375 spaces for what's often over 1,000 vehicles. Or, it could go the opposite direction, and institute a limited entry permit system that would cap the number of people allowed to visit  an unprecedented move for the state parks system.

"Everything is on the table right now," Brown said.

A few pilot projects have already been attempted or are in the works at Smith Rock, said Ben Hedstrom, park planner for OPRD.

"We installed a temporary parking lot at the end of summer, and we're looking at moving some campsites to a reservation system," Hedstrom said. "It's small things we're trying now to improve the situation."

The reason for the increase in visitation is multifaceted. The growth of Central Oregon's population combined with the "Seven Wonders of Oregon" marketing campaign raised the profile of Smith Rock beyond the rock climbing community.

The largest increase in visitors, Brown said, has been hiking, trail running and nature viewing.

"It's been a blessing in that we've seen more diverse groups of people coming out - more families - and that's a very good thing," Brown said in a 2015 interview. "The downside is that we've just been struggling to keep up."

The process of updating the master plan will take about a year and a half, Hedstrom said. There will be a second and third round of public meetings in early summer and likely next December.

Once the plan is finalized, smaller changes will likely go into effect right away, while larger changes will be phased over the long term, Hedstrom said.
The Kelso School District is still searching for people to apply for an open school board position.

The deadline for the open position has been extended to 5 p.m. Feb. 6. The vacancy when former board President Patty Wood's was appointed to the Washington State Board of Education.

Applications are available at the Kelso District Office, 601 Crawford St., Kelso. Duties of a board member are on the district website at www.kelso.wednet.edu.

The public is also invited to a reception honoring Wood for her service on Monday, Feb. 6 from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in the board room of the district office.

Wood resigned her Kelso board position Jan. 9 after serving since 2003. During her tenure she served on several district committees, including Student Rights and Responsibilities, Math Curriculum Adoption and Outdoor School.

For more information or questions on the board vacancy, call assistant to the Superintendent Beth Grambo at 360-501-1927.
Its time to exercise those digits.

Starting July 29, Western Washington residents will have to punch in the three-digit area code for all calls.

Then, a new area code overlay will start to attach to phone numbers on new telephone lines and services. The new code, 564, will not affect existing phone numbers. It will be introduced Aug. 28.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission announced the changes last May.

The changes needed because of a depletion of available phone numbers. The 360 area code, which covers cities and counties from Vancouver to Port Angeles and Bellingham excluding the Puget Sound area, is projected to exhaust its numbers by early 2018.

Those other area codes  206, 253, and 425  will start using the 564 area code as they, too, run out of numbers in the coming years. The North American Numbering Plan administrator projects 509 (the area code for Eastern Washington) to run out in 2025, 206 in 2027 and 425 in 2040.

The commission also implemented mandatory 10-digit dialing. Callers within the sphere of 206, 253, 360 and 425 area codes had been able to dial seven digits and still make calls.

Telecommunications companies are encouraging people to start dialing 10 digits soon to be ready for the switch. Local calls will reportedly remain priced as local calls, even with the 10-digit dialing.

On top of the added finger exercise for some, people should be aware of any automatic dialing procedures that may be assigned to a seven-digit number. These would include numbers saved in contact lists on cell phones, call forwarding settings and voicemail services, among others.

The change to 10-digits also could affect the effectiveness of things like business cards, identifications on pet collars and other general contact information.

In a letter sent to customers, CenturyLink said that people who rely on medical alert devices and security devices to dial pre-programmed numbers during emergencies should contact their providers.
Chris DesRosier was 10 years old when her mother went to the hospital to give birth  and returned without a baby.

Her newborn brother had Down syndrome. DesRosier said his doctors took him away to be institutionalized in a state facility, where all people with developmental disabilities stayed in the 1960s. The incident became a catalyst for her decades-long career in social work and mental health.

As director of Cowlitz Countys Health and Human Services Department, DesRosier as of this month took charge of homeless funding contracts. And she said her love for social work and compassion for the vulnerable was born from her brother.

We are all entitled to have a life, DesRosier said.

Im trying to understand this as a 10-year-old. Who can do that to you, Mom? Its your baby. Who can do that to you? DesRosier said. You went and had a baby, and somebody other than the parents took that from you. Go get that baby. Who does that? Go get that baby.

A few weeks later, against the advice of medical professionals, DesRosier said her parents took her brother back home. Doctors told them they were making a mistake.

In the early 1970s  about the time DesRosiers brother began puberty  the life expectancy of someone with Down syndrome was 25 years, according to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

DesRosier said her brother was more stimulated growing up with 10 brothers and sisters and received far better care with his loving family. She credits people like her parents with increasing life expectancy for those with disabilities. Researchers later discovered that those with Down syndrome were also linked with developing Alzheimers later in life. Medical professionals never would have found the link had it not been for people like her parents, DesRosier said.

My brother is 53. He didnt die in an institution at 20, DesRosier said. He is the example my mother set for me that I, as an administrator, could accomplish for all brothers and sisters out there who are given less-than-full capacity.

Public outcry from exposed abuses at Willowbrook State School, a New York institution, finally led to policy changes in the 1980s that provided better rights for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. But DesRosier began her career earlier than that as a clinician and county administrator in Wisconsin. She has met challenges, she said, including threats, as she advocated for patients to exist within communities and de-institutionalize behavioral health treatments by offering community systems of care.

I know what it takes to deal with this population, she said. Every time they institutionalized (patients) and released them, they were back in the revolving door within months.

Cowlitz County commissioners decided in August that the responsibility of homeless funding contracts would fall better under DesRosiers department, not the Office of Financial Management. Commissioner Dennis Weber said the decision is meant to integrate homeless services better with mental health and substance abuse programs. Many of the homeless also struggle with mental health or drug addiction.

About 1,000 people in the county are homeless for one reason or another, Weber said, including divorce, domestic violence, bankruptcy, mental illness or substance abuse.

About half are served by Community House on Broadway, and 200 to 250 are cared for at the Emergency Support Shelter, Weber said. The rest tend to be chronically homeless. Love Overwhelming is one of the few programs that shelters the chronically homeless population, the shelters officials have said.

DesRosier said affordable housing is most urgent need to address the homelessness crisis now, saying that everyone deserves housing. She said the community needs to come together to solve the housing problem, the worst she has seen in 40 years of her social service work.

Were not building housing for the mentally ill. Were not building housing for people who are chronically needing housing services. ... That doesnt mean we shouldnt house them, she said. Theres no reason we should have anybody out there with no place to live.

DesRosier took over as head of the Department of Health and Human Services in May, when Carlos Carreon retired. She worked for Cowlitz County as the deputy director for about a year before that and moved to the state from Texas. She has a decades-long background as a clinician and county administrator in the Midwest, and a service provider in Texas.

Now shes working hard to bring service providers back into the Housing First Coalitions discussions, she said, after controversy with how funding contracts are rewarded led to some leaving the organization. The coalition was created to address affordable housing needs and reduce homelessness.

Every one of them brings something to the table, DesRosier said, adding that the county needs a variety of programs to address the homeless needs. We need everybody.

But DesRosier said she came to work for the county specifically because she has faith in the community. She originally planned to retire.

Cowlitz is an amazing county, DesRosier said. Theres a lot of people in Cowlitz County committed to doing good. ... Thats the county that I want to work in, the county that will watch out for its residents.
A leading national cancer expert who visited Longview Thursday said he believes scientists and researchers will be able to cure most types of cancer in the next 10 years.

These are just incredibly exciting times in cancer biology treatment. Believe that we will get there and we will develop curative therapies for all cancers, said Dr. Gary Gilliland, the president and director at Seattles Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Our goal is to make cancer like ... its something that doesnt change your life forever; it happens and its simply another step in a long and happy, healthy and productive life, Gilliland said.

Gilliland toured the PeaceHealth Cancer Clinic and also was the keynote speaker at the Cowlitz Economic Development Councils annual meeting, held at the Cowlitz Expo Center Thursday. He also did a phone interview with The Daily News on Tuesday.

Cancerous tumors put the human immune system to sleep, allowing them to cause havoc in the human body. But, armed with new research about the molecular switches or gauges that turn the immune system on and off, experts can develop medicines that can turn the immune system back on so it can attack the foreign cells or tumors that cause cancer, Gilliland said.

Gilliland said these advances are similar to what he referred to as the golden age of medicine in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, when antibiotics were first used to effectively treat bacterial infections.

We have the capability to develop approaches for curative cancers in a short time frame. If were not able to get there within 10 years, then shame on us, because we have the insights. We just need to make sure we have the resources to implement the medicine, Gilliland said in the interview.

Within the last five years, researchers in the cancer community have come to realize that activating the immune system could be the next big breakthrough for developing effective and marketable cures for cancer, he said. Its an approach that mobilizes the bodys own defenses and is dramatically different from chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells but also kills healthy cells, or bone marrow transplants, he said.

Gilliland noted the recent example of former President Jimmy Carter, who was diagnosed in August 2015 with metastatic melanoma of the brain and liver, which was regarded as almost always fatal. Carter was treated with CAR T-cells, which is a new genetically engineered immunotherapy medication that trains T-cells, or cells used in immune responses, to attack tumor cells. Carter was cancer-free and in remission by March 2016.

Gilliland was the Senior Vice President at Merck Oncology, headquartered in New Jersey, at the time the company created the CAR T-cell drug.

I have never seen anything like the results were seeing. We have patients who have weeks or months to live who have cancer that has not responded to any treatments and we give them this engineered T-cell and were seeing 90 percent response rates, Gilliland said.

To continue advancing the fight against cancer, Gilliland stressed the importance of investing in research. He also said its important to educate young children in healthy behaviors, such as reducing obesity and smoking, messages that are especially relevant to Cowlitz County, which has high rates of each of these and other unhealthy behaviors.

Ive never walked around saying the cure is around the corner, but thats what Im saying now. You can believe that, Gilliland said Thursday. We have the opportunity to really kick this out of the park, and I truly believe we will get there with the right kinds of resources and the right types of investments.
In response to concerns that arose during a three-day hearing this week, the Port of Kalama moved swiftly to beef up its plan to compensate for environmental damage from the proposed methanol project.

Port commissioners Wednesday authorized setting aside up to 60 acres of wetlands for additional ecological mitigation of Northwest Innovation Works project. The land is north of the 90-acres that Northwest would lease from the port for its $1.8 billion plant. The move came after county hearing examiner Mark Schiebmier suggested that he didnt think proponents had gone far enough to make up for the project s impact on the shoreline.

We proposed what believed was a solid mitigation plan. During the hearing, it became apparent that the hearing examiner would like to see some additional mitigation; he brought up that subject multiple times, said Port spokeswoman Liz Newman. So we went back to see what we had available.

Its not clear yet whether all of the 60 acres will be used or whether the port would receive lease revenue from this additional land.

Project proponents have until Jan.31 to submit additional information to Schiebmier, and the public has until Feb.7 to comment. Schiebmier is expected to make a decision by mid-to-late February.

While Wednesdays action may have seemed quick, Newman said the port has owned the property for 20 years and had already identified it as an area for future development or possible mitigation.

Setting aside the additional land for Northwest Innovation Works, the China-backed methanol developer, would not affect future projects, Port Executive Director Mark Wilson said. He said the port has a substantial amount of land it can still use for environmental mitigation purposes. The port could not be specific Thursday about how much additional land it had.

The extra mitigation land would be on top of what proponents had already planned for compensating for the plants effects on wetlands, aquatic lands and wildlife habitat.

As part of its permit application, Northwest had proposed removing 157 pile dikes to improve fish access; installing eight engineered log jams to create space for salmon to forage or hide from predators; restoring 1.41 acres of riparian habitat next to the project site by removing invasive species and planting native plants; and restoring 0.58 acres of wetland buffer. Adding a parking lot to improve recreational access to the shoreline was also a condition of the countys approval.

But Schiebmier was skeptical. During the hearing, he compared the methanol proposal to another project on the Columbia River, which recently received a shoreline permit after a lengthy legal battle. Columbia River Carbonates has proposed to build a new barge facility in Woodland. The calcium carbonate company proposed building a 6.3 acre nature refuge, which would be nearly twice the size of the 3.75 acre barge project site. It would also install several engineered long jams, among other actions, Schiebmier said.

That project, which was a much smaller project, has on its base a much larger mitigation plan, Schiebmier said.

During the methanol plant hearings, opponents raised concerns about explosion risks, air pollution, effects on fish and climate change.

Northwest Innovation Works (and the port) moved very rapidly to accommodate (and) to fix a problem they knew they had all along, said Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, organizer for Columbia Riverkeeper, which opposes the project.

The onsite mitigation is one important component, but they have not yet committed to greenhouse gas mitigation for the proposed project. Wetlands will not offset the carbon pollution form the proposed facility, Zimmer-Stucky added.

Northwest Innovations says is using the latest technology to control greenhouse gas emissions.

Comments on the shoreline application can be sent Ron Melin, Senior Environmental Planner, at 207 4th Ave. North, Kelso or emailed to MelinR@co.cowlitz.wa.us.
The "Grade Separated" option features an elevated intersection at Industrial Way and Oregon Way. This diagram doesn't include the proposed pedestrian pathway crossing the intersection. See B3 for the second alternative.

Cowlitz County planners for the $90 million project to improve the Oregon Way-Industrial Way intersection have eliminated two more designs, leaving two final options to be evaluated for the draft Environmental Impact Statement this fall.

Both options would create a new, four-way intersection raised 30 feet above grade to allow future rail lines to pass under it. Both options would move the intersection slightly to the southwest  toward the Weyerhaeuser Co. log yard. The purpose of that is to reduce noise in nearby neighborhoods, better accommodate the path of rail lines and keep traffic moving during construction, expected to start in 2020.

The project is meant to cope with both vehicular and rail traffic growth that is expected to eventually overwhelm the existing intersection, even if the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals coal export dock is never built in West Longview. The raised intersection will allow trains to pass underneath the roadway.

The first option  dubbed grade separated A  would retain traffic flow basically as it is currently: Industrial Way and Oregon Way traffic would continue east and west and north and south just as its does now, across the elevated intersection.

The second option  dubbed partial grade separated B  would not allow eastbound or westbound vehicles to continue straight through the elevated intersection (except for emergency vehicles). Those drivers would to have to use a ground-level roundabout just northeast of the overpass. Northbound and southbound vehicles would be allowed to continue through the overpass.

The designs include a complex array of secondary roads because of the need to maintain access to businesses, avoid or cross railroad tracks and permit U-turns, said Claude Sakr, the countys project engineer.

The first option would include a roundabout at ground level at the intersection of Oregon Way and Alabama Street, where the ramp leading to the new elevated intersection would end. In the second option, the ramp would end north of the Alabama Street intersection, which would limit drivers coming off Alabama to right turn lanes only.

The first option may include relocating the Reynolds Lead BNSF Railway rail line that now skirts the west end of the Port of Longview property. This would require demolition of the strip mall that includes the Starbucks and Subway outlets.

The second option includes a diverging intersection at the foot of the Industrial Way ramp near Cowlitz River Rigging. Sakr says it is an innovative idea that has not been implemented in the state yet. It would look like an elongated x and allow traffic crossovers to east and westbound lanes.

Access to the Weyerhaeuser log yard would be maintained, and the company is cooperating with planners, Sakr said.

Sakr presented the plans to the public at an open house Thursday night at the Cowlitz PUD auditorium.

Sakr said the project is meant to prevent anticipated vehicle congestion, noting that the state identified the intersection as needing safety upgrades as far back as 1968.

This is all about highway improvements or roadway improvements, Sakr said. I think there is a broader understanding of what were doing and why.

Officials have said traffic volumes are expected to grow by 60 percent to 70 percent by 2040, causing long backups on the intersection that would stall motorists for more than two light cycles. Thats is called a failed intersection. The Legislature allocated $85 million to the project in 2015, and another $5 million will come from local, state and federal funds.

The county originally had eight options. Four of them moved on to the second screening process that evaluated them for several factors, including safety, impacts to residential neighborhoods and bicycle and pedestrian routes. The draft environmental study will be complete in fall, and the final EIS in summer next year.

The first option, with the diverging intersection, ranks better for the local economy and travel connections and would cost less. The cost for either design is estimated somewhere between $70 million and $85 million.

Any time you can avoid building over the top of active roadways, your building costs are going to significantly go down, Longview Public Works Director Jeff Cameron said.

The second option, however, is more environmentally friendly, feasible and more likely to get approved, according to the countys screening results.

Two other options, including an elevated roundabout, were eliminated due to traffic and business disruptions, complex construction, lack of access to emergency providers and geotechnical/earthquake risks.

The project will need approval from the Federal Highway Administration, state Department of Transportation, and the county Public Works and Planning Division. The process for the draft EIS will begin early February.

Cameron said the complex designs are due to the challenge of factoring in four rail lines through a compact, developed area.

Officials hope legislators can front $6.25 million a year earlier, in July 2018, to keep the project going when they anticipate a one-year gap without funding. The state plans to give the project $1.5 million in July and $14.4 million in July 2019.

The largest chunk of state money, $62.1 million, will come in July 2021.

A previous version of this article misquoted Sakr as saying the project includes "railway," not "roadway" improvements.
tech2 News Staff

Google introduced the Google Home smart speaker in the last quarter of 2016, in an effort to take on Amazon, which has the extremely successful Echo. The competition is expected to heat up next year in the segment with smart wireless speakers from Microsoft, LG, and Lenovo. Wireless speakers with virtual personal assistants within them are expected to be a $2.1 billion market by 2020.

In a conference call on Alphabet's quarterly financial performance, analysts asked some hard questions to Google CEO Sundar Pichai on what role smart speakers from Google and voice search play in the future. Google is in danger of being left behind. Mark Mahanay of RBC and Douglas Anmuth of JC Morgan both quizzed Pichai on how Google will navigate the transition from screens to voice based interfaces.

Mahanay pointed out that Google hardware performs a tenth as well as competition when it comes to sales. Ruth Porta, CFO of Alphabet and Google responded that while the hardware business was just taking off, they were in profit. Pichai's response was that the new paradigms were just emerging, and that Google is "comfortable" in the space going forward. Pichai said that Google is looking at making voice interface work across homes, phones, tvs and cars. The work that Google is doing in Natural Language Processing (NLP) will allow Google to be a major player going forward, according to Pichai.

Addressing the issue of monetising voice search, Pichai pointed out that voice search was only a part of the journey that users take when it comes to finding information, and is only one of the ways that users interact with machines. When they get to touchscreens, there is a need to continue where the voice conversation left off, which is where Google can play at its strengths. "We want google to be available to people when they need it," Pichai said, "we think of this as an end to end thing".

However, Pichai offered no concrete answers on how exactly Google plans to stay competitive when it comes to Google hardware or how advertisements will be pushed to users who interact with computers primarily through the medium of voice. Pichai pointed out that it was the very early days of voice search, and that he looked at voice search more as an opportunity rather than a challenge. The entire conference call is available on YouTube, the questions from the two analysts about voice search starts at 35:55.
tech2 News Staff

Google has released its Better Ads Report for 2016, in which it says 1.7 billion misleading, malicious or inappropriate advertisements that violated the advertising policies of Google were taken down. The number is more than double the number of unsuitable ads blocked by Google over the course of 2015. In 2016, Google introduced stricter policies, allowing Google to take action against web sites that misrepresented who they were to end users.

Scott Spencer, director of product management, Sustainable Ads, said, "A free and open web is a vital resource for people and businesses around the world. And ads play a key role in ensuring you have access to accurate, quality information online. But bad ads can ruin the online experience for everyone. They promote illegal products and unrealistic offers. They can trick people into sharing personal information and infect devices with harmful software. Ultimately, bad ads pose a threat to users, Googles partners, and the sustainability of the open web itself."

2016 saw the advent of a new kind of malicious advertisements called tabloid cloakers. These ads would appear to be news articles related currently trending topics, including celebrities, elections or other viral subjects. When tapped or clicked on, the resulting page would sell weight loss products. This is known as a bait and switch, where the consumer expects one thing, but receives something entirely different in the end.

A policy was introduced in July that specifically banned advertisements for pay day loans, an exploitative practice that burdens users financially. The number of ads pretending to be a system message, to install malicious software on the machine of the users saw a six time increase over the previous year. Ads for illegal products, including healthcare violations and gambling violations were also banned. Ads that deceived, mislead or shocked users with clickbait titles offering miracle cures with bogus products were screened.

For mobile users, self-clicking ads are irritating and automatically redirect surfers to new pages. Google saw a dramatic increase in these kinds of ads, and blocked 23,000 of these on the platform, which numbered only in a few thousands in 2015. There was a dramatic increase in the advertisements that were designed specifically to get around bad ad detection systems put in place by Google.
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The collision of an asteroid with Earth can have devastating impact but a team of researchers is working out how to deflect the path of an asteroid to avoid the apocalypse. The project led by Spain's National Research Council (CSIC) provides information on the effects a projectile impact would have on an asteroid. "Studying the chemical and mineralogical composition of the Chelyabinsk meteorite allows us to grasp the importance of the collision compaction processes that asteroids suffer as they near the Earth," said Josep Maria Trigo, a CSIC researcher.

An asteroid with a diameter of approximately 18 metres exploded over the Russian town of Cheliabinsk on February 15, 2013, producing thousands of meteorites which fell to Earth. Despite being a small asteroid, the shock wave it produced when penetrating the atmosphere at hypersonic speed caused hundreds of injuries and considerable material damage. The research discovered the properties of the materials that the asteroid is made of.

By studying the hardness, elasticity and fracture resistance of the asteroid could all be determinant for the impact of a kinetic projectile attempting to deflect an asteroid's orbit. "As ordinary chondrites are quite complex and heterogeneous rocks consisting of minerals with different properties, showing varying degrees of collision damage, a comprehensive study is required," explained Carles Moyano, a CSIC researcher, in a study published in the Astrophysical Journal.

The measurement of the mechanical properties of the Chelyabinsk meteorite was carried out at the nanoindentation laboratory, led by Jordi Sort from Barcelona's Autonomous University.

IANS
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Scientists here have announced that the world is rushing towards the doomsday, partly because of the "words and actions" of US President Donald Trump, a media report said. The minute hand of the Doomsday Clock, which indicates how close the world's leading scientists think we are from destroying the planet, was moved forward to two and a half minutes to midnight, ABC news reported on Thursday. Midnight on the clock represents doomsday.

The Bulletin's science and security board decided to advance the clock "in part based on the words of a single person: Donald Trump, the new President of the United States," it said in a news release on Thursday. The board called Trump's comments about expanding the US nuclear arsenal and his disbelief in climate change "disturbing" and said his "statements and his actions as President-elect have broken with historical precedent in unsettling ways."

Trump tweeted in December 2016 that the US "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." In January 2014, Trump said in a tweet, "Global warming is an expensive hoax!" and in November 2012, Trump claimed in a tweet that the "concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."

During his election campaign Trump promised to back out of the Paris accord. The closer the minute hand is to midnight, the higher the chance of a global cataclysm, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the group that sets the time on the symbolic clock. The clock's minute hand is assessed each year, and the clock's time "conveys how close we are to destroying our civilisation with dangerous technologies of our own making," the Bulletin said on its website.

Apart from Trump, the Bulletin said it also considered factors such as "strident nationalism worldwide ... a darkening global security landscape that is coloured by increasingly sophisticated technology and a growing disregard for scientific expertise." In 2016, the scientists announced the clock remained at three minutes to midnight because of climate change and "extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity" by the modernisation of nuclear weapon arsenals.

In 2015, the clock was moved to three minutes to midnight, from its place at five minutes to midnight in 2014. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons under the Manhattan Project. The scientists created the Doomsday Clock two years later as an expression of concern about the use of those weapons. The decision to move the clock's time is made by the group's science and security board, in consultation with its board of sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates.

IANS
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Tesla sued the former head of its Autopilot system on Thursday, alleging the executive tried to recruit Tesla engineers for his new venture with the ex-head of Google's self-driving programme while still working at the electric car company.

Tesla Motors Inc claims that Sterling Anderson, who until early January was the non-technical programme manager of Tesla's Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system, made employment offers to at least a dozen of his colleagues at Tesla.

Anderson's recruiting efforts for a new startup with Chris Urmson - who shepherded Alphabet's self-driving project for seven and a half years before leaving in August - occurred despite a non-soliciting agreement in his contract, Tesla said.

The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of California for Santa Clara County, underscores the competitive landscape in Silicon Valley's automotive sector, where Tesla, established carmakers and unknown start-ups are all battling to be first to bring self-driving to the masses.

Tesla has been at the vanguard of innovation. Its high-profile Autopilot allows cars to steer and stay in their lanes without hands on the wheel in certain circumstances. Telsa, citing what it called a "get-rich-quick environment" in the sector, listed in the complaint the recent acquisition by General Motors of Cruise Automation in July for nearly $1 billion, suggesting Anderson and Urmson sought the same goal with their new Silicon Valley company, Aurora Innovation.

Urmson and Aurora Innovation are also named as co-defendants in the lawsuit, which alleges breach of contract and other civil claims. Tesla is seeking injunctive relief and unspecified damages. Aurora said the lawsuit was without merit and "reveals both a startling paranoia and an unhealthy fear of competition."

"This abuse of the legal system is a malicious attempt to stifle a competitor and destroy personal reputations. Aurora looks forward to disproving these false allegations in court and to building a successful self-driving business," Aurora said in a statement.

The lawsuit alleges that Anderson also downloaded "some of Tesla's most competitively sensitive information" to his laptop, then erased and doctored files and wiped his iPhone of data "in an attempt to conceal his misdeeds." Tesla said Anderson was terminated on Jan. 4.

Reuters
One of the expectations from the 2017 budget is that the direct tax rate is reduced and/or deductions increased. Since government would want to spur spending and because of demonetisation spending in certain sectors has slowed down, we expect the government to lower the tax rate as well. This will put more money in the hands of employees and individuals which we believe will help spur spending and lead to a positive effect on the economy.

Also with the GST coming in, we may also see certain changes in the IT industry where the IT industries like us will get rationalised. If you see, we are paying two types of taxes one being the service tax and the other is the VAT. With respect to GST being rolled out, there will be a lot of rationalization of tax especially for the IT industry which would help us significantly.

We are expecting that the rate of taxes on domestic software & IT services are brought down as this will help lower costs of these items and lead to increased adoption. This will have a significant impact in helping the Govt. achieve is vision of a Digital India. Government may also bring in more stress on the insurance schemes. Like for instance, they may bring more variation on the NPS schemes as the PF rates are coming down and the NPS plans are pushed through. We expect the Govt. to take special steps to augment or help develop specific skills which will now be needed as a large segment of population is moving online.

These are the some of the changes which we expect to happen in the 2017 budget.

Due to demonetization and the stress on a less-cash economy, a large number of transactions will move online. In 2017 budget this will be further supported by the government which is definitely a benefit for the IT industry as they can now provide new and innovative solutions to help businesses and individuals in this process.

Since demonetization is not restricted to just the cities, businesses and individuals in the smaller cities would also need to adopt various IT / IT enabled services. This will lead to opening up the market (which is now generally restricted to the larger) to the Tier II and Tier-III cities also. Along with the prospect of providing the solutions, the IT Industry would also need to figure out how to help first time business IT adopters to move to these solutions. In addition to the DeMo announcement, there have also been directives from the PF Department and Labour Commissioners asking businesses to pay their employees through Bank Transfers and cheques. This coupled with other announcements regarding increasing in ESI Wage limit, etc. would mean that the compliance requirements of organizations would increase. So at Greytip, we see this an opportunity to help small businesses in big and small cities be compliant and reduce the time and effort that they would need to spend to achieve this. Of-course, this is in addition to ensuring that all the calculations are done accurately and as per the latest laws and amendments. This being the situation, the IT sector will play a critical role going forward in helping businesses adopt to the new reality.

Since we will be getting on to online transaction and operations online, the infrastructure in these platforms has to be improved and changed. Availability of electricity, telecom infrastructure, internet & broadband, smartphones & digital literacy are very important aspects that needs to be accessible to everybody and the government needs to address these issues. We also feel that the Govt. laying stress on improving digital literacy would help larger segments of the population move online.

If these amenities are fulfilled by the government then service providers like us can make use of this infrastructure, build and cater solutions for everybody.

@Technuter.com News Service
The Shas party is pushing forward with a proposal that would make it illegal to hold pluralistic prayer services at the Western Wall plaza, calling for the bill to face a ministerial vote as early as Sunday.



The proposed law would impose penalties of six months imprisonment or a fine of NIS 10,000 ($2,600) on anyone who holds a mixed-gender service or womens Torah readings, and women who don a prayer shawl or phylacteries, at any area of the Western Wall, even those that had not been traditionally set aside for prayer.



In its description of the bill, the ultra-Orthodox party said it was meant to prevent actions, including religious ceremonies, that do not fit the custom of the place, which would offend the congregation that prays there.

Shas has asked for the bill to face a vote at Sundays Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which decides government policy on legislative proposals and could guarantee coalition support for the measure. The party is said to expect other coalition members to support the bill.



We supported an increased tax on third homes, banning the muezzin call and other laws because it was important to our coalition partners. We expect them to support this even if its not their preference, a party source told the Walla news site.

The proposal would define the entire area as a holy site governed under the same definitions of religious practice and law set by Israels rabbinic courts and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Prayer services would thus be limited solely to state-approved Orthodox practice.

According to the opinion written by the rabbinates chief legal adviser Harel Goldberg, the courts are prevented from making decision pertaining to holy sites based on a British Mandate law dating to 1922. Goldberg claims that the law is still legally binding given that it was never nullified by Knesset legislation.



Despite gaining support from a number of Likud and Jewish Home MKs, the Shas proposal on the Western Wall is likely to be opposed by Netanyahu and Jewish Home chair Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who back the 2015 compromise, as well as religiously liberal ministers and lawmakers in the coalition, including in the Kulanu and Yisrael Beytenu factions. It is thought to stand little chance of making it into law.

The bill Shas wants to pass into law could not have come at a more inappropriate time I have no doubt Shas' reps have nothing but contempt for Ayaan Hirsi Ali to boot.Do I sense that they'd ratherhave supported those particular laws? All they're doing is making it clearer than ever that they're not doing this literally for Orthodox adherents in their entirety, but rather, for the Haredis. In which case, why should we support them over something so questionable and overwrought?Oh, so more advocacy of combining religion and state, rather than separation thereof.Let's hope. Shas is one Haredi movement that's proven they have nothing but contempt for democratic values, and they went right along with the Labor party and basically supported the Oslo agreement in 1993. So there's not much value to put on what they advocate. What's fascinating is the suggestion they actually condone the British Mandate, despite all the harm the UK ultimately did to the country as a result.Worst, what they're pushing for is an insult to any non-Orthodox congregations who already had the terrible experience this one did . Tragically, Aryeh Deri and company will surely never apologize for what they've been up to, not even the Oslo accords enabling.

Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, Jerusalem, Judaism, misogyny, Moonbattery
New Israeli settlement plan taken in support of Trump

A partial view of the Israeli settlement of Ariel near the West Bank city of Nablus.

AFP, Jerusalem :

Israel has moved immediately to take advantage of US President Donald Trump's pledges of support, announcing a major settlement expansion that deeply concerns those hoping to salvage a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

Since Trump's inauguration last week, Israel has approved some 3,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank and in annexed east Jerusalem, signalling a sharp change of pace from such projects during the Barack Obama years.

"Netanyahu is taking advantage of the presidential transition in the United States in order to appease the settlers, a small minority of the Israeli public, and score political points with his right flank," settlement watchdog group Peace Now said. It said Israel's government was "jeopardising the two-state solution," the basis of years of negotiations.

Obama's administration, like much of the world, repeatedly called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to halt settlement expansion, warning that it was gradually eating away at the possibility of a two-state solution.

In a rare move, Obama's White House even declined to veto a UN Security Council resolution in the waning days of his adminstration condemning Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.

Such actions deeply angered Israel, but the United States is its most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid, leaving it little choice but to pay heed.

Israel expects a far different reception from Trump, who has pledged strong support and called for the UN anti-settlement resolution to be vetoed.

Netanyahu, who heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history, spoke with the new president by phone on Sunday and the two are due to meet in person in early February.

In a telling break with the previous administration, the White House did not condemn Israel's settlement announcements.

"Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday when asked about Trump's perspective on settlement expansion.

"He wants to grow closer to Israel to make sure it gets the full respect in the Middle East. We'll have a conversation with the prime minister."


KISHOREGANJ: Azimuddin Biswas, DC, Kishoreganj addressing a preparatory meeting of Ekushey February and International Mother Language Day at Collectorate Conference room on Thursday.
The roadside philosopher

Naved Ahmad :

My jacket, muffler, cap and the gloves were on. I glared at my bike and I was sure infinite kicks were on the cards, I was not sure, whether infinity will arrive or not. So, I decided to walk. Walking in winters when you are thoroughly covered up can be therapeutic, as Rumi says, "When you walk, angels whisper."

Fog overpowering the very existence of Sun, the brutal chilly wind trouncing the comfort of the breeze, the moist dog-less serene streets were enough to transform my loneliness into solitude. The absolute aura of winter morning without any hustle bustle of the day is quite a moment to live by. Finally, I arrived on the main street where people were sitting beside fire at a nearby tea stall. I did not wonder even for a moment why fire and tea of Englishmen were considered to be the finest discoveries of the mankind. And, I ordered my chai.

Listening to real India speaking in a local dialect at a tea stall can really add finesse to one's wisdom. While everyone was shivering, I noticed a man lying over his rickshaw in just a stitched shirt and torn trousers. I could not resist asking him, "Miyan tumhe thand nahi lag rahi hai," he didn't even bother to look at me and responded with menacing lines that can put even the greatest philosophers to embarrassment, "Bhai gareeb ko sirf bhook aur pyaas lagti hai, baaki sab fanaa hai, (A destitute man can only feel hunger and thirst, rest all is destroyed for him) and he puffed his beedi like a cigar, leaving me dumbstruck.

The roadside life of northern part of India is full of agonies and daily struggles and it's really heart rendering to observe that life. Mahatma Gandhi had famously said,

"There are people in the world so hungry that GOD cannot appear to them except in the form of bread." Hunger is the only gruesome fact of their lives. I was baffled to wonder whether poverty needs a blanket or bread, or perhaps poverty had no priority. Poor had only one choice that is Hobson's choice in the form of bread.

With hundreds of thoughts running in my stoned mind, I decided to walk away. My thoughts and my walk were not in synchrony. Suddenly, I heard a distant mellifluous voice of Mohd Rafi on the radio. The radio, which is such an integral part of roadside life in India belted out, "Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya, har fikr ko dhuyein mein udta chala gaya and my thoughts went straight to the rickhshaw walah puffing his beedi and trying to find comfort in the fog. I told myself, only the poor know the real difference between melancholy and bliss, not us.-

- ToI


Chances of absconsion or tempering evidence be considered before granting bail

High Court Division :

(Criminal Miscellaneous Jurisdiction)

Md Rezaul Hasan J

Kashefa Hussain J

Judgment

February 1st, 2016

Harun-or-Rashid (Md) and others Petitioner

vs

State and another .

..Opposite-Party

Code of Criminal Procedure (V of 1898)

Section 561A

A lot of petitions under Section 561A CrPC are moved without impleading the beneficiary of the cheque/the complaint as party to the proceeding. Appropriate provisions may be made to secure justice to the aggrieved and to stop indiscriminate granting of bail without at all considering the chance of absconsion of tampering with the evidence. . ..... (19)

Negotiable Instruments Act (XXVI of 1881)

Section 138

The offence is not deemed to have been committed against the State. The proceeding is initiated by the 'payee', of a 'holder in due course', who has proprietary right and interest in the property of the dishonoured cheque. The State is not a necessary party, though it may be a proper party in such a case. NI Act case is unlike a case filed under Penal Code etc. In a case under NI Act, cost may be awarded to the aggrieved party for causing financial hardship. Leading a person or a family to the verge of ruination, for harassment and inflicting mental agony on frivolous grounds or by resorting to dilatory tactics or on issues of law already settled by the Appellate Division, i.e. when the accused-petitioner does not come in clean purpose.

Observations

In a case under NI Act, where the amount due under the cheque is not secured by any mortgage of pledge then the drawer's moveable and immovable properties should be liable to attachment and the bank accounts to be freezed. Provisions may be made to that effect. Otherwise, the intent of the legislatures to secure beneficial interest of the payee or a 'holder in due course' as well as the entire proceeding is bound to become, in maximum case, a mere futile exercise. . ..... (19)

Aneeta Hada vs Godfather Travels & Tours (Pvt.)

Ltd. (2012) 5 SCC 661; Anil Gupta YS Star India (Pvt.) Ltd, (2014) 10 SCC 373; Moh. A Nairn vs Chairman, Sonali Bank Limited, 1 MLR (AD) 106 = 1 BLC (AD) 80; Ferdous Khan vs Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, 63 DLR 540; Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. vs Ferdous Khan @ Alamgir, Criminal Petition for Leave to Appeal No. 485 of 2010; Joynul Karim vs State, 4 NLJ (AD) 153 and Delhi Development Authority vs Shipper Construction Co. (Pvt) Ltd, LJ 233 (SC) = 89 ref.

Mizan Sayeed with Furzana Rashid, Advocates-For the Petitioner.

AKM Badrudduza with Md Zakir Hossain, with Baki with Md Murtoza, Advocates-For the Opposite Party No. 2.

Judgment

Md Rezaul Hasan J : In the instant petition, filed by the accused-petitioners under Section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a Rule has been issued calling upon the opposite parties to show cause as to why the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 3035 of 2014 arising out of CR Case. No. 1678 of 2013 (Double Mooring Zone) under Section 138 read with Section 140 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, now pending in the Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Chittagong shall not be quashed and/or such other or further order or orders passed as to this court may seem fit and proper.

2. The facts relevant for disposal of the Rule, in brief, are that the Opposite Party No.2. IOP No.2), namely Mr Mohammad Humayun Kabir Patwari has filed a complaint petition under Section 138 read with Section 140 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (NI Act) against Alhaj Md Harun-or-Rashid, Anjuman Ara Begum and Hasnain Harun, before the Metropolitan Magistrate, Cognizance Court No. 3, Chittagong, alleging, amongst other, that the aforesaid 3 (three) accuseds are respectively Managing Director (MD), Chairman and Director of Rubya Vegetable Oil Limited (the company), that the accused No. 1 Alhaj Md. Harun-or-Rashid, the MD of the said company has purchased iron rods worth Taka 9,43,00,000 (Nine crore forty three lac) only, on credit, and they have also executed an undertaking in favour of the complainant to repay the said amount of money to the petitioner as price of the goods sold. Besides the above, the accused No. 1 has also signed a cheque No.7233140, dated 31-4-2013, for taka 5 (five) crore, drawn on the company's account No. 2592-90102-2000 maintained with the Pubali Bank Limited, Dewanhat Branch, Chittagong. The said cheque was deposited, on 282013 in the account of the complainant maintained with IBBL, for clearance (for collection) through clearing house, but it was dishonoured and returned with the remark "insufficient fund" in the account of the said company, that the accuseds being the Managing Director (MD), the Chairman and Director, respectively, they are personally responsible to pay the amount of the cheque.

Therefore, the complaint opposite party has issued a demand notice dated 29-10-2013, upon the accused-petitioners, under registered post with acknowledgment due, giving them 30 (thirty) days time to make payment of the amount due under the said cheque, that the said notice was received by the accused persons on 30-10-2013 and since then 30 (thirty) days time to repay the amount of the cheque has expired on 28-11-2013, that therefore the petitioner has filed this petition under Section 138/140 of the NI Act, on 11-12-2013, under Section 141 of the NI Act, that the accused-petitioner took bail from the Magistrate Court and the case being ready for hearing, the record of the said case was transmitted to the court of Metropolitan Session Judge, Chittagong, wherein it has been register as Session Case No. 3035 of 2014. The Metropolitan Session Judge, Chittagong, has taken up the matter on 09-11-2014 for framing charge hearing, but the accused petitioner has prayed for time which was allowed. Thereafter, 13-1-2015 was fixed for hearing on charge framing. The accused-petitioner again prayed for time which was allowed. In the meantime the accused-petitioner has filed and moved this petition under Section 561A of CrPC, 11-2-2015 and obtained the instant Rule.

3. The opposite party No. 2 has filed a counter-affidavit, denying all material allegations made in the petition and further submitting that the instant Rule has no merit and the same is liable to he discharged and the stay granted is liable to be vacated.

4. Learned Advocate Mr. Mizan Sayeed, appearing along with Ms Furzana Rashid, having placed the petition and drawing our attention to the materials on record, mainly submits that admittedly the accused-petitioners are the Managing Director, the Chairman and the Director of the Rubya Vegetable Oil Industries Limited. Hence the impugned proceedings against these accuseds is not maintainable. He continues, referring to the provisions of Section 140 of the NI Act, 1881, that the offence has been committed by the company and the liability of the accused petitioners are vicarious liability. The cheque was drawn on the account of the company maintained with Pubali Bank Ltd. Therefore, for not impleading the company as the principal accused, this proceeding is not maintainable against the Managing Director, the Chairman and Director of the Company. In support, of his contention, the learned advocate has cited certain decisions. He has mainly relied upon the case reported in (2012) 5 SCC 661: Aneeta Hada vs Godfather Travels & Tou (Pvt) Ltd. and submits that, in this case the Supreme Court of India has held that the criminal liability on a account of dishonour of a cheque primarily falls on drawer company and extends to its officers only when conditions incorporated in Section 141 stand satisfied. The Supreme Court of India in that case, whiled explaining import of the words "as well as the company" occurring in Section 141, has further held that, for maintaining prosecution under Section 141, arraigning of company as accused is imperative. The learned Advocate next submits that, similar view was adopted in a subsequent case reported in (2014) 10 SCC 373: Anil Gupta vs. Star India (P) Ltd. He has also referred to 1 MLR (AD) 106 = 1 BLC (AD) 80: Moh. A Naim vs Chairman, Sonali Bank Limited, another case of our jurisdiction, reported 63 DLR 540: Ferdous Khan vs Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. He also submits that no particular averment has been made in the complainant petition as to who of the accuseds was running and managing the affairs of the company. Hence, the complain petition itself is vague and is not maintainable on this ground alone. As such, the company is admittedly the drawer of the cheque, but the company has not been implead as accused in this case. Thereafter, he has prayed for making the rule absolute asserting that the continuation of the impugned proceeding in the court below is a clear abuse of the process of that court.

5. Learned advocate Mr. AKM Badrudduza, appearing along with Mr. Md. Zakir Hossain and Mr. Baki Md. Murtoza, for opposite party No.2, on the other hand, having drawn our attention to the materials on record, as well as to the provisions of Section 140 of the NI Act, first of all submits that, in Criminal Petition for Leave to Appeal No. 485 of 2010; Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. vs Ferdous Khan @ Alamgir, the Appellate Division has set aside the judgment passed by the High Court Division reported in 63 DLR 540. Besides, in the judgment passed in Criminal Appeal No. 07-22 of 2011, it has been held by the Appellate Division that, if for any reason the company is not prosecuted, the other persons who are in charge of the affairs of the company or have knowledge about the affairs of the company cannot escape from criminal liability if they are served with the notice under Clause (b) [of Section 138 (1) of the NI Act]. As such, the law in this respect has been set at rest by the Appellate Division and it is now settled law that a case 138(1) is maintainable against the directors and other officials of the company, even if the company is not made a party to the complain petition as an accused. He has next referred to sub-section (2) of Section 140 of the NI Act and submits that, sub-section (2) of section 140 of the NI Act starts with a non-obstante clause and it clearly makes provisions to file a petition under Section 138(1) against the directors and officials of a company, though the company is the drawer of the dishonoured cheque. The complainant petitioner apprehends, he adds, that meantime the accused-petitioner might have removed the goods purchased on credit or its sale proceeds, as the case may be, leaving complainant opposite party to financial hardship, unspeakable suffering and in situation of uncertainty as to whether the amount due under the cheque can at all be recovered. He therefore prayed for discharging the Rule with exemplary cost. The learned advocate has also produced before us an unreported judgment delivered in Criminal Appeals No. 7-22 of 2011 of the Appellate Division and submits that similar view was taken by the Appellate Division in Criminal Petition for Leave to Appeal No. 485 of 2010.

6. We have heard the learned advocates and perused the petition filed under Section 561A, the counter-affidavit, the law and the decision cited by the both sides.

7. The facts leading to issuance of the Rule has been briefly narrated herein before.

8. To examine the contention of the learned advocate of the accused-petitioner that the company is primarily responsible for bouncing of the cheque drawn on it's account and that, without impleading the company the directors cannot be impleaded in the complaint petition filed under Clause (b) of Section 141 of the NI Act, we consider it pertinent to quote sub-section (I) and (2) of section 140 of the NI Act, that read as follows:

"140. Offences of companies-(I) If the person committing an offence under Section 138 is a company, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, as in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any person liable to punishment if he proves that the offence was committed without his knowledge, or that he had exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (I), where any offence under this Act has been committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or is attributable to, any neglect on the part of any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly."

9. A mere perusal, of the provision of sub-section (1) of Section 140, as quoted above, clearly shows that the intention of the legislature is to make those persons primarily responsible who are in charge of the company and are managing the affairs of the company. The words/expression 'as well as' simply denotes that the company may also be impleaded as co-accused. Nothing more. If sub-section (1) is read with sub-section (2) of Section 140 of the NI Act, then the intention of legislature becomes more vivid.

10. Sub-section (2) of Section 140, commencing with a non-obstante clause, abundantly makes it clear that the Chairman, Directors, Managers and other officers of the company can be prosecuted even by dropping the company, though the dishonoured cheque was drawn on an account of the company maintained with its banker. The legislature did not intend to let any of them go escort free simply for the reason that the company was not impleaded as a co-accused.

11. In this connection, we have also consulted the judgment passed by the Apex Court in Criminal Petition/or Leave to Appeal No. 485 of 2010: Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. vs Ferdous Khan @ Alamgir. By this unreported judgment dated 09-2-2014, the Appellate Division has set-aside the judgment passed by the High Court Division reported in 63 DLR 540. Ferdous Khan vs Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. In their judgment passed in the CrPLA No. 485 of 2010, the Appellate Division has referred to the judgment passed them in Criminal Appeal Nos. 7-22 of 2011, wherein it has been held that, if for any reason the company is not prosecuted, the other persons who are in charge of the affairs of the company or have knowledge about the affairs of the company cannot escape from criminal liability, if they are served with the notice. As such, the law on this point has been set at rest by the Appellate Division holding that a case under Section 138(1) can be filed and is maintainable for dishonour of a cheque, drawn on the account company, even if that company is not prosecuted, i.e. not impleaded as an accused. Besides, in 4 NLJ (AD) 153, Joynul Karim vs State, the apex court has held that, "Omission of impleading the company in the proceeding is an irregularity and same is not fatal".

(To be continued)

12. We also find that, the Appellate Division in Criminal Appeal Nos. 07-22 of 2011 as well as the provisions of law, viz sub-section (2) of Section 140 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881, clearly make a proceeding maintainable even if the company, on whose account the dishonoured cheque was drawn, has not been impleaded as one of the co-accused in a case filed under Section 138(1) of the Act.

13. We have gone though the judgments reported in (2012) 5 SCC 661 and (2014) 10 SCC 373. Sub-section (2) of Section 140 has not at all been discussed in the aforesaid two judgments by the Supreme Court of India (SCI). We are unable to regard these two judgments having no persuasive value at all, while, as per provision of Article 111 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the judgment passed by the Appellate Division is binding on us.

14. Besides, in a case under SCI jurisdiction, reported in [1996] by Comp LJ 233 (SC) = [1997] 89 Camp Case 262 (SC),. Delhi Development Authority vs Shipper Construction Co. (P) Ltd, it has been held by the Supreme Court of India that, where it is found that a corporate character has been used for committing illegalities and for defrauding people, corporate veil can be lifted with a view to rendering full justice to affected parties (emphasis added)

15. As regards the decision reported 1 MLR (AD) 106 we find that this is a case' regarding Administrative Tribunal and has no manner of relevance to the instant case.

16. We have also taken into consideration the submission of the learned Advocate appearing for the accused-petitioners that, no specific averment has been made as to who of the accuseds was in charge of running or managing the affairs of the company. On this ground, our considered view is that, it need not be emphasized that a company cannot work without the board of directors. The accused-petitioners are, respectively,' the Managing Director, Chairman, and the Director. Their presence is necessary to form the quorum of the meetings of the board of directors as well as for adopting any resolution by the board of directors, for operating the accounts of the company, for entering into any deal with any other party as well as for running day to day business of the company, subject to their supervision. As such, apparently they are active party in managing the affairs of and operation the business of the company. Companies Act, Section 95, requires that the Board must sit at least 4(four) times in each year. This also proves the active participation of accuseds, as required by law, in running the affairs of the company. The board decides the date of and holds the AGM and EGM etc too. The accused persons being the MD, Chairman and Director their participation in running and managing the affairs of the company hardly needs any further proof, although the accused petitioners one entitled to adduce evidence at the time of hearing of the case, before the trial Court, on this issues.

17. As regards another submission of the petitioner, we should make it clear that, neither the NT Act, 1881 nor the CrPC. 1898. provides any particulars to be stated in a complaint petition or in an FIR (pleadings), as provided in Order 7 and 8 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, as to what particulars a plaint or a written statement shall contain. Hence, we find the submission of the learned advocate for the accused-petitioner is devoid of any substance and suffer from serious misconception about the pleadings in criminal cases.

18. In view of the deliberation recorded above, we do not find any merit in this Rule. We find substance in the submission of the learned advocate of the complainant OP No: 2, that the petitioner has put the complainant OP No.2 to serious financial hardship, put their business to the verge of ruination and caused severe mental agony due to uncertainty about getting speedy trial and relief in the NI Act case, for which, he submits, exemplary cost should be imposed upon the petitioners, upon considering the face value of this dishonoured cheque as well as the delay and suffering caused by resorting to dilatory tactics by the accused-petitioners.

19. Before parting of, we should bring to the notice of Bangladesh Law Commission and or the Law Ministry that this type of cases are being filed in bunches on frivolous grounds' mainly because, so far we understand, that the term of imprisonment has been kept maximum I (one) year, whether the cheque is for Taka 5(five) lac or for Taka 5 (five) crore. Therefore the term of imprisonment is required to be reconsidered according to the amount of the cheque. On the other hand, the cheque involves money to be paid to the payee or beneficiary of the cheque. Therefore provision may be made, by inserting a new Section 138B, for substitution of parties, so that a case filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881, shall not abate even if either the complainant or the accused dies, though the heirs of a deceased accused shall not be subjected to corporal punishment to realize the fine that may be imposed, as we find in Section 34(2) of Artha Rin Adalat Ain, 2003, in respect of substituted heirs. In a case under N1 Act, 1881, where the amount due under the cheque is not secured by any mortgage or pledge then the drawer's moveable and immovable properties should be liable to attachment and the bank accounts to be freezed. Provisions may be made to that effect. Otherwise, the intent of the legislatures to secure beneficial interest of the payee or a 'holder in due course' as well as the entire proceeding is bound to become, in maximum cases, a mere futile exercise. Besides, as a Bench hearing criminal matters, we find that the trial Courts, almost in 100% cases, are granting bail mechanically, as if a routine, without considering the amount due under the cheque and the chance of jumping the bail. Besides, a lot of petitions under Section 561 A CrPC are moved without impleading the beneficiary of the cheque/the complaint as party to the proceeding. Appropriate provisions may be made to secure justice to the aggrieved and to stop indiscriminate granting of bail without it all considering the chance of absconsion, or tampering with the evidence.

20. In view of the deliberation recorded above, we do not find any merit in this Rule and the Rule is liable to be discharged with cost.

21. In a case under Section 138(1) of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, the offence is not deemed to have been committed against the state. The proceeding is initiated by the 'payee', or a 'holder in due course', who has proprietary right and interest in the property of the dishonoured cheque. The state is not a necessary party, though it may be a property party in such a case. NI Act case is unlike a case filed under Penal Code etc. This distinction will be more clear from the fact that, for preferring appeal against the judgment and order of sentence passed under NI Act, not less than 50% of the amount due under dishonoured the cheque has to be deposited in the trial court, unlike in the case of preferring another appeal against conviction. In a case under NI Act, cost may be awarded to the aggrieved party for causing financial hardship, leading a person or a family to the verge of ruination, for harassment and inflicting mental agony on frivolous grounds or by resorting to dilatory tactics or on issues of law already settled by the Appellate Division, i.e. when the accused- petitioner does not come in clean hands for seeking justice, but with collateral purpose.

Order

In the result the Rule is discharged. The petitioner is directed to pay as cost Taka 2,50,000 to the complainant, within 30(thirty) days of drawing up of this judgment and order.

Let a copy of this judgment be sent to the trial Court and the trial Court is directed to proceed expeditiously for disposal of the case pending before it.

Let another copy of this judgment be sent to the Hon'ble Chairman, Bangladesh Law Commission, so that the Commission may take into notice the observation made in paragraph 18, herein above and may do the needful out of their wisdom.
Issuance of cheque amounts to admission of debt

High Court Division :

(Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction)

Rais Uddin J

Judgment

January 10th, 2016

SM Alim and others.. Complainant-Appellant

vs

Abdul Hoque Khan and another .Respondents

Negotiable Instruments Act (XXVI of 1881)

Section 138

Once the cheque has been issued it is admitted that the accused had dues to the complainant. This admitted position is summary in nature and there is little scope for taking defence in this particular case since the accused-respondent has admitted the dues by issuance of cheques which were dishonoured. The complainant served legal notice through his lawyer but the accused failed to arrange to pay the same.

From the scheme of the Act, it is clear that following the dishonour of a cheque a notice is to be issued in writing to the person who has issued the cheque inviting his attention to the fact that the cheque has been dishonoured for reason stated in the return memo and that he is liable for penal consequences under Section 138 read with Section 141 of the Act. When the reason for return of the cheque has been mentioned as 'refer to drawe' of 'insufficiency of fund', it is primary duty of the drawer of the cheque to make payment of the amount within stipulated time from the receipt of notice. .(13 & 12)

Md Ziaul Hoque, with Rashida Alim Advocates -For the Complainant -Appellant.

None appears -For the Respondent No.1.

Swapan Kumar Das, AAG -For the State.

Judgment

Md Rais Uddin J : This appeal is directed against the judgment and order of conviction and sentence dated 16-3-2015 passed by learned Joint Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Fifth Court, Dhaka in Metro Session Case No. 1795 of 2008, convicting the accused-appellant under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881 and sentencing him to suffer simple imprisonment for 1 (one) year.

2. The complainant filed a petition of complaint case contending inter-alia, in short, is that the complainant is a businessman and the respondent No.1 for construction of a residential building purchased cement and rod from him. As a result, the respondent No.1 had a outstanding dues of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) to the appellant. For the purpose of payment of outstanding dues the respondent No.1 issued two cheques on 15-5-2007 and 7-6-2007 being Nos. 0682459 and 0682460 drawn upon Mutual Trust Bank Limited, Panthpath Branch, Dhaka for an amount of Taka 25,00,000 and 5,00,000. The complainant-appellant has placed those 'cheques for encashment before in Al-Arafa lslami Bank on 11-7-2007 which was dishonoured due to insufficient fund. The complainant-appellant sent a legal notice but the respondent No.1 failed to pay the amount of cheque money after receiving the said notice. Hence, a petition of complaint was filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act on 9-8-2007.

3. The petition of complaint on transferred to the learned Sessions Judge which numbered as Sessions Case No. 1795 of 2008. The charge was framed against accused respondent No.1 on 11-11-2008 under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881 in absentia.

4. During trial the prosecution has examined as many as 1 witness and the defence examined none.

5. The learned Sessions Judge considering the evidence and materials on record found the accused-respondent No.1 guilty under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act and sentenced him as stated above.

6. Being aggrieved by the impugned judgment and order of conviction and sentence the complainant as appellant preferred the instant appeal.

7. Mr Mohammad Ziaul Hoque, learned advocate appearing for the complainant- appellant submits that the trial court has rightly found that the prosecution has been proved the charge against the accused-respondent No. 1 and thereby sentenced him to suffer for a period of 1 (one) year. He submits that although the trial court found guilty of of the accused-respondent but failed to consider that with respect to offence of dishonour of cheques and it is the compensatory aspect of the remedy which should be given priority over the punitive aspect. He submits that the drawer of a cheque by drawing it engages that in the case of dishonour by the drawee he will compensate the holder and, as such, the learned trial court failed to consider that whenever an offence is committed by dishonor of cheque, the offender should be directed to compensate the holder of cheque and, as such, the trial court has committed illegality in not giving any order of fine of sentence. He lastly submits that the trial court while imposing sentence under the provisions of the Negotiable Instrument Act but the learned court did not take into consideration all aspects of the case including the financial loss caused to the payee or holder in due course of the cheque, the quantum of the amount involved in the cheque, time and costs consumed in the litigation and, as such, the trial court committed illegality in not awarding fine.

8. Mr Swapan Kumar Das, learned Assistant Attorney-General submits that the appeal may be disposed of in accordance with law.

9. I have gone through the memo of appeal, petition of complain, evidence and judgment of the trial court and others materials on record.

10. On perusal of the record it appears that complainant-appellant is a businessman and accused-respondent No.1 is developer and for construction of residential building purchased cement and rod from complainant-appellant and he had outstanding dues of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) to the respondent No. 1. The accused-respondent issued two cheques of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) for payment of outstanding dues which were dishonoured due to insufficient fund. The complainant-appellant served legal notice upon the accused-respondent but he failed to arrange to pay the money.

11. On perusal of the record it appears that the complainant himself was examined as PW I, who categorically stated the case of the prosecution as to payment of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) issued two cheques, served legal notice and exhibited their documents which were marked as exhibits 1-6 series.

12. However, certain conditions precedent are stipulated in the provision of Section 138(1) of the Act which are to be complied with before imposing any criminal liability to the drawer. From the scheme of the Act, it is clear that following the dishonour of a cheque a notice is to be issued in writing to the person who has issued the cheque inviting his attention to the fact that the cheque has been dishonoured for reason stated in the return memo and that he is liable for penal consequences under Section 138 read with Section 141 of the Act. When the reason for return of the cheque has been mentioned as 'refer to drawer' of 'insufficiency of fund', it is primary duty of the drawer of the cheque to make payment of the amount within stipulated time from the receipt of notice.

13. It appears to me that the proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, once the cheque has been issued' it is admitted that the accused-respondent had dues to the complainant. This admitted position is summary in nature and there is little scope for taking defence in this particular case since the accused-respondent has admitted the dues by issuance of two cheques of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) which were dishonoured.

The complainant served legal notice through his lawyer but the accused-respondent failed to arrange to pay the same. It appears that the complainant has complied with all legal formalities as required under Section 138(1)(b) of . the Negotiable Instrument Act.

14. On close scrutiny of the evidence on record it appears to me that the impugned judgment is well reasoned and well founded but failed to consider that the accused-respondent derives pecuniary gain from the offence and, as such, he should be fined and unless imposition of fine the complainant-appellant would not able to get his dues of the cheques amount.

15. The accused-respondent has practically admitted the prosecution case that he has issued two cheques amounting of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) by filling an application on 17-6-2009. It is on record that the accused respondent issued two cheques of 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) and therefore, the learned Judge of the trial court was required to impose sentence of fine of the cheque amount to get the outstanding dues of the complainant-appellant.

16. There is wide discretion available to the court while imposing sentence under the provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The court must take into consideration all aspects of the case including the financial loss caused to the payee or holder in due course of the cheque, the quantum of the amount involved in the cheque, the status of the accused as well as complainant, time and costs consumed in the litigation.

17. In view of the above discussions and reasons stated above I find merit in the appeal. Accordingly, I modify the sentence of fine imposing cheque amount of Taka 30,00,000 (thirty lacs) in the operating part with the period of sentence of imprisonment of 1 (one) year.

18. In the result, the appeal is allowed with modification of sentence of fine as stated.

Let the lower court records along with copy of the judgment be sent at once.
Agnila`s Valentine`s Day special plays

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

After returning to Bangladesh, Canadian expatriate Bangladeshi model and TV actress Agnila has been staying in country for last few months. According to her, from now she will stay in Bangladesh. In the meantime, she will work in media but selectively. For this reason, despite returning Agnila did not work in media.

On the occasion of coming Valentines Day, Agnila will work in two special plays under the direction of Redoan Roni and Ashfaq Nipun. Shooting of both the plays will start from the beginning of February. Agnila confirmed the matter yesterday.

Director Ashfaq Nipun said, In the play, against Tahsan there will be two actresses. Only Agnila is confirmed for the role of an actress. Title of the play and name of another actress will be confirmed soon.

Title of Redoan Ronis play is Prothom Dekhai Hridoyer Spondon. Today is Agnias birthday. While talking about her birthday she said, Like other days I pass the day as usual because I am a simple person. I will pass the day along with my family including husband Nabil simply. Everybody pray for me as I can remain well. I am grateful to Allah who gives me a nice life.

While talking about her best gift in birthday Agnila said, During that time I was in Canada. Once I got DVDs of Satyajit Roys all movies. I really became so much happy for those gifts which were sent by my husband Nabil.

Agnila completed Honours in Political Science from University of Toronto. Nobody will find her by this name in Canada. Everybody knows her name Priyanka Iqbal there. She came into limelight to act in Gias Uddin Selims serial Biproteep.
Mini Trump!

Reuters :

A traditional Japanese doll modeled after U.S. President Donald Trump has raised eyebrows among some Tokyo shoppers ahead of "Girls Day",

a holiday meant to celebrate the health and happiness of girls.

The Trump doll, clad in a gold and black kimono with a golden-haired head, was unveiled on Thursday by Kyugetsu Co Ltd, a maker of traditional "hina" dolls for the March 3 holiday.

The day is usually celebrated by families who decorate their homes with an elaborate set of the 60 cm (2 ft) high dolls to wish their daughters health and happiness.

Some customers expressed surprise at the company's decision to include a Trump doll among its four new offerings for Girls Day. Debbie Walker, a tourist from Ohio who was buying a set of dolls for her newborn granddaughter, said the Trump doll was not appropriate given his comments about women that emerged during the U.S. election last year. Each year, Kyugetsu creates "hina" dolls modeled on four influential people, two athletes and two politicians. The 2017 offering includes Yuriko Koike, the first female governor of Tokyo.
Village doctor's slaughtered body found in Chandpur

A man and his son were killed and 25 others injured as a speedy bus rammed into a roadside tree at Kandigaon under Nabiganj Upazila in Habiganj on Friday.

UNB, Chandpur :

A village doctor was found slaughtered at Banicho Bazar in Shahrasti upazila on Friday morning.

The deceased was identified as Anwar Ullah Miazi, 60, son of Abdul Majid of Banicho village.

Quoting locals, Mannan, sub-inspector of Shahrasti Police Station, said the village doctor Anwar used to sleep in a room in the market.

Locals spotted his slaughtered body in front of the room while going to mosque for Fazr prayers in the morning. Later, police recovered the body around 8 am. However the reason behind the murder could not be known immediately.
Off-limit slow-moving and unfit vehicles from highways

SUPREME Court's High Court Division in a verdict on Wednesday gave fresh directives to the government to make the highways safe for travellers by making them off-limits for unfit vehicles as well as locally improvised slow moving unauthorized three-wheelers called Nosimon, Korimon and Votvoti.

As per media reports, the fresh directives were given as the HC directives issued earlier fell on the deaf ears of the Administration. The HC Bench directed the Home Secretary to issue a circular asking the District Administration Authorities to enforce the prohibition on unauthorized vehicles' movement on the highways. The Bench also directed the police to take action against drivers and owners if they ran Nosimon, Korimon and Votvoti on the highways. The concerned police officials were directed to ensure that no Nosimon, Korimon and Votvoti plied on the highways, particularly in Khulna, Bagerhat, Jessore, Satkhira, Narail, Magura, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Meherpur and Kushtia Districts.

It should be mentioned that on September 15, 2014, the HC had directed the Deputy Commissioners and SPs of Khulna, Barisal, Madaripur, Faridpur and Rajbari to make the highways in their respective areas off-limits for Nosimon, Korimon and Votvoti. The HC gave the verdict responding to a public interest litigation writ petition.

It should also be noted that prior to this writ petition, the National Road Safety Council took the decision to put off Nosimon, Korimon, and Votvoti from the highways on September 29, 2010. But that decision was never implemented by putting a ban on those locally improvised vehicles.

According to a report compiled by Passengers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh on the basis of newspaper reports, at least 6,055 people were killed and 15,914 others were injured in 4,312 recorded road accidents across the country in 2016.

The report shows that 56 percent of the traffic accidents took place on the highways, 23 percent in urban areas and 21 percent in the countryside where these locally improvised vehicles were involved. It also shows that three lakh unfit vehicles and 10 lakh illegal Nosimon, Korimon, Votvoti and Easy-bikes are now operating in the country and such vehicles were mainly involved in the accidents on the highways.

The earlier HC verdict was not implemented and that non-compliance caused many deaths. Showing no respect to the HC directives is not a good indication of a disciplined local administration system in place.

We know how reluctant our Supreme Court is to issue directions asking the government what it must do. What we find is, everywhere the government's incompetence is glaring. What is more disappointing is that the government is incapable in improving its performance.

The government's failure to improve traffic system of the capital city should put the government to shame. But yet, the government is telling us what the bureaucrats teach them to utter. The story is -development of Bangladesh is role model for the world. The government should not allow itself to be deceived and look ridiculous.
Police must behave like well-trained police

Police methods to break-up peaceful protests in Bangladesh have become unlike trained police. The manner in which the police have broken-up a march led by the members of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, last Thursday once again earned for themselves shame. The pictures shown in the media are clear to see that police behaved overenthusiastically brutalising a journalist and some of the demonstrators. The demonstrators were responsible citizens of the country.

Police are to be well-trained and they must show restraint in a situation while facing demonstrations to prove the quality of their training and discipline.

Using violence is easy, it does not require costly training. We know the main responsibility should be shouldered by the Home Ministry because police carry out its orders. The police have to protect its pro-people reputation as well.

Whether a procession remains peaceful also depends on how tactfully police control the situation. Our most earnest advice for the police is that they must behave like police even when challenged. They cannot appear brutal. The demonstrators were our people and fighting for a cause in our national interest. They were expressing their anger against the government policy and not against the police.

It is right at this point, where we mark the contentious project not only to be highly detrimental for our nature, but an act of extreme defiance of a regime hell-bent to suppress all facts in order to set up a damaging project. From climate, wildlife, local populace to forestry all are at stake together, and any organized dissent to protect them is being mercilessly crushed. However, in spite of clear facts placed on its tables, the government still believes the Rampal project will not in anyway harm Bangladesh.

More than some 70 NGOs from 29 countries are reported to have jointly sent an urgent appeal to the Exim Bank of India for not financing the Rampal coal based power plant. Critics and environmentalists of the project have clearly pointed out the potential threats of widespread contamination and destruction of the country's largest mangrove forest reserve, yet the government is defiant to realize its self-appointed project in the most authoritarian manner.

Police conduct contributes greatly to our image internationally as regards our human rights position. Our police are seen as part of the permanent government of Bangladesh. A political government is always temporary. But we all have to preserve our national image of civility and decency, no matter what kind of political government rules the country. Our national image is owned by us all. The politics of political parties may or may not agree with our broad national identity and decency.


Annan team due tomorrow

Plans to see Rohingyas condition

Special Correspondent :

In an attempt to find a solution to the complicated issue of Rohingya Muslims, a three-member team of 'Kofi Annan Commission' will arrive in Bangladesh tomorrow [Sunday].

The delegation also known as Rakhine Commission team, comprising Win Mra, Aye Lwin and Ghassan Salame, will go to Southeastern district of Cox's Bazar same day to see the real picture of Rohingyas staying in different refugees camps.

Of the three members, Win Mra is head of the National Human Rights Commission of Myanmar, Aye Lwin is a Myanmar Muslim educator while Ghassan Salame is a Lebanon-origin professor of international relations at Paris-based Sciences-Po.

The Rakhine Commission team will hold meetings with the high government officials.

On August 24 last year, the Myanmar government to oversee the problems in Rakhine state had formed a nine- member State Advisory Commission headed by Kofi Annan- the former UN Secretary General Annan [from 1997-2006],

who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations in 2001.

Apart from Kofi Annan and Ghassan Salame, another international member of the commission is Laetitia van den Assum, a diplomat from the Netherlands and a former advisor to the United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS. Besides, six other members are Myanmar nationals, with two Rakhine Buddhist members, two Muslim members, and two government representatives.

Diplomatic sources said that the Commission has been tasked with finding conflict-prevention measures, ensuring humanitarian assistance, rights and reconciliation, establishing basic infrastructure, and promoting long-term development plans in the restive state. Besides, the Commission has been given one- year time to conduct research and submit a report on its findings.

The formation of the commission was necessitated by a number of factors, but most importantly due to the protracted and lingering tensions between the Buddhists and Muslims [mostly Rohingyas] in the wake of the 2012 violence in Rakhine state that killed several hundred people, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the UN rights envoy Yanghee Lee, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, is likely to visit Bangladesh soon to see the condition of Rohingyas staying in the country.

Confirming the visit, the UN resident coordinator Robert Watkins of Yanghee Lee, said: "Yanghee Lee has already visited Myanmar. She will come here to see what is going on in Bangladesh. However, the schedule of the visit is yet to be finalised."

According to government statement, over 3 lakh Rohingyas so far have been taken shelter in Bangladesh since 1970 after army-backed Myanmar government launched cleansing operation against Rohingyas. But concerned circle said the total number of registered and unregistered refugees would be more than 5 lakh.

The United Nations last month said over 65,000 Rohingyas have entered through different points of Cox's Bazar in the recent months after the Myanmar army launched the crackdown in the Muslim dominated Rakhine State since October 9 last year.

The issue was also raised in OIC summit where State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam MP in a sideline meeting with Foreign Minister of Malaysia Dato Sri Anifah Aman exchanged views on the problem of Rakhine Muslims on January 19.

Shahriar Alam informed the Malaysian Minister on the recent influx of Rakhine Muslims into Bangladesh, residual refugees of past exodus and of 3,00,000 undocumented Myanmar nationals staying in Bangladesh. He opined that Rakhine Muslims' problem is not an inter-religious conflict; rather it's a serious human rights issue of persecuted stateless Muslim population of Rakhine State.

Both the Ministers agreed on the need for greater role of ASEAN, OIC and the UN to find a durable solution of the problem, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Girls' school torched in remote Gaibandha char

UNB, Gaibandha :

Unidentified miscreants set a girls' school on fire at Kunderpara in sadar upazila of the district early Friday, putting the future of 600 female students of the school into uncertainty.

Abdus Salam, chairman of Kamarjani Union, said miscreants set fire to 'Gono Unnayan Academy High School', located in the remote char area,

in the dead of night, that gutted classrooms and office room of the school and valuables. Seeing the flame, local people rushed in and tried to douse the fire but failed.

Chairman Abdus Salam, said the school was established in 2003, aiming to reach education facilities to the poor and unprivileged children of the char in the Brahmaputra River. A local NGO provided a boat for carrying students to the school but due to the incident the educational activities of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinees will be hampered.

Asadur Haq, Headmaster of the school, said seven rooms of the school including a office room, furniture, educational equipment, certificates of the students and other valuables worth Tk one crore, was gutted by the fire. On information, additional deputy commissioner of Gaibandha Shamsul Alam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Alia Jahan and senior police officials visited the school.
Diplomats seek President`s appointment

Desk Report :

Dhaka-based diplomats of several countries have sought to meet the president, Abdul Hamid, to hold talks on the reconstitution of the election commission.

The office of United Nations' Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh on 10 January wrote a letter to the foreign ministry seeking an appointment of the president, reports Prothom Alo.

According to the letter, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake, Canadian High Commissioner Benoit-Pierre Laramee, Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Julia Niblett, European Union ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon and United Nations' Resident Coordinator Robert Watkins want to hold talks with the president about the reconstitution of the EC.

Talking to newsmen after a meeting with foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque on Thursday, Watkins said the international community wants to see a "good election" in Bangladesh.

"So, the diplomats want to meet the president to know the steps of the government towards holding the next election."

Expressing his optimism to get an appointment of the president, the UN Resident Coordinator said, "Our main objective is to know his decisions about the election. We don't have any agenda."

Government officials, however, said that diplomats can't give their opinion on the reconstitution of the election commission as it is an internal matter of Bangladesh.

Diplomat will be informed later about steps taken to reconstitute the election commission, they said.

On condition of anonymity, a high-up government official told the Prothom Alo that appointing election commissioners is solely Bangladesh's internal affairs.
ATN News files complaint against cop

Staff Reporter :

The authorities of the ATN News, a private television channel, filed a complaint with a police station in connection with the assault on two journalists by several police men during the half-day hartal at Shahbagh on Thursday.

ATN News Deputy Manager Mosharraf Alam Siddique filed the complaint with Shahbagh Police Station on Friday.

Police's Ramna Zone Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sarder told The New Nation that the Deputy Commissioners of Public Order Management Department had been ordered to take action after investigation.

Shahabagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Bakkar Siddique said that the complaint had been

filed against Assistant Sub-Inspector Ershad Mondol, and three constables namely Mokhlesur Rahman, Hossain Kabir and Sabuj Khan.

The organisation, which organised the half-day hartal against the Rampal Coal Power Plant, also condemned the police action vehemently.

Images of the assault went viral on the social media, triggering an outrage among the journalists.

The television channel's cameraperson Abdul Alim came under attack when he was taking the footage of some policemen, who were walloping and dragging a hartal supporter, in front of the police station.

They hurled abuse, kicked and punched and hit him with rifles. The policemen also tried to snatch his video camera.

As ATN News Reporter Kazi Ihsan bin Didar protested the assault, the police members swooped on him also, and dragged both the journalists to the police station.

Later senior journalists of the ATN News went to the police station and took them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

After primary investigation, the Police authorities suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector Ershad Mondol and identified 14 to 15 others, including constables Mokhlesur, Hossain Kabir and Sabuj Khan, who were involved with the incident.
Buriganga Bridge land grabbed

Thousands of passengers suffer due to tailback causes by narrow space

Reza Mahmud :

Influential persons have allegedly grabbed a huge portion of lands in front of the Buriganga Bridge at Postagola in the city causing untold sufferings to thousands of passengers everyday.

A huge number of vehicles from the country's 23 South and Western districts as well as from capital Dhaka create unlimited tailback in the area because of the narrowing street. It ultimately creates gridlock from Buriganga Bridge to Jatrabari flyover.

"There are around 300-square feet length of the street in front of the Buriganga Bridge to the Jatrabari flyover. But only 70-feet of the street are on use now as the rest of the lands have been grabbed by influential persons," said Ariful Alam, a bus driver from Jurain area.

On the spot visit, it was found that huge illegal occupiers have grabbed most of the portions of the street making permanent and makeshift shops, petrol pumps, CNG stations, illegal CNG driven taxi and rickshaw stands from the Jatrabari flyover to Buriganga Bridge at Postagola.

Besides, dustbins of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) were also found.

Drivers belonging to inter-district buses and trucks told this correspondent that the Buriganga Bridge is an important gateway for 23 districts of Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal Divisions. Everyday several hundred buses and trucks move through this gateway by using Mawa Ferry Ghat.

They said thousands of passengers are using this road regularly. Besides, huge amounts of agro-based products come from those districts to Dhaka everyday. As most of the time huge traffic jam is found in the area, it creates untold suffering to the people. The pedestrians also suffer as the tailback make street very much congested to walk, they said.

"You see, there is a dustbin of the DSCC with huge waste throng there in street which made the way totally blocked. If one wants to walk through the street, beside the dustbin avoiding the waste, he may be hit by any running vehicles," said Shahidul Islam, a small businessman of Jurain Bazar.

DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon said, "We will start eviction drives against all illegal grabbers. No one will be spared. No political leader or other influential persons would be allowed to stay in the people's lands. We take every necessary step to evict the grabbers."

Experts and the stakeholders said, it is highly important to recover the lands of the street immediately and make it four lanes for different types of vehicles.

Sources said, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Authority will start eviction drives when the bridge will be near to complete. But it is highly necessary to free the street to save the huge numbers of people from the untold sufferings.

A number of truck drivers alleged that some dishonest traffic police personnel frequently stopped them and collect extortions. It also causes the traffic jam in the bridge area.

"Some dishonest traffic police stopped trucks even five times in the in front of the bridge. They collect money from us. It also causes the huge tailback. We see no solution of it yet," a truck driver said, preferring anonymity.

When contacted, Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (traffic) Mosleh Uddin said, "The authority is in zero tolerance about such activities of the police. If anyone submits allegations against any police officials are found involved in collecting extortions then they must face strict departmental action."
I outlined yesterday the fact that 98% of money laundering goes unchecked, allowing $1.6 trillion a year to be used for terrorist funding, drug dealers, sex traffickers and possibly worse. This was prompted by a conversation about AML (Anti-Money Laundering) with the CEO and Co-Founder of I met Coinfirm, Pawel Kuskowski.

So whats the solution, is how I finished yesterday. You may already have guessed but, if you havent, surprise, surprise 

Its Blockchain

Yea, its blockchain. There are a range of start-ups focused on solving AML issues using blockchain technologies including @SkryTech, @Elliptic, @Coinfirm_io, @Scorechain, @IdentityMind and more. Theres also movement in the industry towards this solution.

The Wall Street Journal blogs about a proposal by Jude Scott, CEO of Cayman Finance  an organisation representing the sizable financial sector in the tax haven of the Cayman Island  to create a consortium of key international bodies to use a shared ledger for AML. That consortium would include the Group of 20, financial centres such as the Caymans, the Financial Action Task Force, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Financial Stability Board.

As theWSJ blog states:

Mr. Scott points to widely varying interpretations of the international standards set by the FATF. Individual countries make their own rules based on those standards, but they diverge enormously. For example, Spain has by far the largest number of politically exposed persons  those singled out for higher risk controls by banksbecause it uses an expansive definition of local officials. Financial institutions then apply their own interpretations of the rules in their compliance, which can also vary from peers.

In Mr. Scotts long-term vision, financial institutions would follow a global standard enshrined in the common ledger, while anyone transacting with an institution would be certified and approved according to that standard.

How would the blockchain impact money laundering and why? Well heres a key summary of the reasons why:

all transactions performed on a permissioned (private) blockchain could be distributed among banks and other financial institutions, and would create a secure, accessible ledger of all transactions;

all transactions could then be processed instantly across unlimited amounts on a permissioned blockchain, that would increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processing transactions far more easily and in real-time than using SWIFT;

all transactions would be registered on the blockchain with a timestamp, information about the recipient, the sender, the costs and the amounts involved;

the data registered on the blockchain is immutable, and can never be changed, making it fully auditable;

privacy is protected as access to blockchain information is limited in terms of access, and only available to those permissioned to access that particular record

Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and related sanctions monitoring could be automated, removing the overhead and obligation of the banks and other financial institutions to do this onerous activity; and

estimates believe that 60% or more of the costs of AML compliance could be removed through this process as a result.

In summary, using blockchain distributed ledger technology to create a shared database for transactions would limit the involvement of the banks in the ongoing transaction monitoring for AML, and avoiding sanction breaches through automated SAR reporting.

Add on to this the use of blockchain for digital identities and Know Your Client (KYC), and you can see why this is potentially a really transformative technology. Going back to my friend Pawel, the AML and compliance expert, I asked him how transformative? He estimated that the 2% of money laundering traced today would increase to 90% or higher. Now theres a good reason for investing in this technology  unless the banks and governments dont care.
The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told that the Azerbaijani forces made more than 20 ceasefire violations across the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 27, ARTSAKHPRESS:The Ministry issued a statement which says: On January 26 and overnight January 27 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime more than 20 times by firing over 150 shots from small arms at the Armenian positions across the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.
Its unclear when the federal judge began her leave or how long it could last.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi Image courtesy KPLC

A federal judge in Louisiana who has been mysteriously pulled off or surrendered a string of cases over the past year is now taking medical leave, an official said Thursday.

Tony Moore, clerk of court for the Western District of Louisiana, confirmed that U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi has taken medical leave and asked the chief judge to reassign cases assigned to her.

Its unclear when Minaldi began her leave or how long it could last; Moore said he couldnt provide any additional information.

The news shed some light on unusual happenings in her courtroom.

More than two dozen cases originally assigned to Minaldi have been reassigned to another judge since late December. Minaldi hasnt responded to several requests for comment over the past few months, including one Thursday.

An Associated Press review of court records discovered that at least 27 of Minaldis cases were given to another judge. The one-page orders did not explain why Minaldi asked for those civil and criminal cases to be reassigned.

Judges occasionally recuse themselves from cases but typically cite a reason, such as avoiding the appearance of a conflict of interest. But its unusual for a judge to surrender a batch of unrelated cases without explanation.

On Dec. 6, a criminal trial in Minaldis Lake Charles courtroom was cut short without explanation before a jury could be picked to hear the case against a man charged with producing child pornography and crossing state lines to have sex with a minor. A docket entry indicates the mans trial was adjourned less than an hour after it began.

Minaldi has issued orders in other cases since the Dec. 6 trial. On Dec. 19, for instance, she refused to disqualify herself from an inmates civil lawsuit against a police task force.

The inmate claimed Minaldi couldnt be impartial because she had been arrested in Lake Charles and later pleaded guilty in February 2014 to a drunken driving charge. Minaldi said the inmates arguments have no merit.

But other routine assignments for Minaldi also have ended without any reasons publicly disclosed.

In February 2016, Minaldi was pulled off a mans fraud case following a series of mistakes in routine trial procedures. Court documents unsealed at the APs request showed that even basic requirements  like telling jurors the burden of proof lies with prosecutors, not the defense  werent followed.

In March 2016, Judge Drell removed Minaldi from the Justice Departments high-profile criminal cases against a south Louisiana sheriff and several subordinates. No explanation was given, though the order came four days after Minaldi abruptly adjourned a hearing to accept guilty pleas by two sheriffs deputies. The two deputies wound up pleading guilty later that same day before another judge in Lafayette, more than 70 miles away.

On Thursday, an attorney for a man suing his former employer for unpaid wages cited the concerning news about Minaldis medical leave in asking for the federal lawsuit to be taken from her and transferred to another judge.

Michael Ashfords lawyer, Somer Brown, noted his case against Aeroframe Services LLC and Aviation Technical Services Inc. has been pending since mid-2014 with only two rulings by Minaldi in the litigation.

Brown said theres a dire need for an able-bodied and effective federal judge to preside over it and more than a dozen related cases currently assigned to Minaldi.

The bizarre and lengthy history of this case is perplexing, Brown wrote.

The lawyer also suggested that Minaldis unidentified medical condition may be at least partially to blame for delays in the case.

For months, Mr. Ashford has continued to seek a conclusion to this litigation and has been frustrated by the courts failure to rule on pending motions or set matters for trial, Brown wrote.
Atchafalaya Basinkeeper is hosting its annual Save the Basin fundraiser this Sunday at Artmosphere with live music and a local art auction.

Atchafalaya Basinkeeper is hosting its annual Save the Basin fundraiser this Sunday at Artmosphere with live music and a local art auction to help continue its fight for the Basin.

All proceeds from the event  including 10 percent of all food and drink profits  will go directly to supporting Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and funding its fight to protect and restore the Basin. The Basin is the most productive swamp in the world, and is vitally important to Louisiana. It is a remarkable place of beauty which supports a unique ecosystem, and its fish and crawfish support many local livelihoods. It is also integral to our Cajun culture, and is a huge part of local recreation and heritage.

Live music will be provided by Michael Doucet, Yvette Landry with Richard Comeaux, Farouche, Jimmy Breaux, Forest Huval and more.

Save the Basin will also feature an Art Auction with artwork from more than 30 celebrated local artists.

Several guest speakers will be giving presentations on environmental issues pertinent to restoring and protecting the Atchafalaya Basin and its surroundings.

Artmospheres weekly Bottomless Mimosa Brunch will also be happening in tandem with the event from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m and is not included in cover charge.

The Atchafalaya Basinkeeper Save the Basin fundraiser event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 530 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29, at Artmosphere in Downtown Lafayette. Admission is $10 at the door.

For more details on the event find it on Facebook, and to find more information on the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and its many initiatives to protect the Basin, visit Basinkeeper.org.
The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.
STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 27, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Beglaryan said the first volume of the atlas is entirely devoted to Western Armenia. This is an Armenian recovery map. I have worked on it almost six years, he said, adding that the work is going to be continuous.

Grigor Beglaryan stated that presentation will be held on the publication of the atlas. It will be sold in all bookstores. Every year we are republishing Armenias wall map, including Karabakh and Yerevan. I am planning also to publish the maps of all European countries with Armenian letters, but decades are needed for that, the cartographer said.

The atlas of Historical Armenia covers the names of more than 63 thousand settlements. It includes all regions where Armenian state units have existed for several thousand years.
By AM Thursday, January 26, 2017 Share Tweet Share Share Email

Christopher M. Fogarty's paper read to the Chicago Literary Club on Monday, January 9, 2017 at the Skyline Club, 307 No. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.





Writers, especially poets, strive for precision. An aspiring novelist guided by Shakespeares advice as to brevity, and advised to include sex, religion, royalty and mystery in his work, economically wrote: My God! said the king, The queens pregnant! Who dunnit? While this paper contains few of these topics, that of mystery eventually predominates. Here goes:

I had never been in America before, I had never been on a flight that length of time, I had never been picked up in a limousine and driven around, and I have no doubt people believed that we were being seduced, but leaving that element of it aside, it was vital. We were able to talk to the State Department, to the United Kingdom desk officer and when we simplistically accused the United States administration of being pro-Provo, he said, Well you know the Provisional IRA dont have Buccaneer bombers, they dont have aircraft carriers, and we need to help sew up the British exchequer so that we can take on the next big battle in the world. And we all looked at him, and he said, Islamic fundamentalism That was November 1994, and I was not alone, there are witnesses. We came away, I think, a little annoyed with ourselves. We went with a view that somehow or other all Irish-Americans were rampant Provos, and came back chastened because thats not the case, far from it. But I found themvery pro-United Kingdom, even many of the Irish-Americans.

 FBI crimes terrorized Irish-American peace and justice groups into disbandment. In addition to ours (the Chicago Four) there were similar FBI frame-ups of the Brooklyn Five, Fort Worth Five, Ft. Lauderdale 3, Boston Two, Enterprise, Alabama one or two, et al. Countless others were threateningly visited by FBI agents.

 Despite available homicide records; an international smear campaign was conducted against the IRA. Excepting photographed massacres perpetrated by uniformed British forces, essentially all were attributed to the IRA for so long as the lie could be sustained against the evidence.

 The Irish government was a full participant in these Neo-Con plans to the extent that it gutted Articles 2 and 3 of Irelands Constitution and actively promoted the surrender to Britain of the till-then contested Six Counties. It was historys largest transfer of national territory absent catastrophic military defeat (and the IRA were not militarily defeated). In early 1998, prior to the Good Friday Agreement surrender referendum the Irish government hung large banners on lampposts along the highway from Dublin west to Kinnegad promoting a YES vote. The referendum passed, an historic manifestation of the power of a complicit news media and a venal government.





What he learned there made his life, and that of his wife, Mary, dangerous for the first time

In the mid-1980s I researched for a biography of my grandfather, Kieran Fogarty (1839-1925). At Britains National Archives in Kew, Surrey, I found that the British army regiment he joined in 1857 had removed the food crops from So. County Galway in 1847 and 1848. In schools on both sides of the Atlantic I had been taught famine and had had no reason to doubt it, so I pursued this line of new information; ultimately finding that it took 67 regiments (more than half of Britains empire army of 130 regiments) to wrest Irelands agricultural production of meats, livestock, grains, dairy and poultry products away from its producers and to the ports for export. Upon return to the States I published a pamphlet headed The Mass Graves of Ireland: 1845-1850. Its map showed the locations of some 170 mass graves, and the deployment locations in Ireland of the regiments (each named) whose deeds had filled those mass graves. In or about 1995 that pamphlet became www.irishholocaust.org (The descriptive Holocaust is from published reports starting in 1847). When my web site did not complete the job, two years ago I compiled and published Ireland 1845-1850: the Perfect Holocaust, and Who Kept it Perfect. (I hold up a copy for the audience to see). It was printed in the US; its second and third printings were in Dublin in 2015 and 2016 despite governmental disapproval. A review of it in the 16Sept2015newspaper referred to it as the definitive study.Which led toHomicide records soon taught me that the main terrorists in Occupied Ireland are British, not Irish as I had previously believed. Taking a first-time interest in Irish human rights issues my wife Mary and I joined the Chicago parts of national campaigns to free the tortured-into-confessing Birmingham Six and Guildford Four and to oppose the US/UK Extradition Treaty. Soon thereafter Mary and I led, i.e., performed most of the work through to enactment in Springfield and a Chicago City Council ordinance, of the MacBride Principles for Fair Employment in Northern Ireland (modeled on the Sullivan Principles for So. Africa). MacBride later became federal law. Mary and I similarly led the Illinois part of the campaign to release ex-IRA-volunteer Joe Doherty from federal prison where he had spent eight years without trial. (Despite some 135 congressional signatories, we failed.)All of the forgoing led to:Late in these campaigns and while circulating my Mass Graves pamphlet, on February 18, 1990 an old primary school classmate from Ireland, now FBI Agent Joe Doyle, alarmedly alerted Mary and me that some of his fellow agents had been bribed and subverted by MI5 and were planning crimes to silence us. When Joe, despite his Oath of Office, said he couldnt do anything to stop the crimes, we doubted his story of a criminal FBI agency.Following that warning about impending crimes by FBI against us:Forty-eight days after Doyles warning of impending FBI crimes, on 7April90, sixteen-year-old David Biro, using FBI Agent Lewiss stolen gun, murdered the Langert family in suburban Winnetka. Later that day a police task force met and named David Biro their sole suspect, but MI5/FBI Agent Patrick Ed Buckley promptly arrived, usurped investigatory authority, prohibited the police from pursuing Biro and, through Carol Marin, got the news media to report IRA involvement. On June 5 a Crime Investigation Report signed by Glencoe police officer John Fay, directed by Agent Buckley, framed me for those murders. The report skillfully portrays me as insane. It falsely quotes me stating that to avoid detection I would use different type bullets in my gun. This is followed by Note: Different type bullets were found at the murder scene. I was framed and doomed, but Buckley dared not arrest me yet, as Biro was giving his classmates conducted tours of the murder scene, thus endangering Buckleys MI5 plans. Agent Buckley kept Biro at large; but on October 4th Biros schoolmates notified the police after Biro informed them of his next plan, to burgle the local bank by cutting through the roof, and escape undetected by murdering its staff as they arrived in the morning. The Winnetka police kept the FBI out of case thenceforth and invited one of our attorneys to come and take photocopies of the Buckley/Fay report which had been exposed as criminally fabricated by the arrest of Biro and discovery of his (FBI Agent Lewis) murder weapon. David Biro thus saved me from Death Row by blabbing through his FBI cover into Life Without Parole for two first degree murders, one homicide, criminal break-in, etc.And further confirming the veracity of Agent Doyles warning to us:On 11Nov91 while David Biro was on trial for the crimes for which FBI Agent Buckley and Detective Fay had framed me, Agent Buckley was incarcerating Mary, two others, and me in the Federal Jail at Clark and VanBuren Streets. Were we denied bail, or been poor, we all would have gone straight from jail to trial to prison for many years; but we bonded out on November 13, $50,000 for Mary, $10,000 for one friend, title to his house for the other friend, and $100,000 for me (10% cash but responsibility for the face amounts). Two days later a gang of nineteen FBI agents smashed through our door, pushed Mary and me into a corner, and stopped us for two hours from phoning an attorney. They spent seven hours ransacking our condo, destroying property, threatening us with the IRS, and hauling away cartloads of our possessions (which they carted back to us, angrily, under court order, eighteen months later).I assembled four teams of respected attorneys (expensive, but one pro bono team) with the clout to demand and, eventually, get Discovery Documents (the basis of the FBIs case against us). The FBI had a witness and an evidentiary audiotape. When US Judge George Lindberg ordered Agent Buckley to produce his witness, Buckley responded; The last I heard from Witness J.T. was from a Minneapolis lock-up after crashing a car he had stolen in Chicago. That witness had kept Buckley busy for many months springing him from Chicago area lock-ups, mostly for drunk-driving but also for breaking the noses of two women, one in a rent dispute, the other against the windshield of a car he crashed in Chicago. That left the audiotape. Missing from the middle of that tape was nearly all of what it purported to record; a business meeting of our human rights group; Friends of Irish Freedom. The tape contained little but unintelligible, simultaneous pre- and post-meeting chit-chat which the FBI imaginatively transcribed to deceive a jury. Omitted from the transcription but recorded onto the beginning of the tape were words cunningly added by the FBI calculated to prove that they hadnt doctored the tape. Following our motion regarding the tape, US Judge Lindberg ordered Agent Buckley to have it authenticated by an eminent sound engineering laboratory. The resultant report by Applied Forensics Technologies, Inc. forced US Prosecutor James Fleissner to plea to be allowed to abandon all charges against all of us. This 15-month nightmare was over. We walked; but so did the criminal FBI agents.These double-series of FBI crimes evidently impressed MI5, as soon thereafter:After a few more failed attempts to entrap us, including an attempt to involve us in guns, MI5 sent Agent Buckley to Ireland.Agent Buckleys frame-ups in Chicago failed 1) when Murderer Biro saved me by blabbing through his FBI cover into prison, 2) when Buckleys witness couldnt avoid jail long enough to testify against us, and 3) when the FBIs evidentiary audiotape proved massively doctored.Excepting a brief departure from Ireland to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing murder site Buckley remained in Ireland with David Rupert (a life-long criminal according to a NY State Police affidavit) until MI5 demobilized them on 15Aug98, hours after the car-bomb murder of 29 in Omagh. It was designed to be blamed, as Buckley did regarding the Langert atrocity, on the IRA. The Omagh bomb did belong to the IRA. The bomb car belonged to Paddy Dixon, an Irish government agent (placing him on the same side as MI5 and FBI). MI5/FBI surveilled the bomb-car; thus giving themselves control of the parking spaces along Omaghs High Street. Despite knowing the location of the bomb-car at all times, the RUC, with the connivance of MI5/FBI, believed (or pretended to believe) the IRAs phoned-in warnings that the bomb-car would be at the top of High Street, beside the courthouse. They thus corralled the public, not safely down side streets or into any of the shops along High Street, but along High Street to the bomb-car, while standing back out of the blast themselves. While it is hard to believe that the MI5/FBI surveillers failed to keep the Omagh RUC informed as to the approaching bomb-car, or where it was parked, it is equally hard to believe that an informed RUC would have corralled the public to beside the bomb; but according to published reports those RUC also lost their tape-recordings of the IRAs telephoned warnings, and later lost the log book into which the warnings were transcribed. When, soon thereafter, the British government awarded all Omagh RUC its prestigious George Cross, the resultant stench forced Britain to issue a George Cross to all members of the RUC.That massacre constituted mission accomplished; thus the demobilization that evening. By eMail to his MI5 handlers, David Rupert had boasted of his part in rehearsing the bomb delivery; It was a military operation, and I was part of it. Nevertheless, atrocity-participant Rupert was practically the sole witness in the frame-up of IRA-Volunteer Michael McKevitt who was not a participant. Mary and I provided the defense with enough records of Ruperts FBI-protected life of fraud, multiple bankruptcy, and other crime to disqualify him as a witness in most courts. At that 2003 Dublin trial we saw Agent Buckley for the first time since 1993 when we defeated the last of his evidence fabrications against us in federal court in Chicago. We also saw in Dublin the Chicago FBIs in-house legal counsel; a Polish-named man. It was he who defeated my pro se case for damages by claiming that he might not have been on duty at the time that he received our summonses of nineteen perpetrating FBI agents.McKevitts trial was held in the self-same courtroom where, in 1803, British Judge Norbury sentenced Robert Emmet, the darling of Erin, to be hanged and beheaded. In his immortal Speech From the Dock (part of which Churchill borrowed) Emmet pointed out that the verdict was decided by the empaneling of the jury, but in 2003 Michael McKevitt was not permitted a jury. The verdict was too important to the Neo-Cons (as you will see later).While testifying Rupert voluntarily recounted how Agent Buckley had once left him alone in Ireland to fly to the Atlanta Olympics bombing murder site. Thus, it was Agent Buckley, yet again, and his colleagues, who got news media to frame someone for murder. In this case the falsely accused was Security Guard Richard Jewell who had actually saved lives there.An ethical mans conscience:Three years ago Mr. Lehman, whom I knew, not well, only as a CLC member, phoned to ask me to visit him, giving me his home address near the University of Chicago. Somewhat mystified, I visited him. He told me of his regret for failing to speak up when the CLC disappeared my 2005 paper. I assured him that I knew he was not involved, and that, in any case, he ought not have allowed it to bother him. Though I dont construe it as some sort of atonement, he then showed me his extensive library and urged me to take from it my choice of books. This I did, later carefully logging David Lehman and the date January 15, 2014 into their flyleaves for my occasional contemplation and, perhaps, others. He died, of leukemia, a few days later.Mr. Lehman was referring to my last paper; Close Enough For Government Work, delivered in 2005. It was a detailed, documented account of the above series of covered-up official crimes; concealed by law enforcement, a US Judge, the legal establishment, two USAGs, and news media. The crimes, and especially the extent of their organized cover-up should have been confronted by the responsible governmental agencies, and in their failure, by civic-minded individuals. However, at the Monday meeting following my delivery three officers of this club took me aside to hand me back my paper and inform me that so far as the club was concerned my paper had never been delivered. I was shocked and, less they feared law suits, I informed them that my papers key facts had already been publicized individually over time in my newspaper column; but they refused to discuss. I pointed out that their deed would violate what I believed were the CLCs ethical standards that induced me to join the CLC (upon the urging of the beautifully-developed Reverend John Holden and his wife). I decided to postpone further club attendance until the deaths of those officers if I survived them. Though unaware as to their continued existences, (and I dont even remember all three names), when I received a phone call inviting a paper I responded in the affirmative.We knew why the initial MI5/FBI crimes were perpetrated against us  we were told in advance by FBI Agent Doyle. It was to silence us; but what was the greater good? We were told that collapse of the Soviet system had reduced the FBIs budget, and to restore it the FBI needed new enemies. We were also told that Agent Buckleys superiors considered him a loose cannon, a contention refuted by the transatlantic expansion of his crime area. Buckleys Chicago-area crimes for MI5 are documented, thus his superiors must have approved his abetting of a murderer by prohibiting the local police from pursuing Biro, their sole suspect. Buckleys superiors must have approved his manipulation of media and police to make Biros crimes seem to be IRA crimes. They must have approve his false arrests, his perjuries, his evidence fabrications, etc., also his obstructions of justice in repeatedly springing from lock-ups his women-battering, chronic drunk-driving Witness J.T.Theres more. Why was FBI Agent Lewis immunized for failure to notify law enforcement as to her missing gun which , consultation with her husband, would have saved the Langerts?Why was Lewis lawyer-husband John not held criminally liable for covering up Biros fraudulently-acquired gun-owners license? He was representing murderer Biro in another shooting case; why was he not charged with failure to report Biros threat to break into his office from which Biro stole the murder weapon?So much crime and wrongdoing - to what end? My Mary and I have reluctantly concluded, based upon direct experience, that entire sections of our government are criminal operations. If any of you hearing me now can claim that law enforcement opposes felony crime please tell me what will be done about the above crimes. Nearly all of our fellow volunteers were terrorized into inaction by FBI crimes; especially by their official concealments of crime.Civic-minded activists retreated into self-protection and never returned. The contested Six Counties of northeastern Ireland were surrendered to Britain along with its $billions in off-shore hydrocarbons. That was evidently the goal of MI5s subversion of Chicagos FBI and its subsequent crimes for MI5. No alternative explanation is offered.While securing sole sovereignty over the Six Counties might have provided a crude justification for MI5/FBI crimes in Chicago, who or what can justify the mass murder in Omagh? And why didnt the FBI let MI5 commit its own crimes? Why did the FBI participate; especially in the Omagh massacre?Here is the only rationale now known:Ervine has provided the sole answer, so far, as to Why Omagh?-And why involvement by the FBI in Britains traditional murder policy in Ireland. Assassin Ervine had been invited to the White House in triumph. His UVF was perceived as having softened up the Occupied Irish to accept surrender to Britain of their territory and sovereignty. The softening up was achieved by murdering 800 to 1,000 of them, mostly in ones and twos, by drive-by shootings in Irish neighborhoods .The UVF also participated with British Intelligence and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in the murder of the Miami Show Band, the Loughinisland massacre, the bombing of McGurks Pub murdering fifteen and maiming seventeen, and the deadliest atrocity of all; the simultaneous car-bombing murders of 33 and maiming of 300 in Dublin and Monaghan.Later, Ervine participated in the Boston Project in which combatants in the post-1969 phase of the struggle placed oral statements on the record to be released only upon their deaths. Ervines statements comprise half of a published book; Voices From the Grave. (I hold up a copy of the book for the audience to see.) The other half contains the statements of Brendan Darkie Hughes, an IRA volunteer.On page 450 Ervine relates his visit to the White House. He describes his meeting at the White House with the US State Departments head of the Britain desk to whom he complained that US government policy favored the provos (Irish republicans). Ervine recorded the, to him, surprising response from the head of the Britain Desk. Here is Ervine on page 450 of Voices From the Grave, quoted verbatim:End of quote.That State Department officials reply, in brief, is that we, the US, must sew up the British Exchequer (by reducing the costs of its military occupation of the Six Counties), and that this US solicitude toward Britain relates to the USs (Neo-Cons) then-planned wars (1994!) in Muslim countries. Heres what happened:By 1994 MI5 already had FBI Agent Buckley in Ireland. Evidently mission accomplished occurred on 15Aug1998. That evening MI5 demobilized him and his accomplice, David Rupert.With Irish-American support eliminated by FBI criminals, the IRA demonized by all of the institutions, and two of its leaders flipped by British Intelligence Agencies, Britain was enabled to remove its forces from Occupied Ireland and thus be available to the US Neo-Cons. It is important to note here that the Neo-Cons could not have begun their wars without Britains freed-up military, and all of the above crimes, including the Omagh atrocity, were indispensable steps toward those wars.What other rationale can be presented for all of these crimes? Even more alarming is their total cover-up. Our team of eight reputable attorneys had all promised to take our water-tight case for damages against the perpetrators; but all reneged. Scores of other attorneys and law firms, large and small, all initially enthusiastic, excused themselves within a day or two, having suddenly turned fearful. A few explained their fear  of a criminal government. Pervasive fear was expressed by local law enforcement agents. US Judge Lindberg wrote a letter refusing to notify law enforcement of felony crimes (extensive evidence fabrication) perpetrated in front of him in his courtroom. The US Attorney for Northern District of Illinois wrote a letter ordering Langert case Sergeant Kalvaitis to adhere to federal plans for the Langert case (instead of pursuing the murderer).In light of what Ervine learned in Washington, and in light of the above multi-layered, documented crimes, how much longer can 911 be accepted as our casus belli? Ditto Saddams WMD andRussias aggression against Ukraine (despite the infamous phone conversation between the US Ambassador to Ukraine and the State Departments Victoria Nuland in which Nuland admits that the US had already spent $7billion to pull down Ukraines elected government, and she actually names the puppet that she planned to, and did manage to, make president of Ukraine). A more recent falsehood is Putins hacking of our election.The above crimes are not those of a republic; but of an empire. A nation cannot simultaneously be an empire and a republic of, by, and for, the people. The crimes of empire are perpetrated to benefit the most predatory of corporations or groups supported by venal politicians; an arrangement that requires the infantilization of the electorate. The abominations of empire; of the Spanish, British, French, Soviet/Chinese, Belgian Congo, and the Nazi and Japanese empires all required public complicity posing as patriotism. Irelands government do not want to know what MI5 and the Chicago FBI were doing in Ireland for four years ending with the murder of twenty-nine innocents, and the people of Ireland are not demanding the required criminal investigation.Similarly, our fellow Americans are not demanding prosecution of the Neo-Cons whose Project for a New American Century and its Full Spectrum Dominance call for their take-over of all of Earth and Space; the most evil, the most criminal, project in human history. All of the crimes detailed above are part of that vast criminal project. So are the corrupted Intelligence agencies, and news media whose fabricated evidence of WMD paved the way for our Supreme Crime against Iraq.Will we, the people, continue to delegate the making of history, and the recording of it, to the Supreme Criminals of our era? What shall we, America, do? Thank you.Our club president had asked me to provide an autobiographical introduction for him to use, and expressed happiness with the following:Chris Fogarty, born Chicago, 1935. At ten moved with his parents and siblings to rural Ireland. Returned to Chicago at eighteen. Became a carpenter; built and sold houses mostly within the City limits. Had many unsold houses in the 1957-58 recession that wiped out two older brothers separately; so got a degree in Civil Engineering. Two years in the US army, served in France. After a stint on Chicagos Marina City project and the US Gypsum Research Center in Des Plaines, moved to Puerto Rico where he founded and, for six years, operated San Juan Piledriving Corporation. He built marine and subsoil projects in Puerto Rico, Antigua, Trinidad, and then-British Colombia. After rehabbing a few buildings in Uptown, he worked in East Kalimantan, Borneo for two years. Then; for a Chicago engineering company he worked on mostly hydroelectric projects in Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay, Honduras, and in his most responsible position, that of Resident Engineer on a $300 million project on the Rio Lempa in El Salvador. He later served as superintendent on construction of the SE Services Area of the OHare Expansion Program.Chris is proud of 1) the production records he set as a framing carpenter, 2) that he never failed to pay a debt, and 3) that in all of his years in the notoriously litigious construction industry he never sued nor was sued (in which he grants that luck played a major part).In retirement, to write his paternal grandfathers biography he researched at Britains National Archives in Kew, Surrey.. He has been a member since 1985.The underlined sentence above is to indicate the one that was omitted by my introducer.
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
CARBONDALE  When Candy Moore Myers started teaching in 1974 at a school in Texas, she said there was a Gideon's Bible on her desk and in other classrooms.

Later, when she moved to Illinois, there were also a Gideon's Bible in her classroom and others.

Over the three decades that she worked in education, though, that climate changed, so much that teachers were prohibited from talking about God in the classroom.

That never stopped her from wanting to share her faith and her belief in God. Myers said she has believed in God since she was 9 years old.

That opportunity came in a bigger way after she left education after 34 years, her final 15 spent as principal at Carbondale's Thomas and then Parrish Elementary schools.

Myers said she'd always loved to read and write stories; she had written some, one of which her youngest son looked over when he visited from California a few years ago.

This son, Tyler, read over some of her work and liked it.

But he also challenged her, telling her to get moving on her passions, particularly as there are so many tools to bring those visions into reality, particularly self-publishing tools.

"'He said, 'youve got to get with the 21st century', Myers recalled.

She moved on his challenge, writing and self-publishing her first book, "Miracles All Around," in 2013. It was a children's book about creation. She's an author, but still calls her writing a "hobby."

"My passion has always been to write something that would glorify the Lord and help people come to know the Lord and be saved," Myers said.

She considers herself blessed to be able to tell these stories, as a 1986 car accident she survived left her doctors telling her she'd never walk again. She said her seventh vertebrae came up over her first vertebrae, coming within one millimeter of her being paralyzed.

"But God gave me back my life," she said.

Books about God, Christian principles

Her books help children, especially, understand Biblical principles.

She published her second book, "Friends Forever," about friendship, in 2014. The next year, 2015, saw two more published: "The Perfect You," a book about self-esteem, and "The Mysterious Icicle," a mystery novel for tweens and teens.

Her earlier books have a cast of animal characters and the final two, a multiethnic cast of children.

She said she felt a real urgency to complete "Angels From Above," which she dedicated to her mother, Peggy Moore, who turns 87 in May. That story includes many angels, some named for Peggy's grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Those angels include Tyler, now 34, and her older son, Josh, 36.

She published that book last year, as her mother battled some illness; her mother is now improved, living back in her own home.

Myers said she's sold hundreds of books, many to local people, but a fair share to people she doesn't know. She considers the latter sales an affirmation that "hobby" is hitting its intended target, she said.

Her books are available at Handfuls On Purpose Christian Bookstore in Marion and Bookworm bookstore in Carbondale and online at her website, www.characterblossoms.com, and at amazon.com.

Focusing on marketing books in 2017

Myers said, in the past, she hasn't been so concerned about marketing her books  they've tended to sell on their own  but she vowing that 2017 will be the year that she does more with marketing them.

"I want to feel purposeful," Myers said.

"Im a big believer that when you leave this earth, youre leaving for one of two places  eternal life or eternal separation.  I know there are some people who do not believe that, that there is any after-life, but I do.
CARBONDALE  If the bullet that killed Tim Beaty came from one of two suspects who were both actively shooting at the time, should the crimes of those individuals be weighed separately?

Thats the question Judge Ralph Bloodworth was faced with in Jackson County Court Friday morning.

Travis Tyler and John Ingram, both 21 of Cape Girardeau, are two of four suspects alleged to be involved in the Easter Sunday 2016 shooting that left Beaty, a fixture of Carbondale's music scene, dead and Nehemiah Greenlee injured.

Brian Drew, an attorney representing Ingram, made a motion to sever the case, contending that Tyler and his client should face separate juries when they go to trial later this year.

If the case goes forward as a joint trial, he argued, the defendants will be put in the position of pointing fingers at each other and making antagonistic statements, turning the proceedings into a spectacle between defendants rather than a fair contest between the defendants and the people of Illinois.

Tyler and Ingram were indicted in April on charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony, and aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied building, a Class 1 felony. Both have pleaded not guilty.

The charges stem from a shooting incident that took place March 27 at a house party at 402 W. Walnut St. in Carbondale, where suspects exchanged gunfire after an argument broke out.

Beaty was later found unresponsive inside his home in a neighboring residence, the victim of a stray bullet.

Forensic experts with the Illinois State Police found that the bullet that struck Beaty came from a .40-caliber weapon, Drew said. Law enforcement determined that Tyler had previously purchased a .40-caliber gun and that there were .40-caliber and 9 mm casings in the street, where Tyler and Ingram were shooting, according to eyewitnesses. (The other suspects were reportedly shooting from the porch of the residence, Drew said in court.)

However, there are no ballistics to definitively tie the bullet to Tyler  the caliber is simply in line with a gun he previously purchased.

Jackson County Assistant States Attorney Casey Bloodworth, representing the state in the case, pushed back against Drews contention that Tyler and Ingram would be antagonistic toward each other, arguing that the defense needed to present evidence of that.

He said a joint trial would give jurors a more complete view of the incident. Citing cases of drive-by shootings in which multiple shooters were judged accountable, he said the two defendants committed a joint venture together that resulted in someones death.

It really matters not who actually struck Mr. Beaty, Casey Bloodworth said.

Drew, in turn, said Tyler and Ingram were not working in conjunction  they just happened to be at the same party, and Ingram, who had a concealed carry permit from the state of Missouri, was acting in self-defense. (Tyler, in contrast, has not put forth an argument of self-defense.)

Judge Ralph Bloodworth, who is not related to Casey Bloodworth, said he would take the motion to sever the case under advisement. For the time being, the defendants court dates will remain as scheduled, with a final pretrial hearing on Feb. 14, a status hearing on March 3 and a jury trial beginning on March 20.

Dwayne Dunn, 21, of St. Louis, also faces charges in the case. His jury trial is scheduled to begin March 6 in Jackson County Court. The fourth suspect, Daniel D. Holmes, 21, of Carbondale, remains at large.
Gabriel M. Rhymer, 22, of McClure was sentenced to six years in prison Thursday in Union County Court, after pleading guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class 2 felony. Rhymer will also serve three years of mandatory supervised release (formerly known as parole) and pay costs and restitution.
CARBONDALE  Officials with local branches of federal agencies say its too soon to tell how theyll be affected by President Donald Trumps hiring freeze.

In one of his first acts as president, Trump on Monday signed an executive order freezing hiring for all new and existing federal jobs, except those in public safety, national security and the military.

The directive has left regional agencies unsure of where they stand.

There are still 138 federal positions located within a 100-mile radius of Carbondale listed on the official hiring website usajobs.gov. Those vacancies range from nursing jobs with the Department of Veterans Affairs to wildland firefighter posts with the U.S. Forest Service.

Tracy Fidler, public affairs officer with the Shawnee National Forest, said the Forest Service is still waiting on direction from the Office of Management and Budget and that she wouldnt be able to speculate without more information.

A worker at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center in Marion said no one at the field office was willing to comment on the subject.

Although the two-page memorandum exempts the military, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed Tuesday that the Department of Veteran Affairs will be covered under the freeze.

Acting VA Secretary Robert Snyder later said the department intends to take advantage of the freeze's allowances for public safety needs.

Our acting VA Secretary is working closely with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that recruitment in patient care areas will not be affected by this hiring freeze, Acting Public Affairs Officer Todd Wright, of the Marion Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said in an emailed statement, adding that he would provide more information as soon as the office was updated on the matter.

A representative of the United States Postal Service said the agency was also in the dark.

I know were looking into it at this time, but were not sure how it affects us yet, said Mike Cooke, a USPS media relations specialist for the Southern Illinois region.
SPRINGFIELD  Legislation that would increase the state minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2021 will not be discussed as part of the Illinois Senates grand bargain until further negotiations are held.

Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, who sponsored the bill, said the Senate is still working on establishing a minimum wage proposal that different supporting groups can agree on.

Its still part of the package, Lightford said. We are just not ready to call it.

The Senate adjourned Thursday without taking any votes on its compromise plan to end the states ongoing budget impasse. The package also includes tax increases and changes to the states workers compensation laws, along with several other proposals.

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, told senators to be ready to begin voting on the plan Feb. 7 when they return to the Capitol.

For now, the minimum wage bill isnt being included, Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said.

Supporters of a minimum wage increase include the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, which has advocated for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

Under the proposed legislation, Chicago and the rest of Cook County, whose minimum wages are $11 an hour and $8.25 an hour, respectively, would not be able to adjust their minimum wages according to the cost of living once they reach $13 an hour. Chicagos will hit $13 in 2019, and Cook Countys will reach that level the following year.

Lightford said SEIU is unsatisfied with that part of the proposal.

On the other hand, Senate Republicans had proposed increasing the statewide minimum wage to $10 an hour over a seven-year period. They also supported freezing the Chicago and Cook County rates at $13.

A lot of compromise had to take shape in order for us to get a minimum wage deal, Lightford said.

She added that Democrats would still like to align with Republican senators who have agreed to support a minimum wage increase.

The final proposal made by Senate Democrats after negotiating with SEIU, Senate Republicans and other groups established a minimum wage increase to $11 an hour over a four-year period.

After voters overwhelmingly supported an advisory referendum on increasing the minimum wage, the Senate approved bills in 2014 and 2015 to increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2019, but neither was approved in the House.

If we continue to drag this on for another two years, the same group of people who could be at $11 are still at $8.25, Lightford said. I am excited we are finally at this point, and I do not want to miss the opportunity to help.

Lightford said additional conversations will take place to garner support from SEIU or move forward without it.

I think politics have to be set aside and recognize that were trying to help people who work hard every day and give them a chance at pulling themselves out of poverty  with a fair, livable wage, she said.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said that while he does not agree with the entire language of the proposal, he would like for it be part of the Senates grand bargaining package.

I think there was a reason why it was included in the initial package, he said. I understand the disagreement about the specific aspects to it. I would like to see it worked out  when the Senate takes votes on those measures.

While some Republicans dont support the idea of raising the minimum wage at the state level, they also dont see it as a deal breaker if its part of an overall compromise on the budget and other issues.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said raising the state minimum wage, which is already $1 higher than the federal rate, is just not good economics.

But Righter said hes open to the idea as part of a broader discussion that includes efforts to pay down the states nearly $11 billion backlog of unpaid bills and substantive economic reforms, such as workers compensation reform.

This is a compromise and negotiation, and that means both parties get some of what they want but neither party gets everything it wants, he said.

The House continues to propose legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by October but has not passed any legislation on the subject.

 Dan Petrella contributed to this report.
COLLINSVILLE  The early days of the Trump administration have resulted in a swirl of actions to peel back regulations and to push for fossil-fuel energy development. A Southern Illinois member of Congress is part of the push.

Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, praised executive orders issued by President Donald Trump Tuesday to advance construction on two controversial oil pipeline projects that had been delayed by former President Barack Obama. Trumps orders made it easier for Trans Canada to build the Keystone XL Pipeline and for Energy Transfer Partners to finish the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been the source of fierce opposition on North Dakotas Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

Environmentalists say the two projects threaten the climate by enhancing production of, and dependence on, oil. Trump and his allies say the projects are another step toward energy independence.

Shimkus has a nexus position in this ongoing fight: He chairs a key Energy and Commerce subcommittee on the environment through which a lot of Trump-era initiatives on energy and the environment  and pushback from Democrats and their allies  will flow.
The road from Bulldog to Wau had been constructed by Army engineers in 1942 as a supply route to Wau for a planned assault on the Japanese positions in Lae.

Bulldog was a pre-war goldmining centre at the junction of a river system from which it was navigable down the Lakekamu River to the Papuan Gulf.

I had three weeks to complete the patrol. My fellow D Company platoon commanders were to patrol the highlands west of Wau.

IN November and December 1967, I was instructed by my company commander, Major Greg Warland, to take my 11th platoon of D Coy, 1st Pacific Islands Regiment from Kerema on the south coast of Papua to Wau in New Guinea via the Bulldog Road.

Pre-war goldminers had constructed a railway line at Bulldog and I was to find it and report on its condition and on the condition of the road from Bulldog to Wau.

Prior to the patrol the company 2IC, Captain Tim Britten, and I were to have been taken on an aerial reconnaissance of the patrol route in an Army Cessna 380 airplane.

We flew from Port Moresby to Lae, where we refuelled the plane and the pilots cigarette lighter with aviation gas direct from the planes fuel tank overload outlet, then to Wau where we stayed the night in the Wau Hotel.

During the evening, and after a few beers, the pilot, a captain, fell in love with the barmaid. Our early morning start was delayed an hour whilst we waited for our amorous pilot to surface. When he did, he was most happy and in a jovial mood.

However high cumulus cloud had begun to form in the mountains surrounding Wau and he expressed his concerns about flying over these mountains, which are in excess of 2,300 metres in height.

After a brief discussion, Tim persuaded the pilot to make an attempt to cross the mountains. We took off down the steepest landing strip in PNG and rose gradually to enter the clouds at a height of about 2,000 metres when the pilot did what all daring young men in their flying machines do.

He went up tiddly dah and he went down tiddly dah and around tiddly dah trying to find a way around the clouds before he decided it was too dangerous to fly any further and made a welcome and beeline return to Wau.

Whilst in the air my knuckles went white from holding my seat too tight. I imagine my face would have been ghost white as well, as we received a real bucket ride. Tim and I spent a long day in Wau without the pilots company. However I did meet a hard bitten, tough looking Australian expat in the bar of the Wau Hotel and filled in the afternoon.

The next day we took off earlier and flew west to Menyamya where an Administration sub-district office was located. This was an exciting experience as the airstrip was half way up a mountain and was about 200 metres long. On landing, it felt as if the plane was to fly straight into the mountain.

The approach was so slow and as soon as the plane touched the ground the pilot braked as hard as he could. Taking off was worse. Once the plane left the ground it fell into the deep and steep valley leaving your stomach in your mouth before gaining speed and altitude.

We never got to Kerema. I presume that because of the previous days joy ride our fuel was low so the pilot made for a mission airstrip east of Kerema and towards Port Moresby.

During the flight we entered a magnificent valley that had been formed by an ancient glacier. It was about 150 metres wide and about the same depth. The sides were almost vertical and were covered in light green grass. This part of the flight lasted about five minutes and had me spellbound.

Later in the flight the pilot turned to Tim beside him in the front seat and said that we had 20 minutes fuel left. I looked at my watch then and again ten minutes later when the pilot was looking anxiously around at the jungle canopy from his cockpit seat.

Out of the windows all I could see was the tree tops of the jungle canopy. I was mentally preparing myself for a crash landing when in another five minutes the pilot said there it is. We landed on the strip and not only did the airplane get refuelled with the help of a local missionary but also the pilots cigarette lighter. An adventurous flight but I came back none the wiser.

On the thirteenth day of November, the platoon, an attached signaller and medic left Port Moresby by Caribou aircraft as guests of the RAAF. Seating was side saddle on the floor and with the rear door open for ventilation.

The aircraft became only the second Caribou to land on Kerema airstrip (the previous one was a test flight to determine if it was possible) and as the locals were not used to seeing such large aircraft, or it was possible that they thought the war with Japan had restarted, they turned out in force to see what was happening.

On disembarking, I looked up at what seemed like a plateau 10 to 12 metres above the airstrip that was lined with people shoulder to shoulder, all talking excitedly. With such an audience it was too good an opportunity to miss, so instead of going off casually in section groups I asked Sergeant Guri, the platoon sergeant, to form the men into columns of three and we then marched into town.

I think the locals were impressed..

We were heading into the country where the Kukukuku people lived. These people had a reputation of being the most fierce head hunters in PNG even though they were of a small stature.

It was normal at that time for a patrol to demonstrate the power of modern weapons compared to bows and arrows and the might of the Army should they come across a primitive tribe. Every man in the platoon carried 60 rounds of live ammunition for his rifle and I carried a 9mm pistol and 50 rounds to meet any emergency situation with locals or fauna such as wild pigs, cassowaries and crocodiles.

My discussion with the Kiap dented my confidence. The prospect of heading off with the responsibility of leading the platoon of 36 men into deep jungle occupied by head hunters and steering by compass was daunting to say the least.

Had I not been conscripted I would have been back in Perth surfing and drinking beer. And that is exactly where I wanted to be at that time.

I made a decision to ask Greg Warland for permission to go to Bulldog via the easier route suggested by the Kiap. A radio call to Company headquarters, now in Wau, and Greg gave me the go ahead. The kiaps bought me a beer or two that night and a local coconut plantation owner offered the platoon a ride on his tractor wagons for part of the way.

You can read this fascinating memoir in its entirety on the Nashos website here.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a motion Thursday is St. Clair County Circuit Court that would block pay for state workers until Gov. Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly agree on a budget.

State workers have continued receiving paychecks throughout the standoff between the first-term Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled Legislature, which has left the state without a complete budget since July 2015.

When the impasse began, unions representing state workers sued to ensure that they would continue being paid, arguing that cutting off their pay would be an unconstitutional violation of their contracts. A St. Clair County judge ordered the state comptrollers office to continue cutting paychecks.

Madigans office argues in its Wednesday filing that the state is violating the Illinois Constitution by paying workers without appropriations approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor. The filing notes that the stopgap spending plan that funded state operations from July through December didnt include pay for state workers because of the earlier court order.

Madigan, a Democrat, said in a written statement that the order has removed much of the urgency for the Legislature and the governor to act on a budget.

The attorney generals office also argues that an Illinois Supreme Court ruling from this summer undercuts the unions argument in this case.

In the earlier case, which involved nearly $53 million in back wages owed to 24,000 workers in five agencies, the Supreme Court ruled that the state wasnt obligated to pay because the General Assembly didnt appropriate enough money to cover the expense.

The Illinois Supreme Court overruled the sole legal basis for the St. Clair County Courts order to allow state operations to continue without an appropriation, Madigan said in the prepared statement. With a new legislative session now underway, this is an appropriate time to ask the Circuit Court to reconsider this order in light of the changes in the law.

The move, which came a day after Rauner delivered a relatively upbeat State of the State address in which he called for bipartisan compromise to end the impasse and amid negotiations in the Senate to do just that, was met with harsh criticism from the Illinois Republican Party.

While serious bipartisan negotiations have accelerated in the Senate, it is outrageous that Lisa Madigan tonight decided to put (House) Speaker (Michael) Madigans power politics ahead of hard-working families in an effort to shut down state government, state GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a prepared statement, referring to the attorney generals father. Only a Madigan would try to disrupt bipartisan momentum in a matter that threatens to cripple government services and hurt state workers and their families.

Rauners office had a more measured response.

Its disappointing to see any move to stop employee pay and disrupt government services, especially now as the Senate is on the verge of a bipartisan agreement to enact a balanced budget with changes to the system, spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said in a written statement. This filing seeks to directly harm thousands of employee families and even more who rely on our dedicated state workers every day.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, one of the unions that brought the lawsuit, pointed the blame for the larger situation at Rauner, with whom the union is engaged in a bitter contract battle. Members are scheduled to begin voting Monday on whether to authorize a strike for the first time in Illinois.

Rauner created this hostage situation by refusing to enact a fully funded budget unless his unrelated personal demands were enacted first, spokesman Anders Lindall said in a prepared statement. He should put aside those demands and do his job to work toward a budget without preconditions.

Still, AFSCME is shocked and extremely disappointed with Madigan for filing the motion, Lindall said.

Despite all the chaos in state government in the past two years, the people of Illinois have been able to count on state employees being on the job to serve them, he said. The last thing Illinois needs is the further instability that blocking state payroll could cause.

Madigans office is seeking to have the courts pay order lifted Feb. 28, giving Rauner and lawmakers additional time to enact appropriations legislation and thereby ensure that state employees will continue to receive their wages, according to the filing.

Rauner is scheduled to deliver his budget proposal to the General Assembly on Feb. 15.
Funding for New York broadband expansion projects that was declined by Verizon nearly two years ago will be made available for other providers in the state.

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to provide $170 million for high-speed internet deployment in New York's unserved rural areas. The funding will complement the third round of the state's New NY Broadband Program, which was first launched in 2015.

"Broadband is critical to economic opportunity and job creation," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. "This is a first step of many to fulfill my promise to empower Americans with online opportunities, no matter who they are and no matter where they live."

Last year, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged the federal government to keep the funding in New York. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also intervened and asked the FCC to award the funds to the state.

The money was initially provided through the Connect America Fund, a federal program which supports broadband projects throughout the country.

The FCC awarded the state nearly $300 million to fund broadband projects over a six-year period. Three companies accepted the aid, but Verizon declined its cut  approximately $28 million each year.

When Verizon declined the funding, the FCC considered shifting the money to other projects outside New York. Thursday's decision by the commission will ensure the funds will be used on New York efforts.

"This is huge news for rural communities all across upstate New York," Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "From the very beginning, I was very clear with the FCC that this $170 million belongs strictly to New York should be kept here."

Cuomo added, "This administration has made an unprecedented commitment to ensuring access to high-speed internet for New Yorkers in every part of the state and this action brings us a step closer to making this a reality."

The state's New NY Broadband Program is aiming to provide broadband with speeds of 100 megabits per second for every New Yorker. In remote areas, the goal is to provide at least 25 Mbps speeds for residents.

The FCC's standard for high-speed internet is 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads. As of late 2015, there were nearly 240,000 New York households that lacked access to broadband at speeds of at least 25 Mbps.
Congratulations to Nikki Haley on her confirmation as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Just as she began her stint as governor amid worries about lack of experience, there have been stated worries about the Bamberg County native having no foreign policy credentials.

She proved in six years as governor that she was a capable leader with considerable skills as a politician. They will serve her well in the new post at the United Nations, where representing a President Donald Trump-led United States on the world stage will have its own set of challenges.

The Post and Courier of Charleston wrote: Haley dispelled doubts about her ability to handle the Cabinet-level position by her straightforward testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Her nomination as ambassador to the United Nations received the committee's endorsement, and the overwhelming confirmation by the full Senate.

The newspaper then cited the statement by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.: "What Gov. Haley lacks in foreign policy and international affairs experience, she makes up for in capability, intelligence, and a track record of building coalitions in South Carolina."

But her departure from South Carolina politics is considered a plus by many, particularly legislators. Haley has had her share of confrontation with both houses of the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

Few will openly criticize the governor, who used her popularity to win many of the battles. But even as lawmakers praise the departed chief executive, they welcome the elevation of Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster to the states top office. McMaster has a track record of being more the insider than Haley. He is expected to be more agreeable to negotiation and compromise on issues such as money to fix South Carolinas roads, a top priority of lawmakers.

McMaster for now is not doing a lot of talking about what kind of governor he will be. That will come. But lawmakers would be foolish to believe his relationship with the General Assembly as lieutenant governor and in previous positions, including attorney general and GOP state party leader, will make McMaster a weak governor in strong-Legislature state.

McMaster is a good politician. He already was looking at a run to succeed Haley but now has a leg up on a field of GOP contenders that is expected to be crowded in 2018. McMaster backed President Donald Trump in 2016 and was the first key state officials anywhere to do so during the primary season. He is unlikely to completely  if at all  assume the mantle of Columbia insider in a time when Trump and his outsider message is very popular in South Carolina.

Expect some surprises from Gov. McMaster.

Not surprising is the result of the legislative shuffle to produce a successor for McMaster as lieutenant governor. After the state Supreme Court settled that McMaster, as governor, could not appoint his successor, the constitutional provision of the Senate president pro tempore moving in the vacated post remained.

But Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence made clear he was unwilling to accept the position, thereby giving up his role as Senate leader and chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Its not hard to understand why Leatherman refused, nor why some senators were pushing his doing so as a legal obligation. A lot of power was at stake.

In the end, Leatherman stepped aside as Senate president pro tempore long enough to allow Sen. Kevin Bryant to be elected president pro tempore and ascend to the post of lieutenant governor, which in 2018 will become part of a governor-lieutenant governor ticket that goes before the voters. Then Leatherman again sought the position of president pro tempore and was re-elected. No one knows exactly what kind of political trade-offs and promises were made in the process of returning the status quo to the Senate, but Leatherman will remain as arguably the states most powerful political figure.

And while his maneuvering to the keep the position is understandable, his foes are right that the senator should have followed the lead of former Senate leader Glenn McConnell, who in 2012 found himself in the same position of choosing between a largely ceremonial post as lieutenant governor or maneuvering to retain his Senate power.

We can only continue to admire McConnells stand, which some called the biggest political sacrifice in state history.

Here is how he explained his actions then:

[I have] Been very insistent about the strict construction of the constitution and the need for this Senate to test each law for its constitutionality before it moves forward.  The standard that I have applied to other things is now what I must apply to myself.  That is why I stand here today somber and a little saddened because of what I will lose today when I take the oath of office as Lt. Governor. But for the people of South Carolina who hear these words today or read them in the future, I want them to know that what I do today should not be considered remarkable. If what I am doing is considered special, then it is a sad indictment of the publics view of elected officials and our commitment to what is right.

Today we remind the public that oaths of office matter and people should and can expect that whoever takes the oath office as President Pro Tempore will do as they swore to do and fulfill the constitutional duty of becoming Lt. Governor, if there is a permanent vacancy in that office.

Today I simply perform the duty I swore to do when I took the oath of office as President Pro Tempore.
Circus cant end soon enough

Re: Loss of circus is sad reality of the times (T&D, Jan. 23)

Cruelty to animals should be condemned by everyone with a conscience.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus deplorable history of abusing animals is well-documented. For years, the circus confined elephants to hot, fetid boxcars and dragged them around the country, often for days on end. To force them to perform, they were kept in chains and beaten with bull hooks  heavy batons the size of a fireplace poker with a sharp steel hook on the end. Municipalities nationwide recognized these weapons for what they are and banned them.

That, and the protests of people who care about animals, is why Ringling ended its elephant acts.

The animals were sent to the circus euphemistically named Center for Elephant Conservation. According to the sworn testimony of its general manager, some elephants at the Florida breeding compound are chained on concrete floors for up to 23 hours a day  typically by one hind leg and one foreleg. They still live in fear of being whacked with bullhooks. None will ever set foot in their natural habitat.

Ringling paid a record $275,000 fine to settle multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Since 1992, at least 30 elephants have died while in the circuss hands.

The lions and tigers who Ringling still exploits are confined to cages so small they can barely take a step  they are forced to eat, drink, sleep and defecate in the same area. Often, their only respite is the few minutes when theyre forced to perform  under the threat of a whip. Ringling will keep whipping these apex predators until the curtain drops on its final performance.

That day cant come soon enough.

-- Craig Shapiro

PETA Foundation

Norfolk, Virginia

Fairness in the livestock industry

USDA took an important step last month to bring more fairness to the livestock industry. The impact of three introduced Farmer Fair Practice Rules will be significant across the nation, creating much-needed protections for farmers.

Much of the livestock industry is vertically integrated; meat processors enter into contract agreements with farmers to grow livestock. The processor owns the feed and animals, and sells them to the farmer at a set price.

This arrangement is especially prevalent in the poultry industry, where 51 percent of the broiler market and 57 percent of the turkey market is controlled by just four processors. More than half of all growers live in a region with two or fewer processors to choose from.

If a farmer does something the processor doesnt like, such as file a complaint about contract terms or seek a contract with a different company, the processor might cancel the contract or provide inferior stock.

The contractor has the power to put the farmer out of business.

USDAs long-awaited action implements a key provision of the 2008 Farm Bill. The first rule addresses the tournament system where growers compete for poultry contracts. The second gives growers the power to file complaints if meat companies treat them unfairly. The interim final rule confirms that a farmer is not required to demonstrate injury to the entire sector in order to receive compensation from having been victim to anti-competitive practices.

A 60-day comment period ends Feb. 21.

-- Anna Johnson

Center for Rural Affairs
Concord, Dunbarton, NH - During the icy mess of Tuesdays storm, conservationists joined Judy Stone of Dunbarton to sign the final papers conserving the 237-acre Stone Farm located at Stone and Guinea Roads in Dunbarton. Judy has lived on the former dairy farm since 1966, raising her son and daughter with her late husband Jim, following in the footsteps of two centuries of Stone family relatives before them. The propertys history is visible in the foundations of buildings that are long gone, fields named for their former crops and former owners, and in stonewalls that still mark fields that now produce hay for beef cattle.

During the conservation process, hundreds of neighbors, school children, and outdoor enthusiasts toured the farm learning about its crops, how the foundation stones were cut from granite, and how the Stone Farm would be conserved through a community effort. Supporters attended a special jazz and chocolate party to help raise funds, and over the past year, 151 families made small and large donations to ensure that this historic, productive farm continues to be available for agriculture and forestry.

Thanks for the success of this project belongs to a great team of collaborators:

Stone family members for their commitment to keep this property available for farming and forestry;

the Friends of Stone Farm (Dunbarton Conservation Commission, Five Rivers Conservation Trust, and the Dunbarton Congregational Church) for writing grants, organizing events, and raising funds;

the 151 families who contributed over $ 58,000; and

funders who made significant funding available to conserve the farm: LCHIP (Land and Community Heritage Investment Program), Thomas W. Hass Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, Dunbarton Conservation Commission, Russell Farm and Forest Conservation Foundation, NH State Conservation Committee (Moose Plate Program), the Merrimack Conservation Partnership, and the Davis Foundation.

With the farm conserved, Five Rivers Conservation Trust will shift from their role in guiding the conservation process to ensuring that the conservation restrictions will forever keep the land from being subdivided and developed. Five Rivers will monitor the property annually, staying in touch with Judy Stone and all future landowners to answer questions about what can be done on the land, and if it ever becomes necessary, Five Rivers will take action to protect the important farm soils and productive forest land, historic resources, wetlands and streams, wildlife habitat, and public access on this property.

The Dunbarton Conservation Commission plans to create a public trail on the property in the near future.

###

Five Rivers Conservation Trust is a nonprofit membership supported organization that works with communities and landowners to protect land with important conservation values. The goal of the Trust is to ensure that future generations can experience, utilize, and benefit from the local farms, forests, wetlands, and fields that characterize much of the landscape today. The organization works in seventeen communities across New Hampshires Greater Capital Region and has conserved 69 properties, totaling over 4,300 acres. Become a member at www.5rct.org.
The delayed opening of the International Airport at Argyle has jeopardised efforts to work out flight arrangements with international carriers.





Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority (SVGTA), Glen Beache revealed for the first time on Wednesday, on X-Treme radio, that American Airlines (AA) had already signed a contract to land at the airport at Argyle on December 16, 2016 for three flights out of Miami weekly.

"That did not happen so know we have to go back to the drawing board to work out a few things, Beache said.

He said that the airline was still willing to fly into St Vincent, but that would now depend on the availability of an aircraft.





"These airlines make plans a year in advance, and a plane on the ground is a plane losing money, so they dont like to have planes just sitting there, Beache explained.

The aircraft (AA) that was expected to be coming here is now flying a different route: "so they will have to go through their planning and see, he continued.

Talks were continuing with airlines including JetBlue and West Jet and, according to Beache, Sunwing was now added to the list.





Similarly, he said that they were in discussion with airlines out of the United Kingdom.

But for airlines to operate, they may want to see how the facility operates for the first few months.

American Airlines, for example, requires a destination being in their system about three months before its first flight, Beache explained. British Airways (BA) requires two years.

"So all these are intricacies that you have to deal with. (DD)
The state Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction has two new leaders and a few new members, including a state senator who represents the Finger Lakes region.

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan announced state Sens. Fred Akshar and Chris Jacobs will serve as co-chairs of the task force. Akshar is a former Broome County undersheriff. Jacobs previously served as the Erie County clerk.

Akshar is beginning his first full term in the state Senate. Jacobs is a freshman senator.

"Our Heroin and Opioid Task Force has done tremendous work over the past three years, and is bolstered by the additions of Senators Akshar and Jacobs," Flanagan, R-Long Island, said. "Along with co-chair Sen. George Amedore, Sens. Akshar and Jacobs will build on the life-saving work done by this important task force since its inception."

Flanagan also announced that three freshmen senators  state Sens. Pam Helming, Elaine Phillips and James Tedisco  have been named to the task force. Helming, R-Canandaigua, represents the 54th Senate District, which includes a portion of Auburn and several Cayuga County towns.

Helming's predecessor, retired state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, was a member of the task force.

The task force held forums last year and released a report recommending action to address the rise in heroin and opioid addiction. The state Senate passed 27 bills to combat the opioid epidemic in New York.

Several new laws have been adopted to address the problem, including expanding insurance coverage for addition treatment and improving data collection and reporting on heroin and opioid overdose cases.

The task force also successfully pushed for a $25 million increase in funding to address the opioid epidemic.

In 2015, 2,754 New Yorkers died of drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A majority of those overdose deaths have been attributed to heroin and opioid abuse.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves (centre), Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis Straker (right) and Principal of Pace Development Inc. Joseph Romano turn the sod signaling the go ahead for construction of the Black Sands Resort.

The signal to begin construction of a US60 million dollars resort in Mount Wayne/ Peters Hope was given last week Thursday, January 19, during a ground-breaking ceremony.





The Black Sands Resort development project is to be undertaken by Canadian company Pace Developments Inc., and will see a 200 room hotel and 50 villas being built in the Central Leeward district, on 36 acres of state land that the company paid for EC$7 million.





Construction is projected to take 2 years to complete, and will employ mainly local workers.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by government officials, representatives of Pace Developments Inc, as well as members of the public.





Delivering welcoming remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Parliamentary Representative for the constituency.

Sir Louis Straker thanked the Prime Minister for seeing the land purchase negotiations through, and PACE for bringing the project to the country .





He described the project as no minor type of development, and noted that the event marked the beginning of a great project, "a tourism destination that would change the whole of Central Leeward.

He added, "This is a big development; it would provide employment, ; farmers take note, for the people in these villas and hotels have to eat. Sir Louis expects that the area would be booming with tourism

when the Buccument Bay Resort resumes operations and the Black Sands Resort is realized.

"So let no man despise what we are doing here. We are working hard, he declared.

Joseph Romano, Principal of Pace Development Inc., promised a first class facility.

"Today marks the ground-breaking celebration, but it comes with the responsibility and a promise to build a project that all Vincentians would be proud of and can participate in, said Romano.

He disclosed that an advance team has been on the ground in St. Vincent for over a year, and they have been in touch with everyone concerned.

Most of the workers from the construction phase to the operational phase will be local persons, he assured. "These promises we are making today are promises we will keep, Romano declared.

Vincentian born Anthony Bowman who resides in Canada, said he feels a personal sense of pride in the project. "This project is giving back to the people in terms of skilled labour and numerous business opportunities, tourism , etc. My family and I are convinced that this project will succeed so much that we are making a significant investment in it, said Bowman. He and his wife have already indicated interest in purchasing a number of villas in the resort.

Prime Minister Gonsalves is confident that the resort will enhance the countrys tourism package, and expressed how pleased he was that Pace had decided to build a project of such magnitude in St. Vincent. The matter of building the resort has been in discussion for quite a while, he disclosed, adding, "This is a matter which we have been working on for many years. But as Joe (Joseph) Romano would have told you, he would not have been here, if it wasnt for the Argyle International Airport. . You are not going to build a resort of 360  400 rooms without an international airport; you have to have the air link.

Also speaking at the event was Guyanese businessman Gerald Gouveia, Chief Executive Officer of Roraima, a Guyana based airline that is exploring establishing air links between New York, SVG and Guyana. Thursdays ground-breaking event also attracted a small group of protestors, many having previously registered their disapproval of the sale of lands to a foreign entity, and who sought to keep in focus recent developments in Canouan (regarding access to beaches) and the abrupt closure of the Buccament Bay Resort in focus.




Left:Entrance to the terminal building at the Argyle International Airport. Inset: Jackson Farrell addresses 34th gala luncheon of SVG ex-Teachers Association.

Jackson Farrell, the long-standing president of the Brooklyn, New York-based St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers Association, has joined the vast number of Vincentians in the Diaspora and at home, in welcoming the Feb. 14 opening of the Argyle International Airport (AIA).





"The airport, whether we like it or not, is coming on stream, said Farrell, a former La Croix, Marriaqua resident, in addressing, two Sundays ago, the gala sell-out 34th Anniversary Luncheon of his group, at Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn.





"When the Comrade [Prime Minister Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves] passes on, the airport will still be there, added the recently retired public school teacher in Brooklyn. "So, let us stop the dotishness [opposition to the international airport].





In his remarks in the souvenir journal, Farrell, who taught elementary and secondary schools in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before migrating to New York, said the opening of the AIA "brings with it blessings and challenges.





He said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers Association has been "an integral part of the Brooklyn-based Friends of Argyle International Airport, the group that has been raising funds to assist construction of the airport.





"We have stated clearly that we recognize certain projects purely through the prism of national interest and not as any political partisan objective, Farrell said.





Speaking at the ex-teachers celebratory event, new Consul General Howie Prince said he has been receiving a number of inquiries about the AIAs official opening and charter flights on the opening day.





He told THE VINCENTIAN on Sunday that more concrete information may be forthcoming during the week.

Earlier, in a message to nationals in the Diaspora, Prince, the former director of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), said he was awaiting word from Glen Beache, the point person on charter flights for the opening day. Beache, a former tourism minister, is also the chief executive officer of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority.





Nevertheless, Prince told patrons at the ex-teachers anniversary luncheon that he, like an overwhelming number of Vincentians in the Diaspora, "look forward to land in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





"One stop! SVG [St. Vincent and the Grenadines] we coming! he exclaimed. "One stop! SVG we coming!

In late December, Gonsalves announced on local radio station, Star FM, an organ of the incumbent Unity Labor Party (ULP), that the AIA will be opened on Valentines Day.





"I called in just to announce formally that Argyle International Airport would be opened on Feb. 14, on Valentines Day, the day of love, he said.

"All of us in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, its a day which weve been looking forward to, the prime minister added. "So, I thought that I should mention it to you.





Last year, the International Airport Development Company (IADC)  a private limited liability company wholly owned by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, whose mandate is to spearhead and coordinate all matters relating to the financing and construction of the Argyle International Airport and arranging for the effective management of the airport on its completion  said that work on the AIA was "winding down.





"Since construction started in August 2008, Vincentians have waited in anticipation of the completion of this project, said IADC on its website, adding that, after several missed dates, "completion is on the horizon.

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the IADC "had previously forecast - and missed - annual completion dates of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.





"Government sources had originally stated that the airport project would cost around US$240 million or 700 million East Caribbean dollars and would replace the existing E.T. Joshua Airport, Wikipedia said.

"Other sources cite a figure of one billion ($1,000,000,000) EC dollars as being nearer to the true cost of the project, it added. "Some sources indicate that, when complete, the airport will have a passenger capacity nearly four times that of the current working facility, the E.T. Joshua Airport.





Wikipedia said attempts by the previous government, led by Sir James F. Mitchell, Premier and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for 19 years, (premier 1972-1974, prime minister 1984-2001) to lengthen the E.T. Joshua Airport runway were "unsuccessful.

It said engineers had advised that the runway could have been extended by 2000 feet into the sea, as requested by American Eagle.





At a projected cost of US $50 million, Wikipedia said this would have allowed regional jets, with service as far as Miami and South America, with up to 120 passengers, "to safely fly in and out of E.T. Joshua Airport.

"According to Prime Minister Mitchell, his government invited tenders for the final design at Arnos Vale, Wikipedia said. "He stated, I turned over the contract documents for a successful tender by a Canadian company to my successor [Arnhim Ulric Eustace] to sign, but he decided to wait until the next election and cancelled the visit arranged for Kuwaiti officials.





In an historic address on Aug. 8, 2005, Gonsalves said: "Foreign investors often shy away from St. Vincent and the Grenadines when the limitations of air access arise due to the absence of an international airport.

Caribbean Airlines will make an inaugural flight out of New York City, while Sunwing Airlines will be doing a chartered flight from Toronto, Canada, according to Wikipedia.





It said these two airlines are expected to touch down at AIA one hour apart for the grand opening.
Members and prospective members of the Lions Club St. Vincent South journeyed to Sandy Bay and surrounding communities on Sunday 15th January, to distribute food, toiletries and other household items to the less fortunate.









Packages were handed over to some 3 families in Point, Owia, Sandy Bay and other communities within the area.

The packages were put together as a result of the generous annual donation of barrels from Former OECS Liaison Officer in Canada, Lion Evans Bernard John and friends.





The Club also used the opportunity to conduct a walkthrough of the affected communities, and has identified additional persons in need. Plans are already afoot to return shortly to the communities to make additional donations.





In related news, Lions and Leo Clubs here are preparing to welcome Lions District Governor - Lion Errol Lee, MJF (Melvin Jones Fellow) of Jamaica.

The District Governor is expected to visit from February 1  4, during which he will conduct the annual District Governors audit of the clubs.





He is also expected to pay courtesy calls to His Excellency, The Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne and the Hon. Frederick Stephenson, Minister of National Mobilization, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth.





There are three Lions and two Leo Clubs in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They are part of Sub-District 60B which stretches from Jamaica and Cayman in the North to Grenada in the South.





Currently, there are several Vincentians - Lions Isaac Solomon MJF; Zone Chairperson, Monica Glasgow; Dr. Jose Davy, Michael John, Dionne John, Gillian John and Beverley Reddock who serve as part of the District Cabinet in several capacities.
Feeder, village and secondary roads here are to get attention in 2017.

Financial support is being sought from the Abu Dhabi Development Fund for further road development in the country.





Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said at a press briefing on Monday that a proposal was submitted to the Abu Dhabi Development Fund for the financing of the repair of feeder, village and secondary roads throughout the country.





He assured that the government already had EC$90 million in its coffers set aside for road development work.

This money came from two sources  the Kuwaiti Fund and the OPEC Fund.





According to Gonsalves, he was expecting to roll out the first set of funds from the Kuwaiti Fund by March this year, and then he was hoping for the formal agreement from the OPEC Fund for International Development; but first he would have to take that particular loan to Parliament.





In related news, the Prime Minister said that he was looking forward to getting an approval for the proposal put forward for a reciprocal visa waiver agreement between Vincentians and persons in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).





According to Gonsalves while addressing members of the media on Monday, the issue was raised before with officials from the UAE about reciprocal visa waivers.





"I am hoping we will have the arrangements for the visa waiver, he said.

The visa waiver will add UAE to an already long list of countries where a visa is not required by Vincentians wanting to visit those countries.





Back in 2015, it became official that Vincentians no longer required a visa to travel to member states of the European Union.





Visa waivers were also extended to Vincentians looking to travel to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. (DD)




The annual Ideas and Innovations, I Competition hosted by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), culminated in a Grand Finale and Prize Giving Ceremony at the Conference Room of the National Insurance Services, Thursday, 19th January.





The competition, comprised of Idea and a Mobile Application categories, allowed for entries from secondary and tertiary institutions. The Idea Category attracted entries from seven secondary school entries and three tertiary institutions. The Mobile Application Category saw a total of three secondary schools and three tertiary institutions competing.





According to information coming out of the NTRC, "The I competition is a forum that challenges students from the secondary, technical and tertiary institutions to develop and present projects in the form of ideas and mobile applications that can implement news systems or improve existing ones for businesses within the private sector of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Grand Finale saw each group making presentations of their idea of mobile app, then facing a panel of judges for the answering of questions on their project.





Secondary Competitions





Of significant note was the participation of the Mountain View Academy. Two teams from this institution - Northern Lights and Northern Lights II  which placed first in the Secondary Idea and Secondary Mobile App Categories respectively.





Northern Lights II presented an idea for an innovative solution for traffic management in times of emergency at public events. Their responses to questioning were almost irrefutable. Northern Lights presented an app to enhance and automate vehicular parking in Kingstown.





Placing second in this Idea category was the St. Vincent Girls High Schools MAKS Squad who described an idea which would allow persons to identify and order food from specific restaurants. For third place, the Petit Bordel Secondary Schools PBSS Inventors presented an idea of bringing together all those involved in the agriculture sector to communicate their needs and availability of products.





The Mobile App category saw the Thomas Saunders Secondary Schools Team Way placing second after presenting an app that acts as a communication tool for the sharing of information among families and teachers. In third position was the Troumaca Secondary School with an app designed to be used by the Vincentian public to purchase food from restaurants.





Tertiary Competitions





In this segment, the St. Vincent Community College supplied all entrants. Gaining the judges nod for first place Idea was Hairouna Dragons from the Division of Teacher Education, with an idea for businesses to upload job vacancies in real time. Ctrl Alt Del from the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies placed second with an idea for keeping track of customers purchases by taking a snap shot of the barcode and calculating their bill. In third place was Group.cpp, also from the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies with their idea of providing users with the current location of the omnibus of their choice.





In the Mobile App category, Proactive Solution Innovators of the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies described their app for allowing people to become aware of local businesses that are upcoming or not well known on the market, and won first place. The second place project came from Group.cpp with their app to allow users to select their desired meal from a variety of restaurants based on real time menus and current preference. Placing third was New Investors of the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies presenting their app to provide protection and restriction on all electrical devices regardless of location and physical supervision present.





For all their efforts, participants were generously rewarded. Mobile App winners received $3,500, $2,500. and $1,500 respectively, while the Idea winners received $2,000., $1,500. and $1,000. respectively. Other prizes of smartphones, tablets and supermarket and other vouchers were received. The NTRC looks forward to fulfilling its mandate with the conducting of this competition next year.
The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has announced this years schedule of presentations of the 2017 Taiwan Scholarship Porgrammes.





Presentations to the Division of Arts, Sciences and General Studies (DASGS) at Villa are scheduled for Wednesday, February 1 at 12:00 noon, at the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE) at Arnos Vale, Wednesday, February 8 at 12:00 noon, and at the University of West Indies, Open Campus: Thursday, February 16 at 4:30 p.m.





Vincentians who are interested in applying for the Taiwan Scholarship Programmes, namely MOFA Taiwan Scholarship and TaiwanICDF Scholarship, are highly recommended to attend these presentations.

The Embassy will make an introduction of the aforementioned scholarship programmes, including their respective qualifications, requirements and application procedures.





Members of the SVG Taiwan Scholar Alumni Association will be present to share their experiences of studying and living in Taiwan. Special guests include two Project Managers from the Taiwan Technical Missions in SVG. They will brief on degree programmes in the area of agriculture and ICT in Taiwan.





The Taiwan Scholarship Programmes were launched in 2004 to encourage outstanding Vincentians to pursue higher education in Taiwan. It is also to improve cultural and people to people exchanges between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





In addition to undergraduate (4 years), master (2 years) and doctoral (4 years) programmes, the Taiwan Scholarship Programmes also offer a 4-year postgraduate programme for medicine specially designed for international students.





More than 110 Vincentians have been awarded the scholarships since their inception. Last year, there were 16 scholarship awardees. The deadline is March 17 for Taiwan ICDF Scholarship, and 31st March for MOFA Taiwan Scholarship.
Cabinet has given the green light to the governments involvement in the construction and ownership of hotels here.

The process of increasing the number of hotel rooms available on mainland St. Vincent continues.





Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves gave assurance of this last Monday, when he announced at a press conference that he had held preliminary talks with a renowned hotel chain in the United Kingdom, centred on the construction of a hotel on St Vincent to be owned by government, but operated by a private entity.





He said that while he was in London on his journey back from Abu Dhabi, he had a meeting with one of the principal owners of a brand name hotel in the United Kingdom and the company is interesting in partnering with government to build a hotel.





"I am interested in getting some entity out of the United Kingdom, said Gonsalves.

Against the backdrop of reference to the recent investment by a Canadian group at Mount Wynne/Peters Hope, the PM said, "And that is an important investment, but (were) looking to have one with an entity in the UK which has a certain heft.





Dr. Gonsalves said that he was not going to disclose the name of the UK chain of hotels, only to say that it was a very "reputable international brand.





He explained that this most recent initiative is in keeping with a Cabinet decision that endorses the states involvement in the construction and ownership of hotels, with management to be the responsibility of reputable entities: "whether locally, regionally or internationally.





A Committee, headed by Camillo Gonsalves, the Minister of Economic Planning, has been set up to pursue this project, and it was anticipated that a delegation will journey to the UK sometime in March, to further the discussion in that regard.





Regarding a location, Gonsalves said that no specific spot had been identified, but that this detail would be attended to over time, with further discussions. (DD)
As Gov. Andrew Cuomo pitches his proposal to invest $2 billion in the state's water infrastructure, two New York state senators have a plan of their own.

State Sens. Kemp Hannon and Tom O'Mara introduced two bills this week that seek to improve the state's drinking water infrastructure.

The first, the Clean Water Bond Act of 2017, would set up a $5 billion fund to support water quality projects throughout the state. Because it's a bond act, voters would have to give it final approval.

The other bill, S3773, would establish the Drinking Water Quality Institute. The 15-member institute would be tasked with making recommendations to the state Department of Health regarding the state's water quality.

Both measures were recommendations outlined in a report released by the state Senate this month.

In his 2017-18 executive budget proposal, Cuomo included a $2 billion clean water infrastructure fund that would support drinking water projects. The money would be spread over a five-year period, according to details released by the governor's office.

The focus on drinking water became a national issue last year with the situation in Flint, Michigan, where lead contaminated the city's drinking water supply.

In New York, the chemical PFOA, a known carcinogen, was found in the drinking water source for Hoosick Falls. Federal and state officials were urged to intervene in order to ensure the village's drinking water was safe.

Locally, residents were concerned when detectable levels of blue-green algae toxins were found in the water supplies for the city of Auburn and town of Owasco. For now, the toxins aren't at detectable levels, but local officials worry that when warmer temperatures return the toxins will reemerge.

Cuomo announced this month that Auburn and Owasco will receive more than $2 million to address drinking water concerns. A portion of the funds  $150,000  will be used to pay for studies. The remaining $2 million will fund strategies developed as a result of the research.
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Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said her city has no intent of changing its current practices after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to strip federal funding from sanctuary cities.

Miner, who declared Syracuse as a sanctuary city in her final State of the City address earlier this month, issued a statement saying that city resources, including the Syracuse Police Department, "are not being used to enforce federal anti-immigrant policies nor are they empowered to do so."

"We do not intend to change this practice and will scrutinize any proposed changes at the federal level thoroughly," Miner said. "I pledge we will continue Syracuse's commitment to our New American residents, building the trust and relationships our neighbors deserve and continue to treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. Syracuse is now and always will be a city that bids you welcome."

Trump, a Republican, pledged during the presidential campaign to target sanctuary cities, which seek to protect undocumented immigrants from being deported.

The executive order Trump signed this week charged that sanctuary cities "have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic."

Some mayors of sanctuary cities have promised to fight any federal funding cuts. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office offered municipalities throughout the state legal guidance for protecting immigrants.

On Trump's executive order, Schneiderman said the president "lacks the constitutional authority" to cut off federal funding.

"Local governments seeking to protect their immigrant communities from federal overreach have every right to do so," he said.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan and Iran have explored ways of developing cooperation in the spheres of culture and tourism as the head of the Tourism Department at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Aydin Ismiyev, met with the head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Irans West Azerbaijan Province, Jalil Jabbari.

Ismiyev spoke about development of the cooperation in the sphere of tourism, enrichment of the relevant legal database on the permanent basis and increase of mutual flows of tourist, Azertac reported.

He stressed that the tourist flow between the two countries intensified with the simplification of visa regime.

Ismiyev emphasized that the number of Iranian tourists to Azerbaijan essentially increased in comparison with two previous years.

The sides further discussed the building of relations between the two countries` tourism agencies.

Ismiyev also invited his Iranian counterpart to AITF-2017, International Travel and Tourism Fair to be organized in Baku on April 6-8.

Azerbaijan and Iran have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

Azerbaijani and Iranian peoples enjoy the same cultural and religious traditions. Two countries successfully cooperate in many areas, including agriculture, transport, tourism, industry and other spheres.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

IZMIR Karaoke & Lounge will host Fashion Night Show on February 2, Trend Life reported.

Guests of the evening will be delighted by stunning outfits designed by Azerbaijani designers.

The event will also feature performances of beloved artists Elvin Novruzov, Nigar Huseynli and Agamehdi Mirzoyev.

Its first event organized as part of the Miss Top Model Azerbaijan. The organizers promise a colorful show and a spectacular finale.

"Night Sow is a presentation of our participants and the official launch of the contest Miss Top Model. The guests will be presented new collections of local designers. In the future we plan to hold several events of this kind, and then we will held a spectacular final. Keep your eyes on our contest, and you will find a lot of interesting things, the organizers say.

For more information, please visit:

www.misstopmodel.az

Media partners of the event are Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az.
By Azertac



President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Andrey Reva.





Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Andrey Reva noted that he was deeply impressed by the beauty of Baku. He hailed the good cooperation between the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy and Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population. Saying Azerbaijan's success in this sphere is of pivotal importance, Andrey Reva noted that the country's experience and achievements arouse interest in terms of reforms carried out in Ukraine's social policy system.





President Ilham Aliyev noted that the works are successfully continued in the field of social welfare in Azerbaijan. The head of state also hailed the great works done towards the improvement of legislation, including the issues related to regulation of social policy in the country. President Ilham Aliyev noted that social policy has always been one of the key priorities in Azerbaijan and great importance is attached to this area even at the time when serious economic reforms are carried out in the country. The head of state said that financing of utility expenses, tariffs, social welfare, meeting the needs of internally displaced persons, pensions, social infrastructure and other areas are carried out at the state level.





They exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation between the relevant authorities of the two countries.
Scores of whiskey bottles shelved at A.T. Walley & Co. decorate the Auburn cocktail bar like trophies.

Each bottle of the George Dickel whiskey is denoted by a black placard with a name in decorative white lettering. And while some of the names are pseudonyms, all represent their owners' membership in an exclusive club.

A.T. Walley's whiskey club now has 363 members, easily exceeding the expectations of the bar's ownership, said co-owner Jeff Campagnola. When A.T. Walley first partnered with George Dickel Tennessee Whisky three years ago, Campagnola said owners had installed enough shelves for about 15 or so bottles.

The tavern still needs to make room to shelve about 30. Overall, A.T. Walley has sold more than 1,500 bottles of Dickel, Simmons said.

A customer only needs to purchase a bottle of the whiskey to join the club. For those who have purchased multiple, medals are hung from their bottles along the wall to symbolize how many. Each bottle sold is numbered and labelled with information about the barrel it came from.

George Dickel  a small Tullahoma-based operation that makes its whiskey by hand, Simmons said  has garnered several accolades with its product, including an award for Best Tennessee Whiskey at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

"(Dickel) is very old-school, kind of like we are," Simmons said about the distillery's operation.

Members of A.T. Walley's club, Campagnola said, also include a number of celebrities, such as actor George Wendt and John Walsh, TV personality and victims' rights advocate.

The resulting popularity has elevated A.T. Walley as one of Dickel's best-selling accounts in the country, Campagnola said. A representative at Dickel could not be reached for comment.

"In a small little market in upstate New York, it's crazy," said co-owner Bernie Simmons.

Simmons said A.T. Walley kicked off the whiskey club with a bit of fanfare.

After signing on with Dickel, A.T. Walley transported the first 53-gallon barrel in January 2014 on the back of a classic flatbed truck loaned by Builder's Choice in Auburn. The delivery was done a bit Prohibition-style for show, Simmons said.

The first barrel cost A.T. Walley around $7,000. When A.T. Walley runs low on a stock of bottles, Campagnola said customers  and club members alike  are invited to taste-test samplings of the whiskey to help the bar choose which particular barrel to order. Whiskeys age with different tastes based on certain conditions, such as temperature and the environment.

"A company, store or restaurant might buy one barrel in a year, but to buy four in one year, that was something unheard of," Campagnola said.

The tavern is now on its eighth barrel. A.T. Walley owners gave one of the barrels to their State Street neighbors, Prison City Pub & Brewery, to age its craft beers inside it.

Whereas Prison City has brewed a name for itself around the country in the craft beer market, Simmons said he views A.T. Walley similarly in the craft whiskey industry.

Looking ahead, owners said they have been told that George Dickel is aging 10-year-old whiskey barrels exclusively for A.T. Walley. That would make the tavern the only account in the country with that age of Dickel whiskey, Campagnola said. He said he expects the barrels to be ready for their taste-testing by the spring.

"This is just unique," Campagnola said. "We like to say here that if you're not doing something different, you're not doing anything at all. We just like to have things you can't get anywhere else."
By Azernews





By Amina Nazarli

The 48th meeting of the special working group for drafting a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states ended in Baku on January 26.

The meeting participants discussed and agreed on provisions on determination of the sovereignty, jurisdiction, security, territorial waters and fishing zones, methodology for definition of the main lines, division of the sea bottom and earth's interior, passing of ship through territorial waters, as well as laying cables and pipelines.

The event, attended by delegations from Azerbaijan led by Khalaf Khalafov, Iran led by Ebrahim Rahimpour, Kazakhstan led by Zulfiya Amanjolova, Russia led by Igor Bratchikov and Turkmenistan led by Murad Atajanov adopted a communique.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov, addressed the event emphasizing that the main agreements achieved by the heads of states and foreign ministers of the Caspian states paved the way for the substantial convergence of positions and tangible results.

He noted that holding next summit on the completion of agreements on all main principles of the draft convention must serve the purpose of laying comprehensive legal foundation for the future mutual activity and cooperation of the Caspian states.

Results of the 48th Baku meeting of the special working group are satisfactory, Khalafov told Azertac.



Agreement was reached on principal points on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, he said.



The deputy foreign minister noted that the event decided to hold meetings of the working group and foreign ministers in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

He expressed a hope that the meeting of foreign ministers will yield tangible results.

The 4th summit of the heads of state of the Caspian littoral states is expected to be held in Astana, Khalafov added.

The Caspian littoral states signed a Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003. Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use in July 1998. The two countries signed a protocol to the agreement in May 2002.

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea and a protocol to it in 2001 and in 2003, respectively.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea in 2003. Summits of heads of the Caspian states were held in 2002 in Ashgabat, in 2007 in Tehran, in 2010 in Baku and in 2014 in Astrakhan.
By Trend





Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 15 times violated the ceasefire in various directions along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on January 27.

The Azerbaijani army positions located in the Gushchu Ayrim and Gizilhajili villages of Azerbaijans Gazakh district underwent fire from the Armenian army positions located in the Voskevan village of the Noyemberyan district and in the Berkaber village of the Ijevan district of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani army positions located in the Aghbulag village of Azerbaijans Tovuz district were shelled from the Armenian army positions located in the Chinari village of Armenias Berd district.

The Azerbaijani army positions were also shelled from the Armenian positions located near the Armenian-occupied Yusifjanli village of the Aghdam district, Mehdili village of the Jabrayil district, as well as on nameless heights of the Goranboy, Tartar and Fuzuli districts of Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
By Azernews





By Kamila Aliyeva

The United Nations sees reasons to be optimistic about the development of the situation in Syria in connection with the cease-fire regime and intensification of the political process, said Stephen OBrian, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

We are starting 2017, and as though it may be difficult to imagine, grounds for hope are increasing, OBrian said stressing that since December 30 the cease-fire regime throughout the country has been retained, despite some violations, RIA Novosti reported.

A nationwide ceasefire began in Syria on December 30, 2016, to pave the way for new peace talks on Syria. Russia and Turkey serve as guarantors of the ceasefire deal, paving the way for negotiations between the Syrian regime and rebels.

Another reason for hope, according to OBrian, is intensification of the political direction which became possible due to the results of the Astana meeting, where two warring sides in the Syria conflict were sitting together at the negotiating table for the first time.

This week we saw how people, despite the years of confrontation, were willing to put aside differences and sit opposite each other in Astana, OBrian said.

The Astana talks on Syrian settlement were brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran and took place in the Kazakh capital on January 23 and 24. They marked the first time since the beginning of Syrian civil war in 2011 when the government of Syria and the armed opposition sat together at the negotiations table.

In a joint statement of Russia, Iran and Turkey issued following the Syrian peace talks, the countries agreed to create a trilateral group on monitoring the Syrian ceasefire.

Many experts assessed the agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran on the establishment of a tripartite mechanism aimed at monitoring the cease-fire as a step to a political solution which might end the six-year war.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharov said that Moscow sees the interaction of Russia, Iran and Turkey on Syria in a constructive and long-term way.

She added that it is well-known that the Syrian settlement is a long matter and requires consolidation of efforts of all countries involved in the process.

Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since 30 September 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin.

The U.N. has repeatedly tried and failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed 300,000 and displaced 11 million since it began five years ago.
By Azernews





By Nigar Eyvazova

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing a decree on lifting of sanctions against Russia, wrote a senior researcher of the analytical center Atlantic Council Fabrice Potier.

DC sources say that, an executive order to lift Russian sanctions has already ready in Trump`s administration, Pottier writes, recalling that talks between Moscow, Berlin and Washington are scheduled for Saturday.

Editor of U.S.-based Politico Susan Glasser also mentioned that the executive order was said to be ready.

"Hearing Trump world has [the] text of [an] order floating around to ease Russia sanctions," she tweeted.

But, The Kremlin is not aware of the possible plans of the Trump administration to lift sanctions against Russia.

This information is impersonal. I dont know whether it is true, said Dmitry Peskov, the press Secretary of the Russian President to journalists.

He said the conversation Putin and Trump will be held closer to the evening Moscow time. There will be exchange of views on the basic parameters of the current state of bilateral relations, said Peskov.

Relations between Russia and the West countries have deteriorated in 2014 in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

A number of countries, including the U.S., applied sanctions against individuals, businesses and officials from Russia. Russia has responded with sanctions against a number of countries, including a total ban on food imports from the EU, United States, Norway, Canada and Australia.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to have better relations with Russia.

After Trumps victory in the election, Putin called for a new era of fully fledged relations between Russia and the United States.

We understand that it will not be an easy path given the current state of degradation in the relations, Putin said at the Kremlin. And as I have repeatedly said, its not our fault that Russian-American relations are in such a poor state. But Russia wants and is ready to restore fully fledged relations with the United States.
Eleven distributors from across the region recently attended Konica Minolta Business Solutions Middle East Distributor Conference, held in Dubai, UAE.



Konica Minolta Business Solutions Middle East, based in Jebel Ali Dubai, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta, Tokyo, Japan.



The company delivers services and distributes systems and solutions that fulfil all the requirements of the entire document life cycle for clients in the office and production printing area.



With a theme of Driving Smarter Workflows, the one-day long conference featured informational presentation, educational discussions, future strategy, and demonstrations of Konica Minolta hardware, software, and managed print services, said a statement from the company.



The event marked the start of the conference with presentations by Konica Minolta, Middle East managing director Kazuo Kobayashi, it said.



He was followed by Konica Minolta Inc., Japan, general manager, sales operations, Tadahiko Sumitani, who outlined the Konica Minolta global strategy and future plans, it added.



Konica Minolta Business Solutions Middle East managing director Kazuo Kobayashi opened the conference by highlighting Konica Minoltas recent achievements, including the company being named as best large employer from the Forbes 2016 list.



Koybayasi said: There has been a slight decline in the market this year, however we expect it to remain stable during 2016/17 and our challenge will be to increase sales by 12 per cent growth during 2017.



The conference certainly gives us the perfect platform to connect with our partners and distributors, it also enables us to keep them informed on the latest products, services, and technologies offered and supported by Konica Minolta, as well as gain instrumental insight on the companys future direction, he added.



It is important as we grow our business going forward, we continue to listen to our customers and maintain excellent account management, he concluded.



Kobayashi was followed by the companys business development manager Nayyar Ansari, who presented the printing production road map and future strategy for 2107.



Following Ansari was Konica Minoltas marketing development manager Pauline Brooks, who presented Konica Minolta Business Solutions marketing review for the year 2016 and 2017.



Brooks outlined some of the recent developments and planning for the forth coming Gulf Print event, to be held in Dubai during March.



Kobayashi also gave excellence performance awards to the top-performing distributors in the Middle East region, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Wyomings U.S. House Rep. Liz Cheney sat Jan. 18 for a wide-ranging interview with the Star-Tribune. Below is a lightly edited and condensed transcript of her answers about energy issues.

Aside from environmental regulation issues, what are your main priorities on the natural resources committee, what do you hope to achieve?

I think certainly the Endangered Species Act is going to be very important.

One thing that was interesting to me (is that) we havent been assigned to subcommittees yet on natural resources. But, as theyve been talking to us about what the different sub committees handle -- obviously two Im very interested in are energy and federal lands -- but issues related to the endangered species act are being reserved for the committee as a whole to act on, and I think thats important.

Gov. (Matt) Mead has had this action under way through the Republican Governors Association and now the National Governors Association. But the Endangered Species Act is just a real example, it was passed at a time when people were very concerned in particular about the bald eagle, and it was passed with good intent. But, it has really failed. Less than 1 percent of species have been recovered.

There are a lot of steps we can take, like preventing groups from trying to get multiple species listed at once, returning more authority to the states. That would really help us more effectively deal with these problems. Certainly wolves and grizzlies are at the top of the list for species that need to be handled by the state and ought to be delisted permanently in my view.

A ruling on the Clean Power Plan in the D.C. District court is expected any day, I know you have come out strongly against the plan, but who will have the final say on the CPP, congress or the courts?

Thats a really interesting question. I talked to some folks in the transition team at the EPA and there are a couple of different paths that we can take, both legislatively -- there is a bill for example that is being moved right now, just being proposed in congress that would inhibit the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant --There are steps like that that you can take that would remove the legal authority that the EPA has had to promulgate the Clean Power Plan and that would start a process of repeal.

I think you could probably simultaneously move legislatively, but also anything that was put in place by rule making, the executive agency can undo by rulemaking  but that takes a while.

I think the agency can also send messages in terms of, This is what were going to do, that will begin to help industry make plans. So they can be like, Look were not going to be in a position to have to meet these goals. Again, as we did with the grey wolves bill, I think the crucial thing in some cases is to make sure the legislation doesnt just direct the agency  in that case delist- but also the federal courts dont have jurisdiction to review the decision. So we dont end up back in the circuit of the courts reviewing again.

Coal has been something of a backbone for the states economy for thirty plus years, but the coal sector is in trouble regardless of the Clean Power Plan ... the rising competition from natural gas, utility companies are not investing in coal for future projects, the growth in renewables ... Is the role of coal going to be different in Wyomings future? What does a healthy coal sector in Wyoming look like to you?

I think that from the perspective of what is healthy for the industry and whats healthy for the state, our coal industry just ought to be able to compete. I think that everybody understands, including people that are in these industries, that youve got market forces that are having an impact. But we shouldnt have a situation where they are dealing with the market. They know theyve got to compete with natural gas. They understand that, but when you also have policies coming out of an administration that are openly targeting were going to kill this industrythats nearly impossible to deal with.

I think that if were able to undo, not just the Clean Power Plan, but mercury and air toxins and get the moratorium on the leases lifted, a whole range of issues, I think well see a couple of very specific coal related issues dealt with as part of the congressional review act process. Then we will begin to basically allow coal to compete.

I think we also have an educational effort to undertake, and thats a big part of my responsibility too. There is a lot of misinformation out there about coal and fossil fuels in general and those industries dont get enough credit for what they have done, and the advances they have made. When you talk to people who arent from Wyoming or West Virginia, or Kentucky or a coal-producing state, they may not realize how much of their electricity is generated by coal. They may not realize the image that is out there around fossil fuels and around coal is so at odds with the reality of things like what the Dry Forks Plant really looks like and what reclaimed areas really look like and how much those companies are doing to be good stewards of the environment. I think that that education piece of it is really important too, so that going forward there is an incentive not to sort of, not continue on this path of saying, We have to turn away from coal, which not only do I think we dont have to do, but we cant do and we shouldnt try to do.As a nation we are so reliant on it still today, not just in Wyoming but across the country.

The technology for clean coal is far too expensive for utility scale use. What is the role of the federal government in helping coal? Should the industry receive subsidies towards clean coal technology as wind has done for years? If not, how do we help coal?

I think what we ought to do first of all is say what technology is really necessary. So much of the reason that its so expensive is because its forcing power plants to try and achieve goals that are unachievable. So I think we need a realistic look here. I dont believe the EPA ought to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant, and I think that regulations and the standards that have been put in place, even if you did believe the administrations version of global warming, which I dont agree with, the policies that they put in place dont fix it, dont even improve it. Were in sort of this twilight zone where they are killing our industries but they are not even accomplishing the goals they say they need to accomplish. I think we need a realistic look. The first thing that we ought to be doing is saying, Lets get rid of the burden of these regulations and lets see where we are in terms of the playing field, and lets see what can be done just to let these companies begin. Lets fix our tax structure so they can begin to compete before looking at additional subsidies.
U.S. House Rep. Liz Cheney does not believe the federal government should offer financial assistance to the coal sector for clean coal technology.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Star-Tribune recently, the newest addition to Wyomings congressional delegation focused on the role federal regulations could have played in coals downturn. The congresswoman is fighting for the repeal of environmental limits like the Clean Power Plan and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard. A regulations rollback will allow coal to compete in the electricity market again, whereas government subsidies or incentives to the industry are not currently on the table, she said.

The first thing that we ought to be doing is saying, Lets get rid of the burden of these regulations and lets see where we are in terms of the playing field, she said. ... Lets fix our tax structure so they can begin to compete before looking at additional subsidies.

Cheneys views reflect a common conservative argument against the Obama administration: linking the historic and rapid decline of the coal industry with impending regulations like the Clean Power Plan, which were developed during President Barack Obamas tenure. Opponents of the CPP say utilities are turning to wind and natural gas for electricity generation because those companies are uncertain of federal restrictions on burning coal. The new Congress has promised to repeal the CPP.

However, local energy experts say technologies such as fracking made natural gas widely available and affordable, and shares a greater portion of the blame for coals downturn.

In the last eight years, there was an active political offensive against coal, Cheney said. Governments role going forward will be to repair that damage.

I think that if were able to undo, not just the Clean Power Plan, but mercury and air toxins and get the moratorium on the leases lifted, a whole range of issues Then we will begin to basically allow coal to compete, she said.

Is clean coal a red herring?

As Cheney voiced her doubt for clean coal investment, she explained she doesnt agree with current climate science, nor with federal agencies regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant, she said.

I think what we ought to do first of all is say what technology is really necessary, she said. So much of the reason that its so expensive is because its forcing power plants to try and achieve goals that are unachievable.

However, that is not the climate that Wyoming has operated in for some time. In response to political and social aversion to coal-fired power emissions, and increasing competition with natural gas, Wyoming joined a public-private investment to research clean coal solutions with the Wyoming Integrated Testing Center at the Dry Fork coal-fired power plant in Gillette.

Clean technology is expensive right now, but proponents believe it can eventually save the industry from dying.

For Cheney, the focus on developing expensive mechanism to reduce coal emissions is a red herring.

Those in favor of the technology want it to continue, with government support.

You just cant give up on emissions technology, said Jason Begger, director of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority. Just because you dont have to do something better doesnt mean you shouldnt. Climate change isnt going away.

For Begger, utilities with younger coal plants offer a demand market for clean coal. This new fleet of plants represents expensive investments from companies. The cost for those plants and infrastructure is passed on to the consumers, he said. Those companies are not going to turn away from clean coal options, he said.

Still, the technology is not yet ready for utility-scale use. Before utilities risk investing in clean coal technologies, they are going to want more assurance. Thats where federal support via incentives or cost-sharing can pave the way, helping both the traditional coal industry and the new coal technology industry, Begger said.

In his work with the Integrated Testing Center, Begger found that there was no funding mechanism for what Wyoming was trying to accomplish: a mid-sized testing center that can take the small scale technologies developed by universities and pilot them for wider use. The center in Gillette is the largest of its kind.

Ultimately, the changing political climate, and the rollback of regulations, could offer more time for science to get to work, he said.

I think moving away from these political deadlines and letting (research and development) move at a natural pace will be much more help to the coal industry, he said. A lot of the reason utilities were forced to move away from coal is they had a deadline. They said we dont know if this tech will be ready or not.

Markets versus regulations

Everyone agrees that it is not only regulations but market competition that pressures coal. Yet, there is disagreement between politicians and economists in Wyoming about which is most responsible.

I think that everybody understands, including people that are in these industries, that youve got market forces that are having an impact, Cheney said. But when you also have policies coming out of an administration that are openly targeting  were going to kill this industry  thats nearly impossible to deal with.

Not everyone agrees. Many economists say coals expiration is almost purely market-based.

Ms. Cheney is entitled to her opinion, but I think she is wrong here, said Chuck Mason, an economist at the University of Wyomings Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy.

Coal is losing out to natural gas in a competition that has little to do with regulations, he said.

I dont think the reason utilities switch away from coal to natural gas is because of legislation in that moment, he said. I dont think you could find a single utility in the U.S. that made a decision to switch away from coal because of (regulations like the Stream Protection Rule.)

Electric utilities look at the hard numbers, and those companies are going to favor natural gas because it is cheap, reliable and more flexible to meet minute-by-minute electricity demand than coal, he said.

Wyoming political favoritism for coal is one that flummoxes the economist.

I understand that there are lots of people who work in the mines, but we produce and sell a lot of natural gas, he said. Natural gas is Cinderella here, and I dont see why there isnt some recognition of that.

The new face of coal?

Congresswoman Cheney would like to see the dialogue change.

The nation relies on coal and should not be turning away from it, she said.

When you talk to people who arent from Wyoming or West Virginia, or Kentucky or a coal-producing state, they may not realize how much of their electricity is generated by coal, she said. They may not realize the image that is out there around fossil fuels and around coal is so at odds with the reality of things like what the Dry Forks Plant really looks like and what reclaimed areas really look like and how much those companies are doing to be good stewards of the environment.

Re-education on the issue will be one of Cheneys responsibilities, she said. Instead of regulating carbon emissions, spreading policies to combat climate change or offering subsidies, the federal government should step back and allow coal an open playing field, Cheney said.

I think that from the perspective of what is healthy for the industry and whats healthy for the state, our coal industry just ought to be able to compete.
Wind development in Wyoming made a short list of infrastructure projects that may be considered for investment by President Donald Trumps administration.

The planned Chokecherry Sierra Madre wind farm near Rawlins and the proposed TransWest Express transmission line are on an unofficial list of about 50 infrastructure projects making the rounds in Washington, D.C.

Trump has promised a golden age of infrastructure for the U.S., from the nations roads and bridges to its airports. His administration has yet to release detailed plans.

Members of Wyomings congressional delegation and a spokesman for Gov. Matt Mead said they could not claim credit for the high-profile wind project potentially making it on the presidents list.

A spokesman for Sen. Mike Enzi said he was unsure how the new administration chose the listed projects but supported energy growth. He stopped short of endorsing federal investment in the wind projects.

Senator Enzi supports energy development across the state, Spokesman Max DOnofrio said in a statement. The Trump Administration has said that improving Americas infrastructure is one of their priorities. Senator Enzi is looking forward to discussing what role the federal government should play in order to support infrastructure projects.

The intricate web of energy grids that exists across the U.S. was mostly assembled and bankrolled by various companies over the decades, slowly connecting one network to another, experts say. But that grid is aging even as companies create new energy sources like the Chokecherry farm. For some years Wyomings ability to export electricity was hampered by maxed-out transmission lines.

The news of potential federal support came as a welcome surprise to developers of the 728-mile line and the 1,000-turbine wind farm, said Kara Choquette, spokeswoman for Power Company of Wyoming, a subsidiary of Denver-based Anschutz Corp.

TransWest and Chokecherry are privately funded investments to expand the national energy infrastructure, create jobs and boost manufacturing, Choquette said. As such, the projects are appropriate sites for federal support, she said.

The Power Company of Wyoming wind energy project and the TransWest Express Transmission Project are multibillion-dollar energy infrastructure investments that will create U.S. jobs, spur U.S. manufacturing, expand access to domestic energy sources, and strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the western regional electric grid, Choquette said in an email. We are very confident that these projects can advance under this administration, which recognizes the value of large infrastructure development.

First reported by the Kansas City Star and McClatchy, the list includes about 50 projects, totaling some $137 billion, from water storage plans in the Mojave Desert to highways in North Carolina.

Chokecherry and Transwest are almost a decade in planning and permitting. The first 500 wind turbines were green lit by federal regulators on Jan. 18. PWC intends to start building the approved transmission line in 2018.
BISMARCK, N.D.  President Donald Trumps executive actions on the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines are aimed at turning the much-protested pipelines into reality. Heres a look at what may be next for the two pipelines.

The $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline to carry North Dakota oil through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois is nearly complete, except for a stretch underneath Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota. Construction is stalled due to a court fight between developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Army Corps of Engineers over permission for the pipeline to cross under the lake amid objections from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which gets its drinking water from the lake.

The $8 billion Keystone XL project was to bring oil from Canadas oil sands to Nebraska, where it would join other lines already leading to refineries along the Gulf Coast. Former President Barack Obama halted it in late 2015, declaring it would undercut U.S. efforts to clinch a global climate change deal that was a centerpiece of his environmental agenda.

Trumps move on Dakota Access didnt immediately clear the way for construction to resume, but it did order the Corps to quickly consider whether to approve the Lake Oahe crossing.

Tribal attorney Jan Hasselman said what happens next will depend on how the Corps interprets the language. He said the tribe will fight in court any reversal of the Corps recent decision to conduct a full environmental study of the crossing  a process that could take up to two years.

Not completing a study would be a gross violation of the tribes treaty rights, he said.

The Corps Northwestern Division didnt immediately comment, saying it was still studying Trumps action.

Trumps nominee for Army secretary hasnt yet been confirmed. But U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican who has advised Trump on energy issues, said he doesnt think that needs to happen for the Army to consider Trumps message.

On Keystone XL, Trump invited TransCanada to reapply to the State Department for a presidential permit to build and operate the pipeline. State Department approval is needed because the pipeline would cross the northern U.S. border.

Trump directed the State Department and other agencies to make a decision within 60 days of a final application and declared that a 2014 State Department environmental study satisfies required reviews under environmental and endangered species laws. Environmental groups promised a legal challenge, arguing a new application requires a new review.

Opposition to Dakota Access resulted in hundreds and sometimes thousands of people camping on federal land along the pipeline route in North Dakota. The area since August has been the site of numerous, sometimes violent clashes between protesters and police, with nearly 625 arrests.

The camp has dwindled to fewer than 300 people after the Tribal Council recently told protesters to leave due to harsh winter weather and the need to get the area cleaned up before spring flooding.

Trumps action could re-ignite protests, but to what degree, we dont know, said Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network, which had been one of the main camp organizers before heeding the tribes call to leave last month. That group and other organizers have since called on Dakota Access opponents to spread out around the country rather than concentrate in southern North Dakota.

Aaron Dorn, 32, from Utica, New York, said he has no plans to leave the camp.

Im glad Trump got elected  it wakes people up to government-controlled capitalism, he said.

Keystone XL sparked several big protests across the country, including some at the White House that ended with hundreds of arrests, as well as an encampment on South Dakotas Rosebud Reservation that lasted for several months in 2014.

Jane Kleeb, founder and president of the Nebraska-based Bold Alliance, which fought Keystone XL, said the renewed fight to stop Keystone XL will take place on several fronts. The route still needs approval from the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which she said normally takes eight months to a year. Keystones developers cant use eminent domain to acquire the land they need until the PSC approves the route, she said, and affected farmers and ranchers have already dug in against it. She said that will mean more fights in court  and more protests on the land.

Youll see tepees, youll see tractors, Kleeb said. Youll see lots of people who are directly at risk, then all of our allies who support us. ... Now everybodys awareness level is a hundred times more because of Dakota Access.

Dakota Access developer Energy Transfer Partners didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on Trumps action. But a recent court filing indicates the company is ready to drill under Lake Oahe if it gets permission from the Corps. The company has entry and exit holes drilled on either side and has already put oil in the pipeline leading up to the lake in anticipation of finishing the project.

Keystone XL developer TransCanada said it will take up Trump on his invitation to reapply for a permit.
AUBURN  Auburn councilors are pleased that the state will cover the cost of a study into treatment options against blue-green algae toxins inhabiting the city's drinking water.

Lawmakers voted unanimously Thursday to accept a $75,000 grant from the state Environmental Facilities Corporation. This past fall, GHD Consulting Services, Inc. was hired to evaluate Auburn's water treatment plant after levels of microcystin  toxins produced by dying blue-green algae blooms  were found over the summer in the treated water drawn from Owasco Lake.

City engineers plan to review GHD's results early next week. The state is also providing an additional $75,000 for a separate study of Owasco's water treatment plant, for which the town has contracted GHD's services, as well.

The funding was announced earlier this month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo along with $2 million proposed to implement any upgrades to the facilities. The funding is included in the governor's proposed budget, said Christina Selvek, the city of Auburn's director of capital projects and grants.

"I think in the coming weeks, there's some interest maybe in council to cooperate with our state legislative officials to try to support that and keep that in the budget," Selvek said Thursday.

GHD engineers have been looking into the effectiveness of ozone and varieties of powder activated carbon in ridding the water of the algae toxins.

Auburn City Councilor Terry Cuddy said he anticipates that GHD will present three different treatment scenarios. The councilor thanked the governor and various other entities that have been responsive to the issue, including the county, the Owasco Watershed Lake Association and Save Owasco Now.

"Especially since it's wintertime and algae blooms are not currently an immediate threat," he said. "That's why we really need to respond to this now because the upgrades need to happen as soon as possible."

In other news

 Auburn will consider establishing a citywide registry of rental properties or landlords, City Manager Jeff Dygert said Thursday.

Dygert said the concept was broached when he and Brian Hicks, senior code enforcement officer, met with the Cayuga County Landlords Association earlier this week on several topics centered around improving the relationship between landlords and the city.

The registry "is not to create revenue or to implement a fee," the city manager said. Rather, Dygert said the program will be designed as a contact list in case there is an emergency or a situation that requires immediate response from a landlord or building owner.

The city will work on the program over the next few weeks.
The Legislature would determine what constitutes adequate funding for public education in Wyoming under a proposed constitutional amendment filed Wednesday, stripping authority to make those determinations from the state Supreme Court.

The bill, designated Senate Joint Resolution 9, would allow state lawmakers to determine when new taxes are needed to adequately pay for public education here. It would mandate that no court could require the imposition of any tax nor require any other provision of funding, beyond those already prescribed by law.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Sen. Dave Kinskey and co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Hank Coe and Curt Meier.

The proposed amendment is a significant step by the Legislature to avoid future litigation as it addresses a funding crisis in Wyoming public education. The state Supreme Court, in a series of court decisions stretching into the early 21st century, determined that an adequate and equitable education is a fundamental constitutional right in Wyoming, on par with freedom of religion and the right to bear arms.

In those decisions, the court ruled that the old system of funding, which included school districts raising funds on a local level, was unconstitutional. The court mandated that a new model for funding statewide education be crafted that would deliver an equal basket of goods to students from Jackson to Cheyenne.

But that funding model has come under intense scrutiny as money available to pay for schools nears a crisis point: By the end of the 2022 fiscal year, an education funding shortfall could hit $1.8 billion, the product of a two-year downturn in the states energy economy.

This bill is the latest in a slate of constitutional amendments proposed during this legislative session to address the situation and navigate its extensively litigated protections. Another proposed amendment would change how school construction is paid for here, as the traditional revenue stream  coal lease bonuses  runs dry.

A third amendment would require the courts to protect the equality of education by using a high standard known as strict scrutiny.

Like all constitutional amendments in Wyoming, SJ9 would have to receive the support of 20 senators and 40 representatives to land on the ballot next year.
Lawmakers will discuss the omnibus bill in front of a public audience Monday at Cheyenne East High School and take public comment about the wide-ranging provisions aimed at solving a looming education funding crisis.

The bill was introduced earlier this week and represents the Wyoming Houses main push to address the situation. It includes cuts to local administrators salaries, freezing of special education and transportation funding, and yearly transfers from the Legislatures rainy day fund into the main education account.

The House Education Committee voted earlier this week to collectively sponsor the bill. Only one member of the committee, Republican Rep. Garry Piiparinen, voted against the move, expressing concern about what he saw as limited input on a significant piece of legislation.

The meeting will be held by the House Education Committee and will begin at 6 p.m. at the high school, 2800 E. Pershing Blvd., according to a legislative news release. Public comment will be taken at five different times during the course of the meeting:

At the beginning of the meeting, as staff from the Legislative Service Office explain the legislation;

At 6:30, to address budget cuts in the bill;

At 7:15, on the bills proposed revenue enhancements;

At 8, on other aspects of the provision

At 8:30, when members of the House Education Committee will discuss and vote on the omnibus

Public comments will be limited to two minutes per person, according to the release, which advises that attendees should prepare written statements.

House Speaker Steve Harshman, a Casper Republican, had said earlier this week that he was open to holding at least one session at the high school.

Speaking before the meeting was announced, Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Superintendent Donna Little-Kaumo said she applauded the idea of lawmakers holding a meeting or taking a recess to discuss the legislation.

These decisions that are being made are going to be long-lasting, and we arent going to see them tomorrow, were going to see them over the next several years, she said.

The meeting comes two weeks after the Joint Education Committee held an informational session for all of the Wyoming Legislature to discuss what can and cannot be cut in public education. The state faces a $400 million annual shortfall starting in the next two-year budget cycle. A series of court cases limits what lawmakers can do to address the crisis.
GREELEY, Colo.  Authorities say 25 railroad cars carrying coal derailed in northern Colorado, with most overturning and spilling their cargo.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office says no one was injured in the derailment late Wednesday in the small community of Lucerne, about 60 miles north of Denver. The wall of the Northern Feed and Bean Building along the tracks was smashed open in the derailment.

Union Pacific Railroad spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza says the train was carrying coal from the North Antelope Rochelle mine in Wyoming's Powder River Basin to the Martin Drake power plant in Colorado Springs.

The cause of the derailment is being investigated.
The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded 13 contracts totaling $31.8 million at its recent meeting.

Knife River of Cheyenne received a contract for work near Otto Road in Laramie County. Construction crews will begin preliminary work on the $9 million paving and rehabilitation project on 7 miles of Interstate 80 this summer.

Crews will be repaving east and westbound lanes, along with adding a material that will protect the pavement from the elements, said Tim Morton, resident engineer with the Wyoming Department of Transportation in Cheyenne, in a statement.

The majority of the work on the interstate will be completed in 2018, reducing traffic to one lane during construction.

The crews will also repair eight bridges along the section of interstate. The contract is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2018.

The other 12 contracts awarded included other road resurfacing, bridge repairs, erosion repair and dynamic sign installation.

Croell Inc. of Douglas was the bidder on a $3.4 million overlay project on 12 miles of Wyoming Highway 94 near Douglas. That work is expected to be done by Oct. 31.

A $2.8 million contract was awarded to Hedquist Construction Inc. of Mills for a mill and overlay project on 6 miles of state highway 789 between Muddy Gap and Lander. The work will also include a new guardrail and bridge deck repairs. The work is being paid for with 10-cent fuel-tax revenue and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31.

Lovells Mountain Construction Co. was the low bidder on a $2.5 million pavement project on six miles of state highway 120 between Thermopolis and Meeteetse in Hot Springs County. The work is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2018, and is being paid for with 10-cent fuel-tax revenue.

Oftedal Construction Inc. of Casper was awarded a $2.1 million contract to replace existing guardrails on about 3 miles of state highway 220 between Muddy Gap and Casper. Workers will build up the rails and make them wider. The contract completion date is Oct. 31.

S & S Builders of Gillette won a $3.3 million contract to rehabilitate two bridges on I-80 near Cheyenne. The contract completion date is Oct. 31. The company was also the lowest bidder for a $1.9 million bridge rehabilitation project involving 10 bridges in Campbell, Crook and Johnson counties. Workers will make guardrail upgrades and bridge deck repairs. The project is expected to be complete on June 30, 2018.

The commission also awarded a contract for Kilgore Co. of Rock Springs for a pavement project of $1.6 million on 2.7 miles of Wyoming Highway 414 north of Urie in Uinta County by Oct. 31.

The state also awarded contracts for:

$1.5 million to Asphalt Surface Technologies of St. Cloud, Minnesota, for pavement work on 32 miles on sections of state highways 259 and 59 in Converse and Natrona counties by Aug. 31.

$1.4 million to Knife River for contract patching work on 6.2 miles on sections of U.S. 85, I-80 and at WYDOTs Driver Services office in Cheyenne by Oct. 31.

$1 million to Advanced Electric Contracting Inc. of Sheridan for the installation of a new overhead message sign on Interstate 25 south of Orin along with a side mount sign on U.S. 18-20 east of Orin in Converse and Platte counties. The work is expecting completion by Oct. 31.

$782,801 to Simon Contractors for concrete pavement work in several areas in and around Cheyennes state roads by Oct. 31.

$65,071 to Caspers 71 Construction for slide stabilization work on U.S. Highway 20 between Shoshoni and Thermopolis in Fremont County by May 31.
For frequent fliers who cycle in and out of jail, a judge has begun writing into their release orders that they must take the bus to Salt Lake City.
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CHEYENNE  The House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee on Thursday voted down a bill to require voters to show photo identification at the polls.

But it advanced bills concerning a system for permanent absentee ballots, election recounts and the date at which an absentee ballot must be accepted.

Voter ID

Committee members voted down a voter ID bill that was brought by committee member Rep. Lars Lone, R-Cheyenne.

Lone said he was given a ballot for an incorrect precinct when he went to vote and said if he had been required to show identification, that situation could have been avoided. Lone said he was not bringing the bill because of voter fraud concerns.

However, questions were raised about the effectiveness of voter ID laws, how absentee voters would need to prove identity and disenfranchisement of voters who may not have a government photo identification.

County clerks said voter fraud is extremely rare and didnt know how having to show identification would have fixed Lones situation.

Several people, including Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett, said the bill could be an issue for elderly voters, some of whom have never had a photo identification.

Lee Filer, a former Democratic representative who ran against Lone in the 2016 general election, used the example of a senior citizen home in his district.

About 60 percent of the people who live there  most of them havent had an ID in 10 years, he said. My grandmother never had a state ID ever.

Albany County Clerk Jackie Gonzales said human error does happen among poll workers, like marking the wrong person as having voted, but her office always tries to resolve disputes. People can also cast a provisional ballot when a dispute exists.

Gonzales also said no county in Wyoming requires identification at the polls as long as a voter is already registered, which contradicted a statement made by Lone that there is a patchwork of voter ID laws in Wyoming counties.

Representatives of the League of Women Voters, the Equality State Policy Center and the American Civil Liberties Union also spoke against the bill.

Reps. James Byrd, D-Cheyenne; Dan Furphy, R-Laramie; Tyler Lindholm, R-Sundance; and Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne; all voted against the bill.

Lone and Reps. Roy Edwards, R-Gillette; and Danny Eyre, R-Lyman; voted in favor.

Reps. Jim Blackburn, R-Cheyenne, and Pat Sweeney, R-Casper, were not present for the vote.

Permanent absentee ballots

A bill creating a process by which a person can request permanent absentee voter status was advanced to the full House by the committee.

Under a permanent absentee designation, a voter would automatically be sent an absentee ballot instead of having to request one for each election.

Voters would be able to become permanent absentees at the time they request an absentee ballot, after which the voter would then receive absentee ballots for all subsequent elections for which the voter is eligible.

However, permanent absentee status would be revoked by death, by becoming ineligible to vote, by an absentee ballot being returned as undeliverable or by request of the voter.

Blackburn, Byrd, Eyre, Furphy, Lindholm, Sweeney and Zwonitzer voted in favor of House Bill 46. Edwards and Lone voted against.

Election recounts

House Bill 163, which deals with election recounts, was also advanced by the committee.

Under the bill, a candidate requesting a recount would be liable for a greater cost of the recount.

Recounts in Wyoming are automatic if the margin between candidates is less than one percent. Candidates can request a recount for margins above one percent but must pay a $100 deposit that can be returned if the result of the election is changed.

The bill advanced by the committee would create a tier system in which the cost of the deposit rises as the margin of error rises, with the deposit topping out at $3,000 if the margin between candidates is more than 10 percent.

The bill came after elections in Park County were requested to be recounted, including one where the margin was 14 percent, said Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell, the sponsor of the bill.

The bill was also supported by county clerks.

All members of the committee except Edwards voted in favor of the bill.

Absentee ballots

The committee also narrowly advanced House Bill 68, which, as amended, directs county clerks to accept absentee ballots that arrive between Election Day and the official canvass as long as the ballots were postmarked by the Monday prior to the election.

Zwonitzer brought the bill, saying absentee ballots that arrived after this years primary and general election days could have changed the outcome of those races.

One of those races was a three-way Senate contest between his father, Rep. Dave Zwonitzer, Anthony Bouchard and Lindi Kirkbride. The elder Zwonitzer lost to Bouchard by five votes.

Another primary race in House District 41 was decided by two votes.

Committee members and those who spoke debated voter responsibility to mail ballots on time and situations where a mailed ballot may not arrive by Election Day even though it was mailed days ahead of time.

County clerks expressed concerns over the bill, and some said voters should be responsible for ensuring their ballot arrives by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The bill passed the committee by a 5-4 vote, with Blackburn, Byrd, Lindholm, Sweeney and Zwonitzer voting in favor and Edwards, Eyre, Furphy and Lone voting against.
CODY  A 30-year-old man has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the death of another man whose decapitated body was found in January 2014 in northern Wyoming.

At a hearing Wednesday, former Powell resident Pedro Garcia Jr. entered his plea in an agreement worked out with prosecutors.

The plea deal calls for Garcia to receive a 25- to 40-year prison sentence. District Court Judge Steven Cranfill will decide at a later hearing whether to accept the agreement and negotiated sentence.

Garcia is the second of three defendants charged in the killing of 30-year-old Juan Antonio Guerra-Torres to plead guilty.

The third person, John L. Marquez, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charges.
CHEYENNE  A Wyoming man fainted when he was sentenced to up to two years in prison for using his cellphone to take video up a woman's skirt at a Cheyenne store last June.

District Judge Catherine Rodgers on Thursday rejected a plea agreement that recommended 38-year-old Joshua McCard be given a probationary sentence for voyeurism. She sentenced him to 21 to 24 months in prison, noting his extensive criminal history included twice serving jail time for taking pictures up women's skirts at grocery stores.

McCard's knees gave way and he slowly sank down and fell backward.

McCard also had convictions for sexually assaulting his then-girlfriend's daughter in 2001 and another for domestic battery. Rodgers noted he was unable to meet the conditions of his supervised release in both cases.
I didnt march. I attended the Wyoming Press Associations 118th annual winter convention in Cheyenne.

During the two-day convention, I went to myriad workshops. From investigative reporting with limited resources to a moderated bench-bar-press panel discussion between a reporter, law enforcement officer and criminal attorneys, the focus at each session was how to improve the newspaper industry and, in turn, our work as journalists.

Dont get indignant because youre the press, Erin Jordan, an investigative reporter for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said of covering issues often rife with controversy.

Instead, Jordan cautioned, We are living in a climate as journalists where we have to defend and prove we have credible sources.

I appreciated her candor, her emphasis on our responsibility toward credibility and her focus on the climate we work in as 21st century journalists. It was Friday, Jan. 20, and the 45th president of the United States was being sworn into office. A new climate would begin. I just wasnt sure what the temperature would be like for journalists.

Each night after the WPA convention, I returned home exhausted but curious about what I missed in the days news while honing my industry skills.

When Trump visited the Central Intelligence Agencys headquarters on his first full day in office, I was hopeful.

The climate was changing, right? Trump was, after all, on CIA turf, for what I assumed was to extend an olive branch to the intelligence community, which he strongly opposed before taking office.

I want to believe that, as he spoke from the CIA headquarters with a backdrop of stars honoring intelligence officers who had died, our 45th president had the best intentions.

I want to believe that his intent to build a bridge with the intelligence community as he inferred in his inauguration address, was what led him to Langley. And Im sure the president felt he accomplished that goal.

There is nobody that feels stronger about the intelligence community and the CIA than Donald Trump, Trump said. There is nobody.

Unfortunately, as the president showed his solidarity with career intelligence officials, he took a firm stance against an industry older than the presidency.

I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth, right? Trump said.

Trump accused the media of lying about the size of his inauguration crowd. His grievance for his claim of inaccuracy was heard and fact-checked by multiple news agencies. The beauty of the First Amendment is that it guarantees freedom of speech. Trump was well within his right to question the medias accuracy.

However, when the president decided to refer to journalists as the most dishonest human beings on Earth on his first day in office, it set the climate.

When the presidents press secretary, Sean Spicer, used his first media briefing to scold the media for its coverage of the new administration, arguing that reporters had deliberately sought to minimize the crowd at the swearing-in Friday, he also tapped into his First Amendment right. Regrettably, when the presidents press secretary abruptly left the media briefing without taking questions, he added to the change in climate.

Were going to hold the press accountable as well, Spicer said. The American people deserve better.

I agree. The American people do deserve better.

As a 30-year career journalist, I dont invent, embellish or fictionalize my weekly newspaper column. I save that for my fiction. As a member of the Wyoming press, I firmly believe that inaccuracy does not strengthen journalism. It greatly diminishes our industry, and, worse, our credibility.

Its why I attended the WPA convention instead of marching. The focus was on craft and holding our industry accountable. I was reminded not to get indignant because Im the press. Therefore its not with indignation when I disagree with the most powerful man in our nation. Journalists are not the most dishonest human beings on Earth. However, we are often the target for blame when the climate changes and we report the shift.
One of the core tenets of responsible hunting and fishing is to respect the land and wildlife. We teach our kids this lesson from a very young age, and outdoor groups have been critical to some of our countrys largest habitat conservation efforts. In Colorado and Wyoming, there is a new approach to conserving critical public lands underway that all hunters and anglers should be able to support.

Master Leasing Plans are an approach to development and conservation on our public lands that balance the voices and interests of all parties who seek to use our public lands. This tool is being used by the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado, Wyoming and across the West, where proposed Master Leasing Plans include areas that are of critical importance to those of us who love to hunt and fish. These land management proposals replace the old outdated system of picking apart lands piece by piece for development, and instead bring together from the start hunters, anglers, businesses, energy developers and other stakeholders. Those groups work together to determine which of the lands must be protected because they have an important role as habitat or as a delicate ecosystem, and which can be responsibly developed.

Public lands provide thousands of outdoor recreationists and sportsmen and women like us, open spaces to hunt, fish, hike, bike, and explore. In Wyoming, the Greater Little Mountain area is home to bull elk, mule deer, moose, bear and antelope. A Master Leasing Plan for the Greater Little Mountain area would help to protect this prized habitat and ensure that Wyoming hunters for generations can continue to find big game on our public lands. The same is true in Colorado, where the proposed South Park Master Leasing Plan would protect gold medal trout fisheries that attract thousands of visitors from across the nation.

Too often our public lands are undervalued, but more communities are realizing the impact of outdoor recreation as a $646 billion industry that attracts companies with high-paying jobs and provides a quality of life employees are looking for. Master Leasing Plans help western communities and economies benefit by carefully considering the wide range of uses and values our public lands offers  and ensuring that one industry is not given preference above the rest. Before the tool was created, there wasnt an effective or comprehensive way of determining which places could be developed and which would be protected; the piecemeal planning process was ineffective at satisfying such a wide range of interests. It was costly and time-consuming which created uncertainty for all involved and served as an obstacle for long-term planning and development.

Outdoor enthusiasts depend on our public lands, much like energy developers and ranchers. Master Leasing Plans provide a process for us to make our voices heard in decisions about how those public lands are used. This opportunity should be welcome to all who enjoy our great outdoors. A conversation about our nations public land use would be incomplete without the voice of thousands and thousands of hunters and anglers.

Its not very often that sportsmen and women, conservationists, local businesses, ranchers, and the energy industry have the opportunity to come to the table and work collaboratively. Now that we have a tool like Master Leasing Plans for protecting our public lands, we should not go backward. We should embrace this balanced path forward that values the voices of community members, businesses, hunters and anglers. Our country should continue to use Master Leasing Plans as an opportunity to make our voices heard as a community and create a lasting legacy for the next generation of sportsmen and women.
On Nov. 6, 2012, Wyoming voters approved the passage of an amendment to the state constitution. Article I - Section 38 of the Wyoming constitution provides, in part, that every competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions and that the state of Wyoming shall act to preserve these rights from undue governmental infringement. Despite this amendment and the strongly held Wyoming belief in individual privacy Wyoming legislators relentlessly file bills that force the State into women's and families' medical decisions and the doctor-patient relationship. Bills that substitute legislative opinions for medical and scientific facts. Bills that do not ensure women or infants health but intend to place as many barriers as possible on women and families making their own health care decisions. These bills intrude into the patient-physician relationship with unnecessary and expensive medical procedures, provide vague and unclear standards to medical providers, and place them in fear of criminal prosecution. An abortion reporting bill has been filed that simply aims to stigmatize abortion care and harass medical providers - a bill that is totally unnecessary as reliable data already exists at both the state and the federal level.
Editor:

I'm shocked that HB135 (Government Nondiscrimination Act) was even introduced in the Wyoming Legislature. Its purpose is to render business owners immune to legal action if they refuse to serve members of a group they don't happen to like and make the excuse of religious principles.

Republicans generally want a small federal government and expect states to serve as "laboratories of democracy." Since Republicans are leading on HB135, I call on them to hold to this principle. North Carolina has already shown the devastating effects of institutionalizing bigotry. What's the point of the laboratory approach if we don't learn from the results of other states' experiments?

Further, the spirit of federal public accommodations laws affirms that someone who opens her/his business to the public must serve the whole public. Do we really want to fund yet another costly, doomed lawsuit?

Wyoming has 99 problems, but people's religion, sexuality, gender identity, etc. ain't one. Stop wasting time on things that only matter to ideologues and get after our real problems!
Editor:

HB136 sponsor Baker opened Mondays Joint Judiciary Committee meeting on UW campus carry by stating that he was against gun-free zones and seemed entirely unconcerned with the very real and highly predictable outcomes of eliminating them.

Rep. Cathy Connolly, speaking as a citizen, Equality State Policy Center Chair Marcia Shanor, UW President Ray Cross, UW VP of Governmental and Community Affairs Chris Boswell, Kathleen Peterson and I all explained our serious concerns and enumerated grave consequences to this response to safety issues.

The unassailable fact is that the presence of more guns increases the odds of their use, resulting in more accidental and unpremeditated shootings. With students facing unprecedented social and financial pressures, we should expect suicides, of which Wyoming is already a leader, to rise. Allowing arms encourages their choice as the means to settle impassioned differences among impulsive and too often drug-impaired young people.

Along with the right to bear arms, issues of perception and trust were unsatisfactorily touched upon in pursuit of the elusive one-size-fits-all solution. Instead of addressing broad circumstances and the realistic expectations of the majority, far too much weight was given to instances that are admittedly few, probably unlikely and certainly exceptional. Ultimately, laws cannot regulate the lawless. Criminals, addicts and the mentally ill require specially devised methods of control. To promote general concealed carry on campus to discourage an active shooter is like planting mines around your home to deter a thief  impractical, uncontrollable, over-reactive.

Chairman Kirkbride, Rep. Pelkey and Rep. Pownall answered the call for common sense, but all of our splendid reasoning was summarily swept aside by six members  Baker, Biteman, Jennings, Olsen, Salazar and Winters  in favor of an A rating and a check!
Editor:

We should use all forms of energy. Burning buffalo chips is a form of energy -- a renewable one at that. Can we look forward to a new line of buffalo chip stoves?

Wyoming is claimed to not like regulations, but this is blatantly false. The newspaper and media are all for regulations that get them what they want. The RPS is one example. Wyoming loves this rule because a billionaire from Colorado will despoil the Wyoming landscape with a thousand eagle-killing turbines because of regulations in California and federal land usage rules. I have heard no objection to Californias regulations because they get Wyoming what it wants -- a couple of bucks out of a billion-dollar project and virtue signaling, along with dead eagles, loss of open space and destroyed vistas to please people that dont live in this state.

Wind claims it is cost-effective, yet continues to demand tax breaks and Renewable Portfolio Standards. The bill currently introduced in Wyoming to require the use of oil and gas is virtually the same thing as an RPS except for requiring the use of things other than solar and wind. Seems fair, does it not? If a state can force the use of renewables, why not fossil fuels?

In reality, wind is nothing more than energy trapping. Its a throwback to the 19th century. Sure, its dressed up in pure white towers and marketed intensely by the companies that profit from it and those who buy the free energy angle (that free energy is a popular email scam topic is worth noting.) The only thing wind does is kill eagles, raise prices, damage numerous ecosystems and help keep people in the dark. Theres nothing to recommend it unless you love paying more for power, believe 400-foot towers on the prairie are agricultural and/or are very poor at math and science. If so, theres this bridge for sale...
Editor:

There are countless problems facing the state of Wyoming. Tremendous budget shortfalls, a stagnating economy, wide-spread job loss. One would think, then, that every legislator would devote every energy towards addressing these problems in the current session.

Unfortunately, one would be wrong. Rather than addressing anything pressing, five legislators have dedicated their time to House Bill 0135, the so-called Government Nondiscrimination Act. That name is a bit of a misnomer, as the bill does little to prevent the government from discriminating against anyone.

HB 0135s valiant (read: absurd) purpose is to dictate that the state not punish anyone for discriminating against someone based on their sexual orientation when doling out state services. What this bill does is allow someone who objects to same-sex marriage, or simply being gay, on religious grounds to use their governmental position to discriminate against those who are gay.

I had hoped that this wouldnt require comment, but apparently, members of the legislature are content to fight old battles that do nothing but harm the state. Everyone has a fundamental right to practice their religion. No one has the right to use their religion as a bludgeon, to deny services and aide to another because their religion demands it.

If an appeal to morality is insufficient, perhaps an appeal to logic will do. Why, when the state coffers have basically run dry, would any legislator want to pursue a piece of legislation sure to invite a flood of lawsuits? The costs of defending this sure loser would be absurd. It is irresponsible government for these legislators to demand that the Wyoming taxpayer fund the defense of an indefensible statute when their money could go towards literally anything else.

I urge everyone to oppose HB 0135 by every means. It is a ludicrous bill that wastes time and money, and is little more than the last gasp of a battle that is all but over. Every year I read that the legislature is concerned with how Wyomings best and brightest leave. Have they ever stopped to consider that they themselves are the cause?
Editor:

I was born and raised in Wyoming. I am Wyoming, a product of its complete and generous education system, a product of Laramie's incredibly strong community. While opportunities abound in Wyoming, I will not be moving back anytime soon.

I am gay, and I say so proudly, a title I could not confidently claim growing up in Wyoming. I grew up with my homeland stained by the legacy of hate towards gays.

Now my home state wants to institutionally support discrimination against me with HB-135. Behind the veil of religious freedom, HB-135 gives voice to Wyoming's hate of my gay lifestyle, and will, in time, inevitably lead to more hate crimes towards those perceived to be gay.

I want to feel safe and free walking the streets of my hometown with my partner. I want to feel welcomed home not shunned.

Please, Wyoming, do not give power to your hate.
I am writing in response to the piece that was published about the gay pride flag being flown on campus. One of the comments in the article expressed a view that hanging the pride flag in place of the American flag dis-honored the men and women who fought for our freedom to fly the flag. In fact, many of those people who have fought for all our freedoms over the years have been transgender, gay, lesbian and bisexual and joined the service even though they were denied equal access to many the same rights and freedoms. For many years under the ban on gays in the military and then under the Dont Ask Dont Tell policy, when these service people died in battle their spouses did not receive notification from the military, nor did they receive military death benefits. Flying the gay pride flag in place of the American flag does not dishonor our military personnel, it honors our gay service members.
Q: I recently booked a flight through American Airlines website for my son to fly from Los Angeles to Madrid. Within 24 hours, I canceled the flight. My son spoke to American on the phone, and was told that the refund would be credited to my credit card soon.

Its been more than a month. My credit card payment is due in three days, and the charge still shows as pending review. Can you help?  Sampath Radhakrishna, Cupertino, California

A: Your sons reservation fell under the 24-hour rule, which says that if you cancel an airline ticket within a day of making the reservation, youre entitled to a full and prompt refund. (Certain restrictions apply for last-minute tickets.)

How prompt? Well, thats the problem. When a refund is due, the airline must forward a credit to your card company within seven business days after receiving a complete refund application, according to the Department of Transportation. But the credit may take a month or two to appear on your statement.

Your son was at about the one-month mark. Hed been left with the impression that the refund would be issued soon, and had interpreted that as less than a month. In fact, American would have been well within its rights to wait two months before returning the money.

Lets pause for a moment to consider the absurdity of this situation. An airline is allowed to keep your money for two months  can you say interest-free loan?  while the rest of us must pay our bills promptly. Oh, and how long does it take American to withdraw the money from your account? Seconds.

Something just isnt right with this. American should have returned the money  in seconds.

This isnt an American Airlines problem, or even an airline problem. Corporate America creates rules in its favor that allow it to benefit from holding on to your money for a few extra weeks. Ive asked executives about the sluggish refund process, and theyve told me, with a straight face, that the problem is exacerbated by credit-card billing cycles and overly cautious accounting processes. I think thats nonsense. If they benefited from speedy refunds, they would have figured out a way to send you the money instantly. But they have no motive, so here we are.

A brief, polite email to one of Americans customer-service executives might have shaken a check loose from the accounting department. I list their names, numbers and emails on my consumer-advocacy site: elliott.org/company-contacts/American.
It took Rich Hopkins five minutes to pen Walkaway Again, the final track on his new Rich Hopkins and Luminarios CD My Way or the Highway.

The whole record just kind of came naturally as far as the music, Hopkins said on the eve of the records release party on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Club Congress. Musically we do a little more experimenting now.

Like mixing their signature psychedelic desert rock with a little more pop and incorporating spoken word on the opening cut Angel of the Cascades. Hopkins rocks a Neil Young vibe on Walkaway Again then busts into an impressive electric guitar concerto in the middle of the acoustic pop Mayan love story of Chan Kah. Dissonant rock and ambient sounds punctuate the Hopkins-penned instrumental Journey to Palenque, while Southern rock peeks out in the country picker Hell or High Water (Married Go Round).

The song Meant For Mo perhaps more than anything else illustrates his experimental state of mind.

Meant For Mo is the only one of the albums dozen songs not written exclusively by Hopkins and his Luminarios bandmate/wife/songwriting partner Lisa Novak. The pair share credit with Cesar Aguirre, Hopkins pal from his volunteer work at Casa Maria Soup Kitchen on the south side.

About a year ago when he was just starting work on the album, Hopkins was looking for a little inspiration, something to shake things up. So one day he got to talking with Aguirre, who worked at soup kitchen where Hopkins was a longtime, regular volunteer.

Hopkins said he asked the younger man to write something that spoke to life in Tucsons Hispanic community. What Aguirre came back with truly blew Hopkins mind.

For it to turn out that great, that kind of genius blows me away, Hopkins, 56 gushed, describing the song as Pink Floyd meets Neil Young.
Mountain Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6000 N. Camino de La Tierra at Green Fields School, announced plans to build a new church on Cortaro Farms Road between Thornydale Road and Interstate 10.

Architectural firms Blank Studio Design + Architecture of Phoenix and Ibarra Rosano Design Architects of Tucson will both work on the project, according to press materials.

Initial designs plan for a sanctuary seating more than 225 people, along with additional rooms for education and meeting and a dining area.
Visiting the Tucson Museum of Art on the second Sunday of the month isnt your traditional art-museum experience.

Adult $12 admission? Nope. Free.

Slowly sauntering through exhibits, quietly contemplating the art? Not exactly.

Second SundAZe @ TMA features the family-friendly Picture This! event, which is all about being interactive  and just plain active. The programs been around for awhile, but its previous incarnation involved an hour-long, docent-led tour along with an art project. The revamped event  the next one will be Feb. 12  is a lot more freewheeling.

Activities are up and running throughout the museum, and visitors can watch performances and jump into art projects. Every month features a different theme, and Feb. 12s highlights movement, so the University of Arizona School of Dance will stage a performance.

The whole point of it is just to have a fun, play-based activity where everyone can have fun and be engaged in the museum in a way that they havent before, said Heidi Herboldsheimer, TMAs museum educator for k-12 programming.

The event features free admission for Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, residents. Picture This! is targeted at kids fifth-grade and younger, but Herboldsheimer said a mom came in recently  with her grown son.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Jan. 27 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy

Former space commander and moonwalker John Young lays a flower at the dead astronauts memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 27, 2007, paying tribute to three fellow astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire 40 years ago. The three astronauts, Virgil Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee perished during a ground test less than three weeks before their scheduled launch. Grissom was the second American to fly in space in 1961. He flew aboard the Gemini 3 spacecraft in 1965, along with John Young. (AP Photo/Stefano Coledan)
A Border Patrol agent struggled with an undocumented immigrant who attempted to stab the agent, but instead struck a handheld radio, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday near Three Points, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.

The struggling agent received help from another agent who was in an Air and Marine Operations helicopter that landed in a clearing.

The suspect was arrested.

The incident began after the helicopter crew responded to a report of about 10 migrants walking in the desert near Three Points. The air crew spotted the group and was guiding Border Patrol agents on the ground toward the group's location, authorities said.

The air crew reported seeing one man fleeing from the group. A Border Patrol agent made contact with the man and both began to struggle.

During the struggle, the man pulled out a knife and tried to stab the agent, but struck the agent's handheld radio. The radio was attached to the agent's body armor, authorities said.

The agent called for help while struggling with the man. Once the helicopter landed, another agent went to his aid and both restrained and arrested the man, said authorities.
For years, the governing philosophy in the state Legislature has been, To the victor goes the spoils.

Republican House speakers and Senate presidents, who decide which bills are heard, have generally stuffed Democrat-sponsored bills in the trash. For Republican leaders, winning the majority meant rarely listening to the minority.

Thats been especially dismal news for Southern Arizona, which is represented mostly by Democrats.

This session, though, with new leaders in both houses, that has changed, two Tucson Democrats told me from Phoenix.

Rep. Randy Friese, the assistant minority leader, said Speaker J.D. Mesnard is refreshingly different from fellow Southern Arizona legislator David Gowan, the Republican speaker from Sierra Vista whose term ended last year.

The new speaker has been quite reasonable and attentive to our concerns, Friese said. Many Democrats bills are being heard. He is assigning our bills and theyre being heard earlier in the session.

Theres no guarantee of passage, of course. Frieses bill that would have required motorcyclists to either wear a helmet or pay an opt-out fee died in committee. But at least it got an honest debate and hearing.

Sen. Steve Farley, the Tucsonan who is assistant minority leader in the other chamber, has noticed similar changes. The new Senate president, Sen. Steve Yarbrough, has been open and respectful, Farley said, in contrast to former Senate president Andy Biggs.

Yarbrough has been helpful in ways I did not expect, Farley said. I feel like Im an equal member of this body in a way I havent felt in years.

Sen. David Farnsworth, the Republican who chairs the finance committee, has also included Farley in agenda-setting meetings, something Farley didnt expect. The two are even jointly pushing a bill that would put a sunset, or endpoint, on the many exemptions to the states sales-tax law.

This is an issue Farley has pursued for years, because the value of the exemptions, if revoked, could be in the billions of dollars. That money could be used to fix some of the states problems, Farley says.

Farnsworth would prefer to end loopholes in order to reduce or eliminate the state income tax. Whatever the reason, theyre working together.

Its a refreshing change that should work better for everyone in the end.

Border Patrol Union gets win

As Ive written, the National Border Patrol Council, the agents union, has benefited from being an early and strong endorser of Donald Trump for president.

Its had access to the White House, with Trump singling out union president Brandon Judd at a speech Wednesday. And they now have their first scalp.

The relatively new chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Mark Morgan, has been forced out of the job. The fact that the union vehemently opposed him cannot have been a coincidence.

In November, the agency released a scathing critique of Morgan, a former FBI agent who joined the Border Patrol as an internal affairs enforcer.

Morgan, who loves to flaunt his FBI credentials, was arrogant enough to push a great leader, manager, and citizen aside to feed his own ego and personal interest, the statement read. In reality, and if his first 6 months are any indication, he is in over his head and doing nothing but running scared.

The union favored an agency insider candidate.

Its not uncommon for law enforcement unions to be in an adversarial relationship with the chiefs of their agencies. In fact, its probably healthy, as long as they dont become enemies. Now, the risk is on the other side  that the relationship will go from too adversarial to too cozy.

Election tensions persist

Simmering tensions between Arizonas county recorders and the Arizona Secretary of States Office boiled over this week. As the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting revealed Wednesday, all 15 recorders sent a joint letter to Secretary of State Michele Reagan, demanding better communication and treatment, especially from Eric Spencer, the state elections director who serves under Reagan.

Communication between the County Recorders and the Secretary of States Office is in a dire state, failing to function as an equal partnership or even a cooperative working relationship, the letter reads. There needs to be dialogue with State Elections Director Eric Spencer, not dictation. Questions must be encouraged and answered fully and willingly from all offices involved.

Tensions have boiled over a variety of issues, Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez told me. One of the most important is a new, statewide voter registration system that the Secretary of States Office is pushing, though it would replace new systems in Maricopa and Pima counties already paid for by taxpayers. The new system would cost local taxpayers as well.

Weve said not no, but hell no, Rodriguez said.

Spencer did not demand that any Pima County voters be taken off the rolls, as he did in Gila County, Rodriguez said. But theres much more to the conflict between the recorders and the secretary of state.

The letter, Rodriguez added, is just touching surfaces.
Tucson police are investing allegations by several elementary school students that they were inappropriately touched by a staff member, officials said.

The Grijalva Elementary School employee was "immediately removed from any contact with students on Wednesday and no longer works for the district,"said Stefanie Boe, a Tucson Unified School District spokeswoman.

School officials and Tucson police are investigating the incident and believe they've identified all the students involved, Grijalva Elementary principal Timothy M. Grivois-Shah, wrote in a letter sent to parents on Thursday.

Because of privacy interests of the involved students and the ongoing police investigation, the school can't provide details of the allegations, Grivois-Shah said.
Environmental Protection Agency grants will keep flowing for Pima County air monitoring, despite Trump administration orders to freeze EPA grants for a review.

Colleen McKaughan, an EPA official in Tucson, emailed Pima Department of Environmental Quality officials Thursday that, the good news is that we are proceeding to process your grants. The same email was sent to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and environmental agencies in Maricopa and Pinal counties that get EPA grants, said Beth Gorman, a program manager for the county agency.

The review  was completed very quickly, wrote McKaughan.

On Tuesday, media outlets reported the Trump administration had ordered EPA to freeze grants to local governments for additional review. This caused consternation among environmentalists and some agency officials because many local and state environmental agencies spend EPA grants to carry out crucial functions.

Pima Countys environmental agency annually gets about $500,000 in EPA grants. The majority goes to operate air quality monitors and to pay staff who check the monitors. The county agency notifies the public when air pollution readings are high or health standards are violated. Routine air quality data is posted on the county agencys website.

We were on pins and needles all day Tuesday, Gorman said.

The freeze could have shut the county air monitors down in a week or two had it continued, said Ursula Nelson, the county environmental agencys director. Its a relief to know the grants will continue.

ADEQ gets 13 percent to 15 percent of its total annual budget from EPA, said department spokeswoman Caroline Oppleman.
The two men who died in a Jan. 23 plane crash in Tucson were identified as Jeffrey Green, 56, and Daniel Rodriguez, 38.

The men were identified through dental comparisons on Jan. 26, the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner said in a news release.

The privately-owned Beechcraft 300 Super King Air was headed to Mexico, but crashed at the Tucson International Airport shortly after takeoff. The two men died from blunt force and thermal injuries.

National Transportation Safety Board officials are investigating the crash.

The plane arrived at the Tucson airport on Friday, Jan. 20, coming in from Daugherty Field Airport in Long Beach, California, according to flightaware.com

Listen to a recording of the Tucson airport tower's communications with the plane:
Goodwill Industries of Northern Arizona will recognize six individuals and organizations at its second Community Impact Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., at the High Country Conference Center in Flagstaff.

Connecting friends and neighbors to employment opportunities and demonstrating the power of work are the cornerstones Goodwill's message. The award recipients are being honored for embodying this commitment to workforce development in northern Arizona.

The keynote speaker at the event will be retired Staff Sgt. Joseph Girvan, a former Army Ranger who is now an IT Project Manager with Banner Health. He made the transition from deployment to employment with help from the Hire Our Heroes initiative between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Goodwill Industries.

Mr. Girvan is a passionate advocate of programs providing the help veterans and their spouses need in finding employment as they make the transition from military life to corporate culture, said David Hirsch, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Northern Arizona. We are looking forward to his insights and believe they will help us make our programs, such as the American Veterans and Their Families initiative, even more relevant.

The 2016 Collective Community Impact Award will go to the Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA). ECoNA coordinates the efforts of private, public, and nonprofit entities to attract new businesses to the region; work with existing companies so they can expand; and promote strategic workforce development efforts to provide a highly skilled and appropriately trained workforce for the companies doing business here.

The 2016 Business Engagement Award will go to Little America Hotel. In addition to participating in and hosting job fairs with Goodwill, Little American in Flagstaff has committed to giving a chance to individuals with barriers to employment, including teens who are just entering the workforce (part of Goodwills First Jobs Summer Youth Employment Program) and those re-entering society after being incarcerated (Fresh Start Re-Entry Program).

The 2016 Goodwill Ambassador of the Year will be presented to Colleen Smith, president of Coconino Community College. Since arriving in Flagstaff last year to take the helm at CCC, Smith has been a vocal advocate of the work Goodwill does to fulfill its mission. The college and Goodwill have partnered on numerous workforce development initiatives, the most prominent being the Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician training initiative and the First Jobs Summer Youth Employment program. Smith serves on the Goodwill Industries of Northern Arizona Board of Directors.

The 2016 Goodwill Graduate of the Year is Keillynee Martinez, former Goodwill team member. Shortly after moving to the area from Puerto Rico, Martinez applied for a position as an AmeriCorps worker in Goodwills Cottonwood location. Martinez had a successful human resources career in Puerto Rico, but was unsure about working full-time while raising two sons. She successfully obtained a part-time AmeriCorps job with Goodwill and quickly became a valued team member.

Keillynee dove headfirst into her work and helping our local job seekers find and keep employment, said Cottonwood Team Leader Dave Meyers. She just fell in love with Goodwill, our mission of putting people to work, and her team in Cottonwood. Recently, Keillynee graduated from Goodwill and has secured an HR position at Cliff Castle Casino, training hospitality staff for the new hotel there.

The 2016 Goodwill Team Member Award will be presented to Alroy Jones. There was a point in Joness life where he just, as he put it, hit a wall. Going through a divorce, he had no home, no job, no vehicle. Eventually the hardships took a physical toll and Jones wound up in the hospital, with doctors pessimistic that he would even survive. Thats when I gave my life to the Lord and took up the challenge to prove the doctors wrong, he said.

There were some bumps in the road to recovery; he tried to return to work too early at a dishwasher job and had to quit when his health deteriorated again. Doctors warned he probably would never be able to hold down a full-time job. Again, Jones proved the experts wrong. He found Goodwill and was hired as a greeter in its West Flagstaff outlet store. It wasnt easy, and the first few months were among the hardest of his life as his body adjusted to the daily work. But not only did Jones survive, he thrived and as the months passed, he was promoted time and again until he became the team leader for the outlet store.

I'm now working 45 to 50 hours a week with no limitations, he said proudly, and the doctor who doubted me all this time now just smiles with every visit.

Finally, the 2016 Goodwill Achiever of the Year will be awarded to Liz Ontiveros. When her husband left her after a tumultuous 28-year marriage, Ontiveros retreated from the world. I completely isolated myself and locked myself in my room for about a month, she said.

But a counselor suggested she investigate the work adjustment training initiative at Goodwill. Eventually, she was hired at the Goodwill store in Cottonwood as a greeter and has become an inspirational team member. And while the paycheck is great, Ontiveros said Goodwill gave her more than a way to make a living. Working here gave me confidence, she said. I gained self-esteem. It gave me my life back.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS) : The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on Friday urged the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revoke the changes it brought about last year on admissions to M.Phil and Ph.D courses in central universities.

The JNUSU called the proposal discriminatory against less-privileged students since interview will be the sole criterion for admissions under the new system, against a two-part (enterance test and interview) system earlier.

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Terming the UGC guidelines as straitjacketed, the JNUSU said adopting these will be akin to reversing decades of hard work put in ensuring level playing field for everyone.

The notification was adopted by the Universitys Academic Council amid protests by many of its members and students on December 26 last year.

According to it, the enterance test will be reduced to a qualifying exam and selected students will be admitted solely on the basis of interview.

The JNUSU said this was anathema to what was proposed by the Abdul Nafey Committee, which had recommended a reduction in weightage in viva voce (interview) from 30 per cent to 15 per cent.

Before the UGC notification came, the entrance test and viva voce were given weightage of 70 and 30 per cent respectively.

We are being pushed towards 100 per cent viva-based admission process. It will open the doors for 100 per cent discretion, discrimination and favouritism in admissions, the JNUSU said in a statement.

We wish to remind the UGC that there is a 1980 five-judge Constitution Bench verdict which forbids any selection process to have more than 15 per cent weightage for viva voce, it pointed out.

The JNUSU also questioned the fate of points given to candidates from disprivileged backgrounds, including for women.

The points are added to combined scores of entrance test and interview which will not be possible under the new system since the test will merely a qualifying exam.
Coconino Community College nursing student Stacy Camp was past 40 when she decided to return to school part time in 2011.

She had been a stay-at-home mom who homeschooled her five children and took care of a very ill son. When she returned to college, eventually switching to full time, she applied for and received several scholarships through the CCC Foundation.

They have been a major blessing, Camp said. Going back to school without the funding would have been difficult. It has taken some of that burden off my husband.

The scholarship season for the 2017-18 academic has begun and runs through late March. To help students, CCC and Foundation and Financial Aid staff will offer two seminars in February to offer guidance to students seeking scholarships.

In her career at CCC, Camp has received several scholarships, including the CCC Foundation Presidents Award, Jason Kurtz Nursing scholarship, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Nursing scholarship, an AAUW of Sedona scholarship and a Dougherty Foundation scholarship. The scholarships support her tuition and books, and sometimes, she has funds left over for home expenses, which the family might not otherwise have been able to cover while she attends school full time.

Camp listed another benefit: The scholarships have raised the standards of whats acceptable for her children. If she can go to school and have an exciting time, be a mom, be a wife and work part time as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Peaks Senior Assisted Living Center, her children can get straight As. Her children have been gifted with the drive to excel in college because theyve watched their mom do it.

That example of how to persevere has been good for them, Camp said.

Now, she needs to balance three more semesters of school and children and she will be done with her studies. Her plan is to work in Flagstaff at a local doctors office, where she has already spent time. Shes hopeful to work in surgery, or as a school nurse. Eventually, she would like to go on medical missions internationally with her church.

Well wait and see, she said, smiling.

Her motivation to be a nurse: Her oldest son, who is 23, has been sick most of his life. He was put on dialysis when he was 9 days old. Hes undergone kidney transplants, and he has had brain bleeds, cancer and seizures.

What does she enjoy the most about the profession of nursing? She gets to watch people get better, to improve after being sick or injured.

Its so cool to do what I can to make someones life pleasant and more comfortable, Camp said. That is so exciting  to be able to make people more comfortable so they can heal and get home.

And the help a nurse can offer doesnt always need to be complicated things. Little things, like listening, often helps, too. Listening to the patient is key, Camp said. It helps establish trust in how to approach them, how to hold them, how to move them and how to help them heal. Theres a dignity that should be afforded patients who are stripped down to nothing, unable to do what they want.

Its been really rewarding, Camp said.

She is scheduled to graduate from the nursing program in May 2018. She already has a bachelors degree in elementary and special education, which she received from NAU in 1990.

Camp stressed that she did not want to go into debt to attend college, and she doesnt want that for her children either. She currently has three children in college. One son, Matthew, who was a CAVIAT student in high school, is now at CCC studying business. He received the Larry Goltz Memorial Accounting scholarship to help cover the costs of his education. In May, he transfers to Northern Arizona University.

Matthew said, It was a fantastic surprise to hear that I had been chosen to be given this scholarship. It is also a great financial break because not only do I have less out of pocket to pay for, I can also register for classes way ahead of time without paying for it all at the same time.

Matthew said his future plans are to work for a company to get experience before starting a business of his own.

Camp and her son said that they recommend students apply for scholarships.

Matthew said, Why not? A scholarship is a scholarship. Why not apply for as many as you can? If the school that you attend can offer you the opportunity for some financial help, it makes studying much less stressful, especially for the students who pay their own way to attend school.

Camp said, I think a lot of people are intimidated by the essay. But its free money. You just got to get over it and do it. Just do it.

She added that it is very motivational to know somebody is supporting you through your education.

Its very encouraging, Camp said.

CCC will offer two seminars, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., and 4 to 5:15 p.m., on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to help students apply for scholarships. The first seminar will also be broadcast to the Page Instructional Site.

The seminars will be held at the CCC Lone Tree campus, 2800 S. Lone Tree Road. For more information about scholarships available through the CCC Foundation, visit coconinofoundation.org, or www.coconino.edu/scholarship-information, or call 928-226-4348.
I am not afraid to speak frankly to a president of the United States, said Theresa May ahead of her visit to Washington, and mere days after refusing to answer whether she will confront Donald Trump regarding his position on women during the Womens March.

Ms. May should meet Trump

Make no mistake; it would be unwise for Mrs. May to turn down the opportunity to be the first to meet trump after his inauguration. Though he has shown a less than flattering start to the rest of the world in his first week of his presidency, it would seem foolish to miss the chance to speak to one of the most powerful political figures in the world.

At least, unless you're the president of Mexico.

Its just difficult to inspire confidence in May. After all, this is the same Prime Minister that denied a clear answer on what the people of Britain voted for, calling the latest national affair a Hard Brexit, not a soft Brexit and very much a red, white and blue Brexit until finally clarifying what it meant.

The Prime Minister clearly values the relationship between the UK and the US - and its understandable with the past of cultivating friendships and for future trade deals - but it hardly bodes well that she is unable to take a firm stance against Trump himself has to say to her.

At every opportunity that she is asked on whether she will confront Trump, May either defends him, or at most says she will speak out if she finds anything unacceptable.

A special relationship of opposite ideals

Its hard to understand exactly what shared interests there are outside of the trade deal in the special relationship" May continues to describe.

The two countries are both in a period that is pushing for nationalism, but complimenting a man for his opinion of leaving the rest of the world behind seems counter-intuitive - urging a man to isolate himself then extending the hand of partnership surely can't make for a strong friendship or business arrangement, or not an equal one at least.

This is certainly not the popular Barack Obama smiling and playing ping pong with David Cameron. Trump is a volatile President who has advocated for torture, criticised NATO, is making connections with Putin, is vehemently against climate change and has made offensive remarks towards women.

The UK has stood against all of these - ironically making Britain sound far more pro-Europe - but May seems too eager to shake hands and too wary to oppose Trump, risking the chance for making good bedfellows.

The UK is in a difficult position with the rest of Europe, and taking a stronger stance against some of Trump's unapologetic arguments to ease him over may yet win her points with the EU.

But how "frankly" is the Prime Minister willing to be against the President of the United States when the UK is desperate to ensure good trade deals in an uncertain post-Brexit climate?

Hopefully the Prime Minister will surprise the rest of the world with a strong showing of morals as they watch her converse, with a man dangerously close to the Kremlin.
During his first television interview since he was inaugurated as last Friday, the President Donald Trump endorsed the use of torture on terrorists. Trump stated that torture 'absolutely works' and the US should use it to 'fight fire with fire'.

'Fight fire with fire'

In an interview with ABC news, Trump stated that he would delegate to defence secretary James Mattis and CIA chief Mike Pompeo to decide what kind of torture is legal. Trump also discussed using torture as a deterrent to terrorism. When asked about waterboarding specifically, Trump declared: 'It absolutely works'.

Trump continued: 'When ISIS is doing things that no-one has heard of since medieval times, we should fight that. Would I be against waterboarding? As far as I know, we have to fight fire with fire. Terrorist groups chop off people's heads in the Middle East because they're Christian or Muslim or anything. We're not on an even playing field when it comes to fighting terrorism'.

Trump's interview surfaced hours after reports began to circulate that Trump is preparing to sign an order to reinstate detention centres for suspects accused of terrorism. However, Trump's stance on torture has already received substantial backlash.

Trump's stance a threat to national security

John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate that co-authored a bill that prevents US soldiers from using interrogation techniques beyond those set out by the US army, stated: 'Trump can sign anything he likes but the law is the law.

We are absolutely not bringing torture back to the United States'.

Retired air force colonel, Steve Kleinman, warned that allowing special services to implement torture techniques as a means of interrogation would have serious repercussions on national security.

Theresa May, Britain's Prime Minister, has been urged by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to confront the new President's stance on torture when she meets him on Friday. May responded by stating that the United Kingdom's 'special relationship with the US allows me to engage with the new President on key issues'.
president Donald Trump, who was inaugurated last Friday during anti-Trump demonstrations across the world, has signalled that he may potentially sign an executive order to initiate an investigation into voter fraud. The investigation, likely to cost the tax payer millions of dollars, will be carried out by the Department of Justice, if it goes ahead.

Unsubstantiated claims

Throughout the election campaign, Trump regularly alluded to the notion of illegal voting activity without citing any evidence to substantiate his claims. Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to explain his claims, once more failing to cite any evidence.

I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 25 January 2017

even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 25 January 2017

The President is expected to initiate discussions about an investigation into voter fraud today as he meets with senior Republican lawyers. Sean Spicer, Trump's press secretary, said: 'Trump wants to discuss the issue and explain to them why he is talking about illegal voting activity before taking any further action on the matter'.

Although Trump won the Electoral College and the presidency, he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by over 2.5 million votes. Despite securing the presidency, Trump has been obsessed with the popular vote, referencing potential illegal voting activity on regular occasions.

In an interview with ABC on Wednesday in which he claimed that 'torture absolutely works,' Trump also mentioned voter fraud.

Trump stated: 'You have people that are registered to vote that are dead. You have people registered to vote who are illegals. You have people registered to vote in two states. There are an estimated 3-5 million fraudulent votes. Of these 3-5 million fraudulent votes, none of them are for me, they are all for Hillary,' Trump alleged.

'Voter fraud exists in small numbers'

David Becker of the PEW Research Institution told CNN: 'There is no evidence of voter fraud even approaching the numbers that President Trump has suggested. Does voter fraud exist? Of course it does, but in very small numbers. Election officials across the United States are working hard to investigate these instances'.

News on whether Trump will launch an investigation should break this evening.
Donald Trump got from his counsellors - and will soon sign - a draft decree, according to which the United States will stop receiving refugees from Syria, as well as suspend funding an extensive program for refugees for the next 120 days.

The president will conduct counterterrorism policy and limit immigration from other countries

The document is a continuation of Trump's actions to tighten the Immigration policy, which also includes a plan of the promised wall construction on the Mexican border. At the same time, in a statement about its construction, Donald Trump said he did not intend to create new laws: "We will work with existing systems and structures."

So, speaking of the construction of the wall - it is based on the 2006 law, according to which a fence should be built for 3000 km on the Mexican border.

However, after the construction of 1000 km, the construction was suspended under the decree. The White House expects to finance the building of the wall with the help of US southern neighbour. However, the President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto has repeatedly stated that he would not pay a cent for the construction, and now IS going to cancel a scheduled meeting with Trump.

The coordinated document states the termination of the issuance of visas to citizens of Muslim countries - Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Libya - at least for the next month. These intentions were warmly greeted by allies of the Republican Party in Congress. however, THEY caused fierce criticism of the immigration policy advocates and even created new tensions in relations with the Mexican government.

Former US Secretary of State in President Bill Clinton's administration - Madeleine Albright said in his microblog on Twitter that America must remain open to people of any religion and any nationality. Sociological results also note that a significant part of Americans perceive such actions of the president as positive because America got tired of the influx of refugees.

It corresponds to many factors, but the main is the competition for jobs - it is believed that most of the jobs are taken by immigrants from different countries.

Trump is going to stop the migration from countries that are a harbour and stronghold of international terrorism

Of course, this will have a negative impact on diplomatic relations and strategic positions of states.

Thus, the United States will ruin ties with Iran and other countries even more. Experts in their field emphasise that Trump does not seek to "make friends" with the Middle East. The only country that relates to Trump's interests - is Israel. The US does not want to bear the burden of responsibility for the Middle East propagation: the main agenda will be the fight against terrorism.
Indian Country Today reports Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is suing to dispossess Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) of their ancestral lands to build his multimillion dollar fortress of solitude. The Social media giant is the latest insult in the history of US colonial oppression of the Kanaka Maoli people. The new colonialism is led and controlled by the neoliberal corporate elite. Fukuyamas prediction of the universalization of Western liberal democracy, i.e. the Westphalian sovereign state and the political economy of capitalism, as the end of history might soon be overturned in light of the declining power of the state.

Violence and legitimacy

The authority of the sovereign state is traditionally defended by the states monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, but no longer. The world witnessed extreme violence in defense of the decidedly private corporate interest of the Dakota Access pipeline with state agents acting as total corporate subordinates. Fascism has one generally agreed upon definition; i.e. a corporate state. It is already here and multinational corporations, over which citizens have no democratic control, are rapidly supplanting the sovereign state as the new global colonial master. Historically only non-Western peoples need fear the colonialism of the Westphalian state, but everyone in the world is subject to subordination to the corporate state.

Its power is economic rather than political, i.e. extra territorial.

Critical miscalculations

Before the infamous 1953 US led coup democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh misread the US as an anti colonial society. Mosaddegh tried to nationalize Irans oil which its former British colonial masters could not tolerate.

The UK asked the US to intervene leading to the 1953 coup, the installation of the brutal regime of Shah Pehlavi and ultimately the end of secular nationalism and the institution of religious theocracy in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Similarly, Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Min wrote many letters to US citizens and Presidents, even modeling the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence on the American Declaration.

The US responded by aiding Vietnams French colonial masters subsequently invading Vietnam in a brutal neo colonial war. How did they get the US so wrong?

US anti-colonial facade

The American story is presumably that of liberation of the American colonies from the tyranny of Britain. One would assume then that as a liberated formerly colonized society, the US would naturally support other national liberation movements of other colonized peoples. Had Mossadegh and Min looked more closely at the US they might have realized it is itself a settler colonial society actively engaged in the enclave colonialism of hundreds of internally colonized indigenous peoples. Indeed, US anti-colonial rhetoric has generally had the ulterior motive of the US seeking to insert itself as the new colonial master.

Such as when the US replaced Spain in the Philippines, but before the Philippines there was the Sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii.

Illegal foreign occupation

Native Hawaiian Kamana Kinimaka responded to Zuckerbergs suit by saying, Youre occupying land in an illegally occupied Nation.... The US illegally annexed Hawaii from the UK in 1893 (the UK never controlled Hawaii). During World War I US President Woodrow Wilson espoused Wilsonian anticolonial rhetoric that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill understood as a US attempt to supplant Britain as a global superpower, it worked. The US demanded global decolonization, but it unilaterally removed Hawaii from the list of non-self-governing territories.

It held an illegal plebiscite without impartial international supervision leading to Hawaiis US statehood. The Kanaka Maoli continue to resist forcible political integration into the US. They defend their legal right to self-determination. Zuckerbergs suit is an assault on the territorial integrity of the Native Hawaiian nation.
A beautiful and alluring Pakistani celebrity residing in thousands of hearts for her acting and modeling skills had created havoc on social sites by posting some sexually revealing photographs and unabashed comments.

Little did Fauzia Aseem better known as Qandeel Baloch know that there was someone who was stalking her every move with a slow raging fire of hatred developing in him, wondering how she could she be shameful enough to flaunt her sexuality across the world, belonging to a conservative Muslim country?

The man was also holding a fervid resentment against her for her uploading bold selfies with the Pakistani Cleric Mufti Qawi that had incriminated him in the eyes of the public and cost him his post.

Cold and planned murder by own brother

He planned her murder with some other men and on 16th July 2016, she was found dead in her residence in Multan, 350 km away from Lahore.

The man was none other than her own brother who mercilessly killed her on the fateful night of 15th July, 2016 after drugging her and then strangulating her to death. His vehement anger against her was visible on her face in the form of severe bruises in spite of her death due to strangulation. Though there are also statements that have been declaring that she was shot by her brother after being drugged.

Her brother Waseem Azeem, cousin Haq Nawaz, taxi driver Abdul Basit have already been indicted by the court in spite of their pleading not guilty with the fourth suspect Zafar Khosa still absconding.

The complainant Qandeels father Azeem Baloch had also declared her other brother Mohammad Aslam Shaheen as a suspect who was involved in her murder, based on which, the brother had been arrested under section 109.

Pakistan #SocialMedia Star Qandeel Baloch's Brother, Cousin Charged For Her Killing - News18 : https://t.co/VuOekqu2hJ  Blogger (@BloggerAu) December 22, 2016

Qandeel's father backs out from his testimony

However during the hearing of the case on Wednesday Azeem retracted his statement against his son Aslam and refused to testify against him.

On Thursday the police registered a case against him under section 213 of Pakistan Penal Code after receiving orders from the Additional District and Sessions Judge Ahmad Raza to arrest him on grounds of withholding evidence.

Qandeel Baloch Murder Case Takes New Turn As Father Changes Statement #haha https://t.co/K0lOGc7iUM  News Everyone (@News_Everyone1) January 26, 2017

It is indeed saddening that a law in Islamic Shariah states that the family of the victim of honor killing have the right to pardon or forgive the killers if they want which usually is taken to as the killers are from within the family only in most of the honor killing cases.

With such gruesome acts increasing substantially in Pakistan it is left to be seen whether women have a safe survival in the country in the near future or will they be kept punished under gender based violent attacks?
Officials are reminding people that it's not too late to get a flu shot this season. Nearly 1,800 cases of flu have been reported across Arizona so far according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Flu season can last through late spring and complications from it can include bacterial pneumonia, ear and sinus infections, dehydration and worsening of chronic medical conditions. Pregnant women, children younger than 5, adults older than 50 and people who work in health care are among high risk groups who are strongly encouraged to get the vaccine.

The Coconino County Public Health Services District is offering seasonal flu shots at the CCPHSD Clinic in Flagstaff. To schedule an appointment, call the Clinic at 679-7222 or toll-free at 1-877-679-7272.
Donald Trump's governing orders will start to overhaul the US immigration enforcement management that he promised during his campaign. In 2006, President George W. Bush signed the "Secure Fence Act" wich authorized more barriers and surveillance equipment. About 700 miles of fence already runs along the US-Mexico border. However, it's not one continuous structure, and a large number of Border Patrol apprehension continues. With President Trump's new policy, anyone caught attempting to re-enter illegally will get a two-year minimum federal prison sentence.

The hefty task on the way

The development of the wall will begin later in the year, and the planning will start immediately. Experts explained that the construction of such a barrier would be almost unthinkable, it would require enormous amounts of material, and it wouldn't stop immigration -- it might encourage people to risk their lives to cross at unwalled places where construction is unworkable. The cost would be astronomical -- Trump confirmed that the wall would be built with federal funds and then seek reimbursement from Mexico. Trump guarantees an agreement with the Mexican government will start soon.

Crossing back into the US following deportation is going to be severely enforced

Far fewer migrants from Mexico are successfully entering the country illegally than a decade ago as a result of stepped-up border enforcement, but it's still a problem.

The president wants to establish a mandatory, minimum federal prison sentence for people who illegally re-enter the country. "When people come in, they will be sent out; if they come back in, they'll go to prison for quite a while," Trump stated during his press conference on January 25. Also, he proposes a five-year mandatory, minimum sentence for people with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions, or two or more prior deportations for those illegally re-entering the country.

The president is expected to restrict the flow of illegal re-entry to the United States, and he's beginning to take steps to tighten border security.
Melania trump's image in Mexico isn't going over well on magazine stands. In the February issue of Mexico's Vanity Fair, President Donald Trump's wife is featured on the front, just one day after the country's leader nixed a meeting with the U.S. president scheduled for next week.

Bad judgement on magazine cover?

According to ABC News, the magazine cover featuring Melania Trump isn't a new photo since it first appeared on GQ magazine last April during the presidential race. Conde Nast is the parent company of Vanity Fair Mexico and GQ, which is why the image was recycled.

The photo of Melania was shot by Douglas Friedman and the cover informs readers that the accompanying article will reveal how the former model handles life with her husband as president and that she could be the next Jacqueline Kennedy.

Melania Trump, en portada de febrero. Un reportaje que desvela como fue el pasado de esta intrigante primera dama. https://t.co/WP298EtGug pic.twitter.com/ZUNOvkYaEI  Vanity Fair Mexico (@VanityFairMX) January 26, 2017

Mexican President cancels meeting with President Trump

President Trump has touted all along that the U.S./Mexican border wall will be paid for by Mexico. His insistence on the campaign promise has prompted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel his meeting with Trump.

He announced the cancellation in Trump's classic way -- via Twitter.

"This morning we informed the White House I will not attend the business meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with @POTUS," Nieto wrote.

In a meeting with GOP members in Philadelphia on Thursday, President Trump said that unless Mexico is willing to "treat the United States fairly," such a meeting would be "fruitless." He continued that the U.S.

will "have to go a different route."

The comments have ignited concern that U.S.-Mexican relations could result in a trade war, which would increase prices on goods North America gets from Mexico. The U.S. and Mexico have been on friendly terms and depend heavily on each other for exported and imported products.

Will the magazine cover of Melania Trump on Mexico's Vanity Fair mean low sales for the February issue?

Hard to know if the numbers will be shared by the magazine, but President Trump ripped the magazine for being in "big trouble" after it published an article that entailed a bad review of Trump Grill in Manhattan.
Visibly angered by President Donald Trumps proposal to build a wall along the US-Mexican border and force Mexico to pay the federal government back for it, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has ordered his countrys consulates in the United States to offer assistance to illegal immigrants fighting deportation orders.

Migrants at risk

In a statement on the Mexican governments official website, Nieto said: Where there is a Mexican migrant at risk, there we must be, there must be your country. Nieto said he had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become authentic advocates for the rights of immigrants. There are 50 Mexican consulates in the United States, according to Nieto.

Of those, 10 are located in California, where large numbers of illegal immigrants reside. The consulates are located at Calexico, Fresno, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Ana.

Executive order

On Wednesday, President Trump issued an executive order to mandate the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border, monitored and supported by adequate personnel so as to prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism.

Narcotics, firearms, terrorism

The US president said that transnational criminal organizations use the border to smuggle narcotics and firearms into the United States, leading to increases in domestic criminal behavior and deaths from the intake of drugs.

Aliens who illegally enter the United States without inspection or admission present a significant threat to national security and public safety, Trump wrote in the executive order. Such aliens have not been identified or inspected by federal immigration officers to determine their admissibility to the United States. The wall is necessary, Trump wrote, because immigration officials are overwhelmed by massive crossings of the border.

Mexico wont pay

I regret and reject the decision of the United States to continue the construction of a wall that, for years, far from uniting us, divides us. Mexico does not believe in the walls. I have said it over and over again: Mexico will not pay for any wall, the Mexican President said in a video statement posted on Twitter.

The Mexican president also cancelled a trip to the United States to discuss immigration, trade, and other issues with Trump.

Mexico taking advantage

On Friday, Trump reiterated his decision to get tough on immigration. In a Twitter message, the president wrote that Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits and little help on the very weak border must change, Now!
President Donald trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin this upcoming Saturday.

What do we know about the upcoming conversation?

The meeting will reportedly occur over the phone, instead of Trump and Putin meeting in person. The conversation will be the first between the two since Trump had been sworn into office earlier this month.

Trump has vowed that he wants to create better relations with Russia, and has also suggested that he would lift sanctions imposed under President Obama in exchange for Russian aid against terrorism or other goals, according to reports.

The initial sanctions were enacted due in part to allegations of security concerns of Russian hacking preceding the events of the November U.S. election. That said, Trump had also said in a released statement that he would try to retain the sanctions for an undetermined period of time.

For his part, Putin had congratulated Trump during his new year's message and also expressed a desire to build up interaction between the two countries. Putin had also reportedly sent Trump a holiday letter, which also advocated for improving Russian-American relations.

What have other figures been saying about the conversation and foreign relations?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a released statement that the intention of the upcoming conversation was to help build Russian and American relations during the upcoming administration.

Lavrov also highlighted the difficult relations the countries had under President Obama.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, however, recently offered a warning concerning the dealings with Russia in a released statement made during an appearance in Philadelphia. While not entirely opposing dealing with Russia, she had said that it would be wise to engage, but beware in upcoming deals with Putin.

According to reports, she had also advocated for defending Russia's neighboring states.

May will notably also be the first foreign leader that will meet President Trump in person during a meeting on Friday at the White House. In a released statement, she had also discussed hope in developing a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, reflecting the need to create progress after the recent Brexit decision.
It's no secret that Donald Trump and the mainstream media aren't on the best of terms. After Chief Strategist Steve Bannon lashed out at the press on Thursday, members of the news media were quick to fire back.

Bannon backlash

Not long after Donald Trump officially locked up the Republican presidential nomination over the summer, he made big changes to his campaign. Paul Manafort was replaced by Kellyanne Conway as the campaign manager, while former head of Breitbart News, Steve Bannon, was brought on board as the campaign CEO. Bannon has come under fire in recent months, with critics going as far as accusing him of being a white nationalist and a racist.

Bannon denies the allegations, but has made it clear he is no fan of the press. In an interview with The New York Times on January 26, Bannon elaborated on his grievances.

"I want you to quote this," Steve Bannon said. "The media here is the opposition party." https://t.co/CaavOYgmT2  The New York Times (@nytimes) January 26, 2017

"The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile," Steve Bannon told the New York Times during a phone interview on Thursday. Not stopping there, the chief strategist continued. "I want you to quote this," Bannon instructed the paper, while adding "The media here is the opposition party." Bannon went on to claim hat the media doesn't "understand" the country or "why Donald Trump is the president."

Were Not Supposed to be State Television: CNNs Gloria Borger Fires Back at Steve Bannon https://t.co/y6w10zC2Cz (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/wlHkKWD0qo  Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 27, 2017

Media response

Steve Bannon's comments were the topic of discussion during a panel segment on CNN later in the day.

Network contributor Gloria Borger gave her response, and was critical of Bannon's remarks. "I think the role is not to be a rubber stamp," she said, before explaining, "We're not supposed to be state television here." Borger continued, urging the the press to keep "ask(ing) the hard questions."

Jake Tapper Delivers Perfect Response to Steve Bannon Telling Media to 'Keep Its Mouth Shut' https://t.co/pe7mhjuxiS (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/AgoKSpeu0w  Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 26, 2017

Network analyst Phil Mudd described Bannon's rant as "comical," but also admitted that he was "uncomfortable" with how it might play out.

A few hours later, CNN host Jake Tapper gave a quick answer to Bannon's call for the media to "keep quiet." "No," Tapper said. While it's unknown if the relationship between Donald Trump and press will improve in the future, it doesn't appear like it will be getting better anytime soon.
Although it may not be perfect, millions of Americans, including veterans, depend upon Obamacare for their healthcare coverage. If repealed, the already strained, underfunded Veterans Administration will be forced to step in to foot the bill. Unfortunately, possible troubles for servicemen and women dont stop there. For decades, veterans are given top preference for federal government jobs, but with the imposed hiring freeze on agencies, that bright spot is dimming. With the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act and the denial of obtaining a decent paying job, thousands of veterans are at risk for further heartache.

According to Carrie Farmer, a Rand Corporation health policy researcher, there are 3 million enrolled VA veterans who receive healthcare from their employer or Obamacare exchanges. If those options are lost, she expects VA health care usage will increase, which might prove difficult for the VA in providing accessible and timely care. President Trumps pick to helm the VA, David Shulkin, told NPR that negative attention to the VA resulted in a 78 percent drop in applications. He stressed there were 45,000 job openings and care givers were desperately needed. White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, told reporters that hiring more people for a broken system wasnt the solution, hiring the right people is.

Veterans Administrations sordid history

In recent years, much has been said about the VAs treatment of the countrys men and women in uniform. News of veterans dying after failure to receive care has rocked the nation on more than one occasion. Military personnel felt betrayed and civilians were appalled by the scandal. Many brave men and women of this country, who risked life and limb, wait with their fellow Americans to learn the fate of their healthcare options -- or lack thereof.

Limiting job choices

Some of President Trumps most loyal supporters are veterans. Since his recent hiring freeze on federal positions, some vets who had job interviews scheduled are now faced with cancellations and postponements. One such agency where the freeze applies is the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is doubly troubling in that the agency provides services for veterans but is severely understaffed.
Portland protests resulted in Police action for the second time in a week following the presidential inauguration on January 20. The failure of the liberals to accept the election results which resulted in President Trump taking power and the disruption of public just trying to go about with their daily business is starting to smack of 3rd world politics.

Is American democracy becoming a parody? After all, the USA citizens have for many years dissed the failed African State presidents for ignoring election results, violent confrontation between police and protestors and disgust at deaths of so many people who lost their lives through "necklacing." Most people recall that "necklacing" happens when a group of protesters decide that they will place an auto tire around the neck of someone, fill it with petrol and set them alight.

Portland protests have not killed anyone - yet

Nobody has yet been necklaced in Portland, but when emotions run high and mob rule gathers momentum, these things can happen. It usually starts with burning papers, dustbins, vehicles, tires and then escalates to buildings and then people. In South Africa, such violent protests have escalated over xenophobia, lack of efficient services or just the fact that people want more schools, or more trains, or new buses. But even in 3rd world Africa, these protests seldom turn violent over dissatisfaction with a genuinely elected president, as such a phenomenon is so seldom experienced on the continent.

Watch Portland protesters

Africa looks with envy to the western world as they see democracy in action.

They see a constitution that works, a proud nation who stand by their election policies and they see a powerful nation where everyone benefits from this in the long run. There is no stealing of elections, no dictator to bash his detractors over the head with hammers - like Uganda - no abduction and death of detractors as seen in Zimbabwe and no slicing and dicing of ethnic minorities through the industrial sawmills as witnessed in the Congo.

But the USA is losing credibility. It is with great alarm that middle-class Africans see riot police confronting protesters who appear incapable of resolving their issues over the democrat loss of the elections in the USA in a civilized manner.

Watch protesters in Africa

As reported by Katu.com, the Direct Action Alliance arranged further protests on Friday following police action to disperse them on the Wednesday inauguration day.

The protesters had promised to "disrupt" Portland traffic throughout the day. This caused a lot of inconvenience to people going about their business so the police dispersed the crowd.

The rule of consent

The Alliance in Portland bang on about how they are entitled to cause these kinds of problems, citing the rule of consent, saying that they do "not consent" to the new President Trump. Unfortunately for them the rule of consent where the popular vote results in a popular president, carries no weight as the College vote is part and parcel of the constitution and part of the legal process in Amerian politics. They would be far better off and gain more credibility by working towards a peaceful change to that constitution as behaving like third world proletariat is so very passe.
KUNMING - Two people implicated in the sale and distribution of drugs have been detained in southwest China's Yunnan province, said local police on Friday.

Menglian County Police in Pu'er City were tipped off last Thursday that a woman from Myanmar had contact with some dealers inside China.

Midnight Sunday, officers stopped a small truck, which was found to be carrying drugs, in Jinghong city, and caught Ding and Dai, both natives of Yunnan.

Police later discovered nearly 24 kilograms of heroin hidden in the water tank.

The investigation continues.
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Garbage floating on the Yangtze River in Yichang, Central China's Hubei province. Pollution is a major problem for China's water supply. provided to china daily

While China has begun to make progress in battling the smog that shrouds many of its major cities, the state of the country's river systems continues to get worse.

Late last year, China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said the quality of water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in several regions has deteriorated significantly.

In November, the ministry published documents where its inspectors found 20 percent of the water in the Yangtze's feeder rivers in one province was unusable.

"We still have a lot of work to do," Vice-Minister Zhao Yingmin told a media briefing following the release of the documents.

"First, I would say the point of inspections is to discover problems, and indeed we discovered in some places water quality has gotten significantly worse but in other places the overall situation is improving," Reuters quoted Zhao as saying.

He said over the first nine months of 2016, 70.3 percent of samples taken from 1,922 surface water sites around China could be used as drinking water, up 4 percentage points from a year earlier.

Water has been a major problem for China, with per capita supplies less than a third of the global average.

Analysts say China faces the problem of trying to balance its water use between agriculture, which accounts for 65 to 70 percent of the country's water use, increased urbanization and energy supply, all of which compete for this limited resource.

Added to the mix is climate change, which already has an impact on water supply not only in China but throughout the region.

The government is now engaged in major engineering projects to pipe water from the south of the country to the drier north, including Beijing.

The central phase of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project opened two years ago, bringing water to Beijing via more than 1,200 kilometers of channels and pipes.

Some analysts say, however, that China cannot simply engineer its way out of its water crisis with headline megaprojects that will never be big enough to keep pace with increasing demand.

A study published in January 2015 in US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warned that large-scale water transfers would actually exacerbate problems in the long run.

"China needs to shift its focus to water demand management instead of a supply-oriented approach," said the study's co-author, Dabo Guan, a professor at England's University of East Anglia.

"(China's) current transfer program is pouring good water after bad: The problems of water-stressed regions aren't being alleviated and the provinces sharing their water are suffering greatly," Guan said.

Pollution is another factor affecting water systems.

The Nature Conservancy in a report, Beyond the Source, published this month said water pollution can be reduced using "nature-based solutions (programs)" costing as little as $2 per person annually.

As Asian cities grapple with the immediate challenges of freshwater supply and pollution, threatening wide-ranging impacts on health, productivity and more, the conservancy has examined a series of low-cost, nature-based solutions that can benefit all stakeholders, "if managed via innovative water funds funded by diverse investors".

It cites a pilot program, the Longwu Water Fund in Huanghu county in East China's Zhejiang province. It is China's first such platform and combines a land trust with impact assessment, watershed conservation and sustainable farming.

The study also analyzed the source watersheds of more than 4,000 large cities around the world, including more than 1,800 in the Asia-Pacific region. It found that nature-based programs, such as reforestation and improved agricultural practices, can be implemented at a scale that makes a visible difference in sustainable development and improves the lives of billions of people.

"Cities in Asia Pacific and around the world stand to gain high returns from a modest investment in water protection, which can significantly reduce pollution in water sources with measurable results," the study said.

"For half of the cities analyzed globally, source water protection could cost just $2 or less per person per year."

The study found that four out of five cities it examined can reduce sediment and nutrient pollution by at least 10 percent through forest protection, pastureland reforestation and use of cover crops as an agricultural practice to improve water quality.

"Source watersheds collect, store and filter water and, when managed well, provide a number of additional benefits to people and nature.

"Protecting the land around our water sources is critical to ensuring our water supplies for the future," said Giulio Boccaletti, global managing director of TNC's water program.

"Unfortunately, 40 percent of source watershed areas show high to moderate levels of degradation.

"More than 30 percent of the area encompassed by urban source watersheds in Asia is highly modified by human development."

Globally, the report estimates that an increase of between $42 billion and $48 billion annually from the current $24.6 billion expenditure on watershed environmental service payment programs is required to achieve an additional 10 percent of sediment and nutrient reduction in 90 percent of source watersheds.

"With this level of funding, water security could be improved for at least 1.4 billion people by focusing on the most cost-effective watersheds for water security purposes," the report said.

"The cost of source water protection could be covered by revealing benefits to diverse payers through the business case for water funds.

"Water funds, which enable downstream water users to fund upstream land conservation and restoration, are highlighted as a successful mechanism for securing improved water quality and in some cases more reliable flows."

The report highlights that one in six cities, roughly 690 cities serving more than 433 million people globally, have the potential to fully offset conservation costs through water treatment savings alone.

Other cities can derive additional value from co-benefits and "stack" the total value to realize a positive return on investment.

The key nature-based solutions outlined by TNC's analysis and case studies include targeted land protection, revegetation, riparian (or riverbank) restoration, agricultural and ranching best management practices, fire risk management, wetland restoration and creation. Such methods preserve plant and animal biodiversity and build more resilient and healthy communities by protecting fisheries and improving farmland.

In April 2015, the Chinese government listed 16 pilot sponge cities, or water-sensitive cities. Over the next three years, the government will allocate each sponge city about 400-600 million yuan ($58-87 million) to develop ponds, filtration pools and wetlands; and build permeable roads that enable storm water to be absorbed.
It's hard to know what to believe any more. Fake news, some of it preposterous, has become a scourge of the new media, often sowing discord and confusion. Wang Yuke reports.

In Hong Kong's socially and politically charged climate, some experts are voicing greater concern about fake news, which has proliferated in step with an explosion of social media.

Not so long ago, traditional media were required to observe the principles of transparency, credibility and impartiality, and news stories from press outlets were trusted to be free from personal bias and preference, said Wan Lap-man, deputy head of the Hong Kong Playground Association, who has researched the impact of social media on society. With the rise of social networking, those standards have become less important and obsolete because everyone, whether educated or not, can post whatever they want without fear of consequences for scurrilous comments.

The "fake news" problem is not new. Political intrigue and lies have always been a part of public life, while propaganda and disinformation have been disseminated throughout history. The problem today is different in that the rise of various media tools and freedom of the press make it far easier to spread lies. Fake news has greatly "evolved" with the help of social media, which enables people to plant deceptive content that reflects their own political objectives, targets like-minded readers, validates readers' bias, or attempts to sway others holding different views.

A major worry is that people will decide on their political stance and take action based on false information found on media networks. In many cases, this disinformation is intentionally proliferated to manipulate public sentiment, said Masato Kajimoto, assistant professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). If enough people are taken in by fake content that distorts the truth and triggers widespread anger, it will cause unnecessary polarization in society. "Even the government could make poor judgments based on public reactions," he cautioned. Moreover, fake news also divides society by "harming the effort to build a constructive dialogue".

Age of unreason

According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Playground Association, over a quarter of youngsters below age 24 had 100 to 1,000 friends on their social media accounts and 5 percent had more than 1,000 friends. "This means that fake information online could spread easily, quickly and widely," said Wan, who led the study. Meanwhile, too many people are unconcerned with verifying posts before clicking the "share" button, Wan added.

"Many young people today often are irresponsible in their posts and comments online," Wan said. Some keen to share posts that are eye-catching just to entertain their friends, even if they themselves may take them with a grain of salt. "Especially when the person concerned in an edited picture or a made-up story is a stranger, they are more likely to share or comment on it," Wan said. Secondary 3 student Sum Yik-yuk is one youngster who became overly enamored of juicy news about celebrities. She admitted that she would repost exciting rumors on Facebook, only to feel cheated after the rumors were debunked a few days later.

And yet, "We cannot afford to ignore middle-aged and older adults who have limited digital information knowledge or experience and therefore are more susceptible to misinformation," Wan said. In some ways, adolescents are better at spotting fake news content than grown-ups as they are more computer-savvy and skillful at using mobile applications, Wan explained. From experience they can easily identify a fake picture that may pass for a real one to a digitally unsophisticated adult.

Older adults have relatively small friendship circles on their social network platforms, which in theory should hinder the widespread distribution of fake news. But it is not necessarily the case, Wan remarked. "They are so familiar with each other due to long-term friendships that they trust whatever their friends post. They don't even bother to filter the information in their minds."

In the past, newspapers, television and radio were the main sources of information, so older generations may still habitually take what they read and hear on the media today as authoritative, Kajimoto said.

However, when it comes to call-to-action posts, people tend to behave more cautiously, Wan said. In other words, if a post requires the viewer to invest money, time or effort, they will spend time judging whether the information is reliable before taking action. This may be a post describing the plight of a sick child and calling for donations, or a post requiring the viewer to follow instructions in order to get a coffee coupon.

Enlisting the law

Social media have come up with solutions to counter the spread of fake content. Facebook became the first company to implement "flag" options so that users can create an alert for questionable stories that may subsequently prove to be false. If enough users flag the story, it will appear less frequently in the news feed of their friends' pages. Critics, however, still worry that activists will take advantage of the option, reporting as false any content at odds with their personal sentiments.

Wan reckons that it's time to require everyone on the city's social media to use their real names, supported by proper identification to register an account on the various platforms. This would help the sources of fake news content to be traced, he said.

The South Korean government implemented the Real Name Verification Law in July 2007. Singapore enforced mobile-phone identity registration starting from November 2005, when all mobile retailers and service providers were equipped with the Identity Scan Recognition System. Customers must put their identity card through the system before registering for new numbers. On the Chinese mainland, everyone is obliged to use a real name-registered SIM card on their mobile phones.

Wan believes that there can be no absolute freedom of speech in any society. Legal constraints, arguably, might compromise freedom, but freedom is viable only when limitations are in place, Wan contended. Regulations will help, but public education to improve citizens' media literacy is also necessary, he added.

Kajimoto from HKU agreed that to keep up with the advancement of digital technologies there is undoubtedly a more urgent need for new-media literacy. This is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create information using multiple forms of communication, with the larger goal of creating informed and responsible citizens. Lok Sin Tong Yu Kan Hing Secondary School is one of the few schools that have experimented with a new-media literacy curriculum  Be NetWise, initiated by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups  to encourage critical thinking and to nurture new-media literacy among teenagers.

Au Ho-ming, who went through the program, said he no longer feels in a rush to share or comment on news stories if he has even the slightest doubt about them. "I'd wait and see, until the news is officially verified."

Such programs in essence aim to train youngsters to become fact checkers. That's why the school librarian was brought in to teach students how to check facts, trace news sources, and locate first-hand and accurate information.

Kajimoto has cooperated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to develop a new-media online classroom, edX.

The six-week online course was free and open to everyone. Kajimoto was pleased to see that older adults began to show interest in learning new-media skills, with 27 percent of students who registered for the online course aged 40 and beyond. More than half of the students were between 27 and 40.

Advertorials can also be presented in the guise of genuine news today, warned Kajimoto. If a supposed news article contains a link to a certain product or service, then it could be an advertisement or promotion. He advised people to look for labels such as "Sponsored content", while assessing the validity of the web address.

Kajimoto is now concerned that media-literacy programs hold less appeal for people with lower education and lower levels of digital competency. He has found from his online portal that well-educated students and those with digital awareness predominate and are more likely to complete the entire program. He thought the reason could be that "less-educated people find it too overwhelming to pick up a host of new media skills at once".

To motivate less-educated people to take part, Kajimoto and his team are working toward making short videos, with each video dedicated to teaching one skill or two, and then posting them on social media platforms. "One skill at a time could be easier for them to digest," he said.
JUBA - China has contributed medicine and medical equipment worth $60,000 to the Paloich Friendship Hospital in Upper Nile state, northern South Sudan, the Chinese Embassy said Thursday.

The donation made through the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan included 27 categories of medicines such as Ampilcllin, Saline, Amoxilline, pain killers among others.

The embassy also donated nine medical devices, including microscopes, a Digital Blood Pressure machine and a Diabetes testing machine.

Speaking during the handover ceremony on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, He Xiangdong, said: "Humanity has no boundaries; hence Beijing fully understands the challenges and difficulties faced by South Sudan's health sector."

The Paloich Friendship hospital was built in 2006 with the support from the China National Petroleum Corporation. A team of Chinese doctors is now working at the hospital.

Ambassador He said that the practical cooperation between China and South Sudan in the health sector has gained momentum in recent years.

"The dispatch of Chinese medical teams, the offering of government scholarships in medicine and medical donation by China all greatly improved the level of health service in different areas in South Sudan," he said.

The head of the Paloich Friendship Hospital, who identified himself as Modesto, expressed his gratitude for donation and also thanked the Chinese people for their continued support to the country's health sector over the past years.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed. This batch of medical donation is just what the local people need desperately to eradicate diseases," Modesto said.
RIO DE JANEIRO/LA PAZ/QUITO -- Latin American countries and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) on Thursday expressed concern over US President Donald Trump's decision to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

"Most countries in Latin America maintain close friendly ties with the people of the United States. Because of that, the Brazilian government is concerned about the idea of building a wall to separate sister nations on our continent, without a consensus between them," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also encouraged such matters to be resolved through dialogue instead of isolationist measures.

"Brazil has always worked with the firm belief that matters between friendly peoples, as is the case with the United States and Mexico, should be resolved through dialogue and the construction of spaces of understanding," the government said.

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Thursday called on embattled Mexico to look southward and help strengthen Latin American integration.

"I call on our Mexican brothers to look more towards the south, to jointly build unity based on our (shared) Latin American and Caribbean heritage," Morales posted on Twitter.

The message comes just hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled an upcoming meeting with his US counterpart amid a bilateral dispute over the latter's decision to erect a wall along the US-Mexican border.

After months of pledging to erect a wall between the United States and Mexico, Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to "build a large physical barrier on the southern border."

The order was signed as two high-level Mexican envoys were in Washington to prepare for the two leaders' meeting.

Trump said the wall is needed to keep out illegal migration and drug trafficking, though experts said it would not solve those problems.

The UNASUR issued a scathing criticism over the US decision. The organization gathers countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

In a statement from the bloc's headquarters in Quito, UNASUR Secretary General Ernesto Samper rejected the proposal as "humiliating" for Mexicans and Trump's stance as defiant."

"I express my rejection of the defiant decision adopted by the new president of the United States to impose on the Mexican people the humiliating obligation of paying, and the even more humiliating wall intended to be built to physically separate the United States and Canada from Mexico and Latin America," Samper said.

On Thursday, Trump floated the idea of slapping a 20-percent tax on Mexican imports to finance the wall.

Samper added UNASUR was "concerned by the tension in hemispheric relations, resulting from these types of measures, which affect the security and quality of life of our fellow citizens residing in the United States."

Deteriorating relations may also affect other developments in the region, including a peace process in Colombia and rapprochement with Cuba, he said.
By Hezi Jiang in New York and Rena Li in Toronto | China Daily USA | Updated: 2017-01-27 12:50

Will lobster one day become a Chinese New Year dinner staple like fish and dumplings?

North American distributors and Chinese e-commerce platforms are seeing a growing demand from China for Western lobster.

Despite lobster prices reaching highs in the winter due to smaller catches, China's appetite rises significantly ahead of the Lunar New Year and further drives prices up.

The Chinese name for lobster is "dragon prawn". Once cooked, the "red dragon" makes a delicious dish with lucky meaning. More Chinese are adding garlic steamed lobster and lobster congee to the most important meal of the year.

Distributors are also seeing an escalating competition. A Chinese company even chartered a plane this month to fly lobsters from Canada to China.

The Boston Lobster Co, founded in 1986, discovered the huge Chinese market six years ago. The company saw that many Chinese people who traveled to Boston, or local Chinese Americans who were going back China to visit family, would order live lobsters to take home.

Lobsters from the US and Canada are the same species, called the American lobster (Homarus americanus). However, for an undetectable reason, lobsters from North America are called "Boston lobsters" in China. Therefore, it seems that Chinese anticipate those red dragons from Beantown will arrive with extra deliciousness.

E-commerce is playing a big role in Chinese consumption of American lobsters. Retailers such as JD.com, China's second-largest e-commerce platform after Alibaba's Taobao, has been doing same-day or even two-hour delivery in major cities that could reduce the precious "out-of-water" time for live lobsters.

Josh Gartner, vice-president of international corporate affairs at JD.com, said the company has seen more than an eightfold increase in the sales of US fresh food in the three weeks leading up to the Spring Festival compared to last year.

He told China Daily there has been "an impressive, more-than-15-fold growth in sales of American lobsters", he told China Daily.

There are tens of thousands online reviews for a "Boston lobster". People share photos taken of the lobster next to their flip-flops to show how big it is. Some have their children pose for photos with the red dragon.

Canada is one of the big winners when it comes to satisfying China's palate.

In 2011, the live lobsters exported to China by Nova Scotia represented only 6 percent of the province's lobster exports. By the end of November 2016, that share had climbed to 21 percent.

The increase in Chinese demand for live lobster from Canada is a welcome development for Canadian fishery workers and exporters, said John Bitzan, country risk analyst at Export Development Canada.

"We believe that it speaks to a greater awareness of Canadian lobster in the Chinese market," he said. "It is also a testament to the growing purchasing power of the Chinese consumers."

American lobsters are sold for $20 to $25 per pound on JD.com. A small lobster is about a pound, and a larger one is about 2 pounds.

In comparison, they currently sell for about $12 per pound in North America, which is the highest price of the year. They go for $5 in the summer.

In restaurants in China, a red dragon could cost more than $100.

"I think there will be a dip in the overall price after the Chinese New Year," said Matt Egan, vice-president of sales at the Boston Lobster Co.

A bigger pie doesn't mean a larger piece for everyone.

Egan said his company has been experiencing a decline in exports to China going back a year and a half, after many other distributors discovered China.

"There is too much competition for the Chinese market," he said.

Contact the writers at hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com
Legislators in California, which has more undocumented immigrants than any other state, say they will expedite passing bills to protect them and to prevent local law enforcement from assuming immigration-related duties following President Donald Trump's announcing tough new immigration-enforcement policies.

Trump on Wednesday signed two executive orders directing the construction of a border wall with Mexico, add lockups for detaining immigrants who cross the border illegally, enhance enforcement powers for border agents and strip federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities which don't arrest or detain undocumented immigrants.

"If the new president wants to wage a campaign of fear against innocent families, he can count us out. We will not spend a single cent nor lift a finger to aid his efforts," Kevin de Leon, California Senate president pro tempore and a Democrat, said at a press conference in response to Trump's actions.

As to the cutoff of federal funding, "that's a statutory decision, not an executive decision," de Len said. "He cannot force us, and we will not hesitate to fight him in Congress and settle the matter in court," he said.

More than 400 jurisdictions across the country have some sort of sanctuary policy. In California, about 40 jurisdictions have adopted the designation of sanctuary cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, offering political support or protections to people who are in the country illegally. The cities in California receive millions in federal funds, although much of it is from the tax dollars of local residents, Chan said.

Approximately 2.4 million of the state's 10 million immigrants are undocumented, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Calling Trump's actions "counterproductive, divisive and unnecessary", de Len said the Democratic-controlled Senate will expedite passing his measure, the California Values Act (SB 54). The bill would ban state and local law enforcement officials from performing the functions of a federal immigration officer and prohibit state and local law enforcement, including school police and security departments, from using their resources for immigration enforcement.

An urgency clause has been placed on SB 54, which means that if the bill receives a two-thirds vote in both houses, and the governor signs the bill, it will go into effect immediately, said Angela Chan, policy director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus.

"In the meantime, as we await passage on this expedited schedule, we will enforce the Trust Act and the Truth Act, which are already California laws," said Chan, policy director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus.

The Trust Act, which was passed in 2013, limits local law enforcement from responding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) requests, to local law enforcement to hold people for extra time for the agency to pick up the individual.

The Truth Act, which was passed in 2016, requires local law enforcement to inform individuals in their custody about their right to refuse an interview by ICE agents.

"It's unlikely that Trump can really withhold all or most of these federal funds. Federal courts have stated that funding can't be withheld for a purpose unrelated to the purpose of the funding. For example, you can't withhold federal funding on housing in order to force a locality to do something on immigration," Chan said.

Withholding federal resources from sanctuary cities is unconstitutional, said Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"The new president must respect the 10th Amendment  he cannot force states and cities to participate in his plan to deport undocumented immigrants," she said. The 10th Amendment prevents the federal government from commandeering state and local governments by requiring them to enforce federal mandates, she added.

Supporters of Trump's executive orders said the federal cut in funding is an appropriate response for local jurisdictions that don't cooperate.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, said, "Few things are more fundamental to a nation than a defined and protected border. The lack of security on our southern border is a threat to the safety of our homeland and the Obama Administration's catch-and-release policy was an affront to the rule of law. President Trump's actions are the right start to enforcing our laws and protecting our citizens."

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), told the San Jose Mercury News that, "There's very little reason why Congress should not include this sort of language in appropriations measures that restrict federal funding on the fact that these jurisdictions are obstructing federal immigration policy."

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
Li Wen, China Daily's founding business editor, died on Jan 13 in Saratoga, California, three weeks before his 93rd birthday, after a short illness. Photos Provided to China Daily

Li Wen, the founding business editor of China Daily, China's national English-language newspaper, died following a short illness in Saratoga, California, on Jan 13, less than three weeks shy of his 93rd birthday.

Li was born on Feb 1, 1924, in Dali, Yunnan province. A member of the Bai minority nationality, he came from a family of modest means. He was the first in his family to attend college and studied journalism at National Chengchi University in Nanjing.

After graduation, he began his career as a Chinese-language radio broadcaster at All India Radio in New Delhi. In June 1954, he became vice-chairman and director of the Delhi Overseas Chinese Federation and was on hand to welcome Premier Zhou Enlai on his visit to India that month.

In 1962, Li returned to China and was assigned by the government's Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission to teach English in the Foreign Languages Department of Yunnan University. During the turmoil of the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), Li was accused of being a spy for the Indian government and was locked in solitary confinement for eight months.

At the end of the "cultural revolution", Li returned to teaching at Yunnan University, until 1980, when he was recruited by the late journalist Guan Zaihan to help launch China Daily.

When China Daily began publication the following year, Li was put in charge of Page Two, the business page. Already in his late 50s, he oversaw a group of young reporters whom he mentored with a gentle hand. One of them was Zhu Ling, the current publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily.

With his carefully slicked-back hair and impeccable dress, even in the drab cotton blues and grays of those spartan days, Li cut a gentlemanly figure.

"Treat people with respect and you will receive respect in return. Notice more of other people's strong points than pick at their weak points," he once wrote.

Qin Xiaoli, one of his young reporters, recalled that in 1983, when she had just returned to China Daily after obtaining a master's degree in Journalism from Stanford University, she was assigned a story about the increase in taxi fares in Beijing.

After interviewing government officials and taxi drivers, she turned in her story.

Li read it and asked her gently: "You have just returned from (journalism school in) the United States. Why would you write a story that is lopsided? Why did you not ask passengers what they think about the fare increase?"

Li was equally meticulous with the "foreign experts" - journalists from abroad who helped in the editorial process.

John B. Wood, who was responsible for editing and "polishing" stories for the business page, recalled that Li often asked esoteric, grammatical questions, such as: the use of the past subjunctive or pluperfect verb tenses. An English major from Yale University, Wood was unfazed; however, some of his British colleagues were not and called Li "pedantic" behind his back.
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Attorneys defending Gage County in the ongoing Beatrice 6 case have filed two cases in district courts on Friday claiming that insurance companies should be responsible for a portion of the $28.1 million ruling, or at least the attorney fees related to the case.

Joel Nelson, of Keating OGara Nedved and Peter law firm in Lincoln, filed a case against Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA) in Lancaster County District Court and a case against EMC Insurance in Gage County District Court.

We still think theres a good-faith basis to ask judges to rule on these issues, Nelson said. NIRMA and EMC will have the chance to respond and raise arguments in their defense. There will be several months of discovery going both ways. Given the situation the county is in, the county had no choice but to ask judges to decide on these issues.

The Beatrice 6, as they're now commonly referred to, served a combined 77 years in prison for the murder of Beatrice resident Helen Wilson in 1985. DNA evidence later proved they didn't commit the murder.

The situation has been further complicated by doubts if insurance would cover some of the expense, or if Gage County is on the hook for the full amount.

James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow and Joseph White served a combined 77 years in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2008.

Wilson's killing has since been linked to Bruce Allen Smith, who grew up in Beatrice, returned to the town days before the slaying and then quickly went back to Oklahoma. He died in 1992.

All members of the Beatrice 6 were sentenced in early 1990.

Nelson is asking for indemnification, meaning that if the countys current appeal in the case to the 8th circuit court is not successful, that NIRMA and EMC would pay on that judgment.

The two things were asking are indemnification against the judgment and then the other part is the cost of defense, Nelson said. Anytime youre talking coverage its a two-pronged deal. Should insurance pay for the attorney fees, then second if there is a judgment, does insurance have to indemnify and pay that judgment.

While optimistic that insurance will be held responsible for at least some of payment, Nelson said its too soon to talk dollar amounts.

There are a wide range of potential outcomes and it just wouldnt be responsible to put any particular dollar amount or any estimate, given the wide variety of possible outcomes, he said.

According to the claim against EMC, Gage Countys insurance provider prior to 1997, Gage County had a commercial general liability policy effective Feb. 2, 1989 to Feb. 2, 1990.

Nelson said this time period is the only area being considered for coverage.

The issues in dispute with EMC is narrower and there are not as many moving parts as the dispute with NIRMA, Nelson said. EMC has reasons for doing what it did. It will have an opportunity to raise those arguments but we have a good-faith basis for believing there is coverage.

Additionally, the countys agreement with NIRMA was effective Aug. 1, 1997 and included retroactive coverage, including law enforcement liability coverage dating to Aug. 2, 1989.

Nelson said the carrier will likely argue the timeline of the case expands beyond the one-year policy.

August 1989 is kind of in the middle of the events of the Beatrice 6 prosecutions, Nelson said. As background, thats certainly going to be an area of dispute.

He added the attorneys believe public official liability coverage, as outlined in the policy, should also apply in the Beatrice 6 case.

The policy with EMC included provisions for personal injury, including false arrest and malicious prosecution.

Court filings argue that EMC is obligated to pay up to $1 million for each covered occurrence, with a $2 million aggregate limit.

After the Beatrice 6 filed a suit against Gage County, EMC was notified and denied the county a defense and responsibility.

Because EMC didnt contribute to the countys defense, Gage County spent $1.4 million to date defending the lawsuits.

Documents allege that EMC must reimburse the county for attorney fees and costs.
PINE BLUFF  Arkansas-based Simmons First National Corporation says it plans to acquire Texas-based First Texas BHC, Inc., the parent company of Southwest Bank, in a transaction valued at about $462 million.

Under terms of an agreement announced Monday, First Texas's shareholders will receive 6.5 million shares of the company's common stock and $70 million in cash.

Completion of the transaction is expected during the third quarter and is subject to approval by the shareholders of First Texas and Simmons. After closing, Southwest will continue operations as a separate bank subsidiary until it is merged into Simmons Bank.

George A. Makris, Jr., chairman and CEO of Simmons, says the company entered the Texas markets last year and has a chance to grow by joining one of the most respected financial organizations in Texas.
Most people already have various kinds of insurance, but there are many options out there. Insurance is there to cover emergencies, so you dont end up having to pay for your medical bills, wrecked car, or other expensive problems on your own.

Most people need some basic forms of insurance to cover things like their health, their vehicles, and more. But, there are multiple kinds of insurance out there, including some that you might not be utilizing.

It can feel overwhelming to decide which types of insurance you truly need and which you can ignore. Discover the kinds of insurance most Americans should have to stay prepared for any situation.

Life Insurance

Many people already have a life insurance policy , but it could be time to get one if you dont. Even if you dont have any children, life insurance can help your spouse, parents, or others cover expenses if you were to pass away.

This type of insurance is more like a gift youre giving to your loved ones, but its relieving to know they will get some financial help if you are gone.

Health Insurance

Medical care is rarely cheap, especially if you have chronic or recurring health problems. Health insurance is vital for many people, but its still important to have even if youre young and healthy.

Health insurance is there to cover emergencies, even for people who usually dont need to go to the doctor, as costs can quickly add up.

Car Insurance

Automobile insurance is one policy that most people already have. If you drive a car, youre probably required to have this insurance. Depending on your plan, your insurance will cover the expenses for other drivers and property if you are liable for the accident. You could also get vehicle insurance that covers you and your property. While insurance claims after accidents can be confusing, most of the time, vehicle insurance will save you a lot of stress and money.

Long-Term Disability Insurance

While some of the insurance types written about in this guide might be very familiar to you, this option isnt as common. It would be ideal if humans never had to worry about severe injuries or other health problems, but a long-term disability could happen to anyone at any time.

This type of insurance gives you protection, so if youre ever unable to work, youll still be able to live a similar lifestyle to the one you do know. LTD insurance would cover a salary for jobs youve done in the past, or for any job you could have done. It just depends on the exact type: own occupation or any occupation.

Homeowners/Renters Insurance

Getting a homeowners insurance plan is wise for people who own a home. These policies can protect your home and property from damage that occurs from the weather and other disasters. The best policies will cover not just the structure of your house but also the items you have inside.

There is also renters insurance covering your personal belongings and even liability. So, if you rent, this kind of insurance can give you some protection if anything were to happen to the apartment or your belongings while youre living there.

Choosing Plans and Policies

For every insurance option, there are different policies you can choose. The ones that cover more situations or are better usually have higher premiums, and many factors determine how much youll pay per month. Its best to shop around or speak to an expert about which policies would work best for you.
Blaming anti-national, anti-social and extremist elements for infiltrating the pro-Jallikattu protests and the subsequent violence, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday said the evil forces that had attempted to divert the peaceful agitation would be identified and tried before law.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said such persons had made the students unable to rejoice the legal steps taken for the conduct of Jallikattu, for which they (the protesters) had made a contribution.

Anti-national, anti-social and extremist elements had infiltrated the protests held by students, youth and public for the conduct of Jallikattu. These persons diverted the peaceful movement, did not allow the protesters to disperse, attacked policemen and endangered public life and property by indulging in violence, he said.

However, despite provocations like being pelted with stones and attacked by mobs, the police maintained restraint, used minimum force and never resorted to firing or lathicharge, the chief minister said.

I wish to point out that the police used minimum force and protected public life and property, he added.

Panneerselvam gave a detailed statement in the assembly, after Opposition Leader MK Stalin sought the chief ministers response to the lathicharge and how the protests turned violent.

He said police had received information that some of the protesters wanted to prolong the stir till Republic Day, adding that they wanted to show black flags and create problems on January 26, besides creating disruptions.

Some even raised separate Tamil Nadu demands and there is photographic proof of some holding pictures of Osama Bin Laden with accompanying Boycott Republic Day slogans, Panneerselvam said, adding that many objectionable remarks were also made.

He assured the House that the evil forces behind the violence would be identified and action taken against them.

The chief minister, who said the Jallikattu ban was implemented in 2011 during the days of the United Progressive Alliance, in which the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham was a constituent, also recalled the sustained efforts of his predecessor, late J Jayalalithaa, and himself for the conduct of the bull-taming sport in the state.

He also explained in detail the circumstances leading to the state government issuing an ordinance last week, following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the latter promised the Centres support to the states legal endeavours on the issue.

Panneerselvam said one of the pro-Jallikattu voices, musician Hip-Hop Tamizha Aadhi, had expressed anguish over unwanted elements entering the protest and insulting the national flag.

He said after the police had received information of such elements infiltrating the protests, they had asked the protesters at Marina on January 23 to disperse.

While about 10,000 of them paid heed to the police advice, around 2,000 people stayed back and continued with the protests, he added.

At this juncture, an unlawful mob tried to break the police barriers near Ice House and was dispersed by the cops, who had been attacked with stones, by employing minimum force and firing tear gas shells, the chief minister said.

Another such mob attacked the Ice House police station with petrol-filled bottles, which led to a fire that destroyed some items at the station and two four-wheelers, 31 two-wheelers and one auto-rickshaw parked outside, he added.

At Nadukuppam, the miscreants tried to proceed to Marina and when asked by the police to retreat, they attacked them with stones and petrol-filled bottles, causing severe damage to property including vehicles, Panneerselvam said, adding that the police used minimum force to disperse them as well.

Attacks on the policemen and their vehicles were also reported from other localities like Zam Bazaar, Poonamallee High Road, Erukkanchery Main Road and Vadapalani, he said.

The metro rail station at Arumbakkam came under an attack of such rioters who also set a state-run liquor shop on fire, the chief minister added.

A total of 12,500 people staged road roko across 76 locations in the city protesting police action against the anti-social elements, he said.

A total of 142 police personnel and 138 protesters were injured in various incidents in Chennai that day and many of them were still undergoing treatment, he added.

Scores of police, fire and rescue services, government and public vehicles were damaged in the violence, Panneerselvam said, adding that a total of 66 cases have been registered and 215 people arrested in this regard.

Giving details of the protests in other parts of Tamil Nadu, he said the rail roko staged by the agitators in Madurai had crippled the train services between Chennai and the southern parts of the state.

Over 50 people, including police personnel, were injured while a number of vehicles suffered damage in stone-pelting incidents, the chief minister added.

IMAGE: Cops evict pro-Jallikattu protesters from Marina Beach in Chennai. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo
Beatrice students are fusing creativity with their impressions of freedom in a poster contest.

Elementary students in the four public schools and the two parochial schools as well as Beatrice Middle School students are participating in the Beatrice Sertoma Club's 51st annual Heritage Poster Contest.

On Thursday, sixth graders used rulers to draw straight lines and letters. They copied parts of illustrations they found and printed from the internet before class. Some drew freely with pencil while others studied their rough draft and improved it on the larger sheet of paper.

Some students' posters started to say, "Make America Great Again." Others will show scenes, like the Statue of Liberty as the focal point in front of the cityscape and fireworks exploding in the sky.

The students were assigned the task of creating posters designed around the themes of Symbols of Freedom, Famous People in American History, What Freedom Means to Me and famous Native American Indians. (Recognition of Native American Indians on their struggle for citizenship by 1924 will continue with the program with the new Beatrice Chief Standing Bear Trail, the flyer for the competition reads.)

"I think it's a good idea," said their teacher, Harold Campbell, who has taught at BMS for 27 years. "It helps the students think about the freedoms they have. At this age, they realize it to a degree but they can take it for granted. This kind of helps them put not into words but into a drawing what freedom means to them."

Students started working on the posters as early as Jan. 9. Winners will be announced on President's Day, Feb. 20.

There are four divisions in the competition, ranging from kindergartners in one group to all of the middle schoolers in another. Each division winner will receive $50 in "chamber bucks" (gift cards to businesses connected to the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce).

All other finalists will receive $15, $10 and $5 in chamber bucks. All participating students will receive a flag pencil.

The Beatrice Sertoma Club promotes friendship and fellowship as an opportunity for community service for the Beatrice area.
'There were many, even in the BJP, who were not only eager to disown him, but also desired the termination of his political career.'

'Whilst I was busy defending him on television, I received a phone call one morning.'

'I couldn't identify the caller immediately, but the voice seemed to be that of an OSD in Prime Minister Vajpayee's office...'

In Fly Me To The Moon, former MP Prafull Goradia provides fascinating insights into Narendra Modi:

IMAGE: Once Shankersinh Vaghela had been eased out from the BJP, Narendra Modi ceased to be Keshubhai Patel's favourite.

Photograph: Kind courtesy narendramodi.co.in

It was evident even in those early days that Modi had enormous leadership potential. That, however, lent him no early advantage and his ride in politics was far from smooth.

While his organisational capabilities and grasp of the nitty-gritty of political work was much in demand, his persona and spontaneous influence over the rank and file of the party was a niggling worry to the entrenched satrapy.

Former chief minister of Gujarat Keshubhai Patel made good use of Modi, though, to keep his arch rival in state politics Shankersinh Vaghela down.

A bitter struggle eventually ensued, in which Vaghela's machinations first forced Keshubhai Patel to quit office and finally, Vaghela himself formed his own Gujarat Janata Party and became chief minister with Congress support from outside. Eventually, he merged his party with the Congress.

Once Vaghela had been eased out from the BJP, Narendra Modi ceased to be Keshubhai's favourite.

Modi had outlived his utility for Patel. Keshubhai wasn't content with merely sidelining Modi, though; he had him transferred to Delhi as organising general secretary of the BJP.

This was no ordinary political transfer.

Keshubhai had enforced a stipulation that if ever Modi visited his home state, he would not meet any politician or journalist and would confine himself only to personal matters.

Modi was cut up indeed, but swallowed the humiliation.

* * *

IMAGE: Modi, second from left, and Keshubhai Patel, fourth from left, listen as L K Advani makes a speech. Photograph: Kind courtesy narendramodi.co.in

Keshubhai's machinations and the alien Delhi environs weren't the only issues Modi had to contend with. He had no proper residence in the capital and had to stay on an ad hoc basis with his friends who were members of Parliament.

When I was elected to the Rajya Sabha, an apartment would be allotted to me, which I suggested Modi use as his residence.

Several weeks passed before I finally obtained possession of an apartment in the capital's North Avenue, but it was a not very satisfactory one.

'Aa to bahu saro nathi (this one is not very nice),' I said to Modi, telling him that I was putting in a request for a better flat.

In a few weeks, I did get a more pleasing apartment allotted to me.

Narendrabhai and I went to see the place together. He seemed happy with the place.

I then said I would have the flat painted and cleaned and equip it with some furniture.

When leaving, we put a lock to the apartment. I gave one key to Narendrabhai and kept the other with me.

IMAGE: Modi as a young RSS pracharak. Photograph: Kind courtesy narendramodi.co.in

Before the renovation could take place, however, I had a phone call from the RSS chief K S Sudarshan.

'Namaskar Prafullji!' he said. 'You must have by now been allotted a new apartment.'

'Yes, sir,' I said. 'I have been allotted an apartment in North Avenue.'

'Bahut accha,' he said. 'You can then kindly pass it on to Seshadri Chari.'

'Chari?' I asked.

'Yes, yes,' he said, 'the editor of The Organiser. He is a good man and in need of accommodation. I know you will not move out of your Sunder Nagar bungalow.'

'Yes,' I said. 'I am not planning to move out of Sunder Nagar, but Sudarshanji, I have promised to give my flat to Narendra Modi.'

'Narendra?' the RSS chief said. 'That is not a problem. No problem.'

'Narendra is a bachelor. He can be given one room. Chari is a family man, so he can have two. There are three rooms after all.'

The Sarsanghchalak was determined to press for his protege.

I held my ground and said, 'I have given my promise to Narendrabhai.'

After promising to ring back in two days I got back to Modi.

I told him categorically, 'I can call and tell Sudarshanji that I have already given my word and now cannot go back.'

Modi said, 'No let it be.'

I said, 'I have no inhibitions. I can easily give my regrets.'

But Modi advised me to drop the matter.

He was clear in his mind that he did not want me to take up cudgels on his behalf with the RSS chief. Thus my apartment went to Seshadri Chari.

* * *

IMAGE: After the horrific riots in 2002, protests against Modi erupted all over the country. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/Reuters

It was the day of March 3, 2002. I happened to pay a visit to Chief Minister Modi at his bungalow.

Before that, I had sat with a few BJP MPs and others for about an hour; they were clearly anxious about the rioting.

They were of the opinion that the Hindu retaliation should be controlled forthwith. They and others might have been pressing Modi to do so.

When I asked how, no one had an answer. Little wonder the chief minister appeared preoccupied.

My meeting with the CM lasted not more than 10 minutes, during which he asked me point-blank, 'Kern lage chhe? ('How do things look?')

My reply was: The situation looked explosive.

* * *

Back in Delhi, I was Chief Minister Narendra Modi's most vociferous defender in the electronic media, when he had virtually none.

The entire secular media was gunning for him and clamoured for his ouster, with vitriol being poured on him in a manner unprecedented as far as any Indian politician is concerned.

Among other programmes on the subject, I appeared on the television channel NDTV in its weekly feature called The Big Fight less than a month after the Godhra incident.

* * *

IMAGE: Prafull Goradia, frst from right, seen here with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Modi. Photograph: Kind courtesy narendramodi.co.in

To the assertion that Modi should be dismissed, my loud and stinging riposte was: 'Narendra Modi is not your branch manager; he is the elected chief minister of Gujarat.' This is even today remembered in Gujarat among television-watchers.

Modi later told me that though he'd missed watching that particular episode on NDTV, he had heard about it from others.

That was believed to have been among the strongest and most vociferous defence of Narendra Modi on the English language television channel.

It bears iteration here that there were many, even in the BJP, who were not only eager to disown him, but also desired the termination of his political career.

Whilst I was busy defending him on television, I received a phone call one morning.

I couldn't identify the caller immediately, but the voice seemed to be that of an Officer on Special Duty in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's office.

He told me, 'Modi is no bhai or bhatija, no brother or nephew, of yours; why are you sticking up for him?'

In other words, this was a warning from the topmost echelons of the party that I was jeopardising my political future by siding with Modi.

There was an impression in Ahmedabad as well as Modi's sympathisers in Delhi that Pramod Mahajan was antagonistic towards the lion of Gujarat. This is perhaps natural for someone who dreads future competition.

I do not know if Mahajan had a hand in instigating the prime minister. In any case, Vajpayee, in his penchant for appearing fair and 'secular', did want to chide Modi for his commitment to nationalism.

* * *

IMAGE: Vajpayee, in his penchant for appearing fair and 'secular', did want to chide Modi for his commitment to nationalism, says Prafull Goradia. Photograph: Kind courtesy narendramodi.co.in

There is no one I have met who is as wholly focused on the future and does not appear to dwell on the past.

The fixation with the future is of enormous advantage to Modi and to the country as long as he is PM.

While Modi has some outstanding qualities, his judgement of human character is uneven. I doubt if he ever suspected that Keshubhai Patel would use and then discard him so pitilessly as to send him out on political vanvaas.

Nevertheless, I am convinced that Modi as prime minister will manage India better than any other before him.

He follows the federal principle in spirit. Among one of his administrative measures is to allow the states ample leeway to manage their own finances.

No Indian PM has taken cognizance of the fact that no country with central planning has ever prospered.

Modi realised that long back, and central planning was consigned to the archives as soon as he took over as the head of government.

Narendra Modi is an introvert and does what he wills.

Being a thinker, there is a great deal that he wills and does so with total conviction. And when he is forced to deviate from that, he makes his embarrassment apparent.

However much an introvert Narendrabhai might be, he is also outward-looking enough to have a remarkable finger on the pulse of mass psyche. His oratory and political victories are proof of his sense of the people's mind.

He can be aptly called an ambi-vert. I rate him as a political genius; the only one I have met. I wish he had an equally sharp nose for the economic as he has for the political.

Excerpted from Fly Me To The Moon by Prafull Goradia, with the kind permission of the publishers, Bloomsbury.
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Lawmakers offering few details, but lower rates and an expanded tax base are on the agenda

As legislative Republicans return to Raleigh, additional tax reforms will be on their agenda.The 2017 session opens in earnest Wednesday, and the leaders of the House and Senate have said they want to continue the pace of tax reform, including lowering personal income taxes and spreading the sales tax base across more areas. Precise details of the shape and scope of those goals have yet to be worked out.said state Sen. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.There will behe said without elaboration.In the 2016 short session, House Bill 3 proposed a number of constitutional amendments including one that would have lowered and capped the state personal income tax rate from 10 percent to 5.5 percent. Although the Senate approved the package, it did not come to a vote in the House.Tillman said.Tillman said the Republican-controlled General Assembly has increased the standard deduction for tax filers (aka the "zero tax bracket") "significantly," and reduced other rates as well.Tillman said.said state Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, the chief budget writer in the House.Dollar said.There are "a range of options" on tax relief to choose from, Dollar said.While he said he doesn't haveTax reform was a central part of the welcoming addresses delivered by both Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, on Jan. 11 when the 2017 session convened.The state tax base has grown because Republican policies have expanded the private sector, spurring investments that have put more people to work and increased revenues, Moore said.Moore said.he said.During his session-opening remarks, Berger noted that not long ago the state's economy was burdened with the highest taxes in the southeast, and one of the worst tax climates in the nation.Berger said.Berger said.
Republicans, Democrats have differing priorities as they enter long legislative session

Perhaps the biggest task facing a Republican-controlled General Assembly when it returns from a two-week hiatus Wednesday is finding common ground with a new Democratic governor, and vice versa.That's a significant challenge, considering the contentious nature of last year's special sessions and the flurry of lawsuits that followed.Lawmakers will work toward passing a $22 billion-plus General Fund budget, adjusting education policy, regulation reform, and fine-tuning the tax code.For starters.The controversy surrounding House Bill 2 - the so-called "bathroom law" - isn't going away.House Majority Leader John Bell , R-Wayne, said he and Gov. Roy Cooper , who are both from eastern North Carolina, met more than a week ago in search of common ground on a bevy of issues, including those involving North Carolina's teachers.Bell said.During his opening day remarks two weeks ago, Senate leader Phil Berger , R-Rockingham, said addressing teacher pay and education are priorities.Berger said.House Minority Leader Darren Jackson , D-Wake, wants to see planned teacher raises, as opposed to the practice of passing out raises in election years.Jackson said. He said he thought that could be done without increasing taxes, as revenue is exceeding expectations by about $300 million.The "new direction at the U.S. Department of Education " could affect education policy by allowing more decisions to be made at the state and local levels, Bell said.Bell said.Bell said tax reform could be on the agenda, as might studying policies on renewable energy.Berger said.Jackson said he hopes any revisions in the tax code would be geared toward theHe wants to see repeal of the recently passed sales tax on automobile service.he said.He wants to reinstate the Earned Income Tax Credit.Bell said.Berger said lawmakers would do more "to simplify outdated, job-killing rules and regulations" to continue improving North Carolina's business climate.Jackson said repealing H.B. 2 is a priority for him and the Democratic caucus.Jackson said, referring to it as time-sensitive.Jackson said.Last year, the NCAA cited H.B. 2 as a reason for moving scheduled neutral-site tournaments out of North Carolina.Jackson said.
HCM City  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc today applauded achievements obtained by the Customs Sub-Department of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

During a visit on the eve of the Lunar New Year (Tet), he said efforts by the sub-department promptly prevented drug and weapon trafficking via Tan Son Nhat, one of the two biggest airports in Vietnam, greatly contributing to security and social order and safety.

A surge in travel via Tan Son Nhat during Tet set a heavy task for customs officers who must be fully alert and deal with emergencies in a timely manner, he noted.

Amidst the increasingly intensive economic integration, the customs sector of HCM City in general must prevent smuggling as well as sabotage schemes of hostile forces.

The Government leader told them to push ahead with fighting smuggling and trade fraud while promoting procedure reforms to help create an open and healthy investment environment in Vietnam.

The Customs Sub-Department of Tan Son Nhat Airport should also strive to take the lead in ensuring safety of the country, he added.

In 2016, it uncovered 250 smuggling cases worth some VND140 billion (US$about 6.2 million) and collected more than VND7 trillion (nearly $310 million) for the State budget. -VNS
HA NOI  The pain has eased. I hope it subsides completely, and I can return home with my parents and younger sister in time for Tet, eight-year-old Tran Kim Cuong said.

Cuongs mother, who was sitting next to him struggled to hold back her tears.

Tet is the time for a family union and good health, but not so for Cuong and many others like him who are confined to hospital beds because of various ailments.

Cuong, who hails from the northern mountainous Son La Province, is suffering from bone cancer. He was admitted in Ha Nois K3 Hospital that specialises in cancer treatment in September 2015 and has been undergoing radiation therapy since then. Last year, he was allowed to go home for the Tet holiday. Cuong hopes this year will be no different.

Bui Thi Hai, Cuongs mother, is also hoping that her sons health improves, so that the doctors allow him to go home.

Also seeking treatment in the same ward are Ha Anh Tuan, a boy from the Muong ethnic group in the northern Phu Tho Province and Le uc Canh from the northern Bac Ninh Province. Both the children expressed their desire to go home, so that they can receive their share of the "lucky money" during Tet, like the other children.

The children in the hospital dread injections, operations and most of all, not being able to go home during Tet.

Talking to Kinh te Do thi (Urban and Economic Affairs) Dr Pham Thi Viet Huong from the Paediatrics Department of the K3 Hospital recalled an incident when a few young children had to stay back in the hospital during Tet.

It was 2007. I was on duty at the hospital and had taken along my two-year-old son. Before the New Years Eve, a 12-year-old girl burst into tears and sat facing the wall, refusing to talk to anyone. She insisted on going home, which was 100 metres away from the hospital.

I led my son to the patients bed and asked him to say Happy New Year to the crying girl. Consoled, the girl then joined a group of children to celebrate the New Year.

However, what struck Dr Huong the most was the words of apology from the girl.

I am sorry. You must be tired as you have been working since morning. You and your son too had to spend the New Years Eve in the hospital, so I should not have insisted on going home like this, the girl said.

Dr Huong said the schedule for the doctors and nurses during the New Year holiday had become more hectic.

Everyone wishes to spend time with their family. So, we have to remind ourselves to keep up with the times and help improve the health of the children, so that they can go home soon, she said.

Every year, fewer than 10 patients stay back at the Paediatrics Department of the K3 Hospital through Tet. By December 28 of the lunar calendar it is decided whether the patients can be relieved from the hospital.

For the benefit of those patients who stay back, doctors and the hospital staff prepare a warm celebration. Each patient is presented with a lucky money envelope, biscuits, candy, milk and Chung cakes. The hospital is decorated with cherry blossoms and kumquat trees. Doctors on duty then welcome the New Year with the patients.

Having worked at the hospital for 17 years, Dr Huong has witnessed many touching moments with her patients and their families, when they welcome the New Year together. Along with wishes and happiness, they hug and encourage each other to stay strong and fight the ailments.  VNS
People nation-wide enjoyed spectacular art and music performances to celebrate the most sacred moment of the Year of the Rooster 2017. Although there was no fireworks due to a Political Bureaus directive which is aimed to save money for supporting the poor and underpriviledged people, cities centres are crowded with people attending various joyful outdoor activities. Vietnam News Agency and Viet Nam News photographers captured images of the moment:

A countdown to the New Year 2017 - the Year of the Rooster at Hanoi Opera House. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh
Donald Eugene Baird

Born: September 24, 1933, Died: January 25, 2017



Mr. Donald Eugene Baird, age 83, a resident of Dogwood Trail, Washington, NC died Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at Pitt Vidant Inpatient Hospice.



Donald was born September 24, 1933 to the late Rachel Knisley Baird and William Sherman Baird in Altoona, PA. He attended Altoona High School and Williamsport Technical Institute. Donald served his country in the Army from 1951to 1953 and also served in the Korean War. Donald married the former Phyllis Hainley on December 5, 1953 who preceded him in death in 2009. On October 2, 2010 he married the former Lana Poff who survives. Donald retired from Attwood & Morrill as plant manager after 20 years of service.



In addition to his parents and first wife he was also predeceased by one brother, William (Bill) Baird. Survivors in addition to his wife Lana Baird includes three daughters, Michele B. Cowell and husband Mark of Raleigh, NC, Melissa B. Jackson and husband Charles of Washington, NC, and Tracy B. Grant and husband William of Washington, NC, one son, Kevin Baird and wife Brenda of Washington, NC, two step-daughters, Joni Boone and husband Steve of Radford, VA and Teresa Harris and husband Mitchell, Jr, 12 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren, and 4 step-great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held 7:00pm, Monday, January 30, 2017with military honors in the chapel of Hillside Funeral Service with Skip Hurley officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service and other times at the home. Interment will be held at a later date at Blair Memorial Park in Altoona, PA. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be directed to Oxford Children's Home, 600 College Street, Oxford, NC 27565 (mhc-oxford.org) or Woodards Pond Church of Christ, 9004 US Hwy 264, Washington, NC.


Ho Van

HA NOI  The government may have advocated "labour export" as the means to alleviate unemployment and boost domestic labour skills, but Vietnamese overseas workers returning home continue to stare down the barrel of employment uncertainties.

Cuong Gian Commune, in Nghi Xuan District of the central province of Ha Tinh, was once considered an exemplary "model" of labour export. It transformed itself from a poor fishing village to a prosperous commune, thanks to the remittances from abroad.

Many other rural areas have benefitted similarly from the remittances sent back home by those toiling in foreign lands.

Yet, behind that seemingly resounding success lie latent risks in terms of the labour structure, an official of the communal government told Dan Viet newspaper (Vietnamese People).

Hundreds of young workers in the commune who have returned home after completing their contract in developed countries such as Japan and South Korea are currently unemployed. They are unwilling to "resort" to traditional occupations such as in agriculture and aquaculture, and bide their time hoping to secure another overseas contract.

Tran Van Tinh worked for three years in South Korea on a monthly pay of around US$1,000. After returning to his hometown, he washed his hands off the fishing career, used the money he had saved up to build a house. He contacted a number of recruitment agencies for fresh opportunities abroad, but as luck would have it, he was swindled out of his hard-earned money.

Cash-strapped, the family had to borrow money to open a small street-side drinking place to stay afloat.

Unfortunately, Tinhs is not an isolated case. Thousands of youths returning from overseas works have undergone similar ordeals.

A government official from the Hai Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, in Quang Binh Province, said many young people are looking for ways to work in Japan or South Korea right after graduating high school, only to enter a vicious circle.

After returning home, they build houses, and spend lavishly. When the saved up money runs out, they borrow from banks and seek more jobs overseas, he said.

No employment plan for returned workers

We still do not have policies in place to mobilise and make the best use of the financial and human resources that overseas workers bring home, Nguyen Thanh Hoa, former Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA), admitted.

Employment issues for the overseas workers have not been addressed; it is not in synchronisation with the governments policy of encouraging labour export. We have not thought through this policy, Hoa added.

Looking back at the labour exchange between Japan and Viet Nam, I am disappointed to see that labourers come back home only to find themselves jobless or work in a profession not suited to the skills they have acquired in Japan, said Yanagi Seiichi, general director of the Japan-based Sanup Company, which has employed many Vietnamese workers. He was speaking at a meeting of workers returning from Japan, an event organised regularly by the Hiteco Job Development Centre in South Viet Nam.

The current situation is a regrettable waste of labour resources and valuable skills obtained from developed countries which are highly in demand among the FDI enterprises, Nguyen Lan Huong, former Director of the National Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, said.

For developing countries such as Viet Nam, the key priority in promoting labour export should be to push for a highly-skilled labour force that will contribute to the development of the country when they come back, Masumi Higuma, legal representative of IM Japan (International Manpower Development Organisation) in Viet Nam, said.

The unemployment that awaits workers back home is part of the reason why they attempt their best to extend their stay, often illegally, in the host countries, Magumi added.

Hoa said that back when he was still working as Deputy Minister of MoLISA, he had given directives to the Department of Overseas Labour (DOLab) to build a database maintaining information on overseas labourers, which would aid the government in the conception of an employment strategy for those returning home. With access to this database, foreign enterprises investing in Viet Nam would be able to contact easily and directly the qualified workers.

However, to my knowledge, this database has not been implemented properly, he added.

Pham Viet Huong, Deputy Director of DOLab, said the database was unusable in its current state and would take a long time to be updated and fully functional.

Nguyen Thi Hai Van, Director General of the Department of Employment, under MoLISA, said currently, enterprises needing skilled workers would contact the department and the department will send these enterprises a list of qualified ones.

Enterprises proactive measures

While authorities have not come up with viable solutions to utilise skills of workers returning home, many foreign enterprises have made efforts to make use of these untapped resources.

IM Japan, who has an official co-operation with the Centre of Overseas Labour (COLab), contacts Japanese firms to find out if they need labour. This has helped hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home avoid unemployment, as they have already acquired the requisite know-how in Japan.

Sanup invested in Viet Nam by opening a branch to employ those very labourers they had helped train and equip with the necessary skills.

Kanto Corporation, which has hired thousands of Vietnamese workers in Japan, has established an information database on these trainees, which can be referred to by the Japanese firms investing or intending to invest in Viet Nam.

In contrast, most of those workers returning from South Korea are left stranded even with the 2,000 South Korean firms currently operating in Viet Nam.

Replicating best practices

Many domestic recruitment agencies have applied the best practices used by the Japanese to make use of the highly-skilled workers returning from abroad.

Esuhai Co. Ltd., one such agency, has established a capacity building school to supply skilled workers for overseas work. Vietnamese workers employed in Japan can register for suitable jobs on the agencys website before returning home. More than 200 workers have been referred to the Japanese firms operating in HCM City and other provinces in the South such as Binh Duong and ong Nai.

Le Long Son, director at Esuhai, praised the discipline and the skills of Vietnamese workers returning from Japan.

Japanese firms prefer recruiting them, as they do not need training like the domestic workers, he said.

Tanoi Junichi, Director General of the Japan-based Seebest, a manufacturer of precision parts located in Viet Nam  Singapore Industrial Park in Binh Duong Province, agreed with Sons statement, saying his company was employing six Vietnamese workers who returned from Japan.

They are workers who have achieved skills on par with Japanese workers. This irreplaceable human resources will play an important role in our expansion and investment into Viet Nam market, Junichi said.

Another issue that Son raised is that unemployment is not due to lack of jobs, but lower pay compared to what they earn abroad, he claimed. For the same job, in Viet Nam, the monthly salary is VN6 million to VN10 million ($266 to $443), while in Japan, it can be as high as VN20 million to VN30 million ($885 to $1328). The authorities must take note of this disparity in pay.

COLab frequently organises job fairs to connect overseas workers with Japanese and South Korean firms. The centre has also cooperated with the provincial Department of Labour to organise job fairs for labourers from many other markets. VNS
A Vietnamese delegation led by Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien this week participated in discussions on global health issues at the 140th meeting of the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo Ha Anh Duc

GENEVA  A Vietnamese delegation led by Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien this week participated in discussions on global health issues at the 140th meeting of the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The meeting focused on issues related to preparation, supervision and response including response to urgent public health events such as Ebola and Zika diseases and virus and antibiotic resistance; measures to strengthen health system; and prevention of infectious and non-communicable diseases.

According to Minister Tien, these are global health issues, which aim to enhance public health and promote sustainable development. These will be discussed and approved in the 70th World Health Assembly in May this year.

As an official member of the WHO Executive Board from May, 2016, the Vietnamese delegation made significant contributions to the meetings agenda.

Vietnams reports presented at the meeting were praised by the Board, contributing the voice of developing countries to the formulation of health policies in the world.

The meeting, from January 23-25, also discussed the selection of elite candidates for the WHO General Director position in the 2017-2022 tenure.

The Executive Board approved and voted for the position, with finalists in the running to become the next director-general of the global health agency being Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 51, of Ethiopia, Sania Nishtar, 53, of Pakistan, and David Nabarro, 67, of the UK.

The WHO Executive Board holds an important role in global health policy making as it is responsible for proposing and designing agendas for the World Health Assembly.  VNS
SANTIAGO  Six people -- among them four firefighters and two police -- have now been killed battling vast forest fires in central Chile, officials said Wednesday.

"I can now say officially that there are two more fatalities -- two Chilean police who were found in the Maule River," said Interior Minister Mario Fernandez, raising the total death toll to six.

Earlier in the day a firefighter died after getting stuck while trying to help a family escape from their home near the city of Constitucion, a source in the fire service said.

And over the past week three other firefighters died and another three were injured, authorities said earlier.

Multiple blazes have ravaged 238,000 hectares (588,000 acres) and are growing, the National Forestry Corporation said in a statement.

Frantic locals have been joining in efforts to tackle the blaze to save their homes, animals and farmland.

President Michelle Bachelet Tuesday ordered extra funds to fight what she called the countrys worst forest fires ever.

At least 4,000 people have been evacuated, the National Emergency Office said on Tuesday.

The fires have struck mainly in sparsely populated rural areas in the central regions of OHiggins and El Maule.

The United States has offered $100,000 for the firefighting effort, and France and Mexico have sent personnel to help.

Fires are common in Chiles parched woods during the Southern Hemispheres summer. Most are caused by human activity.

But this year was considered worse because of a drought attributed by environmentalists to climate change.  AFP
WASHINGTON - Mexico is willing to talk with the United States in order to maintain good relations, but paying for President Donald Trumps border wall "is not negotiable," Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said on Thursday.

"There are things that are not negotiable, things that cannot and will not be negotiated. The fact that it is being said that Mexico should pay for the wall is something that is simply not negotiable," Videgaray said during a press conference at the Mexican embassy in Washington.

Holding true to his campaign promise, Trump on Wednesday ordered US officials to begin to design and construct a wall along the 3,200km US-Mexico border. - AFP
Q Is Cedar Valley Medical Specialists a part of area hospitals?

A: No, the physicians, advanced practice providers and employees of Cedar Valley Medical Specialists (CVMS) are independent of the hospitals. However, many of our providers do have privileges to provide services at area hospitals such as ER consults, in- and outpatient surgeries and interpretations of radiology studies, as well as other tests and treatments.

Q Why should patients consider using CVMS?

A: CVMS physicians and advanced practice providers are true specialists in their areas of expertise. If youre having a sinus problem, many people prefer to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist first instead of a general practitioner  who often ultimately refers patients to see an ENT. Seeing a specialist at CVMS first often avoids two separate doctor visits, which saves the patient time and money, and helps reduce overall insurance costs.

Q What makes CVMS different from other providers?

A: Our specialists truly are specialists  offering advanced, specialized health-care services typically found at major medical centers. In fact, with CVMS, advanced health-care treatment doesnt have to mean a long road trip to specialty clinics in Rochester or Iowa City. Weve brought world-class experts right here to our area from the most prestigious names in the medical field.

Q Do patients need a referral to see one of CVMS specialists?

A: No referrals are needed for most patients. Appointments can be made directly with any specialist at CVMS. If you think your insurance might require a referral, check with CVMS and the staff will be happy to look into your individual situation.

Q What are the benefits of choosing CVMS vs. a major specialty clinic outside of our market?

A: CVMS has brought in the highly qualified medical experts that patients need. Its very reassuring to know that whatever patients are facing, it can usually be addressed right here in the Cedar Valley. Handling all of your medical needs close to home has so many advantages. The convenience factor is huge, and it can also significantly reduce the amount of time, and, more importantly, the amount of stress that can arise when dealing with medical situations.

Q What medical services does CVMS offer?

A: CVMS continues to expand and bring on new specialists in the areas of:

Allergy and Immunology

Anesthesiology

Audiology

Bone Health

Breast Care

Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Surgery

Facial Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery & Med Spa Services

Gastroenterology

General Surgery

Imaging Center

Nephrology

Neurology

Ophthalmology

Orthopedics

Otolaryngology/ENT and Sinus

Pain Management

Physical Therapy/Occupational Rehabilitation

Pulmonology

Radiology

Rheumatology

Sleep Center

Skin Cancer

XL Sports

Q How can CVMS offer services with up to 50 percent savings in some cases  or more  to patients?

A: CVMS is a truly unique provider of medical services. We are not owned by any hospitals or health systems. We are the Cedar Valleys premier independent source for patients. We dont have the same costly overhead expenses that many hospitals have, meaning our costs are much lower. We pass those savings onto patients  which in some cases can be up to 50 percent or more.

Q How does CVMS offer such a high-quality health care experience for patients?

A: Our clinics are staffed by dedicated professionals  specialists who are trained at the finest names in medicine, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, The Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa. Theyre not distracted with administrative burdens or mandated requirements that other providers may experience. CVMS home office in Waterloo takes care of the business side of business, so our doctors and providers can do what they do best  take care of patients.

Q Where is Cedar Valley Medical Specialists located?

A: Our corporate offices are located in Tower Park in Waterloo, and our specialists are located at their individual clinics throughout Waterloo and the Cedar Valley. Many of our doctors have additional clinic locations in surrounding communities, and maintain hours or serve smaller hospitals in the greater Cedar Valley region.
Cedar Valley Medical Specialists (CVMS) was established in 1995. Our goal was to create an independent group of medical specialists and resources for the Cedar Valley and surrounding areas. By taking on most of the administrative and practice management functions for physicians and specialists, weve freed up these professionals to concentrate all their efforts where they should be  on the patient.

Over the past two decades, weve brought together the most qualified, most caring and most community-minded professionals and specialists.

At the same time, weve led the way in helping these professionals embrace the latest innovative medical advancements in technology, techniques, treatments and breakthroughs.

We have great relationships with all the hospitals in and around the Cedar Valley; however, we are not owned by any hospital or any other organization.

Cedar Valley Medical Specialists is a 100 percent independent, locally owned organization with a staff of more than 400, including specialized physicians, advanced practice and mid-level practitioners and support staff representing dozens of health-care specialties. Headquartered in Waterloo, all of our physicians, health-care centers, clinics, labs and diagnostic centers are located in and around the Cedar Valley to better serve our entire extended community.

CVMS specialties:

Allergy and Immunology

Anesthesiology

Audiology

Bone Health

Breast Care

Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Surgery

Facial Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery & Med Spa Services

Gastroenterology

General Surgery

Imaging Center

Nephrology

Neurology

Ophthalmology

Orthopedics

Otolaryngology/ENT and Sinus

Pain Management

Physical Therapy/Occupational Rehabilitation

Pulmonology

Radiology

Rheumatology

Sleep Center

Skin Cancer

XL Sports

Today, Cedar Valley Medical Specialists represents the finest medical staff, most comprehensive health-care specialty centers and the latest in advanced technology and procedures for patients. We help medical professionals put the patient first, which is a win-win for everyone.

Mission / Vision Statements

To provide the highest-quality, most cost-efficient patient care in Northern Iowa through a community of specialty providers.

Vision Statement:

To provide a mechanism for utilization review, continuous quality improvement, outcomes research, and practice guidelines to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality patient care.

To create an atmosphere of enhanced cooperation among the specialties in the area, including primary care.

To create practice opportunities for other fields and specialties in the area, and provide for greater subspecialization within existing specialties.

To provide for a means of increasing patient education and public awareness of issues pertaining to health care, especially as it affects Northern Iowa.

To promote cooperation, communication and coordinated care across all specialties.

To earn the right to remain into the future  become indispensable to patients and their third-party payers (i.e., cost, quality, access).

To serve patients better by remaining physician-owned and -governed and professionally managed.
Putting the patient first is what Cedar Valley Medical Specialists (CVMS) is all about.

What we do with all our decisions is to make our mission patient first, corporation second and 'the individual providers third,  says Gil Irey, CEO of Cedar Valley Medical Specialists.

Operating since Jan. 1, 1995, CVMS is 100 percent locally owned and 100 percent locally governed. All board members are physician shareholders. There is no outside influence. CVMS had six specialties and 80 employees when it first began service. Now it has over 20 specialties, over 50 specialized physicians, over 35 advanced practice and mid-level practitioners and over 400 total employees.

Our role is to make the physicians lives as easy as possible with the non-medical aspects of operating their practices, Irey says. Practicing medicine today is burdened with tremendous efforts to comply with government regulations and federal, state and local insurances. We try to figure out everyday how we can make the providers' lives easier and keep them practicing medicine.

CVMS considers Black Hawk County and the seven surrounding counties its primary coverage area with clinics in Grundy Center, Waverly, Sumner, West Union, Oelwein and Independence.

There are different operating models, but CVMS is unique across Northeast Iowa, particularly in how each specialty makes the decision concerning how to operate, staff, and where to locate its offices.

We have a strong central board that manages the overall business affairs of the organization, but each department operates in its own clinic within CVMS structure, Irey says. They are departments of the corporation, but they operate in the best interest of their patients and the primary care physicians they serve. There is not a central authority from the corporation on where a physician must locate. Thus, all of CVMS departments are not located under one roof.

Because CVMS currently does not include primary care, people are coming to us for very specific reasons, Irey explains.

If someone needs breast care, they can be in a waiting room for just breast care issues. We really want to respect the privacy of the people who have more severe problems than general medical conditions.

The other thing we want is easy patient access. Our patients can park close to an entrance, not in a parking ramp. They dont have to find a parking spot, or go up elevators or flights of stairs. We want to be in the community where people can find us, Irey says.

Though many of the offices are located at United Medical Park on West Ridgeway Avenue in Waterloo, other offices are off of that site. Cedar Valley Eye Care, Cedar Valley Cardiovascular Center and Advanced Diagnostic Imaging all are located in different parts of the community, for example.

Most of our clinics have drive-up canopies, which makes access easier in case of inclement weather, Irey says. Having different locations makes business more expensive for us because we dont have one phone number, and we dont have one reception desk. But its part of our philosophy to put the patient first.

CVMS attracts well-trained, world-class physicians to the community. Many have been trained at The Mayo Clinic, the University of Iowa, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, or Cleveland Clinic and many of the other top training programs in the country.

Were bringing the latest and the greatest from these teaching programs to the community. Thats a huge benefit for our patients, Irey says.

An additional benefit for patients being treated under CVMS umbrella is the cost savings. Our cost structure within our clinic is significantly lower than that of hospital-based physicians, Irey says. On average its less expensive to see a non-hospital-based physician. Hospitals get paid more money than private physicians because of their past Medicare and insurance trends and cost structure for comparable services.

CVMS also is performing more procedures in-office because of technological advances. Ten years ago a physician never would have performed outpatient procedures in any place other than an outpatient surgery center or a hospital. We can routinely do outpatient procedures in the physicians office. This also is a cost savings  a valuable alternative, Irey says.

With other technological advances, CVMS outreach doctors can now travel to their out-of-town clinics, perhaps perform a surgery in that hospital rather than necessitating that the patient travel to the Cedar Valley, and then follow up from their home office with the aid of telemedicine.

We may have an orthopedic surgeon do a total joint replacement in Grundy Center, Irey says. That might mean a two-to-three-day stay in the hospital. Working with a local nurse or practitioner and primary care physician, the surgeon can follow up with the patient via telemedicine rather than physically having to drive back to the out-of-town site.

Its a video and voice hookup, much like Skype but higher quality, which can be rolled into the patients room. The camera will zoom in on the surgical site, the doctor will talk with the patient, the vitals will be shared, all things done as if the physician were there in person, he says.

CVMS also has affiliations with other health systems that bring more advanced procedures and care to the Cedar Valley.
WATERLOO  The Women of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church will kick off the annual Womens Day season Saturday with a weekend extravaganza.

A musical featuring local guests will start at 6 p.m. Saturday. The women will host the annual kickoff program at 4 p.m. Sunday.

The Rev. Val Norman and choir from Union Baptist Church and Break Hill and the praise team from Gift of Life will be the guests. Deidre Speller also will speak on the program.

Call the church for more information at 235-0411.

WATERLOO  The minister and members of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, 2024 Clearview St., will ordain John Fleming as a deacon at 4 p.m. Sunday.

The pastor of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church will participate as well as other area churches and pastors. The Rev. Robert L. Holmes will serve as chief catechizer. Everyone is welcome.

WATERLOO  Dan Rigel will be the speaker for this months Witness Hour, hosted by Cedar Valley Catholic Evangelization Outreach from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in OHagan Hall at Sacred Heart Parish.

This opportunity is for adults and young adults who want to be inspired in their practice of the Catholic faith. People can enjoy a free supper before, during or after the witness talk.

Its open to the public.

WATERLOO  The Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Waterloo will host revival meetings Feb. 3-5 at 1645 Downing Ave.

The Rev. Ryan Neer of Ankeny will speak. The public is welcome for services at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Falls Mennonite Church, Cedar Valley Unitarian Universalists and the Catholic Parishes in Waterloo will host an interfaith dialogue on economic inequality from 1:45 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Cedar Valley Unitarian Universalist Center, 3912 Cedar Heights Drive.

Dr. Suzanne Zilber will facilitate this interactive discussion of class, class attitudes and class biases and how they affect economic inequality in the United States.

This is the first in a series of three workshops which are free and open to the public.

WATERLOO  Dr. Jacob Kohlhaas of Loras College and Dr. Martin Lohrmann of Wartburg Seminary will discuss the state of Catholic-Lutheran relations on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation at the Waterloo parishes Winter Forum Series on Feb. 2.

The talk is set for 7 to 8:30 p.m. at COR, 220 E. Fourth St., meant for adults and young adults and is free and open to the public.

COR is handicap-accessible.
CEDAR FALLS  Hansen Elementary School was honored last week for its work with students who have special needs.

The Cedar Falls Community Schools building was among five schools across Iowa that received the Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award from the State Board of Education.

This years award-winners were recognized for having the highest proficiency rates statewide on the math and reading portions of the 2015-16 Iowa Assessments among a specific subgroup of students, such as those whose first language is not English or who are from low-income backgrounds. State assessment results from the last three years were examined to confirm a positive trend for each school.

Others honored include Denison Elementary, Maquoketa Valley Middle School, Oak Ridge Middle School in the Linn-Mar Community Schools and Riverdale Heights Elementary in the Pleasant Valley Community Schools.

Each of Hansens special needs students have an individualized education program, or IEP. Among that group, our students performed with a 79 percent proficiency rate, said Principal Tara Estep. We were the highest in the state for that.

By comparison, that group had a statewide average of 43 percent on the math and reading assessments. Estep said the schools rate represented a jump up from a few years ago. Over the last several years, weve made progress slowly but surely.

She credits the schools professional learning community process and the support systems that are put in place as a result of the work that staff does. Teams analyze achievement data, create assessments and build targeted intervention and enrichment lessons.

We provide interventions for students daily in the area of math and reading, said Estep. As a result, fewer students have been identified for special needs, down to 9 percent this fall.

Students with special needs are served in general education classrooms, where special education teachers co-teach with the classroom instructor. Its special education students we really see first as general education students, she said.

All kids can learn at high levels, Estep added. Were about every single student every single day.
WATERLOO  A trailblazing Waterloo-raised physician who practiced for decades in the city of Cedar Rapids, became the first black member of the Iowa Board of Regents and held the position of Linn County medical examiner for 40 years has died.

Dr. Percy Harris passed away Tuesday at his home in Cedar Rapids at age 89, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported.

Harris was born in Durant, Miss. According to Courier files, his father, Norman Henry Sr., was killed in an automobile accident when Harris was 3. His mother, Glendora Roundtree, died in 1938. Two years after that he moved to Waterloo to live with an aunt. He grew up here and was a 1947 graduate of East High School. Harris and Lilieah Furgerson were married in July 1950 in Waterloo at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, now the site of the Jesse Cosby Neighborhood Center. Harris father in law, Dr. Lee Furgerson, who passed away in 1948, was the first African-American physician in Waterloo.

Harris attended what is now the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, obtained his bachelors and M.D. degrees with honors from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and was president of his medical class there. Harris and his wife moved to Cedar Rapids in 1957 to serve an internship at St. Lukes Hospital, the Gazette reported, and he opened a medical practice in that city the following year, according to Courier files. Generally credited with being Cedar Rapids first black doctor, Harris told The Courier in a 1999 interview another black physician had attempted to set up practice there in the 1920s but left town after less than a year.

Harris initially encountered racism, having had a rock thrown through the window of his house. A church group had voted to sell him the lot to build his house by less than a 2-1 vote. But he and his wife persevered, raising 12 children. Harris became president of the medical staff at St. Lukes and president of the Cedar Rapids chapter of the NAACP.

In the 1960s Harris, who had served as deputy coroner, became Linn Countys first medical examiner when that position was formally created.

In 1977, Harris became the first black person to be appointed to the Iowa Board of Regents, serving two six-year terms. In 1981, he was inducted into the East High School Hall of Fame. He also had received the Bnai Brith Community Builder Award in Cedar Rapids.

Harris closed his medical practice in 1999 and stepped down as medical examiner in 2000, ending a 42-year medical career.

He was the featured speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. dinner in Waterloo in 1984, at which he credited five University of Northern Iowa professors for giving him the support he needed to succeed in his education.

In the 1999 Courier interview upon the closing of his practice, Harris said he was not particularly fond of the term African-American.

My preference is to be a black American, he said. I have many generations of Americans behind me, and Im proud of that. So Im an American first.

Harris was preceded in death by his wife in 2014. She also served on the human rights commission and the NAACP. In addition to his children, survivors include a sister-in-law, Betty Jean Furgerson, former director of the Waterloo Human Rights Commission and Waterloo school board member who also later served on the Board of Regents. She now lives in Cedar Rapids. His sister-in-law, the late Martha Nash, was a longtime Waterloo civil rights leader.

Services for Dr. Harris will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1340 Third Ave. S.E. in Cedar Rapids.
DELAWARE

Cities to discuss community art

MANCHESTER -- The cities of Manchester and Delhi, in partnership with the Delaware Crossing Scenic Byway, will host brainstorming sessions in February.

The first is set for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Manchester Fire Station, with another planned for 10 a.m. Feb. 11 at Delhi City Hall.

These sessions will help Manchester and Delhi's Project Art Advisory Committees determine a theme and design concept for public art pieces to be developed and installed in each community in 2018.

These projects are two of 15 being implemented along scenic byways throughout Iowa by Byways of Iowa Foundation partners.

For more information, call (563) 864-7112 or email mallory@northeastiowarcd.org.

WINNESHIEK

Luther gets new dish room pulper

DECORAH -- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Alternative Program recently awarded Luther College a $20,000 forgivable loan in order to install a pulper in the cafeteria dish room.

College officials said installation of the WasteXpress System over winter break has greatly increased the amount of food waste being composted. It replaced the previous garbage disposal in the dish room. Food scraps are scraped directly into the pulper, where the moisture is removed from them and the material is pulverized into bits capable of breaking down faster in a compost pile.

"Diverting food waste from the landfill is an important part of our sustainability efforts," says Maren Beard, assistant director of Luther's Center for Sustainable Communities. "When food waste breaks down in a landfill it produces methane gas which is 23 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than the carbon dioxide emitted through the composting process."

Data collected prior to the installation of the pulper indicates that over the decades Luther has been composting the college has been diverting up to 130,000 pounds of food waste to the compost pile each year. However, waste audits suggest the school is only capturing 50 percent of total materials that could be composted. The new pulper should be able to capture the vast majority of food waste coming out of campus dining locations, which could lead to as much as 75 percent reduction in total waste coming out of the Union.

The addition of a pulper is one step towards the goal of sending 90 percent of all food waste to the compost pile by May of 2018. Other efforts include waste education and comprehensive waste infrastructure changes across campus.
Q. Has the amount of students who attend Expo increased this year? If so, does the board plan to remodel the school to accommodate the students there?

A. Enrollment has not increased at Expo Alternative Learning Center. A comparison of the certified enrollment for October 2015 and 2016 shows Expo High School's enrollment was unchanged, while overall number of students in the other alternative programs there decreased slightly.

Q. In the past year or so we have been getting frequent mailings from Hawkeye Community College -- nice glossy magazines, none of which we are interested in. Who do these go to and why do we get them? Is there a better way for the college to spend its money?

A. They are sent to residents in Hawkeye's 10-county service area to provide information about the college. Contact Hawkeye Community College or your representative on its board of trustees with any concerns about this.

Q. Is it true Donald Trump owed money to the Russian mafia and Putin had to bail him out and so now he owes Putin a favor?

A. No reputable source has reported anything like this. There are many internet rumors about President Trump's ties to Russian (and American) mobsters.

Q. If a president commits a crime can he pardon himself?

A. The answer seems to be yes. The Constitution states the president "shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment." But no court has ruled on the issue because no president has tried to pardon himself. So no one really knows.

Q. At the bottom of a page in The Courier there is a line with six little holes in it. Was causes that?

A. Gray bars help us monitor the printing process to reproduce photos with sharper focus and better color by controlling ink density. The holes (actually eight) are made as the newsprint is pulled over the folders in the press.

Q. What is Steve McGee's position and title with Goodwill on Falls Avenue?

A. He is a program manager working on contract development and job placement.

Q. Should ketchup be stored in or out of the refrigerator?

A. The folks at Heinz Ketchup say, "We recommend that ketchup, like any processed food, be refrigerated after opening. Refrigeration will maintain the best product quality after opening."

Q. Will "Underground" return on WGN?

A. The new season starts March 8, according to WGN.

Q. How old is Linda Hamilton? Will she be appearing in any upcoming movies or shows?

A. Hamilton is now 60. She will appear in a movie called "Curvature," set to be released this year, described as a "time travel sci-fi drama about an engineer who travels back in time to stop herself from committing a murder."

Q. I know presidents get physicals before taking office, but do they also get mental health checkups?

A. Presidents and presidential candidates are not required to make their doctors' visits public. It has been standard practice in recent years for both candidates and presidents to share their physical health check-ups with the public, but it is not required. So, we can't say whether they're getting mental health check-ups.

Questions are taken on a special Courier phone line at 234-3566. Questions are answered by Courier staff and staff at the Waterloo Public Library.
WASHINGTON  Suddenly, North Carolinas farmers are disappointed with President Donald Trump. And the labor movements not.

Trumps decision to nix involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the pending pact with 11 Pacific Rim nations, was no surprise. But he offered no alternative. The White House had no details to salve deeply worried North Carolina farmers and others around the nation who are concerned about the fate of their exports.

Yet organized labor, a bitter Trump opponent, got what it wanted.

The pact former president Barack Obama had hammered out was unlikely to win approval in Congress. Trump had promised on the campaign trail hed pull out of the deal, and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was opposed. The trade agreement would have drastically slashed international export tariffs and boosted farm profits.

Without it, farmers want to know whats next. We agree with the president that we need to put America first.  (But) without trade, we begin to drown in many of these commodities, said Larry Wooten, president of the North Carolina Farm Bureau.

North Carolina farmers want Trump to negotiate bilateral or multinational trade deals that will provide equal access to new international markets and give similar tax benefits to grease export wheels, Wooten said. And they have their eye on how Trump will handle immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, a major labor pool for agricultural work in North Carolina and a group Trump has promised hell deport.

The promise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership looked particularly good for the states pork producers. Pork exports under the deal  North Carolinas No. 1 agricultural export  would have netted in-state farms nearly $139.5 million a year, largely by eliminating or lowering tariffs for pork sold to Asian countries, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Farmers and rural residents in North Carolina were key to Trumps big victory in the swing state last year.

Union groups, on the other hand, campaigned hard in North Carolina for Clinton. The North Carolina AFL-CIO called Trumps candidacy toxic and labeled him manifestly unfit to be president.

The union organizations wanted the Trans-Pacific Partnership scrapped, saying the pact would make it easier for U.S. companies to outsource jobs.

Theyre still not crazy about Trump, of course, and were reluctant this week to give him much credit for his executive action on the trade deal.

North Carolina AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer MaryBe McMillan called the Trans-Pacific Partnership a witchs brew of anti-labor and anti-worker trade policy. On Monday, she said she was glad Trump had acted to kill the deal, but union organizations had already successfully lobbied Congress to block it long before hed taken office.

I dont think this is a sign that President Trump is now going to be for working people, McMillan said. What he really needs to do is raise minimum wage, keep Obamacare and allow states like North Carolina to expand Medicaid.  Theres so much that he could do to make sure working folks are not forgotten.

North Carolina voters are sensitive to international trade agreements. Past trade deals have contributed to the loss of nearly half the states textile and manufacturing jobs  more than 330,000  since 1994, according to a Bureau of Labor statistical analysis by Public Citizen, a Washington-based watchdog group.

But those same trade deals open up new export options for farmers.

North Carolina farms rank high nationally in exports of pork, poultry, tobacco, cotton, Christmas trees, sweet potatoes and soybeans. Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated nearly half of North Carolina exports went to Trans-Pacific Partnership countries, where the pending deal would have reduced tariffs for U.S. businesses and farmers.
FORT YATES, N.D.  Gov. Doug Burgum sat down with tribal and camp leaders for five hours at the Prairie Knights Casino Wednesday night in what participants saw as a gesture of good faith from the new leadership.

"The governor listened to our concerns, and that goes a long way in showing his willingness to listen and learn ... from all sides, how we can help and rebuild and move forward," said Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II. "This has been very trying on everybody."

It was significant to many participants that the meeting took place in Fort Yates  a decision made by Burgum  and a step former Gov. Jack Dalrymple did not take during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Attendees included current and former Standing Rock tribal council members, tribal elders, Oceti Sakowin camp headsmen, officials from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, North Dakota Highway Patrol Col. Michael Gerhardt Jr., Indian Affairs Commission Executive Director Scott Davis and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford.

The meeting, which lasted from 7 p.m. to midnight, was mostly a listening session for the governor, participants said. They wanted him to hear about the broken treaties with the Sioux people, what the Backwater Bridge closure was costing the tribe and their fears that President Donald Trump would forcibly remove the protesters.

Archambault said he told the governor specifically, "if the president wants to use federal force, to let us know. We don't want anyone to be hurt. That's the nerve-wracking part, because he's making rash decisions."

Some also asked the governor to take meaningful steps to assist the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Most notably, they want the Backwater Bridge on N.D. Highway 1806 re-opened.

"The state needs to work with us first," said Cannon Ball Tribal Councilman Cody Two Bears, whose constituents say the closure affects their access to key medical services.

Though no concrete plans came out of the meeting, Gov. Doug Burgum said in an interview that he asked the Morton County Sheriff, North Dakota Highway Patrol, North Dakota National Guard and Morton County Commission on Thursday to draft a plan for a phased re-opening of the bridge.

Concerned about an impending flood, Burgum said he would also advocate with the Army Corps of Engineers, if needed.

"We want to work with Chairman Archambault and the camp leaders and try to figure out a way to reduce the level of conflict and, at the same time, solve the public safety issues we have relative to the flood," Burgum said. "How do we take steps together?"

Manape LaMere, an Oceti Sakowin camp headsman, said he told the governor he understood there are strategic reasons to keep the bridge closed: That way protesters do not camp or linger in the snowy ditches where the protests began just north. But he contends use of the road and access to the site would be valuable enough to constrain that behavior.

"If everybody is concerned about protesters approaching the entrance, that puts the burden on us. We wouldn't want to jeopardize that," LaMere said.

As the night grew later, conversation turned away from the protest to longer-term issues facing the tribe, including drug addiction, jobs, housing and the economy on the reservation.

"Im looking to a point beyond when the protest camps are done," Burgum said.

Davis said he hopes this will lead to better communication, "making sure nobody is blindsided by what the state or tribe does."

"People down there want to be heard," Davis said. "When people get heard, it gains some respect. It gains some trust."
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Jeff Dobbins, associate professor at Willamette Law, discussed President Trumps potential nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court on Oregon Public Broadcastings Think Out Loud segment Wednesday. Dobbins and Lisa McElroy, associate professor at Drexel University School of Law, spoke about the four people whose names have been floated around as Trumps short list: William Pryor, 54, Diane Sykes, 59, Neil Gorsuch, 49, and Thomas Hardiman, 51.

All of the judges are considered conservatives and were named to their current positions by President George W. Bush. President Trump said that he will announce his nominee next Tuesday, Jan. 31.

In discussing the short list, Dobbins and McElroy agreed that Pryors chances seem to be fading amidst questions of how conservative he is. Dobbins said in a lot of ways, Gorsuch is the most traditional and might fit into the existing mold of the Supreme Court in the most straightforward way.

One of the things that struck me about some of his opinions that I had a chance to look at is that in a lot of ways, hes already thinking a little bit like a Supreme Court justice, which is unusual for Court of Appeals judges, Dobbins said, because he is often seeming to push the boundaries of existing law rather than simply marching in lockstep.

He often says Heres how we should really be thinking about this, which is of course the sort of thing that we often saw from Justice Scalia.

Dobbins said to remember that this nominee will be replacing Justice Antonin Scalia, considered a conservative on the Court, so it wont necessarily sway the liberal to conservative ratio. He said the Senates decision to not hold a confirmation hearing for Merrick Garland, former President Obamas nominee, was unusual. Scalia died nearly a year ago in February.

Of the other possible nominees, McElroy said Sykes may no longer be in contention due to her age. Dobbins said it wasnt particularly clear to him why Hardiman had come to the top of the list. However, he said Trumps sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, is on the same circuit court as Hardiman and may have communicated with her brother that he could be a good choice.

Dobbins said issues of religion, class actions and Second Amendment considerations regarding gun rights are what the newest member of the court will face. McElroy said that while Republicans are thrilled they delayed Garlands hearing, Democrats will likely try to stall the confirmation for Trumps nominee until April, when oral arguments will be finished for this term.

I think were going to see a very large turnover in the next four years, and unless the Senate flips, I dont think that theres going to be a whole lot that the Democrats can do, McElroy said.

Dobbins agreed and said a number of things will turn with the outcome of this nomination.

I think that the likelihood of significant change is probably quite different now than it would have been if Garland had been confirmed or if we had a Clinton presidency rather than a Trump one, he said.

About Willamette University College of Law

Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship and mentorship. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.
Czech minister announces fresh impetus for nuclear

26 January 2017

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Jan Mladek, the Czech Republic's trade and industry minister, announced yesterday the creation of three working groups of the Standing Committee for Nuclear Energy. The three will each be responsible for financial, legal and technical-investment strategies. In a statement on the ministry's website, Mladek said the move would give "new impetus" to the implementation of the State Energy Policy (SEP) for the development of nuclear energy agreed by the government in 2015.

The Czech Republic has six nuclear units at two sites - Dukovany and Temelin - with an installed capacity of 3924 MWe and electricity generation of 26.8 TWh, which is up 8.5% since 2005. Nuclear accounts for 32.5% of the country's electricity generation.

The ministry's SEP, which the cabinet approved in June 2015, foresees one new unit at Dukovany, and possibly three more at the two sites. It recommended that power utility CEZ creates a subsidiary company to prepare construction plans and explore options for financing the new reactors, even though the first might not be approved until 2025. A decision on power pricing from the new plant is expected this year.

The 2015 SEP reiterated most of the policy presented in 2012 - one new reactor at Dukovany and two at Temelin, but without any state guarantee on electricity prices. The policy is explicitly part of the country's commitment to a European Union target for cutting carbon emissions.

Nuclear is expected to become the main source of electricity production with its share rising to between 46% and 58% in 2040. The share of lignite is expected to fall to no more than 21%, while renewables could provide 25% and gas 15%. New nuclear capacity of 2500 MWe is to be added by 2035, and more thereafter. Four years' fuel reserve is called for.

In January last year, the government set up a new committee headed by the prime minister to coordinate the development of nuclear power in the country. A new nuclear envoy is to serve as the main coordinator for these developments. The committee will be responsible for new construction, supply chain, wastes, and legislation to move the nuclear sector forward.

The feasibility study for a new reactor at Dukovany is in progress, and last year CEZ asked the Environment Ministry for an environmental assessment for two new units. Application for a construction permit is envisaged in 2025.

The 2015 SEP for nuclear stated that Dukovany 5 has priority over Temelin in order to maintain production at the site after the old reactors are retired in about 2037.

In October last year, Rusatom Overseas submitted to the government and CEZ an offer to build a VVER-1200 reactor at Dukovany. Five other companies have also submitted offers: EDF/Areva, Atmea, China General Nuclear, Korea HNP and Westinghouse.

Last month, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said the Czech Republic needs to decide on the mechanisms for financing the construction and operation of new nuclear power plants "as soon as possible". Speaking at the launch in Prague of the Energy Policies of IEA Countries: Czech Republic 2016 Review on 13 December, Fatih Birol noted that nuclear is "one of the major pillars" of the SEP, targeting the expansion of Czech nuclear energy capacity in order to strengthen energy independence and security of supply.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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The owners of For the Funk of It, a Billings South Side vintage shop, are opening a new breakfast-and-lunch eatery across the street in the historic L&L Building on Minnesota Avenue.

Owners Melody and Tammy Fletcher say Mels Lunch Box, opening Wednesday in the former Subway sandwich shop, will serve organic, locally sourced food in a 50s and 60s style atmosphere.

The married Billings couple bought most of Subways restaurant equipment, including the fountain drink machine and bread oven, painted, and added their own decor.

A figurine of Marilyn Monroe in her famous, flowing white dress faces customers on Minnesota. Framed photos of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame adorn the walls, along with music, television and movie stars from decades past.

Old nostalgia, Tammy Fletcher said.

It kind of fits the neighborhood, Melody Fletcher added.

Mels Lunch Box will serve soup, sandwiches, tacos, burgers and breakfast food, featuring soy-free and gluten-free options. Hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Mels Lunch Box is a place for police officers, refinery workers, RiverStone Health employees and other workers so that they have a good place to eat where they feel good about eating, Melody Fletcher said.

The Fletchers are planning to buy local ingredients as much as possible. Bread will be from Grains of Montana, and theyre selling baked goods from Rae Raes Bakery on the West End.

The space at 2624 Minnesota Ave. became vacant when Subway closed in late November. Tammy Fletcher said she immediately contacted building owner Russ Plath to discuss moving in.

The Fletchers have hired Shelly Fisher, former manager of the now-shuttered Grand Bagel spot, to run the restaurant. They both also plan time at both businesses  Mel's and For the Funk of It  and eventually hope to have three employees at Mels.

Both women have worked in food service and operate a food truck, called Flaming Ladies.

They opened For the Funk of It two years ago directly across the street from the L&L Building at 2702 Minnesota Ave. About a year ago, they moved into a larger space on South 27th Street. Theyre planning to expand again within the next month, adding a boutique, gift store and jewelry store.

The couple said they never considered expanding outside the Minnesota Avenue corridor, one of Billings oldest streets with a rich history.

The L&L Building, for example, dates back to the 1880s and was the center of the citys Chinese population. Its gained new life after Plath bought the building last summer.
A small hole on a weld between two segments of a shallow four-inch pipe has been discovered on a pipeline that leaked some 52,834 gallons of oil onto aboriginal land in Saskatchewan last week, provincial officials said Thursday.

They also said the roughly 1.2-mile stretch of pipeline, which is owned by Tundra Energy Marketing Inc. and feeds into the larger South East Saskatchewan oil gathering system, was exempt from licensing when built in 1968.

It was retroactively licensed by then-owner Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc. in 2014, the provincial government said, adding that it does not have any record of formal inspection of the line since that time.

Authorities were notified of the leak on Friday, when a member of the Ocean Man First Nation, who said he had smelled oil for a week, located the spill and alerted the band's chief, who notified Tundra.

Some 47,000 gallons of oil have been recovered, along with more than 450 tonnes of contaminated soil, the government said.

Tundra, which is part of Canadian grain trading and energy conglomerate James Richardson and Sons Ltd., is leading the cleanup efforts.

The damaged portion of the pipeline was expected to be removed on Thursday and sent for further analysis and metallurgic testing.

Provincial officials will investigate the cause of the leak, why it was not detected by the operator, whether the age of the pipeline contributed to its failure, and study the effectiveness of the operators' emergency response.

The spill was discovered just days before U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders that will move forward two controversial oil pipelines, including one that will bring oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to the United States. Indigenous and environmental groups oppose the projects.
Born in 1936, in Youngstown, Ohio, Judy grew up in a loving family. She met the love of her life, Malcolm (Mac) Harvey Everett in Cleveland, Ohio. They had three boys, Norman, Jeffrey and Ryan. After moving around, their final destination together was in San Pedro, Calif., before Mac passed away in 2001. Judy was a homemaker, she loved to take care of her family, always cooking delicious meals even when the boys grew up and started their own families. They always looked forward to her meals, especially her homemade apple pie, mac and cheese, and cookies! Not only could Judy bake, but she loved to knit, sew and create pottery. There was nothing better than one of Judys afghans. Judy became very independent until later in life. She eventually moved from California to Ohio and finally to New Mexico to be closer to her sons Jeffrey and Ryan. This was her home for numerous years. After an injury made it more difficult for Judy to be on her own, she decided to move to Billings with her oldest son Norman, where she lived her last days.
Martin Gayford at The Spectator:

Michael Andrews once noted the title of an American song on a scrap of paper: Up is a Nice Place to Be. Then he added a comment of his own: The best. This jotting was characteristic in more than one way. A splendid exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, Grosvenor Hill, London, makes it clear that Andrews was  among other achievements  a supreme aerial painter. No one else has better caught the sensation of floating, to quote another song from the Sixties, up, up and away.

It was also typical of Andrews that his addition to that title was only two words  but it makes a big difference. His paintings are like that. At first, there may seem not to be much there. Lights VII: A Shadow (1974) is almost a painting of nothing at all. Its subject is the silhouette of a balloon, seen from above, drifting over the sand of an empty beach, with bands of blue sea and sky beyond.

The effect is quite close to an abstraction. But for the spot-on verisimilitude of that shadow  with ropes and dangling basket clearly outlined  you might be looking at a Rothko. On the other hand, a glance at a reproduction could suggest that this is a photograph. Indeed, as the curator Richard Calvocoressi explains in the catalogue, the sources for Andrewss later works were often photographic. As part of his research for the picture, Andrews assembled shots of coastal scenery and images of inflated balloons in flight. The changes he made to his sources might seem a matter of nuance, but they were crucial.

more here.
Looking for a little more oomph in your cup of coffee? San Francisco-based Ritual Coffee Roasters has joined forces with local cannabis startup Somatik to create a bona fide artisanal marijuana-infused cold brew.







As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Somatik founder Christopher Schroeder had no experience with either beverages or cannabis before founding the Oakland-based company in 2016 with the goal of making the perfect artisanal, pot-infused cold brew. All he needed was the right coffee roaster.





Schroeder had met Ritual Coffee founder Eileen Rinaldi through SF Made, back when he was working in marketing at Rickshaw Bagworks, and a partnership was born. Together, they taste-tested more than 40 different coffees before settling on beans grown in Gigante, Colombia for their brew. The beans are roasted and ground at Ritual's SoMa roastery and delivered to Somatik's manufacturer in the South Bay, where they steep for 12 hours in cold water to produce a rich, smooth concentrate, which is then strained and blended with THC oil before bottling.





For the cannabis, Schroeder chose several outdoor-grown hybrid strains, which are processed into oil using carbon dioxide extraction. The result is a light-bodied and smooth cold brew with subtle notes of cherry, a hint of herbaceous flavor, and undertones of bright lemonno strong marijuana flavor or aroma.





Debuting in Bay Area cannabis dispensaries this week, the cold brew comes in eight-ounce bottles, each containing 15 milligrams of THC (about one-and-a-half the standard dose of marijuana per bottle). Drink it straight, or dilute it with water, cream, or almond milkwhatever your particular fancy.





"There's no replacement for a joint and a cup of coffee," Schroeder told the Chronicle. "[But the cold brew] gives me a more balanced feel between my mind and my body, so I don't feel as 'cerebral' as when I smoke a joint. It's functional. It does make me feel light and fun, but also relaxed and very much in my body still."





// Somatik Medical CannabisInfused Cold Brew ($12) is available at Harvest (San Francisco) and Magnolia Wellness (Oakland); get.somatik.us.
HELENA  The Montana House has given preliminary approval to two bills that add whistleblower protections to the state's ethics code.

One of the measures by Republican Rep. Kirk Wagoner of Montana City would bar retaliation against a public employee who alleges government waste, fraud or abuse. The second measure says a public employee can file a civil lawsuit if his or her supervisor obstructs that worker from communicating with a legislator.

The original bills had created new criminal offenses for obstruction and retaliation, but they were reduced to civil actions in committee.

The House voted Friday 76-24 to approve House Bill 208, the retaliatory measure. The obstruction measure, House Bill 202, passed on a 63-37 vote.

Both bills must pass a final vote before they go to the Senate.
Northern football players, cheerleaders from beyond the U.S.

Two Northern football players and two cheerleaders have common ground with hometowns outside the U.S.
A week after Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen leveled accusations that education officials previously falsified Montana test scores, the U.S. Department of Education hasn't said much.

We have been talking to that state about their assessments, said an email from a spokeswoman Thursday. The parties were scheduled for another conversation Friday, Arntzen said.

It confirms that Arntzen has been in touch with federal officials, as she said at a Friday afternoon press conference last week. It does little to clear up the dispute between her and previous Superintendent Denise Juneau, but letters sent to other states show that federal criticism is not uncommon.

The Office of Public Instruction has hired an outside investigator to look into the issue, Arntzen said Friday morning following claims of an unspecified "external investigation" during a school administrators gathering in Great Falls, as reported by the Great Falls Tribune.

The firm, CMS Communication and Management Services, is based in Helena. The contractor will be Jim Kerins, said OPI spokesman Dylan Klapmeier. He said the contract is not yet finalized.

The testing flap centers on Montanas use of the ACT, a test traditionally given to juniors as a measure of college readiness, for federally required testing of high school students. Juneau announced that the state switched from Smarter Balanced, the exam given to all other students, in December 2015. The Board of Public Education affirmed her decision.

Arntzen described Montana as out of compliance with the feds because the ACT does not align with state standards, and because its scores dont translate into the achievement categories that feds use  novice, basic, proficient and advanced. She also accused the Juneau administration of falsifying scores for high schoolers who took the ACT, labeling them all as scoring proficient. Some states have "cut scores" that translate ACT scores into federal categories.

However, Juneau chalked up the score reporting to a federal form that forced the state to report scores, whether the information was applicable or not, and that the reporting intended to be revised later. The state hadn't yet determined cut scores.

We go back and forth with the feds a lot about forms, she said last week, arguing that Arntzen made a "jump to conclusions."

Arntzen has continued to blast Juneau's handling of scores, saying she had "no excuse."

Arntzen said her office recently uncovered the information with the help of a whistleblower. Information about the ACT not aligning with Montana standards was widely reported when the switch was made.

There are 12 states that use the ACT or SAT, another college readiness exam, for federal accountability, according to a database of state tests by Education Week. At least seven states have won permission from the feds to use those tests, but still must go through the peer-review process.

The Montana debate centers on the rules of No Child Left Behind, which will be replaced when the Every Student Succeeds Act goes into effect for the 2017-2018 school year. The new law appears to open the door to ACT use, allowing for "nationally recognized high school academic assessments," but it still requires a peer-review process.

Montanas peer review process has been pushed back a year, according to the federal spokeswoman, because of changes to its assessment program in the 2015-2016 school year  presumably the ACT switch.

In decision letters sent to Wyoming and Wisconsin, who use the ACT, the test was labeled as partially meeting federal requirements for NCLB, in part because the test does not align with state standards.

However, the letters make no mention of the potential loss of federal funding, nor do they declare states non-compliant. Such letters often point out flaws in submissions for any state and request that states resubmit information with corrections.

A review of the latest round of peer review assessment letters shows that of 31 states that received decision letters, not one met every requirement under NCLB. And none of the letters threaten the loss of federal funding.

At Arntzens press conference, she said federal funding for our Montana schools is at risk.

Asked by reporters whether federal officials had raised the specter of lost funding, she said no. Rather, she said it was a broad characterization on her part that any misreported information could lead to the extreme measure of lost funding.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will extend its public comment period on a proposed expansion to the Billings landfill after receiving requests from 40 people.

The DEQ will continue to accept input until March 16, according to a release on Thursday. The previous deadline was Jan. 30.

So far, the department has received just six written comments, though about 18 people spoke at a Jan. 10 public hearing on the matter, according to DEQ Public Information Officer Jeni Flatow.

Most of those who offered comment at that meeting were against the proposal.

The proposal began in earnest in April 2015, when the city of Billings asked the DEQ for a license to expand the current 421-acre landfill on the south end of town. The expansion would add 350 acres adjacent to the current space.

The expansion would be across Hillcrest Road from the current landfill. According to the DEQ, it would extend south from Blue Creek Road, and the new section's northwest boundary would border Hillcrest. The city already owns the property.

If approved, the expansion wouldn't be used until about 2055. It's meant to extend the life of the landfill, which is expected to fill up in 39 to 62 years, depending on waste volumes. In 2016, 334,000 tons of trash were deposited there.

Comments submitted last year at a Yellowstone County Board of Adjustment meeting were mostly negative. Area residents voiced concern about the effect on property values, blowing trash and degradation of the hillsides.

One Billings resident, Norma Buchanan, wrote to the Billings City Council with a request to extend the comment period. She wrote that while the DEQ environmental assessment was released on Dec. 16 and a public meeting was held Jan. 10, it still left a short comment period with the Jan. 30 deadline.

Buchanan wrote that "as a layperson, I better seriously read the EAS (environmental assessment statement) word for word so I could make credible and articulate comments of concern to the DEQ." The document is 68 pages long, not including appendices.

State Rep. Sue Vinton, R-Billings, was also among those who requested the extension, according to Flatow.

The expansion would add about 50 years of life to the landfill.


Quarterly Activities Report and Appendix 4C

Perth, Jan 27, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Flexiroam Ltd ( ASX:FRX ) ("the Company") is pleased to provide the Company's Quarterly Activities Report and Appendix 4C for the period ended 31 December, 2016.



Key Performance Highlights



- The Company reports improved retail customer revenues for the December 2016 quarter.



- Revenues from corporate customers declined as orders were rescheduled.



- The Company continued to streamline its research and development activities focusing on enhancement of Flexiroam-X.



- Direct costs increased, primarily because promotional codes were converted to data usage.



- Advertising and marketing costs declined as the Company continues to optimise its digital marketing strategy.



- Administration and corporate costs were slightly lower for the quarter, mainly due to reduced professional fees and one-off annual charges.



Recent Announcements



- In November 2016 Flexiroam entered into a partnership agreement with Singapore Airlines Staff Union ("SIASU") to collaborate on marketing and coordinate sales of Flexiroam products and services to SIASU members for a period of two years.



- In November 2016 Flexiroam signed a sponsorship agreement with Tripzilla of Singapore . Tripzilla travel portal collates the latest tour packages from hundreds of travel agencies in Singapore and aggregates them on their website for price comparison and booking. Flexiroam and Tripzilla together with Hotel Boss Singapore are partnering for a giveaway contest, where participants stand a chance to win a free stay in Hotel Boss Singapore and enjoy free data from FLEXIROAM X when they travel.



- In November 2016 Flexiroam entered into a partnership agreement with Shopee Mobile Malaysia. Shopee is a major mobile marketplace in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, where everyone can browse, shop and sell. Flexiroam will be participating in Shopee's first anniversary celebration as a sponsor. As an official partner, Flexiroam's brand and logo will be featured on Shopee's marketing channels, including mobile app and social media platforms.



- In December 2016 Flexiroam appointed a subsidiary of Brightstar Corp as a consignee with exclusive rights to display and sell FLEXIROAM X. Brightstar distributes and manages inventories for mobile device manufacturers, wireless operators and retailers. Globally Brightstar serves over 200 mobile network operators, 50,000 retailers and 15,000 enterprise customers.



- In January 2017 Flexiroam entered into a partnership agreement with Chan Brothers, one of Singapore's largest travel agents and tour operators with over 50 years' experience in the travel industry. In this agreement Chan Brother will purchase FLEXIROAM X and advertise Flexiroam's products and services on their marketing channels, including Facebook posts, newspapers and website banners.



- In November 2016 Flexiroam launched its "Data for Voice" functionality to its FLEXIROAM X users which enables the users to make international calls to mobile and fixed lines in over 100 countries from users' data pool.



To view the full report, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/UKR9W3D1





About Flexiroam Ltd





FLEXIROAM Limited (ASX:FRX) is a leading telecommunications company offering universal voice and data services for mobile users globally. Its flagship data roaming product, FLEXIROAM X has coverage in over 100 countries with 4G speed in over 56 countries. FLEXIROAM is an asset light telecommunications company that does not own physical infrastructure yet is able to connect to around 580 network operators globally. FLEXIROAM aspires to be a household name in borderless mobile broadband service in Asia and beyond. Please visit https://www.flexiroam.com


Quarterly Activities Report & Appendix 5B

Brisbane, Jan 27, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP ) ( CPTLF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to provide the Company's Quarterly Activities Report & Appendix 5B for the period ended 31 December, 2016.



HIGHLIGHTS



- The 2016 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 9 November 2016 with all resolutionsoverwhelmingly passed by Shareholders.



- On 10 November 2016, the Company received an unsolicited, indicative and non-binding proposal from Macquarie to acquire 100% of the issued capital of Central by way of a Scheme of Arrangement at 17.5 cents per share. The Board of Directors subsequently determined the proposal was not in the best interests of shareholders however granted Macquarie confidential due diligence with a view to Macquarie developing an improved proposal.



- Santos Limited ( ASX:STO ) sold its 50% interest in the Mereenie Oil and Gas Field (including the Mereenieto Alice Springs Pipeline) to Macquarie Mereenie Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Macquarie, for $52million. Central remains Operator of the Mereenie Field.



- The Vertigan Report was adopted by the Council of Australian Governments' Energy Ministers on 14 December 2016 foreshadowing a basic structural reform of pipeline tariffs and services.



- Testing of the Stairway Sandstone at Mereenie from the previously drilled West Mereenie 15continues free flowing gas at sustainable rates with a low nitrogen content of 2.6%. Additional recompletion opportunities have been identified.



- A Texan Court hearing on jurisdiction in respect of the claim by Geoscience Resource Recovery LLC (GRR) ruled that Texas had jurisdiction and was the most convenient forum. Under Texan law process can be served on Central by serving the Texan Secretary of State. The first knowledge the Company had of the proceedings was through the Australian press. The Company lodged an appeal to the order of the court denying Central's objection to the court's jurisdiction. Central also filed proceedings in the Supreme Court of Queensland against GRR claiming, among other things, declarations, that under Australian law Central being an Australian company which conducts its business exclusively in Australia, that no agreement had been signed with GRR for certain fees claimed by GRR and, alternatively, even if the agreement was signed (which is denied), the Company's Exploration Manager at the time had no authority to sign any such agreement.



- Cash balance at the end of the quarter was $5.9 million.



MANAGING DIRECTOR'S REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS FOR THE QUARTER



2016 closed with the December quarter bringing consistent progress in many areas of Company activity across operations and regulatory reform as well as an unsolicited proposal from a Macquarie subsidiary.



A strong financial quarter closed with nearly $2 million more cash in hand than had been forecast in the previous quarter. The prime drivers of the better performance were tighter capital control, lower operating costs and higher than expected oil prices and production. We ended the year with $5.94 million (as opposed to the forecasted $4.1 million) and the receipts of the Take-or-Pay payments for the under lift of gas expected to be $4.9 million (as opposed to the forecasted $4.6 million). By January close we expect to be over $3 million above that forecasted in the September quarterly with our cash balance approximately $11.5 million.



With the sale by Santos of its 50% stake in the Mereenie oil and gas field to a Macquarie subsidiary, and the higher than predicted cash balance (achieved despite unbudgeted defence costs), the Company intends to accelerate the development of a potential 120 PJ (gross) of incremental reserves in the Stairway formation at Mereenie. It is the Company's highest priority to have the maximum amount of reserves available for transportation through the Northern Gas Pipeline ("NGP") when it becomes operational by the third quarter of next year. The steel pipe has been delivered to Tennant Creek and Jemena has reported the receipt of Native Title approval with the project progressing on schedule.



Well before the NGP becomes available to transport gas from the Northern Territory to Australia's east coast demand centres we expect the implementation of significant and beneficial reform of domestic gas transportation regulations. These reforms were recommended by Dr Michael Vertigan and adopted in principle by the Council of Australian Governments ("COAG") Energy Minister's meeting on 14 December 2016. The reforms include establishing appropriate economic parameters for all pipeline services (not just point-to-point forward haul) reflecting appropriate cost of services parameters. The regulations would also provide easier access to faster and clearer arbitration (especially if the "Final Offer" proposal, developed by Dr Vertigan, is adopted). As explained in the recent investigation by The Australian newspaper (16 January 2017), once our gas reaches Mt Isa, it is basically back haul all the way to Sydney AND Melbourne which requires a very low level of pipeline service at a commensurately low cost. These reforms will substantially cheapen the cost of transporting Northern Territory gas into the domestic centres of demand.



The investment theme of Central since 2013 has been that there will be a major shortage of natural gas in the eastern seaboard by 2018 with dire consequences to the national economy and jobs unless companies like Central geared up to become new suppliers by then. It has been hard work and a long and winding road but we are on the cusp of becoming such a new supplier, at exactly the right time.



Other reforms recommended by the Australian Energy Market Commission ("AEMC") of allowing access to contracted by unutilised capacity on a daily auction basis was also adopted at the COAG Energy Minister's meeting. The first part of these transformatory reforms are scheduled to be finalised and adopted by the mid-May Energy Minister's meeting. The AEMC reforms should demolish the present barriers to entry for financial intermediates to enter the spot market, increasing transparency and efficiency and allow the whole domestic market to be more flexible and responsive to demand, and mitigating to some extent the impacts of the gas shortage on gas users. Additionally, such market operating improvements could be expected to lead to the development of risk management tools which are available in overseas gas markets but presently inhibited in the unreformed National Gas Market.



Santos commenced its seismic programme aimed at delineating the Dukas prospect of which Central holds 30% (which according to Santos' presentation is a multi TCF gas and helium target). This is part of the Stage 2 Southern Amadeus Basin farmout to Santos. We await the results which may justify the drilling of an exploration well next year on Dukas.



The Due Diligence Room established in response to the proposed scheme of arrangement by a Macquarie subsidiary (which the Board has rejected) has been visited by a number of interested parties. The Board is cognisant of the fact that to optimise the Company's position of supplying gas into the east coast market it will need to be appropriately capitalised, possibly through having a strategic partner on the register.



In summary, it has been a satisfying quarter from which the Company has emerged in a stronger financial position, with improved market prospects and its future as a substantial gas producer coming closer and closer to fruition.



To view the full report, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/GQ9SY2F9





About Central Petroleum Limited





Central Petroleum Limited ( ASX:CTP) is a well-established, and emerging ASX-listed Australian oil and gas producer. In our short history, Central has grown to become the largest onshore gas producer in the Northern Territory (NT), supplying industrial customers and senior gas distributors in NT and the wider Australian east coast market.

Central is positioned to become a significant domestic energy supplier, with exploration and development plans across 180,000 km2 of tenements in Queensland and the Northern Territory, including some of Australia's largest known onshore conventional gas prospects. Central has also completed an MoU with Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) to progress the proposed Amadeus to Moomba Gas Pipeline to a Final Investment Decision.

We are also seeking to develop the Range gas project, a new gas field located among proven CSG fields in the Surat Basin, Queensland with 135 PJ (net to Central) of development-pending 2C contingent resource.
The Zonta Club of Billings will host its 20th annual Trivia Night fundraiser, themed Route 66 Road Trip, on Saturday, Feb. 18, at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 226 Wicks Lane. A social hour will start at 6 p.m. Trivia starts at 7 p.m.

The event, open to 35 teams (maximum of eight players, each), will include eight rounds of trivia questions, with each round based on a different topic. The top-scoring team will win $500. Prizes will also be given to the second- and third-place teams, and to the winning team of each round.

A fact or fiction speed round, for which individuals may contribute $5 to participate, will also take place.

The evening will also include a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Spirits and food will be available throughout the night. Jay Kohn from Q2 News will serve as master of ceremonies.

Registration costs $160 per team or $20 per individual. To register, go to billingszonta.org, or call Kelly Christy at 896-8427.

The public is also invited to play web trivia on the Zonta Club of Billings Facebook page starting Feb. 1 for a chance to win a $50 gift card to be given away at the event. The winner does not need to attend Trivia Night to win.
B-52 undergoes HERO testing at Edwards AFB

A B-52 Stratofortress from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, is undergoing Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility (BAF) here.



The test was requested by the B-52 Program Office at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, to comply with a recent mandate from the Air Force Safety Office according to members of the 772nd Test Squadron who oversee BAF operations. The mandate states all Air Force weapons platforms will conduct Electromagnetic Environmental Effects evaluations. This test with the B-52 concentrated on the HERO element.



Ordnance and other devices that contain electroexplosive devices must function in their operational electromagnetic environment without inadvertently activating. To prevent the susceptibility of ordnance to radiated or conducted electromagnetic energy, HERO limits are imposed. HERO tests are conducted to classify the ordnance's susceptibility to electromagnetic radiation as HERO Safe, HERO Susceptible, or HERO Unsafe.



The advantage of using the BAF chamber allows for more sensitive measurements with low background noise levels, as compared to testing on the flightline where there are numerous interfering radio frequency sources, said Hannah Dahlgren, the 772nd TS project lead engineer. Since no signals escape the chamber, the customer does not have to deal with regulatory clearances to radiate from the aircraft, which typically results in transmitting late at night only to avoid interfering with flightline and commercial operations.



The BAF at Edwards AFB is the largest anechoic chamber in the world and can fit any airplane inside. It provides a "free space" so electronic warfare tests can be conducted without radio frequency interference from the outside world. The chamber is filled with radiation-absorbing material, or RAM, designed to stop reflections of electromagnetic waves. The size of the RAM, which is painted dark blue or black, varies depending on the particular frequency and test procedure being conducted. Aircraft systems can be tested and verified that they work properly in lieu of an actual flight test.



Dahlgren said the physical placement of the B-52 in the chamber was accomplished in four days. Once the jet was backed into the chamber, the bomber and the jack stands were placed on the turntable and rotated 180 degrees.



There were no challenges relating to the size of the B-52. However, it was the first time the B-52 was jacked up within the BAF. This presented some logistics coordination challenges and analyses, Dahlgren said.



A maintenance team from Minot AFB, North Dakota, jacked the aircraft up and the landing gear was retracted to simulate in-flight conditions. Members of the 772nd TS placed the radiation-absorbing material around the aircraft along with pallets of ferrite tiles to absorb the various emitting frequencies from the aircraft.



Real ordnance is not needed during the testing because the BAFs equipment can simulate real-life radio frequency and electromagnetic conditions; sensors can collect data from the areas where the B-52 would carry weapons.



Testing in the BAF allows the B-52 Program Office to collect a complete set of data at a higher fidelity and in shorter time in a secure, controlled environment than it would have been possible anywhere else. Being indoors also proved beneficial during the recent [inclement] weather that we have had at Edwards, Dahlgren said.



Due to local test scheduling, Air Force Global Strike Command provided the B-52 in place of an Edwards bomber. An offensive and defensive weapons aircrew member is also on loan to operate the on-board systems. Minot AFB, provided a maintenance team to support the test. Local manpower and logistical support is being provided by 912th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and electronic warfare personnel from Eglin AFB, Florida, are also involved.



We also had contractor engineering support provided by Boeing and the Harris Corporations. This test would not have been possible without the outstanding professional collaboration and support from all members of the team, Dahlgren said.



Testing is scheduled to be completed Jan. 30.
AF Reserve breaks ground on new Robins facility Feb. 2

Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command will break ground on the first phase of a new consolidated mission complex here Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.



The complex is being constructed off Robins Parkway, just south of Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard.



Lt. Gen. Maryanne Miller, AFRC commander, is slated to break ground with Col. Jeffrey King, 78th Air Base Wing commander, Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms and Houston County Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker.



"This complex will bring us together so we can serve our Citizen Airmen more effectively," Miller said. "It's a win-win for the Air Force Reserve Command, our Airmen and our gracious host, Robins Air Force Base."



The overall mission complex project will be divided into three phases. Phase I involves the construction of a 92,000-square-foot, two-story administrative facility at a cost of $27.7 million. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2019.



Once all phases are completed, the new complex will allow HQ AFRC to consolidate approximately 965 employees into one area. This initiative will consolidate mission capabilities into a campus setting while freeing facility space for the host wing to accommodate their mission needs and saving an estimated $34.2 million in military construction costs for Robins AFB.



(NOTE: A media availability with Miller will follow the groundbreaking ceremony. Media should contact Jaimi Upthegrove, (jaimi.upthegrove.4@us.af.mil), 478-327-1758, by 4:30 p.m., Jan. 31, to arrange base access.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it was very unhappy over the pace of progress in Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare murder cases even as the CBI informed the court that Scotland Yard has refused to help in the forensic probe on the ground that there was no pact between the UK and India for sharing such data.

On Thursday, CBI also submitted, in a sealed cover, a report from Ahmedabad Forensic Laboratory on ballistic evidence related to the killing of the three rationalists, including M M Kalburgi in Karnataka, the third such report, the other two being those of Mumbai and Bengaluru labs.

CBI, probing Dabholkars murder, and the SIT of state CID, investigating killing of Pansare, also submitted separate reports in sealed covers to the court on the progress made in these two cases.

A bench of justices S C Dharmadhikari and B P Colabawalla observed that it was very unhappy over the tardy progress in investigation, and also noted there was no development in the proceedings in courts in Pune and Kolhapur, trying Dabholkar and Pansare murder cases respectively.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the bench, hearing petitions filed by the families of the two slain rationalists, that, Scotland Yard has informed us in writing that no legal agreement existed between the two countries on sharing of forensic data and hence it will not help by conducting a forensic probe into these murder cases.

The CBI had earlier told the court that forensic evidence was sent to Scotland Yard to seek its opinion if same weapons were used in the murders of Dabholkar and Pansare in Maharashtra and Kalburgi in Karnataka.

The judges perused the reports and cautioned the probe agencies against revealing the contents to anyone, including media, as the investigations are still on.

SIT counsel Ashok Mundargi said, The probe in Pansare killing is on. We have identified two absconding suspects. The charge sheet has been filed and we are investigating further.

On a plea made by the two agencies seeking eight weeks time to conduct further probe, the bench deferred the matter till March 20.

While Dabholkar was murdered in Pune on August 20, 2013, Pansare was shot on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur. He died on February 20 that year. Prof Kalburgi was murdered on August 30, 2015.

Last month also, the High Court had come down heavily on CBI for inordinate delay in the investigation and said it was bungling up the probe.

Virendra Tawde, an alleged member of right wing group Sanathan Sanstha was arrested on June 10 last year by CBI in the Dabholkar case. He was also arraigned as accused by CID in the Pansare case.

Another member of the Sanstha, Samir Gaikwad, was arrested by the SIT in connection with the Pansare murder case in September 2015.

The family members of Dabholkar and Pansare also again voiced their unhappiness over the lack of progress in probe in the cases.
Shiv Sena may join hands with MNS for contesting BMC election.

After Shiv Sena snapped ties with BJP for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election speculations are rife in political circles whether Sena will have an alliance with MNS. Earlier MNS supremo Raj Thackeray had stated that his party is ready to have a tie up with either Sena or BJP. Therefore, political observers are keenly watching whether estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj will come together ahead of BMC polls. Even during 2014 assembly polls, there were rumours about Sena and MNS going for an alliance. However, Raj had then refused to reply to an offer from Uddhav. This time the scenario is far different as MNS has already weakened in Maharashtra and it no longer is able to lure youth voters. Therefore, Raj Thackeray is keen to revive the party in the state by aligning with Sena which is currently ruling the BMC.

If MNS and Shiv Sena go for a pre-poll alliance ahead of BMC election then it will benefit both parties and the latter can give a tough fight to BJP. Sena can keep a check on BJPs growth in the city if it joins hands with MNS. On the other hand, if these parties contest election separately then it will lead to division of Marathi votes, said a political analyst.

According to sources, The talks between both the parties are in initial stages. Both the parties might have an alliance in Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nashik. The seat sharing can be worked out on the formula of 177:50. MNS has been demanding 50 seats from Sena. Both parties remain tightlipped about the alliance and no formal announcement has been made by them. The final decision is expected in a day or two.

This development comes a day after the Shiv Sena raised objection for using their supremo Bal Thackerays photo by an MNS corporator on his campaign. The corporator from Dadar used images of the late Bal Thackeray in order to woo the areas traditional Marathi vote bank.

Raj Thackeray had quit Shiv Sena in 2006 to form his own party named MNS. The party had played spoilsport in the 2009 assembly election by winning 13 seats and polling 11.88 per cent of the votes. MNS also split the votes of BJP-Sena alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. However, the party could only manage to win one seat in the 2014 assembly polls due to weak organisational structure.

On the other hand, Shiv Sena is facing tough challenge from BJP which has been making inroads into Maharashtra. BJP had emerged as the single largest party after calling off the alliance with Sena prior to 2014 assembly polls. After Bal Thackerays demise Uddhav Thackeray has failed to give proper direction to Shiv Sena. Sena has remained a Mumbai centric party and has been struggling to establish its foothold in rural Maharashtra. The BMC polls will be held on February 21 and the results will be announced on February 23.
[dropcap]G[/dropcap]rieving Jayalalithaa supporters suddenly found someone else to turn their attention toJayalalithaas niece Deepa, who closely resembles her aunt, has announced her entry into politics. Earlier, the crowd at Jayalalithaas burial site was swelling, and some were visibly emotional, when Deepa and a few of her family members walked in. On seeing her, the crowd started surrounding her, some women exclaiming, You resemble Amma, we see her in your face. As more people started walking behind Deepa in large numbers, police personnel on security duty there, cordoned her off and took her to the D6 Anna Square police station near Marina Beach. Some among the public had begun clicking her pictures.

Deepa, though she is Jayalalithaas brother Jayakumars daughter, had been kept at arms length all throughout the time when the former chief minister was admitted in hospital. It is said that she waited for three days hoping to be allowed to see her ailing aunt but was told that security personnel had instructions from high authorities not to let her in. While she was alive, Jayalalithaa had ensured that all relatives of Sasikala, even her husband Natarajan whom she initially trusted, were kept at a distance, but after her death, strangely, it was they who surrounded her body. People are more inclined towards Deepa as many believe that Chinnama Sasikala is the reason behind Jayalalithaas demise.

Jayalalithaa, who passed away leaving Tamil Nadu in tears and pain, what does her death indicate for the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the party founded by MGR and revived hugely by Jayalalithaa after a vertical split following his death? If the people at the head of Jayalalithaas funeral bier are any indication, Sasikala and her large extended Mannargudi family are in control. What political ambitions she, her estranged husband, and many other nephews and nieces nurture is not known. Will the familys hold continue?

In December 1987, when party founder MG Ramachandran died , Jayalalithaa assumed a similar position to the one Sasikala took on at the Rajaji Hall. Two years later, Jayalalithaa would become the AIADMK supremo. However, Sasikala did not face the kind of bitterness Jayalalithaa defied from AIADMK members in 1987. There was a touch of reverence in the way party leaders attended to Sasikala, who is known in the organisation as Chinna Amma or younger mother. Sasikala performed the final rituals in the Vaishnavite tradition to which Jayalalithaa belonged. However, she wasnt alone in this task. Jayalalithaas nephew Deepak Jayakumar made a surprise appearance and followed Sasikala closely during the rites.

The way AIADMK leaders conducted themselves during Jayalalithaas funeral provided ample indications about where the new power centre was shifting. Almost every political leader, including Narendra Modi who paid homage to Jayalalithaas body reached out to Sasikala to console her. While she stood prominently next to Jayalalithaas remains, O Panneerselvam, who was sworn in as chief minister, chose to mostly remain with other ministers and party members. Congress leaders, in particular, were keen to introduce both Sasikala and her husband Natarajan to party vice president Rahul Gandhi. Natarajans presence at the funeral surprised many as it was assumed for long that he was not in Jayalalithaas good books.

In 1991 Jayalalithaa became chief minister; Tamil Nadus youngest, for the first time. She earned a reputation for a punishing work ethic and for centralising state power among a coterie of bureaucrats; her council of ministers, whom she often shuffled around, were largely ceremonial in nature. Despite an official salary of only a rupee a month, Jayalalithaa indulged in public displays of wealth, culminating in a lavish wedding for her foster son in then Madras (Chennai) in 1995. In the 1996 election, the AIADMK was nearly wiped out at the hustings; Jayalalithaa herself lost her seat. The new Karunanidhi government quickly filed several corruption cases against her, and she had to spend time in jail. Her fortunes revived in the 1998 general election, as the AIADMK became a key component of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees government; her withdrawal of support toppled it and triggered another general election just a year later.

The AIADMK returned to power in 2001, although Jayalalithaa was personally disbarred from contesting due to the corruption cases. Within a few months of her taking oath as chief minister, in September 2001, she was disqualified from holding office, and forced to cede the chair to her staunch loyalist O. Panneerselvam. Upon her acquittal six months later, Jayalalithaa returned as chief minister to complete her term. Her government was noted for its ruthlessness; midnight arrests of political opponents abound. The unpopularity of these movesthe AIADMK scored a duck in the 2004 general electionforced her to reverse them, though she was able to contain the DMKs victory margin in the 2006 assembly election. In the 2011 assembly election, the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK and its allies routed the ruling, scandal-tainted DMKs alliance.

Sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time, her government embarked on an ambitious programme of social welfare and development. However, three months into her tenure, a trial court convicted her in a disproportionate assets case in September 2014, rendering her disqualified to hold office. After eight months, which included a twenty-day stint in jail, Jayalalithaa was acquitted of all charges by the Karnataka High Court and once again sworn-in as chief minister in May 2015. In the 2016 assembly election, she became the first Tamil Nadu chief minister since MGR in 1984 to be voted back into office.

Surely, a great leader of Tamil Nadu has gone and people of this state will remember for the good work performed by her mainly to the poorer sections as well as giving a good facelift to Chennai city by introducing Mini buses at several areas not covered by bus facilities. Also Amma chemist shops, Amma Canteen which were already become very famous. It is very unfortunate that death has snatched away a good leader so quickly just when she was trying to do more good for the people of this state. She was an astute politician, and had a mutually comforting relationship with her voters. Indian politics should evolve into one in which the voters are educated not to be guided by freebies, but by the long term interests of the nation.

Now coming back to holding power, during Jayalalithaas three tenures as Chief Minister, Sasikala is alleged to have wielded absolute power behind the scenes. She was arrested along with Jayalalithaa as on 7 December 1996 and was remanded to judicial custody for 30 days in connection with the Colour TV scam. However, they were acquitted by the Supreme Court as the charges were found to be baseless allegations. On 19 December 2011, Jayalalithaa expelled her and 13 others including Sasikalas husband Natarajan and their relatives, including T. T. V. Dhinakaran and Jayalalithaas disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran and relieved them from the AIADMK. Sasikala was admitted back into the party on 31 March 2012, when she vowed to sever ties with all her relatives and to serve with no public ambitions. Sasikala along with Jayalalithaa and two others were sentenced to 4 years imprisonment by a special court in Bangalore on 27 September 2014. They were acquitted by High Court as they were not found to be guilty. The case is now pending in Supreme Court.

Sasikala is known for her power sharing capacity with Jayalalithaa and many speculate she may take the reins of AIADMK. But at the same time Deepa can stand as rival forming her own party or gradually joining AIADMK as Jayalalithaa supporters see Ammas resemblances in her. Lets see who rocks future power corridors of Tamil Nadu.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Do you share the president-elect's concerns about the safety of US vaccines?

Price, an orthopedic surgeon and six-term GOP congressman from Georgia, will appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to answer questions on Wednesday. It's a courtesy hearing because a separate panel, the Senate Finance Committee, will actually vote on his nomination.

It's called a "courtesy hearing," but Rep. Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of health and human services, can expect some of his Senate interrogators to get a little rough.

Trump has made a number of remarks indicating that he is concerned about vaccine safety, seemingly lending credence to debunked theories suggesting vaccines can cause autism. He also met recently with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. an outspoken anti-vaccine figure, who later said he had been asked to lead a committee on vaccine safety. (Trump's transition team did not confirm he had been asked to do so.)

As the head of the nation's top health agency, Price would be in a position to, at the very least, set the administration's tone on vaccines.

My posted comment:

Do you share the president-elect's concerns about the safety of US vaccines?

Trump has made a number of remarks indicating that he is concerned about vaccine safety, seemingly lending credence to debunked theories suggesting vaccines can cause autism.

Actually, as an activist in the autism community, I share in the president-elects concerns about the safety of U.S. vaccines.

I would also have six questions of my own for Dr. Price just on vaccine safety. These are questions members of the media would never ask:

Dr. Price as head of HHS, will you be looking the case of Hannah Poling? In 2008 we learned that medical experts from HHS conceded her injury case of vaccine induced autism. Despite this, the government continues to claim that there is no evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.



Will you explain to the American people why the federal government has compensated over 80 cases of vaccine injury that included autism, yet kept all these settlements concealed from the public?



Will you call for a congressional hearing on the revelation in 2014 a whistleblower from the CDC alleged that his agency order him to destroy research findings that showed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism? Dr. William Thompson would testify, but Congress refuses to investigate.



Would you finally call for a study comparing the health outcomes, including the autism rate, of fully vaccinated vs never vaccinated children? Advocates have called for such research for years, but officials refuse. With many parents too scared to vaccinate, the study group is out there. Experts do retrospective studies like this all the time, but when it comes to vaccines, they refuse. A vaxxed/unvaxxed study would be a simple way to show that the rate of autism has nothing to do with being vaccinated.



Will you investigate the questionable science from a Danish researcher who is currently under indictment by the U.S. government for 22 counts of wire fraud and money laundering? He is alleged to have stolen more than $1 million from a CDC grant to Denmark. His study on thimerosal and autism was the science used by the 2004 Institute of Medicine panel to dismiss a connection between vaccines and autism.



What will you do to determine which children may be at risk for a vaccine reaction? Currently, the laws in individual states require all children to be vaccinated in order to attend school, yet no one is responsible if a child is affected by vaccines. Why is nothing done to prevent children being harmed by vaccines?

Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism
This week we looked for alternatives to alternative facts.

As we noted yesterday, Donald Trumps first week as president came with an abundance of visual news: Photographs spoke truthfully about the size of the crowd that showed up for his inauguration, though the new president and his press secretary, 
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 80F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Montana legislators have steered away from two bills that sought to take away common-sense rules on our public roads.

Bipartisan majorities defeated an effort to legalize driving with open containers of alcohol and a bid to ban local governments from restricting drivers use of cell phones.

The fact that these two measures got any traction in the 2017 Legislature indicates that some lawmakers still dont understand the dynamics of Montanas tragic traffic records.

Alcohol was suspected to be a factor in 94 of 190 Montana traffic deaths in 2016, according to preliminary information from the Montana Highway Patrol. Other drugs were suspected in 72 crash deaths.

Montana was one of the last couple of states to ban open containers of alcohol in vehicles on public roads. Yet Rep. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, sought to bring back open containers, and then proposed reducing the penalty to $10.

Fortunately, a majority of House Judiciary Committee members understood whats at stake, rejected the road beer bill 13-6 and then tabled it. Among those voting for drinking while driving bill were Reps. Barry Usher and Dale Mortensen of Billings. Voting against the return of open containers were Billings Reps. Virginia Court, committee vice chair, and Kathy Kelker.

Rep. Bill Harris, R-Winnett, also voted against drinking while driving, telling the committee: As I grew up, I watched kids die year after year. I believe this is a huge step backwards. Its a terrible message to send to young people.

Rep. Jennifer Eck, D-Helena, agreed, saying that legalizing open containers creates a culture where its acceptable to be drinking and driving.

Billings and several other Montana cities have enacted ordinances generally restricting the use of cell phones while driving. National research shows that cell phone use, including texting, are factors in a growing number of crashes.

Those local ordinances were enacted by locally elected city representatives to reduce the distracted driving risk. Yet Rep. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, sought to impose a statewide ban on local government bans. His bill proposed that state government usurp local decision making.

Trebas convinced the House Judiciary Committee to pass his ban on local bans on a 10-9 vote. But the full House stood up for local control on Tuesday, rejecting HB194 on a vote of 37-63. Thanks to the Billings area Republicans and Democrats who supported our city and others who recognized that holding a phone or texting is dangerous while driving: Virginia Court, Geraldine Custer, Jeff Essmann, Donald Jones, Jessica Karjala, Kathy Kelker, Kelly McCarthy, Jimmy Patelis and Sharon Stewart-Peregoy.

Several local Republicans voted to take away local decision making for public safety: Dennis Lenz, Dale Mortensen, Vince Ricci, Adam Rosendale, Barry Usher, Peggy Webb and Daniel Zolnikov voted for HB194.

The work of the Legislature is to pass good laws  and to defend them from bad ideas. Thanks to the lawmakers who voted to keep Montana on a path to safer, sober, less distracted travel.
January 24, 2017

Seeing the smiling face of Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, sitting comfortably in Moscow on Jan. 17 alongside senior Fatah official Azam al-Ahmed, it was hard not to recall the famous interview by Avigdor Liberman in April before his appointment as defense minister. In that interview, Liberman promised that if appointed, he would give Hamas 48 hours to hand over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. The Yisrael Beitenu chairman threatened that if Hamas failed to acquiesce to his demand, he would recommend to Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' leader in Gaza, that he book himself a plot at a nearby cemetery. As far as anyone can tell, Haniyeh is doing well after Libermans first eight months in office. On the other hand, the romance between Israel and Russia, which the Moldova-born politician did everything in his power to broker, is in very bad shape.

The photo of the two senior Palestinian leaders, which did not get the coverage by Israeli media that it merited, was taken at a news conference held after three days of talks among representatives of Fatah, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other factions under the auspices of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. One can understand Israeli editors decision to play down the final communique from the Moscow talks announcing agreement on forming a Palestinian government of national unity and setting a date for elections in the Israeli-occupied territories. There are not enough fingers to count the number of similar announcements that ended in nothing being done. One usually says of such contacts that their importance lies in the fact that they took place. In this case, the importance of the meeting is in its venue and timing.

The official invitation to Hamas representatives to visit Moscow and prior to that Russias support for UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted unanimously Dec. 23 and affirming the illegality of Israels West Bank settlements, constitute failures of Israeli foreign policy. One can add to these the delivery of Russian S-300 missiles to Iran, despite efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to thwart the deal. Russia supported the 2015 nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran and opposes Israels nuclear policy. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September 2013 that Syrias chemical weapons had been built in response to Israels nuclear weapons, and that given its technological superiority, Israel does not need to maintain nuclear weapons. Zvi Magen, former Israeli ambassador to Russia, even said that year that Russia is dragging the Israeli nuclear issue into the Mideast negotiations and that this could signal a change in the Russian attitude to Israel.

Indeed, as reported by international media, Russia is not standing in Israels way when it bombs Hezbollah-linked targets in Syria, but Putin is providing legitimacy to Palestinian groups that Israel views as forces of terror. For 11 years, since Hamas' 2006 election victory in Gaza, Israel has had the backing of a decision made by the Middle East Peace Quartet  Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union  banning contacts with the organization until such time as it commits to renouncing violence, recognizing Israel and honoring all Israeli-Palestinian past agreements. When Hamas rejected these conditions, Quartet members made sure to conduct any contacts, which have been denied, with the groups members behind closed doors.

Russia is now publicly flouting these rules. The Palestinians view this as the first step toward neutralizing, and perhaps even dismantling, the Quartet, which has aged prematurely. The agreement between senior Hamas and Fatah officials reached in Moscow is critical of the Quartet. That Russia succeeded in brokering an agreement where the Quartet failed strengthens this criticism and challenges the Made in the USA label often attributed to the group. Abu Marzouk said that Russia has a central role in influencing the Quartet, which he claims is controlled by the United States. Ahmed went even further, announcing that the Palestinians had severed ties with the Quartet given its failure to find practical solutions for the Arab-Palestinian struggle.

The United States' renewing the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue under its auspices in accordance with the so-called Kerry plan, while pushing Russia and the other two Quartet members aside, was perceived in Moscow as underhanded, Magen wrote in a 2014 position paper for the Institute of National Security Studies. The failure of the Kerry channel contributed to the decision by the Barack Obama administration to shift the center of gravity of US diplomacy to East Asia. In doing so, the United States opened up  or abandoned, if you like  the Israeli-Palestinian arena to Russia. As a result, Washington de facto assisted Moscow in completing the puzzle of gaining influence in the entire region: i.e., rapprochement with Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia, heavy-handed involvement in Syria and reconciliation with Turkey.

Two months before the US elections in November, President Vladimir Putin invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to a summit in Moscow. The invitation is still out there. Meanwhile, President Donald Trumps America First policy fits in with the Russian vision of restoring Russia to its former glory, this time under Putin. He will not miss an opportunity to jump into the vacuum created by the unilateral US withdrawal from attempting to settle international conflicts.

Putin does not need permission from the Russian parliament for moves he makes at home or abroad. In addition, no foreign leader would dare interfere in his business or humiliate him in public. There is no pro-Israeli Russian lobby like AIPAC, which can mobilize parliament and influence public opinion. Putin does not need donations from Netanyahus wealthy friends to remain in power. He will do just fine without stamps of approval like the ones provided to him by Faina Kirshenbaum, Libermans party colleague who served as an observer for the 2012 Russian presidential elections, the same Faina Kirshenbaum who was suspected of committing fraud while serving as Libermans right hand and rejected numerous publications' allegations of election fraud by Putin supporters. Putin does not have a special relationship with Israel like the United States does nor with any country that does not serve his needs. He is not impressed by statements of shared values with the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel may well miss Barack Obama one of these days.
January 26, 2017

British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to urge US President Donald Trump not to mess with the Iran nuclear deal when she meets with him Jan. 27, a rare piece of good news for the pacts embattled supporters.

Trump throughout the campaign vowed to renegotiate what hes called the worst deal ever. But hes also eager to strike a good relationship with May, a key potential ally as the new US administration reorders its traditional alliances in favor of closer bilateral ties with like-minded countries.

"We have been a strong supporter of the deal, a British official told Al-Monitor ahead of Mays visit, and would expect the prime minister to be clear about that during her visit to the US.

The prime minister already delivered that message to congressional Republicans when she addressed their annual retreat in Philadelphia on Jan. 26. After vowing to counter what she called Irans malign influence and aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean, she defended the deal before a roomful of Republicans who voted against it.

The nuclear deal with Iran is controversial, she acknowledged. But it has neutralized the possibility of the Iranians' acquiring nuclear weapons for more than a decade. It has seen Iran remove 13,000 centrifuges, together with associated infrastructure, and eliminate its stock of 20% enriched uranium.

That was vitally important for regional security, May went on. But the agreement must now be very carefully and rigorously policed. And any breaches should be dealt with firmly and immediately.

Having May be Trumps first face-to-face encounter with a foreign leader since his election could prove vital, the deals defenders argue. Trump is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vocal opponent of the agreement, early next month.

To have Trumps first meeting with a foreign leader be one that reinforces the deal is really important, said Jamal Abdi, the policy director at the pro-deal National Iranian American Council. It demonstrates that theres really not a debate about this deal except in this administration, apparently, and within the leadership in Israel.

Abdi said the timing of Mays visit is especially welcome because of what he sees as a raft of worrying signs since Trumps election. These include ambiguous comments from Trump himself, as well as hard-line positions from some of his advisers, such as Irans inclusion in a list of countries for which admission into the United States would be suspended for 30 days under draft visa regulations.

That pending order would further require the designated foreign nations to provide the information needed to determine that visa seekers are who they claim to be and are not a security or public-safety threat. Abdi said that could spark a diplomatic confrontation with Iran, which still does not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States.

That looks like ripe terrain for another standoff between our countries, Abdi said. [The deal] could unravel more quickly than we thought, so any news like [Mays visit] is good news.

Already, Republicans in Congress have introduced a raft of bills that could harm the deal before Trump even has a team  much less a policy  in place. These include efforts from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to impose non-nuclear sanctions on Iran.

After years of unilateral concessions and flexibility by the previous administration, its time for the United States to push back against Irans support for terrorism, the regimes menacing ballistic missile activities and its egregious human rights violations, Rubio said in a statement this week. I look forward to working with the new administration to hold Iran fully accountable for both its non-nuclear and nuclear threats.

Rather than tear up the deal, Abdi said the Trump administration may be more likely to try to take Iranian cheating allegations before the UN Security Council. He argued that May is uniquely well-positioned to reinforce that the US is going to be isolated if they take that approach unless the evidence against Iran is overwhelming.
American Airlines has announced service between Billings and Dallas-Fort Worth starting June 2. This will mark the first time American Airlines will serve the Billings market. This decision came after months of Billings courting them and agreeing to partner in their success, including promoting travel in the airline through a marketing campaign.

VisitBillings, the Billings Chambers tourism marketing arm governed by the Tourism Business Improvement District, will initiate advertising campaigns in the Dallas area, targeting both leisure and corporate travel prospects. A Billings delegation will travel to Dallas for a travel show and will meet with Dallas media to build interest in our community as a destination. Our first ad will be in a USA Today sectional produced for the Super Bowl in Houston. After that, Dallas residents will be encouraged to learn more about our region by visiting www.VisitBillings.com in a souvenir program for the NBAs Dallas Mavericks.

Billings is our regions business hub, and there are large corporate connections and like-industries between Billings and Dallas including energy and financial (BNSF, Exxon and FedEx to name three). In addition, Billings is a gateway to Yellowstone National Park via one of the most scenic drives in North America (Beartooth Pass); and a direct connection to western history (Little Bighorn Battlefield and Pompeys Pillar); not to mention the north-south cattle drive route that once connected Fort Worth to Miles City (Lonesome Dove).

American chose Billings following a great deal of work by community partners who desire to improve air accessibility. Representatives from Billings Logan Airport, the Billings Chamber of Commerce, Visit Billings and Big Sky Economic Development recently traveled to Dallas to meet with American Airlines route planners.

The emphasis on air transportation is a primary initiative from each of these groups because it improves mobility, accessibility and costs in our community. Todays young professionals (the Millennial generation) have been called the first globals. Their expectation is that they can live where they want, find work, and be connected to the world.

Air service that provides direct access to major metro areas and airline hubs encourages young professionals to call Billings home; it opens doors for business location scouts to consider expansion and relocation into our community; and helps to fill hotel rooms thereby contributing to our tourism economy.

Why have Billings economic leadership groups been specifically courting American Airlines, and why Dallas? First, American is the worlds largest air carrier. Dallas is the fourth busiest airport in the country. It will connect us to over 40 new cities with just one stop through Dallas. Billings does not offer travelers direct service to anywhere in the southeast United States. That changes on June 2.

Secondly, when you look at daily outbound travel from Billings, the top nine cities our residents are traveling to already have direct air service (Las Vegas, Seattle, Denver, and Phoenix being the top four). Dallas, Houston and San Francisco typically round out the top 10-12 destinations Billings residents travel to daily.

As a first-time business entering Billings, a number of private entities stepped up financially to offer American a guarantee. This means that if in their inaugural year incurring startup costs American does not hit projected revenue benchmarks, local businesses will assist in backfilling their loss. Thanks to the Billings Tourism Business Improvement District, Billings Gazette, Billings Clinic, the Chamber, Big Sky Economic Development and many others for their leadership on this investment.
January 26, 2017

CAIRO  For months, Egypt has been experiencing medication shortages. Popular types of imported contraceptive pills were among the first to disappear from pharmacies and move to the black market, causing concerns in a country already experiencing overpopulation, rising fertility rates and a severe economic crisis. Al-Monitor found evidence of illegal stockpiling of medications in anticipation of a significant government-mandated price increase to be partially responsible for the shortages.

The foreign contraceptive pills Gynera, Yasmin, Yaz and Microlut cost 30, 39, 65 and 16 Egyptian pounds ($1.60, $2, $3.40 and $0.80), respectively, until the price hike goes into effect, in comparison with the 1 and 4.5 pound prices ($0.05 and $0.20) for the Egyptian-manufactured Microcept and Triocept. In February, 15% of all domestic medications and 20% of imported medications will see price increases of between 30% and 50%, and another subset will undergo an increase in July.

In a conversation with Al-Monitor, Adel Moussa, a prominent pharmacy owner in Mohandessin who asked to go by a pseudonym, discussed his struggle in dealing with import shortages and black market demands. The importing company tells pharmacists that they are out of stock of contraceptives, such as Gynera and Yasmin, because of problems on the foreign market. In reality, they are waiting for the government to raise prices based on the new worth of the US dollar.

SoficoPharm  the private corporation responsible for importing the popular foreign contraceptive pills Gynera, Yasmin, Yaz and Microlut  has not distributed contraceptives to Moussas pharmacy for months. Every time he attempts to place an order, a representative tells him that the company is out of stock due to import issues.

The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Trading Company, a government-owned company that receives a supply of imported contraceptives from SoficoPharm, only allowed Moussa to purchase 10 individual, one-month strips of medication at a time. This restriction caused him to run out of the medication quickly, especially when clients fearing the shortage asked for multiple strips.

The black market is highly profitable, but Moussa will not risk sullying a pharmacy that has been a family business for generations. He instead sells his medications for the prices set by the government because he respects his clientele and knows they are aware of prices. Still, when desperate clients ask for medications that are out of stock, he will tell them to turn to other pharmacies operating on the black market.

Pharmacists caught participating in the black market risk at least one year of jail time, a fine of up to 20,000 Egyptian pounds (an amount just over $1,000) and even temporary forced closing of their pharmacies. Inspectors check pharmacy stocks periodically to ensure that no medications are being stockpiled or withheld from the public. However, Moussa explained that some pharmacists get around inspections by bribing officials.

Al-Monitor conducted a survey of over a dozen pharmacies throughout downtown Cairo and Mohandessin, which turned up no boxes of Gynera and only one box of Yasmin, sold at an illegal 15% price hike. Several pharmacists complained that SoficoPharm had ceased to distribute any medicines to their pharmacies. One pharmacist even encouraged clients to report shortage issues to the Health Ministry and to include complaints about SoficoPharm's failure to distribute Gynera, Yasmin, Yaz and Microlut.

When Al-Monitor asked SoficoPharm about allegations that the company would no longer distribute these medications, Sameh Kheir  who is responsible for sales and distribution of the contraceptives line at SoficoPharm  rejected the claims and maintained that all contraceptive pills SoficoPharm imports are available in pharmacies throughout all of Cairo.

He also denied that SoficoPharm is keeping stocks of medicine, saying, This is not true, and the most important thing to our company is to sell the medicine. Kheir then referred to the other distributor of imported contraceptives, the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Trading Company, to argue that competition would prevent SoficoPharm from stockpiling medications.

We are not the only company selling Gynera in Egypt. If we were keeping stocks, it would give the other company an opportunity to sell Gynera over us, Kheir said. He did not mention, though, that SoficoPharm is the sole company responsible for importing Gynera, Yaz, Yasmin and Microlut, and actually sells these drugs to the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Trading Company in limited quantities. When pressed again on whether this meant SoficoPharm was playing a role in shortages, Kheir promised that the general manager would return our call in half an hour. Al-Monitor attempted to contact Kheir after a day of no response but  after an initial call went unanswered  received only this automated message: The mobile you have called is not available.

Adel Tolba, former chairman of the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Trading Company, said in an interview with Al-Monitor on Jan. 4: I dont know whether the other companies keep stocks or not, but for me I sell what I have. We are not responsible for the crisis regarding Gynera and Yasmin. SoficoPharm is responsible for importing these medications. We are distributing the Egyptian medicine Microcept and Triocept. These are available and there is no problem, and we are selling it to anyone according to the official price. For sure, they are available in pharmacies throughout Egypt.

Less than a week after his interview with Al-Monitor, Tolba offered his resignation from the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Trading Company. A Health Ministry source told Veto Gate, an independent newspaper in Egypt, that he was threatened with dismissal after the company was found to be storing medication in secret warehouses.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Souad Abdel Magid, head of the Department of Population and Family Planning at the Health Ministry, denied that there is a contraceptive crisis in Egypt, saying, All Egyptian-manufactured contraceptive pills offered by the government [Microcept and Triocept] are available and sufficient for one year. There is no shortage.

However, a shortage of Egyptian pills seems to exist, despite denials from the Health Ministry and the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Trading Company. Al-Monitors survey of pharmacies throughout Mohandessin and Downtown found that only two of 12 pharmacies had Microcept in stock and several were selling Triocept on the black market for prices as high as 16.5 pounds  nearly four times the 4.5-pound price set by the Egyptian government last year.

The director of the Egyptian Center to Protect the Right for Medicine, Mahmoud Fouad, confirmed suspicions that pharmaceutical distributors are withholding stocks to sell at higher prices. He told Al-Monitor, Contraceptives such as Gynera and Yasmin are in Cairo in huge quantities, but they are stockpiled by small pharmacies and the distributing companies know that they will sell them at high prices soon.  They are just seeking profit.

According to Fouad, members of the parliaments Health Committee have discussed the disappearance of imported medications from the market, and they exposed information about stockpiling and black market activity prior to the start of the new year. Karim Abdelaaty, an adviser in the Cabinet, told the Egyptian Center to Protect the Right for Medicine that the Health Ministry is taking steps toward regulating prices of old stocks because allowing companies to sell them at new prices would reward illegal stockpiling.

Indeed, a Health Ministry statement established that only medications produced after the official announcement of a new price index, expected in February, can be sold at new prices. It remains to be seen if pharmacies will comply with these regulations.

In the end, it is low-income Egyptians who will likely suffer most. Fouad fears that, as a result of stockpiling and price increases, they may simply give up trying to find suitable and affordable contraceptive methods, further contributing to such issues as overpopulation, infant and female mortality, and teenage pregnancy.
January 27, 2017

The Sinai Peninsula is not just a front of clashes between the Egyptian army and militant groups. Sinai is also a place with a rich culture and heritage that is reflected in the costumes of its people. The attire of Bedouin women in Sinai now provides a source of income for women, as the modern creations with traditional embroidery styles are popular with tourists.

Amani Ghareeb sensed the threat to the Bedouin culture and heritage when she inherited from her grandparents traditional Sinai attire. In 2010, she founded Fayrouz Association that assists in the establishment of small projects that help Bedouin women in Sinai make a living. Ghareeb launched the Motiva Sinawi project in order to preserve and develop Bedouin clothing.

Ghareeb told Al-Monitor, The Motiva Sinawi project aims at developing the [traditional] attire of Sinai. A motiva is a [traditional] Sinai ornament. The idea is to embroider motivas on modern clothes, so that fashionable clothes get a traditional touch. We had to come up with different designs of the Sinai costumes as it should not be restricted to abayas, shawls or burqas.

Ghareeb said that her project employs roughly 300 girls and women, and that it has become a source of income to the women in Sinai. It is a source of income that does not require working in a workplace at set times. The women can work from home," she said.

According to Ghareeb, the project attracts women from all over Sinai. This project suits them given the security situation in Sinai, especially for women in the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid that are witnessing a fierce war between the Egyptian army and militant groups, she explained.

Ghareeb said that the project takes into account the traditions of the Sinai tribes, especially the clothing styles that indicate the social status of women. The Sinai attire expresses the social status of a woman. A blue embroidered attire is worn by older women, while a married lady wears a red embroidered outfit and young girls wear embroidered clothes in bright colors, she said.

When asked about the challenges the project faces, she noted, The security situation in Sinai does not affect the project as such, because the curfew starts at night. However, marketing and transporting the products to other governorates is a problem."

Ghareeb funded Motiva Sinawi, which is based in el-Arish, on her own, as she strongly believes in the importance of preserving Sinai heritage.

The new designs of the Bedouin costumes produced by the project are popular with tourists. The clothes are sold in [the tourist town of] Sharm el-Sheikh, and this has encouraged us to launch a website to promote the products abroad, she said.

Ghareeb would like to see the state provide financial support for Motiva Sinawi, as it is the only project that aims to preserve the identity and heritage of Sinai's costumes.

Eman Mohamed, a trainer with Motiva Sinawi, told Al-Monitor, I am responsible for teaching embroidery to the women. A trainee does not have to be a skilled embroiderer as she is trained to use the new designs of the Sinai costumes.

Mohamed said, Older women contribute by training [younger] women who want to be part of the project, so they can get income through a job that suits their old age. There are women who excel at developing creative Bedouin costume designs.

She said she would like to see the state hold exhibitions in other governorates to display the modern Bedouin costumes, especially in tourist areas. When a tourist buys a Bedouin piece of clothing and flies back home with it, the attire becomes an advertisement for tourism in Egypt, which encourages tourists to visit the country.

Mohamed added, The project takes into consideration what the Bedouin attire represents. For instance, some clothes are worn by women during work in the daytime, such as the plain blue clothing with light embroidery. A bride in Sinai wears a special outfit on her wedding day, which is red mixed with other colors. On formal visits, women wear an attire in blue mixed with other colors. Developing Bedouin costumes without compromising heritage, traditions or conventions of Sinai society is a challenge for the project."

According to Mohamed, women in Sinai often help their husbands in providing for their families, to face the hardships of life in Sinai due to the war between the Egyptian army and jihadi groups. The project helps women work, allowing them to innovate unique and modern embroidering designs, she added.

The women in Sinai are no longer staying at home unemployed as in the past. Women now play a vital role in society and work in all jobs. However, creating Sinai costumes is the profession the women are most competent in. The project has become a success, especially in changing the styles of design and in spreading the designs in Sinai and hopefully [in the future] outside Sinai and Egypt, Mohamed said.

Motiva Sinawi is creating modern clothes by developing traditional costumes specific to Sinai and making them available outside the Peninsula. However, for the world to stop viewing Sinai as a warfront for the Egyptian army and militant groups, the Egyptian state needs to assist in promoting the culture and heritage of Sinai society that is reflected in the attire of its people.
January 26, 2017

CAIRO  Egypts Coptic Christians have become used to visits by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. On Jan. 6, for the third year in a row, Sisi celebrated Coptic Christmas at the Abbasiya Cathedral in Cairo, extending Christmas wishes to the countrys Copts and Tawadros II, the pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

This year, the celebration was different. The cathedral where Sisi addressed the congregation and delivered Christmas wishes stands just meters from St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church, where an explosion during a service on Dec. 11 claimed the lives of 27 people and wounded 48, mostly women and children.

Sisi responded to the attack not just by visiting the church, but by announcing a 100,000 Egyptian pound (roughly $5,200) personal donation toward building a church and mosque in the new administrative capital of New Cairo.

Hamdi Rizq, the host of the show "Al-Nazra" ("The View") on satellite TV channel Sada al-Balad, reacted by announcing during his show Jan. 6 that donations were being collected for the building of a mosque and a church in the new capital.

Amina Naseer, a professor of religion at Al-Azhar University and a member of parliament, who also serves on the parliamentary education committee, said in a Jan. 7 phone call on "Al-Nazra" that she had also donated 100,000 pounds to be split equally between the mosque and the church.

During the same show, other donors came forward: Farag Amer, the chair of the parliamentary committee for youth and sport; member of parliament Mustafa Bakry; and businessman Mohammed Abul-Enein, the owner of the Sada al-Balad network.

The presidents call for donations for a mosque and a church should be an example to all, Alaa Wali, head of the parliaments housing committee, told Al-Monitor. I suggested setting up a fund to receive donations for places of worship in general, including for renovating churches damaged because of terrorist attacks, but the priority will be a mosque and a church in the administrative capital so they can be as beautiful as possible.

Naseer told Al-Monitor she had urged all members of parliament to donate to the fund. Those donations are for all Egyptians, not just for the Copts, she said. It is true that they will go toward building a church, but that is a reaction by all Egyptians against everyone who tries to impose a foreign mandate on us, as the US Congress tried to do.

Naseer was referring to a bill debated in Congress on Dec. 28 that would require Egypt to report annually to the US State Department on its work to restore churches vandalized by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was toppled from power in July 2013. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeed rejected in a press statement issued on the same day the bill and the debate, calling it flagrant intervention in Egypts affairs.

While Sisis donation was welcomed by some, the suggestion that Egyptians should donate to the fund was slammed by his opponents. Lawyer Tarek Elawady wrote on Facebook Jan. 6: Sir, Egypt does not need mosques and churches; it needs schools, factories and workplaces.

Magda Ghonem, a professor of economics and rural development at Ain Shams University in Cairo, tweeted on Jan. 7: We have a surplus of places of worship, no smaller than the surplus in outbidding and hypocrisy. What about building the biggest home for street children, or the biggest university, or the biggest training center?

In a lengthy post on Facebook Jan. 7, Cairo University political science professor Hazem Hosny said that the state may not have allocated the necessary funds for a church or a mosque, rather intending to rely on donations made by the citizens. The president made the first donation, but the whole thing is an attempt to get Egyptians to pay for the new capital under the pretext of building a mosque or a church, Hosny wrote.

Political activist Mamdouh Hamza satirized Sisis donation, tweeting Jan. 7: Donate for the building of a mosque or a church, because the faithful are lining up outside thousands of mosques and churches; theres a critical shortage of places for prayer.

While some critics played down the importance of building mosques and churches at the present time, other bloggers and anonymous activists condemned the idea of donating for church building on religious grounds, saying it violates Sharia.

The Christian faith is in opposition with Sharia and Islamic doctrine on many issues, a Salafist scholar who asked not to be named told Al-Monitor. It is haram for Muslims to donate to the building of any institution that will be a base for discussion and promotion of anything that contradicts Sharia and Islamic doctrine.

For his part, Abdel Fattah Idriss, a professor of comparative jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, told Al-Monitor, There is no jurisprudence proof or any sunna in the holy Quran that prohibits a head of state from donating funds for the building of a church or any other house of worship for the monotheistic religions. Islamic Sharia had approved of this as per Prophet Muhammad who gave the right for Jews of Medina to build their temples.

Idriss said, The donation made by a head of state is widely welcomed, as he is considered the [protector] of all communities residing in Egypt and has the complete authority to build houses of worship. Such donations strengthen peoples patriotism and make them feel part of the nation, qualities that Islam has always sought to instill.

He added, In addition to making a donation for the building of a church, [Sisi] also donated his money to establish a mosque, thus putting both communities [Christian and Muslim] on the same pedestal.

A similar controversy broke out in 2009 regarding Sharia rulings on Muslim donations for the building of churches. The sheikh of Al-Azhar at the time, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, met a delegation from the Egyptian Union for Human Rights, headed by Naguib Gibrael, an adviser to the Orthodox Church. The media reported he had ruled that Muslims donating for church building was permitted by Islamic law. His office denied the reports after a wave of opposition from scholars at Al-Azhar.

Egypts Dar al-Iftaa, a government body that advises on Islamic religious affairs, ruled on Jan. 7, 2016, Christians in Egypt may, according to Islamic law, build churches if they need that for their worship, and Islam demands they be allowed to remain, according to the laws laid down by the Egyptian state. There is nothing in any reliable text on Islamic law to prohibit that.

Sisis attempt to rein in the anger of the Copts after the bombing attack of St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church thus prompted a range of criticism. But it appears that the opposition comes from a pre-existing state of antagonism between him and his critics who bemoan the lack of social, economic and educational progress in Egypt.
January 26, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  Since the beginning of 2017, the Gaza Strip has been struggling with a worsening electricity crisis that deteriorated after the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company announced Jan. 7 a breakdown in the second generator of the power plant due to the lack of fuel and the increasing power cuts. This has left citizens with a two-hour electricity supply per day.

The electricity crisis that prompted Gazans to take to the streets in several regions and for several days is but one out of dozens of crises afflicting the Gaza Strip due to the continuation of the Israeli blockade, which gradually started with Hamas victory in the legislative elections on Jan. 26, 2006, and intensified with the movements takeover of Gaza on June 15, 2007.

An economic report published Dec. 28 and prepared by Maher Tabbah, an economist, analyst and director of media and public relations at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Gaza province, said that all indications confirm that Gaza has entered the stage of economic collapse and turned into a model for the biggest prison in the world due to the continuation of the Israeli siege and the breaking out of three wars that caused massive destruction of its infrastructure and its economic sectors.

Tabbah told Al-Monitor that the unemployment rate, according to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) for the third quarter of 2016, was 43.2% (218,000 unemployed in Gaza), while the poverty rate is 38.8% (38.8% of the population in Gaza live below the national poverty line of $637, and 21.1% live below the extreme poverty line of $480, according to PCBS data for 2011). Meanwhile, the number of Gazans who rely on assistance from international institutions such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East amounted to about 1.5 million citizens in 2016.

The economic repercussions of the blockade on the Gaza Strip are exacerbating and can be highlighted by the slow pace of the reconstruction of what was destroyed in the 2014 war. The number of economic establishments targeted during the war in all commercial, industrial and service sectors amounted to about 5,153, with losses of $152 million. However, only $25 million out of the estimated $566 million needed for rehabilitation and reconstruction has been allocated, according to Tabbah, who said, Last year did not witness any change at the level of the commercial crossings, which remained closed with the exception of Kerem Shalom. Therefore, nothing has changed in the crossings work mechanism.

On the future of Gaza in light of these statistics, Tabbah said that the data does not bode well for 2017 in light of the continuing blockade, the absence of any political solutions and the escalating Israeli actions.

For Gaza to survive, the blockade must completely stop, goods and building materials should be introduced to it and its products should be exported to the world, he said.

The Popular Committee against the Siege said in a statement Dec. 30 that 2016 was the worst year of the blockade for Gaza, and that 2017 will witness an end to the blockade.

Chairman of the committee Jamal al-Khudari told Al-Monitor that the continuation of the blockade on the Gaza Strip indicates a further aggravation of the disastrous situation, which means a major effort must be made to end the siege. He said, We in the committee launched an appeal to all the local, regional and international institutions in order for 2017 to be the year the siege ends through work with all the Palestinian, Arab and international institutions, as the continuation of the blockade would lead to more serious implications on life in the Gaza Strip.

He added, There should be Palestinian action calling on the international community to put pressure to end the blockade. There must be events calling for such pressure, and the steadfastness of the people must be strengthened. We need joint diplomatic, political and popular efforts to accomplish this.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 27, the government in Ramallah started discussing the details of the general budget for 2017, which has yet to be approved, and held several sessions in this regard. On Jan. 3, the budget was revealed as a prelude for its submission to President Mahmoud Abbas for approval. Its proposed amount was worth $4.1 billion.

On Jan. 3, the government estimated in a statement that the total deficit in the public and development investment budget, before international aid, would be 4.12 billion Israeli shekels ($1.056 billion), and expected the total grants and financial aid to amount to half a billion dollars dedicated to the general budget and $92 million dedicated to the development budget. The statement estimated a funding gap for the proposed budget, once foreign grants are deducted and the arrears value is added, of $765 million, which requires the adoption of austerity measures on all axes, as per the government statement.

The government budget data do not bode well and cannot be relied upon to save Gaza, but Minister of Labor Mamoun Abu Shahla told Al-Monitor, The government is trying as much as possible to support some of the weak economic activities in the Gaza Strip."

He said, The government serves as a lung for Gaza as it provides it with aid and channels the international aid it receives at a time when the de facto government in Gaza [Hamas] imposes taxes on the people without offering them anything in return.

Abu Shahla added, The government's budget covers the salaries of the Gaza staff who used to work at the Palestinian Authority ministries and departments before the division [in 2007]. Hamas subsequently prevented those from getting to their places of work following its takeover of Gaza and thus compelled them to stay home. Also, the budget covers health and education expenses as well as sanitation and water projects, and it oversees reconstruction projects funded either by the government or by international donors.
January 26, 2017

Rival Palestinian political parties Hamas and Fatah say they want the same thing  in theory. They agree they are in agreement, then proceed to disagree. Meanwhile, Palestinians suffer.

Thousands of people protested Jan. 12 in the Gaza Strip over severe electricity shortages. For months, Gazans have been living through successive crises as Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas have traded accusations.

The government accuses Hamas, which controls Gaza Electricity Distribution Co., of preventing the government from performing its duties to end the crisis. In exchange, Hamas charges that Abbas is obstructing its efforts to resolve the problem.

One of the results of the ever-worsening situation in Gaza is Prime Minister Rami Hamdallahs demand Jan. 16 that Hamas hand over all governmental administrative and service bodies in the Gaza Strip, not just the electric company, to the Palestinian government.

Al-Monitor attended a Hamas press conference that day held in Gaza. Hamas spokesman and former Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Ismail Radwan said the movement is ready to hand over governmental services and ministries in Gaza to the Palestinian government on the condition that the government commit to carrying out its duties to Gaza. He said the government has not been serious about ending Gaza's problems.

Fawzi Barhoum, also a Hamas spokesman, subsequently told Al-Monitor, Hamdallah's demand  is a new attempt from him to evade his governmental responsibilities toward the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. His government has abandoned Gaza and its people since the first day of its formation in June 2014. Since we declared on Jan. 16 our full readiness to hand over all ministries in the Gaza Strip, we have heard no official positive response from the government in Ramallah [the West Bank], which suggests that the government is not serious.

Perhaps Hamas should ask a number of questions: How can the handover take place before achieving societal reconciliation between Palestinians, especially reaching a settlement regarding the split in 2007 between Fatah and Hamas, which resulted in dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded. What will the relationship be like between the government and the well-armed resistance? What will Gaza's future look like?

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Palestinian political official close to Abbas told Al-Monitor, Gaza remains under Hamas control, politically, administratively and security-wise. It is true that the [Hamas] government resigned as part of the 2014 reconciliation agreement, but [Hamas] still has a shadow government made up of deputy ministers who control the actual decision-making for all administrative, livelihood and security matters in Gaza. This means that the legitimate government based in Ramallah and headed by Hamdallah has no actual physical presence [in Gaza].

A disagreement emerged within the Palestinian Authority (PA) with regard to Hamas handing over Gaza. On Jan. 22, Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad told Felesteen newspaper, which is close to Hamas, Reconciling with Hamas means reaching an understanding and an agreement, not surrender and recognition. There is no such thing called 'handing over Gaza.' We are one country. Hamas is part of the Palestinian national fabric.

But Brig. Gen. Tawfik al-Tirawi, a Fatah Central Committee member and former head of General Intelligence, had said just the day before that there will be no reconciliation with Hamas before it transfers control of the Gaza Strip to the PA.

Hazem Kassem of Hamas told Al-Monitor, In 2014, Hamas ceded its constitutional right to lead the government in order to end the division, and [Hamas] has always called on the consensus government to take over the Strip, but the latter neglected Gaza's needs. [The governments current] demand  is a way to evade its responsibilities and is not a serious demand. Hamas fears that the government's demand is aimed at removing Hamas from the Palestinian political system, which Hamas entered via legitimate elections and via the legitimacy of the resistance.

He added, If the government thinks that its taking over Gaza is a step toward disarming the resistance, then we will not allow that to happen.

Salah Bardawil, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Hamdallah's demand that Hamas hand over Gaza is politically motivated and Hamas condemns it. Palestinian government Minister of Housing Moufid al-Hasayneh said Jan. 20 that the PA is ready to take over Gaza.

Ghassan al-Khatib, Palestinian planning minister and former director of the government media office in Ramallah, told Al-Monitor, Hamas has been making a mistake by keeping control of Gaza since 2007 and bearing the burden of the livelihood responsibilities despite the prohibitive financial cost, because [Hamas] is besieged externally and its financial situation is not good. Hamas' fear that handing over Gaza to the PA would be a step toward disarmament is an unacceptable excuse. Even though they want to, President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah don't have the ability to disarm the group, which has a huge military arsenal in Gaza.

Hamas genuinely and seriously fears that agreeing to hand over Gaza to the PA would be a preliminary step for disarmament, Raed Enairat, head of the Contemporary Center for Studies and Policy Analysis in the West Bank, told Al-Monitor. This is making Hamas unenthusiastic about approving the handover to the PA.

But the former minister of nongovernmental organizations in Ramallah, Hassan Asfour, said Jan. 21 that Hamas is exercising a separatist policy in Gaza and acting as an independent entity despite saying that it is ready to relinquish administration of the Strip. He said Hamas does not intend to give up its status as an independent entity in Gaza and seeks a de facto separation of Gaza from the West Bank, politically and legally.

Amid the ongoing debate between Hamas and the PA on the Gaza handover, the Palestinians suffering goes on. The political demands are not translating into action. This means conditions will remain poor as Hamas and the PA continue to score political points against each other.
January 26, 2017

Iran is in the grip of heated debate on whether homeless women who are addicted to drugs should be sterilized. The controversy began Dec. 27 after Shahrvand daily published images of homeless men and women sleeping in open graves in a cemetery near Shahriar, a small town in Tehran province. The story sent shockwaves across Iran and led to sharp exchanges between the administration of President Hassan Rouhani and its critics over the issues of poverty and corruption in Iranian society. Some officials called for sterilizing homeless women who are addicted to drugs as a solution, and there have been widely divergent reactions in Irans political and public spheres.

Those in favor of the idea argue that the children of mothers addicted to drugs wont have a reasonable quality of life, as they will suffer from health complications, high mortality rates or even end up being sold in exchange for narcotics. Opponents of the proposal, however, point to ethical, legal and religious issues.

The idea of sterilizing homeless women who are addicted to drugs was first proposed in November 2015 by Fatemeh Daneshvar, the head of the social committee of the Tehran City Council. Daneshvar stated that these mothers sell their children, who are born with different medical problems, to gangs for 1 to 2 million rials ($30-$60). Daneshvar said, Sterilization is not ethical, but we can provide these women with long-term contraception so they cannot get pregnant for six months or a year.

In an interview with Shahrvand daily last August, Daneshvar also said that the Health Ministry was consulting with senior clerics about issuing a religious edict to approve of the sterilization of these women through methods such as tubal ligation.

However, in an interview with Al-Monitor, Mohammad Amin Ghaneirad, the head of the Iranian Sociological Association, said that while providing contraceptive methods to these women is a good idea, they should be temporary and only carried out if appropriate medical facilities are available. He said, It should not be permanent, [as when] a doctor might advise a female patient to not get pregnant at the moment due to her physical condition when it could create problems for her and her babys health or even endanger their lives.

Unofficial statistics widely circulated in Iranian media say there are about 3,000 homeless women, some as young as 15 years old, living on the streets of Tehran. These women are believed to often engage in prostitution, with some ending up getting pregnant and then selling their babies for drug money. While pregnant, they do not visit medical centers for fear of arrest. Prostitution is a crime in Iran and may lead to a death sentence if anyone involved is found to be married.

The debate on sterilization comes against the backdrop of the parliaments May 2014 vote to ban abortions, vasectomies and tubal ligation as part of a plan to boost the population growth in Iran. The rate has been declining for the past two decades. Violations of the law are punishable by two to five years in prison.

Health Minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemis comments on the matter to Etemad in 2015 have suddenly regained pertinence. He said, Instead of depriving women of their right to have children, we should support them through other means.

The proposal to sterilize homeless women who are addicted to drugs seemed to have been put to rest with Hashemis remarks, but the idea was revisited after comments made by Shahindokht Molaverdi, the vice president for Women and Family Affairs, in a November 2015 interview with Mowj News were republished by Vatan-e-Emrooz and others in late December. Responding to a reporters question on whether the government has any plans to sterilize homeless drug addicts who are infected with HIV, Molaverdi had said, The government has not yet offered any specific plans for sterilization of homeless women, and such plans should be proposed and reviewed by the Health Ministry. Discussions are underway, but any such program should be studied and discussed in detail by the experts and specialists. Sterilization should be carried out only with the consent of the woman. Surely such a plan will require careful examination, given the financial burden that these births impose on the country, although eliminating the [problem at its] roots seems to be the most suitable [solution].

Two days after Shahrvands Dec. 27 feature on the grave sleepers, hard-line Vatan-e Emrooz published a piece about Molaverdis comments, The Holocaust of the homeless; the inhumane suggestion of sterilizing the homeless by our seemingly open-minded vice president.

Molaverdi responded in statement describing the report as a distortion of reality aimed at damaging the government. She also wrote, Only the first part of my interview deals with the sterilization proposal, and I clearly stated that the government has no clear plans yet. The second part is about cardboard box sleepers, addiction and AIDS, and finding solutions that are more cost effective and less dangerous.

In a Jan. 1 interview with the ILNA news agency, Siavash Shahrivar, head of the social and cultural affairs committee for the Tehran governorate, likened homeless women addicts to incubators and said, These women deal drugs, consume drugs and also work as sex workers. Shahrivar added that these women should be convinced to undergo sterilization to prevent social problems. His interview immediately caused further controversy and was deleted from the ILNA website only a few hours later.

Ghaneirad, the head of the Iranian Sociological Association, called sterilization a humiliating approach to the issue. He told Al-Monitor that these women face a variety of dangers that include homelessness, addiction, prostitution and different diseases, especially AIDS. In his view, these harms call for a more serious approach to the issue. He said, Plans should be directed toward eradicating the phenomenon of sleeping in cardboard boxes. These people should not be in the streets [in the first place] to require sterilization to reduce the negative impact of sick children being born and sold. He added, There are financial resources and organizational potentials available. Perhaps there is still insufficient mental preparedness and our officials lack a sociological understanding. [However], this individualistic viewpoint about sterilization, that these women have a problem and they are responsible for it, must be eliminated. These women are in fact victims of our disordered social situation. Therefore, society is responsible for them.
January 27, 2017

Tehran, IRAN  One of the key underlying economic challenges of Iran is the current underfunding of its pension system. Make no mistake: Pension reform must be a priority for the country. Figures posted by the Ministry of Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare show that "a major portion of pension funds have either gone completely bust or are among the ones relying tremendously on state resources," reported Eqtesad News on Jan. 23.

The most important issues are the imposition of financial obligations by consecutive administrations over the past four decades as well as the approval of populist legislation by various parliaments, and particularly under the previous conservative government. Combined with the pension funds own financial problems, the situation is truly dire.

By politically influencing the pension reserves, consecutive governments have mismanaged the assets owned by these funds. At present, most of them are accumulating large, unsustainable and unfunded pension liabilities. In this vein, problems concerning equity, efficiency and management are pervasive. In an interview with business weekly Tejarat-e-Farda on Oct. 8, 2016, Mohsen Riazi, the deputy of the social and economic planning office at the Social Security Organization (SSO), said, Policies such as early retirement in difficult and hazardous occupations and renovation of industries that have played a great role in the financial misbalance of the largest pension fund in the country [belonging to the SSO] date back to the Reformist government [1997-2005].

Riazi also reiterated that the Health Reform Scheme modeled on Obamacare that is implemented by President Hassan Rouhani or increasing retirees monthly pension payments by 800,000 rials ($25) at the end of the first term of Mahmoud Ahmadinejads presidency (2005-2009) could be referred to as embittering policies exerted on the SSO, shrinking its meager financial resources to a minimum.

Another issue aggravating the dire situation of pension funds is the protective laws ratified by lawmakers who consistently have passed populist bills supposedly in support of vulnerable groups in society. Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who is also the deputy head of the parliamentary economic commission, has addressed parliamentarians approval of bills relevant to pension funds, saying, In the previous [parliamentary] terms, occasionally the members of parliament conducting their duties as representatives suffered from politicization and made rash decisions.

He added, This brought about a crisis for pension funds, and sadly, the resulting actions of the preceding parliament [2012-2016] are not very defensible.

Indeed, in a session held on Jan. 15, members of parliament  without counseling appropriate expert agencies such as the parliaments Research Center or conducting any other conventional investigations  voted for a bill on the early retirement of working women who have merely contributed payments to their respective pension funds for 20 years, without pushing for any age limit. This is while no actuarial calculations of such a decision and its likely impact on fund assets have ever been carried out. That being said, preliminary estimates indicate that the move will cost pension funds some 1,000 trillion rials ($31 billion) collectively over five years alone.

Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiee has expressed his concerns over the alarming conditions of pension funds. Addressing parliament on June 14, 2016, he said, The total budget deficit of pension and insurance funds stood at about 360 trillion rials [$11 billion] through the end of the Iranian calendar year 1394 (ending March 19, 2016). He added, Casting a blind eye on fund-holding principles caused the deficit to grow from approximately 42 trillion rials [$1.3 billion] in 2005 to 600 trillion rials in 2013, adding to the governments debt, and continuing the same trajectory, the deficit is climbing exponentially.

Meanwhile, the demographic transition Iran is experiencing suggests that the number of people paying social security premiums will gradually decline while those entitled to the benefits of yearslong contributions to the pension system will increase. Indeed, it is estimated that the percentage of over-65-year-olds in Iran will reach 10%, 15% and 25% in 2021, 2036 and 2049, respectively. The disproportion between contributions received and benefits paid by pension funds severely damages their financial capability.

Needless to say, the promised benefits are not in line with retirement rules and contribution rates. As is the case in Iran, basing pension entitlements on the final two years of earnings rather than the average of pay over ones lifetime appears unfair and might be open to abuse. This has worsened the standard for the replacement ratio, meaning a person's gross income after retirement divided by his or her gross income before retirement.

It is noteworthy that the replacement ratio in Iran is already one of the highest in the world. According to Esmail Gorjipour, the head of the social security office at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, the ratio was 85% of the final salary at SSO and 87% in the Civil Servants Pension Fund (CSPF) in the Iranian year ending March 20, 2015. In addition, the support ratio  the number of people aged 15-64 per person aged 65 or above  which normally should be around 5, is 0.93 for CSPF and 4.57 for SSO. These ratios are indicative of an imminent crisis for a majority of pension funds in Iran.

Many pundits have warned about the disastrous consequences of any deferral in taking proper and immediate action to help pension funds out of crisis, as they believe the funds are already on the brink of bankruptcy.

Indeed, the time for change is now, as correctly advised by an in-depth report on pension funds in the region conducted by the World Bank in 2005. The recommended changes and reforms, nonetheless, should be executed by introducing systematic and/or parametric modifications to pension funds. If not, the odds are that Iran will have to pay a heavy penalty by exposing itself to the risk of social and political upheaval in the foreseeable future.
January 26, 2017

BAGHDAD  Officials in Baghdad agree crime is on the rise there, though they differ on the causes and offer little in the way of hard statistics to back up their claims.

Baghdads criminal court announced Jan. 17 that many areas in the capital have witnessed a significant increase in cases of kidnapping, theft, pickpocketing and robberies recently, stressing that organized gangs are behind some of these crimes. Examining Magistrate Alaa Abdullah said, Palestine Street, in the center of Baghdad, came first in terms of registered crimes at the court during the current year, with more than 31 reported cases.

Officials fear that kidnappings in particular are affecting investments in Iraq. The kidnappings have become a threat to businesses, their employees and their investors. This could lead businesses to move to other Iraqi cities that are seen as safer, or to leave or avoid the country altogether.

In one recent case, Haidar Hassoun, general manager of the Iraqi Media Foundation, was the victim of an attempted kidnapping Jan. 2 in northern Baghdad.

On Dec. 16, Ali Sajjad al-Khafaji, 14, was on his way home from school in the upscale Karrada area in central Baghdad when four people in a four-wheel-drive vehicle snatched him from the street. Although the family of the kidnapped youth paid a ransom of $41,000 to the kidnappers, their son's body was found Dec. 23 dumped in the Tigris River. He had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death.

Some gangs hire a person called Al-Allas," which means a bounty hunter. This persons mission is to provide the names and details of wealthy individuals or families to gang members. Gangs ask for ransoms, but often end up killing the victims anyway.

Riyadh al-Adhadh, head of Baghdads Provincial Council, said in a press statement Dec. 28, During the month of December 2016, Baghdad saw 25 kidnapping cases. These are [just] the cases that were reported to the security forces. I believe this phenomenon is growing because of unemployment and peoples need for money.

Baghdad Operations Command is the security force for the Iraqi capital. It has a department specifically to combat kidnapping and track down gangs. The department has set up a kidnapping hotline for citizens to report cases. Despite these efforts, the kidnappings continue. Some officials, including Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, believe that the general amnesty law passed Aug. 25 by parliament is at least partly to blame for the rise in kidnappings.

Under the law, people convicted between 2003 and the date the law was approved can apply for amnesty, except those convicted of 13 types of crimes including terrorist acts resulting in death or permanent disability, rape, human trafficking, money laundering and embezzlement. Though the law doesn't mention kidnapping specifically, some experts believe it allows these criminals to manipulate the system to their benefit. Parliament is considering amendments to the law.

Many officials are reluctant to provide statistics about kidnappings. Ministry of Interior spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maad declined to respond to questions about kidnapping statistics or speculate on the motivations behind the crimes.

Saad al-Matlabi, a member of the Security Committee of Baghdads Provincial Council, told Al-Monitor, We do not have any statistical data on abductions in Baghdad.

However, Matlabi did say he attributes the increasing in kidnappings to the collapse of the security situation and the governments inability to hold criminals accountable and to track them down. According to our information, abduction cases are on the rise and are mostly motivated by money.

According to some reports, more than 700 people were kidnapped in Baghdad during the first nine months of 2016. These figures are the cases that were officially reported to the security forces, the sources said, while there are dozens and maybe hundreds of cases that are not reported out of fear for the lives of the kidnapped.

In the chaos of 2003, when a US-led coalition invaded Iraq, and at the height of the civil war in 2006 and 2007, kidnappings climbed and gangs proliferated. This led to the birth of the most prominent abduction groups and organized crime.

Mohammed al-Rubaie, deputy head of the Security Committee of the Baghdad Provincial Council, said in a press statement Jan. 1 that influential political or armed groups are behind the kidnappings to secure funds through ransoms.

With the proliferation of weapons and vehicles owned by influential people in political parties and armed groups  who aren't searched when they pass through checkpoints  the kidnappings are expected to rise.
January 26, 2017

The Palestinian Authority can breathe again, at least until US President Donald Trumps next shoot-from-the-hip maneuver. According to the press briefing by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Jan. 25, the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem has been halted for now.

After Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas understood that Trump was determined to follow through on his campaign promise to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, his office was hit by a barrage of urgent phone calls. PLO Steering and Monitoring Committee Chairman Saeb Erekat, Abbas closest adviser, pressured Abbas to adopt an uncompromising stance. Erekat felt that Abbas should threaten that if the embassy is relocated to Jerusalem, the PA would make a declaration abolishing its recognition of Israel and even demand that Arab countries expel their American ambassadors in protest.

In contrast, Husam Zomlot, who is slated to be appointed Palestinian ambassador to Washington and is considered an expert on American affairs, advised Abbas to focus on convincing Trump not to relocate the embassy and to rely on his brain, not his emotions.

Ultimately the decision was made to give preference to the diplomatic approach, evidently considering that its not a good idea to anger the unpredictable Trump, especially at the beginning of his term of office. Erekat was sent to Moscow. Abbas met with Jordan's King Abdullah and spoke over the phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The two were asked to send Trump a clear message: that the Palestinians are ready, able and willing to open direct negotiations with Israel to resolve the conflict under the American umbrella and the new administrations sponsorship. However, such a dramatic move as the relocation of the embassy would kill any chance of resuscitating the diplomatic process.

Al-Monitor was informed that Sisi told Trump that one-sided actions adopted now by the United States are likely to neutralize Abbas and rob him of the waning influence he still has among his people.

That message registered. What had seemed like a done deal until a few days ago took a sharp turn. Preparations for relocating the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem were halted. The explanation given to the Palestinians was, as they expected and planned, so as not to harm the diplomatic process.

A senior PLO source told Al-Monitor that the message, transmitted to the new American administration via various channels, was not a manipulative tactic designed to avert the embassy relocation. Instead, he said, it was a sincere message of willingness to renew diplomatic negotiations with Israel. According to the source, Abbas has not given up and still believes 2017 will be a fateful year regarding the peace process, despite Trumps election and his unmistakable pro-Israeli statements. The source added that Abbas feels that the Trump administration will aspire to break the deadlock and be the first to score a breakthrough (and reach an agreement) where his predecessors failed.

Before the calming news came from Washington, a team was established in Abbas office to collect all statements made by Trump and his administration regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Every day, this team prepares a detailed file of events and statements to better understand the way the winds are blowing in the White House. Thus, for example, the Palestinians understood that the Middle East conflict is of high priority to the new president and that is why he appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner and adviser Jason Greenblatt to deal with the complex issue.

We need to decipher the new American administration and the complex, unpredictable personality of the president. Weve done precise investigative work that gives us the tools to create an up-to-date picture, said the source. Trump presented Kushner as the new Middle East senior adviser on the night he was sworn into office. According to the source, the PA did not expect that the president would have tasked his son-in-law with such a mission had he thought that peace was unachievable.

All my life Ive been hearing thats the toughest deal in the world to make. And Ive seen it. But I have a feeling Jareds going to do a great job, Trump said that evening. Addressing his son-in-law, he went on, If you cant produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can. The source reported the Palestinians interpreted his words to mean that Trump is serious, and his son-in-law has the key to his heart. If the new president wants to give the son-in-law he holds in such esteem an opening for success, then that must be the approach. Therefore, we proposed real negotiations without placing unnecessary obstacles on the path.

As the embassy news circulated, Israel announced it was granting building and planning permits for about 2,500 housing units in the West Bank. In the past, the announcement of such massive construction in the settlements would have elicited sharp condemnation from the PA and even threats to freeze security coordination with Israel. This time, the Palestinian reproof was feeble. No threats against Israel were heard, and there were no protests against what looks like a green light from the Trump administration to large construction projects in the territories.

Did the Palestinian Authority know in advance about the Israeli announcement? The Palestinian source evaded answering the question. Obviously, the last thing that Abbas needs is for word to get around that hed even consider agreeing to massive construction in the settlements to put out another fire that threatens him.
January 27, 2017

When in January 2016 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced an international conference in Paris to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Palestinians were hopeful. Fabius had warned that if Israel refused to go along with the plan, France would recognize the state of Palestine. The conference called by Paris was held on Jan. 15, 2016, and attended by 70 foreign ministers from relevant countries, with the exception of those from Israel (which refused to take part) and Palestine (which was not invited after Israel's rejection). Fabius did not stay in office long enough to follow through himself, and the peace conference he announced failed to reach a breakthrough or usher in French recognition of the state of Palestine. The conferences joint declaration merely stressed support for a two-state solution and opposition to Israeli settlements.

Nabil Shaath, a senior Palestinian official and former chief negotiator, told Al-Monitor that the idea of the conference, the conveyor of the plan and the conferences conditionality seemed like the perfect forum for the Palestinians. We supported the French plan because it came from a leading European country, included a broad international presence and it cleverly circumvented the Americans, who usually obstruct such international efforts, Shaath said.

He also said that the Palestinians had been hopeful that if Israel rejected the conference, France would recognize Palestine, and Paris' move would be followed by 10 other European countries recognizing Palestinian statehood. Israel indeed rejected the conference idea, insisting that only direct talks can produce peace, and as of yet, no other European country has followed the example Sweden set in 2014 and recognized Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, although some national parliaments, including France's, have called on their governments to do so.

Thus, in the end, the Paris conference results were limited, and the French promise to punish Israel for not attending never materialized. Shaath said that the writing was already on the wall in May 2016, when the French prime minister visited Israel. When Manuel Valls visited the region, he made it clear to the Israelis that France would not recognize Palestine and would not support sanctions and boycotts [against Israel], Shaath said. Even with these promises, the Israeli government still refused to attend the Paris conference, and as Shaath noted, France couldnt get the EU to support even a watered-down statement because of the hesitation of Germany and the United Kingdom.

In a Jan. 23 article for the Watan website, Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti discussed the negative attitude of conference attendees, writing, Some of the conferees were in a rush to end the conference quickly in order to close this chapter that was forced on them and was angering the Israelis. Barghouti, a respected Palestinian politician and activist who serves as general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, also known as Mubadara, noted that the conference failed to accomplish one of the most important goals it set out to address: The biggest weakness of the conference was the insistence that the Palestinians' state is dependent on the results of direct negotiations, [as] everyone knows that Israel is not interested in negotiations that would end its occupation, he remarked.

Shaath believes that the United Kingdom abstained from voting for the final communique because of Brexit. After the Brexit vote, Britain is moving away from the European consensus and desiring to get closer to the Donald Trump administration and its policies, he asserted. Shaath added that despite Washingtons recent abstention in the vote on UN Security Council Resolution 2334, affirming the illegality of Israeli settlements, the Americans were not sold on the Paris conference. [US Secretary of State] John Kerry had called [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and promised him that he was going to Paris in order to ensure that there was no follow-up to the conference.

On Jan. 15, the Israeli media reported on the call Kerry made to Netanyahu, in which he promised to water down the conference communique and that no additional actions would be taken at the United Nations before President Barack Obama left office on Jan. 20. Sure enough, the joint declaration did not outline further steps  although prior to Jan. 15, France had said that the conference would create follow-up committees  and the United Nations did nothing further.

The Paris conference was a big letdown for Palestinians. The conference of foreign ministers did, however, demonstrate that there is opposition to illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied territories and sent a message to Washington not to alter the status of Jerusalem.

For Palestinians, the failure of the conference to move the peace process along is yet another reminder that they need to stop pinning their hopes on the international community and develop a strategy of their own. As long as the Israelis pay no price for their actions (or inaction), they are unlikely to make substantive moves toward genuine peace. An end to the Israeli occupation will not happen unless Palestinians are solidly united and agree on an effective strategy that creates costs for the Israelis for their continued occupation and refusal to accept the basic need for peace.
BUTTE  The Anaconda dog catcher is facing felony charges after surveillance video recorded him allegedly smoking methamphetamine while on duty.

Police arrested Braden Lawrence Blodnick, 37, on Monday. He faces felony counts of possession of dangerous drugs and tampering with evidence, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. As of Friday morning, he remained in the Anaconda jail on a $30,000 bond.

Anaconda Police Chief Tim Barkell said after informants tipped off police about Blodnicks alleged on-duty drug use, authorities set up a surveillance camera Jan. 16 in the white 2000 Chevy pickup truck bearing the Anaconda-Deer Lodge Animal Control logo on the side.

Police caught up with Blodnick at the county court house, where he was arrested. While awaiting booking in a holding cell, he allegedly attempted to dispose of evidence  small bags containing meth and anti-depressant Trazodone pills stuck inside an eyeglasses case-style container.

While he was in [the] holding cell, he took out a black case and tried to flush it down the toilet, which of course did not flush, Barkell said. An officer tried to retrieve it.

Barkell said his office started getting reports in November 2016 about Blodnick smoking meth on the job.

Informants were telling us that he was selling meth. We set up a case, got a search warrant to put a camera in the truck. Thats how we came about this  we saw him load up a pipe and smoke it while he was in the truck.

The surveillance footage also showed Blodnick shooting a pellet gun from the window of the vehicle in a residential area, but Barkell said its unclear what he was aiming at.

We couldnt tell from the camera angle, said Barkell. I dont know what he was shooting at.

Blodnick was hired for the full-time dog catcher position in 2015, Barkell said.

He said no dogs were harmed while in Blodnicks custody.
January 26, 2017

For years, scores of Islamists who are dissidents, militants and influential clerics from across the Arab world have been living in Qatar. On many occasions, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which would never permit such figures to freely reside on their soil, have expressed frustration with Doha for giving Muslim Brotherhood members and other Islamists a base for their activism within the Gulf. GCC pressure on Qatar to abandon its support for the Muslim Brotherhood came to a climax in March 2014 when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) withdrew their ambassadors to Doha for eight months. Qatar still maintains its ties with Islamist actors throughout the region and still permits Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated clerics such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi to reside in Doha, yet since that diplomatic spat erupted nearly three years ago the Arab Gulf emirate has toned down its support for the Muslim Brotherhood to assuage other GCC states security concerns.

Nonetheless, Donald Trumps presidency may create new challenges for Qatar. Based on Trump's calling the Muslim Brotherhood radical and his Cabinet picks, the new administration will likely target the Muslim Brotherhood as the United States pushes to unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, as the president put it in his inaugural address. In Rex Tillersons Senate confirmation hearings, the former Exxon Mobil CEO listed the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda as two security threats for Washington to counter along with the Islamic State (IS). Trumps pick for director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, co-sponsored legislation as a congressman to ban the Muslim Brotherhood. Earlier this month, Republican lawmakers re-introduced a bill calling on the US State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Even if the bill fails to pass, theres reason to expect the State Department under Tillerson to go after the Muslim Brotherhood anyway.

Qatars support for groups such as Hamas has created friction in Washington-Doha relations. In 2009, then-Senator John Kerry said, Qatar cant continue to be an American ally on Monday that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday. Yet the emirates links to such nonstate actors have, thus far, never caused the United States to punish Qatar in any serious way beyond rhetorical condemnations, criticisms and calls on Doha to clamp down on its citizens who finance terrorism.

Since the United States and Qatar became key military allies in the early 1990s, all US administrations have valued Washingtons close relationship with Qatar, which hosts the forward headquarters of US Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base and is a major trade and investment partner of America. Both in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States relied on the emirate as a hub for military operations. The United States has accommodated Qatar as a vital Middle Eastern ally even when officials in Washington have been on the opposite side of regional issues from their counterparts in Doha.

Additionally, the United States and other Western states have turned to Qatar as an intermediary and/or neutral platform for talks and negotiations with groups such as the Afghan Taliban, underscoring how the United States has seen Dohas links with certain Sunni fundamentalist factions as both troubling and useful. In the words of former US Ambassador to Qatar Joseph LeBaron: I think of it as Qatar occupying a space in the middle of the ideological spectrum in the Islamic world, with the goal of having doors open to it across that ideological spectrum. They have the resources to accomplish that vision, and thats rare.

If Washington changes its tone toward Qatar, however, Doha could come under pressure from the Trump administration to expel some of the controversial Islamists residing in Doha. Given that Qatar has made its relationship with such figures a pillar of its foreign policy, if the United States and other Western governments begin addressing the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror threat, officials in Doha will have no choice but to assess the costs and benefits of hosting Qaradawi and others. Depending on how the White House addresses the Muslim Brotherhood issue, Qatar may choose to transfer some of these high-profile Islamists to Turkey. Such a move would be mainly tactical, aimed at giving Doha the ability to comply with Washingtons requests while continuing to deepen Qatars flourishing relationship with Ankara, thus still supporting the Muslim Brotherhood  albeit less directly  as long as Turkey remains in the pro-Brotherhood camp.

Qatars sponsorship of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups dates back to Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thanis rule (1995-2013), when Doha began asserting its influence across the greater Middle East, relying on its web of media outlets, vast financial resources and a relatively independent foreign policy. Yet as demonstrated by the GCCs inner diplomatic spat of 2014, Qatar has had to pay costs for its ties with the Muslim Brotherhood that have fueled anger in the council directly toward Doha. Additionally, the Brotherhoods offshoots did not consolidate the political gains across the Middle East and North Africa region, which the emirates leadership envisioned the movements political wings securing after the Arab Spring revolts of 2011, calling into question the wisdom of Dohas pro-Brotherhood foreign policy given the diminishing returns.

Despite Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thanis efforts to improve Qatari-Saudi relations and bring Doha into the "GCC consensus," some states in the region continue to view Qatar as guilty of promoting violent extremism and instability. Last month, Egyptian officials pointed their fingers at the Muslim Brotherhood and Doha following the Dec. 11 attack on Cairos main Coptic Orthodox Christian Cathedral, which left 25 dead and 35 wounded. Authorities in the UAE have harshly condemned Qatar for permitting Qaradawi to bash Egypts and other GCC states leaders via Qatari media networks. Abu Dhabi still sees Qatar as a weak link in Arabian Peninsula security, which the UAE believes depends on establishing the GCC as a "Muslim Brotherhood-free" environment. Ultimately, even though Trump taking action against the Muslim Brotherhood could easily exacerbate problems in US-Turkey relations, doing so would gain the new administration more favor in Egypt and the UAE in the anti-Brotherhood camp.

Some American critics of Qatar have advocated moving US troops out of the emirate to punish Doha for supporting specific Islamist organizations. In recent years, American lawmakers have also called on the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence to take action against Doha, utilizing every tool available to designate all individuals, institutions, entities, charities, front companies, banks and government officials who clearly violate US laws by assisting Hamas. Another idea for recasting US-Qatari relations is putting on hold weapons sales to Doha.

Currently, it is unclear how Trump will address Dohas ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. For now, Qatar  being a pro-Brotherhood state  has had a relatively cautious response to Trumps win last year. Unlike other Arab states in the anti-Brotherhood camp, which publicly hailed the property billionaires defeat of Hillary Clinton, officials in Doha have had a mainly wait-and-see response that will develop once the Qataris take stock of how the new US administration engages the Middle East. The Qataris must be ready to make adjustments if the White House takes aim at the Muslim Brotherhood and its state sponsors.
January 27, 2017

Turkey's president has his political propaganda machine all oiled up and ready to roll to victory in April, when voters will very likely grant him exceptional powers.

On Jan. 21, Turkey's parliament approved 18 amendments to its tainted constitution, which dates back to 1982. The controversial reforms now need to pass a national referendum in April. On Jan. 22, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan answered questions about the referendum. When asked about the public opinion polls, he said, It is too soon to share the results of the polls we have right now, but let me tell you this for now  we see that our people have warmed up to the idea of a partisan president. Indeed, if we were not sure of this, we would not have embarked on this business [supporting the referendum].

What makes Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) so confident of winning the April referendum? Al-Monitor spoke with several senior bureaucrats, pro-AKP pundits, businessmen and members of different Islamist and nationalist groups and found four core explanations for Erdogans expected victory.

First is the referendum's ambiguity. Although the 18 amendments propose to reduce the legislative powers of the parliament while expanding the president's executive powers to unlimited levels, supporters blatantly deny this fact.

Erdogan has been dreaming of a presidential system for a long time. The campaign for this referendum has been molded according to the public's expectations. That is, in Turkish there are two different words to explain presidencies. One is baskan, indicating a singular executive, which is frequently used to refer to US presidents. Turkish presidents are called cumhurbaskani, indicating plural executives who head the republic, but not necessarily the head of the executive branch, as there is a prime minister. Erdogan has been advocating for the first version for years now, but the AKPs base  while willing to use other leadership nicknames such as "captain" and the like for Erdogan  has not been accepting of the term baskan. So Erdogan has adjusted his rhetoric to a partisan president of the republic, which his base is willing to cheer for after all. It is a petty little detail, but it shows how deliberate and persistent Erdogans team has been to reach their goal of an imperial presidency.

Yet the campaign is not framed as a separation of powers, or one-man rule, but rather is presented with the charming slogan of For a strong Turkey, say yes, and the idea that if one is a patriotic, pious Turk, one will say yes to these changes because, finally, Turkey is now discarding its chains and becoming independent. It is declaring its own unique way of government. Only those who are not pleased with Turkey's success would be against this.

Social media is already bursting with images that separate the yes- and no-saying groups. All terror organizations that wreak havoc on Turkey are listed as naysayers: the Islamic State (IS), Kurdistan Workers Party and Gulen movement, plus Israel, the US, UK, Armenian lobby, Europe and Freemasons. The depiction of the coalition that says yes is also quite interesting. Starting with the AKP and Erdogan, it covers all the Islamic world, Turkish ultranationalists and all victims everywhere. The message is clear: Saying yes is the noble thing to do; saying no makes you a traitor. And plenty of journalists are paid handsomely to deflect attention from the boring details so the AKP can move on to its next step of rallying for the cause.

In this environment, how fair can we expect this referendum campaign to be? This leads to the second reason for Erdogans confidence: the fear factor. On Jan. 24, AKP spokesman Numan Kurtulmus said, If yes votes win, terror organizations voice will die down. They will lose their motivation. The message was loud and clear: If you want to stay alive, vote yes.

It's bad enough that the referendum will be held under emergency law, as pro-Kurdish lawmakers, whose slogan was We will not allow you to become the president, are in jail. Also, in the predominantly Kurdish regions, almost all elected local politicians are in jail. These districts and cities, often under curfews, are now under the rule of state-appointed trustees. This makes accessing information difficult and campaigning against the amendments almost impossible in the Kurdish areas.

To top all that, opposition groups are divided even further. Although all left-wing parties and some Islamist groups are against the amendments, they are busy trying to distance themselves from the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP)  even to the point of asking the HDP not to campaign or comment about the referendum. This could lead to voter alienation and hence decrease the percentage of naysayers.

Fear has seeped into all factions of society. Another reason for Erdogans victory is strong repression of any opposing voices. With all the arbitrary arrests, silenced media outlets and routine policing of social media, the only voices that can be heard are the ones sanctioned by the government. For example, on Jan. 24 a group of youths on an Istanbul ferry spontaneously started singing a well-known Turkish pop song, adopted as a jingle for rejecting the amendments. They were about to be arrested, but other passengers intervened. How can you advocate for the "no" camp if opposition is labeled as terrorism?

Even if the naysayers manage to bring their message to AKP voters, their reasoning is likely to fall on deaf ears. This is the result of years of populist policies and fanatic dedication. So the next reason for Erdogans expected victory is the vicious circle of trying to battle the cult of Erdogan. The moment his supporters hear facts that contradict their perceptions, they become morally outraged. Although the focus should be on the amendments, it turns into a choice between loving and hating Erdogan. Given that the proposed change of the system is likely to outlive Erdogan, why is everyone exclusively focused on Erdogans rule? Repeated exposure to falsehoods in this case makes truth unbearable and almost irrelevant.

An unintended consequence of trying to present facts to Erdogans base is that it tends to harden their misperceptions. This is a trap the opposition has fallen into repeatedly.

The fourth reason the amendments are likely to be approved is the AKPs formidable grass-roots organization skills. Having gone through four elections since 2014, the AKP has mastered management of the ballot box and rallying its base to get out and vote. Although there is no legislative power left, Turkey's parliament is to grow in numbers and there is a proposal to allow 18-year-olds to run for office. These openings are determined by party leaders and, in a way, they are considered rewards from the "spoils of war." So the AKPs base has a lot to win from the victory, and they are willing to fight tooth and nail for it. Another important factor in the AKP's strong organization is its access to government resources: Everything from employees of the Religious Affairs Directorate (who have been appointed even to the smallest towns and most remote villages) to unaccounted-for financial sources are all at the AKPs disposal.

Erdogan has made it clear that he will hold public rallies to get the amendments approved. HDP spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen has asked a crucial question  where will the funding for their campaign come from  but it is unlikely that anyone will answer.

Although naysayers are anxious and struggling to keep hope alive, it is crucial for them to understand the reasons for a potential Erdogan victory before the die is cast.
January 26, 2017

There is a new theme these days in Turkey's hard-core pro-Erdogan media: The unreliability of opinion leaders or activists who have led Turkeys Islamist movement for decades, and who have also been strong supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Lately, some prominent Islamists have raised criticism about corruption by power in the ruling circles. The Islamists also have criticized the pro-Erdogan propaganda machine, which intimidates, threatens and libels any critic of the president. Although all these Islamist critics used as friendly and respectful a tone as possible, they could not escape being labeled as disloyal or treacherous.

One dramatic example of this Islamist disenchantment with Erdoganism was a piece by Ismail Kilicarslan, a veteran pundit in Turkeys Islamist movement, in the daily Yeni Safak. Titled O Chief, we are so depressed, the piece was an emotional open letter to Erdogan  who is now commonly called the Chief by his supporters. Kilicarslan listed a few recent examples of immorality he saw in the rhetoric of some hard-core Erdoganists and noted that he feels shame to be in the same camp with those people. He also said that he is sick of being called a traitor (or crypto Gulenist) from the ruling zealotry whenever he raises such complaints.

Erdogan naturally did not give any answer to this open letter, which went viral in social media. But the hard-core Erdoganists in question gave an answer: Kilicarslans dissent was just another example of how unreliable some of these Islamists are. They are arrogant people who dont understand the value of Erdogan, and who do not appreciate the privileges they have only thanks to Erdogan.

A particular website that carries out this hard-core Erdoganist propaganda is www.duvardibi.tv, which is conspicuously anonymous, but it is widely believed to be the killer website of the clique that had also penned the mysterious blog that practically ended Ahmet Davutoglu's time as prime minister in May. Its posts are all about exposing and defaming the covert dissidents of Erdogan in the AKP universe. Besides Kilicarslan, their recent targets include Ahmet Tasgetiren, a very prominent Islamist writer and community leader, who also dared to raise in his column constructive criticism of Erdogan in the daily Star. Another usual target is the daily Karar, a mildly pro-AKP newspaper that was founded in early 2016 by prominent journalists in the Islamist movement such as Mustafa Karaalioglu and Yusuf Ziya Comert. The Duvarbidi website condemns the daily Karar team as Davutoglu fans who act as a Trojan horse within a movement whose sole leader is, and must be, Erdogan.

Does this mean that Turkeys Islamists are no longer supporting Erdogan? No, that would be a misleading conclusion. Most Islamists still support the Erdogan regime, at least publicly, and the hard-core pro-Erdogan propaganda machine includes some Islamists as well. But the same propaganda machine also includes some overtly secular people  former Marxists, nationalists, mere opportunists, some Kurds and even an Armenian. Their common ground is not Islamism, but Erdoganism, which is now an ideological position of its own.

Erdoganism seems to have two simple rules for itself: First, Erdogan is always right. Second, all critics and dissidents of Erdogan are unpatriotic people, who knowingly or unknowingly serve the evil Western powers that conspire against Turkey. All the rest follow from these two axioms.

The anti-Westernism in this ideological blueprint appeals to most Islamists, but they sometimes seem to have a problem with the first rule  that Erdogan is always right. After all, they have certain ideological positions of their own, to which the ever-pragmatic Erdogan may not always subscribe. For example, Erdogans June 2016 reconciliation with Israel, which came with the official forsaking of the legal claims of the families of the Mavi Marmara victims, came as a shock to Islamists  especially when Erdogan suddenly disowned the Gaza flotilla campaign that he had championed for years in political rallies. Erdogans silent abandonment of the Syrian revolution by cozying up with Russia and accepting to live with the Assad regime also disillusioned some Islamists who have been eager to see a post-Assad Syria.

Besides such foreign policy issues, some veteran Islamists of Turkey seem genuinely concerned with the blunt corruption, nepotism and authoritarianism that has more and more characterized the current regime. They see, with disillusionment, that all the ugly aspects of old secular Turkey that they once criticized are now revived under Islamic garb  perhaps only in uglier and more aggressive forms.

One of these veterans, Kemal Ozturk, another columnist for Yeni Safak, wrote a nostalgic piece titled What is left of journalism. He wrote that during the '90s, when Islamists were in the opposition and their media had intellectual depth and professional ethics. They had "sincerity and quality." But now, with power, that age of innocence is gone. "It is just like a flood came and took away all the values we had accumulated," Ozturk wrote. For him, this was quite evident in the new propaganda machine, "which throws libels against everyone other than itself, and creates an aura of hatred." In return, Ozturk found himself among the treacherous Islamists listed by the Duvardibi website.

The tragedy of these disillusioned Turkish Islamists is that they dont have much of an option. All their life, from jobs to friends to social network, is within the conservative-Islamic camp of Turkey, which is today almost totally dominated by Erdogan and his enthusiasts. That is why their timid criticisms of the current regime target hard-core Erdoganists  especially the new recruits with a secular background  but never Erdogan himself. They act as if the Chief is surrounded by some bad people, and that is the only problem at hand.

The Chief himself, however, may have a more realistic sense of the reality. To further consolidate his rule, he does not need Islamists or adherents of any other abstract idea. He just needs Erdoganists, plain and simple. And there are plenty of them, coming from all backgrounds and identities, who are ready to outperform the good old Islamists.
A group will gather at a Hoover Nissan dealership Saturday to protest the way the Mississippi manufacturing plant treats its workers.

Nissan workers will join representatives from groups like Democratic Socialists of Alabama, the NAACP and the Central Alabama CLC at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the Benton Hoover Nissan Dealership at 1640 Montgomery Highway.

Workers will present a letter to the dealership's management alleging details of mistreatment of the plant's 5,000 workers, 80 percent of whom are black. The letter alleges plant management threatened to fire workers who support a union, threatened to close the plant if workers voted for a union, and illegally interrogated workers about the union.

The protest comes amid tension between the Canton, Mississippi-plant and the United Auto Workers, who have tried several times to unionize workers.

Similar protests will be held on Saturday in Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; and New Orleans.

Nissan's corporate headquarters said the Union's allegations are completely unfounded.

"Nissan's history reflects that we truly value our employees and respect their right to decide who should represent them," Nissan said in a statement. "Nissan Canton and Smyrna employees enjoy good, stable, safe jobs with some of the highest wages and strongest benefits in Mississippi and Tennessee."

9:51 a.m. 1/30/17: This story has been updated to include Nissan USA's statement.
Here are the top stories in Alabama business for Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017:

Take a virtual tour of the Thomas Jefferson Tower, the $30 million mixed-use redevelopment of an iconic Birmingham building. The building has been under construction for nearly two years, and the first residents have moved in.

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True40, a new fitness studio, is opening in Vestavia Hills' Heights Village on Tuesday. The concept behind True40 is a low impact but high intensity workout that incorporates yoga, barre, Pilates and cardio.

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Urban Standard could reopen as soon as the end of February after a fire forced the downtown Birmingham coffee shop to temporarily close. Restaurant management has met with an insurance adjuster and, pending approval, will start buildout next week.

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The Mobile Area Education Foundation and partners are launching a campaign intended to double the number of Mobile County workers with post-secondary degrees or other professional certifications.

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The nearly 1 million-square-foot Madison Square Mall is now locked to the public as officials prepare to tear down the 33-year-old former "Super Mall." MidCity Huntsville, a $350 million mixed-use development, will soon take its place at University Drive (U.S. 72) and Research Park Boulevard.

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Jordan-Hare Stadium could be getting a $28 million facelift in May. A proposal for a new gameday facility will go before Auburn's board of trustees next week. The proposed project is a 44,000-square-foot, multi-story facility in the southwest corner of the stadium.

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Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime.
(note: the above video does contain lyrics some viewers may deem as offensive)

Southern music fans in Nashville were treated to a big Alabama surprise Thursday night when former Drive-By Trucker and solo star Jason Isbell joined up with his old pals for a rendition of "Heathens".

Isbell, a native of Green Hill, joined former bandmates Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley of Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia, respectively.

"Heathens", written by Hood, appears on the band's 2003 album, Decoration Day, the first of the band's albums to feature Isbell on guitar. Isbell, who joined the band in 2001, remained with the group until the release of their 2006 album, A Blessing and a Curse.

The concert at the Ryman Auditorium was the second date in the first leg of the group's Darkend Flags tour with supporting artist Kyle Craft. The tour will see the group play in the US and Canada before heading for Europe in the spring.

A second US run, beginning in April, will include a stop in Mobile at the Soul Kitchen on April 13.
It's been nearly a week since Shelby County representative Claire Kendrick was named

, but the Valleydale Christian Academy senior is still reeling from the experience.

"I did not expect it at all," said Kendrick. "All of the girls are just incredible so when they called my name, I was completely shock. I didn't know what to do. It's still pretty surreal to me."

Kendrick, who hopes to study dance at The Julliard School in New York City, said she got involved in the Distinguished Young Women of Alabama program after a friend recommended it to her as a fun way to earn scholarship money.

"I thought it would be an opportunity to get scholarship money, interview experience and meet a lot of great girls. It sounded like a good way to help me prepare for college."

Throughout the two-day competition in Montgomery, Ala., Kendrick impressed judges with her performances in the categories of fitness, talent, scholastics, interviewing and self-expression.

For the Birmingham native, it was the self-expression challenge in the final round that created the most nerves since participants aren't informed of the questions beforehand.

"I was really nervous," said Kendrick. "We don't know what they're going to ask, and we have no preparation going into it. It was definitely nerve-wracking to be on the stage and asked a questions in front of everyone."

With more than $8,000 in scholarships to her name, Kendrick said she's thrilled to have the chance to represent Alabama in the national Distinguished Young Women competition this summer, which will take place in Mobile.

"I'm most excited about representing these girls to the best of my ability," said Kendrick. "I'm looking forward to meet the other 49 girls from across the country and just see what all they have to share."

Between now and then, Kendrick will be wrapping up her last year of high school and making plans for college. Looking back on her experience with the Distinguished Young Women program, she offered up this advice to other young girls thinking of taking part.

"I would tell them to just go for it," said Kendrick. "You don't know what's going to happen, and it's an incredible opportunity to learn so much about yourself and meet a lot of great girls."
Lottery

Lottery ticket stores at the Tennessee state line were doing a booming business selling lottery tickets to customers from Alabama on Friday Jan.8, 2016, the day before the big Powerball drawing with a jackpot now over $800 million. (Bob Gathany/bgathany@AL.com)

Four people told the Alabama Advisory Council on Gaming that voters should settle the issue of whether to allow a lottery and other forms of gambling during a spirited public hearing at the Alabama State House today.

Two gambling opponents spoke during the hearing. A third gambling opponent, attorney Eric Johnston, who regularly lobbies against gambling legislation, made a presentation to the council before the hearing.

It was the sixth meeting of the council, created by Gov. Robert Bentley in October after his plan for a state lottery to support the state budget failed during a special session of the Legislature.

Its purpose is to study gambling laws and practices and issue findings and recommendations to the governor and the Legislature.

The governor has said he wants the council to help develop a proposal that the Legislature could present to voters on gambling.

The Alabama Constitution prohibits lotteries and other forms of gambling, so the law can be changed only by constitutional amendment, which requires voter approval.

Joe Godfrey, executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program, a church-backed advocacy organization, told the council that the mantra "let the people vote" is bad policy when it comes to gambling.

Godfrey said voters who cast their ballot in support of a lottery could unwittingly open the door for casinos in Alabama, too, unless the legislation specifies otherwise.

"When you let the people vote, they don't always know what it is they're voting for," said Godfrey, who regularly lobbies against pro-gambling bills, as well as bills that expand alcohol sales.

Godfrey said gambling interests would raise huge campaign war chests for a lottery referendum that church groups and other gambling opponents could not match.

John Sowell of Shorterville took issue with the notion that Alabamians were "too damn stupid to vote."

"I work with construction workers and I work with brick layers and truck drivers, you name it," Sowell said. "The people who get down dirty.

"They don't like people telling them, 'You've got to conform, you've got to go back to the days of the Spanish Inquisition because we're going to mandate every bit of morality for your life.'

"They work hard for their money, and they want to spend their money the way they like to spend it."

Sowell also said, "To say we're not going to have gambling in the state of Alabama is asinine. It's like saying we don't want to have fire ants here. We've got 'em."

Carlos Chaverst, youth director for the National Action Network in Birmingham, the civil rights group founded by Rev. Al Sharpton, said Alabama, and especially Birmingham, needs revenue from gambling to help support education, as well as roads, health care and other programs.

He told the council that voters should decide the issues.

"It should not be in the hands of anyone else besides the people," Chaverst said.

Ken Allen of Fort Payne, director of missions for the DeKalb County Baptist Association, said he had lived in Louisiana for five years during the 1990s and had seen devastating effects of gambling addictions. He said the gambling industry feeds off deception.

"They are after one thing," Allen said. "They're after padding their pockets and making millions upon millions of dollars off people who make maybe $15,000 and are using about $800 of that toward gambling."

Iva Williams of Birmingham told the council he saw an inconsistency in Alabama politics -- fierce defense of states' rights when there's disagreement with the federal government, but a reluctance to let counties make their own decisions on gambling.

Williams held up some lottery tickets for the council to see.

"Some kid in Georgia is going to college for free because I go over there and buy lottery tickets," Williams said.

Williams said it struck him to hear that voters might not be well informed enough on gambling.

"But all I would respond to that is, make a better effort of educating people on what they're voting for. Don't just take it off the table," Williams said.

Council member Barry Matson, executive director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, asked Williams what he would recommend if he was on the council.

Williams thought for a moment and acknowledged he wasn't familiar with everything about how the process worked.

"I would present some level of gaming," Williams said. "I probably wouldn't do full gaming here in the state of Alabama. There are too many people who are just 100 percent against that. But some level of gaming, either a lottery or bingo or something so that we can fund education."

Birmingham political activist Frank Matthews, president of the Outcast Voters League, was the last to speak at the hearing.

"It ain't about gambling," Matthews told the council. "It's about people's rights. Letting the people do what they want to do in a country called America. Either we have a right to do what we want to do and not harm anybody, or we don't."

The 11-member council, which is chaired by state Finance Director Clinton Carter and includes five state lawmakers, was initially to report its findings by Jan. 31 but was granted an extension until June 30.

Carter said he thought the council would finish its work before the deadline.

Carter said his expectation is that the council won't recommend specific legislation, but will write a report outlining the state's options, pros and cons and best practices.

Carter said it might be challenging to reach a consensus. He said he thought the public hearing went well.

"I think we saw and heard from folks on all sides," Carter said. "I think they were represented very well with fire and passion, so I like to hear that. Fairly representative throughout the state."

During previous meetings, the council has heard from lottery executives from other states, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, gambling opponents and others.
Authorities have released the name of a man shot to death Thursday night in Ensley.

Birmingham police identified the victim as Decarlos Jordan. He was 39.

The shooting happened about 8 p.m. in the 4900 block of Court I. Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards said West Precinct officers responded to the scene on a report of a person shot.

When they arrived, they found Jordan lying on the ground suffering from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds to the body. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene.

So far the investigation shows that Jordan was killed as he was leaving a friend's house. According to a witness, Jordan had just walked out the home and several gunshots rang out.

The witness went outside to investigate, and found Jordan lying on the ground. The witness told detectives he didn't see anyone running from the scene.

Edwards said they have not yet established a motive. "This was not a random shooting,'' he said. "The shooter(s) clearly knew the victim."

Jordan is Birmingham's fourth homicide victim this year. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers 205-254-7777.
GREAT FALLS  Montana's struggling agricultural economy has taken another hit following the decision by two of the state's largest buyers of barley to reduce the number of contracts they offer to growers by as much as 60 percent.

Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors informed barley growers this year that they will only be purchasing a fraction of the malt barley they have in recent years.

The two brewing giants say the decision was brought on by an abundance of barley harvested in recent years.

The companies account for the purchase of nearly two-thirds of the barley grown in northcentral Montana.

Officials from the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee expect bid reductions to drop between 20 and 60 percent, resulting in a possible loss of more than $65 million in revenue.
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and the McCracken Research Library are sponsoring a traveling exhibit of Edward S. Curtiss photography.

The exhibit, traveling to Wyoming libraries in 2017 and 2018, makes its first stop at the Park County Library in Cody with an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The photos will remain on display during library hours through the end of the month.

The exhibit features pieces from Edward S. Curtis "The North American Indian," which provides a permanent record of 80 North American tribes through ethnographic notes and more than 1,500 photographs included in 20 volumes. Accompanying the volumes were 20 portfolios with 36 photogravure prints. A selection of these images in digital format will also be on display.

Curtis produced this unique American record at great personal sacrifice. Beginning in 1898 he traveled the American West from the Rio Grande to the Arctic Circle. Working with written accounts, photographic images, and sound recordings, Curtis gathered and arranged the ethnographic data and captured more than 40,000 photographs using only natural light.

The massive work was published between 1907 and 1930. The elegant volumes with their stately folio plates were printed on the finest handmade papers of the time. Sadly, the Great Depression contributed to weak sales of the finished volumes and only 214 of the 500 subscriptions were sold.

The great goal of the monumental photographic achievement of Edward Curtis was to make the First Americans live forever, said Timothy Egan, author of Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher. Curtis, with his sixth grade education and lifelong devotion to his subject, did just that. His pictures of all the tribes in the West are timeless, showing the humanity of a people who were too often stereotyped or forgotten.

Selections from Edward Curtiss "The North American Indian:" A Traveling Exhibit to Wyoming Libraries is funded by a grant from Wyoming Community Foundations Carol McMurry Donor Advised Fund, in partnership with the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which holds a rare complete set of "The North American Indian."
A Pryor man already serving a state prison sentence for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on Thursday admitted federal charges that he molested the girls older sister.

Fred Smart Enemy Jr., 73, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan that he touched the victims breast while she was asleep and without her permission.

Smart Enemy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Billings to abusive contact as part of a plea agreement. A second count is to be dismissed at sentencing.

The plea deal also said the prosecution and defense agree that a sentence of time served is appropriate and that Smart Enemy would be on lifetime supervised release.

Smart Enemy faces a maximum two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He was sentenced in May 2016 to four years with the Montana Department of Corrections with some time suspended for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in the Wal-Mart parking lot in February 2015.

As the state case was prosecuted, the victim in the federal case disclosed that Smart Enemy had sexually abused her when she was 20 years old during the summer of 2012.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sullivan said the evidence would show that in August 2012, when the victim was ill, under the influence of antibiotics for an infection and asleep, Smart Enemy entered her room.

The victim awoke to find Smart Enemy sucking on her breast, Sullivan said. The victim was able to stop the attack, he said.

Smart Enemy also attempted to enter the victims room numerous times during that summer, but the victim blocked the door with furniture and laundry, Sullivan said.

The victim never disclosed the molestation until Smart Enemy sexually abused her younger sister, Sullivan said.

Assistant Federal Defender Steve Babcock said that while Smart Enemy admitted to molestation, he denied he tried to enter the victims room numerous times during the summer of 2012.

Cavan said he would recommend that Smart Enemys plea be accepted by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters, who will sentence Smart Enemy. He remains in custody.
Netizens have created over a million fake tweets in English and Chinese mocking the 45th US president.

Twitter is blocked in China. Without the help of VPN services, people cannot log on to the site to reach information unfiltered by the Chinese government.

But that doesnt mean internet savvy users cannot poke fun at the newly inaugurated US president.

As the Lunar New Year is right around the corner, officially starting on Saturday and marks a fresh start for the Year of the Rooster, netizens are faking tweets using Donald Trumps Twitter handle @realdonaldtrump.

With the help of a start-up application called Jike, downloadable from the Chinese app store, one can enter any content and a snapshot is created, often with the same distinctive exclamation mark and bitter or outraged tone used by the president himself.

Jike said on Thursday that in only four days, users had created more than a million fake Trump tweets in Chinese and English.

Make your Chicken Year Great Again! A succinct and powerful one.

Happy Chinese New Year, and please be generous in giving out red envelopes! is a common phrase, mocking the Chinese New Year tradition of giving out red envelopes with cash inside, usually from the elders to the youngsters.

All the universities should cancel the homework and exams for Chinese students to enjoy the Spring Festival! This one obviously comes from a student attending after-school classes in the fierce competition to excel in his final exams.

I get all five Fu in Zhifubao, but where is Red Bao? Where is the money? Look, this is how Chinese fool our American. Sad! With some grammar mistakes, this Trump tweet mocks Chinas biggest online shopping company Alibaba, which recently launched a Pokemon-style game rewarding users if they collect enough photos of Fu  the Chinese equivalent of Christmas ornaments.

Some of the tweets are in Chinese characters only, but they still fooled quite a few people, who thought the new president was making efforts to mend ties between China and the US.

With the environment of free speech further tightened under Xi Jinpings administration, making fun of the American president seems to have become the new political correctness.

Fake Trump tweets are filling up Chinese social media without censorship. With a 15-day long nationwide festival about to start, why not have some fun?

I couldnt help my curiosity and added one more.
She has none of the normal parliamentary and media constraints and is one of UKs most powerful prime ministers

Glasgow, United Kingdom  When British prime minister Theresa May stood before the cameras to deliver her long-awaited major speech on Britains exit from the European Union earlier this month, millions across the country and the EU bloc watched in earnest.

The speech was billed as a chance to witness Mays first detailed statement on Britains Brexit future seven months after the nation voted by a slender 52-48 percent majority to revoke its decades-long membership of the institution.

After months of incessant speculation where discourse centred on whether Britains departure would constitute a so-called hard or soft Brexit, the Conservative Party leader announced her vision: not only would Britain be heading towards the EU exit door with gusto but it would also be leaving the EU single market and the EU customs union.

Even allowing for Mays proposal of retaining some kind of associate membership of the customs union, the British premiers speech signalled that nothing less than a hard Brexit was in the offing.





Shes clearly decided that the desire to reduce immigration was the reason the British voted for Brexit and therefore that must be the priority, from which everything else  most obviously leaving the single market  follows, Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, told Al Jazeera.

Indeed, Leave voters, by and large, appeared to welcome the statement. So too did Britains Brexit-supporting press, which marked her speech down as the dawn of a new epoch.

British publications that had advocated a Remain vote in the June 23, 2016 referendum were not so enamoured. And for many of Britains Remainers  or, as some Leave voters have since dubbed them, Remoaners, on account of their widespread dissatisfaction with last summers shock poll result  their worst fears of a UK completely disengaged from the heart of the EU project were realised.

OPINION: Brexit is still happening, just not the way May hoped

Under her watch

Few British prime ministers have ever been faced with such a divided nation. Yet, on July 13 last year, it fell to the one-time UK home secretary to navigate a path that even the low-key Remainer herself must have once thought unlikely.

However, with the departure of UK prime minister David Cameron  who, despite winning a majority general election victory in 2015, resigned his position after the British public rejected his Remain agenda  May took on four of her Conservative colleagues and triumphed.

Boris Johnson, the eccentric one-time mayor of London, and figurehead of the successful Vote Leave campaign, was widely tipped to be the frontrunner for the post, but opted not to run.

Perhaps the main reason Theresa May was the overwhelming choice of her party to become prime minister amid the upheaval of the referendum result last summer was her capacity to appear like a grown-up, to keep her head amid the chaos which seemed to take hold of the entire political class, said writer Rosa Prince, author of forthcoming biography, Theresa May  The Enigmatic Prime Minister.





Such was Mays political achievements as part of the Conservative Party that secured power from Labour in 2010, that even before she won the premiership the Type-1 diabetes sufferer had already made history by becoming the longest-serving home secretary since Henry Matthews in 1892.

Indeed, carrying long-held political ambitions from an early age, May attended the University of Oxford like the UKs only other female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. There she met her husband, Philip, who was president of the Oxford Union, after the late Benazir Bhutto  the future Pakistani prime minister  apparently introduced them both at a function.

From the educational heights of Oxford, May, whose father, a Church of England vicar, died from injuries sustained in a car accident when she was in her mid-20s, went on to find work in the City of London.

After a successful stint as a south London councillor, May, who has become known for her stylish choice of footwear at Westminster, became an MP in the 1997 general election, despite the Conservatives mauling at the hands of Tony Blairs Labour Party.

Shadow governmental roles followed, but her moment came when the Conservative Party leader David Cameron won the most seats at the 2010 general election and she was appointed to the home brief in a subsequent coalition government with the Liberal Democrats.

In an appointment that has been the political graveyard for many British politicians in decades past, May, described as a bit of an Ice Maiden by former UK coalition government deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, made the home office her own.

Under her watch, Britain managed to avoid a mass terrorist attack and she received great acclaim after deporting Muslim cleric Abu Qatada in 2013.

Pound hits new low after Theresa Mays Brexit remarks

Red, white and blue Brexit

The issue of Brexit has dominated her short tenure as prime minister, however. And before she shed light on the UK governments objectives, she regularly caused great political irritation when Brexit means Brexit and a red, white and blue Brexit became the general extent of her public utterances on the subject.

Her early months in office have not been without mistakes and mini-dramas, but May has developed a rather clever trick of keeping a low profile when things go wrong, buying her time to get back on the front foot and emerging only once she is certain she can speak from a position of strength, Prince told Al Jazeera.

But this tactic appeared to backfire when she was heavily criticised after repeatedly refusing to reveal, during a TV interview this month, whether she knew that an unarmed British Trident missile had reportedly veered off course during a test run before the House of Commons voted to spend billions on renewing the UKs nuclear deterrent last July.

So what kind of prime minister is May proving to be? Gerry Hassan told Al Jazeera that, with Brexit at the top of her agenda, there is very little going on [elsewhere] in terms of government action. This has, he said, only served to accentuate her lack of a public persona.

Shes not a fully multi-dimensional public figure, said Hassan, a Scottish political writer and commentator. Shes very serious, shes very controlled, and she plays it straight. Shes getting away with it at the moment for a variety of reasons, one of which is that the right-wing press love Brexit and the other is the chaos of the [opposition] Labour Party.

Bale, author of The Conservative Party  From Thatcher to Cameron, also contends that May is currently benefiting from a perceived lack of opposition from Labour.

The Labour Party is a laughing stock without any hope of regaining power for a decade or so, he said. That means she has none of the normal parliamentary and media constraints to worry about. She is therefore one of the UKs most powerful prime ministers despite her sitting on a small majority.

However, uncertain times surely lie ahead for the 60-year-old, who is due to meet US president Donald Trump in the White House on January 27.

Just this month, the UK Supreme Court put paid to Mays hope of a clean Brexit break on the domestic front when it ruled that parliament must vote on whether the government can begin the process of exiting the EU.

And once May enters talks with other EU nations on Britains withdrawal, negotiations will probably be tough.

She also faces the prospect of encountering demands for a second Scottish independence poll from Scotlands equally steely nationalist first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who has used her constituent nations heavy 62-38 percent pro-EU vote in last years referendum to demand that it retains some kind of EU association.

Theresa May was elected thanks to the Brexit vote, and it is inevitable that her premiership will be judged by how she manages the difficult task of quitting the EU as painlessly as possible, said Prince.

 Im sure she would hope to achieve more than Brexit and general-crisis management during her time as prime minister. No matter what happens, losing control is definitely not on the agenda.

Follow Alasdair Soussi on Twitter: @AlasdairSoussi
From Lebanon to Syria, Niam Itanis documentary Twice Upon A Time explores war through the eyes of a child.

Doha  In her debut documentary, Niam Itani, her voice at times inquisitive and blended with hints of humour, takes viewers through Lebanons 15-year civil war by exploring her own childhood memories, which fade into the screen in pale watercolours, transient and elusive.

Twice Upon A Time (2016) is about Itanis past, but also about the future of a Syrian child going through a similar experience. Just as Itani fled Beirut during the Lebanese civil war, 12-year-old Khalil fled the Syrian city of Daraa in 2012, leaving behind the only home he ever knew.

Their two voices merge in the film, strong but somewhat confused. Khalil is surviving in a new school as a refugee  singled out, lonely and missing Syria. In one scene, Itani asks Khalil if he was afraid of the war, and he replies: I was, but I didnt express my fear. The conversation summarises the bond between the two.

After a recent screening at Dohas Ajyal Youth Film Festival, Al Jazeera spoke with Itani about the inspiration for her film and how she balanced Khalils story with her own.

Al Jazeera: What inspired this documentary?

Niam Itani: The film came out of my attempt to fix my relationship with Beirut, my birth city. In our culture, theres this love for the watan, your homeland, and if you dont feel this bond and this love, then there must be something wrong with you.

My counsellor recommended that I find happy memories from my childhood. I couldnt find those happy childhood memories on my own, so I decided to search for those memories by asking family members. But to overcome the strangeness of such a request, I also decided to place a camera and document the journey. The story ended up very differently from what I envisioned it to be.

Al Jazeera: How did you decide to include Khalil in the film?

Itani: When I started to film, nothing was happening in Syria, yet. My story was solely going to be happy memories during the war, because a lot of Lebanese people talk about happy times during the war.

When Syrian refugees started to arrive in early 2012, Khalil and his family arrived in the same village my family took refuge in during our war. This is the village where I spent the best days of my life, and here was this child, who was going through a similar experience, but was unhappy. I couldnt understand why  I told him, Lets make a film together.

When I talked to my mom and Khalils mom, they drew a lot of parallels between Khalil and I. My mom would talk about how I missed my toys at first, and how I couldnt make any friends.

The more I learned more about his life in Ghazzeh, I started to doubt the memories of my childhood there. Maybe I was as miserable as Khalil and my nostalgia glossed it over, the same way my relatives would have happy memories about something as horrific as war. That is how the two ideas merged together and became one film.

The illustrations would come in pale, faded colours, just like some memories are not really as vivid. They were also a way to create the happy memories I didnt find.

Al Jazeera: How did you approach telling Khalils story while keeping in mind that he is a child?

Itani: The story opens with my quest for happy memories, the explanation of the war in Lebanon and questioning my relatives about that time. This sets the stage for Khalils story and experience. He becomes sort of an extension of me, because I talk about what I went through as a child, and there he is, the present-day child going through a very similar experience.

Within that milieu, Khalil and I also represent the experience of every child coming out of a war. This also gives Khalil agency; hes in charge of his own story. Hes the catalyst for the events that ensue.

He visually illustrates this particular childhood were imparting. You see him in school, at home and through his daily life. You see his confusion and struggle to connect with his new environment.

I am the main character, and at some point, Khalil steps in as the child of today. We try to understand how his issues today will affect him tomorrow.

Al Jazeera: Beyond the scope of the movie, did you see yourself reflected in Khalil on a personal level?

Itani: It was naive of me to think that Khalil would be happy. He was uprooted from his home, his relatives and his life without being able to go back. It was naive to think this situation would constitute happiness. Seeing those things in Khalil forced me to revisit the past.

When I questioned my memories, I realised that the connection between us was much greater. I wasnt connecting with Khalil to find ways to make him happy. In him, I saw the same issues I probably went through, but dont remember them as elaborately.





Al Jazeera: A unique aspect in your documentary was the illustration of memories; how did you come up with that?

Itani: The idea of illustrating memory came out of the sense that memory is abstract and visual, which is why we also decided to make it similar to memory in the sense that it wasnt completely accurate. You see it in the film: My aunt remembers my dads car as a white Volvo. That was the memory we drew, but then you see an actual photo of my dads car and its a navy Mercedes.

Another way was that the illustrations would come in pale, faded colours, just like some memories are not really as vivid. They were also a way to create the happy memories I didnt find. We wanted to draw them colourful and childish, so they could take the place of my elusive ones.

Al Jazeera: Does your film have a universal message for the audience?

Itani: Theres no lesson from me to them. There are themes that were throwing out there for them to think about. You can easily see what those themes are: home, displacement, family and memories. We leave those topics with the audience for reflection. My main hope is that it would create a different level of awareness about the plight of Syrian refugees.

Here at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, I was pleasantly surprised after we screened it to a younger audience. Mainly, when adults saw the film they would come up to me and talk about war and refugees as a category of people. The kids saw and understood Khalils point of view. They would empathise with his difficulty in making friends, the confusion and loneliness he felt. Its like they watched a completely different film.
Athens, Greece  A group of young men and women sit in the reception area charging their phones as a steady chorus of childrens laughter comes from the playroom in Khora, an activist-run community centre that provides respite for refugees and migrants in the Greek capital.

The cooperative community centre is in the Exarcheia neighbourhood, a centre of refugee solidarity activism in Athens.

Rami Farajpour, 21, a Kurd who fled Iran due to political problems with the government, arrived on the shores of Greeces Lesbos island in February 2016.

Although he initially planned to continue his journey to Western Europe, he began volunteering in Lesbos to help refugees arriving on flimsy dinghies the day after arriving.

After connecting with solidarity activists from across Europe, he eventually moved with them to mainland Greece, where they set up shop cooking for refugees and migrants in Piraeus, until Khora opened its doors in October after three months of renovation.

Rami, who hopes to obtain asylum and become a tattoo artist in Greece, does translation and administrative tasks at Khora several times a week.

READ MORE: Greek leftists turn deserted hotel into refugee homes

Six days a week, Khora provides refugees and migrants with a swath of services, including dentistry, information, legal services, language classes, lessons for children and internet, among others. In the future, they hope to also provide basic medical services for people who cannot afford it.

With poor humanitarian conditions in government-run camps, centres such as Khora provide a crucial service for refugees and migrants.

Emma, a volunteer who declined to provide her last name, said that most of the centres volunteers were involved in refugee solidarity activism on the Greek islands while arrivals were high in 2015 and 2016.

She said Khora, along with activist-run squats that provide housing for refugees and migrants in Athens, fill a gap where the Greek state falls short.

As people who are used to living quite normal lives back home, we wanted to provide a place that allowed them to get involved with that space, to make decisions about that space and move away from the endless feeling of being only a number.

Text by Patrick Strickland: @P_Strickland_

Photos by Nick Paleologos: @PaleologosNick
Israel may choose to trade Trumps offer to move the US embassy to Jerusalem for a yet to be known political advantage.

Signs coming from Washington seem to point out that the intended decision to move the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem might not be implemented so quickly. But this should not be a reason for complacency.

In fact, if the embassy is not moved, such a decision might be the outcome of a backroom dealing which may result in a US policy even more biased towards Israel than has been seen from Washington for decades.

While Israelis are very much in favour of obtaining legitimacy for their insistence that the unified Jerusalem is Israels capital forever, the embassy move is more of a priority for Donald Trump than it is for Israel.

Speaking at a Washington, DC, event last December, Israels Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman didnt list the embassy issue as one of Israels top priorities. Iran, the Palestinian issue, settlements and Syria were listed by him as his countrys focal points.





Unlikely to be soon

The fact that the embassy decision wasnt going to made early on in the Trump administration became clear in the public statements emanating from Washington. The White House spokesman Sean Spicer was asked three times about the issue during his first briefing, but he repeatedly answered that no decision was made on this issue.

Perhaps the most obvious signal came from the person in line to become the US ambassador to Israel  or as some Israeli settlers said Israels ambassador to the US  David Friedman, Trumps bankruptcy lawyer who is a pro-settlements American Jew. He has said that he plans to live in Jerusalem regardless of where the embassy will be located.

Statements against the move came from the 70 countries attending the Paris peace conference on January 15 and from Jordans King Abdullah, who met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman to drive home this message.

A delay by Washington regarding the embassys move might also be helpful to one of Trumps closest advisers. The job of President Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was appointed as a peace envoy earlier this month, would certainly have become more difficult had the newly elected US president made a rash decision on the issue of the very sensitive status of the holy city.

Both Israelis and Palestinians have welcomed  albeit the latter cautiously  Kushners appointment.

The issue is not dead

The Jerusalem Embassy Act became law in the US in 1995 (PDF). It calls for the embassy to be moved unless the president feels it could harm US national security.

Continuous Republican and Democratic presidents have taken this route. Former US President Barack Obama signed a six-month waiver early in December 2016, practically denying any change on the issue until next June.

Palestinians must continue to oppose unilateral Israeli and US moves that can negatively affect the final outcome of any future talks, but they need to look inward at the same time. by

While Palestinians and others may have breathed a sigh of relief, the issue is certainly not dead and will not easily go away.

However, what is most worrisome is that the Israelis are most probably willing to trade off this issue for a yet to be known political advantage. It is very likely that Israel will approve a deal by the Trump administration that could keep the status quo regarding the embassy in return for an even more favourable US position towards Israel.

A sign of such a possibility was evident on the second working day of the Trump administration. When the White House press secretary was asked to comment on the Israeli decision to build new settlements in Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank, he refused to take a stand.

Israeli media has reported that US-Israeli issues will be addressed during the upcoming summit between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in February. No doubt handlers and aides will be planning whatever deals Israel wants before that meeting.

National unity needed

Palestinians have very low expectations in regards to the Trump administration, which has not given many positive signals regarding a neutral US position on the Arab-Israeli conflict, despite the claims by Trump at one time that his administration would try to be neutral.

Palestinians must continue to oppose Israeli and US moves that can negatively affect the final outcome of any future talks, but they need to look inwards at the same time.

The decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem may have been temporarily delayed, but there is no guarantee that it will not be implemented in the coming months.

READ MORE: Trumps embassy move to Jerusalem self-destructive

To stop the embassy move and any other deals that the Israelis and Americans might come up with, concerted effort must be made to make the Israeli occupiers pay a price for their continued violations of international law and their rejection of binding UN Security Council resolutions such as the latest in December 2016, which demanded halting the settlement activity.

Palestinian national unity must be given the highest priority now, followed by an agreed and practical strategy for accomplishing Palestinian national aspirations.

This unity can then be leveraged to produce Arab and international support that together can help block any Israeli or US efforts to impede the right of Palestinians to determine their future on their land.

Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist, is a former Ferris professor of journalism at Princeton University.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
I dont like to write about Barack Obama any more. Its become painful. I love him and what he represents. His wife is a national treasure. I admire his daughters and their poise. I held my breath during his farewell address, counting down the moments until he stepped off stage into the protective cover of the secret service. And now, Ive found myself grateful that he actually survived.

Historically, in order to pursue the presidency, you needed to believe in some version of the American dream and the principles of bootstrapism. Obama believed that the nation merited hope. Yet, he remained under attack, and so did we.

Perhaps, then, it is significant that under a black president the Black Lives Matter movement, demanding nothing but the right to live and be counted, originated. Let me be clear: BLM was a youth-led grassroots movement and a response to state-sanctioned violence. It needed no permission to arise.

But the election of Obama offers a noteworthy parallel context in which to consider the emergence of BLM because it put a fine point on racial inequality and signalled the frustrations of a generation coming of age after the Civil Rights Movement.





An exemplary black man was elected into the highest office in the nation  twice  and not only was he subjected to the harshest, most racially-charged criticism himself, but the day-to-day lives of black and brown people improved very little. That the president himself kept silent was a reminder that revolutions begin not with the power but with the people.

I recognise Obama did not do enough for Black Lives Matter directly. But what president, I wonder, would have done more? The status quo has always been white supremacy, and the presidency serves to reinforce it. Still, its been difficult to resolve loving Obama and feeling his lack of engagement was a missed opportunity.

Obama, the president

I worry that the persecution activists experienced under Obama, who offered lukewarm support, will now intensify with real and more violent repercussions under Donald Trump.

When people are already dying en masse, it is belittling to argue that its better than it was. If 1892 was the most violent year of lynchings in the United States  161 black people that we know of were murdered  then what good does it do to tell black youth that things are better if 258 black people were killed by police in 2016? The comparative lens doesnt hold.

Obamas actions are no surprise. The office of the presidency is predicated on the idea that this government is infallible and American democracy with its checks and balances is perfect in design. Even top-down calls for action only imagine change within the existing parameters. The president, by his very nature, is not meant to be an agent of fundamental social change.

Obama, the Chicago-based community organiser, would have certainly been an outspoken proponent of BLM. Obama, the scholar of Critical Race Theory, knows respectability politics are a farce. Obama, the president, was different.

Obama's presidency and his legacy - both tainted by the emergence of Trump as successor - serve inadvertently to further explain the continued frustrations of BLM. by

Even so, we saw moments where Obama spoke candidly about race. In 2012, when he addressed the murder of Trayvon Martin, he said, If I had a son, hed look like Trayvon. His words, although nearly a month after Martins murder, were unequivocal as he attempted to humanise the dehumanised  using his own perceived exceptionality to argue Martins life should matter as much as the life of the presidents hypothetical son.

The blowback was unrelenting. Obama was accused of race-baiting. From this moment on, his responses to police brutality were couched in language of universalism, that this is an issue for all Americans.

In 2015, on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, Obama again addressed race head on, stating racism still exists and its not just a matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public.

Once again, the outcry was intense with many shocked the president used a slur unbecoming of his office. The fact that eight presidents owned slaves while in office seemed to slip their minds. People were angry that Obama evoked race.

Both moments occurred later in his presidency, and in hindsight, signalled his intention to speak more frankly about race before he, rightly or not, shirked the responsibility in favour of respectability.

Obamas legacy

In that sense, Obamas presidency and his legacy  both tainted by the emergence of Trump as successor  serve inadvertently to further explain the continued frustrations of BLM.

They are physical proof that respectability politics are invalid and that the system was never built with black people in mind. We see this every day as identity politics becomes a slur and the political concerns of marginalised groups are dismissed while those of white Americans are simply politics.

BLM is an active response to police brutality against black communities, but more broadly it is a response to unfulfilled promises of racial equality and equity under a black president.

INTERACTIVE: What has each US president left for their successor?

Many of us imagined what it would look like for black children to come of age under a black president, and what sense of possibility might result. The nation didnt change for the better and options for marginalised people remain limited. Instead, through BLM, we witnessed a generation acutely aware of what they are disallowed  not only their right to respect but to safety.

Obamas legacy is malleable. In the end it will be shaped by the path of the nation. History may see him as inextricable from Trump  the immensely qualified and rhetorically cautious Obama followed by the oafish, unfiltered Trump. Must be nice to be wealthy and white.

What might it have meant for the president to be an outspoken ally?

Maybe nothing. Obama was so consistently disrespected and obstructed. Maybe everything, because it might have worked to reframe the political arena as both parties would have to acknowledge the validity of the cause without the false equivalency of blue lives or the distraction of all lives.

Like Trump, he might have broken American politics, but in this case for good. As it stands, neutrality is more desirable than regression, but it is by definition not a progressive move. Obama told us there was nothing false about hope, and we believed him. We still do. It will be interesting to see what he may do now in his role as private citizen, without upholding the office that held him back.

Danielle Fuentes Morgan is an assistant professor. She writes about African American literature and culture, comedy, and the 21st century.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Armed group says it killed 57 soldiers at an army base in Somalia, while Kenya says scores of fighters were killed.

Somalias al-Shabab group says its fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops when they attacked a remote military base in the countrys south, while Kenyas army dismissed the report and said scores of fighters were killed.

A spokesman for the armed group, which often launches attacks on African Union troops stationed in the Horn of Africa country, said on Friday that its fighters killed at least 57 Kenyans at the base in the town of Kulbiyow a day earlier.

We are pursuing the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shababs military operation spokesman, told Reuters news agency about the attack near the Kenyan border.

READ MORE: Al-Shabab attacks in Somalia (2006-2017)

Two mujahideen rammed suicide car bombs into the base in Kulbiyow town before storming it, he said, adding that as well as counting 57 Kenyan bodies, the group seized vehicles and weapons.

Al-Shabab said it lost fighters but did not give numbers.

The group also claimed to have taken over the base, run by the African Union Mission In Somalia (AMISOM).

The Kenyan army denied the claims, calling them false.

Al-Shabab is known for propaganda, whatever they are saying about the attack is incorrect, including the number, a Kenyan defence forces spokesman, Colonel Paul Njugunam, told Al Jazeera.

As of now, we cannot say anything about what is happening on ground, but once the operation is over, we will have concrete details and numbers. However, it was a bad day for al-Shabab and we shall continue repulsing them.

Kenyan television channel NTV reported that several KDF [Kenya Defence Forces] soldiers were believed killed in the raid and heavy fighting was reported.

In January last year, al-Shabab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers in El Adde, a Somali camp near the border with Kenya.

The Kenyan military never gave details of casualties, but Kenya media reports suggested a toll of that magnitude.

READ MORE: Al-Shabab attack at Mogadishu hotel kills 28

Al-Shababs assessment of casualties often differs markedly from official versions. The group, which once ruled over much of Somalia, has lost major urban strongholds and ports to the UN-backed government in Mogadishu.

It wants to topple the Mogadishu-based government and drive out the peacekeepers made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African countries.

AMISOM and Somali troops have often struggled to defend smaller and more remote areas from attacks.

Al-Shabab has been fighting for years to impose its strict interpretation of Islam on Somalia. The group was driven out from Mogadishu in 2011.
HELENA, Mont.  The Montana Senate has rebuffed an attempt to strip a bill of language admonishing a judge for allegedly overstepping his authority.

Senate Bill 131 would correct a mistake in a voter-approved medical marijuana ballot initiative that delayed the re-opening of marijuana dispensaries. It also says that District Judge James Reynolds of Helena violated the constitutional separation of powers when he fixed the mistake in a ruling in December.

Democratic Sen. Sue Malek of Missoula attempted to remove that admonishment from the bill Thursday. She says the Senate itself is overreaching by determining what is and isn't constitutional, which is the job of the courts.

Her amendment failed after Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas said it is important for the Legislature to stand up for the Constitution.

The bill passed the Senate 28-21 and now goes to the House.
A Prague court rules in favour of a nursing school that banned a Somali refugee student from wearing a headscarf.

A Czech court has rejected a discrimination suit filed by a Somali refugee, who was banned from wearing her headscarf in a nursing school, the first case of its kind in the European Union state.

The suit, which the plaintiff lodged seeking an apology and 60,000 crowns ($2,350) in compensation, was rejected, said Justice Daniela Cejkova, handing down the verdict in a Prague court on Friday.

Ayan Nuur filed a lawsuit against the school after she was not allowed to attend while wearing a headscarf.

The school argued that the young woman had never formally enrolled in the establishment. Ivanka Kohoutova, the schools principal, also argued that wearing a scarf covering the hair, ears and neck, and revealing only the face contravened its safety and hygiene standards.

Nuur, who was granted asylum in the Czech Republic in 2011, did not attend the trial, but was represented by her lawyer.

READ MORE: On Muslims, swimming lessons, and European secularism

During the trial, a group of female students came in support of the school and its rules against the head covering, reported the Czech news agency, CTK.

A group of Muslims also came out in support of Nuur, the agency said.

The Czech Republic is a secular country of 10.5 million people, with a Muslim community of only 10,000 to 20,000 members. It has no law covering the wearing of religious garments.

But like elsewhere in Europe, anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the rise there following the 2015 refugee and migrant crisis when more than one million people, mostly refugees fleeing violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, entered the EU.

Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his fiery anti-migrant rhetoric, insisted last year that it was practically impossible to integrate the Muslim community into European society.

Members of the public present in court on Friday sang the Czech national anthem and applauded after the verdict was handed down.
UK prime minister becomes first foreign leader to meet Donald Trump since he was sworn in as US president a week ago.

Donald Trump is 100 percent behind NATO, Britains prime minister, Theresa May, has said, after becoming the first foreign leader to meet the US president since he was sworn in a week ago.

In a joint press conference after a White House meeting on Friday, May said that during their talks Trump gave strong backing to NATO, an alliance that he had previously called obsolete.





The two countries are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark our collective defence, and today weve reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to this alliance, she told reporters.

The meeting between the two leaders in Washington, DC, came a day before Trump is scheduled to speak by telephone to Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.

When asked about his upcoming discussion with the Russian president, Trump said he wanted to have good relations with Russia but played down any talk that he was ready to lift US sanctions against Moscow.

Well see what happens as far as the sanctions  very early to be talking about that, Trump said, adding that he hoped to have a fantastic relationship with Putin, but noted it was possible that would not occur.

READ MORE: Trumps first week  Executive overdrive

Trump doubled down on his statements that he does not know Putin, that he does not have a relationship with him, but he believes that if it is a positive relationship between the two countries then that certainly would be of benefit to the US, Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said.

For her part, May took a sterner line, insisting that Putin must live up to the Minsk Agreements that would put an end to Russian military interference in Ukraine.

Brexit a wonderful thing

May arrived in the US on Thursday at a time when the UK is in the process of quitting the European Union, or Brexit.

Faced with withdrawal from the European single market, the British government is scrambling to secure bilateral deals around the world.

OPINION: Why a hard Brexit will cost the UK more than Europe

May said that a trade deal between Britain and US was in the national interest in both our countries, while Trump threw his weight behind Brexit, saying it would be a wonderful thing for the UK.

I think when it irons out, youre going to have your own identity, and you are going to have the people that you want in your country, Trump said.





Youre going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you are doing.

Focus on torture

Before their White House meeting, May had tough words on Trumps assertion that torture absolutely works, telling reporters that she condemned the use of illegal interrogation.

Trumps views on torture have raised concerns that he will try to reverse laws put into place by predecessor Barack Obama outlawing the brutal interrogation techniques like waterboarding used by the CIA on suspects following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

When asked about the use of waterboarding as an intelligence-gathering tool, Trump said he would defer to Secretary of Defense James Mattis regarding the practice  even though he said he still believes it is effective.

Trump said Mattis does not necessarily believe in waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques, which many politicians and rights groups denounce as torture.

Mattis will override because Im giving him that power, Trump told reporters. He is an expert. He is highly respected.

Mexico made us look foolish

Trumps first week in office has been marked by a war of words with Mexico over the building of a border wall, and his vow to make Mexico pay for it.

On Thursday, Mexican Enrique Pena Nieto called off a planned trip to Washington in protest.

READ MORE: Trump to Mexico leader  Pay for wall or stay away

During the press conference, Trump said he had a very good phone call with Pena Nieto on Friday and that the two had agreed to work to improve ties.

We had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico  but, as you know, Mexico with the United States has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders.

Theyve made us look foolish, Trump told a news conference at the White House.

Trump said the call was friendly and he looked forward to renegotiating the US trade relationship with Mexico in the future.
Comments by Donald Trump on nuclear weapons and climate change have made the world less safe, atomic scientists say.

Atomic scientists say the world is inching closer to an apocalypse, partly due to the words and actions of US President Donald Trump.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group of nuclear scientists who have been assessing global security for 70 years, said they were moving their symbolic Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight for a number of reasons, but cited Trumps campaign rhetoric on nuclear proliferation and denial of climate change in particular.

Even though he has just now taken office, the presidents intemperate statements, lack of openness to expert advice and questionable cabinet nominations have already made a bad international security situation worse, the scientists said.

Trump, who assumed office on January 20, has made contradictory statements about climate change, at times calling it a hoax and other times saying he would keep an open mind about it.

US-Russia relations

Beyond the election of Trump, the scientists listed a number of other reasons for their assessment, including strains in relations between the US and Russia, which together possess more than 90 percent of the worlds nuclear weapons, and North Koreas underground nuclear tests.

The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than it has ever been in the lifetime of almost everyone in this room, Lawrence Krauss, the chairman of the Bulletins board of sponsors, told reporters on Thursday.

The last time it was closer was 63 years ago in 1953 after the then Soviet Union exploded its first hydrogen bomb, creating the modern arms race, he added.

Alluding to Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: This is the first time that the words and stated policies of one or two people placed in high positions have so impacted on our perception of the existential threats we believe the world faces.

In a lengthy 18-page explanation of its decision, the scientists said that the international community failed to come effectively to grips with both nuclear weapons and climate change last year.

The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 by a group of scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, the American-led clandestine effort to build the worlds first nuclear weapons.

Over the decades the scientists have recognised climate change as an additional threat, and in their report said it could change life on Earth as we know it.

Last year, the bulletin opted not to change the clocks time from three minutes to midnight.
US ambassador to UN vows to overhaul world body and warns she will be taking names of countries opposing Washington.

Nikki Haley, the new US ambassador to the United Nations, has said Donald Trumps new administration will push for an overhaul of the world body and bluntly warned those who oppose Washingtons policies that she is taking names.

Haley made brief remarks to reporters as she arrived on Friday at the UN headquarters in New York to present her credentials to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN and the way that well show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well, Haley said.

For those that dont have our back, were taking names, we will make points to respond to that accordingly, added Haley, a former South Carolina governor with little foreign policy and no US federal government experience.

Everything that is working, we are going to make it better. Everything that is not working we are going to try and fix. Everything that seems to be obsolete and not necessary, were going to do away with, she said.

Haley held a 20-minute meeting with Guterres, who was delighted to meet her, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

It was an introductory meeting and the start of engagement with the new US administration, he said.





During her confirmation hearing, Haley questioned whether the US was getting what it paid for with regards to the countrys monetary contributions to the UN.

The US is by far the UNs biggest financial contributor, providing 22 percent of its operating budget and funding 28 percent of peacekeeping missions, which currently cost $7.8bn annually.

These are assessed contributions  agreed by the UN General Assembly  and not voluntary payments.

READ MORE: Trumps first week  Executive overdrive

UN agencies, such as the UN Development Programme, the childrens agency UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the UN Population Fund, are funded voluntarily.

The White House is reportedly preparing an executive order that could deprive the United Nations of billions of dollars in US financial support.

Last year, Trump took to Twitter to disparage the 193-member world body after the US abstained in a December 23 Security Council vote, allowing the adoption of a resolution demanding an end to settlement building by US ally Israel.

Trump, who had called on President Barack Obamas administration to veto the resolution, warned that things will be different at the UN after he took office on January 20.
The UN-hosted negotiations on the Syrian conflict planned for February 8 in Geneva have been postponed until the end of that month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

The date of February 8 has been put back until the end of next month, Lavrov said at a meeting on Friday with Syrian opposition groups in Kazakhstan that ended on Tuesday without a major breakthrough.

The UN, however, said it could not confirm the delay of the next round of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition.

There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed, said Yara Sharif, a spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. Were going to be sure when the special envoy is back from talks next week with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The main opposition groups stayed away from the Moscow meeting with Lavrov, as the Kremlin seeks to impose its influence as the key power broker in Syria on the back of its game-changing military support for President Bashar al-Assad.

READ MORE: Astana summit  Opposition sets demands for new talks

Representatives from armed opposition groups and Damascus were expected to hold their first face-to-face talks in Astana, the Kazakh capital. But the rebels refused, citing truce violations, and mediators were forced to shuttle between the two sides.

Key players Russia, Turkey and Iran backed the talks and the main result was an agreement by the three sides to try to shore up a shaky ceasefire on the ground in the war-torn country.

The latest peace initiative to halt fighting comes after the Syrian army, backed by Russian and Iranian firepower, dealt rebels a crushing blow by forcing them out of eastern Aleppo last month.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, estimates that more than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since 2011.
Step towards growing transplantable organs is taken by creation of embryos combining pig and human stem cells.

Scientists have for the first time grown embryos that contain a combination of pig and human stem cells, in a step towards one day growing transplantable organs, a study says.

However, the research remains at a very early stage and proved more difficult than expected, the researchers reported in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on Thursday.

This is an important first step, said lead investigator Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor in the Salk Institute of Biological Studies Gene Expression Laboratory.

The ultimate goal is to grow functional and transplantable tissue or organs, but we are far away from that.

Scientists implanted adult human stem cells  known as intermediate induced pluripotent stem cells  into pig embryos and allowed them to grow for four weeks.

READ MORE: Monkey study raises hope for functional HIV cure

They terminated the embryos before any human-animal mixture, known as a chimera after the cross-species figures of Greek mythology, could be born.

They found that the human cells began to form into muscle tissue in the pig embryos.

The effort involved some 1,500 pig embryos and took four years, far longer than initially estimated, due to the complicated nature of the experiments.

The notion of creating human-animal mixtures has stoked controversy and raised ethical questions, particularly since the experiments could theoretically lead to the creation of animals with human qualities, and possibly intelligence.

But Salk Institute staff scientist Jun Wu said the level of human contribution to the pig embryos was low, and did not include precursors to brain cells.

Previous research has produced combinations of rats and mice, which are far more closely related.

READ MORE: Q&A  Organ trafficking in Nepal

Bruce Whitelaw, professor of animal biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the study, described it as exciting because it paves the way for significant advances.

According to Darren Griffin, professor of genetics at the University of Kent, the work will also help us better understand evolution, development and disease and may eventually lead to a remedy for organ shortages.

In this study, the authors followed existing legal and ethical guidelines, allowing the embryos to develop to the maximum time allowed, he told the AFP news agency.

It is important that any further research is conducted with full transparency so as to allow public scrutiny and debate, Griffin said.
Legal battle over Arizona highway heats up just days after US President Donald Trump approves controversial pipeline.

Native American tribes in Arizona have banded together in filing legal documents to protest the construction of a highway they feel is threatening their sacred mountain and indigenous sovereignty.

Planning for Loop 202, also known as the South Mountain Highway upon which it will be built, began in 1983, according to the Arizona Department of Transportations (ADOT) website.





The controversy over the construction comes at a time when indigenous people in the US feel increasing pressure from the Trump administration.

After what seemed victory when the Dakota Pipeline was shut down by former President Barack Obama, current President Donald Trump has renewed pipelines on Native lands.

The impending highway was designed to give commuters in Phoenix, the sixth-largest city in the United States, an easier way of navigating the city.

However, the construction is a direct threat to the identity of the Oodham people, including the Gila River Indian Community, all of whom come from the Hohokam people, a common ancestor.

Our elders told us that if the freeway is built, we will no longer be Oodham. The physical integrity of [the South Mountain] has to be preserved and protected. Our creator will not recognise us if its not protected, Linda Paloma Allen, a Gila River community member, told Al Jazeera.

Continuation of disrespect of Native peoples

Theres a feeling of pressure from the current [Trump] administration, Allen said. This theft of lands and resources, this colonialism is a continuation of disrespect of Native peoples, she concluded.

According the amicus curiae brief, or friend of the court documents in support of GRIC filed by the Tohono Oodham and Inter Tribal Alliance of Arizona (ITAA) which were delivered to Al Jazeera, Muhadagi Doag, more commonly known as South Mountain, as both a hunting and gathering ground, and a spiritual center for the Oodham people.

Allen said that her childs future, who she is raising to be an Oodham man, is her motivation for fighting the highway: If this freeway is built, my son, when he goes home at the end of his life to meet his creator, he wont be recognised as Oodham.

READ MORE: Life on the Pine Ridge Native American reservation

Over the past four months, construction crews have found the remains of an estimated 20 Oodham ancestors, Allen explained. The graves show the long history of sacred respect for the area, and disturbing their resting places is an affront to her people.

GRIC filed a federal lawsuit last June to fight the project, but courts ruled construction could continue. In December, pavement was laid on Loop 202, and the GRIC filed an injunction to have it stopped.

We wanted to seek out help from the sister tribes, because we are historically one united people. Were all the same linguistically, culturally, spiritually, Allen continued.

No friend to Native American sovereignty

As such, the Tohono Oodham, a sister tribe whose ancestral lands are near the US-Mexico border, along with the ITAA which represents 21 Native American tribes, filed the documents saying that Highway Loop 202 would degrade their sovereignty.

The South Mountain is a traditional cultural property, (TCP) the legal brief claims, meaning that it is a site rooted in a traditional communitys history and are important in maintaining the continuing cultural identity of the community, according to the US Department of the Interior.

Mik Jordhal, an Arizona-based lawyer that works on indigenous issues, argued that any challenge to TCPS directly impacts the sovereignty of tribes.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Jordhal explained that federal courts siding with the federal government in destroying sacred sites can have a devastating impact on other tribes as well. Of course, federal courts have been no friend to Native American sovereignty.

ADOT and the Arizona Attorney General, who filed the amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Tohono Oodham, were not immediately available for comment.

Follow Creede on Twitter: @creedenewton








Turkey may scrap migration deal after a Greek court refused to return eight soldiers allegedly linked to failed coup.

Turkey has demanded the retrial of eight soldiers who fled to Greece after a failed coup last year and said it may take measures, including scrapping an agreement on refugees and migrants with Athens, after a Greek court rejected an extradition request.

Greeces Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against extraditing the soldiers, who have sought political asylum, saying they feared for their lives in Turkey. Ankara says they were involved in the July 15 coup attempt and branded them traitors.





We demanded that the eight soldiers be tried again. This is a political decision, Greece is protecting and hosting coup plotters, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber on Friday.

We are evaluating what we can do. There is a migration deal we signed, including a re-admission deal with Greece, and we are evaluating what we can do, including the cancellation of the re-admission deal with Greece, Cavusoglu added.

Subsequently, a European Union spokeswoman said it was confident its cooperation with Turkey on migration will continue to hold firm.

Relations between Greece and Turkey, neighbours and NATO allies, have improved over the years but they remain at odds over territorial disputes and ethnically split Cyprus. In 1996, they almost reached the brink of war over an uninhabited islet.

The two countries play an important role in the handling of Europes worst migration crisis in decades and the EU depends on Ankara to enforce a deal to stem mass refugees and migrants fleeing to Europe.

The suspects  who landed a helicopter in Greece a day after a botched putsch in Turkey and asked for asylum  were also ordered to be released from police custody.

READ MORE: Greek court blocks extradition of Turkey coup suspects

Earlier on Friday, the Turkish justice ministry submitted a second extradition request to Greece for the return of the officers, state-run news agency Anadolu said.

Cavusoglu said the ruling would have an effect on relations whether we want it to or not.

The controversy also comes as Greece and Turkey are trying to work together to find a deal for the reunification of Cyprus in ongoing talks brokered by the United Nations.

The officers deny having taken part in the attempted failed coup attempt and have claimed their lives are in danger should they return to Turkey.

They have requested asylum in Greece but their applications were originally rejected in July.

However, their appeals are currently being processed.
Opposition leaders have been arrested and the internet has been cut in English-speaking regions for more than a week.

Cameroons main language is French, but about a fifth of the countrys 22 million people are English speakers.

They are concentrated in the countrys northwest and southwest regions, which were colonised by Britain.

English speakers have long complained of discrimination.

They say that official documents are always in French and that the language barrier disqualifies them from most government jobs.

Some support breaking away to form their own state.

In recent weeks opposition leaders from the English-speaking regions have been arrested.

Thousands of English-speaking teachers, lawyers and students have gone on strike to protest against alleged marginalisation.

In response, internet service in English-speaking areas was cut off more than a week ago.

That, in turn, has led to a new campaign using the hashtag Bring Back Our Internet.

The government says that the internet blackout and arrests of political leaders are necessary to maintain peace.

So, what does this mean for Cameroon?

Presenter: Richelle Carey

Guests:

Elvis Ngolle Ngolle  Former Minister of Special Duties in the Office of the President of Cameroon.

Julie Owono  Head of the Internet Desk at Internet Without Borders.

Albert Nchinda  Political Analyst.
In just seven days, new US President Donald Trump has ordered significant changes in domestic and foreign policy.

Donald Trump has wasted no time in making his mark as the 45th President of the United States.

In only a week, Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, cleared the way for the construction of two controversial oil pipelines and issued an executive order to make it easier to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

He also ordered the construction of a border wall with Mexico, insisting Mexico pay for it. Mexican President Pena Nieto cancelled a planned trip to Washington in response.

He also issued draft executive orders that, if signed, would freeze the US refugee programme and bar Syrians from it altogether. A travel ban could also be introduced for passport holders from six other Muslim-majority countries.

Its another busy week ahead:

 British Prime Minister Theresa May is the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he took office.

 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says hes looking forward to meeting him soon

 Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will speak with Trump by phone.

What can Trumps first week in office teach us about the months and years to come?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Charles King Mallory  RAND Corporation and former state department official under George W Bush

Eric Levitz  New York Magazine

David Bosco  Assistant Professor of International Politics, Indiana University.
An inside look at how world leaders and the American public were duped into a war that cost thousands of lives.

Editors note: This film is no longer available to view online.

On the evening of 9/11, George W Bush made a vow to the American public  that he would defeat terrorism.

Unknown to those listening in shock to the presidential address, the president and his advisers had already begun planning their trajectory into an invasion of Iraq. It was packaged as holding responsible the states who support terrorism by Richard Perle, a Pentagon adviser between 2001 and 2003.

I believe it represented a recognition that we would never succeed against the terrorists if we went after them one at a time and as long as governments were facilitating the organisation, training, equipping of, financing of terrorist organisations, we were never going to get it under control, says Perle.

After 100 days spent fighting those who had become publicly accepted as the culprits  Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan  the US set the ball rolling for war against Iraq.

On the evening of 9/11 the president is saying: well, maybe we'll be going after Iraq now and somebody said, well, that would be against international law. The president responded: I don't care, we're going to kick some ass. by Ray McGovern, CIA analyst, 1963-1990

Perle published an article in The New York Times damning Iraq, primarily for its collaboration with terrorists and for convincing evidence regarding its involvement in the 9/11 attacks.

By then, of course, advisers had already convinced President Bush of the need for an intervention in Iraq. Among them was Ahmed Chalabi, an Iraqi politician and enemy of Saddam Hussein. He would come to be viewed as a controversial figure, seen by some as providing questionable information to facilitate the decision to go to war.

A member of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), Chalabi and other Iraqi exiles, appeared to be motivated by the prospect of taking over from Saddam. Ignored by the Clinton administration, they had aligned themselves with the Republican Party. When George W Bush and his administration took office, the Iraqi exiles found themselves in an enviable position: they had the confidence of the administration and were willing to say anything to ensure that Saddam was removed.

As the case a for war was being constructed behind the scenes, Bush continued to prepare the public.

Afghanistan is still just the beginning. If anybody harbours a terrorist, youre a terrorist. If they fund a terrorist, theyre a terrorist. If they house terrorists, theyre terrorists  If they develop weapons of mass destruction, that will be used to terrorise nations, they will be held accountable, Bush declared during a speech at the White House in November 2001.

Under the guise of fear of weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs, the American public was lulled into a false sense of urgency, ultimately justifying an invasion that American intelligence had already deemed unnecessary  years of investigations and monitoring had come up with no evidence that Iraq had WMDs.

In early 2002, the military machine was set into motion. But approval from Congress would still be needed. the Central Intelligence Agency was asked to carry out a National Intelligence Estimate. The document that was eventually produced  and only made available to the public 13 years later, in 2015  was a cautious and contradictory evaluation, seemingly intended to assist Bush in his indictment of Saddams alleged path towards nuclear weapons. Congress approved the war.

I found the document to be very unpersuasive, and it was a significant part of my ultimate decision to vote against the war in Iraq, says former Florida senator, Bob Graham.

In late 2002, as Bush and the pro-war camp were getting ready to formally announce the US commitment to war in Iraq, a mystery dossier, reportedly circulated by an Italian military secret service agent, landed on Vice President Dick Cheneys desk. The dossier claimed that there had been irregular sales of concentrated uranium, or yellowcake, from Niger to Iraq.

The dossier was invalidated by US diplomat Joe Wilson and the Italians, but Cheney ignored their warnings. Its claims would later be questioned by the French government and France would go on to become one of the most vocal voices against the Iraq war. The yellow cake document was finally refuted by Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The sales campaign that took place I would characterise as aggressive deception. by Bob Graham, former US senator

Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice spearheaded a media offensive with the governments WMD claims. The US media seemed to buy into it and convinced the public  the seeds of fear that had been sown months before were now ready to harvest.

In March 2003, American tanks rolled into Baghdad and the statue of Saddam is pulled down. It was a goal Chalabi had dedicated much of his life to achieving. But in retrospect, he seemed to have changed his opinion.

The downward spiral started with the occupation. The coalition, especially the Americans, lost the moral high ground, and they became the jailers of the Iraqi people, says Chalabi.

Three years later, Bush would admit that Saddam did not, in fact, have WMDs.

The war resulted in an incalculable loss of human life. It cost the US almost $2 trillion in public money. And one of its unintended consequences was the creation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

I think one of the saddest aspects of our Iraq war is how quickly Americans have chosen to forget it, says Andrew Bacevich, a former US army colonel and military historian. There seems to be an unwillingness on the part of the American people to acknowledge and to confront this enormous failure.
Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan on the new unity government and Trump, and Guy Verhofstadt discusses the EU and Brexit.

In this weeks UpFront, Mehdi Hasan speaks to Hamas senior leader and spokesman Osama Hamdan, who discusses the new Palestinian unity government and how Hamas will very soon be releasing a new charter.

In the Reality Check, we examine the rising tide of populism and the elitist conservatives who have hijacked it.

And in a discussion on the European Union, we are joined by former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who is now the lead EU parliament negotiator on Brexit.

Headliner  Hamas: Palestinians will not abandon Jerusalem

In mid-January, rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah announced the creation of a new unity government. But can the two groups, who have reconciled before only to fall out again, make it work this time?

In politics, no one can say that Im sure 100 percent, but you have to try, says Hamdan, who is also a spokesman for Hamas. Now we came to this crash point and we both understand we need as Palestinians a national unity government.

Hamdan says that US President Donald Trump, who has talked about moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, needs to choose between making peace or adding more oil to the fire.

He knows that Jerusalem is the key for peace, Hamdan tells UpFront. He has to make his choice: If he wants to be the president who creates peace in the region, or the president who added more oil to the fire.

In this weeks Headliner, we talk to Hamas senior leader Osama Hamdan.

Reality Check  The rise of fake populism

Across the US and Europe, waves of people are rallying behind so-called populist leaders.

But are these leaders men and women of the people, or right-wing elitists masquerading under the guise of populism?

In this weeks Reality Check, we reveal how some of their backgrounds and positions put them closer to fake populists than ordinary folk.

Can the EU survive the populist wave?

With the eurozone still an economic mess, the rise of anti-EU parties and the UK on the way out, the European Union may be in trouble.

So, with populist leaders expressing disdain for the EU, Brexit and an assertive Russia, what does the future hold for the European Union?

Guy Verhofstadt, a member of the European Parliament and its chief negotiator for Brexit, in addition to being the former prime minister of Belgium, says he is optimistic about the future of the EU, but that it faces an existential threat.

We are squeezed, for the moment, between an American president  a populist  saying, Oh, I believe in the further disintegration of the European Union, says Verhofstadt, and on the other hand, an autocrat  Putin  who wants to destroy the European Union.

Faced with these threats, the EU must get its act together and become a real union, or else disappear, he says.

People need a vision, a project, that shows them how we can escape the challenges that they are facing: Migration flows, economic fallout, and so on, says Verhofstadt. You have to recognise weaknesses of the current European Union before you can launch a new vision for the future.

I believe we can get our act together, and then we can build up a European Union that can be an example of a supernational organisation worldwide.

MEP and lead Brexit negotiator for the EP, Guy Verhofstadt, discusses the future of the European Union.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook.
After his mere presence caused a four-hour protest at UF, a man wearing a swastika armband was attacked Thursday.

Michael Dewitz, who had the Nazi symbol tied onto his jackets sleeve with red yarn, left Turlington Plaza at about 1:30 p.m., after UF students and faculty protested him, some yelling expletives in his face.

Dewitz, 34, stood at the corner of Northwest 13th Street and Northwest Eighth Avenue when two white men jumped out of a red pickup truck and struck him and stole his jacket and swastika armband before driving away, said Gainesville Police spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias.

Tobias said GPD is searching for the truck and the men. Dewitz suffered minor injuries but was not taken to the hospital.

Dewitz had returned to UF two days after he was first sighted on campus wearing the symbol, this time drawing a crowd of protesters. He began circling the potato statue on Turlington Plaza at about 9 a.m.

He remained for about four hours, prompting backlash from students offended and angered by the swastika. By noon, the crowd had grown about 100 people.

When some students saw his display, they stood around Dewitz with anti-Nazi signs while others resorted to yelling at the man, who stood calmly.

Marco Fonseca, a 22-year-old UF philosophy junior, held an image of Wonder Woman punching President Donald Trump, with a swastika superimposed on Trumps face.

I wasnt going to give him the space to do what he was going to do, Fonseca said.

Irene Moore, a 21-year-old UF business managment senior, joined in.

It was either stand up or punch a Nazi, she said. This is the better option, legality-wise.

As the crowd grew, University Police officers and UF officials looked on. Jaime Gresley, the director of new student family programs, handed out U Matter, We Care cards for students who might be distressed.

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Dewitz, who said he supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, said his presence was a social experiment meant to prompt discussion.

I am upset that (the protesters) are upset, he said. Because they dont understand my intentions.

On Tuesday, when Dewitz was first seen on campus wearing the swastika, a woman in a car screamed at him and tried to run him over, and a man told him he wanted to kill him, he said.

I dont wish to hurt anyone, Dewitz said.

But Rabbi Berl Goldman, of the Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Student and Community Center, said Dewitz went to the religious center at 8 a.m. Thursday to look for him.

On his way, Dewitz passed a student wearing a kippah, a religious head covering, and gave the student a Nazi salute, Goldman said.

Jacob Zieper, a 21-year-old UF Jewish studies senior, was on his way to minyan, morning prayers, when Dewitz yelled at him from across the street at the corner of Northwest Fifth Avenue and Northwest 20th Street.

I know he meant it to intimidate me, Zieper said. So I went to shul and prayed with my friends. You cant fight hate with hate. Hate is irrational. You just have got to drown it out with pride and love.

Dewitz said he lost his job Wednesday after his employers told him they didnt want to be associated with someone who wore a swastika.

Dewitz said while he understands the swastika is a hate symbol, he sympathizes with the Nazi party because, he argued, they fought communism. In an interview with WCJB TV-20 published Wednesday, Dewitz questioned if the Holocaust happened.

A protestor, who refused to give her name, told an Alligator reporter Dewitz shouldnt be given a voice.

Goldman said although Dewitz has a right to express his free speech, others could be inspired to act with hatred toward Jewish people based on his display.

Hes antagonistic, Goldman said. Hes wearing a symbol of hate and intolerance. There should be thousands of people shouting him down.

After the incident, UF President Kent Fuchs sent an email to UF students supporting the protest, but noting UF could not ask Dewitz to leave a public space.

While I decry and denounce all symbols of hate, the individual...was expressing his First Amendment rights and we could not legally remove him from public areas of campus, he said.

Sid Dobrin, the chair of the UF Department of English, said he doesnt believe the freedom of speech encompasses hate rhetoric.

I dont tolerate s--- like this, said Dobrin, who is Jewish. After I saw this crap on Facebook, I realized I had to do something about it since (Fuchs) is just sending out cards.

Dobrin, wearing a kippah, emphasized UF has the fifth-largest Jewish student population among U.S. universities.

He mentioned that administration responded when a noose was found in a Weimer Hall classroom Jan. 12, but has yet to remove Dewitz, who he said is also spouting hate.

By putting that symbol on, he is inherently choosing to rile people like me up, Dobrin said. By walking outside with that symbol, he is an aggression.

Michal Katz (right), an administrative worker at the UF Deans Office, displays her Star of David tattoo while standing next to Michael Dewitz (left), who wears a swastika on his sleeve near Turlington Hall. Students surrounded Dewitz, yelling at him and holding signs in front of his face, for about four hours on Thursday.
For 38 years, Susan Griffin has made a living painting faces.

Her most reliable customers typically request to be transformed into unicorns. But anything purple, pink and mythical will do.

This weekend and next, the 64-year-old Houston, Texas, resident will transform hundreds of faces at the 31st annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire.

More than 1,000 vendors, entertainers and volunteers from across the country will be there, including Griffin, who traveled from Texas to Gainesville in an RV.

This show has a wonderful following, Griffin said. When we come here, its worth our time.

Last year, over the course of five days, about 60,000 people visited Hoggetowne at the Alachua County Fairgrounds. The number of attendees should be about the same this year, said Karen Baker, an assistant event coordinator.

Visitors can watch medieval re-enactments, purchase trinkets and devour turkey legs and ale from 160 tents Saturday, Sunday and Feb. 3 through Feb. 5.

Over the past 24 years, Griffin has painted faces exclusively at Renaissance fairs. Hoggetowne, a bustling medieval village in Gainesville set hundreds of years before the Renaissance period, is the only exception.

In her prime, Griffin went to eight shows a year. Now, at 64, and with a bad left knee to boot, shes dialing it back.

Like Griffin, many vendors dont live in the area, but they make the yearly haul to Hoggetowne for a reason.

This year, alongside her RV-dwelling cats, Hannah and Herman, Griffin will drive her 34-foot motor home to four other fairs in the U.S.

Thats enough to keep me off the streets and out of the martini bars long enough, she said, laughing.

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In the days prior to the fair, Griffin will catch up with friends, old and new, but when the gates finally open, all of her time will be devoted to her customers.

Griffin said she wont ever abandon her booth during the event  even to watch a nearby joust or medieval duel.

How much would you like to spend? Griffin asked. I can accommodate whatever your fantasies are.

  

Flying fists, high kicks and frequent battles sporadically occur throughout the event.

On a live-action chessboard, in a field carefully spray-painted with squares, Sara Greenberg can be found defeating her partner, Chris Rodd-Layedra.

With sword in hand, Greenberg, a 22-year-old UF alumna, will fight  and defeat  Rodd-Layedra five times: once a day for the duration of the fair.

This will be her fourth time and Rodd-Layedras third performing at the fair. Both are members of local acting troupe The Thieves Guilde, a group that re-enacts battles from the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Greenberg joined the troupe during her sophomore year at UF after hearing about it at an informational booth. For Rodd-Layedra, 24, a radio advertisement was all it took to get hooked on swords, daggers and choreographed battles.

The pair auditioned for their roles in the fall and have practiced dueling at the local YMCA every Saturday and Sunday since.

Chris Rodd-Layedra, 24, and Sara Greenberg, 22, pose for a picture on Wednesday. They're partners for a fighting performance at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire on Jan. 28, Jan. 29 and Feb. 3 through Feb. 5.

If the amateur actors dont practice enough, fake fighting can have very real repercussions, Greenberg said.

I dont think Ive hit you, she said, looking toward her companion. Ive hit other partners unintentionally. I think virtually everyone who has done this for quite a while has had some horror story.

For Rodd-Layedra, the only consequence waiting for him is a dirty costume.

  

Sharon Crystal has dressed almost everyone at Hoggetowne in one way or another.

Ive clothed everybody for 45 years, the 81-year-old said. Everyone, mostly.

Crystals interest in medieval garb started 57 years ago at the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in California, her home state.

Since then, Crystals job has been to sell historically inspired clothing, which she personally designs and creates, at nearly every Renaissance fair in the country.

A lot of us have made a business of this, she said of the Renaissance fair circuit, which she compared to a small nation of immigrants. My god, what a beautiful life.

This year, Crystal will travel to 17 fairs to sell her custom designs, which are priced between $75 and $750.

The most popular garments bought in Crystals tent are lace-up corsets.

Those who purchase them also receive a complimentary lesson on how to put them on  or their husbands do.

Its been a long road, but its the most beautiful career you could have, she said.

Like many vendors, Hoggetowne will be the first stop on Bryan and Mary Nowlands Renaissance circuit.

For five consecutive years, Mr. and Mrs. Nowland have driven 18 hours from Michigan to sell cheese ball and dip mixes and custom-made toe rings at the medieval fair.

Mr. Nowland is in charge of the jewelry. Mrs. Nowland presides over the cheese.

We stopped working our real jobs and decided to do something different, Mr. Nowland, 59, said.

The couple started selling their diverse selection of goods at farmers markets but found that events with admission costs were more lucrative.

The biggest draw for me is the personalities of the people, Mr. Nowland said. Even the new crew has become our friends in a couple of days.

Chris Rodd-Layedra, 24, and Sara Greenberg, 22, practice a fighting routine at the Alachua County Fairgrounds on Wednesday. Rodd-Layedra fights with a sword while Greenberg fights with a staff and a stuffed squirrel, which sits on her shoulders.
Gang-related violence has been on the rise in Gainesville over the past two years, police officials said on Thursday.

At a monthly Police Advisory Council meeting, Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones said there are at least two known national gangs in the city, True Bloods and Gangster Disciples, and that GPD has seen a rise in both rumors and official reports of gang violence.

Gangs are real in Gainesville, he said. If you see something, report something.

Jones said the rise has become more than a law enforcement issue  its a community issue.

This is something law enforcement cant solve on its own, he said.

Attempts to prevent gangs start in elementary- and middle-school programs, Jones said. The Gang Resistance Education and Training program is a national, officer-instructed law enforcement curriculum to help stop youth violence and gang membership. Although the gang issues occur throughout the city, they are not near UF.

The next step is to provide former gang members, who are released from prison, with resources and support when they re-enter society, he said.

GPD Capt. Jorge Campos said children and young adults turn to gangs when they come from low-income backgrounds and lack necessities.

When peoples basic needs arent being met, they look for other alternatives, he said.

They see the gang as their family and find a sense of belonging within it, he said.

Gainesville residents and UF students should be aware of their surroundings and stay in groups when going out at night, Campos said.

Its not your typical things that you see in the movies, he said.

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@paigexfry

pfry@alligator.org

Members of the Police Advisory Council talk about increased gang violence in Gainesville.
The other day, I received an email from a schoolgirl in Moscow: New Year's salutations, thanks for a gift, and a request that read:

"Get your troops out of Poland; love, your Russky niece."

I laughed at her presumption about my influence on U.S. troop movements. At the same time, I couldn't help but think of her mother, Tatyana Arkadyevna Malkina, "the girlfriend of Russian democracy." Apparently, true grit is genetic, that rare courage of a few to speak truth to power.

Malkina was the sole journalist who, at age 24, had the courage to defy the Kremlin establishment, recidivist coup-plotters who would have undone the Russian elections, that "revolution without guns," in 1991; those Gorbachev, then Yeltsin, reforms. The ancien regime, totalitarian Communists, were humiliated by a girl who had the courage to face down the old guard and ask: "Could you please say whether or not you understand that last night you carried out a coup d'etat?"

Faced with an accusation of sedition and treason, the coup-plotters slunk back into the dustbin of history. The long dark night of totalitarian Communism was over in Russia.

Since 1991, Tanya Malkina pursued a distinguished career in Russian arts and letters, reporting on social issues, editing a culture magazine, and hosting a thoughtful TV weekly.

Tanya later married an American. She now has two children, two cats, and a vintage tortoise. Although Malkina was once a fixture of the Yeltsin, then Putin, press entourage; she has never been a knee-jerk echo of Kremlin cant nor any party line.

Hot flashes of deja vu

The events of 1991 and Malkina's brass got me to thinking about American coup-plotting in Washington circa 2016  the efforts of Beltway establishment totalitarians to cook the primaries, undo an election, and discredit a new president, all under a smokescreen of dissent and fake news.

The parallels between Moscow in 1991 and Washington in 2016 are a tale of two coups, the first a clear failure and the latter still playing out.

Alas, the Trump revolution has no "girlfriend of American democracy." Not yet, anyway.

The feminist American left now whines and protests in Washington, captive to a bimbo's tantrum over a flawed heroine who lost badly in November. Sexist hysteria, hypocrisy, childish pique, misandry, and sour grapes are now regularly conflated with principled dissent. Geriatric Hollywood matrons like Madonna Ciccone say they are thinking about "blowing up the White House."

Hysteria, indeed! American feminists have few adult profiles in courage like Malkina today.

And the CIA, unlike the late KGB, also stages public rebukes to the new POTUS and erstwhile notions of American democracy. For good or ill, Russian intelligence operatives at home, unlike their American counterparts, seem to be under civilian control.

Ironically, some of the best political analysis on these matters comes out of the Kremlin these days. Sergei Lavrov, contrasted with John Kerry, seems to know the difference between an Islamic terrorist and a freedom-fighter. And Vladimir Putin is perceptive enough to observe that Obama's political party, and an American press corps that calls itself "democratic," is giving democracy a bad name.

And when Obama's intelligence sycophants are called out by Donald Trump for partisanship during the recent primaries and the election, CIA director John Brennan (pictured) plays the victim, openly attacking the president-elect before and after the inauguration. Prior to the election, Brennan's colleagues, James Clapper (DCI), Michael Morrel (CIA), and Michael Hayden (NSA), were all on the hustings for Hillary Clinton right up to her November defeat.

Clearly, the CIA is signaling the 15 other intelligence satraps that the "dump Trump" campaign should continue into 2017. Brennan has cooked the books on the Islamic threat for eight years. Small wonder that he seeks to torpedo the realpolitik of Mike Flynn and Donald Trump.

CIA partisans, unlike Caesar's wife, are not above reproach.

Washington, D.C. voted for Clinton in November by wide margins. A demographic of hostile federal apparatchiks, including intelligence officers and FBI agents, are digging in as Donald Trump takes office.

Beltway national security nabobs, inveterate regime change aficionados, are now on the wrong side of world history. With any luck, the coup-plotters are also on the wrong side of Donald Trump  and in the crosshairs.

If the president intends to drain the swamp, he could do worse than start with sedition in the intelligence community and the Justice Department. The first great political struggle of 2017 may be with a partisan, D.C.-based Fifth Column inside the Beltway.

The losers' revolt is not confined to the intelligence community. State Department and Department of Defense fixers have done their level best to paint Trump into a corner at the U.N. and in Eastern Europe. That U.N. vote against Israel and those 11th-hour tank deployments to Poland come to mind.

I do not have an answer for Malkina's daughter, Agatha, in Moscow, or her prescient observation about the stupidity of U.S. tanks in Poland. Was it my choice to make, I would send troops to Chicago, Illinois or Langley, Virginia sooner than send them to the Russian frontier.

After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, John Kennedy is alleged to have expressed a desire to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces." After Kennedy was assassinated, such sentiments were seconded by Harry Truman. Indeed, Truman expressed profound regret about the rogue agency he had created. The Truman warning, like later Eisenhower cautions, were early symptoms of national "security" corruption, clandestine cowboys, and regime change fiascos.

The Chicago threat is existential, especially to black Americans. Pervasive sedition in the American intelligence community may be existential, too, especially to democracy in America. The Russian threat, at best, is a ploy to ignore the Islamist threat; Putin, on his worst day, is a U.S. DOD budget emolument.

Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Truman must be rolling in their graves today. Coup vultures have come home to roost inside the Beltway.

As new American policy unfolds in 2017, let's hope that Trump has adults calling domestic and foreign policy shots. Withal, we might hope that America finds its own girlfriend of democracy, too.

Sooner is better.

G. Murphy Donovan is a former USAF intelligence officer who writes about the politics of national security. The "girlfriend of Russian democracy," circa 1991, can be seen in action here.
Of all the photos taken of the Million Women March, one that stood out is of a cute little girl barely out of toddlerhood. She is holding of a sign that said, F**k your fascist bulls**t. Her mother stands behind her beaming proudly.

Just what goal the mom has in mind is a little unclear, but her anger is palpable, and she is teaching her daughter to follow in her footsteps. We can assume mom thinks of herself as righteously indignant.

But the radical feminist movement separated righteousness from indignation a long time ago.

All that is left now is the indignation. All that is left is one long howl of rage; anger for angers sake. I am Woman. Hear me roar. Well, we have heard your Ginsbergian Howl. And we have seen you waving genitals; and believe you to be destroyed by madness; starving hysterical naked.

Just what are injustices are you roaring about?

Because from here it looks like you are roaring for the right to be everything misogynists have measured you by -- having worth only if you expose and flaunt private parts and express yourself only by mindless emotions. You are defining yourself by your sex organs and by type casting women as they have often been typecast by misogynists -- emotional basket cases incapable of intelligent reasoning. How ironic is it that the anti-woman philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer is vindicated when in his essay On Women, he accused the female sex of being incapable of reasoning and being ruled by emotions, the result of which is that One must say that the fundamental defect of the female character is a lack of a sense of justice.

Congratulations. It must be gratifying to prove the miserable misogynist Schopenhauer correct.

But this is how all revolutions based on unreasoning, mindless rage divorced from justice end: in incoherence, destruction, and even death. Incoherent rage burns up everything in its path, then turns to immolate those who began the fire. It devours everyone who will not join in the endless burning wrath and destruction. One need think only of Germaine Greer, who has been accused of transphobia and blacklisted for noting that men and women are inherently different and for implying that equal rights for men and women are based on the differentiation of the sexes, not by obliterating the distinction between the two. She has been effectively guillotined as an example to those who would disagree with the Madame Defarges of academia.

What opportunities have the viragos who marched supporting the right to be vulgar, the right to be mindlessly angry, and the right to kill their unborn have missed! If only they had kept the righteous in righteous indignation!

What are some of those righteous causes the last wave feminists are ignoring?

There are one hundred million fewer little girls in this world because of sex-select abortions. Gendercide is a worldwide problem that is happening even in Western countries like Britain.

How many of you Million Women were marching to protest gendercide?

As Human Rights Watch notes, Children and women are enslaved and trafficked for all purposes, some 50,000-100,000 to the United States.

Raise your hand if you were marching on January 21st to protest human trafficking.

There is more, of course.

The list of atrocities directed at girls and women is long. Yazidi and Christian women are being raped, killed, and sold as slaves by ISIS. Female circumcision mutilates hundreds of thousands of little girls.

None of these injustices appear to matter to the radical feminists who appeared in Washington because their indignation is severed from righteousness. Feminism as expressed in the Million Women March is in the end stage of the sexual revolution, a revolution in which the higher concepts of the rights of women have been burned up by a sere reductionism in which they are viewed only by their personal parts.

What we saw on Saturday, January 21st was the end of the radical feminist revolution, not the beginning of something new. The impetus for reform has moved elsewhere. On the Left, the radical transgender movement seeks to obliterate the distinctions between men and women, thus making womens rights moot. On the Right, the focus is or at least should be on actual injustices perpetrated against women here and around the world. Foremost among these injustices is gendercide, as death is the final depriver of rights.

Perhaps a review of the Seneca Falls "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" (1848) might be helpful to the marchers who think womens rights is about wearing pink pussy hats, dressing up as vaginas and giving the middle finger to everyone in sight.

The men and women who drew up the Declaration of 1848 based their ideas about womens rights on one main consideration; namely that men and women were created equal in the sight of their Creator and thus entitled to equal rights under the law:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness...

A long list of grievances followed, among them barriers to womens rights which have been overthrown after protracted struggles for the vote, the right to own property, the right to have a voice in the formation of laws -- all based on the firm belief that no man had the right to usurp the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and her God.

The document ends with the signers of the Seneca Falls Declaration recognition that their then radical statements would be subject to no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule.

The signers were prophetic. The resistance was and sometimes still is ferocious, particularly against religious conservative women who hold views similar to the men and women who drew up the Declaration.

But were those men and women alive today, they would doubtless feel completely justified in ridiculing the fatuity and vulgarity of women who by their beliefs and behavior completely repudiated everything the original womens movement in America stood for.

Doubtless, they would be righteously indignant because they actually would be fighting for real justice for the women of the world.

On January 27th, their spiritual descendants will be marching for the right of little girls and boys to be born.

What a different march that will be from the travesty we saw on January 21st..

Fay Voshell holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was awarded the seminarys prize for excellence in systematic theology. She is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. Her thoughts have appeared in many online magazines, including RealClearReligion, CNS, Fox News, National Review and Russia Insider. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com
Chicago Mayor and former Obama White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has taken umbrage at President Trumps targeting Chicago gun violence and particularly his use of the word carnage to describe it. Rahmbo, as he has been dubbed for his combative style, recently took this shot at Trump:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday unloaded on President Donald Trump -- for the tone of his inaugural address, his preoccupation with the size of the crowd who witnessed that speech, and his promise to reverse what he calls dangerous anti-policing sentiments sweeping the nation. You didnt get elected to debate the crowd size at your inaugural You got elected to make sure that people have a job, that the economy continues to grow, people have security as it relates to their kids education. It wasnt about your crowd size. It was about their lives and their jobs, the mayor said after cutting the ribbon at a domestic violence shelter in Uptown.

Well, Rahmbo, you got elected to protect the citizens of Chicago from the predators in your city. It is you and your anti-cop progressive policies, including the nations arguably strictest gun control laws that have failed to ensure people in your city have security as it relates to their kids.

One of the major problems in Chicago, and one that Emanuel should be well aware of, is the woeful lack of successful gun crime prosecutions in the city of Chicago. Investors Business Daily editorialized in 2013 that one of the reasons for Chicagos rising gun violence is that it ranked last under President Obama in federal gun crime prosecutions:

A murdered Chicago teen's mother attends the president's speech on gun control, not knowing federal gun-crime prosecutions have in fact dropped on his watch -- with the Windy City bringing up the rear. Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, the mother of murdered 15-year-old Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, was one of 20 mothers who lost children to criminal violence who were at the White House last Thursday to hear President Obama speak once again on the need for gun control But President Obama did not tell this group that Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) shows that the Northern Illinois district ranked 90th out of 90 in prosecutions of federal weapons crimes per capita. David Burnham, co-director of TRAC, states their analysis says that according to case-by-case U.S. Justice Department information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, there were 52 federal gun prosecutions in Illinois North (Chicago) in 2012, or 5.52 per million in population. By this measure, compared with the 90 federal judicial districts in the U.S., the prosecution rate in Chicago was the lowest in the country The Syracuse study also showed that nationally federal gun crime prosecutions hit a decade low in 2011 under President Obama, down 40% from their peak under President George W. Bush in 2004. The number of federal weapons prosecutions fell from about 11,000 in 2004 to about 6,000 under the Obama administration in 2011, before ticking up to 7,770 in 2012.

On last Tuesday night's OReilly Factor, Horace Cooper of the National Center for Public Policy Research opined that it was both necessary and legal for President Trump to direct the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois to contact the local district attorney and take over the prosecution of local crimes in which a gun was carried or used by the criminal. Such crimes would receive stiffer mandatory sentences under federal gun laws:

BILL O'REILLY (HOST): And in the Impact Segment tonight, the violence in Chicago getting worse, if you can believe it. The first 23 days of this year, 42 homicides in the Windy City, up 24 percent from last year. An unbelievable 228 people have been shot and Chicago in 23 days. While campaigning last July, Donald Trump said this. [...] The question is, can President Trump override local Illinois and Chicago authorities, and stop the murder? Joining us now from Washington, Horace Cooper, an attorney that specializes in federal law. So, can he go in? And Cook County is where Chicago is located. Everybody says the same thing, gun crimes are not prosecuted aggressively, the sentences are way too low, the gang thing is getting worse, the mayor of Chicago has no clue, the governor of Illinois doesn't want to do anything about it, so can the feds go in and stop this? HORACE COOPER: Well absolutely the feds can do this. And as youve pointed out there has been a wholesale failure on the part of the state and local communities to address this really serious problem. I dont know another word besides carnage to describe the devastation thats been taking place.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has said he welcomes federal assistance in gun crime prosecutions:

The Chicago Police Department is more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our partnerships with DOJ, FBI, DEA and ATF and boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes in Chicago, Johnson said.

Yet Emanuel worries more about the safety of illegal aliens rather than the American citizens in his sanctuary city, proclaiming that they would always be safe in Chicago:

"To all those who are, after Tuesday's election, very nervous and filled with anxiety as we've spoken to, you are safe in Chicago, you are secure in Chicago and you are supported in Chicago," Emanuel said. "Chicago will always be a sanctuary city."

It is time to make Chicago and other urban areas safe, not for illegal aliens, but safe from the gum and gang violence from which there is no sanctuary under liberal Democrats. Federalize Chicago gun prosecutions, President Trump, and make Chicago safe again by ending the carnage.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
Books could be written on the subject of why most American Jews are liberal.

In fact books have been written, the best of which is probably Norman Podhoretz Why Are Jews Liberals?

The answer is more emotional- and feel-based than factual- or logic-based. Certainly, Republican policies of the last 30-40 years towards Israel and Republican foreign policy in general are more favorable to Israel than the Democrats policies.

But as summarized in a Publishers Weekly review, Immigrant American Jews were attracted to the Democratic Party, says Podhoretz, because it was the closest counterpart to the European leftists who had favored Jewish emancipation.

Expanding on that thought, in their home countries in Europe and Russia, Jews were so persecuted and discriminated against, that once in their new American homeland, they wanted to distance themselves from that treatment as far as possible. The tolerance, softness and acceptance of the American liberal philosophy appealed to them on an emotional level, since it represented the social freedom that had eluded them for generations in the old country.

Its important to bear in mind that the Democratic/liberal philosophy of FDR or JFK was a great distance removed from the uber-soft/politically-correct/non-offensive-at-all-costs liberal philosophy and policies of today. But the basic tenet of hard work and youll be rewarded coupled with the essential American societal promise of non-discrimination (certainly not perfect in actuality, but orders of magnitude better than what it had been in Europe and Russia) were well-accepted by Jewish immigrants to the U.S in the first half of the 20th century. Those are the generations that spawned todays liberal Jewish majority.

That thought has now gained a self-sustaining momentum all its own, such that it is now tradition and expected behavior for American Jews to be liberal. There is a definite thats the way its always been in my family component to this, not unlike the liberal/Democratic allegiance that most African-Americans have for the Democratic Party as well (although for markedly different reasons). To reiterate: most of todays American Jewish liberal voters grew up in households that were already liberal/Democratic. In other words, todays Jewish liberal voter was not a blank sheet of paper, left to their own devices to make a philosophical determination on their own. Their family was likely liberal, their emotional environment was liberal, and their American cultural/societal/religious enclave was liberal. Many of todays American Jews grew up in areas of high Jewish density, so their communities were largely one-dimensional (Jewish-liberal) as well.

This is not to say that other voting blocs arent mostly predetermined by environment, inertia and tradition also. Many are. But the American Jewish liberal voting tradition is particularly interesting because many of their social precepts and foreign-policy vested interests would augur a more conservative bearing.

To wit: many, if not most, of the guiding social principles that Jewish families espoused and impressed upon their children in the second half of the 20th century -- hard work, self-sufficiency, a good education (Youll go to college, youll get a good job, youll make us proud) would be considered conservative by todays permissive, less-accountable, participation trophy standards.

Additionally, many American Jews have a deep loyalty and affinity with Israel, to the point that many of them consider Israel to be a second home country, even if theyve never been there. American Jews recognition of the necessity of Israel to take harsh, non-apologetic security and military measures to provide for its own national security (while either conveniently ignoring or disagreeing with Americas need to do the same) would also be considered a more conservative position than liberal.

Yet the vast majority of American Jews remain wedded to the liberal/Democratic mindset.

When faced with hard evidence to the contrary -- like the Obama administrations recent abstention from the UN Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements, the upshot of which is that Israel should return to its pre-1967 borders -- most American Jews frantically genuflect and rationalize to justify their original liberal position. Well, Israel is Israel, and Im an American first. My views on domestic politics are shaped by what I believe is best for me here in America, not on Americas actions towards Israel.

So much for the Israel as my second country mindset.

Another example: Given the very high cultural importance that most Jews place on education, hard work and professional success, high-achieving Jews are often the victims of set-asides and demographic quotas when it comes to college admissions and other restrictive/promotional situations. But with inexplicable -- almost laughable -- incongruence, most Jews are in favor of affirmative actiontype social programs, unless, of course, it happens to negatively affect them or their family personally. This is the emotional component of their liberal attachment, when logic goes out the window.

I previously touched on the fact that todays conservative Republican foreign policies are usually more favorable to Israel than the softer, more all-inclusive approach favored by todays Democrats. The Southern U.S. is currently a Republican stronghold. Yet there is an unspoken (but undeniably real) prejudice that many coastal/North Eastern elite Jewish people feel towards the Southern-drawled Christian Bible belt. Those people are simply too foreign for Ivy-league-educated Jews to identify with, regardless of the many common positions that the two groups share vis-a-vis Israel, terrorism, and the Middle East. Israel as a second country works for todays Jews when vacationing in Haifa or when making a feel-good donation to the Mens Club at their temple; it very rarely translates into a consistent, logical, actionable political stance.

As previously stated, modern American Jewish liberalism is unquestionably more emotional/cultural-based than it is logic-based. But Jewish liberalism is real, and you can see it in every Presidential election, as 80-90% of the Jewish vote goes to the Democratic candidate. Every time.
Four key managers at the State Department submitted their resignations at the start of the Trump administration, as is customary for all political appointees who need Senate confirmation.

The four had served under both George Bush and Barack Obama, so they thought their tenure would be extended as a matter of routine.

But in a surprise move, the Trump administration accepted their resignations, leaving the entire senior bureaucratic management of the State Department vacant.

First reports published in the Washington Post by foreign policy reporter Josh Rogin suggested that the managers resigned as a statement of opposition to Donald Trump.

Secretary of State Rex Tillersons job running the State Department just got considerably more difficult. The entire senior level of management officials resigned Wednesday, part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior Foreign Service officers who dont want to stick around for the Trump era. Tillerson was actually inside the State Departments headquarters in Foggy Bottom on Wednesday, taking meetings and getting the lay of the land. I reported Wednesday morning that the Trump team was narrowing its search for his No. 2, and that it was looking to replace the State Departments long-serving undersecretary for management, Patrick Kennedy. Kennedy, who has been in that job for nine years, was actively involved in the transition and was angling to keep that job under Tillerson, three State Department officials told me. Then suddenly on Wednesday afternoon, Kennedy and three of his top officials resigned unexpectedly, four State Department officials confirmed. Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Joyce Anne Barr, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Bond and Ambassador Gentry O. Smith, director of the Office of Foreign Missions, followed him out the door. All are career Foreign Service officers who have served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

It wasn't until several hours after the Post story appeared that the truth emerged.

CNN:
The Democrats and their cheerleaders, the MSM, are attacking Donald Trump's proposal to investigate voter fraud, specifically voting by illegal aliens. They contend that voting by illegal aliens is minimal, if it exists at all.

The New York Times, on January 25, 2017, quoted approvingly the opinions of California's Senator Dianne Feinstein, California secretary of State Alex Padilla, and the California Voter Foundation.

California Voter Foundation:

It's more important that we investigate the known instances of election fraud, rather than imagined ones. We have had an election that was compromised by foreign interests. That's the real danger that has come out of this election.

Senator Feinstein:

There has been a sustained effort across the country, rooted in similar conspiracies about voter fraud, to make it harder for Americans to vote. We can't allow this attack on voting rights to continue, and it's shameful to see such debunked conspiracy theories emanating from the White House.

Padilla:

Stoking fear and concern is undermining people's faith in our elections.

California gave Hillary Clinton 8,753,788 votes to Trump's 4,269,978, a plurality of 4,269,978.

California gave Hillary the votes for her supporters (MSM) to continually say she won the popular vote by about 2.8 million.

It is more accurate to say that Trump won the national popular vote but that California is an outlier state that gave Hillary a plurality of over 4 million. The California vote distorts the popular vote of the remaining 49 states. The Democrats, the MSM, and California officials like Feinstein and Padilla do not want an investigation that would question the 4-million-vote plurality.

Of course, a Republican was needed to criticize Trump's proposal, so the compliant Lindsey Graham obliged:

I would urge the President to knock this off; this is the greatest democracy on Earth, we're the leader of the free world, and people are going to start doubting you as a person if you keep making accusations against our electoral system without justification. This is going to erode his ability to govern this country if he does not stop it.

And the reliable John McCain:

Look, there's no evidence of that and I think that those who allege that have to come up with some substantiation of the claim[.] ... Listen, I won by 14 points. I'm absolutely sure that there was not a single illegal vote in that election in Arizona[.]

If the Democrats, the MSM, California officials, and McCain and Graham are so sure that there was no voting by illegals in California, then why not agree to the investigation? If it were to back up their claims, then the investigation would make Trump look bad. What are they afraid of?

McCain and Graham, and the Dems and the MSM, want to investigate the Russians for releasing John Podesta's emails. They know there is no evidence that the Russians affected the election. Maybe they believe that the emails affected only the voting in the states that Trump won, but not California, where Hillary won by over 4 million.

The Democrats have a spotty record on election honesty. In 1960, Richard Nixon lost the election because of voter fraud in Chicago by Mayor Daley and in Texas by Lyndon Johnson. Nixon could and should have challenged the election but refused because it would tear up the country. (See Being Nixon by Evan Thomas, Random House, 2015.)

The Dems and the MSM believe that an investigation of illegal aliens voting would tear up the nation, but lawsuits by Jill Stein in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania; demonstrations against Trump the day after the inauguration; and an investigation of the alleged Russian release of Podesta's emails do not tear up the nation.

According to Hilary Clinton:

On Friday, I went to Washington to honor democracy and its enduring values. On Saturday we watched women and men across this country and the globe stand up, speak out, and peacefully march for those values with one voice. It was awe-inspiring. We have to keep up the momentum.

What values? What momentum? Trump won the election, so the only "value" was attacking the legitimacy of the election results. After behaving during the inauguration, the real Hillary surfaced one day later on Saturday to praise the demonstrations by angry old white women.

The Russians did try to influence the 1968 presidential election by pressuring the North Vietnamese to accept peace talks before the election to help Hubert Humphrey. The Russians preferred Humphrey to Nixon because of Nixon's record as a Cold War warrior. Lyndon Johnson tried an October surprise to help Humphrey by offering to halt the bombing if North Vietnam would agree to the peace talks before the election. (See Evan Thomas, supra.) If LBJ honestly believed that a bombing halt would start real peace talks, then why wait until October 1968 to propose one? LBJ put the winning the election above the welfare of our country and the lives of our military.

The record of the Democrats on voter fraud and election manipulation is that they will do whatever it takes to win.

The Democrats/MSM are all about politics. They not about the best interest of our country.
Once upon a time, the Democrats had a speaker of the House named Tip O'Neill. We remember him for having a good relationship with President Reagan. He also said that "all politics is local"!

President Enrique [not Ernesto ed.] Pena-Nieto of Mexico just cancelled his trip to Washington next week. This is exhibit A of what Speaker O'Neill was talking about years ago.

Down in Mexico, President Pena-Nieto is about as unpopular as any politician that I can remember. In the past, Mexican presidents became unpopular after leaving office. I frankly do not recall one this unpopular with two years to go (2012-18).

To be fair, he is unpopular because he tried to reform some sacred cows, such as the PEMEX oil monopoly and the corrupt teachers union. In other words, the left has been after President Pena-Nieto for a couple of years.

President Pena-Nieto is canceling the visit because of what President Trump tweeted last night.

Let's review the events:

He made the announcement that he would skip the Jan. 31 session a few minutes before noon on his Twitter account. This is the translated text: "This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with @POTUS. Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements on behalf of both nations." A few hours earlier, Trump threatened to cancel a meeting scheduled for next week with the president of Mexico if the neighboring country is not willing to pay for a border wall. "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting" with Pena Nieto, Trump wrote on Twitter. After Nieto's announcement, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said the two leaders may yet meet at a date to be determined. "We'll look for a date to schedule something in the future," Spicer told reporters as he exited Air Force One in Philadelphia, where Trump was attending a GOP retreat. "We will keep the lines of communication open." On Wednesday Trump signed an executive order authorizing the planned wall, just as a Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray arrived at the White House for talks. The timing caused outrage in Mexico, with prominent politicians and many on social media seeing at as a deliberate snub to the government's efforts to engage with Trump, who has for months used Mexico as a political punching bag.

Frankly, I am very disappointed with both sides.

Up here, I do not understand why President Trump continues to bang the drum by saying that Mexico will pay for the wall. Build the darnn wall, and move on to more important things.

Down in Mexico, President Pena-Nieto has surrendered to an irrational political class that does not want to have a frank conversation about illegal immigration.

Don't be surprised if President Pena-Nieto's approval goes up, but the Mexican peso goes down!

We need for both countries to stop this silly posturing and get down to issues that really matter, such as cash and weapons going south plus people and drugs going north.

Based on my conversations with many Mexican friends and business people, I am convinced that building a wall would do wonders to stop those aforementioned weapons and cash boxes going south every day. The weapons are killing Mexicans and the cash is corrupting the system.

Unfortunately, the leaders won't meet and the left in Mexico, and probably in other countries, couldn't be happier. I'd bet that they are preparing their placards about "El trumpo the ugly gringo."

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
The liberal media like to say over and over that refugees from the Middle East are already subject to extreme vetting. The most extreme! The bureaucratic equivalent of waterboarding! Why, they sat down refugees and actually asked them questions! How much more thorough could they be than that?

Apparently, they missed something, because they let in at least one ISIS operative.

Federal agents are reinvestigating the backgrounds of dozens of Syrian refugees already in the United States after discovering a lapse in vetting that allowed some who had potentially negative information in their files to enter the country, two U.S. law enforcement officials said.

Do you appreciate the minimalist way this was written? There's nothing to worry about  merely "potentially negative information in their files." Doesn't sound very serious, does it?

The refugees whose cases are under review include one who failed a polygraph test when he applied to work at a U.S. military installation overseas and another who may have been in communication with an Islamic State leader, according to the officials

I would say communicating with an Islamic State leader would be very "potentially negative information" in a refugee's file. Wouldn't you?

President Obama ramped up the acceptance of Syrians last year to address the humanitarian crisis in that country, admitting 15,479 Syrian refugees, a 606% increase over the 2,192 admitted in 2015. Since the civil war started, the U.S. has accepted more than 18,000 Syrians seeking asylum, according to the State Department. The vast majority pose no threat, officials say.

So what's the problem? If 60% or 70% or even 80% pose no threat, is there any reason to be concerned about Syrian refugees?

The 21-step screening process for Syrian refugees is among the most rigorous for anyone seeking to enter the United States.

The most rigorous!

Typically, the refugees are first screened by the United Nations and then referred to the State Department and other countries for potential resettlement.

Good to know we can rely on the U.N.!

As they review the applications, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials check the names and identities against databases.

What databases? When someone comes from a regime with no central government, what database is there to check against? What do they do, a keyword search for ISIS on LinkedIn?

The vetting gap stemmed from a technological issue that for a period of time limited how agents searched CIA databases during the background check process, the officials said. As U.S. intelligence agents cross-checked refugees' names and biographical information against CIA databases, the computer systems were not initially set up to automatically inspect data contained in "attachments" to the records, the officials said.

I have complete confidence in extreme vetting, don't you?

Refugee applications have been rescreened before. In 2011, the files of more than 58,000 Iraqi refugees already living in the U.S. were vetted after the FBI learned that an Iraqi man living in Kentucky had participated in roadside bomb attacks in Iraq before he was granted asylum. He and another Iraqi refugee were arrested by the FBI and pleaded guilty in 2013 to trying to send explosives and missiles to the group known as Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Did they forget to check their email attachments?

Maybe they're not doing the right keyword searches. Or maybe there's a problem with their spreadsheets. Or maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't let an incompetent bureaucracy let any of these people in. One of the great things Donald Trump is doing is stopping immigration from Syria, on a temporary basis. It should be made permanent.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
It's now official: Richard Stengel at The Atlantic has declared "The End of the American Century." Mr. Stengel offers this tagline to his title to dispel any doubt as to who exactly is responsible for bringing us to this most unfortunate state of affairs: "The country's role as a global model and guarantor of freedom and rule of law is being brought to an end by"...wait for it...that's right: "Trump."

In 1941, a year before America entered World War II, Henry Luce, the founder and publisher of Time, wrote an essay called "The American Century." It was an argument not just against isolationism but for America as a global moral beacon. Luce, the son of American missionaries to China, wrote that America must "accept wholeheartedly our duty and our opportunity as the most powerful and vital nation in the world and in consequence exert upon the world the full impact of our influence." I spent seven years as editor of Time before I worked in the State Department as under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs. While I was editor of Time, I never wanted to be the first of Luce's successors to pronounce the end of the American Century. In part, this was because of a misunderstanding of the term. Most people thought it meant American power or hegemony and there was not much diminution in America's global power. What it really means is America as a global model and guarantor of freedom and rule of law and fairness. Trump's administration is the death knell of the American Century.

Yes, you read that right:

America as a global model and guarantor of freedom and rule of law and fairness.

And "Trump's administration is the death knell" of it all!

Let's parse these one by one (as the left is so fond of doing).

A global model  Mr. Obama never tired of apologizing to the rest of the world and telling them how miserable America has been throughout our history. Military adventurers and imperialists abroad and forever tainted by the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and the resulting institutionalized racism that has permeated every fiber of our being at home. I can't imagine the America of Barack Obama to be one he or Mr. Stengel would offer up to the world as a "global model."

Guarantor of freedom  the peoples of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Crimea, Ukraine, and Syria might take issue with the job Mr. Obama has done of guaranteeing their freedom. Mr. Obama hasn't guaranteed anyone's freedom. He's thrown the people of these countries to the wolves.

Rule of law and fairness  Mr. Obama's disregard for the rule of law is legion. Auto bailouts that favored unions over shareholders, administrative state excesses that have set records for the number of unanimous decisions against them in the courts, and "pen and phone" executive orders for everything he failed to get legislated. Mr. Obama has no more regard for the rule of law than he does the slaughtered peasants of Aleppo.

One might be excused for assuming that Mr. Stengel had spent the last eight years in a remote cave with no television or internet connection, but one would be wrong. Not only has Mr. Stengel not been detached from America's foreign policy adventures of the past eight years, for the last four, he has been, as stated in his article, the State Department's under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs. He's been in the big fat middle and up close and personally watching Barack Obama succeed in achieving everything he is now laying at the doorstep of Donald Trump, who as of this writing has been president for less than one week.

For a much more real-world version, or alternative history, if you will, of Mr. Stengel's fairy tale, John Daniel Davidson at The Federalist, in his critique of a Politico interview with Obama national security adviser Ben Rhodes, paints a much more accurate picture.

By refusing to act after his "red line" ultimatum on the use of chemical weapons, Obama took military force off the table. At that point, there was no reason for Assad to negotiate a settlement. He knew he need only wait. Obama and Rhodes take credit for getting chemical weapons out of Syria under Russian supervision, but that's a pyrrhic victory. Assad's ultimate goal was to remain in power, not retain control of chemical weapons  many of which he never gave up anyway. In a widely-read piece on Obama's foreign policy, The Atlantic's Jeffery Goldberg rightly concluded that, "In the matter of the Syrian regime and its Iranian and Russian sponsors, Obama has bet, and seems prepared to continue betting, that the price of direct U.S. action would be higher than the price of inaction." The price of inaction, we now know, was civilian slaughter on a massive scale. But Rhodes and Obama talk about it with an air of fatalism. "You could call me a realist in believing we can't relieve all the world's misery," Obama told Goldberg. "We cannot resolve the issues internal to these countries," Rhodes said in his Politico interview. Rhodes also repeated a version of the rhetoric Obama often used when discussing the Iran nuclear deal, that it was a binary choice between the deal or war with Iran: "I don't know how we could have started a military conflict with Assad that we didn't feel compelled to try to finish by taking out Assad." Pretending American military action will inexorably lead to war and regime change is a way to justify the dismantling of the post-Cold War international order and America's retreat from global leadership. But it's also more than a justification: Obama and Rhodes really believe it's true. The logic of their worldview demands that America not act, even when a leader like Assad attacks civilians with chemical weapons, or Russia invades Crimea, or China threatens its neighbors. Unless the U.N. Security Council is on board, America is powerless to act. At his last speech to the U.N. General Assembly, in September, Obama said, "If we are honest, we know that no external power is going to be able to force different religious communities or ethnic communities to co-exist for long." History and experience suggest otherwise, but for Rhodes and Obama, an America that's unable to impose its will or uphold international norms is necessary for a better world  even if it means we have to sit back and watch it burn.

It would seem that Mr. Stengel and Mr. Rhodes occupy the same alternate universe. That they can write and say the things they do with no measure of self-awareness whatsoever is difficult to conceive. Mr. Davidson's piece lays out quite nicely the case for Mr. Obama executing, in textbook fashion, all the requisite components of Mr. Stengel's "end of the American century," yet he still manages, somehow, in his mind, to lay it at the feet of Donald Trump. And still the leftist media don't understand why nobody trusts them.
It's been less than a week since President Donald J. Trump took office, and he has, in no short order, astonishingly delivered on myriad campaign promises. In spades. His hands-on style of governing is breathtaking.

The people spoke. The people won. And our man is delivering the goods. It's what freedom is supposed to look like. We have been living under the boot of leftist autocrats for so long, we forgot it could be this good. We have been set free. Every day is Christmas.

The whole of the enemedia are in a collective tailspin, hell-bent on ignoring Trump's monumental accomplishments, and instead are churning out fake news stories about crowd size  his and the sore losers' march (funny how they never did a story on Tea Party crowd size). Last night, ABC news anchor David Muir, in the first interview Trump gave as president, made something of an ass of himself trying to bait the president by focusing on "crowd size" and today's favorite enemedia meme: "who'll pay for the wall?" As if the Democrats ever gave a fig about costs. Who paid for the absurd "cash for clunkers"? Or Obama's endless bailouts? Or Obamacare? Or Obama's hundreds of billions to Iran? Or Obama's 20-trillion-dollar deficit? If Trump says Mexico will pay for that wall, rest assured, it will  one way or another.

Trump's accomplishments in five days are nothing short of miraculous. We are witnessing history. And it's wonderful. And no one is talking about it. It's Kafkaesque.

The old Republican guard, falling into the media's trap once again, decry Trump's handling of the media. They say he shouldn't be responding to the media's false accusations. Instead, he should be talking about the actions he is taking. As if the media would report (no less positively) about what Trump has set in motion And why are the RINOs still considered our spokespeople? They are not. Has Fox learned nothing from this election? They, too, are playing into the enemedia's false narratives of crowd size, wall costs, and black sites.

The left will not go quietly. They want a war, and by George, they may very well get one. Wednesday night, they demonstrated in Washington Square Park  led by Hamas-tied CAIR. It is amusing that the left has handed the reins of power to terror-tied groups such as CAIR, who seek to impose sharia across this great land. Black slavery (in many Muslim countries), gender apartheid, creed apartheid is now the rallying cry for the left? Perfect. The left has become a parody of itself.

This week, Trump abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama's signature trade deal. He signed an executive order to defund International Planned Parenthood. He signed executive orders restricting immigration. He signed an order for the Mexico border wall. He declared his intention in a phone call with Egyptian President El-Sisi to fight terrorism.

Obama buried Israel at the U.N. President Trump is resurrecting her: he announced intentions to defund U.N. groups who give full membership to the Palestinian Authority. To the very last minute, Obama was aiding, abetting, and arming Islamic enemies of freedom. He released $221 million to the Palestinians in his administration's last hours. Officials say the outgoing Obama administration defied GOP opposition and sent funds to the Palestinian Authority that had been blocked in Congress.

But President Trump halted Obama's $221,000,000 parting gift of U.S. taxpayer money to the Palestinians. That money would have gone to fund Jew-killing  Obama's parting gift to the Jews. The Muslim leaders of the "Palestinian Authority" exhort Muslims living in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria to kill Jews and attack the Jewish state. They glorify murder and reward terrorists and their families and indoctrinate their young to grow up to be homicide-suicide bombers. These funds would have been used to slaughter, maim, and destroy. That would have been Obama's crowning legacy.

President Donald Trump has begun in just days to undo the damage Barack Obama done. There is much more to do, but he has given free people tremendous grounds for hope.

Pamela Geller is the President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), publisher of PamelaGeller.com and author of The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America and Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance. Follow her on Twitter here. Like her on Facebook here.
The differences between Obama's and Donald Trump's immigration policies are as stark as the differences between night and day. Trump has done a real 180-degree change on many of Obama's policies. Some of his changes are great. Others don't go far enough.

Let's look at some of them.

1) According to a draft plan that can change, Trump is said to be planning to limit immigration from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen for 30 days. That's good. Furthermore, he wants to reduce the number of refugees accepted into the U.S. from 110,000 a year to 50,000 a year. That's good, too. Furthermore:

The plan outlined in the draft order indicates that once the 120-day suspension of refugee admissions ends, the US prioritize admissions of those refugees who are fleeing religious persecution, "provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality," according to the order.

That's important because it means we will be focusing on helping persecuted Christians in Muslim countries, not bringing in more Muslims who may or may not be sympathetic to radicalism.

So there are a lot of good things in this draft plan. But if this plan truly indicates Trump's intent, there is a lot missing as well.

A) It's great to bar people from Iraq and Syria, but what about Afghanistan and Pakistan? Hopefully Trump will add those to the list. They are conspicuously missing.

B) A 30-day ban is not nearly long enough. They are not going to figure out a way to vet Syrians in 30 days or 300 days. The ban should be permanent as long as radical Islam has declared war on us.

C) It's great to cut the number of refugees admitted, but even 50,000 a year may be too high, given that we haven't assimilated all the people who have come into the U.S. so far.

2) Trump plans to build his border wall and will start as soon as he can. That's keeping his campaign promise and is really exciting! However, he seems to have floated (and sort of withdrawn) a proposal to fund it by taxing imports from Mexico with a huge 20% duties fee. I hope that doesn't end up being his plan, because an import tax will end up being paid by American consumers, and Mexico will certainly respond by slapping tariffs on imports from America as well, killing American jobs. If Trump wants Mexico to "pay for it," the only way to do that is to tax remittances to Mexico from Mexicans in the U.S.

3) Most troubling is that Trump seems to be going back on his campaign promise to cancel Obama's amnesty for young illegal aliens:

Trump urged the so-called "DREAMers" not to worry. "They are here illegally. They shouldn't be very worried. I do have a big heart. We're going to take care of everybody," he said, promising to restore a strong border. "Where you have great people that are here that have done a good job, they should be far less worried."

But I am worried, and here's why:

A) If children of illegal aliens are allowed to stay, their parents will be, too, through chain migration.

B) Obama's amnesty was illegal. It was unconstitutional. By continuing it, Trump is making himself an accessory to an unconstitutional act of power that the presidency doesn't have and is setting a terrible example, constitutionally speaking.

C) By continuing the "Dreamer" program, Trump isn't merely endorsing the amnesty given to aliens by Obama; he is issuing new legalizations every day to thousands of new illegal alien applicants. At this point, the Obama "Dreamer" program becomes the Trump "Dreamer" program, because it is Trump, not Obama, who is approving new legalizations.

D) Since we don't yet have a border wall, Trump's continuation of the "Dreamer" program can be said to be an encouragement to new illegal immigration.

On balance, Trump is doing far better than Obama has or Hillary would have. It's great that he's going to effectively reduce Muslim immigration (let's be honest about it  that's what it is, and it's the right thing to do) and make our country safer. It's great that he's going to build the wall he promised. But it's troubling that he's continuing Obama's unconstitutional amnesty and even expanding it with each passing day, giving amnesty to more and more illegal aliens.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
Its your feel-good video of the day.

The Supreme Court may rule that flag-burning is protected expression under the First Amendment, but that doesnt mean that it is acceptable to endanger ordinary citizens, who also have rights to express themselves. In this case, with a fire extinguisher.

The national media is much less interested in what happens in Iowa City, Iowa than it is in New York, D.C., Los Angeles, and other parts of the Blue Bubble. So we rely on the Iowa City Press-Citizen to learn about what happened when a couple of America-hating, Trump-hating protesters set multiple versions of Old Glory ablaze.

Stephen Gruber-Miller writes:

A group of protesters set fire to multiple American flags on the Iowa City pedestrian mall on Thursday, setting off a scuffle and heated verbal arguments with bystanders. (snip) "We are looking at fascism, and I believe that its my First Amendment right to protest that in a nonviolent way," Osgerby said.

The sight of flags being burned did not sit well with other Americans who saw what was going on in downtown Iowa City.

 the actions caused a scene on the pedestrian mall across from the Old Capitol Mall, as onlookers shouted and a man in a FedEx uniform, Matt Uhrin, rushed out with a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze. Uhrin took one of the flags from protesters, scuffling with a number of protesters in the process.

Id have to say he was right on time.

It is theoretically possible that FedEx could react negatively to someone in their unform taking politically motivated action in the public eye, although that would be stupid. Matt Uhrin obviously is no dummy:

Uhrin declined to comment except to say his actions were not related to his employer.

Others were not impressed with the demonstrators:

One onlooker, Bob Guyer, said the act was disrespectful to military veterans. "Probably every one of them has a relative at one point or another that died for that," Guyer said, referring to the flag. "That's not free speech. Too many people have died for it," he said. Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde said the two were charged because they failed to seek a permit from the fire department to burn the flags, not because of what they were burning. Iowa has a law on the books that makes it illegal to defile, cast contempt upon, satirize or deride a flag. That law, however, was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge in December 2014 and state prosecutors were told not to enforce it. "Its not for the content of what they were burning but rather for violating the city ordinance of open burning," Gaarde said.

Here is the best part:

Two members of the group, Osgerby and Kelli Ebensberger, also of Iowa City, were charged with violating Iowa City's public burn ordinance, a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to $625.

You have the right to free speech, but you dont have a right to create a public hazard. This claim that harming or endangering others is speech will be a big issue going forward, as many Americans are tired of getting stuck in traffic when lefties decide to close down a freeway or whyen they riot or light fires.

Ebensberger said she and the others knew they were violating the ordinance but said protesting should not be criminalized, expressing concern about a bill in the Iowa Senate that would make blocking traffic on highways a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison. The bill comes after around 100 protesters marched onto Interstate Highway 80 in the days following Trump's election. "If you start criminalizing one aspect of protesting it's only a matter of time before That is moronic. You dont have the right to kill someone in protest, nor break store windows, not create a fire hazard. And you absolutely do not have the right to inflict immobility on others as they seek to do their daily activities.

Here is the video:

Hat tip: David Paulin
White House spokesman Sean Spicer told the media yesterday that President Trump was considering imposing a 20% "border tax" on Mexican goods to pay for the wall he wants to build along our southern border.

Politico:

When you look at the plan thats taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico, Spicer told reporters on the flight back from Trump's address to congressional Republicans in Philadelphia. If you tax that $50 billion at 20 percent of imports  which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do  right now our countrys policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous. By doing it, that we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. Thats really going to provide the funding, he said. This is something that weve been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan, Spicer added. It clearly provides the funding and does so in a way that the American taxpayer is wholly respected.

It's true that Republicans on Capitol Hill have been looking at some kind of tax or fee on Mexican imports to raise revenue for the wall. But 20% seemed a lot farther than most lawmakers were prepared to go. The resulting criticisms from the Hill caused the White House to backtrack some on the proposal.

CNN:

Hours later, amid an uproar from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Spicer said that he was simply putting forward one idea Trump is considering to show how the administration could fund the multibillion-dollar construction of a wall on the US's southern border. Spicer repeatedly said the White House was aiming to be "illustrative" rather than "prescriptive" as he walked back the more definitive comments he made earlier Thursday. "Part of our goal today was to demonstrate that there is an easy way -- or several ways -- tone is to generate the reviews because the cost of the wall in the big picture is really not that significant," he said. "Imports (are) one way. I just want to be clear that we're not being prescriptive in saying that is the only way nor is the rate prescriptive." White House chief of staff Reince Priebus also told reporters the White House is considering a "buffet of options" as it considers how to pay for the border wall.

The consternation arises from the belief that such a draconian tariff on Mexican goods will force the government of President Pena-Nieto to retaliate. Mexico is our third largest trading partner, and the tariff will not only cause the price of Mexican goods and services to skyrocket, but also close valuable markets to Amercan products. This is especially true of agricultural products that makes up 13% of our trade with our neighbors across the border.

Eventually, American firms will find other markets for their goods. But in the meantime, the U.S. economy would suffer a significant blow. And the downturn in the Mexican economy would only cause the illegal alien problem to get worse as unemployed Mexicans head north for our border.

There have been suggestions that instead of Mexican imports, President Trump tax cash remittances that flow from legal and illegal immigrants in the U.S. back to Mexico. Indeed, most remittances from Mexican nationals in the US that are sent back home are from illegal aliens  more than $26 billion's worth.

But the problem is that these remittances are a profitable part of the business of U.S. banks, and it's unclear if the government can force banks to stem the flow of cash. Besides, there are workarounds that involve the money going to a third country from the U.S. and then being transferred to Mexico. It's a more expensive alternative, but would still be cheaper than the tax on remittances planned by the Trump administration.

What eventually might emerge from Congress is a variety of measures  some requiring a presidential signature, others needing congressional approval  that would raise most if not all the necessary funds to pay for the wall. How much it would cost the American consumer or the American taxpayer is unknown.
25 Years Ago-1992

Jodi Anderson, 9-year old daughter of Steve and Cathy Anderson, Mandan, and a fourth-grader at Mary Stark School, was recently crowned the 1992 Winter Daze Snow Princess. She received her tiara from last years princess, Sarah Friesz, assisted by pageant page Toby Miller. Twenty-five girls completed for the title. The tiara was donated by the National Jewelers Association by president John Koffler of Wickham Jewelers. The pageant, sponsored by Cloverdale Foods Co., was directed by Kay Sculley.

Funerals this week:

Violet (Hummel) Snyder, 82, Newcastle, Wyo., raised, educated in Winamac, Ind., and Selfridge. Married Wayne Snyder, 1927. Farmed at Selfridge. Survivors include two sons, two daughters and their families, one brother and sister.

Regina Sparky (Friesz) Bauer, 65, Mandan, raised, educated in Center area. Married Clarence Bauer, 1950. Survivors include husband; two daughters, four sons and their families, three sisters, two brothers.

Katie (Lipp) Hauer, 87, Bismarck, raised, educated in Linton area, graduating from Linton High School. Attended Ellendale Teachers College. Married Raymond Hauer, 1925. Farmed in Hague area, 42 years. Taught at elementary country schools. Moved to Bismarck, 1983. Survivors: three sons, two daughters and their families.

John P. Hoffman, 68, Mandan, raised, educated in St. Anthony. Married Nellie Nagel, 1943. Farmed in St. Anthony area, moving to Mandan, 1951. Worked as diesel mechanic for International Harvester, Sweeney Brothers, and Froeschle & Sons, retiring in 1985. Member of St. Anthony and St. Vincent Vereins. Survivors include wife, two sons, three daughters and their families, four sisters.

* * *

Temperatures recorded Monday, Jan. 27: a high of 32 degrees above zero, 3 below for the low.

50 Years Ago-1967

Three fire trucks from Mandans rural fire department battled a fire that destroyed a large dairy barn on the Nels Porsborg farm, four miles northwest of Mandan. The fire broke out at 10 p.m. while the Porsborgs were in Mandan visiting friends. Although baled prairie hay and 200 bushels of ground feed were also destroyed, adjacent buildings were saved and no animals were lost in the blaze. The fire loss is estimated at $8,000. The farm was purchased by Porsborg and Sons from the Love family in 1964.

Frances Klein has begun her duties as manager of the Lewis and Clark Beauty Shop in Mandan, replacing Betty McCormick. She is a native of Selfridge and received her education at Christis Beauty School in Bismarck. The same operators will continue working at the salon, June Heinart and Alvira Froelich.

The elections of Kenneth R. Porsborg and James McFarland, and the resignations of Charles D. Cooley and W.J. Schumacher from Mandans First National Bank were announced this week by bank president R.M. Leslie. Porsborg was elected a new director, to succeed Cooley, who has been a member of the board since 1944, while McFarland was elected assistant cashier to replace Schumacher, who will assume new banking duties in Fargo.

Mrs. William C. (Mildred) Block was installed as worthy matron of Queen Esther Chapter, Mandan Order of Eastern Star, during ceremonies held in the Masonic Temple. Mrs. Block succeeds Mrs. N.W. Clarke. Also installed were Mrs. Clarence Fately, associate worthy matron; Vern Wann, associate worthy patron; Mrs. E.L. Olsen, secretary; and Mrs. E.G. Laub, treasurer.

Mr. and Mrs. Earl S. Jensen, Mandan, have announced the engagement of their daughter, Jenifer Ann, to William G. Engelter, son of Mr. and Mrs. William K. Engelter. Miss Jensen is a graduate of Mandan High School and is a junior at the University of North Dakota. Her fiance, a graduate of Mandan High School and the University of North Dakota, is currently attending the University of North Dakota Law School.

75 Years Ago-1942

Ernie V. Robers new Uptown Cafe opened at 412 W. Main this week. Housed in a new tile and brick structure especially designed for cafe purposes and boasting all new equipment, the cafe has a seating capacity of 50 persons. The business will be open 24 hours a day with Bret Grant, formerly of Fargo, as chief chef.

In response to the national defense need for clerical workers and typists, a new adult education night school class in typing and shorthand is being offered at the Bismarck Junior High School building. Persons not attending school and over age 16 are eligible to attend classes. Students must furnish their own typewriters and books.

Helge Nygren is the 1942 president of the Flasher Farmers Union local. Other officers elected were Matt Schmidt, vice president; Mrs. Jesse Pulley, secretary-treasurer; Clarence Pulley, doorkeeper; Eugene Ellsworth, conductor; and Verna Ellsworth, corresponding secretary.

Lila Weiand, 6-day old infant daughter of Mr. and Mr. Verne Weiand, died Jan. 8 at the Mandan Hospital. The child was the first baby to be born in Mandan in 1942.

100 Years Ago-1917

Whether Sheriff Charles McDonald or the new sheriff, Oscar Olson, will be called upon to make the murderous assault, is an unanswered question, but it is expected that it will be Olson who will smash about 96 heads. The heads are those found on 96 barrels of claret wine which, for the past year and a half, has been stored in the basement of the Morton County Courthouse. The Supreme Court has handed down a decision ordering the wine destroyed, and next Tuesday, 4,800 gallons of wine will be pouring down into the snow drifts below courthouse hill, forming the biggest mess of frappe ever mixed in North Dakota.

The liquor was seized by States Attorney Langer from Hebron men, a total of 96 fifty-gallon barrels. Ownership of the wine has been fought in a half dozen court hearings, before the Supreme Courts final decision.

* * *

The First National Bank has just installed a machine that will actually keep books. The Burroughs Adding- Subtracting Machine is the name of this mechanical bookkeeper, and it will be used for making entries to the banks ledgers and writing up depositors statements. Before the advent of the machine, the detail work of entering and adding amounts in the ledger and making out depositors statements was all done by hand. This invention is a bookkeeper with steel brains, and all the operator needs to do now is depress the total key to obtain the new correct balance for each customers statement.

It was announced this morning that Lewis F. Lyman had purchased the City Grocery and Bakery and will take over the business within a few days. Mr. Lyman has been secretary and treasurer of the company for a number of years and has been connected with the business since 1907.

The Mandan Daily Pioneer has started a new telegraph service with the United Press Association which gives readers three times as much news of the world as before. The United Press has established a bureau at Fargo and the news is phoned at three different periods during the day to the Mandan Daily Pioneer, the Bismarck Tribune and the Valley City Times-Record.

125 Years Ago-1892

On Wed., Jan. 27, at 2:30 p.m., the thermometer recorded 9 degrees below zero.

The State Bank of Morton County opened its doors for business promptly at nine oclock on Monday morning. The bank building is a substantial frame, 22x30. The walls and ceiling of the banking room are richly frescoed in oil with rich floral borders and dados, representing the iridescent hues of the rainbow. The fixtures and desks are of solid cherry, handsomely carved and finished. The woodwork is stained cherry, and the floor is covered with hardwood parquette flooring.

The front is of French plate glass, one large pane 10x12, placed in an oblong position and that is surmounted by a number of smaller panes of white and colored glass. Above the window is a suitable sign, 'State Bank of Morton County.' Mr. Kinney, the cashier says the first days business was satisfactory and very encouraging.

The first deposit subject to check was made by Mrs. A.R. McDonald, and the first certificate of deposit was issued to Master LaRue L. Shaw, the three-year old son of Attorney Shaw, and consisted of 500 pennies, the total savings of the little depositor."
The debate around Donald Trump's wall has been shaped by liberal and media narratives that focus on illegal immigrants in the U.S. The left has painted a picture of compassion for these immigrants, making them the entirety of the story. Sanctuary cities have declared safe havens for illegal immigrants, without really distinguishing between the good and the bad among them. They have also spun numbers about temporarily declining immigration rates to diminish the significance of the problem. Liberals have labeled opponents of open borders hard-hearted racists. Immigration has become one of those narrative stories, filled with human suffering, compassion, and demonized enemies, that liberals love to love.

What liberals have ignored is the severe consequences of slack U.S. borders for Mexico. Mexican society and the Mexican economy have been severely distorted and held hostage for decades by criminal gangs that make their living smuggling drugs and migrants into the U.S. Their access to and control over the U.S. border are precisely what has brought them power and wealth, while unleashing a long-term scourge on Mexican society. These gangs murder, kidnap, and extort innocent Mexican citizens. They corrupt the Mexican police and military. They transport illegal migrants to the U.S.  extorting, exploiting, raping, and murdering them along the way. They transport drugs to the U.S., undermining our civil society and killing our citizens. They instill fear and violence across Mexican society, preventing it from achieving the stable, middle-class society that NAFTA promised. These truths are well documented in news reports, testimony from ranchers who own border land, and movies.

Where is liberals' compassion, in their self-absorption and attachment to their own narratives, for the honest citizens of Mexico who are victimized in their own country by the criminal gangs fostered and financed by open U.S. borders?

Liberals have a narrative about the tons of illegal drugs these gangs transport into the U.S., too. It goes something like this: we did drugs when we were young (Choomer Obama), and it didn't harm us. Look at us now: we're running things, and isn't the world a better place? Those deplorables dying of heroin overdoses in flyover country? The real problem is the War on Drugs. If only we legalized and taxed drugs, unfortunates could get drugs easily and wouldn't have to go into debt and commit crimes to finance their habits. With the taxes, we could finance more social programs. The people who can't control themselves? We can medicalize their addictions and give them unlimited health care.

Shutting down the U.S. border will reduce or eliminate the power and wealth of these criminal gangs and their stranglehold over Mexican society. Once they no longer have access to the U.S. border, they will no longer have access to the source of their wealth and power.

Trump's wall will eliminate the reign of terror under which Mexico's honest citizens have lived for a long time. The benefits that a wall will bring to Mexican civil society and to law and order should be reasons for liberals to support Trump's wall. These benefits are also why Mexico, once it has overcome the perceived affront to its dignity, will gladly pay.

Shutting down the U.S. border will also dramatically reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S., with all their negative economic and social consequences.

I'm waiting for a liberal to argue against these benefits, but I haven't found one yet.
A source of confusion among many first time visitors to the US state of Utah are the bars. Like any regular bar, there are stools lining the shiny counter, but instead of facing the bottles and the bartenders, they look straight at a wall of clouded white glass that rises from the middle of the counter, obscuring both on the other side. These barriers are nicknamed Zion curtains, a dig at the Church of Mormons that hold a large influence over the population of Utah.

In Utah, you cannot watch a bartender shake and mix your drink, because the states law requires in accordance with Mormons religious views on drinking that bartenders perform the act behind a curtain, lest the more impressionable and underage audience should see it and be tempted to indulge in liquor. To spare their virgin eyes, state lawmakers dictated that all alcohol-serving establishments within the state, especially those that opened after 2010, erect a 7-feet 2-inches high partition separating the bartenders from the patrons.

A frosted glass curtain hides a portion of the bar at Brio Tuscan Grille at Fashion Place Mall. Photo credit: sltrib.com

Utah has some of the most draconian laws regulating the sale of alcohol. For instance, grocery stores, pubs, beer bars and restaurants cannot sell beer having alcohol content stronger than 3.2 percent by weight. Anything stronger is labeled heavy and can only be bought at a state liquor store, but those close at 1 AM, a full hour or two early than most of the rest of the country. They also stay closed on Sundays and holidays.

The state also dictates how much liquor bartenders can pour in drinks, serving no more than a total of 2.5 ounces of alcohol to one person, making mixed drinks with multiple liquors and cocktails with high concentrations of alcohol difficult to make. Given that the state tries so hard to prevent people from drinking too much, its strange that there is also a minimum bottle size. Aside from hotels and airlines, liquor shops cant sell bottles smaller than 200 milliliters. And then, there is this Zion curtain.

The curtains date back to the 1960s, when they were first erected in the states membership-only drinking clubs. Until 2009, there were no public bars in Utah. Those who wished to drink had to fill out an application, pay a fee and become a member of a private club.

The Zion curtain at Vuda Bar, in Utah's Salt Lake Valley. Photo credit: Djamila Grossman for The New York Times

In 2009, the then-governor Jon Huntsman got rid of the barriers, but they came back within a year. The law was relaxed only those establishments that opened after January 2010 were required to have the curtains. In 2016, Salt Lake City Senator Jim Dabakis tried and failed to introduce a bill that would have done away with the barriers.

Now Brad Wilson, Utahs House majority leader, has launched another attack on the curtains. Early this week, Wilson proposed a bill that would remove the requirement for restaurants to hide liquor bottles and the act of bartending from customers. Instead, restaurants would be required to establish a separate area adjacent to the bar where adults can go and drink but minors wont be able to sit.

Melva Sine, president of the Utah Restaurant Association, welcomed the proposal saying, "It's time for adults to order an adult beverage without any stigma attached."

But Utah Governor Gary Herbert said, not so fast.

I know that many in the media have focused narrowly on the issue of dispensing restrictions  but that would be merely one aspect of this updating, said Herbert. This is about public health and public safety. We will ensure that our regulations  coupled with additional state resources  focus on education, prevention, and enforcement practices that are proven to further reduce underage drinking, alcohol abuse and impaired driving.

Supporters of the barriers insist that there is no evidence that the curtain are not working.

Senator Stuart Adams said that he doesnt want children to be subjected to seeing alcohol portrayed as something fun, or adult, or exciting.

He doesnt want, writes Utahpolicy.com, for example, adults at the next table to his familys engaged in something that could be a teachable moment  flaming drinks or other actions that could appeal to children or glamorize drinking.

Photo credit: thezioncurtain.wordpress.com

Sources: Washington Post / Wikipedia / Philadelphia Free Press / NBC News via TYWKIWDBI
Consumers shouldnt worry about Galaxy Note 8 safety, and the biggest reason is that Samsung likely couldnt afford to have another mishap the size of the Galaxy Note 7 with the exact same device lineup. While they wouldnt go out of business, it would surely hurt their reputation and that is something that Samsung seems intent on avoiding. While there is no way to know for sure if Samsung would ever have another issue like that or not with a device, chances are probably slim that they would do anything that could increase that possibility, and in turn they seem to be doing everything they can to decrease it.

Samsung has already shown that theyre concerned for their customers by initiating two formal recalls and working diligently to get people to return the Galaxy Note 7 units, going so far as to send out software updates that essentially turn the device into nothing more than a paperweight. This shows that they want customers to make the safe choice and turn in the phones. Beyond this, Samsung finally issued an explanation on what actually caused the incidents with the Galaxy Note 7, and although the battery was what everyone was already expecting, and that is what it turned out to be, Samsung didnt just turn on their live stream and tell the world that, batteries were the cause. They were open and explained in detail their own findings from an investigation into the issue. They also had three independent companies who are also industry experts in the battery field do their own investigations, the details of which were shared as well. Sharing this information means they want to make sure they can keep their customers trust, or gain it back for the consumers who may have shied away. In addition to all of this, Samsung is taking measures to ensure the safety of their future devices. This includes an 8-point battery safety check that they will be utilizing every time they produce a new phone.

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Using this series of checks, Samsung is more committed than ever to creating an innovative device that will have all the trappings of success, although they arent just committed to creating another innovative device with best in class hardware and functional features, but also a much safer device so that customers will have peace of mind in knowing that the device theyre using is worry-free in this particular regard. In addition to implementing the new 8-point battery safety check Samsung is also committing a significant amount of money into ensuring their batteries are much safer, so they arent just putting batteries through the paces with a series of rigorous tests, theyve also confirmed that their investing $128 million into making safer batteries. This is a very vast amount of money, even for Samsung, and you can be sure that if Samsung is looking to invest this amount into something that theyre serious about how that money is going to be spent. More to the point, that the money is well-spent. While the investment of this money is aimed at all of Samsungs mobile devices, and not just the Galaxy Note 8, with the Galaxy Note 8 being their second biggest device its quite clear that they will be putting a hefty amount of focus there. The Note brand is certainly sticking around, but Samsung will still need to do what they can to return it to its former glory after the mishaps, so its to be expected that theyre likely putting a lot into the development of the Galaxy Note 8 to make it a stellar product.

With all of this emphasis on battery safety now, customers should feel a lot better about what Samsung will produce this time around with the next version of the Galaxy Note, as there had never been any safety issues prior to the battery problem in the Galaxy Note 7. What should be expected with the Galaxy Note 8 is not only a bolstered defense against faulty battery issues but also a slew of new features and functionality, as well as an updated design, even if it only ends up being just a little bit refined and not a complete overhaul. Things like Bixby (Samsungs A.I. assistant), and a 4K panel are already rumored to be included with the new device, and while the 4K panel might be a tiny bit of a stretch, Bixby certainly seems like a definite inclusion as Samsung has already confirmed it will be included with the Galaxy S8, and with that being the case there would be no reason to leave it out of the next Galaxy Note. In addition to Bixby, the Galaxy Note 8 will also most likely come with Samsung Pay Mini integrated into it, so while there is really not much of a list of features and hardware specifications to lust over just yet, there are a few mentions of what the device could include.

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These few features aside, one thing to also consider is that the Galaxy Note 7 was a very popular device prior to the incidents with the batteries, and without that issue there was everything to love and more about the phone as it received plenty of rave reviews from just about every publication that had a chance to get their hands on it and spend some time with the device, us included. Taking that into consideration you can be sure that the Galaxy Note 8 will likely be just as popular, just as capable, just as stylish, and just as innovative as its predecessor, only this time around customers shouldnt have to worry about safety issues. The biggest worry about the Galaxy Note 8 that customers might have to deal with is how to protect it from damage as the device is probably going to come at a hefty cost, and with any possession that costs a lot of money youll want to take care of it so it lasts as long as possible. So while there were unfortunate issues with the Galaxy Note 7 that caused a lot of damage, Samsung is keen on not having a repeat with this issue, and their efforts so far to ensure safety of their mobile devices going forward should show a significant amount of dedication to providing customers with the very best products out there. With the Galaxy Note 8 announcement more than likely hitting in the late Summer or early Fall, Samsung also has a lot of time between then and now to go over every single inch of the device and all of its inner workings to be absolutely sure that every aspect of the device is as safe as can be, and when all of that is said and done, all that should be left is a high-end smartphone that has a lot to offer and a lot to love.
Consumers who purchased the Nokia 6 are claiming that the companys logo on the back of the device peels off. The first Nokia 6 flash sale was wrapped up quite recently actually, and the company had managed to sell quite a few Nokia 6 handsets during it. Well, it seems like HMD Global made some mistakes while manufacturing the device, presuming that the recent reports are accurate, of course.

Now, the sources are reporting that the logo peels off, though thats not entirely accurate it seems. Its rather hard to explain whats going on with the logo, but if you take a look at the two images down below, things are going to become much clearer for you. In the first image, youll notice that the letters N and O are now white, which means that the original black text faded away, more or less. In the second image, letters N, O, I and A have faded away, while the letter K is on the way as well. So, what is going on here? Well, even though the Nokia branding seems to be engraved on the back of the device, a coat of paint that was placed on top of it seems to be going away. Thats the most logical explanation that we were able to come up with while looking at the images. In any case, this is certainly not a good sign, its not a critical fault on the device or anything of the sort, but it must be really annoying for consumers who purchased the device. Do keep in mind that Nokia still didnt react to this, and it is possible that it is happening in specific cases only.

The Nokia 6 is the companys budget smartphone. This device was introduced earlier this month by HMD Global, a company which purchased branding rights for Nokia from Microsoft. This is also HMD Globals first Nokia-branded smartphone, in case you were wondering. Nokia 6 is currently only available in China and its second flash sale will take place soon, while it is also worth mentioning that over 1.4 million people signed up for the second flash sale over at JingDong Mall (JD.com). If youd like to know more about the Nokia 6, follow this link.
Samsung is rumored to be working on a new wearable fitness tracker as the company has just filed for a Gear Fit Pro trademark with the European Agency for Intellectual Property (EUIPO) on Friday. As the South Korean tech giant is now trying to trademark the term Gear Fit Pro, the company is expected to soon release a new feature-filled fitness tracker. As of this writing, there is still no available information on potential technical specifications of the Gear Fit Pro. However, the Pro in its moniker indicates that it may be an advanced edition of the Gear Fit2, i.e. a successor to the companys 2016 fitness tracker. Rumors suggest that the upcoming wearable could be a cloud-based health tracking fitness band capable of collecting and uploading medical data.

Samsung has officially confirmed that it will not be unveiling the Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in February. Therefore, the Seoul-based tech giant is expected to announce other devices at MWC such as the Galaxy Tab S3 or some mid-range smartphones like the rumored Galaxy J7 (2017). With Samsung filing for a trademark for Gear Fit Pro just ahead of MWC 2017, its possible that Samsung will announce the new wearable at the Barcelona-based trade show.

Priced at $179, the Samsung Gear Fit2 was launched in June to succeed the original Gear Fit fitness tracker from 2014. It boasts a 1.55-inch Super AMOLED screen featuring a resolution of 216 by 432 pixels. Its fueled by 1GHz dual-core CPU and 512MB of RAM, in addition to sporting 4GB of internal storage. The Gear Fit2 shipped with Tizen OS that provides users with nine customizable watch faces. The Gear Fit2 is equipped with various sensors including a heart rate tracker, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and GPS. It is compatible with all devices running Android 4.4 KitKat and newer, as long as they have at least 1.5GB of RAM. Its body is IP68 certified, meaning its resistant to water and dust particles. Finally, the entire package is powered by a 200mAh battery. Seeing how the Gear Fit Pro is likely related to the Gear Fit2, expect to see an upgrade on the hardware listed above once Samsung unveils the device at some point in the future.
Samsungs Overall Performance Incentive (OPI) bonus is due to be paid today, which means many thousands of employees will be getting a special pre-Lunar New Year holiday check. The OPI bonus could be up to 50% of the employees annual salary, and those individuals working for the semiconductor business division are expected to receive the highest bonus figures. For Q4 2016, this division posted operating profits of almost 5 trillion won, or $4.25 billion. Todays OPI bonus payment follows yesterdays bonus payment, again for the second half of 2016, of 21.55 billion on (approximately $18.5 million) to 122 semiconductor subcontractors. Samsung rewards its subcontractors because it believes that it was only able to post such a strong profit thanks to its partners support. In total, almost 12,000 workers will be receiving an OPI bonus, which is the highest number of individuals receiving the award since the incentive scheme was introduced in 2010.

At the beginning of the decade, Samsung introduced the OPI bonus incentive scheme for partners in order to encourage these companies to be the most productive and produce the highest quality of service or product for Samsung. The company also introduced a safety incentive in 2013 designed to eliminate environmental safety accidents. For the first year that it was introduced, Samsung paid out 5.06 billion won (approximately $4.3 million) to 46 subcontractors. For the first half of 2016, this figure was up to 15.28 billion won, approximately $13.1 million, to 95 subcontractors.

Interestingly enough, the second half of 2016 was a difficult year for Samsung in the headlines. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was released in August, during the third quarter but a little over a month later was subject to a recall and replacement. Following the initial replacement, after a few weeks the new devices were recalled back to the factory to be disposed of and customers were offered a refund. There were two separate battery faults for the Galaxy Note 7, one produced internally and another produced by a Chinese component supplier. Despite this, Samsung is still paying out a record bonus. We have already seen that the Galaxy Note 7 battery problem has not prevented the company from recording impressive profits and it is good to see senior management sharing out the success.
A new study financed by Sony Mobile on Thursday details numerous futuristic applications of selfies. What started out as a friendly way to post your picture around to social media is very quickly turning into taking a picture for identification purposes. Sony Mobiles study indicates that consumers are okay with using their selfie for a vast number of potential applications. Rather than digging for your drivers license or a photo ID in your purse or wallet, you can whip out your smartphone and present your selfie. Selfies could also be used as a great password alternative, the study suggests. Front-facing mobile cameras have evolved a lot in recent years and some of them already feature 16-megapixel sensors that can capture a great selfie image.

Sony is one of many smartphone manufacturers that have recently increased the quality of their front-facing mobile cameras, making way for the future. Michio Maruhashi, Sony Mobiles Marketing Strategist, said that the project has given us a real sense of how selfies have evolved, and why they could be set to transform so many different sectors. Sony has identified the top ten uses of selfies which apparently range from dating purposes to gym IDs and banking authorization. Another interesting application of selfies entails taking a 3D body image of yourself to see how you would look in a particular outfit. This technology could be even be used to measure you for proper clothing size. Another application for a selfie could be to allow you access to your automobile or even your house. Medical uses also figure into the equation  take a picture of a mole on your face and send it directly to a doctor for a diagnosis, then use your phones camera for a live video chat with a physician.

What was once a frivolous addition to a smartphone is turning out to be of some real substantive value. Part of Sonys study took place in the UK where researchers discovered some interest facts. On average, people take 24 selfies a month and need at least five tries before they are happy with the results. While 75 percent of women take selfies, men also enjoy taking selfies to the tune of 65 percent and even take more selfies (26) per month than women (23) do. Of course, age also influences these results as 91 percent of people under 24 take selfies while only 50 percent of users over 55 do the same. When it comes to banking, almost 18 percent said they would feel safer if their bank used selfies as a form of ID. MasterCard has been working on its Pay With Selfie program since launching it back in early 2016.
With Mobile World Congress coming up next month there is going to be a lot of stuff to see in the mobile market that will be launching later on this year, but one of the undoubtedly biggest things that will be making an official appearance is the LG G6, LGs successor to last years LG G5 and so far, based on the rumors and leaks at least, it seems that the G6 may be one heck of a device. Its carrying a stylish new design for the outer body, its been said that LG has dropped the modular component and will not be using it with the phone, LG has even confirmed this, and its likely going to be packed with a lot of decent hardware.

Of course, its not all about the LG G6 this year as Samsungs next flagship, the Galaxy S8, is set for an announcement in the near future as well, although it will be a little bit further out as Samsung is not going to be showing it off at Mobile World Congress as they did last year with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. Instead, theyre rumored to be announcing the device the following month with a rumored date of March 29th, which is likely when theyre holding their Unpacked event.

As for whats included in both of these new devices, nothing is official, but its said that the LG G6 will be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 821 CPU, the same processor in the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, while the Galaxy S8 will be bumping things up, for the U.S. version at least, to the Snapdragon 835 CPU. The LG G6 is sporting some extremely thin bezels on not just the sides but also the top and bottom of the panel, and they look to have utilized a chamfered edge for the frame, and are rumored to be ditching the removable battery in light of making the device waterproof. Samsung is said to be putting some extremely thin bezels on the Galaxy S8 as well, and theyre rumored to be getting rid of the physical home button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor, which would mean that they have to place it somewhere else. The LG G6 is rumored to be using heat pipes to help get rid of heat from the inside of the device and prevent the battery as well as device from overheating, and Samsung will be adding their Bixby A.I. assistant to the Galaxy S8 while LG is rumored to be using Google Assistant in the G6. So far, both devices are shaping up to be exciting smartphones. Which one are you more excited for?

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ABC/Randy HolmesAlabama Shakes will perform at the 2017 edition of the Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert, held March 16 at New York City's Carnegie Hall.

Other performers on the concert lineup include Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and New Order's Bernard Sumner. The annual event raises money for Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization founded in 1987 at the request of the Dalai Lama to preserve Tibetan culture. Visit CarnegieHall.org for ticket info.

The Tibet House concert is the first announced Alabama Shakes show of 2017. The band spent the last two years touring in support of their 2015 sophomore album, Sound & Color.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The boots William Wild Bill Langer wore in the state's attorney's job in Morton County werent big enough for the journey ahead. Step by step, he kept climbing to bigger positions in affairs of government. A contemporary and fellow politician, Agnes Geelan, of Enderlin, in her book, The Dakota Maverick quotes him writing to a friend about his next step, It would cost me more to be elected states attorney of this county again than to be elected attorney general. You may remember from last week how he brought the Northern Pacific Railroad to heel and beat it in court in a tax case. He anticipated push-back, saying, I believe they would pile in an awful bunch of money to trim me. Thus the office of attorney general began beckoning.

Langer rode the wave of rural sentiment that took the Nonpartisan League into power. With Arthur C. Townley supporting him for attorney general, he won that position and served from 1916 to 1920. His association with the League went smoothly at first because he endorsed their program of creating a state mill and elevator, state hail insuranc, and tax reform.

The break came when League leaders flouted the voters wishes in the matter of the state superintendent of public instruction and placed in the hands of a small League board the control of educational matters from the state university to the country school, including the selection of textbooks and outlining the courses of study. The voters had another chance to pass on this whole matter in the 1920 elections and endorsed the stand taken by Langer and re-elected the same state superintendent. In retrospect, its easy to see that Townley and Langer couldnt work side by side.

In another matter, Langer felt that economic reforms promised by the NPL had not been delivered and their political reforms consisted in exchanging an old gang for a new gang far more powerful and irresponsible to the farmers. He charged that the leaders were not farmers or friends of the farmers but were seeking power and money. After collecting several millions of dollars from farmers, they made no accounting to the farmers.

Toward the end of his tenure as attorney general, he took action on behalf of farmers and sent out 20 farm trucks loaded with wheat to as many different elevators. He found that when a community had a cooperative elevator, private elevators paid above market prices per bushel, but not in communities where there was no competition.

His idea to become governor materialized eight years later after he had made friends with the NPL again. A popular act with farmers was successfully raising the price of wheat by placing an embargo on all wheat shipments leaving the state. This was the time of the Great Depression, with rampant farm foreclosures; to counteract them he placed a moratorium on sheriffs sales. Some counties ignored it, so he went a step further and ordered the National Guard to stop them. It worked; South Dakota during this same period experienced 12,000 more foreclosures than had North Dakota.

In Langers own words, he said, The big business interests know that as long as I am Governor, until we have good crops and fair prices, the moratoria are going to remain in effect, even though I have to keep calling out the National Guardsmen three times a day.

Troubles found him after he mandated an assessment on state employees to buy subscriptions to the NPLs newspaper, The Leader. But when it was discovered he illegally assessed federal employees, he was indicted, found guilty of soliciting funds from federal employees for personal political purposes, fined $10,000, and sentenced to jail for 18 months. After fighting a long legal battle, he was finally found innocent, but the Supreme Court disqualified him from office and confusion followed when four different governors succeeded him in a seven-month period.

Elected governor again in 1937, he set his sight on the U.S. Senate and went to Washington in 1940, where his apparent support of the underdog won him friends, and served until his death in 1959. For his last term in the Senate, he never even returned to the state to campaign for re-election. Of his final election, the Grand Forks Herald wrote, With the devastating fury of a tornado, a one-man political whirlwind swept through the ballot boxes of North Dakota.

Agnes Geelan collected comments from several of his fellow senators to illustrate his standing in the Senate. One, Lyndon Johnson said, There are some men who have the rare capacity of shaking the earth. Such a man was William Langer. He lived a public life too large to be discussed in this short article, but interested readers of history can find much.
Third graders at Fort Lincoln Elementary School have been getting a regular dose of Japanese culture thanks to Mandans Terry Tanaka who has been educating the students on the culture for over 20 years.

Tanaka, whose husband is Japanese and has immersed herself in the culture, sees the task as a labor of love and passion for the culture.

In 1994 when Tanakas son Tony was in the third grade she recognized a need for cultural diversity at the school and met with principal at the time to share her concerns. The principal then asked Tanaka if she would do a multi-cultural event for the school and Tanaka contacted the International Club for help during the event.

Tanaka said the event was a huge success and afterward Diana Nelson, Tonys third grade teacher at Fort Lincoln, asked Tanaka to teach more about the Japanese culture. She now teaches all three of the third grade classes at Fort Lincoln Elementary.

Tolerance of everyone, isnt that what we want? said Nelson, who still teaches third-graders at Fort Lincoln.

Nelson noted that Tanaka has been a great asset to the school, especially the third-graders she spends time with. Theres no other school in Mandan that got this service, just us.

They cant wait until she comes and they cant wait until she comes the next time, said Nelson.

Nelson said Tanaka has brought in food, candy, toys and games and also teaches them how to conduct themselves in a Japanese classroom, which is stricter than most American classrooms. Its so good for them to learn this culture, said Nelson.

Tanaka said she wanted to make a big impact on the children right away so every year on her first day she writes on the board a like on one side and a dislike on the other to highlight the differences the children see in Japanese people. Soon the students realize that there was no significant differences from them and people of different backgrounds. They realize that there are more things alike then there are different, said Tanaka.

Tanaka comes in every other week for 45-minute sessions in each of the three classrooms throughout the school year.

All of the students have an activity book that reviews Japanese colors, numbers, family members, clothing, games and lessons that help the children learn Japanese culture and language with comprehensive learning.

On Tuesday, the students learned about the Japanese New Year from Tanaka, who told a fable about how the animals got sorted into the oriental zodiac. She also brought a rare Japanese snack food. They learned the zodiac sign they represent and each child was given pochibukuro or red money envelopes that bring good luck in the Japanese culture.

Its cool and its different because youre used to doing English, said third- grader Ashley Mosset from Nelsons class, who added that coloring and learning the colors in the Japanese language has been her favorite activity.

Shes just really nice, I like this class, said third-grader Carter Remboldt about Tanaka's cultural sessions in his class.

During the end of the school year, Tanaka said she makes a complete Japanese meal for the children and they play games all afternoon.

This is Tanakas last year in the classroom. I just think that its about time for me, Ill miss the kids a lot though. I love being around third-graders, their favorite age.

In her downtime Tanaka likes to quilt and knit and do crafts of all kinds which she says she brings into the classroom, including origami to teach the students.

Tanaka said she has students from the past come up to her all the time when shes around town and they remember her cultural teachings when they were in the third grade.

Being different isnt bad, being different is just different. We should embrace our differences, said Tanaka.
No one denied the importance of protecting children from harm in schools in a changing world during a Friday committee hearing. The passionate debate over whether to allow concealed carry of firearms for trained and permitted school staff members was a matter of how that additional protection would best be provided.

Rep. Dwight Kiefert, R-Valley City, said House Bill 1310 would protect children and staff by providing an increased layer of security for schools in the states rural areas.

Kiefert said many schools may be subject to a 30- or 60-minute response time in the event of a major incident, such as a shooting.

I think we can do a lot better than this in the state, he said. (The) hope is to have a willing, capable person to be a first responder.

Kiefert said one school in his district has a person on staff whos a former SWAT team member. He said there could be a number of such examples across the state who could be utilized upon school board permission.

An individual would have to undergo a 40-hour law enforcement training course to learn basic tactics and topics, such as firearms proficiency and how to respond to an event. Those authorized to carry a firearm also would have to agree to coordinate with law enforcement in the event of an incident. A 10-hour annual refresher course would be required.

The training component was a major source of contention, as was liability.

Napoleon municipal judge Paul Hamers gave a nearly hourlong pitch in favor of HB1310. He said the training level was sufficient.

This is not a bunch of cowboys running around with bazookas strapped across their backs, he said.

Hamers and others referenced past mass shootings across the country, such as Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, when 20 students and six staff members were killed before the gunman took his own life.

This is not a good guy-bad guy situation, Russ Zeigler, of the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders, said in opposition to HB1310.

Zeigler said its easy to say I can do that, but no one truly knows how theyd respond to such an incident until it occurs. He threw out what-if scenarios, including if someone authorized to carry a gun missed the gunman and hit a student instead, or froze as a gunman did more damage.

Teachers do not go into this profession with these thoughts on their minds, Zeigler said of being an armed first responder.

Valley City Public Schools Superintendent Josh Johnson agreed that a majority of teachers dont want the option.

I believe any training short of a law enforcement officer is not acceptable, he said.

Justin LaBar, a fourth-grade teacher with Stanley Community Schools, disagreed. He said teachers and staff ought to have the option to protect themselves. LaBar choked up after mentioning how, in instances such as Sandy Hook, teachers and students were ultimately sitting ducks in classrooms.

I would give my life for my students, LaBar said. I wouldnt let one of them die without doing anything.

Bismarck Police Chief Dan Donlin said training is too much of a liability issue and law enforcement hes spoken to wouldnt be willing to train civilians.

He also said good training doesnt ensure hitting a gunman. Donlin said a 2008 Rand Corp. study of the New York Police Department from 1998 to 2006 showing officers in gunfights with suspects hit their target 18 percent of the time, and that increased to 30 percent of the time if the suspect didnt return fire.

Its just not as easy as TV, said Donlin, adding that, even if a good guy with a gun is trained, theres no guarantee  theyre going to win.
Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary took a crack Friday against critics who have accused him of welcoming pipeline protesters to Bismarck.

Bismarck's mayor clarified his position about opponents to the Dakota Access Pipeline Friday morning at a Coffee with the Mayor session. He said his welcome of attendees of the United Tribes Technical College Powwow in September included a thanks for not boycotting the event because of DAPL protests. He noted the weekend sees an infusion of $4.1 million into the local economy.

Seminary made his remarks following the circulation of a petition calling for a recall election. The petition, which began circulating last week, alleged Seminary was allied with DAPL protesters, which he denied.

When attendees of the powwow went to the Capitol grounds, Seminary said he went there with Scott Davis, executive director of the state Indian Affairs Committee, welcomed them and said he stood in solidarity to their right to a peaceful protest.

Following the powwow in September, less peaceful protests began taking place.

"I was the first and only leader to ask them to leave  the uninvited guests. I asked," he said once some of the protests began to take a turn for the worse.

As to petitioners' references that he turned his back on law enforcement, Seminary said, "Don't go there." He suggested residents could ask Police Chief Dan Donlin about his support.

Seminary denied claims by members of the recall effort that the city commission has ignored public infrastructure needs "to the point of creating a public financing crisis."

Seminary insisted the city commission has made the financing of infrastructure a priority since 2008, and he warned the existing sales tax source for road funding "will be cannonbalized" within 10 years because of property tax buydowns.

He said incentives criticized by petitioners for the recall are "legislatively approved economic development tools."

Seminary also contested allegations that the Bismarck-Burleigh Health building, which has been offered to the University of Mary in a purchase agreement, has been sold below value. He also defended renovations and expansions made to the Bismarck Event Center.

"Those improvements were made without one new penny of public funds," he said.

Davis credited Seminary with opening the doors for himself and the tribal community.

"There are 4,000 Native Americans that live here for opportunity, education and better way of life," said Davis, adding he was thankful to the mayor for holding a city commission meeting at United Tribes Technical College.

"When protest comes to the city, there were big concerns. There was a big movement to boycott Bismarck/Mandan," said Davis, who wanted to find a way to make sure everyone was welcome.

He said he asked for Seminary's help in voicing that and he thanked Seminary for that leadership.

Many attending the coffee were city officials or supporters of the mayor, but others questioned the mayor on special assessments of property owners and on the status of the lane reduction on Main Avenue. Seminary said no final decision has been made on a permanent lane conversion. Seminary said development triggers special assessments.
A Bee Friendlier Flower Bombing

The Importance of Bees

One in three bites of food1 is made possible by bees and other pollinators . Bees pollinate nearly two-thirds of major U.S. crop species. We can thank bees for coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, cotton and more. Bees are also vital to clover and alfalfa: two crops that feed cattle and other grazing animals. In the United States alone, over one hundred crops need or benefit from bees, which translates to $3 billion of our economy. Pollinators are also essential to other animals. Many fruits and seeds need pollinators to grow and survive  plants that feed a quarter of all birds and several mammal species. via Cascadian Farm Organic

Scientists may have finally solved mystery behind honey bee decline St George News (Utah)

Deeply moved by the Flower Bombing video from Cascadian Farm Organic, its time to update ourselves the global problem of a drastic decline in honey bees, known as colony collapse disorder. (Note, you will soon read that this perception of a serious problem is challenged. )

AOC has a long history of writing about this deeply concernful problem, with major implications for the global food supply and food prices in poor countries and right here in America. The world is united in the disastrous consequences resulting from the loss of our honeybees  or are we?

Fifty years ago, Albert Einstein said:

If bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would only have four years left to live.

Amazon.com Widgets

In discussing this (perceived) grave problem with readers, AOC turns to the deeply Republican state of Utah and their assessment of the June 24, 2013 statement issued by the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, a group of international scientists formed in response to concern around the impact of systemic pesticides on biodiversity and ecosystems.

Task Force on Systemic Pesticides

A comment on the article from St George News refers readers to Henry I. Millers WSJ article Why the Buzz About A Bee-pocalypse Is a Honey Trap. Note the article lives behind a paywall, but you can read it via Google as a free sample. Miller writes:

The reality is that honeybee populations are not declining. According to U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, the worlds honeybee population rose to 80 million colonies in 2011 from 50 million in 1960. In the U.S. and Europe, honeybee populations have been stableor slightly rising in the last couple of yearsduring the two decades since neonics were introduced, U.N. and USDA data show. Statistics Canada reports an increase to 672,000 honeybee colonies in Canada, up from 501,000, over the same two decades. In February, the Australian government issued a report on bee health from the only continent unaffected by the Varroa destructor mite, a pathogen of bees. It found that, Australian honeybee populations are not in decline, despite the increased use of [neonicotinoids] in agriculture and horticulture since the mid-1990s.

I am admittedly shocked over the level of disagreement around whether or not there is a problem with honeybee decline. Somebody cant count!!! The discussion quickly devolves both on the St George News website and the Wall Street Journal into anti-Obama rhetoric, global warming skepticism, more government regulation arguments, and calling people communists.

The same kind of gridlock that exists in Washington DC exists in editorial pages and their comments sections. What is a thinking person to do!!!! I do know that AOC readers are not communists because we are trying to understand a potentially serious problem like the health of honey bees and its impact on the global food supply.

While disagreement exists around the scope of honeybee decline from minimal to gravely concerning, my single takeaway from reading both sides of the argument is that the decline is not the result of a single factor. All agree that the Varroa destructor mite is highly destructive to honeybee population, for examples.

Miller continues:

In February, the Australian government issued a report on bee health from the only continent unaffected by the Varroa destructor mite, a pathogen of bees. It found that, Australian honeybee populations are not in decline, despite the increased use of [neonicotinoids] in agriculture and horticulture since the mid-1990s.

A 2013 European ban on the use of neonic pesticides will provide some quantifiable results, as will the partial ban in the Philippines. The US Fish and Wildlife Services National Wildlife Refuge System will phase out or neonics, aka neonicotinoids, by 2016. The same US ban includes GMO seeds being fed to wildlife.

Whole Foods Initiative For the Honeybees

Whole Foods Market (and its libertarian, anti-Obama CEO and co-founder John Mackay) post a figure of 29.6% as the annual US rate of US honey bee losses. Whole Foods agrees that multiple factors  including parasites, pesticides and loss of habitat  contribute to this decline.

AOC wrote recently about Whole Foods new Responsibly Grown rating system.

There is a real emphasis on protecting bees, and the program prohibits the use of several of the most hazardous neurotoxins still allowed in agriculture, including the four primary neonicotinoid pesticides (clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam) linked to bee declines. Clearly, this is a major issue facing the world, and the discussion will be continued  On a more positive note 

Inspiring & Empowering Flower Bombing Guerilla Messaging



Flower Bombs from MCreative on Vimeo.

Flower Bombs is a guerrilla art initiative that explores the karma and power of public art through positive messaging. The symbol of the flower growing out of a bomb represents beauty in unexpected places  which is what street art is all about. The idea was to get the messages out there in a way that is not toxic to the environment. Wheat paste is an environmentally non-acidic way of posting these messages. It is easy to remove and breaks down over time so naturally it felt like the best option. The reason we cover our faces is because we dont want to be the sole artists identified with the Flower Bombs project. We want other people to take part in it as well; so its not so much us hiding our identities as much as it is a representation of the fact that anyone can be the face behind the mask. Anyone can be a Flower Bomber. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with advertisements of the media, sometimes against our will, it is nice to come across a design that isnt trying to sell us anything. Something that serves as a balm to our spirit and that speaks to us on a non-consumer level. The goal of the project is to fill the world with positive affirmations through beautiful non-commercial design for no reason other than to make people feel good and to help them manifest positive life changes. We imagine a world where people are surrounded by more beauty and art than consumerist messages. We encourage you to print the posters and paste them in your own city. First, save and print the individual posters in Downloads, where you can also quickly learn how to make wheat paste. Last, buy paint rollers, hit the town, and enjoy Flower Bombing!





Flower Bombing Copenhagen with DoTheUnexpected.org

Previously on Anne of Carversville

More Than Honey Bee Documentary Focuses On Sex Lives of Queen Bee Where More Is Better AOC Salon

Will Sarah Burtons Queen Bee Femme Fatales Suffer in Collapse of Global Honey Bee Populations? AOC Salon (a major composite of bee-related research and articles)
If TransCanada accepts President Donald Trumps invitation to build the Keystone XL, that pipeline will become the biggest taxpayer in Phillips County in Montana. The pipelines proposed route would take it through six eastern Montana counties, generating tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenues for state and local governments. The pipeline also would become a major customer for the local rural electric co-op, a development that is expected to lower electricity prices for other customers.

Two years ago, on Jan. 16, 2015, The Billings Gazette opined on Montanas big stake in the Keystone XL. The reasons why the pipeline should have been approved in 2015 still stand today. Environmental impact statements prepared for the U.S. State Department found no significant risk of environmental harm if the project incorporated numerous recommended safety features.

President Barack Obamas decision against issuing the pipeline permit didnt keep oil from going to market; it kept oil from being transported on this pipeline. Transportation of hazardous materials, such as oil, is not risk free. However, the risks of other modes of transportation are arguably greater  fiery train car derailments, and explosive highway crashes.

According to the TransCanada plan, the yet-to-be-built line would carry up to 800,000 barrels of oil per day south from the tar sands pits in Canada through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. From there, the oil would flow south via existing pipelines to the Texas Gulf Coast for refining or export.

The project would create thousands of jobs along the three-state route during a year or so of construction, and support a small number of ongoing pipeline maintenance jobs.

For Montana, the project as approved by our state, would include an on-ramp near Baker that would carry 100,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude. That new access line would improve efficiency and likely lower the cost of getting Bakken oil from Montana and North Dakota to market.

Paired with Trumps executive action last week on the Dakota Access pipeline, Bakken oil transportation infrastructure would be vastly improved.

Our enthusiasm for these projects doesnt negate valid concerns about leaks, spills and other accidents. Safety must be the highest priority  for workers, neighbors and the public.

Trump got these executive orders right: The planned Keystone XL and the mostly finished Dakota Access pipelines should be built for safety, energy security and economy.

 Billings (Mont.) Gazette
Fellow Americans, there really is no wonderful, peace-keeping United Nations. In reality, the U.N. is the scariest war-making monopoly that ever existed!

The outfit that has masqueraded as mankind's Last Hope for Peace since its inception in 1945 is, in reality, nothing more than a corrupt, scandal-ridden, power-hungry, money-grubbing, militarized global club of socialist dictators. These unelected appointees practice social engineering on the people of the world as though we're all rats in their laboratory maze. It is scandalous that the mass media has shielded this organization from scrutiny for so long.

Nevertheless, the people of the world are beginning to understand and rebel against this insidious global merger. First there was Brexit, then the election of Donald Trump in the USA. Now France, the Netherlands and Italy are rejecting the planned global merger, and reasserting their existence as sovereign nations. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blasted what he termed a criminal conspiracy of internationalist fanatics, calling the U.N.'s promotion of mass Islamic immigration into the West a weapon to undermine Western civilization.

In desperation, the gang at the U.N. is taking off the velvet gloves, pushing hard and fast. The newest secretary general of the U.N. has already called for more mass migration from the Third World into Western countries, telling EU politicians to ignore voters because migration is inevitable and is part of the solution. Curiously, even as America is compelled to accept refugees, some Arab dictatorships are refusing Muslim refugees, and no refugees are being sent to Communist China at all.

It's time to get the U.S. out of the U.N. Ask our representatives in Washington to support The American Sovereignty Restoration Act, H.R. 193.

Rose Christensen, Rogers
Rory McGraths sex and crimes play second fiddle to his phenomenal wife

The tabloids focus as much on Rory McGraths blameless wife Nicola as they do on the TV star (Sun) found guilty at Huntington magistrates court of harassing a former mistress.

Wife stands by comedian, says the Express front-page. Incredible forgiveness of TV comic Rorys wife, says the Mail on it front page. Astonishing forgiveness of allen TV star Rorys wife, the Mail adds over two more pages.

Wifes pain as McGrath is guilty of terrorising ex.. but he grins as he dodges jail, says the Mirror on is front page, words below a picture of Nicole being kissed on the head by her wayward husband.

He is smiling Roy McGrath. She is tearful Nicola. Over pages 4 and 5, McGraths crimes are laid out. He followed his victim in the street and she saw him in bushes. He threatened to send explicit pics to her husband.

But its Nicola the tabloids look to for an angle. McGraths lawyer gives them grist for the mill by telling the court: Their relationship is healing and [Nicolas] ability to be magnanimous and understand his conduct is nothing short of phenomenal.

Alison Phillips (Mirror) looks at Nicola and attempts reads her mind. She may forgive but can she forget? she wonders. We doubt it. But Nicola McGrath is 61 and maybe with time and old age shell forget where she put her glasses and that her husband was shagging a younger woman for years and then harassed her after she broke up with him. This tragic situation is far from over, oozes Phillips with cod sympathy.

Only the Sun focuses on McGrath. He is alone on the cover. TV RORY STALKED SECRET LOVER, runs the headline. There is no mention of Nicola, who played no role in his crimes. Over pages 4 and 5, readers get Stalking hame of Besotted Love Cheat Comic.

And thats it. The Sun gets it. The mans to blame. Why he wanted sex with a much younger woman and she wanted sex with a famous man is hard to fathom. Why the criminals wife is still with him is her own business.

Karen Strike

Posted: 27th, January 2017 | In: Celebrities, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Madrid, January 27 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said after talks with Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy in Madrid Friday that "we will as always respect the European (fiscal) rules but without in any way (budget) moves that may have depressive effects, and confirming the reforming action that Italy is carrying forward".

He said the very idea of supplementary budget moves, "makes me feel ill". Gentiloni said "I trust the European Union will not at all be deaf and blind regarding the exceptional circumstances" quake-hit Italy is faced with, "otherwise it would do a great disservice to itself".

Italy and Spain "have one point in common, the interest in getting from the EU an awareness of the importance of placing the issue of growth at the centre of our policies with reason and flexibility," Gentiloni said. In other points, Gentiloni said "there is not instability in Italy, there is a government that gas unfortunately gone through the referendum defeat, which is working in continuity with the government that operated for two years, is developing its policy choices, is making the choices that must be made in this phase. He said "Italy is a stable country working in continuity with the previous government".

Political parties must decide on a new election system with "necessary promptness" after the Constitutional Court ruling on the Italicum law, Gentiloni said, "because that is necessary for the good functioning of a democratic system".

Gentiloni said he was occupied with running the government and would "respect" the choices parliament and political parties make on the election law after the Constitutional Court ruling, which abolished the run-off but kept the winner's bonus in the Italicum law.


(ANSA) - Madrid, January 27 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said after talks with Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy in Madrid Friday that "we will as always respect the European (fiscal) rules but without in any way (budget) moves that may have depressive effects, and confirming the reforming action that Italy is carrying forward".

He said the very idea of supplementary budget moves, "makes me feel ill". Gentiloni said "I trust the European Union will not at all be deaf and blind regarding the exceptional circumstances" quake-hit Italy is faced with, "otherwise it would do a great disservice to itself".

Italy and Spain "have one point in common, the interest in getting from the EU an awareness of the importance of placing the issue of growth at the centre of our policies with reason and flexibility," Gentiloni said. In other points, Gentiloni said "there is not instability in Italy, there is a government that gas unfortunately gone through the referendum defeat, which is working in continuity with the government that operated for two years, is developing its policy choices, is making the choices that must be made in this phase. He said "Italy is a stable country working in continuity with the previous government".

Political parties must decide on a new election system with "necessary promptness" after the Constitutional Court ruling on the Italicum law, Gentiloni said, "because that is necessary for the good functioning of a democratic system".

Gentiloni said he was occupied with running the government and would "respect" the choices parliament and political parties make on the election law after the Constitutional Court ruling, which abolished the run-off but kept the winner's bonus in the Italicum law.

Gentiloni told the joint press conference with Rajoy that Italy and Spain could play a "fundamental role in the coming months".

First and foremost, he added, "as leading nations in the European Union, and so among the various issues that we discussed there was above all the significance of our commitment to relaunching the Union", naming as important dates the upcoming informal summit in Malta and the March 25 anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.


(ANSA) - Rome, January 27 - Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi, a member of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), on Friday denied reports she was negotiating with prosecutors for an agreement in relation to an abuse-of-office probe into an appointment. "After false (media) reconstructions of telephone calls between me and (M5S leader) Beppe Grillo, a phantom negotiation with Rome prosecutors has been invented," Raggi said on Grillo's blog. "I'm sorry for those who made it up, but when I have something to say, I'll say it to the magistrates, which is how things should be. "The rest are fantasies which, at this point, will be evaluated by the magistrates". Raggi is under investigation in a probe into the appointment as city tourism department head of Renato Marra, brother of her former personnel chief, Raffaele Marra, who was arrested for suspected corruption last month. Renato Marra's appointment has been revoked.


MOSCOW - Negotiations in Geneva on Syria have been postponed from February 8 until the end of the month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Friday, at a meeting with some members of the Syrian opposition.



''Once again, the date has been moved from February 8 until around the end of next month''.



The Russian foreign minister is meeting some members of the Syrian opposition in Moscow.



Members of the so-called Riyadh Group are not attending.



''We invited to Moscow representatives of the Riyadh Group - explained Lavrov -, they said they were coming but then declared they must contact us separately and not as part of progressive democratic forces of the opposition''.



According to Tass, the meeting was instead attended by opposition groups based in Moscow, Cairo, Astana and Hmeimim, as well as representatives of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party and a member of the Kurdish National Council.
ROME - Nobel laureates in literature and other well-known writers are protesting against a crackdown on intellectuals in Turkey by President Erdogan after a failed coup last July.



The initiative was launched by the organization Pen International, at the end of a one-week-long investigative mission to the country, with the prestigious signature, among others of Mario Vargas Llosa, J.M. Coetzee and Elfriede Jelinek.



''We are writing to let you know that you are not alone. We are writing to tell you that we will not remain inactive at your time of need. We will not remain silent while human rights are being violated. We will raise our voices globally against any attempt to shut down yours''.



Pen's delegates, who met representatives of the world of culture, journalism, politics and civil society during their visit, remembered that at the moment ''there are almost 150 writers and journalists in prison in Turkey, making it the largest jail for journalists in the world, ahead of China, Eritrea and Egypt''.


Turkey: Nobel laureates against Erdogan's repression From Vargas Lloza to Coetzee to support jailed intellectuals

(ANSAmed) -ROME, JANUARY 27 - Nobel laureates in literature and other well-known writers are protesting against a crackdown on intellectuals in Turkey by President Erdogan after a failed coup last July.



The initiative was launched by the organization Pen International, at the end of a one-week-long investigative mission to the country, with the prestigious signature, among others of Mario Vargas Llosa, J.M. Coetzee and Elfriede Jelinek.



''We are writing to let you know that you are not alone. We are writing to tell you that we will not remain inactive at your time of need. We will not remain silent while human rights are being violated. We will raise our voices globally against any attempt to shut down yours''.



Pen's delegates, who met representatives of the world of culture, journalism, politics and civil society during their visit, remembered that at the moment ''there are almost 150 writers and journalists in prison in Turkey, making it the largest jail for journalists in the world, ahead of China, Eritrea and Egypt''. (ANSAmed).




ROME - The eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece aboard an army helicopter after the failed coup in Turkey on July 15 will not be extradited. After a six-month-long legal battle, the supreme court in Athens on Thursady rejected Ankara's request on the grounds that the defendants are unlikely to get a fair trial at home.



Turkey accuses them of taking part in the coup and was angered by the ruling.



Two hours after the sentence, the government threatened consequences for ''bilateral relations'' while a court in Istanbul issued a new arrest warrant against the soldiers, urging the justice ministry to solicit Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant.



Athens has so far tried to remain above the fray. On the eve of the decision, Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis assured he would leave the issue to the courts without a direct intervention of the executive led by Alexis Tsipras.



The Turkish soldiers - two majors, four captains and two sergeants - declared their innocence, saying they fear for their safety at home. The court also ruled to release them.



''This stance taken by Greek magistrates, which goes against the rules and principles of international law, leaves criminals unpunished and violates the rights of victims'', said a statement issued by the foreign ministry. Ankara has warned that relations between the two countries are at risk, after the improvement registered in the past few years.



However, tensions emerge periodically on the most controversial and delicate issues including sovereignty over the Aegean islands and the future of Cyprus on which important talks are ongoing.
Ankara threatens migrant pact, 'Athens helps traitors' After Supreme Court rules against extradition of soldiers

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 27 - After the Greek Supreme Court ruled on Thursday against the extradition of eight Turkish soldiers that had fled to Greece and have been accused of involvement in the July 15 coup attempt last year, Turkey threatened to annul a migrant readmission agreement with the EU.



Turkey will take all the necessary steps including the cancellation of the bilateral readmission agreement for migrants, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted by state-owned news agency Anadolu as saying. The men ''are eight traitors that threatened our president's life'', he said, adding that Turkey could not have a good view of countries that defend terrorists, traitors and coup plotters and that Greece should know this. Anadolu reported that ''the eight coup plotter soldiers hijacked five military helicopters from the Samandira Airbase in Istanbul at the coup night. Video footage shows attack helicopters and warplanes opening fire on civilians, police buildings and vehicles along with Turkey's parliament and presidential complex.'' On Thursday, after the sentence rejecting the extradition request, Ankara warned that there would be consequences on bilateral relations between the two countries. On Friday morning, the Turkish Justice Ministry sent a second extradition request to the Greek authorities and Interpol has been urged to issue an international arrest warrant for the soldiers. (ANSAmed).




ANSAmed - Weekly diary from January 30 to February 5

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 27 - The following are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area between January 30 and February 5: MONDAY, JANUARY 30 ROME - visit by EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who will be taking part in a joint hearing at the House Foreign Affairs and Constitutional Affairs Committees.



DUBAI/RIYADH - EU Labour Commissioner Jyrki Katainen will be visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where he will be meeting with the government and the business community (until 1/2). ROME - seminar at the Accademia Libica entitled 'Opportunities in Libya: Managing Work in Safety' held by the Italian-Libyan Chamber of Commerce. TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 BRUSSELS - European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will be receiving Antonio Tajani, the new president of the European Parliament. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 ROME - visit by European Council president Donald Tusk, who will be meeting with Italian president Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.



BRUSSELS - EU Commissioner for Research and Science Carlos Moedas will be receiving Khalil Amiri, Tunisian Secretary of State and head of scientific research. CAGLIARI - Fifth 'Meeting Internazionale delle Politiche del Mediterraneo' entitled 'New Geopolitical Scenarios of the Mediterranean: EU and Italian Policies in the Middle and Near East'.



MILAN - visit by Elzbieta Bienkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, who will be meeting with representatives from the fashion industry (also 2/2). THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 BRUSSELS - European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will be receiving Fayez Mustafa Al-Sarraj, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and prime minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya.



ROME - conference on 'Migration, Reception, Inclusion and Co-development: the Role of Med-African Diasporas', organized by CIPMO. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 VALLETTA - EU informal summit on the migrant plan.



BOLOGNA - visit by Elzbieta Bienkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, who will be meeting with Emilia Romagna regional president Stefano Bonaccini and the entrepreneurs community. TUNIS - conference on 'Shared Holy Places: Architectonic Affinities' organized by the Italian Institute of Culture as part of the 'Lieux Saints partages' exhibition at the Bardo Museum. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 NO MAJOR EVENT SCHEDULED SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 NO MAJOR EVENT SCHEDULED. (ANSAmed).




ROME - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that he wants ''to meet Trump as soon as possible''.



''We will make a new evaluation on relations between Turkey and the US in a strategic perspective'' because ''they are not flourishing at the moment'', Erdogan said aboard a plane taking him back home after a tour of three African countries.



A phone call could be organized before a meeting, he said.



''We will ask what happened to the 85 dossiers that we provided'' to demand the extradition of Fethullah Gulen after the failed coup last July 15, added Erdogan.
Syria: Lavrov, Geneva summit postponed from 8th to end Feb. Meeting with Syrian oppositions and Kurds, Riyadh Group absent

(ANSAmed) - MOSCOW, JANUARY 27 - Negotiations in Geneva on Syria have been postponed from February 8 until the end of the month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Friday, at a meeting with some members of the Syrian opposition.



''Once again, the date has been moved from February 8 until around the end of next month''.



The Russian foreign minister is meeting some members of the Syrian opposition in Moscow.



Members of the so-called Riyadh Group are not attending.



''We invited to Moscow representatives of the Riyadh Group - explained Lavrov -, they said they were coming but then declared they must contact us separately and not as part of progressive democratic forces of the opposition''.



According to Tass, the meeting was instead attended by opposition groups based in Moscow, Cairo, Astana and Hmeimim, as well as representatives of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party and a member of the Kurdish National Council. (ANSAmed)
MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said ''we are convinced that inaction by our UN colleagues who did not hold any session'' in the Geneva talks on the Syrian crisis ''since April last year, is unacceptable''. Lavrov was speaking during a meeting with some representatives of the Syrian opposition.



Lavrov also said that the sides at the upcoming talks ''should focus on concrete issues'' like the ''drafting of the Constitution''.



''We hope that all Syrians will get to know this draft as part of preparations for the Geneva meeting and that this draft will stimulate a practical discussion aimed at looking for a general agreement''.
(by Patrizio Nissirio)

ROME - The Turkish people will decide whether Turkey becomes a presidential system, Ambassador to Italy Murat Esenli told ANSAmed in an interview on Friday.



Presidentialism, which opponents of the Constituional reform believe will give too much power to the presidency, ''will be approved or rejected by the Turkish people in a referendum that will probably be held in the second half of April,'' Esenli added.



''We are facing challenges to which the state must respond quickly,'' he stressed, ''which makes constitutional reform necessary. The form of these changes will be decided by the referendum. The parliamentary process was done with great care and the final vote on January 20 resulted in 349 votes in favor out of 550. This is enough to call a referendum.'' The diplomat said that ''the Turkish democratic state has proven its resilience after the July 15 coup attempt. The attempt was by a parallel state, FETO (the acronym indicates a terrorist organization that Ankara claims is run by the imam-in-exile Fethullah Gulen, Ed), which has penetrated the system over a 40-year period, infiltrating the judiciary, police, armed forces and media. But on July 16, Turkey was on its feet.'' Many - ANSAmed asked - feel that the crackdown after the failed coup attempt was disproportionate, with thousands of people arrested or removed from several sectors of the public administration. ''About 100,000 people are part of this organization, this cult,'' Esenli said. ''This is unprecedented.



It was necessary to call a state of emergency to get FETO members out of the state. If mistakes were made, we are correcting them now: about 20,000 people who were removed from their positions without just cause have been reinstated.'' Turkey is also a major player in attempts to solve the challenges of migration flows, thanks to an agreement with the EU ''that is still working'', he said. ''We are very careful to comply with our commitments. The agreement has protected European institutions, beginning with the Schengen zone. But something must be remembered: in December 2013 we signed two agreements: ones on (migrant) readmission and the other on the liberalization of visas. The two were to have been applied at the same time, in parallel.'' ''Things have taken a turn for the worse since then, due to the massive waves of migration: over a million people on the Balkan route. And while at the beginning of this crisis, the EU was very forward, now it is much less so. Of the 3+3 billion euros pledged, we have received 748 million. The EU is behind on complying with this agreement and of course there is frustration on our side,'' the ambassador said.
Gov. Doug Burgum sat down with tribal and camp leaders for five hours at the Prairie Knights Casino Wednesday night in what participants saw as a gesture of good faith from the new leadership.

"The governor listened to our concerns, and that goes a long way in showing his willingness to listen and learn ... from all sides, how we can help and rebuild and move forward," said Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II. "This has been very trying on everybody."

It was significant to many participants that the meeting took place in Fort Yates  a decision made by Burgum  and a step former Gov. Jack Dalrymple did not take during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Attendees included current and former Standing Rock tribal council members, tribal elders, Oceti Sakowin camp headsmen, officials from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, North Dakota Highway Patrol Col. Michael Gerhardt Jr., Indian Affairs Commission Executive Director Scott Davis and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford.

Burgum called the meeting, which was led by Archambault, lasted from 7 p.m. to midnight and opened and closed with prayer, an honor.

"As with the cultural tradition, some of the elders are speaking and their eloquence and they're great storytellers, and they've got deep history, sometimes going back multi-generational or bringing in their ancestors or grandparents. So it was a great exchange between humans and trying to gain some understanding," Burgum said.

Participants said the meeting was really a listening session for the governor, not a negotiation. They wanted him to hear about the broken treaties with the Sioux people, what the Backwater Bridge closure was costing the tribe and their fears that President Donald Trump would forcibly remove the protesters.

Archambault said he told the governor specifically, "if the president wants to use federal force, to let us know. We don't want anyone to be hurt. That's the nerve-wracking part, because he's making rash decisions."

Some also asked the governor to take meaningful steps to assist the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Most notably, they want the Backwater Bridge on N.D. Highway 1806 re-opened.

"The state needs to work with us first," said Cannon Ball Tribal Councilman Cody Two Bears, whose constituents say the closure affects their access to key medical services.

Though no concrete plans came out of the meeting, Gov. Doug Burgum said in an interview that he asked the Morton County Sheriff, North Dakota Highway Patrol, North Dakota National Guard and Morton County Commission on Thursday to draft a plan for a phased re-opening of the bridge.

Very concerned about an impending flood, Burgum said he would also advocate with the Army Corps of Engineers, if needed.

"We want to work with Chairman Archambault and the camp leaders and try to figure out a way to reduce the level of conflict and, at the same time, solve the public safety issues we have relative to the flood," Burgum said. "How do we take steps together?"

Manape LaMere, an Oceti Sakowin camp headsman, said he told the governor he understood there are strategic reasons to keep the bridge closed: That way protesters do not camp or linger in the snowy ditches where the protests began just north. But he contends use of the road and access to the site would be valuable enough to constrain that behavior.

"If everybody is concerned about protesters approaching the entrance, that puts the burden on us. We wouldn't want to jeopardize that," LaMere said.

As the night grew later, conversation turned away from the protest to longer-term issues facing the tribe, including drug addiction, jobs, housing and the economy on the reservation.

"Im looking to a point beyond when the protest camps are done," Burgum said.

Davis said he hopes this will lead to better communication, "making sure nobody is blindsided by what the state or tribe does."

"People down there want to be heard," Davis said. "When people get heard, it gains some respect. It gains some trust."

Tribune reporter Lauren Donovan contributed to this report.
If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
GASCOYNE  About 230 miles worth of heavy steel pipe in a vast laydown yard near Gascoyne hasnt been moved an inch since it was unloaded in 2011. Now, years later, pipe for the abandoned Keystone XL project may be deployed across hundreds of miles.

The green-coated pipe owned by TransCanada was brought in to carry tar sand oil, and the original route out of Alberta just misses the far corner of southwestern North Dakota as it comes down through Montana into South Dakota to connect to the mainline in Kansas.

The pipe is stacked near the BNSF Railway loop between the ghost town of Gascoyne and the busier grain elevator town of Scranton, gathering dust, snow and tumbleweeds. It looked like it would either rust there indefinitely or be sold off after the Obama administration denied a permit two years ago.

Its a desolate place. Deer paw for food around the edges of the yard, manned by one security guard lonelier than the proverbial Maytag repairman, whose main job is keeping hunters and trespassers off the property.

Now, with the election of President Donald Trump, the 800,000-barrel project has new life after TransCanada on Thursday submitted a new application at his invitation.

We welcome TransCanadas reapplication for a presidential permit to build the Keystone XL Pipeline," said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. "It will create jobs and economic growth, while also making our country safer by helping us to be more energy secure.

Locals have gotten used to the sight of the massive pipe yard alongside Highway 12 and some even use the word eyesore to describe it.

Nearby, Scranton Equity manager John Truetken said he doesnt expect a lot of business for the fuel and farm services company if the pipe yard is ever activated for construction. He said news that the pipeline could be restarted wasnt a surprise.

I figured it would either happen, or theyd haul it out to somewhere else. I dont know if it will happen that soon, said Truetken, adding it could generate a little fuel and convenience store business for the co-op, though it didnt generate much when the pipe came into the yard six years ago.

But I dont think it will really have a lot of effect on us, he said.

In Bowman  about 20 miles west of the pipe yard and 50 miles to where the pipeline would pass close to Baker, Mont.  the towns mayor Lyn James said she isnt sure how much impact pipeline construction would have on her community.

She said it could provide some employment for oilfield and oil company service workers, whove been laid off in the Bakken boom downturn.

Bowman County is in a longstanding oil production region and pipelines are a common sideline of drilling, while major transport lines have come under scrutiny and protest amid concerns about climate change and environmental consequences.

Bowman County Emergency Management, along with surrounding counties in Montana and South Dakota, started a working plan to deal with any protest after watching one against the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, James said.

Prior to the Dakota Access, we would have never thought it could happen here, but now we dont know, James said. Its sad that it happens, but it is reality.

The Keystone XL was also opposed for two years, though on a much smaller scale, in a Native American spirit protest camp in South Dakota that was the basis for the camps near Standing Rock.

South of Bowman, Buffalo, S.D., rancher Bret Clanton said hes not looking forward to a day when the pipeline cuts through 3 miles of his cattle ranch land. It changes the ground forever and affects the property value, he said.

Threatened with eminent domain, he said he and his neighbors joined to get the best deal they could with TransCanada in 2007-2008 for a perpetual easement, though it was for far less than Dakota Access paid to build through private property.

They should build it, or get the h-- out of here," Clanton said. "Its dragged on and on and on. I never thought it was dead, but a lot of things have changed. Theres not $100 barrel oil anymore and their funding has kind of dried up.

Clanton said he dreads the day construction comes through his land, along with more than 2 miles of access road, forever changing his ranch.

I didnt put it out of my mind; it was a sleeping giant. If I needed a reminder, Id just drive up to Gascoyne to see that pile of pipe, he said.

To the east, in Hettinger, economic development director Jim Goplin, said he thinks the resurrection of the Keystone XL will be good for the countrys energy independence, but perhaps not so much for the local economy. He said local unemployment is already very low and available motel rooms are fairly well blocked out.

Who knows? Goplin says. There could be some jobs. But we dont have a lot of motel rooms and theyre probably not going to drive this far.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagicShocking details have emerged about the death of founding Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, who according to police records obtained by The Miami Herald, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a pistol. The documents report that Trucks' wife, Melinda, was near the 69-year-old musician when the tragic incident occurred Tuesday at the couple's condo in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Authorities told the paper that Trucks' death was still under investigation, but that foul play was not suspected. Meanwhile, according to the transcript of a 911 call, officers were dispatched to the Trucks' condo after a hysterical woman called the West Palm Beach police and said her husband had shot himself. When police arrived at the residence, Melinda Trucks and a son were waiting in the hallway outside the condo. The article says that Butch was still breathing when officers found him, but he died seconds later.

The Miami Herald also reveals that an autopsy was performed on Wednesday by the Palm Beach County medical examiner's office, but it will be weeks before results will be known.

Trucks was a member of The Allman Brothers Band from its 1969 inception until the group's 2014 breakup. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group in 1995. In recent years, Trucks had been playing with an Allman Brothers spinoff group called Les Brers, as well as with Butch Trucks and the Freight Train Band.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
FARGO -- North Dakota State University administrators are seeking approval to spend $35.9 million on a new residence hall and $10 million to rebuild part of the aging University Village campus housing complex.

Both projects would be financed with bonds repaid by student rents, and therefore do not involve state appropriations, but require approval from the state Legislature, governor and State Board of Higher Education.

The new residence hall would have about 400 beds and would house sophomores, who often are turned away from campus housing because freshman students have top priority.

Since 2009, NDSU has designated 2,422 of its 3,274 beds for first-year students only. First-year students are required to live on campus, but other students can choose.

As a result, some non first-year students are placed on wait lists. In 2015, almost 250 students were placed on a waiting list. Some ultimately canceled their requests for student housing and found accommodations elsewhere.

Expanding campus housing for sophomores is part of ongoing efforts at NDSU to improve retention and graduation rates. Students who live on campus are less prone to distractions that can come with off-campus living, which can help their academic performance, NDSU President Dean Bresciani recently told legislators when making his budget presentation.

It really is part of the overall retention effort, which is going to increase the graduation rate, said Rian Nostrum, NDSUs director of residence life. He said about 30 percent of the student body prefers to live on campus.

The new residence hall is planned for a spot in the northwest quadrant of campus just west of four high-rise residence halls built between the 1960s and 1980s near a large parking area.

The dorm likely will have six or seven floors, and could be taller than the nearby nine-story-tall residence halls because contemporary buildings have taller stories to accommodate infrastructure, Nostrum said.

Also in the northwest quadrant of campus, administrators plan to replace University Village, an apartment and townhouse complex consisting of 27 buildings. Built in 1971, the housing complex is outdated and faces steep repair costs, Nostrum said.

The scattered buildings, interspersed with parking, also are very inefficient he said, and lack the security of an interior central hallway that is now standard in apartments.

It was specifically designed to have a village effect, Nostrum said, adding University Village won several architectural awards. We really cant from a cost perspective maintain the village concept. They take up a lot of space for very few apartments.

The first phase of replacing University Village calls for demolishing 89 units. Its estimated there is space for up to 93 replacements, depending on how much space is taken by public areas, including a conference room, study rooms and laundry.

If approved, NDSU will return in two years to seek approval for a second phase to replace the rest of the University Village complex. The second -- and final -- phase is estimated to cost $20 million, Nostrum said.

University Village now has 27 buildings. The replacement would include two to four new buildings, added to three buildings of the Niskinen expansion, built in 2010, for a total of up to seven.
The contract, which includes major modifications such as cabin re-configuration and refurbishment and the re-design of the cabin, was signed during the MEBAA Show, which took place from the 6th to the 8th of December in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Beside the cabin re-configuration, AMAC will also perform structural modifications on the Airbus A340 aircraft: A KA-Band system that is designed to enable broadband class data connectivity as well as a Live TV system will be installed. The STCs for the KA-Band system and the Live TV are developed by AMACs engineering department. Sky Primes A340 will also undergo a complete external paint programme at AMACs partner facility for painting.



Access to ultra-high speed, KA Band and high speed Live TV is consistent and reliable, which is crucial for private aviation firms. VIP business aviation passengers demand connectivity and comfort whenever they fly and need their online services to work as seamlessly in the air as they do on the ground. said Kadri Muhiddin, Group Executive Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, AMAC Aerospace. AMAC has worked closely with Sky Prime, supporting its fleet and operations through our aftermarket and technical services, and we are pleased to extend this support to their next-generation aircraft offering full connectivity.



New contracts for AMAC

Four new maintenance contracts on small and mid-size business jets have been awarded to AMACs headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.



A contract with an Airbus A319 has been signed by AMAC. The aircraft will undergo a registration change and owner transfer process in Basel, Switzerland. AMAC Aerospaces maintenance and logistics organization will prepare all due documents to fulfill the registration change requirements and will release an engineering order for a new exterior paint livery.



AMAC will also perform an annual inspection on a privately owned BBJ aircraft as well as multiple C-Checks and minor cabin modifications on another Boeing BBJ aircraft.

A 60 months check package on a Bombardier Global Express aircraft will be performed by AMAC in January, 2017.

It is a pleasure that beside new maintenance contracts on narrow bodies, we have also the opportunity to showcase our know-how and expertise on a Global Express aircraft, which demonstrates our willing to strengthen our position on the Bombardier market. We are proud to be recognized in this way by our esteemed clientele. Bernd Schramm, Group Chief Operating Officer of AMAC Aerospace.
BAE Systems is on the verge of signing a multi-billion dollar four-year contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

As part of Turkeys national fighter programme, also known as TF-X, the Turkish Government launched a competition last year for a foreign collaboration company (FCC) to assist with the project.

The enormity of the job will not be lost on BAE Systems, with Turkey wanting the jet to fly in 2023, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founding the secular Islamic state.

BAE Systems held off European rivals, Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) and Saab, to be selected late last year. It will work with TAI as FCC and negotiations over a four-year contract have been on-going for several months now, according to one source.

There have been pre-contract studies between BAE Systems and TAI over the last few months and, once finalised, more contracts can be awarded. The FCC has joint responsibility for the design of aircraft with TAI and, together, they will work out the detail.

If the discussions fail, then it will fall to ADS or Saab to deliver. However, most people expect to see the deal with BAE Systems signed within a few months.

A project management office, headed up by a two-star Turkish Air Force general, will oversee the whole process. The two organisations are working on a schedule for the sequence and scope of the contracts that need to be signed.

The Turkish Government is seeking the support of its opposite number in the UK to share responsibility for the fighter, and to back it not only with industrial participation but to export it too. Having government support is paramount to Turkey and, with the UK heading out of the EU, its a deal the UK should be keen to be involved in.

By the end of the four-year contract, which, if signed soon, will be completed in 2020, the preliminary design will have been agreed.

But there will be no commitment during that time to a first flight date. That will come in the next contract, which is also likely to be four years and see the number of people working on the project rise from the hundreds to the thousands.

One source said: It is not easy to set up such a programme because it is not just about TAI and BAE Systems working together. Other stakeholders, representing the engines and avionics, have all to be considered.

Export rights, industrialisation, as well as strategic aspects, are all under consideration, with the engine being the most crucial part of the latter. Rolls-Royce and Eurojet are both likely to be considered, although everyone is remaining tight-lipped about whether it will be a one or two-engine jet.

The Turkish Government is seeking the new fighter to replace its fleet of F-16s, with the Block 30s being the first.

The new fighter will eventually work alongside the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters on order by the Turkish Air Force, which will replace the F-4E Phantom 2020s.

TAI already has experience of working with future fighters. It signed a $100 million, long-term agreement with Northrop Grumman in June 2005 to produce composite parts and subassemblies for the F-35 centre fuselage, developed by Northrop Grumman. Delivery of the first one, from Ankara, took place in March 2011.

So TAI does have some manufacturing experience of a fifth generation fighter, which will help the TF-X project. But, with so many other projects going on, the company has its hands full.


The Najm Chairmans Award was presented for seven individual and team achievements by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group at an awards ceremony at the Emirates Group Headquarters.

The winners were cheered on by an audience that included hundreds of colleagues, families and friends as HH Sheikh Ahmed presented them with the much coveted Najm Chairmans Award trophy as well as a monetary award.

Sheikh Ahmed said: The Najm Chairmans Award honours the individual and collective achievements of our employees who have not only made outstanding business contributions to the Group but also those who embody our core values of service excellence and innovation. It is through the efforts, commitment and the determination of our employees that the Group continues to achieve success. It gives me great pleasure to celebrate the outstanding achievements of this years winners.

Najm, meaning star in Arabic, is the Emirates Groups rewards and recognition system that recognises employees throughout the year for their commitment to excellence and innovation. More than 8,500 employees were recognised through the Najm framework from April  December 2016.

Stories of Excellence

A range of outstanding achievements were recognised by this years Najm Chairmans Award. Winners were awarded for saving lives, quick and decisive thinking in challenging circumstances and coming up with innovative solutions for business.

Leo Auga, Supervisor Emirates Airport Services, received the Najm Chairmans Award for saving the lives of not one but two customers in the airport by putting his first aid training to good use. In both instances Leo was able to start CPR on customers who had collapsed in the airport. His efforts in those minutes until the arrival of paramedics were crucial to saving the lives of the customers.

Mark Fraser, Service Operator Dnata at Perth, was able to avert a serious incident when a fire broke out under the conveyor of an arriving flight followed by a smaller fire in the engine compartment. With his quick thinking and decisive action Mark was able to put out both fires before they could risk the safety and lives of passengers onboard the flight.

Edwin Jason John Emmanuel Sekar ,Kassam Mohamedali Ayub Bakhrani ,Mohamad Ayoub ,Sandeep Sudhakaran Pillai and Niall Michael Kinirons from Emirates Engineering devised a new planning process to break down and estimate maintenance tasks on the Emirates fleet of aircraft. Once fully implemented in Emirates Base Heavy Maintenance, the new process was able to deliver significant savings in terms of man hours and attain an on-time delivery rate of 90%.
The Dubai-based carrier announced on January 19 that effective June 1, it would introduce a third daily flight between Dubai and the Kenyan capital - EK 717/718 - using a B777-300(ER) aircraft. The added flight would increase the total number of scheduled Emirates flights between the two cities to twenty-one per week.

However, quoting a letter from Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera to Emirates' Nairobi executive secretary, Carolyne Kyule, dated January 20, 2017, the report says the suspension of the flight's rights came after informal talks between the Kenyan and UAE civil aviation regulators.

Kenya is said to be seeking a review of the terms of its Bilateral Air Service Agreement with the United Arabs Emirates, "in order to ensure parity in the exercise of rights granted".

"In this regard, the republic of Kenya is unable to grant a third daily passenger frequency to Emirates Airline before the review," it said. "Our earlier approval for flight EK 717/718 is subsequently withdrawn."

As of January 26, EK717 is still available on the Emirates website suggesting further consultations between the sides are on-going.
Executive vice president products and brand development Abdulaziz Al Raisi said: Over the years, Oman Air has made enormous investment in new aircraft, new destinations and an array of exciting products and services  each with the aim of providing an even more enjoyable experience for our guests. We have been able to achieve this with the generous support of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman. However, that support has been reduced significantly over the last three years and Oman Air is progressing towards becoming entirely self-supporting."

However, Oman Air has opted not to make savings when it comes to guest experience. In fact, we are continuing to invest in guest comfort and the high quality of the services we offer. Our A330 interiors attracted widespread international acclaims when they were first unveiled in 2009. Our new A330 interiors for First and Business Class surpass those high standards and guests are sure to be delighted with the results.
The award was granted following a thorough review of all entrants by representatives of the Ras Al Khaimah Government and Investors in People.



Henry Robertson, Spatial managing director, said: We are delighted to have been recognised by the Ras Al Khaimah Government in these prestigious awards. We are especially thankful to our clients for the opportunities they have provided us throughout 2016 that have resulted in this award. Marc Van den Broucque, Spatial Managing Director, said: "This award is a great trophy not only for Henry and I as owners of the business, but more importantly for our entire workforce. We are privileged to have in our team not only some of the finest workers locally, but we believe in our industry as a whole."
With Second Amendment rights and public safety concerns at the forefront, North Dakota lawmakers heard testimony on a group of gun bills Thursday.

Perhaps the most contentious piece of legislation heard Thursday was the so-called constitutional carry bill, introduced by Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck. That bill would make it legal for people who are at least 21 years old to carry a concealed firearm without a permit in North Dakota, as long as the carrier is not otherwise prohibited to do so by law.

In testimony to the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, Becker said his bill would leave the current permitting process in place. North Dakota offers Class 1 and Class 2 licenses for carrying a concealed weapon, each with differing levels of training and reciprocity with other states.

As of Dec. 31, there were 48,700 active North Dakota concealed weapon licenses, 38,261 of which were Class 2 permits, according to the attorney generals website.

The Second Amendment was invoked multiple times during Thursdays hearings, with one representative reciting it word for word. Becker, in an effort to refute the comparison between a gun permit and a drivers license, said the right to bear arms is clearly written into the Constitution.

There are no other amendments that are so explicit that there should not be any, cannot be any restrictions on it, he said.

Roger Kaseman, a former sheriffs deputy in California who got his start with the Burleigh County Sheriffs Department, cited the 2016 knife attack at a St. Cloud, Minn., mall. The attacker was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer.

We live in a new world, Kaseman said. Self-defense is going to become part of that world.

Opponents to Beckers bill, however, said gun training is necessary to promote public safety.

Todd Kranda, a lobbyist for Everytown for Gun Safety, presented written testimony from Thomas Davies, a retired municipal court judge from Fargo who said he is in total opposition to Beckers bill.

Permitless carry lowers the bar for who may carry hidden handguns in public, abandoning core public safety standards, he wrote, wondering how many everyday interactions would turn deadly if the bill becomes law.

Chris Kopacki, state liaison for the National Rifle Association of America, said 10 states already allow law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. He rejected the argument that North Dakota would turn into the wild west with the bills passage.

Criminals already carry concealed firearms without regard for the law, Kopacki said.

Despite the Second Amendment arguments from proponents of House Bill 1169, Eric Thompson said times have changed since the Constitution was written. For one, there werent crowded malls where fist fights could break out.

Do you really want your loved ones to be in a mall where  instead of throwing fists, (they) start pulling out weapons? he said.

Later Thursday, the committee heard testimony on a bill that would change laws surrounding guns in churches.

The primary sponsor of House Bill 1273, Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, said churches are currently allowed to create a private security force by approving individuals to carry a concealed weapon and submitting those names to law enforcement.

Koppelmans bill says a church may allow a license holder to carry a concealed weapon or prohibit the carrying of a dangerous weapon within its walls. In the latter case, it includes language thats similar to current statute that allows a primary religious leader or governing body of a church to authorize somebody with a license to carry a concealed weapon.

If they still like what we have now, they can say no, he said. They just have to put a small notice on or near the entrances of their building.

The bill was met with resistance from Christopher Dodson, the executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference. He said existing law strikes a good balance.

HB1273 erases that balance and allows the individual with a dangerous weapon to disrespect the wishes of the religious organization, Dodson said. It destroys the carefully designed compromise and tosses aside the religious and property rights of the place of worship.

The committee will hear House Bill 1310 today, introduced by Rep. Dwight Kiefert, R-Valley City. It would allow people holding a Class 1 concealed weapons license to carry a concealed firearm on school property with permission from the schools governing body.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia, Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Serzh Sargsyan on January 26 chaired the RPA Councils session, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The President delivered a speech at the session.

Armenpress presents his full speech:

Distinguished Colleagues,

I congratulate you all on the occasion of being confirmed as members of the Council of Armenias Republican Party. In some cases, its been re-confirmation, for others  its been the first time they were elected as members of the Council. I would like to congratulate in particular our young members, members of our youth structure. I am confident that they have come to our Council to bring new vigor, new enthusiasm, new agility, and new energy.

On Saturday, I held a very good meeting with our youth structure. It is no exaggeration to say that we have brilliant young people, and as I have mentioned here, we can without any reservation entrust them the future of our country. I am confident that young members of the Council will be very hard working and have come here to participate with new vigor in our reforms.

Being a part of the representative body of the countrys leading political force, in my understanding, is not a privilege, or some kind of anticipation but an additional heavy responsibility. Under the new Constitution, the level of participation of the political parties in our country will change as will change the scale of partisan work and its pattern. I have no doubt about that. This Council will have a much greater participation in the discussion of various topics and certainly in the decision making  more active than its been until today. And this is true not only for our Party but for all parties. I believe all political parties, which will continue their activities in the future, should work in this mode.

I wish you all success in the partisan work, state service, and personal life.

Our main task today is certainly to get ready for the upcoming parliamentary elections and present ourselves at our best. Our starting point is excellent; we are ready to present to the public that we clearly assess real problems we face, that we have the most realistic programs, which will ensure tangible progress and the most importantly  we have the most viable team.

Our Party is the one which forms the agenda for the political field and sets the bar, and it has been so for a while, at least 10-12 years. Some may like it, some may not but this is the truth. Thus, along with presenting our own programs, our first duty is to conduct good elections in the framework of the new Electoral Code, in accordance with the new constitutional provisions. So far, we have done our best to organize that very kind of elections, and we will continue in the same spirit. When the representatives of the opposition and civil society were negotiating over the new Electoral Code, there was not a single provision that we were not constructive about, that we didnt make reasonable concessions about, in order to have an electoral code which would be adopted through the political accord. This is unprecedented not only for our country but in general practices, which means we need to cherish our contribution to this process.

As you know, there are certain reservations in the political field related to the designating April 2 as the election day. Our lawyers have cogent arguments that legally it is the most efficient solution and expert opinions on that are yet to be stated. I believe. Mr. David Harutyunyan will respond tomorrow to all written inquiries that we have received.

To be honest, beside the legal formulations, I have certain concerns myself. I wanted to dedicate April 2 and few subsequent days to our hero boys, to their memory, to honor them. I wanted in those days to present to our public the huge amount of work carried out in the army building area in one year that passed since the April War, new solutions, and new achievements. I wanted us together to reassure our people, to reassure the world that we will act the same way in all similar cases. Of course, we do it even now, regardless of the elections. I was not opposed at the moment I signed the decree and I am not opposed now to move the elections for 4 or 5 days. But lets wait a little more, when all participants to the elections will become known, and we can come to an agreement with them  all without exception. I believe there will be no problem to move the elections for a couple of days. If we reach a political agreement, I am sure our lawyers can easily find legal arguments to support it, and the election process will not suffer. But lets be patient, wait and see.

As for the political alliance being formed these days, it is a very healthy and commendable process. As you remember, during the discussions on constitutional changes, we insisted that there should take place the enlargement of the political establishments, political institutions, alliances should be formed and we would have a more stable and efficient political field. A little more than a year has passed and there you are, we were right in assessing the process. For at least fifteen years we were hearing that the political field in our country was not formed yet, that parties in our country didnt become larger. We were talking, different recipes were offered but there was no process. I am confident that after the elections, these alliances will become parties. Small parties will certainly remain but they will not have any role, and the parties will become larger. For our country, it is a necessity, and I want first of all you and our people be assured that the ideas, which became the Constitution, will be there. There may be some inconsistency, certain minor problems may arise but we are changing the entire system, we are creating a new one and inconsistencies in this case, existing minor problems, I believe, will not become obstacles and will not pose huge problems. When people build homes, hundreds of issues arise, then they build a second one, but already mindful of the mistakes, blunders. We are changing the state governance system, and we all need to be certain of what we do.

A couple of words, just a couple of words on other current issues of interest, including the return of Gagik Tsarukyan to the political field and the formation of the alliances. In brief, I did not welcome the return of Gagik Tsarukyan to the political field; as for the formation of the alliances or participation of different political forces to the election campaign, as I have already said, I see it as a positive development. The next issue is more than preposterous: attempts of some to argue that there is an alleged exodus from the Republican Party is simply ludicrous. What can I say? You know all too well that its absurd. In recent months, over 11000 people joined our Party. I would like to respond to this in the allegoric way: you see, major rivers throughout their course move forward, give life, give bread and water, while small springs, which come out the main river and do not come back to it shortly, dry out and disappear. This is the law of nature and nobody can defy the laws of nature; we may try to regulate, control but in the end it will be that way.

In internal, foreign and economic policy issues, the Republican Party has very precise programs and approaches. On these programs and challenges depend who will be in the legislative body, in case of a desired outcome at the elections, who will be in the executive body, and who will be engaged in the Partys ideological, propaganda works. For us, it has never been an issue of personalities and it is not now. The issue is the efficient implementation of our programs and thwarting of the challenges. The parliamentary model of the Republic requires new solutions. Presenting our candidates for the legislative and executive bodies of power, we will be guided not by the ambitions but rather by the abilities and faculties of each candidate to contribute to the advancement of Fatherland. No hard feelings. Our activists are where they are demanded. I will not tolerate unnecessary jostling.

I am thankful to all those, who have been helping us. I am thankful to all those, who have said kind words about the Republican Party. I am thankful to all those, who have chipped in; but I have never tolerated and will not tolerate, will not distinguish people based solely on their own perception of themselves.

I see who works and how much, I see who works and how, and on this I give my own assessment. Should every one of us decide where he or she wants to work, what he or she should do it, will become, sorry, a total disarray. Our responsibility is huge, so huge that probably the majority of our people dont even imagine. I will repeat this again and again, power is not a delight, is not a means to provide for ones own well-being. Power is first and foremost responsibility.

I am confident that we will have a more efficient and comprehensive involvement of the political parties in the resolution of the problems facing our country. We will ensure everybodys involvement. If someone believes that his or her huge potential is not being utilized fully, we will suggest they find a more favorable environment.

Thank you.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Geneva talks on Syria were postponed from February 8 until the end of the month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a meeting with the Syrian opposition representatives in Moscow on January 27, TASS reported.

"This date has been again put off from February 8 until the end of next month," Lavrov saying as quoted by TASS.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Peoples Artist of USSR, world renowned composer Tigran Mansurian is celebrating his 78th birthday on January 27.

On the occasion of the maestros birthday, concerts have been organized in Great Britain.

The concert programs are implemented at the initiative of Londons Guildhall School of Music and Drama, led by Mansurians long time friend, famous violinist Levon Chilinkirian and with the assistance of the Armenian Institute of London.

The first concert was held in the evening of January 26. Mansurians piece dedicated to Levon Chilinkirian  Violin Concerto N2 was played during the concert by Chilinkirian himself. The piece was performed for the first time in London, in the Milton Court university hall.

The second concert will be held January 27, were famous works by Beethoven and Mansurian will be played.

Mansurian, Tigran (b. January 27, 1939, Beirut). Lebanese-born Armenian composer of mostly orchestral, chamber, choral, and vocal works that have been performed throughout the world.

Composer Mansurian studied composition with Edvard Bagdasarian at the Romanos Melikian College of Music in Yerevan from 1956-60, and with Lazarus Sarian at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory from 1960-65, with whom he continued his post-graduate studies from 1965-67.

His creative efforts were well received from the very beginning of his career, evidenced by the fact that he won two First prizes in the All-Union Competition in Moscow (c. 1966, for Partita; c. 1968, for Four Hayrens).

He taught modern music theory at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory from 1967-86, and served rector of the Conservatory from 1992 to 1995.

Mansurian is recognized as one of the forerunners of contemporary music in the former USSR, being the first to introduce modern composition techniques in Armenia.

His compositions have been performed to great acclaim in London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Moscow, Warsaw, Zagreb, New York, Los Angeles, and other musical capitals of the world. Pierre Boulez spoke highly of his composition Interieur when it was performed at IRCAM in Paris in 1984.

Mansurians compositions are an interesting mixture of Armenian art music and folk traditions, with bright, expressive melodies and exquisite, impressionistic tone color. His works may be grouped into five categories:

1. Instrumental chamber music (concertos, sonatas, etc., for piano, strings, and horns),

2. Vocal music (both choral and solo), with and without instrumental accompaniment,

3. Symphonic music (for both full-scale orchestras and chamber orchestras),

4. Program music (for motion pictures and stage plays), and

5. Ballet.

Biography according to official website of Tigran Mansurian.
NEW TOWN -- A 44-year-old Bismarck man was charged with multiple misdemeanors and a felony early Wednesday morning after a disturbance was reported at Teddy's Residential Suites in New Town.

Dusty Lee Ensz made an initial appearance on the charges in district court in Stanley on Thursday.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court, a deputy from the Mountrail County Sheriff's Office went to the New Town hotel to assist an officer from the Three Affiliated Tribes Police Department in removing Ensz. Ensz had allegedly refused to leave the hotel and the tribal officer had confined Ensz to the back of his patrol vehicle. Law enforcement claimed that Ensz had been trying to kick out a window on the patrol vehicle. Earlier, he had been running up and down the hallway, banging on hotel room doors. Management asked him to leave.

The Mountrail County Sheriff's deputy opened the patrol car and offered to take Ensz up to his hotel room to let him change his pants if he was cooperative. The deputy wrote that Ensz had defecated on himself. Ensz agreed to be cooperative.

While they were driving back to the sheriff's office, Ensz hit the the vehicle windows and back seat dividers. Once he was locked in a cell at the jail, the deputy said Ensz threw domino pieces around his cell and screamed. The deputy told him to be quiet. Ensz then threatened to shoot the deputy in the head. At that point, the deputy charged Ensz with Class C felony terrorizing.

-- Forum News Service
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Published on Jan 26, 2017Visit http://www.DarkJournalist.comChanging History Forever!In this earth-shattering episode full of historic revelations, Dark Journalist Daniel Liszt welcomes Pyramid expert Dr. Carmen Boulter back to the show for some History Changing Revelations about the shocking discovery of a secret site unearthed in Turkey of an Ancient Egyptian chamber that bears a strong resemblance to King Tuts tomb and that contains a wealth of Egyptian treasure and lifelike statues of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten along with exotic antiquities of the Amarna period. Exclusive PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE provided in this Part 1 episode to substantiate the claim makes this the most important Dark Journalist episode to date and represents an earthquake for our understanding of the ancient past, Changing History Forever!Amazing Akhenaten Discovery Dates Egypt Back to 10,000 BC This amazing discovery would be incredible and historic enough just by virtue of the fact of its being located in Turkey and suggesting that Queen Nefertiti fled with a small band of followers and escaped her husbands fate at the hands of the corrupt Amun Priesthood. But this historic find has even more secrets to reveal. The early testing of the artifacts reveals the extraordinary data that carbon dating tests put the age of the artifacts at approximately 10,000 BC, which throws a completely new light on the age of royal lineage of the Amarna ruling family. This royal like includes Akhenaten, Amenhotep, Nefertiti, Hatshepsut and Tutankhamen. It raises all kinds of important questions about our ancient history and strongly suggests that this unusual Amarna lineage may have been a Heritage of Blood transferred down from Royal Atlantis and is linked with advanced spiritual understanding and extraordinary psychic abilities.Queen Nefertiti and The Pharaoh Akhenaten The story of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti has been portrayed by mainstream Egyptologists in a way that suggests that the Amun Priesthood was heroic, in deposing the heretically monotheistic "mad king", says Boulter. According to her, the real story is much more intriguing and it relates to Akhenaten's esoteric knowledge about the founding of Ancient Egypt. Why did the Priesthood attempt to strip Akhenaten and Nefertiti from history? Was Nefertiti able to escape, to conceal ancient knowledge of Egypt's Atlantean past and exotic origins in a secret sacred tomb in Turkey? The newly released Bombshell Photographs answer that question with a resounding YES!In this stunning episode, Dr. Boulter she explains that her new discoveries, inspired by her intuitive sense as well as her expertise as a researcher, reveal that the corrupt Amun Priesthood attempted to eliminate the royal family in Egypt and killed the Pharaoh Akhenaten and his son Tutankhamun (King Tut), but that Queen Nefertiti fled to Turkey and escaped their vicious treachery. She also explores the possibility that Akhenaten and Nefertiti were Atlantean supernatural beings that were giving humanity a new mystical philosophy of peace and spiritual attunement.Dr. Boulter also discusses her five-part documentary series, 'The Pyramid Code' that explores the esoteric wisdom the Egyptians used to build the incredible monuments at Giza. Her new documentary series called 'The New Atlantis' will unveil her cutting edge and exciting research of an Atlantean culture that existed before recorded history, which formed the basis of the Sumerian, Egyptian, Mayan, and Inca Civilizations!Shocking, enlightening, unnerving, strange and compelling. You don't want to miss this history changing Dark Journalist episode!
Only recently on the 700th anniversary did the Vatican belatedly let [the Templar Knights] off the hook, publishing a book with documents absolving them of heresy. Emboldened, a group claiming to be heirs then sued the Vatican for $150 billion. They later also demanded an apology.

By:Some call the Freemasons a Jewish Luciferian cult, a religion of Judaism, based on the Babylonian Talmud, and the Jewish Kabala, an alchemical system of magic and deviltry, which form the basis for the Scottish Rites 33 ritual degree ceremonies. The freemasons are basically a warped, rogue community which took spiritual teachings meant for good and turned them to evil  the classic archetype which most can relate to being Darth Vadar  a high priest which sold his soul to evil and now is part-man, part machine, dying inside his own mask. The Knights of Malta , some attest, are not an arm of the cabal, but another secret society. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a lay religious organization headquartered in Rome dating back to the First Crusade. They too have a bloody and questionable history. They were Christian crusaders who believed that bloodshed was necessary to convert the evil. Funny then, that Pope Francis has ordered a purge of the Freemasons from the Knights of Malta. Which should truly be purged from the other?The Holy Father instructed Cardinal Burke to clean out Freemasonry from the order. He is deeply disturbed by the fact that the Knights of Malta were handing out contraceptives in parts of Africa, according to Vatican journalist Edward Pentin.The current wrangle centers around what Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has described as an  unprecedented crisis . It first became public after the grand master of the Knights of Malta, Fra Matthew Festing, dismissed Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager as grand chancellor (the orders third-ranking official) on Dec. 6, accusing him of being ultimately responsible for the distribution of contraceptives through the orders humanitarian agency, Malteser International.His insubordination has been called  disgraceful . The Vatican church teaches that the use of condoms is gravely immoral and the Knights of Malta have been passing them out to protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.According to the Vaticans semi-official newspaper, proponents of euthanasia and aborting chronically ill fetuses use the same arguments that were once used by the Nazis to promote their eugenics program of mass extermination; and indeed the eugenics movement is epitomized in forced sterilizations of women who were institutionalized in some way. Many state laws permitted this, and a landmark Supreme Court case, Buck v. Bell in 1927, ratified those laws; however, a United Nations WHO file suggests a dual purpose for Vatican supported vaccines.A file titled  Global Vaccine Market Features and Trends  reveals incriminating evidence and financial motive for Vatican UN WHO criminal acts of terrorism, bioterrorism, mass murder and genocide. Almost every single person on earth would have to be vaccinated in order for the financial goals set forth by the Vatican in this document, to come to fruition.While the Knights of Malta are no saints, purging their own Cardinals might be a better idea if the Vatican is truly trying to stop a eugenics movement, and prevent child harm.Or is Pope Francis, linked to child sex trafficking , rape, and murder concerned about another outcome? His authority is now being challenged by the Knights of Malta over his sacking of a Catholic official.As some experts are wise to point out, most fraternal societies are in-between good and evil, but all feed the same impulses as in Masonry: including knowing and holding secrets.To say that the Vatican has a difficult relationship with the Knights (of Malta, Templar or otherwise) is a big understatement. The Knights were the crusaders and first international banking powerhouse in Europe  some say the seed of the modern Federal Reserve, and fractional banking system . After losing the Holy Land, they still held on to wealth and power Renegade Catholic explains , that this beef likely has much older roots,The Vatican laughed all this off, but it turns out the Templars great rivals were another order sworn to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land: TheA little cabal infighting? Seems so.Image: Source
A group of McKenzie County residents hopes the state Industrial Commission will agree that a planned saltwater disposal well near their homes is too close for safety.

A group of 40, representing 15 to 20 homeowners who live on acreages about 12 miles northeast of Watford City, signed a petition presented to the Oil and Gas Division hearing panel last week when it reviewed pending permits for oil wells and related development.

Amy David, one of the residents, said the Oasis Petroleum well to dispose of saltwater from oil production would be within one-quarter mile of about 10 homes and within 2 miles of the rest.

It would literally be in our back yard, David said.

Residents are concerned about noise, odors, light pollution and especially safety, because tanker truck traffic would go down their access road and right past the designated school bus pickup point, according to David. Another concern is possible leaching of the saltwater fluids into the same source they all use for their private water wells, she said.

David said nearly all the residents have ties to the oil industry and understand how development works.

But at the end of the day, we want to go home and get away from it. With this, instead of sitting on my porch and watching the sunset, Id be looking at the lights of a saltwater well and smelling it, she said.

Resident Bob Jesse said everyone out there would have a view of the well, thats planned to handle up to 16,000 barrels of saltwater a day, most of which would arrive by pipeline, not truck. He said property depreciation is a concern, along with aesthetics.

No action was taken on the saltwater well application brought by Oasis Petroleum, which did not return two messages for comment left at the companys Texas headquarters and Williston branch office.

Alison Ritter, spokeswoman for Department of Mineral Resources Oil and Gas Division, said the case is a good example in which significant opposition goes directly to the Industrial Commission.

She said the case could be heard by the Industrial Commission in February, though it could be March or later if the permit panel wants a continuance to consider the issue in more detail.

Either way, she reminds residents that the Industrial Commission is not the format for public comments  those were already heard by the hearing panel  though the petitioners can attend and listen to any discussion.

There is precedent for the Industrial Commission to ask companies to relocate development facilities in a permit.

They can look at safety and access, Ritter said, though the first considerations for saltwater well permits are based on appropriate geology and engineering.

The place to watch for the Oasis Petroleum permit is at www.hd.gov/ndic/. It is case No. 25523.
Mallya raised concerns over media coverage of him and said his 'innocence prevails' till he is proven guilty.

New Delhi: Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya has claimed "innocence" in the alleged funds diversion related to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA), saying nothing has come out finally against him from a court.

"Till this minute, there is no final judicial determination on what KFA owes to banks and what I may owe in my personal capacity after trial," Mallya tweeted.

In a series of tweets, Mallya raised concerns over the media coverage of the recent developments here and said his "innocence prevails" till he is proven guilty by any court.

"In our country, I assumed that innocence prevails till proven guilty. Media have convicted me guilty without trial with widespread influence," said Mallya. "Yet, it is reported that I have fled or run away owing money to banks that I never ever borrowed in the first place."

On January 25, market regulator Sebi had barred Mallya and six others from the securities market in a case related to alleged funds diversions from United Spirits, a company which the tycoon promoted before selling it to Diageo.

He had resigned as director and chairman of USL in March 2016.

Yesterday, in a series of tweets, Mallya had alleged that there is a witch-hunt against him by the government. "I am kind of getting used to these witch-hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever. Shows what government machinery can do," Mallya tweeted.

Claiming that Kingfisher Airlines "was a great public utility service connecting India like never before", he said, "It was not my private toy."

Mallya, who is now staying in London, also scoffed at suggestions that he had fled the country in the wake of the investigations against him, saying his departure was "nothing sudden. I have been a non-resident since 1988".
Mumbai: The Karnataka High Court on Friday issued a warrant against liquor baron Vijay Mallya in a contempt case, CNBC-TV18 reported. The high court has also fixed Rs 1 lakh as bail amount against the warrant.

The HC was hearing a contempt petition against Vijay Mallya who failed to keep his oral undertakings he gave to Debt Recovery Tribunal in 2013. He had promised to the Bengaluru bench of DRT that he will not transfer or sell his assets.

The HC issued the warrant as Vijay Mallya did not appear before it during proceedings. In the past too, Mallya did not appear on several occasions before court or investigating agencies in money laundering and loans default cases.

Mallya has been declared a proclaimed offender by special PMLA court in Mumbai and a wilful defaulter by SBI-led consortium.
The emotional revenge drama also starring Yami Gautam has found its way on the internet on several sites.

Mumbai: Every producers worst nightmare has come true for Rakesh Roshan. His film Kaabil has found its way on the internet on several sites. A Bengaluru based content-production industry Airplex Software Pvt Ltd was employed to swiftly remove the pirated film from all the websites.

However, it is felt by most of the film industrys leaders that stern measures need to be taken to curb piracy.

Says Rakesh Roshan, Unethical practises that are killing the movie business can stop only when those perpetrating these illegal activities understand the gravity of their misdeeds and realize how damaging piracy is to our movie-making business. Unless they realize what they are doing, piracy is unstoppable.

The CBFCs Chairperson, Pahlaj Nihalani, warns that Dubai is the new hub for piracy of Bollywood films. Direct import from Pakistan into India is prohibited. Since movies are exported and imported between India and Pakistan through Dubai, a lot of the piracy is done in Dubai. Earlier the CBFC was blamed for piracy. But its been proven beyond doubt that the censor board has nothing to do with piracy. The menace needs to be checked at the post-production stage of films and when films travel to Dubai.

Meanwhile, Bollywood film producers, already hit hard by demonetization, are looking with renewed terror at the damage perpetrated by film piracy.
Police said it had detained five persons for disturbing peace even though no complaint was received from Bhansalis side.

Karni Sena activists protest against the shooting of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upconimg film 'Padmawati' alleging depiction of 'wrong facts' in it at Jaigarh fort in Jaipur. (Photo: PTI)

Jaipur: Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was allegedly assaulted and shooting of his period drama film Padmavati stalled by activists of a Rajput community group here on Friday, who claimed that the director was distorting facts.

Police said it had detained five persons for disturbing peace even though no complaint was received from Mr Bhansalis side. The ruckus took place when the film, in which Deepika Padukone is playing Padmavati and Ranveer Singh is playing Alaudin Khilji, was being shot at the Jaigarh fort, eyewitnesses said.

The activists of Karni Sena gathered at the site and demanded the shooting be stopped. They stormed the set and damaged some chairs and other objects. After the incident, the director decided not to go ahead with shooting in the state.

Confirming the report, Mr Bhansali said he was fine. Yes I am (fine), you have to go through this humiliation sometimes to make a film in this country, Mr Bhansali told India Today.

We had warned the filmmakers against presenting wrong facts. When we came to know about the shooting, we gathered there and protested. Besides the Karni sena activists, there were several other people who had gone there to watch the shooting. Someone from the mob slapped him and pulled his hair, district president of Karni Sena Narayan Singh claimed.

There was a protest and the issue was settled after both the parties held talks, said DPC North (Jaipur) Anshuman Bhomia. He said no FIR was lodged by anyone but five persons have been detained for disturbing peace. The filmmaker has said he will not go ahead with the shooting plans here and he will pack up, Mr Bhomia said.

Mr Singh claimed that Mr Bhansali wants to present a distorted fact about Rani Padmavati which will not tolerated by the Rajput community. We want that no distorted fact be shown in the film and have asked the filmmaker to take care of it. The Rajput community will strongly oppose any move of presenting wrong facts about Rani Padmavati, he said.

In the past, Karni Sena had disrupted shooting of Ekta Kapoors serial Jodha Akbar on similar grounds.

Padukone plays queen Padmavati opposite Shahid Kapoors Ratan Singh in the movie.
The police said 29 structures were damaged due to heavy snowfall in Budgam and Ganderbal districts during past 24 hours.

Indian paramilitary soldiers take shelter from snow inside a tent as they stand guard on the eve of the Republic Day in Srinagar. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: Avalanches have buried ten more Army jawans in Jammu and Kashmir. Half a dozen others have gone missing after being swept by avalanches in 2,580-metre-high Gurez area close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the states Bandipore district since Wednesday evening, official here said.

However, seven soldiers including a junior commissioned officer were saved during a rescue operation launched soon after the incidents in the area, officials said.

Officials in Srinagar added that the bodies of all ten soldiers have been found after two avalanches hit Gurez since Wednesday evening. However, a defence spokesman here said that only seven bodies had been retrieved till 12 pm on Thursday.

A statement issued by the police here said that all ten soldiers who died after their camp was hit by an avalanche belonged to the Armys 51 Rashtriya Rifles. It added that the camp is located at Manzgund in Neeru valley of Gurez. Rescue operations were going on when reports last came in, the police said.

Earlier, an Army officer Major Amit Sagar was killed and five civilians including four members of a family died in similar incidents in the Valley on Wednesday. Three more people including an 11-year-old girl have been killed in house collapses and other weather-related incidents during the past two days, officials said. Sources in the Army said that half a dozen soldiers who were trapped following an avalanche which struck a 115 territorial Army camp in Sonamarg area, about 100 km north of Srinagar, on Wednesday are being treated in a military hospital and that their conditional is stable. Major Sagar had died on the spot in this incident.

The police said 40-year-old Ali Muhammad Nadaf was electrocuted to death at his home in Rahipora village of Palhallan area of northwestern Baramulla district on Thursday. In a separate incident, 11-year-old girl Aamina Javed died after a live power transmission wire fell on her in Plan area of northern Bandipore district.

On Wednesday, an avalanche had struck at Badugam in Tulail area of Gurez and buried the house of Habibullah Lone. The house collapsed under the debris of the avalanche resulting in the death of 55-year-old Lone, his wife Azizi (50), son Irfan (22) and daughter Gulshan (19). Lones another son, Reyaz Ahmad, was rescued by the authorities and admitted to a hospital. At Kralpora in frontier Kupwara, a house collapsed trapping two persons under the debris for more than forty minutes. One of them Abdul Gani Ganai who was earlier seen by neighbours clearing snow from its roof was found dead under the debris by the rescuers, the officials said.

The police said 29 structures were damaged due to heavy snowfall in Budgam and Ganderbal districts during past 24 hours. The scenic Valley and neighbouring areas have been receiving heavy snowfall for the past few days disrupting normal life in many parts whereas several roads including Srinagar-Jammu highway have been shut mainly due to accumulation of snow and landslides. Power supply to many areas has been snapped too. The authorities have issued avalanche warning for higher reaches of the state, advising people not to venture into these areas.

Surface and air links between Kashmir and rest of the country remained cut off on the third day running on Thursday due to snowfall in the Valley as the 294-km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is closed for traffic and all flights to Srinagar Airport were cancelled.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya today said the party will release a 'black paper' on the 'BMC scams'.

Mumbai: A day after the Shiv Sena decided to go solo in the Maharashtra civic polls, senior Sena leader and state minister Ramdas Kadam today said he and his colleagues in the BJP-led government are carrying resignation letters in their pockets and waiting for party chief Uddhav Thackeray's directions.

"We carry resignation letters in our pockets. We will resign whenever Uddhavji asks us to do so," Kadam told reporters in Mumbai, after the Sena ministers met Chief Minister

Devendra Fadnavis to hand over a demand seeking cancellation of a government directive related to removal of religious photos from government offices.

He said the Sena MPs have also decided to boycott the all-party MPs' meeting called by Fadnavis ahead of the Parliament's Budget Session.

After days of uncertainty over forging ties with the BJP for the upcoming civic polls in Mumbai and across Maharashtra, Thackeray yesterday announced that his party would go it alone but remained non-committal on whether it would continue as a junior partner in the NDA government.

Reacting to the development, Fadnavis had said "change" will happen in the state, irrespective of whoever came along with the BJP, while Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve had asserted that the state government will complete its full term.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya today said the party will release a "black paper" on the "BMC scams".

Reacting to it, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, "Anyone from the street will get up and ask questions? People should learn to stay in their limits."

"We do not want to make Maharashtra unstable. That is why we will need to keep the alliance in the state for some time," he added.

Danve, meanwhile, said the Sena's decision to go solo in February's civic polls will have "no impact" on the state government.
Shiv Sena insiders say outcome of the BMC elections will determine whether the party pulls out of the Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.

Mumbai: With Shiv Sena deciding to go it alone in city corporations and other civic polls across Maharahstra, focus has been shifted to stability of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state, in which the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is a junior partner.

A day after Thackeray declared his party's stand after the seat-sharing talks with the BJP floundered, party's senior minister in the cabinet Ramdas Kadam today said he and his colleagues have their resignations in their pockets, and are waiting for the signal from the party chief.

The BJP circles, however, refused to set great store by such assertions, stating that the ally's decision will have no impact on the Devendra Fadnavis government's stability.

Eagerly watching the development from the sidelines is Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The party supremo Sharad Pawar has declined to spell out clearly what stand his party would take in case Sena pulled out of the government.

Parrying queries on the matter, the veteran politician said yesterday that he would not answer hypothetical questions, but added, "They should take the decision and later come for the discussion."

Significantly, NCP had pledged outside support to BJP when it emerged the single largest party but fell short of absolute majority in 2014 Assembly polls.

Elections to 10 Municipal corporations, including the cash rich Mumbai, and 25 Zilla Parishads and 283 panchayats are to be held between February 16 and 21.

Shiv Sena insiders say the outcome of these elections will determine whether the party pulls out of the Fadnavis government, which it joined in December 2014, two months after the first ever BJP-led government came to power.

"If Sena does well in these elections, the party will not hesitate to withdraw support to the government," a Shiv Sena source told PTI.

"Uddhavji will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time," Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said when asked about her party's continuance in the government.

Party sources said Sena workers want to fight for people's issues and expect support and direction from the leadership.

"Late Bal Thackeray's style of functioning and mannerism were different from that of Uddhav. Balasaheb had a direct connect with the masses. Uddhav interacts more frequently with Shiv Sainiks from all districts and is now well versed in political calculations. Even when the alliance talks were on,

Uddhavji had frequently interacted with the media and also released manifesto for Mumbai and Thane,"a Sena source said.

Seat-sharing talks between the saffron allies had failed to make any headway right from the start, especially in Sena heartland Mumbai, as the BJP stuck to its demand for far higher number of seats than it contested in the past.

Despite being a partner in Maharashtra and at the Centre, Sena has aired critical views on the BJP rule and did not even spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially post-demonetisation.

Observers feel, in the process, Sena's move could change political equations in the state but much will depend how well it performs in the civic polls, especially in prime space Mumbai.

According to them, the unfolding scenario could also have an impact in rural areas.

A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said, "The decision of Sena not to have an alliance with BJP will expose the covert understanding between the NCP and BJP."

In ten city corporation areas, the fight will be between the Sena and BJP, vying for the first two spots, pushing Congress and NCP far behind.

Sena leader Neelam Gorhe told PTI that Sena-BJP have not always had alliances for civic and local bodies polls.

"Uddhavji's decision not to have an alliance for the civic and local body polls is expected to result in a gain of 20 to 25 per cent in number of seats for our party. It gives

Shiv Sainiks space to strengthen their base down the Panchayat samiti level," she said.

According to reports, Fadnavis and a section of the BJP were keen on an alliance with the Sena to avoid division of votes.

"Municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads are the main revenue generating local bodies with Central funding. If Sena wins, it would be politically damaging for the BJP. If BJP fails to win Mumbai, it would send a message nationwide," observers said.

Anant Gadgil, Congress leader told PTI, "Ministers from both parties speak in harsh language against each other. What kind of message is such talk giving to the state. Is this message of stability? Sena should withdraw support to the government and call for fresh elections."
Martyred soldiers wife says she wants her children to follow their fathers footsteps and join Army.

Chasen Lowang Dada, the widow of martyr Hav Hangpan Dada, receives Ashok Chakra from President Pranab Mukherjee during the Republic Day parade on Rajpath in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Under an uncharacteristic overcast sky on Thursday, when President Pranab Mukherjee handed over the Ashok Chakra, Indias highest peacetime gallantry award, to Chasen Lowangthe widow of Havildar Hangpan Dada of the Assam Regiment at the Republic Day paradethere were tears and dreams in her eyes.

The tears were for her husband who died combating militants in Kashmir while the hopes were fuelled by the desire to see her two children 10-year-old daughter Roukhin Dada and 7-year-old son Sewang Dada follow their fathers footsteps in the Army.

Ms Lowang, a picture of quiet dignity, told agencies: It is such a big award. I am so proud of my husband. I am happy but sad at the same time. Dedicating the award to every soldier who is fighting for the country in harsh conditions, she said: I want them to join the force and become an officer. They should replace their papa in the Army and become a big officer. She reminisced that Dada would encourage his children to join the Army as officers.

On May 26, near Nawgaon (in Kashmirs Kupwara), at the icy heights at 12,500 ft, Havildar Dada after a face-to-face fight with militants shot dead two terrorists in close combat, killed another one in hand-to-hand combat before taking in a hail of bullets.

His valiant act also resulted in the death of fourth terrorist. Dadas name was announced on Indias 70th Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

On Thursday, President Mukherjee, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, approved two Kirti Chakras and ten Shaurya Chakras for gallant soldiers.

Dadas gritty story is quite similar to Lance Havildar Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar of the Third Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles who lost his life on June 15 in Jammu & Kashmirs Tangdhar battling militants. Magar had already shot dead four terrorists who were on an infiltration bid.

He was also instrumental in killing seven terrorists in two previous operations in the same area. For his act of valour, Lance Havildar Magar has been named for the Kirti Chakra, second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards after the Ashok Chakra. The other Kirti Chakra awardee is Major Rohit Suri of 4 Para who led his Special Forces team during the surgical strikes across the Line of Control on the intervening night of September 28-29.
Rahul also attacked PM Modi, asking him how he could be in an alliance with the Badals if he had declared a war on corruption.

Rahul also stated that the Congress, if it came to power, would be able to ensure that the next CM of Punjab would come from the state itself. (Photo: AP)

Majitha (Punjab): Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday named Punjab party chief Captain Amarinder Singh as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Speaking at a rally in Majitha in the state, Rahul ended speculation over the Congress CM face for Punjab by naming Amarinder Singh.

Claiming that he had been vindicated in his statement made years ago that 70 per cent of the states youth was addicted to drugs, the Congress VP said that the whole state acknowledges this now.

Accusing the Badals of neglecting the plight of farmers in the state, Rahul said the ruling dispensation does not care even to provide water to the farmers. He also alleged that the Badal family had established a monopoly over all industries in Punjab.

Rahul promised to fight a war against drugs if Congress came to power in the state, adding that a new and tough law would be introduced for the purpose.

He also asserted that those who have wounded Punjab would be put in jail.

Invoking Guru Nanak, Rahul claimed the Badals had disrespected his teachings through their selfish behaviour.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi demanded to know of the PM as to how his party the BJP could ally with the Badals, if he had declared a war against corruption.

Rahul also stated that the Congress, if it came to power, would be able to ensure that the next CM of Punjab would come from the state itself.

The Congress VPs rally in Majitha was also attended by Navjot Singh Sidhu, who just joined the party, and Amarinder Singh.
Punjab will vote on February 4 and the counting will take place on March 11.

Chandigarh: Punjab, which is set for an interesting triangular contest between the BJP-SAD combine versus Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, will see all three big faces -- Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal -- address rallies in the state to woo voters on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Jalandhar on Friday to lead the election campaign of the Akali-BJP coalition.

The Congress on the other hand will launch a mega offensive against the Badals in Punjab during the joint public rallies by its vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the same day.

Rahul will arrive in Punjab on a three-day electioneering tour, the highlights of which will be joint public rallies with leaders Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu in Majitha, Jalalabad and Lambi.

Rahul will campaign in Rampura Phul, Talwandi Sabo and Bathinda Urban, besides Majthia on Friday.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal too will be campaigning hard for the state and is expected to address a rally on the same day as his biggest political rivals.

Punjab will vote on February 4 and the counting will take place on March 11.
FARGO -- A Colombian national accused of orchestrating an international drug trafficking operation connected to fentanyl overdose deaths in Grand Forks has been extradited from Panama to North Dakota to face federal charges.

Daniel Vivas Ceron, 36, appeared Thursday in federal court in Fargo to face multiple drug charges, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Christopher Myers.

Vivas Ceron arrived Wednesday in North Dakota from Panama City, where he was arrested July 17 based on a warrant for this case. He did not enter a plea and is being held at the Cass County jail.

The charges are the result of Operation Denial, an international investigation into drugs, specifically fentanyl, that authorities said were being trafficked into North Dakota. The investigation was launched after Bailey Henke, 18, of Grand Forks, died of a fentanyl overdose in early January 2015.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Fargo unsealed an indictment against Vivas Ceron in late July, stating he was the leader of a drug ring authorities say he operated since being incarcerated in a medium-security prison in Quebec.

Prosecutors said he is linked to drug trafficking in North Dakota, Oregon, Florida and elsewhere. This was done through various means, including through multiple telecommunication facilities, to mask the identity of co-conspirators, court documents say.

Court documents also state Vivas Ceron used 20 different aliases or email addresses.

Prosecutors allege traffickers arranged for drugs to be brought from China and Canada to the U.S., and ultimately Portland, Ore., Fargo and Grand Forks, where they were distributed in a mixture including fentanyl. Court documents identify four other victims of the drug ring from Portland only using initials.

Vivas Ceron also faces charges of conspiracy to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues into the United States resulting in serious bodily injury and death, aiding and abetting the distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, money laundering conspiracy and continuing criminal enterprise. He has only been charged in North Dakotas federal district.

At Thursday's hearing, the court determined Vivas Ceron qualified for a court-appointed lawyer. An arraignment and detention hearing are set for Monday.

Including Vivas Ceron, federal charges have been brought against a dozen suspects in the investigation, but he is the first non-U.S. citizen to be indicted in the months-long probe.

Twelve other defendants have been indicted in federal court on multiple charges in connection to Operation Denial:

Jameson Robert Sele, 20, Grand Forks: sentenced to 36 months.

Ryan Jon Jensen, 20, Grand Forks: sentenced to 20 years.

David Todd Noye Jr., 18, Grand Forks: sentenced to three years and three months.

Joshua Tyler Fulp, 20, Grand Forks: sentenced to 12 years.

Kain Daniel Schwandt, 19, Grand Forks: sentenced to three years and six months.

Brandon Corde Hubbard, 40, Portland: sentenced to life in prison.

Ronnie Lee Helms, 30, Acworth, Ga.: jury trial set for March 7.

Branden James Foley, 28, Olympia, Wash.: sentenced to 30 months in prison.

In the District of Oregon, Steven Fairbanks Locke, Channing Lacey and Carissa Marie Laprall also face charges connected to Operation Denial. Their trials are pending.
The NSG was raised in 1984, following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, for combating terrorist activities.

A National Security Guard (NSG) commando on Rajpath during the 68th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The marching contingent of National Security Guard (NSG) was among the impressive debutants at the Republic Day parade on Thursday.

Dressed in all black, a contingent of about 140 personnel dashed sheen to the parade. The march past by the elite counter-terror force displayed Sherpa  a specially designed hijack intervention vehicle  and two gypsies used for anti-hijack operations.

The black cat commandos received a rapturous round of applause from the spectators as they marched down Rajpath singing the NSG song Hum Haina Haina Na Hindustan, penned by poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.

The NSG was raised in 1984, following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, for combating terrorist activities.

Ever since its inception, the NSG has carried out 115 counter-terror operations, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the recent attack on the Air Force station, Pathankot.

On Thursday, the UAE became the second country after France to send its military contingent to participate in the Republic Day parade of India.

The 149-member UAE contingent on Rajpath was another highlight of the day.

Crown prince of the Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the Chief Guest at the dazzling 68th Republic Day celebrations in the national capital.

Also for the first time, the parade saw the fly-past of three LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas Aircraft flying at a height of 300 meter from the ground in Vic formation.

Tejas is the first advance Fly by Wire (FBW) fighter aircraft designed, developed and manufactured in India. The aircraft has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The blast at Angera in Charaideo was reported to be the most powerful. It created a deep crater.

Guwahati: In what is said to be an attempt to make their presence felt in the region, outlawed Ulfa (I) triggered seven low intensity blasts on Republic Day in upper Assam. The militants also lobbed two grenades in poll-bound Manipur. There was no casualty reported from either of the blast site.

The Director General of Police, Mukesh Shahay, told reporters, We have received reports of seven low-intensity blasts. There were no casualty in the incidents.

Police said that three blasts were reported from Charaideo district, two from Sivasagar district and one each from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, all in eastern Assam. The blast at Angera in Charaideo was reported to be the most powerful. It created a deep crater.

In Dibrugarh town, the blast took place just 500 metres away from Chowkidingi Parade ground where the national flag was being unfurled at an official function. Due to high security in the area, the militants threw the bomb into a drain where it exploded, police said.

The twin blasts in Manipur were reported from Imphal East district  one in Mantripukhri and another near Manipur College. No casualties were reported from Manipur also.

The Northeast insurgent groups had given a joint call to boycott the Republic Day celebration. However, it failed to make an impact.
The matter was referred by the PMO to the CBI complaining that 'Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission', is cheating people.

New Delhi: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case into an alleged attempt to con people by Uttar Pradesh-based individuals who created a website named "Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission" to mint money from gullible applicants.

A case has been registered against Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh, both residents of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly creating a website to make money in guise of giving admission and distributing franchise, CBI sources said.

The matter was referred by the Prime Minister's Office to the CBI complaining the fraudulent institute, Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission, is cheating people by using the name of the Prime Minister.

Claims allegedly made in the website www.nmcsm.in that it is an autonomous organisation, a corporate entity with registered office in Delhi and having accreditation of DOEACC society are false, the sources said.

However, the website is not using the photograph of the Prime Minister and clearly states not to pay in cash.

"The aforesaid fraudulent act on part of Atul Kumar, Jagmohan Singh and other unknown persons with ulterior motive to extract money from innocent public at large for their personal gains by misusing the name of the Prime Minister of India, prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) IPC and under 66D of the Information Technology Act," the complaint said.

It alleged that this was an online fraud and the aspect of acceptance of money by way of demand draft needs to be thoroughly investigated to unearth the criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused.

"CBI has registered a case against two private persons. The allegations pertain to misuse the name of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in order to cheat and defraud general public at large for giving franchise of Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission (NMCSM).

"Earlier, a preliminary enquiry on a complaint regarding creation of said website was registered," CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said.
Efforts to give religious colour to political issues condemned.

New Delhi: In a veiled attack on Pakistan and in a strong message to it, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)  in a joint statement  condemned efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, sustain and sponsor terrorism against other countries.

The two countries further deplored efforts by countries to give religious and sectarian colour to political issues, and pointed out the responsibility of all states to control the activities of the so-called non-state actors.

The joint statement was issued during the visit of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces to India.

It may be recalled that in a terror attack suspected to have been carried out by Pakistan-backed Afghan Taliban, several UAE nationals had died, with serious injuries suffered by the UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan too, resulting from a bomb blast that took place at a guesthouse in the Afghan city of Kandahar on January 10 during a meeting between senior Afghan officials and UAE diplomats.

The joint statement said, The Indian side expressed deep appreciation for the solidarity expressed by the UAE on the terrorist attacks on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in January 2016 and on the Army headquarters in Uri in September 2016. The two leaders (PM Narendra Modi and Sheikh Al Nahyan) strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Kabul and Kandahar on January 10, 2017, and underscored the need to bring the perpetrators of these dastardly and cowardly acts to justice. PM Modi conveyed his heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives of the UAE and Afghan nationals in these attacks. He wished speedy recovery to the UAE diplomats injured in the attacks.

It further said, The two leaders acknowledged the common threat posed by terrorism to peace and security. They reiterated their strong condemnation of and resolute opposition to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, and declared that there could be no justification for terrorism anywhere. The two sides condemned efforts, including by States, to use religion to justify, sustain and sponsor terrorism against other countries. They further deplored efforts by countries to give religious and sectarian colour to political issues, and pointed out the responsibility of all States to control the activities of the so-called non-state actors.

It added, The two leaders articulated their clear and unequivocal resolve to cooperate on counter-terrorism by adopting a policy of zero tolerance towards the menace of terrorism. Satisfied at the growing bilateral collaboration on counterterrorism, information sharing and capacity-building, they expressed confidence that these efforts would contribute to regional and global peace and security. The two sides agreed to coordinate efforts to counter radicalisation and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred and perpetrating acts of terrorism. They emphasised the need to facilitate regular exchanges of religious scholars and intellectuals and to organise conferences and seminars to promote the values of peace, tolerance, inclusiveness and welfare that are inherent in all religions.

It also said, Both leaders emphasised the importance of promoting a culture of inclusiveness, openness and tolerance within and among societies and agreed to work together closely to confront the global ills of extremism, terrorism and religious intolerance. They reiterated that the Indian and the UAE experiences in building inclusive societies should continue to be promoted as effective models in countering extremism and radicalism. Both sides noted the importance of efforts to disrupt terrorist networks, their financing and movement, in accordance with the relevant principles and purposes of the UN charter and international laws. The two sides deplored the use of double standards in addressing the menace of international terrorism...

In order to develop a medium and long term strategy for increasing bilateral trade by 60 percent over the next five years, as agreed during PM Modis visit to the UAE in August 2015, the two sides decided to conduct required studies to come up with action plans by June 2017, the two countries said. The two leaders underlined that over 1,050 flights per week between India and the UAE are indicative of vibrant people to people linkages. Recognising the need to further expand and develop cooperation in the civil aviation sector, the two sides agreed to convene consultations between their respective civil aviation authorities in the first half of 2017 to discuss key areas of mutual interest. Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed welcomed PM Modis proposal to develop cruise tourism between the two countries. The two sides agreed to explore the feasibility on the cruise routes between India and the UAE and to prepare an action plan and detailed road map for the development of cruise shipping, the joint statement mentioned.
The move came after a series of videos were posted online by security force personnel regarding 'poor conditions'.

New Delhi: The Indian Army has set up a Whatsapp number for its soldiers to post their problems directly to Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat instead of going to social media directly.

The move came after a series of videos were posted online by personnel from the army, IAF and central police forces regarding 'poor conditions' that they work under.

The WhatsApp number to register complaints is -? +919643300008.

Officials said that that there is an existing system of grievance redressal within the army which is prompt. "But in case a soldier has exhausted all grievance redressal forums and is still not happy, he may contact the Army Chief's office through the new number," an official said.

However, many in the army are apprehensive about this move as they say that it will be impossible to keep out any unwarranted messages that can come on WhatsApp.

Since it is a common WhatsApp number, it will not be just the 1.3 million-strong Indian Army personnel who can send messages to the number but also anyone in the world.

And also, there will be no check on what kind of text, video or link will be sent to the number.
While seven personnel were rescued alive by the teams, bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered on Thursday.

Two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector on Wednesday evening trapping several soldiers under the debris. (Photo: Representational Image)

Srinagar: Bodies of four missing soldiers were on Friday recovered from avalanche-hit Gurez sector, taking the death toll in the incident to 14, police said in Srinagar.

"Four bodies of soldiers were recovered from the avalanche site by rescue teams in Gurez today. The death toll of army personnel has now risen to 14," a police official said.

Two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector on Wednesday evening trapping several soldiers under the debris. While seven personnel were rescued alive by the teams, bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old man died after he came under an avalanche in Uri sector of Baramulla district.

Fateh Mohammad Mughal ventured out of his home last evening when he came under an avalanche.

Local residents and police pulled Mughal out of the avalanche debris and removed him to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

More than 20 persons, including 15 army personnel, have died in avalanches since Wednesday caused by fresh snowfall across Kashmir over the past four days.

Authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir Valley in view of fresh snowfall.
Biometric facility will be must to mark attendance.

Proposed in 2009, the biometric system which got stuck in bureaucracy has finally been revived and will be launched soon.

New Delhi: In a move to expose the menace of fake faculty which several medical colleges arrange to pass the Medical Council of India (MCI) inspection and get an approval to run their college, the MCI is all set to launch biometric facility in both government and medical colleges to keep an eye on them. Significantly, the biometric facility will be made mandatory under the minimum standards required to open a medical college.

To ensure that the adequate number of teachers work in colleges, the MCI will have an access to monitor the attendance reports. Proposed in 2009, the biometric attendance system which got stuck in bureaucracy has finally been revived and will be launched soon by Union health minister J.P. Nadda. The move officials say is intended to expose fake faculty that is arranged by some medical colleges to seek MCIs approval to run their college during the MCI inspections.

The biometric based network will allow MCI to check on the faculty members that attend medical colleges. This will tighten the noose and ensure that adequate number of teachers attend colleges, said a senior official in MCI.

The MCI has linked Aadhaar numbers of the faculties to their biometric details. The facility will be launched in a phased wise manner and to start with about a hundred colleges have been chosen where the facility will be started soon.

Significantly, the government is also planning to notify the new system under the minimum standards required to open a new medical college. The gazette notification will be out soon making sure that the medical colleges have the system in place before seeking permission to open a new medical college or seeking permission for enh-ancing seats in the college, added the official.

The idea was conceptualised in 2009 with an aim to control ghost faculty. However, it was dropped as it was considered to be not very feasible. The MCI is all set to revive the project on centralised faculty identification and tracking for all medical colleges in the country. The project aims at maintaining a database of faculty and the time spent on taking classes. All medical colleges, including the private ones, have been informed about the scheme. We used to receive complaints about the colleges that they did not have the stipulated number of faculty, but would arrange teachers during inspections. The new system will end this practice, added another official.
Alexander Kadakin was fluent in Hindi, backed surgical hits across LoC.

New Delhi: Long-serving Russian ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin passed away on Thursday following a heart attack after a brief illness. He was 67. Fluent in Hindi, Kadakin was the most experienced India-hand and had been ambassador in New Delhi since November 2009. New Delhi said it had lost a dear friend who nurtured the Indo-Russian relationship for many decades. PM Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened at Kadakins death.

Never afraid to speak his mind, Kadakin had recently waded into controversy after complaining about the inadequate cash withdrawal limits for embassies by the Indian government after demonetisation. But Kadakin also earned the gratitude of India after he supported the Armys surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) a few months ago.

With deep regret and profound sorrow the embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India informs that Alexander Kadakin, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India, passed away on January 26 in one of New Delhi central hospitals after a brief illness. He held the position of the Head of the Russian diplomatic mission in New Delhi from November 2009. Starting from 1971 the entire diplomatic career of Alexander Kadakin was closely associated with promoting Russian-Indian relations, the Russian embassy said.

Mr Modi tweeted, Deeply saddened at the passing away of ambassador Alexander Kadakin. He was an admirable diplomat, a great friend of India & a fluent Hindi speaker who tirelessly contributed to stronger India-Russia ties.

MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, India loses a dear friend ... #RIPAmbassadorAlexander Kadakin, Russian Ambassador to India since 2009 who passed away early today morning. He added, In Ambassador Kadakin we lost a valued friend who nurtured #IndiaRussia relationship for many decades as distinguished Russian diplomat.

Kadakin had served as the Russian envoy to India between 1999 and 2004 as well. Kadakin was born in Chisnau in then USSR in 1949. He graduated with honours from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1972. He began his diplomatic career as a third secretary at the Russian Embassy in India in 1972.

Kadakin had recently waded into controversy after reportedly grumbling that the Indian governments restrictions on cash-withdrawals by embassies will not be enough (even) to pay for a decent dinner in a restaurant, not to mention functioning of such a big embassy.

The Russian protest had come as a huge embarrassment to the government on account of demonetisation. Kadakin had written to the Indian government saying the Russian embassys normal functioning was getting impacted with the inadequate amount limit of `50,000 per week. His letter had reportedly stated, Such an amount is totally inadequate as regards the embassys salary and operational expenditure requirements ... Please just imagine if we in Moscow mirror this order of SBI (State Bank of India) when 50,000 roubles will not be enough to pay for a decent dinner in a restaurant, not to mention functioning of such a big embassy as ours in New Delhi or Indias in Moscow.

But at the same time, Kadakin also fiercely backed India over the surgical strikes. Greatest human rights violations take place when terrorists attack military installations and attack peaceful civilians in India. We welcome the surgical strike. Every country has right to defend itself, he was quoted as saying a few months ago. He also assured India that it does not need to worry about Russia-Pakistan joint military exercises, saying it did not take place in Pakistan-Occupied Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari formally joined BSP to contest polls.

New Delhi: The Congress Party on Friday questioned Mayawati on the clean image the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo is trying to project, after gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari joined her party to fight the Uttar Pradesh elections.

"This is election time. The BSP has been talking about clean politics without gunda politics involved. Now I think this time that Behenji answers these questions how is Ansari so relevant in a clean image that she is trying to project? This is a tough question that the BSP will have to answer in the context of the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said.

Four-time MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is currently lodged in Lucknow jail, will contest from the Mau assembly constituency on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket in next month's polls.

This was confirmed by Mayawati, who said that Mukhtar is being taken back in the party as the allegations against him have not been proved yet.

The gangster-turned-politician's son Abbas and brother Sibgatulla have also joined the party and they will be contesting the elections from Ghosi and Mohammadabad assembly constituencies respectively.

Mukhtar had earlier won a seat from Mau in 1996 on a BSP ticket.

Quami Ekta Dal, formed by Ansari and his brothers in 2010, merged with the Samajwadi Party (SP) last year which was opposed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The merger was expected to be discontinued with Akhilesh becoming national president, which was confirmed once the party announced its party candidate from Mau seat.
The PM said his government was fighting against corruption, and urged the nation to support his battle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal waves at crowd at the Vijay Sankalp Yatra rally for Punjab Assembly elections in Jalandhar. (Photo: PTI)

Chandigarh/Jalandhar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress of political opportunism, and said the party was a thing of the past which the people of Punjab must not trust. The party is a sinking ship, unable to take people anywhere, the PM said while addressing a rally in poll-bound Punjabs Jalandhar.

He attacked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who has been raking up the issue of drugs in Punjab, and said, Some people are taking politics to a new low by tarnishing the image of the youth of Punjab.

He said such statements had tarnished the pride of Punjabis, and that the Assembly polls in the state were the best way to respond to them. Punjab goes to polls on February 4. Results would be announced on March 11.

The PM also batted for state chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, saying he has worked for Punjabs people. The only thing that matters to him is Punjabs poor and farmers, the PM said. A SAD-BJP combine has been in power in Punjab for the last 10 years.

The PM said his government was fighting against corruption, and urged the nation to support his battle.

Our government is fighting corruption, and has taken strong measures to tackle it, he said. Some are feeling its heat, he said.

Mr Modi said waters from the Indus which flow into Pakistan as waste would be brought to Punjab.
Former Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley joked on social media about filling his time with errands and to-do lists after he left office last month, but he didnt stay out of work for long.

Wrigley now works as an adviser for Sanford Health in Bismarck, a job he started on Jan. 3.

It was settled before I left office but I just wasnt talking about it at all, Wrigley said in an interview Wednesday.

Wrigley worked in the health insurance industry as vice president for Noridian Administrative Services before he was appointed lieutenant governor in December 2010. Wrigley and Gov. Jack Dalrymple were elected to a four-year term in 2012, which ended on Dec. 14.

As the end of his term was approaching, Wrigley, also a former North Dakota U.S. attorney, said he was approached about different opportunities, including law firms.

Wrigley, 51, said he was excited to join Sanford Health because it provides him the opportunity to be part of an organization thats affecting peoples lives and making positive changes for the community.

Theyre focused on research, patient-oriented outcomes and committed to promoting public policy and public health in ways that make a difference, Wrigley said. Thats pretty exciting.

Wrigley, whose title is senior issues management adviser, will assist with communications across the state of North Dakota and advise public policy, community relations and other issues. He will not work as a lobbyist.

I would call it sort of corporate visioning for whats up ahead, Wrigley said.

Cindy Morrison, an executive vice president for Sanford Health, said Wrigley brings a unique perspective with his experience in the public and private sectors and legal background.

We think Drew can have an immediate impact on the projects Sanford is exploring across the entire state of North Dakota, Morrison said in a statement.
Blackbucks are an endangered species and are protected under Indian wildlife law.

Bollywood Actor Salman Khan comes out of CJM Court after a hearing in connection with 1998 Blackbuck poaching case, in Jodhpur. (Photo: PTI)

Jaipur: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan told a Jodhpur court on Friday that he has been falsely accused of killing two blackbucks during the shooting of a movie in 1998 in the Rajasthan district.

The next hearing is on February 15 when the defence will present its case. Blackbucks are an endangered species and are protected under Indian wildlife law.

Actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam are co-accused in the case. They and Dushyant Singh, a local accused of helping them in the hunt, were also present in the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) to record statements. Another local, Ganware, has been on the run.

The court asked Salman 65 questions about the charges framed, but he pleaded innocent. The others also said they were innocent.

I am innocent and falsely implicated by the forest department for the sake of publicity, the actor reportedly said in his statement. Only the first forensic report saying that the animals died of natural causes was true, and the rest of the evidence is false, he said.

Salman is the main accused in the case, while the others are co-accused for allegedly instigating the actor.

CJM Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit who had acquitted the 51-year-old actor in a related case of firearms asked, You claim innocence, but you were seen by two people who said they saw you shoot the blackbucks.

Standing between his lawyers from Mumbai and others, the actor once again answered in one word, Galat.

According to reports, when the court said that his jeep was found with bloodstains and hair of the blackbucks, the superstar again replied in just one word false. You went shooting at night? the court asked. False, he said, adding that he didnt step out of his hotel.

Earlier, Salman said he was an Indian, in reply to a question about his religion. During the hearing of the arms Act case in 2016, the actor had given a similar reply. I am Salman Khan and I am an Indian, he had said when asked about his name and caste.

Saif, Sonali, Tabu and Neelam were asked 61 questions. The court completed recording the statement of all the actors.

The next hearing is on February 15, Salmans lawyer Hastimal Saraswat said. The defence will present its case that day.

Salman had arrived with fellow stars on Thursday following a court order. He spent close to one hour in the court and left immediately after his statement was recorded.

There were three cases of poaching and one case of the Arms Act against him. He has already been acquitted in two poaching cases by the high court against which the state government has moved the Supreme Court. On January 18, the same court before which he appeared on Friday had acquitted him in the firearms case.
The first leg of the Budget Session begins on January 31 and goes for a break on February 9.

New Delhi: With the effects of the Centres move to demonetise old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes dying down, Opposition parties are now focusing on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to corner the government in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament. The campaign against the UCC is also likely to help the concept of a secular front against the Narendra Modi-led government, especially with Assembly elections coming up in five states, including the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

The first salvo has been fired by JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has written to the law commission twice, including on Wednesday, cautioning against the attempt to impose to a UCC without the concurrence of various religious groups, especially minorities. Mr Kumar said in the letter that it was not a political instrumentality to be hurriedly imposed. The letter goes on to say that the imposition of UCC must be based on a broad consensus in its favour and not be imposed by a fiat.

Sources in the JD(U) said that they have approached other like-minded parties, like the Trinamool Congress and the Left.

The parties are also in touch with the Congress to bolster the secular Opposition space.

The UCC has been a polarising political issue in India as it seeks to replace separate personal laws of different religious communities in the country.

The last session of Parliament had been virtually washed off by protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation drive. Almost all Opposition parties had come together to vehemently denounce the exercise.

The first leg of the Budget Session begins on January 31 and goes for a break on February 9.

The law commission released a questionnaire in 2016 in which citizens had been invited to give their opinions on the UCC. The questions covered a broad range of subjects such as marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance, among others.

The law panel has undertaken this exercise in order to revise and reform family laws under Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, which reads as follows, The state shall endeavour to provide for its citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.
Defence ministry report calls for steps to check spiralling losses.

A high-ankle boot that can be bought for Rs 1,090 is sold to the Army for Rs 2,900.

New Delhi: The Army is buying jerseys, boots and other such items for its soldiers from state-owned ordnance factories at rates much higher than market ones, leading to a huge loss to the exchequer, an internal defence ministry report says. The report suggests the entry of private companies and competitive pricing to fix the problem.

The revelation comes amid a worrying string of videos put out on social media by jawans to highlight the poor quality and quantity of items supplied to them.

Sample these: the Army is spending 175 per cent more for a woolen jersey, buying it for Rs 1,900 against its market rate of Rs 690.

A high-ankle boot that can be bought for Rs 1,090 is sold to the Army for Rs 2,900 (inflated by 166 per cent).

Even the humble mosquito net with its market rate of Rs 388 comes at Rs 780 for the soldiers (up by 101 per cent). Clearly, much of what is spent is going waste, indicating an easy solution for the jawans problems may well lies in the Armys accounts books.

With the Armys annual requirement being 4.44 lakh woolen jerseys and 6.72 lakh pairs of high-ankle boots, the avoidable loss to the exchequer for woolen jerseys would be Rs 53.72 crore, while it works out to Rs 121.6 crore for the boots.

Based on the agreed levels of annual demands, five ordnance factories supply the Armys clothing requirements. While the bulk of tents, boots, mosquito nets, sleeping bags, mattresses, ground sheets, parachutes, tents and poncho glaciers comes from Kanpur, the others factories are in Shahjahanpur (for shirts, trousers, jersey, coats, caps and socks), Avadi (for trousers, jacket, parachutes, shorts, overalls), and at Hazratpur (for trousers, coats and bag kits).

The findings point out at a pricing policy of the OFBs (ordnance factory boards) that aim at recovering the entire cost of production in respect of items issued to the services.

Slamming the pricing policy, a document  part of a 2016 internal defence ministry report  says: The endemic slippages are a cause for serious concern to the Army...Absence of a sound pricing policy formula and non-adherence to uniform pricing policy in their various factories lead to inflated fixation of prices by the OFB. Hence the cost of DGOF (directorate-general ordnance factories) products is far higher than the cost of the same item in trade.

Suggesting the entry of private companies, the documents point out: Their (OFBs) pricing should be competitive with the market and realistic. (They) should compete in the tendering process with private competitors.

The provisioning route is itself a very long one. In 2015-16, the total number of steps involved in provisioning by the depot till placement of supply order to the vendor was 36, leading to a total running time of 313 days.
Congress is in no mood to give up its claim over all the ten seats in Amethi-Rae Bareli which is the parliamentary turf of Sonia and Rahul.

Sources said Congress was perturbed as none of the five candidates declared by its alliance partner earlier has been withdrawn by Samajwadi Party. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Congress and Samajwadi Party are haggling over seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli, the parliamentary turf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.

Congress, which managed to get 105 of the 403 seats under the seat-sharing deal with the SP after hard negotiations, is in no mood to give up its claim over all the ten seats in Amethi-Rae Bareli.

Sources said the party was perturbed as none of the five candidates declared by its alliance partner earlier has been withdrawn by SP.

"SP had announced five candidates in these parliamentary constituencies before the alliance was sealed but since then no name has been withdrawn and local Congress leaders are especially perturbed over the issue," a senior Congress leader said here.

Though both the sides are more or less agreeable to a broad understanding that Congress will get 6 and SP 4, local leaders and workers are not ready to give up either Amethi or Gauriganj Assembly seats from where SP have already announced its candidates, he said.

Congress, which is looking for a major share, also wants freedom to choose its nominees rather than blindly following the "sitting-getting" formula.

"Giving tickets only on the basis of previous performance will only benefit rivals and we cannot afford to see reverses for failure to forsee them," he said.

Without assessing the situation and winnability of each candidate before fielding them would be like helping BSP, he said, citing the example of Sareni in Rae Bareli.

SP has given ticket to its sitting MLA in Sareni but situation there has undergone a major change since 2012 and now even their supporters are against them, he said, apprehending that the seat could go to BSP in case the same candidate is repeated.

It is essential that both the alliance partners work towards assessing each others' strong and weak points seat-wise or else it will cause more harm than benefit to the ideals for which both the parties have come together, he said.

The leaders and ticket aspirants in Amethi and Rae Bareli have already vented their displeasure over Congress being made to play second fiddle and have also aired their strong views publicly.

They are now awaiting the party high command's directives, the Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

"Negotiations are on at the highest level as per our information, with Priyanka Gandhi taking up our case with the SP leadership and we are hopeful of a favourable outcome," he said.

Besides, there is confusion in the alliance over some seats in Lucknow and some other constituencies like Saharanpur and Congress leaders are waiting for some clarity on them before they embark on electioneering, he said.

When contacted, Congress spokesman and UPCC general secretary Maroof Khan said his party has compromised on several points and on several seats but Amethi and Rae Bareli are the traditional Congress strongholds and partymen have worked hard in these constituencies over the years.

"Just as the Congress is not making any unjustified demand on seats in the areas of influence of SP, the honour and dignity of the party should also be upheld especially in areas which have great importance for us," he said.

SP holds eight of the 10 seats on Gandhi turf and has to drop sitting MLAs in favour of Congress.

Since Amethi and Rae Bareli go to polls in the 4th and 5th phase, it might take some more time for the two parties to resolve the matter.
Gandhi began his three-day election tour to the poll-bound state by addressing his first public meeting.

Chandigarh/Majitha: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi announced on Friday that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh would be the partys CM choice in the Assembly polls, and launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for supporting the corrupt Shiromani Akali Dal, also responsible for the states drug menace.

PM Modi claims that he is fighting corruption. How can he then support Akali Dal? Guru Nanak said everything is yours, (but) Akali Dal says everything is mine, Mr Gandhi said.

Taking the Congress battle against the Akali leadership into its bastion of Majitha, he promised a farm loan waiver and a tough anti-drug law. He said that the Badals had pushed the state into total destruction and devastation, and it could not be restored to its old glory in a couple of days.

With the blood and sweat of Captain Amarinder and the people of Punjab, backed by the rest of the party leadership it can be done, he said.

The ruling SAD and the AAP have been mocking the Congress, asking why the party was not declaring Amarinder Singh as its chief ministerial candidate for the February 4 Assembly polls.

Mr Gandhi began his three-day election tour to the poll-bound state by addressing his first public meeting.

Punjab will be run by its people. I want to tell you that Punjabs chief minister will be from Punjab and Punjabs chief minister is sitting here. Amarinder Singh is the chief ministerial candidate and he will be Punjabs chief minister, he said, prompting leaders to congratulate Amarinder Singh on the dais.

The Nehru-Gandhi scion said Punjab will not be run by a remote control as it does not need one, taking a veiled dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, and accusing him of wanting to become Delhi and Punjab chief minister at the same time.

He made a scathing attack on the ruling Badals, accusing them of ruining Punjab and PM Modi of siding with them while talking of eradicating graft.

In an apparent reference to growing incidents of sacrilege in Punjab, Mr Gandhi claimed that on the one hand, PM Modi was proclaiming himself to be against communalism of any kind and on the other, he is backing a party that is creating communal polarisation in Punjab.
Nikhil from Maharashtra and Slovakian national Eunika met in Kovalam and got married four metres under water.

Kovalam: A wedding is one of the most memorable event in any couple's life and when the celebration has to be a very special one if the couple have come together despite being from different parts of the world.

For Nikhil Pawar from Maharashtra and Eunika Pogran from Slovakia, it became a significant day as they literally took a plunge into married life by getting married under the Arabian Sea near Kovalam in Kerala.

(Photo: YouTube)

Nikhil is a diving instructor in Kovalam and met Eunika there, and the idea to have an underwater marriage came naturally to him. Nikhils friend stepped in as the minister as the wedding was carried out as per Christian rituals.

(Photo: YouTube)

(Photo: YouTube)

The wedding lasting one and a half hours was organised by Bond Ocean Safari, where Nikhil works as an instructor, and is the first underwater wedding held in the sea.

(Photo: YouTube)

(Photo: YouTube)

The bride and groom took their vows by holding up placards and when the minister held up a placard reading you may kiss the bride the couple removed mouthpieces and kissed underwater. Nikhil also proposed to Eunika under water on a routine dive by hiding a placard that read, Will you marry me?.

(Photo: YouTube)

The couple underwent two days of training for the wedding and the party was held on a wooden platform above the surface.
The accused allegedly robbed a delivery boy of an expensive phone in northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar area.

The victim told police that when he went to the deliver the order two people thrashed him and snatched the packets. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: Four Delhi University students, who wanted to live a "lavish" lifestyle, have been arrested for allegedly robbing a delivery boy of an expensive phone in northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar area, police said on Friday.

The four accused were students of BSc and BA courses at the same college and became friends a few months ago, police said.

The victim, Selvin, told the police that the accused had ordered a phone worth Rs 26,000 and when he reached to deliver the order on the mentioned address, two people took him to an abandoned plot nearby, saying they were friends of the person who had placed the order and were taking him to the customer.

Selvin, who had grown suspicious by then, noted the number of their bike as he went with them. After reaching the spot, they thrashed him and snatched the packets he was carrying for delivery, police said.

An FIR was registered and the accused, who were aspiring to have a "lavish" lifestyle, were later identified and arrested, police said.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal becoming an expert salesman, says Tiwari

New Delhi: The Delhi BJP on Friday hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by describing the partys manifesto for the Assembly elections in Punjab a cut-paste job.

The party also accused the AAP government of failing to deliver on its promises it had made during the Delhi elections in 2015.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said the AAP manifesto for Punjab, polls reminded him of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals promises he had made during the 2015 elections in Delhi.

The Punjab manifesto has many items, which are lifted from the manifesto for Delhi elections in 2015. The party incorporated those items in its manifesto for the Punjab polls. I believe, however, that people in Punjab have seen what the AAP has done in the capital, said Mr Tiwari.

Mr Tiwari claimed that the party has failed to deliver on its promises such as installation of CCTV cameras, employment for youth, recruitment of teachers and regularisation of guest teachers, Aam Aadmi canteen, accommodation to homeless and health and social security in the Capital.

There is a proverb, once a traitor, always a traitor, but the chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal is becoming an expert salesman in selling false promises everywhere, added Mr Tiwari.

The Yuva Morcha activists of Delhi BJP, meanwhile, are campaigning in Punjab to expose the AAP government and Mr Kejriwal. They will make voters in the state aware on the election manifesto of the AAP.

Gearing up for coming municipal elections, the party also held a conference of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at its headquarters.

The OBCs have greatly contributed to the development of the country. They have played a great role in the development of basic amenities in the rural and urban sector of the country. BJP will ensure that the government assists them in education, added Mr Tiwari.
The victim filed a complaint with the police, following which an FIR was registered in the case.

During the meetings with the victim, Rampal Singh told the victim that he knew the governor very well. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: In yet another case of duping against foreign nationals in the capital, a Thailand national was allegedly duped of Rs 70 lakh approximately in the city.

The victim filed a complaint with the police, following which an FIR was registered in the case. Suthisa Korthamm-arungsee (30), a Thailand national runs a family business of farming in Bangkok. She was allegedly duped by four persons  Rajpal Singh, Manvinder Kaur, Kamaljeet Kaur and Hira Singh.

She first met conman Mr Rajpal Singh and Kamaljeet Kaur in 2011 through her daughter Manvinder Kaur, who was victims neighbour in Bangkok. Mr Rajpal and his family had introduced themselves to the victim as the people closer to top politicians in the country.

The accused successfully convinced the victim to invest into property in Delhi, and had, after some meetings, told Ms Suthisa to come to Delhi. They told the victim that they can help her earn her quick bucks, and also assured her a DDA flat in return.

When Mr Rajpal Singh returned to India, he contacted Ms Suthisa again and insisted her to invest in property in Delhi. He even offered her air tickets for coming to India.

Ms Suthisa told the police in her complaint that she met Mr Rajpal at the governors suite at Himachal Sadan in Delhi in March 2011. The accused also booked the governor suite for her. During the meetings with the victim, Mr Rampal Singh told the victim that he knew the governor very well.

The victim told the police that Mr Rajpal Singh told her that he would arrange a flat worth Rs 90 lakh in Rajender Nagar area for her. He convinced Ms Suthisa that the money she had invested would help her get the flat at a reasonable rate in the next two to three years. Later, she was told to give the money to Manvinder Kaur in Bangkok.

The victim paid around Rs 27 lakh in installments. In 2013, Mr Rajpal Singh again visited Bangkok and met the victim in a hotel and asked her to pay Rs 27 lakh more for the flat. She paid the money to him and his son Hira Singh.

Upon reaching Delhi again after making payments, the victim learnt that she was cheated by the family. Mr Rampal also threatened to kill her.

She told this newspaper that the accused and his family were involved in several cases of fraud.
According to the NPCB, an estimated 1.2 lakh people live with corneal blindness in India.

Mumbai: A 55-year-old man regained his vision after 37 years, along with his sister, after a corneal surgery was performed on them at state-run JJ Hospital. The siblings had both lost their vision to hereditary corneal blindness, which requires corneal donations. The dean of the hospital, Dr T.P. Lahane and head of the ophthalmic department Dr. Ragini Parekh, conducted the surgeries.

While talking to The Asian Age, the patient, Promod Jagkar, who lost his vision when he was eighteen years old, said, I was in college when I started suffering from poor vision and I couldnt see what the teacher was writing on the board. Doctors convinced me that I wouldnt see again. After a few years my blurred vision gave way to complete blindness, and I got a PCO stall from the government, which was my bread and butter, he said. After experiencing intense pain, Mr Jagkar visited the hospital for a corneal operation in December where he was examined. In January, Mr Jagkar and his sister were operated upon and their vision was subsequently restored.

Speaking about the case, Dr Lahane said, He was suffering from corneal blindness, a visual impairment that occurs from the cornea becoming clouded and scarred infection that ultimately affects the transparency of the cornea, making a person blind. It encompasses a range of eye diseases, injuries or infections that damages corneal tissues, leading to permanent blindness.

After the operation, Mr Jagkar was besides himself with joy, and mentioned that he could now see everything clearly, including his childrens faces. According to the National Programme for Control of Blindness, an estimated 1.2 lakh people live with corneal blindness in India.
Many people complain about the poor quality of Americas public schools. But Bob Luddy did something about it.

Tired of trying to convince North Carolina bureaucrats to improve the states public schools, Luddy built his own network of low-cost private schools that the government cant meddle with.
The actress is unhappy because of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ban on immigrants from Muslim nations.

Taraneh Alidoosti's 'The Salesman' was also screened at the Cannes film festival last year. (Photo: AP)

The star of Iran's Oscar-nominated movie 'The Salesman' said on Thursday she would not attend the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood next month because of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ban on immigrants from Muslim nations.

Taraneh Alidoosti, 33, a Tehran-born actress, said the move was racist.

"Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest," Alidoosti said on Twitter.

An executive order expected to be signed by Trump in coming days will block the entry to the United States of Syrian refugees, and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen.

In 'The Salesman,' Alidoosti plays one half of an Iranian couple whose life becomes strained as they take part in a production of the American stage classic 'Death of a Salesman.'

The film, by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, was nominated on Tuesday for a foreign-language Oscar, and has won prizes at film festivals in Cannes, Chicago and Munich.

Alidoosti has also appeared in the popular Iranian TV soap opera 'Shahrzad.'
The finance minister stands at the crossroads and this Budget has the potential to make or break his legacy.

In the run-up to the Union Budget, finance minister Arun Jaitley has struck all the right chords. He has recognised the need for lowering taxes, expanding the tax base and seamless implementation of Goods and Services Tax. In sum, he has argued vigorously for raising the level of competitiveness in the economy.

Getting clarity of the objective is work half done, what is now left is implementation. For example, two major competition reforms are in the process: the GST to create a seamless internal market and the Insolvency Board to overcome an exit barrier. Furthermore, Mr Jaitley has two broad options to improve competitiveness. The first, and the easier one, is to provide short and medium term sops and incentives for attracting industries in key sectors. The demonetisation debacle, resulting in decline in manufacturing, consumption and private investment has perfectly set the stage for such short-term measure.

The second, and more difficult option is a comprehensive review of prevailing bottlenecks to competitiveness in the economy. This involves setting in motion a process of cross-sectoral reform to identify policy and practice distortions to competitiveness, and designing appropriate policy and regulatory responses to address the situation. To ensure that reforms sustain, building of internal capacity to adopt, implement and supervise such reforms will be crucial. This process will be tiring and results will only be visible in the long term. It will face strong resistance from within the government and might also turn politically unpopular, at times.

While the first option is tempting, Mr Jaitley must not fall for it. However, going with the second option has its own risk. It is here, he can take a leaf out of P.V. Narsimha Raos book, by showcasing the bouquet of reforms as continuity with change, thus presenting them as merely incremental in nature, and nothing alarming or significantly altering the natural way of things.

In doing so, beginning with non-controversial reforms and low hanging fruits will greatly benefit. For instance, the draft national competition policy (NCP) for the country was finalised in November 2011 and is sitting on the website of ministry of corporate affairs since. It has bipartisan support of senior politicians across the political spectrum, and should be fairly easy to adopt, given its non-legislative nature.

In several interactions with the finance minister, my call for adoption of the NCP has been met with the doubt about its utility in the wake of already existing competition legislation. The objective of competition law is to check anti-competitive practices while the NCP will give sanctity to government efforts of scrutinising existing and proposed Central and state-level legislations at the touchstone of competition. At a recent event organised by CUTS with support from the Australian high commission, Rajeev Kher, member, COMPAT and former commerce secretary, called for mainstreaming of competition in our economy.

NCP can ensure this mainstreaming by seeking implementation of pro-competitive policies and regulations in the right spirit thereby contributing positively to the level of competitiveness in an economy. We already have policies in areas like intellectual property, aviation, etc., despite plethora of legislations in these sectors. We are now contemplating one for the steel sector. The idea of a policy is to complement the legislative framework, take a whole-of-government approach, and address bottlenecks which might remain in effective implementation of the policy.

Several jurisdictions have benefited from adopting a national competition policy. These include Australia, Mexico, Denmark, Turkey, Botswana, Malawi, among others, wherein it delivered substantial benefits that have greatly outweighed the costs. A study undertaken by the Australian Productivity Commission expected significant increase in real GDP of nearly 2.5 per cent and consumer welfare as a result of competition reforms.

Another area of reform is public procurement, which accounts for almost 30 per cent of the total GDP worth $536 billion annually. In spite of its huge significance, there is no legislation to regulate public procurement at the Central government level nor there exists a national public procurement policy. The Public Procurement Bill, which was tabled in Parliament in 2012, has since lapsed. This bill should be revived at the earliest to enhance transparency and efficiency in our public procurement system and also to help Indian companies to better access procurement markets in other countries.

The implementation of the bill will benefit from adoption and implementation of a coherent national public procurement policy, which addresses interfaces between public procurement and related macroeconomic policies. These policies should be inclusive, but not limited to trade policy, competition policy, sustainable procurement policy, fiscal policy and the new manufacturing policy, amongst others, in order to allow decision-makers to adapt to changes in specific macroeconomic indicators.

Another fairly non-controversial pro-competitive reform, which would have long-term benefits, is the adoption of regulatory impact assessment (RIA) framework in law making process. RIA enables systematic assessment of costs and benefits of proposed and existing legislations and aids in selection of optimal regulatory alternative, through transparent stakeholder consultation mechanism. It has demonstrated several benefits in other jurisdictions. The one-in, two-out policy in the UK resulted in net reduction of 836 million in costs to the business between 2010 and 2013. The Red Tape Challenge in the UK resulted in 300 million in annual savings to 100,000 small businesses from increased flexibility and audit requirements. Several expert committees have called for adoption of RIA and the Financial Stability and Development Council has also endorsed it.

The finance minister stands at the crossroads and this Budget has the potential to make or break his legacy. He is fully competent and experienced to make the right choice and take the right path to competitiveness. Heres hoping that he will walk the talk.

The author is secretary general of CUTS International. Amol Kulkarni of CUTS contributed to this article.
The meeting will mark Trumps first with a foreign leader since taking power a week ago.

Washington: US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May, who share an unusual bond as the products of anti-establishment uprisings, will sit down on Friday for what could be a difficult search for unity on NATO, Russia and trade.

The meeting will mark Trumps first with a foreign leader since taking power a week ago, and it could go a long way toward determining how crucial Trump considers the traditional special relationship between the two countries.

Trump rode an anti-Washington wave to win on Nov. 8, and May gained power in July after the "Brexit" vote that has put her country on a path to separate from the European Union. The meeting will conclude with a joint White House news conference.

Trump has declared NATO obsolete and expressed a desire for warmer ties with Russia. May considers the trans-Atlantic alliance crucial and is skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They both want to begin work on a bilateral trade agreement, which for May would provide proof of stability amid the Brexit breakup and for Trump would support his belief that he can negotiate one-on-one trade pacts.

"They both need this to be a success," said Heather Conley, a European expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Trump, she said, "needs to demonstrate that he has a command of issues" while May "needs to hear strong messages of support for her vision of a Britain that works for everyone, a global Britain."

May, in a speech to Republican lawmakers gathered in Philadelphia on Thursday, suggested she saw the need for some reforms in NATO and for more countries to pay more to the alliance to help fund it, which has been Trump's main complaint about NATO.

"Americas leadership role in NATO, supported by Britain must be the central element around which the alliance is built," May said.

But she said that EU nations "must step up" to ensure NATO remains the cornerstone of the West's defense.

Trump and May also seem somewhat at odds over how to deal with Russia. In her speech, May said Western leaders should "engage but beware" of Putin and should not accept Putin's claim that Eastern Europe is now in his sphere of influence.Trump, on the other hand, wants a strong U.S. relationship with Russia to fight Islamic State militants.

"I don't know Putin, but if we can get along with Russia, that's a great thing," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity" on Thursday. "It's good for Russia, it's good for us."
Donald Trump, before taking office, threatened to torpedo the still fragile detente between the former Cold War foes.

Havana: Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday said Cuba hoped to continue to normalise relations with the US, but made clear the Trump administration should not expect concessions affecting the countrys sovereignty.

President Donald Trump, before taking office, threatened to torpedo the still fragile detente between the former Cold War foes unless a better deal could be struck, without providing details. His aides have said current policy is under review.

Cuba and the United States can cooperate and live side by side in a civilised manner, respecting our differences and promoting all that is of benefit for both countries and people, Mr Castro said in his governments first remarks since Mr Trump took office.

But it should not hope that to achieve this Cuba will make concessions inherent to its independence and sovereignty, he said, in a speech to a summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders.

Seeking to reverse more than 50 years of US efforts to force Communist-run Cuba to change by isolating it, Mr Obama agreed with Castro in December 2014 to work to normalize relations.
The accused grabbed the victim when she was on her way home and demanded money.

When the victim refused to cooperate with the accused, he dragged her into the bushes and raped her. (Representational Image)

Hackney, London: A man has been charged with four counts of rape after he sexually assaulted a woman on his wedding day.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the accused identified as Derry Flynn McCann was arrested after he attacked a 24-year-old woman at Victoria Park, Hackney in east London.

In her statement to the police, the victim said that the accused grabbed her when she was on her way home and demanded money. When she refused to cooperate, he dragged her into the bushes and raped her.

Investigators also said that the accused had attacked the victim on the same day as his wedding. The accused's heavily pregnant wife declined to comment.

McCann has been remanded in custody and will appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court in Redbridge in London on February 16.
CIA also stated that China could pose a limited air threat to India due to the lack of sufficient air force bases in Himalayas.

Washington: Soon after the month-long Sino-India (Sino-Indian Border Conflict) war ended in November 1962, US intelligence officials feared that Chinese army could launch an attack on India through Nepal Bhutan and Myanmar, a CIA document has revealed.

A report in the Hindustan Times stated that a declassified document posted on US intelligence agency CIA's website said that China was possibly planning on 'giving the Indians another black eye' after the 1962 war.

A series of events, including India's perception about Tibet and a common border between India and China, had caused the great Sino-India war in 1962. After a month-long fight, China declared a unilateral truce and withdrew its troops from Indian territory.

A DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) document titled 'The Chinese Communist ground threat to India' stated that China was capable of attacking India through the border that connects Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan and Assam.

It is estimated that the Chinese could support indefinitely operations in Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan and eastern NEFA, the document revealed.

The document also stated that China could have extended its hold in India by controlling the territory of Leh and seizing the northern side of the Joshimath city in Uttarakhand. China could also take control of Guwahati, but only if it could get a permanent lodgement in the region.

US intelligence agencies also said that China could also have possibly attacked India via Burma through two major routes -- Kunming-Dibrugarh road via Ledo and the Kunming-Tezpur road via Mandalay and Imphal.

Concluding their research, CIA stated that China could pose a limited air threat to India due to the lack of required equipment and most importantly the lack of sufficient air force bases in Himalayas.
Establishment of safe zones for refugees fleeing the fighting in Syria had been considered during the Obama administration.

Washington: US defence chief James Mattis still favours the current rules banning the use of torture in prisoner interrogations, the Pentagon said on Friday, the day after President Donald Trump reaffirmed his belief it absolutely works.

In a written response to questions during his confirmation hearing, Mr Mattis said he supported using the US Army Field Manual, which forbids torture, as the single standard for military interrogations.

That thinking has not changed, Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said.

His commitment to upholding the Geneva convention, the law of armed conflicts, international law and US  that remains the same. The Armys rules on interrogations apply across the US government, including the Central Intelligence Agency, which employed waterboarding  a form of near-drowning  and other enhanced interrogation techniques on terror suspects after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The methods, widely denounced as torture, were banned in 2009 shortly after then president Barack Obama took office.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Mr Trump said he would follow the advice of Mr Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, and CIA director Mike Pompeo on whether to lift the ban. But do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works.

On another issue, Mr Davis said the Pentagon had received no direction or order to put in place safe zones in Syria as Mr Trump insisted he would do in the ABC interview.

Our focus right now on Syria is what it has always been  degrading and defeating ISIS, Mr Davis said, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic State group.

Establishment of safe zones for refugees fleeing the fighting in Syria had been considered during the Obama administration.

But the US military warned at the time that protecting them would require a major deployment of aircraft and troops.

Earlier, Mr Trump had said he absolutely thinks torture works, but doctors, lawyers for terror suspects, and even fellow Republicans have pledged to oppose any effort to reinstate waterboarding.
The official website of PLA said that the chances of war have become more real amid a more complex security situation in the Asia Pacific.

The official People's Daily said in another commentary on Sunday that China's military would conduct exercises on the high seas regardless of foreign provocations. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Beijing: China is stepping up preparedness for a possible military conflict with the US as President Donald Trump has signalled that he will follow a more hardline policy to counter Beijing's claims on the disputed South China Sea and on other issues, official media reports said.

A commentary in the official website of People's Liberation Army's (PLA) said on January 20, the day Trump assumed Presidency, that the chances of war have become "more real" amid a more complex security situation in the Asia Pacific.

The commentary written by an official at the national defence mobilisation department in the Central Military Commission, China's overall military high command, said the US call for rebalancing of its strategy in Asia, military deployments in the East and South China Seas and the setting up of a missile defence system in South Korea were hot spots getting closer to ignition.

"'A war within the President's term' or 'war breaking out tonight' are not just slogans, they are becoming a practical reality," Hong Kong based South China Morning Post quoted the commentary as saying.

The official People's Daily said in another commentary on Sunday that China's military would conduct exercises on the high seas regardless of foreign provocations. China's sole aircraft carrier Liaoning had passed through the narrow Taiwan Strait last month.

The commentary referred to remarks by the US secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson that the US should stop China's access to artificial islands it has built in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

New White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that the US would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea.

With their threats to China, Trump and Tillerson are making "rookie blunders" that will only hurt US credibility, the commentary said.

"Tillerson's statement was too arrogant. If the new US administration follows this route and adopts this attitude, then it will lead to a war between China and the US and that would mean the end of US history or even all of humanity," Jin Canrong, associate dean of the Department of International Studies at Renmin University of China, told state-run Global Times.

"Although the US is planning to send three aircraft carriers to the West Pacific region, if they invade the South China Sea, we have the ability to destroy them all even if they send 10, let alone three," Jin said.
Aziz said that due to several impediments and challenges, SAARC has been unable to fulfill the vision that was laid out for it.

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on foreign policy Sartaj Aziz on Friday alleged that India, which boycotted the SAARC meeting in Islamabad, "impeded" the grouping's process and "violated" the spirit of its Charter.

Aziz said this during a meeting with outgoing South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa who is on a visit to Pakistan.

Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming SAARC leaders for the 19th Summit in November but it was postponed when "India impeded the SAARC process and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter", Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

"Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the SAARC umbrella can be pursued more vigorously," FO quoted Aziz saying in the meeting.

He also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, economic progress, social uplift and cultural cooperation.

Aziz said that due to several impediments and challenges, SAARC has been unable to fulfill the vision that was laid out for it by its founding members.

Aziz said he believed that the SAARC Secretariat could play an important role as catalyst to bring all the member states together and ensure timely and effective implementation of programme and activities that would benefit the region.

Thapa emphasised the need to overcome the difficulties the organisation faced and expressed hope that the 19th SAARC Summit would be held in Islamabad as soon as possible.

Thapa, who paid a farewell call on Aziz, also held a meeting with Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, who appreciated Thapa's contributions to the SAARC process and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the SAARC objectives.

Chaudhry emphasised that internal and bilateral problems of member states must not be allowed to affect the organisation and that 19th SAARC Summit should be held as soon as possible to put the whole SAARC process back on track.

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syed Zulfiqar Gardezi, Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) hosted a lunch for the Secretary General, which was attended by Amjad

Hussian Sial, Secretary General-elect of the SAARC.

Thapa who hails from Nepal, is the 12th Secretary General of SAARC. He will complete his tenure on February 28 after which Amjad Hussain Sial, former Special Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan is to take charge as the next Secretary General of SAARC.
he reception is expected to take place towards the end of February, with a formal date announcement expected in a few weeks.

London: Queen Elizabeth II will host a special reception at Buckingham Palace to kick start the UK-India Year of Culture celebrations in Britain, the Indian high commissioner here has said, noting that the bilateral ties have merged truly exciting.

In his address at the annual Republic Day event in London, Indian high commissioner to the UK Y.K. Sinha said a number of events are being planned to mark the momentous year.

We are very happy that 2017 is the year of Indian culture in the UK. It is also the year India marks 70 years of independence. They both go hand in hand this year as we celebrate this momentous occasion and we are very honoured by Her Majestys decision to start off the year with a reception at Buckingham Palace, Mr Sinha said.

The reception is expected to take place towards the end of February, with a formal date announcement expected in a few weeks. The India-UK relationship has never looked better. It has stepped up to a level which is truly exciting, truly encouraging.
Yasin Byapari was arrested by the police from his 27th wife's home at Taltali area of Barguna district.

Dhaka: A 45-year-old man in Bangladesh accused of secretly marrying 28 times has been arrested and sent to jail over dowry harassment complaint filed by his 25th wife, a media report said.

Yasin Byapari was arrested by the police from his 27th wife's home at Taltali area of Barguna district.

A court sent him to jail in the dowry case filed by his '25th wife' Shiuli Akhter Tania, bdnews24.com reported.

Tania said she married Yasin in 2011 and after the birth of a daughter, she discovered she was not the only wife of her husband. In fact, she was his 25th wife, the report said.

After she came to know this, she managed to trace the names and addresses of 17 of her husband's spouses.

She claimed Yasin has two daughters with his second wife, one son with his third wife, one son with his seventh wife and a daughter with his 24th wife.

She said after their marriage, Yasin cited work as an excuse to often stay away from home. At one point, he began to assault her physically while demanding dowry, the report said.

"Then without informing me, he married a girl from Matibhanga area of Rajapur Sadar Upazila. But the girl divorced Yasin after she discovered his exploits," she alleged.

"Then in 2015, he married a Chittagong-based girl from

Taltali. But he did not take her to his house and went on to marry a garment worker from Khulna," she said.

Although Tania provided the name and address of her husband, police have not been able to corroborate the claims.

Tania filed the case with the Khulna Chief Judicial Magistrate, implicating Yasin in a dowry case on September 29 last year, a senior police officer said.

In her complaint, Tania accused Yasin of suppressing information and marrying 28 times, he said. Yasin, however, had confessed to marrying only twice during preliminary interrogation.
Marriage is often the only outlet for pent-up sexual desires, as dating or any social co-mingling of the sexes is frowned upon.

In this photograph taken on December 12, 2016, young Afghan woman Rayhana (L) speaks with a sexologist at a youth healthcare centre in Kabul. (Photo: AFP)

Kabul: I cannot do it without Viagra, the anonymous Afghan caller whispered into the phone, wary of being overheard by his family. The voice on the other end of the line was soothing, professional and reassuring: Dear brother, dont be embarrassed. Your problem is not uncommon. Well help you find a solution without potency pills.

In Afghanistans conservative, highly gender-segregated society discussing sexual problems publicly is not just culturally frowned upon but can easily be misconstrued as a sign of perversion.

But the countrys youth have found a non-judgmental friend in a government helpline that offers advice on taboo subjects  from ways to perk up virility to erectile dysfunction and even homosexuality.

If you seek advice from friends or family members about treating impotence, you will be labelled immoral, shameless or unmanly, the caller, a young man in his 20s, told AFP after receiving expert advice. This helpline is a blessing, he added.

Set up in 2012 with the help of the United Nations Population Fund, the youth helpline is run by 10 call centre consultants in Kabul  men and women trained by a professional sexologist  who field hundreds of calls a day from distressed Afghans.

The consultants also offer advice to the lovelorn and field queries on dark subjects such as depression and forced marriage, but about 70 per cent of the calls are about sexual dysfunction, said the centres director Abdullah Shahed.

Young men call to talk about issues ranging from masturbation to premature ejaculation, Shahed told AFP. And young women call to discuss contraception, broken hymens and the fear of facing their wedding night.

Afghanistans growing youth population  the 9/11 generation, as it is known  is often torn between modernity and tradition, between their sexual cravings and their desire to be religious puritans.

More than 60 per cent of the population is under 25, a staggering number in a country where sex education is non-existent in schools and sex counsellors are culturally dismissed as a Western concept.

Marriage is often the only outlet for pent-up sexual desires, as dating or any social co-mingling of the sexes is frowned upon. But many young people cannot afford the steep bride price, a sort of reverse dowry that men pay to the girls family.

Sexual frustration and hormonal rage are silent but pervasive problems, with some experts linking them to the violent aggression tearing the country apart.

Sex problems often lead to domestic abuse, second wives (polygamy) and separation, Shahed said. We try to reassure young men and women there is always a way out. They are not alone.

The Afghan health ministry also set up youth friendly clinics in the Afghan capital last year, which offer face-to-face sessions with counsellors on subjects including sex. That they are busting taboos is evident in the growing number of women visiting them.

I was unable to talk about my problems to my mother or my sister, 21-year-old Rayhana told AFP at one such clinic in Kabul. But here I can talk openly.

Among other things, the call centre and clinics seek to warn young Afghans about the dangers of sex addiction, unprotected intercourse and Viagra abuse.

The little blue pill  known locally by myriad names such as cobra, rocket and even family boosting tablet  was unknown to many Afghans before the US invasion in late 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime. But it is now in high demand in the country.

Such is its popularity in post-Taliban Afghanistan that it was reported the CIA, in an unusual incentive, were offering the potency drug to win over Afghan warlords and chieftains in the war against insurgents.

We advise our callers not to turn to Viagra or opium for their sexual problems, Shahed said. Instead we ask them to treat their anxiety and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Often, another forbidden subject comes up in the discussions  homosexuality, which is demonised as a deviant sexual behaviour, prohibited in Islam. An oft repeated query from callers is: Is there a cure for homosexuality? Once a lesbian called and complained of depression because her partner was getting married, Shahed said.

Abdullah said there was little his counsellors could do except try to help the callers find ways to think about and understand their predicament, with questions like Do you think you can continue living as a lesbian in Afghanistan? The programme is struggling against the prevalent cultural conservatism.

When Afghan health officials linked to the programme recently visited Kabul University for a youth awareness campaign, a number of students angrily accused them of promoting immorality.

We tried to explain to the students that the programme is in accordance with Sharia law and there is nothing un-Islamic about it, said Afghan health ministry official Sayed Alisha Alawi.

We face an uphill task. Many people believe having a healthy discussion about sex is equal to spreading immorality, he told AFP.
The website of the Unirule Institute of Economics, a supporter of the market economy and economic reforms, was shut down, officially because it lacks licenses to publish news. The institute's founder, Mao Yushi, has been criticised for his negative views of Mao Zedong and past top party officials.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  Members of the Unirule Institute of Economics on 20 January posted a letter online noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently defended the free trade principal at Davos, and that free trade and free expression share inherent links.

For the letters proponents, Free trade means the free exchange of goods, and the free expression of ideas. As ideas are more valuable than goods, those who defend free trade will necessarily defend free expression.

A few hours later, the official website of Unirule Institute of Economics, a 24-year-old think tank, and a handful of its social media accounts were also shut down. The letter too disappeared from the web.

The official reason for closing the website is that it published online news without the proper licenses.

The Unirule Institute of Economics is a Beijing-based think tank of liberal economists founded by Mao Yushi.

The 88-year-old won the Milton Friedman Prize for advancing liberty in 2012, but was banned from travelling to the United States to receive it.

Mao and his group support the market economy and have been calling for reforms in state enterprises, which have become inefficient, debt-ridden burdens kept afloat by the state.

The institute is also in favour of land reform to the benefit of peasants and against monopolies.

A few days before its site was taken offline, Mao openly criticised top judge Zhou Qiang for rejecting the erroneous Western ideas of judicial independence.

In the past, Mao drew the ire of many neo-Maoists for criticising the politics of Mao Zedong, the Great Helmsman, and past top Communist Party leaders.

What happened to Unirule suggests that Beijing wants to place intellectuals under its control, this according to Xiong Wei, a Beijing-based legal activist.
The woman, who maintained her innocence, was executed along with six other people. Duterte wants to reintroduce the death penalty in the Philippines right away. For Bishops' Conference, death should make us all advocates against the death penalty.

Manila (AsiaNews/CBCPNews)  The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) expressed their sorrow for the recent execution of a Filipino migrant worker. It added that this should serve as a clear message for Filipinos to reject the capital punishment, which was abolished in 2006.

Jakatia Pawa was hanged in Kuwait on Wednesday. Six other people, including a member of the countrys royal family, were also executed.

The three women and four men are the first to be executed in the oil-rich Gulf state since 2013, when a moratorium on the death penalty ended.

The dead include two Kuwaitis, two Egyptians and one each from Bangladesh, the Philippines and Ethiopia, a statement by the public prosecution office said.

Jakatia Pawa and the Ethiopian woman were domestic helpers convicted of murdering members of their employers' families in two unrelated crimes.

Around 240,000 Filipinos are working and living in Kuwait, many of them employed as domestic helpers.

Philippines presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the presidential palace was saddened by the Jakatia Pawas execution. He added that the Filipino government had done everything to save her, including providing legal assistance to ensure that her rights were respected and all legal procedures were followed.

The CBCP expressed sorrow over Jakatia Pawas execution, adding that it should serve as a warning to Filipinos to reject capital punishment.

The CBCP condoles most sincerely with the family of the late Jakatia Pawa, our fellow Filipino, who was executed in Kuwait, said Mgr Socrates Villegas, CBCP President and archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan.

The fact that Jakatia protested her innocence to the end of her life only underscores the abhorrence at the death penalty and the sadness that we feel at Jakatias death should make us all advocates against the death penalty, he added.

In 2007, Pawa was accused of killing the 22-year old daughter of her employer. Until the end, she maintained her innocence, saying that she had no motive to kill the young woman.

It is sad and depressing news. A life was lost. A dream was shattered. Whatever region or religion, she is a Filipina. She is one of us. And we are affected, said Bishop Ruperto Santos, who chairs the CBCPs Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People.

For him, restoring the death penalty in the country puts overseas Filipino workers on death row abroad at risk.

Last September President Duterte said he wanted to reintroduce capital punishment, sparking a hated debate among Filipinos. The proposal is now before the Filipino Congress and its approval seems imminent.

The government should not push through with [the] death penalty. If there will be penalty in our country, we will lose any moral authority and legality to ask clemency for our Filipinos who are sentenced to death, Santos said.

The prelate also called on the Duterte administration to provide assistance to other overseas Filipino workers facing execution.

Some are still [. . .] imprisoned. [The] Government should not be complacent, nor rely on [the] last two minutes. They have to act, decisively and swiftly, for those who are incarcerated, he added.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), some 88 Filipinos are on death row overseas.
by Christopher Sharma

In 1993 she founded Maiti Nepal, an NGO that has saved hundreds of girls from prostitution abroad. Every year, at least 5,000 women end up in India, China, as well as Arab and African countries. The Padma Shri is Indias fourth highest award.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews)  The Indian government has decided to give one of its highest awards to Anuradha Koirala, a Nepali woman who has rescued hundreds of women from prostitution and human trafficking.

Yesterday, Indias Republic Day, the authorities announced the names of the winners of the Padma Shri, the countrys fourth highest civilian award. Anuradha Koirala is first foreigner to receive this honour.

Reacting to the news, the activist said, "I'm really happy that the efforts of our organisation have been recognised in India, which is still the largest 'consumer' of women and girls from Nepal."

On its Twitter account, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu reads, Awarded for her exemplary Social Work, Dijju Anuradha Koirala is the only foreigner to be bestowed Padma Shri Award 2017.

In 1993, she founded Maiti Nepal, a non-profit organisation that helps victims sex trafficking. According to the Association, each year at least 5,000 Nepali girls and women are forced into prostitution in India and Arab countries.

"The first destination is India, Anuradha Koirala explained, but in recent years there has been an increase towards China, Africa and the Gulf countries."

The reason that makes the prostitution market so flourishing in India "is that there is no need for a visa to cross the border between the two countries. In addition, Nepali girls have the same physical traits as Indian girls so it is difficult to distinguish them."

In recent years, India has also increasingly become a transit point for young people on their way to exploitation in other countries.

"I think, the activist noted, it would be much easier to control human trafficking and save the girls if we worked with Indian support."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Cowardice, fear of everything, leaves us without memory, hope, courage and patience is the sin that paralyzes Christians, preventing us from living the life of faith with three reference points: the past, present and future said Pope Francis said at Mass this morning in Casa Santa Marta.

Pope Francis said the days Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to live the Christian life with three points of reference: the past, the present, and the future. First, it invites us to remember, because the Christian life does not begin today: it continues today. Remembering is to recall everything: the good things, and those that are less good, and putting my own story before the sight of God: without covering up or hiding it: Brothers, call to mind those first days: the days of enthusiasm, of going forward in the faith, when you began to live the faith, the anguished trials You dont understand the Christian life, even the spiritual life of each day, without memory. Not only do you not understand: You cant live in a Christian way without memory. The memory of the salvation of God in my life, the memory of my troubles in my life; but how has the Lord saved me from these troubles? Memory is a grace: a grace to ask for. Lord, may I not forget your step in my life, may I not forget the good moments, also the ugly; the joys and the crosses. The Christian is a man of memory.

The author of the Letter then makes us understand that we are on the journey in expectation of something, in expectation of arriving at a point: an encounter; encountering the Lord. And he exhorts us to live by faith: Hope: Looking to the future. Just as one cannot live a Christian life without memory of the steps taken, one cannot live a Christian life without looking to the future with hope of the encounter with the Lord. And he uses a beautiful phrase: just a brief moment Eh, life is a breath, eh? It passes. When one is young, he thinks he has so much time before him, but then life teaches us that those words that we all say: But how time passes! I knew this person as a child, now theyre getting married! How time passes! It comes soon. But the hope of encountering it is a life in tension, between memory and hope, the past and the future.

Finally, the Letter invites us to live in the present, often times painful and sad, with courage and patience: that is, with frankness, without shame, and enduring the events of life. We are sinners, the Pope explained  all of us. He who is first, and he who is later if you want, we can make the list later, but we are all sinners. All of us. But we go forward with courage and patience. We dont remain there, stopped, because this would not make us grow.

Finally, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews urges us not to commit the sin that takes away memory, hope, courage, and patience: faintheartedness (It.: pusillanimita, pusillanimity). It is a sin that doesnt allow us to go forward, through fear. Jesus, though, says, Dont be afraid. The fainthearted are those who always go backward, who guard themselves too much, who are afraid of everything: Not taking risks, please, no prudence All the commandments, all of them Yes, its true, but this paralyzes you too, it makes you forget so many graces received, it takes away memory, it takes away hope, because it doesnt allow you to go forward. And the present of a Christian, of such a Christian, is how when one goes along the street and an unexpected rain comes, and the garment is not so good and the fabric shrinks Confined souls This is faintheartedness: this is the sin against memory, courage, patience, and hope. May the Lord make us grow in memory, make us grow in hope, give us courage and patience each and free us from that which is faintheartedness, being afraid of everything Confined souls in order to save ourselves. And Jesus says: He who wills to save his life will lose it.
Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Saudi authorities have sentenced a journalist to seven years in prison for offenses against the state, and for having woven ties with foreign journalists, denounce the Gulf Center for Human Rights, in the context of a wider "campaign of repression" against dissent that has recently "intensified".

The activist movement that, last week, the 40-year old Nadhir al-Majid received the sentence from a Special Criminal Court in Riyadh.



Human Rights Associations criticize the long established practice with the Saudi authorities, where they try civilian dissidents in these courts that, in reality, should deal with cases of "terrorism."



A statement the leaders of Gulf Center, an NGO based in Copenhagen and Beirut, cites recent "reports" which "confirms that the writer was alone during the trial in the courtroom" and "did not benefit from the presence or assistance of a lawyer, nor the presence of family members. "



He faced many charges, including having taken part in unauthorized demonstrations and "having woven ties" with foreign organizations and the press.



Already in 2011, the Human Rights Watch activist group had identified Nadhir al-Majid among the more than 160 arrested dissidents; many from the eastern province, where the Shiite minority had protested calling for political reforms and the release of prisoners. He was released in 2012.



In early January, the international NGO Amnesty International spoke of "a number of activists" detained or summoned to court in the previous week, in connection with the (peaceful) work of human rights activists. Saudi authorities "have begun the year with an intensification of repression of human rights activists".



Last week, during a visit to Saudi Arabia, an independent UN expert has asked Saudi Arabia to "liberalize" - at least in part - its relationship with social media, the primary means of communication used by activists to exchange ideas and information. Philip Alston, the Special Representative of the United Nations on poverty and human rights, said it had received reports of a "crackdown" on Internet users.
by Melani Manel Perera

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Even under the government of President Maithripala Sirisena, January is still a "black month" for journalism, Sri Lankan journalists tells AsiaNews, speaking of colleagues who disappeared during the past few years and never returned to their families.

In particular, they recalled Prageeth Eknaligoda, a journalist and political cartoonist who disappeared on January 24, 2010. He went missing on the eve of the elections that marked the triumph of Mahinda Rajapska over General Sarath Fonseka.

Prageeth worked for an independent online magazine that supported the candidacy of Fonseka, and this is why his family has always accused the supporters of Rajapaksa of having organized the kidnapping. Sandhaya Priyangani Eknaligoda, wife of the journalist, says: "From the very first day I always believed that his kidnapping is the work of Rajapaksa. He and his brother Gotabhaya are responsible ".



As before, this year the country marked "Black January" to remember the murders, forced disappearances, arson and violence suffered by journalists and media workers. Dozens of journalists and activists gathered in front of the Foundation Institute and the Library Council of Colombo to remember Prageeth and ask the current president to appoint a special commission to investigate his fate.



According to the latest available information, he was taken to an army base and from there moved to another place on the east coast. From there all traces were lost. "We live in the hope that he is still alive - says his wife - even if the investigations department says that he would have died."



The woman has been leading a valiant and courageous campaign for years. "There is no time for tears  she says - otherwise I would lose strength to continue my search."



The wife of cartoonist denounces the investigations conducted by the government, and noted a change of attitude since Sirisena was elected. Before the victory, he promised to make a change to inquiries. He later criticized the behavior of some soldiers, suspected of having held Prageeth hostage longer than is necessary. "But then after a few days  she reports - they were released on bail. This is a clear example that the suspects have state support".
The former official brought his family to Turkey to turn them into the soldiers of the Islamic State. Many Indonesians now fear radical Islamist infiltrators in the government. At least a thousand Indonesians are in Syria fighting for the Islamic State.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Turkish authorities have deported 22 Indonesian nationals accused of links with the Islamic State (IS), including Abdul Triyono Utomo Bakti, a former Indonesian Finance Ministry official.

Triyono tried to cross into Syria with his wife and three daughters to enrol as IS soldiers. His story has shocked Indonesians, who now fear that radicals have infiltrated the government.

Known as Tu, Triyono is a graduate in public policy from Flinders University in Adelaide (Australia).

After graduation he sold his house and left with his family travelling from Jakarta to Bangkok and then Turkey to cover his tracks.

According to Indonesian police, the family was caught on 16 January in Istanbul after Turkish authorities raided a safe house.

"They were forced to return home by Turkish authorities after being monitored for their potential connection to the Islamic State" said Indonesian Police Brigadier General Rikwanto in a statement.

A few days before, Turkish authorities expelled 17 other Indonesian nationals to stop these "immigrants" from reaching Syria via the Turkish border. Now all 17 are in custody at a social service centre in East Jakarta.

Police said that these individuals were seduced" by someone going by the name of "Am" who induced them to travel to Syria to join the caliphate.

"Am" apparently paid for their trip and gave them money to help them cross the Turkish-Syrian border.

According Rikwanto, at least a thousand Indonesians are in Syria fighting for the Islamic State.
by Joseph Masilamany

The New Zealand Minister for Immigration on official visit to Malaysia. Ensuring training and placement to open the doors to jobs market. Since 2005, New Zealand has provided for the resettlement of 1,997 refugees from Myanmar, including 277 Rohingya.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - The Kuala Lumpur government training and job placement project for Rohingya Muslim immigrants, it is a positive idea that warrants support says the New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse, who is on official visit to Malaysia. The executive's goal is to transform the migrants into semi-skilled workers and open the doors of the internal and regional jobs market.

Woodhouse praised the plan launched by the South-East Asian nation to ensure a minimum of training to the Rohingya, also normalizing their rights in the context of the labor market. A plan that should be applied to all migrants who have made their entry into the country.

Asked by reporters after visiting the educational center of Tzu Chi, in Kuala Lumpur, the New Zealand Immigration Minister confirmed support for the project, hoping that "it may succeed." "I understand the concerns - he added - on the standardisation of labor rights, which could push others to emigration. However, in all honesty I do not see this as a significant risk. "

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority (just over a million) originally from Bangladesh living in refugee camps in several parts of the Myanmar where they have been denied citizenship.

As a result of the violence, at least 90 people have died and about 34,000 have been displaced since the beginning of October, with the Burmese government accused of attempting to erase the numerous cases of abuse emerged. The Rohingya population denounce summary executions, arbitrary arrests, rapes, houses torched.

During the official visit to Malaysia, Woodhouse met the deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, renewing support for the work of relocation of Rohingya to third countries, including New Zealand. Zahid pointed out that the professional training project will involve 56 thousand immigrants, refugees cardholders of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Asked about the possibility of opening the entry of Rohingya to New Zealand, Woodhouse explained that the situation is being considered by the Wellington authorities. New Zealand is one of 26 countries that have joined the UN resettlement program for refugees. Every year the country hosts 750 people, 15% of whom are Rohingya migrants coming from Malaysia. Since 2005, New Zealand has provided for the resettlement of 1,997 refugees from Myanmar, including 277 Rohingya.
Daniel Knighton/Getty ImagesSteve Miller is facing a federal lawsuit after allegedly backing out on a deal to buy a $6.7 million mansion in New York's Dutchess County at the last minute, the New York Post's Page Six reports. According to the gossip site, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had put a $670,000 down payment on the home, but changed his mind about the sale on the eve of the closing last month after an appraisal deemed the property to be worth $4.3 million.

The suit, which was filed in Manhattan, says Miller claimed that the reason he gave for reneging on the deal was that he'd be unable to get a mortgage approved because of the appraisal. The mansion's owner, former Toys "R" Us CEO John Eyler, claims that the contract states that the house's sale "is not contingent upon a satisfactory appraisal," because the home features unique improvements, among other factors.

Eyler and his wife also charge that the appraisal was rushed and flawed, while maintaining that they are entitled to keep Miller's down payment. They also suggest that the 73-year-old rock star doesn't need to secure a mortgage because of his financial security.

The mansion, which is in Lagrangeville, New York, features three bedrooms and five bathrooms and sits is located on an 87-plus-acre property that includes a pond, waterfall, pool and guest house.

Last year, Miller made headlines before, during and after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he angrily lashed out at the institution in numerous media interviews.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
How and Y Millennials are changing packaging





The first digitally native generation likes to cook, spend, has a unique sense of self, an optimistic outlook on life, an untraditional approach to life stages and relies heavily on digital technology. So what does this mean for brands and their packaging? Quite a lot, it seems, because as with any target market, understanding how to reach the Millennials  previously known as Generation Y  is key to them buying your products.

So how do brands get into the hearts and minds of the click n go kids? Here are some clues. (And one of them is food.)

According to McCrindle Research, this group born between 1980 and 1994 (making them 23-37 years old) has a list of nicknames, many focused on the fact the digital age heralded their birth. Others look at their more untraditional life approach, such as kippers (kids in parents pockets eroding retirement savings), or freeters in Japan, because so many work part-time. Indeed, says McCrindles head Mark McCrindle, never before has a generation been so slow to enter full-time employment.

Last year, Tetra Pak released a report titled Packaging up Millennial Success. And the results of what makes Google generation tick? Well, it has a lot to do with food. Nearly 58% said they cook for fun at least once a week. Thats more than any other generation, and, one wonders, is because the other generations need to cook to feed their families  whether its fun or not?

Armed with this knowledge, there is a huge opportunity for brands to use their packaging to engage this powerful generation and build lasting relationships. (Designing your packaging is so important in every way: this whitepaper talks through how packaging improvements help optimise your supply chain  its free to download.)

Here are six guidelines:

Going digital

Millennials are the first generation to grow up with the internet and digital technology, so they are truly digital natives. According to AdAge, Millennials spending an average of 25 hours a week online. More than any other generation, they rely on their mobiles and tablets to research and buy items.

Forward-looking brands are innovating with smart labels to engage consumers and deliver an extended brand experience. Think exclusive videos, ads, reviews and recipes delivered straight to their mobile while theyre in-store. At the same time, interactive packaging can provide useful insights into customer behaviour.

Convenience

Convenience is a huge factor for this generation. When it comes to sustenance, Millennials have a strong must have it now mentality; they look for food and drink options that fit into their super-busy lives. In fact, 41% are prepared to pay more for products that make their lives easier. As a priority, brands should focus on packaging that:

makes it easy for people to consume straight from the packaging,

packages items in convenient portions, and

provides a resealable option  especially for larger portions.

Push boundaries

Millennials like to experiment with food and beverages. They are drawn to new and different ingredients, flavours and methods (nitro coffee anyone?), so creating packaging that focuses on innovation can be key to engaging Millennials and giving them a sense of discovery and exclusivity. Think limited edition collections and designs that stand out from the shelf. The 2016 Dieline Packaging Design Awards winners offer plenty of inspiration.

Feed them authentic information

Perhaps because they have also been called the cynical generation, Millennials trust what they feel is authentic. They want to feel informed and involved, not just marketed to. They scour websites, social media and blogs for the information they crave, whether thats finding out the origin of the product or a detailed breakdown of the ingredients. Packaging needs to be open and honest with information. Clear labelling is a must, as is easy-to-understand language free from jargon and marketing speak. (See this article on labelling trends for some interesting information on clean, social good and smart labelling.)

It also pays to look for ways to deliver educational content over and above the packaging label. Think unique content delivered digitally direct to their mobile device. For example, exciting recipes for an ingredient they have just bought. (There are some great ways this can be done via QR codes, see here how to crack using QR codes for promotion, why theyre a code every manufacturer should know and where they fit into that powerful, but very simple method of serialisation. If youre wondering about their strength in connecting the manufacturer directly to the end consumer, see this article on why CDI uses them on infant formula tins to China and this case study on how.)

Personalise the packaging

Nutella and Coca-Cola have had some great success with their personalised packaging in engaging Millennials. The celebrity generation wants to feel as if products have been created with their interests and needs in mind  not their back pockets. They are interested in having a say and becoming co-creators of the products they use, with 42% saying they are interested in helping companies develop future products and services. So open the door to collaboration, and let them become part of the product and packaging development process.

Visibly sustainable

Eco-friendly packaging is a great way to boost your brand in the eyes of the Millennial consumer. They are not only actively seeking eco-conscious products; they are willing to pay for them. By using visibly sustainable packaging, youre making it easier for them to choose your product. (You may find the how can you go green with packaging part interesting in this ultimate checklist to optimising your packaging & supply chain, and see how top French champagne maker Veuve Clicquot went green with its packaging  to great success.)

The 3 keys

While it can seem like theres a lot at stake, targeting your packaging to Millennials doesnt have to be hard. Only by not understanding them and not finding ways to be relevant to them or engaging of them, will brands fail. Remember these three key strategies:

Make it authentic, honest and true. Provide the information they seek. Deliver the ultimate in convenience.

Check out Matthews great resource library. It has a host of great information thats all free to download!

This article has been brought to you by Matthews Australia
By Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Science, Griffith University

It made headlines recently when the Doomsday Clock was shifted from three minutes to midnight to a new setting of two and a half minutes to midnight.

That is the nearest the clock has been to midnight for more than fifty years. The body responsible for the clock said

the probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.

It should be an urgent warning to world leaders.

The idea of a Doomsday Clock was conceived by the editorial staff of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which was founded by many of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project.

When that publication graduated from being an internal newsletter among the nuclear science community to being a formal magazine in 1947, the clock appeared on the cover. The magazines founders said the clock symbolised

the urgency of the nuclear dangers that [we]  and the broader scientific community  are trying to convey to the public and political leaders around the world.

The clock was set at seven minutes to midnight. Two years later, with the news that a nuclear weapon had been tested by the USSR, the communist state centred on modern Russia, the clock was moved to 11.57.

In 1953, the USA first tested the hydrogen bomb, a fusion weapon much more powerful than the fission bombs that had destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The USSR followed a few months later and the clock was advanced to 11.58 with a warning there was a real chance that

from Moscow to Chicago, atomic explosions will strike midnight for Western civilization.

Then there was a period of modest progress. It gradually became apparent that the new weapons were so powerful that only a deranged leader would consider using them against a similarly armed enemy, given the inevitability of catastrophic retaliation.

In 1963, after they had been continuously testing more and more deadly weapons, the USA and the USSR signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited atmospheric testing. The clock was moved back to 11.48.

It was a false dawn. The two super-powers simply shifted their testing of new weapons to underground facilities, while other countries such as Britain, France and China developed their own nuclear arsenals.









Wikimedia





The clock gradually moved closer and closer to midnight until the mid-1980s when it stood at 11.57. Then Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the leadership of the USSR and began a series of negotiations to ease tensions and reduce the risk of nuclear war.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 effectively marked the end of the so-called Cold War between communism and capitalism. The subsequent collapse of the USSR led to large reductions in the nuclear arsenals, and by 1991 the clock had moved back to 11.43.

Once again, there were optimistic hopes of an era of peace and an end to the threat of nuclear weapons. It was not to be. The political system in the US made it almost impossible to scale back arms production.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, negotiated in the 1970s, aimed to prevent the spread of weapons beyond the five nations that had already acquired them. But those countries did not implement their promise to disarm, so inevitably other nations decided that they would be more secure if they had nuclear weapons: India, Pakistan and Israel. The clock moved forward again year by year, reaching 11.53 by 2002.

New threats

Since then, the managers of the Doomsday Clock have added new threats to the original fear of nuclear war. In 2007, they said climate change also presents a dire challenge to humanity and advanced the clock to 11.55.

More recent annual reports have warned that

international leaders are failing to perform their most important duty  ensuring and preserving the health and vitality of human civilization.

The change should be welcomed. Even if nuclear weapons did not exist, climate change and the accelerating loss of biodiversity are serious threats. Damage to ecosystems is already taking place; climate change is causing loss of life and property, as well as affecting natural systems.

At the same time, the nations with nuclear weapons are still testing new devices and more sophisticated delivery systems. The number of weapons has dropped from its peak of over 60,000 to about 10,000. But that is still enough firepower to wipe out civilisation several times over.

And there are new players, including North Korea and perhaps Iran. As the 2017 report said,

It is two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms. Wise public officials should act immediately, guiding humanity away from the brink. If they do not, wise citizens must step forward and lead the way.

This really is a call to arms and deserves more attention from our media.

Ian Lowe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Tens of thousands of people from around 150 different countries became new citizens on Australia Day as part of a series of events to mark the biggest public holiday of the year.According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) 16,000 took part in official ceremonies and since the ceremony was first introduced in 1949 more than five million people from overseas have become Australian citizens. 'Australia Day gives all citizens, new or old, the opportunity to openly reflect on what it means to be Australian. Australian citizenship ceremonies are an important part of our nation's celebrations, with more people becoming citizens on Australia Day than any other day of the year,' said Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.'We celebrate the characteristics and values that make us proud to call ourselves Australian citizens, including our unique Indigenous Australian living culture and our multicultural diversity, particularly our newest Australians formally welcomed at Australia Day citizenship ceremonies,' he added.One of the main events to celebrate Australia Day was a ceremony on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra which the Prime Minister and Governor-General attended.Meanwhile, as part of the Australian Day celebrations, cancer charity fundraiser Vicki JellieWas names Australia's local hero at the 2017 Australian of the Year Awards. After her husband Peter died of cancer in 2008, Vicki found his plans for a local cancer fundraising event. His dream had been to bring radiotherapy services to the South West of Victoria. In 2009 Vicki created Peter's Project, a community group dedicated to fighting for improved cancer services.After securing $30 million in July 2016, Vicki and her community celebrated the opening of the new South West Regional Cancer Centre, offering radiotherapy treatment for regional patients.Dutton congratulated her and said he knew personally of her work after meeting her several years ago when he was Health Minister. 'My Department proudly supports Australia's Local Hero Award in recognition of those working selflessly at a community level to make a real difference in the lives of their fellow citizens,' Dutton said.'By coincidence, I first met Vicki many years ago during my time in the health portfolio and was immediately impressed by her genuine passion to provide better cancer services for the community. Vicki is a very worthy recipient of Australia's Local Hero and it gives me great pleasure to personally commend her on achieving such an incredible outcome for her community,' he added.
Hi!



Thank you for your answers,

I believe that you are very well informed on the subject (I am just very worry because I had to face a lot of administrative problems to plan my departure).



So, if I have well understood you, it means that I can study three months on a visitor visa, without cancelling my student application, and that the student application I have already submitted can be validated while I am on the Australian territory without me having to pay any additional fees?



I really don't want to be annoying or make yourself repeat, but I really need to be sure that there is no misunderstanding (especially about the fee part)!



Cheers



Sarah
Hi guys! how are you? Been uploading evidence and I didn't realize that i already uploaded 60 evidences on immi, it says "The number of attachments provided for this applicant has reached its limit" and now i wasn't able to upload my Medical and our Nature of Commitment evidence, is there anyway to attach it? ='(





Thank you so very much in advance for your attention to this matter.. God bless you!
All-new Compass gets two engine options and five trim levels.

Jeep has launched its Compass SUV at Rs 14.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) with a choice of five trim levels  Sport, Longitude, Longitude (O), Limited and Limited (O). Jeep officially entered India last year with the launch of the iconic Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee  the latter offered as a diesel and also as a high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT variant. Later in the year, the automaker revealed the all-new Jeep Compass, a mid-size SUV, along with its intention to bring it to India. The Compass made its India debut earlier this year.

Here are the five things you should know about Jeep's first locally-assembled SUV.

1) Design and platform

The Compass shares a lot of its design cues with the current range-topping Grand Cherokee. Common design cues include squared-off wheel arches, the seven-slat grille, projector headlamps, high ground clearance and big alloy wheels. The Compass is based on the same platform (small, wide 4x4) as the automaker's entry-level SUV, the Renegade. The new Compass, however, features a longer wheelbase to improve cabin space.

2) Spacious and upmarket cabin

Inside, the new Compass provides the feel of a much larger SUV. The India-spec version gets plenty of metal brightwork, or bracketing, and features like Terrain Select dial, a choice of touchscreen infotainment systems (5.0-inch or 7.0-inch depending on variant) and dual-zone climate control to name a few. However, only the top Limited variants are offered with leather seats and the Selec-Terrain 4WD system, with the Limited (O) additionally featuring High-intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps and a dual-tone exterior.

3) New diesel powerplant

The Compass also features a Fiat-sourced diesel engine but, unlike the current 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre units used by Indian automakers, the Compass is powered by a new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, Multijet II unit developing 173hp. Also on offer is a new 162hp, 1.4-litre, MultiAir, turbo-petrol motor offered with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Deliveries for the diesel version will start early October, while Jeep will deliver the Compass petrol slightly later. A diesel automatic model is likely to hit showrooms by January with deliveries to start around February.

4) Off-road credentials

Jeep will differentiate itself from the crowd by retaining the off-road skills that are so central to its brand. The top-spec Limited variants come with a dedicated four-wheel-drive system and Jeep's Selec-Terrain Traction Management system that optimises the SUV for conditions like snow, sand, mud and rocks, along with a locking differential that works by braking individual wheels. The lower variants, though, will be front-wheel drive only.

5) Locally assembled

Unlike earlier Jeep products launched here, the Compass will be both manufactured and exported from Fiat's Ranjangaon plant outside Pune and features an extremely high level (65 percent) of localisation. This allows Jeep to price its SUV competitively. The automaker has had bookings open for a while now along with display and test-drive models at their showrooms. Bookings can either be made online or at dealerships.

Also read:

2017 Jeep Compass review

Jeep Compass variants explained

Jeep Compass image gallery

2017 Jeep Compass launched at Rs 14.95 lakh


The Blue Ovals announcement refers to an OBD II device , which is commonly referred to as an  OBD plug, and its developments on the unit can bring additional features to a modern vehicle. Every car sold in the USA after 1995 comes with an OBD-II diagnostics port, which is placed somewhere in the passenger compartment.The idea is to get 12-Volt power from that port, usually employed for diagnostic work on the vehicles systems through its CAN (Controller Area Network), and supply the user with a 4G/LTE connection that enables the car to be considered smart.According to the automaker, the SmartLink device is paired with a companion app and a web portal, which enable the user to have access to features like remote start, lock, unlock, and check vehicle health.The device is not an industry premiere, but it is the first time when a carmaker offers this kind of technology to its customers. In the case of SmartLink, the idea is to retrofit features to 2010-2016 Ford and Lincoln models sold in the USA, but it might be extended to vehicles marketed in other countries, because they also have the same diagnostics port.All of the described features are possible thanks to a modem that is implemented into the dongle, which can also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices present in the vehicle, while also allowing a connection from a distance between the owner and the automobile. Clients will be able to obtain SmartLink from Ford and Lincoln dealerships starting this summer.Unlike other commercially-available devices like these, the SmartLink system should come with a higher level of security because it was developed with an automaker and two important partners - Delphi Automotive and Verizon Telematics.The representatives of the FoMoCo say that SmartLink will operate seamlessly with existing models, and that it will provide a level of convenience to existing customers that were not interested in changing their vehicles, but wanted more connectivity out of them.As our tech-savvy readers can imagine, it can be dangerous to have a device paired to a vehicles CAN and the Internet at the same time, because the former is not secure enough to ensure its safety. After all, the CANbus system is meant for mechanics to use when performing a diagnostic or repair on an automobile, but hackers could break into the connection and perform a remote attack on the car. The partnership between the Blue Oval and two reputable companies should ensure enough security on the four-wheeled part of the equation.
AMG

Compared to the 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class prototypes, which have offered us tons and tons of clues (no weight-related pun intended), the test car we have here is as mysterious as they get.These images, which come from Magazin ProDriverCZ , reveal what appears to be an elongated G500 (that's G550 in the US) 4x4, but, given the-specific front gille, we expect this model to get Affalterbach labeling - we'll remind you that AMG-badged G-Wagons come with a single-slat grille, as opposed to the multi-slat one featured on lesser Gs, if we can call them that.The canvas camouflage could cover the bed of the offroader, even though we've also seen a similar prototype wearing solid camo - here are the spyshots, in case you missed them.Note that the model spied here is not part of the second-generation G-Class , meaning that we could be looking at a last hurrah for the G-Wagen that started it all.This would also mean its potential G63 badge is connected to the retiring biturbo 5.5-liter V8. Under the thick skin of the "normal" Mercedes-AMG G63, the unit churns out 563 ponies and 561 lb-ft of twist, which should be enough for your trips to the Italian Alps.Yes, that's what onwers of extreme G-Class models apparently use their terrain tamers for, as we recently showed you in an Instagram tale that, among others, also involved a Zonda R drifting in the snow.If the model in these spy photos does prove to be a pickup truck, its bed will be less than generous, but the rumor mill talks about the model coming with a special compartment for the driver's credit cards, so there's no need to take all your stuff along.
The fear of Trumps proposed border tax on imported vehicles is something that troubles the leaders of the Chinese brand, as they might have to change their plans if the 45th POTUS will decide to go ahead with the campaign goals he announced.A dramatic shift in trade has already been made, as Trump wants to renegotiate NAFTA with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, which may lead to new charges for products built outside North America.Previous statements from the owners of Lynk & Co have announced a positioning in the middle of the market, where it is supposed to compete with Toyota and Honda. The other internationally-renowned brand owned by Geely, Volvo , would continue to focus on the premium segment.However, if the cars will not be manufactured in the USA, the new automaker has a small chance of poaching customers away from the two Japanese companies that have set up shop in the U.S. long ago, and sell mostly American-built models on that market.Exceptions can be made from almost anything, and the leaders of the automaker hope that its potential for creating jobs in the USA will allow them to have a positive business case to convince authorities not to impose a border tax for its products. Lynk is considering forging partnerships with existing automakers to sell its models through their current dealer networks. The first production models in the range will feature plug-in hybrid configurations, and some will be electric cars.Representatives of Lynk & Co told the media that they could offer an electric car at the price of a conventionally-powered vehicle. The biggest change proposed by the Chinese company was ride-sharing through a subscription, which would allow clients to drive their cars whenever they needed them, without having to make a purchase.

Automotive News noted that Lynk & Co planned to open approximately 100 stores in American cities, which is an investment and a job creating opportunity that not even Trump would refuse.
As you might know, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 has been updated for 2017 while also gaining a high-grade model aimed at discerning customers looking for something a bit more exclusive.Were talking about the H2 Carbon which comes with a carbon-fiber upper cowl that looks like the one on the H2 R along with a special mirror-finish paint, and a serial number plate. There will be a total of 120 units made globally, but only six will reach the US shores.This limited edition Ninja H2 Carbon is going to create a lot of envy among riding enthusiasts, said Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) Senior Vice President of Sales Operations, Bill Jenkins. The Ninja H2 made a big splash in the industry when it was introduced, and I believe we will see a lot of activity when ordering begins on February 13.If youve decided that your life isnt complete without the limited model, you better be ready to register your interest on Kawasakis website on Monday, February 13th. Order books open at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET and will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.If the website doesn't crash and you manage to submit your order, you need to place a $10,000 deposit at an authorized Kawasaki dealership within 48 hours of being notified by KMC. The bike maker hasnt disclosed the full price of the bike.You should also know that part of the money you spend on this glorious machine will be donated to charity. Kawasaki will donate $20,000 of the proceeds to the Road 2 Recovery Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps AMA-licensed supercross/motocross pros with financial assistance in case they suffer a career-ending injury.
Tesla has filed a lawsuit against Sterling Anderson and Chris Urmson for two separate reasons, both regarding its Autopilot system.

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Donald Trump meets with three auto CEOs to urge them to focus investment and business efforts in the US. This is one of the President-elect's strategies to implement his "America First" policy, bringing jobs back in the US for the Americans to take advantage of. While this is considered one of the best news for the US, other countries are a little worried.

According to Reuters, President-elect Donald Trump met with the CEOs of General Motors, Mary Barra, Ford Motor Co's Mark Fields, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Sergio Marchionne. The meeting is primarily discussing to the big wigs his desire to have more plant in the US. In return, he vows to cut regulations and taxes to make it more attractive for businesses to operate in the US.

Matt Blunt who heads a US automaker trade association also attended the meeting. He told the news company Reuters that Trump asked what his administration could do on domestic trade policy that would help make the US more competitive and strengthen the ability of automakers to add production. The new President is definitely serious on advocacy to "buy American and hire American" as he pressured automakers to invest more in the country.

As added by CNN Money, Ford is the first one to heed the call of the new President. Apparently, it already cancels Mexico plant which then translates to 800 more jobs in Michigan. However, in spite of concerted efforts to hire Americans and focus business in the US, most of the automakers' Mexican operations are due to stay in place and may survive unscathed. This decision came about as Donald Trump meets with three auto CEOs recently.

Will be meeting at 9:00 with top automobile executives concerning jobs in America. I want new plants to be built here for cars sold here!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2017

In connection with Ford's cancellation of $1.6 billion plants in Mexico to build small cars, the Ford Focus is reported to still be made in another Mexican plant. The plan may forge ahead but it won't be instantaneous as Donald Trump wants it to be.

GM also expressed its intentions of bringing back jobs to the US. They too have pledged to move their plans of building a plant in Mexico to be moved to the US. GM also have plans to invest $1 billion to invest in US plants instead of bringing it in neighboring countries such as Mexico.

As Donald Trump meets with three auto CEOs, it is clear that Americans at least have better future ahead of them. Automakers' decision to pull out their initial investment plans outside of the US promises countless jobs for Americans who most of the time complain that there aren't enough opportunities for them as most are concentrated outside the country.
A good industry crossover recently happened as Ford hires Musa Tariq as its new Branding Chief. He officially holds the designation of Ford as Chief Branding Officer. He is from Apple Inc. and is now venturing into the automotive industry. It may seem two worlds apart, but his new designation with Ford may most likely be in line with his former role with Apple.

According to Apple Insider, Ford is the latest car manufacturer to hire top executives from Apple, with Musa Tariq as their new Chief Branding Officer. Tariq will officially start working for Ford on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 and is tasked to further build and differentiate the brand. He will be reporting directly to VP of Global Marketing, Sales and Service Stephen Odell and Ford Group VP of Communications, Ray Day.

Musa Tariq has joined Apple Inc. back in August 2014 as Retail Division's Marketing Director under Apple Store headed by Angela Ahrendts. The two executives have worked together in Burberry, with Tariq assisting and helping Ahrendts take the fashion brand to social media.

As Ford hires Musa Tariq, it promises fresh insights in terms of taking the car manufacturer's marketing efforts to greater heights as this is his expertise. His experience working for Nike as Senior Director for Social Media may also come in highly beneficial.

It's warm in Detroit right? Been so busy haven't been able to check the weather. https://t.co/9oDIQ0ZZJS  Musa Tariq (@MusaTariq) January 24, 2017

Working mostly in Social Media, Ford will surely have an extremely strong online presence. It is definitely going to reach more targeted audiences like never before. Its marketing campaign and promotional efforts may also change, most probably catering to yet another market segment and keeping its current niche market even stronger.

As added by Forbes, the 34-year-old Tariq specifically brings not only the Apple legacy but learnings from his role as Apple's Global Marketing and Communications Director for retail. Ford became highly interested because Tariq launched several initiatives that enhanced the retail experience from over 400 Apple stores and over 60,000 employees globally.

This is one of the best decision as Ford hires Musa Tariq as its Chief Branding Officer. With several accomplishments and initiatives turned into actual fruition, Tariq will surely take the Ford brand to an even better platform to be known as one of the world's best car manufacturer. Cheers and good luck to Tariq!

As Ford hires Musa Tariq, addressing its decision to shut off plans for having Mexico plant may not be one of his roles. However, it is one that's gaining mixed emotions, especially for both Americans and Mexicans as both nationalities are directly affected. Watch the news below:
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Mike Hawes released a statement predicting there would be less investment in the UK car industry in the next three years. The decrease in investment stems out from the uncertainties brought about by the Brexit aftermath.

Hawes told the Treasury Committee that they are currently collating data for analysis. However, although they are still in the process of data gathering, he can already sense that they could no longer expect an increase or even an equal amount of investment to come in for this year compared to last year.

As per records of SMMT, about 2.7 million new car registrations were enlisted last year, Autoexpress has cited. In addition, the car industry made a milestone of producing 1.7 million vehicles last year, which is the highest output since 1999, Financial Times has noted.

Moving forward, the car industry might not achieve a similar success this year. According to Hawes, automakers are less confident to invest in the future trade agreements will have greater clarity.

Currently, there is no tariff for automakers on EU trade. However, if the Brexit negotiation period will result to a zero trade, cars which will be sold to the EU will then face a 10 percent tariff to comply with the rules of the World Trade Organization.

(1/3) Post #Brexit a UK-German deal would include free access for their cars and industrial goods, in exchange for a deal on everything else  David Davis MP (@DavidDavisMP) May 26, 2016

Hawes explained that the automakers will have difficulty to cover the additional cost of 10 percent tariff. This could further result in factories shutting down, although it was also mentioned that it may take some time to reach this worst scenario.

Furthermore, the head of automotive at Lloyds Bank, Stuart Apperley, has also released a statement confirming the potential freezing of investments. Apperley said that it is possible that investments will be put on hold as the Brexit uncertainty continues to prevail. No major decision can be done on investments unless the future becomes clearer for the UK automotive industry.
After months of trying, Samsung has finally put the Galaxy Note 7 scandal to rest. However, more Samsung Galaxy smartphones are causing problems for the company.

Reports suggest that the Galaxy S7 Edge users are also having some problems with their smartphone. The S7 Edge users are having some trouble with a strange display issue.

As of the moment, the South Korean multinational conglomerate company has remained quiet about the issue. However, Samsung's Benelux division already confirmed free repairs for those who are experiencing the display problem - free of charge, as long as the phone is under warranty.

In the images shared below, it is evident that quite a number of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phones are malfunctioning. A vertical pink line which seems to appear in the same place, running along the height of the screen.

According to reports, this is a hardware issue which requires screen replacement. Myce reported a large number of users have complained about the issue on various social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and even on Youtube.

Samsung's support forums are also flooded with complaints about the issue, having a 29-page thread for the matter alone. Tweakers contacted Samsung Benelux to get some insight into the matter.

Samsung then told the website that the company is already aware of the issue. According to them, there will be free repairs under warranty just as long as the screen of the phone isn't damaged.

According to reports, the pink line only appears on screen after the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge goes on impact. This means it could happen when a user dropped their phone or accidentally bumped it hard.

On other news, the Galaxy Note 7 issue might have been fixed, but it has already caused a major crisis for the Korean company. Many fears that this latest issue about another Samsung Galaxy phone could damage the company further.
It's official, Ford has launched the Omnicraft brand in North America. The mission is to supply replacement Omnicraft parts for non-Ford vehicles.

Ford has always been one of the best automakers in the whole world. Many car enthusiasts love Ford for its quality and services. Now, even non-Ford vehicles can afford this privilege.

The Omnicraft brand will kick off with an inventory of 1,500 most commonly requested parts. This will most likely include brake discs, brake pads, oil filters, alternators, starter motors and loaded struts to be sold by Ford and Lincoln dealers.

There are also plans to grow more than 30 automotive parts categories, plus more than 10,000 Omnicraft parts. According to Ford, the Omnicraft brand will give every non-Ford vehicles guaranteed high-quality spare parts which can be bought at a reasonable price.

Non-Ford owners will also have the confidence of fitment and service by factory-trained technicians at their local Ford dealership. In a statement, the president of the Global Ford Customer Service Division, Frederiek Toney, said, "Omnicraft is a significant benefit to any vehicle owner who needs parts or to have their vehicle serviced. Now, owners of non-Ford vehicles have access to quality parts at a competitive price, backed by Ford and installed by Ford's world-class certified technicians."

Omnicraft is the very first all-new brand launched by the Ford Customer Service Division in about 50 years. It is expected to bring increased business into dealership which will provide some more revenue stream. It will also help provide Ford an opportunity to tackle franchised non-genuine vehicle service centres.

While this is news for most car enthusiasts, the business move isn't exactly new. Some might remember GM's ACDelco subsidiary also sells thousands of parts for both GM and non-GM vehicles. However, this doesn't change the fact that hundreds of Ford fans with non-Ford vehicles will line up to get those Omnicraft parts soon.


The National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton appears to be in financial trouble and a local congressman said this week hes investigating complaints of mismanagement. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, released his Wednesday letter to NAHF board chairman William R. Harris Jr. stating his office has received complaints of financial mismanagement and misappropriation of NAHF resources and assets. Turner requested that the organization turn over an extensive list of documents dating back to 2001. His announcementcomes after the halls recent controversial decision to move its 2017 enshrinement dinner from Dayton to Fort Worth, Texas, in efforts to boost fundraising. Harris issued a statement Wednesday that he has complete confidence in our finances, which have undergone independent audits, the Dayton Daily News reported. As a result of the boards decision to hold its annual event in Texas, it is not unexpected that we would undergo extra scrutiny, Harris stated.

Turner told the Dayton Daily News the NAHF has worked with him in recent years amid financial struggles that threatened to close down the organization, which is based at Daytons National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Just a few years ago, they approached me with concerns that their finances were so bad that they might close their doors at the Air Force museum, Turner told the newspaper. With their recent decision to relocate the enshrinement dinner, the question has arisen again as to the ability to meet their financial needs. Im very concerned that the long-term viability of the National Aviation Hall of Fame is at risk. The NAHF operates a public exhibit and Learning Center in Dayton and each fall, announces new enshrinees for wide-ranging contributions to aviation and aerospace.
One of the leaders of a newly formed opposition alliance on Friday claimed to have held very productive talks with businessman Gagik Tsarukian on Armenias upcoming parliamentary elections.

We have had a warm personal relationship and periodically met since 2003, Victor Dallakian told reporters. We also meet in this period.

I wont give more details and will just say that my meetings with Mr. Tsarukian are very productive, he said.

Dallakian, who resigned as a deputy chief of President Serzh Sarkisians staff in October, leads one of four Armenian parties that have decided to join forces in challenging the authorities in the April 2 elections. The blocs leadership also includes former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. It is expected to be joined by former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian, who also served in the government until October.

Dallakian said that he hopes for a consolidation of anti-government forces that would topple Serzh Sarkisians regime as a result of the parliamentary elections.

Tsarukian has decided to return to the political arena and participate in the elections last week nearly two years after resigning as leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) under strong pressure from Sarkisian. Relations between the two men appear to have improved following a bitter confrontation that led to the tycoons retirement from politics.

Tsarukian said last week that he will run for parliament at the head of a new electoral bloc that will presumably comprise the BHK and other groups supporting him. He criticized the socioeconomic situation in Armenia but stopped short of blaming the government for it, fueling more media speculation that his political comeback is the result of a secret deal with Sarkisian.

Both the BHK and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia have dismissed the speculation.
26 January 2017 14:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Many people in Armenia dont believe in justice as they do not rely on the judicial system or the police. The countrys law enforcement agencies mainly back the rich and well-connected people, and turn blind eye to fate and problems of ordinary citizens.

Two Armenian conscripts Grigor Avetisyan and Suren Aramyan, were killed in April 2016. Both were fatally shot by their fellow serviceman Davit Dumikyan, according to the investigation.

The representative of Avetisyans next of kin, Peace Dialogue NGO military expert Ruben Martirosyan, however, remains unconvinced about the credibility of the official version of the events and insists that Dumikyan could not have committed the double murder. Authorities, the expert says, are carrying out a flawed investigation.

The investigator says that on April 6, Dumikyan turned himself in to the Vardenis military police and confessed to killing Avetisyan and Aramyan: Dumikyan allegedly entered Aramyans tent and opened indiscriminate fire at the soldiers inside, before fatally shooting Avetisyan outside the tent. The soldiers killing, officials say, was an act of retaliation for a previous harassment and humiliation. Dumikyan has been charged with murder, committed in a manner dangerous to the lives of many people.

Ruben Martirosyan, talking to Epress.am, stressed that there are a number of circumstances that refute the version according to which the murder was committed by Dumikyan.

We have an expert opinion which proves that Davit was not the shooter: for example, there were no traces of soot or copper plating on his hands. On top of that, Avetisyans father, Hermon Avetisyan, has been told by Dumikyans relatives that the soldier subsequently retracted his confession, claiming that a tall colonel at the military police had beaten him into confessing, the expert said, adding that authorities have yet to officially announce this.

The investigation authority has orally informed Martirosyan that the investigation is currently looking into an alternative version, according to which Avetisyan allegedly killed Aramyan and was subsequently killed by Dumikyan. This version, the expert said, goes beyond the boundaries not only of law but also morality, since the killed young men were close friends, both originally from Artashat, and had never had a problem with each other.

There remain many open questions regarding the weapons seized from the crime scene, Martirosyan added: on the four rifles sent for examination there were found no fingerprints suitable for comparison.

Martirosyan also spoke about other questionable circumstances surrounding the case. Hakob Gevorgyan and Areg Baghdasaryan, the two soldiers who were injured from Dumikyans alleged fire, have claimed in their testimony that they were sleeping when Dumikyan came and opened fire in the tent.

They have both been injured in the leg. It doesnt sound very convincing to us that Dumikyans fire hit them strictly in the legs, so its highly doubtful that they were actually asleep. First of all, Hermon Avetisyan has information about past conflicts between Hakob and his son. Secondly, we have reliable information that Hakob, before heading to the defensive post, had beaten or otherwise hit Captain Roman Hakobyan, the post commander, for which he had been incarcerated for a month, Martirosyan said, suggesting that on the day of the incident there was a brawl involving a group of soldiers, which ended with the killing of the two conscripts.

Thus, the lawlessness and mendacity continue to prosper in Armenian justice institutions. Because of this, many ordinary Armenians get forcibly put into jails while the real murderers, who are well-connected in higher circles, walk around free.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
27 January 2017 17:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry has stated that another irresponsible and populist speech of the Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces, Movses Hakobyan, is no surprise for the ministry.

Representatives of the criminal military and political leadership of Armenia had also made similar statements before the April battles, according to the ministry.

We all remember that after the April battles, Serzh Sargsyan, realizing that Hakobyans further presence in Nagorno-Karabakh will lead to his physical destruction, urgently transferred him to Yerevan, the Defense Ministry said.

The ministry added that the leadership of Armenia and the Armenian army, who suffered a crushing defeat after the April fighting, are trying to weaken the political, social and public tensions in the country through provocative speeches.

However, Movses Hakobyan must realize that modern weapons to be applied by the Azerbaijani Army are much more devastating than those used in the April battles and will lead to the complete destruction of the Armenian Army, the Ministry warned.

In early April 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire of large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers by Armenian army. Azerbaijani counter-attack led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

Military operations on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies were stopped on April 5 at 12:00 with mutual consent of the sides. However, Armenian side still continues violating the ceasefire.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to this day.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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27 January 2017 18:01 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor's Office continues investigations into criminal case launched last April in connection with the premeditated murders and attempted premeditated murders of Azerbaijani servicemen by the Armenian Armed Forces.

Military Prosecutor, Lieutenant-General Khanlar Valiyev recalled that in April 2016, Armenian armed units fired on the settlements in the contact line and the settlements and civilian facilities which are not located close to the contact line by using the large-caliber weapons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

Valiyev, talking to Trend on January 26, added that the Military Prosecutor's office has carried out numerous investigative measures in connection with the facts of murder of Azerbaijani servicemen by the Armenian Armed Forces, and these measures continue at the moment.

Long-simmering tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared again on April 2 when the Armenian side began to shell the Azerbaijani positions and settlements along the frontline. This resulted in the killing of two civilians and injuring of 10 another, including a 13-year-old child. More than 10 houses as well as local people`s property were also damaged.

To protect civilian population, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched counter attacks and repulsed the enemy forces back. On April 5, the two sides agreed on a ceasefire.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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27 January 2017 14:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Joschka Fischer

Donald Trump is now the 45th President of the United States, and in his inaugural address he made it clear to the assembled US establishment that his administration does not intend to pursue business as usual. His motto, America first, signals the renunciation, and possible destruction, of the US-led world order that Democratic and Republican presidents, starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt, have built up and maintained  albeit with varying degrees of success  for more than seven decades.

If America abandons its role as the leading economic and military power and moves toward nationalism and isolationism, it will precipitate an international reordering, while also changing the country itself. Rather than being a hegemon, the US will become one great power among many.

Since the end of World War II, the US has been the engine of global free trade, so a move toward protectionism, or an attempt to either reverse globalization or harness it for narrow national interests, would have immense economic and political consequences worldwide. The full implications of such a shift are largely unpredictable; but we all know  or should know  what happened the last time the worlds leading powers turned inward, in the 1930s.

The alliances, multilateral institutions, security guarantees, international agreements, and shared values underlying the current global order might soon be called into question, or rejected altogether. If that happens, the old Pax Americana will have been needlessly destroyed by America itself. And with no obvious alternative framework to replace it, all indicators point to turbulence and chaos in the near future.

Americas two former enemies, Germany and Japan, will be among the biggest losers if the US abdicates its global role under Trump. Both countries experienced total defeat in 1945, and ever since they have rejected all forms of the Machtstaat, or power state. With their security guaranteed by the US, they transformed themselves into trading countries, and have remained active participants in the US-led international system.

If Trump takes away the US security umbrella, these two major economic powers will have a serious security problem on their hands. While Japans peripheral geopolitical position might, theoretically, allow it to re-nationalize its own defense capacities, pursuing that option could significantly increase the likelihood of a military confrontation in East Asia. This is an alarming prospect, given that multiple countries in the region have nuclear weapons.

Germany, meanwhile, lies in the heart of Europe, and is surrounded by its previous wartime enemies. It is the continents largest country in economic and demographic terms, but it owes much of its strength to the American security guarantee and multilateral, transatlantic, and European institutional frameworks based on shared values and free trade. The existing international order has rendered the Machtstaat and its accompanying sphere of influence unnecessary.

Unlike Japan, Germany cannot re-nationalize its security policy even in theory, because such a step would undermine the principle of collective defense in Europe and tear apart the continent. Lest we forget, the global and regional post-war orders purpose was to integrate the former enemy powers so that they posed no danger to one another.

Owing to its geopolitical weight, Germanys perspective is now synonymous with that of the European Union. And the EUs outlook is not that of a hegemon; rather, it is concerned with the rule of law, integration, and peaceful reconciliation of member states interests. Germanys location alone makes nationalism a bad idea; and besides, its most fundamental political and economic interests depend on a strong, successful EU  especially in the age of Trump.

Germany is in the same boat as all other Europeans with respect to security. Just as there can be no French security without Germany, there can be no German security without Poland. That is why Germany and all other European countries must now do all they can to boost their contributions to collective security within the EU and NATO.

Germanys strength is based on its financial and economic might, and it will now have to leverage that strength on the EUs and NATOs behalf. Unfortunately, it can no longer count on the so-called peace dividend that it enjoyed in the past (and even during the euro crisis). Thrift is undoubtedly a virtue; but other considerations should take priority when ones house is on fire and about to collapse.

Apart from security, Germanys second fundamental interest is global free trade. Intra-European trade will remain supremely important, because that is how Germany makes a living; but trade with the US will be vital, too. It will not bode well for Germany if China and the US  its two most important non-EU export markets  enter into a trade war. Protectionism anywhere can have global repercussions.

And yet, along with all the dangers Trumps presidency poses for Europeans, it offers opportunities as well. Trumps protectionist rhetoric alone has already led to a rapprochement between China and Europe. More important, the new US administration has furnished Europeans with a chance finally to close ranks, grow up, and reinforce their geopolitical power and position.

But if Europeans finally do come together, they should avoid anti-Americanism. Trump is Americas president, but he is not America. North Atlantic countries will still have a common history and shared values  even under Trump, and even though much else will change in the coming years.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Germany in the Age of Trump

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27 January 2017 11:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan and Iran have explored ways of developing cooperation in the spheres of culture and tourism as the head of the Tourism Department at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Aydin Ismiyev, met with the head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Irans West Azerbaijan Province, Jalil Jabbari.

Ismiyev spoke about development of the cooperation in the sphere of tourism, enrichment of the relevant legal database on the permanent basis and increase of mutual flows of tourist, Azertac reported.

He stressed that the tourist flow between the two countries intensified with the simplification of visa regime.

Ismiyev emphasized that the number of Iranian tourists to Azerbaijan essentially increased in comparison with two previous years.

The sides further discussed the building of relations between the two countries` tourism agencies.

Ismiyev also invited his Iranian counterpart to AITF-2017, International Travel and Tourism Fair to be organized in Baku on April 6-8.

Azerbaijan and Iran have had diplomatic relations since 1918. Iran recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

Azerbaijani and Iranian peoples enjoy the same cultural and religious traditions. Two countries successfully cooperate in many areas, including agriculture, transport, tourism, industry and other spheres.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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27 January 2017 17:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan and Ukraine have big potential for cooperation in all directions of social policy, said Salim Muslumov, Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

Muslumov made the remark during his meeting with Ukraines Minister of Social Policy Andrey Reva in Baku on January 27.

The study of labor market, employment sphere, insurance and others are among the directions of social policy, where the two countries have big potential for cooperation, said the minister.

Muslumov added that the two countries have a full legal framework for cooperation in the field of social security, which is based on the four agreements.

"The first agreement -- on cooperation in the field of pension provision was signed in 1995. Then the two agreements were signed in 2000 on cooperation in the field of pension and personal insurance of military servicemen and their families, and on cooperation between the two ministries. Finally, in 2004, the two agencies signed the last agreement -- on provision of social protection of Ukrainian citizens working in the labor market of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani citizens working in the labor market of Ukraine, he said.

"Ukraine is the only country that issues pensions to our citizens, who once worked in this country. Ukraine transfers these funds to our pension fund, which in turn transfers them to the accounts of pensioners, the minister said, stressing that Ukraine is the only country that fulfills its social obligations to other countries.

Currently, more than 500,000 Azerbaijanis are living in Ukraine, according to Muslumov, among them there are those, who hold high public office.

Later, the two ministers signed a program of cooperation in social policy.

The Ukrainian minister said that the document provides for the implementation of the agreements that have been signed by the two countries earlier.

The program prescribes the actions that we will take to fulfill the agreements that have already been reached. These are practical measures that will be implemented by our agencies in order to give real meaning to the already existing contract. We do not think that we need to sign something new, but we need to focus on the performance on what we have already agreed. We are talking about areas such as labor activity, social protection, including pensions, social insurance, employment, labor protection and other areas, the Ukrainian minister told Trend.

Azerbaijan & Ukraine share the same problem

Reva, commenting on Azerbaijans experience in the sphere of social security of internally displaced persons (IDPs), said that this sphere is important for Ukraine.

The number of internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan and Ukraine is about the same, according to the minister.

Azerbaijan experienced difficult period, given the huge number of IDPs, who fled their homes and were forced to live in other regions of the country. If our IDPs have the right to move freely throughout the territory of Ukraine, including those areas where temporary state authorities do not act, then Azerbaijani citizens did not have such an opportunity, he said.

The most tragic pages in the history of Azerbaijan in the 20th century are linked to refugees and internally displaced persons. After aggression of Armenia against ethnic Azerbaijani civilians many thousands of Azerbaijanis living in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia were deported from their historical lands thus abandoning to their fate. Thousands of children, elderly, women and men had no choice but to move to the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway territory of Azerbaijan, has continued for about 30 years, following the Armenias territorial claims against Azerbaijan in 1988. The military conflict, characterized by violence against civilians and ethnic cleansing, resulted in the injury, death, and disappearance of thousands of people, ended with occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.

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27 January 2017 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

A national pavilion of Azerbaijan will be exhibited at Astana EXPO-2017 International Exposition scheduled for June 10- September 10, 2017.

A revenant document confirming the transfer of the area, meant for the exhibition of local production, to the Azerbaijani side was signed in Kazakhstan, the Energy Ministry of Azerbaijan reported on January 27.

The document was undersigned by the Director General on the construction of the Astana EXPO 2017 Company, Bolat Sandikbayev, and representative of Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry, Iftikhar Huseynov.

National Day of Azerbaijan is scheduled to be held within the exposition on July 9.

The national pavilion covers some 403.3 square meters. Operating under the motto of The Land of Fire: energy, from past to future it reflects such values as the history of Azerbaijan, culture, art, science, human capital, tradition of tolerance, modern economy, the Caspian Sea, the ancient Silk Road, Gobustan and etc.

The theme of the exhibition is the Energy of the Future. Some 105 countries and 18 international organizations have already confirmed their participation in the exhibition. Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to confirm its participation.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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27 January 2017 15:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan and Jordan will discuss opportunities of expanding economic ties during a meeting of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission scheduled for April in Oman, Jordans Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nassar Al-Habashneh told Trend.

The diplomat stressed that it will be the third meeting of the intergovernmental commission and the previous meeting was held in Baku in 2011.

The parties will discuss all aspects of bilateral cooperation during the meeting, added the ambassador.

The Jordan Kingdom relates to Azerbaijan as reliable economic and political ally. Jordan repeatedly voiced intention to activate ties with Azerbaijan, which is the leading country in South Caucasus.

Amman and Baku also have ambitious plans to expand their cooperation in education, culture and other fields to serve the interests of their peoples.

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27 January 2017 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

IZMIR Karaoke & Lounge will host Fashion Night Show on February 2, Trend Life reported.

Guests of the evening will be delighted by stunning outfits designed by Azerbaijani designers.

The event will also feature performances of beloved artists Elvin Novruzov, Nigar Huseynli and Agamehdi Mirzoyev.

Its first event organized as part of the Miss Top Model Azerbaijan. The organizers promise a colorful show and a spectacular finale.

"Night Sow is a presentation of our participants and the official launch of the contest Miss Top Model. The guests will be presented new collections of local designers. In the future we plan to hold several events of this kind, and then we will held a spectacular final. Keep your eyes on our contest, and you will find a lot of interesting things, the organizers say.

For more information, please visit:

www.misstopmodel.az

Media partners of the event are Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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27 January 2017 16:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Famous fashion designer Elie Saab, who is globally renowned for dressing celebrities, has presented a new collection "Elie Saab Couture spring-2017" as part of Paris Fashion Week.

The dress from Saabs cruise collection has copied design by Azerbaijani designer Rufat Ismayilov. Turkish bloggers revealed the similarity.

Ive received a photo and saw my outfit on the model. It's either coincidence or his employees stole my idea, but the designer does not know about it. This can happen with any designer, including me, as a lot of ideas come up. Although I do not exclude that when he saw my collection, he decided to make a copy. In case it is true, Id be pleased that such a famous designer decided to copy me," said Rufat Ismayilov while talking to Trend Life.

Rufat Ismayilov, the founder of the Affair brand, has presented his unique and imaginative collections in Italy, Iran, Turkey, UAE and other countries.

Last year, he presented his collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Istanbul. His men's clothing collection was shown at Pitti Uomo 2015, the most important International event for menswear and men accessories collections.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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27 January 2017 15:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans all government agencies work hard to ensure necessary infrastructure in the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of Azerbaijans Jabrayil region.

The Ministry for Labor and Social Protection of Population will take steps to ensure employment and social insurance of the citizens, who will be resettled in the Jojug Marjanli village, said Minister Salim Muslumov.

First, 50 houses, a school, medical and other social facilities will be built under the presidential order, so that the citizens were able to return to their village and start working, he said.

The minister continued that the social insurance of the citizens will be ensured through the most closely located region.

Muslumov further added that today, these people have no problem with social security, and they receive pension, targeted assistance, and other social benefits.

Under the presidential order dated January 24, 4 million manats ($2.12 million) was allocated from the President`s 2017 Contingency Fund to the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and IDPs for the construction of 50 private houses, a school building and relevant infrastructure at the first stage.

More than 190 families out of 400 families, who once lived in the village, have already expressed desire to return to their homeland. The construction work in the village will begin soon, as first 50 families out of 190 will be settled in this village at the first stage.

Moreover, the Internet Community of Azerbaijan (ICA) is ready to provide free access to the Internet for the Jojug Marjanli village.

ICA Chairman Galib Gurbanov told Trend on January 27 that in order to ensure this, the state operator Aztelecom should lay an optical cable in the village.

The providers are willing to work together to deploy free Wi-Fi throughout the village after that, said Gurbanov.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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27 January 2017 10:14 (UTC+04:00)

A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on January 27

The new edition includes articles about: Applying for social housing to start soon; No place like home: IDPs seek to return to liberated Jojug Marjanli village; Djibouti Parliament recognizes Khojaly genocide; Zenith Energy seeks to boost output in Azerbaijan, etc.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
27 January 2017 11:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey trilateral format serves to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region, said Elmar Mammadyarov on January 26.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan made the remark as he met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Ibrahim Rahimpour, who paid a visit to Baku.

The sides praised the current level of Azerbaijan-Iran bilateral relations, and expressed their confidence that cooperation between the two countries will be further successfully developed in accordance with the will of the two countries' heads of state.

The FM noted that the meetings at the level of heads of state, high-level reciprocal visits, activities of the intergovernmental joint commission, and relations between the people play an important role in the comprehensive development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran.

Rahimpour touched upon the presidential decree upon declaring 2017 the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan, noting that this is a wise decision.

The two also emphasized the importance of 48th Baku meeting of the special working group held in the capital on January 25-26 for drafting a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states.

They as well discussed the development of transport corridors connecting the two countries, including the North-South railway line. The sides also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest.



The history of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan has a particular specificity, causing all stages of the development of bilateral relations. The present Iranian administrations policy of improving international relations, Tehrans pursuit of win-win situations, and a political will shared by Iran and Azerbaijan have improved the chances of growing economic ties between the two neighboring countries.

Following the lifting of sanctions on January 2016, Tehran has repeatedly expressed intention to improve trade with neighboring Azerbaijan in a bid to make up for the decline in trade turnover between the two countries.

Agriculture, banking sector, pharmaceutics, as well as cooperation in the international North-South transport corridor are the main areas that the two states are focused on.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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27 January 2017 14:43 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Andrey Reva in Baku on January 27, Azertac reported.

Reva noted that he was deeply impressed by the beauty of Baku.

He hailed the good cooperation between the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy and Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

Saying Azerbaijan's success in this sphere is of pivotal importance, Andrey Reva noted that the country's experience and achievements arouse interest in terms of reforms carried out in Ukraine's social policy system.

President Aliyev noted that the works are successfully continued in the field of social welfare in Azerbaijan.

The head of state also hailed the great works done towards the improvement of legislation, including the issues related to regulation of social policy in the country.

The president noted that social policy has always been one of the key priorities in Azerbaijan and great importance is attached to this area even at the time when serious economic reforms are carried out in the country.

The head of state said that financing of utility expenses, tariffs, social welfare, meeting the needs of internally displaced persons, pensions, social infrastructure and other areas are carried out at the state level.

They exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation between the relevant authorities of the two countries.

The minister arrived in Baku on January 26 to exchange experience in the sphere of social policy. During the visit, Reva will meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Salim Muslimov.

Moreover, a cooperation program between the Social Policy Ministry of Ukraine and the Labor and Social Protection Ministry of Azerbaijan is planned to be signed.

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27 January 2017 11:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The 48th meeting of the special working group for drafting a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states ended in Baku on January 26.

The meeting participants discussed and agreed on provisions on determination of the sovereignty, jurisdiction, security, territorial waters and fishing zones, methodology for definition of the main lines, division of the sea bottom and earth's interior, passing of ship through territorial waters, as well as laying cables and pipelines.

The event, attended by delegations from Azerbaijan led by Khalaf Khalafov, Iran led by Ebrahim Rahimpour, Kazakhstan led by Zulfiya Amanjolova, Russia led by Igor Bratchikov and Turkmenistan led by Murad Atajanov adopted a communique.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov, addressed the event emphasizing that the main agreements achieved by the heads of states and foreign ministers of the Caspian states paved the way for the substantial convergence of positions and tangible results.

He noted that holding next summit on the completion of agreements on all main principles of the draft convention must serve the purpose of laying comprehensive legal foundation for the future mutual activity and cooperation of the Caspian states.

Results of the 48th Baku meeting of the special working group are satisfactory, Khalafov told Azertac.



Agreement was reached on principal points on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, he said.



The deputy foreign minister noted that the event decided to hold meetings of the working group and foreign ministers in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

He expressed a hope that the meeting of foreign ministers will yield tangible results.

The 4th summit of the heads of state of the Caspian littoral states is expected to be held in Astana, Khalafov added.

The Caspian littoral states signed a Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003. Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use in July 1998. The two countries signed a protocol to the agreement in May 2002.

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea and a protocol to it in 2001 and in 2003, respectively.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea in 2003. Summits of heads of the Caspian states were held in 2002 in Ashgabat, in 2007 in Tehran, in 2010 in Baku and in 2014 in Astrakhan.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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27 January 2017 12:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The Embassy of India in Azerbaijan hosted a reception on the country`s Republic Day on January 26.

Governmental officials, MPs, ambassadors of foreign countries, as well as public figures joined the ceremony to celebrate India with such a significant date, Azertac reported.

The day is celebrated to remember when India's constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, completing the country's transition toward becoming an independent republic.

Ambassador Sanjay Rana addressed the event, highlighting India`s achievements in various fields, and touched upon the relations between the two countries.



He emphasized that India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan after the country restored its independence, adding that Azerbaijan-India relations will continue to develop.

Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Huseyngulu Bagirov, addressing the event on behalf of the Azerbaijani government, congratulated the people of India on the occasion of the holiday.

The minister noted that relations between the two countries are developing rapidly for the prosperity of the two countries` peoples.

Bagirov said Azerbaijan attaches a special importance to developing ties with India.

The Azerbaijani-Indian relations are old and mature. The two countries enjoy close and friendly relations and have an active cooperation in many areas including political, commercial and investment, educational and cultural.



This year marks the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Azerbaijan. In this conjunction the Embassy of India will hold a year-long India-Azerbaijan Dostluq Festival during 2017.

In 2017, India hopes to achieve new milestones in its relationship with.

Last year the trade and economic exchanges between India and Azerbaijan progressed from strength to strength, increasing by 63 percent in 2016 as compared to 2015.

Building on Indias ONGC Videsh presence as a shareholder in AzeriChiragGunashli oilfield and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Indian companies are keen for partnership in undertaking projects in petrochemical sector such as building and renovating oil refineries. the companies are also eager to make use of opportunities in non-oil sectors, like agriculture and pharmaceuticals and information technology.

Moreover, soon Azerbaijani citizens will easily travel to India, as the county added Azerbaijan to the list of countries whose nationals can apply for e-TOURIST VISA (e-TV) through online application.



This visa would soon become available to Azerbaijani travelers who plan to visit India for recreation, sight-seeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit. The visa applicants can apply online and it would not require any facilitation by any intermediary/agents.



In December 2016, Azerbaijan also included India among the 81 countries whose citizens can take advantage of ASAN Visa through ASAN Visa Portal designed to simplify the procedure for issuing visas to foreigners.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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Melton & Gill 004.jpg

Dr. Lena Melton (left) and John Gill have combined for more than 60 years of public service on the Ocean Springs School Board and Ocean Springs Board of Aldermen, respectively. Melton's tenure on the school board will come to an end when she steps down next month.

(Warren Kulo/The Mississippi Press)

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- In 1987, midway through his first term as an Ocean Springs alderman, John Gill voted along with the remainder of the board to appoint Dr. Lena Melton, a longtime educator, to the Ocean Springs School Board.

Now, 30 years later and with some 62 years of public service between them, Melton's tenure is coming -- reluctantly -- to an end, while Gill, already the longest serving elected city official in Mississippi history, marches on and will seek a ninth term as an aldermen in this June's municipal election.

This week, the two longtime public servants sat down with The Mississippi Press to discuss their long tenures in office -- what prompted them to get involved, what led to their longevity, and their accomplishments and regrets.

Melton, without being asked, volunteered her age -- 75, noting that "as a cancer survivor, I'm one of those few women who doesn't mind telling her age."

She was born and spent her early years in Columbus, Ga., before her family relocated to Augusta, where she graduated high school. From there, she went on to Hampton Institute in Virginia -- following in the footsteps of her parents -- and earned a bachelor's degree in Science.

It was at Hampton she met Joel Melton and the two were married in 1964. Joel was a U.S. Air Force officer and his travels brought the young couple to the Mississippi coast for the first time in 1966.

Melton vividly remembers no small amount of trepidation about moving to Mississippi in the mid-1960s.

"As a black person, that was the last thing you wanted to hear -- that you were going to Mississippi," she said. "I told my mother 'I'm not going.' She said 'Yes, you are.'

"But, as it turned out, it was the best thing that ever happened to us," she continued. "We came to the coast, we loved the coast. We moved around a few times while Joel was in the Air Force, but we chose to come back to the coast. I love the coast and wouldn't want to live anywhere other than Ocean Springs.

"Before coming to Ocean Springs, I didn't like small towns, but when I started working at the (then) junior high, I realized this small town was different and I didn't ever want to leave."

Melton began her teaching career in South Carolina and, after returning to the coast in 1973, taught at what was then Nichols High School -- Biloxi's "black" high school. But in 1976 she came to Ocean Springs Junior High and her life -- and that of the community -- would never be the same.

She remained at OSJH for nine years, earning her Masters while there and would complete her doctorate in 1984. In 1979, she began teaching science as an adjunct professor at what was then Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

"I was blessed to be there (OSJH)," she said. "The junior high was a wonderful place to be."

Melton said that during her nine years at the school she never paddled students, as was common practice in those days. Instead, students running afoul of Melton were assigned essays. A student guilty of the infraction of chewing gum in class, for example, would be assigned a five-page, handwritten essay on the digestive system.

She also noted that -- despite her and her husband's travels with the military -- they always manged to be on the coast for every hurricane starting with Camille in 1969. It is mentioned to her that another way of looking at that would be the Mississippi coast has never experienced a hurricane when she was gone.

"Don't print that," she said, laughing.

Melton and her husband, who passed away in 2000, are the parents of four children -- three sons and a daughter, all graduates of Ocean Springs High School.

Gill, meanwhile, is a native of Biloxi and graduated from Biloxi High School in 1964. Coming out of high school during the Vietnam War era, his father encouraged him to volunteer so he could choose his branch of the service, rather than wait to be drafted.

Gill followed that advice and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving four years. His first two years were spent aboard an ice breaker based in Seattle, Wash. He vividly recalls one excursion to the Arctic Circle.

The cruise took Gill's ship south through the Panama Canal, around Europe, through the Arctic Circle and then into the Bering Straits en route back to Seattle. From there, Gill picks up the story:

"We got too close to Russia," he said of what was then the Soviet Union. "We were in the Bering Straits and the Russians sent us a message telling us to turn around. It was only about 12 miles wide at one point and they were not going to let us come through. They claimed we were not in international waters and were in Soviet waters.

"Our captain took the ship and kind of wandered around for a while and I think he had the idea of trying to sneak the ship through. But apparently the Russians contacted the Pentagon and they got word to the captain to turn his butt around, immediately. The whole thing lasted about 30 days and we had Russian ships trailing us the whole time. At one point, a Russian ship came across our bow and the captain had to go full reverse to avoid hitting them."

After his two years aboard the ice breaker, Gill was sent to Delaware, where he worked in search and rescue. He finished his Coast Guard duty in New Orleans.

Back on the coast, Gill used his GI Bill benefits to enroll in Jefferson Davis Junior College, studying drafting and design. Upon graduating in 1972, Gill went to work for Shell Oil in New Orleans, but his then-wife didn't care for the Crescent City and the two moved back to the coast, where he took a job at Ingalls Shipbuilding, where he would remain for the next 33 years.

It was the job at the shipyard that brought Gill to Ocean Springs.

"I wanted to be closer to the shipyard," he said. "Plus, I loved Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs is beautiful and has a great school system."

Gill, 71, has been married twice, although now single. He has two children, a son and a daughter.

When Gill moved to Ocean Springs, he located in the Parktown East subdivision.

"The subdivision I was living in had an alderman who wasn't doing anything," he said. "We had terrible drainage, we had terrible water pressure, the roads were bad. I decided to join the civic association. When I did and got to know everybody, they started to encourage me to run."

So it was that in 1985 Gill qualified for his first run at a seat on the board of aldermen.

He doesn't remember how much that first campaign budget was, but does recall having paper yard signs -- not the plastic ones widely used now.

"Every time it rained they'd just fold in," he said, laughing. "We spent a lot of the time just replacing signs."

Gill won and, as noted, it was midway through his first term Melton sought her first appointment to the school board, which was needing a replacement for Toxey Luckey -- father of current school board attorney Alwyn Luckey.

Phil Harvey was at the time serving with Gill on the board of aldermen. He was a member of Melton's church and her insurance agent. It was during a conversation in his office he encouraged Melton to seek the appointment.

"I thought 'Yes, I'd like to try that,'" she said. When asked why she would willingly subject herself to the politics and headaches of a high profile public position, she said, laughing, "I didn't know any of that."

She was appointed unanimously to the post and Gill and his colleagues would reappoint her to four more five-year terms.

"It was always unanimous," Gill said.

And so over all or part of the next four decades, John Gill and Lena Melton would devote themselves to trying to do what was best for the city and its children, respectively.

When Melton is asked about the accomplishments of which she is most proud, there is no hesitation in her response.

"The high school is number one," she said of Ocean Springs High School, a $50 million facility which opened in 2012 after 10 years of planning. The school was funded through a $37 million bond issue approved by voters and $13 million in district funds.

"I'm sure, to the kids, it's just a building," she said. "When I go by there, I'm just in awe and I always say a word of thanks to the Lord for allowing us to have a beautiful school like that for our children.

"It's overwhelming for me to just stand there and think 'This is Ocean Springs High School.' It's an experience for me each time I see it. And that's just looking at it from the outside."

Melton remembered walking inside the school immediately after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. When she reached the main hallway, which stretches the length of the main building, she was so overwhelmed she turned around, got in her car, and left.

"I just couldn't take it in that that was our school," she said.

"That school will always be the apex of my career, to know we have done that -- because of course it wasn't just me, we as a community did that."

Aside from the high school, Melton cites building of the middle school and upgrades to all of the elementary schools among the top accomplishments during her tenure. The International Baccalaureate program is another.

"That's a big plus for Ocean Springs," she said, adding that OSHS is one of only two schools in the state to offer the IB program. "We have people who come to live here specifically because of the IB program."

Gill, meanwhile, certainly has an array of projects and accomplishments from which to choose when citing those of which he is most proud. But, perhaps surprisingly, it's a smaller project he mentions first.

"The Fort Bayou children's park," he said when asked. "That was built after (Hurricane) Katrina. There was a piece of property behind the hospital that had been woods for years and I always had a dream to built a park there.

"But it costs a lot of money to build a park and we had a lot of other issues going on, so nobody wanted to hear about a $100,000 park."

The hurricane, however, presented an opportunity. Thanks to grant money that was pouring in at the time, and the assistance of KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that has built nearly 17,000 playgrounds nationwide, Gill was finally able to bring his idea of a public park in Fort Bayou to fruition.

"We rushed in our application (to KaBOOM!) and we were selected," Gill said. "We got the county, thanks to John McKay, to lease the property to the city, which they agreed to do as long as it was used for a park.

"We cleared the land and KaBOOM! built the park in one day. They brought in about 30 Seabees to help, along with city help. It was amazing. And then the city built the pavilion."

Another accomplishment Gill takes pride in is the extension of quality water service to the east end of Ocean Springs.

"It took me years to get that done, but I was very proud of that," he said. "We raised all the water tanks and moved all the lines. We provided those people with the water pressure for good fire protection, as well as good, clean drinking water. It took millions and millions of dollars in grant money to pay for all that."

He also mentions the Fort Bayou boat launch as another project he spearheaded that he views proudly.

While the accomplishments Gill and Melton have helped bring about are many, they also have a few regrets.

For Gill, there is one major regret.

"The (Ocean Springs) civic center," he said, bluntly. "When we built the civic center, we built it too small. It was too small the day it opened. I regret that we didn't go out and borrow enough money to make it large enough to house Mardi Gras balls and events of that size."

He said building a civic center had been his idea and he was hopeful of having something similar to the Biloxi Community Center -- so much so that he asked the architect who designed the Biloxi facility to simply take the same plans, put "Ocean Springs Civic Center" on them and send them over.

"I brought the plans to a board meeting, rolled the blueprints out on the table and said 'Guys, this is what we need in Ocean Springs.' They were all for it," he said.

"But this is Ocean Springs, so we had a little group of people come up and said we were trying to give them something just like Biloxi. They said we should be unique and different from Biloxi. So they came up with this plan, got a head of steam with the local paper, and that's what we got."

"I was so disappointed," he added. "That's my biggest regret. It's the most underused facility in Ocean Springs. And the way it's built, you'd have to tear half of it down to enlarge it."

Melton also has one major regret.

"One thing we started, and it took 12 years, but Dr. Hirsch was able to bring forth a symphony orchestra at the high school," she said. "That was something I wanted for us -- and still do. I think we had it for about two years. If we'd have had the money the state had promised us, we could have kept it. It really hurt when we lost that."

For Melton, the end of her tenure on the school board comes with no small amount of reluctance. Her passion for serving on the board is as strong as ever, but she has come to the conclusion it's time to step aside.

"Originally, I thought 20 years would be my cutoff," she said. "What I learned was the first five years is like an internship. I think Dr. (Bill) Lobrano said it best when he was on the board: you've got to be on this board at least five years just to know you're way around. Then, in your second term, you've gotten your feet wet and you can go ahead and sail forth."

When she hit the 20-year mark, however, the district was still rebuilding from Katrina and she didn't think that was the right time to "shake up the board. You need stability to deal with something like that."

Five years later, the district was in the process of hiring a new superintendent (current superintendent Bonita Coleman), and Melton was asked to stay on to help with the search and selection.

"I'm going to really miss being on the board," she says. "I really didn't want to leave the school board, but I'm 75 and I think -- even though I have grandchildren in the district -- I think it's important to have younger people with children in the district to fill those positions.

"So, reluctantly, I realized it was time for me to hang up my hat and move on. But I really don't want to leave. It's going to be hard for me when February has come and gone and I realize I'm no longer on the school board."

That's not to say she's going to disappear from the public eye.

"I'll be down there often knocking on Dr. Coleman's door," she said, smiling. "I plan to stay involved. I just can't walk away completely."

Gill said his unprecedented tenure as an alderman stems from one main factor: the position allows him to help others.

"I have a desire to help people and I enjoy what I do," he said. "I think I'm good at this job and I think people see that and appreciate it. The people in my ward support me every four years. I get after things. When I see things that need to be done, I get them done. I take care of my people. They take care of you if you take care of them."

What of those who may be considering getting involved in public service? What advice would these two veteran public servants offer?

"I would want them to realize it's not a one-meeting-a-month commitment," Melton said. "Other than my church, school board has always come first. A person who is going to be on the school board has to think that way, because you've got a responsibility to all our children. You have got to be willing to be on top of things, to go and visit schools, making yourself available, talking to people and, perhaps most importantly, to listen.

"I'd say this: it takes a lot of your personal time," Gill said. "It also has a stress factor, so if you're considering running for office you better consider those two things. You also better develop some thick skin. You can't take things personally. When you walk into the board room, you have to erase your personal feelings and do what's best for the city."

Melton also said it's important for public officials to realize that to accomplish anything takes a team effort.

"You have to realize you are one person," she said. "You can offer your ideas, but you also have to listen to the people around you. A person on the school board has to remember we live in a democratic society. Listen to your fellow board members and others, then make what you believe to be your best decision.

"If you do that, you'll sleep well at night."
27 January 2017 16:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

The fourth meeting of the Azerbaijani-Tajik intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation is expected to be held in late March in Baku.

Tajik Ambassador to Azerbaijan Zohir Saidov told Trend that his countrys delegation will be headed by chairman of the commission from the Tajik side Economic Development and Trade Minister Nematullo Hikmatullozoda.

The meeting will consider development prospects of the bilateral economic cooperation and expansion of trade between two countries.

The co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission from Azerbaijani side is Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

The previous meeting of the intergovernmental commission was held in Dushanbe on October 15, 2014.

Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, both post-Soviet republics established diplomatic relations on May 29, 1992.

The two countries' cooperation reached a new level in 2008, when an intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was launched. It coordinates the realization of economic ties and develops new offers for future cooperation.

The Tajik-Azerbaijani legal base consists of more than 30 agreements and treaties, where the agreement on friendship and cooperation between Tajikistan and Azerbaijan is most fundamental.

The Azerbaijani State Customs Committee reports that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan amounted to $12.32 million in 2016, compared with $6.44 million in 2015.

Azerbaijan exports to Tajikistan amounted to $12.08 million in 2016, import  $238,000.

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27 January 2017 17:44 (UTC+04:00)

The head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, has issued an order approving the plan of events on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Khojaly Genocide.

The action plan was signed to ensure the implementation of the order "On the 25th anniversary of Khojaly genocide" of the Azerbaijani president, dated January 24, 2017, Azertac reported.

Khojaly, the second largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intense fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces in 1992.

About 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown.

The plan envisages laying wreaths at the Khojaly memorials in Khatai district in Baku, in Goranboy region and Agjakand village, holding press conferences, commemorative ceremonies at embassies, missions and diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan in foreign countries, ensuring media coverage of these events both within the country and abroad.

Under the plan, religious confessions and organizations operating in the country will hold commemorative ceremonies for victims of the Khojaly genocide.

Morover, on February 26, first lessons at schools will be dedicated to the Khojaly tragedy and a minute`s silence will be held 17.00 throughout the country to commemorate the victims of the Khojaly genocide.

National flags of Azerbaijan will be lowered in the country that day as a sign of mourning.

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27 January 2017 11:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

French Constitutional Court has issued a decision that decriminalizes the "Law on denial of certain crimes," which also covers the events of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

The decision states that redundant escalation of hatred is an unnecessary step under the current French legislation.

The French Parliament approved a bill criminalizing the denial of the so called  Armenian Genocide and rendering it punishable with a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros .

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Turkey in turn has always denied "the genocide" took place.

While strengthening the efforts to promote the "genocide" in the world, Armenians have achieved its recognition by the parliaments of some countries.

Turkey proposed Armenia to create a joint history commission, which will be composed of historians and experts from both sides and third parties in order to study the events of 1915 in their historical context and share the findings with the international public. However, Armenia refused the offer.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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27 January 2017 11:50 (UTC+04:00)

U.S. President Donald Trump expects to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon.

"He called me after I won, but I havent had a discussion, but I understand we will be having a discussion soon," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

The United States getting along with Russia will be beneficial for both of the countries and will help defeat Daesh terrorists, Trump also noted.

"I dont know [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, but if we can get along with Russia thats a great thing, its good for Russia, its good for us, we go out together and knock the hell out of ISIS [Daesh], because thats a real sickness," Trump said.

NBC White House correspondent Hallie Jackson wrote on Twitter on Thursday, citing an administration source that Trump and Putin were expected to hold telephone talks this weekend.

Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the date of a first phone call between Putin and Trump since the US presidents inauguration had not been determined yet.

Last week, Peskov said that a meeting between Putin and Trump was unlikely to happen in the coming weeks as the US president was focusing on domestic issues, but it was probably going to be held in the coming months.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to have better relations with Russia.

After Trumps victory in the election, Putin called for a new era of fully fledged relations between Russia and the United States.

We understand that it will not be an easy path given the current state of degradation in the relations, Putin said at the Kremlin. And as I have repeatedly said, its not our fault that Russian-American relations are in such a poor state. But Russia wants and is ready to restore fully fledged relations with the United States.

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27 January 2017 13:50 (UTC+04:00)

Irans car industry is the second biggest sector in country after the energy sector, which makes more than 10 percent of GDP.

Over 700,000 people are working in this industry which is equal to 4 percent of workforce of Iran, according to the 2015 data.

With a contribution of about $9.1 billion (294 trillion rials), the countrys carmakers accounted for 2.2 percent of Irans economic growth over the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2016). The automotive industry is projected to form at least 4 percent of Irans economic growth by 2025.

The WB estimations show that Irans gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 stood at $393.7 billion. This is while Irans car industry in 2015 witnessed a downward trend as the industrys share in the countrys GDP was 0.5 percent lower than in preceding year.

However, the latest statistics on the output of the countrys automotive industry suggest a huge surge. The industry made more than 946,000 vehicles over the first nine months of the current fiscal year, indicating a 38.7 percent growth year-on-year.

A surge was observed in interest among multinational companies in investing in Iran following the nuke deal signed in January 2015, while one sector attracting attention is Irans automotive industry.

Iranian car manufacturers reestablished cooperation with European companies, including Peugeot, Citroen and Renault. This resulted in a strong growth of nearly 151 percent for automotive sector, which ended 2016 as the top performing sector on the Tehran Stock Exchange.

At least two European carmakers have earlier announced that they experienced a considerable surge in their sales in Iran over 2016.

Traditional export markets for Iranian automobiles include Algeria, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Senegal, Syria, Sudan and Venezuela.

Recently, the Islamic Republic presented certificates to foreign car manufacturers willing to open sales branches in the country.

Some 40 foreign carmakers have already obtained the certificates, while the number can be increased in future. Companies may get licenses facing no limit in terms of the number of cars they would like to import. However, the companies are required to have a 10-year customer services experience in Iran, to be able to sell the production in the market.

The auto giant PSA Peugeot Citroen became the first foreign company since the implementation of the JCPA to receive a license from the Iranian government to invest in Iran Khodro Co. (IKCO), the biggest car manufacturer in the country.

The country imported some 49,331 motor cars in March-December 2016, while some 89 percent of the of the figure fell to a share of 5 countries, including UAE, South Korea, Germany, Spain, Turkey. Imported cars shared only 5 percent of Irans total car market in the period.

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27 January 2017 13:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

The United Nations sees reasons to be optimistic about the development of the situation in Syria in connection with the cease-fire regime and intensification of the political process, said Stephen OBrian, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

We are starting 2017, and as though it may be difficult to imagine, grounds for hope are increasing, OBrian said stressing that since December 30 the cease-fire regime throughout the country has been retained, despite some violations, RIA Novosti reported.

A nationwide ceasefire began in Syria on December 30, 2016, to pave the way for new peace talks on Syria. Russia and Turkey serve as guarantors of the ceasefire deal, paving the way for negotiations between the Syrian regime and rebels.

Another reason for hope, according to OBrian, is intensification of the political direction which became possible due to the results of the Astana meeting, where two warring sides in the Syria conflict were sitting together at the negotiating table for the first time.

This week we saw how people, despite the years of confrontation, were willing to put aside differences and sit opposite each other in Astana, OBrian said.

The Astana talks on Syrian settlement were brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran and took place in the Kazakh capital on January 23 and 24. They marked the first time since the beginning of Syrian civil war in 2011 when the government of Syria and the armed opposition sat together at the negotiations table.

In a joint statement of Russia, Iran and Turkey issued following the Syrian peace talks, the countries agreed to create a trilateral group on monitoring the Syrian ceasefire.

Many experts assessed the agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran on the establishment of a tripartite mechanism aimed at monitoring the cease-fire as a step to a political solution which might end the six-year war.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharov said that Moscow sees the interaction of Russia, Iran and Turkey on Syria in a constructive and long-term way.

She added that it is well-known that the Syrian settlement is a long matter and requires consolidation of efforts of all countries involved in the process.

Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since 30 September 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin.

The U.N. has repeatedly tried and failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed 300,000 and displaced 11 million since it began five years ago.

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27 January 2017 15:49 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Eyvazova

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing a decree on lifting of sanctions against Russia, wrote a senior researcher of the analytical center Atlantic Council Fabrice Potier.

DC sources say that, an executive order to lift Russian sanctions has already ready in Trump`s administration, Pottier writes, recalling that talks between Moscow, Berlin and Washington are scheduled for Saturday.

Editor of U.S.-based Politico Susan Glasser also mentioned that the executive order was said to be ready.

"Hearing Trump world has [the] text of [an] order floating around to ease Russia sanctions," she tweeted.

But, The Kremlin is not aware of the possible plans of the Trump administration to lift sanctions against Russia.

This information is impersonal. I dont know whether it is true, said Dmitry Peskov, the press Secretary of the Russian President to journalists.

He said the conversation Putin and Trump will be held closer to the evening Moscow time. There will be exchange of views on the basic parameters of the current state of bilateral relations, said Peskov.

Relations between Russia and the West countries have deteriorated in 2014 in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

A number of countries, including the U.S., applied sanctions against individuals, businesses and officials from Russia. Russia has responded with sanctions against a number of countries, including a total ban on food imports from the EU, United States, Norway, Canada and Australia.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to have better relations with Russia.

After Trumps victory in the election, Putin called for a new era of fully fledged relations between Russia and the United States.

We understand that it will not be an easy path given the current state of degradation in the relations, Putin said at the Kremlin. And as I have repeatedly said, its not our fault that Russian-American relations are in such a poor state. But Russia wants and is ready to restore fully fledged relations with the United States.

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27 January 2017 17:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a visit to Tajikistan in the coming weeks, RIA Novosti reported with reference to First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Igor Shuvalov.

Shuvalov stressed that this visit requires careful preparation. "We look forward to this visit and we hope that it will be productive," the First Deputy Prime Minister said at the enlarged session of the Tajik-Russian intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation.

Shuvalov further stressed that the meeting mulled further development of cooperation between the two countries in energy, transportation and other industries.

We have been able to reach certain agreements in all matters, he stated stressing that due to the flexibility of both sides there was an opportunity to move forward.

Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda also noted that a thorough preparation necessary as not much time left before the Russian president visits the country.

Rasulzoda further said that the development of the cooperation with Russia corresponds to a sequence of tasks set for the further development of Tajikistan.

"Cooperation between our countries during the 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations is consistently developing," he said.

Russia was one of the first countries that recognized independence and the sovereignty of Tajikistan. The Protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations between two states, signed on April 8th, 1992.

Russia remains Tajikistans major economic partner and sponsor. Currently the legal base between the two countries amounted to 103 bilateral agreements and other documents, of which 74 are interstate and intergovernmental.

Tajik-Russian cooperation is developing not only bilaterally, but also multilaterally, within the framework of international and regional organizations such as the UN, CIS, EurAsEC, CSTO, SCO and OSCE.

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27 January 2017 18:09 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish authorities have reacted furiously to Greek Supreme Courts decision not to hand over the eight soldiers, who fled the country after a failed coup attempt in July 2016, saying that decision was politically motivated.

Ankara will take necessary steps against Athens, said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on January 27.



There is a migration deal we signed, including a readmission deal with Greece, and we are evaluating what we can do, including the cancellation of the readmission deal with Greece, Hurriyet quoted the minister as saying.

The soldiers, including two majors, flew helicopters to Alexandroupolis on July 16, 2016, prompting the Greek authorities to begin legal and diplomatic proceedings on charges of illegal entry into the country.

Turkish authorities want the officers to stand trial for their involvement in the coup attempt, which nearly toppled the government, and issued arrest warrants for the eight men.

We gave Greece all the necessary documents, evidence and everything. We demanded that the eight soldiers be tried again. This is a political decision. Now Greece is in a position protecting and hosting coup plotters and terrorists. It also possessed terrorists like the DHKP-C and the PKK. It is also known that there are some DHKP-C camps in Greece, the minister said, in reference to two outlawed groups, the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party-Front and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey has repeatedly demanded the swift extradition of the soldiers and the case had exposed often tense relations between Athens and Ankara.

The two countries play an important role in the handling of Europes worst migration crisis in decades, and the EU depends on Ankara to enforce a deal to stem mass migration to Europe.

Ankara agreed to take back all migrants landing on Greece as of March 20, while the EU would take back the same amount of Syrian refugees from Turkey. Turkey agreed with the EU to take back all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece illegally in exchange for financial aid, visa-free travel for Turks, and accelerated EU membership talks.

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MOSS POINT, Miss. -- Moss Point police are investigating a woman's claims that she was allegedly raped as well as had her life and the life of her dog threatened on Jan. 18.

According to the woman, she provided a man she did not know with a ride to an unknown address within the city limits. After dropping him off, she noticed that the man left his phone in her vehicle.

While she did not know the man, she told police that a friend of hers did. That friend gave her a call later that night and told her to meet the man at a local convenience store. According to the woman, one of the men brandished a gun and told her if she did not cooperate, he would kill her, along with her dog.

The Mississippi Press contacted Moss Point Special Operations Cmdr. Stacey Deans for additional information regarding the case. According to Deans, "The Moss Point Police Department is investigating a report of a rape. The investigation is preliminary and ongoing."

The Biloxi Sun Herald's story in its entirety can be read here.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Longtime Ocean Springs Planning Commission member Rickey Authement has announced his candidacy for Ward II alderman.

Authement, 50, has qualified as a Republican. He is seeking to replace longtime alderman Matt McDonnell, who has announced he will not run for another term.

A native of Louisiana, Authement has been an Ocean Springs resident for 27 years. He is the owner/operator of HIBS, Inc., which provides residential and commercial building inspections.

Authement has spent 10 years serving on various city boards and commissions and is the current Chairman of the planning commission. He has also served on the city's Zoning & Adjustment Board.

"Through these wonderful and challenging experiences, I am well-informed of our city ordinances, subdivision regulations, zoning and city policies," Authement said. "I am confident the knowledge, experience and passion I have for Ocean Springs is best placed in the role of alderman for Ward II."

In his roles on the planning commission and zoning & adjustment board, Authement has had a hand in the city's Unified Development Code Review, the City of Ocean Springs Comprehensive Plan, city subdivision regulations, and zoning ordinances.

In addition to his experience, Authement points to his ownership of three homes and one condominium in Ward I, II and III as evidence of his "vested interest" in the City of Ocean Springs."

Among his professional and civic affiliations, Authement is a member of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Board of Realtors, the Gulf Coast Association of Realtors, and the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce.

He is also a member of the Ocean Springs Yacht Club and St. Alphonsus Catholic Church.

Three times Authement has been honored as the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Association of Realtors Affiliate of the Year and in 2016 was named the Mississippi Association of Realtors Affiliate of the Year.

He is married to Lisa (Wurst) Authement, a psychologist at the VA Medical Center in Biloxi.

Candidates have until March 3 to qualify for municipal elections. Party primaries are May 2 and the general election is June 6. The new four-year term begins July 3.
This week, the South African government essentially blessed the idea of exporting as many as 800 captive-bred lion skeletons to some nations throughout the world. Photo by Alamy

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More than a year ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, reacting to a legal petition from The HSUS, HSI, and other animal welfare and conservation groups, announced that the United States was placing African lions on the list of threatened and endangered species. One consequence of enhanced U.S. protections for lions was that American trophy hunters would have a much harder time importing the heads and hides of lions they shot in Africa. Theyd have to prove that killing lions enhanced the protection of the species  a tall order given that human-caused killing has been decimating lions.

South Africa, it turns out, is the center of the lion hunting industry. Trophy hunters kill a small number of wild lions there, but they kill hundreds of lions in captive hunts, in which lions bred for killing are shot within fenced enclosures from whose confines they cannot escape. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that trophy hunting of captive lions does not contribute to conservation in any way, and has not allowed any such imports since extending federal protections to the species.

It isnt a small, sidelight business; there are nearly 8,000 captive lions living behind fences throughout South Africa. These lions are bred for cub petting and lion walks (where paying customers get to interact with the lions), and after some time, they are offered up for shooting for trophies in a guaranteed kill arrangement. American trophy hunters do two-thirds of all trophy killing of the captive lions, so the decision to not allow captive lion trophy imports has had a devastating impact on this sordid industry in South Africa.

Meanwhile, some other nations, including France and the Netherlands, took similar action to forbid imports, augmenting the effect of the U.S. policy.

Now, the South African lion breeders and hunters, grappling with the loss of their cash-cow enterprise of offering up lions for shooting by wealthy foreign hunters, has come up with an alternative plan  one that is perhaps equally as appalling and destructive as trophy hunting of captive big cats. Specifically, they have cooked up a plan to kill captive lions and then sell off their bones in international trade. This week, the South African government essentially blessed the idea of exporting as many as 800 captive-bred lion skeletons to some nations throughout the world (the lion parts cannot come into the United States, for the same reason that the heads and hides are restricted).

The trade in lion parts is not a new concern for many African nations. At the September meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Johannesburg, nine lion range states proposed to increase protection of the African lion under CITES, which would have prohibited all international commercial trade in lion parts. Their proposal identified trade in lion bones as one of the major threats to wild lion populations, as these products are in high demand in Asia where they are powdered and used in tonics such as tiger wine, which consumers mistakenly believe cures pain and disease, or works as an aphrodisiac. Just last year two lions were poached in Limpopo National Park, Mozambique, near the border with Kruger National Park, with their bones completely removed, likely for export to Asia.

But the South African government actively opposed the proposal at CITES and led the way in fending it off. In the wake of that blocking maneuver, the South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) held a meeting last week with a range of stakeholders to discuss adoption of a quota on the exports of parts from captive-bred lions.

Trading in lion parts is not much different from the ivory trade or rhino horn trade. The presence of a legal trade will drive more and more poaching of wild lions. It goes without saying that bones of captive-bred lions are absolutely indistinguishable from the bones of lions in the wild, which offers a perfect opportunity for wildlife criminals to launder wild bones as captive and creates an implementation nightmare for law enforcement.

South Africa has opened a brief public comment period to collect input on this recommended quota. South Africas reputation as a tourist destination has been damaged by the revelations about its captive trophy hunting industry. Now, it should face the same level of scrutiny for this mass killing and bone harvesting program.

Its time for the world to roar and help stop this abuse of lions from occurring in the months ahead. Were certainly raising our voices, and we hope you will, too.
With President Donald Trumps vow to cut funding to sanctuary cities, school districts that provide similar protections to undocumented students are bracing to defy the administration and possibly suffer consequences.

Trumps order to punish cities and states that do not cooperate with immigration authorities puts a target on cities that vow to protect their residents. The nations second-largest district is anticpating the potential fallout for schools that do the same.

We understand that significant federal dollars could be at risk because of our support for every student and every family, and our policies to not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement actions, said Steven Zimmer, president of the Los Angeles Unified school board.

Slashing federal aid to schools could deal a major blow to any school system. Across California, schools receive billions of dollars in federal grants to support special education, low-income families, English-language learners, and other student populations. In L.A. Unified alone, roughly $700 million in federal funds flow into the districts coffers each year.

Our schools are safe zones for every child and every family member, Zimmer said in the statement. L.A. Unified does not intend to cooperate with any effort to enforce todays executive action, or with any other immigration enforcement activity based on the February 2016 board action. Our schools are safe today, they will be safe tomorrow and into the future.

L.A. Unified isnt the only government organization in the state that has promised to protect immigrant students.

On his State EdWatch blog, my colleague Daarel Burnette II detailed how California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, vowed in his State of the State speech this week to shield the states immigrants , including children.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that board members unanimously voted on Wednesday night to declare the school district a sanctuary campus to protect students who are living in the country illegally.

The Pennsylvania district joins a host of school systems around the country, including Chicago and Clark County, Nev., that have taken or are weighing similar action.

Related Stories

In Counter to Trump, California Gov. Jerry Brown Vows to Protect Immigrants

Trumps Anti-Immigration Rhetoric Fuels Data Concerns

Educators and Advocates Brace for Harsher Stance on Immigration Under Trump

Elections Intolerant Tone Stokes Fear for Latino Students
Letitia Zwickert is a high school teacher at Naperville Central High School, the first K-12 educator to have received a Fulbright-Schuman Scholar Award, and a K-12 Education Advisor to the University of Illinois International Outreach Council. Here she shares ways for teachers to get started with making a global impact.

Two years ago, life left me facing large questions. I was struggling with professional motivation, and I felt my global impact was far too low despite extensive world travels, being fluent in French, having a bi-cultural family, as well as experience with cultural studies and international work.

I had heard about the Fulbright-Schuman program a few years beforea grant designed for students and professionals to conduct research in the European Unionand I decided to pursue it. The resulting experiences reignited my drive, increased my global engagement, and dramatically boosted what I call, my global quotient, or GQ. My idea of GQ is more encompassing than just a global mindset, it means taking the knowledge that comes along with the mindset and creating global change. This is very important in education today. We know our students need globally minded educators to give them a global perspective so they can be more competitive in the labor force and more complete citizens in an interconnected world. We also need to model active involvement in making the world a better place.

You, too, can raise your own GQ, no matter what your current level of global experience is, with these three easy steps.

Pursue a Global Issue

If you arent already fighting for a cause, look at the currents underlying what youve already done. What causes have pushed you to act in your life? In my own reflections, I realized inclusion and equity have impacted me the most. Soul searching will produce some options that might at first seem very local, but the issues we care about really have no borders. For help with making that global connection to your passions, take a look at the UN Sustainable Development Goals for ideas.

Whatever issue(s) you choose, tackling problems at a global level means getting global actors involved. Your GQ will soar if you harness your energy through a network of global thinkers.

Make Global Connections

My Fulbright experience gave me a golden ticket to meet education leaders in international organizations, as well as in federal, state, and local education circles. Each of the many people I met are part of my global network of high GQ achievers who are equally as inspired to move things forward and have a global impact.

To make global connections, you can apply for a Fulbright , or check out other options, such as programs and fellowships offered by the Institute for International Education or the American Council for International Education . There are also a number of other wonderful global education programs offered specifically to educators, such as Teachers for Global Classrooms .

I would also suggest applying for a study tourmany of which are free for educators. I was accepted in 2012 on a fully-paid study tour to Brussels and Luxembourg, and during the trip I made lifelong GQ friends. First, take a look at the area study centers at your closest university which have federally supported outreach programs designed for educators (most offer a plethora of incredible resources!). For example, the European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh offers a paid trip to Brussels for K-12 teachers. Here is a list of federally supported National Resource Centers (NRC).

Country specific cultural institutions offer additional global opportunities. For example, if youre interested in Germany, the Goethe Institute offers free study tours open to any teaching level. You can do a quick search and find programs to Japan , Korea , East Asia , Turkey , United Arab Emirates , South Africa , Panama , and many more.

You can also connect with education stakeholders right from your own living room. The European Union Center at University of Illinois has created TED (Transatlantic Educators Dialogue ), a program open to anyone in the world that brings educators, administrators, and others in the education field together in transatlantic conversations on various topics. This is a perfect opportunity to be a part of a global dialogue, expand your global knowledge, and develop a global network.

Having a circle of GQ people around you will keep you globally fueled and create the right conditions for you to make a global impact.

Reach Global, Bring It Local

After identifying a global issue and making the connections to help you solve it, its time to engage in developing projects that share knowledge, promote change, and tackle the issues youve identified.

The first and easiest option for you is the wonderful world of Skype and Google Plus. If youve never tried bringing an expert into your classroom, start there. This past semester, representatives from the World Bank, NATO, and the EU Delegation to the UN spoke with my students virtually. In past years, a variety of leaders from different arenas also shared their worldview and challenged my students to think critically about both global and local issues.

You can also expand on that virtual experience and collaborate with a teacher on a project somewhere else in the world. Ive facilitated simple discussions on current eventsfor example, a talk about refugees and US politics with Sweden as well as more complex exchanges like a simulation on conflict minerals.

Skype has also put together an incredibly useful site for you giving you access to other classrooms, virtual field trips, and guest speakers. You can live anywhere and still bring the world to your students. There really is no excuse for a low GQ anymore!

Im currently working on a global dialogue series that connects university NRCs, K-12 schools, and communities across Illinois, along with three other countries. You can do this, too! First, begin small, by just involving your school. Contact a local university NRCs Outreach Coordinator to discuss collaborating. Their job is to engage with people like you. I suggest going to them with a topic option, but sharing your flexibility. They can offer you a variety of supports such as university speakers, help you find a venue if your school is not an option, and assist with publicising the event in your community. Do get your principals approval and see if other colleagues would be interested in getting involved with you!

Next, with a successful event under your belt, and your GQ network developed, go for a larger program. Reach out to other teachers, both locally and globally, within your circle of GQ friends, develop your GQ idea, and actively work to spread knowledge, share ideas, and build projects that foster change.

What global impact can you make?

Find your issue, reach out, and create a circle of globally minded people, and go beyond what youve already accomplished. Increasing your global competence fuels the global competence of others. Go now and get your GQ on!

Connect with Letitia , Fulbright , and the EU Center at University of Illinois on Twitter.
Margaret Polk isnt your average school nurse.

Margaret Polk is new Florida's School Nurse of the Year

She's worked in Pasco schools for nearly 30 years

Its not what most people think of, they usually think of a school nurse in doing the bumps, and band aids, and boo boos, Polk said.

She does much more than that for her kids, with constant training in all aspects of health, from mental health down to a students basic needs.

Now, the Pasco County school nurse has been honored with the title of Floridas School Nurse of the Year.

She comes here every day, she does her typical job as the school nurse and does it amazingly," Pasco High School assistant principal Ryan Brady said. "And then after thats done, she does things like helping students with backpacks, helps them get food, solicits donations."

Shes been the school nurse at Pasco High and James Irvin Education Center for 26 years. Her clinic averages around 40 students a day. She even makes home visists.

Polk also keeps a watchful eye on each student who comes in.

I can just see them come in and out," Polk said. "Im going, 'I saw that kid again; lets pull her in and see whats going on, talk to her a little bit more.' 

The award winning nurse has grown relationships with hundreds of kids over the years  Polk cant even fit all their photos on her collage she has in her office.

Shes really caring and really loving to just about everybody, and she really does mean a lot to me, student Andrew Vail said.

Polk will be in Orlando on Friday to receive the honor at the Florida Association of School Nurses annual conference.
Seven Pinellas County pelicans were released back into the wild after falling ill to a mysterious sickness.

Recovered pelicans were released at North Shore Park



They were rescued Jan. 13 after dozens became ill and died

More birds are expected to be released next week



Since St. Petersburg pelican populations made headlines in January, rescue workers at Owls Nest Sanctuary have worked to rehabilitate the birds.

I always laugh, said Kris Porter, they never look back. Theyre gone. Theyre already in the water floating away. So this has been good for everybody.

According to leaders at Owl's Nest, their goal was to get the birds released as soon as possible.

Its their nesting season, explained Ria Warner. So, were hoping that by getting them back out right now were going to get some babies this year.

*Josh Rojas, staff

The pelicans released Thursday were rescued from Coffee Pot Bayou. The birds were among approximately 70 pelicans that got sick. Half died.

The city believes the mystery illness is related to a fish kill at a retention lake in the Riviera Bay neighborhood, but it will be weeks before their test results are finalized.

Water Resources Interim-Director John Palenchar said preliminary test results are helping them narrow down the cause.

We were able to rule out red tide and were able to rule out avian influenza, said Palenchar. So, were still investigating things like an avian botulism.

Other sanctuaries and bird rescues hope to release more pelicans next week.
iStock/Thinkstock(LADY LAKE, Fla.)  Two male teenagers in central Florida were arrested Thursday after authorities discovered the pair's plan for a Columbine-style mass shooting at their middle school, police said.



The unidentified students  ages 13 and 14  were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and placed into the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Sumter County Sheriff's Department said in a press release.



Law enforcement and school officials were initially tipped off of the pair's plans on Tuesday, police said. The arrests came after "officials learned of, and intervened in a plot to initiate a mass shooting at their school," the release said.



On Tuesday, after classes had finished for the day, "school officials and the schools resource officer became aware of rumors circulating between students at the school," the release explains. "The rumors indicated that a student was planning a mass shooting on Friday January 27th. Witnesses indicated that some students had been warned not to come to school on Friday."



The following day, the two students told officials that they had indeed discussed a mass shooting at The Villages Charter Middle School in Lady Lake, a town located about an hour northwest of Orlando.



Police said in the release, "The 13-year-old student alleged to be planning the attack was intercepted by authorities as he attempted to arrive for school. At that time, he acknowledged conversations involving the plot and referenced the mass shooting at Columbine High School."



During the conversation with the 13-year-old, "officials learned of a second student's potential involvement and quickly located the 14-year-old-male student on campus," according the release. "The 14-year-old student acknowledged his involvement in conversations with the 13-year-old student again referencing the Columbine shooting. The student informed officials that the two students had planned an attack which included what they would use as a signal to open fire."



No weapons were found on either of the students or in their bags or lockers, police said.



Then on Thursday, the teens were arrested at their homes during the service of search warrants. The 13-year-old was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff's Office on a juvenile order at his home in Fruitland Park. The 14-year-old was arrested by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at his home in Wildwood. No additional arrests are expected, police said.



Firearms were recovered from both suspects' homes during the search warrant service.



An increased deputy presence will be at the school on Friday.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
President Trump will announce his pick for the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court tonight. After winnowing his list of 21 possibilities, the president says he is ready to nominate a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13 last year.

The finalists are now down to three. Or two, or four or five, depending on which account you want to put stock in. So I thought it would be a good time to provide an initial discussion of some of the education-related jurisprudence of those most likely to be named to the high court.

This is not an exhaustive review of education cases, which I will seek to provide for the eventual nominee. But it is meant as an introduction.

The finalists are Neil M. Gorsuch, 49, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, in Denver; Thomas M. Hardiman, 51, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, in Philadelphia; and William H. Pryor Jr., 54, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta.

Two other judges have been mentioned even in recent days as still in the mix. They are Diane S. Sykes, 59, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago; and Raymond M. Kethledge, 50, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati. Sykes and Pryor were names specifically mentioned by Trump during the presidential campaign.

Im going to discuss some of the key education cases of the current top three contenders.

Neil M. Gorsuch

Gorsuch, a graduate of Harvard law school, was a law clerk to retired Justice Byron R. White and also served Justice Anthony M. Kennedy during the 1993-94 term. He was a U.S. Department of Justice official when he was nominated to the 10th Circuit by President George W. Bush in 2006.

When it comes to education, Gorsuch has written or joined opinions in cases involving school discipline, education finance, special education, and religion in the public square, among others.

Last year, Gorsuch notably dissented from 10th Circuit panel ruling that upheld a school resource officers arrest and handcuffing of a New Mexico 7th grader for disrupting his class with fake burps.

The 2-1 panel majority in A.M. v. Holmes ruled that the officer was immune from liability because it was not clearly established that the students classroom disruptions were not in violation of a New Mexico law that prohibits interference with the educational process at any public or private school.

The majority also upheld qualified immunity for the officer regarding his use of handcuffs when he took the 13-year-old to a juvenile detention center.

Writing in dissent, Gorsuch said that a students classroom disruption that would have once resulted in a trip to the principals office and detention was now leading to the involvement of the police.

And maybe today the officer decides that, instead of just escorting the now-compliant 13-year-old to the principals office, an arrest would be a better idea, Gorsuch said. So out come the handcuffs and off goes the child to juvenile detention. My colleagues suggest the law permits exactly this option. ... Respectfully, I remain unpersuaded.

In another case about constraining a student, Gorsuch joined a unanimous panel decision in 2013 that held a school districts use of a timeout room to briefly restrain an elementary school student with developmental disabilities did not shock the conscience and thus did not violate the students constitutional rights. The case of Muskrat v. Deer Creek Public Schools involved an Oklahoma familys claims about the use of the timeout room for their child, who was between ages 5 and 10 when it was used.

In an education-finance case, Gorsuch joined a 2012 panel decision that a group of Kansas parents in the Shawnee Mission district could proceed with a lawsuit seeking to declare a federal constitutional right to spend more on education than the states school-finance plan permitted.

The 10th Circuit held in Petrella v. Brownback that the parents group had standing to sue because their alleged injuryunequal treatment by the statecould be redressed by a favorable decision. (The suit was later rejected on the merits, including by a separate 10th Circuit panel that did not include Gorsuch.)

Finally, a dissent written by Gorsuch gives some clues about his views on religious displays on government property, including in public schools. In 2009, the full 10th Circuit declined to reconsider a panel decision that ruled against the public display of the Ten Commandments outside a county courthouse in Oklahoma.

In Green v. Haskell County Board of Commissioners , Gorsuch wrote a dissent joined by several of his colleagues that suggested one of the Supreme Courts key tests for evaluating potential government establishment of religion, in the 1971 case of Lemon v. Kurtzman , had been altered by a pair of 2005 decisions about Ten Commandments displays.

The Supreme Courts central message in McCreary [County v. ACLU of Kentucky] and Van Orden [v. Perry] was that public displays focusing on the ideals and history of a locality do not run afoul of the Establishment Clause just because they include the Ten Commandments, Gorsuch wrote. In inclusive displays on places like courthouse lawns, the Ten Commandments can convey a secular moral message about the primacy and authority of law, as well as the history and moral ideals of our society and legal tradition.

And in taking note of a 1980 per curiam Supreme Court opinion, in Stone v. Graham , which struck down a Kentucky statute that required the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, Gorsuch said the court in that opinion " took pains to emphasize that [the Ten Commandments] may be integrated into . . . the school curriculum . . . in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.

Thomas M. Hardiman

Born in Massachusetts, where his father owned a taxi and school transportation business, Hardiman was the first in his family to attend college when he went to the University of Notre Dame. Hardiman is said to have driven a taxi during college and law school to help finance his education.

He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, then practiced law in Washington and Pittsburgh before being appointed a federal district judge in the latter city by President George W. Bush in 2003. In 2006, Bush nominated him to the 3rd Circuit, and Hardiman was confirmed to that position in 2007.

On the 3rd Circuit, Hardiman has written or joined opinions in a number of important school speech cases, including one he personally reminded this writer of in November at a meeting of the Federalist Society, which I covered as a reporter and Hardiman attended to moderate a panel (as did most of the judges on Trumps then 21-person list of possible nominees).

In an amiable chat with a handful of reporters between sessions, Hardiman learned that I covered the high court for Education Week and asked if I was familiar with the I  boobies! case. Of course, I said. Hardiman then reminded me of his take on the case, which I describe below.

In its 2013 decision in B.H. v. Easton Area School District , the full 3rd Circuit court ruled 9-5 to uphold an injunction blocking the Pennsylvania district from barring the breast cancer awareness wristbands, which are sponsored by the Keep a Breast Foundation in Carlsbad, Calif. The majority said the wristbands reading I  boobies! (KEEP A BREAST) were not plainly lewd and commented on an issue of social importance without disrupting school.

Writing for the dissenters, Hardiman said the court should have deferred to the judgment of school administrators.

In this close case, the I  boobies! (KEEP A BREAST) bracelets would seem to fall into a gray area between speech that is plainly lewd and merely indecorous, Hardiman wrote. Because I think it objectively reasonable to interpret the bracelets, in the middle school context, as inappropriate sexual innuendo and double entendre, I would reverse the judgment of the district court and vacate the preliminary injunction.

Hardiman had more to say in the lengthy dissent about the interests of school administrators and students in socio-political causes during school hours, but Ill save discussion of that for if and when Hardiman gets the nomination.

In another much-debated case on student speech, Hardiman joined a majority of the full 3rd Circuit that ruled in favor of a Pennsylvania student who created a fake MySpace profile that depicted her principal as a pedophile and a sex addict. The majority held that the profile was created off campus and was so outrageous that it could not be taken seriously.

Hardiman also joined a concurrence in J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District that said it would go a little further than the majority ruling by holding that the First Amendment protects students engaging in off-campus speech to the same extent it protects speech by citizens in the community at large.

(For some reason, Hardiman did not participate in the companion student speech case decided by the full 3rd Circuit that dayLayschock v. Hermitage School District , which also upheld a students MySpace parody of his principal. The Supreme Court declined to review both decisions, which has left uncertainty about the legal status of student Internet speech.)

Hardiman has written or joined opinions expressing support for student and even parent religious expression in public schools.

In a 2009 decision, he dissented from a panel majoritys ruling upholding a school districts refusal to let a parent read Bible passages to her sons kindergarten class as part of a show-and-tell program.

In Busch v. Marple Newtown School District , Hardiman said in his dissent that he would have upheld the mothers free speech claim because the school district practiced viewpoint discrimination. The mothers attempt to read Psalm 118 to her sons class fell within the specified subject matteri.e., something of interest to her son and important to his familyand the sole reason for excluding her speech was its religious character, Hardiman wrote.

And in a 2013 case, Hardiman joined a unanimous panel ruling upholding an injunction that set aside a Pennsylvania school districts rules that had barred a 5th grader from passing out invitations to a church youth party to her classmates.

In K.A. v. Pocono Mountain School District , the 3rd Circuit panel said it agreed that elementary school students are covered by the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark 1969 decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which upheld the rights of secondary school students to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War as long as school was not substantially disrupted.

In Monn v. Gettysburg Area School District , a 2014 case on bullying, Hardiman joined a panel majority that expressed some sympathy for the plight of bullied students but held that in the particular case, there was no evidence that school officials had failed to act.

William H. Pryor Jr.

Pryor was widely considered the frontrunner, or one of the frontrunners, for the nomination for months. In the view of some observers, his prospects have dimmed a bit in the last week or so because in choosing him, Trump would be picking a fight not only with the left but also with some on the right.

Pryor attended Tulane University law school and was deputy attorney general of Alabama when he succeeded Jeff Sessions as state attorney general. (Sessions, now a Republican U.S. senator from Alabama, is Trumps nominee to be U.S. attorney general.)

One decision causing heartburn for the generally quite conservative Pryor among the right wing is Glenn v. Brumby , a 2011 case in which Pryor joined a unanimous panel holding that Georgia officials violated the equal protection clause when they fired an employee for being transgender. With a case on transgender rights in schools pending in the Supreme Court, some on the right have been critical of Pryor for his vote in the Georgia case, even though the panel held that it was Supreme Court precedent that required it to hold that discrimination on the basis of transgender status constitutes sex-based discrimination and is therefore subject to heightened scrutiny under the 14th Amendments equal-protection clause.

In a more recent case on LGBT rights, Pryor wrote the opinion for an 11th Circuit panel that reinstated a lawsuit filed by a gay-straight alliance that was denied recognition at a Florida middle school. Pryor concluded in Carver Middle School Gay-Straight Alliance v. School Board of Lake County that Florida middle schools qualified as secondary schools under the federal Equal Access Act, which requires such secondary schools receiving federal funds to give extracurricular clubs equal access to school resources.

We conclude that secondary education, under Florida law, means at least courses through which a person receives high school credit that leads to the award of a high school diploma, Pryor said, citing a provision of state law. Carver Middle School provides courses through which students can obtain high school credit. The Equal Access Act applies to Carver Middle School.

In a 2011 case, Pryor joined a panel decision that rejected a religious-freedom claim by a graduate student in a school counseling program who said her Christian faith was behind her intention to attempt to convert gay students into straight students. Officials at Augusta State University in Georgia determined that the graduate students intentions would violate ethical standards of the American Counseling Association, and they required her to undergo a remediation plan before she could participate in a clinical practicum in which she would be counseling a student.

In Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley , the 11th circuit panel rejected the students First Amendment free speech claim on the basis that the university was not engaged in viewpoint discrimination, and it rejected her establishment clause claim because the universitys rules about abiding by the ethics code was neutral with respect to religion.

In a concurrence, Pryor expressed concerns that the universitys initial remediation plan for the student may have been viewpoint discrimination because it targeted views of the graduate student on gay rights that ran counter to the universitys preferred viewpoints.

But the university corrected the plan to make clear that it sought to remediate the student because she would be violating rules of the clinical practicum, he wrote. But he expressed concerns that a university could go too far in enforcing an orthodoxy on an issue such as gay rights.

When a student expresses her intent to violate the rules of a state-sponsored clinical program, the university may require her to provide reasonable assurances that she will comply with its requirements before the university permits the student to participate in the clinical program, Pryor wrote. But we have never ruled that a public university can discriminate against student speech based on the concern that the student might, in a variety of other circumstances, express views at odds with the preferred viewpoints of the university. Our precedents roundly reject prior restraints in the public school setting.

In a 2015 case, Pryor wrote the opinion for a unanimous panel that upheld a school districts decision to remove a math tutors banners from its campuses after the district learned that the tutor is a former porn star who owns a company that once produced pornography.

The panel held in Mech v. School Board of Palm Beach County that the banners were government speech, not private speech. The banners bear the imprimatur of the schools and the schools exercise substantial control over the messages that they convey, Pryor wrote. Because of its holding that the banners were government speech, the appeals court did not explore the school districts rationale that the tutors association with pornography was inconsistent with the districts educational mission and values.

From top: Neil M. Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit; Thomas M. Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit; William H. Pryor Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. / AP-File
Tampa's largest party is set to kickoff.

Saturday is the Gasparilla Parade in downtown Tampa.

Pirates will take over the south Tampa area, starting in the waters in and around downtown before parading down Bayshore Boulevard.

Hundreds of thousands of people will be in attendance so there are plenty of things to keep in mind if you plan on attending.

The pirate invasion begins at 11:30 a.m. with the Jose Gasparilla pirate ship leading a flotilla across Hillsborough Bay and into Seddon Channel (channel between Davis Island & Harbour Island).

When the Jose Gasparilla docks at the Tampa Convention Center (at 1 p.m.), Mayor Bob Buckhorn will surrender the Key to the City of Tampa into the hands of the Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

The Krewe will then launch its Parade of the Pirates down Bayshore Boulevard.

The parade begins at Bay to Bay Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard. It continues along Bayshore Boulevard to Brorein Street, turns east on Brorein Street, then north on Ashley Drive. The parade ends at Cass Street & Ashley Drive near Curtis Hixon Park.

In addition to the invasion and parade, there will be live music in downtown Tampa along the Riverwalk and food and drink vendors along the parade route.

Traffic and parking information:

City of Tampa Traffic & Parking Advisory for the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates - Saturday, January 28

Please note maps of the parade route, detours, street closure times, etc. are available at tampagov.net/Gasparilla. Scroll down towards the bottom for information on this weekends parade and activities.

City of Tampa Traffic & Parking Advisory for the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates - Saturday, January 28

Avast ye! The City of Tampa wants you to be prepared for heavier than normal traffic on Saturday, January 28, 2017 in downtown and south Tampa as we batten down the hatches and prepare for great fun and high adventure during the 101st Annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest!

The pirates arrive by sea as the fully rigged Jose Gasparilla sails into Seddon Channel and docks at the Tampa Convention Center at 1 p.m. Then, the marauding buccaneers gather at the intersection of Bay to Bay Blvd. and Bayshore Blvd. for the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, which steps off at 2 p.m. The parade continues along Bayshore Blvd. to Brorein Street, turns east on Brorein Street, then north on Ashley Drive. The parade ends in downtown Tampa at Cass Street and Ashley Drive.

South Tampa Neighborhood Parking and Circulation Plans

The City is alerting the public of road closures and towing zones to minimize congestion in neighborhoods that border the parade route. No Parking signs have been installed in the neighborhoods west of Bayshore Blvd and will be in effect beginning on Friday, January 27, 2017 through Saturday, January 28, 2017. Any vehicles parked on the streets in the affected neighborhoods will be cited and towed at the owners expense. Tampa Police advise motorists not to park their vehicles in the No Parking areas to avoid having their vehicles towed.

Street Closure Schedule

Monday, January 16  Thursday, February 2, 2017

Median Closures at DeSoto Ave, Nance Ave, Albany Ave & Gunby Ave at Bayshore Blv

Friday, January 27, 2017 @ 10:00 PM

Bayshore Blvd from Gandy Blvd to Platt St

Bay to Bay from Bayshore Blvd to Ysabella St

Davis Island Bridge Off Ramp onto NB Bayshore Dr

Bayshore Blvd from Brorein St to Platt St

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 3:00 AM

Platt St/Channelside Dr from Plant Ave to Franklin St

Brorein St from Florida Ave to Parker St

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 5:30 AM

Crosstown- EB Willow Ave Off Ramp (Exit 4)

Willow Ave from Platt St to Swann Ave (SB lanes closed only, 1-way NB)

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 7:00 AM

Ashley Dr from Brorein St to Jackson St

Brorein St from Jefferson St to Parker St

Franklin St from Channelside Dr to Harbour Island Bridge

Old Water St from Florida Ave to Franklin St

Washington St from Ashley Dr to Tampa St

Whiting St from Ashley Dr to Tampa St

Whiting St from Florida Ave to Franklin St (WB)

Crosstown- EB Morgan Offramp (6B)

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 9:00 AM

Kennedy from Hyde Park Ave to Ashley Dr (EB)

Ashley Dr from Split to Jackson St (Cass and Tyler will remain open @ Ashley for EW Traffic to Poe Garage)

Jackson St from Ashley Dr to Tampa St

Kennedy Blvd from Florida Ave to Plant Ave (WB)

Madison St from Ashley Dr to Florida Ave

Twiggs St from Ashley Dr to Florida Ave

Zack St from Ashley Dr to Florida Ave

Polk St from Ashley Dr to Florida Ave

Cass EB from Blvd to Doyle Carlton (Poe Garage Exit)

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 11:00 AM

Cass St from Willow Ave to N Blvd

North A St from Willow Ave to Newport Ave

North B St from Willow Ave to Newport Ave

Fig St from Willow Ave to Gilchrist Ave

Carmen St from Willow Ave to Delaware Ave

Newport Ave from Cass St to North A St

Gilchrist Ave from Cass St to Fig St

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 1:00 PM

Cass St from N Blvd to Tampa St

Tyler St from Ashley Dr to Cass St

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 3:00 PM

Bay-to-Bay Blvd from MacDill Ave to Ysabella Ave (EB)

Swann Ave from MacDill Ave to Armenia Ave (EB lanes closed only, 1-way WB)

Platt St at Howard Ave (EB)

Platt St at S Willow (EB)

Platt St at S Blvd (EB)

Willow Ave from Kennedy Blvd to Cleveland St

Willow Ave from Cleveland St to Platt St (SB)

South Blvd from Kennedy Blvd to Cleveland St

South Blvd from Cleveland St to Platt St (SB)

Whiting St from Tampa St to Franklin St

Florida at Kay Dual NBLT

Saturday, January 28, 2017 @ 4:30 PM

Kennedy Blvd at Himes Ave (EB)

Kennedy Blvd at MacDill Ave (EB)

Kennedy Blvd at Howard Ave (EB)

Kennedy Blvd at Willow Ave (EB)

Kennedy Blvd at Blvd (EB)

City of Tampa Parking Information

For access to the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates in South Tampa, consider using the following garages and lots:

 Ft Brooke Garage - $10 flat rate and will open at 7 a.m.

 Jackson Street Parking Lot - hourly rate of $1.60/hr, with a $9.50 daily maximum and will open at 7 a.m.

 Poe Garage At 9:30 a.m. at a rate of $4 per vehicle entry. Due to the parade route, this garage will be closed from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Customers will not be able to enter or exit this garage until after 6:00 p.m. For those attending the Straz 8 p.m. show, Poe Garage will reopen at 6:30 p.m. and there will be a $6 flat rate paid on entry.

 Royal Regional Lot  $10 flat rate and will open at 7 a.m.

 Tampa Convention Center Garage - $10 flat rate and will open at 7 a.m.

 Twiggs Street Garage - hourly rates of $1.20/hr, with a $7 daily maximum and will open at 7 a.m.

 All numbered spaces on Kennedy Blvd. and south of Kennedy Blvd. are enforced up until midnight at the standard hourly rate.

For access to the Amalie Arena in the morning and the evening, consider using the following garages and lots:

 The Selmon Expressway Lots - $15 flat rate for the circus

 South Regional Garage - $12 flat rate and will be open from 7 a.m.  10:30 a.m. for parade & circus parking. After 10:30 a.m. parking will be restricted to Arena Reserved Parking Passes for the remainder of the day.

For access to downtown and south Tampa from historic Ybor City, consider using the following garages and utilizing HART services:

 Centro Ybor and Palm Avenue Garages - will open at 7 a.m at the standard hourly rate. HART park and ride available from both locations.

HART will be offering extra streetcar, bus, and trolley services. For more information about HART service during this special event, please call (813) 254-4278 or visit www.goHART.org.

Getting to the Straz Center

Drivers attending the 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. shows of Cabaret at the Straz Center are encouraged to take one of the following routes:

From South Tampa

- Dale Mabry NB to I-275 NB

- I-275 NB to Exit 44 Ashley Dr.

- Continue on Ashley Dr. to Tyler St

- Right on Tyler St to available parking

From Brandon

- I-4 WB to Downtown Exit 45A

- Follow Downtown West sign to Doyle Carlton Dr.

- Left on Doyle Carlton Dr. through Laurel St to available parking

From St. Pete/Clearwater

- I-275 NB to Exit 44 Ashley Dr.

- Continue on Ashley Dr. to Tyler St

- Right on Tyler St to available parking

From North Tampa

- South on Tampa St to Laurel St

- Right on Laurel St to Doyle Carlton Dr.

- Left on Doyle Carlton Dr. to available parking.

OR

- I-1275 SB to Downtown Exit 45A

- Follow Downtown West sign to Doyle Carlton Dr.

- Left on Doyle Carlton Dr. through Laurel St to available parking

See Something Say Something

The Tampa Police Department would like to remind all celebrating pirates to report suspicious activity. If you see something, say something. No tip is too small. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U7kLtBrsoo

Stay in Touch

Updates will also be shared on social media via Facebook on the City of Tampa Government and Tampa Police Department pages, and via twitter @cityoftampa @cot_traffic and @tampapd.
Drug Charges on College Campuses: Do Special Laws Apply?

The halls of higher learning are not the mean streets of the city, in more ways than one. But one of the important ways campus life differs from real life is the way schools treat drug offenses. The consequences for getting nabbed for drug possession in a dorm can be vastly different than if you're picked up in public for the same offense, for better or for worse.

Here's a look at how colleges and universities, as well as surrounding police departments, treat drug crimes.

College Cops

Not only might school administrators treat drug crimes differently than local, state, or federal law enforcement, but not every school treats drug offenses the same way. As Inside Higher Ed pointed out, small private colleges are far less likely to have students arrested for drug-related offenses than larger, public university counterparts: "In 2013, private, four-year institutions with enrollments of fewer than 5,000 referred more than 14,000 students for disciplinary action for drug violations. Fewer than 2,000 students were arrested."

That's not quite the case at bigger schools. "At a number of large universities," Inside Higher Ed reports, "arrested students actually outnumber students who are referred for disciplinary action." According to crime statistics, between 2011 and 2013, "Florida State University referred just 32 of its 40,000 students for disciplinary action for drug use on campus. More than 400 students were arrested."

Many large universities employ private police forces of their own, who cooperate with local law enforcement and see their mission as to impose city and state law rather than unique student conduct policies. "Our process is to enforce the laws as they are outlined with each chapter of our Florida statute," David Perry, chief of police at FSU, told Inside Higher Ed. "We try not to apply uneven discretion in drug cases. It's pretty straightforward. We're there to enforce the laws."

Public Police

The larger the university and the more integrated with the surrounding city or town, the more likely outside law enforcement will get involved with student crimes, especially drug crimes. And those cities often have specific statutes addressing drug possession and distribution on school grounds. For instance, when two brothers were arrested for selling drugs on FSU's campus, they were charged with, among many other offenses, "possession of marijuana with intent to sell within 200 feet of a college campus."

So while some schools may steer students away from criminal prosecutions for drug crimes, others may not, and some students may be facing increased penalties for drug crimes committed on or near campus rather than off or farther away.

If you've been charged with a drug crime, on campus or off, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney.

Related Resources:
Is Possession of Drug Paraphernalia a Felony?

When a person is caught by police doing illegal drugs, or in possession of illegal drugs, they may face charges for possession of drug paraphernalia in addition to drug charges. Drug paraphernalia, like illegal drugs, carry serious criminal penalties in many jurisdictions, simply for possession.

Drug paraphernalia includes such things as pipes, vaporizers, bongs, rolling papers, and other smoking implements meant to be used with illegal drugs. Additionally, syringes, spoons, measuring scales, razor blades, and other arguably common items can be considered paraphernalia as well, depending on the context. Basically, anything that is used to ingest illegal drugs can be considered paraphernalia.

How Serious Are Drug Paraphernalia charges?

In most states throughout the country, possession of drug paraphernalia is treated as a misdemeanor offense, which means that a person generally won't be looking at more than one year in jail for that offense. However, under federal law, drug paraphernalia charges are felonies, punishable by up to 3 years in prison. But, under federal law, selling or transporting paraphernalia online, across state lines, can result in felony charges.

However, there is no federal law against purchasing or possessing paraphernalia. Possession laws are generally left up to the individual states to decide.

State Laws on Possession of Paraphernalia

State laws vary widely for paraphernalia possession. Because of the wave of states legalizing marijuana, many states have relaxed laws regarding marijuana paraphernalia, while still treating illegal drug paraphernalia as criminal.

For example, in Washington, D.C., there is no penalty for simple possession of marijuana paraphernalia, but a syringe can lead to 6 months and a misdemeanor. While in Arizona, treats simple possession of paraphernalia as a felony punishable by up to 2 years in jail. Meanwhile, Alabama, simple possession is only a misdemeanor, however, if the paraphernalia is used, it can become a felony charge with a maximum sentence of 10 years.

If you are facing charges for drugs or drug paraphernalia, don't delay seeking legal help. An experienced criminal defense attorney may be able to help.

Related Resources:

Charged with a crime? Get your case reviewed for free now. (Consumer Injury - Criminal)

State Drug Possession Laws (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
N. Oregon Coast Gets Delicious with Cannon Beach Wine, Culinary Fest

Published 01/27/2017 at 4:29 AM PDT - Updated 01/27/2017 at 5:39 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Cannon Beach, Oregon)  Northwest wines and the much-lauded cuisine of the region will be on full display in March, as the Savor Cannon Beach Wine & Culinary Festival brings four days of sensory delights to the north Oregon coast, along with a nice helping of the arts. The festival takes place March 9 - 12 around Cannon Beach, recently named a top travel destination by National Geographic Magazine.

This parade of fun and finery highlights various themes that showcase what the Pacific Northwest has to offer in vino and the cooking arts, as the town's restaurants, galleries and shops feature a weekend full of tastings, special dinners and cultural events.

Most of the wine tasting events are intimate and are limited to less than 150 participants, though the largest event of the festival, the Saturday wine walk, accommodates several hundred wine tasters who can visit approximately 40 Northwest wineries pouring tastings at Cannon Beach art galleries, restaurants and retail shops, all within easy walking distance in this compact beach community. Participating wineries represent many of the wine growing regions in Oregon and Washington.

There is a dizzying array of wine tasting events, many of which showcase award-winning or notable wines from the Pacific Northwest. The festival kicks off on Thursday with Best of the Northwest, a wine tasting throwdown, where participants taste 12 selected wines representing different wine growing regions of Oregon and Washington, then vote on their favorites to determine the evenings top wines.

Fridays happenings include Winemakers Premium Pours, in which five Northwest wineries each pour three special wines that may include library wines, verticals, horizontals or reserve selections. For wine enthusiasts who want to improve their wine tasting skills, a Saturday seminar, Taste Like an Expert, serves four wines and focuses on wine tasting skills, terminology and etiquette.

On Sunday, participants can indulge in Gold Medal Wines & The Battle of the Bites, featuring 12 Gold Medal wines from the SavorNW Wine Awards and bites offered by area chefs and restaurants. Participant votes determine which bite wins the battle.

Individual tickets to festival events are $20-40 each and a full Festival Pass good for admission to all festival tasting events is also available for $195. Advance purchase is recommended as events are limited in size and have sold out in past years. Tickets are available at www.savorcannonbeach.com. For additional information, call (503) 717-1122. Cannon Beach Hotels / Lodging for this event - Where to eat - Map and Virtual Tour

THURSDAY, MARCH 9 BEST OF THE NORTHWEST / 5-7pm

Thursday Night Throwdown. Selected are 12 award-winning or notable wines representing different wine growing regions of Oregon and Washington, and then they will let you vote for the top wines of the evening. This event is a great way to discover new wines and varietals while you increase your awareness of Northwest wine regions. The evening also includes a selection of light bites. Location: Tolovana Inn (3400 S. Hemlock) Price: $40 FRIDAY, MARCH 10 WINEMAKERS PREMIUM POURS / 1pm-4pm

Five Northwest wineries have agreed to open up their cellars and share three special wines. Offerings will include library wines, verticals, horizontals or reserve wines. This is a drop-in wine tasting event where you can taste some special wines and meet the winemakers. Location: Tolovana Inn (3400 S. Hemlock) Price: $40 WINE & GALLERY WALK / 6-8pm

Visit participating Cannon Beach galleries, each hosting a Northwest winery and serving light appetizers. Its a fun evening of art, wine and food. Includes a souvenir Savor Cannon Beach glass. Location: Check-in begins at 5:30pm at the Community Hall (207 N Spruce) Price: $40 SATURDAY, MARCH 11 TASTE LIKE AN EXPERT / 11am-12:30pm

Learn to taste wine like a expert in this educational program with our favorite wine competition facilitators Hank and Nancy Sauer. Youll learn the basics of wine tasting, wine terminology and etiquette for the tasting room or festival. Participants with Wine Walk tickets can check-in and pick up your glass at the end of this event. This is a sit down program, so youll want to arrive on time and we kindly request no fragrances be worn. Location: Tolovana Inn (3400 S. Hemlock) Price: $20 SAVOR CANNON BEACH WINE WALK / 1-5pm

Taste wines from approximately 40 Northwest wineries pouring tastings as you make the rounds of Cannon Beach art galleries, shops, restaurants and hotels. Participating wineries represent the major wine growing regions in Oregon and Washington, including Willamette Valley, eastern Washington and southern Oregon. Ticket purchase includes a souvenir Savor Cannon Beach glass. Proceeds from this event benefit Clatsop Animal Assistance, supporting our county animal shelter. Location: Check-in begins at 11am at Coaster Theatre (108 N Hemlock) Price: $40 SUNDAY, MARCH 12 GOLD MEDAL WINES & THE BATTLE OF THE BITES / 11:30am-1:30pm

This great event will tempt you to stay an extra day! Youll taste 12 Gold Medal winning wines from the SavorNW Wine Awards selected the previous week by some of the top wine judges in the Northwest. This event will also feature the Battle of the Bites with bites prepared by area chefs and restaurants; and your vote will determine the winner. Location: Tolovana Inn (3400 S. Hemlock) Price: $40











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NASA Ambassador Talks in Newport About Total Solar Eclipse on Oregon Coast

Published 01/26/2017 at 4:59 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Newport, Oregon)  Sometimes you can't say it ain't rocket science, because it really is this time.

Deep space meets the Oregon coast on Thursday, February 9, when NASA ambassador Greg Cermak comes to Newport's Hatfield Marine Science Center for a talk on the spectacular solar eclipse coming to the region in August. Cermak, formerly with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Washington State University, will also talk about the ten-year anniversary of NASA's STEREO mission and other topics of solar science.

The talk starts at 5 p.m. at the Hatfield's auditorium, and then moves to the other side of Yaquina Bay for an informal question and answer session that starts at 6:30 p.m. This happens at the Rogue Ales South Beach waterfront location, Brewers on the Bay, in the downstairs event room, The entire event is free.

Cermak is retired a software engineer and technical trainer with more than thirty years' experience developing high-performance engineering, scientific, and analytical software applications - a career which included a stint with NASA. He's now a Solar Ambassador for the space agency, giving science talks around the country. He has also taught astrobiology at Washington State University in Vancouver, Washington.

The total solar eclipse coming in August has special significance for the Oregon coast and the rest of the state.

Happening on August 21, Oregon will be in that center line for that stellar event, with some parts of the valley and the coast getting the longest total coverage in the west. It's just north of Newport where the totality will first hit American shores, happening around Moolack Beach, Depoe Bay and Lincoln Beach. The latter two areas will also get the longest exposure to total darkness with one minute and 58 seconds of eclipse time.

Newport and Lincoln City will also get to see the moon totally blocking the sun, as well as Salem, Dallas, Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon, Philomath, McMinnville, and Woodburn.

The actual center line of the eclipse is at Depoe Bay. Each of the towns in Oregon seeing totality will vary in duration, based on their distance from that line.

The STEREO mission stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and involved two satellites sent up in 2006 to observe the sun. It has studied various parts of the sun in great detail, including capturing images of many coronal mass ejections.

The Hatfield is at 2030 SE Marine Science Dr., Newport, Oregon. Call 541-867-0234. Newport Hotels for this event - Where to eat - Map and Virtual Tour. More about Newport and the eclipse below:













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Sunday night a beauty queen will take home one of the world's most exclusive crowns - that of Miss Universe. She'll also join a club of 64 other beautiful women who have won the title over the years.

At the time of being crowned, Miss Universe titleholders are elevated in the spotlight and they then must begin their responsibilities, which typically include public appearances and volunteer work in their desired platform. But that single year of being Miss Universe typically rushes by and the crown, along with its responsibilities are passed on to the next winner.
A 15-minute chase on Friday morning in San Augustine ended when a man evading arrest warrants crashed a motorcycle at the intersection of Texas 705 and 103 after trying to ram a police blockade at 130 mph, authorities said.

According to San Augustine County Sheriff Robert Cartwright, the man had been on the run since last Friday, when he escaped into the banks of Lake Sam Rayburn during a lightning storm after ramming his 4-wheeler into a San Augustine police vehicle. Search boats were called off at 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
Matthew Luckhurst, the San Antonio police officer who was effectively fired for providing a feces sandwich to a homeless man, was given a second indefinite suspension, according to police records released this week.

In June, just a month after the incident with the sandwich, police say Luckhurst defecated in the womens bathroom stall at SAPDs Bike Patrol Office and spread a brown substance with the consistency of tapioca on the toilet seat, giving the appearance that there was feces on the seat.
SAN ANTONIO  At least two assailants are on the loose who police say tied up a pregnant woman in her Northwest Side home, threatened her with a crowbar and robbed her Thursday.

Police responded to the robbery call in the 7400 block of Silent Path around 10:40 a.m., at a home near John B. Connally Middle School.

The victim, 20-year-old Analysa Barrera who is 6-months pregnant, declined to comment on the incident but told investigators the men came into the house while she was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom.

READ ALSO: SAPD searching for killer of woman, 31, who was killed with machete in NW Side apartment

One suspect woke her and tied her up with a cord in the upstairs bedroom and threatened her with a crowbar while another gathered electronics downstairs, according to police.

"They told her not to come down until they left," said San Antonio Police Sgt. Michael Oliva.

Oliva said the suspects left her a knife to cut herself free. He said they came in through the backdoor, which was unlocked.

"He could have killed my grand baby and my baby," said Melinda Barrera, 41, the victim's mother. "I've never hated somebody so much in my whole life."

Melinda said Analysa had to run to a neighbor's house to call her and tell her what happened because the suspects had stolen her phone.

READ ALSO: Officials ID woman found bloody on East Side street

"She called and just said 'Mom, somebody broke in and they tied me up,' and I was already on my way," Barrera said. "My baby was just standing outside cold and barefooted."

Police are currently looking for at least two assailants who are described as Hispanic men, one of whom is in his mid-30s and wearing grey sweatpants and a puffy black jacket.

"This city is getting out of control," Barrera said. "San Antonio was never like this."

This story will continue to be updated as more information is available.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
'Hamilton' Musical Sued by Blind Patron for ADA Violation

A Denver man has filed an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit in the New York Federal Courts after he attended a performance of the hit Broadway play, Hamilton. While ADA lawsuits regarding physical access to public accommodations are not uncommon, this one seems to be turning heads, most likely because anything related to Hamilton creates a pretty big stir.

The plaintiff didn't have any difficulty getting in or out of the theater, or using any of the facilities within the theater, as is common in ADA lawsuits. Because the plaintiff is blind, his disability prevents him from seeing onstage action like other patrons, and therefore his ADA claim is based on the lack of providing a narrative description of the onstage activities as is common in other theaters.

Though some might think this is another one of those drive-by type ADA lawsuits, those same people need to realize that ADA violations cause real mental and emotional injuries, and can frequently put the disabled at risk of physical injury. An ADA violation is a civil rights violation, and when a person's civil rights are violated, it causes real harm or injury.

Facts of the Case

The plaintiff, who despite being blind, enjoys live theater quite a bit, is alleging that the producers, general management, and even the theater where Hamilton was being put on, can easily provide headsets for disabled patrons that provide a narrative description of the onstage actions between musical numbers. The plaintiff went to the play, and was saddened by the fact that there was no accommodation to this effect to allow him to equal access to enjoy the theater.

Many live theaters and movie theaters across the country have this sort of accommodation for the blind, or other vision impaired patrons. In fact, in 2018, movie theaters across the country will be required to provide this type of accommodation.

Does the ADA Really Cover This?

Yes. The Americans with Disabilities Act covers quite a bit that many people might not expect. While there is frequently controversy when businesses are sued for not complying with specific building codes requiring bathrooms to have specific accessible features, at this point, the ADA is approaching 27 years old and business should not be out of compliance. The readily achievable standard allows some businesses to get away with not complying, however successful business may have a harder time avoiding compliance.

The federal government in passing the ADA specifically stated that businesses that allow barriers to exist when they can be remedied are discriminating against the disabled. Given the widespread success of Hamilton, it would be shocking if the producers and management didn't quickly resolve this matter by making the play more accessible to blind patrons.

Related Resources:
The position to lead the World Health Organization is up for grabs this year, with three people vying for the position, according to Science.

Here are five things to know:

1. The remaining contenders include:

 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an Ethiopian health minister and minister of foreign affairs

 Dr. David Nabarro, an United Nations official

 Dr. Sania Nishtar, former science minister and cardiologist from Pakistan

2. During a press conference in Geneva Switzerland, the candidates introduced themselves as interested parties on Jan. 27, 2017. Mr. Ghebreyesus, Dr. Nabarro and Dr. Nishtar will campaign until May 2017 to compete for the support of WHO's 194 member states.

3. Ilona Kickbusch, an independent global health consultant based in Brienz, Switzerland, told Science that Dr. Nishtar may not seem the likely choice for the position. However, many in the medical community are impressed with her professionalism and technical knowledge. Dr. Nishtar stepped down from her posts after she announced her candidacy. She told the press conference that "I had bilateral meetings with more than 185 member states and I will continue to make sure that I meet all of them now that I have been nominated."

4. Dr. Nabarro has worked in developing countries for nongovernmental organizations and joined WHO in 1999. He is the leading force behind WHO's response to the current cholera outbreak in Haiti. At the press conference, he said "I think to be director-general of WHO is a job I have been training for the whole of my life."

5. Equipped with the support of the African Union, Science says many industry leaders think Dr. Tedros would benefit the WHO as the first African leader if the organization nominated him. He has been serving the Ethiopia's prime minister for the past four years and served as health minister between 2005 and 2012.

Dr. Tedros said at the press conference, "I believe I am the best candidate because I have a mix of national and international experience. If I could get a chance to lead this organization, I can help countries to implement reform in a comprehensive way, because I have the hands-on experience."
Former HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell is Washington, D.C.-based American University's new president, effective June 1, 2017, according to Healthcare Finance.

Here are four facts:

1. Ms. Burwell will begin her role as the university's first female president.

2. She marks American University's 15 president.

3. She was the 22nd HHS secretary, taking on the position in 2014 through the end of former President Barack Obama's second term.

4. President Donald Trump selected Rep. Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.), as the new HHS secretary. The American Medical Students Association, Physicians for a National Health Program and National Nurses United oppose Mr. Trump's pick, while the Americans Medical Association released a statement almost immediately following the news, voicing the association's approval.
Surprise medical bills have become a rallying point for healthcare advocates, patients and providers who are frustrated with oblique pricing practices and narrowing payer networks.

Here are 20 things to know about balance billing in 2017.

1. The practice of balance billing refers to a physician's ability to bill patients for outstanding balances after the insurance company submits a portion of the bill. Out-of-network physicians, not bound by in-network rate agreements, may bill patients for the remaining balance.

2. It is generally not a hospital requirement for physicians who work in the facility to contract with the same health plans. "We are sensitive to additional bills that patients may receive from affiliated physicians that practice at our hospitals," said Kimberly Johnson, director of communications for Brentwood, Tenn.-based TriStar Health, in USA Today. "We encourage those physicians to participate in the same insurance contracts in which our hospitals participate."

3. The practice of balance billing garnered increased attention from media and advocacy networks as consumers take on more financial responsibility for medical care. Under the ACA, many health plans narrowed their provider networks and cut out-of-network benefits from their product offerings to control costs and keep premiums affordable. This has increased some health plan beneficiaries' chances of receiving out-of-network care and reduced the health plan's financial responsibility for out-of-network care.

4. The Florida College of Emergency Physicians called upon the Federal Trade Commission Dec. 13, 2016, to investigate the practice of "surprise" balance billing caused by involuntary out-of-network care as a violation of federal law. The FCEP argued instances of network discrepancies between hospitals and their contracted emergency physicians was an "unfair and deceptive" business practice.

5. Under current law, Medicare has financial protections in place designed to safeguard Medicare beneficiaries from unexpected and confusing charges when they seek care from providers. These protections include the participating provider program, limitations on balance billing and conditions on private contracting.

6. In 2011, HHS Secretary nominee Rep. Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.), introduced legislation designed to allow Medicare physicians to contract with patients for a set fee, then balance bill patients for any outstanding fees after Medicare submitted reimbursement. Dr. Price said the bill would bolster "paltry Medicare rates that threaten to drive physicians out of the program and leave seniors bereft of care." Critics argued the bill would drive up out-of-pocket costs for seniors.

7. Many physicians charge more than what Medicare reimburses, but visits with certain physicians are more likely to result in large surprise medical bills, according to a national study by Baltimore-based JohnsHopkinsUniversity. Anesthesiologists charged the highest average rates at 5.8 times the Medicare rate. Other specialists with high average charge rates included interventional radiology (4.5), emergency medicine (4.0), pathology (4.0), neurosurgery (4.0) and diagnostic radiology (3.8)

8. Patients who received treatment an in-network hospital ER received an unanticipated out-of-network bill 22 percent of the time, according to 2016 study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

9. Researchers found people in Texas were more likely to face unexpected bills for medical care than those in other states. Patients who received medical care in McAllen, Texas, had an 89 percent chance of receiving a surprise medical bill compared to a rate of nearly 0 percent in Boulder, Colo. Nationwide the chance of receiving a balance bill after an in-patient visit was 20 percent compared to a 34 percent chance in Texas.

10. Nationwide, 51 percent of ambulance rides potentially resulted in a balance bill in 2014.

11. Seventy percent of consumers with unaffordable out-of-network medical bills did not know the healthcare provider was out-of-network at the time they received care, according to a 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation study.



12. About 30 percent of individuals with private health insurance reported receiving an unexpected medical bill in the past two years, according to a 2015 Consumers Union address.

13. Among nonelderly insured patients struggling to pay medical bills in 2014, about 33 percent of medical bills were from out-of-network providers, according to KFF.

Balance billing at the state level

14. Federal law does not protect consumers from balance billing or surprise billing. About one-fourth of all states have policies to address at least some of the scenarios that typically result in unexpected charges.

15. Legislators in Rhode Island introduced bill H5012 in January 2017, which calls upon the state health insurance commissioner to devise an arbitration process for disputed medical bills arising from instances of involuntary out-of-network care.



16. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) passed legislation designed to limit and prohibit balance billing. Under HB 221, consumers cannot be charged more than the equivalent of in-network rates in emergencies and other instances of involuntary care  such as an out-of-network anesthesiologist for a scheduled procedure at an in-network hospital, according to a Palm Beach Post report. The bill exempts ambulance services.

17. Washington State Rep. Eileen Cody (D-Seattle) sponsored a bill to prevent balance billing in 2017. Bill HB 2447 would prevent out-of-network physicians from balance billing patients if the hospital where treatment occurred is in-network. Patients would pay only the expected in-network charges. Any disputes over contracts or out-of-network fees would be worked out between the insurer and the medical provider or facility.

18. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law bill AB 72 September 2016, which aims to regulate payment rates between providers and payers in certain instances of care. The bill requires physicians bill a patient and his or her insurance company at up to 125 percent of the Medicare rate for involuntary out-of-network care. This would reduce the chance patients receive an extraordinary balance bill for involuntary out-of-network care. Providers have argued the bill.

19. Lawmakers in Montana have considered regulating payment rates between air ambulance services and insurers to mitigate instances of balance billing. Legislation proposed in January 2017 would require payers and air transport providers to settle payment disputes through legal arbitration and ban providers from balance billing patients at excessive rates.

20. Oregon lawmakers will consider two bills related to surprise hospital charges in the first session of 2017. House Bill 2679, sponsored by State Rep. Rob Nosse (D-Portland) would establish a hospital rate commission within the Oregon Health Authority to review and recommend whether to approve their charges as reasonable and penalize those with unreasonable charges. HB 2339 addresses balance billing by requiring insurers reimburse nonparticipating providers at a "reasonable and customary rate" to dissuade the provider from sending the patient an unexpected bill.

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The California Department of Health Care Services has fined Kaiser Permanente $2.5 million for failing to provide required patient care data to Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, reports California Healthline.

Here are six things to know.

1. Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, one of more than 20 health plans that participate in the Medi-Cal managed care program, was notified of the sanctions in a Jan. 13 letter obtained and cited by California Healthline.

2. State officials contend Kaiser Permanente did not meet the deadline to submit data on out-of-network care that Medi-Cal patients received from November 2014 to September 2016, according to the report. That resulted in a fine of $742,500.

3. The state said Kaiser Permanente also did not meet the deadline to submit data on physician-administered drugs from March 2010 to March 2015. That resulted in a fine of $1,792,500.

4. Sarah Brooks, deputy director of healthcare delivery systems at the California Department of Health Care Services, told California Healthline her department is discussing the issue with Kaiser Permanente, and Kaiser Permanente may face additional fines depending on the company's actions and whether Kaiser Permanente's violations put the department out of compliance with CMS rules.

5. In a statement, Kaiser Permanente said its top priority is "ensuring access to safe, high-quality care for our members and patients." It also noted the sanction is related to capturing certain administrative data, which is used by the California Department of Health Care Services in the administration of Medi-Cal, and is not related to quality, patient care or patient access.

"Kaiser Permanente is an integrated delivery system, therefore our systems and technology  such as our electronic health record and online capabilities on kp.org  are focused on quality, access, and integration of care. While our administrative systems and processes had not been originally designed or fully updated to collect and report certain data in the format specified by DHCS, we are taking steps to change this. We are making investments in technology that will facilitate compliance with the states data reporting requirements," Nate Oubre, California vice president for Medi-Cal, Children's Health Insurance Program and charitable care at Kaiser Permanente, said in the statement.

"We have been working with the DHCS for many months to communicate our progress on providing the required patient encounter data. We are working toward compliance with the data requirements of DHCS," he added.

6. The California Department of Health Care Services said the fine imposed against Kaiser Permanente was the first fine imposed on one of its Medicaid managed care plans since at least 2000, according to the report.

For more on this story, read Chad Terhune's full report in California Healthline.
Mission (Texas) Regional Medical Center has closed its sexual assault forensic unit, or SAFE Place, reports The Monitor.

The closure was part of 40 layoffs that took place Wednesday at the hospital, according to Javier Iruegas, CEO of MRMC. Employees affected by the layoffs include two sexual assault nurse examiners, or SANE nurses, among others.

"This reduction was simply a streamlining of operations, primarily focused around the administrative and clerical areas of the hospital," Mr. Iruegas said, according to the report. "This was a one-time adjustment, and we do not anticipate any other personnel changes in the near future."

SAFE Place has offered services for victims of sexual assault, physical violence, abuse and neglect for more than seven years, according to the report.

In a statement, Mr. Iruegas said the hospital will continue offering SANE exams through the emergency department when a SANE nurse is on duty, reports The Monitor.

"While the SANE program has been a wonderful service, we cannot continue absorbing the cost of a voluntary 24 hours a day, 7 days a week program, at the expense of other inpatient and ambulatory services our community needs," he added.

MRMC's total workforce is about 1,000.
The following health IT vendor contracts and go-lives were reported within the past week.

1. McKesson bought CoverMyMeds in a pending $1.1 billion deal.

2. Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege, Neb., selected Parallon Technology Solutions to assist in an upgrade to the Meditech 6.1 EHR system.

3. Ballinger (Texas) Memorial Hospital selected Evident  a subsidiary of CPSI  for its EHR solution.

4. IBM said it will acquire San Francisco-based Agile 3 Solutions, a cybersecurity risk visualization startup.

5. Qardio, a digital health company, is joining forces with eClinicalWorks to improve patient health monitoring services.

6. Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based Humber River Hospital will upgrade to Meditech's web EHR this year.

7. New London, Conn.-based Lawrence + Memorial Hospital went live on its Epic EHR Jan. 20.

8. Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth and Indianapolis-based OurHealth, an employee clinic provider, joined forces to better support on-site clinics.

9. Westminster, Colo.-based Coalfire, a cybersecurity risk management and compliance services firm, acquired Vienna, Va.-based Veris Group, a provider of cyber risk advisory, compliance assessment, technical testing and engineering services.

10. Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth became a strategic investor in Houston-based The Right Place, a digital health startup, after the company won an innovation challenge created by athenahealth.

11. Wickenburg (Ariz.) Community Hospital integrated its EHR system with Plexus Technology Group's Anesthesia Touch, an iPad-based anesthesia documentation solution.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to reduce the economic burden of the ACA. Here, five health IT company executives discuss the keys to success for hospitals and healthcare providers going forward.

Darin Brannan. President, CEO and Co-founder of ClearData, a secure healthcare managed cloud provider (Austin, Texas). "Two big elephants in the room were noticeably missing from President Trump's executive order  data security and system interoperability. Given the major challenges in these two realms, they're surprising omissions, as the ACA has been blamed as their root cause. Still, it's impossible to predict the president's intentions here this far out. Healthcare organizations should continue to take a 'we're on our own' perspective and keep taking active steps to secure their data while making it accessible to their provider partners, payers, patients and other stakeholders. Another takeaway from the executive order is the promise to open up the market. As we now know, changes in the healthcare landscape almost always result in a proliferation of new apps, so look to opportunities to bring these apps to market faster. For scale, speed and security reasons, a cloud environment will be a must for all these data-intensive projects."

Jean Drouin, MD. Founder and CEO of Clarify Health Solutions, a digital and analytics solutions company (San Francisco). "Politics aside, everyone agrees that healthcare costs are too high, and patients deserve better from our healthcare system. The ACA jump-started a transformative movement toward value-based care, and continuing down that path is essential to achieving lower costs and better outcomes. While the future isn't entirely clear, we're confident that value-based care will move forward in some form. It has proven to be mission critical for improving healthcare delivery  and is perhaps the most effective strategy that we have for reducing healthcare costs in 2017 and beyond."

Dave Dyell. President and CEO of Jellyfish Health, a patient check-in software platform (Panama City, Fla.). "Although the language is broad, President Trump's executive order seems aimed to open the market up to more options for healthcare consumers, and not just for insurance. Look at section four's reference to more interstate commerce of healthcare services. Really, it's time to double down on improving the patient experience, or local healthcare consumers could be lost to national telehealth chains. The window to differentiate is short, too. Yes, you need an overall patient experience strategy, but it needs at least one tactic that immediately creates a better experience  like mobile apps that make it easy for patients to find and schedule care in their area, and even make anywhere the waiting room for them."

Brent Lang. President and CEO of Vocera Communications, a clinical communications system provider (San Jose, Calif.). "Ultimately, healthcare IT investments should focus on four holistic improvement strategies that endure no matter what happens with ACA: enhancing efficiency, quality and safety, patient experience and staff well-being. All of these aims are essential in healthcare, no matter what changes may occur with policies or payment models."

Siva Namasivayam. CEO and Founder of SCIO Health Analytics, a healthcare analytics company (West Hartford, Conn.). "Despite these new announcements, the focus on delivering high quality, efficient healthcare that offers better access and improved patient outcomes will remain. One area where the industry is likely to see changes is in the individual mandate, so the funding underpinning any replacement program will need to be reviewed carefully. The challenge will be in finding a way to maintain optimized margins. States can expect to have an expansion in their Medicaid programs, which will accelerate the need for and ability to identify, profile and intervene quickly to avert massive cost impact. No matter what the specifics turn out to be, the key to success will be developing actionable insights from the data available across the healthcare continuum to support the continued evolution toward value-based care and reimbursement."



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Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Stefano Pessina told shareholders during the company's annual meeting Thursday Walgreens is intent on using "all the instruments and actions it can put in place" to facilitate the merger with Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid, according to Forbes.

Mr. Pessina did not address whether the companies plan to extend the deadline for the merger, which terminates Friday.

Here are seven things to know about the merger as it stands.

1. Officials initially announced the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger in October 2015. If successful, the combined entity would include more drugstores than any other chain in the U.S.

2. In its review of the agreement, the Federal Trade Commission expressed significant concerns about the deal, stating the proposed merger would threaten competition in the market.

3. To address the FTC's concerns, Walgreens proposed divesting 865 Rite Aid drugstores to Memphis, Tenn.-based Fred's in an all-cash $950 million transaction.

4. During the meeting Thursday, Mr. Pessina said the FTC's review of the merger is ongoing. "We are actively engaged in dialogue with the FTC and we will do everything we can to support their work," Mr. Pessina said.

5. Officials said selling select drugstores to Fred's represents a good alternative to help quell the FTC's concerns because the management team at Fred's is intimately familiar with Walgreens' business strategy  Fred's CFO Rick Hans helped develop more than 250 Walgreens stores during his 25-year tenure with Walgreens.

6. The FTC has expressed additional concerns regarding Walgreens' deal with Fred's, questioning whether Fred's could "pull off such a large transaction," according to Forbes.

7. If the deal with Fred's is successful, Fred's will become the third largest drugstore chain in the nation, sources told Forbes.
The handover ceremony was held at the meeting hall of the Arakan State government in Sittwe at 1 PM.

We are grateful to the Union Burmese Government and the Arakan State government for allowing us to deliver the humanitarian aid to the residents in the Arakan State. This aid is for all the societies living in the Arakan State. The Indonesian government will join hands in developing the education, health, and infrastructure of the Arakan State, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L P Marsudi.

According to the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Indonesia has donated six schools to enable all societies to have access to education in the Arakan State.

She added that the Indonesian Government will face the challenges for the development of the Arakan State and assist in the peace and stability of the state.

The Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr Win Myat Aye signed the agreement for the aid on behalf of the Union Burmese Government.

We are very grateful to the Indonesian Government for giving such kind of assistance for the society residing in the Arakan State. Currently, the Arakan State is the second poorest state in Burma. There are conflicts between the two societies at the moment. Led by the State Counsellor, the Committee for the Implementation of Peace and Development in the Arakan State has been established in May 2016, said Dr Win Mya Aye.

He explained that the Burmese Government has been giving special consideration to the development of the Arakan State and has provided items worth 300 billon kyats as humanitarian assistance.

He added that the aids that have been handed over from Indonesia will be delivered quickly to the people in need from both societies without any discrimination.

The Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pyu said: We are very glad to receive such kind of assistance from the Indonesian Foreign Minister and delegation. The Arakan State government has been giving priority to education, health, and social sectors for the development of the Arakan State. We thank the UN, INGOs, and donors for their assistance in the development of the Arakan State. We hope the Asean countries will enjoy friendly relations with Burma.

A convoy of vehicles loaded with humanitarian aids from Indonesia arrived in Sittwe in the evening on 20 January and they were officially handed over to the Burmese government by the Indonesian Foreign Minister and delegation on the next day.

Around ten trucks carrying dried noodles and clothes have been seen.

Translated by Thida Linn
Two former heart surgery patients at the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Health System have filed pre-complaint motions alleging the health system failed to protect them against infections related to heater-cooler devices. The motion also requests the name of the manufacturer of the devices used in each case, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The motion was filed in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia this month. One patient underwent valve-replacement surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia two years ago, and the other had heart surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia a year ago. They claim they contracted infections after their surgeries.

Penn Medicine officials declined to comment on the matter when asked by the Inquirer, citing the pending litigation.

In September, Penn Medicine began notifying hundreds of patients who may have been exposed to contaminated heater-cooler machines during major cardiac surgery after detecting nontuberculous mycobacterium in four heart surgery patients.

In October 2016, a patient filed suit against Penn Medicine after reportedly incurring an infection during heart surgery at Penn Presbyterian in Philadelphia, according to the Inquirer.

NTM bacteria are found in tap water and soil and pose little risk to healthy people. While benign in the environment, the microbes can incite infections in ill patients with open chest cavities. Symptoms reported by the plaintiffs include lethargy, weight loss and pectoral pain.

In recent months, multiple hospitals have issued warnings former patients about possible infections related to heater-cooler devices. Most recently, Medical University of South Carolina Health in Charleston began notifying 3,000 patients of possible infections, though the hospital has had no reports of NTM infections among patients.

Both the CDC and Food and Drug Administration have attributed NTM infections to Stockert 3T heater-cooler devices, which regulate the body's temperature during surgery.

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Democratic Hawaii Sen. Josh Green, MD, and emergency medicine physician, is pushing to have homelessness classified as a medical condition under state law, according to an Associated Press report published by The New York Times.

Here are four things to know.

1. Sen. Green has introduced a state bill to classify chronic homelessness as a medical condition.

2. Under Sen. Green's bill, insurance companies would have to cover treatment for the condition: housing.

3. Sen. Green proposes Hawaii redirect some of its $2 billion annual Medicaid budget to pay for housing, the Associated Press reports.

4. His reasoning, according to the report, is Hawaii could reduce Medicaid costs by dedicating some of funds to housing rather than paying for frequent visits by homeless people to emergency rooms.

Read the full story here.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the oldest payer group in the U.S., consisting of 36 independent, locally operated franchises that collectively make up the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Here are 25 things to know about BCBS.

1. Blue Cross was founded in 1929 as a way to provide prepaid hospital care. A decade later, Blue Shield was founded to provide reimbursement for physician services. The Blue Cross Association and National Association of Blue Shield Plans merged in 1982 to form the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

2. Scott Serota leads BCBSA as president and CEO. He has held this position since 2000, following time spent as COO, senior executive and executive vice president for system development. He previously served as president and CEO of Chicago-based Rush Prudential Health Plans, which was sold to WellPoint Health Networks in 2000.

3. The BCBS system offers a full spectrum of healthcare coverage, including coverage for large employer groups, small businesses and individuals, as well as Medicaid and Medicare plans.

4. Nearly one in three Americans  about 107 million  are BCBS beneficiaries. BCBS companies also hold the largest privately underwritten health insurance contract in the world through the Federal Employee Program, or the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which insures more than half  5.3 million  of federal government employees, dependents and retirees, according to the payer. BCBS provides 52 million Medicaid and 42 million Medicare beneficiaries with healthcare coverage as well.

5. BCBS companies operate in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

6. The Blues are entirely independent and license one or both of Blue Cross and Blue Shield's brands to operate in distinct markets across the country. Of the 36 BCBS companies, the largest is the publicly-traded Anthem, which stretches across 14 states, and includes: Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service (Colorado and Nevada), Anthem Health Plans (Connecticut), BCBS of Georgia, BCBS Healthcare Plan of Georgia, Anthem Insurance Companies (Indiana), Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky, Anthem Health Plans of Maine, RightCHOICE Managed Care (Missouri), Healthy Alliance Life Insurance Co. (Missouri), HMO Missouri, Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire, Community Insurance Co. (Ohio), Anthem Health Plans of Virginia and BCBS of Wisconsin.

Health Care Service Corp., CareFirst, The Regence Group and Highmark also serve multiple states. Health Care Service Corp. operates the following plans: BCBS of Illinois, BCBS of Montana, BCBS of New Mexico, BCBS of Oklahoma and BCBS of Texas. CareFirst includes CareFirst of Maryland and Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, with affiliates CareFirst BlueChoice and FirstCare. The Regence Group includes Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BCBS of Oregon, Regence BCBS of Utah and Regence BlueShield (Washington). Highmark includes Highmark BCBS (Pennsylvania), Highmark Blue Shield (Pennsylvania), Highmark BCBS West Virginia and Highmark BCBS Delaware.

Finances



7. Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp., a BCBS licensee and the largest customer-owned health insurer in the country, reported a net loss of $65.9 million in 2015 compared to a loss of $281.9 million in 2014. The health insurer narrowed the losses from the financial hit it took on the ACA exchanges a few years ago.

8. In February 2016, HCSC laid off an undisclosed amount of employees after it posted $176.1 million in losses for the first three quarters of 2015, citing increased costs associated with paying for less healthy customers under the ACA.

9. Then later in September, HCSC notified employees it planned to lay off 70 percent of its IT infrastructure staff and outsource system maintenance jobs to a foreign country. The cuts could have affected about 540 employees. The company offered early buyouts to employees older than age 50 prior to the announcement.

10. In the third quarter of 2016, Anthem reported a 7.5 percent increase in revenue from the same period in 2015 to a total of $21.4 billion. The insurer saw a 5.7 percent year-over-year drop in net income to $617.8 million. Through the first three quarters of 2016, Anthem reported net income of $2.1 billion.



11. Many health insurers, including BCBS plans, were approved double-digit rate increases for individual plans sold on 2017 ACA exchanges. BCBS of New Mexico and BCBS of Oklahoma were approved some of the highest increases for individual plans, averaging 91.8 percent and 76 percent, respectively. Blue plans in Illinois, Montana and Tennessee were approved average rate hikes of more than 50 percent for individual plans on the public exchanges, and Blues in Alabama and Delaware increased individual coverage rates by more than 30 percent this year for on-exchange plans.



Value-based programs

BCBS spokesperson Eric Lail confirmed these are the most recent figures available.

12. The Blues collectively boosted value-based care spending to $71 billion in 2014, reflecting a 9 percent increase in claims tied to value-based programs since 2013.

13. Patient-centered BCBS programs generated $1 billion in savings in 2013, according to BCBSA. The portfolio includes ACOs, patient-centered medical homes and other programs for a total of 570 patient-centered care programs for more than 25 million customers and 228,000 physicians.

14. BCBS has launched 450 ACOs across 32 states with more than 111,000 physicians.

15. The Blues host 69 PCMHs in 43 states and Washington, D.C. More than 56,000 physicians participate in the payer's PCMH models.

The Anthem-Cigna antitrust lawsuit

16. On July 24, 2015, Anthem entered into a definitive agreement to acquire rival Bloomfield, Conn.-based health insurer Cigna in a cash and stock transaction valued at $54.2 billion.

17. Nearly a year later, the U.S. Department of Justice and attorneys general from several states filed lawsuits against Anthem and Cigna out of concern their proposed transaction would impede health insurance competition in certain markets. Specifically, the DOJ argued competition between insurers like Anthem and Cigna ensures employers and individuals can purchase high-quality policies at affordable prices. However, the DOJ argued"competition is now at risk," as the payers are competitors in 35 markets, and represent the only competitive insurers in some markets.

18. Anthem had argued its acquisition of Cigna would allow the resulting entity to lower healthcare provider payments and allocate those savings to employers.

19. The antitrust trial began Nov. 21, 2016, in Washington D.C., with U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson overseeing proceedings. Throughout the trial, relations between the two payers were questioned, as both accused each other in September of breaching their merger agreement. Anthem officials also attempted to push the deal forward unilaterally, as Cigna stopped working with Anthem on issues related to the proposed deal.

20. In mid-January, Anthem extended the completion deadline of its proposed acquisition of Cigna from Jan. 31 to April 30. Shortly after the deadline was extended, it was reported Judge Jackson is expected to block the deal.

21. If the deal does not close, Anthem owes Cigna a $1.85 billion breakup fee under the insurers' merger agreement.

Rankings, contract disputes and other recent news

22. According to athenahealth's annual PayerView report, the Blues have the strongest presence in the Top 10 Performers, with Capital Blue Cross Pennsylvania, Anthem BCBS in Maine, BCBS of North Carolina Blue Medicare, BCBS of Massachusetts and CareFirst BCBS holding five of the top 10 spots among health plans. Payers were ranked based on metrics such as days in accounts receivable, claim resolution rate, denial rate and more.

23. BCBS plans were rated No.1 overall for member satisfaction for the East South Central region (Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee), the Heartland region (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma), the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) and the Illinois-Indiana and Texas regions, according to the annual J.D. Power Member Health Plan Study. The study is based on consumer responses in six categories: coverage and benefits, provider choice, information and communication, claims processing, cost and customer service.

24. Richardson-based BCBS of Texas and Arlington-based Texas Health Resources disputed over their contract and prepared to go out of network as their Dec. 31, 2016, deadline approached. At the center of the impasse was THR's request for a 5 percent reimbursement increase. BCBS refused, purporting the increase would add up to $57 million a year and members would ultimately bear the burden. BCBS of Texas and THR eventually renewed a contract Dec. 29, keeping 150,000 policyholders from going out of network with the provider.

25. At the beginning of January 2016, Chapel Hill-based BCBS of North Carolina was under fire for technical problems that resulted in approximately 25,000 customers  or 7 percent of all individual customers  across the state accidentally being placed in the wrong plans. Some company executives dubbed the billing and enrollment errors the most serious system failure in recent decades. In September 2016, the North Carolina Department of Insurance issued a $3.6 million fine against BCBS of North Carolina for the chronic IT malfunctions.

Blue Cross plans, state by state
A judge's ruling to block Aetna's proposed acquisition of Humana most grabbed the attention of Becker's Hospital Review payer issues readers this past week.

The following were among this week's most-viewed payer issues stories on Becker's Hospital Review.

1. Judge blocks $37B Aetna-Humana deal: 5 things to know

On Monday, U.S. District Judge John Bates blocked Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna's proposed $37 billion takeover of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana.

2. 5 reactions to Aetna-Humana ruling

Here are five reactions from healthcare leaders, litigators and company spokespersons regarding U.S. District Judge John Bates' blocking of Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna's proposed $37 billion takeover of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana.

3. 9 ways ACA repeal could affect employer-sponsored insurance

Much of the discussion on an ACA repeal has focused on the consequences for the 20 million Americans who gained coverage under the law's main provisions, such as Medicaid expansion, the health insurance marketplaces and changes to private insurance that allow children to remain on their parents' plans until age 26. But people who have health insurance through their employer are not immune to the effects of repeal.

4. Judge: Aetna ditched exchanges to 'avoid antitrust scrutiny': 5 things to know

U.S. District Judge John Bates determined Aetna's August decision to exit most of the ACA exchanges where it sold health plans was not solely a business strategy, but was "for the purpose of improving its litigation position," according to the 156-page opinion issued Monday.

5. Trump's ACA order fuels questions among potential health plan enrollees

Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at immediately lessening the economic burden of the ACA as Republican lawmakers work on a repeal and replacement plan. Now, with only eight days left in the open enrollment period for 2017, tens of thousands of consumers are contacting ACA call centers across the U.S., asking whether they can still enroll in insurance coverage, or if their coverage will continue under President Trump.
New Jersey's Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board has partnered with the Baby Box Company to distribute durable cardboard boxes filled with items for newborns, according to Philly Voice.

The baby box, which can also serve as a bed during the first two months of an infant's life, was created to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. In addition to providing parents with a safe sleeping space for their child and essential items like diapers and baby wipes, the baby box program also aims to educate parents on newborn care. Prior to receiving the box, expectant parents must first register online, review curriculum on newborn care and take a short quiz.

The roots of the Baby Box Company's concept can be traced back to Finland where, for more than 75 years, the state has delivered newborn starter kits in the form of boxes to expectant mothers. Finland currently has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world with 1.3 deaths per 1,000 births. The United States ranks 23rd in the world in infant mortality with 6.5 deaths per 1,000 births.

The program launched on Thursday, making New Jersey the first state in the U.S. to offer a universal baby box program to its residents, according to Philly Voice.

The Baby Box Company was founded in Los Angeles in 2013 and currently serves 12 countries.

To learn more about baby boxes, click here.

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Before the Flint, Mich., water crisis garnered national attention, 92 cases of Legionnaires' disease were confirmed in residents Genesee County from 2014 to 2015. Twelve of said cases resulted in death. Now, medical experts are saying the total is likely higher than that, according to Bridge magazine.

In 2014  the year state officials changed the source of and improperly treated Flint's water supply, resulting in toxic levels of lead contaminating the city's drinking water  90 people died from pneumonia in Genesee County. In 2015, 87 people died from the illness. Those numbers are both up from the 53 deaths recorded in 2013.

According to Bridge, some medical experts have told the publication at least a portion of the 2014 and 2015 deaths are likely attributable to undiagnosed Legionnaires' disease. However, there is no way to confirm this educated guess because both McLaren-Flint Hospital and the state of Michigan failed to order routine testing for Legionnaires' disease  a more virulent form of pneumonia  among pneumonia patients. The choice to not test for Legionnaires' disease came when both the state and the hospital were aware of the 2014 outbreak.

"The spike in Legionnaires' deaths deserved earlier, complete investigation. Why that did not happen is both confusing to clinicians in Flint and the community," Lawrence Reynolds, MD, a pediatrician who was on Gov. Rick Snyder's Flint Water Advisory Taskforce, told Bridge. "I think this is so wrong, what's happened. The level of dysfunction. Not only is this a public health crisis but a transparency-in-government crisis. This is what happens when you try to run government like a business. This should not happen ever again in the United States."

Dr. Reynolds, the former president and CEO of Mott Children's Health Center in Flint, added that it's very likely more than 12 people died from Legionnaires' disease related to contaminated water in Flint.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the 2015 pneumonia death information for Genesee County this month after multiple inquiries from Bridge. The numbers were not previously known because the state typically groups these deaths in with deaths from influenza.

Legionnaires' disease is caused by Legionella bacteria. It is not spread via person-to-person contact or by drinking water, but can be contracted by inhaling mist from contaminated water sources, such as cooling misters and plumbing systems.

In October 2016, a research team from Wayne State University in Detroit detected Legionella bacteria in several Flint homes.

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An experimental stem cell therapy has helped paralyzed patients regain function in their arms, hands and fingers.

The innovative therapy involves injecting 10 million stem cells directly into the spinal cord during surgery to stabilize the spine after a severe injury. The cells are made from embryonic stem cells which are then converted into a class of stem cells found in the brain and spinal cord that serve to bolster healthy functioning of nerve cells. The treatment is manufactured by Fremont, Calif.-based Asterias Biotherapeutics. Six patients were enrolled in the clinical trial.

"With these patients, we are seeing what we believe are meaningful improvements in their ability to use their arms, hands and fingers at six months and nine months following AST-OPC1 administration," said Richard G. Fessler, MD, PhD, professor in the department of neurosurgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and lead investigator study.

Rush is one of six centers around the country participating in the trial.

In April 2016, a physician team at Keck Medical Center of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles  another site participating in the trial  performed the treatment on 21-year-old Kris Boesen. The university issued a release on Kris' progress in September 2016.

"As of 90 days post-treatment, Kris has gained significant improvement in his motor function, up to two spinal cord levels," said Charles Liu, MD, PhD, director of the USC Neurorestoration Center who led the team and injected the 10 million stem cell dose into the patient's spine. "In Kris' case, two spinal cord levels means the difference between using your hands to brush your teeth, operate a computer or do other things you wouldn't otherwise be able to do, so having this level of functional independence cannot be overstated."

Asterias Biotherapeutics expects to discuss the regulatory path forward for the treatment with the Food and Drug Administration in mid-2017.

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Mold on bed linens supplied by an outsourced provider may have been the cause of fungal infections at Pittsburgh-based UPMC that contributed to the deaths of five transplant patients and temporarily shut down UPMC's transplant program in 2015.

DuBois, Pa.-based Paris Healthcare Linen Services provides laundry services to all of UPMC's hospitals. An internal report commissioned by UPMC, completed in May 2016 and filed in court documents Thursday shows the ventilation system at the laundry facility blew fungus onto linens later delivered to UPMC, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The mold found on the linens was similar to what infected five patients at UPMC hospitals. The mold crisis caused UPMC to temporarily shut down its solid organ transplant program in 2015.

A definitive source for the mold was never found, but a CDC investigation pointed to improper use of negative pressure rooms as one cause of the infections.

A CDC spokesman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that "it's safe to say we'll take a look at the new reportand if necessary we'll follow up."

Though the system said it "cannot comment on these allegations," UPMC addressed the new information in a Thursday blog post.

"Despite the lack of a definitive source, UPMC still went above and beyond state and federal recommendations in order to implement changes to protect our patients," the blog post reads. "One of the many changes includes provisions of specially treated bioburden-reduced linens to our highest risk transplant patients."

UPMC filed the investigative report in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas as part of two wrongful death lawsuits it is currently facing, according to the Tribune-Review. The system continues to use Paris as its laundry provider.
A recent survey out of Boston-based Ariadne Labs suggests providers are not giving mothers the right information they need to choose the best possible setting to give birth.

The survey, which was published in the Jan. 26 edition of Birth journal, polled 6,141 pregnant women through a mobile app. It found most women (73 percent) chose their midwife or obstetrician first when making decisions about where to give birth. Only 17 percent chose their hospital first.

And while 75 percent of the women surveyed understood hospitals vary in quality of care, most of the women surveyed didn't know about or would give low priority to hospitals' cesarean section rates, unexpected injury rates, maternal trauma rates, obstetrical infection rates, neonatal trauma rates or episiotomy rates.

"What this study tells us is that there is a big disconnect between the way we currently measure and report quality of care, and the factors that women and their partners most value," Neel Shah, MD, lead author of the survey and director of Ariadne Labs' Delivery Decisions Initiative, said in a statement. "Our industry needs to do a better job of communicating why hospital choice matters."

For example, it is understood among providers that C-section rates are an indicator of hospital quality  they can vary from 7 to 70 percent at any given hospital, and C-sections are associated with increased health risk. However, 75 percent of the women surveyed said no matter how large the differential in C-section rates between two hospitals may be, it wouldn't influence their decision. Yet a similar proportion of those women said they would prefer not to have a C-section if they didn't need it.

The survey showed most women believe they are choosing an obstetrician or midwife to deliver their baby, but this may not always be the case. "For women with low-risk pregnancies who are planning a natural delivery, there are a lot of reasons why your doctor may not end up delivering your baby," Dr. Shah said in a statement.

"Encouraging women to use hospital-level quality metrics in choosing their childbirth hospital will require new ways to frame and disseminate hospital-level obstetric quality data," the authors wrote. "Closing this gap in patient knowledge is essential to having women value and use hospital-level quality data."

More articles on quality and infection control:

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System warns 2k patients of heater-cooler-related infection risks

Flu, pneumonia deaths now above epidemic threshold

Scientists identify gene that prevents TB strains from becoming drug-resistant, study shows
The Chicago Tribune conducted an interview with Downers Grove, Ill.-based DuPage Medical Group CEO Michael Kasper, discussing several trends in healthcare and where he sees the practice growing.

DuPage medical Group acquired 211 providers in the past year and now includes 800 providers across almost 50 specialties. Here are five key notes from the interview:

1. On why expansion was important: "Within our business, or really any business, we have fixed assets, so growing the organization helps us leverage against those fixed assets."

2. On the practice's owner-operator model, where physicians own 100 percent of the clinical practice as well as owning shares in a management services company: "We really leave a lot of autonomy within the physician practices."

3. On whether there's a plan to limit practice size: "I would say the sky's the limit, really. Our ultimate goal would be to become the pre-eminent national medical group, a national solution for physicians and patients."

4. On the ACA: "My hope is that they find a way to improve the Affordable Care Act, but a full repeal, in my personal opinion, it wouldn't hurt us as much because we don't have as many (patients with Medicaid or insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange) who come see us."

5. On why he works in healthcare: "The system doesn't treat ill people very well and that always frustrated me. I wanted to be a part of an organization where I could influence not just the care delivery side but the service side of healthcare and how we take care of people."

Mr. Kasper is a keynote speaker at the Becker's 15th Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine annual meeting in Chicago, June 22 to 24, 2017. Click here to learn more and register.

More articles on healthcare:

ACA: Chronically ill patients saw greatest benefit from expanded Medicaid

Speaker Paul Ryan: GOP to send final reconciliation package to House by early March

6 things to know about Medicaid block grants




Ayelet Waldman is a novelist, non fiction author, and former federal public defender. Her latest book is called A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life. I interviewed her this morning.

Why did you start microdosing?

I started microdosing because I was profoundly and dangerously depressed. I have a mood disorder and for many, many years my medication worked great. I took it, I did what my doctor told me and everything was fine. But at some point my medication stopped working. I tried all sorts of different things. And nothing helped. I was getting worse and worse and more and more full of despair and more and more full of rage and more and more unstable and I became suicidal. I started doing things like googling the effects of maternal suicide on children and I was so terrified that I was going to do something to myself, that I was going to hurt myself, that I decided to do something drastic and something that some people might think is crazy  I decided to try microdosing with L.S.D.

Did it work?

Oh absolutely. It worked for sure. It's sub-perceptual. In fact, if I told you right now, "Hey Mark, I slipped a microdose of LSD. in your coffee," you wouldn't even know the difference. The effect for me was instantaneous. My depression lifted right away. The book is called A Really Good Day because at the end of that very first day, I looked back and I thought, "that was a really good day." It wasn't like everything was perfect. It wasn't like I was happiness and sunshine. I was still me, I was still cynical, I was still occasionally irritable, I would still sometimes make rash decisions, but I was stable and I was experiencing the kind of contentment and stability that people without mood disorders feel, and that really was quite nearly instantaneous.

My wife and I fought each other over who got to read your book at night. We just tore through it. One thing I noticed was that as time went on, on the days you microdosed, it became a little tougher for you to deal with the physical sensations.

Yeah, I got a little more irritable. I think if I were to continue I would probably take a smaller dose, maybe a five microgram dose every other day, rather than ten micrograms [every three days], because it made me a tiny bit irritable. Nothing like the way I was before I was using it, when I would fly off the handle and send rage-filled tweets and that kind of thing, but it definitely made me a little irritable, a little grumpy, a little agitated sometimes. Once I even told a physical therapist who was treating my frozen shoulder that I was microdosing. That was an impulse control moment. So there's definitely that side effect.

The best day is the second day, the first day after you microdose. The protocol that Jim Fadiman, who kind of popularized microdosing, came up with is you dose one day, you don't dose for two days, and then you dose the fourth day. The second day is the day that I (and most people) felt the most positive results. There was less irritability and there was more equilibrium  equilibrium, Mark, that's what I experienced that was so glorious.

After your 30 day experiment, your supply of LSD was used up and you stopped. Did you look into continuing using something like morning glory seeds or Hawaiian baby woodrose seeds that contain psychedelics similar to LSD but aren't Schedule 1 substances?

I'm not a real chemist by nature. I'm not an experimenter by inclination, though I realize that I did try this experiment. So I'm not really comfortable trying things like that because I don't know what the effects are. I think that if I sink into that kind of depression I'll be willing to try anything, including those things.

I'm hoping that we have a dramatic change in the law. My hopes for that are somewhat less than they were before November 8. But I think that as microdosing becomes more popular, and people start experimenting with those kinds of legal substances, then I might feel comfortable trying them.

You know, anytime people come up with a medication regimen or a drug regimen that makes him feel better, the government tends to quickly criminalize it. So don't say "morning glory" too many times or the next thing you'll know you'll find it on Schedule 1.

Yes, and you're speaking as a former federal public defender.

And as someone who taught a class for seven years at the University of California Law School on the legal and social implications of the War on Drugs, and I was a consultant for the Drug Policy Alliance so when it comes to drug policy and drug law I know my stuff.

You also did a great job sharing anecdotes about drug policy and harm reduction in your book. One of the most infuriating and heartbreaking anecdotes you included was about defending a woman who'd been entrapped by a Drug Enforcement Administration informant.

This was a mother who never committed a crime in her life. She thought she had fallen in love with someone, and he was this vicious, vile person. He had been found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted murder of his wife. He'd escaped from prison. He became a CIA informant in Central America afterwards, and then the DEA hired him. He had stolen money from the DEA and failed a lie detector test. So they shifted him over to work in a different jurisdiction and that was the person who was busily setting up first time offenders. It was madness.

The institutional sociopathy of the DEA and the CIA is really horrible and it makes me wish that, especially where we are right now, that you'd go back to being a federal public defender. We need people like you.

A few months ago I thought, "What am I going to do next? Maybe I'll write a nice light hearted novel about something." Now I realize that what I'm going to do next is a book that is more policy focused. I think that the times call out for social activism, and I'm really glad that I have this book out now because this book isn't just about an experiment with LSD. It's about the drug war and the racist underpinnings of the drug war. And about the history of psychedelic drugs and other drugs and the problems with mass incarceration and the neurochemistry of psychedelics. It is a kind of social activism, and I feel like that's where we all need to spend our time in any way that we can, especially those of us who come from a place of privilege. An African-American who lives in Detroit and who is suffering the way I was suffering wouldn't be able to write this book and be so public because the risks to him would be so great. So people like me who benefit from white privilege have an obligation to use that privilege to help others, and that's what I'm trying to do.

Image of LSD Blotters: Wikipedia
Celebrating the initiative are (back row, from left) councillors Dermot Curran and John Trainor; Sean Sloan of St Patrick's Grammar School; Kurt Walker of Pluralsight, and CCEA chief executive Justin Edwards, and (front, from left) Frank McGonagle, chief executive Wholeschool Software; head boy Michael McCusker; pupils Sian Owen and Frasier Hickland, and Colin Reid, past pupil and former chief executive of Totalmobile.

Belfast IT company Wholeschool Software has launched a new initiative with St Patrick's Grammar in Downpatrick to help solve the digital skills gap.

Wholeschool has chosen St Patrick's to be its European flagship school as it forms a new partnership with US IT online training company Pluralsight. The pupils will now be able to use Pluralsight's worldwide online platform of more than 5,000 professional courses.

Wholeschool founder Frank McGonagle said young people will need an understanding of coding and technology no matter what career they seek.
Guy Hands is expected to keep the McDonald's name and products across the Nordic operations

Private equity baron Guy Hands has struck a deal to acquire the Nordic operations of fast food giant McDonald's.

McDonald's said it will transfer ownership interests to Mr Hands - co-founder and chairman of Terra Firma Capital Partners - and grant a licence allowing him to develop and operate the company's restaurants in Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but it has previously been reported that the transaction could be worth around 420 million US dollars (335 million).

Mr Hands is expected to keep the McDonald's name and products across the Nordic operations.

McDonald's foundational markets president Ian Borden said: "Based on his strong track record of developing successful businesses through focused management and active investment to drive growth, we're confident that he is the right partner to build on the positive momentum McDonald's is experiencing in these markets."

The personal agreement - which was not struck through Terra Firma - is Mr Hands's first major deal with the fast-food chain.

McDonald's began searching for a strategic partner to run the regional business - consisting of around 435 restaurants, 95% of which are franchised - over a year ago.

It is the latest in a string of partnership deals struck by McDonald's, which committed to refranchising 4,000 restaurants by 2018.

Around 18 development licences have been granted across Europe as part of those plans, including in Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Malta and Romania.

The Nordic deal is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Mr Hands said: "I and my family look forward to working with the McDonald's teams in place across the region.

"We plan to leverage our industry knowledge and financial expertise, take a rigorous approach to insights and analysis and employ a hands-on approach to operational excellence to build on the strength of the brand with customers and create growth opportunities for franchisees, employees and staff."

Mr Hands is best known for his 2007 takeover of EMI, the record label that signed The Beatles. The deal ended in disaster when he was forced to hand the business over to lender Citigroup four years later.

Terra Firma also owns Four Seasons, Britain's biggest care homes operator. Terra Firma is locked in discussions with the group's lenders over its large debt pile.
A Northern Ireland furniture business has been wound up as angry customers who claim to have lost thousands of pounds gathered outside the company's shops.

The shutters were pulled down for the last time on Tuesday at World of Furniture's three stores in Belfast, Lisburn and Londonderry.

But customers, many of whom gathered outside the Cityside Retail Park branch yesterday, say they have already handed over money for furniture which has failed to arrive.

Around 170 customers have been left short-changed, with the High Court issuing a winding-up order against World of Furniture (NI) Ltd yesterday.

The Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) - now the Department of Finance - confirmed that it initiated the court proceedings after the company failed to pay its rates bill.

A spokeswoman for the department said: "The winding-up petition was in relation to unpaid rates on which judgments had been obtained in the Magistrates Courts on February 18, March 4 and August 16, 2016."

Disgruntled customers have claimed that the company was dealing almost exclusively in cash since the end of last year.

Geraldine McCabe said she had ordered a sofa from the Belfast branch back in October of last year and handed over 1,800 to the company.

She told the Belfast Telegraph: "When I ordered it they told me it would be a lot of weeks, come December I was told it would be here by Christmas, so I got rid of my suite at home.

"It ended up not coming and right up until yesterday I was told that I would definitely get it this week." Ms McCabe used her debit card to make the payment and said she doesn't think she will be able to claw back any money.

James Lynch, who resigned as a director of the company at the beginning of this month, told the Belfast Telegraph that he was the landlord of the business premises and a supplier to the firm. But Mr Lynch said that he had no involvement with the running of the business, which was registered at Cityside Retail Park.

Single mum-of-two Samantha Blaine said that she paid a 250 cash deposit in October but no sofa arrived. "I was offered an alternative sofa as a loan for over Christmas, but only if I paid the balance in full."

Gerard O'Hanlon, who was also a director of the furniture shop, expressed regret at the circumstances leading up to the failure of the company. "We are very sorry that this has happened, it's the last thing we wanted but it became obvious that we couldn't sustain the company.

"We had been switching our card machine provider so the machines were down for a while as they were being changed, that is the truth," he said. Mr O'Hanlon and fellow director Simon Harris posted a statement on a Facebook group where aggrieved customers had exchanged stories. "All outstanding customers will be contacted by the administrators as soon as possible. World of Furniture would like to sincerely apologise to all customers that have been affected or are at a loss due to the company closure."

Mr O'Hanlon told the Daily Mirror that the company had kept trading in the hope that things would improve.

"We did our best to keep the company running and we hoped that January, traditionally the most lucrative trading month of the year for furniture businesses, would allow us to breathe, but it wasn't to be. The trade really fell away and we could see the writing on the wall," he said.
The Orb - Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld: Back in 1991, The Orb released their album, Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld. With its, trippy beats, it changed the way clubbers listened to music. The duo celebrate the albums quarter century with this anniversary show. For details visit limelightbelfast.com.

Fatboy Slim

Lush, Portrush,

Tomorrow 9pm

One of the clubbing highlights of the first half of the new year will be the appearance of Fatboy Slim celebrating Lushs 21st year as one of Irelands leading clubs. Last year saw the 20th anniversary of the release of his debut solo album, and the year that the genre known as big beat exploded into the charts.

For details visit lush.kellysportrush.co.uk.

Lumen 005

Mandela Hall, QUBSU, Belfast, Tomorrow 9pm

The guys from Lumen have invited some of their music-making friends along for this bash. Taking place over three rooms, the line-up of DJs includes Borrowed Identity, Bas Mooy, Nez and Dallas.

For details visit qubsu.org.

Electro Fry Up

Black Box Green Room, Belfast, Tomorrow 11.30am

A brunch-time event, this is part of the Out To Lunch festival and sees London-based artist musician Koichi draw sounds from diverse influences, including techno and ambient. Joining him will be Marty Byrne and Robin Price.

For details visit blackboxbelfast.com.
Meghan Markle is to appear in a new episode of TV drama series Suits on British television for the first time since her relationship with Prince Harry was confirmed.

The last episode aired in September, months before the US actress's relationship with Harry was made public in November.

The first episode in the second half of season six, following a mid-season break, will debut on UKTV channel Dave on Sunday evening, four days after airing in the US.

Markle plays paralegal Rachel Zane in the legal drama, and has been one of the leading stars since it began in 2011.

Rachel battles with a decision to stay at law firm Pearson Specter Litt or move elsewhere to further her career and become a lawyer.

Viewers will be intrigued to see how Rachel's relationship moves on with ex-con Mike, played by Patrick J Adams, who has been released from prison after authorities discovered he was practising law illegally.

Markle and Adams's on-screen romance has formed one of the main storylines throughout the series and often sees the actors in steamy physical scenes together.

Future episodes could see the pair finally get married after Rachel was jilted by Mike at the end of season five, before he went to prison.

In November, after months of rumours surrounding Markle's relationship with Harry, a statement by his aide Jason Knauf revealed the depths of the Prince's feelings for her while condemning the "wave of abuse and harassment" she had received.

:: Suits returns to Dave on Sunday at 10pm.
Sean Hillen: 100 Works Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast. Until Saturday, March 11: This is the first major solo exhibition by the artist in Northern Ireland and focuses on his practice as a collagist, with works dating back to the Eighties.

Having grown up in Newry at the height of the Troubles he went on to study in London at LCP and at the Slade School.

Recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, he sought assistance in fully documenting his collages which will culminate in a book.

The artist's selection of 100 works is represented as a mixture of original pieces many rarely-or-never seen, borrowed from private and public collections.

The Tale of the Thread and Song of the Quilt

The Mid-Antrim Museum at The Braid, Antrim

Until Saturday, February 4

Loose thread quilters promote the art of patchwork, applique and quilting. The Tale of the Thread features modern quilts while Song of the Quilt features music-themed creations.

Jill Mulligan: Interpretations of a Landscape

The Higher Bridges Gallery, Clinton Centre, Enniskillen

Until Wednesday, February 15

Jill Mulligan describes her evolving style of work on Fermanagh's diverse landscape as 'interpretation, representation and intuition'. Her aim is to create compositions which capture mood and atmosphere that is quintessential to the county.

Using oils, the artist creates layers of flat colour with linear graphite lines defining field, mountain and road.
Northern Ireland Green Party leader Steven Agnew is spearheading a new legal challenge to the Brexit process - this time in the Irish courts.

Mr Agnew said that the aim of the new litigation was to establish whether Westminster could change its mind about leaving the EU, even after Article 50 is triggered.

The leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland is joined by Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales; Green Party MEP for the South East of England, Keith Taylor; and Jolyon Maugham QC, director of the Good Law Project, as litigants in the case.

The proceedings seek a referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union on the question of whether the EU withdrawal process, once it is formally started, can be unilaterally halted by the UK Government without requiring consent from all other 27 EU member states.

Mr Agnew revealed that 70,000 has been crowd-funded from almost 2,000 donors to finance the Dublin action.

More money may be required if - as Mr Agnew anticipates - the Irish courts refer the matter to a higher European court for a decision.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, Mr Agnew presented the Dublin litigation as a means of strengthening the UK's negotiating hand during the process of leaving the EU.

He said: "We did not want to appear to be or be seen to be trying to stop the triggering of Article 50. This is about ensuring that once Article 50 is triggered, that the UK has a stronger negotiating hand - and has options.

"If you go into a negotiation and whether you like the deal or you don't the outcome is the same. What incentive is there for the European Union to give us a deal that we're happy with? Unless we establish that we can reject their deal, then we have no power to negotiate."

Mr Agnew said he felt that even people who had voted to leave would see the importance of his new legal challenge.

He added: "I think those who wanted to leave the EU should welcome this case, because it means that the UK - if we continue to wish to leave - can secure a better deal. At this point in time the EU has all the power.

"If you want to take back control, well, this is actually giving the UK more control."

The new legal challenge in the Dublin courts comes just days after the UK Supreme Court dismissed a case that the UK's devolved Governments must be consulted on the formal triggering of the Brexit process.
A row has erupted among Alliance veterans after party president Anna Lo hit back at claims of racism and ageism in the ranks.

The former MLA said playing the 'ism' card was wrong, and insisted she had never experienced discrimination in all her years in the party.

"I just don't buy it," she said. "I think it's wrong and people can see through it."

Read More

Yesterday this newspaper revealed two high-profile Alliance councillors had dramatically quit the party just weeks ahead of the Assembly election, amid accusations of ageism, racism and snobbery. Geraldine Rice, the party's longest-serving councillor, stood down after 28 years, and its only ethnic minority representative, Vasundhara Kamble, quit saying Alliance was a "tight clique of elitist individuals" that treated her as an "outsider".

She added that while the party "gives the impression of being welcoming for ethnic minorities", that was not how she was treated.

Challenging Ms Kamble's racism claim, Ms Lo, the first politician born in East Asia elected to any of the UK's parliaments, said: "I am shocked by her allegations and it really upsets me to hear. It has certainly not been my experience.

"Whatever has gone wrong, it is absolutely wrong to blame it on her background.

"A lot of it is about how much you have contributed in your role, how active you've been, how much you've achieved for your electorate and what you do in the council.

"You can't always be invited in, you have to have the confidence to put yourself forward.

Expand Close Vasundhara Kamble and Geraldine Rice Philip Magowan / Facebook

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"She should ask herself this and be absolutely honest about what her achievements have actually been. It's wrong to use the race card in this way to criticise the party."

Ms Lo (66) also doesn't accept Ms Rice's accusations of ageism. The 70-year-old said she had been stabbed in the back by party colleagues when they opted to nominate councillor Tim Morrow over her as the next mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh.

"This is absolutely nothing to do with ageism," said Ms Lo. "She has been selected by the party again and again for many years. It's really wrong to use that sort of 'ism'. Again, it is down to her own role as councillor and how much she has really achieved for her constituents.

"It is a democratic process and people judge you on what you have done, not by your age. We've had a lot of councillors older than her over the years in prominent positions.

"She should not use ageism to try to smear the party. If anything it seems to me to be sour grapes that she didn't get the mayoral position."

Ms Lo, who stood down as an MLA after nine years in Stormont before last year's election, says that rather than falling foul of racism or ageism in the Alliance Party, she consistently received excellent backing from colleagues.

"It really was the opposite," she said.

"When nasty racist and personal social media comments were addressed to me, the party rallied round. Our chief whip Stewart Dickson went through hundreds and hundreds of nasty comments with my researcher, they picked out the very worst to report to police and they shielded me from the most extreme messages, so I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of those things."

Indeed, Ms Lo's experiences were quite dramatic, with one man, David John Wylie, given a suspended sentence for posting menacing messages to the politician on Facebook. He was pictured holding a machine gun alongside the message 'you are next'.

At least five others were visited by police and warned to back off, with one later writing to the Belfast-based politician to apologise.

Mother-of-two Ms Lo believes her former party colleagues Ms Rice and Ms Kamble should have aired their grievances to the party before deciding to quit.

"Naomi Long is a very approachable leader, so they should have gone to her," she said. "Or at the very least, they should have spoken to the leader of their group at the council before taking such drastic action, resigning and blaming the party for their own feelings."

Speaking yesterday on Radio Ulster's TalkBack programme, Ms Rice denied her resignation was a case of sour grapes, saying instead it was down to the "disrespect and undermining" she received from party colleagues.

"Not at all," she said.

"There's only so much a person can take."
The TUV is allegedly refusing to let its only Belfast councillor run in the Assembly elections.

Jolene Bunting said officials would not allow her to stand in North Belfast because she posted a sectarian message online several years ago.

In one post, she referred to "poor Catholic b*******" and said they made her sick.

In another, the councillor claimed "weed (cannabis) can cure arthritis and cancer" and apparently offered drugs paraphernalia, including "bongs, skins and blunts", for sale.

The TUV disputed Ms Bunting's claims and insisted financial reasons were behind its decision to not run a candidate.

But Ms Bunting said yesterday that the party's decision had left her heartbroken.

"I can understand republican trolls using these screenshots of silly things I said as a teenager (and have since apologised for)," she wrote on her Facebook page.

"However, it is totally heartbreaking to have these posts cast up by members of my own party as an excuse, along with others, not to provide the people of North Belfast with the opportunity to vote for a TUV candidate.

"Today, party officers made it very clear that I do not have the support of the party.

"I have some hard thinking to do over the next few days."

Ms Bunting did not respond to attempts made by the Belfast Telegraph to contact her.

However, she later wrote on Facebook: "No matter what the outcome over the next couple of days, I will continue to do my upmost (sic) to improve the lives and environment for the constituents of Court DEA (Greater Shankill). I love and care for my community, that will NEVER change!"

A TUV spokesman confirmed party officers met with Ms Bunting yesterday morning.

"The realities of an Assembly election are that as a party we must cut our cloth accordingly to give all of our candidates the best chance of success," the spokesman said.

"Sometimes, that means taking tough decisions.

"Members of the TUV officer team met with councillor Jolene Bunting this morning.

"Officers expressed the view that in light of the party's disappointing performance in the constituency in last year's Assembly poll and the fact that branch finances are very low, it was not viable to contest in North Belfast.

"TUV has supported councillor Jolene Bunting as best we could as she has adapted to being a councillor. We will continue with that support."

Last year John Miller ran for the TUV in North Belfast and gained 644 votes.

The TUV did not run a candidate in the area in the General Election.

In 2014, Ms Bunting became the first TUV councillor to be elected to Belfast City Council.

She was forced to apologise a short time later after the sectarian rants she posted online as a teenager resurfaced.
40-year-old Andrew Wardle was born without a penis, but after 100 surgeries he now has one. Now, comes a two-week waiting period during which he will have a persistent erection. After that, his doctors will grant him permission to have sex with his girlfriend.

From Vice:

Wardle's new penis was created using skin, muscle, and nerve grafts from his arms and fitted with cylinders that fill with fluid when pumped from a small sac installed in his ball sac, which is how he'll get an erection. However, doctors will have to go in and essentially turn the rig on, a process that will leave Wardle in the hospital for three days and give him an boner that will last two long weeks.

On Wednesday, Wardle told the hosts of British television show This Morning that he'll spend those two weeks inside so as not to show the world the rocket that will be in his pocket. Speaking of which, he also told the hosts he did not get to select the size of his new member, which seems like a major oversight in the way bionic phalluses are constructed.

Once the robo-cock is switched on and his two-week erection dies down, Wardle will be able to have sex with his girlfriend, Fedra Fabian, for the first time. She revealed on the show that the two had been dating for nine months before she found out about his condition and she read about it in the newspaper. "I didn't know how to react to it," she said.
A senior Conservative MP who served as a soldier in Northern Ireland has said that torture is sometimes "justified" and can work as an interrogation method.

Former Army officer Bob Stewart admitted he had been "kind of a torturer" when he was posted here.

He completed seven operational tours during The Troubles.

It comes after US President Donald Trump used his first television interview since coming to office to indicate his support for waterboarding.

He is understood to be preparing to order a review of interrogation methods and the possible reopening of "black site" prisons outside the US.

The former Army colonel said he opposed waterboarding, but techniques like sleep and food deprivation could be acceptable in certain situations.

He told Emma Barnett on BBC 5 Live: "We don't like torture. No one likes torture. Not even Trump likes torture.

"But the fact of the matter is... sometimes it might work, and sometimes it might be justified.

"I don't agree with waterboarding, but a certain amount of persuasion might be justified if someone, for example, had the knowledge about where a nuclear weapon that was going to explode in London was," he added.

"That is where I suggest that people might say a certain amount of persuasion could be justified.

"I'm qualifying it all the way through.

"In circumstances where a great number of people, or indeed one person, is going to be killed, you have to think very carefully about what pressure you can put on people in order to give that information to stop people's lives being lost."

Asked about the types of torture techniques that might be suitable in those situations, he replied: "Sleep deprivation. Lack of food.

"Perhaps, as I've done, showing people pictures of their friends that have been blown up. That sort of thing."

Mr Stewart also told the programme: "Technically as you look at it today, I was a kind of a torturer. Of course, it was acceptable then. It's now unacceptable and now it's defined as torture."

Last night the Prime Minister said Britain would not back away from its condemnation of the use of torture, regardless of the approach taken by Mr Trump's administration.

And she confirmed that the UK is holding to guidance which bars it from receiving intelligence material that may been obtained by the use of torture.

In the few days since his inauguration as President last week, Mr Trump has sparked widespread concern over his apparent willingness to revive the use of torture techniques, including waterboarding, in which suspects are subjected to simulated drowning.

Asked about the use of torture in his first TV interview as President, Mr Trump said: "Absolutely I feel it works."

A draft presidential order made public this week envisages a review of interrogation methods for terror suspects, the possible reopening of black site prisons outside the US and the continued use of the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba to hold "enemy combatants".

Speaking to the Commons on the eve of her departure for the USA, Mrs May assured MPs: "We do not sanction torture, we do not get involved with that and that will continue to be our position".

And addressing reporters on her flight to Philadelphia, she said: "The UK Government's position on torture has not changed. I confirmed this yesterday in the House of Commons.

"We condemn torture and my view on that won't change, whether I'm talking to you or talking to the President of the United States of America."

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen urged Mrs May to tell the President that the use of torture was "unacceptable".
George Grimley and Paul Cunningham of Belfast City Sightseeing receive Eastside Award for Tourism from Patrick McAnea of sponsor East Belfast Enterprise and The Foundry and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Michele Bryans of Eastside Partnership collects Eastside Award for Volunteer of the Year on behalf of winner Sean Brannigan from sponsor Avec Solutions representative James Brown MBE and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Clare Caughey of SENsations Learning Support CIC receives Eastside Award for Business Start Up from Chair of the awards committee and Chief Executive of East Belfast Enterprise, Jonathan McAlpin, and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

James Brown MBE receives Eastside Award for Outstanding Contribution to East Belfast from Chair of the awards committee and Chief Executive of East Belfast Enterprise Jonathan McAlpin, and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Lord Mayor of Belfast Alderman Brian Kingston joins the winners of the inaugural Eastside Awards at Hastings Stormont Hotel. www.eastsideawards.org

Dawn Simons of Go-Berserk receives Eastside Award for Education from Geri Wright of sponsor Phoenix Natural Gas and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Sarah Patterson of Little Pink Kitchen receives Eastside Award for Food Product or Services from Steven McGuinness of sponsor McGuinness Fleck and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Mimi Turtle of Strand Arts Centre receives Eastside Award for Contribution to the Arts from Fiona Flynn of sponsor Millar McCall Wylie and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Christopher McGuicken of Big Pixel Creative receives Eastside Award for Digital Innovation from Robin Brown of sponsor Connect Telecom and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Michael Walker of Orchardville Society receives Eastside Award for Contribution from the Community Sector from Stephen Kane of sponsor Solv Group and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Lorraine Bell from GPS Colour Graphics receives Eastside Award for Business Growth from Mark Reilly of sponsor NIJobfinder and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Glentoran Director Bill Manson receives Eastside Award for Contribution to Sport on behalf of Glentoran Academy from Philp Miley of sponsor Charles Hurst and Fleet Financial and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Katie Pedlow of Rebound Physio receives Eastside Award for Business Contribution from Simon Seaton of sponsor Ulster Bank and awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills. www.eastsideawards.org

Eastside Awards sponsors Mark Reilly from NIJobfinder, Fiona Flynn from Millar McCall Wylie, Jonathan McAlpin from East Belfast Enterprise and Darwin Templeton, Belfast Telegraph. www.eastsideawards.org

Eastside Awards sponsors Steven McGuinness of McGuinness Fleck and Stephen Kane of Solv Group with finalists Mel and Niamh Boyle from OMMActive. www.eastsideawards.org

Pupils from Grosvenor Grammar School performing at inaugural Eastside Awards in Hastings Stormont Hotel. www.eastsideawards.org

Lord Mayor of Belfast Alderman Brian Kingston attends the inaugual Eastside Awards. Pictured with Michelle Hatfield of George Best Belfast City Airport, awards host BBC presenter Tara Mills and Chair of the awards committee Jonathan McAlpin of East Belfast Enterprise. www.eastsideawards.org

Special performance by NiStars got the inaugural Eastside Awards underway at Hastings Stormont Hotel. www.eastsideawards.org

Guests at inaugural Eastside Awards in Hastings Stormont Hotel - Mervyn Hempton and Clare Templeton board members of East Belfast Enterprise, Mags McAlpin of Creating Retail Magic and Garry Hanna of James Brown & Sons. www.eastsideawards.org

26/1/17: Eastside Awards sponsors Geri Wright of Phoenix Natural Gas and Stephen Kane of Solv Group at the inaugural Eastside Awards. Picture: Michael Cooper

26/1/17: Darwin Templeton and Mark Reilly of media partner Belfast Telegraph and Jobfinder NI are joined by Fiona Flynn of sponsors Millar McCall Wylie and Jonathan McAlpin of East Belfast Enterprise at the inaugural Eastside Awards. Picture: Michael Cooper

26/1/17: James Brown MBE (left) has been honoured for the outstanding contribution he has made to East Belfast throughout his life at the inaugural Eastside Awards. Congratulating James on his Outstanding Contribution award were host BBC television presenter Tara Mills and Jonathan McAlpin of East Belfast Enterprise. Picture: Michael Cooper

26/1/17: NiStars shone at the inaugural Eastside Awards, entertaining more than 200 guests attending a ceremony in Stormont Hotel recognising all that's good about East Belfast. Picture: Michael Cooper

26/1/17: Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Brian Kingston joins Michelle Hatfield of sponsor George Best Belfast City Airport, host BBC television presenter Tara Mills and Jonathan McAlpin of East Belfast Enterprise at the inaugural Eastside Awards. Picture: Michael Cooper

More than 200 guests gathered at Hastings Stormont Hotel last night to take part in a glittering ceremony to celebrate the inaugural Eastside Awards.

The gala event was compered by BBC presenter Tara Mills, and guests were welcomed to the venue by musicians from Grosvenor Grammar School.

The top accolade for Outstanding Contribution was awarded to highly-respected east Belfast businessman James Brown MBE. The unanimous decision to honour Mr Brown was in recognition of the outstanding contribution he has made to east Belfast throughout his life.

Mr Brown, who was educated at Ashfield Boys School, took over the family funeral business on the Newtownards Road when he was 23 after his fathers death and has been involved in the local community for more than 50 years.

He serves as chair of Landmark East and has been responsible for a number of improvements along the Newtownards Road.

In 2011, Mr Brown received the MBE for his services to the community of east Belfast.

Awards were presented to a range of individuals and organisations spanning the commercial, arts, cultural, community and voluntary sectors.

Jonathan McAlpin of awards organisers East Belfast Enterprise, said: These awards were commissioned to celebrate the stars of east Belfast and to recognise the drive, ambition and passion they have for this little corner of our city in which they play sport, do business, volunteer and entertain.

Its been a real labour of love for me to develop the vision into the reality and to see the awards come to life following what has been an extremely well-supported and very successful process.

I would like to personally congratulate all the winners of the inaugural Eastside Awards and thank the judges for their expertise in the difficult task they had in choosing the finalists and eventual winners from the standard of entries received.

The Belfast Telegraph sponsored the Eastside Awards, along with George Best Belfast City Airport, Avec Solutions, Connect Telecom, East Belfast Enterprise, The Foundry, Charles Hurst Fleet Financial, McGuinness Fleck, Millar McCall Wylie, NIJobfinder.com, Phoenix Natural Gas Ltd, Solv Group and the Ulster Bank.

The winners

The top accolade for Outstanding Contribution was awarded to highly respected East Belfast businessman James Brown MBE. The unanimous decision to honour James recognises the outstanding contribution he has made to East Belfast throughout his life.

The winners of the inaugural Eastside Awards are:

Eastside Award for Tourism sponsored by The Foundry: Belfast City Sightseeing

Eastside Award for Digital Innovation sponsored by Connect Telecom: Big Pixel Creative

Eastside Award for Food Product or Services sponsored by McGuinness Fleck: Little Pink Kitchen

Eastside Award for Contribution to Sport sponsored by Charles Hurst and Fleet Financial: Glentoran Academy

Eastside Award for Contribution to the Arts sponsored by Millar McCall Wylie: Strand Arts Centre

Eastside Award for Education sponsored by Phoenix Natural Gas: Go-Berserk

Eastside Award for Contribution from the Community Sector sponsored by Solv Group: Orchardville Society

Eastside Award for Young Person of the Year sponsored by George Best Belfast City Airport: Krizzah Policarpio

Eastside Award for Volunteer of the Year sponsored by Avec Solutions: Sean Brannigan

Eastside Award for Business Contribution sponsored by Ulster Bank: Rebound Physio

Eastside Award for Business Growth sponsored by NIJobfinder: GPS Colour Graphics

Eastside Award for Business Start Up sponsored by East Belfast Enterprise: SENsations Learning Support C.I.C.
Three men - including prominent Lurgan republican Colin Duffy - are to stand trial later this year on charges arising out of a gun attack on a police patrol in December 2013.

The trio - Colin Francis Duffy, Henry Joseph Fitzsimons and Alex McCrory - appeared at Belfast Crown Court yesterday where they denied a string of charges linked to the shooting in Ardoyne, north Belfast, including directing terrorism.

The court heard the Diplock non-jury trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks.

While it is the prosecution's case the trio were secretly recorded the day after the shooting near 49-year-old Duffy's Forest Glade home, only Fitzsimons and McCrory are accused of involvement in the gun attack on the police convoy on Belfast's Crumlin Road on December 5, 2013.

Both Henry Joseph Fitzsimons (48), of no fixed abode, and 55-year old Alex McCrory from Sliabh Dubh View in Belfast, deny attempting to murder members of the PSNI.

They also deny possessing the two AK47 assault rifles and ammunition used in the attack.

Along with Duffy, they were also charged with the preparation of terrorist acts, namely holding a meeting in Lurgan Park the following day, to discuss matters in relation to terrorism.

The three co-accused were also charged with and deny directing a terrorist organisation between December 31, 2012 and December 16, 2013.

And they deny belonging to or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation - the Irish Republican Army - on the same dates.

After all three men denied all the charges against them during yesterday's hearing, Mr Justice Treacy was informed there would be a number of applications made to the court ahead of the trial.

These applications include reports linked to the covert surveillance both in Lurgan Park, and regarding Duffy alone, from secret recordings in Santa Ponsa in the south-west of Majorca.

The case is due to be reviewed in four weeks time, with the judge expressing the hope that by February 23, defence teams for the defendants "will have outlined what their timetable is for the provision of various reports".

All three men were then released on continuing bail.
Detectives have given potentially vital new evidence to the Police Ombudsman about the murder of an RUC officer shot dead by IRA gunmen in a Belfast ice cream parlour.

The Belfast Telegraph has been told that, on the basis of intelligence supplied by the police, the Ombudsman has secured new material on the killing of Constable John Larmour.

A gun used in the attack has also been retrieved from a German forensic science laboratory.

The Police Ombudsman's report into the officer's murder, which was due out imminently, has now been delayed.

Constable Larmour's son Gavin last night said that while he was pleased that fresh evidence was now with the Ombudsman, he was frustrated that the report had been delayed yet again.

His father was shot dead in Barnam's ice cream parlour on the Lisburn Road in October 1988. Gavin said: "While I wholeheartedly welcome any development in the case, and don't want a half-baked report by the Ombudsman, I'm increasingly frustrated at delay after delay in publishing it.

"They've been investigating my dad's murder for over a decade. Deadline after deadline has been broken.

"They're now saying that they can't publish the report until after the Assembly election because of a period of purdah. I have been patient, but it's becoming so frustrating after years of delays."

John Larmour was working in his brother's ice cream parlour when two IRA men entered the premises. One ordered two sliders.

As the off-duty police officer served him, the man pulled a gun and shot him. The other gunman fired at two customers in the shop. Constable Larmour died at the scene.

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Gavin, who was just 13 years old at the time, believes the murder wasn't properly investigated in order to protect a high level informer who sat on the IRA's army council in the late 1990s and is a former commander of its Belfast brigade.

Gavin said: "On my birthday on Tuesday I turned 42 - the age my father was when the IRA killed him. It's a very emotional time for me, especially when I can see how my own family would be ripped apart if someone took my life.

"Nobody has ever been charged with dad's murder, but I have served a life sentence. I have come up against brick wall after brick wall when I've tried to uncover the truth."

Gavin suffered severe depression after the killing and developed psoriasis due to the trauma. "It's so bad that I need chemotherapy to control it," he said.

"Recently, it developed into psoriatic arthritis, which has resulted in me being medically retired. I really need answers on dad's murder for my peace of mind."

A spokesman for the Ombudsman's Office said: "We are currently finalising our public report into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Constable Larmour, with a view to publishing it after the Assembly election.

"In pre-election periods the office abides by convention and refrains from releasing significant public statements; however this has not had a bearing on the timing of this report."

Gavin tracked down the two weapons used in the attack. One was a Browning pistol the IRA had taken from Corporal Derek Wood in Andersonstown in March 1988. The weapon was being held in a forensic science laboratory in Baden Wurttemberg after Belgian police found it in woodland in 1990.

They had given the gun to the Germans, as it had been used in IRA operations in Germany.

Gavin said that officers from the PSNI's Legacy Investigation Branch and Police Ombudsman's Office had recently travelled to Germany to retrieve the gun.

However, after years of handling by others, DNA recovered from the weapon will likely be of limited evidential use.
INTO teachers stage a half-day strike outside St Therese of Lisieux Primary School in north Belfast earlier this month

A third teachers' strike is set to take place next week, despite "constructive" talks having taken place between unions and management.

Members of the largest teachers' union in Northern Ireland, the NASUWT, will take part in walkouts on Tuesday, January 31.

It is the union's second strike action and will affect schools in the west of Northern Ireland.

Earlier this month a second union, INTO, staged a half-day strike. The industrial action comes after a row between the unions and management over teachers' pay.

The unions rejected an offer of 0% for 2015/16 and 1% for 2016/17 and walked out of talks in October.

The talks restarted this month and negotiations took place between management and the unions on Tuesday.

In a joint statement, both sides described the meeting as "constructive".

"Management Side (representing the employers of teachers and the Department of Education) and the teaching unions held a further constructive meeting to discuss the issue of ongoing industrial action," they said.

"The sides exchanged position papers and have agreed to work together to produce an agreed agenda to provide the basis for intensive negotiations.

"A meeting to establish the agreed agenda is scheduled to take place on February 1 with further talks to follow."

However, the NASUWT yesterday confirmed that the second of its rolling strikes would proceed as planned next Tuesday.

These will affect schools across the Derry city, Strabane, Mid Ulster, Fermanagh and Omagh areas. Many of the striking teachers are set to attend a rally at St Columb's Hall in Derry at 11am.

Teachers and union officials are set to address those assembled.

The NASUWT took part in strike action in the Belfast and Newtownabbey areas on November 30. Some 77 schools were affected by the one-day walkout, with some having to close completely.

Members of two other Northern Ireland teaching unions - UTU and ATL - have voted for industrial action short of striking in response to the pay dispute.
Transfer test standards to gain entry to a Northern Ireland grammar school are at a record high, it can be revealed.

It took a score of 100 out of 130 in the AQE tests to gain entry to 11 selective grammars, while seven Catholic schools took only students who had achieved an A in the GL tests. The previous year, just seven selective grammars required a score of 100, while five Catholic schools asked for an A.

Every single selective grammar school was oversubscribed for the 2016/17 academic year - and some of the most popular had twice as many applicants as they had places.

In total there were 11,961 applications for the 8,230 places at our 64 selective grammars.

The number of selective grammar schools has dropped in recent years after a number of amalgamations - such as Portora Royal and Enniskillen Grammar in 2016 and St Michael's Grammar School in Lurgan becoming part of the new St Ronan's - and two grammars choosing to drop academic selection.

Today, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal exactly what grades or scores it took to get into each of our 64 selective grammars.

This exclusive data was obtained by sending Freedom of Information Act requests to every grammar school.

There are currently no official figures provided by the Department of Education, because both the Post Primary Transfer Consortium's GL assessment and the Association of Quality Education's (AQE) Common Entrance Assessment are unofficial tests.

Negotiations to agree a single transfer test between the two test providers remain ongoing.

Writing in today's Belfast Telegraph, Education Minister Peter Weir said he is hopeful that agreement can be reached.

In November, Mr Weir appointed Professor Peter Tymms to oversee talks to agree a single transfer test for P7 pupils.

"I would however like to simplify the current transfer test arrangements and ultimately secure agreement on a single test," Mr Weir writes.

"That is why I established a review panel that will make recommendations on a common assessment tool. That work is progressing and I am hopeful that with schools' support, agreement can be found."

A number of grammar school heads have voiced a preference for a single agreed transfer test.

The principal of Rainey Endowed in Magherafelt, Mark McCullough, said: "It would be most beneficial if there could be one testing method of academic selection which would be in the best interests of the pupils who wish to participate in the transfer process."

Victoria College principal Patricia Slevin said pupils in greater Belfast - particularly in the south of the city where her school is - who wish to exercise a choice of schools must sit both the AQE and GL assessments.

"Victoria College Belfast maintains a position which allows pupils who have taken either assessment to apply and be considered for the place. The college continues to advocate that there should only be one form of entrance assessment," she said.

To date two grammars - Loreto College in Coleraine and St Patrick's College in Armagh - have voluntarily stopped using academic selection. In 2015, Loreto College in Omagh and Omagh Christian Brothers School indicated they plan to end academic selection. Both schools plan a totally non-academically selective intake by 2020.
Paul Clark with his wife Carol in the studio

It was one item of news that the normally unflappable Paul Clark simply couldn't handle. A murder victim - a carer for his beloved brother who had Down's syndrome - was being laid to rest. UTV's cameras zoomed in on the brother walking behind the coffin. The youngster was inconsolable.

Cut back to the studio, and there was Clark, ashen-faced and wordless.

"I tried to speak but nothing came out," recalled the veteran anchorman.

"I just cracked because I'd looked at that young man and in my mind's eye it was David, our son, walking behind that coffin.

"I haven't spoken about it before because my job is to do the news, not be the news."

Paul's momentary lapse, which was rapidly addressed by his alert co-presenter Kate Smith, was understandable.

It was the early Nineties and Paul and his wife Carol were still coming to terms with having a young son with Down's.

They had known about his condition in advance and were prepared for it. What they hadn't allowed for was the trauma of him nearly dying shortly after birth.

"David needed surgery immediately because he had what was called a duodenal atresia, meaning the two parts of his small intestine hadn't joined up," explained Paul.

"If he'd been born in 1970 rather than in 1990 he would have been allowed to die; that's what they did in those days.

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"He became very jaundiced and had to have a blood exchange. They did that a couple of times and said: 'If that doesn't work this time, we don't think there's any hope'.

"But remarkably, by a miracle, David came through, and every day since then has been a bonus."

Life without 26-year-old David is, of course, unthinkable now, but the 63-year-old conceded that he and Carol were "gutted" when they learned of the unborn child's condition.

"Carol and I didn't know what to do but we leaned very heavily on our faith; we still do," Paul said.

"That's what got us through it. Whenever David was born we were prepared. We've met many parents over the years who did not know in advance, and they felt it wasn't handled as sensitively as it might have been."

Paul said it wasn't more difficult bringing up David than older brother Peter (29), a theology student.

"As a parent you just get on with it," he said.

"You don't think: 'Our son has Down's syndrome'. He's our son and that's it."

David's love of television, however, does lead to occasional moments of confusion.

"He's into Dr Who, and can't understand why he can't travel through space and time," he explained.

"I keep telling him because it's not real, it's TV... but then he says: 'You're on TV and you're real'... so we have great fun with that," added Paul, who conceded that raising David was more difficult for Carol (65) than him, because he was always answering to the demands of television news.

"Carol was absolutely superb," he said.

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"I love her to bits, but I probably wasn't as helpful at the time as I could have been.

"She did feel like a failure at times and she most certainly wasn't, but it was very, very hard work.

"Just look at David now; he's very active, he loves drama, he's a thespian and that helps him live out his dreams."

Paul encountered Carol, a former bio-chemist, in the mid-Seventies and was instantly smitten.

"I first met her on a Thursday night. It was in the BBC. I was working for Good Morning Ulster at the time," he recalled.

"She walked into my life because she was friendly with Clive Ferguson, a colleague of mine. And that was it.

"I can remember what she was wearing - jeans, a blue T-shirt and thong sandals.

"I even remember what was on the television that night - The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau on the BBC."

That was 1976, but the couple didn't marry until June 22, 1985 -on a cruiser on Lough Erne.

"It was a religious ceremony, neither Catholic nor Presbyterian," he said. "Afterwards we cruised for a couple of days on Lough Erne, then it was off to Australia for a three-week honeymoon."

Paul, the eldest of four children and brought up a Catholic, saw his parents Thompson (89) and Ida, and siblings Susan (now 61), Maureen (60) and Philip (51) forced out of their Dunmurry home by the UDA when he was 19.

"Actually, my dad would say it was the best thing that ever happened because my parents went out and bought their first house after that," he said.

"We weren't targeted specifically. The UDA wanted houses for Protestants and we were a very mixed estate at the time. I bear nobody any ill will for that."

Ida, who is now 86 and still working at a bar in Lambeg, wanted him to be a priest - so it must have been a surprise when he later became a Presbyterian.

But he said: "I don't see myself as a practising Presbyterian. I'm a Christian. It wasn't that I switched religions per se; it was a journey I was on.

"My mother is a very traditional Catholic. But when our two boys became communicant members in Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, both mum and dad came along.

"The minster was Rev Ken Newell, assisted by Fr Gerry Reynolds from Clonard.

"I remember my mother saying: 'Paul, if it's good enough for a priest it's good enough for me'. She gets it."

When Paul got married he was still with the BBC. It would be another four years before UTV came calling.

He has now been in the business 43 years - not bad for someone who had no journalistic ambitions growing up.

"I wanted to be a disc jockey," he revealed.

"I lied to the school principal that I wanted to be a teacher."

A former trainee reporter with the Irish News, he spent three years as a DJ with RTE 2FM in Dublin, ultimately discovering that playing the same tracks over and over could get rather tedious.

But he added: "I'm glad I did that, because I got it out of my system. And now, at 63, I've never felt more fulfilled."

There must be some part of him, though, that wishes he had followed the likes of Gloria and Eamonn into national television?

"Yes, part of me... but it didn't work out and I don't feel negative about that," he admitted. "When I was at the BBC I did attachments in London, Manchester and Birmingham. I just felt that it wasn't going to work for me, but I had to go through all that in order to realise I'm where I should be."

The Beeb, incidentally, tried to lure 'Mr UTV' back in the late Nineties.

"I was approached by them, but at the time I was involved in a documentary about a doctor (Bill Woods) from Belfast who was working with leprosy sufferers in Brazil," he explained.

"I'd been trying to get that programme made for a long time and I'd have had to walk away from that to go back to the BBC, so it didn't happen. The moment passed."

Ironically, the documentary's scheduling - Easter 1998 - coincided with the announcement of the Good Friday Agreement, so few people saw the labour of love keeping Paul away from a significant pay rise.

"When I came to UTV, it was for less than I was earning in the BBC," he said.

"For me, it has never been about the money and never will be."

One of his first jobs with the BBC was working alongside Caron Keating (the former Blue Peter presenter who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2004, aged 41) on a music show.

"Caron and I already knew each other because I'd worked with her mum Gloria Hunniford, and Caron was always around," he explained.

"But she was able to fly solo, and did so very quickly. We kept in touch, and on one occasion she gave me a Blue Peter badge. I really wish I knew where it was now."

He may have mislaid that, but the MBE he received from the Queen in 2013 (for his charity work) is unlikely to go missing.

"The Queen asked me how I managed to marry both my job and also my other interests, and I said I have a very understanding wife; she nodded in approval." he said.

He relishes his roles as president of the Northern Ireland Hospice and goodwill ambassador for Unicef.

"I was honoured to get involved with the Hospice," he said.

"Like everybody else, I've been afraid of death. I think we all have difficulty coming to terms with our own mortality and I think it has helped me to come to terms with that.

"Every Christmas morning we as a family go to the Hospice. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas for us if we didn't."

He added: "With Unicef, I've been very privileged to have seen many places where people don't have the same facilities and rights that we have here.

"I'm passionate about education and the things we take for granted - the cleanliness of running water, working sewers - so when I was asked if I would become the Unicef Goodwill Ambassador for Northern Ireland... following in the footsteps of Eamonn Holmes, incidentally, I was happy to accept."

But he won't be following other local TV news anchormen Mike Nesbitt and Fearghal McKinney into politics.

"No, because if ever you nail your colours to any political mast you're going to divide yourself from elements of society," he said.

"Why would I want to do that?"

With no immediate plans to retire - and UTV thankfully free of ageism controversies that have dogged other channels - he is looking forward to continuing his harmonious working relationship with Rose Neill who joined UTV in her mid 50s.

"Our industry isn't a charity," he said.

"If we weren't doing it well then we wouldn't be employed. I'm uncomfortable talking about ageism because I don't look at it like that. I feel very comfortable working with Rose."

Paul actually lives in Rose's old house in Belfast - but at the time he didn't know who he was buying it from.

"We moved there in 1986. It was a sheer fluke," he explained.

"It was open viewing so she wasn't there when we went to see the place."

After over four decades grilling politicians, he isn't easily ruffled - but there is one interviewee who stands head and shoulders above all others when it comes to awkward encounters.

"The most difficult person - the late Ian Paisley," he conceded.

"It didn't matter what you asked him, he always answered the question he wanted to answer. I was in awe of the man.

"One day he caught me mimicking him. I heard Ian Paisley was standing by in the London studio and I said (mimics his voice): 'Let me smell your breath'. At which point this big voice booms out 'Who's that imitating me?'

"I had to apologise, but we both got over it."
In an outrageous interview with the New York Times, Steve Bannon declared the press an "opposition party" and suggests it "keep its mouth shut."

Talking Points Memo shares the highlights:

Steve Bannon, the Breitbart News-chairman-turned-White-House-chief-strategist, said in a Wednesday interview that the media "is the opposition party" for President Trump and should "keep its mouth shut."

"The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile," he said in an interview with the New York Times.

"I want you to quote this," he said. "The media here is the opposition party. They don't understand this country."

Bannon railed against "the elite media," whose failure to predict Trump's election he called "a humiliating defeat that they will never wash away." He told the Times that no "mainstream media" journalists who reported on Trump's campaign were "fired or terminated," apparently suggesting that they should have been, and decried them as "outright activists of the Clinton campaign."

He did not name any specific members of the press in that diatribe, according to the report.

Bannon also dismissed questions about White House press secretary Sean Spicer's contentious relationship with the press. The Times noted Bannon initiated a phone call in order to talk up Spicer.

"Are you kidding me?" he told the Times. "We think that's a badge of honor."



He singled out the Washington Post and New York Times as examples of the media outlets he said missed the Trump phenomenon, and said that the New York Times in particular should be "absolutely ashamed and humiliated" for its coverage of Trump's candidacy.



Despite all that vitriol, Bannon told the newspaper he has read the New York Times for most of his adult life.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has confirmed she withheld information when delivering a statement on the RHI scandal to the Northern Ireland Assembly - as it would have been " quite wrong" to name a key party adviser at the centre of claims levelled by a top civil servant.

On Thursday the BBC Stephen Nolan show reported that the former First Minister knew about civil servant Dr Andrew McCormick's claim that a special advisor had made a key intervention.

The senior DUP figure who made the claims was not named on the programme.

Dr McCormick - who is now permanent secretary at the Department for the Economy - told the PAC he believed Dr Crawford was exerting influence on his successor, DUP special adviser Timothy Cairns, at the time discussions were under way to impose caps on the incentive in 2015.

Dr Crawford denied the civil servant's claims, saying he had offered only "informal advice and assistance" as a colleague to his successor in the department, and was not acting on behalf of either the Finance Minister or the DUP.

He has subsequently resigned.

The statement in question was delivered by Mrs Foster on December 19.

Mrs Foster spoke in a more broad manner referring to "some in the party" instead of directly referencing the special advisor.

On Friday, confirming she was aware of the civil servant's position on Dr Crawford when giving the statement, she said it would have been "quite wrong" to name him.

She told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme: "It would have been quite wrong to have named an individual on hearsay evidence and anybody who knows anything about hearsay it is just that - it is hearsay, it is not evidence that anybody has done anything wrong.

"And I could not find any evidence, either in written evidence or evidence from anybody else, that Andrew (Crawford) had done what Andrew's (McCormick) belief said that he had."

On December 19 Mrs Foster told the Assembly: "I understand from Minister Hamilton that the Permanent Secretary recalls being told at the time that some in the party wanted the scheme kept open.

She continued: "The Minister was not subsequently overruled by Special Advisors and I am clear that whatever representations may have been made by anyone on this issue, it was not not being done with the authority of the party."

Mrs Foster said Dr Crawford would be "absolutely cleared" in the forthcoming public inquiry into the scandal.

"Andrew McCormick was very clear he said it was his belief, but he had no evidence to back up that belief.

"And I think it is wrong that we pursue people on beliefs.

"What we do is we get to the facts, we get to the evidence and that's why the public inquiry is hugely important for the people of Northern Ireland."

The statement on December 19 was surrounded in controversy as she did not have the approval of then deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to give the statement in the chamber to explain her role in the RHI.

All non-DUP MLAs had earlier walked out following the decision to allow Mrs Foster to deliver the statement.

All statements by Mrs Foster and Mr McGuinness's joint office needed the support of both sides of the power-sharing executive.

Mrs Foster gave the statement to a three-quarters empty chamber and answered questions tabled by her own members.

Read more:

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Mrs Foster told the Assembly she had "nothing to hide in this matter".

She said: "I'm happy to go to the PAC because I have nothing to hide in this matter, absolutely nothing.

"I'm putting everything out there. I'm calling for an inquiry if I can get that arranged."

She added: "It is all party politics and this party will not be part of it."

Timeline: How Renewable Heat Incentive unfolded

November 2012 - Arlene Foster, then Enterprise Minister, announces the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme for businesses.

October 2013 - A whistleblower emails Mrs Foster to express concerns over the scheme.

Autumn 2013 - The woman is referred by Mrs Foster to officials from her Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, and she urges them to address the problems.

May 2014 - The whistleblower emails again, after the civil servants appear to do nothing. She explicitly outlines how the scheme was being abused, was paying out exorbitant sums of money, and could not be ignored any longer.

December 2014 - The scheme is extended to domestic customers by Mrs Foster.

November 2015 - With the realisation the funding available for applicants is uncapped, Stormont tightens the rules.

But a massive late surge of 900 applications is received before changes can be made.

January 2016 - Another whistleblower civil servant tells the Executive the scheme is being abused.

February 6 - New Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell (above) makes a shock announcement that the RHI scheme to be scrapped.

February 9 - Michael Doran of Action Renewables warns it will force renewables from "boom to bust."

June - Auditors begin investigating concerns.

July 5 - A damning Audit Office report states a farmer will make 1m of government money just for heating an empty shed. It reveals that more than 1 billion of public money will be paid to Northern Ireland-based businesses by 2036 after they installed new appliances under the RHI scheme.

October - Stormont's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) call the mishandling of the RHI scheme "one of the biggest scandals" since devolution. SDLP Assembly member Daniel McCrossan tells officials from government utility regulator OFGEM, which administered the scheme: "It was very clear the department was asleep at the wheel but I am horrified that you too were asleep at the wheel in relation to this."

November - The Public Accounts Committee is told that a 405m hole will have to be plugged over the 20-year lifetime of the RHI.

Dr Andrew McCormick (above), permanent secretary for the Economy Department, says he can't think of any government scheme being worse value for money.

December 2016

12 December: First Minister Arlene Foster says she won't quit over the fiasco following allegations that she did not act appropriately when concerns were first raised about the scheme. It also emerges the brother of a DUP special advisor and a Ferrari showroom have benefited from the error-ridden scheme.

13 December: UUP leader Mike Nesbitt claims to have uncovered the "smoking gun" of Arlene Foster's involvement in the decision-making process in connection with the flawed RHI scheme.

14 December: The SDLP says it will table a motion of no confidence to exclude Arlene Foster as First Minister. Sinn Fein says it won't back the motion. Meanwhile the UUP says the UK Government can no longer ignore the "national scandal".

The DUP's Nigel Dodds hits out at a "scurrilous attempt" to blame Arlene Foster for the botched energy scheme. The party releases what it says is a copy of the 2013 email sent from the whistleblower to Mrs Foster, saying that it raised no specific concerns about RHI.

15 December: Arlene Foster says she has nothing to hide from a BBC interview with former DUP minister Jonathan Bell, who vowed to tell the truth about the scandal, adding the revelations will end his political career.

Jonathan Bell claims DUP advisers attempted to delay the closure of the scheme in its original and generous format. He also said attempts were made to remove references to the Finance Department and Arlene Foster in records. The claims were denied.

16 December: Deputy first Minister Martin McGuinness calls for the DUP leader to stand aside from her role as First Minister while a full investigation is carried out into the scheme. The DUP rejects the call.

19 December: Arlene Foster faced a motion of no confidence as the devolved assembly was recalled for a special sitting to discuss the growing political crisis in the run-up to Christmas. The First Minister apologised for failing to put in place cost controls, but defended her role. The motion of no confidence failed on a cross-community vote.

January 2017:

13 January: Sinn Fein outline how an inquiry should be conducted with the first minister standing aside to allow for a preliminary report to be made in four weeks. A full report would then be published in three months time.

16 January: Martin McGuinness's resignation and Sinn Fein's refusal to nominate a deputy First Minister over Arlene Foster's refusal to stand aside leads to the collapse of the institutions and an election being called.

January 18: Economy Department civil service head Andrew McCromick tells the Stormont PAC insider information that the scheme was to close may have had a significant impact on the 490m overspend. He also said he believed a DUP spad "exerted influence" in keeping the scheme open, but insisted he had no evidence to back it up. That adviser, Andrew Crawford, rejected he attempted to keep it open.
World War II veterans Teddy Dixon, front left, who served in the US Army and Bill Eames who served with the RAF, meet with Belfast Lord Mayor Brian Kingston along with Wartime Living History Association members Noel McGillion, Phil Adams, Matthew Magee and TA Morgan dressed as World War II US Army soldiers at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office

Caroline Brown, chair of the Belfast Jazz Orchestra, and GI Alan Hamilton at Belfast City Council's age-friendly Swing Dance at the Ulster Hall

World War Two veterans attended a service yesterday to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of hundreds of thousands of US troops in Northern Ireland.

More than 300,000 GIs were stationed here during the war as they prepared to be deployed across Europe and Africa.

A reception to commemorate the anniversary was held at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office yesterday where footage of the US troops landing in Northern Ireland was shown.

Among those attending the Northern Ireland War Memorial event was US Army veteran Teddy Dixon (96), who was born in New York. "My mother and father were originally from Northern Ireland and we moved back here when I was five," he said. "I joined the US Army in 1944 and fought in a number of battles."

He was joined by 93-year-old Bill Eames from Enniskillen, who served with the Royal Air Force from the age of 17.
The House of Lords EU Committee will take evidence from politicians including Scottish Brexit minister Mike Russell

A Westminster committee has launched an inquiry into the impact of Brexit on the devolution settlement in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The House of Lords EU Committee will take evidence from academics, business leaders and politicians - including Scottish Brexit minister Mike Russell - in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The short inquiry will consider how the UK Government should reflect the interests of the devolved nations in its Brexit negotiations and which powers should devolved when transferred from Brussels.

Lord Boswell, chairman of the committee, said: "We've been told that Brexit means Brexit but what does that mean for the constituent parts of the UK?

"The UK's overall vote to leave included voters in two devolved jurisdictions expressing a preference to remain. This presents challenges for the forthcoming Brexit negotiations.

"We want to get to the bottom of the effect of Brexit on the devolution settlement, and how the different views across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can all be fairly represented in the forthcoming negotiations.

"We will explore issues including which powers returning to the UK from Brussels should be devolved, and the resources that the devolved institutions will need to take on these responsibilities."
President Donald Trump shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May after a news conference in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) participate in a joint press conference at the East Room of the White House January 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. Prime Minister May is on a visit to the White House and had a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with President Trump. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump holding hands as they walk along the White House Colonnade during her visit to Washington DC: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Prime Minister Theresa May with US President Donald Trump during their joint press conference at the White HouseStefan Rousseau/PA Wire

US President Donald Trump has given his strong backing for Brexit, telling Theresa May that "a free and independent Britain is a blessing for the world".

Mr Trump predicted he would have a "fantastic" relationship with the Prime Minister, as he welcomed her as his first overseas visitor since becoming president and accepted her invitation to come to the UK on a state visit later this year.

In a White House press conference minutes after showing her the bust of Winston Churchill restored to the Oval Office, Mr Trump said the special relationship between the UK and US was "one of the great forces in history for justice and for peace".

And he added, in words that will be warmly appreciated in Downing Street: "We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship."

The sense that Mrs May had hit it off with the president on their first meeting was reinforced when the pair briefly held hands as they walked from the Oval Office to their first press conference together.

In almost an hour of talks ahead of a working lunch with Mr Trump, Mrs May appeared to have made some progress on key policy issues which have threatened to divide them.

She pointedly noted that she had secured Mr Trump's "100%" commitment to Nato, allaying British concerns over his earlier description of the military alliance as "obsolete".

Addressing Mr Trump directly before the TV cameras, Mrs May said: "Today we have reaffirmed our unshakeable commitment to this alliance.

"Mr President, I think you confirmed that you are 100% behind Nato."

And Mr Trump backed away from suggestions that he was ready to sanction the use of torture on terror suspects - something Mrs May had made clear she could not support.

The president said that, although he did not "necessarily agree" with his defence secretary's opposition to "enhanced interrogation" methods like torture, he would allow James Mattis to override him.

High on the agenda for the meeting were Britain's hopes for a swift free trade agreement with the US after its withdrawal from the EU.

Mrs May said they were both "ambitious" for a deal and wanted to "take forward immediate high-level talks, lay the groundwork for a UK/US trade agreement and identify the practical steps we can take now in order to enable companies in both countries to trade and do business with one another more easily."

Mr Trump left no doubt about his enthusiasm for the process.

"I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country," he said.

"When it irons out you are going to have your own identity and you are going to have the people that you want in your country and you are going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you are doing.

"I think it will end up being a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom. I think in the end it will be a tremendous asset, not a tremendous liability."

In his first press conference since his inauguration last week, Mr Trump seemed taken aback when confronted by a tough series of questions on torture, Russia, travel restrictions for Muslims and abortion from BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

Raising his eyebrows, he asked Mrs May incredulously: "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship."

Mrs May said: "I have been listening to the president and the president has been listening to me. That's the point of having a conversation and a dialogue."

She added: "There will be times when we disagree and issues on which we disagree. The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion so we are able to make that clear when it happens.

"But I am clear also that there are many issues on which the UK and the US stand alongside one another, many issues on which we agree."

She said an "even stronger special relationship" would be in the interests of the wider world.
Here are seven things we learned from Theresa May's trip to meet Donald Trump:

:: The special relationship appears to be in good health. Every British prime minister frets that a new president will be lukewarm about the trans-Atlantic link that goes back to the time of Churchill and the Second World War. Mrs May certainly took every opportunity ahead of the meeting to declare the need to "renew" it. But she need not have worried - Mr Trump lost no time in pledging "our lasting support to this most special relationship".

:: Mrs May would like her relationship with Mr Trump to be compared to great trans-Atlantic partnerships of the past - but they have to be the right ones. She repeatedly dropped approving mentions to Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher into her speeches, but Tony Blair and George Bush were referenced only in her vow to avoid the kind of "failed" military interventions they got involved in.

:: Both sides were keen to play down the possibility of a clash of personalities between the serious-minded vicar's daughter and the brash property tycoon and reality TV star. Mrs May joked that "sometimes opposites attract", while Mr Trump said he expected to have a "fantastic" relationship with her, protesting: "I'm not as brash as you might think".

:: The new President is a tactile person. As the pair walked down the Colonnades walkway from the Oval Office to their joint press conference, Mr Trump was seen to take the Prime Minister's hand - though the hands were swiftly withdrawn before they appeared before the waiting press.

:: Mrs May is always ready to fly the flag for British fashion. During the two-day trip, she sported a red two-piece by one of her favourite UK designers, Amanda Wakeley, shoes by LK Bennett and Russell & Bromley and a coat by up-and-coming talent Daniel Blake - ironically the namesake of the hero of Ken Loach's film indictment of Conservative welfare cuts "I, Daniel Blake", which Jeremy Corbyn has repeatedly urged the PM to see.

:: Donald Trump is not used to the ferocious questioning of the UK press corps. The President seemed taken aback as the BBC's Political Editor fired off a string of tough questions on his attitude to Muslims, torture and abortion. Turning to Mrs May, he asked incredulously: "This was your choice of a question?

:: The White House are apparently not quite sure who Theresa May is yet. On media briefing notes of the President's schedule, they spelt the PM's first name without its 'h'. So no doubt things are doubtless hectic at Pennsylvania Avenue right now, and the President's team have only been in place for seven days and have other things to be worrying about, but these things get noticed. Particularly as it turns out that Teresa May is a former glamour model...
A man kicked and hurled abuse at a Muslim woman airline employee at New York's John F Kennedy Airport, telling her new US president Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you", authorities have said.

Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes, of Worchester, Massachusetts, had arrived from Aruba and was waiting for a connecting flight to his home state on Wednesday night, when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was in her office.

District attorney Richard Brown said Rhodes came up to the door and launched a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying, before punching the door, which hit the back of Ms Khan's chair.

Ms Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and he replied: "You did nothing."

He then swore at her and kicked her in the leg, Mr Brown said.

When another person tried to calm him down, Mr Brown said Rhodes moved away from the door and Ms Khan fled the office.

But Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down, imitating a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities and said, "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You see what happens", Mr Brown said.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police: "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct.

"I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes.

"The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilised society - especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation," Mr Brown said.

"Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice."

AP
The extradition request was rejected by the Greek supreme court (AP)

Turkey's top diplomat has threatened punitive measures against Greece after the Greek supreme court ruled against extraditing eight Turkish servicemen who escaped the country after last year's failed coup attempt.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "We will take all necessary steps, including the cancellation of the bilateral readmission agreement on refugees."

That agreement stipulates Turkey will take back migrants who crossed into Greece illegally and do not qualify for international protection.

Mr Cavusoglu said: "We cannot look positively upon countries that protect terrorists, traitors and coup plotters.

"These are eight traitors who intended to kill our president - not petty criminals."

Turkey's justice ministry has made a new extradition request for the eight Turkish servicemen.

Greece's supreme court rejected Ankara's first request on the basis that the servicemen were unlikely to face a fair trial if returned to Turkey.

Lower courts had issued mixed decisions on the return of the officers in a series of separate hearings.

The extradition case has soured already-complicated ties between neighbours and Nato allies Greece and Turkey, which remain at odds over war-divided Cyprus and boundaries in the Aegean Sea.
Looking back now after eight years of the new form of assessment, when every single pupil in every grammar school has been selected through the new independent system run by AQE and PPTC, it is hard to credit the resourcefulness, courage and determination of those who took upon themselves the responsibility of creating from nothing what amounted to new examinations boards operating wholly new tests for, in the case of AQE, something approaching 8,000 children. Without that unyielding commitment, grammar schools could not have continued.

AQE was founded by a number of groups, including former pupils' associations, concerned parents, grammar school governors, principals and teachers in response to the imminent end of the old 11-plus, first announced by Martin McGuinness hours before the prorogation of the old power-sharing executive in 2002.

These groups were faced by what they saw as a threat to the relatively high academic standards achieved by children in Northern Ireland, caused by the demise of academic selection, which was understood to add value to the whole post-primary sector, selective and non-selective. It should also be said, that, contrary to the declarations of some politicians, there was from 2002 a clear majority of the Northern Ireland population who supported the existence of grammar schools, and that majority wish has been maintained until now.

In creating the new AQE 'common entrance assessments', the team began by looking at the criticism of the old 11-plus and addressing each identified failing.

This gave rise to the structure of three tests, spread over a number of weeks. Initially, this might be thought to be more stressful, but the opposite is in fact the case: by taking only the best two of the three scores, much of the 'high stakes' quality of the old test, in which each score counted, is removed. Each child is tested, in a sense, on the same curricular material no fewer than three times, meaning that they are being given a unique opportunity to show themselves at their very best.

AQE also provides for children who may have particular needs which disadvantage them in a testing environment. Their situations are considered carefully by a special group of experienced primary and post-primary practitioners, who indicate to each school centre what should be provided to counteract their disadvantage. The central group ensures that all children are treated with fairness and that the same disadvantage will be treated the same way in every centre.

The outcome of the work of that original group of courageous reformers still stands as a robust, valid, fair and consistent means of academic selection, meeting the most stringent international assessment standards, conducted by our associated grammar schools kindly and patiently aware of the pressures involved and committed to supporting all children to show themselves at their very best.

Stephen Connolly is CEO of the Association of Quality Education
The New Jersey DA's office just announced that it had arrested New York's Habib Chaudhry in connection with a $200M credit-card fraud; Mr Chaudhry joins 19 others who've pleaded guilty to the frauds.



According to the DA, the fraudsters created more than 7,000 false identities, manufactured credit histories for them, applied for credit cards in their names  using 1,900 drop addresses  and then rang up $200 million in fraudulent charges.

Chaudhry had been a fugitive for four years.
Indian security personnel patrol the Indo-Bangladeshi border along the Brahmaputra River at Hatisingimari, Assam state, Sept. 3, 2016.

Operatives of two Bangladeshi militant groups have infiltrated India and together are plotting attacks in major cities including the Indian capital, according to a classified intelligence report accessed by BenarNews.

Members of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) extremist groups crossed the border into northeast India, and have formed a joint team that is planning a series of attacks, the report said.

[T]he secretary of JMB, Iftadur Rehman, has entered India on Jan. 12 on [a] fake passport and has established contact with linkmen in Assam and West Bengal. He is also scheduled to visit Delhi, said the report, which cited inputs from intelligence sources.

There are reports that the combined team of [JMB and HuJI] is planning big attacks in major centers in India, it added.

Iftadur Rehman, whose real name is Sajjad Hussain, is a native of Moulvibazar in northeast Bangladesh, a senior official of Indias Border Security Force (BSF), told BenarNews.

We have credible information that on Jan. 18, a meeting between linkmen from Assam, West Bengal and New Delhi and top JMB and HuJI leadership has taken place in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh, the official said, adding that authorities in New Delhi had already been informed of the developments.

Key members of JMB and HuJI met in the Bangaon area of Bangladeshs Sylhet district on Jan. 24 to chalk out plans for attacks in India, the report said. Officials of Pakistans external intelligence agency ISI were also present at this meeting, it added.

HuJI is an Islamist fundamentalist organization most active in Bangladesh and Pakistan since the late 1980s. The group was banned in Bangladesh in 2005. And Bangladeshi officials have blamed a faction of the JMB, called Neo-JMB, for a terrorist attack that killed 20 hostages at a cafe in Dhaka in July 2016.

Indian national Mohammad Mosihuddin (alias Abu Musa), a suspected IS operative who was arrested in West Bengal just days after the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe, told counter-terror interrogators that he was asked to set up an IS cell in India by Abu Suleiman, a JMB operative allegedly linked to the cafe siege, an official with Indias National Investigation Agency told BenarNews last year.

NIA officials also said JMB was affiliated with Islamic State (IS), but Bangladeshi officials have consistently denied that the Middle East-based terror outfit has a presence in their country.

Bangladesh police confirms information

Neo-JMB is the party that nurtures ISs ideology and is responsible for recent atrocities, Monirul Islam, the chief of Bangladeshs counter-terrorism and transnational unit, told BenarNews.

Bangladeshi authorities have killed at least 34 suspected militants in raids carried out since the July 1-2 cafe siege.

Islam admitted that a number of Neo-JMB leaders had fled to India.

At present we do not know how many of them have fled to India, but there are some. We have information that the new JMB chief, Salauddin Salehin is there, Islam said.

Shariful Islam, alias Khaled, a suspected killer of A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique, a professor at Rajshahi University who was hacked to death in April 2016, also fled to India as did Ripon, a militant who is alleged to have played a role in the cafe attack, according to Islam.

Gen. Mohammad Moniruzzaman, assistant inspector general in Bangladeshs counter terrorism unit, said militants from Bangladesh could easily cross into India because of the long and porous border that separates the countries.

It happens and we are keeping in touch with security forces in India to combat this situation, he told BenarNews.

Bangladesh and India share a 4,096 km- (2,545 mile)-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, including 262 km (162 miles) in Assam, 856 km (532 miles) in Tripura, 180 km (112 miles) in Mizoram, 443 km (275 miles) in Meghalaya, and 2,217 km (1,378 miles) in West Bengal.

It is natural for Bangladeshi extremists to find a safe haven to regroup and make their presence felt after facing crackdowns from the Bangladeshi government following the Dhaka attack, a security analyst said.

JMB has long used India as a hideout, or a safe haven. At the same time, it also engages in recruitment, especially youths from far-flung Muslim dominated areas of Assam and West Bengal. These places are nearer to JMB strongholds in northern and north-western Bangladesh, G.M. Srivastava, a Guwahati-based expert, told BenarNews.

There are estimates that there might be more than 70 JMB modules already active in India, he added.

Prapti Rahman in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Updated at 7:15 a.m. ET on 2017-01-27

Indonesian authorities said Thursday they had detained a family of five deported from Turkey over suspected links to Islamic State  the second batch of Indonesians expelled from that country within a week for allegedly planning to join IS in Syria.

The five  a man, woman, a teenage girl and two boys under age 10  were arrested in Denpasar, Bali, by immigration officers and police when they arrived on a flight from Istanbul on Wednesday morning. The man, a former Ministry of Finance official, had been educated in top schools in Indonesia, according to a report.

They have admitted they wanted to join IS in Syria during an interrogation by Turkish security officers, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Rikwanto told BenarNews in Jakarta.

On Saturday, 17 Indonesians were sent home from Turkey over similar allegations.

The family of five, who originated from North Jakarta, were arrested in Turkey on Jan. 16 and taken to a hospital for medical checkups, then held in a Turkish jail before being sent back to Indonesia, officials said.

Today (Thursday) counter-terrorist police squad Densus 88 and Bali police sent the family to Jakarta for further investigation, Bali police spokesman Hengky Widjaja told BenarNews.

An educated man

Police identified the adult family members by their initials: a man TUAB, 40; and a woman, NK, 55. The others were identified as a 14-year-old girl, and two boys ages 8 and 4.

The man had a good position at the finance ministry. He was educated in some of Indonesias top schools and earned a masters in public policy from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, an Indonesian security official told Channel NewsAsia.

Rikwanto said the family paid for their trip. The money they used to go there was from selling their house. When they were deported they also used their own money, he said.

The family departed from Jakarta in August 2016, flying to Istanbul via Bangkok. They moved several times while in Istanbul before meeting with a militant known as Aji (alias Abu Jihad), who brought them to a shelter where they met some other Indonesians, according to Rikwanto.

17 freed

Last week, 17 people including seven children were detained as they arrived at Jakartas International Airport aboard a flight from Istanbul.

All were freed on Tuesday after police concluded that they were victims of an IS recruiter.

Immigration authorities have a tough time identifying potential radicals suspected of traveling to Syria, despite having ample data, a top official with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) told Benar News.

Lots of data can be manipulated by some parties so they can pass the security checks, said Arif Darmawan, the second deputy at BNPT.

Besides, he said, Indonesia cannot prohibit people from traveling if they meet the requirements for a passport.

Many Indonesians want to go to Syria because they believe in the concept of hijrah or jihad by emigration.

They do not know the situation there. Even if they know, they believe in hijrah so such that the circumstances will not matter, he said.

Many of them do not join the war, they just want to live there, he explained.

Thailand is a favorite transit point for IS supporters heading to Syria because they can obtain fake visas and passports, he added.

BNPT is improving its border security by adding forces and increasing cooperation with other nations.

Coordination with Thailand has been more intensive, he said.

Since 2015, 283 citizens were deported by Turkish government for trying to travel to Syria, according to Indonesian Foreign Ministrys director of Indonesian Citizens Protection, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal. Meanwhile, as of August 2016, as many as 237 adults and 46 children from Indonesia were in Syria, according to BNPT.
A Philippine Air Force helicopter flies over the southern island of Mindanao as troops carry out President Rodrigo Dutertes order to destroy militants, Aug. 31, 2016.

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have agreed to team up to counter a regional threat posed by Islamic State, the deputy Malaysian prime minister said Thursday amid reports that the eastern state of Sabah is a hub for IS activities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi discussed the trilateral efforts after meeting in Putrajaya with outgoing Indonesian Ambassador Herman Prayitno.

We will work together to hunt down terrorists and stop the IS ideology in the region, Zahid said, according to the New Straits Times. In terms of enforcement operations, we will no longer work individually, but will collaborate for this purpose.

He said the leaders of the three countries  Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte  had all agreed to build trilateral cooperation against IS.

Speaking to reporters during his meeting with the ambassador, Zahid praised the neighboring country for cooperation in combating IS.

We have discussed with them formally and informally, especially Indonesia. Indonesia is especially concerned about the involvement of a few Indonesian individuals in Daesh activities. Indonesia has also introduced very strict laws similar to what we have here, he said in televised comments, referring to IS by a different name.

He also lauded Indonesia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for strengthening operations against terrorism.

Sabah debate

The three countries share concerns about IS in the southern Philippines, where IS-linked militant groups are battling government forces. Apart from a series of maritime kidnappings of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors, carried out by Abu Sayyaf Group militants in the area, the IS-related security concerns appear to have now spread to the nearby Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo island.

This week, Malaysias police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said Sabah should be considered a hub for IS activities, pointing to its role as part of a triangle involving the three nations. The triangle involving Sabah, Indonesian and the southern Philippines allows IS to carry out its activities, including human trafficking, he said.

We are always placing our antenna there to monitor their activities, he said on Star TV.

On Monday, Khalids department announced it had uncovered a new IS cell and arrested four of its members  a Malaysian, a Filipino and two Bangladeshis  who allegedly planned to use Sabah as a transit point for sending IS fighters to the southern Philippines. They had received orders from two IS-linked militants based in the neighboring country, Khalid alleged.

Ramli Din, the commissioner of police for Sabah, said officers were monitoring several locations around the state for IS-related activity.

We have identified several of locations in Sabah that are being used by the militants as a transit point before gaining access into the southern Philippines, he said, according to the New Straits Times, but added that he could not disclose the locations for security reasons.

But Malaysias defense minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, disputed the claims made by police officials that Sabah serves as a staging ground for Islamic State activities.

Its not true. I dont think Tawau is a transit center for Daesh, the minister said as quoted in Berita Harian, a Malaysian news outlet, referring to a town on Sabahs east coast.

This is now a borderless world and when there are no borders, we do not require any transit point, Hishammuddin added.

Ongoing meetings

Representatives of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines met several times last year to establish a framework for maritime security cooperation, including joint patrols in their shared waters in the wake of kidnappings linked to Abu Sayyaf, which has aligned itself with IS.

Despite those meetings, joint patrols have not begun.

I really hope we can do it in the near future, Indonesian Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryanto told BenarNews in November. We feel a bit disgraced now [because] the kidnappings keep going on and on.

Philippine President Duterte, who took office in June, announced that Malaysian and Indonesian security forces could pursue kidnappers into Philippine waters to rescue hostages.

On Jan. 16, Duterte told businessmen in Davao City that he had instructed the Navy and Coast Guard to bomb kidnappers who were trying to escape, referring to their hostages as collateral damage, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.


In 2016, French prosecutors have brought more cases for "solidarity crimes"  offering shelter, food, and assistance to migrants, refugees and Roma people  than were brought in all the years 2012-2015 combined, despite the promise of the Hollande regime to end such prosecutions.



People who feed and shelter starving and freezing people, or who give injured, unaccompanied children a ride to the hospital, face fines of up to 45,000 and three year prison sentences.





"I picked up kids who tried to cross the border 12 times," Herrou said at his trial earlier this month, where he was convicted of facilitating the entry, movement and residence of undocumented foreigners. "There were four deaths on the highway. My inaction and my silence would make me an accomplice, I do not want to be an accomplice."

Awaiting his sentence, Herrou was arrested again on January 18 on fresh charges.

His van has been confiscated and he says he'd been followed and is under surveillance. It has had little effect on the 37-year-old farmer, who smiles broadly in photos, surrounded by kids from Sudan and Eritrea.

"Whatever happens, I'll continue," he said before his second arrest.

"It's astonishing that human smugglers continue to pass through, the real smugglers who get rich on the backs of others, while humanitarians are harassed in this way," Herrou's lawyer, Me Zia Oloumi, told Al Jazeera by phone.

"The authorities can't control the borders so they're putting pressure on people in the valley to discourage them from supporting migrants, by detaining people and putting them on trial."
A model dressed in red poses for a photographer at the famous Mangkon Kamalawat temple in Bangkoks Chinatown, Jan. 26, 2017. (Nontarat Phaicharoen/BenarNews)

This shop in Muang district, Yala province, has items for the Chinese New Year, Jan. 26, 2017. (Nasueroh/BenarNews)

Women shop for a Chinese lion mask to decorate their home at a shop in Bangkoks Chinatown, Jan. 26, 2017. (Nontarat Phaicharoen/BenarNews)

In Thailands Deep South, recent heavy flooding has dampened enthusiasm for the Chinese New Year, which began Thursday and ends Saturday.

Prices for fruit and vegetables  which are central to traditional worship  have increased by 30 percent to 50 percent because of weather-related shortages. Seafood for celebratory meals is scarce.

Sujaree Ruangpawang, 45, a seafood vendor in Yala, said she normally purchases from the fishing pier in Pattani and sells in Yala. This year, fishing boats cannot leave port as many areas remain flooded.

There is no seafood around here. We have to go get that from the Andaman Sea  through Surat Thani province. Many types of seafood are out of stock and vendors have to increase the price for things such as cockles and shrimp, she told BenarNews.

Flooding in December and January has proven deadly in regions of the Deep South. Rains that began at the beginning of January affected more than 1 million people and resulted in at least 30 deaths, Thai media reported earlier this month.

In Bangkok, vendors in Chinatown saw decreases as well.

It is really slow this year. Any shop owner would tell you that this year is not profitable. There are fewer buyers and it is harder to sell. People are saving a lot more, said Chaiyaphon Jongraksa, 65, the owner of home decorating shop along Yaowarat Road in the Chinatown area of Bangkok

A Thai-Chinese woman in Yala blamed the flooding for keeping her from making a living tapping rubber.

Things cost more, we have to buy only what we need, Sermduang Kaewkloy said. Most of our clothes are what we have in black and white for the late King anyway.
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A 2009 rule created by Obama in his first days in office says that former executives and lobbyists can't be hired to work for the government in a capacity that gives them oversight over their former employers; they must wait for two years after leaving such employment before working in a regulatory capacity that relates to it.

The Trump administration is flouting this legal obligation with its appointees, as well as the weaker federal law that requires a one-year cooling off period. Former Exxonmobil CEO Rex Tillerson is in line to recieve a $180,000,000 bonus from Exxon as a goodbye gift before he takes over the State Department, and that's not all  there's a whole raft of these conflicts in Trump's billionaire cabinet, where there's a fox for every henhouse.

The effects of the executive order would be particularly far reaching in the Trump administration because the new president has given so many government jobs to top corporate executives whose former firms often have business before the federal government. In addition to Tillerson, those include: *

Defense Secretary James Mattis, a retired general who made nearly $1 million as a board member of Pentagon contractor General Dynamics. Mattis served on the company's board until being appointed by Trump. He recently signed an agreement with federal ethics regulators pledging to avoid General Dynamics' Pentagon related business in his new job  but for only one year. *

National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, a Goldman Sachs president whose White House job will position him to influence federal economic policy affecting the bank. Cohn is set to receive a $100 million payout from Goldman Sachs upon leaving the company and entering government service. OGE's website does not list an ethics agreement between Cohn and federal regulators. *

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired general who has worked for a Homeland Security contractor as well as for private equity and consulting firms. Kelly recently signed an agreement with federal ethics regulators pledging a one-year cooling off period on involving himself in government business related to those companies.



Trump White House Appears To Kill Obama's Ethics Rule: Appointees May Not Be Signing Required Ethics Pledges

[David Sirota/International Business Times]





(via Naked Capitalism)



(Image: alligator in swamp, Linda MacPhee-Cobb, CC-BY)
The US is a nation of laws, not men, and that means that unconstituional actions by lawmakers end up being struck down by judges  so when populist leaders of small towns come to power by promising racist legislation to harass "illegals," everybody loses.

The Washington Post's Chico Harlan tells the stories of six US towns where, over the past decade, racial profiling and surveillance laws have been passed to reduce the presence of Latin American people, who were suspected of being undocumented immigrants. It didn't go well for these towns: they ended up having to raise taxes to fight the legal challenges to their laws, and then, when they lost, had to borrow millions to pay for the court costs and judgments awarded to their opponents from groups like the ACLU.

They did manage to briefly make life hell for brown people, but that didn't stop brown people from coming to town, either.





Trump gets to appoint a Supreme Court judge and the Attorney General, both powerful judicial offices, but neither one is the law unto themselves, and both will be held in check by the Constitution, by the rest of the Supremes, and by Federal and State judges across the nation  as well as civil rights litigators from the ACLU, EFF, the Southern Poverty Law Center and others.





This has been a week for shock-and-awe from the White House, with one unconstitutional, cruel, grandstanding executive order after another raining down on us. Read about the experiences of these populist leaders who got their asses handed to them and left office in disgrace, and be heartened.

The municipality that has come the closest to successfully implementing such a law is Fremont, a meatpacking town west of Omaha where a six-year court fight, financed through a tax increase, won the city the right to ban undocumented immigrants from rental housing. But just as the city's officials put the law in place in 2014, they realized it would not be effective: Fremont's rental applications, with their wording approved by the courts, did not require the information, such as a Social Security number, that could help determine whether a person was in the United States legally. Courts also have weakened several states' illegal-immigrant laws, most notably in Arizona. Michael Hethmon, who is senior counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute and helped Kobach handle the Hazleton case, said that the local efforts have faced more setbacks than victories but that the towns' money has been "well spent" in taking a stance. The towns had no data on the number of undocumented residents before or after the ordinances, making it difficult to measure how well the laws worked in driving away that part of the population The law easily won the city council's approval, but its enforcement was held up by an injunction and a lawsuit brought by civil rights groups, including the ACLU. In court, some of Barletta's arguments for the law ran into trouble: He said he didn't know how many undocumented immigrants lived in Hazleton or how many had committed crimes. The town hadn't studied it. A federal judge eventually ruled that the law was illegal because it usurped the federal government's power and would affect not just undocumented immigrants but "those who look or act as if they are foreign." Other courts upheld that ruling over eight years. Kobach, paid $250,000 by Hazleton, did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment. In 2015, a federal judge ordered Hazleton to pay $1.4 million to the lawyers who had fought the town. The city, with a budget of $9 million, took out a bank loan and cut a check to the ACLU, said Joseph Yannuzzi, the mayor who succeeded Barletta.



In these six American towns, laws targeting 'the illegals' didn't go as planned

[Chico Harlan/Washington Post]

(via Naked Capitalism)
Von: Julian Ropcke

What if Donald Trump unilaterally removed US sanctions on Russia?

Former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt warns in BILD of the disastrous consequences of the rumoured imminent lifting of US sanctions on Russia in relation with Putin's meddling in eastern and southern Ukraine.

BILD: What kind of signal would the lifting of US sanctions on Russia send to the EU?

Carl Bildt: "It would signal that the US totally disregards the EU and the interests of the European nations. Sanctions are part of a policy aiming at protecting the sanctity of the borders of Europe."

What signal would it send to Russian president Vladimir Putin, regarding his policies in eastern Europe?

Bildt: "It would signal that he succeeds with his policies of destabilisation. It has been very clearly said by the EU and the US that lifting of sanctions is linked to full implementation of the Minsk agreement. If this policy is now jettisoned in favour of unilaterally just accepting Russian behaviour the consequences for the future could be grave."

How much have US sanctions (on Crimea and Donbas) affected the Russian Federation so far and what would be the immediate consequences of lifting them?

Bildt: "The economic effects would be far less significant than the political. The main problems in the Russian economy are related to the absence of necessary structural reforms policies, and the lifting of sanctions would have a marginal influence at best."

What US, respectively Donald Trump, strategy could be behind the lifting of the sanctions?

"None, I fear. Which would make it even worse." PS: Sind Sie bei Facebook? Werden Sie Fan von BILD.de-Politik!
For Immediate Release, January 26, 2017 Contact: Kieran Suckling, (520) 275-5960 100 Days of Resistance Center for Biological Diversity Releases Action Plan TUCSON, Ariz. The Center for Biological Diversity today released its 100 Days of Resistance plan to stop Donald Trump's unprecedented attack on wildlife, people, civil rights and democracy. The 25-point plan includes mobilizing 1 million people to take the Pledge of Resistance; halting the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines; fighting the confirmation of Trump's corrupt, unqualified cabinet nominees; hiring 10 new attorneys, investigators and activists to aggressively hold the administration accountable; protecting the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act for the benefit of people and wildlife; defeating efforts to give away or turn management of our public lands over to states and corporations; and strengthening alliances with groups fighting for gender and racial equality, American Indian sovereignty, LGBTQ rights, freedom of speech, press and religion, workers' rights and other civil rights and values. Trump has awoken a fierce resistance movement such as this country has never seen, said Kieran Suckling, the Center's executive director. His authoritarian agenda has galvanized people from every walk of life to fight for the protection of wildlife and the environment, civil rights, equality and a democracy that serves everyone, not just the corporate elite. He should know this: We're in it for the long haul. We'll fight him every day in the courts, every week in the halls of power, and in every street of this nation. The Center's Earth2Trump Resistance Roadshow just completed a very successful, high energy cross-country tour of 16 cities, rallying thousands of people from Seattle to Salt Lake City, to Houston, Denver and Omaha to organize, resist, and to write personal #Earth2Trump messages which we carried to the inauguration protest in a huge globe. More than 180,000 have signed the Center's Pledge of Resistance in person or online. The 100 Days of Resistance plan: 1. Mobilize 1 million Americans to sign the Pledge of Resistance and commit to fighting Trump's attack on our environment and civil rights.

2. Hold #Earth2Trump rallies in cities and towns across the country to engage, educate and empower people to take action locally and nationally.

3. Strengthen alliances with groups fighting for gender and racial equality, American Indian sovereignty, LGBTQ rights, freedom of speech, press and religion, workers' rights and other civil rights and values.

4. Hire 10 new attorneys, investigators and activists to aggressively hold the Trump administration accountable when it violates America's federal environmental laws.

5. Fight the confirmation of Trump's extremist, financially conflicted, unqualified cabinet nominations.

6. Stop the repeal or weakening of the Endangered Species Act.

7. Block efforts to rescind, radically shrink or defund America's national monuments.

8. Stop the dangerous, unnecessary Keystone XL pipeline from being resurrected.

9. Defend the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision to reroute the Dakota Access Pipeline to protect the culture, history and water of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

10. Stop the construction of a massive new wall on the U.S.-Mexico border that would destroy wildlife habitat, pollute rivers, violate national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and rivers, and cause massive social and economic disruption of border towns and cities.

11. Stand with reproductive-rights organizations defending the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights, access to birth control, and international funding for family-planning programs.

12. Stop the weakening of the Clean Air Act and revocation of the EPA's responsibility to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

13. Stop Trump from revoking the Clean Power Plan.

14. Stop Trump from weakening protection for wetlands and streams.

15. Maintain the moratorium on new federal coal leases and ensure a national assessment is completed of the environmental, human-health and financial costs of the federal coal-mining program.

16. Stop new offshore oil drilling in the Arctic, Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico by defending the five-year offshore leasing program and preventing the repeal of permanent protections against oil and gas leasing in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

17. Fight in the courts  along with the state of California, environmental and indigenous groups  to stop ocean fracking along the California coast.

18. File suit to stop intensive pollution of our oceans by industrial plastics.

19. Defeat proposals to weaken trophy-hunting regulations and expand U.S. imports of endangered species including elephants, lions and polar bears.

20. Defeat efforts to give away federal public lands or turn their management over to states and corporations.

21. Prevent the stripping of federal protection from grizzly bears and wolves.

22. Prevent rollback of protections for imperiled greater sage grouse and more than 300 other species dependent on healthy Sagebrush Sea habitat.

23. Mobilize college students across the country around clean energy, sustainable food and population issues.

24. Petition the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cease the use of dangerous, unnecessary predator-killing poisons.

25. Ensure the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture are not stripped of their authority and responsibility to protect people and wildlife from dangerous pesticides. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org
It can be tough to be a vegetarian. You have to work harder than everyone else to make sure youre getting all the nutrients your body needs. So, when its time to take a
Umuzi to share its creativity with Cape Town

Continuing its mission to make South Africa's creative industry more accessible and inclusive, Umuzi, a creative academy and agency based in Johannesburg, will be expanding to Cape Town this year and invites young creatives, agencies, production companies, and other creative employers to get involved.

Gilbert Pooley, MD of Umuzi, describes the heart of the organisation: We recognise that transformation isn't as simple as helping someone get a qualification or even a job. True transformation is about changing the way we see ourselves, and our opportunities. Thus, Umuzi is more than an education institution, we are a community transforming the South African creative industry. Our theory of change is to improve access to creative careers, which in turn changes the South African narrative, and promotes more inclusive economic growth." Offering a different approach to traditional educators, instead of charging a tuition fee, Umuzi pays its students a monthly stipend during their studies and assists them with finding employment afterwards. Umuzis learnership consists of twelve months of study, while the remaining three months are dedicated to an internship at well known agencies. Over 80% of Umuzis 2016 graduation group got jobs at leading advertising agencies, as well as media and production houses. Umuzi An Out of the Ordinary Academy shows you what Umuzi offers its students: Tshepiso Mabula, an Umuzi multimedia recruit whos already making waves in the industry with her work featured on Design Indabas website, says she would recommend Umuzi to other creatives. There are few places in this country where one can gain everyday work experience while also working towards a formal qualification. The months I have spent at Umuzi have helped me sharpen my skills and also improve my professionalism, which is very important if one wants to thrive in the industry It is here that I learned of the lack of representation within the industry and why it is vital for people like me to infiltrate it. Pooley and Odendaal Esterhuyse, creative director at Umuzi, share how agencies can contribute to diversity in the industry and what it takes to be recruited by Umuzi. How does Umuzi aim to make the creative industry more accessible? How does Umuzi aim to make the creative industry more accessible? Pooley and Esterhuyse: Firstly, we run the academy that develops aspiring, young creatives who don't otherwise have access to training because of a lack of either financial and/or social support. But we also do it by building a community of creatives that is more inclusive and interested in telling relevant stories. More importantly, we're interested in empowering people to tell their own stories. We believe that advertising and media often plays on stereotypes and misrepresentation of cultures and we want to address that in our content. We do this by also participating as a creative agency in our shared industry.

Our education philosophy is very focused on employment. It's not about the qualification (which we also give as part of the learnership), it's about building a relevant and competitive portfolio and finding a job opportunity for them. We know from experience that the creative struggle is a layered one. These young creatives don't just lack the financial resources. They also lack the social capital needed to penetrate the industry. So, in addition to the financial support, we also give social support in the form of community and network with the industry. We've established a beautiful community and culture that allows peer-to-peer support and learning. And we've partnered with various agencies who are open to welcoming these young creatives into their workplace.

What do you look for in your applicants? What do you look for in your applicants?

Pooley and Esterhuyse: We focus our attention specifically on their technical, conceptual and professional skills. Our ideal applicant already has some experience in the discipline they want to pursue (multimedia, copywriting, graphic design, and digital marketing). We aren't looking for polished creatives, just someone who has already experimented with their chosen medium and shows potential for growth. We also look for people who share our values as an organisation, people with the ability to empathise with others and share perspectives. Because we place such emphasis on our culture and community, we try to attract like-minded people to provide positive growth.

 Khotso Mahlangu

What do you think agencies can do to increase diversity in the creative industry? What do you think agencies can do to increase diversity in the creative industry?

Esterhuyse: I think we can all be more open to mentorship and skills development, specifically for those individuals who can't afford traditional education. I think agencies can be more open to developing young, aspiring creatives. From a storytelling perspective, I think we should develop our own stories and develop new ways of telling those stories. The lived experiences of some of our recruits result in such rich and unique narratives. If we continue developing the skills needed, these stories can finally surface and be shared. Through this process we can finally change the narrative in South Africa.

Pooley: Most agencies are aware that they need to improve their diversity, especially that of their creative teams. Many agencies have plans in place, but unfortunately we see too many examples of under-resourced, or under-managed initiatives, with agencies trying to do it all themselves. Even with the best intentions, their business and client priorities inevitably overshadow education and transformation and often these internally driven programmes disappoint by not finding the right talent, or providing enough support to allow it to reach its potential.

Umuzi specialises in accessible creative education. We are working with bodies like the Creative Circle and their members to improve overall standards and positioning ourselves as the specialist in finding and developing diverse talent. This means we reach a far larger pool of talented young people, and deliver a much higher quality on-the-job learning experience, with the scale and focus benefits of an industry-wide solution. This means the agencies can focus on being great employers and providing our graduates with fantastic first jobs.

How can learners and agencies get involved? How can learners and agencies get involved?

Pooley and Esterhuyse: We are currently recruiting aspiring, young creatives in Johannesburg and Cape Town to participate in our 12-month learnership. Applicants can find out more at www.umuzi.org/learnership and apply online.

We are also offering Johannesburg and Cape Town-based creative employers the opportunity to sponsor learnerships and hire our talented graduates. Please contact gro.izumu@yeloop.treblig with employer enquiries.

For more information on Umuzi, visit their website, find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
The death of one of the leading figures in the printing industry has opened the way for Media24 to cut costs drastically in its printed media operations.

In recent years, Media24 has had to close a number of its magazines due to losses. When Naspers's interim results were announced in November, management said the print media segment of subsidiary Media24 continued to face structural declines. Print media across the globe is under pressure from digital alternatives, but analysts contend Media24 is under additional pressure due to its steep printing costs.

On Thursday morning, Novus Holdings, formerly known as Paarl Media Group, announced that its chairman, Lambert Retief, had died. Retief had been involved in the printing industry since 1978 and was the first CEO of Paarl Media Group.

Paarl Media Group was part of Media24 until 2015, when it was unbundled and listed on the JSE as Novus Holdings. The listing had been prompted by a move by Retief to sell his stake in Paarl Media Group to Media24. As a result of a tussle with Caxton before the competition authorities, the plan for the sale was abandoned and replaced by the listing.

Media24 and Retief argued that despite the former's major holding, control of Novus continued to rest with Retief. As a result of Retief's continued control, a printing contract between Paarl Media Group and Media24 remained in force when Novus was listed.

Industry sources say the terms of the contract favour Novus and account for a hefty portion of Media24's operating costs. Less than an hour after informing shareholders of Retief's death, Novus announced that the management deal between Novus, Media24 and Retief was now terminated.

"Media24 thereby has the right to terminate the existing contractual printing agreement with Novus Holdings on six months' written notice," the company said.

Novus and Media24 are engaged in negotiations regarding the printing agreements.

Source: Business Day
I recently met with Catharina Eklof, SVP Global Merchant Development and Victor de Kock, Strategic Merchants and Acceptance at Mastercard to discuss some of the emerging trends in merchant payments, the changing shopping environment and how the financial services company is innovating to address the needs of the connected customer'.

On her visit to South Africa, Eklof attended the Mastercard Retail Forum in Cape Town where she shared with local merchant customers her global insight into these trends and how applicable they are for South African retailers.

1. Integrated commerce

Eklof refers to integrated commerce as the 'holy grail' because there's a definite shift towards it, but we're not quite there yet. The big retailers are looking into developing wallets in order to facilitate this, but theyre taking two different routes. One group is saying, 'I want to keep my data with me', and the other is more open, looking for ubiquity. Here in South Africa, retailers are moving to the latter. I wouldnt say that theyre behind, Id say theyre accelerating; the push is definitely there in South Africa.

De Kock comments, Theres a push from all the retailers to really ask, 'How do I move into an omnichannel servicing model, and how do I create a model that caters for everyone as well as the customer that jumps between the different channels, and give them the same user experience across all of those different things?'

There is a propelling," confirms Eklof. "Retailers are accelerating. The ones most at the forefront would be a Wallmart for example or a Tesco getting there.

2. Security

Another important trend is to secure payments and reassure the consumer that this technology is the same they find in the bricks and mortar world. Mastercard has a wallet thats open, so you can put any type of payment card in there, says Eklof.

We are more of a commerce enabler, but with Mastercards security system our users know that this is as secure as doing a chip-and-PIN transaction.

Traditionally, Mastercard was merely a card company, but its evolved into an accompanying tech partner to its merchants; the consumers security enabler and the merchants facilitator enabler, she explains.

3. Frictionless

Ikea and Carrefour have deployed contactless payment technology, like tap-and-go, which has seen a 50% reduction in queuing time. Other fashion companies are taking this a step further with what they call skip queue, by means of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. This is something that will come very shortly, believes Eklof.

The next step of that frictionless commerce is shopping at the point of need, she adds. I think the retailers really have to think, How do I meet the consumer much faster? We see it happening all over  Amazon facilitates this through their dash buttons, and together with Samsung, even Mastercard has developed an app called Groceries' by Mastercard, which has been tested in the US with FreshDirect.

4. Managing your customer

More and more commerce is moving into the messaging dimension, says Eklof, with advancements like WeChat Wallet.

Whats more, Sephora and H&M are testing artificial intelligence with Chatbot, which conducts a conversation within the messaging app. In the fashion environment, the dialogue could be about how the customer looks in something or that the item in question comes in different colours.

5. Changing of loyalty programmes

Customer loyalty is moving from the points system to more specific value. Amazon says, Im not going to give you any points, but Ill give you a decrease on delivery because I know thats where the painpoint is. All Starbucks do is give a free coffee, but it works.

In summary, more than ever, technology touches nearly every consumer buying decision. Mastercard is therefore well positioned to work closely with its merchant customers to harness their combined data to help them better understand their customers and target them more specifically, to ultimately create more relevant, more personalised and more seamless experiences.

For more info, contact Mastercard here.
Despite Ficksburg's reputation as South Africa's cherry capital, Ceres is increasingly getting a bigger piece or the cherry pie. Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, provider of South African apples and pears, is now in its third year of delivery high-quality cherries to local and export customers

With harvest between mid-October and mid-November, the South African cherry season is a short one but, because of its proximity to the high-value Christmas season, this fruit delivers strong returns.

Managing director of Tru-Cape, Roelf Pienaar, said that despite the smaller than expected 2016 crop, down by about half year-on-year, Tru-Cape cherries were of a high quality and achieved good values. The smaller crop was as a result of a challenging climate but despite this Tru-Cape growers produced beautiful fruit, he says, adding that, cherry varieties Sweetheart, Royal Dawn, and Rainier seem to produce the best results in the Ceres valley.

2017 apple and pear season

With cherries done and dusted until November 2017, Pienaar says that Tru-Cape growers are looking to the 2017 apple and pear season with much anticipation. Volumes are more or less the same as last year, he says.

Pienaar says that Tru-Cape has always maintained that a stable foreign exchange rate is what the industry needs. While the increasing oil price bolsters our trade in oil-based economies of West Africa and Middle East, the fluctuating South African rand makes for an interesting season in the rest of our export markets.

Globally there is a lot of uncertainty about the long-term impact of the UK leaving the European Union, as well as the political change in the USA and the impact on global economies and currencies. In short, the stability we are all looking for may still be a while away. That said, geopolitical issues impact growers and marketers around the globe and not just here so were in this together. Although water remains a key concern, the cooler temperatures when compared to the previous season will benefit our apples and pears."
LONDON - Supermarket chain Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, announced Friday it has agreed to purchase food wholesaler Booker for 3.7 billion ($4.7 billion, 4.4 billion euros).

The blockbuster transaction -- billed as a merger -- will hand Tesco investors a majority stake in the combined company and create Britain's leading food business, the pair said in a statement.

Tesco, which has been troubled in recent years by an accounting scandal and fierce domestic competition from German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl, added it was seeking to "enhance" its growth prospects.

"Tesco has made significant progress in turning around our UK retail business," said Chief Executive Dave Lewis.

"This merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital.

"Wherever food is prepared and eaten -- 'in home' or 'out of home' -- we will meet this opportunity with the widest choice and best service available."

The group expects annual pretax synergies of at least 200 million within three years of completion. It also aims to achieve 175 million of extra cost savings in areas like distribution and procurement.

"By bringing together Tesco and Booker's retail and wholesale expertise, supply chain and digital capabilities, the combined group will be able to provide greater choice, quality, price and service in the food market, whilst improving efficiency and reducing food waste," the statement added.

"The combined group will bring together the capacity and capability to generate new growth and deliver significant revenue and cost synergies."

The cash-and-shares transaction will hand Booker 16 percent of the new company. Booker investors will receive 0.861 new Tesco share and 42.6 pence in cash for every share they own. The deal -- worth 205.3 pence per share -- represents a 12 percent premium on Booker's closing share price on Thursday.

It is expected to complete in late 2017 or early 2018, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
THE HAGUE - Dutch food and cosmetics giant Unilever on Thursday posted a 5.5 percent rise in net profit boosted by deodorants and ice cream sales, but warned "tough markets" are to continue in 2017.

Unilever owns more than 400 brands, including Dove, Knorr, Lipton, Magnum and Marmite |  AFP | Sajjad Hussain

The Rotterdam-based group clocked 5.5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) in net profit last year, while turnover came in at 52.7 billion euros, down 1.0 percent year-on-year.

Unilever said it "delivered another good all-round performance, despite severe economic disruptions, particularly in India and Brazil, two of our largest markets."

Brazil's economic crisis and the withdrawal of India's 1,000 (13.6 euros) and 500 rupee notes from circulation "presented significant additional headwinds," group chief executive Paul Polman said in a statement.

Despite setbacks Unilever grew its personal care arm by 0.5 percent, including in the deodorant sector, driven by the continued success of dry sprays in North America and the Rexona Antibacterial spray, which now sells in more than 50 countries.

Lifebuoy soap, a well-known brand in Africa, also showed "strong growth across emerging markets driven by our handwashing campaign and further roll-outs into Kenya and Ethiopia."

Its biggest personal care brand, Dove, also "had another good year," Unilever said.

Ice cream sales again performed well, where Unilever's Magnum Double range and Ben&Jerry's clocked good sales as well as its best-selling US-based gelato maker Talenti.

Unilever bought Talenti in late 2014 and with the addition of new variants the business has grown 60 percent since. Created in 1929, Unilever said it was now reshaping its portfolio by adding new businesses in fast-growing segments.

Last year it bought the US-based start-up Dollar Shave Club, which shook up markets with its online subscription model. It also bought haircare products maker Living Proof, whose lotions and potions are billed as high-tech products based on scientific research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In September, Unilever announced it was acquiring eco-conscious US cleaning products group Seventh Generation to expand its range of environmentally friendly brands.

But Unilever's Polman warned that "tough market conditions which made the end of the year particularly challenging are likely to continue in the first half of 2017".

"Against this backdrop, we expect a slow start with growth improving as the year progresses," Polman said.

Core earnings increased to 1.88 euros per share for 2016.

Unilever, which employs 173,000 people around the world, owns more than 400 brands including Dove, Knorr soups, Lipton, Magnum and Marmite.
Restaurant franchisor Spur's share price gained nearly 5% on Thursday after it reported sales of R3.8bn for the six months to end-December, 8.6% higher than the matching period's R3.5bn.

Excluding its UK and Irish restaurants which ceased trading by the end of June, sales growth was 10.4%. At the end of 2016, the groups restaurants numbered 590, 15 more than in June. Of these, 60 are outside of SA.

During the second half of 2016, it entered New Zealand and Ethiopia by opening Spur Steak Ranches, and Oman with a RocoMamas outlet.

Thursdays sales update included RocoMamas for the first time. Spur said RocoMamas grew sales 113.2% from the matching six months in 2015. Excluding new restaurants, RocoMamas grew sales 45%.

Its next fastest-growing brand was The Hussar Grill, which grew sales 58%. Excluding new outlets, the brands sales growth was 38%.

"Despite the slowing economy, RocoMamas continues to show strong growth, while the robust results from The Hussar Grill highlights the resilience of the higher-income consumer," CEO Pierre van Tonder said.

The group appears to be scaling back Captain DoRegos, whose sales declined 15.8%.

John Dorys: Fish, Grill, Sushi, on the other hand, grew sales 17.8%. Much of this growth appears to be from new outlet since comparative sales growth was 4.6%.

Its flagship Spur Steak Ranches grew sales 4%. The brands existing restaurants grew sales 2%. Panarottis Pizza Pasta grew sales 10.6%, of which 9.7% came from existing restaurants.

"Our focus in the second half of the year will continue to be driving growth through value promotions, aggressive marketing and expanding our local and international restaurant base," Van Tonder said.
One third of the world's population has no electricity, and the same applies for South Africa, where the majority of these people live in rural, remote areas of the country.

In informal settlements in Gauteng such as Mooiplaas, just outside of Centurion as well as Soshanguve in Pretoria, ePower has introduced affordable electricity solutions in the form of a solar powered community centre set-up on a 40-foot container where services such as mobile phone battery charging, free wi-fi connectivity, internet browsing are available to the public.

We have rolled out three ePower containers this year, two in South Africa (Mooiplaas and Soshanguve) and one in Zambia. We have interest for five more to be rolled out in Botswana during the first quarter of 2017 and we have another going to Namibia. These are exciting times for our business, explains Tariq Yusuf, co-founder of ePower Holdings.

The industry continues to grow largely thanks to support from businesses and government who increasingly regard it as a cost-effective alternative energy generator with huge potential to help deliver lower-cost energy, encourage job creation and stimulate local economies.

He describes the intricacies of starting a business in the solar industry in South Africa: This enterprising organisation is not only changing peoples lives but is also looking to partner with like-minded investors in the energy sector who are committed to creating opportunities for entrepreneurs in the rural markets of South Africa and the rest of Africa.

They are many opportunities for people to get involved in solar products. ePower is a solar business for people to get involved with as it can be profitable and sustainable for African markets, Yusuf says.

How is it changing the faces of these communities?

ePower is working to empower the worlds underdeveloped communities through the application of solar energy as an alternative to paraffin, gas, candles which often have disastrous consequences for the people who use them.

A solar energy business can be exciting and rewarding with impressive growth potential. These generally require a heavy initial investment, but a number of grants and tax incentives help solar energy companies to get off the ground. We entered this industry because it offers a range of benefits to business, utility companies and households, including the 100% renewable nature of the energy source.

"On top of that, we went the social entrepreneurship route because we want to make the world a better place and bring necessities to people who need them the most, all while ensuring that it makes business, he explains.

Maybin Madiba Mudenda, a businessman from Zambia who specialises in private equity and has invested in some of the ePower projects in his home country, says:This is a sustainable project that can help a lot of rural communities who are not connected to the grid. Zambia is also facing many power challenges even with the people that are connected to the grid. In addition, it is a good business investment with good returns.

There are almost 11 million people living off the grid in Zambia. I think it will create a difference in the way people are living and thinking as they will now have access to power albeit in a small way. This means access to TV, wi-fi connection and many additions to come. I would like to see the ePower project work in rural Africa with the support of the international donors, young entrepreneurs and government support, concludes Mudenda.
More than 1,000 students from the missing middle stand to benefit from a new student funding scheme.

The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) will be piloted this year at six universities and one technical vocational education and training (TVET) college.

The scheme will fund students who come from families with income levels above the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) threshold, but who cannot afford post-school education.

The pilot programme will fund the studies of about 1,500 students studying in a number of general formative degrees, as well as seven professional qualifications and one artisan qualification for the duration of their studies. Funding to enable the pilot has been sourced mostly from the private sector, said Minister Nzimande.

Nzimande said the programme will be piloted at the University of Venda, Wits University, University of Pretoria, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Tshwane University of Technology, University of Cape Town and one TVET college - Orbit TVET College.

Briefing the media on the outcomes of engagements with higher education stakeholders on the state of readiness for the 2017 academic year on Thursday, 26 January, Nzimande said together with the Department of Science and Technology minister, the department has also committed to expanding grants and scholarships for postgraduate studies.

It is a pipe dream to think that we have a decolonised higher education system without training new academics its a pipe dream, two things must go together, the minister said.

He said the department is hoping that everyone would use 2017 to give the institutions of higher learning some stability, calling on student leadership to make sure that the education system is not harmed or damaged.

This is the year we hope that the issue of fees would be addressed in one way or another. We are calling on everybody to give the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education Funding a chance.
A chenin revolution is in the air - at the 2016 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge, it became clear that this diverse, full-bodied, fresh and textured wine is becoming increasingly marketable, locally and abroad. The nine winners of the challenge were recently presented with their cheques, but a number of local community initiatives and the communities they support were the real winners.

Pexels via pixabay

The awards were celebrated at two separate occasions  at Spier and Leopards Leap Family Vineyards  in November and December, respectively, where all agreed its been a great year for Chenin Blanc. Here, firstly, the ten winners were hailed for their winemaking prowess.

The honour roll

The honour roll comprised a mix of repeat and first-time winners. Among the repeat winners were Kleine Zalze, last year honoured for two bottles: their Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2015 and their Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2015. After their 2014 win, Bellingham was again toasted, this time for The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2015. Their Reserve Chenin Blanc 2015 helped DeMorgenzon to consecutive wins.

Leopards Leap and Rijks, both 2014 honourees, returned to winning ways with, respectively, their Culinaria Collection Chenin Blanc 2015 and Private Cellar Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2013. Perdeberg, winners in 2014 and 2015, landed a podium place for their Dry Land Collection Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2015, a third consecutive appearance for the label. Spier, another 2014 and 2015 laureate, won for their 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2015.

These old hands were joined by two newcomers: Allee Bleue, courtesy of their Chenin Blanc 2015; and Boschendal for their Sommelier Selection Chenin Blanc 2015.

The competition, established in 2014, is now coming into its own, says Ina Smith, manager of the South African Chenin Blanc Association, which first proposed the Challenge as a means to showcase the quality and rich local tradition of the oft-overlooked varietal. As the competition matures, certain winemakers are setting the pace, she adds. It has been three years since the competition was launched and some front-runners are starting to emerge.

Willie du Plessis, Standard Banks executive head of business banking in Western Cape, says Chenin Blanc is showing great growth potential in the country. With the Top Ten Challenge, Standard Bank embraced the opportunity to support the great potential growth in the wine industry across Africa.

With Standard Bank as the sponsor, each of the top ten wineries  two for Kleine Zalze, of course  was given a cheque of R20,000 to help a chosen local beneficiary. This is in keeping with the rules of the competition that the winemakers invest the money in ways that benefit either their own employees or their surrounding communities from which their employees hail.

The sustainability of agriculture is so important to the livelihood of local communities residing on farms or rural towns, it has become a symbiotic relationship, says Du Plessis. "In the wine industry it is no different, being a notable employer of people with skills across various fields, ranging from Chenin grape production, winemaking, distribution, marketing, exporting and tourism. The prize money touches people across this value chain.

Spier

Jacques Erasmus, winemaker from Spier, said he was delighted that this was the second year the 21 Gables had made it into the top ten. The wine is a consistent performer.

Spier chose to pass on their cheque to the Sustainability Institute, an initiative based close to Spier that has since 1999 established a creche and baby centre, as well as aftercare programmes at a local partner school. In addition, the Institute has now started a Learning for Sustainability FET College, with a strong focus on sustainable African futures. That creates new opportunities for local youngsters, many keen to become farmers, explains Litha Magidi, operations officer for the Sustainability Institute.

The Institute helps upcoming farmers from the area, not just how to farm but also how to market their produce, explains Erasmus. Business skills related to farming are essential.

Kleine Zalze

Alastair Rimmer, cellarmaster at Kleine Zalze, says it is a huge honour to have been named twice, among the competitions winners. Chenin as a variety in South Africa is very important. We have over 50% of the worlds Chenin vineyards and significant resources of older Chenin vines which give such depth of flavour.

Kleine Zalze had chosen the Kleine Zalze Fair Trade Committee, made up of their staff members, as their beneficiary. The committee is made up of and run by all of the winerys 150 staff members. Uplifting people is a critical part of our work, said Rimmer. We feel you have to get your own backyard sorted out before starting on big things.

Geoffrey Abrahams and Wayne Van Rooyen from the Kleine Zalze Fair Trade Committee were thrilled with the money. We will use the money for a number of things, including assisting our colleagues to get drivers licences, to learn another language or become computer literate, they explain. Interestingly, a number of people in our community are really keen to learn to play musical instruments too.

Perdeberg

Perdeberg winemaker CEO Gerhard Van der Watt said it felt fantastic to have been included in the top ten for the third year in a row. If you want to see Chenin Blanc in a wide range of expressions, come to us! he noted. Our area is natural for Chenin Blanc grapes.

Perdeberg would give its money to a start-up creche in Mbekwena, near Paarl, which a former employee, Maureen Mfengo, was starting up. We know and love Maureen, says Van der Watt, and would like to support her creche because a number of our workers will use it. She worked for us for many years. We want to plough back and invest in her project.

Rijks

Pierre Wahl, winemaker at Rijks said it was a huge privilege being in the top ten for the second time. The award money would be used to upgrade facilities on the farm. We are a small cellar, with ten permanent workers. When we bought the farm it was full of old buildings and not many facilities. We are upgrading meeting rooms, toilets, etc. The staff housing conditions are already good. Now we want to make their working conditions better.

Wahl reports that Rijks will make an additional contribution in the appointment of young local Dimitri Vermeulen. Dimitri is a very level-headed, ambitious 21-year-old member of the Tulbagh community  to be sent on a course in winemaking so he can assist on the farm.

Boschendal

Lizelle Gerber, winemaker at Boschendal, and assistant winemaker, Tamsyn Jeftha, describe their place in the top ten as a great honour. This is a sign that the diversity of Chenin Blanc has been acknowledged, says Gerber.

In line with Boschendals commitment to giving back to their community, the winemakers will award its prize money to the DGB Charitable Trust. The Trust manages a number of social responsibility initiatives, including a library bus  to which the challenge money will go  that visits different schools in Breede Kloof the area. Ernst Zeeman, manager of the Trusts social programmes, hailed the donation, explaining that the bus visits four schools a week and had already made a huge difference in the lives of local farm children.

DeMorgenzon

Wendy Appelbaum, proprietor of DeMorgenzon, joined winemaker Carl van der Merwe in describing their listing as an absolute honour. Chenin Blanc is South Africas leading white wine, says Appelbaum. Its going to put SA wine up there with the best in the world!

The organisation which will benefit from DeMorgenzons prize is Community Keepers in Stellenbosch, which offers social services support to Winelands communities for issues linked to alcohol abuse and fetal alcohol syndrome. Philip Geldenhuys, CEO of Community Keepers, said he was honoured to be selected. It costs about R100 to have a 30-minute session with a child so the money will be used to deliver 200 sessions with a psychologist or a counselor to children in the area. In the same way that we say, you cant teach a hungry child, you also cant teach a traumatised child.

Bellingham

Bellinghams Neil Groenewald welcomed the recognition of the award for the hard work put into finding the right old vine.

Thanks, specifically, to our growers who kept some old vines in the vineyards for us.

Bellingham will donate its prize money to the Sunfield Home for adults in Wellington with intellectual disabilities. Daisy Groenewald, Sunfields Services Manager, says the money will go towards arts and crafts supplies for the homes residents. We are thrilled, says Groenewald. The plan is to buy an ice-cream container with everything they need. We already make the gift packs for Bellingham  and are so grateful for this contribution.

Leopards Leap

Leopards Leap winemaker Eugene van Zyl says he is excited to be in the top ten for a second year. I am passionate about Chenin Blanc. The value for money you get for this wine in South Africa is superb. In recent years there is so much more awareness of Chenin Blanc and we have seen great growth, especially since last year.

Leopards Leap has donated its prize money to the Kusasa Project in Franschhoek. Started some years back as a feeding programme, the project now runs its own early learning centre, in addition to what it calls its Breakfast Club and Feeding Scheme, and a Scholars Programme for late primary and secondary school children. Principal, Marie-Louise Raymond, hails the donation, explaining that the school will use the money for operational costs. We are expanding next year, taking on a new teacher and employing another teacher. We are also adding a new grade. We love what we do and are so grateful for this donation.

Allee Bleue

Carol Maggs, sales manager for Allee Bleue, says she was super excited to be in the top ten for the first time. Our Chenin has over the years been a quiet contender, so it great to be recognised.

Allee Bleues beneficiary is an early-childhood development centre, Klein Handjies, based on Boschendal as a joint initiative between the wine estate and neighbouring Solms Delta. The centre accommodates children from four months to five years old, currently capable of serving 52 children, explains principal, Lynnette Carolissen. Most parents in the area have to work, so it is for moms to feel happy that their children, especially little babies, are safe while they work, says Carolissen.

The range of organisations and causes that will benefit is proof that the Top Ten Challenge has not only served to cast a welcome spotlight on Chenin Blanc, but also does a lot of good, says Standard Banks Du Plessis. Weve seen the difference this initiative has made in peoples lives.
As technology evolves at an exponential pace, and increasing numbers of individuals live in urban areas, the concept of smart cities is gaining momentum.

L-R: Rudraksh Bhawalkar and Gavin Holme

Smart cities rely on massive volumes of data being gathered by sensor-based technology and fed into intelligent networks. If developed cohesively, these networks can integrate with one another, sharing data and forming a super-network that pulls in every aspect of a smart city  from energy management and smart grids, to public transport, traffic management, healthcare, information services, ubiquitous connectivity, intelligent buildings, and refuse and sanitation, to name just a few aspects.

But another, lesser-known benefit of smart cities is the ability to reduce crime. This is achieved in several ways:

Surveillance

Though this sparks lively debates around where the lines of personal privacy should be drawn, theres no doubt that surveillance footage from networks of IP-connected cameras are very useful to authorities when tracking down suspects.

With metro police authorities operating in a fully connected way, they become more efficient and can cover more ground in the fight against crime. For instance, incident reports can be completed at the scene of a crime, via simple forms on a mobile app. This can be combined with surveillance and historical data, served from cloud platforms and interpreted by sophisticated analytics tools, empowering police with sharper insights when solving crimes.

Rapid response

Using camera and sensor technology, emergency medical and police response teams can receive automatic alerts to road accidents and other incidents. When just a few seconds can sometimes mark the difference between life and death, having ambulances dispatched more quickly has a huge impact. Another example is having smart cameras installed at automated teller machines (ATMs). These smart cameras can incorporate smart analytics and be programmed to detect motion as well as behaviour that is deemed either suspicious or alarming. A person with a weapon could be identified with smart analytics and alert sent in real-time through to the control room, initiating a fast response.

Improved lighting

Criminals often take advantage of poorly lit environments. But imagine if, for instance, a smart city system included connectivity to street lights, so that when a bulb breaks, the relevant department gets an immediate alert and repair crews can attend to the problem. This same principle is applied to any public lighting, cameras, or other sensors.

Healthy environments

In the emerging world, sanitation in urban and peri-urban areas is a huge problem. With more efficient, technology-enabled refuse removal and disposal services, citizens benefit from a cleaner and more hygienic living environment - helping to reduce the spread of disease.

Disaster management

With enhanced communication capabilities, authorities can alert citizens to impending disasters or issues, such as flooding, hailstorms or tornadoes. Emergency relief can be more effectively distributed to affected areas. With stories of drownings in flash floods not uncommon in some South African cities during rainy seasons, this could have life-saving effects.

Two-way citizen engagement

Perhaps the most important safety initiative for smart city planners is to build the tools in which citizens can report crimes anonymously, with geolocation and camera evidence that mobile apps enable. This extends the authorities eyes and ears and helps to create a culture where people hold each other accountable for upholding the law and ensuring the safety of others.

While every city is different, South African cities across the country could certainly benefit from improved citizen safety. In other global case studies, introducing new technology-driven solutions have been slashed crime levels by up to 30% in some cities. As municipalities and political parties look for ways to garner greater public support, smart cities may provide them with the results theyre looking for. Every individual, in fact, would benefit from the enhanced public safety made possible by new technology.
Good news! The new Volvo S90 is now available in South Africa. Making its local debut as the second brand-new Volvo since the company began its New Dawn' renaissance with the local launch of the all-new XC90 in 2015, the new Volvo S90 is a continuation of the new look, new feel and new luxury Volvo brand in South Africa.

Marking the company's return to the large executive sedan segment, the new S90 offers "unprecedented Swedish luxury, supreme comfort and space, modern Scandinavian design, Drive-E efficiency and semi-autonomous driving as standard on all models". The new S90, like the XC90, is built on Volvo Cars new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) and features a mixed offering of petrol and diesel engines, and is available in three trim levels.

The new S90 launches in South Africa initially with two engines  the D5 and T6, both with all-wheel drive  in Momentum or Inscription guise. Later in 2017, the D4 and T5 derivatives will follow, with front-wheel drive, and the range-topping T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid (PHEV) will make its way to South Africa at a later date.

Greg Maruszewski, MD of Volvo Car South Africa, comments: The S90 is a beautifully elegant large sedan with clean, minimalistic design elements and a truly premium interior, enhanced by our typically generous levels of standard equipment, well-priced optional extras and of course our all-encompassing warranty and maintenance plan. We know that South African buyers in this segment want class, sophistication and luxury  and with the S90 we are now able to offer them such an option which holds significant cost advantages over its main competitors in the segment."

Range pricing

Petrol:

T5 Geartronic Momentum  187kW/350Nm  R675,200

T5 Geartronic Inscription  187kW/350Nm  R718,700

T5 Geartronic R-Design  187kW/350Nm  R704,200

T6 Geartronic AWD Momentum  235kW/400Nm  R828,400

T6 Geartronic AWD Inscription  235kW/400Nm  R871,900

T6 Geartronic AWD R-Design  235kW/400Nm  R857,400

Diesel:

D4 Geartronic Momentum  140kW/400Nm  R698,500

D4 Geartronic Inscription  140kW/400Nm  R742,000

D4 Geartronic R-Design  140kW/400Nm  R727,500

D5 Geartronic AWD Momentum  173kW/480Nm  R777,700

D5 Geartronic AWD Inscription  173kW/480Nm  R821,200

D5 Geartronic AWD R-Design  173kW/480Nm  R806,700

All models come standard with a 5-year/ 100,000 km full vehicle warranty, full maintenance plan and roadside assistance, as well as laminated glass and Tracker Connect as standard.

Gallery: View Volvo's new S90 in all its glory
December on the coast of the Western Cape. Not exactly the place to go for a peaceful, quiet festive season  but this is where I call home, and I wasn't going anywhere. I knew I would probably have to move into an underground bunker to avoid the madding crowds, but the occasional dash to the shops (for chops), would be unavoidable.

I chose the Toyota Auris as my holiday wheels, because practicality trumps everything during the busiest of holiday seasons. Imagine trying to maneuver yourself out of trouble in a Mercedes-Benz Vito or Hyundai H-1 bus? In the more compact Toyota Auris X1 hatchback (R298,800), Id have a much better chance of returning home without parking lot-induced scratches and bumps. So how convenient is the Auris for everyday use?

Its not in the looks, its in the resale value

A Toyota in your garage is like a cheque in your pocket: the favourite saying of Land Cruiser owners in the Middle East. But what about the Auris  is it really such a value proposition, despite not being as well-equipped as some of its rivals? The coveted Japanese carmakers badge counts for a lot in South Africa. Toyota equals reliability  that is the general consensus anyway. So the Auris already scores points, even though it isnt the most exciting thing on four wheels. From a design perspective, there are a few better-looking hatches out there, but I must admit, I find the Auriss streamlined silhouette (especially in this colour!) rather handsome.

The inside job

The Auris Xi is very much a mid-range buy, but the interior looks stylish enough. A large centrally-mounted screen with cool blue backlighting, provides the option to choose between AM/FM, CD, USB and Bluetooth media sources. It took some time figuring out and getting used to, which almost encouraged me to get all my messages and phone calls out of the way before setting off on trips. On the upside, having a CD player is almost a rarity these days, with manufacturers offering only USB/SD card functionality.

Even though wed all prefer leather seats, the upmarket material of the Auris Xis seats proved to be rather durable. I dont normally allow the kids to eat in the car, but I gave in, to prevent a looming post-nap temper tantrum. In the end, strawberry ice cream was had, and messed  but easily cleaned. The seat colour is a winner for hiding blotches!

And whats the holidays without a trip to the overcrowded beach? Thats where the large 360 litre boot came in handy, fitting all the beach paraphernalia for a family of six (the other family members went in their own car, but we ended up carrying everybodys stuff). In this price range, the only hatchback with a bigger boot is the Chevrolet Cruze Hatch, with 413 litres.

As for legroom, the fully grown rear-passengers in the Auris were not disadvantaged. I once sat in the back (to clean the above mentioned ice-cream mishap) and my legs had much room for stretching out. Theres also space for large bottles in all four door pockets, and a useful cubby above the gear lever for pocket change or small valuables. Theres a 12V power socket in front, as well as the back, and the centre armrest fits another two water bottles.

The driving experience

With a naturally aspirated and rev-happy 1.6-litre petrol engine, the Auris is fun to drive, with good body control and little body roll. Another perk is the leather-covered steering wheel (who wants to grab hold of polyurethane?) with satellite controls. Its exactly the right thickness, and the steering itself is not vague or numb. Compared to the over-assisted steering in the Kia Cerato hatch 1.6 EX (R299,995), it actually feels quite direct.

It also has a pinch more Kilowatts (97) and Newton metres (160) in the trousers than rivals such as the previously mentioned Cerato. Yet again, the Chevrolet Cruze hatch 1.4T LS (R301,400) beats both the Auris and Cerato with its turbo technology, which affords the Cruze a healthy 103 kW and 200 Nm. (The facelifted Cruze will be launching in SA soon.)

Fuel consumption in the Auris is decent, with a very small difference between town and open road driving. Most of the time it was either 7.2 to 7.4 litres per 100 km. Your best bet for exemplary fuel usage would be the Ford Focus 1.0T Trend (R278,900) with its award-winning three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which will give you a thousand km on a single tank, if you drive conservatively.

Is the Auris the one to consider?

This is a very personal question  it depends whether you are a Toyota fan through and through, or not. Compared to the Ford Focus 1.0T Trend, Kia Cerato Hatch 1.6 EX and Chevrolet Cruze 1.4T LS Hatch, there are a few places where the Auris Xi falls short. The Focus, Cerato and Cruise all have six airbags, but the Auris has only four, and no cruise control, traction/stability control or fog lamps. As a mom, I would prefer my kids to have the protection of the curtain airbags in the back, if possible. But if no-one is ever going to ride in the back and resale value is more important, the Toyota wins.

Facts and figures

Model name: Toyota Auris 1.6 Xi

Price: R298,800

Engine: 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Power: 97 kW

Torque: 160 Nm

0-100 km/h: 10 seconds

Airbags: 4

Boot size: 360 litres

Warranty: 3 years

Service Plan: 5 years
As a leading global motor company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles could no longer afford to remain a peripheral player in the South African new-vehicle market, new local CEO Robin van Rensburg said on Thursday.

Van Rensburg, who took charge this month, said with the exception of Jeep, the company's brands were underachievers in SA. With two of these brands likely to quietly leave the country in coming weeks, those remaining had to significantly improve their market share.

He predicted the arrival of new products would kick-start this recovery.

Fiat was an important brand in the 1990s when the little Uno transformed the entry-level car market. In those days, Fiat sold cars in SA by the thousand. Now it does so by the dozen; all that is available is the Fiat 500 range. The sporty Alfa Romeo and Abarth brands also sell slowly.

On the Chrysler side of the business, the Chrysler and Dodge car brands are on the verge of discreetly quitting SA, once current stocks are exhausted. Neither has made much of an impact here and, in any case, most vehicles are designed for markets where motorists drive on the right-hand side of the road.

That leaves Jeep, which remains a popular brand in SA. But Van Rensburg said it could do much better. "Wrangler has a cult following so we should be doing more with that."

The Cherokee would benefit from more diesel engines while the Grand Cherokee luxury 4x4 should compete more aggressively against the Land Rover Discovery.

New CEO Van Rensburg joined Fiat Chrysler SA from Jaguar Land Rover SA, where he was marketing director until the end of 2016.

Fiat Chrysler, created in 2014, is the world's seventh largest car maker. As a group it is little known in SA, where many are more familiar with Daimler Chrysler, even though that merger unravelled a decade ago, in 2007. "The vehicle brands are the most important but we also need to raise awareness of ourselves as a corporate entity," Van Rensburg said.

One way to do this could be to build vehicles in SA, he said. After the early days of the Uno, when it was built by Nissan SA in Pretoria, Fiats have been imported. While there was no guarantee of it happening, Van Rensburg said he was investigating the feasibility of local manufacture, as a means of "demonstrating our commitment to SA".

If Fiat Chrysler were to build in SA, it would not necessarily be cars. Fiat professional light commercial vehicles, including vans and the Fullback pick-up, also had potential to sell many more than at present, he said. "I don't think we have understood the potential in that segment."

Van Rensburg succeeds Marco Melani, who became CEO last March but returned to group headquarters in Turin, Italy, at the end of 2016. Melani's appointment, following the departure of long-serving Trent Barcroft, was intended as a stopgap, Van Rensburg said.

"The plan was always for the company to be run by a local."

Source: Business Day
The Department of Higher Education and Training has left it to universities to decide whether to register students with historical debt who are not funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Students who do not qualify for NSFAS assistance and cannot pay their own fees, referred to as the "missing middle", received a 0% fee increase in 2017.

The department convinced institutions to allow deserving students from poor backgrounds to register. Higher Education and Training director-general Gwebinkundla Qonde told Business Day the government would protect poor and working-class families.

"If you are not [funded by the] NSFAS you are accounted for in terms of zero-fee adjustments," Qonde said.

The "missing-middle" students had to pay their outstanding fees up to 2015.

Talks were being held to arrange with "missing-middle" students on how their debt should be repaid. These students would be absolved from 2016 fee increases.

"For 2017, they again have a 0% fee adjustment," while students from "rich families" would face an 8% increase, Qonde said. "The department is absorbing the fee adjustment for 2016 and 2017. It is worth billions," he said.

Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande said on Thursday universities had agreed with him on the importance of allowing successful students with historic debt to register for the 2017 academic year.

The NSFAS will extend application deadlines for the 2017 academic year.

Nzimande said the NSFAS had paid out R1.3bn to universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in advance for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure that deserving students were admitted for the 2017 academic year.

"On the matter of historic debt, broad agreement was reached with universities and colleges to ensure humane and transparent debt management and relief processes to assist academically successful students, so that they can register in 2017, where this is possible," Nzimande said.

This provision would help universities cover their operating costs in the first quarter of the year and ease the pressure on each institution's cash flow.

The department would pilot the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme aimed at assisting 1,508 "missing-middle" students at six universities and one TVET college.

He said the Fees Commission's final report would make long-term recommendations on the pilot project, its funding needs as well as its scope.

Efficient Group economist Francois Stofberg said allowing debtors to register showed foresight as individuals could continue to add value to the economy in the longer term once they complete their studies.

However, as the NFSAS was a government-supported institution, it would increase government debt.

"These figures are not in the many billions, if you look at the debts of Eskom and SAA," Stofberg said.

Although the risk of financing students who were eventually unable to repay their debt always existed, students with historic debt had to be kept in the system through increasing the amount of debt students may accumulate, he said.

Nzimande is set to meet the South African Further Education and Training Students Association on Friday over concerns about TVET colleges.
Striking workers shut down the University of SA's main campus in Pretoria yesterday over a wage dispute.

The entrance to the Muckleneuk campus was a sea of red yesterday as scores of singing and chanting workers in National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union regalia voiced their grievances with management.

Nehawu's Sello Bila said the university would not function until its demands for a 10% salary increase was met.

He said negotiations deadlocked when Unisa reduced its initial offer of a 6% increase to 4.5%.

"That is arrogance on the part of the university, so we returned to our initial demand of 10%," he said.

Bila said Unisa was also grappling with wastage, saying management spent R100million on an IT system to be used for student registration this year but the system was not working.

"The university also rents buildings, though it has buildings of its own," he said.

The road leading to the campus was blocked, with Tshwane metro police controlling traffic and a police helicopter hovered over the striking workers.

Traffic reports yesterday morning also warned motorists to avoid Unisa's Florida and Midrand campuses.
The South Africa state rail company Transnet said Tuesday their engineers will go to China next month to verify locomotives they bought, before commissioning. Transnet was responding to an inquiry from Xinhua after South African media reports indicated that locomotives bought from China's CRRC Corporation Limited were found to be faulty.

Mike Asefovitz, senior manager of Corporarte Affairs at Transnet told Xinhua that there were technical problems with the alternator and the problem has been resolved successfully. "There were vibration problems with the alternators. The OEM has resolved the problem successfully. This is common practice in projects of this size and nature, Transnet is contractually covered should there be problems experienced before during and post receipt of these locomotives," Asefovitz said.

"Transnet engineers will travel to China to validate technologies and sub-systems in February. This is part of the contractual and costed process. All sub-systems are tested independently as an assembly and then as an integrated system," he said.

Asefovitz said brand new locomotives that are for the first time being designed for a rail gauge even with proven technology will go through various tests and findings so that any shortcomings are rectified during and post commissioning phases.

The South African engineers will witness the locomotives undergoing extensive testing by the OEMs to ensure that they comply with Railway Safety Regulator's requirements and processes.

He said all the costs associated with the checking and testing are covered in the contract and they will be no further prejudice to the company.

In 2014 Transnet contracted four international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to supply 1,064 new locomotives. These included China North Rail (CNR), China South Rail (CSR), General Electric (GE) and Bombardier. CNR and CSR merged into CRRC in 2015.

Xinhua
Earlier this month, the first train rumbled down the tracks of a $3.4 billion electric railway connecting landlocked Ethiopia with Djibouti and its access to the Red Sea. The 750-kilometer (466 miles) line, expected to carry up to five million tons of goods per year, promises to have a massive impact on the economies of both countries and the region at large.

At the official launch of the project, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said its importance cannot be overstated. This project is like our blood vessels, he told a VOA Somali service reporter who was riding on the inaugural train. The reason is because Ethiopia's outlet is through Djibouti. Therefore, this project determines if we can live or not live.

The project was 70 percent funded by a loan from China's state-run EXIM Bank and built by China Railway Group and Chinese engineers.

Kenya railway line almost done

It is the latest in China's massive infrastructure investment in Africa. A $13-billion railroad in Kenya, financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and built by the state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation, is nearly complete. Other railway lines are planned to stretch into East African countries including South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Between 2000 and 2014, China made $24.2 billion in loans to finance transportation projects on the African continent, according to researchers at the China-Africa Research Initiative, a group at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies focusing on China-Africa relations. Eighty percent of those loans were for roads and railways.

China eyes African ports

Experts say Chinese infrastructure investment in Africa is not about altruism. Funding railways benefits China by connecting ports and facilitating the movement of raw commodities that are badly needed to fuel China's development. East Africa, particularly the ports in Kenya, ports in Tanzania and especially ports in Djibouti, these are very important for the Chinese just for the exports, says Jyhjong Hwang, a senior research assistant at Johns Hopkins' China-Africa Research Initiative.

Hwang says that for China, these projects will take a long time to pay dividends. By contrast, she said African economies are likely to see an immediate impact.

These are big transportation projects that will stimulate local economies, these are good for basic infrastructure, she says. This is good for local, loan recipient countries just because these projects have a lot of costs and not a lot of immediate financial return.

These are the projects that need a lot of financial infusion to begin with and obviously the financier has to be willing to want to take on a lot of risk but willing to recuperate over a longer horizon.

Not a 'clear pattern'

In 2016, the China-Africa Research Initiative published its database of all known loans made by China to Africa between 2000 and 2014. The countries that received these loans were not all resource-rich countries, researchers found.

When we talk about China and Africa and interests, people talk about natural resources, but one of our findings was that actually there isn't a clear pattern in terms of the amounts of loans to countries and how well endowed they are with natural resources, says Janet Eom, a research manager at the China-Africa Research Initiative.

Oil-rich Angola received the largest amount of funding, Eom says. But resource-poor Ethiopia came in second.

One Belt, One Road policy in Africa

China views its investment abroad as part of its One Belt, One Road policy. Spearheaded by Beijing, this effort is a Chinese public-private partnership, Hwang says, even though technically no company is truly private in China.

It aims to develop a modern silk road where goods and commodities can be easily transported between China and its surrounding region. Eventually, China says, it would like to shift labor-intensive industrial work to places like Africa.

Local governments are aware a lack of infrastructure is a roadblock to international investment, Hwang says, and are eager to partner with China. On the Chinese side, they want to have better investment opportunities in Africa, so if they don't have a railroad, they will help them build it themselves, she said.

China also has a large number of infrastructure contractors who need work, many of whom have close links to the ruling party or are state owned. The quality of the work has come under scrutiny, says Hwange. But, she added, they are capable of doing the work very fast and very cheap, and they are able to find the financing for it 

Most laborers are African

The Johns Hopkins researchers also found Chinese projects benefit African workers, the foremen and technicians tend to be Chinese while the manual laborers are generally African.

There are concerns about the ability of African nations to pay back these loans, researchers found. This is particularly true in countries heavily reliant on oil revenue, which have seen the price per barrel slump in recent years.

There are also concerns China may pull back its investment on the continent as it experiences an economic slowdown.

But the recipient countries of this investment believe it is a win-win.
When the President of the United States is called out for blatant lies on his very first day in office by the media  facts which are then dismissed as alternative facts by his team in turn, you know we are in for a headache-inducing time and an era of obfuscation.

Image by 123RF

Donald Trump and his newly-minted White House press secretary Sean Spicer were both accused of lying over the past weekend about the rather petty issue of inauguration day attendance figures. They accused the media of lying. So the media went digging for the facts. CNN even took the unusual step of not airing the White House press conference until it had verified the facts.

Confronted with this, Trumps controversial campaign manager and now counsellor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, defended both the President and Spicer, saying they had presented alternative facts. Classic George Orwell 1984 alternative reality. All this spin makes my head spin.

Not that politicians lying for the own gain is anything new. But in this world of increasing fake news sites and black ops political war rooms designed to spin elections, we the media and as individuals need to be more vigilant than ever and truly understand how to spot fake news and not to share emotive social media posts without being sure of our facts.

It is also time for the media to call out public figures for lying, to not take the bullsh*t being fed to us at press conferences and in statements. To question more vigorously absolutely everything that crosses our desks, from the most innocuous press release to the most politically charged speech.

The era of diplomacy and respect is over, thanks to Donald Trump. The gloves are off and it is about time. And in this season of social media, every slip and every lie will be documented, that is the saving grace of free information flows.

We will certainly be seeing more of the fractious media relationship between the new US President and the media. And countless more funny memes, such as this one that was spawned after the Spicer White House press conference, #SeanSpicersays and #alternative facts:

#SeanSpicerSays Trump is a fashion icon. His inspired look of crotch length tie is a spreading global phenomenon for both men and women. pic.twitter.com/zGrSW4eRf6  Marco Scheurer (@phink0) January 25, 2017

#SeanSpicerSays The Sun moves around the Earth, not the other way round. And the Earth moves around #DonaldTrump Period.  Mac van Dinther (@MacvanDinther) January 25, 2017

Newsweek wrote about how the Trump team welcomes alternative facts in assault on media in the debate about the size of crowds at the Presidential inauguration. In the end it was more about the size of the lie being told and by whom. Priority one appears to be denigrating and delegitimising the media, wrote Newsweek.

In an excellent New York Times article on how people seem to enjoy being lied to, in the context of our so-called reality television era, author Adam Kirsch writes that the collapse of the distinction between truth, fiction and lie, has given rise to the Age of Trump.

And here at home, fake Twitter accounts pushing a sinister agenda emerged. As Justice Malala wrote on RDM.co.za, A dirty propaganda war  where truth doesnt matter, where reputations are routinely torn to shreds through innuendo  has been joined. Editor Ferial Haffajee, herself a victim of trolling on social media recently, said the fake news sites in question were not parodies, but actual fake news sites meant to deceive the public and vowed to take action and out them.

Its as if some political leaders in both the US and SA are reading from a similar script and exactly as George Orwell predicted in his dystopian novel 1984, which incidentally, is being reprinted because there is so much interest in it again after comparisons with Trump's leadership style and political agenda.

But in the flurry of executive orders banning this and that, including climate change and Federal employees from tweeting, the resistance lives on in national park employees in the United States. These khaki-clad unlikely heroes, who decided that while Trump could take our official Twitter, youll never take our freedom, to set up alternative accounts at @AltNatParkSer, tweeting up a storm on climate change and real facts and giving courage to every bunny hugger out there that rebellion lives on in the hearts of brave park rangers.

They have been followed by a host of other rebel sites to put out scientific facts on climate change in the light of climate change pages being scrubbed off official Federal Government websites: @ActualEPAFacts, @altUSEPA, @Alt_NASA, @altusda, @AlternativeNWS, @Alt_CDC, @AltHHS, @AltNIH, @altNOAA, @altfda, @AltUSFWSRefuge.

This alternative National Park Services account, @AltNatParkSer, describes itself as the Unofficial #Resistance team of US National Park Service. Not taxpayer subsidised! Come for rugged scenery, facts & 89 million acres of landscape #climate.

Mr Trump, you may have taken us down officially. But with scientific evidence & the Internet our message will get out.  AltUSNatParkService (@AltNatParkSer) January 24, 2017

The thing the dystopian novels could never predict was the sudden rebellion of the national park social media managers  David Hoyt (@DavidJHoyt) January 25, 2017
In 2016, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) stepped directly into mainstream consciousness, with both businesses and consumers alike putting their money behind new devices and applications.

Wavebreak Media Ltd via 123RF

For businesses in particular, augmented and mixed reality applications became more tangible and commercially viable, paving the way for increased investment in a fast moving sphere. Leading investment bank, Goldman Sachs, has predicted that the augmented and virtual reality industry will be worth a whopping $80 billion by 2025.

"as the technology advances, price points decline, and an entire new marketplace of applications (both business and consumer) hit the market, we believe VR/AR has the potential to spawn a multibillion-dollar industry, and possibly be as game changing as the advent of the PC," the banks analysts noted.

In South Africa, rapid smartphone penetration is making AR and VR applications far more viable for brands and businesses looking to leverage its capabilities. Armed with the massive computing power that every smartphone now possesses, consumers can delve into and fully immerse themselves in compelling AR experiences. For savvy brands, the technology offers a unique way to bridge the divide between physical and digital worlds, provided there is a worthy reason for linking the two

Hardware makers to spur adoption

Looking ahead, developers in the virtual and augmented reality realm are anticipating major smartphone makers such as Apple to throw their considerable weight behind new AR capabilities. Already, Business Insider has reported that Apple has a team of people working on integrating AR functionality into the iPhone's camera app. The publication noted that Apple's goal is for consumers to be able to point the phone at a real-world object and have that object be recognised.

Recent rumours have suggested Apple's ultimate augmented reality ambition may be a set of smart glasses, which would connect wirelessly to the iPhone and display "images and other information" to the wearer, reported the popular Mac Rumors site.

A more in-depth experience

In 2017, the planned introduction of depth-sensing camera technology into more smartphones and mobile devices will extend the possibilities for developers looking to create ever more immersive AR and VR experiences.

Take, for example, indoor navigation. If your smartphone has the ability to sense the local context and map out your immediate environment (using depth-sensing cameras), an AR application could potentially lay virtual pathways or displays to direct you in a mall  or even in an airport. This same depth-sensing capability  within a specific context or location  can be harnessed for countless other applications, such as interior design.

First movers stand to win

For prescient South African brands and businesses, AR and VR applications present a unique way in which to reach their consumers through targeted and relevant activations. The key is always to have a compelling brand reason for linking the physical and the digital realms. But for brands that can get it right, the first mover advantage will pay dividends in terms of brand building and consumer awareness. As with any digital activation, savvy brands will incorporate social media into any new AR or VR app, given that online users are always eager to share their experiences and engage with their networks online.

With new and innovative AR capabilities on the horizon, local businesses and brands have an opportune moment to get a head start on what promises to be a transformative computing technology.
Naspers, Sasol, Zeder Investments, Woolworths or Anglo American SA: Who will be crowned South Africa's Best Managed Company?

Following on from the recent publication of the 8th edition of Top 500 - South Africa's Best Managed Companies, the eagerly-awaited Top 500 Awards will take place on Tuesday, 7 March 2017, at Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.

Annually, the Top 500 team measures thousands of companies against strict criteria set in conjunction with the University of Cape Town.To be ranked in the Top 500, companies must be shown to excel in three spheres: performance, empowerment and policy & accreditation.

Through this process, the top five companies are ranked in 100 sectors. Their inclusion in the publication positions these companies at the forefront of the economy, in the eyes of top decision makers nationwide. Yet their Top 500 journey can now go further...

Showcasing success from the page to the stage

For the first time, less than 70 qualifying companies from amongst the Top 500's (for financial year 2016) - including EOH, Liberty, Standard Bank, Bidvest and Sun International - will step forth to vie for grand honours at the inaugural Top 500 Awards. Companies cannot enter these awards. Rather, finalists are directly contacted and invited to take part, based on their official ranking as the inner circle of the Top 500 elite; best of the best.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan praised business leadership in the 8th edition of Top 500 - South Africa's Best Managed Companies, and said We are strong, resilient enough and creative enough to manage and overcome our economic challenges. All of us want jobs, thriving businesses, engaged professionals, narrowing inequality, less poverty. It is critical that we should continue to raise confidence in the stability of our systems, ensure policy certainty in order to raise investment confidence, reignite growth and tackle our triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment."

As a new annual black-tie event, the Top 500 Awards will see winning companies lauded as the admirals at the helm of the economy. The host of distinguished individuals expected to be in attendance to salute their success will include government leaders, CEOs, celebrities and industry analysts. The Top 500 Awards will distill the publication's 100 sectors into 12 broader categories, with one winner in each category. The evening will culminate in one company being crowned South Africa's Best Managed Company overall. Event host Topco Media wishes the Platinum five - Naspers, Sasol, Zeder Investments, Woolworths or Anglo American SA - best of luck on the night.

Click HERE to view the Awards categories and all Finalists.




The Midas Awards for the World's Best Financial Advertising have been announced, with FP7/DXB (part of McCann Worldgroup) and MediaVest Spark earning the Midas Award for Innovation for The AC Vests' for client Emirates NBD. This special award honors the highest scoring entry that highlights a leading-edge idea or execution.

The award-winning campaigns strategic objective was to increase SME clients from the UAEs construction industry for Emirates NBD. Since UAE temperatures soar up to 50 degrees centigrade, Emirates NBD created a new product to attract clients and address the challenge of extreme working conditions during the summer monthsThe AC Vests. This innovative product resulted in a +20.72% uptick in new-to-bank business accounts.

Tahaab Reis, Regional Head of Strategic Planning, FP7/DXB, says, The biggest oversight our industry should avoid when we talk about innovation is believing that it only implies the next big tech creation. That is not entirely accurate. Innovation should be about authentic creative ideas that do use new technology but are not all about that technology. The technology should solve a human problem and have purpose at its core. Therefore, we are very happy and excited to see that our collective work (as Emirates NBD, as FP7 and as MediaVest) has resulted in us being awarded the Midas Award for Innovation. It involved us using an innovative fabric technology and overcoming several logistical barriers, to solve a business problem in a meaningful and purposeful way. The idea helped make workers lives a little bit better; it brought the brand respect and fame and grew the business in a key segment. We could not ask for more. A big thank you to Midas Awards and to the judges.

The Midas Report, launched in 2010, recognises and ranks the most successful global companies in the financial and marketing communications industry. Earning a spot on the prestigious Midas Report solidifies an agencys place as a leader in financial advertising and marketing. The Midas 2016 Report rankings include the Midas Agency and Brand Report, in addition to the newly added, Midas Network Report.

The Midas Report creative ranking system is based on points earned for winning entries and provides a historical account of the highest-ranking companies within the competition. Midas Report points for Midas Agency, Brand and Network rankings are calculated as follows: King Midas Award, 9 points; Midas Award for Innovation, 7 points; Gold Ingot Award, 6 points; Silver Ingot Award, 4 points; and Finalist Certificate, 1 point.

For the first time, Midas will honour global agency networks that have produced the most creative and measurably effective calibre of work on behalf of prominent brands, and whose entries have achieved the highest number of points earned. The Midas Network Report recognises Agency Networks that are the foremost leaders in the world of financial advertising.

Rankings in first annual Midas Network Report

McCann Worldgroup earned the number one ranking in the first annual Midas Network Report, cumulatively achieving the most points in this years competition. Publicis Worldwide, earned the number two slot, followed by R/GA, Wunderman and Havas Worldwide.

As a global marketing services network, McCann Worldgroup is privileged to work with many companies in the important financial services category, said Devika Bulchandani, md of McCanns NY agency. Winning Midass prestigious Network honour is a tribute to the shared commitment of these clients and our company in working together to create effective communications that connects with consumers across a wide range of platforms and channels.

Agencies from around the world competed for top spots in this years Midas Awards Agency Report; FP7/DXB Dubai (Part of McCann Worldgroup) was in the spotlight, ranking number one on the Midas Agency Report with a robust 190 points. McCann New York ranked number two this year with 90 points and the Jupiter Drawing Room (South Africa) Johannesburg earned the number three spot with 86 points.

Tarek Miknas, Group CEO, FP7/MENA (A part of McCann Worldgroup) added, Its always an honour for me to see brands from the region or work from the region that are recognised by reputable global institution and Midas is just that. Judged by internationally recognised experts in financial communications, there is no greater honour for financial institutions than winning these accolades. As an agency network, we have strategically placed great efforts in securing our ranking from 9th place to 3rd place to the worlds most awarded agency globally in the last three years respectively. It is through the trust of our clients that we were able to work together to achieve this ranking. I couldnt be more proud.

David Bell, ECD for MercerBell Australia commented on its ranking success on the 2016 Midas Agency Report; the agency was honoured with the number eight slot. MercerBell is proud to be acknowledged for a range of work across many of our key clients. The multiple awards we have won this year are testament to our strong financial services expertise and passion. To be recognised so highly for craft in two different campaigns goes to show the level of endeavour and care that has been put into these campaigns. Midas is, and will continue to be, an important award to win for both our clients and our staff.

The Midas Brand Report, launched in 2015, recognises the most effective and creative financial campaigns created on behalf of prominent brands around the globe. The Brand Report salutes innovative brands for their game-changing creative campaigns and the forward-thinking advertisers who approved these compelling campaigns and ranks them according to their achievements in the Midas Awards.

MasterCard tops again

For the third year running, Mastercard scored first place with 229 points in the Midas Brand Rankings, due to the combined creative efforts of global agencies FP7/DXB; McCann Canada, McCann XBC, McCann Worldgroup. Absa/ Barclays ranked second place for the third year in a row, receiving 89 points for its innovative work created by Jupiter Drawing Room (South Africa) Johannesburg. Emirates NBD, whose award-winning campaigns were created by FP7/DXB (Part of McCann Worldgroup), ranked third place for third consecutive year.

Award-winning agencies from around the globe expressed their appreciation for their brands recognition and ranking on the 2016 Midas Brand Report.

Vikram Krishna, Head - Group Marketing and Customer Experience, Emirates NBD, added, It is an honour to be ranked among the top three financial services brands in the world. Emirates NBD has gained reputation for delivering a benchmark experience, combining the latest of tech with the human touch to make banking easier and more accessible. We look forward to continuing to connect with our customers through creative products, services and campaigns that simplify their everyday lives.

Joyce King Thomas, chief creative officer of McCann XBC, added, We are thrilled to have Mastercard work from around the world recognised by the Midas Awards. And to have three offices in the top five is a testament to our great clients globally.

To view the 2016 Midas Report, click here.
International research indicates that Sunday newspapers are the week's news catch-up platform, with people spending more time with their Sunday newspaper as they are in a receptive frame of mind, savouring and catching up with the week's news during leisure time.

Sunday newspapers have the scope for in-depth analysis and opinion on the happenings of the week. During the workweek, the imperative is to catch up on current events as efficiently as possible and this often involves scan reading to scour for relevant facts and updates. Sundays provide the time to absorb and understand the full-story and they provide an opportunity for people to focus on areas of interest that they may not have time to read about during a busy workweek.

Readers in the UK spend 80 minutes on the Sunday paper

The results from the IPA Touchpoints 6 survey show the importance of the Sunday newspaper in the UK. Readers spend an hour and twenty minutes reading the Sunday edition, states an article on the Print Power website.

In the UK, readers are devoting well over an hour reading their print newspaper, with men spending even more time: 74 minutes vs 70 minutes for women. These results are yet another sign of the continuous popularity of newspapers. Sunday newspapers hold the attention of readers for even longer, even during the week. People are reading the Sunday newspaper during the week and they will spend another 49 minutes.

Not only do people spend considerable time with the print version of their newspaper, but time spent reading newspapers online has increased. In the UK, the time spent reading newspapers on a tablet has increased from 45 minutes to 51 minutes a day, 49 minutes on desktop and 46 minutes on mobile (all data for adults from the IPA survey). Young people (18-34 years) have a different usage pattern as they spend 45 minutes reading the print version, 52 on a desktop and 46 minutes on a mobile device.

Americans do not always realise that they are reading newspapers

Sometimes people who are reading news online during the week do not even realise that they have visited a newspapers site, however, on a Sunday, when time is especially set aside to read the Sunday paper, no matter the platform, the newspaper brand and editorial integrity plays a central role.

Looking at newspaper subscribers as the only readers of newspaper content misses an important part of the story. The share of newspaper readers who report reading a newspaper in digital form, or who have digital subscriptions, is not the same as the share of Americans more broadly who come across individual stories hosted on a newspapers website as they surf the web, states an article on Pew Research Centres website.

It does not include everyone who lands upon a newspaper website while searching for news information or following a link from an email or social networking post. These consumers of individual bits of information may not remember having read a newspaper, or have even realised that they did.

Irish are avid newspaper readers

It is yet undetermined whether there is a correlation between the high newspaper consumption habits in Ireland and the fact that they are still part of the EU and that their citizens would have been unlikely to have voted for Brexit or Trump, but the stats are nonetheless interesting - 80% of Irish adults are regular newspaper readers.

Ireland enjoys one of the highest readership levels in Europe and people spend more time reading their newspapers. Three out of four 19-24 year olds read newspapers regularly. Newspapers have again been confirmed as the go-to medium for people seeking in-depth news and analysis," states an article on the Newsbrand Ireland website.

With four out of 10 people spending more than three hours per week reading newspapers, the figures provide evidence that newspaper readers are more attentive and less likely to be distracted than users of other media. Furthermore, the figures demonstrate that a large quantity of people read newspapers regularly: according to the JNRS almost eight out of 10 adults (79.8%) are regular newspaper readers, with six out of 10 regularly reading a Sunday newspaper and one in two adults reading a newspaper on a daily basis.

In the article, Frank Cullen of National Newspapers of Ireland said, Newspapers invest more in journalism than any other medium so it is natural that more people come to us when they are looking for high quality, original news content. The figures also suggest that people who actively purchase a newspaper really take the time to read it. Our readers tend to spend quality time with their newspapers; they are relaxed, receptive and much more likely to absorb information, which is important from an advertisers point of view.

South Africans are devoted Sunday readers

South Africans love their Sunday newspapers. The numbers are evidence of this and even if only one newspaper group is considered, the power of the Sunday press is not in question. Ads24s Sunday Community includes City Press, Rapport, Netwerk24, Sunday Sun and Son op Sondag and has a combined cumulative impact of 8.7 million across all these news platforms. This impact score or GRP can be immediately compared with television (TVRs). The effective reach opportunity of the Ads24 Sunday Community (reach at 1+) is 4.9 million and duplicated reach (reach at 3+) is 2.1 million.
The Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) hosted the first ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Awards on 26 January 2017 at the Ticketpro Dome, Johannesburg.

Exhibitors, organisers, suppliers, the media and industry champions joined the team of judges to celebrate the successes of the industry in 2016. The event further gave AAXO members the opportunity to network with award winners and industry greats.

Best overall exhibition winners

Winners

Trade Exhibition Category, Distinctions in Exhibiting:

 Carison Rezidor Hotel Group built by Pivion at WTM Africa

 India Tourism built by Scan Display at WTM

 Nosa built by Sugo Projects at A-Osh

 Compex built by Compex at Markex

 Scan Display built by Scan Display at Markex

 BCE built by Expo Guys at Food and Hospitality Africa

Consumer Exhibition Category, Distinctions in Exhibiting:

 YuppieChef built by Hollywood Furniture at The Wedding Expo Joburg

 Lounge Around built by Lounge Around at The Wedding Expo Joburg

 Pampers by Procter & Gamble built by Cube Design Innovations at MamaMagic, The Baby Expo Durban

 Born Fabulous built by Efam at MamaMagic, The Baby Expo, Joburg Summer

Trade and Consumer Exhibition Category, Distinctions in Exhibiting:

 Belgotex Floors designed by Marot and Sanders and built by Compex at Decorex Joburg

 Caeserstone built by Progroup at Decorex SA

 Franke built by Penny Patrick at Decorex Joburg

 Dokter and Misses built by Dokter and Misses at 100% Design

ROAR Exhibition Organiser Awards:

Best Trade Exhibition: under 6000 square meters:

 The winner was Food and Hospitality incorporating Hostex organised by Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery

Best Trade Exhibitions: 6001  12000 square meters:

 The joint winners were African Utility Week organised by Spintelligent and WTM Africa organised by Reed Exhibitions

Best Trade Exhibition: over 12000 square meters:

 Electra Mining Africa organised by Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery took the award

Best Consumer Exhibition under 6000 square meters:

 Tops at Spar Wine Show organised by The Wine Show received the award

Best Consumer Exhibition 6001 -12000 square meters:

 MamaMagic, The Baby Expo, Joburg Winter organised by Exposure Marketing

Best Consumer Exhibition over 12000 square meters:

 SA Cheese Festival organised by Agri Expo and MamaMagic, The Baby Expo, Joburg Summer

Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition under 6000 square meters:

 100% Design South Africa organised by Reed Exhibitions

Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition 6000  12000 square meters:

 Decorex Durban organised by Reed Exhibitions

Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition over 12000 square meters:

 Agritech Expo Zambia organised by Spintelligent

Best Confex:

 African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit organised by Spintelligent

Best Table Top:

 Africa Showcase in North America organised by On Show Solutions

The Distinctions in Greening award:

 Meetings Africa organised by Synergy Business Events

Distinctions in Social Responsibility award:

 Agritech Expo Zambia organised by Spintelligent

2016 Exhibition of the Year award:

 Decorex Joburg organised by Reed Exhibitions
Media in many countries on both sides of the Mediterranean face major challenges when it comes to telling the migration story in context. This is the key finding of the ongoing study How do media on both sides of the Mediterranean report on migration?' Preliminary results were presented in a multi-stakeholder event in Brussels this week.

EUROMED Migration IV, funded by the Directorate General Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the EU, commissioned the Ethical Journalism Network to conduct this study for which writers from 17 countries are examining the quality of migration media coverage in 2015/16 from a national perspective.

The study covers nine EU countries and 8 countries in the south of the Mediterranean: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Spain, Sweden on one hand and Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia on the other hand.

The work in progress finds that journalists are often uninformed about the complex nature of the migration narrative; and newsrooms are vulnerable to pressure and manipulation by voices of hate, whether from political elites or social networks.

At the same time, the authors identify highlights and inspirational examples of journalism at its best  resourceful, painstaking, and marked by careful, sensitive and humanitarian reporting. A set of draft recommendations, including a call for training, the funding of media action and other activities to support and foster more balanced and evidence-based journalism on migration, are also part of the study.

One such activity is the EU-funded Migration Media Award for which several partners have come together on the initiative of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, it was announced this week under the auspices of Maltas EU presidency. The award competition is a collaboration of the EU-funded projects EUROMED Migration IV and the Open Media Hub, in partnership with the European Asylum Support Office and Maltas Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Meltwater, the global media intelligence company, has made three new promotions to their Africa team.

These include:

Matthew Barclay, Area Director, Meltwater Africa

Effective from January 2017, Barclay has been promoted to Area Director of the global media intelligence giant's Africa region. He will be responsible for overseeing executive company strategy across the continent.

Sonja Winkler, Managing Director, Meltwater Johannesburg

Sonja Winkler will be heading up Meltwater's Johannesburg office. As the youngest Managing Director in the company's 16-year history, Winkler's recent appointment represents a further step towards the organisation's mandate of global female empowerment.

Bevan Boote, Managing Director: Executive Alerts

Spearheading Meltwater's latest Business-to-business software offering across Africa - Bevan Boote, Managing Director of Meltwater: Executive Alerts will ensure clients are informed about key trends and conversations shaping their industry.
Kristina: Why isnt close enough good enough for location targeting?

David Bairstow, VP of Product, Skyhook Wireless: Close is fine for targeting all people in Boston for a general Dunkin Donuts promotion, but not if you are trying to identify regular Dunkin Donuts buyers who also visit Starbucks at least once a week. To do that you need to know exactly where each coffee shop is physically located AND accurately position the consumers mobile phone. Mobile permeates our lives  it would be a huge miss not to utilize this valuable data that reveals where users go and when.

Kristina: What problems do brands have if their location targeting isnt on point?

David: A few issues arise when companies use bad location for their targeting or even for post-campaign insights:

a When you dont know exactly where a user has been, advertisers deliver inaccurate personalization. (For example: A gym and fast food restaurant are located next to each other. Delivering fast food campaigns to a user who really is in the gym leads to wasted campaign dollars and frustrated users).

a Inaccurate data makes it hard to effectively measure campaign effectiveness. Without accurate location data, advertisers cant know how effective they were at driving in-store foot traffic.

a Upholding brand reputation across all channels becomes difficult when advertisers dont have a clear view of their audience  their behavior and preferences  and where theyve been.

Kristina: What are your top 3 tips to improve location targeting?

David: Understand that you dont need to become an expert. If youre not working with a location insights vendor, begin the review process as soon as possible.

Vet your location data partners extensively, they should explain what their view of accurate actually means and their business model should not compete with your own.

Educate yourself and your team on the qualities of accurate location, and be able to recognize pathological behavior when it occurs in your dataset.
PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2017

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) hosted a Congressional briefing to offer its recommendations for the new administration on U.S. policy approach towards Iran.

Before a packed House briefing room and members of the media, senior bipartisan members of Congress called for urgent U.S. government action to hold Iranian regime accountable for its egregious human rights violations and its support for international terrorism.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), reminded the audience that, "We've got a new administration taking office and this is a great time to review our policy."

Elliot Engle (D-NY), Foreign Affairs Committee's Ranking Member described the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "horribly evil" entity, adding, "We are all united in this; democrats, republicans; we're all united because we won't stop until we see a free Iran."

The United States needs, "to work forward and walk forward and aggressively to help the pro-democracy movement in Iran,  helping those who would replace the mullahs," representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) underscored. Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) noted that Iranian regime's supreme leader is at war with mankind but is, "first at war with his own people - your families, your friends in Iran, anyone who speaks against the ayatollah."

Brad Sherman (D-CA) referenced legislations he has introduced: "the title of the bill (H.R.478 ) says it all: To Require the Imposition of Sanctions Against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Period." Refering to the opposition's elected President, he added; "Maryam Rajavi is leading an organization that is helping the world expose and deal with the terrorism of the Islamic Republicthe entire world owes to the MEK for exposing Iran's nuclear weapons program."

Other prominent House members also spoke on the need for reassessment of U.S. Iran policy. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) said in her remarks, "We must make sure that we again have a free Iran with no war, no aggression, no appeasement." Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) similarly said of Iranian government behavior, "Human rights, violations of U.N., and the stockpiling of nuclear materials - all of these are violations."

OIAC Political Director, Dr. Majid Sadeghpour presented the organizations' recommendations on U.S. Iran policy for the new administration by welcoming congressional measures to sanction the IRGC. Sadeghpour noted, "it would weaken this prominent pillar of Iran's religious dictatorship."

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bi-partisan-members-of-congress-and-oiac-call-for-review-of-us-iran-policy-300397879.html

SOURCE Organization of Iranian American Communities - U.S. (OIACUS)
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President Trumps executive order to tighten the vetting of potential immigrants and visitors to the United States, as well as to ban some refugees seeking to resettle in the country, will shatter countless dreams and divide families, would-be immigrants and human rights activists warned.





The draft order, expected to be signed as early as Thursday, calls for the immediate cessation of ongoing resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States, rejecting visas for visitors and immigrant hopefuls based partly on their ideology and opinions.





A copy of the draft orders was leaked Wednesday to civil rights groups and obtained by The Washington Post.





If the order is enacted, among those immediately affected would be potential immigrants and visitors from seven Muslim countries  Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Iran, Libya and Sudan  that are considered by the Trump administration as nations whose citizens would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. For the next 30 days, they will not be allowed entry into the United States, even if they have visas and relatives who are U.S. citizens.





The order also calls for halting all admission and resettlement of refugees for 120 days pending the review of vetting procedures. For Syrian refugees, the ban will remain in place until further notice.





Once restarted, annual refugee admissions from all nations would be halved, from a current level of 100,000 to 50,000.





For those affected, the fear is that the order will be a harbinger for even greater restrictions on the horizon for Muslim immigrants, refugees and visitors  fulfilling Trumps campaign promises of extreme vetting of foreigners seeking entry into the United States and installing a Muslim ban. Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Iran are among the leading countries of origin of recent refugees to the United States.





Its going to be devastating, said Denise Bell, senior campaigner for refugee and migrant rights for the watchdog group Amnesty International. Refugees are not a threat. They are the ones fleeing horrific violence. They are trying to rebuild their lives. They want the same safety and opportunities that any of us would want.





And so we are scapegoating them in the guise of national security. Instead, we are betraying our own values. We are violating international law, she said.


An internet imagery.

BEIJING (PTI): China's air force may have tested a new 400-km range air-to-air missile which could take out high-value targets like early warning and aerial refuelling aircraft, which stay far away from battle zones, state media reported on Thursday.



An image released online by the Chinese Air Force has led to speculation that the military is testing a beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missile in combat drills, according to China Daily.



The photo, recently uploaded to the People's Liberation Army website, shows a J-11B twin-engine fighter jet carrying a large missile - it stretches about one-fourth of the length of the 22-meter-long aircraft - during 'Red Sword 2016', an aerial warfare exercise over a northwestern desert in November.



Nearly 100 aircraft as well as air defense and electronic countermeasure units from two theater commands participated in the exercise, the Air Force had said.



It comes after photographs circulated on weapons websites late last year of a Chinese J-16 strike fighter carrying a nearly identical missile, the report said.



A spokesman for the Air Force was unavailable for comment on Wednesday, and no official introduction of the potential new weapon has been disclosed by the PLA or defense contractors. However, its appearance has attracted attention from military enthusiasts, many of whom say such a missile would boost the Air Force's combat capabilities, it said.



Chinese fighter jets currently use the PL-11 and PL-12 missiles to attack long-distance targets, but their maximum ranges are shorter than 100 kilometers.



Fu Qianshao, an equipment researcher with the PLA Air Force, said that he believes China has developed a new missile that can hit high-value targets such as early-warning planes and aerial refueling aircraft, which stay far from conflict zones.



Most air-to-air missiles in service around the world have a maximum range of around 100 km, while a handful of new types propelled by ramjets can reach 200 km, he said. However, all of them are unsuitable for combating early-warning planes because of their short ranges.



Moreover, he added, long-range ground-to-air missiles are restricted by their fixed deployment when dealing with planes far away.



"The best solution to this problem I can figure out is to send a super-maneuverable fighter jet with very-long-range missiles to destroy those high-value targets, which are 'eyes' of enemy jets," Fu said.



"So the successful development of this potential new missile would be a major breakthrough in the Air Force's weapons upgrade," the paper quoted Fu as saying.



He said the missile could have a maximum range of 400 km, farther than any air-to-air missiles used by Western air forces.




The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the Chief Guest of the Republic Day, The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of U.A.E. Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, returning after witnessing the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017. Photo: PIB.

NEW DELHI (PTI): In a bid to boost their strategic ties, India and the UAE on Wednesday signed more than a dozen pacts in key areas like defence, security, trade and energy apart from a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement amidst assertion by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that cooperation stands poised for a "major take off".



However, much-anticipated pact pertaining to the USD 75 billion investment fund, committed by the UAE, was not among the fourteen pacts which were signed after the talks between Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.



Al Nahyan, who arrived here on Tuesday accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and captains of industry, was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade on Thursday.



Terming his discussions as "fruitful and productive", Modi, at a joint press event with the UAE leader, said the discussions were wide ranging covering the entire spectrum of the bilateral engagement.



"We have shaped an ambitious roadmap of engagement to make our comprehensive strategic partnership purposeful and action oriented. The agreement that was exchanged just now has institutionalised this understanding," Modi said.



Asserting that security and defence cooperation have added growing new dimensions to the ties, he said their closer ties are of importance, not just to both the countries but also of significance to the entire neighbourhood.



He also said convergence between the two countries can help stabilise the region and the economic partnership can be a source of regional and global prosperity.



"We exchanged views on developments in West Asia and the Gulf, where both countries have a shared interest in peace and stability. We also discussed developments in our region, including Afghanistan. Our shared concern on growing threat from radicalism and terrorism to the safety and security of our people is shaping our cooperation in this space," Modi said.



He noted, "Moving forward, our cooperation stands poised for a major take off. I am confident, Your Highness, that your visit will build on the strong gains and understanding of our previous interactions. And shape its future framework marked by depth, drive and diversification of our partnership."



However, the two sides did not sign a pact pertaining to the USD 75 billion investment as was hoped by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials.



Holding that the UAE has the largest sovereign fund, Secretary for Economic Relations in MEA Amar Sinha had told reporters, "During the visit, we are hoping to sign an MoU between their investment fund and our National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF)" which will put in place a framework as to how the fund will be administered and which all sectors it can be invested in.



Asked as of why the accord was not inked, senior officials said, "Talks are in an advanced stage and this visit has helped in identifying sectors in which the investment can be made."






JAIPUR (PTI): Lt Gen Abhay Krishna on Wednesday took over the charge of the Army's South Western Command at a solemn military ceremony here.



He paid tributes to the martyrs at the Prerna Sthal and later reviewed the Guard of Honour.



Krishna was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in 1980 and has an outstanding professional career in every important military theatre of India, defence spokesperson Manish Ojha said.



In a career spanning over 37 years, he has tenanted active combat leadership roles at every stage of command in the Army, the spokesperson said.



Krishna said taking over the command of the Sapta Shakti Command at Jaipur is indeed a special honour.



"As the Colonel of the Rajputana Rifles, I am conscious of the fact that the valiant people of Rajasthan have been always at the forefront of our efforts at nation building and it s defence," he said.



On assuming Command, the Army Commander extended his warmest greetings to all ranks of the Sapta Shakti Command, 'Veer Naris' and Veterans as well as their family members.



He has a distinct service profile, covering all military theatres ranging from counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism operations in the Eastern and Northern commands, commanding troops in High Altitude Areas of Ladakh and Sikkim to mechanised operations in Rajasthan and Punjab, Ojha added.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The committee tasked with supporting the HMCS Brandon has dissolved, after nearly 18 years in operation.

Friends of HMCS Brandon has turned over its tasks to Brandon Salutes, an organization that fosters unity of the military and civilian communities.

George Haggerty had been a member of Friends of HMCS Brandon since it began in the late 90s. He said the decision to dissolve the committee was due to the fact that the ship can no longer accept gifts, as instructed by the Department of National Defence. In addition, the namesake city visits have dwindled.

The Canadian Press Petty Officer Mike Broadley plays the bugle call as HMCS Brandon sails by at CFB Esquimalt in December. Friends of HMCS Brandon has turned over its tasks to Brandon Salutes.

In the past, we would get city visits anywhere from 15 to 36 sailors, he said. The committee would put together the agenda for the visit and make their visit very memorable and fun for them.

Last year, there were three sailors who visited Brandon. While it was a great experience, Haggerty said its difficult to keep a committee together for such a small group.

Haggerty is also past chair of Brandon Salutes, and said the task would fit in well with their efforts.

Theyre more than willing to take it under their umbrella, he said.

Mayor Rick Chrest agreed it was a good fit.

I think this is a very sound proposition  and really kind of consolidating our military efforts, Chrest said.

HMCS Brandon is a maritime coastal defence vessel stationed on the west coast at Esquimalt, B.C. It was named after the City of Brandon, officially commissioned in 1999.

Its priority is coastal work: picking off drugs coming into the country by sea, illegal fishing, etc.

They did a big drug seizure with the United States coast guard a year ago, Haggerty added.

Over the years, there would be large events held in Brandon during the namesake visits, which at times included the whole crew. A Freedom of the City parade would see the sailors march through the city. Haggerty said as the years went on, there were fewer and fewer crew members sent out.

The budget just doesnt allow for that, he said. We have to wait till April to see if theres money in the budget for a visit this year.

The current commanding officer of HMCS Brandon is Lt.-Cmdr. Jolene Lisi. The incoming commanding officer is Lt.-Cmdr. Collin Forsberg, who will take over in July.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prairie Mountain Health is hoping to entice university medical students to begin their practices in rural Manitoba.

This weekend, 48 medical students from the University of Manitoba will take part in workshops in Brandon and Virden, aimed at promoting the benefits of practising medicine in rural communities.

PMH is hosting the annual event with Manitobas Office of Rural and Northern Health.

These weekend workshops offer an excellent preview of working in rural Manitoba and allows us to shift gears to work-life balance aspects, which are a key part of recruiting health care professionals today, PMH director of medical services administration Michelle McKay explained in a media release.

Clinical workstations will be located at Brandon Regional Health Centre and Virden Health Centre for students to put their skills to the test, putting casts on their colleagues, attempting sutures and starting IVs.

The event also provides for an opportunity for existing rural physicians to share their experience with medical students. This is something the students really appreciate, McKay said.

Alexander McKinnon, president of the Manitoba Medical Students Rural Interest Group, said students are looking forward to the two-day event that begins today.

Much of our day-to-day school work in our first two years of medical school is focused on the individual specialized areas of medicine, so it will be refreshing to have the opportunity to learn more about the broad scope of practice in rural medicine.

 The Brandon Sun
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/01/2017 (2108 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To me, its a great time to be a beer drinker in western Manitoba!

This week marks the third anniversary of First Draught in The Brandon Sun. In three years, the local beer scene has exploded to the point where many locally owned restaurants and pubs are now serving craft beers in bottle and on tap  including products made in Manitoba. I really like to go to the local Liquor Marts to see what there are for new beers in Manitoba. We dont get anywhere near the selection of some Winnipeg locations, but in the years (so far) that Ive been writing this column Ive noticed people adapting to craft beer more and more.

I remember when the downtown Liquor Mart was located across the street in an area that is now home to the Brandon Police Service. When the MLCC was across the street in that building (alongside TD Canada Trust and Safeway) its craftiest beers available were your typical rural Manitoba treats like Corona, Kokanee, Unibroue individual bottles, 2L pop bottles of Stone Cold draught and 5L mini kegs of Molson Canadian Bubba (featuring Don Cherry attire).

So, times have changed. Now I see customers regularly buying corked bottles of Unibroues La Fin du Monde, cans of Phillips Blue Buck, Central City Red Rider, Torques Diesel Fitter Stout. If you are a beer connoisseur like I am, you likely get one of those flimsy eight-pack holders and try to fill them up with beers you have never tried before or with beers you absolutely love. Oh, and we cant forget the growlers! It was October 2014 that marked the first time 1.9 litre growler fills would be legal in Manitoba so MLCC and various beer vendors throughout Manitoba promoted the heck of it pushing Manitoban craft beer. But lately it has been filled with beer such as Guinness Hop House Lager, which just defeats the purpose. The Keystone Motor Inn also fills growlers too for those who either miss out on a limited release at another location or just happen to live closer to the hotel than the LC. So wow, in the three years Ive been writing this column, a lot has changed in the Manitoba craft beer scene.

Ive been wanting to combine my top three First Draught beers Ive reviewed in the past three years so far. Its tough to come up with my top three, but I feel like the beer snobs will be happy with my choices.

 Trappistes Rochefort 10  I was going to select the very first beer I ever reviewed for The Brandon Sun  Steinlager Pure out of New Zealand  but, honestly, Trappistes Rochefort is the one beer that popped out most in my mind out of all the reviews in 2014. Trappistes Rochefort, a monastery brewery, has been brewing exceptional beer since 1595 and Rochefort 10 is its highest regarded beer out of the entire bunch. In Rochefort 10 you get notes of rains, dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla, typical Belgian bready yeasts and even a hint of clove here and there. This beer is absolutely best paired with cheese from La Monastere Notre-Dame-des-Prairies located south of Holland, and is easily the best cheese in all of Manitoba if you love a strong cheese. Rochefort 10 tops out at 11.3 per cent ABV but can be aged for up to five years. Available at the 10th & Victoria, South End and The Pas Liquor Marts for $5.43 per 330ml bottle. Seriously 5/5 pints

 Black Bridge Milk Stout  Milk Stouts are more common in the United States and Quebec than they are here, but Black Bridges Milk Stout is my favourite milk stout so far. Quebecs Brasserie Charlevoixs La Vache Folle is regarded as la creme de la creme of milky, creamy stouts, but Swift Currents Black Bridge Brewings Milk Stout is reminiscent to La Vache Folle but at a much more affordable price point. Very sweet stout with notes of chocolate, subtle notes of coffee, incredibly silky and smooth for the mouthfeel and it doesnt give off much of a bitter aftertaste compared to most commercial stouts available in Manitoba. You have to remember that this is not vegan as it does contain various notes of milk. This stout tops out at 5.3 per cent ABV and is really enjoyable by a bonfire. Available at Liquor Marts in Brandon and Dauphin for $2.79 per 355 ml can. 4.5/5 pints

 Half Pints Le Temps Noir Imperial Barrel Aged Stout  This beer brings me back to 2013 or so. Le Temps Noir first came to Brandon MLCC shelves and sold like hotcakes because it was the best stout in town and every beer geek just had to have it. I happened to save a few bottles for aging a few years. In 2016 Half Pints brought the beer back. If youve never had the Winnipeg stout, theres a few things you should know about it. Its been aged in Bourbon barrels for a long period of time, its very boozy and its pricey at around $10 per 650 ml bottle. The price point really didnt stop beer snobs in Westman from buying it up when I reviewed it, which was a surprise because most releases see at least 80 per cent of the stock left over after my review. But not with this beer, Le Temps Noir was gone by the end of the weekend. So why was this beer so good even though it was $10/bottle? Well, it was a heavy dark stout with notes of dark chocolate, oak, some syrupy goodness, notes of American Bourbon and even more oak on top of it all. It didnt help that it was 11 per cent ABV. If you love stouts and the taste of barrel aging  this is for you. You can only find this at Half Pints tasting room in Winnipeg to be savoured on site. At $20 for bottle service, bring a few friends to split the cost, it will be worth every cent. 5/5 pints

 Fuggles & Warlocks Destiny IPA  I lied! I stated I was going to select three beers  but, wait, theres a fourth beer. I chose this beer in honour of The Brandon Sun alumna Allison Collins. I reviewed Fuggles & Warlocks Destiny IPA back this past summer because their delicious Last Strawberry Wit tasted identical to a Starbucks Strawberry & Creme Frap. Destiny IPA turned out to be one of the best IPAs Ive ever had out of British Columbia, and is certainly better than Red Racer. Its a tropical IPA with something like seven different varieties of hops to give it everything from pine, dead leaves to a fruit cup and everything in between. When I reviewed the beer back in September, one beer connoisseur liked my review so much that they bought 12 bottles from the 10th and Victoria LC only a few hours after my review came out. 6.0 per cent ABV. Its available in limited batches at the 10th and Vic and Corral Centre Liquor Mart, and in Virden for $6.50 per 650 ml bottle, so if youre going to turn into a hop head zombie like me you need to do a road trip to the Virden MLCC first because Brandon will be sold out before you know it! 5/5 pints according to my friends
Almost 9.6 million people came to Ireland from overseas last year, an increase of 10.9% on 2015.

There was a record-breaking total of 9,584,400 visits to Ireland in 2016.
The new system of rent caps will be extended to 23 locations, and to the entirety of Galway City, from midnight tonight.

Housing Minister Simon Coveney has signed orders this afternoon after recommendations from the rental sector watchdog.
A judge has today deferred ruling on whether fee legal aid will be granted to an Aer Lingus worker charged in connection with organised human trafficking at Dublin Airport.

Aer Lingus employee Frederick Cham (aged 61) of Railway Cottages, Hazelhatch, Cellbridge but originally from Hong Kong, had been charged earlier this week under the Human Trafficking Act for facilitating the entry of non-nationals into the State on January 9 and January 22 last.

He did not make an application for bail when he was brought before Dublin District Court on Tuesday.

He was remanded in custody and appeared at Cloverhill District Court today but did not apply for bail.

Defence solicitor Fiona McNulty applied for legal aid. A statement of Mr Cham's means had already been furnished to the court.

However, there was a garda objection to legal aid being granted and Judge Victor Blake adjourned ruling on that issue for further documentation to be obtained.

Mr Cham was further remanded in custody to appear at the same court on February 10 next.

Co-defendant, Chinese national Xing Wang (aged 28) who is of no-fixed abode, is charged under the Theft and Fraud Act with possessing a false Hong Kong passport at the white car park at Dublin Airport on Sunday, January 22.

He also has two connected charges under the Immigration Act for failing to present to an immigration officer on his arrival in the State and not having a passport.

He has not applied for bail and also appeared at Cloverhill District Court on Friday and he too was further remanded in custody to appear again on February 10 next.

The third co-defendant, Aer Lingus worker Peter Kernan (aged 56) of the Old Rectory Lodge, Cellbridge, Co Kildare has the same charge as Mr Cham and is due to face his next hearing on January 31 next.

Gardai have seized his passport and on Tuesday he had been remanded in custody with consent to bail in his own bond of 2,000 with a 20,000 independent surety and conditions to reside at his home address and notify gardai of any change, sign on three times a week at Leixlip Garda station, provide gardai with a mobile phone number on which he can be contacted at all times, not apply for a new passport and have no contact directly or indirectly with Mr Cham.

The three were arrested as part of an investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau into an alleged people smuggling ring.

They have not yet indicated how they will plead.
A Dutch man who was arrested in Dublin during a garda swoop on an alleged Kinahan gang property should be sent back to Holland to face prosecution for assault, attempted murder and money laundering, the High Court has heard.

The Amsterdam Public Prosecutor has issued three European Arrest Warrants for Naoufal Fassih (36), a Dutch citizen of Moroccan origin.

At the High Court today counsel for the Minister for Justice, Ronan Kennedy BL, said Mr Fassih is wanted to face allegations of attempted murder, assault, possession of false documents and money laundering in The Netherlands and for a suspected money laundering offence in Ireland.

He said the first offence relates to a violent assault at a Dutch nightclub on October 5, 2012.

The prosecutor in Amsterdam said that Mr Fassih is suspected of being involved in a fight that left several people injured, one seriously.

The prosecutor wrote to the Irish authorities earlier this month explaining that a judge in Amsterdam had already discharged Mr Fassih on that charge due to a lack of evidence.

However, the prosecutor intends to appeal that judgment and wants Mr Fassih to be there for the appeal.

The second charge relates to over 10,000 in cash that Mr Fassih had on him when he was arrested in 2012.

Mr Fassih was on social welfare at the time and refused to explain to the Amsterdam police how he could be in possession of such a sum.

The court heard that he can be prosecuted under Dutch money laundering laws for failing to explain where the cash came from.

The third charge alleges that he was in possession of a false passport.

The warrant for the attempted murder charge was issued last September and relates to a botched assassination on November 5, 2015.

The Dutch authorities said they suspect that he paid 8,000 to the would-be assassin and that he gave instructions on how to carry out the killing.

Another European Arrest Warrant was issued after Mr Fassih's arrest at an apartment believed to belong to the international Kinahan crime gang on Dublin's Baggott St in April last year.

Mr Kennedy said Fassih was in possession of luxury watches worth over e40,000, cash, mobile phones and "other items that can be linked to criminality".

Although the seizure was made in Dublin, Dutch authorities said they can adjudicate on Dutch citizens accused of crimes committed in other jurisdictions.

Representing Mr Fassih, John Byrne BL said there is no evidence linking Mr Fassih to the items seized at the Dublin apartment other than that he was present when the raid took place.

He said that he could not be prosecuted in Ireland in those circumstances and therefore should not face extradition to Holland on those grounds.

Dealing with the other issues in the three warrants, he said the fact that Mr Fassih has already been acquitted on the assault charge means that the "precise nature" of the proceedings against him are not known.

In relation to money laundering, he referred to the "expert opinion" of a Dutch lawyer who is acting for Mr Fassih.

The Dutch lawyer, in an affidavit given to the court, said that under Dutch law there is not enough evidence in the warrant to bring a prosecution, and he therefore should not be extradited.

Mr Byrne said the allegation in relation to the false passport is merely that he is a suspect in a crime but the authorities have not decided whether to prosecute. This, he said, would be insufficient grounds for an extradition.

On the attempted murder charge, he said it is not clear from the warrant what the specific charge against Mr Fassih would be, as it is not alleged that he is the hitman.

Justice Aileen Donnelly put the case back to next Thursday, February 2 for judgement.
Fine Gael TDs and Senators have been told to try and play down Taoiseach Enda Kennys gaffe over a possible Coalition deal with Sinn Fein, writes Daniel McConnell Political Editor

Party handlers sent an email sent to TDs and senators this evening, insisting coalition with Sinn Fein is not something that arises.

The six-line email, seen by the Irish Examiner, sets out a number of arguments that TDs and Senators are told to make if addressing the media.

Mr Kenny yesterday refused to rule out such a prospect of three occasions, during an interview with political correspondents in Government Buildings and later joked with a number of journalists about the possibility of a Tanaiste Mary Lou McDonald.

In the six-line email, the partys press office said:

This Government is dealing with Brexit and the many challenges facing the country.

Sinn Fein sees this and finally realises that to get things done and achieve results you need to be in Government.

Sinn Fein have finally realised - at least some of their members - that there is a glass ceiling on carping from the sidelines.

Coalition with Sinn Fein is not something that arises - we have a minority Government in place that involved compromise, negotiations and hard work to bring together.

What the Taoiseach actually said yesterday was that Sinn Fein as a party are a long way from becoming a desirable coalition partner and he would not see a coalition with them in the near future.

Politicians must deal with the electorates choice and provide stable government. Fine Gael is doing that in the interests of the country.

Meanwhile, the Sinn Fein issue has caused uproar within Fine Gael.

Ministers and backbenchers alike have reacted with fury and grave concern at Mr Kenny's comments.

Fine Gael TDs Fergus O'Dowd (Louth), Colm Brophy (Dublin South West) and Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath) sharply slapped down their leader on the highly influential Today with Sean O'Rourke show on RTE Radio.

O'Dowd, who shares the Louth constituency with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, said his voters who have suffered for so long with the impact of the troubles, would not forgive him if such a partnership was formed.

Sinn Fein is not a party I would want to see as part of our government, Brophy said.

God knows Fianna Fail have their faults, but they are a modern democratic party, Sinn Fein is not. As long as that remains the case they should not be in government.

In a very pointed intervention, Brophy said any future link-up between the parties should not be taken by the Fine Gael leader or its elected representatives but rather the partys full membership.

It is very important that within our party that we examine the implications.

For his part, Burke said the Taoiseachs comments may have been taken out of context given Sinn Fein was a party with regressive policies.

I cannot countenance Fine Gael going into power with Sinn Fein, he added.

He said he did not want to contemplate the damage that Sinn Fein would cause to the States economy if in power.

There are too many questions about that party.

Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal) said talk of a coalition with Sinn Fein was nonsensical and concerning.

Putting the history associated with Sinn Fein aside for a moment, their economic policies alone would disqualify them from ever entering government as part of a coalition with Fine Gael, he said.
Update 5.12pm: Unions say industrial action at Bus Eireann is now "an inevitability", after the company outlined a new series of cost-saving measures.

The unilateral measures, to be implemented in three weeks' time, would result in employee earnings falling by about 10%.

The plans include a blanket reduction in allowances, as well as cuts to overtime rates, Sunday premiums, and sick pay benefits.

Dermot O'Leary from the National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU), said that workers will not take the cuts lying down.

Industrial action now, based on that letter, is inevitable, he said.

And that inevitability, and the finger of blame should be pointed towards the company on that one, and indeed their paymasters at the Department of Transport.

And look, the workers at Bus Eireann obviously wont take this lying down, and they will react in a fashion that will, unfortunately now at this stage, begin such action to bear on the transport system in this country.

Earlier:

Transport Minister Shane Ross has today rejected calls from trade unions at Bus Eireann to facilitate talks on the future of the company.

Unions have held back from calling strike action following company demands for a major cost cutting plan.

Bus Eireann management said that all 2,600 jobs will be lost if the company is not rescued from insolvency by year end.

Unions have called on Minister Ross to facilitate talks, but the Minister has this afternoon ruled that out.

"What I'm not going to do is interfere in the industrial dispute, and I made it absolutely clear that that is not my business," he said.

"If this is a way of interfering in the industrial dispute, or any forum which would interfere with the industrial dispute, or involves me the industrial dispute, the answer is - I will not get involved."
A Limerick man jailed for life for the murder of a 71-year-old retired soldier, who he knew and whose fires he would light in his home, has moved to appeal his conviction.

Christopher McNamara (aged 24) of Good Shepherd Villas, Pennywell road in Limerick had pleaded not guilty to the murder of James Boyce (aged 71) at St Munchins Street, St Marys Park in Limerick between March 6, 2011 and March 7, 2011.

The two-week trial heard that Christopher McNamara had confessed to the killing of Mr Boyce to his mother. McNamara would tend to the property of the 71-year-old, lighting his fire and assisting in domestic needs.

The defence had asked the jury to find his client not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

The Central Criminal Court jury found McNamara unanimously guilty of murder following an hour-and-a-half of deliberations.

He was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan on January 24, 2014.

Opening an appeal against conviction today, McNamara's barrister, Michael Bowman SC, submitted to the three-judge court that there was more for the jury to consider than kill or cause serious harm or whether it was murder or not.

Mr Bowman said the jury should have been fully informed of the options they had to consider including complex concepts such as recklessness, subjectivity and the capacity to form intent.

It was not black and white and not either or, Mr Bowman said.

He said the medical evidence confirmed the unpredictability of the injuries.

The court heard that Mr Boyce had been the victim of an assault with a long striking edge and that the fatal injuries were those on his neck where multiple fractures of the larynx were found.

If there was any grey area, the grey area falls to be resolved in favour of the accused, Mr Bowman said.

While it was a neat understanding of the options to say it was murder or not, when you're dealing with complex concepts, it was incumbent on the court to address the issue, Mr Bowman submitted.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Micheal P O'Higgins SC, said the jury were very carefully instructed by the trial judge on the ingredients for murder, particularly the mental element.

He said the jury were clearly told that any area of grey should fall on the side of the accused.

Reserving judgment, Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards, said the court hoped to deliver its decision as soon as possible.
US president Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order temporarily halting the flow of refugees into America and stopping all entries from some majority-Muslim nations.

A draft of the order also includes an indefinite ban on accepting Syrian refugees, with the pause in the broader refugee programme extending for 120 days.

Mr Trump campaigned on a pledge to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures, particularly for people coming to the US from countries with terrorism ties.

According to the draft order, the president plans to suspend issuing visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen for at least 30 days.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Mr Trump intends to sign the order during an afternoon visit to the Pentagon, along with actions related to military readiness and the National Security Council.

While at the Pentagon, Mr Trump is expected to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and attend a ceremonial swearing-in for defence secretary James Mattis.

Mr Trump has the authority to determine how many refugees are accepted annually. He can suspend the initiative at any time. Refugee processing was suspended in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but was restarted months later.

During the last budget year, the US accepted 84,995 refugees, including 12,587 people from Syria. Former US president Barack Obama had set the refugee limit for this budget year at 110,000.

Mr Trump, according to the impending executive order, planned to cut that programme by more half to 50,000.

The draft order said while the programme is suspended, the US may admit people on a case-by-case basis "when in the national interest" and the government would continue to process refugee requests from people claiming religious persecution, "provided that the religion ... is a minority religion in the individual's country".

That suggests this would allow the admission of Christians from Muslim-majority countries.

Earlier, Mr Trump continued to criticise Mexico over trade and security as the row over the proposed US-Mexican border wall raged on.

The US president wrote on Twitter that "Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough", adding: "massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!"

This comes a day after Mexico's president Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled an upcoming visit to Washington after Mr Trump signed an order to jump-start construction of his promised southern border wall.

Mr Trump has also ordered cuts in federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities" and a boost in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers, pending congressional funding.

At one point, the White House also proposed a 20% border tax on imports from Mexico to pay for the wall, although spokesman Sean Spicer later clarified that this was just one of a number of options available and no final decision has been made.

The row capped a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new US president's administration.
Intended as a discussion group, the blog has evolved to be more of a reading list of current issues affecting our county, its government and people. All reasonable comments and submissions welcomed. Email us at: bill.pysson@gmail.com REMEMBER: To view our sister blog for education issues: www.district100watchdog.blogspot.com
US President Donald Trump has ordered "new vetting measures" to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the country.

On a day he alternated tough talk with kind words in his diplomatic stand-off with Mexico, Mr Trump travelled to the Pentagon for the signing of an executive action to bring sweeping changes to the nation's refugee policies and put in motion his plans to build up the nation's military.

"I'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don't want 'em here," Mr Trump declared.

"We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."

During his election campaign Mr Trump pledged to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures to screen people coming to the US from countries with terrorism ties.

The White House did not immediately release details on the order the president signed, but a draft of the order called for suspending the issuing of visas to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days.

Earlier at the White House Mr Trump was asked about a more contentious issue: his recent statements that torture "does work" in prying information out of terror suspects.

Giving ground, he said US defence secretary James Mattis's opposition would override his own belief. Hours later he stood at the Pentagon as the retired general was sworn in as the military's chief.

But Mr Trump held firm on another controversy - trade and illegal immigration from Mexico. He told reporters that he had a "very good call" with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier in the day, but reaffirmed his belief that Mexico has "out-negotiated and beat us to a pulp" on trade - and that would change.

"We're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing," he declared a day after the Mexican leader cancelled his visit to Washington in response to Mr Trump's plans to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it.

The flurry of national security and foreign police moves capped a hectic first week for Mr Trump at the White House, giving Americans an initial look at how the new president intends to position the United States around the globe.

AP
The government has only just managed to reach an agreement that could see resumption in supply of paracetamol...
LONDON: Copper prices held steady on Wednesday as rising expectations that China will ease COVID-19 controls next...
NEW YORK: Oil slid about 1% on Thursday as an increase in US interest rates pushed up the dollar and heightened ...
Linux Performance

This page links to various Linux performance material I've created, including the tools maps on the right. These use a large font size to suit slide decks. You can also print them out for your office wall. They show: Linux observability tools, Linux static performance analysis tools, Linux benchmarking tools, Linux tuning tools, and Linux sar. Check the year on the image (bottom right) to see how recent it is.

There is also a hi-res diagram combining observability, static performance tuning, and perf-tools/bcc: png, svg (see discussion), but it is not as complete as the other diagrams. For even more diagrams, see my slide decks below.

On this page: Tools, Documentation, Talks, Resources.

Tools

perf: perf one-liners, examples, visualizations.

eBPF tools: BPF/bcc tracing tools and examples.

perf-tools: Ftrace perf tools (github).

bcc: BPF/bcc perf tools (github).

bpftrace: BPF/bpftrace perf tools (github).

Flame Graphs: using perf and other profilers.

Documentation

Talks

In rough order of recommended viewing or difficulty, intro to more advanced:

1. Linux Systems Performance (USENIX LISA 2019)

This is my summary of Linux systems performance in 40 minutes, covering six facets: observability, methodologies, benchmarking, profiling, tracing, and tuning. It's intended for everyone as a tour of fundamentals, and some companies have indicated they will use it for new hire training.

A video of the talk is on usenix.org and youtube, and the slides are on slideshare or as a PDF.

For a lot more information on observability tools, profiling, and tracing, see the talks that follow.

2. Linux Performance 2018 (PerconaLive 2018)

This was a 20 minute keynote summary of recent changes and features in Linux performance in 2018.

A video of the talk is on youtube, and the slides are on slideshare or as a PDF.

3. Linux Performance Tools (Velocity 2015)

At Velocity 2015, I gave a 90 minute tutorial on Linux performance tools, summarizing performance observability, benchmarking, tuning, static performance tuning, and tracing tools. I also covered performance methodology, and included some live demos. This should be useful for everyone working on Linux systems. If you just saw my PerconaLive2016 talk, then some content should be familiar, but with many extras: I focus a lot more on the tools in this talk.

A video of the talk is on youtube (playlist; part 1, part 2) and the slides are on slideshare or as a PDF.

This was similar to my SCaLE11x and LinuxCon talks, however, with 90 minutes I was able to cover more tools and methodologies, making it the most complete tour of the topic I've done. I also posted about it on the Netflix Tech Blog.

4. How Netflix Tunes EC2 Instances for Performance (AWS re:Invent, 2017)

Instead of performance observability, this talk is about tuning. I begin by providing Netflix background, covering instance types and features in the AWS EC2 cloud, and then talk about Linux kernel tunables and observability.

A video of the talk is on youtube and the slides are on slideshare:

5. Container Performance Analysis (DockerCon, 2017)

At DockerCon 2017 in Austin, I gave a talk on Linux container performance analysis, showing how to find bottlenecks in the host vs the container, how to profiler container apps, and dig deeper into the kernel.

A video of the talk is on youtube and the slides are on slideshare.

6. Broken Linux Performance Tools (SCaLE14x, 2016)

At the Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE 14x), I gave a talk on Broken Linux Performance Tools. This was a follow-on to my earlier Linux Performance Tools talk originally at SCaLE11x (and more recently at Velocity as a tutorial). This broken tools talk was a tour of common problems with Linux system tools, metrics, statistics, visualizations, measurement overhead, and benchmarks. It also includes advice on how to cope (the green "What You Can Do" slides).

A video of the talk is on youtube and the slides are on slideshare or as a PDF.

7. Using Linux perf at Netflix (Kernel Recipes, 2017)

At Kernel Recipes 2017 I gave an updated talk on Linux perf at Netflix, focusing on getting CPU profiling and flame graphs to work. This talk includes a crash course on perf_events, plus gotchas such as fixing stack traces and symbols when profiling Java, Node.js, VMs, and containers.

A video of the talk is on youtube and the slides are on slideshare:

There's also an older version of this talk from 2015, which I've posted about. To learn more about flame graphs, see my flame graphs presentation.

8. Give me 15 minutes and I'll change your view of Linux tracing (LISA, 2016)

I gave this demo at USENIX/LISA 2016, showing ftrace, perf, and bcc/BPF. A video is on youtube (sorry, the sound effects are a bit too loud):.

This was the first part of a longer talk on Linux 4.x Tracing Tools: Using BPF Superpowers. See the full talk video and talk slides.

9. Performance analysis superpowers with Linux eBPF (O'Reilly Velocity, 2017)

This talk covers using enhanced BPF (aka eBPF) features added to the Linux 4.x series for performance analysis, observability, and debugging. The front-end used in this talk is bcc (BPF compiler collection), an open source project that provides BPF interfaces and a collection of tools.

A video of the talk is on youtube, and the slides are on slideshare or as a PDF.

10. Linux Performance Analysis: New Tools and Old Secrets (ftrace) (LISA 2014)

At USENIX LISA 2014, I gave a talk on the new ftrace and perf_events tools I've been developing: the perf-tools collection on github, which mostly uses ftrace: a tracer that has been built into the Linux kernel for many years, but few have discovered (practically a secret).

A video of the talk is on youtube, and the slides are on slideshare or as a PDF. In a post about this talk, I included some more screenshots of these tools in action.

11. Performance Checklists for SREs (SREcon, 2016)

At SREcon 2016 Santa Clara, I gave the closing talk on performance checklists for SREs (Site Reliability Engineers). The later half of this talk included Linux checklists for incident performance response. These may be useful whether you're analyzing Linux performance in a hurry or not.

A video of the talk is on youtube and usenix, and the slides are on slideshare and as a PDF. I included the checklists in a blog post.

Resources

Other resources (not by me) I'd recommend for the topic of Linux performance:
Australia should wait until it becomes a republic to change the date of its national day, ACT chief minister Andrew Barr has said.

In response to the debate around changing Australia Day from January 26, Mr Barr said the nation should wait until it becomes a republic to save "changing it twice"

Family and friends gather on Regatta Point in Canberra for the Australia day celebrations. Credit:Jay Cronan

"In absence of an alternate day, let's become a republic and have a new national day on that day," Mr Barr told ABC radio on Friday morning.

His call was echoed by Greens politician, Shane Rattenbury, who tweeted: "It's time for us to have a genuine conversation about a national day of unity that we can all celebrate #changethedate."
An army veteran who was missing in the Blue Mountains for almost a week has been found alive.

Father-of-two Greg Bond had not been seen since 10.30am on Sunday when he left his house in Monash, ACT.

The friends and family of missing army veteran Greg Bond say they have not given up their search.

He was suffering a medical condition at the time and friends and family held grave concerns for his safety.

Friends of Mr Bond told Fairfax Media on Friday afternoon the 43 year old had been found on Sinclair Road near Wentworth Falls.
Former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin will appeal his conviction after he was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment on Friday for faking his ex-wife's signature to get a $13.5 million loan.

The 44-year-old was convicted of three counts of fraud and six of forgery after a week-long trial in Brisbane District Court in December last year.

The deception came undone in 2009 when Perrin made a dramatic confession at an emergency family meeting revealing he had "lost everything".

"I'm going to jail, I've done a lot of bad things," Perrin cried.
Fast food restaurant Hungry Jacks will open another city store in Elizabeth Street after two of its Swanston Street stores were earmarked for demolition as part of the $10.9 billion Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel.

Hungry Jacks has moved quickly to shore up its city presence, signing a 12-year lease at 17-19 Elizabeth Street to fit out a two-level, 250 square metre space.

The burger chain joins a long list of key retailers on the city's main shopping core, Swanston Street, displaced by the multi-billion rail project.

McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks and banking giant CBA will also be forced out of their prime, high-trading locations to make way for commuter station exits from the tunnel.
I am sure that if he had been diagnosed with a broken leg or a heart problem he would have been referred for treatment and no doubt the treatment would have been very good. But from my reading his mental illness was not referred on to anyone and he was given bail without a treatment order. A mental illness is just that  an illness. And if it is left untreated, like any other untreated illness, the results are often predictable. So while it is probably impossible to understand the grief many families in Melbourne are suffering, the authorities in Melbourne should take a serious and long hard look at their procedures to ensure that all sick people get the help and treatment they should be entitled to. Revenge is not justice. Geoff Barker, Flynn

In reference to the Victorian Premier's announcement on bail conditions, why is it our political leaders across all levels of government only seem to act and make what appear to be common-sense changes to laws and processes after tragedy has struck? Why will they not listen to the public, or their bureaucrats whose job it is to support government with advice, not hinder it by providing a risk assessment of the likelihood of occurrence? I am sure someone somewhere at least once before has suggested a night court (or similar) so that monsters such as the Melbourne alleged are taken off the streets before they commit something "inconceivable". Is it opportunistic and a chance to boost one's popularity in response to others' misery? Is it the rabid right's excuse to grandstand and further divide society, taking them away from constructive comment? Yes, I suggest so.

And they all wonder why the public holds them in such contempt. Ben Roberts, Hawker Tree change? Margot Sirr (letters, January 24) decries the planting of the dreaded eucalypt in Australia. In a far off time (well, early 20th century) there was a view that the native animal life of this continent  inferior, primitive marsupials  would ultimately be overcome (replaced?) by the superior, stronger, life forms of the northern hemisphere.

That has not (yet) been achieved, although the cat-lovers have striven heroically to make a contribution to that objective. Now it's gum trees v. the deciduous kind (presumably, and preferably, the kinds from Up Over). An expression, perhaps, of (arbori)cultural cringe? G. S. McKergow, Forbes Creek, NSW Poor development Does our ACT government listen to the public voice about planning matters? Anyone with an interest in environmental matters understands that growth and development have reached a critical point in Canberra, yet we continue to import the ugliness of other large cities with increasing disregard for conservation of the natural beauty we have inherited.

The proposal to build six-storey private residential buildings in the northeast area of West Basin is wrong in principle and will only replace the unfortunate Westside Village with even more obtrusive development, destroying one of the finest sunset views of the Brindabellas that Canberra has to offer our visitors. Canberra is different from other Australian cities and we love its natural beauty. Previous planners have done a marvellous job in preserving and reinforcing the natural and historic attributes given to us by the Griffins. Greed, insensitivity, inequity, and lack of vision are slowly destroying its unique character. An opportunity is being lost to continue Commonwealth Park to the National Museum to retain and reinforce its natural landscape close to the centre of the city for all to enjoy. West Basin is not an empty space awaiting development. Our current politicians must learn when enough is enough and be held accountable for this particular rape of Canberra's natural beauty. Derek F. Wrigley, Mawson

Cheque this Australia Post has advised for years "never enclose cash in a mailed envelope. Security cannot be guaranteed". Now even cheques appear no longer safe (letters, January 17). I, too, posted an envelope late November containing a card and three small crossed cheques as a Christmas gift for each of my grandchildren. Seven weeks later its arrival is still awaited. All other cards posted at the same time (without cheques) safely reached their destinations.

This has possible portents ofcriminal behaviour in the Scanning Section of Canberra's Sorting Centre in Fyshwick. Is there security in this centre to prevent a scanned envelope of interest to someone from being removed, or opened and then destroyed? Perhaps the situation should be investigated? Margaret Rowe, Hackett Scary thought

Hitler promised to make Germany great again, so beware of megalomania. Cynthia Moloney, Yarralumla Review honours criteria The Australian public should be questioning the criteria used in awarding Australia Day Honours, judging by the material presented in the list published in the Canberra Times on January 26. Aside from the amazing reference to someone receiving an AM in the General Division for his promotion of the Australian flag, so many of the recipients, particularly politicians, senior public servants and academics, appear to be rewarded simply by their employment over the years, rather than extra unpaid and extensive involvement in the community.

On their own, criteria such as service to the community through public administration or services to science and other academic disciplines, are not sufficient. The focus should be on those providing exemplary unpaid community service beyond their employment, especially given the egalitarianism we proclaim as Australians. Warwick Williams, Nicholls David Jenkins (letters, January 26) is incorrect in asserting that Australia became an independent sovereign nation on January 1, 1901, when the Commonwealth of Australia was established. The Commonwealth of Australia was simply a new Australia-wide colonial entity sharing power with the various Australian States under the sovereignty of the British Crown.

Australia's passage to independent sovereign nationhood has taken place over many years since then. Some might say it was finally achieved on March 3, 1986, when the Australia Act came into force. But perhaps we are not yet there, and won't be until we rid ourselves of British monarchs as our heads of state. Frank Marris, Forrest I have always been bemused that on January 26 we celebrate a British event  the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson.

From a national perspective I would have thought that the date when we achieved statehood would be far more important, based on either when The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 became law on July 9, 1900, or when that Act came into effect on January 1, 1901. As January 1 is already a public holiday (and we never give these away) why not celebrate on July 9? After all, there's not much else to celebrate in July (apart from my birthday). Roger Dace, Reid It was very pleasing to see a scientist, Alan Mackay-Sim awarded Australian of the year, particularly given the current Federal Government's attitude to science (remember the CSIRO?) And Sister Anne Gardiner is a noble woman who has given her life to the service of others. Paul Vasileff is a young entrepreneur proving the rag trade can thrive with design imagination and flair, and Vicki Jellie, what a local hero.

All well deserved and makes us feel proud. But wait, what was the representative of the Commonwealth Bank doing on stage? What did the bank do? As a customer myself it could not be service-related. Peter Best, Weetangera While I am unlikely to ever agree with Ian Macfarlane on political issues, I am in total agreement with his view that January 26 is an inappropriate and divisive choice on which to celebrate Australia Day. I believe that a little lateral thinking would suggest the exact date is irrelevant. Logic suggests that to hold it on the first Friday or Monday in March would be popular with all elements of our society and resolve a lot of issues over sick leave and absence from work. Tony Langer, Chisholm What makes the ACT Government think that Andrew Kefford (former head of the government's Asbestos Response Taskforce) is worthy of some sort of award? Oh, silly me, I forgot  he's helped them acquire quite a lot of suburban land to be rezoned and developed and in the process forced 1022 Canberra families out of their loved homes. Let's not mention the financial stress, grief and despair he and the government have caused them.

Kathleen Read, Watson It puzzles me, the things that seem to terrify some people. The image of a couple of cheerful young Australian women celebrating Australia Day with flags for instance seems to reduce some to hysterically gibbering irrational hatred and threats of extreme violence to anyone who even displays the image. Surely a psychotic phobia can be the only explanation for such odd behaviour? Ian Fraser, Duffy

Passing judgment Anyone concerned that their innate sexual preferences and the circumstances of their personal relationships had not yet been categorised into sweeping generalisations and deemed to be more or less worthy than others' can finally breathe a sigh of relief! Frank Mines (letters, January 23) was kind enough to pass judgment on you and remove any uncertainty you may have had regarding the relative worth of your love. Will Mr Mines next use his astounding broadmindedness and unrivalled empathy to provide married couples with individual rankings? God bless him! James Allan, Narrabundah Close neighbours

No Gary Wilson, Indonesia is not our nearest neighbour (letters, January 21) . The Australian islands of the Torres Strait, eg. Thursday Island, Saibai Island and Dauan Island, are closer to Papua New Guinea than Christmas Island is to Indonesia. With regard to "main-land" Australia, the top of the Cape York Peninsula is closer to Papua New Guinea than the north-western region of Australia's main-land is to either Indonesia or Timor-Leste. Christopher Jobson, Monash Barnaby's rock

When Barnaby argues those who want to move the date of Australia Day should "crawl under a rock", he is likely inviting them to join him as he may be feeling lonely. Luca Biason, Latham TO THE POINT PUBLIC DISSERVICE Good to see the Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour receive an honour for "distinguished service to business, particularly in the area of postal communications". He certainly would not get anything for service to the public, despite being (one of) the highest paid "public servant(s)".

Allan Mikkelsen, Hawker BEGGARS BELIEF What truly beggars belief is that Peter Robinson (letters, January 27) should describe the decision to stand up to a tiny and ugly minority by proudly displaying a sign of genuine and healthy multiculturalism as a choice "to promote Islamic fundamentalism in our city square". Felix MacNeill, Dickson THIRD MONDAY OPTION

Why not change Australia Day to the third Monday in January. It will never be the 26th, the whingers will hopefully shut up and it will generate a guaranteed long weekend every year. Jevon Kinder, Murrumbateman FEED THEM CRUMBS Considering "a recent court ruling that [Woolworths] did not act unconscionably in demanding as much as $60 million from suppliers to plug a profit shortfall" ("Woolworths set to break bread with its suppliers", January 23, pp34,35), it appears the company is about to feed its suppliers on crumbs. Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor
Cities, feminism and the 5 million. Last week's anti-Trump Women's Marches drew more than a million marchers in the US and almost five million worldwide; 750,000 in LA; 10,000 in Sydney; 673 cities globally; no arrests. The monstrous regiment made itself serenely, urbanely felt. What, if anything, does this mean for our first conservative female Premier?

Baird's administration was like the worst kind of husband: controlling, humourless and puritanical, ultra-straight, ultra-dull, ultra-male. Chainsaw Mike. Bulldozer Mike. Motorway Mike. The Baird years were all boofheads and bulldozers, pin-stripes and steel-caps. Demolish, concrete, consult, in that order. Question is, should we expect anything different from a premier of the XX persuasion?

Illustration: Simon Bosch

The answer, before you get cross, may have as much to do with the nature of cities, as the difference  or not  between genders.

Years ago, as a know-nothing twenty-something in London, I fluked a job in an ancient Westminster publishing house. My position, till then, had been reserved for the thoroughly august  John Betjeman, Osbert Lancaster, Reyner Banham  so the sense of plumbless orthodoxy, of being held within something, was intense.
The dystopia described in George Orwell's nearly 70-year-old novel 1984 suddenly feels all too familiar. A world in which Big Brother (or maybe the National Security Agency) is always listening in, and high-tech devices can eavesdrop in people's homes. (Hey, Alexa, what's up?) A world of endless war, where fear and hate are drummed up against foreigners, and movies show boatloads of refugees dying at sea. A world in which the government insists that reality is not "something objective, external, existing in its own right" but rather, "whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth."

1984 shot to No. 1 on Amazon's best-seller list this week, after Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to President Donald Trump, described demonstrable falsehoods told by the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer - regarding the size of inaugural crowds - as "alternative facts." It was a phrase chillingly reminiscent, for many readers, of the Ministry of Truth's efforts in 1984 at "reality control". To Big Brother and the Party, Orwell wrote, "The very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense." Regardless of the facts, "Big Brother is omnipotent" and "the Party is infallible".

A still from the movie 1984: ''A world in which the government insists that reality is not "something objective, external, existing in its own right" but rather, "whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth."

As the novel's hero, Winston Smith, sees it, the Party "told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears", and he vows, early in the book, to defend "the obvious" and "the true": "The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall toward the earth's centre." Freedom, he reminds himself, "is the freedom to say that two plus two make four," even though the Party will force him to agree that "TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE" - not unlike the way Spicer tried to insist that Trump's inauguration crowd was "the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration," despite data and photographs to the contrary.

In 1984 , Orwell created a harrowing picture of a dystopia named Oceania, where the government insists on defining its own reality and where propaganda permeates the lives of people too distracted by rubbishy tabloids ("containing almost nothing except sport, crime and astrology") and sex-filled movies to care much about politics or history. News articles and books are rewritten by the Ministry of Truth and facts and dates grow blurry - the past is described as a benighted time that has given way to the Party's efforts to make Oceania great again (never mind the evidence to the contrary, like grim living conditions and shortages of decent food and clothing).
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Melbourne and other Australian cities need to tighten up access to busy pedestrian areas to address a "concerning vulnerability" to incidents like the Bourke Street rampage, which has claimed five lives and injured dozens more.

Mr Turnbull said extensive discussions were continuing with the Victorian and other state governments about "hardening up" places where large groups of people gather to prevent attacks with vehicles, whether they are terrorist acts or triggered by other motives.

"This is a very concerning vulnerability we have in anywhere where you have a large number of people gathered together, we need to be able to ensure as much as we can, that it is not possible to get a vehicle in there," he told Melbourne radio station 3AW.

"You've got a wonderful, big open city with big streets, wide footpaths. The attack in Bourke Street is an example of a vulnerability that we have to address."
It was only a matter of time before the diva accusations surfaced. Anthony Bell, Tony Abbott and Karl Stefanovic share a laugh, as mates do. Credit:Attila Szilvasi Indeed with huge pay packets now collectively worth several million dollars and national fame, My Kitchen Rules hosts and judges, celebrity chefs Peter Evans, Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge, have been labelled small screen prima-donnas. And as their ratings continue to surge for what is Australia's most-watched and therefore most profitable television program, it would seem their egos are robust enough to take it. MKR judges Colin Fassnidge, Manu Feildel and Peter Evans.

"I guess I'm the diva if you believe what you read," Fassnidge admitted on Wednesday night at his Surry Hills restaurant Four Fourteen, where he was joined by Evans and Feildel to launch the eighth season of the show. "But most of that stuff being published is absolute rubbish ... they're just making it up," Fassnidge assured me, taking direct aim at Woman's Day magazine, which has long been accused of making commercially-motivated editorial decisions to bring down the Seven Network's biggest stars, including Sunrise hosts Samantha Armytage and David Koch. This week Armytage and Koch were both quick to shoot down Woman's Day's claims they loathed their colleagues. Seven's parent company Seven West Media, controlled by billionaire Kerry Stokes, owns Woman's Day's arch rival, New Idea magazine. A notable absence on Thursday night was SWM CEO Tim Worner, who has hosted previous MKR series launches but has been engulfed in his own personal sex scandal at the network. Instead SWM commercial director Bruce McWilliam was flying the corporate flag.

Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner was a notable absence on. Credit:Daniel Munoz And despite claims Woman's Day had been banned from Thursday night's knees up, the magazine did have a reporter in the room, albeit on a lesser table to the show's stars, and just near the toilets. Channel Seven's publicity department, which had admittedly made some very odd decisions when it came to the guest list, which was filled with bloggers rather than accredited news journalists, was clearly still smarting over Woman's Day's coverage of the show, which has included reports that Feildel and Evans, the two biggest stars on the show, refuse to travel together, and that Frenchman Feildel thinks Evans and his activated almonds are "stranger than strange". Manu Feildel and Pete Evans at the MKR launch 19/01/16. Photo: Channel Seven PPphoto#5.jpg However "Paleo Pete", who was getting the full star treatment with a crew from Seven's current affairs show Sunday Night following him around throughout the night, assured me reports that he spat the food out when the cameras stopped rolling during the all-important taste tests were wrong.

On Thursday night they did work the room separately, but came together for PS with plenty of brotherly bear hugs and back slaps to show how much they actually do like each other  well, at least in front of the camera. Not that it would really matter much. MKR has become a global phenomenon, an Australian format which has seen versions spawned in Russia, Serbia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Tim Olsen takes the leap into the cut-throat New York art world Sydney art dealer Tim Olsen is about to open the doors on one of his most ambitious projects yet: his own gallery in the thick of New York's cut-throat contemporary art gallery scene. Located on Elizabeth Street in Soho's established gallery enclave, Olsen told PS he was confident the move would be a success, with a long list of Australian and international artists set to grace its walls.

"With so many of my artists selling over here online, and with my sister's [designer Louise Olsen] Dinosaur Designs shop going great guns after 10 years in New York, add to that our combined contacts, and I feel confident it would do well," Olsen said from Miami, where he was exhibiting Sydney artist Martine Emdur whose underwater nudes series were selling strongly. Tim Olsen says a long list of Australian and international artists are set to grace the walls at his new gallery. Credit:Steven Siewert "I have an experienced, great girl living in New York to run the gallery and other international artists who will exhibit with us. It won't be a marsupial, Aussie-artists-only gallery," Olsen said. "So often when I travel globally I often come back knowing some of my artists are as good if not better than some of the artists I see exhibiting in major galleries in the northern hemisphere. "It's a low overhead experiment that I'm happy to give a couple years to. I hope some of my artists will attract the respect and prices they deserve, instead of being held back by a small economy."

Olsen, the son of legendary Australian artist John Olsen, said his two existing galleries in Sydney would continue as is, while his list of high-profile artists around the world continues to grow, with the likes of Noah Taylor and Rose Byrne's brother George Byrne being represented by him "As they say over here, 'If you can't buy it in New York, you can't buy it anywhere." Honours for a Leckie lady Arise Lady Leckie of Lactura ... well, not quite but one of Sydney's most tireless charity cheerleaders Skye Leckie was among those receiving Australia Day honours on Thursday, picking up a Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division for her years of fundraising efforts that have contributed many millions of dollars for a variety of causes. Skye Leckie received an Order of Australia in recognition of her fundraising efforts. Photo: Belinda Rolland. Credit:Belinda Rolland A few other names that caught PS's eye this year included Andrew Purchas, who received his OAM for services to rugby union and the promotion of social inclusion for LGBTI people; Jackie Stricker-Phelps, for her service to the community when it comes to human rights and social welfare; and Channel Seven personality Andrew O'Keefe, who was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia for services to broadcast television, social welfare and charity.

Pet peeves Kings Cross apartment tower The Elan has recently made headlines over its tricky pet ownership policies that have divided the building's residents. While PS is familiar with stories of dainty poodles being carried in and out the back door, the building also has a policy that larger dogs must travel throughout the building's common areas atop a special trolley rather than simply walking on all fours. But the Elan residents have nothing on those living in the Discovery Point apartments at Wolli Creek. A notice from the strata management company was posted on Reddit this week, advising residents of its no alpaca policy.
Jillian Skinner was elected member for North Shore almost 23 years ago to the day, spending much of that time in Opposition where she honed her understanding of health bureaucracy and became an almost permanent thorn in the NSW ALP's side.

After 14 years in Opposition, she got a taste of her own medicine when she was appointed health minister after the 2011 election.

Mrs Skinner was the target of fierce criticism over a series of health scandals in 2016, including the chemotherapy underdosing of more than 100 cancer patients by a St Vincent's Hospital oncologist and a gas mix-up at Lidcombe Bankstown Hospital that killed one newborn and left another severely brain damaged.

The Opposition renewed its attacks after two babies were mistakenly cremated, and a body bag was mislabelled at Royal North Shore Hospital. A series of legionella outbreaks across Sydney and reports some hospital emergency departments were at breaking point intensified calls for her head to roll.
A man has been charged with allegedly strangling an ibis to death and using it to threaten people in Brisbane City on Sunday.

The 31-year-old man allegedly captured and killed the bird on George Street about 5.30am before using the dead bird to threaten passers-by.

It is a serious offence to harm an ibis under State Wildlife Legislation. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

Police spoke to the man at the scene and appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

On Friday, police charged the Murarrie man with one count each of animal cruelty and public nuisance.
One Nation has lost its third Queensland candidate since December, with party leader Pauline Hanson dumping the candidate for Mulgrave, in the state's far north, Peter Rogers.

Mr Rogers, 57, said he was "given the flick" on Friday evening via conference call with Ms Hanson, James Ashby and Steve Dickson, who defected from the LNP to One Nation on January 13.

The reason behind the dumping was a conspiracy-laden article which contained claims about a refugee Syrian toddler found lying dead on a Turkish beach and the Port Arthur massacre.

It said the toddler was still alive and the massacre in Tasmania 20 years ago, where 35 people were murdered, was a fabrication.
Airtel Sierra Leone invests $33million to fund expansion

Telecommunication company Airtel Sierra Leone has invested $33 million this year to fund its expansion in the country.

In July 2016, Orange together with its Senegal-based partner, Sonatel, completed the acquisition of 100 per cent 0f Airtel in Sierra Leone.

According to the mobile companys Chief Executive Officer, Sekou Drame, the amount would be used to ensure modernization of their network, improve customer experience and operations.

With regards network modernization, he said they hope to renew all existing base stations with capacity upgrade to comply with international standards in terms of network and facilitate operations.

He revealed that they had already presented a proposal to the National Telecommunication Commission (NATCOM), detailing things they wanted to complete by the end of July this year.

Mr. Drame noted that network densification in Freetown, Bo, Makeni and Kenema would also be done to resolve the present network congestion, while at the same time renewing transmission backbone by multiplying its current capacity to cope with the high data usage.

We want to assure our customers of our determination and commitment to provide good services at all times. Our relationship with NATCOM is one of compliance, he said.

www.africa.airtel.com
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This includes science, but with conditions. Student denied entry Aspiring doctor and Churchill mother Chantal Doward said during her Bachelor of Science (Medical Bioscience) degree at Monash Gippsland, studying medicine was promoted as the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow". But last year Ms Doward discovered the units she had completed during her Monash degree were no longer considered appropriate prerequisite units to study medicine at the university's Churchill medical school. Instead, she needed to have completed at least five specific units from a pool of mostly Clayton-based subjects.

Ms Doward said some of the units offered at Clayton during her studies were so similar to those offered at the Gippsland campus, she was actually prohibited from enrolling in them. "By their own logic it doesn't make sense," she said. Ms Doward said senior academics from the science and medical faculties mapped out the Gippsland course to ensure local students were not disadvantaged and received the required content to be best-placed to study medicine. She said the only difference she could ascertain between the two courses was that Gippsland class sizes were much smaller, enabling students to gain more practical laboratory experience. Ms Doward will next week begin studying a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Deakin University in Geelong, requiring her to relocate her three children.

"How many people are like me who just don't have those resources to go somewhere else (to study), but have the passion and ability?" Ms Doward said. "These aren't people who don't cut the mustard. They are capable of being doctors and have been told so by other universities. But they're being exported out of their own area." Monash degree the only option The admission changes mean Federation University science students will not have a direct pathway to the local medical school. Monash University's Gippsland campus and the University of Ballarat merged in 2014 to become Federation University. But Monash retained control of the medical school which is co-located with FedUni at Churchill.

FedUni microbiology lecturer Dr Andrew Greenhill said teaching quality at Churchill had remained high since the FedUni rebranding as much of the academic staff had remained. Speaking not on behalf of the university, but as an individual lecturer, Dr Greenhill said he and other FedUni academics had for years taught components of the Monash medical degree as part of an informal agreement between the two universities. "Our teaching quality is good enough to deliver parts of the medical degree," Dr Greenhill said. "By that logic, Monash themselves consider us to have a high standard of teaching." A Monash spokesperson said as part of a rural access scheme, the university took a minimum of 20 Gippslanders into its Biomedical Science degree.

This Clayton-based degree is now the primary feeder course for medicine. "We have greater numbers of Gippsland-origin students who gain entry to the Monash Graduate entry MD at Gippsland than we were able to achieve with the scheme that permitted access from all universities via GEMSAS," the spokesperson said. "In 2017, we anticipate around 12 Gippsland origin students will commence the Monash Graduate MD at Churchill." Ms Doward said moving to Melbourne to study a pre-medical degree was not a viable option for many Gippslanders, saying at the time of studying Medical Bioscience in Gippsland she could not relocate. "I needed the family support. I had an 18 month-old baby and a mortgage," Ms Doward said.
WA Police have praised people for their good behaviour during Australia Day, which was marred by the deaths of two people in a plane crash on the Swan River.

They say there were 78 arrests across the entire state and 104 charges and 25 summons issued.

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Brown said the crimes included low level assaults, anti-social behaviour and failure to obey move-on notices.

"Thumbs up to all West Australians, particularly those in Perth, who behaved themselves really well," he told reporters on Friday.
London: Donald Trump may prove "deeply dangerous" for the rest of the world if confronted militarily, says the UK's recently retired commander of the joint forces.

General Sir Richard Barrons said President Trump had inherited a "win-lose" attitude from the business world and his military and political advisors might not be able to pull him back from doing something "mad" that would provoke a war.

The warning came a day after the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its 'Doomsday Clock' 30 seconds closer to midnight, in response to Mr Trump's statements on climate change, expanding the US nuclear arsenal and the questioning of intelligence agencies.

It is the closest the clock has been to midnight in more than 60 years, since the hydrogen bomb tests by the US and USSR.
Banjul, Gambia: A week after he was inaugurated in another country, Adama Barrow landed in Gambia on Thursday afternoon, setting foot inside his own national borders for the first time as the new president.

Throngs of supporters, some holding Gambian flags, lined the roads to greet Barrow, who had flown in from Dakar, Senegal, where he had fled more than a week earlier out of security concerns after his predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, refused to step down. As he entered Banjul, the capital, Barrow's white car was surrounded by two tanks and other military vehicles.

Barrow, waving, had been staying in Senegal after authoritarian ex-president Yahya Jammeh refused to step down following Gambia's December election results. Credit:Getty Images

"Today is freedom day," said Mariama Bah, a nurse from Serekunda, a town nearby, who came to the airport to welcome Barrow. "We now have a president that we can be proud of."

Barrow defeated the longtime president, Jammeh, in a surprising outcome to an election in December. Jammeh, who had been in power since 1994 when he led a successful coup, initially accepted defeat. A few days after the vote, he changed his mind, declared the election results invalid and vowed to use the power of his military to stay in charge.
SETsquared, the global No.1 university business incubator, is excited to be working with tech giant Oracle on its newly launched Oracle Startup Cloud Accelerator (OSCA).

Oracle is already engaged with Bristols tech ecosystem by supporting University of Bristol students and providing its cloud infrastructure to SETsquareds startups, including YellowDog and Interactive Scientific.

By launching OSCA, Oracle will be able to deliver a structured acceleration programme to groups of high growth companies in Bristol. Similar programmes have already been launched in Bangalore and Tel Aviv. SETsquared will offer access to its award-winning acceleration programme including intensive mentoring, workshops, access to its extended community and global network. OSCA will be based at Engine Shed providing world-class facilities to selected startups.

Monika Radclyffe, Centre Director for SETsquared Bristol, commented: "We are thrilled to be working with Oracle on the Startup Cloud Accelerator. We have had very positive feedback from startups already working with Oracle teams and we look forward to seeing more success stories emerging from OSCA."

Oracle Senior Vice President of Product Development Reggie Bradford, a serial entrepreneur himself, will lead the program expansion.

The next five to ten years promise innovations and growth that will drive new business ideas enabled by the cloud, said Bradford. Oracle understands that startups are at the heart of innovation, and through this program we aim to give startups access to extensive resources and support when they need it most.

To register your interest in the programme, please visit www.oracle.com/uk/startup. The call for applications will open later in 2017.
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ASIC has permanently banned Mr Madhvan Nair of Kellyville NSW, from the credit and financial services industries.



The bans follow an ASIC investigation which led to Mr Nair, a former mortgage broker with AHL Investments Pty Ltd (trading as Aussie), being convicted in Downing Centre Local Court on eighteen charges relating to home loan fraud. On each of the eighteen charges, Mr Nair was convicted and released upon entering in to a recognizance of $1,000 with the condition that he be of good behaviour for three years.



ASIC's investigation found that Mr Nair provided documents in support of eighteen loan applications knowing that they contained false or misleading information.



The applications contained letters which purported to be from the applicant's employer. These documents were false and in most instances, the loan applicant had never worked for the particular employer.



Mr Nair has the right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of ASIC's decision.



Background



On 5 July 2016, Mr Nair through his solicitor, pleaded guilty to seventeen charges under section 160D of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (the Credit Act) and one charge under the former Section 33(2) of the Credit Act while he was engaging in credit activity on behalf of Aussie. Section 160D (and the former Section 33(2)) makes it an offence for a person engaging in credit activities to give false or misleading information or documents to another person.



Mr Nair provided false employment documents to secure approvals for home loans, submitted to Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) and National Australia Bank (NAB).



On each of the eighteen charges, Mr Nair was convicted and released upon entering into a recognizance of $1,000 on the condition that he be of good behaviour for three years.



Since becoming the national regulator of consumer credit on 1 July 2010, ASIC has investigated in excess of 100 matters relating to loan fraud and has achieved many enforcement outcomes against the offenders. The outcomes range from undertakings by persons to voluntarily leave the industry, to bans and prosecutions.



To date, ASIC has banned, suspended or placed conditions of the licence of 80 individuals or companies from providing credit services (including 35 permanent bans). Through the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, ASIC has brought criminal prosecutions against 14 credit service providers; with 12 having been convicted of fraud or dishonesty offences relating to the provision of false and misleading information or documents to lenders in client loan applications.
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Friday Jan. 27 Sound off

Catch the almost-lost Orson Welles film Too Much Johnson, made in 1938 as an homage to the silent slapstick comedies of 20 years before, but never screened. Guitairist Gary Lucas provides a live semi-improvised soundtrack for the film, which he describes as like the Keystone Cops on acid.

8 pm at Roulette [509 Atlantic Ave. at Third Avenue in Boerum Hill, www.roule tte.org ]. Jan. 27 at 8 pm. $25 ($20 in advance).

Saturday Jan. 28 Making a splash

With a bathroom for her theater, a tub for her stage, and bubbles for her wardrobe, Brooklyn actress Siobhan OLoughlin invites a limited audience to her immersive theater show Broken Bone Bathtub, in which her character regales the audience with the story of her broken arm while taking a bath in a borrowed home. The show continues next weekend in Fort Greene and Prospect Heights.

7 pm and 9 pm in Crown Heights (location will be sent to ticket holders after purchase, www.broke nbone batht ub.com ). $35.

Sunday Jan. 29 On a roll

Hungry for good film? Bite into the Japanese stop-motion short Konigiri-Kun Shopping, about a sushi roll searching for the perfect accessory, screening with eight other short films about doing what you love in the Shine On program of the BAMKids Film Festival. Six other sets of kids cartoons will play all morning, focusing on themes of friendship, family, and being yourself.

A show that suits them: The surreal comedy Enterprise opens at the Brick Theatre on Feb. 2. Gyda Arber

10:20 am at BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave. at Hanson Place in Fort Greene, (718) 6364100, www.bam.org]. $14 ($9 kids).

Wednesday Feb. 1 Mockbusters

Enjoy the worst that the straight-to-video bin has to offer in Kevin Geeks Out About Rip-Off Cinema, where comedian Kevin Maher and guests discuss copycat films like Transmorphers or Snakes on a Train designed to confuse viewers, as well as unauthorized Bollywood adaptations and foreign knockoffs like the absurd Turkish version of Spider-Man (pictured).

7 pm at the Alamo Drafthouse (445 Albee Square West between Willoughby and Fulton streets Downtown, www.alamo draft house.com/ nyc ). $15.

Thursday Feb. 2 Start up, shut down

Get in on the ground floor of the surreal comedy Enterprise, debuting tonight at the Brick. The show follows the desperate employees of a failing big business, as they synergize their efforts to save the biz with new paradigms, including email hacking and animal sacrifice. The show continues through Feb. 18.

8 pm at the Brick (575 Metropolitan Ave. between Union and Lorimer streets in Williamsburg, (718) 9076189, www.brick theat er.com ). $18.
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Dont go off half-cocked  plan ahead for the Year of the Rooster!

The Lunar New Year starts on Jan. 28, the first day of the Chinese calender, and Brooklyn will usher in the Year of the Rooster with events peppered across the borough. Whether you prefer dazzling dances or a bustling crafts fair, our guide to local festivities has you covered.

Birds of a feather

The rooster may be flightless, but the Peggy Choy Dance Company will celebrate the Year of Rooster with Flight, opening on Jan. 27. The Afro-Asian Fusion dance show features traditional Chinese dance combined with modern hip-hop moves, and it is all inspired by the 12th century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds.

Flight at Kumble Theater at Long Island University [1 University Plaza between Willoughby Street and Dekalb Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 4881624, www.kumbl ethea ter.org ]. Jan. 2728 at 7:30 pm. $15 ($10 students and seniors).

Get worked opera

Chinese Theatre Works will make some noise at a trio of public libraries, with a program that explores traditional Chinese music with a 21-string zither known as the Guzheng and excerpts of famous Chinese operas including Farewell My Concubine, Peony Pavilion, and the Monkey King. Audience members can also try their hand at folk dances including the ribbon and lion dances. The programs will be in English and Mandarin.

Chinese New Year Celebration at Brooklyn Library New Utrecht Branch [1743 86th St. between Bay 16th Street and 18th Avenue, (718) 2364086, www.bklyn libra ry.org ]. Jan. 28 at noon. Free.

Sunset Park Branch [5108 Fourth Ave. between 51st and 52nd Streets in Sunset Park, (718) 5672806]. Feb. 3 at 4 pm. Free.

McKinley Branch [6802 Fort Hamilton Pkwy. between 68th Street and Bay Ridge Avenue in Dyker Heights, (718) 7488001]. Feb. 4 at 1 pm. Free.

A fair share

Sink your teeth into Chinese culture at the Sunset Park Recreation Center on Jan. 28, when the Health Essential Association Chen will host a family festival. The event will feature the traditional Lunar New Year treats of almond cookies and sticky cakes, along with arts and crafts, and instructors teaching traditional folk dances to adults and tykes alike.

2017 Year of the Rooster Lunar New Year Event at the Sunset Park Recreation Center [4200 Seventh Ave. between 41st and 44th streets in Sunset Park, (718) 9722135, www.nycgo vpark s.org/ parks/ sunse t-par k ]. Jan. 28, 11 am2 pm. Free.

The big shebang

The Brooklyn Chinese-American Association will welcome the new year with its annual parade on Jan. 29. The celebration kicks off at 11 am at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 50th Street in Sunset Park, where the audience can see traditional song and dances, kung-fu demonstrations, and shop at a mini-flea market. The parade itself sets off at noon, traveling down Eighth Avenue towards 61st Street.

Annual New Year Celebration parade on Eighth Avenue [Starts at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue in Sunset Park, (718) 4380008, www.bca.net]. Jan. 29 at 11 am. Free.

Reach reporter Caroline Spivack at cspiv ack@c ngloc al.com or by calling (718) 2602523. Follow her on Twitter @carolinespivack.
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President Trump is nothing more than a celebrity playing dress-up as the leader of the free world, said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in his annual State of the District Address on Thursday night.

We have a reality-show host in the White House masquerading as president of the United States of America, said Jeffries (DClinton Hill) to the packed-out crowd at Downtowns Paramount Theater.

This was despite the congressmans controversial decision to attend the inauguration on Jan. 20, while many other Brooklyn pols called Trump illegitimate and boycotted the event after the commander in chief insulted civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (DGeorgia).

The Prospect Heights resident, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, stood by his decision on Thursday, arguing that the ceremony was also the final chance to say goodbye to President Obama.

I decided this inauguration is bigger than one individual, even though Donald Trump would like us to believe his presence is the be all, end all  its not, he said after the speech.

Trump was, however, the be all and end all of Jeffries speech  which focused entirely on firing up constituents to fight back against the policies of the new administration and Republican-controlled Congress on issues such as the Affordable Care Act.

Barack Obama has left the building, and theres some folks down in Washington who are going to try and take advantage of the situation, said Jeffries, who stumped for Hillary Clinton during the presidential primaries and election. They go to church and they pray on Sunday, and they go to Washington and prey on the American people the rest of the week.

He also laid into some of their supporters.

Im not here to say that every American who voted for Donald Trump is a racist, but I do know that every racist in America voted for Donald Trump, he said.

The Crown Heights natives spiel did not mention any local issues or plans for his district, but attendees didnt seem to mind, cheering throughout the address and heeding the pols call to action.

I thought it was amazing, it definitely gave us more validation of whats to come and what we need to do, said East New Yorker Ashley Marrero. We can do this all together. Weve been through hard times before its just another round and weve gotta do what we gotta do.

Jeffries has criticized Mayor DeBlasios policies on police and his name has been tossed around as a possible challenger in this years mayoral race. After the speech, he told this paper that he has no plan to run  then apparently told a Politico reporter that he still hasnt ruled it out.

Around 26 percent of New Yorkers would vote for Jeffries as mayor in a face-off with DeBlasio, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill @cngl ocal.com or by calling (718) 2602511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill
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The state has joined the lawsuit against the New York City Board of Elections for disenfranchising Brooklyn voters ahead of the contentious 2016 presidential primary. The board axed more than 200,000 voters from its rolls, including more than 117,000 in Brooklyn  many of whom should not have been scrubbed  in a clear violation of the law, according to New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The right to vote is sacred, protecting all other rights. Yet the NYC Board of Elections practices were directly responsible for disenfranchising over 200,000 voters  violating federal and state laws, and undermining New Yorkers trust in the institutions meant to protect their rights, said Schneiderman.

Good-government group Common Cause launched the suit in November, and the Department of Justice got on board on Jan. 12.

The city criticized the Board of Elections for not properly maintaining voters rolls in 2013, and the board launched a massive purge known as the Brooklyn Project to cut more than 117,000 voters simply because they had not cast a ballot since 2008, according to complainants. The boards higher-ups, including executive director Michael Ryan and borough commissioner Dr. John Flateau, were aware of what was happening but did nothing to stop it, the suit also alleges.

But Schneiderman says the problems pre-date the so-called Brooklyn Project and go far beyond the borough.

The Board of Elections removed 100,000 voters from rolls city-wide between 2014 and 2015, because it believed they had moved out of the five boroughs  but it only gave them two weeks notice, rather than the four years it was supposed to, the suit states.

Some board workers tried to raise the alarm.

Are we changing the law? one worker wrote in an e-mail obtained by state investigators.

The writer later acknowledged that hastily clearing rolls of ineligible voters would inevitably disenfranchise legitimate voters.

A small percentage moved within the city and will find they were purged when they go to send in an address change  this whole process is a big mess, the e-mail states.

The city also launched its own investigation into the Board of Elections and suspended Democratic chief clerk Betty Ann Canizio and her Republican counterpart Diane Haslett-Rudiano for the duration. The Board of Elections cannot comment on pending litigation, according to a spokeswoman, who did confirm that Canizio and Haslett-Rudiano remain suspended.
A new interdisciplinary project led by researchers at the University of Bristol aims to develop resilience and research capacity in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan to cope with earthquakes and their cascading effects on the country's environment, business, infrastructure, and society.

The project, Building Bhutanese Resilience Against Cataclysmic Events (BRACE) is funded by NERC as part of its Global Challenges Research Fund.

Led by Dr Frances Cooper from the University's School of Earth Sciences, it is designed to forge new relationships among geoscientists, geographers, historians, archaeologists, engineers, and policy makers to address seismic risk and develop resilience-building strategies within Bhutan.

The BRACE team will bring together a diverse group of researchers from Bhutan, the UK, and the USA, to investigate links between historical earthquake records, current seismic hazards, and the potential impacts of earthquakes on people, infrastructure, and the environment.

Bhutan nervously witnessed the devastating magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake, which struck Nepal in 2015, killing almost 9,000 people.

Bhutan lies to the east of Nepal along the same seismically-active Himalayan belt. However, compared to Nepal, Bhutan has not experienced a major earthquake for quite some time.

Accordingly, the seismic risk is poorly understood, and the country is underprepared for a major seismic event. The potential disruption to the landscape and infrastructure, and the consequent impacts on access to food, water, energy, and the health and wellbeing of the population could be devastating.

Dr Cooper said: "Earthquakes threaten societies in complex ways. Buildings may collapse, trapping or killing people, and communications may be severed along with critical lifelines to water and hospitals. On top of all that, earthquakes can cause landslides, floods, and fires that exacerbate the crisis.

"Governmental agencies need the training, resources, modes of emergency communication, and decision-making practices to enable them to deal with such a cataclysmic event. Unfortunately, because earthquakes are unpredictable, government and community planning are challenging, as is communicating the risks to the population."

The central objective of BRACE is to co-develop methodologies with Bhutanese partners (historians, seismologists, engineers, construction firms, disaster response teams, and policy makers) to improve resilience strategies before the next big earthquake.

By improving estimates of seismic hazard and risk, as well as helping to improve risk governance amongst institutions, organisations and the private sector, the project aims to build a more resilient society in its continued pursuit of Gross National Happiness.

For more information, visit the project website at bracebhutan.org
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...
First things first. Seriously? Seriously? After a long wait between episodes during which the fate of Alex Karev is left hanging precariously in the balance, Greys Anatomy returns in its winter premiere and tells us nothing? Zilch? Nada? SERIOUSLY? I am extremely put out over the whole thing. To make matters worse, while I dont mind the occasional bottle (self-contained, focusing on only a few characters, often with a twist of format) episode, You Can Look (But Youd Better Not Touch) was an unrelentingly bleak, depressing, and  frankly  rather useless outing.

The acting in this episode of Greys Anatomy was solid, of course, with Chandra Wilson, Jessica Capshaw, and Camilla Luddington up to the task of carrying the episode on their experienced and capable shoulders. And the premise was clever. No men in at all with the exception of one security guard. All women. All the time. But the execution (so to speak) of this hour which was set in a hospital ward designated for high risk female prisoners was simultaneously heavy handed and predictable. I couldnt wait for it to be over. I have higher hopes for next week but, in the meantime, lets get this recap going. Its not going to be pretty.

Greys Anatomy Recap: Is Alex Going to Prison>>>

Tri-County Hospital: Prison Floor

As the episode opens, Doctors Bailey, Robbins, and Wilson are en route to pay a house prison hospital ward call to Kristen Rochester. Kristen is 16 years old and 31 weeks pregnant. Her pregnancy is high-risk due to TRAPS Syndrome, a condition in which one twin is essentially normal but the other is basically a mass of cells. That mass of cells, however, puts lots of extra stress on both the mother and the normal twin and needs to be severed. Enter our trio of surgeons to perform the procedure and then get the heck out of there stat.

When the doctors arrive, they are thoroughly searched (Arizonas prosthetic leg makes an appearance!) and credentialed. They are warned to keep their badges with them at all times as they wont be able to leave the ward without it. Though all of the doctors are uneasy, Miranda is particularly spooked which makes her both a skittish hot mess and more self-righteous than usual. Amanda Joseph is Kristens attorney and for reasons the doctors dont understand, she has a calming affect (shes the K-10 Whisperer!) on the prickly and violent Kristen.

Unreasonable Delay, Obstructing Legal Rights

The head of the ward is Dr. Eldredge, a hard-as-nails doctor/warden hybrid who runs the floor with an iron fist. Kristin attacks Eldredge, dislocating her finger, the moment Eldredge lets the doctors in the cell. Kristin is immediately restrained and the doctors begin the examination. Making matters worse, Amanda gets called away on another emergency case, leaving our docs alone (save one lone guard) with the patient.

Miranda follows Eldredge out the doors in an attempt to run away and treat the doctors broken finger. Along the way, another patient begs Miranda for help. Soon, Miranda is chastising Eldredge for not treating the prisoners seeping abscess (gross!) and condescending lecturing the woman about how she could allocate her resources better. Fortunately, Eldredge gives Miranda a personal tour of the pitifully stocked supply closet and issues a well-deserved smack down to Chief Bailey, who has the decency to look properly embarrassed about her behavior.

Meanwhile, Robbins tries to develop a rapport with Kristin but her chirpiness is off-putting. Wilson takes a whirl as well, trying to relate to the patient by sharing her history of petty theft and homelessness. But  surprise  it turns out that Kristin has nothing in common with Jo. She was raised in a wealthy family. She went to boarding school. She had lovely summers on the beach with her casserole-baking mother. The one interesting angle to this whole thing is that we never do find out what heinous acts Kristin committed to get her 20 years to life in prison. We only know that somewhere along the way she went off the rails. The result? Shell have her baby, but despite her fantasy of raising her daughter in the prison like she watched in a movie, Kristins mom will adopt the child and raise her as her own.

Greys Anatomy Winter Premiere Preview: Its All About The Women>>>

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Kristens procedure goes awry (due in no small part to her getting agitated, having read the judgment on Baileys face with scary accuracy) and her water breaks, forcing an immediate delivery of the baby. Kristen is desperate to see her mother, who actually is on the premises, and begs for them to let her attend the babys birth. Then comes the twist: Kristens mom is only there for the baby. She wants nothing to do with Kristen who is now a person she no longer recognizes. Upon finding out that Arizona has a daughter, Kristens mom advises cryptically, Pay attention. It seems there were no signs that her daughter would one day turn into someone who required detention in a maximum security prison. Yikes.

In the end, Jo spills the beans to Kristin that her mom is not being kept from her. She is, in fact, refusing to see Kristin. This news seems to break Kristin completely. The baby is born as all three doctors rally around Kristen to give complete support. After initial reluctance, Kristen holds the baby, whom she wants to name Ellie, and tells her to be good. The baby is given to Kristens mom, who insists that the child will be named Hannah and that Kristen will never see her.

Arizona gets all preachy with Kristens mom and makes shaming comments, including asking if she will abandon Hannah, too, if she one day makes a mistake. (Bring it down a few notches, Robbins. You dont even know what Kristen did. Maybe her mom is being a total jerk. And maybe she has every right to have cut herself off completely from her daughter. We dont know.)

On the Road Again

By episodes end, the doctors are headed home again, Bailey having told Dr. Eldredge to come see her first should she ever wish to make a job change. Bailey drops the bomb on Jo and Arizona that Alex is going to accept the D.A.s plea deal and will be going to prison. This explains, in a not-so-subtle way, why Miranda was particularly wigged out over the whole prison thing. Arizona is shocked and sad. Jo tells them to stop the car and vomits. While one could argue that all of these women are very close to Karev and therefore are affected even more deeply by the case as a result, it just all felt hollow to me  an empty episode.

Agree? Disagree? Offer your opinion in the Comments. In the meantime, Greys Anatomy returns next week with, presumably, the answer, at last, of what fate awaits Alex Karev.

Greys Anatomy Spoilers: 3 Things To Know About The Winter Premiere>>>

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Jo: Im just sayingyou get hungry and desperate or broke and desperateand stuff happens.

Miranda: Stuff does not just happen to you. You happen to stuff.

Kristen (about Arizona): She always talk like that?

Jo: Yep.

Arizona: Like what?

Kristen: Like unicorns and rainbows are about to shoot out of your ass.

Jo: Im so sorry, Kristen. Your moms here but she wont see you.

Jo: I want the world to be good. For once I want to see sun and be happy. For once I wanna be wrong.

Miranda: Alex went to the D.A. and took a plea bargain. Hes going to prison.

Greys Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC 8/7c.

Want more news? Like the Greys Anatomy Facebook page!

(image courtesy of ABC)
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) is concerned that despite a High Court order by Justice David Mangota barring the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Harare City Council (HCC) police from confiscating wares of vendors and removing them from the Harare Central Business District, the crackdown continued yesterday evening.Zimbabwe Peace Project reported that at around 6pm on Wednesday police were confiscating fruits, vegetables, carts and other furniture items at an open space near Cleveland House in clear contempt of a court order that had been given on Friday and delivered on Tuesday morning."Meanwhile an official from HCC said they cannot comment on a court order they have not seen while the ZRP said they could not give comments over the phone. According to the lawyers representing Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET), the court order was delivered to HCC officials and the Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri. Despite this, police and council municipal police are still raiding vendors in the city center in contempt of the court order," ZPP said.The ZPP condemned this wanton disregard of court orders and the resultant violation of human rights by law enforcement agents."Citizens have a right to trade and not to be arbitrarily deprived of their property. The actions by the ZRP and municipal police amount to harassment and border on criminality. Citizens have a right to security and when the organs that are mandated to provide security become the aggressors and violators of human rights, citizens do not have anywhere to run," said ZPP."The ZPP urges police and council to investigate the incident and bring to book its officers who participated in this unlawful raid. We further urge the executive to act on security officers who disregard the law. The country cannot slide back into the days of lawlessness and arbitrary violations and disregard of citizens' rights by the security apparatus."ZPP said Police have a tendency of using force and when they use it to deprive defenseless citizens of their property the state has a duty to intervene."The ZPP also urges regional and international bodies to take the Zimbabwean government to task over these continued acts of impunity by the police. ZPP is a Non Governmental Organisation that was founded in 2000 by a group of faith based and human rights NGOs working and interested in human rights and peace-building initiatives. ZPP has become a vehicle for civic interventions in times of political crises. In particular, ZPP seeks to monitor and document incidents of human rights violations and breaches of peace," said ZPP.
Selco has signalled its intentions for 2017 by opening two new branches in the first fortnight of the year.

By taking the wraps off branches in Croydon and Wembley, Selco has made a flying start to what is set to be the companys biggest year of expansion in its history.

The growth in the network not only cements Selcos presence in London, but also takes the number of branches across the UK to 47.

Plans are already in place for a host of new branches to be launched over the coming months, which will see that total exceed 50, with Beckton, Crayford, Cardiff, Warrington, Camberley and Guildford next on the agenda.

Chris Cunliffe, Selcos chief executive, said: 2017 was always highlighted as a major year in our expansion plan and opening two branches so early is the perfect start.

Selco is firmly the first destination for building materials for tradespeople in London, and we are continuing to provide comprehensive branch coverage in the capital city.

There is plenty of hard work ahead of us this year as we look to spread the Selco offering and message far and wide and provide the best possible service to all our existing and new customers.

The target is to open at least 10 branches this year, which will enable us to continue our growth at a fast rate.

The new South Croydon branch has opened on Imperial Way, while Yeats Close, off Great Central Way, is Selcos Wembley base.

In opening the new branches, Selco has emphasised its commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates by awarding 1,000 to three charities in each area.

The beneficiaries were Disability Croydon, Croydon Carers, 1 Voice Community and the Sickle Cell Society, while Selco awarded further 1,000 grants to Macmillan Cancer Supports work in Croydon and Wembley.

Macmillan Cancer Support is the nominated charity of Selco Builders Warehouse, with the company raising more than 365,000 for its partner over the last four years.
In a bid to support government targets to help with the sustainable supply of best value social housing, Wienerberger has announced a significant investment into this sector across the UK.

The outlay sees the manufacturer venturing into the social housing sector, with the appointment of a new social housing team. Heading up the division is John Harris, national sales manager, who offers a wealth of product and regional knowledge as a result of 30 years industry experience, 15 of which are with Wienerbergers Sandtoft Roof Tiles.

Working with Mr Harris, business development manager John Christopher, and business development manager Mark Mayatt also join the team. Mr Christopher will be utilising his 25 years experience to assist in providing technical expertise across social housing in the North and Midlands. Mr Mayatt is based in London and brings 30 years experience in the sector  providing the new team with national coverage.

Discussing the impact that the new investment will have on the sector, Mr Christopher said: Quality social housing design and provision is vital to ensure we are offering the best long term value to both providers and their customers/tenants. By setting up a specialist arm, Wienerberger is working to address this and act as a consultant for the sector. We want to set a newbuild standard that focuses on improving quality of the built environment and the lives of social housing tenants.

Creating a social team of specialists is key to making this happen and compliments our existing efforts to deliver a more sustainable and accessible future for housing, via innovations such our industry acclaimed e4 house. Our new team will take time to really understand the needs of this industry, by working in partnership with associations to deliver long-term value and assurance - helping to deliver a new vision for social housing.
The Chelmsford branch of MKM Building Supplies has gone one step further as part of a promotion on Polypipe underground drainage products.

The branch is offering a 65% discount to its customers on Polypipe Underground products until the end of February. To publicise the offer, branch director Allan Davis used the manufacturer's products to create this striking display.

"It has become a great talking point with our customers," said Mr Davis. "The majority couldn't believe that I'd created this model without following any instructions."
Where Andy Kim, Bob Healey stand on abortion, inflation and more

The USA TODAY Network New Jersey asked Andy Kim and Bob Healey where they stand on key issues in the midterms. Here's what they said.
HSBC shut its branch in Burnham-On-Sea for the final time this week as part of a nationwide cost-cutting move.

HSBC blamed a sharp 28 per cent reduction in customers at the branch for the difficult decision to shut it.

Plans to shut the branch in College Street were first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com here last October.

Burnhams MP James Heappey said the closure is deeply disappointing and he criticised the firms decision, advising customers to support other banks with branches in the town.

An HSBC spokesperson told Burnham-On-Sea.com: We continually review our branch network to make sure our branches are in the right locations for our customers and we have a sustainable network for the future.

Over the past five years, we have seen footfall reduce by an average of 28% at our Burnham-On-Sea branch and based on this, we have made the difficult decision to close the branch.

This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we will work closely with those impacted, including customers, to help them understand their options.

With regard to the Burnham-On-Sea branch, we have advised our customers that there is an alternative branch in Bridgwater should customers wish to visit a branch and talk to a member of the HSBC team face-to-face.

That said, 93% of contact with the bank is now completed via the telephone, internet or smartphone, plus 97% of cash withdrawals are made via an ATM. As a result, most of our customers are already carrying out their daily banking needs without need of the branch itself.

In addition to mobile and internet banking, we have put in place a number of measures to help customers, including a partnership with the Post Office which has a branch a three minute walk from the Burnham-On-Sea HSBC branch.

However, Burnhams MP James Heappey told Burnham-On-Sea.com: I am deeply disappointed that HSBC is closing its branches in Burnham-On-Sea and Shepton Mallet.

Whilst HSBC are offering opportunities for all affected staff in other branches, my first concern is with those whose jobs are affected.

HSBC argue that the branches are no longer viable as more and more customers are choosing to bank online.

But this is the same story as weve seen from HSBC and other banks in other towns across the Wells Constituency and across the country. Undoubtedly more and more people are willing and able to do their banking online but there is scant regard for those who cannot travel to other nearby branches, are unable to use the internet and for small businesses who need a nearby facility to bank their cash every day in order to remain within in the terms of their insurance policies. HSBC will offer the post offices in Burnham and Shepton as an alternative but Post Office are not able to offer a full range of services; especially for small businesses. Theyre not able to do this because the banks wont let them!

I strongly encourage both business and personal banking customers to switch their accounts to other banks in the towns. The banks look simply at the amount and value of business done in a branch and so the best way to guard against further closures is to make sure that remaining banks are rewarded with as much business as possible.

He added: It is hugely frustrating that yet more bank branches are closing and there is no escaping that for some in our community, there is no option other than banking in person, over the counter in a local bank. Until post offices are empowered to offer a full service in lieu of a bank and until cashless facilities are available to small businesses without significant transaction fees; it is disingenuous for our high street banks to claim that they can close branches without impact. I will continue to push them hard on these issues.

Meanwhile, HSBC says that customers who have questions about the closure should contact the banks community communication team on Freephone 0800 243 364 or via HSBCcommunitycomms@grayling.com.
The industry is looking forward to the with great hope and expectations. We expect positive announcements by the Finance Minister to give the much needed impetus to the tyre industry, which has been suffering for some time, more so in November.
Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibaba's financial arm, has reached an agreement to acquire American money-transfer major MoneyGram for $880 million, in a deal that will expand the firm's business in the US after India and Thailand.

"The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world," Eric Jing, chief executive officer of Ant Financial Services Group in a statement last night.

The company owns Alipay, one of China's biggest online payment platforms and controls the company that manages the country's largest money market fund, Yu'ebao.

The transaction will connect MoneyGram's money transfer network of 2.4 billion bank and mobile accounts and 350,000 physical locations with Ant Financial's users, according to the statement.

MoneyGram will remain headquartered in Dallas and continue to operate under its existing brand, it said.

The transaction will help expand Ant Financial's business following its partnering with Paytm in India and Ascend Money in Thailand, it said.

Alex Holmes, CEO of MoneyGram, said Ant Financial is an ideal partner.

"We will be able to expand our business, and in doing so, offer people around the world access to a reliable financial connection to loved ones," Holmes said.

The transaction is subject to approval of MoneyGram's stockholders and regulatory approvals.

The acquisitions is expected to finish in second half of 2017, state-run Xinhua agency reported.




arm TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd had showcased its indigenously made affordable industrial robot the Brabo at the Make in India Summit last year.

Betting on this new product, for which the company estimates sufficient traction among small and medium businesses, TAL expects the robotics vertical to contribute almost 40% of its overall revenues in the next five years, from a marginal share at present.

Amit Bhingurde, TALs chief operations officer-robotics, told Business Standard they have already sold around 30 robots after they went to market in October 2016. Of these, only four-five were sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the rest being sold to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

TAL currently draws around 70% of its revenues from the aerospace vertical where it is a supplier (tier-I and tier-II) to big names such as Boeing, Airbus and Rolls Royce.

The manufacturing solutions vertical accounts for most of the remaining revenues as the robotics vertical is still in a nascent stage.

But Bhingurde is confident that with a lead pipeline of more than 400 Brabos and plans to focus on exports, the robotics vertical is likely to grow to a 40% share of overall revenue within the next five years.

The Brabo, which can be useful in materials handling, cementing applications, assembly operations etc., has been popular amongst SME customers, because of its affordability.

It costs between Rs 4.75 lakh and Rs 6.5 lakh, and Bhingurde claims the cost is recovered within 15-18 months of commissioning the robot.

The job that an operator takes seven days to complete is done by a Brabo in 2.3 days, thus significantly reducing the turnaround time.

TALs team is now working on developing additional features for the robot, including welding, soldering, riveting actions etc.

With the growing shortage of skilled manpower, ever-increasing wages, IR issues with existing labour unions and changes in regulatory framework, there is a strong case for adopting automation in the industry, TAL said on its website.

Bhingurde said according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the demand for industrial robots in India (the category the Brabo operates in), is around 6,000 units per annum.

TAL has a manufacturing capacity of 3,000 robots in a year which can be readily expanded up to 10,000 robots a year based on demand.

Bhingurde, however, feels they are expanding the market by tapping SME customers. Nearly, 80% of robots made in India were till date going to OEMs. But, the SMEs represent a huge untapped market, he said.

TAL has already exported one unit each of the Brabo to Dubai and Italy and is now working on getting additional international certifications that would enable it to tap more regulated markets such as the US in the long run.

For now, India is definitely the focus market.
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The Ltd has said that it is looking at reducing its long-term debt from the current Rs 1,900 crore to less than Rs 1,000 crore. The company said that it has not witnessed any impact of demonetisation in the cement demand and expects a reasonable growth in the demand owing to the expected thrust in the forthcoming Budget on infrastructure, housing, public spending and developmental works.

"Due to uncertainty in the markets, the company has executed a refinancing of debt, up to around Rs 1,100 crore, resulting in reduction in near term commitments, which has also improved the rating of the company. By the differed repayment, the company has reduced interest by around one per cent and the improvement in rating would make it eligible to do commercial paper that will again reduce the debt," said N Srinivasan, vice-chairman and managing director of The .
News / National

by Staff reporter

The marginalised Tonga people in Binga have complained bitterly to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai about the stringent fishery regulations imposed by authorities, arguing that they overlooked the fact that their lives revolve around fishing in the Zambezi River.This comes amid a considerable rush in the community to join the fisheries, driven by extremely high unemployment.But authorities are stringently controlling access to fisheries through heavy licensing and tight restrictions on so-called fishing gear  rods, lines, floats, baits and tackles.The Tongas have traditionally lived near the banks of the massive Zambezi River, which sustains their livelihoods.The river is on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and includes Lake Kariba  one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the world with a surface area of 5 350 square kilometres.Currently, only gill-nets above a 100mm stretch mesh size are allowed and each fisherman may only use five.There are at least 1 040 fishermen in action in 40 villages on the Zimbabwean side and the lakeshore of Lake Kariba is communally-owned.Parts of the shoreline have been declared conservation areas where fishing is not allowed.Authorities argue the stringent regulations are necessary because they control the amount of fish harvested, thereby preventing depletion of fish and the killing of young specimens.The community's leaders blasted the stringent fishery regulations saying they had hope in the forthcoming 2018 election and that they hoped the coalition of opposition parties would overthrow the Zanu-PF culture of exclusion.MDC presidential spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, said Tsvangirai assured the Tonga community that the new government would take seriously their concerns and usher in a new governance culture in full compliance with the Constitution."They gave thumbs up to the proposed alliance of opposition parties, expressing hope that the new government will deal with the interests and concerns of ethnic minorities, such as the Tonga people," Tamborinyoka said."They had grievances over the lack of proper schools and hospitals, blaming Mugabe and Zanu-PF of pursuing exclusive policies that sidelined other people and groups."Tsvangirai is on a tour of all the country's provinces, listening to the concerns of the people and allowing them to input into the sculpting of the governance architecture of the mooted new government of 2018.In the next two days, Tsvangirai will engage opinion and party leaders in Lupane and Hwange, according to Tamborinyoka.
International air cargo operations equipped with custom clearance facilities have re-commenced from the Biju Patnaik international airport here with two export-bound consignments. Marine products by Mahalaxmi Exports and spices from Bharat Spices were booked at the airport for exports.
From building walls in Mexico, creating bridges for IT and laying a thorny path for students in developing countries, the United States newly elected President, Donald Trump, has left no stone unturned to give jitters to the global community at large.
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Aam Aadmi Party's (AAPs) showing in 2014 was a revelation of sorts for not just the party but for observers as well. Four out of the 13 MPs elected to Lok Sabha from Punjab were from AAP. Not just did AAPs four MPs win the parliamentary seat, they also managed to win in most of the assembly constituencies in these seats. In all, AAPs four MPs won in 26 assembly constituencies. Each of Punjabs 13 parliamentary seats has nine assembly constituencies each.
After declaring last month that the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) was not suitable for operations off an aircraft carrier, the has declared its interest in buying approximately 57 multi-role carrier borne fighters (MRCBF) for deck operations.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray led a blistering attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) while announcing his party's decision to break the 25-year-old alliance with the Centre's ruling party.



Elections to the state's civic bodies- 26 zillaparishads, 283 panchayat samitis and 10 municipal corporationsincluding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation- are slated to take place on February 16 and 21.
The finance ministry sent positive signals to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) on Friday by clarifying that the general anti-avoidance rules (GAAR, on taxes) will not override tax treaties with suitable limitation of benefit (LoB) clauses, but which had certain grey areas to interpret.

Experts said it would have been better if these clarifications could have come earlier, as it takes time to wind up some commercial arrangements. However, this is still better than the rules on place of effective management, which have been enforced from the current financial year. The takes effect from April 1, when the next year begins.

Investments made through compulsory convertible instruments, among others, would not draw GAAR, if made prior to April 1. Some other safeguards have also been put to avoid arbitrariness.

...if a case of avoidance is sufficiently addressed by LoB provisions in the tax treaty, there shall not be an occasion to invoke GAAR, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) clarified.

This means, will not override the recently revised double taxation avoidance agreements with Mauritius and Singapore, as both the treaties have LoB clauses, explained Amit Maheshwari of Ashok Maheswary and Associates. However, could override the revised pacts with Cyprus and Netherlands, as these dont have LoB clauses, he said.

The LoB clauses with Mauritius and Singapore are, however, for availing of benefits over a transition period of two years. Maheshwari said after the transition period, capital gains tax would anyway be imposed on those routing their investments from these two countries, and there is little fear of GAAR overriding these. And, the CBDT clarifications categorically say if the jurisdiction of an FPI is finalised on the basis of non-tax commercial considerations, and the main purpose of the arrangement is not to obtain a tax benefit, GAAR will not apply. And, that GAAR will not interplay with the right of a taxpayer to select or choose the method of implementing a transaction.





It is a very positive development for markets, as it puts an end to ambiguity on the taxation front for foreign institutional investors. It also addresses lot of concerns of the foreign investors, including that of retrospective taxation. After GAAR, we are likely to see an uptick in foreign inflows into the country, said Deven Choksey, managing director, KR Choksey Shares & Securities.

Rajesh Gandhi of consultancy Deloitte said the clarifications had partially fulfilled a long-standing demand, though the benefit had got diluted to a large extent because the LoB clause in the Singapore and Mauritius treaties were relevant only for availing the 50 per cent tax rate for two years.

In the present form, the guidelines leave some room for interpretation and dispute. To provide certainty to foreign investors, it would be better to clarify that if the conditions specified under LoB clause are met, GAAR would not apply, said Vikas Vasal of Grant Thornton.

Also, the CBDT clarifications have said the adoption of anti-abuse rules in tax treaties might not be sufficient to address all tax avoidance strategies and these are required to be tackled through domestic anti-avoidance rules.

This means some of the treaties could be overridden by GAAR.

Abhishek Goenka of consultants PwC said as the clarifications cannot envisage all possible scenarios, it does leave room for subjectivity and one could still need to pass the GAAR test even where the arrangement is cleared under LoB provisions. This creates an unduly onerous obligation on investors, he felt.

On this point, the guidelines are subjective and could be more directional, said Girish Vanvari, national head of tax, KPMG. This is an important area, which needs more attention, he said.

A committee headed by Parthasarathi Shome had earlier recommended that where a specific anti-avoidance rule is applicable on a particular aspect or element, GAAR not be invoked on that.

Similarly, where anti-avoidance rules are provided in a tax treaty in the form of an LoB clause, the GAAR provisions shall not apply overriding the treaty. If there is evidence of violations of anti-avoidance provisions in the treaty, the treaty should be revisited but GAAR should not override the treaty, the committee had recommended.

CBDT said grandfathering (the term for an old rule continuing to apply for some existing situations, while the new rule would apply to all future cases), in line with income tax rules, would be available for compulsorily convertible instruments, bonus issuances or splits, and consolidation of holdings in respect of investments made prior to April 1 in the hands of the same investor.

And, that if at the time of sanctioning an arrangement a court has explicitly and adequately considered the tax implications, GAAR will not apply.

It has also been clarified that GAAR will not apply if an arrangement is held as permissible by the Authority for Advance Rulings, the Board said.

A proposal to apply GAAR will be vetted first by a principal commissioner of income tax (PCIT) or commissioner of income tax (CIT). And, at the second stage, by an approval panel headed by a judge of a high court.

The stakeholders have been assured that adequate procedural safeguards are in place to ensure GAAR is invoked in a uniform, fair and rational manner, CBDT said.

If an arrangement has been held to be permissible in one year by PCIT and CIT or the approval panel, and the facts and circumstances remain the same, GAAR will not be invoked for that arrangement in a subsequent year.

The CBDT has taken adequate steps to ensure GAAR is invoked in deserving cases. The proposal to declare an arrangement as impermissible will undergo a two-stage vetting process. This will ensure proper evaluation of cases and target only genuine tax avoidance arrangements, said Partho Dasgupta, partner-direct tax, BDO India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have launched several mobile applications to assist farmers in agricultural activities by providing information regarding sowing, harvesting, weather and crop price but the initiative has received a lukewarm response from the farming community so far.
Significant uncertainty surrounds the possible US shift to a new border adjustment tax, but India and Indonesia are better positioned as compared to other Asian economies, says a report.

Under the current proposals for the US border adjustment tax, exports will be exempted from the calculation of US corporate taxable incomes, while imports will be taxed.

"In a scenario of no or limited USD adjustment, US import prices could rise as much as 25 per cent, resulting in Asia exports declining 3-4 per cent in aggregate, and shaving around 0.5 per cent from the region's GDP," Credit Suisse said in a research note.

According to global financial services major Credit Suisse, Asian economies like Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia look most vulnerable to a possible US move to border adjustment tax as these countries export product mix that have higher price elasticity, meaning demand is more sensitive to changes in import prices.

The hit to GDP of these most exposed four economies would be around 0.5-0.9 per cent due to a likely decline in exports to the US, the report noted.

"India and Indonesia, on the other hand, are better positioned, partly because their export products are less price elastic," the report adding that these two economies are "less exposed to border tax adjustments in the US due to their lower share of exports to the US as a share of GDP".

The report jotted down some of the other potential risks to Asian economies that could come from the US border adjustment tax like  rapid USD appreciation, other economies (like China) would also respond with its own version of border adjustment tax or other similar policies among others, it added.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Opposition MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, yesterday shot down Zanu-PF's "premature celebrations" and also asserted that he would form a coalition alliance with former Vice President Joice Mujuru despite her party's crushing defeat to the ruling party in last weekend's Bikita mini-poll.Tsvangirai's affirmation of his pending electoral pact with Mujuru also came as pro-democracy groups were putting pressure on the former prime minister in the inclusive government to finalise his coalition talks with her, in the interest of the country.At the same time, analysts who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said Tsvangirai's confirmation of his commitment to work with Mujuru, which came days after her Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) suffered a heavy defeat in the Bikita West by-election, would send fresh shivers down the spines of President Robert Mugabe and his warring Zanu-PF bigwigs - who had started celebrating, thinking that this would smother the mooted opposition alliance."The president (Tsvangirai) said one swallow does not make a summer and Bikita West is the swallow. It was a farcical election that cannot be used to measure someone's popularity," Tsvangirai's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka told the Daily News."Yes, there are some people who want to use it to undermine the coalition. However, we will not allow that because we have already decided to do a cow-horn formation on Zanu-PF."There is a national sentiment out there that we should form a coalition and that is what we are going to do. It is Zimbabwe against Mugabe."The decision has already been made by the (MDC's) national council that we are going into a coalition with Mujuru ... and since the president is the one negotiating for the coalition, he is gathering views from the people so that when he negotiates he does so from an informed position," Tamborinyoka added."Communities are giving the thumbs up to the proposed alliance of opposition parties, expressing hope that the new government will deal with the interests and concerns of ethnic minorities such as the Tonga people."They are welcoming the alliance of opposition parties and the creation of a common front in 2018, saying it gives them hope that this time around, Zanu-PF will be consigned to the dustbins of history," he added.Tamborinyoka spoke as Tsvangirai has been on a whirlwind tour of Matabeleland, where he has been consulting his supporters about the mooted grand opposition alliance which analysts say presents the country with the best opportunity to end Zanu-PF's misrule in the much-awaited 2018 national elections.Tsvangirai's confirmation of his commitment to an opposition alliance also comes as Mujuru and her fledgling ZPF party are still smarting from a crushing defeat that they suffered at the hands of Zanu-PF in last Saturday's Bikita by-election.Since Mujuru joined hands with Tsvangirai and marched with him on the streets of Gweru in August last year  in a rare public display of unity among the opposition  there have been growing calls by fed up citizens for the formation of a grand opposition alliance.Tsvangirai, the only opposition leader to have defeated Mugabe in a poll, has been holding secret talks with Mujuru and leaders of other smaller opposition parties to form the much-talked about pact which they say will be in place before the end of the year.But following ZPF's drubbing in Bikita West, pro-democracy groups have ramped up their calls for opposition parties to move with speed to finalise their talks.Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday, Mujuru said the results of the Bikita West by-election, in which her candidate Kudakwashe Gopo polled poorly, had still demonstrated that ZPF was minimally set to eat into Zanu-PF's support base in the eagerly-anticipated 2018 national polls.The statement came after analysts had said, in the wake of ZPF's heavy shellacking in the mini-poll, that Mujuru was now left with "a huge mountain to climb" regarding her capacity to defeat Mugabe and his warring ruling party in next year's elections.ZPF was participating in its first elections, since it was launched last year, with political analysts saying ahead of the Bikita poll that it would provide a litmus test for Mujuru.Political analysts were also in agreement yesterday that in the wake of the Bikita West carnage, the opposition needed to finalise their coalition quickly, with Tsvangirai leading it."(Tsvangirai) is the best foot forward, no doubt about that. But he must be magnanimous, crafty, humble and inclusive in the manner in which he approaches the coalition talks," said civic leader Gladys Hlatywayo."The situation requires astute leadership that is able to remain focused on the end-game and rise above petty differences of yester years. It equally requires effectively dealing with internal discontent and the divisive politics of positions," she added.Phillan Zamchiya, an Oxford scholar, said Tsvangirai and Mujuru needed to broaden the coalition, as well as mobilise and register new voters."As 2018 approaches, how one of Zimbabwe's battle-hardened politicians, Tsvangirai, will position his party and interests  visa-a-vis the growing inter-party cry to retire Mugabe  will be very important," Zamchiya told the Daily News."Uniting his party and building inclusive alliances, not only for the numbers, but for de-securitisation, democratisation, de-politicisation and de-escalating violence in the rural sector will be critical in unlocking and harvesting the rural vote."Some of the potential partners might even be located in Zanu-PF," he added.The director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, Pedzisai Ruhanya, said the outcome of the Bikita by-election was a wake-up call to the opposition."The Bikita by-election outcome has a bigger story. Unless there are tectonic shifts in opposition politics and their tomfoolery and kindergarten behaviour, with or without Mugabe, Zanu-PF will be in charge after 2018."The idea of cherry-picking coalition partners and excluding others will result in a huge electoral defeat. Tsvangirai, (Tendai) Biti, (Lovemore) Madhuku, Mujuru, (Welshman) Ncube, (Simba) Makoni, (Dumiso) Dabengwa et al are all needed to put their numbers and ideas together to confront the system."Magnanimous leadership is required in this interregnum. There is no room for politics of positions. We need to agree that opposition is in a position of weakness, hence the need to coalesce," Ruhanya said.Analysts have consistently said that a united opposition, fighting with one purpose, would bring to an end Mugabe's long rule  especially at this time when the country's economy is dying and the increasingly frail nonagenarian is battling to keep his warring Zanu-PF united.
Seeking private investment, Commerce and Industry Minister on Friday said systemic reforms being pushed by the government may have some short term pain but will make India an easier place to do business.

The government is committed to systemic reforms, however painful it is in the short run, she said while hinting at recent demonetisation exercise carried out by the government to eliminate parallel economy.

She emphasised that systemic changes have to be brought in for the rapid growth.

"So, if you are compressing and also making sure that the baggage of the slow growth is left behind, it means rapidly many systemic changes have to be brought in. And systemic changes are the ones which are going to be painful, systemic changes are going to be time consuming but we have to compress," she said at the Partnership Summit here.

Citing some of the example of systemic changes carried out by the government, Sitharaman said banking sector reforms, simplifying taxation structure and the proposed roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"GST Council ironing out all the difference between the centre and states. I am near certain to say that we will have GST rolling out from July 1...If that is happening, you have a compressed timeline for systemic reform and that systemic reform what is going to make India the more easy place to invest and to do business in," she said.

She further said that the government will undertake more systemic reforms so that the tax GDP ratio improves.

"There are more (systemic reform) happening. We do not want a parallel economy, we do not want grey economy, we do not want an economy which does not come under any institutional radar but continue to be cash driven," she said.

"It's very clear that the government's commitment lies in doing the reforms, however painful it is, rapidly so that duration of pain is contained and the long-term benefits are there for everybody to see," she added.

Citing competitive advantages that Andhra Pradesh posses, she said it is a good place for investments.

On the global economy, she said, it still going through slowdown phase.

As a result trade growth was slow but started picking up now, she added.
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) had released the notification for recruitment to the post of Multi Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff in different States and Union Territories.The MTS position is a General Central Service Group C Non-Gazetted, Non-Ministerial post in various Central Government Ministries / Departments / Offices.

Total Vacancies- 8300 (across various states)

Important Dates for SSC MTS 2017 Exam:

Start date of Application Form 31 December 2016

Date of closure of the application form- 30 January 2017

Issue of admit card  March 2017

Date of the Paper-I Exam 16 & 30 April 2017 & May 07, 2017

Eligibility:

Age Limit : 18-25 years as on 01.08.2017 (i.e. he/she must have been born not earlier than 02.08.1992 and not later than 01.08.1999)

Educational qualification: Must have passed Matriculation Examination OR equivalent from a recognized Board.

Note: Candidates who have not acquired but will acquire the educational qualification and acquire documentary evidence from the Board/University in support thereof as on 01.08.2017 will also be eligible.

Registrations:

Offline: Candidates opting for Offline payment mode will have to pay their Application Fees through state Bank of India Challan generated online. The requisite Application Fees is Rs 100. The Female Candidates and reserved category candidates are exempted from payment of fees.

Online Payment: Candidates can pay their Application Fees online through SBI net banking/credit/debit card. The Application Fees is Rs 100. The SC/ST/Female/PH Category aspirants are exempted from payment of their Application Fees.

SSC MTS Exam 2017 Selection Process:

The written examination will consist of (Paper-I) objective type paper and (PaperII) descriptive type.Paper-I will consist of Objective Type- Multiple choice questions only. The questions will be set both in English & Hindi.

Paper-II will be descriptive in which the candidate will be required to write short essay/letter in English or any language included in the 8th schedule of the Constitution (Paper-II will only be of qualifying nature)

How to Apply for SSC MTS Exams:

The application must be submitted through online mode only.

Registration fee is Rs. 100. All Women candidates and candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Physically Handicapped, and Ex-Servicemen eligible for reservation are exempted from paying application fee.

You may download the SSC MTS notification & fill online application from their official website here

Source: BankExamsIndia.com

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some reports have appeared in a section of the press stating that the Nirbhaya Fund is underutilised. The correct position regarding the utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund is given below. .

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The Ministry of Finance, Government of India had set up a dedicated fund called Nirbhaya Fund in 2013, for implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. It is a non-lapsable corpus fund. .

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Recognising the need to strengthen the mechanism for scrutiny and sanction of the proposals under Nirbhaya Fund, Ministry of Finance (DEA) has issued guidelines from time to time for administration and operationalization of the Fund. As per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Finance dated 25.03.2015, Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry to appraise schemes under Nirbhaya Fund and also to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned Schemes in conjunction with the line Ministries/Departments. Ministry of Finance (DEA) has issued guidelines on 26.10.2015 by which an Empowered Committee of Officers was constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, WCD for appraising and approving various schemes/projects proposed by the Ministries/Departments to be funded from the Nirbhaya Fund. .

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The Empowered Committee of Officers, which is an inter-ministerial committee appraises and recommends various proposals/projects proposed by different Ministries/Departments/States. This Committee regularly reviews the implementation of projects from time to time. So far the Empowered Committee has met seven times i.e. on 26.11.15, 06.01.16, 18.2.16, 27.4.16, 19.7.16, 30.9.16 and 20.12.16. .

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Under Nirbhaya fund, 18 proposals amounting to Rs.2195.97 Crores have been received so far, out of which 16 proposals amounting to Rs. 2187.47 Crores have been appraised and recommended by the Empowered Committee. .

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Schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development under Nirbhaya Fund .

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Keeping in mind the need to have schematic interventions and proper mechanism for handholding of women in distress, 3 schemes i.e. One Stop Centre, Universalisation of Women Helpline and Mahila Police Volunteer were initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development from the Nirbhaya Fund as follows: .

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i. Popularly known as Sakhi Centres, the One Stop Centre Scheme is being implemented across the country since 1st April 2015. It aims at establishing Centres to facilitate women affected by violence. It provides First aid, Medical aid, Police assistance, Legal aid and counselling support. 186 OSCs are approved to be set up in the country. So far, 79 One Stop Centres have become operational. All the 186 centres are expected to be operational by July, 2017. .

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ii. Helpline specifically for women with a common number across the country will link the One Stop Centres being established by the Ministry of Women & Child Development. The Department of Telecommunication has allocated the number 181 to all States/UTs for Women Helpline. So far, Women Helplines are already operational in 18 States/UTs although funds have been released by Govt. of India to 33 States/UTs. .

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iii. Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress. Haryana has become the first state to start the Mahila Police Volunteer scheme. It was launched at Karnal on 14th December, 2016 for the districts of Karnal and Mahendragarh in Haryana. Other States are expected to implement the scheme soon. .

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Schemes of other Ministries/Departments under Nirbhaya Fund .

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i) Ministry of Home Affairs: .

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a) Emergency Response support System- For creation of an Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) with a total cost of Rs.321.69 crores which aims to integrate all emergency numbers to 112 with state of art technology. ERSS envisages an integrated computer aided emergency response platform to respond to distress calls and ensure speedy assistance to the distressed persons. .

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b) Central Victim Compensation Fund -A Corpus Fund of Rs.200 crores to be disbursed to States/UT for Central Victim Compensation Scheme (CVCF) framed under section 357A CrPC. This will support States/UTs in providing fund towards compensation to the victim or her dependents who have suffered loss or injury as a result of the crimes (including survivors of rape and acid attack). .

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ii) Ministry of Railways: Integrated Emergency Response Management System: This project of Railways at a cost of Rs.500 crores has been approved to provide round the clock security to women passengers in 983 Railway Stations by strengthening of Security Control Rooms of Railways with 182 Security Helpline, Medical Facilities, RPF and police, installation of CCTV cameras, etc. .

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iii) Abhaya Project Proposal (Andhra Pradesh): This proposal is for ensuring the safety of Women and Girl child during the transport (auto rickshaw) has been proposed by Andhra Pradesh with a cost of Rs. 138.49 Crores. .

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iv) CHIRALI: Friends Forever (Rajasthan) is a scheme to constitute Community Action Groups in 7 districts of Rajasthan covering a total of 2071 Gram Panchayats for a period of three years i.e from 2016-17 to 2018-19 with an objective to create an enabling environment that would support girls and women to move freely and make use of choices, spaces and opportunities for their overall well being. The cost of the Project is Rs. 10.20 Crores. .

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The amount allocated to different projects is approximately Rs.1530 Crores so far and the expenditure incurred is approximately Rs.400 Crores (as per the information available in the Ministry of Women and Child Development). .

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CWC Signs MoU with IIT Madras and IIS Bengaluru to Support Their Dam Safety Capacity Building

Central Water Commission (CWC) under the Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation signed two separate MoUs with IIT Madras and IIS Bengaluru in New Delhi today. This will help them for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their capability to support dam rehabilitation efforts of CWC.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP). The scope includes strengthening the testing laboratories, enhancing analytical capabilities, exposure visits to best global institutions and on ground exposure to dam safety concerns to the faculty of these institutions.

DRIP is assisting rehabilitation of 250 dams in seven States which are experiencing different levels of distress. Owners of these dams require technical support for the investigation of site conditions and supporting rehabilitation efforts. The Government of India has decided to enhance the capability of select premier institutes in dam safety areas so that they, in turn, carry out field investigations at dam sites and provide training and consulting services to assist the dam owners in their dam rehabilitation efforts. It is a holistic effort of the Government of India to equip our national institutions to develop capability and expertise at par with global institutions in the times to come.

Samir/JKD/jk
Less than a week into the job, US President Trump on Thursday raised the specter of a trade war with Americas third-largest partner, Mexico, as the White House warned that the United States could impose a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports.
President rallied fellow Republicans who control the White House and Congress for the first time in more than a decade, telling lawmakers they will be busier than they have been in decades helping him implement a broad agenda.

"Think of everything we can achieve and who we can achieve it for," Trump told GOP House and Senate lawmakers at their annual retreat. "This is our chance to achieve great and lasting change for our beloved nation."

Trump has moved swiftly since taking office last Friday to begin reshaping the government and American society.

He has taken executive action to revive oil pipelines that were blocked by President Barack Obama, pull the US out of a multinational trade agreement and overhaul the immigration system, among other steps.

Trump's midday remarks today in Philadelphia came a day after he began overhauling the nation's immigration rules and moved to jumpstart construction of his promised US-Mexico border wall.

He also ordered cuts Wednesday in federal grants for "sanctuary cities," which shield some immigrants from federal law enforcement, and authorised increases in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers.

Trump's moves on immigration caused immediate friction with Mexico, prompting President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a trip to Washington next week for his first meeting with the new president. It was a remarkable move by an ally and neighbour.

The White House sought to avoid making too much of Pena Nieto's decision. Spokesman Sean Spicer said the White House would keep the lines of communication open in hopes of scheduling a future meeting.

After returning to the White House, Trump planned to sign an executive action commissioning a probe of widespread voter fraud, Spicer said. Additional actions are planned for tomorrow, too, but Spicer said decisions were still to be made on exactly what Trump would sign.

The president is also expected to take steps, possibly as soon as this week, to restrict the flow of refugees into the United States.

And he is considering plans to negotiate individual trade deals with the countries that have signed onto the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Trump took steps earlier in the week to withdraw the US from TPP, which he said puts American workers at a disadvantage.

The White House had said Trump would also meet this afternoon with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

The meeting with Hatch, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Brady, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, has been rescheduled, the White House said.
Ford's 2017 earnings will be hit by a delayed currency impact of at least $600 million from Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the US carmaker told Reuters, putting last year's record European profit levels beyond reach.

The company will no longer benefit from currency hedges that had been shielding it from the pound's slump since the June 23 referendum, of Europe boss Jim Farley said on Friday.

"When Brexit happened we were fully hedged for the first quarter with the stronger pre-Brexit exchange rate," Farley said. "As we enter the rest of the year, especially the second half, we now face the full effects of the weaker sterling."

is Britain's biggest engine maker as well as its top-ranked car brand by sales, with a 12 per cent market share. The UK government has said it will trigger the two-year process for exiting the EU by the end of March.

The pound hit a seven-year low against the euro in October and remains almost one-fifth below its value at the end of 2015, when uncertainty over Brexit began to weigh.

Sterling's slump is the "only major headwind" currently faces in Europe, Farley said. "We think it could be upwards of $600 million this year."

Farley was speaking a day after Ford published 2016 results that included a record $1.2 billion European profit, while reiterating that this year's global earnings would be lower. Its shares ended 3.3 per cent lower on Thursday.

TARIFF WARNING

Ford, which employs 14,000 workers in Britain and 25,000 in Germany, also repeated warnings against the introduction of trade tariffs with a final Brexit settlement.

The company builds engines at two UK sites for vehicles assembled in mainland Europe, many of which are then sold back in Britain. A weaker pound hurts the exchange value of UK revenues and squeezes the profitability of vehicles with euro-denominated parts and production costs.

"We've all built our businesses on an integrated model between the UK and the EU," Farley said. "We would expect both entities to work for a free-trade arrangement like (the one) we have today."

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said Britain will leave the EU single market to increase control of immigration, while calling for the "greatest possible" market access.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded earlier this month that London should not get an attractive Brexit deal that might encourage other departures.
Less than a week into his presidency, has made good on his signature campaign threat to start building a wall on the border with Mexico. A second executive order will facilitate swifter deportations for illegal immigrants. But this is only a start, with other measures set to be announced this week.
Greece's government debt remains "highly unsustainable," and will be "explosive" in the longer run, requiring a more credible debt relief plan from Europe, the Monetary Fund said in a report.

Addressing the debt burden of the beleaguered nation will require "significant debt relief" from European institutions, the IMF said in its annual report on the Greek economy, which includes a debt sustainability analysis.

The IMF board is due to discuss the report February 6.
News / National

by Staff reporter

More than 300 bodies of Zimbabweans who die in South Africa are repatriated home every month, with the number of locals who died in that country having increased to nearly 4 000 for the whole of last year, an official revealed yesterday.Zimbabwe's consul-general to South Africa Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro said last year they processed documents for a total of 3 944 Zimbabweans who died in South Africa.Those who repatriate the bodies of their relatives by road use mainly Plumtree and Beitbridge border posts. Mr Mukonoweshuro said the major destinations for the bodies were the country's southern provinces."The figures (of those who died) increased to 3 140 in 2015 from 2 060 in 2014," he said. "The major destinations are mainly Bulilima, Mangwe, Lupane, Gwanda, Masvingo, Beitbridge, Tsholotsho, Nkayi and Chipinge."The statistical data excludes those repatriations done through Cape Town and you will note that a number are being buried in South Africa without the consulate's knowledge."Mr Mukonoweshuro said most deaths were related to HIV and Aids, which accounted for 35 percent. He said the majority of the people die in winter after succumbing to diseases such as Branchopneumonia, Hepatitis B, Meningitis, Pulmonary TB, Pneumonia Hepatitis and other retroviral diseases.Mr Mukonoweshuro said between June and July last year, which is the peak of the winter period, they repatriated the remains of 710 people."Pulmonary diseases are usually due to the poor living conditions in urban areas, due to overcrowding and the excessive drop in temperatures in winter," he said."Violent crimes such as robberies, murder and assault are some of the causes of death, including road traffic accidents along major highways. "In some instances people travel while they are already sick."Mr Mukonoweshuro advised Zimbabweans to ensure that they were documented when they travel to South Africa or any other country."This makes it easy for us to quickly identify them when they die," he said. "Relatives of the deceased are also advised to approach the consulate in cases of deaths, so that they are assisted with documents and directed to reputable funeral parlours."Mr Mukonoweshuro said the consulate's staff requires national identification documents, especially a passport of the deceased, non-infectious disease certificate, embalming certificate, death certificate, post mortem report and a letter from the Department of Home Affairs (South Africa) for them to process the repatriation certificates.He said for those who die while travelling by road, a birth certificate or ID was ideal."For bodies that fly, it's strictly a passport and we also need a copy of the informant's particulars and a burial order," he said.
is preparing for all possible contingencies regarding trade talks with the United States, the top government spokesman said on Friday, after US President Donald Trump ditched the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal this week.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is arranging to visit Washington next month, and an official in Trump's administration said Trump would seek quick progress towards a bilateral trade agreement with in place of the broader Asia-Pacific deal.

"It is true that we are preparing to be able to respond to any possible situation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

He refrained from commenting on US trade policy until it becomes clear.

"The alliance and the economy between and the US is very important, so we would like to have talks with various levels with the US (about) how we can develop."

Some Japanese officials said Abe's government should still try to convince Trump of the benefits of the TPP and multilateral free trade deals, while adding that they were not ruling out bilateral trade talks with the United States.

"We still stick to our best scenario (in pursuit of TPP), but that does not mean that we're inflexible," Masahiko Shibayama, an adviser to Abe, told Reuters.

"We need to prepare umbrellas for a rainy day. It's too early to decide what kind to umbrellas to bring, though."

Trump, who took office last Friday, reiterated on Thursday he would strike numerous bilateral deals, as opposed to multilateral accords, such as the TPP.

Japanese officials were cautious about any Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Japan and the United States, as it could encourage Trump to step up pressure on Tokyo while providing few benefits for Japan's economy, they said.

Trump has threatened a "border tax" on imports into the United States and has said Japan has "unfair" barriers to foreign auto imports. Japanese officials pointed out that there are no tariffs on foreign car imports into Japan and maintain there are no discriminatory non-tariff barriers, either.

"We'll calmly explain the fact that Japanese carmakers are investing in America and create a lot of jobs there," Shibayama said.

The TPP, which took years to negotiate among 12 countries, has often been described as being, at its core, a deal between the United States and Japan, the world's largest and third-largest economies respectively.

Abe has touted TPP as an engine of economic reform and a counterweight to a rising China but said on Thursday it was possible Tokyo and Washington could hold bilateral free trade talks.

Trump called the TPP bad for American jobs, but proponents of the pact worry that abandoning the project could further strengthen China's economic hand in the region.

Suga also said Japan would continue to monitor closely how the relationship between the United States and Mexico affects Japanese companies.

On Thursday, the White House floated the idea of imposing a 20 per cent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern US border, sending the peso plummeting and deepening the crisis between the two neighbours.

Japanese manufacturers, including major automakers, operate factories in Mexico.
Mexicans are beginning to debate how to fight back against US President Donald Trump's aggressive stance on trade and immigration.

Prominent political figures have suggested the country expel US law enforcement agents, stop detaining Central American migrants or no longer inspect northbound trucks for drug shipments. Some activist groups on yesterday were calling for a boycott of American brands.

Former President Felipe Calderon said Thursday that "we have to design a policy of retaliation" for Trump's proposed plans, which include making Mexico pay for the border wall he wants to build.

"We have to put US security issues under review ... including the presence of (US) agents" on Mexican soil, Calderon told local news media.

The comments came after current President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped a planned Tuesday meeting with after the American president tweeted that it would be better to cancel if Mexico wasn't willing to pay for his proposed wall.

Ruben Aguilar, a political consultant who was spokesman for former President Vicente Fox, noted yesterday that Mexico has been stopping Central American migrants before they reach the US border "as part of the logic between two friendly countries."



He suggested that Mexico could say, "Okay, I'm not going to stop Central Americans anymore," and added, "Now if our two countries aren't friends anymore, that is a card we could play to increase the pressure."



"Drugs are another" possible card, Aguilar said. "If you want to stop them with your wall, well we won't stop them anymore, let them go through."



appeared to try to defuse the spat between the two countries yesterday, saying, "Great respect for Mexico, I love the Mexican people."



"We have really, I think, a very good relationship, the president and I, and we had a talk that lasted for about an hour this morning, and we are going to be working on a fair relationship," said.

The office of the Mexican president confirmed the call, calling it "constructive and productive," but did not specifically mention the wall or other policies proposed by Trump it doesn't agree with.

Pena Nieto's government instead stressed "the need for both countries to continue working together to stop the trafficking of drugs and the flow of illegal weapons."



"Both presidents recognized their clear and very public differences on this very sensitive issue, and agreed to solve those differences as part of an integrated discussion of all aspects of the bilateral relationship," Pena Nieto's office said. "The two presidents also agreed, for the moment, to no longer speak publicly about this controversial topic."



On yesterday afternoon, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim called for "national unity" in the face of Trump's hostility, and said the country should have a measured response "without getting angry but without surrendering."



Slim called for a "modern, not protectionist" national program of substituting imported products, the vast majority of which come from the United States.
US President Donald Trump defended his plan to limit the entry of people from several Muslim countries, saying it was necessary as the world is "a total mess", even as he was non-committal on whether nations like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia would be on the list of the proposed visa ban.

When asked about countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia figuring in the list, he said, "You're going to see. You're going to see. We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think there's even a little chance of some problem."

"We are excluding certain countries, but for other countries, we're going to have extreme vetting. It's going to be very hard to come in," Trump told ABC News, refusing to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about.

Trump denied that it was a ban on Muslims. "No it's not the Muslim ban, but it's countries that have tremendous terror," he said.

"Right now, it's very easy to come in. It's going to be very, very hard. I don't want terror in this country. You look at what happened in San Bernardino. You look at what happened all over. You look at what happened in the World Trade Center, OK? I mean, take that as an example. People don't even bring that up," he said.

Asked if he was concerned this would anger Muslims around the world, he said, "Anger? There's plenty of anger right now. How can you have more?".

"The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place. All of this has happened. We went into Iraq. We shouldn't have gone into Iraq. We shouldn't have gotten out the way we got out. The world is a total mess. The world is a mess," the President said.

According to a draft executive order published in US media, refugees from war-torn Syria will be indefinitely banned, the broader US refugee admissions programme will be suspended for 120 days, and all visa applications from countries deemed a terrorist threat  Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen  will be halted for 30 days.
US President Donald today played down speculation that he may lift sanctions on Russia, even as British Prime Minister Theresa May urged him to continue with them until Moscow implements the agreement on Ukraine.

At a joint news conference with May, told reporters that it is too early to talk about the lifting of sanctions.

"As far as the UK is concerned, on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement fully implemented," May told reporters in response to a question.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented and we've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," May said.

is scheduled to speak with the Russian leader tomorrow.

"As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that. But we look to have a great relationship with all countries, ideally. That won't necessarily happen, unfortunately probably won't happen with many countries," Trump said.

"But if we can have, as we do with Prime Minister May and the relationship that we've all developed and even in the short relationship that we just developed just by being with each other and have lunch...We've really had some very interesting talks and very productive talks," he said.

"But if we can have a great relationship with Russia and with China and with all countries, I'm all for that. That would be a tremendous asset," Trump said.

Trump said he does not know Putin, but would like to have good relationship with him, "As far as, again, Putin and Russia, I don't say good, bad or indifferent. I don't know the gentleman. I hope we have a fantastic relationship. That's possible and it's also possible that we won't. We will see what happens," Trump said.

The US President said he will be representing the American people very, very strongly and very forcefully.

"If we have a great relationship with Russia and other countries, and if we go after ISIS together, which has to be stopped -- that's an evil that has to be stopped -- I will consider that a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said.
Two days after large numbers of people across the globe joined Womans Marches, US President Donald Trump reinstated the global gag rule, which cuts off all US funding to NGOs whose work includes abortion services or advocacy.
President Donald Trump is expected to order the deportation of millions of criminal aliens this week. During his campaign, he stated his intention to remove all 11 million illegal immigrants from the country, although some may be allowed to return.
US President said on Thursday if Mexico wont pay for the wall between the two countries aimed at curbing the flow of illegal migrants into America, "it would be better" to scrap his planned visit to Mexico.

"If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting (with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nietro)," Trump said.

"The US has a $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers... of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump tweeted.

On Wednesday, Trump signed orders to stem illegal immigration from Mexico and secure the US border.

Though the US would initially pay for the construction, Trump vowed that Mexico will have to compensate the entire expenditures.

The plan did not sit well with the Mexican leader.

"I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting us," Nieto on Wednesday said in a brief televised message to his nation.

Nieto stressed that his country "will not pay for any wall."
AG's dealers will receive an average of $1.85 million in a $1.2 billion settlement approved by a US judge on Monday over its diesel emissions scandal.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the 650 U.S. dealers would be paid over 18 months, ruling the settlement "fair, reasonable, and adequate."

VW also agreed to keep making volume-based incentive payments to dealers, and will allow them to defer capital improvements for two years. In total, VW has now agreed to spend up to $22 billion in the United States to address claims from owners, environmental regulators, U.S. states and dealers stemming from the excess vehicle emissions.

VW admitted in September 2015 to installing secret software in its diesel cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests and make them appear cleaner in testing than they really were. In reality, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times the legally allowable pollution levels and dealers say the resulting scandal tarnished the brand and cost them sales.

VW North American Chief Executive Officer Hinrich Woebcken said earlier the company believed the agreement with "dealers is a very important step in our commitment to making things right for all our stakeholders in the United States."

Beyond the $1.2 billion cash payments, the settlement is valued at total of more than $1.6 billion for the VW brand dealers, said law firm Hagens Berman in a statement. The settlement includes $270 million through a provision for prior payments and $175 million in the continued sales incentives.

"The Volkswagen-branded franchise dealer class-action settlement finalized today represents an outstanding result for Volkswagen's affected franchise dealers who, like consumers, were blindsided by the brazen fraud that VW perpetrated," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and lead attorney for the dealers.
Russian President conferred with his top officials on Friday about relations with Washington a day before a scheduled call with US President Donald Trump.

Trump's senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said on Fox News' 'Fox & Friends' today that US sanctions against Russia and other issues would be on the table during his conversation with Putin set for Saturday.

Conway also said Trump will be receptive if the Russian leader wants to have a serious conversation about how to defeat Islamic extremists.

Ahead of the call, Putin chaired a meeting of his Security Council to discuss US-Russian relations, the Kremlin said.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the two presidents are expected to "exchange views about main parameters of current bilateral relations." They last spoke when Putin congratulated Trump shortly after his election victory.

Peskov wouldn't elaborate on what specific issues could be discussed and wouldn't say if the two leaders would use the call to agree on an in-person meeting.

The Kremlin has applauded Trump's promises to mend ties with Moscow, which have been badly strained by the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the US elections.

Barack Obama's administration and the European Union slapped Moscow with sanctions for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

The restrictions have limited Russian companies' access to financial markets and barred key technology transfers, helping drive the Russian economy into recession.

Russia has responded by banning imports of most Western agricultural products.

The Kremlin has warned that rebuilding ravaged ties will take time, but many in Russia hope there will be an easing of the tensions unseen since the Cold War.

"Relations between the great powers have been going from bad to worse for several years now," former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said in an article published in Time magazine.

"The advocates for arms buildup and the military-industrial complex are rubbing their hands. We need to resume political dialogue."

Warning that "the nuclear threat once again seems real," Gorbachev urged Trump and Putin to initiate a United Nations Security Council resolution stating that "nuclear war is unacceptable and must never be fought."

He emphasised that the two leaders bear a special responsibility as "presidents of two nations that hold over 90% of the world's nuclear arsenals.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A Domboshava man was fatally assaulted by armed robbers, who got away with $1 500 cash and three Nokia cellphones. The incident occurred on July 21 last year at the deceased's homestead in Chirombo Village under Chief Chinamhora.One of the robbers, Pride Tanaka Janure (25), appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Rumbidzai Mugwagwa and was remanded in custody to February 9.The prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa said on July 21 at around 3am, Janure and his accomplices, who are still at large, went to the unidentified man's house, where they jumped over a security wall.They used an unknown object to break the padlock that secured the screen door entrance into the deceased's 15-roomed double storey house. While inside, they destroyed the door that led into his bedroom where he was sleeping and demanded cash from him.They assaulted the deceased using iron bars several times on the head and all over the body before they took $1 500 and ran away.The deceased was taken to Michael Gelfand Clinic in Harare where he later died on July 24 as a result of the assault. Janure was later arrested by police following a tip-off.
Continuing from where he left in his rally at Majitha, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-led state government and held them responsible for the menace of drugs in the state.

Rahul accused the SAD of ruining the future of the state by taking everything that belonged to the people of Punjab.

"Punjab's true essence has been killed by the Akali Dal. Guru Nanak said 'everything is yours, nothing is mine' and the Akali Dal says 'everything is mine'. They increased the cost of electricity. They are involved in every business that runs in the state. If you have go from Jalandhar to any place in Punjab, you'll have to travel by a bus of their company. They have a stake in the mining industry too. If liquor is getting sold, they have a part to play in it. So, whatever was yours, has been taken by them. They have ruined your future too. We want to change this," Rahul said.

"After Badals came to power in Punjab, they took everything and left nothing for the people of Punjab," he added.

The Congress vice-president also said that Punjab cannot progress unless the menace of drugs is eradicated from the state, a feat only Congress can achieve. He sent out a strong message to the drug peddlers in the state and said whoever is involved in the trade of drugs, would be severely punished.

"Our first and foremost step towards the progress of the state would be initiating a fight against drugs and eradicating them from the face of the state. And my message to everybody who is involved in the business of drugs is- we will enforce such laws in the state that if anybody is even minutely involved in the trade of drugs, we will take him into custody and his entire property would be given to the state government," Rahul said.

Rahul also said that Punjab needs a government, which can bring its lost glory back.

"There's a big change required in Punjab to bring its lost glory back. The government needs to change. Punjab needs a government, which believes in doing things for others; a government, which welcomes the industrialists and helps them establish their business in the state and ensures that the benefits out of these industries reach the unemployed, the poor and the youth. Only the Congress can give you this kind of a government," said Rahul.

He also took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and criticised the demonetisation of high-end currency notes. He said that the Prime Minister tries to lure people with new theories every day.

"Modi ji said that he is fighting against corruption when he introduced demonetisation. people found out ways and converted their black money to white. He came with a new theory that he was fighting against terrorism. Few days later, he quipped that the aim of demonetisation was 'cashless India'. Wherever he goes, he makes promises, and then goes. Nobody gets the benefit," Rahul said.

The Congress vice-president minced no words when it came to Arvind Kejriwal and said he was the Delhi Chief Minister was the biggest dictator as accused by one of his own party members.

Rahul said, "An MP from Kejriwal's party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), sits beside me in the Parliament. He told me in person that Kejriwal is the biggest dictator in the world. He ousted Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from his camp and suspended MPs from his party. He wants only his rule in Delhi. And now in Punjab."

He also laid down his party's plans for the progress of the state.

"The Bhakra Nangal was constructed almost 60-70 years ago. A single person did not construct it. It was built brick by brick by the thousands of people of the state. This Bhakra Nangal manufactures one single unit of electricity in only 35 paise and has been doing so for 60 years. This is Punjab's true essence and power," Rahul said.

He added, "We want to bring that spirit of service back which can be felt in Harmandir Sahab or in every Gurudwara. We want to bring a government in Punjab which believes in this service; a government which can build a Bhakra Nangal again, a Chandigarh again, which can forgive the farmers' debts, which can provide MGNREGA, and the right to proper food."

Earlier in the day, Rahul declared that Captain Amarinder Singh would be the party's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

The Congress vice-president is on a three-day visit to Punjab, where he will hold joint rallies with Singh and new addition to the party Navjot Singh Sidhu in Jalalabad and Lambi, respectively.

Besides Majitha and Bhatinda, Rahul will also campaign in Rampura Phul and Talwandi Sabo.

Punjab goes to polls on February 4 and the counting takes place on March 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With crude bombs being hurled at two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offices today morning in Kerala, the party has come heavily down on the state government over the repeated attacks, questioning the kind of environment being created in the state.

"Bombs are being hurled, murders are taking place and other such attacks are happening only because these people are associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. What kind of environment is being created in Kerala? It is the responsibility of the state government to take actions," BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ANI here.

He added that terrorism is being spread all across the country and if no immediate actions are taken into consideration, then this kind of message will show that these culprits are getting support from within the government.

Crude bombs were hurled at two BJP offices in Naravanur and Mattanur in Kerala. The offices were severely damaged after the attack.

There have been many attacks reported on the BJP and RSS workers in Kerala in the past.

A 30-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death allegedly by CPI(M) cadres in the politically sensitive Kannur district on January 18.

In another incident in the district, a country-made bomb was hurled at the RSS Karyalaya at Thaliparamba on January 19, said police, adding no one was injured in the incident.

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Stay positive for a healthy and disease free life as a study warns that people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders are at higher risk of dying from cancer.

The findings, published in The BMJ medical journal indicated that those who were in psychological distress had a 32 percent great chance of later dying from cancer.

"The results show that compared with people in the least distressed group, death rates in the most distressed group were consistently higher for cancer of the bowel, prostate, pancreas, and oesophagus and for leukaemia," said study author Dr David Batty from the University College London.

"Our findings contribute to the evidence that poor mental might have some predictive capacity for certain physical diseases but we are a long way off from knowing if these relationships are truly causal," Batty added.

Researchers at University College London and the University of Edinburgh reviewed the findings of 16 studies involving 1, 63,000 people to establish how feeling worried and withdrawn impacts survival.

The results indicate that 4,353 died from the disease during a 14-year period up until 2008.

However, they stressed this correlation was not evidence that depression caused cancer.

In fact, it could be the other way around - that having undiagnosed cancer results in changes in the body that make people feel unhappy even if they are unaware they are sick.

But it also said there were potential ways that depression could have an effect on cancer.

They found that prolonged immune dysregulation can compromise the repair capacity of the exposed cells, potentially contributing to genetic instability and mutations, alterations in DNA repair, and inhibition of apoptosis.

"Of the biological mechanisms, mood disorders such as depression have been implicated in immune pathways and are known to provoke inflammatory responses," the study stated.

"Our findings add to the growing evidence of an association between psychological distress and physical conditions by characterising new relations with death from selected cancer presentations," the authors concluded.

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German Ambassador to Pakistan, Ina Lepel, met Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the GHQ on Friday.

Matters of mutual interest including regional security issues were discussed during the meeting, said an Inter-Services Public Relations statement.

The German envoy acknowledged Pakistan Army's achievements in fight against terrorism and continued efforts for peace and stability in the region.

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InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has appointed Sudeep Jain as Vice President, Development, South West Asia. His immediate remit will be to further strengthen IHG's presence in the region encompassing India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. IHG currently has 29 hotels open in South West Asia with a further 43 in the development pipeline.

Sudeep brings more than 15 years' experience in the hospitality sector from roles based in the US and India, working across brand management, asset management, strategy, planning and real estate development. His most recent role was with Starwood Hotels and Resorts as Vice President, Acquisitions & Development for South Asia. He has also worked with Starwood in New York, where he developed global strategic growth plans in-line with consumer and developer trends and worked with real estate developers in North America, among other initiatives.

Jan Smits, Chief Executive Officer AMEA, IHG commented: "As we continue to expand in South West Asia, especially India, Sudeep's experience of delivering International brands in alocal market context will be an asset, enabling us to realize our growth ambition. He also brings a fresh perspective to the development team, allowing us to create and build partnerships in new market segments and expand our footprint in the region."

Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia commented: "I am delighted to be joining IHG at a time where the is poised to drive growth in India and the rest of South West Asia. With my diverse background I can bring a different perspective, having worked on the operator and owner side of the business, to the strong IHG regional leadership team."

Sudeep started his career with Bain and Company, working in its offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Boston, advising clients across consumer goods, food products, financial services, IT and private equity, on growth strategy and plans which led to double digit growth for the clients.

Sudeep has also worked with Jones Lang LaSalle in India, in the Hotels & Hospitality Group, where he led development and management of the Advisory and Transactions services of the company in South Asia.

Sudeep received his higher education at Ivy League colleges in the US, including a Bachelor's Degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard School. He also completed the PDP course at Cornell Hotel School.

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Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on Friday came out with a spirited performance to overcome Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria to enter the finals of the Australian Open.

Nadal defeated Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 in a hard-fought semifinal contest that lasted for almost five hours here at the Rod Laver Arena.

Today's victory over Dimitrov was Nadal's eighth in nine career meetings with the Bulgarian.

Nadal, the 2009 Melbourne Park champion, will play Swiss legend Roger Federer in a Grand Slam final for the ninth time on Sunday, after the 17-time Grand Slam champion beat 2014 Melbourne Park victor Stan Wawrinka in five sets on Thursday night.

If going by the recent past, Nadal, who leads Federer 23-11 in their head-to-head rivalry, and has won their past three meetings in Melbourne, at the semifinal stage in 2012 and 2014, and in the 2009 final, holds the upper hand going into the summit clash.

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The Congress Party on Friday said the levels of moral conducts among high officers are coming down, adding that one has to be careful that there is not even a distant allegation about impropriety.

Reacting on allegations of sexual harassment by Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan, Congress leader Salman Khurshid told ANI, "It's very embarrassing, distressing and very painful. I think people in high office have to be ever so careful like Caesar's wife."

He further said it has to be accepted that levels of moral conducts amongst high offices and high officers are beginning to come down in a very perilous manner.

"If these are false allegations, I think they must be taken care of. If there is even a distant shade of truth I really hang my head in shame and I think this is an awful thing that is happening to us," he added.

The Meghalaya Governor yesterday resigned from his post. However, he still retains the post of Arunachal Pradesh Governor.

The Congress had demanded immediate removal of the Governor for behaving in a 'disgraceful' manner.

The employees of the Raj Bhavan, in a five-page letter to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), had demanded immediate removal of the Governor accusing him of turning the institution into "a young ladies club."

A job applicant had also allegedly accused the governor of "inappropriate behaviour."

She alleged that the governor behaved inappropriately by hugging and kissing her.

The Governor however has denied the accusations saying that they were leveled against him because some candidates were not selected.

He said the candidates were like his daughters and granddaughters.

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The Congress Party on Friday said Mayawati should answer as to how gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari is so relevant is a clean image that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo is trying to project.

"These are election time. The BSP has been talking about clean without gunda involved. Now I think this time that Behenji answers these questions how is Ansari so relevant in a clean image that she is trying to project? This is a tough question that the BSP will have to answer in the context of the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI.

Four-time MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is currently lodged in Lucknow jail, will contest from the Mau assembly constituency on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket in next month's polls.

This was confirmed by Mayawati, who said that Mukhtar is being taken back in the party as the allegations against him have not been proved yet.

The gangster-turned-politician's son Abbas and brother Sibgatulla have also joined the party and they will be contesting the elections from Ghosi and Mohammadabad assembly constituencies respectively.

Mukhtar had earlier won a seat from Mau in 1996 on a BSP ticket.

Quami Ekta Dal, formed by Ansari and his brothers in 2010, merged with the Samajwadi Party (SP) last year which was opposed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The merger was expected to be discontinued with Akhilesh becoming national president, which was confirmed once the party announced its party candidate from Mau seat.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday said that Moscow does not have any information on US President Donald Trump's plans to lift sanctions against Russia.

"We don't know anything about that," Russian news agency TSS quoted Peskov as saying.

"As far as I understand, this information comes from anonymous sources so it is hard to say if it is true," he added.

On Friday, some media reports cited a recording posted on social media by a senior expert of one of the US think tanks, saying that Trump had an order ready to roll back anti-Russian sanctions.

Trump in an interview told an American daily that he would keep intact sanctions against Russia "at least for a period of time". He also said that he wouldn't commit to the "one China" policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday officially announced Punjab Congress president Capt. Amarinder Singh as the Chief Ministerial face of the state.

"Amarinder Singh has given his blood and sweat for Punjab. He has worked day and night for the development of Punjab. He has always worked for the Punjabi and Sardar community. He is going to be our chief minister," Rahul said while addressing a rally in here.

Gandhi further hit out at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) saying that Punjab is under the monopoly of the Badal family.

"I just want to say a few things, we (Congress) will form such laws and a government against drugs in Punjab, that will make everyone shiver at the first thought of drugs," he said.

Captain Amarinder Singh is all set to fight the assembly elections against the SAD head and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi.

Punjab will go for polls for 117 seats in a single-phase on February 4. Votes will be counted on March 1.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also set to lead the election campaign of the Akali-BJP coalition today.

He will address a rally in Jalandhar today and another in Ludhiana on January 29.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News / National

by Staff reporter

AUSTRALIAN ambassador to Zimbabwe Suzanne McCourt has urged Harare to ensure next year's general elections are free, fair and credible.McCourt also appealed to the government to respect human and property rights as well as confront corruption with practical action.Speaking during Australia Day celebrations held in Harare on Wednesday, McCourt said development partners and Zimbabweans wanted the best for Zimbabwe.She said this would be achieved by implementing laws that give effect to the people's hopes and aspirations founded on the new Constitution of Zimbabwe."We all want a good ending for this story. We all want the best days of this country to be days to come rather than the days past. I believe we have the clear outline for how this story ends well, founded on the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution," McCourt said."It means implementing laws that give effect to the people's hopes and aspirations in this Constitution; it means respecting human rights, respecting property rights; tackling corruption every bit as much with deed as with words; it means ensuring that the conditions are in place for Zimbabweans to go to the polls in a free and fair manner and those results being accepted; it means ensuring that no one is above the law and it means policy certainty."The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is under pressure to fulfil recommendations by regional body Sadc to implement the Sadc Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.The Sadc 2013 election observer mission report highlighted that Zec should improve voter education and registration and ensure the inspection of the voters' roll. Sadc also called for changes to the Public Order and Security Act as well as media and security sector reforms. She said the Australian government this year contributed US$10 million to the World Food Programme's Southern Africa drought response and a significant proportion came to Zimbabwe."Our multi-million dollar commitment to WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and agriculture livelihoods programmes over recent years has directly impacted hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweansimproving their health and economic prospects," McCourt said. "We continue to support civil society and use our small grants programme to support projects in schools, orphanages and other community organisations across the nation."She said 30 000 Zimbabweans who decided to make Australia their home are making valuable contributions across Australia in sport, arts, in commerce and in industry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak to his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump via telephone on Saturday in their first conversation since the latter took office.

This comes as recently, top Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway said that removing U.S. sanctions on Russia is "under consideration", reports the Guardian.

Trump has been steadfast in his praise for Putin and Russia and ascended to the presidency amid allegations of Russian interference in the election campaign.

He has hinted he could look at removing sanctions on Russia, and has suggested the U.S. and Russia could work together in Syria, where Russia is allied with the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian President would congratulate Trump on taking office and would launch a discussion on the current bilateral relationship. He said it was unlikely there would be specific agreements reached in the initial call.

Peskov said he was unaware of any plans to lift the sanctions.

Conway, a White House senior aide, told This Morning on CBS that Trump and Putin were likely to discuss efforts to combat terrorism.

"I assume they will discuss, in the interests of their respective countries, how to come together and work together on issues where you can find common ground and where these two nations could maybe defeat radical Islamic terrorism," she said.

Reportedly, Trump is also due to speak with German chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday.

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As Punjab goes to polls on February 4 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday openly called the Congress a 'sinking boat' adding that it has lost its identity.

Terming the grand old party 'a thing of the past', Prime Minister Modi said it is in a bad shape and nobody knows the colour, form and intention of this party.

"In order to save itself, the Congress is resorting to 'give us anything at any cost'," said Prime Minister Modi while addressing a campaigning rally here.

Blatantly hitting out at the Congress, the Prime Minister said that the party allied with the Left in West Bengal for its survival and then taking advantage of the Samajwadi Party (SP) feud, allied with it as well in Uttar Pradesh.

"Congress, at first, badmouthed the SP in UP, but after seeing the conflict within the party, allied with them," said Prime Minister Modi.

Drawing an analogy, Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress was struggling for power in a similar way as a fish does without water.

Batting for Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as the deserving chief of the state, Prime Minister Modi said, "Punjab wants to see Parkash Singh Badal as the Chief Minister again. He has always worked for Punjab."

Showering praises on Badal, Prime Minister Modi said the former spent years in public life but never changed parties or compromised on ideals.

"For Badal 'Sahab', what matters is the poor, the farmers, the villages," he added.

Asserting that his government has always fought against corruption, Modi enumerated various measures taken by the Centre to improve conditions.

"OROP was pending since so many years, we have already given Rs 6,000 crore out of Rs 10,000 crore to our soldiers," he said.

Bringing in the cause and effect theory, the Prime Minister said the surgical strike across Line of Control (LoC) to neutralise terrorists had an absolutely positive effect on the people of Punjab, the happiness of which could be seen in every family.

With BJP-Akali Dal alliance for Punjab assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly campaigned for Badal, asserting that he is the right person to rule the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Looks like U.S. President Donald Trump's 'anti-Muslim' statements have started sparking controversies. Already.

According to The Guardian, the lead actor of an Iranian drama, nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign language film category has decided to boycott this year's ceremony over Trump's expected decision to impose visa bans on Iranians.

Asghar Farhadi's 'The Salesman' protagonist, Taraneh Alidoosti said, "I consider the blanket ban on my fellow countrymen to be racist. I would boycott the awards ceremony."

She went on to say, "Even if I was excluded from the ban - despite it being the first time I qualified to attend, I would boycott the awards ceremony."

Taking her anger to her Twitter handle she tweeted, "Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest"

Although Trump's new measures against seven Muslim-majority countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are expected but not confirmed.

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Police have seized two pipe bombs from a tailoring shop on Thursday. Two persons Abdullah and Abdul Rahman have been arrested along with their accomplice Khader, who was apprehended near the Madurai Medical College.

Further three other persons were also arrested on Friday, the police said.

Investigations reveal that bombs made by Mohammed Osama, President of Muslim Munnani Pasarai, from Cumbum in Theni district were targeted to kill Hindu Munnani leader Rama Gopalan.

According to Abdullah's confession, the plot to kill Ramagopalan has been planned two months ago with the joint meeting of a Basha at the 9th Hindu Rights' Retrieval conference.

However, the mission proved to be failure due to the tight security given for Jallikattu agitations at different places.

Abdullah who took active participation in support of Jallikattu was in close observation because of his suspicious movements between Pudur and Tamukkam with a bag, and was later picked up for questioning.

According to the police, Khader another convict was also trapped with the help of Abdullah.

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The United Nations on Friday said that there has been no confirmation that talks on the Syrian conflict planned for February 8 in Geneva have been postponed as earlier announced by Russia.

A spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said today that there is no confirmation that the talks are postponed. He said, UN will confirm after the special envoy is back from talks next week with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier today that the Geneva talks would be postponed until the end of February.

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Bank's Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva has said the bank they will help both Pakistan and India to find solution to the Indus Water Treaty dispute between them.

She was talking to Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday.

Dar while speaking the Bank delegation led by Georgieva said all macro-economic indicators show that Pakistan is on a rising growth trajectory.

He informed the delegation about the economic progress and other achievements of the government.

Georgieva said the Bank would continue to assist Pakistan with consideration of a bigger package, including the International Development Assistance program and IBRD.

The World Bank CEO also assured of their positive consideration for Pakistan's development needs and higher financial allocations.

Minister of Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif who was also present in the meeting conveyed the importance of the Diamer Bhasha Dam and requested the Bank for providing assistance for its development.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The AAP is confident of winning assembly elections in both Punjab and Goa, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

An election victory in a major state like Punjab will give a huge boost to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nationally for its brand of "clean politics", Sisodia said in a 45-minute interview.

In contrast to the uneasy ties it had with former Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Sisodia told IANS that the Delhi government was "comfortable" with Baijal, who took charge on December 31.

"I have met him many times and we feel comfortable with him," said Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio and is a confidant of Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

"We (Delhi government and Baijal) have been discussing issues. Many files that had been held up (by Jung) are being cleared... He is a positive man."

Sisodia said Baijal had worked in several government departments in Delhi and knew the problems faced by the national capital.

Sisodia's praise of the new Lt Governor marks a major departure from the way the AAP government in Delhi and Jung were in perennial conflict mode over issues of governance.

With less than a week left for campaigning in Punjab and Goa for the February 4 assembly elections, the 45-year-old AAP leader said he was sure the party would take power in both the states.

"We will have a clean sweep" in the battle for the 117-seat Punjab assembly, he said. "It will be like a Delhi verdict."

The AAP swept 67 of the 70 seats in Delhi in February 2015, delivering the first electoral rout to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he became the Gujarat Chief Minister in 2001.

According to Sisodia, the AAP's achievements in the education and health sectors, and the various steps it had taken for the trading community in Delhi, were enormously helping the party in Punjab.

He accused the Akali Dal and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological parent, of telling people in Punjab's rural areas to vote for the Congress if they were unhappy with the Akali-BJP government.

"This has backfired," said Sisodia, who returned from Punjab recently after extensively campaigning there. "It has made people believe Kejriwal's charge that the Akalis and the Congress are secretly allied against the AAP."

Sisodia claimed the AAP would win the battle for the 40-seat Goa assembly too.

He said Kejriwal's appeal was working in both Punjab and Goa, and the ruling BJP had been weakened in Goa. "People in Goa are looking for a new hope. That hope is AAP."

Sisodia said it was part of the AAP's political strategy to name former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes as the chief ministerial candidate in Goa but name none in Punjab.

He said it was sad Modi did not accept his party's request to have "a healthy competition" between the central and Delhi governments in the areas of Digital India, Clean India and Skill Development.

"The BJP," he said, "does not have new ideas. They only believe in politics of gimmicks. This can't work in the long run."
Actor Akshay Kumar, who runs a hospital for the police here, says once he saw people lying on the floor in a hospital while he was getting his father Hari Om Bhatias treatment done for cancer and thats what moved him to open a special place for the police.

"My father was battling cancer and I used to often visit the Tata Memorial Centre hospital for his treatment. I was saddened by the plight of the people who had come from all corners of the country to get their loved ones treated as they would just lie around wherever they got space," Akshay said at the "Umang 2017" show.

"This really moved me and that's when I decided to open a hospital in Naigaon where the police officers and their families can stay during the course of the treatment. This is my way of giving back to the society and thanking the policemen for always putting the country before self," he added.

The annual event, organised by the police for their families, was attended by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and popular Bollywood celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Kangna Ranaut, Tabu, Shilpa Shetty, Shamita Shetty, Vani Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Arjun Bijlani and Mouni Roy among others.

"Umang 2017" will be aired on Zee TV on Sunday.

--IANS

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Ant Financial, the digital payments arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba, has bought US-based MoneyGram for $880 million.

MoneyGram has about 350,000 outlets in nearly 200 countries. Ant Financial has more than 630 million users, BBC reported.

The takeover by the Chinese group will need regulatory approval from the US Committee on Foreign Investment.

The inter-agency committee reviews foreign acquisitions of domestic American assets on grounds of national security.

Eric Jing, chief executive at Ant Financial, said the marriage of the two companies will "provide greater access, security and simplicity for people around the world to remit funds, especially in major economies such as the US, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines".

Ant Financial has a big market share in the online payments industry in China.

The acquisition could help the company extend the lead as well as expand overseas, as competition is growing in China with rival Tencent's WeChat payment system.

US-listed Moneygram's shares rose by nearly nine per cent on the news. The takeover has been approved by MoneyGram's board of directors.

Ant Financial's shopping spree in the US comes against a backdrop of rising tensions between China and the world's biggest economy.

US President Donald Trump, before taking office, questioned whether the US should continue its "One China" policy, sparking fury in Beijing.

Trump during his presidential campaign threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

But Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of Alibaba, held a meeting with Trump in December last year.

While Trump has been critical of China, the President said he had a "great meeting" with Ma, who chose to float Alibaba on the New York Stock Exchange.

The share sale in September 2014 was a record-breaker, as Alibaba raised $25 billion in its initial public offering.

If the MoneyGram deal goes through, it will be Alibaba's second acquisition in the US.

Last year the e-commerce giant purchased EyeVerify in a $70 million deal.

EyeVerify is a start-up based in Missouri, which uses biometric authentication technology for securing user's online data and transactions.

--IANS

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday invited investors to partner with the state in development of new state capital Amaravati.

He told the Partnership Summit 2017, which began here, that he wants to develop the Greenfield city of Amaravati as one among the best five cities in the world.

Naidu invited investors to look at the vast opportunities in Amaravati, which will not be a mere administrative centre but an economic city.

He told the delegates from over 40 countries that under land pooling system for development of the city, farmers came forward to give 35,000 acres of land worth Rs 40,000 crore.

Pointing out that the state has 1,000 km long coast with deep water ports, he said the state government was developing a port-led economy.

Naidu said centrally located sunrise state with huge mineral wealth, strengths in technology and skilled workforce offer vast investment opportunities

Describing Visakhapatnam as the best city in the country, he urged the investors to look at the opportunities in the coastal city or in Amaravati or Tirupati.

He said within a short span of two-and-half years, Andhra Pradesh achieved number one ranking in the country in ease of doing business.

"I want the state to be one among the top 10 in the world," he said.

He told the delegates that during 2015-16, the state recorded growth of 10.99 percent against India's growth rate of 7.5 per cent. He said during the first half of the current financial year, India grew at 7.2 per cent while the growth in Andhra Pradesh was 12.23 per cent.

He said at the last year's Partnership Summit, the state signed 328 memorandum of understandings worth over Rs 5 lakh crore and to generate employment for 10 lakh people.

Out of 927 projects, the state cleared 659 projects with an investment of Rs 2.82 lakh crore, creating 4.15 lakh employment opportunities.

--IANS

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Botswana named among 2017 best tourist destinations

The venerable New York Times has voted Botswana among the best 52 countries of the world to visit in 2017 citing the Okavango Delta thats rife with lions, elephants and species specific to northern Botswana like the red lechwe.

Many travelers across the globe use such information when they decide on places to visit. Last year, Lonely Planet ranked Botswana the number one destination in the world to travel to in 2016, acclaiming the country as progressive, enlightened  but above all, invigoratingly wild.

Botswana is endowed with many tourism sites and is home to the worlds second largest game reserve  the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The desert country is well known for having some of the best wilderness and wildlife areas on the African continent.

Botswana is the last stronghold for a number of endangered bird and mammal species, including Wild Dog, Cheetah, Brown Hyena, Cape Vulture, Wattled Crane, Kori Bustard, and Pels Fishing Owl.

If youve seen an African wildlife documentary in the last 30 years, chances are good that the filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert had a hand in it. This spring the Jouberts, National Geographic explorers in residence, along with the company Great Plains Conservation, will open Duba Plains Camp, a luxury tented camp in a private 77,000-acre portion of the Okavango Delta thats rife with lions, elephants and species specific to northern Botswana like the red lechwe. Expect safaris on boats with built-in camera mounts (when water levels allow) and a chance to see the descendants of Ma di Tau, the star of The Last Lions. Read an excerpt from New York Times.

The tourism sector plays an important role in the economy of Botswana. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2015 report showed that the direct contribution of travel and tourism to Botswanas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014 was P6.2 billion up from P5.2 billion in 2013.

The report also stated that travel and tourism generated 32,000 jobs directly in 2014, constituting 4.6 of total formal employment.

www.botswanatourism.co.bw
Opinion / Columnist

It was an urgent matter for President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe: His approval was needed so that a loyal supporter who had just died could be buried at a cemetery for national heroes.But with Mr. Mugabe off on his extended annual holiday in Asia this month, it took the acting president a couple of days to track him down, en route from Beijing to his Asian base in Singapore."I phoned the president telling him about the death, and he told me that he had learned about it through the first lady, who had read about it on the internet," said the acting president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, one of Mr. Mugabe's two vice presidents.Mr. Mugabe's annual holidays are one of the unusual aspects of the rhythms of political life in Harare, the capital of this southern African nation. Every year, from mid-December through the end of January, Mr. Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years with a tight grip, seemingly releases it. He vanishes in Asia, going off grid, becoming at times unreachable to his own deputies.Continue reading the main storyA couple of years ago, one of Mr. Mugabe's sons posted photos on Instagram showing the family at a high-end Japanese restaurant in Singapore, apparently enjoying teppanyaki. But the Mugabes have otherwise remained discreet about their holiday activities, sensitive perhaps to criticism back home that they are wasting public money while government coffers are nearly empty.So committed has Mr. Mugabe been to staying away from Zimbabwe that even when he interrupts his long Asian holiday with an official trip to an African nation - as he did in mid-January by traveling to Mali - the presidential plane, Air Zimbabwe Flight 1, has made a beeline right back to Asia.In Harare, government decisions, big and small, are put off. It's a slow month and half for political journalists, even as rumors fill the vacuum. But even in Mr. Mugabe's absence, the grip of the only leader Zimbabwe has ever known never really loosens."When Mugabe goes on holiday, he goes on holiday with the state," said Pedzisai Ruhanya, a political analyst and the director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute, a research group. "Mugabe's behavior is inconsistent with practices in other countries, with general state practices. This is kind of strange."This time, Mr. Mugabe left for Asia immediately after his party's annual conference in mid-December, which was dominated by his wife, Grace Mugabe, 51. Mr. Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, who will be 93 in February, slept through most of the conference but was selected as his party's candidate in next year's presidential election.His party is increasingly divided by fighting over succession, and Mr. Mugabe has lost the support of longtime allies like veterans of the country's war of liberation. Zimbabwe's financial state remains so precarious that government workers were paid late in December, after Christmas, and have yet to receive their year-end bonuses."Under normal circumstances, when things are not O.K. in your house, you wouldn't leave for such a long time," said John Masuku, a journalist who worked for 27 years at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, including as a presidential correspondent.And yet, even in increasingly frail health, Mr. Mugabe has not cut short his annual holidays. The reality, allies and rivals alike say, is that he has secured the loyalty of the political class through patronage, eviscerated the opposition and installed relatives and close associates in important posts in the army and the police. Unlike less-secure strongmen who rarely venture abroad, Mr. Mugabe sticks to his annual routine, leaving Zimbabwe at the same time every year, and he has even lengthened his holidays in recent years."He feels quite comfortable," said Rugare Gumbo, who was a longtime ally of Mr. Mugabe and is now in the opposition. "No one can take a chance by raising any controversial issue because he would be accused of trying to overthrow the old man."Indeed, when Mr. Mnangagwa, the acting president, was shown recently in Facebook photos holding a mug with the words, "I Am the Boss," the attacks against him by party rivals were immediate and relentless. Accused of wanting to push Mr. Mugabe aside, Mr. Mnangagwa had to issue a statement to the contrary.Mr. Mugabe, a well-known Anglophile, used to spend his annual holidays in London or elsewhere in Europe. But sanctions imposed by Western governments after the seizure of white-owned farms in 2000 pushed the Mugabes to look elsewhere.The Mugabes have vacationed in Malaysia and Hong Kong as well as in the Middle East, mostly in Dubai. But Mr. Mugabe has settled in recent years on Singapore, which, in addition to having excellent Japanese food, has a leading medical tourism industry - and, perhaps most important, is a former British colony."He finds it congenial to be in a former British colony than in any other country," Mr. Gumbo said. "If you can't get pleasure in London, you might as well get it in its colonies."With Mr. Mugabe gone, neither the government nor the ruling party bothers to hold high-level meetings."We didn't hold cabinet meetings in Mugabe's absence because he is the one who chairs the meetings," said Didymus Mutasa, who served as a minister to Mr. Mugabe for many years and is now in the opposition. "When Mugabe goes on leave, some of his ministers also go on leave."Tendai Biti, an opposition leader who served as finance minister in a coalition government from 2009 to 2013, said that Mr. Mugabe's annual holidays have long been a drain on Zimbabwe's finances. In a system established before independence, government officials traveling overseas are given hard currency, usually American dollars, upon authorization from the Finance Ministry, Mr. Biti said.During Mr. Biti's tenure, Mr. Mugabe typically asked for $3 million for his annual holidays, and Mr. Biti said he authorized from $800,000 to $1.2 million."The money comes as cash," Mr. Biti said. "But whether they put it in suitcases or whatever, I don't know. That was not my job."Unspent money - from Mr. Mugabe's annual holidays or his frequent trips outside Zimbabwe - is not returned to the state."It has become a vehicle for looting," Mr. Biti said.Most high-ranking government and ruling party officials refused to comment on Mr. Mugabe's annual holidays.But Tshinga Dube, Mr. Mugabe's minister for war veterans, said that he carried out his duties the same way whether Mr. Mugabe was in or out of the country. Describing himself as an "ambassador" serving under "a Julius Caesar," Mr. Dube said, "You cannot do things differently just because he is not there."Asked about popular criticism that Mr. Mugabe is out of touch by taking such long and costly holidays while the country's economy teeters, Mr. Dube said that it was "a matter of personal opinion.""It is very difficult," he added, "to talk, to comment about your boss, especially on issues that relate to his health, his age, and things of that nature."Jeffrey Moyo reported from Harare, and Norimitsu Onishi from Johannesburg.
Australia has honoured four Indian-origin persons here with its civilian awards for their contributions in the field of medicine and work towards the community, a media report said.

Purushottam Sawrikar, a Sydney-based medical practitioner, received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for the year 2017 announced on the Australia Day for his service to medicine and to the Indian community, reported the community newspaper Indian Link on Friday.

Sawrikar, who arrived in Sydney in 1972 from Hyderabad, India, is a social work enthusiast and has reached out to the community here on health-related issues through radio, print, TV and audio CDs. He has also organised several free health check-ups on blood pressure and diabetes.

He is former President of Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association (AIMGA) and has advocated on behalf of India-trained doctors who find it hard to qualify for registration.

Sawrikar also founded a community radio called Akashwani Sydney.

He was also instrumental in organising overseas conferences and seminars for AIMGA, especially the one with the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) in 2014.

Melbourne-based doctor Ranjana Srivastava received the OAM award for service to medicine, particularly in the field of doctor-patient communication. "I'm very humbled, and a little thrilled," Srivastava said after she received the Order of Australia medal.

Professor Mark (Makhan Singh) Khangure from Perth received Member of the Order of Australia (AM) award for his significant service to medicine in the field of neuroradiology, to education, and to a range of professional medical associations.

"I was delighted when I heard the news," he said.

He has also served on the boards of a number of medical organisations, including Australian and New Zealand Society of Neuroradiology, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and the Australian Medical Association.

Sydney-based radiopharmaceutical scientist Dr Vijay Kumar got the AM award for significant service to medical research in the disciplines of nuclear medicine and biology, to professional organisations, and to the community.

"I feel very honoured by this recognition. What makes me particularly happy is the fact that this will bring recognition to the discipline and hopefully encourage aspiring scientists to take it up seriously," Kumar said.

Kumar, a founding member of Sydney Tamil Sangam Association, was also awarded Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Award in 2007 and 2014.

Over 950 Australians were named in the Australia Day Honours this year with former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victoria's Governor Linda Dessau, organic scientist Andrew Holmes and former Liberal MP David Kemp receiving the nation's top Australia Day medal, the Companion of the Order of Australia.

--IANS

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Magnolia LNG, owned by the Australia-based Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd, signed a pact with the US-based Vessel Gasification Solutions (VGS) to sell annually 4 million tonne liquefied natural gas to India for 20 years from its US gas project, said a top official on Friday.

"The non-binding agreement provides for a 20-year Free-on-Board (FOB) sale and purchase agreement of up to 4 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa)," said Magnolia Chief Executive Officer Greg Vesey in a statement from Australia's Perth.

"We look forward to supplying long-term volumes to the Indian market to meet its growing needs for clean energy," he said.

The New Jersey-based VGS is developing a floating LNG import and re-gasification terminal at the Kakinada deepwater port in Andhra Pradesh, and the Krishna-Godavari LNG import terminal will be first LNG import project to become operational on the country's east coast.

"The terminal will allow utilisation of 7,000 mega watt of near-idled power plants and lay the groundwork in the industrial belt that girds the coastal region of Andhra and Odisha," said the statement.

Stating that the agreement represented an important step forward for the Magnolia gas project, VGS President Gaurav Tiwari said his company was in a position to execute on the first-mover advantage it had established on the east coast.

"We are excited to take this step forward in our relationship with Magnolia and look forward to working with its team to bring a significant tranche of the US-produced LNG to a key new market on the east coast of India," he said.

Magnolia proposes to construct and operate up to four liquefaction production trains, each with a capacity of 2 mtpa, using its patented OSMR LNG process technology.

Construction and operation includes two 160,000m3 full containment storage tanks, ship, barge, and truck loading facilities and supporting infrastructure.

Magnolia is developing an 8 mtpa LNG export terminal in the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana in the US.

--IANS

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Women Congress workers on Friday staged a protest outside the BJP office here demanding an apology from its leader Vinay Katiyar for his "sexist" remarks against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Katiyar on Wednesday had said that there were far "prettier" faces canvassing for his party after the Congress announced their President Sonia Gandhi's daughter as the star campaigner for the poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh.

Hundreds of women workers led by Congress leader Barkha Singh Shukla staged the protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters on Ashoka Road and raised slogans like 'Desh ki betiyo ka apmaan, nahi sahega Hindustan'.

"Katiyar should feel ashamed of this, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi should feel ashamed of this. Katiyar should apologise," Shukla told reporters.

"We women represent 50 per cent of India's population," Shukla said.

She said if ever such language was used by any of the Congress leaders, the party President would have taken immediate action against them.

Lashing out at the BJP leaders, Shukla said, "Will they speak in such language against the women members of their family? Don't they have mothers and sisters in their homes?"

Asked to comment on Priyanka being named as one of the star campaigners, the BJP Rajya Sabha member recently courted controversy as he told the media: "It doesn't make any difference. We have far more prettier women, heroines as star campaigners."

Katiyar's comment came a day after Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav made a similar sexist remark.

Speaking in Bihar, the JD-U MP said the "honour of being able to cast a vote is a much greater honour than your daughter's honour".

"If a daughter's honour is violated, then only her neighbourhood, her village will lose its honour. But if a vote is sold, it is the country's honour that's violated," said Yadav.

Reacting to Sharad Yadav's comment, Shukla said, "He should now sit at home."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused it of defaming Punjab and said its "opportunistic alliance" with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, showed the party was living "on its last breaths."

Addressing a rally here in support of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance ahead of the February 4 assembly polls in Punjab, Modi launched a strong attack on the Congress, saying that it is feeling restless being out of power.

"Will people of Punjab think of stepping on a boat which is sinking. Congress is history. A party living on its last breaths, it is incapable of doing anything (for welfare of people)," he said.

He said Congress was "hungry for power" and had struck an electoral understanding with the Communist Party of India-Marxist for the West Bengal assembly polls last year despite having fought against it for over 50 years.

Referring to Uttar Pradesh, which will also face assembly polls in February-March this year, Modi said the Congress had protested against the Samajwadi Party government for months, sought to take advantage of the rift in the ruling party but ended up as its junior ally for the sake of power and to "save itself".

Modi also lauded Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, saying that he was committed to Hindu-Sikh unity and had strived to take the state forward.

Without naming the Congress, he accused the party of defaming Punjab by exaggerating issues faced by the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is a junior partner in the ruling alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.

--IANS

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The Telangana government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with France's Aero Campus Aquitaine to create a world-class aero skills academy in Hyderabad.

The proposed academy will offer specialised aeronautical courses in engineering, manufacturing and maintenance domains.

The academy, to be set up in collaboration with academia and industry, will identify skill gaps, design and run courses with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and DGCA (Directorate general of Civil Aviation) certifications.

The academy will offer long-duration basic-training programmes for young students and vocational training and short-duration courses tailor-made for industry requirements for experienced technicians, said an official statement.

The MoU was signed between Jerome Verschave, General Manager, Aero Campus, and Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary, Information Technology, government of Telangana.

Ranjan said the academy will help attract large-scale investments in aeronautical sector.

--IANS

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Iran and Russia have developed a roadmap to jointly produce nuclear fuel, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), said on Friday.

Kamalvandi said that the agreement, signed during his recent visit to Russia, was an important accord "given that what we seek from (uranium) enrichment is to become able to generate fuel," Press TV reported.

He also talked about singing another bilateral agreement during his Russia visit featuring cooperation in the field of producing stable isotopes, which have applications in medical and industrial fields.

The deal will be implemented at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, making Iran the forth place in the world where such isotopes are produced alongside Russia, the United States, and France.

During his trip, he also discussed the construction of two power plants in Iran with the help of Russia, Kamalvandi was quoted as saying.

--IANS

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Former Miss Universe and actress Lara Dutta Bhupathi has come out in support of Roshmitha Harimurthy, who will be representing India at the upcoming 65th edition of Miss Universe pageant to be held in Manila.

Lara, who was crowned as Miss Universe in 2000, says she believes in Harimurthy and urged her fans and followers to vote for her.

"This is a girl I believe in, now it's time for you to make her win. Tweet Miss Universe India to vote! India, it's time to stand united and vote," Lara posted on Twitter.

Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen will be on the judges panel for the upcoming pageant, which will take place at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay in the Philippines' capital on January 30.

--IANS

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Latin American countries and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) expressed concern over US President Donald Trump's decision to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

"Most countries in Latin America maintain close friendly ties with the people of the US. Because of that, the Brazilian government is concerned about the idea of building a wall to separate sister nations on our continent, without a consensus between them," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The ministry also encouraged such matters to be resolved through dialogue instead of isolationist measures, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Brazil has always worked with a firm belief that matters between friendly people's, as is the case with the US and Mexico, should be resolved through a dialogue and the construction of spaces of understanding," the government said.

Bolivian President Evo Morales called on embattled Mexico to look southward and help strengthen Latin American integration.

"I call on our Mexican brothers to look more towards the south, to jointly build unity based on our (shared) Latin American and Caribbean heritage," Morales posted on Twitter.

The message comes just hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled an upcoming meeting with his US counterpart amid a bilateral dispute over the latter's decision to erect a wall along the US-Mexican border.

The UNASUR, which comprises Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, issued a scathing criticism of the US decision.

In a statement from the bloc's headquarters in Quito, UNASUR Secretary General Ernesto Samper rejected the proposal as "humiliating" for Mexicans and Trump's stance as defiant.

Trump has also floated the idea of slapping a 20-per cent tax on Mexican imports to finance the wall.

Samper added that the UNASUR was "concerned by the tension in hemispheric relations, resulting from these types of measures, which affect the security and quality of life of our fellow citizens residing in the US".

Deteriorating relations may also affect other developments in the region, including a peace process in Colombia and rapprochement with Cuba, he said.

--IANS

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The Maharashtra government has decided to withdraw its recent order banning all kinds of religious activities in all government offices and institutions, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here on Friday.

He informed a delegation of ally Shiv Sena ministers that the order had been issued erroneously and was being withdrawn, said Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam.

"The Chief Minister has also assured us that suitable action would be taken against the concerned officials of the Rural Development Ministry, who issued that circular," Kadam told the media after the meeting with Fadnavis.

The circular which came to light earlier this week sought to bar all kinds of religious activities or celebrations, pooja ceremonies and even removal of pictures of gods and goddesses from government and semi-government offices and various departments and institutions, including educational institutes, across the state.

Justifying the order, some officials claimed it was intended to project a secular image before the public and also avoid diverting time, money and efforts in organising elaborate religious activities at workplaces.

The move was criticised by all sections of society as it meant no more Shri Satyanarayan Poojas, Ganeshotsav celebrations, Holi and other religious festivals jointly by government employees and workers at offices.

"The employees spend around 10-12 hours daily at their workplaces and religious activities there enabled them to compensate what they missed out at their homes. The employees were upset by the sudden decision," said a government official, requesting anonymity.

Moreover, the joint religious activities instilled a sense of camaraderie among the employees, especially for those transferred from far-off places and living alone at the place of posting, besides attracting the participation of members of other religions, the official explained.

In fact, on Thursday Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray had strongly criticised the move and demanded that it should be immediately rolled back.

"How can they unilaterally take such a decision? Did you take us into confidence? Was it discussed before the state cabinet or even with the leaders of opposition parties?" Thackeray said.

"The order must be withdrawn or we will make a bonfire of it," Thackeray declared.

His comments came at a huge rally of party workers in which he also announced severing of alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party for all future civic elections.

However, the party will continue to remain in government both in Maharashtra and at the Centre where it is in alliance with BJP.

Thackeray's decision was greeted with widespread celebrations by Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Nagpur and other places, where party activists expressed readiness to fight independently the crucial civic elections scheduled in February.

--IANS

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The Manipur government has given final touches to have the United Naga Council (UNC) declared an unlawful organisation as Congress spokesperson Khumkcham Joykishan said on Friday that the proposal would be forwarded to the central government.

"The UNC had imposed the indefinite economic blockade along the highways from November 1 protesting against the government plan to create two districts. During the protest, it had ambushed and killed two personnel and wounded several others," Joykishan said.

"Besides it had torched several trucks and pock marked others with bullets and had forfeited the right to remain as a civil society organisation," he added.

"The Manipur government move is in the larger interest of the people who are floundering in this humanitarian crisis. In order to appease the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) the Centre has not intervened. Since the UNC is the frontal organisation of the NSCN(IM) the blockade could have been lifted as India is holding peace talks with this outfit", he added.

The spokesperson further said: "The state unit BJP should urge the national leaders to do the needful in public interest. For 88 days people have been facing shortages of all sorts."

Attacking Assam's BJP minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who said that if Okram Ibobi Singh makes room, BJP could lift the blockade in two days, he said Sarma's announcement is unclear.

He wanted to know whether the BJP is planning a rollback of the creation of the seven districts once there is a President's rule interregnum. "The Congress ministry is ready to resign if it will benefit the people", Joykishan added.

He said, "As long as there is a Congress government, Manipur's territory shall be intact. Even though all Congressmen are bloodied, the integrity shall be protected. Sarma and other BJP leaders should come out with a clear cut statement since many things are incomprehensible on the basic stand of the BJP."

Congress and the BJP have been trading barbs and trying to gain political mileage out of the blockade with an eye towards the upcoming elections. Manipur accuses the Centre of not sending enough paramilitary forces with the result that the NH 2 that passes through Nagaland is still impassable.

Recently the Naga students in Nagaland had banned Manipur's vehicles in the state. The state government has been bringing about 300 trucks and oil tankers twice in a week. Taking undue advantage of the inadequate security cover, militants have been carrying out ambushes on the convoy.

--IANS

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Opinion / Columnist

THE Dumiso Dabengwa led ZAPU opposition party has bemoaned government's failure to pay civil servants their 2016's bonuses saying this demotivates workers, fueling corruption and poor service delivery.This comes in the wake of dreadlocks between civil servants and the 'cash strapped' employer where alternative for bonus such as bonds and stand options were rejected with another meeting set for February 20."The writing is clear on the wall that the ZANU government has rejected both the country and its own workers."It's now common to see ZANU doing the uncommon with regard to the welfare of its workers who have not been readily receiving their salaries and bonuses over the false that state coffers have no money."But mysteriously when it is about President Mugabe's holiday or other executive projects, funds emerge," ZAPU deputy secretary-general Mjobisa Noko said.Corruption has rocked the civil service where public officials demand bribes from the public to access basic services with some investors turning their backs on the country following request of bribes to invest in the country.Last year the Zimbabwe Republic Police dismissed close to 400 police officers over corruption.ZAPU, which divorced from the 1987 unity accord with ZANU over poor democracy and unfulfilled unity agreements in 2008 lamented that state coffers are being abused for ruling ZANU projects at the country's expense.ZAPU blasted the 'master of deceit' art by government where executive demands such as president's annual trips are funded while key national issues including bonuses payments are neglected due to reported low government coffers."Millions of the tax payers' money is being clandestinely used for ZANU conferences, birthday galas and outrageous trips."Recently Mugabe's annual holiday cost six million dollars and instead of the nonagenarian centering on key national questions he is busy banqueting on the people sorrows," said Noko.There are media reports that President Mugabe was also renting a $500 000 mansion in Dubai.The over-ballooned civil service pay bill, Noko went on, was also a clear sign of ZANU inefficiency and misgovernance that has created ghost workers in government structures.Said ZAPU's deputy secretary -general : " Right now we are battling the typhoid problem due to dilapidated services and how can we be on high alert when our nurses, doctors have low morale over unpaid bonuses, poor salaries a long queuing at banks to access cash?"Noko added that government's failure to honour commitments to civil servants was a public threat, urging it to honour its contractual agreements."A ZAPU government relishes the huge sacrifice of all workers , particularly civil servants in driving the country's success and will religiously follow crucial policies crucial that safeguard their welfare in its turn-around strategy," he added.
British Prime Minister Theresa May laid a wreath at Arlington cemetery in Virginia ahead of face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.

The pair will spend about an hour together in the first visit by a foreign leader to the White House since Trump was sworn in last week, the Telegraph reported. The meeting comes after May told US Republicans that Britain and US could not return to "failed" military interventions "to remake the world in our own image".

However Sir Michael Fallon, the British defence secretary, said on Friday that this did not mean that Britain would unilaterally shy away from intervening militarily overseas.

May will join Trump for his first news conference as President at 1 pm ET (11.30 pm IST) on Friday. Both the leaders will seek to find common ground on trade and lay the groundwork for a new deal after Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, CNN reported.

In his speech at the Republicans' retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday, Trump joked that with Congress so far refusing to confirm his candidate for commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, he would have to discuss trade with May himself.

"I don't have my commerce secretary; they want to talk trade; so I have got to handle it myself," he said.

May will be keen to ensure that Trump remains fully committed to the NATO military alliance which is a vital organisation to keep Russia in check in eastern Europe. Both leaders are expected to urge other NATO countries increase their defence spending to two per cent of gross national product.

They will also be discussing the West's concern about Russia. The meeting comes a day after May addressed Republicans in Philadelphia. The Prime Minister said relations between Britain and the US have "defined the world," delivering a speech greeted by frequent loud applause.

"I speak to you not just as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but as a fellow Conservative who believes in the same principles that underpin the agenda of your Party," May said on Thursday.

May, the first foreign leader ever to address the annual Republican gathering, also told Trump not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'," she said. "With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'", she said.

"We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence," she said.

As a gift to Trump, May is bringing a quaich - a two-handled Scottish drinking cup for whisky used to symbolise trust between the giver and recipient. She will give Melania Trump a hamper containing a range of British produce, including Chequers apple juice,

Damson jam and marmalade, Bakewell tarts, and Cranberry and white chocolate shorties.

Regarding sexist remarks made by the US President on several past occasions, May said that "some of the comments that Donald Trump has made in relation to women are unacceptable, some of those he himself has apologised for."

"I think the biggest statement that will be made about the role of women is the fact that I will be there as a female Prime Minister," May said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On a day President Pranab Mukherjee accepted Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan's resignation, two civil society groups in the north-eastern state on Friday demanded an inquiry into Shanmuganathan's "inappropriate behaviour" and his prosecution.

The groups also demanded an inquiry against the former Governor's Secretary even as official sources said two Public Relations Officers and a Private Secretary of Shanmuganathan have been sacked.

In the meantime, the Meghalaya State Commission for Women has sent a letter to the National Commission for Women (NCW) about the allegations against the 68-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh veteran from Tamil Nadu who was the state Governor.

Shanmuganathan, who held the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh also, tendered his resignation on Thursday to "ensure a free and impartial probe into the charges against me".

Civil society groups -- the Civil Society Women's Organisation and Thma U Rangli, a progressive political outfit of Meghalaya -- demanded the inquiry against Shanmuganathan, and staged a protest in front of Raj Bhavan gate here on Thursday.

"The government should institute an inquiry. It should not be the case that he has resigned and the matter ends there. Now that he's no longer the Governor, we don't need prior sanction from the President," TUR leader Angela Rangad said.

"A quick, speedy and decisive inquiry leading to prosecution should be made so that it sends out a strong message that nobody occupying any high office in India can get away with abuse of power," she said.

"We have informed the NCW. We are seeking legal advice since the alleged victim is yet to file a complaint against him. The state government could set up a fact-finding committee to probe charges against Shanmuganathan," State Commission for Women chief Theilin Phanbuh told journalists.

Chief Secretary K.S. Kropha on Friday said the state government is consulting legal experts on how to go about regarding the alleged "inappropriate behaviour" of the now former Governor.

"The state police have sought legal opinion. The matter is being examined since there is no FIR by the woman who alleged sexual harassment," Kropha told IANS.

On Wednesday, nearly 100 Raj Bhavan employees in Shillong sent a signed five-page letter to the Prime Minister's Office and Rashtrapati Bhavan to demand the recall of the Governor for what they alleged was "turning Raj Bhavan into a Young Ladies Club".

From the time Shanmuganathan took office on May 12, 2015, the employees alleged, they were going through "severe humiliation, mental stress and torture".

Meanwhile, the former Governor's Secretary H.M. Shangpliang told IANS that the Raj Bhavan Secretariat had terminated the service of Shanmuganathan's Public Relation Officers Chinmoyee Deka and Emdorimi Thangkhiew, Private Secretary Saurabh Pandey and his personal cook Bhanumati.

Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who has been given additional charge of Meghalaya, will be sworn in as the state Governor on Saturday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The national capital, which saw a rainy Friday morning, is set to get colder on Saturday due to the after-effects of the record snowfall in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

According to the forecast of India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in Delhi will drop to 9 degrees Celsius on Saturday against 13.5 degrees on Friday.

"The minimum temperature will drop on Saturday, but the daylight will be good and the maximum temperature will improve. Minimum temperature will rise from Sunday onwards," said an IMD official.

In Kashmir valley, bad weather continued affecting transport, water and electricity supply, though the air transport resumed.

Cutting it off from the rest of world, snowfall at various places in the Kashmir valley continued for the fourth consecutive day, even though the IMD forecast improvements on Friday and beyond.

While no vehicular movement was allowed on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway until a review on Friday afternoon, the flight operations resumed from Srinagar airport after four days, due to improvement in visibility.

"We are waiting here for the last four days. Road to the Valley has been shut due to snowfall and rains at some places. It's still manageable to drive amid snow, but during rains, the road becomes very dangerous.

"Officials have told us that roads will be opened tomorrow (Saturday) morning," said Sajjad Ahmed Bhat, a Verinag (Anantnag district)-based driver stranded in Jammu, said.

Srinagar on Friday saw 0.8 degree Celsius minimum temperature amid rain and snowfall. In Pahalgam, mercury dipped to minus 2.2 degrees and it received 36.6 mm rain and 23 cm snow during the same period, breaking records of 2006 and 1992. Gulmarg experienced minus 4 degrees Celsius, recorded 40.2 mm rain and 41 cm snow.

"The Valley had not experienced this much cold in the last 10 years. We light the 'hamam' (fire lit in a quarry-like room for warmth during winters) every year, much less last year, but this year it was kept lit most of the time," Gulam Hasan Bangroo, a 'hamami' at a mosque in Hyderpora in Srinagar, told IANS.

Weather in Jammu, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, however, improved on Friday.

"In morning, the sky was clear, good daylight, but towards the evening it got clowdy and cold winds started blowing. It became a little chilly in the evening, but no rainfall yet," Shagun Gupta, a student from Jammu said.

In Himachal Pradesh, favourite tourist destination Manali experienced more snowfall on Friday, making the town look more picturesque, while Shimla and Dalhousie witnessed rain.

The minimum temperature were 2.6 degrees Celsius in Shimla.

Affecting the people, temperatures remained below the freezing point at many places in the hilly state. Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest at minus 2.7 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, for first time in last five years, Delhi received rainfall on January 27. However, as per the IMD, it was the last day to rain this season and temperature from Sunday onwards would rise as another western disturbance in hilly area would cut the chilly Himalayan winds.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japan imposed a fine of 480 million yen (about $4 million) on auto giant Mitsubishi Motors on Friday, for falsifying fuel consumption data of several of its mini vehicles.

In a statement, the country's Consumer Affairs Agency said it imposed the fine based on evidence that the company marketed the cars under inflated fuel economy claims, Efe news reported.

In April 2016, Mitsubishi admitted it had systematically falsified fuel consumption data in four models of mini vehicles -- cars with engines smaller than 660 cubic centimeters -- including two sold by Nissan Motor, and later acknowledged that more models were affected.

The manipulated data, that appeared on sales pamphlets with Mitsubishi and Nissan dealers as also in advertising campaigns, indicated fuel spent by the automobiles was 5 to 15 percent lower than what they actually consumed.

Over 625,000 units of these mini vehicles -- highly popular in Japan due to their small size and lower fuel consumption -- were sold in the archipelago under the false claims.

Following the scandal and ensuing financial troubles for Mitsubishi, Nissan bought a 34 percent stake in the company in October last year to salvage consumer confidence and return the firm to profitability, according to the new senior management.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India speedster Mohammed Shamis father Tousif Ali passed away on Friday.

He suffered a heart attack. Shami left his rehab team with the T20 team, currently engaged in a three-match T20 series, and rushed to Kanpur.

"Team Shami condoles the death of Mohammed Shami's father Tousif Ali, who passed away after suffering a heart attack. May the family get courage & strength to bear the loss. Rest in Peace, Sir," Shami wrote on his Facebook account.

Shami is recuperating from a knee injury.

His father was hospitalised since January 5, after suffering his first heart attack.

The second T20 match against England is at Nagpur on January 29.

--IANS

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After leaving the pan African organisation three decades ago, Morocco is set to rejoin the African Union during its 28th African summit scheduled for January 30-31 in Addis Ababa.

Morocco in 1984 decided to withdraw from the Organisation of African Unity, which later became the AU, in protest against the admission of Western Sahara, which seeks independence for a chunk of territory the country claims as its own.

Morocco has since then refused to be part of the organisation, but recently it changed its policy, making the re-admission to the AU on the top of its agenda, Xinhua news agency reported.

King Mohammed VI in July last year sent a message to the 27th AU summit in Kigali, saying his country "should not remain outside its African institutional family, and it should regain its natural, rightful place within the AU".

Explaining the reasons for returning to the pan-African organisation, the king cited "the repeated call of many African friends of the kingdom as well as a thorough reflection".

He also stressed that from within, "Morocco will contribute to making the AU a more robust organisation, one that is both proud of its credibility and relieved of the trappings of an obsolete era".

Two months after the king's message to the African leaders, the North African kingdom in September formally submitted a request to re-join the continental body.

The request was submitted after it received the support of a group of 28 AU member states, representing more than the majority of the 54 African Union member states required for admission.

Following this request, the Moroccan king toured numerous African countries, including some that Rabat has long regarded as hostile to its territorial unity such as the African giant Nigeria.

Consequently, the north African kingdom raised the total of the supporters to its bid to 40 as was announced by Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar during a parliamentary session to review the constitutive act of AU a week earlier.

Last week, both houses of the country's parliament adopted the act of AU, its additional protocol and the bill on the approval of the act, preparing the ground for the Kingdom's return to the AU.

The council of ministers chaired by the king on January 10 approved the draft texts.

While Morocco has not being a part of AU, it has developed strong ties with many countries in the continent, particularly in French-speaking states in West and Central Africa.

The north African kingdom is already the top investor in west Africa and the second largest African investor in the continent.

Moroccan firms have strong holds in the many African markets, especially those related to banking, insurance, air transport, telecommunications and housing.

Through rejoining the AU, Morocco looks ahead to expand its influence in the continent and join hands with member states to meet the countless challenges facing the continent.

--IANS

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Thousands of litres of diesel gushed out from a leak in an oil pipeline, flooding several farms near Agarkhind village here on Friday afternoon, officials said.

The Mumbai-Manmad pipeline of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) supplies fuel stocks to the oil depots in the district.

Police officials said the pipeline leak developed when land was being levelled for the ensuing farming season in the field owned by local farmer Baburao Mojad.

"Around 12.30 p.m., the JCB suddenly struck into the oil pipeline passing through the fields and huge quantities of oil started gushing out of the hole," Senior Police Inspector Mukund Deshmukh of Sinnar told IANS.

The diesel started flowing for over half a kilometer, into several acres of prime farmlands even as a main valve -- 10 km away -- was shut down to prevent further leakage and the entire locality was cordoned off.

BPCL officials as well as disaster management authorities were immediately summoned to assess the situation and the damage caused, both to the company and the environment.

Though Deshmukh and others declined to peg the loss of oil due to the leak, reports claimed over 150,000 litres of diesel may have seeped into the fields.

Despite repeated attempts by IANS, BPCL officials were not available for their comments in the matter.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump in his first televised sit-down interview as US president has said Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not among countries that will face a visa ban to enter the country.

However, citizens of these countries will face "extreme vetting", the US president said.

In an interview with ABC News, the US President was asked: "Why are we (America) going to allow people (from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan) to come into this country..."

To this, Trump answered, "We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think there's even a little chance of some problem."

"We are excluding certain countries. But for other countries, we're gonna have extreme vetting. It's going to be very hard to come in. Right now it's very easy to come in. It's gonna be very, very hard. I don't want terror in this country," he added.

The interview, broadcast on Thursday, was Trump's first to a television channel since he took oath as President on January 20, and covered a wide range of subjects, from Obamacare to immigration to war against terrorists.

Trump said his plan to limit the entry of people from several Muslim countries was necessary because the world was "a total mess". He denied that it was a ban on Muslims. "No, it's not the Muslim ban, but it's countries that have tremendous terror," Trump said.

"And it's countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems. Our country has enough problems without allowing people to come in, who in many cases or in some cases, are looking to do tremendous destruction."

Trump refused to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about, but did say that he believed that Europe "made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries, and all you have to do is take a look, it's a disaster what's happening over there."

--IANS

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Some 60 Holocaust survivors returned to Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland, on Friday to attend a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of its liberation.

On this day in 1945, Red Army soldiers from the Soviet Union opened the gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp where some 7,000 mainly Jewish prisoners were trapped, already abandoned by the Nazi soldiers who were retreating to Germany, Efe news reported.

Friday's ceremony was presided over by Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and attended by several international delegations, among them from Russia and Israel.

The motto of this year's commemoration at the Auschwitz museum-memorial was "Time", symbolised by a watch found during the 1967 excavations of the site that had been stored away along with 16,000 other artefacts.

These artefacts were to be displayed at the "Archaeology" exhibition at the camp's museum.

"Time inevitably brings us further away from the history of Auschwitz and memory acts as our fight against the passage of time," said the director of the Auschwitz museum Piotr Cywinski.

To this end, Cywinski said it was important that future generations be aware of the dangers of populism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and radical nationalism.

Presenting a blue and white wreath, matching the colours of the prisoner's uniforms in the camps, a group of survivors stood and paid homage at the Death Wall -- a stone-clad courtyard backdrop against which prisoners would be shot by the Nazi guards.

Some of the men commemorating the 72nd anniversary of their liberation wore the blue and white hats they were given during their time in the camp.

Former prisoners were also shown around the newly-opened exhibition, where glass cabinets displayed everyday objects such as spoons, cooking utensils and bottles excavated on the site.

Above the entrance to the camp, the wrought iron lettering of "Arbeit Macht Frei" (work sets you free) offers museum visitors a reminder of the site's original purpose.

Upon discovering the camp, the Red Army soldiers found piles of human corpses, hair and belongings.

Of the six million people killed during the Holocaust, some 1.1 million are estimated to have lost their lives in Auschwitz.

Although Jews represent the majority of Holocaust victims, Poles, Communists, LGBT people and gypsies were also exterminated at the camp.

--IANS

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is to make a telephone call to new US President Donald Trump on Saturday, the Kremlin confirmed on Friday.

The news was confirmed by the spokesman of the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, Efe news reported.

It would be the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump took office on January 20, although Putin has already spoken to the New York billionaire to congratulate him on his November 8 election victory.

In that first phone call, both leaders called for an improvement in the damaged relations between Washington and Moscow.

During the election campaign, Trump said he admired Putin's style of government and hoped that both countries could rekindle relations following the frosting over of ties, which Trump blamed on the administration of former President Barack Obama.

The US and European Union imposed economic sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

In addition, the administration of former President Barack Obama also took punitive measures against Russia late last year when it was discovered that Moscow allegedly interfered in the US presidential election in order to support Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

--IANS

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A former journalist, who had allegedly duped bureaucrats and politicians, including several ministers, of large sums of money posing as an important political personage, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi's aide, and lately as BJP national General Secretary Ram Madhav, has been arrested, police said on Friday.

Sanjay Tiwari, 40, and his accomplice Gaurav Sharma, 23, were arrested on Wednesday, days after they made a phone call to Amar Kumar Bauri, Minister of Revenue in Jharkhand, posing as the BJP leader, and demanded Rs 5 lakh as fund for the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections.

Police said that Tiwari, a resident of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, on Monday sent another person from his group for a meeting with the minister in Delhi. However, the deal couldn't be done.

One of the minister's aides smelt a rat and telephoned Ram Madhav's office to inquire about the demand. He was told that no such call was made to Bauri, police said.

The minister's office then contacted the police to file a complaint.

The police traced the phone call and arrested Tiwari and Sharma, a resident of Noida, on Wednesday night from ITO crossing in Delhi.

After sustained interrogation, the accused, who lived in Mayur Vihar area of Delhi, told the police about their modus operandi to extort money from politicians and bureaucrats.

"They have either cheated or attempted to cheat or extort money from several political leaders as well as government officials on fake representations," Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav told reporters here.

"Tiwari confessed that he had duped dozens of MPs in the name of tribal development funds in 2007 and 2008.

"He also attempted to extort Rs 10 lakh in 2016 from Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain," Yadav said.

In October last year, Tiwari extorted Rs 1 or 2 lakh for a poor girls' marriage fund from Anil Sharma, an ex-BJP MLA, pretending to speak on behalf of Bhaiyaji Joshi of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Yadav said Tiwari had earlier extorted Rs 10 lakh from an ex-MLA of the Congress Party in Punjab after posing as P.P. Madhavan, a close aide of Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress leader was offered a ticket for Punjab elections, Yadav said.

"Tiwari is an expert in the working tactics of how MPs operate politically. He used separate SIM cards for individual extortion deals. He extorted over a dozen of political leaders on the pretext of promoting them in their parties, ensuring election tickets or grooming their career. The victims used to pay him huge amounts in the garb of party donations and election funds," the police officer said.

Tiwari, a Class 10 dropout, used to frequent head offices of major political parties including the Congress and BJP.

He had procured fake identity cards and hired some youths who were unaware of his crime syndicate. He used to send his hired men to meet his victims and collect money from them.

Police said he had done many sting operations of various political leaders while working with Tarun Tejpal, former editor of Tehelka Magazine.

"He also claimed to have done a sting operation on BSP's Mayawati," Yadav said.

Tiwari came to Delhi in 1999 and started working as a freelancer poem reader in All India Radio. He also worked briefly as a personal associate with filmmaker Tanuja Chandra.

--IANS

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India's anti-trust body on Friday said it has approved the proposed joint venture between the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group and Dassault Aviation of France in what is touted as one of the largest offsets deals in the country's defence space, potentially valued at some Rs 30,000 crore ($4.5 billion).

"@CCI_India (The Competition Commission of India) approves setting up of a joint venture between Reliance Aerostructure Limited and Dassault Aviation," the country's apex body that promotes and ensures fair competition said in a tweet Friday evening.

According to industry sources, the new venture will be the key player in executing the offsets obligations of Dassault, as a part of India's purchase agreement for 36 Rafale fighter jets valued at nearly $9 billion or Rs 59,000 crore.

"This is a transformational moment for Indian Aerospace sector and for Reliance Infrastructure's subsidiary Reliance Aerospace," Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani had said when his group's deal with Dassault was signed last year.

The pact with the French company calls for an offsets obligation of 50 per cent -- that is, half the value of the deal has to be invested in India. This, the sources said, has the potential to become the largest foreign foreign direct investment in India's defence sector.

"This joint venture will have a significant spill-over effect. It could result in the creation of a large support eco-system, involving 300-400 small and medium scale Indian companies," an industry source said.

After much negotiations, India had signed with France in September last year an agreement for the purchase of 36 Rafales, a Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft. The original tender was for 126 fighters, but was pruned to the current size.

The first fighter plane agreement in about two decades was inked almost 16 months after Prime Minister Modi announced India's decision to buy the jets during his visit to France in April 2015.

Dassault first established itself in India as a major defence aircraft supplier with the sale of Mirage 2000 fighters. Its Rafale was chosen by India in 2012, following a competitive bidding process that was initiated in 2007. The French company also makes Falcon business jets.

--IANS

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Claiming that six of its activists have been killed and scores of others injured since the LDF returned to power in Kerala, the CPI-M on Friday alleged that, in fact, the Left parties were at the receiving end of "murderous attacks" by the RSS and its outfits.

Condemning Thursday's bomb blast near a Communist Party of India-Marxist public meeting in Kannur, the party called upon the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to immediately stop such violent attacks.

"The RSS' game plan is to expand its political base through such violence and communal polarisation which is its standard methodology," party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury told the media here.

"This attack by the BJP-RSS hoodlums once again nails the lie that it is the RSS-BJP which is at the receiving end of violent attacks in Kerala, particularly in Kannur district," the party subsequently said in a statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary P. Muraleedhar Rao called on Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam to apprise him of what he called "escalating violence unleashed by the CPI-M workers on our (BJP-RSS) cadres".

"The fact is that in Kerala, it is the CPI-M and other constituents of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) that have been at the receiving end of the murderous attacks mounted by the RSS and its outfits," said the CPI-M.

"In the short duration that the current LDF government has been in office, as many as six CPI-M workers have been killed and scores of its other members injured. Party offices and houses of its members have been attacked and destroyed in brutal attacks launched by the RSS," said the CPI-M statement.

"The politburo calls upon the RSS-BJP combine to immediately stop such violent attacks," it added.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI-M returned to power in the southern state after the May 2016 assembly elections.

--IANS

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Russias embassy in Britain on Friday ridiculed Prime Minister Theresa May for her warning to US Republican lawmakers that the West should "engage with, but beware" of President Vladimir Putin.

May invoked the spirit of the Cold War on Thursday, when she warned of a possible "eclipse of the West" if they failed to engage with Moscow "from a position of strength".

Her caution to US politicians came ahead of a planned phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump on Saturday, when the two leaders will speak directly for the first time.

In response, a mocking poem poking fun at the PM's "Cold War" mindset was posted on the official Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in London.

Addressing a Republican "retreat" in Philadelphia, May said: "When it comes to Russia, as so often, it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who, during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev, used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify."

"With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware".

In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump said it would be to the advantage of both Russia and the US to mend ties and pool their efforts in the fight against terrorism, adding that he was looking forward to speaking with his Russian counterpart.

"He called me after I won, but I haven't had a discussion, but I understand we will be having a discussion soon," he said.

Russian envoys around the world are known for their tweets poking fun at Western leaders.

In September of 2014, the Russian embassy to the United Arab Emirates trolled NATO's release of satellite images described as "proof" of Moscow's military involvement in Ukraine.

The diplomats posted a picture of toy trucks, tanks, and armoured vehicles all lined up on the ground, with the words: "#NATO's latest evidence of #Russian armour invading #Ukraine has been leaked! Seems to be the most convincing ever!"

--IANS

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Police are trying to unravel the mystery behind the death of a 30-year-old Russian man in the security hold area of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.

The Russian, Dani, had allegedly jumped to his death from the security hold area at around 11.35 p.m. on Thursday. A probe has been ordered into the incident.

Speaking to IANS on Friday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajith Kumar said: "The CCTV visuals are being summoned and we will have a close look. We did speak to the people who witnessed the incident who said that he scaled the pipes near the security hold area and jumped down."

Kumar, who is conducting the probe, also pointed that Dani arrived here from Nepal on January 19 with a friend Alexander, who is also Russian.

"According to the information we have, the two later went to an ashram in the outskirts of the capital city. While Dani vacated the ashram yesterday (Thursday), his friend, whom he met in Nepal, is yet to leave the ashram," he said.

"We are on the lookout for Alexander so as to get more information on Dani and to see if he had any issues," Kumar added.

A senior Air India official told IANS that Dani was booked on the airline's flight to Mumbai which was scheduled to depart at 8.10 p.m., but got delayed.

However, what exactly triggered the incident is not clear yet.

The flight official said that the incident occurred after the passengers had completed their security check and were waiting in the security hold area.

Describing Dani's fall, a person said: "The Russian man was seen walking up and down in the security area and performing yoga. After behaving in a restless manner for a long time he suddenly climbed on to the railing and then jumped."

"Being Republic Day, there should have been more security. Moreover, whenever there is any one behaving in such a manner, it's quite natural for security officials present or watching on the CCTV to act, which did not happen," the witness added.

Dani fell near the customs area located on the ground floor. He was declared dead on being rushed to a hospital.

"This is a serious security breach as the incident took place in the highly secured zone when the entire place is expected to be covered by close circuit cameras," a source said.

The Kerala police has contacted the Russian Consulate.

--IANS

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Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his "Hum Saath-Saath Hain" co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Neelam Kothari, Sonali Bendre and Tabu, pleaded "not guilty" in an 18-year-old blackbuck poaching case in a Jodhpur court on Friday.

The actors were present in the court to get their statements recorded before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit.

The CJM court had earlier asked the Bollywood celebrities to appear on January 25 to record statement, but the stars, including Salman and Saif, did not come on that day citing security reasons.

The court then postponed the matter for Friday.

The case against all cine stars is pending since 1998, but it could not come for hearing and remained stalled due to several appeals and revisions in the higher court in other connected matters.

During the course of hearing on Friday, Salman replied to as many as 65 questions posed by the court in regard to the allegations levelled by the prosecution witnesses.

Salman and the other actors also replied to a few general questions like names, father's name, age, residential address and caste.

To a question with regard to his religion, Salman said that "I'm Hindu and Muslim both. I'm Bhartiya". He subsequently said in English that I'm an Indian.

Asked about the allegations levelled by the prosecution, the stars pleaded "not guilty". Salman in his reply said that he couldn't have gone out for poaching due to security reasons, especially in the evenings or night.

Salman and Saif stayed in the court for around half an hour and an hour respectively. The actresses had to remain in court for around two hours.

"We will produce defence witnesses to counter the prosecution as all the allegations are untrue," Hastimal Sarswat, Salman's advocate told IANS.

Relatives of the film stars, including Salman's sister Alvira and his bodyguard Shera, were also present during the court proceedings.

All the five Bollywood actors are accused of poaching blackbucks on the midnight of October 1-2, 1998, during the shooting of "Hum Saath-Saath Hain".

Two blackbucks, a protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, were killed in the outskirts of Kankani village near Jodhpur.

Salman was accused of carrying and using illegal arms too, but recently the CJM court acquitted him of the charges.

--IANS

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Scientists here have announced that the world is rushing towards the doomsday, partly because of the "words and actions" of US President Donald Trump, a media report said.

The minute hand of the Doomsday Clock, which indicates how close the world's leading scientists think we are from destroying the planet, was moved forward to two and a half minutes to midnight, ABC news reported on

Thursday. Midnight on the clock represents doomsday.

The Bulletin's science and security board decided to advance the clock "in part based on the words of a single person: Donald Trump, the new President of the United States," it said in a news release on Thursday.

The board called Trump's comments about expanding the US nuclear arsenal and his disbelief in climate change "disturbing" and said his "statements and his actions as President-elect have broken with historical precedent in unsettling ways."

Trump tweeted in December 2016 that the US "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

In January 2014, Trump said in a tweet, "Global warming is an expensive hoax!" and in November 2012, Trump claimed in a tweet that the "concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."

During his election campaign Trump promised to back out of the Paris accord.

The closer the minute hand is to midnight, the higher the chance of a global cataclysm, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the group that sets the time on the symbolic clock.

The clock's minute hand is assessed each year, and the clock's time "conveys how close we are to destroying our civilisation with dangerous technologies of our own making," the Bulletin said on its website.

Apart from Trump, the Bulletin said it also considered factors such as "strident nationalism worldwide ... a darkening global security landscape that is coloured by increasingly sophisticated technology and a growing disregard for scientific expertise."

In 2016, the scientists announced the clock remained at three minutes to midnight because of climate change and "extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity" by the modernisation of nuclear weapon arsenals.

In 2015, the clock was moved to three minutes to midnight, from its place at five minutes to midnight in 2014.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons under the Manhattan Project.

The scientists created the Doomsday Clock two years later as an expression of concern about the use of those weapons.

The decision to move the clock's time is made by the group's science and security board, in consultation with its board of sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates.

--IANS

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A Sikh priest, who refused to honour Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his visit to Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar in June 2016, joined the AAP on Friday and accused the Badals of financially helping those behind incidents of sacrilege in the state.

Priest Balbir Singh had defended his refusal to give a 'siropa' (robe of honour) to Badal on June 3 last year by saying that he had done so to protest the repeated sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab in 2016 and the Badal government's failure to catch the culprits.

He was immediately transferred out of Amritsar by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which controls the Sikh shrines in the state.

"I also came to know that the Badal family is giving financial help to those involved in the heinous act. Sacrilege incidents on this scale were not possible without the active involvement of the ruling (Shiromani Akali Dal) party. My protest was against the state government's failure to arrest the guilty," Balbir Singh said on Friday after he was inducted into the Aam Aadmi Party by senior party leader Sanjay Singh and others.

He said the AAP leadership has assured him those guilty in the sacrilege cases would be punished.

Before formally joining the AAP, Balbir Singh announced his support to AAP candidate Jarnail Singh, who is pitted against the Chief Minister in Lambi assembly constituency.

The elections to the 117-member Punjab assembly will be held on February 4 and counting of ballots taken up on March 11.

On October 20 last year, the Punjab Police said they had arrested two brothers for their involvement in the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village in Faridkot district.

A senior police officer then said that other incidents of sacrilege reported from Kohrian (Sangrur district), Nijjarpura (Amritsar), Ghawaddi (Ludhiana) and Bathh (Tarn Taran) were of localised nature.

The police had claimed that five of the seven reported cases of sacrilege had been solved.

--IANS

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Strasbourg (France), Jan 27 (IANS/MAP) Spanish MP Jose Ramon Garcia Hernandez lauded, on Thursday in Strasbourg, the migration policy initiated by Morocco King Mohammed VI.

Garcia also welcomed the "fruitful collaboration" between the Spanish and Moroccan authorities in terms of migration management, during an exchange of views between members of the Committee on Migration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Despite the economic difficulties, the humanitarian aspect remains one of the key areas of focus in the management of the migration issue, he added.

During this session, Abdessalam Lebbar, chairman of the unity and egalitarianism group at the House of Councillors (Upper House), highlighted the migration policy initiated by the king, noting that the relationship between Morocco and Africa is not only based on the economic and political aspects, but also on solidarity.

--IANS

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The US state of Texas has executed a man who was on death row for killing two employees of a fast food joint in 2002.

Terry Edwards, a 43-year-old black man, had been sentenced to death for the double murder of Tommy Walker, 34, and Mickell Goodwin, 26, at a Subway restaurant - which had sacked him shortly before - in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb, Efe news reported.

"Yes, I made peace with God. I hope y'all make peace with this," were the last words of Edwards, who was declared dead at 10.17 p.m., on Thursday night after he was administered a lethal injection at the Huntsville prison, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Although his execution was scheduled for 6 p.m., it was delayed by over four hours after his lawyers filed last-minute appeals claiming Edwards was not responsible for pulling the trigger and said his case had suffered due to prosecutorial misconduct.

Evidence presented during the trial showed Edwards had been fired from the restaurant weeks before the crime, that took place on July 8, 2002, and that a bag containing $3,000 from the eatery cash register was recovered from him after he was arrested by the police.

Edwards' nephew Kirk Edwards had turned himself into the police as an accomplice in the crime and was awarded a 25-year jail sentence for aggravated robbery.

Terry Edwards always maintained it was his nephew, who had pulled the trigger, but the jury did not believe him and all his subsequent appeals met with failure.

Edwards' execution is the third one in the US this year and the second in Texas, making him the 1,445th inmate to have been put to death in the country since capital punishment was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976.

He is also the 540th person to be executed in Texas, the US state where the death penalty is handed out the most.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Thai military court on Friday sentenced an activist who pleaded guilty to defaming the Crown in a comment made on social networks to 11 years and four months in jail.

Military court sources confirmed to Efe news the sentence handed down to Burin Intin, who was arrested on April 27, 2016, during a protest in Bangkok against the military junta that has ruled the country since 2014.

The court found the defendant guilty of two counts of defamation of the monarchy and a cyber crime.

Burin Intin maintained his innocence from the time of his arrest until January 24, when he changed his plea to guilty.

"In the name of protecting the monarchy, the junta is strangling freedom of expression and fuelling a climate of fear across Thailand," said Human Rights Watch's Asia chief, Brad Adams.

The lese majeste law in Thailand carries sentences of up to 15 years in prison for those who broadcast messages about the Royal House that the authorities consider offensive.

Arrests for this crime have multiplied since the military coup of May 22, 2014.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French President Francois Hollande on Friday said the Trump administration is a "challenge" for Europe, which also faces the internal threat of rising extremism and populism. Hollande was speaking at a press conference in Berlin after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"To be honest, there are challenges from the new US administration; challenges regarding rules of commerce, regarding the way we think conflicts across the world should be solved," Hollande was quoted by RT online.

"Of course, we need to speak to Donald Trump, because he was elected by the US (citizens) to be their president, but we should speak to him from the European point of view, promoting our interests and values."

Merkel echoed his concerns, saying that "Europe faces big internal and external challenges which we... can only master by working together."

"We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished, and to the values of our liberal democracies," she added.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump, angered over a National Park Service retweet comparing his inaugural crowd size to Barack Obama's in 2009, called the acting director of the National Park Service to complain, informed sources said.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also confirmed the call took place on Saturday, CNN reported on Thursday.

Trump called Michael T. Reynolds, acting director of the National Park Service, to express anger over the fact the National Park Service's official Twitter account retweeted a message that negatively compared the crowd sizes at the two inaugurations.

Sanders said the call proves Trump "is so engaged, he is so involved and when he sees a problem, he takes action to fix it."

"If he sees an issue, he is going to take action and do something to fix it," Sanders said.

The Washington Post first reported the conversation between Reynolds and Trump.

After Friday's retweet began to get attention, a career staffer at the Interior Department -- ordered by the Trump administration, according to a source -- instructed employees that the "new administration has said that the department and all bureaus are not supposed to tweet this weekend and wait for guidance until Monday."

The ban was eventually lifted and the National Park Service tweeted an apology for the "mistaken" retweet. The agency also said it stopped all communication out of a concern the account was hacked.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer denied on Wednesday that the communication orders to the National Park Service came from the White House.

"There's nothing that's come from the White House, absolutely not," he said.

Asked for comment, Tom Crosson, a spokesman for the National Park Service, said the agency "does not comment on internal conversations among administration officials."

Trump, who regularly bragged about his crowd size on the campaign trail, has been consumed by negative comments about the size of the crowd at his inauguration, using a speech at the CIA on Saturday to lambast the media for their inauguration coverage.

"I have a running war with the media," he said, accusing news organizations of misrepresenting the size of the crowds.

Following his speech, Trump then instructed Spicer to deliver the same message to reporters.

"This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period," Spicer said.

Aerial photos taken during the time of both presidents' speeches, however, have indicated that Obama's first inauguration attracted a larger crowd.

A CNN review of best available online numbers and television views, however, found that Trump's inauguration had at least 37.5 million viewers, compared to the 42.9 million who watched Obama's in 2009.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump met British Prime Minister Theresa May here in his first meeting with a visiting foreign leader since taking office.

Trump was meeting May in a session fraught with tension as the new US President contemplates lifting sanctions against Russia despite the objections of many Europeans wary of Moscow, The New York Times reported on Friday.

The meeting at the White House would test the contours of his new "America First" foreign policy.

The meeting came just a day after Mexico's president canceled his plans to sit down with Trump amid a dispute over his proposed border wall, .

Russia presumably will be a major part of the discussion between Trump and May.

Trump has scheduled a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Saturday as administration officials debate how far the American should go in easing up pressure on the Kremlin.

The US president also plans to talk by phone with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who has been a leading voice in Europe for keeping pressure on Russia.

Kellyanne Conway, the president's counselor, said Trump was considering lifting sanctions against Russia.

"All of that is under consideration," she said on "Fox and Friends" on Friday. "And if another nation that has considerable resources wishes to join together with the US to try to defeat and eradicate radical Islamic terrorism, we're listening."

The US and Europe have imposed a series of sanctions on Russian officials and companies, mainly in response to the seizure and annexation of Crimea and the separatist war fomented in eastern Ukraine.

Before leaving office, former US President Barack Obama also imposed additional sanctions in response to what intelligence agencies concluded was Russian hacking to influence the American election.

--IANS

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Amid one of the worst crises in US-Mexico relations in years, US President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto spoke over phone on Friday, said an official in the Mexican president's office.

A White House official has confirmed the conversation, The Washington Post reported.

The call came a day after Pena Nieto cancelled a planned trip to Washington, following Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for a US wall across the border.

The official, however, did not elaborate on the content of the call.

Trump's decision to move forward with building a border wall and his threats to dismantle the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have opened a serious rift in the relations between the two neighbours.

Earlier on Friday, Mexican business leaders and politicians warned of economic disaster and possibly unrest if trade ties between the two neighbours are disrupted by new measures proposed by the Trump administration.

Some business executives and officials in Mexico are calling for retaliatory plans.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump will on Friday welcome British Prime Minister Theresa May, first foreign leader to visit the Oval Office.

Both the new US President and the British Premier, who took office in July last year, have strong political incentives, CNN reported.

May has told Britons their country will be a robust global trading power once it exits the European Union, and a free-trade deal with the US is the most important pillar of that plan.

Trump also seems interested in talking up a trade deal with Britain.

The envisioned agreement with Britain is exactly the kind of bilateral pact the Trump administration says is the model for US trade policy going forward.

However, he previewed the visit by griping that Democrats have yet to confirm his Commerce Secretary pick, Wilbur Ross.

"I'm meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow (Friday), as you know. Great Britain ... I don't have my Commerce Secretary -- they want to talk trade. So, I'll have to handle it myself. Which is okay," he told Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Trump's need for a successful outcome became more acute on Thursday when a spat with Mexico over his vow to build a border wall caused President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a visit to the White House.

May will be in the Oval Office exactly seven days after Trump was inaugurated. It is being seen by her entourage as a sign of the new President's respect for Britain.

May will use the visit to stress that though Britain is leaving Europe and Trump is suspicious of US attachments abroad, the two nations can still combine to be a force that can shape the world.

"As we rediscover our confidence together -- as you renew your nation just as we renew ours -- we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the 'special relationship' for this new age," May told GOP lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia, her first US stop.

"We have the opportunity to lead, together, again."

The British Prime Minister will also have the benefit of the advice of former President Barack Obama, who urged her to develop a close relationship with Trump so that she and other centre-right world leaders could be a moderating influence on him, said a former Obama administration official and a British official familiar with the conversations.

Trump and May also have their share of disagreements. Her visit will be the first test of some of Trump's most controversial views on foreign policy.

Trump's statements that NATO is obsolete and he wants to improve relations with Russia that has been testing the borders of post-Cold War Europe have triggered alarm on the other side of the Atlantic.

According to the CNN, the no-nonsense Prime Minister is making clear that while she plans to forge a close relationship with Trump, she will not hesitate to speak her mind.

"I am not afraid to speak frankly to the President of the US," May said in the parliament on Wednesday. "I am able to do that because we have this special relationship."

Britain's calls for all members to meet their military spending target of two per cent of GDP, may allow her government to become a point of liaison between states in the western alliance and the new President, who has frequently groused that US allies have not done enough to pay for their own defence.

Trump backed the British exit from the EU and hopes more countries follow suit -- in direct contravention of decades of US foreign policy that saw stability in a united Europe.

May did not back Brexit, but in the political carnage that followed the referendum, she found herself Prime Minister and must now manage the most volatile political turbulence in western Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

--IANS

py/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump wants a 20 per cent border tax on all imports from Mexico, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has said.

Spicer on Thursday said Trump wanted to use the new tax to fund the proposing wall between the US and Mexico, Xinhua news agency reported.

Spicer said this hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled the work meeting with President Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.

Spicer didn't release any detail about how the new tax will work.

Building a wall at the US southern border with Mexico to be paid by Mexico was one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to build "a large physical barrier" between the two countries.

Trump reiterated on Wednesday during an interview that the wall project will start as soon as possible and financed by Washington, but Mexico will "100 per cent" reimburse the US at "a later date," which has been rejected by Mexican government several times.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Vikram's upcoming Tamil spy thriller "Dhruva Natchathiram", which is being helmed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, has started rolling, says a source.

"On Thursday, the film's shooting commenced. Since they've already locked the release date, the shooting will be wrapped up by June," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

In the film, Vikram will be seen playing a secret agent, and he is paired with Anu Emmanuel.

The film will be predominantly shot in the US, in places such as Los Angeles, New York and Manhattan.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is said to be playing a pivotal role.

"It's true that he has been approached to play the role of Indian president. The team is still awaiting his confirmation. He was the initial choice when the film was originally planned and even announced it with Suriya a few years ago," said the source.

Harris Jayaraj has been roped in to compose the tunes. The film is gearing up for release in August.

--IANS

hp/nn/bg

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To improve its capacity to safeguard dams, the Central Water Commission (CWC) on Friday signed two separate MoUs with Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, said an official statement.

"The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank-assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP)," said a ministry statement.

"This will help them for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their capability to support dam rehabilitation efforts of CWC," it said.

The scope of the MoUs includes strengthening of the test facilities, analytical capabilities and exposure to best global institutions for technological exposure.

Launched in April 2012, the DRIP is expected to cost Rs 2,100 crore over a period of six years. India has about 4,900 large and several thousand smaller dams.

DRIP was originally planned for the rehabilitation and improvement of about 223 dams in the states of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. Later Karnataka, Uttarakhand Aand Jharkhand were included in the project which increased the total number of dams to 250.

The Central Dam Safety Organisation of CWC is responsible for the implemention of the project.

--IANS

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I am scheduled to meet Tulsi Tanti, chairman and managing director of Suzlon Group, for dinner a day before he is slated to fly to Ahmedabad for the Vibrant Gujarat summit. But I am told Tanti wants to wrap up his day early because of his flight early next morning. So we meet at 6 pm for an early dinner at the Regency Club in Hyatt, a few minutes drive from the Pune airport. It is Sunday, but Tanti has some meetings at the Clubs conference room before we catch up.
As poll campaign gears up in Mandrem constituency, the voters here still fondly remember Dayanand Bandodkar, who became Goa's first Chief Minister in 1963 after the territory was returned to India by Portugal.

Goa's present Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar is now contesting in the February 4 election from the constituency, located in northern most part of the coastal state.

Bandodkar, popularly known as Bhausaheb, formed the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and won from Mandrem in 1963, when the first election in liberated Goa was held.

"Bhausaheb did not belong to this place but his maternal uncle did. His mother belonged to Pednekar family. That is how he contested from here in the first election in 1963," recalls Sajo Pagi, an 81-year-old freedom fighter who had campaigned for Bandodkar during the 1963 polls.

"It was a different world then. We rallied behind Bhausaheb and he proved us absolutely right. The kind of development he did in this constituency during his tenure can be seen even now," Pagi said.

The constituency remained MGP's bastion till the 1998 Assembly polls, when a Congress candidate won from here.

"The constituency has 50 per cent voters having their affiliation to MGP because of Bhausaheb. The voters were confused after MGP-BJP had an alliance. For this election, they are back with MGP," claimed 69-year-old Shridhar Mandrekar, the MGP candidate from the seat.

Mandrekar vividly remembered his own participation as a young MGP worker in Bandodkar's campaign.

The MGP, which recently split with BJP, is trying to regain power in the constituency having about 32,000 voters.

After Bandodkar, BJP's Laxmikant Parsekar is the second Chief Minister from the constituency.

"When Bandodkar was Chief Minister, he gave priority to primary education in this constituency. He created network of the schools due to which even the downtrodden people were educated," Parsekar told PTI.

"Fifty years down the line, now there is a good network of educational institutes in this constituency. Earlier, no one aspired for jobs here as their parents were in traditional vocations. Now with education, there is a huge demand of jobs in this constituency," the Chief Minister said.

Parsekar, who is contesting on BJP ticket from Mandrem, said projects like Greenfield airport at Mopa and Electronic City will generate jobs in the constituency.

He claimed BJP has manged to win the hearts of people here as the party have taken forward Bandodkar's dreams.

"We are implementing the schemes which ideally MGP should have done. We have implemented more schemes than MGP during its tenure as the main ruling party. We have touched every section of the people," Parsekar said.

Former MGP leader Devendra Prabhudesai, who is contesting on Aam Aadmi Party ticket from Mandrem, says AAP mirrors the aspirations of Bhausaheb in many ways.

"Two parties (BJP and Congress) have ruled after Bhausaheb Bandodkar. Now we have AAP which believes in the principles of Bhausaheb - that is basic necessities for the common man," Prabhudesai said.

"We are talking about corruption-free India. When we save money, it can be diverted for welfare of the people of Goa. We will also control land grabbing. This is what Bhausaheb aspired for," he said.
This Sunday, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will pitch themselves as sons of the soil as against outsider Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to present the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance as a better alternative than the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh.
President Uddhav Thackeray has taken a calculated risk to ditch his party's 25-year-old ally Bharatiya Janata Party and fight Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election independently. Sena insiders argue that Uddhav's announcement is aimed to take the expansionist BJP head on and thereby retain its supremacy over the BMC, which has been the party's oxygen since last 20 years.
As many as 2,818 people have been arrested in connection with domestic violence, including 41 people arrested in cases of 15 dowry deaths, in the last three years, Jammu and Kashmir government said today.

In a written reply to the question of PDP MLA Anjum Fazili, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said 2,818 people have been arrested in 1,632 cases of domestic violence in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three years.

Giving further details, she said 41 people have been arrested in connection with 15 cases of dowry deaths, followed by 361 arrested in connection with 462 cases of abetment of suicide.

She said 2,413 people have been arrested in 1,153 cases of cruelty by husband or relatives of husband and three people arrested in two cases of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

While 583 people have been arrested in 422 such cases in 2016, 2015 saw arrest of 1,127 people in 571 such cases, followed by arrest of 1,108 people in 639 cases in 2014, she said.

The Chief Minister further said the cases of domestic violence are being registered in police stations concerned and action warranted under the law is being taken.

"Six police stations exclusively manned by women police personnel have been established at district headquarters of Jammu, Rajouri, Udhampur, Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla to deal with cases of domestic and social violence," Mehbooba said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two teenagers have been arrested in the US after authorities discovered their plan for a mass shooting at their school.

The unidentified students -- aged 13 and 14 -- from central Florida were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and placed into the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Sumter County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Law enforcement and school officials were initially tipped off of the pair's plans on Tuesday, police said. The arrests came after "officials learned of, and intervened in a plot to initiate a mass shooting at their school," the statement said.

On Tuesday, after classes had finished for the day, "school officials and the schools resource officer became aware of rumours circulating between students at the school," the statement said.

"The rumors indicated that a student was planning a mass shooting on Friday January 27th. Witnesses indicated that some students had been warned not to come to school on Friday."



The following day, the two students told officials that they had indeed discussed a mass shooting at The Villages Charter Middle School in Lady Lake, a town located about an hour northwest of Orlando, ABC reported.

"The 13-year-old student alleged to be planning the attack was intercepted by authorities as he attempted to arrive for school. At that time, he acknowledged conversations involving the plot and referenced the mass shooting at Columbine High School."



During the conversation with the 13-year-old, "officials learned of a second student's potential involvement and quickly located the 14-year-old-male student on campus," according the release.

"The 14-year-old student acknowledged his involvement in conversations with the 13-year-old student again referencing the Columbine shooting. The student informed officials that the two students had planned an attack which included what they would use as a signal to open fire."



The teens were arrested yesterday at their homes during the service of search warrants. The 13-year-old was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff's Office on a juvenile order at his home in Fruitland Park. The 14-year-old was arrested by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at his home in Wildwood. No additional arrests are expected, police said.

Firearms were recovered from both suspects' homes during the search warrant service.

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Around 2500 resident doctors across the state went on an indefinite strike today in support of three physicians of a hospital in Jodhpur, who were manhandled by kin of a patient who died on January 24.

Nearly 2,500 resident doctors of Udaipur, Kota, Bikaner, Jaipur shunned their work in support of its Jodhpur wing, which is on strike from last three days to press for their demand to book the accused under Doctors' Protection Act.

"No action has been taken against the accused even after four days of the incident. Doctors across the state are agitated after the incident.

"Today, doctors in Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Jaipur went on indefinite strike until administration takes action," vice president, Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD), Dr Pankaj Somani told PTI.

On January 24, an elderly woman admitted in CCU ward of MG Hospital had passed away. Accusing doctors of being negligent in treatment, four persons went on beating the doctors including Rajat Gupta, Ravi Rana and Sandeep Dadheech.

Jodhpur resident doctors association had lodged a complaint with the police but no action has been taken so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's counter-terror officials today arrested three ISIS terrorists who were planning to attack a "sensitive installation" in Punjab province.

The three militants, who pledged allegiance to the ISIS, were arrested yesterday from DC Colony in Gujranwala, some 80 kms from here, the spokesman of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab Police said.

Muhammad Rizwan, Wajid Ali and Muhammad Armughan were planning to attack a "sensitive installation" in the city when a police team raided a house and nabbed them, he said.

Some 1,370 grams of explosive material, three detonators and 7.25 feet prima cord have been recovered from their possession, the officer said.

A case under the Anti-Terrorism Act has been registered against the suspects at the Gujranwala CTD police station.

The suspects have been shifted to some undisclosed location for interrogation, he said.

A few days ago, police arrested four militants belonging to ISIS and Lashkara-e-Jhangvi and killed one in south Punjab.

Despite arresting dozens of ISIS terrorists from different parts of the country, the Pakistan government still denies the presence of the dreaded militant outfit in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The police today arrested seven members of an inter-state gang of dacoits and seized five firearms from their possession.

The police nabbed the gang members while planning to loot a branch office of a private loan company located in Sambalpur town.

Sambalpur SP Akhileshwar Singh said out of the seven arrested persons, four hailed from Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar and one of Punjab.

"After getting an information that a person sustaining bullet injury has been admitted to the Burla hospital, police personnel reached there and got to know by questioning him that some people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab have reached the city with a plan to loot the loan company's office. The police personnel were on high alert since then," SP Singh said.

Following a tip off, the police raided a place near Kainsir canal and found weapons in their possession, the SP said adding the inter-state gang members have been involved in different loot and dacoity cases in Punjab, UP, Bihar and now planning to execute another dacoity in Sambalpur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
plans to invest Rs 7,000 crore in the next two years in Andhra Pradesh on expanding existing businesses, Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said on Friday.

The conglomerate already has investments of Rs 10,000 crore in the state across sectors like telecom, retail and cement.

"Our experience in Andhra Pradesh was fruitful. Until now our investments are of the order of about Rs 10,000 crore. We have created employment for 11,000 people both direct and through ancillary industries," Birla said at the Investment Summit here.

"As we go along, we expect to invest another Rs 7,000 crore in the next two years. This will be towards expansion of our existing businesses," he added.

The company has set up a cement plant with capacity of 5.6 million tonnes. "We are acquiring a 5 million tonnes per annum plant at an investment of Rs 3,000 crore located near Amaravati city."

In the telecom sector, Idea cellular currently serves 8 million customers through 69,000 outlets and nearly 9,400 cell sites.

"This year we will be extending 3,500 cell sites largely 3G and 4G at an investment of over Rs 1,300 crore," Birla said.

In the branded apparel and retail business, the company has 240 stores and is looking at increasing the presence as also in the financial services sector.
A spokesman for extremist group al-Shabab said today its fighters killed at least 51 Kenyan soldiers in an attack on a military base in Somalia. But Kenya denied it, saying "scores" of the extremist fighters were killed instead when its soldiers repelled the assault.

Al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu-Musab said the extremists seized military vehicles during the early morning attack in Kulbiyow town in Lower Jubba region.

But Kenyan military spokesman PM Njuguna said in a statement that the "rumours" being spread by al-Shabab were false. Kenyan soldiers with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia "fiercely engaged" the al-Shabab fighters who tried to penetrate the base with an explosives-laden vehicle, Njuguna said.

A Somali military officer, Col Ahmed Ali, said al-Shabab's massive suicide car bomb allowed dozens of extremists with machine guns to overrun the Kenyan camp, torching tents and arms depots.

Ali disputed al-Shabab's claim of killing at least 51 soldiers, saying the Kenyans fought back before retreating to a nearby area. He declined to give further details.

Al-Qaida's East African affiliate is fighting to impose a strict version of Islam in this Horn of Africa nation. It has lashed out with deadly attacks against countries like neighbouring Kenya that contribute to the African Union mission.

Thousands of the AU troops are in Somalia to bolster the country's weak government, while al-Shabab continues to launch deadly guerrilla attacks like this week's assault on a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, that killed at least 26.

Somalia's security forces are supposed to be taking on more responsibility as the AU force prepares to withdraw by the end of 2020.

But concerns remain high about the country's security, and the ongoing al-Shabab attacks in the capital and elsewhere have contributed to several delays in Somalia's upcoming presidential elections, a key step in the country's recovery.

The vote once set for last year is now expected to be held February 8 as the impoverished country tries to recover from decades of chaos that began in 1991, when warlords overthrew a longtime dictator.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tweet

Former Cleveland Fed president Jerry Jordan sent to me the following, excellent e-mail in response to this Cafe Hayek post. (I share, in full, Jerrys e-mail here with his kind permission.)

Don, I liked todayss post on the tax on Mexican-produced goods, both because it is correct as far as it goes, but also because it demonstrates how economists think about such issues. It can be a very useful classroom exerciseillustrated with good old fashioned supply and demand diagramsabout elasticities and shifting of curves vs moving along curves. Trumps economic ignorance can become a great teaching moment in the hands of an instructor well grounded in micro principles.

However, at the intermediate or more advanced level, the instructor will need to bring in the further complication of exchange rates. Implicitly, todays post assumes a common currency or fixed exchange rate. In the floating world we have seen the US$ prices of all goods produced in Mexico falling (and peso prices of US-produced goods rising) as the peso has taken a nose-dive since Trump began his Mexico-bashing tweets. Not only US investors, but also Japanese, Chinese, Europeans, et. al. will now find Mexico a less attractive place to invest as a result of Mexicos largest export market becoming protectionist (with the caveat that movement along curves is occurring at the same time that curves are shifting in search of a new equilibrium!)

Further, as you suggest, Mexicos production possibility boundary will be affected to the extent that Mexicos out-migration is altered. Carlos Salinas had told G.H.W. Bush that goods bought by American consumers will be produced by Mexican workers, it is only a question of where those Mexican workers live! If Trump truly wants Mexican workers to stay put, he should want a lower peso/$ exchange rate and more capital investment in job-creating plants in Sonora, etc. Someone should ask team Trump to make up their minddo they want fewer Mexican workers to head north looking for jobs, or fewer Mexico-produced goods filling American consumers shopping carts? If the answer is less of both, then surely it is a very dangerous world. As someone said in earlier times, when goods cannot cross borders, armies will. Today, that Mexican army will not be carrying guns, but tool boxes looking for ways to support their families.

NAFTA included lots of provisions in addition to tariff reductions. Mexico agreed to never again nationalize their banks and never again unilaterally convert US$ deposits in Mexican banks into peso deposits. As Salinas told me (and another official visitor) on one occasion, the greatest achievement of NAFTA was that he had imported the rule of law. He explained that the treaty included provisions that he could never have gotten through the Mexican Congress, and even if he had done so or even amended the Mexican constitution, that could easily be changed by his successors. However, even nutty Mexican politicians would be reluctant to violate a treaty with the US and CanadaNAFTA was more binding than legislation or the constitution! Trump is ignorantly throwing that all away and no one can predict the consequences. Returning to a condition of failed state in Mexico will be a disaster on our borders, as only the WSJ editorial page seems to understand.
Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibaba's financial arm, has struck a deal to acquire American money-transfer major MoneyGram for USD 880 million, which will expand its business in the US after successful forays in the booming Indian and Thai markets.

"The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world," Eric Jing, chief executive officer of Ant Financial Services Group in a statement last night.

The transaction will help expand Ant Financial's business following its successful partnerships with Paytm in India and Ascend Money in Thailand, according to the statement.

The company owns Alipay, one of China's biggest online payment platforms, and controls the company that manages the country's largest money market fund, Yu'ebao.

The transaction will connect MoneyGram's money transfer network of 2.4 billion bank and mobile accounts and 350,000 physical locations with Ant Financial's users, it said.

MoneyGram will remain headquartered in Dallas and continue to operate under its existing brand, it said.

Alex Holmes, CEO of MoneyGram, said Ant Financial is an ideal partner.

"We will be able to expand our business, and in doing so, offer people around the world access to a reliable financial connection to loved ones," Holmes said.

The transaction is subject to approval of MoneyGram's stockholders and regulatory approvals.

The acquisitions is expected to finish in second half of 2017, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
E-commerce giant Alibaba's founder Jack Ma has warned of a "big trade war" between China and the US under the new Trump Presidency if conflicts were not dealt properly.

He said China's economic outlook will be "tougher than expected" due to continued slowdown of Chinese and warned.

"In the coming three to five years... The economic situation will be even more arduous than everyone had expected," the e-commerce billionaire said at an annual meeting of the General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs.

Referring to the slowdown of the Chinese to 6.7 per cent last year, the slowest in over two decades, he said it was "only natural" that China's rapid growth over the past three decades could not continue, and that the focus should be shifted to the quality of growth such as upgrading its manufacturing industry.

About the outlook on China-US relations, Ma, who recently met US President Donald Trump, said despite an "overall optimistic" outlook on trade between the world's two largest economies, conflicts "will definitely be there".

"If (the conflicts) were not dealt with properly, they might lead to a relatively big trade war which is not a good thing for China, the US or the world economy," he was quoted as saying by Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post which is owned by him.

Trump has accused China of being a currency manipulator and has proposed steep tariffs on imports from the country.

Ma also said Trump is a smart person and should not be underestimated.

"It is only that his speaking style and the way he does things are different from what we are used to expecting from politicians. He saw the many problems existing now in the US and he hopes to solve them in a different way. He is a businessman, a man of action and result-oriented," Ma said, adding that he believed Trump was "a very smart person".

In his meeting with Trump before the US billionaire was sworn in as the 45th President of the US, Ma promised to sell over a million US products in China through his x outlets and promised to create a million jobs in America.
Hours after Rahul Gandhi announced Amarinder Singh as the Congress's chief ministerial face in Punjab, the party's state unit chief challenged Arvind Kejriwal to name AAP's CM candidate to prove it is sincere about the welfare of the people in the state.

Addressing public rallies in Ferozepur Rural and Guru Har Sahai, Amarinder also questioned the credibility of Aam Aadmi Party to govern a state for which it is a "complete outsider".

He flayed Kejriwal's "continued attempts to make a back-door entry to grab the chief ministerial post in Punjab without contesting the polls."



Pointing out that all other major political parties in the fray has named their chief ministerial faces, Amarinder said there was enough evidence to indicate that Kejriwal himself was eying the top post in the state "despite his total disconnect with Punjab's people and their concerns".

Setting at rest speculation, Rahul Gandhi today addressing a poll meeting at Majitha in Amritsar district, announced that Amarinder Singh will be the party's chief ministerial face in the high-stakes Assembly polls.

Despite being asked to name the party's chief ministerial candidate and clarify stand on vital issues such as SYL, he said, "Kejriwal continues to maintain a stoic silence, clearly indicated a nefarious design on his part."



"Kejriwal's adamant refusal to name a Punjabi chief ministerial candidate and to clarify on the AAP candidate for deputy CM's post suggests that he is interested in taking over the coveted post, as was in fact publicly mentioned by his own party leader recently," Amarinder said.

The PPCC chief claimed that Kejriwal was furthering his personal interests at the cost of thePunjab's people, "who cannot not afford to experiment with outsiders at a critical juncture when the state needed an experienced leadership with roots in Punjab and an understanding of its problems."



"AAP's total disconnect with Punjab is evident from the fact that it is bringing in thousands of people from other states to steer its electioneering," Amarinder said.

He further said Kejriwal himself as a Haryanvi could not be expected to stand by Punjab on issues of SYL, Chandigarh and Punjabi language, which had been simmering between Haryana and Punjab for decades.

Amarinder said there was no difference between the Akalis and AAP, "with both only interested in promoting their vested interests by looting Punjab and its people."



Lambasting the ruling Badals for allegedly destroying the state's economy and now trying to divide the people through communal polarisation, Amarinder said he has vowed to give a solid "thrashing" to Parkash Singh Badal in Lambi, where he has chosen to contest "only to teach the Badals a lesson".

Expressing concern over the spate of farmer suicides in the state, Amarinder reiterated his promise to waive off all farm debts if Congress comes to power.

He also reiterated his promise of one job per family and revival of industry to wean the youth away from drugs and bring Punjab back on the track of development.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Setting at rest speculation, Rahul Gandhi today announced that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh will be the party's chief ministerial face in the high-stakes Assembly polls.

74-year-old Amarinder, who is fighting his last election, will be the next Chief Minister, if the party forms government in Punjab.

Rahul, addressing the rally in the pocket-borough of Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, said Amarinder alone can change Punjab and set it right along with the support of the people of the state and there is no other way out.

Ruling SAD and AAP have been mocking Congress, asking why the party was not declaring Amarinder as its chief ministerial candidate for the February 4 Assembly polls.

"Punjab will be run by its people. I want to tell you that Punjab's chief minister will be from Punjab and Punjab's chief minister is sitting here. Amarinder Singh is Punjab's chief ministerial candidate and he will be Punjab's chief minister," he said, prompting leaders to congratulate Amarinder on the dais.

Rahul said Punjab will not be run by "remote control" as it does not need one, taking a veiled dig at Kejriwal and accusing him of wanting to become Delhi and Punjab chief minister at the same time.

He also made a scathing attack on the ruling Badals, accusing them of ruining Punjab and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of siding with them and talking of removing corruption.

Rahul, who began his three-day election tour to the poll-bound state by addressing his first public meeting in the presence of Amarinder and Navjot Singh Sidhu, also attacked AAP and Kejriwal of trying to befool the people of the state by making false and empty promises.

The Congress leader said this election is not to "form a government but to save Punjabiyat" and Punjab's honour and only Congress with the help of people of the state can do it.

He also said if Congress comes to power, then the government will bring a law to deal with the drug menace in the state and put all those carrying out drugs business behind bars.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A technology industry alliance devoted to making sure smart machines don't turn against humanity said today that Apple has signed on and will have a seat on the board.

Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM, and Google-owned British AI firm DeepMind last year established the non-profit organization, called "Partnership on AI," which will have its inaugural board meeting in San Francisco on February 3.

Apple "has been involved and collaborating with the partnership since before it was first announced and is thrilled to formalize its membership," the alliance said in an online post.

Major technology firms joined forces in the group, with stated aims including cooperation on "best practices" for AI and using the technology "to benefit people and society."



Creation of the group came amid concerns that new artificial intelligence efforts could spin out of control and end up being detrimental to society.

The companies "will conduct research, recommend best practices, and publish research under an open license in areas such as ethics, fairness, and inclusivity; transparency, privacy, and interoperability; collaboration between people and AI systems; and the trustworthiness, reliability, and robustness of the technology," according to a statement.

Internet giants have been investing heavily in creating software to help machines think more like people, ideally acting as virtual assistants who get to know users and perhaps even anticipate needs.

SpaceX founder and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk in 2015 took part in creating nonprofit research company OpenAI devoted to developing artificial intelligence that will help people and not hurt them.

Musk found himself in the middle of a technology world controversy by holding firm that AI could turn on humanity and be its ruin instead of a salvation.

A concern expressed by Musk was that highly advanced artificial intelligence would be left to its own devices, or in the hands of a few people, to the detriment of civilization as a whole.

People joining tech company executives on the Partnership board included Dario Amodei of Open AI along with members of the American Civil Liberties Union; the MacArthur Foundation, and the University of California, Berkeley.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam joins the growing list of states hosting literary jamborees with the three-day Brahmaputra Literary Festival (BLF), which will see the participation of more than 150 authors from India and abroad, beginning here tomorrow.

The festival, organised jointly by the National Book Trust (NBT) and the Assam government, will host 60 panel discussions, book releases, readings and culture events including screenings of films based on books, musical and dance performances.

The focus is on the "languages, literature, culture, society, politics, performance traditions, music, identity, media of the northeastern region of the country but also national and international elements packages in the three-day event".

"We have aimed to make the festival a landmark event of the country's literary calendar which will not only expose people to interact with famed litterateurs but also take literature of the northeast to the rest of the country and the world," NBT Director and a Sahitya Akademi winning Assamese author Dr Rita Choudhury, told PTI.

The festival will be inaugurated by Union Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar.

"There are many popular literary festivals in the country but the northeast with such a rich literary tradition, both past and contemporary, is yet to have one and the BLF wants to change that," Choudhury said.

"We hope that the festival will become an annual feature of the country's literary calendar and not only encourage new ideas and their dissemination but also offer a platform for intellectual exchanges," she said.

The festival will bring together prominent personalities and celebrities, writers, thinkers, artists and other performers both from northeast India and across the country as well as internationally acknowledged litterateurs and other intellectuals from across disciplines, she added.

Prominent contemporary authors from abroad expected to participate in the event include Carlo Pizzati from Italy, Clara Penalvar from Spain, Randy Teguchi from Japan, Linda Christanty from Indonesia, Dhunpal Raj Heeraman and Ramdeo Dhorundhur from Mauritius, Rajivawizesinha from Sri Lanka and Selina Hossain and Shaheen Akhtar from Bangladesh.

Renowned authors Baldeo Bhai Sharma, Narendra Kohli,



Sitakanta Mahapatra, Pratibha Ray, Arun Bhagat, Prem Janmeja, Rohit Khilnani, K R Meera, Devendra Mewadi, Avanijesh Awasti, Anjum Hassan along with several award winning litterateurs from northeast are among more than 150 authors from across the country who are likely to attend the festival.

Bollywood stars are expected to add to the glamour quotient with yesteryear actress Asha Parekh, popular star Shatrughan Sinha and director Rakesh Omprakash Mehra along with film journalists and writers Bharathi S Pradhan and Khalid Mohammad in the guest list.

Choudhury said the presence of intellectuals, litterateurs, editors, publishers and students in the festival will enrich the literary fabric of the state with many being enthused to participate in many more such festivals.

Besides, panel discussions on different issues related to literature and language, in-conversation sessions with writers, reading sessions, book signing sessions, film screenings as well as cultural programes showcasing indigenous cultures will also be held.

The panel discussions on the first day will focus on literature in more than 15 languages including Hindi, Assamese, Bengali and other languages of the northeast, women's writings, writing for children, perspectives of young voices, oral narratives, media and social media, crime, science fiction, thriller and writings on food.

The second day will witness discussions on writings on wildlife and environment, stories that never saw the light, graphic novels, new writings from languages, writing from the margins, memoirs and autobiographies, editing and changing narratives in Indian cinema.

The final day will have discussions on India from the foreign perspective with several foreign writers likely to participate in the session, contemporary fiction from northeast and contemporary trends in different languages while poetry readings will be held on all three days.

There are six venues of the BLF, located at the Sri Sankardeva Kalakshetra here, and named after some of the stalwarts of Indian literature and culture-- Tagore Hall, Pandita Ramabai Hall, Premchand Hall, Subramania Bharati Hall, Nalinibala Devi Hall and Bezbarua Hall.
Filmmaker was allegedly assaulted here on Friday by activists of a Rajput community group who also forced stoppage of shooting of his movie 'Padmavati' by vandalising the set at Jaigarh Fort, alleging that the director was "distorting facts".

Police said it had detained five persons for disturbing peace even though no complaint was received from Bhansali's side.

The ruckus took place when the film, in which Deepika Padukone is playing 'Padmavati' and Ranveer Singh is playing 'Alaudin Khilji', was being shot at the historic fort, eyewitnesses said.

The activists of Karni Sena gathered at the site and demanded stoppage of the shooting. They stormed the set and damaged some chairs and other objects, forcing stoppage of the shooting.

After the incident, the director decided not to go ahead with the shooting in the state.

"We had warned the filmmakers against presenting wrong facts. When we came to know about the shooting, we gathered there and protested. Besides the Karni sena activists, there were several other people who had gone there to watch the shooting. Someone from the mob slapped him and pulled his hair," district president of Karni sena Narayan Singh claimed.

"There was a protest and the issue was settled after both the parties held talks," said DPC North (Jaipur) Anshuman Bhomia.

He said no FIR was lodged by anyone but five persons have been detained by the police for disturbing peace.

The filmmaker has said he will not go ahead with the shooting plans here and he will pack up, Bhomia said.

Singh claimed that Bhansali wants to present a "distorted fact" about Rani Padmavati which will not tolerated by the Rajput community.

"We want that no distorted fact be shown in the film and have asked the filmmaker to take care of it. The Rajput community will strongly oppose any move of presenting wrong facts about Rani Padmavati," he said.

The director is yet to comment on the incident.




Defence PSU Bharat Electronics today said it will split its shares in the ratio of 1:10, which will make the scrip more affordable to investors and increase market liquidity.

With share price of Rs 1,540.35 apiece, BEL's market capitalisation stands at Rs 34,405 crore.

In a filing to BSE, BEL said its board has approved sub-division of existing one equity share of Rs 10 each into 10 number of equity shares of Re 1 each.

As per the capital restructuring guidelines of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), a CPSE has to go in for a share split when its market price or book value exceeds 50 times of its face value.

The guidelines state that the government wants to encourage participation of small investors in capital market so as to increase the depth of the market, liquidity and trading volume of the shares. However, high share prices sometimes acts as a deterrent for the investors.

BEL further said that the company would seek shareholders' nod for sub-division of the equity shares.

The company has also declared interim dividend of Rs 3 per equity share for the financial year 2016-17.

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Congress on Friday hit out at ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over a statement by a leader of the saffron party about building the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, saying its real agenda in Uttar Pradesh was to get votes through communalisation.

"In UP elections their hidden agenda has come to fore again. UP BJP president has said if we (BJP) are voted to power we will construct the temple," former union minister Sachin Pilot said in Panaji.

"For the last 28 years we have been hearing about the Ram temple. Every time election comes they talk about the temple. The real agenda of BJP is to communalise (atmosphere) and get votes and then do what they want to do," Pilot said.

The Congress leader said in the coming elections in five states, voters will take a stock of what BJP had promised in 2014 and what it had done so far.

"Demonetisation will certainly have impact on the elections," Pilot said, adding there would be "subconscious thinking of what demonetisation has done to our economy".

"97 per cent of the (demonetised) money is back in the banks, where is the black money? Why are you not taking action against those people who have fled the country with thousands of crores and you are (instead) hitting out at daily wagers, farmland labourers, small entrepreneurs," he said.

The Prime Minister was involved in a "one-way dialogue", he said. "India wants to know what happened to his promises of curbing black money, terrorism, extremism (through demonetisation). In two weeks it (narrative) completely changed to internet banking, e-banking and other things.

"There is absolutely no accountability, the RBI governor has become a mute spectator. Credibility of Indian banking system, Indian currency and RBI, which is a well-known institution, today has no standing. PM is making all decisions about all departments. Centralisation of power is so strong that there is no collective leadership," he alleged.
After its back-to-back debacles in Delhi and Bihar, BJP will face 'triple talaq' in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said today.

"BJP has been campaigning against 'triple talaq' and in the upcoming polls (in UP), it will face 'triple talaq' like situation after its debacle in Delhi and Bihar.

"The first talaq for the BJP and RSS was in Delhi Assembly elections followed by Bihar...Now the third talaq will be in Uttar Pradesh," he told reporters here.

The CPI(M) leader said the Left Front parties will contest for selected seats in Uttar Pradesh, where the Left movement has had its impact on the public to "defeat communal parties and ensure that the voices of the deprived are raised in the assembly."



"Our main aim is to prevent communal forces of BJP and its allies from coming to power and work with secular forces wherever the saffron party is strong," Yechury said.

The Left leader said BJP desperately wanted to win the upcoming state polls, especially for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, for which "new problems have been forced on the common man", while comparing notebandi (demonetisation) with nasbandi (sterilisation).

Yechury also blamed RSS and BJP for a series of attacks on Left cadres in Kerala.

"RSS and BJP are instigating violence in the name of Hindutva and to expand their base in north Kerala after they won an assembly seat in the state polls last year," he added.

(Reopens DES 31)



Yechury further alleged that BJP was resorting to "systemic violence" in Kerala after an MLA from the party was elected to the Kerala Legislative assembly last year.

Scripting a new chapter for the BJP in Kerala, party veteran and former union minister O Rajagopal had won from Nemom constituency to help the party make its debut in the Kerala assembly.

The Left leader added that BJP and RSS were striving to "polarise Hindutva vote bank" and it was the "worst form of vote bank politics.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was today shown black flags by several activists of Shiv Sena and Congress during a road show here, while canvassing in favour of AAP candidate Balbir Singh.

Activists of Shiv Sena said that they would not allow anybody to rule Punjab from outside the state.

They were holding placards on which 'Kejriwal go back' and 'only Punjabi can rule the state' was written.

Congress workers also staged similar protests here.

Later, Kejriwal was heckled by a group of people at Ghanaur where he had gone to campaign in favour of AAP candidate Anu Randhawa.

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Ten people belonging to BJP and RSS were today taken into custody here in connection with the hurling of a bomb near the venue of a public meeting of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, police said.

While CPI(M) alleged that BJP and RSS were behind the incident yesterday, the saffron party rebutted the charge, saying the Left leadership was trying to spread "fake news" and create tension in the district.

Police said no untoward incident was reported from any part of the district and the situation is now under control.

Patrolling and searches have been intensified in the district, which has witnessed frequent clashes between BJP-RSS and CPI(M) workers after the May 16 Assembly polls last year that saw LDF coming to power.

"Ten people belonging to BJP and RSS were taken into custody in connection with the incident that took place last night at Nangarathupeedika in New Mahe area of Kannur. Patrolling has been intensified in the area," police said.

In retaliation, BJP offices at Nadapuram and Vadakara in neighbouring Kozhikode district were vandalised, allegedly by CPI(M) activists, last night soon after the incident.

To condemn the attack on its party offices, BJP observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the area today.

A local BJP panchayat president was allegedly manhandled in a scuffle between the CPI(M) and BJP workers during the hartal, police said.

Reacting to the incident, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said it was "pre-planned to create provocation".

CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan alleged that the BJP and RSS, "under the shadow of the Narendra Modi government", was repeatedly trying to create tension through provocation.

"All who value democratic principles should come forward and be vigilant against this attitude of Sangh Parivar forces," the former Chief Minister said, adding there should not be any lapse on the part of police to bring to book those responsible.

Denying the allegations, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said CPI(M) was unleashing large-scale violence in the district by spreading "fake news" of bomb hurling near the venue of Balakrishnan's meeting.

"Nine BJP-RSS offices were attacked by the CPI(M) yesterday. The left party should withdraw from its attempt to create tension in the district on an issue in which BJP-RSS has no role," he said.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala also condemned the bomb hurling incident and appealed to both parties to eschew violence.

On January 18, a 53-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death at Andaloor in Dharmadam, the constituency of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Six CPI(M) workers were arrested in this connection.

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CBI has registered a case into an alleged attempt to con people by Uttar Pradesh-based individuals who created a website named "Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission" to mint money from gullible applicants.

A case has been registered against Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh, both residents of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly creating a website to make money in guise of giving admission and distributing franchise, CBI sources said.

The matter was referred by the Prime Minister's Office to the CBI complaining the fraudulent institute, Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission, is cheating people by using the name of the Prime Minister.

Claims allegedly made in the website www.Nmcsm.In that it is an autonomous organisation, a corporate entity with registered office in Delhi and having accreditation of DOEACC society are false, the sources said.

However, the website is not using the photograph of the Prime Minister and clearly states not to pay in cash.

"The aforesaid fraudulent act on part of Atul Kumar, Jagmohan Singh and other unknown persons with ulterior motive to extract money from innocent public at large for their personal gains by misusing the name of the Prime Minister of India, prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) IPC and under 66D of the Information Technology Act," the complaint said.

It alleged that this was an online fraud and the aspect of acceptance of money by way of demand draft needs to be thoroughly investigated to unearth the criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused.

"CBI has registered a case against two private persons. The allegations pertain to misuse the name of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in order to cheat and defraud general public at large for giving franchise of Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission (NMCSM).

"Earlier, a preliminary enquiry on a complaint regarding creation of said website was registered," CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said.

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Celebrities including Sonam Kapoor, music composer Vishal Dadlani, southern star Arvind Swami and Ashok Pandit have condemned the attack on filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali by activists of a Rajput community group during the shooting of his upcoming movie "Padmavati".

A group of activists forced stopped the shooting of the filmmaker's next directorial venture by vandalising the set at Jaigarh Fort, of Jaipur and also assaulted him.

"What happened on Padmavati sets is appalling and heinous. Is this the state of the world," Sonam tweeted.

Dadlani wrote, "Sick! #SanjayLeelaBhansali one of our most respected filmmakers, attacked on his set. Hope the film industry comes together against this!"



"There are legal ways to object, if they have an issue. Physical attack is not an 'objection', it is a criminal act, meant to intimidate," he added.

Swami posted, "If crime is not countered with punishment, the balance will tilt towards lawlessness. Law and order is needed to protect freedom #Urgent"



"I condemn the attack on #SanjayLeelaBhansali on the sets of #Padmavati in #Jaipur. We're concerned about his & the entire unit's well being," tweeted Pandit.

Actress Huma Q ureshi wrote, "Shocked by the attack on #SanjayLeelaBhansali ... Shame! These hooligans must be stopped ..Who gives them the right to behave like this."



Veteran actress Simi Garewal tweeted, "Sanjay Leela Bhansali" HORRIFIED!! Words fail me...Assaulting vandalizing over a film not even made! Whats going on here? Arrest the lumpens."



Fashion designer Masaba Mantena wrote, "You can write letters, hold press cons,or buy media net if something offends You but slap a respected,grown man you CANNOT do."



"Masaan" actor Vicky Kaushal tweeted, "Absolutely disgusting and so wrong!"



The period drama stars Deepika Padukone in the lead role of Rajput queen Padmavati and features Shahid Kapoor as Raja Ratan Singh.

Ranveer Singh is essaying the role of Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi sultan, who falls in love with Padmavati.

The film is scheduled to release in November this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today assured Andhra Pradesh that the Centre will walk the extra mile to provide financial assistance to the state as it has the potential to grow 4-5 per cent higher than the national average.

He was also confident that completion of the multi-purpose Pollavaram project will make Andhra Pradesh a powerhouse for agriculture produce.

"Let me assure you and the Chief Minister that we will not only fulfil whatever promise we had as far as the central government is concerned, but will walk an extra mile as far as the state of Andhra Pradesh is concerned, because we know that it is here where the potential of much higher growth for the state and rest of India arises," Jaitley said here.

Terming Andhra Pradesh as one of the "most progressive states of India", he said it has to build its capital, execute large irrigation projects, build townships and manufacturing industry.

"The avenues of investment in Andhra Pradesh are far more compared to other parts of the country. I foresee for the next few years Andhra Pradesh growing at least 4-5 per cent ahead of the national GDP. The state has a huge potential," Jaitley said.

"It promises to be the most vibrant state with coastal economy. Hopefully, once the Pollavaram project gets fully commissioned, it will also be an important powerhouse as far as agriculture is concerned."



Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu spoke of the state aiming at 15 per cent state GDP growth next year.

He said the state is building a new capital at Amaravati which will need huge funds and require assistance from the Centre and private entities.

Addressing the summit earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker said the state is growing at 13 per cent and is expected to clock a double-digit growth for the next 10 years.

In September last year, the Centre had announced a financial package for Andhra Pradesh that included full funding of the Pollavaram irrigation project, tax concessions and a special assistance.

Andhra Pradesh, which financially suffered because of creation of separate state of Telangana in June 2014, will get a railway zone and all cost incurred on the irrigation part of the Pollavaram project from the date it was declared a National Project on April 1, 2014, will be funded by the Centre.

The central government has agreed to give special assistance to Andhra Pradesh for 5 years, which will make up for the additional funds the state might receive between 2015-16 and 2019-20.

So far this fiscal, a further Rs 1,976.50 crore were released to the state.

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The amputation of a patient's leg due to alleged medical negligence and improper diagnosis by doctors at a Chandigarh government hospital has led the apex consumer commission asking it to pay Rs 10 lakh to his family.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) made the observation while upholding the state commission's order granting the relief to Chandigarh resident Jaswinder Kumar (now deceased), who was operated twice by the accused hospital Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) but did not get cured.

"An institution like the PGI is a prestigious institute, known for its reputation in the field of medical care, and it was expected from them that they could have been more vigilant in ensuring that proper diagnosis was made on the patient," the NCDRC said.

It said it was expected from PGI doctors that they could have been careful with the patient, who had to get his right leg amputated as a tumour had spread above his knee due to delayed proper and required clinical diagnosis by them.

The NCDRC also asked the PGI to carry out an internal probe in the case to fix the liability on individual doctors who were found negligent in the discharge of their duties.

The PGI had filed an appeal against the state commission order upholding a district forum's direction to the hospital and its Director to pay the compensation along with Rs 30,000 as cost of litigation.

According to the compliant, the patient had been suffering from swelling and pain in his right foot and had decided to take treatment from the PGI in June 2011.

It said that PGI conducted two operations on his right foot on June 27, 2011 and October 5, 2011, but even after that the pain and the swelling continued.

He then consulted another hospital on November 5, 2011, which discovered a highly malignant tumour and amputated his knee, as the tumour had already spread due to the delayed diagnosis on PGI's part.

The counsel for PGI argued it had acted as per the standard protocol governing the medical condition of the patient and failure to diagnose does not constitute medical negligence on any account.

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A day after Shiv Sena decided to contest upcoming civic polls including Mumbai without tying up with BJP, state unit Congress president Ashok Chavan today accused the saffron parties of being "partners in corruption".

He demanded that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray should pull out of NDA governments in Centre and Maharashtra instead of "boasting" that he had snapped ties with the BJP.

"Congress party's success in the upcoming polls is assured as Sena is not aligning with the BJP," the former chief minister said.

Taking a jibe at Thackeray for the comments made by him at yesterday's rally that he will not go with a begging bowl to anybody for an alliance, Chavan said, "this meant he (Thackeray) had gone with a begging bowl for an alliance earlier, which proves the Congress' charge that Sena was desperate for power."



He also hit out at the BJP over its transparency plank for elections.

"The most non-transparent government is talking about transparency. Just because their (Sena and BJP's) political arithmetic did not work out they have decided to go separate ways and (will) join hands again to enjoy power and indulge in corruption," Chavan alleged.

He said people know how the two saffron allies had fought with each other in Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections while accusing each other of corruption and then joined hands after elections to rule the civic body.

"In Mumbai, the corrupt practices of the two allies who have ruled the civic body for 22 years will not be forgotten just because they are fighting elections separately," the MPCC chief said, adding there is a "tremendous resentment" among people against Sena and BJP.

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is stepping up preparedness for a possible military conflict with the US as President Donald Trump has signalled that he will follow a more hardline policy to counter Beijing's claims on the disputed South Sea and on other issues, official media reports said.

A commentary in the official website of People's Liberation Army's (PLA) said on January 20, the day Trump assumed Presidency, that the chances of war have become "more real" amid a more complex security situation in the Asia Pacific.

The commentary written by an official at the national defence mobilisation department in the Central Military Commission, China's overall military high command, said the US call for rebalancing of its strategy in Asia, military deployments in the East and South Seas and the setting up of a missile defence system in South Korea were hot spots getting closer to ignition.

"'A war within the President's term' or 'war breaking out tonight' are not just slogans, they are becoming a practical reality," Hong Kong based South China Morning Post quoted the commentary as saying.

The official People's Daily said in another commentary on Sunday that China's military would conduct exercises on the high seas regardless of foreign provocations.

China's sole aircraft carrier Liaoning had passed through the narrow Taiwan Strait last month.

The commentary referred to remarks by the US secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson that the US should stop China's access to artificial islands it has built in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

New White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that the US would prevent China from taking over territory in waters in the South China Sea.

With their threats to China, Trump and Tillerson are making "rookie blunders" that will only hurt US credibility, the commentary said.

"Tillerson's statement was too arrogant. If the new US administration follows this route and adopts this attitude, then it will lead to a war between China and the US and that would mean the end of US history or even all of humanity," Jin Canrong, associate dean of the Department of Studies at Renmin University of China, told state-run Global Times.

"Although the US is planning to send three aircraft- carriers to the West Pacific region, if they invade the South China Sea, we have the ability to destroy them all even if they send 10, let alone three," Jin said.

"The islands with airports that we have built in the area are 'unsinkable aircraft carriers' and compared to US aircraft carriers, they have more advantage to some extent," he said.

Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said some of the comments from Trump's key advisors and appointees suggest that the US may pursue a more hardline policy against Beijing in the South China Sea over the next four years.

"As it's highly unlikely that China will compromise its sovereignty claims in the face of US pressure, we can be sure that the dispute will increasingly become a risky point of contention between Beijing and Washington," he told the Post.

During his visit to the military installations on January 25 ahead of the Chinese new year, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the military to improve its combat readiness.
Central Information Commission (CIC) does not have the power to direct Tihar Jail to develop a system of compensating inmates who have been incarcerated beyond their period of sentence, Delhi High Court has held.

"Prima facie, this power does not vest in the CIC," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said while staying operation of the September 29, 2016 decision of the Commission asking Tihar Jail authorities to frame a policy to resolve disputes regarding remission and paying compensation to prisoners who lost their personal liberty due to detention beyond the sentence awarded to them.

The court's order came on a plea by jail authorities who contended that the transparency panel has exceeded its jurisdiction under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 and appeared to have exercised the powers of a court.

CIC's decision had come on a plea by RTI applicant Om Prakash Gandhi who had claimed that he had spent four days more in Tihar Jail than what was ordered by the court.

The commission had directed that Gandhi should be paid a token compensation by the prison authorities at the rate of Rs 2500 per day along with an additional Rs 1000 for costs borne by him.

"Perusal of the order, prima facie, shows that the CIC has sought to exercise powers beyond those conferred on it under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The CIC, by the impugned order, had assessed compensation calculated per day of the alleged extra detention of the respondent and directed the petitioner to frame a policy or guideline or regulations for a system of resolving disputes regarding remission and payment of compensation to prisoners whose release is delayed on account of certain reasons.

It also issued notice to Gandhi and sought his response by May 1, the next date of hearing.

The court, however, clarified that "the pendency of the present petition and the order will not come in the way of respondent No.1 (Gandhi) seeking appropriate remedies in law before an appropriate forum".

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A group of 40 civil society members today came out in support of activist Bela Bhatia, who was asked to vacate her house in Pandripani village in Bastar district by villages for allegedly being a Maoist sympathiser, and demanded Chhattisgarh government to ensure her fundamental rights.

In a joint statement, the activists including Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Lok Shakti Abhiyans Prafulla Samantara and Aruna Roy of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan stated that it was imperative that the district administration upholds rule of law in these areas.

"We strongly condemn the brazen act of intimidation directed at Bhatia at her house in the village. Clearly, this attack is aimed at making Bela abandon her human rights work in the area and quit the village," they said in the statement.

The activists claimed that many other journalists, lawyers and activists who have dared to highlight the issue of states excesses too have been "forced out" of the area.

"Malicious violence and acts threatening life and liberty have been carried out by an out of order executive, with the active assistance of state sanctioned private militias," they said, adding "this has led to a stifling of the activities of civil society and muffled dissenting voices in this Naxalite affected part of Chhattisgarh."



It is imperative that the district administration upholds the rule of law in these areas and provides prompt redress to all those who have faced the recent spate of attacks.

"We demand that the state government takes responsibility of securing the fundamental rights of Bhatia to reside at a place of her choice and discharge her professional responsibilities as an activist, lawyer and academic without fear," they added.

On January 23, Bhatia was allegedly asked to vacate her house in the Pandripani village by the villagers who held a protest outside it accusing her of being a Maoist sympathiser.

Bhatia claimed she was allegedly threatened by a group of men who asked her to vacate immediately, failing which they will set the house ablaze.

Notably, she was among the people who had accompanied a National Human Rights Commission team to villages of Bijapur earlier this month ago to record the statements of alleged rape victims.

Early this month, the NHRC had sent a notice to the state government over alleged rape, sexual and physical assault of 16 women by the state police personnel in Bastar division (in October 2015 and January 2016), observing that the government is "vicariously liable" for it.

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Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay today asked 'disappointed' ticket aspirants within the party not to contest the state Assembly polls as Independents against party nominees and work unitedly for the party's victory.

Talking to reporters here, Upadhyay said party leaders who had announced that they would contest as Independents should "drop the plan for the party's sake", and those who had already entered the fray should withdraw before it was too late.

Reminding them of the recent pledge they had taken at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's rally in Rishikesh that they will not oppose the official nominees of the party, let alone contesting against them, Upadhyay said, "After taking a pledge like that it becomes the duty of every Congress worker to throw all their might into ensuring the win of party's official candidates."



Breaking a vow is sinful, he said.

Congress is grappling with rebellion from within the party in over half a dozen seats in the state, including Sahaspur, from where Upadhyay himself is the party's official nominee.

Party leader Aryendra Sharma, who was a strong contender for the seat, has entered the fray as an Independent from there after resigning from all party positions.

When asked about Sharma's candidature, Upadhyay said he would appeal to him too to withdraw from the fray in favour of the party's official nominee.

"He (Sharma) should understand that when he was fielded by the party last time from the seat, some party workers must have been denied a ticket from there," the Congress state unit chief said.

Disappointed ticket seekers within the party have decided to contest as Independents from over half a dozen seats in the state including Sahaspur, Dehradun Cantt, Rudraprayag and Devprayag threatening to mar the party's poll prospects.

The hill state along with Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Goa goes to poll next month.

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has successfully tested its indigenously developed cryogenic engine in a major step forward for its landmark 'GSLV Mk III' rocket, scheduled for launch within the first quarter this year.

Cryogenic engines are used in the upper stage of a rocket launch as they provide the maximum thrust to a launcher vehicle.

The cryogenic upper stage, designated as C25, was tested on January 25 for 50 seconds at Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu, demonstrating all the stage operations, the space agency said.

The performance of the stage during the test was as predicted, it said, adding that this was the first test in a series of two tests. The next one was planned for a flight duration of 640 seconds.

The 50 second test is a significant milestone in the development of indigenous cryogenic propulsion technology, said, adding that the successful hot test of the stage in the first attempt itself demonstrates the agency's ability to work in new areas like cryogenic .

The development of C25 cryogenic stage began with the approval of GSLV MkIII, the next generation launch vehicle of ISRO, capable of launching 4 ton class spacecraft in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

The vehicle consists of two solid strap-on motors, one earth storable liquid core stage and the cryogenic upper stage.

The C25 stage is the most powerful upper stage developed by ISRO and uses Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen propellant combination.

The stage carries 27.8 tons of propellants loaded in two independent tanks.

The first flight stage for 'GSLV MkIII-D1' mission is in an advanced stage of realisation. It is scheduled to launch GSAT-19 during first quarter of 2017.

The flight engine has been successfully tested in the High Altitude Test facility and integrated with the flight stage, ISRO said.

ISRO said the C25 stage was conceptualised, designed and realised by Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO's lead Centre for Propulsion, with support from various System Development Agencies from other three Centres of ISRO - Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) and Sathish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC).
A Czech court today rejected a discrimination suit by a Somali refugee who was banned from wearing a hijab in a nursing school, the first case of its kind in the EU state.

The plaintiff, Ayan Jamaal Ahmed Nuur, who was granted asylum in the Czech Republic in 2011, did not attend the trial. Her lawyer had sought an apology and financial compensation for alleged discrimination.

"The suit which the plaintiff lodged seeking an apology and 60,000 crowns (USD 2,350) in compensation was rejected," Justice Daniela Cejkova said handing down the verdict in a Prague court.

The court ruled in favour of the school, which argued that the young woman had never formally enrolled in the establishment.

Ivanka Kohoutova, the school's principal, also argued that wearing a hijab -- a scarf covering the hair, ears and neck, revealing only the face -- contravened its safety and hygiene standards.

The Czech Republic is a secular country of 10.5 million people, with a Muslim community of only 10,000 to 20,000 members. It has no law covering the wearing of religious garments.

But like elsewhere in Europe, anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the rise here following the 2015 refugee and migrant crisis when more than one million people, mostly refugees fleeing violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, entered the EU.

Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his fiery anti-migrant rhetoric, insisted last year that it was "practically impossible" to integrate the Muslim community into European society.

Members of the public present in court on Friday sang the Czech national anthem and applauded after the verdict was handed down.

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The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Friday issued a notice to the principal of over a circular issued by the college imposing a ban on taking selfies and combing hair in its corridors.

The DCW notice comes after few students had approached the commission complaining about the "misogynistic" notice.

"We have received a representation from students alleging that discriminatory practices being adopted by college and such a misogynistic circular has been issued. We have asked for a point-wise reply from the college on the students' complaint within 7 days," a DCW official said.

The notice, directed to School for Open learning (SOL) students who attend Sunday classes at the college, stated that activities such as clicking selfies, combing hair and modelling in corridors amounts to "misutilisation" of time and students doing so might face suspension for a day.

Students had also staged a protest last week demanding the circular be rolled back.

While college principal Pratibha Jolly had earlier claimed it was aimed at ensuring "safety" of students, she had later clarified that the notice is only "suggestive" and won't be "imposed".

However, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, an association of SOL students had still decided to knock the doors of the DCW.
Opposition National Conference today walked out from Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council in protest against the passage of a resolution to declare holiday on September 23, the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, and demanded its withdrawal, saying it was passed in violation of rules.

When the House assembled today, NC member BA Veeri along with other party members stood up and protested against the passage of the resolution, saying it was passed in "undemocratic, unconstitutional and in violation of the rules and business procedures" of the House.

The state Legislative Council on January 24 passed a resolution to declare Maharaja Hari Singh's birthday on September 23 as a state holiday.

"We were boycotting the House that day. It was adjourned for a brief period. In the meantime, the ruling members came out, took some of their members to the House to complete the quorum and the resolution was passed.

"It was passed in undemocratic, unconstitutional and in violation of the rules and business procedures of the House," he said.

The NC member said the resolution should be withdrawn as it was passed in violations of rules and in undemocratic way.

After a brief protest, NC members staged a walkout.

Later, speaking to reporters, he said, 22 people were killed in central jail by the Maharaja's forces on July 13.

"We celebrate it as Martyr's day. How can you declared a holiday in the name of those, who are instrumental in massacre? We are opposed to it. We walked-out from the house after protests. Our demand is that the resolution should be withdrawn as it has no locus standi," Veeri said.

About 55 years after the death of Jammu and Kashmir's last Maharaja, Hari Singh, the state Legislative Council passed a resolution to declare his birthday, September 23, as a state holiday after his two grandsons moved the proposal.

BJP member Ajatshatru moved the proposal and it was seconded by PDP MLC Vikramaditya. Both are grandsons of Hari Singh and sons of Congress leader Karan Singh.

Ajatshatru said the contribution of Maharaja Hari Singh needs to be acknowledged and it would be a tribute to him if the state declares official holiday on his birthday.

Hari Singh was born on September 23, 1895 and died on April 26, 1961 at the age of 65. He had signed the Instrument of Accession of J&K to India in 1947 after Pakistani army and raiders attacked the state.

Education Minister and Leader of the House, Naeem Akhtar spoke about the Maharaja but asked Ajatshatru to withdraw the resolution, assuring him that his proposal could be considered.

But Ajatshatru pressed for the resolution, following which it was passed by voice vote even though Khursheed Alam of PDP opposed it.

"We are very happy. Passage of this resolution in the Upper House is a welcome sign in restoration of the glory of Maharaja Hari Singh," Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said.

"He is a symbol of the nation and vicious campaigns have dented his image. This is the first step towards restoring the image of the great visionary and people's Maharaja," he said.

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Human rights activists and sex workers today demanded that the proposed anti-trafficking Bill distinguish between trafficking and prostitution so that its provisions were not "misused" to harass prostitutes.

The draft anti-trafficking Bill, which was unveiled in May last year, has proposed severe punishment that may extend to life term for offenders, and a national body for rescue and rehabilitation.

The activists claimed that several provisions within the draft bill were "against the interests of sex workers" and could be "misused" to penalise them with upto ten years imprisonment.

For instance, they said, under 'aggravated trafficking' the proposed legislation recommends stricter punishment of upto life imprisonment for offenders. This includes use of drugs and alcohol for trafficking.

As per the draft, life term also applies in cases of trafficking where a victim contracts HIV/ AIDS or becomes pregnant.

"These are common occurrences in the lives of sex workers who can be targeted under the proposed law," Tripti Tandon of Lawyers' Collective said.

She also opposed the "arbitrary powers" given to police officers to raid premises.

"The Bill gives any law enforcement official to carry out a search without any warrant being issued and allows any police officer to conduct a raid," she said.

Representatives of 43 sex worker organisations from 12 states pressed for greater involvement of sex workers in the drafting of the law.

"No policy decision on issues which directly or incidentally impact sex workers should be made without meaningful and inclusive consultation with prostitutes," they said.

The activists said the committees set up under the proposed Bill for rehabilitation of victims of trafficking must include sex workers and should be modelled on 'Self-Regulatory Board' (SRBs) set up in various states.

The SRBs are groups of women engaged in sex work who help in rescuing under-age and unwilling women entering the trade. They also help other sex workers in acquiring Aadhar and PAN cards, opening bank accounts, et al.

The model is being implemented by Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC) in West Bengal. It has set up 63 boards in various districts in the state and has been able to rescue over 1,000 victims.

Similarly, 'Ashodaya' in Karnataka has set up SRBs in 6 districts of the state.

A Supreme Court-appointed panel had in November 2016 recommended setting up of a multi-stakeholder body on the lines of SRBs with 50 per cent membership for women in this trade. It had also proposed legalising sex work and issuing voter-id cards and ration cards to prostitutes.

The Women and Child Development Ministry had made public its draft anti-trafficking Bill and sought feedback from all stakeholders. Several rounds of consultations were held with civil society members after which the draft was amended.

It is now likely to be sent to the Cabinet, according to officials of the Ministry.

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Actress Emma Stone has revealed that she was 14 and sitting in a ninth grade history class when she decided to move to LA to pursue a career in acting.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, the 28-year-old actress, who has received an Oscar nomination in the best actress category for "La La Land", said that it was a moment of epiphany for her while attending the last period of the day at school.

"I had this Howard Beale-like moment... I have a revelation that I needed to move to Los Angeles as soon as possible because that's where I needed to go," Emma said.

Calling her decision "crazy", she recounts how she convinced her parents to let her go, despite having no exposure to movie or TV cameras.

The "Birdman" star added that she rushed home from school and started working on a PowerPoint presentation that she titled "Project Hollywood".

"It's nuts that they agreed to it... I don't condone it. Everybody should go through high school and graduate," Emma laughed.

Stone also went on to say that she was nervous as a child and was prone to panic attacks and debilitating shyness.

But Emma said she owes managing her nervous breakdowns to her after-school youth theatre classes, finding it easy for her to slip into the skin of other characters and gave her another path to interact with others.

"I think my parents saw that acting was the thing that made me fulfilled and happy," Emma said.

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Eurozone finance ministers warned that a "window of opportunity" was closing on bridging a split over Greece's bailout programme, even as they failed to heal a row with the IMF over debt relief.

The International Monetary Fund and the 19-nation single currency area are battling over how much debt relief Greece needs, and over economic targets required of Athens that the IMF says are not realistic.

"The window of opportunity is still open, but will soon shut because there are elections coming," said French Finance Minister Michel Sapin yesterday after unsuccessful talks on Greece with his eurozone counterparts.

In addition by the summer "Greece faces important debt repayments, so we have to find a solution before then," Sapin said, with bailout cash blocked until a solution is found.

Months of bickering have delayed progress of Greece's 86-billion-euro ($92.4 billion) bailout programme agreed in 2015 and officials are increasingly worried that elections this year in the Netherlands, France and Germany could further poison any progress.

A eurozone official told AFP on condition of anonymity that progress in the talks remained haltingly slow, with a break in the impasse unlikely even in February.

The IMF, headed by Christine Lagarde, refuses to lend further to Greece without significant changes to the austerity requirements demanded of the government or further guarantees from Athens.

Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem insisted that the IMF remained committed to the Greek bailout programme, but that its demands were indeed strict.

"The IMF has been very clear and consistent on its position. They want the reform package to be credible, they want the fiscal trajectory to be feasible and economically viable and they want the debt to be sustainable," said Dijsselbloem, who is also the Dutch finance minister.

Powerful Germany, Greece's biggest creditor, says that Athens is up to the task of meeting the targets without further debt relief and has called on the Greek government to deliver on reforms.

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Two Indian snake hunters have been hired by wildlife officials to get rid of Burmese pythons, which are wiping out small mammal populations driving some nearly to extinction in a tropical wetland in the US state.

Masi Sadaiyan and Vaidivel Gopal, both in their 50s, from the Irula tribe of Tamil Nadu, are successful python hunters in India, and were brought in, along with two translators, to work with detection dogs earlier this month to track down and capture the giant snakes.

In just eight days, they have surprised officals of Fish and Wildlfe Conservation Commission (FWC) by bagging as many as 13 pythons, including a 16-foot-long female.

A joint endeavour of FWC and University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFS), officials have described it as a "unique project".

"Since the Irula have been so successful in their homeland at removing pythons, we are hoping they can teach people in some of these skills," said Kristen Sommers, section leader of the FWC's Wildlife Impact Management Section.

"We are working with our partners to improve our ability to find and capture pythons in the wild. These projects are two of several new efforts focused on the removal of these snakes," Sommers said.

"In their first eight days on the job, the Irula tribesmen - world-renowned snake catchers from India - removed 13 pythons, including four on their first visit to Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on North Key Largo in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irula tribe has been catching snakes," a media release said.

Officials said they are currently working with the Irula tribesmen to identify additional programmes to remove more nonnative pythons from Florida.

The FWC and UF/IFAS have been collaborating with public land managers to identify environmentally sensitive areas that would benefit most from targeted python removal.

Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is one such area because of the federally-endangered Key Largo woodrat and many protected bird species that reside there.

UF/IFAS wildlife biologist, Frank Mazzotti, and his team are working with the Irula tribe in South Florida, media release said.

On January 17, Irula tribesmen, UF/IFAS, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Geological Survey cooperators removed four Burmese pythons from the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The commission says it paid $68,888 to hire the Irula men and their translators and fly them to South Florida from their home in southern India. They'll stay in Florida through February.
: A passenger bound for Singapore on a private airlines was today arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle Rs 77 lakh worth of foreign currency, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence said here today.

Acting on a tip-off that Yousuf Shahul Hameed was carrying the currency in his baggage, DRI officials questioned him at the Chennai airport here, an official release said.

On searching him, DRI officials found that Hameed was carrying two bundles of foreign currency in his baggage and also had concealed two more bundles in his rectum.

DRI officials seized the currency which is valued at Rs 77 lakh in Indian currency.

The currency seized include Australian dollars, US Dollars, Canada Cent Dollars, Euros, Pounds, Francs, Singapore Dollars, Malaysian ringgits, Saudi and Qatar riyals, it said.

Since he did not possess any valid documents for the currency, it was immediately seized, the release said, adding, he was arrested under the Provisions of Customs Act, 1962.

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An elderly was buried under snow as more avalanches and landslides hit the Jammu-Srinagar highway today even as cold kept up its intensity in Himachal Pradesh that recorded fresh snow and showers.

The minimum temperature in Punjab, Haryana and the national capital dipped due to rains over the last two days.

Delhi gauged 30.3 mm of rainfall till 8:30 AM, a record for January in the past 10 years. The minimum temperature in the city settled at 13.4 degrees.

Thirty-five trains were delayed, 17 rescheduled and one cancelled due to bad weather in the northern region.

A fresh avalanche in Banihal disrupted the work of the Border Roads Organisation that is busy clearing blockades due to snowfall in a bid to restore traffic on the highway which was closed for the third consecutive day today.

More than 20 people, including 15 army personnel, have died in avalanches since Wednesday caused by fresh snowfall across Jammu and Kashmir over the past four days.

In Srinagar, police officials said bodies of four missing soldiers were recovered from avalanche-hit Gurez sector, taking the death toll in the incident to 14.

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old man died after he came under an avalanche in Uri sector of Baramulla district.

Several avalanches hit the highway at Shatani Nallah area in Banihal belt of Ramban district today. A number of landslides were also triggered by heavy rains in Banihal- Ramban sector.

Authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir Valley in view of fresh snowfall.

Most parts of Kashmir received intermittent snowfall last night. Srinagar got two cm of snow and the mercury there settled at a low of minus 0.8 degree Celsius, Gulmarg gauged 41 cm of precipitation and recorded the minimum temperature of minus 4 degrees Celsius.

Pahalgam recorded 23 cm of snowfall and a low of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Leh, in Ladakh region, was minus 5.1 degrees Celsius and it was the coldest recorded place in the state.

Himachal Pradesh experienced widespread rains and snow



that caused sharp fall in maximum day temperatures. The MeT office has predicted rains or snow in mid and higher hills over the next four days and dry weather in lower hills from tomorrow.

The sky remained heavily overcast in Shimla and other places and chilly winds made people shiver even in heavy woolens.

The tribal areas and other higher hills had intermittent heavy snowfall and Rohtang, Kunzam and Saach passes recorded 45 to 60 cm of snow during past 24 hours while Kothigot 30 cm of fresh snow, followed by Keylong 21 cm, Kalpa 19 cm, Bharmaur 15 cm, Khadrala 7 mm and Manali 3 cm.

The mid and lower hills of the state received widespread heavy rains and Arki was wettest in the region with 150 mm rains, followed by Ghumarwin 90 mm, Nainadevi72 mm, Dharampur 65 mm, Jhandutta 60 mm and Kasauli 57 mm.

A feeble Western Disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan region from January 28thonwards, MeT office said.

The minimum temperature was impacted a little by heavy rains yesterday in Punjab and Haryana.

Chandigarh had a low of 10.9 degrees Celsius, Ambala 11.9, Hisar 12.3 and Karnal 11.2 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar registered a minimum of 9.6, Ludhiana 12 and Patiala 11.4 degrees Celsius.

Many places in Rajasthan got light showers. Jaipur recorded 20.8 mm of rains. Vanasthali, Alwar, Sawaimadhopur, Churu and Pilani saw light precipitation.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was appointed foreign minister today, days after he bowed out of this year's election battle against Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Social Democrat on Tuesday said his low popularity ratings had led him to make way for his party colleague Martin Schulz, the former European Parliament president, as the top candidate in the race for the chancellery.

Gabriel, 57, now replaces as Germany's top diplomat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is set to take over the largely ceremonial post of federal president in mid-February.

Outgoing President Joachim Gauck formalised Gabriel's resignation as economy minister, a portfolio he hands over to Brigitte Zypries.

Gabriel's centre-left Social Democrats are the junior coalition partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU/CSU block.

If the general election results in another left-right 'grand coalition' led by Merkel's party, Gabriel would be expected to stay on as foreign minister.

On his first trip as foreign minister, Gabriel will head to Paris tomorrow to meet his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault.

"The partnership, close friendship and trust between Paris and Berlin is very important to Foreign Minister Gabriel too and that's why he is travelling to France right away," a ministry spokesman told reporters.

Gabriel hopes to visit the United States soon after the Senate confirmation and appointment of nominated Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the spokesman added.

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Railway police today claimed to have busted a gang which stole laptops from trains.

Police recovered laptops worth over Rs 30 lakh from the accused's possession, a senior official said.

The Railway Police here were investigating the complaint lodged by a passenger whose laptop and other belongings were stolen from Konark Express when he was travelling to Pune from here last September.

Based mobile data analysis, the police zeroed in on Jagdish Soni, a resident of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh.

A team of crime branch (Railways) nabbed him from the UP. During questioning, Soni allegedly said that he, alonngwith Kamal Yadav and Dinesh Nirmal, also residents of Firozabad, stole laptops on trains.

The other two were arrested subsequently.

Twenty-seven laptops of Apple worth Rs 30,67,549, a Lenovo laptop of the complainant in the case, and other stolen goods were recovered from Firozabad, police said.

Since some of the cases of laptop theft committed by the gang were registered in Bengaluru, the trio would be later handed over to railway police there, the official added.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have paid tribute to the victims of a truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin a month ago.

The two leaders placed flowers today at a makeshift memorial on the capital's Breitscheidplatz where a Tunisian man whose asylum application had been rejected drove a hijacked truck into the market, killing 12 and wounding dozens of others.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

At a joint press conference ahead of visiting the site, Merkel and Hollande said Islamic extremism was a problem for all of Europe, and vowed to work together to fight it.

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German prosecutors say they've charged a 21-year-old Afghan man with membership in a terrorist organisation and accessory to murder on allegations he helped the Taliban carry out executions in his home country.

Prosecutors' spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said in a statement Friday that Kahn A, whose last name wasn't given in line with German privacy laws, is accused of joining the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2014.

She says he was armed with an assault rifle, and assigned as a bodyguard to a regional leader. In that capacity, Koehler says, he was present "in countless cases" when Taliban enemies were apprehended and executed.

The statement did not say when Kahn A entered Germany, or why, and Koehler did not immediately return calls for comment.

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Gold worth Rs 2.49 crore was seized from three passengers of an express train at Pune railway station here today, railway police said.

"During a check conducted inside the Chennai-Mumbai CST Express (when it arrived at station), our police team came across three suspicious passengers. When the trio was asked about what they were carrying inside the two plastic boxes, they started giving vague answers," an inspector with Government Railway Police (GRP) said.

When the boxes were opened, gold ornaments and pieces of gold sheet collectively worth Rs 2.49 crore were found inside them, the officer said.

Since the police team did not find their answers satisfactory and as they could not furnish any documents related to gold, the trio was taken into custody.

"We have handed over the seized gold to the Income Tax department for further investigation," said the officer.

The trio is being further interrogated, he said.

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Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya returned to Gaza today after five months abroad, an AFP reporter said, praising improving ties with neighbours Egypt.

Haniya, Gaza head of the Islamist movement, left in September to perform the Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, returning via Gulf countries and Egypt, where he sought to mend frayed relations.

"The movement's delegation completed a successful visit to Egypt," a Hamas statement read, saying they had a series of "fruitful" meetings with Egyptian officials, including head of general intelligence Khaled Fawzy.

Upon his return home in the Shaati refugee camp west of Gaza city, Haniya told journalists the relationship with Egypt was improving.

"(Hamas) will continue to develop this relationship and strengthen it," he said.

It was Haniya's first trip outside Gaza since the isolation and eventual overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's Islamist president and Hamas ally, in 2013.

Relations between Egypt and Hamas soured following Morsi's overthrow and the subsequent election of former military leader Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Egypt's army largely closed the border with Gaza after Sisi's rise to power, destroying dozens of illegal trade tunnels that brought in a key part the Gazan economy.

Cairo has accused Hamas of supporting Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement and even of involvement in the 2015 assassination of Attorney General Hisham Barakat.

However relations between the Islamist Palestinian faction and Sisi's government have improved in the past year and the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is due to open tomorrow for a few days.

Hamas has run Gaza since 2007 after a near civil war with rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

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The Madras High Court today dismissed a PIL seeking CBI probe into the multi-crore"gutka hoarding scam" that came to light following an IT raid, which found tax evasion to the tune of Rs 250 crore by dealers and stockists.

The matter relates to a PIL filed by Advocate Vincent, seeking a CBI probe into the scam, on the basis of a letter written by the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, to the State Home Secretary demanding a probe.

Wondering how a confidential communique could reach the petitioner, the first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar, asked the counsel to explain his locus standi in the case.

The official concerned had already shot off a letter to the State Home Secretary and when the authorities themselves have taken up the matter for a probe, there is no need for the Court to intervene in the matter, the bench said and dismissed the petition.

Chennai City police Commissioner S George has sought a "probe into possible wrongdoing by a few police officers" during the seizure of banned gutkha-pan masala products worth Rs 30 crore from various godowns in Red Hills and Puzhal in Chennai, last year.

The letter is said to be based on a preliminary inquiry that revealed graft charges against some officials who had allegedly stolen a portion of the seized products.

The police commissioner had suggested that any agency other than the city police could hold the inquiry and nab the suspects.

The income tax officials had raided the residences and offices of pan masala and gutkha manufacturers in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on July 8, 2016.

The searches were carried out at 30 locations including Red Hills and Puzhal in Chennai.

Officials had claimed that the businessmen had evaded taxes close to Rs 250 crore.

They also said they had recovered a diary from a businessman's godown in Red Hills, which contained the names of many politicians and police officers who received pay-offs from the manufacturers and sellers.

(Reopens LGM2)



In its detailed order, the bench said, "We doubt the bonafides of the petitioner in filing the present petition. We have even earlier commented number of times on advocates lending their names as litigants and lending their shoulder to fire the gun, something which is condemnable. This is one more such case."



"It , in fact, seeks to give an impression as if some view officially taken is sought to be further pressed in the Government decision system by filing a PIL. We are not thus inclined to interfere in the matter. The writ petition dismissed."



"How such a letter which is actually a Secret/ Confidential comes to the hand of the petitioner is a moot point," the bench said.

"The averments in the petition show that there is no specific ground work done by the petitioner to come to a conclusion that a fair and impartial inquiry would not take place or the reason for him to suspect the same. Other than the press reports, the only material, as is apparent from the prayer itself, is actually the letter which is mentioned above," the bench said.
The Calcutta High Court today directed the SP of West Midnapore district to appear before it over police failure to register a complaint with regard to alleged illegal felling of over 1,100 trees at Sabang in the district.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty directed Bharati Ghosh, SP of West Midnapore district, and the Officer Incharge of Sabang police station to appear before it on February 10 and explain the position of the police in this regard.

The order came during the hearing of a PIL that claimed the head of Bolpai village panchayat had got permission from the forest department for felling 996 trees for road widening and other development projects in June, 2016.

It was, however, found that apart from the 996 trees allowed, the panchayat had illegally felled 1,105 more trees within its area, according to the petition by one of the villagers, who had lodged a complaint with the divisional forest officer there.

It was submitted before the court that after finding out the facts, the forest department had imposed a penalty of Rs 6.44 lakh on the panchayat head, who has not paid the fine till date.

The forest ranger had then lodged a complaint with the Sabang police station, but the officer incharge had not initiated a case after receipt of the complaint, the court was informed today.

Displeased at this, the division bench directed the SP of the district and the officer incharge of the police station concerned to appear before it on February 10 when the matter would be heard again.

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The Madras High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of 'settlements' being arrived at by parties concerned at police stations on issue of NBWs by courts dealing with cases under Negotiable Instruments Act.

Taking serious view of the matter, Justice CT Selvam, before whom such an agreement of settlement was submitted in which it was mentioned that an agreement was arrived at between the parties in a police station, said "The position raises issues of serious concern and it would be proper to require the Director General of Police to issue instructions to avoid such wrong doing."



"Time and again, this court notices that on issue of Non-bailable warrants by Courts dealing with cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act, the Police Agency, on securing the person/accused against whom NBW is issued, holds such persons at the police station... The presence of the complainant is also secured. Brazenly, settlement/arrangements made between the parties are recorded and thereafter, the accused in the case is allowed to walk away," the judge said.

"On the one hand, the complainant in a case under section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act obtains an admission/ undertaking for repayment through the police agency and on the other, the dignity of Court is undermined by a person apprehended pursuant to Non-Bailable Warrant issued by it not being produced there before," the judge said.

The judge also directed the High Court Registry to send the copy of the order to DGP for appropriate action and for suitable instructions to the Subordinates.

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on Friday opened a global design centre in Manchester, UK, at an investment of 2 million pounds (about Rs 17 crore) to develop next generation bikes based on latest technology.

The company is working on increasing its revenue share from overseas markets from around 20 per cent currently to 60 per cent by 2018. It did not provide the revenue figures.

"As we focus on global expansion plans, we need to harness global talent and have a design centre that is located closer to some of our targeted markets," Chairman and Managing Director Pankaj Munjal said in a statement.

With major expansion plans in Europe, the Global Design Centre (GDC) will help the company produce technology and design to cater to differentiated products to suit the needs of different European markets, he added.

"Our strategy is two-fold: to develop British brands in the UK, build them and export them across the Europe, Africa and India and secondly, to increase the value of our Indian-based bike brands," Munjal said.

The bikes designed at the GDC will be made at Hero's plant in Sri Lanka and exported to Europe, Africa and India.

The GDC aims to rationalise the company's design functions, bringing together in one place its design, product development, innovation and market research departments.

It will employ 25 designers and marketers from across Europe. The team will work across several cycle segments including mountain bikes, road bikes and electric bikes.

In August 2015, Hero had acquired a majority stake in Avocet Sports, a Manchester-based bike and accessories distributor.

Avocet, which designs and develops bike brands for independent bike dealer market, including mountain bikes, kids and ladies bikes, electric bikes and tandems, will also benefit from the GDC.
A Hijab-clad Muslim airline employee in the US has been racially attacked, kicked by a man who shouted slurs at her and said "Trump is here now" and "he will get rid of all of you", officials said.

Rabeeya Khan, a Delta Airline employee, was sitting in her office in the Delta Sky Lounge of the John F Kennedy Airport on Wednesday when Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, who had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts approached her, Queens District Attorney Richard A Brown, said in a statement yesterday.

"Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?" Rhodes allegedly said to the employee before punching the door, which hit the back her chair," prosecutors were quoted as saying by the New York Times.

Khan asked Rhodes what she did to him, prosecutors said. He replied, "You did nothing but I am going to kick your ass," prosecutors said.

He then kicked her in the right leg, prosecutors said, and when she tried to get away from him he kicked the door and blocked her from leaving.

When another person tried to calm him, he moved away from the door and Khan ran to the front desk of the lounge, according to the statement.

But Rhodes still followed her, then got down on his knees and began to bow down, mimicking a Muslim prayer, prosecutors said, and allegedly shouted, "Islam, ISIS, is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kinds of people. You will see what happens."



Rhodes, of Massachusetts, was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes, among other counts. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.

When he was arrested, Rhodes told the police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."



Delta says the victim is employed by a contractor, not by Delta directly, but "what happened in this incident is totally unacceptable and Delta has and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities in this investigation.
Nine Singapore armoured troop carriers impounded by Hong Kong while in transit from military exercises in Taiwan are on their way back home, the city-state's defence minister said today.

The release of the Terrex vehicles closes the curtain on a diplomatic row that also involved China, which has sovereignty over Hong Kong and considers Taiwan a renegade island awaiting reunification.

"Terrexes left Hong Kong port this morning at 0415hrs. Next stop, home," Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.

Ng had said on Wednesday that the journey would take a week.

Hong Kong customs authorities had impounded the vehicles in November while they were being shipped home following exercises in Taiwan, where land-starved Singapore has for decades trained its troops.

Following the seizure, China lodged a diplomatic protest to Singapore over its military cooperation with Taiwan.

Ties between China and Singapore were already strained over the city-state's perceived support for Southeast Asian nations disputing Beijing's extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous after being handed back by Britain to China in 1997. But Beijing controls foreign affairs issues and there are increasing fears over its interference in other matters.

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The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) today said it will appeal to the government to create a level playing field for all hospitality players to bring uniformity in regulations.

"While five star hotels pay a substantial 38 per cent of the room revenue as direct and indirect taxes, some of the lavish bungalows listed in sites of some hotel aggregators do not pay a single rupee as taxes," HRAWI said in a statement issued here.

It further said, over 42 licences are needed to start and operate an organised sector hotel, while the unregulated sector operates without undergoing any such process.

"We welcome competition in any and every form, but this kind of disparity is unhealthy for the industry. It is almost as if we are doing our businesses with our hands tied," HRAWI President Dilip Datwani said.

This is also a loss of revenue to the exchequer, he added.

According to him, in a country like India where tourism is at a nascent stage, the unorganised accommodation could spell doom.

"The primary problem is that there are no standardisations or categorisations. There have been multiple cases of exaggerated promises, misrepresentations, disagreements and conflicts with guests, hygiene issues and intimidations among others. Because the stays are unregulated, there are no redressal systems in place," Datwani pointed out.

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State-owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and gas utility GAIL India Ltd today signed a pact with Andhra Government for setting up a Rs 40,000 crore petrochemical plant in the state.

The 50:50 joint venture will set up a 1.5 million tons Ethylene Derivatives plant, which will produce a wide range of petrochemical raw materials for the manufacture of detergents, paints and coatings, cosmetics, textiles and adhesives.

"What we have signed is an MoU expressing intent for setting up the petrochemical plant," GAIL Chairman and Manging Director B C Tripathi told PTI.

Andhra Pradesh government will support the project by providing infrastructure, power, roads and other clearances.

The plant will be set up at the Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) sites identified by the state government at Kakinada.

The MoU was signed by Tripathi, HPCL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh K Surana and Kartikeya Misra, Director, Industries in Government of Andhra Pradesh.

GAIL-HPCL combine may divest half of the project stake in favour of a strategic partner at a later date. Some global petrochem companies have shown interest in the project but talks are at preliminary stages currently, Tripathi said without disclosing details.

The project is a truncated version of the earlier proposed refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex in Andhra Pradesh. HPCL has for the time being shelved plans to build a new refinery and is only pursuing petrochemical project.

HPCL and GAIL decided to do the petrochem plan together after their plans to team up with France's Total, Lakshmi N Mittal Group and Oil India Ltd (OIL) for a 15 million tonnes a year refinery-cum-petrochemical plant at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh fell through.

Tripathi said currently detailed feasibility report (DFR) is being prepared and details will work out following that.

HPCL had in 2007-08 planned an only-for-exports refinery to target demand in South East Asia and the Middle East.

The five-way alliance of HPCL, explorer OIL, gas utility GAIL India, Mittal Investment Sarl and Total had in October 2007 signed a memorandum of understanding to look at the feasibility of setting up the Vizag project.

In 2009, the Rs 50,000 crore project was put on hold as petrochemical demand then was seen as too weak to justify the investment.

Total did pre-feasibility for the refinery project and demand studies, while GAIL was in charge of the study of the petrochemical unit.

But the project was in 2010 put on back burner before equity structure could be decided.

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The European Union's economic sanctions against Russia have failed economically and politically because they have not achieved their objectives, Hungary's foreign minister said today.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary had lost some USD 6.5 billion in export opportunities to Russia and other countries partly because of the sanctions the EU imposed on Russia over the annexation of Crimea and its role in eastern Ukraine.

"I don't think we should celebrate that we hit the Russian economy because it's bad for Europe as well," Szijjarto said. If the sanctions were truly effective, they should have had some impact by now, he added.

Szijjarto said the "timing is perfect" for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Hungary next week, given the change in administrations in Washington.

"The visit has great significance since there's a great expectation all around the world about the improvement of the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship," Szijjarto said. "We will be able to hear the Russian perspective about that."



He said it would be the first time the United States won't be pressuring Hungary as it tries to improve relations with the Kremlin.

"So far, whenever we tried to work on improving our bilateral relationship, we had to face American pressure not to do it and European pressure not to do it," the minister said. "Now what we can be sure of is that as we try to further improve our relationship with Russia, there will be no American pressure not to do it."



Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of President Donald Trump, has said a new world order is being formed in great part thanks to Trump's victory.

Szijjarto said that the "decisively more patriotic American government," possible closer ties between Washington and Moscow, an "apparently deep antagonism" between Europe and Russia, and China's economic expansion would all contribute to make 2017 "one of the most exciting years for foreign policy since the end of the Cold War.

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Agrochemical company Insecticides India Ltd (IIL) today said it has signed an agreement through IIL Foundation with Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) to train farmers on best farming practices.

Under the initiative, few village clusters will be identified, and selected farmers will undergo a complete training from sowing to harvesting, the company said in a statement.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed for three years. According to the pact, farmers will be trained by experts from government's premier agri-research body IARI who will also help them adopt the latest technology available.

Complete farming will be done under the supervision of those experts only.

"In India, many farmers still follow subsistence/ traditional farming and are not able to fully utilise the resources available to them. It is imperative for us to help farmers and impart knowledge regarding best agricultural techniques and methods and train them to increase their yield. We look forward to making a difference to the farmers' community," IIL Managing Director Rajesh Aggarwal said.

IARI Joint Director (Research) K V Prabhu said that a collaboration of the academia and the industry is vital for agriculture.

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IIM Calcutta along with NIIT Imperia - Centre for Advanced Learning Institute announced a fresh batch for Advanced Program for Marketing Professionals.

The one-year course in Advanced Program Marketing Professionals (APMP) is specifically designed for middle and senior level managers, who would like to develop proficiency in market, strategy and implementation.

Students undertaking APMP will be given group projects in marketing management related to their companies.

In addition to this, students need to attend six days of campus visit module during the programme (three days at the beginning and three days at the end), a company release said.

Successful candidates will be given certification from IIM Calcutta.

************



Godavari Power and Ispat secures long-term coal linkages * Godawari Power and Ispat Ltd today said that it been awarded long-term coal linkages in the recently concluded coal linkage auction made by Coal India.

With these coal linkages, around 75 per cent of the coal requirement of the company shall be fulfilled, the company said in a BSE filing.

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Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign policy Sartaj Aziz today alleged that India, which boycotted SAARC meeting in Islamabad, "impeded" the grouping's process and "violated" the spirit of its Charter.

Aziz said this during a meeting with outgoing South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa who is on a visit to Pakistan.

Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming SAARC leaders for the 19th Summit in November but it was postponed when "India impeded the SAARC process and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter", Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

"Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the SAARC umbrella can be pursued more vigorously," FO quoted Aziz saying in the meeting.

He also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, economic progress, social uplift and cultural cooperation.

Aziz said that due to several impediments and challenges, SAARC has been unable to fulfill the vision that was laid out for it by its founding members.

Aziz said he believed that the SAARC Secretariat could play an important role as catalyst to bring all the member states together and ensure timely and effective implementation of programme and activities that would benefit the region.

Thapa emphasised the need to overcome the difficulties the organisation faced and expressed hope that the 19th SAARC Summit would be held in Islamabad as soon as possible.

Thapa, who paid a farewell call on Aziz, also held a meeting with Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, who appreciated Thapa's contributions to the SAARC process and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the SAARC objectives.

Chaudhry emphasised that internal and bilateral problems of member states must not be allowed to affect the organisation and that 19th SAARC Summit should be held as soon as possible to put the whole SAARC process back on track.

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syed Zulfiqar Gardezi, Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) hosted a lunch for the Secretary General, which was attended by Amjad Hussian Sial, Secretary General-elect of the SAARC.

Thapa who hails from Nepal, is the 12th Secretary General of SAARC. He will complete his tenure on February 28 after which Amjad Hussain Sial, former Special Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan is to take charge as the next Secretary General of SAARC.

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British Chamber of Commerce Kenya opens coastal chapter

The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, has formally launched a new Coastal Chapter of the British Chamber of Commerce Kenya (BCCK) at an event in the coastal town of Mombasa.

The BCCK promotes trade links between Kenya and Great Britain. Now in its fourth year of operations, the Chamber represents over 200 members, from FTSE 100 companies down to individual consultants. Its membership includes some of the largest tax payers in Kenya, and as a whole provides employment to more than 200,000 people in the country.

The new Mombasa Chapter will represent, support and advocate on behalf of British business in the Coastal region across a wide range of sectors including Tourism, Agri Business, Shipping, Infrastructure and Transport. The UK Government is investing heavily in the region, with around Ksh 10bn aimed at creating jobs, developing infrastructure and strengthening the investment climate at the Coast.

Speaking at the event, British High Commissioner Nic Hailey said: We want to see more links between UK and Kenyan business; more partnerships, more jobs, and a better business environment. The launch of the BCCK at the Coast will provide a further platform for UK and Kenyan companies to work together; forming partnerships, sharing innovation and building prosperity in the region.

The launch follows UK PM Theresa Mays Global Britain speech, in which she outlined her plan to more actively seek trade deals for the UK beyond the borders of the EU.

Mr Hailey went on to announce the opening of a new UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Mombasa. The new facility will provide an additional option to the VAC already operating in Nairobi, extending the range of UK Visa services offered to customers across Kenya.

www.bcckenya.org
Britain's opposition Labour party faced a mounting crisis today afterIndian-origin MP Virendra Sharma refused to back the Brexit bill intended to trigger the UK's official exit from the EU while one of its South Asian MPs quit her shadow Cabinet role over the issue.

Ealing Southall MP Sharma saidhisconstituency had "overwhelmingly" voted to remain in the EU and he could not ignore their voices.

"I will not vote for a Brexit blank cheque...I cannot in good conscience vote to trigger Article 50 while it will threaten people's jobs, wages and pensions," he said.

"Access to the Single Market and a legal commitment to ensure the labour rights, health and safety protections, consumer rights, and environmental standards we currently enjoy are all key to my political beliefs," Sharma said.

"If we cannot get clarity on our relationship with crucial international institutions thenI will not vote to trigger Article 50 without a real plan for the future," he said.

His announcement follows party colleague Tulip Siddiq's resignation from her shadow Cabinet role as education minister in order to vote against the new Brexit bill in Parliament.

The niece of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped away from the Labour frontbenchfollowing party leader Jeremy Corbyn's decision to impose a whip on Labour MPs to vote in favour oftriggering Article 50.

"On the announcement of the three-line whip on the Article 50 vote, I feel I have no choice but to resign from my frontbench role as shadow minister for early years. I do not support the triggering of Article 50 and cannot reconcile myself to the frontbench position," the 34-year-old MP for Hampstead and Kilburn in north-west London said in her resignation letter.

"I have always been clear -- I do not represent Westminster in Hampstead and Kilburn, I represent Hampstead and Kilburn in Westminster. I feel that the most effective place for me to counter Theresa May's hard Brexit is from the back benches," she wrote.

Siddiq's constituency had voted in favour of remaining within the EU in the June 2016 referendum.

TheEuropean Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was tabled in the House of Commons yesterday to give British Prime Minister Theresa May the go-ahead to invoke Article 50, which will trigger the official two-year period of negotiations for Britain's exit from the EU after a June 2016 referendum in favour of Brexit.

While Corbyn wants his party to not block the bill, Siddiq has joined a number of rebel MPs who plan to defy the party line.

"In terms of the motion itself, three quarters of my constituents voted to remain and I intend to stand up for them throughout these debates. I will be looking carefully at what the government brings to Parliament, and of course any amendments that would be submitted by my colleagues in the Labour Party," Siddiq said.

(Reopens FGN 27)



"Ultimately, I will not be satisfied until there is total clarity over the measures to protect the security, residential status, and living standards of those I am so proud to represent,"she said.

Another Labour MP, Jo Stevens, has also resigned from the shadow cabinet, quitting her role as Corbyn's Welsh secretary.

The Cardiff Central MP said she believed Brexit was "a terrible mistake" and said she "cannot reconcile my overwhelming view" that to endorse the bill would make it inevitable.

Frontbench members of political parties in the UK are generally expected to resign from their posts if they choose to defy a three-line whip, which is the strongest form of discipline political party leaders can impose.

Corbyn, who faces a fresh internal crisis over the issue, said he understands the pressures for MPs who represent leave constituencies and those who represent remain constituencies.

"I say to everyone, unite around the important issues...I'm asking all our MPs not to block Article 50 and make sure it goes through next week,"he said.

Two Labour whips -- MPs in charge of parliamentary party discipline -- have also said they will vote against the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, despite the order to support it.

Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire have said they will vote against it, although neither have resigned their posts as party whips.

Theresa May had hoped to invoke Article 50 without having to seek parliamentary approval but a legal challenge concluded in the UK Supreme Court earlier this week directed her to acquire the consent of both Houses of British Parliament.

MPs will debate the new Bill on Tuesday and Wednesday, the government has announced, with a third day of debate and a vote on February 8.

It will then go to the House of Lords to be discussed.

The Theresa May-led government hopes this process can take place smoothly for the British Premier to adhere to her declared timetable of wanting to officially notify the EU of Britain's exit plans by the end of March.

Butthe Labour party is planning to table four amendments and the Scottish National Party are planning to table 60.

The Opposition MPs have also expressed their frustration that they will have just a few days to debate the bill in Parliament.
Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya backed by nuclear submarine INS Chakra besides fighting assets of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard have come together in the country's biggest inter-service 'Tropex' exercise along the western seaboard.

The navy's annual Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX) got underway on January 24.

The month-long exercise will have ships and aircraft of both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, as also assets from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard exercising together.

The last edition of the exercise was conducted in January 2015.

Tropex has grown in scale and complexity over the years and will see participation of major surface combatants and air assets of the Indian Navy including INS Vikramaditya, INS Chakra, Landing Platform Dock (LPD) Jalashwa, the recently commissioned destroyer INS Chennai, P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft operating alongside SU-30 MKI, Jaguars, AWACS, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft of the Indian Air Force and infantry units of the Indian Army.

The exercise will be conducted in various phases, both in harbour and at sea encompassing the various facets of war-fighting and combat operations.

Tropex-17 assumes special significance in the backdrop of the current security scenario, a statement by the navy said.

The exercise is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard. It will also strengthen interoperability and joint operations in a complex environment.

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Israel handed over the bodies of two Palestinians killed carrying out attacks on soldiers and civilians to the families today, an army spokeswoman said.

She identified the two as Nidal Daud Mahdawi, who was killed trying to stab soldiers on January 17, and Majd al-Khudur who was killed during a 2016 car-ramming attack that wounded two civilians.

Both attacks took place in the occupied West Bank.

Hospital officials have identified Khudur as an 18-year-old woman.

A wave of Palestinian attacks that erupted in October 2015 has resulted in the deaths of 251 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.

However, the violence has greatly declined in recent months.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities, with others killed during protests, in clashes or air raids on Gaza.

Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a leading cause of the violence.

Israeli authorities have confiscated the bodies of killed Palestinians since the violence began, often keeping them for many months as a means of deterrence and to prevent clashes during funerals.

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A defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was today questioned by the police for the third time as a "possible criminal suspect" in a graft case for allegedly accepting valuable gifts from business figures and trying to trade favours with an Israeli newspaper.

67-year-old Netanyahu's interrogation by the police at his residence in Jerusalem is said to revolve around two criminal cases - the Prime Ministerand his family's dealings with billionaire benefactors, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan known as Case 1000, and his negotiations for a suspected quid pro quo deal with a top Israeli publisher known as Case 2000.

The interrogation came a day after Netanyahu lambasted the media and rival politicians of trying "a coup attempt" through "undemocratic means".

Israeli Police yesterday questioned Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth's publisher Arnon Mozes with whom Netanyahu held recorded conversations on advancing legislation that would reduce the pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom daily's circulation in exchange for more favourable coverage from Yedioth, the largest circulated daily in Israel.

Israel's Channel 10 reported earlier this week that police were likely to recommend indicting Netanyahu over the gifts he received from Milchan, with the case being in the most advanced stage.

Israel Radio reported that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is leaning toward a charge of breach of trust in the case, but not bribery.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and took toFacebook yesterday to defend himself, accusing people from the media as well as politicians of exerting pressure on Mendelblit and law enforcement officials in an attempt to oust his government.

"The cat's out of the bag," he wrote claiming that media figures and politicians are trying to apply pressure to have him indicted 'at any price'.

He also called the effort an "undemocratic attempt" at "government overthrow".

The Israeli Premier on Wednesday addressed the Knesset's (Israeli parliament) "Question Time" and made comments in a similar vein, speaking of the efforts as "persecution" and a "show of hypocrisy".

"I have for you," Netanyahu said adding, "I will continue to lead the State of Israel for many more years to come for the citizens of Israel, the State of Israel and the Jewish people."



Netanyahu also noted that he was "not the first" political leader to have meetings with media publishers, and not the first "to have wealthy friends".

He declined a number of questions in the Knesset on whether he will resign if indicted in one of the two criminal investigations currently opened against him, and on whether gifts he received from businessman Milchan or his relationship with lawyer Shimron constituted conflicts of interest.

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Diversified conglomerate ITC will foray into the healthcare sector as it gears up to meet its ambition to be India's most valuable corporations.

While the company has not spelt out the specific details, it plans to seek shareholders' approval for venturing into the healthcare sector.

The board of directors of the company at its meeting held today recommended seeking approval from its shareholders for an alteration of the objects of the clause of its Memorandum of Association to include 'Healthcare', ITC said in a regulatory filing.

It further said the approval from the shareholders would be taken by means of postal ballot and e-voting.

The Kolkata-based firm is striving to position itself as one of India's most valuable corporations "through world class performance, creating growing value for the Indian economy and the company's stakeholders".

For its FMCG business, the company has set an ambitious target of Rs 1 lakh crore revenue from this segment by 2030 and it is looking to create "world-class Indian brands" by leveraging on its enterprise strengths.

In 2015-16, ITC's total FMCG business had a consolidated revenue of Rs 28,409.83 crore in which cigarettes contributed Rs 18,685.98 crore and non-cigarettes at Rs 9,723.85 crore.

The Kolkata-headquartered company is looking to expand footprints in existing as well as new categories, such as fresh fruits, vegetables and sea foods businesses, to meet the "audacious" goal that it has set for itself.

Sanjiv Puri, who is slated to take over as the CEO of the company, had earlier in an interview told PTI that ITC's "aspiration is to create world class Indian brands and create intellectual assets for the nation" by leveraging on its enterprise strengths.

He had stated that while the company would continue to expand footprints in the existing categories, it would also get into new categories.

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The district administration has imposed Section 144 in parts of Rohtak district as a precautionary measure in view of the call given by a section of Jats for a fresh round of quota agitation from January 29.

The assembly of five or more people in about 500 meters from national and state highways, along with railway stations in the city has been banned, an official said today.

The Haryana government has sought 55 companies of paramilitary forces from the Centre besides deployment of 7,000 Home Guards in the state which saw 30 deaths and widespread vandalism during a similar stir last year.

Rohtak and some of its neighbouring districts, including Sonipat and Jhajjar, had been worst-hit by the violence.

The agitation had also affected Delhi as the protesters cut water supply to the national capital.

The call for fresh stir has been given by some Jat outfits, especially those owing allegiance to the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) headed by Yashpal Malik.

The Jat community outfits, while accusing the Manohar Lal Khattar government of not fulfilling their demands for reservation, have threatened to launch the next round of agitation from January 29.

"Although the leaders of various agitating organisations have promised to hold dharnas in a peaceful manner, still the administration is fully geared up to maintain law and order," Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Ram Niwas said.

All the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police have been directed to ensure that highways and railway tracks are not obstructed and no damage is caused to property, officials said.

Meanwhile, a mahapanchayat of some Khaps (caste councils) was held at Rohtak today, in which they reiterated their call to hold the peaceful agitation from January 29.

During the mahapanchayat, Khap leaders maintained that the release of arrested Jat youths from jails, withdrawal of cases registered during last year's agitation and grant of government jobs to the kin of youths killed during last year's stir were their immediate demands.

Om Prakash Nandal, new chief of Nandal Khap, who was the convener of the Mahapanchayat meeting held at Rohtak, assured that the stir will be peaceful.

"Since the reservation matter is in high court, we will wait for it the final outcome," he said.

Another prominent Khap leader Surinder Singh, told reporters in Kurukshetra that the Jat leadership knows it that the issue of Jat reservation was a legal battle and not a political one.

"However, some of the Jat leaders who belong to other states are using coercive methods of threatening to re-launch agitation across the state for vested interests," he said.

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The Ahmedabad Zonal Unit of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) today held a man who had allegedly hid 580 grams of charas (hashish) at his former girlfriend's house in order to implicate her in a false drugs case, said NCB officials.

Upon his arrest today, one Dinesh Prajapati admitted that he did this out of grudge against her ex-girlfriend, who had recently lodged an FIR against him after their relations turned sour, said Zonal director of Ahmedabad-NCB Hari Om Gandhi.

According to Gandhi, Prajapati contacted NCB officials on January 22 and gave a tip off that a woman living in Ghatlodia area is a drug trafficker and hidden large cache of the contraband in her house.

"When we raided the house, we found 580 grams of charas, having street price of around Rs 3.5 lakhs, hidden inside a flower pot. When we questioned the woman about it, she expressed ignorance about the charas," said Gandhi.

During questioning, the woman revealed that she was in contact with Prajapati since some time and he used to live here earlier. The women also claimed that she has lodged a complaint against Prajapati for harassing and threatening her, said Gandhi.

"When we checked with local police, we found that the woman was speaking the truth, as Sola Police had filed an FIR against him. Later, when we called him for questioning and Prajapati admitted that he did this because he wanted to take revenge against the woman by implicating her in a false drugs case," said Gandhi.

"After Prajapati's relations with the woman soured, he acquired this charas and hid it in her house before tipping us. We have arrested him on charges of criminal conspiracy and under various sections of NDPS Act. The probe is on to find out the source of the charas," said Gandhi.

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Two pregnant women, holed up in their houses due to heavy snowfall, were shifted by police to hospital in Anantnag district, while eight residential houses and three school buildings were damaged in different parts of Kashmir valley, police said today.

Dilshada was stranded in her snowbound Aaroo village in the periphery of Pahalgam hill resort, 100 kms from here, in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

After getting information, a police team acted swiftly and cleared snow on about four kilometres of road from Pahalgam to Aaroo and crossed eight kilometres by foot to lend a helping hand to the family to shift the pregnant woman to hospital, a police spokesman said.

Another pregnant woman Masooda Jan, a resident of Panzgam village of Kokernag, in Anantnag district got stranded on road while on way to hospital and was subsequently rescued by police and evacuated to hospital, the spokesman said.

He said four residential houses were damaged due to heavy snowfall at village Watto in Kulgam district while a government middle school was damaged at Hakradan village of the south Kashmir district.

A building of Government Middle School Sapplan and old building of Primary School at Dalwash also got damaged due to heavy snowfall in Budgam district of central Kashmir, the spokesman said.

He said two residential houses were also damaged at Ladoora village of Sopore in Baramulla district, one house each in Tikipora village of Kupwara district and Nigenpora- Qazigund in Kulgam district.

Most parts of Kashmir especially the high altitude areas experienced heavy snowfall during the past three days.

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In the backdrop of efforts by authorities for rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, scholars and members of civil society today said their return should signify justice and dignity to the community.

"We (KPs) are a micro-minority community in the Valley and we are treated as majority in the state, because we are Hindus. We suffered discrimination and that is why our fathers left the place and we also migrated, not for our lives initially but for our livelihood, and eventually in 1990s the mass migration took place... We want to return to our home, but with a sense of justice and dignity," activist Sushil Pandit of 'Roots In Kashmir' said.

He was speaking at a roundtable here on the topic 'Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits: The Way Forward' hosted by NGO, Global Counter Terrorism Council.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has identified 100 acres of land at eight places in the Valley for rehabilitation of Pandits who migrated from Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s following outbreak of militancy.

These pockets, where Kashmiri Pandits are likely to be rehabilitated, will be spread across all 10 districts of the valley, according to officials in the Union Home Ministry.

As per the official figures, as many as 62,000 Kashmiri migrant families were registered with the government out of which 40,000 were registered in Jammu, 20,000 in the national capital and remaining 2,000 in the rest of the country.

Grandson of Sheikh Abdullah and president of Awami National Conference, Muzaffar Shah said, efforts must be made to do away with "binaries", about who is Kashmiri Pandit and who is a Kashmiri Muslim, and the issue of rehabilitation must be addressed peacefully and with dignity.

"Different sides must come to the table to not argue with each other but amicably sort the matter," he said.

Supreme Court lawyer and daughter of leader Abdul Ghani Lone, Shabnam Lone said "we must address issues on both sides, whether its Pandits and Muslims in the Valley, and create a conducive environment for the rehabilitation".

Scholars on Kashmiri culture and a few defence experts also took part in the roundtable.

The NDA government, after assuming office in 2014, had earmarked Rs 500 crore for rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits who had migrated from the valley since January 19, 1990 following the rise of militancy.

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today crticised self-financing educational institutions saying many of them have become commercial establishments.

Inaugurating the state-level public education protection mission at Malayankeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram, he said many of them even think that running an educational institution was more profitable than doing liquor business.

The Chief Minister said that according sanction to start self-financing institutions without guidelines had resulted in the present situation.

The then Congress-led UDF government had opened up the education sector in Kerala for self-financing stream in early 2000.

Stating that it is the public sector schools that maintain high standards, Vijayan said that the government had initiated various steps to improve infrastructure in state-run educational institutions.

Plans were on the anvil to make hi-tech classrooms in schools and steps were on to revive the teaching method from standard one to 12, he said.

Providing education to students of all strata, cutting across caste, religion and financial barriers was one among the several salient features of public sector schools, Vijayan said adding 'Kerala model of education has even garnered world attention'.

The Chief Minister said the state education sector was on the path to achieve its dream of becoming the first fully digitalised public education system in the country by converting 40,000 classrooms into hi-tech classes.

The training process to teachers would also be reformed in tune with time, he said.

State Education Minister C Raveendranath was among those present on the occasion.

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South Korean firm Mezzion Pharma has filed a suit against Dr Reddy's Laboratories in the US alleging that the Indian company hid "significant deficiencies" and misrepresented compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cGMP practices.

The Hyderabad-based company has, however, said it is yet to receive any "legal papers".

Mezzion said it is seeking "millions of dollars in damages for fraud, fraudulent concealment and other counts".

"Mezzion has filed a suit for damages against Dr Reddy's in New Jersey State Court alleging that Dr Reddy's committed fraud relating to Dr Reddy's hiding significant deficiencies in its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cGMP practices, and misrepresenting its compliance to Mezzion," the South Korean firm said in a statement.

Mezzion, which used to be a customer of Dr Reddy's, said it "has incurred delay and expense and was forced to seek new manufacturers and suppliers for udenafil and the udenafil finished product".

The company is currently taking the necessary steps required to resubmit its udenafil NDA to the FDA for approval, Mezzion added.

In a BSE filing, Dr Reddy's said: "As of now the company has not been served with any legal papers or legal process in the matter refereed to in Mezzion's press release."



The suit also states that Dr Reddy's misconduct was the sole reason given by the FDA to deny approval to Mezzion's new drug application (NDA) for udenafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) and for FDA's refusal to grant marketing approval of Mezzion's udenafil finished drug product.

"In this suit filed with the New Jersey State Court, Mezzion seeks to recover from Dr Reddy's millions of dollars in damages for fraud, fraudulent concealment and other counts," Mezzion said.

In 2015, Dr Reddy's had received a warning letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for two of its active pharma ingredients (API) manufacturing plants and a formulation facility located in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today appointed a high-level presidential commission of inquiry to probe an alleged insider trading scam involving the country's Central Bank which has caused a rift in his unity government.

The panel was appointedafter Tuesday's parliamentary debate on the issue and has been tasked to come out with the findings within 3 months.

Sirisena has appointed two sitting Supreme Court judges and a retired Auditor General to probe the bond scam which has caused fissures in the current government headed by him and his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the President's office said.

Former Governor of Central Bank Arjuna Mahendran and his son in law connected with a primary dealer firm are accused of benfitting from insider information during two issues of bonds in February 2015 and March 2016.

Sirisena on Wednesday publicly slammed an effort by the Wickremesinghe faction of the government to refer the findings of the parliament's Committee of Public Enterprises (COPE) to the police and for further civil action.

Sirisena said he was not in agreement with a civil case and wanted criminal charges pursued on the issue.

Mahendran was Wickremesinghe's nominee for the bank's boss.

After his alleged involvement in wrong doings, Sirisena did not extend Mahendran's term and appointed a successor.

The analysts say the bond issue has triggered a widening rift in the unity government amid a public campaign by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to return to power.

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A day after a bomb was hurled at a public meeting addressed by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in Kerala, the party today alleged that it was at the receiving end of such violence by right wing organisations, contrary to what was being claimed by BJP.

This attack by the BJP/RSS hoodlums once again nails the lie that it is the RSS/BJP which is at the receiving end of such violent attacks in Kerala, particularly in the district of Kannur, CPI(M) politburo said in a statement.

Referring to BJP's recent protest outside Kerala House here against attacks on its activists allegedly by Left cadre, the Politburo stated that the situation was otherwise.

"The fact is that in Kerala, it is the CPI(M) and other constituents of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) which have been at the receiving end of the murderous attacks mounted by the RSS and its outfits. Such attacks increase whenever the LDF is in government in the state," it said.

The Politburo stated that the current round of attacks on its cadre began with the murder of CPI(M) worker Ravindranath while he was participating in a procession following the victory of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from Dharmadom constituency in the state Assembly elections held last year.

The CPI(M) has claimed that as many as six of its workers have been killed and scores of others injured during the short span the Pinarayi Vijayan government has been in office.

The Politburo calls upon the RSS/BJP to immediate stop such violent attacks, the statement said.

A bomb was hurled near a public meeting venue of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at Kannur in Kerala yesterday, leaving a DYFI activist injured.

The incident occurred around 7.30 PM at about 200 metres away from the venue, where Balakrishnan was speaking at Nangarathupeedika in New Mahe area of Kannur, police said.

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Machine tool manufacturers Lokesh Machines today said it has entered an agreement with Austria's EMCO GmbH for manufacturing and selling their machines in India.

"Our technical collaboration for manufacturing, with a global leader will spur our growth momentum substantially. Our emphasis on quality and innovation has always led us to explore new horizons of excellence in every endeavour. Our technological tie up with EMCO Group is yet another strong step in the right direction," Lokesh Machines Director M Sri Krishna said in a release issued here.

EMCO Group is one of the leading technological Machine Tool company based out of Austria and having various manufacturing plants located in Austria, Germany and across Italy.

The Austrian company specialises in multi-tasking and multi axis turning and milling machines and 5-Axis machining centres with installations at leading automotive, aerospace and general engineering companies in Europe and USA.

This technology tie-up will help Lokesh expand its customer base beyond the traditional automotive OEM'S tier I and tier II's and offer specialised manufacturing solutions to a host of manufacturers, he added.

These machines will be assembled at the new manufacturing facility at Kallakal in Hyderabad.

Lokesh Machine will manufacture the multitasking machines soon for Indian market as well as re-export.

Presently the company is operating from five locations in Hyderabad and Pune.

The company also exports CNC machines to Japan, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, China, and Middle East countries.

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Coming under the scanner for issuing a circular banning display of religious pictures and rituals in offices and state-run schools, the Maharashtra government has recalled the order and a show-cause notice was slapped on the official who sent it across the state without getting a nod from his superiors.

The clarification in this regard was made today as Shiv Sena ministers met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding withdrawal of the circular, a day after Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray attacked the government over it.

Soon after the meet, state Education Minister Vinod Tawde said the government has already revoked the order and action has been ordered against the official concerned.

"The show cause notice has been issued to the desk officer who sent the letter regarding no religious activities in government offices. He had sent the letter without prior permission of the Deputy Secretary. Clarification regarding the same was made on January 25, but still it was mentioned in the January 26 speech (referring to Sena President Uddhav Thackeray's criticism of BJP over the order)," Tawde said.

"A leader of a political party (Thackeray) should not say anything without verifying. Shiv Sena ministers are misguiding their leaders and public at large," he said.

Earlier, when Sena ministers met Fadnavis to make a formal representation on the issue, he had assured the delegation that the circular would be revoked.

The circular was issued by the Rural Development department to all district councils on January 4. It stated that "putting up photos of gods and religious figures or religious texts or celebration of religious festivals and pujas in government offices, semi-government offices, offices of local bodies, state-run educational institutions is against the provisions of the Constitution".

It further directed the district councils to "uphold the values of the Constitution" by immediately removing all religious pictures/texts/deities and stop 'pujas' and celebrations. Officials had also been asked to remove such slogans or portraits respectfully.

Yesterday, Thackeray had slammed the state government over the circular, alleging that ministers from his party were not taken into confidence before issuing it.

"Where was your transparency before you took this decision? Why were Sena ministers not taken into confidence? Had they been, they would have strongly protested it," he had said.

Wondering as to why pictures of deities could not be displayed in offices, the Sena chief had said that he accepted secularism, but it should be applied without discrimination.

"Unworthy people are sitting in the government. Do they not understand that people do not keep performing pooja in government offices all day? If you have the courage, implement the Uniform Civil Code as well," he had said.

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The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal is considering centralising conversion of agricultural land into other purposes from the state secretariat Nabanna, instead of district or block levels.

"The state cabinet during its meeting today discussed that the control over conversion of agriculture land into other purposes should remain in the hands of the government's top level to avoid interference of land mafias, manipulation in conversion process or any other controversy," state Agriculture Minister Purnendu Bose said.

The issue of land use conversion figured in today's cabinet meeting, which came on the heels of the clash in Bhangor area in the southern fringes of the city where two villagers died while protesting the construction of a Power Grid sub-station.

"The matter is still at the discussion stage and no final decision has been taken. If conversion of land has to be centralised from the state secretariat, the existing Land Act needs to be amended and thus, an Amendment Bill has to be moved in the state Assembly," Bose said.

"The entire process is a long drawn one and nothing has been finalised about how the Amendment Bill should be brought or which sections of the existing Land Act be changed for the purpose," he said.

Villagers today withdrew their blockades in Bhangor, where tension prevailed following disruption of law-and-order situation by some miscreants from outside with the provocation of some opposition political parties, Bose said.

"Our party supremo Mamata Banerjee has never acquired any land forcibly and not a single inch of land will be acquired forcibly in future by her government," the minister said.

"The people of Bhangor have realised their mistakes and have now come forward to become a part of the development process initiated by the Mamata Banerjee government, leaving aside all disruptive methods. It is a good sign," Bose added.

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Stepping up pressure on government following the success of the Jallikattu stir in Tamil Nadu, students, artistes and politicians today staged a massive protest here, demanding removal of the ban on Kambala, a traditional buffalo race in the coastal region held annually.

All-College Students' Association along with Tulu film artistes, Yakshagana artistes, politicians and members of Tulunada Rakshana Vedike staged protest at Hampankatta here, lending momentum to the growing demand on the issue.

Noted personalities from Tulu film industry including actors Devdas Kapikad, Naveen D Padil, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, director-producer Vijay Kumar Kodailbail, BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Congress MLA Mohiuddin Bava and others called for immediate government action to ensure continuation of Kambala.

Students from various colleges formed a human chain.

Kateel said Kambala had history of 800 years and it was a tradition of Tulunadu.

Tulu, a Dravidian language, is spoken in a small region, mainly in coastal Karnataka and Kerala's Kasaragod district, collectively known as Tulu Nadu.

The student fraternity had gathered to protect Kambala and prove youth power, he said, alleging that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was projecting Kambala in a wrong way claiming that buffaloes were subjected to cruelty, but in fact they were treated with great care and concern.

The protest would continue until ban on Kambala was withdrawn, he said.

Kateel had yesterday threatened to observe a fast unto death if the state government did not promulgate an ordinance on Kambala.

Addressing the protest, Bava said Kambala was a unifying sport and the people of the district were closely attached to it irrespective of religion, caste and creed. The fight would be continued "until justice is done."



Theatre director Vijaykumar Kodialbail said there was no instance of buffaloes being tortured during Kambala and it could not be compared to Tamil Nadu's Jallikattu (taming of bull).

In Bengaluru, AIADMK Karnataka unit workers staged a protest, demanding lifting of the ban on Kambala and demanded a ban on PETA, which has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court to restrain the sport.

AIADMK activists and leaders raised slogans against PETA and demanded that the Siddaramaiah government bring in an ordinance at the earliest to clear the decks to conduct Kambala.

"Our chief minister should take the cue from the success story of Tamil Nadu with regard to jallikattu. He should immediately bring in an ordinance to conduct Kambala in the Dakshina Kannada region," AIADMK Karnataka secretary V Pugazhendi told PTI here.

In November 2016, the Karnataka High Court had passed an interim order restraining holding of Kambala.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 30.

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In a significant step, Mauritius will soon start automatically sharing of tax information with India and other countries as part of global efforts to curb multinational companies from profit shifting activities.

The development also comes months after the island nation, long perceived to be a jurisdiction for alleged illegal fund flows into Indian shores, agreed to revise its bilateral tax treaty with India to address the concerns.

Along with Mauritius, six other countries signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for Country-by- Country Reporting (CbC MCAA), bringing the total number of signatories to 57, OECD said in a statement today.

India signed the agreement in May last year.

Paris-based think tank Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the agreement is part of "continuing efforts to boost transparency by multinational enterprises (MNEs)".

Apart from Mauritius, Gabon, Hungary, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malta and the Russian Federation have now signed the pact.

CbC MCAA allows signatories to bilaterally and automatically exchange country-by-country reports with each other, as contemplated by Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.

"It will help ensure that tax administrations obtain a better understanding of how MNEs structure their operations, while also ensuring that the confidentiality and appropriate use of such information is safeguarded," OECD said.

BEPS refers to tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations.

Under the inclusive framework, over 100 countries and jurisdictions are collaborating to implement the BEPS measures and tackle such instances.

In May 2016, India had signed with Mauritius the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC), in a bid to prevent "abuse" of the tax avoidance treaty.

The island nation is a major source of foreign direct investments coming into India.

Meanwhile, OECD said information on the activation of exchange relationships under the MCAA would be released in due course.

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A mere 16 per cent of the grant sanctioned by the Women and Child Development Ministry for women's safety and security under the has been spent by the implementing agencies.

Rs 2,000 crore was transferred to the "Public Account for the Nirbhaya Fund" till 2015-16. For the year 2016-17, another Rs 500 crore was set aside.

The Ministry has approved projects worth nearly Rs 2,200 crore, of which Rs 1,530 crore has been disbursed by it.

However, only Rs 400 crore has been spent on the execution of projects under the by the agencies, like state governments, which were given this money.

"Eighteen proposals amounting to Rs 2,195.97 crore have been received so far, of which 16 amounting to Rs 2,187.47 crore have been appraised and recommended by the Empowered Committee," a statement issued by the Ministry said.

"The amount allocated to different projects is approximately Rs 1,530 crore and the expenditure incurred is approximately Rs 400 crore," it said.

Though the was set up in 2013 by the UPA government after the 2012 Delhi gangrape, the statement provided details only of the grant sanctioned and spent in the last two years.

This is because the ministry was made the "nodal ministry" to appraise and monitor the implementation of schemes under the Nirbhaya Fund only in October 2015 after guidelines to this effect were issued.

The poor execution on the ground is despite the fact that an Empowered Committee of Officers was constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, WCD, for approving and monitoring of various schemes under this special fund and has met seven times since it was set up in November 2015.
MIDHANI, a city-based Mini Ratna Category I Defence enterprise, has declared a dividend of Rs 35.41 crore for the year 2015-16 at 30 per cent of the profit after tax of Rs 118.03 crore.

MIDHANI Chariman & Managing Director, D K Likhi along with Directors handed over the dividend cheque to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on January 25, it said in a statement.

This is the fifth consecutive year when the company has paid full dividend to the Government as per guidelines and 13th successive year for payment of dividend. The cumulative dividend paid is more than its equity base. Till now, MIDHANI has paid Rs 238.52 crore as against its equity capital of Rs 187.34 crore, the statement said.

The company has achieved a "record" sales turnover of Rs 762 crore in 2015-16.

"With the present growth trajectory, the company is expected to soon achieve a sales turnover in excess of Rs 1000 crore," it said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight congratulated Adama Barrow for assuming charge as Gambia's President and said India stands with him for the rapid and all-round development of the African country.

"Congratulations to Mr. Adama Barrow. India stands with him for the rapid & all-round development of The Gambia," Modi tweeted.

Barrow, who was living in exile, returned home yesterday to take over as Gambia's President.

He had defeated in December elections the "authoritarian" leader Yahya Jammeh who was ruling the country for 22 years. Jammeh was, however, not willing to cede power but finally bowed out under international pressure.

Barrow was sworn-in as President on January 19 in Gambia's Embassy in Senegal.

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A global body, chaired by former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, has suggested scaling up of universal health coverage in India, modelled on the AAP government's flagship 'Mohalla Clinics' project.

In a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Annan has lauded the health reforms in the national capital, notably in providing free primary healthcare services through the mohalla clinics.

"We understand that this initiative is proving very successful and we commend you on this impressive achievement," Annan wrote in the letter dated January 25 in his capacity as the Chair of 'The Elders', an organisation of independent global leaders founded by anti-apartheid icon and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.

The letter came with a memorandum containing a set of suggestions to further develop the programme. Implementing these would help extend the health coverage in Delhi and provide important lessons for the other Indian states.

The policy memorandum observed that the root cause of India's relatively poor health coverage was the "chronically low levels" of public financing in the sector, which is among the lowest in Asia.

"Delhi's mohalla clinics may prove to be a good model to scale up Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in India...Many key health stakeholders in India are therefore, very excited about the Mohalla Clinic programme and its potential to become a model for scaling up coverage in other states," it said.

There are 106 such clinics in Delhi and according to a report published in The Lancet journal, close to 1.5 million (15 lakh) patients have visited them in the past year.

The government plans to open 1,000 mohalla clinics by this



year, aiming to decongest the government hospitals and make healthcare accessible to all.

These are part of a three-tier public health roadmap, the other components being polyclinics and hospitals.

Polyclinics will have specialists and will refer only those patients, who require a surgery or hospitalisation, to a multi-speciality hospital.

'The Elders' has called for an independent evaluation of the programme and has underscored the importance of documenting the key lessons from its implementation, treating it as a matter of urgency.

However, computerisation of patients' records, management of services and monitoring of performance have not kept pace with the increase in the services at the mohalla clinics, it observed.

"Therefore, to improve the efficient running of the programme, it is recommended that the government invest in cost-effective information systems which will capture vital patients' data as well as facility-based data.

"The potential benefits of scaling up include improvement of key health outcomes. It also comes with economic and political benefits," the forum said.

It would also strengthen health security in Delhi and protect the citizens against infectious diseases such as TB, HIV, malaria, Ebola, SARS, MERS and new strains of influenza, 'The Elders' noted.

"UHC reforms have consistently been shown to increase the popularity of political leaders who have extended publicly financed healthcare to their people," it said under the section on political benefits.
People in Munger are celebrating the bestowal of Padma Bhushan award on Yoga proponent and head of Bihar Yoga Bharti, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.

Commissioner of Munger N C Jha, Deputy Inspector General of Police Barun Kumar Sinha and District Magistrate Udai Kumar Singh visited Swami Niranjanananda yesterday to congratulate him.

"It is a great for all of us as Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati has dedicated his life to yoga and to teach as how to lead a healthy life not only in Munger and Bihar, but in many foreign counties as well," Shashi Bhusan Verma, Secretary of Managing Committee of the Bihar Yoga Bharti, said today.

The DM said it was a great honour not only for Bihar Yoga Bharti, but for the citizens of Munger as well.

Born in 1960 at Rajangaon, now in Chhattisgarh, Niranjanananda had visited Munger Ashram in 1964 as a four-year-old and refused to go back home. He told his parents that he was destined to serve humanity through yoga at Munger and stayed back at Munger refusing all allurements, Verma said.

After travelling across the world as a representative of Munger Yogapeeth, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati was anointed as its chief in 1995.

Verma said Niranjanananda Saraswati was part of a committee of NASA to suggest how yoga can help astronauts keep good health during space voyage.

Verma claimed that 29 countries, including France and Australia, have adopted yoga propagated by the Munger school.

Besides propagating yoga, Munger Yoga Bharti under the leadership of Niranjanananda has been giving free education and promoting creativity among thousands of poor students in more than 25 villages in Bihar and Jharkhand.

The Munger school of Yoga recently developed "special yoga capsules" comprising concise 4-5 asanas on chronic diseases like diabetes, Asthma and Blood Pressure.

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The National Green Tribunal has summoned the municipal commissioner of the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam over non-compliance of its order for construction of sewer lines in Kaushambi near Delhi border.

A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim took exception to the affidavit filed by the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam stating that the green panel's directions to stop flow of untreated sewage from villages to the storm-water drains of Kaushambi has been complied with.

"It needs no reiteration and there are statements which are inconsistent and speak aloud of non-compliance of the directions as per its own statement in the affidavit. In the circumstance, we would have taken serious view of lapses but for the request made by the counsel to give time to take further instructions.

"In the circumstances, we grant time till January 31, 2017, for the municipal commissioner of the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam to report compliance of all the directions as also to explain the delay in compliance," the bench also comprising Expert Member Bikram Singh Sajwan said.

The NGT directed the general manager of 'Jal Kal Department' Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam and municipal commissioner to be present on January 31, the next date of hearing.

The order came on the plea filed by Kaushambi Apartments Residents Welfare Association (KARWA) seeking execution of July 20, 2016 order to disconnect all sewer lines linked to storm water drains and stop release of untreated sewage from nearby villages in these drains in Kaushambi township within one month.

The green panel had also directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority to pay Rs 1.1769 crore to the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam within one month for construction of the sewer lines.

"On receipt of the said amount the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam shall construct sewer lines within two months there from. The Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam and the Ghaziabad Development Authority shall file compliance reports in the registry within 90 days," the bench had said.

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The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to Bihar government and the state police for alleged inaction in the murder case of a Class X girl in Hajipur.

The Commission, taking cognisance of a complaint by a member of the National Commission for Women in connection with the case, has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Bihar.

It has also sought a detailed report on the matter in six weeks including the steps being taken by the state government or proposed to prevent such incidents, the NHRC said in a statement.

The NCW member had sought the Commission's intervention in the murder case of the girl, a student of Ambedkar Awasiya Balika Uchh Vidylaya, a government resident school in Dighi (Majirabad) in Hajipur. Her body was found in a drain near the gate of the hostel on January 8.

"It is stated that the victim had complained that one of the teachers of the school was mounting pressure on her for sexual favours. She has observed that police are not taking proper action in the matter even as the family of the victim is being threatened," the statement said.

The Commission has also observed that the content of the complaint raises serious issue of violation of the right to life and dignity of the girl students studying in the school and residing in the hostel.

"It is mentioned in the complaint that some resourceful persons of the locality, in connivance with police and administration, are trying to hush up the case and mounting pressure on the victim's family by threatening them," the rights panel said.

"Being guardian of the students, the school authorities are bound to provide safety and security to them. Such incidents are indicative of not only negligent attitude of the authorities but require immediate action against responsible teachers/staff of the school," the NHRC said.

The NCW member had visited the school as well as the residence of the victim in Muzaffarpur district.

"She (member) found that the school was in a very bad condition. Heaps of garbage were piled up inside the school premises. It is cleaned only by the students as there is no other arrangement.

"The place where the food is prepared for the students is also full of filth with bad odour. There is only one hand-pump in the school for 345 girl students," the Commission said.

The students had complained that the premises is not safe. Wild animals and anti-social elements often enter inside the school, it said.

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against two suspected ISIS operatives from Kerala.

The charge cheet names Abdul Rashid Abdulla as the main accused, who motivated a number of youths from Kasaragod to exit India along with their families to join the Islamic State, and Yasmeen Mohammed Zahid who was intercepted while trying to take a flight to Kabul to join ISIS in Afghanistan.

The agency in a statement said the case relates to the criminal conspiracy hatched within and outside India by certain youths, originally hailing from Kasaragod district of Kerala, with the intention of furthering the objectives of ISIS and their pursuant exit from India along with their families for joining and supporting the terror organisation.

The case was "originally registered as FIR 534/2016 at Chandera police station in Kerala's Kasaragod district under Section 57 of the Kerala Police Act and sections 38 and 39 of the UA(P) Act.

"It was re-registered at NIA police station, Kochi, on August 24, 2016," it said.

A probe by the NIA has established that Abdul Rashid Abdulla was the main conspirator who motivated a number of youths from Kasaragod to leave India along with their families to join the Islamic State.

He held classes at Kasaragod and other places in support of the terrorist organisation and "its ideology of violent jihad", the agency said.

Abdulla motivated one more set of 14 co-conspirators, including another arrested accused Yasmeen Mohammed Zahid, to join the proscribed organisation and plan for "Hijrah to the Caliphate" announced by the ISIS, it said.

The NIA said the probe revealed that the conspiracy had been in operation since July, 2015.

It said Zahid was intercepted at the New Delhi International Airport on July 30 last year when she was trying to exit India for Kabul alongwith her minor child to join her co-conspirator Abdulla in the territory under the control of ISIS in Afghanistan.

The probe has established that Abdulla had raised funds for the ISIS and transferred the money to Yasmeen, who utilised it for her activities with the intention of supporting the terrorist organisation, the statement said.

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Nigeria is seizing back one of Africa's richest oil blocs and will prosecute petroleum giants Shell and Eni in a USD 1.2 billion corruption scandal that has drawn investigators from the United States, Italy, France, Switzerland and Holland, according to a Nigerian Federal High Court document.

The court yesterday ceded control of Oil Prospecting License 245 to the government while the West African country's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigates and prosecutes suspects in the "Malabu Oil scam," according to a statement from the commission.

The commission's petition to the court says Dutch-British corporation Shell and Italian Agip, now Eni, bought the bloc in 2011 knowing the transaction was "fraught with fraud" and that the USD 1.2 billion payment to former petroleum minister Dan Etete and his allies was a bribe. The state oil company got only USD 210 million from the deal.

The government is preparing further charges of "conspiracy, bribery, official corruption and money- laundering" against Shell and Eni, the petition says.

Criminal charges already have been filed against both companies and several executives in an Italian court in Milan.

"This is historic. Generations of Nigerians have been robbed of life-saving services while oil men have grown rich at their expense," said Simon Taylor of the anti-corruption body Global Witness. "Companies and their investors must understand they can no longer do backdoor deals with corrupt officials without paying a hefty price."



Eni has not received notification of the court order, spokesman Roberto Carlo Albini told The Associated Press. "Eni denies any wrongdoing," he said. Shell Nigeria spokesman Bamidele Olugbenga Odugbesan said he had no comment.

The oil companies paid the USD 1.2 billion into a Nigerian government escrow account at the London branch of JPMorgan Chase, and former justice minister Mohammed Bello Adoke authorized its distribution.

The commission last month filed charges of fraud and money laundering against Etete, Adoke and businessman Aliyu Abubakar.

The petition says Nigeria's former military dictator Gen. Sani Abacha and Etete used front men to form Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. And illegally awarded themselves OPL 245. After Abacha's mysterious death in 1998, the company directors and shareholding was fraudulently altered to divest Abacha's son, Mohammed, it says.

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The number of suspects in the Petrobras corruption scandal will likely double following confessions of former executives at Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, the lead prosecutor in the case has said.

"We expect the case load to double in volume, and the collaboration of Odebrecht and many of its executives will provide evidence that will lead to new investigations throughout Brazil," federal prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol told AFP yesterday.

The probe that Dallagnol is leading, dubbed Operation Carwash, has netted scores of politicians and executives and put pressure on President Michel Temer as he tries to drag Latin America's biggest economy out of recession.

Those ensnared in the case include more than 100 politicians suspected of accepting bribes from powerful construction conglomerates for themselves or for their political party in exchange for allowing the builders to overcharge contracts with state oil giant Petrobras.

Current and former executives at Odebrecht have signed plea deals and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in return for lighter sentences.

Dallagnol said that he and his team were surprised at the level of sophistication of the company's bribery scheme, dubbed the "department of bribery."



"We were surprised, because one thing is to know that... corruption is rooted, widespread and systematic in Brazil, and another thing is to look at the monster in the eyes.

"We are investigating thousands of crimes involving millions (of dollars) carried out by hundreds of people," Dallagnol, who is 37, told AFP.

The firm's former head Marcelo Odebrecht, who was sentenced to 19 years prison in March 2016, was reported last year to have given testimony implicating president Temer.

A key judge involved in taking testimony from Odebrecht executives, Teori Zavascki, died in a plane crash last week. Police are investigating.

Zavascki, 68, had been studying the confessions of 77 construction executives involved in the corruption scandal.

The judge's compilation of the confessions was to have been completed next month but will now likely be delayed.

Brazilian media have speculated that the testimony could implicate Temer.

The probe has uncovered corruption cases linked to people in several foreign countries, including the United States, Switzerland, Venezuela and Argentina.

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Major oil public sector units are planning to invest over Rs 1.43 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh in coming years which would create jobs for thousands of people in the state, Oil Minister said on Friday.

He said that the investment will start from 2017-18 and all the investment will be completed by 2021-22.

Andhra Pradesh has immense hydrocarbon potential and it is going to become a major petroleum and petrochemical hub in the coming years, he said here at the CII Partnership Summit.

"Our oil PSUs are partnering with Andhra Pradesh to build new synergies in the hydrocarbon sector. The oil PSUs have invested more than Rs 9,400 crore in the last two and a half years and have plans investments of more than Rs 1.43 lakh crore in the state in the coming years," he said.

The minister also said about $20 billion is being invested in KG basin by both public and private sector companies.

"In the current scenario, KG basin is the most active area in the world ... Such huge investment is happening in deep sea projects. The ONGC's investment of Rs 78,000 crore will generate 3,000 direct jobs and thousands of indirect job in Andhra Pradesh. This will also attract world standard companies like Schlumberger in the state.

"They all will operate from the state," he added.

He said that GAIL and HPCL are jointly developing a petrochemical plant in Kakinada.

Further, he said India's first strategic oil reserve storage facility is in Visakhapatnam, which has a storage capacity of 1.33 million tonnes.

Similarly, to ensure long-term gas supply, GAIL and Andhra Pradesh government are setting up an LNG terminal of 3.5 million tons at Kakinada at an investment of Rs 2,500 crore.

The minister informed that he has also invited UAE investment in the petrochemical project in Kakinada and "they are positively considering this proposal".

He added that the world's largest oil producer is looking for investment in the sector in the state for a holistic integrated project.

BP is already in Andhra Pradesh, he said.

"With all this investment and infrastructure development, Rajamundry Kakinada-Visakhapatnam region will emerge as (a major hub)....We are also working with Andhra Pradesh for LPG connections to all the houses...The world will come here in the oil and gas sector," Pradhan said.
Over 2,000 sanctioned posts of teachers, out of 6,023, are lying vacant in schools run by the civic agencies in the national capital, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) informed Delhi High Court today.

"332 out of 365 posts of Special Educator, 125 out of 323 posts of Nursery Teacher and 1653 out of 5335 posts of Primary Teacher are vacant," the EDMC said.

The corporation has disclosed this in an affidavit filed before Justice Manmohan, who was hearing a plea seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against the AAP government and municipal corporations for not complying with a court order to fill up vacancies of over 26,000 teachers in their schools.

The EDMC also stated that in September last year, it has forwarded the requisition of teachers to SDMC.

The petition said there are "as many as 26,031 (this does not include 9,000 posts created by Delhi government in 2015) vacant posts of teachers" in the schools run by the Delhi government and the three corporations.

The plea, filed by NGO Social Jurist through its counsel Ashok Agarwal, has said there was "deliberate and intentional disobedience" of the orders of a division bench of the high court to ensure zero vacancy at the commencement of each academic year in schools in the national capital.

According to the Delhi government, 1,011 government schools currently have a total vacancy of around 15,000 teachers, which severely affects the teacher-student ratio.

Observing that despite a division bench direction of December 20, 2001, so many vacancies still existed, the petition said this was "resulting in depriving 25,05,691 students studying in 1977 schools of their fundamental right to receive quality education".

In 2001, on the NGO's plea against the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, Delhi government and the municipal corporation, the high court had set a schedule for appointment of teachers to ensure that all posts are filled by beginning of July every year.

In 2010, on a contempt petition, the court had said the recruitment process was slow but appointment of teachers was taking place. It had said that if the state did not recruit teachers, the court can be approached again.

The NGO has now moved the contempt petition, saying the state and its agencies were "actually sitting over" the recruitment process.

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Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa today authorised the deployment of upto 200,000 troops to help carry out the country's long-delayed population census.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday authorised the deployment of upto 200,000 troops to support the often delayed national population census, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The troops will be deployed while continuing other security responsibilities, the statement said.

The population census will yield statistics about internal migration, urbanisation, as well as rural and urban population across the country, Dawn reported.

The population data will be used for delimitation of the constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies, a requirement under the Constitution.

In Pakistan, the first four censuses i.E., 1951, 1961, 1972 and 1981, were held on time by the Population Census Organisation, in collaboration with staff from the provincial governments.

The fifth census was due in 1991 and the House Listing Operation carried out in 1990 showed abnormal population growth in some parts of the country, which could not be justified by normal demographic indicators.

Consequently, the government decided to postpone the 1991 census. Another effort was made in 1994, which could not mature due to pressure by from political and ethnic groups.

It was decided that the 1998 census would be held with the support of the armed forces, which was broadly accepted by all political parties and appreciated internally.

The sixth Population and Housing Census was due in 2008, but could not materialise due to the law and order situation in the country, a paucity of staff and financial constraints.

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The help offered by External Affairs Minister to a four-day-old boy having a serious heart ailment has given a ray of hope to the newborn's parents who have now decided to shift him to AIIMS in Delhi for medical treatment.

On January 23, Devesh Sharma's wife Vandana Sharma gave the birth to a child in a hospital here. The child was born with transposition of greater arteries (TGA) intact ventricular septum condition in heart.

Devesh yesterday appealed the minister on twitter to help for the treatment his son, to which Swaraj responded.

Sharma said they decided to seek help after doctors in Bhopal told that they did not have facilities in the city to conduct operation on the child facing this medical condition.

Following his tweet, Swaraj asked for Sharma's phone number so that her staff could contact him.

Subsequently, the minister's staff contacted Sharma seeking all medical reports of the child and sent them to doctors at Delhi's All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences.

After consultation, Swaraj tweeted last evening that, "We contacted the family and got the medical reports through my Bhopal office. Dr Balram Airan Head Cardiac surgery AIIMS advises an early surgery.

"We can organise the baby's surgery in AIIMS Delhi. The family has to decide," she said in another tweet.

After Swaraj's assurance for help, the child's family is now hopeful that he would get better treatment.

"We are in the process of shifting the child to New Delhi through air ambulance for further treatment after Sushmaji's tweet. Hopefully, we will shift the child to Delhi by evening," Sharma, who works in a software firm in Bengaluru, told PTI today.

Swaraj is MP from Vidisha Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh. She underwent a kidney transplant operation at AIIMS in Delhi on December 10 last year.

The minister is known for reaching out to Indians stranded across the world through social media.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot today accused Manohar Parrikar of being "disinterested" in his job as the Defence Minister and said it ill-behoves a person entrusted with such a crucial post.

"As a Defence Minister his performance has been questionable. I don't think in the past there has been any Defence Minister who has been so disinterested in his job. It is one of the top jobs in the government," Pilot told reporters here.

"I don't think he (Parrikar) has really lived up to the stature of the Defence Minister," he said.

The former Union Minister is in Goa to participate in the Congress' election rallies.

Stating that BJP was fooling people on the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP), Pilot questioned why are former jawans are still sitting and protesting at jantar mantar (in Delhi) if all their demands are fulfilled ?



"There has been actually a betrayal of trust of jawans. Lot of ex-servicemen supported BJP. Two and half years later, they are still negotiating by relasing few hundred crores. That does not satisfy the demand of OROP. The fallacy that they have sold, Parrikar is a party to that. That is a big lie of the BJP that needs to be exposed," he said.

Referring to the recent remarks by Nitin Gadkari that the next CM can be sent from the Centre, Pilot said "we talk about Super CM and super-super CM, we don't know how many layers there are. Gadkari has come and given a new twist to the story...They might as well be frank, and say so and so would be the CM face."



Pilot also alleged that the BJP was largely using money power to win Goa Legislative assembly elections.

"Since BJP is ruling in the state and Centre there has been large misuse of money during the electioneering process. The kind of money power BJP is using has not happened in Goa elections in the past. I want the Election Commission to take note of it. The misuse of government machinery is also happening specially in Goa," he said.

Pilot assured that Congress' manifesto for Goa would be implemented in toto.

"Once we form the government, the manifesto would be givne to the Chief Secretary and government's agenda would be the manifesto," he said.

The Congress leader also accused the ruling BJP in Goa of making U-turns on several issues.

"The upcoming State Legislative Assembly election is very



important considering that the BJP which was ruling in the state for last five years and in Centre since 2014 have done major U-turns on issues. The promises on mining and casinos are amongst several issues where the government has done U-turns completely disappointing the people of Goa," he said.

"The promises made in the Congress manifesto are realistic in nature. I believe BJP government in Goa is one where chief minister is not himself the power of the Goa government," Pilot added.

Polls to the 40-member Goa House would be held on February 4.
Social support is the main motive for Facebook use, while Twitter usage focuses more on gaining new knowledge and seeking advice, suggests a new study which reviewed 10 years of research on social support via social networking sites.

Researchers at Michigan State University and San Diego State University in the US examined the role of social networks as avenues of social support and the dynamic relationship between the two.

They analysed the past 10 years of studies covering this topic with their findings serving as a starting point for identifying the frontiers of social support in social media research and potential directions for moving it forward in a meaningful and efficient way.

"Social networking sites (SNS) offer users an alternate avenue by which to gain access to social support," said Brenda K Wiederhold from Interactive Media Institute in the US.

"In reviewing why patients use SNS, it appears that social support is the main motive for Facebook use, while Twitter usage focuses more on gaining new knowledge and seeking advice," said Wiederhold.

The study was published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking.

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Philippine troops have launched airstrikes and ground assaults that reportedly wounded one of Southeast Asia's most-wanted militant suspects who is trying to establish a new base for an alliance backing the Islamic State group, officials said today.

Intelligence reports showed the assaults killed at least four militants, possibly including a Malaysian, and reportedly wounded the main target, Isnilon Hapilon, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told The Associated Press.

He said Hapilon apparently managed to flee from a camp in the mountainous hinterlands of Butig town in southern Lanao del Sur province.

"Army troops are still in hot pursuit," Lorenzana said.

Airstrikes targeted Hapilon's group on Wednesday and Thursday. Hundreds of troops, backed by artillery fire, then began pursuing him and other militants from the so-called Maute group in Butig, military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano said.

Hapilon, who is on the U.S. Department of Justice list of most-wanted terrorists worldwide with a reward of up to $5 million for his capture, moved to Butig from his stronghold on southern Basilan island a month ago to look for a base for his new militant alliance, Ano told the AP.

Lanao is about 830 kilometers (520 miles) south of Manila. President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly warned that the emergence of Islamic State-influenced militant groups is fast looming as a major national security threat. While pursuing peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, he has ordered the military to destroy smaller but brutal extremist groups like the Abu Sayyaf, which is dreaded for cross-border kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.

Duterte asked the two Muslim rebel groups in talks with the government not to help extremists under attack by government forces, warning them such a move may break existing cease-fires.

"I am pleading. Do not allow the Maute and the other terrorist groups to enter and seek refuge in your camps," Duterte said in a speech after meeting Ano, Lorenzana and military commanders in the south. "If you share a part of your territory, you don't allow us to enter, and you give them protection ... Forget about peace, let's just fight."



A wave of Abu Sayyaf kidnappings of crewmen on ships, mostly from Indonesia and Malaysia, has sparked a regional security alarm.

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Three persons have been arrested in connection with seizure of two pipe bombs from a tailoring shop here, police said today.

While two persons, Abdullah and Abdul Rahman were arrested here yesterday, their accomplice Khader was apprehended this morning near the Madurai Medical college in this connection, they said.

Preliminary investigations had revealed that the bombs made by one Mohammed Osama, President of Muslim Munnani Pasarai, from Cumbum in Theni district, were brought to Madurai with a view to eliminate Hindu Munnani leader Rama Gopalan, they said.

Abdullah had confessed that the plot to kill Ramagopalan was made two months ago during a meeting with one Basha, and they had planned to carry it out at the 9th Hindu Rights' Retrieval conference that is currently underway at Palladam in Coimbatore.

However, they could not smuggle the pipe bombs to Palladam from Madurai due to the security checks following Jallikattu agitations at different places, and had left the bombs with one Abdul Rahman of Pudur, he told the police.

Abdullah had participated in the agitation in support of jallikattu, held in this city, police said.

A close watch was kept on him as he was found moving suspiciously between Pudur and Tamukkam with a bag yesterday and was later picked up for questioning.

Based on his confession, Khader was also nabbed.

The pipe bombs of high intensity had been seized from a tailoring shop in Pudur, which is owned by Abdul Rahman, police added.

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Days after pro-jallikattu protests at Marina ended, city police today made it clear that the area was out of bounds for any kind of agitation and warned of strict action against those "who illegally congregate" in the entire stretch of the beach.

Police said in the last few days, messages were being circulated in the social media "requesting youth to congregate at the Marina for various purposes".

"The youth and student community are requested not to believe such messages being circulated," police said in a release.

Marina was a place where families came in large numbers for recreation and relaxation and "for more than a decade protests, demonstrations and agitations have been totally banned in the entire stretch of Marina beach commencing from Light House to Napier Bridge," it said.

Further, as per court orders, processions were banned in all the arterial roads of the city, it said.

Police have identified several places in the city for political organisations and outfits for the "democratic expression of grievances", it said, adding permission is sought by those concerned before holding agitations and protests.

"In the light of the above, the Commissioner of Police (S George) has appealed to the citizens of Chennai to abide by the restrictions already in place with regard to the conduct of agitations etc at Marina beach. Miscreants and rumour mongers are also severely warned that stringent legal action would be taken against those persons who illegally congregate at the Marina beach," it added.

On Monday, police had dispersed pro-jallikattu protesters who had stay put at Marina for a week.

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Pro-Kiev protesters today blocked a railway line into Ukraine's rebel-held east to protest against trade with Russian-backed separatists, their spokesman told AFP.

Several dozen pro-Kiev former volunteer fighters as well as members of parliament blocked the main railway into the rebel-controlled part of the Lugansk region, Bogdan Lozytsky said.

"This is a protest with no time limit," Lozytsky said by telephone from the protest site. "We are stopping the flow of smuggled coal and other goods between Ukraine and the occupied territories."



The protesters also plan to block roads in the next few days, Lozytsky said.

Since separatist rebels sparked a conflict with government forces in 2014 in the coal-mining Donbass region bordering Russia, nearly 10,000 have lost their lives on both sides.

An "indefinite" ceasefire declared in late December has failed to entirely stop the violence.

Ukraine in 2015 banned almost all trade with the rebel-controlled areas, prompting a boom in smuggling. The government only made it legal to buy coal from the separatist regions.

The pro-Kiev governor of the Lugansk region, Yuriy Garbuz, warned the action "threatens the energy security of the country," in the height of winter.

Garbuz said the protesters "had blocked empty train cars intended to transport coal into the territory controlled by Ukraine."



"If fuel supplies aren't restarted, heat and power stations in central and Western Ukraine will be left without fuel," he warned.

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Sending out a strong message to those who fail to toe the party line, Punjab Congress today permanently expelled nine more dissidents from its primary membership after they did not withdraw from the Assembly poll race.

The nine rebels expelled are Naresh Puri, Tarlochan Singh Soond, Jasbir Singh Pal, Maninder Pal Singh Palasour, Avtar Singh Billa, Sukhraj Singh Natt, Darshan Singh Sidhu, Rajinder Kaur Meemsa and Jatinder Kaur Monga.

State party chief Amarinder Singh said they have been "expelled permanently from the primary membership of the party for anti-party activities with immediate effect".

The latest action comes two days after a similar order expelling seven rebel candidates for life after they failed to retire in favour of the official Congress nominees even after the deadline given by Amarinder expired.

Amarinder had on Sunday issued a final ultimatum to the rebel candidates who continued to defy the party diktat to withdraw their candidature or retire from the poll fray. The rebels were given time till 5 p.M. On Tuesday to step down in favour of the Congress candidates in their respective constituencies.

While several rebel candidates had earlier been persuaded by the party leadership to take back their nominations before the last date given by the Election Commission, a handful of them remain defiant and did not withdraw their papers.

They were on Sunday given another 48 hours to leave the race for official Congress candidates.

Amarinder, who was today declared as party's chief ministerial face by Rahul Gandhi, said it was important to send out a strong message that the party would not tolerate such rebellion and those going against the high command's decision would have to pay for it.

He reiterated that the candidates selected for tickets by the party leadership were chosen for their winnability and those who had withdrawn in favour of the officially nominated candidates would be accommodated in key positions if the Congress forms the government in the state.

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Queen Elizabeth II will host a special reception at Buckingham Palace to kick start the UK-India Year of Culture celebrations in Britain, the Indian high commissioner here has said, noting that the bilateral ties have merged "truly exciting".

In his address at the annual Republic Day event in London, Indian high commissioner to the UK Y K Sinha said a number of events are being planned to mark the "momentous" year.

"We are very happy that 2017 is the year of Indian culture in the UK. It is also the year India marks 70 years of independence. They both go hand in hand this year as we celebrate this momentous occasion and we are very honoured by Her Majesty's decision to start off the year with a reception at Buckingham Palace," Sinha said.

The reception is expected to take place towards the end of February, with a formal date announcement expected in a few weeks.

"The India-UK relationship has never looked better. It has stepped up to a level which is truly exciting, truly encouraging. This year's agenda in particular looks very challenging and very exciting," Sinha said.

Describing the bilateral trade in goods last year of USD 14 billion and another USD 5.3 billion in services as just the "tip of the iceberg", he added: "With the United Kingdom exiting the European Union (EU), I think the time has come for India and UK to again re-engage to strengthen our economic engagement."



The Indian envoy was joined by Nick Hurd, UK minister for climate change, as the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations at Grosvenor House hotel in central London.

He welcomed Sinha's appointment as Indian high commissioner to the UK, as a diplomat of "seniority and experience".

"Republic Day marks a momentous turning point in India's history and today we commemorate the thriving democracy it is. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the long-standing ties between our governments," the minister said.

"At the heart of this relationship is our people to people ties or to use Prime Minister Modi's phrase, the 'living bridge' that connects our two countries. The Indian diaspora plays a crucial role in deepening UK- India links. We are committed to harnessing our natural ties and making this an enduring partnership," he added.

The event was marked by cultural performances representing different states of India.

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Andhra Pradesh minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao today criticised Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for his "behaviour" during a protest in Vizag airport yesterday, saying his claims of becoming a chief minister after two years was an "illusion".

"In Vizag airport Jagan claimed he is the next chief minister and threatened to target police officials who stopped him from leaving the airport. These are the qualities of people who are suffering from paranoia," the Irrigation Minister said.

YSR Congress Party president Reddy was not allowed by the police to leave the Vizag airport after he arrived from Hyderabad yesterday to take part in a protest scheduled at the city's R K Beach demanding special status for Andhra.

Rao sarcastically said Reddy holds responsible position and "we offer support to him and his family members for cure".

In a counter to Congress Rajya Sabha MP K V P Ramachandra Rao's allegations that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu took full credit for Polavaram project, Maheswara Rao said the Congress-led Union Cabinet in a meeting on 2nd March 2014 declined the request for issuing Polavaram Ordinance for the transfer of seven mandals to Andhra Pradesh.

"The same ordinance was passed in May after the Modi government took charge because of quick efforts of Chief Minister Naidu along with efforts of other stake holders. Passage of ordinance would have been difficult post June 2, designated date of bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh," Rao said.

The Ordinance was cleared in the first meeting of the Cabinet under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier in the day, RS MP K V P Ramachandra Rao spoke to reporters here and said the Centre was trying to appease the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leadership rather than fulfilling the promises made to the people of Andhra during the time of bifurcation.

The MP also alleged Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was focusing more on Polavaram than on demanding Special Category Status for AP.

"Polavaram was a project conceived designed and started under the Congress regime itself," said Ramachandra Rao.

The Congress MP in a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee urged a status report from the Centre on the implementation of AP Reorganization Act, 2014, and on the promises.

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Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna paid floral tribute to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the embassy and unfurled the national flag in the presence of large number of Indian-Americans to celebrate the 68th Republic Day here.

In his brief address to the gathering, Sarna highlighted India's development and India-US relationship. He also read out the address of President Pranab Mukherjee made on the eve of the Republic Day yesterday.

This was followed by singing of patriotic songs by a young Indian-Americans.

Documentaries titled "A Day in the Life of India" and "INDIAN ARMY: An Instrument of National Power" were screened on the occasion.

Republic Day celebrations were also observed at other Indian diplomatic missions in the US - New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Indian Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin unfurled the national flag at the Permanent Mission of India in New York.

The Day was also celebrated at the California state Assembly by the first ever Indian-American Assemblyman Ash Kalra along with community members and other lawmakers.

Joining the celebrations, Congressman Pete Olson in a statement said it marks important day that India adopted their Constitution as their governing document - the day India officially became a republic and a free nation.

"Today celebrates both India becoming a republic and it signifies the special bond between the world''s oldest and largest democracies. This bond encompasses shared values, commercial trade and mutual security," Olson said.

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Celebrated script writer-poet Javed Akhtar today said the rich and the "privileged" were "the only minority" in the country and they were the ones who ruled it.

"This country is ruled by a minority, a very miniscule minority and they are the privileged rich class. They are the rulers," Akhtar said while speaking at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here.

Akhtar, who was speaking on the topic 'Acts of Faith', said that 58 per cent of the wealth in the country was owned by one percent of its people while the majority mass remained deprived of it.

"The rich and the privileged don't want to establish that the society is divided horizontally because they need to make sure that the rich and poor Hindus are one side and likewise with the Muslims. It is the privileged who see to it that the society is constantly divided vertically," he said.

"For the rulers, division should be ensured between communities and not the rich and poor. The only crime in this country is to be poor," Akhtar said.

Even a rich and influential Muslim can get away with murder, he said, adding it would happen because he is a "privileged person".

"I don't want to name people. If you are rich, whether a Hindu or a Muslim, one can get away with murder as the person is priviledged," he said.

"We should become secular because for that is a matter of survival not because we are good people," he added.

Referring to the condition of Muslims in the country, Akhtar said India had "strange relationship" with its minorities which he "cannot understand".

"Out of 53 so-called Islamic countries, 49 countries do not have the kind of laws that we have in India. There is the Muslim Personal Law, which does not exist either in Pakistan or Bangladesh. The teen talaq (triple talaq) is not allowed in most Muslim-majority countries," Akhtar said.

"A woman is not a minority and not an Indian. She is only the property of a Muslim who is an Indian citizen. She is a thing," he said.

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Spain-based sanitary product maker Roca today said it has elevated K E Ranganathan as Managing Director for its India business.

Ranganathan had joined the company in September 2016 as President, Sales and Marketing.

In his earlier role with Roca, he was responsible for creating new strategies and opportunities to drive growth and further consolidate the company's leadership position.

Ranganathan will replace India's MD Pau Abello who is moving to another senior position within Roca group and will be leading Roca's business in Latin America as Senior Managing Director, the company said in a statement.

Prior to joining Roca Bathroom Products, Ranganathan was the Managing Director of TVS Electronics and Operating Partner of TVS Capital, a private equity player during 2012 to 2016.

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Officials from SAARC countries will meet in Kathmandu on February 1-2 for an "administrative and budget" conference of the regional grouping.

India will be represented by Joint Secretary (BIMSTEC & SAARC) Prashant Agrawal at the meeting and the confabulations are technical in nature, officials said.

With the conference happening in the backdrop of collapsed SAARC Summit, officials asserted that India will make it very clear that it was up to Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere to hold the Summit.

"Though the meeting is technical in nature but if required, Indian side would reiterate its position that the Summit can only take place in terror-free atmosphere and it was incumbent on Pakistan to create such a situation," an official said.

While Pakistan has been blocking regional connectivity proposals like SAARC Motor Vehicles and Railways Agreements, India is committed to SAARC process, the officials said.

India, along with several other SAARC countries, had pulled out of the 19th SAARC summit, scheduled to be held in Islamabad last November, maintaining that the atmosphere was conducive for holding of the summit in view of continuous cross-border terrorism by Pakistan.

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National champion Sameer Verma and Mumbai's Harsheel Dani shocked Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus and Emil Holst, respectively, to reach the men's singles semifinals at the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament here today.

Eighth seed Sameer, who had reached the finals at Hong Kong Super Series last year, rode on his powerful smashes to dish out a tricky game and stun second seed and world number 14 Vittinghus, who is coming back after undergoing a surgery due to apendicitis, 21-15 21-13 in a 35-minute clash.

It was 15th seed Harsheel, 20, who started the proceeding when he dumped 12th seed Denmark's Holst 21-16 17-21 21-11 in a thrilling contest at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium.

A former under-19 champion, Harsheel, who had won the 2012 Karvy All India junior-ranking and was a runner up at the Turkey International Open 2015, will face Sameer tomorrow.

Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu expectedly brushed aside Vaidehi Choudhari 21-15 21-11 in another lop-sided contest, while defending champion Kidambi Srikanth boosted his confidence with another 21-12 21-17 win over Malaysia's seventh seed Zulfadli Zulkiffli.

While China Open champion Sindhu, world ranked sixth, will face Indonesia's fourth seed Fitriani Fitriani, who edged out Polish Open winner Rituparna Das 21-17 13-21 23-21 in a hard-fought battle. Srikanth will meet compatriot B Sai Praneeth, seeded ninth and who prevailed 21-19 12-21 21-10 over compatriot Sourabh Varma, seeded 11th, in another match.

Sameer, who was nursing recurring back and ankle injuries before winning international challenge titles at Bahrain, Bangladesh and Mumbai, produced a game that was laced with cross court and deceptive smashes and half smashes -- enough to bamboozle the World No. 14 Dane, who committed unforced errors galore to dent his chances.

At the first game, he broke off at 4-4 to quickly move to a 11-6 lead at the break after pushing the shuttle at the back of the court. His quick reflexes and angled returns helped him to gather points at will as he eventually sealed the opening game when Vittinghus found the net.

The Dane, who won his maiden Super Series title at Australia last year, grabbed a 8-4 lead in the second game only to see Sameer once again wriggle out of his grip with a straight six-point burst. The Indian then slowly shut the door on the Dane without much ado.

Harsheel, who has been training at the Uday Pawar academy for last 14 years, however, had to dig deep in his reservoir to dismantle the World No 47 Holst. The Mumbaikar walked away with the opening again without being troubled much after opening up a 7-3 lead early on.

In the second game, Harsheel had a 10-6 lead but he blew it as Holst made a comeback, despite a late fight by the Indian. However, the strapping left-handed shuttler changed his gears in the decider to zoom past his opponent as he lead 10-1 at one stage and didn't give any chance to Holst to make any comeback.

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Top South Asian lawyers' bodies have condemned US President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration, alleging that "these divisive actions" encourage racial and religious profiling and almost exclusively target communities of colour.

"The policies announced yesterday encourage racial and religious profiling and almost exclusively target communities of colour," the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) said in a joint statement.

There are 1.3 million undocumented Asia-Pacific Americans, including those brought to the US as children, whose families will be directly affected by these orders, the statement said.

Trump on Wednesday signed two executive orders on immigration - one of them entitled Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, designed to enhance the immigration laws enforcement within the US.

The order calls for prioritising the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have been "convicted" or "charged with any criminal offence," "have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offence" - meaning anyone the authorities believe has broken any law - regardless of whether that person has been charged with a crime, or "have engaged in fraud or wilful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter."



In recent months, Muslims, Sikhs, South Asian-Americans and Arabs have been targets of hate incidents and violence more than at any time since the aftermath of the September 11 attacks - with a noticeable increase in anti-immigrant bias.

The orders that breed distrust about immigrants will only serve to make these communities less safe, said the statement.

"The president's actions demonise and stigmatise groups of people and further the divisions in our country, while reinforcing the fear and distrust permeating our communities," said Vichal Kumar, president of SABA.

"With the stroke of a pen, these divisive actions have caused grave uncertainty, shock and grief amongst our must vulnerable. We must continue to provide safety and security for our communities and not allow these divisive actions to further tear us part," he alleged.

"Actions like the president's executive orders have been shown in the past to discourage victims from reporting crimes to law enforcement officials because of fear of prosecution based on immigration status and threatens the years of progress we have made towards creating safer communities," said NAPABA president Cyndie Chang.

SABA and NAPABA alleged that these orders, along with the reportedly forthcoming executive actions to restrict immigration based on nationality and religion and to close the borders to refugees, represent a rejection of America's core values as a country, which has always welcomed those who have been forced to flee homes to escape conflict or persecution.

"These actions also represent a step backwards in decades-long efforts to create trust between law enforcement agencies, immigrant communities, and the broader American public - which is a critical component of public safety for all Americans," it said.

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The Supreme Court on Friday ordered status quo on the Competition Commission of India (CCI) probe against for predatory pricing allegations by Meru Cabs.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and D Y Chandrachud also sought responses from CCI and Meru Cabs on the matter.

has challenged the order of the appellate tribunal passed last year directing Director General of CCI to investigate the allegations of predatory pricing alleged by Meru Cabs.

Senior advocate Harish Salve said that the appellate tribunal has not formed any prima facie opinion and despite that, the investigation was ordered.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on February 17.

The Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) had on December 7 last year ordered fair trade watchdog CCI to probe afresh the alleged abuse of dominance by the popular tax-hailing app operator.

The direction came after Meru Travels Solutions approached the tribunal against CCI's earlier decision against ordering an investigation into allegations against of unfair practices including predatory pricing.

The tribunal had directed CCI's probe unit Director General (DG) to conduct a fresh probe into the allegations of abuse of dominance and anti-competitive practices by Uber.

"The size of discounts and incentives shows there are either phenomenal efficiency improvements which are replacing existing business models with the new business models or there could be an anti-competitive stance to it," the order had said.

"In our view, there is a good enough reason for the Director General to investigate this matter. It will also help in settling an issue which has agitated business discourse for quite some time," the tribunal had added.

It also asked CCI to pass an appropriate order, on receipt of the investigation report, after giving the opportunity to all parties to file their replies and objections, besides offering them a personal hearing.

Taxi-hailing apps like Uber and radio taxi service providers such as Meru are locked in a stiff competition across the country. Earlier too, there have been allegations and counter-allegations by the two sides.

As per the complaint, Uber allegedly resorted to many abusive practices with the sole intent to establish its monopoly and eliminate otherwise equally efficient competitors from the market by way of discounts and incentives.

It was alleged that Uber is spending about $885 million to generate a revenue of $415 million.

The CCI in February last year had rejected Meru's complaint, saying that the inability of the existing players to match the innovative technology of any player or the model created for operating in a particular industry cannot be said to be creating entry barriers in itself.
The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a plea seeking either a total ban on slaughter of cattle or framing of a uniform policy to protect and preserve them from slaughtering and smuggling.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice N V Ramana said it cannot direct states to frame law banning slaughter of cattle.

Various orders have been passed by the apex court in the past on measures to be adopted to prevent illegal inter-state transportation of the cattle, the bench said, while refusing to entertain the PIL filed by Vineet Sahai, a Delhi resident.

During a brief hearing, the counsel for Sahai referred to inconsistencies in various state laws on slaughter and transportation of cattle.

He said in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the statutes were stringent while in neighboring Kerala, slaughter was allowed, which led to illegal inter-state smuggling of cattle.

The plea, filed through lawyers S Usha Reddy and Sarvesh Bisaria, has sought a direction to the Centre to frame "a uniform policy throughout India for protection of cattle and to preserve them for all purpose instead of slaughtering them and exporting the said cattle in market, despite the fact that we have the provisions under the Constitution ...To protect and increase our cattle".

"Some states allow the slaughter of cattle with restrictions like a 'fit-for-slaughter' certificate which may be issued depending on factors like age and gender of cattle, continued economic viability etc. Others completely ban cattle slaughter, while there is no restriction in a few states," it said adding that the prohibition of cow slaughter is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy under Constitution.

The plea had sought "a total ban on slaughtering of milch and draught cattle including calves; or in alternative, issue a writ of mandamus, directing the respondents to frame an uniform policy for banning the slaughtering and preservation of milch and draught cattle which includes calves".

The apex court, while hearing another PIL, had asked the Centre to frame rules to stop illegal inter-state and inter-nation transportation of cattle. It was hearing a PIL that had alleged that a large number of cattle was exported illegally to Nepal for Gadhimai festival held once in five years.

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A day after an MBBS student here alleged harassment by her seniors, the medical college officials said the matter has been amicably resolved with the intervention of the students' parents, even as police asked the college authorities to submit a report on the incident.

A fourth year MBBS student at SCB medical college had earlier lodged a police complaint alleging that some of her seniors had abused her in filthy language and made lewd gestures while watching the annual movie show on Republic Day yesterday.

Acting on the complaint, the police had recorded the statements of the victim and registered a case against four accused persons.

However, today the teaching hospital authorities said the matter has been amicably settled, which was also corroborated by the girl's father who informed that an understanding was reached between the students in which it was agreed by both sides not to precipitate the matter further.

Inspector of Police Manglabag police station A K Swain said today, "Although, an FIR has been registered in this connection, due process of law would be followed if the matter has been amicably settled between the parties."



He added that the college authorities have been asked to file a report on the alleged incident.

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Shiv Sena ministers today requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to cancel a circular banning religious pictures in government offices.

The Sena ministers, in the BJP-led state government, today called on Fadnavis to make a formal representation in this regard.

Later, while talking to reporters, Sena minister Ramdas Kadam claimed that the Chief Minister has agreed to cancel the directive.

"The CM has agreed to cancel this directive and has told us that an inquiry would be initiated against the official responsible for the directive," Kadam said.

Notably, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had also yesterday slammed the state government's recent order banning the celebration of religious festivals, pujas and pictures of deities in government offices, alleging that party ministers were not taken into confidence before issuing the circular.

"Where was your transparency before you took this decision? Why were Sena ministers not taken into confidence? Had they been, they would have strongly protested it," Thackeray had yesterday said.

Wondering why pictures of deities could not be hung in offices, Thackeray said he accepted secularism, but it should be applied without discrimination.

"If you have the courage, implement the Uniform Civil Code," he said.

The Maharashtra government had last week directed rural civic bodies to remove photos of Gods or religious figures from government offices and state-run schools with immediate effect.

The offices were reminded that solicitation of any religion by displaying religious slogans and performing puja was against the provisions of Constitution.

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With Shiv Sena deciding to go it alone in city corporations and other civic polls across Maharahstra, focus has been shifted to stability of the BJP-led government in the state, in which the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is a junior partner.

A day after Thackeray declared his party's stand after the seat-sharing talks with the BJP floundered, party's senior minister in the cabinet Ramdas Kadam today said he and his colleagues have their resignations in their pockets, and are waiting for the signal from the party chief.

The BJP circles, however, refused to set great store by such assertions, stating that the ally's decision will have no impact on the Devendra Fadnavis government's stability.

Eagerly watching the development from the sidelines is NCP. The party supremo Sharad Pawar has declined to spell out clearly what stand his party would take in case Sena pulled out of the government.

Parrying queries on the matter, the veteran politician said yesterday that he would not answer hypothetical questions, but added, "They should take the decision and later come for the discussion."



Significantly, NCP had pledged outside support to BJP when it emerged the single largest party but fell short of absolute majority in 2014 Assembly polls.

Elections to 10 Municipal corporations, including the cash rich Mumbai, and 25 Zilla Parishads and 283 panchayats are to be held between February 16 and 21.

Shiv Sena insiders say the outcome of these elections will determine whether the party pulls out of the Fadnavis government, which it joined in December 2014, two months after the first ever BJP-led government came to power.

"If Sena does well in these elections, the party will not hesitate to withdraw support to the government," a Shiv Sena source told PTI.

"Uddhavji will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time," Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said when asked about her party's continuance in the government.

Party sources said Sena workers want to fight for people's issues and expect support and direction from the leadership.

"Late Bal Thackeray's style of functioning and mannerism were different from that of Uddhav. Balasaheb had a direct connect with the masses. Uddhav interacts more frequently with shiv sainiks from all districts and is now well versed in political calculations. Even when the alliance talks were on, Uddhavji had frequently interacted with the media and also released manifesto for Mumbai and Thane,"a Sena source said.

Seat-sharing talks between the saffron allies had failed to make any headway right from the start, especially in Sena heartland Mumbai, as the BJP stuck to its demand for far higher number of seats than it contested in the past.

Despite being a partner in Maharashtra and at the Centre,



Sena has aired critical views on the BJP rule and did not even spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially post-demonetisation.

Observers feel, in the process, Sena's move could change political equations in the state but much will depend how well it performs in the civic polls, especially in prime space Mumbai.

According to them, the unfolding scenario could also have an impact in rural areas.

A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said, "The decision of Sena not to have an alliance with BJP will expose the covert understanding between the NCP and BJP."



In ten city corporation areas, the fight will be between the Sena and BJP, vying for the first two spots, pushing Congress and NCP far behind.

Sena leader Neelam Gorhe told PTI that Sena-BJP have not always had alliances for civic and local bodies polls.

"Uddhavji's decision not to have an alliance for the civic and local body polls is expected to result in a gain of 20 to 25 per cent in number of seats for our party. It gives Shiv Sainiks space to strengthen their base down the Panchayat samiti level," she said.

According to reports, Fadnavis and a section of the BJP were keen on an alliance with the Sena to avoid division of votes.

"Municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads are the main revenue generating local bodies with Central funding. If Sena wins, it would be politically damaging for the BJP. If BJP fails to win Mumbai, it would send a message nationwide," observers said.

Anant Gadgil, Congress leader told
Islamist Shabaab fighters attacked a Kenyan military base in southern Somalia today in their latest assault on foreign and national army outposts.

The attack on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) base at Kolbiyow, close to the Kenyan border in Somalia's Lower Juba region, began with suicide truck bombers blasting their way into the camp, followed by militants attacking from different directions.

Shabaab claimed in a statement to have overrun the base, captured military vehicles and equipment and to have killed scores of Kenyan soldiers.

"Fighters have taken control of the base and the overall Kolbiyow area after massacring the Kenyan infidels," the statement said.

KDF spokesman Paul Njuguna denied the base had been overrun, but gave no casualty figures.

"We are engaging the enemy and we have actually repulsed them, but it is ongoing," Njuguna said.

Shabaab frequently overstates the death toll from its attacks while Kenya commonly underplays its losses.

In January last year a Kenyan base at El-Adde was attacked and overrun by Shabaab fighters who claimed to have killed over 100 Kenyan soldiers. The government never gave its own toll.

The Shabaab, which once controlled much of Somalia, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.

It launches regular attacks on government, military and civilian targets and has carried out a series of deadly assaults against foreign soldiers deployed in Somalia as part of an African Union force.

On Tuesday at least 28 people were killed when Shabaab bombers and fighters attacked a hotel in the capital.

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Congress and Samajwadi Party are haggling over seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli,the Parliamentary turf of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.

Congress, which managed to get 105 of the 403 seats under the seat-sharing deal with the SP after hard negotiations, is in no mood to give up its claim over all the 10 seats in Amethi-Rae Bareli.

Sources said the party was perturbed as none of the five candidates declared by its alliance partner earlier has been withdrawn by SP.

"SP had announced five candidates in these Parliamentary constituencies before the alliance was sealed but since then no name has been withdrawan and local Congress leaders are especailly perturbed over the issue," a senior Congress leader said.

Though both the sides are more or less agreeable to a broad understanding that Congress will get six and SP four, local leaders and workers are not ready to give up either Amethi or Gauriganj Assembly seats from where SP has already announced its candidates, he said.

Congress, which is looking for a major share, also wants freedom to choose its nominees rather than blindly following the "sitting-getting" formula.

"Giving tickets only on the basis of previous performance will only benefit rivals and we cannot afford to see reverses for failure to forsee them," he said.

Without assessing the situation and winnability of each candidate before fielding them would be like helping BSP, he said, citing the example of Sareni in Rae Bareli.

SP has given ticket to its sitting MLA in Sareni but situation there has undergone a major change since 2012 and now even their supporters are against them, he said, apprehending that the seat could go to BSP in case the same candidate is repeated.

It is essential that both the alliance partners work towards assessing each others' strong and weak points seat-wise or else it will cause more harm than benefit to the ideals for which both the parties have come together, he said.

The leaders and ticket aspirants in Amethi and Rae Bareli have already vented their displeasure over Congress being made to play second fiddle and have also aired their strong views publicly.

They are now awaiting the party high command's directives, the Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

"Negotiations are on at the highest level as per our information, with Priyanka Gandhi taking up our case with the SP leadership and we are hopeful of a favourable outcome," he said.

Besides, there is confusion in the alliance over some seats in Lucknow and some other constituencies like Saharanpur and Congress leaders are waiting for some clarity on them before they embark on electioneering, he said.

When contacted, Congress spokesman and UPCC general secretary Maroof Khan said his party has compromised on several points and on several seats but Amethi and Rae Bareli are the traditional Congress strongholds and partymen have worked hard in these constituencies over the years.

"Just as the Congress is not making any unjustified demand on seats in the areas of influence of SP, the honour and dignity of the party should also be upheld especially in areas which have great importance for us," he said.

SP holds eight of the 10 seats on Gandhi turf and has to drop sitting MLAs in favour of Congress.

Since Amethi and Rae Bareli go to polls in the 4th and 5th phase, it might take some more time for the two parties to resolve the matter.
A Special Cell for Women and Children was today inaugurated at the Sadar Police Station here by State Commission for Women chief Theilin Phanbuh.

The Cell was first started in June last year and funded by the United Nations Development Fund for Women along with the state government and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

In her speech, Phanbuh congratulated the home department for the pilot project and expressed hope that the Cell would cater to the needs of women who faced violence.

She said the Cell would help not only the victims, but also in tackling rising crimes against women.

The SCW chief also sought cooperation from the Special Cell in counselling women complainants and victims who approach the Commission for help and urged the state government to set up similar cells in all districts to help ease the woes of women in distress.

Deputy Inspector General A R Mawthoh said "Crimes against women is the most aggressive violation of human rights," and that the victims often experience a sense of emotional numbness that could result in her taking drastic and fatal decisions.

"For such situations, the Special Cell for women and children is more needed," he said.

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Sonu Sood has come a long way from making his debut in a Tamil movie in 1999 to working opposite Jackie Chan in his latest film, and the actor says one requires to be strong to survive in the industry.

Sonu featured in several south Indian films before appearing in Hindi movie "Shaheed-E-Azam". He got recognition as Abhishek Bachchan's brother in Mani Ratnam's "Yuva".

"To get good roles and good films is difficult for an outsider," Sonu said, when quizzed about the challenges that an outsider faces.

"To survive here physically, mentally is not easy. Because you don't know anyone here, everything is new to you. You just have to keep on. It is like staying underwater. How long you can hold your breath is important," the actor told PTI in an interview.

Sonu, whose lead antagonist turn in Abhinav Kashyap's "Dabangg" opposite Salman Khan brought him several accolades, says he had the blessings of his parents to survive here.

"It is maddening, it is crazy but I think it also then makes you tougher. It makes you feel you are a survivor. I had blessings of my parents with me to reach where I am," he said.

The 43-year-old actor is currently gearing up for the release of his latest film "Kung Fu Yoga", which features him opposite Jackie Chan. The 62-year-old international star recently visited India as part of the film's promotions.

"When I got Jackie here, I said give those ten-twelve hours to me, I'll give you the most memorable trip of your life. We were running around, promoting the film all over.

"When he was leaving, he held my hands and said 'Thank you so much'. He throughly enjoyed the trip and was very happy with his experience here," the actor said.

Sonu's biggest take away working with Chan was the dedication that the latter puts in his craft despite all odds.

"He is very dedicated. Sometimes he might say his legs, hands are paining but as soon as the camera rolls, he is jumping from one corner to another, performing all the stunts. That's what he is. An unbeatable guy who never gets tired. The love for cinema and his craft is what I learnt from him," he said.

Directed by Stanley Tong, the multi-lingual action-adventure comedy film is scheduled to release on February 3. The film also stars Bollywood actress Disha Patani and Amyra Dastur.

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Realty major Tata Housing is targeting a sales revenue of about Rs 450 crore by 2020 from its luxury housing project here in Himachal Pradesh, a top company official said today.

Tata Housing, the real estate arm of Tata group, is developing a high-end housing project on 22 acres of land parcel in a joint venture with Impact Projects.

"We are developing 102 high-end luxury villas in this project. The first phase 'Myst' comprising 60 units will be completed in next 3-6 months," Tata Housing MD& CEO Brotin Banerjee told PTI.

Today, the company launched the second phase of this project called 'Cliffside' having 42 units in a price range of Rs 3-6.5 crore, he added.

Asked about the total investment in this project, Banerjee said the total project cost for both the phases is Rs 200 crore.

On sales realisation from this project, he said the company expects a revenue of about Rs 450 crore by 2020, when this project would be delivered.

"We have already sold 45 villas in the first phase out of 60 units despite slowdown in the market. The ticket price of the first phase was in the range of Rs 3-15 crore," Banerjee said, adding that buyers are mostly from New Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai as well as few NRIs.

"Irrespective of the market conditions, the demand for luxury holiday homes in the hills is constantly on a rise," he said.

"After the successful sale of our second homes in Goa and our luxury wellness homes in Thane, we believe the launch of Cliffside will bring promising returns both to the customer and the company," Banerjee said.

Established in 1984, Tata Housing is a closely held public limited company and a subsidiary of TATA Sons.

The company is developing about 70 million sq.Ft of area in about 30 projects. An additional 19 million sq.Ft in the pipeline.

With strength of over 800 staffs, the company has presence in Mumbai, Lonavala, Talegaon, Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa, Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.

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Telangana government today signed a memorandum of agreement with France's AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine on setting up an aero skills academy here.

"The scope of this partnership is to create a world-class aero skills academy in collaboration with academia and industry based in Hyderabad. The project deliverables include identifying skill gaps, designing courses and enabling EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and DGCA (Directorate general of Civil Aviation) certifications for the academy and its courses," an official release said.

This partnership focuses on developing skills across youth as well as experienced professionals in tune with the latest industry trends.

The new academy would offer specialised aeronautical courses in engineering, manufacturing and maintenance domains.

The academy shall offer long duration basic training programmes for young students and vocational training and short duration courses tailor-made to industry requirements for experienced technicians, it said.

The MOA was signed by Jerome Verschave - General Manager, AEROCAMPUS and Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana ITE&C Secretary.

Ranjan was quoted as saying that the academy would help in attracting large scale investments in aerospace sector.

Verschave said Aerocampus is "very excited" to begin this new campus in India, according to the statement.

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Actor Thomas Sadoski said he is "so proud" of his fiancee Amanda Seyfried.

The 40-year-old actor, who stars with Seyfried, 31, in "The Last Word", is impressed with the fact that his fiancee was able to hold her own on screen opposite veteran actress Shirley MacLaine, reported Access Hollywood.

"I watch this movie with so much pride because I'm watching my fiancee go toe-to-toe with Shirley MacLaine and hold her own, I'm just so proud," he said.

In the movie, the 82-year-old actress plays a controlling retired businesswoman who wants to write her own obituary, only for a young journalist - played by Amanda - to attempt to find the truth.

Thomas thinks the "Mean Girls" star's positive attitude has helped make a great film that audiences will enjoy.

"I was so impressed with her, how she presented, she came in and said 'I'm gonna learn from her but I'm going to show up and bring what I bring' and the two of them hit it off immediately, and you can see it, it bounces off the screen.

"I think people are going to love it, it's a crowd pleaser," he said.

Seyfried and Sadoski, who began dating last year, are expecting their first child together.

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The "anti-social elements" who infiltrated the peaceful students' protest for jallikattu did not want Republic Day celebrations to be held on the Marina beach, a senior police official claimed today.

"Their whole idea was that Republic Day celebrations should not be held. Yesterday it was held successfully," Additional Police Commissioner S N Seshasai said.

Traditionally, Republic and Independence Day celebrations and rehearsals for the parade are conducted in the Marina beach vicinity.

"Such anti-social elements reacted violently as their idea to somehow hold on to their protest was foiled. They felt defeated when about 3,000 student-protesters who continued to stay put even after an ordinance was promulgated left the venue, heeding an appeal by police," he told reporters here.

These people instigated trouble from the nearby areas including Nadukuppam and Mattankuppam, he said.

"We did not have any problems in dispersing the students, problem was related to a group on the beach (who were not students) and another which supported it from outside," he said.

A total of 245 people have been arrested in connection with the violence on January 23 and more than 100 have also been identified and they would be apprehended soon. Those who had abetted troublemakers would also be arrested.

He said anti-social elements that had infiltrated the congregation alone wanted to create trouble and indulge in violence and not students.

"We have got videos to show how violence was unleashed in the fish market area in Nadukuppam (by arsonists) and we are producing this in court," he said, adding the department was also in possession of evidence of boulders, and stones being flung on its personnel.

Many affected persons were police personnel who sustained injuries inflicted by anti-social elements masquerading as protesters and only minimum force was used, he said.

On the video footage which purportedly showed two police personnel allegedly indulging in torching incidents, he said, "magnifying this is wrong, aberrations may have been there."



"Based on that, it is wrong to paint the entire police department with the same brush."



He, however, said the cyber cell was looking into the allegations and their veracity.

He said 7,000 to 10,000 police personnel were deployed to tackle the violence on January 23.

Answering a question related to allegations of police excesses, he said police personnel did not even carry lathis to disperse the students.

"We were talking in friendly terms. Since protesters were students we did not even carry lathis or protective gear," he said and added that the problem began after 10 am on January 23 when vehicles were burnt at the Ice House Police Station by anti-social elements.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has defended his controversial plan to limit the entry of people from some Muslim countries to combat terrorism even as he was non-committal whether nations like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia would be figuring in the proposed visa ban list.

When asked about countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia figuring in the list, he said, "You're going to see. You're going to see. We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think there's even a little chance of some problem."



"We are excluding certain countries, but for other countries, we're going to have extreme vetting. It's going to be very hard to come in," Trump told ABC News, refusing to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about.

Trump denied that it was a ban on Muslims. "No it's not the Muslim ban, but it's countries that have tremendous terror," he said.

"Right now, it's very easy to come in. It's going to be very, very hard. I don't want terror in this country. You look at what happened in San Bernardino. You look at what happened all over. You look at what happened in the World Trade Center, OK? I mean, take that as an example. People don't even bring that up," he said.

Asked if he was concerned this would anger Muslims around the world, he said, "Anger? There's plenty of anger right now. How can you have more?".

"The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place. All of this has happened. We went into Iraq. We shouldn't have gone into Iraq. We shouldn't have gotten out the way we got out. The world is a total mess. The world is a mess," the President said.

According to a draft executive order published in US media, refugees from war-torn Syria will be indefinitely banned, the broader US refugee admissions programme will be suspended for 120 days, and all visa applications from countries deemed a terrorist threat -- Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen -- will be halted for 30 days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Donald Trump spoke by telephone today after the US president's border wall plan sparked the biggest diplomatic crisis between the neighbors in decades.

"I can confirm that they spoke," the official from Pena Nieto's office said on condition of anonymity without providing more details about the discussion.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said a statement would be issued late in the day.

The conversation was reported hours after Trump took to Twitter again to rail against Mexico.

"Mexico has taken advantage of the US for long enough," Trump said today, writing first on his personal Twitter account and then re-tweeting the message under his presidential handle.

"Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!" he added.

Trump has angered Mexicans, perplexed economists and energized his nationalist political base by vowing to build a wall along the US frontier -- and then somehow to make Mexico pay for it.

His insistence on this point caused Pena Nieto -- who had voiced optimism that he could have good relations with Trump after the US election -- to cancel a planned visit to Washington next week.

Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, who met with US officials in Washington this week, told the Televisa network that the two sides were "at an impasse."



But the line of communication remains open, maintaining "the possibility to find a solution," he said.

Analysts say the spat has created the biggest diplomat rift since a drug cartel tortured and killed a US undercover agent in 1985.

Mexico's leaders have repeatedly said their country will never pay for the 3,200-kilometer border barrier that Trump says is needed to stop illegal immigrants and drug smugglers coming over.

Trump's response has been to ask the US Congress to find between USD 12 billion and USD 15 billion for construction and to help him find a way to recoup the money with some kind of tariff on Mexican imports.

His team have floated several ideas for how to do this.

Today, for example, senior aide Kellyanne Conway told CBS television that a five to 20 per cent tax may be imposed at the border.

Yesterday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer suggested that one option -- not necessarily the favored one -- would be a border adjustment tax of the kind favored by Republicans in the US Congress.

Visiting Washington yesterday, Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray scoffed at the notion, arguing that this would just pass the cost of the wall on to US consumers of Mexican goods.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump is expected to order up a new plan for defeating the Islamic State group with expanded US military involvement as he makes his first visit to the Pentagon today.

Trump, who pledged to eradicate the extremist group during the presidential campaign, is reportedly preparing to direct new Defense Secretary James Mattis to more aggressively attack IS positions with the aim of defeating them more quickly.

That could mean more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria, according to analysts.

"We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice," Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast yesterday, using another acronym for the jihadist group.

"This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen."



After his predecessor Barack Obama took a longer term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces, "President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table," retired general David Barno told National Public Radio today.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump will give the Pentagon 30 days to come up with a new set of options for a tougher campaign against IS.

The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as "advisors" -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight.

They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State's hold on the key city of Mosul.

The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of the part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighborhoods on the river's west bank.

According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armor and helicopters involved in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces.

Trump "could elect to put American boots on the ground on larger numbers," Barno said. "That all entails new uses of military power .... And that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties."



Trump promised during his presidential campaign to eliminate Islamic State, saying he had a secret plan to quickly defeat the group.

Last week, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would present Mattis with options to "accelerate the campaign" against IS.

"What is really important is first that we have a conversation about what we are doing today, why we are doing it, and what other things might be done and why we haven't done it to date," Dunford told reporters in Brussels.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Austria has shut its door to about 300 non-Muslim Iranians hoping to use the country as a way station before establishing new homes in the United States, The Associated Press has learned.

The action is an early ripple effect of US President Donald Trump's effort to clamp down on refugee admissions.

Under a 27-year-old program originally approved by Congress to help Jews in the former Soviet Union, Austria had been serving until recently as a conduit for Iranian Jews, Christians and Baha'i, who were at risk in their home country and eligible to resettle in the United States.

Iran has banned the Baha'i religion, which was founded in 1844 by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by followers.

US officials had been interviewing the candidates in Austria because they cannot do so in Iran. But the United States suspended the so-called "Iranian Lautenberg Program" in recent days, according to Austrian officials, who in turn stopped Iranians from reaching their territory. It's unclear when the program might restart.

The episode isn't directly linked to an executive order Trump is expected to sign, perhaps as soon as today, that would suspend the far broader US refugee program for four months.

But it reflects that knock-on effects already occurring from his tougher line on immigration and refugees. Similar to how tighter German migration rules had consequences across Europe, Trump's actions could lead other nations to take a harder look at people wishing to use their territories as transit points.

The net result could be even tougher conditions for people hoping to escape war and persecution for a better life abroad. There are more than 20 million refugees worldwide, according to the United Nations.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell said the Alpine country acted after "US authorities told us that the onward trip for people to the USA, who received visas from Austrian authorities as part of the program, would be put on hold for now."



A State Department email sent Tuesday said the Austrian government had "electronically canceled" its visas for applicants who hadn't yet reached Austria. If they try to reach Austria anyway, they will be permanently blocked from Austria, according to the email, which was obtained by AP.

Schnoell said the move affects about 300 Iranians with visas waiting to enter Austria. He said about 100 of them had been tracked down and informed that they can no longer do so.

The search continues for the rest through airline ticket bookings and other means, Schnoell said.

Other officials said a small number of Iranians with such short-term visas already were in Austria. It wasn't immediately clear what would happen with them.

The end of the program, named for former Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, could have broad implications for religious minorities in Iran.

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American actress and activist Ashley Judd says the ascension of Donald Trump to the US presidency shows that the people of the country are "confused".

"It seems that we are confused. It is confusing how a misogynist like Trump can be President," Judd said at the Kolkata Literary Meet here last evening.

Judd, 48, who participated in the Women's March on January 21, 2017 in Washington DC, said that Hillary Clinton had an amazing resume.

"Hillary ran against Trump. Her CV is epic. What she campaigned for shows she is a 'nasty woman'. I am also a 'nasty woman' so to say".

The actress recited a poem written by Nina Donovan, "Nasty Woman" at the Women's March.

Judd said that US still did not have an equitable wage structure for workers.

"We don't have that kind of an equal pay dignity. That is not there in America. There must be something wrong definitely," she said. According to her USD 15 per hour should be the minimum entry wage.

Recalling her childhood days, she said, "My experience as a child is different. My parents loved me very much. But I was abandoned as a child under desperate circumstances".

"I experienced sexual exploitation as a child. I am fighting against sexual exploitation. The world must know that women's rights are human rights," Judd added.

Referring to the movie "Arbitrage", where a billionaire man faces financial crisis, Judd said, "Men are allowed that redemptive motive, while women are not".

The actress also said that Muslims were also close to her heart and said a vociferous 'No' when she was asked whether she would support the intention which Trump was harbouring against the religious community.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aboard Air Force One on his first flight, US President Donald Trump has praised the presidential jet, calling it "beautiful" and a "nice plane."



"Beautiful. Great flying, really good. Nice plane," Trump told reporters yesterday travelling with him on his way back from Philadelphia.

Trump, who owns his personal plane, said Air Force One is a "very special plane."



"That's a good one, too but this is a very special plane," he said in response to a question as journalist travelling with him were brought to the front of the aircraft after it landed at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

"In pretty cool jacket, right?" he remarked about the navy blue Air Force One jacket draped over the back of his chair.

This was Trump's first ride aboard Air Force One - a modified Boeing 747 which transports the President of the United States - after he was sworn in on January 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aboard Air Force One on his first flight, US President has praised the presidential jet, calling it "beautiful" and a "nice plane."



"Beautiful. Great flying, really good. Nice plane," Trump told reporters yesterday travelling with him on his way back from Philadelphia.

Trump, who owns his personal plane, said Air Force One is a "very special plane."



"That's a good one, too but this is a very special plane," he said in response to a question from journalists travelling with him were brought to the front of the aircraft after it landed at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

"In pretty cool jacket, right?" he remarked about the navy blue Air Force One jacket draped over the back of his chair.

This was Trump's first ride aboard Air Force One - a modified Boeing 747 which transports the president of the United States - after he was sworn in on January 20.
President Donald Trump is seeking to impose a 20 per cent tax on imports from countries with a trade deficit with the US like Mexico to fund the construction of a wall along its southern border, the White House has said.

This is one of the ways to pay for the wall that the US is planning to construct along the US-Mexico border.

But on a broader scale, such a statement from White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer indicates imports from other countries - like India and China - could also be hit by the tax proposal, given the trade deficit the US has with them.

The proposal, however, is currently only for Mexico, Spicer told reporters travelling with Trump from Philadelphia to Washington DC aboard the Air Force One.

"When you look at the plan that's taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit with, like Mexico.

"If you tax that USD 50 billion at 20 per cent of imports, which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do... By doing it we can do USD 10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said.

"Right now we are focused on Mexico, but I think as we look comprehensively at our trade situation and countries that we have a deficit for, this is something the president has been talking about holistically," he said.

"He has talked about a border tax. In particular companies that move out, ship things back in. But in this case, this really handles, is focused more on the immigration piece," he said.

"Remember, keep in mind there are 160 other countries that do just this. We are one of the only major countries, in fact probably the only major country that doesn't treat imports this way," Spicer said.

"In fact, we currently tax exports, not imports. This gets us in line frankly with the policies that the other countries around the world treat our products," he said.

"If you think about what a border tax on imports from countries like Mexico that we have a huge trade deficit does, that's really going to provide the funding," he added.

"But the other net positive that you have to realise is that through the wall, not only do we secure our border but I think we are going to save additional money that we would have had to spend on tracking down illegal immigrants and on immigration," Spicer said making a strong case for a physical barrier across the US-Mexico border.

He said the tax plan was in early stages and nothing has been finalised yet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump today took a strong stand against Mexico, asserting that imbalance in trade and illegal immigration cannot continue any longer.

"Mexico has taken advantage of the US for long enough. Massive trade deficits and little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!," Trump tweeted this morning.

Trump has been a fierce advocate of building a border wall with Mexico to tighten the country's immigration controls.

He believes border security is a serious national issue and the lack of it poses a substantial threat to the "sovereignty and safety" of America and its citizens.

During his campaign, Trump tapped into the immigration concerns of many Americans who worry about loss of economic opportunities and the threat of criminals and terrorists entering the country.

His call for the construction of a border wall was one of his most popular proposals and helped the billionaire tycoon to galvanise masses.

While Trump has asserted that the wall will be built from the revenue generated from Mexico, the Mexican government has refused to pay for it.

"Most illegal immigration is coming from our southern border. I've said many times that the American people will not pay for the wall. I've made that clear to the government of Mexico," Trump asserted.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had earlier said his administration will not pay for the wall.

Trump told his Mexican counterpart yesterday that he should cancel his visit to Washington to meet him if Mexico is unwilling to pay for the massive border wall that he wants to build to stop illegal migrants from entering America.

"If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump tweeted.

"I've said time and again: Mexico won't pay for any wall," Nieto, who canceled his trip to Washington, had said in a televised address told the nation.

Sticking to his campaign promise, Trump on Wednesday ordered American officials to begin to design and construct a wall along the 3,200-kilometer US-Mexico border.

The White House has warned that it may impose a 20 per cent tax on imports from countries with a trade deficit with the US to fund the wall along the country's southern border with Mexico.

"Right now we are focused on Mexico, but I think as we look comprehensively at our trade situation and countries that we have a deficit for, this is something the president has been talking about holistically," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump was set to hold talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in his first meeting with a foreign leader since inauguration, hours after she called on the US and the UK to again "lead together".

The meeting was being watched with global interest as the two countries seek to find common ground on trade and lay the groundwork for a new deal following last year's Brexit vote in favour of the UK to leave the European Union. The two countries would also look to boost defence ties.

It would also be Trump's first tryst with face-to-face diplomacy as he welcomes his first foreign visitor to the Oval Office.

Ahead of the meeting with Trump, May, while speaking at the Republican Retreat in Philadelphia, said with the emergence of non-state actors, it is time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role.

May said Britain and the US must "lead together" again and play their role in safeguarding global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India.

"We have the opportunity to lead together again because the world is passing through a period of change. And in response to that change, we can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together," she said.

"New enemies of the West and our values, in particular in the form of radical Islamists, have emerged, as countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights, notably China and Russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs," May said.

"The rise of the Asian economies -- China, yes, but democratic allies like India too -- is hugely welcomed. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up," she said.

May also paid her respects to the military dead of the US at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington DC.

The UK Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at the Virginia military cemetery, which holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean war.

Dressed in black, May was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

A cannon was fired 19 times as the Prime Mminister's convoy arrived at the cemetery and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

The new US president and the premier, who took office in July, both have strong political incentives to make the visit -- likely to be heavier on symbolism and aspiration than deliverables -- a roaring success.

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US President Donald Trump will speak with leaders of Russia, Germany and France tomorrow, the White House announced today, covering major leaders of Europe.

White House Press Secretary Speak Spicer in a tweet said that Trump would be speaking by phone with three top European leaders: Vladimir Putin of Russia, Angela Merkel of Germany and Francois Hollande of France, thus making the most of the first week.

After becoming the 45th US President last Friday, Trump has so far spoken with leaders of Canada, Mexico, Egypt and Israel.

Trump also spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He is hosting the British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House.

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President Donald Trump's announcement that he is taking steps toward building a US-Mexico border wall was welcome for voters who say they're glad he is following through on one of his biggest campaign promises.

Trump's renewed vow Wednesday to seize control of the border hit close to home for Peggy Davis, whose cattle ranch near Tombstone, Arizona, is about 25 miles north of the border.

She says stretches desperately need more barriers but a wall alone won't stop illegal crossings or drug smuggling.

"We desperately need (Border Patrol) agents closer to the border," Davis said.

Trump vowed to make Mexico pay for the wall along the 1,954-mile border, suggesting a tax on Mexican imports as a funding mechanism.

Mexico opposes the wall and has repeatedly said it won't pay.

Critics in the US say the president lacks a viable financial plan for building the wall.

One-third of the border already has some form of barrier, ranging from tall steel barricades to wire-mesh and livestock fencing.

Jerry Blackburn, a 67-year-old retired county building official from rural Tazewell, Virginia, voted for Trump and supports his calls for cracking down on sanctuary cities and refugees coming to the US Blackburn, a Republican, said illegal immigration "has diluted our workforce and is a heavy burden to our people."



He says the multibillion-dollar price tag of the wall is "not a big number when you look at the whole scope of things," and he's not bothered that vast stretches of the border already have fencing.

"It's not like we're going to start from scratch," he said. "It's not like we're building from the Gulf to the ocean. We're just finishing something that's already been started."



Immigration has long been a unifying issue for conservatives, especially in border states that bear the brunt of immigrant and drug smuggling. The issue has rallied people to vote Republican around the country over the years, including immigrants such as Mercedes B. Izquierdo of Miami.

The retired saleswoman left Cuba 50 years ago and strongly backs Trump's border efforts.

"I think that building a wall is an excellent, perfect idea. There's so much we have to do," she said. "There are so many people coming from South America that are coming to destroy our country. Terrorists and criminals are looking to harm us."



Zachery Henry, a 23-year-old public relations and social media specialist in Houston, doesn't expect an expensive or towering concrete barrier but he says the US does need to do something about drugs smuggled from Mexico.

"I think that would be my primary concern. I'm not too concerned about illegal immigrants," Henry said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US has warned it may impose a 20 per cent tax on imports from countries with a trade deficit with it to fund a wall President Donald Trump wants to build along America's southern border with Mexico, the White House has said.

The proposal, however, is currently only for Mexico, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters travelling with Trump from Philadelphia to Washington DC aboard Air Force One.

This is one of the ways to pay for the wall that the US is planning to construct along the US-Mexico border. But on a broader scale, such a statement from Trump administration indicates imports from other countries - like India and China - could also be hit by the tax proposal, given the trade deficit the US has with them.

"When you look at the plan that's taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit with, like Mexico.

"If you tax that USD 50 billion at 20 per cent of imports, which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do... By doing it we can do USD 10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said.

"Right now we are focused on Mexico, but I think as we look comprehensively at our trade situation and countries that we have a deficit for, this is something the president has been talking about holistically," he said.

The US president has talked about a border tax. "In particular companies that move out, ship things back in. But in this case, this really handles, is focused more on the immigration piece," he said.

"Remember, keep in mind there are 160 other countries that do just this. We are one of the only major countries, in fact probably the only major country that doesn't treat imports this way," Spicer said.

"In fact, we currently tax exports, not imports. This gets us in line frankly with the policies that the other countries around the world treat our products," he said.

"If you think about what a border tax on imports from countries like Mexico that we have a huge trade deficit does, that's really going to provide the funding," he added.

"But the other net positive that you have to realise is that through the wall, not only do we secure our border but I think we are going to save additional money that we would have had to spend on tracking down illegal immigrants and on immigration," Spicer said making a strong case for a physical barrier across the US-Mexico border.

He said the tax plan was in early stages and nothing has been finalised yet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten civilians, including a child, have been killed in Turkish air strikes and shelling in and around a Syrian town held by the Islamic State group, a monitor said today.

The bombardment hit the northern town of Al-Bab and the nearby area of Tadif, both held by IS, yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Al-Bab has come under heavy assault in recent weeks, with Turkish, Russian and Syrian warplanes carrying out strikes in or around the town.

The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of a ground operation it launched in Syria last August targeting both IS and Kurdish fighters. Several this month have been joint operations with Russia.

But Turkish officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties and have vehemently denied claims civilians have been killed in previous strikes.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency reported on Friday that 22 IS "terrorists" had been killed in the latest round of Turkish strikes on Syria, against a total of 272 IS targets.

IS is not included in a fragile nationwide ceasefire in force since December 30 that led to peace negotiations jointly organised by Turkey, Russia and Iran in Kazakhstan this week.

There was no major breakthrough in the talks, which brought a government delegation together for indirect talks with representatives of armed groups for the first time.

Ankara has backed rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Moscow and Tehran have supported the government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi's announcement of Amarinder Singh as the chief ministerial candidate, saying the Congress party's decision to repose faith in a "twice defeated and failed CM" as proposed leader is good for the SAD-BJP combine.

"Rahul's announcement of Amarinder as CM candidate is a good omen. It helped us last time too. Our battle is all but won. Forget Punjabis, even Congressmen are fed up with Amarinder's arrogant ways.

"The entire senior leadership be it Manpreet Badal, Navjot Sidhu, Partap Bajwa or Bibi Bhattal, no one wants him to become CM. Now they will unite as one to keep him away from the CM's chair. Our work will be done by them", said Sukhbir in a statement here.

Notably, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi at Majitha today announced State unit chief Amarinder Singh as chief ministerial face of the party.

Badal said "Rahul has chosen a "lame horse" who has already failed twice earlier.

"This time Amarinder will not only make it a hat trick of defeats but will also take down the party with him. It is a known fact that wherever the Congress loses thrice in a row it ceases to exist as a political entity. This is going to happen in Punjab now," he said.

The SAD chief said, "Rahul Gandhi was living in a fool's paradise if he thought announcing Amarinder as chief ministerial candidate would help the party."



"Punjabis have not forgotten the wounds inflicted by your family on them. Your grand mother ordered tanks and artillery into the Darbar Sahab. Your father instigated Congressmen and lumpen elements to massacre Sikhs in 1984. How can Punjabis ever repose faith in you and your choices", he alleged.

Badal asked Punjabis to evaluate Amarinder's performance before taking any decision to give their mandate.

"This is a person who has never visited a single ward of Patiala despite having represented it for years. Amarinder never visited Amritsar despite being elected as an MP from the holy city. He never attended parliament. He has always been missing from the state. How can you ever repose faith in such a person," he asked.

Speaking about Amarinder's performance as CM, he said the Congress leader was responsible for withdrawing the free power facility extended to farmers.

He said Amarinder also withdrew welfare schemes and had also put a ban on government recruitment. "This is his track record as CM. It is good Rahul has chosen him as CM candidate. It is indeed good for us".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has appealed that Britain and the US must "lead together" and play their role in global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India.

Further with the emergence of non-state actors, it is time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role, May said in her remarks at Republican Retreat in Philadelphia.

"As we rediscover our confidence together, as you renew your nation just as we renew ours, we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age," May said.

"We have the opportunity to lead together again because the world is passing through a period of change. And in response to that change, we can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together," she added.

"I believe it is in our national interest to do so. Because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear. The end of the cold war did not give rise to a new world order, she said.

"It did not herald the end of history. It did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs," she noted.

"For some, the citizens of central and eastern Europe in particular, it brought new freedom. But across the world, ancient ethnic, religious and national rivalries that had been frozen through the decades of the cold war, returned.

New enemies of the West and our values, in particular in the form of radical Islamists, have emerged, as countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights, notably China and Russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs," she said.

"The rise of the Asian economies -- China, yes, but democratic allies like India too -- is hugely welcomed. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up," May said.

"But these events, coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fallout, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11 and difficult military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, have led many to fear that in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West," she said.

"But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer. And as they do so, they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty. But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure as the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever," May said.

"So we, our two countries together, have a responsibility



to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain, and the world," May said.

"It is in our interests, those of Britain and America together, to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests, and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past," she said.

"The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene," the British Prime Minister said.

"We must be strong, smart, and hardheaded. We must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests. Whether it is the security of Israel in the Middle East, or the Baltic States in Eastern Europe, we must always stand up for our friends and allies in democratic countries that find themselves in tough neighbourhoods too," she said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has said that Britain and the US must "lead together" again and play their role in safeguarding global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India.

Further with the emergence of non-state actors, it is time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role, May said in her remarks at Republican Retreat in Philadelphia.

"As we rediscover our confidence together, as you renew your nation just as we renew ours, we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age," May said ahead of her meeting with the US President Donald Trump.

"We have the opportunity to lead together again because the world is passing through a period of change. And in response to that change, we can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together," she added.

"I believe it is in our national interest to do so. Because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear. The end of the Cold War did not give rise to a new world order, she said.

"It did not herald the end of history. It did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs," she noted.

"For some, the citizens of central and eastern Europe in particular, it brought new freedom. But across the world, ancient ethnic, religious and national rivalries that had been frozen through the decades of the cold war, returned.

New enemies of the West and our values, in particular in the form of radical Islamists, have emerged, as countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights, notably China and Russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs," she said.

"The rise of the Asian economies -- China, yes, but democratic allies like India too -- is hugely welcomed. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up," May said.

"But these events, coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fallout, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11 and difficult military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, have led many to fear that in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West," she said.

"But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer. And as they do so, they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty. But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure as the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever," May said.

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The United Nations cannot confirm a Russian statement that talks on the Syrian conflict planned for February 8 in Geneva have been postponed, a spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said today.

"There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed," said Yara Sharif. "We're going to be sure when the special envoy is back" from talks next week with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier today that the Geneva talks would be postponed until the end of February.

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The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) said she was hopeful of continued US funding for the organisation, despite reports that Washington was mulling heavy cuts in financial support.

Foreign Policy magazine reported yesterday it had seen an executive order from President Donald Trump's administration that proposed cuts of 40 percent in voluntary US funding for UN agencies, including the WFP and Unicef.

The proposal emerged as WFP executive director Ertharin Cousin was in Nigeria on a week-long trip to see programmes set up to stave off starvation caused by Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency.

Unicef also has a presence in the remote region, where the conflict has left at least 20,000 people dead and made more than 2.6 million others homeless since 2009.

Asked about continued US support for the WFP's activities in Nigeria and around the world, Cousin told AFP late yesterday: "The US has been the largest donor to WFP for over 50 years.

"Our hope is that this organisation, which serves humanity around the globe and ensures that children don't go hungry, that has benefited from support on the Republican as well as the Democratic side of the house, can continue to depend upon receiving the financial assistance that's necessary."



A cut in US funding would mean a cut in "lifesaving support", she added.

Northeast Nigeria has seen an influx of international non-governmental organisations in recent months because of high incidences of severe acute malnutrition, particularly among children under five, and reports of famine in some hard- to-reach areas.

Security has improved across the ravaged states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, allowing aid agencies to reach hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their homes and livelihoods, including farmland.

The WFP said it helped just over one million people in December with high nutrition supplements and "in kind" monthly cash transfers to buy food. It aims to reach 1.8 million in the first quarter of this year.

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Voicing extreme concern over discrimination, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today said the United Nations must strengthen its work to improve human rights.

Guterres told a Holocaust commemoration event that discrimination faced by immigrants and refugees as well as the stereotyping of Muslims were opening the door to even more extreme hatred.

His remarks came as US President Donald Trump was reportedly preparing to suspend the US refugee program and halt visas for travellers from seven Muslim countries.

"I am extremely concerned at the discrimination faced by immigrants, refugees and minorities across the world. Today, I find the stereotyping of Muslims deeply troubling," he told the General Assembly.

"A 'new normal' of public discourse is taking hold, in which prejudice is given a free pass and the door is opened to even more extreme hatred."



"We need to be vigilant," Guterres added.

"The United Nations itself must do more to strengthen its human rights machinery, and to push for justice for the perpetrators of grave crimes."



Trump is reportedly considering a draft executive order that would ban refugees from Syria from entering the United States while the broader US refugee program would be suspended for 120 days.

"The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place," Trump told ABC this week about his plan.

Under the proposed plan, all visa applications from countries deemed a terrorist threat -- Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen -- will be halted for 30 days.

Guterres said anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and anti-Muslim hatred were being whipped up by populism and "by political figures who exploit fear to win votes.

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Unidentified people in southeast Delhi's Sarita Vihar were today booked for obstructing police from interrogating a man whose involvement was suspected in a robbery case.

A team from Sarita Vihar police station was stopped by a few men when they went to interrogate a man, suspected to be involved in a robbery case registered a few days back, said a senior police officer.

While the police team was bringing the suspect to police station, some miscreants objected to it and created obstruction, he said.

A case under IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353(assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) has been registered against unknown persons, he added.

The CCTV footage from the area is being examined to identify the miscreants, he said.

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Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today witnessed uproar and proceedings of the House was disrupted after MLAs, including some from ruling party, protested over poor power supply situation and problems being faced by the people in the wake of snowfall in Kashmir valley.

National Conference (NC) MLA Mian Altaf raised the issue of power crisis, which was supported by CPI-M MLA MY Tarigami, alleging that there was grave power crisis in Kashmir and people were facing difficult situation.

Following this, all the Opposition members stood up and protested over the government's failure to provide uninterrupted power supply in this extreme cold weather conditions.

They were also joined by some of the ruling party members who demanded restoration of essential services in Kashmir after snowfall.

Shouting slogans against the Mehbooba Mufti-government, they demanded uninterrupted power supply, clearance of snow from roads and connect all areas closed due to snowfall.

PDP legislators said many areas in their constituencies were reeling under darkness as the Valley continued to experience record snowfall.

Tarigami said people of Kulgam were suffering badly as there is a complete breakdown in the electricity grid in the district.

He demanded the government to take steps to mitigate the power problems in Kashmir.

Minister for Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Rehman Veeri said the government has directed all the Deputy Commissioners concerned to carry out snow clearing operations on war-footing and ensure restoration of electricity in all the affected areas.

The Minister said ground staff of PDD and R&B Department were working round-the-clock to restore power supply and clear the roads in Kashmir.

Singh said the Deputy Commissioners of all the snow-bound districts were supervising the restoration work, also the government has pressed into service 18 snow clearing machines and 16 dewatering pumps in Srinagar.

Earlier, several members raised the issue regarding restoration of essential services in Kashmir post-snowfall.

Apart from Tarigami and Altaf, Vikar Rasool Wani, GM Saroori, Altaf Ahmed Kaloo, Abdul Majeed Larmi, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Er Rashid and Shakti Singh Parihar raised the issue of loss of properties due to heavy snowfall in their respective constituencies.

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At a time when the world seems to be growing more fractured, the values of tolerance, equality and democracy enshrined in the Indian Constitution are more important than ever, a senior Singaporean Minister has said.

Speaking at the 68th Republic Day celebrations organised by India's High Commission here, Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang said yesterday, "as India forges ahead on its path to development, Singapore stands ready to collaborate wherever we can".

"At a time when the world seems to be growing more fractured and fractious, the values of tolerance, equality and democracy enshrined in the Constitution of India are more important than ever. These are values Singapore shares as a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural country," he said.

Lim said India has continued to make bold strides towards greater economic and social development.

"In this spirit, and on behalf of the government and people of Singapore, I offer my heartiest congratulations to the government and people of India on this joyous occasion," he said at the reception attended by government officials, diplomats and business leaders.

"Initiatives such as 'Clean India', 'Digital India', and 'Skill India' have captured the public imagination, and are now being translated into tangible changes on the ground. Driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for companies to 'Make in India', India has grown to become the 6th largest manufacturing economy in the world," Lim said.

Lim said the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) this year, perhaps the most sweeping economic reform in a generation, will make good on longstanding calls for 'one nation, one tax' and add to India's positive momentum.

"These changes, combined with India's young and rapidly urbanising workforce, will help India become one of the world's fastest growing economies this year," he said.

He also reaffirmed the good government-to-government ties between the two countries, saying these were kept up through regular high-level exchanges.

Modi's official visit to Singapore in November 2015 was followed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to India last October.

"The friendship between our countries goes deeper, rooted in cultural links that go back centuries and people-to-people connections that endure till today," Lim said.

Bilateral trade has almost doubled since the two countries



signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2005. Now it stands at 21.7 billion Singapore dollar (USD 15.2 billion). Singapore's investments in India have grown nearly 20 times over that same period, to 19.4 billion dollar (USD 13.5 billion).

"Singapore is now one of the top foreign investors in India, with quality investments in ports, logistics, manufacturing and an array of other sectors," Lim said.

In 2015, Singapore and India relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership.

"Now into its second year, this Strategic Partnership serves as the roadmap to guide cooperation in key areas ranging from defence, finance, aviation and the arts to smart cities and skills development," he said.

During his visit, Prime Minister Lee witnessed the launch of a Centre for Excellence in Tourism Training in Udaipur, and now Singapore was also exploring a collaboration to develop skills training in North East India.

Another area in which Singapore is working closely with India is smart cities and urban solutions.

"Our companies helped masterplan Andhra Pradesh's new capital city Amaravati, and are now bidding to develop the core of the city," Lim said, adding that India was one of the first countries to offer its hand in friendship to Singapore when it gained independence.

"In the nearly 52 years since then, our relationship has grown from strength to strength. With this solid foundation in place, I am confident our close bilateral relations will continue to thrive for generations to come," he said.

Meanwhile, India's High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf underlined Singapore's role as India's foremost partners in the development quest.

"In India, we say that Singapore is a nation that is perfecting the present, even as its eyes are firmly fixed on the future. Just as Singapore's achievements show that size is no barrier to the scale of a nation's success, our relationship demonstrates that difference in size - of five million (in Singapore) and 1.25 billion (in India) - is no constraint to the strength of a partnership," Ashraf said.

"Our political relations are smooth and strong. And there is no area of human endeavor and national aspirations in which we are not building close and productive partnerships.

"It is a relationship that truly fits the character of a Strategic Partnership. And, so does our shared commitment to take it to higher levels.

"For India, Singapore is the leading source and destination for investments, and a key partner in many areas of our development priorities," Ashraf added.
Model-actress Sofia Vergara, who plays Gloria Pitchett on ABC's hit series "Modern Family", said she is not at all bothered about the criticism, her role of Latinoamericana had received.

The 44-year-old star has been receiving backlash for playing a stereotypical Latina on the show.

Talking about the criticism, the Colombian beauty told HOLA! USA, "What's wrong with being a stereotype?"



The actress explained that the character is inspired by her mother and her aunt, who are both latin women.

"Gloria's character is inspired by my mom and my aunt. They are both latin women who grew up in Colombia, like me. They love color, prints and shoes. It upsets me when Latinos complain about Gloria."



The 44-year-old actress continued, "I am grateful for the opportunity because the gringos have let me in with this strong accent I have. Eight years ago nobody had an accent like this on television."



This isn't the first time Vergara reacted to criticism she gets from portraying the role.

"I'm not afraid of them (stereotypes) and they don't have to be bad either. I mean, Gloria is an amazing character, a really good woman with this hilarious accent, so why criticize her for being a stereotype?



"Plus, All the Latinas I know are loud, they dress sexy and are really involved with their families. That's Gloria," she said last year.

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Hailing the removal of Governor V Shanmuganathan, women activists in Meghalaya today demanded that he be prosecuted for turning the Raj Bhavan into a "young ladies club" and "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office.

"We now need a speedy and decisive inquiry to be initiated which should lead to (his )prosecution," said Angela Rangad, convener of Thma u Rangli (TUR), a progressive people's group in the state.

"Now that he is not the Governor anymore, Article 361 is not operational, and we do not need prior sanction from the President (for his prosecution)," she said.

"It should not be that now that he has tendered his resignation and it is the end of it. Only this (prosecution) will send out the right message that nobody in any high office can get away with abusing their power," Rangad said.

President Pranab Mukherjee today accepted the resignation of Shanmuganathan as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh after close to 100 staff members of Raj Bhavan accused him of "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office.

TUR and an all women's group, the Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO), had spearheaded a signature campaign seeking Shanmuganathan's removal.

Earlier in the day, State Commission for Women chairperson Theilin Phanbuh said that an inquiry should be instituted to find out what had actually happened and all those involved in the controversy be punished.

Phanbuh said she had apprised the National Commission for Women of the incidents at the Raj Bhavan.

"What we did was to inform the concerned authority (of the allegations against the Governor)," Phanbuh said at the launch of a special cell for women and children at the Sadar Police Station here.

She said what the State Commission for Women did was "to apprise the National Commission for Women and highlight what was going on in the state".

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By Andreas Cremer

BERLIN (Reuters) - German prosecutors are investigating former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn on suspicion of fraud, looking into when he first knew that the carmaker was rigging diesel emissions tests.

It is the second investigation into Winterkorn's role in the scandal by prosecutors in the German town of Braunschweig near Volkswagen's (VW) Wolfsburg headquarters. The former CEO is already being investigated over possible market manipulation.

VW's acknowledgement in September 2015 that it had used software to reduce emissions levels when cars were being tested in the United States wiped billions of euros from its market value, forced Winterkorn's resignation and led to investigations and lawsuits around the world.

VW has said its executive board did not learn of the software violations until late August 2015 and formally reported the cheating to U.S. authorities in early September that year.

Appearing before German lawmakers last week Winterkorn refused to say when he first learned about systematic exhaust emissions cheating but said it was no earlier than VW has officially admitted.

"For now, Dr. Winterkorn is sticking with the statement he made before a German parliamentary committee of inquiry (into the scandal) on Jan. 19," Felix Doerr, a Frankfurt-based lawyer for Winterkorn, said in an emailed statement.

PROPERTIES SEARCHED

Braunschweig prosecutors said on Friday they had searched 28 homes and offices in connection with their investigation this week. The number of people accused in connection with the emissions scandal had risen to 37 from 21, including Winterkorn.

"Sufficient indications have resulted from the investigation, particularly the questioning of witnesses and suspects as well as the analysis of seized data, that the accused (Winterkorn) may have known about the manipulating software and its effects sooner than he has said publicly," they said in a statement.

It will take weeks to sift through everything found in this week's raids, prosecutors said.

VW pledged full cooperation with prosecutors but declined further comment. Its shares were trading down 1.7 percent at 149.90 euros at 1420 GMT.

The latest investigation will add to the carmaker's legal headaches and encourage investors seeking 8.8 billion euros ($9.4 billion) in damage claims in Germany for the collapse of VW's share price after the scandal broke.

"Lawyers looking to sue VW for market manipulation would certainly have more ammunition, in our view, if the former CEO was found guilty of fraud," said London-based Evercore ISI analyst Arndt Ellinghorst who has a "Buy" recommendation on the stock.

Winterkorn, 69, and the 36 other people are under investigation on suspicion of fraud and violating competition law, prosecutors said.

The separate market manipulation probe announced last June centred on whether VW should have disclosed the possible financial damage caused by the manipulation prior to Sept. 22, 2015 when it admitted to its actions.

Winterkorn denied any wrongdoing when he quit on Sept. 23, 2015 but said he was clearing the way for a fresh start at VW with his resignation.

Winterkorn ran VW for more than eight years and oversaw a doubling in sales and an almost tripling in profit.

Europe's largest automaker took a major step this month towards ending its biggest-ever corporate crisis when it agreed to plead guilty in a $4.3 billion deal with the U.S. Justice Department.

In total, VW has now agreed to spend up to $22 billion in the United States to address claims from owners, environmental regulators, U.S. states and dealers.

($1 = 0.9354 euros)

(Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz; Editing by Keith Weir and Alexander Smith)

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By James Davey and Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest retailer Tesco agreed a surprise 3.7 billion pound ($4.6 billion) takeover of food supplier Booker on Friday, increasing its exposure to the fast growing catering sector.

The planned cash and shares takeover shows the supermarket chain's renewed confidence after two years of gradual recovery under Chief Executive Dave Lewis after an accounting scandal.

The group also said it would restart paying dividends for the 2017-18 financial year, having not paid one since the second half of its 2014-15 year when it was mired in the worst crisis in its history.

Lewis joined in September 2014 when Tesco was rapidly losing market share to German discount rivals and has also had to deal with the fallout from the accounting scandal.

The former Unilever executive has simplified operations, revitalising its core grocery business in Britain, while cutting costs and selling assets including its South Korean business for $6.1 billion.

Friday's move marked a dramatic change of gear and signals even more focus on its British business where it has a 28 percent share of the grocery market.

"It's the next evolution of our strategy...We think it's the right time," Lewis told reporters, adding the deal was compelling in its own right and not a reaction to a tougher competitive environment. He said the two companies had been talking for more than a year.

However, analysts said the deal could face close regulatory scrutiny, particularly because of its impact on customers at smaller convenience stores and food industry suppliers.

Lewis said that Richard Cousins, CEO of Compass, the world's biggest catering firm, and Tesco's senior independent director before his Jan. 3 resignation, did not support the deal.

"He, for his own reasons, didn't feel it was something he supported," said Lewis. Cousins could not be reached for comment.

INVESTORS PLEASED

Shares in Tesco traded up 9 percent at 206p and Booker had risen 16.7 percent to 213.8p by 1550 GMT.

The deal would give Tesco a greater slice of Britain's 85 billion pounds "out of home" food market -- including cafes, restaurants and takeaways -- which is growing at a greater pace than the 110 billion pounds "eat at home" market.

Investors welcomed the transaction, that will also see Booker CEO Charles Wilson join the Tesco board.

"We were surprised, pleasantly," said Richard Marwood, senior fund manager at Royal London Asset Management which is a top ten Booker shareholder.

"Wilson has been a very well respected manager at Booker...Many people would see it as being a bit of coup having him go and work in Tesco," he said.

Tesco will gain exposure to the 120,000 independent retailers, 107,000 small businesses and 450,000 caterers Booker serves. Booker clients include chains such as Wagamama, Carluccio's, Byron, as well as celebrity chef Rick Stein.

Booker owns about 200 cash and carry warehouses in the UK and supplies the Budgens, Londis and Family Shopper grocery chains, which are run as franchise operations.

"This merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital," said Lewis.

COMPETITION ISSUES?

Tesco and Booker said the deal would lead to synergies of at least 200 million pounds within three years, from procurement, distribution and central functions, and would boost earnings per share in the second full year of the deal.

Implementation costs would be about 145 million pounds. Lewis said no job losses had been identified.

However, analysts said the deal could face close regulatory scrutiny.

"Our instant reaction is that the Competition and Markets Authority will have a field day with this," said independent retail analyst Nick Bubb, noting that Tesco owns the One Stop chain that competes with Booker's interest in convenience store retailing.

However, Lewis and Wilson, who owns about 6 percent of Booker's equity, disagreed, saying their legal advice had indicated a "compelling story" to gain approval.

"As a retailer and a wholesaler coming together, this is not an acquisition of stores ... independent retailers get a better deal here than perhaps they do on a standalone basis," Lewis said.

Under the terms of the deal each Booker shareholder will receive 0.861 new Tesco shares and 42.6 pence in cash.

Based on Tesco's closing share price on Thursday of 189 pence the deal represents a value of 205.3 pence per Booker share -- a premium of about 12 percent.

The deal will result in Booker shareholders owning approximately 16 percent of the combined group.

Lewis said he thought the deal would complete in late 2017 or early 2018.

Greenhill acted as lead financial adviser to Tesco while Barclays and Citi also worked on the deal as financial advisers and corporate brokers on behalf of Tesco. JPMorgan was sole adviser to Booker.

($1 = 0.7972 pounds)

(Additional reporting by Kate Holton, Ritvik Carvalho and Pamela Barbaglia; Editing by Keith Weir)

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Former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar on Friday advocated a single rate for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as that would it simpler to administer.
Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibaba's financial arm, has reached an agreement to acquire American money-transfer major MoneyGram for $880 million, in a deal that will expand the firm's business in the US after India and Thailand.

"The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world," Eric Jing, chief executive officer of Ant Financial Services Group in a statement.

The company owns Alipay, one of China's biggest online payment platforms and controls the company that manages the country's largest money market fund, Yu'ebao.

The transaction will connect MoneyGram's money transfer network of 2.4 billion bank and mobile accounts and 350,000 physical locations with Ant Financial's users, according to the statement.

MoneyGram will remain headquartered in Dallas and continue to operate under its existing brand, it said.

The transaction will help expand Ant Financial's business following its partnering with Paytm in India and Ascend Money in Thailand, it said.

Alex Holmes, CEO of MoneyGram, said Ant Financial is an ideal partner.

"We will be able to expand our business, and in doing so, offer people around the world access to a reliable financial connection to loved ones," Holmes said.

The transaction is subject to approval of MoneyGram's stockholders and regulatory approvals.

The acquisition is expected to finish in second half of 2017, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson will buy Swiss biotech company Actelion in a $30 billion all-cash deal that includes spinning off Actelion's research and development pipeline, the companies said on Thursday.

The acquisition gives J&J access to the Swiss group's line-up of highprice, high-margin medicines for rare diseases, helping it diversify its drug portfolio as its biggest product, Remicade for arthritis, faces cheaper competition.

The offer to pay $280 per share, following weeks of exclusive talks, was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The deal represents a 23 percent premium to Actelion's closing price on Wednesday of 227.4 Swiss francs and is more than 80 percent above the Nov. 23 closing price before initial reports emerged that Europe's biggest biotech company had attracted takeover interest.

Actelion shares jumped 20.3 as investors welcomed the deal. "The structure is very attractive," said Eleanor Taylor Jolidon, a fund manager at Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva, a top-40 Actelion investor.

The price vindicates the strategy of cardiologist Clozel, who co-founded the company with his pediatrician wife Martine and friends in 1997, and has fended off bids over the years in the belief he could increase Actelion's value by keeping it independent.

The price is quite high at around 30 times price to estimated 2018 earnings. J&J is paying a lot and R&D is not even included, just a substantial minority stake," one Zurichbased trader said.

"But it represents only 10 percent of (J&J's) market capitalization and they are finally action to be immediately accretive to its adjusted earnings per share and accelerate its revenue and earnings growth rates. THE U.S. group, which reported disappointing quarterly results this week, will fund the transaction with cash held outside the United States. "We believe this transaction offers compelling value to both Johnson & Johnson and Actelion shareholders," Alex Gorsky, J&J chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

Actelion will spin out its research and development unit into a standalone company based and listed in Switzerland, under the title of R&D NewCo and led by Jean-Paul Clozel. The break-up plan was first reported by Reuters last month. investing the cash they hold in Europe."

Jefferies analysts said they did not expect any counterbids or competition concerns to derail the deal, while Berenberg analysts called it "a fantastic deal for Actelion and its shareholders" given concerns about the long-term growth prospects for its main products.

Actelion has been the subject of takeover speculation for weeks after J&J launched and then halted discussions with the Swiss company. French drugmaker Sanofi had also been interested, sources said, but was sidelined after J&J returned and began exclusive negotiations in December. Sanofi's failure to come away with a big deal for a second time has added to pressure on its management.

J&J said it expected the transaction to be immediately accretive to its adjusted earnings per share and accelerate its revenue and earnings growth rates.

The U.S. group, which reported disappointing quarterly results this week, will fund the transaction with cash held outside the United States. "We believe this transaction offers compelling value to both Johnson & Johnson and Actelion shareholders," Alex Gorsky, J&J chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

Actelion will spin out its research and development unit into a standalone company based and listed in Switzerland, under the title of R&D NewCo and led by Jean-Paul Clozel.

The break-up plan was first reported by Reuters last month.
What are the similarities between fisheries and agriculture industries? Though both are unrelated business areas, the fisheries and aquaculture industry comes under the purview of agriculture ministry. The fish farmers cite this as the reason for the backwardness of the aquaculture industry in the country, despite being largest export revenue earner in the agriculture sector.

After registering a constant growth in the last seven financial years, India's seafood export value has fallen by 15 per cent in the last financial year, because of rising competition from Thailand and Vietnam, lowering sea catch in India and currency fluctuations. The export value slipped to $4.7 billion in the last financial year from its peak of $5.5 billion in the previous year.

FULL COVERAGE: RAILWAY BUDGET 2017-18



The industry needs fresh capital and incentives from the government. The private players are largely coming to invest in the industry. But the capital intensive nature of the industry--- such as maintenance of aquafarms, seafood processing and maintaining a cold chain--- and the high volume of risks are deterring them from continuing with fresh investments. In this context, the industry demands that they should get the same benefits as that of agriculture.

"Ideally, the government should form a separate ministry for fisheries," the investors in the industry demand.

When agriculture sector enjoy tax holidays and interest waivers, the aquaculture industry has hardly seen any incentives from the government. "We also need tax exemptions in areas such as seafood processing and cold chain promotion. Incentives would help in bringing down the cost of operations and make seafood more affordable. Seafood is the cheapest source of healthy proteins, providing nutritional security to nation's food basket, says Kamlesh Gupta, chairman and managing director of an aquaculture firm, WestCoast.

The industry expects a revival of seafood exports in this financial year--- till November 2016 the export value has risen by about 13 per cent as against the same period last year. The trade-body, Marine Products Export Development Authority (Mpeda) begins to campaign across the emerging markets, mostly in South America countries like Argentina, Brazil and Chile to secure more orders, reports say. The US (28.5 per cent) is the largest market for Indian seafood by value, followed by the South-East Asian countries (24.6 per cent) and the European Union (20.7 per cent).

The industry demands that the government should free its fresh and brackish waters for organised aquaculture activities, which will lead to 'Blue Revolution' in the country. "There is a potential wealth stored in the 4.5 million hectare fresh water resources in the country. Also, India has an estimated 11 lakh hectares available for brackish water shrimp cultivation, of which only 8.5 per cent or one lakh hectare of which has been brought under cultivation offering enormous production potential," adds Gupta.

The demand for high-end value added products--- sashimi-grade shrimp/tuna/freeze dried shrimp, breaded and battered shrimp, canned and retort pouch products--- is on the rise in mature markets. India supplied about 35 per cent of the total exported quantity to South-East Asia alone, mostly for the value addition in the last financial year. The fact is that the labour-intensive sector in the country is stuck at various hurdles in value addition because of the capital shortage.

Indian fisheries and aquaculture contributes to more than 6 per cent of the global fish production, more than 1 per cent of the GDP, more than 5 per cent of the agriculture GDP and providing employment to 14 million people. If the right measures are adopted, India with its huge resources has the potential to be the top-most player in seafood production.
The US has warned it may impose a 20 per cent tax on imports from countries with a trade deficit with it to fund a wall President Donald Trump wants to build along America's southern border with Mexico, the White House has said.

The proposal, however, is currently only for Mexico, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters travelling with Trump from Philadelphia to Washington DC aboard Air Force One.

This is one of the ways to pay for the wall that the US is planning to construct along the US-Mexico border. But on a broader scale, such a statement from Trump administration indicates imports from other countries - like India and China - could also be hit by the tax proposal, given the trade deficit the US has with them.

"When you look at the plan that's taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit with, like Mexico.

"If you tax that USD 50 billion at 20 per cent of imports, which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do...By doing it we can do USD 10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said.

"Right now we are focused on Mexico, but I think as we look comprehensively at our trade situation and countries that we have a deficit for, this is something the president has been talking about holistically," he said.

The US president has talked about a border tax. "In particular companies that move out, ship things back in. But in this case, this really handles, is focused more on the immigration piece," he said.

"Remember, keep in mind there are 160 other countries that do just this. We are one of the only major countries, in fact probably the only major country that doesn't treat imports this way," Spicer said.

"In fact, we currently tax exports, not imports. This gets us in line frankly with the policies that the other countries around the world treat our products," he said.

"If you think about what a border tax on imports from countries like Mexico that we have a huge trade deficit does, that's really going to provide the funding," he added.

"But the other net positive that you have to realise is that through the wall, not only do we secure our border but I think we are going to save additional money that we would have had to spend on tracking down illegal immigrants and on immigration," Spicer said making a strong case for a physical barrier across the US-Mexico border.

He said the tax plan was in early stages and nothing has been finalised yet. The tax plan is in its "early stages," Spicer said.

"The President was really excited to see the level of support that both houses showed for his nominees, for his plan, for his desire to put America's security first," he said.

Spicer said the President is still talking with the Republican leadership in the Congress.

"I don't think our job right now is to roll something out and or be prescriptive, it's to show that there are ways the wall can be paid for. Full stop," Spicer said in response to a question.

"The idea was, there have been questions about how the President could pay for the wall. And the idea that, one idea through comprehensive tax reform is that there could be this idea that Speaker (Paul) Ryan and others have floated that through tax reform you could actually look at imports with countries that we have a trade deficit for, that can generate revenue," Spicer said.

"The idea is to show that generating revenue for the wall is not as difficult as some might have suggested. One measure alone could do this. So as we move forward the idea today wasn t rolling it out or being prescriptive or announce anything, it's to say hey look, it's not that hard to do," he said.

Spicer said there is nothing to be rolled out yet.

"There's nothing to roll out so the idea of asking for details on something, we're not there yet. It could be a multitude of things," he said.

"Instead of 20 per cent it could be 18, it could be five.

But the idea is to say that for all the 'how could this ever happen,' it's to say 'okay, here's one idea that gets it done really easy. That s the idea, that there is a way that easily does this," Spicer said.

"You can do things in a very WTO-compliant way, but I'm not here to roll out a policy... Hypothetically yes, there are several things you can do and be compliant. You can say any country but if you look at just Mexico alone you can do that very easily," he added.












UK Prime Minister Theresa May has appealed that Britain and the US must "lead together" and play their role in global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India.

Further with the emergence of non-state actors, it is time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role, May said in her remarks at Republican Retreat in Philadelphia.

"As we rediscover our confidence together, as you renew your nation just as we renew ours, we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age," May said.

"We have the opportunity to lead together again because the world is passing through a period of change. And in response to that change, we can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together," she added.

"I believe it is in our national interest to do so."

Because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear. The end of the cold war did not give rise to a new world order, she said.

"It did not herald the end of history. It did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs," she noted.

"For some, the citizens of central and eastern Europe in particular, it brought new freedom. But across the world, ancient ethnic, religious and national rivalries that had been frozen through the decades of the cold war, returned.

New enemies of the West and our values, in particular in the form of radical Islamists, have emerged, as countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights, notably China and Russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs," she said.

"The rise of the Asian economies -- China, yes, but democratic allies like India too -- is hugely welcomed. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up," May said.

"But these events, coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fallout, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11 and difficult military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, have led many to fear that in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West," she said.

"But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer. And as they do so, they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty. But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure as the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever," May said.
Hyperloop technology by Hyperloop One, which can cut down travel time from Delhi to Mumbai to just an hour, could be taken up by the central government soon.

Hyperloop is a high-speed travel solution technology based on propelling a vehicle through a near-vacuum tube at a speed faster than an airplane.

Through this technology, travel time between Mumbai and Chennai could come to just an hour, while Bengaluru to Chennai could just take 20 minutes, down from one hour.



Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram which currently takes 70 minutes flight time could come down to just 30 minutes.

Alan James, Hyperloop's VP for world wide business development, said the speed could be as high as 1,080 km per hour.

"Hyperloop offers aviation-like speed, train-like capacity and metro-like convenience," he told The Financial Express.

Five routes from India qualified to the final stage of a global competition conducted by the company.

Alan James told the newspaper that the routes proposed have active involment from their respective state governments and a leading Indian university.

He said that the company will first evalute the business cases of these entries and then discuss further national projects with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The company is set to hold the final leg of its competition on February 27 and 28, in New Delhi.
Element Six, a World leader in synthetic diamond super-materials and member of The De Beers Group of Companies, has today announced the creation of a further 100 jobs at its Shannon facility as part of a 7million investment at the plant this year.



Todays announcement signals another round of investment that will enable the synthesis and processing of diamond materials at the Shannon plant for use principally in the Oil and Gas industry.



The investment - officially announced today at a briefing at the plant hosted by Element Six Executive Director of Operations, Ken Sullivan and attended by Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Pat Breen and the companys global CEO, Mr. Walter Huhn - will bring to 40million the overall spend by Element Six at Shannon over a four year period.

The positions are in the areas of supply chain, engineering and manufacturing with recruitment already underway and all posts set to be filled in the first half of this year. It is the latest round of recruitment at the company and will bring overall employment at Element Six in Shannon to 550.



Speaking at todays event, Minister for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen stated, "This is a very important day for Element Six, for Shannon and, indeed, the wider Clare and Mid-West area. This announcement is a very strong endorsement of the Shannon Free Zone as a leading destination for innovation and job creation."

He added, "With an international airport on its doorstep, a highly competitive operating environment, available talent and excellent and ever-improving infrastructure, we believe the future is very bright for Shannon as an inward investment location."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
It was announced today that Irish Group Taoglas has secured the funding totalling 633,000 from the European Space Agency (ESA) with the support of Enterprise Ireland, the co-ordinating body for ESA in Ireland.



Taoglas is an innovative technology Group delivering antenna products and radio frequency (RF) solutions to global brands. They are a 100% Irish owned Group founded by two Irish entrepreneurs, Ronan Quinlan and Dermot OShea, Joint Managing Directors.



The funding has contributed towards a complex research, development and commercialisation of their ZRM project, which combines the antenna elements, data router and Wi-Fi transceiver into a technology platform to provide an Always Online solution for fixed and mobile applications.



Taoglas is a leader in IoT antenna technology with subsidiaries and world class design, engineering and testing facilities in Wexford, San Diego, Munich, and Taoyuan County, Taiwan. They are fully committed to a long relationship with both Enterprise Ireland and ESA to enable Taoglas to expand their antenna and RF research and development centre of excellence in Ireland.

With the securing of this funding from ESA, Taoglas have been able to employ six highly skilled engineers to develop the technology platform, capable of covering Cellular LTE MIMO, GNSS, dual band Wi-Fi MIMO and Iridium communications in a compact form factor at a highly competitive price. They believe the technology platform to be a disruptive technology in the IoT marketplace and have received significant interest from major multinational router companies to fully commercialise the design.

Taoglas are currently working on the next evolution of the platform and the Enterprise Ireland-backed company plans to recruit more engineers over the next twelve months to expand its workforce at its Wexford facility, bringing further employment to its headquarters.



According to Enterprise Irelands ESA Programme Manager, Tony McDonald said, "Taoglas represents one of a growing number of Irish companies benefiting from ESA support, in the expanding IoT market. We expect to see further participation by Enterprise Ireland client companies in this specific sub sector in 2017."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Microsoft Corp reported a 3.6% rise in fiscal second-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by growth in its fast-growing cloud computing business, but it saw a slight decline in margins in the unit that includes its flagship cloud platform Azure.

Shares of the world's biggest software company were up about 1.1% in after-hours trading.

Since taking charge in 2014, Chief Executive Satya Nadella has steered the company toward cloud services and mobile applications and away from its slowing traditional software business.

Gross margins for Microsoft's so-called "commercial cloud" business, which includes Azure and versions of its online Office 365 product sold to businesses, were 48%, said Chris Suh, head of Microsoft's investor relations.

That is down from last quarter's 49% but up from 46% a year ago, Suh said. The figure is watched closely by investors as a sign of the actual profit made of Microsoft's cloud products, which the company does not publish.

The Azure platform competes with cloud infrastructure offerings from market leader Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google, IBM and Oracle Corp.

"We're not at Amazon's margin today," said Suh. "Their infrastructure business is much larger. They have the benefit of scale. We track more like what Amazon was when they were closer to our size."

On the company's earnings conference call, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood fielded questions from analysts about Azure-specific gross margins. She did not disclose a number but said there was a "material improvement" since last quarter.

Analysts also questioned Microsoft's practice of providing a combined gross margin for cloud infrastructure, which at other firms tends to have gross margins around 30%, and cloud software, which at other firms has higher margins of 70% or 75%. "I do think it will be a blend of those," Hood said.

But CEO Nadella emphasized that the company thinks of its cloud offerings as comprehensive lineup of both software and infrastructure, as it did with its historical business as a combination of products with different margins, like Office and Windows Server.

"We have a cloud strategy that is not just about infrastructure," Nadella said, pointing out differences with Amazon Web Services.

Revenue from Microsoft's 'Intelligent Cloud' business, which includes Azure, along with other data center software, rose 8.0% to $6.9 billion in the quarter. That beat analysts' average estimate of $6.73 billion, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount. Microsoft's estimates for next quarter were $6.45 billion to $6.65 billion, only slightly hire than FactSet's $6.61 billion estimate.

In constant currency, Azure's revenue grew 94% year over year, a good pace but still the lowest growth rate since Microsoft began disclosing the number in 2015, and down from 121% the previous quarter.

"In general, as long as it's close to doubling right now, that's extremely solid performance given the business is getting big from an overall standpoint," said Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross.

Sales of Office 365 to businesses rose 49%, down from 54% in the previous quarter. As with Azure, Microsoft does not give an absolute dollar figure for Office 365 sales.

Sales in Microsoft's personal computing business, which includes its Windows software, once the bedrock of the company, fell 5.0% to $11.8 billion, slightly beating the rate at which personal computer sales fell in the quarter.

Along with his push into cloud and mobile, Nadella also orchestrated Microsoft's biggest acquisition, the $26.2 billion deal for LinkedIn, which closed last month.

LinkedIn contributed $228 million of revenue in the quarter, Microsoft said, but reported a net loss of $100 million, or one cent per share.

Excluding LinkedIn and some other items, Microsoft earned 84 cents per share in the quarter. That beat Wall Street's average estimate of 79 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company's net income rose to $5.20 billion, or 66 cents per share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from $5.02 billion, or 62 cents per share, a year earlier.

Its adjusted revenue, excluding LinkedIn, was $25.838 billion, ahead of analysts' average estimate of $25.298 billion.

Microsoft's shares had risen 23.2% in the past 12 months, compared with the 20.7% gain in the broader S&P 500 index. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Turkish Airlines to start flying to Guinea

Turkish Airlines has announced that it will start flying from Istanbul to Guineas capital Conakry by end of January as it seeks to diversify more routes and tap into the growing demand coming from Africa.

Guinea will be the national flag carrier's 120th country it flies to while Conakry will be its 51st destination in Africa, according to the statement.

Flights between Istanbul Ataturk and Conakry International airports will be two days a week -- Monday and Thursday -- at costs as low as $699 all-inclusive, starting on Jan. 30.

In addition, for the first six months of operation to Conakry, Miles&Smiles members will be able to earn 25% extra status miles.

Turkey's flag carrier has over 330 aircraft and flies to almost 300 destinations around the world, more than any other airline, according to the company.

The airline increased its total number of passengers by 2.5 percent year-on-year to reach 62.8 million in 2016, according to a stock exchange filing report revealed on Jan. 11. Turkish Airlines was named Airline of the Year by Air Transport News magazine readers in March 2016.

www.turkishairlines.com
Buea Council New Taxis ready To Frustrate Ghost Town Wilson MUSA

The Mayor of Buea Council Patrick Ekema Esunga has purchased dozens of Taxis to generate income and provide jobs to locals but above all ensure that the Taxis circulate in town during Ghost Town operation launched by disgruntled Anglophone Cameroonians. He told reporters that, If today Taxis were not plying the streets, we will use ours to ply the streets.

Patrick Ekema has also been combating the Ghost Town by closing all shops at the Buea town markets that failed to open during the operation. He used padlocks to seal the shops saying that, It is no joke that all businesses within the Buea Municipality are under the competences of the Mayor, it is our property and so it was our reserve to ensure that they go operational.

But some traders say they could not open their shops during Ghost Town because no Taxi was in circulation to transport them and that with warnings against black legs they could not dare to go to their shops.

The Buea Council Mayor with these actions is determined to frustrate any Ghost Town attempt in his Municipality.
Dan Wari Nwazim Nigerian Consul General To South West and Norht West Wilson MUSA

The Consul General of Nigeria to the South West and North West regions, Dan Wari Nwazim has strongly criticized internet disconnection in the two regions for over a week now.

In an interview with Buea based Newspaper The Rambler, the Nigerian Diplomat said the act by the Government is against the 1963 Vienna Convention on diplomatic and Consular relations which stipulates that Communication of Diplomatic and Consular missions are invaluable and the host Government should do nothing to tamper with them.

Dan Wari Nwazim told The Rambler that for over a week Communication between his office and head Office in Abuja in particular and the world in General has been grounded, yet nobody has cared to explain to them why they should suffer such fate.

The Consul General said the only thing he has come across in Newspapers as reason for such action by Government is that, they disconnected internet in the South West and North West Regions of the country because of irresponsible use of Cyber space by some individuals.

Dan Wari it will be of the interest of Cameroon Government to restore internet in the Consulate, We are telling the Government of Cameroon to restore our internet. We are not part of irresponsible internet users.
| BY Ricki Green |

Maccas kicked off this years Australia Day celebration in the biggest way it can, showing the love to local legends who produce ingredients for one of its classics, with the launch of the Down Under Big Big Mac via Eleven.

From the Big Banana, to the Big Prawn and Merino, the Down Under Big Big Mac has been added to Australias famous list of big things that honour local produce, as a thanks to the Aussie farmers that make the iconic Big Mac so great.

The towering tribute, over 8 metres tall, was officially unveiled in the agricultural hub of Tamworth, NSW by Tamworth Region Mayor, Col Murray, this Australia Day (26 January 2017).

Says Jo Feeney, director of marketing at Maccas: With locally sourced beef, lettuce, pickles and wheat, its our homegrown ingredients that help make the Big Mac an Aussie favourite. We think the Down Under Big Big Mac is a fitting way to say thanks to our Aussie farmers and suppliers in Australia.

Says Col Murray, Tamworth region mayor: Were incredibly excited to welcome the Down Under Big Big Mac to Tamworth. Agriculture is at the heart of our community with farmers taking great pride in supplying the tastiest and best produce. The Down Under Big Big Mac is a great way to say thanks to the farmers here in Tamworth and across the country who help keep Australian agriculture prosperous.

Those in Tamworth today will be able to get a bite of the action, by heading to Waler Park (Kable Avenue) and snapping a pic with the you-beaut monument.
| BY Ricki Green |

The Midas Awards for the Worlds Best Financial Advertising has announced the 2016 Midas Award for Innovation and Midas Report rankings.

FP7 / DXB (A part of McCann Worldgroup) and MediaVest Spark earned the Midas Award for Innovation for The AC Vests for client Emirates NBD. This special award honors the highest scoring entry that showcases a leading-edge idea or execution.

R/GA Sydney has ranked in at #7 in the agency rankings, whilst MercerBell Sydney has ranked #8.

The award-winning campaigns strategic objective was to increase SME clients from the UAEs construction industry for Emirates NBD. Since UAE temperatures soar up to 50C degrees, Emirates NBD created a new product to attract clients and address the challenge of extreme working conditions during the summer monthsThe AC Vests. This innovative product resulted in a +20.72% uptick in new-to-bank business accounts.

Says Tahaab Reis, regional head of strategic planning, FP7/DXB (A part of McCann Worldgroup) & MediaVest Spark: The biggest oversight our industry should avoid when we talk about innovation is believing that it only implies the next big tech creation. Thats not entirely accurate. Innovation should be about authentic creative ideas that do use new technology but are not all about that technology. The technology should solve a human problem and have purpose at its core. So, we are very happy and excited to see that our collective work (as Emirates NBD, as FP7 and as MediaVest) has resulted in us being awarded the Midas Award for Innovation. It involved us, using an innovative fabric technology and overcoming several logistical barriers, to solve a business problem in a meaningful and purposeful way. The idea helped make workers lives a little bit better; it brought the brand respect and fame and also, grew the business in a key segment. We couldnt ask for more! A big thank you to Midas Awards and to the judges.

The Midas Report, launched in 2010, recognizes and ranks the most successful global companies in the financial and marketing communications industry. Earning a spot on the prestigious Midas Report solidifies an agencys place as a leader in financial advertising and marketing. 2016s Midas Report rankings include the Midas Agency and Brand Report, in addition to the newly added, Midas Network Report.

The Midas Report creative ranking system is based on points earned for winning entries and provides a historical account of the highest ranking companies within the competition. Midas Report points for Midas Agency, Brand, and Network rankings are calculated as follows: King Midas Award, 9 points; Midas Award for Innovation, 7 points; Gold Ingot Award, 6 points; Silver Ingot Award, 4 points; and Finalist Certificate, 1 point.

For the first time in the history of the Midas Awards, Midas will honor global agency networks who have produced the most creative and measurably effective caliber of work on behalf of prominent brands, and whose entries have achieved the highest number of points earned. The Midas Network Report recognizes Agency Networks that are the foremost leaders in the world of financial advertising.

McCann Worldgroup earned the number one ranking in the first annual Midas Network Report, cumulatively achieving the most points in this years competition. Publicis Worldwide, earned the number two slot, followed by R/GA, Wunderman and Havas Worldwide.

Says Devika Bulchandani, managing director of McCanns NY agency: As a global marketing services network, McCann Worldgroup is privileged to work with many companies in the important financial services category. Winning Midass prestigious Network honor is a tribute to the shared commitment of these clients and our company in working together to create effective communications that connects with consumers across a wide range of platforms and channels.

Agencies from around the world competed for top spots in this years Midas Awards Agency Report; FP7/DXB Dubai (Part of McCann Worldgroup) was in the spotlight, ranking number one on the Midas Agency Report with a robust 190 points. McCann New York ranked number two this year with 90 points and the Jupiter Drawing Room (South Africa) Johannesburg earned the number three spot with 86 points.

Says Tarek Miknas, group CEO, FP7/MENA (A part of McCann Worldgroup): Its always an honor for me to see brands from the region or work from the region that is recognized by reputable global institution. And Midas is just that. Judged by internationally recognized experts in financial communications, there is no greater honor for financial institutions than winning these accolades. As an agency network, we have strategically placed great efforts in securing our ranking from 9th place to 3rd place to the worlds most awarded agency globally in the last three years respectively. Its through the trust of our clients that we were able to work together to achieve this ranking. I couldnt be more proud.

David Bell, executive creative director for MercerBell Australia commented on their ranking success on the 2016 Midas Agency Report, the agency was honored with the number eight slot.

Says Bell: MercerBell is extremely proud to be acknowledged for a range of work across many of our key clients. The multiple awards weve won this year are testament to our strong financial services expertise and passion. To be recognized so highly for craft in two different campaigns goes to show the level of endeavour and care that has been put into these campaigns. Midas is, and will continue to be, an important award to win for both our clients and our staff.

The Midas Brand Report, launched in 2015, recognizes the most effective and creative financial campaigns created on behalf of prominent brands around the globe. The Brand Report salutes innovative brands for their game-changing creative campaigns and the forward-thinking advertisers who approved these compelling campaigns and ranks them according to their achievements in the Midas Awards.

For the third year running, Mastercard scored first place with a staggering total 229 points in the Midas Brand Rankings due to the combined creative efforts of the following global agencies: FP7/DXB; McCann Canada, McCann XBC, McCann Worldgroup. Absa/ Barclays ranked second place for the third year in a row, they received 89 points for their innovative work created by Jupiter Drawing Room (South Africa) Johannesburg. Emirates NBD, whose award-winning campaigns were created by FP7/DXB (Part of McCann Worldgroup), ranked third place for third consecutive year.

Award-winning agencies from around the globe expressed their appreciation for their brands recognition and ranking on the 2016 Midas Brand Report.

Says Vikram Krishna, head  group marketing and customer experience, Emirates NBD: It is an incredible honour to be ranked among the top three financial services brands in the world. Emirates NBD has gained reputation for delivering a benchmark experience, combining the latest of tech with the human touch to make banking easier and more accessible. We look forward to continuing to connect with our customers through creative products, services and campaigns that simplify their everyday lives.

Says Joyce King Thomas, chief creative officer of McCann XBC: We are thrilled to have Mastercard work from around the world recognized by the Midas Awards. And to have three offices in the

top five is a testament to our great clients globally.

The 2016 Midas Awards Grand Jury of international client and agency leaders awarded 1 Grand Midas Award, 62 Midas Gold Ingots, 77 Midas Silver Ingots and 138 Finalist Certificates from entries submitted from 24 countries.
Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:29AM

Futurist Greg Verdino says that change is now moving from incremental to exponential at Microsoft's Innovation Nation event in Toronto

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Toronto - Microsoft Canada held an Innovation Nation event at the Art Gallery of Ontario in downtwon Toronto today to give an overview about the massive change and disruption that's taking place in business today.

Focusing on how big data and analytics is helping to rewrite the rules in various businesses, Microsoft invited futurist Greg Verdino to discuss digital revolutionaries. Microsoft's Charlotte Burke said that "It is a matter of survival to harness change in the business world." The ability to harness big data and make it useful through applications and analytics, can help businesses of all types become more efficient and profitable as well as see unprecedented growth.

Burke explained how farmers are now using various sensors and IoT (Internet of Things) solutions to better track various aspects of farming and waste fewer resources as well as grow yields.

One of the biggeest take aways from the conference was the importance of customer experience. Today'd consumer's are used to seamless and delightful experiences like requesting a car from Uber or finding a movie to watch on Netflix. These are technology-focused processes but what makes them sticky with customers is the fact that the experiences are seamless and enjoyable.

"Digital transformations do not fail because of technology," Greg Verdino explained, "they fail because of poor culture, leadership, vision and strategy."

No amount of data can be helfup if it steers companies into making the wrong decisions. "Bad data, or data not analyzed properly can steer you in the wrong direction, you need to apply intuition and creativity to make it work," Verdino explained.
Mr Wong said Canberrans had quickly come to love the group, and with the Chinese New Year starting on Saturday, they were now generating as many as 20 bookings a week.
Statewide

Super Museum Sunday

Sunday, February 5

To celebrate Georgias diverse history, many museums are offering free admission as part of Georgia History Festivals statewide celebration of Super Museum Sunday. Visitors can walk in the footsteps of Civil War and Revolutionary War soldiers, tour FDRs modest cottage, explore plantations, climb to the top of an Indian mound and experience more during this annual event.

Free. www.GaStateParks.org

Coastal Georgia

Colonial Faire and Muster

Friday, February 3, 2017 9 a.m.

Saturday, February 4, 2017 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, February 5, 2017 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Wormsloe Historic Site - Savannah, GA

Experience life in Colonial Georgia during the 18th century with a military encampment, Sutler's Row, craft demonstrations, military demonstrations, and period music and dance. Food concessions will be available. Friday - $4.50 - $10. Saturdayand Sunday - Free. 912-353-3023.

Rides and Rebels Car Show

Saturday, February 4, 2017 10 a.m.  3 p.m.

Fort McAllister State Park - Richmond Hill, GA

Connoisseurs of classic cars are encouraged to show off their amazing autos for both the public as well as other automobile enthusiasts. Enjoy a day filled with cool rides, local history, and cannon and rifle firings. Classic cars, hot rods, muscle cars, customs and exotics are all welcome to attend. Register in advance. $5 - $9. 912-727-2339.

Hike through History at Skidaway Narrows

Saturday, February 11, 2017 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Skidaway Island State Park - Savannah, GA

Come join one of our park rangers for a hike along the Sandpiper and Avian loop trails, leading to the pristine Skidaway Narrows. Learn some cool facts about the history of this popular river. $5 parking. 912-598-2300.

Eco-Discovery Nature Camp

Monday, February 20, 2017 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Crooked River State Park - St. Marys, GA

This camp is for all the nature nuts interested in learning more about ecosystems found at Crooked River. We will hike and explore habitats found on the park and learn how they are different. Bring snacks, lunch and drinks. Limited space, pre-registration required. K - 8th grade. $10 per student for half day or $25 for full day. $5 parking. 912-882-5256.

Paddle Under the Stars

Friday, February 24, 2017 5:30 p.m.

Stephen C. Foster State Park - Fargo, GA

Join a ranger-guided paddle as the sun sets over the Okefenokee Swamp. Watch as the last light of day fades into the dark night, leaving only the twinkling light of stars and the moon to guide the way. Look for alligator eyes glowing from your flashlight, take in a full moon or perhaps the Milky Way and enjoy a relaxing paddle in the swamp. $15-$20 $5 parking. 912-637-5274.

Metro Atlanta

Valentine's Day Couples Hike

Saturday, February 11, 2017 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Panola Mountain State Park - Stockbridge, GA

Looking for something new to do with your valentine? Bring them to Panola Mountain for a sunset hike. Compete with your partner in a series of team-building games to see who knows their companion best. Reservations required. $15 plus $5 parking. 770-389-7801.

Valentine's Day Cupid Shoot

Saturday, February 11, 2017 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Panola Mountain State Park - Stockbridge, GA

Looking to spice things up this Valentine's Day? Nothing fans the flames of love like a little competition. Take aim and see which of you is the best Cupid in this indoors, intro archery class just for couples. Bring your beau; we'll bring the arrows. Adults only. Equipment provided. Must register in advance. $12 plus $5 parking. 770-389-7801.

Friends of Panola Mountain Extended Hike

Saturday, February 18, 2017 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Panola Mountain State Park - Stockbridge, GA

Take a guided hike with a "Friends of Panola" volunteer through the Conservation Area and up the summit of Panola Mountain. This is a 5-mile, semi-off trail, strenuous hike that offers a variety of beautiful views. Register in advance. $5 cash only. $5 parking. 770-389-7801.

Wilderness Survival Course

Saturday, February 18, 2017 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, February 25, 2017 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Panola Mountain State Park - Stockbridge, GA

Going on a day hike? What if your hike turned into a three-day survival trek? Through a series of hands-on classes, we will teach you skills and tricks that could save your life. Register in advance. $20 plus $5 parking. 770-389-7801.

Winter Encampment

Saturday, February 11, 2017 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, February 12, 2017 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site - Dallas, GA

Confederate reenactors will be encamped next to our original 164-year-old log cabin, where civilian women will demonstrate what life was like on the home front. There will be musket firings every hour as well as interactive living history displays where you will be able to learn more about this important time in our states history. $3-$5.50 $5 parking. 770-443-7850.

"Bark in the Park" Dog Hike

Sunday, February 19, 2017 12 p.m.

Sunday, February 26, 2017 1 p.m.

Sweetwater Creek State Park - Lithia Springs, GA

Walk the beautiful trails of the park with your four-legged companion. We will enjoy a guided hike by a park ranger alongside the rapids of Sweetwater Creek and view the New Manchester Mill from the recent movie "Hunger Games: Mockingjay." Reservations required. Meet outside the Visitor's Center. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes are required. $5 plus $5 parking. 770-732-5871.

Early Spring Wildflower Hike

Saturday, February 25, 2017 3 p.m.

Sweetwater Creek State Park - Lithia Springs, GA

This 2-mile ranger-led hike will be moderately strenuous and will pass through a variety of wildflower habitats and beautiful areas. Meet in the Interpretive Center. $5 plus $5 parking. 770-732-5876.





Middle & South Georgia

Full Moon Night Hike

Friday, February 10, 2017 7 p.m.

Magnolia Springs State Park - Millen, GA

Explore the moonlit night by using all of your senses while going on a ranger-led hike. Listen and look for Whippoorwills, owls, bats, and other creatures of the night. Bring a flashlight, water and good hiking shoes. $5 plus $5 parking. 478-982-1660.

The Triple Nickels & Military Order of the Purple Heart

Saturday, February 18, 2017 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site - Warm Springs, GA

The Triple Nickels were America's first all African American parachute infantry platoon and America's first "smoke jumpers." The Military Order of the Purple Heart is composed of men and women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat. Meet and greet with these guests. www.triplenickle.com/history $9-$14. 706-655-5870.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Friday, February 17, 2017 8 a.m.

F.D. Roosevelt State Park - Pine Mountain, GA

Help us count winter birds during this international event sponsored by Audubon and Cornell University. Novice and expert birders welcome. Dress for the weather. Bring binoculars or share park loaners. We provide a check list. Meet at the Park Office and we will carpool to sites. $5 parking. 706-663-4858.

Northern Georgia

Full-Moon Suspension Bridge Hike

Friday, February 10, 2017 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 11, 2017 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 12, 2017 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Tallulah Gorge State Park - Tallulah Falls, GA

Enjoy a short hike that takes you down 310 stairs to the suspension bridge and on the rim of the gorge under the full moon. No pets allowed. Register in advance. $5 plus $5 parking. 706-754-7981.

Happy Tails Dog Hike

Saturday, February 11, 2017 11 a.m.

Fort Mountain State Park - Chatsworth, GA

Bring your four-legged companion and join a ranger on this short and easy 1.1 mile hike around the Lake Trail. Join this new dog walking club, and hike all 7 "Tails on Trails" trails to earn special rewards. Dog must be leashed at all times. Meet at the picnic shelter closest to the beach. $5 parking. 706-422-1932.

The Tale of Sautee and Nacoochee

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 10 a.m.

Smithgall Woods State Park - Helen, GA

Learn the story of star-crossed lovers Sautee and Nacoochee. This story is a local legend that has influenced the community. Listen to a presentation before taking a guided walk around Hardman Farm to view the burial place of the fated lovers. Come for the legend, but stay for the truth of what resides in the Nacoochee Indian Mound. $5 plus $5 parking. 706-878-3087.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has partnered with Agape Child and Family Services, a faith-based non-profit in Memphis, using a two-generation framework serving children and parents in an effort to provide support, permanency, and sustainability within the family unit and the community. Through the partnership with TDHS, families will receive holistic, wraparound services from Agape and over 100 collaborative partners in under-resourced communities and schools.

We have worked closely with the Agape team and community for several months to develop a demonstration project using the two gen framework. We were pleased to learn that they were already on a two gen path, yet needed additional support to better undergird and enhance alignment, said TDHS Commissioner, Dr. Raquel Hatter. This two gen wraparound service demonstration project is driven by collective impact and an unrelenting focus on better outcomes for children and families.



Services will focus on early childhood education, post-secondary education, workforce readiness, health, economic literacy and more. The two-generation partnership is a part of the departments 2G for Tennessee strategy, which has a specific focus on partnering with parents and children together to improve the whole familys well-being while building cycles of success. The two-generation framework utilizes four key components: education, economic supports, health & well-being, and social capital.



"We're at a critical crossroads in Memphis - and this two-generation contract in partnership with the Department of Human Services will enable us to expand our services with families, both parents and children, in some of the most under-resourced areas of our city," said David Jordan, Executive Director of Agape. "We are seeing that exponential and transformational healing occurs when we, alongside our many partners, are able to serve through the two-generation model, wholly serving the children and parents so that the family unit and their communities can function successfully and sustainably. In a way, this contract allows us to join these Memphis communities  Frayser, Hickory Hill and Whitehaven  offering unprecedented stability and permanency to the families we are blessed to serve."



Many leaders in the Memphis community have been supportive of the partnership throughout the process including law enforcement, DAs, school superintendents, parents, children, elementary schools, legislators, workforce partners and many others.



Rep. Akbari, D-Memphis said, "This new partnership between the Department of Human Services and Agape is exactly what we need in Memphis. Using a two-generational approach, Agape will provide the necessary wraparound services that many of our communities in Memphis so desperately need."



Superintendent of the Achievement School District, Malika Anderson, said, The Department of Human Services partnership with Agape launches the kind of multi-agency, cross-district and organization collaboration that puts families first in our collective effort to dramatically improve schools and the life outcomes of the students we serve in Memphis neighborhoods of greatest need. This is work that weve been doing separately for years  imagine what we can accomplish together.



The City of Memphis and Workforce Investment Network (WIN) are excited to be able to partner with Agape to help carry out the workforce activities that will help lift more Memphis families out of poverty. Under the leadership of Mayor Strickland, the local workforce board has been charged with serving more families with barriers and doing all we can to support our youth. I know that this grant from DHS and the Agape partnership allow us to do just that, said Executive Director Kevin Woods.



We support Agape in its intentional efforts to promote education and support the students of Shelby County. They are an extraordinary partner that strives to keep our students feel safe through effective school-based services and working directly with our school leaders and teachers. Their efforts will forever be remembered by the thousands of students they serve, said Dorsey E. Hopson, II, Shelby County Schools Superintendent.



Agape Child & Family Services has worked to provide children and families with healthy homes for 47 years. They currently serve nearly 10,000 children and families in Memphis each year via school-based initiatives and place-based services in under-resourced communities; homeless services; counseling; adoption and foster care.



This work is perfectly aligned with the mission of the two gen approach. This, in addition to Agape's commitment to and heart toward the people of Memphis, made them an excellent partner for this opportunity to invest in the future success of Memphis families, Hatter said. To say I'm optimistic and hopeful about the future is an understatement. Agape is positioned to be a leader in Tennessee and in the nation on authentic engagement with communities with proven outcomes. Congratulations to David Jordan and the Agape team, the many community partners and to the many children and families with whom we all partner with in creating a better quality life and realizing their own version of the American Dream.


AfricaRice is a CGIAR Research Center  part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future. It is also an intergovernmental association of African member countries. For more information visit: www.AfricaRice.org

A propos dAfricaRice

AfricaRice est un Centre de recherche du CGIAR  un partenariat mondial de la recherche agricole pour un futur sans faim. AfricaRice est aussi une association intergouvernementale composee de pays membres africains. Pour plus dinformations, visiter : www.AfricaRice.org
Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested and charged two men in the ongoing investigation into a home invasion and homicide in Covington earlier this month.

At the request of 25th District Attorney General Mike Dunavant, TBI agents began investigating the death of Timothy Edwards on Jan. 19, shortly after officers from the Covington Police Department discovered the body of the 38-year-old in his Douglas Street home.

During the course of the investigation, with the assistance of the Covington Police Department and the Tipton County Sheriffs Department, agents developed information leading to Eddie Lee Poindexter III and Armoni DeQuan Hall as two of the individuals responsible for forcing their way into the familys home and shooting Mr. Edwards.



On Monday, agents arrested Poindexter and on Wednesday, they arrested Hall, charging both with one count of felony first-degree murder, one count of especially aggravated burglary, one count of criminal attempted especially aggravated robbery and one count of possessing a firearm during the commission or attempt to commit a dangerous felony.

At the time of this release, both men were in the custody of the Tipton County Jail without bond. The investigation is ongoing, with the possibility of additional arrests and charges.


Friday the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, along with business and civic leaders, educators and industry representatives, announced the launch of a workforce development campaign, Your Skills. Your Future. The goal of the initiative is to create a "well-qualified workforce to meet the ever-increasing, local industry demands by providing the tools and resources needed for community members to connect with local leading businesses and establish a successful career path."Our improving economy combined with the corresponding decrease in unemployment, existing industry expansion and an increase in new business prospects for our community, has highlighted the critical need for more workers with technical skills to meet future demands, said Gary Farlow, president and CEO of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce.Our goal is to create this workforce by educating the community that a well-paying career with a successful future is easily attainable and does not require massive student loan debt.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, among the nations 387 metropolitan areas, Cleveland, Tn. added the largest amount of new job opportunities over the course of Oct. 2015Oct. 2016. "Your Skills. Your Future." connects existing industry opportunities to community members across Bradley County and the immediate 11-county region while communicating the message that most skilled-trade jobs require only a two-year degree or certificate and little-to-no student loan debt. Many community members from the surrounding 11-county region commute to work for industries located in Cleveland, Charleston, and Bradley County, Tn.The reality is that there are immediate jobs available that are lifelong sustainable careers. We want students, parents, and adults looking for a change to understand the affordability of the training needed for these jobs as well as the attainability to taking the first steps to a bright and successful future, said Bob McIntire, a business leader and chairman of the Cleveland, Tn. Economic Development Council.Whether a student, parent, or career seeker, "Your Skills. Your Future." provides audiences with the resources available to pursue post-secondary education, financial aid, certifications, training and, ultimately, careers, officials said.Workforce development and job creation is one of the most important issues in my District and our nation. A strong workforce not only helps to fill current jobs, but it also attracts future industries to our great state, said Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. This is why I am proud to support the efforts of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce and hope the community will be inspired to pursue technical career opportunities that are the backbone of our economy.For more information about the "Your Skills. Your Future." initiative, visit www.yourskillsyourfuture.com . For questions about the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, visit www.clevelandchamber.com or call 423-472-6587.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
The results of the Combined Defence Service (CDS) Examination 2016 has been released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today. Organised by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence, the exam was conducted for admission into Officers' Training Academy, Chennai for 105th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) and 19th Short Service Commission Women (Non-Technical) Course.

The training courses commence in April, 2017. The number of seats available for candidates are 180, as announced by the government. While for men, there are 175 seats, for women there are five seats. The admission to the first come candidates will only be provision as the results form the Medical Examination is pending yet.

For the 105th Short Service Commission Course, the list consists of the candidates names recommended through the same exam for the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala and the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying ) Training Course(s).

How to check the results of UPSC CDS Exam 2016

Go to the official UPSC website

Click on " Final Result for Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2016 (Officers Training Academy )"

)" Click again and a PDF will open

The list of candidates selected will be displayed at the bottom

Save it to your computer and take a print-out of it for further reference

About UPSC

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a National level competitive examination in India, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to various Civil Services of the Government of India.

The Civil Services, also known as the UPSC exam is considered one of the toughest and prestigious competitive exams in India with success rate of just 0.1%. The examination is conducted to recruit officers for three types of services namely, All India Services, Central Services and State Services.

Also Read :UPSC NDA NA Exam 2017 Admissions Open: Apply Now!
Sometimes its good to be reminded of just how good a car is by giving it go once more. In the case of the Mitsubishi Xpander, its the smal...
Video: Trump Has TV Volume Cranked During Empire Jingle On Air Force One

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 27, 2017 12:03AM

Right up there with Curtis Mayfield, Liz Phair or early Kanye, the Empire Today jingle is one of the most iconically "Chicago" pieces of music there is. So it's with great pleasure that we present the perfect cosmic-joke video below: Donald Trump, Chicago-hater-in-chief, blasting the classic "800-588-2300, Em-pire!" earworm on his very first flight on Air Force One.

CNN cuts to Trump. TV is blasting 588-2300 Empire jingle in background. pic.twitter.com/C5hRxeWg8H  aarcusD2.0 (@_MarcusD2_) January 26, 2017

The video comes via CNN as the network broke live to Trump's first presidential flight. Like some modern-day Chauncey Gardiner, he was of course engaged in his favorite pastime, liking to watchwith the volume at full-on your-grandfather levels. What was he watching? Well, we know Trump loves Fox News, since the most recent time he @'ed Chicago the president essentially quoted a Bill O'Reilly interview subject from a short moment prior. But in our hearts, we like to think it was WGN.

"It's a great plane. Really beautiful," Trump says of Air Force One. "Nice plane," he then adds after a long pause.

Northlake-based home improvement institution Empire Today began airing the classic jingle back in 1976; they added the 800 prefix in 2000 as the company expanded nationally.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, A Show Of Solidarity Against 'All Hate'

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 27, 2017 4:14PM



Getty Images / Photo: Carsten Koall

As people around the globe commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jewish groups in Chicago are honoring the victims of the past but, at the same time, urging vigilance against a current environment of hate and voicing solidarity with other targeted minorities.

Against a backdrop of increased hate incidents and President Donald Trumps anti-refugee policies, Jewish organizations argue that the present moment remains critical.

Every year we say never again, Emily Sweet, of Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, told Chicagoist. That includes combatting the hateful rhetoric over the last year in our political discourse. The lessons of standing against hate and bigotry are as critically important today as they were then.

We have to raise awareness for other ethnic and religious groups as well, Sweet added.

In recent years, hate speech appears to have started rising first in Europe in the summer of 2014, around the time of the conflict in Gaza, but then a similar wave ended up hitting America, including here in Illinois.

Now we see this uptick at home, said Amy Miller, Assistant Director of International Affairs & Communications of American Jewish Committee - Chicago, which hosted a conversation with a Holocaust survivor on Thursday in honor of today's memorial. She noted a rash of swastika vandalism and acts of intimidation along with some violent crimes over the last 18 months. We want to make sure were vigilant about it Its in everyones best interest to speak with one voice against hate. (Miller stressed that while AJC is nonpartisan, the organization speaks out against any policies it finds unethical.)

In the Midwest, reports of hate incidents might finally be leveling off a bit, according to Lonnie Nasatir, Regional Director of Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest of the Anti-Defamation League. But the immediately preceding moment was even more acute. The post-election spike in hate incidents was the largest hes witnessed in over a decade, he said.

The Chicago area witnessed racist vandalism in the South Loop, at a West Side school, in the north suburbs and on campuses in the city and in Evanston.

Still, such acts do continue. People were taken aback, as they should be, by racist graffiti tagged on a Beverly garage. We dont want this normalized. We want outrage, Nasatir said, adding that the struggle is incumbent on solidarity with all victimized groups.
Photos: Activists Rally To Tell Trump 'Xenophobia Has No Home' In Chicago

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jan 27, 2017 4:08PM



On the heels of an announcement that Trump's Administration will withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities like Chicago that support the rights of immigrants, score activists rallied in the Loop to tell President Donald Trump that "xenophobia has no home here."

The group marched through the Loop outside the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chicago office to show support for Chicago's immigrant communities and status as a sanctuary city. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he will not back down in the face of Trump's threats, but it is unclear just how the federal policy would affect the city. The protest was co-organized by People United Against Oppression, a Muslim-led group, Black Lives Matter Women of Faith, and the immigrants' rights organizer Angelica Magana.
Paris is introducing color-coded stickers in its latest attempt to reduce air pollution as many citizens blame cars for their coughing fits, eye irritation and runny noses.



The so-called Crit Air system sees to ban all diesel-powered vehicles registered between January 1997 and December 2000 (about 6% of all cars in France), now identifiable by a Gray sticker on the windshield.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo stated that hoped to get the ban extended to vehicles registered between 2001 and 2005 (color-coded Brown), which make up 14% of the countries vehicles, as reported by Autonews.

A spokeswoman for the Paris municipal authorities said that the color-coded scheme will make it easy for the police to identify the cars, though she was not able to estimate how many cars will be affected within the capital. Mayor Hidalgo has also increased the cost of parking, banned free parking on Saturdays and is set to turn a highway into a riverside park in the near future.

Earlier this week, multiple areas of France were shrouded by ultra-fine harmful particles emitted by cars, particularly those powered by older diesel engines.

I can really feel the pollution. I have young children and I can see it on their skin and hair. Its such a shame that in Paris, which we call the City of Light, were not able to fix this problem, said one citizen in an interview with Reuters.

I never cough but today Ive had coughing fits, I have a runny nose, its really not nice, added another Parisian.

The city of Paris remains on track to ban all diesel-powered vehicles by 2025, an announcement made late last year at the C40 summit.
Shares in a number of auto parts retails dropped on Monday after suggestions that Amazon was planning on expanding into the aftermarket automotive parts business.



In what could be Amazons latest move to disrupt traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, the online retailer has agreed to a number of supply contracts with prominent auto parts makers like Cardone Industries, Robert Bosch, Dorman Products and Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp FDML.O.

Consequently, shares in Autozone sunk by 5.1 per cent to $730.99 while shares in Advanced Auto Parts fell 4.2 per cent to $164.27. OReilly Automotive Inc and Genuine Parts Co also felt the effects of the Amazon report, falling by 4 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively to $263.13 and $96 per share.

A report by The New York Post says that Amazons auto parts business could swell by over 50 per cent this year to $5 billion.

Aiding in Amazons expansion into the auto parts world is the companys plan to introduce same-day delivery for auto parts in 40 major U.S. cities. Already, its parts are on average 23 per cent cheaper than those purchased from Advance, Auto Zone and OReilly.

PHOTO GALLERY
At least two teenagers are being hunted down by police after stealing a Porsche Cayenne and Macan from the German brands North American headquarters in Hapeville, Georgia.



On January 16, teenagers entered a parking lot at the Porsche facility just as a delivery driver was unloading the vehicles off a truck. CCTV footage shows one of the teens jumping inside the truck as the driver was distracted and stealing the keys to a selection of the cars.

The gang of thieves soon took off with a black Porsche Cayenne Turbo in the middle of the day without a care in the world. Remarkably, they came back to the lot just a few minutes later and took off with a white Macan Turbo.

AJC reports that police chased after the stolen vehicles but called off the pursuit due to safety reasons with the Porsches topping 100 mph (160 km/h).

Clearly not concerned with being caught, one of the teens posted footage of himself driving one of the stolen SUVs on social media. A few days later, both vehicles were found abandoned.

Arrest warrants on the identified suspect have already been taken out and details of at least two others involved in the crime are being investigated.

Police say this man stole two Porsche SUVs worth over 200 thousand dollars. How they duped the truck driver delivering the rides. Live@5:30 pic.twitter.com/Qf7YuUKR2G Tom Regan (@tomreganWSB) January 25, 2017

VIDEO
An elderly driver lost control of his Toyota Camry in a shopping center in Hingham, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, and landed on three parked vehicles.



Eyewitnesses told police that the 2007 Toyota Camry suddenly accelerated and struck the curb before becoming airborne and crashing on a 1998 Toyota Camry, a 2015 BMW X5, and a 2013 Lincoln MKT, all of which suffered extensive damages. All three vehicles were unoccupied at the time.

Hingham police said that while the driver had no visible injuries, he was taken to the hospital.

The driver of the car, a 79 year old Weymouth man, was outside the car when Officers arrived. He had been helped out by witnesses. The driver did not recall what happened before the crash, said the police report.

The driver was not given a citation, as according to the police, the man appeared to have suffered some kind of medical condition. However, police made a request to the Registry of Motor Vehicles for an immediate suspension of the drivers license pending a medical evaluation.

Photo Gallery
Zucchinis screenwriter Celine Sciamma (Girlhood, Tomboy) earned a nom in the adapted screenplay category, where there are six total contenders. She adapted the film from a novel by Gilles Paris, and as weve pointed out in ealier pieces, Sciammas ability to write natural-sounding dialogue for children is one of the films highlights. Also, Sophie Hunger received recognition in the original score category. She is one of five nominees in the category.

In the animated feature category, two other films were nominated alongside Zucchini: Michael Dudok de Wits The Red Turtle (also nominated for an Oscar this year) and Sebastien Laudenbachs The Girl Without Hands.

Zucchini went head-to-head against The Red Turtle at the European Film Awards and came out on top. But Laudenbachs film, made almost entirely by himself, is a sublime graphic masterpiece worthy of honors, too. Looking at the trio of films together, its a remarkable group of nominees.

GKIDS will release The Girl Without Hands in the United States later this year, and it will qualify for the Oscars this year.

The Cesars also nominated four French animated shorts. Their trailers can be viewed below.

If youre wondering why the Cesars only recognize French works, heres a good reason: three of the four nominees below were also qualified in the Academys short film category this seasonand not a single one of them was shortlisted. In the case of Peripheria, its almost incomprehensible that a film of such caliber would be ignored while a number of very obviously lesser films were shortlisted.

The winners of the 42nd annual Cesar Awards will be announced on February 24.
Photo: Contributed

Concerns I raised Nov. 10 about the effect Donald Trump would have on Canada are even more concerning today.

In the Nov. 10 MP report, I speculated, among other things, that the Keystone XL pipeline approval was a strong possibility while the likelihood of seeing a national carbon tax in the United States was not.

Given the recent inauguration of Trump, there is certainly a new level of concern for what this will mean to Canada, in particular to the many small business owners who depend upon, directly or indirectly, free trade with the United States.

We can only speculate what will happen, however, there is a pattern emerging to what direction the Trump administration is heading in trade renegotiations.

What is that pattern?

It appears those countries that most enjoy a trade surplus at the expense of the United States are potentially being targeted.

Mexico, as one example, currently enjoys a $60-billion trade surplus and already manufacturers such as Ford have announced they will abandon planned investment there and instead bring some of those dollars back into the United States.

While many around the world see this as protectionism across the border, it is viewed as nationalism in an effort to increase well-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs in the auto sector.

We should not overlook that here in Canada our Federal Liberal Government also just secured a major investment with Honda for upgrades to an automobile plant in Ontario.

The primary difference in approach is in Canada over $80 million was offered to Honda in joint Federal and Provincial corporate subsidies whereas in the United States, the Trump administration threatened an import tax to achieve a similar outcome.

China is suggested to also be a potential target of the Trump administration considering it currently enjoys a trade surplus of close to $370 billion with the United States.

The primary concern expressed from the Trump administration is manufacturers taking advantage of lower labour costs to move jobs outside of the United States into countries such as China.

Although seldom reported, this is not a new concern for the United States. Under the former Obama administration, the United States filed some 16 World Trade Organization complaints against China alleging unfair trade practices.

The Trump administration has suggested further increasing tariffs potentially as high as 45 per cent to encourage manufacturing investment to remain in the United States.

The Trudeau Liberal Government by contrast has expressed interest in going in a different direction by potentially establishing a free trade relationship with China, which currently enjoys an annual trade surplus over Canada of roughly $46 billion.

So where does this leave Canada with the United States?

From a trade perspective, Canada and the U.S. have a far more balanced relationship.

In 2015 Canada enjoyed a trade goods surplus of $15 billion, however, an offsetting trade deficit on services at $27 billion meant that overall the United States had a total trade surplus of $12 billion.

When one considers the total value of trade in goods and services between Canada and United States is over $660 billion, it is clear this relationship is overall working well for both countries.

Likewise in Canada, there is typically no significant labour savings in manufacturing when compared to the United States.

Generally, lower corporate and small business taxes along with the preferable exchange rate have been Canadas leading assets for attracting investment.

The Trump administration is not unaware of these factors and has committed to lowering U.S. corporate taxes to levels similar to here in Canada.

What is of concern is that Canada is increasing payroll costs through expanded CPP and implementing a national carbon tax  both increase costs that a competitor in the United States would not have to swallow.

I am more concerned that Canada will make itself less competitive for investment and harm jobs that will benefit other countries. It should also not be overlooked that many countries that enjoy a large trade surplus are not implementing carbon taxes or other cost increases onto employers.

Here in Canada, investment continues to decline while net new jobs are not increasing. Let us all hope this trend will start to be reversed in 2017.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and concerns and can be reached at [email protected] or toll free at 1-800-665-8711.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Image via: www.Fastcocreate.com

A new Tostitos chip bag can tell if youve been hitting the sauce.

The Party Safe bag is a limited edition chip bag being rolled out for Super Bowl 51 and was created by Tostitos and Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

A sensor is connected to the outside of the bag and is calibrated to detect traces of alcohol on a persons breath.

If the bag detects any alcohol, a red LED light in the shape of a steering wheel will appear on the outside of the bag. Not only will it detect booze but also an Uber code with a dont drink and drive message will appear.

Apparently, the bag is equipped with technology that allows you to tap your phone to the bag to receive a free ride from Uber.

Tostitos partnered with MADD to give a $10 off an Uber ride on Super Bowl Sunday and all that is needed is a Tostitos UPC code.
Photo: Vic Macdonald

A colony of bees survived the freezing cold weather in the Okanagan for two months.

Bees Incorporated removed the bees from a Peachland residence on Dec. 7 and successfully transferred the insects into a regular beehive, with their comb and honey.

They are now wrapped comfortably enough to endure the rest of winter.

Vic Macdonald, of Bees Incorporated, checked on the bees Wednesday and said they are doing well.

As snug as a bug in a rug, said Macdonald.

"We opened the hive yesterday ... to see how they were doing. They were just fine and we added some extra feed to help the bees in case they ran short on food supplies," he said.

Kelowna residents are being reminded to plant a few extra bee plants as bees will come uninvited.
Trump Falsely Claimed 2 People Were Fatally Shot During Obama's Farewell In Chicago

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 27, 2017 5:12PM

President Donald Trump falsely claimed in an interview on Wednesday with ABC News that two people were fatally shot in Chicago while former-president Barack Obama delivered his farewell address. In fact, no one was shot in the city during that timeframe, and no one was fatally shot on that day at all, according to police.

Look, when President Obama was there two weeks ago making a speech, a very nice speech, two people were shot and killed during his speech, Trump told ABC News David Muir. You cant have that.

Obama delivered his farewell speech on the evening of Jan. 10, at McCormick Place, to a packed house.

They werent shot at the speech. But they were shot in the city of Chicago during his speech. What, whats going on? Trump said.

But according to Chicago police, no one was shot at all during that stretch of time, roughly 8 to 9 p.m. A 22-year-old man was shot at 9:10 p.m. in the 1500 block of S. Kolin Ave., and he was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in fair condition. No one in Chicago was shot on Jan. 10 between 2:30 and 9:10 p.m., according to police records sent to Chicagoist. There were five shooting incidents in total that day, and none were fatal.

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump compared Chicago to Afghanistan and said the city might be too "politically correct" to solve violent crime. Trump Tweeted on Tuesday night that he'd send in "the feds" to Chicago if local government and law enforcement doesn't reduce violence. Chicago had a higher homicide rate than some large cities, such as New York City and Los Angeles, in 2016, but it ranked outside the top ten in terms of murder rate per capita.

[H/T Tribune]
Photo: Contributed

Wow! The experts are just throwing themselves at Okanagan tech this week.

It was announced yesterday that business law firm Lawson Lundell LLP is putting its experience and expertise behind companies working with Accelerate Okanagan and the Okanagan technology community.

You need to read this announcement because Lawson Lundell LLP's experience and awards are way to long for my little article. It's very impressive that this kind of law firm is committing to Kelowna.



Best tech for last. They like wine, they like tech, so why not start a business called VinStream.

Tasha Da Silva and Shane Lapp have created a one-stop software system that is tailored to small to medium sized wineries.

VinStream will be launched in March, but it has already multiple wineries on board. VinStream is nominated for Best Concept at the upcoming Small Business Awards BC.



Are you in the loop? No? Well, then, GetintheLoop.

Matt Crowell is enjoying so much success with his data-driven marketing solutions right across Canada. His newest big win is the addition of Patrick LaForge, former president of the Edmonton Oilers, in a new executive role.

This is a very exciting time for GetintheLoop because it has unlimited future potential.

GetintheLoop enables businesses to attract and retain the right customers with our free platform that delivers real-time offers from cool local companies and consumers get a heck of a deal as well. Visit their website or download their app now.



Andre Thomas of Memphis Blues is celebrating big this week because Memphis Blues is 10 years old.

Andre says Ten years in this business is a significant achievement and we couldnt have done it without the support of so many great customers and staff."

To celebrate they have some crazy specials happening until the end of February. Visit both the stores and their website.



The 2017 Tommie Awards are Saturday night. This year, the Best of the Best will be celebrating 25 years of building excellence and they promise this year is going to be unforgettable.

Tommie has been recognized as the symbol of excellence for the building industry in the Okanagan.

I need to know who the best is because I get mad when I have to go to Home Depot, which means my projects need to be done right.



Say It Like You Eat It. What a cool name for a pop-up dinner.

The Paisley Notebook's creator and Western Living Magazine's 2015 Foodie of the Year, Aman Dosanj, will be at the Salted Brick Sunday hosting a four-course Indian inspired meal at Salted Brick.

Cross your fingers its not sold out.



Take a minute and watch me Burn Rubber in my video blog this week.

Make it a great week!
Photo: The Canadian Press

Oliver residents can expect to see a three-per-cent increase to their property taxes this year, with major capital projects set for the coming years.

Mayor Ron Hovanes said after more than three hours of deliberations on Wednesday, council decided to increase property taxes by three per cent rather than bring in a bigger spike in a year or two to help pay for some of those projects.

"In our five-year capital plan, we have some roadworks and some infrastructure work that are going to be fairly significant in our community," Hovanes said. "Rather than hitting the community all at once when these times arise, it's much better to have smaller increases as you go forward to kind of soften the blow.

"Taxpayers really don't like spikes, and neither do I."

When looking at the budget, Hovanes said council found without a tax bump the town would have about $13,000 in savings to go into reserves. But with big projects set to start next year, council wanted a little more to go into that fund.

Each percentage point increase in property taxes means a $13,869 increase in revenue for the city, meaning the city will be able to put about $55,000 into reserves for future projects this year if all goes according to plan.

"At the end of the day, we whittled things down to the best we can to make sure that the Town of Oliver has the services that the town wishes and to look after our capital program the best we can," Hovanes said, noting that council felt a tax increase would still be necessary.

"That would add another 40-plus-thousand dollars to reserves at the end of the year so we can better prepare ourselves for going down the road for some of the capital expenditures that we know we're going to need in the next couple of years."

Some of those capital projects include some more expensive roadwork both this year and next and looking into the future.

"We work our best to keep up with our roads and sewers and water mains and the other infrastructure that you need to keep a community going," Hovanes said. "Every year, you've got something that's coming up for repair or replacement."

When staff came to mayor and council with a budget, they offered four main options for tax increases: zero per cent, 1.75 per cent, 2 per cent and 2.5 per cent. But when it came down to it, Hovanes said it was prudent to bring in a heavier three-per-cent increase now, rather than leave it lower and bring in a spike later on.

Oliver's council also approved increases of about five per cent to both the water and sewer rates for the town and surrounding rural areas in December.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Workers were expected to complete cleaning up Thursday about 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel that spewed from a broken pipeline onto an Iowa farm, the largest U.S. diesel spill since 2010, federal authorities said.

Vacuum trucks were sucking up the fuel that spilled onto an acre of grass and tilled farmland when the pipeline broke.

About 18 per cent of the liquid had been removed, and no fuel entered rivers or streams, Iowa Department of Natural Resources spokesman Jeff Vansteenburg early on Thursday. No farm field drain lines have been severed so fuel can't flow into waterways, he said.

Contaminated snow and diesel are being hauled to a Minneapolis, Minnesota, facility. Contaminated soil will be excavated and taken to a landfill near Clear Lake, Iowa, Vansteenburg said.

High wind and blowing snow were complicating cleanup efforts, he said.

The pipeline, owned by Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Magellan Midstream Partners, was discovered spewing diesel fuel Wednesday morning.

More than 70 Magellan representatives, local responders, regulators and contractors were on site Thursday morning, Magellan spokesman Bruce Heine said. No injuries were reported and no evacuations needed. He said the cause of the leak is under investigation.

"Although we expect to begin pipeline repairs later today, we do not have an estimate when pipeline operations will resume on the affected segment of our system," Heine said on Thursday. "We do not expect this incident to disrupt supply of gasoline, diesel and other refined petroleum products in the region."

The pipeline was built in the early 1950s, but Heine said the age of a pipeline is not a safety factor when it's adequately inspected and maintained.

The 127-mile stretch of pipe runs from Rosemount, Minnesota to Mason City, Iowa.

The incident is the sixth largest refined petroleum spill reported by companies to the U.S. Department of Transportation this decade and the largest diesel spill since January 2010, according to the department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration records.

During that time 807 spills have been reported causing $342 million in estimated property damage releasing more than 3 million gallons of gas, diesel fuel and other petroleum products.

Magellan, which has nearly 11,000 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines, has had 218 accidents causing more than $48 million in property damage since 2006. Those accidents spilled more than 832,000 gallons of petroleum products.

Over the past decade, Magellan had 40 enforcement cases against it for pipeline safety violations, resulting in $1.4 million in proposed penalties.

The incident illustrates that petroleum pipelines are dangerous, said pipeline critic Ed Fallon, director of Bold Iowa, a coalition fighting the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipeline projects.

"We've been saying all along it's not a question of if a pipeline will leak, it's a question of when and where and how bad it will be," Fallon said.

Federal government data shows Iowa had 13 serious pipeline incidents with one fatality and 16 injuries between 1996 and 2015. Serious incidents include a fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Can women be brilliant? Little girls are not so sure.

A study published Thursday in the journal Science suggests that girls as young as six can be led to believe men are inherently smarter and more talented than women, making girls less motivated to pursue novel activities or ambitious careers. That such stereotypes exist is hardly a surprise, but the findings show these biases can affect children at a very young age.

"As a society, we associate a high level of intellectual ability with males more than females, and our research suggests that this association is picked up by children as young 6 and 7," said Andrei Cimpian, associate professor in the psychology department at New York University. Cimpian coauthored the study, which looked at 400 children ages five to seven.

In the first part of the study, girls and boys were told a story about a person who is "really, really smart," a child's idea of brilliance, and then asked to identify that person among the photos of two women and two men. The people in the photos were dressed professionally, looked the same age and appeared equally happy. At five, both boys and girls tended to associate brilliance with their own gender, meaning that most girls chose women and most boys chose men.

But as they became older and began attending school, children apparently began endorsing gender stereotypes. At six and seven, girls were "significantly less likely" to pick women. The results were similar when the kids were shown photos of children.

Interestingly, when asked to select children who look like they do well in school, as opposed to being smart, girls tended to pick girls, which means that their perceptions of brilliance are not based on academic performance.

"These stereotypes float free of any objective markers of achievement and intelligence," Cimpian said.

As a result, believing that they are not as gifted as boys, girls tend to shy away from demanding majors and fields, leading to big differences in aspirations and career choices between men and women. "These stereotypes discourage women's pursuit of many prestigious careers; that is, women are underrepresented in fields whose members cherish brilliance," the authors wrote.

It is still unclear where the stereotypes come from. Parents, teachers and peers and the media are the usual suspects, Cimpian said. But it is evident that action must be taken so that these biases don't curtail girls' professional aspirations.

Toy companies like Mattel, maker of the Barbie doll, have taken steps to try to reduce gender stereotypes. Mattel's "You can be anything" Barbie campaign tells girls that they can be paleontologists, veterinarians or professors, among other careers.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The keepers of the Doomsday Clock have moved the symbolic countdown to potential global catastrophe 30 seconds closer to midnight based on President Donald Trump's comments on nuclear weapons and climate change.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, in a statement accompanying the move Thursday, cited "wavering public confidence in the democratic institutions required to deal with major world threats." It says "deception campaigns" by Russia to disrupt the U.S. election have made the world more dangerous by bringing "American democracy and Russian intentions into question."

The Doomsday Clock now stands at 2 1/2 minutes to midnight, the closest it has been since the 1950s.

The clock is a visual representation of how close the Bulletin believes the world is to catastrophe brought on by nuclear weapons, climate change and new technologies.
Photo: The Canadian Press Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a Security Council meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin conferred with his top officials Friday about relations with Washington a day before a scheduled call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump's senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" Friday that U.S. sanctions against Russia and other issues would be on the table during his conversation with Putin set for Saturday.

Conway also said Trump will be receptive if the Russian leader wants to have a serious conversation about how to defeat Islamic extremists.

Ahead of the call, Putin chaired a meeting of his Security Council to discuss U.S.-Russian relations, the Kremlin said.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the two presidents are expected to "exchange views about main parameters of current bilateral relations." They last spoke when Putin congratulated Trump shortly after his election victory.

Peskov wouldn't elaborate on what specific issues could be discussed and wouldn't say if the two leaders would use the call to agree on an in-person meeting.

The Kremlin has applauded Trump's promises to mend ties with Moscow, which have been badly strained by the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.

Barack Obama's administration and the European Union slapped Moscow with sanctions for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

The restrictions have limited Russian companies' access to international financial markets and barred key technology transfers, helping drive the Russian economy into recession. Russia has responded by banning imports of most Western agricultural products.

The Kremlin has warned that rebuilding ravaged ties will take time, but many in Russia hope there will be an easing of the tensions unseen since the Cold War.

"Relations between the great powers have been going from bad to worse for several years now," former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said in an article published in Time magazine. "The advocates for arms buildup and the military-industrial complex are rubbing their hands. We need to resume political dialogue."

Warning that "the nuclear threat once again seems real," Gorbachev urged Trump and Putin to initiate a United Nations Security Council resolution stating that "nuclear war is unacceptable and must never be fought."

He emphasized that the two leaders bear a special responsibility as "presidents of two nations that hold over 90% of the world's nuclear arsenals."
Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump sits at his desk on Air Force One

A meeting with lawmakers vanished from the White House schedule. A ceremonial executive order signing was abruptly cancelled. A statement about how a signature campaign promise will be paid for was walked back.

The first days of any new president's term are disorderly, as a sprawling government bureaucracy and overwhelming global responsibilities are suddenly thrust upon an administration that is trying to hit the ground running and sometimes just to get the phones working.

By any measure, Thursday was a chaotic day in President Donald Trump's White House.

The confusion began early, when the president left the White House nearly an hour late for his first trip away from Washington, a quick jaunt to Philadelphia to speak to a Republican congressional retreat.

While airborne, White House aides confirmed that a meeting between Trump and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Texas Rep. Kevin Brady that was scheduled for the president's return had been postponed until next week  and that Hatch, unbeknownst to the press, had actually met with Trump the night before.

On the return flight to Washington, White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced to reporters on the plane that the administration was working with Congress to impose a 20 per cent tax on Mexican imports to pay for the southern border wall that Trump had made the centerpiece of his campaign.

"By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said. "This is something that we've been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan."

The surprise announcement, meant to fulfil Trump's declaration that Mexico would pay for the wall, led to breaking news alerts lighting up phones across Washington.

But less than an hour later, reporters in the White House press room were hurriedly escorted to Spicer's office. He walked back his earlier comments, explaining that the tax on Mexican imports "was just one option" and that no final decision had been made.

Spicer also announced that an executive order signing  traditionally a staid, painstakingly planned affair, complete with briefing papers and detailed memos  that was scheduled for the Oval Office just minutes later was being postponed because Trump had arrived back at the White House too late in the day.

Spicer said the administration was still sorting out the "sequencing" of upcoming orders and that Trump was still making suggestions.

"As you probably can tell, he's very hands-on when it comes to these executive orders," the press secretary said.

And the order itself, which would commission an investigation into unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, stemmed not from a campaign promise, but rather Trump's public musings on the subject in recent days.

There was at least one fresh sign that Friday, too, might be getting get off to a rocky start. Trump is slated to host the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, but the official White House schedule misspelled her name as "Teresa." Three times.

An environment of chaos is not new for Trump, who at times seems to thrive on disorder.
Photo: Department of National Defence/The Canadian Press

UPDATE: 1:20 p.m.

Two pilots ejected safely Friday from a military training plane before it crashed near a base in southern Saskatchewan, says a National Defence spokeswoman.

Jessica Lamirande said a CT-156 Harvard II aircraft crashed about 10:30 a.m. Friday near 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

First responders went to the crash site and found both pilots with non-life-threatening injuries.

A civilian helicopter ambulance transported one of the pilots to a Regina hospital. The other pilot was driven to an unspecified hospital.

Lt. Michele Tremblay, a spokeswoman with the base, said the pilots are an instructor and a student with the Royal Canadian Air Force serving at the 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School.

Details of what prompted the pilots to eject were not released.

"The precise circumstances about the ejection are not known," Tremblay said. "A flight safety team from Ottawa will be travelling to Moose Jaw to investigate."

The Harvard II is a single-engine turboprop that is often used to help train new pilots before they go on to fly other types of aircraft.

The Air Force considers the Moose Jaw base the home of military pilot training in Canada.

It is the principal site for the NATO flight-training program in Canada and home to the Snowbirds aerobatic demonstration team.

ORIGINAL: 10:50 a.m.

A spokeswoman for National Defence says two pilots have safely ejected from a military plane that crashed near a base in southern Saskatchewan.

Jessica Lamirande says a CT-156 Harvard II training aircraft crashed about 10:30 a.m. in the vicinity of 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

First responders went to the crash site and found both pilots with non-life-threatening injuries.
Photo: CTV File photo

A 94-year-old Ontario man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly attacking people with a machete.

Hamilton police say they were called to a home in Carlisle, Ont. on Wednesday evening.

They say officers found the suspect allegedly using a machete to attack people inside the home.

They say two people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Michael Yole is charged with attempted murder and two counts of assault with a weapon.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The federal Liberals plan to lift the veil of secrecy around so-called "cash-for-access" political fundraisers, but don't appear ready to outright ban the controversial practice.

A federal source says the government is planning on introducing legislation to force cabinet ministers, party leaders and leadership candidates to publicly advertise the fundraisers in advance and release a report "in a timely manner" after the fact about details of the event  although it's not clear how much detail the reports will provide.

The legislation would also require the events to take place in "publicly available spaces," the source said, a move that would address concerns about well-heeled donors bending the ears of cabinet ministers in private homes.

The government source also said the Liberals plan to reach across party lines in writing the legislation.

"Other measures may follow after discussion with the other political parties," he added.

The source didn't say when the legislation would be introduced.

A controversy about the practice has dogged the Liberals, and Trudeau in particular, for months.

Trudeau has defended the practice, arguing that federal political financing rules, including disclosure requirements and strict caps on donations, prevent any appearance of conflict of interest.

Cash-for-access fundraisers see donors pay as much as $1,500 to rub shoulders with Trudeau or one of his cabinet ministers away from the public spotlight.

Critics say the practice undermines government transparency and accountability. But it doesn't necessarily violate political fundraising or ethics rules as they are currently written.

The federal ethics commissioner has repeatedly said fundraising provisions in the ethics law need to be more stringent when it comes to cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries.
Woman Admits Story That Led To Murder Of Emmett Till 'Not True'

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 27, 2017 5:59PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

The woman whose story led to the notorious lynching of Emmett Tillthe murder that helped ignite the civil-rights movementadmitted that she made up her claim that Till made verbal and physical advances on her, according to Vanity Fair.

Till, 14, was visiting family in Mississippi from Chicago in August of 1955, when he spoke with Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white married grocery store owner, for about one minute at the shop. At the time, she claimed Till whistled at her, grabbed her and made advances. A few days later, Donham's husband, Roy, and Roy's half-brother, J. W. Milam, abducted, mutilated and murdered Till.

A white jury quickly acquitted Milam and Roy of Till's murder after Donham's testimony.

But Donham told author Timothy B Tyson, "that parts not true," referring her claim that she had been harassed, according to Vanity Fair.

Donham had remained mum about the subject for decades after the murder before speaking with Tyson, a research scholar at Duke University who wrote a book about the murder called The Blood of Emmett Till, to be published next week.

Donham "felt tender sorrow for [Till's mother] Mamie Till-Mobley, Tyson noted, according to Vanity Fair. Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him, Donham told Tyson; but the author doesn't mention if she expressed guilt or apologized.

Till's mother demanded an open-casket funeral, so that the public could see the brutal, graphic evidence of the crimes perpetrated against Emmett and failures of the justice system. The outrage that ensued helped launch the civil-rights struggle in 1955.
A fully involved vehicle fire has been reported just off Highway 97C on Trepanier Road.

The vehicle is apparently blocking the Trepanier Road highway access to Peachland.

Fire crews are headed to the scene.

Send your news, photos and vodeo to [email protected]
Photo: RCMP

One man is dead, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is probing a shooting in Surrey.

Just after 8 p.m. Thursday, RCMP were called to check the well-being of an unresponsive male in a vehicle on the 7400 block of Sinclair Crescent.

When police arrived, the man was deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.

The victim has been identified as 36-year-old Maple Ridge resident Hershan Shawn Bains.

Police say the shooting appears to be a targeted act, and it is not known if it is linked to other recent shootings.

IHIT is working with the RCMP, B.C. Coroners Service, and Integrated Forensic Identification Services to gather and process evidence.

The area surrounding the crime scene has been cleared by police, but neighbourhood canvassing continues.

This homicide is believed to be a targeted act, and there are people who have information about what occurred. Its imperative that they step forward and contact police so that those responsible are held accountable," said Cpl. Meghan Foster.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448), by email at [email protected], or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Editors note: The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, is close at hand. This year, Lunar New Year's Day falls on Jan. 28. Being the most important festival among the many Chinese traditional holidays, Spring Festival sees an extended celebration lasting several weeks and a revival of ancient traditions.

The origin of the Chinese Lunar New Year can be traced back thousands of years through a continually evolving series of colorful legends and traditions. Here, China.org.cn shares some ancient traditions followed during the first 15 days of the new lunar year to recall those sweet moments and look forward to prosperity in the coming months.

The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, is close at hand. This year, Lunar New Year's Day falls on Jan. 28. [Photo/VCG]

Lunar New Year's Eve

The most treasured part of the Spring Festival is the opportunity of reunion, just like Christmas in the West. No matter how far away from their homes, people always try their best to get back to join the Lunar New Year's Eve feast, also called the reunion dinner.

Lunar New Year's Eve, of course, is the last day of the old year. Homes have been cleaned so as to be spotless inside and out, doors and windows are decorated with brand new Spring Festival couplets, New Year's pictures, hangings, and images of the Door God; everyone dresses up in their holiday best decorated with lucky patterns and auspicious colors.

Day 1 - Lunar New Year's Day

On the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, people will go to visit their relatives and friends' homes early in the morning to offer regards and congratulations. The younger generation can receive New Year gift money from the older, usually in a traditional red envelope. These customs have been passed down through many generations.
Tajikistan exports 0.3Mt of cement in 2016

ICR Newsroom By 27 January 2017

In 2016 Tajikistan exported 300,000t of cement, mainly to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, according to Tajik Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Shavkat Bobozoda.

Over the first nine months of last year, Tajikistan sent 35,000t of cement to Uzbekistan. Previously Tajikistan exported cement only to Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Over the report period, Tajikistan sent 96,000t of cement to Afghanistan and 30,000t of cement to Kyrgyzstan. Besides, Tajikistan exported 65t of cement to Russia over the same nine-month period.

Following the commissioning of new cement plants in Vahdat, Bobojon Gafur and Yavan districts, minister said that the country increased its cement output by around 0.5Mt to 2Mt in 2016, opening up significant opportunities for export.

In August 2016 the Government of Tajikistan and the Chzhungtsai Mohir Cement company started operation at the 1.2Mta cement plant in Yovon district of Khatlon province. It is the first cement plant in central Asia to produce 400, 500 and 600 branded cement. The plant represents an investment of US$121m with 35 per cent of the cost procured from local investors and 65 per cent from foreign investment.

Published under
South Korea: carbon emission quota increased

27 January 2017

On 24 January the South Korean government increased the carbon emissions quota by 1700t to 539Mt and added 51Mt to emission rights in view of companies efforts for greenhouse gas reduction prior to the implementation of emissions trading.

Community energy suppliers and cement manufacturers are expected to benefit from the adjustment, with the price/t of carbon emission rights recently tripling from a year ago to KRW20,850 (US$17.75) in the Korea Exchange.

The government also voted for its second three-year plan on emission trading, to be implemented from 18-2020. According to this plan, greenhouse gas emission rights, which are currently allocated for free, are to be allocated in return for a payment equivalent to three per cent of allowance.

Those in various industries are opposed to the new rule, claiming that the payment will result in an additional burden of no less than KRW4.5tn (US$3.8bn) each year.

Published under
Cementos Molins expects to raise AF use to 39%

27 January 2017

Cementos Molins plans to raise alternative fuel use at its Sant Vicenc del Horts plant near Barcelona, Spain, from 34 to 39 per cent of the fuel mix this year. The step is expected to reduce fuel costs by EUR1.2m annually.



The increase is made possible due to considerable use of waste tyres to replace petcoke, the fuel most commonly used in the plant.



However, for the plan to go ahead, the authorities have to approve the modification to the plants current permit to use up to 115,000t of alternative fuel. Cemento Molins will request permission to increase the current volume of 5000t of waste tyres to 20,000t while reducing the reliance on biomass.

Published under
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Baker Donelson announced that Richard B. Gossett has been elected a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association comprised of 841 attorneys across the state.

A shareholder in the Firm's Chattanooga office, Mr. Gossett is a banking, business, bankruptcy and reorganizations and creditors' rights lawyer. He also has extensive experience in corporate and other business organizations, real estate matters and construction law. Mr. Gossett has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1999 and in Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2006. He is also a member of the American, Georgia and Tennessee Bar Associations.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation's purpose is to honor attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the profession and to administer a grant-making program. That program, Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA), has awarded grants in excess of $21 million to law-related public interest projects. For more information, visit tnbarfoundation.org.
Despite the rapidly changing shape of the federal government, cannabis legalization is pushing forward. Last year, several states legalized marijuana for recreational use, joining the small, select club that kicked it off. And though the incoming presidential administration has many in the industry (and those that support it) justifiably spooked, it doesnt appear that any momentum has been lost.

That momentum looks to carry on into 2017 and 2018. The next big election push will be during the midterms in November 2018, but like Ohio did last year, some states may try to jump the gun. In the states that have legalized cannabis, the rewards have been obvious. Jobs are being created by the thousands, and state coffers are filling with tax revenue.

Not to mention that state resources are being freed up  especially on the law enforcement side of things.

For these reasons and others, legislators nationwide are looking for ways to sell legalization. A majority of the population now is in support of ending cannabis prohibition. So, if there was ever a time to seize the initiative, this is it. Still, there are plenty of barriers and obstacles to getting legislation passed or even on a ballot. But as legalization spreads from coast to coast, lawmakers are feeling the itch. After all, have you ever met a politician that didnt like money?

2016: A recap

2016 was, without a doubt, the biggest year for marijuana yet. Though the start of the legalization push was in 2012 when voters in Colorado and Washington passed legislation, 2016 saw California and a slew of others follow suit. As it stands, the entire west coast has legalized cannabis. And its officially spilled over to the east coast  Maine and Massachusetts joined Washington D.C. with legalization laws, too.

The big hiccup, of course, was the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. While Trump has sent mixed signals on where he stands in terms of legalizing marijuana, his cabinet nominees and appointments leave a lot to be desired. Specifically, Trumps Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has been a big opponent of marijuana throughout his career.

Cannabis is still federally illegal, meaning that even if youre in a legal state, youd be violating federal law by using or possessing the drug. During the Obama years, the federal government was more or less instructed to look the other way. That wasnt really an official policy, though  and under Trump, it could change. Thats what has a lot of people on edge; we really dont know whats going to happen.

Despite Trump now residing in the White House, it appears many states will continue to push for legalization. Here are eight states that could do so this year, or at least lay the groundwork for a ballot measure in 2018.

1. Texas

Aside from California, which legalized cannabis last year, Texas is the biggest domino left on the board. It has a huge population, large cities, and a diverse set of cultures, making it very influential on the national stage. It also appears that hardline stances against marijuana are softening within the state. According to local Texas news sources, a plethora of legalization bills are flooding the state legislature. Its seemingly only a matter of time before the levy breaks.

2. New Mexico

Breaking Bads Walter White may not be stoked, but his home state of New Mexico seems apt to legalize marijuana in the near future. The idea is being kicked around by state legislators as they deal with big budget shortfalls. Plans to reveal a bill later this year have been announced by Democratic state senators, but they do face staunch Republican opposition.

3. Delaware

The sleepy, small state of Delaware evidently wants a piece of the action. State lawmakers started digging into it last year, and have even crafted legislation that closely mirrors that in other states. The reason for it? Lawmakers are pushing the idea in order to help shore up budget gaps.

4. Missouri

The state of Missouri has already decriminalized marijuana possession. And in 2016, advocacy groups were close to actually getting legalization on the ballot for voters. They came up short, but it looks like theyre redoubling their efforts. Medical marijuana proposals are on the table, and if things dont get pushed through in 2017, it looks like 2018 will be the target year for voters.

5. Virginia

Virginias governor has discussed the idea of legalizing cannabis and has even said he supports medical marijuana laws. The hang-up? He doesnt think the state legislature has the guts to put a bill on his desk. The data shows that most Virginia residents support legalization, which may sway lawmakers as we head into 2017 and 2018.

6. Rhode Island

Taking a cue from its neighbor, the state of Massachusetts, lawmakers in Rhode Island are expressing interest in legalizing cannabis. The states governor and other key figures have been weighing the pros and cons, and are evidently very interested in the potential tax revenue that legalization would bring in.

7. New Jersey

New Jerseys Governor Chris Christie has come out in staunch opposition to legalization, a fact that has made him largely unpopular  more unpopular than almost any other governor in the country. And that means doing things that he hates is popular. State lawmakers have gone to other states to see how legalization is shaping up across the country, leaving them convinced this is the way to go. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the wheels appear to be in motion for legalization bills either this year or next in the state of New Jersey.

8. Vermont

Though Vermont legislators killed a legalization bill last year, it looks like theyll be revisiting the idea very soon. Massachusetts and Maine both voted for ending prohibition in 2016, softening the ground a bit for New England states to pursue similar laws. Theres a renewed push following the last election, even going against the sitting Governors desires.

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From left: Kansas State University researchers Justin Wright, doctoral student in physics; Chris Sorensen, Cortelyou-Rust university distinguished professor of physics; and Arjun Nepal, postdoctoral researcher and instructor of physics, hold a container of graphene. Sorensen and Nepal have patented a method to create graphene through a controlled detonation.

Chris Sorensen, Kansas State University Cortelyou-Rust university distinguished professor of physics, holds a container of graphene that was created in a recently patented method that involves three ingredients: hydrocarbon gas, oxygen and a spark plug.

Forget chemicals, catalysts and expensive machinery -- a Kansas State University team of physicists has discovered a way to mass-produce graphene with three ingredients: hydrocarbon gas, oxygen and a spark plug.

Their method is simple: Fill a chamber with acetylene or ethylene gas and oxygen. Use a vehicle spark plug to create a contained detonation. Collect the graphene that forms afterward.

Chris Sorensen, Cortelyou-Rust university distinguished professor of physics, is the lead inventor of the recently issued patent, "Process for high-yield production of graphene via detonation of carbon-containing material." Other Kansas State University researchers involved include Arjun Nepal, postdoctoral researcher and instructor of physics, and Gajendra Prasad Singh, former visiting scientist.

"We have discovered a viable process to make graphene," Sorensen said. "Our process has many positive properties, from the economic feasibility, the possibility for large-scale production and the lack of nasty chemicals. What might be the best property of all is that the energy required to make a gram of graphene through our process is much less than other processes because all it takes is a single spark."

Graphene is a single atom-thick sheet of hexagonally coordinated carbon atoms, which makes it the world's thinnest material. Since graphene was isolated in 2004, scientists have found it has valuable physical and electronic properties with many possible applications, such as more efficient rechargeable batteries or better electronics.

For Sorensen's research team, the serendipitous path to creating graphene started when they were developing and patenting carbon soot aerosol gels. They created the gels by filling a 17-liter aluminum chamber with acetylene gas and oxygen. Using a spark plug, they created a detonation in the chamber. The soot from the detonation formed aerosol gels that looked like "black angel food cake," Sorensen said.

But after further analysis, the researchers found that the aerosol gel was more than lookalike dark angel food cake -- it was graphene.

"We made graphene by serendipity," Sorensen said. "We didn't plan on making graphene. We planned on making the aerosol gel and we got lucky."

But unlike other methods of creating graphene, Sorensen's method is simple, efficient, low-cost and scalable for industry.

Other methods of creating graphene involve "cooking" the mineral graphite with chemicals -- such as sulfuric acid, sodium nitrate, potassium permanganate or hydrazine -- for a long time at precisely prescribed temperatures. Additional methods involve heating hydrocarbons to 1,000 degrees Celsius in the presence of catalysts.

Such methods are energy intensive -- and even dangerous -- and have low yield, while Sorensen and his team's method makes larger quantities with minimal energy and no dangerous chemicals.

"The real charm of our experiment is that we can produce graphene in the quantity of grams rather than milligrams," Nepal said.

Now the research team -- including Justin Wright, doctoral student in physics, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania -- is working to improve the quality of the graphene and scale the laboratory process to an industrial level. They are upgrading some of the equipment to make it easier to get graphene from the chamber seconds -- rather than minutes -- after the detonation. Accessing the graphene more quickly could improve the quality of the material, Sorensen said.
University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Carlos Mastrangelo, right, and doctoral student Nazmul Hasan have created 'smart glasses' with liquid-based lenses that can automatically adjust the focus on what a person is seeing, whether it is far away or close up.

Early prototype of 'smart glasses' with liquid-based lenses that can automatically adjust the focus on what a person is seeing, whether it is far away or close up. The lenses are placed in battery-powered frames that can automatically adjust the focal length of the lenses based on what the wearer is looking at. Researchers expect to have smaller, lighter frames with the technology in as early as three years.

A team led by University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Carlos Mastrangelo and doctoral student Nazmul Hasan has created "smart glasses" with liquid-based lenses that can automatically adjust the focus on what a person is seeing, whether it is far away or close up. The paper was co-authored by U electrical and computer engineering associate professor Hanseup Kim and graduate researcher Aishwaryadev Banerjee.

"Most people who get reading glasses have to put them on and take them off all the time," says Mastrangelo, who also is a professor for USTAR, the Utah Science Technology and Research economic development initiative. "You don't have to do that anymore. You put these on, and it's always clear."

The human eye has a lens inside that adjusts the focal depth depending on what you look at. But as people age, the lens loses its ability to change focus, which is why many people ultimately require reading glasses or bifocals to see objects up close and regular eyeglasses to see far away, also known as farsightedness and nearsightedness, respectively.

So Mastrangelo and Hasan have created eyeglass lenses made of glycerin, a thick colorless liquid enclosed by flexible rubber-like membranes in the front and back. The rear membrane in each lens is connected to a series of three mechanical actuators that push the membrane back and forth like a transparent piston, changing the curvature of the liquid lens and therefore the focal length between the lens and the eye.

"The focal length of the glasses depends on the shape of the lens, so to change the optical power we actually have to change the membrane shape," Mastrangelo says.

The lenses are placed in special eyeglass frames also invented by Mastrangelo, Hasan and other members of the research group with electronics and a battery to control and power the actuators. In the bridge of the glasses is a distance meter that measures the distance from the glasses to an object via pulses of infrared light. When the wearer looks at an object, the meter instantly measures the distance and tells the actuators how to curve the lenses. If the user then sees another object that's closer, the distance meter readjusts and tells the actuators to reshape the lens for farsightedness. Hasan says the lenses can change focus from one object to another in 14 milliseconds. A rechargeable battery in the frames could last more than 24 hours per charge, Mastrangelo says.

Before putting them on for the first time, all users have to do is input their eyeglasses prescription into an accompanying smartphone app, which then calibrates the lenses automatically via a Bluetooth connection. Users only needs to do that once except for when their prescription changes over time, and theoretically, eyeglass wearers will never have to buy another pair again since these glasses would constantly adjust to their eyesight.

Currently, the team has constructed a bulky working prototype that they put on display at last month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but expect to constantly improve the design to make them smaller and lighter. Mastrangelo said a lighter, more attractive pair could hit the marketplace in as early as three years and that a startup company, Sharpeyes LLC, has been created to commercialize the glasses.
You can say just about anything you want on Facebook and other social media platforms. But if your comments make the company you work for look bad, you may find yourself out of a job. (Matt Rourke / AP)

Hello, working people. As you may have noticed, we're experiencing what might politely be called a tumultuous moment in our nation's politics and that has people feeling angry, defensive, outraged, elated and, in some cases, mean-spiritedly cocky.

There was a time when turmoil of this sort might not have mattered as much in the working world, back when the primary means of spouting a political opinion was via mouth. That would often temper opinion-spouting, as face-to-face debates tend to be more civil.

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But now we have social media and, as evidenced by a number of stories over the past week, political opinions or jokes can easily get out of hand and damage careers.

I'll get to those examples in a moment, but first let me say this: Everyone has the right to say, tweet or blog what they want. That's freedom of speech. But freedom of speech is often mistaken for freedom from consequences, and working people are guaranteed no such thing.

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The legal parameters get murky, but if you're posting comments that are racist, sexist, xenophobic, bigoted or just plain vile and somebody connects you to your company or organization, then you are, by association, making that company or organization look bad. And you may well find yourself out of a job.

To which I say, "Good." Given the level of vitriol and hideous garbage that gets spewed online these days, I'm in favor of companies taking stronger steps to show that words come with consequences. I don't mean managers should be policing workers' social media accounts, but if an employee is reported for trolling people online or engaging in political rants that go far beyond the norms of civil discourse, that person's company should make clear what it considers acceptable.

Again, that's not restricting freedom of speech. You have a right to free speech, but you don't have a right to a job that will tolerate you posting material that could damage a company's reputation or workplace morale.

Let's review some related news that has popped up in the wake of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

A suburban Chicago school board member resigned after posting a string of wildly sexist tweets regarding the women's marches in Washington, D.C., and across the country. One tweet read: "Most of these vagina screechers didn't vote, but they mean business. Riiiiiiiight. What a farce."

Other tweets referred to marching women as a "Procession of Palpable Penis Envy" and one read: "Alas, the 300 million pound Women March provides a strong argument for doing away with women's suffrage."

The author of these tweets, Dathan Paterno, is founder and clinical director of Park Ridge Psychological Services, which was subsequently eviscerated on Yelp by people who were rightly offended and shocked that a mental health professional would spout off in such a way.

In Texas, a principal is in trouble with her school district after writing a Facebook post calling Trump a "moron" and describing his Cabinet as being made up of "non-qualified white males."

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After parents complained about the post, district officials launched an investigation to determine whether Diaka Carter, who is black, may have violated the district's social media policy.

A writer for "Saturday Night Live," Katie Rich, was suspended from the show after sending out a tweet making a joke about Trump's 10-year-old son, Barron. Rich wrote that "Barron will be this country's first homeschool shooter."

She was suspended indefinitely and issued an apology.

Nebraska state Sen. Bill Kintner stepped down this week following outrage over a tweet he shared relating to the women's marches. (He was already in hot water for a previous cybersex scandal.)

Kintner retweeted someone else's tweet that made light of sexual assault, suggesting the appearance of women marching at the protest events would keep them "safe."

He was one of several male Republican lawmakers across the country who sent inappropriate tweets and Facebook posts relating to the marches. They apparently don't understand that social media isn't private, and that there's such a thing as basic human decency.

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I think one of the problems we have is that there are working people who get paid to express opinions. I'm one of them, but even with this job I have to be careful to not let my opinions or jokes or rants go too far.

And then there are working people who get paid to do other things. But because of social media and the internet in general, everyone is tempted to broadcast an opinion. And many of those people don't understand that there is a place called "too far."

When you're a working person or a representative of any organization and you reach "too far," the road splits in two.

One way is unfettered freedom of speech, and you can take that road as far you want to go.

The other way is continued employment, and that road lets you speak your mind within reason while still getting a paycheck.

You can map your own route. But if I'm giving directions, I'll point you toward that second road every time.

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TALK TO REX: Ask workplace questions  anonymously or by name  and share stories with Rex Huppke at rhuppke@chicagotribune.com, like Rex on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rexworkshere and find more at www.chicagotribune.com/ijustworkhere.
Isaura Martinez talks about her wishes as one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against van drivers, staffing agencies and currency exchanges. Jan. 26, 2017. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

During the pre-dawn quiet, as most of Chicago sleeps, the city's Little Village neighborhood is busy with vans.

They creep slowly down rain-slicked 26th Street, sharklike, picking up a lone figure standing amid the darkened storefronts, a pair holding lunch satchels on the corner, a woman bundled against the cold as she waits outside a home on a residential side street.

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The vans transport the workers from the mostly Mexican immigrant neighborhood to their shifts at suburban factories, and back. They serve a critical function in a regional economy that depends heavily on low-wage temporary laborers to assemble toys, package liquor bottles, print advertising fliers and perform an array of other assembly-line tasks.

But lawsuits filed recently in Chicago federal court allege some of the van drivers are at the center of a long-running scheme to unlawfully charge workers for rides. The practice, the lawsuits claim, undercuts the wages of workers already earning the minimum to benefit the staffing agencies that employ them and the currency exchanges that cash their checks.

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Chicago attorney Christopher Williams, whose Workers' Law Office filed the suits, said the factory workers paying for the van rides aren't the only ones who get hurt.

"This scheme is just destroying the basic minimum floor for workers," Williams said. "My view is that it's driving down wages."

A van drives away after picking up a passenger Jan. 25, 2017, in the 3500 block of West 26th Street in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. Such vans are a common means of transportation to jobs for temp workers who live in the neighborhood, but lawsuits filed recently in Chicago federal court allege some van drivers are unlawfully charging the workers for rides. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Williams, who has lobbed multiple lawsuits against Chicago's temporary staffing agencies alleging a variety of exploitative and discriminatory practices, filed motions Thursday to amend two lawsuits he filed in November to add more plaintiffs and more defendants he says are involved in the alleged transportation scheme. With his amendment the defendants include six staffing firms, three currency exchanges and three van drivers, who are known in the community as raiteros  a Spanglish term for those who give rides.

The suits, which seek class-action status, describe a system that works like this:

The raiteros, who recruit as well as drive the workers to the factories and often are their only point of contact, charge each worker an $8 daily fee for the ride. To get paid, a raitero picks up the workers' weekly paychecks from the staffing agencies and takes them to the currency exchanges, which deduct the raitero's fee and put it into a separate account for the raitero. The workers, regardless of whether they have a bank account or other means of depositing a check, then have to collect their paychecks from the currency exchange, which also charges a $3 or $4 check-cashing fee.

To be sure, not every staffing agency or currency exchange participates in such schemes. Plenty of staffing agencies pay raiteros, or have their own vans, Williams said.

And the owner of Triune Logistics, a staffing firm named as a defendant in one of Williams' suits, called the allegations "simply not true."

"It is exhausting being lumped with agencies that do not follow the laws or take advantage of their employees," Alfred Garza wrote in an email. "We use drivers to transport people to work because they otherwise would not have transportation to some of our jobs. We never charge an employee. We pay the drivers out of our own pocket.

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He added that Triune has no contact with currency exchanges and does not tell people where to cash their checks.

Isaura Martinez, one of the seven plaintiffs in the lawsuits, said she could barely make ends meet on her $8.25 per hour wage, the state's minimum. A copy of a pay stub and currency exchange receipt show a weekly paycheck for $247.86 fell to $212.39 after $32 in unrelated fees plus $3.47 for cashing the check.

"How does one survive here?" said Martinez, 50, who sued based on her experience with raiteros four years ago, when she was commuting to a factory in Bolingbrook where she packaged Smirnoff bottles.

But Martinez, an unauthorized immigrant who lives in Cicero, didn't question the arrangement's legality until she joined the Chicago Workers' Collaborative, which advocates for temp workers, and learned more about her rights.

The Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act prohibits staffing agencies, client companies or "a contractor or agent of either" from charging a fee to transport workers to a work site, a law that may have given rise to the raitero system in the first place because staffing agencies needed workers to be transported to the suburbs but didn't want to pay for it, Williams said. The law doesn't require the agencies to provide rides.

The case will hinge on proving that the raiteros are agents of the staffing firms, Williams said. He said he thinks that "giving them the power to collect the paychecks" creates that relationship.

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The lawsuits also allege the system violates state minimum wage laws because the ride deduction sinks workers' wages below the legal hourly minimum, and the Illinois Currency Exchange Act because the ride deduction exceeds the maximum check-cashing fee permitted under the law.

Isaura Martinez, 50, bakes cheesecakes at her Cicero basement apartment Jan. 23, 2017. Martinez, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against van drivers, staffing agencies and currency exchanges, sells the cheesecakes as a source of income. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Williams also is filing civil claims alleging racketeering, serious charges that entitle the plaintiffs to triple damages if successful. He argues the staffing firms conspired to save on transportation costs while the currency exchanges collected regular check-cashing fees.

The amended suits come the same week legislation was introduced in the Illinois House to improve conditions for temp workers, a growing segment of the workforce not covered by many of the same labor protections afforded employees. The Responsible Job Creation Act, a proposed amendment to the state's Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, would require staffing agencies to keep records of the ethnicity of each laborer or applicant, provide transportation back to the point of hire at the end of the day, and to pay temp laborers no less than the average pay rate of a permanent employee doing the same work, among other things.

Last year, Illinois averaged 174,411 temps working in any given week, a 25 percent increase from 2011 and 17 percent higher than the pre-recession peak in 2006, according to Emsi, a labor market data provider. More than a third do light industrial work common in suburban Chicago factories.

Williams has filed several lawsuits alleging staffing agencies favor Latinos over black workers at the behest of their client companies. The lawsuits are still pending. Williams said he believes immigrant workers are preferred in part because they're more exploitable, and staffing agencies "serve as labor violator" on behalf of client companies that can keep their own noses clean.

Isaura Martinez, 50, prays befpre a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Jan. 23, 2017, in her basement apartment in Cicero. She is one of the plaintiffs in lawsuit against van drivers, staffing agencies and currency exchanges that alleges temp workers are being unlawfully charged for rides. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The transportation fee is one example of taking advantage of workers unlikely to complain, he said.

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One of the lawsuits names as defendants Rigoberto and Eugenio Aguilar, brothers who work as raiteros, as well as staffing agencies Ron's Temporary Help Services, based in Northbrook, and its owner Ron Michelon; SureStaff, based in Itasca; and Flexible Staffing Services, based in Lake in the Hills.

The other lawsuit names as defendants Saul Hernandez, who works as a raitero, as well Ron's Staffing and owner Michelon; Triune Logistics, based in Bolingbrook; Axcess Staffing, a New Jersey-based company with four Illinois branches; and Quality Staffing Group, which no longer exists.

Both lawsuits name the same three currency exchanges: 26th and Central Park Currency Exchange, Multi-Servicios Latino and Order Express, all located on 26th Street in Little Village.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation investigated 26th and Central Park in 2014 and found it had violated the Currency Exchange Act by charging numerous consumers excessive fees that were set by Rigoberto Aguilar, according to a revocation order filed by the department. The agency ordered the affected consumers be reimbursed. A teller at 26th and Central Park who answered the phone Thursday said her supervisors couldn't be reached for comment.

The department investigated Multi-Servicios last year and issued a cease-and-desist order after finding it didn't have the proper license to cash as many checks as it had. A call to the business went straight to a voicemail box that was full.

Isaura Martinez, 50, leaves her basement apartment in Cicero on Jan. 23, 2017, to deliver a baked pie to a customer of her home bakery. She is one of the plaintiffs in lawsuit against van drivers, staffing agencies and currency exchanges that alleges temp workers are being unlawfully charged for rides. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Order Express General Counsel Jorge Montes said Thursday that the company was improperly named in the suit. Order Express does not have a license to cash checks in Illinois, he said.

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"We have no knowledge of any unlawful activity being conducted by any of our stores or currency exchanges but we will review the lawsuit when it comes," he said.

All of the staffing agencies named in the suits were contacted for comment and all but one  Triune Logistics  either declined, didn't immediately respond, or the people authorized to comment were not immediately available.

The raiteros named in the suits, the Aguilar brothers and Hernandez, could not be reached.

Martinez said she left Guanajuato, Mexico, with her teenage son six years ago to find a job that would pay enough for her to live independently.

Without a decent salary, she still feels trapped in a life she doesn't want, she said.

Martinez, who bakes cheesecakes to sell for income, brightens when she describes her dream to one day open a restaurant with other women who need support. Until then, she said, "I just want fair treatment for everyone," she said.

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aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @alexiaer
The open-faced pork schnitzel sandwich is one item on the Chicago Restaurant Week menu at Bohemian House in River North. (Marissa Conrad / Chicago Tribune)

The 10th annual Chicago Restaurant Week begins today. More than 300 restaurants are participating, offering three-course lunches for $22 and/or dinners for $33 or $44.

And, for the first time, a handful of restaurants are offering $22 weekend brunches as well.

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Chicago Restaurant Week runs through Feb. 9 (Wait, isn't that two weeks? Yes. Yes it is). That still isn't nearly enough time to visit every participant. As a way of narrowing your focus, here are a dozen restaurants (and two bonus ideas) that I think, based on past performance or present potential, are especially worthy of your consideration.

(This is by no means an exhaustive list. You can find participating restaurants, view their menus and make instant online reservations by going here.)

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Acanto. Serving brunch, lunch and dinner. I'm especially intrigued by dinner dishes such as baccala with 'nduja, guinea-hen saltimbocca and chocolate tartufo. 18 S. Michigan Ave.

Ada Street. This restaurant always comes up with a thoughtful and entertaining CRW menu. This time, it's a $33 three-course dinner offering dishes inspired by ingredients that former U.S. presidents have favored. The poutine dish, for example, highlights Thomas Jefferson's affinity for fried potatoes. 1664 N. Ada St.

Ampersand Wine Bar. $33 dinner. Salmon tartare is a common enough menu item, but that smoked beef cheek with black mission fig jus is calling to me. 4845 N. Damen Ave.

A10. The best reason to dine in Hyde Park returns to Restaurant Week with a $33 dinner menu that includes house-smoked trout with rye toast, grapefruit and tempura enoki mushrooms. 1462 E. 53rd St.

Big Jones. As always, chef Paul Fehribach's menu is a model of Southern flavors and scholarship. Among the $33 dinner choices is a peanut soup from 1940, owendaw bread via an 1836 "receipt" (an old word for "recipe") and a tres leches dessert from a 19th Century recipe. 5347 N. Clark St.

Bohemian House. We loved Boho's CRW lineup last year; this year, the restaurant is offering brunch as well as lunch and ($33) dinner. Items to look for include the open-faced pork schnitzel sandwich, the potato-gouda pierogi and the apricot kolacky. 11 W. Illinois St.

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Chez Moi. This classic French bistro is featuring a $33 dinner saluting Julia Child, including her chestnut soup and duck au peche; the restaurant also will be airing episodes of "The French Chef." 2100 N. Halsted St.

Dos Urban Cantina. Making its CRW debut, this Logan Square Mexican restaurant will feature a three-course, $33 dinner with such dishes as shaved Brussels sprouts with ginger-jalapeno chimichurri. Jennifer Jones Enyart's muy popular chocolate cake is on the menu, too. 2829 W. Armitage Ave.

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Naha. Always among the most enthusiastic CRW participants, Naha's lunch and dinner menus include such old faves as its Armenian-inspired lahmajoon lamb pizza and sbrisolona riccota cake with Door County cherries. 500 N. Clark St. (Insider tip: Naha's team missed the deadline to include sister restaurant Brindille, but that restaurant will feature a $44 menu, based on dishes from Paris, Perigord and Champagne. It's not on the Choose Chicago website, so you'll have to call 312-595-1616 to get a table. 534 N. Clark St.)

Naoki. This is the first CRW for Naoki, and its $44 dinner assortment of nigiri, maki and sashimi caught our eye. (Insider tip: Next door, Intro returns to CRW, debuting its all-new dim sum menu.) Both at 2300 N. Lincoln Park West.

Vermilion. Serving its Indian-Latin fusion food at lunch ($22) and dinner ($33 or $44, depending on entree), featuring a global assortment of street-food appetizers, such entrees as plantain-crusted whitefish with mint chutney and corn-tomatillo sauce, and a Nicaraguan "tres leches in a jar" dessert. 10 W. Hubbard St.

Vie. Paul Virant's splendid surburban outpost will offer a $44 dinner with such dishes as sweet-potato soup with cherry-bomb peppers, catfish piccata, and a mixed-grill plate featuring Angus beef from CDK Ranch. 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs.

Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.






Chicago winters require soup. Nothing quells the cold quite like a warm bowl of your favorite ingredients swimming in a pool of mouthwatering broth. You can practically feel it radiating from your belly all the way out to your coldest toes and fingers.

But the heartiest soups  the ones that stand up best to wicked wind chills  are often heavy, enough to sway you toward a cup over a bowl. If you want to warm up without feeling weighed down, you're in a predicament.

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At Janik's Cafe, a cozy neighborhood spot at the Damen/Division corner in Ukrainian Village, they have a solution for such a problem: their lime chicken soup ($5), a recipe based on the classic chicken-and-rice combination, undercut by the addition of cilantro and the vibrant acidity of freshly squeezed lime juice. The flavor combination allows the soup to pull off a rare feat: hefty enough to fill you up, light enough to order a big bowl.

Maybe it's the generous helping of chicken, or the way the rice and garbanzo beans  a surprising, welcome ingredient  absorb the lime flavor. The vegetables are plentiful; the chicken pops with citrus flavor. The tortilla strips add a crucial, crunchy texture. Whatever it is, diners are lucky to get a taste, since the recipe was born by accident.

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Almost 10 years ago, owner Felippa Janik said, one of her cooks accidentally replaced the chicken for the chicken-and-rice soup with some lime-marinated poultry intended for another dish. Before tossing an entire batch of soup, Janik wanted to try it for herself  and when she did, she knew it was something good.

Born in Venezuela to a pair of Italian immigrants, Janik grew up tasting the flavors of both culinary worlds. While her mother cooked and loved pasta, Janik sometimes wanted something else and would often swap meals with a native neighbor. When she tried the serendipitous soup at the cafe years later, she said the flavors immediately took her back to Venezuela and her neighbor's cooking. So, she added cilantro to complete the taste and kept it on the menu.

Nearly a decade later, on the menu it remains, much to the delight of myself and many more. You can find regulars spooning up the stuff on a near-daily basis, and Janik said some of them claim the soup has restorative powers for the sick. While I can't vouch for the science behind that, I can say it provides a necessary boost during cold months (or any month, really).

My only advice? Ask for extra lime.

Janik's Cafe, 2011 W. Division St., 773-276-7930, www.janikscafe.com

adlukach@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lucheezy
Jason Paskewitz, photographed in 2016 for his Chicago Tribune Dining Award for Best New Restaurant, has left The Blanchard. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

The dispute has been settled, confidentiality agreements signed and founding chef and partner Jason Paskewitz has stepped away from The Blanchard (1935 N. Lincoln Park West).

Paskewitz retains minority ownership of the acclaimed French restaurant, named Chicago's Best New Restaurant by the Chicago Tribune in 2016.

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Paskewitz already has a new working address; he has taken the reins at Ocean Cut (20 W. Kinzie St.), where, as corporate executive chef, he will introduce his first Ocean Cut menu Wednesday.

"I'm looking forward to this opportunity," Paskewitz said. "This kitchen and dining room is a chef's dream. These guys (Ocean Cut owners David Flom and Matt Moore) offered me something when no one else did, and I owe it to them to give 120 percent."

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Paskewitz was wounded when his former partner accused him of mismanaging funds, but all was settled out of court, and a confidentiality agreement prevents any further discussion.

"I know some people will think, 'Oh, he's moving again, and this and that,'" Paskewitz said. "But you don't always get to stay in one place for 15 years. I wanted The Blanchard to be my spot, always where I was, and unfortunately it didn't work out."

Ryan Burns, who worked with Paskewitz from The Blanchard's beginning, has been promoted to chef de cuisine. Dirk Flanigan, Ocean Cut's previous executive chef, is "in talks" regarding his next gig.

Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.






Writers Theatre in Glencoe will stage the world premiere of "Trevor: The Musical" in a pre-Broadway tryout this fall, the Tribune has learned.

This will be the first pre-Broadway show for the rising non-profit on Chicago's North Shore. The musical will be based on the movie "Trevor," Peggy Rajski's Academy Award-winning short film from 1994 about the challenges of a gay 13-year-old who loves Diana Ross.

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The director will be Marc Bruni, who also directed "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" on Broadway. The lead producers are a group called U Rock Theatricals. They are providing enhancement money to Writers Theatre; the aim for the show is to move to Broadway.

"Trevor: The Musical" features a score by Julianne Wick Davis with book and lyrics by Dan Collins.

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Aside from Ross, who appears in a show as a vision in the mind of the title character, many of the other characters are teenagers. Writers Theatre and the commercial producers have begun their search for teenage actors, and for adults, who can play the roles of the kids and their parents.

"Trevor," which won the Oscar for best live action short film and aired on HBO, spawned an effort called The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth.
In the movie "La La Land," the heroine fields calls in the current style, with her cellphone pressed close to her ear.

When President Barack Obama gave his farewell address, he equated innovation with "a computer in every pocket."

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Some users sleep with their cellphones on the nightstand  or even tucked under the pillow.

But how close should you really get to your cellphone?

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The answer depends, in part, on whom you ask. Government experts say cellphones, which emit radio frequency radiation, have not conclusively been linked to any health problem. But some critics point to studies they say raise concerns, including a preliminary report by the National Toxicology Program that rats exposed to cellphone radiation experienced a small but significant increase in heart and brain tumors. Critics also point to studies indicating that cellphone exposure may negatively affect sperm quality.

Given those considerations, we asked government spokespeople, an industry representative and a skeptical scientist what Americans should do if they want to reduce their exposure to cellphone radiation.

Here's what we found:

Follow the advice of the cellphone manufacturer. And no, you're probably not doing that. Cellphones are tested for radiation emission  and approved by the government as safe for use  at a small but significant distance from your body. You should be able to find that distance in the fine print of your manual or other instructions that come with your phone, and it differs from phone to phone. You're supposed to keep an iPhone 7 at least 5 mm (about 0.2 inches) away from your body, a Samsung Galaxy S6 at least 1.5 cm (about 0.6 inches) and a Google Pixel 1 cm (about 0.4 inches) away.

The takeaway: Don't keep your cellphone in your pocket or your bra when it's powered on.

If you want to go further, consider the suggestions of government scientists. You'll see small differences in the positions stated on the websites of various government agencies, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) telling us, reassuringly that "the weight of scientific evidence has not linked cellphones with any health problems." The National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences agrees that there's no conclusive evidence linking cellphones to any health problems. But it also says that "little is known about potential health effects of long-term exposure to radio frequency radiation," the kind of radiation emitted by cellphones, and that data from human studies is inconsistent.

The takeaway: Both the FDA and the NTP say that if you are concerned about cellphone radiation, you can take two simple steps. You can reduce the amount of time you spend using your cellphone, and you can use speaker mode or a headset to increase the distance between your head and the phone.

Want to do everything possible, short of ditching your cellphone? There are webpages for that, but make sure you choose the right one. Rather than scrolling around and scaring yourself with off-the-wall claims, consider turning to reputable scientists, such as Devra Davis, who was the founding director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, or Joel Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California at Berkeley. Moskowitz and Davis are among the over 220 scientists who have signed the International Electromagnetic Field Scientist Appeal calling for tougher limits on cellphones and related technologies.

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The takeaway: Moskowitz offers an extensive list of steps you can take to reduce radiation exposure, including: 1.) Keep your distance. Keep your cellphone or cordless phone away from your body when it's powered on, taking special care to maintain distance from your head and reproductive organs. Use your speakerphone or a wired headset, or text instead of calling. 2.) Wait for a good signal. Your cellphone emits more radiation when the signal is poor, so avoid using it while in enclosed metal areas such as elevators, cars, buses, trains or planes. 3.) Avoid secondhand exposure. Reduce the time you spend in places where a lot of people are packed together and using cellphones. 4.) Turn off your phone. Turn off your cellphone when not in use, or switch to airplane mode.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @nschoenberg

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Within the first 10 days after Donald Trump's election as president, 867 reports of hate incidents in the United States were collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center, including 368 such incidents Nov. 9 and 10 combined. Meanwhile, recently released FBI data show there were 5,850 hate crime incidents in 2015, up 6.8 percent from 5,479 in 2014.

Experts say both figures could, in actuality, be even higher because hate crimes often go unreported.

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"Hate crimes are significantly underreported, especially in already marginalized and fearful communities," says Betsy Shuman-Moore, director of Fair Housing and Hate Crimes Projects with the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "Victims may face a language barrier and lack knowledge about the law; they may be skeptical and distrustful of the response of the criminal justice system and the courts; and, especially, undocumented immigrants may not want to risk their status."

Incidents of hate aren't just becoming more frequent; they're also becoming increasingly public, thanks to cellphone cameras. Videos have captured harassment and intimidation in everyday venues, ranging from craft stores to airplanes.

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So what should you do if you come across someone who is being victimized?

"You should first ascertain whether or not it's safe to intervene," says Lecia Brooks, outreach director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. "If it is safe to do so, you should, because we don't want to normalize this type of behavior. In addition to supporting the person that is being victimized, you're making a statement about what's acceptable and what's not acceptable behavior."

Brooks recommends first making eye contact with the person who is being harassed and then publicly showing support by engaging the person in conversation. Do not acknowledge the harasser.

"Typically, the person who is doling out the harassment will back down if they think the person has some type of support because they don't want to get into it with everyone," Brooks says. "(Harassers) typically try to pick a person out. Once other bystanders see you intervening and supporting, then they will also."

Shuman-Moore added that not speaking up emboldens perpetrators of hate crimes.

"Bystanders must speak up or risk amplifying the victim's isolation and condoning the act of hate," she said.

Speaking up is one thing. Physically intervening, particularly if a violent crime is being committed, is another.

The Illinois State Police advises witnesses to call 911 immediately.

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Andrew Weisberg, a Chicago-based criminal defense attorney, says intervening when violence is involved poses its own risks.

"The bystander may be injured in attempting to help or could end up getting arrested if their involvement is misunderstood," he says. "I have had clients arrested when trying to aid a friend or provide defense."

To help educate members of the public on what they can do in these situations, Chicago's Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center, has been offering free community workshops that specifically focus on bystander intervention. The three-hour classes include training on how to fight back against physical assault, as well as how to de-escalate a situation in which hateful language is involved.

"Intervention doesn't have to be hands-on," says Amy Jones, program manager for violence prevention and self-defense at Thousand Waves. "Calling the authorities, taking video of the incident or yelling at an assailant from a safe distance are perfectly valid ways to intervene. Harassers often assume that others agree with them or at least don't care enough about the targeted person to speak up for them, so bystanders who do so can make a real difference."

Matt Lindner is a freelancer.

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No signs of peace in Jesse Jackson Jr.'s contentious divorce from Sandi  in fact, just the opposite.

Former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson's lawyer late Thursday accused Jesse's legal team of dragging former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and two other men into the case "for the sole purpose of harassing Sandra."

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Sandi wants a judge to sanction and fine the former congressman's lawyers for what her lawyer calls an "unlawful and far-ranging fishing expedition for information" that encourages "unsupported innuendo."

Subpoenas for McCarthy, his business partner Richard Simon and for Chicago cop James Love were filed by Jesse's lawyers earlier this month, demanding details of any contact or business relationships between the men and Sandi.

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But Simon and McCarthy both quickly rejected the suggestion that they have any details to turn over.

And Sandi's lawyer Jessica Bank Interlandi wrote in her Thursday filing that the subpoenas should be thrown out by the judge.

News stories about the subpoenas appeared before she had received copies of the subpoenas, she added.

"The issuance and filing in the public record of unwarranted subpoenas full of unsupported innuendo can serve no constructive purpose to the parties or their children," she wrote. "Instead, this deliberate course of conduct reveals an improper attempt to try this case in the media rather than before this honorable court."

Expect Tuesday's scheduled hearing in the case to be a circus.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
President Donald Trump speaks during a luncheon at the Congress of Tomorrow Republican Member Retreat on Jan.26, 2017, in Philadelphia. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

Chicagoans should be livid that President Donald Trump wants to "send in the Feds" to stop the violence in our city.

It's true that we have a serious problem with young men killing each other. But we don't need Trump creating a police state that gives law enforcement free rein to kill more of them.

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Chicago is at a fragile stage in mending the damaged relationship between minority communities and the police department. The U.S. Justice Department just released a scathing report detailing the daily abuses some officers commit while patrolling African-American and Hispanic communities on the South and West sides.

This is the wrong time for outsiders with no clue about the serious, underlying issues affecting our crime rate to come in here dipping in our business.

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It is no secret how Trump feels about black and Latino males. He made it clear with the Central Park Five.

In 1989, when these teenagers were falsely accused of beating and raping a white female jogger in Central Park, Trump took out full-page newspaper ads in New York City entitled: "BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!"

"I want to hate these muggers and murders. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes," he wrote. "I want to hate these murders and I always will. I am not looking to psychoanalyze or understand them, I am looking to punish them.

The ad also stated, "I no longer want to understand their anger. I want them to understand our anger. I want them to be afraid."

"Let our politicians give back our police department's power to keep us safe," his advertisement goes on. "Unshackle them from the constant chant of 'police brutality' which every petty criminal hurls immediately at an officer who has just risked his or her life to save another's."As it turned out, these 14-, 15-, and 16-year-old "crazed misfits," as he called them, hadn't harmed anyone. After serving years in prison, their convictions were overturned and they received a $40 million settlement from New York.

Chicago, is this really the kind of law and order we want for our city?

The casual tweet Trump sent out last week was a warning to Chicago that he's looking for an opening to burst in and administer his own form of justice.

"If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!" he tweeted.

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Trump didn't specify exactly what the Feds would do but based on the 600-word manifesto wrote in 1989, we have a pretty good idea.

He apparently doesn't believe that young black and Hispanic lives are worth redemption. He wants us to hate them as he does. He has no interest in understanding how poverty, institutional racism and despair have contributed to the cycle of violence. He only wants to punish those caught up in it.

He would have us believe that providing jobs, housing and education in communities wracked with violence is "pandering to the criminal population." He thinks that peace is only restored when police officers are free to practice their own brand of law and order.

Trump likely will ignore the findings of the federal probe conducted under former President Barack Obama's justice department. But Chicagoans cannot afford to dismiss what we've learned.

The report confirmed two important claims that some have been making for decadesthat police routinely used excessive force on African-Americans and Latinos. But no one would listen.

Trump's brand of justice doesn't allow for cooperation, understanding or forgiveness. It seeks to make the police and the communities they serve perpetual enemies.

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In the case of the Central Park Five, a serial rapist named Matias Reyes eventually confessed to the crime and DNA evidence backed him up. But that didn't satisfy Trump. In his mind, these black and Hispanic boys will always be guilty.

"They admitted they were guilty," Trump said in a statement to CNN shortly before he was elected president. "The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty. The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous."

We will never end the violence in Chicago until the community and the police respect each other and work together as a team. The justice department report is a good road map toward that end.

Neither the police nor the citizens of Chicago can allow Trump to take us down a reckless path.

dglanton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter: @dahleeng
Canaryville resident Charles Siu performs a ceremony at his home in preparation for the Chinese New Year on Jan. 25, 2017, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

On paper, the South Side neighborhoods of Bronzeville and Canaryville could not be more different.

The first is named for the skin color of people who migrated to the area from the South, forming Chicago's once-bustling "Black Metropolis" of urban African-American culture. The second might be named for the sparrows that populated the area, feeding off the refuse of the since-closed Union Stock Yard, which fueled the economy of the almost all-Irish working class neighborhood for nearly a century.

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Yet strip away their racial makeup and what surface are two neighborhoods rooted in their traditions, two enclaves that until recently seemed immune to the demographic changes transforming the neighborhoods around them. Bronzeville since the 1930s has remained a largely black community, and Canaryville, nearly 50 years after the stockyards closed, remains predominantly white.

Now, the two neighborhoods share another common thread. They've started to diversify and are opening their gates to the country's fastest-growing ethnic group: Asian-Americans.

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"I think a lot of Chinese people are starting to move into those areas block by block, by word-of-mouth, and living there because housing is more affordable. I think they consider themselves safer there than they (once thought they'd be). They're definitely a community," said Debbie Liu, community development coordinator at the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 3 (Chicago Tribune)

Chicago's greater Chinatown population is surging. Chinatown has seen its Asian residents increase by 30 percent between 2000 and 2010, and bordering neighborhoods have seen a rush of Asian families moving in. Bridgeport's Asian-American population grew from 26 percent in 2000 to an average of 34 percent between 2010 and 2014, while in that same time period, McKinley Park's grew from just under 8 percent to 19 percent, according to an analysis of census data.

The rise in Asians can be attributed to a steady stream of Chinese immigrants moving to Chicago, as well as Chinese empty-nesters leaving their suburban homes for the city, in order to seam themselves into the Chinese community. Competitive housing in Chinatown and its surrounding neighborhoods has therefore forced Asians to settle farther south and farther east  in neighborhoods like Bronzeville and Canaryville, where neighbors and experts say they've created their own micro-communities.

In Bronzeville, Asians now crowd the King Drive bus, which picks up and drops off families living in high-rise apartment complexes between 27th and 35th streets. On a sunny January day, Chinese international students studying at the Illinois Institute of Technology shopped among black residents at a nearby Jewel-Osco, and two older women, groceries in hand, had a lengthy conversation in Chinese outside Dunbar High School.

In Canaryville, local Chinese real estate agent Charles Siu estimates "80 or 90 percent" of the homes along Emerald Avenue between 37th and 43rd streets, just blocks from the abandoned stockyards, are occupied by Asian families. And wedged between houses that still hang Irish flags and emerald four-leaf clovers in their windows are houses purchased by Chinese newcomers, who wave to their white or Latino neighbors as they head to work.

Siu, 36, bought a house in the neighborhood last year. He opened a Chinese restaurant in nearby Fuller Park six years ago and chose to move to Canaryville after years of delivering food to its residents. On Wednesday, he burned multi-colored sheets of paper in a brazier pot outside his house, a Taoist ritual performed in advance of the Chinese New Year.

"My neighbors mostly are pretty good. We have no problems, and they learn stuff from me," he said. "They see me burning stuff, and a little kid will ask me, 'What are you doing?' When I talk to you, I try to educate you."

Charles Siu burns sheets of multicoloredpaper during a brief ceremony outside his home in the Canaryville neighborhood Jan. 25, 2017, in preparation for the Chinese New Year. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

In these two neighborhoods, where residents pride themselves on their dedication to culture and their unwillingness to bend to gentrification, it would seem that the flow of Chinese families would be met with hesitation. Yet Chinese residents say they hardly feel alienated and cite few instances of racial tension.

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"I don't perceive that there would be resistance beyond the fact that, oftentimes, people who are stalwarts of the neighborhood, who have gone through ups and downs, whether it's crime or lack of city services, feel that once other groups move into the neighborhood, the neighborhood is finally paid more attention," said Joy Bivins, a curator with the Chicago History Museum, referring to Bronzeville.

"If there's any resistance, it will be typical to the resistance that comes to gentrification of all neighborhoods."

The move to Canaryville

Canaryville, steeped in its traditions, has been slow to change.

For the most part, people are baptized at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, established in 1888. They're buried by Thomas McInerney's Sons Funeral Home, founded in 1873. Their two-flats and three-flats pass from generation to generation.

The neighborhood isn't all-Irish anymore but remains a mostly white blend of Irish, Germans, Poles, Italians and Hispanics. Its population has declined for decades, in part because of the stockyards closing, and the New City community area, which contains Canaryville, has a population that's half of what it was in 1930.

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In the 1980s and '90s, as black families began to move into the neighborhood, hate crimes and racial tension were a fact of life.

But that's not the case anymore, says Joan McLaughlin, an 83-year-old volunteer at a weekly food pantry sponsored by the United Methodist Church on Union Avenue. The daughter of a St. Gabriel janitor, she's lived in Canaryville her whole life and fondly remembers her childhood days, when neighbors never locked their doors.

A sign hangs over the 3900 block of South Halsted Street in the Canaryville neighborhood Jan. 26, 2017, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

"I'm a hugger," McLaughlin said at the food pantry on a recent Wednesday, just before she hugged a Chinese woman who was leaving with her boxes and cans of food. "They were hesitant about the hugs at first, but now they're happy to see me."

Volunteers say as many as 50 Chinese residents visit the food pantry each month, and many visit weekly, too. The majority seem to be new immigrants who don't speak English, volunteers said, and so the pantry began posting signs on its distribution tables in Chinese, which explain how the food pantry works. McLaughlin began noticing Asians moving into the neighborhood a few years ago, and said they are, for the most part, welcomed. Race relations are better than they once were, she said.

"There was always a little difficulty with the black people, but that's all changed," McLaughlin said. "Black people live in our neighborhood now and there's no problem. Racial tension? Yes. But very few instances, very little, you know."

In New City, which includes black and Latino neighborhood Back of the Yards, the Asian population has increased by more than 500 percent since 2000, jumping from 146 people to 927, according to an analysis of census data collected between 2010 and 2014 by local demographer Rob Paral's firm, Rob Paral and Associates.

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Siu, the real estate agent and restaurant owner, immigrated to the Chicago area with his family from China when he was 16. They first settled in Hoffman Estates, and then, seven years ago, Siu moved to Chinatown. It was at that time that he bought the restaurant near Canaryville with his brother, who had just returned from the Afghanistan War and needed work. He acknowledges he was anxious doing business in the area.

For the next six years, he'd serve Canaryville customers in his restaurant and deliver to their houses. He began to understand the working-class neighborhood and its residents, some of whom would buy just one box of white rice, the only food they could afford for the day. Sometimes, customers would enter the restaurant yelling, upset about something with their order. But the next day, Siu said, they'd come back into the restaurant as though nothing had happened. Friendly as ever.

Canaryville resident Charles Siu works the register at No. 1 China Express in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood. Siu and his family moved from Chinatown to Canaryvilleto be closer to his restaurant. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

"You know how your family fights? The next day you're still family," he said. "We connect. I know them by name. Sometimes they even bring their own food (that they have cooked) for me to try."

Siu bought his Canaryville house last year to be closer to his restaurant, and because he believed the neighborhood to be a good place to raise his young children. As a real estate agent, he now helps Chinese immigrants settle in Canaryville, knowing the neighborhood is relatively safe and more affordable than Chinatown.

"Neighborhoods like McKinley Park, they're not convenient for getting to Chinatown because Archer is backed up during traffic," he said. "And the Latino families there don't speak English. If a (Chinese) family has a problem, if their house is broken into, they can't communicate with their neighbors ... here, they speak English."

The move to Bronzeville

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Bronzeville's history is one of segregation, and its story is one of residents trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

African-Americans settling in Chicago from the South during the Great Migration at the beginning of the 20th century were in many ways forced to live in Bronzeville, due to restrictive covenants and legal sanctions that kept people from selling their homes to black families in other parts of the city.

The neighborhood, despite poor housing conditions and overpopulation, began to flourish with African-American businesses, restaurants and cultural institutions, said Bivins, the history museum curator. Gospel music and the Negro Digest, the predecessor to Ebony magazine, all emerged from Bronzeville, which Bivins likened to Harlem, N.Y.

It wasn't until the 1950s that racial barriers fell and Bronzeville residents could move to neighborhoods like Woodlawn and Kenwood  now primarily black neighborhoods, Bivins said. And since the 1980s, Bronzeville residents have worked to revive the black metropolis the neighborhood once was.

"Many residents of the neighborhood have really strived to maintain the history and spread this vibrant history of Bronzeville being a cultural enclave, a business mecca for Chicago and nationally. Great things came out of this neighborhood. Not just businesses and culture, but churches and politics," Bivins said.

"There are those who definitely have continued to champion the importance of Bronzeville to black Chicago and black America."

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For decades, Bronzeville held onto those black roots. Through the 1980s, the Douglas community area, which includes Bronzeville, was 86 percent black and less than 10 percent white, and had few Asian residents, according to Paral's analysis.

Now, the neighborhood is 70 percent black, but the Asian population has risen to 13 percent and 12 percent of the neighborhood is white.

Mell Monroe, president of the Bronzeville Area Residents and Commerce Council, believes older Bronzeville families' reactions to the changing demographics, and the potential move away from a historically black community, are mixed.

"If you're part of the working poor, or if you're jobless, I guess many would be unhappy, and feel like they're getting pushed out," he said.

In many ways, Bronzeville is the perfect location for a new Chinese immigrant. It's an easy train ride to the Loop, it's close to the lake and about a half-hour bus ride to Chinatown, depending on traffic.

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"We are getting very packed up in terms of space" in Chinatown, said Bernie Wong, the retired former president of the Chinese American Service League. "But there's also, at this point, better understanding of our community, and a certain comfort level for Chinese people of being outside of our community."

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Younger generations who speak better English feel comfortable living among people of different ethnicities, she said, and once a few families began to move in, others followed. If a neighborhood has affordable, spacious homes, as was the case with Bridgeport over the past few decades, Asians will have no problem moving there, she said.

Siu, the real estate agent and restaurant owner, considered moving to Bronzeville when he was house-hunting last year, appreciating the neighborhood's proximity to Hyde Park.

Whether it was Bronzeville or Canaryville, he said, he was happy to live among people of varying ethnicities.

"America is built with different cultures, and that's what makes America a great country," he said. "In China, you don't get the diversity you get living in the United States."

meltagouri@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @marwaeltagouri
There are a number of reasons the National Guard may be called to duty in the United States, including to help after disasters and provide security for events. On any given day, a National Guard spokesman said, 2,000 to 4,000 Guardsmen are on duty for a variety of missions.

A president mobilizing the Guard to respond to a situation, however, is rare. In January 2017, President Trump threatened in a tweet to "send in the Feds!" in response to violence in Chicago. Ultimately, he didn't.

National Guard historians, in response to a request by the Chicago Tribune, listed 12 times since the enactment of the 1952 Armed Forces Reserve Act when the Guard was called into duty and operated under the control of the president. Many of these incidents were during the turbulent civil rights struggles in the 1960s.

This list doesn't include the many times the Guard was activated by a governor and operated under state control, and, in about half of the examples below, the governor of the state asked for help.

1957-58 Desegregation of Little Rock school On Sept. 23, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order sending troops from the Army's 101st Airborne Division to maintain order and peace during the integration of Central High School by nine black students in Little Rock, Ark. Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus earlier called in the state National Guard to bar black students from the school. Two paratroop officers escort black students from Central High School in Little Rock in 1957. (AP) 1962 Integration of University of Mississippi Riots erupted on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford on Sept. 30, 1962, when James Meredith, a black Air Force veteran, attempted to integrate the all-white school. Despite the presence of more than 120 federal marshals who were on hand to protect Meredith from harm, the crowd turned violent. The next morning, two civilians were dead and scores more were reported injured. After spending the night of Sept. 30 under federal protection, Meredith was allowed to register for classes the following morning, and became the first black graduate from the university in August 1963. Federal marshals move through a group of white students arrested for protesting integration of Ole Miss at Oxford, Miss., in 1962. (AP) 1963 Integration of University of Alabama On May 16, 1963, a federal district court in Alabama ordered the University of Alabama to admit two African-American students. Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who had made a campaign promise to prevent the integration even if he had to stand in the schoolhouse door, temporarily blocked the students' entrance by doing just that June 11, 1963. He ultimately yielded when President John F. Kennedy federalized Alabama's National Guard. Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocks the entrance to the University of Alabama in 1963. (AP) 1963 Integration of Alabama schools Although the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education found racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, it did not immediately eliminate it. Segregation didn't end in Alabama public schools until 1963, when Sonnie Hereford IV became one of four black children to enroll in a previously all-white public school in Huntsville, Ala., following a court order. Sonnie Hereford IV, 6, holds his father's hand as he arrives for his second day of integrated classes in Huntsville, Ala., in 1963. (AP) 1965 Selma, Montgomery civil rights march On March 7, 1965, which became known as "Bloody Sunday," peaceful protesters led by John Lewis were beaten by local police as they tried to cross Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led more than 3,000 marchers across the same bridge two weeks later and continued on a 54-mile trek to Montgomery, the state's capital, under the watchful protection of the recently federalized Alabama National Guard. The five-day march, one of the seminal moments in civil rights history, led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights marchers cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1965. (AP) 1967 Detroit riots Ignited when Detroit's nearly all-white police force arrested several black revelers at an after-hours drinking club in the early morning on July 23, 1967, the riot triggered a devastating period of violence in the city that left 43 people dead and millions of dollars in property destroyed. Thousands of Army troops and National Guardsmen were called to the city. Michigan National Guard equipment rolls out of Detroit in 1967, after civil unrest subsided. A woman weeps as she heads for a funeral. (AP) 1968 Chicago riots following assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. As the tragic news spread, riots and looting took place in cities including New York, Washington, Nashville, Tenn., and Raleigh, N.C. In Chicago on the first night of rioting, nine people, all black, were killed. On Saturday, with the approval of Mayor Richard J. Daley, the Army was called in and thousands of troops descended on the city's troubled areas. When the fires died out, 162 buildings had been destroyed, 12 people killed and 3,000 arrested. Soldiers stand guard in front of a supermarket on 63rd Street on Chicago's South Side in 1968. (AP) 1968 Washington riots following King's murder In the days following King's assassination 13,600 troops occupied Washington, according to The Washinton Post, the most to occupy a U.S. city since the Civil War. When news spread of King's murder, looting and rioting broke out across the city. Marines move down the street in southeast Washington. (AP) 1968 Baltimore riots following King's murder Riots following King's assassination devastated Baltimore for two weeks. Six were killed, dozens injured, and fires and looting caused damage. Thousands of National Guard troops were deployed across the city. A scene from the 1968 riots in Baltimore. (Afro American Newspapers) 1970 New York City postal strike During a strike of U.S. postal workers involving 152,000 workers in 671 locations across the country. President Richard Nixon called in the National Guard to help get the mail moving in one of the hardest-hit areas: New York City. The strike concerned what the unions saw as a small pay raise. The strike lasted for two weeks, the military mail helpers were considered ineffective and the postal workers got their raise. New York City letter carriers shout on the picket line. (AP) 1989 Looting after Hurricane Hugo President George H.W. Bush called in the National Guard to restore order on the island of St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Looting and racial tension broke out following devastating damage from Hurricane Hugo. The storm damage buried the island in rubble, destroying most homes and knocking out communications. The storm sparked long-standing racial tensions that led to rioting and looting. Bush sent in 1,100 heavily armed troops. Troops patrol Christiansted on St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands, following Hurricane Hugo. (AP) 1992 Riots after Rodney King verdict Arson, violence and looting broke out across Los Angeles following the not-guilty verdicts in all but one assault charge in the video-taped police beating of Rodney King. During the violence, 2,000 reserve soldiers were activated. During six days of rioting, more than 60 people were killed and more than 2,000 people were injured. Two girls walk by a truck of National Guardsmen in Los Angeles in 1992. (AP)
BELIZE CITY, Belize  An autopsy on the body of a tourist from Chicago found dead in western Belize has determined that she was strangled to death.

WLS-Ch. 7 executive producer Anne Swaney, 39, died of "asphyxia due to compression of the neck area, throttling and blunt force traumatic injuries to the head and neck," according to the post-mortem report prepared by Dr. Leyden Ken on Friday night.

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Swaney was executive producer of online operations at ABC7, according to the station.

"She was a trailblazer in the digital news space and was one of our first website employees," John Idler, president and general manager at ABC7, said in a statement. "Anne helped us evolve our business and our newsroom, but most importantly, she was a kind person who always had a smile and a positive attitude."

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Her body was discovered Friday morning floating face-down in the Mopan River, which flows into Belize from Guatemala.

Police in the border town of Benque Viejo del Carmen were questioning an unidentified Guatemalan national, who was fishing in the area but denied any involvement in her death.

"We currently have him in custody and we will be pursuing an interview for him to give account of himself," Superintendent Daniel Arzu told local TV news.

Swaney was vacationing at the Nabitunich resort in the Cayo district when she was reported missing Thursday.

Police say members of a tour group she should have been part of returned to the resort and couldn't find her.

Her belongings were later found on a deck by the riverside where she had gone to do yoga exercises.

Associated Press
These handguns were being processed as potential evidence in the gun storage vault in the Chicago Police Department's Homan Square facility on Jan. 26, 2017. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Since Chicago's violence rate began to spike in 2012, Cook County judges have doubled the amount of bond set for people charged with felony gun crimes.

If judges hoped the increase would keep armed gang members off the streets until their cases were decided, that did not happen.

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Despite increasingly high bonds, the opposite has happened  the same group of those charged with gun crimes is getting out of jail more than twice as fast as they were four years ago, according to a Tribune analysis of jail data of arrests and bonds.

At the same time, the Chicago Police Department is making fewer gun arrests and recovering fewer guns. From 2012 through the end of last year, the number of guns recovered fell by 33 percent and the number of arrests dropped by nearly 9 percent overall despite a recent uptick, according to department figures.

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While bonds for gun-related charges are up, jail time is down, and the shootings in Chicago have increased. (Jemal R. Brinson / Chicago Tribune) (Tribune Graphics/Chicago Tribune)

The result, even police leaders acknowledge, is a revolving door in the criminal justice system for those who potentially pose the greatest threat to public safety. And it is coming as city leaders have come under pressure to stem the rising tide of violence, including an ambiguous tweet from President Donald Trump this week that he would "send in the Feds!" if local police don't get the violence under control.

It's all the more confounding because Mayor Rahm Emanuel and successive police superintendents have made increasingly strident calls for judges to be tougher on gun cases to keep violent criminals behind bars.

Judges have indeed become tougher in setting bonds for a felony gun cases, which have seen bonds double from $25,000 in 2012 to $50,000 last year and are significantly higher than bonds set for other crimes. But to get out of jail, typically only 10 percent of that is paid.

Police are just bringing fewer people to court.

To some criminal justice experts, the revolving door is part of the significant fallout from the police misconduct scandal that has consumed the department since the end of 2014. The police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, which led to a murder charge against an officer and a wave of discipline against other officers, spurred a civil rights investigation by the Justice Department into the department's practices.

At the same time, it also has resulted in a high level of anxiety among officers battling the city's ultra-violent gangs. Rank-and-file officers acknowledge that they have retreated, making fewer arrests and often staying out of the way of gangs on the street. Between 2012 and 2016, bookings for felony drug arrests at the jail dropped by more than 28 percent, according to the Tribune analysis of sheriff's jail data.

That means gang leaders who control drug profits have fewer demands on their money because fewer of their foot soldiers are being locked up and they are seeing less interference from police in the drug trade, said Frank Himel, a criminal defense lawyer who handles many gang-related cases at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

In the end, there's plenty of money to go around when gang members need to make bond.

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"Drug dealers are flush with cash right now," Himel said. Gang leaders who control drug corners, he added, are not having "to bond out multiple people at a time, and fewer guys are getting arrested."

Even gang members acknowledge that a shift has taken place. Dominick Taylor, 24, who said he was a member of the Gangster Disciples from Englewood, said neighborhoods have been so awash in guns and drug money over the last few years that the deterrents of the criminal justice system have no impact on the decision-making of gang members.

"I'd say, like, if 9 of 10 people got guns, at least four to five getting arrested," Taylor said during an October interview in Cook County Jail, where he was being held on a theft charge. His adult criminal history does not include any record of gun-related offenses. "But they get right back out, say, on house arrest or a low-ass bond."

Gang members, in an interview with Todd Lighty and David Heinzmann, discuss how deeply ingrained the culture of guns and the threat of violence have become in Chicagos most impoverished neighborhoods  and their desire to see this violence curbed. These men are not charged with gun crimes. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune) (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The data analyzed by the Tribune revealed a pattern of defendants who had been released on bond being rearrested on subsequent gun-related charges. Among the new charges filed against individuals who had bonded out, the Tribune analysis found 15 of them had been charged with murder over the five-year period.

The Tribune examined more than 67,000 criminal charges between 2012 and 2016 that resulted in a person arrested making bond to get out of jail. The paper did not analyze cases in which defendants did not bond out before their cases were resolved.

Of the cases considered, roughly 10 percent involved gun charges, nearly all of them felonies. One in 10 of those who were arrested and bonded out on gun charges were later re-arrested by police on serious charges and bonded out again, according to the analysis.

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In reviewing statistics from multiple criminal justice agencies, the Tribune found some discrepancies in exact figures. While collecting crime data presents such challenges, there is little dispute over the broader trends.

Since 2012, the median amount of bond set by Cook County judges for people charged with felony gun crimes has doubled  from $25,000 to $50,000. But over the same time period, the average number of days a defendant spends in jail before posting bond for a gun charge has fallen by more than half, from 42 to 18 days, according to the Tribune analysis.

Bond amounts for felony gun crimes doubled Median bond amounts by felony charge Scale in thousands Gun: $50,000 $50 40 30 Violence: $25,000 20 Property: $15,000 10 Drug: $10,000 2012 13 14 15 16 Source: Cook County sheriffs office data CHICAGO TRIBUNE Bond amounts for felony gun crimes doubled Since 2012, the median bond amount for felony gun charges rose by $25,000 while bonds for other felonies stayed even or fell. Median bond amounts by felony charge Gun: $50,000 $50,000 40,000 30,000 Violence: $25,000 20,000 Property: $15,000 Drug: $10,000 10,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Source: Cook County sheriffs office data Bond amounts for felony gun crimes doubled Since 2012, the median bond amount for felony gun charges rose by $25,000 while bonds for other felonies stayed even or fell. Median bond amounts by felony charge Gun: $50,000 $50,000 40,000 30,000 Violence: $25,000 20,000 Property: $15,000 10,000 Drug: $10,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Source: Cook County sheriffs office data

Bond is meant to ensure that a criminal defendant shows up as his case winds through court. Judges can release defendants on the promise they will appear or they can require defendants to pay cash to be released from custody. In more extreme cases, they can be held without bond. Typically, the higher the bond amount the more serious the criminal charge.

There are two types of monetary bonds in Cook County. A cash bond, where defendants must pay the entire amount of the bond set in order to get out of jail, and the more common deposit bond, where defendants are held in jail until they pay 10 percent of the bond amount. For instance, a $50,000 deposit bond means a defendant needs only to come up with $5,000.

But defendants accused of theft, who often can't afford bond, typically spend more time in jail than those facing gun charges, the Tribune found.

Decreased jail time before bonding out Median days spent in jail before posting bond by felony charge 50 40 30 20 Property:20 Gun: 18.8 10 Violence: 15.1 Drug: 11.8 2012 13 14 15 16 Source: Cook County sheriffs office data CHICAGO TRIBUNE Decreased jail time before bonding out Despite an increase in bond amounts, the median time spent in jail for felony gun crimes fell by more than half. Gun defendants in 2016 spent less time in jail than those charged with felony property crimes. Median days spent in jail before posting bond by felony charge 50 40 30 Property: 20 20 Gun: 18.8 days Violence: 15.1 Drug: 11.8 10 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Source: Cook County sheriffs office data Decreased jail time before bonding out Despite an increase in bond amounts, the median time spent in jail for felony gun crimes fell by more than half. Gun defendants in 2016 spent less time in jail than those charged with felony property crimes. Median days spent in jail before posting bond by felony charge 50 40 30 Property: 20 20 Gun: 18.8 days Violence: 15.1 Drug: 11.8 10 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Source: Cook County sheriffs office data

Cara Smith, chief policy officer for Sheriff Tom Dart, said judges are human and are aware of what's happening in the neighborhoods. "The higher bonds for gun offenses appears to be a reaction to the violence that is decimating the city," Smith said.

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The rise in bond amounts is not the result of any guidance or directive from Chief Judge Timothy Evans, said a court spokesman, Pat Milhizer. Each case, he said, has its own set of facts and judges make their rulings case by case.

"No judge, including the chief judge, can tell another judge how to rule in any case," Milhizer said. "The Tribune analysis shows that the growing tendency to blame judges for the increase in violence is misguided. As Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has stated, we are not going to arrest, prosecute and jail our way out of the problem."

Dart and some other politicians favor a bond system where money doesn't determine whether a defendant is released from jail. Smith said she has seen nonviolent, poor inmates languish in jail while those accused of violent crimes with access to money  like gang members  are released onto the streets to commit new crimes.

"The jail is for people who pose a risk to the community," Smith said. "It should not be for those who stole a bar of soap or a bottle of liquor and can't come up with bond."

Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said he was frustrated to hear the Tribune's findings but he found a twisted logic to the statistics.

"A lot of the shootings occur by repeat gun offenders, which are with the gangs. So when those guys get picked up, for whatever reason, who do you think the gangs are going to bail out first? They bail out the shooters because they are the most valuable pieces to that gang organization," Johnson said. "Because they aren't afraid to use violence to get their message across. So what we see is just an unbelievable cycle of CPD arresting these guys, and then for whatever reason, the judicial system spits them right back out, only to be dealt with  again."

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That higher bonds are proving little deterrent for gun-crime defendants returning to the street provides another window into the violent chaos that plagues the city's most troubled and impoverished neighborhoods.

Last year ended with a Chicago homicide tally not seen since the drug wars of the 1990s, and 2017 has begun with a nearly 25 percent increase over last year, leading to Trump's tweet this week.

The intent of Trump's remarks remain unclear, but federal involvement in Chicago law enforcement has been increasing over the past year, even before Trump began citing Chicago as an example of mounting urban violence during his campaign.

In addition to the Department of Justice's civil rights investigation into police practices, the government has also added crime-fighting resources.

The FBI's special agent in charge in Chicago, Michael Anderson, has created a gang squad that focuses on Latin Kings and other Latino gangs to supplement the bureau's three other gang squads. About a year ago, he created a new homicide squad, where agents work alongside Chicago police to investigate "warm cases," typically recent, unsolved killings.

Since 2012, circumstances in Chicago have been cause for alarm. The number of people shot has grown by 33 percent. While shootings are up, gun seizures are down.

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Shootings are up, arrests are down Shooting incidents Gun arrests 5,000 3,404 in 2016 4,000 3,000 3,966 in 2016 2,000 1,000 2012 14 16 12 14 16 Source: Chicago Police Department data CHICAGO TRIBUNE Shootings are up, arrests are down Shooting incidents jumped more than 42 percent compared to 2012. Arrests for gun charges, meanwhile, dropped 9 percent since then. Shooting incidents Gun arrests 5,000 3,404 in 2016 4,000 3,000 3,966 in 2016 2,000 1,000 2012 13 14 15 16 2012 13 14 15 16 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Source: Chicago Police Department data Shootings are up but arrests are down Shooting incidents jumped more than 42 percent compared to 2012. Arrests for gun charges, meanwhile, dropped 9 percent since then. Shooting incidents Gun arrests 5,000 5,000 3,404 in 2016 4,000 4,000 3,000 3,000 3,966 in 2016 2,000 2,000 1,000 1,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Source: Chicago Police Department data

In the same time period, shootings increased by 42 percent while the number of firearm recoveries, as well as firearm-recovery arrests, have plunged. Firearm recovery arrests dropped by 9 percent, and gun recoveries fell by about 33 percent, from 12,650 in 2012 to 8,416 last year, according to police data.

The police superintendent said he was not familiar with data showing such a stark drop in gun recoveries by police during the five-year period, instead noting a small one-year increase between 2015 and 2016. He also said police have been focusing on arresting people who have committed more serious gun offenses rather than casting a wider net to scoop up anybody with a gun.

"We're still attacking the gun issue," Johnson said. "We are focusing more on arresting the right people."

Nonetheless, the revolving door of the criminal justice system appears to keep turning, he said.

"We just don't do a good job of sending a message to these gang members that there are consequences to carrying these illegal firearms," he said.

Gang members interviewed by the Tribune offered differing opinions of how to combat the cycle. But they were united in expressing just how deeply ingrained the culture of guns and the threat of violence have become in Chicago's most impoverished neighborhoods.

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Taylor, the Englewood gang member, said that if making bond became less accessible and stiff prison sentences for convictions a real threat, it could change behavior on the street.

"If people be more strict ... you say y'all want to play with guns, right? OK, we going to show you what you get for playing with the guns," Taylor said. "Like, they say it's going to be (9- to 45-year sentences) with the guns? All right, people start seeing  like, 'Damn, my brother just got cracked 10 years for having a gun, first gun case.' They see stuff like that  they're like, man, that'll make them think twice."

The data analyzed by the Tribune does not include juvenile arrests. Police and gang members alike stress that violence is increasingly fueled by the heedless behavior of minors.

But Rasheed Muhammad, 19, who said he belonged to a Traveling Vice Lords faction on the West Side, said that younger gang members believe that the consequences of committing violence as a minor are acceptable.

"It's these real shorties now. 'I'm going to do five years and get out at 21,' " said Muhammad, voicing the conventional wisdom on the street. "Like, kids really talking like that."

Muhammad was interviewed in October at the County Jail, where he was being held on a juvenile arrest warrant. He has no record of gun-related crimes. He disagreed with the notion that stiffer prison sentences would act as a strong deterrent, because young gang members bent on forging reputations as strong players are constantly stepping into the void.

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"That still ain't going to change nothing, if people get locked up," he said. "I don't see it getting no better for Chicago, no time soon. I see it getting worse."

Violence takes not only a physical toll but a psychological one as well, Taylor and Muhammad said.

"I feel like I'm an old man," Muhammad said. "I feel like I lived a full life. That's sad to say, though. Like, average life span in Chicago right now? You be lucky if you see past 17." And Muhammad said that the leaderless nature of gangs breeds a fearfulness that violence can come from any direction at any time.

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"Now it's, ain't no structure," Taylor said of gang leadership.

When asked how many people in his family who had been shot, Taylor started counting on his fingers: his father, uncle, cousins. "But the thing I'm scared about, is when I get out, I don't want to be the person who gets out, and want to change my life, and end up dying two weeks later."

Taylor rattled off the names of family members who belonged to the Gangster Disciples. Breaking the pattern and getting out of the gang life is not easy, especially when nearly everybody you knew growing up belonged to the same system.

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"If you grow up around 10 rich people, you're going to be rich," Taylor said. "But if you grow up around 10 people with guns, and drug dealers, you most likely going to be the 11th."

tlighty@chicagotribune.com

dheinzmann@chicagotribune.com

jgrotto@chicagotribune.com
Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and commanders tout advances in technology that could help officers pinpoint gunfire instantly as part of their newest efforts to combat gun violence plaguing the city. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune) (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Department commanders on Friday touted advances in technology that could help officers pinpoint gunfire instantly, part of their newest efforts to combat gun violence plaguing the city.

Putting a new spin on gunshot detection technology police have used on and off for years, 150 cellphones will be distributed to officers in the Englewood and Harrison districts equipped with apps that deliver shooting and incident information in real time. Police also announced the expansion of the ShotSpotter system and predictive data methods in the Englewood and Harrison districts, two of the city's highest crime areas.

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ShotSpotter now covers all portions of the Englewood and Harrison districts  13.5 square miles, city officials said. Police also expanded the footprint of the Police Observation Device cameras by 25 percent to try to work better with ShotSpotter.

The goals, Emanuel and police commanders said, is to respond swiftly to shootings and use neighborhood data to target problem areas and thwart violent crime.

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"Crime and violence presents a complex problem that has to be dealt with in complex ways," Emanuel said.

Emanuel and the Police Department have been under fire for a dramatic increase in homicides and shootings in Chicago, after 2016 ended with 783 homicides, the most since 1996, according to data collected by the Tribune. As of Friday afternoon, there had been 42 homicides, according to Police Department statistics. Friday's news conference came three days after President Donald Trump called out the city for its violence, saying in a tweet he would "send in the Feds!" if Chicago cannot fix the problem.

ShotSpotter captures audio of gunfire and attempts to pinpoint its location, officials said. The technology will be integrated with districts' computerized map-based prediction tools, which the mayor and police commanders said will help reduce shootings.

Bullet casings are marked after a triple shooting in the 400 block of East 79th Street early on Sept. 22, 2016. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

The new phones will be bought with donations from the Chicago Police Foundation and allow officers on patrol to receive alerts regarding possible gunfire, on the go. Police in the two districts have expanded the system to better record sounds throughout the neighborhoods.

"I believe this is the most advanced platform of its kind in the country," said Jonathan Lewin, the Police Department's deputy chief for information technologies.

In front of a horde of reporters and television cameras, Lewin gave Emanuel a tutorial on the upgraded system in a small room at the Englewood station, where flat screens on the walls showed live camera shots of street corners and a map of current incidents and calls.

"This does allow our police officers to be in the right place at the right time to prevent a shooting from ever happening," Emanuel said. Later, he said, "The technology is the right investment so our officers can be more efficient to disrupt something before it happens."

The mayor said the expanded technology is only one piece of the city's fight against the shootings and violence that have landed Chicago in the national spotlight.

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"Technology does not replace, it's there to assist," the mayor said. "... It will help but it doesn't obviously replace all the other things we need to do."

At the news conference to unveil the technology, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson fell ill and the conference was ended abruptly. Before that happened, Johnson said the upgraded technology is part of the department's "data-driven enforcement," which compliments police community engagement efforts. ShotSpotter technology alerts officers to possible gunfire before 911 calls are made and allows detectives to pinpoint crime scenes for collection of bullets or shell casings.

The Police Department has used the ShotSpotter occasionally in the past decade. Former Superintendent Garry McCarthy touted the system in 2012. Prior to that, the city twice installed the devices but ultimately removed them because of their high price tags and ineffectiveness.

Police said the product's software and hardware have improved in recent years. It can be integrated with other systems already being used by the department's technology teams, which will improve its accuracy and usefulness.

The University of Chicago Crime Lab also is working with police and city officers on the project.

poconnell@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @pmocwriter
Gloria Pinex talks about the death of her son Darius Pinex, who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer in 2011. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Following the U.S. Department of Justice's withering criticism of the Chicago Police Department's training efforts, top police officials have vowed to improve a field training program that matches rookies with seasoned cops for on-the-job mentoring and education.

Yet two cops currently in training to become field training officers were themselves involved in separate controversial fatal shootings. Both fatalities resulted in multimillion-dollar legal payouts by the city.

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One officer, Raoul Mosqueda, fatally shot a motorist who tried to drive away from a traffic stop in 2011. But at a civil trial in 2015, Mosqueda gave testimony that clashed with a police recording, casting doubt on the lawfulness of the traffic stop. The city settled a lawsuit brought by the family of the driver, Darius Pinex, for about $3.5 million.

Former Chicago police officer Gildardo Sierra, right, exits the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on May 23, 2016, with former police partner Raoul Mosqueda. Mosqueda fatally shotDarius Pinex during a traffic stop in 2011. The city settled a lawsuit brought by Pinux's family for about $3.5 million. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

The other officer, Michael St. Clair II, shot a driver to death in 2010 under similar circumstances. At a civil trial in 2012, a federal jury awarded about $4.6 million to the family of William Hope Jr. after ruling the officers unlawfully detained Hope and used excessive force.

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Informed by a Tribune reporter that Mosqueda is on the path toward training other police, Pinex's mother, Gloria Pinex, scoffed in angry disbelief, asked if the reporter was serious and called the move "absolutely ridiculous." Mosqueda should be fired, not allowed to mold younger officers, she said.

"There's no way he should be training anybody to do anything," she said.

The officers are poised to join a program that stands at the juncture of several major departmental functions identified by the Justice Department as defective  training, supervision and promotions.

In one of many criticisms of the department's training efforts, the federal report ripped police officials for failing to offer incentives to good cops to become field training officers and allowing "problematic police officers to continue acting as FTOs." High-ranking officers derided the program to federal investigators; one said that all the Police Department wanted from trainers was "warm butts in a seat."

While police may not see being a field training officer as a prestigious job that could lead to advancement, the Justice Department's censure of the training program is in keeping with its criticisms of the system for selecting officers for supervisory ranks such as sergeant or lieutenant. The report described an opaque promotional system that sows doubt as to whether competent officers consistently rise into jobs leading other cops.

Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that new field training officers are chosen through a process involving an application, testing and screening, and under union rules top officials have no discretion over who wins the jobs. No officer has been disciplined in either shooting. Guglielmi said the department can't prevent an officer from testing into a new position because of a disciplinary case that led to no finding of misconduct.

In a written statement, Superintendent Eddie Johnson, himself a onetime field training officer who has promised to improve the program, called the trainers "among the most powerful tools to promote positive change throughout the Chicago Police Department."

Wave of new trainers

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Mosqueda and St. Clair were among about 90 officers who started training to become field training officers Jan. 2, department records show.

Neither Mosqueda nor St. Clair could be reached for comment.

The incoming trainers are part of a wave of officers elevated to new roles as the department enacts Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to add about 1,000 new officers over the next two years. Emanuel moved to add officers after letting the agency dwindle by about 600 cops in his first five-plus years in office.

Emanuel is trying to strengthen the force following a year of runaway gun violence on the South and West sides. The city ended 2016 with 762 homicides, the most in two decades, and the violence has continued at comparable levels so far in January, attracting embarrassing national attention and critical social media comments from President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Emanuel is trying to change a Police Department that has been in upheaval in the 14 months since the court-ordered release of video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting African-American teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.

A milestone came this month as the Justice Department released a report that portrayed a broken department in which badly trained officers have used excessive force with little threat of consequences from disciplinary authorities. The report could lead to a court-enforced reform agreement between the city and federal authorities.

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The Justice Department criticized the Police Department's system of promotions as plagued by the perception that politically connected cops are elevated to supervisory roles.

The report focused even more heavily on defects in training, and federal investigators blasted the field training program, saying it "actively undermines ... constitutional policing." The department has not had enough trainers, causing the department to assign multiple rookies to trainers and leaving some new cops waiting months for a mentor.

The Justice Department report found that the job comes with heavy drawbacks but limited rewards, and the Police Department has done little to entice capable officers to become trainers. One key downfall of the job is that trainers have had to relinquish control of coveted district assignments and shifts, the report noted.

Becoming a field training officer does not constitute a promotion in rank, though the post comes with supervisory responsibilities over other officers and a pay bump of a few thousand dollars.

Further, the trainers have received little training themselves and followed no uniform rules, the report said. A federal investigator saw a rookie officer "driving erratically and making rude and disrespectful comments about the community," but his trainer did nothing, the report says.

Even before the Justice Department report, Johnson wanted to rework the field training program, Guglielmi said. Johnson is working with union leaders to hammer out changes to training and incentives for prospective trainers. Guglielmi said he could not comment on specific proposed changes, pending discussions between Johnson and union leaders.

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The program is a priority, the superintendent said.

"FTOs support the strengths of new police officers and identify and correct areas that need improvement," Johnson said in the written statement. "FTOs are among the best and brightest officers and employ effective training techniques and tactics to a wide variety of scenarios."

Gloria Pinex displays pictures of her son Darius Pinex on Jan. 25, 2017, at her home in Chicago. Darius Pinex was shot and killed by Chicago police Officer Raoul Mosqueda on Jan. 7, 2011. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

Troubling shootings

In Mosqueda and St. Clair, the department has two prospective trainers who were involved in controversial shootings. Both shootings were of men who tried to drive away from stops, a tactical scenario that has plagued the Police Department.

On Jan. 7, 2011, Mosqueda and his partner, Gildardo Sierra, stopped a car driven by Pinex in the South Side's violent Englewood neighborhood. Mosqueda later reported that they stopped the car because they heard a police dispatch saying it was involved in an earlier shooting. The officers boxed in the car and exited with guns drawn.

The officers alleged Pinex, who had a history of drug arrests, refused orders, putting the vehicle in reverse, hitting a light pole and then gunning the car forward. Mosqueda fatally shot Pinex in the head, though Sierra also opened fire, records show. Investigators recovered a gun from beneath the driver's seat, police reports showed.

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At the trial over the Pinex family's lawsuit, however, a recording emerged that contradicted Mosqueda's testimony and called the lawfulness of the traffic stop into question. Mosqueda had claimed the dispatch had matched Pinex's vehicle, but the recording didn't match the specifics of his Oldsmobile Aurora and didn't mention anything about a shooting.

A federal judge rebuked the city's then-Senior Corporation Counsel Jordan Marsh for knowing the recording existed and failing to immediately turn it over to Pinex's lawyers. Though Marsh resigned, Emanuel's Law Department has repeatedly been sanctioned for failing to turn over evidence in lawsuits against police.

Mosqueda has attracted less attention than his former partner, Sierra, who was involved in three shootings in less than six months in 2011. He resigned in 2015.

The Independent Police Review Authority is continuing to investigate the Pinex shooting more than six years after it occurred. That means IPRA could still find Mosqueda's shooting of Pinex unjustified even as he undergoes training for the new post. That type of finding typically leads to a recommendation that the officer be fired.

Guglielmi said "appropriate actions will be taken immediately" if any disciplinary allegations are sustained.

Mosqueda has been the focus of at least 17 complaints since joining the department in 2006, according to department records. He received a five-day suspension in 2014, though the details of the case were not available.

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Mosqueda's prospective new job training other police shows that the department's problems persist, said Steve Greenberg, a Pinex family lawyer.

"He is the poster child for what's been wrong with the Chicago Police Department," Greenberg said. "It goes to show that nothing ever changes."

St. Clair, meanwhile, shot and killed Hope, 25, on July 8, 2010, in the parking lot of a Popeyes restaurant in the South Side's West Chatham neighborhood.

After seeing Hope sitting in his car in a distant part of the lot, St. Clair and his partner, Armando Ugarte, parked their SUV in a position that blocked the vehicle and went to question the driver, records show. Hope handed Ugarte his driver's license, the officer testified, but then Hope shifted his car into gear. The vehicle hit Ugarte, the officer testified, and he thrust himself into the car to try to stop it. Ugarte got stuck in the window, and his feet left the ground as the car then reversed, the officers testified.

Surveillance video from a Popeyes in the 100 block of West 75th Street shows the scene after the fatal shooting of William Hope Jr. by Officer Michael St. Clair II on July 8, 2010. (City of Chicago) (Chicago Tribune)

Saying later he feared his partner would be dragged or run over and killed, St. Clair shot Hope four times, records show. Hope, who had a lengthy arrest record and had gone to prison for aggravated battery to a police officer, had a gun in his pocket, though records show that neither officer knew that at the time.

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IPRA cleared the officers of wrongdoing, but witnesses told the agency's investigators they didn't see the car hit Ugarte and that neither officer seemed to be in serious danger. Video and witnesses indicated the police SUV was blocking Hope's car from easily escaping.

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Hope's family sued. After hearing from eyewitnesses and the officers and viewing video that captured elements of the incident, jurors at the 2012 trial found that the officers illegally detained Hope and that St. Clair used excessive force.

St. Clair has been the focus of at least 12 disciplinary cases in his 13 years as an officer, department records show. He was not disciplined in any of the cases, records show.

Asked about St. Clair potentially training other officers, one of the Hope family attorneys, Mark Parts, noted the jury's verdict and said in an email that the possibility is "troubling."

"It just sends the wrong message," Parts said.

dhinkel@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dhinkel
Facebook Live video posted on Jan. 3, 2017, shows the verbal and physical attack of a mentally disabled man. The Chicago Tribune edited this video to protect the victim's identity and for time. (Warning: Contains graphic content) (Chicago Tribune)

A Cook County judge on Thursday denied a media request to allow cameras at preliminary court hearings for the four defendants accused in an hourslong attack on a mentally disabled 18-year-old that was posted on Facebook Live.

Judge Peggy Chiampas ruled that showing the defendants in jail apparel while flanked by sheriff's deputies could taint the pool of potential jurors. Defense attorneys argued the images could lead jurors to believe the accused are already convicted and dangerous. Prosecutors also objected to cameras, with the victim in the case arguing for his right to privacy.

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Chiampas, responding to a request from WBBM-TV made on behalf of other media outlets including the Chicago Tribune, said she had to balance the defendants' rights to a fair and impartial trial with the public's right to be informed about newsworthy events.

The defendants are being held without bond in connection with the Jan. 3 attack. The judge's ruling concerned a hearing on Friday when prosecutors are expected to either announce the results of a grand jury investigation or ask for more time.

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Chiampas said the hearing will be "routine and perfunctory" and, in addition to banning cameras, said sketch artists will not be allowed to depict the defendants in jail clothing. The case has yet to be formally assigned to a judge, and she said that when it is, that jurist may allow cameras as more substantive proceedings get underway.

The case has provoked national outrage at a time when Chicago's gun violence is already in the spotlight, and prompted reactions from politicians including then-President Barack Obama.

Charged in the torture of the 18-year-old are Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper and sisters Tanishia and Brittany Covington.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 Tesfaye Cooper, 18, of Chicago, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. (Chicago Police Department)

Hill, 18, of Carpentersville; Cooper, 18, of Chicago; and Brittany Covington, 18, and her sister Tanishia, 24, were each charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Hill also was charged with robbery, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and residential burglary, while both Covingtons were charged with residential burglary, prosecutors said.

Police allege Hill met up with the victim, who was a classmate in Aurora, at a McDonald's in suburban Streamwood on Dec. 31 and drove him to an apartment on Chicago's West Side, where the attack began. The 28-minute live-streamed video showed the group punching and kicking the victim, cutting his scalp and hair with a knife and forcing him to drink toilet water.

The perpetrators yell "F--- Donald Trump" and "F--- white people," as the victim crouched in a corner, his mouth taped shut, hands and feet bound with what appears to be orange electrical tape.

Lawyers for each defendant on Thursday objected to cameras being in court, citing concerns over safety and the possibility of inhibiting a fair trial.

Neil Toppel, a public defender for Brittany Covington, said threats are already circulating on the internet for anyone who appears to support the defendants, which could include witnesses or attorneys.

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"The internet is rife with racially charged and violent extremist rhetoric connected to the allegations in this case," he wrote in a motion.

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The victim and his mother also objected to the cameras. Two potential witnesses also filed objections, saying they feared for the safety of themselves and their families if the proceedings were broadcast.

A handwritten note, signed by the teen, read: "As a victim of heinous crimes, I wish to be afforded dignity, privacy and respect throughout the criminal justice process as I will be forced to re-live those moments that haunt me still."

"Extended media coverage will expose my disability locally and nationally and will undercut those very rights I have as a crime victim."

Prosecutors said in court that the 18-year-old victim, who lives with his parents in suburban Streamwood, has schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Tribune reporter Steve Schmadeke contributed reporting.

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Echerney@Chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ElyssaCherney
Mary Elizabeth Peterson, 65, of Menomonie passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, at home.

Mary was born Nov. 26, 1951, to Harold and Eleanor Feidt in Bloomer, Wis.

Mary lived most of her childhood in Turtle Lake, Wis., where she graduated from high school in 1969. After spending two years in college at UW-River Falls, she transferred to UW-Madison, where she graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1974. Mary taught for one year in Madison before she went abroad to Sweden to pursue graduate work in 1975. In the fall of 1976, she returned home to Turtle Lake where she met her future husband, Bob Peterson. They were married on March 23, 1978.

In the summer of 1980, the Petersons moved to Menomonie, their final destination. Mary taught 2nd grade at Cedar Falls Elementary School for most of her 25 years in the Menomonie School District, earned her Masters degree in education from UW-Eau Claire and, along with Bob, raised their three children, Jon, David, and Ana. Mary retired from teaching in 2007 and over the past decade devoted herself to family as well as volunteering at Stepping Stones and cheering for her beloved Badgers and Packers.

Mary was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend who will be sadly missed by all. She is survived by husband, Bob; mother-in-law, Delores Peterson; sons, Jon (Mical), David (Hannah); and daughter, Ana (Tom) Hoban; grandchildren, Norah and Oscar Peterson, Elena Peterson and Nelle Hoban; brothers, David (Donna) Feidt and John Feidt.

She was preceded in death by her father, Harold; and mother, Eleanor; and father-in-law, Herman (Bud) Peterson.

There will be a gathering to celebrate Marys life from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Olson Funeral Home, Menomonie.

Memorials are suggested to Stepping Stones of Dunn County at steppingstonesdc.org.

To share a memory, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com.
Tesfaye Cooper, 18, of Chicago, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. (Chicago Police Department)

Moments after Cook County prosecutors announced indictments against four people on charges of attacking a teen with mental disabilities live on Facebook video, the county's public defender blasted "sensationalized" media coverage that she said has led to death threats against the defendants as well as their lawyers.

In an extraordinary move, Judge Peggy Chiampas barred courtroom sketch artists from drawing the faces not only of defendants Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper and sisters Tanishia and Brittany Covington but also their attorneys, citing safety and security risks. A day earlier, the judge had rejected allowing cameras to record the hearing.

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Public Defender Amy Campanelli said outside court that "it is sad and unfortunate" that the case has provoked widespread comment from people who didn't know "all the facts."

The case drew national outrage, including from some who attempted to link the attack by four African-Americans on an 18-year-old white man to the Black Lives Matter movement without evidence.

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"Sensationalized, pervasive media coverage threatens to poison the jury pool for my clients," Campanelli said, though trials in high-profile cases at the Leighton Criminal Court Building can take years to take place. "They have already been denounced in the media before anything has been proven.

"Worse, these are young people who should not be held in jail but are being held without bond because they have been prejudged," she said. "We will be seeking their release from jail."

Prosecutors did not make public what was in the indictment, but in an earlier criminal complaint, Hill, 18, of Carpentersville; Cooper, 18, of Chicago; and Brittany Covington, 19, and her sister Tanishia, 24, were each charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Police allege Hill met with the victim, a classmate in Aurora, Dec. 31 at a McDonald's in suburban Streamwood and drove him to an apartment on Chicago's West Side. The 28-minute live-streamed video showed the group punching and kicking the victim, cutting his scalp and hair with a knife, and forcing him to drink toilet water.

Facebook Live video posted on Jan. 3, 2017, shows the verbal and physical attack of a mentally disabled man. The Chicago Tribune edited this video to protect the victim's identity and for time. (Warning: Contains graphic content) (Chicago Tribune)

The defendants could be heard yelling on the video "F--- Donald Trump" and "F--- white people" as the victim crouched in a corner, his mouth taped shut, hands and feet bound with what appeared to be orange electrical tape.

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At a hearing Thursday to decide if cameras would be allowed in the courtroom, lawyers for each defendant objected, citing concerns over safety and the possibility of inhibiting a fair trial.

Neil Toppel, an assistant public defender for Brittany Covington, cited a Tumblr post calling for the "public execution" of the defendants and anyone who supported them.

"To me it sounds like someone put out a death warrant," Toppel told reporters after the hearing.

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Prosecutors have said in court that the 18-year-old victim has schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lives with his parents in suburban Streamwood.

Campanelli pledged Friday to "zealously" represent the four, starting with seeking to reduce their bail after the case is assigned to a trial judge.

sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke
Joey Marte, 26, went missing Jan. 24, 2017, on the Northwest Side, Chicagp police said. (Chicago Police Department)

Chicago police are asking for the public's help locating a man who went missing three days ago in the Northwest Side's Belmont Cragin neighborhood.

Joey Marte, 26, was last seen near Wellington and Natchez avenues. Police said he is suicidal and has a record of attempts.

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Marte is described as Hispanic with a medium complexion, black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-foot-8 and about 105 pounds, police said.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact police at the Area North Special Victims Unit at 312-744-8266.
Chicago police are investigating a rash of armed robberies this month in the South Side's Park Manor neighborhood.

In all four incidents, one to three men approached the victims, announced a robbery and pulled out a gun or the robbers implied that they had a gun, according to a Chicago police news release.

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The most recent armed robbery happened at 1:20 p.m. Monday in the 700 block of East 74th Street, according to the release. Just before 8:50 p.m. Jan. 17, another armed robbery was reported in the 7100 block of South Eberhart Avenue.

On Jan. 11, there was an armed robbery at 12:05 a.m. in the 7100 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue. The first reported armed robbery happened at 8:05 p.m. Jan. 2 in the 7400 block of South Wabash Avenue.

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The robbers are described as black men ages 18 to 23, police said. They were 5-foot-5 to 6-foot-2 and weighed 170 to 180 pounds.

Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to contact the Area Central Bureau of Detectives at 312-747-8380.
A Facebook post by Durty Nellie's in Palatine advertised a "Build-A-Wall" burger with "amazing Mexican" toppings. It has been removed. (Facebook)

A suburban pub that announced a "Build-A-Wall" burger with "amazing Mexican" toppings has apologized and rescinded the offer after swift backlash.

A notice on the Facebook page of Durty Nellie's in Palatine advertised the special, listing homemade mole, pico de gallo and Chihuahua cheese among its topping options.

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The post, which has since been removed, included six silhouettes of President Donald Trump filled in with a brick wall motif. Trump has moved forward on his campaign pledge to build a wall along the Mexican border.

Some commenters decried the offering as "offensive" and "disgusting," with one person vowing to take her business to another restaurant that doesn't "support racists."

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Durty Nellie's removed the notice Friday, two days after it was posted, and issued an apology, writing, "Durty Nellie's is extremely sorry for posting something that was so upsetting to so many people. It was our lame attempt at humor and an attempt to put a little levity in such trying times that severely backfired."

The statement, also posted on Facebook, was accompanied by a photo of kitten with the words "I Am Sorry!!! I Am Sorry!!! I Am Very Sorry!!!"

The apology concluded with a cancellation of the short-lived burger special.

"We will not be supporting such behavior and will leave all attempts at comedy to the professionals in the future," the post said.

Pub owner Mark Dolezal said he had been out for a few days and learned about the burger after it was advertised.

"There wasn't any malice," he said. "We weren't trying to offend anyone at all."

He said his chef thought it would be funny, and his marketing staff agreed.

"Obviously, it wasn't," he said. "We are sorry."

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From time to time, the staff comes up with creative names for new sandwiches. Years ago, they scrapped their "Belfast Bombers" miniburgers when someone complained, he said.

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Dolezal said he was surprised by the amount of backlash but said he understood given the intensity of the political climate. He added that he does not support Trump's plan to build a wall.

"There's no political statement being made here at all," he said.

The apology did not mollify everyone. One person commented that the pub didn't acknowledge the "cultural insensitivity" of the initial post and others reprimanded the business for backtracking.

"No apology was needed DN," one person wrote. "Just because someone can't handle your clever marketing skills and gets easily offended over 'building a wall' ... perhaps they need to toughen up to the facts."

The pub in downtown Palatine is known for its monument to Marion "Ma" Nugent, the mother of rocker Ted Nugent. The rocker  an ardent Trump supporter  spent part of his youth in Palatine, where his mother nurtured many young musicians.

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deldeib@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @deldeib
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, speaks at a news conference in Chicago on March 21, 2016. Seeking to raise the pressure for a budget deal, Madigan filed a request inSt. Clair County Circuit Court to lift a court order that ensured state workers get paid in full during Illinois' historic budget impasse. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

SPRINGFIELD  Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants a Downstate judge to lift a court order that's ensured state workers get paid in full during Illinois' historic budget impasse, contending it's "removed any imperative" for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic lawmakers to cut a deal.

Madigan's office filed the request Thursday afternoon in St. Clair County Circuit Court, seeking to undo a July 2015 ruling from St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Robert LeChien that said the state must pay workers in full despite a lack of a budget agreement.

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Madigan makes it clear in the court paperwork that she's trying to raise the pressure to get a budget in place, saying the judge's order "has allowed the legislative and executive branches to fail to fulfill their constitutional duties without facing the real threat of a government shutdown."

The action comes as the state Senate went home Thursday after delaying plans to vote on sweeping legislation aimed at ending the budget standoff, and as the state's largest employee union is scheduled to start voting Monday on whether to strike over lack of a new contract with the Rauner administration.

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"With no possibility of a government shutdown to force action by the legislative and executive branches, the state has continued to operate without a budget to fund many services provided by vendors and grantees," Madigan said in the filing. "Those vendors and grantees and the many Illinoisans they serve are bearing the brunt of this egregious and untenable budget impasse. This situation does not usually happen for long on the federal level or in other states precisely because the possibility of a government shutdown eventually leads to the passage and enactment of a budget."

Republicans blasted the move as a Democratic power play. The Democratic attorney general is the daughter of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, who has served as Rauner's primary foil in the legislature. Funded largely by Rauner, the state GOP has spent tens of millions of dollars demonizing the speaker as the source of the state's financial problems.

"While serious bipartisan negotiations have accelerated in the Senate, it is outrageous that Lisa Madigan tonight decided to put Speaker Madigan's power politics ahead of hard-working families in an effort to shut down state government," Steven Yaffe, spokesman for the Illinois Republican Party, said in a statement. "Only a Madigan would try to disrupt bipartisan momentum in a matter that threatens to cripple government services and hurt state workers and their families."

A Rauner spokeswoman urged the attorney general to "reconsider this filing and pledge to do all we can to defend employee pay."

But a spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 blamed Rauner for creating a "hostage situation" by refusing to sign a budget unless lawmakers first pass portions of his political and economic agenda. Union spokesman Anders Lindall said AFSCME was "shocked and extremely disappointed that the attorney general would take this action."

"Despite all the chaos in state government in the past two years, the people of Illinois have been able to count on state employees being on the job to serve them. The last thing Illinois needs is the further instability that blocking state payroll could cause," Lindall said. "It is fundamental that everyone who works must be paid on time and in full, but this filing throws that basic commitment into question for state employees."

The St. Clair County ruling came in response to a case brought by 13 unions representing state employees who argued failing to pay workers in full was a violation of their collective bargaining agreements. It contradicted an earlier ruling from a Cook County judge in which Madigan argued that state workers should not be paid beyond the federal $7.25-per-hour federal minimum wage. At the time, Madigan said the state should comply with federal labor laws during the impasse and did not have the authority to spend beyond that without a budget in place.

In the latest motion, Madigan argues a recent Illinois Supreme Court ruling rejected the idea that withholding pay would violate employee contracts, saying collective bargaining agreements are subject to funding from the legislature.

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The attorney general's court filing Thursday comes after a temporary stopgap budget expired Jan. 1. Madigan noted that the plan did not set aside money for worker pay, but "rested on the explicit assumption that this court's temporary order would continue to require the payment of state employee wages."

Madigan requested the pay order be lifted Feb. 28, giving lawmakers and Rauner time to reach an agreement on legislation that would authorize employee pay. That time frame may be optimistic given the length of the budget impasse, though both sides have reached agreements on stopgap funding in the past.

Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who defeated former Republican Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger in the November election, said she does not welcome the idea of state workers going without pay but will "abide by all court rulings as Attorney General Madigan pursues this court action."

In a statement, Mendoza said her office is putting in place contingency plans "to meet the technical adjustments that a payroll stoppage would require." That could mean some employees receive partial payments.

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @moniquegarcia
Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Topspin

The only House Democrat who didn't vote for Michael Madigan to remain speaker says he's being punished for his defiance.

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The first sign? Rep. Scott Drury said he did not receive an engraved desk clock like the rest of his House Democratic colleagues.

Drury, a third-term lawmaker from Highwood in Lake County, laid out his allegations of retribution in a news release, saying the clocks were handed out in gift bags to Democratic lawmakers the day after the speaker vote. Madigan won the support of 66 of his 67 Democratic members to capture his 17th two-year term leading the House. Drury, who briefly had talked about finding an alternative to Madigan, voted "present" in a form of protest.

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This week, Drury voted against House rules that dictate how legislation moves through the chamber. Republicans had sought to use the votes for speaker and House rules to pressure Democrats to buck Madigan. The state GOP, funded in large part by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, has spent tens of millions of dollars trying to convince voters that Madigan is the source of the state's woes.

Drury, a former federal prosecutor, also said he was bypassed for a House committee chairmanship and removed from his post on the judiciary committee, which handles legislation related to legal issues. Lawmakers are paid $67,836 a year for their part-time jobs, and many of them thousands of dollars a year more for serving in leadership positions or leading committees.



"No elected official should fear being punished for representing his or her district, and no one should remain silent when it happens," Drury said in a statement. "History is littered with the awful consequences that follow from people remaining silent, when speaking up and taking action is the proper course."



Madigan spokesman Steve Brown did not respond to requests for comment. (Haley BeMiller)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will talk about new police technology.

*Gov. Rauner is scheduled to speak at an Illinois Chamber of Commerce event in Chicago.

What we're writing

*Attorney General Lisa Madigan goes to court to remove injunction that's keeping state workers paid, raise pressure for budget deal.

*Illinois senators again go home without budget deal in place.

*Sorting out ABC Trump claim that two were shot dead during Obama's farewell speech.

*Chicago's bag tax takes effect Wednesday. Here's what you need to know.

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*Woman acquitted of handing gun to cousin in killing of 14-year-old Chicago girl Endia Martin.

*Flights down at Chicago airports but number of passengers up.

*Experts seek ways to protect environment from rising road salt runoff.

*Another dog park planned for North Side as South Side waits.

*Trump hotel restaurant chef leaves Chicago, heads to Detroit.

What we're reading

*Aging ex-con couple charged with fraud a year after Tribune investigation.

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*Two fatal accidents within four hours on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest line.

*"Her name is Tilly," a congressman said of a Boston terrier puppy he held as reporters asked about the new president.

From the notebook

*Sanctuary city resolution, Round III: Aldermen continue to pound the theme of backing immigrants who entered the country without authorization, even after President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that could lead to a cutoff of some federal funding for sanctuary cities such as Chicago.

To wit: Aldermen Daniel Solis, 25th, Gilbert Villegas, 36th, and Susan Sadlowski Garza, 10th, have proposed a resolution to "denounce the practice of deporting military veterans and hereby announce our strong support" for allowing younger immigrants known as Dreamers and their parents to stay in the country. It also would denounce deportation of military veterans. If approved, a copy would be delivered to Trump.

It'll be the third resolution backing immigrants, regardless of their legal status, that the City Council will have considered in recent months. None have the force of law, but all make a political statement.

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In December, the council passed a resolution reaffirming Chicago's so-called Welcoming City ordinance, a measure approved in 2012 to cement the city's status as a sanctuary city. On Wednesday aldermen reaffirmed the city's pledge to protect immigrants regardless of legal status.

The latest measure relates to immigrants protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans policies enacted under former President Barack Obama. Those policies allow hundreds of thousands of young immigrants without authorization and their parents to stay in the country.

Although Trump has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration, and at one point during his campaign said he would reverse the two policies, he's taken no action so far in his young presidency to reverse them. Instead, he's focused on building a wall at the Mexican border, deporting immigrants who have criminal convictions or face criminal charges and pulling federal funding from sanctuary cities  places where local government has placed limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

For Trump and aldermen  as well as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has repeatedly pledged to maintain the city's sanctuary status  the issue is as much political as ideological. Trump plays to his conservative base by vowing to be tough on illegal immigration, much as Emanuel and aldermen curry favor with their liberal base by vowing to oppose him. (Hal Dardick)

*Chicago is still on Trump's mind: President Trump on Thursday used Chicago's violence as a talking point for a third day in a row, bringing up the city in a speech during a Republican strategy retreat in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he might "send in the Feds!" to Chicago. On Wednesday, he used part of his first major televised interview as president to call the city a "war zone."

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On Thursday, Trump kept going. "What's going on in Chicago? I said the other day, 'What the hell is going on?' " he said.

"Democrats," answered an audience member, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas. His fellow Republicans laughed.

Trump pointed into the crowd. "A lot of truth to that," he said.

The new president often pointed to Chicago's violence during his campaign, but Tuesday's tweet drew a flurry of unified responses the next day from Chicago's Democratic leaders, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

"We're gonna stay a sanctuary city," Emanuel said Wednesday. "There is no stranger among us. We welcome people, whether you're from Poland or Pakistan, whether you're from Ireland or India or Israel and whether you're from Mexico or Moldova, where my grandfather came from, you are welcome in Chicago as you pursue the American Dream."

*The Sunday Spin: On this week's show, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests are Greg Baise, head of the Illinois Manufacturers Association; Rep. Steve Andersson, of Geneva, the Illinois House Republican floor leader; and Democratic state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, of Northbrook. The "Sunday Spin" airs from 7 to 9 a.m. on WGN 720-AM.

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Follow the money

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*An import tax to have Mexico paying for a border wall?

*Kellyanne Conway on Trump's win: "They never saw this coming."

*Mayors of other sanctuary cities push back against Trump's executive order.

*Scientists take first steps to growing human organs in pigs.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 40 Participants perform during celebrations for the Lunar New Year, marking the year of the Rooster, in Madrid, Spain, on Jan. 28, 2017. (Gerard Julien / AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, falls on Jan. 28, 2017, when China will bid adieu to the Year of the Monkey and say hello to the Year of the Rooster. Across Asia and the world, revelers will set off firecrackers, chow on dumplings, dress and dance in traditional costumes and pray at shrines. Many Chinese head back to their hometowns, an event known as chunyun, which drains Chinas enormous cities of workers and is the worlds largest annual human migration, requiring about 3 billion trips.
Vice President Mike Pence waves while walking with second lady Karen Pence near the White House during the 58th presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017. (Daniel Acker / Bloomberg)

Vice President Mike Pence will join Friday's March for Life, a move from the White House considered historic by march organizers.

President Ronald Reagan made a video for the march in 1988 and President George W. Bush called in to the march in 2008, but no president or vice president has spoken at the march before, according to a march spokeswoman.

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Kellyanne Conway, Trump's senior counselor, will also speak at the march.

March organizers say they expect tens of thousands of people to march at the event that annually draws activists from across the country. This year, organizers believe they will see a surge of energy with the ascension of a president who is expected to move forward on antiabortion policies, including defunding Planned Parenthood and appointing an antiabortion Supreme Court justice.

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Pence, who has called himself an "evangelical Catholic," has long been a hero among antiabortion activists and as governor of Indiana signed what was considered some of the strictest laws on abortion.

Ahead of the election, activists were divided over whether to openly support Trump, who they believed was more appealing than Hillary Clinton. Activists were especially thrilled by his selection of Pence, who signed a law that banned abortions based on gender or disability.

During the vice-presidential debate in October, Pence brought up his opposition to abortion by paraphrasing the biblical verse Jeremiah 1:5: "Before you were formed in the womb, I knew you."

During an interview with ABC News' David Muir that aired Wednesday night, President Donald Trump voiced concerns that the press doesn't cover the March for Life.

"You're going to have a lot of people coming on Friday," Trump said. "And I will say this, and I didn't realize this. But I was told you will have a very large crowd of people. I don't know as large or larger. Some people said it will be larger, pro-life people, and they say the press doesn't cover them."
President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared chummy as they faced a curious world together for the first time Friday, pledging allegiance to the special relationship between their countries while trying to mask stark differences on some major issues.

It was Trump's first White House meeting with a foreign head of state, a hastily arranged confab held precisely one week after the businessman and reality TV star, who remains a largely unknown figure to European audiences, was sworn into office as president.

Trump sought to charm May from the outset, showing her the bust of Prime Minister Winston Churchill that he's using to decorate the Oval Office. He then opened a joint news conference by noting that his late mother was born in "Stornoway, which is serious Scotland." Scotland is part of Great Britain.

Trump and May were seen briefly holding hands as they walked along the White House colonnade after leaving the Oval Office. Their talks continued in the State Dining Room over lunch of iceberg wedge salad, braised beef short ribs with potato puree and salted caramel creme brulee.

For her part, May congratulated Trump on his "stunning election victory," and announced that he had accepted the queen's invitation for a state visit for the president and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, later this year.

But the attempts at mutual flattery didn't completely mask the leaders' differences over some issues, including NATO and Russia.

May tried to push Trump toward positions she supports, noting that he had assured her he was "100 percent" behind NATO, a world body he has dismissed as "obsolete." Trump did not contradict May as they stood together and answered journalists' questions in the White House East Room.

May also took a tougher stance on sanctions against Russia.

When asked how close the U.S. is to lifting penalties that were imposed on Russia after its incursion into Ukraine, Trump said it was "very early to be talking about that." May said sanctions should remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented.

Trump has been less critical of Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, than his predecessor and some lawmakers, including fellow Republicans. He has cast doubt on findings by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him win the White House, and has praised Putin's leadership. Trump's stance has fueled speculation that he could ease or remove the sanctions against Russia.

Trump also reiterated his belief that torture works. Britain takes a vocal stand against it.

The appearance alongside May was more amiable than Trump's most recent public appearance with a foreign leader: a joint news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last August. Trump was more staid and serious then, and read from lengthy prepared remarks.

Coincidentally, Trump and May met a day after Pena Nieto canceled his own trip to Washington next week amid disagreement with Trump over which of their countries will pay for the wall Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump says Mexico will pay; Mexico says it won't.

Trump is something of a mystery to world leaders, many of whom expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election. They also don't know his administration's main interlocutors with foreign governments, including son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior adviser Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive.

So May was on a bit of a scouting mission.

She has strong reasons for wanting the relationship to work. Britain is set to leave the European Union and its 500 million-person single market, and is eager for a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. The United States is Britain's biggest export market, and such a trade deal would be a major prize.

Trump has drawn parallels between Britain's choice to leave the EU and his own success, using the Brexit vote last June to bolster his derision of the 28-nation bloc and his preference for striking bilateral agreements.

Often combative in the presence of journalists, Trump seemed relaxed and humorous alongside May. At one point, after a British journalist asked whether people should be alarmed by his past statements, Trump joked: "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship."

He backed May's determination to make Britain strong and prosperous once it leaves the European Union, saying he thought Brexit would be "a tremendous asset and not a tremendous liability."

And when asked whether the two very different leaders had found common ground, Trump said they had.

"I think we're going to get along very well," he said. "I am a people person. I think you are also, Theresa."

Associated Press
Sara Jo Schneider and Hickle, along with fellow Girl Scouts Jayna Kelley and Autumn Helgeson, were killed when a pickup truck crashed into them as the scouts cleaned up debris on the west side of Highway P at about 11 a.m. Nov. 3, 2018. All four were killed at the scene. A fifth girl was injured but later recovered. The girls attended Southview Elementary and Halmstad Elementary in Chippewa Falls. On Wednesday, a 20-foot-tall memorial was dedicated at the crash site, honoring the three scouts and mother killed that day.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer, left, and President Donald Trump's White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, right, arrive at a White House senior staff swearing in ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik / AP)

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of his closest White House advisers, is registered to vote in both New Jersey and New York, while White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is on the rolls both in Virginia and his home state of Rhode Island, according to elections officials and voting registration records.

Their dual registrations offer two more high-profile examples of how common it is for voters to be on the rolls in multiple states -- something Trump has claimed is evidence of voter fraud.

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With Kushner and Spicer, The Washington Post has now identified five Trump family members or top administration appointees who were registered in two states during the fall election. The others are chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon; Tiffany Trump, the president's youngest daughter; and Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin, as first reported by CNN.

White House officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump said this week that the fact that many voters are registered in two states is a sign of widespread voter fraud, calling for a "major investigation" into his unsubstantiated claim that millions of people cast illegal ballots in November.

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"You have people that are registered who are dead, who are illegals, who are in two states," the president told ABC's David Muir on Wednesday. "You have people registered in two states. They're registered in a New York and a New Jersey. They vote twice. There are millions of votes, in my opinion."

It is not illegal to be registered to vote in two states, and elections officials say that does not mean voters are casting ballots in two locations. In fact, it is quite common for out-of-date registrations to linger on the rolls, due to voters dying or moving to new jurisdictions. A 2012 Pew Center on the States study that Trump has erroneously cited as evidence of voter fraud found that about 2.75 million people were registered in more than one state - largely because voters did not report when they moved to new jurisdictions.

"It's not fraud," said John Lindback, executive director of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonprofit organization that works with states to improve the accuracy of their voting rolls. "When people move from one state to another or move down the street, they don't think to change their voter registration."

That appears to be what happened in the case of Kushner, who married Trump's daughter Ivanka in October 2009. New Jersey voting records show that he registered to vote there in 1999 and cast ballots in New Jersey through the November 2009 state general election, when now-Gov. Chris Christie, R, was on the ballot for his first race.

Later that month, Kushner registered in New York at his Park Avenue address. Voting records show he began casting ballots in New York in 2010.

Representatives for Kushner did not respond to requests for comment.

Spicer last voted in Rhode Island in 1998, according to state records, which means his registration should have been declared inactive or removed by now. But the Rhode Island Board of Elections confirmed to the Post that he is still listed as having an active voter registration. Since September 1999, Spicer has also been registered to vote in Alexandria, Virginia, according to elections officials there.

In the case of Bannon, he was registered until this week in both New York and Florida, despite his efforts to remove himself from the rolls in the latter. Mnuchin is registered in both New York, where he last voted in 2008, and in California, where he cast his ballot in November, election records show. And Tiffany Trump, the president's daughter, is registered in New York and Pennsylvania, where she was attending college until May.

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On Thursday, White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway disputed that Tiffany Trump held dual registrations, telling NBC's "Today" that the president's youngest daughter told her "it is flatly false that she is registered in two states."

But elections officials said voters often do not realize they stay on the rolls after they have moved out of a jurisdiction.

One major reason that out-of-date registrations are not always flagged is that less than half the states participate in ERIC, a cooperative that was created after the 2012 Pew study to help make voter rolls more accurate and comprehensive. Members of the group, which currently includes 20 states and the District of Columbia, are required to share their voter registration data every 60 days. The nonprofit group uses that data - along with information from state motor vehicle departments, the Social Security death index and the U.S. Postal Service's national change of address list - to match and update voter files. In 2016, it identified about 2 million voters who had moved, passed away or had duplicate registrations.

"Before ERIC was formed, it was much worse," Lindback said. But he noted that some of the most populous states, including California, Florida and New York, do not participate. If more states join,"the number of cases will go way down," he added.

Lindback, who previously served as Oregon's director of elections, said he is hopeful that Trump's focus on dual registrations could help encourage more states to exchange data. But he said he's concerned that the president's debunked claims that millions of illegal votes were cast in November could "have the effect of reducing confidence in how our elections are run."

"I just don't get it," he added. "I have been in elections a lot of years, and it's usually the loser of an election who claims fraud. I've never seen a winner claim fraud. What is going on here?"
A nationally known hydrologist, John Richard "Jack" Sheaffer founded two west suburban engineering firms and built a reputation for creative solutions to issues in wastewater management and flood plain management.

In 1972, Sheaffer started the annual DuPage County Prayer Breakfast.

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"He was always thinking bigger than anyone else," said retired DuPage County Development Department Director Joe Abel. "He had just all these great ideas."

Sheaffer, 85, died of natural causes on Dec. 21 at his home, said his son Mark. A Carol Stream resident since 2013 and previously a longtime Wheaton resident, Sheaffer had been battling dementia, his son said.

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Born in Lancaster County, Pa., Sheaffer attended high school in East Lampeter, Pa., and earned a bachelor's degree from what is now known as Millersville University in Millersville, Pa.

After teaching science in Pennsylvania, then working as chief planner at the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, Sheaffer earned a doctorate in geography from the University of Chicago in 1964. While at the U. of C., Sheaffer studied under renowned geographer Gilbert F. White, who was known as the father of flood plain management.

After graduating, Sheaffer worked for an engineering firm for a time and was tapped to be the science adviser to the U.S. secretary of the Army in 1970, relocating to Alexandria, Va. While in that job, Sheaffer helped write the federal Clean Water Act, which was enacted in 1972.

Sheaffer returned to the Chicago area in 1972 and joined an engineering firm. In 1976, he started his own company, Sheaffer & Roland, based in Geneva.

During his career, Sheaffer was known most for land treatment systems that enabled municipalities or others developing land outside sanitary districts to treat wastewater on-site.

"He liked the circular approach to water instead of just using it and dumping it in the river," his son said. "He wanted to try to treat it to an extent and then use it for irrigating farms."

Abel recalled Sheaffer's idea for a large agricultural area in the northern area of DuPage County, which would be supported by a land treatment system and known as a "farm within the city." While that particular idea never came to fruition, the land treatment concept was adopted by the developers of the 274-acre Hamilton Lakes complex in Itasca, Abel said. He also designed systems for the Mill Creek development in Geneva and the Fox Mill project near Wasco.

Sheaffer was also involved in the design of the Mount Hoy landfill near Warrenville, known informally as "Mount Trashmore."

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"Jack believed you could do numerous things to help the environment but make them economic at the same time," Abel said.

Sheaffer understood the importance of water. He would tell people the water they were drinking was "the same water that's always been here, and they're not making it anymore, so you've got to protect it,'" Abel said.

J. David Mullan, who worked for Sheaffer at both his companies, first met Sheaffer while Mullan worked in Muskegon, Mich. Sheaffer sought to lower Muskegon's high energy costs with a circular water treatment system that received recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"He advanced the science of (water treatment) and helped raise people's awareness of the importance of water in society by demonstrating how it could be managed in an ecologically sound way," Mullan said. "That's a fundamental aspect of his legacy. It wasn't just related to water reclamation but also flood plain management."

In 1996, Sheaffer left Sheaffer & Roland and started another firm, Sheaffer International, based in Glen Ellyn. He started the second firm with an eye toward "bigger projects," his son said. He retired from Sheaffer International in 2007.

"My long-range mission is to get all of the waste out of the water and use it productively," Sheaffer told the Tribune in 1994.

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Sheaffer wrote or co-wrote several books, including "Future Water," in 1983, and a children's book, "The Water Factory," in 2006.

Sheaffer also served as chairman of the DuPage County Environmental Commission, which is now disbanded.

In 1972, Sheaffer assembled some friends and associates to hold DuPage's first prayer breakfast. Today, the breakfast is regularly sold out and draws more than 1,000 attendees.

A first marriage ended in divorce. Sheaffer's second wife, Verna, died in 2015.

Sheaffer also is survived by sons John and Ron; daughter Lois Sheaffer-Kramer; 11 grandchildren; stepsons Cliff and Russ Brown; stepdaughters Nancy Waterman and Becky Garrett; and brothers Harold and Victor.

Services were held.

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Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
Things get a bit awkward when feminists make the patriarchy look good.

On Monday, President Donald Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy, a Reagan-era rule favored by Republican presidential administrations  and consistently tossed aside by Democratic ones  that bans U.S. funding for foreign non-governmental organizations that advocate or perform abortions.

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If you're pro-life, you're probably applauding the return of the Mexico City policy, even if you're skeptical, doubtful, or mildly terrified of Trump. But abortion-rights supporters, for obvious reasons, hate the policy with the heat of a cartoonish, oversize, slow-motion, action-film fireball that consumes everything in its path. They call it the "Global Gag Rule."

"If you're wondering what patriarchy looks like: A group of white men watch as Trump reinstates the #GlobalGagRule," feminist Jessica Valenti tweeted, sharing a photo of Trump signing the order reinstating the Mexico City policy. Groups like NARAL joined in, decrying the "the pro-life patriarchy." An op-ed in The Guardian shamed "Trump's assault on women's rights," and the signing as "what patriarchy looks like  a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded."

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Were the optics of the moment, with the president's signing an executive memorandum about abortion while surrounded by what looked like an unusually low-energy male a cappella group, less than ideal? Sure. Did the resulting feminist hysteria make pro-life women like me  women who don't buy into the code that "women's rights" and abortion are synonymous  want to give the patriarchy a high-five for this particular decision? You bet.

Modern feminism's abortion fervor also plagued last weekend's Women's March on Washington, which, together with satellite marches around the world, brought an estimated 3 million out into the streets. Press coverage has lauded the various marches as a brave, principled, anti-Trump "resistance" movement. A closer look reveals a movement largely sputtering on standard left-wing fumes.

When The Atlantic profiled a pro-life feminist group cosponsoring the march, for instance, feminists were outraged  so much so that they eventually succeeded, after torching the internet for a few hours, in banishing the heretical group. The platform of the Women's March, declared its organizers, trying to assuage the faithful, "is pro-choice and that has been our stance from day one." The march's "unity principles" echoed this stance, suggesting that participants should unify behind "open access to safe, legal, affordable abortion."

At the Washington march, the speakers often descended into self-parody  Ashley Judd and Madonna took the gold and the silver in the Wackolympics, respectively  but one theme was consistent: abortion. The outrage over Trump's dreadful "grab her by the you-know-what" remark was dwarfed by panicked outrage that Planned Parenthood might lose funding  a policy, by the way, that also likely would have been championed by a President Marco Rubio, a President Scott Walker or a President Carly Fiorina. In Washington, Cecile Richards, the head of Planned Parenthood, gave her now-standard stump speech. In Austin, Texas, Wendy Davis, the woman abortion made famous, took center stage.

As a wedge issue for progressives to use against Trump's nascent administration, abortion leaves much to be desired. A new Marist poll commissioned by the pro-life Knights of Columbus shows that over 61 percent of Americans disapprove of public funding for the practice, and 83 percent oppose funding it overseas. A whopping 74 percent supported limiting abortion to the first trimester, including a stunning 55 percent of Hillary Clinton voters. (For what it's worth, such a proposal would immediately set the hair of both Richards and Davis aflame.)

Many of last weekend's marchers weren't left-wing ideologues or abortion fanatics, but you wouldn't have known it at a glance. From the top down, the march's agenda was progressive: abortion, free health care, identity politics and eternal vague bickering about who is the most oppressed. It was, in short, an enthusiastic cavalcade of left-wing hobbyhorses. No doubt, any right-leaning Trump-skeptics who decided to march took note.

Unfortunately, for those of us on the right with legitimate concerns about the Trump administration, the feminist-run opposition falls short. It does not concern itself with federalism, limited government or freedom. When the administration does something good, as it did with the Mexico City policy, the movement will only foster panic  and with its built-in hostilities, infighting and rigid leftist dogma, we shouldn't be surprised if this "resistance" eventually self-destructs.

National Review

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Heather Wilhelm is a National Review columnist and a senior contributor to The Federalist.

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WASHINGTON  The flurry of bold executive orders and of highly provocative Cabinet nominations (such as a secretary of education who actually believes in school choice) has been encouraging to conservative skeptics of Donald Trump. But it shouldn't erase the troubling memory of one major element of Trump's inaugural address.

The foreign policy section has received far less attention than so revolutionary a declaration deserved. It radically redefined the American national interest as understood since World War II.

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Trump outlined a world in which foreign relations are collapsed into a zero-sum game. They gain, we lose. As in: "For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries" while depleting our own. And most provocatively this: "The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world."

John F. Kennedy's inaugural pledged to support any friend and oppose any foe to assure the success of liberty. Note that Trump makes no distinction between friend and foe (and no reference to liberty). They're all out to use, exploit and surpass us.

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No more, declared Trump: "From this day forward, it's going to be only 'America First.'"

Imagine how this resonates abroad. "America First" was the name of the organization led by Charles Lindbergh that bitterly fought Franklin D. Roosevelt before U.S. entry into World War II  right through the Battle of Britain  to keep America neutral between Winston Churchill's Britain and Adolf Hitler's Reich.

Not that Trump was consciously imitating Lindbergh. I doubt he was even aware of the reference. He just liked the phrase. But I can assure you that in London and in every world capital they are aware of the antecedent and the intimations of a new American isolationism. Trump gave them good reason to think so, going on to note "the right of all nations to put their own interests first." America included.

Some claim that putting America first is a reassertion of American exceptionalism. On the contrary, it is the antithesis. It makes America no different from all the other countries that define themselves by a particularist blood-and-soil nationalism. What made America exceptional, unique in the world, was defining its own national interest beyond its narrow economic and security needs to encompass the safety and prosperity of a vast array of allies. A free world marked by open trade and mutual defense was President Truman's vision, shared by every president since.

Until now.

Some have argued that Trump is just dangling a bargaining chip to negotiate better terms of trade or alliance. Or that Trump's views are so changeable and unstable  telling European newspapers two weeks ago that NATO is obsolete and then saying "NATO is very important to me"  that this is just another unmoored entry on a ledger of confusion.

But both claims are demonstrably wrong. An inaugural address is no off-the-cuff riff. These words are the product of at least three weeks of deliberate crafting for an address that Trump said would express his philosophy. To remove any ambiguity, Trump prefaced his America First proclamation with: "From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land."

Trump's vision misunderstands the logic underlying the far larger, far-reaching view of Truman. The Marshall Plan sure took wealth away from the American middle class and distributed it abroad. But for a reason. Altruism, in part. But mostly to stabilize Western Europe as a bulwark against an existential global enemy.

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We carried many free riders throughout the Cold War. The burden was heavy. But this was not a mindless act of charity; it was an exercise in enlightened self-interest. After all, it was indeed better to subsidize foreign armies  German, South Korean, Turkish and dozens of others  and have them stand with us, rather than stationing even more American troops everywhere around the world at greater risk of blood and treasure.

We are embarking on insularity and smallness. Nor is this just theory. Trump's long-promised but nonetheless abrupt withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the momentous first fruit of his foreign policy doctrine. Last year the prime minister of Singapore told Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that if we pulled out of TPP "you'll be finished in Asia." He knows the region.

For 70 years, we sustained an international system of open commerce and democratic alliances that has enabled America and the West to grow and thrive. Global leadership is what made America great. We abandon it at our peril.

Washington Post Writers Group

Charles Krauthammer is a Washington Post columnist.

letters@charleskrauthammer.com

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A view of the U.S. Consulate building complex in West Jerusalem,on Jan. 23,2017. The U.S.announced that President Trump is beginning the first stages of discussions to move the U.S. Embassy, currently located in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem. (Jim Hollander, EPA)

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said moving our Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will cause "an absolute explosion in the region."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas claimed doing so "will destroy the peace process."

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France's foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, condemned the idea saying, "One cannot have such a clear-cut, unilateral position."

Most editorial pages have panned it.

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The fact that many are condemning it is exactly why President Donald Trump should keep his campaign promise and follow through on the provocative move.

But only if the goal is truly a sustained peace where Israeli and Palestinian children can enjoy the violence-free future they deserve.

Simply stated, moving the embassy may fast forward the process of creating peace. More to the point, it could make a final, lasting agreement more  not less  likely.

Put it this way: Our embassy has been in Tel Aviv since the late 1960's, and how well has that helped the elusive peace process? If keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv is so crucial, then why hasn't there been a breakthrough in all these years?

Anything that takes that long to achieve its means and fails is not a process, but rather an impediment.

Please, as Albert Einstein said, doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

And so it goes with peace in the Middle East.

Really, whatever we have been doing for all of these decades, we should now probably try the exact opposite.

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But only if the goal truly is a sustained peace.

When it came to winning the Cold War and defeating communism, Ronald Reagan put it bluntly: "My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic. It is this: We win and they lose."

Though Reagan's statement may seem obvious, it is actually profound and deep. What Reagan was saying is: "Hey people, negotiations are great, but with certain kinds of adversaries, you must clearly win."

Or, as my physician father used to say: "When it comes to cancer, there is no middle ground. Either you destroy the cancer or the cancer destroys you."

And frankly, when it comes to settling large geopolitical disputes, that has pretty much been the way of the world.

The Roman Empire only enjoyed peace after Augustus soundly defeated Mark (aka Marc) Antony.

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And fast forwarding to modern times, the Allies only ended World War II by defeating  with power  Japan and Germany.

Of course, negotiations are preferred to resolve disputes, but if the only language someone speaks or understands is the language of power, then best to display and use power to achieve the desired goal.

And just what again is the desired goal here?

That's right, a two-state solution, something Israel has been for since its creation in 1948 while some  too many  Palestinians still only seek Israel's destruction.

Given that dynamic, if you indeed want a lasting two-state solution, then you must first destroy the fantasy, which too many Palestinians hold, of a one-state solution without Jews.

And viewed through this lens, President Trump's approach of shaking things up by moving the embassy may work wonderfully  but only if the goal is actually achieving a sustained peace in the Middle East. It's worth a try.

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Keep on keeping crazy, Mr. President.

William Choslovsky is a Chicago lawyer.

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Just to be clear on President Donald Trump's agenda, he is currently jeopardizing relations with the U.S.'s third-largest trading partner, a neighbor with whom we share a roughly 2,000-mile border along with a vast array of law-enforcement and foreign-policy priorities, in order to show American voters that he is tough.

To recap: After signing an executive order this week that directed (but did not fund) the construction of a wall across the southern border, Trump reiterated his demand that Mexico pay for the construction. That, in turn, led Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a scheduled meeting with Trump.

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Mexican politician Margarita Zavala, wife of former President Felipe Calderon, called Trump's provocation a "humiliation," and, in a tweet, included a hashtag with an implied, and wholly unsurprising, threat of future hostilities: #MexicoFirst.

In a December survey of the largely Republican Texas congressional delegation, the Texas Tribune reported that none of the delegation's 38 members "offered full-throated support of a complete border wall." Republican Will Hurd, who represents a swing district along the border, this week called a wall "the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border."

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In a Senate hearing, Trump's own Homeland Security secretary, John Kelly, said, "A physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job." He also said the U.S. needs partnerships in Latin America, where Trump is currently alienating our closest neighbor, to combat trafficking in drugs and migrants.

So why is Trump so insistent on an expensive boondoggle that knowledgeable people deride and that the local congressional delegation doesn't want  despite promised billions in in-state spending?

"There is no practical reason for a border wall, of course, since illegal migration has been zero or negative for nearly nine years," said Princeton University professor Douglas Massey, an expert on Mexican migration. "The number of border apprehensions is at its lowest level since 1971 and increasingly those apprehended are unaccompanied minors or members of family groups from Central America. The illegal migration of Mexicans is decidedly negative."

Obviously, if Trump's aggressive posture toward Mexico on trade causes the Mexican economy to suffer, incentives for illegal immigration into the U.S. will increase. The militarization of the border has not shut down trafficking, but it has professionalized it. The harder it is to cross, the more migrants rely on organized crime. If a future wall must be circumvented, the U.S. has 95,000 miles of shoreline and thousands of airports. And the cartels are innovative tunnel builders.

Incremental improvements in border security can be achieved through better technology  surveillance drones, seismic sensors, lookout towers. (When I asked a few Border Patrol agents in Texas what they most wanted, they said "paved roads.")

But Trump wants a wall. His political formula is partly dependent on white resentment and fear of nonwhites. That's why Trump dwells on the "carnage" of American cities and dramatically and repeatedly overstates the rate of violent crime in the U.S. That's why he overtly links crime to blacks. That's why he announced this week that his administration would track and publicize crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, even though immigrants are less prone to commit crime than native-born citizens.

Trump began his presidential campaign by labeling Mexicans "rapists." The wall construction provides endless opportunities both to exaggerate the threat posed by Mexicans, and to supply a remedy voters can see with their own eyes. If you're not assaulted by a Mexican in 2020, you'll presumably know whom to thank.

Bloomberg View

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Francis Wilkinson writes editorials on politics and U.S. domestic policy for Bloomberg View. He was executive editor of the Week. He was previously a national affairs writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist.

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Allow us to offer our congratulations to Anna Valencia, who was sworn in Wednesday as Chicago city clerk. She replaces Susana Mendoza, who was elected Illinois comptroller in November.

Valencia was a popular pick for the coveted appointment. She previously served as Mayor Rahm Emanuel's director of legislative counsel and government affairs  a top lobbyist who nudged aldermen to support the mayor's agenda. Before that, she worked on Emanuel's mayoral campaigns and helped elect Democrats to the state Senate.

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During her swearing-in ceremony, members of the council gave her two standing ovations, sang her praises and  weirdly, given that many aldermen describe themselves as "progressive" and it isn't 1950  commented on her looks. She was described as pretty and fresh-faced and admired by men on the council. Emanuel noted her dazzling smile.

Wasn't there recently an empowerment march of some sort?

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We digress.

Valencia assumes office at a time when Emanuel is pushing for the creation of a municipal identification card for immigrants in the U.S. illegally, the homeless, ex-offenders and others for whom state ID is difficult to obtain. The municipal card would help people access city services. Other big cities have similar programs.

At a time when President Donald Trump is making a crackdown on illegal immigration a top priority, Valencia's role, aldermen noted, will put her, the clerk's office and the city under a national microscope. The municipal card is a touchy issue, not only because of Trump but because immigrants are wary of programs that require those who are here without permission to out themselves. Sharing that information with government is a leap of faith.

Aldermen's message to Valencia: Don't screw this up.

Emanuel also said he wants her to explore whether the clerk's office can merge with the city comptroller's office for more efficiency. Good. Government consolidation is doable. Let's get going.

Valencia has said she will embark on a "listening tour" of all 50 wards to collect feedback on her office. Here's some, no driving required:

Please advance more transparency initiatives on the City Council. One place to start is expanding the clerk website's tracking of council votes. Currently, it can take days before council votes show up on the clerk's site, making it difficult for everyday Chicagoans to see in a timely manner how their aldermen voted on specific issues. Even inside council chambers, it can be difficult to hear the roll call.

What's so hard about putting it up immediately?

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By comparison, votes in the Illinois General Assembly, floor votes and committee votes, are available online within minutes. The state's website also includes timely transcripts and witness slip information of those testifying before committees. And many committee meetings are live-streamed, unlike council sessions. (See? You thought we didn't have anything nice to say about Springfield.)

We realize the delay in aldermanic roll calls and the lack of technological advancement at the committee level is by design. Aldermen, especially those who have been around a while, prefer to operate without the nuisance of public monitoring, let alone public interference.

That needs to change. The clerk is not just in charge of city vehicle stickers. The office should connect citizens with their government.

Bold steps in that direction would be most appreciated.

In addition to the comments about her good looks, Valencia was described as tough and independent.

Good. Let's see what she can do.

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Aerial picture taken with a drone of the urban fencing on the border between the US and Mexico at El Nido del Aguila, outskirts of Tijuana, northwestern Mexico on January 26, 2017. (Mario Vazquez, AFP/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is, by profession, a builder and developer of skyscrapers and hotels. But his most creative talent is the construction and sale of myths. That's how he won the presidency. And that is the most logical way to look at his preposterous proposal to build a $20 billion wall on this nation's southern border and get Mexico to pay for it. He's doing what talented politicians do  peddling a vision and a plan of action  but on a scale so grand it stretches from ambitious to ludicrous.

When Trump declared his candidacy in June 2015, he stated that one of the biggest dangers facing America was migrants from Mexico. ("They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.") That claim is demonstrably false: All evidence suggests that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than the population at large. It also was a racist insult.

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Nevertheless, Trump made his pledge to build a "big beautiful wall" a centerpiece of his campaign, and he held to the idea that he'd stick Mexico with the bill, even after Mexico made clear it would refuse to pay. On Thursday, wall talk escalated into a diplomatic dust-up when Trump tweeted that a meeting scheduled for next week with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto should be canceled if Mexico won't commit to paying for the wall. Pena Nieto tweeted back, fine, I'm canceling. A few hours later, the White House floated the idea of slapping a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for the wall. That's trade-war talk.

Trump is confounding. He is impulsive and often reckless with his words. But it's much too early to judge his presidency by his absurd political excesses. He is a week into the job, without a full Cabinet. He's signed several executive orders designed to fulfill campaign promises, and of course he's tweeted a lot. His jab at Pena Nieto probably was calculated to scuttle the meeting because it's obvious the two would have little to say to each other.

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There may be ways over time for Trump to pivot from his fixation on a physical wall to a broader, sounder approach to the immigration issue. We hope that's where he goes because a wall is not a solution. And there is no justification for ginning up a confrontation with Mexico. It's poisonous to relations.

The southern border spans nearly 2,000 miles. Fencing already covers about 650 miles, with much of the rest of the desolate terrain nearly impenetrable. Erecting an enormous wall would be logistically difficult and ridiculously expensive. Did we say it would cost $20 billion? Some estimates run to $40 billion. There are also legal hurdles: A lot of the land is tribal territory or privately owned.

Trump's plan to get Mexico to pay appears in flux. His demand that Mexico pay has morphed into a plan for the U.S. to break ground, as they say in the real estate biz (picture Trump posing in a hard hat with a shovel). "We'll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico," Trump told ABC's David Muir.

Assuming Mexico doesn't cave, there's no way U.S. taxpayers should pay for the wall. Migrants do cross into the United States illegally, but a wall will not keep them out as long as their labor is needed on the other side. There is, however, an immigration crisis that can be solved if Trump and the Republican-led Congress can agree on an approach.

Instead of building a wall, the U.S. can beef up enforcement to secure the border. Then Congress can finally deal with the substantive issue: There are 11 million undocumented immigrants in America, about half of whom have come from Mexico. These are people who work and raise families here but can't do so legally because the country's visa system is out of sync with its labor needs.

Fixing our immigration system isn't a simple matter of blocking entry to those who would come here illegally and deciding what to do about the ones who are already here. The remedy for illegal immigration is legal immigration.

It can be done. Without a wall.

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Two decades ago, a Democratic president and a Republican Congress debated and eventually agreed on a way to, as Bill Clinton had urged, "end welfare as we know it." One key to reform: cede more power to states to design innovative programs to help the poor find work.

Today, a Republican president and Congress face a similarly daunting task: Replace Obamacare. Millions of Americans rely on it for health care coverage, including lower-income people covered under the law's Medicaid expansion.

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Congressional Republicans recently began to dismantle Obamacare before building a replacement. President Donald Trump vows insurance for everyone in the replacement but hasn't elaborated. The Congressional Budget Office warns that at least 18 million people would lose heath insurance in the first year if Republicans repeal major parts of the Affordable Care Act without including a safety net. Even Republicans gung-ho to scrap Obamacare know that yanking health care from millions of Americans would be disastrous  for people's health and for lawmakers' political futures.

So it's encouraging that Republicans have begun the urgent debate on how to replace Obamacare. On Monday, a group of Republican senators led by Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Susan Collins of Maine offered their proposal, the Patient Freedom Act. It's an approach similar to one that successfully shaped welfare reform in the 1990s. Specifically, handing states' flexibility to experiment, to learn the best way to give citizens coverage.

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Under the proposal, states could keep Obamacare if they so choose. Or they could design their own programs while receiving a similar amount of federal money. "We are moving the locus of repeal to state government," Cassidy said. "States should have the right to choose." We wholeheartedly agree.

This proposal would repeal some mandates imposed by Obamacare, including the requirement that employers provide, and individuals buy, insurance. But it would preserve some of the most popular features of the law: Children could be covered by their parents' insurance plans until age 26, and insurance companies couldn't deny coverage based on a person's pre-existing medical condition.

States could enroll people who would otherwise be uninsured in health plans providing basic coverage against catastrophic medical expenses. (Given the huge deductibles under many Obamacare plans, that's essentially the coverage many Americans now have  at high premium costs.) States could even enroll residents by default into such plans unless people opt out. If they let their coverage lapse, though, they could be charged re-enrollment penalties and higher prices.

Other options: States could decide if they will stick with the current system of insurance exchanges, or people could receive tax credits to subsidize premiums in new state-run marketplaces. To appeal to consumers, sponsors of the bill envision many more coverage choices at affordable prices  not just the rigid metal-based Obamacare options (gold, silver, etc.).

All in all, that's a strong opening ante for a new law. No wonder the Patient Freedom Act is emerging in Washington as a proposal to watch.

Now, a related issue: Medicaid. An Obamacare replacement also could drive changes in how Medicaid is funded. The Trump administration favors giving states "block grants"  fixed amounts of money  to supply care to low-income people. States could decide how best to spend the money, presumably with less red tape from Washington.

Republicans long have pushed for this shift. But the prospect of a new federal Medicaid formula worries some governors, Democratic and Republican. They fear that a hasty demolition of Obamacare could bring a cut in federal Medicaid funding, forcing states to cut benefits or toss people (aka voters) off Medicaid rolls. Welfare reform provoked similar fears, but governors found creative ways to adjust. With or without a Washington fix, Medicaid likely faces cost pressure. In Illinois and elsewhere, the program has expanded enormously under Obamacare. Block grants could spur more of those creative adjustments.

The Cassidy-Collins proposal is one of many GOP alternatives we expect to hear debated soon. We hope Republicans don't just argue among themselves. They should invite their Democratic colleagues to chip in ideas to build the Obamacare replacement. That way they'll avoid the pitfall that Democrats didn't when they brushed aside Republican suggestions and jammed Obamacare through Congress without a single GOP vote.

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In 1996, Republicans and Democrats produced a smart, bipartisan bill that helped millions of Americans escape welfare and achieve self-sufficiency. We hope the replacement for an Obamacare program that's falling apart will finally deliver quality health care coverage that Americans can afford.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

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President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have proposed a number of ways to "fix" the Affordable (Health) Care Act. One significant proposal is to simply give block grants to each state and allow each state to distribute the money as it sees fit. This would involve billions of dollars to the state of Illinois.

We live in a state that has not been able to pass a budget in more than a year. Our present comptroller and governor do not see eye-to-eye on the allocation of state moneys. How can we actually think that the people in Springfield would know how to distribute health-care moneys in an efficient and equitable way, when they cannot even agree on how to fund their own state's government?

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 Joseph A. Mulcrone, Chicago
The idea that more police are needed to stem the violence is political posturing designed to create the illusion of concern. Some suppose the National Guard can stem the violence and murder. Balderdash. The last eight years have left police officers feeling punished for aggressive policing, the strategy that kept the lid on violence. Politicians, bureaucrats and the media have spread canards like "Hands up, don't shoot" and other false, anti-police, pro-criminal narratives.

Officers, fearing for their jobs and freedom, have stopped aggressive, preventive patrol because it is not worth the risk. Mistakes, inherent in human behavior, are not allowed police anymore, and according to the U.S. Department of Justice report, the training Chicago officers receive does not prepare them to police safely, respectfully and constitutionally. Officers' pro-activity comes from dedication to making the communities they serve safe. Who, in their right mind, would risk their life, freedom and livelihood in this hostile environment?

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Aggressive, preventive patrol sends a message to criminals that there is great risk in committing crimes, so criminal activity diminishes. When criminals see the police have backed off it means open season on citizens and gang rivals; crime increases. Oddly, law-abiding citizens typically support aggressive policing and don't mind being stopped if given reasons, and treated respectfully by officers.

Don't expect change until police feel treated fairly and are supported by leadership on local, state and federal levels. This is a war and truth is the first casualty, always.

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 Thomas Cline, Chicago
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at a press conference where he addressed issues related to the city's murder rate and the city's Sanctuary City policy on Jan. 25, 2017, in Chicago. (Scott Olson, Getty Images)

I don't want to judge too hastily. Something good may come of President Donald Trump's offer to "send in the Feds!" if Chicago authorities can't curb the city's homicide crisis.

Something good may result from a Trumpian White House intervention, either because of it or in spite of it.

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But I might be more inclined to think that sending in "the Feds" was a promising idea if I knew which "Feds" he's talking about.

His offer came in a tweet, like so many of our new president's other policy views. On Tuesday, the fifth night of his presidency, he tweeted, "If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible 'carnage' going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!"

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Three things were striking about this tweet.

One, Chicago has a lot of feds in town already, whether the president knows it or not.

Chicago police have been working for years with the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other top federal crime fighters. Together, they've gone after gun runners, drug dealers, gangbangers and others who have driven up shootings and homicide numbers. The city also receives millions in federal grants to assist police and support anti-violence social programs.

Two, Trump's tweet was notable in that, unlike most of his little missives, it actually contained data, hard numbers that suggest our tweeter-in-chief actually might have done some research. Trump, normally a man of few words that he repeats a lot, usually prefers to wing it, typing whatever springs out of his head.

A clue to that little mystery popped up later that evening as eagle-eyed reporters noticed how closely his data matched the numbers in a commentary earlier that evening by Bill O'Reilly on his Fox News program, "The O'Reilly Factor."

"(Can) President Trump override Chicago and Illinois authorities," O'Reilly asked, "and stop the murder?"

Trump apparently thinks so. Or, at least, he has good reason to expect his conservative base of supporters to think so.

And, three, to Trump's conservative following, I am sure his mention of "the Feds" was interpreted as code for martial law, which is the sort of draconian measure that often is favored by people who don't actually live in the affected neighborhoods.

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Hardly a week goes by that I don't hear from a concerned reader who wants to know why martial law has not been imposed to retake violence-plagued streets on the city's South and West sides.

It's not that kind of crisis, I tell them. Chicago's South and West sides are not Aleppo or Mosul, although on a noisy night they can sound like it. Armed troops are useful in quelling riots or guerrilla uprisings. Chicago's recent violence tends to come from domestic quarrels or petty beefs between small neighborhood cliques that turn violent, experts say, and lead to retaliatory shootings.

The city had 762 homicides last year, more than New York and Los Angeles combined. But morale is so low in the department, according to the Chicago Tribune, police street stops have fallen by 82 percent over the previous year.

That's one of the messages in a yearlong review that the U.S. Department of Justice recently released. It describes long-standing patterns and practices of excessive force, civil liberties violations and poor training of officers.

The result of those patterns and practices is toxic relations between police and the communities they serve. Witnesses don't cooperate, crimes don't get solved and police officers are further endangered.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel responds to a tweet by President Donald Trump saying he will send in the Feds! if the city doesnt fix the horrible carnage going on. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune) (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The National Guard can assist police in some situations, but most guard members are not trained to be police. Putting them on the streets could invite more abuses that make police relations with the community even worse.

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The Trump administration could help Chicago buy more equipment, hire personnel and beef up community policing training programs to gain more neighborhood cooperation.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel welcomes White House help. The city's too broke for him to afford to say anything else.

Unfortunately, Trump said in August that Chicago's crime problems could be solved by "being very much tougher." Why? He says he was told by "very top police" that a tougher stance could end the city's violence problem in a week.

Right. If that were true, it would have happened long ago. The elections are over. It's time for Chicago and the White House to drop the politics and pick up some practical solutions.

Clarence Page, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/pagespage.

cpage@chicagotribune.com

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Patti Blagojevich reacts to the upholding of a 14-year prison sentence for her husband, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, on Aug. 9, 2016. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

All along I've felt sorry for the daughters of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but never sorrier than I felt Thursday while reading Amy Blagojevich's letter to former President Barack Obama.

The 1,516-word letter, posted to her mother's Facebook page, is bitter, recriminatory and, most of all, sad.

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Amid her lashing of Obama for not commuting her father's 14-year federal prison sentence  she called him "selfish and spineless," wrote "you are either a horrible parent or a horrible person" and added "I can see the blood on your hands"  Amy, now 20, paints a picture of an innocent young woman wrecked by circumstance.

She was 12 when her father was arrested on public corruption charges at the family's Ravenswood Manor home and her world began to fall apart. She was 15 when he reported to prison in Colorado.

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"I am shocked at how bitter and full of hate I have become," she wrote to Obama "I've dealt with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and aspects of PTSD. I've had days where I couldn't pry myself from bed, days where I can't stop crying or feeling the pain that has been inflicted continuously, and days where the fear of another eight years (with my father in prison) consumes me completely."

Neither she nor her younger sister, Annie, ever deserved any of it. They are innocent victims.

Victims not of a callous former president or a justice system gone wrong, but of their father's criminal venality and stubbornness. As governor, he was caught on tape repeatedly trying to use his official power for personal gain.

Among the reasons not to commit such crimes  or any crimes, for that matter  is that, if you're caught, your loved ones will also have to pay the price. The fact that Blagojevich, 60, put the happiness of his daughters at risk every time he abused his office aggravates his offenses in my mind.

And the fact that he refused to accept and acknowledge that he committed numerous felonies  and refuses to this day!  is almost certainly the reason he's still in prison.

He made things far worse for himself  and for Amy and Annie  by choosing to fight the charges in court and mounting a nationwide public relations campaign in which he chirped about his innocence and impugned the motives and integrity of the U.S. attorney's office.

As he was headed to prison, he told reporters that he has a "clear conscience," and his more recent appellate briefs have attempted to explain away his illegal scheming as merely the acts of "an overly zealous politician seeking to advance his political goals."

No.

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A guilty plea along with a genuine confession  not the dodgy "The jury decided I was guilty" statement he offered at his original sentencing or the vague apology for "mistakes" he offered at a hearing last summer  would likely have resulted in a plea bargain for a far shorter sentence.

Amy Blagojevich's letter to Obama indicates that her father is still inflaming his family's sense of grievance. She wrote of the "horrific lies" told about the case. "You've betrayed the concept of justice like many other heartless individuals have done before you," she wrote. "You know as well as anyone, that my father is guilty of nothing. He made mistakes  he's human, after all  but nothing was illegal. ... you failed to release an innocent man."

Patti Blagojevich with daughters Amy, left, and Annie at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse during an August resentencing of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (Cheryl A. Cook / for the Chicago Tribune)

She concluded, "You were a bystander to a completely un-American act of injustice. You're just as guilty as those who created it in the first place."

Such grievance can only enhance the pain of her father's absence

Yes, his sentence is unusually long. But his devious, selfish, remorseless violations of the public trust from the highest seat of power in Illinois were unusually flagrant, and his lack of repentance has been unusually galling.

I don't imagine that Amy's letter will cause Obama to regret his decision not to act in his final days in office on the former governor's commutation request.

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But I'm not sure it was really intended for Obama, who no longer has any power in the matter. The family's hopes now lie in President Donald Trump, and by posting the letter to her Facebook page, Amy's mother, Patti, may be hoping to pique our impulsive, vindictive new chief executive with an opportunity to appear more merciful and kind than his predecessor.

After all, Trump knows Blagojevich from Blagojevich's 2010 pre-trial appearance as a contestant on Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" reality show.

Trump referred to Blago as "a guy with great courage," and praised him for not "fold(ing) like a tent" after getting into trouble.

Whether Trump lunges at this bait or not, I'm sure I join everyone, even the "selfish  spineless  heartless" Obama, in wishing the Blagojevich girls nothing but the best. After what they've gone through, they deserve nothing less.

Re: Tweets - item on rogue Twitter accounts is now here.

Twitter @EricZorn
Gov. Bruce Rauner gets ready to leave the House floor after delivering his third State of the State address Jan. 25, 2017. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

In just his first week in office, President Donald Trump has already achieved something remarkable.

He's made me appreciate Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner.

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I haven't been a fan, as regular readers know. I think the first-term Republican chief executive is doing further damage to an already damaged state with his refusal to negotiate a budget until the Democrats who control the General Assembly give in to some of his nonbudgetary demands. And I think the nasty, year-round negative campaigning he's been bankrolling and the name-calling he's engaged in have made political compromise in Springfield far more difficult than it normally is.

And yet 

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I found myself nodding with approval frequently Wednesday afternoon as I watched Rauner deliver his third annual State of the State address at the Capitol. It was heavy on optimism and, by necessity, light on self-congratulation. He offered hopes, not wild promises, and steered clear of partisan recrimination.

The state's "problems aren't new," Rauner said in one passage that I highlighted. "They've been building up for many years as past governors and General Assemblies  from both political parties  kicked the can down the road to avoid making tough decisions.  Let's work together to get the job done."

And while he certainly mentioned Illinois' problems  a staggering backlog of unpaid bills, the highest unfunded pension liability and worst credit rating in the nation and "intolerable" levels of urban violence  he dwelt more on what the state has to offer.

We are "home to some of the greatest research universities in the world," Rauner said. "We have the potential  to create a technology and innovation center here in the Midwest that can rival Silicon Valley or North Carolina's Research Triangle, creating tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We can recruit companies who are drawn to our great transportation system, our natural resources and our Midwestern work ethic and quality of life."

He envisioned the day when "states around America watch with amazement as Illinois takes the lead in innovation, job growth and economic opportunity. Where people around the country say to themselves, 'You know what? We want to live in Illinois. That's where we want to build a business, that's where we want to start a family, that's where we can achieve the American Dream.'"

Standard platitudinous political boilerplate, perhaps. And ironic given that his stubborn adherence to conservative think-tank ideas of "reform" have put us further than ever from realizing his fantasy and have caused painful cuts to human services and higher education.

And sure, Rauner danced away from his own responsibility for the state's dismal condition and failed to pledge his support for a grand bargain being hammered out in the Senate. Sure he reprised his irritating, aw shucks, Gov. Gomer act by the droppin' the terminal "g" on words endin' in the "ing" syllable a whoppin' 66 percent of the time by my count.

But at least Rauner didn't invoke "this Illinois carnage" in a dark, petulant harangue along the lines of Trump's inaugural address Jan. 20 that seemed aimed primarily at those who already support him.

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At least the governor strove to reach across the aisle, at one point departing from his prepared text to address both Democratic and Republican leaders in the state Senate: "Thank you for working so hard to try to come together on a bipartisan basis to find a compromise," he said.

At least he made his 34-minute speech about "you" and "us" and "our"  roughly 120 mentions  and not "I" and "me"  fewer than 10 mentions.

And at least he didn't lash out at his critics, proclaim demonstrable falsehoods, obsess over his popularity and otherwise transgress the norms of leadership.

That's clearing a low bar, I know. But Trump's raging, obtuse narcissism and compulsive dishonesty still on display even now that he's assumed the office of president have given me a new appreciation for conventional political politesse, the rhetorical theater that lubricates the gears of democracy.

If Rauner can keep it up  if he can refrain from demonizing those whose priorities differ from his own and continue boosting the state rather than running it down  he stands to become part of the solution instead just another part of the problem.

It's the only way he can help make Illinois great again.

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This week's "Mincing Rascals" podcast doesn't mention Trump at all. Kidding! He's just about all we talk about.

Twitter @EricZorn

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Alarmed by a slate of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump this week, local residents gathered at St. James Catholic Church on Jan. 25 for a prayer vigil. (Karen Ann Cullotta / Pioneer Press) (Chicago Tribune)

Alarmed by executive orders recently signed by President Donald Trump that opponents say threaten environmental protection policies, local environmentalists gathered at St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights Wednesday night for an interfaith prayer vigil.

The event was planned before Trump signed executive orders on Tuesday to revive the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines and to expedite environmental reviews of other infrastructure projects.

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"We didn't really know what the Trump administration was going to do this week, but it happened to coincide with our vigil," said Dan Huntsha, the north and west outreach coordinator for the Chicago-based Faith In Place.

The nonprofit works with more than 1,000 houses of worship throughout Illinois and leads environmental programs in areas including energy and climate change, sustainable food and land use, water conservation and advocacy.

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Holding a prayer vigil at a local church gave them a chance to share their concerns in a peaceful, contemplative setting, Huntsha said.

"Our main concern right now is that this new administration in Washington is not focused on environmental issues," Huntsha said. "It's not only that the environment seems to not be a priority, but they seem to be undermining all the protections which are already in place."

Arlington Heights resident Bonnie Cimo, the ministry leader for the St. James Earth Shepherds, said despite a modest turn-out for the Wednesday night vigil, it was exciting to witness people of myriad faiths joining forces through prayer.

"I think the reaction to what's happening in Washington has energized people to come together, which has been a really positive side effect," said Cimo, who shared a passage from Pope Francis' Environmental Encyclical, which warns that "climate change is a global problem with grave implications."

She said the common thread uniting those who attended was concern for the fate of the environment should action not be taken.

"Everyone at the prayer vigil tonight really wants to be here, and we all understand that the environment is an issue facing every single person on the planet," Cimo said.

Residents Joe and Marilyn Weber, who said their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter participated in the Jan. 21 Women's March on Chicago, said they decided that attending the prayer vigil at their parish church was a way for them to express their concerns.

"We're concerned about the issue of climate change, and everything else that seems to be collapsing out east right now," Joe Weber said.

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Huntsha said the prayer vigil in Arlington Heights was one of more than 100 interfaith gatherings taking place across the U.S. this week.

"It's good to have the emotional energy to take action, not by losing our tempers in anger, but by expressing our concerns in respectful ways, without name-calling," Huntsha added.

kcullotta@tribpub.com

Twitter: @kcullotta
Marmion students lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery while in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life. (Courtesy Marmion Academy) (Handout)

More than 30 students from Marmion Academy and Rosary High School are in Washington, D.C., for Friday's March for Life.

This year, the annual anti-abortion rally comes a week after the inauguration of President Donald Trump and the women's marches that followed in Washington and cities around the world.

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Students from the all-boys and all-girls Catholic high schools in Aurora have attended for several years, said Maria Thornton, a Marmion staff member and trip chaperone. The students are part of anti-abortion clubs at each school, but some students, such as Charlie Zimmer, see the march as a way also to speak against hatred.

Zimmer, a senior and president of the Marmion Respect Life Club, said he sees overlap between the goals of those participating in the March for Life and some of those who participated in the women's marches. Though the march is primarily an anti-abortion march, Zimmer said he also sees participating as a way to speak against racism, bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiments.

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"I believe that all life is sacred. I'm pro-life," Zimmer said. "First and foremost is anti-abortion, but also just kind of pro all kinds of life. We believe that every single human has a certain dignity that can't be taken away."

Anna Stephens, a Rosary senior and president of her school's Respect Life Club, said she wanted to participate in the march as a way to stand up for those who she feels don't have a voice in society and are often forgotten about. She said she was "given the gift of life" and wants to advocate for others to be able to experience that as well.

"I'm just really passionate about making sure that everyone, no matter if they're born or unborn, have a chance to experience life," she said.

Zimmer, like Stephens, has participated in the march before. Last time he attended, the event didn't seem to have "the heat, the anger" of the recent election, he said. This time, he said the march is also a way to advocate unity.

"There's no hate, no animosity between us or anyone with opposing views," he said.

The students, who left for Washington on Wednesday, were set to see the sights and attend Masses and a youth rally, Thornton said. Four Marmion seniors represented the school during a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

"We're just trying to spread the word," Thornton said. "We're just trying to change the way people think about it."

sfreishtat@tribpub.com

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A front porch light started a Tuesday evening house fire on Aurora's Southeast Side, according to fire department officials.

At 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, Aurora firefighters responded to the 2600 block of Rourke Drive for a house fire, according to a news release from fire department spokesman Capt. Jim Rhodes.

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Firefighters arrived to find fire showing from the exterior of the front porch, near the front door of a two-story, single-family home, according to the news release.

A female occupant had smelled something burning, gone outside and saw the fire. She then called 911, according to the fire department.

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It took 13 firefighters just less than a half hour to put the fire out, containing it to the front porch exterior, according to the news release.

Fire officials said the total fire damage was estimated at $40,000. Although the home was habitable, the occupants stayed at a nearby hotel because of interior smoke damage, according to the news release.

The fire was caused by the front porch exterior light fixture, according to the fire department.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Alex Perez, behind the camera for Aurora's cable access television station, says his ill-fated stint as a candidate for the East Aurora School Board was a learning experience, and he'd like to run again in two years. (City of Aurora)

The audience at the second mayoral debate held at Pipers Banquets in Aurora included a good number of folks running for local offices. And there likely will be more at the Feb. 6 forum at Eola Community Center, as residents are invited to a 6:30 p.m. meet-and-greet with candidates for school boards, City Council and other offices before the mayoral contenders take the stage a half-hour later.

One of the most interesting attendees of that recent debate, however, was a young man not even on the ballot  although it wasn't for lack of trying.

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Alex Perez's name was tossed earlier this month after a Kane County judge upheld an East Side resident's objection to his nominating papers.

Which is a shame. While the older candidates running for local office may have a lot more experience than 25-year-old Perez, few could exceed his exuberance for public service. And it's that lack of enthusiasm from the younger generation that has some experts concerned. Even as this most educated generation in the history of this country is struggling with student debt and high levels of under- and unemployment, voter turnout among millennials in the 2016 election was down considerably, as were their enthusiasm and support.

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These youngsters could be turned off by the paralyzed and partisan political system, of course. Or we parents could shoulder some of the blame for simply making life too easy for them. But that's certainly not the case with Perez. He came from a single-parent home that included family criminals and gun violence. And he readily admits to dealing marijuana and gang-banging as a teen, until he got involved in a youth mentoring program that not only turned his life around but brought honors his way for giving back to the community in ways big and small.

Perez was at last week's debate in a professional rather than political capacity. A graduate of the Columbia School of Broadcasting, he's director of the city's public access television station, which put him behind the camera and up close to the dais where the four mayoral candidates  state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia; Rick Guzman, assistant chief of staff in the mayor's office; Ald. Richard Irvin; and Ald. Mike Saville  fielded questions from the audience.

I caught up with Perez after the forum to say hello. I had written a column in 2015 about the way he's changed his path in life and not only wanted to ask about his unsuccessful first attempt at public office but also offer encouragement. Instead of looking for ways to thwart the ambitions of these young residents, we need to look for ways to harness their spirit and help it spread.

Perez assured me, as painful and disappointing as it was, he's not about to let this experience keep him from trying again. Which came as no surprise. Being a greenhorn when he jumped into the race, he added, led to his rookie error: The announcement at his church asking for registered voters to sign his ballot petition ended up drawing some names of those who were not registered to vote.

The young man also took hits when it was made public he'd pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Perez, who says the charge stemmed from a police raid on a house he shared with his parents, knew it "would come out at some point" in the campaign. And, while it hurt like heck when it did, he insists now he's glad.

"I did not want that to hold me back from running for office, so getting the information out there was liberating," he said. "If that's the worst thing that's out there about me, then I can handle it."

Perez calls his first dive into politics "an eye-opener" because it gave him a taste of internet trolls and haters and how dirty politics can get.

"People tried to warn me," he said. "But I didn't believe it until I put myself out there."

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Like many of us, Perez couldn't help but notice the sea of gray in the debate audience. As much as anything, he wants to help mobilize the younger generation to register to vote and become more involved in the community. Last April, for example, he organized some of his fellow East High graduates who've found success in life to speak to current students through a "Tomcats Talk" series that is scheduled again for this spring.

Perez insists he's not looking for a handout when it comes to his ambitions, nor is he necessarily looking for mentoring, despite his rookie gaffes. And, while the young man is considering a move to Chicago at some point to gain big-city experience, he is adamant he'll return  "I love my job and Aurora," he said  in time to make another school board run in 2019.

"I'm watching, and I'm learning," he said of the political forums he's filming. "I have front-row access to all of it  and that's not a bad position to be in."

dcrosby@tribpub.com
The only competitive village race that Barrington voters will have to decide April 4 is for village president. (Pioneer Press file / Pioneer Press)

Ahead of the April 4 election, the Barrington village president is campaigning for what, she says, will be her last term, but a familiar challenger is trying to force a change now atop the Barrington Village Board.

First elected village president in 2005, Karen Darch is running alongside four newcomers who are running unopposed for village trustee spots after numerous incumbents decided against re-election bids.

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Darch recently announced that, if elected, her new term as the top elected official in Barrington would be her last, partly because of the turnover looming with the rest of the village board.

"They're bringing in fresh ideas and I have experience," said Darch, who first was elected to the village board in 1995. "A big goal is completing downtown development."

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But Mike Kozel, a Barrington resident for the past 36 years, said Barrington voters could use a village president with new perspectives.

Kozel, a carpenter contractor, again is challenging Darch for village president after unsuccessfully running against her in the 2013 election. He also lost a campaign for village trustee in the 2015 local election.

If voters opt for Darch in April, they would be left with a lame-duck village president from the onset of the new term since she does not plan to run again in the future, Kozel said.

"In her own words, Darch indicated that she understood the importance of 'fresh ideas and new perspectives,' and I could not agree more," he said. "We will let the voters decide on April 4."

Kozel said village officials still haven't done enough to attract different kinds of development projects compared to neighboring towns.

"East of Barrington, (it) seems like other towns along the railroad tracks have a lot of economic activity and private capital investment," Kozel said.

If elected, Kozel said he would look at overall improvements to village infrastructure and better management of village resources.

With economic development, he would work to attract additional residential development to give Barrington businesses more customers and help raise sales tax revenue in the village.

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Darch, who works as attorney, said she and other village trustees already have made strides to develop the downtown, pointing to new restaurant openings along Main Street and a new 64-unit apartment complex along Liberty Street that board members approved in 2016.

But Kozel has maintained the downtown project was long overdue.

"This represents too little, too late," he said. "It's a desperate attempt to placate what we've been saying all along."

Kozel also has criticized the financing behind a major infrastructure project to improve water and sewer systems in the downtown, arguing bonds issued for the project has created deficit spending within the village.

In August 2015, village trustees approved $8 million in bonds for the repairs.

Village officials have said the deficit will be temporary since they have a plan to pay off the $8 million in bonds within 20 years.

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Darch said bonds are the common way for local governments to finance large infrastructure projects. The projects also needed to be done in Barrington, she said.

An 80-year-old sanitary sewer system will be reconstructed in downtown Barrington, located near the intersection of East Russell Street and South Summit Street.

A second project replaces a 40-year-old water main along Hart Road from Lake Cook Road to Northwest Highway.

"Bonds are like a mortgage," Darch said. "You can't buy a house all at once."

The village president race represents the only competitive race in Barrington village government. Faced with expiring terms, trustees Tim Roberts, Sue Padula and Pete Douglas all decided against re-election bids.

Aside from her own campaign for village president, Darch also has announced how she is running alongside four, first-time candidates for village trustee  Jeff Janssen, Ryan Julian, Todd Sholeen and Jen Wondrasek.

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Janssen, Julian and Wondrasek haven't served on the Barrington Village Board but don't face any challengers.

Also running unopposed, Sholeen, who was appointed to fill a trustee vacancy in 2015, has to run to fill out the remainder of the term, which expires in 2019.

tshields@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @tshields19
Crew members use the garage while filming a Payless Shoes TV commercial at a home at McIntosh and Norfolk avenues. (Chuck Fieldman / Pioneer Press)

Richard Scully is quite content letting his Clarendon Hills home be the star when it comes to being on TV.

Scully's never done any acting, but he did reply to an advertisement in the Chicago Tribune about two years ago from an agency looking for homes to use as settings for filming in the area.

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"I sent in pictures of my house; I thought it would be a good way to earn some extra spending money for college for my son," said Scully, whose home is at the intersection of McIntosh and Norfolk avenues.

A room at Notre Dame Parish was used for lunch during the two-day project.

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After being used previously for a Crystal Farms cheese commercial the Scully residence hosted about 60 people Wednesday and Thursday for the filming of a Payless Shoes commercial.

"They come in and pretty much take over," Scully said. "They used the living room as a bedroom, came in and put cardboard down and put everything back the way it was when they've finished. I work from home and basically hid upstairs in my office while they were working."

Jim Turner, the location manager for the commercial filming, said Scully's house was chosen after a crew, including the director, also looked at a home in River Forest.

"It's a good fit and a nice size to work in; we take up a lot of space," Turner said.

He also said Clarendon Hills officials were very easy to work with in getting the needed permit for filming.

Scully's home doesn't have much time left to host filming, at least not while he still lives in it.

"We're empty nesters and are planning to sell the house soon," he said. "We will miss it; great location, school and friends. And our neighbors have been great about having all of the equipment out there during this."

cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com

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the wait for Krispy Kreme doughnuts ranges from 20 minutes on a weekday morning to several hours on a weekend night. (Jim Karczewski / Daily Southtown)

In the wee hours of a recent weekend night, 18-year-old Keara Dillon and her boyfriend drove from Crete to the newly opened Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in Homewood.

It was late. They were hungry. And Keara waxed nostalgic for the fluffy glazed doughnuts of her youth.

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Little did they know they'd be met by hundreds of others who were feeling the exact same way.

"We waited for seven hours just to get to the drive-up window," Keara said.

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The line, she recalled, wrapped around the shop at 178th and Halsted and meandered clear back to the Home Depot and beyond.

Keara, who was back this past Thursday for another hit of the sweet treat, described the night she spent in a drive-thru: "It was midnight when we got here. People were falling asleep in their cars. There was honking. Some of us started playing 'Marco Polo.' It was a good time."

Carlos Larcada, president of Chicagoland Restaurants, LLC, which opened the Homewood shop Jan. 10, said he was prepared for the crowds that just seem to keep coming.

"We watched other markets that have reopened recently. I was at Houston's reopening two falls ago and it was exactly like this. It was mayhem. It was great," Lacarda said.

The Homewood store, which marks this area's reentry into the Krispy Kreme doughnut world after an eight-year hiatus, has a brisk foot traffic during the day; but it's the 24-hour drive-thru that has been burning up social media. Well, that and the in-shop doughnut factory viewing area, which Lacarda calls "the theater" that people like to record on video.

"Our theater is still trending on Twitter," he said.

"We had our first break in the drive-thru (line) at 4 a.m. on Tuesday after 14 days straight of 24-hour business," he said.

To meet demand, the Homewood shop has been churning out 200 dozen doughnuts an hour nonstop, he said.

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That's 57,000 doughnuts a day in the heart of New-Year's-Resolution January.

Doughnuts are hot, Larcada said, just not necessarily for breakfast.

The morning crowd tends to be the lightest, he said, adhering to a nationwide trend that has seen the doughnut rise among the late-afternoon and late-night snack crowd.

"Doughnuts," Larcada said, "are the new cupcakes."

Craft doughnut shops across Chicago bear this out, he said. It helps that Krispy Kreme has a strong following already, he added.

In a flip from the days when doughnuts were a common breakfast at the office, Larcada said, foot traffic is heaviest around 7 p.m., when customers are on their way home from work.

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The busiest rush, he said, hits around 2 a.m. Saturday when there's usually a five-hour line starting at the drive-thru window and extending all the way to the home improvement store at the south end of the shopping center and sometimes even turning north and ending at the opposite end where there's a Target store.

"That's about 200 cars," Larcada said. "To process 200 cars takes some time."

But he gives props to his staff of 65, which he says has been handling the onslaught with professionalism.

"We're chugging along. They hold up well under pressure," he said.

Larcada said the high turnout of customers is encouraging, especially because he has plans to open seven more shops in Cook County over the next four years.

"We'll have eight total," he said, far fewer than the 25 locations that laid claimed to the same area more than 10 years ago.

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"It's a consistent product. It never changes," he said. "We haven't changed the recipe since 1937."

Even back when shops were closing, he said, it was never because of the product.

"Midlothian was the last store to close in '09 and up until they closed they were killing it in sales," he said. "But the franchisee had to declare bankruptcy and you can't close some stores and not the others."

Larcada can't reveal yet where the next shop will be, only that it will be on the South Side, "closer to the city."

A Krispy Kreme doughnuts store will open Jan. 10 at 17815 S. Halsted St., Homewood. (Mike Nolan / Daily Southtown)

It was around 7 a.m. that Keara Dillon finally scored the two boxes of doughnuts she'd come for, plus two free ones, compliments of the shop because she'd waited so long.

Of course, as she waited inside her boyfriend's vehicle hour after hour, she said she wondered at times if she was crazy. "But I love Krispy Kreme. My dad's family lives in Tennessee. When we were younger there used to be Krispy Kreme on the way and we always stopped there. So it's a nostalgia thing."

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Just about everybody standing or driving through the line has a similar story.

Robert Nelson, of Tinley Park, used to get Krispy Kreme doughnuts with his grandma. Briana Thompson, of Oak Forest, remembers bringing her report card into the shop that used to be near her family's home because it gave away a free doughnut for every A.

And Kendra McGruder and Johnny Perie, of Chicago's South Side, used to eat them all the time, Perie said.

"They're good and they're fresh and they've been gone for awhile," McGruder said. "So, now that they're back, we're back."

Jim Marino, village manager for Homewood, said village officials are "delighted to have been selected as the first location for Krispy Kreme's reentry into the Chicago market.

"Their opening is all everyone is talking about," he said.

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The rush will benefit the village in several ways, he said. It will generate additional sales tax revenue and it may entice Krispy Kreme customers to shop at other businesses along Halsted. In addition, he said, the shop will draw customers who may not be familiar with the Homewood area, possibly motivating them to return to shop, eat, play or even live in the community.

Among those who've made the trek already are a group of sophomores from Munster High School across the Illinois border who stood in line for 45 minutes on a Sunday morning, taking text requests from several of their friends all the while.

Melissa Rivera also traveled from Munster, Ind., with her son Montez Rivera.

She, too, noticed the group of teens wearing Munster letter jackets.

"We could have ridden together," she said.

As for the doughnuts, "They're definitely that good," she said. "Jewel (grocery store) sells them but they're not the same."

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What makes them different?

"I think it's the glaze," she said.

"It's like heaven in your mouth," Montez added.

Bernice Jackson, of South Holland, drove by the Krispy Kreme on three occasions before deciding last Thursday that the line was manageable enough to negotiate.

"Before I retired I worked downtown at the Board of Ed and they were always having doughnuts for somebody's birthday or something," Jackson said. "It was always Krispy Kreme and we'd sit there and stuff ourselves. They're delicious. I love 'em."

Her wait was a short 20 minutes, she said.

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"I'm glad to see (the shop) is here. It's good," she said, toting her box of goodies. "I got these for my grandson's birthday. He loves them so much."

Febe Santos, of Homewood, ventured over one Sunday morning, taking a hit for the family.

"I can take them or leave them," she said. "But my husband and my son like them.

"I'm here today because the line wasn't out the door this morning. It's been ridiculous, probably because there isn't another Krispy Kreme close by and because they're new again."

Larcada said, by far, the original glazed are the biggest seller, followed by chocolate iced and then chocolate glazed cake.

The only down side to the doughnut story, he said, is the wait.

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"We've had some legal issues in the drive-thru line, some altercations, all kinds of fun stuff," he said.

People can get testy when they have to wait, he said.

But others make light of it, forming friendships and turning the drive-thru into a line party, he said.

In the end, it's all good, because everyone emerges with doughnuts.

"And that," he said, "puts a smile on their face."

dvickroy@tribpub.com

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Paul Grimes left his job as the Orland Park village manager last July. (Handout)

The Orland Park Village Board will conduct a second interview with a candidate being considered for the village manager's job following the Feb. 6 board meeting, according to Assistant Village Manager Joe La Margo.

The interview would be conducted during a closed-door session following the regular board meeting.

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The village has been searching for a new village manager since former manager Paul Grimes left last July to take the job of city manager in McKinney, Texas. Grimes had been Orland Park's longest-serving village manager, having joined the village in the summer of 2008.

Since Grimes left, police Chief Tim McCarthy has assumed the role of village manager on an interim basis.
A Lansing resident recently took the helm of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, beating out 150 other candidates, according to the organization's statement.

Kristi DeLaurentiis is the third executive director in the SSMMA's 38 years of existence, replacing Ed Paesel, who retired at the end of December. The SSMMA is a council of governments, including 45 municipalities, representing a population of over 650,000 in Cook and Will counties.

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DeLaurentiis, 58, grew up in the south suburbs, including Country Club Hills as a child, graduating from Homewood Flossmoor High School, and lived a number of years in Frankfort, she said.

"I'm a south-suburban native," she said.

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Her roots here are a part of what the organization describes as a "strong commitment to the region with extensive government relations, community development and planning experience," the statement said.

"I've been working with firms and other organizations with a long-term focus," she said.

DeLaurentiis had been the president of KDL Consulting, Inc., a governmental consulting firm. Previously, she was the director of government affairs and community development for Metro Strategies, Inc., the Metropolitan Planning Councils' government relations director, as well as the director of planning and development for the Village of Lansing.

She has served on the Governors State University Board of Trustees, the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, the Illinois' Digital Divide Elimination Advisory Committee, and the American Cancer Society Illinois Division and Cancer Action Network boards. She remains a member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's Land Use Committee, and chairs the American Cancer Society's Lakeshore Division, the statement said.

She describes her experiences as a more than 20-year history of public service in appointed positions with the "common thread" of "how do we strengthen our communities."

"I've had a lot of exposure to a lot of different issues that will serve me well in this role," she said.

Part of her focus as executive director is to continue the "long history of collaboration" among the municipalities and governments that organization serves. Collectively, the SSMMA offers a single voice to state, county, and federal government agencies, she said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The key issues are transportation, infrastructure, land use and economic development, as well as stormwater and open space planning. The organization's housing committee is focused on providing housing stability, she said.

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Her style is to "think holistically," about quality of life while achieving a robust Southland, attracting global investment, including tourism, she said.

The SSMMA also provides a forum to mentor new mayors, since many of their issues are common across neighboring boundaries. The association also provides direct training to mayors following the election cycles, including for example, the Open Meetings Act protocol.

DeLaurentiis hods a bachelor's degree in language arts, as well as a masters of science in environmental biology with a focus in policy, both from Governors State University.

Paesel served as executive director from 2000. He replaced Beth Ruyle-Hullinger, who served from 1978 to 1999.

"DeLaurentiis was selected after a lengthy process that involved review of the credentials of approximately 150 candidates," said SSMMA president and Park Forest Mayor John Ostenburg. "We have every confidence that, as executive director, she will follow in the excellent traditions established by Ed Paesel and Beth Ruyle before him."

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown..
Tinley Park is seeking dismissal of a Justice Department lawsuit against the village regarding a proposed apartment building that would be marketed to low-income renters, alleging the government lacked standing to file the complaint.

The Justice Department lawsuit, filed last November, alleges the village violated the federal Fair Housing Act in not approving plans for The Reserve. The project has been on hold for nearly a year after the village's Plan Commission last February tabled a vote on it.

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In its motion filed Tuesday, the village contends that, per federal statutes, only the assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's civil rights division can bring a complaint alleging civil rights or fair housing violations. In October 2014, Vanita Gupta was named principal deputy assistant attorney general and acting chief of the civil rights division, but federal rules limit how long a person can remain in an acting, or interim, position, according to the motion.

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act was intended to prevent a situation in which a temporary appointee served in that position indefinitely without going through the formal process of the president submitting a name to the Senate for confirmation.

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In the case of Gupta, the village's lawyers contend, her official capacity as acting assistant attorney general for the civil rights division had expired as of May 2015, long before the lawsuit against Tinley Park was filed.

"The United States must admit that Ms. Gupta was not at the relevant time and is not the Assistant Attorney General" for the Justice Department's civil rights arm, and that her "actions in authorizing and filing this Complaint should be invalidated by this Court and the Complaint should be dismissed," the village's motion states.

A Justice Department spokesman said the department had not seen a copy of the motion and could not comment. Gupta's tenure with the Justice Department ended with the change in administration.

Should a judge agree with the village's assertion, the complaint could be revived once an assistant attorney general is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, Tinley Park noted in the filing.

"However, until that time, the Complaint is invalid because the United States lacks standing," the motion argues.

Tinley Park also was sued in federal court by the developer of The Reserve, Buckeye Community Hope Foundation. The village's attorney, who works for a law firm separate from the one representing the village in the lawsuit, said earlier this month that Tinley Park had held informal discussions with Buckeye in an effort to settle that lawsuit, which was filed last April.

mnolan@tribpub.com
President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up alongside first lady Melania Trump at the Salute To Our Armed Services Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. At left is Army Staff Sgt. Joseph A. Medina and second from left is Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Catherine Cartmell. (Alex Brandon / AP)

As I drove across Springfield Friday, I turned my radio to the nation's inauguration.

As Donald Trump's words echoed through the cab of my pickup, I became more and more depressed.

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Inauguration addresses are supposed to be a time of magnanimity, when the victor reaches across the nation's divisions and rubs balm in its wounds.

Think of Illinois' favorite son, Abraham Lincoln.

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After four years of Civil War he stood at the dais taking the oath of office and uttered these lasting words: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the fight as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

That's what oratory sounds like.

Lincoln uttered those words when the nation was at its nadir. Hundreds of thousands of its men lay dead on its battlefields, millions of its people enslaved and hatred rife between the North and the South.

Today, our nation faces its challenges. But we are undeniably the most powerful nation on earth. We have our problems, to be sure, but we remain the envy of the world.

Trump seemed clueless to the time and the setting of his remarks.

He said this: "But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge."

Um, "all knowledge?"

Those aren't words designed to elevate.

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I grew up in Galesburg, a town where rusted out factories are scattered like tombstones. I'm aware of the problems facing Trump country but an inauguration is a time to lift up, not pound down.

Think of the words of John F. Kennedy when he took the oath of office: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you  ask what you can do for your country."

Instead from Trump we received these words: "One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world."

Yes, we have our problems.

But, gee, Mr. President isn't this a time to call for coming together?

Think of the words of Franklin Roosevelt: "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself  nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

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That's what an inauguration address should sound like.

As I listened to Trump's words tumble from my truck's speakers, I racked my brain for when I've come across an inauguration address anything like this. Two words came to mind: "Dan Walker"

When he was sworn in as governor he told the Springfield audience: "The Free Ride is Over."

Like Trump's, those were hardly words of kindness or charity.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

And like Trump's address, those words were delivered in a time of relative prosperity.

Walker served one disastrous term as Illinois' chief executive and a second term in federal prison. Only Rod Blagojevich rivals Walker in Illinois gubernatorial arrogance.

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But neither man has anything on The Donald.

As I heard Trump say: "For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost," I heard an echo of Dan Walker saying, "The Free Ride is Over."

Let's hope for the sake of our nation, Trump's time in office is more successful than Walker's.

The greatest nation on earth deserves that much.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist and works as a freelance reporter.
Sixteen-year-old Logan Cole was shot multiple times by a fellow student at West Liberty-Salem High School in Ohio. Cole was rushed to the emergency room Friday, January 20, 2017. Although he was moved out of intensive care on Saturday, the teen continues to fight for his life.

On Thursday, January 26, Coles parents released a video to a local news station expressing their thanks for everyone who has supported them during the tragedy. Despite the trying time the family is walking through, the Coles took the opportunity to encourage viewers to know Jesus Christ personally.

The video starts with Coles father going through a list of people he wants to thank. He starts with Cole himself, who set an example to me of the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ. He refers to Coles decision to forgive the student who shot him right after the incident happened.

Next Coles father thanks the two men, Andy and Greg, who walked into the bathroom after hearing shots in the bathroom. Coles father says their bravery reminds him of John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Cole has a pellet in one of the chambers of his heart the doctors are still trying to remove, along with other complications. In addition to prayers for healing, Coles parents are asking for other prayers as well: prayers for the school and community and prayers for the shooters family.

We are not God and do not have visibility into the future, and therefore do not understand what eternal benefits there will be as a result of this tragedy. What we do know is that God takes all things and he works them together for our good.

Coles father concludes the message by saying, Logans eternal hope is in Jesus Christ, and I would encourage you to follow his example.
President Donald Trump, please hurry to Chicago. One of your campaign promises was that you would end the shootings and murders in Chicago, and that you would do it in only seven days. Remember? Please, do not delay. Every day there are more people shot and killed. Save lives, come to Chicago now and show Chicago's finest how to end the killings in seven days. And thank you in advance for being a miracle worker.

President Donald Trump voters, you were worried about Hillary Clinton taking your guns away? Trump is now threatening to send feds into Chicago, which may mean taking guns away, along with stop and frisk. Sound good to you ? In addition in the first two days, people trying to buy homes will have to pay more to the banks for mortgages, he is going to build that wall with 50 billion tax dollars that he expects the Mexican government to reimburse us, approved running pipelines through Indian burial grounds, and basically burdened the states with Obamacare costs. Then he stood in front of the CIA memorial wall and talked about how many times he has been on the cover of Time magazine. Now, he claims he has evidence of 3-5 million illegal votes to discredit the voting process that elected him because he didn't win the popular vote. Each day just gets more and more bizarre. I had hoped for so much better from him.

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Kay, Mokena

Phil Arvia's rant in Tuesday paper about President Donald Trump is unbelievable. Here's a typical liberal Democrat spewing nonsense and giving us his unwanted opinion. I wish people like Phil and the other liberals would spend their time focusing on real problems and solutions that plague everyday Americans.

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Joe

Is it just my perception or does our new president look like the unhappiest man in the world? He looks as if he's been forced to take a job he didn't early want. Someone please tell him that his "Apprentice"-style demeanor isn't winning him any new admirers. He needs to get over the fact that not everyone is going to respect and admire him or think he is doing a wonderful job. Any of our past presidents can confirm this.

Chicago

Despite recent events there are still good people in this world. I would like to thank the anonymous lady who picked up my breakfast tab at the Blueberry Hill restaurant in Homewood on Christmas Eve morning.

Howard, Homewood

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An arrangement of silk flowers provides a bit of normalcy in the midst of the homeless camp, one of several, visited by officials Wednesday night. (Janelle Walker / The Courier-News)

A line of police officers, social workers and veterans aid officials snaked single file through a wooded area of Elgin just after 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Lighted by cellphones or flashlights on the cold and damp night, the group stopped at three Elgin homeless camps spread through a wooded area to check on, interview and count the number of homeless living on the streets and hidden places of the city.

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A few of the tents or wooden structures were empty, but several other residents who had already bedded down for the night spoke to police and social workers for the annual Point-in-Time count.

According to the website HUDexchange.com, the annual event "is a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night in January."

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The information is then used by HUD when providing homeless programming funds, officials said.

Those helping with the count met at the Elgin Police Department at 10 p.m. to go over which areas needed officers to check. Sgt. Eric Echevarria handed out the assignments for those going to the known encampments  three separate locations spread out near the Fox River.

Other known locations  Elgin parking decks, underneath overpasses, parks and alleys  were also on the list.

A total of just 18 people were included in the count, Echevarria said.

Echevarria expected to count between 20 and 40 people, but due to the wet conditions some of the homeless that police are aware of could have found alternative shelter for the night, Echevarria said.

The Elgin Community Crisis Center and PADS of Elgin also conducted their own counts. PADS of Elgin had a head count of 34 Wednesday night, and the Crisis Center reported 27 people in the shelter  12 single women, five women with children, and five other children, officials at the two agencies said.

Don Donahue, Supportive Housing Clinical Manager from the Hines VA Hospital, was one of those who came along for the count. He had a handful of store gift cards  most loaded with just $5  to hand out. The police department also had backpacks with socks and toiletries to give out during the count.

Donahue was participating in his fourth annual count of the homeless, having participated in DuPage and Will counties in previous years.

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The count started with the handful of people seeking refuge in the Elgin Police Department lobby. Those people often stay in the lobby until 10:30 p.m., when the front desk is closed for the night.

One of the people counted at the police department was Joseph Kampy, 55. A long-time area resident, Kampy had just returned from Arizona.

He had left Elgin on New Years Eve, giving up an apartment he had then in favor of the warmer climate. But after just a few weeks there, Kampy said he decided he was better off in Illinois.

The shelter he ended up at in Arizona "was a war zone," full of alcohol and drugs, Kampy said. While he used those substances in the past, he doesn't any more.

"They were always fighting each other," he said of the shelter in Arizona.

Kampy was hoping the warmer weather would be easier on his bones. While driving a moving truck 31 years ago, he was hit by a drunk driver. That incident  and a second six months later  led to three hip surgeries.

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He's hoping to get on disability to help pay for housing, Kampy said.

Elgin Community Service Officer William Homeier, who was helping with the count, drove Kampy to the PADS of Elgin shelter for the night.

Walking into the established camps, Echevarria explained the layout. A few of the homeless had their own tents set up apart from the larger groups. The bigger camps have a pecking order, including its own mayor and expectations of group behavior.

The residents have bought or scavenged supplies and building materials and include fire pits, cooking areas and toilets pits, Echevarria said.

Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
An Elgin man's two-decade career as a Naperville firefighter ended in December, nearly two months after his arrest on child pornography charges, according a city spokesman.

Louis Digrazia IV, 47, "separated from employment" with the city Dec. 9, Naperville communications manager Linda LaCloche said in a statement Wednesday, the same day Digrazia appeared in a Kane County courtroom for a status hearing on allegations he possessed child pornography. Judge John Barsanti scheduled a March 22 court appearance for Digrazia to be arraigned on a 10-count indictment.

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Elgin police arrested Digrazia in October after finding pornographic images on a computer during a search of his home, according to records. A search warrant affidavit filed in connection to the case indicated investigators confiscated a laptop from Digrazia as he returned home from work and located "numerous" files and pictures "depicting child pornography." Police learned Digrazia took the laptop to and from his job, the affidavit states, adding that Digrazia's locker  containing five flash drives  at a Naperville fire station was secured by police around the same time. Investigators sought the warrant in order to search the content of the drives, but no details were mentioned as to what, if anything, was found on them.

Naperville officials previously said Digrazia joined the Naperville Fire Department in 1995 and faced no disciplinary issues over the years. The city placed Digrazia on unpaid administrative leave following his arrest.

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He remains free on $200,000 bail and is prohibited from accessing the internet. Digrazia is barred from unsupervised contact with minors but was allowed to return to his Elgin home after the completion of an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigation.

Barsanti on Wednesday agreed to allow Digrazia to travel to Minnesota and Wisconsin during February and March, respectively. His attorney described the trips in court as being medical-related.

Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Before leading a rehearsal of the weekend's all-Gershwin program, Thursday night at the Hemmens Cultural Center Music Director Andrew Grams unveiled details of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's 2017-18 season.

"Have a good time and enjoy the passion of the playing and the music," Grams advised as he concluded his remarks to the gathering of symphony patrons present for news of the next season.

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Grams became ESO's music director in 2013 and is under contract through 2021. With past Elgin season's he has thematically linked the shows across the weeks of the concert season.

"There's no link this time. I gave up that goose," Grams said.

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Still, the programming will offer concerts featuring Mahler, Russian and American composers as it has across his time with the ESO, Grams said. While featuring fabled composers, though, with the upcoming season Grams said he has looked to find pieces from them that are not as frequently performed.

"We'll offer the name brands, but with some unfamiliar pieces," Grams said.

Among those will be Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3 on opening weekend, Sept. 16 and 17, which will be the first time the ESO has played that work.

Symphony Board of Directors Chair Karen Schock said she was looking forward to the September performances.

"You can't go wrong with Tchaikovsky  all that thunder and lightning," Schock said.

Schock also is anticipating Grams once again hosting "Inside the Music" events in which Grams and musicians offer 90-minute presentations prior to Friday night concerts, giving insight into what will be performed later that evening. Those happen next season on Nov. 3 with Beethoven's 7th discussed and on March 23, 2018 with Elgar's Enigma Variations the topic.

Symphony CEO David Bearden said he was looking forward to the finale of the 2017-18 season on May 5 and 6, 2018, which will feature the ESO premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Candide Suite  part of a worldwide celebration to mark the centenary of the American composer's birth  and Mahler's 5th.

"Andrew has assured me it's worth waiting for," Bearden said. "It's about the pairing."

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Bearden also is eager to hear a weekend of cinematic music when Grams conducts pops concerts Jan. 27 and 28 featuring John Williams's music from Steven Spielberg's films, including selections from the scores for "E.T.," "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Jurassic Park."

A twist on a piece from a contemporary minimalist composer happens Nov. 4 and 5 when saxophonist, Australian Amy Dickson, performs a concerto composed by Philip Glass.

Grams said the Glass piece was originally written for violin, and his friend Dickson arranged it for saxophone and suggested performing for her debut with the ESO.

An unusual choice for Feb. 10 and 11, 2018  the weekend before Valentine's Day  is Mozart's somber Requiem. Also on that bill is Vivaldi's Gloria, with both featuring the Elgin Master Chorale, in what Grams said was a yin and yang pairing.

Along with the seven weekends with Grams at the podium, the 2017-18 season will feature two weekends of programs led by resident conductor Stephen Squires.

On Oct. 6 at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg and Oct. 7 and 8 in Elgin, Squires leads the symphony as they perform with piano duo Rich and Brandon Ridenour. Squires is back with the baton for the ESO's popular holiday season concerts Dec. 9 and 10.

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As for the current season, Bearden said it has been drawing crowds averaging about 80 percent capacity at the 1,150-seat Hemmens. As of Thursday, 900 tickets had been sold for the Saturday night show, and 1,100 for the Sunday matinee, according to Bearden.

"It's the most tickets for a performance since we offered Beethoven's 9th Symphony three years ago," Bearden said.

Performing with the ESO this weekend is pianist Yana Reznik-Bokarius. Russian-born Reznik-Bokarius met Grams a few summers ago through mutual friend, actor Damon Gupton.

Gupton was in Chicago to narrate "The Composer Is Dead," a comic mystery piece by author Lemony Snicket, for a Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus concert.

Reznik-Bokarius said she was new to Chicago at that point, wound up having dinner with Gupton, Grams and others with ties to the ESO, which led to this weekend's performances.

Of the Gershwin program, Reznik-Bokarius said, "It takes you back to the 1920s. We need uplifting music right now, and Gershwin is one of the greatest American composers."

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And if you were online Friday afternoon, you could catch a sample of the full concert as Reznik-Bokarius performed selections at the Gail Borden Public Library that were webcast via Facebook live on the ESO page.

For information on the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's current and upcoming seasons go to www.elginsymphony.org or phone 847-888-4000.

mdanahey@tribpub.com
A rough version of a wind turbine made from cardboard and paper. A better-built prototype will be made of polyethylene and plastic. (Rafael Guerrero / The Courier-News)

The wind turbine Matt Erbach's students worked on a recent morning looks rudimentary  the blades are made of paper, the base of cardboard.

It is only a rough draft, though, for the principles of engineering class. A better-built prototype is beginning to take shape, first on classroom computers and later in the shop. Ultimately, the blades will be made of polyethylene and the base of plastic.

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The project is interesting for the classroom of future engineers, but it also has a lot riding on it. Having already won the state prize in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, the Streamwood High School project will now compete against winning entries from other U.S. states for a share of a larger $2 million prize.

"It's kind of crazy," said student Adam Bender, 16. "We've been pushing forward to get to work ... we actually get to build it now."

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As state champions, Streamwood will receive at least $25,000 in technology from the electronics giant. Of the 51 entries, 10 will be selected as national finalists from an online voting campaign, and earn an additional $25,000 in electronics from Samsung. Three of the 10 will be selected as national winners by a panel of judges and win a $150,000 technology grant.

The turbines are part of a much larger idea: wind-powered micro-generator units that would provide LED lighting in areas with no streetlights. It's challenged students both in class and after school.

Scott Dudek was designing the blades on Autodesk, software intended for engineering and design, an endeavor that is in line with his interest in engineering, and teaching him more about teamwork, communication and collaborating.

"I really like engineering," said Dudek, 16. "I'm also hoping this (project) will give me more exposure to college."

Erbach has worked at Streamwood for 10 years and gives students opportunities; they decide whether to participate.

"OK, if this is something you want to do, that's fine, if you don't want to, that's also fine,'" he said. "But they definitely wanted to. It's a lot of fun because it's thinking out of the box, taking things further than we usually go.

"I am doing this because I feel like engineering students love a design project, and I also like to show them connections between the lesson in class and something tangible in the real world," Erbach said. "I also like the sustainability aspect of this lesson, as we are using new tech and recycled parts to create something for the community."

The class must submit a YouTube video of the design and building process to have a chance at being a national finalist, he said. If the online audience selects them as one of the final 10, the Streamwood group will get to go to New York to make their final pitch before a panel.

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This is not Streamwood's first win as a state champion. Erbach helped another class win in 2014 with a project that also revolved around the theme of sustainability. Students worked on making homes greener and more energy efficient, using thermal cameras.

raguerrero@tribpub.com
Russian interference: How can we accept Donald Trump as our president when he was helped to that office by the Russians? We need to do something.

Republican zeal to repeal: Donald Trump has just taken office, and Congress has already started working on repealing the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. They have nothing to replace it with. Repealing it will leave millions of Americans without health insurance. They aren't doing anyone any favors. They should leave it in place until they get a new replacement ready.

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Concern about crime: I want to tell you that I am a black male. I also want to talk about the four black kids that hurt the mentally handicapped white kid. I shouldn't have to talk about color, but it matters to a lot of people. It doesn't matter to me. These four kids need to be locked up, and the key needs to be lost in the middle of the ocean. They should be old people when they get out of prison. What happened should never have happened.

Perturbed about Putin: Will someone please tell the Republicans, especially Paul Ryan, that nobody is saying that Russian President Putin won the election for Donald Trump? I voted for Hillary Clinton. I think she ran an awful campaign, but that doesn't excuse Russia for meddling in American elections. Get a clue and get out of denial. We care that Donald Trump won, but we also care about Russia meddling in our election. Do we really want that? Putin did something he was not supposed to do. There needs to be repercussions in order to prevent this from happening again. Putin did not win the election for Trump, but he shouldn't have become involved in our affairs.

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Too many signs: Whatever Linda Chapa LaVia wants, she gets. If campaign signs could get a candidate into office, she would become the mayor of Aurora hands down. There are so many of her signs clustered on the corners of East Galena and East New York streets in Aurora. They are more of a pedestrian obstacle than the snow and ice.

On edge about Trump: I guess everyone thinks we are all picking on Donald Trump. I am trying to get along with him, but he keeps putting me on edge. I want my president to succeed, but he's bickering back and forth with our intelligence community. They know how to do their job very well. Every day, I think there is something wrong with Trump. He is beginning to prove that he is not fit to be our president.

Funding for the wall: So much for making Mexico pay for the wall. It looks like the government is now asking the American taxpayers to pay for the wall and collect from Mexico later. Just one of many lies.

Disturbed about disrespect: The governor of Florida reached out to Mike Pence and Donald Trump regarding the shooting in the Florida airport. This just goes to show how much disrespect some of the Republicans have for President Obama. We need to fix this.

Making waves: Am I disappointed in Donald Trump winning the election? Yes, I am. What I am angry about is Trump refuses to believe our intelligence agencies. He is coming in and making waves while taking sides with the Russians.

Splitting hairs about new law: I'm thrilled that Linda McDaniel-Hale has such a great opinion about the new requirements for beauticians to be trained in domestic abuse acknowledgment. I don't understand how this is going to help. Nobody is going to tell their beautician or barber what they've been going through. If there's no requirement to report it, what's the point? Once they turn in the report, they will lose their customer. It's wonderful how politicians make up this stuff.

Pumped up about Trump: I just want to say that Donald Trump won the election. Why are some people crying? The American people have spoken. There is no way the Russians could have sabotaged the election. They would have had to go to every county and precinct. Stop complaining and support the man. He's a millionaire. He should be able to make the country richer with his knowledge and go for the best prices instead of giving money away all the time.

Editor's note

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Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-2460 or email couriernews@tribpub.com. Please include "speak out" in the subject line.
Evanston's mayor on Wednesday issued a statement reinforcing the city's position as a safe community for immigrants, regardless of legal status, following a threat by President Donald Trump earlier that day to slash funding for sanctuary cities.

Her statement joined those of Chicago's Rahm Emanuel and mayors around the country responding to Trump's threat to eliminate federal grants and other money for those municipalities that protect immigrants from deportation.

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"I am troubled by the Executive Order issued by the president today regarding sanctuary cities. I support the rights of all our residents, including immigrants, to live their lives in our community safely and without fear. The City of Evanston stands behind its self-designation of a 'Welcoming City' and will continue to work to welcome all people to our community," Tisdahl's statement read.

The Evanston City Council in December unanimously approved an ordinance strengthening the city's sanctuary city status to protect undocumented residents.

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It prohibits Evanston police from holding undocumented immigrants for immigration authorities after a stop, according to language in the ordinance. Exceptions include those convicted for serious crimes or already sought via an arrest warrant.

Police cannot ask crime victims or witnesses about their immigration status, the ordinance reads.

Additionally, Evanston officials cannot ask those seeking city services about their immigration status, according to the ordinance. And it outlines rules for police on enforcing laws unrelated to immigration versus complying with federal requests for immigration information.

Evanston's Welcoming City Ordinance was modeled after an ordinance of the same name in the city of Chicago. It updated Evanston's original sanctuary city ordinance, which was passed in 2008, according to staff reports.

gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GenevieveBook
This questionCan a Christian drink alcoholhas been asked through the ages and will continue to be asked.



It wasnt that long ago that news broke that Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White had been charged with vandalism and public intoxication. On my Facebook wall, I posted the following comment: This just inand the gold medal for character enhancement, once again, goes to alcohol.

Can a Christian Drink Alcohol?

For years, well-meaning, sincere Christians have debated the subject of drinking).

The Bible is also clear that mature Christians should avoid causing others to stumble by drinking (Romans 14:21.)

I have yet to hear from anyone who drinks how alcohol enhances anything or blesses anyone. Max Lucado said, One thing for sure, I have never heard anyone say, A beer makes me feel more Christlike Fact of the matter is this: People dont associate beer with Christian behavior.1 Ive yet to see how it improves someones testimony or makes anyone a more effective witness for Christ.

Quite the contrary, like Shaun White mentioned above, or Richard Roberts, Oral Roberts son, who was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, driving under the influence, the result doesnt enhance your testimony. Rather, it takes away from what testimony you had.

Should a Christian Drink Alcohol?

Recently, a friend of mine, former megachurch Pastor John Caldwell, wrote an article in Christian Standard magazine called To Drink or Not to Drink? Johns article explained why he has personally abstained from drinking alcohol and dealt with the bigger issue of the contemporary church becoming more and more like the world.

Not surprisingly, a number of people responded to Johns article and some called him to task for taking such a strong stand against drinking. In response to the responses, my good friend Ken Idleman, former President of Ozark Christian College and now Pastor of Crossroads Christian Church in Evansville, Ind., wrote these words, which are among the very best Ive ever read on this issue. I asked Ken for his permission to share them here.

OK, I am conscience bound to weigh in on this one For a minute, forget about making a definitive case for or against drinking from the Bible. Heres the truth from logic and real life. No one starts out to be an alcoholic. Everyone begins with a defensive attitude saying, Im just a social drinker and there is nothing wrong with it! no one says, It is my ambition that someday I want to lose my job, my health, my self-respect, my marriage and my family. Someday I want to be dependent on alcohol to get through my day. Yet, this is the destination at which several millions of people have arrived. Why do you suppose that is? It is because alcohol is promoted and elevated as a normal/sophisticated activity in life It is also expensive, addictive and enslaving. People get hooked by Americas number one legal drug. And just like all illegal drugs, alcohol finds it way into the body, the bloodstream and the brain of the user/abuser.
The Center for National Interest recently organized a Facebook Live roundtable, which discussed U.S.-China relations when it comes to Asian geopolitics and order. Kurt Campbell and Gordon Chang took part, among others, and Chang said that the Asian powers are showing balancing behavior. He stated India's potential sale of Aakash anti-aircraft missiles to Vietnam as evidence. But is Asia genuinely as volatile as some suggest? Evidence points otherwise.

Let's take the first example of Sino-American rivalry. There's no certainty among U.S. policy makers that there is a potential conflict brewing between U.S. and China. There're two different policy positions on that, both rational and both suggesting completely opposite views. The first one calls for containment. The second, which calls for engagement, wants both U.S. and China sharing and being responsible stakeholders in Asia.

There has been of course recent brouhaha about an ill managed phone call with Taiwan, and the Chinese side has cautioned the American side that any breakage of the One China policy will have consequences for the U.S.-led order in Asia. American analysts agree. Stephen Walt wrote in FP how the phone call was completely ill advised and ineptly handled. It simultaneously risked picking a fight with Beijing as well as making the U.S. hand weak, which proves how incompetent this stunt was. Others pointed out that it is not in Taiwan's interest to break the One China policy as well, as there will never be any U.S. cavalry coming.

The reality remains that there is no end game in a Sino-U.S. rivalry over Taiwan. It is not in the strategic interests of the U.S., but on the other hand it is existential for Beijing. Also, U.S.-China trade is realistically much more important compared to any other interest in Asia. As I mentioned before, the best way to be in Trump's good book is to form a one-on-one relationship with him at the earliest opportunity. Trump understands deals, and deals are something that should be offered to him pronto.

Take for example the recent meeting between Jack Ma and Trump over Alibaba's plans for the U.S. Ma met Trump to lay down a striking deal, whereby a million new jobs might be created in the U.S. In a meeting that defied practically everything that one's reading in news, this proves that Trump is after all business and cooperation minded and can be a lot friendlier if U.S. economic interests are safeguarded properly.

Finally in a recent confirmation hearing, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. secretary of state to be, mentioned an interesting point in his statement. He said that while there are incredible differences between China and the U.S., as there should be between two great powers, nothing is worth the cost of a break in compromise. He added curiously, in a substantial break from previous U.S. policy, that China has been a partner in cooperation against Islamists. It marks a remarkable change and a more Realist turn of events.

Barring this great power rivalry, we see that Asia is otherwise a relative oasis of stability. Compared to all the other continents, it is one continent where the economy is growing. It is also a continent where free trade is not a toxic word, as in some other parts of the globe. It is a continent, where the middle class is increasingly educated and can find jobs. All this points to a smooth future, provided the giants can keep their eye on the ball and focus on trade. Trade, in addition to a clear communication channel between the powers, might just guarantee peace.

Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen (R) poses for photos during a ceremony at the presidential Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, on Jan. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Xiang)

Alexander Van der Bellen was sworn in as Austrian president at a ceremony in the historical assembly hall in parliament in Vienna on Thursday.

President of the Federal Council Sonja Ledl-Rossmann officially opened the proceedings, with all members of the federal parliament among those in attendance.

Van der Bellen took the oath, promising to watch over the constitution and rule of law in the country.

In his speech, the new president reaffirmed his intention of being a non-partisan president representative of all, irrespective of background or persuasion.

Born to parents of Estonian citizenship, Van der Bellen said he's not "indigenous Austrian," but he reminded that Austria is a country of "limitless opportunities."

He urged the Austrian government to act on important challenges, such as the social, pension, and health systems.

He also talked about Austria's ties with the European Union, saying the story of the union is "not over yet."

Towards midday, the new president made his way to his official residence, the Hofburg, on foot.

The new president will meet the leaders of the coalition government and attend a reception later in the day.

Green Party-backed Van der Bellen beat right-wing candidate Norbert Hofer in the presidential election in early December.

December's election was a rerun after the previous held in May was annulled.

Hofer lost to Van der Bellen by a narrow margin in May. But Hofer's party found counting problems in a recount of the vote, which was annulled then.

Austria's president traditionally plays a ceremonial role, but the president does have the power to dissolve the National Council, the lower house of parliament, under the constitution.
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Russians and Chinese perform Yangko during a celebration for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year at Greenwood Park in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 26, 2017. The Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 28 this year. (Xinhua/Wu Zhuang)

On the eve of the approaching Chinese Lunar New Year, the rest of the world is sharing the joy and excitement of the Asian country, a manifestation of the worldwide influence of China's most important festival, also known as the Spring Festival.

OCCASION FOR STRENGTHENING TIES

Some national leaders, on the festive occasion, expressed wishes for a stronger bilateral relationship.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday sent her wishes to those celebrating the festival worldwide through the government's website, pledging to further develop Britain-China relations, which have a stronger basis than ever before.

"We receive more Chinese investment than any other major European country. We've got around 150,000 Chinese students studying here and the number of Chinese tourists visiting has doubled in five years," she said.

As 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China and the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the ambassadorial relations between Britain and China, May said she hoped both countries will further their ties in various fields.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also expressed optimism over the strategic partnership between Nigeria and China, noting the two countries had reached a consensus to give full play to corresponding development strategies, strong economic complementarity, and enormous cooperative potential.

The Chinese Lunar New Year celebration emphasized the concept of family and the opportunity of reunion -- values shared by both Nigeria and China, Buhari wrote in a recent statement released by his office.

During a meeting with young Sinologists in Saint Petersburg University, the city's Vice Governor Alexander Govorunov said that Russia-China education cooperation has showed a positive trend, with 250 agreements signed between various universities of the two countries.

St. Petersburg needs to expand its knowledge regarding the Chinese language, culture, economics, law and tourism to further relations with China, Govorunov said at the meeting, which was part of a series of month-long cultural events the city hosts in celebrating the Spring Festival.

OCCASION FOR GATHERINGS

During this time of the year, Chinese embassies as well as people of Chinese origin hold various receptions and parties in their respective countries to socialize with their counterparts and friends.

Earlier this month, the Chinese Embassy in Cuba held a New Year's reception, welcoming dozens of people of Chinese descent and Cuban guests.

The Chinese Ambassador to Cuba, Chen Xi, assured that the next 12 months will be decisive for strengthening political and commercial ties between the two countries in search of bilateral prosperity, as well as the bonds of friendship that have existed for more than 50 years.

The attendees extended their wishes for good fortune to the Chinese people and the future of bilateral relations.

The Chinese embassies in the United States, Nepal, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt and Rwanda held all kinds of activities to mark the occasion, attracting members from various circles of their host countries.

President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone also threw a party in Paris recently to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

OCCASION FOR GALAS

China's Spring Festival provides another chance for global revelers to celebrate.

China's Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Orchestra and Shaanxi Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra performed in a concert featuring traditional Chinese music at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

The concert, which is part of the month-long cultural events in honor of the Chinese Spring Festival in St. Petersburg, proved to be a big success.

However, foreigners were no longer satisfied with being part of the audience of the festive galas, so they took to the stage instead.

What's more, over 1,000 Ghanaian students from the capital's junior high schools on Wednesday performed Chinese songs and dances to celebrate the Spring Festival.

The event, hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana Basic Schools, Legon, was attended by officials from the Chinese embassy and Chinese company representatives.

During the event, students from the Confucius Institute also displayed their proficiency in spoken Chinese and knowledge of Chinese music, dance and traditional costumes.

Daria Larionova, a 21-year-old Ukrainian student, acted as a co-host of a feast entitled "The fate gathered us in Ukraine," held recently at the Boryspil International Airport in Kiev to greet the Spring Festival.

Dressed in a qipao, a body-hugging traditional Chinese dress, Larionova added to the Lunar New Year's atmosphere in the airport, which is decorated with red lanterns, Zodiac-themed paper-cuts and works of Chinese calligraphy.

"In my opinion, the most entertaining Lunar New Year custom is joint cooking and eating of dumplings. It creates a very friendly atmosphere! It is really great," Larionova said.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important festival in China, and falls on Jan. 28 this year.
HELSINKI -- Finnish national airline Finnair is to activate the Chinese online payment system Alipay on one of its flights between China and Finland.

A one-month testing period begins on Jan 27, the eve of Chinese New Year, on the route between Helsinki and Shanghai, according to information acquired by Xinhua on Thursday.

Finnair said they were the first airline to offer the online payment system onboard. Decisions on future rollouts will be made after the trial period.

Customers can use Alipay for in-flight purchases. If lounge access is not included in the customer's fare, Alipay can still be used via Finnish e-payment platform ePassi, a source from ePassi told Xinhua.

Katri Harra-Salonen, a Finnair chief digital officer, underlined that Chinese travellers could get a convenient and familiar payment system on board.

Alipay has already been available at some of the shops at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, as well as souvenir and national brands shops in Rovaniemi, northern Finland via ePassi.
President calls for nation to 'roll sleeves up'

Children in rooster costumes carry traditional Chinese knots and lanterns as they head to visit lonely elderly residents in Hefei, Anhui province, on Tuesday as part of celebrations for the Spring Festival holiday. XIE CHEN/FOR CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping struck a warm tone with his annual Spring Festival greeting on Thursday, calling on the whole nation to love their family and friends.

Love should reach to every family and bring warmth to all Chinese like a spring breeze blowing across the nation, he said in his speech ahead of the Lunar New Year, which starts on Saturday.

"The Chinese people have always valued love and high morality," Xi told his audience at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, which included senior government officials, military officers, renowned artists and ethnic community leaders.

He urged people not to neglect their family, comrades and loved ones, no matter how busy they are in their work. Love means being not hypocritical, not selfish and not outrageous, he said.

"A short greeting of 'welcome home for Spring Festival' would warm the hearts of millions of Chinese people," he said.

The seven members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, headed by Xi, also attended the celebrations. It is traditional for top leaders to extend Spring Festival wishes at such an annual ceremony, which this year also featured performances by an orchestra, ballet dancers and acrobats.

Xi went on to wish all Chinese, including ethnic groups, those in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and those living abroad, an auspicious Year of the Rooster, an animal that symbolizes good fortune.

China's economic growth has remained one of the strongest in the world, and people's livelihoods have continuously been improved, the president said, before calling on the nation to "roll up our sleeves to work harder".

Xi said he hopes the people "not only have great dreams, but also show a hardworking spirit to fulfill those dreams". He added, "The progresses in China's development are achieved thanks to Chinese people's diligent work."

Ma Qinghui, an express delivery worker who came to Beijing nearly 10 years ago from his hometown in Jilin province, said he was moved by Xi's speech.

"Just as the president said, we should not forget our family, no matter how busy we are," said Ma, who has not seen his wife and daughter for nearly a year as they live in his hometown.

His love for his family is his motivation for working hard, he said, adding that he usually works more than 10 hours a day.

Jin Yanlei, a geography teacher in Dongying, Shandong province, said, "President Xi has told us to roll up our sleeves to work harder, which I think is important not only for ourselves, but also for the nation, especially at a time when the global economy is sluggish."
Zhao Chunhua

The owner of a carnival balloon-shooting gallery in Tianjin who was jailed for more than three years on firearm charges has been freed on appeal.

Zhao Chunhua, 51, was prosecuted on Dec 27 for illegal possession of guns, to which she pleaded guilty. However, the sentence she received led to a public outcry, with many arguing that it was too tough.

On Thursday, an appeal hearing at Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People's Court reduced the punishment to three years in prison suspended for three years, which meant Zhao was released from custody.

Police had arrested Zhao, who is from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, in October after six of nine guns discovered at her shooting gallery were deemed to be capable of causing considerable harm.

However, the appeal court found that she had no strong intention to harm society and that her attitude toward the criminal charge was positive.

"She knew the model guns could cause injury and cannot be purchased through legal channels. But given that Zhao showed remorse and that the guns she owned were for recreational shooting, posing little threat to society, she was given a suspended sentence," the court said in a statement.

Wang Yanling, Zhao's daughter, said she was satisfied with the result. "At least my mother can come home to celebrate Spring Festival with me," she said. Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday, is a traditional time for family reunions.

Xu Xin and Si Weijiang, the lawyers representing Zhao, expressed their regret over the guilty verdict. The sentence handed down after the appeal hearing shows more compassion than the first, they said, but they maintained their client is not a criminal.

"Without the public's support, we would not have gotten the lighter sentence," Si said. Both lawyers said they hoped the case will lead to an improvement in the legal definition of guns in Criminal Law.

According to a 2010 document from the Ministry of Public Security, an illegal firearm is any gun that can fire a bullet with a force of 1.8 joules per square centimeter or more.

The force of the six guns owned by Zhao ranged from 2.17 to 3.14 joules per sq cm, according to court records.

By contrast, in Canada, air guns that shoot with anything less than 5.7 joules of muzzle energy are exempt from licensing, registration and other requirements under the Firearms Act.

"The standard in China is too low," said Wang Wanqiong, a criminal lawyer who has closely observed Zhao's case. "I hope this case will lead to an amendment of the law."
Students from overseas help hang up red lanterns at a house where they stay in China at Yuyuangu village, Wuyi county, Zhejiang province, Jan 24, 2017. [Photo/IC]

Restaurants in suburban Kunming have seen a surge in bookings for Spring Festival Eve, which falls on Friday, as more residents downtown look to relocate their annual family reunion to ensure a traditional experience.

The dinner held on Lunar New Year's Eve is known as tuanyuanfan (literally a get-together meal) and is at the top of most Chinese people's festival to-do list.

"This year, we'll go to a farmhouse restaurant with my children and grandchildren, 14 of us in total," said Zhu Zhengyi, 73, of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.

"It's not just about convenience. More importantly, having farm vegetables and meat that are grown simply to retain their taste, as well as being together with my family, arouses memories of the Spring Festival dinners I had as a child."

In addition, for rural residents who moved downtown, new apartments with elevators and flushing toilets have brought more convenience, but they have also led to fewer family gatherings.

Moving the Spring Festival Eve dinner to the suburbs has been a trend for two or three years. According to a report by Kunming Daily, more than half of the tables at suburban restaurants open during Spring Festival have been reserved this year.

Qibuxiang, an eatery that opened in June in Qibuchang village, said its 12 private rooms and 10 large tables were booked out two weeks ago. Only small tables are available now.

"Many of our diners live in the city center and want to cherish the New Year's Eve memory with traditional foods from the village," said Yang Chun, manager of the restaurant, which was rebuilt on the site of a primary school and is decorated in a vintage style.

The business belongs to the Huixiang catering group, which runs several high-end bars and restaurants in downtown Kunming.

On the menu for Lunar New Year's Eve are dishes with farm vegetables and meat that have been prepared using traditional local methods. Many raw materials have been handmade, such as its stinky tofu, a strong-smelling preserved bean curd. Prices for a set meal range from 600 to 1,280 yuan ($85 to $185).

"The reunion dinner is always the most important to the Chinese," Yang said. "This is a traditional culture, but more importantly it is a once-a-year gathering to renew their kinship."
Rows of high-speed trains wait to set off from Hefei South High-speed Train Station on Jan 13, 2017. [WU FANG/CHINA DAILY]

China's peak travel season has officially kicked off. Every year, Spring Festival sees the largest annual mass migration on the planet. Over the coming days, hundreds of millions of Chinese people will return home to reunite with their families.

This year, the Ministry of Transport has forecast that 2.98 billion trips will be taken during the 40-day travel rush, 2.2 percent more than last year. Although Chinese railway speeds have increased significantly and high-speed trains have joined the holiday transport rush, it is still not an easy journey home for many. Since 2005, photographer Wu Fang has captured the biggest movement of people on Earth with her lens, recording travelers' herculean efforts to return home for the festival.
Russians and Chinese perform Yangko during a celebration for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year at Greenwood Park in Moscow, Russia, on Jan 26, 2017. The Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan 28 this year. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - On the eve of the approaching Chinese Lunar New Year, the rest of the world is sharing the joy and excitement of the Asian country, a manifestation of the worldwide influence of China's most important festival, also known as the Spring Festival.

OCCASION FOR STRENGTHENING TIES

Some national leaders, on the festive occasion, expressed wishes for a stronger bilateral relationship.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday sent her wishes to those celebrating the festival worldwide through the government's website, pledging to further develop Britain-China relations, which have a stronger basis than ever before.

"We receive more Chinese investment than any other major European country. We've got around 150,000 Chinese students studying here and the number of Chinese tourists visiting has doubled in five years," she said.

As 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China and the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the ambassadorial relations between Britain and China, May said she hoped both countries will further their ties in various fields.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also expressed optimism over the strategic partnership between Nigeria and China, noting the two countries had reached a consensus to give full play to corresponding development strategies, strong economic complementarity, and enormous cooperative potential.

The Chinese Lunar New Year celebration emphasized the concept of family and the opportunity of reunion -- values shared by both Nigeria and China, Buhari wrote in a recent statement released by his office.

During a meeting with young Sinologists in Saint Petersburg University, the city's Vice Governor Alexander Govorunov said that Russia-China education cooperation has showed a positive trend, with 250 agreements signed between various universities of the two countries.

St. Petersburg needs to expand its knowledge regarding the Chinese language, culture, economics, law and tourism to further relations with China, Govorunov said at the meeting, which was part of a series of month-long cultural events the city hosts in celebrating the Spring Festival.
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The University of Groningen, one of the Netherlands' oldest centers of learning, has taken a momentous step in its 402-year history by planning to open its first branch campus in Yantai in Shandong province.

Prior to the plan, UG already had several partner universities in China, but with its partners China Agricultural University and the City of Yantai, the new University of Groningen Yantai aims to set itself apart through its role as a research-intensive university.

By mid-2018, its campus will feature a 40,000-square-meter research institute that will further UG's vision of "scientific excellence, innovation and creativity".

This big move, which is aligned with UG's internationalization strategy, will enable its students to be educated in a world-class environment.

"Offering an international classroom experience and excellence in research are key elements of our university," said Sibrand Poppema, UG's president.

"With our research-driven education at UGY, we expect to successfully reach out to the broader Chinese education sector."

In the Netherlands, UG offers more than half of its BA and the vast majority of its MA programs in English, attracting students from more than 120 countries.

Of these, Chinese students make up the third largest group of international students at the university - fully 17 percent of UG's total student population.

UG also established its first chair in Chinese last year.

The British sinologist Oliver Moore is developing a Bachelor's program in Chinese Culture and Language at UG, as well as a Chinese-language training program for lecturers.

He also contributes to the Groningen Confucius Institute.

With a Nobel Prize already under its belt, thanks to alumnus Ben Feringa who won the award for Chemistry last year, UG expects to move further up the top 100 universities list made by the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.

"We fully understand that the best students go to the best universities, and today UG aims to become a global education leader," said Poppema. "We intend to attract more international students because we believe in positive globalization through education."

www.rug.nl

(China Daily 01/27/2017 page11)
2017 is the Year of the Rooster, according to the Chinese zodiac. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

2017's zodiac animal is a domestic fowl that we consume without giving it much thought. But it could be a minefield for cultural misunderstandings once you go beyond simply nibbling chicken feet, writes Raymond Zhou

Of all 12 zodiac animals, the rooster may have a cleaner image than the pig, but it does not even rank as high as the pig on the list of foods' prestige. In the food chain of exclusiveness, chicken has gone downhill in China over the past three or more decades. When I was a kid, chicken was a luxury item, affordable to most families only for special occasions like New Year's Eve.

Imagine my shock when I first arrived in the US and saw the most economically deprived gorging themselves on fried chicken. Back in China, the ubiquity of KFC and local fast-food outlets has not pushed it down to the bottom of the ladder, at least not yet. It is still very much a middle-class entree.

Before the arrival of industrialized chicken farms, chickens were raised by rural households who used leftover food as the main source of fodder. Hens were for laying eggs, which could be sold for pocket change or consumed. Roosters were to be food, with their feathers made into fans or dusters. Chicks could be pets, but they quickly outgrew that phase. Kids or adults rarely developed the kind of attachment to a chick they would to a cat or dog.

Chicken feathers are also used for shuttlecocks in a game known to the Tujia ethnic minority as "kicking a chicken". Players kick the shuttlecock high, as if serving a volleyball, and whoever it lands near has the right to strike at anyone - with straws, not the shuttlecock. Mind you, they do not hit someone they hate, but rather someone who is a secret object of amorous feelings. Hence, it is a dating game.

Backyard chicken coops still exist, though maybe not as extensively due to the rate of urbanization. But the old economics of raising chicken no longer apply as it often makes more sense to buy processed chicken from the supermarket. This has spawned the rise of organic, free-range chicken, called tuji in Chinese. They are able to roam free and scout for their own food, rather than be fed processed feed. They are supposed to be more tasty.

Tuji are like the rural leftover children who are not submitted to the rigorous regimen of parental monitoring or heavy curriculum. Their guardians tend to be more laissez faire, too busy struggling to make ends meet to mollycoddle them as pets. As chickens, they are more valuable than their factory-farmed counterparts, but the "free-range" human beings of the countryside are not valued for their wild lifestyles, bruised skin, tattered clothing and all. It is a paradox that inspired me to write a short allegorical story years ago: What if humans become food for some kind of giant monster? Will they prefer the rural kids among us over our polished urban brethren?
Across China, different areas have generated and developed their own teahouse culture.

In Zhejiang province, one of the tea producing areas, drinking tea and going to teahouses have long been away of life.

"As far as I can remember, teahouses are always busy and full of customers," said Liu Junyao, 25,who comes from Lishui, a city in the southwest of the province, and who used to work in Hangzhou, the provincial capital.

Teahouses in Hangzhou represent the Wu Yue culture, being exquisite and elegant.

These venues pay a great deal of attention to the environment, both outside and inside.

At teahouses decorated in traditional Chinese style, visitors can see water flowing beneath little bridges, while outside is the West Lake tourist attraction or other sights.

Teahouses used to be popular destinations for the older generation, but are now attracting the younger generation in greater numbers.

When Liu was still in Hangzhou, she and her friends would visit and eat at a teahouse almost every time after they went hiking.

"We treat the teahouse more like a restaurant," she said. "But only if there is delicious and delicate food." She feels that teahouses are trying to attract younger customers with different types of food.

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, people have also been especially keen to visit teahouses, while the custom behind drinking tea here is quite different to that in Hangzhou.

While teahouses can be seen throughout Sichuan, locals care more about their function rather than the manner in which they are decorated.

Teahouses in this province can be compared to a small society where people share information, settle bargains, or even deal with family issues.

Liang Yu, 26, from Sichuan province who now works in Beijing, said people will sometimes call the teahouse a mahjong house, as most of the time they go to there to play poker or mahjong.

"I feel as if everyone goes to the teahouse all the time," Liang said. "Teahouses are part of life."

In southern China, Cantonese like to drink their Puerh tea and eat countless varieties of dim sum.

Many teahouses are now more like restaurants for people to dine together. Although Cantonese will say they still go there to have morning tea as before, the emphasis has switched from drinking tea to eating dim sum.
Johnson Wong teaches TV audience how to cook a Cantonese dish for the Spring Festival Eve dinner. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The following recipe can produce a Cantonese-style Spring Festival Eve dinner, as gourmet Johnson Wong recommends four "lucky dishes" from Cantonese cuisine.

1.White cut chicken with clam sauce

A chicken dish is a must-have on the Spring Festival Eve dinner menu, especially for the Year of the Rooster. The rooster has an image of being bold and energetic, and Guangdong people love eating chicken. This is a traditional Cantonese dish but it is not easy to find good clam sauce. Fishermen in the Pearl River Delta salt raw clam meat in bottles until they ferment. Stir-fry the clam sauce with ginger, garlic and dried tangerine peel, then boil the mix in chicken broth. Pour the special sauce onto white cut chicken.

2. Stir-fried dried oyster with Chinese sausage

In Cantonese, "dried oyster" sounds like "good business", while "sausage" sounds like "lucky". Therefore, this dish implies that the whole family can make a good living in the new year. To cook the dish, dice the dried oysters and Chinese sausage made from salted pork liver. Then stir-fry them together with bean sprouts. When eating the dish, you can use lettuce leaves to wrap the ingredients, so that it won't get too oily and has a crispy taste.
A view from inside Boniu Sinkhole, one of the large ones in nearly 50 sinkholes discovered in Shaanxi province, Northwest China. Most of them are well preserved in such counties as Ningqiang, Nanzheng, Xixiang, Zhenba, Gucheng and Mianxian. [Photo provided to China Daily]

After a four-month survey last summer, geologists confirmed that 49 sinkholes had been discovered in the mountains near the city of Hanzhong in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

"Sinkholes are a rare geological phenomenon. To find this many sinkholes together is unprecedented," Li Yichao, a senior engineer at the Shaanxi Geological Investigation Institute, told Xinhua reporters.

In fact, before the Hanzhong sinkholes only 130 such sinkholes had been found worldwide. All the previously discovered sinkholes are located between latitude 24 to 31 degrees north. Yet the Hanzhong sinkholes are located near latitude 33 degrees north.

"It is a miracle in world geological history," said Zhang Yuanhai, a researcher at the karst geology institute, affiliated to the Ministry of Land and Resources. "No one ever expected there to be sinkholes this far north and we need a lot of research to know why they are here."

Located in Qinba Mountain in the province, the Hanzhong sinkholes comprise one super large sinkhole, 17 large sinkholes and 31 conventional sinkholes.
The ground level of the Guanyin Cave gives visitors a temporary place for relief and awe at deeper wonders. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sinkholes must be one of the rarest geological phenomena in the world, since they are formed when carbonate rocks are eroded over a long period of time by an underground river, the water would hollows out the rock which eventually collapses, leaving the process up to 500,000 years to form.

"The Hanzhong sinkholes are by far the most northern karst geological form in China," Liu Tongliang, director of karst geology institute, affiliated to the Ministry of Land and Resources, was quoted by cnwest.com. "They are of great significance to geology and the study of historical climate changes."

The Hanzhong sinkholes are important for other scientific research as well. Being unknown to the outside world for so long, they have been left untouched by human progress character, thus a unique habitat for plants and animals.

The biodiversity in the sinkholes is far more complicated than might be imagined and experts expect to find new species here, he said.

In March, when a joint research team of China and France visited a sinkhole in Donglan county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, South China, they found various kinds of unidentified animals and plants.

The Hanzhong sinkholes are expected to be another rich treasure trove of biodiversity.
Senior vacationers enjoy the sunshine in a park in Sanya, Hainan province. [Photo by Sha Xiaofeng/provided to China Daily]

Widespread smog in many of China's northern cities is driving ever-larger crowds of winter tourists south to the island province of Hainan in search of cleaner air.

Located on the 18th parallel north, the same line of latitude as Kingston in Jamaica, Hainan's tropical climate means it is widely regarded by Chinese people as a winter paradise.

"The inroads that smog has made in northern cities have driven up air ticket prices remarkably to Haikou, capital of Hainan, and Sanya, a well-known resort at the southernmost part of the island," said an official from the Haikou city government.

"Tickets to get here are sometimes priced five times higher than tickets to leave."

In the past, tourists flocked from northern provinces and regions just to escape the bitter cold, but avoiding smog has also become a popular motive for traveling to Hainan.

"Hearing now and then on TV about heavy snowfalls in my northern hometown and the red alerts for smog in many cities, I feel lucky that my family can retreat to a place where we can 'face the sea, with spring flowers blossoming'," said retiree Lao Li, referencing a well-known poem by Chinese poet Hai Zi.

Known as the "Hawaii of China", and the nation's orchard, Hainan ranks highly among Chinese provinces for its level of ecology and clean air.

It is not uncommon for senior citizens with chronic illnesses, such as asthma or skin problems, to find their conditions have improved after spending time on the island.

The province's lush greenery, together with an ongoing program of infrastructure improvement, combine to make Hainan popular with senior vacationersnicknamed "migratory birds" because they fly south to the island each year.




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The date of Australia's national day should not be changed, the prime minister said Thursday, as thousands of protesters marred celebrations on the day that commemorates the arrival of the country's first British colonists in Sydney Harbor on Jan 26, 1788.

The British never acknowledged the land was owned by the Aborigines and the lack of any treaty has long been a source of division.

Thousands of protesters took part in largely peaceful "Invasion Day" rallies in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, while hundreds staged a sit-in outside Parliament House in the national capital, Canberra.

"Everyone is entitled to a point of view, but I think most Australians accept Jan 26 as Australia Day," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

"It is a day where we celebrate the rich diversity of all of our cultures."

Ian Macfarlane, a former minister in Turnbull's government who retired from politics last year, became a rare conservative voice to call for the date to be changed.

He suggested Australia's national day commemorate March 1, 1901. On that date, a newly created Australian federal government took over many of the functions of the six British colonies that preceded it.

"It's about healing a wound, drawing a line, getting on with the really important issues facing our indigenous communities," Macfarlane said in a speech in Melbourne.

"I believe that all Australians celebrating our great country on a date not associated with past wrongs can only bring us closer," he wrote in a column for The Australian.
NEW YORK - The top of the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan, New York, will shine in red and gold at sunset Thursday and Friday celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year that starts on Jan. 28.

The international icon of the New York skyline, the Building's tower lights will "shine in a special Chinese Lunar New Year design entitled 'universal celebration'," said John B. Kessler, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Empire State Realty Trust, at a lighting ceremony with Chinese Consul General Zhang Qiyue, in the lobby on the Fifth Avenue Thursday morning.

The lights were created by world renown lighting designer Marc Brickman in collaboration with China Central Academy of Fine arts in a salute to the Year of the Rooster which represents punctuality, trustworthiness and good luck, Kessler said.

This year's theme of "universal celebration" is well chosen, Zhang said, as the Spring Festival is now an important holiday for both Chinese, Asians and Americans.

The Chinese diplomat said that about 950.000 visitors from the Chinese mainland visited New York last year and Empire State Building is one of the must-visit NY landmarks for many of them.

The Chinese mainland has become the second largest source of foreign visitors for the city, next only to Britain, she said.

"I believe China-U.S. relations will stay healthy and strong for the benefits of the two peoples," she said.

According to its lighting calendar, the Building will be lit in red and gold at sunset Thursday and Friday, and change every 60 seconds until the next morning,

Since 1976, the Empire State Building's tower lights have maintained a tradition of changing color to recognize various occasions and organizations throughout the year. New York state has added the Spring Festival to the list of public holidays since 2014.
US President Donald Trump (R) returns to the White House from Philadelphia, in Washington DC, the United States, on Jan 26, 2017. US President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday.

Spicer said Trump wanted to use the new tax to fund the proposing wall between the United States and Mexico.

Spicer's words were hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled the work meeting with Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.

Spicer didn't release any detail about how the new tax will work.

"We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," said Trump at a party retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Analysts said although U.S. President has the authority to impose tariffs, Trump cannot simply impose a new tax on imports from Mexico because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which eliminated all tariffs among Canada, United States and Mexico.

If Trump wants to impose a border tax against Mexico, he needs to withdraw the United States from NAFTA first. After notifying the other two signatory nations for six months, the United States can impose tariffs against Mexico.

Building a wall at the U.S. southern border with Mexico to be paid by Mexico was one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to build "a large physical barrier" between the two countries.

Trump reiterated earlier Wednesday during an interview that the wall project will start as soon as possible and financed by Washington, but Mexico will "100 percent" reimburse the United States at "a later date," which has been rejected by Mexican government for several times.
Image taken on Jan. 25, 2017, shows a view of a section of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. US President Donald Trump wants a 20-percent border tax on all imports from Mexico, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico will not pay for the border wall US President Donald Trump wants to build, said Vanessa Rubio, Mexico's deputy minister of finance, on Thursday.

"Mexico will not pay if the United States continues with the building of this wall. Pretending that Mexico will pay for that wall is absurd," Rubio told a press conference.

She continued to warn that the sovereignty of Mexico would not be up for negotiation.

"We are living a new age for our country, and these are new times for our country and for the world," she added. "We will take firm, resolute and opportune decisions but we will not be pressured."

For Rubio, Mexico can count on a macroeconomic structure which is "healthy and stable" and that all measures to maintain this will be prioritized.

The deputy minister noted that the country is taking financial, fiscal and monetary measures that would not skimp on the options Mexico has before, based on the evaluation of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, including the exchange rate.

Rubio was speaking as it was announced that Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto would not meet Trump in the White House as planned on Jan. 31, due to the wall issue.

Rubio recognized that the Mexican government will continue to work for its sovereignty as well as to protect its nationals in the United States, including undocumented migrants Trump has threatened to deport.

"Mass deportations are currently a perception, not a reality. There is much uncertainty about this topic and we must wait for the negotiations that are a main topic on the Mexico-US agenda," concluded the deputy minister.
Bloomberg News is out with a story today, Chinas Army of Global Homebuyers Is Suddenly Short on Cash, on how Chinese buyers of real estate outside China are having to back out of their real estate deals because they cant get their money out of China. This should come as no surprise to our readers as we have been saying this was happening and would continue to happen. In Getting Money Out of China: The Reality Has Changed, I quoted a few lines of mine from a National Post article, where I urged realtors to wake up to the new reality of selling property to buyers from China:

Lawyer Dan Harris  an expert on facilitating trade with Chinese businesses  said that China has aggressively clamped down on capital flight.

Harris said U.S. realtors are calling his firm more and more often for help in getting cash out of China for luxury home sales that were easily completed in the past.

If anyone thinks the Chinese government will not stop people from sending $3 million out to buy a house in Vancouver? Wow. I dont know what they know that I dont.

The article led to an influx of two types of callers and emailers. One, mostly realtors, who called to let me know their sales to China buyers were going just fine and I had no idea what I was talking about. And two, people whose deals with Chinese buyers were not closing and asking for my help in getting the buyers money out of China.

What Bloomberg says in its article is both true and important. Chinese citizens are limited to taking out only $50,000 a year from China and they are now required to sign a document stating the money they are taking out will not be used to purchase real estate.

If you are looking to do a deal (not just real estate) with a Chinese citizen or a Chinese company, it behooves you to ask upfront from where your potential China buyer will be getting their money to fund the deal and whether they have funds outside the PRC should they be unable to get sufficient funds out of China. It has even become common to ask them to show you their out of PRC bank account statement as proof.

Having this information is important in your decision in choosing a deal partner. Do you want to sell your house or your product line or your business to a Chinese buyer for $5 million? Or might you be better off selling your house or your product line or your business to another buyer for $4.9 million?

What are you seeing out there?
(Photo : Getty Images) American companies have accused President Xi's government of tilting the business environment in China in favor of local companies

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An annual survey of business conditions in China conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce, or AmCham, found that 4 out of 5 companies feel less welcome in China than before



In a statement, AmCham chairman William Zarit said that while his company still supports China's active and constructive participation in the global economic system, it is, however, becoming apparent that the benefits of globalization are being taken for granted or even forgotten.



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Chinese President Xi Jinping defended globalization at the World Economic Forum in Davos but was not enough to appease US companies, who no longer feel welcome in China, and have accused his government of not walking the talk.



"Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room in the hope of avoiding danger but, in doing so, cutting off all light and air," President Xi said.



Xi added that no one would emerge the victor in a trade war.



China and the United States consider business ties between the countries the bedrock of their relations, but as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to move into the White House, business ties between both countries have become a source of friction



The companies believe that as China's economic growth continues to slow, the country is turning more and more towards protectionism.



In a statement, AmCham chairman William Zarit said that while his company still steadfastly supports China's active and constructive participation in the global economic system, it is, however, becoming apparent that the benefits of globalization are being taken for granted or even forgotten.



The US companies concerns are reportedly shared by other Western countries. On Monday, German ambassador to China, Michael Clauss issued a statement which highlighted concerns among European countries that China is favoring purely domestic companies.



In the strongly worded statement, Claus said that while China repeatedly says that there is a level playing field between German and Chinese companies "it often appears that somewhere down the line, political assurances of equal treatment give way to protectionism tendencies."



According to AmCham, most of the US companies surveyed said that revenue was still rising, but more said the investment environment was deteriorating rather than improving.



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(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/mobile-phone-smartphone-keyboard-1917737/) Former Google and Xiaomi executive Hugo Barra is returning to Silicon Valley to head VR venture of Facebook.

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Former Google and Xiaomi executive Hugo Barra is returning to Silicon Valley to head VR venture of Facebook. According to a post made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Barra will join the social networking company as VP of VR, which also includes Oculus.



Zuckerberg merely provided cursory information about the new appointment saying that Barra concurs with his belief that "virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform."



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Barra responded to the post saying that he had been interested in virtual reality ever since its inception. He added that he is looking forward to working with Facebook to make virtual reality mainstream.



Barra had announced his departure from Xiaomi earlier this week. He was with Xiaomi since 2013, where he was responsible for expanding the role of the company in global arena.



Barra had stated that he was leaving the Chinese technology company so that he can go back Silicon Valley. Prior to Xiaomi, Barra served Google from 2010 to 2013, where he dealt with development of Android.



It is expected that Barra may occupy top slot at Oculus. The former CEO of the initiative, Brendan Iribe, vacated the position in December last year. He moved on to manage one of two Oculus units.



Oculus is currently going through turbulent times. Its cofounder Palmer Luckey had come under fire for donating to Nimble America, a pro-Trump political outfit. The company is also embroiled in an Intellectual Property case. Earlier this month, Zuckerberg had to testify in a Dallas court in this regard.



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(Photo : PLAAF) VLRAAM on a J-16 during tests.

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Chinese propaganda has again resurrected the myth China's testing and might soon have combat ready a very long range air-to-air missile (VLRAAM) that can blast any United States warplane out of the sky from 300 kilometers away.



In November 2016, Chinese state-run media first revealed the existence of VLRAAM, which it claims is the world's longest range air-to-air missile.



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It said then that the rocket engine-powered VLRAAM has a speed of Mach 6 (7,400 km/h). VLRAAM is also said to have advanced features such as an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that locks onto a target; an infrared/electro-optical seeker and satellite navigation midcourse correction.



VLRAAM is designed to destroy strategically important but unarmed aerial tankers and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft flown by the U.S. Air Force and Navy. It's not meant to shoot down stealth fighters such as the Northrop Grumman F-35 Lightning II flown by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.



News stories and photos released by state-run media showed one of these VLRAAMs mounted beneath each wing of a Shenyang J-16 fourth generation, multirole fighter bomber during tests. Chinese sources said the missile is incompatible with China's new stealth fighters, the Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-31 because it can't fit into their weapon bays.



This disadvantage means the easily detectible J-16 can easily be engaged at long range by U.S. fighters such as the F-35 or the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets flown-off Navy aircraft carriers. The two-seat J-16 has a round trip range of 3,900 km.



Chinese state-controlled media revealed VLRAAM is over six meters long. This compares to the 3.6 meter length for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) currently in use by the United States military.



The longest range air-to-air missile in service with the U.S. military is the AIM-120D AMRAAM with a range in excess of 160 km.



The new Chinese propaganda offensive launched yesterday on websites of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) repeated the same claims and added more claims. The PLA released some of the same images of the missile it issued in 2016 while adding a few more.



It again said VLRAAM is being tested in combat drills. It cited a researcher at the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) who believes China has developed "a new missile to destroy high-value targets such as early-warning planes and aerial refueling aircraft, which stay far from conflict zones."



He also said all air-to-air missiles in the world are unsuitable for combating early-warning planes because of the short range of these missiles. He said the best solution to this problem is to send a super-maneuverable fighter jet with very-long-range missiles to destroy those high-value targets, which are the eyes of the enemy.



Another Chinese pundit claims VLRAAM has a range of 400 km.



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(Photo : Getty Images. ) China has offered its backing for a proposed trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Russia.

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Amid concerns over Sino-US relationship under US President Donald Trump, China on Thursday backed Moscow's proposal for a trilateral partnership involving Russia, the U.S., and China. The move comes a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed the strategic trilateral partnership at the lower house of the Russian parliament.



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"China, Russia, and the U.S. are all major countries with worldwide influence and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. For world peace, stability and development, we share a great responsibility," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.



Hua said "we are willing to work together with Russia and the U.S." while trying to improve relation with both countries in the process.



Earlier in the week, while addressing Russian parliament, Lavrov said that they would like to see Russia, the U.S., and China form a strategic partnership.



He emphasized that Moscow's relations with any other country would not pose any threat to "Russian-Chinese strategic partnership."



Lavrov's proposal for the trilateral relationship assumes importance in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-Chinese stance. Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony last week, Trump unleashed a barrage of criticisms against China over a range of sensitive issues including its controversial trade practices, the South China Sea dispute, and North Korea.



Meanwhile, the diplomatic ties between China and Russia are probably passing through its best phase, following a lull in their relationship during most part of the last decade. President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to China last year, signaling an improvement in the ties between the two communist giants.



Last year, the foreign ministers of both countries also held a strategic meeting in Beijing where they agreed to form an alliance to counter the hegemony of western countries in the Asia Pacific region.



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(Photo : Russian Ground Forces) Russian soldiers wearing Ratnik combat gear.

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The Ground Forces of the Russian Federation this year will receive 50,000 more "Ratnik" infantry combat system kits that has seem combat in Syria.



Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces, said his troops will be equipped with the Ratnik-2 version of the personal combat uniform kits adopted by the ground forces in 2014.



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"In 2017, the Russian armed forces plan to purchase 50,000 second-generation Ratnik gear kits for servicemen of the Land Force, Airborne Troops and the marines of the Russian Navy," said Gen. Salyukov yesterday.



There are some 230,000 men in the Russian Ground Forces and 45,000 more in the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV). There are some 12,000 men in the Russian Naval Infantry, also called the Russian Marines.



Ratnik (the Russian word for warrior) is a system consisting of advanced protective and communication equipment; weapons and ammunition. It comprises some 40 protective and life support elements and allows a soldier to receive continuously updated information about the situation in a combat area.



It includes modernized body armor; a helmet with special monitors (an eye monitor, thermal, night vision monocular, flashlight); a communications system and special headphones. It includes 10 subsystems and 59 items.



In addition, Ratnik includes a self-contained heater; a backpack; an individual water filter; a gas mask and a medical kit. Ratnik is designed to improve the connectivity and combat effectiveness of the ground forces.



Ratnik protects almost 90% of a soldier's body. The weight of the full Ratnik gear with the special thigh and shoulder bulletproof shields comes to about 20 kg.



About 80,000 Ratnik kits were delivered in 2015 with a further 120,000 sets being delivered by the autumn 2016.



The Russian Ministry of Defense said it intends to purchase 50,000 Ratnik kits every year and its goal is to equip all soldiers with it. It's now working on an upgrade to Ratnik-2 called Ratnik-3.



"I think the most successful technical solutions from Ratnik will be included in it, but it will be an outfit of a totally new level by all components -- protection, destruction, life support, control and power supply, with the use of exoskeleton constructions, information and target designation on the visor or eyewear, microclimate maintenance and the serviceman's condition monitoring systems," said Gen. Salyukov of Ratnik-3.



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TagsRatnik, Ground Forces of the Russian Federation, nfantry combat system kits, Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov
(Photo : JASDF) Japan's first F-35.

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In Japanese hands, the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter will accelerate the strategic transformation of Japan's military to one bent on the "dynamic deterrence" of China, said an analysis of the impact of the stealth fighter in an official People's Liberation Army (PLA) website.



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The op-ed piece argued that Japan's acquisition of F-35A stealth fighters "will impose substantial impacts on the security situation in East Asia and calls for close attention."



This acquisition plus the stationing of an entire squadron of F-35B fighters at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni has created an "arc of stealth combat capability" with the F-35 at its core.



The stealth jets will help transform the doctrine guiding the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF or the Japanese armed forces) to one based on the "dynamic deterrence" of China. JSDF's doctrine has evolved over time from "basic defense" to "joint and mobile defense" to "homeland defense" and now to "dynamic deterrence."



JSDF's strategic focus will now move from the north, where it once guarded against threats from Russia, to the southwest where it stands ready to confront China,



The op-ed said the "F-35 is a vital piece of equipment that can support Japan's strategic transformation and an advanced fighter that can guard the southern and northern end of Japanese islands, thus intensifying the contention with China over the East China Sea."



It also alleges that to assist the United States, Japan "has been consolidating its military alliance with the U.S. in recent years, and purchasing and commissioning the F-35A fighter jets is an important step toward deepening the alliance and pushing their military integration."



The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) on Dec. 1, 2016 received its first combat ready F-35A at the U.S. Air Force's Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.



This F-35A was the first of four the JASDF received in December. The Japanese government signed a deal to buy 28 F-35As over the next five years, and will buy 14 more of the fifth generations stealth fighters part of a plan to purchase 42 of the jets.



Japan became the third international customer after South Korea and Israel to receive the jet, considered the most advanced in the world but one plagued with technical problems and serious cost overruns that have combined to delay delivery of the jet to the U.S. armed services and foreign customers.



JASDF will use the F-35As to replace its four decade-old fleet of 70 F-4EJ Kai fighter bombers (famous as the Phantom in U.S. service), which is an upgraded version of the F-4EJ with improved avionics and the capability to attack both ground targets and enemy warships.



The acquisition of the F-35s is a key part of Japan's plan to re-arm the JASDF with more modern weapons and equipment in the face of untrammeled Chinese aggression in Asia.



Japan's Ministry of Defense has requested a record budget of $51 billion for fiscal 2017 to cope with persistent military threats from China and North Korea amid growing tensions that might spin out of control.



The defense budget is the fifth successive annual increase and is 2.3 percent higher than the current budget. Of this amount, funds will be allotted to the F-35As. Japan has ordered 48 of the fifth generation stealth fighter and is one of eight countries jointly developing this aircraft.



Pilots of the JASDF will flew the F-35A for the first time in December 2016. The F-35As will be stationed at the Misawa Air Base alongside U.S. F-16s from the USAF 35th Fighter Wing.



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TagsJapan, Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, People's Liberation Army, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan Self-Defense Force, East China Sea, Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Christians in Somalia face severe persecution, with reports surfacing that when there is even a suspicion that someone is a Christian, they are executed.

On this years recently released 2017 World Watch list from Christian persecution charity Open Doors, Somalia ranks as the second worst country for Christian persecution, only behind North Korea.

According to ChristianToday.com, however, some say that Somalia is even worse than North Korea regarding persecution of Christian because the moment someone is suspected of being a Christian, that person is beheaded without any kind of trial.

"Unlike in North Korea, on their [Christian converts'] discovery they would not last a day in a trial or ever get the chance to be sentenced to a labor camp," said Yonas Dembele, an International Law analyst for the World Watch Research Unit at Open Doors.

In order to survive as Christians in this Sunni Muslim-dominated nation, Christ-followers must pretend not to be Christians, according to Dembele.

The Islamic State and al-Shabaab terrorist groups also target Christians in the country.

Despite these severe dangers Christians face in Somalia, there are also reports of many Muslims converting to Christianity.

Greg Musselman of the Voice of the Martyrs said, "we do hear these many stories of Muslims having visions and dreams of Jesus.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: January 27, 2017
Pro-life leaders say a nationwide surge in optimism is driving the wave of pro-life bills already introduced in the first few weeks of this years state legislative sessions.



The nearly 50 new bills include bans on dismemberment abortions and any procedure after 20 weeks gestation, fetal burial requirements, and bills that would defund Planned Parenthood.



With the election of a pro-life president, with all of the gains that we made across the different states with last years election, I think we are very optimistic in passing laws that protect the unborn baby and their moms, National Right to Life Committees Ingrid Duran told me.



Last year, lawmakers approved 60 new pro-life laws across the country, and leaders expect more of the same focus this year, simply with more energy.



Eric Scheidler, director of Pro-Life Action League, told me the surge of pro-life bills is a reaction to years of elitist cultural bullying. He pointed to President Donald Trumps choice of pro-life advisers: Vice President Mike Pence, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, and Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions.



It isnt the person of Trump, but its the whole phenomenon and all the people around him and the people hes appointed. Thats really whats driving this optimism, Scheidler said.



So far this year, legislators in Iowa, Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida have introduced 20-week abortion bans. Lawmakers in four statesArkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Rhode Islandhave filed bills that would ban dismemberment abortions. And the Kentucky and Iowa legislatures will consider bills to defund abortion giant Planned Parenthood.



Laws restricting abortion already have momentum: The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute reported last year that 288 billsmore than one-fourth of all pro-life laws passed since 1973came after 2010.



Thats when Obamacare was rammed through so cynically, Scheidler said. A lot of reason behind the pro-life laws was an attempt to reign in some of the pro-abortion measures of Obamacare.



Until 2015, most pro-life measures addressed medication abortion, private insurance mandates, and parental involvement. Coinciding with the release of undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthoods involvement in the fetal tissue trade, lawmakers began focusing on abortion facility regulations and the humanity of the unborn child.



Some states have only one or two pro-life bills introduced so far this year, while others have a whole stack. In Missouri, lawmakers filed dozens of bills targeting abortion, 22 for which Missouri Right to Life expresses support. The pro-life bills include a ban on abortions due to an unborn babys sex, race, or a diagnosis of Down syndrome; five bills addressing the sale or donation of aborted baby body parts; and a bill that would extend greater protections to embryos conceived through in-vitro fertilization.



In Iowa, where the most recent pro-life law (a parental notification bill) passed in 1996, state senators have introduced half a dozen pro-life measures. They include a bill that would classify unborn babies weighing at least 350 grams (0.77 pounds) as a person, and a bill that would make dealing in baby body parts a felony.



After they reclaimed the Senate in November, Iowa Republicans now have a trifectaholding the state House, Senate, and governors seat for the first time in 20 years. Iowa Right to Life director Jennifer Bowen said the future looks bright for pro-lifers in her state. Iowa is radically behind other states in pro-life laws, she said, adding lawmakers now have a chance to close the gap.



Planned Parenthood lost. Completely lost, Bowen said. I dont think the reality has sunk in yet, that voters responded very, very strongly in Iowa.  In the short term, were seeing a lot of loud, histrionic hysteria that is quite distracting, but at the end of the day they have to realize at some point that this abortion-on-demand and without apology is not where Iowa wants to go.



Some pro-life bills may be too aggressive to survive a court challenge. Those most likely to succeed will mirror measures passed last year that avoided court interference, Denise Burke with Americans United for Life told me.



When weve got this great opportunity, were going to pass the tried and true, things that we know are constitutional and effective, she said.



Aggressive measures include an Idaho bill to classify abortion as murder, a Texas bill removing abortionists medical licenses, and an Indiana bill that defines human life as beginning at conception, which would make abortion illegal.



But even if they cant survive a gubernatorial veto or a court challenge, Scheidler said aggressive pro-life bills can be a good teaching tool for the pro-life movement: It allows us to talk about how the healing art should be used for healing and not killing.



So much pro-life momentum is especially remarkable after last years U.S. Supreme Court decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down a Texas law requiring abortion centers to meet ambulatory surgical center standards and abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges.



Pro-lifers at first feared the decision would have broad implications for regulating the abortion industry, but the focus changed in November.



I think theres increasing confidence among many pro-life allies and legislators that Hellerstedt may have a limited shelf life with the potential new Supreme Court, Burke said. So were seeing a lot of what weve seen in the last couple of years, but just with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.



But not all states got a green light in November to push through pro-life bills. Oregon Right to Life director Gayle Atteberry told me state leaders laid down the gauntlet and pledged to fight the Trump administrations pro-life agenda in the state.



Oregon Right to Life is promoting a few pro-life bills, including one that would ban late-term, sex-selective abortions. Its also fighting a bill that would mandate insurance coverage for contraception and abortions and notification for religious organization employees that their contraception and abortions wont be covered. Despite strong opposition to the pro-life cause, Atteberry remains optimistic: God is working here, and were not going anywhere.

Courtesy: WORLD News Service

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: January 27, 2017
Pro-life and pro-choice advocates agree on data, disagree on causes.

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Image: March for Life

What Both DC Marches Agree On: Abortions Havent Been This ...

Energized by President Donald Trump defunding foreign abortions and his promise to appoint a conservative Supreme Court justice, pro-life marchers gathered at the Mall in Washington D.C. today.

Theres never been a time, ever, when the muscle of the pro-life movement has been so strong, Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser toldTime this month.

The 44th annual March for Life comes less than two weeks after the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported that abortions fell to less than a million in 2014. The total was 12 percent fewer than in 2011, and the lowest rate since Roe v. Wade legalized the practice in 1973.

Guttmacher credited the rising rate of contraception use, which delivers fewer unintended pregnancies.

Births do not appear to have replaced most abortions in the most recent period: The number of abortions declined by a little over 132,000, whereas the number of births increased by only about 35,000 (some of which could represent more intended births, as happened between 2008 and 2011), wrote Guttmacher senior policy communications manager Joerg Dreweke.

Dreweke pointed to a study detailing the increased use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (such as IUDs and implants) among teens; although the study was only conducted among women who already used contraception, the efficacy of longer-acting contraceptives is higher than those of other birth control methods. In 2008, 27 percent of women who procured an abortion reported using condoms when they became pregnant; 17 percent were using a hormonal method.

The US Department of Health and Human Services credits the falling teen birth rate to both more teens choosing abstinence and ...
Since he joined the staff of Christianity Today in 2005, Andy Crouch has become somewhat of a household name in many Christian circles. The last twelve years have seen a lot of mountaintops for him, including the publication of such influential books as Culture Making and Playing God and a successful tenure as CTs executive editor.

This month, as he prepares for the April publication of his new book The Tech-Wise Family, Crouch is also stepping down from his position at CT to pursue work with the John Templeton Foundation. On his last day in the office, he sat down with CT managing editor Richard Clark to talk about video games, parenthood, and the many twists and turns of his truth-seeking calling.

In April, Andy Crouch will be hosting Christianity Todays Church Leader Summit at The Outcomes Conference in Dallas Texas. Wed love to see you there! Check out the podcast for information on a special podcasts listeners discount.

On deciding to be a father: I thought, How do I maximally commit myself to participation in Gods love? Most of the people Im going to love will forget me very quickly. Almost everything I do will be forgotten. So I realized theres only one way I could invest my life that would have the most endurance, and that would be if I ever had the chance to have children. My life is most shaped by the ones who most embodied love.

On what makes Christian journalism distinct: I have a lot in common with my journalist colleague who may not be a believer. We are both seeking the truth and seeking to tell the truth. Really, the only difference is [that] we may have a disagreement about what sources of truth we have ...

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Few events in modern history illustrated the corrosive impact of abortion culture like the Kermit Gosnell case of 2013. Gosnell ran the Womens Medical Society Clinic in West Philadelphia and was convicted of a myriad of state and federal criminal charges, including first-degree murder of infants (delivered alive and then killed with scissors), involuntary manslaughter (a Nepalese refugee mother died in his clinic while undergoing an abortion in 2009), and numerous drug trafficking charges.

I once stood on the sidewalk in front of Gosnells clinic. From the outside, it looked like any good Samaritan" community health center. Inside, however, it was a house of horrors. If youve read the official law enforcement reports or watched the chilling documentary 3801 Lancaster: American Tragedy, you know this description is not hyperbole.

With the release of the Lancaster film, as well as Gosnell: The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer, the Gosnell case is back in the spotlight with everything it offered us the first time: a sobering reminder of the criminal aspects of the abortion industry and a reason to reinvigorate the pro-life movement.

The Gosnell story received national (albeit delayed) media attention in part because the crimes and atrocities committed at the Womens Medical Society Clinic were described in detail throughout the course of the trial. The allegations against Gosnell could not be dismissed as unreliable hype from the biased anti-abortion crowd. No reasonable personpro-life or pro-choicecould read the grand jury report and not feel ill and outraged.

Gosnells contempt for the law and his patients ...

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home US Arkansas governor signs abortion law banning second trimester 'dismemberment' procedure

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law on Thursday a bill banning the most common abortion procedure employed in the second trimester of a pregnancy, which has been described as "barbaric" by pro-life groups.

The law, which takes effect later this year, prohibits dilation and evacuation, a practice that pro-choice advocates say is the safest method of ending a pregnancy but which supporters of the legislation call "barbaric" as it requires the "dismemberment" of the fetus.

Anti-abortion activists said the bill was their paramount objective in the current legislative session. With conservative Republicans controlling both chambers of the General Assembly, the bill faced little opposition.

Near identical laws have been adopted in Mississippi and Louisiana. Similar bans in Kansas, Oklahoma and Alabama have faced legal challenges and have yet to be implemented, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion legislation.

Opponents of the Arkansas law vowed to fight it in the courts and predicted it would fail.

"The law puts an undue burden on a woman's constitutional right to obtain a second-trimester abortion, and I think the legislature knows it and doesn't care," said Rita Sklar, an attorney for the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Hutchinson, a Republican, had said he believed the U.S. Supreme Court could uphold the law if given the opportunity. He said evolving medical standards of fetal viability could alter the traditional definition of trimester.

The Arkansas health department has said that dilation and extraction procedure, which requires the fetus to be dismembered limb by limb, was used in 683 of the 3,771 abortions performed in Arkansas in 2015, the most recent year for which it has records.
home World Dutch government plans to launch global abortion fund to counter Trump's ban

Lawmakers in the Netherlands are planning to set up a global fund for abortion in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's reinstatement of a policy that bans international groups from receiving U.S. taxpayer funding if they promote or perform abortions.

The Mexico City Policy, which was signed by Trump on Monday, requires foreign NGOs receiving U.S. aid to certify that they do not perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning.

On Tuesday, Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation for the Dutch government, announced plans to launch an international fund for projects relating to birth control, abortion and women's education throughout developing countries.

A foreign ministry spokesman has said that the Dutch government has already held preliminary discussions about the proposal with European Union members who have responded positively. Businesses, social institutions and governments outside the EU will also be approached to participate in the project, according to Reuters.

Dutch officials have estimated that the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy could reduce funding by $600 million over the next four years.

"This has far-reaching consequences. First of all, for all those women who have to make, if they want to have a child, a choice, but also for their husbands and children and society as a whole. Banning abortion does not lead to fewer abortions. It leads to more irresponsible practices in back rooms and more maternal deaths," Ploumen told her colleagues, according to the Independent.

The policy was first introduced by Ronald Reagan at a United Nations conference in Mexico City in 1984. It was blocked by former President Bill Clinton when he took office in 1993. George W. Bush reinstated the policy, but Barack Obama overturned it again in 2009.

Ploumen cited figures from Marie Stopes International, which suggested that up to 14 women a day would die as a result of the policy.

Foreign ministry spokesman Herman van Gelderen said he was confident that the proposal would not damage relations with the new U.S. administration.

"Where decisions are taken that are bad for women in developing countries we should help those women. It's not about the politics, it's about those women," he said.
home US Kentucky lawmakers introduce bill to bring 'Bible literacy' course to public schools

Two Kentucky lawmakers have introduced a bill that would encourage the academic study of the Bible in public schools.

The bill, authored by Republican Reps. DJ Johnson of Owensboro and Wesley Morgan of Richmond, aims to "familiarize students with biblical characters and narratives that are prerequisites to understanding contemporary society and culture," Courier-journal reported.

The legislation calls on school districts to maintain "religious neutrality" and accommodate "diverse religious views." However, it does not have a requirement to study other religious texts, such as the Quran or Buddhist writings.

"Whether you believe that it's the word of God or you think it's complete fiction, you can't deny the impact it's had on our culture," Johnson said of the Bible.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, public schools are already allowed to study the Bible and other religious texts as long as the instruction is strictly academic and is not a "ruse to promote religious beliefs."

Department spokeswoman Nancy Rodriguez stated that some schools have already offered courses on Bible literacy in the past as part of an English elective.

Jim Potash, president of the Kentucky Secular Society, a group supporting the separation of church and state, has expressed his concern about how the legislation would be implemented.

"I don't think it really would be just teaching about religion. I think I'd have to worry about them actually preaching religion," said Potash.

He stated that he would prefer to see schools teach the Bible as part of a comparative course, in which students are also taught about other religious texts, such as the Quran.

Mark Chancey, a professor at Southern Methodist University who has studied the issues raised by Bible courses in public schools, said the courses can be valuable for students, but it could also pose problems for educators. He noted that it is easy even for experienced and well-meaning educators to "misstep" if proper training and curriculum are not available.

"We want to take (the texts) seriously as sources from that time period without treating them uncritically as straightforward history," said Chancey.

"That's a delicate dance because the minute teachers begin treating the Bible as straightforward, completely unproblematic history, they've slipped into making theological claims," he added.

Kentucky lawmakers have pushed for a similar measure in the past, including this year, when the bill was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate but died in the Democratic-controlled House.
home US Tennessee church blocks funds to SBC for supporting construction of mosque in New Jersey

A Baptist church in Tennessee has decided to withhold funds to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) because of the decision made by its entities to support the construction of a mosque in New Jersey.

Last June, the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and International Mission Board (IMB) joined an amicus brief to support the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge in its lawsuit against a New Jersey township that refused its application to build a mosque.

In late December, U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Shipp ruled in favor of Islamic Society of Basking Ridge and stated that the rejection of the application was a violation of Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Dean Haun, a pastor of First Baptist Church in Morristown, Tennessee, decried the participation of the IMB in the amicus brief and resigned as a trustee of the organization in November.

He said that he had received calls and emails from several pastors from Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Kentucky who also objected to the IMB's involvement in the case, The Christian Post reported.

In addition to his resignation, Haun said that the congregants at First Baptist Church, Morristown had voted unanimously to escrow the church's Cooperative Program funds, which are part of the church's undesignated receipts given in support of SBC missions and ministries.

Haun pointed out that his church was ranked fifth in Tennessee when it comes to the amount of money given to the Cooperative Program. He stated that the "substantial" funds will be withheld until a compromise is reached over the issue of IMB's inclusion in the brief.

"What we are doing is we are hoping we can work everything out. What we are doing is we are escrowing our funds. In other words, we still have them in our bank ready to send on if we can come to some kind of agreement or work this out," he told The Christian Post.

"We are hoping that the escrowing of these funds is a temporary thing because we have really been committed to SBC. We gave $151,000 to the Lottie Moon [Christmas] offering last year and all of our mission giving last year was right around a half a million dollars," he added.

The church still sends funds to the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board despite the escrow. Haun said that his decision to resign was not out of pressure from any outside group. He insisted that his resignation was based on his won personal conviction after he and the IMB leadership had reached an impasse.
Atheists Aren't As Rational As They Think  But We Should Join The Conversation, Not Shout

It's just over 10 years since the publication of possibly the most famous atheist book of all time. Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion was the most popular, but by no means the only best-seller which took aim at organised religion around the same time.

The first wave of new atheist smash hits included Sam Harris' Letter To A Christian Nation (2006), Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (2006) and Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great (2007). These were followed up by many other polemical screeds proclaiming not only the death of God but the complete stupidity of religious people.

In the wake of the New Atheism (which wasn't really new at all  it was merely restating old arguments against theism) came the rebuttals. Theologians began to hit back and show why God was indeed a good hypothesis. Alister McGrath penned a couple including Why God Won't Go Away: Engaging with the New Atheism (2011), David Bentley Hart also wrote two long responses, including Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies (2009).

What the last 10 years has shown is that despite claims to the contrary from extremists on both wings, there are decent, rational arguments on both sides. Whether you have a faith or not, it simply won't do to dismiss the other 'side' as irrational, unthinking or even dangerous. Sam Harris, who rails even against moderate religious believers, says: "Reading scripture more closely, one does not find reasons to be a religious moderate; one finds reasons to be a proper religious lunatic  to fear the fires of hell, to despise nonbelievers, to persecute homosexuals, etc." This kind of blanket dismissal has the effect of closing down discussion. A much more constructive approach is modeled in others publications, such as a recent one entitled An Atheist And A Christian Walk Into A Bar.

Closer to this spirit, I was pleased to see a video on the Guardian website this week with the intriguing title 'Atheists: you're not as rational as you think'. In it, academic Dominic Johnson briefly outlines the argument of his latest book, God is Watching You: How The Fear Of God Makes Us Human.

Johnson, himself an atheist, argues that belief in God is one of the factors which makes us more altruistic and is good for society. He also suggests that even though many people don't believe in God, they do have other beliefs which, in this respect, function in a similar way. So, when someone believes that 'what goes around comes around', they are also likely to behave in a way that's beneficial to society rather than in purely selfish terms.

To Christians, looking at faith in this way can feel quite reductive or even calculating. After all, we don't believe simply because it's good for society or because it's evolutionarily advantageous to the species. Faith is about much more than that.

Yet we shouldn't be too quick to dismiss this line of argument. If God is real and cares about the world, as the Church has proclaimed for almost 2,000 years, then it's likely that belief will encourage more altruistic, co-operative behaviour. A world and a people which God created would be likely to be in God's image  co-operative, collaborative and best expressed through relationship rather than individualism.

We need to sound a note of caution, though, before we send copies of Johnson's book to all of our most fierce atheist critics.

Johnson isn't suggesting we're right to believe in God, merely that belief has been advantageous. As Christians, we value truth as well as effectiveness. Therefore, it's not good enough for us to argue in favour of our faith purely on the basis that it happens to be good for the species as a whole. We need to cling to the truth of our beliefs as well as the good effects they have.

We need to get to a place where there is a better quality of discussion between atheists and Christians as well as believers of other faiths. We need to stop sniping and try to understand the other group's point of view. This is difficult while (especially in America) society is so polarised and political positions remain closely wedded to the kind of faith you profess.

If atheist voices, like those of Johnson, are willing to join the conversation in a cordial and non-aggressive way, we should be pleased. In fact, we should join in.

Follow Andy Walton on Twitter @waltonandy.
Church Of England Refuses To Budge On Gay Marriage

The Church of England is resisting calls to change its teaching that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman.

After years of debate and division the CofE's bishops have announced there "are no proposals" to change laws that prevent gay people from getting married in church and prevent clergy from entering into same-sex marriages.

But bishops insist they will offer "maximum freedom" for LGBT couples within the current laws and teaching of the Church, opening the possibility of an official service for gay couples. In a 15-page report published on Friday the bishops called for "a fresh tone and culture of welcome and support for lesbian and gay people".

The Church hierarchy has completed more than two years of private talks in a desperate attempt to heal deep rifts over its prohibition on gay marriage.

The bishops' recommendations will cause fury from the pro-LGBT wing of the Church which wants an official "blessing" for gay relationships, even if a full endorsement of gay marriage is not possible.

But the bishops rule out a blessing, which would signify approval. The Bishop of Norwich, Rt Rev Graham James, said this was not on the agenda at the moment.

They have however promised a new teaching document on marriage and relationships that would explore what accomodation could be given to gay couples.

The new teaching document will "affirm the place of lesbian and gay people in the life of the Church", a report suggested. But it will offer no concrete changes to teaching.

Current rules over whether clergy can offer prayers or a service to formally welcome gay couples are unclear, the bishops admitted.

They said they will publish guidance for "appropriate pastoral provision for same sex couples". Details of what this means is not available and the Bishop of Norwich, Rt Rev Graham James, said the bishops would "explore more fully" what the Church will offer gay couples.

The report makes clear the new guidance will "set careful boundaries" and will specify what may and may not take place.

He admitted the document would be "challenging or difficult reading" for gay Christians in the Church.

"No change in doctrine is doctrine is proposed but it is pastoral practice  how we treat people  which matter most," he said.

The bishops also said they would look at changing how gay clergy are questioned over whether they are sexually active. Under present rules LGBT ordinands must vow to remain celibate, even if in a long term relationship, but heterosexual couples do not face the same questioning.

Bishop James admitted the current process was "not working well". The report said any questioning about sexual conduct should apply equally to homosexual and heterosexual people. It said the current focus on sexuality led to a "pastorally unhelpful" tickbox attitude.
India And UAE Say Countries Must Do More To Tackle Religious Terrorism

India and the United Arab Emirates have issued a strong warning to countries which support religion-inspired terrorism.

Their statement is thought to be a thinly-veiled attack on Pakistan.

A joint statement from the two governments described their "strong condemnation of and resolute opposition to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, and declared that there could be no justification for terrorism anywhere".

India and Pakistan have a long history of antagonism, while the UAE had five diplomats killed in Kandahar in Afghanistan earlier this month. Both countries are said to be very worried about the risk of attacks from Pakistani-inspired groups.

The statement from the two nations goes on to say: "The two sides condemn efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, sustain and sponsor terrorism against other countries."

Indian state foreign minister Anwar Gargash said to journalists in Abu Dhabi: "There is a close relationship between extremism and terrorism. Not every extremist becomes a terrorist, but every terrorist is first an extremist."

Though the condemnation makes clear both countries are determined to fight radical Islamic terrorism such as that practised by ISIS, eyebrows may still be raised.

Since the election of President Narendra Modi, attacks against minority Christians and Muslims are reported to have risen. Meanwhile, Christian anti-persecution charity Open Doors says of the UAE that "religious and political freedom is severely restricted".
Large Church In Colorado Goes LGBT Inclusive

A large church in Denver, Colorado has announced it is to go "LGBT inclusive", stating that it is acting in "imitation of the wild, inclusive love of God that we see in Scripture".

In a video message, members of the elder team of Denver Community Church say they have spent much of the last two years giving time to "listening and learning, to prayer and reflection, and discussion and discernment, how we, as a faith community, will move forward with, and for, the LGBT community".

They said the last two years had been a journey for all of them.

"Each of us entered this conversation with divergent thoughts, experiences, opinions and insights, remembering all the while that this is not about an issue, this is about mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters and God's love for all people.

"This demands compassion and empathy and a willingness to listen, not only to one another, but to what the Spirit is saying to us, individually and as an elder team. In our journey and conversation we studied Scripture, prayed together, challenged one another, heard from various viewpoints and invited our brothers and sisters in the LGBT community to share their stories with us."

After months of consideration, as a team they were still not in agreement. However, they decided to "transcend" their differences and pray to experience "unity over uniformity".

This led them to decide for "full inclusion towards our LGBT brothers and sisters".

The elders say: "We believe this is in keeping with the direction of our faith community, a place where everyone can belong, can contribute and be open to the transformative work that God wants to do in each of us."

The church's lead pastor is Michael Hidalgo, who describes evangelicals as his "tribe of origin" and is the author of books such as Unlost: Being Found by the One We Are Looking For and Changing Faith: Questions, Doubts and Choices About the Unchanging God.
Let's Work Together For Russian Traditional Values, Patriarch Kirill Urges

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has called for dialogue between Russia's main religions as a way of helping protect traditional values.

Speaking yesterday at the Christmas Parliamentary Readings in the State Duma, Patriarch Kirill said: "The leaders of world religions are looking to give a good and convincing answer [to global challenges], showing an example of mutually respectful dialogue and a joint search for mechanisms to protect traditional values. I would like to again thank my brothers, leaders and representatives of the traditional religions of Russia for such an example set to us by interreligious dialogue in Russia."

According to Interfax, Kirill said that while different religions continued to hold their own positions, "the common understanding of the threats to traditional values helps unite to jointly resist evil".

The Russian Orthodox Church has become highly influential under the regime of President Vladimir Putin and has recovered many churches and other properties that had been appropriated by the state. There has been a large increase in the number of priests and monks and a rise in church attendance.

However, minority religions including Protestant evangelicalism have complained of discrimination against them, with the so-called Yarovaya Law against proselytism resulting in several court cases.

In a coded reference to homosexuality and same-sex marriage, he described "the entry by openly anti-religious, radical politics of the sphere of personal and family morals" one of the main challenges to contemporary society."

He added that it "may lead to degradation of society and is capable of causing catastrophic consequences".

The patriarch said: "The principle of dependence of public life on the dictate of various minorities, which is popular in some countries, leads to the value disorientation of many people, the adoption of morally doubtful or asocial models of behaviour."

He also criticised the "cult of consumption", which he said resulted in "turning God's image and likeness into a soulless mechanism to fight for material things and services".

He said: "And the most horrible thing happens when this cult enters the sphere of living human feelings, such as, for example, love or friendship, and it brings to these high feelings a consumerist attitude based on the principle 'you give to me and I give to you', and if there is no such exchange then there is no love, no friendship."
Mere Suspicion of Being a Christian Could Lead to Quick Public Beheading Without Trial in Somalia

In this 99.5 percent Sunni Muslim-majority African country, mere suspicion that one has converted to Christianity could lead to instant death by way of public beheading without trial.

This is Somalia, where Christian persecution is so extreme that "it could scarcely get any worse," The Christian Post reported, citing the charity group Aid to the Church in Need as source.

Somalia is now ranked number 2 in the World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, just behind perennial "top-notcher" North Korea.

Speaking to The Christian Post, Yonas Dembele, International Law analyst for the World Watch Research Unit at Open Doors International, said Somalia is actually worse than North Korea. "Unlike in North Korea, on their [Christian converts'] discovery they would not last a day in a trial or ever get the chance to be sentenced to a labor camp," Dembele said.

He said for Christians to survive in Somalia, they "must pretend not to be Christians."

In October 2016, Somalia became an even more dangerous country for Christians when the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group gained its first foothold in the Horn of Africa country, according to Mission Network News.

Aside from ISIS, another Islamist extremist group, the al-Shabaab, has also taken over parts of Somalia.

Yet despite the overwhelming danger, "we do hear these many stories of Muslims having visions and dreams of Jesus," according to Greg Musselman of the Voice of the Martyrs.

Somalia began to disintegrate as a nation following the ousting of President Siad Barre in 1991. In its Africa report, Aid to the Church in Need describes Somalia as a "humanitarian disaster with the worst health indicators in the world" with more than one of every 10 children dying in childbirth, and a quarter of those who do survive dying before the age of 5.

Islamist extremist factions rule much of the country even though there is supposed to be a transitional government backed by the Ethiopian armed forces, according to the Aid to the Church in Need report.

The report said the country used to be the home of about 2,000 Catholics, but they were forced to flee when the militants destroyed the Cathedral in Mogadishu in 2008.
President Trump: What Will It Take For Christians To Disown Him?

Donald Trump is wasting no time. Since becoming the 45th president of the United States on January 20 he's already set in motion some of his most extreme policy promises, gone on record with some even more far-right opinions than even his critics expected, and of course, kept on tweeting. Anyone who had hoped that Trump the president would have been a much more mellowed version of Trump the candidate has already received their answer in full.

Let's not forget  ever  that Christians put Trump in the White House. One oft-quoted New York Times statistic suggests that 81 per cent of white evangelicals voted for the man, and even if that number is slightly exaggerated (and my own recent travels in the American church suggest it isn't), that demographic is so large that it is easily powerful enough to have swung the election either way.

Some of those Christians were well aware of the shadow-side of their voting decision. They "held their noses" as many put it, because for them the key issue of abortion, on which Trump is prepared to take a conservative stance, outweighs all others. But many other American Christians weren't holding their noses at all; they marched into the voting booths and breathed deeply, inhaling the dubious smell of Trump with beaming smiles on their faces. To them, Donald Trump is 'God's man', put there by him to fight the modern evils of liberalism.

While a few notable conservative Christian voices broke ranks with Trump in the run-up to the election, they quickly got behind him again once that earth-shaking vote came in. Since the election result announcement in November, the Christians who backed him as a candidate, continued to back him as a president-elect and now as president. Men of huge influence such as Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell jr still believe that this is God's president. Graham even appeared alongside Trump during the then-president-elect's 'Thank you Tour' around key swing states.

Nothing that Trump has said or done so far has dissuaded American evangelicals from the idea that their voting decision was right and justified. While those on the left  and many of us around the world at both ends of the political spectrum  are daily shaking our heads at Trump's early moves in the Oval Office, Trump's faith-filled supporters are nodding along to every pen stroke. As a reminder: Trump has already said that he will cut funding to a range of programmes which build hope, community and justice, programmes such as the Department of Justice's Violence Against Women initiative, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the DOJ's Civil Rights division.

He's also announced funding cuts to a range of environmental agencies and initiatives. He's announced that he genuinely intends to build a wall between the US and Mexico, that he's going to stop accepting refugees from Syria, and initiated a ban on people entering the country on the basis of their religion. And he's moved towards defunding agencies which support abortion, or even mention abortion as a medical option  although of course, that will only increase his evangelical support.

None of this has caused his evangelical support to as much as flinch. To a lesser or greater extent, this is what they voted for. But of course, it's only the beginning.

In his first television interview as President, Trump defended the use of torture such as waterboarding, in the so-called 'fight against terror'. He said that he "felt" that torture works, and added that "you've got to fight fire with fire". So here's the first real surprise of the 45th presidency, arriving less than a week in. The US government is now considering making torture an official tool of its interrogators, the already-thick end of a thicker wedge which almost certainly leads to greater human rights abuses and the probable abandonment of the Geneva convention.

Is this enough to cause Christians to change their mind on Trump? Probably not. So what would the tipping point be? At what stage would Christians start to say: ok, we didn't vote for THIS?

Trump's evangelical supporters won't be offended by unfair rules around religious freedoms, as long as they're the ones getting the better deal. They certainly won't be upset by changes to the rules around women's reproductive health, or the dismantling of free public healthcare. They won't be troubled by policies prejudiced against women's rights, the LGBT community, or perhaps even ethnic minority groups. I can't quite believe I've just written that.

Perhaps though there are policies which could cause some Evangelical Christians to think again. If Trump really is a climate change denier, the small but significant group of Christians who prioritise 'creation care' will be seriously conflicted, as James MacIntyre has recently explained on this site. If Trump's love of corporate prosperity extends to relaxing freedoms around gambling and other morally-dubious activities, a few more may begin to ask serious questions. And if the trend toward defunding programmes which positively discriminate toward minority ethnic groups continues, he'll lost his remaining support in those communities, which is limited but significant.

All of this is still relatively a small slice of the pie, however. Perhaps the only thing which will really turn the whole American Church against Trump is if his policies begin to engender a real sense of domestic threat; if his relations with Russia or China turn sour, and the infamous 'Doomsday Clock'  an indicator of humanity's risk of extinction  moves closer to midnight, having already shifted in that direction since he took office. Of course, they'd also turn on him if he allowed taxes to rise steeply, but of course he never will.

It might seem remarkable, but the chance of impending war is the only scenario in which I can really imagine that the American evangelicals who got Trump into the White House will swallow their collective pride and admit their mistake. And while we should absolutely pray that never happens, every member of the global Church has to ask how we've allowed a huge branch of our family to cultivate such a warped sense of priorities.

If the trends of Trump's early presidential decisions continue, then the next few years should see repentant Christians marching on Washington regularly. They won't. Instead, Evangelical Christianity will become absolutely complicit in what could be one of the world's most terrifying regimes  and I say that as someone who deeply loves the country. So to every American Christian, we your brothers and sisters around the world ask you with deep affection: please think again, and open your eyes. This man is not your Messiah, and worst of all he's only going to block your view of the real one. Jesus calls you to justice, compassion, care for the outsider, radical love. Donald Trump and his government calls you away from these things. Don't get caught on the wrong side of history. Or indeed, of eternity.

Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
U.S. Christians Plead With New CIA Director Mike Pompeo To Say No To Torture After Donald Trump's Waterboarding Comments

Christians in the U.S. are looking to new CIA Director Mike Pompeo to tread the high moral on torture after new President Donald Trump claimed waterboarding "works."

President Trump controversially suggested in comments to ABC News that torture could be justified when dealing with suspected Islamic State militants because "we're not playing on an even playing field."

"When they're chopping off the heads of our people and other people. When they're chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East, when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire," he said.

On waterboarding specifically, Trump said he would "rely on" Pompeo and defence secretary James Mattis to decide on which methods to use, and that he would be supportive if waterboarding were to be reintroduced.

The comments have alarmed the Reverend Ron Stief, executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, who said in an op-ed in The Christian Post that Pompeo should stand by the anti-torture stance of his confirmation hearings.

"Director Pompeo has affirmed that he understands that torture is illegal," he said. "We hope that he holds to that position as CIA Director and we pray that he also understands that torture is immoral. Jesus himself was a victim of state-sponsored torture  and it is something that all Christians, and indeed all people, have a duty to oppose."

Christians are not the only ones to have expressed serious concern over President Trump's comments.

Kate Allen, of Amnesty International, wrote in British newspaper The Metro that Trump is wrong to suggest waterboarding is effective.

"Torture doesn't 'work' in terms of obtaining useful information  terrified people in great pain will say whatever it is they think their tormentors want to hear," she said.

"Torture doesn't work in terms of delivering justice  information extracted under torture is rightly inadmissible in a court. And torture doesn't work in the way that Mr Trump seems to think it will work."

Moreover, she said Trump was mistaken in his belief that torture could help to 'keep America safe.'

"More likely the opposite," she wrote. "Would-be terrorists will feel emboldened by signs that major countries like the USA are resorting to torture. It shows the extremists they're starting to have an impact."
Too often, active-duty service members leave the military and arrive home without any support network, advocates say.

Hundreds of local organizations try to fill in that gap in Houston, home to the second largest population of veterans in the country. Even so, according to service providers, veterans still often have trouble connecting with service organizations or groups while acclimating to civilian life.
Red Sun Rising is coming back to Houston.

After hitting the road for the last half year, the Ohio-based rock band will return on Friday as it opens for Pop Evil.

"We're excited," said Ryan Williams, lead guitarist and co-founder of the band. "Houston is one of the first places to really embrace us. We have a lot of fans down there and always enjoy playing there."

Red Sun Rising will open for headlining Pop Evil and play after up-and-coming band Badflower at the House of Blues on Friday. Tickets are still available.

Since the band's last venture through Houston, Red Sun Rising toured with Skillet across Europe as well as played shows across the United States.

"It's a bit surreal at times," Williams said. "It's something you dream about as your starting out as a musician (to be able to tour the world.) But to be a part of a band, to go to another country and they know your music  it's amazing."

Soon the world will get a heavy dose of new Red Sun Rising music to learn.

Williams said that the band is always writing new music and that the group will begin recording in March for a new album slated to drop this summer.

Red Sun Rising's latest album, 'Polyester Zeal,' produced two No. 1 Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs and blurred the lines between genres in the process.

Williams said any new music from the band won't be a far departure from what the band is currently doing.

"We're not going to go out and suddenly be a rap group," Williams joked.

'Polyester Zeal' featured a number of songs that were crafted in the band's early years including "Emotionless" and "Blister." Williams said the band could potentially revive some of their older songs based on the reaction from fans on the last album.

Another challenge to the new album is there's a new set of musicians in the group. The bulk of 'Polyester Zeal' was written before drummer Pat Cerasia, bassist Ricky Miller and rhythm guitarist Dave McGarry were with the band.

The new group of musicians for the new album will create a new set of challenges but Williams said he is up for it.

"We've come together a lot over the last year or so," Williams said. "I think the recording process is something we are all looking forward to."

While a new album is on the horizon, the band is focused on finishing its latest tour strong. The group played a packed show at the House of Blues in Dallas on Wednesday.

"This has been a fun tour," Williams said. "We love the guys in Pop Evil. They were one of the first groups to really give us a chance. It's a fun show every night."
First you have to know how to enter the bar few people knew was coming but everyone will want to get into.

You find 310 Main in downtown Houston and enter through the Pastry War bar. Look for the entrance to the stairs in the back of the room. A host will greet you at the staircase (reservations will help). And then you'll ascend to the second floor where you'll encounter what is sure to be the most bespoke cocktail experience in the city, and perhaps even the country.

That's where you'll find Tongue-Cut Sparrow, the formal bar opening next week from Anvil Bar & Refuge's Bobby Heugel and his friend (and roommate) chef Peter Jahnke who will serve as its general manager. In just seven weeks they put together an intimate, 25-seat bar (named for a Japanese fable that Jahnke likes) that's inspired by Heugel's and Jahnke's travels, specifically in Japan. The bar sits in a space above Pastry War that once was used as the VIP room for Tonic nightclub.

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Tongue-Cut Sparrow will serve 16 classic cocktails, four original cocktails, and "a thoughtful balance" of beer and wine. But it's not just about the drinks and how well they're made, Heugel said. Exceptional service and many thoughtful details will make the experience "extremely elevated," he added.

Cocktails will be served in fine glassware that will be "ice-cold frozen" and presented with cocktail accessories acquired from Heugel's and Jahnke's travels. The servers will be well dressed. Guests will be offered hot towels when they arrive and be served complementary snacks with their drinks. The music overhead will be jazz (coming from a vintage sound system) like that played in the best Ginza bars in Tokyo. When guests leave, they will be presented with candy in Austrian cut crystal dishes along with their checks.

"The focus is less on cocktail creation and bartender ego, and more on refining every detail of our craft in a more minimal, focused manner," Heugel stated. "Our goal here is to create an incredible bar experience  cocktails are only part of that pursuit."

Heugel said the bar project took shape only after Jahnke, his friend since the early Anvil days, agreed to participate. Houston foodies will remember him from his work as a butcher at both Revival Market and Underbelly before he set out to sail the world as a private chef.

"Peter's the only person in the city I'd consider opening this place with," said Heugel who helped popularize the craft cocktail experience in Houston when he opened Anvil in 2009. Together the partners bring their extensive knowledge of the world's best bars, as well as their appreciation for fine spirits, to play at Tongue-Cut Sparrow.

"Bars like this only exist in this country in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and maybe San Francisco," Heugel said. "That's only four cities in the country. We think Houston deserves it."'

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The experience at the bar will be special, he said. Even more so that it will accommodate only 25 people. There are eight seats at the bar (which may remind the well traveled of posh hotel bars in London) and the remainder throughout the space; there will be no people standing. The space, which the partners designed, will be dark, romantic and sexy, Heugel said.

A few details before you rush downtown: The bar will have a soft opening beginning Wednesday, Feb. 1 through Saturday, Feb. 4. It will be open to the public (yes, during the busy Super Bowl week). It then officially opens for reservations on Feb. 8. Reservations (call 713-321-8242) will be accepted for half the room with the rest of the space reserved for walk-ins. The bar will be open Wednesday through Saturday and have the same hours as Pastry War downstairs. Both bars will close at midnight on Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Tongue-Cut Sparrow also is very much an event space and is available for private events seven days a week.

So did the bar aim to open during the time 140,000 out of towners are descending on the city during the biggest sporting event in the country? Maybe yes, maybe no. Even so, Heugel is a little nervous: "What I'm really afraid of is we're going to get overrun."

Um, quite possibly.
Dear Abby:

I work in customer service and was helping a guest. During my chat with her, she showed me her phone. The wallpaper on her phone was a picture of the guest and her boyfriend. I recognized her boyfriend as the husband of a friend of mine I'll call Julie.

Julie and her husband have two young children. Part of me wants to confront him, but part of me says this would destroy a family. I have resolved to remain quiet unless I hear of marital difficulties, but would that be a disservice to my friend and her children?

Wants to Confront Him

Dear W.T. Confront:

Unless you are 100 percent certain that the man was who you think he was, and not someone with a strong resemblance to Julie's husband, do not involve yourself.

Dear Abby:

My mom told me that when I get engaged, she is going to hire a PI to investigate my fiance! This seems to me like total paranoia.

She told me a story she saw in the news about a seemingly normal man who ended up killing people to steal their money to pay for his wedding. That's scary, but I don't think it warrants hiring a PI to follow my future fiance around. I think my mom is going beyond being overprotective. What do you think?

Feeling Conflicted

Dear Feeling Conflicted:

I agree with you. What your mother is proposing is the definition of helicopter parenting. If your boyfriend were to find out, it would be the end of your romance. Perhaps you should ask your mother how she would feel if your fiance's family hired a detective to shake your family tree. I'll bet she wouldn't like it one bit.

Dear Abby:

I would like to see how other wives would handle this. I have a "friend" who constantly calls my husband her "boyfriend." She's married, and I'm sure this irks her spouse, too. Every time they come over, she has to give my husband a really big hug.

I feel what she's doing is inappropriate and want to know what you recommend to put a stop to this. It has reached the point I wish they would quit coming here. My husband and I are both polite people, but I would like for this to cease.

Polite Pat in the South

Dear Polite Pat:

I'm a wife and here's how I'd handle it. I would have your husband tell your friend privately that her effusiveness is embarrassing and to please stop doing it. If he doesn't feel comfortable doing this, talk to the woman yourself and tell her that when she calls your husband her boyfriend, it offends you, and that her husband should be her boyfriend.

DearAbby.comDear AbbyP.O. Box 69440Los Angeles, CA 90069Universal Press Syndicate
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San Luis Reservoir, the vast artificial lake outside Los Banos that Bay Area residents pass on road-trips to Los Angeles, is on the verge of filling up for the first time in six years.

It's almost impossible to exaggerate the prevalence of this milestone in California where every drop of water has mattered over the past six years of drought.

Many of the state's water-starved reservoirs partially recovered during last year's El Ninofueled rainy season. Even though the rain and snowfall totals weren't as high as predicted, Folsom Reservoir became so full that water was released to prevent flooding and Shasta nearly reached capacity.

San Luis remained a sad-looking puddle.

While many of the state's reservoirs are dependent on supply from their surrounding watersheds, San Luis is fed by canals carrying overflow from the San Joaquin Delta many miles away. It's a giant storage tank of sorts for both state and federal water agencies and dependent on surplus.

But even with last winter's average rainfall, excess water was scarce and San Luis' level remained low.

And then this year's rainy season hit, and a streak of moisture-packed storms swept across Northern California, bringing record-breaking precipitation.

Rainfall totals for the San Joaquin five-station index, compiling data from gauges in locations that feed water to the Delta, are double what they are in a typical water year.

Water from the San Joaquin River is currently pouring into the Delta at 20,000 cubic feet per second (CFS). At the height of the drought, the river flowed at about 500 CFS, and last year its highest flow was 4,000 CFS.

All of this water means the state and federal water projects are sending more of its liquid gold to California's fifth largest reservoirand it shows.

Since the start of the rainy season on Oct. 1, 2016, San Luis has risen an impressive 110 feet and is currently at 79 percent capacity. (Last August, it was at 10 percent capacity.)

The result is stunning and many passers-by are stopping to photograph the sparkling sea of fresh blue water and posting images in social media along with messages celebrating the abundance.

"Bye by drought," wrote one.

"Thank you Lord for filling our reservoir up," said another.

Walt Warneke of Lodi drives by San Luis at least once a week during his commute to the Bay Area for an IT job, and on Tuesday he couldn't resist stopping to take photos that he late posted on Facebook.

"It was so dry," Warneke said. "It just looked like a puddle. And now there's so much water. It's not completely full yet. You can still see the line where it needs to be to be completely full."

Will the reservoir reach full capacity?

"It's looking like the State Water Project will probably fill our share in early February," said John Leahigh, water operations manager for the State Water Project. "There will still be a substantial amount of water needed from the federal government to fill, but I think there's a chance they might fill their share by end of March. This will be the first time we've had a chance of filling since 2011."

The reservoir's rising waters are yet another indicator the state's punishing drought is nearing an end. The California Drought Monitor published by government and academic water experts shows 42 percent of the state free from drought, and reservoirs such as San Luis filling up are helping replenish the state's system of depleted water sources.

"It's Difficult to make any pronouncements on the drought," Leahigh said. Certainly surface water storages in California are full. But Ground water storage is going to take years to recover from depletion."
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Rapper "Stitches," real name Phillip Katsabanis, was arrested by Miami police Wednesday on felony weapon and drug charges after being questioned for parking illegally in a handicap space, according to media reports.

The rapper was apprehended by the Miami-Dade Police Department, who spotted him pulling out of the parking lot at a Miami Whole Foods Market in his Porsche, celebrity news site TMZ reported.

Katsabanis allegedly told authorities he did not have a gun when they asked, but did give them the rolled up joint he had in the vehicle.

Police searched the car and found a gun and ammunition underneath the driver's seat, according to TMZ. The celebrity news site reported that police also found 39.2 grams of marijuana and one oxycodone pill, despite the rapper having no prescription for the drug.

RELATED: Florida man takes epic mugshot after driving naked near school with wires attached to penis

The Miami-Dade Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for more information.

TMZ reported that police recognized the rapper from his tattoos the night he was arrested.

The rapper posts Instagram photos of his unconventional tattoos and guns frequently, according to his account. On Jan. 23, two days before his arrest, Katsabanis posted a photo of a gold handgun with a caption that said, "Intense."

RELATED: Sandwich standoff unearths evolving mugshots of man covered in Aryan pride tattoos through the years

"Stitches" has a teddy bear tattooed on his forehead and the word "cocaine" inked above his right eyebrow. He also has a tattoo of "Bart Simpson," a character from the television show "The Simpsons," on his upper right arm, according to one of his Instagram posts.

On his lower right cheek, there is an inked gun just under a large tattoo that stretches across his mouth of what looks like, you guessed it, stitches.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
Dancing seems to be a benign, even joyous, act.

History suggests that it doesn't always work out that way, and sometimes it's just strange.
Battles between politicians  and their egos  rarely strike the stomach as directly as a tax on Topo Chico might.

When President Donald Trump proposed a 20-percent tax on goods imported from Mexico, what some Hosutonians heard was that they'd be paying that much more for Mexican Coca-Cola from the bottle, Valentina on their Sabritones and Tajin for their fruta.
Police are searching Friday for a missing 79-year-old woman a day after she disappeared in northeast Houston.

Carmelita McDonald was last seen about 9:45 p.m. Thursday at an apartment complex in the Kingwood area, according to the Houston Police Department.

McDonald is described as being about 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing about 155 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen driving a 2005 Silver Chrysler Town and Country van with Texas license plate 9DFVN. She may have been headed to Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Anyone with information about McDonald's whereabouts is urged to contact the HPD Missing Persons Unit at 832-394-1840 or 832-394 1816.
The state's highest court on Friday ruled against University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall in his years-long battle to access confidential student records.

The Texas Supreme Court's decision that System Chancellor William McRaven could withhold the documents marks the end of a contentious saga involving Hall and the chancellor.

Top University of Texas at Austin leaders in recent years admitted unqualified students after high-profile alumni and influential lawmakers wrote recommendation letters on their behalf.

Former UT President Bill Powers was among the administrators who flagged students' applications for further review after receiving the letters, according to a 2015 investigation, which that summer led to changes to the admissions practices at the state's flagship university.

These practices, which took place between 2009 and 2014, surfaced when the Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments earlier this month in the case, deciding if Hall could view unredacted documents that led to the investigators' findings and the revised admissions protocols. Hall, a Dallas businessman whose tenure as regent will expire next month, sued McRaven in 2015 to access the information.

In Friday's decision, the court found that Hall may only proceed if McRaven's actions in withholding the records were without the state's authority.

"(McRaven) was not without legal authority in making that determination," the ruling said. "Nor was he without authority in redacting information once he made the legal conclusion. The Board instructed him to redact information he determined protected under FERPA, and he did just that."

In a statement issued Friday morning, McRaven said he was pleased that the courts confirmed that his actions complied with the authority granted to him by the Board of Regents.

"I understand that it is important for a governing board to have access to certain information to perform its duties, but I must also ensure that The University of Texas System strictly complies with privacy requirements created by state and federal law," he said.
In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, President Donald Trump was asked about waterboarding. He said he had asked people at the highest level of intelligence, " 'Does it work? Does torture work?' And the answer was, 'Yes, absolutely.' " Trump went on to say, "Do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works."

Trump nonetheless said he would rely on the advice of his defense secretary, James Mattis, and CIA director, Mike Pompeo, before he would bring back waterboarding. Moreover, it is now illegal under U.S. law to waterboard any suspect. And Mattis and Pompeo have both said they would oppose its reintroduction at an interrogation method used by the U.S. government.

Here are the answers to basic questions about waterboarding and its history:

What is waterboarding?

Waterboarding is an enhanced interrogation technique that simulates the feeling of being drowned. A person is strapped to a board with the upper part of his body on a downward incline. Then, a cloth is placed over the person's mouth, and water is poured over his face, causing the person to have difficulty breathing and to feel as if his lungs are filling with water. CIA medical staff determined that the process was dangerous enough that they required resuscitation and medical equipment to be placed in interrogation rooms where waterboarding took place. On at least once occasion, a detainee required resuscitation.

More on the Trump transition Trump says torture 'works,' but he'll defer on decision over tactics to his defense secretary

When was it first used?

According to historians, waterboarding dates to the Middle Ages and has been a form of torture in many conflicts. Japanese soldiers used it on American prisoners of war in World War II, and U.S. soldiers used it when interrogating captured North Vietnamese soldiers. U.S. military personnel are still trained on SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape) techniques and subjected to waterboarding in training situations to help them resist if they are captured.

How did it come back into use by the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks?

The CIA hired two former military psychologists after 9/11 to assist in the interrogation of high-value al-Qaida detainees held at secret CIA prisons overseas. The psychologists, James Mitchell and John "Bruce" Jessen, helped develop an escalating series of enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, for the agency to use on terrorism suspects.

Which terrorist suspects have been waterboarded and where?

Three CIA detainees were waterboarded after 9/11. Abu Zubaydah, an alleged al-Qaida facilitator, was the first detainee to be waterboarded. In 2002, while being held at the CIA black site in Thailand, Zubaydah was subjected to waterboarding 83 times. Abd Al-Rahim al-Nashiri, an al-Qaida operative accused of involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, was waterboarded two times in 2002 at the CIA black site in Thailand. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of being one of the main planners of the 9/11 attacks, was waterboarded 183 times in the course of one month after his capture in 2003. Zubaydah, Nashiri and Mohammed are all currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where Nashiri and Mohammed have been charged with war crimes in military commissions.

Did the waterboarding of terrorist suspects lead to actionable intelligence?

Opinions on the efficacy of torture vary and are the subject of intense and emotional debate. After an exhaustive study the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded the CIA's use of torture and other harsh interrogation techniques did not produce unique, critical intelligence that had not been replicated elsewhere or obtained through other means. In response, senior current and former CIA officials said the agency's interrogation program, including the use of waterboarding, had produced actionable intelligence that among other things led to the identification of Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Is it still legal?

No. It is prohibited under federal law. Former President Barack Obama banned the use of torture as an interrogation technique in 2009. That ban was later codified in law by Congress. The Army Field Manual, which now guides interrogations by U.S. officials overseas, prohibits "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment." Waterboarding is one of eight techniques of interrogation expressly prohibited from being used in the field.

What have Trump's Cabinet nominees said about waterboarding?

During his Senate confirmation hearing, CIA director Mike Pompeo said he would "absolutely not" restart the use of waterboarding. He added that he could not "imagine that I would be asked that by the president. Defense Secretary James Mattis told then President-elect Donald Trump at a meeting in November that he did not find the technique of waterboarding to be useful. Mattis told Trump, "I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers, and I do better with that than I do with torture," according to an interview with the New York Times.
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AUSTIN -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday began to search for funding that he can take away from Travis County in retaliation for the county sheriff's immigration policies.

Aides for Abbott, a Republican, sent a letter giving state agency heads a week to produce a list of all money -- including federal dollars -- that they sent to the county.

"This request includes, but is not limited to, contracts, grants, or any other payment of funds," wrote Steven Albright, Abbott's budget director, in the letter, which was obtained by the Houston Chronicle. "This list should be complete with the amount of funds and the purpose of the agreement."

The letter suggests that Abbott intends to make good on promises to punish newly-elected Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez for deciding to reduce her department's cooperation with federal immigration authorities when they request an inmate be flagged for possible deportation.

Abbott announced Monday that he would cut state grant funding to Hernandez if she did not change the policy by Feb. 1. On Wednesday, he doubled down by threatening to remove her and any other officeholder who promotes so-called "sanctuary" policies.

The county receives about $1.8 million directly from the governor's office each year, but it may get much more from other agencies.

The letter came the same day that Hernandez responded to Abbott's statements by refusing to back down.

"I respect the job of our state leaders, but I will not allow fear and misinformation to be my guiding principles as a leader sworn to protect this community," she said in a statement.
AUSTIN -- Texas prison officials in 2015 arranged to buy lethal-injection drugs from a company in India that was busted for selling psychotropic drugs and opioids illegally to people in Europe and the United States, a new report claims.

When that deal fell through, they bought $25,000 worth of execution drugs from another supplier in India, a shipment seized in Houston by U.S. drug enforcers as an illegal importation, according to the report in BuzzFeed News.

BuzzFeed, in a detailed story posted late Thursday, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials notified the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Jan. 8, 2015 that they would be importing a large amount of sodium thiopental, Texas' execution drug, as required by a DEA license the agency holds.

"TDCJ will be importing Thiopental Sodium in 1 gram vials for a total of 500 to 1,000 grams per purchase/importation," a DEA investigative report published with the article shows. "TDCJ will be importing from the following supplier: Provizer Pharma."

Before the sale could be completed, however, Indian drug enforcement authorities raided Provizer Pharma's offices in the city of Surat, arrested five employees and seized an assortment of drugs, many of which are used as "party pills" in the United States,

India's Narcotics Control Bureau called the raid a "significant seizure."

Weeks later, Texas turned to another supplier in India -- identified in leaked DEA documents as Chris Harris -- and that shipment was seized in July 2015 at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. A second shipment bound for Arizona was seized at the same time.

The seizures came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had warned Texas and its supplier, along with Arizona and Nebraska, that attempts to import the drugs would be illegal and that the shipments would be confiscated, officials earlier confirmed. A federal court at one point blocked its importation.

The BuzzFeed report provides new details about the source of Texas' execution drugs, long a secret that the state has battled in courts to keep out of public view, and of the lengths to which Texas and other states have gone to obtain them.

In recent years, as most companies in the United States and Europe have stopped making the drugs used in U.S. executions or prohibited their sale for lethal use, Texas and other states have had to resort to secondary suppliers where purchases have proven to be much more difficult.

Critics of the death penalty also have questioned whether the quality of those drugs can more easily be compromised, and whether they will kill condemned inmates without pain and suffering -- a key element in whether the use of those drugs could compromise the legal administration of the death penalty.

The Texas-bound executions drugs seized in July 2015 remain in DEA custody. Earlier this month, Texas sued the FDA seeking to release the drugs, accusing the agency of "gross incompetence or willful obstruction," according to court filings.

In its lawsuit, Texas referred to the source of the lethal drugs only as a "foreign distributor."

While the source of Texas' execution drugs used to be publicly available, state officials in recent years have made information about their suppliers a guarded secret as suppliers for the drugs dried up, some driven by pressure from death penalty opponents in the United States and Europe.

Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered the information secret, and state officials have fought since then to keep as many details as possible under wraps, including a threat against the DEA not to identify the supplier in the pending lawsuit over the confiscation.

Texas prison officials declined late Thursday to discuss any details in the BuzzFeed story, other than to say they had "not engaged in any transaction" with Provizer. They declined further comment.

"The story is highly speculative and inaccurate," said TDCJ spokesman Jason Clark, declining to discuss any details.

"TDCJ has a statutory responsibility to carry out court ordered executions in Texas," Clark said. "All drugs used in the lethal injection process are legally purchased and are tested by an independent lab for both potency and purity to ensure they meet national standards."
The former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, Friday responded to President Donald Trump's proposal to impose a 20-percent import tax on products from Mexico.

"Trump has brought back a very strong Mexican spirit and we're ready for the trade war, and we're ready, of course, for not paying (for) that wall," Fox told NBC's "Today" show.

The interview took place one day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a trip to Washington, saying Mexico would not pay for the border wall planned for the U.S. - Mexico border. Later that day, White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, announced Trump's intention to fund the barrier by imposing this tax.

WHAT'S GOING UP: Avocados (and lots of other stuff) could get pricey if President Trump imposes tariffs

Nieto currently has historically low approval ratings. He faced some backlash when he met with Trump before the U.S. general election. Fox said that Nieto is already bouncing back, and that it was wise for him to cancel his trip to the U.S.

(Story continues below.)

"Trump keeps playing around with everybody, keeps throwing smoke balls by proposing a 20-percent tax in Mexican imports. It's nonsense," Fox said. "He's playing around with (the) American people. If he (implements this) tax, who is going to be paying at the end for the wall is the same American people, the American consumers."

MAYOR OF HOUSTON: Sylvester Turner responds to Donald Trump's 'sanctuary city' objective

When asked if he thinks this could spark a larger trade war, Fox said he didn't think Trump would follow through with this plan.

"There's so much to lose for (the) United States," Fox said, adding that it could severely affect U.S. workers' jobs.

Mexico's economy secretary, Ildefonso Guajardo, said that if Trump does impose this 20-percent tax, Mexico will follow a similar route. Guajardo also said that it might time for Mexico to abandon NAFTA. He told Mexican news outlet Expansion, an affiliate of CNN, that it wouldn't make sense for Mexico to continue with the agreement if there are no clear benefits.
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.
COLUMBUS  A 37-year-old Columbus man was arrested Thursday morning during a traffic stop after reportedly being involved in a fight with his wife in the parking lot of a 23rd Street motel.

The man, who was not identified by Columbus Police to protect the privacy of his wife, was jailed for terroristic threats, second-degree imprisonment and attempted second-degree assault following the 11:24 a.m. incident.

Seven police officers responded to the report of terroristic threats called in to the departments dispatch.

Police said the couple had been fighting earlier at their home and the husband decided to leave and get a room at the motel.

The mans wife later joined him at the motel to discuss their disagreement and, when she wanted to leave, her husband blocked the doorway, Capt. Todd Thalken said Friday morning.

The argument continued into the motel parking lot, with the woman getting into her car and her husband waving around a BB pistol and banging on her window, Thalken said. The man then jumped in his car, ran into his wifes vehicle, and left the parking lot, he said.

The police captain said the city man was arrested a short time later in a traffic stop.

There were no injuries in the incident.
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Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Thursday was 81, with 53 from Platte County and 28 from out of county.

Police

Dec. 31

10:37 p.m.  At 1716 E. 23rd St., Kollin Weldon, 20, 2771 E. 13th Ave., was cited for criminal mischief.

Jan. 13

8:46 a.m.  At 1920 23rd St., Christian Huaracha, 26, address unavailable, was cited for theft.

Jan. 15

8:06 a.m.  At 340 E. 24th St., Christine Loeffler, 42, North Bend, was cited for theft by shoplifting.

Jan. 19

12:45 p.m.  In the 700 block of 23rd Avenue, Irvin Alvarez, 26, 4008 E. 29th Ave., No. 745, was cited for leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence.

5:49 p.m.  At 818 E. 23rd St., Erika Newman, 27, 1822 Eighth St., was cited for shoplifting.

5:49 p.m. - At 818 E. 23rd St., Deanna Abernathy, 35, 103 44th Road, was cited for shoplifting.

Jan. 23

5:07 p.m.  In the 2100 block of 23rd Street, Gregory Brabec, 36, 3164 Mimick Lane, was cited for failure to maintain control.

Sheriff

Jan. 25

6:12 p.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of 13th Street and 29th Avenue, Richard Brock of Platte Center cited for no valid registration.

Fire

Jan. 25

8:38 a.m.  In the 700 block of 10th Avenue, medical.

9:18 a.m.  In the 2900 block of 28th Street, medical.
BNM anunta concurs pentru postul vacant de expert coordonator (durata determinata) responsabil de control pe teren si din oficiu a sistemelor de plati
At the height of the 2016 war between presidential candidate Donald Trump and the media, when the campaign withheld press credentials to his rallies from various national news outlets, The Washington Post had a secret weapon. Others on the blacklist were forced to rely on live TV coverage of the events, but Post political editor Steven Ginsberg could hop onto the Posts Talent Network, plug in the town in question, and find a pre-vetted stringer to handle the event.

Through that, we were able to have someone at every Trump rally we wanted to be at, even though we were banned by the candidate and couldnt travel on his press plane, says Ginsberg, who had stringers enter venues as members of the general public but identify themselves as Post reporters in all interviews. If we didnt have the Talent Network, we literally wouldnt have been there in a lot of cases. And if youre going to cover a presidential election, youve got to be there.

The use of freelancers to fill in the gaps of staff coverage or to arrive swiftly at breaking news outside a papers usual readership area isnt novel. But in the past 18 months, the Posts ambitious, rapidly expanding system has modernized, organized, and professionalized the papers stringer operations in a manner that many longtime independent journalistsmyself includedhave never seen from a major media outlet. The sheer amount of freelance copy itself is also a revolution for the Post, which long had been impenetrable for all but the best-connected.

The online system for pitching stories, accepting assignments, and invoicing for paymentslaunched in June 2015 with an online call for freelancers to applyserves more than 2,500 writers, editors, photographers, and translators.

In addition, the Post has assigned two full-time editors, Eva Rodriguez and Kathryn Tolbert, to vet new applicants, route pitches to the appropriate editors, and troubleshoot for freelancers waiting on answers to queries. Whats more, the system requires editors to respond to pitches within a two-week window, putting the onus for follow-up on editors rather than the stringers. (Disclosure: I was accepted to the Talent Network in September 2015 and have since written more than two dozen pieces for the Post, including stories for Style, News, and Business.)

The level of organization that exists with the Talent Network, I dont think, has ever existed before, Rodriguez says. Before, youd get an all-newsroom email saying, Hey does anyone know someone in Baton Rouge? Now an editor goes into the network, searches by location or subject area expertise and they know the people they find do work that meets the standards of The Washington Post. Its been transformative for us.

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While she declined to indicate how much the system cost to create and maintain, Rodriguez did note: This is something that [Executive Editor] Marty Baron was excited about and saw the potential in, and it was something [Amazon CEO and Post owner] Jeff Bezos funded.

Related: Revolution at The Washington Post

The launch hasnt been perfectsome applicants complain about waits for acceptance, and some editors grouse about being forced to use itbut it is nonetheless the envy of other large, complex newsrooms. God, I wish we had such an efficient system, says Margi Conklin, Sunday editor for the New York Post. Usually I get pitches either through other editors or contacts who have funneled people to me because they know what Im looking for or, randomly, via our reception desk. People also seem to find my email online and pitch me on spec, which never works.

The idea for the Talent Network emerged from just this sort of chaos. In 2010, when Anne Kornblut became the Posts deputy national editor, somebody handed me a file folder with a list of names and phone numbers of stringers around the country. It was a file folder. I put all of those into a document online. But even that wasnt satisfactory because it was like, Do we organize this by topic? Do we organize them by location? Can you do it by who you know really well? There are all these different ways.Wed be like, hold on a second? Why does the Style section have this amazing person in Atlanta Ive never heard of and I need someone in Atlanta and they love this person and that person needs more work?

We want to be able to have a sense of loyalty from the best freelancers to keep coming back, and whats the No. 1 important thing? Its getting paid on time.

In 2014, Kornblut landed at Stanford University for a Knight Journalism Fellowship with the aim of inventing a comprehensive, newsroom-wide stringer system to solve these dilemmas. She spent her year in Palo Alto, California, working with programmers and graphics designers back in DC on a system that Baron and Bezos promised to support with staff and expanded freelance budgets. While Kornblut didnt take part in its launch (she remained in Silicon Valley after her fellowship to become Facebooks strategic communications director), the Talent Network has several featuresfrom a map-view for editors to click on when seeking stringers to an easy-to-use invoicing and payment systemthat she says she insisted on.

We want to be able to have a sense of loyalty from the best freelancers to keep coming back, and whats the No. 1 important thing? Its getting paid on time, she says. We wanted to make sure the whole thing didnt break down there.

Indeed, whats striking about the Talent Network is how much thought appears to have been put into resolving challenges and frustrations endemic to the freelancers life. Frequent editor changes can be maddening for writers, who sometimes find themselves restarting their relationships with publications almost from scratch when new people are promoted, hired, or transferred into management. To Kornbluts mind, that confusion leads to the loss of great story ideas and weakens a publications coverage.

That should not be where anybodys energy is being spent, figuring out the bureaucracy of a newsroom, she says. We leave a lot of things up to chance.

And yet, its exactly how a great deal of energy is spent for would-be contributors approaching similar newsrooms with many departments. Efforts to figure out where to send ideas and how to grab an editors attention and engage him or her long enough to prove your abilities consume a substantial share of a freelancers time, and having to do so repeatedly for the same publication is, to use Kornbluts term, nutso.

An informal survey of publications like the Post that use a lot of freelance workThe New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The Guardian and BuzzFeed News among themfound nothing akin to the Talent Network. In every one of those cases, freelancers query specific editors by email or phone and have no recourse but to badger them directly if they receive no response. Some, like the Times, have online invoicing systems detached from the pitching process.

Joan Nassivera, a former national assignment editor at the Times, says she tried to formalize our system by looking at where we had gaps in people, reading local publications, and calling journalism schools, and just getting the word out there, but when I did get people I insisted I had to vet their resume, I had to have references, and its very time-consuming. As an assignment editor, its almost impossible.

In the Posts case, Rodriguez and Tolbert are tasked with the job of vetting for the entire newsroom. They read submitted clips, contact references, and call applicants for interviews. Folks with pre-existing relationships with the Post or who come highly recommended by editors or trusted writers can be waved in, Rodriguez says. They also occasionally dissuade editors from using journalists they dont think have the chops or ethics. The bar is fairly high here. Its not a staff position, but when youre out representing The Washington Post, we need to know we can trust you.

The Talent Network now includes freelancers in all 50 states and 52 countries, with Rodriguez and Tolbert still receiving more than 100 applications per week. Astonishingly, about half the story pitches offered through the network are accepted, and many contributors come in via one section of the paper and then branch out to write for several, Rodriguez says. Editors can leave notes about their experiences with certain contributors as well.

I dont know if theres officially a rating, but you can say, This person did a really good job, he was able to get distinctive information, or in other cases, We sent somebody to a rally but they didnt write quickly enough, took three hours so the story was obsolete by the time we got it, Ginsberg says. Its been such an obviously good idea.

The Talent Networks priority at the moment is bolstering the ranks of foreign correspondents, Rodriguez says, which may explain the grousing of those who have waited in some cases for more than a year for responses to their applications. While the Talent Network does give editors a deadline to respond to pitches, Rodriguez and Tolbert have no such timeline for answering applicants.

Indeed, several members of UPod, an admission-only freelancer group on Yahoo and Facebook, have posted their annoyance and bewilderment over the Talent Network. I applied and a few months later received an email that said they needed several more weeks possibly to review my application due to the overwhelming number they were dealing with, one journalist whose credits include work for Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles Times, and Mashable told CJR in an email. She requested anonymity for fear of negative repercussions. She added: Five months later, I received another acknowledgement of my application and that they were still sifting through that overwhelming amount. I never heard anything again and that was over a year ago.

Another applicant, investigative reporter and photographer Erin Siegel McIntyre, who is based in Tijuana, Mexico, had a similar experience. She applied within days of the Talent Networks launch, received two form emails over the subsequent three weeks, and then nothing. The first note, on June 25, 2015, explained that due to overwhelming response, we will need quite a bit more timepossibly several weeksto review all of the submissions. The second and last note, on July 15, 2015, asked McIntyre to specify what she considered her primary journalistic rolewriter, photographer, videographer, or translator. She answered the question, but that was the last she heard. It was like the info was sent into a black hole, she says in an email. After the two form emails about how they were delayed, I never followed up.

Rodriguez says she tries to be open with applicants about these delays. In particular, because Ive been doing this from day one, it gnaws at me that we havent been able to get back to every single person yet. I had someone querying me todayOh hey, the network, somebody told me I should sign up. I encouraged him to do so but was honest and said we have a substantial backlog, and there are certain areas that are priorities for us right now. It may take quite a bit of time.

While many Post editors, like Ginsberg, rave about the system and its ability to efficiently solve coverage problems, some grumble about having to share journalist contacts theyve cultivated and feel it ought to be their prerogative how and when to answer freelance pitches. One of my best writers, who I have worked with for years, has twice been too busy with assignments for other editors to do things I thought theyd be perfect for, one Post editor tells me. But I will say the invoicing system does make life a lot easier.

Still, for those who have been accepted, the Talent Network offers an unusually seamless and user-friendly experience.

The way its set up, I like that they show when you log on all the stories that have run by other people in the network, says Estelle Erasmus, a prolific parenting-issues freelancer and 2017 chair for the American Society of Journalists and Authors annual conference. You can pitch any section, or you can pitch individual editors if you want. So, thats amazing. Nobody has that. Nobody.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Steve Friess is a freelance journalist based in Ann Arbor and a journalism instructor at Michigan State University. Follow him at @SteveFriess.
Reporters in Texas have long enjoyed an unusual level of access to their state legislators. But when the legislative session started earlier this month, they became the latest statehouse journalists to find that access diminished in the name of order and propriety. And as the adversarial relationship between the Trump administration and the press intensifies, some Texas reporters argue a similar enmity is helping to fuel access changes in their state.

Texas Senate rules allow journalists on the floor, provided that they remain outside the brass railings that delineate the area where senators sit and debate. Until this session, reporters would often sit in chairs that bordered the rails. There, or in a nearby alcove, they could grab impromptu interviews with legislators.

Now, journalists have been ordered to stay at their specially designated press table on the floor, or else retreat to the gallery. Theyve also been prohibited from conducting interviews on the floor. Senators made the change in order to bring more decorum to the chamber, senate secretary Patsy Spaw says. And while that change may seem small, some who cover the statehouse say it will make it much harder to do their job.

Its a very, very big change, says Ken Herman, a columnist at the Austin American-Statesman, who has covered the state senate since 1981.

Herman acknowledges that its still possible to request interviews while on the senate floor. A reporter must pass a note to a messenger and arrange to speak with a senator outside the chamber. But, he says, that makes the process much more cumbersome. In the past, when senators passed the press table, you [would] just follow and chat, and theyre happy to do it. Thats a little less formal, and easier on everyone involved.

Christopher Hooks, a freelancer whose clients include the Texas Observer and Texas Monthly, argues that senators will be less likely to grant interviews if they have to leave the chamber to speak with reporters. Besides, he says, much of what passes between journalists and senators isnt formal interviewing. A lot of the conversation is just about whats happening, what the negotiations might be on a particular bill, he says.

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Is there any substance to the call for more decorum? Herman acknowledges that the chamber has occasionally become too loud. But, he says, I cant get beyond the fact that in the current mode were in with media and office holders, that this was just a subterfuge for giving us less access.And frankly, a lot of them probably hear from their constituents that they dont trust or like the media.

Hooks says some of the Tea Party Republicans who dominate the senate have taken real beatings in the press, and some have dished out criticism in return. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said recently that the only people who oppose the Texas bathroom bill in surveys are Anglo liberals, and many of them work in the media.

Brandi Grissom, Austin bureau chief for The Dallas Morning Newswhich ran an editorial decrying the rule change for journalistssays she doesnt see it as part of a wider disintegration of the politician-press relationship. Regarding the reasons for the changes, she says, All I can do is take them at their word. I dont know of any ulterior motive.

Despite the changes, statehouse reporters in Texas still experience better access than many of their compatriots in other states. In some parts of the country, journalists arent allowed on the legislative floor at all, but instead must report from designated media seats in the gallery, or even from seats allotted to the general public.

That was the case in Virginia for about three weeks last January. Reporters who arrived for the first day of the session were turned away from their usual table on the floor and sent up to the gallery.

We immediately protested over this, because we cant see as well, we cant see certain parts of the chamber at all, we cant hear as well, says statehouse reporter Patrick Wilson, then of The Virginian-Pilot, now with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. And were going up and down stairs if we want to try to talk to a senator.

After a lot of press coverage and a fair amount of public outrage, Wilson says, Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment reversed the decision. Wilson says no clear reason was given for the initial change, but adds, My own thought was Senator Norment, like a lot of politicians, is not always in a good relationship with the news media.

Press secretary for the Virginia Republican caucus Jeff Ryer, however, says the motivation was more practical. The senate chamber is relatively small here in Virginia. There is not a lot of room. The press corps was seated in an area that put them directly between the senators and the clerk staff, and that was becoming cumbersome.

As for any difficulties the move may have imposed on journalists, Ryer isnt buying it. Just about everybody knows the press corps members are creatures of habit, and also might have a tendency in the profession towardswhat do you call that? Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Ryer says, chuckling.

The change has been more profound in Wyomings legislature, which in 2013 moved journalists (except for photographers and cameramen) from the floor to the gallery. Legislative support manager Anthony Sara says the move was precipitated by outlets blurring the lines between reporting and other activities. Wyoming officials noted in response to a 2014 survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures, This change was made because more entities were registering as mediasome of which also were registered to lobby.

Wyoming Tribune Eagle Managing Editor Brian Martin says that move was a minor inconvenience, but the situation worsened when remodeling started at the old capitol building and the legislature moved into temporary facilities: an old Kmart store.

Now the reporter has to sit in the senate or house gallery, which is a glass walled-off room where the public looks into and sees the backs of everybodys heads, except for the senate president or house speaker, Martin says. So we can only get pictures of certain legislators. It becomes the same people all the time, as opposed to everybody in the senate or everybody in the house.

Martins struggle for good photos could serve as a metaphor for the trend of moving journalists further away from legislators. Many of the reporters we spoke to acknowledged that complaints about sight lines might seem like a non-issue to the uninitiated.

However, as Wilson says, Were not sitting [on the floor] because we enjoy being close to the senators and get a kick out of it. Its to be the eyes and ears of the public, and report to them.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Tamar Wilner is a Dallas-based freelance journalist and researcher who writes about misinformation, fact-checking, science communication, and all things media. She tweets at @tamarwilner.
Robots about the size of a beer cooler could soon be rolling down Virginia sidewalks to deliver sandwiches, groceries or packages.

Supporters say proposed legislation to allow the robots would make the state the first in the nation to regulate such devices.

State lawmakers partnered with European company Starship Technologies on bills allowing Virginia cities to join two others in the U.S. and many across Europe where the company is testing its largely autonomous earthbound robots. Much like other tech companies attempts at airborne drone deliveries, Starship aims to revolutionize the way people get their parcels.

Representatives from the company visited Richmond on Wednesday for a demonstration. With six wheels, a top that swings open and a flag for visibility, Starships compact personal delivery devices are designed to carry goods within a 2- to 3-mile radius. They can hold up to 22 pounds, or about three shopping bags worth of goods. Recipients can unlock them with a smartphone app.

When I first saw it, I thought, Oh, a cooler on wheels, said Del. Ron Villanueva, whos sponsoring the House bill.

But the Republican became more interested after hearing about the robots uses. He says it could benefit consumers, who are relying more and more on e-commerce, as well as logistics management companies. Starship, led by Skype co-founders, also promotes the devices as a more environmentally friendly way to deal with local deliveries.

Big vans  stopping and starting, polluting. Its so inefficient, and our little robots are best optimized for those sort of deliveries, said Starship spokesman Henry Harris-Burland.

The company says the robots could also get groceries to homebound people at a fraction of the cost of current delivery services and help expand access to healthy groceries.

Although pilot programs are underway in Washington, D.C., and Redwood City, California, Villanueva and company representatives say Virginia would be first with a state law governing such robots. David Catania, a lobbyist representing the company, said the current law has gray areas about whether the robots would be classified as a motor vehicle, and Starship wanted to make sure theres no doubt about its legality. 

If the legislation passes, Starship would start a pilot program in Virginia, Harris-Burland said. He declined to say which city or cities the company has in mind.

The bills, one of which was approved by a Senate committee Wednesday, would allow the robots to operate on any sidewalk or shared-use path unless a local government prohibits them. They couldnt carry hazardous materials and would face speed limits.

The company hopes theft-prevention measures can help its devices avoid a fate like that of HitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot that captured worldwide attention two years ago but met an untimely demise in Philadelphia when vandals damaged it beyond repair.

Starships devices are equipped with cameras and two-way audio so operators can talk to nearby people, and they would have their lids locked during deliveries, Harris-Burland said. If someone picked one up, a car-alarm type noise would start blaring.

Catherine Ralston, Redwood Citys economic development manager, said the citys experience so far been largely positive.

Americans are just like, Oh, its a new technology, and dont give it a second thought anymore, she said.

The growing use of drones has sparked privacy concerns, and the robots, with their nine cameras, could raise similar complaints.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the Virginia American Civil Liberties Union, said her groups principal concern with such technologies is with government surveillance. The group hasnt been keeping track of the rolling robot legislation, she said.

Paul Mackie, a spokesman for Mobility Lab, a publicly funded nonprofit based in Arlington that researches transportation issues, called the bill a total slam dunk for Virginia and said hed be shocked if it didnt pass.

He called it an inexpensive way for policymakers to address the fact that some cities have no more room for new roads and existing ones are being clogged by delivery vehicles.

I think these little R2-D2 talking mini-fridges could do a lot for saving space and making things safer on the streets and sidewalks, he said.

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Two powerhouse lawyers squared off in court Wednesday over who should be held responsible for a building collapse that killed six people inside a downtown Philadelphia, Pa., store.

Nineteen shoppers and workers were buried in rubble when a towering brick wall left unbraced during a demolition project crushed an adjacent Salvation Army thrift shop in June 2013. Some of the survivors were left permanently injured.

Two unqualified demolition contractors are serving long prison terms over the catastrophe. But building owner Richard Basciano, a New York speculator hoping to redevelop a block of seedy properties he had held for 20 years, was never charged. And his architect, Plato Marinakos, who hired the demolition contractor, testified under a grant of immunity.

The victims are now seeking damages from both men, along with the Salvation Army and others.

Legal lion Richard Sprague argued Wednesday that Basciano was not involved in the demolition plan. Sprague served on Congressional panels investigating the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations. Both he and his client are 91.

Personal injury lawyer Robert Mongeluzzi, who represents family members and survivors, reminded the jury that Basciano hired cut-rate workers when public safety was involved  but Sprague to defend his assets in court. Mongeluzzi has won nine-figure verdicts over deadly construction accidents, and millions more over a fatal duck boat crash in Philadelphia.

The people killed inside the thrift store included two young women dropping off donations, an immigrant grandmother shopping on the busy sale day to send clothes back home, and a store worker who often talked over coffee with heavy equipment operator Sean Benscop, one of the men convicted in his death.

Sprague, citing experts who testified during the four-month trial, said Benscop was either responsible for the collapse or the straw that broke the camels back. Benscop used an excavator on the site that morning despite rules that an unbraced wall must be taken down by hand.

Given that neither Benscop nor Campbell have any assets  both were scraping to get by  the victims are looking past them for a payout, Sprague said.

No way do they want justice. They seek revenge. And revenge can blind you, he said.

Mongeluzzi argued that Campbell and Benscop were so clueless they didnt understand the danger or realize they were most at risk. He said the Salvation Army kept the store open despite warnings about the ongoing demolition. A lawyer for the Salvation Army emphasized the charitys good deeds and called its staff blameless.

Campbell  offered just $112,000 to demolish the four-story building on one of Philadelphias busiest downtown streets  gutted the building from the inside, destabilizing it, rather than take it down floor by floor. He was sentenced to 15 to 30 years. Benschop, who was operating the machine despite taking Percocet and marijuana for medical problems, was sentenced to 71/2 to 15 years in prison. Both were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and other crimes.

The deaths led the city to tighten its requirements for demolition permits. A city inspector killed himself days after the collapse, although there was no evidence of wrongdoing on his part.

The jury is expected to begin deliberations Monday.

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From California to the Deep South to the Northeast, millions of Americans were contending with death and destruction from damaging January weather. Flooding, high winds and suspected tornadoes have rousted people from their homes. A deadly storm system tore across the Deep South, a noreaster lashed the East Coast and rainfall records fell in California.

Some more details on the wild weather:

DEEP SOUTH DEVASTATION

A powerful storm system that tore across the Deep South over the weekend killed 20 people, including 15 in south Georgia. Rescuers were going through stricken areas Monday, searching for possible survivors.

Patrick Marsh of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said 39 possible tornadoes were reported across the Southeast from early Saturday into Sunday evening.

Marsh said while the risk of tornadoes is strongest in the spring in the central U.S., it never really goes to zero for most of the year in the Southeast.

Data from the Storm Prediction Center shows that, over the past decade, the nation has seen an average of 38 tornadoes in January, ranging from a high of 84 in 2008 to just four in 2014.

NOREASTER

Millions of people from the mid-Atlantic through New England were being advised to hunker down as a noreaster moved up the coast.

High wind warnings and advisories were in effect throughout the region. Some wind gusts were expected to approach 60 mph, while offshore winds could reach hurricane levels of 74 mph or higher.

Train service was interrupted by downed power lines. Amtrak suspended service for Northeast Regional and Acela Express trains traveling in New Jersey, and NJ Transit halted service between Trenton and New York City. Other railroads also were also contending with downed trees and utility poles on tracks.

Flooding and beach erosion was expected Monday and Tuesday. Downed power lines were also expected.

In Philadelphia, police say a man was killed when he was struck at a car lot by a sign knocked off a wall, and panels from a multistory mural blew off another wall and hit two parked cars.

In upstate New York and into northern New England, forecasts were calling for possibly as much as six inches of snow and sleet.

WILD AND WET WEST

California was finally getting a break Monday from a three-day winter storm that broke rainfall records, washed out roads and churned up tremendous waves.

Authorities reported at least four people dead and several missing. Hail was reported northwest of Los Angeles, nearly four inches of rain fell south of the city and wind gusts topped 60 mph in some areas.

Further north, an avalanche shut down a highway in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Avalanche warnings also were issued for northern Utah. Forecasters predicted up to a foot of snow and winds gusting to near 50 mph.

The wet winter weather follows years of drought.

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A federal judge on Wednesday refused to force Wal-Mart to pay $80 million in penalties in a lawsuit alleging the retail giant failed to pay hundreds of truck drivers in California the minimum wage for certain tasks.

Wal-Mart acted in good faith when paying the drivers and had reason to believe its payment policy aligned with California law, according to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco.

A jury awarded the workers more than $54 million in back wages in November after finding that Wal-Mart didnt pay the drivers the states base wage for inspecting their vehicles before and after trips and for taking 10-hour layovers and 10-minute rest breaks.

Attorneys for the drivers had asked Illston to award an additional $80 million in penalties and damages. An email to their lawyer was not immediately returned Wednesday.

While we still disagree with the jurys verdict on the case, were pleased the judge declined to award any additional penalties, said Randy Hargrove, a Wal-Mart spokesman.

Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said its drivers earn among the highest salaries in the field and that the plaintiffs were overreaching. The company has said its drivers earn from about $80,000 to more than $100,000 a year.

Illston largely agreed with Wal-Mart, citing testimony that she said showed Wal-Marts compensation was among the highest in the trucking industry.

Attorneys for Wal-Mart also had said in a court filing that reasonable minds could differ about the legality of its pay and layover policies.

The judge said Wal-Marts payment policy developed in an uncertain legal landscape, giving the company reasonable grounds to believe it was complying with California minimum wage law.

Illston did award the drivers nearly $6 million in restitution for an additional year that they say Wal-Mart violated minimum wage law but was not covered by the jurys verdict.

Wal-Mart drivers are not paid by the hour. Wages are based on mileage and specified activities.

The company argued during trial that it paid drivers for activities that included smaller tasks and could not have a separate payment designation for everything they did, some of which took just minutes.

Wal-Mart pays drivers $42 for 10-hour overnight layovers as an extra benefit, but it does not control their time during that period, Scott Edelman, an attorney for the company, said during trial. Drivers are free to go to the movies, exercise or do other activities, he said.

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COLUMBUS  The weather outside was no place for a picnic.

But that didn't stop students at Immanuel Lutheran School from enjoying a picnic-style lunch Thursday while sitting on top of blankets covering the gymnasium floor and eating sloppy Joe sandwiches and other treats served by members of the eighth-grade class.

It was a special set-up for Lutheran Schools Week. A full list of events are being held locally to mark the annual week recognizing Lutheran schools across the nation.

It is a time for us to celebrate, Immanuel Lutheran Principal Jody Timm said.

Lutheran schools have a long history in the Columbus area, and there have been discussions about establishing a Lutheran high school in the community. Two years ago, meetings were held to gauge interest in the idea and decide whether to move forward with a feasibility study.

However, there hasnt been a lot of progress since then.

There are three K-8 Lutheran schools in the area that have each been around for more than a century.

Christ Lutheran School, located at 32392 122nd Ave., was established in 1871. It has a current enrollment of 26 students. Though it's small in size, there have been recent additions at the school.

Head teacher Kathy Petersen said in the last decade two classrooms were added, as well as an office and restrooms. Recently, the Christ Lutheran Church congregation made a decision to add a day care, which will be located in the school's basement.

The day care will be privately owned with plans for it to open next school year, following basement renovations. That project will get underway after the current school year.

Petersen said the addition of a day care could lead to a boost in enrollment.

We have a lot of younger families in our congregation with lots of small children. They work in town and we arent in town, so we felt that we needed to do something to keep children here, Petersen said.

Christ Lutheran and another similar-sized school, St. Johns Lutheran, are teaming up for some Lutheran Schools Week activities.

Students at the schools are competing in a food drive with donations going to the Platte County Food Pantry and holding a joint chapel service on Friday.

St. Johns, located 12 miles north of Columbus, is 129 years old. It also has a day care and preschool.

Immanuel Lutheran School began in 1893 as part of Immanuel Lutheran Church in downtown Columbus. The school moved to its current location at 2865 26th Ave. in 1956.

The current enrollment is 178 students, with another 73 attending the preschool.

Timm, who is in his 11th year at the school, said the student population has gone up slightly over the years. He credits the quality, faith-based education for this trend.

I think its that more people desire a Christian education for their children. As we try to continually improve our program, people have heard that we have a first-class education program, he said.

The school offers a scholarship program and financial assistance for families and receives monetary support from two churches  Immanuel Lutheran and Peace Lutheran.

Im amazed at the commitment the congregation has for Christian education. They subsidize the schools operation pretty heavily, Timm said.
A measure to prevent air ambulance patients from being hit with huge bills has been put on hold while governors officials and legislative leaders meet behind the scenes with groups to seek alternative solutions.

Gov. Steve Bullocks budget director, two Republican senators and a Democratic representative met Wednesday with a lobbyist and a consultant representing a coalition of air ambulance companies. Separate meetings were previously held with insurance companies and hospital officials.

Neither the governors office nor the Legislature provided public notice of the meetings, but a reporter was permitted to attend Wednesdays meeting in the governors Office of Budget and Program Plannings conference room.

What weve done at these meetings is give the three affected parties one last chance to sit down and work something out between them, said bill sponsor Sen. Gordon Vance, R-Belgrade. And if they dont, Im moving my bill.

Lawmakers heard complaints earlier this month from people who used air ambulances to take them to hospitals in medical emergencies, only to receive bills for tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-network costs that werent covered by their insurance.

The air ambulance companies and the insurance companies blame each other for those huge bills, with the air ambulances saying insurers dont pay enough to cover their costs and insurers saying the air ambulances wont disclose those costs.

Other states that have tried to regulate air ambulances have been sued for allegedly violating a federal law that prevents states from interfering with fares and services.

Vances bill would require air ambulance providers and insurance companies to negotiate payments for services, even if the provider is out of the insurers network. Patients would be responsible only for co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles.

The bill received a lengthy public hearing on Jan. 10. Two of the states largest insurers opposed the measure, saying it would reward the air ambulance companies, force the insurers to raise their rates and not prevent air ambulances from price gouging.

No fewer than a dozen amendments were being drafted by various groups and lawmakers to change the bill, some of them poison pills designed to kill the measure, said Rep. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte.

That prompted the behind-the-scenes meetings between Vance; Lynch; Bullock budget director Dan Villa; Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls; and the different groups. Villa set up the meetings, Vance said.

The aim, Villa said, was to get a clear understanding of what each group thought were the joys and concerns of the bill.

On Wednesday, they met with air ambulance lobbyist Scott Boulanger and consultant Bill Bryant, who spoke on the phone from Colorado.

Villa asked Bryant whether air ambulance companies would be willing to enter into voluntary contracts to limit their charges with insurers and the state, which self-insures government workers. Bryant responded that he believed they would, but the problem is that there have been no true negotiations between the groups.

The insurance companies, in my opinion, have dug I their heels and said, Nope, heres what were going to pay, take it or leave it, Bryant said. And the air ambulance goes, `Well if we take it, wed be out of business, so were not going to take it.

Vance said afterward that the bills delay is only temporary and the measure will move out of committee one way or another.

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The city of Sitka, Alaska, has been added as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by a woman whose home was destroyed in a deadly landslide.

Christine McGraw filed the lawsuit against Sound Development LLC, the company she purchased her property from a year before the Aug. 18, 2015, landslide, the Sitka Sentinel reported Wednesday.

A judge granted a request from the development company Monday to make the City and Borough of Sitka a third-party defendant in the lawsuit. McG Constructors, the contractor for McGraws building, was also added as a defendant.

The 2016 lawsuit alleges Sound Development was aware of the potential hazards of developing a subdivision in the landslide area but didnt inform potential buyers of the condition of the land. McGraw claims the company is at fault for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and negligence.

Sound Development has denied responsibility for the womans property damage.

Superior Court Judge David Georges ruling this week allows the company as a third-party plaintiff to sue the city and McG Contractors for the wrongdoing McGraw alleges has taken place.

Sound Development filed its own complaint saying the third-party defendants engaged in intentional, reckless or negligent conduct that caused (McGraws) alleged damages, either in whole or in part. The company is asking that fault be allocated to the third-party defendants in accord with the findings of the jury.

The landslide above Kramer Avenue on Harbor Mountain left three people dead and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.

Both Sound Development and the City and Borough of Sitka have been named as defendants in two other lawsuits filed in connection with the landslide, which was one of four major slides that occurred in the city that day.

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LINCOLN -- Minority power to sustain a filibuster in the Legislature would be sharply curtailed by a proposed rules change prepared by Sen. Tyson Larson of O'Neill.

The proposal has not yet reached the floor for debate, but a preview was provided Thursday in remarks by Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln who argued that the change would mark a retreat from legislative rules that represent "an important tool to allow minority rights."

Larson's proposal requires that the vote of at least 20 of the Legislature's 49 members would be needed to continue debate on legislation once a cloture motion is filed to end a filibuster.

The current rule requires that at least 33 of the 49 senators would need to vote for a cloture motion to end debate.

The change, in effect, increases the threshold of senators required to sustain a filibuster. No more than 17 would be required now. It also tips the balance in favor of the majority in terms of the impact of absent senators or those who choose not to vote.

Morfeld said the root problem that leads to filibusters is a lack of effort or ability to "build relationships and work together to force common ground" on legislative issues.doc

That's a problem he's attempting to address by informally negotiating with fellow senators on a number of bills in an effort to reach compromise agreements, he said.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha initially previewed the approaching filibuster battle by suggesting that Larson's proposal is designed to allow the legislative majority to "bulldoze their way" to victory on contentious legislative issues.

That would follow on the heels of the conservative majority's opening-day exercise of power in virtually running the table in filling this session's leadership positions, Chambers said.

"Competency and experience counted for nothing," he said, as senators in the nonpartisan legislature elected a lineup of conservative Republicans.

The current Legislature is composed of 32 Republicans, 15 Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent.

On an issue that divides Republicans and Democrats, or conservatives and progressives, the Democratic/progressive minority would need to acquire at least three Republican votes to sustain a filibuster under the Larson proposal.

That conceivably could be accomplished now without a single Republican vote.

The filibuster rules change authored by Larson would empower the majority even more than a proposal earlier rejected by the Rules Committee.

Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln had proposed that the votes of at least 17 senators would be required to sustain a filibuster. That proposal was rejected on a 3-2 committee vote.
LINCOLN -- The Phi Gamma Delta fraternity chapter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said an internal investigation into allegations made against its members following the Womens March on Lincoln last weekend turned up no wrongdoing.

Joe Skradski, an adviser to the fraternity for 10 years, said allegations have caused an unwarranted onslaught of criticism against the organization and permanently harmed its reputation in the Greek community.

The march in Lincoln, which coincided with hundreds around the world, started at UNL, and marchers passed the FIJI house on their way to the Capitol.

Social media posts after the march said members of the fraternity shouted sexually harassing statements to the protesters, including no means yes and shouting a phrase related to President Donald Trump saying in 2005 he could grab women by their genitals.

The university opened a Title IX investigation into the incident, saying the investigation will look at individual students, not the fraternity or neighboring Alpha Tau Omega.

Universities and colleges are required to open such investigations when accusations of sexual assault or harassment are made. They are done by trained staff independent of law enforcement and involve students, although they are not compelled to give evidence.

Skradski said an investigation completed internally by the local chapter to get their side of the story found the allegations against the fraternity and its 75 active members are unfounded.

Individual interviews conducted by the fraternity president, vice president, treasurer and house mother took statements from 21 members who were present during the march on Saturday.

Skradski said no one at the fraternity shouted no means yes or heard it shouted. About 58 men live in the house.

Members admitted to chanting build the wall for 20 to 30 seconds, chanting Trump and hanging banners supporting him.

According to Skradski, fraternity members were unaware the Womens March was happening or what its goals were, thinking it was an anti-Trump rally.

He also said fraternity members were antagonized by several marchers during the event.

One man in the march tried to kiss a fraternity member on the house lawn, he said, but marchers and members separated the two before the situation escalated. The man allegedly mooned the fraternity brothers before leaving.

Marchers yelled insults and flipped off fraternity members, too, according to Skradski.

A fraternity member holding a sign that said I was told there would be cake was allegedly assaulted by a woman participating in the march, he added.

An 8-second video shared with the Journal Star shows an unidentified woman telling a member of the fraternity dont be a douchebag before hitting him.

We felt our men were being antagonized, Skradski said.

UNL police are not investigating the incident at this time, Sgt. Aaron Pembleton said, nor are Lincoln Police.

Skradski also pointed to a lack of evidence proving the allegations against the fraternity members.

We want the facts, he said.

In conducting interviews with the fraternity members earlier this week, Skradski said the members were encouraged to admit if they made a mistake or if they were provoked and said something they regretted.

What we dont want to do is to make a claim and then have a video come out showing otherwise, Skradski said.

UNL spokesman Steve Smith said the university could not comment on specifics of the ongoing investigation. Any photos or videos of the alleged incidents turned over to UNL are not being shared publicly.

The findings at the end of the investigation are not made public, and Smith said there is no timetable for completing it.

We want to do it right rather than do it fast, he said. It takes time to ascertain the facts.

Eric Lied, director of chapter services at Phi Gamma Deltas international headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, said the investigation completed earlier this week was not an official capital-F fraternity investigation.

He added the organization is taking the allegations very seriously, and it is working with UNL on the matter.

Weve found it usually works best to have the university do more of the investigation piece, Lied said. They have more of the infrastructure, they are on the ground there and can interview students better.

Skradski said fraternity members and their parents are concerned about a weekend demonstration being planned against the local chapter.

A Facebook post calls for a wide swath of groups to rally with us in objection to these tidy little Fascistic enablers and supporters of rape.

Smith said the university is reviewing safety procedures for the house as well as other Greek houses in the area, a common occurrence any time there's a large gathering.
LINCOLN -- Busloads of students from private schools in Nebraska donned yellow scarves and braved the cold to listen to a host of people argue for school choice at the Capitol Thursday morning.

Gov. Pete Ricketts told the crowd his administration wants to make sure there are no barriers for parents who want to make choices that best fit their kids.

"Certainly we have great public schools -- I'm a product of public schools and it's a great way to educate kids," he said. "But it's not the only way to educate kids and I want to make sure kids can get the education that fits them."

A host of speakers said the issue is not about hurting public schools but expanding choices for parents and students.

Across the street, two people stood with signs in support of public schools and the words "Say No 2 Charter Schemes" was atop the Nebraska State Education Association building across the street.

Rachel Idra-Rocu, a fifth-grader at All Saints Catholic School in Omaha, said her family moved here from Sudan, and five of the children went to Catholic school while two went to public because they couldn't afford to send them all to private schools.

She said she wishes other children had the opportunities she's had.

Clarice Jackson of Omaha said education is a human right and children should not be forced to attend public schools when those schools are failing.

"Parents are the key," she said. "Parents have the right to choose their children's education and we stand by that right."
China's expansive overseas infrastructure lending through the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative could create new asset-quality risks for its banking system, Fitch Ratings warned. Launched in 2013, the Xi Jinping-backed initiative aims to revive the ancient Silk Road and strengthen Chinese ties with more than 60 countries across Asia, Europe and East Africa through infrastructure, trade and investment. The attraction to China is opening up vast areas of Central Asia that still retain trade links established centuries ago to routes in South Asia, Persia, Arabia and Africa, but now often lack the modern infrastructure needed to attract large-scale investment and trade. But Fitch said this global project might be more about China's strategy to extend its global influence, rather than meeting the infrastructure needs of countries involved or commercial logic.



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China's wide-ranging infrastructure projects with developing countries along the Silk Road link that are planned or underway, have an estimated worth of more than $900 billion, analysts at Fitch Ratings said in a report. On Thursday, S&P Global ratings affirmed 'AA-/A-1+' sovereign credit ratings on China, while noting government moves to take on debts run-up by local government has "significantly reduced the banks' credit risks, in our view." But even with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support the funding needs of the OBOR and China's pledged $40 billion Silk Road Fund, most of the capital will likely come from Chinese policy banks or large commercial banks. "One Belt One Road's emphasis on large-scale capital-intensive infrastructure investments abroad is aimed at channeling surplus domestic savings away from less productive domestic uses and at relieving overcapacity pressures," Jack Yuan, associate director at Fitch Ratings, told CNBC. "Since the bulk of China's savings are concentrated in the banking system, it is only natural that banks should provide most of funding for OBOR," Yuan explained. China's three policy banks - Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC), China Development Bank (CDB), and the Export-Import Bank of China (Chexim) - have been given 'A+' ratings by Fitch Ratings, while its largest commercial banks have 'A' to 'A+' ratings. Overseas loans from Chinese banks are estimated to be worth $1.2 trillion, of which a large portion has gone to financing infrastructure projects involving Chinese state-owned enterprises, the report said. But these projects might fail to deliver expected returns as political motivations take priority over the commercial viability of some OBOR projects, the ratings agency warned.



CNBC
The bird flu outbreak come as Asia ushers in The Year of the Rooster in 2017.

China has seen a spate of human deaths from bird flu that sparked warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as tens of millions throng airport, train and bus terminals to gather for Lunar New Year celebrations marking the Year of the Rooster.

On Thursday, the Hunan province in central China reported its 17th human case of bird flu this year. The patient had contact with infected poultry before, although his human contacts have not shown flu symptoms, state media reported. The link to poultry is particularly of interest now as dishes from fowl are often a major part of the holiday dining with friends and family.

This came just as the CDC on Thursday issued a low level travel advisory on travel to China. While there are no recommendations against travel to China, the health authority is advising travelers to the country not to touch birds and eat food that is fully cooked.



The spread of bird flu comes at an inopportune time for Asia widely with countries in the region that are home to large populations celebrate the festival. Countries like South Korea and Vietnam also see mass travel, though not on the scale of China with the annual week-long break described as the largest movement of people in a narrow window. The holiday in China runs from Friday through Feb. 2, or Thursday next week.



Nearly 40 countriesincluding some in Europehave reported new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza of various strains in poultry or wild birds since November, according to the WHO.

"The rapidly expanding geographical distribution of these outbreaks and the number of virus strains currently co-circulating have put WHO on high alert," director-general Margaret Chan told the start of the U.N. agency's executive board in Geneva on Monday, Reuters reported.
Chinese shoppers wait outside pharmacy selling medicine in Beijing. Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images

China is set to add more than 300 new and traditional drugs to its list of medicines the state will help patients pay for, the first change in more than seven years that will boost treatments for cancer, kidney disease, hepatitis and haemophilia. Blockbuster drugs such as GlaxoSmithKline 's hepatitis drug Viread, AstraZeneca 's heart drug Brilinta and Sanofi 's chronic kidney disease drug Renvela were up for inclusion over the coming weeks, industry executives said, virtually guaranteeing an uplift in sales. Industry insiders and analysts said oncology drugs were also likely to be added to national and regional lists. Poor access to targeted cancer drugs is a hot-button issue in China, where patients often take on crippling debts or turn to grey markets to get treatment. Changes to the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), which determines which drugs are part-sponsored by the government, will be a welcome shot in the arm for global drug companies, most of whom saw sales growth slow or contract last year in the world's number two pharmaceutical market. "It's pretty much the most important list to get on. Being added can really mean sales of a drug skyrocket," said a Shanghai-based executive at a large British drugmaker. Inclusion on the NRDL means a drug is accessible through state insurance schemes, making it affordable to mass market consumers. Any new drug approved for sale since the last update of the list in 2009 was until now largely paid for out-of-pocket by patients.

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Most additions to the list, currently just over 2,000 strong, will be traditional Chinese medicines, but roughly 130 are expected to be modern drugs. "Inclusion on the list reduces the burden of self-pay, as drugs on the list can be reimbursed up to 80 percent depending on local implementation," said Jordan Liu, Shanghai-based associate principal at healthcare research and services company QuintilesIMS. An executive at another global drugmaker said the list was expected to be published in the "first few months of 2017", though some analysts said it could be as early as the Lunar New Year holiday that starts later this week. There could be a further negotiation period for high-priced drugs. Horse trading Drug companies have spent months lobbying government advisory committees to get their drugs on the NRDL, executives said. The experts on these committees vote for which drugs to include. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) and the finance ministry are then involved in a final decision, based on factors including clinical need and cost - though several industry insiders said the process was opaque and the measures used to judge criteria such as clinical effectiveness were unclear. Even once on the NRDL, drug makers negotiate pricing and access for their drug on separate provincial lists. Access to the country's main lists - which includes the NRDL along with the Essential Drug List (EDL) for the most critical drugs - also comes with strings attached. Drugmakers often have to cut prices steeply to be included, helping China's drive to lower drug prices and rein in a healthcare bill McKinsey estimates hitting $1 trillion by 2020.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai is offering a big new update that should affect anyone who's ever used Google's translation services.



The new version will be rolling out in 2017 via Google Cloud, Pichai said.



"We have improved our translation ability more in one single year than all our improvements over the last 10 years combined," Pichai told investors in a quarterly call, after parent company Alphabet reported mixed results.

Like Alphabet, a lot of technology companies  from IBM to to Amazon  are talking about how machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms are making their offerings more efficient. Until very recently, users have not always see those algorithms in action.



It comes as Alphabet has ramped up its investments in hardware such as Google Home and the Pixel phone, to present a more integrated platform for its artificial intelligence product, Google Assistant.
Jack Ma (R), founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, and at the time President-elect Donald Trump pose for the media after their meeting at Trump Tower on January 9, 2017.

China's short-term economic outlook will be "tougher than expected" and trade friction was inevitable with the U.S., Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma said as China was reported to be lowering its growth target for this year.

"In the coming three to five years  the economic situation will be even more arduous than everyone had expected," said the e-commerce billionaire on Wednesday at an annual meeting of the General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs, a private business association that he chairs.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

On Thursday, Reuters cited policy sources as saying China would lower its 2017 economic growth target to about 6.5 percent from last year's 6.5-7 percent, reinforcing a policy shift from supporting growth towards reforms to contain debt and housing risks.

China's economy grew by about 6.7 percent last year, the slowest in 26 years but within Beijing's target range.

At the meeting, Ma said it was "only natural" that China's rapid growth over the past three decades could not continue, and that the focus should be shifted to the quality of growth, such as upgrading its manufacturing industry.
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China's embrace of a two-child policy in 2015 has apparently started to bear fruit, leading consumer goods maker Kimberly-Clark ready to focus on boosting sales of diapers, or nappies as they are known outside of the U.S., using its Huggies brand as the flagship. China abandoned a one-child policy in October of 2015 as a rapidly aging population threatens to skew the workforce and lead to a surge in retirees who will need care. The move was largely expected and some analysts said possibly too late to reverse the demographic trend rapidly, but in a billion-plus population, the numbers of babies that can be made is still staggering, a company executive said. "We've got countries like China where you've got 16 million babies on average  Because of the loosening of the one-child policy, the number of babies went up to about 17.8 million. That's a pretty big jump of about 10 percent," Achal Agarwal, president of Kimberly-Clark Asia Pacific, tells CNBC's "Managing Asia." "So as long as there are babies  it's going to be great. And this part of the world, certainly. It's where the babies are being born. So we go where babies are," he says.

A newborn baby is fed milk in a hospital in Huaibei, Anhui province, China. Jie Zhao | Corbis | Getty Images

The company, which also makes Kleenex and sanitary napkins, said that despite increased competition in the consumer goods sector and an uncertain operating environment, it remains upbeat on Asia. "This region is obviously a growth region," Agarwal says. China is a key market, with Agarwal identifying the country as the biggest growth market for the company. The country is also a manufacturing location for Kimberly-Clark, which also produces in other locations across the region such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. "China used to be very, very cheap at one point (but it) has got a little more expensive  (It) might surprise people but the products (made) in China are really premium to an extent. It has gone to a certain level here I don't think any other country in the world, other than Korea, is that premium," Agarwal says. Another market that the company has its eye on is India. While sales in India cannot match up to China, for now, Agarwal is certain that this will soon change. "In the future, I think, maybe at the end of 2020, I think India will take off. India is relatively small right now but we will take off," he says.

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Turquoise waters, world-famous cuisine and heartfelt hospitality are the pillars of Thailand's booming tourism industry. Music festivals may soon join that list of attractions. A number of events boasting famous international artists have debuted in the Southeast Asian nation over the past few years, producing a packed year-long schedule as organizers tap into explosive appetite for electronic music.

The Molam Bus, a regular feature at Wonderfruit, invites you to experience the authentic culture of Thailands famed northeastern Isaan region. Wonderfruit

2014 brought the launch of Wonderfruit and Arcadia Spectacular, followed by Maya Music Festival in 2015, while 2017 will see the launch of three new entrants: Mystic Valley in February, Transmission in March and Paradise Island in April. Each caters to commercial and alternative tastes across various electronic genres, including house, techno and bass.

"In Thailand, the market for international electronic music, which isn't difficult to digest and easy to become educated about, is growing the fastest," explained Pranitan Phornprapha, founder of Wonderfruit, an annual eco-friendly affair that kicks off Feb. 16 in the hills of Pattaya. "There is room for lots of content [in this space]." Organizers say there's more than enough demand to go around and they hope the expanding festival landscape will eventually become a new tourism driver for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. "We definitely believe that this is a market segment that the government should look into. Not only it is bringing overnight travelers the country, generating income, and potentially increasing international and domestic flight traffic, it will improve national infrastructure to cater to tourism traffic over the long run," the Mystic Valley team told CNBC. For now, Thai residents still make up the bulk of festival-goers. Around 40 percent of Wonderfuit attendees are overseas visitors while Mystic Valley, a 3-day event with 8 different stages, anticipates foreigners to account for 30 percent of participants at its Feb. 3 debut. But over the long-term, the number of international guests is set to spike as new festivals gain prominencea trend seen during the early heydays of Goa and Bali, two of Asia's traditional havens for electronica. Many foreigners come from the wider Asian region itself.

Maya Music Festival in Pattaya, 2016 Maya Music Festival

Gig Life Asia, a start-up organizing all-in-one travel packages to Wonderfruit for Singapore residents, said customer response has been fantastic since the deals launched in September. "People are now selecting music festivals to attend based on the overall travel experience," said founder Priya Dewan. "Thailand is a country with a vibrant and rich culture so that's a big factor why festivals there are appealing to international audiences." Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of Thailand's economy, with arrivals up 9 percent to 32.6 million in 2016, versus 29.8 million in 2015 and 24.8 million in 2014, according to official data. Visitors already traveling to Thailand will likely align their trip dates with festivals and if more events are created, they could attract a substantial number of new tourists to boost economic growth, noted Christian Lewis, Southeast Asia analyst at Eurasia and co-host of music podcast Brother Brother Brother. Most events take place at popular holiday hotspots so organizers are likely hoping to capitalize on existing tourist flows, he noted. Paradise Island is set in Koh Samui, a popular island in the Gulf of Thailand known for palm-fringed beaches and luxury resorts, while Transmissiona trance festival that originated in Pragueis slated for Bangkok. Mystic Valley meanwhile is located in the mountainous area of Khao Yai, a three hour drive from the Thai capital.



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The Trump administration has reportedly killed media ads designed to encourage people to enroll in insurance coverage through the federal Obamacare marketplace before next Tuesday's open-enrollment deadline.

A man holds a sign directing people to an insurance company where they can sign up for the Affordable Care Act.

The White House also has ended other outreach efforts to spur sign-ups on the HealthCare.govmarketplace, according to Politico, which broke the story Thursday.

That outreach includes emails that HealthCare.gov had been sending out to people who began, but did not complete, the enrollment process.

Kevin Counihan, who until last week was CEO of that marketplace, HealthCare.gov, in a statement to CNBC called the move an "outrageous decision" to "sabotage open enrollment" in Obamacare.

His comments were echoed by Leslie Dach, a former top Obama administration health official who is now director of the Protect Our Care Coalition. Dach said in a emailed statement, "This is sabotage pure and simple."

"This proves that this administration doesn't care about people who need health coverage," Dach said. "And It clearly shows that they now own the consequences of their efforts to undermine the health care system."

The White House's reported move comes less than a week after Trump's inauguration as president, and his signing of an executive order authorizing officials to start dismantling parts of Obamacare.



Although the president and Congressional Republicans plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, they have yet to publicly unveil any replacement plan for the ACA, much less one that could maintain the gains in insurance coverage achieved under Obamacare.

CNBC has reached out for comment from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which operates HealthCare.gov, but has not received a response.

An HHS spokesman was quoted by Politico as saying, "HHS has pulled back roughly $5 million of the final placement in an effort to look for efficiencies, where they exist."

But Politico noted that it had previously reported that the Obama administration had paid for and scheduled the ads and outreach to run until Jan. 31, more than a week after Trump''s inauguration.

People will still be allowed to sign up on HealthCare.gov, which serves residents of 39 states.

The former CEO of that exchange, Counihan, told Politico that the cessation of ads and outreach "will clearly have a material impact" on the volume of sign-ups on the marketplace.

In a statement sent to CNBC, Counihan said, "Before January 20, HealthCare.gov enrollment was running ahead of schedule, and more Americans were receiving the security of health insurance than ever before."

"But the Trump Administration's outrageous decision tonight to sabotage open enrollment will mean coverage could cost more next year and insurers could drop out of the marketplace," Counihan said.

"We know that more young people enroll during the final days of open Enrollment, but they need to be reminded of the January 31 deadline," he said.

"Having health insurance is still law of the land," Counihan said. "If the President and Republicans in Congress want to change that, they should come up with a plan and show it to the American people, rather than depriving Americans of the chance to sign up for coverage and financial assistance they remain eligible for."
President Donald Trump appears to be inching closer to endorsing a border adjustment tax that stands as a cornerstone of the House GOP's plans for corporate tax reform.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer caused a stir when he suggested that the U.S. could impose a 20 percent tax on Mexican goods, as part of one possibility to pay for Trump's proposed border wall. The wall proposal created a diplomatic firestorm, and caused Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to pull out of a meeting with Trump next week.

The description by Spicer was cloaked in protectionist terms, and described as a 20 percent border tax on Mexico. Although his remarks were interpreted by some as a border tax, the proposal outlined by the White House spokesman actually echoes a plan floated by House Speaker Paul Ryanwhich would suggest a border adjustment tax that differs from an ordinary tariff.
As American President Donald Trump continues his headstrong quest to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, many expect him to use various tactics to strong-arm his southern neighbor into paying for the anti-immigration tool.



Invoking national security could be one of them, Reva Goujon, vice president of global analysis at intelligence firm Stratfor, told CNBC on Friday.

On Thursday, the White House suggested a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports as one means to pay for the wall, estimated to cost $12-$15 billion, adding that a tax was just one solution among a "buffet of options." An import tax is set to pose major economic consequences for Mexico's manufacturing-based economy and U.S. businesses whose bottom lines rely on Mexican imports. Mexico is the U.S.'s third-largest trading partner.

"The main barrier to an import tax like that is that it could be in violation of NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] or WTO [World Trade Organization] rules. And that's where the Trump team could potentially get more creative and declare this border wall as a national security issue," explained Goujon.

If that happens, the matter would have to be referred to units within the Commerce Department to decide whether it actually constitutes a national security issue, she continued.
Newly sworn in President Donald Trump spoke with the acting head of the National Park Service on the phone on Saturday to personally order him to produce additional photos of inauguration crowds, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Trump personally ordered acting NPS director Michael T. Reynolds to produce additional photographs of the crowds on the Mall, according to three individuals with knowledge of the conversation, the report said. The report said the additional photos were secured, but they didn't support Trump's assertion, without evidence, that the crowd was larger than the initial photos indicated.

The president also vented anger that the agency used its Twitter account to send side-by-side photos comparing the larger crowd at former President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration and Friday's swearing in, the report said.

The full Washington Post article can be read here.

CNBC's phone call to the White House press office, made after office hours, went unanswered and an email to the White House press office wasn't immediately returned.



The NPS communications office didn't immediately return CNBC's emailed request for comment, which was sent outside office hours.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.


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The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso tumbling and deepening a crisis between the two neighbors. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced on Twitter around midday on Thursday that he was scrapping a planned trip to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that Mexico pay for a wall on the U.S. border. Later in the day, White House spokesman Sean Spicer sent the Mexican peso falling to its low for the day when he told reporters that Trump wanted a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for construction of the wall. Spicer gave few details, but his comments resembled an existing idea, known as a border adjustment tax, that the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is considering as part of a broad tax overhaul. The White House said later its proposal was in the early stages. Asked if Trump favored a border adjustment tax, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said such a tax would be "one way" of paying for the border wall. "It's a buffet of options," he said.

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The plan being weighed by House Republicans would exempt export revenues from taxation but impose a 20 percent tax on imported goods, a significant change from current U.S. policy. "If you tax exports from Mexico into the United States, you're going to make things ranging from avocados to appliances to flat-screen TVs, you're going to make them more expensive," Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told reporters at the Mexican Embassy in Washington on Thursday night. Countries like Mexico would not pay such taxes directly. Companies would face the tax if they import products made there into the United States, potentially raising prices for American consumers. The idea is unpopular with retailers and businesses that sell imported goods in the United States. It also has met opposition from some lawmakers worried about the impact on U.S. consumers.

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Trump himself appeared to pan the idea in a Wall Street Journal interview last week, saying the House border adjustment provision was "too complicated." Even after Trump's comments, congressional Republicans have continued to discuss the issue with White House officials in an effort to bring them on board with the idea. Rift with Mexico Trump, who visited Republican lawmakers at their policy retreat in Philadelphia, told them he would use tax reform legislation to pay for the border wall. "We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," he said. Trump, who took office last week, views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has long insisted it will not heed Trump's demands to pay for the construction project. He signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday. The move provoked outrage in Mexico. A planned meeting between Videgaray and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was canceled, a department spokeswoman said.

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Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim said a united country could help the government negotiate with President Donald Trump.

Mexico needs to negotiate from a position of strength, Slim said in a Friday news conference. Slim, who gained a $50 billion fortune owning mobile network America Movil, argued the clash between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has brought Mexico together. Slim urged political parties in the country to unite behind Pena Nieto.

While he called Trump a great negotiator, Slim said Friday that Mexico should not be scared of him or assume things will go badly.



On Thursday, the Mexican president canceled a scheduled meeting with Trump following a Twitter feud over the U.S. president's executive orders related to immigration. The situation of undocumented Mexicans in the U.S. remains a priority for the government, Slim said Friday.

While some of Trump's policies push toward modernization and development, Slim said it seems other policies hope for a "return to the past" to America's "successful industrial society." If Trump is not more selective about what is manufactured in the U.S., Slim said it would be American importers and consumers that pay the price.

Slim called Trump's decision to move manufacturing irrational and costly, joking that the U.S. needs Mexicans to build the wall. The billionaire said Mexico's workforce works harder and learns faster than the American workforce. Slim said he hopes Mexico can show the U.S. that they should produce more in his country.

Trump and Slim last met in December for dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.



 CNBC's Antonio Jose Vielma contributed to this report.

Correction: This story was revised to provide the correct translation of Slim's remarks. He was referring to a united Mexico.
Microsoft's Azure cloud business almost doubled last quarter, thanks in part to automakers turning to enhanced machine learning technology to improve driver safety.

BMW, Renault-Nissan, Toyota and Ford are all using Microsoft's cloud technology to help with services like driver assist, predictive maintenance and voice-controlled media. There are also alerts in case bad weather is ahead or if an accident has caused a traffic jam and perhaps the driver should take a detour.

"The car is like a rolling computer, capturing all kinds of data," said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Microsoft's worldwide commercial business, in an interview on Friday at CNBC's San Francisco bureau. "All that data is coming back to Azure, where we apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to help auto manufacturers make cars better and safer."

Microsoft said on Thursday that revenue at Azure, which competes with Amazon Web Services, surged 93 percent in the fiscal second quarter, driving 8 percent growth in the intelligent cloud unit to $6.9 billion. Microsoft shares rose 2.1 percent as of mid-day on Friday to $65.62 after earnings topped analysts' estimates.

AWS still dominates the cloud infrastructure business with 45 percent of the market, more than double the share of Microsoft, Google and IBM combined, according to Synergy Research Group.


A fighter pilot sits in the cockpit while crew members check the exterior of a Lockheed Martin F-35A jet before a training flight in Hill Air Force Base, Utah, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016.

Shares of Lockheed Martin and Boeing dipped Friday after Secretary of Defense James Mattis directed cost-cutting reviews on the F-35 and presidential aircraft acquisition programs.

The Pentagon said in a memo on Friday that the reviews were to "inform programmatic and budgetary decisions, recognizing the critical importance of each of these acquisition programs."

"The Deputy Secretary of Defense shall oversee a review of the F-35 program to determine opportunities to significantly reduce the cost of the F-35 program while meeting requirements," the Pentagon said in a statement.

In a statement on Friday, Lockheed Martin said it "stands ready to support Secretary Mattis' review of the F-35 program and welcomes the appropriate focus on affordability and capability. "

"We also believe there are opportunities to continue to drive down program costs by using sound buying practices such as multi-year procurement that enable the Government to purchase thousands of critical components at an economic scale," The company added.



Since his Nov. 8 election victory, President Donald Trump has been critical of both companies. Last year, Trump took a shot at Boeing, threatening to cancel the order for a new 747 Air Force One program, and he criticized the Lockheed program's delays and costs.

Earlier this month, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson said the defensive contractor is "close to a deal" to bring down the cost of its F-35 fighter program following repeated criticisms from Trump.

The reviews should begin immediately, according to the memo.

Shares of Lockheed Martin ended the day about 0.6 percent lower, while Boeing shares fell 0.8 percent.
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For all the talk about the mutual admiration between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, it may not be Russia that the U.S. president sees as America's critical new ally. In his first few days in office, Trump scheduled a phone call with Narendra Modi, making the prime minister of India one of the first leaders he spoke to following his inauguration. In its official statement Tuesday evening, the White House said that Trump and Modi "discussed opportunities to strengthen the partnership between the United States and India in broad areas such as the economy and defense." Sources close to the prime minster said the conversation was focused on defense. The White House did not respond to a CNBC request for further comment. A tightening of relations with India is something that was already accelerating under Barack Obama, whose administration saw the world's biggest democracy as a counterbalance to China's rising power. Trump may take the relationship further.

Hindu Sena party president, Vishnu Gupta places a garland of flowers on a poster of US President-elect Donald Trump during an event in New Delhi on January 19, 2017. Sajjad Hussain | AFP | Getty Images

"Through successive administrations and strong congressional support, the United States has made tremendous investments to expand its relationship with India over the past several years," said Manpreet Anand, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

"The Trump administration has an opportunity to double down on those efforts as the strategic interests of our two countries continue to align," Anand told CNBC. Foreign policy experts say Washington needs India to counter China's growing dominance in Asia  which Trump may be inadvertently encouraging  and to ensure the United States cements some type of influence in that part of the world. That task is all the more important now that Trump has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That free trade bloc, which had the United States at its center and which excluded China, would have further buttressed U.S. leadership in Asia. With the TPP off the table, however, China immediately has begun to step in to fill the void.

"Many U.S. strategic thinkers see the rise of India as a natural balancer to China as beneficial to the U.S.," said Sasha Riser-Kositsky, Asia analyst at consulting firm Eurasia Group. "Over roughly the last 10 years, U.S. policy has broadly followed this logic, helping strengthen ties with India and offering unprecedented cooperation in terms of civilian nuclear power and co-development and co-production of defense technologies while asking relatively little in exchange."

'Security in the region of South and Central Asia'

Trump's hostile rhetoric toward Muslims plays well with some members of India's Hindu majority. India has a large Muslim minority, and the country has suffered many terror attacks within its borders that New Delhi claims are supported by Muslim-majority Pakistan. Modi's political party, called the Bharatiya Janata Party, has its roots in Hindu nationalism.

The White House also said on Tuesday that the two leaders of the largest democracies in the world discussed "security in the region of South and Central Asia." India rarely gets involved in conflicts that do not directly involve the country, especially given India's perpetual border disputes with Pakistan. At the same time, however, during Modi's visit to Washington, which is expected sometime the year, the Indian leader will likely want Trump to take a more aggressive position toward Pakistan and support New Delhi's counterterrorism efforts.

Trump's rhetoric toward India  and Modi himself  has been consistently positive. Analysts say the U.S. president could be setting the table for a stronger relationship between Washington and New Delhi in the coming years and could ultimately elevate India's global profile, which has been a key objective for Modi. For years India has been living in the shadow of China as the second-best emerging market for investors.

Trump's and Modi's phone conversation on Tuesday came one week ahead of the release of India's annual budget, in which New Delhi is expected to announce further fiscal spending. Despite economic headwinds and uncertainty around Trump's foreign policy, DoubleLine Capital's Jeffrey Gundlach told Barron's over the weekend that India is an attractive destination for investors. Bombay's Sensex stock index is trading about 6 percent below its all-time closing high.

A possible area of conflict?

One point of contention between Trump and Modi could be immigration. India is home to many companies that host technology work for U.S.-based companies  meaning that they employ Indians to do work previously done by American workers. Companies in India are able to provide highly skilled workers at a discount to what Americans get paid. Trump arguably has been more outspoken about protecting U.S. jobs than any other president in decades. "They also have a major item that needs to be resolved around IT outsourcing," said M.R. Rangaswami, a software executive and founder of Indiaspora, a U.S.-based community for people of Indian descent. "The president has stated that jobs be kept in the U.S., while India is the place most Fortune 500 companies have direct IT operations or outsourcing partners. Most H-1B visas"  supposedly temporary passes that give skilled foreign nationals the right to work in the United States  "are used for supplementing the U.S. IT workforce by bringing professionals from India," Rangaswami said. "This could become a messy issue that could cause tension."

WATCH: Why Trumps foreign policy is on a collision course in the South China Sea
Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Honeywell  Honeywell matched forecasts with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.74 per share, but revenue fell below estimates on aerospace business weakness. Honeywell did reaffirm its prior 2017 earnings outlook.

General Dynamics  The defense contractor beat estimates by 10 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of $2.62 per share, though revenue fell below forecasts. The company calls the quarter "solid" and notes an increase in profit margins.

Comcast  The NBCUniversal parent was downgraded to "sector weight" from "overweight" at Pacific Crest, saying the current valuation fails to reflect increased competitive risk.

American Airlines  The airline matched estimates, earning an adjusted 92 cents per share, while revenue beat estimates. The company also approved a new $2 billion share repurchase authorization.

Ford  The automaker's stock was upgraded to "outperform" from "sector form" at RBC Capital following Thursday's earnings report and subsequent stock price drop. RBC said expectations surrounding Ford are low and that the next earnings revision is likely to be higher.

Colgate-Palmolive  The consumer products maker reported adjusted quarterly profit of 75 cents per share, in line with estimates, but revenue fell below forecasts. Colgate's overall pricing came in higher, but total sales were lower compared to a year earlier.

Intel  The chipmaker beat estimates by 5 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 79 cents per share. Revenue also beat forecasts as the PC market stabilized and demand increased for Intel's data center services.

Starbucks  Starbucks matched estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 52 cents per share, but the coffee chain's revenue came in below forecasts, as did the 3 percent increase in both global and U.S. comparable store sales.

Alphabet  Alphabet reported adjusted quarterly profit of $9.36 per share for its latest quarter, missing estimates of $9.64, though the Google parent's revenue did beat forecasts. Profit did increase by 8.3 percent over a year earlier, with more mobile usage, but analysts have noted that advertisers are not willing to pay as much for mobile searches as they are for their desktop equivalents.

Microsoft  Microsoft came in 4 cents above estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 83 cents per share, with the software giant's revenue also beating Street forecasts. Microsoft is seeing growing demand for its newer cloud services, as it continues to shift emphasis away from the traditional software business.

PayPal  PayPal earned an adjusted 42 cents per share for its latest quarter, with both the top and bottom lines matching Street forecasts. The payment service company's total payment volume did miss estimates, however.

TransCanada  TransCanada submitted its permit application to the State Department for the now-revived Keystone XL pipeline project.

Juniper Networks  Juniper earned an adjusted 63 cents per share for its latest quarter, 3 cents above estimates, while the networking services company's revenue also beat forecasts. However, Juniper's shares came under pressure after the company predicted lower than expected current quarter results.

VMWare  VMWare beat estimates by 4 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.43 per share, while revenue beat forecasts as well. The cloud services company also announced a $1.2 billion stock repurchase plan.

Wynn Resorts  Wynn missed estimates by 35 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 50 cents per share, although the casino operator did see revenue come in above forecasts. Investors, however, are encouraged by upbeat results at the company's Wynn Palace resort in Macau.
European markets closed lower on Friday, after strong gains earlier this week, with investors digesting corporate earnings and fluctuations in currency markets.

The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 ended 0.3 percent lower with most sectors trading in negative territory.

Autos stocks were the worst performers, down by 0.92 percent after President Donald Trump's hawkish remarks on trade tariffs for the sector.

Banking stocks were also lower, down by 0.82 percent. The Italian bank UniCredit was more than 5.1 percent lower after Italian media reports, not verified by CNBC, said its vice chairman confirmed the bank was not selling its stake in Mediobanca. The lender is also starting its capital increase earlier than planned, on February 6, according to the reports.

The Finnish ship technology firm Wartsila ended near the top of the European benchmark after reporting better-than-expected profits and new orders in the last quarter.

Booker Group was at the top of the European benchmark, jumping 15.9 percent. Tesco said it is buying the cash and carry wholesale supplier for about 3.7 billion ($4.7 billion). The British supermarket chain also closed higher on Friday, up by more than 9.2 percent. The acquisition news sent the broader retail sector higher.

Shares of the Danish telecom company TDC dropped more than 4.4 percent on Friday after news that its Nordic rival Telia is no longer buying the firm due to legal, financial and political hurdles, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile in the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average continued slightly lower after the blue chips index had surpassed the psychologically important 20,000 mark on Wednesday.
Kevin Counihan Brooks Kraft | Getty Images

The man who until last week headed the federal Obamacare marketplace said the Trump administration killed advertising and outreach for that exchange intentionally "to suppress enrollment" in Obamacare plans. Former HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan also told CNBC that the abrupt move by the Trump administration on Thursday could depress sign-ups on that exchange by several hundred thousand people below what would otherwise be expected in the final week of open enrollment, which ends next Tuesday. And Counihan said Friday that many of those lost enrollments will be from young adults who are much sought after by insurers because their healthy status and premium payments help offset the cost of benefits paid toward older, sicker adults. Without that "good risk" from those customers, insurance plans could face further pressure to raise their premiums next year. Counihan noted that sign-ups on Obamacare exchanges spike sharply in the week before enrollment deadlines, particularly among young adults, and that the last 48 hours or so see the biggest volume of sign-ups.

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"The insurance companies, by the way, were counting on this [surge from young adults], we've had specific discussions with them," he said.

"It's counterproductive," Counihan said of the White House's decision to end scheduled ads, outreach and reminder emails to encourage people to beat Tuesday's deadline and sign up for coverage on HealthCare.gov, which sells plans in 39 states. "To be frank, I think it's fairly transparent," Counihan said when asked why the White House pulled the plug on that outreach. "I think the intention is to suppress enrollment," he said. "This has a material impact on enrollment." "It feels to me that what they're doing is reacting to the fact that there is growth in enrollment," Counihan said of the Trump administration. A spokeswoman for the the industry group America's Health Insurance Plans, in response to the ads being killed, said, "At a time when the individual market faces challenges,we need as many people as possible to participate  so that costs go down for for everyone." "Balancing out the risk pool is an important action that can betaken now to help stabilize the market, improve affordability, and send strong signals as health plans develop their products for 2018," said the AHIP spokeswoman, Kristine Grow. President Donald Trump is a staunch Obamacare foe, calling the program a "disaster" in a speech in Philadelphia on Thursday. Trump has called for the Affordable Care Act to be quickly repealed by Congress and replaced with a better plan, but so far has not unveiled the details of that plan. HealthCare.gov and the other Obamacare exchanges run by individual states and the District of Columbia so far this enrollment season had signed up more than 11.6 million customers, putting them on track to beat last year's enrollment tally somewhat, before Thursday's move by the White House. HealthCare.gov alone accounted for about 8.8 million of the tally to date. Counihan and others have pointed to the healthy pace of sign-ups as proof that Obamacare is not failing, much less in a "death spiral" that results when not enough healthy customers are in insurers' risk pool, leading to higher premium rates. "The problem here is this is literally yanking, like a minute before midnight," messages that could bolster sign-ups and improve that risk pool, Counihan said. But he added that Obamacare advocates, including navigators who help people enroll in individual health plans, are "doubling down on outreach" because of the White House's decision.

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After graduating from university in England, Johnny Ward booked a one-way flight to New York City. "I literally left 12 hours after my last exam," he tells CNBC. "And then I never really came home. That was about ten-and-a-half years ago." Ward, who grew up on welfare in Ireland, has always been fascinated with travel. "We had three TV channels when I was a kid and I would end up watching all these travel shows," he says. "I would see the Great Wall of China or the Sydney Opera House and just looking at them, it could be another planet  it was so unattainable to a 13-year-old kid in Ireland. I was itching to have that freedom. The freedom to choose where to go, talk to who I want to talk to and be who I want to be."

As of January 2017, Johnny Ward has traveled to 194 countries Courtesy of Johnny Ward

He worked as a summer camp counselor in the U.S. and then taught English in Asia for two years, making about $650 a month and living on $10 to $15 a day. Whatever he managed to save went towards travel. "But realistically, for me, this teaching for peanuts, saving a little money and hitting the road wasn't a long-term solution," he writes on his blog, OneStep4Ward. "I wanted the freedom, I wanted this lifestyle but I couldn't live my life with no financial security." That's where blogging came in. Ward, who admits his tech skills are "non-existent," paid someone $100 to build his site, which went live in 2010. His $100 investment turned into a million-dollar company.

"Within six months I was making $500 a month; another three or four months, it was $1,000," he writes. "I was now making more money from blogging than I had made teaching English." By the end of 2012, he was making up to $40,000 a month. "I had to turn the PayPal notifications off my phone!" he tells CNBC. "It was surreal. It's still so surreal." Ward started to think bigger. He hired someone to help him build five more sites and then started buying sites. He's now bought over 100 of them, hired a team to help him manage them and created his own digital media company, Step4WardMedia, which has earned over $1 million.

While his income has skyrocketed, his lifestyle remains simple. "I eat street food and go to a local gym," he tells CNBC. "I don't live that high-end lifestyle." His biggest purchase has been an apartment in Bangkok, which he bought three years ago for $90,000 in cash. He also started a charity, Give Back Give Away, which focuses on community development projects.
The heavy political calendar in Europe and the significant rise in support for populist parties are making investors nervous.

But looking at the first two votes, in the Netherlands and France, Rabobank suggested go long on Dutch bonds versus French bonds.

"In underlining the threat populism poses as regards euro zone integrity, strong support for the PVV (a Dutch far-right party) come Mar 15 (the Dutch general election) stands to underpin core bonds including, paradoxically, DSLs (Dutch State Loans)," Rabobank said in a note on Friday.

Opinion polls suggest that the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) is set to gather the most parliamentary seats, but it will be far from reaching a majority. Meanwhile, the remaining parties are not interested in forming a coalition with PVV because the party withdrew from a ruling coalition in 2012 leading to the collapse of the government. As a result, analysts do not expect that even with a victory, the PVV will lead the next executive.

France, however, is slightly different.

"The logical trading upshot of this, then, is to go long DSLs vs. OATs (Obligations Assimilables du Tresor ) as even if one were to argue that we are taking too sanguine a view as to the impact of Dutch political developments on DSLs, the read across is likely to be more negative for OATs both as (Marine) Le Pen's fortunes are reassessed and as the outlook for the euro zone cohesion is challenged," the bank added.

Even without a populist government in the Netherlands, the expected increase in support for the far-right is likely to increase the chances of Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right party, in the presidential election, the bank said.

Le Pen, who has previously mentioned that if elected she would put France's euro membership to a vote, was placed first in the latest opinion poll projections. Though the French system entails two voting rounds to choose the president, which decreases the chances of Le Pen becoming the next French leader, although recent scandals in French politics could boost her position.

As such, fears about a European disintegration are rising.

"Concern over the integrity of the currency union is unlikely to simply melt away even if the populists, such as the PVV, do not enter govt. This is owing to the fact that the popularity of these parties is itself enough to drag the establishment further to the right or, put another way, to see establishment parties increasingly taking on the same hue as their populist opponents to ward off the challenge that they pose," Rabobank said.

"As a consequence, there is a discernible risk that European political rhetoric will adopt a more illiberal tone in the coming months, which only serves to tilt the odds toward wider peripheral spreads," the bank added.
SpaceX is pitting teams of hopeful Hyperloop designers against each other at its headquarters this weekend, giving each team a chance to test its Hyperloop pod on a mile track at SpaceX headquarters.

It is the second major phase of a competition meant to bring to life a new transportation concept first developed by SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The Hyperloop Pod Design Competition was first announced in 2015, and designs from more than 100 teams were first judged in early 2016. About 30 teams made the cut and were allowed to progress to the upcoming test track battle.

Musk

Several teams have already been showing off their designs.

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Musk first began publicly discussing his ideas for a "hyperloop" that would blast riders from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about 35 minutes, about half of the time a flight between the two cities takes, and, of course, a fraction of the time it would take to drive there. At the time he first designed it, Musk cited his frustration with the cost and performance of a proposed high-speed rail project linking northern and southern California.

The concept resembles in appearance those pneumatic tube systems used to send messages through buildings, though Musk said in a written proposal that his Hyperloop would require more innovation than merely enlarging existing pneumatic pipeline designs.
Francisco Garcia was born in the U.S., but raised in Mexico until age 10. He now runs Modern Architecture Services in San Diego and is disappointed by the rhetoric now- President Trump used while campaigning while discussing Mexican immigrants, and in his recent executive order to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

About a year ago, Francisco Garcia decided to launch a new business drawing from his years in architecture and design. The name of his San Diego-based company is Modern Architecture Services, or MAS for short. "When I came up with my new business name, I came up with it because it describes what we do: 'modern architecture services,'" Garcia, 42, says. "And the acronym of that, MAS, means 'more' in Spanish. "I was concerned, seriously, about how that could sway potential clients because of having a Spanish name. It's a hesitation I didn't have before." The businessman's concern comes as President Donald Trump wraps up his first week in office, with an executive order signed Wednesday to compel the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump campaigned on the promise of building that wall; he also made disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants when kicking off his campaign, referring to many of them as "rapists" and "criminals." The President is also expected to take more executive action to revamp U.S. immigration policy, which may include a temporary ban on refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim-majority countries. On the campaign trail, he proposed and then walked back plans for a "Muslim ban."

Immigrants come with, I believe, American values. Francisco Garcia founder of Modern Architecture Services

Garcia calls himself an "anchor baby." Born in the U.S., he was raised in Mexico just outside of Guadalajara until age ten. His parents then applied for residency in the States, seeking opportunity in America. He and nine of his siblings, along with his parents, traveled for three days by bus in 1985 to settle in Escondido, Calif., about an hour north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Now a business owner with five employees, Garcia is disappointed in Trump's anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant rhetoric. "Immigrants come with, I believe, American values," Garcia says. "Hard work, accountability, perseverance and loyalty to one's family and employees. Fairness to others is how we work together. The rhetoric is an oversimplification of complicated issues."

It's hard to overstate the contribution immigrants like Garcia have made to the world of entrepreneurship, especially in the last year. Data from the Kauffman Foundation's 2016 Index of Startup Activity finds that immigrant entrepreneurs account for 27.5 percent of all new entrepreneurs in America, nearly doubling the rate from 1997 and close to a two-decade high of 29.5 percent in 2011. They are also nearly twice as likely as native-born Americans to launch new businesses, at a rate of 0.53 percent and 0.29 percent respectively. New entrepreneurs overall launched some 550,000 ventures per month last year, according to Kauffman.

There is a new majority in America and it's an ethnic majority. Adnan Durrani CEO of American Halal and Saffron Road

Pakistani entrepreneur Adnan Durrani emigrated to the U.S. at age five and today is CEO of the Stamford, Conn.-based food company American Halal and the brand Saffron Road, which sells frozen natural and organic entrees as well as other healthy snack foods in stores nationwide, including Whole Foods. The Muslim businessman says he expected some controversy in launching his Middle Eastern-inspired brand. In 2011, he found himself in the news thanks to an "unfounded rumor" about customers objecting to his products being sold in Whole Foods, which Durrani says turned out to be a "complete fabrication." In the end, the controversy helped him: Durrani says his sales shot up as customers of all races and religions rushed to support Saffron Road. "I went on CNN during Ramadan, the holy month for us, and let everyone know that the Ramadan promotions at Whole Foods were still intact and that mobilized a lot of consumers who were excited about the diversity at Whole Foods," he says. "There is a new majority in America and it's an ethnic majority." Saffron Road strictly sells and manufactures domestically and employs 28 people. Durrani says he takes solace in knowing the country is increasingly diverse. He's hopeful Trump will pivot away from some of his more extreme proposals. The entrepreneur also expects the President will get push back from both the technology and food industries, which are filled with immigrants.

We want to contribute, we want to lead and we want to integrate. Francisco Garcia founder of Modern Architecture Services
Former President Barack Obama was the first commander-in-chief to ever send a tweet, but President Donald Trump is pioneering an approach to mass communication that may put Twitter at the center of his strategy, raising legal and security questions.

In his first week on the job, Trump has used an unsecured Android phone to post tweets from his personal Twitter account, and to delete them. His staff initially used a personal email to arrange his government Twitter account, which was updated to a government email on Thursday.

@azalben: A bunch of folks have tweeted me about this (and thank you): @POTUS has added WH addresses to the Twitter account. Only 7 days late, guys!

Experts said these activities, while perfectly legal, create avoidable risks.

Using an unsecured phone, or personal email registration, makes the president more susceptible to hacking.

Some Members of Congress are now urging Trump to switch to a secure device, after the New York Times reported the president is tweeting from "his old, unsecured Android phone." The Secret Service has told past Presidents that they should only use a secure phone.



More from NBC News:

Students sound alarm and avert Florida school massacre

Who is Gregg Phillips, the man Trump name-checked to prove voter fraud?

Melania Trump defamation suit against political blogger can move forward

Even beyond cybersecurity, the ad-hoc approach suggests the Trump White House has not fully adjusted to the complexities of life in the federal government.

When Trump deleted a tweet, he likely violated the President Records Act, a 1978 law that requires all presidential writings be preserved. Congress recently amended it to include electronic records.

"If he uses his Twitter account for official presidential business, it should be subject to the Presidential Records Act," Caroline Mala Corbin, a constitutional law professor at the University Miami, said.

Congress passed the law "after the Watergate scandal and President Nixon's attempt to hide his records," she said, to establish that all presidential records "must be preserved."


Apple's iPhone has failed to clinch the title for the top selling smartphone in China for the first time since 2012, making the U.S. technology giant "vulnerable" in the world's second-largest economy, according to a report released Friday. The iPhone 6s sold 12 million units in 2016 or around 2 percent of all phones sold in China, behind the Oppo R9  the flagship smartphone of the Chinese brand Oppo Electronics  which sold close to 17 million units, capturing 4 percent market share, according to Counterpoint Research. Oppo is one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in China which has made its name through high-spec low-priced devices, being sold through bricks and mortar stores. It marks the first time an Apple iPhone is not the best-selling smartphone in China in five years, Counterpoint said, highlighting the rough year the U.S. company has had in the country. Counterpoint noted that China's smartphone shipments reached an all-time high in 2016, growing 6 percent year-on-year to 465 million units, but it noted that Apple still remains "vulnerable" in China.



A customer inspects two Apple iPhones at an Apple Store in Shanghai, China. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"Apple with slowing traction for its flagship iPhone 6S during last year saw its double-digit negative growth being somewhat offset by relatively healthy demand for the newer flagship iPhone 7 series in Q4 2016," the research said. "However, Apple still remains in a vulnerable position and there is higher expectation already with the next year flagship which is rumored to be substantial upgrade from both design and components perspective." Apple has yet to respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC.



China struggles

The Cupertino, CA-based company has been struggling in China for the last few quarters. In the three months to September 24, 2016, Greater China revenue fell 30 percent year-on-year. Apple has been on a charm offensive, visiting China last year, and announced a $45 million research and development center in Beijing. Its market share has fallen from 14.3 percent in 2015, to 10.4 percent last year in China, Counterpoint said. Apple has been squeezed on the higher end of the market by Huawei which has been making a huge push with its smartphones, not just in China, but abroad too. In the mid-tier price range, Oppo and Vivo have released high-quality but lower priced devices and are aggressively taking market share. Oppo's shipments grew 109 percent year-on-year in China, while Vivo saw a 78 percent rise. Huawei was up 21 percent, but Apple was down 21 percent, according to Counterpoint. Even Xiaomi, once the darling of the Chinese smartphone world, saw a 22 percent year-on-year decline in shipments in 2016. "While the smartphone user base is at an all-time-high and maturing, still bulk of the popular models are still skewed towards mid-end which outs a cap on growth for players such as Apple," Counterpoint noted, highlighting one of the biggest challenges for the U.S. company in China.



iPhone 8 key
"Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war," Gorbachev stated in an opinion piece in Time magazine on Thursday . He added that the most pressing challenge we face today is reversing the "militarization of politics."

Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin must unite to spearhead a new resolution banning nuclear war, Mikhail Gorbachev , former president of the Soviet Union, has urged.

Gorbachev criticized governments for their disproportionate allocation of funds away from state essentials and towards weapons, saying:

"While state budgets are struggling to fund people's essential social needs, military spending is growing. Money is easily found for sophisticated weapons whose destructive power is comparable to that of the weapons of mass destruction."

He called on members of the UN Security Council to take the lead on re-establishing a resolution stating that nuclear war is "unacceptable and must never be fought," and said that Putin and Trump should be the first leaders to embrace this.

"I think the initiative to adopt such a resolution should come from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin  the presidents of two nations that hold over 90 percent of the world's nuclear arsenals and therefore bear a special responsibility."

A similar agreement was established between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1980s, but has since been eroded along with the relations between the two powers, Gorbachev said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is in a tough spot.

An outspoken critic of Donald Trump throughout the campaign, he's now trying to figure out how to maintain his city's policy as a sanctuary city on immigration without losing the $500 million Los Angeles gets from the federal government. At TechFair LA, where the city hosted over 13,000 job-seekers and more than 275 tech companies on Thursday, Garcetti explained to CNBC how he's willing to stand up to the new president.

Garcetti says he's confident that the city won't lose its funding, and if it does, he's willing to take legal action. "I think we're on very secure ground as the U.S. Constitution says you can't put a federal financial gun to the heads of states and tell them what to do in exchange for funding," he said.

"We also feel that the ethical argument and the practical argument are on our side. In these cities that are open to more immigrants we have lower crime rates, we have more economic prosperity, lower unemployment rates, so we feel like this will hold up in court," he said

Garcetti stressed that the city doesn't refuse to cooperate with federal officials. "We just require that there be a constitutional court warrant, that we don't pull somebody over by the way that they look or ask their immigration status when they come to be a witness in a crime."

Trump and the Democratic Garcetti have spoken about protecting immigrants and keeping immigrant families together. Despite Trump being adamant that cracking down on illegal immigration is a top priority, Garcetti said he thinks the president is keeping a "very open mind."

"We wanted to fix a large system that he also acknowledged was broken. So there's room for common ground," Garcetti said. "But it's really a nonideological issue. Here in LA, 61 percent of our new businesses on our main streets are started by immigrants.  I think as long as we tell those stories about why our boom is linked to immigrants, we can change hearts and minds."

A key piece of the Los Angeles economy: its massive port, which faces a huge threat if Trump follows through on his promise to fund wall on the Mexican border with a 20 percent tax, and if a trade war erupts with China. "One out of every nine jobs depends on the port of Los Angeles and the port of Long Beach here in the LA region," said Garcetti.

Garcetti's hopes that Trump could eventually embrace his approach to immigration and trade stands in sharp contrast to the mayor's criticism of the candidate on the campaign trail. Garcetti has called Trump "a racist, a bigot and a sexist," and "the walking embodiment of the worst of our values."

Now, Garcetti says he has an obligation to work with any administration, and he's going to do his best to do just that while also standing by his values.



"I'm not going to back off the beliefs I have and that this city holds and embodies," Garcetti said. "But instead of seeking to divide a very strong social fabric here, we're going to continue to unite it, and hopefully we can welcome the president in doing that in the future."
A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day. STOCKS/ ECONOMY -Stock futures are flat after yesterday's mixed close. We get GDP data, durable goods order numbers, and consumer sentiment figures out this morning. The consensus estimate on the fourth-quarter GDP number is 2.2 percent growth. TRUMP FIRST 100 DAYS -Pres. Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet today and hold a joint news conference. -The White House says a plan to tax Mexican goods imported into the U.S. by 20 percent is just one idea on how to pay for the border wall, not the actual Trump proposal. TRUMP FIRST 100 DAYS (Continued) -The White House has reportedly pulled ads for Obamacare with a week still left to enroll. -Miami's mayor is basically reversing the city's policy of being a sanctuary city. OIL/ ENERGY -U.S. crude prices are down less than 1 percent and at the $53 a barrel level. Gasoline prices fell another penny overnight to $2.28 a gallon, national average. EARNINGS NEWS -Microsoft blew past expected numbers in every category. Google-parent Alphabet disappointed the Street and its shares are tumbling pre-market. And Starbucks shares will be under pressure after it posted its slowest same-store sales growth since 2009. TERROR/ DEFENSE -Pres. Trump says boosting the military is more important to him than a balanced budget , but he does want to reduce the cost of submarines. -Defense Secretary Mattis is drawing up plans to have the U.S. hit ISIS harder. MOVING AMERICA -The U.S. Air Force is working with private sector airlines to help them alleviate the pilot shortage.

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Whatever type of program President Trump chooses to replace the Affordable Care Act, one thing won't change: Health care will continue to be one of the worst shopping experiences for most Americans. It's not often thought of like this, but it is a consumer purchase, and among the most frustrating.

"Health care is one of those experiences in which we are always first-time buyers," said David Vivero, co-founder and CEO of health-care start-up Amino.

Lingo like deductible, premium, copay, co-insurance or out-of-network can seem foreign, confusing patients during their most vulnerable moments. Horror stories abound  patients who inexplicably had to pay double for the same pharmaceuticals they had been taking for years, surprise medical bills for many thousands of dollars for what they had been told were in-network.

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

Vivero learned from personal experience. Because of a genetic condition, he couldn't find health insurance coverage before 2013, when the Affordable Care Act came into effect. Though he says his situation is somewhat unique, in other ways it's very common. "Not everyone has this disease, but almost everyone runs into [issues with] health care sometime during the year," Vivero said.

Patients can't usually call up a friend and ask for a recommendation. But unlike most people, Vivero did something about the frustration. He started Amino, which gives patients access to information like doctors' experience and the cost of a given procedure, to help patients understand exactly what they're paying for before setting foot in a doctor's office. Amino is not profitable but its business model is to ultimately make money by selling part of its analysis to private companies, for uses such as monitoring networks of physicians. Amino is just one of the start-ups created to help patients navigate health care at a time when more Americans have coverage than ever before, but at a cost that keeps going up. Amid rising premiums and deductibles, many individuals can't shake the feeling they're paying more for less.

You have to be an active health-care consumer; it's no longer an option. Doug Hirsch co-founder and co-CEO of GoodRx

"You have to be an active health-care consumer; it's no longer an option," said Doug Hirsch, co-founder and co-CEO of GoodRx, an online company that allows consumers to compare drug prices from nearby pharmacies. "You're going to pay exorbitant amounts of money that are irrational. Because the system is irrational."

Billing issues are a good example. Before Obamacare, insurers and medical providers would negotiate contested charges without the consumer being involved, said Victor Echevarria, CEO of Remedy, a start-up in which an algorithm helps trained professionals check over medical bills to find errors that can save health-care consumers money (the start-up takes a cut of whatever money it saves a patient). After visiting a health-care provider, many Americans are finding themselves faced with surprising charges for services they never knew were being provided. More patients are seeking outside support. There's a growing market for specific types of insurance plans designed to cover the first few thousand dollars in health-care costs for high-deductible plans ("insurance for your insurance," as one woman told NPR). The number of patient advocates, an expensive option for patients who aren't getting the right care, is increasing across the country.

Repeal and replace

The consumer woes and need for help won't lessen if the ACA is repealed, as Republicans have promised to do under Trump. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 18 million Americans would lose their health insurance in the first year of an ACA repeal that matches a 2015 congressional plan, and up to 32 million by 2026. In any event, consumers will likely have to bear even more of the burden under Trump, said Steve Kraus, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in health-care start-ups. That could be good news for start-ups marketing directly to consumers, but maybe not as much for the consumers who have to go through the health-care shopping experience. More from Modern Medicine:

9 new tech gadgets for fitness buffs

Threats at abortion clinics rise since Trump's election, advocates 'facing fight of their lives'

Allergy sufferers take note: A pill may soon replace the costly EpiPen

"If billions of health-care searches on Google tell us anything, it's that consumers are already searching for such information," Vivero said.There are resources out there  insurance portals, employer intranets, state websites  that can tell consumers how much procedures might cost them, but they aren't being used, Vivero said. Amino's goal is to change that.

Amino has raised at least $26 million in four rounds of funding, according to CrunchBase. Remedy and GoodRx have raised $1.9 million and $1.5 million, respectively. But none of the companies would share revenue or user traffic figures. Their CEOs say they are seeing the impact in terms of the number of searches and visitors on their sites, but would not provide any specifics. Health start-ups plan to expand, but Kraus warned against doing so too quickly. Direct-to-consumer business models are less reliable than B2B models, so there's even greater risk of trying to grow a company too fast to be sustainable. "Health care doesn't hyperscale," Kraus said. "New companies often require a decade to truly become established."



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A team of scientists say they have successfully turned hydrogen into a metal, potentially confirming a prediction made 80 years ago.

In 1935, scientists predicted that the element hydrogen could become a metal if subjected to enough pressure. Teams have been attempting to confirm the prediction ever since, but have not been able to construct a vise capable of squeezing the element enough without breaking the equipment.

But a team of scientists at Harvard University published a paper this week in the peer-reviewed journal Science saying they managed to squeeze hydrogen in a diamond vise to the point that the element became reflective, a key property of metals.

The study is not merely a parlor trick. Metallic hydrogen is thought to be a superconductor, meaning it could conduct electricity without any resistance. Electricity traveling through normal circuits loses energy to resistance overtime, often in the form of heat. This is why it is harder to send electrical currents (say, through the electricity grid) over long distances than short ones. But a current traveling through a superconducting material loses nearly zero energy.

Superconductive metals are used to make the magnets for devices such as hospital MRI machines and particle accelerators such as CERN. The trouble with many superconductors is that the materials now used need to be cooled to extremely low temperatures in order to work, which is expensive.

It is also possible that metallic hydrogen material may be "metastable," according to Science Magazine. This means that, once formed, it may retain its metallic properties even at normal temperatures and pressure levels, like diamonds. If so, it could conduct electricity at nearly 100 percent efficiency in normal conditions. Again, this could dramatically reduce the costs of transferring electrical currents, meaning more powerful and efficient electric motors, and a far more efficient electrical grid.

Scientists have been searching for such a material almost as long as they have known about superconductivity.

Of course, the study has its critics. Eugene Gregoryanz, a physicist at the University of Edinburgh, told Science Magazine he sees a several problems with the experiment's procedures.

"The word garbage cannot really describe it," said Gregoryanz, of the experiment.

The video below, from Harvard, discusses the discovery in detail:
With Snap expected to go public as early as the end of March, the start-up scene in Los Angeles is getting more attention, and Mayor Eric Garcetti hopes it will kickstart the city's tech ecosystem.

"MySpace, while it never had the success that folks thought it would, spawned a whole generation of entrepreneurs who started their companies and used the knowledge that they gained and the network that they had to start other companies," the mayor said.

Mayor Garcetti expects the IPO from Snapchat's parent to have the same, if not a much larger, effect.

"Folks will have the capital now to spin off from Snap their own ideas and their own companies. And it will be that anchor that shows that for a long time the buzz about LA was 'you start a company here, get acquired,' instead of starting a company that would really become a pillar and become that linchpin for future activity," Garcetti says. "That will be an amazing day for LA."

To that end, Mayor Garcetti hosted Tech Fair LA on Thursday, which attracted more than 13,000 people and over 275 companies.



The mayor walked through the crowds wearing pair of Snap Spectacles, the glasses that automatically capture short clips of video. "I should probably Snap this whole thing, but my political advisor said don't wear these during the interview," Garcetti said.

Despite the success of Snap, Tinder, and SpaceX, entrepreneurs in Los Angeles still complain that the city lacks the deep bench of engineering and tech talent found in Silicon Valley. With over 131 institutions of higher learning, Los Angeles graduates more engineers in than any city in America, he said said.

When Garcetti started as mayor the city was losing about 70% of the engineers graduating from college in Los Angeles, as they left for jobs in Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York.



After a few years of working with the heads of those universities, and promoting the city as hospitable to their careers, now over 70% of those engineering graduates are staying in the city, said Garcetti. "In fact I talked to a recent startup CEO here in downtown LA. He said I have two engineers that recently graduated from USC. They turned down Harvard and MIT because they said 'LA's where it's at.'"
Some of the country's most successful entrepreneurs are adamant that a formal business education is not necessary to follow in their footsteps. "I fully, fully, 100,000%, with no hedge do not believe you can teach entrepreneurship," says serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. That was his opening line in a 2015 talk to USC entrepreneurship students. "So, that's awkward."* PayPal co-founder and investor Peter Thiel gives 24 students a year $100,000 to drop out of college and work on a start-up. Alumni of the program the so-called Thiel Fellowship have launched more than 60 companies worth a total of over $1.1 billion. For many entrepreneurs, however, business school is a launching pad. It provides them with a basic understanding of how to run a company as well as access to a network of investors, advisors and potential co-founders.

Since 2013, graduate business education resource Poets&Quants has ranked the start-ups to come out of business schools by the amount of venture capital-backed funding. The annual list of top MBA start-ups includes 100 companies founded between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2016, that have at least one founder who graduated with an MBA in that same time frame.

Wide angle view of Hoover Tower on Stanford University campus Michael Layefsky | Getty Images

CNBC took that data and used it to rank the business schools that produced these successful founders. (A few start-ups on the list have founders from more than one business school. In those cases, the start-up was counted for each school that had an alum on the founding team.) Two schools dominate: Harvard Business School and Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Each has alumni running 24 venture-funded start-ups. This is the first year the list has been published that Harvard Business School hasn't been able to claim that top spot exclusively, according to the Poets&Quants analysis of the data. And while Harvard and Stanford boast alumni at nearly half the start-ups on the list, in 2015, the two heavyweights dominated the list even more conclusively, with 71 start-ups between them.

Silicon Valley retains its geographic dominance. More start-up founders from there claim spots on the list than from any other region of the country. And almost a third of the companies making it to the list are in the Bay Area. According to Poets&Quants data, here are 2017's top business schools for aspiring entrepreneurs:

Harvard Business School: 24 companies

Stanford Graduate School of Business: 24 companies

The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School: 12 companies

Columbia Business School: 11 companies

Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management: 8 companies

MIT Sloan School of Management: 6 companies

NYU Stern School of Business: 5 companies

UC Berkeley Haas School of Business: 4 companies

UCLA Anderson School of Management: 3 companies

University of Texas Austin McCombs: 2 companies

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business: 2 companies
The beaten-down energy sector could thrive under the Trump administration to the tune of 10 percent growth, Fundstrat's Thomas Lee told CNBC on Friday.



"We know 40 percent of the economy was in recession, because it was transports, industrials, energy," Lee told "Worldwide Exchange." "Just energy margins going back to median will add almost $10 to S&P profits. That's almost 10 percent growth from one sector."

Lee said that after 15-year lows on profit margins in the energy sector, the boost would provide strategic advantage.

He repeated his recommendation that investors buy CRAP  computers, resources, American banks, and phone carriers.

"This year, we think the strategy that works is 'CRAP,' so it's industrial, tech, the resource sector, which is energy, materials, the banks and telecoms," Lee said.

Banks in particular are experiencing a pre-emptive sigh of relief and driving the market higher on expectations of loosened federal regulations, Lee said.

He warned that the excitement about banks could be overextending the market, noting risks about President Donald Trump's foreign and trade policies, such as his fight with Mexico over trade.

"I think the last eight years have been tough on the private sector. Businesses have been worried about regulation. The last eight years saw the largest jump in restrictive regulations in the history of the economy," Lee said. "The banks [are] a great example."



Lee has been one of Wall Street's biggest optimists. But earlier this month, he made a less-than-bullish call on the market prospects for the year.
M. Tony Peralta, founder of the Peralta Project, lays down next to his canvas of Frida Kahlo.

Artist M. Tony Peralta never intended for his brand to become a Latino lifestyle statement. But when a picture of him lying next to his canvas of a Frida Kahlo in hair rollers got overwhelmingly positive feedback on Instagram, he knew he was onto something. "I started to notice there's something there, because there's really nothing out there that speaks to Latinos," he said. Four years after first opening his Instagram account, Peralta has developed an exceptional following, with more than 20,400 fans, many of whom are Dominican and more than 60 percent of whom are female. "I'm carving my own niche and I'm making my own lane," the artist-turned-entrepreneur tells CNBC.

Opting for self-employment over a traditional 9-to-5 as Peralta did is not new, but it has been on the rise among people of color. According to The Kauffman Foundation's 2016 start-up index, while new business creation is recovering from a 40-year-low, the share of Latinos becoming entrepreneurs has risen 10.8 percent since 1996. Asians make up 2.3 percent more entrepreneurs than they used to. African-Americans also experienced an increase, though a smaller one: only .05 percent.

Among minorities, social media is also on the rise. A 2015 Pew Research Center report shows 47 percent of African Americans and 38 percent of Hispanics are on Instagram. On Facebook, those numbers rise to 67 and 75 percent, respectively. With an increased presence on both platforms, several Hispanic and black entrepreneurs have decided to use social media for a purpose: to expand and engage with their core audience.

Peralta started his business to enter the street-wear scene. Initially, he sold shirts with hyper-local nods to his neighborhood, Washington Heights. At pop-up shops his shirts became popular, but he made barely enough money to break even. When he used Instagram to branch out, new customers across the country started buying his merchandise, including people originally from New York City and Latinos. After getting a break with his Frida Kahlo design, he started using the platform as a barometer to decide what pursue as apparel designs and helped shape his store. That's become a fruitful strategy. "I Photoshop, I create and if people like it I'll go ahead and [turn it into a clothing piece]," he says. "Otherwise it's just an Instagram post." Today, some of his most popular designs highlight common Latino household items, like a can of black beans or popular Cuban coffee, Cafe Bustelo.

While Peralta found a niche audience on social media organically, some entrepreneurs turn to the app for deliberate, practical reasons. Jonathan White, for example, found that sending text blasts to thousands of contacts was not a sustainable way to advertise his merchandise. "At the time you could only send a text to a maximum 20 people at a time," the entrepreneur said. "I was sending out blasts all day long." He had just launched his clothing apparel company, Cashland, and plenty of people knew about the business through word-of-mouth and his work in community education. But to expand his audience, he knew he had to use social media.

I'm carving my own niche and I'm making my own lane. M. Tony Peralta artist and entrepreneur
On Thursday, REN-TV, a privately-owned TV channel in Russia, said a second FSB officer had also been arrested in December. They identified the man as Major Dmitry Dokuchayev, and reported he had served under Mikhailov in the the Center for Information Security. In another indication that Russia was seeing a high-level shakedown at the FSB, Kommersant reported that on January 13, the director of the Center for Information Security, Andrei Gerasimov, was fired. He was described as having close ties to cybersecurity companies, including Kaspersky Lab.

At some point in December, Ruslan Stoyanov, a well-respected researcher with the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab, and Sergei Mikhailov, head of the FSB's Center of information Security, were arrested by Russian police as part of what Russia's Kommersant newspaper described as a probe into possible treason. No date of arrest has been made public, though Kommersant reported that Stoyanov last logged into his private social media account on December 4, and Mikhailov on December 5. The Moscow -based Novaya Gazeta newspaper cited sources as saying Mikhailov was arrested during a meeting with other FSB officers in Moscow, and was taken from the room with a sack over his head.

A series of surprising arrests of some of Russia 's top cybersecurity figures has left the international cybersecurity officials and analysts wondering whether Russia is cleaning house of suspected spies, or going through an internal shakeup of the FSB, Russia's national security service.

Kaspersky Lab confirmed that Stoyanov was under investigation for activity during a period predating his employment at the company, and added, in a public statement, "We do not possess details of the investigation. The work of Kaspersky Lab's Computer Incidents Investigation Team is unaffected by these developments."

Stoyanov's LinkedIn page lists his previous employer as the Ministry of the Interior's Cyber Crime Unit.

Four intelligence officers working in various branches of the US government told BuzzFeed News this week that they had no insight into the arrests of Stoyanov and Mikhailov, with one explaining, "it's above my paygrade."

"There are a small handful of people who would know if one or both of these men was a US asset or in any way involved in any intelligence operation, and I'm not one of them," said the US intelligence officer, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the story. "Obviously, this could also be an internal struggle within the FSB, in which case we would have little daylight into what was happening."

The case against Stoyanov and Mikhailov has been filed in a secret military tribunal under Article 275 of the country's constitution, which allows the government to investigate individuals they suspect of spying for a foreign state.

Whether or not their cases have anything to do with the Russia's involvement in the hacks targeting the US 2016 elections remains unclear. Fancy Bear, the group named by US cybersecurity companies as being behind the hacking and leaking of damaging emails from top DNC officials, has been tied back to the GRU, Russia's main foreign intelligence agency. Cozy Bear, a group also believed to have been within the DNC's system, has been linked to the FSB.

While most news reports do not directly tie the arrested men to the DNC hack, the Moscow Times reported that Mikhailov's arrest was due to suspicions that he tipped US officials off to the Russian server rental company "King Servers" which the Arlington-based ThreatConnect cybersecurity company identified last September as a "nexus" used by Russian hackers in attacks against the US.

In Russia, rumors about the arrested men are running rampant. Russia's Tzargrad news site published a story claiming that Mikhailov had secretly been the leader of a notorious Russian hacking group called Shaltay-Boltay (or Humpty Dumpty), and that the group was secretly backed by the CIA. The article, which was shared widely within Russian social media, was suddenly taken off the site, though an archived version is still being shared.
Getty Images

There's one New Year's resolution more attainable than losing weight or exercising: making more money. With wage growth picking up, particularly in high-demand tech jobs, there are more opportunities to bring home a six-figure salary, not including commission, bonuses or other perks. In a 2017 report, job-hunting site Glassdoor found 10 jobs with a base pay of at least $100,000 at companies all recognized as the best places to work based on anonymous reviews from the employees themselves. The best part? They are all hiring. So as the New Year gets underway, give the treadmill a break and consider chasing after one of these gigs instead:

Program manager, Texas Instruments

Median base salary: $115,570 Best places to work ranking: #42 Additional perks: Flexible spending account, performance bonus, stock options, 401(k) plan, charitable gift matching, retirement plan, life insurance, paid time off. Texas Instruments is currently looking for individuals to spearhead a range of projects at the chipmaker. But don't despair if your resume isn't all about STEM. This position is not entirely tech-focused, said Glassdoor's community expert Scott Dobroski, "If you're organized you'll do well." See open jobs

Brand manager, Nestle Purina PetCare

Median base salary: $120,277 Best places to work ranking: #13 Additional perks: Stock options, adoption assistance, retirement plan, pension plan, employee discount, mobile phone discount, legal assistance, performance bonus. The consumer company that's probably behind your cat or dog's favorite food is also dishing up high marks for its compensation packages. But this position at Nestle Purina PetCare does require a background in marketing (and a love for pets wouldn't hurt). See open jobs

Senior interaction designer, Intuit

Median base salary: $123,149

Best places to work ranking: #20 Additional perks: Equity incentive plan, performance bonus, stock options, charitable gift matching, parental leave, child care, fertility assistance, volunteer time off. Intuit is on the hunt for candidates to ensure that the user experience is simple, fast and easy  even when the accounting and tax prep are not. See open jobs

Global supply manager, Apple

Median base salary: $129,365

Best places to work ranking: #36 Additional perks: Employee discounts, retirement plan, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off, charitable gift matching. Although any gig at the iPhone maker is highly sought after, this position requires at least six to eight years of relevant experience for job hopefuls who want to make recommendations on creating and distributing products and services around the world. Dobroski recommends starting with an internship during or immediately following school to get a foot in the door at Apple . "There are also offices around the country, so don't limit yourself to the Cupertino campus," he said. See open jobs

Product manager, Adobe

Median base salary: $132,564

Best places to work ranking: #9 Additional perks: Performance bonus, equity incentive plan, 401(k) plan, stock options. This managerial role at the digital marketing and digital media solutions companydirects both software engineers and data scientists, so good communication skills are mandatory. See open jobs

Senior analyst, Forrester

Median base salary: $133,034

Best places to work ranking: #18 Additional perks: Performance bonus, 401(k) plan, retirement plan, adoption assistance, commuter checks & assistance. Those without a technical background can find a very well-paid gig at this global research and advisory firm. The position is more focused on reporting and recommending the best ways to proceed. However, job candidates will need a minimum of five to seven years of relevant work experience. See open jobs

Data scientist, Facebook

Median base salary: $133,768

Best places to work ranking: #2 Additional perks: Fertility assistance, adoption assistance, performance bonus, supplemental workers' compensation, employee assistance program, free lunch. The social media giant is hiring thousands of candidates, and this particular position doesn't require a lot of experience to get on the payroll. Even without a master's degree, there's an increasing number of coding and software boot camps designed to turn post-grads with no experience into successful job candidates in as little as a few months, Dobroski said. See open jobs

Marketing manager, The Clorox Company

Median base salary: $142,286

Best places to work ranking: #12 Additional perks: Flexible spending account (FSA), 401(k) plan with matching, employee discount. The company behind many of your favorite household cleaning products is currently looking for marketing managers to ensure the company remains a brand leader around the globe. No stain-remover skills required. See open jobs

Research scientist, Google

Median base salary: $145,220

Best places to work ranking: #4 Additional perks: Free lunch, 401(k) plan with matching, charitable gift matching, performance bonus, retirement plan, paid parental leave, employee discount. Of course, jobs at the internet and technology giant are super competitive  and this position, which focuses on innovative new products, is particularly coveted. But those that can land at the top of the search could make close to $150,000. See open jobs

Engagement manager, McKinsey & Company
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The U.K.'s Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting U.S. President Donald Trump this Friday. Both leaders have talked about strengthening the "special relationship" between the two nations and Friday's meeting could lead to an announcement on a free trade deal  a move that could have strong repercussions on the U.K.'s exit negotiations with the EU. CNBC takes a look at what this trade deal could be like and its implications.

What to expect from Fridays meeting?

The first item on the press statements will be about demonstrating "a willingness to move forward with a free trade deal," Rem Korteweg, senior research fellow at the Center for European Reform, told CNBC via telephone. "There's been a lot of flattering comments from both sides. They want to move quickly (on trade)," he added. Despite his protectionist rhetoric, U.S. President Donald Trump rebuffed comments from his predecessor that the U.K. would be at the back of the queue for a trade deal. Instead, President Trump wants to deepen ties with the U.K. Prime Minister May is the first world leader to visit the White House under the Trump administration. She is looking to strengthen alliances with other countries as the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union, avoiding isolation fears.

Who would benefit the most from a deal?

It's all about the detail and to how far Trump and May want to go. "I don't expect a detailed discussion tomorrow. It's about deciding whether or not the U.K. and the U.S. want a trade deal and when," Andre Sapir, senior fellow at Bruegel, told CNBC on Thursday. He added, that usually, the smaller economy, in this case the U.K., has more to gain with a trade deal. But a free trade deal between both countries could be more about political symbolism than anything else and thus easier to conclude. "(A trade deal) will help President Trump to stave off some criticism that he is anti-trade," CER's Korteweg said. "It works very nicely for Prime Minister May too because she can show there's life outside the EU," he added. Both countries already enjoy significant deep trade ties. In fact, in 2015, the U.K. ran a trade surplus in goods and services with the U.S. However, they could still lower some of the remaining tariffs or indeed opening up other sectors, such as health care and agriculture, which could be controversial and time costly.



What could be the basis for a deal?

If both countries try to get a comprehensive agreement  the more controversial and costly option  the U.S. would ask the U.K. to open up its pharmaceutical and health sector. This would be a "real concern and not just for Labour," Korteweg told CNBC. During trade negotiations between the EU and the U.S., the U.K. was always campaigning to protect its health system. The same would happen to agricultural issues. Meanwhile, the U.K. would want America to open up on procurement  another sensitive topic, given the amount of U.S. regulation, Korteweg said. Independently of the route they take, the U.S. and the U.K. could use the Trade Transatlantic Investment Partnership (the so-called TTIP) as a basis for their deal. This deal was meant to deepen trade between the EU and the U.S. but it has been stalled due to the change in the U.S. administration.

How could it affect Brexit?

"Deciding now to negotiate a trade deal with the U.S. would have huge repercussions on relations with the EU," Bruegel's Sapir noted. The U.K. continues to be a formal member of the EU. That will only change when it concludes negotiating its exit from the EU. As a result, the U.K. cannot reach any trade deals on its own. European law stipulates that the European Commission negotiates trade deals on behalf of the 28 countries.



Could this be Reagan-Thatcher 2.0?

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President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Friday that dramatically expand the nation's military and call for so-called "extreme vetting" of visa seekers from terror-plagued countries  moves aimed at strengthening the U.S. response to terrorism both home and abroad.

In signing the order, Trump pledged to "keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America."

"We are not admitting into the country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas," Trump said during the swearing in ceremony for Defense Secretary James Mattis at the Pentagon. "We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."



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The order specifically singles out the arrival of Syrian refugees as "detrimental to the interests of the United States" and President Trump has suspended their entry until he feels the vetting process has been strengthened.

This is a complete reversal of a hotly-debated policy set forth by the Obama administration which made a goal last year of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees driven by the violence that occurred during their nations protracted civil war.

It reached that goal in August.

"The United States feels it is important for us to take our share of Syrian refugees as part of this overall humanitarian effort," Obama said in September.

The State Department in a statement on Friday said it is working with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to put Trump's executive order into effect.

Extreme vetting is an idea that evolved from Trump's controversial Muslim ban that he called for in Dec. 2015, which would address concerns from some over refugees entering the country from terror-stricken nations.

"We've taken in tens of thousands of people. We know nothing about them," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday. "They can say they vet them. They didn't vet them. They have no papers. How can you vet somebody when you don't know anything about them and you have no papers?"

Though the United States government already utilizes a thorough nine-step vetting system for refugees, the president's executive order is said to go further. It is still unclear what these steps would mean and if it would target any particular religious group as the president stated on the campaign trail.

According to the Pew Research Center, the United States welcomed almost 85,000 refugees in 2016. Forty-six percent of them were Muslim.

The president sets the number of refugees accepted annually into the U.S. and from that authority can suspend the program at any time. President George W. Bush took similar actions following the 9/11 attacks when the program was suspended for several months.

Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the Homeland Security committee, said on Friday that he applauds the president's move.

"We are a compassionate nation and a country of immigrants. But as we know, terrorists are dead set on using our immigration and refugee programs as a Trojan Horse to attack us," McCaul said in a statement. "Today, President Trump signed an order to help prevent jihadists from infiltrating the United States."

The response from advocates for refugee rights was swift.

"I am heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war," Malala Yousafzai, a student activist and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate said in a statement through a press office. "I am heartbroken that America is turning its back on a proud history of welcoming refugees and immigrants  the people who helped build your country, ready to work hard in exchange for a fair chance at a new life."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook to express his concern about the executive order's impact on those fleeing violence and oppression in their homelands. His great grandparents came from Germany, Austria and Poland. His wife, Priscilla's, parents were refugees from China and Vietnam.

"We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don't pose a threat will live in fear of deportation," he wrote. "We should also keep our doors open to refugees and those who need help. That's who we are. Had we turned away refugees a few decades ago, Priscilla's family wouldn't be here today."

Trump also called for a "great rebuilding" of the nation's military. "New planes, new ships, new resources, new tools for our men and women in uniform."

"The military defends society, it doesn't define it," Dr. Richard Kohn, a military historian and expert on civil-military relations who teaches at the University of North Carolina, told NBC News. "It doesn't decide when it should be used, it doesn't decide how large it should be or what resources it should have or who should serve and under what circumstances. It's a neutral servant of the state."
"If all of Trump's campaign promises materialize, they would break with a quarter century of increased cooperation between the two countries. The consequences would be detrimental not only for Mexico, but also for the United States. In fact, it is in the interest of the United States to help its southern neighbor do better, not worse."

The first is national security. The deterioration of economic conditions in Mexico would fuel crime and illegality and undermine the ally the U.S. requires to serve as a first line of defense to protect its homeland. This would compromise, right at America's doorstep, existing cooperation regarding money laundering, drug trafficking, and terrorism. It would also antagonize the United States' third largest oil supplier, potentially making the country more dependent on less friendly and predictable sources like Venezuela.

The second is economic growth. Undermining Mexico's development would increase migration to the U.S. and reduce demand for American goods. Many American businesses would close, and Americans across the country would not only lose jobs but also have to pay higher prices. Half a trillion dollars in bilateral trade and an estimated 14 million American jobs could be jeopardized, and the effects of this would be immediately felt not just along the border states, but in the 22 states for which Mexico is the first or second main destination for their exports.

The third is political stability. According to a 2016 report by the public opinion NGO, Latinobarometer, currently less than half of Mexicans agree that democracy is better than other forms of government, and a meager 25 percent are satisfied with the quality of their democracy. Support for anti-democratic alternatives could give rise to populist and authoritarian leaders that would be less predictable to work with. These are warning signs the U.S. should pay attention to, since its interests are better served with a strong liberal democratic ally next door.

Trump might respond that the point of a wall is to prevent any of these negative spillover effects from manifesting themselves. But the belief that a wall and trade barriers would prevent this from happening is completely misguided. A physical wall already exists along more than 650 miles of the border. Virtual barriers with state of the art technologyincluding drones and motion sensorshave been erected as well. Neither has stopped migrants or goods from entering undetected.

As tempting as the mirage of building walls, slapping trade sanctions, and forcing "better deals" out of Mexico may be, it is in the interest of the United States to help its southern neighbor develop. Rather than understanding the bilateral relation as a zero-sum game, Mr. Trump should understand that rising tides lift all boats. Otherwise, he will create an important obstacle on the path to making America more prosperous again.

Commentary by Gustavo A. Flores-Macias, associate professor of government at Cornell University. He is the author of After Neoliberalism? The Left and Economic Reforms in Latin America. Follow him on Twitter @Gustavo_F_M.



For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCOpinion on Twitter.


President Donald Trump took a major political risk after his public standoff with Mexico, which ended with a cancellation of a meeting between him and the country's president, CNBC's Jim Cramer said on Friday.



On Thursday, the White House suggested imposing a 20 percent tax on goods imported from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border as Mexican President Pena Nieto continues to say he will not foot the construction bill. The move comes as a rift between the two countries widened on Thursday as a meeting between the two presidents was canceled.



Nieto said he would not attend the planned meeting. Trump said on Thursday via Twitter "it would be better to cancel" a meeting with the Mexican president if he were unwilling to pay.

This marks the first serious splinter in US-Mexico relations the U.S. has seen in some time, Cramer said, and could cause more Republicans in Congress to break ranks, as Sen. John McCain has on key issues, including on trade deals with foreign countries.

"The 20 percent tax, the idea that this is not about jobs as much as it is just a spat between to countries that have had very good relations. The spat should be about NAFTA. The spat should be about the way we set up trade with the Mexicans," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street."

"I don't think the spat should be about not talking to each other, which is what Vicente Fox was saying," he said, referring to an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," when former Mexican President Fox blasted Trump, calling him a "child."

Cramer said Trump is beginning to learn that other nations can't be bullied, and when attacked, they push back. He said they have 'their own nationalist political dynamics."

Moreover, Trump's plans are likely to hit a few road blocks from unexpected places, Cramer said, adding "I believe Mexico has some friends in the Senate."
U.S. automakers can't compete in the global economy by manufacturing cars in America, former Mexican President Vicente Fox claimed in a CNBC interview on Friday.

"You produce cars in the United States at such a high price and such a mediocre, mediocre quality that you cannot compete, you cannot compete manufacturing in the United States," Fox asserted in a contentious interview after the Twitter war erupted between President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"That's why Ford , Chrysler , General Motors went broke," Fox said.

"By joining up the production in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, they are back to business for Chrysler and General Motors," Fox claimed in the "Squawk Box" appearance.

At the same time, Fox talked up the manufacturing quality in Mexico. "We're productive, because we're competitive, because we produce high-quality cars. We are not taking away jobs from the United States. It's robots ... not Mexico."

If the United States pulls back just "within the four walls" of its nation, the American economy will be missing out on 80 percent of the world market, he said.
President Donald Trump on Friday held his first press conference with a foreign leader since he took office.

The president gave joint remarks at the White House with British Prime Minister Theresa May after a meeting between the pair. In the press conference, they addressed the use of torture, sanctions on Russia and U.S.-Mexico relations, among other issues.

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May, a member of the Conservative Party who took power after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, discussed trade with Trump. A closer working relationship between the countries could give May leverage as Britain negotiates to leave the EU.

In a Thursday address to Republican leaders in Philadelphia, May echoed Trump in saying that some international organizations could use reform. However, she pushed back on some of Trump's public statements, warning against trusting Russia, backing out of international alliances and using torture.

Trump will also speak to the leaders of France, Germany and Russia this weekend.

 NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report
President Trump campaigned on sweeping promises to eliminate former President Barack Obama's major environmental regulations and "get rid of" the Environmental Protection Agency. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump offered a down payment on those promises, with memorandums clearing the path to construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines. He is expected to roll back a few more rules, including some on coal production, in the next few weeks.

Although dismantling Mr. Obama's most far-reaching climate regulations can be done, it will take legal acumen and a lot of time  perhaps longer than a single presidential term. Here's a look at what Mr. Trump can and can't do, and how quickly, to roll back environmental regulations.

Coal mining on federal lands

A year ago, Mr. Obama incited the coal industry's rage with a stroke-of-the-pen executive action banning new leasing of coal mines on public lands. Mr. Trump has the same authority to undo the ban.

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"That was Obama hitting the pause button, and Trump can unpause it," said Richard J. Lazarus, a professor of environmental law at Harvard University. "Anything that was done without a lot of process up front can be undone without much process."

However, it's not clear how much impact this move would have on jobs or the environment. It affects only mines in Wyoming and Montana, where coal companies had for years shed jobs because of increased automation and declining coal demand.

Limits on mountaintop-removal coal mining

"This one is low-hanging fruit," said Mr. Lazarus of a new coal mining regulation. On Jan. 19, the day before Mr. Trump took office, the Obama administration completed a rule to reduce mountaintop-removal coal mining, which uses explosives to blast off the tops of coal-seamed mountains. Coal companies oppose the rule, which prohibits them from using the technique near streams that could be polluted by the resulting rubble.

The rule will probably be undone quickly. Under the 1996 Congressional Review Act, Congress can scrap new regulations within 60 legislative days of being completed, by a simple 51-vote majority in the Senate. While the law has been used successfully only once in its 20-year history, it is expected to enjoy a newfound prominence soon. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of coal-rich Kentucky, has already vowed to use the act to undo what he calls "this regulatory assault on coal country." With the support of all 52 Republicans and probably Senator Joe Manchin III, a West Virginia Democrat, as well, the rollback of this rule is expected to be on Mr. Trump's desk within weeks.

Regulation on methane emissions

In November, the Interior Department completed a rule reining in the venting of methane, a potent planet-warming greenhouse gas, from oil and gas drilling facilities. Oil and gas companies called the rule expensive and burdensome. Like the mountaintop-mining rule, this one falls into the 60-day window allowing Congress to quickly overturn it with a 51-vote majority It is expected that the fossil fuel industry's allies in the Senate will quickly push to do so.

Rolling back vehicle fuel economy standards

While it can't be done quickly, there is a clear legal path for the Trump administration to undo one of the hallmarks of Mr. Obama's climate change policies: a 2011 regulation requiring automakers to build fleets of cars by 2025 that achieve an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon. The rule, jointly issued by the E.P.A. and the Transportation Department, would force manufacturers to build next-generation electric cars. It could reduce carbon emissions by about six billion tons, equivalent to removing a little more than the United States' emissions of carbon pollution for an entire year.



But the rule came with a loophole: a provision inserted by automakers to revisit it in 2017 if they found it too onerous. Just before Mr. Obama left office, the E.P.A. released a finding that the rule was not too costly for automakers to meet. But it did not do so jointly with the Transportation Department, leaving a legal avenue for the Trump administration to loosen the standards through that agency.

The chief executives of the biggest auto companies have already asked Mr. Trump to do just that, in a meeting with him this week. While Mr. Trump did not offer specifics, he did tell the automakers that he plans to ease their regulatory burden.

"It's not something that can be done with the stroke of a pen," said Jeffrey Holmstead, a former senior E.P.A. official in President George W. Bush's administration who has been mentioned as a possible deputy E.P.A. administrator in Mr. Trump's presidency. "It would likely take a year or 18 months. But it's not a heavy lift, from a legal perspective."
BINGHAMTON, N.Y.  New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman on Wednesday announced the guilty plea of Darin Cox, owner and operator of Broome Taxi.

Cox, age 44 and a resident of Johnson City, pled guilty for his allegedly fraudulent actions in obtaining more than $3,000 from the Medicaid system by operating his business without the licensing necessary to operate a taxicab in Broome County, according to a news release from the attorney general. Specifically, he pled guilty to one count of grand larceny in the third degree, which is a Class D felony.

Cox faces a sentence of up to seven years in prison. Sentencing is set for March 23.

The defendant received payments from the Medicaid program for transporting Medicaid beneficiaries to medical appointments. During the period from March 18, 2105, to April 29, 2016, Cox knowingly operated his business in violation of Broome County transportation regulations by failing to possess a Broome County-issued taxicab license; a Broome County-issued taxi business license; and a valid New York State Class E drivers license, per the state attorney general.

The defendants Class E drivers license was suspended on March 30, 2015.

In addition to his failure to maintain the required licenses, in 2014 and 2015 Cox submitted forms that falsely certified that his business had all the licensing required to operate a taxicab in Broome County, according to superior court information.

During the time that his company was unlawfully operated, the defendant obtained more than $100,000 in Medicaid payments, Schneidermans office said.

Contact the Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y.  More than three dozen human-services nonprofit organizations want Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature to provide more funding for their sector in the state budget.

The nonprofits shared their concern in a rally held Wednesday at the Southwest Community Center in Syracuse.

The state-budget proposal acknowledges the importance of human services, but provided little in the way of strengthening the human-services organizations and the sector, Loretta Zolkowski, executive director of the Human Services Leadership Council of Central New York, said in her remarks during the event.

The Human Services Leadership Council is a 65-member organization representing human-services nonprofits in Central New York.

So, today, we the people of the human-services sector of Central New York, in a strong, unified voice, call upon Gov. Cuomo and our state legislators to support the platform of the Restore Opportunity Now campaign, which reflects expressed needs of the sector and is supported by over 340 human-services agencies across New York State, said Zolkowski.

She is also member of the advisory committee of the Restore Opportunity Now campaign that also includes the nonprofit organizations involved in Wednesdays event.

The campaign seeks to address issues such as fully-funded contracts; competitive salaries and benefits for nonprofits to recruit and retain high quality staff; and program funding that meets the growing needs of New Yorkers.

The advocacy campaign cited a recent report and statistics illustrating that half of Syracuses children live in poverty and the region suffers from one of the highest rates of extreme poverty concentrated among communities of color in the country, according to a news release the nonprofits issued.

Spending in the human-services sector in New York has decreased by an average of 1.3 percent per year since 2011, the group said.

The nonprofits describe human services as the states first line of defense in combating pressing issues such as poverty, but rising costs coupled with ever present needs and lack of investment have undermined the health of the sector, which is now at a breaking point.

Statewide, local support

The nonprofits attending Wednesdays rally included AccessCNY; ACR Health; ARISE; American Cancer Society; American Heart Association; Catholic Charities; Center for Community Alternatives; Child Care Solutions; Childrens Consortium; Circare; Contact Community Services; CNY Fair Housing; Dunbar Association; Exodus3 Ministries; Food Bank of Central New York; Hillside Family of Agencies; Home Headquarters; Huntington Family Centers; Interfaith Works; Its About Childhood and Family; Learning Disabilities Association of CNY; Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County; Literacy CNY; Meals on Wheels of Syracuse; Mercy Works; Onondaga Community Living; OnPoint for College; Partners in Learning; Peace, Inc; Planned Parenthood of Central & Western New York; Prevention Network; Rescue Mission Alliance; Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE); Salvation Army; Spanish Action League; Syracuse Community Connections; Syracuse Northeast Community Center; Vera House; Visions for Change; Westcott Community Center; and YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
CAMDEN, N.Y.  La Roma Pizzeria & Restaurant, a longtime Rome eatery, will formally open its second location in Camden on Monday.

The Camden Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan. 30 at Noon at the restaurant at 3 Harden Boulevard in Camden to celebrate its grand opening. The new restaurant first opened to the public this past Tuesday, Jan. 24, according to the La Roma Facebook page.

For the last 29 years, La Roma Pizzeria and Restaurant has served customers in Rome and the surrounding area.

My family and I are very excited to open the doors of our newest location in Camden, Russell Digristina, owner of La Roma Pizzeria & Restaurant, said in a news release issued by the Camden Chamber. Weve put a lot of hard work into designing a beautiful restaurant, and we hope to continue to share our tradition of providing delicious food and a family atmosphere to our new customers in the Camden community and surrounding areas.

The new Camden location will offer a similar menu to the original Rome eatery, which is situated at 600 Floyd Ave. Menu items include pizza, wings, subs, calzones, and salads. Chicken and vodka riggies, garlic bread, and fresh haddock and fries are among the other menu offerings.

Contact the Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
Eww! Ewww!! Just ewwww!!!

A woman working at a fast-food restaurant in Columbus, Mississippi has been arrested after a coworker accused her of serving food contaminated with menstrual blood and spittle.

According to the cops, Sky Juliett was arrested for intentionally putting her menstrual blood and saliva on a customers burger.

This arrest came after a co-worker claimed that she saw the 18-year-old smear the blood and saliva on a sandwich and serve it to a customer at a Jacks Family Restaurant on Jan. 7.

The incident received attention after Samuels co-workers mother posted about it on Facebook and the victim of the alleged incident filed a complaint with the police department.

Samuel could face up to five years in prison if shes convicted of knowingly sell(ing) unwholesome bread or drink.

The witness who reported the case claims she has been fired for sharing information about the incident with her employers a few days later.

Although, the CEO of Jacks reportedly said she was terminated for reasons unrelated to it and is co-operating fully with the police.

Surveillance cameras has since been turned over to the police for further investigations.
The interior of the shop that jeweler Israel Switt and his business partner, Edward Silver, operated for decades in Philadelphia, remains the same as it has since the 1930s. The shop is still in business today.

The family that discovered the 10 1933 double eagles that sat quietly in a bank vault for more than five decades before being located are still seeking their return from the U.S. Mint.

The 2003 discovery in a Pennsylvania bank safe-deposit box of 10 1933 Saint-Gaudens $20 gold double eagles once owned by Philadelphia jeweler Israel Switt changed the course of history for Roy Langbord and his family.

Israel Switt, known as Izzy to most of those with whom he conducted business, was Roy Langbords maternal grandfather.

In an exclusive interview granted to Coin World on Jan. 25, Roy Langbord says if the family had the chance to do it all over again, the course taken as to what to do with the coins, once they were found, and the outcome might both have been different.

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The 10 coins became the subject of costly, protracted litigation between the federal government and the Langbords, as the family fought to retain ownership of the coins.

The case has seen decisions made in favor of both sides, with the most recent ruling occurring in August 2016 in favor of the Mint.

The 10 gold pieces are currently held within the U.S. Mints Fort Knox Gold Bullion Depository in Kentucky

The next step in the legal process is fast approaching, with the federal government expected to file arguments early in February to stifle the Langbord familys bid to bring the case before the U.S. Supreme Court and possibly overturn the lower court ruling that delivered ownership of the 10 coins to the federal government.

Roy Langbord, himself an attorney, says he knows getting the case before the Supreme Court is a long shot.

The case has taken an emotional and financial toll on the Langbord family, he says. During the litigation in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia and subsequent appellate court proceedings, the Langbords were advised by their New York attorney, Barry H. Berke, not to discuss the case publicly. That is, until now.

Berke is the same attorney that represented British dealer Stephen Fenton with the purported King Farouk 1933 double eagle that was declared to be the only example legal to own; it was sold at auction in 2002, with the net proceeds from the $7.59 million sale split between Fenton and the Mint.

In a one-hour-and-40-minute telephone interview with Coin World, Roy Langbord discussed the details of the case from the familys point of view and how it affected each person, including his brother, David, and especially their mother, Joan Switt Langbord, Israel Switts daughter, now in her late 80s.

Paradise found?

What the family initially thought was serendipitous, discovery of the 10 1933 double eagles gradually turned sour once the family decided to entrust the gold pieces to the federal government.

Langbord said his mothers first suggestion was to return the coins to their resting place in the Switt familys bank safe-deposit box, where they were found. Final disposition could be pursued by the family after her death, she said.

Roy said his father, the late Stanton Langbord, however, recommended the family seek an opinion as to the legal status of the gold pieces. The coins were among 445,500 double eagles struck in 1933 at the Philadelphia Mint, with most melted without being released into general circulation.

Stanton Langbord, who owned and operated an optical company in Philadelphia, was a heavily decorated World War II veteran who experienced extensive combat in the Pacific Theater.

Roy Langbord said his father, who died in 2006 at age 85, strongly believed the government would do the right thing for its citizens. What eventually transpired was outright zeal on the part of the government to win an all-out legal war at all costs, Langbord said.

And it all started with the coins.

Langbord said his mother informed him of the discovery of a bag of coins, found in the safe-deposit box, but its contents werent known until he could go through them with her in an office at the family jewelry shop. The contents had reportedly been in the same safe-deposit box since the 1950s, and remained there as the bank underwent multiple ownership changes.

Roy said going into the safe-deposit box wasnt even planned. The facility had experienced flooding, causing the frames of some safe-deposit boxes to warp, requiring the locks to be drilled open and the boxes made sound again. The process required the contents of each box to be removed by its owners.

Roy said the coins were held in a crumpled department store bag from a since-defunct business. All of the coins in the bag were gold  Mexican, Roman and assorted U.S.coins.

One of the first coins he pulled from the crumpled bag was in a 2-inch by 2-inch manila coin envelope marked LLDE.

Roy had worked summers at his grandfathers store, where the pricing code involved using, in place of digits, a nine-letter word with no repeating letters. Israel Switts code word was Baltimore. The LL translated to 33, with the DE as double eagle. Roys suspicions were proven true when he removed a 1933 double eagle.

There were nine more such envelopes, each containing a 1933 double eagle, inside the bag. When the coins were turned over to the government in the envelopes, Roy says Mint officials wondered if the LLDE was some sort of Mint code.

Seeing the contents of each envelope, Roy said, I knew it could be life-changing. He added: When I first told my mother, she said she didnt want her life to change. She said, put them back and you deal with it after my death. 

She must have had a premonition, Roy said. There were enough bad things and worse that ended up happening, Roy said. His grandfather was accused of trading in stolen property; his mother, of knowing much earlier about the existence of the 10 1933 coins. Roy said there was never any determination that the coins were stolen from the Mint.

Roy Langbord said his grandfather was small in stature but loomed large in the business world of Philadelphia. He was a fair and honest businessman who lived frugally, was well-respected and wouldnt have stolen anything from anyone, unlike his portrayal in government proceedings.

Hed bring scrap metal to the Mint daily to be melted, sometimes twice a day, Langbord said. He was likely given those coins or purchased them. Was it legal under the circumstances he got them? I dont know, and neither does the government.

In the years before he became a teenager, Roy said, his grandfather would take him and Roys brother, David, annually to the Philadelphia Mint where they would get a VIP behind-the-scenes tour, after which each received a current years set of Proof coins.

Over lunch with his father the same day the 1933 double eagles were discovered in 2003, Roy said they discussed what the family should do with the coins. They began the search for legal counsel for direction. What was finally decided was diametrically opposed to what his mother had proposed.

Unlike his father, Roy said, his grandfather and grandfather's business partner, Edward Silver, were distrustful of the federal government and President Roosevelt, and didnt like banks. Switt preferred doing business in cash, Roy said. He installed two stand-up safes in his shop in the 1930s that are still in the shop today.

Switt had cause to dislike the government. During the 1930s, he was arrested by authorities while carrying a suitcase full of U.S. gold coins to the Philadelphia Mint for melting. This was after Roosevelt in 1933 had issued an executive order limiting private ownership of U.S. gold coins.

Switt was never charged, but the contents of the suitcase were confiscated and melted without Switt ever being compensated, Roy said.

Earlier news

Roy Langbord was generally aware of the rarity of 1933 double eagles before the family discovery. He said he had seen a New York Times article discussing the July 30, 2002, public auction by Sothebys, in conjunction with Stacks, of the purported King Farouk example.

Langbord said he then talked to his mother about whether the family had any such coins extant. A subsequent hunt yielded nothing.

Langbord said he remembers his grandfather only discussing the 1933 double eagle once, in general, as a U.S. Mint issue.

During his last year of law school in New York City in 1977, Langbord said his grandfather had asked him to stop at the Stacks coin shop on West 57th Street in Manhattan and ask what a 1933 double eagle was worth. While waiting to talk to a Stacks numismatist, Roy said he spied a printed reference of U.S. coin values and looked up 1933 double eagles, for which he found no listed value.

The unidentified numismatist with whom he eventually spoke at Stacks stated 1933 double eagles had no public value and were largely privately traded, and if he had to guess, placed a value of $250,000 on one.

Roy said he relayed the information to his grandfather and the issue of 1933 double eagles was not brought up by him again.

Switt was known to have traded in 1933 double eagles earlier and, in the mid-1940s, had been interviewed by the Secret Service about his marketing of the coins.

The Secret Service subsequently tracked down nine coins that Switt had reportedly admitted to selling; all nine coins were either confiscated or voluntarily turned over to the government by their owners, and all were eventually destroyed.

Introduced to Berke

Langbord said he initially tried to enlist the services of Peter E. Fleming Jr., a high-profile criminal defense lawyer, who was preparing for a major trial at the time and could not take on the case. Roy then directed his attention to Berke and was able to make his introduction through a Berke colleague that Roy knew worked at the same firm.

Langbord said David Tripp  the federal governments expert witness against the Langbords  while preparing the catalog for the 2002 sale of the purported Farouk coin had contacted his mother asking about the possible existence of any other 1933 double eagles in the familys possession, since the Switt connection to the coins was known.

At the time, the existence of the 10 examples in the safe-deposit box was not yet known to the family, Langbord said.

Nothing to hide

We never had anything to hide, Roy Langbord said. We didnt know the legal status of the coins. We were looking to make a deal if it was OK to sell them. Dad said, Dont worry. 

Roy said Berke approached U.S. Mint officials concerning the coins, optimistic that something positive could be worked out to the benefit of all sides. Mint officials asked if it was possible to take the coins to determine authenticity. Langbord said officials were told the coins could be relinquished temporarily for that limited purpose, but we never gave them carte blanche.

Whats the worst that could happen? Langbord said. The family would soon find out. By this time, the coins had been moved from the Switt familys banks safe-deposit box to Stanton Langbords bank, where he held a safe-deposit box.

Roy Langbord said he suspected something sinister was afoot when, in 2004, with Mint and Secret Service officials present along with his dad and Berke, he noted that the removal of each of the 10 coins from the envelopes was being videotaped, before the coins inspection and documenting. Not long after, one of the Secret Service agents approached him and began reading him his rights.

Langbord said legal pressure was being exerted for the coins to be turned over to authorities for the authentication process. The coins were turned over to the Mint through the Secret Service, but with the familys stipulation that custody was for the limited purpose of authentication.

As court proceedings evolved, Langbord said, it quickly became clear that his family would likely have a difficult time succeeding in their pursuit of the 10 coins return.

Langbord said he and his family would not agree to participate in a 2005 press conference announcing the discovery of the coins by the Langbords and what Mint officials referred to as a recovery. The U.S. Mint retained possession of the coins until Aug. 11, 2005, when officials announced to the public the bureaus recovery of the 10 1933 gold coins.

Mint officials do not consider the 10 gold pieces to be coins, under government claims they were never officially released as such, thus none of the 10 double eagles will be monetized as legal tender as was done for the single example sold in 2002. Many numismatists dispute the Mints claims that the double eagles even had to be monetized, given how coins were distributed in the 1930s.

During the course of court proceedings, Langbord said, it became painfully obvious that U.S. Mint records were woefully incomplete, and those documents that did exist raised red flags.It seems like the documents were created to make it look like nothing was missing and that nobody did anything wrong, he said.

The Secret Service, Roy said, had not been actively seeking out the existence of any 1933 double eagles for some six decades until the Langbords case was brought to them.

In 2006, the Mint used the 10 coins as the centerpiece of an exhibit during the American Numismatic Association Worlds Fair of Money in Denver. The Langbords expressed their objection to the display to both Mint and ANA officials. We were disgusted and disappointed, Roy Langbord said. The exhibit was a clear violation of the rules of seizure.

Langbord said it was also a violation when it was reported that Numismatic Guaranty Corp. had graded the coins, a notification that was quickly removed from the grading services website.

There is evidence that other examples of 1933 double eagles exist beyond the two in the National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of American History and the purported Farouk coin and the 10 Langbord coins. Langbord added: I think everyone knows that there are others out there. They will surface again.

At least one dealer active in the business today has said he participated in the sale of one that is not among the 13 identified pieces.

In retrospect, based on the events that unfolded, we should have sold some of them and put others in museums, Roy Langbord said. We should never have turned them over to the Mint. They just took our property and ran.

What advice would he give to anyone with a genuine 1933 double eagle in their possession?

The last thing to do is inform the Mint, he said. Enjoy the unique piece as long as you can.

And if you want to sell it, do it outside the borders of the United States.
MO judge temporarily blocks restrictions on voter registration groups

The judge wrote that the requirements are "antithetical to the core tenets of freedom of speech."
LINCOLN  The general manager of Des Moines (Iowa) Water Works has a stern warning for Lincoln residents.

You better watch Nebraskas waters, Bill Stowe told a crowd of about 70 people Thursday evening at the Unitarian Church in Lincoln.

Stowes warning comes as Costco finalizes plans for a massive chicken-processing plant in Fremont, which will be run under the name Lincoln Premium Poultry. Over the next couple summers, hundreds of workers will build the 360,000-square-foot, $275 million broiler chicken slaughter facility.

The facility will produce about 470,000 chicks a day, and a 32,000-square-foot mill will make 1.314 million tons of animal feed per 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.

But Thursday, Stowe, along with Dr. Alan Kolok, director of the Nebraska Watershed Network and the Center for Environmental Health and Toxicology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and George Cunningham, a scientist who studies wildlife in streams, talked about the dangers the chicken plant poses to Nebraskas watershed.

Stowe said the plant would increase pollution and could put Lincoln in a situation like Des Moines Water Works, which is suing three agriculture-heavy upstream counties over nitrate levels in the Raccoon River. Raising chickens in crowded barns could also damage air quality, the experts said.

The biggest threat the plant poses is runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus, which could damage Lincolns water that comes from wells near the Platte River.

You have to ask yourself two questions, he told those in attendance. Are you willing to take the public health risk? And are you willing to pay for that?

Removing pollution is expensive and water rates will go up, he said.

Water isnt something you can decide to stop using, he said. Beware of the Trojan horse.

Some aspects of the plant will seem good  such as the increase in jobs in Fremont, he said, but the downsides arent often talked about.

Wastewater from the 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.

Kolok said the potential problems come down to simple math.

Were looking at a plant population of 17 million birds, living in 400 houses, he said. Thats 40,000 animal in each house ... theyll be standing in their own waste.

Whether its an animal-rights issue is another topic, he said, but standing waste will create a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria.

Seventeen million chickens generate more waste than every person in Omaha doubled, he said. The numbers are staggering.

There will be a water stream in the plant for clearing the waste.

Thats assuming everything will go as planned 100 percent all of the time, Kolok said. Mistakes occur.

Kolok called the plant a potential disaster, no matter what side of the political spectrum residents align.

Experts also spoke to about 150 people in Omaha on Wednesday about the same topic, but said Thursday that Lincoln has more to worry about because of its wells' proximity to the Platte River.

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, said Walt Shafer, Lincoln Premium Poultrys project manager.
Nebraska farm groups fear a plan endorsed by the White House on Thursday to pay for a border wall with a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico has the potential to create a trade war that would ravage the states top industry.

This has the potential to be devastating to agriculture, U.S. agriculture and Nebraska agriculture. And also certainly would not be good for the entire economy to the state of Nebraska, said Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the states largest group representing farmers.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer, speaking aboard Air Force One to reporters on Thursday, said Trump favored the proposal and discussed it with Congressional Republicans as part of a comprehensive tax reform.

Amid uproar following his statements, White House officials later said the 20 percent tax is one of several options being considered to pay for the wall Trump made a center point of his presidential campaign.

Trump on Wednesday ordered the construction of a wall on Americas southern border, which is estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

In the midst of the diplomatic row, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped a planned trip to Washington next week, when the two leaders were scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House. Pena Nieto took to Twitter on Thursday to say he informed the White House he would not be coming.

In a speech in Philadelphia later Thursday, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

Nebraska sent $1.26 billion in goods to Mexico in 2015, making it the states second-largest export market. In 2014, about 30 percent of Nebraska soybeans and 17 percent of corn got shipped to Mexico.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who had not seen specifics of the proposal, said he's concerned the tax could disrupt that trade relationship.

I urge the Trump Administration to look for ways to grow trade opportunities for Nebraskas ag producers and manufacturers, Ricketts said in a statement.

John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said trade is a two-way street and one side doesnt get to make up all the rules. He also questioned the legal and international repercussions of such a tax.

Nebraskans have worked decades to build bridges with buyers in Mexico, bridges easily collapsed if Mexico were to create its own retaliatory taxes on products from the United States.

There is a lot more involved than just dickering over price. Its a much more complicated kind of negotiation, Hansen said.

U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse took to Twitter to criticize the proposal saying: Tariffs are a tax on American families.

Sasse followed with: #LoveYourPassion but trade is not a good vs evil, zero-sum game. Someone on each side is voluntarily choosing to exchange b/c they want to.

Sasse's spokesman, James Wegmann, later clarified that Nebraska's junior senator will study tax and tariff changes when they are proposed.

"But he (Sasse) starts from the basic principle that tariffs are a tax on Nebraska's families and also a danger for Nebraska Agriculture."
Still No Evidence That There's Anything Worth Investigating

After President Trump told a national television audience on Wednesday that he would be launching a major investigation of voter fraud in last years election, the White House passed word that an executive order on the subject would be signed on Thursday.

But Thursday came and went with no action and still no evidence that significant voter fraud exists anywhere in America other than in the Presidents imagination. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the administration may have more to say on the investigation today or Saturday.

The administrations delay came amid reports that Stephen Bannon, the Presidents chief strategist, Steven Mnuchin, Trumps nominee for Treasury secretary, and Tiffany Trump, the Presidents daughter, are all registered to vote in two states.

The President has repeatedly cited such dual registrations as evidence to support his claim that up to 5 million people voted illegally last year. In fact, theres nothing fraudulent about dual registration. Voter fraud occurs when someone attempts to vote in multiple locations or in a locality where he or she doesnt reside; numerous investigations by Republicans, Democrats and independent researchers have concluded that is about as rare as unicorn sightings in the U.S.

A popular uprising against attempts by South Dakota legislators to dismantle a sweeping, voter-approved overhaul of the states ethics laws appears to be making headway.

The state Senate on Thursday postponed action till next week on a bill that would overturn last Novembers popular vote in favor of the ethics reforms, which include an ethics commission, a public funding system for political campaigns, and strict limits on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers.

The South Dakota House already has passed the bill and Gov. Dennis Daugaard has promised to sign it if it reaches his desk. The legislation appeared to be on a fast track until news stories spotlighting it began appearing in South Dakota and across the country, sparking a flurry of angry phone calls, emails and other messages to members of the legislature.

A Senate confirmation hearing for Andrew Puzder, President Trumps choice to serve as Secretary of Labor, has been postponed  for the third time  amid Puzders continuing failure to submit paperwork required of all Cabinet nominees.

The hearing is now set for Feb. 7 in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Puzder, a fast food executive, is one of several Trump cabinet selections whose confirmations have run into trouble because of gaps in their paperwork or concerns about their plans to comply with federal conflict of interest laws.

The Washington Post reports that Treasury secretary nominee Steve Mnuchin initially omitted about $100 million in assets from his financial disclosure forms. Education secretary pick Betsy DeVos did not submit her ethics agreement until after her confirmation hearing, leading lawmakers to delay her confirmation vote.

The new administrations already contentious relationship with the White House press corps is getting darker today after Bannon told the New York Times the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.

Bannon also referred to reporters as the opposition party and asserted that they dont understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.

Every President has spats with individual reporters, columnists, and commentators and sometimes with the media in general. But Trumps open verbal combat with journalists during his first week in office is raising concerns that he is intent on controlling the flow of information and punishing and/or silencing journalists who write critical stories about him or his administration.

Trump has called for overhauling U.S. libel laws to bring them more in line with press restrictions in Great Britain and has referred to reporters as among the most dishonest human beings on Earth. His first days in the White House have been marked by reports that the administration has tried to squelch publication and distribution of government-financed scientific research that doesnt comport with the Presidents views on subjects like climate change; Trump is a climate change skeptic.

We are not the opposition, Stephen Engelberg, editor in chief of the nonprofit news website ProPublica, wrote in an email to the Times. We are part of an essential function in any democracy. ProPublica has no intention of shutting up in response to this or any other presidents demand, he added.

We are here to tell the truth and we intend to continue doing so, regardless of how badly some might want us to parrot alternative facts.

###
Woot Woot! We saw two of our priority bills victorious in their first committee this morning!

One to create an Independent Ethics Commission in New Mexico and another to close the Revolving Door of former legislators from lobbying for two years  thank you sponsors and committee members.

Today the House State Government, Indian and Veterans Affairs Committee debated HJR 8, a constitutional amendment that would create our states first independent ethics commission, and send the question to voters in the fall of 2018.

Our thanks to the hard work and tenacity on HJR8 by Rep. Jim Dines, Sen. Jeff Steinborn, Rep. Bill McCamley and Rep. Nathan Small, this bi-partisan and bicameral constitutional amendment bill passed the committee on an 8-1 vote!

The seven-member commission will receive and investigate complaints submitted to them regarding:

ethical conduct violations by elected officials or public employees

campaign finance restrictions or reporting violations for candidates both state and local campaigns

registration and reporting requirements for lobbyists

disclosure and ethical standard conduct violations by state contractors or seekers of state contractors

This commission will only make complaints public after either a response from the individual facing a complaint has been received by the commission, or the deadline for submitting a response has passed. This rule will address the concerns that frivolous or malicious complaints could be publicized prior to an accused individual is given appropriate time to respond to a complaint filed against them.

Our next committee assignment is in the House Judiciary Committee. We will let you know when that hearing is set  hopefully next week!

Next, HB 73, sponsored by Rep. Jim Dines, Rep. Joanne Ferrary and Rep. Nathan Small, requires legislators to wait two years before become lobbyists in New Mexico. And it passed the committee unanimously!

Common Cause New Mexico testified that Revolving Door legislation is important for our legislature to pass so that citizens access to legislators doesnt feel negated by the power of recently retired legislators who are also lobbying for issues, but treated as colleagues and thus given far more access than the average citizen.

Todays vote shows that your legislators are listening to YOU! Our thanks to everyone on the committee for their support in moving this forward!

Please take a moment to call your legislators today and ask them to support HJR8 and HB73 as they move through the process.

And on the Agenda for Friday

Disclosure is on the Senate Rules calendar for Friday, January 27! This is not only a priority, but also a bill that will be scored for our first NM GPA. Check it out to see all bills being scored, our methodology and read about our Four Pillars of Democracy.

The proposed disclosure legislation has passed the Senate FOUR times (the last three unanimously), as well as all House committees in prior years. This bill will overhaul the current law to bring it in line with both recent constitutional rulings and modern campaign practices by:

Requiring public disclosure of information about the campaign spending of PACs and other non-candidate campaign participants without crossing constitutional boundaries established by the courts

Requiring independent groups to disclose contributions and expenditures

Why this legislation is important to New Mexicans:

91% of New Mexico voters support requiring that all large political contributions be made public

74% of New Mexico voters support contribution limits for candidates

Lets pass it through the Senate again, and all the way to the House floor in 2017!

Follow us on Twitter @commoncausenm & like us on Facebook for mid-day updates and remember to CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS!
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has approved what will be the largest U.S. offshore wind farm when it's built off the east end of Long Island. It will generate enough electricity to power more than 50,000 homes on Long Island's South Fork.

The South Fork Wind Farm will consist of 15 wind turbines with 90 megawatts (MW) of capacity. While the project still needs to complete its permitting process, construction could start as early as 2019 and it may be operational as early as 2022.

The approval of the South Fork Wind Farm, to be located 30 miles southeast of Montauk, is the first step toward developing 1,000 megawatts (1 gigawatt) of offshore wind power in that area, Cuomo said in a statement.

Deepwater Wind The Block Island Wind Farm began producing electricity for New York last month.

The wind farm approval comes two weeks after Cuomo's State of the State Address, during which he called for the overall development of 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. The 2.4 gigawatt target, which is enough power generation for 1.25 million homes, is the largest commitment to offshore wind energy in U.S. history, Cuomo said.

Cuomo wants New York state to get 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

The nation's first offshore wind farm, the Block Island Wind Farm, went live last month. Both the Block Island and South Fork wind farms are owned by Deepwater Wind, a company based in Providence, R.I.

Deepwater Wind The South Fork Wind Farm will be located 30 miles southeast of Montauk.

"This is a big day for clean energy in New York and our nation. Gov. Cuomo has set a bold vision for a clean energy future, and this project is a significant step toward making that a reality...," Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski said in a statement. "There is a huge clean energy resource blowing off of our coastline just over the horizon, and it is time to tap into this unlimited resource to power our communities."

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Deepwater Wind has also proposed another offshore wind project that would be adjacent to the South Fork Wind Farm. That project still needs the approval of the Long Island Power Authority; it would bring an additional 210MW of wind power to Long Island.

Deepwater Wind The final blade being attached to a turbine of the Block Island Wind Farm.

What was supposed to be the nation's first offshore wind farm, the Cape Wind Project, has been hampered with financing and permitting problems. The Cape Wind project, to be located in Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod, Mass., would have easily dwarfed the wind farms to its south with 130 turbines and a total of 468MW of capacity (1,500 gigawatt hours of electricity per year). That project was slated to cost $1.6 billion.
Southern California Edison (SCE) has flipped the switch on what is now the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world -- a substation with 80 megawatt hours (MWh) of capacity.

Located Ontario, Calif., the new Mira Loma substation quietly went live Dec. 30. The substation is made up of commercial-grade Tesla Powerpack 2 lithium-ion battery units.

SCE Southern California Edison engineer Grant Davis examines components in one of the 604 racks of battery modules at the Tehachapi storage substation completed last year.

When fully charged, the system will hold enough energy to power more than 2,500 households for a day or charge 1,000 Tesla vehicles. But that's not its purpose.

The Mira Loma facility will be used to ensure that electricity generated from photovoltaic solar and wind farms does not go to waste and can be used as a supplemental power source during peak hours of the day. The plant also acts as a buffer power source while more common gas-fired "peaker" plants are being fired up to supplement the grid.

"When you fire up a peaker plant it takes a long time," said Jude Schneider, SCE's corporate communications manager.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ordered SCE, PG&E and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to solicit more utility-scale energy storage solutions that could be operational by Dec. 31, 2016.

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The AES Corporation's subsidiary, AES Energy Storage, won a contract from SDG&E to build two new energy storage projects, totaling 37.5MW, in San Diego County.

All three utility projects were the result of the shutdown of the Aliso Canyon natural gas reservoir, which was the source for the power plants in the region. The plant ruptured in October 2015 and spewed natural gas into the atmosphere, creating a state of emergency.

Last April, the Aliso Canyon site was permanently sealed with concrete. The methane storage plant is owned by Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) and located in the Aliso Canyon storage field near the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Over the months that it leaked, the storage facility spewed 107,000 tons of methane gas into the atmosphere and forced the evacuation of 8,000 area residents.

The Aliso Canyon facility had been feeding the network of natural gas "peaker" power plants in the Los Angeles basin. Peaker plants are typically only used to supplement power requirements during peak demand.

In all, CPUC is requiring utilities to meet a target of 1,325MW (1.3GW) of additional power storage by 2020.

While Tesla and SCE did not disclose the price of the contract, a similar 20MW facility also being built for SCE by AltaGas Ltd. is valued at between $40 million and $45 million.

The Mira Loma battery storage project isn't SCE's first. The Tehachapi Energy Storage Project, completed last year, has 32MWh/8MW of capacity. The battery storage facility, located in SCEs Monolith substation in Tehachapi, Calif., comprises 604,832 lithium-ion battery cells housed in 10,872 modules of 56 cells each, stacked in 604 racks arranged in rows. That project took a year and a half to complete, compared to the three months it took the Mira Loma substation to be built.

SCE The Tehachapi Energy Storage Project has 32MW of capacity.

The global energy storage market is expected to double as homes and businesses adopt battery energy to supplement rooftop solar and other renewable systems, according to research firm IHS.

Researchers predict that 378.1GW of new solar and wind generating capacity will be installed globally over the next five years, requiring a massive amount of energy storage.

Over the next decade, energy storage capacity in developing countries is expected to skyrocket from 2 gigawatts (GW) today to more than 80GW, according to a new report by the World Bank Group.

The report predicts the annual growth in energy storage capacity will exceed 40% a year over the next decade.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced earlier this month that his company is now mass producing li-ion batteries for both commercial and residential use in the company's first "gigafactory" outside Reno, Nev. Musk plans to build other gigafactories around the world.
President Trump is still tweeting from his old Android phone in the White House, even after being given a new, secure device just before his inauguration, according to a report in The New York Times.

That revelation stirred some strong negative reactions from three mobile security analysts contacted on Thursday. Two of those analysts said using the older Android device only for tweeting doesn't necessarily pose a national security risk, but they questioned what else he might be doing with that Android device that could pose such risks.

"If all that President Trump does with that Android phone is tweet, then it's not a [security] problem," said Roger Entner, a long-time analyst on mobile and security matters at Recon Analytics. "If he does more than that, then it becomes a significant problem especially if the Android phone travels with the President overseas."

However, Entner said it is possible some hacker or group could pose as President Trump using his @realDonaldTrump handle. Doing that likely would require breaking into secure Twitter servers or the wireless and wired network infrastructure used to reach Twitter from any device. Or, someone could gain access to his Twitter user name and password, which becomes more possible if he has trusted other people to access his account.

"Hackers can pose like him on any device and that's more about his Twitter security, not the phone security," Entner explained.

"The main problem is if someone hacks his unsecured Android phone, then they can always locate where the phone is and in all likelihood where he is. This is the kind of metadata that the spy agencies thrive on when going after their targets," Entner said.

Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, had similar concerns. "If President Trump is still using his unsecured Android phone for tweeting, what else is he using it for and what kind of info does he have on it that could be compromised?" he asked.

"In theory, the whole reason for giving him a secured phone is to prevent any hacks or the interception of sensitive data and communications," Gold added. "The mere fact that he is using an unsecured device is very troubling. That would probably be grounds for dismissal for many other government employees who face much stricter enforcement" on their use of mobile devices.

[ Further reading: Multifactor authentication goes mainstream ]

During his campaign, Trump frequently expressed concerns over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a personal e-mail server for some official business.

"We should learn from the lessons of Secretary Clinton, who used an unsecured device for much of her tenure," Entner said. "There are very are sophisticated people and countries out there who love to know what the President talks about to his inner circle."

The White House could not be reached to comment on President Trump's activity on his Android device or his Twitter account during his first week in office. A spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service referred questions about the matter to the White House.

The Secret Service protects the president and was likely involved in the decision to give Trump a more secure device just before last Friday's inauguration. It was widely assumed at that time that Trump would give up his Android phone, reportedly a Samsung Galaxy S model.

However, The New York Times report of his first five days of living in the White House indicated Trump still used "his old, unsecured Android phone, to the protests of some of his aides." He wrote and sent out a tweet on Tuesday that he would "send in the Feds" to Chicago to help end gun violence and killings there.

That Tuesday tweet and 12 others since then appeared on the @realDonaldTrump Twitter handle that Trump has used for months and that now has 22.2 million followers. It isn't clear whether Trump is writing all the tweets himself or even using his Android device in every case.

Whatever Trump is doing with the old Android phone is certainly intentional, said Avivah Litan, a security analyst at Gartner.

"He wants people to listen in on his communications," she said. "He can't get enough public attention for his impulsive discourse. I'm sure he knows what he is doing and all of this is deliberate."

Litan said she is sure Trump has access to highly secure communications when he knows that he needs to use them.

President Trump's use of his old Android device while in the White House and while serving as president is troubling on several levels, the three analysts said. Just last week, Trump's nominee for Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, suggested during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing that the Internal Revenue Service needs "first-rate" computer technology to protect taxpayer privacy and the agency's cybersecurity.

"We all should be concerned about cybersecurity," Entner said. "Mnuchin is absolutely right. We need to do much more."

Entner favors using two-factor authentication as standard for every site and organization that deals with personal information. "People should also pressure the sites they use that don't offer two-factor authentication to offer it as soon as possible."

This story, "Report: Trump still uses his unsecured Android phone to tweet " was originally published by Computerworld .
If President Donald Trump is still using his personal, unsecured Android smartphone, as reported, he is surely creating bucketsful of worry for White House communications security staff.

As CIOs and Chief Information Security Officers already know, any organization can install strong security technology into a network or a smartphone, only to be defeated if end users don't use it or follow safe cyber practices.

"The most vulnerable parts of communications are the people, and if they aren't taking precautions, problems exist," said Chris Perry, chief operating officer for Secured Communications, a provider of encrypted VPNs for mobile devices used by governments and companies.

"There is a White House communications group that does nothing but communications technology solutions for the president and his staff," Perry said Friday. "But the weakest link in any communication is the end user. You can have all kinds of end-to-end encryption, but in the end, if you aren't using that piece of equipment and related tools, you are very vulnerable. That's true in any environment, in government or the private sector."

White House officials didn't respond when asked repeatedly about Trump's reported use of his Android phone for tweets after he'd been in the White House for several days. The U.S. Secret Service referred questions on the matter to the White House.

Trump didn't turn over his Android phone when given a secure device just before his inauguration, according to the The New York Times.

Reports have indicated Trump is using an older Galaxy S3 or S4, which is "asking for a disaster," Nicholas Weaver, a computer security researcher at the Computer Science Institute, said in a blog post. "President Trump's continued use of a dangerously insecure, out-of-date Android device should cause real panic. A Galaxy S3 does not meet the security requirements of the average teenager, let alone the purported leader of the free world."

Weaver said if Trump were enticed to click on a link to a cyber exploit with his phone, the phone could become a bug that could record everything in audio or video around it and then transmit that information to an attacker. "Even a brand new, fully updated Android or iPhone is insufficient: The President of the United States is worth a great many multiples of expensive zero-day exploits."

Hackers could also learn where the phone is through GPS, which could also be an indication of where the president is located, said Jack Gold, a mobile security analyst at J. Gold Associates.

If a nation-state really wanted to attack Trump's phone or another device, it could rely on a brute force attack performed by supercomputers to break encryption on his password to gain access to files, applications and other material, Gold added.

"The working assumption should be that Trump's phone is compromised by at least one  probably multiple  hostile foreign intelligence services and is actively being exploited," Weaver added in his blog.

Some analysts have said that if Trump is merely using the Android device to send out tweets, he might not have created an internal security problem. But even then, it isn't clear that he, or someone else, has set up his Twitter account in secure ways to prevent someone from spoofing his @realDonaldTrump or @POTUS accounts and sending out false statements.

"We don't even know if the tweets are really from him," Gold said in an interview. "It's not an overblown concern, because if someone tweets 'I'm about to attack Russia' on his account, that could cause a war or a financial panic. That's why this is such a major issue. The implications are catastrophic."

The president's official account, @POTUS, already has revealed sensitive information that hackers might be able to exploit.

A hacker who uses the name WauchulaGhost found that @POTUS was secured to a Gmail address that could be guessed as belonging to a Trump aide in charge of social media. WauchulaGhost urged several White House officials in a tweet to change their emails and fix their security settings to stop a hacker from conducting a simple password reset on an account to figure out an email and try to compromise it.

Last year, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, was hacked by suspected Russian cyberspies through a spearphishing attack sent to his Gmail address. Later, his emails were stolen and then leaked publicly.

Security experts suggested that Twitter users can prevent exposure of their email addresses over Twitter by going to their account's security settings and clicking, "Require personal information to reset my password," which forces anyone trying to reset the password to enter the correct email address or phone number to continue.

Also, Twitter users can set up an option in security setting and checking "verify login requests," which secures the account with two-factor authentication. The user would then need to enter both a password and one-time code sent to a mobile phone or generated by an authenticator app.

It isn't clear whether Trump's Twitter accounts have any such protections.

"It's troubling to me to not know how well Trump is being protected or how protective he is of his profile or his whole electronic persona," Gold said in an interview.

"Trump's going to do what he is going to do," he added. "This is a man who has said he knows cyber better than anyone. I'm not sure he's an expert. I'm sure people are advising him. I'm sure they are whispering in his ear. The problem is if he's listening."

This story, "Trumps unsecure Android phone highlights common security dilemma" was originally published by Computerworld .
An InDaily story looked at what economic lessons the capital of South Australia could learn from Colorado's capital city.Excerpt:In 2015, Denver was named as [most] liveable city in the west and the fourth-best metro area for science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals in America. More than 38 per cent of Colorado's adult population has completed a bachelor's degree or higher. In 2015, Colorado was also ranked as the second-most entrepreneurial State in America.Adelaide, like Denver, provides a very high quality of life, affordable housing, quality health care, a ready supply of commercial property for lease or purchase, friendly people, a well-educated work force, and many other attributes that mirror Denver's. Adelaide's countryside is very attractive, tourism is well targeted and events are significantly supported.Adelaide Airport has improved quite dramatically since the 1990s. Adelaide Oval is a world class venue. So why hasn't Adelaide grown at anything like the very fast rate of Denver?Read the rest here
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

They buried a farmer today. As I wrote in last weeks column, thats the title of a poem I found on the internet and rewrote to read at my Dads funeral on Monday. It was written by someone in Iowa and most of it fitted my Dad like a glove. And the bits that didnt? Well, I took the liberty of adding some of my own words and deleting some of the original. No one looks forward to a funeral, especially when it a parents, but I was dreading this. I knew the church would be packed  and it was. Standing room only.

But the previous day on the flight back from the Trump inauguration I developed a terrible cough. By the time Monday morning arrived I was coughing every thirty seconds. My head felt as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. I couldnt think straight, let alone practice reading my poem. I gave it a quick run-through but broke down every few lines. I even thought at one point that I wouldnt make it. To be honest, I have never felt worse in my life.

Anyway, of course I did get through it, and although my voice wavered a few times I finished it without incident. The wake went by in a blur. I was conscious of not infecting anyone else but as the afternoon went on, I felt worse and worse. I even started to lose my sense of balance. Ive never felt anything like it. And so it went on.

I was desperate to go back to work on Tuesday, not least so I could cover the Supreme Court result. But it soon became evident that even having slept for 12 hours Id be in no state to present a live radio show. I spent the day in front of the TV resembling a zombie. And the next.

Ive now had a cold on and off since the middle of December. As I get older, I know its taking much longer than it used to to get over this sort of thing. I have never ever pulled a sickie in my life, but whenever I have to have a day off sick (which is a rarity) I always feel incredibly guilty even though in my heart I know I have no reason to feel like that. Maybe its that hackneyed old phrase, the protestant work ethic.

         

My prediction that whatever level of detail the Government offers on Brexit, the Remainers will always demand more, seems to be coming true. Within minutes of the Prime Minister announcing there will be a white paper Remainers were demanding it should be at least a certain length, must be published before the Committee Stage of the Article 50 Bill etc etc. This is why nothing will ever satisfy them.

Personally Ive always felt there ought to be a White Paper, which just needs to set out broad objectives. It does not and should go into great detail on whether we should pay to still have membership of the Eurowidget forum or the like. That is part of negotiating our exit and the Government can be judged by the electorate at the end of the process.

es, and I mean the end of the process. The idea which Hillary Benn and many other on the opposition benches are now putting forward that there should be a vote in the latter stages, but before agreement with the EU has agreed terms, is so laughable as to be beyond belief. Their argument is that if Parliament rejects the deal, the Government can go back and negotiate a better one. Frankly, no deal will ever be good enough for the Remainers unless it means in practical terms that we, er, remain.

No, Benn needs to be told that the vote will be at the end of the process and if the deal is voted down there will be a general election on that single issue. One can never be sure, but I suspect I know what the result would be.

         

So the Liberal Democrats have selected a Brexit-supporting candidate to fight Andrew Bridgen at the next election. You couldnt really make it up.

         

I really was going to try to get through this weeks column without mentioning Donald Trump. Theres a small part of me that is enjoying seeing the handwringing left throw their toys out of their collective prams, but even I am horrified by what Im seeing. His inauguration speech had the tone of Mussolini and the content of Charles Lindbergh.

Since that day, he has issued a whirr of executive orders, most of which seem deliberately aimed at dividing an already divided nation. I still cling to the hope that he cant be as mad as he seems, that he will calm down and learn to be more statesmanlike, but I fear its a vain hope. A friend of mine said to me after hearing his inauguration speech I just cant go to America while hes President, I just cant. My first reaction was to tell him it was a pathetic bit of virtue signalling.

But theres part of me that thinks he has a point. I love the United States. Always have, always will. But during my trip there last week to cover the inauguration I felt I was visiting a very different America.

         

Is it really possible that Jeremy Corbyn could remain Labour leader if they lose both the by-elections on February 23rd? Copeland is a seat the Conservatives have eyed for some time, but its never fallen their way, even in the landslides of 1983 and 1987. Stoke-on-Trent Central has never voted anything other than Labour and has never looked likely to. Until now.

Some people are suggesting that Labour is about to experience the same kind of meltdown in northern England and the Midlands that it has already gone through in Scotland. I think its too early to believe that is likely to happen, but it cant be ruled out. Labour could soon become a rump of a party centred in London and several other big cities. The question is: who will gain the seats Labour will surely inevitably lose if they carry on their current trajectory? The Conservatives are said to be putting little or no effort into Stoke and theyre concentrating on Copeland, where they think they have a real chance of winning.

Its a decision that they may live to regret. If Paul Nuttall becomes the second UKIP MP it will give licence to Labour voters to vote UKIP in ever bigger numbers. There are 7,000 Tory voters in Stoke on Trent Central. If they, en masse, cast their votes for Paul Nuttall, Id say hes home and dry.
Donald Trumps support for the use of torture by America reached a new low even for him. Never mind that a full reading of his words shows that he was actually backing down from his campaign position, in which he said that he would bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse. Never mind that he therefore took cover behind James Mattis, his Defence Secretary, and Mike Pompeo, his CIA Director, both of whom are opposed to the use of torture: if they dont wanna do it, its 100 per cent okay with me. And never mind that, as the President himself effectively conceded, he cannot break his countrys laws against torture by executive fiat. (I wanna do everything within the bounds of what youre allowed to do legally, he said.)

The simple fact is that his words will have read and noted in the rest of the world, where they will have a disastrous effect on the battle for hearts and minds, especially in Muslim-majority countries. Terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda do not operate in isolation; they recruit and shelter amidst a swamp of public opinion. By backing torture in principle, Trump isnt draining that swamp: he is feeding it. And as Mark Wallace pointed out yesterday on this site, torture doesnt work. Even if it did, it wouldnt be right. And even if it worked and was right, it wouldnt be wise. The United States and its allies have always held fast to this view  scorning the use of torture during the war against fascism and the longer war against communism.

The reputational capital that great men like Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan amassed  while holding true to Americas idea of itself as a shining city on a hill  is too precious to be squandered by a moral dwarf like Trump. But it is one thing for ConservativeHome to say so  we can write what we like  and quite another for Theresa May to do the same. Though she will have been horrified by the Presidents view on torture, she does not have the freedom that we do. She has a responsibility to her country to get the best out of the man who is now the most powerful in the world. So she must cloak, cozen, cog and flattercrouch and seem courteous. Sometimes, opposites attract, she said as she flew in to meet him, doubtless through clenched teeth. Politics can truly be a filthy business.

Her speech to the Republican Partys conference showed her meeting that responsibility, and seeking to take the Conservatives sister party with her  to use it as an ally in restraining the most wayward President in modern times. Yes, she said, NATO is in need of reform and renewal, but it is the cornerstone of the Wests defence (i.e: it isnt, to use Trumps word, obsolete). Yes, its other members should meet their obligations, but we must always stand up for our friends and allies, such as the Baltic States. Yes, we should engage with Putin, but we should beware of him. Yes, the Iran deal must be very carefully and rigorously policed, but it has got results and should therefore (she suggested) he adhered to. Yes, the U.N and other international institutions need to change, but they are vital.

Every one of these messages was crafted to shore up Britain and Americas present and common position. And they were duly wrapped up in the familiar language of what we call the Special Relationship  on other words, with references to Americas alliance with Britain in two world wars, Churchills partnership with Roosevelt, the common struggle against communism, the mutual building-up of international institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF (which the Prime Minister stressed heavily), and a shared way of thinking, drawing on Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and the English common law (none of which sit with the use of torture, though she didnt say so directly).

Above all, she wants that trade deal, which would be a proof that Britains new global role can work  though she was prudent enough to say that it must work for both sides and serve both of our national interests. President and Prime Minister both will seek to project it as the main matter of her visit, as they seek to frame the latter as a success for both. For they need each other. She needs him to lean on the EU 27 and the Commission during the negotiations, and to stick to the post-war internationalism that has marked his countrys foreign policy. And he seems to need her, given the amazing speed of her visit. Downing Street has been busy playing down comparisons with the Reagan-Thatcher era  which he likes to draw  but yesterday she deliberately played them up.

There were no fewer than four Reagan references in the speech  to his reference to fifty-six rank-and-file, ordinary citizens; to his relationship with Gorbachev; to his words the sleeping giant stirs  and, pointedly, to the freedom of Eastern Europe made possible by the leadership of Britain and America, and of Mrs Thatcher and President Reagan. The evocation of the great partnership of the 1980s is in some ways strained. Thatcher could be, at least on some occasions, the dominant partner. It is hard to imagine May hectoring Trump. Reagans and Thatchers worldviews converged. On Russia, NATO, Iran, and international institutions, Mays and Trumps are a long way apart. We hope they meet  on her terms.

A famous left-wing poster of the 1980s portrayed Thatcher and Reagan as Scarlett OHara and Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind. It did neither of them any harm. We thus present an updated version, courtesy of Carla Millar. For the Prime Minister, as she prepares to meet with the President, tomorrow truly is another day.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Media outlets are reporting that escaped serial rapist David Maracle has been arrested in Cornwall.

Patricia Boal, an anchor with CTV Ottawa tweeted late Thursday night that Maracle had been arrested in Cornwall and that Cornwall Police confirmed the report.

According to Boal, Maracle was arrested at the Cornwall Square Thursday evening.

Maracle had walked away from Henry Trail Correctional Facility on Jan. 22.

He has an extensive criminal record and was classified as a repeat offender.

Maracle had previously been convicted of possession of a weapon, break and enter, assault, kidnapping, sexual assaults, and overcome resistance choking.

More updates to come on this story.
SOUTH DUNDAS, Ontario  Bill McGimpsey stepped down from his role as chair of the SD&G library board, stirring controversy following the decision to close three SD&G library branches in August 2016. McGimpsey served as chair for 10 years, and assuming the role is South Dundas Mayor, Evonne Delegarde.

Delegarde, who has been a board member for two years, voted in favour of these closures, generating some concern among community members who fear that this may not be the end of the closures. Many have perceived the closures to be a regressive step in addressing the needs of rural communities already struggling with limited resources.

Barb Lehtiniemi was on library board for three-and-a-half years, serving as vice chairman since 2015. She resigned when they voted in favour of closing the branches, and since stepping down, has been outspoken about her disappointment in the way the issue was handled. The chair now has the big job of restoring public trust in the board, and also the confidence of staff, who have to deal with the effects of the boards decisions, said Lehtiniemi. Lets hope Evonne can pull it off.

Delegarde will effectively step into her new role at the next board meeting Thursday, February 9 at the Finch branch. McGimpsey will maintain a position on the board, and Delegarde says that she looks forward to working alongside the former chair. Hes been a cohort of mine for the two years Ive been involved with the board, and we have great professional relations, said Delegrade.

In response to the closures, Delegarde says that its important for municipalities and public to look at the whole picture, stating that the trio had been on the boards radar for some time. We need to examine the role of libraries within our community and how it continues to change, said Delegarde.

She addressed the publics concern over the targeting of further branches, saying that no conversation has taken place. There has been speculation surrounding the closure of the Williamstown branch, but as of now, there are no plans to close, said Delegarde.

Moving forward, the board plans to promote upcoming meetings in attempts to create a dialogue between the board and members of the municipalities.

There are instances where people are no longer able to get to a library, said Delegarde. But I hope there is an opportunity for them to at least get to another branch.
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Some mothers who take psychiatric drugs during their pregnancy are often burdened with the thought that their prescription can negatively impact their relationship with their children. Experts, however, explained that a mother-child bond does not usually form until childbirth.

Dorothy Greenfeld, a licensed clinical social worker, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine explained that it is normal for mothers to feel unattached to their children during pregnancy, and ever a few days after childbirth. She then explained that bonding takes time as it is a process that can "potentially" begin in pregnancy.

The lack of attachment between the mother and the child can be escalated by psychiatric conditions and medications. Though it may seem like a negative move to take anti-depressants during pregnancy, a study published in the Archives of Women's Mental Health revealed that psychiatric drugs do not seem to interfere with the mother's attachment to the fetus.

"Mothers who have depression and other mental health symptoms tend to have less positive facial expressions, fewer verbalizations, and even engage in certain types of behaviors that don't always focus on the safety of the child in the same way," Dr. Sheehan Fisher, a professor of psychiatry stated. "What our focus is on is how do we best treat the mother so that her symptoms don't get in the way of her being able to bond with the child and the impact that can have on the infant long-term."

The New York Times then explained the depression or any mental health disorder can possibly strain the bond between the mother and the baby, but not medications. Some mothers fear that taking psychiatric drugs can negatively impact their relationship with the child, or can damage the child's development.

Experts reveal, however, that it is more dangerous to ignore mental health concerns during pregnancy, thus one should seek help as soon as possible.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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A recent study suggests late school start time so that teenagers can enough sleep. This is because one out of three teenagers is actually suffering from lack of sleep. Not getting enough sleep can lead teenagers to have poor academic performance, frequent absences in school, low energy for and reduced participation in physical activities, poor mental health, and contributes to most vehicular accidents.

The study, conducted by researchers from McGill University, examines whether school start time is correlated with sleep duration and tiredness among teenagers. In addition, the study is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of school start times across the country of Canada.

In order to show the benefits of late school start time in terms of adolescent health, the researchers collected and analyzed data on school start times from 362 schools in Canada. The schools are participants in the 2013-2014 Health Behavior in School-aged Children study. The researchers calculated how long students slept based on student's self-report on their weekday bedtime and wake time. The reported sleep hours during weekdays were classified as sufficient or not sufficiently based on the national sleep recommendations. The data was also used to classify the self-reported tiredness at school in the morning.

Published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the study found that on average, schools in Canada start at 8:43 in the morning. On average, most teenagers slept for around 8.4 hours on weekdays with around 69 percent meeting the national sleep recommendations. Sixty percent of the teenagers reported feeling tired in the morning.

According to the researchers, early school start time is in conflict with the natural circadian clock of teenagers. As these young people go through adolescence, their body clock gets delayed two to three hours thus sleeping before eleven at night is a struggle. Contributing to early school start time, teenagers don't get enough sleep and are prone to physical and mental problems.

This explanation backs up the need for schools to consider starting later than usual. Every ten-minute delay in school start is equivalent to an additional 3.2 minutes of sleep for teenagers. The study found that schools that have a late start time, have teenagers getting enough sleep thus reducing the self-reported tiredness in the morning.

The study adds to the growing evidence of the benefits of late school start time in regards to teenagers' wellbeing. The researchers do recognize that in order to implement late school start time, a concerted effort should come from the school, government, parents, and concerned parties.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Several strains of the avian flu are spreading across Europe and Asia this winter, and several deaths related to the virus has already been recorded in China. The World Health Organization has already advised warning about the possible outbreak caused by poultry flocks inflicted with the bird flu virus.

The H7N9 strain of the avian flu that spreads in China every winter since 2013 is the deadliest among all the strands of the virus. NY Times reported that over 225 human cases of the bird flu virus have been recorded since September 2016 and is quite high compared to the earlier cases.

With the Chinese New Year celebrations, just a few days away, poultry shipments will come in numbers and tourists and travelers are the most common carriers that cause the flu to spread.

In the last four years, China has recorded more than 1,000 cases, of which 39 percent were fatal. People who raise, slaughter, cook and sell poultry are the ones usually exposed and gets infected with the flu. Although human-to-human transmission is not yet confirmed, two cases were already associated with this cause.

Meanwhile, Reuters narrates that provinces in China are already extending their regular cleaning periods for live poultry markets to help control the spread of the bird flu. Foshan, a city in Guangdong province regularly closes that poultry market one day each month to clean and sterilize. The bird flu is usually most susceptible during the first 3 months of the year due to the cold weather.

Instead of the usual one-day regular cleaning, the market will shut down for three days, from the 16th to the 18th of the first 3 months of 2017. Guangzhou is also following this resolution to be able to help control the spreading of the virus.

Restrictions on poultry trade and suspending live poultry trading are not being implemented in several provinces in China to prevent spreading of bird flu cases. However, the WHO suggests that consumers in nearby countries should remain vigilant in consuming poultry supply to avoid possible outbreaks.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Wearable baby monitors that are used to track an infant's vital signs have been widely available for the past two years. It is hooked up to parents' smartphones and gives real time updates of the baby's heart rate and breathing. Recent study said that it may present more harm than good.

A team lead by Dr. Christopher P. Bonafide, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) said that there is no sufficient evidence about the safety, accuracy and effectiveness of the monitors. The viewpoint review was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study showed that the devices may cause stress for parents. Most often it leads to unnecessary checkups and expensive tests that may potentially harm the baby. On the other hand, manufacturers of the baby monitors claim to give the parents peace of mind and some even agree.

The review focused on devices and smartphone-linked wearable, such as smart socks, onesies and diaper clips, that measures the baby's biometrics and sends pulse rate and oxygen measurements to parent's apps. The apps can alarm parents in case of tachycardia, sleep apnea, slow heart rate, oxygen desaturation and sudden infant death syndrome.

According to Medical News Today, Dr. Bonafide and his team at CHOP evaluated five baby monitor models, Baby Vida, MonBaby, Owlet, Snuza Pico, and Sprouting. They assessed the monitor's advertised role, medical indications and existing state regulations.

The review suggests that the baby monitors does not specify that their products treat or diagnose disease. It's only guarantee is to alert parents when there is activity with the child's cardiorespiratory health.

THV11 reported, Owlett said in a statement that they acknowledge a lack of evidence in certain products but are also actively addressing to resolve the issue. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also advised not to use cardiorespiratory monitors at home. The devices are not regulated by the FDA due to no specific medical claims.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Police have issued a warning about the "salt and ice challenge." Parents were advised to educate children about the internet craze that has found children burning themselves. The salt and ice mixture results in a painful burning sensation. Part of the challenge is to try to withstand the pain as long as possible while being recorded and then it is posted on social media.

According to iTV, the YouTube videos were posted back in 2012 and in total, had 6.8 million views. It became a trend and swept the US several years back and now has made a comeback with British secondary school children.

Most of these children suffer second to third degree burns. Injuries are extreme as the skin is numbed with ice and children are unaware of the extent of damage it causes.

Combining salt and ice results in an eutectic frigorific mixture and the reaction is similar to frostbite, where the burns are caused due to a rapid fall of temperature below -18 F (-28 C).

North Devon Journal reported one mother who wished to remain anonymous, thought that it was a cut. After realizing it was a burn the child was taken to the burns unit and the consultant was surprised to have seen an ice cube do so much damage.

"The burns were so severe that there was a debate about whether he should receive a skin graft," said the boy's mother. The doctors decided not to go through with the skin graft as the boy seemed to have retained full motor skills in his hand.

The salt and ice mixture burned deep through the boy's nerve endings. He lost feeling on the burnt surface itself. Similar to frostbite it may have gone septic and possibly could have caused organ failure.

Schools, not only in the UK but also everywhere around the world, need to keep a close eye on emerging trends. Social media has increased social pressure amongst children and it is really something to watch out for.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Delivery of the objectives set out in the Cork2 declaration on rural areas was the central request of Anthony Buchanan, Vice-President of the commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), during an open exchange between representatives from the five EU institutions. The event on 20 January was hosted by European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan and German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt in Berlin.

In September 2016, more than 340 rural stakeholders met in Cork, Ireland and developed a joint vision about the challenges and opportunities in rural and agricultural communities as well as recommendations for the future. The Cork 2.0 Declaration "A Better Life in Rural Areas", the key reference document on the future of rural and agricultural policies, and drawing up a white Paper on rural areas would give a clearer focus to the future of EU rural policies, says Anthony Buchanan (UK/EA), Vice-President of the NAT commission of the CoR.

"It is now clear that the first Cork Declaration has not fully met its objectives due to a lack of tangible commitments. Let's now move to the delivery of the new objectives. We need an operational action plan to ensure that this declaration doesn't only exist on paper but leads to real actions and results. A White Paper on rural areas would be a starting point for a more systematic account of rural affairs in all EU policy areas", said Buchanan. "It is only in partnership with local and regional authorities that coherent policies will end the decline in rural areas and make them the best places to live, work and raise a family. This event, with the EU institutions discussing 'Cork2: from reflection to action,' demonstrates how we can cooperate to focus on a results-driven approach."

The Sixth report on economic, social and territorial cohesion shows that the gap between rural and urban areas is still growing, partly because the development of large and capital cities has stepped up. Maintaining rural areas and communities to remain attractive places to live and work is a key priority of the NAT Commission of the CoR.

"Rural areas are slowing down compared to urban areas, leaving a great potential to tackle economic, environmental and social challenges underexploited. We need an integrated approach to step up EU financial support for rural development, diversify entry points and mainstream rural issues into all EU policies, come up with concrete measures on how to implement rural proofing and continue to harmonise the Structural Fund operating rules via a common strategic framework in order to facilitate rural development programming and management", said Buchanan. "There must be a clear 'rural proofing' as advocated in the Cork declaration", he added.

Behind this backdrop the members of the CoR will discuss and adopt an opinion on how to better support young European farmers during their February plenary session in Brussels. The discussion will take part in the presence of Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Carmen Schmidle

Tel. +32 (0)2 282 2366

carmen.schmidle@cor.europa.eu
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Malta officially assumed the Presidency of the European Union on the 11th of January when the whole of the European Commission descended upon the island to mark the historic occasion.



Twelve years since Malta took the historical step of signing onto the project known as the European Union and joined the other twenty-seven Member States, the country took the lead of the bloc during what undoubtedly is one of its most treacherous passes is no small matter.



Assuming the presidency for the first time, our country, with a population just under half a million people, will tackle the start of Brexit talks, the ever-growing threat and reality of terrorism, and the rise of far right parties across the bloc and the potential for political shocks in French and Dutch elections  not to mention the opening months of the Trump presidency. While acknowledging the tasks ahead of us, the Maltese Presidency is adamant on keeping its feet on the ground and acknowledging its limitations while rising to the occasion and make this Presidency a success. As Prime Minister Muscat rightly said, during these six months we will show that the size of a country is not an obstacle but rather, an advantage.



While the ever-growing migration phenomenon, the single market, security, social inclusion, Europe`s neighbourhood and the maritime sector are amongst Malta`s top political priorities, our central role will be to find the unity we have lost and the goal is about reuniting member states. Reunion: Bringing Europe back together. This seems to be what the Maltese presidency would really like to be remembered for  it is emblazoned at the top of the presidency website. Our task will be to create a sense of unity in Europe, work on a humble and honest European level agenda, and put forward priorities that will make a difference to the everyday lives of every EU citizen. Thus, the focus will be on the social element that has been totally discarded in the last few years. Whilst the common man in the street is affected by the lack of employment opportunities, the increased cost of living standards, the influx of foreigners, politicians are advocating and debating the European economy, politics and directives. This leads our citizens to view politicians as detached and lacking in the understanding of problems accompanying their citizens.



This will truly be a test of Maltas mettle, and of its art of diplomacy.


Applications & OS News

Microsoft Touts Cloud Revenue Growth, Looks Ahead To LinkedIn Opportunities

Rick Whiting

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Microsoft reported significant sales growth across its Azure, Dynamics 365 and Office 365 cloud services in its fiscal second quarter, while company executives said the recently completed $26.2 billion acquisition of professional networking site LinkedIn holds the promise of additional growth in the second half of fiscal 2017 and beyond.

"The LinkedIn business solutions: hire, market, sell and learn; represent an expanded market opportunity for Microsoft, and we plan to diligently execute on this opportunity, keeping the member-first ethos in focus," CEO Satya Nadella said on an earnings call with financial analysts on Thursday.

For the second fiscal 2017 quarter ended Dec. 31, Microsoft reported revenue of $24.09 billion, up 1.2 percent from just under $23.80 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Net income for the quarter was $5.20 billion, up 3.6 percent from $5.02 billion one year earlier. Earnings per share were $0.66.

[Related: Microsoft Closes $26.2B LinkedIn Acquisition, Looks Toward Product Integrations]

Some of the most robust growth during the quarter came from Microsoft's Productivity and Business Processes segment, which recorded revenue of $7.38 billion, up 10.3 percent from $6.69 billion in the same quarter one year ago.

That segment included financials from LinkedIn, the company's largest acquisition ever, which was completed Dec. 8. LinkedIn contributed $228 million to Microsoft's total revenue but subtracted $201 million from the vendor's operating income and $100 million from its net income.

"Our top priority is to ensure we innovate and drive value for LinkedIn members and grow their daily engagement," Nadella said of Microsoft's plans for LinkedIn.

Microsoft intends to integrate the data LinkedIn has on its 433 million members with its Dynamics CRM and other applications to create new business services and opportunities.

"The combination of LinkedIn business solutions and Dynamics 365 gives us a more comprehensive portfolio of business SaaS [software-as-a-service] solutions and strengthens our position in this growing and competitive market," Nadella said.

Also included within the Productivity and Business segment is Office commercial products and cloud services, which saw revenue increase 5 percent, fueled by a 47 percent increase in Office 365 commercial revenue. Nadella said installed Office 365 commercial seats increased 37 percent in the quarter.

"We're changing the nature of work with Office as the universal toolkit to help people and teams accomplish more together," Nadella said on the earnings call.

Revenue from Office consumer products and cloud services grew 22 percent with the number of Office 365 consumer subscribers reaching 24.9 million. Revenue from Dynamics products and cloud services revenue, including the Dynamics 365 cloud application set launched last year, increased 7 percent in the quarter.

Revenue from Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud segment grew 8.2 percent year-over-year to $6.86 billion in the most recent quarter from $6.34 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. That included a whopping 93 percent increase in Azure revenue and 12 percent growth in sales of server products and cloud services.

"Our commercial cloud annualized revenue run rate now exceeds $14 billion, and we're on track to achieve our $20 billion [goal] in fiscal 2018," Nadella said. "Across industries, we continue to see strong customer demand for our differentiated cloud solutions."

The CEO said customers had deployed more than 1 million instances of Windows Server 2016. But enterprise services revenue, also part of the Intelligent Cloud segment, dropped 4 percent due to declines in revenue from custom support agreements.

Revenue from Microsoft's Personal Computing segment, the vendor's largest, dropped 5.2 percent year-over-year to $11.82 billion from $12.47 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. The company blamed lower phone revenue for the decline  Microsoft completed the sale of its feature phone business in November  as well as a 3 percent decline in gaming revenue.

Microsoft reported that Windows OEM revenue was up 5 percent in the quarter, as was revenue from Windows commercial products and cloud services. Nadella cited "rapid adoption" of Windows 10 commercial PCs and a 52 percent increase in enterprise and education deployments. "The consumer PC market is also stabilizing," the CEO said.


Channel programs News

Datatec Is Set To Make A Deal: Is WestconGroup For Sale?

Michael Novinson

WestconGroup and Logicalis parent company Datatec Ltd. announced it is negotiating a material transaction. Sources tell CRN the most likely outcome is the sale of $4.9 billion distributor WestconGroup.

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Datatec Ltd., the parent company of WestconGroup and Logicalis, announced it is negotiating a material transaction and sources tell CRN the most likely outcome is the sale of $4.9 billion distributor Westcon-Comstor (the go-to-market brand of WestconGroup Inc.).

Johannesburg, South Africa-based Datatec said in a regulatory filing that the transaction being negotiated could have a material effect on the $6.5 billion company's stock price if it is successfully completed. Datatec said it will not issue its usual interim management statement detailing the publicly-traded IT conglomerate's performance over the past quarter.

Sources indicated to CRN that Westcon-Comstor - which has struggled financially in recent quarters - is the most likely candidate to be sold. Datatec's stock is up 2.5 percent to $3.73 per share since the announcement was made early Wednesday.

[RELATED: CRN Exclusive: Westcon Deepens North American Security Portfolio With New Gigamon Alliance]

Westcon and $1.5 billion solution provider Logicalis, also owned by Datatec, declined to comment. Datatec did not respond to requests for comment. Datatec spent $160 million in June 1998 to purchase a 92.5 percent stake in WestconGroup and quickly expanded into Europe, which now accounts for 34 percent of the distributor's overall sales.

Westcon's revenue fell 10 percent in the most recent filing period to $2.26 billion, with sales dropping in all of the company's geographies except Asia-Pacific. The company's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) sunk by 18 percent to $42.9 million due to lower profitability in Latin America and efforts to transform the company's business process outsourcing (BPO) practice.

One longtime partner said that his Westcon business has plummeted from several million dollars to less than $100,000 annually due to the Tarrytown, N.Y.-based distributor frequently dropping product lines. The partner said he had been procuring lots of Brocade, Palo Alto and Eaton from Westcon as recently as six years ago, but the business dwindled as he found product lines were frequently out of stock.

"From our standpoint, Westcon has sort of fallen off the map over the past couple of years," the partner said. "For what we were doing, the relationship just ran its course."

The partner said he enjoyed working with Westcon when the products he needed were readily available, praising the distributor's programs, salespeople and credit offerings.

"When they were doing their thing, I thought they were doing a good job," the partner said.

Westcon derives 90 percent of its revenue from just 15 global vendor partners, CEO Dolph Westerbos told CRN in 2015, with 42 percent of overall sales coming from its Cisco-exclusive Comstor business. Other vendors Westcon works closely with include Avaya  which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month  Polycom, Juniper, Check Point, F5, Palo Alto and Blue Coat (now Symantec).

Another partner told CRN that both the Comstor and Westcon sides of the business seem to be pretty healthy, with no recent customer-facing staffing changes.

The partner said WestconGroup appears to be well-supported by Datatec, noting that Westcon is run as a standalone business unit with minimal corporate interference. The partner conducts all of his business through Westcon's North American operating unit, which he said facilitates service around the globe.

"Westcon has support, but they're run on their own," the partner said. "Our working relationship with them is very strong."

The sale of Westcon would definitely be disruptive to this partner's business since the partner would need to ascertain what changes are occurring and re-establish relationships with the new management teams. Although the solution provider said he has multiple distributors with which he can do business, Westcon is his preferred distribution partner.

A third solution provider told CRN that the sale of Westcon wouldn't impact his business since the solution provider could turn to other distributors for product procurement.

Westcon's security practice has grown over the past year from 33 percent to 36 percent of its overall business, and its networking practice has grown during that same period from 24 percent to 26 percent of overall sales. But Westcon's unified communications sales have dropped from 26 percent to 22 percent of revenue, and its data center business has sunk from 17 percent to 14 percent of total sales.
As we know, Griff may or may not be a right-on activist but he certainly has some seedy-looking friends who are all going to a gig. Peter h...
Internet of things News

Qualcomm SVP: Qualcomm's Mobile Expertise Gives It An Edge In IoT

Lindsey O'Donnell

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Qualcomm has long been a leader in the mobile industry  and the company now is making a big bet to extend that focus to IoT, said Qualcomm Senior Vice President of Product Management Raj Talluri.

"[IoT is] creating a lot of new opportunities, and our goal is to help our partners and our customers to get these products out really fast," said Talluri during a presentation to members of the media at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Talluri said Qualcomm is ramping up its efforts around IoT  and already, the company has shipped more than one billion IoT objects powered by its trademark Snapdragon chips.

As part of this push, the San Diego, Calif.-based company at CES revealed its Network IoT Connectivity platform, which aims to overcome the lack of connectivity protocol standards that IoT products face by offerings software frameworks to link Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other connectivity options.

Talluri stressed that mobile technology "will drive IoT," making Qualcomm's mobile-based processors ideal for the billions of low-power connected devices that will shape the Internet of Things market  particularly security.

"We've been doing hardware based security for over 20 years, and there's a lot of concern about customers with devices as they get connected about security," he said. "We are now bringing to IoT the security aspects that were built in in mobile, that's what makes mobile technology optimal for IoT."
Networking News

Verizon Is Reportedly Courting Cable Players; Partners Weigh-In

Gina Narcisi

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Verizon is considering a large cable purchase to match AT&T's Time Warner acquisition plans, according to multiple reports citing sources close to the matter.

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam is "angling toward a cable deal," and Comcast or Charter Communications are potential targets, according to a report first published by the New York Post earlier this month. On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that Verizon is looking into a combination with Charter, and that McAdam has made a "preliminary approach" to officials close to Charter, according to unnamed sources.

Verizon declined CRN's request for comment on the reported cable acquisition plans. However, McAdam said that the pairing of Verizon and a cable provider "makes industrial sense" when asked about the possibility of a deal during a meeting with analysts in December.

[Related: Solution Providers See AT&T-Time Warner Merger More Likely To Win Trump Administration's Approval If It Creates Jobs]

A Verizon-Charter combination would unite more than 114 million wireless subscribers from Verizon, as well as its remaining landline business, and Charters cable network which services 17 million TV customers and 21 million broadband connections. Buying Stamford, Conn.-based Charter would give Verizon a dense fiber and cable network it could use to support its 5G wireless services.

Charter is valued at about $85 billion, and reports suggesting that Verizon was considering a buyout sent Charter's shares soaring by 9 percent on Thursday morning. Verizon is valued at $194 billion with more than $100 billion in debt. Comcast is currently valued at $173 billion.

One West Coast agent that partners with Verizon, Comcast, and Charter Communications said it hasn't heard anything concrete from any of the carriers concerning any merger or acquisition plans. An agent executive that asked not to be named said his company "isn't worried" about the potential channel if Verizon were to acquire one of the two cable providers.

All three providers, the partner said, are "very channel-friendly," he said, adding that he doesn't believe that outlook would change as the result of a merger.

Earlier this month, Wall Street analysts stated that of the two providers, Comcast would bring more business value to Verizon. A Verizon/Comcast combination could be a benefit to channel partners by creating one provider to go to for infrastructure and services, as well as "one throat to choke," according to one East Coast-based solution provider that partners with both Comcast and Verizon and asked not to be named.

At CES 2017 earlier this month, T-Mobile's outspoken CEO John Legere predicted that Verizon and Comcast would consider a merger in 2017. Legere said that a possible merger between the two companies would form "the ultimate evil corporation of all time," opining that it would make both of their respective services worse for end customers.

"Salvaging 90s dot-coms hasnt worked out so well for Verizon. And the head start they had on their network is basically gone. Comcast really needs a wireless play. The future looks a little rough for these two megacorps as their legacy businesses erode," Legere said.

A merger between Verizon and either of the two cable companies could face some of the same regulatory scrutinies as the proposed AT&T Time Warner acquisition. While President Donald Trump publically vowed to put a stop to AT&T's plan while campaigning, he has since appointed a former Verizon lawyer to head the FCC.

JP Morgan telecom analyst Philip Cusick told investors, in a research note on Thursday, that a Verizon-Charter combination is "feasible but difficult on the financials," while Comcast's size and NBC ownership would most likely render any deal with Verizon a "non-starter" because it would make for a difficult regulatory review process with antitrust obstacles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recent speech that the enemies of Israel will end up in the ash bin of history.

Speaking to a crowd gathered at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem in remembrance of International Holocaust Day, Netanyahu warned that anti-Semitism is a real threat both in the Middle East and in the West, but that Israels enemies will ultimately be on the wrong side of history.

Netanyahu also condemned the Iran Nuclear Deal, negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015. Netanyahu said Israel must do all it can to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The Prime Minister also spoke favorably of President Donald Trump and his new administration.

CBN News notes that Trump vowed during his presidential campaign that he would either renegotiate the Iran Nuclear Deal or withdraw from it entirely. He has even called it a disaster, and the worst deal ever negotiated, according to The Guardian. He also promised to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump has not yet taken any action regarding the deal during his first week in office.

He is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu in early February.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: January 27, 2017
Things are getting ugly out there. I had a chance this week to chat with Gary Hayslip who is the first CISO for the City of San Diego. He also co-authored the book the CISO Desk Reference Guide about the changing roles of the CISO and how to be prepared for todays current threat landscape. This discussion came on top of a Forrester Report [Disclosure: The report was funded by Varonis, a client of the author] detailing just how poorly prepared private and public companies are to protect their data and the devastating breaches in companies like Yahoo and organizations like Democratic National Committee.

[ Related: 5 biggest cybersecurity concerns facing CIOs, CISOs in 2016 ]

Lets talk about what I learned from Gary and well close with some of the highlighted survey results. By the way Gary will be at RSA and is a fascinating guy to talk to, so, if you are there and see him youd likely find a chat fascinating.
The Bridgeport and Trumbull police departments make it so hard to file complaints against their officers they run afoul of state law, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union.

On some crucial criteria, departments comply on paper, the report said. But when Connecticut ACLU volunteers called police stations to ask about how to file a complaint, they said they were given inconsistent information.

That suggested police officers answering public calls were either uncertain of complaint protocols or attempting to mislead callers, the reports authors said. That could lead to complainants becoming confused or discouraged, the report said.

In Trumbull, ACLU callers were told complaints needed to be made in person and notarized. Department representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

In Bridgeport, police told callers the department would not accept anonymous complaints.

Obviously, we want to be the most transparent police department as possible, said Bridgeport police spokesman Av Harris. We also dont want to subject (police officers) to unwarranted harassment for doing a job thats very difficult to do.

Harris said he welcomed the report and would review its conclusions before commenting on the claim the city was violating multiple state laws.

The report came as police departments struggle to convince citizens their officers are accountable.

In Chicago, city leaders are working with the U.S. Department of Justice after a January report concluded police regularly committed misconduct and were rarely held accountable, according to the Associated Press.

According to a report published this month by the Reuters news service, law enforcement agencies in cities around the country have been weakening accountability measures in order to help them reach union contracts on tight budgets.

According to the ACLU report, 40 police departments in the state are not complying with state complaint law or policy. Combined, the cities account for around 1 million Connecticut residents.

In 2012, the Connecticut ACLU performed a similar survey, which it credits for the eventual passage of a 2014 law that strengthened regulations on complaint forms to what they are today.

Now, its leaders are calling for a standardized complaint form across the states police departments, reporting requirements and penalties to force departments to comply.

Community members who wish to alert their police departments to misconduct should find open doors, not mazes of red tape and intimidation, said David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut, who supervised the study.

Another rampant violation is that 42 percent of police jurisdictions told the volunteers that forms were only available in police stations. State law requires them to be available online as well.

A similar ratio said their agencies policies were not fully available to the public.

Thats only obtainable through FOI, Harris said. I think thats something we could make more available.

Some towns go above and beyond state requirements and make it easier to fill out the complaint forms.

Trumbull offers the form online and in Spanish.

Bridgeports online citizen complaint form  last updated in 2014  includes the phone number of the local NAACP affiliate.

We do welcome the feedback and the closer look that the ACLU has undertaken, Harris said. And were willing to work with anyone to review our process.
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RIDGEFIELD -- Ridgefield Librarys new director sees fund-raising as a major part of her role.

Brenda McKinley, who succeeded Chris Nolan earlier this month after serving as director of the C.H. Booth Library in Newtown, said that taxpayaers fund about 70 percent of the librarys costs.

Coming up with the rest is a year-round effort. A little more than halfway through the fiscal year, library supporters have raised 60 percent of their $458,000 fundraising goal.

Across Connecticut, there are a mix of libraries that are strictly municipally funded, such as Danbury, and others that are independent nonprofit organizations, such as Ridgefield, that receive money from the municipal budget and also raise additional funding.

Laureen Bubniak, the librarys development director, said the other 30 percent is generated through an annual fund-raising appeal.

McKinley said the funding usually was 75 to 80 percent in Newtown at the C.H. Booth Library, where she had been working since 1995 and serving as the director since 2014. She arrived in Ridgefield earlier this month to succeed Chris Nolan as the library director.

McKinley said across the state it varies from 60 to 80 percent.

She said the libraries in the metro Danbury area tend to be more nonprofit associations.

Dean Miller, the chairman of the librarys Board of Trustees, said the nonprofit status allows a library to enhance its offerings

We clearly want to have the ability to make our own decisions and set our own agenda, he said. In a municipal library, youre at the whim of the town. Whatever they tell you to do in your budget, you have to do. We want to have some more control to provide the programs necessary to provide the value of the programs.

Miller said contributions for the annual fund-raising campaign usually increase about halfway through the fiscal year.

A majority come in November and December, he said, noting that contributors want to donate before the end of the calendar year so they will have an income tax credit.

Bubniak said the library contacts about 10,000 people with appeals for donations, noting that 89 percent of the families in Ridgefield have a library card.

She said online donations have grown significantly in recent years, but many contributors still respond after getting a letter in the mail.

It is personalized, Bubniak said. Our board members write personal notes on the appeals. When people get something in the mail, they open it, take out the pieces and they keep it. They might be more likely to miss an e-mail message.

She said the library has an annual report on its activities to indicate what it is accomplishing through the donations as well as an annual donor booklet that lists people who donate. We find in Ridgefield that they like to look at what their neighbors are doing.

Additionally, Bubniak said the library usually nets $90,000 to $110,000 from its annual gala. The fourth annual event will be held on April 22 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the library. Longtime civic volunteers Rudy and Sally Ruggles will receive the Hope H. Swenson Award, which is named after a former library board member who served for 35 years.

Critics have said libraries have become less valuable in the digital age.

McKinley disagreed, saying that with digitization, a library is more important than ever before. People need more help than ever with technology. They even need help doing their taxes or applying for a job.

The library is still a cultural hub of the community, Miller said.

McKinley said real estate agents and businessmen have meetings at the library, and some business come to access the Wi-Fi.

Recently, the facility extended its hours over several days to 10 p.m. so that Ridgefield High School students could use their digital services to study for their Advanced Placement exams.

McKinley said in most towns, the library spending is about 1 percent of the municipal budget.

She added, In terms of bang for your buck, its hard to beat a library, because we take up a small part of the budget and we serve people of all ages.
The following excerpt is from Glenn Llopiss book The Innovation Mentality. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble

At a pitch to the leaders of the merchandising department at a Fortune 500 company, I closed my presentation by asking the leader of the team, What are you trying to solve for? She didnt know how to answer that. Neither did the other leaders on her team, because only those whove lived their personal brands openly and genuinely and understand their value propositions have taken the steps to break free from their leadership identity crises.

These leadership identity crises are real, severe and have created dysfunction both within the teams those leaders lead and how consumers are identifying with the company and/or its brands and services. Theyve not only minimized trust but also diminished their companies performance and influence, reduced productivity and set people back in their careers.

These people lost their distinction and their sense of self in the process of having the business define them as individuals. As a result, too many leaders have been acting inauthentically, managing by the templates of old, and cannot evolve to be the leaders their company needs, because those templates stripped them of their identities and left them uncertain about who they are and how to face change.

This is how leadership identity crises are born. And when the people at the top of a business have these leadership identity crises, those in the middle on down find it difficult to begin their journey to develop their personal brands and value propositions. In todays new normal, people want to be part of a workplace culture that allows them to be their natural, authentic selves -- one that supports their efforts to be more purposeful, responsible and accountable. Everyone (from the front desk and mailroom on up) wants a role to play. Instead, theyre losing their identity and their skill sets are becoming outdated while their employers try to figure out their future.

This is also what makes consumers less trusting because they dont believe a brands intention is authentic. Companies may say all the right things in their PowerPoint presentations, like We want a more personal engagement for our brand with consumers or We want to create competitive advantage through diversity and inclusion without understanding what those words mean. Without that meaning and thus a clear sense of what theyre doing -- let alone why -- those companies are going to lose the competitive advantage they thought they could claim, not to mention current and future employees and customers.

Thats why everyone would benefit if leaders broke free from these identity crises. To do this, you need to stop getting trapped in all the noise and focus on adopting a new mindset. You have to shift your thinking from the organization as a provider to the organization as an enabler. In a more profound sense, you need to start thinking of yourself as a participant in a larger whole rather than merely a business leader. You can regain a perspective and authenticity that makes you capable of surviving and indeed thriving as a leader who transforms the workplace culture through your people, who strengthens your businesss brand and impact in the marketplace.

To stop playing it safe, leaders must stop clinging to the hidden agendas and maneuvering that cause their employees and customers to distrust their intentions. Without that trust, you cant do any of the work ahead. How can you expect people to trust you if they dont know who you are? Thus, the first step in establishing or re-establishing this trust is to get out of this identity crisis management mode.

So, how do we truly break free from these identity crises, re-establish our leadership identities and redefine our corporate cultures for the future?

We use the six characteristics of the innovation mentality:

See opportunity in everything.

Anticipate the unexpected.

Unleash your passionate pursuits.

Live with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Work with a generous purpose.

Lead to leave a legacy.

Embracing these characteristics enables the new ideas and ideals that leaders havent been courageous and vulnerable enough to own. Thats how youll see the bigger opportunities, reawaken your entrepreneurial spirit and build a strong business system where collaboration and diversity of thought are embraced as opportunities to build a strong legacy.

Simply put, we as leaders must turn the spotlight of accountability on ourselves to strive for excellence -- to help guide the evolution of our organizations futures and that of our clients and customers. We must be passionate in our pursuits to explore endless possibilities, anticipate the unexpected so change is welcomed, embrace an entrepreneurial spirit to make things better, create stronger alignment and build momentum.

What we need is a new mindset, one that takes us from melting pot to mosaic, substitutional to evolutionary thinking, knowledge to wisdom, business to individual and survival to reinvention. Your ability to see, sow, grow and share as a leader using the innovation mentality creates an environment that allows others to see, sow, grow and share, and develop their personal brands and their own leadership identities.

Modern Family, the smash ABC sitcom, provides a quick and enjoyable primer on what I mean by the importance of personal brands as they relate to the innovation mentality. Look beyond the comic entanglements and fights that make the show so funny, and consider how every character on the show lives their personal brand consistently. And while the result is comic chaos, in time, they learn to value each others unique differences and solve for their problems. In doing this, though, none of the characters ever diverts from who they are, what they represent and their authentic selves. They grow and evolve, but they stay true to their brands, even as they learn and live who they are in every episode. As we watch, they and we discover depth in those brands beyond the words used to describe them (i.e., the ditzy daughter, the hot-tempered Colombian bombshell, the high-strung gay couple).

Imagine if you did that with and through your leadership identity -- if you used diverse thinking to appreciate the value in your employees unique differences. Would you create distinction? Would you know where you fit? Would you have the experience of authentic relationships with who you are and what you represent as an individual? Would you be able to influence innovation and initiative because other people would know what to expect from you since you have established your leadership identity? The answer to all these questions is yes.

Then why dont you?

This is where the six characteristics come in. They enable you to do this as you reinvent or course-correct for any situation you encounter in 21st-century workplaces and marketplaces. As a result, great leaders get the most out of every situation theyre faced with by seeing the opportunities they present. They anticipate the unexpected by managing crisis and change before circumstances force their hand. Their passionate pursuits of excellence open new doors of endless possibilities that they aim to share with others. And those are just the first three characteristics.

As one of my mentors told me, the minute you stop touching the business is the minute you stop understanding the business. Thats also the moment leaders stop adding value and their effectiveness begins to wane along with their reputations. The six characteristics of the innovation mentality tests your ability to authentically lead and own your leadership identity and the deep responsibility associated with it. Because thats what the six characteristics of the innovation mentality solve for: leadership that continuously and consistently touches the people it serves in the workplace and marketplace and builds trust, and relationships that add value to all our careers, experiences and lives it influences.

Related:

6 Characteristics of an Innovative Leader

The Fall of American Apparel: Why a Founder's Genius Is Not Enough

7 Ways to Better Networking



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
County-specific poll may foretell whether Pa. is going blue or red
As I settled down to write a few minutes ago, an email popped into my inbox, purporting to come from Amazon. A blatant attempt to defraud me, it has made me very angry indeed, quite throwing me off my stride.

I reproduce it here verbatim, with assurances to readers that the punctuation, hashtags and paragraphing are the senders, not mine:

In the brave new world of the internet, there is a thing called 'phishing' and it is infuriating

Order ID: 47565 Your Amazon.co.uk Apple Leather . . .

#Dear Customer

#Your ID was used to purchase Apple Leather Case for iPhone 6s Plus, Black (40.25GBP)

#From Amazon Store on a device that had not previously been associated with you. If you initiated this purchase, you can disregard this email.

#If you did not initiate this purchase, please go to: . . . (there follows a long and elaborate link to a site that quite clearly has nothing to do with Amazon).

#To cancel the transaction and to confirm that you are the owner of the account.

##Yours sincerely,

#Security Department

 2017 amazon.com All rights reserved

Yes, I know. In the brave new world of the internet, most of us have grown used to these so-called phishing messages from fraudsters  and perhaps we should just shrug them off and get on with our lives.

But I find that the older I get, the more they infuriate me and sour my view of my fellow human beings.

Call me a crotchety old so-and-so, but I just loathe the idea that, somewhere in this world, a nasty little creep sat down at his computer and thought: Im going to dupe a whole lot of mugs into clicking on this fake link and meekly handing over their account details  never mind how much distress and inconvenience it will cause them.

The tragedy is that he was almost certainly right. Ill bet that among the countless people to whom he sent this or similar messages, a few trusting souls will have done as he asked, only to have their accounts raided and their lives turned upside down as a result.

Indeed, it didnt surprise me at all that the official crime figures for England and Wales doubled last week, after cyber fraud was included for the first time.

But almost as much as the fraudsters evil in preying on the unsuspecting, Im enraged by his insult to the intelligence of the rest of us who know his game.

(I can just see his smug, cruel face lighting up when he wrote that last line  2017 amazon.com All rights reserved, clearly thinking: Aha! That has a nice corporate ring to it! Thatll fool the idiots.)

Logging onto the official Amazon site, nobody had ordered the offending iPhone cover

Mind you  and this has annoyed me most of all  for a couple of moments after the email appeared, I was taken in myself. My immediate thought, just as my tormentor calculated, was: Oh, hell! I havent ordered a black leather iPhone cover! Somebody must have been at my account.

It was only when I read it again that I thought there was something mighty fishy about it  not least that invitation to click on the dubious link, which I sensibly ignored. Sure enough, when I logged on to Amazons official site, I found nobody had placed any orders on my account for many months.

All right, I was a twit to be hoodwinked, even for a second. This was hardly the most convincing of deceptions. But you have to admit that cyber-fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated all the time.

In the early days of the internet, when most of us received those illiterate messages from Nigerian zillionaires, mysteriously wanting to park millions in our accounts, even an averagely intelligent root vegetable could tell at a glance that someone was trying to have us on.

There was a time internet fraud was carried out by someone pretending to be a Nigerian prince

Not so today  and the more convincing the fraudsters become, the more my blood boils. But then, perhaps Im just getting rattier in my old age.

Which brings me at last to the subject I was meaning to write about, before I was so rudely waylaid by that scumbag.

This is the extraordinary finding by Cambridge University brain scientists that the older we get, the more agreeable and less irritable we become.

All I can say is that this will have come as a great surprise to my nearest and dearest, who have watched me change over the years from an even-tempered, mild-mannered young man into an increasingly irascible 63-year-old.

The finding is also quite at odds with my observations of friends and acquaintances. Yes, one or two of them may have mellowed with age. But they are the shining exceptions. Ive watched most of them turning into true Victor Meldrews, just like me.

To pluck a random example from the air, think of Matthew Parris, the former Tory MP. I used to admire him hugely as one of the most humane and civilised columnists in my trade, with an enviable sweetness of touch and a patent love and understanding of humanity.

But read him or watch him on TV now: at the age of 67, he seems eaten up with bitterness, ranting and railing against Brexit, despairing of democracy and attributing vicious motives of racism, stupidity or political opportunism to anyone who disagrees with him.

Youd think he was quite a different person from his younger self. Indeed, these days, he makes even me look like a sweetie pie.

Matthew Parris has always been a humane and civilised man, but now he is railing against Brexit, and having reached the age of 67, he is quite a different person to his younger self

If Ive got this right  and I have only this weeks Press reports to guide me  the Cambridge scientists base their findings on observations of the cortex, or outer layer of the brain, where the higher functions that make us human are centred.

Helped by colleagues in America and Italy, they examined images of the brains of 500 volunteers and found the cortices of their older guinea pigs were thinner, with more folds.

Apparently, the thicker the cortex  and the fewer the folds  the more likely the brains owner is to be neurotic, irritable and moody. Thin and foldy cortices, on the other hand, are associated with amiability and openness.

I must say, my first reaction, based on my own observations of life, was to dismiss this study as tosh  particularly when I read that the 500 volunteers under scrutiny were aged between 22 and 36. (How on earth could they draw any conclusions about the effects of ageing, when their oldest guinea pig was barely out of short trousers?)

But something one of my fellow Victor Meldrews said in the pub at lunchtime yesterday has made me think again.

According to his brilliant theory, its quite true that we mellow with age. It only seems that we become more cantankerous because, as the modern age progresses, there is so much more to be cantankerous about.

You only have to reflect for a moment to realise how right he is. When we were young men, we didnt have to sit on the bus next to people yapping into their mobiles or listening to rap music on headphones at full volume (tssss . . . tssss . . . tssss . . . tssss).

There were no unexpected items in the bagging area; we didnt have 20 different passwords to forget; delivery men waited until we answered the door; we didnt have to use security passes to get into our offices; we were allowed to smoke in the pub, and drive without seatbelts if we wanted; we could say more or less what we thought, without fear of being reported for hate crime if we suggested that there were one or two obvious differences between the sexes . . .

Oh, and we didnt have to suffer strangers trying to con us into handing over our bank details every day of the week.

So, dont be fooled. With only a few exceptions, we oldies are as mild-mannered and sweet-natured as can be  and a damn sight more so than the foul-tempered young. If they dont want us to moan about life, the remedy is in their hands: just stop being so bloody annoying.
When she sits down in the Oval Office tonight as the first foreign leader to have face-to-face talks with President Trump, Theresa May can congratulate herself on an extraordinary diplomatic coup.

Whatever the outcome  and the omens are good  the summit is a clear sign of the Presidents good intentions towards the country of his mothers birth.

And what a contrast with President Obama, who said Britain would be at the back of the queue for a post-Brexit trade deal. The Mail has its reservations about President Trump, but he has put us firmly at the front.

Theresa May can congratulate herself on an extraordinary diplomatic coup in being the first foreign leader to have face-to-face talks with President Donald Trump

It need not matter that, in background and temperament, the grammar school-educated vicars daughter and the brash billionaire property developer could hardly be more different.

Indeed, in a delightfully coquettish piece of diplomatic guile, Mrs May makes a virtue of it, saying simply opposites attract.

Inevitably, they will have disagreements. To her credit, she has already made clear her dismay at the suggestion the US could resume waterboarding and other forms of torture, which stained both countries in the Blair/Bush era.

More significantly, in a major speech last night, Mrs May laid out a dramatic and  this newspaper firmly believes  a positive shift in British foreign policy which aligns her closely with President Trumps view on the dubious merits of foreign entanglements.

She tore up Mr Blairs infamous Chicago doctrine, which led Britain into the bloody pit of hell that was Iraq, and which David Cameron followed in Libya, with predictable and disastrous consequences.

In future, the UK will act only when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene, she said. The days of using military force to remake sovereign countries in our own image are over.

Even if she achieves nothing else on this visit, this speech alone confirms its huge significance. The Mail applauds every word, and we suspect the public on both sides of the Atlantic will do the same.

A supine watchdog

In 2015, the public appointments regulator, Acoba, signed off with barely a murmur ex-Treasury adviser Rupert Harrisons lucrative move to BlackRock, the worlds largest investment fund.

But in a shocking omission, its approval letter failed to mention two lunches he had with the firm in 2013 and 2014.

Only last month, the same body allowed George Osborne  Mr Harrisons former boss  to take a highly paid post at the same firm, in a letter which claimed, falsely, that the ex-chancellor had made no decisions relating to the firms interests.

Rupert Harrison, right, took up a highly paid job with BlackRock, the world's largest investment fund, now his old boss George Osborne is working for the same firm - both having being given the go-ahead by the supine watchdog Acoba

Put to one side the worrying questions about close ties between a US giant and two former senior public servants. Doesnt this murky episode expose how willingly Acoba rubber-stamps such moves and how little it wants to tell the public?

Indeed, never in decades has it blocked any one of the hundreds of politicians or officials turning to private gain.

Readers will decide for themselves if it is a coincidence or not that Acoba is stuffed to the gunwales with people who have done the same thing themselves.
Jeffrey Archer, 76, is embroiled in a sporting row in India after tweeting: 'Disappointed Indians didn't applaud [England captain] Eoin Morgan's century. I have stood and applauded at Lord's for Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Shastri.'

The Indian news service DNA says: 'Jeffrey Archer has spent time in prison for perjury, so we are not surprised that he was being economic with the truth, but we ought to point out that Tendulkar and Laxman had never scored centuries at Lord's.'

While Tory big beasts such as ex-chancellor George Osborne are filling their boots in the private sector, hawking the information and contacts they acquired in government, political minnows are not forgotten.

Jeffrey Archer asked why Indian cricket fans failed to applaud Eoin Morgan's century

Former digital minister Ed Vaizey MP, 48, has accepted a post with a New York-based boutique bank, LionTree LLC, to provide 'general analysis of European telecom, media and technology sector developments, and hosting seminars and events'.

He'll be paid a monthly retainer of 4,166 plus related expenses.

Discussing his role in the Mary Poppins 'sequel', showbiz veteran Dick Van Dyke, 91, is asked by Radio 4 Today's John Humphrys: 'You wouldn't like to give us a bit of cockney before you leave, would you? Just give it a try!'

Declining to reprise his execrable Mary Poppins cockney accent, he replies: 'I was working with an entire cast of Brits. Not one person said, 'You want to work on that accent a little.'

Might Jane Fonda, 79, pictured in her prime, now parted from her partner of eight years, record producer Richard Perry, 74, get back with her third ex-spouse, swashbuckling media mogul Ted Turner, 78?

Divorced in 2001, they continue to socialise and she refers to him as 'my favourite ex-husband'.

Ms Fonda says she's still haunted by her first marriage, to the late French movie maker Roger Vadim, who forced her to engage in sexual activities with other women.

Writer Rachel Johnson, 51, discussing Theresa May's first meeting with Donald Trump, advises her Twitter followers: 'We don't want to hump Trump, but dump him.'

A trifle undiplomatic, since brother Boris is Foreign Secretary?

Perhaps, but the Johnsons are a law unto themselves.

Jane Fonder, pictured here at her prime, continues to call Ted Turner her favourite ex-husband

Former head of BBC TV news Roger Mosey, 59, says the Beeb's coverage of Trump's inauguration was 'flaccid' and inferior to that of Channel 4 and ITV.

While rivals presented live from Washington, BBC News at Six and Ten 'were firmly grounded in London W1A'.

He sniffs: 'It's invariably the case that, as soon as they set foot on a plane, angry pensioners write from Hove.'

Did any of Hove's OAPs complain about the flaccid coverage?

Liberal Democrat leader Tim 'Tiny Tim' Farron, 46, opines on Radio 4 that we have 'the most ineffective official opposition in living memory'.

Today presenter Mishal Husain, 43, tells him: 'And with nine MPs you're not that strong an opposition either, are you?' Bull's-eye.
She made her debut as fashion editor of chat show Lorraine this morning.

But Kelly Brook's latest gig may come as something of a surprise to those who best remember her spilling out of barely-there dresses on the 1990s party circuit.

When the actress and presenter, who shot to fame hosting the Big Breakfast, started out as a glamour model, her signature headline-grabbing look was big hair, short skirts and ample cleavage.

Scroll down for video

My how you've changed! Kelly has gone from showcasing hair-raising ensembles (left, at a film premiere in 2000) to red carpet siren (right, at a recent London awards ceremony)

But these days Miss Brook, 37, who joined Lorraine Kelly as in-house fashion expert on Friday morning, favours tailored dresses with simpler silhouettes and muted colours - and not a sequin in sight.

She will now stand in for professional stylist Mark Heyes and impart her tips for achieving the coveted A-list sparkle on a budget.

Over nearly 20 years in the fashion business, it's fair to say that Kelly has had more than her fair share of sartorial faux pas.

But in recent years Kelly has undergone something of a style transformation as her hemlines have steadily got longer and her necklines higher - a far cry from the starlet who famously flashed her buttocks at a Guy Ritchie film premiere in 2000.

Kelly models Playtex lingerie in London, 1997. Thanks to her 30FF bust - she calls her breasts her 'loyal friends' - Miss Brook has carved out a niche as a poster girl for women with curves

Kelly at a Littlewoods photo call in 1998, left, and at the 1999 BRIT Awards, right. She is now poised to make her debut as fashion editor of a prime time TV show Lorraine

Back in her twenties, when she was gracing the covers of lads' mags like Loaded and FHM, the model's red carpet appearances attracted almost as much attention as her turbulent love life.

But in recent years her wardrobe appears to have taken a decidedly more mature turn, with the star opting for vintage Hollywood glamour over flashing the flesh.

Thanks to her 30FF bust - she has called her breasts her most 'loyal friends' - Miss Brook has carved out a niche as a poster girl for women with curves.

But while her earlier modelling gigs included the Daily Star's Page 3 and Lynx, she now scoops high-profile campaigns for major brands such as Specsavers, Hyundai and Reebok.

The model showcases her famous curves on the top of a double decker bus in 1999, left, and stepping out at an awards do thrown by lads' mag Loaded the same year, right

She began designing and modelling her eponymous lingerie brand for New Look in 2006, and in 2012 she showed her style credentials when she dipped her toe into clothing.

Kelly's latest summer collection for the high street giant featured cinched waists, halterneck bra tops and full skirts which echoed Dior's own New Look shape of the 1950s.

It served as proof that her style had taken a decidedly classier turn, and over the next few years she silenced her critics with a series of stunning red carpet displays including expensive designer and vintage numbers from labels such as Herve Leger.

These days Kelly, pictured in vintage Ossie Clark at the 2014 NTAs, favours more demure hemlines and simpler silhouettes, adding a flirtatious edge with a flash of leg or decolletage

Kelly makes waves in a flattering 6,675 Herve Leger dress at a gala in 2015, left, and opts for a classy black velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline in Paris, October 2016, right

The transformation is complete! Kelly will now appear as guest fashion editor on ITV's Lorraine, stepping in for professional stylist Mark Heyes

Onlookers drew audible gasps when she arrived at the 2014 National Television Awards (NTAs) in a plunging Ossie Clark gown.

And a 2015 appearance in a purple velvet halterneck gown at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards firmly secured her status as a red carpet siren.

Naomi Isted is a fashion presenter and celebrity stylist

Fashion presenter and celebrity stylist Naomi Isted told FEMAIL: 'Kellys style has evolved dramatically from her glamour model days of hot pants, bra and pants on show and wearing bright pink.

'She now looks every inch the A-lister, whereas before she was pushing boundaries to get attention.

'I think her style has matured and its down to a few different factors; obviously when she was younger she was a growing name so would wear for the shock factor to get the attention and press coverage to raise her profile.

'Since she has spent time in LA and her celebrity circle has inevitable changed, so has her style. She doesnt need to dress to shock as she is now a household name. So for her stylist they can dress her in a way that suits her age, body shape and what works for her brands.'

Speaking of her new look, Naomi said: 'I utterly love the classic 1950s Hollywood starlet look on Kelly, she oozes glamour, sexiness and sophistication when she is styled like that on the red carpet.

'It is a perfect look that works perfectly with her gorgeous brunette locks and stunning curves. She exudes glamour and sophistication and I think she will shine through in her new role.'
A notorious black widow who conspired to kill her millionaire husband when he cut off her $35,000 a month allowance still insists she is 'not a murderer'.

Celeste Beard, 53, has spent 14 years behind bars in Texas after she was given a life sentence for manipulating her former lesbian lover into shooting her fourth husband, 70-year-old TV tycoon Steven Beard.

Mr Beard died in January 2000 from complications caused by a gunshot wound inflicted by Tracey Tarlton, 59, at the behest of his wife - who tells Channel 4's Women Who Kill Tarlton should have taken all of the blame in a shocking interview.

Celeste Bear, 53, conspired to murder her husband with her lesbian lover Tracey Tarlton. She maintains her innocence and insists only her friend is to blame for his death

She was convicted of her crimes in 2003 and is not up for parole until 2046 when she will be 83 - but there's no chance of release until she admits her guilt

Tracey Tarlton pleaded guilty to killing Steven Beard for her friend, his wife Celeste Beard, who manipulated her into the murder

In the documentary, in which viewers hear from female criminals behind bars, Beard doesn't flinch as she blasts her former companion.

'I mean its just crazy, how does she walk around and function knowing her lies got me put in here for life?

'I just wish she would tell the truth, I wish she would have a conscience. Thats why I think she got breast cancer, I feel like that was her karma.'

Tracey spent 10 years in prison and is now spending the remaining 12 years of her sentence on parole.

She made a deal with the prosecution in exchange for her damning testimony against Celeste.

But despite the evidence against her, including testimonies from her own daughters who recalled how she manipulated them, Beard continues to protest her innocence.

'Being alone in here, my children will never forgive me for not being the mother that I needed to be,' she says.

'But I am not a murderer, and I know deep down inside that they know that I did not participate and I hope some day that they will forgive me.'

Celeste and Steven met when she was still married - he gave her an allowance of $35,000 a month but threatened to put a stop to it after growing concerned about her spending

In 1993 Celeste moved to Austin, Texas with her two daughters where she began work at Austin Country Club

Steven and Celeste met when she started working as a waitress at the Austin Country Club in Texas in 1993.

Already three-times married, Celeste, then 31, struck up a close friendship with the television tycoon who was worth around $12million.

His friends believed that Celeste was only after his money, but the couple wed in 1995, with Celeste having left her then husband and moved her two daughters in with Steven following just six months of dating.

Steven gave his new wife a $35,000 (27,917) allowance each month.

'That was my stipend,' she explained.

'I could spend it however I wanted, I would have diamonds. I had over half a million dollars in jewellery. I had 26 fur coats.

'He didnt care because he was enjoying his life. If he got mad at me about spending too much money, it didnt last very long.'

But Steven ultimately became concerned about her spending habits and replaced the monthly payments with a $500,000 (399,201) trust - which had disappeared within six months.

State prosecutor Gary Cobb said of Celeste's behaviour: 'She developed an insatiable thirst for more, this woman who didnt have ten dollars to spend on anything, she was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on nothing.

'She decided if he was going to put limits on it then he had to die and that was just insane.'

Celeste (right) met Tracey (left) at Austin psychiatric hospital St David's, where they struck up a close friendship which led to an affair

Celeste met Tracey when they were both patients at St David's, a top psychiatric hospital in Austin, where they struck up a close friendship that eventually led to an affair - something which Celeste denies.

Tracey says of their time together: 'In St Davids she was vivacious, funny, she was the belle of the ball. I was attracted to her energy.

'One night she came into my room and she kissed me. As time progressed we became closer and closer and we entered into the beginnings of an affair.'

A jury convicted Celeste in March 2003 of capital murder and injury to an elderly person, carrying two life sentences

But Celeste vehemently denies any relationship: 'It wasnt like that. I felt sorry for her, she couldnt even tie her own shoes she was so medicated.

Questioned about Tracey's version of events, the prisoner says: 'Well thats not true.

'I didnt hang around her as much as she would like everyone to believe I did.'

Tracey fell for Celeste's lies about Steven's abusive behaviour.

She thought her friend was in danger and wanted to help her, and they attempted to kill him several times before Celeste took drastic action.

'She finally asked me to shoot him and I said no what do you mean I am not going to shoot him,' says Tracey.

'I was shocked and resistant but it became more and more pressing for her and she became more and more threatening about it and I finally thought if he doesnt die shes going to die. So I said I would do it,' Tracey explains.

Celeste told Tracey that Steven had been abusing her and that she needed to kill him, and begged her friend to shoot him

Celeste established a plan; a disguised Tracey would enter the house and shoot Stephen as he slept, and Celeste would get rid of the shotgun cartridge.

Only Celeste failed to do so, and a police ballistics team traced the cartridge back to Tracey and she was arrested.

Steven had managed to make a 999 phone call after the shooting and was taken to hospital, but three months later he developed a blood clot as a result of the gunshot wound and died - the case then became a homicide.

During Celeste's trial, audio recordings of phone calls with her own daughters were played in which she admitted to hiring someone to kill Tracey, but she insists they were edited.

'It was manipulated, it was altered, they didnt even play the rest of the phone calls or the whole thing,' she says, then adds, when asked if it is her voice on the recording: 'Yes it is.'

Celeste will be eligible for parole in 2046, by which time she will be 83. But if she still refuses to admit her guilt it is likely she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Women Who Kill airs on Channel 4, Wednesday February 1st at 10pm.
An eight-year-old cancer survivor has challenged Donald Trump to help children 'beat the odds' against the disease.

In an impassioned video message, viewed hundreds of thousands of times, Abriel Bentley called on the new President to increase funding for fighting childhood cancer.

Abriel, from Scottsdale, Arizona, was diagnosed with aggressive bone cancer Ewing's Sarcoma in 2015 and after 17 rounds of chemotherapy and surgery is now in remission.

Challenge: Cancer survivor Abriel Bentley, eight, pictured, has issued a plea to Donald Trump to increase funding to help kids 'beat the odds' against the disease

Survivor: Abriel, from Scottsdale, Arizona, pictured in Washington, D.C. outside Trump International Hotel, was diagnosed with aggressive bone cancer Ewing's Sarcoma in 2015

Agonizing: After 17 rounds of chemotherapy and surgery she is now in remission

The direct message, delivered by Abriel herself, begins: 'Dear President Trump, congratulations, you beat the odds. Please help us the beat the odds against childhood cancer.

'As you take office there are a couple of things you need to know. Childhood cancer does not discriminate, it doesn't have borders, only research to help.'

Echoing Coalition Against Childhood Cancer statistics, she claims that under four per cent of National Cancer Institute funding goes to children's research, suggesting to the President: 'Maybe you can encourage them to increase funding.'

However, an NCI spokeswoman said this figure is 'distorted' because the majority of funding goes to 'basic research' which is not specifically tied to children or adults.

Call to action: Speaking in an impassioned video message, Abriel called on Donald Trump to increase funding for fighting childhood cancer

Plea: In the video, viewed hundreds of thousands of times, she asked him to 'help us the beat the odds against childhood cancer'

Abriel added: 'Some of us die from the effects of chemo. It's just too much for our little bodies. It's just not OK. It was tough for me but I made it through.'

After sharing pictures and videos from when she was sick, she urged the President: 'Please don't forget about us while you make America great again.'

She also suggested that he bathe the White House in gold light for a night to 'let everyone know that change is coming'.

Her mother Nikkole said it was agonizing for her and her husband Rod to witness Abriel's suffering, adding that no child makes it through cancer treatment 'unscathed'

Reminder: She urged the President, 'Please don't forget about us while you make America great again.'

Indicator: She suggested that he bathe the White House in gold light for a night to 'let everyone know that change is coming'

She told Today: 'This is what you are up against  you put your child through brutal chemo treatments in the hope that they live, but then you are faced with knowing you have caused them irreversible damage...that may kill them anyway.'

Abriel was first inspired to make a video directed at the now President, which they shared on Instagram, during a trip to Washington, D.C. for childhood cancer rally CureFest in September when she came across the Trump International Hotel.

During the election Abriel asked her mother if he won they could make another video asking for his support.

She said she wanted to include images of her suffering in the video so that people would know that 'cancer isn't just about smiley, bald kids getting free stuff and free trips.'
With the new season of Married At First Sight starting on Monday, viewers are eager to see who has signed up for the experiment this year.

One bride who is sure to cause controversy as the 'villain' of the hit show is 25-year-old Cheryl Maitland.

The confident hair salon manager revealed in a video that she's worried about intimidating men.

And it's not hard to see why, as pictures have emerged showing her showcasing her enviable curves in a tiny bikini at the Playboy mansion.

Bride-to-be: Cheryl Maitland (pictured) is a contestant on the new season of Married At First Sight and has attended parties at the Playboy mansion

Beautiful blonde: Daily Mail can reveal that Ms Maitland (pictured left) has attended parties at the famous Playboy Mansion in LA

Ready for love: Ms Maitland is a 25-year-old hair salon manager from the Gold Coast

Matching: Ms Maitland (pictured left) originally visited the mansion in 2011, after scoring an invite from her sister (right)

Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Ms Maitland has attended at least two parties at Hugh Hefner's infamous mansion in Los Angeles.

The reality TV show contestant first visited the mansion in 2011, with her sister Sarah-Jane, when she was only 20.

A photo from the trip shows the sisters posing in matching black and red lingerie on a red carpet.

Lingerie party: The bride-to-be attended another one of the Playboy parties wearing a corset and sparkly underwear (pictured second from left)

Soul sisters: Ms Maitland (pictured right) and sister Sarah-Jane, were invited to the mansion after Sarah-Jane competed in a Playboy event in Australia

80s revival: Ms Maitland (pictured far left) posed with some men they met at the Playboy mansion for this happy snap

The following year Ms Maitland, who at that time had dyed blonde hair, returned to the LA to attend another one of the Playboy parties, this time wearing only lingerie.

Photos posted to social media show Ms Maitland posing with friends before the party dressed in a pink bra and underwear set decorated with pearls.

In other photos, the then-21-year-old wears a black leather corset, studded underwear, and black wedges as she attends a mansion party with some girlfriends.

After her second visit, Ms Maitland tweeted Hugh Hefner's then-number one girlfriend Holly Madison, who responded to her message.

Girls night: The reality TV contestant (second from left) attended the 2012 parties with three other blonde friends

Lingerie party: One of Ms Maitland's acquaintances shared several photos of the parties on social media

'Glad u had fun': Ms Maitland even tweeted Hef's number one girlfriend Holly Madison and got a reply (pictured)

She told the Sunshine Coast Daily in March 2012 that she had been originally been invited to the mansion thanks to her sister, who attended a Playboy party in Australia and event organisers had suggested they attend together.

'He thought we would have a better chance if we went as sisters,' Ms Maitland told the newspaper. '[A better chance] just to get noticed.'

She also revealed that the stories about the Playboy mansion were all true.

'Probably worse [than what you've heard],' she said. '[The nights were] just crazy, just a whole other world. It's the Playboy Mansion.'

Ms Maitland has also attended a party held by millionaire tobacco tycoon Travers Beynon, known as the 'The Candyman', wearing a tiny gold bikini.

Showing skin: The 25-year-old (pictured from behind, centre), was photographed wearing a skimpy gold bikini at a Candyman party

Famed parties: The Candyman (pictured) is reknowned for holding lavish parties at his Gold Coast mansion

The Daily Telegraph reported that Ms Maitland has been a guest at one of The Candyman's parties at his Gold Coast home, which has been nicknamed 'The Candyshop Mansion'.

A photo taken at one of the parties shows the 25-year-old bride-to-be dressed in a gold bikini.

The brunette was pictured at the party standing with The Candyman and other bikini-clad women.

'I could easily have anyone I wanted': The brunette said that she has been single her whole life by choice

Sinful: In December last year, The Candyman held a lavish Seven Deadly Sins themed party, reportedly featuring rooms dedicated to vices

The Candyman's female friends are often dressed in matching skimpy outfits for his parties.

In December last year, he held a lavish Seven Deadly Sins themed party, reportedly featuring rooms dedicated to the vices  pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth.

The guest-list was rumored to include high-profile guests such as Imogen Anthony, girlfriend of radio host Kyle Sandilands.

Mix n match: The Candyman's female friends are often dressed in matching skimpy outfits for his parties.

Making a splash: An invitation for the party was posted on Facebook calling on 'sexy bikini models' to attend the event.

Lavish: The Candyman's famed parties are often attended by glamorous bikini-clad women

Australian model and DJ Brooke Evers performed for the event and described it on Instagram as 'the greatest party to ever hit the Gold Coast'.

A Gold Coast agent also posted an invitation on Facebook calling on 'sexy bikini models' to attend the party.

In a trailer for the new season of Married at First Sight, Ms Maitland said that she had been single for '25 years' out of choice.

Confident: Ms Maitland said in a video that she was very confident and independent

Wedding bells: Married At First Sight returns to screens on January 30

'I could easily have anyone I wanted,' the 25-year-old said. 'I could go out there and get a boyfriend but I don't want to.'

It's unknown who Cheryl will be paired up with on the show, and if she and her partner will hit it off as 'husband' and 'wife'.

Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on January 30.
A potentially deadly pregnancy complication could be treated with a reflux drug, researchers have found.

Pre-eclampsia, which affects between five and 10 per cent of pregnancies in Australia, occurs when the placenta releases toxins through the body.

These toxins can damage blood vessels and lead to organ failure, The Courier-Mail reported.

But researchers from Melbourne's Mercy Hospital for Women have found the drug esomeprazole, which is used to treat reflux, has the potential to 'wipe-out' pre-eclampsia.

Researchers have found a drug used to treat reflux, esomeprazole, could also be used to treat the deadly pregnancy condition pre-eclampsia (stock photo)

Dr Natalie Hannan from the Translational Obstetrics Group (TOG) based at Melbourne's Mercy Hospital for Women said the drug worked to stop the production of toxins from the placenta.

'We hope that this medication will actually enable the mother to have a longer pregnancy safely, in order to get the baby better grown for a time to come out that is more safe,' Dr Hannan told ABC News.

By extending the length of pregnancy Dr Hannan said the breakthrough had the potential to save the lives of both mother and baby.

The reflux drug works to stop the production of toxins from the placenta (stock photo)

Woman who suffer from pre-eclampsia can experience high maternal blood pressure, protein in the urine and severe fluid retention, according to Better Heath Victoria.

In its most severe forms, it can cause problems in the kidneys, liver, brain and blood.

Pre-eclampsia can also affect your unborn baby, as it makes blood flow to the placenta sluggish starving the baby oxygen and nutrients.

Pre-eclampsia can be deadly for mothers and their unborn baby as in severe cases it can lead to organ failure (stock photo)

Dr Hannan told ABC News they would start trials with the drug in South Africa where there was a high rate of pre-eclampsia.

The Courier-Mail said further trials in Australia were also planned.

'If proton pump inhibitors can reduce the burden of pre-eclampsia, it could save the lives of thousands of mothers and babies globally,' Professor Stephen Tong, the head of TOG, said.
Heres a dilemma: you have just been offered a glass of homemade lemonade. The person who made it is clearly pleased with her efforts  but theres just one snag: it tastes disgusting. What do you do?

Its a conundrum many of us face in daily life  where we must navigate the tricky line between telling the truth and sparing someones feelings.

Not, though, when youre a five-year-old boy.

The new series of Channel 4 show will see boys and girls split up taking part in different challenges. (L-R) Harry, Elijah, Naomi, Oscar, Eva, Jude, Siena, Alice, Oliver and Tiara

After a sip of the  heavily salted  drink proffered by their teacher Kate, Harry, Oliver and Elijah dont exactly mince their words.

Disgusting, says Elijah. Im not having any more, says Oliver, curling his lip.

Im going to be sick tonight, adds Harry.

When it comes to five-year-old girls, though, its a different story.

It was a teeny bit too much lemon, says Siena politely. And I think its incredible, but I dont like the lemon in it.

I loved the lemon, adds Alice emphatically. But even though I did like it, can I just have a drink of water?

Tiara, meanwhile, gets to the heart of the matter. I pretended I did like it so I made her happy, she says.

These charming scenes are the latest to unfold in the Channel 4 series, The Secret Life Of..., which uses hidden cameras to eavesdrop for a week on a carefully selected group of children  this time five-year-olds  in a London classroom to see what they really think.

The children were asked to think about how different genders act - and it's clear stereotypes are set from a young age. Siena puts lipstick on Oscar

The children took part in the same challenges to see how they would react - and how gender plays a part in their decisions. Oscar and Oliver pictured

This latest offering, though, comes with a twist. This time, the boys and girls are kept apart for a few days, the idea being that we get to see how their gender affects how they react to the same environment and circumstances  not to mention finding out what they think about the opposite sex.

As observer Paul Howard-Jones, a professor of neuroscience and education at the University of Bristol, says: Same toys, same tasks, same treats. So were interested in the difference in how boys and girls behave, but we are also looking for clues as to why those differences exist.

Alice (pictured) wanted to play dinosaurs, but none of the other girls wanted to join in - saying it was a boys game

As viewers will quickly discover, the differences are manifold.

Illustrated by a series of fascinating experiments during the two-part series, we see how even by the tender age of five, girls and boys are wired differently  the former proving to have more empathy and be better at managing temptation while also being more risk averse than boys.

Whats also clear is that, despite their tender years, gender stereotypes loom large. Early on in the social experiment, the boys are asked to pose like a girl and instantly strike an exaggerated catwalk stance, all pouting lips and hands on hips.

Asked to run the same way and they all mince along the grass, with mop-haired Jude  who makes his disdain for girls clear, replying Nothing when asked what he likes about them  leading the charge.

Jude, it is safe to say, champions the male sex, declaring boys super smart and super, super handsome, much to the amusement of parents Paul, a director, and stay-at-home mum, Kelly.

Their happy, friendly son may speak to anybody, they insist, but Jude prefers them to be male.

When nans and grandads say: Have you got a girlfriend? he is adamant he hasnt, says Kelly.

That said, the girls are just as prone to stereotypes. Instructed to ape the boys, they start to roar and puff themselves up like strongmen. Smell my muscles, says Naomi.

Moreover, its hard to shake these ideas off, as clinical child psychologist Dr Elizabeth Gilbey says.

Research shows the ideas these girls have around gender are going to stay with them throughout their adult lives, she says. Children were not born with these ideas, theyre not innate. Theyve learnt them from the world theyve grown up in.

Out of the mouths ... Jude: No way are girls strong because they can only lift up a little tiny ant. Harry: Boys wear awesome clothes and they are just so awesome. Siena: Boys were born to be stronger and girls were born to be gentle, soft and quiet. Eva: Girls used to not vote and then there were these girls who fighted [sic] to vote. They were very silly women as they got killed. So its very important to girls to vote otherwise that will happen again. Oscar: Boys are stronger than girls. Girls can be strong, its just they have to take lessons. Elijah. Boys are cool and girls arent. Naomi: Boys and girls have the same brain but they just think different things. Alice: I have two boyfriends and theyre both cats. Tiara: Boys are loud. Did you hear them just now? I told you theyre noisy. Harry: I have 20 girlfriends. I do. I have loads of them. And it wasnt me who asked them. They asked me. I didnt have a choice. Oscar: I know a little bit about girls as my mummy is a girl. Advertisement

No one who watches the girls play mummies and daddies, and dive into the boxes of make-up left out for them, can doubt this.

Youre going to look magnificent for the party, declares Naomi, powdering one of her playmates faces.

Not quite all of them adhere to these roles. Young Alice wants to play dinosaurs, although sadly there are no takers among her all-female cohorts. They wont play with me as they thought it was a boys game, she says forlornly.

In this series, boys and girls are split up. (L-R top row) Elijah,Edward, Oliver, Harry (Bottom row) Tyreece, Oscar, Seb, Jude, Oliver

(L-R top row) Alice, Maryam, Tiara, Siena, Naomi (Bottom row) Kitty, Elisa, Kaci-Faith, Eva.

Its nothing less than her communications officer mum, Nicky, and education coordinator dad, Dave, expected. They live in Gateshead with Alice  and her pet caterpillars  and say that from an early age their daughter defied girly cliches.

When she was younger she played with cars and had train sets, says Nicky. Most of her friends are boys.

Fascinatingly, it seems the reason some children gravitate towards one toy over another can be predicted early on.

Cutting-edge science now tells us that a few weeks after birth a surge of hormones such as testosterone shapes their brain development, says Professor Howard-Jones. Remarkably, the hormones that are released then can predict whether, four years later, a child will play with a doll or a truck.

Child psychologist Dr Elizabeth Gilbey said Children were not born with these ideas, theyre not innate. Theyve learnt them from the world theyve grown up in

The two-part series will show how how the battle of the sexes starts at a much younger age then experts thought

In which case, it looks like Eva had the same hormone surge as Alice when she was a baby. Eva also shows herself more than able to hold her own with the boys, challenging Jude when he declares that girls cant be scientists. Looking horrified, she solemnly informs him that she detracted [sic] the DNA from a banana once  before going on to teach Jude some karate moves for good measure.

Her behaviour came as no surprise to her trainee social worker mum, Gemma, and civil servant dad, Ian, who live in Sheffield with Evas elder brother Alex.

Their clever, funny, feisty daughter is already clear in her beliefs. She used to chant girls are best, says Ian. But while she enjoys doing traditionally girly things, its not what defines her. What defines her is that she can do anything.

One of his daughters finest moments, he adds, was finding out that Theresa May was prime minister.

There was this look of sheer astonishment, he recalls. She said: I could be prime minister. It was a moment of realisation and we try to teach her to be proud and independent.

Naomi's dad, James, says he calls his daughter 'CEO' because she has 'no problem taking control of the situation'

Eva is certainly quite politically minded already. Asked what girls should do when they grow up, she replies: To go to work and vote, before going on to talk about suffragettes.

Back over with the boys, meanwhile, a bromance forms between blond rascals Oscar and Oliver, flying in the face of psychologists expectations that at this age boys play more in groups than find a best friend.

Whats more, the bond is forged through mutual appreciation of each others hair. Hes nice and friendly and has a cool hairstyle, Oliver says of his new chum.

Sadly, all bets are off when the boys and girls are introduced to each other.

Charging round screaming, the boys head into impress mode, and an instant love triangle develops in which Oscar finds himself competing with the confident Naomi for Olivers affections.

I was wondering if you could be a boyfriend with me, Naomi asks Oliver, as Oscar looks on rather despondently.

Oliver initially rebuffs her, but is quickly won over. And in scenes that will pull on the heartstrings, Oscar is seen watching from afar muttering: Man, thats not good, as Naomi asks his buddy to kiss her.

Watching in Sheffield, Naomis dad James, a training specialist, and sales director mum, Orla, are finding it a hoot.

I call Naomi CEO because she has no problem taking control of the situation, says James. Well make a suggestion. Shell then have her own suggestion. Its usually something you have to listen to.

Over in Newcastle, meanwhile, Olivers mother Natasha and dad Lee admit that their son is definitely an alpha male  but one who is also in touch with his feminine side thanks to his involvement with the dancing school the pair run.

I think the ballroom dancing has helped him have a good relationship with girls, says Natasha. It teaches the boys respect and its gentle. He can go from being a boys boy to a gentleman.

Not entirely a gentleman, of course. At one point, Oliver exclaims: Girls are bonkers!

And, as mentioned before, when it comes to telling teacher Kate what he thinks about her lemonade, Oliver pulls no punches.

This test, Professor Howard-Jones reveals, is a classic way of measuring empathy, as the children have to choose whether to tell the truth or lie so they dont hurt someones feelings.

In the show, boys and girls are offered the chance to gamble their winnings after a penalty shoot-out competition - but the girls chose to stick with their prize

Theres a clear difference between boys and girls when it comes to empathy, he explains. As early as three to four months old, girls tend to be better than boys at reading emotions. The girls are clearly thoughtful about Kates feelings.

Other tests, meanwhile, illustrate other subtle differences between the sexes. In a double or quits scenario in which boys and girls teams are given the option to gamble their winnings after a penalty shoot-out competition, the winning girls team chooses to stick with their prize.

But Oliver, captain of the triumphant boys team, decides to gamble  and loses, meaning he has to hand his sweets over, much to Oscars disdain. Im going to change our teams name to suckers, he declares.

Oscar (pictured above) said 'I'm going to change our team's name to suckers' after the boys had to hand over their sweets when they lost the penalty shoot-out

For the watching psychologists, it is all perfectly in keeping with the way the male and female brains work  even at this young age.

Research shows us that girls are much less likely to take a risk, says Professor Howard-Jones. The male brain is more attracted to riskier options, but its fascinating to see those differences forming now.

The girls also demonstrate their natural inclination for following rules. Confronted in their classroom by a five-tier chocolate fountain, and instructed not to touch it, the girls distract themselves.

But within a minute, the boys have pretty much all stuck their fingers in  and, in one boys case, his tongue.

Boys brains are attracted to 'riskier options' said Professor Howard-Jones, whereas girls are much less likely to take a risk

Whether its nature or nurture, its the girls who obey the rules and resist the temptation, says Professor Howard-Jones.

Some of this, says Alison Pike, developmental psychologist at the University of Sussex, is down to early brain development. But, she adds, we cant forget that we are all influenced by our early cultural influences.

This is reinforced when the girls and boys are told to try on each others dressing-up clothes  a scenario that tickles the former but horrifies the latter. I cant believe I have to put a girly dress on, says a mortified Oscar.

Which brings us back to his rollercoaster relationship with Oliver. Over the two episodes, it features tensions, tears and even a punch-up. Could they resolve their differences? Happily, they do.

We had a little argument but then we sorted it all out, Oscar reveals.

Demonstrating once more, as so often happens with this enchanting show, that whatever the differences between the sexes, these five-year-olds can show the grown-ups a thing or two.

The Secret Life Of 5 Year Olds is on Channel 4 on Thursday, February 2, at 8pm
A Canberra mother has had the first baby born through the Australian Capital Territory's publicly-funded home birth trial.

Ella Kurz and her husband Relja Cvjeticanin welcomed their son Ari, weighing a healthy 4.01 kilos, rather quickly in the comfort of their own bedroom on Saturday.

Mrs Kurz said she felt safe and comfortable giving birth on her bedroom floor, relieved of the stress of rushing to hospital when her waters broke.

While the 27-year-old mother-of-two said having her daughter, two-year-old Frida, in hospital was a 'wonderful' experience, she wanted a different experience this time.

At home: Ella Kurz became the first to have a home birth in the ACT's publicly-funded trial

'You just hear so many negative stories about people's experiences with the most dramatic things happening,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Even though we had a wonderful experience in hospital the first time, we wanted to avoid the drama of those stories.'

She added that although she felt excited to become the first mother to take part in the ACT's home birth trial, she was nervous because she wanted it to go well.

Mrs Kurz said: 'It was really exciting but I wanted everything to go well. Being the first, I felt responsible about making sure it went well.'

She was comfortably set up on the floor on top of towels above protective plastic sheets, although she said she did move around to other rooms a bit.

And with the support of her husband and mum Vera in the room, along with two midwives, everything went smoothly.

Bub: Ari was born weighing 4.01 kilos on Saturday in the bedroom of his family's Canberra home

Happy families: Ella Kurz and her husband Relja Cvjeticanin also have a two-year-old daughter

'They were very relaxing and very supportive,' she said. 'I think if they weren't there, I wouldn't have been able to do it.'

She added: 'It was nice being in my own space, it felt really good to have the baby in my own home and then take him to hospital for checks for the first time instead of bringing him home from there.'

Mrs Kurz said that she was fortunate enough to be eligible for the trial as her first pregnancy went well and her second was deemed low-risk.

'I definitely recommend it, but it's not for everyone,' she said.

She also wants those with misconceptions about home births to rethink their concerns.

'I did feel so safe. Often when people think about home birth, they think it's less safe, but we feel it was safe.'
She's one of the world's most recognised chefs with 75 cookery books under her belt but Mary Berry proved there's no harm in a little self-promotion on Friday morning.

The 81-year-old toted her own recipe book as she arrived at the BBC studios in central London for an interview on Woman's Hour on Friday morning.

The Great British Bake Off judge wrapped up warm in a black bomber jacket, black pencil skirt and pink blouse.

Mary Berry toted her new recipe book as she arrived at the Radio 4 studios to carry out an interview on Woman's Hour

She offset her look with black Chelsea boots and a colourful printed scarf.

Mary looked radiant and refreshed despite her early wake up time ahead of her stint on the popular radio show.

Mary will be telling the show about the best recipes in her 60 year career, as well as life after Bake Off.

She's got a new book coming out and a new TV series and she joins Jenni in the studio with her Chocolate Reflection Cake and Scots Whisky Cream pudding.

The 81-year-old toted her own recipe book as she arrived at the BBC studios for an interview on Friday morning

Resplendent in a black and pink outfit, Mary offset her look with black Chelsea boots and a colourful printed scarf

Mary, who is known for her fashion-forward approach to dressing, looked trendy in a black bomber jacket

Mary will be telling the show about the best recipes in her 60 year career, as well as life after Bake Off

Her appearance comes after she finally acknowledged her former Great British Bake Off co-judge's controversial decision to ditch the BBC for Channel 4.

In an apparent dig at Paul Hollywood at the launch of her new book, the 81-year-old described former GBBO presenters Mel Geidroyc and Sue Perkins as her 'guardian angels', before adding: 'they're firmly with the BBC too.'

When it was confirmed that the hugely popular show was to move from its BBC home to Channel 4 in a multi-million pound deal, it emerged that Paul Hollywood was the only one of its four stars prepared to go too.

The octogenarian baker, who was named best television judge at last night's National Television Awards, also dismissed the 'clean food' phenomenon touted by many of the UK's new generation of culinary stars at her book launch.

Mary Berry, 81, won big at the National Television Awards scooping the best television judge at the January 25th ceremony

Mel, Sue and Mary all chose to remain with the BBC, while Paul opted to stick with GBBO following Channel 4's acquisition of the show for 75million

Speaking at the launch of Everyday, held at Fortnum and Mason's Diamond Jubilee Salon in London, Mary said of reuniting with Mel and Sue: 'We haven't seen each other for such a long time.

'They are my guardian angels and they're firmly with the BBC too.'

Hollywood was at the centre of a GBBO storm when programme makers Love Productions switched Channel 4 in a 75million deal.

While Mel and Sue refused to follow the money over at Channel 4, Paul secured a deal that he said 'doubled his wages'.

Despite Mary's allusions to the GBBO row at the launch, she has said she will still tune into the show when it eventually airs.

Speaking at the NTAs to Digital Spy she said: 'Of course [I will watch the show]. I'll see what they're up to.

'I want to see Paul because we're still great friends.'

Mary, Mel and Sue have all reaped the benefits from sticking with the BBC and were rewarded for their loyalty to the broadcaster with new shows in 2017.
She is accustomed to formal banquets and officers in military finery.

So it is perhaps of little surprise the Queen flashed a smile as she was greeted by topless warriors at a Fiji exhibition at the University of East Anglia in Norwich this morning.

Despite the near-freezing temperatures, the barefoot men stood outside in traditional grass skirts to meet the monarch as she stepped out of her car. Others celebrated the moment with a rhythmic welcome on large drums.

Oh my! The Queen looked taken aback as she was greeted by the topless men today

Charming: The monarch regained her composure and flashed a smile as she walked inside

Bright spot: The Queen did not let the chilly weather dampen her spirits as she arrived

Memory lane: The Queen watches a video of her and the Duke of Edinburgh in Fiji in 1953

Day out: Nursery school children wave Union flags as they welcome the Queen to the centre

The Queen, 90, looked briefly taken aback but quickly regained her signature charm and smiled as she was met by officials.

Crowds of well-wishers gathered to welcome the monarch, cheering and taking photos as she made her way into the building.

The Queen looked magnificent in a vibrant fuchsia coat and matching two-tone hat.

The exhibition at the university's Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, is billed as the largest and most comprehensive exhibition about the South Pacific nation.

Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific features stunning sculptures, textiles, and ceramics alongside ivory and shell regalia.

It will also present both Fijian artworks and a European response to them - paintings, drawings and historic photographs of the 19th and 20th century.

Honoured: The men stood to attention as the Queen made her way into the exhibition

Welcome: A group of schoolchildren looked on as the Queen was greeted outside the centre

Flash of colour: The Queen looked magnificent in a vibrant fuchsia coat and matching hat

Delighted: The Queen, who was ill over the festive period, appeared in fine spirits this morning

Fanfare: Waving flags and holding up pictures, schoolchildren wait to see the Queen today

Jubilant: Men in traditional dress play a Fijian instrument as the Queen arrives at the centre

These include watercolours by the intrepid Victorian travel writer and artist Constance Gordon-Cumming, and the Irish naval artist James Glen Wilson, who was in Fiji in the 1850s.

During her visit the Queen saw the ceremonial whale tooth, or tabua, which was presented to her during her first visit to Fiji in 1953.

She also watched a video showing herself and the Duke of Edinburgh in Fiji in 1953.

Fascinated: The Queen takes in some of the exhibits on display inside the centre

Cultural: She also met Fijian students studying at the UEA and other Fijians living in the UK

Interested: The Queen asked questions as she made her way around the exhibition

The monarch also met Fijian students studying at the UEA and other Fijians living in the UK.

Having visited Fiji a number of times, the Queen was well versed with some of its customs and as she was taken on her tour appeared fascinated by the exhibits and asked a number of questions.

The Duke of Edinburgh was scheduled in error to attend the event, Buckingham Palace said, and it is understood he was out and about on the Sandringham Estate instead.

Support: The Queen was greeted by a large crowd of well-wishers as she arrived this morning

Memories: During her visit the Queen will see the ceremonial whale tooth, or tabua, which was presented to her during her first visit to Fiji in 1953

Treasures: The exhibition features sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and ivory and shell regalia

Celebration: Men in traditional Fijian dress played instruments to mark the Queen's arrival

Gift: A schoolgirl waits to give the Queen flowers as two men play an instrument behind

Excited: Supporters cheered and took photos on their phones when they spotted the Queen

This exhibition is the result of a three-year arts and humanities Research Council-funded project which examined the extensive but little known Fijian collections in the UK and overseas, and uncovered some significant treasures.

Research project leader and exhibition curator Professor Steven Hooper said: 'An important aspect of this exhibition is that the many examples of exceptional Fijian creativity on display are not presented as 'ethnographic specimens' or 'illustrations' of Fijian culture, but as works of art in their own right, as worthy of attention as any art tradition in the world, including Modernism.

'Remarkable creative imagination is applied to the making of ancestral god images, ritual dishes and regalia, and to the decoration of enormous barkcloths.'

Braving the cold: Well-wishers wrapped up as they waited to catch a glimpse of the Queen
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It seems that Prince George and Princess Charlotte may have some stiff competition for their position as cutest royal youngsters.

Monaco's royal twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, two, proved to be adorable young royals as they joined their parents on the balcony on St Devote's Day in Monaco on Friday.

Prince Jacques, who was displaying a head of luscious blonde curls, stole the show as he playfully poked his father as his mother held him before thousands of wellwishers.

Prince Jacques playfully poked his father as he was held by his mother, Princess Charlene, on the palace balcony during the traditional Saint Devote procession in Monaco on Friday

Peekaboo! The inquisitive Prince peered out of the balcony and looked at the thousands of waiting wellwishers, whilst his twin sister was a little more reserved

His twin sister, meanwhile, took a backseat and stayed on the floor, peering out of the balcony at the cheering locals below.

The royal couple doted on the children - who were born on December 10, 2014 - as they greeted the crowd from the palace's balcony.

Prince Albert, 58, was all smiles, whilst his South African-born wife, 38, tenderly held an inquisitive looking Prince Jacques, who playfully attempted to wriggle out of her arms.

Their cherubic children were dressed in coordinating outfits as they greeted waiting wellwishers.

Prince Jacques, who was displaying a head of luscious blonde curls, stole the show during the event

Prince Jacques (L) and Princess Gabriella (R) look on from the palace balcony during the traditional procession in Monaco

Princess Charlene held her son in her arms, whilst her daughter flashed a cheeky grin peering out of the balcony

Princess Gabriella looked amused as she peered at the crowds. Saint Devote is the patron saint of the Grimaldi family, reigning in Monaco, and is celebrated each year as a national holiday

It seems that Prince George and Princess Charlotte may have some stiff competition for their position as cutest royal youngsters

Monaco's royal twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, two, proved to be adorable young royals as they joined their parents on the balcony on St Devote's Day in Monaco on Friday

South African-born Charlene tenderly patted her daughter's head as the playful twins ran riot on the balcony

St Devote's Day is a national holiday in Monaco in remembrance of their patron saint, a Christian martyr who was killed and tortured for her faith in the 4th century

The little boy clearly inherited his mother's hair and displayed a head full of bright blonde curls

Hello! Princess Gabriella was all smiles as she joined her family at the annual event

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had earlier attended a service at Monaco Cathedral and the mother-of-two showcased her impeccable style

Charlene looked elegant in a neutral colour palette for the occasion, teaming her nude coloured coat with matching gloves.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had earlier attended a service at Monaco Cathedral.

St Devote's Day is a national holiday in Monaco in remembrance of their patron saint, a Christian martyr who was killed and tortured for her faith in the 4th century.

According to legend, Christians saved St Devote's body and cast it off in a boat to Africa in the hope that once there she would receive a Christian burial.

A dove then flew from her mouth and guided the boat to Monaco where it ran aground.

The Saint is believed to have helped the principality in times of peril ever since.

Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco leave the Monaco Cathedral during the Saint Devote festivities

Charlene looked elegant in a neutral colour palette for the occasion, teaming her nude coloured coat with matching gloves

The royals looked smart as they left the cathedral after paying tribute to the saint

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had earlier attended a service at Monaco Cathedral

Princess Charlene looked resplendent and had teamed her chic camel coat with leather boots for the occasion

In line with the legend, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene took part in an annual ceremonial ritual remembering the Saint's final journey on Thursday night.

They were given torches which they used to set fire to a fisherman's boat like the one that the Saint's body was carried on.

The royal children last made a public appearance in December, when they joined their parents to distribute Christmas presents to children at Monaco's royal palace.

They were the first children for the royal couple, who married in a lavish ceremony in July 2011.

In line with the legend, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene took part in an annual ceremonial ritual remembering the Saint's final journey on Thursday night

The couple paid tribute to the Saint by lighting torches with locals on Thursday night

They were given torches which they used to set fire to a fisherman's boat like the one that the Saint's body was carried on

The stylish mother-of-two looked chic in a wine red poncho and grey structured jumper as she held onto her husband at the event

Prince Albert and his wife Princess Charlene attend the traditional celebration and greet locals
What happens when a college dropout with a photographic memory and a weakness for marijuana gets hired as a lawyer at one of New Yorks top firms, even though he secretly never attended Harvard Law School as is required?

He falls for the most beautiful girl there but cant tell her the truth for fear hell lose his job, and tries to keep his past from colleagues while working on some of the firms most high-profile cases.

Thats the premise behind Suits, the sharp American legal drama that not only launched the career of Meghan Markle five years ago  but made her one of the most talked-about women in the world when it brought her to the attention of Prince Harry.

As Meghan Markle's famed series Suits makes its return to the UK we explain what all the hype is about and what to expect

Hed claimed to friends she was his ideal woman when he saw her in Suits two years before he finally met her last summer.

The show, which sees Meghan play a beautiful and ambitious trainee lawyer, already has a loyal US fanbase and is set to build up a huge following in the UK.

For the ultra-slick drama, which last aired here in September, is now attracting the interest of those wanting to learn more about the woman whos stolen Harrys heart. And as it returns to British TV tomorrow night on Freeview channel Dave, nows the perfect time to catch up...

WHATS IT ALL ABOUT?

Mike Ross accidentally stumbles into a job interview with heavyweight lawyer Harvey Specter, the new senior partner at Manhattan law firm Pearson Hardman, while fleeing the police over a drugs deal.

Meghan plays Rachel Zane who gets engaged to Michael Ross played by Patrick J. Adams

Mike had once been due to go to Harvard, but the offer was pulled when he was expelled from university for selling exam questions. However, hed already sat the Harvard entrance exam, and helped by his photographic memory hes since been illegally taking the exam for people who pay him to get a good grade for them.

In the interview he uses the vast knowledge hes acquired to impress Harvey, who believes hes a legal prodigy and hires him on the spot, even though Mike comes clean about his dodgy past.

MEGHAN'S MOST MAGICAL (AND RACY MOMENTS) The first time we meet Rachel, she has a cutting response for Mike when he greets her by commenting on how pretty she looks. Good, youve hit on me. We can get it out of the way that Im not interested, Rachel snaps back. Unsurprisingly, lots of flirtatious behaviour follows but Rachel initially decides against a relationship because Mike is clearly hiding something from her. She then confronts him and they share a passionate love scene in the file room. Its the first of many steamy clinches for Rachel  she also has a tryst with her ex and flirts with men in bars  but most of her raunchy scenes are with Mike as their bumpy relationship progresses over the first three series, leading to his proposal in series four. Meghan demanded Korsh cut back on the scantily clad scenes as she felt every script seemed to begin with, Rachel enters wearing a towel when they were filming the third series. At a certain point you feel empowered enough to just say no, she said. Speaking up and being able to say, Im not going to do that any more has been a big shift for me. Rachels best bits have gone beyond her romantic moments though, as shes proved to be passionate about the law and whip smart. She took on her boss Jessica to get a firms policy changed, made sure a nasty girl in one of her law classes got her comeuppance and even got an innocent man on Death Row freed. Advertisement

He suddenly finds himself an associate at one of the most respected law firms in the city with a large salary and, yes, expensive suits  but his problems have only just begun.

The series follows Harvey and Mike working on different cases while trying to keep Mikes secret. But gradually his colleagues discover he didnt really go to Harvard and find themselves joining in the cover-up.

It isnt long before Mike and his co-conspirators increasingly complicated web of lies threatens to catch up with them.

The shows creator Aaron Korsh was an investment banker before giving up a lucrative job in finance to try his hand at comedy writing. He cut his teeth on episodes of sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond before cooking up the idea for Suits in 2007 when his agent remarked on the fascinating stories hed told about his former career.

The show has its roots in my investment banking days, and originally every character was an investment banker not a lawyer, says Korsh. This is a fantastical version of my story. Its based on real things  theyre obviously tremendously exaggerated, but its worked out.

The series boasts substance as well as style and succeeds thanks to its characters, with strong women and the bromance between Mike and his boss Harvey. Its peppered with snappy one-liners and guest appearances from the likes of Ordinary Lies Max Beesley.

SO WHOS MEGHAN?

Prince Harrys girl  since last summer  plays Rachel Zane, a stunningly beautiful and highly intelligent trainee lawyer who immediately captures Mikes attention. And while Meghan is most certainly the eye candy in Suits, her character is determined to prove shes more than just a pretty face.

Although shes on a par with the smartest people at the firm, Rachel didnt go to law school either because she doesnt do well in exams. Her quest to become a bona fide lawyer is one of the central plotlines for Rachel in the show, along with her tumultuous romance with Mike.

He proposed to her in series four and she accepted, but their engagement has been anything but smooth. Her outfits on the show reflect her ambition  and the shows title  shes always perfectly groomed in designer blouses, elegant pencil skirts and sky-high heels.

The drama provides some rather racy moments such as when Rachel and Michael finally consumate their relationship in an office star room

Far from being a cold-hearted lawyer, Rachels emotional nature makes her empathetic towards the firms clients, and her tenacity always pays off in the end. Shes also the daughter of a rich and powerful attorney, but chooses to live off the money shes earning in her own right rather than the wealth of her parents.

Its an ethos Meghan translates to her own life. She started out as a briefcase girl on the American version of Deal Or No Deal and has admitted that her first movie audition was for the role of Hot Girl #1.

But shes now a UN womens advocate and has insisted on her website The Tig that visiting refugee camps in Rwanda is far more important to her than red carpets. In a recent essay Meghan claimed her aim is to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings and be a woman who works rather than a lady who lunches.

From left: Jessica, Mike, Donna, Rachel, Louis and Harvey who act alongside Meghan

The show has drawn in some great guest actors in the past, with one star-studded storyline that featuring Ordinary Lies and Mad Dogs star Max Beesley

ANY BIG NAMES?

The show has drawn in some great guest actors in the past, with one star-studded storyline that featured both Ordinary Lies and Mad Dogs star Max Beesley and Game Of Thrones Michelle Fairley. Max portrayed dashing British lawyer Stephen Huntley, who joined the show in series three following Pearson Hardmans merger with a UK firm.

The plot followed the murder trial of Ava Hessington (Fairley), an oil company CEO accused of ordering the deaths of her opponents, and Stephen couldnt help but meddle in the proceedings.

This plot also included appearances from another Game Of Thrones actor, Conleth Hill, and Mad Mens Abigail Spencer. I absolutely loved having them on the show, says Korsh. I have great respect for British actors. They always come in and shine for us.

MEET THE REST OF THE SUITS TEAM MIKE ROSS (Patrick J Adams) The protagonist and Rachels love interest. He may be a fraud, but Mikes determined to prove hes worth his salt at the firm. Despite her rule of never dating a colleague, Rachel cant help but fall for troubled yet highly intelligent Mike. However, she soon realises hes lying to her and refuses to go out with him unless he tells her the truth. HARVEY SPECTER (Gabriel Macht) One of Pearson Hardmans senior partners and Mikes boss. A smart, smooth-talking lawyer, he does whatever it takes to win a case while teaching Mike the ropes in the process. Although hes Rachels superior, she stands up to him when he puts the business above a clients needs. LOUIS LITT (Rick Hoffman) Harveys rival partner at the firm. At times the antagonist but often misunderstood, Louiss sensitive nature can cause him to be petty, but he also provides much of the shows comic relief. Rachel isnt afraid to take on Louis if he crosses her. DONNA PAULSEN (Sarah Rafferty) Harveys secretary, Rachels best friend and the person everyone relies on. When she isnt doing crucial case work or advising Rachel on her relationship with Mike, she and Rachel enjoy girls nights out together. She also has a not-so-secret crush on Harvey. JESSICA PEARSON (Gina Torres) Rachels boss is protective of her staff, taking a firm but fair approach to managing them. While Jessica doesnt like to change her mind once shes made a decision, Rachel has convinced her to bend the rules many times. Advertisement

Max and Meghan have kept in touch and have even exchanged admiring tweets, with Meghan branding him a stud and Max calling her babe. When she shared a snap of a bunch of flowers, he joked he sent them to her.

CAN I DIP IN AND OUT?

Suits is serialised, meaning its storylines typically carry across each series. Mike hiding the fact that hes not a real lawyer spans much of the first few series, and the plots of certain trials and tribulations the firm faces can take several episodes to play out.

However, cases are often solved within one episode and the show doesnt overcomplicate itself with too many subplots and characters, making it easy enough to understand whats going on if you dip in and out.

WHY IS IT DIFFERENT?

Legal dramas are hardly few and far between, but its the quick-witted humour of Suits that sets it apart. Korsh says letting his actors ad lib is vital to the show.

Particularly known for its pop-culture references, its included nods to Mad Men and Game Of Thrones, as well as some bad Sean Connery impressions.

Although the team at the firm sometimes swindle each other for their own needs, Suits focuses on friendship above rivalry when it comes to its core cast members. And the banter-filled bond between Harvey and Mike is one of the best things about it. I think what really makes the show so special is the cast, Korsh says.

They elevate every single character. Its absorbing and entertaining without being intense; if you like The Good Wife youll love Suits.

CAN I SEE OLD SERIES?

Suits returns to Freeview channel Dave tomorrow night, just a few days after the episodes have aired in the US. The show has been renewed for a seventh series, which Meghan and co are due to start filming in March in Toronto, which doubles for New York.

The first four series are available on Netflix, while every episode is available on Amazon Instant Video and iTunes. The Series 1-5 box set is available to order online.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

Suits has enthralled critics as well as fans, with People Magazine calling it smart and elegant and The New York Times saying it has long been an underrated guilty pleasure.

The New York Daily News praises the dialogue as snappy with a pop-culture flavour. Its earned two Peoples Choice Awards nominations and one from the Screen Actors Guild for Patrick J Adams.

Suits returns to British TV tomorrow night at 10pm on the Freeview channel Dave.
Claire Danes says that she never gets bored playing Carrie Mathison

One thing about Carrie Mathison, says Claire Danes, is that she never gets bored with her.

Every year shes different, says Claire of the tortured bipolar CIA agent shes been playing for six years in the awards-laden espionage thriller Homeland.

Every year were in a new environment, facing different circumstances  and every year we unveil a new dimension to Carries character.

'Its remained very fresh and Im both surprised and relieved to find I feel as challenged to play her now as I did during the first series. Id so much rather be challenged than bored.

Shes not kidding about the variety. In the past six years shes seen Carrie deal with family dramas, professional betrayals, her own mental issues, the public hanging of her former lover Nicholas Brody (played by Damian Lewis), motherhood (which shes not very good at) and ever higher stakes on issues of international security. Its no wonder she joked to me last year that Im ready to do a comedy now!

Theres no time for comedy at the moment, however, for Carries back in series six of Homeland on Channel 4, with two further series already commissioned.

Shes returned to New York from Berlin, where with spot-on timing America is dealing with the fallout of a Presidential election. The whole series takes place just after the new President has been elected in November, but before the Inauguration in January, says Claire.

Thats always quite an anxious time in America, especially this year when the election has been so bonkers. In our story the new President-Elect, Elizabeth Keane [played by House Of Cards actress Elizabeth Marvel], is a sort of a composite of various people who were in the running, with definitely a bit of Bernie Sanders in that shes very anti-Establishment.

Dar Adal and Saul [played by F Murray Abraham and Mandy Patinkin], the figureheads of the CIA, are anxious about her attitudes towards them. Theyve been briefing her and the implications are pretty serious because who knows who shes going to usher into the new administration?

Claire Danes as Carrie and Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson in Homeland in season six

A complicating factor is that Keane happens to know German billionaire philanthropist Otto During (Sebastian Koch), Carries boss in Berlin and once a possible love interest. Carrie also met Keane once at a function with Otto. We became friends and Im secretly advising her too. Plus Ive used Ottos funding to set up a non-profit association with a lawyer who works for Muslim-Americans whove been wrongly accused of terrorist activity. So its all very interesting.

Meanwhile, she wouldnt be Carrie if she werent dealing with some personal trauma. Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend), the assassin who fell in love with Carrie, has survived a sarin gas attack at the end of last season, but is a shadow of the dashing figure he used to be and his behaviour is unpredictable.

Hes now very compromised both physically and mentally. Hes half-paralysed and has depression. Carries there to help him through the healing process, but its tough. Luckily I like playing intense roles  although Id like Carrie to have some happiness eventually.

Claire, the daughter of a New York sculptor mother and a photographer father who found fame playing high school student Angela Chase in the acclaimed TV teen drama My So-Called Life, admits she was hesitant to take the role.

I felt intimidated and wasnt at all sure I was going to do it, she says. I went to lunch with some girlfriends and said, Ive just read the script and its really compelling, but theres no way. I just cant do that. I was nervous about how troubled Carrie is, how scary the world she inhabits is. Then I met the writers and producers and I was reassured by how responsible they were. Once I started committing to it I fell in love with it. And with Carrie.

There are aspects of Carries personality she finds it impossible to approve of though. Her parenting skills for one. I dont think there could be a worse mother, she laughs of Carries relationship with little Frannie, the flame-haired product of Carries affair with Brody. Shes better now shes living with Frannie in New York and I think the experience of feeling at home is helping them bond, but not a lot!

Happily for Claires real-life son with English actor husband Hugh Dancy, four-year-old Cyrus, Claires views about motherhood are very different. The parallels between our attitudes are non-existent! she says. As far as Hugh and I are concerned what life is really about is raising this little boy.

Claire has been playing Carrie for the past six years

She and Hugh, the Oxford-educated son of philosophy professor Jonathan Dancy and best known on TV as FBI profiler Will Graham in the thriller Hannibal, first met on the set of the 2007 romance Evening. They married in 2009, and seven years later she says theyre happier than ever. Although were not as infatuated with each other as we were when we met, and thank God because thats just exhausting!

Its clear that friendship means a lot to Claire. Im still surrounded by all my oldest friends who pre-date any of this showbusiness nonsense, she says. Im in a book club with friends Ive had since I was ages nought to two, and ages six to nine. Theyre not actresses, they do all sorts of different things, and that plugs me in to different ways of thinking. They keep me sane, which is not so easy for an actress! Im very lucky to have them.

She says that after facing Carries demons during the day, coming home to the two men in her life is the perfect stress-buster.

Its good to have Cyrus take me out of all that turmoil, whatever darkness Ive had during the day. And it works the other way too. Homeland is a wonderfully reassuring thing in our home life.

'Dont forget that Hugh and I are both freelance artists, which can be very stressful. So Homeland is nice for us to work around  it provides a kind of security to know that every year its going to be here.

For the next two years at least, although last summer Claire got some rare time off. It was the first time in years. The writers had been pleading for more time because usually they write as we film.

'This time they wanted to write more in advance and the studio agreed, so instead of starting filming in May it got pushed back to August. Which meant I had a summer holiday. We went to upstate New York and I went running and swimming with my boys. It was terrific.

It looks as if that comedy will have to wait though.

Homeland, tomorrow, 9pm, Channel 4.
Marijuana is far more damaging to young teenage brains than we thought, a new study claims.

There has been a surge in teen cannabis smokers in the last few years, with a 2014 report saying about a third of teenagers try the drug before they reach 15.

But scientists warn new research shows that it is far better for their brains if they wait until after they turn 17.

Among other dangers, they found adolescents who smoked pot as early as 14 fared far in cognitive tests when they reached 20 - and dropped out of school at a much higher rate than non-smokers.

Teenagers who smoked marijuana as early as age 14 did worse on cognitive tests, decreased verbal abilities and were more likely to drop out of school, according to a new study

In the study, conducted by the Universite de Montreal in Canada, a team looked at 294 teenage boys who completed a variety of cognitive tests at ages 13, 14 and 20.

Additionally, between the ages of 13 and 17 and again at 20, they filled out questionnaires.

Roughly half  43 percent  reported smoking pot at some point throughout the course of testing, most of them only a few times a year.

At 20 years old, 51 percent said they still used the drug. In general, those who started early already had poor short-term memory and poor working memory. Conversely, the early users also had good verbal skills and vocabulary.

Lead author, Dr Natalie Castellanos-Ryan, an assistant professor at UdeM's School of Psychoeducation, suggested one possible explanation: 'It takes quite a lot of skills for a young adolescent to get hold of drugs. They're not easy-access.'

She and her team found smoking cannabis during adolescence was linked to later difficulties with verbal abilities and cognitive abilities of learning by trial-and-error.

The early adopters also tended to drop out of school sooner, which the researchers say helped explain the decrease in their verbal abilities.

'The results of this study suggest that the effects of cannabis use on verbal intelligence are explained not by neurotoxic effects on the brain, but rather by a possible social mechanism,' Dr Castellanos-Ryan said.

'Adolescents who use cannabis are less likely to attend school and graduate, which may then have an impact on the opportunities to further develop verbal intelligence.'

Adolescents who use cannabis are less likely to attend school and graduate, which may then have an impact on the opportunities to further develop verbal intelligence Dr Natalie Castellanos-Ryan

Besides filling out questionnaires about their use of drugs and alcohol over the previous year, the boys participated in a number of tests to measure their cognitive development.

They were given words and numbers to remember and repeat in various configurations and were asked to learn new associations between various image.

The boys also played a card game to gauge their response to winning or losing money, and, in a test of their vocabulary, had to name objects and describe similarities between words.

In general, those who reported smoking pot early in their young teens performed poorly on language tests and tests that required learning by trial-and-error.

However, the team found that if teenagers held off until age 17 before smoking their first joint, those adolescents performed as well as their peers who didn't smoke marijuana.

Dr Castellanos-Ryan said she next wants to study whether the results can be replicated in other samples of adolescents and to see if cannabis use is associated with other problems, such as drug abuse, later in life.

But the main issue, she says, is to focus on delaying the onset of marijuana use as well as being 'realistic' with children.

She said: 'It is important to stick to the evidence we have and not exaggerate the negatives of cannabis.

'We can't tell children, "If you smoke cannabis you're going to damage your brain massively and ruin your life."

'We have to be realistic and say, "We are finding evidence that there are some negative effects related to cannabis use, especially if you start early, and so, if you can hold off as long as you can  at least until you're 17  then it's less likely there'll be an impact on your brain".'
Patients will be denied hip or knee replacements unless their pain is so severe they cannot sleep through the night.

Three health trusts are drastically tightening their rules in the hope of slashing operations by a fifth and saving 2million a year.

Patients will be referred for operations by GPs or hospital doctors only if their pain is so severe it interferes with their 'daily life' or 'ability to sleep'.

Patients requiring hip replacements are facing increased rationing by NHS trust bosses

The proposals have been drawn up jointly by the Redditch and Bromsgrove, South Worcestershire, and Wyre Forest Clinical Commissioning Groups  three local health trusts in the West Midlands.

But it is understood that health managers in other parts of England have quietly imposed similar policies.

They include the Harrogate and District, Vale of York, Coastal West Sussex and Shropshire CCGs, which are also using a controversial scoring system to rank patients' pain for knee and hip operations.

The Royal College of Surgeons estimates that as many as four in ten health trusts in England are now denying operations for patients who are not in sufficient pain, or are very overweight.

Around 100,000 patients have hip and knee replacements on the NHS every year; both operations cost around 5,000 each.

The majority of patients have either severe arthritis or have fractured their joints and struggle to carry out basic daily tasks.

When assessing eligibility, doctors are usually required to complete a questionnaire on behalf of their patient to estimate the extent of their pain and ability to walk. It is known as the Oxford Points System.

Questions include 'Are you troubled by your knee at night in bed?', 'Could you walk down a flight of stairs?' and 'Have you had any trouble washing yourself?'

Doctors then work out a score based on the answers of between 0 and 48. The lower the number, the worse the patients' pain and mobility.

As well as using the score, doctors are also meant to consider other criteria such as how the patient feels and the way they walk into the room.

In the case of the three West Midland CCGs, they are aiming to cut the score at which their patients are eligible for surgery from 30 to 25. They are also using the score as the sole criteria for eligibility.

Doctors will be told to assess the level of pain a patient is suffering before operating

The plans  uncovered by the Health Service Journal  are aimed at preventing an extra 353 patients having hip and knee operations each year.

Documents drawn up by three CCGs explain that the rules present an 'opportunity to reduce hip and knee replacement expenditure'. If properly enforced, procedures on hips will be cut by 12 per cent and those on knees by 19 per cent, the documents suggest.

'A reduction of hip and knee scores to less than 25 will achieve a 12 per cent and 19 per cent decrease in patients eligible for hip and knee surgery respectively,' they say.

They add that a score of less than 25 means that a 'patient's pain and disability should be sufficiently severe that it interferes with the patient's daily life and or ability to sleep'.

The Daily Mail discovered yesterday that other CCGs are employing similar policies for hip and knee replacements, including Harrogate and Rural District, the Vale of York, Coastal West Sussex and Shropshire. They are also lowering their eligibility score on a similar questionnaire-style system.

PATIENTS HIT BY THE RISE OF RATIONING The practice of NHS rationing is becoming increasingly widespread, with patients facing cutbacks to expensive treatments and drugs. Last year a Daily Mail investigation revealed three quarters of hospitals were denying the elderly life-changing cataract operations until they have all but lost their sight. Restrictions brought in by NHS Vale of York this month mean smokers and the obese are forced to wait longer for routine surgery. Patients with a Body Mass Index of 30 or above are asked to lose weight before surgery and smokers are asked to quit the habit for at least two months. Although the plans faced opposition from the Royal College of Surgeons, NHS England approved them last year. Similar plans could soon hit London  Richmond and Croydon Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are considering whether to end funding of fertility treatments or to limit them to exceptional cases, such as those left infertile by cancer treatment. Those who have a BMI above 40, along with smokers, may also be banned from non-emergency surgery. Richmond CCG needs to save 11million this year. Figures last year revealed that 70 per cent of 1,039 doctors surveyed said they had seen restrictions to NHS services and treatments in the past year. Some 84 per cent said this was happening for financial reasons. Advertisement

Mr Stephen Cannon, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: 'This policy is the latest demonstration of how NHS financial pressures are directly affecting patients.

'Delaying access to surgery also adversely affects a patient's quality of life and surgical outcomes, meaning the operation may not be as beneficial as if it had been carried out earlier.'

Dr Liam O'Toole of Arthritis Research UK, said: 'Everyone experiences pain in different ways. Someone experiencing less pain might have more damage to their joint.

'People's access to this life-changing surgery that reduces pain and restores independence should be based on their clinical need alone.'

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: 'It is very worrying to hear that in some areas hip and knee surgery is being restricted.

'If you need one of these operations you are likely to be in a lot of discomfort and pain, and highly restricted in what you can do. Your mobility is bound to be affected and for older people that can threaten their ability to go on living independently  a terrible price for them to pay.'

The new policy will also ban patients from having hip and knee replacements if they are severely obese, with a Body Mass Index of more than 35. Obesity is defined as a BMI of above 30, overweight is 25 to 29, while normal is below 25.

Patients who are severely obese will be allowed the operations only if they manage to lose at least 10 per cent of their body weight.

A report by the Royal College of Surgeons in 2014 estimated that 44 per cent of the 209 CCGs in England required patients to be in a certain amount of pain  or lose weight  before at least one type of operation.

But policies are becoming stricter. Last year the Vale of York CCG began restricting all types of surgery from patients who were obese  BMI over 30  or who smoked. Similar rules are being considered by Richmond CCG in South-West London.

A spokesman for Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG said: 'The CCG has reviewed the criteria for those patients requiring hip or knee replacement surgery.'

They added that patients may 'benefit from physiotherapy and weight loss before considering surgery. If a patient feels that they require this surgery but do not meet these criteria, there is a clear appeals system via individual funding requests whereby the effects can be considered upon the patient and the decision made regarding eligibility for funding.'
Increasing numbers of women are going under the knife to have a 'Barbie vagina' as a result of watching internet porn, experts claim.

Becoming accustomed to what looks 'normal' as a result of the abundance of x-rated images online, many are seeking an unachievable look.

In 2015, nearly 100,000 across the world underwent a labiaplasty, which involves trimming back the inner 'lips' to give them the look of a pre-pubescent teenager.

And a further 50,000 had vaginal rejuvenation - the tightening of the canal, figures from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) showed.

But both procedures to give women a designer vagina come with health risks, including bleeding, infections and scarring.

Becoming accustomed to what looks 'normal' as a result of the abundance of x-rated images online, many women are seeking procedures to give them a 'Barbie vagina'

Nolan Karp, a plastic surgeon based in New York, said: 'Women have become much more concerned about the appearance of their genitalia.

'How many nude women, before the internet, would a woman see in her lifetime? Not many, you know, very carefully looking at... genitals.'

But people today 'understand what is pretty, what is normal, what looks good, what doesn't look good', he said.

Much of what men and women see, however, does not in any way resemble the variety of shapes and sizes in which the female genitalia exist.

Dorothy Shaw, former head of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), said the increasing popularity of the procedures are 'concerning'.

She said: 'They have no hair and they're very flat, so you just see sort of a slit.'

A study published in 2005, found 'far greater diversity' in genital shape and size than had ever been documented in scientific literature.

In 2015, nearly 100,000 across the world underwent a labiaplasty, which involves trimming back the inner 'lips'

In the 50 women studied, labia minora length varied from two to 10cm and width from 0.7 to 5cm.

Given the variety, the authors said it was surprising surgeons feel confident that surgery has the potential to achieve a 'normal' female genital appearance.

Yet, the fad has taken root like many others before it, despite there being little evidence of it helping to improve sexual satisfaction or self image.

WHAT IS A LABIAPLASTY? A labiaplasty is surgery to reduce the size of the labia minora  the flaps of skin either side of the vaginal opening. Some women consider having a labiaplasty because they don't like the look of their labia, or because the labia cause discomfort. But it's natural and normal for a woman to have noticeable skin folds around her vaginal opening. A labiaplasty can be expensive and the operation carries a number of risks. There's also no guarantee it will provide the result expected or make a woman feel better about her body. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

While women can suffer real discomfort from protruding inner labia chafing, many use it as an excuse, they said.

Nicolas Berreni, a gynaecologist based in France, said: 'We know that in about 40 per cent cases when women ask for a nymphoplasty to relieve pain... they lie.

'What they really want is the "Barbie" look. On Barbie, you don't see the inner labia.'

But there are health risks to trying to have a designer vagina, according to Dr Shaw.

She said: 'Any time you cut off a piece of tissue, there's a chance of bleeding, of infection and then subsequently of scarring.

'When you get scarring... you have a risk of catching nerve endings in that scar tissue which will then cause pain or discomfort going forward.'

And she expressed particular concern about teenagers having a labiaplasty before their physical development is complete.

The inner lips in normal development become much more in adolescence as the outer lips grow.

Dr Shaw added: 'We need a way to help particularly young women understand that their bodies are still developing, they may not look like that in a few years, and that they may be harming themselves in a way that could be permanent.'
Two babies who were diagnosed with terminal leukemia have been cured using a revolutionary technique, doctors claim.

Layla Richards, 16 months, and an unidentified 11-month-old were injected with genetically engineered immune cells at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The immune cells were designed to attack cancer cells after previous attempts to treat the infants using traditional methods had failed.

A year on, doctors have described the children's response to the treatment as 'almost a miracle' and 'staggering' - hailing it as the world's first successful treatment of cancer.

The experiment raises the possibility of off-the-shelf cellular therapy using donor cells at low cost that could be dripped into patients' veins at a moment's notice.

Cured: 16-month-old Layla Richards, one of two British infants who have been cured of leukemia after doctors used genetically engineered immune cells to attack the cancer cells

Treatments using engineered T-cells, commonly known as CAR-T, are fairly new, radical, and not yet sold commercially. But they have shown great success against blood cancers.

The cases received widespread media attention along with a fair share of criticism. Because both babies received chemotherapy, critics say that researchers have failed to show that CAR-T was what cured them.

Stephan Grupp, director of cancer immunotherapy at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Technology Review: 'There is a hint of efficacy, but no proof. It would be great if it works, but that just hasn't been shown yet.'

However, Professor Waseem Qasim, a physician and gene-therapy expert who led the tests, reported that both children remain in remission - one 18 months after treatment and one a year after treatment.

Last year, Layla Richards was the first baby to undergo the therapy after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

About one in 2000 children are diagnosed with ALL every year. Although almost all achieve remission, specialists told Laylas parents that they had never seen a more aggressive case.

Layla's mother, Lisa Foley, said at the time: 'We didn't want to accept palliative [end-of-life] care and so we asked the doctors to try anything for our daughter, even if it hadn't been tried before.

'I consider ourselves lucky that we were in the right place at the right time to get a vial of these cells.

'Hopefully Layla will stay well and lots more children can be helped with this new treatment.'

Joy: Layla (pictured) was cured alongside another infant, aged 11 months

Family: Layla with mother Lisa, sister Reya and father Ashleigh in London

And her father, Ashleigh Richards, added: 'It was scary to think that the treatment had never been used in a human before but, even with the risks, there was no doubt that we wanted to try the treatment.

'She was sick and in lots of pain so we had to do something.'

Immunotherapy has brought in large investments, but there have been many problems attempting to commercialize it.

In the other option, an off-the-shelf-approach, blood would be collected from a donor, and then turned into 'hundreds' of doses that can be stored frozen. The estimated cost for one dose is about $4,000.

While expensive, it is less so than a similar technique which takes cells from the individual patient, genetically modifies them, and then returns them to attack the cancer. That treatment costs about $50,000 per dose.

The paper, in which details about the treatments were published, shared a great deal of excitement, but also warned there were 'important caveats' to make about the efficacy of the new treatment.

One risk includes the potentially life-threatening Graft versus host disease where donors cells begin to attack the recipient.

WHAT IS ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA? Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. All blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Bone marrow contains: Red blood cells, which carry oxygen

around the body

Platelets, which help the blood to clot and control bleeding

White blood cells, which help fight infection Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is a cancer of immature lymphocytes, called lymphoblasts, or blast cells. There are two different types of white blood cells: lymphocytes and myeloid cells (including neutrophils). These white blood cells work together to fight infection. Normally, white blood cells develop, repair and reproduce themselves in an orderly and controlled way. In leukemia, however, the process gets out of control and the cells continue to divide in the bone marrow, but do not mature. These immature dividing cells fill up the bone marrow and stop it from making healthy blood cells. As the leukemia cells are not mature, they cannot work properly. This leads to an increased risk of infection. Because the bone marrow cannot make enough healthy red blood cells and platelets, symptoms such as anemia and bruising can occur. Chronic leukemias, such as ALL, usually affect adults and are extremely rare in children and young people. Source: Macmillan Cancer Support Advertisement




The principal findings of the latest India Today Mood of the Nation opinion poll reveals that - according to respondents - Narendra Modi is best suited to be India's next Prime Minister and the ruling National Democratic Alliance led by him will romp to power with 360 seats if Lok Sabha elections were held now.

The survey also registered widespread support for the government's demonetisation initiative and surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Around two-thirds of the respondents see Modi as the top pick to become the next Prime Minister, leading his nearest rival - Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi - by 55 percentage points.

The principal findings of the latest India Today Mood of the Nation opinion poll reveal that the nation believes Narendra Modi is best suited to be India's next Prime Minister

What the people think If the Lok Sabha elections were held today Prime Minister and the ruling National Democratic Alliance would romp to power with 360 seats Two-thirds of the respondents see Modi as the top pick to become the next Prime Minister Modi leads his nearest rival - Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi - by 55 percent 69% rated Modi's performance as PM as either 'good' or 'outstanding' 45% of the respondents believe that the ban on the old 500 and 1,000- rupee notes will help curb black money and corruption 53% of the respondents believe that the confusion over demonetisation rules has dented the image and credibility Advertisement

The latest edition of the MOTN survey was conducted by market research firm Karvy Insights Limited across 19 states from the end of demonetisation deadline on December 30 until January 9.

A total of 12,143 interviews were carried out (53% in rural & 47% in urban), spread across 97 parliamentary constituencies in 194 assembly seats.

The study shows that there will be a three percentage point rise in the BJP's vote share, and 2% & 1% drops in vote shares of 'Others' and the Congress respectively.

The BJP will, according to the results of the survey, get more than 300 seats on its own if parliamentary elections were held now, with substantial gains since the survey done in August.

The PM's score has gone up 15 percentage points, is the highest ever in the past six surveys, and has grown across all religions in the last three opinion polls.

People are also supporting Modi's performance as Prime Minister with 69% rating his performance as either 'good' or 'outstanding'.

That's a jump of 16 percentage points over the survey done six months ago.

Also, 1 out of every 4 respondents considers his performance to be 'outstanding' this time, compared to 9% in the edition six months ago and 16% in the survey done a year ago.

Modi also seems to have got the thumbs-up from people on the issue of demonetisation as 45% of the respondents believe that the ban on the old 500 and 1,000- rupee notes will help curb black money and corruption while 35% also believe that it will be good for the economy.

However, 68% of the respondents feel that the government should lower income tax rates in this Budget, post demonetisation, while 61% say the NDA government now needs to crack down on election funding of political parties.

53% of the respondents believe that the confusion over demonetisation rules has dented the image and credibility of the RBI, while 55% of the respondents believe that the implementation of the scheme was bad or could have been better.

On whether the cash ban issue would help the BJP in the crucial Uttar Pradesh and Punjab polls, 56% of the respondents said 'Yes'.

Who best to lead India? 65% believe current PM Modi is the best choice

The Congress's antics in Parliament seem to have been keenly observed by the voters as 39 per cent of the people feel that the grand old party and its allies are responsible for the stalemate.

Only 18 per cent respondents believe that the BJP and its allies are disrupting the functioning of the two Houses.

On the issue of Pakistan, the Modi government seems to have got the people's endorsement as 58% of the survey respondents feel that last year's surgical strikes were much-needed to teach its neighbour a lesson.

'62% of the respondents feel that the Modi government has handled relations with Pakistan satisfactorily or handled it well,' the poll says.

The surgical strikes took place in September where India's Para Special Forces had crossed over into Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir to destroy terrorist launch pads there.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar emerged as the best performing Chief Minister in the country while his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal's popularity ratings have come down by half in the past six months.

Though Rahul Gandhi's popularity is going down in comparison to Narendra Modi, the Nehru-Gandhi scion emerged as the best alternative to PM Modi, with the backing of 28 per cent respondents.

Kumar and Kejriwal occupied the second and third positions respectively.

Gandhi's popularity has gone up over the survey done six months ago.

The survey also found the popularity of Kejriwal has come down since August.

No leader emerged as a strong choice to lead a mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance.

11 per cent of the people felt that Kejriwal is the best bet to lead a third front/mahagathbandhan, but his score has dipped since the last survey.

The Modi government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is its most popular initiative with the endorsement of 27 per cent of the respondents.

With 16 per cent votes, Jan Dhan Yojana was the second most successful programme, followed by Digital India at 12 per cent.
Mail Today has found that the free clinics started by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi lack trained medical staff for providing medicines.

The project aims to lighten the load on ageing state-run hospitals faces allegations of irregularities.

In gross violation of norms, the government has employed auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs) to work as pharmacists, or helpers, in the so-called 'mohalla clinics'.

Mail Today has found that the free clinics started by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi lack trained medical staff for providing medicines

ANMs are the foot soldiers of the public health system and are not authorised to dispense medicines.

As part of a pilot programme, the AAP administration has opened 105 mohalla clinics across Delhi and promised about 1,000 by March 31, boasting innovative diagnostic technology and sharply dressed doctors.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal kicked off the primary healthcare initiative in 2015.

Mail Today visited a number of these neighbourhood clinics, including the ones in areas such as Okhla, Chhatarpur and Laxmi Nagar.

In some of them, doctors, ANMs and helpers were dealing with patients but there were no pharmacists.

A doctor checks a patient on priority outside the emergency ward while others wait at AIIMS. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal kicked off the primary healthcare initiative in 2015 to o lighten the load on ageing state-run hospitals.

The ANMs registered the patients and dispensed medicines to them. According to health department officials, ANMs carry out door-to-door visits for vaccination of children, counselling of pregnant women and creating general awareness on health and nutrition.

'In the morning hours, when the ANMs earlier visited homes, they now sit in the mohalla clinics,' said a health department official.

The female health workers have to stay in the medical centres from 9am till 1pm.

They go for home visits in the afternoon.

Mail Today attempted to contact Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain and a government spokesperson, but they were not available despite repeated attempts.

Officials say by assigning ANMs the work of pharmacists, the administration is putting people's lives at risk.

The aggrieved female health workers have also approached the directorate of health services against deployment in the mohalla clinics.

Mail Today has a copy of one such online complaint. 'An ANM's job is confined to field outreach, maternal and child health along with family planning services, health and nutrition education, efforts for maintaining environmental sanitation, immunisation for the control of communicable diseases, treatment of minor injuries, and first aid in emergencies and disasters.

'But mentioned works are not allowed to us in mohalla clinics,' it reads, adding that the administration pressures and harasses them to do pharmacy work.

Mohalla Clinic at Peera Garhi, in New Delhi

Archna Mudgal, registrar-cum-secretary of the Pharmacy Council of India, in a letter to the Delhi government and union health secretary has pointed out that dispensing of medicines by a person other than a registered pharmacist is in violation of the provisions of the Pharmacy Act, 1948 and the Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2015.

Delhi government data released in August last year said nearly eight lakh patients were treated in five months at the 105 mohalla clinics that provide consultation, 110 free essential drugs, immunisation for children, 212 basic tests and counselling.

Results of most of the tests are known within two minutes and are uploaded onto an IT cloud for access by patients and their doctors on their smart phones and the health centres' Swasthya tablets.

However, the project has hit several snags. The ruling AAP identified 300 schools, where it wanted to establish the mohalla clinics.

But the-then L-G, Najeeb Jung, returned that file to the government, asking that the plan be reworked. Jung also transferred senior bureaucrat Dr Tarun Seem, who was in-charge of the healthcare project.

Both the BJP and Congress have made allegations of corruption and nepotism in the initiative.

Pharmacy body has no one to spot bad meds

The Delhi Pharmacy Council has no way to verify whether the drugs being handed out by your local chemist are safe or not.

Reason: There is not even one inspector in the city to conduct checks at medical shops and at distribution units as against the rules prescribed in the Pharmacy Act of 1948.

SI Nasa, registrar of DPC said, 'We have not had any inspector since the Pharmacy 1948 Act was implemented.

The Delhi Pharmacy Council has no way to verify whether the drugs being handed out by your local chemist are safe or not

'I have written several times to the Delhi government as well as to the pharmacy council of India to appoint an inspector for DPC to check the any kind of malpractices in pharmacies but there was no response.'

According to the registrar, the council needs at least nine inspectors for each of the nine Delhi districts and there could be a need for more appointments as well.

'Who knows the pills we consume are safe or not? There is no way to find out as we don't have inspectors to conduct regular inspections of all the medicine manufacturing and distributing units, wholesale markets and chemist shops in Delhi,' said Nasa.

'It is mandatory according to The Pharmacy act 1948 that we should have inspectors to see the medicated pills we are taking are correct or not and are given from safe hands or not,' he added.

When asked, a Delhi government official on the condition of anonymity said the drug control department is also responsible for ensuring quality of drugs and this duplicity of responsibility has hampered work.

Currently, there are around 18,000 licensed retail and wholesale drug dealers operating in the Capital.

To keep a check on them, the drug control department has 22 drug inspectors against the sanctioned strength of 31.

But the actual number of inspectors needed is over 100, said officials. Officials said that the ratio is that there should be at least one drug inspector to keep a tab on 50 manufacturing units and 200 licensed vendors.

The pharmacy act lays down that an inspector can enquire whether a person who is engaged in compounding or dispensing of drugs is a registered pharmacist or not.

They can also investigate any complaint made in writing and report their findings to the registrar.
Drones are taking off in India, but buyers are often unaware of the legal turbulence that may lie ahead.

While sales are going through the roof, prior permission from authorities is necessary to fly them.

Delhi Police this month detained three foreigners in southwest Delhi's Dwarka area for operating a drone from their terrace.

A huge aerial photography sector is thriving in the ambiguity as civil aviation regulator DGCA is yet to issue a notification

Four people were arrested in Varanasi for filming Ganga aarti through drone cameras at the Dashashwamedha Ghat without permission in 2014.

A huge aerial photography sector is thriving in the ambiguity as civil aviation regulator DGCA is yet to issue a notification on the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for civilian purposes.

The agency banned the use of drones for commercial purposes in October 2014. It came out with a draft policy for operations of drones in April 2016, which brought some cheer for the industry.

The agency banned the use of drones for commercial purposes in October 2014

But the final policy is yet to see daylight. Usage of drones came under the scanner due to security concerns as officials pointed out that the vehicles can be used to carry out aerial attacks and pose a great threat if not regulated.

As the demand for high-powered drones has gone up manifold, it has given rise to a grey market openly selling these gizmos at a premium price.

Bollywood films, high-end weddings and large concerts are often shot using drones to get an eagle-eye view and capture the scale.

Delhi Police this month detained three foreigners in southwest Delhi's Dwarka area for operating a drone from their terrace (file pic)

'One cannot import a drone as customs department will not clear it. Only those having permission on government letterheads get approval.

'In India there is no ban on sale of drones but there is restriction on usage. In this situation only the grey market is growing and bribery at police stations and customs for clearance has increased,' said John Livingstone, president of the Consortium of Unmanned Vehicle Systems India.

According to experts, the draft DGCA policy is in sync with best international practices followed in Australia, Netherlands, the US and Canada. Under this, not only would a person have to get his gadget registered but will also need a training certificate before flying it.

Making the usage legal for civilians will open doors for aerial surveys, commercial photography, aerial mapping, wedding shoots, recording concerts and events.

Even the public sector sees a huge potential for drones since in the last eight months as many as 36 tenders were floated by government agencies.

'Ever since drones came into photography, it has changed the entire dimension of it. It has opened up an entire new vertical in the photo industry.

'But with the ambiguity about permission, no photographer is ready to use their expensive drones,' said Shourrya Sachdeva of Aerial Indians, an organisation specialising in drone photography.

Bollywood films, high-end weddings and large concerts are often shot using drones to get an eagle-eye view and capture the scale

Many lensmen have landed up at police stations with onlookers calling the cops about 'flying objects'.

Due to lack of provisions to book the operators, authorities only seize the drones.

Experts say drone enthusiasts can pick one up online or from the nearest electronics market, but they should not fly it on the terrace, or in the neighbourhood, or even in the city.

Take it to the outskirts and remember to fly as low as possible.

Wedding photographers are using two types of drones, which are easily available in the market.

These include small four-armed quad-copters, which can lift lightweight cameras like the GoPro and other action cameras.

Larger six to eight-armed drones can carry high resolution DSLR, which are best for large outdoor venues.

An advanced drone comes with a price tag of Rs 75,000 - 2 lakh, while small ones are available for Rs 20,000-50,000.

Most wedding photographers get them on rent, for Rs 7,000 -15,000.

Even as flying of drones is banned, there are no rules or policies in place to ensure that they are operated safely.

Anyone who's 18 or older can buy one and use it, without any training on piloting them safely. Such drones are available at leading online shopping sites and in electronic markets of Delhi like Nehru Place, Palika Bazar, Gaffar Market and Karol Bagh.
An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard at a closed market as it snows during a general strike in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir

Ten soldiers were killed, while four are still missing as two avalanches have hit army-men in Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

'Ten soldiers were killed and four went missing after two avalanches hit Gurez sector,' an army official said on Thursday.

An avalanche hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control on Wednesday evening in which several soldiers were trapped, the army official said.

He said rescue operations were launched and seven soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer, were saved.

Bodies of three soldiers were retrieved on Thursday morning, he added. The official said another avalanche hit a patrol party which was on its way to a post in Gurez sector in the same evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condoled the death of the soldiers. 'Deeply saddened at the death of our Veer jawans in avalanche in Kashmir. Have directed the authorities for speedy search and rescue ops,' the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.

Rescue teams have so far retrieved seven bodies from the spot of the incident, an official said, adding that the search and rescue operation to find the missing soldiers are on.

An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard at a closed market as it snows during a general strike in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir

On Wednesday an officer was killed an avalanche at Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, while four members of a family died in another avalanche in Gurez sector on the same day.

Authorities have issued a high-danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir valley in view of fresh snowfall which has been going on intermittently for past three days.

Meanwhile, the administration has advised people to stay vigilante. People living in upper reaches and near those zone which are prone to avalanches have been asked to stay alert and shift to safer places.

The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed for traffic and all flights to Srinagar Airport were cancelled due to snowfall.

IGI guards reunite runaway kids with family

Ajay Kumar in New Delhi

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel's alertness saved two minor boys from falling into the wrong hands at terminal 3 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi international (IGI) airport on Wednesday.

The minor boys, aged 14 and 12 year, had fled from their native place Imphal, on an Air India flight (AL 890) carrying Rs 1.94 lakh.

They were found stressed at domestic ticketing lounge of Air India at T3 around 6.25pm and wanted to go to the US, but lacked valid documents.

An Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol during a general strike in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir

'We have taken their phone numbers and gathered information about their parents in order to verify their credentials,' said an officer.

During investigation, it emerged that one of the boys was a relative of the ASP in Imphal and a missing complaint was also registered at concerned Moirang Bisnupur police station in this regard.

'As soon as their parents were informed, a lady, who introduced herself as Priadarshani, an additional SP of Imphal police training centre, verified their identities and backgrounds.

She further said that she was sending one Rohit who is known to the minors for their rescue,' the officer said. He added that the kids were handed over to IGI police to reunite with their parents.
According to the magazine staff, Modi paid for the subscription with a State Bank of India cheque

As Demonetisation and the consequent thrust for a cashless economy have become a cornerstone of the Narendra Modi government, the Prime Minister has become the first person in the ruling BJP to get a lifetime subscription for party mouthpiece magazine Kamal Sandesh without using cash.

According to the magazine staff, Modi paid with a State Bank of India cheque, also becoming the first right-wing Prime Minister to get a life membership to the publication.

'Since demonetisation and under the inspiration drawn from PM Narendra Modi's vision of a cashless economy for India, there had emerged a lot of demand for such a move.

Naidu also justified promoting digital modes of payment, like this recently showcased by Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari while paying for juice using the Paytm app

'Since we have gone online and now cashless, there has been a massive surge in membership to Kamal Sandesh,' said Shiv Shakti Nath Bakshi, the executive editor of the magazine and also the head of the publications and journals department of the party.

Others to follow suit - they also became life members of the mouthpiece through cashless modes - were finance minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of State (MoS) Arjun Ram Meghwal, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, apart from many other MPs, MLAs and party functionaries.

Modi announced on November 8 that India was banning Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 bills with the aim to crack down on corruption, people with unaccounted wealth, and counterfeiting of notes.

An advertisement board displaying a QR code for Paytm, a digital wallet company, is seen placed amidst vegetables at a roadside vendor's stall in Mumbai, India

He has also called for the nation to become a cashless society.

The magazine is accepting money through cheques, drafts and through online banking along with credit and debit card payments.

The publication also started a QR code, which can be scanned and subscription money paid. Kamal Sandesh is using the multibank payment service Chillr app for this.

A man sells garlands made of old Indian currency notes at a market in Jammu, India

The saffron outfit's mouthpiece was refurbished and launched in a new avatar recently by party president Amit Shah who inaugurated the membership and subscription drive on December 6.

Shah oversaw the magazine taking on a 'modern' look and while it was also launched online in Hindi and English, the website was also made a gateway to the 23 other mouthpieces of the party in other Indian languages.

'Since the previous edition of Andhra Pradesh has gone in the kitty of Telangana, we shall soon be launching Kamal Sandesh's version in AP.

Moreover, we have revived its Delhi version, which is called Bhajpa Sandesh. Another edition will be launched for Assam and one for Uttarakhand,' Bakshi told Mail Today.
Strong trading over Christmas helped boost Card Factory.

The greeting card and gift maker was among the biggest risers on the FTSE 350 yesterday after it indicated that the drop off in business it suffered earlier in the year had passed.

It said sales growth in stores open more than a year was back in the 'historic range' of between 1 per cent and 3 per cent.

The company said it was confident profits for the full year would be slightly ahead of expectations.

Card Factory was among the biggest risers on the FTSE 350 yesterday after it indicated that the drop off in business it suffered earlier in the year had passed

Analysts had forecast the group would make around 81.9million in the year to January 31.

'Card Factory has traded well through the competitive Christmas trading period with customers once again responding well to our card and non-card ranges,' said chief executive Karen Hubbard.

Jonathan Pritchard, an analyst at Peel Hunt, said: 'The fact that this better sales showing is accompanied by an upgrade to forecasts is highly reassuring.

'It remains clear that the greetings card industry is extremely stable and Card Factory has an enviable position within it.'

Card Factory, which currently has 856 stores, also yesterday revealed that its finance boss, Darren Bryant, would be stepping down after eight years at the firm. Its shares rose 2.2 per cent, or 5.4p, to 249.4p.

STOCK WATCH - SAGE GROUP Sage sank after it announced it was launching a review of its global payments business while pondering a sale of its US arm. It has been evaluating options for its US division, which helps process and manage card and mobile payments, and has broadened the review to include all its payments business. The group is the biggest tech company in Britain. Organic revenue in the three months to December 31 had increased by 5.1 per cent while growth in its US payments business was up 5.9 per cent. Its shares slumped 5.5 per cent, or 34.5p, to 599p.

Agent Provocateur has continued to put a dampener on performance for private equity company 3i.

The firm said trading in its retail portfolio had been 'mixed' because of subdued Christmas sales at the lingerie brand and German leather retailer Christ  though Royal favourite Hobbs performed well.

It is believed to be engaged in a 'sounding out process' with competitors, wealthy individuals and other interested parties looking to snap up Agent Provocateur, though no concrete offer has been disclosed.

Overall, the firm said it had performed robustly in the nine months to December 31, helped by strong performance in its private equity division.

The group, which has private equity, infrastructure and debt management divisions investing in northern Europe and North America, saw its net asset value per share rise to 558p from 551p in the previous quarter. The strong results were enough to send shares up 0.4 per cent or 3p to 697p.

The FTSE 100 finished down 0.04 per cent or 2.94 points to 7161.49. But the FTSE 250 finished up 0.05 per cent or 9.31 points to 18142.66.

South African miner Lonmin has not had a great start to the year.

The platinum producer tanked after it said labour issues and falling output had led to a disappointing first quarter.

Production in the three months to December fell 20 per cent to 137,000 ounces from the same period a year before  far lower than anticipated.

The miner blamed the poor performance on labour problems at its Marikana mining operations as well as falling output.

While the first quarter is historically its least productive, performance had been disappointing.

The firm has also continued to suffer from disputes. In 2012, 44 miners were killed after thousands of workers went on strike at Marikana when the company allegedly declined to meet them.

South African police were brought in to break up the workers' protest.

The group yesterday said it expressed its 'regret' over the massacre as its London AGM was picketed by protesters. Shares at former FTSE 100 member plummeted 21.1 per cent, or 37.25p, to 139.5p

Background checking firm ClearStar, which makes pre-employment screening software, said it had been given a 'Trump bump' and now expects to report revenues in 2016 to be more than 12.7million. Its shares remained flat at 37.5p.

Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded engineering company IMI to outperform from neutral.

The move was enough to send the firm to the top of the FTSE 250, rising 4.5 per cent, or 51p, to 1176p.
Shareholders scored a major victory against fat cat pay as they forced a FTSE 100 giant to back down over plans to give a boss a 3million pay rise.

Cigarette heavyweight Imperial Brands bowed to an investor rebellion by withdrawing a bumper pay rise for Alison Cooper, its chief executive.

Cooper, 50, who has been at the helm of the firm, known for its Davidoff and Lambert and Butler cigarettes, since 2010, pocketed 5.5million last year, up from 3.6million the year before.

Life's a drag: Cigarette heavyweight Imperial Brands bowed to an investor rebellion by withdrawing plans for a bumper pay rise for its chief executive Alison Cooper

Cooper is renowned for her occasional moments of flamboyance  she has been spotted driving a Porsche Carrera and is said to frequently smoke cigars.

But under a new wage policy the married mum of two was due to see her pay rise to 8.5million.

Investors were going to vote on it next month but the plan sparked anger from campaigners who have demanded curbs on excess.

Among those was investment giant BlackRock, the second biggest shareholder.

However, in a surprise U-turn yesterday, Imperial Brands said it would not hold the vote.

Chairman Mark Williamson said: 'We have been actively engaging with shareholders for some time and while we received considerable support, it is clear that views have changed over that time and that the right course of action now is for the board to withdraw the resolution.'

Under the plans, the chief executive's bonus alone could have risen by more than 1million.

David Haines, chair of Imperial's remuneration committee, had justified the rise for Cooper and other executives by saying that their pay was 'significantly below the average' for companies of its size.

The firm also claimed it feared losing or being unable to attract the very top talent. The rethink has been billed as a win for investors and has sparked suggestions other brands will soon follow suit.

GlaxoSmithKline is discussing the salary of its incoming chief executive Emma Walmsley and three of Imperial's four biggest shareholders  Capital, BlackRock and Legal and General  make up the trio of investors at that firm.

However Stefan Stern, director at the High Pay Centre, warned: 'If we have one more company rethinking, that's good news, but we should not exaggerate its significance at this stage.'
People retiring this year expect the highest average annual income in eight years.

Their predicted income of 18,100 is almost as high as the 2008 pre-crash peak of 18,700.

And those stopping work in 2017 expect to be 400 a year better off than last year's cohort, according to a nationwide survey of 1,000 by Prudential.

Average expected retirement incomes - including money from state or private pensions, savings and investments - have now risen consistently since 2013 when they hit a low of 15,300.

But still nearly half of retirees (45 per cent) feel financially unprepared to stop work.

FIND THE PRU'S FULL 2008-2017 RETIREMENT INCOME FIGURES BELOW

Retirement outlook: People planning to stop work this year expect their pensions and other savings to bring in an income of 18,100

Kirsty Anderson, a retirement income expert at Prudential, said: 'The continued growth in retirement incomes is something that I'm sure will be welcomed by everyone planning to retire this year.

'But it's striking that the expected income of people who retired at the height of the financial crisis was higher than for those who are giving up work in 2017 and still playing catch up 10 years later.'

Noting the huge changes to pensions in the recent years, she added: 'It is remarkable how a consistently high proportion of retirees have remained uncertain about their financial preparations.'

The changes include the introduction of auto-enrolment, a state pension overhaul, changes to tax rules, and the launch of pension freedoms in April 2015 - with the Lifetime Isa and perhaps more innovations yet to come. Find out what could happen to pensions in 2017 here.

Pension freedoms mean that over-55s now have full control over their pension pots to spend, save or invest them as they wish.

This has led to many more people leaving their money invested in income drawdown schemes, rather than spending their entire retirement savings upfront on annuities which provide an income for life but are considered poor value and restrictive.

Unprepared? There was a spike in concern in 2013, but otherwise the proportion of retirees who feel unready has remained fairly consistent

Number crunching: How have retirement income expectations changed over the past decade?

Annuity rates plunged to new lows after the Brexit vote and then recovered again, but they remain at historically depressed levels.

Prudential's research also revealed a large disparity in regional expectations of retirement income this year.

London saw a significant 16 per cent fall to 14,000 and the south east a more modest 7 per cent drop to 20,500. However, retirees in Eastern England reported a 24 per cent rise to 23,500, while East Midlands saw a 28 per cent hike to 19,800 and West Midlands a 32 per cent increase to 20,100.

Scottish retirees recorded a 1 per cent rise in anticipated annual income to 17,300. The Northern Ireland and Wales samples were too small to include separately from the overall average.

In total, Prudential surveyed 10,000 non-retired adults aged 45-plus last November. However, its research on retirement incomes is based on findings from a 1,000-strong cohort planning to stop work in 2017.

Regional breakdown: Retirees in London and the south east expect lower income than last year's cohort, but prospects have improved for people in eastern England and the Midlands

The firm says some of the recent big moves shown in the table below might be down to smaller sample sizes in the regions. It does get a big sample from London, but figures from the capital tend to shift a lot from year to year.

Prudential also notes that people are still getting used to pension freedoms, and the reforms will impact people with different types of pension according to the traditional type of employer in their part of the country.

WHAT ARE DEFINED CONTRIBUTION AND FINAL SALARY PENSIONS? Defined contribution pensions, sometimes called money purchase in industry jargon, take contributions from both employer and employee and invest them to provide a pot of money at retirement. More generous gold-plated defined benefit or final salary pensions, provide a guaranteed income after retirement.

The company adds that ever since 2010, when it first asked the question about which type of scheme people held the majority of their pensions savings in, the proportion of retirees in London and the south east with final salary pensions has consistently been well below the national average.

Prudential refuses to speculate further on this point, but it could be that people retiring on shrinking incomes in London and south east have a greater proportion of savings in stingier 'defined contribution' pots than in traditionally more generous final salary schemes, compared with workers in other parts of the country (see the box on the right).

Pension experts have long warned that the demise of final salary pensions is going to squeeze retirement incomes in future - especially for the generation which does not have time to benefit from compulsory saving through auto-enrolment. Retirees in London and the south east could be at the leading edge of this trend.
Tax experts warn the government is using computer-generated debt collection systems to collect money from Airbnb landlords.

Jeff Thompson is one of the many Australians who have been shocked to receive auto-generated debt notices from tax authorities - caught in a data-crunching government crackdown that tax experts say is marred by the same problems as the recent Centrelink debt debacle.

Mr Thompson, 51, who rented out his Hobart home while he fulfilled his dream of sailing across the Pacific, chose to fight the collectors, who claimed he owed $7,000 in land tax.

But many homeowners who choose to comply with so-called robo-debt letters without seeking legal advice could become liable for thousands of dollars of retrospective fees, tax experts say.

Jeff Thompson is one of the many Australians who have been shocked to receive auto-generated debt notices from tax authorities

Mr Thompson, 51, who rented out his Hobart home while he fulfilled his dream of sailing across the Pacific, chose to fight the collectors who claimed he owed $7,000 in land taxes

'My wife and I went away with the kids, and we were expecting to come back to our family home. That's where we were sailing to, we were sailing home,' Mr Thompson said

According to documents seen by Daily Mail Australia, some homeowners have been warned they may owe thousands of dollars in taxes - without being told what information tax authorities are using to investigate them.

'My wife and I went away with the kids, and we were expecting to come back to our family home. That's where we were sailing to, we were sailing home,' Mr Thompson said of the 18-month trip from New York to Australia.

'I thought it was perverse - the Tasmania Treasury Department was threatening me with penalties, but they wouldn't tell me which section of the Land Tax Act or what figures they were relying on,' Mr Thompson told Daily Mail Australia.

A tax expert warned that more homeowners could be caught in a government 'dragnet' looking to tax homeowners for renting out space to lodgers.

'Centrelink recipients arent the only people who have to worry about robo-debt notices,' said Dr Brendan Gogarty, a lawyer and senior lecturer in law at University of Tasmania.

'People who have been using their homes to generate income might also be in for a nasty shock in the form of automated debt letters demanding back dated land tax from state tax offices,' Dr Gogarty told Daily Mail Australia.

'The letters are part of a huge data sharing and surveillance operation by state and Commonwealth governments seeking to recoup tax from the so-called sharing economy.'

The Australian Taxation Office, which shares data with state tax authorities, uses 600 million data points to profile homeowners, Domain reported last year.

According to documents seen by Daily Mail Australia, homeowners have been warned they may owe back taxes - without being told what information authorities use to investigate them

Dr Gogarty said that homeowners who are caught in the 'dragnet' are asked to fill in questionnaires under the threat of huge fines.

'Once the homeowner returns the questionnaire they are taken to have accepted tax liability and are charged thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars of tax for debts stretching back several years,' he said.

The issue with Airbnb rentals comes down to how a homeowner's principal place of residence is defined, and the rules differ depending on the state.

Under the traditional interpretation of the Tasmania Land Tax Law, Dr Gogarty said, taking in a lodger doesn't change the status of a home.

'In most circumstances a homeowner is apparently free to make money on their property, for instance to make clothing or home-brew there to sell, or to rent a room to a lodger or home stay student,' he said.

'The homeowner owes income tax for any money they make but not land tax because, on the balance, the property is still their principal place of residence.'

But in an age where computer algorithms are responsible for judging whether a piece of land is residential or taxable, some homeowners are being unfairly threatened with fines and back taxes, Dr Gogarty said.

Centrelink was harshly criticised after automated debt-collection letters began landing on welfare recipients' doormats last year.

The automated debt collection program, which compared Centrelink and ATO data to identify potential welfare cheats, came under fire for unfairly targeting some people.

Earlier this month, Centrelink agreed to make some changes to the program, including making sure recipients are entitled to an internal review of their payments, but by and large stood by the scheme, ABC reported.

The letter Mr Thompson received - which a tax expert said appeared to have been generated automatically - warned that his home 'may not always have been used entirely as [his] principal place of residence.'

The letter went on to say he must fill out a six-part questionnaire or risk facing a fine of up to $15,400.

'I thought it was perverse - the Tasmania Treasury Department was threatening me with penalties, but they wouldn't tell me which section of the Land Tax Act or what figures they were relying on,' Mr Thompson told Daily Mail Australia

In Mr Thompson's case, he responded to the Treasury letter asking for more information, but without filling out the questionnaire. He received a reply that said:

'From the information you have provided in your letter, I have determined that the property was not your principal place of residence... It has been reclassified as "general" meaning it attracts land tax.'

The reply went on to demand nearly $7,000 in owed taxes.

Mr Thompson, who used a real estate agent rather than Airbnb to rent out his house, told Daily Mail Australia he never had another principal place of residence than the Hobart home.

He argued that the Tasmania Land Tax Act doesn't specify that a homeowner has to be physically present at a home in order for it to count as a principal place of residence.

Section 6 of the Land Tax Act says that 'Principal residence land is land on which the principal residence of an owner... is situated.'

Mr Thompson said he is planning to formally object to the Treasury's claim.

A Treasury officer involved in Mr Thompson's case said he was not allowed to comment to media.

Daily Mail Australia is awaiting a response to a request for comment from the Tasmania State Revenue Office.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Airbnb said the average Australian host makes $4,500 a year - 'modest extra income [that] helps pay off the mortgage, cover bills and household expenses,' the company wrote.

'We encourage our hosts to comply with all Australian tax laws and pay all required taxes.'
A rat was tortured in public by a Chinese villager on Thursday after it had been caught stealing food.

The 85-year-old, from eastern China's Zhejiang Province, locked the rodent in the cage before drowning it in front of his neighbours, an eyewitness told MailOnline.

Less than a week ago, another rat was pictured being tied up and publicly shamed by a store owner in southern China for having allegedly stolen rice.

Cruel: A rat was publicly tortured in a Chinese village after it had allegedly stolen food

Captured: The villager, 85, locked the rodent in a cage before carrying out the punishment

Public shaming: An eyewitness took pictures of the torture and published them on the internet

The rat was drowned in a village in Pujiang county in Zhejiang, according to a man who claimed to have witnessed the punishment.

The man, who goes by his social media screen name 'Ruitu', said the rodent had been caught by elderly Mr Xu at his home.

Mr Xu then put the rodent in a cage and sprayed water at the animal. Afterwards, the villager was said to put the caged rat in water for longer than three minutes.

The rat had stolen corn, rice and meat from the man's home, said the eyewitness, who also claimed that the village had been troubled by 'excessive number of rats' this month.

'Ruitu' declined to comment on Mr Xu's act.

However, the pictures of the rat being tortured have drawn much criticism after they had been published by a Chinese news website, QQ.com.

Many web users have condemned the villagers for his 'cruel', 'inhumane' and 'immoral' way of punishment.

No escape: The eyewitness said that the rat had stolen corn, rice and meat from the villager

The rat was drowned as the villager's neighbours looked on in the Zhejiang Province, China

Pictures of the rat being tortured have drawn much criticism from Chinese web users

Earlier this week, pictures of another rat being publicly shamed had become widely shared on Chinese social media.

The pictures spotted on Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging platform, showed the rodent being tied up to what seemed to be a trolley.

Post-it notes attached to the animal's body explained that it had been caught stealing rice at a convenient store.

One note read: 'Huh, is this the best you could do? Even if you beat me to death, I would not admit that the rice at your home had been stolen by me.'

In a second picture, another note said: 'I dare not do it again!'

The uploader indicated that the two pictures had been taken at the Lianping County of Heyuan city in southern China's Guangdong Province.
There is no typical day at the Rybergs' home.

Every day requires a different type of therapy, visit to the doctor or habilitation class for the family of 15. And though they may not recognize it in themselves, Nathan and Lori Ryberg are resilient.

They've been married for 33 years and have 13 children; seven are adopted and six are biological. Eight of their children have a physical or developmental disability and all of them are  or have been - homeschooled by Lori.

There wasn't a moment where Nathan and Lori decided to adopt a certain number of children. Instead, it happened gradually.

'You can't save the world, so I decided to save a few kids. We became foster parents,' Lori tells DailyMail.com.

Then they started adopting.

'We kind of live minute by minute and day by day and just really make the most of each day. Pretty soon, it's 27 years later and you got a bunch of kids and I'm about to retire and I didn't even notice it,' Nathan, who is now 55 years old, says, laughing.

Nathan and Lori Ryberg have two huge hearts and 13 children. They are pictured in 2015. Back row, from left to right, with their current ages: Elizabeth, 26, holding Obie, 2, Luke, 22, Elijah, 20, Samuel, 28, Jeremiah, 18, John, 32, David, 24, Samuel's wife Nicole, 25. Front row, left to right: Grace, 12, holding Gabe, 2, Hope, 16, Lori, 55, Nathan, 55, holding Mercy, 3, Faith, 19

Nathan and Lori met in 1979 in college at Azusa Pacific University in California. While they were still in school, they would babysit for their professors who had children with special needs. After graduating with degrees in social work, they were married at 22, pictured

Most of their children are over 18 and three have either married with families of their own or are in college. That still leaves 12 people under the same roof in Queen Creek, Arizona, with the possibility of another foster child soon.

That would be a lot for most people to take on. Not the Rybergs.

'We're exhausted at the end of the day, but it's a good exhaustion because I've accomplished so much every day,' says Lori, before adding: 'It only gets overwhelming once in a while. And when it does I have friends I can call.'

But Lori clearly doesn't get overwhelmed easily. She stays home with the kids all day, homeschooling, running errands and dealing with all their therapies and doctor appointments.

'If she was to work - you can imagine putting that many kids into daycare - it would cost an entire salary of one of us. So it really is smarter to stay home and take care of them. And she really enjoys it,' Nathan says.

And Lori, 55, confirms it: 'Some people never figure out what they really like to do. They kind of slog through life.

'I have figured out what I like to do and it really is taking care of other people's children. My own children too, but I really - I love it. It's really weird, I know,' she says with a laugh.

Caring for people with special needs has always been central to Nathan and Lori's relationship.

They met in 1979 as 17-year-olds at Azusa Pacific University in California. They both studied social work; Nathan studied medical social work and Lori focused on adoption. She also babysat for her professors who had children with special needs.

'And of course I went everywhere she went in college. Any excuse to hang out with her,' Nathan said.

'We just found that we enjoyed working with special needs kids and adults They are joyful to be around,' Lori said.

Nathan and Lori dated all through college and were married at 22 after they graduated. They soon started taking in foster children and took in juvenile delinquents for five years.

The Rybergs didn't adopt their children all at once. Lori said: 'I don't ever remember making the decision like we're going to adopt a certain number of children - it never occurred that way.' The family is pictured in 1993 with John, Samuel, Lori, David, Elizabeth, Nathan and Luke

At first, Nathan worked in residential treatment for boys with drug and sexual addictions.

Hearing the boys' stories of their arresting officers impacted Nathan to the point that he wanted to be a police officer and help the police culture change from 'para-military to human service'.

His social work degree continued to help him at the Tempe Police Department.

'I have gotten to practice more social work being a street cop than I did as a social worker,' he says.

At the time, Lori worked at an adoption agency.

'I loved doing that, finding families for kids. That was going to be my whole life and then we decided to take our first [foster child],' she says.

When the Rybergs started having children of their own, they decided to change their fostering license so they could take in children with disabilities.

'Then it just started,' Nathan explains. '[But] it's been slow.'

Lori says: 'We've had, I think, between 18 and 20 kids who all had medical issues, all had extra stuff on top of their needing foster care and adoption.'

Sometimes those children are able to go back to their homes. Those children were in the foster system because their parents didn't understand their medical needs. In those cases the Rybergs step in and teach parents how to care for their child.

I like taking kids to the grocery store, I like taking kids out. I want them to be part of the public. I want them to see how things work. I want other people to see them. Lori Ryberg

But that doesn't always happen, which is why the Rybergs have adopted seven foster children, which Lori described as a privilege.

'We've been able to provide a home for kids that not only needed a home because of something with their families, but they also have medical needs. I think that's the key component is that these kids are in foster care for no reason - nothing to do with them.

'It's not their fault. Even if it is the reason - because their parents can't take care of their medical problems - it's still not their fault and it is still nothing to do with them. And they still deserve as interesting a life as anybody else can get.'

Over the years, the Rybergs have fostered between 18 and 20 children and adopted seven. They also had six children of their own. Lori homeschooled all of them over the years. Pictured are: Faith, Luke, Elijah, David, John, Jeremiah, Samuel, Hope and Elizabeth

In November last year, Nathan and Lori officially welcomed Gabe and Obie into the Ryberg clan. The two-year-old boys have Down syndrome and were adopted on National Adoption Day. They are pictured with Nathan, holding Gabe, Lori, holding Obie and Mercy, front

In 1997 they adopted for the first time: two boys, John, 12, and David, who was 5  both had already been in Nathan and Lori's foster care. Two years later in 1999 they adopted two-year-old Faith and in 2001 they adopted Hope, then 1. They had also been in the Rybergs' foster care. By then they also had five biological children, Samuel, Elizabeth, Luke, Elijah and Jeremiah.

By 2004 they had another biological child, Grace and in the past two years they adopted three more children: Mercy, Gabe and Obie.

In the midst of all of it, Nathan and Lori make sure to get time for themselves.

'We sneak out,' Lori laughed. 'It's an important thing for a couple. Our marriage is definitely more important than a lot of stuff, so we make sure that we do take the time to spend together.'

By today most of their children are over 18, which helps. John is 32, Samuel, 28, Elizabeth, 26, David, 24, Luke, 22, Elijah, 20, Faith, 19, Jeremiah, 19, Hope, 16, Grace, 12, Mercy, 3, and Gabe and Obie are both 2.

Samuel, Elizabeth and Luke no longer live at home. Samuel was married in 2011. He and his wife Nicole and have a one year old named Teddy. Elizabeth moved in with her husband Erik last month when they were married and Luke attends Arizona State University, so he's not home often.

Holidays with the Rybergs can get a bit crazy with family coming into town. Grandparents, aunts and uncles all come to Nathan and Lori's house in Queen Creek, Arizona

Lori said: 'We generally do big Thanksgivings and Christmases. Those are kind of over the top. Lots of food, lots of fun.' John, left, David, middle, and Luke, right are pictured at one of the Ryberg's big Christmas celebrations

But even with three gone, there are still 12 people in the house.

'Before we got a new house, there was five of us in a 900-square-foot house with one bathroom. It's funny, we didn't really realize how crazy that was until we got a bigger house,' Nathan laughs.

But even their current house isn't fully modified. It's 3,000 square feet with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, but they haven't changed much besides widening a few doorways and building ramps for the front and back doors.

'The kids can do so much on their own that we really haven't had to do a whole lot of modifications, but as they get older we can really see that for them to be self-sufficient as adults, we're probably going to have to do a bit more,' says Nathan.

'We've had to finagle a way to make all the wheelchairs downstairs. But when Faith was little she was upstairs because she was real easy to carry. But now, just literally in the last year, we've moved my daughter downstairs.'

Faith, pictured, was born with a condition called spina bifida. Today, Faith is 19 and uses a wheelchair full-time

Faith has a disorder called spina bifida, a birth defect that leaves babies with a hole in their spine. In Faith's case, she uses a wheelchair full-time. John and David, who both also have spina bifida, are able to walk with leg braces but need wheelchairs if they'll be walking for too long.

Their other children with disabilities are Jeremiah, who has cerebral palsy, Mercy, who was born extremely premature, and Hope, Gabe and Obie, who have Down syndrome.

When they first adopted Hope in 2001, someone approached the Rybergs and asked if they understood that Down syndrome 'is for a lifetime'.

'We looked at them like they had horns coming out of their head,' Lori says. 'Yes. We do understand that. We had already adopted three children with spina bifida and that is for a lifetime too We very much understand that this is where we're going to be in our long-term and that's really good with us.'

Lori added that it's an honor to be able to care for these children.

'I can help my community, I can help my city, I can help my state by taking a few kids and making sure that they get everything that they need. As hard as that is sometimes.'

What makes it easier is that she says her children with special needs have a positive attitude and appreciate the little things in life.

'It is really typical to say that Down syndrome children are never sad, they're always happy That's not true at all.

'But at the same time, they wake up every morning happy as can be. They start off the day happy. They don't always end that way but they can't wait to see what's going to happen and that's definitely the way I like to see life.'

Now that most of their children are older, Lori has been teaching part time for the past two years. She teaches homeschool resource, which gives homeschooled children an opportunity to take classes they might not have access to otherwise.

Lori homeschooled all their children, which she said is complementary to their family's busy schedule of therapies and doctor appointments. After homeschooling, four of the Ryberg children have graduated college or are in college now. Lori is pictured with Elizabeth after she graduated and Nathan

The rest of the week she homeschools her children.

'We did originally have our two older adopted sons in public school and dealing with the public school Special Ed programs - that was time consuming. It was constantly meeting, constantly having to help them intervene on behavior and all that other stuff.

'You really do lessen the amount of behavior problems with kids with special needs when you don't have them in a big group like that,' Lori added.

It can also be difficult to get all the right therapies to their children at school and it's easier to do that at home.

'The therapists will come to our house,' Nathan said. 'Plus, they can do two or three of the kids at once.'

It also helps that homeschooling is complementary to busy scheduling with therapies and doctor appointments.

'They could do schoolwork in their laps in the car or in the doctor's office actually pretty easily. Most curriculums are based that way  that you can travel with them,' Lori said.

'I have four kids in college, or went through college, so I'm somewhat successful,' she adds with pride.

But Lori's super-mom ability doesn't stop there. She also cooks a family dinner every night.

'I really like to cook, so that's a really easy thing to do. I make a lot of casseroles, though. It's not steak,' she laughs. 'It's tuna casserole, it's spaghetti crockpots, that kinds of stuff is pretty much all the time.'

Their daughter Hope, right, has Down syndrome. When they first adopted her in 2001 someone approached the family and asked Nathan and Lori if they realized that Down syndrome is 'for a lifetime'. Lori said: 'We looked at them like they had horns coming out of their head We very much understand that this is where we're going to be in our long-term and that's really good with us.' Hope is pictured with their biological daughter Grace

On top of it all, Lori runs errands with all her kids because she doesn't like to leave any of them behind.

'I can't tell you how many times I've had ten kids trailing behind me at Costco or more. And thank goodness it's quite fun,' she said.

'I like taking kids to the grocery store, I like taking kids out. I want them to be part of the public. I want them to see how things work. I want other people to see them.

'I think a lot of families with kids with disabilities are fearful of taking their kids out. They're afraid of how they'll behave, but the more you take them out, the better they become. They're more comfortable. My kids are all really comfortable.

'Our big goal in life is to make sure that our kids, no matter what their disability is - that they're socially appropriate. It is incredibly important to make sure that our kids can be part of the world.'

Most of the Ryberg children participate in some kind of sport or adaptive sport. Hope, left, and Grace, right, are pictured after a Special Olympics event

But it's recently been harder for Lori to be able to take everyone out.

Children with spina bifida are born very small, so when Faith was younger, it was easy to get her in and out of the car even with a wheelchair.

'I can barely lift her now, to get her in the car,' says Nathan. 'It kind of just snuck up on us.'

Lori can't lift Faith into the car at all.

So they started looking into mini-vans with ramps or wheelchair lifts for Faith. On their $85,000 a year shared salary, Nathan and Lori considered buying a minivan, even though their whole family wouldn't be able to fit into one.

The new minivans were too expensive, so they decided to convert their current van or just put a lift on it.

Then some of Nathan's co-workers stepped in.

The Tempe Police Department started a GoFundMe page on December 1 to help the Rybergs buy a 15 passenger bus and a wheelchair lift. The page has already raised more than $57,000 of the $75,000 goal.

'We just really want to express our gratitude for the GoFundMe page and all the support we have gotten from people,' Nathan said. 'We're just really grateful that my friends did this.'

The type of van they are looking at would be able to hold the entire Ryberg family including any foster children they might take in later.

In four years, Nathan will also be retiring from his job with the Tempe PD, but that won't stop the Rybergs from taking in foster children.

'We will continue to take foster kids as we are able,' he said. 'We will definitely slow down and do one at a time, but we are involved in recruiting and training foster parents so we will continue to care for kids as they are brought into our path.'

'I know this is where we're supposed to be,' Lori added. 'It's really something we're really good at and I'm hoping to be able to do it for the next 20 years.'

After adopting Gabe and Obie last year, the Rybergs have decided to slow down just a bit. They will continue to take in one foster child at a time. Nathan and Lori will also recruit and train foster parents

Lori says: 'I know this is where we're supposed to be... It's really something we're really good at and I'm hoping to be able to do it for the next 20 years'

Nathan said that in the past, foster parents were advised not to get attached to the children they took in. But recently, the system has changed and foster parents are encouraged to give foster children lots of attention and love, which Nathan said he and Lori knew from the beginning.

'The best thing you can do is attach to these kids because I think that's actually teaching them how to survive It teaches them how to love the next person.'

And though from the outside it might seem like a sacrifice, Lori immediately rejected the suggestion.

'A sacrifice? No. It's not. I see it as a privilege. It's a privilege that the state of Arizona thinks that I'm able to do this.'

'I was telling somebody not too long ago: "I don't feel very special. I do not understand. I don't understand why people are interested in this whole thing".

'I've actually spent some time talking to them about it and they're like "But you don't understand, Lori, I would never be willing to do this" and I'm like, "Oh, you don't know what you're missing out on".

'I didn't know people weren't willing to do it, I just thought that the opportunity never came to them. But it really is true that there's just no way, that they'd rather just do something else.

'And this is what I would rather do. And that's what makes the world go round, is just everybody has their thing and this happens to be ours.'
Participants in the Women's March in Washington unknowingly sent their personal information to a group that said it was conducting a text message 'head count' last week  and the information could be shared with hundreds of consultants, activists and outside groups who organized the events.

While the third-party group that collected the cell phone data said it will only be shared with march organizers, it has not specified who the 'organizers' include.

The Women's March in Washington, D.C. and sister marches around the U.S. were led by a coalition of consultants, activists, and partner groups ranging from the Communist Party USA to Occupy Wall Street.

Marchers were encouraged on social media and by celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis to text 'Count Me' to the phone number 89800, so that organizers could conduct of a head-count of participants.

Data source: Celebrities and a social media campaign urged women - and men - who marched on Saturday to take part in a 'text census'. But now it emerges that the data they handed over is available to scores of organizations

Celebrity backing: How the women who took part in the march were urged to take part in the text census

No warning: The message promoted by organizers of the march did not say what happened to the personal data of those who registered to the text census

But the Women's March official Twitter page later announced that this census was not conducted under its banner, and the data was actually collected by a third-party group called the It's Time Network, which is not affiliated with the march.

Many marchers who sent texts to the group are now furiously demanding to know how their phone information is being used, and are left wondering whether the collection effort was part of a marketing scam.

The It's Time Network issued an apologetic public statement this week, but so far it has provided few details on how the cell phone data will be used outside of being shared with 'official march organizers.'

The group did not respond to requests for comment and was apparently still scrambling to deal with the fallout.

'I believe they are working on messaging still,' the It's Time Network senior manager Patricia Carroll told DailyMail.com.

The D.C. Women's March was organized by a coalition of activists and community leaders.

Its national committee includes around 20 co-chairs, many of them political consultants, community organizers, and CEOs.

One of the co-chairs, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour, recently came under fire for making supportive statements about Sharia law and dismissing concerns about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia.

The country does not allow women to drive, severely limits their right to vote, and

Over 200 partner groups were also involved in the march, including political organs such as the Communist Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Others included Free the Nipple, a clothing store that sells t-shirts with photos of topless women, and an 'anarcha-Feminist' group called the Autonomous Womyn's Front.

The Council on American Islamic Relations, a group that has had several board members accused of terrorism, was also a national march partner.

Notably, the It's Time Network was not a partner group for the march  although it said that it had been in contact with organizers of the sister city marches and informed them of the plan to conduct a head-count.

The group's owners' business ties could raise additional questions about their interests in collecting the data.

What happened next: THose who sent a text received this message, which contained a link which led to a request to hand over an email address

All gone wrong: Amid questions over whether the census was official, one version of the march warned it was not part of their effort

Lack of clarity: This is the only statement on what will happen to the cell phone and email data handed over to It's Time Network - but the women's march 'organizers' are in fact a huge list of partners, all of whom appear to have access to the data

The California non-profit group was founded by husband-and-wife environmental activists Betsy and John McKinney as 'an inclusive community of people and organizations working collaboratively to accelerate the full empowerment of women and girls.'

The organization seeks to create a national network of women to push city mayors to institute an array of progressive policies, including increasing public support for biofuel companies.

That issue is close to home for the founders. John McKinney owns a biofuel company called Columbia Biogas that lost out on a proposed plant because it failed to secure public funding in Portland.

The It's Time Network published a 'Mayor's Guide' last year to provide mayors with 'checklists for supporting the advancement of women and girls in their communities.'

The group says it is working to build a 'network' of women who can lobby their mayors on a local level.

The guide advocates for policies on girls' education, human trafficking, and domestic violence.

It also contends that mayors need to support certain environmental policies if they want to help the advancement of women and girls - the development of biogas power stations.

Census backers: Betsy McKinney's It's Time Network now holds the cell number of everyone who registered for their 'census'. She is the wife of millionaire John McKinney, a biogas power station developer. Her manifesto for women's equality says biogas generation will help equality. His family made its fortune in oil

'[W]e need to work together to eliminate waste by increasing efficiency and by turning 'waste' into a resource,' said the guide. 'Encourage the development of biogas facilities.'

The advice could be helpful for John McKinney's company, Columbia Biogas. He was vying to set up a $55 million biogas facility in Portland, Oregon, but the deal fell through in 2012  reportedly due to a lack of public funding.

Public records show that McKinney was registered as a Portland lobbyist at the time and had numerous contacts with city officials about the biogas plant.

Although Portland Mayor Sam Adams initially supported the plant, there was a local outcry about subsidizing it with public money. McKinney said the construction couldn't move forward without city funding, and the proposal collapsed.

We share their vision and are committed to supporting their efforts by providing them with information and data critical to their mandate. Please note that your data is securely protected, and your information will not be shared with other parties outside of official march organizers It's Time Network. But the march's 'organizers' are scores of partner organizations

According to the Columbia Biogas website, the company remains interested in opening similar plants in Oregon.

The millionaire McKinneys are unlikely to find favor with the Communist Party. He is the scion of a wealthy Pennsylvania family which made its fortune in oil.

The It's Time Network has not said whether it will personally use the phone number data it collected from marchers to support its own efforts, including the mayoral program.

After Women's March organizers announced they were not affiliated with the group or involved in the data collection, participants used Twitter to slam the It's Time Network.

Some demanded that the group delete their information while others hinted it could face a class action lawsuit.

In response, It's Time Network issued an apologetic statement on its website  but gave few details about how it would use the phone data.

The group acknowledged it was 'not affiliated with or endorsed by the [March] organizers' but 'we share their vision and are committed to supporting their efforts by providing them with information and data critical to their mandate.'

'Please note that your data is securely protected, and your information will not be shared with other parties outside of official march organizers,' said the It's Time Network.

Outside of its mayoral program, the It's Time Network also organized a conference for women's issues in Baltimore last year. However, the event was cancelled due to unrest in the city over the shooting death of Freddy Gray by Baltimore police.

Free The Nipple: The cause supported by Scout Willis, who walked around Manhattan on a warm day in 2012 topless to promote it, will have access to women's data

Bring down the capitalist system: The Communist Party USA is one of the other partners who will be able to access cell phone numbers and email addresses which were part of the census

It's Time Network was originally incorporated under the name The New Founding Family, which was billed as 'a new social enterprise in development' and 'a framework for supporting and making visible the emerging New American Majority.'

Public records show Betsy McKinney is chairman and her husband John is director.

The New Founding Family claimed to be recruiting new 'founders' to replace the Founding Fathers and rewrote the Declaration of Independence in a more progressive framework.

The group changed its name two years ago. It is run from their $4million home near San Francisco.

Betsy McKinney, the non-profit's founder and president who has been described in media reports as a 'consultant' to the group, says in her biography that she is an activist and philanthropist and previously owned an eco-conscious retail store in Telluride, Colorado.

It is unclear why it closed.

She drafted the group's 'Declaration of Interdependence,' which calls for inalienable rights to 'safe food, clean water, shelter, education, health care, protection, freedom of information and equal opportunity.'

But it also produced a 140-page 'mayors guide' to 'accelerating gender equality'.

Among its recommendations were 'encourage the development of biogas facilities' - something which her husband's company is engaged in. There was no mention in the guide of the commercial activities of John McKinney, who is the charity's director.

McKinney has founded other similar organizations, including an apparently defunct group called The Founding Mothers, 'a network of women's networks to support women's full empowerment as we step into active and full partnership with men.'

She and her husband also run a charity called the Faraway Foundation, which previously oversaw a 960-acre ski estate in Telluride, Colorado.

The McKinneys founded the charity with a Colorado photographer who owned the ranch and passed away in 2006.

The Faraway Foundation gave the It's Time Network over $1 million in 2015, the group claims on its website. However, public tax records show that the It's Time Network took in a total of just $118,000 in contributions in 2015.
Police say Josue Javier Diaz pulled a gun on a cop after hitting his unmarked police car

Police in North Carolina say an undercover officer fatally shot another driver who collided with his unmarked car.

Josue Javier Diaz, 28, crashed into the undercover detective's car on the east side of Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, according to police.

When Diaz kept going without stopping, the cop followed him, the police statement said.

The detective had reported the hit and run and was requesting assistance from a marked patrol car when Diaz stopped his car in front of him, police said.

'The driver got out of the vehicle, produced a handgun, and shots were fired from the undercover detective, striking and killing the driver,' Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Chief Jeff Estes told reporters.

Police said Diaz fired his weapon in the incident.

'It appears it was like a road-rage incident that cost someone his life,' Estes told the Charlotte Observer.

Diaz was pronounced dead on the scene when paramedics arrived.

Estes said he didn't know if the dead man fired a shot, but his gun was recovered at the scene, and a passenger in the car was taken into custody.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police investigate the scene where an undercover cop shot Diaz

Diaz posted pictures on Facebook holding a semi-auto pistol and assault-type rife. Police said the man displayed a handgun in the confrontation with the officer that left him dead

Both Diaz (pictured) and the officer were Hispanic males, police said

Both Diaz and the undercover detective were identified by police as Hispanic males.

The detective's identity was withheld because of his undercover assignment to the department's Special Investigations Division.

He will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, a standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.

Soon after the scene of the shooting was cleared, a group of protesters attempted to shut down street traffic.

The group carried signs reading 'It could of been you!!' and 'CMPD Kills,' a reference to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Soon after the scene of the Charlotte shooting was cleared, a group of protesters attempted to shut down street traffic

The group carried signs reading 'It could of been you!!' and 'CMPD Kills,' a reference to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

A photo from Diaz's Facebook page appears to show an AK-47 assault rife

'Everybody's angry because we're tired of the police brutality,' one protester told NBC Charlotte. 'They say the victim was shot multiple times, and my thing is, when are we going to stop shooting multiple times, because that's excessive force by the police officer.'

Police have not specified how many shots were fired, although a radio dispatch recording from the incident indicated one shot fired.

Word of the shooting came nearly an hour after the same department released videos of an unrelated fatal police shooting last summer.

Those six videos, from body and dashboard cameras, were made public in response to a judge's order.

Police said Rodney Rodriguez Smith was killed on June 2 as police sought to arrest him for allegedly wounding a passenger in a shooting aboard a city bus.

In one of the four bodycam videos, an officer is heard telling someone to show his hands and then yells at the person multiple times to drop a gun.

The officer opens fire, yells at the person again and fires more shots.

'He shot at me,' the officer can be heard saying. The video never shows Smith, who died at the scene, until officers approach his body.

The officers, who weren't hurt, were cleared of any wrongdoing.

After yet another fatal police shooting in September, North Carolina's largest city endured two nights of violence.

Keith Lamont Scott was sitting in his vehicle when officers confronted him, shouting at him numerous times to drop a gun before an officer opened fire.
Jacques Lesage was convicted of sexually abusing his daughters in Quebec over a period of 32 years

A Canadian father convicted of raping two of his daughters for decades and impregnated one of them three times has revealed he too was the product of incest.

Jacques Lesage was convicted of sexually abusing his daughters Lucie, 53, and Nathalie, 49, in Quebec over a period of 32 years.

The sisters asked to be named publicly during court proceedings to ensure their father was brought to justice.

Their other sister, Chantal Knippenberg, also says she was abused by their father but he was found not guilty of assaulting her. He faces two other charges relating to the sexual abuse of an unnamed minor.

On Tuesday, 79-year-old Lesage told a court that he was born out of incest himself and that his mother was also his sister. He said his wife was also abused by her carers and that the pair married when she was 13 to rescue her from them.

Lesage, a father-of-eight, said he was sexually assaulted by his father and later by carers at a Catholic orphanage, CBC reports.

He fathered three children with his own daughter Lucie, the eldest of which is severely disabled and requires round-the-clock care. She had their first child when she was just 13.

Prosecutors earlier told how he plied the girls with spiked orange juice before raping them in the family's home, car and in motel rooms. He picked them up from school at lunchtimes just to have sex with them before sending them back for afternoon classes, they said.

Lucie, 53, (left) and Nathalie, 49, (right) came forward in 2014 to report the abuse they had suffered

During the trial, Lucie Lesage told how her father impregnated her three times. She now has a child with severe disabilities

Pleading for a lenient sentence on Friday, he told the court that he had had his genitals removed to stop the spread of cancer, suggesting he was no longer a threat.

He admitted raping Lucie after DNA tests proved her three children were his but said he thought she was not his biological daughter at the time of the abuse, claiming to have thought his wife was having an affair with another man who was her real father.

The man, who prosecutors described as 'manipulating' during the trial, denies ever laying a finger on his other two accusing daughters.

Their other sister, Chantal Knippenberg, also says she was abused by their father but he was found not guilty of assaulting her

During the trial, Lucie Lesage told jurors that her father would 'go to hell' and how his abuse had left her unable to have romantic relationships.

Nathalie, her younger sister, said tearfully: 'All I've known is sexual abuse.'

She revealed that she kept the abuse a secret for years because she thought her father's friends at the police department wouldn't believe her. At the age of 16, she moved out to live with an older sibling after threatening to shoot her father if he ever touched her again.

Both of the sisters say they suffer from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of their father's abuse and are depressed.

Lucie Lesage told police about the allegations in 2014. She told them how she'd been abused by him over 32 years and that the assaults began when she was just eight.

Knippenberg said she had lived in fear of her father her entire life and that he ruined her childhood. She said she loved him but what he had done was 'wrong.'

Lesage's lawyer says he should be sentenced to just seven years imprisonment after already serving two years behind bars awaiting trial.

Prosecutors are asking that he be sentenced to 22 years. Lesage is due to be sentenced on Friday.
A heroin-using babysitter has been arrested after police found her passed out at a gas pump, with a toddler in the backseat of her car.

Bambi Taylor, 46, was looking after the two-year-old girl and had decided to take her out for a drive because the youngster was restless, she told police.

She had driven to the Cumberland F

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Bambi Taylor, 46, (left in her mugshot, and right) was arrested after passing out at a gas pump from a suspected heroin overdose with a toddler in her car

Staff called the police when they noticed she had passed out, ClickOrlando reports.

Volusia County deputies say they found Taylor unresponsive but the toddler was unharmed, still strapped into the backseat of the 2001 Toyota Highlander.

A first responder administered Narcan - for suspected heroin overdose - and Taylor was able to regain consciousness before she was taken to hospital.

She has since been charged with one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.

Meanwhile, the girl was returned to the custody of her mother.

The incident is the latest reminder that America is caught in the grip of a heroin epidemic.

Police found her at Cumberland Farms gas station in Deltona, Florida, on Tuesday evening at around 8pm

She has since been charged with one count of child abuse without great bodily harm

Last June, a report from the United Nations warned of an opioid crisis gripping the States with cheap supply helping push the number of users to a 20-year high.

Authorities have said they are coping with an abnormal spike in the number of overdoses after heroin cut with elephant tranquilizer 10,000 times more powerful than morphine was being taken.

In October, footage emerged of bystanders laughing at a married couple as they fell unconscious in the street in broad daylight after overdosing on heroin.

The video showed a husband and wife writhing on the floor after snorting the drug in the bathroom of a nearby Walgreens before they pass out in the street in Memphis, Tennessee.

Paramedics eventually arrived on the scene and revived Carla Hiers, 59, and her partner, who are both long-time drug addicts. She is seen on her knees before she loses consciousness. Her partner passes out while bent backwards over a bench.

Perhaps the most shocking image of the summer showed a couple slumped, passed out in their car with a four-year-old boy looking on from the back seat.

The incident is the latest reminder that America is caught in the grip of a heroin epidemic. Ohio police shared this distressing photograph on social media of Rhonda Pasek and her boyfriend James Acord passed out in their vehicle while Pasek's four-year-old grandson looks on from the back seat

The image was shared on social media by Ohio police in a bid to raise awareness of 'this horrible drug'.

The woman, 50-year-old Rhonda Pasek, who became known as 'heroin grandma', was sentenced to 180 days in jail after pleading no contest to child endangering. Her boyfriend James Acord received 360 days in jail for child endangering and operating a vehicle under the influence.

In an emotional jailhouse interview with DailyMail.com, Pasek insisted she was not on heroin and that she had drunk a single bottle of Redd's Blueberry Ale and took part of what she thought was a Percocet-like painkiller because she was feeling so bad.

She said: 'I made the worst mistake of my life. I'll be paying for this until the day I die.

'I know how wrong I was and there is no taking it back. I take full responsiblity.

In October, footage emerged of bystanders laughing at a married couple as they fell unconscious in the street in broad daylight after overdosing on heroin

Paramedics eventually arrived on the scene and revived Carla Hiers, 59, (pictured) and her partner

When asked about the allegations of heroin, Pasek rolled up the sleeves of her dark green prison uniform and showed her arms which had no sign of any trackmarks.

Her public defender also told the local newspaper The Review that Pasek had tested negative for heroin and said no syringes were found in the car.

In another case, a daughter live streamed her parents on a 'heroin binge' after she returned home to find them wasted in front of the TV.
A man who took a selfie before sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at a bus stop is on the run from police.

The man is believed to have approached two 16-year-old girls at a bus stop in Melbourne on January 2 and took a selfie with the victims before sexually assaulting one of them and leaving.

He then returned on January 20 and approached the same two girls in the same suburb and sexually assaulted both of them before running.

The witness is of Indian appearance, aged in his 60s and about 160cm tall and police have asked him to step forward

The man is believed to have approached two 16-year-old girls at a bus stop and took a selfie with the victims before sexually assaulting one of them and leaving (Stock Image)

In an attempt to locate the man police have generated a computer image of a man they believe could help them with their investigation.

The witness is of Indian appearance, aged in his 60s and about 160cm tall and police have asked him to step forward.

The man was wearing a blue hat, dark coloured top and khaki pants on both occasions.
Twelve U.S. senators, including 2016 presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, have penned a letter to President Donald Trump, accusing him of sowing a 'culture of fear among federal employees.'

'The American people expect an open, transparent and honest government, and your actions are not only contrary to that expectation, they promote a long lasting culture of fear among federal employees and prevent them from following their mission to openly serve the American public,' the letter, obtained by CBS News, said.

The 11 Democrats and Sanders, who is technically an independent, were motivated into action by reports that said the Trump administration had imposed media blackouts on certain agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Health and Human Services and Interior.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders was among a dozen senators to sign off on a letter to President Donald Trump, accusing his administration of sowing a 'culture of fear' among federal workers

The senators wrote that they were 'gravely troubled' by these reports.

Emails to federal staffers, which were then passed along to reporters, instructed government employees to stop putting out press releases, blog updates and posts on official social media accounts.

Responsible were the 'beach teams,' which were deployed to federal agencies during the transition on behalf of team Trump.

The senators asked that this policy immediately be reversed.

'Given your commitment to the rule of law and peaceful transition of power, we respectfully ask that you immediately reverse course and ensure that the dedicated federal civil servants of this country receive the respect they deserve and are immediately made aware of their clear protections under the law,' the letter demanded.

However, the White House wouldn't say if the orders had come directly from Trump.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked specifically about the EPA blackout.

He said the story was breaking as he entered the briefing room.

'We're looking into it,' he replied. 'I don't think it's any surprise that when there's an administration turnover that we're going to review the policies, but with respect to the question you're asking I don't have any information at this time.'

Democrats pressed ahead with the letter any way, with Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts leading the charge, and progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Ron Wyden signing on.

Democrats have been generally concerned that the Trump administration is trying to snuff out climate science.

Trump's pick to run the EPA, for example, Oklahoma's attorney general Scott Pruitt, has expressed doubts that humans are the cause of the temperature rise.

They presented the gag order as further proof.

'Targeting the scientists at these agencies and prohibiting them sharing the results of this research with the broader public is irresponsible and serves only to undermine the integrity and public trust in the federal government,' the senators wrote.
Phillip Nickolas Katsabanis, better known as 'Stitches', was arrested for gun and drug possession after he parked in a handicapped spot

Rapper Phillip Nickolas Katsabanis, better known as 'Stitches', was arrested for gun and drug possession after he parked in a handicapped spot.

Officers spotted the rapper's Porsche pulling out of a Whole Foods parking lot in Miami on Wednesday night.

They recognized the 21-year-old musician from previous arrests, and asked if he had a gun, reported TMZ.

He said no and immediately passed the officer a hand rolled and slightly burnt joint, saying 'sorry officer', according to a police report.

After searching the car, they found a Glock handgun under his seat, and two magazines of ammunition.

One of the magazines had 31 bullets, the other had 15.

According to the police report, Stitches apologized, saying that he though the police officers were asking if he had a gun on him, not if he had one in the car, according to TMZ.

Stitches told police he always carries a handgun for his protection, according to the report.

Police also found a mason jar with 39.2 grams of marijuana and one oxycodone pill. He does not have a prescription.

According to the police report, Stitches apologized, saying that he though the police officers were asking if he had a gun on him, not if he had one in the car. He is seen above, left

The 21-year-old is best known for his song 'Brick in yo face', and has been said to pass out drugs to audience members at his concerts

The rapper has been booked for felony concealed gun and marijuana possession, reported TMZ.

Stitches was recognized so quickly due to his unique tattoos, which include stitches around his mouth, a number of images of guns, and a quote on the side of his head that says 'F*** a job'.

He has claimed in the past that he started selling drugs in South Beach, Miami, to support himself financially.

The 21-year-old is best known for his song 'Brick in yo face', and has been said to pass out drugs to audience members at his concerts.

He is married and has three children.
Ministers are planning the first recruitment drive for maths and physics teachers from overseas since the 1970s.

A 300,000 contract is being offered for a private company to help schools find staff in subjects where there is a shortage.

The teachers will be recruited from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and the US.

Ministers are planning the first recruitment drive for maths and physics teachers from overseas since the 1970s (file photo)

The move comes as the Migration Advisory Committee  an independent body which offers guidance to Ministers  recommended widening the number of subjects for which schools could recruit from non-EU countries.

Heads have warned of a shortage of staff in key subjects  with some classes now being taught by teachers from other disciplines. This is partly down to a rise in pupils following a baby boom fuelled by migration.

Primary schools have for many years had to create extra classrooms, and now the population bulge is moving on to secondaries.

More teachers are also needed to meet the growing demand for maths and science at A-level following a government drive to get more youngsters to study tougher subjects.

Yesterday, the committee held back from declaring a national staffing crisis, but did say foreigners who teach shortage subjects should be allowed easier access to jobs here.

It found a continuing shortage of staff in physics and maths and added computer science and Mandarin to the list.

Teachers will be recruited from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and the US to help deal with Britain's staff shortage (file photo)

Placing these subject teachers on the shortage list effectively makes it easier for schools to recruit them from beyond countries such as Australia, the US and Canada, and the EU, by lifting immigration controls.

The Department for Educations International Teacher Recruitment Strategy was revealed in a contract document obtained by the BBC.

It involves employing a private company to support schools in recruiting qualified teachers in shortage subjects from overseas.

The contract talks of recruiting 50 maths and physics teachers initially, but this may be expanded to cover other subjects.

It is thought to be the first government-sponsored international recruitment strategy since the mid-1970s, when teachers were also in short supply.

It may be seen as a way of side-stepping any impact of immigration controls attached to Brexit. Malcolm Trobe of the Association of School and College Leaders said it was good that the DfE had recognised a shortage but added: Fifty teachers in these key subjects is a fairly low target figure given the scale of the problem faced.

It is thought to be the first government-sponsored international recruitment strategy since the mid-1970s, when teachers were also in short supply (file photo)

He added: Schools up and down the country are dealing with a full-blown teacher recruitment crisis. School leaders are deeply concerned about the impact on their pupils.

A Department for Education spokesman said it was spending more than 1.3billion over this Parliament to help attract the brightest and best into the profession.

Dr Mary Bousted of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers added: This crisis will get worse with the bulge in pupil numbers, make it hard for schools to find a teacher for every class and risk the quality of education for children and young people in England.

The Migration Advisory Committee was asked by then Home Secretary Theresa May to assess whether there was a national shortage of teachers or just a shortage in some subjects.

It came after trainee teacher targets were missed four years running.

Currently, teachers who qualified in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US, as well as in the European Union, are allowed to register to obtain qualified teacher status in England.
Victims of a paedophile bishop last night called for dozens of letters he received from Prince Charles to be made public.

Extensive correspondence is understood to exist between the future king and Peter Ball, the 'calculating' former Bishop of Gloucester, who was jailed after admitting exploiting his position to groom and abuse 18 young men.

The prince's letters now have been handed to an independent inquiry into the case, launched after Ball was convicted two years ago.

Victims of paedophile bishop Peter Ball, left, have demanded that correspondence between himself and Prince Charles, right, is made public although Clarence House insists there is nothing in the letters which is relevant into the church's handling of Ball's case

It is not clear what role, if any, they will play in the inquiry which is examining the Church's handling of the Ball case, but Charles has not given any evidence to it either formally or informally nor has he or his team been asked to.

The content of the letters is unknown, but in a statement yesterday, Clarence House said they believed there was nothing in them which pertained to the case.

A spokesman for the prince said: 'We do not believe that the letters have any bearing on the issues before the inquiry, but we have not objected to them being shared for their consideration.'

Royal sources insist it would be perfectly normal for the future king to write to the priest, who in 1992 became Bishop of Gloucester, the diocese in which Charles' country home, Highgrove, sits.

One said that the existence of letters between the two simply reflected their 'long-standing acquaintance'.

Ball, pictured, was cautioned in 1993 for an act of gross indecency against a 17-year-old boy

Ball was Bishop of Gloucester which covers Prince Charles's Highgrove Estate

It is not clear if the prince continued to write to Ball after his well-publicised earlier arrest and police caution for gross indecency against a 17-year-old boy in 1993.

Ball escaped prosecution for this offence, despite investigators knowing of 'many' more allegations against him, after the police received dozens of supportive letters and calls from MPs, former public headmasters, JPs and even a Lord Chief Justice.

At the time his lawyers also told the police they had a letter of support from a member of the Royal Family, but prosecutors said they had not seen this correspondence and there is no evidence that this letter even existed.

However, Ball clearly did continue to enjoy cordial relations with the royals as he read the homily at the funeral of the father of the Duchess of Cornwall in 2006.

DISGRACED CLERIC RENTED HOUSE ON DUTCHY LAND Disgraced bishop Peter Ball reneged on a deal to move abroad to escape prosecution in 1993, and instead rented a house from the estate of his friend Prince Charles. The cleric told police he would live with nuns in France in return for receiving the caution as part of an alleged agreement with a sympathetic detective who wanted to help the church avoid the scandal of a criminal trial. It meant Ball was not prosecuted until October 2015. After resigning as bishop in 1993, Ball moved to Manor Lodge, in the Somerset village of Aller, a property owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate headed by Charles. He later publicly praised the wonderfully kind Charles who he said allowed me to have a duchy house. The detail has come to light from a report written by Brian Tyler, a former police officer-turned-priest who Ball hired to work as a private detective. In it, he wrote: It is needless to point out that having secured the caution on one offence and knowing the file has been closed, he has welshed in his promise to me, and the police, to leave the country. Royal sources made clear last night that Charles has no involvement in the commercial decisions on who is renting Duchy properties. Advertisement

The letters from Charles are understood to have been handed to the Church of England's independent inquiry, which is being led by former council chief executive Dame Moira Gibb.

A Church of England spokesman said: 'We are supplying the inquiry with all information relevant to the inquiry's purposes as set out in its Terms of Reference.'

The Government's separate child abuse inquiry is also due to investigate whether there were 'inappropriate attempts by people of prominence to interfere in the criminal justice processes' after Ball was first accused of child sexual offences 24 years ago.

Phil Johnson, one of Ball's victims and chairman of the Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors group, last night called for the letters to be made public in the 'spirit of openness.'

He said: 'I think the victims have a right to know what is in them. They may of course just be innocent letters between friends. But given the grave concerns about how the case was handled, the public also have a right to know what the future head of state wrote to Ball for the avoidance of any doubt.'

After his second arrest in 2015, Ball claimed his victims had been 'spiritually uplifted' by his treatment of them. The court heard how he targeted young men seeking spiritual instruction on the Bishop's 'Give a Year for Christ' scheme.

He changed his plea at the last minute and admitted to offences against 18 teenagers and young men between 1977 and 1992. He was sentenced to 32 months for misconduct in public office and 15 months for indecent assault, to run concurrently.

The lawyer for some of those he abused said the way establishment figures closed ranks around him had 'compounded his victims' anguish'.

Two years ago, 27 letters that Charles sent to ministers between September 2004 and April 2005 were published after a decade-long legal battle over their release that went to the Supreme Court.
The wife of Enrique Marquez Jr. (above), the man accused of aiding the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack, pleaded guilty Thursday in an immigration fraud case and admitted that her marriage was a sham

The wife of a man accused of aiding the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack pleaded guilty Thursday in an immigration fraud case and admitted that her marriage was a sham.

Mariyah Chernykh admitted that her marriage to Enrique Marquez Jr, the only person charged in connection with the 2015 terror attack, was a sham designed to enable her to obtain legal status in the US after overstaying a visitor visa in 2009, prosecutors said.

Marquez is accused of plotting with Syed Rizwan Farook to carry out attacks and with supplying guns used in the attack.

Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 22 in a shooting spree at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California.

After the shooting, the couple immediately fled in a rented SUV. Federal agents gave chase and engaged them in a shootout, killing the couple.

Marquez (left) is accused of plotting with Syed Rizwan Farook (far right) to carry out attacks and with supplying guns used in the attack that left 14 people dead. After the attack, Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik (near right) were killed in a shootout with authorities

The 26-year-old woman from Ontario was one of three people charged in the marriage fraud case that was unrelated to the December 2015 shootings but came to light in the investigation that followed it.

Earlier this month, Farook's brother, Syed Raheel Farook, pleaded guilty in the immigration fraud case.

His wife, Tatiana, was also charged but has denied any wrongdoing and is scheduled for trial in March.

Chernykh pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy, perjury and other charges.

She admitted in court that she paid Marquez for his participation in the scheme and that she lied on immigration documents and to federal agents, prosecutors said.

While Farook and Malik are believed to have bought the handguns they used during their massacre themselves, Marquez is believed to have legally bought the larger assault-style rifles

Marquez confessed to the scheme when authorities questioned him about the shootings, and he acknowledged getting $200 a month to marry Chernykh, according to court documents.

US Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in a statement Thursday that the guilty pleas were 'further proof that law enforcement has doggedly investigated all leads stemming from the tragic attack in San Bernardino as we continue our efforts to bring justice to the community.'

The San Bernardino attack was one of the worst mass shootings in US history. Authorities above investigate the scene of the shootout between the attackers and police on December 3, 2015, in San Bernardino, California

Chernykh's attorney, David Kaloyanides, refused to comment on the plea Thursday.
Theresa May last night tore up two decades of 'failed' liberal interventionist foreign policy that has dragged Britain into disastrous conflicts.

In a break with the Blair and Cameron eras, the Prime Minister said the days of using military force to 'remake sovereign countries in our own image' were finished.

In a speech to senior US politicians, who gave her a standing ovation, she laid out rules that will see the UK intervene only when the 'threat is real' and it is in our interests to do so.

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Theresa May, pictured, tore up two decades of 'failed' liberal' interventionist foreign policy in a speech last night to members of the Republican party who were meeting in Philadelphia

Mrs May, pictured disembarking from the RAF Voyager aircraft flew to the United States to hold talks with new US President Donald Trump at the White House, a week after he took office

Mrs May is the first world leader to be granted an audience with the new president

The comments effectively end what have been dubbed 'wars of choice' and the so-called 'Chicago doctrine' established by Tony Blair.

Yesterday in Philadelphia, ahead of becoming the first foreign leader to hold face-to-face talks with President Trump, Mrs May also declared Britain and the US will be able to start tearing down trade barriers before Brexit.

Her speech came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said UK troops could be sent to Syria as part of a UN peacekeeping force.

Mrs May told the Republican Retreat convention: 'It is in our interests  those of Britain and America together  to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past.

'The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.'

The Prime Minister's comments will be seen as the final dismantling of the policy laid down by Tony Blair in his 1999 Chicago address, which sowed the seed of British involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

David Cameron was said to have continued this policy with his decision to intervene in Libya to help topple Colonel Gaddafi  which plunged the country into civil war and chaos.

Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya all became hotbeds for Islamic terrorism.

Mrs May's speech overturned Tony Blair's interventionist policy of the last two decades

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said British troops could act as peace keepers in Syria

Mrs May, who will meet Mr Trump today, listed shared challenges facing Britain and the US, including an aggressive Vladimir Putin and 'radical Islamists'. She also warned of the need to challenge the 'malign' influence of Iran, in comments which chime with Mr Trump's stance.

The Prime Minister said: 'There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War.

'But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength  we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make co-operation more likely than conflict and  give assurance to Russia's neighbouring states that their security is not in question.

'We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence. Progress on this issue would also help to secure another of this nation's priorities  to reduce Iran's malign influence in the Middle East.

'This is a priority for the UK too as we support our allies in the Gulf States to push back against Iran's aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean.'

Mrs May cited Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher during her speech yesterday

Mrs May said the rise of Asian economies was 'hugely welcome', adding: 'These events  coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fall-out, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11, the military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and sporadic terrorist attacks  have led many to fear that, in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West.

'But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer  they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty.

'But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure. And the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever.'

Mrs May said the values she had been taught during her childhood in a vicarage were the values of Republicans, describing herself as 'a fellow conservative who believes in the same principles  liberty, the dignity of work, he principles of nationhood, family, economic prudence, patriotism, and putting power in the hands of the people.'

The PM last night travelled from Philadelphia to Washington, where she is due to hold 'substantive discussions' with the president. A key focus will be securing his commitment to supporting Nato and making progress towards a post-Brexit trade deal.

Under the European Customs Union, the UK cannot engage in formal negotiations on its own free trade deals while a member of the EU.

But Mrs May said there was 'much we can do in the interim in terms of looking at how we can remove some of the barriers to trade'.

In Chicago in 1999, Mr Blair delivered a speech arguing it was 'better to intervene than to leave well alone'. In notes to George W Bush, in the run-up to the Iraq war, Mr Blair said it would be part of a bigger push to 'spread our values' across the world.

The PM made a series of reference to the Reagan/Thatcher years, each of which received strong applause. Her speech was also given prominent coverage on US news networks, under the headline the 'special relationship'.
Close colleagues: Former Chancellor George Osborne and Rupert Harrison

A Whitehall watchdog was accused of an extraordinary cover-up last night over the lucrative investment job given to George Osborne's former top aide.

Rupert Harrison, nicknamed 'the real Chancellor' when he was Mr Osborne's chief-of-staff, got a six-figure salary to work for asset management firm BlackRock two years ago.

But now it has emerged that the official appointments committee, Acoba, was reprimanded for approving the job without disclosing meetings he held with the firm while he worked for the ex-chancellor.

An investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office into the apparent cover-up denounced Acoba for a 'shortfall in public interest transparency'. And last night Labour MP John Mann said: 'The advisory committee is not fit for purpose and its chair must now resign.

'There is far too much cosying up to banks. It is as if BlackRock had taken shares in the Treasury.'

The row comes as Mr Osborne himself faces controversy over his new job with BlackRock, which will pay him more than 200,000 a year to work as an adviser while he is still an MP.

His appointment was also waved through by Acoba and there are growing calls for reform of the committee and the rules surrounding MPs and second jobs.

Acoba is supposed to vet ministers and senior civil servants when they take jobs in the private sector. In the past eight years it has looked at more than 370 appointments without blocking a single one.

After the last general election, Mr Harrison quit his job working for Mr Osborne to join BlackRock as a managing director in June 2015.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which is supposed to guard the 'revolving door' between the public and private sector, gave clearance for his recruitment.

In its letter of approval, the committee said there was no conflict of interest as Mr Harrison's work at the Treasury 'did not specifically relate to asset management'.

WATCHDOGS WHO DON'T BITE They are the gamekeepers whose job is to guard against former ministers and mandarins selling their 'insider information'. But the committee responsible for policing the revolving door is itself packed with members who have made fortunes switching from public service into the world of big business. Members of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) have worked for some of the world's biggest companies, including banks and oil companies, and have seen their fortunes rocket after setting up lucrative consultancy firms. A spokesman for Acoba said: 'All members are required to abide by a Code of Practice and the Nolan principles of public life.' There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of the Acoba committee members. Sir Alex Allan Chaired the Joint Intelligence Committee until 2011, and served as top aide to both Nigel Lawson and John Major. Lord German Lengthy career in Welsh politics, becoming leader of the country's Lib Dems. Made a life peer in 2010. Mary Jo Jacobi Aide for Ronald Reagan who later worked for HSBC and Lehman Brothers. Now boss of US-based consultancy. Baroness Liddell Ex Blair energy minister took lucrative role lobbying to accelerate the growth of the offshore energy industry. Has since stepped back from role. Mark Addison After 38 years in civil service, including in Downing St, set up consultancy, Addisonbooth, now no longer operating. Terence Jagger Worked in finance before joining MoD. Later chief of Crown Agents, which gets UK cash to advise developing countries. John Wood Enjoyed long career with Herbert Smith Freehills, one of world's most prestigious law firms Baroness Browning Committee chairman is a former Tory vice-chairman and minister. Paid up to 800 a day by Cumberlege Eden, company that advises NHS staff on 'how to influence the political agenda'. Admits all of her committee, tasked with eliminating the 'suspicion of impropriety' when officials and MPs move into the corporate field, have extra jobs. Advertisement

But it made no mention of how he had direct involvement with BlackRock during his time working for Mr Osborne, including lunches with the firm's executives on March 1, 2013 and April 2, 2014.

The report by the Information Commissioner's Office, which emerged last night, concluded it was 'a matter of legitimate concern' that Acoba had not made public the two meetings between Mr Harrison and BlackRock.

'Whether Mr Harrison had had any previous involvement with Blackrock whilst employed as a special adviser at HM Treasury should clearly have been of significant importance to the committee's consideration of his application, so as to warrant a mention in the information published by Acoba,' it found.

Yesterday, the Daily Mail revealed how Mr Osborne had got his job after meeting BlackRock executives five times in his last two years at the Treasury. It also emerged how pension freedoms introduced by him in his March 2014 Budget had benefited the firm.

Media reports show that BlackRock gleefully greeted the reforms, which gave savers control over their retirement pots. It said it was 'uniquely positioned' to take advantage.

Mr Harrison has been credited as the 'architect' of the changes. After recruiting Mr Harrison, BlackRock boasted: 'Given his experience shaping the recent pensions reforms in the UK, he is uniquely placed to help develop our retirement proposition.' The 38-year-old's pay was not disclosed when he moved to BlackRock, but City headhunters said the base salary for such a role could be up to 150,000. A discretionary annual bonus on top of that could be a multiple of his salary. His pay when he left government was 95,000.

Mr Harrison, who was head boy at Eton, worked for the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank before joining Mr Osborne's staff in 2009.

The strategist, who delivered his son at home when the midwife was late, was made a CBE in David Cameron's 2015 honours list.

At his leaving party, Mr Osborne joked: 'It has been an honour to play a role in the Harrison chancellorship.'

On Friday after Mr Osborne's new job at BlackRock was announced, Mr Harrison tweeted: 'So, I have a new adviser'

Last night Mr Harrison and Acoba declined to comment.

Meet and greet: Mr Duddridge with Somaliland officials. He will advise Brand Communications, a PR firm targeting businesses in Africa

Ex-Africa minister advises on...Africa

By Sam Greenhill, chief reporter

Former Africa Minister James Duddridge has landed a 400-an-hour job as an adviser  on Africa.

Acoba, the watchdog that never says no, waved through the new role earlier this week.

Mr Duddridge will advise Brand Communications, a PR firm targeting businesses in Africa, in addition to his duties and 75,000 salary as MP for Rochford and Southend East.

The company, which says it is 'building iconic brands for Africa', has admitted it aims to cash in on his expertise from his time at the Foreign Office.

Its press release boasted: 'James will bring his deep knowledge of Africa, experience of operating at the highest levels of government and extensive networks to Brand Communications.' The firm will pay him 3,333 a month for eight hours' work, or 40,000 a year.

The watchdog gave him permission to take the job on condition that he 'should not draw on any privileged information available to him as minister', and not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government for two years.

Mr Duddridge, in a press release, said: 'We share a passion for growing and developing the African economy.

'Africa will be a big growth area over the next 20 years, particularly for the UK Government given its post-Brexit drive for trade.'

Writing in the House of Commons' register of members' financial interests, he says he has been hired 'for providing advice on a number of issues including financial services and Brexit, particularly relating to Africa'.

Mr Duddridge, 45, was Africa Minister for two years from 2014 to 2016 and before that was chairman of the all-party group on Africa.

Before becoming an MP, he had senior positions in banks and asset management in Swaziland, Ivory Coast and Botswana.

Last night Mr Duddridge said: 'I started working in Africa 20 years ago, I didn't start when I became a minister. I have worked all over the continent.

'I could have done this job before becoming a minister. A lot of the stuff is already in the public domain. There is no conflict of interest.'
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Fans of Mary Tyler Moore may still be mourning the loss of the beloved actress after her death on Wednesday, but a piece of her eponymous television show lives on.

The seven-bedroom house in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Moore's character Mary Richards lived on the third floor, is being sold for $1,695,000.

While the interior scenes were filmed in a studio, exterior shots of the real house located at 2104 Kenwood Parkway were featured prominently in the show, and fans have flocked to the location for years to catch sight of the iconic home.

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Fans of Mary Tyler Moore may still be mourning the loss of the beloved actress after her death on Wednesday, but a piece of her eponymous television show lives on

Pictured, the renovated attic of the 9,500-square-foot home, which has been reduced from its original listing price of $2,895,000 down to $1,695,000

While the interior scenes were filmed in a studio, the windows overlooking Richard's living room were modeled on the arched windows of the real house on 2104 Kenwood Parkway

The house, which features wooden moulding and detailed accents throughout, has a grand mahogany staircase at its entrance

The sprawling kitchen includes a massive L-shaped island, with stainless steel appliances complementing the white cabinet work

The 9,500-square-foot house, located just two miles outside central Minneapolis, was once split into separate apartments, much like the fictional house where Moore's character lived. It was later renovated into a massive single-family home

The Victorian home first hit the market in 2013 for $2,895,000 - and it's now going at nearly half off the original listing price.

The 9,500-square-foot home, located just two miles outside central Minneapolis, was once split into separate apartments, much like the fictional house on 119 North Weatherly, where Moore's character lived.

But the property was later renovated into an enormous single-family home including seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and five fireplaces.

The house, which features wooden moulding and detailed accents throughout, has a grand mahogany staircase at its entrance.

The sprawling kitchen includes a massive L-shaped island, with stainless steel appliances complementing the white cabinet work.

The iconic house, which is now more than a century old, has also been updated with a triple garage, an enclosed, wrap around porch, and a luxurious sauna.

The home is even listed on Trip Advisor as a notable landmark, and fans of the Mary Tyler Moore Show have flocked to the property for years, with some bus tours making a point to drive past.

While the interior of Richards' apartment in the show bore no resemblance to the layout of the real house, producers recreated the attic's arched windows in the character's living room.

The property includes a total of seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and five fireplaces

This expansive living room includes one of the five fireplaces, flanked on both sides by massive floor to ceiling windows

According to the listing, the home includes 'gracious public rooms ideal for entertaining'. Pictured, a grand piano inside the house's turret

The iconic house, which is now more than a century old, has also been updated with a triple garage, an enclosed porch, and a luxurious sauna

Pictured, one of the seven bedrooms. Potential buyers should note the house is even listed on Trip Advisor as a notable landmark, and fans of the Mary Tyler Moore Show have flocked to the property for years

The Emmy award-winning actress died Wednesday surrounded by family members at a Connecticut hospital

Her publicist, Mara Buxbaum,said in a statement: 'Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine.

Pictured, the gym (left), which includes weight lighting equipment as well as an elliptical. Right, a luxurious sauna (right)

The Emmy award-winning actress died Wednesday surrounded by family members at a Connecticut hospital.

Her publicist, Mara Buxbaum,said in a statement: 'Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine.

'A groundbreaking actress, producer, and passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile.'

The actress, who first gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, had been on a respirator for more than a week before her death, TMZ reported.

Moore, who died on Wednesday, suffered numerous health problems and had been on a respirator for more than a week

Moore suffered from a number of health problems, including a long battle with Type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with in 1966 at the age of 33.

But the New York native went on to play Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore show from 1970 to 1977, in a groundbreaking role where she portrayed a single career woman working in a Minneapolis TV newsroom.

Moore truly made her mark on the series, which aired at a time when women's liberation was catching on worldwide.

The actress won seven Emmy awards over the years and was nominated for an Oscar for her 1980 portrayal of an affluent mother whose son is accidentally killed in Ordinary People.

The house also includes plenty of storage space with this room being used as a massive walk in closet

One of nine bathrooms includes a hot tub. The house has also been subject to visitors and passing bus tours in Minneapolis, but the private residence does not offer any access to the public

Pictured, the enclosed porch outside the main entrance, where the sweeping staircase can be seen

Mary Tyler Moore played the iconic Mary Richards, a single career woman working in a Minneapolis TV newsroom, from 1970 to 1977 in her eponymous TV show
Mexican Vanity Fair has republished an old article about Melania Trump which accused her Slovenian father of crimes and revealed she had an illegitimate half-brother amid ongoing strife between the country's president and Donald Trump.

The article was originally published in GQ last year by Juilia Ioffe and contains claims the first lady's father, Viktor Knavs, was looked into for tax evasion.

It also revealed Melania's illegitimate half-brother Denis Cigelnjak and alleged that Viktor, who fathered him before marrying Melania's mother, asked his mother to abort him.

Melania Trump slammed the article as being full of inaccuracies in April last year when it was published by GQ. She said Ioffe was 'a journalist who is looking to make a name for herself' and said she had subjected her parents to 'unfair scrutiny'.

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Mexican Vanity Fair has run an 'unflattering' profile of Melania Trump in their latest issue of the magazine

It re-runs the report of a GQ journalist, published last year in the United States, under the title 'The Secret of Melania'. The GQ story claimed the first lady's father had once been investigated for tax fraud and revealed that she had an illegitimate half-brother

'The article published in GQ today is yet another example of the dishonest media and their disingenuous reporting. Julia Ioffe, a journalist who is looking to make a name for herself, clearly had an agenda when going after my family.

'There are numerous inaccuracies in this article including certain statements about my family and claims on personal matters. My parents are private citizens and should not be subject to Ms. Ioffes unfair scrutiny.'

Ioffe received death threats and horrific antisemitic abuse from the first lady's fans as a result of her Facebook post.

On Thursday, Mexican Vanity Fair unveiled the cover of its February 2017 issue on Twitter and claimed to have produced a development on the story.

In Spanish, the magazine wrote on Twitter: 'No, this is not a flattering story. We invite you to read the development on this report about Melania Trump.'

On its website the magazine does not include the mysterious new element but runs Ioffe's translated words unchanged.

The first lady slammed the article after its publication last year and accused its author of subjecting her Slovenian family to 'unfair scrutiny'

'No, this is not a story of flattery. We invite you to read the development to this report about Melania Trump' the magazine wrote in a Twitter post plugging the edition

On its cover, it heralds the story as revealing the first lady's 'murky family past, the tactics she uses to deal with her husband and how she plans to turn herself into the New Jackie Kennedy'.

A translated quote, attributed to the first lady that she gave to Ioffe in April last year, follows. Her original words were: 'Im against Botox, Im against injections; I think its damaging your face, damaging your nerves. Its all me.'

The cover photograph is one originally taken by Douglas Friedman which shows Melania, dressed in white and smiling, twirling a string of diamonds around a fork in a bowl as if it were spaghetti.

Friedman shot the photos for the December 2011 cover of Philly Style.

And while the practice of Conde Nast republishing stories from their American magazines in international editions of their titles is not uncommon, this particular story generated so much controversy and angered Melania so much that the company was most certainly aware of the impact the cover would have on the Trumps.

There is also the issue of the threats that Ioffee received in the wake of her story, and the possibility that it could happen all over again.

The Mexican edition of Vanity Fair was launched in April 2015 and has a circulation of 90,000.

Lourdes Garzon is the editor-in-chief of the title, and defended the decision to publish the story on Thursday after an angry Twitter user accused the magazine of trying to normalize the Trumps.

'I encourage you to read the text,' said Garzon.

President Donald Trump (left disembarking from Air Force One on Thursday) previously feuded with Graydon Carter, the editor of US Vanity Fair, over the writer's claim that he had 'stubby fingers'

President Trump has set in motion one of his most divisive campaign vows - to build a wall on the US border with Mexico to keep illegal immigrants out of the country

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto considered canceling his January 31 visit to Washington to meet with Trump over growing anger about his plans for the Wall

The story's unveiling of the cover comes as President Donald Trump tangos with the Mexican president over his planned border wall and a scheduled visit to Washington DC.

President Nieto is considering canceling his January 31 visit after being outraged by Trump's aggressive moves since taking office to construct the wall.

The US president's determination to have the Mexican government pay for its construction is also of insult to him, aides said.

On Thursday, President Trump said it was mutually decided between the pair that Nieto shouldn't visit.

During a speech on Thursday in Philadelphia he said he also thought it best to call off their sit down given the Mexican president's hostility.

'Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route. We have no choice,' he said.

The president had a longstanding feud with US Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter who in 1998 described him as a 'short fingered vulgarian'.

Carter claimed that for years before announcing his political ambitions, the billionaire sent him photographs of his hands scribbled on with gold Sharpies which protested they 'aren't so short'.

Donald Trump retaliated on Twitter by targeting the magazine's 'failing' readership and characterizing Carter as 'sloppy'.

Carter does not have a position on the editorial team for Mexican Vanity Fair.
A bus has plummeted off a cliff in Israel killing two people and injuring many more.

The vehicle fell 200ft off a cliff into a ravine and overturned in Shomron in Israel's West Bank.

Dramatic pictures of the crash have been shared on Twitter.

A bus has plummeted off a cliff in Israel killing two people and injuring many more

Local media has reported that dozens of people are injured but that emergency services are struggling to reach them.

Other photos surfaced of rescue crew searching for casualties among the wreckage of the upturned bus.

It is believed that some people are trapped in the bus.

The crash happened at about 1am local time.

Menachem Leff, head of the Binyamin region of United Hatzalah - a group of volunteer medics, told The Yeshiva World News: 'This is a very difficult situation in which one bus has fallen off of a cliff and dropped some 400 meters into the wadi below.

'United Hatzalah first responders who arrived at the scene have requested that lighting be brought, as well as search and rescue crews, fire rescue crews and helicopters be dispatched in order to help reach those on the bus.

'Due to the extreme nature of the incident, volunteers have also been dispatched from the Jerusalem and Shomron chapters of United Hatzalah.'

The vehicle fell 200ft off a cliff into a ravine in Shomron in Israel's West Bank
President Trump has praised the mayor of Miami-Dade after he ordered the city's jails to comply with the crackdown on 'sanctuary' counties.

Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing federal agencies to take away funding from self-proclaimed 'sanctuary cities' that limit cooperation with immigration authorities.

Unlike cities like San Francisco, Miami-Dade never officially labelled itself a 'sanctuary', but since 2013 has refused to indefinitely detain inmates who are in the country illegally and wanted by ICE.

President Trump has praised the mayor of Miami-Dade Carlos Gimenez (pictured) after he ordered the city's jails to comply with the crackdown on 'sanctuary' counties

President Trump has since tweeted his support for the decision. 'Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!,' he wrote on Thursday

However, that still landed the city on the list of 'sanctuaries' in the Justice Department's May 2016 report.

On Thursday, fearing cuts of millions of dollars, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, a Republican who said he voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election, decided to make the city's position clear.

'In light of the provisions of the Executive Order, I direct you and your staff to honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security,' Gimenez wrote to Daniel Junior, the interim director of the corrections and rehabilitation department.

The memo effectively means that Miami-Dade can no longer be considered a safe port for immigrants in the country illegally.

President Trump has since tweeted his support for the decision.

'Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!,' he wrote on Thursday.

Last year, the county refused to detain around 100 illegal immigrants wanted by the authorities, on the grounds that it would have cost $52,000 our of their $7 billion annual budget.

But the country receives millions in federal funding for elderly care, homeless shelters and more, according to the Miami Herald.

'I want to make sure we don't put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issue,' he said. 'It doesn't mean that we're going to be arresting more people. It doesn't mean that we're going to be enforcing any immigration laws.'

Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing federal agencies to take away funding from self-proclaimed 'sanctuary cities' that limit cooperation with immigration authorities

Immigration groups were preparing to fight Trump's executive order on Wednesday.

Lawyers for the potential challengers pointed to court rulings that said the federal government can only withhold funds to local jurisdictions if the money is directly tied to the behavior it objects to.

Trump had previously promised that even if a sanctuary city was penalized with cuts, the police departments would be protected.

But Richard Doyle, city attorney in San Jose, California, insists the Trump administration cannot cut funds for sanctuary cities' healthcare and education while preserving money for police, since those jobs relate more closely to immigration enforcement. He said it was not clear whether existing federal funding or only future grants would be targeted.

Supporters of the new Republican president's actions say that sanctuary cities ignore federal law and think the White House will be able to answer with a strong case in court.

Federal law allows Trump to restrict public assistance 'of any kind where an illegal alien could possibly benefit,' said Dale Wilcox, executive director of the Washington-based conservative Immigration Reform Law Institute.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio in a news conference said his chief legal officer would be in court the 'hour' after any specific action to withhold money came through.

'We will not deport law-abiding New Yorkers', he said, as he blasted Trump's executive order against sanctuary cities and pledges to protect undocumented immigrants.

Mayor Bill de Blasio in a news conference said his chief legal officer would be in court the 'hour' after any specific action to withhold money came through and pledged not to deport law-abiding New York citizens

'There is less here than meets the eye. This executive order is written in a very vague fashion,' said de Blasio, a Democrat.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, also a Democrat, said his office was still examining whether it could sue before Trump made any specific move to cut funds.

Trump's order directed that funding be slashed to all jurisdictions that refuse to comply with a statute that requires local governments to share information with immigration authorities.

Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project, said the cities can argue 'they are fully in compliance with that statute,' since they do share information with federal authorities, but offer limited cooperation when it comes to turning over immigrants who are not convicted criminals.

There could also be procedural snarls to implementing the cuts, lawyers who specialize in federal grants said. If the U.S. government seeks to cut off grants to a certain recipient, it must go through a complicated process known as 'suspension and debarment,' and cities would have the right to appeal.

'It's fair to say that they don't understand the scope and reach of federal grants law,' said Edward Waters, who heads the federal grants practice at the law firm Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell in Washington, referring to the Trump administration.

Immigration groups were preparing to fight Trump's executive order on Wednesday (file picture of protests in Miami-Dade last year)

The White House would also have to negotiate with states that are home to sanctuary cities. Nearly 90 percent of $652 billion the federal government handed out through more 1,500 separate grant programs in the most recent fiscal year went to states, not directly to cities, according to a Reuters review of federal spending data.

If the Trump administration wanted to try to cut off Medicaid money to Chicago, for example, it would have to work through the state government of Illinois, which could pose an additional barrier, Waters said.

Advocacy groups for immigrants' rights said they are also preparing their own legal challenges to other aspects of two executive orders Trump signed on Wednesday, examining sections that deal with expanding detention of immigrants and changing how asylum requests are processed.
The Queen is staying away from a major Commonwealth event in a snub to its controversial chief Baroness Scotland, it was claimed last night.

The monarch usually attends an annual reception at Marlborough House in London to celebrate Commonwealth Day on March 13.

But sources told the BBC's diplomatic editor James Landale that she will not attend because of her displeasure at the way the Commonwealth Secretariat was now being run.

The Queen will snub the Commonwealth Day celebration on March 13 at Marlborough House in London because of the ongoing controversy surrounding Baroness Scotland, picutred

The Queen, pictured here with Baroness Scotland in June 2016, will not attend the reception

Buckingham Palace denied the claims, although it confirmed that the Queen  who is Head of the Commonwealth  will not be going to the evening reception. Prince Charles will go in her place.

Baroness Scotland, Secretary- general of the Commonwealth Secretariat, has faced fierce criticism over her lavish spending since taking over last April.

It emerged yesterday that the situation is so bad that ministers have sent in troubleshooters to tackle her 'poor leadership'.

In a humiliating blow to the Labour peer, senior officials were last month drafted in to support the Commonwealth Secretariat.

It comes weeks after aid secretary Priti Patel demanded wholesale reforms and threatened to slash the organisation's 15million-a-year UK funding unless it gets its finances in order. Leaked documents showed Lady Scotland spent hundreds of thousands refurbishing her grace-and-favour mansion in Mayfair  as the organisation faces a cash crisis.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has come under fire for lavish spending

The former Labour attorney-general has also been attacked for appointing political allies to key posts in the Secretariat. She denies the accusations of wasteful spending and insisted no procurement rules were broken. But last month her organisation was named as one of the worst performing bodies funded from Britain's foreign aid budget. The Department for International Development said the Secretariat in London was 'underperforming' and needed 'urgent reform'.

Now it has emerged the Queen is apparently unhappy with the way the organisation is going under her leadership. Buckingham Palace has said the Queen will attend various events on Commonwealth Day  including a service at Westminster Abbey  but she will not attend the regular reception at Marlborough House, an event she rarely misses.

One senior Commonwealth source told the BBC: 'The Queen has only got to nip down the road from Buckingham Palace to Marlborough House in a Bentley. It's not that hard. Yet she has decided not to come.

'The Palace are thinking there is so much more to be done with the Commonwealth and yet they are lumbered with such poor leadership. The Commonwealth is stuffed.

'The High Commissioners have all given up on (Lady Scotland). They have other fish to fry. I do wonder if she can survive. She just treats people appallingly. And she has this political tin ear.'

Prince Charles, pictured here on a visit to Leicester this week, will deputise for the Queen

One parliamentary source said: 'Baroness Scotland has got this wrong from the beginning. It is an inbuilt arrogance. She appoints mates, people who don't have the relevant experience.

'The way she handled the [official] house was all wrong. There is a lot of concern. I am not surprised the Palace is getting a little edgy.'

Another diplomatic source said: 'What is happening is very sad. The morale at the secretariat is very low. The Commonwealth is the closest thing to Her Majesty's heart. If she doesn't come, it will be interpreted in this way. We in the Commonwealth preach transparency and accountability. We should practise it.'

Buckingham Palace sources confirmed the Queen was not attending the Marlborough House event  but insisted it was down to logistics and not displeasure with Lady Scotland.

A spokesman told the BBC: 'I can confirm that the Queen will be taking part in events during the course of Commonwealth Day, although on this occasion she will not attend the evening reception. Her Majesty will be represented at the reception by the Prince of Wales.'

Royal sources told Mr Landale that this was a common sense and practical decision to ensure the Queen's programme was suitably paced on a busy day. They also insisted it was wholly incorrect to link the decision to any debate about the Commonwealth Secretariat.

They noted the Queen had regular contact with Lady Scotland and that there were a lot of precedents for the Prince of Wales to represent her on Commonwealth duties.

The Secretariat helps run the group of 52 mostly former British colonies that make up the Commonwealth and that are home to some 2.3billion people. Last night a spokesman for the Secretariat said: 'Secretary-general Patricia Scotland has the backing of the 52 Commonwealth member states who elected her.

'It's only sensible that the Secretariat employs people of the highest calibre and those who have a track record of success in their respective fields.'
A college student who was jailed for torching two predominantly black churches is now trying to recruit students on campus for a national pro-white party.

Daniel Dropik, 33, who studies computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has enraged his fellow students for trying to start the local chapter of the American Freedom Party.

The political party 'exists to represent the political interests of White Americans' and has deep ties to white supremacism, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Dropik served about five years in prison after he was convicted of racially-motivated arsons at two black churches in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Lansing, Michigan.

Dropik was convicted of racially-motivated arsons at two black churches in 2005. He's now trying to start a local chapter of the American Freedom Party, which has white supremacist ties

Dropik expressed his frustrations with college courses examining white and male privilege, and said the discussions, coupled with the Black Lives Matter movement on campus led him to start a local chapter of the American Freedom Party.

After several incidents on campus targeting black and Jewish students last spring, minorities at the school have been pushing UW-Madison leaders to better protect them.

But Dropik, who spoke to The Associated Press in an interview, pushed back against the idea, saying the university has gone overboard in supporting non-white students and promoting cultural diversity.

'It's become unacceptable,' Dropik said. 'If white people have problems, they need to be able to organize.'

Dropik has been handing out flyers on campus encouraging people to 'fight anti-white racism' by joining the party, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The party's website states: 'Change your party allegiance to the American Freedom Party. A Nationalist party that shares the customs and heritage of the European American people.'

But the 33-year-old denied that his group promotes white supremacist ideas and cast himself as a victim, saying he has been bombarded with threats since he started handing out information about the chapter on campus about a week ago.

A dozen UW-Madison students and community members have expressed interest in joining, he said.

The school's officials said they are not aware of any other students who have joined and pointed out that the group is not a registered student organization.

Dropik has been handing out flyers on campus encouraging people to 'fight anti-white racism' by joining the party

In 2005, Dropik was convicted in federal court of racially-motivated arsons at two predominantly black churches.

He set out from his home specifically looking for black churches 'as racial retaliation', according to court documents.

He told investigators he believed a black person had stolen his backpack in a Milwaukee bus terminal and said black men beat him up during a party near the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

He served about five years in prison, and recently cited his mental illness, calling the crimes 'violent and wrong acts', according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The school's chancellor said the American Freedom Party is 'diametrically opposed to our campus values of respect and inclusion'

Dropik is starting his second year at the UW-Madison, and the school's chancellor Rebecca Blank said she was unaware of his convictions because the school is barred from asking applicants about their criminal history.

Blank said she will ask the Board of Regents to consider reviewing that policy.

She also criticized the American Freedom Party, saying: 'I ts activities are diametrically opposed to our campus values of respect and inclusion.'

'I am appalled by attacks on churches and by organizations that express hatred of people of color, Jews, Muslims or any other identity,' she added.

Students are planning a march on Tuesday to protest Dropik's efforts. As of early Thursday evening, more than 120 people plan to attend and 400 more are interested, according to the Facebook event.

'This thinly veiled white nationalism and blatant racism has no place on the diverse UW-Madison campus or in the city as a whole,' the event's description says.

Kat Kerwin, one of the protest organizers, called Dropik's group 'a modern-day Ku Klux Klan.'

Kerwin's group, the Student Coalition for Progress, will also ask university leaders not recognize the Madison-American Freedom Party as an official student organization.

Kerwin said that while she recognizes the right to free speech, she doesn't believe the group's ideas fall under those protections.

'This is hateful speech that is damaging to other people,' Kerwin said.

Dropik, who said he voted for President Donald Trump, doesn't think his group will have any trouble becoming a registered student organization given that it would not exclude anyone from joining.

The political party's website also states: 'The American Freedom Party is a party that represents the interests and issues of White Americans and all Americans who support our mission.'

Republican state Senator Stephen Nass supported Dropik's right to express his ideas

Blank said in a news release that the university is monitoring the situation and is not aware of any safety threats to students.

'We continue to track this situation closely given the student's history,' Blank said. 'We will not tolerate discrimination against any student. We will also not tolerate harassment, threats, hate crimes or violence against any students

Republican state Senator Stephen Nass of Whitewater, a frequent UW System critic, accused the university of declaring a 'war on men' with an initiative exploring masculinity. He also criticized a class about white privilege.

Nass' spokesman, Mike Mikalsen, said Nass does not agree with all of Dropik's views, but supports his right to express them and widen the array of ideas on campus.

The campus saw a string of racially charged incidents in the spring of 2016. A black student was spat on and called racial slurs, a swastika was drawn on a Jewish student's door and police arrested a black student for spray-painting anti-racist messages on buildings.

University leaders announced in August a plan that calls for students from several dorms to discuss social differences.

They also hope to create a black cultural center, increase the size of ethnic studies courses and diversity training for faculty and staff.
Margaret Fagenson, the wife of a millionaire Wall Street legend, jumped to her death from the 14th floor terrace of her luxury New York City apartment.

The 68-year-old was reportedly suffering from depression, and died at the scene after landing on a sidewalk next to her building, the Henderson House.

She was identified by sources at the scene around 10:50am on Thursday, reported the New York Daily News.

Margaret Fagenson (left), the wife of millionaire Wall Street legend Robert Fagenson (pictured), jumped to her death from the 14th floor terrace of her luxury New York City apartment. She is pictured here with her husband and two daughters, Jennifer (center left) and Stephanie (far right)

One witness who saw Fagenson leap was too far away to help, and she did not leave a note.

Robert Fagenson, her husband, is the CEO of a boutique investment bank in New York, Fagenson & Co. He reportedly appeared devastated as he stood next to his wife's body, holding their two dogs.

A shocked friend said to the New York Post: 'She is the last person who would do such a thing'.

Fagenson was a prominent animal rescue donor, and the couple supported for years groups such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society.

A neighbor said to the Post: 'I saw them yesterday, they were so happy'.

Fagenson, pictured with her family, was a prominent animal rescue donor, and the couple supported for years groups such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Human Society

The couple owned 14th floor apartment on E 86th Street, a building called the Henderson House, which is worth $2.8million

A doorman from across, Rodney Bissoondath, 37, the street told the Daily News: 'I heard a loud "boom" noise and I waited a couple minutes.

'By the time I went outside the cops were already putting sheets on the person'.

The couple owned 14th floor apartment on E 86th Street, which is worth $2.8million,

Bissoondath told the Daily News that this is the third person to jump from the building in recent years.

If you need to speak to a counselor, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1 (800) 273-8255.
Britain has defied predictions of doom to become the strongest major economy in the developed world, thanks to continuing growth following the Brexit vote.

Output increased by 0.6 per cent in the final three months of the year  meaning the economy grew by a total of 2 per cent in 2016.

The UK's economy is expected to have expanded more than those of any other G7 leading industrialised nation  the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy, according to the International Monetary.

Brexit campaigners said the figures, from the Office for National Statistics, were 'the final nail in the coffin of Project Fear'  the name given to the gloomy predictions of Remainers prior to the EU referendum last June.

The news makes a mockery of warnings that a vote to leave the EU would tip Britain into recession.

Before the referendum, a Treasury 'dossier of doom' predicted the economy would shrink by up to 1 per cent in the third quarter and 0.4 per cent in the fourth following a Brexit vote.

The then Chancellor George Osborne said a vote to leave would be an 'immediate shock' that would 'push our economy into a recession'.

But Ian Kernohan, an economist at investment firm Royal London Asset Management, said: 'Far from plunging into recession after the vote to leave, the UK was actually the fastest growing G7 economy.'

Chancellor Philip Hammond said: 'Expectations expressed of a slowdown have yet to come to pass.'

He predicted an increase in business investment and exports and pointed out that an 'incredible' supermarket price war was keeping living costs down for millions.

He added: 'There may be uncertainty ahead as we adjust to a new relationship with Europe, but we are ready to seize the opportunities to create a competitive economy that works for all.'

Mr Hammond welcomed 'very positive' signs that the weak pound had supported manufacturers

The ONS said the economy grew faster in the six months after the referendum than in the six months before as confident consumers went on a spree  in spite of dire warnings.

Gross domestic product  the annual value of goods and services produced in Britain, also called output  rose by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 and 0.6 per cent in the second  the six months leading up to the referendum in June.

But it rose by 0.6 per cent in the three months after the Brexit vote and by the same amount in the final three months of the year.

Mr Hammond welcomed 'very positive' signs that the weak pound had supported manufacturers by boosting exports and added that business investment was likely to rise following a 'pause' after the referendum.

'As the future relationship between Britain and the EU becomes clearer to business we will see a large number of postponed investment decisions crystallising,' he said.

Neil MacKinnon, of Economists for Brexit and the banking group VTB Capital, said: 'The GDP numbers appear to be the final nail in the coffin of Project Fear, a deliberate campaign to mislead the public.'

It also emerged yesterday that mortgage lending hit a nine-month high in December.
Theyre the latest must-have in smart, middle-class homes. There is nothing like the irresistible ambience of a wood stove, boasts one website selling them  and the sales patter is working, with 175,000 British homeowners buying one last year.

But how many of them can see the connection between the irresistible ambience and the decision by London Mayor Sadiq Khan this week to declare a very high pollution alert?

Freezing fog and smoke particles have combined to form what, for some, will be deadly. Anyone with heart and lung conditions has been advised to avoid strenuous exercise and asthma sufferers warned to have their inhalers at the ready.

This week London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a very high pollution alert in the city

And its not just London  this weeks smog in the capital is part of a much wider problem of air pollution in Britain, costing thousands of lives a year.

The most deadly element of this toxic soup is tiny soot particles called PM2.5s  defined as having a diameter of one four-hundredth-of-a-millimetre or less  approximately 30 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair.

They can penetrate deep into the lungs, and have been implicated in exacerbating lung and cardiovascular diseases.

According to the European Environment Agency, PM2.5s are responsible for 37,800 premature deaths in Britain a year. And while wood-burning stoves may seem like a more eco-friendly option, the single biggest source for these particles is wood-burning  a third of which occurs in our homes.

On Sunday evening, a team led by Dr Gary Fuller, an air pollution scientist at Kings College, London, measured the highest levels of PM2.5s since 2011.

Tellingly, it occurred at a time when traffic was relatively light, but a lot of people were at home in front of their wood-burners. Analysis of the air confirmed a high level of wood smoke.

The fact is that the makers of wood-burning stoves and boilers have been allowed to circumvent long-standing laws aimed at preventing smog.

Even worse, in the case of boilers, taxpayers are subsidising deadly pollution.

That we have ended up in such a situation is down to an environment policy fixated on one thing: reducing carbon emissions at the exclusion of all other issues.

Wood stoves are the latest must-have in middle class homes but how many people see the connection between them and the country's pollution problem? (file photo)

The tragedy is that we seemed to have defeated smog once already. There was a time when air pollution such as London and the South-East has experienced this week would have been considered normal.

On occasions, atmospheric conditions would conspire to turn the pollution into something much worse. The deadly pea souper of December 1952 cost 4,000 lives and caused London to grind to a halt.

Cattle were reported to have been asphyxiated at Smithfield Market, while in the Isle of Dogs visibility was so reduced that residents reported not being able to see their feet as they walked along the street.

The smog didnt just affect central London. Even Croydon, well out in the southern suburbs, reported 96 deaths caused by the toxic air. The 1952 smog led to the Clean Air Act of 1956. That set up Smoke Control Areas in which burning of coal and wood was banned. People with open fires and solid fuel boilers  which was most homes in the Fifties  were permitted to use only approved smokeless fuels which burn without producing much soot.

Over the decades, huge strides were made in cleaning up vehicle exhausts, too. Unleaded petrol was introduced in the Eighties. By the mid-Nineties, all new petrol cars had to be fitted with catalytic converters, which remove many noxious elements of exhaust. The sulphur content of diesel fuel has been reduced.

The deadly pea souper of December 1952 cost 4,000 lives and caused London to grind to a halt (pictured)

But in the past few years we have started in some ways to go backwards. Last year, the World Health Organisation reported that 39 towns and cities in the UK had breached what are regarded as safe levels of PM2.5 emissions.

The problem extends well beyond London and the main industrial cities  on the list were Saltash in Cornwall and Chepstow in Monmouthshire: small towns where you might expect clean air.

It isnt easy to compare our air cleanliness with that in the Fifties because monitoring of PM2.5s started only a decade ago. But one thing is for sure: while we once led the world in tackling air pollution, we are now failing to live up to internationally accepted standards.

Much has been made in recent months about diesel engines, and how they have been emitting higher levels of harmful nitrogen oxides than official tests suggest  partly as a result of cheating on the tests admitted by VW, but suspected among other manufacturers, too.

The irony is that motorists were encouraged through low tax rates set by the Blair government to buy diesel  on the grounds that diesel engines emit less carbon dioxide. But the encouragement of wood-burning is a bigger scandal.

Wood was one of the fuels prohibited in the Clean Air Act from being burned in smokeless zones. But there is an exemption which allows it to be burned in appliances approved by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

There are now hundreds of appliances on the list, ranging from wood-burning stoves to biomass boilers. Theoretically, all meet standards.

But as with diesel engines, the level of pollution measured in a controlled test does not necessarily reflect what spews out of them in practice  when, for example, people open the doors of their wood-burner to create a homely, open-fire effect.

A study in Tasmania, where new wood-burning stoves are allowed only if they are designed to emit less than 2.5g of PM2.5s per kg of wood burned, found that in real life they emit nearly four times that  with an average of 9.4g per kg. At that level, a single wood stove burning three tonnes of wood a year  the average  will emit as much PM2.5 pollution as 2,000 petrol cars.

The 1952 smog led to the Clean Air Act of 1956 and Smoke Control Areas being set up in which burning of coal and wood was banned (pictured, London during the 1952 smog)

Its likely the levels of pollution from wood-burning stoves in Britain are at least as high, however no tests of this kind  that is, in conditions that imitate real life  have been carried out over here yet.

When the Clean Air Act was introduced, there was an onus on coal-merchants to ensure they were selling the right fuel, and selling it only to householders with appropriate fireplaces. Now no one seems to be monitoring what is burned and how. There is nothing to stop people burning wood treated with paint or preservative  which could give off lead and arsenic.

Of course, there are things you can do to mitigate the problem. For example, more soot and particulate emissions are produced when softwood (pine and fir), unseasoned (not dried for at least a year) and wet wood is burned. So you should use less-polluting hardwoods.

Meanwhile, homeowners and businesses, are being encouraged to fit biomass boilers through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The boilers  suitable only for large homes  can attract payments of 2,000 to 3,000. The subsidy scheme was designed to encourage people to switch their oil boilers for biomass versions, which use wood chips.

While biomass boilers are less polluting than wood-burning stoves, they are still a significant source of PM2.5 pollution.

At the same time, the Government is pouring subsidies into electricity generation from wood-burning. Drax in Yorkshire, once the largest coal-fired power station in Britain, receives about 1 million a day to generate electricity from wood chips hauled from North America.

Yet the UN has proposed that wood-burning be phased out in homes in the developing world, blaming it for premature deaths as well as climate change.

How ironic, then, that trendy British homeowners are being encouraged to poison our own air.
Downing Street last night refused to rule out re-nationalising Southern rail as latest performance figures showed more than seven in ten trains on its busiest route were delayed.

Officials at the Department for Transport are understood to be pouring over performance figures to assess whether rail bosses are to blame for its woeful track record of delays and cancellations.

The service has been hit by a wave of strikes from conductors and drivers, which has caused disruption for commuters since April last year.

Officials at the Department for Transport are not ruling out re-nationalising Southern rail. The latest performance figures show seven in ten trains on its busiest route were delayed

But critics point out that commuters continue to put up with constant disruption even when Southern is meant to be running a full service.

The prime ministers spokesman yesterday said re-nationalisation remains an option, although stressed there are no plans to strip Govia Thameslink Railway of the struggling Southern franchise.

He said: We have been very clear that we expect to see improvements from the operator of Southern. The service is not as good as it should be.

He added: Performance of all franchises are kept under constant review and those that perform poorly face penalties.

As part of its contract with the government, Southerns parent company Govia has to hit certain performance targets, which include the punctuality of trains.

But last year Govia submitted a claim for force majeure, arguing it has been affected by events beyond its control and therefore cannot be held liable for its appalling service.

The cross party Transport committee has dismissed these claims and said the sheer number of cancellations on the network would normally provide grounds for the government to terminate the contract.

There have been fresh calls from MPs of all parties this week to renationalise Southern, amid claims that the Department of Transport is considering a number of options, including taking temporary control of the Southern rail network while another bidder can be found.

Demonstrators protest against Southern Rail and its parent company Govia Thameslink on December 15 2016 after a series of strikes by the company

According to Rail Business Intelligence magazine, one option being considered - known as a managed exit  involves civil servants running the entire franchise until a new bidder is found.

These reports - including claims a potential managing director  were denied by the Department of Transport.

The statement from Number Ten that re-nationalisation is still on the table came as latest performance figures showed commuters continue to be plagued by delays, despite the operators claims to be running a full service.

On its busiest route  the Southern Mainline between Brighton and London  more than seven in ten rains were delayed on Wednesday.

On the Southern Metro from Kent to London Bridge, almost seven in ten trains failed to arrive on time.

A strike by train drivers on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week which threatened to bring the service to a halt was called off by Aslef.

But twelve driver members of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union have staged a walk out.

On its website Southern assured commuters it expects to run a full service from Tuesday January 24, adding the strike involving RMTs 12 drivers will have little or no impact on this.

Robert Flello, a Labour member of the Transport Committee said: These latest performance figures prove the lie that the disruption is all down to strikes. Commuters have had to put up with an appalling service with the government on the side of railway company. Re-nationalising Southern is the right thing to do, but I wouldnt trust the government to do a better job.

Chris Philp, a Tory MP, who is leading a campaign on behalf of passengers, said: Southern has been offering an appalling service for a long time, causing misery for consumers. Unions are obviously to blame for making an already bad service even worse. But it is clear that Govia must lose the Southern franchise.

The industrial dispute centres around the decision by rail bosses to give train drivers, rather than guards responsibility for opening and closing the train doors.

Unions insist this jeopardises the safety of passengers. But critics point out such systems have been in place for decades and have been approved by safety watchdogs.

Ministers are desperate to avoid re-nationalising Southern, believing another operator is unlikely to be able to do a better job.

But the commons Transport Committee has said this is simply not credible.

A spokesman for Southern rail said: We were running a normal service but this, as always, can be affected by day-to-day issues such as signalling, a train fault and the derailed freight train which really affected Thameslink and, in turn, Southern services.
A former sailor sentenced to one year in jail for mishandling classified information is pleading to President Donald Trump to pardon him for his crime  and Trump is listening.

Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked the president about 'the power of the pardon,' and mentioned the case of Kristian Saucier of Arlington, Vermont. Saucier was jailed in August for taking six photos of classified areas inside a nuclear attack submarine.

' Would that be something early on, you would consider?' Hannity asked.

'I'm actually looking at it right now,' Trump replied. 'I think it's very unfair in light of what's happened with other people.'

President Donald Trump said in a Fox News Channel interview broadcast Thursday night that he's considering a clemency petition from a sailor jailed for taking photos of a nuclear submarine's classified area

Kristian Saucier of Arlington, Vermont, was sentenced to a year in prison for taking the pictures; his lawyers argued that it was similar to how Hillary Clinton used a private server to send classified emails  but she got off scot-free

Those 'other people' include most prominently Hillary Clinton, his Democratic election foe who was never prosecuted for allegedly mishandling classified information on a far larger scale.

Her unsecured homebrew email server was found to contain more than 1,000 classified documents.

As he campaigned for the White House, Trump called her 'guilty as hell.'

Saucier's lawyers cited the Clinton case in a plea for leniency, saying the government's lack of interest in bringing her to justice constituted a double standard for government employees at different levels in the pecking order.

Clinton was the U.S. secretary of state when she was sending and receiving emails that contained classified information.

Trump seemed on Thursday night to have already considered the parallels.

Saucier was serving on board the USS Alexandria, right, when he took the images

Trump's interview with Fox's Sean Hannity also included comments about the ISIS terror army, Supreme Court nominations, and the 'disgusting' Madonna

'How can you have somebody else get away with such a tremendous amount,' he asked, 'and then this person who takes a picture of his desk on an old submarine .'

'Look,' the president declared. 'If China or Russia wanted information on that submarine, they've had it for many years. That I can tell you.'

Trump said he was 'looking at a few' such cases.

In addition to 1 year in jail, Saucier was ordered to serve six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring, during a three-year period of supervised release.

He pleaded guilty in May 2016 to unauthorized 'detention' of defense information and had faced five to six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Saucier was a 22-year-old sailor when he took photos of classified areas in the sub; he said he wanted to show them to his kids one day

Saucier felt his punishment was heavy-handed due to how he felt Hillary Clinton was treated over her use of a private email server that moved a large number of classified files without encryption or other cyber security

He also did not cooperate with the investigation into his misconduct  destroying a laptop and an SD card following an interview with the FBI.

Saucier took advantage of the changing of the guard in the White House, sending an appeal directly to Trump two weeks ago.

'While my conduct in taking the six photos was admittedly wrong and without excuse, the Department of Justice's heavy-handed response to my misconduct was certainly a product of the scrutiny brought about by a fervent political climate and not by the gravity of my misconduct,' he wrote.

'Indeed, if not for the high level of the Clinton misconduct and the lengthy presidential campaign process, there can be no doubt that my far less egregious acts of taking six photos of my work station would have otherwise been received with a significantly lower form of punishment.'

Sauciers attorney Jeffrey Addicott told the Navy Times that he hopes Trump will be sympathetic to his client's case.

Saucier was sentenced to one year in prison; his lawyers wanted probation

'The reason this case cries out for clemency and pardon is just the gross injustice,' Addicott said. 'This is a matter of justice and justice isnt just about whether you are guilty or not  hes admitted that. It's about the punishment as well.'

Saucier admitted to taking six photos of classified areas inside the USS Alexandria in 2009 when it was in Groton, Connecticut and he was a 22-year-old machinist mate on the submarine.

The photos showed the nuclear reactor compartment, the auxiliary steam propulsion panel and the maneuvering compartment, prosecutors said.

The sailor's attorneys tried working the Clinton angle, arguing that the Democratic presidential nominee had been 'engaging in acts similar to Mr. Saucier' with information of much higher classification, according to US News.

The filing said it would be 'unjust and unfair for Mr. Saucier to receive any sentence other than probation,' given other people's outcomes.

Saucier took the photos knowing they were classified, but did so only to be able to show his family and future children what he did while he was in the Navy, his lawyers said.

He denied sharing the photos with any unauthorized person.

'It was a foolish mistake by a very young man,' his lawyer, Greg Rinckey, said after the sentencing. 'It's a very sad case because Kristian Saucier is a fine young man. We don't believe this was really his true character.'

Saucier reported to prison in October.

The pictures in Saucier's case showed the USS Alexandria's nuclear reactor compartment, auxiliary steam propulsion panel and the maneuvering compartment

Saucier wrote: 'While my conduct in taking the six photos was admittedly wrong and without excuse, the Department of Justice's heavy-handed response to my misconduct was certainly a product of the scrutiny brought about by a fervent political climate'

Calling for a significant sentence, prosecutors said: 'During the course of the investigation, at no time did the defendant admit or take responsibility for his conduct and did not truthfully disclose the salient facts, or engage in a meaningful debriefing of his conduct.'

According to court documents: 'Saucier methodically documented the entire propulsion system of the nuclear submarine, including the design of its nuclear compartment and its nuclear reactor.'

Prosecutors wrote that he was 'grasping at highly imaginative and speculative straws in trying to further draw a comparison to the matter of Secretary Hillary Clinton based on virtually no understanding and knowledge of the facts involved, the information at issue, not to mention any issues of intent and knowledge.'

Rinckey said after sentencing that 'it could be argued here that depending on what your name is, that's the type of justice you get in the United States.'

A former sailor who worked with Saucier, Gene Pitcher, told Politico, 'I just dont think its fair. In reality, what [Clinton] did is so much worse than what Kris did. ... I think its just a blatant double standard.'

He added that he had seen other sailors get in trouble for taking photos, but that they usually just lost pay or rank, and Saucier is the only one he's seen prosecuted.
Hacksaw Ridge (15)

Rating:

Sing (U)

Rating:

Desmond Doss was a simple God-fearing boy from rural Virginia who became a hero in World War II, despite having registered as a conscientious objector, by single-handedly moving 75 of his wounded comrades from the battlefield to safety during the brutal Allied assault on Okinawa island in 1945.

Thats simple in the sense of uncomplicated, by the way, rather than mentally deficient, though in the first half of Mel Gibsons powerful if somewhat calculating film, Andrew Garfield plays Desmond more or less as Forrest Gump with a bible.

Lets just stick with films power, though. I first saw Hacksaw Ridge at the Venice Film Festival in September, and afterwards, as I made my way out of the cinema, I noticed an elderly woman, sitting on her own, clapping and weeping all the way through the credits.

A still from the film Hacksaw Ridge staring Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss, a Forrest Gump with a bible writes Brian Viner

Since the films release in the U.S. two months later, the response has been similarly emotional, sweeping it all the way to six Oscar nominations.

It is up for Best Picture and Best Director, which would appear to seal Gibsons rehabilitation in the eyes of his peers. A history of erratic and abusive behaviour, shocking even by Hollywood standards, had made him something of a pariah.

His film, though, has gone down a storm in the U.S., especially with the so-called Christian Right, who predictably relish the way Desmond is driven by his faith even if he also refuses to exercise his God-given right to bear arms.

Gibson has found a true story undoubtedly worth telling, and he does so in a thunderously crowd-pleasing way, although the more squeamish in the crowd might want to hide behind their seats during the long battle scenes.

For a film about a man who abjured violence, it could hardly be bloodier or more graphic, with particularly gruesome shots of men being burned alive by flamethrowers.

But it starts in backwoods Virginia, where Desmond and his brother are raised as Seventh Day Adventists by their mother (Rachel Griffiths), while their bullying father (Hugo Weaving) drinks himself silly. He is still trying to come to terms with his experiences in World War I, from which his three best friends returned in coffins.

Meanwhile, Desmond grows up and Forrest Gump-ishly pursues a pretty nurse, Dorothy (Teresa Palmer). Then he joins the army, but only on condition that he will never have to wield a rifle.

Not that his conditions cut much ice with his superiors at military-training camp, where, in the time-honoured way of the movies, every possible barrack-room cliche is wheeled out to make his life a misery.

Can Desmond reconcile his urge to serve his country in the crucible of warfare, with his conviction that it is a sin to kill? Ah dont know how ahm gonna live with mahself if ah dont stay true to what ah believe, he says, with further echoes of Gump. Not to mention Trump. There is plenty in this film that would appeal to the 45th President, another mocked outsider who confounded expectations.

So, will Desmonds fellow recruits, and his shouty sergeant (Vince Vaughn), stop being horrible to him and learn to respect and eventually revere him?

Naturally, we know the answers to all these questions long before theyre resolved, but Gibson keeps the story chugging along extremely watchably. Garfield, once we stop half-expecting him to seek out Lootenant Dan, gives a terrific performance that I dont expect will quite bag him an Academy Award, but certainly deserves to put him in the frame.

Moreover, the scenes in which Desmond drags wounded soldiers to the edge of an escarpment called Hacksaw Ridge, and contrives a way of lowering them to safety below, are tremendously accomplished.

Even though the director was raised in Australia, the hero is played by a Brit and his parents and girlfriend by Aussies, here is a picture that seems engineered to manipulate entire U.S. audiences into standing up and bellowing The Star-Spangled Banner.

When footage pops up at the end of the real Desmond Doss, who was awarded the Medal of Honour in 1945 and died in 2006, I might have done so myself if Id known the words.

So for Gibson, whose own supposedly devout Christianity has not precluded all those drunken rages, all those assaults, all the bizarre misogynistic and anti-Semitic outbursts, this is a job exceedingly well done.

It takes him precisely two hours and 11 minutes to convince Hollywood that it should turn the other cheek.

The U rated film Sing features Matthew McConaughey as the voice of dapper Koala Buster Moon (left) while writer Garth Jennings voices the elderly lizard Miss Crawly (right)

Sing is another film featuring a single-minded figure who overcomes great challenges to become a hero. Only this one is an animated koala bear.

Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) is a theatrical impresario who, in a last-ditch bid to rescue his failing business, launches a singing competition which quickly attracts widespread attention on account of having a lavish prize: $100,000.

It was supposed to be $1,000, but Busters secretary, an elderly iguana called Ms Crawly (voiced by the films British writer-director, Garth Jennings), sent out the leaflets with two mistakenly added zeroes. So the stage is set for all the pop-star wannabes in a town populated, as in last years superior Zootropolis, entirely by animals.

They include a pig called Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), whose 25 piglets and husband Norman take her entirely for granted; a scheming, Sinatra-like crooning mouse called Mike (Seth MacFarlane); a punk porcupine called Ash (Scarlett Johansson); a shy elephant crippled with stage fright called Meena (Tori Kelly); and Johnny (Taron Egerton), a Cockney gorilla who has been forced into a life of crime by his gangster father, but wants only to play the piano and sing.

Buster and his proteges lurch from one misadventure to the next, all of which is great fun and very impressively animated by Illumination, the outfit also responsible for Despicable Me, Minions and The Secret Life Of Pets.

I loved a scene in which Buster, on his uppers, is compelled to start a car-wash, with himself doubling as a sponge, and his friend Eddie (John C. Reilly), a sheep, doing the drying. And the voice cast, which also includes Jennifers Saunders and Hudson, could hardly be starrier.

At almost two hours, though, it feels a little too long.

Also, if like me youve already had it up to the larynx with singing competitions on TV, you might not want to subject yourself to an animated version.

But Sing has marvellous verve and its easy to see why, across the Atlantic, its already a hit.
Former Billabong boss Mathew Perrin will spend the next eight years behind bars for forging his ex-wife's signature to obtain a $13.5 million loan.

Perrin's current girlfriend Belinda Otton looked disappointed when leaving Brisbane District Court on Friday after the eight-year sentence had been handed down.

Ms Otton appeared by Perrin's side throughout the trial - as his ex-wife Nicole Bricknell told the court she wouldn't 'find peace' until the father of her children was in jail.

Former Billabong Boss Mathew Perrin jailed for eight years over fraud, his current partner Belinda Otton looked disappointed following the sentencing

Perrin, 43, put a $13.5million mortgage on his family home by forging his then wife Nicole Bricknell's name

Bricknell, pictured, found out in 2009 when her then husband called an emergency family meeting to confess - the house was solely in her name when he forged her signature

In 2008 Perrin, 43, forged his then wife Ms Bricknell's signature to mortgage the family's Gold Coast mansion, which was solely in her name, for $13.5million.

He also forged the signature of his brother Fraser Perrin as witness on the document.

The trial had heard that in 2008 Perrin urgently needed credit from the Commonwealth Bank to fund his failing investments.

Perrin's deception came undone in 2009 when he made a dramatic confession at an emergency family meeting revealing he had 'lost everything'.

'I'm going to jail, I've done a lot of bad things,' Perrin cried.

The failed businessman also signed a six-page confession stating he had gone behind his wife's back for years and tricked the bank.

Ms Otton following the sentencing on January 27 - Otton has appeared by Perrin's side throughout the court process

The family home on the Gold Coast which was fraudulently mortgaged by Perrin

The white-collar criminal who was found guilty of three counts of fraud and six of forgery after a week-long trial in December, 2016.

Judge Julie Dick said on Friday it was 'inevitable' that Perrin would be found guilty because of the considerable evidence against him.

She said Perrin's offending struck at the heart of commercial integrity, and his good standing in the community and lack of criminal history were all the hallmarks of white-collar crime.

'You turned to these criminal activists to stay afloat,' Judge Dick said.

Perrin, who was unresponsive during his sentencing, will be eligible for parole in late 2020.

Perrin faked his ex-wife Bricknell's signature on bank documents in 2008 (Ms Bricknell is pictured)

Former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin (pictured holding hands with his now-partner Belinda Otton) was convicted of nine counts of fraud and forgery on December 20

The court heard the CBA remains about $9 million out of pocket as it has not been able to recover the house from Perrin as a result of his convictions.

Ms Bricknell wrote a New Year's message on Facebook to say the saga that finished in Perrin's imprisonment in December showed that 'we are survivors'.

'Happy New Year. For my beautiful children... my family, extended family, myself and friends... I will stay strong, work hard and provide everything I can for my children,' she wrote.

'I'm so proud of them and their strength and courage throughout this nightmare 9 years.

Ms Bricknell wrote a New Year's message on Facebook to say the saga that finished in Perrin's imprisonment in December showed that 'we are survivors'

Ms Bricknell previously said she wouldn't be 'at peace' until the father of her children was in jail

In December Ms Bricknell took to social media to express how she felt about the whole saga

'It's been horrific and they have generally been amazing. We've had ups and many many downs, but we are survivors.

'I love them so deeply and am beyond proud of my 3 [children].'

A jury found Perrin guilty of three counts of fraud and six counts of forgery.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three further charges. He is set to be sentenced on January 27 and has been remanded in custody.

He insisted Ms Bricknell knew exactly what he was doing and gave permission for him to sign the documents in 2008 on her behalf.

Ms Bricknell told the court she 'never, ever' gave her former partner permission to sign on her behalf.

'This man has taken from me and my children without my permission and knowledge, that's worse than having an affair in my opinion,' Ms Bricknell told the Brisbane District Court throughout the trial.

'I always protected my children and I never, ever would have allowed him to sign my name on anything - that was not the right thing to do,' she said.

The mother-of-three told the court she won't be able to find peace until he is in jail.

Perrin told the court he often signed Ms Bricknell's name on documents throughout their marriage.

The $15 million Surfers Paradise property is pictured

'If Nicole was available and convenient she would sign them ... if she wasn't I would sign them for her,' he said.

The jury was shown a document which Perrin said gave him authority to act on Ms Bricknell's behalf in respect of their finances, including debts in her name.

Perrin, who is also a qualified solicitor, was also accused of forging his brother Fraser Perrin's signature on the paperwork.

He denied the 12 total charges, nine of which he was convicted over.

Perrin made a total of around $57 million from his investment in Billabong before he resigned as CEO in 2003.

By 2009 he had lost it all through bad investments and was declared bankrupt, the court was told.
A Minnesota mother suing her 17-year-old transgender daughter was 'unstable' and 'abusive' during her daughter's childhood, a court heard today.

Anmarie Calgaro has sued her transgender daughter, claiming she started undergoing a male to female gender transition without her permission.

She filed a lawsuit in November against her daughter and several agencies and health-care providers claiming her parental rights had been infringed when they helped the teen facilitate the sex-reassignment treatment without her knowledge.

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Anmarie Calgaro has sued her transgender daughter, claiming she started undergoing a male to female gender transition without her permission

Calgaro - who refers to her child as a male - claims she was not consulted or informed in any way about the treatments before they started. Her identity has not been revealed, though she is pictured with her mother before the transformation started

Calgaro - who refers to her child as a male - claims she was not consulted or informed in any way about the treatments before they started.

The teenager, identified in the lawsuit as E.J.K., lives away from her mother.

She claims Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Clinic helped the teenager file an emancipation statement in court in June 2015, but no official legal action was taken to terminate the mother's rights.

Initially, Calgaro portrayed herself to the court as a loving mother, only concerned about her daughter's well-being.

However, E.J.K. told a court that she's been living on her own for two years, and grew up in a house with unstable parents who struggled with substance abuse, reported NBC news.

In court documents she described making her own meals and getting herself ready for school, relying on a 'network of other adults who supplied some of the care and nurturing that her biological parents were unable to offer,' according to NBC.

E.J.K., pictured, has identified as a girl since she was a child, and began looking for treatment in 2015

She also said that when she came out as gay, she was around 13, her mother and stepfather became mentally and physically abusive.

At 15, she moved in with her biological father, who went to jail shortly after.

After staying with her grandmother for a short period of time, and then with a series of different friends, she got her own apartment, reported NBC.

She also said that when she came out as gay, she was around 13, her mother and stepfather, pictured in a Facebook snap, became mentally and physically abusive

E.J.K. told a court that she's been living on her own for two years, and grew up in a house with unstable parents who struggled with substance abuse

Court documents describe the teen as 'remarkably self-sufficient'. Along with having her own apartment, she has a full-time job and will graduate high school in the spring.

She plans to start college in the fall and has already received two acceptance letters from nursing programs, according to NBC.

Her statement, included in the complaint, states that her mother 'made it known to him that she no longer wishes to have any contact with him' and that she 'knows where he is and has made no attempts to bring him home'.

The teen said while Calgaro had legal custody, she did not report her child as a runaway even six months after the teenager left home.

Under Minnesota law, a minor living separately from their parents - with or without consent - and is managing personal income and affairs may give effective consent to personal medical services.

Calgaro, who lives in northeastern Minnesota while her child lives in central Minnesota, has disputed the claims about her relationship with the teenager.

E.J.K. has identified as a girl since she was a child, and began looking for treatment in 2015.

She said in court papers: 'I was not pressured in any way by my providers to consent to this treatment. My providers had no involvement in my decision not to involve my mother in my health care decisions.'

Court documents argue that Calagro does not have a case because her daughter fits the definition of an emancipated minor

At a press conference in November, Calagro was visibly upset, recalling her discovery that her child would be receiving medical treatment without any notification.

She said: 'The news that county agencies and health service providers, the school, and other county and state officers were completely bypassing me came as a total shock. Why wasn't I even notified?'

The lawsuit seeks damages from St Louis County, St Louis School Board, her daughter's high school principle, the director of the county's Health and Human services agency, and two nonprofit health clinics.

She is hoping to regain parental control of E.J.K. and prevent further treatment.

Court documents argue that Calagro does not have a case because her daughter fits the definition of an emancipated minor.
The father of a nine-year-old girl who was shot dead as he grappled with home invaders has spoken out.

Alexandrea 'Sissy' Thompson was fatally shot last Wednesday by a bullet which traveled through her father Alex and into her chest, authorities say.

'I was trying to defend her and defend myself,' said Alex who had been struggling with three gunman who burst into their Mount Auburn house when they opened fire.

Alex Thompson was shot four times but survived.

Alex Thompson, the father of a nine-year-old girl who was shot dead as he grappled with home invaders, has spoken out

Alexandrea Thompson (left and right) was fatally shot last Wednesday by a bullet which traveled through her father Alex and into her chest

The heartbroken father told 5 WLWT that the family has been left devastated by the death of their daughter.

'I just want them to catch my daughter's killer. I want to know who did this and why,' Thompson said. 'She's an angel, sweetest thing on earth,' her father said. 'If you met her, she left a print on you. You will always know her and remember her.'

Thompson said that the nightmare began at around 5.30pm last Wednesday when three men came to the door asking for marijuana and money.

When another one his daughters refused and tried to close the door, they barged in, he said.

Thompson was upstairs playing a video game when he heard his daughter cry out.

A protest was held outside the home after the tragedy as Alexandrea's family called for justice

Thompson said that the nightmare began at around 5.30pm last Wednesday when three men came to the door asking for marijuana and money

Alex had been struggling with three gunman who burst into their Mount Auburn house when they opened fire

'She was calling me and said, 'daddy,' and I'm like 'what,' and I turn to the other side and I see the guy covering her mouth with a gun to her head,' he said.

Thompson said he saw his moment, and attempted to wrestle the gun out of one of the intruder's hands, hoping that his daughter would run out of the room.

Instead, she ran behind her father, according to her aunt.

'She was behind her dad. She was probably scared,' Alexandrea's aunt told Cincinnati Enquirer. 'She ran behind him instead of running away.'

Thompson was shot in the hand, arm and abdomen, and it's believed the bullet that struck Alexandrea may have gone through her father's body first.

Police said at least three men were seen leaving the home, by witnesses who said they left in a white two-door car that was possibly a convertible.

After the shots were fired, Alexandrea's older sister ran to where the shooting happened and picked up her sister. Alexandrea (left and right) was bleeding and 'breathing real hard' as her 15-year-old sister cradled her, her aunt said

After the shots were fired, Alexandrea's older sister ran to where the shooting happened and picked up her sister. Alexandrea was one of nine children who lived at the home with Alex and his fiance.

Andrea told the Enquirer that Alexandrea was bleeding and 'breathing real hard' as her 15-year-old sister cradled her. 'She took her last breath in her sister's arms,' she said.

The fourth-grader was pronounced dead at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

'Was this random or did they have the wrong house,' Thompson said. 'Who tries to rob somebody who's got nine kids.'

Her father was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center where is listed in critical condition, according to WLWT.

Police are still searching for the suspects, but Thompson said he had never seen them before. A $10,000 reward for their arrest is being offered by a local business owner.

A funeral will be held for Alexandrea tomorrow.

The incident occurred when three men arrived at the family's Mount Auburn house around 5.30pm. Mr Thompson was shot in the hand, arm and abdomen, and it's believed the bullet that struck Alexandrea may have gone through her father's body first

A makeshift memorial (pictured) was placed on the steps of her family's home. The community gathered together after the shooting and several faith leaders are hoping to raise at least $9,000 toward a reward for information leading to an arrest

Alexandrea's classmates remembered her 'welcoming' personality on a poster board after learning of her death. This note was left at the makeshift memorial in front of the family's home

Thompson's mother, Catherine Thompson, told the Enquirer, that her granddaughter 'was a very sweet, adorable child'. 'She was so adorable.'

Alexandrea was described as a bright leader at her charter school, Mount Auburn International Academy.

Students, faculty and staff struggled to understand how the little girl with the big grin who gave strong hugs, will never come to school again.

Claudia Ehrle, the school's interim director, called Alexandrea a natural leader: 'She led by example.'

Her classmates remembered her 'welcoming' personality on a green poster board after learning of her death.

Some wrote, 'I love you sissy,' while others said, 'you will always have a special place in my heart'.

Grief counselors were at the school Thursday for any of its 431 students who needed to talk.
The father of a jailed carjacker has revealed how his son was bailed for leading the police on a chase in Victoria, but locked up for the same offence in New South Wales.

The father, called Kevin*, claimed laws in Victoria are far more lax than New South Wales and said his 18-year-old son was a perfect example of someone who had abused the system.

In a revealing interview with 3AW, the single father said he thanked the New South Wales judicial system for jailing his teenage son.

The father of a jailed carjacker has revealed how his son was bailed for leading the police on a chase in Victoria, but locked up for the same offence in New South Wales (file picture)

Kevin said his son stole his neighbour's car in Melbourne and drove it to Dandenong, Victoria, leading police on a high speed chase.

He was caught but was astonishingly let out on bail the next day.

'He stole my neighbour's car, which was client of his, and he drove it down to Dandenong and did a police chase,' Kevin said.

'They caught him and he was out the next morning

'He's supposed to go to court over that but since then he's stolen my car and gone up to New South Wales'.

'He did a police chase in Goulburn and he's in jail now.

'My son turned to the police and said, "you can't chase me after 160kph", and the police officer turned around and said, "you're in NSW now".'

Laws are more lax in Victoria, which has recently been rocked by teenagers escaping from a youth prison (pictured), and gang-related violence

Kevin's son hopes to turn his life around after he is released in May.

Kevin said he thanked the judge who jailed his son and has since told the teenager: 'You do the crime, son, you do the time. You could have killed someone or yourself.'

New South Wales has tougher laws on police chases, with sentences of up to three years for people who are pursued by officers. Repeat offenders can be jailed for five years.

The law, known as Skye's Law, was brought in after 19-month-old toddler Skye Sassine was killed by a driver who crashed into her family's car as he tried to flee from the police.

Laws are more lax in Victoria, which has recently been rocked by teenagers escaping from a youth prison, and gang-related violence.

*Name changed to protect identities.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak on the telephone Saturday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for the first time since taking the oath of office on Friday, CNN reported on Thursday.

The news comes just a few days after Russian officials said that Putin is prepared to meet Trump, though preparations for such a meeting could take months.

Russia-US relations were at their lowest since the Cold War under Barack Obama's administration, with tensions around conflict in Ukraine and Syria crisis.

'This will not be in coming weeks, let's hope for the best - that the meeting will happen in the coming months,' President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency on Saturday.

President Donald Trump (left) is scheduled to speak on the telephone Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin (right), for the first time since taking the oath of office on Friday

The Kremlin is voicing hope for a constructive dialogue but warning that differences will remain.

Peskov said in an interview with state television broadcast Saturday that it would be an 'illusion' to expect that US-Russian relations would be free of disagreements.

Peskov noted the intricacy of nuclear arms control and the complexity of the situation in Syria among other challenges.

'Successful development of bilateral ties will depend on our ability to solve these differences through dialogue,' Peskov said.

Some of Trump's opponents believe the Kremlin helped him win the White House by staging a hacking campaign to hoover up embarrassing information about Clinton, his rival.

The Kremlin denies that, saying that the Democratic Party used hacking allegations as an excuse for losing to Trump.

Putin and other high-ranked Russian officials have publicly praised Trump, expecting him to lift US sanctions on Moscow, first put in place in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

Peskov said that it would be 'a big mistake' to think that Russia-US relations will be 'free of contradictions and disputes,' during a Trump presidency.

'We indeed are the two biggest countries in the world. And we can't live without frictions, conflict of interests,' Peskov was quoted by Interfax was saying on Saturday.
A former New Zealand school principal who became 'fixated' with a fellow teacher and was convicted of lurking in her backyard three times, has been cleared to teach.

David Bargh, who was previously principal at Dargaville High School appeared in Whangarei District Court in April 2016 on three charges, reported stuff.co.nz.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of lurking, loitering or peeping near a dwelling and fined $1,000 plus court costs of $130.

A former New Zealand school principal (pictured) who became 'fixated' with a fellow teacher and was convicted of lurking in her backyard three times, has been cleared to teach

David Bargh (pictured), a former principal at Dargaville High School appeared in Whangarei District Court in April 2016 on three charges of loitering, lurking or peeping near a dwelling

Bargh was also ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months.

The court heard Bargh was seen at colleague Jessica McPherson's property twice at night, before police arrested him on the third occasion.

Ms McPherson told the court she was felt 'traumatised and violated' as a result of Bargh being on her property.

She said she got to the point where she wished the person lurking outside would break in while she was out, and take whatever it was they wanted.

The court (pictured) heard Bargh was seen at colleague Jessica McPherson's property twice at night, before police arrested him on the third occasion

Bargh's lawyer Wayne McKean told the court his client suffered from depression and untreated obsessive compulsive behaviour.

The New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal recently cleared Bargh to teach on the condition he advised current or future employers of his condition and its appropriate management.

Bargh's (pictured) lawyer Wayne McKean told the court his client suffered from depression and untreated obsessive compulsive behaviour. The tribunal ruled he could continue to teach if he informed future employers of his condition, and continued to work on it with this doctor

According to the ruling, Bargh's behaviour was 'evidence of a significant deterioration in his mental health, and in particular was a manifestation of his obsessive compulsive disorder, which he managed without significant event for many years'.

'In short, he became fixated with one of his teachers, and took to spending time on her property.'

The ruling, which took four months, also stipulated Bargh must continue to work with his GP to address the medical issues that 'gave rise to the events'.
Two former real estate agents face up to 10 years jail for allegedly stealing $2 million of their clients deposits and spending them.

Truc Thanh Le 'Judy' Nguyen and husband Tri Duc 'Joseph' Ngo were slaped with 414 charges between them for their dealings while running six LJ Hooker franchises.

The couple's Melbourne branches were shut down and then taken over by Consumer Affairs Victoria last April with at least 110 homeowners, landlords and tenants allegedly ripped off.

Two former real estate agents face up to 10 years jail for allegedly stealing $2 million of their clients deposits and spending them

The regulator alleges they breached four sections of the Estate Agents Act related to the handling of trust money and the restrictions on agents purchasing property.

Some of the offences carry five-figure fines and significant jail time.

CAV reimbursed 58 clients more than $2 million from the Victorian Property Fund and another 21 claims for $34,000 in lost rent money from what was left of Nguyen's trust account.

Nguyen was the sole director of franchises in Glen Waverley, Keysborough, Mount Waverley, Burwood, Doncaster and Box Hill.

The couple's Melbourne branches were shut down and then taken over by Consumer Affairs Victoria last April with at least 110 homeowners, landlords and tenants allegedly ripped off

Truc Thanh Le 'Judy' Nguyen (L) and husband Tri Duc 'Joseph' Ngo (R) were slaped with 414 charges between them for their dealings while running six LJ Hooker franchises

She put put her two $1.5 million homes in Melbourne's Narre Warren North on the market just one week after the allegations came to light.

Her lawyers claimed all money raised by the sales would be given to the alleged victims and CAV put a caveat on them to ensure payment after sale.

One of the houses, next door to each other, was sold to an undisclosed buyer for a withheld sum and advertised for rent in August, while the other is still on the market.

Nguyen and Ngo face court on February 3. If they plead guilty they will be indicted and the magistrate will decide what court will hear their case.

Nguyen put put her two $1.5 million homes in Melbourne's Narre Warren North on the market just one week after the allegations came to light

Her lawyers claimed all money raised by the sales would be given to the alleged victims and CAV put a caveat on them to ensure payment after sale

If they plead not guilty, CAV will have to show there is enough evidence for a committal hearing.

LJ Hooker spokesman Christopher Mourd said the alleged scandal was a 'blight on the industry' and the company would intensively train franchisees in trust account management.
Donald Trump renewed his support of waterboarding in an interview Thursday and speculated whether ABC News' David Muir would resort to the practice to interrogate his child's kidnapper.

Fox News host Sean Hannity told the president during the interview that he would like to ask Muir what he would do if two men broke into his house and kidnapped his child before Muir tackled one of them. 'That guy knows where your child is. Would you not waterboard that guy?' Hannity asked.

Muir interviewed Trump the day before at the White House. The president spoke out in favor of waterboarding during that interview too, saying he hadn't seen the technique work, but had spoken to people who 'feel strongly about it'.

The mogul continued Hannity's imagined scenario about Muir Thursday.

Donald Trump renewed his support of waterboarding in an interview Thursday and speculated whether ABC News' David Muir would resort to the practice to interrogate his child's kidnapper

'I would ask David Muir, if they kidnapped your kid and you have one of the kidnappers, what would you do to get the location of your child?' Hannity said during the Fox News interview.

Trump continued: 'Or would you want him to talk in 48 hours from now by being nice to him, OK? And by that time, it's too late.'

The president referred to waterboarding, which is currently illegal because it is not part of the interrogation techniques listed in the Army Field Manual, as not really torture.

'So, waterboarding used to be used because they said it really wasn't torture,' he told Hannity. 'It was the one step slightly below torture.'

Muir (pictured at the White House) had asked Trump the previous day whether he would say, like Barack Obama did, that the United States does not torture

During waterboarding, a person is placed on a board and strapped, their upper body inclined towards the ground. Interrogators place a piece of fabric over the person's mouth and pour water over that person's face. This simulates the conditions of drowning.

Trump insisted that the practice did not qualify as torture in his talk with Hannity.

'I mean, torture is real torture, OK? Waterboarding is  I'm sure it's not pleasant, but waterboarding was just short of torture,' he said.

Muir had asked Trump the previous day whether he would say, like Barack Obama did, that the United States does not torture.

He also reminded Trump of his campaign promise to 'bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse'. Muir eventually asked Trump about waterboarding specifically.

The president said he would defer to CIA director Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis. Mattis has said he is opposed to torture. Pompeo also spoke against torture during his confirmation hearings.

Trump told Hannity Thursday: 'General Mattis said that he doesn't intend to use it. I'm with him all the way.'

During waterboarding, a person is placed on a board and strapped, their upper body inclined towards the ground. Interrogators place a piece of fabric over the person's mouth and pour water over that person's face. This simulates the conditions of drowning
In what could be the start of a Disney movie, New York State Troopers rescued 103 puppies from an overturned truck outside a small town in upstate New York.

The truck overturned when the driver, Emily Woodrum, lost control of her box truck and flipped into a ditch on the side of an interstate outside Acova, New York, according to a release by police.

The Missouri woman was using the truck to transport the pups to local malls, reported the New York Daily News.

New York State Troopers rescued 103 puppies from an overturned truck outside a small town in upstate New York

The Missouri woman was using the truck to transport the pups to local malls

Troopers worked with a tow truck company to pull out every dog from the upturned truck.

All but five of the puppies were unscathed, with two suffering serious but not life-threatening injuries. The two are in stable condition at a local veterinary hospital.

The dogs were of various breeds, including many smaller and toy varieties.

Officials are not entirely sure where the dogs came from, though the Finger Lakes SPCA said it is likely they were from a 'puppy mill', referring to the unsafe and inhumane operations that breed pets for sale.

The dogs were of various breeds, including many smaller and toy varieties

The pups showed no immediate signs of having been subjected to animal cruelty, reported the Daily News.

The local SPCA group is not able to take custody of the dogs, which were returned to the transport company. They said in a statement: 'While we too abhor puppy mills, we know no means to legally confiscate animals only because there is a strong likelihood that a puppy came from one.'

State troopers have not responded to questions from the Daily News about the driver's condition after the crash, or if she will face charges.
A Holocaust denier sparked a huge protest at the University of Florida today after he stood on campus wearing a swastika armband.

Dozens of students surrounded Michael Dewitz, 34, chanting 'no more Nazis, ever again' and 'go home Nazis' during his bizarre three-hour stand, held the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Cellphone footage, posted by The Fine Print, revealed the tense atmosphere as demonstrators screamed in Dewitz's face while he stared straight ahead.

The stunt only ended when police escorted Dewitz away from the protesters, who held up anti-swastika signs.

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Dozens of students gathered around Michael Dewitz, 34, (center, in black) chanting 'no more Nazis, ever again' and 'go home Nazis' during his bizarre three-hour stand, held the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day

But shortly after he was led away, Dewitz claims he was 'jumped' by two men in a pickup truck who reportedly leaped out, struck him, and stole his jacket and swastika armband. Dewitz suffered minor injuries.

Police are hunting for two suspects, described as white, driving a red pickup truck.

Gainesville police said Dewitz has been spotted wearing his armband round campus for the past week.

While the highly offensive symbol had sparked outrage, they said they were not able to arrest him as he was exercising his rights under the First Amendment.

Protesters held up anti-swastika signs in his face as Dewitz stared straight ahead

One student decided to serenade Dewitz singing 'I love you. I love you,' on Thursday

The stunt only ended when police escorted Dewitz away from the protesters (right)

'We understand that his behavior is extremely offensive, but merely wearing this symbol is not a crime,' a spokesman said.

Dewitz claims that he had worn the homemade swastika armband as a social experiment.

'It was partially performance art, just to see people's reaction, like a social study of some sort, a sociological study,' he told WCJB.

But he went on to praise the Nazi party as a 'distinguished organization that saved the world.'

He also revealed he was a holocaust denier, telling the local channel: 'How can we know that any of that stuff can be verified?

'You don't know that your grandparents were necessarily in a concentration camp and if the Nazi's were evil. How can they remember being in one because they're not dead. Actually all that genetic nonsense, and Aryan stuff. That's ridiculous. That's disinformation,' Dewitz said.

Dewitz admits he lost his job on Wednesday after his employers refused to be associated with a swastika, the Independent Florida Alligator reports.

The stunt quickly attracted hundreds of protesters on the campus of the University of Florida

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs said that the university did 'not accept symbols of hate' and supported the peaceful protest on campus

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs said that the university did 'not accept symbols of hate' and supported the peaceful protest on campus.

'Swastikas are symbols associated with the Holocaust, which exterminated six million Jews as well as multitudes of individuals from other persecuted groups on the basis of their race, religion or sexual orientation,' he said in a statement.

'The University of Florida encourages inclusion, respect and empathy for others, not hate.'

He added that many people had pressed him to remove Dewitz from campus, but, 'while I decry and denounce all symbols of hate, the individual, who is not a faculty, staff member or student, was expressing his First Amendment rights and we could not legally remove him from public areas of campus.'

But Rabbi Goldman at UF's Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Student Center said the swastika had sparked fear among students.
A Massachusetts man is accused of attacking a Muslim airline employee at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, allegedly kicking and shouting obscenities at the woman and telling her that President Donald Trump 'will get rid of all of you,' authorities said.

The Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes, of Worcester, had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts Wednesday night when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was sitting in her office.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Rhodes came up to the door and went on a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying. Rhodes then allegedly punched the door, which hit the back of Khan's chair.

Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and Rhodes replied, 'You did nothing.' He then cursed at her and kicked her in the leg, Brown said.

People walk toward the departures terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in this June 30, 2016, file photo

When another person tried to calm him down, Brown said Rhodes moved away from the door and Khan ran out of the office.

Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities and said 'Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You see what happens,' Brown said.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police, 'I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head.'

Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes.

It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who can comment on the charges.

'The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized society - especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation,' Brown said.
President Donald Trump said Friday morning on Twitter that he's firmly behind anti-abortion advocates who gathered in Washington, D.C. to participate in an annual high-profile rally and march.

'The #MarchForLife is so important. To all of you marching --- you have my full support!' the president tweeted.

Minutes later he note in a second tweet that Vice President Mike Pence will appear in person to address the crowd, declaring that marchers have 'our' support.

Trump will not appear at the event, but Pence's participation will make him the highest-ranking U.S. official to speak there in the march's 44 years.

And Kellyanne Conway lashed out at the pro-abortion movement on Friday as she prepared to deliver her own speech alongside Pence.

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Speaking in person: Vice-president Pence became the first holder of his office ever to address the March for Life

On stage: Mike Pence gained an enthusiastic reception as he became the first vice-president to speak at the March for Life

Speaker: Karen Pence, the vice-president's wife, also addressed the March for Life

President Donald Trump wrote Friday on Twitter that he and Vice President Mike Pence fully support the annual 'March for Life' anti-abortion event convening on the National Mall

Trump said he is firmly behind the marchers; he spent most of his career as a pro-choice centrist but embraced the pro-life movement during his run for the White House

Anti-abortion forces advocate for adoption as an alternative to pregnancy termination

Crowds: The 44th annual March for Life was held close to the Washington Monument at a time when the anti-abortion movement has political momentum in its favor

Trump's senior counselor Kellyanne Conway said Friday morning that America should be 'a culture of life' as she prepared to speak to the nation's largest annual anti-abortion march

'I believe in the sanctity of life. I think that if we can promote and protect life from conception to natural death, it says a lot about our country,' Conway said on the 'Fox & Friends' program from the White House press briefing room.

'I think it's no mistake that in our own Declaration of Independence, life was the very first right that was mentioned. And it was precious then. It remains precious now.'

For the first time in years, abortion opponents will have all the political momentum when they hold their rally on the National Mall.

The March for Life is held each year in Washington to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Organizers told the National Park Service in their permit application they expect 50,000 participants. Yet Trump insisted on the eve of the rally that the crowd would be far larger, saying 'a lot of people are gonna be showing up.'

'You know, the press never gives them the credit that they deserve,' Trump told Republicans gathered in Philadelphia. 'They'll have 300, 400, 500, 600 thousand people. You won't even read about it. When other people show up, you read big-time about it. Right? So, it's not fair, but nothing fair about the media.'

The March for Life draws religious and secular opponents to abortion each year, on or near the anniversary of the Supreme Court's 'Roe v. Wade' decision

Pence will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to ever address the March for Life

One of Trump's first official acts after taking office a week ago was to sign an executive order banning U.S. aid to foreign groups that provide abortions.

Pence met with pro-life advocates Thursday night at his office, later tweeting that he 'told them I look forward to addressing National @March_for_Life on Friday.'

Conway said Trump was an unlikely anti-abortion warrior who wounded Hillary Clinton by exposing her support of 'late-term' abortions.

'It took a Manhattan male billionaire who had been pro-choice for most of his life to deliver the most impassioned defense of life in that October 19 debate in Las Vegas, that I've ever heard,' she said, recalling Trump's condemnation of the 'late-term' procedures.

'I've been working on pro-life messaging for over two decades. It took Donald Trump to call out Hillary Clinton and show who's truly extreme on this issue.'

Conway said she hopes the media  which Trump calls the 'dishonest' press  will cover the March for Life with the same zeal it covered the Women's March last weekend

Marchers hear speeches at every March for Life; this year the presenters will include Conway and Pence

Trump delivered a stinging indictment of 'partial-birth' late-term abortions when he debated Hillary Clinton last October in Las Vegas, saying 'it's not okay with me'

In that debate, Trump declared Clinton's position was that ' in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby.'

'Now, you can say that that's okay and Hillary can say that that's okay. But it's not okay with me. ... Honestly, nobody has business doing what I just said, doing that, as late as one or two or three or four days prior to birth. Nobody has that.'

Conway listed a litany of abortion procedures on Friday morning that have enraged pro-lifers, saying Americans should prefer 'a culture of life.'

'We have to stop this culture that just looks the other way: partial birth abortions, sex selection abortions,' she said.

'I can basically go get a pregnancy test and then go get a sex test and schedule my abortion. That's not America's foundation  taxpayer-funded abortion.'

'And of course fetal-pain abortion,' Conway added, 'where nonpartisan, non-political scientists have said an unborn baby can feel pain at 20 weeks, basically the halfway point.'

In Congress, Republican majorities in both chambers are vowing to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provided more than a third of the nation's abortions in 2014. They also hope to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Trump has pledged to sign both measures if they reach his desk.

Less than a year ago, with Barack Obama's second term winding down, things were markedly different.

Abortion foes held a 'die-in' demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House on Friday

KELLYANNE ON ABORTION President Donald Trump's chief counselor Kellyanne Conway spoke to 'Fox & Friends' on Friday about her opposition to abortion: 'I believe in the sanctity of life. I think that if we can promote and protect life from conception to natural death, it says a lot about our country. I think it's no mistake that in our own Declaration of Independence, life was the very first right that was mentioned. And it was precious then. It remains precious now. 'We have to stop this culture that just looks the other way: partial birth abortions, sex selection abortions. I can basically go get a pregnancy test and then go get a sex test and schedule my abortion. That's not America's foundation  taxpayer-funded abortion. And of course fetal-pain abortion, where nonpartisan, non-political scientists have said an unborn baby can feel pain at 20 weeks, basically the halfway point. 'And we just have to look at this as a culture of life. Many presidents and vice-presidents have said they were pro-life. They were. But to have Vice President Mike Pence go out on that mall today, in just a few short hours, and address those who are coming around from the country and indeed the world, to bond together to protect the culture of like, is truly remarkable and historic. And I think it's a big day for Vice President Pence. I hope that Fox will cover it.' Conway noted that Hillary Clinton said during the presidential campaign that she is in favor of supporting women's right to 'late-term abortions': 'Yes she is, and Donald Trump called her out on that. I mean, it took a Manhattan male billionaire who had been pro-choice for most of his life to deliver the most impassioned defense of life in that October 19 debate in Las Vegas, that I've ever heard. 'I've been working on pro-life messaging for over two decades. It took Donald Trump to call out Hillary Clinton and show who's truly extreme on this issue.' Advertisement

Trump took his first anti-abortion action this week, signing an executive order banning federal funding of abortions overseas

The Supreme Court struck down Texas' strict regulations on abortion clinics as interfering with a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. And with polls at the time suggesting Hillary Clinton would likely defeat Trump, abortion opponents worried about an era of liberal majorities on the court.

'The horizon looked bleak for the pro-life movement,' said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life.

Mancini suggested that many voters chose Trump largely because he pledged to appoint a Supreme Court justice who shared their views on abortion, even if they disagreed with him on other issues.

'I don't identify as a Republican or a Democrat but I do vote pro-life,' Mancini said.

Abortion opponents also were heartened by a recent study that found the number of abortions in the United States dropped under 1 million in 2014, the lowest total in 40 years. The report by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, credited increased access to birth control but also a surge in abortion restrictions in many states.

Pro-life advocates point to cases like that of Francesca Bradley-Curran, a baby born just two days after the 24-week abortion limit. Francesca weighed less than 2 pounds and her feet were barely wider than pennies

Sister marches have sprung up around the United States, including this rally last week in San Francisco, one of the most liberal locales in America

Americans remain deeply divided on abortion.

The latest Gallup survey, released last spring, found that 47 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-choice and 46 percent as pro-life. It also found that 79 percent believed abortion should be legal in either some or all circumstances.

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that poll shows why abortion-rights supporters shouldn't despair. She also said Republicans were taking actions that would result in more illegal abortions and deaths of pregnant women.

'The vast majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade and support the legal right to abortion,' Hogue said.

Friday's march comes less than a week after one of the largest mass demonstrations in the city's history, the Women's March on Washington, which drew more than half a million people opposed to Trump on issues including abortion.

Although the landmark Supreme Court decision was Jan. 22, 1973, organizers of the march noted on their website that Trump was sworn in Jan. 20 and the National Park Service assigned Jan. 27 as the next available date for their event.

Mancini said she had planned to participate in the women's march until organizers dropped an anti-abortion group as an official partner. She said its failure to embrace different views on abortion was a missed opportunity.
A BBC newsreader produced a rather shocking expose as she posted a photo on social media appearing to show her in a studio stark naked.

Victoria Graham, who presents the south west's flagship news programme, BBC Spotlight, posted the saucy picture on Thursday, in which she is seen sitting in the BBC Radio Devon studio in a pose that looks like she has no clothes on.

Ms Graham, who is the wife of the BBC national newsreader Simon McCoy, sent the internet into a frenzy of excitement with fans speculating as to whether or not she was truly naked live on air.

Victoria Graham, who presents BBC Spotlight in the South West, posted the saucy picture on Thursday

She posted a comment on Twitter to promote the live debate, saying: 'More Nudity is good for us say scientists! Discuss...' along with a head and shoulders shot that looks like she is naked.

The rest of her body was hidden from the chest down behind studio equipment.

But that was enough to titillate the internet, prompting a raft of suggestive comments to the TV anchor, who returned to BBC Spotlight in 2015 after a two-year break.

The debate was sparked by new research by scientists which suggests that casting off clothes as well as cares may be the key to happiness and well-being.

Experts revealed the naked truth after investigating the psychological effects of nudism.

They found that people taking part in naturist activities felt better about themselves, their bodies and their lives overall.

The more time they spent naked, or partially disrobed, the happier they were.

After seeing the photo of Victoria looking as though she might be naked during the debate, Twitter user @Hosieryhangeruk asked: 'Are you presenting Spotlight like that later?' referring to her role as presenter on the evening BBC TV news programme for the South West.

Ms Graham is the wife of the BBC national newsreader Simon McCoy

She replied that she did not 'want to upset the viewers'.

Others aroused into action turned to Twitter to make a raft of amusing and suggestive comments.

Alan Griffiths, alluding to the number of viewers who would tune in to see Victoria Graham naked on air added: 'Viewing figures would go out of the roof!x'

Jonathon Martin said Victoria was 'looking nice' after saying that it would be hard to take people seriously if they were naked.

A social media commentator under the name of Mr Jones62, posing as Lance Corporal Jack Jones from Dad's Army, upped the sauciness by responding to the initial suggestion that nudity is good for you, saying: 'Must be true.

'That photo's done me the world of good!'

Others comments were a little more suggestive.

That comment was followed by a post from Stephen @StephenCWLL who simply remarked: 'The naked truth exposed.'

The photograph even aroused the attention of the police with former Isles of Scilly police sergeant Colin Taylor, who last year moved into a mainland role with Devon and Cornwall Police, issuing a cheeky warning on when one shouldn't be nude.

Sgt Taylor said: 'Not at weddings or christenings.

'Not when operating heavy machinery or working in a steel foundry and not w.r.t. children on internet.'

Sgt Taylor issued another cheeky reply, saying: 'Don't discount it. We have cloaking devices for that eventuality,' with a picture of two helmets - evoking a memory of the headline-grabbing photographs of police officers covering streaker Erica Roe's breasts after she ran naked across the rugby pitch during the England v Australia game at Twickenham in 1982.

Fisheries consultant Nathan de Rozarieux said: 'Probably not a good idea on a fishing boat.'

BBC news reader Jake Prowse suggested that he had been asked to take the photo, posting a Tweet saying: 'This is what I have to work with... Victoria - "can you take a picture of me please Jake?" #behindthescenes'

His post came with a blushing smiley Twitter emoticon.

Dave Lovering joined in. suggesting that Victoria was not the only BBC Spotlight presenter that some viewers would like to see nude, saying: 'My mother would like to see a naked Justin Leigh (she's 86!),' referring to Victoria's co-presenter.

Victoria replied to him, saying: 'Steady!'

Mr Jones62 added to his comments, saying: 'Are you playing strip news? Shoes yesterday, top today. It'll be your socks next at this rate. Careful you don't catch a cold.'

There have many nudist events in the South West over the years, and many naturist beaches and other meeting places in the region.

Lead researcher Dr Keon West, from Goldsmiths, University of London, said: 'The naturists have been saying this for some time.

'However, despite a lot of positive claims, little to no empirical research has investigated whether naturist activity (rather than attitude or beliefs) actually makes us happier or, just as importantly, why it makes us happier.'

Her post prompted a raft of suggestive comments to the TV anchor, who returned to BBC Spotlight in 2015 after a two-year break

In the first of a series of studies, an online survey of 850 British citizens found higher levels of contentment and positive body image among those who spent significant amounts of time wholly or partially naked in public.

Two further studies took place at a 'Bare all for Polar Bears' event at Yorkshire Wildlife Park and British Naturism's Waterworld event in Stoke-on-Trent.

At both events, participants were psychologically assessed just before shedding their clothes and before getting dressed again.

In each case people experienced 'immediate and significant improvements in body-image, self-esteem and life satisfaction' when free of their clothes.

Analysis of the data suggested that seeing other people naked was more important than being naked yourself.

The findings appeared in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

Dr West pointed out that for a long time many people, including health experts, assumed that public nudity was a sign of psychological dysfunction.

He thought more research was needed involving a wider range of participants, as most of of those taking part in the survey were white, heterosexual and middle-aged.

Naturism may offer a low-cost and simple solution to body dissatisfaction, Dr West added.

'At the very least, this is worth investigating,' he said.
The family of a Second World War veteran has been reunited with his 1938 class ring after he lost it 73 years ago while serving in the South Pacific.

Nearly 50 people gathered Thursday at Audubon High School in New Jersey for the ceremonial return of Edward Dodds' ring after it was discovered in Papua New Guinea in 2013.

The ring was unearthed in a farmer's field and worn by the man who found it for years before he showed it to a friend.

The family of a World War Two veteran has been reunited with his long-lost 1938 class ring

Liam Ngahan was digging on land in the village of Alotau as he prepared to build a house when he discovered the ring.

Knowing that US soldiers once served on the island, Liam thought the ring could have belonged to an American.

He showed it his friend John Hocknull, a Scottish man who lives in Australia who works as a guest lecturer on board Carnival Australia's cruise ships, educating tourists about the island and its people.

Although his name was Edward J. Dodds, the ring was engraved with the initials EDD

Believing the ring belonged to an American GI, Hocknull researched it online and was able to locate the Camden County school nearly 9,000 miles away.

'We went to Liam's house (to see the ring),' Hocknull said. 'He was kind of reticent about it; the people there don't wear rings generally, so he knew it must be something special', he told the Courier Post.

'I took photos of it and saw it was from Audubon High School and had those initials, so I googled the school and emailed the principal to see if he could help locate the owner.'

Liam Ngahan, pictured with his family, found the ring when he was digging on land in the village of Alotau

Dodds' son said that his father, who died in 1996, often joked about losing the ring because it was engraved with the wrong initials.

Audubon Alumni Association vice president Mike Bruzzesse told Philly.com he called six local families with the last name Dodds before he received a call back from Richard Dodds, who said his father had graduated from the high school in 1938.

Edward Dodds lost the ring when he was serving in Papua New Guinea

His father's name was Edward J. Dodds, but the ring was engraved with the initials EDD.

The ring's return to its owner was further complicated after Hocknull decided to send it to his niece, Susan Basich, who lives near Dodds in Woodbury, but wrote down the wrong ZIP code.

The ring got stuck in Colorado before being shipped back to Hocknull in Australia, before he could sent it back to his niece.

She handed over the ring last month, in a police station parking lot, before an official handover ceremony was organised.

Edward Dodds five children were present at the event, as well as his 92-year-old sister-in-law, Matilda Canning.

Edward Dodds had graduated from Audubon High School in 1938

Speaking before the ceremony, Richard Dodds said: 'There's not really one emotion that describes this.

'I think it's great for the grandkids and some great-grandkids to be connected to the past and the generation before this.'
She may not be as well known as her younger sisters Venus and Serena, but it seems Isha Price is not immune to being caught up in their sibling rivalry.

The 41-year-old lawyer has revealed she will be watching the Williams face off in the Australian Open final from her hotel room because she cannot decide which box to sit in.

Price, who was born to Venus and Serena's mother Oracene Price during her first marriage, was asked by 7 News if she knows who she will be rooting for.

Isha Price, 41, says she will not be attending Venus and Serena's Australian Open final on Sunday and will instead watch from her hotel room

'I don't, I don't, I won't be there,' she replied, adding: 'It'll be amazing. I will be at the hotel.'

Serena and Venus will face each other in a Grand Slam final for the first time since 2008 when they meet on Saturday night in Melbourne.

On that last occasion, at Wimbledon, Venus emerged the victor but overall Serena leads the rivalry with 22 Grand Slam titles to Venus's seven.

The pair have a lengthy history when it comes to the Australian Open as well - with the tournament providing their first ever professional match back in 1998 when they met in the second round, with Venus advancing.

Their last meeting at the final of the tournament came back in 2003, when Serena triumphed in three sets, 46, 64, 62.

The Williams sisters will play each other in a Grand Slam final for the first time since 2008 at Wimbledon, and the first time in the Australian Open final since 2003

In another throwback, Roger Federer is also through to the Australian Open final where he could meet old rival Rafael Nadal

With a combined age of 71, the sisters are the oldest women to have faced off in the singles finals of any Grand Slam tournament.

The accolade of oldest player ever to have won a Grand Slam still rests with Australian Kenneth Rosewall, who won his country's own Open at 37 years and 2 months old in 1972.

The Australian Open final 2017 is shaping up to be something of a throwback, with Venus and Serena facing off in the women's tournament, while in the men's a showdown between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is looking increasingly likely.

Federer is already through to the final following a five-set battle with fellow Swiss Stan Warinka on Thursday night.

Meanwhile Rafael Nadal is widely tipped to beat Grigor Dimitrov when the pair play on Friday night.
Documentary film Vaxxed is directed by Andrew Wakefield, who was struck off for his discredited researched on a link between the MMR vaccine and autism

A screening of an anti-vaccination film directed by the disgraced doctor who sparked an MMR scare has been pulled from a London cinema following an outcry from scientists.

Documentary film Vaxxed is directed by Andrew Wakefield, who was struck off for his discredited research suggesting there was a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

The film, which has been supported by actor Robert De Niro, had been scheduled to be shown at the Curzon Cinema in Soho on February 14.

However, the cinema has now decided to pull the film following a backlash.

Dr Adam Rutherford, who has made a BBC documentary on the MMR scare, said: 'Wakefield is a dangerous fraud, and his message and work literally threatens the health of our children.'

He thanked the cinema for their decision to pull the screening of the film.

Dr David Robert Grimes, from Oxford University, told The Times: 'Giving this view a platform is in itself unethical. It gives the impression there is a debate where there really isn't.'

He added: '[Curzon's] decision is really commendable. They've done the right thing, taken a public health and ethical stance - in just the same way you would not show a neo-Nazi film, you should not show this.'

Vaxxed: From Cover-up To Catastrophe claims there has been a cover-up by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the purported link between MMR vaccine and autism.

The film was dropped from the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April last year. But Robert De Niro insisted that 'the movie is something that people should see'

Vaxxed had been scheduled to be shown at the Curzon Cinema in Soho on February 14

The film was dropped from the Tribeca Film Festival, founded by De Niro, in New York in April last year.

At the time, the actor said he did not want the backlash against the film to affect the festival - but insisted that 'the movie is something that people should see.'

A TIMELINE OF THE MMR ROW 1998: Dr Wakefield's paper on possible link between bowel disease and autism is published in The Lancet 2001: The doctor is forced out of his job at London's Royal Free Hospital over allegations reserach was flawed; goes to work in the U.S. 2004: He is accused of secretly being paid by solicitors acting for parents who believed their children had been harmed by the MMR vaccination. Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Liam Donaldson accuses Dr Wakefield of 'mixing spin and science' 2006: General Medical Council (GMC) announces Dr Wakefield is under investigation for alleged misconduct 2010: Wakefield is struck off by the GMC Advertisement

De Niro told The Today Show: 'All I wanted is for the movie to be seen and people can make up their own judgement'.

Wakefield published his study linking MMR to autism in The Lancet in 1998, sparking a scare that saw vaccination rates drop dramatically across the country.

He was struck off the UK medical register in 2010 after the claims were found to be 'utterly false' and that he had acted 'dishonestly and irresponsibly'.

A spokesman for Curzon Cinemas said: 'All private hires are unaffiliated with the Curzon brand or any of our venues.

'In light of the responses we have received from members of the public, we have decided to cancel the private hire contract and pull the film from our venue.
Internationally recognized hairstylist Fabio Sementilli was found by his family beaten and stabbed to death in their upscale Los Angeles home

The missing Porsche of a murdered celebrity hairdresser has been found close to his Los Angeles home and police are hopeful it could provide crucial evidence in their investigation.

Professional hairdresser and vice president of cosmetic giant Coty, Fabio Sementilli, was discovered with knife wounds to the face and suffering from severe blood loss on the back patio of his Woodland Hills home on Monday.

Paramedics were called to the house shortly after 5pm but pronounced him dead at the scene.

Officials said on Thursday that 24 hours after his killing his black 2008 Porsche Carrera 911 was located a few miles from his home and impounded by police after a local spotted the vehicle.

'The Porsche was discovered by residents who called in saying that they had seen a black Porsche that seemed to stand our in the neighborhood,' said one officer.

'Detectives rolled out there and set up on the car and we watched it overnight. And when no one came toward the car then the detectives went ahead and impounded.'

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Sementilli said that family is the most important thing to him, pictured here with his wife, who discovered him stabbed and beaten to death on their patio

Fabio Sementilli, 49, pictured with wife Monica, was a professional hairdresser and vice president of cosmetic giant Coty

Officers told KTLA the car may contain evidence that could lead to a break in the case as it was most likely used as a getaway car by the attackers.

'I don't want to characterize the type of evidence but we have a good chance of identifying the suspect,' officials added.

Investigators have not yet identified any suspects in the case but have said a possible motive for the attack could be a 'burglary gone wrong.'

His home at the 5000 block of Queen Victoria Road is heavily protected with a gated entry, home surveillance and night vision security cameras

Video courtesy of KTLA:

The neighborhood has reportedly experienced a number of burglaries recently, but police are investigating whether the homicide was directly targeted at Sementilli, according to CBS LA.

His home at the 5000 block of Queen Victoria Road is heavily protected with a gated entry, home surveillance and night vision security cameras.

The Canada born Sementilli, known lovingly as 'Big Daddy', will be remembered for his love of family and mentoring, and has been mourned by his industry following his sudden death.

On Friday, he celebrated the 30 year anniversary of being certified as a hairstylist.

On Friday, he celebrated the 30 year anniversary of being certified as a hairstylist

Wella Hair Care, where he worked as a Vice President of Education, released a statement on Tuesday regarding his death

Canadian born Sementilli split his time between Toronto and Los Angeles

Wella Hair Care, where he worked as a Vice President of Education, released a statement on Tuesday regarding his death.

It said: 'The Coty Professional Beauty North America family is devastated to learn we have lost one of our dearest members. Our Vice President of Education, industry icon and incredibly proud hairdresser Fabio Sementilli died tragically January 23. Our thoughts and prayers are with Fabio's family in the U.S. and Canada.

'We will be talking with members of our professional family soon to discuss what we can do to honor Fabio's legacy, but for now our hearts are broken. He will be sorely missed.'

He pioneered the Hairdressers at Heart scholarship program through Wella Hair Care company, which 'supports stylists at every phase of their careers'.

Modern Salon posted a touching tribute to his life, and said he 'mentored tens of thousands of hairdressers with a hands-on approach either on a one-to-one basis or on a grander scale'.

Their tribute also discussed his humble beginnings in Canada. He had split his time between Toronto and Los Angeles as a successful stylist.

In an eerie artist profile by American Salon posted in June 2015, the artist discussed how he would like to be remembered personally and professionally.

He said: 'I always say I want to be remembered for the relationships I've built.

'I want to be remembered for, maybe, how I've made people feel, in a positive light.

'And if it was negative for any reason it's because I was honest.

'I hope that's what I'm remembered for. Family, my friendships, my real close friendships.

'And I think the third is for me all the stylists that I've touched in my life.

'I've traveled the world an I've been so fortunate, and I don't deserve any of this, but the stylists I have touched over my life has been so rewarding.

'I hope they also remember that maybe I gave them a hand or a leg up or maybe some good advice.'
Team Trump have made an embarrassing gaffe by repeatedly getting the PM's name wrong in a press release.

A daily schedule issued by the White House said the President is due to meet 'Teresa May' in Washington later.

'In the afternoon, the president will partake in a bilateral meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister, Teresa May,' the guidance said.

The White House document repeatedly spelled Theresa May's name 'Teresa'

Running through the events of the day, the document again missed out the 'h' from the premier's name, stating: 'The president participates in a working luncheon with Teresa May, Prime Minister of United Kingdom.'

Teresa May - without the 'h' - is in fact a soft porn actress and glamour model who starred in a video for the song Smack My Bitch Up, by dance music band The Prodigy.

The error was repeated in a later guidance note from the Office of the Vice President, though it elsewhere also spelled her name correctly.

It was finally rectified fully in another notice from the same office.

Teresa May the actress also trended on Twitter during the race to be prime minister last summer.

The PM can take solace in the fact that she was not the only victim of such a blunder.

The subject line of another White House document issued yesterday said it contained a 'readout of the Vice President's Call with Australian Foreign Prime Minister Julie Bishop'.

Ms Bishop is the country's foreign minister, while Malcolm Turnbull is the country's Prime Minister.

Speaking on Thursday evening to senior US politicians, Theresa May set the stage for her historic meeting with Donald Trump by saying the countries could still shape the world

A key focus of the talks will be securing Mr Trump's commitment to supporting NATO and making progress towards a post-Brexit trade deal
Former President Barack Obama could rake in more than $20million in advance for a memoir.

Esther Newberg, co-head of ICM Partners' publishing unit, claims that an Obama memoir would 'go for more than any president's memoir has ever gone'.

Obama, 55, went into the White House as a bestselling author for his book Dreams of My Father, which was published in 1995.

The only other presidents to enter office as bestselling authors are Dwight D Eisenhower, for his 1948 book, Crusade Of Europe, and Donald Trump for his 1987 book, The Art of The Deal.

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Former President Barack Obama, pictured after Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, could rake in more than $20million in advance for a memoir deal

Obama already has three books under his belt: his 1995 memoir Dreams of My Father; Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, published in 2006 when he was a senator; and the children's' book, Of Thee I Sing: Letters to My Daughters, which was published in 2010

'There's no doubt Obama's memoir will go for more than any president's has ever gone,' Newberg told the Hollywood Reporter.

After leaving office, George W Bush got $7million for 2010's Decision Points and Bill Clinton received $15million for his 2001 memoir, My Life.

Bush and Clinton sold 2.6million and 2.2million copies of their books, respectively.

Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer told the Hollywood Reporter that he thinks sales will top both.

'There is broader fascination with Obama, from conservatives who really hate him as well as liberals who deeply admire what he did,' he said.

President Donald Trump is one of two other presidents who came into office as a bestselling author. His book The Art of the Deal, published in 1987, spent 13 weeks at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list

Obama already has three books under his belt: his 1995 memoir Dreams of My Father; Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, published in 2006 when he was a senator; and the children's' book, Of Thee I Sing: Letters to My Daughters, which was published in 2010.

Dwight D Eisenhower was also a bestselling author when he entered office, for his 1948 book, Crusade Of Europe

Dreams of My Father and Audacity of Hope, both published by Random House, sold a combined total of five million copies.

Obama recently told senior adviser-turned-CNN commentator David Axelrod that writing a book is a top priority and that he had hired former White House director of speechwriting, Cody Keenan, to help.

There's also speculation that Michelle Obama could get her own book deal that would rival her husband's.

Hillary Clinton saw $8million for her 2008 memoir.

Raphael Sagalyn of the ICM/Sagalyn Literary Agency told the New York Times last September that Obama could earn as much as $30million for a two-to-three post-presidency book contract.

'His is going to be easily the most valuable presidential memoir ever,' he said. ' And I think Michelle Obama has the opportunity to sell the most valuable first lady memoir in history.'

Presidents throughout the years have written a number of books, from their own memoirs to books about historical events.

Publishers also suggest that Michelle Obama could score a lucrative book deal for a memoir

Theodore Roosevelt, who was in office from 1901 to 1909, authored nearly 40 books between 1882 and the year of his death, 1919.

Besides Obama, Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Trump, the only other president to write a book before entering the presidency was George HW Bush.

He wrote the book Looking Forward in 1987, while he was serving as vice president.

Other presidents who have written books include Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Thomas Jefferson.

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S Grant is highly regarded as the best post-presidency memoir in history.

Trump is credited as an author on 18 books written between 1987 and 2015, the most recent being Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again.
Mosul residents have celebrated their liberation from ISIS by holding a wedding for the first time since the terror group was driven from their neighbourhoods.

Pictures show smiling wedding guests in a white car covered in decorations in a recaptured eastern part of the city.

The dissident group Mosul Eye posted the image along with a caption saying: 'The wedding of freedom. First wedding in Mosul after liberation Congratulations 2 the newly weds their wedding & their freedom.'

It is a stark contrast to the days when ISIS fanatics ruled with an iron fist under a regime in which women were flogged for not wearing full veils covering them from head to toe.

Mosul residents have celebrated their liberation from ISIS by holding a wedding for the first time since the terror group was driven from their neighbourhoods

Further pictures show how Mosul residents returning to work and cleaning the bomb-hit streets.

The activist group said: 'Signs of life revival in Mosul after liberation. Fresh goods and markets start to thrive back to normal life.'

One picture shows a man taking it upon himself to sweep the streets, with a caption saying: 'Nothing is better than loving ur city & make it look clean .. this man's love reflects in removing the ruins of war.'

Life is starting to return to the city's east bank, which Iraqi forces have now completely retaken from ISIS, 100 days into a vast military operation launched in mid-October on the jihadists' last major stronghold in the country.

Some 30 schools reopened this week and a total of 16,000 children were enrolled.

The Iraqi army, buoyed by their victory this month is now pushing into ISIS-held villages north of the city.

The Iraqi army, buoyed by their victory this month is now pushing into ISIS-held villages north of the city

Lt. Col. Diya Lafta said troops from his 9th Division began advancing toward two villages just north of Mosul in the morning and 'after a few hours they were liberated' from ISIS militants.

By afternoon, the village of Shereikhan had been largely freed of ISIS but fighting continued in the villages beyond, according to Associated Press reporters at the scene.

Thursday's military operation forced hundreds of civilians to flee. Families escaping the clashes on foot clogged the road leading into Mosul as a cloud of smoke from an ISIS suicide bombing rose above the horizon.

According to one fleeing resident, who asked to only be identified by his nickname Abu Sajjad for fears for his own safety, said ISIS fighters still firmly control a number of other villages along Mosul's northern edge.

The push came after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier this week declared Mosul's eastern half to be completely free of ISIS.

Civilians have been trying to rebuild their lives after finally being freed from brutal ISIS rule

Iraqi forces launched the massive operation to retake Mosul in October. A U.S.-led coalition and Iraq's own air force have been carrying out airstrikes in support of the military offensive but the troops' advance has been painstakingly slow, in part to spare the lives of civilians trapped by the fighting and also because of heavy ISIS resistance.

In a statement Tuesday, al-Abadi hailed the 'unmatched heroism of all security forces factions' and public support for the operation.

ISIS still firmly controls Mosul's west, where the next phase of the fighting is expected to be much more difficult. The UN estimates that some 750,000 civilians are trapped in Mosul's western sector under ISIS rule.

Mosul - Iraq's second-largest city and the Islamic State group's last urban stronghold in the country - fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014, when the militant group captures large swaths of northern and western Iraq.
Two students have been arrested for allegedly plotting a 'Columbine-style' mass shooting at their middle school.

The teens  boys aged 13 and 14  were reportedly planning the massacre for January 27 at The Villages Charter Middle School in Florida.

Witnesses told authorities that some students had been warned not to come to school that day, when the teens were reportedly planning to shoot 'anyone who was not wearing a white t-shirt.'

The teens were planning the massacre at The Villages Charter Middle School in Florida, pictured

The boys, who are not being named due to their ages, were arrested on Wednesday when deputies executed search warrants and raided their homes.

Although no weapons were found on the boys, or in their bags or lockers, firearms were found at both the suspects homes, police said.

Officers first detained the 13-year-old student alleged to have been plotting the attack.

Police said he acknowledged having conversations about the plot, and made reference to the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School,MyNews13 reports.

During the interview, deputies learned the 14-year-old was also potentially involved.

The younger boy had told him, 'imagine if that was me shooting', the Daily Commercial reported. And the pair had allegedly worked out a 'signal' to start the attack.

However, both boys wept during their arrests and the 13-year-old told deputies he was 'depressed' and wanted to end it all.

'I just want to die,' he said, according to the local report.

They both insisted the plot was a joke.

The teens told police they had discussed the 1999 Columbine High School massacre

The teens were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and were detained by the Department of Juvenile Justice.

School staff became aware of the alleged plot after they heard other students discussing it in the hallways, Fox News reports.

The Sumter County Sheriffs Office told WFLA-TV that police are grateful to the students brave enough to speak out about the plot.

Officers said there would be an increased deputy presence at the school on Friday, but they were not anticipating any further arrests.
A taxi driver who says she was left with first-degree burns after a Tesco coffee flask 'exploded' in her hands is suing the supermarket giant.

Lisa Ritter, 42, from Thornton Heath, south London, said she was filling the supermarket's own brand flask when it shattered and sent boiling hot water over her hands and arms.

She shared photographs of her injuries, which required hospital treatment, on Facebook following the accident.

Lisa Ritter, 42, from Thornton Heath, south London, says she was left with first-degree burns after a Tesco coffee flask 'exploded' in her hands

She said she was filling the supermarket's own brand flask (right) when it shattered and sent boiling hot water over her hands and arms. She later shared photographs of her injuries (left)

Ms Ritter, who works for a London-based taxi firm, says she has lost income due to the injuries.

She said: 'I'm a taxi driver so naturally had to take days off work as I was unable to drive which has caused me a loss of revenue.

'I bought the flask back in October, it was one of those ones that keeps hot water warm and cold water cool. It was Tesco's own brand.

'I had used it before but this particular morning last week, as I was filling it up with hot water to take to work, there was a loud bang and it exploded in my hands.

'The glass inside the thermal shattered and the glass and hot water went absolutely everywhere, but mainly over my hands and arms.

She had bought the Tesco own brand flask in October. The accident happened last week

Ms Ritter says she has had to go to the hospital several times to get treatment for her injuries

Ms Ritter took to Facebook to describe what happened, sharing photos of the shattered flask

She added: 'I've had to go to the hospital a number of times to get the wound addressed and will have to return to have my blisters seen to.

'It has caused me a great deal of pain and following the accident I have been forced to use my left hand as my right hand is just completely out of action.

'When I looked at the product on the Tesco website, I noticed more than one review saying that they had a similar experience.

'My issue with Tesco is that why if this had happened before did they continue to sell the product and put other people at risk?

'I phoned Tesco head office but received no apology and because the woman I spoke to showed no sign of regret for my injuries I went straight to a solicitor.'

The black 1 litre plastic flask is currently not in stock on the Tesco Direct website. A spokesman said this was not as a result of the incident.

In a Facebook post showing the contents of the exploded flask, Ms Ritter said: 'So not impressed right now, this is the result of a flask exploding and shattering in my hand. It had boiling hot water inside. Went all over my arm.

'Immersed my forearm and hand in cold water for ten minutes and it is still red raw and stinging like a mofo. Thanks Tesco!

She shared another photo showing her arm after the dressing was removed

'Going back to my old Thermos brand - should have done that in the first place.'

In another post, which showed the damage caused to her arm and hand, Mrs Ritter said: 'So they have taken the dressing off and decided to pop the blisters.

'If they don't the swelling won't go down and the risk of infection becomes more obvious.

'They then peeled back the skin to reveal a new layer. I said I am sorry for the noises and she said don't worry you can swear if you want lol.

'Got yet another dressing and a review on Saturday. Spoke to a solicitor today, Tesco I am coming for ya!

'Washing, cooking, washing up is very difficult with the wrong one hand!'

A Tesco spokesperson said: 'We set ourselves the highest standards for the quality and safety of our products so we were concerned to hear about this incident.

'We have asked Ms Ritter to return the flask to a store so we can investigate what may have happened.'
A couple who were found trying to enter Mexico with the body of a 2-year-old girl stuffed in a duffel bag have pleaded not guilty to torturing and murdering her.

Mercy Mary Becerra, 44, and Johnny Lewis Hartley, 39, were stopped on August 9 while they were trying to cross into Tijuana on foot from San Diego at the San Ysidro port of entry.

They are charged with one felony count each of murder, torture and assault on a child causing death involving the girl, who is identified in the criminal complaint only as 'Angelina W.'

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Mercy Mary Becerra, 43, (right) and Johnny Lewis Hartley, 39, (left) are charged with murder after trying to cross into Mexico with the body of a two-year-old girl in a duffel bag

The pair are also charged with human trafficking to commit pimping or pandering in connection with the girl's mother.

They pleaded not guilty to murder and torture on Thursday and are scheduled to attend a hearing on March 16 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom where it will be determined if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.

The couple were charged in October and could face life sentences if found guilty.

Becerra and Hartley were arrested at the border station after Mexican authorities X-rayed the duffel bag and discovered the girl's body, authorities said.

As Hartley was being handed over to US Customs and Border Protection, his companion, Becerra tried to flee, but she was caught a short time later and also transferred into American custody.

The couple were charged in October and could face life sentences if found guilty

They also allegedly trafficked the girl's mother between November 2012 and August 2016

In August, officials said the toddler had drowned at a home in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier, a city which lies just southeast of Los Angeles, before her body was discovered.

They also allegedly trafficked the girl's mother between November 2012 and August 2016 before seizing, severely abusing and killing the girl on about August 9, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.

Becerra and Hartley remain jailed in lieu of $3.2 million bail each.
A mother was left 'humiliated and upset' after her severely disabled son was refused access to a stairlift, because rail station staff thought his specialised wheelchair was a buggy.

Joanne Lang was on a family visit to Colchester, Essex, and caught the train with her son Evan, three, who suffers from cerebral palsy.

When she and husband Brian arrived at the station and spotted a huge flight of stairs, they asked staff if they could use a dedicated stair lift to carry the wheelchair.

Joanne and Brian Lang were travelling with their son Evan in Essex and faced problems at Chelmsford station when staff wouldn't let them use the stairlift

But the couple were left fuming when staff refused, claiming Evan's chair was a buggy.

Joanne said she was fighting back tears as she had to take her screaming son out of his wheelchair and carry him up as other passengers looked on.

The mother-of-two, from Chelmsford, complained to train operator Greater Anglia but was told in an email that the Data Protection Act meant it could not tell her what disciplinary actions, if any, the staff were facing.

The firm has now blamed the distressing incident on a misunderstanding, saying the chair lift was not suitable for all types of wheelchairs.

The huge flight of stairs at Colchester station, with the stairlift at the top, that Joanne had to carry her son up because staff refused access

The couple said staff at the station, above, were convinced their son's specialist chair was a buggy and wouldn't let them tackle the huge flight with the lift

Joanne, 34, has called for greater understanding and tolerance towards disabled people.

She fumed: 'It really was awful - Evan was screaming his head off and the whole thing was upsetting and unnecessary.

'It was humiliating - everyone was looking to see what was going on.

'When I told friends, they have all been appalled about what happened.

'We get problems on a daily basis where people don't believe Evan is in a wheelchair and I think people need to be more understanding.

'It was bizarre to be in an argument with a member of staff who should have been helping - our lives are hard enough already.'

Joanne said Evan's special wheelchair can lead to frequent confusion but hopes people will be more understanding of her family's needs

Joanne, who made a formal complaint on the day to staff, hopes other people won't be put through a similar ordeal.

'We don't normally use public transport because it's easier to get Evan around by car, but my in-laws were visiting from Australia and they fancied catching the train and making a day of it.

'After getting off the train at Colchester station we came across the huge flight of stairs but I was relieved when I saw the stairlift.

'My husband went up and asked the attendant for help but almost straight away the man said "no, you've not got a wheelchair - that's a buggy".

'He tried to explain that Evan has cerebral palsy and that this is the specialist type of chair which he uses.

'Evan's not in a stereotypical wheelchair but there's a sticker on it which says "Mid Essex Wheelchair Services" so it's clear to anyone who takes a moment to look to see that it's a wheelchair,' she said.

Joanne said some kind workmen offered to help carry Evan in his chair but she declined as her son was getting upset as the situation unfolded.

Greater Anglia said the confusion arose because their stairlifts are not suitable for all types of wheelchairs. They have declined to say what disciplinary action staff could face

'I was forced to carry him to the top of the stairs. The guy was still saying to me, even then, that the wheelchair was a buggy,' she added.

The couple also has a daughter, Heidi, four, who they say was confused and upset by the situation.

Station bosses have blamed the unfortunate incident, earlier this month, on a misunderstanding, saying the stairlift was not suitable for all types of wheelchair.

A Greater Anglia spokeswoman said: 'We have been in correspondence with Mrs Lang about her experience at Colchester station.

'We have apologised to her and offered to reimburse her tickets.

'It is very unusual for complaints to be made about these members of staff as they have an excellent record of helping all customers and it is more usual to receive praise for them.

'We have fully investigated it and, in this case, there appears to have been a misunderstanding.

'Colchester station is accessible for everyone. The stair lift at the station is only suitable for upright wheelchairs or for disabled customers who can move from their wheelchair onto the upright chair on the lift.

'All other passengers are advised to use the lifts and use the completely step-free access on the south side of the station. If they need further assistance, such as taxis, our staff will arrange for them to meet them on that side of the station.'
A dog trainer filmed himself being shocked by an electric collar in an attempt to get the 'cruel' devices banned.

David Pitbladdo, 42, from St Madoes, Perthshire, attached the collar to his neck and zapped himself in an expletive-laden video.

Standing in a field with no shoes to ensure the current would pass right through him, he gradually upped the voltage until he was screaming in agony.

David Pitbladdo, 42, from St Madoes, Perthshire, attached the collar to his neck and zapped himself in an expletive-laden video

Mr Pitbladdo, from Perthshire Gundog Rescue, struggled to speak as the electricity coursed through his body.

During the video he argued the collars were cruel, saying: 'When I'm out working I can't stand hearing a dog running around then suddenly you hear a yelp.

'To people who say it doesn't cause pain to a dog then I ask them why does it yelp?'

Mr Pitbladdo wants the Scottish Government to ban the collars outright.

When contacted by MailOnline, a Government spokesman said: 'We have confirmed our intention to introduce strict, new regulations on the use of electronic training aids, allowing their use only under the guidance of approved trainers or veterinary surgeons.

'Details will be determined through discussion with key stakeholders, including animal welfare organisations, and secondary legislation will be prepared for introduction in late 2017.'

Standing in a field with no shoes to ensure the current would pass right through him, he gradually upped the voltage until he was screaming in agony
Derek Allan recorded women secretly but said it was because of gender identity issues

A former theatre director covertly filmed women because he wanted ideas for his secret hobby of cross-dressing, a court heard.

Derek Allan recorded one woman dressed as Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn because he wanted to copy her look.

The 59-year-old  who has been dressing up as a female in private for decades  was caught red-handed using his phone to spy on women wearing Halloween costumes during a meeting at the theatre.

Yesterday, at Perth Sheriff Court, Allan admitted breaching the peace at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where he was the commercial director before his dismissal for voyeurism.

He was also creative director of award-winning sound and light show Enchanted Forest in Faskally Wood, Perthshire.

Allan, of Dumfries, was initially accused of spying on the women for three years but his solicitor Andrew Houston told the court the position is rather more nuanced than was perhaps perceived at first blush.

He said: His behaviour is inextricably linked to gender identity issues of which he has been aware for decades.

Part of his exploration of gender identity issues has involved in him engaging in what is known in common parlance as cross-dressing. That is an activity in which he has engaged for a number of years.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where Allan was the commercial director before his dismissal for voyeurism

In essence, by photographing or filming he was capturing images of particular looks or styles that he was interested in emulating.

On October 31, 2014 the lady was dressed in the manner of Audrey Hepburn as she appeared in Breakfast At Tiffanys. That is very much an iconic look.

Mr Houston said the episode had caused tremendous angst to Allans family but had been the catalyst for him to unburden this side of his identity.

He added: It had been hidden until the summer of last year. He has now engaged with [support group] LGBT Health and Wellbeing.

Allan filmed one woman in the 'iconic' Holly Golightly look made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Mr Houston asked the court not to place Allan on the sex offenders register as his behaviour did not contain a significant sexual element. The request was continued for consideration by the sheriff, who will sentence Allan when he returns to court next month.

Fiscal depute Tina Dickie said: A meeting took place within the theatre and as a result of incidents at the meeting, the accuseds employment was terminated.

At the time, the ladies were in fancy dress because it was Halloween. One became aware of the accused acting suspiciously and alerted the other.

When she looked across at Mr Allan she could see he was holding a phone at his chest. It was pointing directly at her waist and legs.

She was dressed as Audrey Hepburn, wearing a fitted knee-length dress and with bare legs. She was extremely distressed as she could see the accused was filming her and attempting to be secretive.

The court heard of at least four other occasions where Allan filmed women while pretending to send texts. He made no comment when he was eventually reported to police.
A Segway-driving Nazi who dresses as a druid and carries a tribal spear has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of having plotted attacks on Jews and Muslims.

The self-proclaimed Jew - and immigrant-hating 62-year-old identified only as Burghard B - was one of two people arrested in raids on properties in six different federal states in Germany.

As well as the two men arrested, police said they also seized weapons and quantities of ammunition and explosives.

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The self-proclaimed Jew - and immigrant-hating 62-year-old identified only as Burghard B - is pictured on his Segway in public

The Bearded suspected extremist goes under the alias Druid Burgos von Buchonia

Several of those targeted were considered to be part of the Reichsburger - Citizens of the Reich - movement, a largely hidden extremist group whose members reject the legitimacy of the German authorities and instead insist that the German Reich's 1919 pre-Weimar borders remain in effect.

The extremist druid, pictured, regularly spouts his hate on online Nazi forums

Bearded Burghard is a well-known figure under his alias Druid Burgos von Buchonia, and is often spotted on his Segway delivering rebel-rousing speeches blaming Jews, refugees and the Bilderberg group for all the world's problems.

The Bilderberg Group is an association of 120 to 150 people, primarily European and North American business and financial experts, as well as academics and politicians, who meet regularly behind closed doors, sparking many allegations by conspiracy theorists.

Frequently seen in his white cloak holding the ceremonial spear in his hand, the druid from the town of Schwetzingen in the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg is said to be one of the leaders of the shadowy Reichsburger movement.

He has gone on record saying: 'My self-esteem tells me that I have to destroy the Jews and Muslims before they destroy my clan or my family.'

The extremist druid regularly spouts his hate on online Nazi forums, with local media reporting that even days before his arrest he had threatened attacks.

He wrote: 'Pork heads to every synagogue, mosque, and kebab place.

'Slaughterhouses can deliver them.'

The other man who was arrested is said to be 57-year-old Karsten R, who was taken into custody in the German capital of Berlin.

He is an online friend of Burghard B on Nazi forums, reports said.

Heavily tattooed Karsten R has also spouted anti-Semitic hatred online.

On one occasion he wrote: 'Over and over again, it is the s****y Jews who stretch out their greedy paws to seize everything, things that they have neither worked for, nor created, and that would never normally belong to them in any way.'

The other man who was arrested is said to be 57-year-old Karsten R, pictured, who was taken into custody in the German capital of Berlin

Together with five others, Burghard B and Karsten R are suspected of founding a right-wing terrorist group.

Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas said: 'This is an important signal against the right-wing extremist scene in Germany.'

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the dangers of the extremist Reichsburger movement have intensified considerably in recent months.

It is estimated that there are over 10,000 members of the Reichsburger movement in Germany.
Shadow Wales secretary Jo Stevens, pictured, said leaving the EU is a 'terrible mistake' and handed in her resignation letter to Mr Corbyn this afternoon

Labour veered towards all-out civil war today after a second frontbencher quit over Jeremy Corbyn's decision to order all MPs to vote for Brexit.

In her resignation letter Shadow Wales secretary Jo Stevens said she was 'a passionate European' who believes leaving the EU is a 'terrible mistake' and will vote against the Government's bill to start the Brexit process.

The Labour leader is braced for at least three more resignations after announcing he will impose a three-line whip on MPs to vote in favour of triggering Article 50, which will notify Brussels of our intention to leave.

On yet another day of Labour chaos over Brexit, Mr Corbyn's office confirmed that any frontbench MP who defies his three-line whip on the vote will be sacked.

A host of other shadow ministers have vowed to rebel and vote against Brexit.

Earlier today it was unclear whether Mr Corbyn would sack the rebels for breaking the three-line whip - a move that is normal in order to maintain party discipline.

But a source close to the Labour leader confirmed that 'usual expectations for a three-line whip apply'.

Humiliatingly for Mr Corbyn, two of the rebels are shadow whips, whose jobs are to enforce party discipline.

WHO'S IN AND WHO'S OUT? Two Labour MPs have so far quit Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench over his decision to impose a three-line whip on backing Brexit, but more are expected to follow. Several shadow cabinet ministers close to Mr Corbyn have performed U-turns and confirmed they will vote in favour of triggering Article 50 despite previously vowing to oppose it. DEFINITELY OUT: Jo Stevens quit as shadow Wales Secretary today, saying she 'cannot reconcile my overwhelming view' that leaving the EU is a 'terrible mistake'. Tulip Siddiq resigned from her junior shadow ministerial job in charge of Labour's early years policy last night. PROBABLY OUT: Daniel Zeichner, MP for Cambridge, is expected to quit from his role as a shadow transport minister after vowing to vote against Article 50. Jeff Smith, MP for Manchester Withington and a shadow whip, said he would echo his Remain constituency's views and vote against Brexit. Thangam Debbonaire, Bristol West MP and another whip, said she would 'deal with the consequences' of defying Mr Corbyn and opposing the Article 50 bill. Catherine West, a shadow foreign minister and ally of Mr Corbyn, is another considering her position. DEFINITELY STAYING (AFTER SAYING THEY WOULD VOTE AGAINST) Clive Lewis, shadow business secretary, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, said he had decided not to defy the whip, despite signalling last week that he would vote against triggering Article 50. Cat Smith, another shadow cabinet minister close to the leader, confirmed on Twitter she will vote in favour of triggering Article 50 amid reports she was set to quit. Dawn Butler, shadow cabinet minister for diverse communities, was the latest to confirm she will back the bill despite saying last year she could not support it. Advertisement

And today shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, a confidant of the veteran left-winger, caused more confusion after she said the Labour leadership would 'review our position' if it failed to win key concessions on the Article 50 bill.

A party spokesperson insisted her comments did not mean Labour would ever vote against Brexit.

'We absolutely won't vote against it... we will not frustrate the passage of the bill,' a spokesperson said.

Labour has tabled no fewer than seven amendments to the bill, including one that would force Mrs May to reopen negotiations with Brussels if MPs do not like her deal with the EU - effectively delaying Brexit indefinitely.

In what would be a humiliating move for Mr Corbyn, two of his whips - whose jobs are to enforce party discipline - have vowed to defy his order to back the Article 50 bill.

He has already suffered one resignation after Tulip Siddiq quit the frontbench because she 'cannot reconcile myself' to backing Brexit.

Explaining Labour's position on the Article 50 bill, Ms Abbott told the Today programme: 'This is a question of opening the process we will seek to amend and if we are not able to get any of our amendments through clearly we will have to review our position.

'What happens to people that vote not to trigger will be managed by the whips but the leadership has a lot of sympathy for people in heavily Remain constituencies who find themselves in difficulty.'

Jeff Smith, MP for Manchester Withington and a shadow whip, said he would echo his Remain constituency's views and vote against Brexit, while Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire also said she would defy the whip.

The rebels have signalled they could even stay in Mr Corbyn's frontbench despite defying a three-line whip, which would be an unprecedented move, particularly for whips.

It highlights Labour's chaotic position on Brexit, which has torn the party further apart over whether they should respect the referendum result or fight to keep Britain in the EU.

The third frontbencher who confirmed he would rebel against Mr Corbyn is Daniel Zeichner, a shadow transport minister and MP for Cambridge.

He told the Cambridge Evening News it is a 'very straight forward decision for me' to vote against Article 50 and suggested he could even stay on the frontbench.

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured at a Holocaust Memorial Day event in Islington, north London today, confirmed he will impose a three-line whip on the upcoming Commons vote on supporting the Government's Article 50 bill, which will notify Brussels of our intention to leave the EU

Tulip Siddiq, pictured left has confirmed she will resign from Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench if he goes ahead with imposing a three-line whip for the vote on triggering Article 50. Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner, right, a shadow transport minister, is also expected to resign

In her resignation letter, posted on her Twitter feed, Shadow Wales secretary Jo Stevens said she was 'a passionate European' who believes leaving the EU is a 'terrible mistake' and will vote against the Government's bill to start the Brexit process

'It's my strongly held personal position, and I represent three quarters of the people of Cambridge,' he said.

'I have every respect for those in Cambridge who voted to leave but my job in this city is to represent the people of Cambridge.

'BREXIT IS A TERRIBLE MISTAKE': JO STEVENS RESIGNATION LETTER Jo Stevens became the first shadow cabinet minister to quit over Jeremy Corbyn's decision to impose a three-line whip on backing the Article 50 bill that will notify the EU of our intention to leave. In her resignation letter to Mr Corbyn she wrote: 'I accept the referendum result is to leave. I also accept that the parliamentary numbers are such that Article 50 will be triggered and we will leave the EU. 'But I believe that leaving is a terrible mistake and I cannot reconcile my overwhelming view that to endorse the step that will make exit inevitable is wrong. 'I expect this to be the most important vote I will ever cast as an MP and for me it is a clear issue of principle and conscience.' She added: 'When I vote I will be representing my constituents, a great many of whom, including a great many Labour party members and voters, have strongly urged me to vote in this way. 'That is why, in shadow cabinet, I argued against the imposition of a three-line whip.' 'It is with deep regret that this inevitably means I must resign from the shadow cabinet. 'It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as your shadow secretary of state for Wales, the country where I was born, bred, work and live.' Advertisement

'I've had perfectly civilised conversations [with the Labour leadership]. They know my position and they understand exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing and it's for them to decide what to do next.'

Confirming he would also vote against Brexit, Mr Smith said: 'My constituents voted strongly for remain and I think it's important to represent their view.'

And Ms Debbonaire told Business Insider she would 'deal with the consequences' after rebelling against the Labour leadership.

Ms Siddiq, 34, whose Hampstead and Kilburn constituency backed Remain, became the first to quit the frontbench last night.

In her resignation letter she wrote: 'I feel that the most effective place for me to counter Theresa May's hard Brexit is from the backbenches.'

More frontbenchers have signalled they will also quit Mr Corbyn's shadow ministerial team.

Dawn Butler is said to be considering resigning, as well as junior shadow ministers Catherine West, a shadow foreign minister.

But shadow business secretary Clive Lewis, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, said he had decided not to defy the whip, despite signalling last week that he would vote against triggering Article 50.

Amid speculation that he would inflict a humiliating resignation on Mr Corbyn, Mr Lewis issued a statement this afternoon explaining that he will 'join my colleagues in voting for the bill'.

The latest Labour chaos over Brexit came after Commons Leader David Lidington today tabled the legislation that will finally trigger Article 50.

The 'notification of withdrawal' Bill will empower ministers formally to tell the EU we want to quit.

After a week of confusion over Labour's position on the vote, Mr Corbyn finally revealed his decision to order MPs to support the Government's Article 50 bill.

The text will be at the heart of the impending 'hand to hand combat' in parliament - sparked by the Supreme Court's ruling that Theresa May cannot use executive powers to invoke Brexit

The Leader of the Commons, David Lidington, announced today that there will be five days of debate on the Bill

He told Sky News: 'It will be a clear decision that we want all of our MPs to support the article 50 vote when it comes up next week.'

Confirming it will be a three-line whip, he said: 'It's clearly a three-line whip. It is a vote on the article 50... We will put out a statement today to our members that we want them to vote for article 50.'

WHY THE BREXIT WHITE PAPER COULD END UP IN COURT White Papers are routinely used by ministers to set out policy ideas in detail ahead of legislation. The documents, which can run to hundreds of pages, allow MPs, lobbying groups and others to comment before policy becomes law. Critics have pointed out that previous prime ministers have published a White Paper in advance of every new EU treaty, setting out broad negotiating priorities. The document ahead of the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, for example, ran to 42 pages. However, White Papers have sometimes formed the basis for judicial reviews  leading to protracted legal action in the courts. Theresa May has so far resisted publishing a paper on Brexit over concern it could tie her hands during negotiations with Brussels and open the door to legal challenges. She has backed down over fears of a Commons defeat. Sources suggest the Brexit White Paper is likely to offer little more than the 12-point plan for leaving the EU that Mrs May set out last week. Advertisement

Be he added: 'I fully understand the pressures and issues that members are under, those who represent leave constituencies and those who represent remain constituencies.

'Labour is in the almost unique position of having MPs representing constituencies in both directions and very strongly in both directions.

'I say to everyone unite around the important issues of jobs, economy, security, rights, justice, those issues, and we will frame that relationship with Europe in the future, outside the Europebut in concert with friends, whether those countries are in the EU or outside the EU.

'That's the message we're putting out. And I'm asking all of our MPs not to block article 50 but to make sure it goes through next week.'

John Mills, who used to be one of Labour's biggest donors until he withdrew his support for the party under Mr Corbyn and chaired the Labour Leave campaign during the referendum, told frontbenchers they would be 'highlighting just how out of touch the party are with their traditional supporters' if they voted against Brexit.

He said: 'The fact that Labour frontbenchers are even contemplating voting against the triggering of Article 50 highlights just how out of touch the Party are with their traditional supporters.

'70 per cent of Labour-held constituencies voted to leave in the referendum in June 2016. They voted to leave because they felt that globalisation has created huge disparities in equality and opportunity between the metropolitan elite in cities like London and Manchester, and the UK's erstwhile heartlands.

'There is now an existential crisis facing the Labour Party. If we continue down this road, and MPs oppose the will of the British people in favour of Brexit, there is no plausible way in which I can see the Party forming a government in 2020.'
Germany's population has hit a record high of 82.8million people due to a a record number of migrants arriving in the country, new official statistics have revealed.

The Federal Statistics office confirmed that as a preliminary estimate for 2016, the population grew by 600,000 alone last year with 280,000 migrants arriving on German soil.

The total number has eclipsed the previous record high of 82.5million recorded at the end of 2002, even though the number of deaths in 2016 exceeded the number of birth in Germany by 190,000.

Germany's population has hit a record high of 82.8million people due to a a record number of migrants arriving in the country, new official statistics have revealed. Pictured are Eritrean migrants arriving at a registration camp near Munich

Deaths have exceed births in Germany since 1972, with a total of more than five million fewer births than deaths.

However, countering that trend, more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and beyond flocked to Germany in 2015 and 2016, drawn by its strong economy, relatively liberal asylum laws and generous system of benefits.

And since the height of the euro zone debt crisis, Germany is also attracting many migrants from other European countries such as Greece and Spain.

The figures used to calculate net migration were based on numbers signing up at registration offices.

It is believed around one million migrants have arrived in Europe with many wanting to travel to Germany to settle after Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door policy

Asylum seekers are initially housed in reception centres and generally only registered later.

Steady economic growth since 2010 and generous pro-family policies by successive governments in recent years have helped lift the birth rate but it is still below the death rate.

German government support for refugees has climbed in recent years.

For 2016 and 2017 the government set aside 28.7 billion euros ($30.64 billion) in funding to accommodate and integrate the more than one million asylum seekers who entered the country, the ministry said.

It is believed around one million migrants have arrived in Europe with many wanting to travel to Germany to settle after Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door policy.

However, her deputy admitted she underestimated the challenge of integrating the record migrant influx she invited into Germany last year.

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said it was inconceivable that Germany could again take in a million refugees and other immigrants in a single year.
A toddler was left needing plastic surgery after she had her throat ripped open by a Bullmastiff.

Kinzara Stirton, from Glasgow, was attacked by the dog as her mother dropped her off at the shops to buy sweets with her older sister, Kiera, 17.

Doctors said the three-year-old, who has been scarred for life, was 'lucky to be alive' after the dog bit a chunk of flesh out of her neck, missing her jugular vein by centimetres.

Kinzara Stirton, from Glasgow, needed several operations after she was attacked by the dog

The three-year-old has been left with scarring on her face and battled a number of infections while in hospital

Kinzara's mother Kristina Stirton, 40, said her daughter battled several infections in her neck and needed four operations in a bid to avoid lasting damage to her nerves.

The dog involved was destroyed but the owners were not prosecuted.

One year on Ms Stirton is sharing her story in a bid to raise awareness of dangerous dogs.

Ms Stirton, a full time mother-of-four, said: 'I had dropped her off with her older sister when the Bullmastif launched an unprovoked attack on Kinzara.

'There was blood everywhere, Kinzara was just in shock and wasn't moving or saying anything.

'When Keira came running to the car screaming I knew something terrible had happened. She just kept saying, "Kinzara has been bitten."

'The bite marks were really deep and she needed dozens of stitches to stop the blood from pouring out.

'I had no idea if Kinzara was even going to survive the car journey, the amount of blood was like something out of a horror film.

'The doctors explained she was just two centimetres from her jugular vein and she was extremely lucky to have survived.'

Kinzara (right) with her sister Kristine, 6, (left) and older sister Kiera (centre) who was holding her hand when the dog attacked

Kinzara's mother Kristina Stirton, 40, is sharing her story to raise awareness of dog attacks

Kinzara's mother said: 'Her face is now dented on one side but we are so thankful she's alive and the attack wasn't any worse'

Since her ordeal Kinzara has been scared of dogs and will latch onto her mother if she sees a dog

She added: 'It made me feel sick that we came so close to losing Kinzara. Since the ordeal Kinzara has been scared of dogs and will latch onto me if we see one in the street.

'I just want the law to change so that any owners of dogs that attack are prosecuted regardless of whether there are witnesses.'

Ms Stirton added: 'Kiera blamed herself for the accident and was holding her hand as the dog launched at her face.

'She was hysterical when it first happened and it took a long time to reassure her that it wasn't her fault.'

Ms Stirton attempted to sue for compensation but has hit a brick wall.

She added: 'Kinzara's face is now dented on one side but we are so thankful she's alive and the attack wasn't any worse.

'Thanks to her sisters, Kiera, Kristine, six, and Aria, two, she has been able to move on with her life.

'I hope our story comes as a warning to the public and owners of dogs who have a dangerous temperament.'
Judge Emilio Calatayud (pictured) has a reputation for handing out slightly eccentric sentences

A teenager who burgled a hairdressing salon in Spain and stole a hairdryer has been given a bizarre sentence - train as a hair stylist and then give the judge a trim.

Judge Emilio Calatayud, who has a reputation for wisdom and compassion, came up with the idea when the 16-year-old appeared before him at the youth court in the city of Granada.

The youth, who has not been named, caused 600 euros (511) worth of damage when he broke into the salon.

But instead of slinging him in jail or doling out a big fine the judge - known in Granada as El Padrazo (The Indulgent Father) - summoned up the wisdom of Solomon and suggested the lad be sent on a hairstylist course for six months.

At the end of his course the boy will have to give the judge a haircut.

Judge Calatayud, 71, warned the teenager he expected a professional trim and any attempt to deliberately botch the job would lead to him being convicted of disobedience.

The youth, who left school without qualifications, broke into the salon in May last year but was only sentenced this month.

It is only the latest in a string of oddball sentences from the eccentric judge, who ordered a computer hacker to give 1,000 hours of lessons to IT students and told a young man convicted of drunkenness to spend a day caring for a paraplegic.

Judge Calatayud is in charge of the youth court covering the Spanish city of Granada, and the surrounding like villages like Montefrio (pictured) STOCK PHOTO

He ordered another teenager convicted of riding a motorbike without insurance to draw a 15-page comic and read it to patients paralysed by car crashes.

Judge Calatayud recently criticised Spain's former Socialist government for introducing political correctness which he claimed undermined parental authority.

In a recent newspaper interview the judge said: 'It is much harder to be a father because we do not have the authority. (Former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez) Zapatero took it from us. The right to reasonably correct our children was abolished in 2007.'
They were two of Australia's most notorious fugitives, racking up a string of crimes that ranged from murder to vandalising property.

Now never-before-seen footage has emerged of the moment father Gino and son Mark Stocco fired a high-powered rifle at a highway cop during one of their escapes.

The dashcam footage was captured near Wagga Wagga, in southern New South Wales, back on October 16, 2015 after the pair had been cornered by officers.

This is the moment that Gino and Mark Stocco fired at a highway police officer as he chased them near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, back on October 16, 2015

The pair fired twice at the officer, who was forced to reverse his car and abandon the pursuit, and then fired again later in the same chase

A highway patrol officer can be seen pursuing the pair at speeds of more than 100km/h down a dirt road before there is the quiet sound of metal being hit.

Suddenly the police car comes to a halt and the officer can be heard shouting: 'Urgent, urgent, urgent, shots fired, shots fired.'

As another bullet is heard hitting the car, he yells: 'F***. Shots are fired, shots are fired. He's armed and dangerous. He's got a rifle.'

The officer can then be seen slamming his car into reverse before backing several hundred metres up the road, and turning the vehicle around while a helicopter continues the chase.

One of the bullets went straight through the car's radiator, through the engine, severed the brake lines and then embedded itself in the front passenger seat.

Fortunately the officer was the only person riding in the vehicle at the time.

Gino (left) and Mark (right) were finally arrested on October 28, 2015, after police traced them to a farmhouse where they surrendered

The pair are now facing lengthy prison sentences after pleading guilty to a string of crimes including murder, firing at police, and property damage

The Stoccos would shoot at officers once more during the same pursuit, this time at highway patrol officer Matthew Shaw.

Speaking about his own ordeal outside court, Shaw said: 'I though about self-preservation, what's going on, why are they shooting?

'And then getting back to the job that I'm supposed to do, and that's protecting the people and apprehending people when they're doing the wrong thing.

'I was pretty scared at the time, but with the training and the length of service that I have, that all kicks in and you just do your job.'

The video was played in New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday as the pair prepare to be sentenced for their eight-year crime spree.

Gino and Mark Stocco are now facing lengthy jail terms after they both pleaded guilty to the murder of Rosario Cimone , 68, shooting a rifle at officers, and property damage stretching into tens of thousands of dollars.
More than 100 priceless Assyrian artefacts that were plundered from ancient ruins in Iraq have reportedly been found hidden under the home of an ISIS leader in Mosul.

The ancient clay pots and vases are believed to have come from the Nineveh ruins as well as Nimrud, which has been reduced to ruins by the terror group.

Nimrud had been under the control of ISIS from 2014 but it was recaptured by Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul in November.

More than 100 priceless Assyrian artefacts , pictured, that were snatched from ancient ruins in Iraq have reportedly been found hidden under the home of an ISIS leader in Mosul.

Among the artefacts found were said to be a dozen clay pots, large vases, pottery, a hand mill and other small pieces

Now, the Telegraph has reported that Iraqi authorities have stumbled upon the priceless items while searching a house in the Az-Zirai neighbourhood in the east of Mosul after the ISIS commander claimed he was a civilian.

Among the artefacts found were said to be a dozen clay pots, large vases, pottery, a hand mill and other small pieces.

Iraqi MP Talib al-Maa'mari told the newspaper: 'During a tour of homes in the former Christian area of Mosul, the army received a tip off from a local resident.

'When the special forces searched this one house, which was being used by an ISIS emir, we were surprised to find many priceless artefacts.

The ancient city of Nimrud had been under the control of ISIS from 2014 and in March 2015 released a video claiming to have it up

An Iraqi soldier walks through the ruins of Nimrud after government forces liberated it from government control in November 2016

'But one in particular is very special - it was quite an incredible find.'

ISIS are believed to have made millions from the sale of ancient artefacts on the black market since capturing Mosul.

In the past three years, ISIS has deliberately destroyed cultural heritage in Iraq, Syria, and to a lesser extent in Libya.

The ancient Iraqi city of Nimrud - the capital of the Assyrian empire - is one thar has been reduced to rubble by the terror group, who were forced out of the famed archaeological site in November.

The jihadis was driven out by Iraqi forces, but left behind scenes of devastation, with much of the ancient Assyrian city destroyed.

The battle for Mosul has continued to rage on with the Iraqi army buoyed by the victory of liberating the eastern half of the city. Pictured are Iraqi forces flying their flag

Nimrud, in northern Iraq, was 3,000 years ago the capital of what is believed to have been the world's first empire.

Meanwhile, the battle for Mosul has continued to rage on with the Iraqi army buoyed by the victory of liberating the eastern half of the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Diya Lafta said troops from his 9th Division began advancing toward two villages just north of Mosul on Thursday morning and 'after a few hours they were liberated' from ISIS militants.

By afternoon, the village of Shereikhan had been largely freed but fighting continued in the villages beyond.

Thursday's military operation forced hundreds of civilians to flee. Families escaping the clashes on foot clogged the road leading into Mosul as a cloud of smoke from an ISIS suicide bombing rose above the horizon.

Iraqi boys sit over the rubble of a damaged house at a district in eastern Mosul, northern Iraq
An Indonesian man arrested in Bali this week for suspected links to the Islamic State group after traveling to Turkey was an Australian-educated former finance ministry official.

The Ministry of Finance said Triyono Utomo resigned from his job in the ministry's fiscal policy office in February last year because he wanted to focus on managing an Islamic boarding school in West Java.

At the time he was in line to be appointed as a division head within the office.

National Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said Utomo, aged about 40, was well educated and studied for his master's degree in Australia.

An Indonesian man arrested in Bali this week for suspected links to the Islamic State group after traveling to Turkey was an Australian-educated former Finance Ministry official

Four other people detained with him after they arrived in Bali on an Emirates flight were apparently his wife and three children aged 3 to 12.

The ministry said it would not provide Utomo with any legal assistance.

Bali police spokesman Hengky Widjaja said on Thursday the group was nabbed at a safe house on January 16 by Turkish soldiers.

It was the second batch of Indonesians detained this month after returning from Turkey, which has a porous border with Syria where IS militants control territory.

Last week, authorities detained 17 people, including eight women, as they arrived at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Widjaja said the five left Indonesia on August 15 last year for Thailand to avoid raising suspicion in Indonesia. From Thailand, they flew to Istanbul, he said.

Triyono Utomo aged about 40, was detained after he arrived in Bali on an Emirates flight with his wife and three children aged 3 to 12 on January 16 (stock image)

Indonesian authorities have heightened surveillance at border checkpoints following a series of foiled plots by IS supporters.

It's not an offense under Indonesia's counter-terrorism law to travel to Syria and authorities have resorted to making arrests under an electronic information law if they can show suspects tried to recruit others over the Internet or provided funding.
A paedophile primary school headteacher who paid for a service that livestreams children being abused in the Philippines has been banned from teaching for life.

Paul McNeil, 53, who was headteacher at Hartley Primary School in East Ham, London, will never be able to work with children again, after he allegedly paid a Filipino contact to orchestrate live online child sex abuse.

He came to the attention of Scotland Yard after a tip off from their Canadian counterparts, which suggested the headteacher had ordered 13 DVDs containing indecent images of children from a Canadian firm.

Paul McNeil, 53, who was headteacher at Hartley Primary School in East Ham (pictured) will never be able to work with children again, after he allegedly paid a Filipino contact to orchestrate live online child sex abuse

The DVDs were not found when officers raided his east London home in May 2014.

However, Skype conversations were found where McNeil role played a father, messaging the person on the other end pretending to be his 15-year-old son.

He sent messages including 'why don't you get naked while u massage (sic) me' and 'U r hot let's do this for real you have cam?'.

McNeil was questioned by police, but no criminal charges were ever brought against him.

Despite this, a panel for the National College for Teaching and Leadership said it was 'more likely than not' McNeil transferred money believing he would have the opportunity to view sexual activity involving children.

McNeil has now been banned from teaching for life, with no appeal to be reinstated.

Panel chair Ms Alison Walsh of the National College for Teaching and Leadership said: 'Mr McNeil was the headteacher at Hartley Primary School and, at the material times, resided at an address in East Ham.

'Mr McNeil came to the attention of the Metropolitan Police in January 2014 through an operation instigated through Canadian Law Enforcement, which had been investigating a Canadian company called Azov Films.

He came to the attention of Scotland Yard after a tip off from their Canadian counterparts, which suggested the headteacher had ordered 13 DVDs containing indecent images of children from a Canadian firm

'Information was disseminated to UK Law Enforcement which indicated that Mr McNeil was identified as one of the people who had purchased a number of DVDs from Azov Films.

'Canadian Law Enforcement provided information to the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation Online Protection team, which included copies of orders for the DVDs.

'These referred to six separate orders for 13 DVDs which were, or were purported to have been, dispatched to Mr McNeil's address. Of those 13 DVDs, seven were category C indecent images and one was a category B indecent image.'

She continued: 'As part of the investigation, a forensic examination of Mr McNeil's computers was undertaken. This included the internet history.

'When his Acer laptop was examined, a number of online Skype conversations were identified.

'In addition to the investigation by the Canadian authorities, there was a separate NCA investigation in relation to payments made to the Philippines.

'Mr McNeil was identified as making two payments to a Filipino suspect believed to orchestrate live on-line child sex abuse.

'Mr McNeil was interviewed by the police on 19 May 2014 and again on 9 October 2014. Throughout both interviews, Mr McNeil exercised his right of silence.

'No criminal charges were brought against Mr McNeil.'

Ms Walsh continued: 'The panel notes that the allegations took place outside of the education setting.

'However, as a teacher (indeed a headteacher) the responsibility for safeguarding the interests and well-being of all children is paramount.

'His actions were fundamentally incompatible with this expectation of professionals working with children.

'These behaviours include serious sexual misconduct and activity connected with the viewing, taking, making, possessing, distributing or publishing of any indecent photograph or image or pseudo photograph or image of a child.

'Mr McNeil has demonstrated limited insight into the consequences of his actions.'

Alan Meyrick, on behalf of the Secretary of State, rubber stamped the panel's decision to ban McNeil indefinitely, 'in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him.'

He said the panel had found on the balance of probabilities, McNeil's actions 'were with the intention of viewing indecent images of children and/or viewing sexual activity involving a child.'

In relation to the Skype chats, 'while the panel did not find that Mr McNeil was engaging with a 15-year-old boy, he did engage in a role-play fantasy involving sexual activity with a child of that age.'

He noted 'the panel is concerned that there appears to be a pattern of behaviour indicating an interest in sexual activity with persons aged under 18.

'The panel has also commented that Mr McNeil has demonstrated limited insight into the consequences of his actions.'

A spokesperson for Hartley Primary School said: 'The school is committed to ensuring that its children are taught in a safe, supportive environment and that they receive a high standard of education.

'When these serious allegations came to light, the schools governing body took immediate action and suspended McNeil.

'Following the outcome of a police investigation which saw no charges brought against McNeil, the schools governing body conducted their own investigation and dismissed McNeil with immediate effect.

'Because of the seriousness of the allegations, the school also referred this matter to the National College of Teaching and Leadership'.
Almost half of refugees in Austria think religious law is more important than that of the country in which they live, according to a study published today.

The study of 900 migrants, by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, found 40 percent of migrants thought their religion always took precedence over secular laws.

A similar percentage thought Western people were too liberal in their lifestyles and had too much freedom.

Austria has seen an influx of migrants in the last few years, many of whom entered in 2015 and early 2016 after travelling from Turkey and through the Balkans STOCK PHOTO

One in five said women should not be allowed to work, according to the survey, which was commissioned by the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

Four out of five refugees said they agreed men and women were equal but believed Muslim women should cover their heads and bodies in Austria.

Austria has seen an influx of migrants in the last few years, many of whom entered in 2015 and early 2016 after travelling from Turkey and through the Balkans. Around 90,000 applied for asylum in Austria in 2015 alone.

So far Austria has escaped the ISIS-inspired violence which has been seen in Germany, France and Belgium.

Of those surveyed, 37 percent said they wanted separated gymnastics and swimming lessons for boys and girls in schools.

Earlier this month neighbouring Switzerland won a test case in the European Court of Human Rights when it ruled that a Swiss couple of Turkish origin were not entitled to withdraw their teenage daughters from mixed swimming lessons.

Questioners interviewed 900 Syrian, Afghan, and Iraqi refugees in Austria and some of the answers may have surprised the Foreign Ministry mandarins.

Only 61 percent of the refugees considered themselves religious and only three out of 10 prayed five times a day, as required by the Koran.

One good sign is that 83 percent said they were prepared to happily coexist with other religions while 45 percent maintained Islam was superior to other religions.

Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the survey's results suggested integrating migrants into the country's mindset remained a 'major challenge.

He said: 'Refugees have not yet internalised many values.'

Austria's Foreign Minister, the youthful Sebastian Kurz (right) said integrating refugees into the country's ethical and secular principles remained a 'major challenge'

Mr Kurz, 30, said: 'If there are violations against our laws or against our basic values, we do not react with exaggerated tolerance, but show that the regulations in Austria must be strictly adhered to.'

The Austrian government is proposing a raft of new laws to speed up integration.

These will include compulsory employment for refugees, paid at the rate of one euro per hour, a ban on full-face veils such as the burka and a ban on certain aggressive Koran distribution projects.

But he admitted some of his ideas still have to be agreed to by his Social-Democratic coalition partners, who still object to a burka ban and compulsory low-wage employment.
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A time capsule of previously unseen portraits and sketches of the Royal family, political heavyweights and film stars has been unearthed.

Bernard Hailstone was a celebrated portrait painter - but his reputation didn't stop the Queen from getting him to re-position a TV aerial so she could watch the horse-racing during a sitting at Buckingham Palace.

Her picture forms part of a remarkable collection of 400 works by Hailstone which have been unearthed in his old studio by his family, 30 years after his death.

The 1977 portrait of Queen Elizabeth was extremely well prepared and was subject to several increasingly detailed preparatory sketches

Another, more detailed preparatory sketch of Queen Elizabeth II from 1977 is shown on the left, with the finished piece displayed on the right

Bernard Hailstone while carrying out the portrait of Her Majesty - who once asked her to fix her TV aerial so she could watch the horse racing. The picture is expected to fetch around 5.000

As evidenced by this photograph of the Queen sitting for the portrait, Mr Hailstone's likeness bears a remarkable resemblance to the monarch

The collection includes framed portraits, unframed portraits and preparatory sketches that have sat untouched for three decades in Hadlow Tower in Tonbridge, Kent, where he lived.

The portrait of the Queen was created in 1977 and is expected to fetch 5,000, while the entire set has been valued at 35,000.

His son Donovan Hailstone, 81, said: 'My father was painting the Queen at Buckingham Palace and she asked him 'would you mind if I watch the race, I have a horse running'. He got the TV working for her and moved the aerial.'

Amongst the famous figures who sat for Hailstone were the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Sir Winston Churchill and former US president Jimmy Carter.

The then US president was sketched by Hailstone during a flight from London to New York, while Hailstone and Churchill discussed aliens during their sitting at Chartwell in Kent.

One of Bernard's studies of the Queen Mother. The sketch of her face in comparison with the stunning final portrait

Bernard painting the Queen Mother in the 1970's. The pastel sketch of the Queen Mother's face is tipped to sell for 300

The preparatory oil on board sketch of the Prince of Wales from 1978 is valued at 500

Charles' picture forms part of a remarkable collection of 400 works by Hailstone which have been unearthed by his family 30 years after his deat

Churchill's 1955 oil on canvas sketch is estimated to fetch 800.

The preparatory oil on board sketch of the Prince of Wales from 1978 is valued at 500, while a pastel sketch of the Queen Mother's face is tipped to sell for 300.

Hailstone painted Second World War portraits of transport and civil defence workers in Britain and members of the Armed Forces while overseas.

Such was his love of painting that he also painted a wide range of uncommissioned portraits of ordinary members of the public which are included in the auction.

Donovan Hailstone said: 'When he painted Winston Churchill they apparently discussed life in outer space.

'Churchill apparently told him that he thought aliens should be treated with the contempt they deserve!

Sir Winston Churchill's 1955 oil on canvas sketch is estimated to fetch 800. Hailstone painted Second World War portraits of transport and civil defence workers in Britain and members of the Armed Forces while overseas

Mr Hailstone's son, Donovan, said: 'When he painted Winston Churchill they apparently discussed life in outer space

The finished portrait of of Queen Elizabeth outside Hadlow Tower is pictured left. And even his easel, pictured right, is up for sale

'My father was just very relaxed with people and enjoyed a good gossip. He lived a remarkable life rich in character.

'He was always painting. When he wasn't doing commissions he would paint ordinary members of the public in Kent.

'He would grab someone like a builder and say 'I would like to paint you'.

'That's why there are so many pictures in the studio - it's because they were not commissions.

'My father kept the pictures in his studio in Chelsea and in Kent. He was always on the move and he didn't have a van so he would drive between the two with a painting tied to the roof of the car!'

Mr Hailstone believes the time is right to pass the paintings on to someone who can give them the prominence they deserve.

He said: 'I think the most important thing is you want them to go to people who appreciate a nice picture.

'It's much nicer to know a picture is going to someone who appreciates it than have it stored in the corner of a studio or outhouse.

'That's why we eventually said the time was right to sell them.'

Neil Shuttleworth, director at Special Auction Services in Newbury, Berks, said they anticipate a 'great deal of interest' in the 'wonderful' collection of portraits.

Commander Edward Whitehead RN - who fronted the Schweppes advertising campaigns of the 60' and 70's

He said: 'The auction will include a fascinating array of portraits that range from royalty and nobility to actors and everyday people, thus highlighting the extent of Hailstone's commissions and we anticipate a great deal of interest in them.

'The family have spent the last 30 years since Bernard's death deciding what to do with the collection.

'They were left with quite a large amount of portraits and a lot of people in the portraits they still don't know who they are.

'Just after the war Bernard was fortunate to buy Hadlow Tower near Tonbridge and he kept 400 portraits there.

'For the Queen he went to one of the palaces and did live sketches and took photos.

'The most significant thing about this wonderful collection is that it is new to the market. For the family, it's a very personal collection of paintings.

'They are really great portraits. Bernard certainly was very good at capturing peoples' faces and expressions.'

The works by Hailstone will go under the hammer on February 14.
Shocking footage shows Chinese motorists risking their lives on a busy highway to pick up loose banknotes which had flown off the roof of another car.

Mr Zhu had put his wallet containing 12,000 yuan (1,390) on top of his car during a brief stop and forgot to pick it up when he set off on his journey again.

While crossing a bridge in Hangzhou Bay on January 24, the money went flying in the air and people crossed the road to try and collect a few notes.

Dangerous: A motorist was caught on surveillance footage crossing a busy highway

Crazy: Police noticed a car stopped and realised that motorists were trying to collect cash

Mr Zhu from Nantong, eastern China was travelling home for the Lunar New Year when he took a quick break at a rest stop.

He placed his wallet with 12,000 yuan (1,390) on the roof of his car and drove off without realising.

Staff monitoring the Hangzhou Bay Bridge noticed that a car had illegally stopped in a lane of the motorway. They thought it had broken down.

However upon inspection they noticed that there were hundreds of red bills in the air with some people picking the banknotes up.

Risky: One of the motorists dashes right in front of a truck in order to get some cash

A gust of wind caused the banknotes to fly everywhere leading to people rushing over

In the footage, the motorists can be seen rushing across the road to pick up the cash.

High-speed traffic police attended to the scene and upon seeing the officers approaching, the two cars picking up money left.

Police officers found the wallet containing cards with Mr Zhu's name. He told officers that he had stopped to take some medicine and left his wallet on the roof.

Officers took down the details of the cars that stopped to collect money and say they will be speaking with the owners of the vehicles and try to obtain the money.

However most of it was swept away into the water.

Many people have been dissing the incident on Chinese social media site Weibo.

One user wrote: 'What kind of wallet can fit in over 10,000 yuan?'

While another commented: 'How dangerous just to stop the car on a highway and pick the money!'

And one user said: 'If a car accident happened because of this, it wouldn't be just a loss of 10,000 yuan.'
War hero Geoffrey Bacon, 90, died after a mugger broke his hip and left him for dead on his doorstep

A war hero who drove General Monty on D-Day died after a mugger broke his hip and left him for dead on his doorstep.

Geoffrey Bacon, 90, died from his injuries after the attack, in which the thug stole 40 and a bus pass from the veteran as he returned to his home in Camberwell, south London.

Police launched a murder inquiry following Mr Bacon's death, three months after the attack.

Nearly seven years later, a coroner has ruled that the veteran died as a result of unlawful killing.

Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Nathan Eason told the court that the investigation was 'complete' despite Mr Bacon's attacker never being brought to justice.

Mr Bacon had joined the Royal Engineers as a mechanic and later became a driver in the Royal Artillery. He was described by senior officers as a first class reliable driver.

During the Second World War, the veteran chauffeured Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force and later US President.

He also drove Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery on D-Day in June 1944. 'Monty' played a key role in the end of the Second World War by receiving the Germans' surrender at Luneburg Heath.

In April 2010, Mr Bacon was attacked from behind as he returned from shopping trip to his flat in Camberwell, south London.

He was thrown to the floor, shattering his hip and punched in the face before the robber ransacked his second-floor flat.

He died 11 weeks later after collapsing in his care home in Ramsgate, Kent, on 5 August 2010.

Dr Peter Graham-Jerreat, who conducted Geoffrey Bacon's post mortem, said: 'A blood clot had formed in the left leg, breaking off and travelling into the lungs.

Mr Bacon (pictured with wife Edith on their wedding day in 1942) chauffeured General Monty and Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Second World War

Mr Bacon was Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery's (pictured) driver on D-Day

'A fracture was likely the cause of thrombosis in the lower limb.

'The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism, he also had deep vain thrombosis and a fractured left leg which was operated on.'

At Southwark Coroner's Court Assistant coroner Dr Philip Barlow said: 'The lack of mobility he had was a result of the assault and the fracture of the left hip left him with deep vain thrombosis in the left leg.

'It went through the blood stream and caused a pulmonary embolism. That was the cause of death.'

Detective Inspector Nathan Eason, from Scotland Yard, said: 'On 26 April 2010 at about 10.30 Mr Bacon had been out shopping to Morrisons and when he returned he went up the stairs to his second floor flat and as he was unlocking the front door he was pushed from behind.

He died from his injuries after the attack in 2010, in which the thug stole 40 and a bus pass from the veteran (pictured with Edith and their great-granddaughter)

Mr Bacon was attacked as he returned to his home in Camberwell, south London (pictured). He was thrown to the floor before the robber ransacked his second-floor flat

'The assailant then stepped over him and punched him in the face and removed property from his pocket.

'While he was on the floor the suspect went round his flat to steal property and then shut the door behind him.

'Mr Bacon then lay on the floor for 15 to 20 minutes and was shouting for help.

'A neighbour heard him and looked through the letter box and saw him lying there. She then called the ambulance.'

A power outage on the day of the attack means that police were unable to find any CCTV evidence.

A partial DNA profile was found on Mr Bacon's jacket but no matches have been found.

Mr Bacon was described by senior officers as a first class reliable driver. The veteran is pictured right with wife Edith and son Clive

During the war, the veteran (pictured with Edith) chauffeured Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force and later US President

Cheryl Weatherly, manager for Norfolk House care home where Mr Bacon was taken after the attack, said: 'Mr Bacon talked to staff about the assault on himself and displayed a bitter outlook on his assailant and where he had come from.

'Dr Meakin visited and Mr Bacon agreed he was feeling low and medication was given.

'He showed slight improvement for a couple of days but this was for his family, they knew that he was not improving. Mr Bacon told us he was 91 and had always done everything for himself.

'He showed independence, dignity and pride, he felt the neighbourhood had let him down.

Mr bacon, pictured with Edith on their 60th wedding anniversary, was said to be 'fully independent' prior to the attack

'He was in my care for three weeks and it was one of the saddest cases I have witnessed.'

Coroner Dr Barlow concluded: 'It is clear that Geoffrey Bacon was assaulted on the 26 April 2010 at his home.

'It is very clear that before the incident he did his own shopping, washing and was very mobile.

'At that age he was 90, he was a war veteran and General Montgomery's driver on D-Day and was still fully independent.

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, (pictured left speaking to the press just days after D-Day) nicknamed Monty, played a key role in the end of the Second World War

Mr Bacon joined the Royal Engineers as a mechanic and later became a driver in the Royal Artillery, chauffeuring 'Monty' (centre) on D-Day

'The evidence that I have received shows that he was determined as he could be to be independent and it was that spirit that got him through his life adventures.'

He continued: 'He was left lying on the floor while his assailant robbed him and searched his flat.

'He suffered a fracture of the left femur and was moved to Norfolk House care home and developed deep vain thrombosis and then a pulmonary embolism. He collapsed and died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

'It was the embolism that was the cause of death, my conclusion therefore is one of unlawful killing, I am satisfied that that is the correct conclusion.'

Mr Bacon was a retired postman and a widower following his wife Edith's death in 2005.

The coroner said that at the age of 90, Mr Bacon was determined as he could be to be independent and it was that spirit that got him through his life adventures. Pictured far right is Field Marshal Montgomery
The mysterious mini-epidemic of dolphin deaths has continued as they mutilated bodies of three more have been found washed up on a Cornish beach.

Coastguard rescue officer Steve Davey described the scene on Gyllgvase beach, at Falmouth, as 'distressing.

He said they were sadly, all deceased, as investigations start into how the dolphins ended up there.

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT.

The mysterious mini-epidemic of dolphin deaths has continued as they mutilated bodies of three more have been found washed up on a Cornish beach

Cornwall Wildlife Trust is urging people to report any beached marine animals they find as they try to discover the threats to the species.

It comes less than a fortnight after ten dead dolphins were found on shores around the West Country in as many days, prompting fears among conservationists over the exact cause.

Pollution, trawler nets, inclement weather and jet skiers have all been cited as likely causes for the demise of these marine animals.

Between January and March last year, 61 dolphins, porpoises and whales were found dead around Cornwall's coast, the steepest rise in the death toll since 2006, according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust is urging people to report any beached marine animals they find as they try to discover the threats to the species

Coastguard rescue officer Steve Davey said they were sadly, all deceased and took measurements as investigations start into how the dolphins ended up there

Post-mortem tests showed creatures washed up on the shores had died from a number of causes, including pollution, illnesses, natural causes and after being caught in fishing nets.

Scientists have been working with the fishing community to fit sea-going trawlers and other boats in Cornwall larger than 14m with 'pingers', which emit underwater noises to drive dolphins away from fishing nets.

Abby Crosby, from the wildlife trust, urged people to report any dead whales, porpoises or dolphins.

'The most important piece of advice is for people to report these sightings of stranded cetaceans so we can gather more information on what is killing them,' she said.

It comes less than a fortnight after ten dead dolphins were found on shores around the West Country in as many days

Paul Trebilcock, from the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation said: 'Cornish fishermen have been at the forefront of using acoustic pingers.

'All of this is hopefully contributing towards a reduction in the interaction between fishing gear and cetaceans.'

A wildlife trust spokesman added: 'Volunteers have been collecting data on strandings for many years and we now have over 5,500 records on our database, the earliest dating back to 1308.

'This information is vital in helping us to conserve wildlife and cannot be learnt from studying live animals. We can learn about causes of death and threats to survival.'
Sunrise host David Koch has shown his support for Donald Trump's vow to reintroduce water torture as an interrogation tactic against Islamic State militants.

Weighing in the US President's controversial comments, David, 60, suggested Western governments should give the Islamic extremists a taste of their own medicine.

Seven News US Bureau Chief Mike Amor was explaining the matter of torturing terrorists was one of legality and morality before David appeared to throw support behind the idea.

Sunrise host David Koch appears to show his support for Donald Trump's vow to reintroduce water torture

'There are two questions here that will be heavily debated. The question of legality and morality... That is a question that will be debated here. Certainly his supporters like this idea,' Amor said.

'I quite agree with him too,' Koch cuts in, before adding: 'They don't worry about the Geneva Convention, why should we?'

'I wonder if ISIS is having the same debate. They are not too worried about us,' co-host Samanatha Armytage agreed.

The comments come after Trump's controversial vouch for the effectiveness of waterboarding on ABC America.

'Absolutely I feel it works,' he told interviewer David Muir.

'Have I spoken to people at the top levels and people that have seen it work? I haven't seen it work.

'But I think it works. Have I spoken to people that feel strongly about it? Absolutely.'

Donald Trump this week vowed to reintroduce water torture as an interrogation tactic against Islamic State militants
One of Europe's most luxurious hotels has admitted paying 1,500 euros (1,279) to cyber blackmailers who hacked into their electronic key system and locked scores of guests in their rooms.

The hackers promised to restore the system at the Seehotel Jaegerwirt in the Austrian Alps quickly if 1.74 bitcoins (1,500 euros) was transferred to them.

The managers of the four-star lakeside hotel at Turracher Hohe in in Styria said they had decided to come clean about the incident as a warning to others.

The blackmailers demanded payment in bitcoins, a cryptocurrency which is much harder to trace than euros or dollars

They are now planning to remove the entire electronic keycard system and replace it with old-fashioned door locks and keys so they can never fall victim to such a ruse again.

When the gang struck new keycards could not be programmed and the only alternative would have been to break down the doors manually.

Managing Director Christoph Brandstaetter said: 'We had no other choice. The house was totally booked with 180 guests. Neither police nor insurance help you in this case.

The hotel (pictured) is now switching over to old-fashioned keys and locks

'The restoration of our system after the first attack in summer has cost us several thousand euros. We did not get any money from the insurance so far because none of those to blame could be found.'

He said more needed to be done by police forces and IT companies in Europe to tackle cybercrime.

Mr Brandstaetter said they had been hit three times by the cybercriminals, who managed to lock all the doors, trapping many guests inside and some outside their rooms.

In the last decade most major hotel chains have switched over to electronic keys (pictured) but cybercriminals are now beginning to threaten the keycard system STOCK PHOTO

The attack, which coincided with the opening weekend of the winter season, shut down all the hotel's computers, including the reservation system and the cash desk system.

Mr Brandstaetter said: 'Every euro that is paid to blackmailers hurts us. We know that other colleagues have been attacked, who have done similarly.'

After the ransom was paid the hackers unlocked the key registry system and all the hotel's other computers.

The Seehotel Jaegerwirt, which has existed for 111 years and is now owned by the Romantik Hotels chain, has now replaced all its computer systems.

Mr Brandstaetter said: 'We are planning at the next room refurbishment for old-fashioned door locks with real keys. Just like 111 years ago at the time of our great-grandfathers.'

Cybercriminals often demand ransoms in bitcoins because it is much harder to trace transactions in the cryptocurrency.
Pictures have emerged purportedly showing the assassinated ISIS brute who was in charge of executing women for the terror group.

Saudi national Abu Abdel Rahman, who is thought to have used a meat-cleaver to butcher his female victims, was killed by an unknown gunman in Mosul, northern Iraq.

An image has since emerged, apparently showing the bearded extremist brandishing two handguns.

Saudi national Abu Abdel Rahman, who is thought to have used a meat-cleaver to butcher his female victims, was killed by an unknown gunman in Mosul, northern Iraq

The fanatic, who oversaw the execution of women in the city, is understood to have been killed in the al-Askari neighbourhood, as reported by MailOnline earlier this week.

A security source said: 'The unknown gunmen shot at Abu Abdel Rahman, Isis' senior commander, in al-Askari region in the centre of Mosul city, and he was killed right on the spot.'

Meanwhile, the Iraqi army, buoyed by their victory this month in liberating the eastern half of Mosul from ISIS militants, is now pushing into ISIS-held villages north of the city, an Iraqi officer overseeing the operation.

Lt. Col. Diya Lafta said troops from his 9th Division began advancing toward two villages just north of Mosul in the morning and 'after a few hours they were liberated' from IS militants.

By afternoon, the village of Shereikhan had been largely freed of IS but fighting continued in the villages beyond, according to Associated Press reporters at the scene.

Thursday's military operation forced hundreds of civilians to flee. Families escaping the clashes on foot clogged the road leading into Mosul as a cloud of smoke from an IS suicide bombing rose above the horizon.

The Iraqi army, buoyed by their victory this month in liberating the eastern half of Mosul from ISIS militants, is now pushing into ISIS-held villages north of the city, an Iraqi officer overseeing the operation

According to one fleeing resident, who asked to only be identified by his nickname Abu Sajjad for fears for his own safety, said IS fighters still firmly controll a number of other villages along Mosul's northern edge.

The push came after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier this week declared Mosul's eastern half to be completely free of IS.

Iraqi forces launched the massive operation to retake Mosul in October. A U.S.-led coalition and Iraq's own air force have been carrying out airstrikes in support of the military offensive but the troops' advance has been painstakingly slow, in part to spare the lives of civilians trapped by the fighting and also because of heavy IS resistance.

In a statement Tuesday, al-Abadi hailed the 'unmatched heroism of all security forces factions' and public support for the operation.

IS still firmly controls Mosul's west, where the next phase of the fighting is expected to be much more difficult. The U.N. estimates that some 750,000 civilians are trapped in Mosul's western sector under IS rule.

Mosul - Iraq's second-largest city and ISIS's last urban stronghold in the country - fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014, when the militant group captured large swaths of northern and western Iraq.
A yoga mogul who was mysteriously found dead in his $3 million California mansion died after falling while drunk, authorities said.

According to a report released by the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office, founder and former CEO of CorePower Yoga Trevor Tice died accidentally after falling repeatedly while drunk and on a tranquilizer.

The 48-year-old reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.20  more than twice the legal driving limit of 0.08  while an unidentified tranquilizer drug and unidentified anti-depressants were also found in his system.

According to the report an intoxicated Tice had fallen a number of times throughout the house, resulting in serious injuries to his face and head, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

Police had initially said there were 'suspicious circumstances' surrounding the death after his bloodied body was found in his multi-million dollar home, theNew York Daily News reported.

Officers were called to his home in San Diego for a welfare check by someone who knew him.

Founder and former CEO of CorePower Yoga, Trevor Tice was mysteriously found dead

Tice was dead found inside his $3 million California mansion (pictured)

A person who knew Tice was conducting a welfare check when they found his body

'A person known to the occupant of the house went over there to check on him, they found a deceased person inside,' San Diego Police Lt Mike Holden told Fox 5 San Diego.

Holden said the 48-year-old was believed to have been living in the home by himself.

Authorities said at the time that an autopsy would be held to will determine whether the death was a homicide.

According to CorePower Yoga's website, there are more than 150 studios across the US.

Tice founded the company in 2002 after he suffered a mountain climbing accident and could no longer run, the Daily News reported.

The Denver-based company announced in August that a New York City location would open in 2017.

According to CorePower Yoga's website , there are more than 150 studios across the US. Tice (pictured) founded the company in 2002 after he suffered a mountain climbing accident and could no longer run

CorePower Yoga released a statement on the Facebook page confirming Tice's death, adding that he 'brought to the world boundless energy, an electric smile, an immutable desire to improve'

CorePower Yoga released a statement on the Facebook page confirming Tice's death.

'We are deeply saddened to confirm that our CorePower Yoga founder, Trevor Tice, passed away on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016.

'CorePower Yoga is a manifestation of the best Trevor brought to the world: boundless energy, an electric smile, an immutable desire to improve.

'Trevor contributed more to the world than most dare to dream -- and we will forever live in a more joyful, more peaceful, and fundamentally better place because Trevor Tice was part of it.

'Together, our community is grieving this tragic loss and honoring Trevors tremendous legacy.'
French president Francois Hollande has called for unity across Europe after declaring the rise of populism was a 'major threat' to the continent.

Hollande had met with German chancellor Angela Merkel for talks in Berlin and the pair appeared together for a news conference.

There, they talked about the EU facing growing internal and external problems as well as fears over the US abandoning free trade with the bloc.

French president Francois Hollande, who has called for unity across Europe after declaring the rise of populism was a 'major threat' for the continent

Hollande had met with German chancellor Angela Merkel for talks in Berlin and the pair appeared together for a news conference

During the talks Hollande and Merkel discussed the EU facing growing internal and external problems as well as fears over the US abandoning free trade with the bloc

And the French president said that he believed it was populists, who are defined as being politicians who claim to support ordinary people, as being threats.

Hollande said: 'To be very honest, what threatens Europe doesn't only come from outside. It is also from inside.

'This means the rise of extremists who use external factors to cause disruption internally.'

While Merkel added: 'We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished, and to the values of our liberal, democratic democracies.'

While in Berlin, Hollande also accompanied Merkel to lay flowers at the scene of the Berlin Christmas market attack

Tributes are still at the scene of the Christmas market attack in Berlin, where 12 people were killed

It is unclear who Hollande was referring to during his comments about populism, however later in the news conference he spoke about the challenges that US president Donald Trump's administration poses for Europe.

He said: 'Let's speak very frankly, there are challenges, there are the challenges the US administration poses to our trade rules, as well as to our ability to resolve conflicts around the world.

'So we of course have to talk to Donald Trump since he was chosen by the Americans to be their president.

'But we also have to do so with a European conviction and the promotion of our interests and our values.'

It is unclear who Hollande was referring to during his comments about populism, however later in the news conference he spoke about the challenges that US president Donald Trump's administration poses for Europe

The meeting between Hollande and Merkel also coincides with British Prime Minister Theresa May travelling to Washington to meet President Trump

While Merkel, without mentioning Trump by name, added: 'We see that global conditions are changing dramatically and quickly.

'And we must respond to these new challenges, both in terms of defending a free society and defending free trade, as well as in terms of the economic challenges.'

Trump has unsettled his traditional European allies with a range of radical policy plans, from calling NATO 'obsolete' to announcing he would rip up a planned transatlantic trade plan.

The meeting between Hollande and Merkel also coincides with British Prime Minister Theresa May travelling to Washington to become the first foreign leader to meet Trump since he became president.

It is believed the pair will talk about a possible trade deal between the UK and the US after Britain voted the leave the EU.

However, both Merkel and Hollande will have telephone talks with Trump tomorrow.
President Donald Trump circulated an unsubstantiated claim that 3 million ballot were cast illegally in the November election again this morning.

'Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000 votes were illegal. We must do better!' Trump said on Twitter.

Phillips had been on CNN 45 minutes before defending his decision to withhold the names of the 3 million alleged felons and the methodology he used until his volunteer force finishes checking their identities.

'It's in our interest and everyone's best int that we take our time. Time is not as important as veracity,' Phillips told New Day Host Chris Cuomo.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Donald Trump has been using Gregg Phillips' statistic to back up his claims that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally in the presidential election

President Trump circulated the unsubstantiated claim that 3 million ballot were cast illegally in the November election again this morning. He's planning to sign an executive order today or tomorrow launching an investigation

Phillips has been on CNN 45 minutes before defending his decision to withhold the names of the 3 million alleged felons and the methodology he used until his volunteer force finishes checking their identities

Cuomo hassled the Texan to provide evidence of his claims that he insisted were true, leading Phillips to exclaim: 'Look, I'm not a politician! I'm just a guy!'

'But that's an excuse. That's a convenience. You put it out there, ' Cuomo told him, and it got picked up 'by all these righty sites, made its way to the president, he's now putting it forth as truth. You gotta show what you know.'

Phillips told him, 'We will, when the time is right.'

'The time is right right now. I didn't just bump into you in the hallway. You came here to talk about this!' Cuomo proclaimed.

Trump has been using Phillips' statistic to back up his claims that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally in the presidential election. He's planning to sign an executive order today or tomorrow directing an investigation into the illegal voting he says ran rampant.

At a retreat for lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia, Trump declared in open press remarks: 'We are going to protect the integrity of the ballot box, and we are going to defend the votes of the American citizen. So important.'

Vice President Mike Pence later said Trump was 'spot on' and promised to 'initiate a full evaluation of voting rolls in the country and the overall integrity of our voting system in the wake of this past election.'

Pence said, in audio of a private question and answer session with legislators that was obtained by The Guardian, 'Well be looking at ways to work with you and follow the facts and see where the facts go.'

'It's in our interest and everyone's best int that we take our time. Time is not as important as veracity,' Phillips told New Day Host Chris Cuomo

White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, told reporters during a flight from Washington to Pennsylvania that the president would most likely sign a document authorizing a promised, federal investigation into the integrity of the last election that day.

Trump cancelled the executive action on Thursday evening, pushing it off until a future date.

'The president got back a little late and he got jammed up on some meetings that needed to occur, and so we're going to roll all that into Friday and Saturday,' Spicer explained later.

Earlier in the day, The Washington Post revealed that Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was registered to vote in two states - New Jersey and New York.

So is Tiffany Trump, the president's younger daughter, Spicer, senior counselor to the president Steve Bannon and Treasury Secretary nominee Steve Mnuchin.

All five of them fall into a category Trump is using to boost his assertions of illegal voting.

Trump believes that as many as 5 million people committed voter fraud, telling lawmakers earlier this week at a private reception that he would have won the popular vote if not for the criminal activity.

The statistic is based on the number of dead people on the voter rolls whose identities may have been stolen, non-US citizens who are illegally casting ballots and citizens who are registered in, and could potentially be voting in, more than one state.

Among other statistics, Trump has been relying on the the unsubstantiated claim of Phillips, who created the app VoteStand and is the founder of voterfraud.org.

He claimed several days after the election that his group's analysis of a database of 180 million voter registrations revealed that 'the number of non-citizen votes exceeds 3 million.' He said he was 'consulting' his legal team.

At a retreat for lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump was 'spot on' and promised to 'initiate a full evaluation of voting rolls in the country and the overall integrity of our voting system in the wake of this past election'

Phillips is working with election integrity group True the Vote, which has its roots in the Tea Party.

He says they can prove that roughly 3 million people voted illegally by verifying their identity, residency, felon status, and other factors.

They have not released a list of names yet, he said, because they want to be 100 percent sure that everyone they say is a fraudster actually is before they do.

'We're talking about accusing three million people of multiple felonies....If we jumped out there with, with just our initial analysis rather than refining it and quality checking it, we'd be out here with, you know potentially some people that aren't committing felonies of felonies,' he told Cuomo on Friday.

A risk factor of even one percent would mean that the group will have accused 30,000 people of felonies who may not be criminals.

Because they're doing this on a volunteer basis, Phillips said, it's taking months.

The Department of Homeland Security could get it done a lot quicker, he said, encouraging Trump to direct his not-yet-confirmed attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to demand a government probe.

Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is registered to vote in two states - New Jersey and New York. He falls into a category of people Trump is counting in his illegal voter count

Trump told ABC News there would assuredly be an investigation into voter fraud on Wednesday, specifically citing the number of people who are registered in multiple states.

'You have people that are registered who are dead, who are illegals ... You have people registered in two states. They're registered in a New York and a New Jersey. They vote twice,' Trump told ABC News.

'There are millions of votes, in my opinion. Now we're going to do an investigation.'

'I want the voting process to be legitimate,' Trump said during an Oval Office interview, while insisting that no one committed voter fraud to help him win the White House.

'Of those votes cast [illegally], none of them come to me. None of them come to me,' he said. 'They would all be for the other side.

Unprovoked, Trump hit on the topic Thursday as he addressed Republican lawmakers at their annual retreat.

'We also need to keep the ballot box safe from illegal voting,' he said. 'And believe me: You take a look at what's registering, folks. They like to say, "Ohhh, Trump. Trump. Trump." Take a look at what's registering.

He promised legislators from his political party, 'We are going to protect the integrity of the ballot box, and we are going to defend the votes of the American citizen. So important.

'All of us here today for the same reason. To serve the citizens of our country. We are not here for ourselves. We are here for them. We are here for the people,' he said. continuing.

So is Tiffany Trump, left, the president's younger daughter, Spicer, senior counselor to the president Steve Bannon and Treasury Secretary nominee Steve Mnuchin

Responding to Trump's voter fraud comments after the president was done, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger told a group of reporters in Philadelphia, 'It derails the message.

'I thought the voter fraud comment, it was very light, kind of touching on it, not a full thing. Any time you get away from our message which is jobs, manufacturing, economy, defense, rebuilding the military, I think you derail the message.'

Trump promised a formal investigation less than 24 hours after Spicer, his press secretary, spent much of his second White House press briefing defending Trump's oft-repeated claim that millions of people cast ballots illegally in November.

'I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)' the president wrote in a pair of tweets.

'Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!'

Trump said Wednesday that many illegal immigrants are registered to vote, others are registered in more than one state, and voter rolls are flush with dead people in whose names ballots are sometimes cast, which is why he's launching an investigation

Spicer found himself behind the 8-ball on Tuesday as reporter after reporter challenged him for evidence, ultimately blurting out that the Trump administration might launch an investigation into the possibility.

'Maybe we will,' he told one journalist during his daily press briefing.

Pressed on what that could mean, a flustered Spicer insisted that he 'did not' leave the door open for a wide-ranging government probe  but then allowed that 'anything is possible.'

The president told a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers Monday night that he would have won the popular vote if it weren't for between 3 and 5 million illegal votes, according to people who were present.

'He was having a discussion with some folks and mentioned something in passing,' Spicer told reporters on Tuesday.

Trump told ABC Wednesday that the 'conversation lasted like a minute - it was hardly even discussed.'

But he admitted: 'I said it, and I said it strongly.'

The move to probe the nation's voting systems, which Trump first announced on his Twitter feed, came less than 24 hours after his spokesman defended his oft-repeated claim that millions of people cast ballots illegally in November

White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Tuesday that 'maybe we will' investigate Trump's belief in millions of illegal votes, allowing that 'anything is possible' - putting the administration in a bind

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton collected nearly 3 million more votes than Trump but lost decisively in the Electoral College because the largest part of her popular-vote advantage was concentrated in a small number of states with giant Democratic voter bases.

As disenchanted Democrats argued against the merits of the Electoral College system in the wake of his victory, Trump tweeted that '[i] n addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.'

He also claimed on Twitter that there was 'serious voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California,' and challenged the media to report on it.

Spicer punted a question on Tuesday asking for specific evidence of voter fraud in November, rather than a statistical probability that it happened.

NPR reported in late November that the Trump transition team had provided it with a 45-page list of alleged instances of voter fraud. The public radio network did not publish the document, and a White House spokesperson did not respond on Tuesday to a request for a copy.

But in the post-election weeks when Green Party candidate Jill Stein waged battles to recount votes in three swing-states, Trump's lawyers argued in a legal brief that the results should stand because '[a]ll available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake.'

Trump told congressional leaders Monday night that he would have won the popular vote if millions of illegal immigrants hadn't fraudulently voted for Hillary Clinton

Some Republicans are openly skeptical of Trump's views about widespread voter fraud.

Arizona Sen. John McCain said Wednesday on 'Morning Joe' that 'there's no evidence of that, and I think that those who allege that have to come up with some substantiation of the claim.'

McCain chuckled that 'I won by 14 points. I'm absolutely sure that there was not a single illegal vote in Arizona.'

On the same MSNBC show, Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings fretted that 'this argument about voter fraud ... gives the Republicans and others another tool and another reason to justify to the public of denying people the right to vote.'

Spicer reinforced on Monday that Trump's notion of millions of illegally cast votes is 'a longstanding belief that he's maintained.'

But NPR correspondent Mara Liasson challenged him about why the president wouldn't want to get to the bottom of it.

'If 3 to 5 million people voted illegally, that is a scandal of astronomical proportions,' Liasson declared in the White House press briefing room.

'Doesn't he want to restore Americans' faith in their ballot system? Wouldn't he want an investigation of this? This is a huge, huge scandal.'

'We'll see where we go from here,' Spicer replied. 'But right now the focus that the president has is on putting Americans back to work.'

The president made allegations of 'voter fraud' in November, after he won the election, tweeting that he lost the popular vote because of 'millions of people who voted illegally'

House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol that he has 'seen no evidence to that effect,' referring to Trump's claims. 'I've made that very, very clear.'

The president often warned in the final month of the presidential campaign that voter fraud could cost him the election.

During a late October rally in Cleveland, Ohio, he called it 'a rigged election.'

Citing statistics from the Pew Research Center, Trump said that 'there are 24 million voter registrations in the United States that are either invalid or significantly inaccurate. A lot, right? 24 million. A lot.'

'There are 1.8 million dead people that are registered right now to vote,' he continued.

'And folks, folks: Some of them vote! I wonder why. I wonder how that happens. They woke up from the dead, and they went and voted!'

'There are 2.8 million people who are registered in more than one state,' he mused. So, "We'll vote here, let's ride down the road, let's vote next to it".'

And then, reacting to a fan in the audience, he stopped cold.

'Maybe they'll vote for Trump. I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this. I may be hurting myself!'

'You're right! You're right,' he responded to the unsolicited advice. 'Maybe they're gonna vote for Trump!'

'Alright,' he laughed, 'let's forget that. It's okay for them to do it!'

In a late November conference call with reporters, Trump's senior policy adviser Stephen Miller declined to speculate about a Justice Department investigation, but called voter fraud allegations 'an issue of concern.'

'There's a concern that so many voted who were not legally supposed to,' he said.

On Tuesday, Spicer defended his boss by citing the same Pew study then-candidate Trump crowed about three months ago, but confused its statistics with another piece of research.

'There was one that came out of Pew in 2008 that showed 14 per cent of people who've voted were non-citizens,' he claimed.

That number came from a 2014 Washington Post article by a pair of Old Dominion University professors. It was later challenged by other researchers, who claimed the professors' findings stemmed from 'measurement error.'

One of the professors, Jesse Richman, is now claiming that Clinton likely received 800,000 votes from non-citizens in the 2016 election based on the number he believes voted and the percentage of those votes she may have received.

But even he says Clinton would have won the popular vote had she not had their help.

'Is it plausible that non-citizen votes added to Clintons margin? Yes,' he said. 'Is it plausible that non-citizen votes account for the entire nation-wide popular vote margin held by Clinton? Not at all.'
Hilarious images have emerged online capturing legless Japanese businessmen who overdid it at after-work drinks parties.

Pictures show the suited workers slumped over on seats, sprawled out on their backs in the street and sitting on train platforms next to their briefcases having had one too many after a hard day's work.

The images highlight the notorious post-work drinking culture in the country where some staff are given allowances to ensure they join in with work-based boozing sessions.

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Spread eagled: A man in a dark suit passed out on the pavement with his bag at his feet

Barely conscious: A bizzare trend shows men, perhaps instinctively, undress before sleeping

Rest your head: A man wearing chinos curls up for a kip and replaces a pillow with a railing

Next stop, drunkenness: A man falls asleep with an arm above his head hanging from a handrail

Platform wine and three quarters: Man slumped on the ground next to his bag at a train station

Shoe-d have had a water: A man in a grey pinstriped suit sits in just his socks on the ground

End of the line: Two men sleep on the train seat while one is passed out on the train floor

Flawed and floored: A shoeless man asleep on the floor or what appears to be an office block

The naked truth: Man squatting without a shirt or trousers outside what looks like a front door

Passed out: A man in a dark suit curled up into a ball on the streets of Tokyo after a night out

Down the drain: A man, who has taken his shoes off, lies face-down in the street next to a drain

Belly-up: A man lies on his back with his bag at his feet next to a pillar in Tokyo, Japan

It is not a new phenomenon, and management consultant Shinsuke Suzuki told Japan Today in 2014 and said: 'To a large extent, if youre not an employee with a specialised technical skill, then theres nothing to really distinguish you from the other workers.

'So if you want to stand out and get promoted, attending drinking parties and building up an in-house network is much more effective than simply working your heart out at work.'

And although the businessmen are encouraged to go for a tipple after work, it's safe to say that these probably overdid it slightly.

'I'm rail-ly drunk': Another man taking a kip on a train as women play on their phones on seats

I kneed sleep: A man with his head between his legs sits on the side of the road for a kip

Catching flies: A Japanese man wearing a pink shirt and headphones with his mouth wide open

Absolutely brollied: A businessman sits on a metal pipe and rests his head on an umbrella

Beer goggles: A man fast asleep, face-down on the floor, with his glasses placed on his back

Rise and shine: A man who appears to have started on a bag of crisps still asleep in daylight

Please mind the closing Coors: A boozed-up Tokyo man asleep in the doorway of a train

That's the spirit: An intoxicated man clutches his bags as he sleeps it off on some seats

The Hangover: A man dangles his legs and arms off a train seat as he gets some needed sleep

The view of the expert chimes with many in the country, with one website user writing below the pictures: 'In Japan, it's a culture.

'If you are married and you go home early, you wife will worry.

'Your wife will scold you; "Why you did not entertain your boss?".

'If you come home later, or even wasted, your wife will know that you have done whatever it takes on your job.'
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Ice caused pile-ups and disrupted trains in Britain today, with snow on the way tonight and more sub-zero temperatures this weekend.

The country has been gripped by a cold snap that has seen daytime temperatures struggle to get above freezing in many areas over the past few days, and thermometers plunged as low as -6C in the South East last night.

But things are set to improve this weekend with temperatures expected to reach at least 12C on the south coast by Sunday afternoon as the UK loses the cold air, replacing it with milder conditions from the Atlantic.

However, flurries are expected over the Scottish hills this evening and tomorrow and weather fronts will begin to push across the UK this weekend - introducing rain in the North on Saturday and the South on Sunday.

Cars were covered in a layer of frost on this street in Leicester this morning as temperatures fell to -6C overnight

Temperatures plummeted below zero across Britain, with people in Northampton also waking up to frost on their cars today

A bitterly cold temperature of -6C was recorded in both Leuchars, Fife, and Banbury, Oxfordshire, this morning - but things were much better in St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly which enjoyed a relatively mild 10C.

The Met Office issued an ice warning for the South East today, and police told of a spate of crashes on 'treacherous' roads - including a pile-up which blocked the A252 at Chilham, Kent, after a car ended up on its roof.

Meanwhile, on the trains, services between Dover Priory and Shepherdswell in Kent were disrupted due to ice on the conductor rail. They were having to travel at a reduced speed on the Canterbury East Line instead.

More accidents were reported in Norfolk, and train services were also hit - but by damage to electrical wiring. Trains between Norwich and London Liverpool Street were disrupted after damage to wires in Essex.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain, heaviest across South West England, and this will fall as snow over the Scottish hills and mountains.

Tomorrow there will be heavy rain in the North and Scotland, before this clears to leave sunny spells in most areas. Further snow is likely in Scotland but this will gradually clear away, followed by sunny intervals.

Sunday will bring plenty of cloud with mist and drizzle, although it will be drier and brighter in the North and East with sunny spells. Next week will then start off for most areas with low cloud and patchy light rain.

Yesterday's coldest temperature in Britain was -4.9C at Redersdale Camp in Northumberland, which contrasted with the day's UK maximum of 13.4C in the Highland fishing village of Aultbea.

A man walks past Tower Bridge next to the River Thames on Monday as the capital was covered in a layer of dense fog
A district judge and his former lover who stole 780,000 from clients to fund their party lifestyle were both jailed for six years today after she insulted his manhood in court.

Simon Kenny, 60, and his assistant Emma Coates, 47, ransacked the customers' funds at CK Solicitors in Selsey, West Sussex for four years.

Coates, who had 'an instinct for excess and extravagance', built up a property portfolio which included a 15,000 log cabin and also bought Range Rover and a hot tub for her and Kenny to cavort.

Simon Kenny (right), 60, and his assistant Emma Coates (left), 47, ransacked the customers' funds at CK Solicitors in Selsey, West Sussex for four years

The fraudster also took 12 friends for a lavish trip to a resort in Barbados costing 27,000 and treated pals to an all expenses paid trip to the Cheltenham Festival.

She also swindled 85,000 from an elderly client's will after she died.

Police later discovered she had been making mortgage payments on four properties - two in Selsey, and two others in Chichester and Bognor Regis.

But while the couple lived a life of luxury their accountant became so depressed that he killed himself.

The ex-lovebirds were given six years each in prison after turning on eachother during the trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Coates, who has been described as 'mentally unwell' had shouted obscenities about Kenny's manhood during a break in the trial.

Kenny, wearing a dark blue knitted jumper remained emotionless while Coates, wearing glasses and scarf, with her hair up in a bun, kept her eyes to the floor as they were sent down.

Judge Peter Testar decided to sentence the devious couple on the basis of 777,519 rather than the near 1 million claimed by the prosecution.

He said: 'It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular breach of trust by someone running a legal practice to the clients of that practice.'

Kenny, who has business interests in the Far East, told staff he had moved cash to offshore accounts because of the Northern Rock bank crisis.

He and Coates had been lovers but their affair cooled in 2010.

It led to the closure of CK Solicitors and a major investigation by the Sussex Police major fraud unit.

Big spender! Coates, who had 'an instinct for excess and extravagance' built up a property portfolio and spent 15,000 on a log cabin

Kenny was suspended from his role as a deputy district judge at a county court in Sussex while he stood trial for two counts of fraud.

The company's reporting accountant Robert Foskett committed suicide after he 'realised he had been lied to' about the plot.

Prosecutor Richard Milne said: 'Mr Foskett's dawning realisation in February 2011 that he had been duped back in 2009 appears to have been a major factor leading, tragically, to his suicide on 6 March 2011 - just two days before the commencement of the first of the relevant SRA investigations.'

Jurors saw his suicide note, which read: 'I am so sorry but the pressure mounts on me. I was lured into signing an audit certificate by Simon Kenny which I should not have.

'He assured me funds would be the following week from his family trust but that became untrue.'

Mr Foskett also left a note to his secretary which read: 'It has been revealed to me that I think with Simon Kenny we have tumbled on a fraud that is probably 300,000, it may even be 600,000 or even more.

IN ON THE ACT: FIRM'S MANAGING CLERK WAS ALSO A CONMAN The managing clerk at the firm was also a conman, the court heard. Stephen Hiseman, right, posed as a solicitor to blag 65,000 from desperate debt ridden clients despite having no legal qualifications in a 'cheap, mean and nasty little fraud'. The 60-year-old was the managing clerk 'fee earner' at CK Solicitors specialising in debt management when he moved 60,000 from client Roy Kelly into his own account. The money has since disappeared, the court heard. He also told client Samuel Swanton he had settled a 36,000 debt with Lombard North Central for 15,000 between June 2010 and December 2011 - but he had actually only settled for 10,000. Hiseman then pocketed the extra 5,000. The desperate Mr Swanton had to sell his house to raise the extra funds. Michael Stradling, defending, said Hiseman had made efforts to pay the money back but his cash was tied up in a long running litigation dispute over a chalet in France where he lives. Hiseman never shown remorse his deception saying that he had reduced Mr Swanton's debt considerably and the 60,000 was actually owed the Halifax bank so the client did not lose out. Both the duped clients believed or assumed Hiseman was a solicitor despite having no legal qualifications, the court heard. Judge Peter Testar said: 'Mr Hiseman had simply kept the 5,000 for himself. 'It was a cheap, mean and nasty little fraud.' Referring to the fraud of Mr Kelly the judge said: 'It certainly did not belong to Mr Hiseman to do with what he saw fit, which is entirely what he did.' 'It was an abuse of position.' Judge Testar gave him two and a half years for the 60,000 fraud and 12 months for swiping the 5,000 to run concurrently. Hiseman, of Morzine, France, denied the charges but was convicted by a jury earlier this month. Advertisement

'Quite nasty...unfortunately when people do this sort of thing they don't care a damn who gets hurt.'

Kenny told Mr Foskett that the money had been sent abroad to protect it from the financial crisis.

Stephen Hiseman, 60, a 'fee earner' from CK Solicitors, also swindled two clients and was before the court. He will be sentenced later today.

The court heard he 'fraudulently caused the transfer of 60,000 from CK Solicitors client account to an account of Chris Coxill and then to an account in his name' between November 2010 and March 2011.

Hiseman also told client Samuel Swanton he had settled his debts with Lombard North Central for 15,000 between June 2010 and December 2011 - but he had actually only settled for 10,000, forcing Mr Swanton to sell his house to raise funds.

The Solicitors' Regulatory Authority shut down CK Solicitors in May 2011, but within months Coates had set up another firm, Coates and Co, and stole 85,000 from an elderly client's will when she died in 2011.

Coates was on bail at the time.

Mr Milne told jurors: 'Over a period of several years client monies were misappropriated by Simon Kenny, Emma Coates and Stephen Hiseman.

'In the case of Mr Kenny and Miss Coates, the misappropriation mainly took the form of diverting client money from the company's client account to the office account and then spending that money not in relation to the client matter in question, but for their own use or for the use of the firm.'

Kenny (pictured) used the money to try and keep the company afloat, the court was told, but Coates spent the proceeds on a lifestyle of 'excess and extravagance'

He denied involvement in the crime and even claimed Coates must have hacked his email account and sent messages in his name to pull off the scam alone.

Mr Milne said Kenny, an Australian national, was a potential flight risk because 'even if his passport was surrendered there would be no problem with him leaving the jurisdiction and going to an Australian embassy' to get travel documents.

He added: 'It's not the most difficult thing for a determined fugitive from justice to do.'

The court heard Kenny had been looking to move abroad before the trial and has 'business interests in the Far East'.

Stephen Wedd, defending Kenny, said: 'The word has got round at Wandsworth and Mr Kenny is in the protection wing there given his former role as a deputy judge.'

He said Kenny did not have any businesses in Australia or South East Asia but would inherit his father's business interests, adding 'Simon Kenny is ruined in every way.'

Richard Wormald, defending Coates, conceded she was ' using a solicitor's firm as a personal piggy bank' must be frowned upon.

'Like Mr Kenny she is ruined,' he said.

'The difference between Emma Coates you see in the dock and the Emma Coates as she was before, she is only 47, but she looks much older.'

'It was this folly, and it was a folly, that led to her ruin as well as his.'

Sentencing Kenny Judge Testar said: 'Kenny was using client's money and kept clients money to keep the firm going and in practice day to day when it was in fact insolvent.

'In count two it was possibly to allow Emma Coates' spending.'

Judge Testar said it was Coates that was more involved in the day to day running of the practice.

He said: 'As far as she is concerned I am entirely satisfied that she has an instinct for excess and extravagance.

'Taking a party to Barbados in the spring of 2010, it cost in excess of 27,000.

'She ran up a large bill at Cheltenham Festival and made mortgage payments on properties she owned.

'This money from CK would not have been available if it had not been taken from the client account.

'If there was any money for the taking in order to meet what she regarded was her needs she took it.'

'It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular breach of trust by someone running a legal practice to the clients of that practice.'

'She has shown no regret or remorse for the effect of her conduct on others.'

Judge Testar handed Kenny a six year stretch for both charges of fraud to run concurrently.

He gave Coates six years for the 352,728 fraud and one year 85,000 to run concurrently.

Kenny, of St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, was given six years for two counts of fraud totalling 692,519 after he made 'fraudulent transfers of monies between the firm's client account, office account, and himself'.

Coates, of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, was also given six for two counts of fraud totalling more than 437,728, she was cleared of another two counts of fraud.

A confiscation hearing will take place on 11 May.
President Donald Trump has fired his latest shot in his standoff with Mexico over construction of a border wall, tweeting Friday morning that the country has 'taken advantage' of the United States  also holding a phone call with the county's president.

Trump was back on the attack after tweeting Thursday that it would be better to cancel an upcoming meeting with Mexico's president if the country was 'unwilling' to pay for the border wall he is going to build.

'Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough,' Trump Tweeted Friday morning.

'Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!'

By early Friday afternoon, the Associated Press reported that Trump had spoken with Mexican President Pena Nieto for an hour on a phone call amid the furious y dispute over a border wall.

The tweet and the call came following a day where his clash with Mexico boiled over into a diplomatic imbroglio, with Nieto spiking a planned meeting between the two leaders.

President Donald Trump tweeted about 'massive trade deficits' with Mexico, a day after he told lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia that he and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto 'agreed' to cancel a White House visit that was scheduled for next Tuesday

Trump told Republicans meeting at a retreat in Philadelphia that the decision was mutual. Top GOP leaders appear to be on board with the idea, agreeing themselves on a price tag of about $12 billion to $15 billion that Trump says will be borne by Mexico either through direct payments or through taxation, such as a 'border adjustment' idea he floated to slap a 20 per cent tax on imports.

The U.S. trade deficit with Mexico is about $60 billion, according to federal government data.

Trump's broadside came shortly after former Mexican President Vincente Fox once again blasted the idea of Mexico paying for the wall, and said the fight had led to a serious diplomatic situation between the two neighboring countries.

I think we are at the very lowest point since the war between Mexico and the United States,' Fox said, referring to the 1846-1848 war that resulted in the U.S. seizing about a third of Mexico's territory.

Its nonsense. Hes playing around with American people,' Fox added.

Then he made another historical comparison likely to get the attention of U.S. businesses, who he said would be harmed by Trump's border tax that he said business and U.S. consumers would end up paying.

He said relations were at the lowest point since the war 'or before the nationalization of the oil by president Cardenas where he took away from the oil companies that were abusing over Mexico.'

President Trump tweeted that Mexico has 'taken advantage' of the U.S., in the latest dig at the nation after its president insisted Mexico will not pay for a border wall Trump wants to build

'TAKING ADVANTAGE': General Winfield Scott, commander of the US Army of the North, making a triumphal entry into Mexico City on a white charger, 14 September 1847

'He took away the industry and nationalized it and I think it was a very courageous very strong thing to do but welcomed by all Mexicans, just as today president Pena standing front of this playing guy Trump has brought back very strong Mexican spirit and were ready for the trade war were ready of course for not paying that wall,' he said.

Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway told CBS News on Friday that Mexico would pay for the wall 'because they get an awful lot from this country.'

Following the enactment of the NAFTA trade deal in 1994, U.S. imports from Mexico soared from $65 billion to $295 billion in 2016, MarketWatch reported.

Trump said Thursday that he and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto 'agreed' to cancel a White House visit that was scheduled for next Tuesday.

'Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless,' Trump told Republican lawmakers today in Philadelphia. 'And I want to go a different route. We have no choice.'

Pena Nieto claimed in a tweet before Trump's remarks at the GOP retreat that it was his government that called it off.

The decision came after Trump told the Mexican leader he may as well stay at home.

Trump said this morning on Twitter, 'If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.'

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'Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless,'Trump said. Pena Nieto claimed in a tweet before Trump's remarks at the GOP retreat that it was his government that called it off

The decision came after Trump told the Mexican leader he may as well stay at home

Pena Nieto huffed right back at Trump on his own Twitter account.

'This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the work meeting planned for next Tuesday with the POTUS,' he said in a Spanish to English translation provided by Reuters.

In a follow up message Pena Nieto said, 'Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach accords that favor both nations.'

Trump had launched an assault on the North American Free Trade Agreement in another message this morning.

He told lawmakers from his political party later in the day that it's a 'defective transaction' that would have been renegotiated already 'except that the politicians were too preoccupied to do so.'

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters making the short hop this morning with Trump to a Republican retreat in Philadelphia that the White House intends to 'keep the lines of communication open' with Pena Nieto's government.

'We will look for a date to schedule something in the future,' Spicer said.

After Trump authorized immediate construction on the wall he's long said Mexico will pay for on Wednesday, a senior aide to Pena Nieto told AP that the head of state might cancel his visit to Washington.

Pena Nieto did not say one way or another in a national address Wednesday while clearly stating: 'Mexico will not pay for any wall.'

Trump fired back this morning on Twitter, telling him it 'would be better' not to come in that case.

Pena Nieto has repeatedly said his country won't fund the construction of a physical barrier dividing Mexico from the United States. Trump has steadfastly said it will.

The American taxpayer will foot the bill for the border wall 'for the sake of speed,' Trump has said. Mexico will be paying the money back.

'We're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico,' he told ABC's David Muir in a Wednesday interview. The wall would cost the U.S. 'nothing,' he proclaimed.

Trump was landing in Philadelphia after his first trip on Air Force One as news of the cancelled trip broke. He's attending a GOP retreat there this afternoon

The U.S. president brushed off Pena Nieto's rebuffs in the interview, telling Muir, 'He has to say that.'

'I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form,' Trump said.

Pena Nieto stood his ground in a video address Wednesday night. 'I have said time and time again, Mexico will not pay for any wall.'

A government official told the Associated Press early Wednesday evning that Pena Nieto was 'considering' a cancellation on his Jan. 31 White House visit.

Opposition politicians were demanding that he call off the trip in the wake of Trump's executive order that moves forward with the proposed border wall.

Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, a former presidential candidate who ran for office on the leftist party's ticket, said Pena Nieto, a centrist, 'will be received there by having the door slammed in his face.

'I think the least we can do in these conditions would be not to show up, cancel the visit to the United States and find a dignified position for Mexico,' he said, according to the Guardian.

Pena Nieto's approval rating, 12 percent in a recent poll, is the lowest of any modern Mexican president.

He acknowledged after a previous meeting with Trump in Mexico, when the Republican was just a presidential candidate, that he mistakenly failed to say at their joint news conference that his country would not fund the construction of the wall.

After a previous meeting with Trump in Mexico, when the Republican was just a presidential candidate, Pena Nieto failed to say at a joint news conference that his country would not fund the construction of the wall. He admits that was a mistake

Having said it behind closed doors, Pena Nieto did not confront Trump publicly until he came under scrutiny in the press. He challenged Trump later on the American politician's favorite medium: Twitter.

Today it was Trump who put Pena Nieto on notice on the social media platform.

'The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers...of jobs and companies lost,' he said in a two-part tweet.

At which point he added, 'If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.'

Trump has said all along that he intends to revise the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement.

He's held back on a directive to his administration so far, presumably out of deference to Pena Nieto until their now-cancelled Tuesday talk at the White House.

'I will not allow the taxpayers or the citizens of the United States to pay the cost of this defective transaction, NAFTA, one that should have been renegotiated many years ago, except that the politicians were too preoccupied to do so,' Trump told his party today.

Looking around the room, he quipped, 'Now these people are not in that category. You understand that this is a different group. I think! Right?

'To that end, the president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting schedule for next week. Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route. We have no choice. '

Following his signing of the executive orders affecting the United States and Mexico on Wednesday, Trump had said he expected the border countries' relationship to improve as a result of his actions.

The 'unprecedented surge' of illegal immigrants entering the United States by way of Mexico is bad for both countries, he said.

Likewise, Trump said the renewed emphasis on the elimination of cartels, illegal weapons and illicit cash coming from drug dealing will be beneficial to Mexico.

'I want to emphasize that we will be working in particular with our friends in Mexico to improve safety and economic opportunity on both sides of the border,' Trump stated Wednesday. Adding, 'I have deep admiration for the people of Mexico.'

Pena Nieto, who had bromance-style relations with Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, said in his Wednesday night address, 'Mexico reaffirms its friendship with the people of the United States and its willingness to reach agreements with its government.'

But, he said, Mexico will not pay for the border wall.
A Texas adult shop cashier left paralyzed when she was shot in the back during a store robbery on Christmas Eve only discovered she was pregnant when she was taken to hospital.

Paxton Webb, 23, is still recovering in a Houston hospital after she was paralyzed from the chest down when a bullet severed her spine during the horrific robbery at Katz Boutique.

Ms Webb, who is married to a former Marine recently home from duty, was rushed to the emergency room after the attack where doctors delivered the remarkable news that she was four weeks pregnant with the couple's first child.

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Paxton Webb, 23, (pictured with her parents) is still recovering in a Houston hospital after she was paralyzed from the chest down when a bullet severed her spine on Christmas Eve

Ms Webb said it was a miracle the baby (pictured in six week ultrasound) even survived but it has made her more determined to try and catch the men who left her in this position

She said it was a miracle the baby even survived given her severe injuries but it has made her more determined to try and catch the men who left her in this position.

Police are still searching for the two armed black male suspects who stormed into the store and stole $6,000, before shooting and leaving Ms Webb for dead.

'I complied with everything, gave them everything they wanted and they still shot me. Because of their actions, I will now more than likely be paralyzed for the rest of my life,' Ms Webb said.

'On top of being paralyzed, I found out in the ER that I am pregnant with our first child. I won't be able to get on the floor and play with my child or dance around the kitchen at midnight with my husband.

Police are still searching for the two armed black male suspects who were caught on surveillance cameras demanding $6,000 cash before shooting and leaving Ms Webb for dead

Ms Webb, pictured with her husband Brian, was rushed to the emergency room after the attack where doctors told her she was four weeks pregnant with the couple's first child

Webb, pictured in her wheelchair in hospital, will undergo intense rehabilitation following the attack on Christmas Eve

'I now am confined to a wheelchair. I will have to get a special car and measure doorways in my home... all because of cowards. I didn't deserve this. No one does.'

Surveillance footage from the store where she was working showed the masked robbers, armed with guns, bursting into the store at about 2am on Christmas Eve.

They demanded cash and went behind the counter where Ms Webb helped them retrieve it. Before fleeing, they forced her to turn around and then shot her in the back.

Ms Webb will be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital once she her condition becomes more stable where she will begin intense therapy.

Doctors say her pregnancy is coming along well.

Her family set up a You Caring crowdfunding page to help cover medical costs and is sharing updates on the Prayers for Paxi Facebook page.

The 23-year-old will be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital once she her condition becomes more stable where she will begin intense therapy
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Donald Trump and Theresa May walked hand in hand at the White House today as they hailed a resurgent Special Relationship - and he insisted Brexit would be 'wonderful'.

The President said he was 'honoured' by Mrs May's visit and that relations between the two long-standing allies had never been stronger as the leaders held a press conference at the White House.

He also signalled he had reassured Mrs May about America's commitment to NATO and pledged to continue the working relationship between the two countries.

The British Prime Minister also revealed that the President and First Lady have accepted an invitation from the Queen to make a state visit to the UK later this year with full pomp and ceremony.

The leaders were deep in conversation as they walked through the colonnades at the famous building

Mr Trump and Mrs May were spotted holding hands at one point as they walked around the White House grounds

The Prime Minister became the first world leader to visit the US president at the White House, sealing their fledgling alliance with a warm handshake in the Oval Office

Mrs May has become the first world leader to visit the new commander-in-chief, sealing their fledgling alliance with a warm handshake.

And the new leader of the free world said the meeting renewed Britain and America's 'military, cultural, financial and political bond'.

Rounding off a two-day visit that will have delighted Downing Street, the two leaders:

Lavished praise on each other at a press conference in the White House. Mr Trump said: 'I believe we are going to have a fantastic relationship'

The US president said the bond between the countries was 'stronger than ever' and hailed the 'wonderful' future for the UK after Brexit

Mrs May announced that Mr Trump had accepted an invite to come to Britain for a state visit with full pomp and ceremony later this year

The PM said a trade deal between the UK and US would be 'great' for both nations

Mrs May said the President had reassured her he was '100 per cent' behind NATO. Asked whether she had raised any other potentially difficult areas with Mr Trump in their talks, she replied: 'I've been listening to the President, and the President has been listening to me'

Mr Trump played down the idea that the US could start using torture against terror suspects, saying it would be up to his secretary of defense and he opposed it

The US commander-in-chief said he was hoping to have a 'fantastic' relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Opening their first press conference together, President Trump said: 'I am honoured to have the Prime Minister here for our first official visit from a foreign leader.

'It is our first visit so a great honour.

'The special relationship between our two countries has been one of the great forces for justice and for peace and by the way, my mother was born in Scotland - Stornoway, which is serious Scotland.

'Today the United States renews our deep bond with Britain, from the military, financial, cultural and political - we have one of the great bonds and we pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship.'

He said together America and the United Kingdom were 'for prosperity and the rule of law.'

President Trump also went on to praise the British people for their 'self determination' in voting for Brexit.

He added: 'That is why the US respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self determination.

'A free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world and our relationship has never been stronger.

Mr Trump said a 'free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world' in an enthusiastic welcome for Brexit

President Trump also went to praise the British people for their 'self determination' in voting for Brexit

Opening their first press conference together, President Trump said he was honoured to have Mrs May as his first foreign leader to visit

The joint press conference between Mr Trump and Mrs May was held in the East Room at the White House

'Both America and Britain understand that governments must be responsible to everyday working people, that governments must represent their own citizens.

'Madam PM, we look forward to working closely with you as we strengthen our mutual ties and commerce, business and foreign affairs.

'Great days lie ahead for our two peoples and our two countries. On behalf of our nation, I thank you for joining us here today - it's a really great pleasure.'

Mrs May replied: 'I'm delighted to be able to congratulate you on what was a stunning election victory.

The President said relations between the two long-standing allies had never been stronger as the leaders held a press conference at the White House

Mr Trump said it was 'an honour' to have Mrs May in the White House and also said he was honoured to have the Churchill bust in place

President Trump also went to praise the British people for their 'self determination' in voting for Brexit

'As you say the invitation is an indication of the strength and importance of the special relationship that exists between our two countries  a relationship based on the bonds of history, of family, kinship and common interests.

'And in a further sign of the importance of that relationship I have today been able to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year and I'm delighted that the President has accepted that invitation.

TRUMP AND MAY: AT A GLANCE Trump hailed Britain's Brexit vote as a 'blessing to the world'.

He confirmed to May that he was '100 per cent in favour of Nato' despite previously saying the military alliance was 'obsolete'.

Heralded the US-UK special relationship as 'one of the great forces in history' and said it was 'a great honour' that May is the first foreign leader to visit him.

In return May congratulates Trump for his 'stunning election victory'.

She announces the President and First Lady have accepted an invitation from the Queen to visit the UK later this year.

They signalled work has begun on setting out the framework for a US-UK free trade deal.

May says she's 'convinced' a free trade deal between the two countries will be in the best interests of both Americans and the British.

Trump signals he will not bring back torture after being challenged by BBC journalist. Yesterday he said waterboarding 'absolutely works'.

President says he hopes to strike a 'fantastic' partnership with Russian president Vladimir Putin and also hopes to have a 'fantastic' relationship with China, despite previous criticism of Beijing.

But PM reaffirmed support for keeping EU sanctions against Russia.

Two leaders pledge to build on their partnership on defence, which the PM describes as the 'broadest, deepest and the most advanced' in the world.

May says she will not be afraid of standing up to Trump if necessary. 'I've been listening to the President and the President has been listening to me  that's the point of having a dialogue,' she says. Advertisement

Challenged about his views on torture, Russia, banning Muslims and punishment for abortion by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Trump joked to Mrs May: 'This was your choice of a question. There goes that relationship.'

The Prime Minister said: 'I have been listening to the president and the president has been listening to me. That's the point of having a conversation and a dialogue.'

She added: 'There will be times when we disagree and issues on which we disagree.

'The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion so we are able to make that clear when it happens.

'But I am clear also that there are many issues on which the UK and the US stand alongside one another, many issues on which we agree.'

She said an 'even stronger special relationship' would be in the interests of the wider world.

Mrs May said there would be further talks and insisted there is 'much on which we agree'.

She said: 'We are discussing how we can work even more closely together in order to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamist extremism wherever it is found.

The PM said there would be deeper intelligence and security co-operation between the UK and the US including measures to counter the terror group in cyberspace.

Mrs May said the two nations are united in recognising NATO as the 'bulwark and collective defence'.

Before the press conference, the pair bonded over a bust of Churchill - which Mr Trump has moved into the famous Oval Office in a mark of respect to the wartime leader and the UK.

Mr Trump said it was 'an honour' to have Mrs May in the White House.

Pointing to the sculpture of Churchill, he said: 'This is the original, in many ways, in many ways and it's a great honour to have Winston Churchill back.

Mrs May replied: 'Well thank you Mr President.'

Mr Trump added: 'Such an honour.'

In contrast to the red carpet treatment being granted to the PM, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande will have to make do with a phone call with Mr Trump tomorrow.

The US commander-in-chief is also due to speak to Vladimir Putin.

Mrs May urged Mr Trump today to be wary of the Russian president, and secured his commitment to supporting NATO, which she regards as the 'cornerstone of the West's defence'.

PS: WE KNEW WE'D SEEN THAT RED OUTFIT BEFORE! By Camilla Ridley-Day for the Daily Mail If Theresa May's suit looks familiar, it is. The 1,090 tomato red Amanda Wakeley dress and jacket combo has been her 'go to' outfit on the world stage and has been seen on at least ten occasions in the past three years. The pendant and patriotic, modesty-preserving red, white and blue scarf are recognisable, too, creating an elegant ensemble in which she clearly feels confident and glamorous without being overstated. Planned with comfort and business in mind, last year alone she wore it to meet Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Jean-Claude Juncker. Prime Minister Theresa May wore her red suit and jacket outfit at George Osborne's Budget speech in 2016 at the House of Commons Last year, the Prime Minister wore the red dress and jacket combination to meet Jean-Claude Juncker (left) and former President Barack Obama (right) The 1,090 tomato red Amanda Wakeley dress and jacket combination (left) has been her 'go to' outfit on the world stage and Mrs May wore it when she met Vladimir Putin Advertisement

Mrs May urged Mr Trump today to be wary of the Russian president, and secured his commitment to supporting NATO

Mrs May will urge Mr Trump today to be wary of Russian president Vladimir Putin, and attempt to secure his commitment to supporting NATO

The pair bonded over a bust of Churchill - which Mr Trump has moved into the famous office below a portrait of American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson in a mark of respect to the wartime leader and Britain

Theresa May is being given the red carpet treatment by the new US administration at the White House today

Mrs May and the commander-in-chief are set to cover an array of topics over lunch, including crucially trying to hammer out the basis of a wide-ranging post-Brexit trade deal

The White House tweeted a picture of the PM - dressed in a striking red-orange Amanda Wakeley dress - signing the visitors' book this evening.

CHURCHILL BUST TAKES PRIDE OF PLACE IN THE OVAL OFFICE Theresa May and Donald Trump admired a bust of Winston Churchill as they met in the Oval Office today. The US president has installed the replica of the wartime leader's face in a mark of respect. A Churchill bust first appeared in the famous office during George W Bush's administration, having been loaned as a personal gesture by Tony Blair. During Barack Obama's presidency it was replaced by a bust of the civil rights champion Martin Luther King Jr - although Mr Obama did have another sculpture of Churchill in his private residence. That latter bust is the one that has now been moved to pride of place below a portrait of founding father Thomas Jefferson. Advertisement

Earlier, she laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

The PM took part in an emotional ceremony at the national monument in Virginia - where at least 15 British forces personnel are buried alongside American comrades - standing sombrely as the Last Post was played.

The site holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean conflict.

Dressed in black, the PM was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

A cannon was fired 19 times as Mrs May's convoy arrived and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

After a military band played the national anthems of the UK and US, the premier mounted the steps to lay a wreath of red poppies, bowing her head in respect as a single trumpeter sounded the Last Post.

More than 400,000 US troops killed in conflicts from the Civil War to the ongoing War on Terror are laid to rest at Arlington.

Also at the site are a memorial to the victims of the Lockerbie terror attack and the grave of assassinated US president John F Kennedy.

The White House tweeted a picture of the PM - dressed in a striking red-orange dress - signing the visitors' book

The leaders greeted each other outside the White House this evening before he ushered her inside the building

The PM and the President confirmed their 'unshakeable' commitment to the relationship between the two nations

The premier had enjoyed a positive start to her visit, with Republicans lavishing praise on her address to their conference in Philadelphia.

After she laid into two decades of 'failed' liberal interventionist foreign policy, receiving three standing ovations, one congressman raved that she might be Mr Trump's 'long lost sister'.

FRENCH PRESIDENT HOPEFUL SLAMS MAY FOR PANDERING TO DONALD TRUMP Britain is becoming a 'vassal' to the US, a front-runner for the French presidency has complained. Emmanuel Macron delivered a stinging rebuke to Theresa May as he branded Donald Trump's first week in power 'worrying'. 'Britain lived in an equilibrium with Europe,' the independent candidate told France Culture radio. 'But now it is becoming a vassal state, meaning it is becoming the junior partner of the United State.' Polls have shown Mr Macron, a former investment banker, closing in on conservative contender Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Advertisement

House Speaker Paul Ryan posted a photo of himself with the PM on Twitter, saying it had been 'an honor' to welcome her.

'We had an excellent, wide-ranging discussion about strengthening the special relationship between our nations,' he added.

Sen Cory Gardner, of Colorado, said Mrs May had 'renewed the special relationship between our two great nations'.

The PM hosted a party at the British residence in Washington last night, where the guests included Secretary of Defense General James Mattis - known as 'Mad dog'.

Officially the UK cannot engage in formal negotiations on its own free trade deals with third countries while it remains a member of the EU.

But Mrs May told senior US politicians: 'I think there is much we can do in the interim in terms of looking at how we can remove some of the barriers to trade in a number of areas, so we are able to see an advantage to both of us even if we haven't been able to sign that legal free trade agreement.'

In the same speech, she ripped up two decades of 'failed' liberal interventionist foreign policy that has dragged Britain into a string of disastrous conflicts.

And in a decisive break with the Blair and Cameron eras, the Prime Minister said the days of the UK using military force to 'remake sovereign countries in our own image' were finished.

Speaking to a gathering of top Republicans, she laid out a new set of rules which will see the UK intervene only when the 'threat is real' and it is in our own interests.

The comments effectively bring an end to what have been dubbed 'wars of choice' and the so-called 'Chicago doctrine' established by Tony Blair.

Mrs May also warned Donald Trump to 'beware' Russian president Vladimir Putin and chose to evoke the memory of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher during the Cold War.

She said: 'When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'. With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'.

HAVEN'T WE SEEN THAT SOMEWHERE BEFORE? PM DONS RED POWER SUIT SHE WORE TO MEET PUTIN The PM chose the same red-orange dress she wore when meeting Vladimir Putin when she held talks with Donald Trump today. The Amanda Wakeley outfit seems to be the one Theresa May turns to when she has to meet the most powerful figures on the world stage. Advertisement

TRUMP HAILS SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP AS 'ONE OF THE GREAT FORCES FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE' 'I am honoured to have the Prime Minister here for our first official visit from a foreign leader. 'It is our first visit, so a great honour. 'The special relationship between our two countries has been one of the great forces in visor for justice and for peace and by the way, my mother was born in Scotland - Stornoway, which is serious Scotland. 'Today the United States renews our deep bond with Britain, from the military, financial, cultural and political - we have one of the great bonds and we pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship.' 'Together America and the Kingdom are abrasion for prosperity and the rule of law. 'That is why the US respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self determination. 'A free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world and our relationship has never been stronger. 'Both America and Britain understand that governments must be responsible to everyday working people, that governments must represent their own citizens. 'Madam PM, we look forward to working closely with you as we strengthen our mutual ties and commerce, business and foreign affairs. 'Great days lie ahead for our two peoples and our two countries. On behalf of our nation, I thank you for joining us here today - it's a really great pleasure.' Advertisement

WHAT THERESA MAY SAID AT THE CONFERENCE 'Thank you very much Mr President and can I start by saying that I'm so pleased that I've been able to be here today and thank you for inviting me so soon after your inauguration. 'I'm delighted to be able to congratulate you on what was a stunning election victory. 'As you say the invitation is an indication of the strength and importance of the special relationship that exists between our two countries  a relationship based on the bonds of history, of family, kinship and common interests. 'And in a further sign of the importance of that relationship I have today been able to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and the first Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year and I'm delighted that the President has accepted that invitation. 'Today we're discussing a number of topics and there's much on which we agree. 'The President has mentioned foreign policy, we're discussing how we can work even more closely together in order to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamist extremism wherever it's found. 'Our two nations are already leading efforts to face up to this challenge and we're making progress with Daesh losing territory and fighters, but we need to redouble our efforts. 'And today we're discussing how we can do this by deepening intelligence and security cooperation and critically by stepping up our efforts to counter Daesh in cyber space. 'Because we know we will not eradicate this threat until we defeat the ideology that lies behind it. 'On defence and security cooperation we're united in our recognition of Nato as the bulwark of our collective defence and today we have reaffirmed our unshakable commitment to this alliance. 'Mr President I think you said you confirmed that you're 100 per cent behind Nato. But we're also discussing the importance of Nato continuing to ensure it is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber warfare as it is to fight more conventional forms of war. 'And I've agreed to continue my efforts to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver on their commitments to spend 2 per cent of their GDP on defence so the burden is more fairly shared. 'It is only by investing properly in our defence that we can ensure we are properly equipped to face our share challenges together.' Advertisement

The Prime Minister said she was convinced a broad trade deal with the US was in the interests of both countries

PM was at the monument in Virginia, where at least 15 British forces personnel are buried, and stood sombrely as the Last Post was played

The Prime Minister dabbed at her nose amid freezing temperatures as she walked up to the monument in Arlington

The Prime Minister laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown solider at the Arlington National Cemetery today before heading for talks with President Trump

In her speech to the Republican Retreat convention, Mrs May added: 'There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War. But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength.

'And we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict  and that, particularly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, give assurance to Russia's neighbouring states that their security is not in question.

'We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence.

'And progress on this issue would also help to secure another of this nation's priorities  to reduce Iran's malign influence in the Middle East.

'This is a priority for the UK too as we support our allies in the Gulf States to push back against Iran's aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean. '

Mrs May became the first world leader ever to address the Republican Retreat convention and will become the first foreign leader to meet President Donald Trump at the White House later

Mrs May said she wanted the UK and America to 'stand strong together' and the two countries must be 'smart and hard-headed', but only mentioned Trump by name once in her speech.

She said: 'It is in our interests  those of Britain and America together  to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past.

'The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.

'But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene.

'We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.'

The Prime Minister's comments will be seen as the final dismantling of the policy laid down by Tony Blair in his now infamous 1999 Chicago address, which sowed the seed of British involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

David Cameron continued the approach by intervening in Libya to help topple Colonel Gaddafi - a move which plunged the country into civil war and chaos. Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya are all still hotbeds for Islamic terrorism.

US Congressman Kevin Cramer, who was at the Republican Party gathering that Mrs May addressed, told the BBC: 'As I was watching her, and listening to her, I thought 'is this Donald Trump's long lost sister?'

'There was real similarities, while at the same time, clearly a different take on certain global issues.'

In her speech to the Republican Retreat convention May listed a string of shared challenges facing Britain and the US - including an aggressive Vladimir Putin and 'radical Islamists'

Britain could limit the intelligence it shares with America if Donald Trump brings back torture, Theresa May warns

Theresa May arrived in the US tonight, pictured in Philadelphia, amid a deepening row over torture after the US President said waterboarding 'absolutely works'

Britain could be forced to limit the intelligence it shares with the US on suspected terror plots if Donald Trump brings back torture, the Prime Minister warned today.

Theresa May said that she 'absolutely condemns' the use of torture - only hours after President Trump declared that water boarding and other harsh interrogation techniques 'work'.

When questioned about their differing styles before landing in Philadelphia, Mrs May told reporters: 'Haven't you ever noticed that sometimes opposites attract?'

The split threatens to create major tensions in the relationship between British spies and their US counterparts, which is currently rated the best in the world.

The UK's strict rules state that officials will not share intelligence with countries if it involves a serious risk of a detainee being tortured, or that is how the information was obtained.

In comments that triggered anger from human rights groups, President Trump this week threatened to revive some of the techniques used during a George W Bush's ill-fated 'war on terror'.

He said: 'I have spoken with people at the highest level of intelligence and I asked them the question 'Does it work? Does torture work?' and the answer was 'Yes, absolutely'.

Mrs May has been careful to find common ground with Mr Trump on issues such as trade and the Middle East.

But, speaking to reporters on a flight to the US to meet the President, she said Britain would be sticking to its guns on torture - and was prepared to deliver this message direct to the Trump administration.

The PM said: 'The UK Government's position on torture has not changed. We condemn torture and my view on that will not change whether I am talking to you or talking to the President.

'Our guidance is very clear about the position that the UK takes and our position has not changed.

MAY FLIES FASHION FLAG FOR BRITAIN Theresa May is flying the flag for British fashion during her historic visit to the United States. She has chosen a red two-piece by one of her favourite UK designers, Amanda Wakeley, and shoes by L.K. Bennett, to wear to the White House for talks in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump. For her visit to the Republican Congressmen's Retreat in Philadelphia she wore a coat by up-and-coming British designer Daniel Blake, along with Russell & Bromley heels and a navy blue suit by Escada. Aides said that she was 'promoting British fashion to the world' and noted that, as usual, she had done her own make-up and hair. Advertisement

'We have a very clear view in the U.K. That we absolutely condemn the use of torture and that has not changed and will not change.'

The British guidelines on the use of torture were laid down by David Cameron in 2010 amid accusations the Tony Blair government had turned a blind eye to the ill treatment of detainees during his cosy relationship with President Bush.

They state that: 'When we work with countries whose practice raises questions about their compliance with international legal obligations, we ensure that our co-operation accords with our own international and domestic obligations. We take great care to assess whether there is a risk that a detainee will be subjected to mistreatment and consider whether it is possible to mitigate any such risk.

'In circumstances where, despite efforts to mitigate the risk, a serious risk of torture at the hands of a third party remains, our presumption would be that we will not proceed. In the case of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, this will cover a wide spectrum of conduct and different considerations and legal principles may apply depending on the circumstances and facts of each case. '

Police and prosecutors in Britain have made it clear they will pursue cases where there is evidence of British complicity in torture.

MI5 and MI6 both faced probes into the alleged conduct of unnamed officers in relation to the war on terror.

Ex-detainees have claimed that British officials were present when ill treatment took place. The taxpayer has been landed with a compensation bill running to tens of millions of pounds to settle claims brought by the terror suspects.

Some security experts have claimed the resumption of torture by the US would make intelligence sharing 'impossible'.

Ex-GCHQ official Matt Tait, said: 'Even laying aside the enormous domestic law and eighth amendment issues this brings up, this will make it impossible for UK intelligence cooperation with the Trump administration across a range of intelligence programs.'

Donald Trump, pictured arriving aboard Air Force One at Philadelphia International Airport today, used his first TV interview as President to re-assert his view that waterboarding 'absolutely works'
Tavage Tobler, 18, was charged with aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing his roommate in the face during an altercation over a Minute Maid fruit juice box

A Florida teenager was arrested after allegedly stabbing his roommate in the face during an altercation over a Minute Maid fruit juice box.

Tavage Tobler was charged with aggravated battery after deputies from the St John's County Sheriff's Office responded to the incident in the early morning hours of January 24, according to Fox 30.

According to a police report, the 18-year-old stabbed the middle-aged victim in the lower left jaw, 'causing permanent disfigurement and bodily harm'.

Authorities said the victim, whose identity was not released, was stabbed from behind.

The victim told investigators the altercation ensued over the juice box.

Tobler, who graduated from high school in May 2016, also told deputies the fight started because the victim was drinking his juice, according WOKV.

He told police things turned physical when the victim started to put his finger in his face.

Tobler said he then hit the victim in the face, but insists he didn't stab him.

The incident took place at their residence on Herbert Street in St Augustine, where authorities found the knife used in the altercation.

Tobler is being held in the St Johns County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
A Georgia police chief made a public apology for his agency's role in the lynching of a black teenager more than 75 years ago.

LaGrange Police Chief Louis Dekmar apologized for the heinous crime on Thursday evening during a public ceremony at the Warren Temple United Methodist Church.

He said: 'I, on behalf of the LaGrange Police Department and the city of LaGrange, want to acknowledge the police department's failure to take crucial action in its obligation to protect Austin Callaway on September 8, 1940.'

Austin Callaway, 18, was snatched from the LaGrange City Jail in September 1940 by a group of six armed and masked white men who then drove the teen out to a country road where he was shot multiple times in the head, arms and hands, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

His murder, which occurred at a time where the United States was still segregated and there were few civil rights for blacks, was never investigated by the LaGrange Police Department.

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LaGrange Police Chief Louis Dekmar (pictured) made a public apology for his agency's role in the lynching of a black teenager more than 75 years ago

Austin Callaway was snatched from the LaGrange City Jail (pictured above) in September 1940 by a group of six armed and masked white men

There's no police report on his murder, and there is no record of Callaway even having been in the jail.

The group of six men who killed the teenage boy were never conclusively identified.

More than 75 years later, LaGrange Police Chief Louis Dekmar apologized for the heinous crime that saw no action from his agency in an effort to bring Callaway's killers to justice.

On Thursday, Dekmar recalled: 'Several years ago, while waiting to see detectives, two elderly African-American women were looking at historical photographs of members of the LaGrange Police Department.

'And one whispered to another, as she pointed to a picture of a police officer who had served decades ago, "They killed our people."

'That comment was overheard and shared with me. I began researching any incident involving the LaGrange Police Department and a suspicious death. My search quickly brought me to the lynching of Austin Callaway.'

He said: 'Austin was under arrest with the LaGrange Police Department, when he was forcibly taken from custody by these six men wearing hoods and armed with a gun.'

Callaway had been jailed for allegedly assaulting a white woman.

Dekmar said: 'The record of the police department's efforts to locate Austin after he was kidnapped is absent. Not surprisingly, and sadly, so was any investigation into his murder.'

Dekmar is pictured above shaking the hand of Ernest Ward, who is the president of the Troup County NAACP

Callaway's second cousin Glenn Dowell (pictured with Dekmar) attended the Thursday event

He said that through information gathered by the NAACP and a community group called Troup Together, 'we've learned a lot about Austin's lynching, but there's still a lot to learn'.

Dekmar said that Callaway's body was discovered in a rural part of Troup County a few hours after he was abducted.

He said that the teenager was 'shot at least five times, and died shortly after being taken to the hospital'.

The police chief said: 'An acknowledgment and apology is necessary to aid in healing wounds of past brutalities and injustice so we can build a better future.

'The acknowledgement and apology also is needed to understand how the past forms, and impacts, the future.'

He said: 'As the LaGrange police chief, I sincerely regret and denounce the role our police department played in Austin's lynching, both through our action and inaction, and for that I am profoundly sorry. It should never have happened.'

People are seen sitting in pews during the Thursday event at Warren Temple United Methodist Church

'This was brutal,' Dekmar, who has been in the leadership role for the department the past 22 years, told the AJC.

'It represented injustice, specifically to an individual and impacted a community generally because of the apprehension it created to deal with authorities.

'I think an acknowledgement and apology is needed to help us understand how the past forms and impacts the present. It makes it clear what was done was wrong.'

He told WRBL: 'For the police, anytime you take someone into custody, you are responsible for their care, and well-being  and that didn't happen here (with the Callaway incident). That's where the police department failed.

Dekmar apologized for the crime that at the time saw no action from his agency to bring Callaway's killers to justice

'The acknowledgement is not to place blame, it's to say, 'We (LPD) did something wrong and we want to reassure the community that it won't happen again'

One of Callaway's family descendants, Deborah Tatum, said ahead of the ceremony that she hoped it will be a way for her family to celebrate his life in a way they were unable to.

'I believe in prayer,' she told the AJC. 'I believe in destiny. Seventy-seven years later here we are talking about it. It couldn't be talked about in 1940.'

Callaway's second cousin Glenn Dowell attended the Thursday event, and told WRBL: 'Here comes LaGrange, Georgia, which has previously been kind of an oligarchy, ruled by an oligarchy in the community, changing. It has changed for the best.'

Dekmar's unprecedented move to apologize for his department's role in the legacy of lynchings is believed to be the first by a police chief in the South, the AJC reported.

Between 1877 to 1950, more than 4,000 black people were murdered in lynchings across the region, according to the newspaper.
Former President Barack Obama spent months refusing to comment on who his daughter Malia cast her ballot for last November when she voted in her first ever election, but did reveal two weeks ago in his final White House press conference that she and sister Sasha were 'disappointed' by Donald Trump's victory.

And this past Monday, just four days after her father vacated the Oval Office, Malia made it clear just how disappointed she was in the new commander-in-chief by joining a rally protesting his plans to revive the Dakota Access pipeline project.

The 18-year-old student, who will be heading off to Harvard University later this year, was one of approximately 100 people who gathered on Main Street at the Sundance Film Festival to let it be known how upset she was with President Trump's plan to move forward with the controversial transport system.

The group braved the blistering cold and heavy snowfall as they held up signs reading 'Exist. Resist. Rise.' and 'Impeach corporate control.'

That first sign expressed the group's solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, while the second expressed their displeasure with the Sundance Film Festival for allowing Chase Bank to be a sponsor of their event due to the fact that they are invested in the pipeline.

This is why the rally was held directly in front of the Chase Sapphire on Main Lounge.

And a few hours later, Malia was also one of the select individuals in attendance at a private event with Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault, a man who just last month publicly applauded her father when he put a halt to the pipeline after months of protests at the site.

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Let's get political: Malia Obama attended a protest at the Sundance Film Festival on Monday in response to President trump's plans to revive the Dakota Access pipeline (above with a friend shortly after the rally)

Loud and proud: She was one of approximately 100 people who stood in the heavy snow to show their solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (protestors above)

Invite only: Later that day, Malia also attended a private event where she met with Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault (Shailene Woodley speaking at the event above)

Actress Shailene Woodley, who has been using her celebrity for much of the past two years to bring awareness to this cause, revealed that Malia had attended both the rally and private event in an interview with Democracy Now.

'It was amazing to see Malia. I saw her last night when we did the event with Chairman Dave Archambault. And it was incredible to see her there,' said Woodley, 25, when asked about the former first daughter's very public support of the cause.

She went on to say: 'Also, to witness a human being and a woman coming into her own outside of her family and outside of the attachments that this country has on her, but someone whos willing to participate in democracy because she chooses to, because she recognizes, regardless of her last name, that if she doesnt participate in democracy, there will be no world for her future children.'

Woodley was not full of praise for all of the Obamas however, making it clear that she wished Barack had done more to stop the pipeline when it was first proposed three years ago.

'You know, as a citizen, of course, I would say that. But Im notIm not in the White House. I dont know what obstacles that man was up against. I dont know what resistance he was up against,' said Woodley.

'And so, obviously, again, as a citizen, I would love to say, yes, I wish he had stopped this in 2014, when it was originally proposed to the tribe and when the Army Corps of Engineers originally ignored the tribes - actually, you know, according to law, they were meant to meet with the tribe multiple times, and that didnt happen.

'So, in 2014, I wish Obama had done something, but I dont know, actually, that he could have. So, its kind of a - its hearsay for me.'

Barack Obama halted the project back in December by announcing that the Army would not approve an easement that would have allowed the proposed pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

Snow day: Her attendance at the events was revealed by Shailene Woodley (left, protest on right), a longtime opponent to the pipeline who said seeing the former first daughter was 'amazing'

On her way: Malia flew into Sundance on Sunday (abobe in palm Spring boarding her plane to Utah), three days after her family left the White House

It was in between the rally and private event on Monday that someone managed to snap a pic of Malia, who was seen hanging with a friend and looking at her phone while shopping at the Sundance Film Festival's official store.

She landed in snowy Park City on Sunday after spending a few days with her parents and sister Sasha in Palm Springs, California at the home of White House interior designer Michael Smith and his partner, former Ambassador to Spain James Costos.

Malia was spotted out to dinner on the night that she arrived, and on Tuesday caught a screening of one of the festival's most talked about films, Beach Rats.

One of the actors in the coming of age tale, which follows a Brooklyn teen as he grapples with his sexual identity, wrote on Twitter after learning the news: 'Obamas daughter is at our screening ... Malia knows who I am ...'

That actor was no doubt even more excited when he later learned that Malia has also accepted an internship with Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein, which is set to begin next month.

Taking it in: Malia (above on Tuesday) was spotted out to dinner on the night that she arrived, and on Tuesday caught a screening of one of the festival's most talked about films, Beach Rats

New job: Malia (above on Tuesday) has also accepted an internship with Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein, which is set to begin next month

Malia previously interned on the set of the Halle Berry series Extant back in 2014 while on her summer break, and the following year headed up to the Big Apple for a spot on the crew of Lena Dunham's Girls.

Berry, Dunham and Weinsten were all vocal supporters of Malia's father during his time in office.

Malia also spent this past fall traveling through Peru and Bolivia as part of the Where There Be Dragons program, the 'leader in cross-cultural education, fostering leadership, self-exploration and global citizenship.'

As part of the trip, Malia even spent time living with a family in the small town of Tiquipaya, which is a seven-hour drive from the Bolivian capital of La Paz.

That program is specifically designed for students who, like Malia, are on a gap year.

The Obamas revealed just before Malia graduated from the prestigious Sidwell Friends School last year that she had deferred her admittance to Harvard by one year, a decision that gave her the luxury of starting college as a private citizen and not a member of the first family.
Two cousins who admitted to shooting two Northern California teens at close range in 1973 were sentenced to life prison terms on Thursday, said Deputy Yuba County District Attorney John Vacek.

Larry Don Patterson, 66, and William Lloyd Harbour, 65, were sentenced to five years to life in prison in the decades-old cold case, the maximum penalty under sentencing laws at the time of the crime.

For the same reason, the two men did not face the possibility of the death penalty in the deaths of 12-year-old Valerie Janice Lane and 13-year-old Doris Karen Derryberry.

Valerie Janice Lane, 12, (left) and Doris Karen Derryberry, 13, (right) were reported missing by their mothers when they didn't return from a trip to a California mall on November 12, 1973. They were later found dead along a dirt road having been shot at close range

Larry Patterson (pictured in court on Thursday) moved to withdraw his plea after the sentencing but the motion was rejected by Superior Court Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter

William Lloyd Harbour pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree murder, his lawyer said: 'He's sorry for the family'

'When she died, a part of me died with her,' Margarette Hasting, the mother of Valerie Lane, said in a statement that was read to the judge.

'We were so cheated. Valerie died at 12 years old, and these guys have lived their lives, they are old men now.'

Hasting also said she had 'hoped and prayed' that she would see justice served before she died.

'It has been so hard. I didn't realize it would all seem like it happened yesterday,' she said in the statement.

Cousins Larry Don Patterson (left), of Oklahoma, and William Lloyd Harbour (right), of California both admitted to the murders in December last year. Both men were 22 at the time of the killings

Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in December, while Harbour pleaded no contest to the same charges.

The case went cold decades ago, Yuba County authorities said, until a state forensics lab matched DNA from the two suspects to semen found on Derryberry in September.

The girls were reported missing on November 12, 1973, after their mothers said they never returned home overnight from a shopping trip to the mall.

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department learned hours later that their bodies had been found along a dirt road in a wooded area near Marysville, north of Sacramento, where they had been shot at close range.

'The families rightly view this as these guys had 43 years of freedom and we lost our daughters. So it's tough to say justice has been served, but we do what we can,' Vacek said.

He credited the county sheriff's department with never giving up.

'The prevailing sentiment is justice delayed is justice denied,' Vacek said.

'I'm glad we can bring some semblance of justice to this case.'

The cousins both lived near the victims in Olivehurst when they were killed 43 years ago.

'He's sorry for the family and he's glad that it has come to a resolution and that it is over,' said Yuba County public defender Brian Davis, who represented Harbour.

Patterson more recently was living in Oklahoma and was extradited to face the charges in California.

Justice after 43 years: Family and friends of Doris Derryberry and Valerie Lane embrace after the sentencing that finally closed the cold case four decades later

Doris's cousin, Cheryl Derryberry expressed her anger following the sentencing of Larry Don Patterson and William Lloyd Harbour at the Yuba County Courthouse

Michael Sullinger, an attorney representing Patterson, did not return telephone and email messages seeking comment.

Vacek said Patterson moved to withdraw his plea after the sentencing but the motion was rejected by Superior Court Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter.

Stan Vantassel, Doris's nephew, who was just three at the time told FOX40: 'My aunt wasn't given a plea bargain. Valerie wasn't given a plea bargain.

'This man got a plea bargain. He should never even see a parole board.'

Although the judge did not allow him to change his plea, Patterson is still able to file an appeal.

'I'm shocked,' Doris's sister, Cheryl Derryberry said.

'I'd like to climb across and choke the life out of them. That's what I'd like to do.

'He knows he done it. He knows he was there. He knows he's guilty. Why put everybody else through this again?' she said.

Patterson tried to withdraw his plea just after hearing family members express how the murders had affected them.

County officials said the suspects' names never surfaced in the 1970s, though investigators interviewed more than 60 people.
Teacher arrested: Sarah Lewis, a social studies and dance teacher from Utah, is accused of having sex with her 17-year-old male student

A high school teacher from Utah has been arrested on suspicion she had sexual contact with a 17-year-old male student after plying the boy with vodka and beer.

Mother-of-one Sarah Lewis, 27, was taken into custody on Tuesday and booked into Utah County Jail on counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Lewis, who is married and has a young child, works as a social studies teacher and dance instructor at Landmark High School, an alternative school in Spanish Fork.

According to police, Lewis' alleged encounter with the male student took place in early January at her home in Payson.

Payson police Lt Bill Wright told the station KSL it was his understanding that Lewis' tryst with the teen was a one-time incident.

A police report cited by the Daily Herald stated that during their romp, Lewis served the underage boy vodka and beer.

Lewis has taught social studies and dance at Landmark High School (pictured), an alternative school in Spanish Fork, since 2014

The document also revealed that Lewis' sexual activities with the student were captured on video, although its unclear who recorded the footage.

The 27-year-old woman allegedly met the teen for sex at her home in Payson, which she shared with her husband and young child

Officials with the Nebo School District learned of the allegations against Lewis on Monday after being contacted by the Payson Police Department and immediately placed her on administrative leave.

According to her LinkedIn page, Sarah Lewis is a 2012 graduate of Utah Valley University who has taught at Landmark High School for two-and-a-half years.

According to its website, Landmark has about 340 students enrolled in grades 10-12.

Lewis has been ordered by a judge to have no contact with the alleged victim.

She is due back in court next Monday.
Dr Benjamin Chang has been jailed for two years

A big game hunting Harley Street doctor who faked invoices worth almost 200,000 for non-existent treatment has been jailed for two years.

Dr Benjamin Chang has survived previous controversy, when he was pictured giving the thumbs on top of a dead elephant during a hunting trip in Africa in 2009.

But the 57-year-old's career is now in ruins after he was found guilty of a two-year scam against insurance companies by billing them for non-existent physiotherapy sessions.

Chang took a 183,000 slice of the 1 billion-a-year fraud while running his private medical practice from Milton Keynes.

Passing a two-year sentence at the Old Bailey, Judge Philip Katz told him he could see no other reason for him doing it other than greed.

There was a gravy train passing by and you wanted to jump on it, the judge said.

This is, in many ways, a tragic case because, as you realise, the scale of this fraud and the fact that you have denied it in the face of overwhelming evidence means there is only one way I can deal with you - it is to sentence a hard-working doctor to prison.

But you got greedy. You were living an ordinary and respectable life, you come from a respectable background of professional people who, I expect, are horrified to witness what happened as a result of the choices you have now made.

Chang, who was born in Hong Kong, sparked anger among animal-lovers in 2009 after he was photographed sitting on the head of an elephant he had shot in Zimbabwe.

He defended killing the beasts, insisting it helped the local people, and survived the public backlash with his job.

But the latest scandal is almost certain to end his medical career for good and he has recently been scraping a living with driving jobs and by working in a restaurant.

The court heard Chang systematically defrauded insurance companies by billing them for physiotherapy sessions which never took place.

The scam lasted for two years until one of the insurance companies became suspicious about the number of invoices coming from Proteus Healthcare.

Their investigations revealed Proteus was being run by Dr Chang and the physiotherapist supposedly providing the treatment did not even exist.

Prosecutor David Povall said Chang was carrying out the scam to enrich himself and pay off his debts to his family.

Chang ran his private medical practice from the Milton Medical Centre, in Milton Keynes, but also used consulting rooms in Harley Street to see patients.

His business was owned by Hertford Healthcare, a company registered in Gibraltar in the name of his brother Solomon, a financier in Hong Kong.

Mr Povall said this arrangement was made after Dr Chang got into some financial difficulties.

His family had loaned him the money to set up his medical business in the UK so in order for them to protect their investment companies were set up to ensure that it was the family that owned everything even though they were being run by Dr Chang himself.

In 2011, Chang began referring whiplash claimants for physiotherapy treatment with Proteus Healthcare, who were based at an address in Hastings, East Sussex.

In several cases he told the claimants solicitor that they had already received a number of physiotherapy sessions and had now recovered.

The solicitor was then sent invoices by Proteus, usually for a total of ten sessions.

Investigators from the insurance firm Liberty Direct later discovered that the Hastings address given for Proteus was in fact for a different company running a cosmetic clinic and its phone number was for Changs Milton Medical Centre.

Chang faked invoices worth almost 200,000 for non-existent treatment has been jailed for two years

They also tried to trace the physiotherapist Helen Preston who signed off the patient forms but the only two physiotherapists under that name had never heard of Proteus Healthcare, the court heard.

When the claimants were questioned they revealed that they had either never received any physiotherapy or had only received two sessions rather than ten.

Mr Povall said: The police found dozens of examples of cases in which Benjamin Chang had supported claims from Proteus Healthcare for physiotherapy.

They seized Dr Changs computer server and found dozens and dozens of Proteus invoices for named claimants purportedly signed by Helen Preston.

What the Crown is suggesting is that Proteus Healthcare is not a business that provides physiotherapy - it is a business that provides invoices for physiotherapy.

Dr Chang knew that these invoices were false, that there was no physiotherapy or not the amount being claimed for.

Jurors heard that a series of Whatsapp messages on Changs phone also suggested that he was dishonestly arranging invoices for physiotherapy.

Chang, of Mill Hill, north London, denied fraud by false representation.
Karl Stefanovic has sent a message of support to celebrity accountant Anthony Bell after he was slapped with an AVO by his wife, Kelly Landry.

The Today show host reportedly reached out to the Sydney-to-Hobart champion skipper after media reports claimed the pair had fallen out.

The messages were sent by Stefanovic from a luxury ski resort in Aspen pledged support for Bell.

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Karl Stefanovic (left) reportedly reached out to Hobart champion skipper Anthony Bell (right) about his marriage break-up

'I'm only going to say this once more. I'm with you through thick and thin on this,' the message from Stefanovic read, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

'And moving forward I'm with you brother. I f***ing mean it.'

Stefanovic was reportedly taking the sting out of his own divorce with another freshly single bachelor James Packer at the time of writing the message.

In January, Daily Mail Australia revealed Bell has been slapped with an AVO and banned from going near his wife after drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.

Police filed an interim apprehended violence order against the owner of supermaxi Perpetual Loyal on behalf of the former Getaway presenter Landry.

The high-profile couple, who have two young daughters together, married overseas in 2011.

Bell has denied illicit drug use.

Anthony Bell was this month was slapped with an AVO by police on behalf of his wife, Kelly Landry
The bitter custody battle fought by Uma Thurman and her multimillionaire ex-fiance has been settled.

Eleanor Alter, Thurman's lawyer, confirmed that the actress won primary custody of their four-year-old daughter, Luna.

Thurman, 46, briefly appeared in court on Friday morning with her attorneys to confirm that she agreed with the terms of the settlement with Arpad Busson.

Manhattan Supreme Justice Matthew Cooper formally allocuted the Oscar-nominated star to make sure she understood the process. Cooper asked the actress if she had read the 38-page agreement in its entirety and if she agreed to it.

'Yes,' she replied.

Cooper then asked: 'Are you under the influence of any medication that might influence your decision?'

Uma Thurman arrives to court today to sign off on the custody agreement she reached with her ex Arpad Busson over their four-year-old daughter, Luna. Busson is not in court today

The mother-daughter duo enjoyed a girls night out on Wednesday, attending the Cirque du Soleil show, Paramour, in New York City

Thuman and Luna watched as the performers showed off their impressive moves

Uma Thurman's ex-fiance Arpad Busson showed up in court Thursday to sign off on the custody agreement over their daughter but the actress went to a reading for a Broadway play

'No,' Thurman answered.

The judge told Thurman that he was delighted that the parents had come to an agreement on how to raise their daughter and that he would not need to make a decision. He also made clear that their agreement would carry the same legal weight as a decision made by him.

Cooper said: 'The agreement is so ordered and I am pleased we have reached a resolution in this matter. It is an excellent thing for the court, the lawyers, for both parties and most of all, the child.

'Luna has all the advantages in life, two parents who love her and provide amply for her. She has every opportunity to be culturally and educationally enriched and to be loved by her parents and brothers and sisters.'

He added: 'The only thing that is lacking, and I hope is forthcoming, is that her parents can reach some kind of place where they can put aside their anger and are able to cooperate If parents can work together collectively, then she will have everything that any child could want in life.'

Thurman profusely thanked the judge and the trial was concluded.

The actress, dressed sharply in a black suit with white shirt, smiled broadly as she left court. She said: 'It's a wonderful thing to have closure.'

When asked whether she thought the judge's request that the parents reach an amicable relationship was possible, she replied: 'Hope springs eternal.'

Thurman was all smiles as she arrived to Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday

Thurman's lawyers, Eleanor Alter and Adam Wolff, would not comment but smiled and appeared pleased with the decision on leaving court.

Busson did not attend the court appearance on Friday and was believed to have boarded a flight to London.

He was represented on Friday by one of his attorneys, Eric Buckley.

Busson was formally allocated by the judge on Thursday where he confirmed his agreement to the settlement.

The pair had agreed to a tentative settlement at the court hearing on Thursday which Thurman, 46, did not attend because she was too busy at a reading for a play, The Parisian Woman.

She said on Friday that she was playing the eponymous role in the Broadway production.

But Thurman's attorney Eleanor Alter confirmed her agreement over the phone to the judge and later went to a Broadway studio so Thurman could sign the paperwork.

It brings to an end the rancorous two-year battle between Thurman and 53-year-old Busson over how and where their little girl, Luna, should be raised.

The details of the agreement have not been made public. Thurman and her chiseled financier ex aired their dirty laundry in an eight-day custody trial with Busson accusing Thurman of mixing prescription drugs with alcohol to cope with stress.

She fired back claiming Busson was a neglectful dad, an 'angry boyfriend' and suggested he once confided in her that he was addicted to prostitutes.

Thurman pictured leaving Manhattan Supreme Court following Tuesday's '98 percent' agreement

The former lovers also bickered over a $1.5 million engagement ring that Thurman allegedly refuses to return to Busson

On Monday, Justice Cooper unexpectedly declared he was hopeful of reaching a settlement, going so far as to claim the couple's differences were '98 per cent resolved'.

Talks between the sparring legal teams ran late into Wednesday night. 'This has to be for real,' Justice Cooper warned them on Thursday before inviting both teams to speak in chambers. 'If this deal happens you can sleep all weekend.'

He emerged several hours later and told the court 'I'm delighted to say there is going to be an agreement,' adding that he was happy for Thurman, Busson but 'most of all the child'.

French-born Busson, wearing a smart black suit and tie, spoke briefly to confirm that he understood the terms of the 38-page settlement on Thursday.

Asked if anyone had forced him to sign, he casually said, 'yes', before correcting himself: 'no, your honor.'

Busson's attorney Peter Bronstein asked what would happen if Thurman backed out and Justice Cooper replied: 'If Miss Thurman did not sign the agreement it would be totally null and void and I would disregard it.' But he added: 'The 0.2 percent was a little tough but I'm assured that Miss Thurman will sign.'

Luna's court-appointed attorney, Virginia Lopreto, also signaled she was happy with the deal.

Thurman and Busson dated for seven years and were briefly engaged until their March 2014 split, two years after the birth of their daughter, whose full name is Altalune Florence.

The court heard she gave it back after their engagement broke off for the first time in 2008 but he presented it to her a second time after Luna was born on July 15, 2012

She has been living in New York with Thurman and her two children from actor Ethan Hawke but Busson wants her to spend more time at his homes in London and the Bahamas.

A psychologist warned last week that the parents now have an acrimonious relationship and it was hard to question that verdict given the slew of allegations that followed.

Busson testified last week that he sought custody of Luna because he wanted to be more involved in her upbringing and have a greater say over her school and healthcare.

He also wants her to be raised a Catholic although Lopreto poured scorn on his claims to lead a religious way of life, pointing out he has three children outside of marriage.

The businessman admitted in court that he once confessed to Thurman that he paid another student to take an exam at his prestigious Swiss boarding school.

But he denied ever admitting he was addicted to prostitutes or that he was ever violent toward another former girlfriend, the supermodel Elle Macpherson, the mother of his two teenage sons.

Busson conceded that he once offered to give up any claim toward Luna in exchange for giving up child support but said any suggestion he abandoned her was a 'complete lie'.

The court heard he handed Luna back to her mother after a recent visit with matted hair and dirty clothes but Bronstein claimed Thurman caused a 'major drama' every time he tried to see his daughter.

He said his client paid $30,000 for business class seats last summer when Thurman agreed to take Luna to see him in London only to find out she wanted to go because 'her lover' was in town.

Bronstein also asked Sara Weiss, the court-appointed psychologist, to confirm Thurman was consuming a dangerous cocktail of 'serious psychiatric drugs' and alcohol but the judge cut off the questioning.

The former lovers also bickered over a $1.5 million engagement ring that Thurman allegedly refuses to return to Busson.

The court heard she gave it back after their engagement broke off for the first time in 2008 but he presented it to her a second time after Luna was born on July 15, 2012.

Busson said Thurman suggested it should be put into a trust for her children but he thought it 'shocking' that Luna would only receive a third of its value.
Television personality Waleed Aly has summed up US President Donald Trump's first week in office in just over four minutes.

Rather than dissect each action taken by Mr Trump since his inauguration, The Project host simply listed the facts without the added sensationalism.

'I think perhaps the enormity of that alone is quite remarkable,' he said on the Network Ten program.

In the last week President Trump signed his first executive order starting the rollback of Obamacare and refused to release his tax records

His list begins with President Trump signing his first executive order starting the rollback of Obamacare and declaring January 20, the national day of patriotic devotion.

This was quickly followed by the White House press secretary Sean Spicer's scolding journalists for 'inaccurately' reporting how many people attended Mr Trump's inauguration.

His assertions were later called 'alternate facts' by administration adviser Kellyanne Conway.

Aly touched upon Mr Trump's refusal to release his tax records and his decision to pull the US out of Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement on Monday.

The free trade agreement sought to create new investment opportunities for 12 countries on the Pacific Rim and some have said it is now 'dead in the water' without the involvement of the US.

Among other points, Aly also looked at Mr Trump's decision to expand the ban on providing federal money to international family planning groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information to women

Mr Trump also passed a bill that would 'permanently ban US women from using federal funds or private healthcare for abortion services'.

Waleed Aly looked at Mr Trump's decision to expand the ban on providing federal money to international family planning groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information

Donald Trump (pictured on his Inauguration) pulled the US out of Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement on Monday

Donald Trump (pictured signing executive orders on Monday) has promised to publish a list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants each week

Signing off on summary of Mr Trump's latest political moves, Aly simply says 'that was week one'

Notably, Mr Trump also set the cogs into motion into building a wall on the US and Mexico border.

'President Trump moved to redirect allocated federal funds to start building a $20 billion wall on the southern border,' Aly said.

Mexico has refused to pay for the wall.

Donald Trump has also promised to publish a list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants each week.

Signing off on summary of Mr Trump's latest political moves, Waleed Aly simply says 'that was week one'.
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This is the extraordinary moment an enthusiastic giraffe appeared to join in with a group of cyclists taking part in a mountain bike race.

The creature darted out of the bush and started running alongside the participants taking part in the Cape Pioneer Trek in South Africa.

Clearly not wanting to finish last, the competitive giraffe chased after the cyclists and started running alongside them during the race.

This is the extraordinary moment an enthusiastic giraffe appeared to join in with a group of cyclists taking part in a mountain bike race in South Africa

The cyclists can be seen looking over their shoulders, shocked by the unexpected competitor who had joined them in the race.

The incredible moment was caught on camera by Zoon Cronje, 35, who was taking aerial shots of the race from a helicopter.

Mr Zoon, from Pretoria, South Africa, said he often photographs extreme sport events but he'd never captured anything quite like this.

He said: 'We were about 200 metres away when the giraffe got spooked and started running towards us and the riders, it was a complete surprise.

'It could have been very dangerous, giraffes are massive animals and the riders didn't have the vantage point we had to see it coming.

The creature darted out of the bush and started running alongside the participants taking part in the Cape Pioneer Trek

The incredible moment was caught on camera by Zoon Cronje, 35, who was taking aerial shots of the race from a helicopter

'There were three giraffes and they probably got spooked by the sound of the mountain bikes passing nearby but one of them decided to run in the wrong direction crossing paths with the riders.

'I had a front row seat to the action holding my breath and luckily instinct kicked in and I kept shooting rather than staring

'I've captured quite a few close encounters in my line of work, this was by far the most dangerous because of the speed of the riders going downhill unable to see the rapidly approaching giraffe."

'I very seldom shoot sequences but I am glad I did.'
The search for Sunny, the missing red panda, has spanned wide distances, but authorities believe the tree-dwelling animal probably hasn't left the grounds of the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.

Newport News sheriff's deputy Tommy Blyth told The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday that search dogs haven't given any indication that Sunny has left zoo property.

Sunny is 'probably within an earshot,' Blyth told the newspaper.

Zoo marketing manager Ashley Mars says the search dogs are focusing on an exhibit known as Asia  The Trail of The Tiger.

About 80 people searched the area around the zoo prior to the dog search.

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The search for Sunny, the missing red panda, has spanned wide distances, but authorities believe the tree-dwelling animal probably hasn't left the grounds of the Virginia Zoo

Newport News sheriff's deputy Tommy Blyth is seen searching for Sunny with a bloodhound named Cooper

The zoo also received about 20 calls of possible sightings by Wednesday night, but all turned out to be raccoons.

The Virginia Zoo's website said it 'started Friday morning with drone observation of an area of interest behind the Zoo's Asian animal exhibits.

'The drone footage is under review. Other areas of the Zoo will be scanned this afternoon.'

The zoo also said Friday: ' The search for Sunny will continue internally with ZooCrew volunteers and staff who will build surveillance into their daily activities.

'The Virginia Zoo will not be organizing additional public search parties at this time, but encourages members of the community to look within their neighborhoods and backyards, checking their own garages and sheds, under porches and in the eves of any outbuildings.'

The 19-month-old red panda was last seen Monday evening and was reported missing Tuesday morning.

After a routine check on Tuesday morning staff reported the cub missing and launched a thorough search of the grounds, the zoo said online.

Blyth told The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday that search dogs haven't given any indication that Sunny has left zoo property

The Newport News Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook: 'Cooper's tracking led to a wooded area by the fence line that the zoo will search with a drone'

Sunny, the 19-month-old red panda was last seen in her habitat (pictured) around 5pm on Monday. After a routine check on Tuesday, zoo staff reported the cub missing

On Wednesday morning, the zoo said Sunny could have escaped because 'it is red panda breeding season'.

'The animals become more agitated and could display a little abnormal or hyperactive behavior,' the zoo wrote on the website.

Sunny shares her enclosure with a male red panda named Thomas.

Zoo officials said it was rainy and windy Monday night, and that 'Sunny may have been on a slippery branch while Thomas was pursuing her and caused her to slip and fall'.

The Norfolk Police Department is also assisting in the search, and has helped zoo staff use a geothermal camera to search around the property.

According to the zoo, red pandas are not considered aggressive animals.

But they warned if the public came across Sunny that like any wild animal her behavior can be unpredictable.

Zoo staff discouraged people from trying to touch, feed or capture her on their own.

Bloodhound Cooper is seen in his vest which clearly says 'Sheriff'

Sunny came to the Virginia Zoo (pictured) in May 2016 from Front Royal, the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute

Zoo executive director Greg Bockheim told The Virginian-Pilot: 'Even though the red panda is not a dog, it's far more similar than a human would be to sniff out.'

He said: 'I would think it's hunkered down in this weather. They're pretty stationary and deliberate. They'll sit in a tree and stare at you the same way you stare at them.'

Officials wrote on the zoo's website: 'When looking for Sunny, it is better to scan the tree canopy from a distance, rather than walking up to individual trees to search.

'She will likely position herself to be able to people watch from a mid to high point in a tree or other climbable structure.'

The website said: 'Red pandas are reddish-brown in color, with thick fur and a long tail, and similar in size to a raccoon.

'They can be seen on the ground, but typically are found in trees.'

'Sunny came to the Virginia Zoo in May 2016 from Front Royal, the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute.'

The zoo says its red panda enclosure is in compliance with Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) regulations.
A diabetic addict who rammed his car in a police station was suffering from 'drug-induced psychosis'.

Jarrad Ryan Davis pleaded guilty to multiple offences in the the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday including property damage, aggrevated assault and endangering life, The Advertiser reported.

In August the 39-year-old drove a Honda sedan into Adelaide Police Station on Wakefield Street after suffering a psychotic episode in which he believed 'the devil was in his car'.

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Jarrad Ryan Davis pleaded guilty to multiple offences in the the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday after ramming into Adelaide police in August

Davis tried to flee the scene but a passing unmarked patrol car quickly blocked his exit.

The man hit the police car before getting out and threatening officers with a knife.

Police had to use capsicum spray before they could arrest him and said he was 'incoherent' at the time.

'He believed that the devil was in his car, that the carpet was moving, that there were cables coming out from under the seat trying to attach to his legs,' defence counsel Penny Davis told the court.

She also said her client had become a drug addict as a 12-year-old boy and he believed the police officers to be 'the last agents of the devil'.

Davis was living in the car that belonged to a former cellmate of his after spending '20 to 22 years in and out, but mostly in custody', and was not monitoring his diabetes.

Jarrad Ryan Davis pleaded guilty to multiple offences in the the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday including property damage, aggrevated assault and endangering life

'He needed, in his mind, to be saved and for whatever reason he believed that, if he went to the police station, there would be CCTV cameras and he would be safe,' Ms Davis said.

Davis was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where he was treated.

A bomb squad robot was deployed to examine the car for explosives but none were found.

Police inside at the time were not injured.

Davis was remanded into custody and will be sentenced next month.

Despite damage to the front doors, there was no further structural damage.

Superintendent John DeCandia said the man was known to police.

Wakefield Street was closed for a period of time but was reopened.
The owner of a Tennessee knitting store doesn't want anyone buying its yarn to make 'pussyhats' for the women's movement, following weekend protests by marchers in knitted, pointy-eared caps.

In a Facebook post on a page for the Franklin, Tennessee, store, The Joy of Knitting owner, Elizabeth Poe, announced the ban on Tuesday and drew thousands of responses - both support and vows of a boycott.

Poe said that as a business owner and a Christian, she promotes values of 'mutual respect, love, compassion, understanding, and integrity'.

But she called the women's movement 'counterproductive' to unity.

'With the recent women's march on Washington, I ask that you if you want yarn for any project for the women's movement that you please shop for yarn elsewhere,' the social media post says. 'The vulgarity, vile and evilness of this movement is absolutely despicable.'

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Elizabeth Poe, the owner of The Joy of Knitting in Franklin, Tennessee, has banned women from buying her yarn to make 'pussyhats' for the women's movement

She announced the ban on Tuesday in a Facebook post that drew thousands of responses - both support and vows of a boycott

The post came after thousands of movement marchers on Saturday wore the pink, pointy-eared hats they called 'pussyhats' - partly responding to Trump's past caught-on-camera remarks about grabbing women's genitalia.

Poe said she made her Facebook post after a customer came into the store asking for pink yarn to knit a hat of their own, according to WKRN.

It's unclear whether the store sold any yarn to people who attended the massive march in Washington, DC, or the protest in nearby Nashville that was one of many held around the world Saturday.

Many commenters on social media called the post bigoted and hypocritical, and they vowed to take their yarn business elsewhere. Others applauded Poe for expressing her strong beliefs.

'While I support your right to make your feelings known, Elizabeth you really need to pick up a history book,' one Facebook user wrote. 'The fact that you are able to own your own business is, in part due to some brave women marching decades ago.'

'You are an example of a strong woman with strong beliefs voicing a strong opinion and I applaud you for it,' a commenter said.

The post came after thousands of movement marchers on Saturday wore the pink, pointy-eared hats they called 'pussyhats' - partly responding to Trump's past caught-on-camera remarks about grabbing women's genitalia

Poe told The Tennessean that her phone has been ringing nonstop since she made the post.

She said she has received more positive private messages than what's visible on the store's Facebook page.

'This is starting to undermine their efforts,' Poe told the newspaper. '... I think if you want to get your point across you need to do it the right way and I just think that walking around dressed as a vulva is gross. Hatred is not acceptable speech.'

Poe told WKRN that she is 'all for women's and minority rights', but says women at the marches on Saturday 'are going about doing the right thing the wrong way'.

'We live in a nation that we are blessed that we can actually protest, but not that way,' she said. 'Not that way to that level of indecency; [it] is not acceptable.'

As more her Facebook post went viral this week, Poe wrote a comment on the post saying that she did not want it to be a platform to be a debate.

'Please, this is not going to be used as a platform to hash out your beliefs v. my beliefs. I said my peace [sic],' she wrote. 'I am sorry that you don't agree with my policy. I am certainly willing to live with my decision.'
This animal-loving couple spend $20,000 a year caring for more than 100 pet rodents after they set up their own hamster sanctuary in their house.

Alex Minstersinly, 27 and husband Jason, 31, of Bloomington, Indiana share their five bedroom home with 92 hamsters, 13 chinchillas, nine mice, four rats and a guinea pig.

The pair spend $600 each month on food, bedding, water, chew toys and to otherwise meet the basic living needs of each furry rescue.

Vet bills also come with an eye-watering price tag of $500 a month.

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Alex Minstersinly, 27 and husband Jason, 31, of Bloomington, Indiana share their home with more than one hundred rodents

The pair spend $600 each month on food, bedding, water, chew toys for rescued animals

The couple care for 92 hamsters, 13 chinchillas, nine mice, four rats and a guinea pig

Vet bills for the animals also come with an eye-watering price tag of $500 a month

Alex, a full-time lawyer, said: 'Hamsters and other small rodents are often over-looked in animal shelters and rescue organisations.

'Many hamsters that we rescue come with ailments like diabetes, missing legs and cancer abscesses.

'We try to do everything that we can to provide a happy home and appropriate medical care for every one of them.

'It's expensive and a lot of work, but there's nothing better than seeing a neglected, abused hamster learn that they are safe and loved.'

The couple first began rescuing and fostering hamsters shortly after their own pet hamster, Pipsqueak, passed away in September 2012.

Alex added: 'When Pipsqueak died, we purchased three hamsters from a reptile show where they were destined to be feeders.'

The idea grew and in March 2013, Alex and husband Jason started their own rodent sanctuary, 'The Pipsqueakery' in Pipsqueak's memory.

The couple first began rescuing and fostering hamsters shortly after their own pet hamster, Pipsqueak, (not pictured) passed away

They started the sanctuary, named 'The Pipsqueakery', in Pipsqueak's memory

The couple even moved to a house with a bigger basement so that they would have space for the animals

After three years of fostering hamsters, the couple received their status as a non-for profit charity.

Alex says: 'In order for the Pipsqueakery to function, we moved to a house with a large basement that we use solely for the hamsters, rats and mice.'

'There is a kitchenette and storage room as well as a hospital room which is used to carry out any medical care.

'Each hamster has 757 square inches of space which allows for plenty of exercise.

After three years of fostering, the couple received their status as a non-for profit charity

Jason quit his job as a nurse to look after the Pipsqueakery, while Alex works full-time as a lawyer, caring for the animals in her spare time

They have had to make adjustments to their home, including covering any wires

'We've had to cover all the wires in the basement, living room and bedroom to prevent any chewing and nasty accidents.

'Jason also removed the legs from the couch so that none of them can run underneath it.'

Alex and Jason, who quit his job as a nurse to look after the Pipsqueakery, also share their sleeping quarters with a herd of six female chinchillas who are free to roam the bedroom and bathroom.

She said: 'The chinchillas' favourite thing to do is drag toys into our bed and destroy them.

Alex and Jason also share their sleeping quarters with a herd of six female chinchillas

In July 2014, Alex began to post photographs of their rescues on social media

Their Instagram account has more than 63,000 followers, and fans follow them online to see adorable snaps of the rescued animals

Social media helps the couple to raise money in donations and sponsorship to care for their adopted animals

'One, named Luna, also likes to steal my makeup and hide it which can make getting ready for work quite a challenge.

'It's pretty much the best thing ever to cuddle up to chinchillas in bed though, so it's all worth it.'

In July 2014, Alex began to post photographs of their rescues on social media.

Now, their Instagram account has more than 63,000 followers who log on to see the adorable snaps.

Alex said: 'We try our best to raise awareness of hamsters in need on social media.

'We rely heavily on the donations and sponsors from our followers and we can't thank them enough.'
Donald Trump's closest counselor took on the his battle with the 'dishonest media' Friday morning, blasting 'individuals who call themselves reporters' for writing their opinions instead of the news.

The blistering media-bias condemnation came a day after chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon blasted America's political press corps in a New York Times interview.

'Donald Trump understood America the way many did not, including those charged with informing America and educating America about the news  not their opinion,' Conway said on 'Fox & Friends,'

'There's an awful lot of opining going on by individuals who call themselves reporters. And you're supposed to talk about the news, not use a snarky comment here, an eye roll there, an adjective that is insulting or congenitally negative toward the president. That's really not the job.'

Top White Houe counselor Kellyanne Conway unleashed a stinging criticism on political journalists Friday, saying they're 'opining' instead of reporting

Steve Bannon (right), seen with Conway (left), on Thursday called the mainstream media the 'opposition party' against the Trump White House

Bannon told the Times that the media 'should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile.'

He labeled reporters the 'opposition party' and said they were 'humiliated' by Trump's election.

'They dont understand this country,' Bannon continued. 'They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.'

Conway went further, saying 'the entire election was a rejection of elites in the establishment.'

'That's many in the donor class, it's many in the two parties, frankly. It's certainly in the consultant class  which I always say is rife with "staff infection".'

'And it certainly is a rejection of some in the media who just never really give him a fair shake,' she added. 'If you look at some of these Twitter feeds that are a hot mess, they would never pass editorial muster in a newspaper or television station.'

Conway said the easy way to detect unfair media bias is what's left out of an article

Bannon said reporters 'dont understand this country' and can't figure out how Trump was elected

The Times wrote that Bannon was among the White House advisers who suggested Press Secretary Sean Spicer make his first appearance in the White House press briefing room Saturday and tear into reporters.

Asked if Spicer should be worried about losing credibility with the news media following his tirade, Bannon chortled.

'Are you kidding me?' he responded. 'We think that's a badge of honor. "Questioning the integrity"  are you kidding me?'

'The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work,' Bannon continued Bannon.

'You're the opposition party. Not the Democratic Party. You're the opposition party. The media's the opposition party.'

Conway said on Friday that an partisan White House press corps is 'dangerous to the democracy and for those around the world watching what we do and how this president is covered in his early days.

And she offered an 'easy' prescription for detecting anti-Trump media bias.

'It's really the incomplete coverage that I am watching very closely,' she said.

'It's: "Well, what's missing from the story? What was omitted? What's left on the cutting room floor that actually would inform the public factually about what's happening here?"'
Jared Kushner had a brush with nature Friday morning, as he headed into work at the White House.

The son-in-law and adviser to President Trump was leaving his home in the upmarket Kalorama neighborhood of DC when a wild fox was spotted outside the house next door.

It's a sight that Kushner, who has lived in New York City for most of his life, will have to get used to now that he's suburbian.

Jared Kushner steps out of his house on Friday, at the end of his first week working in the White House

A wild fox was spotted just next door to the Kushner's new DC home on Friday morning

Kushner is working as a special adviser to his father-in-law, President Trump

Kushner and his wife moved into a house just blocks away from where former President Obama and his family are now living

Kushner is pictured leaving his home in a small motorcade Friday morning to head to the White House

While Kushner was at work, packages aof lamps arrived at the home which Secret Service dogs sniffed to make sure they were safe. The family also received an order of groceries from Whole Foods.

Friday marked the end of Kushner's first week working for his father-in-law.

Mr Trump has repeatedly said that the 36-year-old, an Orthodox Jew and the grandson of two Holocaust survivors, will help his administration broker peace between Israel and Palestine.

Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump moved their three kids down to Washington, DC right after her father was elected.

While Kushner will be working alongside Mr Trump in his administration, Ivanka is also said to be taking on a role in the new Office of the First Family.

While Kushner was at work, the house received a delivery of lamps that bomb-sniffing dogs had to scan

Workers helped bring the boxes into the Kushner's new residence

The family also received a delivery of groceries from Whole Foods

Ivanka often tweets photos of her family's meals and Friday workout sessions

Secret Service vehicles are seen outside of the Kushner household on Friday

What exactly that will entail remains to be seen, but it has been speculated that Ivanka will be a de facto first lady, since her step-mother Melania is continuing to live in New York City for the time being.

Ivanka has been excitedly posting pictures of her new family settling into their new DC digs.

On Thursday, she even posted a picture of her youngest - 10-month-old Theodore - crawling for the first time in the White House.

'There were so many incredible milestones this past weekend - including one for baby Theodore who crawled for the very first time in the White House!' Ivanka wrote.

Also on Thursday, she posted another picture of eldest daughter Arabella, age 5, pushing her middle son Joseph, age 3, on a swing set.

The Kushners moved to DC right after Mr Trump was elected. The couple are pictured above with their three kids: five-year-old Arabella, three-year-old Joseph and 10-month-old Theodore

Theodore, the Kushner's youngest, crawled for the first time this week, in the White House
Turkey's Foreign Minister today threatened to tear up the migrant deal agreed with the European Union in March last year after Greece's Supreme Court yesterday refused to extradite eight Turkish soldiers who fled in a helicopter after last year's failed coup.

'We will take all necessary steps, including the cancellation of the bilateral readmission agreement on refugees', said Mevlut Cavusoglu, whose words can be assumed to have the endorsement of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

EU leaders will be desperately hoping the spat between Turkey and Greece - old enemies who went to war with each other as recently as 1974 - resolves itself without jeopardising the agreement under which Turkey agreed to accept refugees who had been refused asylum in Greece.

The flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece, which peaked in late 2015 and early 2016, has been staunched after the deal with Turkey was signed. But if Turkey rips it up the migrant crisis might get worse STOCK PHOTO

The eight Turkish servicemen at the heart of the dispute include Major Ahmet Guzel, Major Gencay Boyuk, Captain Ferudun Coban and Sergeant Mesut Firat, pilots Suleyman Ozkaynakc, Abdullah Yetik and Ugur Ucan and Bilal Kurugul.

They fled in a Blackhawk helicopter in the early hours of July 16, landing at Alexandroupoli in northern Greece, after it became clear the coup against President Erdogan had failed.

The coup, which Erdogan has blamed on supporters of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, cost the lives of 242 Turkish soldiers and civilians, with more than 2,000 injured.

In the early hours of July 16 last year the Blackhawk helicopter (pictured) touched down at a Greek air base at Alexandroupoli after the coup against President Erdogan failed

Two trials of Turkish Army officers have begun in recent weeks but J udge Giorgos Sakkas, the head of the Supreme Court panel, said the servicemen were unlikely to face a fair trial if returned to Turkey.

The eight officers said they feared mistreatment in prison if ordered back to their homeland. They say members of their families have been sacked from their jobs and had their passports confiscated.

But hours after the Greek Supreme Court announced its decision an unperturbed Tu rkey issued a fresh arrest warrant for the army officers.

Under the deal agreed in March, Turkey agreed to take back migrants who crossed into Greece illegally and were rejected for asylum.

But Mr Cavusoglu said today: 'We cannot look positively upon countries that protect terrorists, traitors and coup plotters. Greece must know this.'

The eight officers, who appeared in court yesterday civilian clothes, say they will be unlikely to face a fair trial if returned to Turkey

Turkish military officers (right) escorted by a Greek police officer arrive at the Supreme Court in Athens

'These are eight traitors who intended to kill our president - not petty criminals,' he added.

They are accused of violating the constitution with force and violence, attempted assassination of the president, crimes against the legislative body and the government and robbery.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: 'From the outset, the Greek government resolutely condemned the attempted coup and supported the democratically elected government and the observance of constitutional legality in our neighboring country.

'Today we underscore, as we did then, that the perpetrators of the coup are not welcome in our country. Within Greece, the sole authority responsible for the relevant judgment is the independent Greek justice system, whose decisions are binding.'
A plane was involved in a near miss with a drone just 500ft above a primary school, it was revealed today.

The DH8 turboprop aircraft, which holds up to 78 passengers, was on its final approach into Birmingham Airport when the pilot spotted the drone in September last year.

An official report by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) says the pilot reported that the drone was hovering above a primary school at the same altitude as his plane as he was coming in to land.

The UKAB has not named the airline involved.

Near miss: The DH8 turboprop aircraft like this one (file picture) was involved in a near miss with a drone just 500ft above a primary school. The UK Airprox Board has not said what airline was involved

Evidence An official report by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) (pictured) says the pilot reported that the drone was hovering above a primary school at the same altitude as his plane as he was coming in to land on September 7 last year

The aircraft continued on its flightpath to the airport as its separation with the drone was estimated to be around 500 metres.

West Midlands Police were informed of the incident but they were unable to locate the drone or its operator.

Contact was also made with the school to alert them about the presence of the drone.

The near miss report concluded: "The drone operator, by operating at that position and altitude on the approach path to Birmingham Airport, had flown the drone into conflict and had endangered the DH8 and its passengers."

It was one of seven near misses between aircraft and drones in the latest monthly UKAB report, bringing the total over the past 12 months to 60.

According to the National Air Traffic Service, more than two million drones are now in circulation in Britain

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) wants the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to back research into the possible consequences of a drone hitting a passenger jet.

Former RAF and British Airways pilot Steve Landells has warned that a drone hitting an airliner could result in an uncontrolled engine failure or a smashed cockpit windscreen.

CAA rules state that drones must not be flown above 400ft or near airports or airfields.

In November it launched a new website to publish its revised code of conduct for drones, labelled the dronecode.

Ministers are considering introducing mandatory registration for new drones in a bid to crack down on reckless users.

The proposal is part of a DfT consultation on improving drone safety.

It is hoped the scheme could help authorities identify the owners of drones which are flown illegally.

Yesterday it was revealed that near-misses between drones and passenger jets in Britain nearly trebled last year.

There were 23 Category A - at serious risk of collision - drone-related incidents involving passenger jets in the UK last year - compared to the eight in 2015.

According to the National Air Traffic Service, more than two million drones are now in circulation in Britain.

And the rise in Category A misses between jets and the remote-controlled devices has resulted in fears of a tragic crash.

There were 13 'serious risk of collision' drone-related incidents involving passenger planes at the capital's airports in 2016

This map shows the number and location of serious incidents (A) as well as those of lower risk (B)

In London there were several near-misses, particularly around the city's airports

A total of 13 of the incidents involving passenger planes at London's airports in 2016.

The Heathrow cases where the collision risk was assessed by pilots as 'high' include an A320 close to the Shard, on July 18, an A320 close to Osterley Park, west London, on May 1, an A320 over East Barnet, north London, on August 15, an A321 on final approach to the airport on March 28, an A320 on climb-out on February 14, and an A320 near Slough on March 30.

An E190 jet which had left City Airport on July 20 was involved in a drone incident with a 'medium' collision risk.

While, a drone came close to a B737 around 11 miles north east of Stansted on May 3.

Out of the other Category A incidents, there were two at Manchester International and one at Manchester City, Liverpool and Glasgow airports.

There were at least 36 drone-related incidents involving London passenger jets last year.

Investigators are still to publish probes into four Heathrow cases, one Gatwick, one City Airport, as well as another over the Olympic Park.

Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney, whose constituency is overflown by many planes, told the Evening Standard: 'In the wrong hands, drones are endangering the lives of passengers and thousands more on the ground.

'There should be an annual report to Parliament on drone incidents over London and other highly-populated areas.'
'Black Widow': Linda Calvey's painting was captured on canvas from a photograph she commissioned as a 22-year-old newlywed

Britain's longest serving woman prisoner Linda Calvey has turned down the chance to appear at a new crime exhibition in case she is sent back to jail.

Linda Calvey, 63, who spent 22 years behind bars but was released in 2008, is known as 'The Black Widow' after it was claimed any man who fell for her charms ended up either dead or in prison.

And the twice-widowed murderess feels that by attending the unveiling of her portrait in a bizarre tribute to London's underworld on Sunday that she could be accused of glorifying crime.

Calvey, of Basildon, Essex, counted notorious killers Rose West and Myra Hindley as her friends in prison.

Her painting - displayed alongside portraits of the Kray Twins, Charles Bronson, 'Mad' Frankie Fraser and George 'The Governor' Foreman - was captured on canvas from a photo she commissioned as a newlywed aged 33.

She had the black and white image taken for first husband Mickey for the wall of his prison cell. He was later shot dead by the Flying Squad during a bungled robbery.

Partner: Calvey is still mourning the loss of her third husband George last year. He joked at their white wedding that he would take a chance on his infamous bride 'bumping him off'

LINDA'S LIFE OF CRIME Linda Calvey was born on April 8 1948 in Ilford, Essex. She had two children with her first husband Mikey Calvey. When he was shot dead by police for his involvement in a robbery that went wrong, Calvey turned to crime herself. She took part in robberies, her involvement in which getting more and more serious. Calvey began her criminal career first as lookout, then as a getaway driver and finally donned the balaclava and wielded the shotgun herself. Her worst crime came in 1990 when she murdered her lover Ronnie Cook. Advertisement

Calvey, who was widowed for a second time in 2015 and still has a divorced spouse in jail, must seek permission from officials to travel abroad or attend certain events.

Instead her son and daughter, Neil and Melanie, will spend 30 a head to witness their mother in her prime at The Gangland Art Exhibition at the Arts Theatre Club.

Calvey said last night: 'Going back to jail is my worst nightmare, I couldn't bear it.

'It is best I stay away from the exhibition so that no one in authority can accuse me of making a wrong decision and bringing the prison service into disrepute.

'I don't want to run the risk of being penalised so I won't be going.

Mourning: Calvey - pictured holding a handkerchief to her face - cries at the funeral of her first husband Mickey Calvey, shot dead by the Flying Squad during a bungled robbery in 1978

'I could get into trouble simply by rubbing shoulders with villains, even though most of them are dead. Anyway, it's a way of life I've now left behind me.

'I paid a tenner to a professional photographer to have the picture taken so it's my copyright and I allowed Kate to use it in her recent book.'

In jail Calvey was known as 'Ma' and befriended West and the late Moors murderess Hindley.

The book The Black Widow, written by Reggie Kray's fourth wife Kate, charts Calvey's crooked life and sensational Old Bailey murder trial in 1990.

She was convicted of murdering gangster Ronald Cook, a former lover.

Murderers: Calvey counted the killers Rose West (left) and Myra Hindley (right) as her friends

Danny Reece, the hitman she paid 10,000 to carry out the killing and later married and divorced to wed her third husband George, is still serving a life sentence.

The judge heard how Calvey finished off the victim after Reece lost his nerve and botched the killing.

WHY SHE KILLED HER LOVER Linda Calvey became Britain's longest serving female prisoner after she shot her ex-lover, Ronnie Cook in 1990. Calvey began a relationship with gangsta Cook and declared her love for him with a tattoo that read 'True Love Ron Cook.' But Cook was jailed in 1981 for his part in a robbery and Calvey, who had initially promised to wait for him, started an affair with another criminal. Worried Cook would discover her infidelity she hatched a plan. She paid Danny Reece, a hitman, 10,000 to carry out the killing and planned it for January 1990 when Cook was on day release. She picked Cook up from Maidstone prison and drove him to her home in East London. There, lying in wait, was Reece. As Cook walked in Reece shot him, but missed and hit his elbow. He later told police he was unable to finish the job. So Calvey took matters into her own hands. She grabbed the shotgun, shouted 'kneel' then shot Cook at point-blank range in the head. Calvey claimed an unknown gunman was responsible for the murder and maintains her innocence to this day. But in November 1991 both she and Reece were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement

The image of her looking demure has been captured in colour on canvas by painter Charles DeLaseld. Calvey is still mourning the loss of her third husband George.

He joked at their white wedding that he would take a chance on his infamous bride 'bumping him off'. However, he died of cancer in 2015 following a long illness.

Calvey was the inspiration for Lynda La Plante's hit TV series Widows, but she has vehemently denied claims of making 1million from her past life of crime.
An elderly man was found stuck in between the cement walls as he was trying to air a duvet on January 24 in north-east China.

Firefighters were reported to the scene in Hubei province and saved the elderly man by pushing the wall out.

The man was having trouble breathing and was sent to hospital however he was found to have no serious injuries.

The eight-inch-wide gap between the walls leave no room for the old man to turn or get up

According to a report on Chinanews.com, the incident occurred in the morning of Guangshui city of Hubei province.

A total of 12 firefighters attended the scene and spotted the man who is thought to be over 60. He had fallen through an eight inch gap.

The man was unable to move and was having breathing difficulties.

Six firefighters decided to push the wall away to create more space and rescue the man

They managed to pull the vulnerable up and carefully carried onto the ambulance

The firefighters explained to the reporters that due to the durability of cement, they were unable to use small tools to break the wall.

Large machines such as hydraulic breakers can demolish the wall but there was a possibility that the fragments would injure the man.

The video showed the man trapped in the narrow gap, leaving him no room to turn and move.

It was believed that he fell into the gap when he was trying to air a duvet out from upper floors

They decided to expand the gap by pushing the wall outwards.

Six firefighters with slimmer figures were sent into the gap to use their bodies to push the wall further apart.

The man was saved and sent to the hospital.

Web users thanked the firefighters for saving the man's life and working during the Chinese New year.
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An American historian has unearthed never-seen-before pictures of Stalin-era Russia which were taken by an Army Major.

Martin Manhoff's collection has been described as a 'unique visual archive' of life in the Soviet Union in the 1950s.

He was deported for spying in 1954, and hid the photographs in his closet in Washington State.

Until today, they remained untouched, but American historian Douglas Smith has now released the stash of the pictures taken from behind the Iron Curtain.

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A child walks through a run-down street in Moscow near the Moskva river. The formerly rundown road is a now a middle-class commuter area with a Holiday Inn. This picture is one of a number of extraordinary photographs taken by a US diplomat stationed in the city in the 1950s

Women are pictured crossing the street in front of a butchers shop in Moscow's Arbat district. It is one of several photographs unearthed by an American historian - Douglas Smith

A public bus and several cars is photographed trapped in a flood caused by summer rains in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The photo was taken from a car and is part of Army Major Martin Manhoff's collection

Russian officials are photographed from a window above the street in Murmansk, a small port city in the extreme northwest part of Russia. The run down houses are made from wooden planks and a small, blue beer shack sits outside. The almost empty street was captured by the US diplomat Mr Manhoff who was later deported on suspicion of spying

Army Major Martin Manhoff served in the US embassy in Moscow from February 1952 until June 1954, when he was expelled from the USSR on charges of espionage.

During his two years in the Soviet Union, Manhoff traveled widely and recorded much of what he saw on both color slides and color 16mm film.

All of this material ended up in a closet in his home in Washington State where it lay unseen for over half a century.

Mr Smith, who has a new book out called Rasputin, said: 'After his wife's death, I was asked to visit the Manhoff home this past summer and see whether Martin had left behind anything of value. I was amazed at what I discovered.

'For the past several months I have been digitizing and organizing the photographs and films.

'Among the gems is approximately 15 minutes of color movie footage of Stalin's funeral taken from an upstairs window of the old US embassy in the Hotel National.

'There are thousand of color photographs taken on the streets of Moscow, Leningrad, Murmansk, Yalta, and at points along the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

'I am now working on finding the best way to make this unique visual archive available to the public and to find a permanent home for the entire Manhoff archive.'

Men, women and children are pictured walking past a cinema in the Ukranian capital, Kiev in 1954. Flags of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic are displayed on the buildings in the tree-lined street

A picture from a previously unseen set of Stalin-era Russia photographs from Martin Manhoff's personal archive. The picture shows Ostankino Palace based north from Moscow. It is a former summer residence and private opera theatre of the noble Sheremetev family

Hundreds of Russian soldiers are pictured lining the streets for a state-sponsored public funeral in Moscow. A parade of Black horses and a can be seen making their may through the square

Three boys sit happyly on a bench outside the Novospassky Monastery, one of the fortified monasteries to the south-east of Moscow. It was the first monastery to be founded in the Russian capital in the early 14th century

American diplomats expelled from the USSR on espionage charges travelled across Russia taking photographs, which have only now been released. This photos show a woman collecting water in a bucket in the Russian countryside and heading back to a humble log cabin

Thousands of photos were found by historian Douglas Smith. This one shows teenagers enjoying the sun in the gardens of Kuskovo, a country house and estate that belonged to the Sheremetev family. It was built in the mid-18th century and sits in the east of Moscow

A woman in a padded jacket and thick gloves braves the cold to pose for a photograph in the street. Other similarly dressed women rush past behind her, giving the camera a cautionary glance

A group of teenage schoolgirls in uniform are pictured smiling and laughing as they pose for a photo which appears to have been taken at the Kolomenskoye estate, a former royal estate several kilometers to the southeast of Moscow city centre and on the ancient road leading to the town of Kolomna

In the Chicago Tribune on March 26, 1954, the paper covered the story of Manhoff being sent home.

The story said he and three other American diplomats had been sent packing for abusing the hospitality shown to them by Russia.

It said a local state-run paper carried news that the men had left espionage documents under a paper napkin while on a Trans-Siberian train the previous year.

The Russian newspaper said: 'If the above mentioned persons would like to get back their documents, which were evidently forgotten in a rush, they can do so by calling the porter's office.'
The days of chips and guacamole washed down with a cool bottle of Corona may be numbered thanks to the wall Trump plans to build between the US and Mexico.

Fear spread across Twitter on Friday that prices of avocados and Mexican beer would rise after it was revealed Trump had proposed a 20 percent tax on Mexico's imports.

As Mexico continues to refuse to fund the wall along the border, which could cost up to $15billion, Trump suggested that the tax could be used to pay for it instead.

But Mexico Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray revealed it would be the American consumers really paying because their produce and goods would become more expensive.

'You're going to make things ranging from avocados to appliances to flat-screen TVs, you're going to make them more expensive,' he said.

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Panic erupted on Twitter after Donald Trump proposed a 20 percent tax on Mexico's imports, with many fearing it would drive up the price of Mexican avocados

Mexico continues to refuse to fund the wall along the border, which could cost up to $15billion, Trump suggested that the tax could be used to pay for it instead

It was actually a fellow Republican who led the charge against the tax, as South Carolina Sen Lindsey Graham said the plan would make Americans 'mucho sad'

It was actually a fellow Republican who led the charge against the tax, as South Carolina Sen Lindsey Graham said the plan would make Americans 'mucho sad'.

'Border security yes, tariffs no,' he first tweeted. 'Mexico is 3rd largest trading partner. Any tariff we can levy they can levy. Huge barrier to econ growth.'

'Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila or margaritas is a big-time bad idea,' he concluded.

Another Twitter user wondered if pricey beer would finally sway Trump supporters.

'Maybe, if Trump supporters were not moved by racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia, they will be swayed by more expensive Corona,' she wrote.

But it is Mexico who supplies the most avocados to the US, and Americans panicked at the possibility that their favorite breakfasts, dips and salads would be toast.

'Anxiety overtakes Brooklyn, where the prospects of avocado toast-less brunch hangs like a heavy cloud,' joked one Twitter user.

'Exiting a meeting to find out avocados will probably get more expensive is like reliving Election Day all over again,' bemoaned other.

Mexico Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said it would be American consumers paying for the wall because their produce - including avocados - would become more expensive

Americans are panicking at the possibility that their favorite breakfasts, dips and salads will be toast

One user claimed that the tax was proof Trump 'hates guacamole', adding the hashtag #givemeguacorgivemedeath.

Others pointed fun at the fact that it took a world where avocados might be more expensive for some Americans to start protesting against Trump.

'I can't wait for y'all to start marching again when you realize your Avocado Toast is about to go WAY up,' wrote one user.

Not long after the uproar made waves on Twitter, White House press secretary Sean Spicer backtracked on his earlier remarks.

Spicer said the tax was just 'one idea' that had been proposed to pay for the wall and that the plan was still in its 'early stages'.

'The point was to pull out one potential aspect and say, "You could do this in here and easily do it,'" he told reporters.

Others feared that the import would raise the price of the relatively cheap Corona beer

'The goal is to say, "Hey, here is a way you could do it.'"

'We've been asked over and over again, "How could you possibly do this, there's no way that Mexico will pay for it," he added.

'Here's one way. Boom. Done.'

It was quite the backtrack from Spicer's earlier remarks, which had made the tax on imports seem like a firm proposal.

'When you look at the plan thats taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico,' the press secretary said Thursday.

'If you tax that $50 billion at 20 percent of imports, which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do....We can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone.'

Not long after the uproar made waves on Twitter, White House press secretary Sean Spicer backtracked on his earlier remarks that made it seem like the tax was a firm proposal

'Thats really going to provide the funding,' Spicer added.

Its a plan that would clearly put the burden of paying for the wall on American consumers, who buy $61 billion more goods a year from Mexico than Mexican residents do from the US.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has already said that Congress plans to front-load the money for the wall in a special appropriations bill.

He notably wouldn't say whether the costs would be 'offset' - or whether they would be considered emergency spending that would be added to the nation's debt.

'We are going to finance the Secure Fence Act, which is the construction of a physical barrier on the border,' Ryan told reporters.

'As far as the offset, were going to wait and see from the administration what their supplemental looks like,' the Wisconsin Republican added.

Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday approving immediate construction of the physical barrier that will divide the United States from its southern border.

He dictated, as he has all along, that Mexico will reimburse the United States in some form.

House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters earlier on Thursday that construction on the wall would have a price tag of up to $15 billion. He said Congress would front-load the money

But Mexican President Enrqiue Pena Nieto has repeatedly said his country won't pay for the border wall no matter what Trump says.

'We're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico,' Trump told ABC's David Muir in a Wednesday interview.

The wall will cost the US 'nothing,' he proclaimed.

Trump brushed off Pena Nieto's rebuffs in the interview, telling Muir, 'He has to say that...I'm just telling you there will be a payment.'

Pena Nieto stood his ground in a video address Wednesday night.

'I have said time and time again, Mexico will not pay for any wall,' he said.

The two leaders went back and forth until they both announced that planned meeting at the White House next week had been canceled.



'Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless,' Trump told Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia on Thursday.

'And I want to go a different route. We have no choice.'

Pena Nieto claimed in a tweet before Trump's remarks at the GOP retreat that it was his government that called the meeting off.

'This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the work meeting planned for next Tuesday with the POTUS,' he said.
When President Trump welcomes Theresa May into the Oval Office for their first meeting today, he will see exactly how important women are.

The President, who has been heavily criticised for his controversial views and comments about women, will not only come face-to-face with Britain's second female Prime Minister - who he already refers to as 'my Maggie' - but he will also see that three of her most trusted aides are female.

Fiona Hill, 43, is Mrs May's long-trusted joint-chief-of-staff and along with Nick Timothy she forms a protective shield around the PM.

Accompanying Theresa May in the US today are her close aides Lizzie Loudon, pictured arriving in Washington today, bottom left, and chief spin doctor Katie Perrior, top right

Fiona Hill, pictured bottom left arriving in Washington today, is Mrs May's long-trusted joint-chief-of-staff and along with Nick Timothy she forms a protective shield around the PM

The Scot, a former journalist at Sky News, was by Mrs May's side at the Home Office but was forced to quit after leaking against Michael Gove, the-then Education Secretary.

She entered No 10 with Mrs May after a short spell as director of lobbying firm Lexington Communications.

Her office in No 10 is next to the PM's - summing up how important she is to Mrs May's operation. And as one observer said: 'Everything has to go through Fiona and Nick.'

Chief spin doctor Katie Perrior has also known Mrs May for a long time and acts as her protective shield in public.

She gained Mrs May's trust while working with her as a press officer when she gave her famous 'nasty party' speech at the 2002 Tory conference when she told the party it must modernise and widen its base and its outlook.

Joint-chief of staff Fiona Hill, left, chief spin doctor Katie Perrior, middle and press secretary Lizzie Loudon, right, will accompany May to meeting with Trump in Oval Office

Ms Perrior went on to run Boris Johnson's successful campaign for London Mayor in 2008 and went on to set up her own PR Company - iNHouse Communications.

Lizzie Loudon, Mrs May's political press secretary, and Jo Penn, the deputy chief of staff, will also be accompanying the PM as she enters the White House for today's historic meeting with President Trump.

Ms Loudon worked as a special adviser to Iain Duncan Smith at the Department of Work and Pensions until he quit the Cabinet.

She was recruited to help run the media team for the Vote Leave campaign in the EU referendum.

And after Mrs May's swift promotion to No 10 in July, the highly-regarded Ms Loudon was drafted in to add to a female-dominated team.

Theresa May, pictured addressing the a Republican retreat in Philadelphia last night, said the fact she was a female PM was the the strongest message she could make about the role of women in the world

When Mrs May met Barack Obama in the US in October, the President praised the PM's 'great gender balance'.

President Trump is unlikely to echo President Obama's praise given his previous comments but Mrs May has insisted she 'won't be afraid' to challenge his 'unacceptable' views.

She refused to say if she will use today's meeting to raise concerns about his controversial remarks about women but said the fact she was a female PM was the the strongest message she could make about the role of women in the world.

'When I sit down I think the biggest statement that will be made about the role of women is the fact that I will be there as a female Prime Minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - directly taking to him about the interests that we share,' Mrs May said.
Drug arrest: Josh Rhoden, 38, a distant cousin of eight family members who were massacred in rural Ohio in April, has been arrested on unrelated drug trafficking charges

The investigation into the fatal shootings of eight family members in Ohio last April has led to unrelated drug charges against two people, including a distant cousin of the victims.

Ohio's attorney general and Pike County's sheriff announced on Friday that evidence in the drug case was uncovered during the ongoing investigation of the Rhoden slayings, but the case isn't related to the homicides.

A relative of the shooting victims, 38-year-old Josh Rhoden, was arrested Thursday.

He's charged with felony drug trafficking.

His 63-year-old neighbor, John McJunkin, was charged with drug possession.

Authorities say they searched those defendants' homes on Grassy Fork Road in Peebles and seized nine guns, $7,700 worth of prescription pills, over $8,000 in cash and a small amount of marijuana, reported the station WCPO.

There has been public speculation that the Rhoden homicides were related to drug trafficking activity, but the motive behind the family's shooting deaths remains a mystery.

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Josh Rhoden is a second cousin of shooting victim Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40 (left). The mass shooting on April 22 also claimed the life of family member Kenneth Rhoden, 44 (right)

Christopher Rhoden's ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden, was also killed execution-style

Dana and Christopher's children, Christopher Rhoden Jr (left), 16, the youngest victim, and Hanna Rhoden (right), 19, were both shot dead in Pike County

In this October 18, 2016 photo, a private property sign guards the boarded up garage on property on Union Hill Road near the trailer where the bodies of Dana Rhoden and her children were found

'Although evidence in this case was discovered over the course of the ongoing investigation into last year's killings of eight members of the Rhoden family, this case is unrelated to the homicides,' Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a statement.

Eight members of the extended Rhoden family were discovered shot to death execution-style in their homes in rural Pike county, Ohio, on the morning of April 22, 2016.

seven of the lain relatives were found on three properties situated along Union Hill Road.

The victims were Kenneth Rhoden, 44; Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr. and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden; a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden; and Frankie's fiancee, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley, whose six-month-old son with Frankie, who had been lying next to her, was unharmed.

Husband-to-be Frankie Rhoden, 20, and his fiancee Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20 (left), were among those killed. Gary Rhoden, 38 (right), was yet another victim

Crime scene: A porch is all that remains of the mobile home on Union Hill Road after investigators removed the trailer where the bodies of Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden and Hannah Gilley were discovered

Two other children, Hanna's four-day-old daughter and Frankie's three-year-old son, were also were unharmed.

John Rhoden, who was arrested on unrelated drug charges Thursday, is the second cousin of Christopher Rhoden.

The 38-year-old man has a past criminal record dating back to at least 2003, which includes arrests and convictions on drug charges.

Most of the victims in the massacre were shot multiple times in the head and, in the case of Christopher Rhoden Sr., in his upper body and torso, as well.

Some bodies showed signs of bruising, as if they'd been beaten. Kenneth's body was found at his trailer a few miles away from the properties on Union Hill Road.

In the early stages of the investigation, authorities disclosed a large-scale illegal marijuana growing operation at one of the crime scenes and said pot was being cultivated at some of the other homes, too, leading to suggestions Mexican cartels might have been involved.

Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader previous said he thinks the key to solving the case is getting truthful information from the locals

Rumors have been swirling that the slaughter could have been sparked by a marijuana farm turf war.

Daily Mail Online revealed exclusively in the days after the murders that one of the bodies was left covered in dollar bills and CCTV cameras had been taken by the assassins.

In May, police were reportedly examining claims that one of the victims had a long running feud with rivals involved in derby demolition car racing and had been in a fist fight with rivals.

Attorney General Mike DeWine, overseeing the investigation along with the sheriff, will say only that the killers had to be familiar with land around the properties, as well as the properties themselves.

Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader, who was sworn in for a four-year term last month, has repeatedly said he believes that whoever was responsible was local.

Speaking to The Columbus Dispatch after taking the oath of office in December, Reader said he thinks the key to solving the case is getting truthful information from the victims' friends, family and neighbors, which he says hasn't always happened.
A convicted sex offender has been charged with murdering and dismembering his girlfriend, whose head was found in his freezer in Brooklyn and other body parts were dumped in The Bronx.

Somorie Moses, 40, was initially arrested on criminal counts of concealment of a human corpse and tampering with evidence.

But on Thursday he was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal County on an upgraded charge of second-degree murder and held without bail.

Moses is accused of killing 32-year-old mother-of-one Leondra Foster, butchering her body and then disposing of her torso and a leg at a trash-sorting facility with the help of a sanitation worker.

Suspect charged: Registered sex offender Somorie Moses, 40, has now been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of his girlfriend, 32-year-old Leondra Foster (right)

Gruesome mystery: A torso and leg belonging to Leondra Foster were found the Metropolitan Transfer Station in the Hunts Points section of The Bronx

The New York Daily News reported that Moses allegedly coerced the unidentified man into helping him conceal Fosters' remains in heaps of trash at the Metropolitan Transfer Station in Hunts Points last week.

The sanitation employee was said to be cooperating with the investigation.

Fosters head, hands and feet were later found stuffed inside the freezer in Moses' apartment in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, leading to his arrest on Sunday. One foot had Moses' name tattooed on it, the New York Post revealed.

Officers conducting a search of Moses' apartment also found blood spatter around the residence and men's and women's clothing soaked in blood.

Police reportedly said Foster died of multiple blunt force trauma.

We in Brooklyn will seek justice for Leondra Foster, who was so tragically and brutally murdered," acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. Somorie Moses is now charged with second-degree murder for that heinous crime.

Horrifying discovery: Foster's (left and right) dismembered head and feet were allegedly found in Moses' freezer. younger sister, Shanicqua Figueroa, described her sibling as a loving person who had found herself trapped in an abusive relationship

Foster's family members attended Somorie Moses' arraignment and later spoke toDNAInfo New York about their loss.

Leondra's younger sister, Shanicqua Figueroa, described her sibling as a loving person who had found herself trapped in an abusive relationship with Moses, who allegedly beat her on a regular basis.

'I hope he gets life without parole and gets everything that's coming to him,' she said.

The victim's mother, Sandra Figueroa, vowed to attend every one of Moses' court appearance, rain or shine.

During a press conference held the day before, Figueroa tearfully said that it is difficult for her to look at her 16-year-old granddaughter because she looks so much like her murdered mother, reported NBC New York.

In an interview with the New York Post Tuesday, Leondra's father, Kenneth Foster, claimed that his daughter had been subjected to months of domestic abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Moses, before her killing and dismemberment

He has a thing against women, Foster said of the suspect. We tried to get her to leave him, but she would just get mad at us.

The bereaved father called Somorie Moses 'an animal and said he deserved medieval torture for the rest of his days.

Somorie Moses' arrest came just days after workers at the Metropolitan Transfer Station on Halleck Street in the Hunts Points section of The Bronx came upon a female torso and a leg without a foot in the trash.

A cadaver dog is pictured scouring the trash-sorting plant in Hunts Point

Employees at the privately owned Metropolitan Transfer Station unearthed a woman's torso and leg at 4.40am last Tuesday and notified the NYPD.

Waste from all areas across the city ends up at the Bronx facility, where it is collected and destroyed.

Crime scene investigators later found additional human remains, including a right arm and a left arm, both without hands, in Kearny, New Jersey, according to NBC4.

Police say they used surveillance video at the Hunts Point waste-processing plant and phone records to identify and track down Moses to his apartment on Erasmus Street in Brooklyn.

Crime scene: Police executing a search warrant at Moses' apartment on Erasmus Street in Brooklyn (pictured) say they found a woman's head, hands and feet inside his freezer

Moses is a registered Level 2 sex offender who was convicted in 2006 on charges of promoting prostitution of a girl younger than 16 and profiting from prostitution.

His criminal record also includes no fewer than eight arrests on charges that included rape and patronizing a prostitute.

In 2003, Moses was picked up in connection to a non-fatal shooting incident. He was released from prison in 2016 after serving more than three years on an unrelated weapons charge, according to amNY.
A North Carolina woman was charged with child abuse on Wednesday after her two-year-old daughter tested positive for cocaine.

Alamance County Sheriff's Office arrested 32-year-old Tammara Gail Overman following a five-month-long investigation, according to the Burlington Times-News.

Police said they were waiting on the child's medical records before they were able to arrest Overman.

Tammara Overman (left and right), 32, as charged with child abuse on Wednesday after her toddler tested positive for cocaine. The mother-of-three's toddler tested positive for cocaine, according to an arrest warrant. It's unclear how the child consumed the drug

It's unclear how the child consumed the drug. The little girl was also suffering from a severe, untreated rash on her groin.

Randy Jones, the public information officer for the sheriff's office, told the newspaper that Amber Learena Faircloth and Lacy Reid Lloyd Jr, were previously charged with misdemeanor child neglect as part of the investigation.

Faircloth and Lloyd shared a residence at 1711 Brown Lovell Lane, in Burlington, NC, with Overman and her three children. Both Faircloth and Lloyd are accused of neglecting children ages five and seven.

The sheriff's office began their investigation after receiving a report from the Department of Social Services in September, Jones told the Times-News.

But Overman's arrest was delayed because authorities were waiting on medical records for her child.

Overman was charged with felony intentional child abuse causing serious physical injury. She is being held at the Alamance County jail under a $25,000 bond.
A draft executive action for President Donald Trump could include the use of attack helicopters and artillery on the ground in a new tactic to try to destroy the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

The order, which the White House is preparing for Trump's signature, would require the Pentagon to produce new military options within 30 days, the New York Times reported.

Another draft memorandum would set up a 30-day review for 'rebuilding the U.S. armed forces.'

A draft order obtained by the Washington Post calls for a new Nuclear Posture Review to ensure that the U.S. nuclear triad is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st century threats and reassure our allies and partners, and achieve Presidential objectives should deterrence fail.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) is greeted by Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he arrives for his first day of work at the Pentagon

Here comes the cavalry: Attack helicopters - like these Apache AH-64s - could be deployed against ISIS in Raqqa

It calls for U.S. nuclear infrastructure to be sufficiently agile, flexible, and responsive to ensure its ability to support the deterrence and extended deterrence needs into the indefinite future.

Trump travels to the Pentagon Friday to swear-in retired Gen. James Mattis to become the new civilian head of the Defense Department. To be confirmed, Mattis required a special waiver from the Congress from a requirement that any Pentagon head be out of the military for seven years.

The draft order reviewed by the Times would provide Pentagon brass with 30 days to produce planning options within 30 days.

Trump is expected to sign the new directives during his Pentagon visit, after a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Times reported.

Presdident Donald Trump, who addressed Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia Thursday, visits the Pentagon on Friday

A helicopter participates in the final counter attack during the 5th annual joint Jordanian exercise Eager Lion with 18 nations including the U.S. on May 18, 2015 in the southeast desert of Wadi Shadiyah, Jordan

It wasn't immediately clear whether the new tactics would require the insertion of additional forces into Syria. In December, the U.S. sent an additional 200 troops there to join 300 special forces, the Times reported at the time.

The move came as a coalition of 45,000 forces, including 13,000 Arabs, approached the city.

The nuclear triad became a campaign issue in a 2015 CNN debe when Trump got asked about it and didn't appear to know what it was, after getting questioned about it directly by conservative moderator Hugh Hewitt.

'We have to be extremely vigilant and extremely careful when it comes to nuclear. Nuclear changes the whole ballgame,' Trump responded, 'The biggest problem we have is nuclear  nuclear proliferation and having some maniac, having some madman go out and get a nuclear weapon. That's in my opinion, that is the single biggest problem that our country faces right now.'

Hewitt asked him again about the triad, which relates to the bombers, missiles, and subs that carry nuclear weapons.

I think  I think, for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me,' Trump responded, avoiding the concept completely.

Rival, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, then jumped in with his own explanation of what the nuclear triad was.

Trump campaigned in part on a secret plan to defeat ISIS. He told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren in September 2015 that the plan was 'foolproof.'

'I do know what to do and I would know how to bring ISIS to the table or, beyond that, defeat ISIS very quickly. And Im not gonna tell you what it is tonight.'

He continued: 'If I win, I dont want the enemy to know what Im doing. Unfortunately, Ill probably have to tell at some point, but there is a method of defeating them quickly and effectively and having total victory ... All I can tell you is that it is a foolproof way of winning the war with ISIS and it will 100 per cent  at a minimum theyll come to the table and actually theyll be defeated very quickly.'

Trump said later in the campaign he would let his generals devise the plan.
Donald Trump will publish a weekly list of crimes committed by illegal immigrants under an executive action he claims will 'enhance public safety'.

Trump signed the order on Wednesday which also stated that sanctuary cities that refuse to arrest immigrants over their illegal status will lose federal funding.

The list, also known as a Declined Detainer Outcome Report, will include a comprehensive list of criminal activity committed by illegal aliens that will 'better inform' the public.

Trump signed an executive order Wednesday (pictured) to cut federal funding for cities that do not arrest or detain undocumented immigrants

Donald Trump's executive order stated the 300 sanctuary cities and states will lose federal funding if they fail to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants

The document states that the 300 sanctuary cities which currently exist nationwide violate federal law as they attempt to 'shield aliens' from deportation.

Trump added that these cities have caused 'immeasurable harm' to Americans.

Although the president does not have power to withhold all federal funding, he can pressure cities to comply by cutting grants.

The administration also plans to crack down by hiring an additional 10,000 immigration officers.

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio vowed not to 'deport law-abiding New Yorkers' in a news conference on Wednesday.

Mayors in Santa Fe, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Boston have all defied the president's order and pledged to protect immigrants.

New York Police Department has a list of 170 criminal offenses that are not covered by the sanctuary policy, such as felony assault, rape, murder, terrorism, and gun smuggling and witness tampering, the New York Post reported.

NYPD is required to report illegal immigrants charged with those crimes to federal law enforcement.
A Chinese woman has been found guilty of killing her seven-month-old niece after she flipped and shook the infant while she was babysitting her.

Chuanfang Zheng, 31, lost control just 30 minutes after looking after little Phoebe Guo while her parents worked at the family's Chinese takeaway.

Zheng, who has three young children of her own, lost her temper when tiny Phoebe wouldn't stop crying and refused to eat.

The tragic tot sustained non-accidental brain damage, also known as a 'shaken baby' injury, at Zheng's flat in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, on March 22 last year.

The court heard that Zheng then ran into the takeaway with the unconscious tot in her arms.

Chuanfang Zheng, 31, has been found guilty of killing her seven-month-old niece

Professionals described the baby as suffering 'severe' and 'repetitive' force with a 'rotational, acceleration-deceleration' injury.

Despite the best efforts of doctors, Phoebe never regained consciousness and died three days later on March 25.

Yesterday, a jury unanimously found Zheng guilty of manslaughter after a three-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Zheng sat in the dock next to an interpreter and showed no visible reaction as the verdict was announced.

Judge Nicholas Dean QC remanded her in custody until her sentencing next month and said a lengthy custodial sentence was 'inevitable'.

Sally Howes, defending, told the court: 'Mrs Zheng has been so advised (that prison would follow).'

Discharging the jury, Judge Dean added: 'It was a distressing case.

'It's the sort of case in which no judge would sentence immediately after the verdict.

'It's important to have time for reflection.

'It's also important that those who are called victims have the opportunity to express their feelings about what has happened and that information isn't available.'

Phoebe's parents were working at their family-run Chinese takeaway the Great Wall

During the trial, the court heard Phoebe suffered 'a catastrophic and ultimately fatal injury with significant bleeding on the brain and behind the eyes' within 30 minutes of being left in the sole care of Zheng.

Prosecutor Adrian Langdale said the mum-of-three ran two doors down from her flat to the family-run Chinese takeaway the Great Wall carrying the unconscious tot.

He added: 'What followed were frantic attempts to ring 999, but when language barriers prevented that, she was rushed by car to hospital and over the next few days there were extensive medical efforts to save her young life.

Zheng has been remanded in custody until her sentencing next month

'This was a small flat and she had the care of four very young children, who appeared to be crying and requiring attention and feeding.

'The defendant herself describes Phoebe as repeatedly crying and refusing to eat.

'Whilst in the care of this defendant her young niece suffered catastrophic injuries including substantial traumatic brain injury and very extensive bleeding of the eyes described by an expert as very much at the severe end of the range.'

The jury heard Zheng, of Southwark, London, lied to cover up her actions after realising the seriousness of what she had done.

She told the police the baby became unwell and lost consciousness after choking on food.

Speaking after the verdict, an NSPCC spokesman said: 'This was an horrific attack on a defenceless child by someone trusted to look after her.

'There is no excuse for a carer to inflict such appalling injuries no matter what pressure they might be experiencing. Just a moment's loss of control can result in a tragedy like this.

'Even worse, Zheng tried to lie her way out of trouble and even blamed the child's mother, who had desperately tried to save her.

'We would urge any parent or carer who is feeling stressed or is concerned about a child to call our helpline - 0808 800 5000 - without hesitation, as it could save a life.'
Sunbed firm boss Thomas Baker, 44, was blasted by a mystery gunman at the Stanley Meat Market in Old Swan, Liverpool, at 8.15am on Friday morning

A sunbed firm boss who once handed over 500,000 to the Government despite being cleared over a 4million heroin plot has been shot dead.

Sunbed firm boss Thomas Baker, 44, was blasted by a mystery gunman at the Stanley Meat Market in Old Swan, Liverpool, at 8.15am on Friday morning.

He was rushed to hospital with head and chest injuries but pronounced dead at about 11.45am as forensic teams combed the sealed off area.

In 2002 Baker, from Everton, Liverpool, was cleared of involvement in a 4m scheme to import massive quantities of heroin from Holland in a lorry load of frozen chips.

But in 2007, after a probe into his finances, he willingly agreed to an order at London's High Court to hand over 500,000 to the Government's Assets Recovery Agency.

Investigators claimed Mr Baker, who ran a sunbed business called Tanerife Tanning in Everton, had tens of thousands of pounds in additional income which he was unable to account for.

The Assets Recovery Agency issued a civil claim for more than 700,000 against him, arguing on the balance of probabilities, his unexplained income was unlawfully obtained.

Initially he argued his extra cash came from working in his spare time as a builder and massive horse-race betting wins.

But finally in 2007 he 'agreed by consent' for the agency to recover around half- a-million-pounds of money, goods and property from him to settle the matter.

Included were five houses in Liverpool worth 280,000, 30,000 of jewellery, 120,000 of other property, about 50,000 in cash plus a Range Rover and the contents of four bank accounts.

Family liaison officers are helping his family after the meat market shooting which Merseyside Police have described as a 'targeted attack'.

A source at the force confirmed that Baker was 'known' to detectives, prior to his fatal shooting.

Merseyside Police said officers and paramedics provided first aid to the man at the scene in a bid to save his life but he later died from his injuries in hospital.

Eyewitnesses spoke of their shock as they 'saw blood and people trying to help a guy'.

A Home office post mortem will take place to establish the cause of death.

Officers are conducting house-to-house enquiries as well as assessing CCTV opportunities.

Family liaison officers are helping his family after the meat market shooting which Merseyside Police have described as a 'targeted attack'

Merseyside Police Detective Chief Inspector Beverley Hyland said: 'Our enquiries are clearly at a very early stage, although it does appear at this time that this was a targeted incident.

'I want to reassure our community that we will take always action to find those responsible for bringing gun crime to the streets.

'It is vital that we receive information from our communities to tackle gun crime and take these weapons off our streets.'

One trader, who did not wish to be named, said: 'I was here at the time this morning and I just heard that someone had been shot but it was in the general car park area.

'It wasn't very pleasant so I walked away and it is something that has been praying on the mind of everyone here. Everyone is shocked and saddened by what has happened.'
London could introduce a tourist tax which would cost visitors 2.50-a-night on all hotel stays, bringing in 100 million to the capital every year.

Sadiq Khan backs the idea and endorsed a study into it.

The capital's mayor said devolving more powers to City Hall would help to 'protect jobs, growth and prosperity'.

The capital's mayor said devolving more powers to City Hall would help to 'protect jobs, growth and prosperity'

The London Finance Commission report recommended that the city's elected officials should be entitled to impose 'new smaller taxes' and called for the implementation of a tourism levy to be considered.

Visitors to popular destinations such as New York, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam already face such a tax, which would be used to promote tourism if it was introduced in London.

Visitors to popular destinations such as New York, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam already face a tourist tax

Camden Council told the commission that it was in favour of the capital having the power to introduce a tourism or hotel levy to help fund local services which are under pressure as a result of visitor numbers, as well as boost the cultural offering of the area.

Evidence from the Visitors' Art Foundation (VAF), which supports London's museums, galleries and libraries, claimed that if the levy was set at 2.50 per visitor per night it would generate around 102 million each year.

Cruise ships as well as Airbnb and similar websites could also be included within the scope of such a levy, the VAF said.

Mr Khan said: 'I fully endorse the recommendations of this excellent report,' with a mayoral source adding that he 'fully supports the hospitality industry and their crucial role in supporting London's economy'.

UKinbound, a trade association representing over 370 tourism businesses, strongly opposes the introduction of a 'bed tax'.

Its chief executive, Deirdre Wells, said local authorities should do all they can to encourage more tourists to visit their destinations rather than 'see them as a cash cow'.

She went on: 'Introducing a bed tax would be a retrograde step for UK tourism.

'Every inbound tourist already contributes an additional 630 in export earnings and 216 to the Exchequer, and the UK has one of the most punitive tax systems for tourism in the world.

'It is highly important that we send a welcoming message to tourists visiting our post-Brexit Britain.

'Introducing a bed tax will counteract the Government's ambition of making us a truly tolerant and global nation.'

A spokesman for Airbnb said: 'We have worked with governments around the world to make it easy for Airbnb hosts to pay their fair share of tax.

'If London and other cities introduce a tourist tax, we will work with officials there to do the same.

'So far we have remitted more than $175m in hotel and tourist taxes for governments in more than 220 cities and communities around the world.'
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich has said that President Donald Trump could be the next Margaret Thatcher.

While political leaders and commentators alike have compared Trump to former President Ronald Reagan, Gingrich says that the 'real model' for the Trump Presidency is Britain's former Prime Minister.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post on Thursday, Gingrich said that Trump's inauguration speech had that 'directness and confrontational tone' of a speech given by Thatcher.

He claims that Trump is a 'mortal threat to both the power structure and the ideology of the left', and suggests that liberals are reacting to the new President the same way the British left reacted when Thatcher came into office in 1979.

Newt Gingrich says that the 'real model' for the Trump Presidency is former Prime Minister Thatcher. He claims that Trump is a 'mortal threat to both the power structure and the ideology of the left', and suggests that liberals are reacting to the new president the same way the British left reacted when Thatcher came into office in 1979

In an op-ed for the Washington Post on Thursday, Gingrich said that Trump's inauguration speech had that 'directness and confrontational tone' of a speech given by Thatcher.

'Reagan was focused on breaking the power of the Soviet Union, not breaking the power of political correctness and the elite media that has increasingly dominated the United States. They were frightened of Reagan, but they weren't enraged by him,' Gingrich writes.

Gingrich, who served as House speaker from 1995 to 1999, made his comments just as Prime Minister Theresa May was preparing to meet with Trump in Washington, DC.

He writes that congressional Democrats have adopted 'pure negativity and opposition tactics more like the Labour Party's reaction to Thatcher than then-House Speaker Tip O'Neill's much more nuanced approach to Reagan'.

In his column, he claims that the British left became 'unhinged with its bitter hostility', and says that after the 1987 election, Labour Party supporters became known as the 'Loony Left'.

And the American left is heading in the same direction, Gingrich warns, suggesting that the ideology shared at last week's women march 'repels most Americans'.

Earlier this week, Gingrich said that Madonna 'ought to be arrested' for telling the crowd at the women's rights march in Washington, DC, last week that she's 'thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.'

During an interview on Fox & Friends on Monday, Gingrich said Madonna is part of 'an emerging left-wing fascism', adding that she changed her tune because 'she now understands she's at risk.'

The Secret Service confirmed that it will be investigating Madonna for her words.

He made his comments just as British Prime Minister Theresa May was preparing to meet with Trump in Washington, DC

Above all else, Gingrich writes in his column, Thatcher wanted to destroy socialism.

'Thatcher believed socialism was destroying the spirit of individual responsibility, hard work and entrepreneurship, which she felt was at the heart of Britain's success,' he says. 'Her campaign against the values and principles of socialism was a moral campaign.'

He says that Thatcher saw her fight as 'Churchillian', suggesting that Trump's decision to bring a bust of Winston Churchill back into the Oval Office is a signal of the 'same resolve'.

'Like Thatcher, Trump is similarly focused on destroying the moral legitimacy of the left and breaking the power of the lobbyist and bureaucratic establishment in Washington,' he writes.

'His actions thus far in office, including steps to restore the rule of law in immigration and move forward with vital energy infrastructure projects, have been consistent with these goals.

Gingrich closes his column by suggesting that Trump and May's meeting on Friday will revitalize the 'special relationship' that there once was between Great Britain and the United States.'

'This week's visit may revitalize the special relationship that the United States and Britain have had ever since 1941,' Gingrich concluded. 'Prime Minister Thatcher would have approved.'

In her speech, May referred several times to Republican President Reagan and Conservative Prime Minister Thatcher - politicians from very different backgrounds who forged an alliance that helped transform their parties, and the world

Meanwhile, as she spoke to a gathering of top Republicans on Thursday, May said she wanted the UK and America to 'stand strong together' and the two countries must be 'smart and hard-headed', but only mentioned Trump by name once in her speech.

She said: 'It is in our interests  those of Britain and America together  to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past.

'The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.

'But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene.

'We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.'

The Prime Minister's comments will be seen as the final dismantling of the policy laid down by Tony Blair in his now infamous 1999 Chicago address, which sowed the seed of British involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

David Cameron continued the approach by intervening in Libya to help topple Colonel Gaddafi - a move which plunged the country into civil war and chaos. Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya are all still hotbeds for Islamic terrorism.

In her speech, May referred several times to Republican President Reagan and Conservative Prime Minister Thatcher - politicians from very different backgrounds who forged an alliance that helped transform their parties, and the world.
He would then allegedly share the photos on a website to get more images

Goodlett admitted to investigators he transported the images to a thumb drive

High school principal Stephen Goodlett, 36, allegedly confiscated his students' phones so he could steal pornographic images

A former Kentucky high school principal who allegedly stole students' phones to search for nude images has pleaded not guilty to federal child porn charges.

Stephen Kyle Goodlett, 36, was indicted on federal charges of possessing and transporting child pornography earlier this month.

Investigators said Goodlett had admitted he was addicted to pornography and transferred nude images from his students' phones onto his personal thumb drive without their consent or knowledge.

Goodlett would then share these photos on a website with 'the intent of trading for more images'.

He was arraigned on Thursday in the US District Court in Louisville to answer to the charges

Goodlett remains out of jail on a $25,000 unsecured bond and will stand trial in March in US District Court, according to The LaRue County Herald News.

The father-of-three, who was fired from LaRue County High School after his arrest in October, already pleaded not guilty to 63 state felony porn charges in December.

He will appear for a pretrial conference on those charges in February.

It was a photo from five years ago that ultimately led to Goodlett's arrest.

In September a 20-year-old woman learned that naked images she had taken for her boyfriend when she was 15 had been uploaded onto a Russian pornography trading website.

She went to local police in Elizabethtown, and it was discovered that the website was used to anonymously post images online.

But investigators were able to determine the IP address of the device that uploaded the woman's old photos, which linked them right to an account made by Goodlett.

Goodlett admitted that he transferred nude images from his La Rue County High School (pictured) students' phones onto his personal thumb drive without their consent or knowledge

Kentucky State Police then executed a search warrant on Goodlett's devices, where authorities found 60 examples of child pornography, according to WDRB.

Schools superintendent Sam Sanders announced his firing a few days after Goodlett was arrested at his home in October, calling it 'an unprecedented situation.'

Parents and staff at the schools expressed shock, some noting that he has a wife and children.

Two months after Goodlett's arrest, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified images of a naked girl aged 10-14 in his Dropbox account.

Kentucky State Police has since asked that anyone who attended Elizabethtown High School from 2010 to 2012 or LaRue County High School from 2012 to 2016 and had their cell phones taken away by faculty members to contact police.
Two stray cats who lost their hind legs in accidents are back on the prowl after they were given bionic paws.

One-year-old Pooh and eight-month-old Steven are on the mend after being hit by a car or a train in Bulgaria.

They air are now chasing mice around their vet's office, but the pitter-patter of paws on the floor has been replaced by the ticking and tocking of the plastic legs.

Feline fine: One-year-old Pooh playing with a toy with new bionic back paws in Sofia

The purr-fect rescue: Pooh, pictured here, has had new bionic legs attached after the accident

Veterinary surgeon Vladislav Zlatinov performed the operations - the first of their kind in Europe outside of the UK.

One-year-old Pooh, whose name means 'fluff' in Bulgarian, is thought to have been hit by a train or a car in April last year.

He is the first vet in Europe to successfully apply the pioneering method of Irish neuro-orthopaedic surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick, who shot to fame in 2009 when making Oscar the first bionic cat by fitting him with new hind legs in Britain.

A month after the procedure, the black-and-white cat took his first steps after a final graft in December.

Zlatinov said this week the procedure could now be considered a success.

'Pooh's condition is more than satisfactory.

'There might be some clumsiness but he can walk, jump and run,' the 35-year-old added.

Made it by a whisker: Pooh plays with a toy after the first operation of its kind outside the UK

It could have been claw-ful: The two cats lost their paws in an accident involving a train or car

If all goes well, Pooh's skin will eventually grow over the bone and stem tightly enough to prevent infections, Zlatinov said.

'Cats who lost one leg do pretty well.

'But what happens if they lose both their hind legs?

'Yes, they move somehow, but what quality of life are we talking about?' he said.

Zlatinov recently performed a graft on another cat, eight-month-old Steven who also lost both hind legs last year.

'The operations give hope that even in a country like Bulgaria innovative things can be done,' he said.

Pooh and Steven were brought to the clinic by animal charity Let's Adopt Bulgaria, which paid for the operations.

Vyara Mladenova of Let's Adopt said: 'We went to Zlatinov looking for a solution because he had solved other hopeless cases of injured animals before,' .

'But we didn't expect him to offer this solution and for it to be successful.'
A sheriff's deputy Joseph Parker (pictured) was found dead in his own home. Also found dead was his 27-year-old son

A sheriff's deputy and his son were both discovered fatally shot inside the deputy's Texas home.

The bodies of Joseph Parker, 61, and Kensy Parker, 27, were found on Thursday in a bedroom of the home, Graham police Chief Tony Widner said Friday. A weapon was found nearby.

Widner declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

He says that investigators have an idea of what happened and are awaiting forensic test results.

Graham police said on Facebook Friday: 'On Thursday Morning at approximately 10:39 AM, Graham Police officers were called to the 1300 block of Cherry Street to investigate the discovery of two individuals deceased within a residence.

'Upon entry into the residence, Investigators discovered the bodies of two white males in a bedroom, each having an apparent single gunshot wound.'

Joseph Parker previously worked as an officer with Graham police before joining the Young County Sheriff's Department, according to Widner.

Young County Appraisal District records show Joseph Parker owned the home where the bodies were found.

Graham is about 75 miles from Fort Worth.

'We ask that you keep the family in your prayers at this time,' Graham police said.

Both the Texas Rangers and the Young County Sheriff's Department responded to help with the investigation, according to The Graham Leader.

Joseph Parker had two daughters, as well, the newspaper reported.
Malcolm X's daughter and granddaughter have been charged with theft and animal cruelty after seven severely injured pit bulls were found in the back of a stolen rental truck.

Malikah Shabazz, 51, and her daughter Bettih Shabazz, 19, were arrested on Wednesday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in La Plata, Maryland.

Police found the pit pull terriers, some with severe injuries, in the back of the truck stacked in crates in 'inhumane conditions'.

Malikah Shabazz, 51, (left) and daughter Bettih Shabazz, 19, (right) were arrested on Wednesday in La Plata, Maryland and charged with theft and animal cruelty

Animal control took the dogs to the Tri-County Animal Shelters where they are currently in a stable condition.

Officers caught the descendants of black Muslim leader Malcolm X after an officer ran a tag on the U-Haul truck earlier that night.

He found the truck had been reported stolen to Vermont State Police earlier on Wednesday.

A Charles County sheriff's officer located the vehicle in the Wal-Mart parking lost at about 10pm.

The two women are the daughter and graddaughter of black Muslim leader Malcolm X

They were arrested on Wednesday in a Wal-Mart parking lot in La Plata, Maryland (pictured)

Malikah Shabazz was charged with seven counts of animal cruelty and theft. Her teenage daughter Bettih Shabazz was charged with theft.

Both women gave New Hampshire addresses. They've been released after posting $2,000 bond.

No defense attorneys are listed in court records.

Malcolm X was a divisive figure in the 1960s famous for trying to empower the African American community with firebrand speeches during the height of their fight for civil rights in the United States.

He was only married once to his wife Betty and the couple had six children together.

On February 21, 1965, he was shot 15 times at close range at a speaking engagement in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom. He was 39.
The family of a Minnesota teen who died during a routine wisdom teeth extraction in June of 2015 has filed a wrongful death suit seeking more than $500,000 in damages against her dentist.

Sydney Galleger, 17, lapsed into cardiac arrest after her blood pressure shot up during the procedure and she later died in hospital.

An investigation revealed that her dentist, Dr Paul Tompach, allowed an uncertified dental assistant to monitor her after administering anesthesia, and failed to respond appropriately when the emergency transpired.

Despite a suspension, Dr Tompach has continued to see patients at his Edina office over the last year.

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New findings: The Minnesota Board of Dentistry said they received credible information that Dr. Paul Tompach allowed a dental assistant to monitor Sydney Galleger (pictured with her mother) after she received anesthesia, even though the assistant wasn't certified. Galleger died following the procedure

Suspended: The order said that Dr. Paul Tompach (pictured) 'failed to appropriately manage a medical emergency' by allowing the assistant to be involved without certification

The suit alleges that Tompach's 'negligent and dangerous actions' led to Galleger's untimely death. She was due to begin visiting colleges soon and was entering her senior year in high school.

Her family is seeking more than $500,000 in damages, but the payout could end up being much higher if the court rules in their favor or a settlement is reached, according to The Star Tribune.

It's estimated that Sydney's death cost the family $200,000 in funeral and medical expenses.

The medical malpractice/wrongful death allegations listed include: 'incorrectly administering general anesthesia; failing to provide proper monitoring during the surgery; having untrained dental assistants monitor the patient; lax planning for a medical emergency; poor response to the patient going into cardiac arrest; and failing to inform the patients parents about the risks of general anesthesia.'

His suspension order said that Tompach 'failed to appropriately manage a medical emergency, and enabled medical personnel (ie, an unlicensed dental assistant, licensed dental assistant, and student intern) to perform tasks which exceeded the legal scope of practice.'

The Board of Dentistry investigation uncovered many of the same conclusions that the lawsuit finds, but continued to allow Tompach to see patients, though under 'indefinite restrictions' beginning in March 2016 that do not allow him to administer anesthesia.

During the June 9 tooth extraction, Sydney's blood pressure suddenly shot up, her pulse dropped and she went into a cardiac arrest. The teen is pictured in family photos

The Galleger family originally said they did not foresee taking legal action in Sydney's death, so the lawsuit represents a change in mindset.

They were left further devastated in September of 2016 when a definitive cause of death was not found by the autopsy.

Sydney's mother Diane Galleger told the Star Tribune at the time that she was unsure whether there would be further tests to determine the cause of death.

'We were just hoping for an answer,' she said. 'Could she have had a slight reaction to the medications causing everything to misfire? Unlikely, but we will never know. We just wanted God to give us something, give us an answer why our healthy, happy daughter is no longer with us.'

Medical examiners noted that they were unable to rule out the 'potential contributing role' in her death of a medication that Galleger was receiving during the oral surgery.

Galleger said she doesn't foresee a lawsuit against the oral surgeon or his practice.

During the June 9 extraction, Sydney's blood pressure suddenly shot up, her pulse dropped and she went into a cardiac arrest.

The oral surgeon frantically started performing CPR on the teen as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

Sydney was then transported to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator to help with her breathing.

In subsequent days, she suffered numerous seizures and underwent surgery to fit a drain in her skull to relieve the swelling of her brain. However, her brain continued to swell, cutting off the drain.

In the early hours of June 12, doctors informed Diane, Sydney's father, Steve and younger brother, Jack, that there was nothing more they could do. Above: Sydney is pictured with her parents

In the early hours of June 12, doctors informed Diane, Sydney's father, Steve and younger brother, Jack, that there was nothing more they could do.

'As you can imagine, that was the most devastating news we have ever received,' Diane wrote on the CaringBridge page, where she and her relatives had been providing updates on Sydney.
Firefighters had to perform CPR on dozens of toy poodles in Taiwan after they were caught in a pet shop fire.

Residents living near the Baoai pet shop in New Taipei Citys Banqiao District, in North Taiwan, called the fire brigade to report the fire at 4:50am local time today.

The blaze, which is believed to have been started by a heat lamp used to keep the pooches warm, caused the entire shop to fill up with thick smoke.

Firefighters were called at 4.50am this morning after an inferno broke out at a pet shop in Taiwan

They attempted to save dozens of dogs at the Baoai pet shop in New Taipei Citys Banqiao District

Rescuers sawed through the roller shutter and started retrieving poodle after poodle, pulling 21 of the 50 dogs alive from the wreckage.

Local authorities are still investigating the precise cause of the fire.

Footage from the site shows the emotional shop owner attempting to rush in to save her dogs, but then being pulled back out by the firemen.

The heroes gave the dogs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in an attempt to save them

Footage shows the dogs crying in pain as they perform compressions on the pups

Local authorities are still investigating the precise cause of the fire but it is believed to have been started by a heat lamp, which was used to keep the dogs warm

The owner of the pet shop was seen trying to go into the shop to save her dogs, but she was stopped by the crews

Unfortunately, three of the surviving pets later died in spite of extensive efforts to save them, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as well as chest compressions.

Firefighters said the total of 32 dog deaths were either caused directly by the flames or were a result of suffocation.

The owner said only around 10 of the 50 dogs were her own, the others were placed in her care by volunteers who had saved the pooches from animal shelters.
Two men were stabbed to death during a Mahjong game at a private social club in Los Angeles' Chinatown district on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Police Department have canvassed the area in search for the killer, who remains at large.

It was a report of gunshots that first brought the LAPD to the Hop Sing Tong Benevolent Association around 2.45pm on Thursday.

But when they arrived at the scene, officers found that two Asian men in their sixties had been fatally stabbed.

Two men were stabbed to death during a Mahjong game at this private social club in Los Angeles' Chinatown district on Thursday

Two men in their sixties were killed by a man who was in his thirties. The LAPD said the suspect still remains at large

The killer is believed to be an Asian man his thirties.

LAPD Sgt Frank Preciado said the stabbings were the result of an argument that arose between the killer and one of the victims.

The suspect stabbed the first victim, and then killed the second man when he tried to intervene, according to KTLA.

He then fled the scene and left a trail of blood behind him as he ran through the bustling market square, which is preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year on Saturday.

Police said it remains unclear how the suspect was injured and could not say if a weapon had been found at the scene.

Caution tape wrapped around the bustling marketplace where the suspect fled around 2.45pm on Thursday afternoon

Police said the suspect left a 'significant amount of blood trail' as he fled the area

Police said it remains unclear how the suspect was injured and could not say if a weapon had been found at the scene

Detectives have not revealed a motive but are not ruling out that the argument may have been gang-related.

Residents of the community said some members of Hop Sing Tong have been associated with gangs in the past.

But others say the place now mostly attracts senior residents who gather to eat and play Mahjong together.

Investigators are currently reviewing surveillance footage and speaking to witnesses, according to the Los Angeles Times.

K-9 dogs are also being used to search for the killer.

This isn't the first time blood has been shed at Hop Sing Tong.

The club's president was repeatedly shot in the head by another member in 1994.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has been told he will need a kidney transplant after he nearly collapsed at a press conference.

The top cop and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were set to announce new initiative to combat the city's gun crime and gang problems when he started to look unsteady on his feet.

Johnson, 57, was standing beside Emanuel when the mayor stopped suddenly and turned to the police superintendent, asking: 'Are you OK?'

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Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, center, is aided by colleagues after he appeared to fall ill during a press conference with Mayor Rahm Emanuel at a Englewood district police station. He has now been told he will need a kidney transplant

The top cop and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were set to announce new initiative to combat the city's gun crime and gang problems when he started to look unsteady on his feet. He is seen being given water after his scare

People then surrounded Johnson, who appeared dazed as he walked toward a chair. Several shouted: 'Call 911.'

Emanuel handed Johnson a bottle of water and the superintendent drank from it after sitting down in seats reserved for reporters.

There were shouts for candy for Johnson, the Sun-Times reported.

An ambulance arrived with a fire tuck, but Johnson opted to head to the hospital in a police SUV.

Sources say that Johnson needs a kidney transplant, according to the Sun-Times.

But Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said of the episode on Twitter: 'Incident unrelated to a longstanding kidney issue.'

'He is fine & in great spirits,' Guglielmi said, noting that Johnson did not lose consciousness during the episode.

Mayor Emanuel (left) chose Johnson (right) for the top cop job in March 2016, after rejecting the three finalists selected by the city's police board. Johnson hadn't applied for the job

Johnson and the mayor were announcing technological advances for police at a station on the city's South Side.

Chicago police and city officials are under tremendous pressure to address increases in homicides and shootings in recent years.

Three days ago, President Donald Trump tweeted that he would 'send in the Feds' if the city couldn't fix the problem.

Chicago ended 2016 with 762 homicides  or an average of two people killed per day, a rate that was widely reported at year's end.

It was the highest number of homicides in the city in two decades and more than Los Angeles and New York combined. Last year, there were 3,550 shootings, a nearly 50 percent increase over 2015.

Johnson told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday that Trump's tweet baffled him.

'The statement is so broad. I have no idea what he's talking about,' Johnson said.

Johnson replaced former Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who was fired following the release of dashcam footage showing a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager 16 times.

He didn't apply to be the city's top police officer.
Megyn Kelly is still months away from joining the team at NBC News, but already the network is busy shaking things up to get ready for their high-profile, and high-priced, hire.

Page Six reports that Kelly will in fact be joining the team on Today, NBC's long-running morning show, but that a decision has not yet been made as to whether or not she will be hosting the third or fourth hour of the program.

The third hour is currently anchored by Al Roker and Tamron Hall, while the fourth hour has been hosted by Hoda Kotb and daytime stalwart Kathie Lee Gifford since its inception a decade ago.

'Everyone has been left in the dark and no one knows why theres such a disruption when shows are doing so well across the board,' said one insider.

Another insider also chimed in, saying: 'People are pissed. The third hour was beating every syndicated show across the board. They were in over their head and bit off more than they can chew when they hired Megyn.'

NBC did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

Musical chairs: NBC is reportedly reorganizing Today ahead of Megyn Kelly's arrival later this year (Kelly above in November)

Winers: Kelly could be taking over Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford's timeslot, which they have held since the fourth hour started airing a decade ago

Fans of Hoda and Kathie Lee need not worry however, as a source reveals that they will be staying on the show when Kelly arrives, and moving to 9am if executives decide to give the former Fox News host their time slot.

Roker meanwhile appears across the first three hours as it is, so his job would be safe.

It was also reported that Hall would be leaving NBC next month, but a network source told DailyMail.com that is not the case.

Hall is one of the hardest working personalities on the network, and in the past two months has filled in for both Savannah Guthrie and Lester Holt on NBC World News Tonight while also anchoring the third hour of Today.

On one day in December she filled in for both Gutrie and Hall while also hosting MSNBC Live.

She also hosts Deadline: Crime on Investigation Discovery.

This move comes a little less than five years after the NBC morning show was widely criticized for the insensitive manner in which they sent off longtime anchor Ann Curry after 15 years with the network.

Curry broke down in tears on live television as she told viewers she would not longer be hosting Today alongside Matt Lauer, just one year after she received the much coveted anchor chair.

That move come two months after Today was overtaken in the ratings by Good Morning America, breaking their 16-year streak as the most watched morning news program.

It was revealed earlier this month that Kelly would be leaving Fox News, putting to bed months of speculation regarding what the star host planned to do when her contract was up with the cable news giant.

Not revealed during the big announcement of Kelly's hiring, however, was how much she would be getting paid in her new role at NBC, and just how much Fox News was offering to get her to stay.

Rise and shine: Today was forced to deal with an intense backlash after Ann Curry was taken off the program in 2012

Not a great move: The show had Curry announce she was leaving in a tearful farewell a year after she landed her dream job

The way they were: Carson Daly,Tamron Hall, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales, Willie Geist, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb in 2015

It is now being reported that Kelly was looking at a four-year deal worth $100million to stay at Fox News and host The Kelly File, but instead chose to sign with NBC where she will host two shows in addition to special events and make an annual salary of $15million.

That means the NBC offer that Kelly accepted will pay her the same amount she is currently getting at Fox News.

Both Fox News and NBC declined to comment on contract negotiations.

Mediaite reported that Lachlan Murdoch, the Executive Co-Chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox, approved a $25million-a-year contract for Kelly in his bid to keep her on the network.

That amount was much higher than the $20million that had been reported elsewhere, and all Kelly has said is that Murdoch gave her a 'generous offer.'

That contract was also for four years according to a source close to Kelly, thereby totaling $100million.

The Los Angeles Times meanwhile spoke to multiple people that were familiar with the negotiations between NBC and Kelly who said the network 'agreed to pay Kelly close to her current salary.'

That would mean that Kelly would be accepting her new post with an annual salary of $15million, which is notably less than the annual salaries of Robin Roberts and Kelly Ripa, who make $18million and $17million respectively at ABC.

Kelly will also make far less than her new co-worker Matt Lauer, who now takes home $25million a year as host of Today.

It was reported last month however that money was not the key issue for Kelly, who instead was looking to have a schedule better suited to her life as a mother to three young children.
President Donald Trump railed against Mexico once again at a televised news conference at the White House Friday  even as he described a 'friendly' call with the country's president and a 'very good' relationship between them.

Trump got asked about Mexico after a planned meeting between the two North American leaders got scrubbed following an angry clash over Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for construction of a border war.

Mexico 'has out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders,' Trump vented.

'They've made us look foolish,' he added, appearing at the White House in the East Room in his first joint press conference, along with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

President Donald Trump said Mexico has 'out-negotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders,' but said a phone call with the Mexican president was 'friendly'

'The border is soft and weak,' Trump continued. 'Drugs are pouring in. And Im not going to let that happen,' the president vowed before praising his homeland security secretary, retired Gen. John Kelly.

'We are going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship,' Trump said. 'But the United States cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business, vast amounts of companies and millions and millions of people losing their jobs.'

'That won't happen with me,' he said.

Even as he brandished more tough talk, Trump expressed satisfaction with the state of his relationship with Mexico's president, Enrique Pena Nieto.

'We are going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship. But the United States cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business, vast amounts of companies and millions and millions of people losing their jobs,' Trump said.

He didn't reveal much substance about the phone call.

'We had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico, I love the Mexican people,' Trump said. 'I work with the Mexican people all the time.'

'We are going to renegotiate our trade deals and we are going to renegotiate other aspects of our relationships with Mexico,' Trump said, without further explanation. 'And in the end I think it will be good for both countries.'

President Trump tweeted that Mexico has 'taken advantage' of the U.S., in the latest dig at the nation after its president insisted Mexico will not pay for a border wall Trump wants to build

Trump spoke about Mexico after launching another broadside against the nation Friday morning amid a clash over whether the country will pay for a border wall he wants to build

President Donald Trump shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May after a news conference in the East Room of the White House

Trump appeared to take care with his comments to avoid another blow up. 'It was a very, very friendly call. I think you'll hear that from the president,' Trump said.

'Over the coming months we'll be negotiating and we'll see what happens,' Trump said.

JOINT STATEMENT ON U.S.-MEXICO RELATIONS 'The United States President Donald J. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto spoke by phone this morning for an hour. The call was mutually arranged by their teams.' 'The two had a productive and constructive call regarding the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the current trade deficit the United States has with Mexico, the importance of the friendship between the two nations, and the need for the two nations to work together to stop drug cartels, drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales.' 'With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.' 'Both presidents have instructed their teams to continue the dialogue to strengthen this important strategic and economic relationship in a constructive way.' * Note: Pena Nieto's office added: 'The presidents also agreed for now not to talk publicly about this controversial issue.' Advertisement

Extending his view to other nations, he added: 'I'm going to rep them as somebody should rep them not how they've been rep in the past where we lose to every single country.'

May declined a reporter's invitation to weigh in on the issue, following Trump's direction. 'The relationship between the United States and Mexico is a matter for the United States and Mexico,' she said.

The White House released a 'joint statement' with Mexico following the call, but it included an important distinction with what the Mexicans put out.

'The two had a productive and constructive call regarding the bilateral relationship between the two countries,' according to the official White House statement.

It continued: 'With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.'

'Both presidents have instructed their teams to continue the dialogue to strengthen this important strategic and economic relationship in a constructive way,' according to the statement.

However, the statement put out by the Mexican side added an additional line: 'The presidents also agreed for now not to talk publicly about this controversial issue.'

Trump fired another shot in his standoff with Mexico over construction of a border wall Friday morning, tweeting that the country has 'taken advantage' of the United States  also holding a phone call with the county's president.

Trump was back on the attack after tweeting Thursday that it would be better to cancel an upcoming meeting with Mexico's president if the country was 'unwilling' to pay for the border wall he is going to build.

'Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough,' Trump tweeted.

'Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!'

By early Friday afternoon, the Associated Press reported that Trump had spoken with Mexican President Pena Nieto for an hour on a phone call amid the furious y dispute over a border wall.

The tweet and the call came following a day where his clash with Mexico boiled over into a diplomatic imbroglio, with Nieto spiking a planned meeting between the two leaders.

President Donald Trump tweeted about 'massive trade deficits' with Mexico, a day after he told lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia that he and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto 'agreed' to cancel a White House visit that was scheduled for next Tuesday

President Donald Trump got asked about Mexico a news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May in the East Room of the White House

Trump told Republicans meeting at a retreat in Philadelphia that the decision was mutual. Top GOP leaders appear to be on board with the idea, agreeing themselves on a price tag of about $12 billion to $15 billion that Trump says will be borne by Mexico either through direct payments or through taxation, such as a 'border adjustment' idea he floated to slap a 20 per cent tax on imports.

The U.S. trade deficit with Mexico is about $60 billion, according to federal government data.

Trump's broadside came shortly after former Mexican President Vincente Fox once again blasted the idea of Mexico paying for the wall, and said the fight had led to a serious diplomatic situation between the two neighboring countries.

'I think we are at the very lowest point since the war between Mexico and the United States,' Fox said, referring to the 1846-1848 war that resulted in the U.S. seizing about a third of Mexico's territory.

'It's nonsense. He's playing around with American people,' Fox added.

Then he made another historical comparison likely to get the attention of U.S. businesses, who he said would be harmed by Trump's border tax that he said business and U.S. consumers would end up paying.

He said relations were at the lowest point since the war 'or before the nationalization of the oil by president Cardenas where he took away from the oil companies that were abusing over Mexico.'

'TAKING ADVANTAGE': General Winfield Scott, commander of the US Army of the North, making a triumphal entry into Mexico City on a white charger, 14 September 1847

'He took away the industry and nationalized it and I think it was a very courageous very strong thing to do but welcomed by all Mexicans, just as today president Pena standing front of this playing guy Trump has brought back very strong Mexican spirit and we're ready for the trade war we're ready of course for not paying that wall,' he said.

Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway told CBS News on Friday that Mexico would pay for the wall 'because they get an awful lot from this country.'

Following the enactment of the NAFTA trade deal in 1994, U.S. imports from Mexico soared from $65 billion to $295 billion in 2016, MarketWatch reported.

Trump said Thursday that he and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto 'agreed' to cancel a White House visit that was scheduled for next Tuesday.

'Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless,' Trump told Republican lawmakers today in Philadelphia. 'And I want to go a different route. We have no choice.'

Pena Nieto claimed in a tweet before Trump's remarks at the GOP retreat that it was his government that called it off.

The decision came after Trump told the Mexican leader he may as well stay at home.

Trump said this morning on Twitter, 'If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.'

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'Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless,'Trump said. Pena Nieto claimed in a tweet before Trump's remarks at the GOP retreat that it was his government that called it off

The decision came after Trump told the Mexican leader he may as well stay at home

Pena Nieto huffed right back at Trump on his own Twitter account.

'This morning we informed the White House that I will not attend the work meeting planned for next Tuesday with the POTUS,' he said in a Spanish to English translation provided by Reuters.

In a follow up message Pena Nieto said, 'Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach accords that favor both nations.'

Trump had launched an assault on the North American Free Trade Agreement in another message this morning.

He told lawmakers from his political party later in the day that it's a 'defective transaction' that would have been renegotiated already 'except that the politicians were too preoccupied to do so.'

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters making the short hop this morning with Trump to a Republican retreat in Philadelphia that the White House intends to 'keep the lines of communication open' with Pena Nieto's government.

'We will look for a date to schedule something in the future,' Spicer said.

After Trump authorized immediate construction on the wall he's long said Mexico will pay for on Wednesday, a senior aide to Pena Nieto told AP that the head of state might cancel his visit to Washington.

Pena Nieto did not say one way or another in a national address Wednesday while clearly stating: 'Mexico will not pay for any wall.'

Trump fired back this morning on Twitter, telling him it 'would be better' not to come in that case.

Pena Nieto has repeatedly said his country won't fund the construction of a physical barrier dividing Mexico from the United States. Trump has steadfastly said it will.

The American taxpayer will foot the bill for the border wall 'for the sake of speed,' Trump has said. Mexico will be paying the money back.

'We're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico,' he told ABC's David Muir in a Wednesday interview. The wall would cost the U.S. 'nothing,' he proclaimed.

Trump was landing in Philadelphia after his first trip on Air Force One as news of the cancelled trip broke. He's attending a GOP retreat there this afternoon

The U.S. president brushed off Pena Nieto's rebuffs in the interview, telling Muir, 'He has to say that.'

'I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form,' Trump said.

Pena Nieto stood his ground in a video address Wednesday night. 'I have said time and time again, Mexico will not pay for any wall.'

A government official told the Associated Press early Wednesday evning that Pena Nieto was 'considering' a cancellation on his Jan. 31 White House visit.

Opposition politicians were demanding that he call off the trip in the wake of Trump's executive order that moves forward with the proposed border wall.

Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, a former presidential candidate who ran for office on the leftist party's ticket, said Pena Nieto, a centrist, 'will be received there by having the door slammed in his face.

'I think the least we can do in these conditions would be not to show up, cancel the visit to the United States and find a dignified position for Mexico,' he said, according to the Guardian.

Pena Nieto's approval rating, 12 percent in a recent poll, is the lowest of any modern Mexican president.

He acknowledged after a previous meeting with Trump in Mexico, when the Republican was just a presidential candidate, that he mistakenly failed to say at their joint news conference that his country would not fund the construction of the wall.

After a previous meeting with Trump in Mexico, when the Republican was just a presidential candidate, Pena Nieto failed to say at a joint news conference that his country would not fund the construction of the wall. He admits that was a mistake

Having said it behind closed doors, Pena Nieto did not confront Trump publicly until he came under scrutiny in the press. He challenged Trump later on the American politician's favorite medium: Twitter.

Today it was Trump who put Pena Nieto on notice on the social media platform.

'The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers...of jobs and companies lost,' he said in a two-part tweet.

At which point he added, 'If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.'

Trump has said all along that he intends to revise the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement.

He's held back on a directive to his administration so far, presumably out of deference to Pena Nieto until their now-cancelled Tuesday talk at the White House.

'I will not allow the taxpayers or the citizens of the United States to pay the cost of this defective transaction, NAFTA, one that should have been renegotiated many years ago, except that the politicians were too preoccupied to do so,' Trump told his party today.

Looking around the room, he quipped, 'Now these people are not in that category. You understand that this is a different group. I think! Right?

'To that end, the president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting schedule for next week. Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route. We have no choice. '

Following his signing of the executive orders affecting the United States and Mexico on Wednesday, Trump had said he expected the border countries' relationship to improve as a result of his actions.

The 'unprecedented surge' of illegal immigrants entering the United States by way of Mexico is bad for both countries, he said.

Likewise, Trump said the renewed emphasis on the elimination of cartels, illegal weapons and illicit cash coming from drug dealing will be beneficial to Mexico.

'I want to emphasize that we will be working in particular with our friends in Mexico to improve safety and economic opportunity on both sides of the border,' Trump stated Wednesday. Adding, 'I have deep admiration for the people of Mexico.'

Pena Nieto, who had bromance-style relations with Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, said in his Wednesday night address, 'Mexico reaffirms its friendship with the people of the United States and its willingness to reach agreements with its government.'

But, he said, Mexico will not pay for the border wall.
A Massachusetts man attempted to get out of a ticket by saying a police officer's radar gun must have picked up a fast deer, not his speeding car.

Dennis Sayers tried to fight a $105 speeding ticket by using the unique defense that a deer was the reason to blame an officer clocked his car going 40 mph in West Newbury, Massachusetts.

Sayers asked the official if he was certain the radar gun captured the speed of his vehicle and not an animal, when he appealed his fine in court on Thursday.

Dennis Sayers tried to fight a $105 speeding ticket by claiming a deer (stock photo) was the reason to blame an officer clocked his car going 40 mph in West Newbury, Massachusetts

Sayers was charged with going 10 mph over the 30 mph speed limit when he was pulled over by a West Newbury police officer in mid November, reported Newburyport Daily News.

The officer said Sayers was going as fast as 51 mph and Sayers suggested a deer could have been in the same area, making the reading inaccurate.

A judge at the Newburyport District Court asked Sayers: 'You're not contending the radar picked up the deer?'

Sayers replied by saying anything was possible but the judge wasn't convinced and upheld the $105 ticket.

Deer can only run approximately 30 mph at their top speed.
President Donald Trump pledged on Friday that he won't countermand his secretary of defense's aversion to ordering the torture of high-value terrorism suspects including warriors in the ISIS terror army.

On the contrary, Trump said he will let the general 'override' his judgment because he's the expert.

Trump is commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces, giving him the authority to override his generals' recommendations, not the reverse.

General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis, the new Pentagon chief, opposes torture. Trump believes it can be productive in some circumstances.

Mattis, he said during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May, is a 'general's general' and 'we're going to win with or without' torture.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he will let Pentagon Secretary James Mattis 'override' his judgment on whether or not to order the torture of suspected terrorists

Trump spoke during a joinr press conference with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, saying he disagrees with Mattis but will defer to him as an 'expert'

Mattis (left) opposes using torture as a means of interrogation, and Trump suggested he will listen to the retired Marine general  but made no commitments until Friday

The general 'has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture, or waterboarding, or however you want to define it, enhanced interrogation, I guess would be a word that  words that a lot of people like to use,' Trump told reporters.

'I do disagree,' Trump said, adding that 'he will override, because I'm giving him that power.'

Trump raised hackles in Washington on Wednesday saying in an ABC News interview that counter-terrorism experts told him torturing terrorists works 'absolutely.'

'When they're chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian, in the Middle East, when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since Medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding?' he asked in the Oval Office interview.

'As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire.'

Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that despite government reports to the contrary, he believes torturing captured terror suspects can generate useful results

CIA Director Mike Pompeo promised senators two weeks ago that he would 'absolutely' refuse to follow an order to allow torture in the war on terror

He said in that same sit-down that he would defer to the judgment of the relevant members of his cabinet  Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

'I'm going with General Mattis. I'm going with my [Defense] secretary,' the president said. 'Because I think Pompeo is going to be phenomenal. I'm going to go with what they say.'

Two days later Trump was still praising Mattis as 'an expert' and 'highly respected.'

'And so I'm going to rely on him,' the president said.

'I happen to feel that it does work. I've been open about that for a long period of time. But I am going with our leaders.'

Pompeo, he said, will do a 'fabulous' job. Especially 'compared to the character who just got out, who was not fabulous at all,' Trump said, slamming Obama-era CIA Director John Brennan.

But he said on ABC that he had talked recently with top U.S. intelligence officials who agree with him that torture can yield useful results.

'I have spoken as recently as 24 hours ago with people at the highest level of intelligence, and I ask them the question: "Does it work? Does torture work?"' Trump said.

'And the answer was: "Yes. Absolutely".'

Correspondent Jonathan Karl summed up the interview for ABC viewers during the lunch hour: 'So for now, no waterboarding. No torture. But he made it clear that he could bring it back.'

Resuming U.S.-sanctioned torture would go against strict bans put in place by former president Barack Obama and turn up the heat on Capitol Hill.

Torture and other 'enhanced interrogation' techniques have been hot-button issues for decades, and the Trump administration could put them back on the front-burner even though federal law puts them out of bounds

Some former government leaders have insisted 'enhanced interrogation' programs were effective in obtaining critical intelligence following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, others blame it for some of the worst human-rights abuses in the 'war on terror' that followed.

'The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law,' Republican Sen. John McCain, who was held captive during the Vietnam War, said Wednesday in a statement.

'We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.'

Trump sounded on Wednesday like a man on the fence.

'I don't want people to chop off the citizens'  or anybody's heads in the Middle East, okay?  because they're Christian or Muslim or anything else,' he said.

'Look, now they chop them off and they put them on camera and they send them all over the world. So we have that, and we're not allowed to do anything. We're not playing on an even field.'

'I will rely on Pompeo and Mattis and my group,' the president said at last. 'And if they don't want to do [it], that's fine. If they do want to do [it], then I will work toward that end.'

'I want to do everything within the bounds of what you're allowed to do legally. But do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works.'

Pompeo has already pledged not to go in that direction.

He told a Senate panel a week before Trump's inauguration that he would 'absolutely not' comply with an Oval Office order to resume the use of interrogation techniques that the international community considers 'torture.'

'Moreover, I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect,' he said.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer denied reports on Wednsday that the White House was preparing to re-examine the need for tough interrogations in offshore CIA 'black site' prisons

Separately on Wednesday, multiple news outlets reported on a document whose source claimed it was a 'draft executive order' awaiting action by the White House.

The document recommended a major review of America's methods for interrogating terror suspects and the possible reopening of CIA 'black-site' prisons overseas.

It instructs top national security officers to 'recommend to the president whether to reinitiate a program of interrogation of high-value alien terrorists to be operated outside the United States and whether such program should include the use of detention facilities operated by the Central Intelligence Agency.'

The document says U.S. laws should be obeyed at all times and explicitly rejects 'torture.'

Even so, White House press secretary Sean Spicer flatly denied that the White House had created or circulated it.

'It is not a White House document,' he told reporters during his afternoon press briefing.

'I have no idea where it came from. But it is not a White House document,' Spicer declared.

'We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America,' Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain declared on Wednesday

On the campaign trail, Trump spoke emphatically about toughening the U.S. approach to fighting ISIS. He said he would interrogate terror suspects with the outlawed practice of waterboarding, which simulates drowning, and a 'hell of a lot worse.'

Since becoming president, however, he has tempered those calls.

President George W. Bush publicly acknowledged clandestine CIA-run detention facilities in 2006. After condemnation in much of the world, Obama ended the program in his first days in office.
President Donald Trump says he hopes to have a 'fantastic' relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin - but you 'never know about those things.'

'I don't know the gentleman,' Trump said at his first news conference as president. 'That's possible, and it's also possible that we won't. We will see what happens.'

Trump is due to have his first talk with Putin tomorrow. The U.S. president is reportedly looking to ease sanctions on the country his predecessor punished for hacking Democrats ahead of the presidential election and his administration has prepared a draft executive order.

At the news conference this afternoon in the White House's East Room, Trump seemed to deny that sanctions relief is currently on the table. 'Very early to be talking about that,' he said.

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President Donald Trump says he hopes to have a 'fantastic' relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin - but you 'never know about those things'

Trump has vowed to work with Russia to defeat ISIS, a departure from the Obama era, and has said in the past that he sees Putin's affection for him as a positive, not a negative.

The White House said this morning that Trump would speak to Putin, as well as the leaders of France, Francois Hollande and Germany, Angela Merkel, on the phone tomorrow.

'But we look to have a great relationship with all countries, ideally. That won't necessarily happen,' the U.S. president said Friday. 'Unfortunately it probably won't happen with many countries.'

Trump is due to have his first talk with Putin tomorrow

The new president said he also hopes to have 'a great relationship' with China - a country he's accused of currency manipulation. 'I'm all for that. That would be a tremendous asset.'

'As far as, again, Putin and Russia, I don't say good, bad or indifferent,' he said. 'I will be representing the American people very, very strongly, very forcefully.'

Trump said he would like to partner with Russia on military operations in Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. and 60 other nations are working together to dismantle the terrorist network known as ISIS - 'an evil that has to be stopped.'

'How the relationship works out, I won't be able to tell you that,' Trump said. 'I've had many times where I thought I'd get along with people, and I don't like them at all. And I've had some where I didn't think I was going to have much of a relationship, and it turned out to be a great relationship.

Turning to British Prime Minister Theresa May, who was standing next to him, Trump said, 'So, Theresa, we never know about those things, do we? But I'll tell you one thing: I will be representing the American people very strongly.'

Trump welcomed May to the White House today to discuss their joint, overseas efforts, and a bilateral trade agreement, among other issues.

She told reporters that they had not yet had a chance to talk about Russia, but she expected it to come up during a working lunch.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to the president, said this morning that Trump could move to ease sanctions on Russia as he tries to improve relations with the Cold War adversary.

'All of that is under consideration,' she told Fox News.

Trump welcomed Britian's Theresa May to the White House today. She told reporters that they had not yet had a chance to talk about Russia

The Washington Post's Josh Rogin said on CNN that two administration officials had confirmed the existence of a draft executive order giving Russia a break on sanctions.

Rogin said it would relieve 'some' of the sanctions, but not all of them. The order specifically deals with sanctions the president believes are 'too broad' and 'cover too much,' he said - suggesting that he's not looking at slap downs for hacking and the invasion of Crimea.

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain urged Trump not to reward Russia for bad behavior in a statement.

'For the sake of America's national security and that of our allies, I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course,' he said. 'If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law.'

Trump did not make a commitment on sanctions when it came up this afternoon at his presser.
Railway station car parks could be moved underground to make way for thousands of new homes in a government drive to tackle the housing crisis.

Ministers are considering using surplus railway land to boost housebuilding without bulldozing swathes of protected Green Belt land.

Under one initiative, car parks at some stations could be dug underground to provide space for modern apartment blocks.

Plans to use disused railway land for housing are expected to be included in a housing White Paper released by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid (pictured) in the next fortnight

A government source said: Railway stations are an ideal location because, by definition, they already have good transport links. Many of them have enormous car parks, which are not a great use of space, so why not move them underground?

At some of these sites you could unlock a substantial amount of brownfield land for housing, in places where people want to live.

The idea is expected to be among a number of initiatives outlined in a housing White Paper to be published by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid in the next fortnight. It will set out how the Government intends to meet its pledge to build one million homes by 2020.

Ministers are determined to pursue a brownfield first policy that focuses new housing on previously developed sites to minimise the impact on areas of open countryside.

They believe the density of housing can be increased in many towns and cities without damaging the urban environment. They point to the example of the exclusive Kensington and Chelsea borough of London, where low-rise mansion blocks have helped create one of the densest neighbourhoods in the country.

The White Paper is also expected to include plans for more housing on high streets that have fallen into disuse. Empty shops could be transformed into flats and apartments built above existing stores.

Ministers launched a pilot project last year to build hundreds of new homes at stations in York, Taunton in Somerset, and Swindon.

Speaking at the time, the then communities secretary Greg Clark said stations had unique potential.

The plans are part of ministers' 'brownfield first' policy which aims to avoid taking over huge swathes of Green Belt land for development

Rail stations are a hub of communities, connectivity and commerce and should be making the most of their unique potential to attract investment and opportunities, he added.

With record numbers of people travelling by train, it makes sense to bring people closer to stations and develop sites that have space for thousands of new homes and offices.

Ministers suggested the scheme could eventually deliver up to 10,000 homes across the country.

But Mr Javid is thought to believe the potential is significantly higher.

Some of the sites could also provide land for the first in a new generation of prefab homes, which ministers believe could slash the time it takes to get new housing developed. Theresa May has ordered ministers to pull out all the stops to make good on Tory promises to ease the housing crisis.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly identified the lack of affordable housing as one of the everyday injustices faced by millions of families. She has said it is unacceptable that young people find it harder than ever before to own their own home.

But Mr Javid has been forced to walk a fine line because of Tory pressure to avoid a surge in housebuilding on the Green Belt.

At least ten Cabinet ministers  including Mr Javid  are facing local protests over proposed housing development on the Green Belt, with several campaign groups vowing publicly to fight any loosening of the rules.

Countryside campaigners warn that mounting government pressure to build houses is forcing the release rural land for development.

A survey this month found half of councillors in England believe Green Belt land in their area will be bulldozed for housing in the next five years.
President Donald Trump joked 'there goes that relationship' to Theresa May after he was quizzed on his support for torture and calls to ban Muslims by the BBC's political editor.

Challenged about his controversial views on torture, Russia, stopping Muslims entering the US and punishment for torture by Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Trump joked to Mrs May: 'This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship!'

As Mr Trump looked round the press pack at the White House aghast at the question, Mrs May laughed awkwardly in response.

Mr Trump looked perplexed by the question, as Mrs May tried to laugh it off

President Donald Trump joked 'there goes that relationship' to Theresa May after he was challenged on his controversial views by the BBC's political editor at the press conference

Mrs May, who became the first world leader to visit the new commander-in-chief, said: 'I have been listening to the president and the president has been listening to me. That's the point of having a conversation and a dialogue.'

She added: 'There will be times when we disagree and issues on which we disagree. The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion so we are able to make that clear when it happens.

'But I am clear also that there are many issues on which the UK and the US stand alongside one another, many issues on which we agree.'

She said an 'even stronger special relationship' would be in the interests of the wider world.

Responding to the question on torture, Mr Trump insisted he would allow decisions to be made by his defence secretary James Mattis - who has different views on the issue.

On Russia he admitted he did not know the country's president Vladimir Putin well, but expressed his hope for a 'fantastic relationship' between the two nations.

Mr Trump said he could not predict how strong a relationship he would have with other countries.

Smiling, he added: 'Theresa, we never know about those things, do we?'

He finished by saying: 'I will tell you one thing, I will be representing the American people very strongly.'

The BBC political editor, challenging Mr Trump at the White House today, was named British journalist of the year last year

Opening their first press conference together, President Trump said he was honoured to have Mrs May as his first foreign leader to visit

The Prime Minister became the first world leader to visit the US president at the White House, sealing their fledgling alliance with a warm handshake in the Oval Office

THE QUESTION BY THE BBC'S POLITICAL EDITOR Laura Kuenssberg asked Donald Trump at the press conference: 'Mr President, you've said before torture works, you've praised Russia, you've said you want to ban some Muslims from coming to America, you've suggested there should be punishments for abortion...for many people in Britain those sound like alarming beliefs. 'What do you say to our viewers at home who are worried about some of your views and worried about you becoming leader of the Free World?' Advertisement

Ms Kuenssberg's loaded question was met with a mixed response by viewers, with some calling it 'offensive', while others said they were 'proud' of the reporter for taking a tough stance.

Henry Trant commented: 'Simply awful from Laura Kuenssberg. She's better than that. Her question was utterly negative when support & positivity needed.'

Frank Bukowski added: 'Laura Kuenssberg, classic BBC, who gets the prize for the most negative question of the press conference.'

Another commentator wrote: 'So embarrassed by @bbclaurak! Have some dignity for God's sake!'

Another said: 'Laura Kuenssberg was downright embarrassing.'

However the BBC political editor - who challenged President Xi Jinping over China's human rights record during his visit to the UK - also won praise for taking on the President for his controversial views.

One commentator said: 'Blood and sand, Laura Kuessenberg, you earned your year's salary in a single question. Good one!'

Sarah Long added: 'Enjoyed how perplexed & uncomfortable Trump looked at great q from @bbclaurak. His UK state visit should be fun, she was only warming up...'

James Baker wrote: 'You can always rely on @bbclaurak to ask the hard questions! Brilliant.'

Earlier today, Mr Trump hailed the Special Relationship between the two countries as he praised the importance of a 'free and independent Britain' and branded Brexit 'wonderful' after meeting Mrs May.

The President said he was 'honoured' by Mrs May's visits and that relations between the two long-standing allies had never been stronger.

Mrs May announced the Queen had invited Mr Trump for a state visit to the UK - and also signalled he had reassured her about America's commitment to NATO.
While nowhere near the 3 to 5 million people President Donald Trump has claimed voted illegally in the 2016 election, there is a study that suggests 835,000 votes toward rival Hillary Clinton could have come from non-citizens.

The work comes from Jesse Richman, a political scientist from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

In 2014, Richman co-authored a voter fraud study using data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, an opt-in online poll that asks respondents their citizenship status.

'Most non-citizens do not register, let alone vote,' Richman and his co-author David Earnest wrote in the Washington Post at the time. 'But enough do that their participation can change the outcome of close races.'

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One study suggests that around 835,000 non-citizens could have voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton (pictured) in the 2016 election

President Donald Trump (left), photographed during the final presidential debate, is saying voter fraud is the reason he lost the popular vote to rival Hillary Clinton (right)

Richman and Earnest found a small percentage of non-citizens, 339 out of 32,800 in 2008 and 489 out of 55,400, who participated in the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, which is the basis for their claims.

'How many non-citizens participate in U.S. elections?' the political scientists asked. 'More than 14 percent of non-citizens in both 2008 and 2010 samples indicated that they were registered to vote.'

'Furthermore, some of these non-citizens voted,' the researchers wrote in the Washington Post.

They found that 6.4 percent of non-citizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent of non-citizens voted in 2010.

From there Richman and Earnest figured out who benefited from this number  and the answer was overwhelmingly Democrats.

'Because non-citizens tended to favor Democrats (Obama won more than 80 percent of the votes of non-citizens in the 2008 CCES sample), we find that this participation was large enough to plausibly account for Democratic victories in a few close elections,' Richman and Earnest wrote in the Post.

Particularly, they pointed to Sen. Al Franken's razor thing margin of victory in his Minnesota race in 2008, along with President Barack Obama's North Carolina win the same year.

Now, with Trump making widespread voter fraud claims, Richman has gone on record and preached caution.

Speaking to Wired magazine this week, Richman did not back down from his initial findings.

He said that even if some of the CCES' respondents checked the wrong box when asked about citizenship status, enough people marked that they were non-citizens to offer proof that some non-citizens do indeed vote.

But he cautioned that the number Trump is throwing around is completely off base.

'I can't quite account for the math being so badly wrong in their analyses,' he told Wired, speaking of the Trump's administrations reading of his report.

He then applied his math to the 2016 race.

If 6.4 percent of the estimated 20.3 million non-citizens voted and 81.8 percent chose Clinton as their candidate, that would mean 835,000 of her votes could be from non-citizens, Richman claimed.

Meaning, she still would have won the popular vote by more than 2 million.




Even Laura, the little killjoy from the BBC, couldn't ruin Donald and Theresa's DC love-in. Now I can't wait for the return visit - let the hating commence!

They stood flanking a bust of Churchill in the Oval Office, looking a touch like the divorced mother and father of the bride: co-ordinated outfits as a show of unity, but still not speaking a full ten years after what she caught him doing to the cleaner.

The BBC American correspondent said May hadn't wanted to 'look like a poodle'. And indeed she did not.

More like master of the hunt in pursuit of a ginger fox  which, happily, she found in the White House.

Mr Trump said a 'free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world' in an enthusiastic welcome for Brexit

The British press corps had hoped to be there to report live from the scene.

But having submitted their birthdays in UK format to the Secret Service, some were locked out of the White House. (We may not yet have a special relationship but some of our press clearly have some pretty special educational needs...)

Sadly, the BBC's political correspondent, Laura Kuenssberg WAS there to ask a question having apparently been nominated by the PM's press team to ask the first question. What were they thinking.

Squealing like a true liberal she did her best to rip apart all Theresa May's good work thus far.

Throwing in pretty much every insult anyone had ever levelled at the Donald, she said Trump had 'alarming beliefs' and many people in Britain were worried about his role as leader of America and the Free World; she asked how he could reassure the people of Britain.

May and Trump had clearly bonded over lunch and their love of people. They both talked about ordinary working people, about being people people, as they nodded and gestured in support of each other

Instantly, my toes curled in shame that she was the voice of Britain on the world stage.

The only consolation was that she did not have an English accent. Actually, Laura, you little Scottish twerp, many of us are delighted about this presidency and need no reassurance at all. In fact, I would suggest we will need more than reassurance to pay our licence fee next year. At least North Korea gets its propaganda for free.

Luckily Donald made a gentlemanly joke of out of it and Theresa May did a sterling job of getting things back on track and offering Britain's hand of friendship to Trump. She invited him on a full state visit to Britain so that he and Melania could meet the Queen.

I can only hope Trump refuses the BBC any press passes or Security Clearance for his visit here. And bans Kuenssberg from his presence. I can almost here the clacking of knitting needles as the Pussy March brigade starts knitting new hats ready to protest his visit, preparing more random placards about the state of the planet or the strength of their vaginas.

But May and Trump had clearly bonded over lunch and their love of people. They both talked about ordinary working people, about being people people, as they nodded and gestured in support of each other.

Sadly, the BBC's political correspondent, Laura Kuenssberg WAS there to ask a question having apparently been nominated by the PM's press team to ask the first question

Asked about America's relationship with Mexico, Theresa said, 'America's relationship with Mexico is a matter for America.' Donald grinned like a cat who got the cream. He loves that she respects his power. And acknowledges his right to put the people of America first. She is wise indeed.

And she also got on record that both the UK and the USA are 100% behind NATO. Though I am sure we heard the caveat on this one: that the other members need to pay their way.

I look forward to the grubbing masses across Europe committing 2% to their military going forward; France and Germany  the finger of Trump is pointing at you. Trump was presidential. May was prime ministerial. And they said they liked each other. I sensed they really did.

Compared to the awkward flanking of the Churchill bust and the divorced-parents-of-the-bride moment earlier, they actually looked liked they'd had a few drinks over the reception buffet and were now on rather friendly terms, having reminisced about their old love, the passions they shared, and their pride in their charges.

The President said relations between the two long-standing allies had never been stronger as the leaders held a press conference at the White House

Except, of course, that Trump is teetotal and I suspect Theresa isn't a big tippler either, especially yesterday.

One member of the press suggested they were opposites: a vicar's daughter versus a brash celebrity/TV personality.

But I have a funny feeling they are going to get on very well. People may call him brash. But he has had the good grace to overlook the shameful way our politicians, our liberal press and our leaders have treated him in the past.

To see past the fact our MPs once discussed banning him from Britain.

To refer to his Scottish heritage despite his shameful treatment by the Ginger Dwarf from the North and Fat Salmond.

To accept a state visit to meet the Queen and to keep speaking up for the forgotten, hardworking people who want the very best for the country. I can't wait.

When he comes to the UK I hope his state visit is loud, brash and proud. And I will enjoy watching the fury on the faces of all those who got the race to the White House so horribly wrong.
Holt Parker, 60, from Clifton, Ohio, was sentenced to four years in prison for possession of child pornography

A former University of Cincinnati professor was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday after he admitted his 'addiction' to child pornography.

Holt Parker, 60, who resigned as a professor of ancient Greek and Roman sexuality last year, said he used his daddy.cruel@yahoo.com email address to trade and collect thousands of videos and images, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

In a letter read to federal Judge Timothy Black during a three-hour court hearing, Parker said he was 'in thrall to an addiction as real and terrifying as anything I have ever experienced.'

The former academic apologized to his wife, friends, scholars, and the children that had been abused. He mentioned he treated children with kindness throughout his life and did not intend to harm them.

'He tells me he has no intent in hurting children. I believe him,' Black said. 'But when he saw a little girl get raped, why didn't that kindness kick in?'

'You have grievously sinned,' the judge later added. 'You have serious issues that need resolution.'

Parker was ordered to undergo treatment for sexual offenders after his release and will be supervised for 15 years.

Parker, who had been a professor at the University since 1991, explained that his addiction stemmed from his curiosity of things that are the 'most hidden'

Parker was arrested last March and was barred from the university campus and was forbidden to have contact with students from where he taught since 1991.

After an FBI raid Parker was also charged with intentionally destroying a thumb drive.

An affidavit filed in US District Court in Cincinnati states an investigation on Parker began in 2015 when officials from Yahoo reported the email address to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

His email address was linked to numerous videos of young children engaging in sex acts with some files containing chats from Parker trading a video of a four-year-old girl.

The Clifton resident mentioned in chats he had a desire to have sex with minors.

Parker was arrested in 2016, barred from the university campus and forbidden to have contact with students after having been a professor of Greek and Roman sexuality

He told investigators he stopped collecting child porn whenever he would 'come to his senses' and would eventually destroy all the content 'only to return as a dog to his vomit.'

Parker said he stopped for two months after an unspecified near-death experience.

However, he explained that his addiction stemmed from his curiosity of things that are the 'most hidden' and things that 'ordinary mortals do not know.'

He claimed he is not sexually attracted to children and said he began looking for child pornography after 'ordinary' adult pornography became too easy to find.

His attorney said Parker's offense was 'an aberration from an otherwise admirable lifetime.' Prosecutors said they believe he has an honest desire to change.
One teen with Down Syndrome found his dream of going to college was coming true after he opened an acceptance letter in front of his family.

The emotional moment Carter found out he would be going to the University of Iowa was captured in a heartwarming video.

It begins with Carter opening the letter as his father looks over his shoulder and begins to read the first few lines.

The emotional moment Carter, who has Down Syndrome, found out he had been accepted to the University of Iowa was captured in a heartwarming video

Well it starts off with congratulations, so youre going to Iowa, the father tells Carter, a huge smile spreading across his face.

Carter gasps with delighted surprise and throws his hands up in the air in happiness.

Congratulations! his family screams with joy as they begin to celebrate.

Carter jumps up and down with joy, wiping a tear away from his eye as one of his relatives reads the rest of the letter.

We hope that you are excited to join the UI Reach Class of 2019! she announces excitedly as Carter gives her a big smile.

Are you excited? the woman behind the camera asks.

Yes, he replies, nodding with a huge grin on his face.

The UI Reach program allows teens with special needs to attend classes that will help them learn how to get a job and live independently.

Carter threw up his hands in happiness and began to jump up and down with joy

It also allows special needs students the chance to live in a dorm and have the full college experience, meaning Carter will leave his home in Belvidere, Illinois.

Carter's parents said he had been insisting for years that he would go to college - a dream they weren't sure would come true.

They had never received any information about college programs for teens with special needs and wasn't sure what was out there.

But then they found out about UI Reach program while searching the website for the Special Olympics, which Carter is active with.

Just two months after he applied, Carter's dream came true.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis has traded his uniform for a suit, and now he is letting people know that he is also ditching his 'Mad Dog' moniker.

His commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump, appears to have gotten the message, at least for the moment, referring to the top civilian military official as 'James' during a discussion of torture at the White House.

Later, at the Pentagon, Trump called Mattis, a retired Marine general, a 'man of honor,' but didn't try to stick him with a shorter label.

'I'd like to first congratulate Gen. James Mattis, now Secretary Mattis,' Trump said when he gave remarks. 'Secretary Mattis has devoted his life to serving his country. He's a man of honor, a man of devotion, and a man of total action. He likes action!'

Mattis earned the nickname while serving in the Marines. But now, his position represents the control that civilian authorities maintain over the military  although it required a special waiver for him to qualify, having served in the military within the last seven years.

A New York Times story Friday made Mattis' preference known.

Trump and Mattis 'appear to have some positive chemistry,' the paper observed, noting they could be seen chatting during the inaugural parade.

'CALL ME JIM': Retired Gen. James Mattis, the new secretary of defense, has let it be known that he doesn't want to be called by his nickname, 'Mad Dog'

'The new commander-in-chief relishes referring to 'Mad Dog' Mattis at every opportunity, even though the retired general does not like that nickname and insists it is no more than a media invention,' the paper wrote.

Mattis visited with reporters who cover the Pentagon on Thursday.

He told them 'he likes to be called Jim,' wrote Andrew deGrandpre on Twitter. 'Enough of this Mad Dog business.'

The message appears to have been received by the commander in chief.

Trump referred to him as 'James Mattis' during a White House press conference Friday.

'We have a great general who has just been appointed secretary of defense  General James Mattis,' Trump said.

Trump introduced the new Defense secretary as 'Mad Dog' Mattis at a rally in North Carolina late last year

He noted that Mattis has 'stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding or however you want to define it, enhanced interrogation.'

In another sign of the esteem in which he holds Mattis, Trump continued: 'i don't necessarily agree, but I would tell you that he will override because I'm giving him that power. He is an expert. He is the general's general.

When Trump introduced Mattis to a crowd at a rally in North Carolina December 1, 2016, he said: 'We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense,' roaring out the name with enthusiasm.

His other nicknames are The Warrior Monk and Chaos. He picked up the 'Mad Dog' moniker after the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq, CNN reported.
An inmate who threatened to commit suicide was allegedly told to 'go ahead and do it' by a corrections officer shortly before he hanged himself in his jail cell.

The family of Jeremy Alan Garza filed a federal lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections and several Marquette Branch Prison employees this week after the 32-year-old killed himself in 2014.

Garza hung himself in his cell on the morning of April 10, 2014. It happened about 30 minutes after he told prison guards of his intentions, the lawsuit states.

Jeremy Alan Garza's family filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections and Marquette Branch Prison employees this week after the 32-year-old killed himself in 2014

The 32-year-old had met with his mother Barbara earlier that morning at 8.30am and she stayed at the prison for two hours.

When he returned to his cell he found guards removing his belongings for no reason, according to the lawsuit.

Garza then told prison staff he was going to kill himself but officers allegedly started to laugh and told him to 'go ahead and do it'.

He was found hanging in his cell at 11.05am and was pronounced dead about 50 minutes later.

Garza hung himself in his cell at the Marquette Branch Prison in Michigan on the morning of April 10, 2014

The lawsuit claims Garza suffered from a psychiatric condition and that prison officials failed to properly treat it by giving him appropriate medication.

His family are seeking $75,000 in damages.

They are suing the Department of Corrections, the Marquette Branch Prison warden, two deputy wardens, a sergeant and seven corrections officers.

Garza was sentenced to between two and a half to 20 years prison in November 2012 for breaking and entering a building.

He was found trying to break into a supermarket while he was on bond for another break and enter.

If you need to speak to a counselor, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1 (800) 273-8255.
US actress Lindsay Lohan met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and seven-year-old Syrian girl blogger Bana al-Abed in Ankara on Friday, the Turkish presidency said on its website.

In a picture taken at the presidential palace, a smiling Lohan is standing next to Erdogan, who is embracing Bana and his wife Emine.

Bana shared a short video on Twitter, in which Lohan says: 'We want to send to all of the people in Syria and Aleppo suffering, and to all the refugees, we are here supporting you and you can hang on and be strong. Just like Bana has.'

Insta-famous: Lindsay Lohan instagrammed her visit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his wife and 7-year-old blogger Bana al-Abed on Friday. The group discussed efforts to help refugees

US actress Lindsay Lohan, left, shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, and his wife during a visit at the presidential palace on Friday

Lohan later wrote on Instagram: 'What a dream it is for Mr. President Erdogan and The First Lady to invite me to their home.

'Their efforts in helping Syrian Refugees is truly inspiring.'

The post received more than 50,000 likes within an hour.

Lohan had previously expressed support for Turkey's efforts to host nearly three million Syrians fleeing their nation's five-year war, the State-run Anadolu news agency said.

The US actress gave light-blue badges to Erdogan and his wife, bearing a quote from the Turkish leader: 'World is bigger than five,' according to Anadolu.

The quote is a reference to the UN Security Council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Seven-year-old Bana el-Abed, bottom center, came to international attention with her tweets giving a tragic account of the war in Syria's flashpoint city Aleppo

Bana came to international attention with her tweets giving a tragic account of the war in Syria's flashpoint city Aleppo, whose rebel areas fell back into government control last month.

She was evacuated from the besieged city to Turkey in December, and later that month she and her family were given the rare honor of being hosted by Erdogan at the presidential palace.

Sharing the picture on her Twitter account, Bana wrote: 'Meeting with my friends, Emine and to support the people of Syria.'

Lohan, a former child star who appeared in hit films 'The Parent Trap,' 'Freaky Friday' and 'Mean Girls', has struggled with drug addiction and has had numerous run-ins with the law.

The troubled actress was sentenced in 2013 to 240 hours of community service for reckless driving and lying to police following a 2012 car accident in Santa Monica, California.

The Turkish President's wife Emine Erdogan, left, welcomes Lindsay Lohan, right, to the presidential palace in Ankara with a bouquet of flowers
Glossy blonde hair. Bright lipstick. Curled eyelashes. Painted nails. Figure-hugging outfits. Michelle ONeill certainly isnt what we expected. The glamorous mother-of-two was unveiled this week as the new face of Sinn Fein, the person chosen to succeed Martin McGuinness as leader of a party that numbers convicted IRA bombers and murderers in its ranks.

Could there be a greater contrast between the glitzy Miss ONeill and the blood-soaked old guard?

She represents, to quote Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, a new generation for the party. She is supposedly free, in other words, of the IRA baggage that tarnished Sinn Fein under her predecessor.

Michelle ONeill has been unveiled as the new leader of Sinn Fein, and is an unexpected choice

Miss ONeill, 40, was not born until five years after Bloody Sunday, and was only 17 at the time of the IRA ceasefire in 1994.

Behind the rhetoric, however, and her much-publicised liberal credentials (championing issues of equality, autism, disability and mental health), behind the make-up and stylish clothes, behind her upbringing in rural County Tyrone, an interesting picture emerges of Miss ONeills family history. Put simply, she was born into an IRA family. Her father and uncle were IRA prisoners and at least two of her cousins were shot, one fatally, while on active duty with the IRA.

There was perhaps an insight into her views on the men of violence on her first day in the job when, in a rare public relations slip, she expressed empathy for four IRA men (young fellas, she called them, quite an affectionate term you might think) shot dead by British troops in her home village of Clonoe in the early Nineties. She was later condemned by a family bereaved by the IRA.

It was proof, said her critics, of where Miss ONeills true loyalties lay, a sentiment reflected in a mocked-up photograph posted on Twitter within hours of her becoming Sinn Fein supremo.

It depicted a miniature Miss ONeill in Gerry Adamss pocket. Security sources believe Adams was once a senior IRA commander and, although he has consistently denied this, he says he will never disassociate himself from the organisation.

Brendan Doris, Ms O'Neill's late father, was a Sinn Fein councillor and played a role in the IRAs East Tyrone Brigade in the Seventies

Nor, for all the headlines in Ulster hailing his proteges appointment, has Miss ONeill, it seems, judging by her comments in her interview a few days ago apparently mourning the deaths of those IRA men in Clonoe.

A republican stronghold, Clonoe is where her mother Kathleen lives and Miss ONeill still lives with her two grown-up children. It is also where her late father, Brendan Doris, was a Sinn Fein councillor.

He was a brilliant man, Miss ONeill said of her father in a promotional video released on the internet this week. He definitely played a big part in shaping who I am today.

Remember those words.

Brendan Doris is fondly remembered in the area; not just for his time on Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council from 1989 to 2001, but also for his role in the IRAs East Tyrone Brigade in the Seventies.

Known locally as the A Team, the notorious unit became one of the IRAs most professional and effective units, killing dozens of British soldiers and Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in a bombing campaign on Army bases and police stations.

It is not known what Doriss role was, but he was interned at the height of the Troubles because of his membership of the IRA, serving time in Long Kesh and a number of other jails which became synonymous with the IRA, including Crumlin Road, Armagh and Magilligan.

Friends say he was popular but had a bad temper and was regularly involved in confrontations with the prison guards.

In 1994, long after he had become a councillor, Doris was up in court for assaulting two policemen. The outcome of the trial isnt known.

She is replacing Martin McGuinness, who presented her with a bunch of flowers when he new role was announced

Brendan Doris died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 54, in 2006. Gerry Adams delivered a graveside eulogy at his funeral and his obituary appeared in the Republican news-paper An Phoblacht.

Miss ONeills father was not the only member of her family to distinguish himself in the East Tyrone Brigade.

Her cousin, Tony Doris, was a part of a brigade death squad preparing to assassinate a high-ranking member of the security forces in 1991 when their stolen Vauxhall Cavalier was ambushed by the SAS shortly after crossing the bridge between Londonderry and Tyrone.

The vehicle burst into flames, killing 21-year-old Doris and his two fellow accomplices, who were burnt beyond recognition. The trio are immortalised in the brigade song Ambush At The Bridge.

Tony Doris is buried in the cemetery not far from Michelle ONeills home. His headstone reads: In proud and loving memory of vol. [volunteer] Tony Doris, East Tyrone Brigade, Killed on Active Service, 3rd June, 1991, aged 21 years.

A second cousin, Gareth Doris, also joined the brigade. He was part of a cell which hurled a device packed with high explosives at a fortified police base at Coalisland, County Tyrone, in 1997.

Doris, 19, fell under a hail of bullets from anti-terrorist officers who were lying in wait. After undergoing surgery for a wound to his abdomen, Doris was charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion.

Gareth Doris was given a ten-year jail sentence but released less than three years later under the peace deal drawn up by Tony Blair which ensured an effective amnesty  widely dubbed Get Out Of Jail Free cards  for hundreds of IRA terrorists.

The Doris clans involvement with the IRA was highlighted by the Irish Edition, a monthly newspaper covering Irish events . . . , political developments and news in the U.S.

Last year, it profiled Paul Doris  Michelle ONeills uncle. He lives in Philadelphia and is president of Noraid, the organisation that raised funds for the Republican movement in the States.

The article is revealing because Doris refers to two of his brothers having been in prison. Until now, we only knew of one, Brendan Doris, the father of Miss ONeill.

Tony Doris, Ms O'Neill's cousin, was part of a brigade death squad preparing to assassinate a high-ranking member of the security forces in 1991, but they were ambushed by the SAS and he was killed

I had two brothers in jail . . . and I would probably have wound up in prison myself, he said. I also had a cousin killed [Tony Doris] and another wounded [Gareth Doris] by the SAS. Back then, you could be locked up for anything . . . it was part of life that wherever you went you could be stopped by the British Army or the RUC. It was just terrible harassment.

So, Michelle ONeill might be the first Sinn Fein leader with no direct paramilitary involvement but her father, and at least two cousins we know of were in the IRA and her uncle was a passionate supporter.

Other figures in Miss ONeills life have proved equally controversial.

One of her mentors after she became a full-time Sinn Fein activist following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, was Mid Ulster MP Francie Molloy.

The name might not mean very much to people outside Northern Ireland, but in 2007 he was accused, in the House of Commons, of helping to murder of a former RUC reservist who was shot dead in 1979. Mr Molloy, who was pictured with Miss ONeill this week, has always strongly denied any involvement in the attack.

At the time, he said that anyone wanting to make claims about him should not do so under the cloak of parliamentary privilege. Asked if he condemned the killing, Mr Molloy replied: All murder is wrong, and we want to move on.

Martin McCaughey is another name which crops up in the Michelle ONeill story. He was a local Sinn Fein councillor with her father. He was also a family friend.

McCaughey and an accomplice, known as the widow maker, were suspected to have been behind an IRA campaign against servicemen and their families in Europe during the Eighties.

Both McCaughey and the widow maker (Dessie Grew) were shot and killed by the SAS as they left an arms cache  wearing balaclavas and carrying Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles  at isolated farm buildings near Loughgall, County Armagh, in 1990.

Martin McCaughey has never been forgotten on Dungannon Council, where he was a councillor with Miss ONeills father.

In 2010, Miss ONeill became Dungannons first female mayor. Among the first things she did in office was unveil a framed commemorative portrait of Martin McCaughey at a reception in the mayors parlour. Among the guests was the aforementioned Francie Molloy.

The event outraged opposition politicians. One said: Michelle ONeill is supposed to be the first citizen, that means serving the whole community, not abusing her office in this sectarian offensive way. Martin McCaughey was a terrorist criminal. Any attempt to pretend otherwise is a lie.

Above Ms O'Neill is pictured with Mr McGuinness (centre) and Gerry Adams. Security sources believe Adams was once a senior IRA commander

Even as she was being criticised, Michelle ONeill was already tipped for bigger things at Stormont. She was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2007 where she established herself as the poster girl of the new generation. As health minister, she enhanced her liberal credentials by lifting Northern Irelands ban on gay men donating blood.

Miss ONeill outlined her hectic daily schedule in a recent newspaper interview. I get up at 6 am, attempt a gym class, maybe spin or body pump, she said. I always check in with emails and social media and put the radio on to hear the headlines.

She is married to a local man, Paddy ONeill, with whom she has two grown-up children.

On her husbands Facebook page, theres a picture of Frances Hughes, who is described as a legend and one of the most fearless and tenacious guerrilla fighters of the 20th century.

The truth is that Hughes, who took part in scores of IRA bombings and attacks on off-duty soldiers, was once the most wanted man in Ireland. He died during the 1981 hunger strike at the Maze prison.

Michelle O Neill will now have only a few weeks to prepare for a snap election on March 2, called after a botched green energy scheme costing millions brought down the previous power-sharing arrangement.

Her supporters, including Martin McGuinness, hailed her as a peoples politician. Not for all the people in Northern Ireland, though.

Miss ONeills empathy for the four IRA martyrs from the village where she grew up prompted a furious reaction from Ann Travers, whose sister Mary was shot dead by an IRA gang in 1984 as she walked home from mass in south Belfast.

She [Miss ONeill] spoke about the IRA unit that was killed [in Clonoe], but earlier that night they had attacked a police station, she said.

How does she think it is going to make the RUC widows or other family members of officers who were killed feel? It doesnt give me hope.

One things for sure; Miss ONeills father would be proud of her  and so would all his former comrades-in-arms in the notorious East Tyrone Brigade.
The late Cilla Black, back in Blind Date days, might well have been encouraged by yesterday's events in Washington DC. Did Theresa and Donald get on? Will they be seeing each other again? Let's have a look at the film

A little stroll through the White House cloisters after lunch  and, look, he patted her hand!

'I believe we're going to have a fantastic relationship,' said President Trump a short while later.

By now the two of them were standing next to each other on a little stage, at matching lecterns in front of Trumpishly gold drapes and the joint flags of the USA and Britain. He flashed her an encouraging smile, called her 'Madam Prime Minster' and, after one of her soliloquies, said it had been 'very nicely stated'.

Mrs May, who had applied vampish eye make-up, did some head wobbling and started talking perhaps a little faster than usual

Mrs May, who had applied vampish eye make-up, did some head wobbling and started talking perhaps a little faster than usual. Was that a Jane Austen blush in the prime ministerial cheeks? My, my, the American gentleman did seem to be laying on the compliments!

Get on they did  not to a vulgar degree but with distinct warmth. She is not one to rush into relationships. Please, she is a parson's daughter. Mr Trump, though raffish, will have come across such ladies before. In his teenage days, Donald was probably quietly intimidated by girls like Theresa.

Both Downing Street and the presidential team will have been pleased by yesterday's vibes. Mr Trump showed that he could behave like a gentleman rather than the coarse ogre his foes have depicted. He reminded us that his mum was Scottish. She came from Stornoway  'which is serious Scotland'.

When the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg had a slight go at him for his 'alarming beliefs', he reacted not with crossness but a gentle drollery. Pointing to Miss Kuenssberg and turning to Mrs May, Mr Trump said: 'This was your choice of a question?' Smiling, he added: 'There goes that relationship.'

Both Downing Street and the presidential team will have been pleased by yesterday's vibes

A reporter from The Sun suggested he was 'a brash television extrovert'. Mr Trump, sounding almost wounded: 'I'm not as brash as you might think.'

Mrs May spoke with a controlled eloquence, her Home Counties warble contrasting with her new friend's smoky drawl. She showed a decent command of foreign-affairs detail. If she perhaps went a little beyond convention when she praised him on his 'stunning election victory'  he liked that  she managed to rein in his scepticism about Nato, saying he had assured her he was '100 per cent behind' the alliance.

He bigged up Brexit, saying it was 'going to be a wonderful thing' and arguing that 'a free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world'.

These graceful compliments contrasted markedly with less friendly things he had to say about Mexico. 'Great days are ahead and it is a really great honour,' he said about his friendship with Mrs May. He did not seem to have noticed that she was wearing an orangey-red suit which looked a little like one of those jumpsuits they give the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Senior Republicans who met Mrs May earlier were impressed by her seriousness

The Prime Minister's arrival in the US on Thursday night had seen her stepping off her aeroplane with a black coat, collar raised, like something from a Scottish Widows advertisement.

The visuals at the White House yesterday were less dramatic but she and Mr Trump posed in the Oval Office either side of the much-travelled bust of Winston Churchill. When she had arrived, alighting from a vast, armour-reinforced Chevrolet, Mr Trump made sure he was outside the door to greet her. He placed a hand lightly on her lower shoulder to guide her inside. There was nothing to cause Philip May to challenge him to a duel.

Senior Republicans who met Mrs May earlier were impressed by her seriousness. She will have done herself no harm by spending some of yesterday morning at Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

She does that sort of thing more naturally than she does the grip-and-grin photographs and the public small-talk in front of the photographers. She is never going to be as smooth as a Cameron or a Blair but she brings her own bullet-proof composure to proceedings. The blind date was a success.
From the very moment they heard about his horrific death in Ukraine, Barry Prings family suspected foul play.

The 47-year-old British businessman, who had flown to Kiev to celebrate his first anniversary with his Ukrainian bride, was killed instantly when he was hit by a fast-travelling car with no headlights while waiting for a cab on a remote stretch of motorway outside the capital in February 2008.

His 29-year-old wife, Ganna Ziuzina, had been at his side right up until the moment the car struck him before it disappeared into the freezing night.

Pring's 29-year-old wife, Ganna Ziuzina, had been at his side right up until the moment the car struck him before it disappeared into the freezing night

The family of businessman Barry Pring have told an inquest they are sure his 'internet bride' Ganna Ziuzina was involved in his death

Mr Pring was killed in Kiev, Ukraine in 2008 when he was struck in a hit and run incident

But the former strippers muddled account of the final moments of Barrys life  including how, just before the car struck, she turned back towards the restaurant to find a lost glove  made the Prings suspect his brutal death was not an accident at all.

This week, six years after a Daily Mail investigation first highlighted serious concerns about what happened that night, a coroner ruled not only that Barry was, indeed, killed unlawfully, but that he was tricked into waiting by the roadside.

Dr Elizabeth Earlands extraordinary verdict at an inquest in Exeter this week is the closest the Pring family has come to official backing for their claim that Barry was murdered for his fortune by his ruthless young wife.

Ziuzina, who turns 38 today, did not give evidence to the inquest. She now lives with another wealthy British businessman in Marbella.

It was while she was battling for a share of Barrys estate that Ziuzina met her latest partner, wealthy property developer and then father of two Ivan Lister, who told the Mail in 2013: Im supporting her through whatever happens. Its fine.

Home now for Ziuzina is a long way from her poverty-stricken childhood in Kiev. The 700,000 seaside villa she shares with Lister is a few hundred yards from the Mediterranean on the southern coast of Spain.

Mr Pring's funeral was held at St Disen's Church, Bradninch, Devon in 2011

Surrounded by orange trees and covered in bougainvillea, it has a swimming pool and Jacuzzi  a perfect home to raise their daughter, who was born in London in June 2013.

Moreover, Spanish land registry documents show that 16 months ago Ziuzina found the money to buy the house to share with her wealthy boyfriend, who also owns his own 2 million home in London.

Ziuzina has also purchased a 130,000 apartment for her parents, Olga and Valeriy, who now live nearby. There is no indication on the Spanish land registry documents that Ziuzina needed a mortgage to buy either property.

Mr Pring's mother said of his wife (left): 'I was surprised to see how cold she was towards Barry'

It is a cosy arrangement for the Ukrainian, who has changed her name to Julianna Moore, and has been spotted in supermarkets and bars in Puerto Banus, a flashy marina resort popular with celebrities and millionaires.

However, members of the Lister family have expressed concerns about Ivans relationship. One said that meeting Ziuzina was not a personally pleasant experience, to say the least.

Their reservations echo those of the family of Barry Pring.

For as the Pring family continue their fight for justice, the Mail has reexamined the facts of the case and uncovered new evidence in an effort to discover the truth.

We can reveal that gold-digger Ziuzina was awarded legal aid by British courts as she tried to get hold of as much of Barrys 1.5 million fortune as possible, including two properties in Kiev and three in the UK.

The 47-year-old was celebrating his wedding anniversary with ex-lapdancer Ganna Ziuzina

Barrys brother Shaughan Pring told the Mail: After Barry was murdered she came to his country, Britain, to use taxpayers money to claim his assets.

It is absolutely ludicrous. No one can believe it. It shows you just how stupid this country is  that they give legal aid to anyone without doing thorough checks.

Ziuzina tricked Barry, claimed everything, then ends up living like a queen in a villa in Spain. She is a black widow. Who says crime doesnt pay?

For while playing the role of the grieving widow, Ziuzina was using the internet to meet other men.

Barry met Ziuzina in 2006 through a dating website called Elenas Models, which matched Western men with attractive young women from the former Soviet Union.

Besides the age gap of nearly 20 years between them, the pair couldnt have been more different.

Ziuzina, the only child of a former Soviet air force engineer who became a toilet cleaner in later life, grew up in the run-down Troyeshna district of Kiev.

She trained as a teacher but never worked in a school, realising perhaps that there was far more money to be made from working in nightclubs.

Irene and Shaughan Pring, the mother and brother of Barry Pring, outside Devon County Hall

Barry, who ran his own IT consultancy, was the son of an RAF flying instructor and raised on his familys poultry farm at Bradninch, in Devon, with his younger brother Shaughan. Educated at Tiverton Grammar School, he left at 18 to train as an accountant before moving to London to study accountancy at Kingston Polytechnic.

His high-flying career, which involved frequent trips abroad, left little time for relationships.

While for years Barry was a bachelor, his friends say that in his 40s he began to want to settle down.

I think he saw going online as an opportunity to find a more attractive woman who was less financially demanding than someone in the West, said one friend. How ironic that has proved to be.

Ziuzina had been searching for years for a Western man who might help her escape her bleak circumstances.

Mr Pring's family says Ms Ziuzina wanted his fortune. A coroner found he was unlawfully killed

At the age of 21 she joined A Foreign Affair, one of several agencies which sprang up across the former Soviet Union in the late 1990s, organising tours for Western men and social events at high-end nightclubs in cities such as St Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev.

A 58-year-old real estate dealer from Austin in Texas, who met Ziuzina at one such event, told the Mail this week that she seemed sweet and kind.

She was drop-dead gorgeous, said the Texan, who went on to marry another Ukrainian woman. She was funny and intelligent. She was ambitious. She kept saying: Lets set up a dating business together. But I didnt get the feeling that she wanted a free ride. She just wanted opportunities.

Ziuzina took the American to upmarket restaurants and to one of Kievs most fashionable casino clubs, Dynamo Lux. They spent the night together but the businessman said he wasnt keen to pursue the relationship, partly because of their age gap.

I remember she was disappointed when I told her, he said. If Id been ten years younger, who knows? She has always left an impression on me. I cant imagine her doing this. Maybe she got involved in something bad.

Pictured is a property owned by Anna Ziuzina,in Marbella, Spain

By 2002, Ziuzina, who used the stage name Lucky, was working as an erotic dancer and stripper, first in Kievs notorious Velvet Club, then in Luxembourg.

In 2004 she returned to Kiev and began attending romantic socials, hoping to meet a Western husband.

According to her friend and fellow dancer Tatiana Pereklita: She was very determined on getting what she wanted, very focused on herself and her goals. Those goals, she said, were money, an apartment, the USA, cars.

In 2005 there was a brief engagement to an American businessman from Phoenix, Arizona, but the wedding did not go ahead, according to Tatiana, because after travelling to Phoenix on a fiancee visa, Ziuzina realised her husband-to-be was not as wealthy as she thought.

Now aged 27, she decided to register on marriage websites, signing up to Elenas Models, where she said she was looking for my soulmate, a best friend, equal partner.

By 2002, Ziuzina (pictured is one of the properties she owns in Marbella), who used the stage name Lucky, was working as an erotic dancer and stripper, first in Kievs notorious Velvet Club, then in Luxembourg

Back in London, Barry Pring was just a mouse-click away from making contact. He narrowed his search to four women and in 2006 travelled to Kiev, planning to meet all of them. But after his first date with Ziuzina, he looked no further. When he returned to the UK a week later, the pair stayed in touch online. Their correspondence gives a fascinating insight into their relationship.

While Ziuzina often expressed her concerns about money, equating financial stability with commitment, Barry wrote: My concern is our relationship! All our conversations/emails have always been about the visa/shoes, etc. At no time have you been interested about us or expressed any interest in developing the relationship. I do not sense any emotions from you, even though I have told you how I feel.

Despite Barrys concerns over Ziuzinas motives, he clearly believed he could rescue her from her life as a stripper.

He rented her an apartment in central Kiev, bought her clothes, including a 2,000 fur coat, and began flying to Kiev frequently to visit her. According to one of his friends: It was clear he was being controlled.

This was also clear to Ziuzinas friend Tatiana, who was at Kiev register office on January 27, 2007  a decade ago yesterday  when the pair married. She never loved him, never had a nice word about him to us, says Tatiana.

She just wanted his money. She thought of him as just an old bloke in love with her whom she could use.

This was certainly the impression the Pring family had when they first met Ziuzina in the summer of 2007.

According to Shaughan: We had expected a nice, shy Ukrainian girl. She was definitely very different to that, very confident and assured.

The family took Ziuzina on a day trip to Sidmouth, driving through the picturesque town of Ottery St Mary. Ziuzina, according to Barrys mother, Irene Pring, was constantly preoccupied with her phone and barely reacted at all.

I was quite surprised to see how cold she was with Barry, said Mrs Pring. She wasnt loving or caring towards him at all. There didnt seem to be a spark.

Back in Kiev, Ziuzina continued to ask Pring to send money. Before their marriage, he had bought an 85,000 flat. Afterwards, he bought another for around 83,000, intended as a refurbishment project for Ziuzina.

Ziuzina, who turns 38 today, did not give evidence to the inquest. She now lives with another wealthy British businessman in Marbella

By Christmas 2007, she told him the apartment was finished and that she had put a plaque on the wall that read Anna loves Barry.

In fact, the Mail has discovered, Barrys money had not been used to do up the flat, which still looked like a building site. There was no plaque. Barry flew to Kiev on February 16 for a three-day trip to celebrate the couples first wedding anniversary. He planned to view the refurbished flat  but within hours of his arrival, Ziuzina had whisked him out of town for an anniversary meal.

Those who witnessed the final moments of his life, as he sat with her in a restaurant outside Kiev, felt instinctively there was something odd about the situation.

The roadside branch of Kozachok, a traditional Ukrainian restaurant chain popular with motorists, was an odd choice for a wealthy British businessman and his glamorous young wife.

Then there was the way Ziuzina kept slipping off to the toilets to speak on her phone and, not long after midnight, her refusal to allow staff to call a taxi to take them back to Kiev.

She later claimed they had decided to hail a car from the edge of the dual carriageway. She was seen leading her tipsy husband out into the freezing night and helping him over the crash barrier.

An eyewitness saw her drop something from her pocket and, a few seconds later, turn back to retrieve it so she wasnt looking when Barry was struck moments later. His body was so badly damaged by the impact that he had to be identified from dental records.

Shaughan Pring first heard of his brothers death the following day, via a Skype call from Ziuzina in which she calmly told him: Prepare yourself. I have some bad news.

According to 54-year-old Shaughan: It was like someone calling to tell you a cat has been run over. It wasnt emotional. It didnt seem like she really cared.

Relations between Ziuzina and the Prings deteriorated rapidly as she tried to take control of his 1.5 million estate. Barrys family claim that after coming to London and staying in his Battersea flat, she sold his Rolex watch, antique furniture, television and even the sofa.

As Barrys next-of-kin, Ziuzina was even granted legal aid to fund her claim for 200,000, plus half of everything else.

Now the inquest has finished, the legal battle over Barrys estate is set to resume in court.

Ziuzina has also tried to transfer ownership of Barrys two Kiev apartments into her name. Under Ukrainian law, the flats belong both to her and to Barrys family, creating a stalemate because the Prings refuse to sell and allow Ziuzina to profit from Barrys death.

Last night, Shaughan revealed his family could take legal action against Ziuzina. He told the Mail: We are considering suing her over Barrys murder. If we proceed, the sole motive will be to achieve justice for Barry.

Not surprisingly, they believe the investigations by Ukrainian police have been shambolic.

The case was closed after less than a year and re-opened after the Prings and their Conservative MP, Neil Parish, lobbied the Ukrainian ambassador in London.

After the Mail broke the scandal of Barrys death in 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron wrote to his Ukrainian counterpart demanding that all necessary steps be taken to prosecute those behind Barrys death.

The case was also investigated in Kiev in painstaking detail by British journalist Graham Phillips.

This week Mr Parish, who referred to Ziuzina as a black widow, said he would raise the Pring murder  and the issue of legal aid  in the House of Commons. It is a travesty of justice, said Mr Parish. She [Ziuzina] is a thoroughly bad lot,

there is no doubt about that. We need the Ukrainian authorities to prosecute her for murder.

This week, a Kiev police spokesman said: At the moment officially there are no suspects. Some time ago we suspected several people in connection with this murder, but their possible involvement was not proven by the evidence that we gathered.

Yet, as the coroner suggested, the evidence pointing towards the conclusion that Barry Pring was unlawfully killed is overwhelming.

Phone records, confirmed by the Prosecutor Generals Office in Ukraine, suggest that after being sent home in a taxi from the scene of the accident at 3am, Ziuzina immediately returned to visit a car breakers yard in a village within half a mile of the scene. After spending two hours there, she returned to Kiev.

Then there was the fact that registration plates recovered from the scene of the impact were stolen the day before from an abandoned car outside Ziuzinas apartment.

The tragic incident happened in Ukrainian capital Kiev (pictured in file photo) in 2008

And most damning of all, according to Ukrainian police sources, was a bugged telephone conversation which took place straight after a police interview, in which Ziuzina told her mother: They want me to tell them who the driver is.

The Kiev police spokesman added: If the UK police officially forward us any documents or evidence they have, we will consider this new information.

Until then, Ziuzina appears to be beyond the reach of any court.

This week she refused to answer the Mails questions about her former husbands death, but she has always insisted that she is innocent of any crime.

The last time she spoke to this newspaper, in May 2013, she claimed that since the accident her life had been a nightmare.

I loved Barry, she said. No one, least of all me, could wish him to die.

If that is true, it is impossible not to wonder why she didnt turn up as requested to give evidence at this weeks inquest. And why, if she has nothing to hide, she doesnt help the Pring family in their unfinished quest for justice.
Text messages from the pilot that died in the tragic Skyworks crash have shown he was concerned about the heat in Perth that could affect his take off.

Peter Lynch, 52, was killed alongside his partner, former Indonesian national Endah Cakrawati, 30, when his plane plummeted into Perth's Swan River on Thursday.

In a series of text messages to his friend Mack McCormack 30 minutes before the crash, Mr Lynch raised his hesitations about the breeze and conditions for take off.

Messages exchanged between Peter Lynch and Mack McCormack

Mr Lynch raised concerns about the heat in Perth and take off conditions on Thursday

Endah Cakrawati died in the plane crash with her partner Peter Lynch on Australia Day Credit: The Vault

In one particular message the father-of-three said: 'My biggest concern is how hot it is today and the lack of wind, not much help for take off performance!' he wrote.

'Perth gets very hot compared to back east I've noticed.'

Mr Lynch was new to Perth and was unfamiliar with take off conditions.

Ms Cakrawati was also nervous about flying on Australia Day and had intended on not going up in the air, The Advertiser reported.

The couple were the only people on board when the plane crashed nose-down into the water at 5pm on Thursday

Ms Cakrawati worked with Mr Lynch as investor relations manager at Cokal, another mining company that Mr Lynch founded in 2009

However, she changed her mind at the last minute. She expressed her nerves on social media earlier that day when she wrote: 'Super excited yet nervous. I can do it, wish me luck,' the publication reported.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority had only given Mr Lynch clearance to fly in the show 24 hours prior, according to Mr McCormack who runs Red Baron Seaplanes.

A devastated McCormack said he was watching on from the river when the situation started to turn tragic.

Mining executive and father-of-three Peter Lynch (pictured) died when his light plane plunged into Perth's Swan River in front of thousands of shocked Australia Day revellers

Two people died after a seaplane attempting to land on the Swan River in Perth crashed into the water around 5pm on Thursday

'When you saw what happened, as soon as the wing dropped there was no recovering from there,' he told the publication.

'I got in our safety vessel and got over there as fast as I could but it was all over before we even got there. It was just inexperience unfortunately and just a tragically sad situation.'

Mr Lynch had just moved to Perth from Queensland in June for his senior role with Fortescue Metals Group.
President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders on Friday, including one that will upgrade U.S. military readiness and a more controversial measure 'establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America.'

'We don't want them here,' he said as military brass assembled applauded in the Pentagon's 'Hall of Heroes.'

'We want to make sure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people,' Trump said.

The White House waited more than two hours to release the final executive order, acting after DailyMail.com published a photograph taken Thursday aboard Air Force One that appeared to show most of one page on the president's desk.

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The order puts a 90-day pause on visas and immigration from Iraq, Syria, and other countries the State Department classifies as State Sponsors of Terror (including Sudan and Iran)

The order refers to other State Department lists that also add Libya, Yemen and Somalia, bringing the total to seven nations whose residents are no longer admissible to the U.S

President Donald Trump, left, with Defense Secretary James Mattis, right, signed an executive order Friday providing for 'extreme vetting' of immigrants and visa holders

The White House released the order's wording after DailyMail.com published this photograph of Trump taken aboard Air Force One on Thursday, which appeared to show most of one page

The order declares that U.S. policy is 'to protect its citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks in the United States; and to prevent the admission of foreign nationals who intend to exploit United States immigration laws for malevolent purposes.'

It puts a 90-day pause on visas and immigration from Iraq, Syria, and other countries the State Department classifies as State Sponsors of Terror. At present, those include Sudan and Iran.

The order refers to other State Department lists that also add Libya, Yemen and Somalia, bringing the total to seven nations whose residents are no longer admissible to the U.S.

'EXTREME VETTING' Trump's executive order provides a list of possible mechanisms for 'vetting' prospective immigrants and catching those 'seeking to enter the United States on a fraudulent basis with the intent to cause harm, or who are at risk of causing harm subsequent to their admission.' They include: in-person interviews;

a database of identity documents proffered by applicants to ensure that duplicate documents are not used by multiple applicants;

amended application forms that include questions aimed at identifying fraudulent answers and malicious intent;

a mechanism to ensure that the applicant is who the applicant claims to be;

a process to evaluate the applicant's likelihood of becoming a positively contributing member of society and the applicant's ability to make contributions to the national interest; and

a mechanism to assess whether or not the applicant has the intent to commit criminal or terrorist acts after entering the United States. Advertisement

And it gives the Homeland Security 60 days to begin providing the president with the names of other countries to add to the list.

The order stops the State Department's entire U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days  and declares that refugees from Syria are not welcome until further notice.

After that period of time, refugees will be accepted only from countries that the State and Homeland Security Departments decide are safe to work with.

But the nation will limit the total refugee resettlement numbers to 50,000 per year.

The draft document on Trump's Air Force One desk referred to 'countries designated by Congress to pose a risk to national security.'

Human rights activists feared that the Trump administration aimed to end large portions of America's refugee resettlement program, particularly targeting displaced persons in terror-prone Middle Eastern nations.

As Trump signed the order, he read along: 'This is "the protection of the nation from foreign terrorists' entry into the United States".'

'We all know what that means,' he said, adding moments later: 'That's big stuff.'

The president's directives to DHS includes a demand for twice-yearly publication of statistics about terrorism in the U.S.

Those include how many foreign nationals have been charged with terror offenses or deported for terrorism or other national security reasons. Also on the list is the number of foreign nationals 'who have been radicalized after entry into the United States.'

And Trump is also ordering the agency to track 'acts of gender-based violence against women, including honor killings, in the United States by foreign nationals.

The White House said it would not release the executive order on Friday night, but later changed course and emailed it to reporters

Trump was at the Pentagon to oversee a ceremonial swearing-in of James Mattis as secretary of defense. The retired U.S. Marine Corps general formally took his oath of office a week ago, following quick Senate approval on Inauguration Day.

The president's critics immediately framed the 'vetting' order as the real-world incarnation of a December 2015 campaign promise to bring about 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on' with terrorism.

That position is still on Trump's presidential campaign website. In subsequent months Trump backed off that promise, saying his intention was a nation-specific halt to the entry of people who presented a high risk of harboring nefarious intentions.

He called it a philosophy of 'extreme vetting,' and railed against Democrat Hillary Clinton for wanting to expand the Obama-era refugee program by 550 per cent.

The U.S. has resettled tens of thousands of refugees from warn-torn Syria, something the Trump administration will indefinitely pause out of fears that jihadis will lurk among them

This Syrian refugee family including Ammar Kawkab and his wife Leila, relocated to San Diego

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) called the suspension of the U.S. resettlement program a 'harmful and hasty' decision that would impact thousands of innocent people  'mostly women and children.'

'America has the strongest, most successful resettlement program in the world,' said IRC President and CEO David Miliband. 'Certified by successive administrations, the U.S. resettlement program makes it harder to get to the United States as a refugee than any other route. This is one of many reasons to deplore the hasty decision made today.'

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education, said in a statement that she was 'heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war.'

Yousafzai noted the plight of 'Syrian refugee children, who have suffered through six years of war by no fault of their own,' and said they were being 'singled-out for discrimination.'

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas congressman, said that the U.S. is 'a compassionate nation and a country of immigrants. But as we know, terrorists are dead set on using our immigration and refugee programs as a Trojan Horse to attack us.'

Human rights advocate Malala Yousafzai criticized Trump's move as a heartless attack on helpless women and children

Malala complained about the plight of 'Syrian refugee children, who have suffered through six years of war by no fault of their own,' and said they were being 'singled-out for discrimination'

Trump expressed surprise during his White House run that Muslim refugees find an easier route to acceptance in the U.S. than Christians.

He told CBN News on Friday that his administration would do the reverse.

'We are going to help them,' he said. 'They've been horribly treated.'

'Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, at least very tough to get into the United States? If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible.'

'And the reason that was so unfair  everybody was persecuted, in all fairness  but they were chopping off the heads of everybody, but more so the Christians,' he said.

Trump's executive order declares that the U.S. will 'prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution.'

But that only applies when 'the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual's country of nationality.'
President Donald Trump directed a new U.S. military buildup during a visit to the Pentagon, where he vowed U.S. might would be unquestioned.

Trump made the visit to swear in retired General James Mattis to be his new Pentagon chief. He hailed Mattis as a 'generals general,' having obtained from Congress a waiver to allow him to oversee the Defense Department despite having been in uniform within the last seven years.

"Our military strength will be questioned by no one, but neither will our dedication to peace," Trump vowed.

He signed a directive calling for the buildup.

President Donald Trump directed a new U.S. military buildup during a visit to the Pentagon, where James Mattis was sworn in as the new secretary of defense

During the campaign, he called for an expansion of U.S. military might including increasing the U.S. fleet to 350 ships.

Trump called it 'a great rebuilding of the armed services of the United States.'

He said through the order the military would be 'developing a plan for new planes, new ships, new resources, and new tools for our men and women in uniform. And I'm very proud to be doing that.'

He predicted Congress would be 'very happy to see' the budget request being prepared.

'As we prepare our budget request for Congress, and I think Congress is going to be very happy to see it, our military strength will be questioned by no one, but neither will our dedication to peace. We do want peace,' he said.

President Donald J. Trump signs Executive Orders in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon

Trump made his remarks inside the Pentagon's hall of heroes.' The former military school student, who received deferments from the draft during Vietnam, was unstinting in his praise of the military.

'The men and women of the United States military are the greatest force for justice and peace and goodness that have ever walked the face of this earth. Your legacy exists everywhere in the world today, where people are more free, more prosperous and more secure because of the United States of America,' Trump said.

'And you have earned and ensured for our children the glorious birthright of freedom bestowed upon us by God. We stand today in the Hall of Heroes, great heroes, a testament to the undying courage of those who wear our nations uniform and have received the highest distinction, the Medal of Honor.'

Another draft executive action for President Trump could include the use of attack helicopters and artillery on the ground in a new tactic to try to destroy the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

The order, which the White House is preparing for Trump's signature, would require the Pentagon to produce new military options within 30 days, the New York Times reported.

Another draft memorandum would set up a 30-day review for 'rebuilding the U.S. armed forces.'

A draft of the military buildup order obtained by theWashington Post calls for a new Nuclear Posture Review to ensure that the U.S. nuclear triad is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st century threats and reassure our allies and partners, and achieve Presidential objectives should deterrence fail.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) is greeted by Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he arrives for his first day of work at the Pentagon

Here comes the cavalry: Attack helicopters - like these Apache AH-64s - could be deployed against ISIS in Raqqa

It calls for U.S. nuclear infrastructure to be sufficiently agile, flexible, and responsive to ensure its ability to support the deterrence and extended deterrence needs into the indefinite future.

Trump travels to the Pentagon Friday to swear-in retired Gen. James Mattis to become the new civilian head of the Defense Department. To be confirmed, Mattis required a special waiver from the Congress from a requirement that any Pentagon head be out of the military for seven years.

The draft order reviewed by the Times would provide Pentagon brass with 30 days to produce planning options within 30 days.

Trump is expected to sign the new directives during his Pentagon visit, after a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Times reported.

Presdident Donald Trump, who addressed Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia Thursday, visits the Pentagon on Friday

A helicopter participates in the final counter attack during the 5th annual joint Jordanian exercise Eager Lion with 18 nations including the U.S. on May 18, 2015 in the southeast desert of Wadi Shadiyah, Jordan

It wasn't immediately clear whether the new tactics would require the insertion of additional forces into Syria. In December, the U.S. sent an additional 200 troops there to join 300 special forces, the Times reported at the time.

The move came as a coalition of 45,000 forces, including 13,000 Arabs, approached the city.

The nuclear triad became a campaign issue in a 2015 CNN debe when Trump got asked about it and didn't appear to know what it was, after getting questioned about it directly by conservative moderator Hugh Hewitt.

'We have to be extremely vigilant and extremely careful when it comes to nuclear. Nuclear changes the whole ballgame,' Trump responded, 'The biggest problem we have is nuclear  nuclear proliferation and having some maniac, having some madman go out and get a nuclear weapon. That's in my opinion, that is the single biggest problem that our country faces right now.'

Hewitt asked him again about the triad, which relates to the bombers, missiles, and subs that carry nuclear weapons.

I think  I think, for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me,' Trump responded, avoiding the concept completely.

Rival, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, then jumped in with his own explanation of what the nuclear triad was.

Trump campaigned in part on a secret plan to defeat ISIS. He told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren in September 2015 that the plan was 'foolproof.'

'I do know what to do and I would know how to bring ISIS to the table or, beyond that, defeat ISIS very quickly. And Im not gonna tell you what it is tonight.'

He continued: 'If I win, I dont want the enemy to know what Im doing. Unfortunately, Ill probably have to tell at some point, but there is a method of defeating them quickly and effectively and having total victory ... All I can tell you is that it is a foolproof way of winning the war with ISIS and it will 100 per cent  at a minimum theyll come to the table and actually theyll be defeated very quickly.'

Trump said later in the campaign he would let his generals devise the plan.
Physicists have discovered a new form of matter that breaks the symmetry of time.

These crystals have a structure that repeats in time as they are kicked periodically, like the way Jell-O jiggles when it is tapped, and researchers say they represent one of the first examples of non-equilibrium matter.

Researchers have shown that time crystals can behave similarly to qubit systems, meaning they could one day be used in quantum computers.

Using the blueprint of University of California, Berkeley assistant professor Norman Yao, two research groups have already created them. To create time crystals, Chris Monroe and colleagues at the University of Maryland used 10 ytterbium ions whose electron spins interact

TIME CRYSTALS Just as crystals have an atomic structure that repeats in space, like the carbon lattice of a diamond, time crystals have a structure that repeats in time. According to Yao, these crystals are unable to settle down to a motionless equilibrium. Electrons are able to form crystals that dont match the underlying spatial symmetry of orderly three-dimensional atoms, the researcher explained. This breaks the symmetry of the material, creating the unique and stable properties of a crystal. In the case of the time crystals generated in the Maryland experiment, the magnetic field and laser fired at the ytterbium atoms created a repetition in the system that would not normally occur. Advertisement

Time crystals may sound like something out of science fiction, but using the blueprint of University of California, Berkeley assistant professor Norman Yao, two research groups have already created them.

Yao describes exactly how to make them and how to measure their properties in a paper published to Physical Review Letters.

The researcher also predicts what their various phases should be.

Just as crystals have an atomic structure that repeats in space, like the carbon lattice of a diamond, time crystals have a structure that repeats in time.

According to Yao, these crystals are unable to settle down to a motionless equilibrium.

This is a new phase of matter, period, but it is also really cool because it is one of the first examples of non-equilibrium matter, Yao said.

For the last half-century, we have been exploring equilibrium matter, like metal and insulators. We are just now starting to explore a whole new landscape of non-equilibrium matter.

To create time crystals, Chris Monroe and colleagues at the University of Maryland used 10 ytterbium ions whose electron spins interact.

The researchers alternately hit the ions with a laser to create a magnetic field, and used another laser to partially flip the spins of the atoms.

This sequence was repeated over and over.

According to Yao, electrons are able to form crystals that dont match the underlying spatial symmetry of orderly three-dimensional atoms.

This breaks the symmetry of the material, creating the unique and stable properties of a crystal.

In the case of the time crystals generated in the experiment, the magnetic field and laser fired at the ytterbium atoms created a repetition in the system that would not normally occur.

The researcher also predicts what their various phases should be. The diagram shows how changing the parameters can 'melt' a time crystal into a normal insulator or heat it up to a high temperature thermal state

Wouldnt it be super weird if you jiggled the Jell-O and found that somehow it responded at a different period? Yao said.

But that is the essence of the time crystal. You have some periodic driver that has a period T, but the system somehow synchronizes so that you observe the system oscillating with a period that is larger than T.

Another team at Harvard University also successfully created time crystals with Yao framework, using a different setup than the Maryland team.

It isnt yet clear what exactly time crystals will be used for, but some have proposed the use of non-equilibrium matter to revolutionize quantum computing.

Such similar results achieved in two wildly disparate systems underscore that time crystals are a broad new phase of matter, not simply a curiosity relegated to small or narrowly specific systems, wrote Phil Richerme of Indiana University, in a piece accompanying the paper.

Observation of the discrete time crystalconfirms that symmetry breaking can occur in essentially all natural realms and clears the way to several new avenues of research.
The first pictures claiming to show off Samsung's Galaxy S8 phone have been posted online.

They reveal the majority of the rumours surround the phone are correct - showing a larger device with no home button.

The image, obtained by VentureBeat, shows the larger of the two expected models, which are believed to have 5.8- and 6.2-inch AMOLED screens.

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The Galaxy S8: This picture shows the larger version of the handset, which has a 6.2inch 'infinity' curved screen and no home button. The fingerprint sensor used to unlock it is on the rear (right image).

'Samsung is preparing to unveil a pair of Galaxy S8 smartphones significantly different from past models, according to someone familiar with the companys plans,' VentureBeat said.

It claims they will be unveiled on March 29th.

The new range is expected to have processors made using Samsung's new 10-nanometer fabrication methods, which VentureBeat says makes them 11 percent faster than the Galaxy S7 overall, with 23 percent faster graphics processing, but still 20 percent more energy efficient.

the pictures also reveal a USB-C charging port and a headphone socket, scotching rumours Samsung was set to follow Apple and abandon it.

With no Home button to house the fingerprint sensor, it has been moved to the rear.

The Guardian first revealed details of the phone's 'infinity display'.

'The two smartphones are codenamed Dream and Dream 2, representing the smaller and larger Galaxy S8 respectively, according to two sources,' it said.

'Both versions will have screens that curve down at the left and right sides of the device similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge, two sources have said.'

Earlier this week it was revealed Samsung will not unveil its Galaxy S8 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade show in February this year as expected, it has been revealed.

The make or break handset will be the firm's first flagship launch since the disastrous Galaxy Note 7 launch, which led to a $4.5bn recall.

Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin confirmed the phone would not get a launch event at the MWC event in Barcelona, which begins on Feb. 27, unlike the previous Galaxy S smartphones.

According to the images, the Galaxy S8 Plus (pictured) measures 152.38 x 78.51 x 7.94mm, which would make it taller that the Samsung S7 edge. It would also have a 6.3 inch screen with curved sides

Koh did not comment on when the company planned to launch the new handset, the first premium model Samsung is due to release since the failure of its Note 7 flagship device in October over safety issues.

The firm showed off the Galaxy S7 on the sidelines of MWC in February 2016, and started selling the phones in March.

It comes as Samsung has blamed two separate battery issues for the fires that hit its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device last year, as it sought to draw a line under the humiliating recall.

The world's biggest smartphone maker was forced to discontinue the smartphone, originally intended to compete with Apple's iPhone, after a chaotic recall that saw replacement devices also catching fire.

The fiasco cost the South Korean company $5.3 billion (4.2 billion) in lost profit and reputational damage.

It came during a torrid period when it has also been embroiled in a corruption scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached.

Internal and independent investigations 'concluded that batteries were found to be the cause of the Note 7 incidents', Samsung said in a statement.

Samsung has blamed two separate battery issues for the fires that hit its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device last year, as it sought to draw a line under the humiliating recall

TWO MAJOR FLAWS The first issue was that the battery components in the Galaxy Note 7 did not fit in the battery's casing. This caused the battery cell's upper right corner to be crimped by the casing. The second round affected the devices sent to replace the original faulty phones. These were caused by manufacturing issues, including poor welding at the battery manufacturer. Advertisement

'We sincerely apologise for the discomfort and concern we have caused to our customers,' Koh Dong-Jin, the head of its mobile business, said bowing before hundreds of reporters and cameramen at a press conference in Seoul.

The first issue was that the battery components in the Galaxy Note 7 did not fit in the battery's casing.

This caused the battery cell's upper right corner to be crimped by the casing.

The second round affected the devices sent to replace the original faulty phones.

These were caused by manufacturing issues, including poor welding at the battery manufacturer.

Samsung is the most prominent unit of the giant Samsung group, South Korea's largest conglomerate with a revenue equivalent to about a fifth of the country's GDP.

Samsung has blamed lithium-ion batteries for causing its Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones to overheat and catch fire

It announced a recall of 2.5 million units of the oversized Galaxy Note 7 in September 2016 after several devices exploded or caught fire, with the company blaming batteries from a supplier, widely believed to be its sister firm Samsung SDI.

SAMSUNG'S GALAXY S8 RUMORS New renders of what could be Samsung Galaxy S8 have surfaced and they suggest the device will incorporate a dual-lens camera design and remove the home button for an edge-to-edge screen. It's speculated that Samsung could design a fingerprint-sensing display or place the feature behind the tempered glass. Because levels of concentration will be increased with a 'full screen', pictures and videos should be much clearer and even go so far as to produce a 3D effect. A recent render of what Samsung's Galaxy S8 is believed to look like. Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin confirmed today the phone would not get a launch event at the MWC event in Barcelona, which begins on Feb. 27, unlike the previous Galaxy S smartphones. Rumors suggest that pixels of the dual-cameras will support 16 megapixels and 8 megapixels. Another new addition to the Galaxy S8 could also be an upgraded Application process (AP) that corresponds to handset's brain. Sources say Samsung is going to start mas-producing 10-nano Snapdragon 830s, which will be used for Galaxy S8, at the end of this year at the earliest. The artist impression also shows the handset in four vibrant shades of red, blue, purple and yellow - another feature yet to be seen by Samsung users. Advertisement

When replacement phones - with batteries from another firm, largely thought to be Chinese manufacturer ATL - also started to combust, the company decided to kill off the Note 7 for good.

The first issue was that the battery components in the Galaxy Note 7 did not fit in the battery's casing. This caused the battery cell's upper right corner to be crimped by the casing

The world's biggest smartphone maker was forced to discontinue the smartphone, originally intended to compete with Apple's iPhone, after a chaotic recall that saw replacement devices also catching fire. Pictured is a test in which the Galaxy S7 battery caught fire under pressure

As many as 1.9 million of the phones were sold in the US, where authorities banned the device from use on planes and even from being placed in checked luggage.

Airlines around the world issued similar prohibitions.

The firm has since embarked on a campaign to restore its battered reputation, issuing repeating apologies and putting full-page advertisements in prominent US newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post admitting that it 'fell short' on its promises.

Analysts said that Samsung was looking to move on from the crisis with the announcement, which did not implicate other devices.

'Consumers tend to be forgiving the first time,' said Tom Kang, research director at Counterpoint Technology. 'But if it happens again, it will leave a lasting mark on Samsung's quality and brand image.'

Samsung had concentrated on innovative design, thinness and battery capacity rather than safety, he said.

The firm's next model, the Galaxy S8, had been expected to be unveiled at next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but Samsung's Koh said it would be delayed to ensure that it had no safety issues.

The second round affected the devices sent to replace the original faulty phones. These were caused by manufacturing issues, including poor welding at the battery manufacturer

Koh Dong-Jin, president of Samsung Electronics Mobile Communications Business apologises for the faults in its Galaxy Note 7 devices that led to their recall

Analysts said that Samsung was looking to move on from the crisis with the announcement, which did not implicate other devices. Pictured is the Galaxy S7

Customers whose devices spontaneously set on fire shared their pictures since the first incidents were reported in August

Samsung deployed around 700 researchers and engineers on its investigation, testing more than 200,000 fully-assembled devices and more than 30,000 batteries, it said.

It did not identify the battery makers on Monday, but independent investigators UL and Exponent agreed with the findings.

Battery A had a design issue that pushed down the right corner of the battery, while Battery B had defective internal welds, said Kevin White, principal scientist at Exponent.

But Koh dismissed the possibility of suing the manufacturers.

'Whatever parts we use, the overall responsibility falls to us for failing to verify its safety and quality,' he said. 'At this point, I don't think it's right to seek legal action.

GIRL, 13, SUFFERS MINOR BURN FROM NOTE 7 REPLACEMENT A Minnesota father says his daughter suffered a minor burn to her thumb when her replacement Samsung smartphone melted in her hand last week. Andrew Zuis of Farmington, Minn., said his daughter, Abby, was holding the Galaxy Note 7 in her left hand Friday when it melted. Zuis saidthat the family had acquired the new phone on the day the replacement phones were released. There had been no problem with the original phone, he said. 'She's done with Note 7s right now,' Zuis said of his daughter. Reports of more replacement phones catching fire continued 'It's very fortunate Abby was not injured and was holding the phone,' Zuis said. 'If it was in her pocket, I think it would have been a whole different situation. I'm just very disappointed in Samsung and their product.' Zuis provided KSTP-TV with receipts showing that the family bought a Galaxy Note 7 in August and then exchanged it Sept. 21 after Samsung announced the recall. Andrew Zuis, of Farmington, Minn., showed the replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone belonging to his 13-year-old daughter Abby, that melted in her hand 'She's done with Note 7s right now,' Zuis said of his daughter. A Samsung representative told KSTP that an investigation is underway. 'We want to reassure our customers that we take every report seriously and we are engaged with the Zuis family to ensure we are doing everything we can for them and their daughter,' the representative said in a statement. Advertisement

Around 1,000 different parts from some 450 suppliers were needed for each Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung acknowledged that it provided the specifications for the batteries, adding in its statement: 'We have taken several corrective actions to ensure this never happens again. The lessons of the past several months are now deeply reflected in our processes and in our culture.'

The firm, which is set to announce fourth-quarter and full-year results on Tuesday, has estimated the cost of the recall at $5.3 billion.

But investors welcomed today's announcement with Samsung shares trading up 1.9 percent at 1.90 million won in Seoul in the afternoon.

The firm has separately been caught up in South Korea's wide-ranging political corruption scandal, with prosecutors last week seeking the arrest of its vice-chairman Lee Jae-Yong on charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury.

Lee, who became Samsung's de facto head after his father suffered a heart attack in 2014, is accused of bribing Choi Soon-Sil, Park's secret confidante at the centre of the scandal, and receiving policy favours from Park in return.
The skeleton of a medieval leprosy victim found in one of Britain's earliest known hospitals has shed light on the history of the disfiguring disease.

The remains of a young man, between the age of 18 and 25, were found in the St Mary Magdalen leprosarium near Winchester, Hampshire.

Researchers suggests the man was a religious pilgrim from Spain who may have caught the disease while travelling around Europe.

They discovered that, at least in his death, he was given a traditional pilgrim burial and was not treated as an outcast.

The skeleton of a medieval leprosy victim found in one of Britain's earliest known hospitals has shed light on the history of the disfiguring disease. Researchers suggests the man was a religious pilgrim who may have caught the disease while travelling around Europe

HOW IT SPREAD The skeleton has allowed scientists explore different ways in which leprosy could have reached Western Europe. A common theory about leprosy that it reached Europe with the Crusades. But remains at leprosy hospital at Winchester date to before the Crusades. Researchers say this suggests that the pilgrim contracted the disease another way. Pilgrims would have travelled extensively and come into contact with a variety people. They may have picked it up on their journeys across Europe and then helped spread it around. Advertisement

University of Winchester scientists believe the disease became widespread in Europe in the Middle Ages because of religious pilgrimages.

Winchester was a key focal point for pilgrimages because it was full of shrines and hospitals in the 12th century.

'From the 11th Century to the 14th Century in Western Europe we get an unprecedented rise in the foundation of leprosy hospitals,' Dr Simon Roffey, of the University of Winchester told BBC News.

'Why is leprosy - which has been around for centuries - suddenly finding its way and impacting so much on Western European society at that time?

'This one individual gives us an insight into one of the reasons why this disease found its way into a medieval society.'

The bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis afflicted humans for thousands of years and reached epidemic levels during the Middle Ages.

And although people continue to be affected by the disease today scientists found that the M. leprae genome has not significantly changed since the disease peaked in Medieval Europe.

This might explain a decline in disease transmission as resistance may have developed over time.

And the remains of the leprosy sufferer showed how far pilgrims travelled.

He was aged 18 to 25 of some means and prestige who died in the 11th to 12th century when pilgrimages were at their height in Europe.

Archaeologists from the universities of Winchester and Surrey found the man was not from the Winchester area and possibly Spanish because of the rare find of a scallop shell buried with him.

Although people continue to be affected by the disease today scientists found that the M. leprae genome has not significantly changed since the disease peaked in Medieval Europe. Pictured is the St Mary Magdalen leprosarium site in Winchester where the skeleton was found

The shell was only given to those who completed the journey to the shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Reader in Medieval Archaeology Dr Simon Roffey at Winchester said: 'Pilgrimage to the shrine at Compostela grew particularly popular in the late 11th and early 12th century with the waning of Muslim attacks on the Iberian peninsula.

'The Santiago pilgrimage, together with Jerusalem and Rome, represented one of the three great pilgrimages of the medieval period and Santiago was the only place permitted to distribute scallop shells under pain of excommunication, although 'fake' shells were also thought to have been sold during the medieval period. '

The remains of the young man, between the age of 18 and 25, were found in the St Mary Magdalen leprosarium near Winchester, Hampshire

LEPROSY TODAY Leprosy is officially a disease of the past, relegated to the annals of history with conditions such as smallpox and bubonic plague. In 2000, the World Health Organization said that leprosy, a disease long associated with biblical times, was no longer a public health problem with a rate of less than one case per 10,000 people. But more than 210,000 people across the globe still contract it annually. The disease, which affects the skin and nerves, causing grave damage to the hands, feet and eyes, is spread by close contact between people, particularly those living in poverty. Advertisement

There were four main routes leading to the shrine of St James.

The first went through Saint-Gilles du Gard, Montpellier, Toulouse and Somport, while the second went by Notre Dame du Puy, Sainte-Foy of Conques and Saint-Pierre de Moissac.

Another went through St Mary Magdalene Vezelay, Saint-Leonard Limousin and the city of Perigueux, while the last goes through St Martin of Tours , St Hilary of Poitiers, Saint-Jean d'Angely , St Eutropius of Saintes and the city of Bordeaux.

Tests showed the shell came from the Atlantic or Galician coast in north west Spain.

But even if he was a foreigner his presence would not have been unusual as Winchester housed several important relics.

There were four main routes leading to the shrine of St James. One went through Saint-Gilles du Gard, Montpellier, Toulouse and Somport, while the second went by Notre Dame du Puy, Sainte-Foy of Conques and Saint-Pierre de Moissac

It was also at a crossroads on pilgrim routes stretching from Glastonbury in the west to Canterbury in the east, Reading Abbey to the north and the port of Southampton to the south.

Dr Roffey added: 'Lepromatous or multibacillary leprosy is the more severe form of the disease, which lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from tuberculoid, or paucibacillary, leprosy.

'The two forms are manifestations of the same disease process, which is solely dependent on the immune response of the affected individual.

'This leprosy hospital was an early foundation, probably dating back to the decades immediately following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Scientists discovered that, at least in his death, the leprosy victim was was given a traditional pilgrim burial and was not treated as an outcast. The man was not from the Winchester area and possibly Spanish because of the rare find of a scallop shell buried with him

'The leprosarium at Winchester is one of the earliest excavated examples from Western Europe and has been the subject of a series of recent academic papers.

'The site is remarkable for the high number of burials displaying skeletal lesions characteristic of leprosy (86 per cent) and the state of preservation of biomolecular markers of the disease, including mycolipids and DNA.

'Genotyping of the M. leprae strain showed this belonged to the 2F lineage, today associated with cases from South-Central and Western Asia.'

This strain has been found in Scandinavia as well as from two other individuals from St. Mary Magdalen.

PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF ST JAMES The shell was only given to those who completed the journey to the shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. There were four main routes leading to the shrine of St James. The first went through Saint-Gilles du Gard, Montpellier, Toulouse and Somport, while the second went by Notre Dame du Puy, Sainte-Foy of Conques and Saint-Pierre de Moissac. Another went through St Mary Magdalene Vezelay, Saint-Leonard Limousin and the city of Perigueux, while the last goes through St Martin of Tours , St Hilary of Poitiers, Saint-Jean d'Angely , St Eutropius of Saintes and the city of Bordeaux. Advertisement

He added: 'The occurrence of a type 2F strain in the man would also be consistent with someone widely travelled or of possible foreign origin.

'And the presence of two strain types at Winchester may reflect separate introductions of the disease into southern Britain by movement of settlers in the past.'

He said while other M. leprae strains examined at the Winchester leprosy cemetery were also of type 2F, the strain sampled from the skeleton presented in the paper was found to be genetically distinct from these isolates.

The excavation also allowed scientists to learn about the strain of leprosy the pilgrim contracted.

However, it remains unclear at what point during or following his pilgrimage he contracted leprosy.

'We cannot be sure of where he spent his early life.

'We do not know if he was already resident in the leprosarium before his pilgrimage, or whether he contracted the disease abroad and returned to Britain to end his life at St Mary Magdalen.'
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Kodak is bringing back traditional film due to overwhelming consumer demand.

The photography company said that it plans to start selling its Ektachrome film before the end of the year, with others to follow.

Ektachrome was phased out in 2012 but among professional filmmakers there has been a 'resurgence' in sales, Kodak said.

This picture shows a group of young girls going to school in Romania. It was taken on Kodak Ektachrome film, as seen by the distinctive grainy image. Ektachrome which was phased out in 2012 is making a return

A bikini-clad woman breaks tradition on a crowded beach near the city of Beirut Lebanon. Ektachrome has a particular look with very fine grain, good contrasts and clean colours

THE BENEFITS OF EKTACHROME FILM Ektachrome has a particular look with very fine grain, good contrasts and clean colours. It was developed in the 1940s and allowed photographers to do colour reversals when developing pictures themselves. Kodak is currently working on a new kind of emulsion that meets new environmental regulations before it relaunches the film. Advertisement

The turnaround is the latest instance of old technology coming back because consumers do not want to let it go.

An element of nostalgia and charm is behind the increase interest but people find that it can do things digital machines simply cannot do.

Steven Overman, Kodak's chief marketing officer and president of the Consumer and Film Division said it was a 'privilege' to bring back Ektachrome film.

Ektachrome has a particular look with very fine grain, good contrasts and clean colours.

It was developed in the 1940s and allowed photographers to do colour reversals when developing pictures themselves.

Kodak is currently working on a new kind of emulsion that meets new environmental regulations before it relaunches the film.

Pictured is a photograph inside Gemini IX of Lieutenant Commander Eugene Cernan taken during the Gemini IX mission in 1966 on Ektachrome film. Ektachrome has a particular look with very fine grain, good contrasts and clean colours

An image of Stone Henge in Wiltshire taken on Ektachrome in 1963. Ektachrome was phased out in 2012 but among professional filmmakers there has been a 'resurgence' in sales

The Hershey Chocolate Factory in Pennsylvania (left) was captured on a 110 camera using Kodak Ektachrome slide film. Ektachrome was developed in the 1940s and allowed photographers to do colour reversals when developing pictures themselves

This image shows an aerial view of the Winslow Arizona Meteor Crater, taken with a 35mm Exakta VX, using Ektachrome film. The film has a distinctive look that was the choice for generations of cinematographers

Mr Overman said: 'We are seeing a broad resurgence of excitement about capturing images on film.

'Kodak is committed to continuing to manufacture film as an irreplaceable medium for image creators to capture their artistic vision. We are proud to help bring back this classic'.

Dennis Olbrich, president of the imaging, paper, photo chemicals and film division at Kodak Alaris, which took over Kodak's film photography businesses, told TIME magazine that they were responding to consumer demand.

In 1962 this picture of the Wawona Tunnel Tree was captured in the Yosemite Park. It was taken with an Exakta VX 35mm camera, using Ektachrome slide film

Pictured is the Wolf Racing Team at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1979 taken using Ektachrome film. An element of nostalgia and charm is behind the increased interest in the film but people find that it can do things digital machines simply cannot do

He said that the rise in sales 'gave us some confidence to start to look at what films would we consider to bring back into the marketplace'.

Mr Olbrich said that he was not sure if the popular Kodachrome will be among the films to be brought back, but he conceded it was 'much more likely' others would return first.

Kodak was founded in 1888 in Rochester, New York, by George Eastman, an entrepreneur and inventor.

This adoarble image shows a fawn licking the chin of a girl who had rubbed her face with salt in Camp Sebago Wohelo, Sebago Lake, Maine

A closeup view of the Skylab space station is photographed against an Earth background. This picture was taken with a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad camera, and Ektachrome film

Though very different in nature, both of these images were taken using Ektachrome film. Pictured left is the Mirror Lake, in Yosemite National Park, and pictured right is a riot in Copenhagen in 1980

A San Francisco cable car is pictured being turned around at the end of the line. The picture was taken with an Exakta VX 35mm camera using Ektachrome slide film, which was used for both photography and motion picture

The entrance to the San Diego zoo was photographed on Ektachrome and Elite Chrome film in 1962. The film generates a positive image that can be viewed or projected once it is exposed and processed

In 1963 the hugely successful Instamatic camera was released and Kodak sold it with the slogan: 'You press the button, we do the rest'.

Kodak was unable to adapt to the digital age and in 2012 the company filed for bankruptcy. It launched its first digital camera in 2015 but it failed.

Last year Kodak tried again with the the Kodak Ektra, a 449 smartphone running Google's Android operating system with all the functionality of a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera.

Kodak's announcement comes after a resurgence in old technology including vinyl which now makes musicians more money than Internet streaming.

The lights of Manhattan's skyline stretch out to the horizon in this stunning image of New York City. It was taken using Ektachrome film

A close-up view of the lunar roving vehicle (LRV) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site photographed during Apollo 17 lunar surface extravehicular activity is shown left, taken on Ektachrome in 1972. An example of the sharp colours the film can produce is shown on the right in the image of tub of milk taken in 1979

This candid moment was captured on Ektachrome film. It shows a group of people surrounding an actress to read a review on opening night in New York City

The original Kodak Ektra camera was considered a breakthrough when it launched in 1941. Kodak was unable to adapt to the digital age and in 2012 the company filed for bankruptcy. It launched its first digital camera in 2015 but it failed

More than three million records were sold in the UK last year, the highest in 25 years.

The figure of 3.2 million is a rise of 53 per cent on the previous year, according to the British Phonographic Industry.

Some record shops have even started stocking cassettes again - because consumers want them back.
Donald Trump caused a Doomsday Clock symbolising the threat of apocalypse to move closer to midnight yesterday.

The new 'time', two and a half minutes to midnight, is the closest the planet has been to an apocalypse since 1953 - mainly due to the threat of climate change or nuclear warfare.

Now, in light of the change, millions of people have been trending explaining how to survive a nuclear attack, and some of the best tips for surviving a nuclear attack have been revealed.

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Donald Trump caused a Doomsday Clock symbolising the threat of apocalypse to move closer to midnight. The new 'time', two and a half minutes to midnight, is the closest the planet has been to an apocalypse since 1953 - mainly due to the threat of nuclear warfare. Stock image

HOW TO SURVIVE A NUCLEAR BOMB Pack an emergency supply kit containing water and non-perishable food items. When a nuclear bomb goes off, it sends out radiation that can ruin your mobile phone and laptop, so preparing battery-powered radios for communication is wise. For the blast, it is important to get as much concrete between you and the blast as possible. For the fall-out it's important to have thick walls and a thick roof, he says, and in a house it is a good idea to blockade all the windows. But if you are outside and know the blast is coming, you might have time to get to a better shelter. First you should get on the ground with your hands behind your head and brace yourself for the blast. Never look at the blast, because it can cause you to go blind temporarily. The, after the blast, you have 30 minutes to get to the best place. Once you get inside remove your clothes and clean yourself straight away and blow your nose, to stop the radioactive materials from spreading, and do not use conditioner. If you cannot have a shower, wipe yourself with a wet cloth. Advertisement

One of these videos has been created by Toronto0based YouTubers Gregory Brown and Mitchell Moffit.

PACK AN EMERGENCY SUPPLY KIT

The pair advises packing an emergency supply kit containing water and non-perishable food items.

When a nuclear bomb goes off, it sends out radiation that can ruin your mobile phone and laptop, so preparing battery-powered radios for communication is essential.

Experts expect electronic devices thousands of miles away could be affected by the electromagnetic pulse sent out by a bomb.

FIND A SHELTER

Shelters are the next important safety step.

'There's a difference between a blast shelter and a fall-out shelter,' says Gregory Brown.

For the blast, it is important to get as much concrete between you and the blast as possible.

In a house, go to the basement, and in a high-rise, get to the middle of the building away from windows.

For the fall-out it's important to have thick walls and a thick roof, he says, and in a house it is a good idea to blockade all the windows.

It takes radioactive materials two weeks to decay, so stock up on two weeks' worth of food and water.

BRACE YOURSELF

But if you are outside and know the blast is coming, you might have time to get to a better shelter, but first you should get on the ground with your hands behind your head and brace yourself.

Never look at the blast, because it can cause you to go blind temporarily.

CLEAN YOURSELF

If you get inside remove your clothes and clean yourself straight away and blow your nose, to stop the radioactive materials from spreading, and do not use conditioner.

If you cannot have a shower, wipe yourself with a wet cloth.

After a blast you have 30 minutes to find the best shelter, so the pair suggest finding a dedicated safe-house that can be accessed from your home and work within 30 minutes.

The pair, who together run the channel AsapSCIENCE, also shared another video entitled 'What If We Have A Nuclear War?', detailing what to expect after an explosion.

Millions of people have been trending explaining how to survive a nuclear attack, and some of the best tips for surviving a nuclear attack have been revealed. About 35 per cent of the energy of the bomb would be released in the form of heat (diagram shown)

Those closer by would experience burns from the heat, with third degree burns affecting those within a 5 mile (8km) radius

'The impact of a single nuclear bomb depends on many factors like the weather, weapon design, geographical layout of where the bomb hits and if it explodes in the air or on the ground' the pair said in the video.

About 35 per cent of the energy of the bomb would be released in the form of heat.

This, and the light from the bomb, would travel much faster than the sound of it and so could come several seconds before - and cause what is known as 'flash blindness', temporary blindness for a few minutes.

Flash blindness could affect people up to 13 miles away (21 km) on a clear day and 50 miles away (81km) on a clear night, they said, if the bomb is 1 megaton.

Most of the bomb's energy is felt in the blast, in a sudden change of air pressure that can crush buildings, which would likely kill anyone when they fell. Winds up to 158 miles per hour (255km/h) would affect people up to 3.7 miles (6km) away

Those closer by would experience burns from the heat, with third degree burns affecting those within a 5 mile (8km) radius.

Most of the bomb's energy is felt in the blast, in a sudden change of air pressure that can crush buildings, which would likely kill anyone when they fell.

Winds up to 158 miles per hour (255km/h) would affect people up to 3.7 miles (6km) away, causing dangerous objects to fly around.

A terrifying interactive map revealed last year lets you see what the terrible effects of nuclear fallout might look it if a similar bomb was to be dropped on your location.

The creator of the map, called WouldISurviveANuke.com, says that it is designed to show that 'there really is no surviving a nuclear war.'

A terrifying interactive map revealed last year lets you see what the terrible effects of nuclear fallout might look it if a similar bomb was to be dropped on your location

WHAT IS THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK? The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock face, representing a countdown to possible global catastrophe. The decision to move, or leave the clock alone, is made by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, in consultation with the bulletin's Board of Sponsors, which includes 16 Nobel laureates. The clock has become a universally recognised indicator of the world's vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies in life sciences. Advertisement

Lawrence Krauss and David Titley, who manage the Doomsday Clock, said the US president's policies on climate change and nuclear weapons were largely to blame for the change.

'The United States now has a president who has promised to impede progress on both of those fronts,' the pair said.

'Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person,' the two scientists wrote in a statement.

'But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter.'

The group also addressed other issues including the threat of nuclear weapons being built by North Korea, India and Pakistan, Russia and China.

A Doomsday Clock symbolising the threat of apocalypse has moved closer to midnight, because of Donald Trump. Researchers who manage the clock announce the new 'time', two and a half minutes to midnight, in an event that was live streamed yesterday (pictured)

A Doomsday Clock symbolising the threat of apocalypse has moved closer to midnight, partly because of Donald Trump. Researchers who manage the clock announce the new 'time' in an event that was live streamed yesterday

'A rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trump's comments on nuclear arms and climate issues, a darkening global security landscape that is colored by increasingly sophisticated technology, and a growing disregard for scientific expertise,' the group said in a statement.

The clear need for climate action is an important one, the researchers said.

'The continued warming of the world measured in 2016 underscores one clear fact: Nothing is fundamentally amiss with the scientific understanding of climate physics,' the researchers wrote.'

The Doomsday Clock was established in 1947 to provide a simple way of demonstrating the danger to the Earth and humanity posed by nuclear war

WHY IS TRUMP TO BLAME? Researchers who manage the clock said US president's policies on climate change and nuclear weapons were largely to blame for the change. In their op-ed  headlined 'Thanks to Trump, the Doomsday Clock Advances Toward Midnight'  they wrote: 'We understand that Mr Trump has been in office only days, that many of his cabinet nominees are awaiting confirmation and that he has had little time to take official action. 'But Mr Trump's statements and actions have been unsettling. 'He has made ill-considered comments about expanding and even deploying the American nuclear arsenal. 'He has expressed disbelief in the scientific consensus on global warming. 'He has shown a troubling propensity to discount or reject expert advice related to international security. 'And his nominees to head the Energy Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and the Budget have disputed or questioned climate change.' Advertisement

'I hope the debate engendered by the 2017 setting of the Clock raises the level of conversation, promotes calls to action, and helps citizens around the world hold their leaders responsible for delivering a safer and healthier planet,' said Dr Rachel Bronson, executive director of the Bulletin.

'Nuclear weapons and climate change are precisely the sort of complex existential threats that cannot be properly managed without access to and reliance on expert knowledge,' said Lawrence Krauss.

In 2015 the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an expert group formed in 1945, adjusted the Doomsday Clock two minutes forward and took it to three minutes to midnight.

That sent a message that the Earth was closer to oblivion than any time since the early days of hydrogen bomb testing and 1984, when US-Soviet relations reached 'their iciest point in decades'.

Members of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists deliver remarks on the 2017 time for the 'Doomsday Clock' January 26, 2017 in Washington, DC

RECOMMENDATIONS TO MOVE THE CLOCK BACK Last year, t he Bulletin statement accompanying the Doomsday Clock announcement identified the following as the most urgently needed: Dramatically reduce proposed spending on nuclear weapons modernization programs.

Re-energize the disarmament process, with a focus on results.

Engage North Korea to reduce nuclear risks.

Follow up on the Paris accord with actions that sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fulfill the Paris promise of keeping warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

Deal now with the commercial nuclear waste problem.

Create institutions specifically assigned to explore and address potentially catastrophic misuses of new technologies. Advertisement

Last year the clock's hands, which have moved forwards and backwards in different years over the past decades, remained unchanged.

A statement accompanying the 2016 Doomsday Clock decision read: 'Three minutes (to midnight) is too close.

'Far too close.

'We, the members of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, want to be clear about our decision not to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock in 2016: That decision is not good news, but an expression of dismay that world leaders fail to focus their efforts and the world's attention on reducing the extreme danger posed by nuclear weapons and climate change.

'When we call these dangers existential, that is exactly what we mean: They threaten the very existence of civilization and therefore should be the first order of business for leaders who care about their constituents and their countries.'

The Bulletin was founded by concerned US scientists involved in the Manhattan Project that developed the world's first nuclear weapons during the Second World War.

In 1947 they established the Doomsday Clock to provide a simple way of demonstrating the danger to the Earth and humanity posed by nuclear war.

Researchers who manage the clock announce the new 'time' in an event that was live streamed yesterday, making it the closest the planet has been to an apocalypse since 1953

In 2015 the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an expert group formed in 1945, adjusted the Doomsday Clock two minutes forward and took it to three minutes to midnight

Now the Bulletin is an independent non-profit organisation run by some of the world's most eminent scientists.

The Doomsday Clock now not only takes into account the likelihood of nuclear Armageddon but also other emerging threats such as climate change and advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

Last month the Bulletin dropped a strong hint Doomsday might be about to edge nearer.

In a statement the scientists said: 'Tensions between the United States and Russia that remain at levels reminiscent of the Cold War, the danger posed by climate change, and nuclear proliferation concerns, including the recent North Korean nuclear test, are the main factors influencing the decision about any adjustment that may be made to the Doomsday Clock.'

The closest the clock has ever come to striking midnight was in 1953, when the time was set at two minutes to 12.

It was in that year that the US took the decision to upgrade its nuclear arsenal with the hydrogen bomb, 'a weapon far more powerful than any atomic bomb'.
When people have love troubles they tend to go to their family or closest friends for advice, or in some cases approach a professional.

But they could soon have another option to choose from.

A Japanese technology company, NTT Resonant, is inventing a robot designed to dish out love advice.

A Japanese technology company, NTT Resonant, is hoping to help by inventing a robot designed to dish out love advice. The system, called Oshi-el, can show sympathy, suggest a solution to the problem and add a comment of encouragement. Stock image

WHAT OSHI-EL DOES The researchers taught Oshi-el using 190,000 questions and 770,000 answers from the company's own forum. It can show sympathy, suggest a solution to your problem and add a comment and note of encouragement. It still sounds a little bit robotic, with responses like: 'I can see this is a difficult time for you. I understand your feelings.' But it is the first AI designed to answer non-factoid questions, the researchers say. Advertisement

The system, called Oshi-el, can show sympathy, suggest a solution to your problem and add a comment of encouragement.

'Most chatbots today are only able to give you very short answers, and mainly just for factual questions,' Makoto Nakatsuji at NTT Resonant told New Scientist.

'Questions about love, especially in Japan, can often be a page long and complicated.

'They include a lot of context like family or school, which makes it hard to generate long and satisfying answers.'

The researchers taught Oshi-el using 190,000 questions and 770,000 answers from the company's own forum.

It still sounds somewhat robotic, with responses like: 'I can see this is a difficult time for you. I understand your feelings.'

It is the first AI designed to answer non-factoid questions, the researchers say.

In a new paper, the researchers outline the problem of existing AI when it comes to love advice.

'They can not understand the ambiguous use of words in the questions as word usage can strongly depend on the context, e.g. the word 'relationship' has quite different meanings in the categories of Love advice and other categories,' the authors said in the paper.

'As a result, the accuracies of their answer selections are not good enough.'

Another problem is 'the current methods can only select from among the answers held by QA sites and can not generate new ones' they added.

In a new paper, the researchers outline the problem of existing AI when it comes to love advice. They say current AI cannot understand the ambiguous use of words in the questions, as word usage can strongly depend on the context

To give the robot some context, Oshi-el selects and combines sentences from a database, based on the words in the question.

'Our evaluation shows that our method achieves 20 per cent higher accuracy in answer construction than the method based on the current best answer selection method,' the authors wrote.

The researchers hope to improve on the accuracy of the algorithm, but cannot get the funding.

'It's hard to get money for love,' Dr Nakatsuji said.

'If we develop it for travel, we will be able to monetise it through hotels or restaurants.'
If you're passing through Tokyo Narita Airport, there's a good chance your pre-flight dinner could be cleared up by a robot.

Panasonic has started testing its HOSPI service robots at the airport to help combat 'labour shortages' in Japan.

The firm hopes if the Dalek-style robots are a success in the airport, they could be drafted in to help deal with the influx of tourists for the 2020 Olympics.

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Panasonic has begun testing service robots at the international airport to help combat 'labour shortages' in Japan

HOSPI SERVICE ROBOTS The robots were originally developed to be used in healthcare, delivering drugs around hospitals. Pre-installed mapping information allows HOSPI to move autonomously. An on-board sensor helps it to move around avoiding obstacles, and stop if a person suddenly runs in front of it. The robots are now being trialled both at Narita International Airport, and at the nearby ANA Crowne Plaza Narita hotel. Advertisement

Panasonic's HOSPI service robots were originally developed to be used in healthcare, delivering drugs around hospitals.

But the robots are now being trialled both at Narita International Airport, and at the nearby ANA Crowne Plaza Narita hotel.

HOSPI can move autonomously thanks to pre-installed mapping information.

It also has a high-performance sensor on board, which helps it to move around avoiding obstacles and stop if a person suddenly runs in front of it.

'As we head towards 2020, Japan will welcome more visitors from overseas, and also face labour shortages as the birth rate declines and society ages,' said Ryosuke Murai, a manager at the Robotics Business Promotion Department at Panasonic.

'With our personal care robots, we, at Panasonic, hope to realize a safe, secure lifestyle.'

The robots will take part in a five-day trial at the airport, during which time customers will be asked to answer a questionnaire about the practicality of using the robot.

The firm hopes that if the Dalek-style robots are a success in the airport, they could be drafted in to help deal with the influx of tourists for the 2020 Olympics

HOSPI can move autonomously thanks to pre-installed mapping information. It also has a high-performance sensor on board, which helps it to move around avoiding obstacles, and halt if a person suddenly runs in front of it

Speaking to Japan News, an airport operator official said: 'We aim to find services that can be handled by robots to prepare for envisioned labour shortages due to population declines, as well as the expected increase in the number of passengers for the Tokyo Olympics.'

At the moment there are no plans to introduce the HOPI to the Narita International Airport and nearby hotel permanently.
NASA today opened an exhibit honoring the astronauts in the Apollo 1 fire  50 years to the day they died.

The hatch from the burning spacecraft is the main draw, and had been concealed, along with the capsule, for a half-century.

It comes as Buzz Aldrin led tributes to Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee with an emotional tweet describing White as 'my best friend.'

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Part of the Apollo 1 exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center: All three layers of the hatch underwent preservation, but were not altered in any way. The white outer hatch is still discolored and pitted, with what looks to be charring in an upper corner. The middle hatch appears darkened. The orange inner hatch is scuffed.

APOLLO 1 MISSION On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204). The mission was to be the first crewed flight of Apollo, and was scheduled to launch Febuary 21, 1967. Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the command module. The exhaustive investigation of the fire and extensive reworking of the Apollo command modules postponed crewed launches until Nasa officials cleared them for flight. Advertisement

'Today is the 50th Anniversary of the #apollo1 fire,' he tweeted.

'We didn't only lose fellow astronauts. We lost friends. #EdWhite was my best friend.'

Moonwalkers and dozens of others who took part in NASA's storied Apollo program paid tribute Thursday to the three astronauts killed in a fire 50 years ago.

On the eve of the Apollo 1 anniversary, hundreds gathered at Kennedy Space Center to honor Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. They died during a countdown rehearsal at the launch pad, inside their burning spacecraft, on Jan. 27, 1967

On Friday's anniversary, the hatch that trapped Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee inside their capsule at the launch pad finally went on display.

The public exhibit at Florida's Kennedy Space Center also includes the redesigned hatch on the spacecraft that sent men to the moon.

Called 'Ad Astra Per Aspera - A Rough Road Leads to the Stars', the tribute exhibit carries the blessings of the families of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Roger Chaffee.

It showcases clothing, tools and models that define the men as their parents, wives and children saw them as much as how the nation viewed them.

The tribute was dedicated during a ceremony at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 27, on the 50th anniversary of the fatal fire.

It stands only a few miles from the long-abandoned Launch Complex 34, the launch pad where the fire took place.

On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204).

Buzz Aldrin led tributes to Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee with an emotional tweet describing White as 'my best friend.'

The pad was dismantled in 1968 after the launch of Apollo 7.

The new tribute features displays that tell the full story of the lives of the astronauts, the fire and the painstaking work the NASA team put in to rebound from the devastating loss.

'Ultimately, this is a story of hope, because these astronauts were dreaming of the future that is unfolding today,' said former astronaut Bob Cabana, center director at Kennedy.

'Generations of people around the world will learn who these brave astronauts were and how their legacies live on through the Apollo successes and beyond.'

'This lets you now meet Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee as members of special families and also as members of our own family,' said NASA's Luis Berrios, who co-led the tribute design that would eventually involve more than 100 designers, planners and builders to realize.

'You get to know some of the things that they liked to do and were inspired by. You look at the things they did and if anyone does just one of those things, it's a lifetime accomplishment and they did all of it and more.'

After seeing the hatches, visitors will walk through a gateway and down the same metal walkway astronauts used later to get to the Apollo spacecraft as it stood on a Saturn V rocket poised for the moon.

'Grissom, White, Chaffee, President Kennedy - I think these names are appropriately mentioned together,' said Michael Collins, the command module pilot for Apollo 11.

WHAT KSC VISITORS WILL SEE Called 'Ad Astra Per Aspera - A Rough Road Leads to the Stars', the tribute exhibit carries the blessings of the families of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Roger Chaffee. It showcases clothing, tools and models that define the men as their parents, wives and children saw them as much as how the nation viewed them. In this undated photo made available by NASA, from left, astronauts Roger Chaffee, Edward White II, and Virgil Grissom, practice for their launch test in the Apollo Mission Simulator at Cape Kennedy, Fla. During a launch pad test on Jan. 27, 1967, a flash fire erupted inside their capsule killing the three Apollo crew members. For Grissom, one of NASA's Original Seven astronauts who flew the second Mercury mission, a hunting jacket and a pair of ski boots are on display, along with a small model of the Mercury spacecraft and a model of an F-86 Sabre jet like the one he flew in the Korean War. A slide rule and engineering drafts typify his dedication to detail. The small handheld maneuvering thruster that Ed White II used to steer himself outside his Gemini capsule during the first American spacewalk features prominently in the display case for the West Point graduate whose athletic prowess nearly equaled his flying acumen. An electric drill stands alongside the 'zip gun,' as he called the thruster. Roger Chaffee, for whom Apollo 1 would have been his first mission into space, was an esteemed Naval aviator who became a test pilot in his drive to qualify as an astronaut later. Displayed are board games he played with his wife and kids on rare evenings free of training. The tribute exhibit carries the blessings of the families of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Roger Chaffee. It showcases clothing, tools and models that define the men as their parents, wives and children saw them as much as how the nation viewed them. With the families' blessing, NASA last year pulled the hatch from storage at Langley Research Center in Virginia. All three layers of the hatch underwent preservation, but were not altered in any way. The white outer hatch is still discolored and pitted, with what looks to be charring in an upper corner. The middle hatch appears darkened. The orange inner hatch is scuffed. The three sections stand side-by-side. In the very next display case is the redesigned hatch. On Friday's anniversary, the hatch that trapped Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee inside their capsule at the launch pad finally went on display at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. It was just one of numerous changes made to the spacecraft, as well as to procedures. No more pure oxygen, high-pressure cabin atmosphere on the ground, for example, and everything fireproofed inside. The exhibit is in the same building that holds one of three remaining Saturn V rockets built for moon shots. In this Feb. 17, 1967 file photo, technicians and officials inspect the aluminum covered Apollo 1 spacecraft after it was lowered from its booster at pad 34 at Cape Kennedy, Fla. Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee lost their lives when a flash fire erupted in the spacecraft on January 27. Advertisement

'Apollo 1 tragically cost three lives, but I think it saved more than three lives later. Without it, very likely we would've not landed on the moon by the end of the decade.'

A flash fire erupted inside the capsule during a countdown rehearsal, with the astronauts atop the rocket at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34.

A cry came from inside: 'Got a fire in the cockpit!'

White struggled to open the hatch before quickly being overcome by smoke and fumes, along with his two crewmates. It was over for them in seconds.

Investigators determined the most likely cause to be electrical arcing from defective wiring.

With its moon program in jeopardy, NASA completely overhauled the Apollo spacecraft.

The redesigned capsule  with a quick-release hatch  carried 24 men to the moon; 12 of them landed and walked on its surface.

For the astronauts' families, Apollo 1 is finally getting its due.

The tragedy has long been overshadowed by the 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia accidents.

Remnants of the lost shuttles have been on display at the visitor complex for 1  years.

FILE - In this Feb. 17, 1967 file photo, the Apollo 1 capsule, with black smudge marks visible on the heat shield, is lowered from its Saturn 1 booster at Cape Kennedy, Fla. During a launch pad test on Jan. 27, 1967, a flash fire erupted inside the craft killing the three Apollo crew members aboard.

'I'm just so pleased that they finally decided to do something  visibly  to honor the three guys,' said Chaffee's widow, Martha.

'It's time that they show the three who died in the fire appreciation for the work that they did.'

On Friday  the 50th anniversary  the crew's families will help dedicate the new exhibit.

For most of them, a private tour Wednesday marks the first time they've seen any of the capsule.

'This is way, way, way long overdue. But we're excited about it,' said Scott Grissom, Gus' older son.

Once the fire had been extinguished, Nasa was able to inspect the craft, and concluded that a fire had broken out under Gus Grissom's seat

The pure oxygen atmosphere within the cockpit meant that a small spark inside the capsule created a blaze that burned hotter than 1,000F (537C)

NASA was embarrassed about the fire 'and that's why they pretty much kept it in the closet as long as they have.'

Like the rest of America, NASA was in shock and simply did not want to talk about it, said Martha Chaffee. Exhibits at Kennedy and elsewhere would mention the fire but not highlight it.

TIMELINE OF A TRAGIC DAY In this Jan. 27, 1967 photo made available by NASA, astronauts Virgil Grissom, right, and Roger Chaffee walk across the ramp leading from the gantry elevator to the Apollo I spaceship in Cape Kennedy, Fla., before a launch test. Later in the day they were killed with fellow astronaut Edward H. White II when a flash fire erupted in the craft. Guards stand at the Saturn 1 launch pad area the day after a flash fire killed the Apollo 1 crew A flash fire erupted inside the capsule during a countdown rehearsal, with the astronauts atop the rocket at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 34. A cry came from inside: 'Got a fire in the cockpit!' White struggled to open the hatch before quickly being overcome by smoke and fumes, along with his two crewmates. It was over for them in seconds. Investigators determined the most likely cause to be electrical arcing from defective wiring. With its moon program in jeopardy, NASA completely overhauled the Apollo spacecraft. The redesigned capsule  with a quick-release hatch  carried 24 men to the moon; 12 of them landed and walked on its surface. This 1967 file photo shows the charred interior of the Apollo I spacecraft after a fire which killed astronauts Ed White, Roger Chaffee, and Virgil Grissom on Jan. 27, 1967. A NASA official said the rehearsal had reached 10 minutes away from a simulated blastoff, one of many tests that was to precede the planned flight in the next month. Advertisement

As the years and decades rolled by, Apollo 1 became a mere footnote in space history.

Chaffee's daughter, Sheryl, who retired last month after working at Kennedy for 33 years, recalls having to buy a memorial wreath herself to display at the space center on the 20th anniversary.

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation took over the annual observance that honors all astronauts killed in the line of duty  this year's ceremony is Thursday.

But it wasn't until NASA unveiled its tribute to the 14 Challenger and Columbia astronauts in June 2015 that the agency wondered why it hadn't done anything similar for Apollo 1.

In this June 1966 photo made available by NASA, the Apollo 1 crew practices water evacuation procedures with a full scale model of the spacecraft at Ellington AFB, near the then-Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston. In the rafts at right are astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee, foreground. In a raft near the spacecraft is astronaut Virgil Grissom.

'This wasn't our generation ... it wasn't on our radar' like the shuttle accidents were, explained Kelvin Manning, associate director of Kennedy Space Center. Determined to make things right, he and others at Kennedy began work on a display.

NASA consulted the two surviving widows and six children, explaining it wanted to honor the three men and their sacrifice, and show how Apollo 1 ultimately paved the way to the moon. Grissom, an original Mercury astronaut, was the second American to fly in space.

White was the nation's first spacewalker. Chaffee was the rookie for the flight, a demo in low-Earth orbit.

Bonnie Baer, White's daughter, is grateful the entire capsule is not on display, as so many other family members have been urging for decades. 'I want them to be remembered for the other things and not necessarily for the accident,' she said.

As the 30th anniversary of the fire approached, Betty Grissom, Gus' widow, had pushed to have the capsule put on public display.

The request was denied.

In this 1966 photo made available by NASA, technicians work on the Spacecraft 012 Command Module at Cape Kennedy, Fla., for the Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. During a launch pad test on Jan. 27, 1967, a flash fire erupted inside the capsule killing three Apollo crew members. (NASA via AP)

In this Aug. 4, 1966 file photo, command pilot Virgil Grissom speaks during a news conference in Downey, Calif., with a mockup of the Apollo spacecraft at right. Grissom's crewmen are Roger B. Chaffee, right, and Edward H. White, second from right. Two of the three back-up crew members are, from left, David R. Scott and James A. McDivitt.

In this 1967 photo made available by NASA, the Apollo Command/Service Module in the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is prepared for the Apollo/Saturn 204 mission. During a launch pad test on Jan. 27, 1967, a flash fire erupted inside the capsule killing Apollo crew members Roger Chaffee, Edward White II, and Virgil Grissom.

'There's a long list of places where really bad things happened to our country, but we display those respectfully and appropriately,' Scott Grissom said, citing the Alamo, Gettysburg and the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

The retired FedEx pilot said displaying the hatch is a start.

'This is a long overdue step at doing right.'

In this Jan. 31, 1967 file photo, a horse-drawn caisson carrying the body of astronaut Virgil Grissom travels to the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Walking beside the flag-draped casket as honor pallbearers are astronauts, from left foreground, Marine Col. John Glenn, Air Force Col. Gordon Cooper, Navy Cmdr. John Young; from left background are Donald Slayton, Navy Capt. Alan Sheperd and Navy Cmdr. Scott Carpenter. Grissom was killed in the Apollo 1 fire on launch pad on Jan. 27, 1967.
The days of aimlessly circling a parking lot in search for a spot are over.

Google has launched a parking difficulty icon in Google Maps that gives users a heads-up when parking is limited, allowing them to plan their trip accordingly.

The feature uses historical parking data to calculate a parking difficult score that is shown in Google Map's direction card  the options include 'Limited', 'Medium' and 'Easy'.

The days of aimlessly circling a parking lot in search for a spot are over. Google has launched a parking difficulty icon in Google Maps that gives users a heads-up when parking is limited, allowing them to plan their trip accordingly

HOW DOES IT WORK? Google has added a new service that lets you know the parking situation at your destination before you leave. Users simply type their destination into the parking difficulty icon, which will calculate a parking difficulty score shown in Google Map's direction card  the options include 'Limited', 'Medium' and 'Easy'. New services uses historical parking data to make predictions. It is available for Android users in 25 major US cities. Advertisement

Google rolled out the feature on Android in 25 metro areas across the US.

San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, DC, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Portland and Sacramento all have access to the new service.

'To see how hard it might be to park where you're headed, just get directions to your destination and look for the parking difficulty icon in the directions card at the bottom of the screen,' Google explained in the announcement.

'Parking difficulties range from limited to medium to easy and are based on historical parking data.'

Google launched a similar feature last year that tells users how packed a bar is, allowing them to plan accordingly.

Introduced in November, Popular Times uses anonymized real time data to predict the number of people inside - and even makes a guess at how long they are likely to stay.

The feature uses historical parking data to calculate a parking difficult score that will be shown in Google Map's direction card  the options include 'Limited', 'Medium' and 'Easy'

'Since introducing the Popular Times feature in Google Search and Maps last year, you've been able to check how busy a place typically is at different times of the week,' said Google.

'Just in time for the Black Friday swarms, we're adding a real-time look at how crowded a place is right now, to help you decide where and when to go.

'The feature has been part of Google's Search engine since last year, but the new addition has real-time capabilities.

You can search any location by name and the Popular Times section will appear in Google or Google Maps, displaying the number of visitors inside  the firm is using anonymized data and searchers to estimate how many people are inside.

Included in this real-time feature is the ability to know how long people are hanging out in the place at a time  it could be one hour, three hours or more.

'If you're playing host for the day, you can also check and see how long people typically stay at a given location,' Google says.

Popular Times has been part of Google's Search engine since last year, but the new addition has real-time capabilities. You can search any location by name and the Popular Times section will appear in Google or Google Maps, displaying the number of visitors inside

'That way you can plan your itinerary to the minute.'

Google will also tell you if the line for a book signing is long, which means you know if you will have time to grab a coffee on the way.

GOOGLE MAP'S POPULAR TIMES Popular Times was added to Google Search last year, but now it has real-time capabilities. The technology lets you see how many people it estimates will be there any day of the week and updates to let customers know if the establishment will be closed. You can search any location by name and the Popular Times section will appear in Google or Google Maps, displaying the number of visitors inside. Included in this real-time feature is the ability to know how long people are hanging out in the place at a time Advertisement

The technology also lets you see how many people it estimates will be there any day of the week and updates to let you know if the establishment will be closed - Google is also using search history to formulate its calculations.

Google says it knows more than it probably should about its human users.

Earlier this year, the firm released a separate feature that collects all the data that Google has generated by watching its as they move around the web.

Google released a similar feature in November that uses anonymized real time data to predict the number of people inside - and even makes a guess at how long they are likely to stay.

If users have not configured their settings to avoid it, the data could include a list of all the website they have visited and what they have used their phone to do.

Called, My Activity Tool, this feature also lets users to delete records of their online search requests and videos watched on YouTube in a single location instead of having to visit different websites or apps.

When users first sign into the service it greets them with a series of messages explaining why the 'My Activity' feature is beneficial.

'Rediscover the things you've searched for, visited and watched on Google services,' it says.

'You can easily delete specific items or entire topics. You can also change your settings and decide what data gets associated with your account,' the welcoming message says.

Called Popular Times, it lest users know how long people are hanging out in the place at a time. The technology also lets you see how many people it estimates will be there any day of the week and updates to let you know if the establishment will be closed

The page shows a catalog of pages visited, things searched and other activity, grouped by time.

It also lets people look at the same timeline through filters looking at specific dates, and specific products like Google search and YouTube.

The company is trying to make it easier for users to manage the vast pool of information that it collects about their online activities across phones, computers and other devices.
Thanks to Lucie Lecomte for sending the link to this report in Le Devoir: The crisis of fentanyl arrives at the gates of the metropolis. Excerpt from the Google translation:

As the opioid crisis strikes hard across North America, Montreal's Director of Public Health, Dr. Richard Masse, anticipates its arrival in Montreal.

"We are aware we begin to find these products, such as fentanyl, here, and that the crisis is upon us," says Dr. Masse.

He hopes that by 2017, naloxone, an antidote to overdoses, will be offered over-the-counter in pharmacies to improve access. Ambulance attendants and police officers are equipped for the time being.

"The warning system is functional and, for now, there is no significant increase in the number of overdoses," he says.

Five-Year Plan

The Director of Public Health presented his regional plan 2016-2021 last night to the various partners, on whom he plans to complete his project - the City, schools, community organizations, health care facilities, Etc. He shared his priorities in an interview with Le Devoir.

Beyond concerns about the arrival of fentanyl, Dr. Masse believes that the collective health of Montrealers needs the boost that Public Health wants to give it by infusing a bit of prevention at all levels, be it by opening supervised injection sites within a few months or by better access to public transport, for example.

An investment

"It's an investment for Montrealers. If we want to improve people's health, we should all look at what we can do," he says. While the Public Health Branch has undergone cuts of 34% in recent years, these partnerships have become crucial to maintain a certain strike force, observes Dr. Masse. "By working together, we will do more," he says confidently, even if he had to make some difficult choices.

On the drawing board, there are emergencies and long-term work. For example, the three fixed supervised injection sites as well as the mobile site could open as early as next April. "We hope to open the first in April or May, and all by June," says Dr. Masse.
Apple has joined an artificial Intelligence (AI) research group alongside the other tech giants of the world.

The organization, called Partnership on AI, ensures that the technology is used ethically and for the greater good of humanity.

The Cupertino company has been involved with the group since last year, but has formalized its membership together with Amazon, Facebook Google/DeepMind, IBM and Microsoft.

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Apple has joined an artificial Intelligence (AI) research group alongside other tech giants of the world. The firm has been involved with the group since last year, but has formalized its membership together with Amazon, Facebook Google/DeepMind, IBM and Microsoft

The birth of AI has made our lives easier, but the more advance it becomes, the more some worry about what the future holds.

And experts have been verbal about the nightmare that may lay ahead.

Stephen Hawking has warned that AI 'has the potential to evolve faster than the human race' and stated that 'we need to ensure AI is designed ethically, with safeguards in place'- this is where Partnership on AI comes in.

'The objective of the Partnership on AI is to address opportunities and challenges with AI technologies to benefit people and society,' the group said during its launch in September.

PARTNERSHIP ON AI RULES 1. We will seek to ensure that AI technologies benefit and empower as many people as possible. 2. We will educate and listen to the public and actively engage stakeholders to seek their feedback on our focus, inform them of our work, and address their questions. 3. We are committed to open research and dialog on the ethical, social, economic, and legal implications of AI. 4. We believe that AI research and development efforts need to be actively engaged with and accountable to a broad range of stakeholders. The objective of the Partnership on AI is to address opportunities and challenges with AI technologies to benefit people and society 5. We will engage with and have representation from stakeholders in the business community to help ensure that domain-specific concerns and opportunities are understood and addressed. 6. We will work to maximize the benefits and address the potential challenges of AI technologies, by: Working to protect the privacy and security of individuals. Striving to understand and respect the interests of all parties that may be impacted by AI advances. Working to ensure that AI research and engineering communities remain socially responsible, sensitive, and engaged directly with the potential influences of AI technologies on wider society. Ensuring that AI research and technology is robust, reliable, trustworthy, and operates within secure constraints. Opposing development and use of AI technologies that would violate international conventions or human rights, and promoting safeguards and technologies that do no harm. 7. We believe that it is important for the operation of AI systems to be understandable and interpretable by people, for purposes of explaining the technology. 8. We strive to create a culture of cooperation, trust, and openness among AI scientists and engineers to help us all better achieve these goals. Advertisement

Partnership on AI says plans to 'conduct research, recommend best practices, and publish research under an open license in areas such as ethics, fairness and inclusivity; transparency, privacy, and interoperability; collaboration between people and AI systems; and the trustworthiness, reliability and robustness of the technology'

And now, Apple is the latest newcomer in helping the mission.

'We're glad to see the industry engaging on some of the larger opportunities and concerns created with the advance of machine learning and AI, Tom Gruber, head of advanced development of Siri, shared in a statement.

The growth of AI is slowing making the lives of humans easier, but it is also increasing concerns over the future of humanity. And experts have been very verbal about the nightmare, similar to what happened in Terminator, that may lay ahead

'We believe it's beneficial to Apple, our customers, and the industry to play an active role in its development and look forward to collaborating with the group to help drive discussion on how to advance AI while protecting the privacy and security of consumers.'

In addition to Apple joining, Partnership on AI also brought on six new independent board members.

The new members will join Greg Corrado (Google/DeepMind), Tom Gruber (Apple), Ralf Herbrich (Amazon), Eric Horvitz (Microsoft), Yann Lecun (Facebook), and Francesca Rossi (IBM) on our Board of Trustees, to create a board that strikes a balance between corporate and not-for-profit memberships.

WILL ROBOTS TAKE OUR JOBS? As robots increasingly make their way into the workforce, some have argued that they will soon be taking over many traditionally human jobs. In an interview with Fox Business, former McDonalds USA CEO Ed Rensi argued that the $15/hour minimum wage raise will bring 'job loss like you can't believe.' He argued that it would be cheaper for companies to instead purchase robotic devices. 'If you look at the robotic devices that are coming into the restaurant industry -- it's cheaper to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making $15 an hour bagging French fries,' Rensi said. Foxconn, a supplier for Apple and Samsung, has already reduced its human workforce drastically, The South China Morning Post reports. One factory has now 'reduced employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000, thanks to the introduction of robots,' an official told the Post. And, they predict more companies will soon follow, with up to 600 firms reporting similar plans in a government survey. Advertisement

'We passionately believe in the potential for it to transform in a positive way our world,' said Mustafa Suleyman, head of applied A.I. for DeepMind, an artificial intelligence development company acquired by Google in 2014.

'We believe it's critical now to start to think about new models of engagement with the public, new models of collaboration across the industry and new models of transparency around the work that we do.'

The first meeting of the Board of Trustees is taking place on Friday, February 3rd in San Francisco, and the group plans to share the details 'shortly after' the meeting.
Scientists have long been perplexed by the mystery of how Earth got its water, with many suggesting it formed after icy comets collided with our planet billions of years ago.

But, a new study suggest it may have been born within Earth itself.

New computer simulations show how reactions between liquid hydrogen and quartz in the upper mantle could form water  and the researchers say this could trigger earthquakes deep below the surface.

Scientists have long been perplexed by the mystery of how Earth got its water, with many suggesting it formed after icy comets collided with our planet billions of years ago. But, a new study suggest it may have been born within Earth itself

The study examined the reaction of silicon dioxide and liquid hydrogen at varying temperatures and pressures found in the upper mantle, roughly 40-400 kilometers deep (24-248 miles), according to New Scientist.

This revealed that, at about 1400C and with pressure 20,000 times higher than atmospheric pressure, the silica and hydrogen react in a way that produces liquid water and silicon hydride.

Silica is found widely throughout the planet, with quartz being its most common and stable form, and researchers say its possible that a reaction of this kind  rather than an extraterrestrial object  produced water on Earth.

As long as the supply of hydrogen can be sustained, one can speculate that water formed from this process could be a contributor to the origin of water during Earths early accretion, John Tse of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada told New Scientist.

Water formed in the mantle can reach the surface via multiple ways, for example, carried by magma in the form of volcanic activities.

Silica is found widely throughout the planet, with quartz being its most common and stable form, and researchers say its possible that a reaction of this kind  rather than an extraterrestrial object  produced water on Earth

The new findings, published to Earth and Planetary Science Letters, support the previous results of a Japanese team who first performed the reaction back in 2014.

But, the researchers also found another effect  the water formed through the reaction becomes trapped within the quartz, causing pressure to build.

With pressures reaching up to 200,000 atmospheres, the researchers say this could cause earthquakes deep below Earths surface.

WATER FOUND 620 MILES BELOW EARTHS SURFACE Two new studies suggest that there may be vast quantities of water as far as 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) below the surface. Without this huge store of water, the geodynamic activity that causes volcanoes - which are important for generating soil and sustaining life on the planet - would cease. Two new studies suggest that there may be vast quantities of water as far as 620 miles below the surface. Stock image In the first study, researchers from Florida State University and the University of Edinburgh estimated that water exists far deeper in the Earth than previously thought, stored in a mineral called brucite. Although the amount of water is unknown, researchers believe it could account for as much as 1.5 per cent of the weight of the planet - the same amount of water as all the world's oceans put together. The latest research found that brucite - which is made up of 50 percent magnesium oxide and 50 percent water - transforms into more stable 3D structure at great depths. In a parallel study, researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois suggest that this water is much deeper than any seen before, at a third of the way to the edge of Earth's core. The researchers discovered a diamond, spat out 90 million years ago by a volcano near the Sao Luiz river in Juina, Brazil, according to New Scientist. The diamond had an imperfection, containing minerals that became trapped during the diamond's formation. When the researchers looked at it under the microscope, they saw evidence of the presence of hydroxyl ions - which normally come from water. The nature of the imperfection suggests that it formed in the lower mantle. Advertisement

Diffusion of H2 fluid into the quartz crystal lattice was observed upon increasing temperature and pressure, followed by interaction of dissociated, atomic hydrogen with oxygen atoms in the SiO2 lattice, disrupting the lattice and leading to the formation of water, the authors wrote.

Interestingly, water is evolved in the subsurface region of the silica, and it remains confined there, isolated from the hydrogen fluid, which corresponds precisely to the ice-like spectroscopic patters observed experimentally.

The over-pressured water formed from quartz and h2 is a possible trigger for nucleating enigmatic deep earthquakes in the continental mantle lithosphere.

The researchers say this process could still be happening today  and could even be taking place on other planets.
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It is the return of the shuttle - albeit in a somewhat smaller form.

Sierra Nevada Corporation has delivered its Dream Chaser spacecraft Wednesday to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, located on Edwards Air Force Base.

There, it will undergo several months of testing as part of a NASA contract to use it to deliver cargo to the ISS in 2019.

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Sierra Nevada Corporation has delivered its Dream Chaser spacecraft to Edwards Air Force Base ahead of its 2019 missions to supply cargo to the International Space Station.

The upcoming test campaign will help SNC validate the aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance of the Dream Chaser.

It is being prepared to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASAs Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract beginning in 2019.

The data that SNC gathers from this test campaign will help influence and inform the final design of the cargo Dream Chaser, which will fly at least six cargo delivery missions to and from the space station by 2024.

It is being prepared to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASAs Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract beginning in 2019.

Last year NASA announced Sierra Nevada Corp. will join SpaceX and Orbital ATK in launching cargo to the International Space Station.

These flights, yet to be finalized, will run through 2024, and marks a second chance for the Nevada-based company, which is developing a mini shuttle called Dream Chaser.

Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser 'shuttle' will join SpaceX and Orbital ATK in launching cargo to the International Space Station.

The spacecraft will be able to land back on Earth, like the shuttle, and bring back science experiments and other items from the station.

Sierra Nevada competed for NASA's commercial crew contract, but lost out in 2014 to SpaceX and Boeing.

ThisThe other companies use standard-shaped capsules.

Like SpaceX, Sierra Nevada plans to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The spacecraft will be able to land back on Earth, like the shuttle, and bring back science experiments and other items from the station.

Now, only SpaceX can return goods.

Other cargo ships are filled with trash and burn up on re-entry.

Born with Columbia, the Space Shuttle was Nasa's longest-running space exploration programme

Recent launch accidents by SpaceX and Orbital prompted Nasa to pick a third vendor, for increased flexibility.

Orbital launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, until a launch explosion in 2014.

SpaceX experienced its own launch failure last summer.

NASA awarded its first commercial resupply contracts in 2008.

The first flight was in 2012.

The latest contract calls for a minimum of three flights by each of the three companies.

How the Dream chaser Will work: Each craft can be reused 15 times.

HISTORY OF THE NASA SHUTTLE PROGRAMME The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on Mission STS-29, March 13,1989 Born with Columbia, it was Nasa's longest-running space exploration programme. Atlantis was launched in 1985. The next-to-youngest in Nasa's fleet remains at Kennedy Space Center as a museum display. This grand finale came 50 years to the day that Gus Grissom became the second American in space, just half a year ahead of Glenn. Atlantis - the last of Nasa's three surviving shuttles to retire - performed as admirably during descent as it did throughout the 13-day flight. A full year's worth of food and other supplies were dropped off at the space station, just in case the upcoming commercial deliveries get delayed. The international partners - Russia, Europe, Japan - will carry the load in the meantime. Not all 1,333 days in space have been a success, however. Two of the shuttles - Challenger and Columbia - were destroyed, one at launch, the other during the ride home. Fourteen lives were lost. Yet each time, the shuttle programme persevered. The decision to cease shuttle flight was made seven years ago, barely a year after the Columbia tragedy. President Barack Obama put paid to President George W. Bush's lunar goals, however, opting instead for astronaut expeditions to an asteroid and Mars. The space shuttle was sold to America as cheap, safe and reliable. It was none of those. It cost $196billion over 40 years, ended the lives of 14 astronauts and managed to make less than half the flights promised. Nasa's first space shuttle flight was in April 1981. Now Atlantis has landed, it and the other two remaining shuttles are officially museum pieces - more expensive than any paintings. The total price tag for the programme was more than twice the $90billion Nasa originally calculated. Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station in September 2006. But as a mistake it is one that paid off in wildly unexpected ways that weren't about money and reliability. Former president George Bush Sr said: 'The discoveries it enabled, the international co-operation it fostered and the knowledge it gained - often at great human cost - has also contributed in countless, important ways to humanity and our common progress.' Mr Bush oversaw the programme's early days as vice-president, a job that has traditionally included supervising Nasa. University of Colorado science policy professor Roger Pielke Jr., who studies shuttle costs and policies, said there are probably other ways the U.S. could have spent several billion dollars a year on a human space programme and gained more. When the shuttle succeeded, it did so in a spectacular way. But its failures were also large and tragic. Seven astronauts died when Challenger exploded about a minute after launch in 1986 and seven more died when Columbia burned up as it returned to Earth in 2003. Last-ditch appeals to keep shuttles flying by such Nasa legends as Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Mission Control founder Christopher Kraft landed flat. Advertisement

'Few would have imagined back in 2010 when President Barack Obama pledged that NASA would work 'with a growing array of private companies competing to make getting to space easier and more affordable,' that less than six years later we'd be able to say commercial carriers have transported 35,000 pounds of space cargo (and counting!) to the International Space Station -- or that we'd be so firmly on track to return launches of American astronauts to the ISS from American soil on American commercial carriers.

'But that is exactly what is happening,' said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

'Today's announcement is a big deal that will move the president's vision further into the future.'

The contracts, which begin upon award, guarantee a minimum of six cargo resupply missions from each provider.

The contracts also include funding ISS integration, flight support equipment, special tasks and studies, and NASA requirement changes.

'The second generation of commercial cargo services to low-Earth orbit begins today,' said Kirk Shireman, ISS Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
If guests are able to tear themselves away from the resort there are cultural and culinary attractions nearby

Avoid its heaving central strip for the quietness of Outrigger's resort, which is nestled on the coast

Koh Samui is one of Thailand's largest islands and is home to more than 300 hotels and guesthouses

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There's nothing quite as luxurious as slipping into your very own pool after a hard day's sunbathing.

Normally it's a treat reserved for villas but one hotel in Thailand's idyllic Koh Samui has brought it to all its guests.

Outrigger's posting on the pretty island features 52 standalone 'rooms', all of which boast private pools for secluded dipping. It's one of many selling points at the charming property which reopened in 2015 after extensive renovations.

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Jump in: At Outrigger's Koh Samui resort every room has a private swimming pool and is shut off from prying eyes behind a wrap-around fence

Another is the drool-worthy design in its rooms. Crisp white linens, beach-inspired lamps and gleaming bathrooms all make for a good first impression.

Behind an enormous pine bed is a walk-in wardrobe and mini-bar. With the ubiquitous hotel robes hanging in place upon arrival, it was easy to feel instantly at home once inside my villa.

In the centre of the room, a granite egg-shaped bath takes centre stage. Complimentary bath products were pillaged in no time in our case - bathing is made all the more relaxing by the cleverly programmed light settings in rooms which give 'romantic' or 'sleep' as options for ambiance.

Spread sparingly across a patch of the coast, the resort's rooms are connected by a winding path beneath a canopy of trees.

At night, when we visit, the branches sing with the sounds of mating cicadas.

Follow the path down far enough and you'll find yourself at the main pool - not that you'll spend much time there (why would you with your very own at the end of your bed?)

An outdoor restaurant overlooking the sea is laid out around an ancient tree with birdcages swinging from its trunk. Beyond it is the jewel in the hotel's crown - a secluded rocky beach with uninterrupted views of the Gulf of Thailand.

Luxury: Garden Pool suites (above) even come with a choice of sunbed and a parasol on your private deck

Cool off: Plunge pools on wooden decks are found in smaller suites (above). The hotel also has a main pool and access to its own beach

Design drool: Rooms are stylishly decorated in grey and pine with hints of the surroundings brought in. The centre-piece of garden pool suites is an egg shaped bath set in pebbles

There, doting staff serve guests as they sun themselves on wicker beds, bringing water, sea shoes and snacks throughout the day.

In Thailand, where beach service and and waterfront sunloungers are limited, this is a welcome treat.

There are two restaurants at the hotel - Edgewater, whose pizzas triumph over all else, and Blue Fire, which is a more formal option which offers an impressive menu of seafood.

Tuna tartare thick in Worcester sauce and a scallop ceviche were among its best mains (for dessert, its powdery chocolate fondant is devilish).

Serene: Rooms are connected by a winding path and surrounded in greenery - the perfect mating place for happy cicadas who sing from the branches

The hotel is a destination in itself. Massages on site are sumptuous and other activities, including a leather carving class with Thailand's most famous celebrated expert, can be easily arranged.

However lovely the site may be, guests would be foolish not to venture out. We were kindly given the name of a nearby tailor, used by staff, to have bespoke suits made.

Transfers into town were arranged without difficulty or lengthy notice and given in the property's comfortable people carriers. A day tour of the island is highly recommended. Among stops on ours was Grandmother and Grandfather Rock, a legendary site adored by the Thai and tourists alike.

Privacy: The resort also has a secluded beach where guests receive sun-lounger service from one of the many helpful staff

Explore: A day trip around the island is highly recommended. Among the stops is Lamai Viewpoint (above), a serene spot where locals relax

Traditional culture: Jen visited Grandfather rock (right) and explored a local fine arts centre where artefacts are restored (left)

Wander through a winding path of coconut ice-cream stalls and elderly ladies selling flowers and you'll find the unmistakable rock formation. It doesn't take long to figure out how it got its name, with giggling tourists trying all too hard to grab Grandfather's (ahem) 'rock' in their hands for a photograph.

If you can overcome the schoolgirl giggles of excited tourists there's a true serenity at the water's edge. Tak, our beloved guide with whom we became friends during our stay, is one of countless residents who likes to unwind by the rocks with friends for a beer and a spot of swimming after work.

Elsewhere we were shown restored artefacts, parading peacocks and hidden beaches before a cheap and cheerful lunch at one of the many restaurants scattered along the sand.

Romance: Private dinners on the deck where breakfast is served can be arranged by request

After sampling the local delicacies and feeling thoroughly nourished on history, we made our way back to our now very familiar rooms sleepily in the mid-afternoon humidity after an enriching day.

Delicious: In Blue Fire, the hotel's more formal dining option, the tuna tartare is an utter triumph

Fishermen's Village is a vibrant option for an evening outing. Swerve away from Irish pubs and Italian restaurants and head instead for The Happy Elephant where seafood and bravely spiced curries are served to the soundtrack of a charming guitarist crooning The Beach Boys.

On small islands like Samui it's a common misconception that visitors (over the age of 21 and without dreadlocks) will run out of things to do.

We were endlessly entertained both inside and out of the hotel and not once felt suffocated by gap year travellers.

As one of Thailand's largest islands it will never run dry. Its hotels will always heave with guests, many of whom are likely to be drawn towards its nightlife.

For respite, Outrigger and its private pools is a haven. While steeped in local tradition and boasting winning Thai cuisine, there's ample room for to create your own little world while relishing its many comforts.

The only downside of this glorious hotel? Having to face the return to a shared pool and sunbed wars on your next trip.
In their heyday, many of these vast ships carried thousands of tons of cargo across the ocean.

Some, loaded with weaponry, played an instrumental part in World War II, while others were grand passenger ships.

But what they all have in common is that they now lie defeated - ghostly skeletons at the bottom of the sea.

For the barnacles that cling to their railings and the fish that inhabit their darkest corners, these shipwrecks are home; and for scuba divers the world over, they're aquatic playgrounds.

The MT Haven, for example, was packed with more than 140,000 tons of crude oil when it exploded and sank in 1991, killing six of the Cypriot crew. Now sitting silent off the Italian coast of Genoa, it's the largest wreck in the world.

Here, MailOnline Travel highlights some of the most fascinating underwater sites and reveals where you can explore them yourself; from the S.S. Thistlegorm British Navy wreck in Egypt's Red Sea, to the ex-USS Kittiwake submarine rescue vessel, which lies submerged in the Grand Cayman islands - and others in between.
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When it comes to sea vessels, you can't get much wackier than a boat that appears to be sinking.

In 2007 French designer Julien Berthier chopped a regular yacht in half, sealed it with fibreglass, attached a twin electric motor to it, called it Love Love - then travelled the world. Needless to say, he attracted quite a bit of attention from coastguards along the way.

But he does have some close contenders in the crazy-stakes. For instance, there's Swedish shipmaker Christian Bohlin's duck-shaped boat, which he built in 2011. It's wacky on the outside, but has mod cons on the inside - two sleeping cots, a kitchenette and a sauna.

And what better reason to create an innovative water cruiser than to cure seasickness? Italian engineer Ugo Conti designed the spider-esque Proteus in 2007 at a cost of $1.5m to skim the surface rather than sit on the waves, all to combat his frequent queasiness.

Or how about the dolphin-inspired Seabreacher? Designed by New Zealander Rob Innes and Californian Dan Piazz, this aquatic vehicle drives like a jetski but can also glide, jump and roll, as well as submerge for long periods thanks to an engine snorkel - yours for only $48,000 (40,000).

Here, MailOnline Travel has rounded-up a selection of bizarre, inventive, and in some cases wanderlust-worthy boats, built to whisk the most eccentric seafarers around the world.

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This 'sinking' vessel, or Love Love, is the brainchild of French designer Julien Berthier, who cut his boat in half then sealed it with fibreglass and sailed around the world - although he has had coastguards rushing to his 'rescue' on a few occasions

This car, the Amphibious Lamborghini, which boasts an F1 type push-rod suspension and has featured on TV shows such as Top Gear, was listed on eBay last year for upwards of 18,000

New Zealander Rob Innes and Californian Dan Piazz created this $48,000 (40,000) submarine, the Seabreacher, with a dolphin in mind. It drives like a jetski but can also glide, jump, roll, and submerge for long periods thanks to an engine snorkel

Swedish designer Christian Bohlin, pictured, crafted his duck-shaped boat in 2011 and put it on sale for 40,000 Euros (34,000) - it contains two sleeping cots, a kitchenette and a sauna in the bow

The spider-esque Proteus was actually designed in 2007 by Italian engineer Ugo Conti for a cost of $1.5m (1.3m) to combat his seasickness. It's built to skim the surface rather than sit on the waves and is thus highly fuel efficient

The Cosmic Muffin was the first watercraft to ever be constructed from a land-based airplane, Howard Hughes prized Boeing B-307 no less, and was converted into a houseboat in 1969 by private pilot Ken London - who purchased the body for only $62

Former SAS trooper Tom McClean, 73, plans to sail 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in his 65-foot home-made whale-shaped boat Moby, which has cost him 100,000 and taken 20 years to build

Providing a tour of the Florida Keys with a twist, the NautiLimo is designed to carry up to six passengers and is powered by a 100hp Yamaha engine

In 2012, the futuristic Turanor PlanetSolar became the first vehicle to travel around the world using solar energy only

Japanese artist Yasuhiro Suzuki created the Zipper Ship in 2010, stating: 'As the vessel glides through the water, the wake looks like a zipper coming undone, suggesting the image of the sea opening up'

The Quadrofoil uses C-shaped hydrofoils to lift the craft out of the water, allowing it to reach a top speed of 25mph and travel with minimal water resistance and in turn very little noise

South Korea manufacturer Raonhaje came up with this compact semi-submarine, the Penguin, in 2013 - to make it easier for passengers to explore underwater without any diving equipment

This tiny Jet Capsule 'yacht' (left) went on sale in 2013 priced between 126,000 and 214,000, while the Sealander Amphibious caravan (right) combines a camping trailer with an electric power boat and costs a more modest 13,000

The Hot Tub Boat seats six adult bathers and has a 24-volt electric motor that powers the vessel to a top speed of 5mph - and the 'captain' need not get cold or miss out on the fun because the throttle is submerged in the tub

The Schiller X1 bike, starting at $4,500 (3,500), has twin oscillating propellers which eliminate the need for a rudder, and inflatable pontoons to keep it afloat - it can also be assembled within ten minutes and it is small enough to fit into a car

The Himiko water bus was created by Japanese cartoonist and anime artist Leiji Matsumoto, based on the concept of a teardrop, with curved windows and floor panels that illuminate it at night
A new hashtag has been born and it's easy to see why it's been trending.

Zoos from across America have been battling it over social media by sharing snaps of their most adorable critters, tagged '#CuteAnimalTweetOff'.

Submissions have included everything from a baby cheetah at Cincinnati Zoo, to a tiny turtle with its flippers outstretched at the Virginia aquarium.

The face that launched 1,000 tweets: It all started after a photo of Smithsonian's National Zoo's newest seal pup was re-tweeted by a reporter

The challenge evolved on Wednesday after the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Life Center was tasked with posting a photo to compete with Smithsonian's National Zoos newest seal pup in Washington DC.

A battle swiftly ensued as animal facilities around America seized on the opportunity to showcase their most endearing creatures.

There was a cheetah cub from Cincinnati, a baby panda from Zoo Atlanta, and an elephant from Arizona's Reid Park Zoo; among plenty of other mammals.

A handful of reptiles made the cut, too.

Virginia Aquarium was tasked with posting a photo to compete with the Smithsonian's seal, which it did by tweeting '#challengeaccepted - an otter/osprey combo'

The same aquarium followed up with a tiny sea turtle, captioned: 'Don't worry, we're still here'

Tennessee Aquarium raised the stakes with a miniature chameleon on its very own souvenir - a toy chameleon on a pencil.

And San Diego Zoo entered the fray with a mossy-leaf-tailed gecko smaller than the tip of a finger.

Here, MailOnline Travel has rounded up the contenders.

Cincinnati Zoo unleashed this little one onto the world, tweeting: 'Welcome this cozy cheetah cub to the #CuteAnimalTweetOff'

Arizona's Reid Park Zoo tweeted a baby elephant with the caption: 'We'll just leave this little bit #squee right here'

Zoo Atlanta entered the fray with a near-criminally cute photo of a tiny fluffy panda bear

Los Angeles Zoo also got on board with a snap of its baby chacoan peccary trotting merrily along

Denver Zoo shared this with the caption: 'Wait, everyone! Our #redpanda cub wants to be included'

Seattle Aquarium shared an otter curled up and hugging its tail, seemingly snoozing away

Competition was seriously heating up when New York's Queens Zoo submitted this pudu fawn, with the caption: 'Ahem, the world's smallest deer checking in'

Reid Park Zoo volunteered another submission, this time a lion cub in a bucket captioned: 'It's not a competition, but...'

Neighbouring Bronx Zoo rose to the challenge with a glorious pair of sparring tiger cubs

Smithsonian's National Zoo also shared an image of this teeny-tiny fellow having a big yawn

Point Defiance Zoo in Washington were keen to elbow in on the action with a photo of four clouded leopard babies, along with the hashtag #savingspecies

Los Angeles Zoo came forward with another image, of a sloth clutching a flower with the caption: 'I got here as fast as I could...'

It followed that with another, stating: 'Ziggy the harbor seal pup just made her debut at the LA Zoo yesterday!'

The National Aquarium in Maryland wasn't far behind with its snap of 'Megatron the rescue seal'

The Smithsonian's zoo still wasn't finished when they posted another snap, captioned: 'This is Redd, our endangered Bornean orangutan infant. And he is the cutest. Do you fold yet?'

The Elmwood Park Zoo in Pennsylvania submitted this red panda, inquiring: 'Excuse me, can I get in on this, too?'

Tennessee Aquarium raised the stakes with a miniature chameleon on its very own souvenir
His first two albums have conquered the charts around the globe since he burst onto the music scene in 2011.

And with his third studio offering dropping in just a matter of weeks, Ed Sheeran has revealed that his unpopularity at school has been a major motivation in his career.

Speaking to GQ, the 25-year-old Lego House hit-maker explained that his and BFF Taylor Swift are driven to succeed musically as they weren't 'popular' at school.

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It's not popularity contest: With his third studio offering dropping in just a matter of weeks, Ed Sheeran has revealed that his unpopularity at school has been a major motivation in his career

Sitting down for a candid interview with the iconic men's lifestyle bible, the star admitted his formative years were something that galvanized his desire to succeed in one of the hardest industries.

'Theres an underdog element to it,' said Ed when asked about his drive. 'Taylor [Swift] was never the popular kid in school. I was never the popular kid in school.

'Then you get to the point when you become the most popular kid in school  and we both take it a bit too far. She wants to be the biggest female artist in the world and I want to be the biggest male artist in the world.'

'I was never popular': He told GQ his and his BFF Taylor Swift's drive came from their year's at school'Taylor [Swift] was never the popular kid in school. I was never the popular kid in school'

He explained there was a certain element of payback in reaching the lofty heights of his career, adding:

'It also comes from always being told that you cant do something and being like, F*** you. I can.

But it seems that Ed - who is about to drop third album, Divide, in March - is also keen to demolish any and all of his competition.

It's about being the best: He explained: 'She wants to be the biggest female artist in the world and I want to be the biggest male artist in the world'

Taking on the competition? It seems that Ed - who is about to drop third album, Divide, in March - is also keen to demolish any and all of his competition

Singling out Adele, he said that he'd love to be able to shift more albums that the London-born star.

'Adele is the one person whos sold more records than me in the past ten years,' he said.

'Shes the only person I need to sell more records than. Thats a big f***ing feat because her last album sold 20 million. But if I dont set her as the benchmark then Im selling myself short.'

'Shes the only person I need to sell more records than': While he was quick to downplay any real competition, he said that he'd love to sell more records than the London-born singer

Though he was quick to stress he wasn't in direct competition with the Hello hit-maker, Ed said there was a 'race to the finish line' when it came to the charts.

Read it all: The full interview will hit shelves on Thursday 2 February

And Divide could be just the ticket he's been waiting for, as the album is already a must-have for 2017.

The Yorkshire-born star's third LP will give his fans an insight into the global superstar's past relationships, family life and musical career; as well as his one-year hiatus which saw him travel the world.

Fans can expect a mix of emotive ballads, hip-hop beats, and Ed's trademark acoustic guitar sound.

The hotly-anticipated record has been co-produced by Benny Blanco (Rihanna, The Weeknd) and Ed, with help from Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, Mike Elizondo and Steve Mac.

It was recorded between Los Angeles, London, Suffolk and the RMS Queen Mary 2 cruise ship.

See the full shoot in the March issue of GQ, available on digital download now or on newsstands Thursday 2 February.
Amber Heard stepped out for lunch with her younger sister Whitney on Thursday in Los Angeles.

The 30-year-old and her sibling, just one year younger, took her two pups out for a walk, just two weeks after divorcing Johnny Depp.

The Rum Diaries actress won custody of both dogs in her legal separation from Depp, along with nearly $7million, which she plans to donate to charity.

Single lady: Amber Heard stepped out for lunch with her younger sister Whitney on Thursday in Los Angeles

Western style: The actor and model displayed a European flare while she strolled down the street a few steps ahead of her sister

The Danish Girl star wore a loose-fitting top featuring black and white horizontal stripes tucked into the front of her high-waisted jeans.

Prepared in case the weather turned cold, she had on a knee-length, camel-colored overcoat.

The newly-single woman wore black ankle booties with a chunky heel and accessorized with a doubled-up choker and black crossbody purse with large gold embellishments at the straps.

Casual chic: The Danish Girl star wore a loose-fitting top featuring black and white horizontal stripes tucked into the front of her high-waisted jeans.

Ready for anything: Prepared in case the weather turned cold, she had on a knee-length, camel-colored overcoat

The Magic Mike XXL actor wore little to no makeup and had her hair effortlessly tied back, with loose ends framing one side of her face.

Amber seemed care-free and at ease while she enjoyed her downtime, smiling as she catted with her 29-year-old sister.

The two took in the scene at an outdoor table in Los Feliz, where they were able to enjoy the sunshine.

Puppy pals: With their dogs in tow, Amber, 30, and her friend relaxed on a patio

Natural beauty: The Magic Mike XXL actor wore little to no makeup and had her hair effortlessly tied back, with loose ends framing one side of her face

On the move: This lighthearted outing comes less than two weeks after Amber's divorce from Johnny Depp, 53, was finalized with a $7 million settlement, according to TMZ

Free as a bird: The outlet reported that the judge was to sign the final judgment on Friday, January 13, officially declaring the marriage dissolved

This lighthearted outing comes less than two weeks after Amber's divorce from Johnny Depp, 53, was finalized with a $7 million settlement, according to TMZ.

The outlet reported that the judge was signed the final judgment on January 13, officially declaring the marriage dissolved.

Despite Johnny's request to impose sanctions on Amber for any delays in the proceedings and Amber's request to renegotiate her settlement, the order was carried out as-is and each party had to pay their own attorney's fees.

What a girl: Amber's sister carried all the groceries while Amber walked slightly behind her and took care of her dogs

Keeping her head down: Whitney couldn't help but smile as her sister tried to keep a low profile
He's married to a model and TV presenter, and together they have four beautiful children.

And Chris Judd has paid tribute to Rebecca Judd, his wife of six years, by taking to Instagram to wish her a happy thirty-fourth birthday.

The former AFL star shared a candid picture of their family, including their eldest son Oscar, daughter Billie, and newborn twin boys Tom and Darcy.

Cute and casual: Former AFL star Chriss Judd has taken to Instagram to greet his wife, and the mother of his four children, Rebecca Judd a happy birthday

The cute and candid photo shows the family gathered on their couch smiling at the camera.

The family can be seen sporting casual at-home clothes, with the twins in onesies.

Chris captioned the photo with a simple, yet heartfelt message: 'We'd be lost without you! Your Day,' and included a love heart and party popper emoji.

Loved-up: The cute and candid post shows the family gathered on their couch. Chris captioned the photo 'We'd be lost without you! Your Day,' and included a love heart and party popper emoji

Parent mode: His post shows the family in casual at-home clothes, with the twins in onesies

Many of his followers liked and commented on his touching tribute, also wishing his wife a happy birthday.

One said: 'Such a great photo! Happy Birthday.'

Someone else wrote: 'Happy birthday gorgeous woman. God bless your family xx'

While another commented: 'Have a fantastic day mummy Rebecca.'

Adorable: Many of his followers liked and commented on his touching tribute, also wishing the WAG a happy birthday

Family: Rebecca recently revealed that she would be the new host of KIIS FM's revamped 3pm Pick-Up on Mondays

Rebecca has been busy spending time her family after giving birth to her twin boys in November.

Prior to that, she was the weekend weather presenting for Nine News Melbourne.

She recently revealed that she would be the new host of KIIS FM's revamped 3pm Pick-Up on Mondays only, with Yumi Stynes from Tuesday-Friday.
She may only be 17-years-old, but Lily-Rose Depp is already setting the modelling world alight, proving the star of the Chanel show earlier this week.

And the daughter of Vanessa Paradis and actor Johnny Depp brought her own brand of sparkle to another Paris Fashion Week event on Thursday night.

The teenager looked stunning in a halterneck black shimmering catsuit, cropped just below the knee with gold buttons.

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Dazzling: Lily-Rose Depp sported a sparking cropped catsuit at the Sidaction Gala Dinner in Paris on Thursday night

She wore her light brown hair in a low loose ponytail, while accessorising with chunky black heels and hooped earrings.

Lily-Rose illuminated her eyes with dramatic black make-up, while the dramatic look was completed by a slick of matte scarlet lipstick.

She had arrived earlier sporting a chic black cropped jacket with white trim.

She's got the look: She wore her light brown hair in a low loose ponytail, while accessorising with chunky black heels and hooped earrings

Cover up: She had arrived earlier sporting a chic black cropped jacket with white trim

Rising star: Lily-Rose has been a huge success during this Paris Fashion Week

Charity efforts: the event held in aid of French charity Sidaction,which aims to develop programmes to fight AIDS

The beauty mingled with stars including Pixie Lott, Diane Kruger, Olga Kurylenko and Kristin Scott Thomas at the event held in aid of French charity Sidaction, which aims to develop programmes to fight AIDS.

She enjoyed a sit down dinner alongside French film director and screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski.

Earlier this week, Lily-Rose was the star of the show at Chanel's annual Haute Coture Spring/Summer show in Paris as she emerged in a stunning ruffled pink number with frills on the arms and dramatic train.

All smiles: Lily-Rose seemed in great spirits as at the charity event

The bright stuff: Lily-Rose wore matte red lipstick and dark black eyeliner for the bash

Time to dine: She enjoyed a sit down dinner alongside French film director and screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski

Picture ready! The model showed off her flawless complexion as she posed up a storm

A life-long affiliate of the brand thanks to her mother Vanessa, Lily-Rose was made the face of Chanel No 5 L'Eau last year.

She explained to Vogue: 'Chanel has always been part of my life. My mom has worked with them since she was 18 and Ive gone to the store with her since I was little. There are pictures of me literally in diapers wearing her Chanel pumps.

'I met Karl when I was eight and I had horrible side bangs  like a Donald Trump comb-over.'

Part of my life: Lily-Rose first met designer Karl Lagerfeld when she was eight-years-old

Joie de vivre: The up and coming model has spent much of last week in Paris

Like mother, like daughter: A life-long affiliate of the brand thanks to her mother Vanessa, Lily-Rose was made the face of Chanel No 5 L'Eau last year

And the man himself is equally as fond as his latest charge, adding to the fashion bible: 'She used to come to the Chanel studio with her mother.

'She was a very sweet child, but who would have thought she would have such a strong and defined personality this early on?

'The good thing is that she doesnt look like her father or her mother. With her fragile physique, the mix is surprising and it creates something that is completely different. Lily-Rose is a young girl from a new generation with all the qualities of a star.'
Rising star Daisy Ridley has just been cast in a new role.

Today, Paramount Pictures announced they've cast the 24-year-old actress to star in a new World War II drama called A Woman Of No Importance.

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens lead will act in the film about American heiress Virginia Hall who was a spy for the British government during World War II.

New role: Daisy Ridley has just been cast in the World War II drama A Woman Of No Importance

The film will tell the story of the audacious American spy who tried to make her way into the American Foreign Service.

After being rejected for her gender, the Ivy League educated heiress found her way into Britain's Special Operations unit before finally being allowed into the ranks of American spy organizations.

The biographical film is adapted from a book of the same name by author Sonia Purnell and will be produced by JJ Abram's film company Bad Robot.

Rising star: The 24-year-old star made a quick rise to fame after playing protagonist Rey in the smash hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens

London native Ridley has had a metioric rise to fame following her breakout role as Rey in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Impressed by her performance, studios have been clamoring to cast the actress in whatever roles possible.

Currently the star is connected to several sure to be classics, as she is slated to appear in the adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder On The Orient Express in addition to playing the role of Ophelia in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Out of nowhere: The English rose was nearly unknown before throttling to stardom after her part in Star Wars

Before coming to prominence in Episode VII of Star Wars, Ridley made a name for herself in a number of small roles for television and indie movies.

The star described her rise to fame simply, calling the experience a 'sensory overload'.

Little more has been announced about the Paramount Pictures led project but fans should keep posted as more details emerge.
The sunny Los Angeles weather called for an outing with her furry friend.

Sofia Richie palled around with her pooch wearing color-coordinated attire in West Hollywood on Thursday.

The model, 18, carried her pup with her as she walked by the cafe at Fred Segal while other guests looked on.

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Furry friend: Sofia Richie palled around with her pooch wearing color-coordinated attire in West Hollywood on Thursday

The daughter of Lionel Richie and Diana Alexander Richie had on an acid-washed red sweater that matched her dog's red harness as she cuddled her pet close.

She showed off her funky style in black joggers that tapered just above the ankle, where they were lined at the hem with yellow and orange flames.

The cover model wore simple, black ankle booties with a chunky heel, unzipped no more than an inch at the top allowing for a little extra ease of movement.

Snuggled up: The model, 18, carried her pup with her as she walked by the cafe at Fred Segal while other guests looked on

Sofia looked ever the artist with her blonde locks slicked back in a tight bun and round-framed, tinted sunglasses with wire frames.

She had a camera strewn about her neck for the outing, possibly taking advantage of the sunny day to snap a few photos.

Generally speaking, the teen is usually found on the other side of the lens, having had a great deal of success representing major brands.

Budding photographer? She had a camera strewn about her neck for the outing, possibly taking advantage of the sunny day to snap a few photos

Snap happy: Sofia took a few pictures as she exited Fred Segal on Thursday

Say cheese: The blonde daughter of Motown legend Lionel Richie appeared keen to take snaps of her sunny surroundings

In good company: Sofia was joined by pals as she called into a local coffees hop

It was recently revealed that Sofia is the newest addition to market DL1961 Premium Denim's Spring/Summer line.

Her fresh face leads the campaign - dubbed #TheUniform - which also stars Kim Kardashian's model pal Jasmine Sanders and male model/social media style star Nathaniel Dam.

Things aren't likely to slow down any time soon for Select Model repped talent, with worldwide fashion weeks kicking off in New York on February 9.
Nick Cannon shared a throwback Thursday snap of him 'stalking' Beyonce Knowles-Carter during his 'teenage days.'

'Even in the 90's I was always shootin my shot!' the multitalented 36-year-old - who boasts 9.8M followers - wrote.

'@Beyonce was looking at me like "Little Boy Please!!" In my teenage days I used to stalk Destiny's Child! LOL Poppa Knowles was not feeling me at all!!'

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'She's looking at me like "Little Boy Please!" Nick Cannon shared a throwback Thursday snap of him 'stalking' Beyonce Knowles-Carter during his 'teenage days'

The America's Got Talent host's picture was clearly taken between 1997-2000 before original member LaTavia Roberson was 'dismissed' from the girl group.

The closest Nick actually got to collaborating with the 35-year-old Grammy winner was performing (separately) at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.

Cannon's ex-wife Mariah Carey has more in common with her R&B rival, including sharing business manager Jon Schwartz and both having five-year-old children.

'Poppa Knowles was not feeling me!' The 36-year-old's picture was clearly taken between 1997-2000 before original member LaTavia Roberson (R) was 'dismissed' from the girl group

Queen Bey: The closest Nick actually got to collaborating with the 35-year-old Grammy winner was performing (separately) at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration

Duet? Cannon's ex-wife Mariah Carey has more in common with her R&B rival, including sharing business manager Jon Schwartz and both having five-year-old children

His fraternal twins Moroccan and Monroe are 'excited' to meet their future half-brother from his fling with Miss Guam 2014, Brittany Bell.

The expecting 29-year-old - who's 34 weeks along - ominously has zero evidence/acknowledgment of her famous babydaddy on social media.

'Working through being single you have people that you meet and you connect with,' the Hold On rapper admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this month.

Father-of-three: His fraternal twins Moroccan and Monroe are 'excited' to meet their future half-brother from his fling with Miss Guam 2014, Brittany Bell (pictured in 2015)

Shade: The expecting 29-year-old - who's 34 weeks along - ominously has zero evidence/acknowledgment of her famous babydaddy on social media

The Hold On rapper admitted on Ellen: 'Working through being single you have people that you meet and you connect with. And I connected a little too well, but bringing a new life into the world is a beautiful thing'

'And I connected a little too well, but bringing a new life into the world is a beautiful thing.'

Nick was last romantically linked to TLC's Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas.

The Daytime Emmy nominee will next star in his comedy special Stand Up, Don't Shoot - which premieres February 10 on Showtime.
On Wednesday, she made a surprise visit to a refugee camp in northern France, where food and children's books were among the supplies she handed out.

And by the following day, Pamela Anderson took some time out of her philanthropic efforts to play tourist as she visited the breathtaking church Sacre-Cur in Paris.

And the former Baywatch star, 49, looked delightfully chic for the outing, donning a white button-down playsuit, which she teamed with black tights and booties and an eye-catching wide-brimmed black hat.

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Delightful sights: Pamela Anderson was seen visiting Sacre-Cur in Paris on Thursday

The committed vegan and animal rights campaigner staved off the inclement winter weather with a stark white faux fur coat, which added extra pizazz to her ensemble.

And she blended in with the dozens of tourists making their way around the grand Montmartre attraction, toting an SLR camera alongside her black handbag as she set out to record her memories.

Mother-of-two Pamela appeared not to take the journey alone, as she was seen chatting with a man on the outdoor steps of imposing hilltop church.

Chic: The 49-year-old screen star looked chic in a white playsuit with black tights and booties

Not fur real: The animal rights activist draped a white faux fur coat over her stylish ensemble

Hat's the way to do it: She teamed her delightfully stylish outfit with a wide-brimmed black hat

Companion: She was seen chatting with a male as she stood on the steps to the building

Blending in: The Canadian-born star blended in with the dozens of tourists at the attraction

A day before, she made a visit to the La Liniere camp outside Dunkirk, after making a stop at an aid group's warehouse in Calais, where a huge makeshift camp harbouring thousands of migrants was closed after a forced evacuation in October.

Wearing high heels, she stooped to distribute fruit to children and passed out blankets, gloves and children's books.

La Voix du Nord newspaper quoted her as saying that everyone should see what a camp is like and ask what they can do.

Rest: She rested on one of the church's several outdoor steps as she took in the view

Philanthropic efforts: Just a day earlier, she was seen visiting refugees in northern France

Solemn: She looked solemn as she quietly made her way around the interior of the church

Snap decision: The mother-of-two was seen angling her SLR camera at the breathtaking view

The Canadian-born star promotes animal, human and environmental rights but, of course, she initially shot to fame as a pin-up girl and for her role in Baywatch.

Writing on her blog Anderson said: 'I'm leaving Dunkirk now. I'm speechless. I'm so angry. The children are so lovely and polite. I gave out blankets, hats, gloves, fruit, colouring books and crayons.

'Some were so fearful they wouldn't get a blanket or crayons or an apple -It was chaos. I'll never forget today. I brought some whisky to the volunteers.

Jovial: She appeared to be in jovial spirits as she chatted outside the Montmartre venue

Blogger: After visiting the refugees, she wrote about her experience on her personal blog

Relaxing: The day out proved to be a relaxing change after her previous time at the camps

Mission accomplished: She looked pleased with her trip as she descended the many steps

'What an unusual and extraordinary group. They are amazing. They have been there for months, years. From the Calais Jungle to diff camps - tossed around.'

The model-turned-activist wants to encourage more people to visit the camp.

She said: 'Imagine if every person could come see this? Policy would change. It's hard to engage people to act without empathy - and unfortunately most people don't feel it by watching the news; but, by meeting people and seeing for themselves - It would change everything.'

The model added: 'Just people trying to live. I encourage more people to come visit, and volunteer if at all possible. It's just not fair. Closing borders, and closing people out is not the answer. It's backwards.'

Visit: The day before, she visited refugee children at camp of Grande-Synthe, northern France

Surprise! The actress-turned activist's visit to the children was planned as a surprise

Bearing gifts: The star was seen carrying a large box of goods into the camp on her arrival

Fury: Writing on her blog she said, 'I'm leaving Dunkirk now. I'm speechless. I'm so angry'
It's all in a day's work for Alessandra Ambrosio.

After wowing at Paris Fashion Week, the stunning supermodel jetted back into LA with her husband, Jamie Mazur on Thursday.

Dressed comfortably in black jeans, a black hoodie and sneakers, the 35-year-old left it up to her hubby to push their luggage on a trolley.

Camera shy: After jetting back to LA from Paris Fashion Week, Alessandra Ambrosio tried her best to make it through the airport incognito

With baggage: The stunning supermodel had her husband, Jamie Mazur, do the heaving lifting, pushing their luggage on a trolley

And after 16 years of walking the runway for Victoria's Secret, Alessandra clearly hasn't tired of the popular lingerie brand, sporting one of their jackets emblazoned with the words 'Victoria Sport' across the back.

The Brazilian beauty appeared tired after the long haul flight, leaving the airport wearing sunglasses, the hood of her jacket pulled up over her head, and attempting to shield her face with her iPhone.

Jamie, 35, dressed in a white T-shirt and leather jacket, seemed just as keen to get some sleep, occasionally looking over to check on his statuesque wife as they made their way outside.

Guess who's back: The 35-year-old wore a Victoria's Secret hoodie as she left the airport, having modeled for the label for almost 17 years

Covered up: Despite a lucrative career in front of the lens, Alessandra appeared especially camera shy as she left the airport

Alessandra managed to create the perfect balance of both work and play while in the French city.

She closed the Ralph & Russo show in an elaborate white gown, and was seated front row at the Bonpoint fashion show.

'I love that I get to travel the world and discover so many different new places and cultures,' she told Glamour of her high flying career in 2015. 'Making time for everything can be challenging, but I enjoy what I do, so I make it happen.'

Touch down: She was later spotted arriving back at LAX with husband Jamie

On-the-go: She was busy tapping away on her mobile as her man pushed around the luggage

And while her priorities may have changed since becoming a mom to kids, Anja, eight, and Noah, four, Alessandra has no plans to retire anytime soon.

The brunette beauty says she always finds a way to make it to work so she can be there for her kids, too.

'[My kids] always come first, so I try to spend as much time as possible with them,' she said. 'Sometimes that means rearranging my schedule or bringing them on set.'

On the A-list: The brunette beauty sat in the front row at the Bonpoint show during Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday
They've reportedly been enjoying a number of dates together.

And Sam Callahan pulled out all the stops during a night out in London with Chloe Paige on Thursday.

The former X Factor stars, who appeared in different series, put on a show of affection as they headed to Mahiki nightclub following a Cadbury Creme Egg Hunting Lodge launch.

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Leggy: Chloe Paige braved temperatures in a baby blue plunging mini-dress during a night out on Thursday

Dressed in a plunging baby blue dress with a thigh-high slit, Chloe sent temperatures soaring with her racy ensemble.

The former X Factor star shunned the icy weather in favour of a the typically scanty frock which flashed both her perky cleavage and endless legs.

Teaming it with gold strappy sandals and a delicate gold choker, she laughed as a dapper Sam protectively held a grey blazer around her.

Gentleman: The former X Factor stars, who appeared in different series, put on a show of affection as they headed to Mahiki nightclub

The duo were seen heading to the club together after Chloe spent the evening with other former X Factor pals.

Chloe, who was joined earlier in the night by Freddie Parker in a checked shirt and ripped jeans, got a taste of fame after reaching the final six girls in last year's series of The X Factor, before being sent home by Rita Ora.

Doing little to keep herself warm, she slipped on a light duster coat although undoubtedly did little to protect herself from the chill as she arrived.

Ice, ice, baby: Chloe Paige could not warm up the shuddering January climes descending on London on Thursday evening as she headed out for the Cadbury Creme Egg Hunting Lodge launch with X Factor's Freddy Parker

Busty: The former X Factor star shunned the icy weather in favour of a typically scanty ensemble comprising of a plunging gown which flashed both her perky cleavage and endless legs, yet wrapped up loosely in a light duster coat

Legs eleven: Chloe got a taste of fame after reaching the final six girls in last year's series of The X Factor, before being sent home by Rita Ora

Making the most of her glowing good looks, she scraped her blonde tresses off her face to help show off her perfectly made up face.

Despite enjoying limited success in the pop charts, she has forged a successful reputation as a party girl as she is often spied frequenting all the hottest bashes.

The blonde famously dated The Apprentice's Scott Saunders, with the pair enjoying a brief fling last year, but it reportedly fell apart due to a mutual lack of trust.

Stunner: Flouting the cardinal legs-or-cleavage rule, Chloe also exposed her entire leg which was lengthened and boosted by her staggering heels

Scott's management said the couple had gone their separate ways while Chloe added: 'I'm OK, I'm just going to focus on my music and get my head down in the studio.'

She has been rumoured to be enjoying a dalliance with fellow X factor star Sam Callahan, who appeared on a different series to her, according to the Daily Mirror.

A source recently told the newspaper: 'Sam is not seeing Chloe but they have been on a couple of dates but are just friends. Both are single.'

The pair have been snapped out together several times earlier this year, and Chloe even shared an Instagram snap of the pair enjoying drinks together back in September.
She broke free from a strict religious cult, four years before appearing on The Bachelor Australia.

And since going public with her relationship with fellow reality contestant Tiffany Scanlon, 30, Megan Marx has no qualms in talking about her sex life.

'I was a good little Christian girl and look at me now,' the 27-year-old joked on Friday's KIIS 1065 Kyle and Jackie O Show, revealing that 'it's not the first time she's 'been with women.'

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'I was a good little Christian girl and look at it me now': The Bachelor's Megan Marx, 27, revealed on Friday's KIIS 1065 Kyle and Jackie O Show, that she's 'been with women' before going public with girlfriend Tiffany Scanlon, 30

When asked by radio co-host Kyle Sandilands as to whether her relationship with Tiffany Scanlon is her first lesbian experience, she stated: 'No it's not.'

'I've been with women before [meeting Tiffany], so it's not the first time. I was a good little Christian girl and look at me now,' the blonde bombshell said with a laugh.

Megan revealed that her parents who left the religion prior to when she did, are nothing but supportive of her romantic decisions.

'My parents are very, very supportive and very happy for me. I'm a very lucky girl,' the Maxim cover girl gushed.

Not the first time! 'I've been with women before [meeting Tiffany], so it's not the first time. I was a good little Christian girl and look at me now,' the blonde bombshell said with a laugh

The svelte stars sparked speculation that they were in a relationship, since leaving the Bachelor mansion.

Appearing inseparable, Megan and Tiffany shared a series of racy snapshots to Instagram, that left little to the imagination.

Images saw the pair posing completely naked in the bush, to sharing spaghetti while topless, to laying provocatively in sheer lingerie on a plush bed.

They're not shy! Appearing inseparable, Megan and Tiffany shared a series of racy snapshots to Instagram, that left little to the imagination

Racy in lace: One particular social media snap saw the blonde beauties revealing their frames in sheer lingerie as they posed on a bed

Megan and Tiffany confirmed their romance at the Maxim Hot 100 party in Sydney last November.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Tiffany confessed that the pair fell in love during a holiday in Bali, Indonesia in June.

'While we were in the show, it was just a friendship. It probably wasn't until we were in Bali together that it was like ''Oh, this is more'',' said Tiffany.

Opening up: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the Maxim Hot 100 party in Sydney last November, Tiffany confessed that the pair fell in love during a holiday in Bali, Indonesia in June: 'It probably wasn't until we were in Bali together that it was like ''Oh, this is more'''

Their relationship heated up further, with Megan and Tiffany appearing topless on the cover of Maxim Australia's January 2017 issue.

Awarded Maxim's Couple of the Year, the lovebirds posed topless for a series of steamy snaps, with their long platinum hair barely covering their modesty.

They looked suitably glamorous in full make-up, including eyelash extensions and bright red lipstick.
He is set to make his much-anticipated studio return to the Today show on Monday.

But on Friday, Karl Stefanovic's extended break from the breakfast show was thrust into the spotlight when his co-stars made a joke at his expense.

Karl was notably absent, with Lisa Wilkinson, Sylvia Jeffreys, Richard 'Dickie' Wilkins and Tim Gilbert all back on the Today desk, following the show's summer break.

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'Karl's back on Monday': The Today Show hosts poked fun at co-star Karl Stefanovic's extended break, with Richard 'Dickie' Wilkins holding up a figurine of a man in tropical boardshorts that he said was Karl on holiday

The team were in the middle of calling a viewer as part of their 'Triple Cash' campaign, when Dickie bizarrely brought out a miniature figurine of a man.

'Karl's back on Monday,' Dickie said, as he held up the figurine of a brunette man in Hawaiian shorts holding a coconut drink in his hand.

'Is that meant to be Karl?' Lisa asked, bemused by the random presence of the small statue.

'#HolidaySelf': Dickie said the figurine was Karl, and showed a man looking laid back in tropical shorts and thongs, with a coconut drink that featured a cocktail umbrella

'That's him on holidays,' Sylvia chimed in, as the camera than zoomed in on the figurine which Dickie placed on the desk.

The item featured a hashtag on its base that read 'HolidaySelf'.

Karl last hosted Today from the studio in early December, before he was given seven weeks off in the wake of his highly-publicised marriage split from wife of 21 years, Cassandra Thorburn.

The gang's all here... except Karl: The regular Today Show cast were all back at the desk on Friday, but Karl won't return to the studio until Monday

Karl returned to Today last Friday- albeit from Washington D.C., where he was reporting on the inauguration of Donald Trump.

The 42-year-old still appeared a little weary during the live cross, and may be spending his final days before his studio return resting up.

On the weekend media analyst Steve Allen told The Sunday Telegraph that Karl must have a 'faultless year' to justify his rumoured salary of up to $1.5 million.

No doubt Karl will be feeling the pressure to perform, but the star is currently enjoying tremendous success at the Today show.

Live cross: Karl was reporting on Donald Trumps inauguration for Today last week, but still looked a little weary despite his seven week break

Today is proving to be a significant rival to Channel Seven's Sunrise in the race to become Australia's No. 1 breakfast show.

And Channel Nine's Darren Wick recently told News.com.au that the network was looking forward to having Karl 'come back fresh' this year following his break.
She's been enjoying an extended stay in London for the past week.

And Paris Hilton is certainly making the most of her time in the UK, hitting the capital for another night out on Thursday.

The Los Angeles-based socialite bought some Hollywood glamour to the evening in her head-turning look.

Party time: Paris Hilton is certainly making the most of her time in the UK, hitting the capital for another night out on Thursday

Paris, 35, dressed to impress in a tight-fitting black dress which flaunted her toned figure.

Despite the freezing temperatures, the California girl ditched a coat in favour of a statement fur stole in a baby blue colour.

Mixing up her accessories, Paris slipped on a pair of retro shades, while a choker completed her ensemble.

Wow factor: The Los Angeles-based socialite bought some Hollywood glamour to the evening in her head-turning look

Working her poses: Paris, 35, dressed to impress in a tight-fitting black dress which flaunted her toned figure

Stand out accessories: Despite the freezing temperatures, the California girl ditched a coat in favour of a statement fur stole in a baby blue colour

As ever her blonde locks were impeccable styled, this time into tight curls.

Paris has been making the most of a prolonged stay in London, during which she made a welcome appearance at billionaire businessman James Stunt's 35th birthday on Friday evening.

Her appearance comes after she had flown straight in from Milan, where just hours earlier she had been enjoying Men's Fashion Week.

Flawless: As ever her blonde locks were impeccable styled, this time into tight curls

VIP coming through: Paris turned heads as the made her way out of the Mayfair hotel

Missing the sun? Mixing up her accessories, Paris slipped on a pair of retro shades, while a choker completed her ensemble

Joined by former The Simple Life co-star Nicole Richie's younger sister Sofia Richie, Paris shared a fun snap from party venue Tramp.

'Reunited in London with my sis @SofiaRichie. #SistersTakingOverLondon,' Paris captioned the photo-booth image as they pulled faces.

The socialite, who starred in hit reality show The Simple Life with Nicole Richie from 2003 to 2007, has turned her hand to DJing in recent years.
Via Thomson Reuters: Starvation looms for 6 mln children in Horn of Africa, charity says. Excerpt:

Hunger, malnutrition and death threaten 6.5 million children in the impoverished drylands of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya due to back-to-back droughts, a charity said on Friday, with spring rains also predicted to be poor.

Repeated rain failures have pushed 15 million people across the three countries into crisis, and in need of aid, as their animals are dying and water is in short supply, Save the Children said in a statement.

"The situation for already desperate children and families in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya will only get worse - leaving millions at risk of hunger, and even death," the charity's Ethiopia country director, John Graham, said.

The next rainy season is likely to bring more below-average rainfall across the region, experts predict.

Almost 500,000 children already have severe acute malnutrition, Save the Children said, which means they risk dying without emergency intervention.

Donors, political leaders and the new United Nations Secretary Antonio Guterres are meeting at the African Union (AU) summit which opens on Monday in Ethiopia.

Guterres was the U.N.'s refugee chief during Somalia's 2011 famine, in which 260,000 died due to drought, conflict and a ban on food aid in territory held by the Islamist militant group, al Shabaab.

The U.N. warned this month that Somalia, crippled by decades of war, risks slipping back into famine as five million people, or more than four out of 10 residents, do not have enough food.
On social media they appear as happy as ever, posting a slew of loved-up snaps after recently revealing their new relationship.

But Just Desserts star Adriano Zumbo and his My Kitchen Rules girlfriend, Nelly Riggio, looked downcast as they touched down in Sydney on Friday.

The couple could barely raise a smile as they made their way through the terminal.

Why so glum? Just Desserts star Adriano Zumbo and his My Kitchen Rules girlfriend Nelly Riggio looked downcast as they touched down in Sydney on Friday

Wheeling their almost identical black carry-on suitcases from the baggage claim, Adriano walked in front of his ladylove.

Both were dressed casually for their flight, with Nelly showing off her legs in a pair of tiny white shorts teamed with a black and white printed tank top.

Summer style: Nelly showed off her legs in a pair of tiny white shorts

She accessorised the ensemble with a light grey tote bag with chain detail and some T-bar designer sandals.

Meanwhile, Adriano made sure to flaunt his muscular arms and tattoos in a white T-shirt paired with beige shorts and Nike sneakers.

He carried a huge hamper in his arms as he strode ahead.

Nelly and Zumbo have just returned from Nambucca in NSW, where they enjoyed Australia Day celebrations.

Before: Adriano posted this loved-up snap of the pair in Nambucca just hours before touching down in Sydney

Ahead of the trip, the pastry chef shared a snap of himself and his new flame sitting on a plane, writing: 'Off to Nambucca!!'

He added hashtags including 'Australia Day' and 'Aus Day' ambassador, suggesting the pair will be enjoying a short break at Nambucca Heads in Northern NSW.

He also used hashtags including 'happy,' and 'hottie,' to describe his girlfriend.

Just recently, Adriano whisked his Nelly away to the Maldives, where they continued to post a series of loved up snaps.

Nelly's relationship with Adriano comes after she broke up with former flame JP Hulliet, who she appeared on MKR with as the show's 'lovebirds.'

Nelly and Adriano fell in love when she started working for him recently.

Happy: Ahead of the trip, the pastry chef shared a shot of himself and his new flame sitting on a plane

JP posted on Instagram saying he wished them well, writing in part of a post after news of Nelly's new relationship broke: 'Just so everyone knows I'm happy and healthy and wish nothing but the best for everyone involved.'

It seems their relationship is going from strength to strength, with Nelly saying she 'loves' Adriano online.

Adriano shared a photo of the couple on Instagram on Saturday - and his 26-year-old girlfriend commented below: 'I just friggen love him'.

The Zumbo's Just Desserts star also used the hashtag 'love' in a social media post about their recent day out in Sydney.

Selfies: The duo have posted a slew of loved-up selfies since announcing their relationship
She may be one of Hollywood's top leading ladies and him a celebrated playwright, but these parents are all about teaching the young ones to find the joy in the every day.

While Tinsel Town is full of spoilt children of celebrities, the children of Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton are clearly not among that group.

The 47-year-old star and her playwright husband headed out for a family walk with son Roman and daughter Edith in Tribeca, New York, on Wednesday afternoon.

Family time: Kate Blanchett and Andrew Upton headed out for a family walk with son Roman and daughter Edith in Tribeca, New York, on Wednesday afternoon

The two young children looked completely content doing something simple with their parents.

Roman, 12, happily trotted alongside his mom who pushed Edith, two, in a red car.

Cate has been busy filming Ocean's Eight recently so no doubt a chance to spend some time relaxing with her loved ones was very valuable.

For their walk, the actress kept the cold at bay in a simple earth toned ensemble.

Simple fun: Roman, 12, happily trotted alongside his mom who pushed Edith, two, in a red car

Layers on layers: For their walk, the actress kept the cold at bay in an earth toned ensemble

The Manifesto star wore a pinstriped light tan collared shirt under a plain shirt in the same colour with a grey wool jacket under a bigger brown version.

She paired the top heavy look with some loose-fit black leather pants which she tucked into boots.

Not done there, the Australian star further accessorized the look with a grey knitted beanie, a black crossbody bag and some wire and grey framed sunglasses.

Woolly and warm: The Manifesto star wore a pinstriped light tan collared shirt under a plain shirt in the same colour with a grey wool jacket under a bigger brown version and a pair of leather trousers

Added extras: Not done there, the Australian star further accessorized the look with a grey knitted beanie, a black crossbody bag and some wire and grey framed sunglasses

Andrew followed suit, wearing olive trousers with a big blue fur-lined hooded jacket as well as a green cheese cutter cap and colourful scarf.

Roman embraced this season's biggest trend by wearing a a hooded army coloured bomber with a red and black flannel shirt, black trousers and some Nike sneakers.

Setting the adorable bar high, little Edith rocked a beanie complete with mouse ears which flopped around as her mom pushed her down the street.

Cool kid: Roman embraced this season's biggest trend by wearing a a hooded army coloured bomber with a red and black flannel shirt, black trousers and some Nike sneakers

Mom's little mouse: Setting the adorable bar high, little Edith rocked a beanie complete with mouse ears which flopped around as her mom pushed her down the street

The tot was rugged up in a big furry green jacket and navy trousers.

While the toddler seemed to be enjoying her little cruise in her red car, dad Andrew could not help but scoop Edith up and pop her on his shoulders.

Aside from family bonding time, the walk did have a destination and purpose - to pick up Ignatius.

Daddy's girl: While the toddler seemed to be enjoying her little cruise in her red car, dad Andrew could not help but scoop Edith up and pop her on his shoulders

Joining the crew: Aside from family bonding time, the walk did have a destination and purpose - to pick up Ignatius

Cate gave her eight-year-old son a big kiss as he ran out to meet them.

Later in the day, Cate was seen making a dash into the Barrymore Theatre.

Cate is co-starring with Richard Roxburgh in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of the little known Chekhov play, Platonov or The Present, adapted by her husband.

It's the two-time Oscar winner's Broadway debut. She plays a Russian widow who is turning 40 and worried about how to hang on to her home.

Come here you: Cate gave her eight-year-old son a big kiss as he ran out to meet them




Denial (12A)

Rating:

Denial is a cleverer title than it first appears for this uneven but stirring account of the libel action brought two decades ago by Holocaust denier David Irving, who subsequently conducted his own prosecution in the High Court, against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt.

For not only did Irving deny that systematic gassing of Jews had occurred at Auschwitz, but Lipstadt, desperate to take the stand and to give Holocaust survivors their day in court, was firmly denied the opportunity by her solicitor, Anthony Julius.

Allowing the survivors to appear, insisted Julius, would 'legitimise his (Irving's) right to question them'.

Denial is a cleverer title than it first appears for this uneven but stirring account of the libel action brought two decades ago by Holocaust denier David Irving (Rachel Weisz pictured)

Mick Jackson's film tells the story accurately, without too many frills and flourishes, but struggles a little to generate tension from a narrative that unfolds rather predictably whether we remember the case or not.

However, there is a deeply moving scene at Auschwitz itself, where the defence team gathers evidence to challenge Irving's grotesque assertions about the gas chambers  which he claimed were deployed only to kill lice.

Denial is written by celebrated playwright David Hare, and a heavyweight British cast is led by Rachel Weisz (pictured), unveiling her best Noo Yawk vowels as the feisty Lipstadt.

Director Mick Jackson arriving at the UK Gala screening of Denial

As Irving, Timothy Spall is the essence of jowly bigotry (he does a strikingly similar job as the Reverend Ian Paisley in a deservedly little-seen recent film called The Journey), while Julius, who had previously acted for Princess Diana in her divorce, is played (scene-stealingly) by Andrew Scott.

With Tom Wilkinson as the defence barrister and small but meaty parts for Mark Gatiss, Alex Jennings and Harriet Walter, the cast list could hardly be more impressive, and they breathe fire into a screenplay that at times is disappointingly clunky, as when Lipstadt, within the space of a few silly seconds, listens to the Radio 4 shipping forecast, jogs past Big Ben, and admires a statue of Boadicea.

There might as well be a caption reading 'an impressionable American in London'.

Still, on the whole, Denial does proper justice to an important story.
Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown's boyfriend Liam Macaulay has confirmed the couple's plans to marry.

Speaking to The Sun, the 31-year-old, who previously served 16 months in prison for dealing cannabis, revealed relatives are 'pressuring' the duo to walk up the aisle.

Sources tell the publication that the 32-year-old former P.E. teacher, who sported a dazzling diamond on her ring finger at Wednesday night's NTAs, is set to score a big bucks magazine deal off the back of her nuptials.

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Happier than ever: Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown's boyfriend Liam Macaulay has confirmed the couple's plans to marry

Candice, who has been dating Liam since 2012, soared to fame last year when she won GBBO, after causing division among viewers when some fell in love with the perma-lipsticked chef while others took issue with her trademark pout.

Dazzling: The 32-year-old former P.E. teacher sported a dazzling diamond on her ring finger at Wednesday night's NTAs

After reigning victorious, the stunner, who shares pet pug Dennis with her beau, stormed the red carpet at the NTAs, with Liam on one arm and an eye-popping ring on her left hand.

Seemingly intending to draw the eye to her blinged-up finger, she opted for a nude manicure on all but her ring finger which boasted a glossy gold colouring above her huge diamond jewel.

Speaking on the red carpet at the event, Liam said: 'Yes of course we are going to get married. We already have a pug together  thats the ultimate sign of commitment. A number of our relatives have been having weddings lately, so the pressure is on.'

Prouder than ever: Candice, who has been dating Liam since 2012, soared to fame last year when she won GBBO, after causing division among viewers when some fell in love with the perma-lipsticked chef while others took issue with her trademark pout

Hot on the heels of their romantic plans to tie the knot, insiders report to The Sun that Hello! magazine are eyeing the big money deal for inside shots of the wedding.

A source said: 'Candice is a huge star after Bake Off and people are fascinated with her life. Hello! has already approached the couple. It would easily cover all the costs so they could do something really special.

'But Candice is actually really normal and overwhelmed by the attention so hasnt made any commitment.'

Happier than ever: After reigning victorious, the stunner, who shares pet pug Dennis with her beau, stormed the red carpet at the NTAs, with Liam on one arm and an eye-popping ring on her left hand

Shortly before Candice burst on to screens last year, The Sun revealed that one year before the couple met, Scottish-native Liam, was serving a 16-month jail term for dealing cannabis.

He was arrested after police caught him with 6,970 worth of cannabis in his car as he an accomplice drove from Edinburgh to Inverness in 2009. Mr Macaulay then admitted supplying cannabis.

Sources close to Candice insisted she had nothing to do with the crime committed by Liam as she was not dating him at the time.
EastEnders' bus crash catastrophe has caused quite the controversy thanks to the graphic scenes and 'insensitive' plotline.

And after some fans expressed their disbelief that Albert Square residents could lift a bus to save one of their own, Emma Barton has revealed the action was all real.

Speaking to The Sun at Wednesday's National Television Awards, the 39-year-old actress who plays Honey Mitchell revealed all of the cast 'really went for it'.

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'We really went for it': After some fans expressed their disbelief that the EastEnders cast couldn't lift a bus to save one of their own, Emma Barton has revealed the action was all real

Speaking about the moment that the residents of Walford rushed to help one of their own trapped under the hulking vehicle, Emma revealed that the cast did partially lift the bus.

Explaining that the scene was very realisted, she told the paper: 'We all went for it, we all had a good go.

'We werent lifting the whole thing , we were just trying to free someone and get someone out.'

LIFT! Speaking to The Sun at Wednesday's National Television Awards, the 39-year-old actress who plays Honey Mitchell revealed all of the cast 'really went for it'

True story: Speakingof the moment that the residents of Walford rushed to help one of their own, Emma (seen with co-star Perry Fenwick) revealed that the cast did partially lift the bus

Emma's comments on the scene come shortly after fans slammed the soap for being 'insensitive' after the dramatic crash evoked memories of recent terrorist attacks.

The cliffhanger crash in Albert Square left a number of characters' lives in the balance, in a dramatic plot twist.

But viewers have criticised show bosses for a lack of respect to victims of those murdered in the ISIS-orchestrated truck crashes in Nice and Berlin last year.

On Twitter, one fan fumed: 'Slightly insensitive storyline from #Eastenders. Glasgow bin lorry crash, the lorry in France & Berlin Christmas markets.'

Smash: EastEnders fans watched in shock as a dramatic bus crash occurred in Albert Square during Monday night's epsiode

Shocking: The double-decker careered out of control after it appeared its driver suffered a heart attack behind the wheel

A cliffhanger:The cliffhanger crash now leaves the lives of 11 of the show's characters in the balance

The collision was caused when the double-decker's driver appeared to suffer a heart attack at the wheel, sending the bus spinning out of control and careering into Walford's iconic market place.

Smashing through everything in its path, the bus then hit a bridge and headed towards the Queen Vic pub.

The long list of characters at risk from the crash include Denise Fox, Keegan, Bex Fowler, Shakil Kazemi and Louise Micthell, who were on the bus.

While Martin Fowler, Donna Yates, Honey Mitchell, Johnny Carter, Carmel Kazemi and Kush Kazemi faced getting mowed down on the street.

While the collision will no doubt send ratings through the roof, for some viewers it was an upsetting reminder of the terrorist atrocities of last year.

In July 2016, a HGV driven by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel crashed into crowds of people on the southern French resort of Nice, killing 86.

Wrecking machine: The bus crashed through Walford's market place, sending characters jumping for safety

Shattering: The bus crashed after the driver appeared to have a heart attack at the wheel

Dramatic: The dramatic crash was slammed by some fans as being insensitive after terrorist attacks in Nice and Berlin last year

Collision course: After smashing through the market, the bus hit a bridge before heading towards the Queen Vic pub

While on December 19, a truck was driven into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, leaving 12 dead.

One EastEnders fan tweeted: 'Hmm not sure about this latest storyline considering recent terrorist activities. Seems a bit insensitive.'

While another wrote: 'Cannot believe eastenders has shown a bus driving through a busy market despite what's happened the last few months #someone'sgettingfired.'

However, not all were upset by the scene and accused fellow viewers of being over sensitive.

One fan tweeted:' 'It's pathetic how easily offended people are these days. Like I said #eastenders is filmed months in advance. Do some research.'

Another said: 'Some people really aren't happy unless they are moaning. Change the channel and let the REAL fans enjoy #eastenders.'

The drama unfolded on tonight's episode after Bridge Street market workers were furious to discover the council was planning to relocate the stalls.

Plan of action: Before the crash, Martin Fowler (James Bye) had gathered a group of market traders on the street to discuss going forward with a possible strike

Martin Fowler urged his colleagues to go on strike, but his pleas fell on death ears and landed him in the dog house with partner Stacey Fiowler (Lacey Turner).

However, his worries were soon overshadowed by the dramatic crash, with locals rushing to the scene to assist the injured.

Tilly Keeper, who plays the role of Louise Mitchell, said that fans are in for a treat as Walford reacts to the horror crash.

She told The Sun : 'All I'll say is that next week's episodes are HUGE and unmissable.

'It was exciting to film and I can't wait to see the audience's reaction. I can't say anything else! My lips are sealed. All I will say is make sure you tune in.'
How does a full-time funnyman lose a comedy rap battle to a couple of TV chefs?

For Nova's Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli, simply failing to get to the end of his pre-written lyrics was his biggest downfall.

The 37-year-old continued his win-less run during the hilarious segment on Friday, even after calling out My Kitchen Rules star Pete Evans for having a fake tan and dissing Frenchman Manu Feildel.

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So close! Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli slammed My Kitchen Rules hosts Pete Evans (R) and Manu Feildel (L) in a rap battle Friday, losing the contest after failing to finish his rap

Pete and Manu began the battle with a tepid roast of Wippa, drawing laughs from co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald for some early jokes before losing their way at the end.

'We're all over this rap like Wippa on a cupcake. Wip, your mum says you were a mistake,' joked Pete in one stinging line.

Manu steered clear of trying to land blows on the radio host, instead describing himself as 'the French one who likes to party.'

In the video, shared to the show's Facebook, Fitzy was seen making gestures towards his nose at the end of the pair's rap.

Mistake! Pete and Manu began the battle with a tepid roast of Wippa, drawing laughs from co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald for some early jokes before losing their way at the end

Loser: The 37-year-old Wippa started his rap strong, calling out Pete for having a fake tan before finishing the rap early after messing up - costing him the win

In response, Wippa joked: 'Open a door, that stinks!'

The Fitzy & Wippa host then took stabs at his guests in a decidedly more confident, free-flowing verse.

'Pete give me five, down low paleo - is that a fake tan or a natural glow?' Wippa rapped, in reference to the hosts bronzed complexion.

Natural or fake: The Fitzy and Wippa host barbed: Pete give me five, down low paleo - is that a fake tan or a natural glow?' A reference to the hosts bronzed complexion

He then offered a few mistimed jabs at Manu before losing his place and finishing the rap too early.

'They handed it to you on a platter!' said his producer, denying Manu's calls to give his opponent his first ever win before deeming the TV chefs victorious.

The week before, the Nova host suffered a defeat to Today Show presenter Richard Wilkins.
They just celebrated his 30th birthday on the weekend.

And Emma Roberts and Evan Peters seems to be still enjoying each others company as they headed out for lunch together on Thursday.

The 25-year-old rocked an all denim look, matching her cut-off jeans with a stressed light jacket, the same one she wore to his birthday party five days earlier.

Jean genie: Emma Roberts rocked all denim as she headed out for lunch with fiance Evan Peters following his weekend birthday celebrations

She finished the look in a pair of beige slip-ons, a black tee and a pair of Pink Lady-esque shades.

Her beau meanwhile kept it casual in black jeans and a long-sleeve dark grey Lacoste top.

The Scream Queens star paired the same denim jacket with a sexy burnt orange dress as the duo celebrated his big day with a group of friends at a West Hollywood bar on Saturday.

Denim darling: The 25-year-old rocked an all denim look, matching her cut-off jeans with a stressed light jacket, the same one she wore to his birthday party five days earlier

Neither seemed to be too tired, despite having apparently flown across the Atlantic within the 24 hours beforehand.

She posted a selfie of the couple in front of the Colosseum in Rome, having seeming flown her man to Italy for the milestone.

And Evan had even more reason to be tired, having carried her part of the way home.

The one that I want: She finished the look in a pair of beige slip-ons, a black tee and a pair of Pink Lady-esque shades.

'It's your birthday and I'll wine if I want to': The Scream Queens star paired the same denim jacket with a sexy burnt orange dress as the duo celebrated his big day with a group of friends at a West Hollywood bar on Saturday.

'Happy Birthday to the guy who gave me a piggy back ride from the Colosseum to our hotel because my feet hurt. Happy 30th my love,' she wrote.

Emma has been turning heads recently, seen wearing what looks to be an engagement ring on her left hand.

The charming stone first appeared January 5 as she not-so-subtly flashed the rock while shopping in Beverly Hills.
For her latest modelling campaign, Bella Hadid's been joined by her brother Anwar Hadid, who's three years her junior.

The pair modelled an array of Zadig & Voltaire clothes across a slew of photos shot in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the brand's hometown.

Bella appeared in one of them in a cleavage-baring floral dress, pencil-thin legs akimbo whilst she sat on a dull brown velour-cushioned chaise lounge.

Balancing act: For her latest campaign, Bella Hadid's modelled an array of Zadig & Voltaire clothes across a slew of photos shot in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the brand's hometown

She'd slipped into a pair of camel-coloured boots that appeared to be made of suede, flinging a pine green blazer over her ensemble.

In another snapshot, black letters blared 'AMOUR' across the front of her pink jumper, which tightened about her taut frame.

A large black leather purse was slung cross-body, complementing a pair of grey sequined trousers cut off part of the way down the calf.

Flashing the ring: She appeared in one of them in a cleavage-baring floral dress, pencil-thin legs akimbo whilst she sat on a dull brown velour-cushioned chaise lounge

The 22-year-old had rounded out the outfit with white trainers, and lifted one foot slightly off the wood stool she was stood on.

For a third photo, she offered the camera the same glare she'd given in the other two, squatting in gleaming gold trousers and faded brown high-heeled boots.

Her white blazer's sleeves stopped shortly after the elbows, and her cleavage-baring top featured gold text spattered across a white field.

Hand at the lips: For a third photo, she offered the camera the same glare she'd given in the other two, squatting in gleaming gold trousers and faded brown high-heeled boots

Meanwhile, her brother at one point found himself stood on the same stool as his sister, letting one dress-shod foot slide off the edge.

His midnight blue slacks seemed perfectly ironed, and into them, he'd tucked a T-shirt with a hairy fist punching across a moss green background.

The 19-year-old's black leather jacket was hemmed above his waist, and was pulled black slightly at the right side, revealing deep pink lining.

Precarious?: Meanwhile, her brother at one point found himself stood on the same stool as his sister, letting one dress-shod foot slide off the edge

He'd layered up for another photo: a midnight blue T-shirt sprayed with white text sat under a grey and black cardigan, in turn under a light green hoodie.

A hand was shoved into the pocket of his trousers, which were of nearly the exact same shade as his T-shirt.

He wound up on the same chaise lounge as his elder sister as well, crossing one leg over the other and massaging his forehead whilst wearing a purple and blue bomber jacket with black and white striped trim.

Hand in the pocket: He'd layered up for another photo: a midnight blue T-shirt sprayed with white text sat under a grey and black cardigan, in turn under a light green hoodie
He's the Australian actor who recently joined the cast of Game Of Thrones.

And Brendan Cowell's profile looks set to rise when the critically-acclaimed fantasy drama series returns for its seventh season in the middle of this year.

The 40-year-old will star as Harrag the Ironborn for three episodes, according to fan site Watchers On The Wall.

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On the rise: Brendan Cowell's profile looks set to rise when Game Of Thrones returns for its seventh season in the middle of this year and he joins the cast as Harrag the Ironborn

The site reports a casting call was made for the character in August, last year.

'Warrior, in the 35  45 age range,' it described. 'The character is a tough-looking bruiser with the attack skills of a pit bull, and the actor needs to be great at fighting.'

Part of the Iron Islands dynasty alongside Theon Greyjoy, played by Alfie Allen, Harrag is a nominal character in George R.R. Martin's book series.

Related: Part of the Iron Islands dynasty alongside Theon Greyjoy, played by Alfie Allen, Harrag is a nominal character in George R.R. Martin's book series

The theory is the show's executive producers, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, have decided to expand the character into a new and expanded composite role.

Brendan joined the cast during filming of the seventh season last autumn in Basque Country, between Spain and France.

Playing a member of the Ironborn clan, the Cronulla-born actor was seen shooting scenes in the town of Zumaia and then days later on its rocky shores.

Theory: The show's executive producers have decided to expand the character into a new and expanded composite role. Pictured: George R.R. Martin at HBO's Emmy after party in 2016

The revelation of Brendan scoring the part of Harrag first appeared on his biography page for British talent agency, Hamilton Hodell.

The Newtown-based thespian has starred in 17 movies, most recently last year's Broke alongside Steve Bastoni and Max Cullen.

He has 19 television credits under his belts, including medieval crime family drama The Borgias and Indigenous sketch show Black Comedy.
Valerie Harper took to social media on Thursday to remember her beloved late co-star Mary Tyler Moore.

The 77-year-old actress co-starred with Moore who died on Wednesday aged 80 from 1970 to 1974 on The Mary Tyler Moore Show on CBS.

'To The World I'll miss you "Mair." I will always be your co-pilot. I will always love you, darling Mary Tyler Moore,' Harper tweeted to her more than 51,000 followers on Twitter.

Paying tribute: Valerie Harper, shown with Mary Tyler Moore in 2000, took to social media on Thursday to pay tribute to the actress following her death aged 80

Harper on the show played brash New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern who became the neighbor of Moore's character Mary Richards in the same Minneapolis building.

Their characters became fast friends despite their differences and Harper later gained her own spin-off Rhoda that aired from 1974 to 1978.

Harper also released a statement to People about Moore's death.

'Last week, to prepare me, I was kindly warned by Mary Tyler Moores dear husband, Dr. Robert Levine, that she was in the very last stages of life,' the statement said.

Social media: The Rhoda star took to Twitter to pay public tribute to Moore

Series stars: Harper and Moore are shown in a 1970s still from The Mary Tyler Moore Show

'But still I cannot stop the emotions Im experiencing, since she was my acting colleague, my sister/soulmate, and above all, ONE HELL OF A GIRLFRIEND!

She added: 'Working together we knew each other so well we could anticipate each others moods, ever ready to engage and KNOW there would be an appropriate response from Mary.'

'I will always feel privileged and honored with the amount of quality time I was able to spend with Mary,' Harper said.

Best friends: Moore is shown as Mary Richards in a still from The MTM Show with Harper as her brash neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern

'Ill miss you ''Mair.'' I will always be your co-pilot. I will always love you, darling Mary Tyler Moore,' she wrote mirroring her tweet.

Betty White, 95, also took to social media to pay tribute to More.

White played Sue Ann Nivens alongside Moore from 1973 to 1977 on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

She took to Twitter and posted a 1970s photo of herself with Moore, Moore's ex-husband Grant Tinker and White's late husband Allen Ludden.

Best times: Betty White who also starred on The MTM Show took to Twitter to pay tribute to Moore

'Mary Tyler Moore, Grant Tinker, Allen Ludden and I had some of the best times of my life together. She was special,' White wrote for her more than one million followers on Twitter.

White after The Mary Tyler Moore Show later found success again on NBC's The Golden Girls.

Moore gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Critically acclaimed: Ed Asner, White, Moore and the late Ted Knight are shown in May 1976 at the Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles

She created one of TV's first career-woman sitcom heroines in the 1970s with The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Moore won seven Emmy awards over the years and was nominated for an Oscar for her playing an affluent mother whose son is accidentally killed in the 1980 movie Ordinary People.

The Mary Tyler Moore show ran for seven seasons and won 29 Emmys - a record that stood for 25 years until Frasier broke it in 2002.

Funny ladies: Moore and White are shown in August 2008 at an event honoring White in Los Angeles

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the first in a series of acclaimed, award-winning shows she produced with her second husband, Grant Tinker, who died in 2016, through their MTM Enterprises.

The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere and WKRP in Cincinnati are among the MTM series that followed.

Moore's co-workers since learning about her death have been honoring the leading lady.

The cast: Harper, Asner, Cloris Leachman, Gavin McLeod, Moore and Knight are shown in a 1972 promotional photo for The MTM Show

CBS comedy: Knight, Moore, Georgia Engel and White are shown in a still

Leading ladies: Leachman, Moore and Harper starred in the show produced by MTM Enterprises, Inc

'She was an impressive person and a talented person and a beautiful person. A force of nature," said producer, creator and director Carl Reiner, who created the The Dick Van Dyke Show.

'She'll last forever, as long as there's television. Year after year, we'll see her face in front of us,' Reiner told The Associated Press.

Ed Asner, 87, who played newsman Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show also took to Twitter to remember Moore.

'A great lady I loved and owe so much to has left us. I will miss her. I will never be able to repay her for the blessings that she gave me,' Asner tweeted.

Spin-off: Harper is shown in a 1975 still from the spin-off Rhoda
Via Business Standard, a New York Times report: Trump prepares orders to reduce US role in UN. Excerpt and then a comment:

The Trump administration is preparing executive orders that would clear the way to drastically reduce the United States role in the United Nations and other international organizations, as well as begin a process to review and potentially abrogate certain forms of multilateral treaties.

The first of the two draft orders, titled Auditing and Reducing US Funding of International Organizations and obtained by The New York Times, calls for terminating funding for any United Nations agency or other international body that meets any one of several criteria. Those criteria include organisations that give full membership to the Palestinian Authority or Palestine Liberation Organization, or support programs that fund abortion or any activity that circumvents sanctions against Iran or North Korea. The draft order also calls for terminating funding for any organisation that is controlled or substantially influenced by any state that sponsors terrorism or is blamed for the persecution of marginalised groups or any other systematic violation of human rights.

The order calls for then enacting at least a 40 per cent overall decrease in remaining United States funding toward international organisations.

The order establishes a committee to recommend where those funding cuts should be made. It asks the committee to look specifically at United States funding for peacekeeping operations; the International Criminal Court; development aid to countries that oppose important United States policies; and the United Nations Population Fund, which oversees maternal and reproductive health programs.

If President Trump signs the order and its provisions are carried out, the cuts could severely curtail the work of United Nations agencies, which rely on billions of dollars in annual United States contributions for missions that include caring for refugees.

The consequences for global health are predictable.
She recently made a highly-anticipated return on longrunning soap Neighbours.

And as Madeleine West, 36, continues to enjoy a successful acting career, the mother-of-six also has lots happening in her home life.

Last week, the Melbourne-native and her longtime partner Shannon Bennett announced that they adopted a little lamb, which they have playfully named Justin Bleater (their play on Justin Bieber).

In the baaa-ck seat: Actress Madeleine West and husband renowned chef Shannon Bennet have adopted a lamb

Chef Bennett took to Instagram on Friday to share a picture of the family dog, named MJ alongside the sheep in the back seat of their car.

He captioned the post: 'Justin: the only spring lamb lucky enough to see the other side of #australiaday2017 and hopefully many more to come now he has been adopted as a pet by the Bennett clan #luckiest #lamb in #australia.'

And just days before, Madeleine also shared a picture of Justin from the back of their car jokingly calling him an organic car alarm.

Loved up: Chef Bennett took to Instagram to share a picture of the family dog, named MJ and the sheep, named Justin Bleeter (their play on Justin Bieber), in the back seat of their car

Organic alarm: Last year the mother-of-six took to Instagram to share the first pictures of their new addition to their family being feed and wearing a nappy

The actress said: 'Finally found a 100% #organic car alarm BAAA! BAAA! BAAA! @madmadswest #justinbieber #justinbleater #burnhambeeches.'

Last year the mother-of-six took to Instagram to share the first pictures of their new addition to their family.

In one post, she and her husband feed a very hungry little lamb, while in other photos they put a nappy on the sheep's bottom to stop him from defecating around their home.

Madeleine wrote an article for KidSpot last year about her experience with having pet sheep in their moderate sized home outside of Melbourne, along with their other pets including a dog, fish, turtles, and two ducks.

Little lamb: Madeleine said that the experience of having a pet sheep in their moderate sized home outside of Melbourne has taught her children to be better humans

She said that while it does seem 'raving mad' having the lamb taught her children to be better humans.

'Justins neediness, his vulnerability, his tragic backstory, has fuelled in my children a sense of devotion, responsibility, and accountability that little else has or could,' she said.

'It seems Justin has a lot to teach my kids, and me too,' she added.

Dee Bliss returned to Ramsey Street, however, some fans took to social media to theorise that Madeleine West is not actually playing her old character but rather an impostor posing as her.
Mike Connors, who starred as the title character on Mannix from 1967 to 1975, has died at the age of 91.

His son-in-law Mike Condon has said the actor was diagnosed with leukemia a week before his passing in Tarzana, California, according to Variety.

He is survived by his wife Mary Lou Willey, whom he married in 1949, as well as by their daughter Dana Lee Connors.

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Veteran: Mike Connors, who starred as the title character on Mannix from 1967 to 1975, has died at the age of 91

As Variety have noted, the first of Mannix' eight series on CBS drew disappointing ratings for the network, which considered scuppering the programme.

Lucille Ball, president of the show's home company Desilu Productions, prevailed upon CBS to keep it on the air, rejiggering it and enabling it to gain success.

Connors played hard-boiled private investigator Joe Mannix, who drove a succession of flashy cars such as the 1969 Dodge Dart GTS 340 convertible.

Pictured in 2010: Born Kreker J. Ohanian in Fresno on August 15, 1925, Connors served in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War before embarking on an acting career in the 1950s under the name 'Touch Connors'

The detective's traumatic past included having been a prisoner of war whilst serving in Korea, as well as having been a mercenary in Latin America.

Mannix, who like Connors was of Armenian descent, tended to defy authority figures in order to solve cases as he saw fit, often finding himself in severe physical peril.

The character put in an appearance on a 1971 episode of Ball's CBS sitcom Here's Lucy entitled Lucy And Mannix Are Held Hostage.

He did it his way: On his career-defining CBS show, Connors played hard-boiled private investigator Joe Mannix, who drove a succession of flashy cars such as the 1969 Dodge Dart GTS 340 convertible

Born Kreker J. Ohanian in Fresno on August 15, 1925, Connors served in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War before embarking on an acting career under the name 'Touch Connors.'

Starting out in the 1950s, he snagged screen time in such films as The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston, the Joan Crawford vehicle Sudden Fear and the John Wayne film Island In The Sky.

Veering into television, he wrangled guest shots on a variety of programmes including Gunsmoke and The Loretta Young Show. By the time he landed Mannix, he'd adopted 'Mike Connors' as his credit.

Armed: As Variety have noted, the first of Mannix' eight series on CBS drew disappointing ratings for the network, which considered scuppering the programme until Lucille Ball, president of the show's home company Desilu Productions, persuaded them to keep it on; Connors is pictured with Ruta Lee on a 1967 episode entitled Run, Sheep, Run

His now deceased son Matthew was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 15, and Mike Connors began advocating against stigma surrounding mental illness.

The actor's work in this area earned him a Silver Ribbon Award from the University Of California, Irvine's Brain Imaging Centre Committee, per the Los Angeles Times.

Connors' post-Mannix television guest spots included such programmes as Murder, She Wrote; Walker, Texas Ranger; The Love Boat and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Crossing over: Joe Mannix put in an appearance on a 1971 episode of Ball's CBS sitcom Here's Lucy entitled Lucy And Mannix Are Held Hostage

From 1981 to 1982, he also starred on the ABC drama Today's FBI, which only managed to last for single series before its cancellation.

In 1988, he was among a cast that included Robert Mitchum, Jane Seymour, John Gielgud, Peter Graves and Sharon Stone in the miniseries War And Remembrance.

His final screen credit came a decade ago, when he acted in a 2007 episode of Two And A Half Men entitled Prostitutes And Gelato.
He recently enjoyed a wild road trip to Las Vegas with his son Jye after a tour through Cuba with his wife Sylvie.

But Larry Emdur couldn't help but turn to an Australian classic on the final day of his United States holiday when he bumped into one of his famous cooking countrymen.

On Thursday, the 52-year-old made a pit stop in Los Angeles, sampling a delicious meat pie with celebrity chef Curtis Stone.

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'Just what the doctor ordered': Larry Emdur chows down on meat pie with celebrity chef Curtis Stone in LA after a wild trip to Las Vegas with son Jye and tour through Cuba with wife Sylvie

The Channel Seven personality looked casual in a black T-shirt, grinning from ear to ear as he prepared to eat at Curtis' Los Angeles restaurant Gwen.

Larry was pleased as punch about the tasty pie he was about to sample, holding the iconic Aussie dish up for the camera, proudly demonstrating that it was patriotically seasoned with tomato sauce.

Curtis wore his trademark chef clothes and threw an arm around Larry smiling, pointing a finger approvingly at what the journalist was about to eat.

Making a point? Later that day Larry shared a less-than-thrilled snap of himself waiting to board at LAX airport

'Exactly what a lonely Aussie in LA needs .. A legendary meat pie with the legendary @curtisstone,' Larry captioned the photo on Instagram, also adding: 'Thanx buddy , just what the Dr ordered.'

The Morning Show host also added the hashtags #bestpieever #straya #aussiesinla.

The photographic evidence of Curtis in Los Angeles is sure to disappoint some My Kitchen Rules fans, who had predicted the celebrity chef would be this year's fourth mystery judge.

Driving around: The father and son duo rented a convertible for a fun road trip to Las Vegas

Later that day Larry shared a less-than-thrilled snap of himself waiting to board at LAX airport.

The journalist looked lost in thought as he perused the pages of a book title F*** Feelings One Shrink's Practical Advice for Managing All Life's Impossible Problems.

Pizza for breakfast? Earlier this week, Larry had shared a series of snaps from his hilarious road trip from Las Vegas with his son Jye, 21

'By the time I get off this flight I'll be able to deal with anything,' Larry joked in the photo's caption.

Earlier this week, Larry had shared a series of snaps from his hilarious road trip from Las Vegas with his son Jye, 21.

The doting father made sure to share his best dad jokes through pictures that showed the duo shopping for 'pimp clothes', eating pizza for breakfast and photobombing his son.

New wardrobe: Some of the hilarious photos included one of Larry shopping for 'pimp clothes'

So many jokes: The doting father made sure to share his best dad jokes through picture captions

'When Jye's trying to take a cool pic but Jye's dad's a d***,' Larry captioned the photobombing picture.

'Absolutely incredible drive through Valley of Fire, Nevada.. Mind boggling terrain, I felt like Matt Damon in "The Martian". An old, ugly, bald Matt Damon in a cheap puffer vest (being a d***).'

Larry married his wife Sylvie in 1995 and the couple share two children together Jye and Tia.
He was unsuccessful in his pursuit of Georgia Love on the most recent series of The Bachelorette.

But Sam Johnston is surely suffering no shortage of female attention since his time on the reality show.

The star has now collaborated with French-based fragrance brand Azzaro on a new scent that aptly describes his current situation - Wanted - as he stars in a movie and plots a move to the US.

New collaboration: The Bachelor star Sam Johnston has collaborated on a shoot with Azzaro Wanted, with Sam revealing he's a fan of the fragrance which will hit department stores on Sunday

The handsome reality star took part in a smouldering shoot for the fragrance, which hits stores on Sunday.

With the moody shoot taking place in an industrial-style warehouse, Sam got into a tuxedo that brought back memories of his days suited-up on The Bachelorette.

The Sydney-based star joins a list of international stars who have fronted Azzaro campaigns, including Enrique Iglesias and Ian Somerhalder.

Suited up: The moody shoot took place in an industrial style warehouse

Speaking with Daily Mail Australia, Sam said that he was excited to collaborate with the company, claiming that he had been wearing Azzaro Wanted over the course of the summer.

'It's become my go-to,' he revealed, 'I get a lot of comments when I wear it so it's perfect for day or a date nights!'

Sam was keeping tight-lipped on exactly who he was having date nights with, but was more keen to talk about his planned move from modelling to movies.

Looking good, smelling better: Sam has fronted numerous campaigns, but the handsome star will soon make the move from modelling to movies

The handsome star revealed he has started work on an Australian film, titled Sunset People, an 80s-inspired horror flick set in a 'dream-like, sinister world, that revolves around burlesque, drugs and sex'.

Sam also stated that he is set to make the move to America, in an attempt to crack the US market.

Is he finally 'tied' down? Sam said the scent was perfect for 'date nights' but didn't reveal who had been romancing

The star, who is signed with Miami Major Models in the United States, said he's looking forward to taking the leap and plans to fly out in the coming months.

'First it'll be Miami to meet with my agent and form a plan,' Sam said, before he then makes the move to either Los Angeles and New York.

Making movies: The handsome star revealed he has started work on an Australian film, titled Sunset People, an 80s-inspired horror flick set in a 'dream-like, sinister world, that revolves around burlesque, drugs and sex'




Fresh from the biggest role of his career to date, Ben Mendelsohn has landed the lead in an upcoming Netflix film.

The 47-year-old, who played Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has been cast as Anders Hill in The Land Of Steady Habits, a role light years away from his space opera villain.

A screen adaption from Ted Thompson's novel, the movie will see the Australian star alongside The Sopranos' Eddie Falco and Project X actor Thomas Mann.

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Wanted man: Fresh from the biggest role of his career to date, Ben Mendelsohn has landed the lead in an upcoming Netflix film

The story will follow Ben's character - a sixty-something family man - as he opts to leave his wife, job and his safe suburb in Connecticut - nicknamed the 'land of steady habits'.

However, after realising his new life might not be all he imagined, he embarks on a journey to reconcile his past with his present.

The movie, which will be directed by American Nicole Holofcener, will be fully financed by Netflix and distributed worldwide.

New role: The 47-year-old, who played Orson Krennic (pictured) in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has been cast as Anders Hill in The Land Of Steady Habits

A lot on his plate: Ben's latest role adds to a number of projects scheduled for release over the next two years, which may include playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood

Ben's latest role adds to a number of projects scheduled for release over the next two years, which may include playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in a new Robin Hood movie.

It was reported last month that the Melbourne native was in talks over the role, which would see him star alongside Jamie Foxx and Eddie the Eagle's Taron Egerton.

While the actor's career is enjoying a renaissance, he has been dealing with personal turmoil away from the cameras.

Issues: While the actor's career is enjoying a renaissance, he has been dealing with personal turmoil away from the cameras

Wife Emma Forrest filed for divorce last month, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for bringing their four-year marriage to an end.

The British journalist, who shares a daughter with the Emmy-winner, filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court just days after Christmas.

The couple, who married in 2012, did not attend any of last year's Rogue One premieres together, and it has also been reported by TMZ that Emma is seeking physical custody of their three-year-old child.
He's the hunky actor tipped to be Australia's biggest acting export since Chris Hemsworth.

And on Thursday, Brenton Thwaites further cemented his heartthrob status during a stroll down Rodeo Drive in the swanky Los Angeles suburb of Beverly Hills.

The 27-year-old former Home and Away star cut a dashing figure while rocking a daring double denim look, strolling along one of the most expensive shopping strips in the world.

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Double denim! Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites rocks a jeans ensemble during shopping trip in Beverly Hills

Wearing rounded shades and a tweed cap, Brenton looked every bit the movie star as he attempted to go incognito for the shopping trip.

The Gods of Egypt actor wore jeans which were ripped at the knees with lace-up combat boots.

He paired the rocker look with a sheep fleece-lined denim jacket with a green T-shirt underneath.

Looking stylish: Wearing rounded shades and a tweed cap, Brenton looked every bit the movie star as he attempted to go incognito for the shopping trip

Some rock inspiration: The Gods of Egypt actor wore jeans which were ripped at the knees with lace-up combat boots

Brenton paused by a bin with his phone in hand, appearing to search for someone as he glanced up and down the street.

The Aussie actor was later joined by a male friend, taking his shades off as the pair walked along the exclusive shopping precinct.

Despite it being Australia Day back home, the movie star picked up a very American drink to keep him sustained for the outing.

Starbucks cup: Despite it being Australia Day back home, movie star picked up a very American drink to keep him sustained for the outing

Brenton clutched a drink from Starbucks Coffee, possibly in an attempt to brave the northern hemisphere winter.

The actor's shopping trip comes as he prepares for a huge year of film releases.

The Cairns boy is starring in the latest installment of popular swashbuckling series Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, released in May.

The Disney franchise previously launched the careers of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.

Things to come: The Cairns boy is starring in the latest installment of popular swashbuckling series Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, released in May

Since leaving Home and Away in 2012, Brenton has been on the fast track to Hollywood fame, with his path mirroring the success of fellow soap alum Chris Hemsworth.

He has scored starring roles in teen sci-fi flick The Giver and last year's biblical action movie Gods Of Egypt.

Brenton has been in a relationship with Gold Coast-based naturopath Chloe Pacey since 2015 and the couple share a daughter Birdie, born in April last year.
She became a staple in homes in Australia and the United Kingdom following her big break on Neighbours.

And it seems Kylie Minogue hasn't forgotten her past and the role that kicked off her incredible career as she prepares for a big year seemingly including a wedding.

The 48-year-old pop princess took to Instagram on Thursday to share a photo of her wearing a pair of denim overalls in a potential throwback to her days as the bubbly Charlene.

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Charlene? It seems Kylie Minogue hasn't forgotten about the role that kicked off her incredible career, with this photo of her in a retro overalls outfit posted to Instagram on Thursday

With her hair tied up in a bun, a pair of rose sunglasses covering her eyes and a red scarf tied around her neck, Kylie rocked a retro look as she posed for the camera.

'Some days require #overalls #dungarees #work,' she captioned the image.

Although the shot was seemingly affected by poor light, it clearly didn't phase her 1.4 million followers who flooded it with adoring comments.

Throwback: The pop princess, 48, got her big break on hit show Neighbours in the 1980s which catapulted her onto the world stage. She is pictured alongside TV beau 'Scott', played by Jason Donovan

While the photo reminded many of Kylie's time on Neighbours, it may be one of the last times she posts on social media with the last name Minogue.

Recently, the hitmaker revealed she plans to take the name of fiance Joshua Sasse when they marry.

'I am about to disappear for the whole of January,' Minogue told You Magazine in what was thought to be the biggest hint yet that the pair will soon tie the knot.

However the Australian star soon clarified that she and her 29-year-old beau have no specific plans to marry.

Triple threat: After leaving the TV show Minogue went on to record a number of hit singles

Loved up: Kylie got engaged to her 29-year-old boyfriend Joshua Sasse in early 2016

'I might go abroad, I might stay at home. All I know is there is nothing in the diary for January.

But on the topic of whether she would conform to tradition and take her husband's name, she was much more definite.

'Sasse is a great name. Kylie Sasse is a great name. It's a great stage name,' she said.

Kylie and Sasse's whirlwind romance began in England in September 2015 and culminated in an engagement five months later.
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Fans were left devastated when Great British Bake Off was purchased by Channel 4 for 25 million per year, prompting popular host Mary Berry and presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins to jump ship.

But despite the public uproar, production for the revamped series appears to be underway, with TV bosses seemingly beginning the search for new stars to join lone remaining judge Paul Hollywood.

The TV star was spotted arriving at a test shoot in Tooting, south London earlier this week, accompanied by a host of famous faces from the culinary world.

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New line-up? Award-winning chef Michel Roux Jr. was leading the arrivals at a test shoot in Tooting, south London this week, where he was rumoured to be filming for Channel 4's revamped version of The Great British Bake Off

New project: Veteran judge Paul Hollywood (left) was spotted arriving at the venue for filming, accompanied by a host of famous faces from the culinary world - including Rachel Allen (right)

The search is on to find the next Mary, Mel and Sue - and Channel 4 certainly appear to be splashing their budget on some big names.

Michel Roux Jr., 56, was seen arriving at the alleged test shoot, keeping a low profile as he was ushered into the house.

The two-star Michelin chef, who boasts previous presenting experience on Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen, was carrying a change of clothing.

Irish chef Rachel Allen was also spotted at the scene, laughing and joking with production members on the street.

Top chef: Joining them at the secret venue appeared to be potential replacements for baking queen Berry herself, including Frances Atkins - one of only six female Michelin starred chefs in the UK

Star power: Michel Roux Jr., 56, was seen arriving at the alleged test shoot, keeping a low profile as he was ushered into the house

Secret filming: The two-star Michelin chef, who boasts previous presenting experience on Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen, was carrying a change of clothing

In good spirits: Irish chef Rachel Allen was also spotted at the scene, laughing and joking with production members on the street

Finding a new face: GBBO are looking to replace Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins after the trio quit the long-established programme when Channel 4 outbid the BBC last year

The baking whizz, 44, has hosted the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen show and a series called Rachel Allen: Bake! for RTE.

Joining them at the secret venue appeared to be potential replacements for baking queen Berry herself, including Frances Atkins - one of only six female Michelin starred chefs in the UK.

The head chef at the Yorke Arms in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire - which featured in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's comedy The Trip - she has been working her magic in the kitchen since she was 17 and recently appeared on Great British Menu.

Chef and cookery writer Lady Claire Macdonald was also spotted leaving the venue, a big smile on her face.

Keeping a low profile: Paul wrapped up warm in a padded coat as he left the venue - his appearance at odds with his social media accounts, which suggested he was in San Francisco

Making the move solo: While Mel and Sue refused to follow the money over at Channel 4, Paul secured a deal that he said 'doubled his wages'

Flying visit? Just 21 hours ago, the baker tweeted: 'Thank you San Francisco it's been amazing I'll be back x #citybakes'

Honest: The TV star also said he was surprised with the amount of vitriol his decision to leave the BBC had sparked, but said was offered a bumper pay rise

A champion of local Scottish food, she owns the Michelin-starred Kinloch Lodge hotel on the Isle of Skye.

It has also been claimed that TV pastry expert Claire Clark could be in the running to replace Mary Berry.

The 51-year-old chef, who previously hosted the Creme De La Creme spin-off show, has been deemed the right kind of 'warm natured' personality to host the show, The Sun reports.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for the new GBBO for comment.

In an interview with The Times magazine, he said: 'Would you work across the road? If you could double your wages, by going across the road to a rival would you?'

Social media presence: Paul's appearance was at odds with his Twitter account, which suggested he was in San Francisco

Presenting pro: Rachel as hosted the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen show and Rachel Allen: Bake! for RTE

While Mel and Sue refused to follow the money over at Channel 4, Paul secured a deal that he said 'doubled his wages'.

The bread-loving star wrapped up warm in a padded coat as he left the venue - his appearance at odds with his social media accounts, which suggested he was in San Francisco.

Just 21 hours ago, the baker tweeted: 'Thank you San Francisco it's been amazing I'll be back x #citybakes'.

Showing his loyalty to his former employers, he also posted a message of support to his ex-Bake Off colleagues ahead of the National Television Awards.

Smartening up: The baking whizz, 44, looked professional in a khaki blazer and chic black trousers

Rumoured test shoot: The gathering of culinary professionals certainly caused a stir among locals

'Sending big love to the whole team @BritishBakeOff good luck at the NTAs tonight Xx', he shared.

Hollywood shocked loyal GBBO viewers by following the show to its new Channel 4 home - despite his co-hosts deciding to leave.

The TV star also said he was surprised with the amount of vitriol his decision to leave the BBC had sparked, but said was offered a bumper pay rise.

In an interview with The Times magazine, he said: 'Would you work across the road? If you could double your wages, by going across the road to a rival would you?

Original line-up: Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Paul and Mary Berry (clockwise from top left) have earned legions of fans over the years

Big changes: Fans were left devastated when Great British Bake Off was purchased by Channel 4 for 25 million per year, prompting the three women to quit

Final hurrah: Berry's final series of the cooking challenge saw lipstick loving Candice Brown take home the crown

'I'd be happy for the BBC to release the figure to say how much I was paid, but I can't do that.'

It is unclear how much he was paid, but he told The Times he was paid less than 500,000 for his seven years on the show.

The judge said he was 'gutted' that his co-stars would not be moving with him, but said the anger his decision provoked 'hit me like an express training'.

He stated: 'I haven't murdered anyone. But I think the Yorkshire Ripper got less press than I did.'

The popular programme is set to take a break in 2017 before returning the following year, after Channel 4 outbid the BBC.

Auditioning? Joining them at the secret venue appeared to be potential replacements for baking queen Berry herself - including chef and cookery writer Lady Claire Macdonald

Team effort: Numerous assistants were seen carrying ingredients and produce into the building where the auditions were taking place

All day effort: The street was filled with people going back and forth into the venue

The new Mary? Frances is the head chef at the Yorke Arms in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, which featured in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's comedy The Trip

Helping hand: Assistants were seen accompanying Lady Claire (L) and Frances (R) out of the south London venue

Meanwhile, Mary Berry has finally acknowledged her former Great British Bake Off co-judge's controversial decision to ditch the BBC.

In an apparent dig at Hollywood at the launch of her new book, the 81-year-old described former GBBO presenters Mel and Sue as her 'guardian angels', before adding: 'they're firmly with the BBC too.'

Speaking at the launch of Everyday, held at Fortnum and Mason's Diamond Jubilee Salon in London, Mary said of reuniting with Mel and Sue: 'We haven't seen each other for such a long time.

'They are my guardian angels and they're firmly with the BBC too.'

During a recent appearance on ITV's Lorraine, however, Mel insisted she ad nothing but love for the silver fox.

Do you recognise the full line-up? Contact Kate Thomas on kate.thomas@mailonline.co.uk.

Going it alone: Paul recently said he was 'gutted' that his co-stars would not be moving with him, but said the anger his decision provoked 'hit me like an express training'

He stated: 'I haven't murdered anyone. But I think the Yorkshire Ripper got less press than I did'

Heavy lifting: It was all hands on deck as the all-star filming got underway earlier this week

Asked if she was still talking to Paul, she said: 'Listen, I love the guy, genuinely. He's a pal and he's a friend. I just don't want any kind of bad feelings or bad vibes.

'We had seven years together, and they were seven really really fun, good years. So all good.'

Mel remained coy on whether or not the other Bake Off personalities would move on to work on something together.

She simply said: 'Who knows. Stranger things have happened.'

Speaking out: This comes as Mary Berry has finally acknowledged her former Great British Bake Off co-judge's controversial decision to ditch the BBC

In an apparent dig at Hollywood at the launch of her new book, the 81-year-old described former GBBO presenters Mel and Sue as her 'guardian angels', before adding: 'they're firmly with the BBC too'

Teaming up? Mary, Mel and Sue are thought to be working on their own baking show together in the meantime

Recently quizzed about the prospect, Mel joked: 'Who knows. Stranger things have happened'

Beaming: Meanwhile, Mary was spotted out and about in London on Friday morning
Caitlin Stasey was thrust into the spotlight from a young age.

And the actress brought back memories from her days starring in The Sleepover Club with a picture posted to Instagram on Friday.

The 26-year-old is seen posing for a photo in a time long before Neighbours and a Hollywood move - most likely taken before she appeared on children's TV for the first time in 2003.

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Throwback: Caitlin Stasey brought back memories from her days starring in The Sleepover Club with a picture posted to Instagram on Friday

She captioned the image: 'Smol & ambiguous.'

The use of the word 'smol' has become popular on social media, meaning something that is extremely small and cute.

It's not the first time the former Neighbours star has shared a throwback snap, taking to Instagram on New Year's Eve to post one from her teenage years.

Seen as a fresh-faced youngster on the same day in 2004, the picture could easily have been passed off as the most recent photo of the now 26-year-old.

She hasn't changed! The 26-year-old (left) is seen posing for a photo in her younger years - most likely taken before she appeared on children's TV for the first time in 2003

Younger years: Caitlin doesn't appear to have aged at all since starring in The Sleepover Club as a 14-year-old, judging by a throwback photo shared to her Instagram

Then and now: Seen as a fresh-faced teen on New Year's Eve in 2004 (left) the picture could easily have been passed off as a recent photo of Caitlin (right, in April 2016)

She captioned the snap: 'NYE 2004 no rly actually 2004 (sic).'

The Melbourne-born star was soon inundated with disbelieving comments from a portion of her 200,000 followers.

One remarked: 'You've been swimming in the fountain of youth.'

Another user commented 'do you even age?' while another noted 'you look exactly the same'.

Breakthrough: The photo was taken during Caitlin's three-year stint playing Francesca 'Frankie' Thomas in The Sleepover Club, a role which offered her a route into TV in 2003. (Pictured at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards in 2006)

Big break: A role in Neighbours came her way in 2005, playing Rachel Kinski in the long-running soap for four years before a number of film and TV roles followed

The photo was taken during Caitlin's three-year stint playing Francesca 'Frankie' Thomas in The Sleepover Club, a role which offered her a route into TV in 2003.

A role in Neighbours came her way in 2005, playing Rachel Kinski in the long-running soap for four years before a number of film and TV roles followed.

Caitlin is currently starring in comedy drama series Please Like Me, while also causing the occasional social media controversy.

The outspoken media personality often 'pushes the boundaries', according to a source at Instagram, defying the site's no-nudity policy to post several risque pictures in the past.

Rebel: Caitlin is currently starring in comedy drama series Please Like Me, while also causing the occasional social media controversy

Freeing the nipple: The outspoken media personality often 'pushes the boundaries', according to a source at Instagram, defying the site's no-nudity policy to post several risque pictures

Speaking to The Sun earlier this year, a source revealed that if she continues sharing 'inappropriate content' her account will be deleted.

'Her photos get removed but she just posts a replacement,' the insider said.

'She takes no notice and will not follow rules. It's only a matter of time before her account gets suspended or deleted.'
She's been known to have the odd nip slip.

And Lady Victoria Hervey ensured that didn't happen, as she attended a Pyjama Party at Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood wearing nothing but nipple tassels and pyjama bottoms.

The English socialite, 40, certainly turned heads as she arrived at the venue on Thursday in her risque ensemble.

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Oh me lady! Lady Victoria Hervey attended a Pajama Party at Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood wearing nothing but nipple tassels and pyjama bottoms

Armed with a pair of oversized bright pink polka dot Minnie mouse ears, she covered her blonde blow-dried tresses with a fitting eye mask.

Showcasing her bronzed upper body, Lady Victoria - who is the daughter of the late 6th Marquess of Bristol, went completely topless, covering her modesty with a pair of silver heart-shaped nipple tassels.

Flaunting the entirety of her washboard abs, the former model wore her pink patterned pyjama bottoms slung low on her hips.

Racy! The English socialite, 40, certainly turned heads as she arrived at the venue on Thursday in her risque ensemble

Risque: Showcasing her bronzed upper body, Lady Victoria - who is the daughter of the late 6th Marquess of Bristol, went completely topless, covering her modesty with a pair of silver heart-shaped nipple tassels

Sleep chic: Armed with a pair of oversized bright pink polka dot Minnie mouse ears, she covered her blonde blow-dried tresses with a fitting eye mask

Teaming it with a pair of trainers, Victoria added a faux fur pale pink jacket for good measure, leaving it open as she posed for snaps.

Despite her lack of clothes, she opted for glamorous make-up, going for defined brows, lashings of mascara and lip gloss.

Carrying a small silk black clutch, she ensured she'd be the centre of attention a she arrived at the famous venue.

Teaming it with a pair of trainers, Victoria added a faux fur pale pink jacket for good measure, leaving it open as she posed for snaps

Made up: Despite her lack of clothes, she opted for glamorous make-up, going for defined brows, lashings of mascara and lip gloss

Accessorising: Carrying a small silk black clutch, she ensured she'd be the centre of attention a she arrived at the famous venue

The blonde beauty 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.'

'Reserved': The blonde beauty recently told the Daily Mail that English women struggle to be sexy

Victoria added that she still leads by example, sporting an array of sheer ensembles at parties recently, she said: 'Its empowering to dress provocatively'.

She was previously a successful catwalk model, walking for the likes of Christian Dior.

Victoria has also tried her hand at TV, making a cameo in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous in 2001 before participating in Channel 4's skiing competition The Jump in 2015.

Model behaviour: She was previously a successful catwalk model, walking for the likes of Christian Dior
He's been best friends with Kim Kardashian for years - but while she's busy flying to Costa Rica, it seems Jonathan Cheban has easily replaced her.

The 42-year-old television presenter headed out for a walk in London with a female companion who looked just like Kim, a social media star called Chanelle Sadie Paul.

While Jonathan was wrapped up against the cold, wearing a padded jacket and ripped jeans and wielding an umbrella, his pal had other ideas.

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Look away now! Jonathan Cheban enjoyed a walk with a Kardashian lookalike, called Chanelle Sadie Paul in London as Kim headed to Costa Rica with her family

Chanelle wore minimal clothing, flaunting her ample assets in a red plunging form-fitting dress which was ruched throughout.

The raven-haired beauty wore a black cape over the top and added some extra inches to her height, wearing a pair of nude high heel shoes.

Her hair was styled into Hollywood curls and she carried a giant clutch bag in her hand as the pair walked down the street together.

So similar: The lady in question was a dead ringer for Jonathan's best friend Kim Kardashian as she appeared in October 2007

No doubt Jonathan is missing Kim as she has been pictured boarding a private plane to Costa Rica with her two children, although husband Kanye West was not present.

An insider for the weekly said the 38-year-old rapper 'was never supposed to come. He is busy working on his music in LA.'

The trio, however, were joined by momager Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble.

She'll catch a cold! Chanelle wore minimal clothing, flaunting her ample assets in a red plunging form-fitting dress which was ruched throughout

But that was not all as Kylie Jenner was also seen boarding the jet with Tyga as she carried the rapper's son King Cairo on her hip.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was rumoured to have been joining the Celebrity Big Brother house this year - but the deal fell through over a disagreement over fee.

However, while in the UK, the reality star has been watching the show and has thrown his support behind controversial housemate, Kim Woodburn.

He tweeted a picture of her calling her a 'legend.'

Jonathan's extensive property portfolio already includes a 7 million apartment in New York.

But he is looking to double his investment as he has an eye on a 16 million property in London, close to his favourite shop, Harrods.

A source exclusively told MailOnline: 'He needs to be within 250 metres of Harrods for his weekly shopping sprees - he has spent thousands in the store while he's been in London.'
ABC Digital was forced to apologise when they mistakenly named her as an Oscar nominee.

And Amy Adams put on brave face as she went grocery shopping in LA on Thursday.

The 42-year-old award-winning Arrivals star even cracked a smile at photographers outside the store.

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Staying positive: Amy Adams put on brave face as she went grocery shopping in LA on Thursday

Shading her face against the Californian sunshine in oversized sunglasses, she put on a casual appearance in a white T-shirt and casual jeans.

Layering up against the cooler January climate, Amy wore a blue Aztec-patterned cardigan and added a touch of glamour in tan ankle boots.

And wheeling her goods to her car in a trolley, Amy appeared to be taking the recent nominations furore on the chin.

Good-natured: The 42-year-old award-winning Nocturnal Animals star even cracked a smile at photographers outside the store

On Tuesday ABC Digital issued an apology after a wrong list of Oscar nominees was released on its mobile site.

'This morning, in an attempt to release breaking news as announced, ABC Digital briefly posted inaccurate nomination information on the Oscars.com website,' it read.

'The nominees announced by the Academy on Twitter were accurate. ABC quickly identified and corrected the errors. We apologize to the Academy, press and fans for any confusion.'

Running errands: Shading her face against the Californian sunshine in oversized sunglasses, she sported a white T-shirt and casual jeans

Off-duty glamour: Layering up against the cooler January climate, Amy wore a blue Aztec-patterned cardigan and added a touch of glamour in tan ankle boots

ABC's mobile site initially listed Amy Adams' Arrival before being replaced by Ruth Negga in Loving for the best actress category.

Twitter immediately went into overdrive with fans voicing their disappointment in what was seen as a snub.

And it was all the more surprising as she had been hotly tipped to be a potential winner.

Moving on: Wheeling her goods to her car in a trolley, Amy appeared to be taking the recent nominations furore on the chin

Disappointed: She was hotly tipped to be in the running for her breakthrough Academy Award

The Italian-born American actress is among the highest-paid actresses in the world, has won two Golden Globe Awards and has been nominated for five Academy Awards and six BAFTA awards.

On Tuesday Amy kept up her bravado as she held a talk at the Screen Actors Guild event following the snub.

The Man Of Steel favourite looked in fine form at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Conversations with Amy Adams event.

Mona Lisa smile: Amy tried to appear cheerful following her shock Oscars snub when she appeared at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation event in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Don't mention the Oscars: She would surely not have been keen to talk about her disappointment

The snub will have surely been all the more disappointing as flick Arrival performed well overall, picking up nine nominations.

Social media users pointed out a potential mix-up on the Academy's website, which initially listed Adams as a nominee in the category. Fellow snubee Tom Hanks was also initially listed as being nominated for best actor.

The humiliation of the latter must have been an especially bitter pill to swallow, especially if she had checked on their website to find out if she was up for one of the prestigious paperweights.

In need of commiseration: No doubt her Arrival costar Jeremy Renner will have words of comfort for the saucy redhead

Despite being nominated an impressive five times, Amy has yet to secure her first Oscar, as she has lost out on five previous occasions.

Her director Director Denis Villeneuve, who celebrated with champagne and pancakes after being nominated for best director, said of the snub: 'This is the big disappointment. I'm deeply disappointed for Amy.

'She was the soul of this movie. For me, it was a given! She had the movie on her shoulders, she's the one who made it happen. It's a strange feeling to celebrate and feel sad at the same time.'
He recently announced he and husband of one year, Carl Hyland, are set to become the proud parents of twins, via a surrogate.

And now Kieron Richardson, 31, has shared even more exciting baby news as he confirmed the gender of the babies - a boy and a girl.

Clearly ecstatic by the news, the Hollyoaks actor gushed that couple will welcome their 'very own Prince and Princess'.

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'Our very own Prince and Princess': Kieron Richardson, 31, and his husband Carl Hyland have shared more exciting baby news as they confirmed the sex of their babies - a boy and a girl

Confirming the news to the Digital Spy, the actor explained: 'Our mums have done most of the buying [for the babies] so far.

'We wanted to wait to see whether we needed to buy pink or blue, but now we know we can buy both colours, as we're having our very own Prince and Princess.'

Kieron's Hollyoaks alter-ego, Ste Hay, is a father to little Leah and Lucas, but admitted he does not plan to name the twins after his on-screen children.



He joked: 'I've had the best training ever with little Leah and Lucas, although we won't be calling the twins Leah and Lucas - that would be weird'.

Happy news! The couple revealed they will become the proud fathers to twins in a sweet Instagram video, which they shared last December

The greatest gift: The couple shared the news in a festive-themed video, which showed two 'Baby on board' signs hung up on a Christmas tree

The actor and his husband, who he married in 2015, took to Instagram in December to reveal that they will become proud parents when their surrogate gives birth this year.

The couple shared the news in a festive-themed video, which showed two 'Baby on board' signs hung up on a Christmas tree, before revealing Kieron and Carl sat on the floor opening a present.

When they removed the wrapping, the gift was a large piece of card which read: 'Twins coming 2017.'

The caption on the video read: 'Merry Christmas to us thanks to the British surrogacy centre (sic)'

In September, the actor revealed that the pair had been struggling to conceive a baby through IVF after four failed attempts and were concerned they weren't going to ever have a family of their own.

He said: 'We were hoping to have a baby this year.

'Unfortunately, like anyone who is trying for a baby through IVF - whether they are gay couples or not - it is a lottery.

Past, future, present: The caption on the video read: 'Merry Christmas to us thanks to the British surrogacy centre (sic)'

Relief: The happy news comes after the actor revealed that the pair had been struggling to conceive a baby through IVF after four failed attempts

Big day: The happy news comes 18 months after they tied the knot in front of Kieron's co-stars at in the Peak District alongside 12 bridesmaids, including Stephanie Davis (left)

'The statistics when we first started it were a 70 per cent success rate. We have tried it four times, with the same surrogate mum, and we have fallen into that 30% bracket of it not working.

'But we have not given up the fight and are still continuing. We are going to keep trying until it is successful.'

The happy news comes 18 months after they tied the knot in front of Kieron's co-stars at in the Peak District.

The loved-up pair posed for photographs in front of Devonshire Dome in Buxton Derbyshire, with as many as 12 bridesmaids, including Stephanie Davis, Jennifer Metcalfe and Gemma Merna.

The pair announced their engagement in 2014 after seven years together.

Kieron came out in 2010 when he revealed on television that he was gay like his on-screen character Ste.
Her boyfriend Liam Macaulay had confirmed the couple's plans to marry leading to speculation that he was engaged to GBBO winner Candice Brown.

However, the 32-year-old former P.E. teacher, who had been sporting a diamond dazzler on her wedding finger has denied they are engaged.

Appearing on This Morning on Friday, the stunning lady was congratulated by Ruth Langsford following The Sun's claim that she was betrothed.

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'We're NOT engaged': GBBO winner Candice Brown denied to This Morning on Friday that her convicted drug dealer boyfriend has proposed to her

Happier than ever: Great British Bake Off winner Candice's boyfriend Liam Macaulay has confirmed the couple's plans to marry regardless of their current status

But she said: 'There's no engagement. It's just another day, another ring. These are actually my nan's rings.

'We're not engaged, but we will definitely get married. Of course we will. We've got our pugs together, so that is a commitment.

'My poor dad was shocked when he read it and wondered why he hadn't been asked for his permission.'

Oops! The 32-year-old, who has been sporting a diamond dazzler on her wedding finger was congratulated by Ruth Langsford on her engagement but she said it's not true

She said: 'There's no engagement. It's just another day, another ring. These are actually my nan's rings'

Firm favourites: Candice chatted to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on the show

The Sun, had previously stated that 31-year-old Liam, who previously served 16 months in prison for dealing cannabis, revealed relatives are 'pressuring' the duo to walk up the aisle.

Sources tell the publication that Candice is set to score a big bucks magazine deal off the back of her nuptials.

Candice, who has been dating Liam since 2012, soared to fame last year when she won GBBO, after causing division among viewers when some fell in love with the perma-lipsticked chef while others took issue with her trademark pout.

Candice said: 'We're not engaged, but we will definitely get married. Of course we will. We've got our pugs together, so that is a commitment'

What she does best: Candice was on the show to talk about all things food, cooking up a veggie quiche

Hey there: She looked incredible in a navy mini dress and a pair of black suede ankle boots

Dazzling: The 32-year-old former P.E. teacher sported a dazzling diamond on her ring finger at Wednesday night's NTAs

After reigning victorious, the stunner, who shares pet pug Dennis with her beau, stormed the red carpet at the NTAs on Wednesday, with Liam on one arm and an eye-popping ring on her left hand.

Seemingly intending to draw the eye to her blinged-up finger, she opted for a nude manicure on all but her ring finger which boasted a glossy gold colouring above her huge diamond jewel.

Speaking on the red carpet at the event, Liam said: 'Yes of course we are going to get married. We already have a pug together  thats the ultimate sign of commitment. A number of our relatives have been having weddings lately, so the pressure is on.'

Prouder than ever: Candice, who has been dating Liam since 2012, soared to fame last year when she won GBBO, after causing division among viewers when some fell in love with the perma-lipsticked chef while others took issue with her trademark pout

Hot on the heels of their romantic plans to tie the knot, insiders report to The Sun that Hello! magazine are eyeing the big money deal for inside shots of the wedding.

A source said: 'Candice is a huge star after Bake Off and people are fascinated with her life. Hello! has already approached the couple. It would easily cover all the costs so they could do something really special.

'But Candice is actually really normal and overwhelmed by the attention so hasnt made any commitment.'

Happier than ever: After reigning victorious, the stunner, who shares pet pug Dennis with her beau, stormed the red carpet at the NTAs, with Liam on one arm and an eye-popping ring on her left hand

Shortly before Candice burst on to screens last year, The Sun revealed that one year before the couple met, Scottish-native Liam, was serving a 16-month jail term for dealing cannabis.

He was arrested after police caught him with 6,970 worth of cannabis in his car as he an accomplice drove from Edinburgh to Inverness in 2009. Mr Macaulay then admitted supplying cannabis.

Sources close to Candice insisted she had nothing to do with the crime committed by Liam as she was not dating him at the time.
For weeks they've been dropping hints about the names set to venture into the jungle.

But sitcom star Tom Arnold may have accidentally revealed that he'll be appearing on the new Australian season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! just as the show released a silhouetted video that looked just like him.

The 57-year-old - who is a perfect match for the hints about the US sitcom star - took to his private Twitter account on Wednesday to talk about, of all things, the weather in Africa.

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Headed for the jungle? Tom Arnold this week tweeted about the intense heat in Africa, just days out from the start of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Cryptic? 'We used to complain about it being "Africa Hot",' Arnold tweeted on Wednesday

'When we were bailing hay back in Iowa we used to complain about it being "Africa hot",' the 57-year-old tweeted.

'Turns out we were p****es.'

In case that wasn't enough evidence, a video posted to the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Instagram page had even more fans suggesting Arnold's name.

Similarity? Then, just days later, many fans said Arnold looked like the black silhouette figure in a sneak peek video posted to the reality TV show's Instagram page

The video of a black silhouette figure talking with whispy hair led to many guessing it was the Roseanne star.

However not all were convinced, with many commenters on the Instagram video throwing around a variety of other names.

From former Two And A Half Men star Charlie Sheen and Simpson's voiceover man Hank Azaria, to legendary Seinfield actor Michael Richards, they flooded in thick and fast.

The series, co-hosted by Dr Chris Brown, 38, and comedian Julia Morris, 48, will see Australian celebrities slumming it with bare necessities and an unpalatable menu.

Sitcom star? Former 'Two and a Half Men' star Charlie Sheen (pictured) has also been widely speculated

Big names: Legendary actor Michael Richards (left), who played Kramer on Seinfeld, and Hank Azaria (right) who was a lead voiceover man on the Simpson's have also been speculated

And on Friday a sneak peek inside the living environment showed producers are not seemingly not planning on stepping outside the box.

Similar to last season, three canvas stretchers were pictured in the jungle, presumably to be used as beds - with only a lantern as a source of light.

Another snap revealed a common bathing area, that featured a hose positioned on an overhead branch and virtually no privacy.

Welcome to the jungle! I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! teased fans with a sneak peek of the series' new surrounds in South Africa, in its latest Instagram story on Friday. Pictured are co-hosts Dr Chris Brown, 38, and comedian Julia Morris, 48

Tried-and-tested: It appears producers are not stepping outside the box, when it comes to the celebrities' environment

A seemingly unsteady wooden bridge featured in a following clip, no doubt where some of the show's action will take place.

Contestants will also need to brave the elements according to another clip, captioned: 'Can confirm: very cold.'

While a waterfall, that promises to be 'bigger' this year, will feature as part of the South African landscape.

Basic: One clip captured to the program's Instagram story, saw three canvas stretchers, similar to the previous year's season, acting as beds, with only a lantern as a source of light

Where's the privacy? A following image saw a basic bathing area, with a hose positioned on an overhead branch, failing to give any privacy

Braving the elements: Contestants will also need to brave the elements according to another clip, captioned: 'Can confirm: very cold'

Meanwhile, the food challenges on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! are known to be stomach churning.

But it seems the bar could be set even higher this year, if hosts Dr Chris Brown, 38, and Julia Morris, 48, are to be trusted.

The popular duo teased an unusual menu while appearing on The Project on Wednesday night.

'Crouching tiger, hidden fun bag. That's what I'm talking about,' Julia said, only half-joking.

'The waterfall's a LOT bigger this year': A waterfall, that promises to be 'bigger' than last year, will feature as part of the South African landscape

'Crouching tiger, hidden fun bag': Co-hosts Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris teased an unusual menu while appearing on Channel Ten's The Project on Wednesday night

Chris promised that there were more weird and wonderful body parts to come, as they recalled Chrissie Swan turning down the challenge to eat ostrich anus, in season one.

Peter Helliar raised the topic, declaring the bird organ his favourite cast member to date.

Chris then promised that the stakes would be raised this year.

'You remove the ostrich anus, there's still plenty of anatomy left over. And you'll be seeing a lot of that anatomy during the show. There's still a couple of parts we have saved.'

Bottom of the menu: The co-hosts teased more weird and wonderful body parts are yet to come, as they recalled Chrissie Swan turning down the challenge to eat ostrich anus (pictured), in season one




They were caught having a blazing row at the National Television Awards on Wednesday evening.

And poor Megan McKenna has been pictured leaving London's O2 Arena in floods of tears after the fall out, sobbing hysterically and holding her head in her hands.

The 24-year-old TOWIE star struggled to control her emotions as Pete snubbed her on his way out of the venue.

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Emotional: Megan McKenna has been pictured leaving London's O2 Arena after the National Television Awards on Wednesday in floods of tears after an argument with her boyfriend and fellow TOWIE star, Pete Wicks

Poor thing: The 24-year-old TOWIE star struggled to control her emotions as Pete snubbed her on his way out of the venue, talking on the phone as he walked past

The stony-faced hunk reportedly ignored her cries of 'Pete!', striding past her and disappearing into the night.

The tattooed star kept his face down, talking on the phone as he walked past his upset girlfriend.

Megan had to be consoled by her compassion, who attempted to reassure her before leading her home.

She has since deleted her latest post about Pete and unfollowed the star on Instagram.

Helping hand: Megan had to be consoled by her compassion, who attempted to reassure her before leading her home

Silent treatment: The stony-faced hunk reportedly ignored Megan's cries of 'Pete!', striding past her and disappearing into the night

Calling it a night: The TOWIE beauty, whose relationship with Pete hasn't always been smooth sailing, left the venue with her assistant

Furious: Megan has since deleted Pete's image and unfollowed her beau on Instagram

Megan graced the red carpet earlier in the evening on the arm of her tuxedo-clad boyfriend, where she looked sensational in a stunning red two-piece.

While pulling her famed pout for the vying photographers and revellers, all seemed well in the 'Pegan' camp although the night seemed to end in disaster when they were spotted in a blazing row - after which Megan was left hysterical.

After the festivities, the Essex native was seen with a fur coat draped over her shoulders as she fled the arena, sobbing, while a pal rushed to wrap her arms around the inconsolable beauty.

Her long-haired beau followed behind although maintained a more stoic pose while storming out and talking on his mobile - possibly discussing his argument.

Jetting off: Pete took to social media to reveal he was heading to the airport - without Megan by his side

Fuming: Megan and Pete's relationship appeared to be in trouble once again

Fuming: Megan graced the red carpet earlier in the evening on the arm of her tuxedo-clad boyfriend, where she looked sensational in a stunning red two-piece

The couple's chequered romance spins a convoluted tale, with their love starting in March last year when she first joined the ITVBe show, following her stints on Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Big Brother.

After blissfully bobbing along, Megan's world was rocked when Pete's former flame Jacqui Ryland came forward to reveal he had been sending her explicit messages while they were together.

Megan and Pete's relationship first hit the rocks when co-star Danielle Armstrong dropped a bombshell on the former EOTB star, in which she revealed the tattooed hunk's extra-curricular activities.

Lost love: After blissfully bobbing along, Megan's world was rocked when Pete's former flame Jacqui Ryland came forward to reveal he had been sending her explicit messages while they were together

Out and a pout: The handsome couple headed for disaster

Despite previously harking about Pete's ability to calm down her famously fiery temperament, the brunette beauty showed her boyfriend the entirety of her wrath as she screamed at him on a Marbella beach while filming the TOWIE summer special in September.

In shock at the discovery, the inked-up hunk made his way back to Essex where he was comforted by his best pal James Lock after he broke down over his behaviour and expressed huge regret over his actions.

Hurt and humiliated, Megan returned to her native county where she was comforted by her sister Millie before Pete arrived at her flat in an attempt at reconciliation.

While the alleged philanderer appeared to be seeking forgiveness, Megan was only prepared to launch a furious tirade at her boyfriend who she screamed at during a sit down on her sofa.

The truth comes out: Megan and Pete's relationship first hit the rocks when co-star Danielle Armstrong dropped a bombshell on the former EOTB star, in which she revealed the tattooed hunk's extra-curricular activities

Not forgiven and not forgotten: While the alleged philanderer appeared to be seeking forgiveness, Megan was only prepared to launch a furious tirade at her boyfriend who she screamed at during a sit down on her sofa

All well? The couple appeared happier than ever at the start of the night

Not again... When Megan discovered the news of the sexts she was seen shaking her Rolex birthday gift in the TV hunk's face, saying it had 'guilt written all over it'

When Megan discovered the news of the sexts she was seen shaking her Rolex birthday gift in the TV hunk's face, saying it had 'guilt written all over it'.

'I dont even want to f***ing hear your voice,' the television favourite shouted in her boyfriend's face. Pete made minimal attempts to explain himself as the raging brunette confronted him by the side of the pool.

'You've been telling this girl you want to be single - go and be f**king single then,' she said to him, after discovering that he had been in touch with ex-girlfriend Jacqui, 26.
He swept her off her feet when they found love together on The Bachelor.

And Richie Strahan and Alex Nation's romance is showing no signs of slowing down, as he literally did it again on a beach trip on Friday.

The couple shared the passionate moment with their fans along with a video of their super sweet dinner date including Alex's son Elijah, where the adorable boy sniffed the pizza hilariously as a delighted Richie laughed along.

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'Adventures with you': Alex Nation and Richie Strahan share romantic kiss on the beach and enjoy hilarious dinner date with Bachelor winner's son Elijah

In the romantic photo shared to Instagram, the loved-up pair are pictured locked in a passionate embrace on a deserted beach.

A buff Richie holds the petite beauty in his muscular arms as the waves come in behind them.

The ropes technician is shirtless, showing off his chiselled physique in a pair of patterned board shorts.

Dinner time: Later that night the loved up pair were joined by Alex's six year old son, with the trio sitting down for a meal of pizza together at a Mount Eliza eatery

Throwing her arms around her man, Alex looks chic in a simple striped dress that flaunts her enviable tan and slender legs.

'Adventures with you,' the single mother captions the photo, also adding a love heart emoji.

Later that night the loved up pair were joined by Alex's six-year-old son, with the trio sitting down for a meal of pizza together at a Mount Eliza eatery.

Smells good: Elijah learns towards the tasty meal and takes a deep smell of the cheesy topping, clearly relishing the chance to try the Italian dish

Cutie pie: A laughing Alex can be heard in the background of the clip, as Richie looks on and smiles at the hilarious move

Elijah learns towards the tasty meal and takes a deep smell of the cheesy topping, clearly relishing the chance to try the Italian dish.

A laughing Alex can be heard in the background of the clip, as Richie looks on and smiles at the hilarious move.

The trio have been inseparable as Richie visits his lady love in her home state of Victoria this week.

'These two': Elijah met Richie face-to-face for the first time late last year, shortly after the finale of The Bachelor aired, where Alex fell in love with the ropes access technician

On Wednesday, the blonde beauty to Instagram to share an adorable shot of herself with her two boys at a cafe, before sharing a sweet video of Richie wrapping Elijah up in a towel at the beach.

In the image, Elijah sits between Alex and Richie, with the trio unable to wipe the smiles off their faces.

Alex stuns in a white silk blouse and a brown leather-look skirt, with her short locks out neatly blow-dried.

Their own little family: On Wednesday The Bachelor's Alex enjoyed a day out with boyfriend Richie and son Elijah, six

She covers her face with sunglasses while Richie wears a black T-shirt and beige trousers, a cap and eye wear.

Elijah met Richie face-to-face for the first time late last year, shortly after the finale of The Bachelor aired, where Alex fell in love with the ropes access technician.

The beauty told Daily Mail Australia how wonderful the experience was.

Doting: The beauty also shared a sweet video of Richie wrapping Elijah up in a towel at the beach

'When a man meets your child for the first time, you think whole-heartedly it will be great but then you are like, "oh what if for some reason they don't connect?"

'But from the moment they saw each other, it has been awesome. It was literally like fireworks. Their connection is just awesome and so natural.

'There is no uncertainly there for the two of them.'
While long walks in the rain might sound romantic Tiffany Scanlon was less than impressed when she embarked on a tropical stroll with girlfriend Megan Marx.

The former Bachelor contestants, who moved to Bali earlier this month, were roaming the streets of Canggu on Friday when it started to rain.

While Megan professed in a video on her Instagram story that she's a big fan of walking in the tropical wet conditions, her partner was not so pleased.

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Don't rain on my parade: Tiffany Scanlon was less than impressed when she embarked on a romantic stroll with girlfriend Megan Marx on Friday

During the video, Megan says: 'I actually quite like walking in the rain, Tiffany not so much.'

Megan is holding the camera as she leads the way while Tiffany trails behind.

Tiffany, who can be seen filming in the background, uploaded a video to her own Instagram story from their outing, saying 'this sucks'.

Rain dance: The former Bachelor contestants, who have just moved to Bali, were roaming the streets of Canggu on Friday when it started to rain

Unimpressed: Tiffany, who can be seen filming in the background, uploaded a video to her own Instagram story from their outing, saying 'this sucks'

Romantic stroll: While Megan professed in a video on her Instagram story that she's a big fan of walking in the wet conditions, her partner was not so pleased

Since going public with her relationship with fellow reality contestant Tiffany, Megan has had no qualms about talking about her sex life.

'I was a good little Christian girl and look at me now,' the 27-year-old joked on Friday's KIIS 1065 Kyle and Jackie O Show, revealing that 'it's not the first time she's 'been with women.'

When asked by radio co-host Kyle Sandilands as to whether her relationship with Tiffany is her first lesbian experience, she stated: 'No it's not.'

'I was a good little Christian girl and look at it me now': Megan revealed on Friday's KIIS 1065 Kyle and Jackie O Show, that she's 'been with women' before going public with girlfriend Tiffany

'I've been with women before [meeting Tiffany], so it's not the first time. I was a good little Christian girl and look at me now,' the blonde bombshell said with a laugh.

Megan revealed that her parents who left the religion prior to when she did, are nothing but supportive of her romantic decisions.

'My parents are very, very supportive and very happy for me. I'm a very lucky girl,' the Maxim cover girl gushed.

Not the first time! 'I've been with women before [meeting Tiffany], so it's not the first time. I was a good little Christian girl and look at me now,' the blonde bombshell said with a laugh

The svelte stars sparked speculation that they were in a relationship, since leaving the Bachelor mansion.

Appearing inseparable, Megan and Tiffany shared a series of racy snapshots to Instagram, that left little to the imagination.

Images saw the pair posing completely naked in the bush, to sharing spaghetti while topless, to laying provocatively in sheer lingerie on a plush bed.

They're not shy! Appearing inseparable, Megan and Tiffany shared a series of racy snapshots to Instagram, that left little to the imagination

Racy in lace: One particular social media snap saw the blonde beauties revealing their frames in sheer lingerie as they posed on a bed

Megan and Tiffany confirmed their romance at the Maxim Hot 100 party in Sydney last November.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Tiffany confessed that the pair fell in love during a holiday in Bali, Indonesia in June.

'While we were in the show, it was just a friendship. It probably wasn't until we were in Bali together that it was like ''Oh, this is more'',' said Tiffany.

Opening up: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the Maxim Hot 100 party in Sydney last November, Tiffany confessed that the pair fell in love during a holiday in Bali, Indonesia in June: 'It probably wasn't until we were in Bali together that it was like ''Oh, this is more'''

Their relationship heated up further, with Megan and Tiffany appearing topless on the cover of Maxim Australia's January 2017 issue.

Awarded Maxim's Couple of the Year, the lovebirds posed topless for a series of steamy snaps, with their long platinum hair barely covering their modesty.

They looked suitably glamorous in full make-up, including eyelash extensions and bright red lipstick.
Normally when she is filming for this competition, contestants end up stripping off layers of clothes.

But while Germany's Next Top Model competitors may be losing pieces of apparel, host Heidi is all about adding layers.

The 43-year-old star was a walking how-to dress cool in the cool as she stepped out in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday.

Cool customer: Heidi Klum was a walking how-to dress cool in the cool as she stepped out in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday

The beauty managed to create a casual yet chic vibe in an outfit that was practical enough to keep her warm and ready to go if Los Angeles heated up to almost summer temperatures, as it tends to do.

Heidi, who had only flown in from New York that day, stepped on set in a pair of ankle-skimming wide-leg tailored trousers with a pink and green sequin top and red and black check woollen coat.

The supermodel wore her hair in her current go-to 'do, which is in half up, half down style.

The look keeps her locks back from her face to better show off her famed bone structure but still has a softness thanks to the rest of her flowing tresses.

Lovely layers: Heidi, who had only flown in from New York that day, stepped on set in a pair of ankle-skimming wide-leg tailored trousers with a pink and green sequin top and red and black check woollen coat

While Heidi was covered up on Monday, two days later she had the German models vying for the top spot in the competition stripping down to their smalls.

Male and female contestants were teamed up for a steamy shoot that saw them pulled down Hollywood Boulevard on a giant bed.

Heidi directed the duos on how to look as sexy as possible during the proactive segment.

Saucy: While Heidi was covered up on Monday, two days later she had the German models vying for the top spot in the competition stripping down to their smalls in Hollywood

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The early morning bustle of north London was momentarily disrupted on Friday as a buxom, lingerie-lad female disregarded freezing temperatures and took her dog for a walk.

But anyone thinking it was striking model Emily Ratajkowski, who pulled a similar stunt while filming a racy commercial in New York last week, may well have been disappointed.

In a game attempt at emulating the Blurred Lines muse, former Big Brother contestant Lisa Appleton was up to her old head turning tricks by wearing next to nothing while walking a friends pooch.

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That looks familiar: In a game attempt at emulating the Blurred Lines muse Emily Ratajkowski, former Big Brother contestant Lisa Appleton was up to her old head turning tricks by wearing next to nothing while walking a friends pooch in north London on Friday morning

Much like Emily, the voluptuous 48-year old sported a lacy black bra and matching black knickers for a casual stroll past a busy road teeming with mid-morning traffic.

The ex-body builder completed her skimpy look with a pair of peep-toe heels, while her bouffant brunette locks fell across her naked shoulders.

Lisa's latest eye-catching display followed model Emily's racy DKNY shoot in New York, during which she paraded through Manhattan in lingerie from the American fashion brand.

Not something you see everyday: Much like Emily, the voluptuous 48-year old sported a lacy black bra and matching black knickers for a casual stroll past a busy road teeming with mid-morning traffic

Emily was spotted shooting scenes on the street, as well as in the doorway of a building, where she was seen exiting with a cute Jack Russel terrier on a lead.

Unlike the promising young model Lisa has fallen on hard times following her appearance on Big Brother with former fiance Mario Marconi in 2008.



The pair called time on their eight-and-a-half year romance in 2013 after they were duped by conman Selva Carmichael into being followed by cameras for six months to film a fake reality show.

'I had suicidal thoughts I hit rock bottom,' she told MailOnline. 'After Big Brother and all the success, I lost it all.'

The real deal: Lisa's latest eye-catching display followed model Emily's racy DKNY shoot in New York, during which she paraded through Manhattan in lingerie from the American fashion brand

She added: 'I felt I had lost everything  my career, my marriage, everything, that I felt rock bottom. I felt so low I just wasnt enjoying life anymore. I felt really emotional. I had a complete breakdown.'

Speaking on Channel 5's Celebs on Benefits last summer, she revealed how difficult it had been to adjust to life on benefits - only a few years after finding fame on Big Brother.

She said of whirlwind time in the spotlight: 'Nothing prepared me for the overnight success and fame that I had. It was huge. I was knocking back magazine deals, newspaper deals, photo shoots, exclusives.'

Plenty to talk about: The former reality star recently opened up to Fubar radio DJ Lizzie Cundy about how she was conned and ended up on income support

The former reality star has since opened up to Fubar radio DJ Lizzie Cundy about how she was conned and ended up on income support.

'It's very controversial because it can happen to anyone,' she told the former WAG-turned-MC.

She went on to explain that she finds younger men are drawn to her.

'I've had a few toy boys, I attract them all in,' she said. 'I think they like the older, experienced woman who can put them in their place.'
Carlisle Area School Board recently approved an incentive pay program to encourage substitute teachers to select positions in Carlisle before neighboring school districts.

The program is tailored to head-off anticipated shortages in classroom coverage during the last 39 instructional days of the academic year  April 3 to June 1.

Superintendent John Friend said the last 39 days tend to be a peak time for faculty members to take personal days off from the classroom.

As spring progresses, there is an increase in field trips and other end-of-year activities that place greater time demands on faculty, said Bruce Clash, chairman of the boards policy and personal committee.

Under the program, a substitute must work a minimum of 25 days to qualify for a $400 bonus, Assistant Superintendent Christina Spielbauer said.

Those working beyond 25 days will receive an extra $15 per day increasing their per diem pay from $90 to $105, Clash said. He added the program will cost the district about $4,300.

The side benefits of the incentive program are immeasurable in its expected impact on fill rates, teacher morale and the ability of students to have consistency in instruction, Clash said.

It has been used in the past, so I would assume that it would work again, Friend said. We didnt use it last year because we were feeling our way around with the new substitute service.

District staff recommended the board reinstate the incentive program because other school districts in the area are implementing a similar end-of-year policy to head-off anticipated shortages, Friend said.

The school board in mid-April 2015 approved a contract to outsource the districts substitute teacher services to Source4Teachers. The New Jersey firm provides a central recruiting and hiring process designed to relieve some of the shortages in coverage that Carlisle and other school districts are experiencing.

Overall the fill rates have improved greatly since the district contracted with Source4Teachers, said Spielbauer who recently briefed the committee on the effectiveness of the program. According to her, district and Source4Teachers staff have worked together to maintain average daily fill rates in the mid-90 percent range and long-term and extended day substitute fill rates of about 100 percent.

Year-over-year fill rates have improved an average of 8 percentage points depending on the month. The fill rate in September 2016 improved by 13 percent to 98 percent compared to 85 percent in September 2015.

Recruiting efforts have included the weekly posting of fliers, job fairs twice a year, recruiting events at rotating locations throughout Cumberland County and increased advertising throughout the region.

The initiative to outsource substitute teachers services is an example of how the process of board deliberation and input from residents can work hand-in-hand to achieve positive results, said Deborah Sweaney, board member. It has made a difference and saved us money.
He's the son of a Hollywood legend who made headlines at the start of the year for a rule-defying cliff dive.

And as actor Scott Eastwood faced another break in filming on Pacific Rim: Uprising which is currently shooting in Australia, he took another jump, this time onto a plane to a neighbouring country.

The 30-year-old took to Instagram on Friday to document a quick overseas escape to the beautiful tropical island of Fiji.

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Holiday: Scott Eastwood has taken the opportunity to jet off to Fiji during a break from filming his new movie in Australia

'Got a weekend off. Going somewhere. Be back soon,' Eastwood said as he drove to the airport.

In a video he shared with his two million followers, the Hollywood hunk laughed and joked as he walked towards and then boarded the plane.

Later, Eastwood showed himself receiving a warm musical welcome in Fiji.

Living it up: 'Got a weekend off. Going somewhere. Be back soon,' Eastwood told his followers

It comes just days after Eastwood published another controversial video of his unique Australia Day celebrations.

The buff actor was seen balancing confidently on a surfboard towed by a boat, showing off his chiselled physique and washboard abs wearing a pair of black board shorts.

His only accessory was a stubby of beer, which he clutched tightly in his right hand.

Easy work: In the video shared with Scott's two million Instagram followers on Thursday, the buff actor can be seen balancing confidently on a surfboard

Scott was the picture of concentration as he surfed in a speedboat's wake, staying on the board despite the waves.

He swerved from side to side on the surfboard as he followed behind the boat, from where he was being filmed.

'Just having a cold beer behind a boat,' he cheekily captioned the video.

Hard work! Scott was the picture of concentration as he surfed in a speedboat's wake, staying on the board despite the waves

It's not the first time the actor has shared his daredevil antics on Instagram.

Earlier this month, Scott Eastwood faced a potential fine of $300 for his death-defying dive off New South Wales' Wattamolla rocks

According to The Daily Telegraph, the movie star's cliff dive posted to Instagram is being 'reviewed' by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as it violates the ban put in place in the interest of public safety.

'Just having a cold beer behind a boat': Scott cheekily captioned the video of him surfing

Similar antics: It's not the first time the actor has shared his daredevil antics on Instagram

With a jump of around nine metres high, diving off the rocks and into the water has been deemed unsafe by the authorities and there are plenty of signs to warn people of the dangers.

Scott is in Australia filming the latest Pacific Rim installment which also features Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor John Boyega.

The actor has been in the country since November, with filming taking place in Sydney and Queensland.
Two years ago they helped catapult her into fame, but this star says her biggest assets have also been her biggest burden.

Charlotte McKinney has revealed she was ferociously bullied about her famous curves and even struggled to find work because of them in a new interview with Ocean Drive.

The 23-year-old may have proven her haters wrong but she still has a love hate relationship with her much celebrated chest - so much so that she is not ruling out surgical intervention.

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Breast burden: Charlotte McKinney has revealed she was ferociously bullied about her famous curves and even struggled to find work because of them in a new interview with Ocean Drive

Not easy: The blonde told Ocean Drive magazine of how her shape has both helped and hindered her journey to stardom

On the eve of the two year anniversary since the model, and her bustline, burst onto the scene during the 2015 Super Bowl, the blonde has spoken of how her shape has both helped and hindered her journey to stardom.

Cover star: The model posed up for the February edition

Charlotte told the magazine: 'Obviously, I got more attention from the male side than from the female side. I didn't have any girlfriends. A lot of my friends were guys, and I was called a s**t by a lot of people.

'I was just growing these large breasts at such a young age, not really knowing what to do with them or how to wear them. So it was definitely awkward.'

The blonde beauty dropped out of school at 17 as she struggled academically and also socially as the target of mean girls.

'Girls would yell at me and call me a ''s**t.'' I would go to parties and get beer thrown on my head - there was so much bullying.

'It was just so awful, and that's why now I kind of use my platform to promote anti-bullying. I try to use what I went through to be a voice for it, because it's still happening and getting even worse now with social media.'

Charlotte said this coupled with severe dyslexia made school near impossible.

Getting it off her chest: The model said from 14 she had a large chest and 'was just growing these large breasts at such a young age, not really knowing what to do with them or how to wear them'. They quickly saw her become a target of bullying

'I was called a s**t by a lot of people': The 23-year-old said not only was she called names but she had beer thrown over her at a party

'I was failing. If I'd stayed in school, then I would still be in school now.

'My parents were freaking out - what parents want to hear their kid is dropping out of school and moving to Miami? But in the end they were helpful and were behind me. They knew I would be successful at whatever I wanted to do. So yes, I was a dropout.'

While she may have dropped out, the soon-to-be Baywatch babe always had a direction and that was modelling.

It took others especially big agencies, a little while longer to realize her potential.

Following her dreams: The bullying coupled with dyslexia saw the star drop out of high school and while she decided to pursue modelling, many tried to stop her saying her curves made her not right for the job

Breakout role: Using Instagram as a platform and staying determined, Charlotte eventually landed dream job at Guess and also the Carl's Jr. commercial which celebrated her natural chest and made her a household name

Charlotte headed to Miami: 'I just knew that from seeing photos and seeing girls, I had what it takes. I knew I could do it.

'I was a very determined kid, and not only in modeling; I wanted to break into the entertainment industry. Whether it was modeling or acting, I kind of fell in love with it.

'One day I went to every single modelling agency in Miami - Ford, Next. I went to small boutiques. And everyone was like, 'No, you are too short.' 'Your boobs are too big.' But I was like, 'Yeah, well, I photograph well.'

Beach babe: As the article came out, Charlotte was busy putting on a leggy display in Malibu, California, rocking some denim shorts with an oversized jacket and Adidas trainers

Not forever? The 23-year-old has considered getting a breast reduction and said she is not ruling it out down the track

All natural: The star told the magazine, 'I've been thinking about [a reduction]. They've definitely gotten smaller from my diet and over time. So I can see myself getting a reduction or a lift in the future'

'I was always battling with these agencies, and they were always like ''no, no, no.'' But it didn't stop me. I just kept doing photo shoots and meeting photographers and doing my thing. So I was building up a portfolio.'

Using Instagram as a platform and staying determined, Charlotte eventually landed dream job at Guess and also the Carl's Jr. commercial which celebrated her natural chest and saw her become a household name.

But while they have become her trademark, Charlotte said after a decade of being the girl with a big chest she may consider reducing her breasts.

Leggy perfection: The model turned actress simmered in a Marika Vera bodysuit and floral Fausto Puglisi thigh high boots

Cheeky surprise: While the one piece was a turtleneck it was far from conservative at the back

How high can she go: The black knit bodysuit sat high over the blonde beauty's shapely hips

'I've been thinking about [a reduction]. They've definitely gotten smaller from my diet and over time. So I can see myself getting a reduction or a lift in the future.'

Charlotte attributes her decision to give up eating sugar and packaged food along with red meat - that means no more burgers - to her shrinking chest.

Aside from the reduction when it comes to plastic surgery, the model says it is not for her.

Change of direction: Charlotte said she is also hoping to land more jobs that are less focused on her bust and even an 'ugly role'

'For me, I just don't see the point': Aside from the reduction when it comes to plastic surgery, the model says it is not for her

Beauty in imperfection: The model has thought about getting a nose job - and was teased about its shape - but fears it would change her look too much

'If that's what makes you feel better, then go for it. But for me, I just don't see the point.

'I've always said I want to get a nose job, but I think it just makes you lose your face... My nose - one side is really out and the other is really in.

'I've been made fun of for it. But if I changed it, I wouldn't look like me. That's a feature [that] makes my face and makes me who I am.'

Didn't quite make the cut: Charlotte wore lots of different ensembles for the shoot but not all made it into the magazine

She continued: 'Some things that aren't perfect on people are actually extremely gorgeous. I think we all have funny features that we don't like.'

Charlotte said she is also hoping to land more jobs that are less focused on her bust: 'I think that's what's coming in 2017 that I'm really excited about.

'I'm always going to be sexy, I'm always going to have those photo shoots, but I'm really looking for different roles that aren't so commercial and are a bit cooler.

And pose: The 23-year-old showed off her modelling skills in a behind-the-scenes video

New role: The blonde is currently starring in Mad Families opposite Charlie Sheen, who she described as 'so healthy and so vibrant'

'Maybe even an ugly role where I'm not such a glam person. I hope to be taken a bit more seriously.'

Charlotte will be on the big screen this May in the Baywatch reboot and is also in Mad Families opposite Charlie Sheen, who she described as 'so healthy and so vibrant'.

Baywatch is in theatres May 26 and also stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Zac Efron.

Help's on the way: Charlotte will be on the big screen this May in the Baywatch reboot which stars Dwayne Johnson as well as Mexican singer Belinda (left) and Victoria's Secret Angel Izabel Goulart (right)




His career-defining character is back after a 20-year absence, ready to reconnect with old friends and reacquaint with once familiar surroundings.

And much like the reformed Mark Renton, who returns to cinema screens in the much anticipated T2 Trainspotting on Friday, actor Ewan McGregor was making his own return to familiar territory after agreeing to revive the role that turned him into a star.

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Ewan, 45, reflected on his well-documented falling out with the films Academy Award winning director Danny Boyle after being overlooked for a leading role in his 2000 film The Beach.

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Looking back: Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Ewan McGregor reflected on his well-documented falling out with the films Academy Award winning director Danny Boyle after being overlooked for a leading role in his 2000 film The Beach

The Scottish actor had enjoyed a productive working relationship with Boyle, collaborating with the director on the critically acclaimed Shallow Grave and Trainspotting before being cast alongside Cameron Diaz in commercial flop A Life Less Ordinary.

But he admits he was stunned after Boyle chose American star Leonardo DiCaprio to play central character Richard in his next film, a screen adaptation of Alex Garlands enormously successful debut novel.

I had been in Dannys first three films and then I wasnt asked to be in his fourth  The Beach  but it wasnt really about the film, it was about our friendship, he explained.

Regretful: Appearing on the weekly chat show alongside Ewan and his co-stars, Boyle admitted he handled the decision to overlook his old friend badly

Plenty to talk about: Ewen Bremner (L) and Jonny Lee Miller (R) were also guests on Norton's show

Not being in the film made me a bit rudderless and I didnt quite get it. You can only fall out with someone you love.

Appearing on the weekly chat show alongside Ewan and his co-stars, Boyle admitted he handled the decision to overlook his old friend badly.

I feel a great shame about it that is difficult to explain. He handled it with enormous grace and courage, he said.

Someone asked him to present an award to me for Slumdog Millionaire and he did it and made this amazing speech and I was in tears back stage. Im very grateful to him.

A welcome return: Robert Carlyle returns for T2 Trainspotting as Frank Begbie

While Ewan expressed interest bringing Garland's backpacking thriller to life, he was less convinced by the prospect of filling the late Sir Alec Guinness's enormous shoes after being approached to play Obi Wan Kenobi in the George Lucas directed Star Wars prequels.

He would eventually agree to the role, but not before seeking advice from his uncle, actor Denis Lawson - best known for his role as X-Wing pilot Wedge Antilles in Episodes four, five and six of the sprawling science fiction odyssey.

'I just didn't think it was for me as I thought of myself as a urban, indie, grungy actor,' he recalled. 'I spoke to my uncle, who had been in all three films, who said, "Don't do it if you want a career after you're 30!"'

The Graham Norton Show airs on Friday, January 27 at 10:35pm on BBC One.

Coming soon: The Graham Norton Show airs on Friday, January 27 at 10:35pm on BBC One
This funny lady is back in the city and back to work.

Melissa McCarthy bundled up as she walked across the set of her latest project in New York City on Friday.

The leading lady, 46, is in the city shooting bio-pic Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Sweater weather: Melissa McCarthy bundled up as she walked across the set of her latest project in New York City on Friday

Looking pretty in purple, the Ghostbusters star wore a lightly marbled duster and matching solid scarf to keep the chilly New York air from getting to her.

Printed leggings peaked out just below her sweater's long hemline and above her high-top, black sneakers.

Melissa looked like she meant business with glasses on, hair pulled back in a center part and low bun and coffee in hand.

Pretty in purple: The Ghostbusters star wore a lightly marbled duster and matching solid scarf to keep the chilly New York air from getting to her

Leading lady: Melissa will play Lee Israel, a woman who made ends meet by forging letters from famous people, seen here after transforming into character in Los Angeles on Wednesday

The famous comic will be taking on the starring role in the film based on the memoir of Lee Israel, a woman who made ends meet by forging letters from famous people, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In 1993, Israel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property before serving six months under house arrest. She died in 2014 at the age of 75.

A celebrated author both before and after the truth of her indiscretions came to light, Israel admitted in her book by the same title that she drafted nearly 400 fake letters from celebrities over about 18 months, according to the New York Times.

Au natural: The actress skipped the make-up routine

The Bridesmaids star will also appear in the comedic film Life of the Party, directed by Ben Falcone.

Melissa co-wrote the feature with Ben and will be joined on-screen by Adria Arjona and Julie Bowen.

Both films will be out in 2018, with Life of the Party scheduled to premiere on May 11.
Some say the best actors perform through their pain, but they don't usually mean it quite so literally.

Apparently nursing an ankle injury, Sarah Hyland had to prop herself up on crutches in between takes on set of Modern Family in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The actor, 26, was out shooting an action-packed scene with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell Pritchett on the show.

Ouch! Apparently nursing an ankle injury, Sarah Hyland had to prop herself up on crutches in between takes on set of Modern Family in Los Angeles on Thursday

What a pro! With all of her moving and shaking, on-lookers would never know she was actually hurt by the way she handled herself like a true professional in the shot

Good sport: The actor, 26, was out shooting an action-packed scene with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell Pritchett on the show

While the cameras were rolling, television's Haley Dunphy wore black and brown ankle booties with a chunky heel as she attempted to push a car with her on-set uncle.

With all of her moving and shaking, on-lookers would never know she was actually hurt by the way she handled herself like a true professional in the shot.

But as soon as the director called cut, Sarah switched back to comfy, flat grey boots and rested on the support of her crutches.

Well heeled: While the cameras were rolling, television's Haley Dunphy wore black and brown ankle booties with a chunky heel as she attempted to push a car with her on-set uncle

Change up: But as soon as the director called cut, Sarah switched back to comfy, flat grey boots and rested on the support of her crutches

Funny scene: Sarah and Jesse were filming a scene were the two of them try to maneuver a car that has a 'barnacle' attached the windshield

Sarah and Jesse were filming a scene were the two of them try to maneuver a car that has a 'barnacle' attached the windshield, which is meant to replace the old-fashioned 'boot' put on cars in violation of parking laws.

Hilarity ensued as the two tried to avoid hitting other parked vehicles and knocked into street-side garbage cans.

Unable to see with the massive obstruction covering the entire view from the driver seat,'Mitchell' and 'Haley' took turns guiding and steering the car, both making a complete disaster of the whole ordeal.

Taking it in stride: Sarah takes direction and leans on the car between takes

Oh no! Hilarity ensued as the two tried to avoid hitting other parked vehicles and knocked into street-side garbage cans

Right this way! 'Mitchell' and 'Haley' took turns guiding and steering the car, both making a complete disaster of the whole ordeal

Sarah, who has been a part of the Modern Family cast since the show began in 2009, will also join a new show this year.

She'll play the character of Chloe on Hulu's original six-episode sci-fi series, Dimension 404.

Future plans for the project include adapting each episode into its own feature-length film.

Whoops! The two both made a hilarious disaster of the entire ordeal

New horizons: Sarah, who has been a part of the Modern Family cast since the show began in 2009, will also join a new show this year
Lamar Odom has been keeping busy since his release from rehab after checking himself in before the holidays.

On Thursday night, the former Los Angeles Laker put in an appearance at one-time LA Dodger Micah Johnson's What Lines? Vol. 1 Art Show benefitting the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation at the team's downtown stadium.

And he shared the state of his health with Us Magazine, saying: 'I'm doing great! I feel great. I'm alive!'

'I feel great!' Lamar Odom, pictured in Los Angeles on January 9, spoke about his health status on Thursday at an event to benefit the LA Dodgers Foundation on Thursday

The 37-year-old jokingly added: 'It's a start. It beats the alternative!'

Lamar credited his children Destiny, 18, and Lamar, Jr., 15, whom he shares with ex-wife Liza Morales, for being his biggest support system keeping him clean and sober.

The former E! reality star, who enjoyed a boys night out at celebrity eatery Delilah in West Hollywood on Tuesday. has long struggled with addictions to alcohol and drugs.

He wasn't expected to survive after overdosing at a Nevada brothel in October 2015.

On the mend: The 37-year-old enjoyed a night out with his pals at celebrity hotspot Delilah in West Hollywood on Tuesday

The incident left him in a coma for days and hospitalized for months.

Lamar talked about the ordeal during a January 17 appearance on The Doctors.

'Did I feel ashamed about some of the choices I made?' he said in the interview. 'I was basically just committing suicide.'

Talking to The Doctors: Lamar dished about his 2015 overdose on the show on January 17

During that appearance, Lamar, whose divorce from Khloe Kardashian was finalized in December while he was in rehab, also said he hoped to reconcile with the TV star.

'I want my wife back,' he said. Though Lamar and Kardashian, 32, were estranged at the time of his overdose, she stuck by his side throughout his recovery.

He later posted an instagram of himself looking fit and well with the show's hosts, captioned: 'Special thanks to the @thedoctorstv and @casa_palmera for all of your help and advice. Appreciate you guys!'
She spends her days getting paid to show off her incredible figure.

And professional clothes-horse Elsa Hosk obviously loves her job - turning her vacation into an impromptu photoshoot on Thursday.

The model added a new bikini snapshot that shows her rocking a pink swimsuit during a trip to the beach.

Lookin' hot: Elsa Hosk added a new bikini shot to her Instagram page on Thursday where she dons a pink bathing suit

But while posing may be her thing, writing obviously isn't.

The 28-year-old captioned the photo simply with heart and bow emojis.

The image is one of a series of beach shots Elsa has posted in recent days.

In a previous snapshot, the focus is on her body as she wears a white bikini.

Bikini girl: The model is comfortable in swimsuits based on her other recent Instagram pics

Another social media shot shows her in a white shirt with a colorful skirt as she embraces the warm air.

She captioned this photo: 'Jungle-jane.'

The caption was a fitting one - the Swedish beauty has previously revealed she is a competitive person, and will always give '100 per cent every time' she works out.

Jungle girl: Another image of the lady shows her enjoying time spent outdoors

Speaking about her mentality and fitness regime in a video posted by Victoria's secret, she said: 'I've always been the kind of person that competes with myself. When I'm in the gym I give 100 per cent every time, and you definitely can't fake it.'

Although the catwalk icon has admitted she trains hard not to look better and be fitter than fellow models, but so she becomes a better version of herself.

She explained: 'Fitness is not about being better than someone else it's about being better than you used to be.'
It's certainly not the usual family-friendly vacation activity.

But for the Kardashian-Jenner clan, it seems posing in bikinis is the perfect way to spend a holiday together.

Kylie Jenner shared a series of Snapchats of herself flaunting her curves in the mirror on Friday, as she joined her sisters and mother in Costa Rica.

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Looking booty-ful! Kylie Jenner shows off her bikini body as she poses in the mirror on family trip to Costa Rica on Friday

The 19-year-old's booty was on show in the grey two-piece, which highlighted her tiny waist and shapely rear.

A second Snapchat showed her toned waist, while in a third she played around with a filter of herself wearing a pair of fawn ears.

Another filter gave the reality show stunner the ears, nose and tongue of a dog.

A huge pile of hair brushes sat in front of a large mirror - surely for the use of the Kardashian-Jenner's glam squad, who are always on hand to primp and preen.

Kylie certainly wasn't the only one showing off her figure, with big sister Kourtney Kardashian, 37, joining her in sharing bikini selfies.

Breathe in! A second image showed the teen's toned waist, along with a huge collection of hairbrushes taken by the sisters on their trip

Fawn-ing over Kylie: Rather than enjoying the scenery, it seems the teen is too busy admiring her reflection in the lens of the camera

Hounding the camera: Kylie tried another filter, which gave the reality show stunner the ears, nose and tongue of a dog

Kourtney used Instagram as she showed herself posing against a scenic backdrop, captioning the shot 'Island ting'.

The two are with their mother Kris Jenner, sister Kim and her children on a getaway to Costa Rica.

Cameras for the family's reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians are following the group around, as they film the next season of the ever-popular show.

After their selfie session, the group headed out and about, with Kourtney sharing pictures of them stepping onto a helicopter.

'Make-up view!' Kourtney shared an image of her breasts as she got ready for the day out

'Island ting!' Kourtney got in on the selfie fun with a picture of herself in a white bikini

All aboard! The mother-of-three also shared a Snap of herself getting into a helicopter

When the clan return from Costa Rica Kylie will be straight back to work, with the teen set to open a Kylie Shop pop-up store in New York next month.

It comes after the huge success of the young businesswoman's temporary store in California last year.

And the teen entrepreneur is set for a busy month, as she has recently announced she is launching a new cosmetics capsule for her make-up brand titled The Valentine's Collection, which will be available to buy on her e-store on February 2.

Deuces! It appeared four-year-old King Cairo was also enjoying the family helicopter ride as dad and Kylie's beau, Tyga, shared the pic to Instagram on Friday writing: 'Off to see the plug'
Actress Lily Collins hit the gym for a workout in Beverly Hills on Friday morning.

And the 27-year-old emerged looking fit and fab.

The British actress, wearing a cropped exercise bra, showed off a set of ripped six-pack abs that a body builder would be proud of.

Abs-olutely fantastic: Lily Collins showed off a six-pack a body builder would be proud off when she was spotted leaving a gym in Beverly Hills on Friday

She teamed it with low-rise leggings that sat below her tummy button.

The beautiful brunette wore a black padded jacket over her athleisure wear. But Lily left it gaping open, giving a good view of her shredded mid-section.

The Mortal Instruments star completed her look with pale blue sneakers with black laces.

She carried a healthy dark pink smoothie as she made her way back to her car.

Fab figure: The 27-year-old Brit showed off her shredded mid section in an exercise bra and low-rise leggings

Her latest film, To The Bone, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Sunday.

In a case of art imitating life, Lily plays a young woman suffering from anorexia.

'This was definitely a more dramatic role for me,' she told Variety Studio at Sundance. 'I suffered with eating disorders when I was a teenager as well.'

Easy for all to see: The beautiful brunette wore a black padded jacket over her athleisure wear that she left gaping open, giving a good view of her fit body

The film's director, Marti Noxon, wrote the film based on her own battle with food when she was young.

Lily added: 'I wrote a book last year and I wrote my chapter on my experiences a week before I got Martis script. It was like the universe putting these things in my sphere to help me face, kind of dead on, a fear that I used to have.'

She lost weight to play the film's main character Ellen, but this time with the help of a nutritionist.
He was reportedly uninvited from the Kardashian-Jenner clan's Costa Rican vacation following some bad behaviour at the Sundance Film Festival.

But once again the irrepressible Scott Disick has wheedled his way back into the Kardashian clan, and hopped aboard their private jet.

The bad boy ex of Kourtney has emerged in Costa Rica, alongside his former partner and her sisters.

'Mom': Scott Instagrammed a saucy picture of an oblivious Kourtney bending over in her swimsuit, exposing her side boob, as she tended to their two-year-old

He even Instagrammed a saucy picture of an oblivious Kourtney bending over in her swimsuit, exposing her side boob, as she tended to their two-year-old.

'Mom,' wrote Scott. Kourtney herself apparently had mixed feelings about the father of her three children joining on the luxury trip, and at one point univited him.

'Scott is still in the dog house from partying at Sundance,' a source told People.com on Thursday. 'Kourtney disinvited him.'

'Uncle Scott': It seems Kourtney forgave her exes bad bahaviour, sharing a sweet snap of him hugging North West

But it seems he managed to persuade her otherwise.

After all the family are there to film the next season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians - and any drama between Scott and Kourtney will be a ratings winner for the show.

But perhaps it was Kourtney's mother Kris Jenner who made the final decision - having gushed about how Scott is like a son to her in an interview this week.

Ratings winner: The family are there to film the next season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, along with Kourtney's sisters

Kris remains close to the 33-year-old club promoter - who shares Mason, seven, Penelope, and Reign, two, with Kourtney - and admits he has had a 'challenging time' of it.

She said: 'We knew Scott when he was 20 years old. He was a very young man, he was a baby! He was younger than Kendall is now for goodness sake.

'They started a relationship very young and had three beautiful children.

'Chop it!' The clan are filming the next season of their reality show

'His parents both died in the same year a few years ago. He's been through a lot ... I think he's had a bit of a challenging time. He's one of my kids, what can I say?'

And the 61-year-old television personality is hopeful her son Rob Kardashian's relationship with Blac Chyna will go the distance and believes it is a 'work in progress'.

Speaking about the couple - who are parents to two-month-old daughter Dream Renee - she added: 'You know, I think that, too, is a work in progress and they have good and bad days. It's a young relationship and they haven't known each other for that long.'

Bikini girl: Kourtney herself shared a revealing picture, captioned 'island ting'

The momager also spoke about her daughter Kim Kardashian West, who was robbed at gunpoint in a terrifying incident last October.

Speaking on Australian radio show The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she shared: 'Kim has had a really hard time with the incident and the whole thing has been very grueling and draining.

'Apparently they did [catch the thieves]. I have not heard anything about it being recovered to be honest. I think we're just getting past people getting arrested.'
A Midstate woman accused of lighting a Silver Spring Township man on fire in an attempt to kill him was found not guilty Friday on all charges except theft of the mans van.

After only a few hours of deliberation Friday, a jury found Christina Leach, 28, of Harrisburg, not guilty of felony criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault and arson. The jury found her guilty of felony theft.

Leach did not testify during the trial, and the defense did not call any witnesses.

Police said Leach attempted to kill a man by lighting him on fire in his home in the 7000 block of Wertzville Road in Silver Spring Township around 3 p.m. May 23, 2015.

During testimony earlier in the week the victim said he met Leach through a Craigslist ad and had spent time with her in the weeks leading up to the fire.

The man at first said the two did not have sexual intercourse, but after further questioning said the two had a physical relationship prior to the fire. Shortly before the fire, Leach offered to give the man a massage, he said.

Leach bound his hands to the headboard of the bed and, as he lay naked with his face down, poured gasoline on him and lit him on fire, the victim said during the trial.

Leach held the bedroom door shut as the victim burned, a point both the victim testified and Leach agreed happened when she talked to police in 2015.

What motive did she have? defense attorney John Shugars said during his closing argument. Maybe its unexplainable because it didnt happen the way they say it happened.

Shugars painted a picture for the jury that it was possible the victim started the fire in a stunt gone wrong and invoked the image of Evel Knievel.

With no way out through the door, the victim said he turned and jumped headfirst out a window of the second floor bedroom where the fire started.

The victim suffered third degree burns to more than a quarter of his body from the fire and suffered multiple broken bones from the fall, according to witness testimony.

During questioning with police in 2015, Leach said the fire started when the victim, who she said was playing with fire and holding a vase filled with accelerant, became sexually aggressive toward her.

She told police she pushed the victim away, causing the accelerant to ignite.

A plastic container with liquid in was found by police in the bedroom, but Pennsylvania State Trooper Terence Carberry, of the fire marshal division, said he smelled the contents, determined them not to be an accelerant and discarded the fluid out a window.

A red gasoline container was found at the foot of the bed near where Carberry said was the origin of the fire.

Gasoline was found on several items found within the bedroom; including a piece of cloth that the victim said was used to bind his hands to the headboard, according to Silver Spring Township Police Officer Christopher Butler.

Maybe something did happen at the end of this bed that wasnt supposed to happen, Shugars said, pushing at reasonable doubt that the prosecutions evidence did not meet the burden of proof.

A forensic examination of Leachs phone showed it had been used a day before the fire to research things like is gasoline flammable and how long does burning take to kill someone, Cumberland County District Attorneys Office Detective Ryan Parthemore, who works in the computer forensic lab, testified Thursday.

Shugars conceded that those websites were visited on the phone but said there was no way to know if Leach was the one who accessed them.

He went on to say it is not beyond a reasonable doubt that Leach set the fire.

If you dont know, and youre never going to know, then my client is not guilty, Shugars said.

Leach was arrested several hours after the fire in Harrisburg while driving a van belonging to the victim.

A search of the van revealed a receipt for an attempted ATM withdrawal made after the fire using a card matching the last four digits of the victims bank card.

Surveillance footage from the ATM that was played in court Thursday showed a person matching Leachs description with a cloth wrapped around her head and face drive up to the ATM in the victims van and attempt to use the bank card.

A partially eaten meal from McDonalds purchased after the fire was also found inside the van.

Leach is being held in Cumberland County Prison, according to court records.

She was found guilty of felony theft for stealing the victims van during the fire and will be sentenced on that charge on March 14.
British History's Biggest Fibs

Rating:

The Cult Next Door

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Long ago, when BBC1 was still a family channel that showed childrens programmes at lunchtime, there was a colourful animation about a character called Mr Benn.

Mr Benn loved dressing up. Every day he went to a fancy-dress shop, where he tried on a new costume  clown, wizard, astronaut, cowboy  and had an adventure, before returning to his mundane life in his suit and bowler hat.

I want to see a remake with Dr Lucy Worsley. No one since Mr Benn has enjoyed dressing up so much.

Historian Dr Lucy Worsley dressed as Elizabeth I for British History's Biggest Fibs on BBC4

As long as shes being Grown-up Lucy, in her smart dresses and severe blonde bob, shes a scholarly and respectable presenter. But let her don a ruff or a bustle, and her eyes glitter with mischief.

British Historys Biggest Fibs (BBC4) saw her pull on a yeoman warders finery at the Tower of London.

The effect was as intoxicating for her as three swift glasses of white wine at the historians office party. Goodbye decorous Dr Worsley, hello Louche Lucy.

In the show, Dr Lucy tried to debunk mysteries of the Wars of the Roses - but it was confusing

Eyeing the chief Beefeater, she told him saucily: I think I might have a better codpiece than you. And while the poor man was trying to think of an answer to that, she added: Lets discuss our chests. Evidently she likes a man in uniform.

When she wasnt flirting with guardians of the Crown Jewels, she was debunking some of the myths of the Wars of the Roses.

There was a problem with this: most of the myths were so obscure that she had to explain them before she could dismiss them.

She marched over a bridge in Ramsbottom near Manchester, chucking black puddings and Yorkshire puds at the camera.

Legend has it that the Battle of Stubbins Bridge in 1455 was a food fight between the warring armies.

Nonsense, said Lucy. But then she revealed that in the 30 years of civil war, before Henry Tudor seized the throne from Richard III, there was just one major battle  the massacre at Towton in 1461, where 28,000 men were killed.

It was the biggest death toll in a single day in British military history, more slaughter than even the first day of the Somme.

Messy extravaganza of the night Sofie Grabols Arctic horror thriller Fortitude (Sky Atlantic) returned, with Nazi snow commandos, cannibal Eskimos devouring babies, a spectral zombie and a blood-red aurora drenching the sky. And alien wasps. And murder by decapitation. Its mad, but its not dull. Advertisement

While we were reeling from that, she told us that Richard III was born with a full set of teeth and hair to his shoulders.

Then she backtracked, and exposed this as more discredited hokum  the king didnt even have a hunchback.

It was all propaganda spread by William Shakespeare.

Except that, moments later, she was showing us Richards skeleton, the one discovered under a Leicester carpark ... and he certainly did have a hump. His spine was the shape of a question mark.

This wasnt a history lesson, it was a history confusion. All these conflicting stories left us uncertain of what was fact and what was flannel.

To disentangle claims from counterclaims, wed need to be experts on the Wars of the Roses already... in which case, Dr Lucys dressing-up games would seem patronising.

A more interesting weave of lies and manipulations was uncovered by documentary filmmaker Vanessa Engle in The Cult Next Door (BBC2)  an investigation of the Maoist prophet Aravindan Balakrishnan, who surrounded himself in Brixton, South London, with female disciples and kept them enslaved for more than 30 years.

Documentary 'The Cult Next Door' investigated Maoist prophet Aravindan Balakrishnan who kept female disciples prisoners in Brixton, south London

Comrade Bala, as he was known, told the women that he possessed an invisible machine that channelled the power of all the worlds religions and was able to unleash catastrophes anywhere in the world.

Disobedience was punished not only by beatings but by cosmic guilt trips  upset Comrade Bala, by answering back or talking too loudly, and 10,000 people would die in an earthquake.

The extraordinary thing was that, of all the women kept prisoner for decades, the one who managed to resist the brainwashing was the monsters own daughter, who was born into the commune.

Comrade Bala, as he was known, brainwashed his followers into thinking he possessed an invisible machine that channelled the power of all the worlds religions

The older slaves still believe the lies. One of them is campaigning for Balakrishnans release from prison.

Engles trick of dropping eerie, wordless shots into the film, of cobwebs or swirls of starlings, can sometimes grate. It is too mannered. But this was an intriguingly weird tale.
TransCanada submits US application to build Keystone pipeline

Canadian pipeline builder TransCanada announced it had submitted an application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial project that has been given the green light by US President Donald Trump.

Trump on Tuesday gave a conditional go-ahead for the project, which was put on hold by former president Barack Obama over environmental concerns.

Calgary-based TransCanada said in a statement it had filed a "presidential permit application" with the US State Department for approval of the project.

The Keystone XL pipeline would carry oil from Canadian tar sands to US refineries, but was put on hold by former president Barack Obama over environmental concerns Andrew Burton (Getty/AFP/File)

The 1,180-mile (1,900-kilometer) pipeline would carry oil from Canadian tar sands to US Gulf Coast refineries, with some 870 miles winding through the United States.

Trump repeatedly asserted during the US presidential campaign that he would approve the pipeline.

"This privately funded infrastructure project will help meet America's growing energy needs as well as create tens of thousands of well-paying jobs," TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a statement.

The statement added that the project would add $3.4 billion to the US economy.

TransCanada must now wait while the US conducts a new study of the Keystone XL project. But between Trump's conditional go-ahead and his nomination of Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, as secretary of state, the project is likely to be approved.

Canada is the world's sixth-largest oil producer thanks to the Alberta tar sands, which produce some of the "dirtiest" crude in the world.

Unlike traditional crude which gushes from a well, tar sand oil must be dug up and essentially melted with steaming hot water before it can be refined. It results in huge lakes of polluted water and the strip-mining of millions of acres of once-pristine boreal forests.

Environmentalists say that tar sand oil contains a harmful and corrosive component -- bitumen -- which makes pipeline ruptures or leaks more likely and carries greater health and safety risks.

TransCanada says that buried pipelines are far safer for transporting oil than ships or trains, and that bringing another 830,000 barrels of oil a day from friendly, neighboring Canada would reduce US dependence on the Middle East and Venezuela by up to 40 percent.
Florida mayor orders compliance with Trump immigration crackdown

The mayor of Miami-Dade County in Florida on Thursday told jails to obey President Donald Trump's order to enforce US immigration laws, in a bid to clean up its reputation as a "sanctuary" for illegal immigrants.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez took the action after Trump threatened to cut federal funding to cities and areas that act as "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants.

The term "sanctuary" refers to about 300 American cities, counties or states -- such as New York or California -- that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation by refusing to assist or cooperate with federal immigration officials.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County in Florida told the county's Department of Corrections to "honor all immigration detainer requests" JOE RAEDLE (Getty/AFP/File)

Gimenez told the county's Department of Corrections it must "honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security," the mayor's spokesman, Michael Hernandez, told AFP.

The Republican mayor was seeking favor with the president, who on Wednesday announced federal funding would be cut to so-called "sanctuary" cities.

The mayors of sanctuary cities New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have defied that order and vowed to protect the immigrants.

Such cities normally do not allow local police to inquire about the immigration status of people with whom they interact.

They also refuse to detain people brought to them by immigration authorities or to keep suspected undocumented immigrants in jail beyond their scheduled release date.

Until Thursday Miami-Dade County refused to detain illegal immigrants unless the federal government reimbursed the county for the expense.

Gimenez said in an interview with the Miami Herald that his decision was financial.

"I want to make sure we don't put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issue," said Gimenez, who voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Keeping immigrants in local jails last year cost Miami-Dade County $52,000.

"It doesn't mean that we're going to be arresting more people. It doesn't mean that we're going to be enforcing any immigration laws," Gimenez said.

Trump fired off on his Twitter accounts in praise of Gimenez.

"Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!" the president tweeted on his personal account @realDonaldTrump, then retweeted using his official White House handle.

According to the research group Migration Policy Institute, Florida has 650,000 undocumented immigrants. It ranks fourth in states with the largest populations of illegal immigrants, behind California, with more than three million; Texas, with 1.5 million; and New York with 870,000.

Broward County, north of Miami-Dade, also is considered a "sanctuary" and like its neighbor wants to clean up that reputation, its sheriff Scott Israel told the ABC television network.
Texas executes inmate for 2002 double murder

Texas executed a man sentenced to die for the 2002 murder of two Subway sandwich shop employees, despite calls for a reprieve over claims of prosecutorial misconduct.

Terry Edwards, 43, received a lethal injection and was declared dead at 10:17 pm (0417 GMT Friday), said Jason Clark, public information director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

His final words were "Yes, I made peace with God. I hope y'all make peace with this," Clark said in a brief statement.

Texas is the state with the highest number of executions in the country PAUL BUCK (AFP/File)

Edwards' attorneys argued that their client, who was African-American, was sentenced by a 12-person all white jury following a trial in which he was poorly defended. The attorneys said that black people were systematically rejected from the jury pool.

Edwards was killed despite appeals that went up to the US Supreme Court, which rejected the case just hours before the execution.

Edwards was sentenced to die along with his cousin Kirk Edwards for the 2002 double murder in Dallas.

The two fled with $3,000 taken from the cash register.

Edwards had been fired from the sandwich shop a few weeks earlier. A witness claimed to have seen him discard his weapon in a nearby garbage can after the robbery.

Edwards' attorneys argued that an expert showed his gun had not been fired.

Unlike his cousin -- who reached a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for 25 years in prison -- Edwards had no criminal record.
Turkish fire kills 10 civilians in IS-held Syria: monitor

Ten civilians, including a child, have been killed in Turkish air strikes and shelling in and around a Syrian town held by the Islamic State group, a monitor said Friday.

The bombardment hit the northern town of Al-Bab and the nearby area of Tadif, both held by IS, on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Al-Bab has come under heavy assault in recent weeks, with Turkish, Russian and Syrian warplanes carrying out strikes in or around the town.

Fighters from the Free Syrian Army take a break during fighting against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists northeast of the city of Al-Bab Nazeer al-Khatib (AFP/File)

The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of a ground operation it launched in Syria last August targeting both IS and Kurdish fighters. Several this month have been joint operations with Russia.

But Turkish officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties and have vehemently denied claims civilians have been killed in previous strikes.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday that 22 IS "terrorists" had been killed in the latest round of Turkish strikes on Syria, against a total of 272 IS targets.

IS is not included in a fragile nationwide ceasefire in force since December 30 that led to peace negotiations jointly organised by Turkey, Russia and Iran in Kazakhstan this week.

There was no major breakthrough in the talks, which brought a government delegation together for indirect talks with representatives of armed groups for the first time.

Ankara has backed rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.
Thai cops bust monk-led gang of 'palace imposters'

A gang of Thai con-artists, led by a monk, have been arrested after masquerading as palace officials to dupe couples into paying for bogus royal visits to their weddings, police said Friday.

Falsely claiming royal ties is a particularly grave offence in Thailand, where the monarchy carries enormous prestige and is protected by one of the world's harshest defamation laws.

The three women and five men, including a monk who allegedly ran the racket, were detained on fraud charges after operating the scam for several years, reportedly raking in over $500,000.

Veneration for the Thai monarchy solidified under the reign of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a beloved figure who died last October LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA (AFP/File)

"The monk and his people asked some couples to pay money for special 'high-up' (royal) individuals to attend their weddings," Police Colonel Pumin Pumpunmuang, a regional commander overseeing the case, told AFP.

They faked documents from the royal household bureau to add credence to their cover story, he said, adding cops finally uncovered the scam after a victim complained.

The gang has been operating out of provinces bordering Bangkok for several years, Pumin added.

He declined to comment on whether the gang were also charged with royal defamation, a crime carrying to 15 years in prison per offence.

Fabricating royal connections can lead to heavy jail sentences in Thailand, where the monarchy is extolled as a beacon of virtue by state and palace propaganda.

In November a 62-year-old woman was jailed for 50 years for trumping up palace ties to swindle victims out of more than $100,000 among other offences.

A year earlier, a famous Thai fortune teller was charged with improperly using his royal connections to make money.

He later died in military custody under mysterious circumstances.

Veneration for the Thai monarchy solidified under the reign of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a beloved figure who died last October at age 88 after seven decades on the thrown.

His only son and successor, 64-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is now shepherding the kingdom through a new and uncertain era.

The kingdom's royal defamation law was used aggressively during the final years of Bhumibol's reign, especially after a royalist junta seized power in 2014.

Observers say that Vajiralongkorn's legacy will in large part rest on whether he endorses or backs away from the government's use of the law.

In the first lese majeste case of 2017, an anti-junta activist was sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison on Friday for comments posted on Facebook and in a private message chat, according to legal watchdog iLaw.
Tehran fire chief praises bravery in tower blaze

A senior Iranian firefighter paid tribute Friday to rescuers' bravery tackling a blaze last week that triggered the collapse of Tehran's oldest high-rise, killing 26 people.

The 15-storey Plasco building toppled on January 19 while emergency services were still evacuating people from it, four hours into the inferno.

Amir Mahdiani, a fire department commander, addressed worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran's vast Mosalla mosque as the search for those still missing in the collapse neared its end.

A firefighter consoles his comrade after the collapse of the 15-storey Plasco building in Tehran on January 19, 2017

"If it wasn't for the sacrifice of the firemen, maybe the building would have collapsed two hours earlier and hundreds would be buried," he said, before bursting into tears.

His leg was in a splint due to an injury sustained during the fire.

Mahdiani said the death toll could have been lower if people had cooperated with the authorities and left the building more promptly.

He urged the government to help import modern firefighting equipment.

The Plasco building was Iran's oldest high-rise and contained a shopping centre and hundreds of clothes shops and workshops.

The disaster sent a shockwave across Iran, topping the news agenda for a week as rescue teams worked round the clock to recover bodies from the rubble.

Fire and smoke persisted at the site for days as bulldozers unearthed metal rods still red with heat.

The bodies of 15 firefighters and four civilians had been recovered from the rubble by Friday while six were still missing, the fire service said. Another firefighter died in hospital.

Bulldozers had removed 1,600 truckfuls of rubble from the site by Friday reaching underground floors after nine days of searching with sniffer dogs.

Some of the bodies recovered were unidentifiable and awaited DNA testing.

Authorities said the firefighters would be buried as "martyrs" next to those killed in a stampede during the 2015 hajj pilgrimage.

The last body was recovered late Thursday and officials hoped to clean up and lift traffic restrictions near the site by Saturday.

A deputy mayor said crews removing the rubble were set to complete the job by around 5 pm (1330 GMT) Friday.

The damage was estimated at 15,000 billion rials ($390 million, 365 million euros) and some 3,500 workers lost their jobs as a result of the blaze.
Appeals to faith and patriotism persuaded Gambia ex-leader to quit

In pushing Yahya Jammeh to give up The Gambia's presidency, negotiators played on two key cards: his deep Muslim faith and his professed love of country.

Jammeh finally quit as president and went into exile on Saturday following intense lobbying by international powers, ending more than a month of crisis that began when he rejected the result of the December 1 election.

Tibou Kamara, a former government minister from Guinea, went early in the crisis to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years in power in favour of Adama Barrow, who won the ballot.

Yahya Jammeh flew out of The Gambia on Saturday after agreeing to step down to end the country's political crisis ISSOUF SANOGO (AFP/File)

He was joined last week by Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea's President Alpha Conde, to win over Jammeh before a "last chance saloon" deadline.

"It was not easy, because against the determination of the international community, there was a fierce resolve to defend what he saw as law, truth and justice, but especially the independence and sovereignty of his country," Kamara said in an interview with AFP.

Kamara had approval to negotiate from Jammeh's wife, whose younger sister is married to a former president of Guinea. Both women have Guinean fathers.

"We appealed to his faith," Kamara said, adding that Jammeh himself often said that "everything that happens to a man is God's will. This carried a lot of weight."

Jammeh had long cultivated the image of a devout Muslim, often appearing with prayer beads in hand, and starting his speeches with passages from the Koran.

- Muslim and patriot -

During a day of talks led by the Mauritanian and Guinean leaders -- interrupted by a break for Friday prayers -- negotiators also reminded Jammeh of his potential place in history.

"Everybody told him that it wasn't necessary to drag his country into war," Kamara said, especially as Jammeh prides himself on having come to power without spilling any blood.

The former Gambia president had also made a point of keeping his country out of the many conflicts that have ravaged West Africa.

Negotiators urged Jammeh to "secure" this legacy by agreeing to "leave with dignity", Kamara said.

The arguments worked: Jammeh cited them specifically during his televised speech in the early hours of January 21, when he agreed to stand down.

"As a Muslim and a patriot, I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed," he said.

"My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you, the Gambian people, and our dear country."

For Kamara, the tense but ultimately successful talks were a victory for Gambians and the region as a whole, under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc.

But he also warned against "score-settling" or "witch hunts" against Jammeh's associates, and diplomats have called on Barrow's government to guarantee Jammeh's civil rights, including his eventual return after leaving the country for Equatorial Guinea.

Kamara's efforts have paid off: on Wednesday, Guinea's president named him his "personal advisor" with rank of government minister.
Hamas leader praises Egypt after Gaza return

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya returned to Gaza Friday after five months abroad, an AFP reporter said, praising improving ties with neighbours Egypt.

Haniya, Gaza head of the Islamist movement, left in September to perform the Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, returning via Gulf countries and Egypt, where he sought to mend frayed relations.

"The movement's delegation completed a successful visit to Egypt," a Hamas statement read, saying they had a series of "fruitful" meetings with Egyptian officials, including head of general intelligence Khaled Fawzy.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya left in September to perform the Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, returning via Gulf countries and Egypt, where he sought to mend frayed relations MAHMUD HAMS (AFP/File)

Upon his return home in the Shaati refugee camp west of Gaza city, Haniya told journalists the relationship with Egypt was improving.

"(Hamas) will continue to develop this relationship and strengthen it," he said.

It was Haniya's first trip outside Gaza since the isolation and eventual overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's Islamist president and Hamas ally, in 2013.

Relations between Egypt and Hamas soured following Morsi's overthrow and the subsequent election of former military leader Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Egypt's army largely closed the border with Gaza after Sisi's rise to power, destroying dozens of illegal trade tunnels that brought in a key part the Gazan economy.

Cairo has accused Hamas of supporting Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement and even of involvement in the 2015 assassination of Attorney General Hisham Barakat.

However relations between the Islamist Palestinian faction and Sisi's government have improved in the past year and the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is due to open Saturday for a few days.
Trump planning stronger US effort against Islamic State

US President Donald Trump is expected to order up a new plan for defeating the Islamic State group with expanded US military involvement as he makes his first visit to the Pentagon Friday.

Trump, who pledged to eradicate the extremist group during the presidential campaign, is reportedly preparing to direct new Defense Secretary James Mattis to more aggressively attack IS positions with the aim of defeating them more quickly.

That could mean more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria, according to analysts.

Iraqi soldiers pose with an Islamic State (IS) group flag as they hold a position in the village of Gogjali, a few hundred metres of Mosul's eastern edge, on November 2, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

"We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice," Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the jihadist group.

"This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen."

After his predecessor Barack Obama took a longer term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces, "President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table," retired general David Barno told National Public Radio Friday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump will give the Pentagon 30 days to come up with a new set of options for a tougher campaign against IS.

The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as "advisors" -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight.

They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State's hold on the key city of Mosul.

The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of the part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighborhoods on the river's west bank.

- More boots on the ground? -

According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armor and helicopters involved in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces.

Trump "could elect to put American boots on the ground on larger numbers," Barno said. "That all entails new uses of military power .... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties."

Trump promised during his presidential campaign to eliminate Islamic State, saying he had a secret plan to quickly defeat the group.

Last week, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would present Mattis with options to "accelerate the campaign" against IS.

"What is really important is first that we have a conversation about what we are doing today, why we are doing it, and what other things might be done and why we haven't done it to date," Dunford told reporters in Brussels.

Trump is also open to conducting joint operations with Russia against the Islamic State in Syria, his spokesman said earlier this week.

"If there's a way we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it's Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we'll take it," press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

During his Pentagon visit, Trump is expected to sign executive orders limiting the flow of refugees into the United States and setting up "extreme vetting" of some migrants, according to CNN.
Cumberland County Commissioner Jim Hertzler is again at the head of a joint tax reform effort by county officials across the state.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania held its legislative day in Harrisburg on Wednesday, with Hertzler taking the helm on the topic of county tax flexibility  an issue CCAP has been pressing the state on for nearly 20 years.

We want the optional authority to determine for ourselves if we can spread the tax burden out, by reducing the property tax on a dollar-for-dollar basis with alternative revenue sources, said Hertzler, who serves as the chair of CCAPs Assessment and Taxation Committee.

The structure of county government in Pennsylvania is controlled by a tiered state law, which separates counties into eight classes based on size. For the vast majority of counties, the only general-purpose tax they are legally authorized to set and collect is property tax. Hotel taxes are authorized for some, but these revenues are required to be used for tourism development.

What Hertzler and CCAP would like is for the county code to be amended to allow all counties to create and collect alternative taxes, such as a county-level income or sales tax. Only Allegheny County and Philadelphia  a city that is also a county under state law  have such taxing power.

New taxes, Hertzler said, would not be used to expand county budgets, but would be legally restricted to being enacted only with corresponding dollar-for-dollar decreases in property taxes. This would allow counties to implement property-tax relief efforts, and replace any lost property tax revenue with new funds from income or sales taxes.

Pennsylvania counties are authorized to implement a homestead property-tax relief program, a constitutional amendment that was passed by referendum nearly 20 years ago. This clause allows for a certain amount of the value of owner-occupied homes to be declared tax exempt, with the exempt value being up to one half of the median home value in the jurisdiction.

Few jurisdictions have actually done this, however, as they have no way to replace the lost revenue.

Homestead tax relief is a false promise if we dont have the tools to implement what was voted into the constitution, Hertzler said. Is this going to work for every county? Not necessarily. But we do know that in Allegheny County, there was an institution of an additional one percent sales tax, which was successfully used to provide municipal assistance and property tax relief.

The most recent legislation that would have authorized sales and income tax for jurisdictions other than Allegheny and Philadelphia was SB 592, filed in February 2015 by Sen. John Eichelberger. That bill did not make it out of committee in the last legislative session.

The idea of spreading out county taxes beyond property tax is even more relevant given the drive by Republicans in the state Senate to implement a school tax elimination policy, Hertzler said. This would see local school property taxes stricken, and schools funded by disbursements from a state fund fed by increases in sales and income tax.

If were going to move forward with responsible tax reform, it has to include counties  it cant just be school districts, Hertzler said. You cant leave counties out of the mix and think people are going to be satisfied.

Rather than wholesale elimination of property taxes, Hertzler and other county officials have previously pitched the idea of an across-the-board homestead exemption, coupled with the right of local jurisdictions to determine their own sales and income taxes.

In 2013, a study performed by Cumberland County staff determined that a homestead exemption of half the countys median owner-occupied home value of $186,900 would result in over $71 million of tax relief for county homeowners, if the exemption were applied to county, municipal, and school district tax bills.

The tax distribution issue was one of four legislative priorities identified by CCAP Wednesday. The organization also pressed for the restoration of state funding cuts to county human services agencies, as well as increased funding to address the opioid abuse epidemic.

CCAP also pressed for the state to maintain local appropriations from the Marcellus Shale impact fees, and continue to investigate the creation of an excise tax for hydrofracking operations.

All four topics are closely related as they address the issue of declining state funding for county-level services at the same time that additional responsibilities and red tape have been placed on county services with no way to fund the costs incurred, Hertzler said.

Because counties have no other source of income, unfunded mandates often result in property tax hikes, Hertzler said.

We want to work with the state in terms of how we can do more with less and be more efficient, Hertzler said. But for those costs that we have to bear because state and federal funding is being cut, we need options on how we can generate revenue in a fairer way other than continuing to rely on property taxes.
Miami's Little Havana named a 'national treasure'

Little Havana, the neighborhood that is the heart and soul of Miami's Cuban diaspora, was named a US "national treasure" on Friday.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private organization, added the neighborhood to its list of sites it believes should be protected from developers, saying in a statement that it "stands as a testament to the immigrant spirit that built America."

Little Havana is home to the Versailles, a historic cafe that pulses with Cuban music and sometimes offers free Cuban pastries to exiles who gather there to protest or celebrate events on their home island.

Miami's Little Havana, home to many Cuban Americans, was named a US "national treasure" by The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Juary 27, 2017 Rhona Wise (AFP/File)

Several blocks away in Domino Park, dozens of retirees play the eponymous game amid sometimes heated political discussions every afternoon. Nearby, the city's most popular Cuban salsa club is a must-see tourist destination.

There's also a museum of weapons, photos and documents from veterans of the ill-fated 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.

Bar patrons smoke cigarettes in the doorways and it's difficult to find people not speaking Spanish.

However, Little Havana's residents now worry about being forced out by real estate development and rising prices.

"Little Havana is a symbol of the immigrant experience in America," the historic trust's president Stephanie Meeks said.

"The National Trust welcomes the urban resurgence that is breathing new life into cities across the country, but we also believe that growth should not come at the expense of the vibrant historic neighborhoods like Little Havana."

The buildings, some them Art Deco, date back to the 1920s and 1930s. On the commercial hub Calle Ocho, or Eighth Street, many buildings have coral-colored floors.

But the burgeoning downtown and Brickell neighborhoods -- with their modern 20-story buildings -- are expanding toward Little Havana.

"As Miami continues to evolve, preservation will be essential in maintaining Miami's unique urban neighborhoods," Miami-Dade County heritage trust director Christine Rupp said.

"Our long-term goal is to protect specific historic properties that tell the story of Little Havana and assist with the restoration of those historic buildings."
Trump, Mexican leader speak to mend rift over wall

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and US President Donald Trump sought to tone down diplomatic tensions over the Republican's planned border wall, agreeing to seek a resolution to the thorny dispute.

One day after the spat boiled over, with Pena Nieto cancelling a trip to Washington next week in response to Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for the barrier, the two leaders held an hour-long phone conversation.

Trump described the talks as "very friendly" while the two governments issued a nearly similar statement saying it was "constructive and productive."

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order to start the Mexico border wall project at the Department of Homeland Security facility in Washington DC, on January 25, 2017 NICHOLAS KAMM (AFP)

The discussion capped a week that saw relations between the neighboring nations plunge into the biggest diplomatic crisis in decades as Pena Nieto vowed that Mexico will never pay for the border barrier.

While Trump and Pena Nieto "recognized their clear and very public differences" about who should pay for the wall, they agreed to "resolve these differences as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relation," the statement said.

But the Mexican government's version of the statement included a line missing from the White House text: "The presidents also agreed for now to no longer speak publicly about this controversial issue."

Trump and Pena Nieto spoke about the US trade deficit with Mexico, "the importance of the friendship between our nations" and the need for the neighbors to work together to curb drug and weapons trafficking, the statement said.

The presidents instructed their teams to continue the dialogue, but there was no indication that they would reschedule their own meeting any time soon.

- 'Beat us to a pulp' -

Speaking at a press conference during talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Washington, Trump said he had a "very good relationship" with Pena Nieto.

The US leader said he looked forward to renegotiating trade deals and other aspects of US relations with Mexico.

"As you know, Mexico with the United States has outnegotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders. They've made us look foolish," he said, noting that the US has a $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico.

Trump wants to renegotiate the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

Both Trump and Mexican officials have threatened to pull out of the pact if they fail to get a good deal.

"We are going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship, but the United States cannot continue to lose," Trump said.

Before the phone call was made public, Trump had railed against Mexico on Twitter, saying the country "has taken advantage of the US for long enough."

He complained about "massive trade deficits" and exclaimed that "little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!"

But he did not mention the wall payment.

- Stiff tariff -

The spat over the wall has created the biggest diplomatic rift since a drug cartel tortured and killed a US undercover agent in 1985.

Trump has angered Mexicans, perplexed economists and energized his nationalist political base by vowing to build a wall along the US frontier -- and then somehow make Mexico pay for it.

Mexico's leaders have repeatedly said their country will never pay for the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border barrier that Trump says is needed to stop illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from coming over.

Trump's response has been to ask the US Congress to find between $12-15 billion for construction and to help him find a way to recoup the money with some kind of tariff on Mexican imports.

His team has floated several ideas for how to do this. On Friday, for example, senior aide Kellyanne Conway told CBS television that a five to 20 percent tax may be imposed at the border.

On Thursday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer suggested that one option -- not necessarily the favored one -- would be a border adjustment tax of the kind favored by Republicans in the US Congress.

Visiting Washington on Thursday, Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray scoffed at the notion, arguing that this would just pass the cost of the wall on to US consumers buying Mexican goods.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim weighed in on the diplomatic row on Friday, saying his country was united and in a position of strength in the negotiations.

Slim, who criticized Trump during the US presidential campaign, joked that while Trump was a good negotiator, he was not the "Terminator."

The US-Mexico border

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto gives a foreign policy speech after US President Donald Trump vowed to start renegotiating North American trade ties, in Mexico City on January 23, 2017 Ronaldo SCHEMIDT (AFP/File)

The 2,000-mile US-Mexico border is partially fenced, but the US President plans to build a wall to stop illegal immigrants from Latin America ALFREDO ESTRELLA (AFP)
Israel returns two bodies of killed Palestinians

Israel handed over the bodies of two Palestinians killed carrying out attacks on soldiers and civilians to the families on Friday, an army spokeswoman said.

She identified the two as Nidal Daud Mahdawi, who was killed trying to stab soldiers on January 17, and Majd al-Khudur who was killed during a 2016 car-ramming attack that wounded two civilians.

Both attacks took place in the occupied West Bank.

One of the bodies returned to the Palestinian families was that of Majd al-Khudur, who was killed during a 2016 car-ramming attack, the aftermath of which is pictured here HAZEM BADER (AFP/File)

Hospital officials have identified Khudur as an 18-year-old woman.

A wave of Palestinian attacks that erupted in October 2015 has resulted in the deaths of 251 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.

However, the violence has greatly declined in recent months.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities, with others killed during protests, in clashes or air raids on Gaza.

Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a leading cause of the violence.
Trump vows to defer to Pentagon chief's opposition to torture

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he will defer to his Pentagon chief regarding interrogation techniques widely condemned as torture, although he himself continues to support their use.

Defense Secretary James Mattis "will override because I'm giving him that power," Trump told a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. "He is an expert. He is highly respected."

"And he has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding or however you want to define it -- enhanced interrogation I guess would be words that a lot of people would like to use," Trump said, adding that he himself does "not necessarily agree."

James Mattis signs his confirmation letter to be named US Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC, January 20, 2017 JIM WATSON (AFP/File)

Trump's views on torture have raised concerns that he will try to reverse laws put into place by predecessor Barack Obama outlawing the brutal interrogation techniques like waterboarding used by the CIA on suspects following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

US media earlier this week reported that the Trump administration was drafting a order that would reauthorize the "black site" prisons around the world where US officials subjected suspects allegedly tied to Al-Qaeda to now-illegal "enhanced interrogation techniques."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer denied that the document had originated in the White House.

But in an interview Wednesday Trump said that torture is effective.

"Do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works," he told ABC News.

During a hearing earlier this month to confirm his position as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, former Congressman Mike Pompeo said he would not back torture and "can't imagine" that he would be asked to do so by Trump.

But he suggested that he could support changing the law, if useful.
Trump calls media 'the opposition'

President Donald Trump intensified his feud with the media on Friday, likening the press to "the opposition."

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump was asked about criticism of the media made by a top aide.

Steve Bannon has suggested the media was the opposition and that it should "shut up."

"A big portion of the media, the dishonesty, total deceit and deception makes them certainly partially the opposition party, absolutely, I think they're much more capable than the opposition party," US President Donald Trump said MANDEL NGAN (AFP)

Trump appeared to agree.

"A big portion of the media, the dishonesty, total deceit and deception makes them certainly partially the opposition party, absolutely, I think they're much more capable than the opposition party," Trump said, referring to the Democrats.

"The opposition party is losing badly, the media is on the losing opposition's side. I say they treat me so unfairly it's hard to believe I won, but the fortunate thing about me is I have a big voice.
Trump suspends refugee program, vows to weed out Islamic radicals

US President Donald Trump unleashed a wave of alarm Saturday with his order to temporarily halt all refugee arrivals and impose tough controls on travelers from seven Muslim countries including war-wracked Syria.

Making good on one of his most controversial campaign promises, and to the horror of human rights groups, Trump said he was making America safe from "radical Islamic terrorists."

"This is big stuff," he declared at the Pentagon, after signing an executive order entitled "Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States."

Making good on one of his most controversial campaign promises US President Donald Trump suspends the entire US refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days Mandel Ngan (AFP)

Trump's decree suspends the entire US refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days while tough vetting rules are established.

These new protocols will "ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States."

In addition, it specifically bars Syrian refugees from the United States indefinitely, or until the president himself decides that they no longer pose a threat.

Meanwhile, no visas will be issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from seven mainly-Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

In reaction to the order the United Nations on Saturday urged the US to continue its "strong leadership role and long tradition of protecting those fleeing conflict and persecution."

In a joint statement the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration said they believed "refugees should receive equal treatment for protection and assistance, and opportunities for resettlement, regardless of their religion, nationality or race."

- Extreme vetting -

The order laid the way for what Trump has pledged will be the "extreme vetting" of visa applicants' backgrounds -- with some exceptions made for members of "religious minorities," a caveat many see as a way to apply favorable treatment to Christians from majority-Muslim states.

Civil liberties groups and many counterterrorism experts condemned the measures, declaring it inhumane to lump the victims of conflict in with the extremists who threaten them.

"'Extreme vetting' is just a euphemism for discriminating against Muslims," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Romero said Trump's order breached the US constitution's ban on religious discrimination by choosing countries with Muslim majorities for tougher treatment.

Ahmed Rehab, director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP his group would mount legal challenges to fight the order "tooth and nail."

"It is targeting people based on their faith and national origin, and not on their character or their criminality," he told AFP.

Speaking in Tehran Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani did not comment directly on the visa ban but said Iran had "opened its doors" to foreign tourists since the signing of a nuclear agreement with world powers in 2015.

He also said now was "not the time to build walls between nations," a reference to Trump's plans to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

But the US leader did get backing from Czech President Milos Zeman, who praised him for being "concerned with the safety of his citizens".

Zeman, a vocal supporter of Trump, has denounced Syrian refugee arrivals in his own country as "an organized invasion" and said Muslims were "impossible to integrate".

- The most vulnerable -

The travel controls will be popular with Trump's nationalist base, though they stop short of a threat made during last year's campaign to halt all Muslim travel to the United States.

Trump's supporters defend the measures as necessary to prevent supporters of Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group from infiltrating the US homeland disguised as refugees.

The US State Department, which with the Department of Homeland Security will have to implement the policies, said it was ready to put them into immediate effect.

"We will announce any changes affecting travelers to the United States as soon as that information is available," spokesman Mark Toner said.

"We take seriously our responsibility to safeguard the American public while remaining committed to assisting the world's most vulnerable people."

Trump's order also cut the number of refugees the United States plans to resettle in fiscal year 2017 -- which is calculated from last October on -- from 110,000 to 50,000.

During the ceremony, he also signed an order to "rebuild" the US military and watched Vice President Mike Pence swear in former Marine general James Mattis as his new secretary of defense.

Earlier Trump had admitted he would allow the general's opposition to the use of torture to override his own enthusiasm for harsh measures.

- 'Wonderful thing' -

Trump also met Friday with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, the first foreign leader to visit his White House since his inauguration.

He praised Britain's decision to leave the European Union as a "wonderful thing."

Over the weekend, Trump is due to hold calls with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, France's President Francois Hollande and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

He is keen to develop friendly ties with Moscow, but has played down reports that he might quickly end US economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine.

A Lebanese Christian teenager dressed as Santa Claus, holds a Syrian refugee during a gift distribution in a slum in the town of Dbayeh, north of Beirut PATRICK BAZ (AFP/File)

Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist and Nobel peace laureate, said she was "heartbroken" by US President Donald Trump's executive order to suspend refugee arrivals TONY KARUMBA (AFP/File)

US President Donald Trump met Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and hailed the "most special relationship" between the twin Atlantic powers MANDEL NGAN (AFP)
'Fatal Vision' surgeon pursues appeal, insists he's innocent

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  For nearly 50 years, Jeffrey MacDonald has consistently denied that he brutally killed his pregnant wife and two young daughters in their apartment on the Fort Bragg Army post in North Carolina.

Now 73 and still behind bars, the former Army surgeon whose case has inspired books and a television miniseries is pursuing what may be a final opportunity to clear his name.

MacDonald's attorneys argued for his innocence in a federal appeals court Thursday, pointing to evidence uncovered since his 1979 trial that they say proves he wasn't the killer.

FILE - In this March 1, 1995 file photo then Army doctor Jeffrey MacDonald gestures at the federal correctional institution in Sheridan, Ore. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit of Appeals heard arguments Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, in the case of MacDonald, who inspired the book and television miniseries "Fatal Vision." An attorney for the former Army surgeon convicted of killing his pregnant wife and their two daughters nearly 50 years ago says the man won't give up his fight to prove he is innocent. (AP Photo/Shane Young)

MacDonald has long maintained that a group of hippies slaughtered 26-year-old Colette McDonald and their daughters Kimberley, 5, and Kristen, 2, during a drug-fueled attack in 1970 that left him severely injured.

Despite decades of failed appeals, MacDonald remains hopeful that he will be exonerated.

"He's going to keep fighting and will continue to maintain his innocence until the end of his days," his attorney, Hart Miles, said after the hearing at the 4th U.S. District Court of Appeals.

MacDonald told the police he called to his home on Feb. 17, 1970, that he was awakened by the screams of his wife and daughters and was attacked by intruders  three men and a woman with long blond hair, a floppy hat and boots who carried a lighted candle and chanted "acid is groovy; kill the pigs."

Prosecutors still maintain that the evidence shows MacDonald killed them and wrote the word "PIG" in blood over their bed in an attempt to imitate the Charles Manson murders six months earlier.

It became known as the "Fatal Vision" case, the title of a true-crime book MacDonald had invited author Joe McGinniss to write to demonstrate his innocence. Instead, McGinniss became convinced of his guilt. McGinniss eventually agreed to pay MacDonald $325,000 to settle breach of trust claims.

MacDonald is now challenging a judge's refusal in 2014 to grant him a new trial based on new evidence, including three hairs found at the scene that don't match the family's DNA, and a statement from Jimmy Britt, a deputy U.S. marshal who accused the prosecution of intimidating a key witness.

Britt told defense attorneys in 2005 that Helena Stoeckley, a troubled local woman MacDonald had identified as one of the attackers, told prosecutor Jim Blackburn that she was at the scene of the killings. Britt said Blackburn threatened to indict her with murder if she said so in court. When Stoeckley got on the stand, she said she couldn't remember where she was that night.

Stoeckley also told several others that she was present for the murders, but the district court said her heavy drug makes her alleged confessions unreliable. Britt and Stoeckley have both since died.

U.S. Attorney John Bruce described the defense evidence as insignificant and told the judges Thursday that the case against MacDonald remains strong.

Significant pieces of Britt's story were proven wrong, making him an unreliable witness, Bruce told the judges. The hair  which MacDonnell's attorneys say must have come from the intruders  could have been anyone's, Bruce said.

"This was a busy apartment with a young family with scores of people around them," Bruce said. "There was dog hair on the bed. Was that evidence of intruders? The MacDonalds didn't own a dog."

Appellate Judge Diana Gribbon Motz also questioned how the hair evidence helped MacDonald's case, noting that it did not match Stoeckley's DNA either.

"It's not as though you have this hair tied to another person of interest," Motz told MacDonald attorney Joseph Zeszotarksi Jr.

It's unclear when the appeals court may make a decision. Miles, MacDonald's attorney, noted that the last time the 4th Circuit took up the man's case, they didn't make a ruling for almost a year.

MacDonald, who is serving three consecutive life terms in Cumberland, Maryland, refused to apply for parole for years after becoming eligible in 1991, arguing that doing so would essentially amount to admitting guilt. He finally applied in 2005  in part out of a desire to live with the woman he married in 2002  but was denied early release. He is not eligible for parole again until 2020.

"It would be a dishonor to their memory to compromise the truth and 'admit' to something I didn't do  no matter how long it takes," MacDonald said in a 2000 letter to his now-wife, Kathryn MacDonald, which she provided to The Associated Press.

____

Follow Alanna Durkin Richer on Twitter at twitter.com/aedurkinricher. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/alanna-durkin-richer .
Dear Barack Obama,

If you didn't notice, I didn't refer to you as 'Mr. President' this time. That's because you've lost my respect. You've broken my heart once again, and you've betrayed the concept of justice like many other heartless individuals have done before you. I thought you were different. I thought you had a moral compass. Turns out you're just like the rest - selfish and spineless.

You can't deny that you saw the letters my sister and I wrote. I am almost certain that someone put them directly in your hands. That's what they told us they would do, at least. So, you read them. You knew of our heartache and our desperation. Not only that, you knew of the emotional beatings we've taken repeatedly over the last eight years; the kicks in the gut when we were already on the ground, the knives in our backs. You stood by and watched the arrest, the trials, the sentencing, the appellate court decision, the resentencing hearing, and the horrific lies and hurtful words said in the press. You did nothing - said nothing - for eight long years. While my father spent time behind barbed wire, you were living in the lap of luxury. And, as hard as it was, I understood. I blamed you once. In my pre-teen mind, you were what caused the destruction of my life. At one point, though, I moved on. I began to support you. I accepted that you never would've done anything during your first term because it would ruin your chances of getting reelected, and by the second term you had to campaign for Hillary. When the election was done, and you were leaving office, I thought you would finally do it. I couldn't fathom a reason why you wouldn't - your career wasn't at stake anymore. You know as well as anyone, that my father is guilty of nothing. He made mistakes - he's human, after all - but nothing was illegal. I thought you would fix it. I thought you would finally right this wrong. You didn't have to pardon him, only commute the sentence. You just had to let him come home. You didn't. You released others, like Chelsea Manning or FALN terrorists, who actually committed reprehensible crimes, but you failed to release an innocent man. Even if he was guilty of anything, the fourteen year sentence was extreme and you said yourself that you want to make sure that no one is being over sentenced.

My father had faith in you. He had, and still has, faith in the system, in justice, in mankind, and in God. I, on the other hand, have lost all faith. I expect people to let me down. I expect the scale of justice to tip in the favor of those who manipulate, lie, and scheme. As for God, I have no reason to believe He exists. If I told this to my dad, it would break his heart. He has become deeply faithful while in prison. He believes that God has a plan for everything and that He is good. I don't buy it anymore. I want more than anything to have faith, but I don't think I know how. If there was a God, an all-powerful, all good, and all knowing God, my family wouldn't have had to endure this trauma.

Most importantly, though, my father believes in forgiveness. He harbors no ill will towards anyone involved in his imprisonment. He's not angry. He used to be, it caused him to drink way too much to blunt the pain, but he's not anymore. He's disappointed in you now, but he'll forgive you. He won't hold a grudge. I will, though. I have spent eight years of my life living with such rage and resentment that allowing myself to actually feel it would be debilitating. I am shocked at how bitter and full of hate I have become. Underneath that, though, I'm just sad and hurt. I am sad that I have absolutely no control over such an important part of my life. I have no control over if my dad will be at my college graduation, or be there to walk me down the aisle, or as a shoulder to cry on when life gets even harder - though that seems impossible to me right now. Since I was twelve, I've been wanting my life to go back to normal; to have my dad home and not have to worry about another let down. I'll be 21 this summer, and I'm still waiting. I don't even remember what normal was anymore. I have no recollection of my childhood, and no desire to let myself reminisce in any of the 'good times'.

You could have fixed it. It wouldn't have negated the past - I'm stuck with the scars for the rest of my life - but it would've allowed the cycle of trauma to finally come to an end. I've dealt with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and aspects of PTSD. I've had days where I couldn't pry myself from bed, days where I can't stop crying or feeling the pain that has been inflicted continuously, and days where the fear of another eight years consumes me completely. For a while I couldn't see a news truck without panicking. To this day, I still have trouble with the sound of helicopters. After having them fly over my house for a week when we were trapped inside, hiding from the parasites and their cameras parked on the streets, the sound of one usually makes me feel paralyzed. It's gotten better, though. Most of the time I'm fine. Sometimes I barely notice it until it's flying away. Other times it's all I hear - especially when there's one near my house. Everything is treatable, I've had more than enough therapy to know that, but it doesn't change the fact that I spent my entire adolescence in a state of fight or flight, or that every time there's a chance my last name will be mentioned I'm worried. It doesn't change the inexcusable remarks people have made about my family and I, nor does it the fact that people feel it is their right to say whatever they please to me or behind my back.

I've handled it so far, though. I've made it eight years. I'm at a prestigious university and my grades are good. I've kept up appearances. I've visited my dad when necessary no matter how many wounds it reopens. I've been faking being okay for so long, that sometimes it's not an act. Sometimes 'out of sight, out of mind is good' enough. Doesn't make up for the guilt I feel for avoiding reading emails from my dad, or talking about him. In high school, I would never say anything about him. Something as trivial as 'my dad's a Cubs fan' used to feel taboo to me. I figured that if I pretended I was a normal person, maybe everyone else would forget.

I feel guilty that I can't be the daughter he needs right now. He lives for my sister and I, and we repay him by rushing him off the phone and complaining about visiting. But that's how I've survived this long. That's how I've made it through. But I needed you to let him out. I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. I don't think I can make it another eight years. I was counting on you to help.

I don't understand why you couldn't put yourself in my father's shoes. You have two daughters and I'm sure you're away from them a lot. Don't you miss them? Don't they miss you? Wouldn't you do anything to spare them the agony of visiting you in prison? Don't you want the best for them? If the answer to any of these is 'yes', then you should've commuted the sentence in a heartbeat. Since you didn't, it's my belief that you are either a horrible parent or a horrible person. Either way, like I said before, I've lost my respect for you.

Everyone seems to be mourning your exit from office. I'm glad you're gone. I'm not delusional - you're not a saint. You were a mediocre president with unoriginal ideas. Tell me, how did you think of the idea for the Affordable Care Act? Did it have something to do with All Kids? At least All Kids was done correctly, and, unlike the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it wasn't a failure.

I want you to know how disappointed I am. I didn't want to despise you, to have an almost visceral reaction to the mention or image of you. I truly thought you were a good person. I guess I was just as brainwashed as everyone else. At least now I can see the blood on your hands. You can keep washing them, but they'll never be clean. You were a bystander to a completely un-American act of injustice. You're just as guilty as those who created it in the first place.

Sincerely,

Amy Blagojevich
Check out the 25th Constitutional Amendment. A vice president, working with a majority of either the principle officers of the executive departments, or of such body as Congress may by law provide, can remove the president for being unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

Even the craven enabling Republicans would do well to read that provision, because the day may come when theyre finally compelled to acknowledge  in the national interest  that Trump is dangerously off his rocker. Were only six days into this farce, and its obvious already. As conservative commentator Andrew Ferguson rightly points out, the candidate who campaigned as a sociopath shows signs he may yet govern as one.

The latest reminder is Trumps alternative fact about the election. At the tail end of November, he said he was robbed of a popular vote victory because millions of people had voted illegally for Hillary. It was just another baldfaced lie. He had zero evidence of massive voter fraud, just as hed had zero evidence that Obama was foreign-born. We figured  foolish us  that Trump, with his attention deficit disorder, would simply forget the lie and find a new one. Which he did.

But now hes obsessing about it again, marinating anew in his delusion. We should not be surprised.

On Monday night, during a bipartisan meeting with congressional leaders, he stated that he lost the popular vote because three to five million people voted illegally. He offered no evidence of mass fraud, because there isnt any. Then during a press briefing, propaganda minister Sean Spicer recited Trumps alternative fact, and said it was based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him. The press asked: What studies? What evidence? Spicer replied: Studies and information he has.

What studies? What information? Trump is apparently still fixated on a November story that was posted on Infowars, a tinfoil-hat website, which declared in a headline: 3 million votes in presidential election cast by illegal aliens. Problem is, the story had no evidence. Plus, the guy who runs Infowars has stated on the record that the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre never happened.

But Trump still wont let it go, taking to Twitter to announce, I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD.

Someone in the Justice Department should tell him that illegal voting on a massive scale is impossible to pull off without everyone noticing it on day one. Someone in Justice should remind him that when Jill Stein sought recounts shortly after the election, his own lawyers wrote: All available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake. But he wouldnt listen, because he doesnt do irony.

A few Republicans have roused themselves to protest Trumps idiocy. Mike Huckabee, a big supporter, told Fox News Business Network, I have no evidence whatsoever, and I dont know that anyone does, that there are that many illegal people who voted ... Im not sure why he brought it up.

Sen. Lindsey Graham had the most substantive rebuke. I would urge the president to knock this off ... To continue to insist that the 2016 election was conducted in a fashion that millions of people voted illegally undermines faith in our democracy, Graham said. People are going to start doubting you as a person.

But, all too predictably, most Republicans reacted as if jelly had replaced their spines. In their lust to enact their long-stymied agenda (throwing people off Obamacare, gutting the EPA, etc.), theyre apparently prepared to indulge Trumps serial lies and delusions.

His temperament is already a burgeoning issue. The anecdotes are piling up. But whats most remarkable about a recent Washington Post story about Trumps first week in office is the ninth paragraph: This account of Trumps tumultuous first days in office comes from interviews with nearly a dozen senior White House officials and other Trump advisers and confidants, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations and moments.

In other words, Trump aides are already leaking like a sieve  to the free and independent press that Trump hates.

So the question is: How long will Republicans indulge him before they man up to do their duty?

Dick Polman is the national political columnist at NewsWorks/WHYY in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com.
Cousins get life terms in 1973 shotgun slayings of 2 girls

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Two cousins were sentenced Thursday to life prison terms in the 1973 shotgun slayings of two young girls in Northern California, said Deputy Yuba County District Attorney John Vacek.

Larry Don Patterson and William Lloyd Harbour were sentenced to five years to life in prison in the decades-old cold case, the maximum penalty under sentencing laws at the time of the crime.

For the same reason, the two men did not face the possibility of the death penalty in the deaths of 12-year-old Valerie Janice Lane and 13-year-old Doris Karen Derryberry.

Family and friends of Doris Karen Derryberry and Valerie Janice Lane embrace after exiting the courtroom following the sentencing that closed the 43-year-old cold case

"When she died, a part of me died with her," Margarette Hasting, the mother of Valerie Lane, said in a statement that was read to the judge. "We were so cheated. Valerie died at 12 years old, and these guys have lived their lives, they are old men now."

Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in December, while Harbour pleaded no contest to the same charges.

The men were charged in September after a state forensics lab matched DNA from the two suspects to semen found on Derryberry.

The girls were reported missing on Nov. 12, 1973, after their mothers said they never returned home overnight from a shopping trip to the mall. The Yuba County Sheriff's Department learned hours later that their bodies had been found along a dirt road in a wooded area near Marysville, north of Sacramento, where they had been shot at close range.

The case went cold decades ago, Yuba County authorities said, until a state forensics lab matched DNA from the two suspects to semen found on Derryberry.

"The families rightly view this as these guys had 43 years of freedom and we lost our daughters. So it's tough to say justice has been served, but we do what we can," Vacek said.

He credited the county sheriff's department with never giving up.

"The prevailing sentiment is justice delayed is justice denied," Vacek said. "I'm glad we can bring some semblance of justice to this case."

The cousins both lived near the victims in Olivehurst when they were killed 43 years ago.

"He's sorry for the family and he's glad that it has come to a resolution and that it is over," said Yuba County public defender Brian Davis, who represented Harbour, 65.

Patterson more recently was living in Oklahoma and was extradited to face the charges in California.

Michael Sullinger, an attorney representing Patterson, 66, did not return telephone and email messages seeking comment. Vacek said Patterson moved to withdraw his plea after the sentencing but the motion was rejected by Superior Court Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter.

County officials said the suspects' names never surfaced in the 1970s, though investigators interviewed more than 60 people. They considered Patterson after he was charged in 1976 with raping two women in nearby Chico, but found no link to the killing of the two girls until the DNA match last year.

___

This story corrects to show that Patterson was extradited from Oklahoma.

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2016 file photo, Larry Don Patterson is arraigned on two counts of second-degree murder in Yuba County Superior Court, in Marysville, Calif. Patterson was sentenced, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, to five years to life in prison for the 1973 slayings of Valerie Janice Lane, 12, and Doris Karen Derryberry, 13, in Yuba County, Calif. (Chris Kaufman/The Appeal-Democrat via AP, File)

FILE - In this 2011 booking file photo provided by the Yuba County Sheriff's Department is William Lloyd Harbour. Harbour was sentenced, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, to five years to life in prison for the 1973 slayings of Valerie Janice Lane, 12, and Doris Karen Derryberry, 13, in Yuba County, Calif. (Yuba County Sheriff's Department via AP, File)

Thursday, January 26, 2017 left, and Shirley Derryberry talk following the sentencing of Larry Don Patterson and William Lloyd Harbour at the Yuba County Courthouse, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, in Marysville, Calif. Patterson and Harbour were sentenced Thursday to life prison terms for the 1973 shotgun slayings of Doris Karen Derryberry, 13, and Valerie Janice Lane, 12, in 1973. ( Chris Kaufman/The Appeal-Democrat via AP)
Vice President Pence to speak at anti-abortion rally in DC

WASHINGTON (AP)  Vice President Mike Pence has agreed to speak at Friday's March for Life, the anti-abortion demonstration held each year in Washington, organizers announced.

In a statement late Thursday, the March for Life organization said neither a president nor a vice president has ever spoken at the event, now in its 44th year. One of President Donald Trump's top advisers, Kellyanne Conway, is also on the list of speakers.

The president of the March for Life organization, Jeanne Mancini, called Pence "a friend and champion of the pro-life cause his entire career"  first as a congressman, then as Indiana governor and now as vice president.

Organizers had said earlier in the week that they were expecting an appearance by a "surprise VIP guest."

Mancini also said in the statement that those taking part in Friday's rally are "bound to leave the March for Life even more energized" because of the vice president's planned appearance and a new administration's support for their cause.

The organization has predicted tens of thousands of demonstrators would rally on the National Mall starting around midday Friday before marching to the Supreme Court.

The March for Life is held each year by protesters marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
10 Things to Know for Friday - 27 January 2017

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. TRUMP SETS OFF CLASH WITH MEXICO OVER TAX PROPOSAL

Mexico's president abruptly scraps next week's trip to Washington after the White House proposes a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for a border wall.

United States' Serena Williams celebrates after defeating Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

2. HOW TRUMP MIGHT STEP UP FIGHT AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE GROUP

The president will visit the Pentagon to ask for options, which could include adding significantly more U.S. troops and boosting military aid to Kurdish fighters.

3. SCIENTISTS GROW HUMAN CELLS INSIDE PIG EMBRYOS

It's a very early step toward the goal of growing livers and other human organs in animals to transplant into people.

4. GAMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Hundreds of thousands of cheering people jam the roads to welcome President Adama Barrow, eager for democratic reforms after the departure of longtime dictator Yahya Jammeh.

5. TRUMP MAY SEEK BIG EPA STAFF AND BUDGET CUTS

Myron Bell, the former head of Trump's transition team at the EPA, told the AP the president is likely to seek significant reductions to the agency's workforce.

6. WHO DOUBTS THAT WOMEN CAN BE BRILLIANT

A study published in the journal Science suggests that girls as young as 6 can come to believe men are inherently smarter and more talented than women.

7. VIDEO SHOWS TEXAS OFFICER PUSH TEEN INTO CAR WITH FOOT

The bodycam video was provided to the AP by attorneys representing the teen's mother, who had summoned police for a family matter.

8. SETBACK FOR OHIO'S EFFORTS TO RESTART EXECUTIONS

A federal judge declares the state's latest lethal injection process unconstitutional and delays three executions.

9. NFL SAYS CONCUSIONS AND OTHER INJURIES DOWN

The league released data that show overall concussions for the preseason and regular season were down from 275 in 2015 to 244 in 2016.

10. WILLIAMS SISTERS ADVANCE TO AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Win or lose, Serena Williams sees the all-sister final as cause for celebration: "A Williams is going to win this tournament."

People cheer as President Adama Barrow, foreground, arrives in the Westfield neighborhood of Serrekunda, Gambia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Barrow returned triumphantly to Gambia on Thursday, nearly two months after winning an election disputed by the country's longtime dictator, to the cheers of hundreds of thousands who jammed the roads in welcome. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
Israelis seek to comfort Holocaust's loneliest survivors

RAMAT HASHARON, Israel (AP)  Surrounded by more than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and young volunteers, a blind Ernest Weiner sat in his wheelchair with a puffy crown on his head as the crowd sang happy birthday and showered him with hugs and greetings.

The widowed and childless 92-year-old Weiner lives on his own and the cheerful gathering offered him one of life's most valuable commodities  company.

As home to the world's largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. Various government bodies and private organizations chip in to offer material, psychological and medical support to the survivors, still scarred by the horrors they experienced 70 years ago. But all agree that the greatest burden late in their lives is loneliness.

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, sits in his house in the central Israeli city of Bat Yam. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Ernest Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

"It's not pleasant to be alone," Weiner said in his apartment just outside Tel Aviv. "It gives a good feeling" to have people visit, he said.

Some 160,000 elderly survivors remain in Israel, with a similar number worldwide. In Israel, about half receive special government stipends, but a third still live under the poverty line, well above the national 20 percent poverty rate.

That's where the nonprofit sector gets involved. The Association for Immediate Help for Holocaust Survivors was established nine years ago for the purpose of aiding survivors anywhere in Israel, at a moment's notice. Run solely on donations, it currently has some 8,000 volunteers around the country.

They help survivors with everything from legal assistance to paying their bills, buying their groceries to driving them to doctor appointments. Several times a year, they throw parties that become a highlight on survivors' calendars.

The care continues even after death. The association's modest office currently houses a number of orphaned dogs and cats left behind by their owners.

"Morally, not just as Jews but as people of the world, we must help them finish their life in dignity without them having to beg for warm food," said Tamara More, the association's voluntary CEO. "These are people whose lives were robbed from them because of the world's silence, and we all have an obligation to give them something back in the little time they have left."

Six million Jews were killed by German Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust, wiping out a third of world Jewry. Israel's main Holocaust memorial day is in the spring  marking the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising  while the United Nations designated Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating the date of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945.

As the senior adviser to former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Naama Schultz spearheaded the ministry's efforts to boost previously paltry funding to those who survived camps and ghettos. Besides a monthly stipend, the state also provides expanded health care, free medication and discounts on various living expenses.

But Schultz said money couldn't address their emotional needs. Many survivors kept their pasts to themselves for decades, often alienating even the people closest to them due to their trauma. Only in their final years are many finally ready to open up, and often then there is no one around.

"There is always more you can give them, but what they really want most is someone to just be with them," she said.

Plenty of organizations try to answer that need by matching soldiers and students with survivors. One highly publicized initiative offered university students rent-free accommodations in return for living with lonely survivors and keeping them company.

Noga Rotman, a 32-year-old computer science student, said she decided to get involved several years ago when her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, became ill.

"I couldn't help but think about those who didn't have that," she said, amid the balloons and flowers at Weiner's party, which was attended by dozens who were inspired to come by a Facebook post. "Anytime we have something like this, you just see how much it means to them."

Weiner said he especially appreciated the company of youngsters. As for fellow survivors, he had mixed feelings.

"On the one hand, it feels good to have all these people. On the other hand it reminds you of such tough times," he said. "Happy it can't be, because it was not happy times, but it is nice to have someone listen."

When the Nazis invaded his native Austria, Weiner and his sister fled to Holland while their parents stayed behind and died of illness. The rest of the family perished.

After the Nazis occupied Holland, they were placed in the Westerbork transit camp, from where his sister was sent to her death in Auschwitz.

Thanks to his work as an electrician, Weiner got to know the camp well and estimates he escaped deportation about 15 times, once after he was placed on a train for Auschwitz. But the harsh conditions took their toll. In the course of his work, he got so many electric shocks that it caused heart damage, and an accident blinded his right eye. Diabetes later deprived him of sight in his left eye and confined him to a wheelchair.

Now that his wife is gone, Weiner has a caregiver who stays with him and another who visits daily. But the volunteers who arrive several times a week provide most of the conversation.

At the party, children handed him drawings. Soldiers and scouts gave gifts, and there was even a surprise visit from Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli  who heard Weiner was a fan and stopped by to snap some pictures with him.

But the most moving moment was when a Dutch-speaking volunteer whom he has grown close to leaned in to let him know she was there. He teared up, and then she did too.

"The fact that he is glad, that brings me joy," said Liel Van Aalderink, 22. "I don't do really much extraordinary. I just give him attention and talk to him because he is alone in the world."

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Follow Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap .

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, sits in his house in the central Israeli city of Bat Yam. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Ernest Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, sits in his house in the central Israeli city of Bat Yam. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Ernest Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, sits during his birthday in a restaurant in the central Israeli city of Ramat Hasharon. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Ernest Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, wearing crown, sits during his birthday in a restaurant in the central Israeli city of Ramat Hasharon. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, foreground left, sits with Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli, foreground right, during his birthday in a restaurant in the central Israeli city of Ramat Hasharon. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Ernest Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017 photo, Israeli Holocaust survivor, Ernest Weiner, wearing crown, sits during his birthday in a restaurant in the central Israeli city of Ramat Hasharon. More than 100 fellow Holocaust survivors and advocates on their behalf gathered for the 92nd birthday party of Ernest Weiner -- a blind and widowed survivor who uses a wheelchair to get around and still lives on his own. As home to the worlds largest survivor community, Israel is grappling to serve the needs of the thousands of people like Weiner who are living out their final days alone. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Rogue tweeters in government could be prosecuted as hackers

WASHINGTON (AP)  Who are the federal government's rogue tweeters, using official agency social media accounts to poke President Donald Trump? Are these acts of civil disobedience, or federal crimes?

The online campaign began with unauthorized tweets  on subjects such as climate change inconsistent with Trump's campaign statements and policies  that have been mostly deleted from official agency accounts. It shifted tactics Thursday as at least 40 new but unofficial "alternative" accounts for federal agencies began spreading across Twitter. It wasn't clear how many unofficial accounts were run by government employees, but there were early indications that at least some were created by federal workers using their work email addresses  and that may have exposed their identities.

The administration said the earlier Twitter actions involved tweets by unauthorized users  at least one was a former employee  who still had passwords for the agency accounts, including one case involving the account for the Redwoods National Park in California. Legal experts said the Justice Department could prosecute such tweeters under federal hacking laws, but the FBI so far was not involved.

This photo shows a Twitter post from the National Park Service's Redwoods National Park account, noting that redwood groves are nature's No. 1 carbon sink, which capture greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming Legal experts say the Justice Department could prosecute tweets from federal agency accounts by unauthorized users under federal hacking laws. Some say that even employees authorized to use official agency Twitter accounts could face legal jeopardy posting messages they werent supposed to write. (National Park Service via AP)

"An unauthorized user had an old password in the San Francisco office, went in and started retweeting inappropriate things that were in violation of their policy," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. Separately, the National Park Service said tweets published earlier this week on the account of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota were posted by a former employee not authorized to use the account.

Employees or former employees publishing unauthorized messages on official accounts could be prosecuted under the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which prohibits someone from exceeding authorized access to computers. "The argument would be that the authorization to use the account was only for employees and implicitly that was extinguished when the employee left government employment," said Orin Kerr, a law professor at George Washington University.

Even employees authorized to use official agency Twitter accounts could face legal jeopardy posting messages they weren't supposed to write, said Stewart Baker, a cybersecurity lawyer and former National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security official.

"If someone says you may not tweet except in these circumstances, and you tweet in other circumstances, you're exceeding authority," Baker said. He added that some federal courts would examine the security measures in place and could throw out cases where employees weren't clearly violating them.

"It wouldn't surprise me if at this stage a criminal investigation was opened and criminal tools were used to investigate this, even if at the end of the day they decided not to pursue criminal charges," Baker said.

A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter by name, said he was unaware of any requests from federal agencies to investigate the rogue tweets.

The unauthorized messages posted under official accounts appeared to be dropping off, as the Trump administration regained control over its agency accounts. Over last weekend, immediately after Trump's inauguration, transition staff changed all social media passwords for the Environmental Protection Agency, said Jared Blumenfeld, a former EPA official under the Obama administration who said he was speaking regularly with former colleagues.

Starting Wednesday, scores of unofficial Twitter accounts appeared purporting to represent federal agencies, mocking Trump using the same social media service the president uses daily. At least some were linked to federal employees using work email addresses who inadvertently revealed their involvement.

Twitter users can choose to allow others on the service to find them by searching for their email address. In other cases, Twitter notified users who previously shared their online address books using Twitter's "Find Friends" feature that anonymous accounts were created by federal employees whose work email addresses were already in those address books.

One side effect to the Twitter dispute? Some U.S. government Twitter accounts saw surges in followers.

"We're thrilled you found us," said the official account for Biscayne National Park in Florida, "for whatever reason."

___
Russian lawmakers decriminalize some domestic violence

MOSCOW (AP)  Soon it will no longer be a crime in Russia to beat family members  as long as you don't cause bodily harm.

The lower house of the Russian parliament on Friday gave final approval to a bill decriminalizing some forms of domestic violence  a move that has sparked intense public debate.

The State Duma voted 380-3 Friday to eliminate criminal liability for battery on family members that doesn't cause bodily harm, making it punishable instead by a fine or a 15-day arrest. The law needs to be approved by the largely rubber-stamp upper chamber and signed by President Vladimir Putin, who has signaled his support.

Russian lawmaker Olga Batalina, one of the bill's co-authors rejected suggestions that the bill would sow impunity for those who beat up their families, speaks on a phone at the State Duma (lower parliament house) in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. The State Duma voted 380-3 Friday to eliminate criminal liability for battery on family members that doesn't cause bodily harm, making it punishable by a fine or a 15-day day arrest. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

The bill has raised fears that it could sow impunity for those who beat up their wives and children, but its supporters have argued that it retains criminal responsibility for repeat offenders.

The measure is a response to conservative criticism of the current law, seen by some as a threat to parents who might spank their children.

The bill stems from last year's Supreme Court ruling to decriminalize battery that doesn't inflict bodily harm, but to retain criminal charges for those accused of battery against family members. The Duma then approved the corresponding legislation only to change course now.

Andrei Isayev of the main Kremlin faction, the United Russia, said lawmakers are "heeding the public call" by correcting a mistake they made last year.

A survey this month by state-run pollster VTsIOM showed that 19 percent of Russians said "it can be acceptable" to hit one's wife, husband or child "in certain circumstances." The nationwide poll by phone of 1,800 people was held Jan. 13-15. The survey had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.

Critics of the measure have warned that it would encourage domestic violence and fuel crime.

"This bill would establish violence as a norm of conduct," Communist lawmaker Yuri Sinelshchikov said during the debate.

Data on domestic violence in Russia is scarce, but Interior Ministry statistics show that 40 percent of all violent crimes in Russia are committed in family surroundings. In 2013, more than 9,000 women were reported to have been killed in domestic violence.

Russian police are often reluctant to react to domestic violence calls, which many regard as meddling in family affairs.

Prosecutors in November began investigating a police officer who took a call from a woman complaining about her boyfriend's aggressive behavior. Instead of offering help, the officer reportedly told the woman that the police would only come if she got killed. Shortly afterward, the man beat the woman to death.

Russian lawmakers vote at the State Duma (lower parliament house) in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. The State Duma voted 380-3 Friday to eliminate criminal liability for battery on family members that doesn't cause bodily harm, making it punishable by a fine or a 15-day day arrest. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
McDonald's sells its Nordic restaurants to Guy Hands

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  McDonald's says it has sold its Nordic operations to Guy Hands, chairman of British equity firm Terra Firma, who will become the main franchiser for Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden.

McDonald's says the world's biggest burger chain will "transfer its ownership interest" and grant a license to Hands who becomes "strategic partner."

The eatery chain says the deal involves approximately 435 restaurants in the four countries, adding more than 95 percent of them are franchised.

McDonald's said Friday the deal is expected to be completed around the end of the first quarter of 2017, and was the result of "a rigorous evaluation and selection process over the past year."
Gambia plans Feb. 18 celebration as new leader arrives home

BANJUL, Gambia (AP)  Billboards across Gambia's capital are declaring a Feb. 18 ceremony to mark the inauguration of the country's new leader, a day after his triumphant arrival.

Hundreds of thousands turned out Thursday to greet President Adama Barrow, a week after he took the oath of office in neighboring Senegal. Longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh, who clung to power despite losing December elections, finally flew into exile over the weekend after mounting international pressure.

Gambia has high hopes for Barrow, who has vowed to create greater freedoms in this tiny West African nation and reverse many of Jammeh's actions, including his declaration that the country would withdraw from the International Criminal Court. Barrow also has said the new government will look into alleged abuses under Jammeh, who has been accused of overseeing a system that tortured and even killed opponents.

A billboard calling for the inauguration of Adam Barrow as president in Feb. 18 is set on the side of a road in Serrukunda, Gambia, Friday Jan. 27, 2017. Hundreds of thousands turned out Thursday to greet President Adama Barrow, a week after he took the oath of office in neighboring Senegal. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

"Much has to be done to tell the people their vote counts," spokesman Halifa Sallah said Friday. The first step is getting the Cabinet announced, he added.

Residents of this country of 1.9 million, the smallest on the African mainland, have been exuberant after more than two decades of life under Jammeh. The country's political transition, chaotic but bloodless, has been the envy of many across Africa who have lived for decades under leaders accused of manipulating elections or election laws to stay in power.

Street parties continued in Banjul until the early hours Friday.

"Nothing will be the same. President Barrow has a long way to go to be able to repair the damage done by the Jammeh regime," said Amat Jeng, a shop owner. "Without unity, we will not be able to move Gambia forward."

Officials with a West African regional military force of about 2,500 that secured Gambia for Barrow's arrival  and had been poised to oust Jammeh if diplomatic efforts failed  said the force will reduce its presence gradually. Barrow wants it to stay for six months to help provide security.

The new president is faced with a number of immediate challenges, including a government that appears to be broke. Jammeh left the state coffers empty, Barrow has said.

The economy is small and weak. Gambia's biggest export is peanuts, though the country also has become a significant source of migrants making their way to Europe.

While tourism is a vital industry, the increasingly isolationist Jammeh regime frightened away many holiday-goers, and it remained unclear how long it would take hotels and resorts to recover in a country that has promoted itself as the "smiling coast of Africa."

Gambian President Adama Barrow greets the crowds after arriving at Banjul airport in Gambia, Thursday Jan. 26, 2017, after flying in from Dakar, Senegal. Gambia's new president has finally arrived in the country, a week after taking the oath of office abroad amid a whirlwind political crisis. Here's a look at the tumble of events that led to Adama Barrow's return  and the exile of the country's longtime leader. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Gambian President Adama Barrow waves as he rides his motorcade through crowds of hundreds of thousands after arriving at Banjul airport in Gambia, Thursday Jan. 26, 2017, after flying in from Dakar, Senegal. Gambia's new president has finally arrived in the country, a week after taking the oath of office abroad amid a whirlwind political crisis. Here's a look at the tumble of events that led to Adama Barrow's return  and the exile of the country's longtime leader. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Barcelona and Atletico to meet in Copa del Rey semifinals

MADRID (AP)  Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will meet in the Copa del Rey semifinals, and Celta Vigo will face Alaves.

Atletico will host the first leg against the two-time defending champions next week at a date to be determined.

Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto says "we know each other very well. I'm sure it will be complicated, as it always is against them."

FC Barcelona's Arda Turan, center foreground, celebrates with team mates after scoring a goal during Copa del Rey, quarter final, second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Barcelona, the tournament's most successful club with 28 titles, will be playing in the semifinals for the seventh straight season.

Celta, which ousted Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, is at home for the first leg against Alaves. Neither club has won the competition.

The final will be on May 27.
EU prolongs sanctions against 48 Tunisians, inc. ex-leader

BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union has prolonged for a year sanctions against dozens of Tunisians, including ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, accused of illegally using state funds.

EU member states agreed Friday to extend the asset freezes on 48 people until Jan. 31, 2018.

They believe "the misappropriation of state funds is depriving the Tunisian people of the benefits of the sustainable development of their economy and society," and undermines the spread of democracy.
EU slaps China, Taiwan with steel anti-dumping duties

BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Commission has imposed anti-dumping duties on steel products from China and Taiwan to stop them flooding Europe's struggling steel market.

The Commission said Friday that an investigation has confirmed that Chinese and Taiwanese stainless steel tube and a type of butt-welded pipe fitting have been sold in Europe at dumping prices.

The Chinese exports will now be taxed with duties ranging from 30.7-64.9 percent. Taiwanese exports face duties of 5.1-12.1 percent.
Police: Officer fatally shot man who reached for rifle

OVERLEA, Md. (AP)  Authorities in a Baltimore suburb say a police officer fatally shot a man who reached for a scoped rifle while police were trying to calm him down.

Baltimore County police said in a statement Friday that the incident happened Thursday night in the Overlea area.

Police say 59-year-old Kerry Lee Coomer's estranged wife called 911 after Coomer had threatened to take his own life, and pointed a rifle at himself and relatives.

When two officers arrived, Coomer was on the porch of his home. Authorities say one officer started talking to Coomer to calm him down while the second officer provided cover.
Miami's Little Havana placed on list of 'national treasures'

MIAMI (AP)  Historic preservation groups announced a partnership Friday with city officials to save Miami's Little Havana, bidding to safeguard its heritage as the famed epicenter of the Cuban diaspora was placed on a list of "national treasures."

The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation said awarding its special designation for the Spanish-speaking enclave is just one step of the partnership to protect Little Havana from large-scale developers who are transforming much of downtown Miami.

Home to a vibrant community of Cuban heritage and many others from around Latin America, Little Havana is under multiple threats: Demolition of historic buildings, displacement of its existing residents, and decades of wear and tear. The same organization placed the neighborhood in its annual list of America's 11 most endangered historic places in 2015.

A low rise apartment building is under construction, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added Little Havana to it list of "national treasures" Friday, saying it should be protected from developers who are transforming much of Miami's downtown and its surroundings. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

"Little Havana has a really strong immigrant history," said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "It's a very inviting place. It's very colorful. It's very warm. The sense of community is very strong."

But she cautioned: "We want all that to remain but at the same time we know that communities need to adapt and change overtime to meet the needs of the residents."

She said the "national treasures" designation also will help allied organizations, city officials, residents and investors unite to discuss ways to improve the living conditions of its working-class population, preserve historic buildings and allow moderate development of its neglected areas.

In coming months, planners and developers are to discuss what to do with vacant lots, abandoned buildings and consider which historic sites are worth protecting. And starting in March, they will hold workshops with residents and city officials to share their plans.

"There are many bad buildings and people with a poor quality of life here," said Daniel Martin, a handyman who settled in Little Havana after leaving Cuba 15 years ago. "Since I don't speak English, this was the right place for me to be."

The neighborhood's signature street, Calle Ocho, is one of the top spots most frequented by tourists after Miami Beach. It features cigar shops, art galleries and mom-and-pop stores where Cubans and their descendants reminisce about the island. Visitors sip aromatic Cuban coffee, eye daily games of dominoes by locals and take selfies at the Versailles restaurant, hub of the exile community.

"My hope is that tears and the dreams of hundreds of thousands of people will not be forgotten," said Miami mayor Tomas Regalado, speaking at Friday's event to announce the partnership. "My hope is that history is not rewritten and the anguish of the Cuban exiles, the Nicaraguans is forever erased."

Located just west of downtown Miami, Little Havana grew in the 1960s as Cubans fled Fidel Castro's communist Cuba. The neighborhood has changed some in recent decades as new immigrants have arrived from Central America and Colombia, opening new restaurants and stores.

Some developers have taken risks to refurbish old buildings such as Hugh Ryan, who took what he calls "the worst crack house in the neighborhood" and turned it into a two-story pastel green building with a royal emblem of a salamander on its facade.

"Anything can be saved. The whole neighborhood is trying to do that now," said Ryan, pointing to a similar two-story apartment building next door and two other buildings across the street that have been renovated in East Little Havana.

Andrew Frey, who is building an 8-unit apartment building, put up a giant blue sign outside that reads "Little Havana is the Amenity."

"We don't offer pools, gyms or spas here," he said about his construction. "Little Havana has history, culture. It has real people. It has a narrative you can't control."

Little Havana joins a list of "national treasures" that includes such sites as Nashville's Music Row, the Grand Canyon and New Jersey's Princeton Battlefield.

______

Adriana Gomez Licon is on Twitter http://twitter.com/agomezlicon

FILE - In this May 2, 2014, file photo, men play dominoes in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added Little Havana to its list of "national treasures" on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, saying it should be protected from developers who are transforming much of Miami's downtown and its surroundings. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter, File)

FILE - In this July 24, 2015, file photo, Esteban Lopez Perez rolls a cigar at a local cigar store in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added Little Havana to its list of "national treasures" on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, saying it should be protected from developers who are transforming much of Miami's downtown and its surroundings. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

Developer Andrew Frey, left, talks with general contractor Jorge Marin, right, on the site of Frey's apartment building under construction, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added Little Havana to it list of "national treasures" Friday, saying it should be protected from developers who are transforming much of Miami's downtown and its surroundings. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

People walk past locally run businesses, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added Little Havana to it list of "national treasures" Friday, saying it should be protected from developers who are transforming much of Miami's downtown and its surroundings. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

FILE - In this April 13, 2016, file photo, Orestes Sosa, right foreground, dances with visitors to the beat of Cuban music at a bar-lounge in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. Little Havana is home to many Cuban, Central and South American immigrants, and famous for its Cuban cuisine, latin music, cigar shops, and art galleries. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added Little Havana to its list of "national treasures" on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, saying it should be protected from developers who are transforming much of Miami's downtown and its surroundings. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)
Czech court dismisses hijab ban complaint against school

PRAGUE (AP)  A court in the Czech Republic dismissed a complaint Friday brought by a Somali woman who had accused a nursing school of discriminating against her by telling her she couldn't wear a hijab.

The school argued that Ayan Jamaal Ahmednuur was not properly enrolled as a student and therefore could not have been a target of bias.

The Prague 10 district court agreed, ruling there was no evidence of discrimination.

Ahmednuur alleged that on her first day at Secondary Health School the school's principal told her to remove her hijab. Instead, she submitted a form to quit and demanded an apology and 60,000 koruna ($2,372) in compensation.

Unlike some other European countries, the Czech Republic does not prohibit Muslim women from wearing headscarves in certain settings. However, the nursing school does for what it described as safety reasons since its students get some of their training in hospitals.

Anti-Muslim activists, including some politicians, applauded the verdict.
Principal pleads not guilty to federal child porn charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A fired Kentucky high school principal has pleaded not guilty to federal child porn charges.

Media report that former LaRue County High School principal Stephen Kyle Goodlett appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Louisville to answer to the charges.

He was indicted this month on federal charges of possessing and transporting child pornography. He has also pleaded not guilty to 63 state child porn charges.

Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Brady Oberholtzer said in a federal complaint that Goodlett admitted to Kentucky State Police investigators that he has a pornography addiction, and that as principal of LaRue County High School, he searched for nude pictures on students' confiscated phones.
The Latest: Trump says Britain easier to deal with than EU

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on President Donald Trump's visit with British Prime Minister Theresa May (all times local):

1:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump says his experience as a businessman dealing with Europe was "very, very tough," and "a very bad experience," while dealing with Britain was far smoother.

President Donald Trump gestures toward British Prime Minister Theresa May during their news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

He says that's why he thinks Britain's exit from the European Union will be "a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom."

Trump says he expects to get along well with May because they both enjoy being around other people. He quipped: "I'm not as brash as you might think."

May says they share a political approach of putting "the interests of ordinary people right up there center-stage."

___

1:30 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is taking a tougher stance on sanctions on Russia than is President Donald Trump.

Trump was asked at a joint news conference after his White House meeting with May how close the U.S. is to lifting sanctions on Russia over its incursion into Ukraine.

Trump says it is "very early to be talking about that." He says the U.S. looks to have a great relationship with all countries, including Russia.

May says Britain wants to see sanctions remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented.

___

1:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he had a "friendly call" with the Mexican president.

At a news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump confirmed he had an hourlong call with President Enrique Pena Nieto (PAYN'-yuh nee-EH'-toh). The call came a day after the Mexican leader cancelled a visit to Washington after Trump moved forward on building a border wall.

Trump reiterated his stance that the US-Mexico border is porous and drugs are making their way into the U.S.

He also vowed to renegotiate American trade deals with Mexico.

___

1:20 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May says President Donald Trump has reaffirmed both countries' "unshakeable commitment" to the NATO military alliance.

Trump had rattled European allies by suggesting NATO is "obsolete" and that the United States might not come to the aid of countries that don't meet targets for their own defense spending.

May's comments after their meeting Friday are meant to put that concern to rest. She says the two also agreed it is important for member countries to "invest properly to face our shared challenges together."

May also says she extended an invitation to visit England on behalf of the queen and that Trump has accepted.

___

1:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is pledging support for what he calls a "most special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain.

Trump says in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May it is an honor to have her at the White House as his first official visit from a foreign leader.

He says, "The special relationship between our two countries has been one of the great forces in history" for justice and peace.

He says the U.S. "respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self-determination" and says both counties understand "that governments must be responsive to everyday working people."

___

12:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump is showing off a bust of Winston Churchill that decorates the Oval Office as he hosts British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Trump says "it's a great honor" to have the bust back in the Oval Office. President Barack Obama was criticized for removing the bust of the beloved British prime minister.

May is the first foreign leader to visit since Trump took office last week.

May says it's "an honor" to be at the White House.

The two are expected to hold a joint news conference and lunch later Friday.

___

12:01 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump.

The president is hosting May Friday in the Oval Office. She's the first foreign leader to visit since Trump took the oath of office last week.

The White House said late Thursday that May and Trump would hold talks, followed by a news conference and a working lunch.

___

10:11 a.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

The ceremony comes in advance of her meeting with President Donald Trump.

Dressed in black and flanked by a military honor guard, May walked along the broad avenue leading to the white marble tomb, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Bradley Becker, the U.S. military commander for Washington.

She laid a wreath of red poppies, then paused silently while a military bugler played "Taps." May wiped away sniffles as she walked up the stairs to the cemetery's neoclassical museum.

In a speech Thursday in Philadelphia, May signaled she would be more reluctant than some of her predecessors to commit to foreign military engagements like the Iraq War.

___

3:37 a.m.

President Donald Trump is set to meet his first world leader since taking office  British Prime Minister Theresa May, a friendly ally who hopes to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream.

The visit Friday comes a day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off his own trip to Washington, planned for next week, amid wrangling over who will pay for Trump's planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump's spokesman said the president would seek a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for the barrier, then later clarified that such a tax would be a possible approach.

May's meeting with the president in the Oval Office is being hailed by the British government as a sign that the trans-Atlantic "special relationship" is valued by the new administration.

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May walk along the colonnades of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May participate in a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A bust of Winston Churchill sit between President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May as they poses for photographs, Friday, jan. 27, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

British Prime Minister Theresa May lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, pauses after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in Arlington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

British Prime Minister Theresa May, is seen through members of the military, as she arrives to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in Arlington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

British Prime Minister Theresa May steps off from her plane upon her arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. May will meet President Donald Trump on Friday. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Republicans Congressional retreat in Philadelphia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Danes want more information before deciding on extradition

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A Danish prosecutor has asked South Korea for additional information before deciding whether to meet a South Korean extradition request for the daughter of the former confidante of South Korea's president, as part of a corruption investigation.

Prosecutor Mohammad Ahsan didn't detail the requested additional information on Friday.

He says that until that information is received, "we cannot reach a decision" regarding Yoora Chung. Her mother, Choi Soon-sil, is suspected of bribery and receiving favors from companies in return for manipulating government affairs.

Ahsan says the prosecution will request Monday an extension of her detention to allow Seoul to answer and Danish prosecutors to respond.
Unlimited refills on fizzy drinks have been banned in France in a government bid to tackle rising obesity rates.

A governmental decree came into force today prohibiting restaurants, hotels and catering facilities from allowing customers to top up their drinks for free.

The ban on free refills is part of a sweeping public health law passed a year ago and applies to all sweetened soft drinks.

Unlimited refills on fizzy drinks have been banned in France in a government bid to tackle rising obesity rates (file pic)

Other drinks banned are those containing fruit syrups, fruit nectar, vegetable nectar and other similar products.

Already, DIY chain Ikea has removed drink fountains from its 33 stores in France, while fast food chain Quick is taking away their drinks machines today.

Meanwhile, upmarket burger chain Five Guys have reportedly fitted microchips to cups so customers cannot overfill their drinks at fountains.

Despite the ban, France has some of the of the lowest obesity and overweight rates among developed countries.

However, speaking last year when it was first passed, health minister Marisol Touraine, said she wanted to prevent the free-refill policies common in other countries from spreading to France.

She explained: 'This habit is common in other countries and it is increasingly taking hold in France.

'I understand it can be attractive for young people who are offered unlimited sugary drinks, which contain an excessive amount of sugar or sweeteners.'

Despite the ban, France has some of the of the lowest obesity and overweight rates among developed countries

However, it is not the first time France has banned products it considers harmful to the health of young people.

In 2004, the government ruled vending machines could only sell fruit and water while in 2011 ketchup was banned from school canteens, and chips were only allowed to be served once a week.

New York also tried to prohibit the sale of large fizzy drinks under a ban by then-mayor Michael Bloomberg.

It would have seen surgary drinks larger than 16oz (half a litre) outlawed in bars, restaurants, cafes and delis.

However, the ban never came into force as it was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
An Ohio woman whose 11-month-old son died from ingesting heroin has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Prosecutors say Denise Dickinson's son, Dominic, ingested heroin and the powerful painkiller fentanyl before he stopped breathing at a Columbus home in May 2015.

He was pronounced dead by medics.

Denise Dickinson, 33 (left), was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday, for the May 2015 death of her 11-month-old son Dominic

Dickinson, who's now 33, entered her guilty plea and was sentenced Friday. She originally pleaded not guilty, but changed her plea in exchange for a second count of child endangering being dropped.

The prosecution and defense both agreed on the eight year sentence, out of the maximum possible 11 years - which the judge signed off on.

A message seeking comment was left for her public defender.

The boy's father, Kyle Black, was also charged in the case.

He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last year and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Current Affairs Today - Current Affairs - 2021 | Current Affairs - 2022

GKTodays Current Affairs Today Section provides latest and Best Daily Current Affairs 2021-2022 for UPSC, IAS/PCS, Banking, IBPS, SSC, Railway, UPPSC, RPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and other competition exams.      !

Indian scientists have developed the countrys first Overhauser Magnetometer, an instrument that helps lower the cost of sensing experiments used in geomagnetic sampling. ContentsWhat is an overhauser magnetometer? About Alibag Magnetic ObservatoryAbout IIG What is an overhauser magnetometer? A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used for measuring the strength and direction of the magnetic field. ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: Science & Technology Current Affairs

Topics: Indian Institute of Geomagnetism  Magnetic Field  Magnetometer

The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT recently approved the greenfield Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Pune. ContentsWhat is an electronic manufacturing cluster?About Maharashtras first electronic manufacturing clusterAbout other EMCs in IndiaWhat is the EMC scheme? What is an electronic manufacturing cluster? Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) is a manufacturing cluster designed and developed to provide ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: Economy & Banking Current Affairs - 2022  Government Schemes Current Affairs  States Current Affairs

Topics: Electronics  electronics manufacturing  Electronics Manufacturing Cluster  electronics manufacturing clusters  Maharashtra

1. When is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists observed? [A] 1 November[B] 2 November[C] 5 November[D] 7 November Show Answer Correct Answer: B [2 November] Notes:The United Nations General Assembly observes 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), since 2013. The date for ..

Category: Current Affairs Quiz - 2022: Daily Objective Current Affairs MCQ Quiz

Tags: 2022  Current Affairs Quiz - November

Here are Todays News Headlines by GK Today for November 4, 2022 ContentsINDIAECONOMY & CORPORATEWORLD INDIA  PM launches new Complaint Management System portal of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)  Ministry of Education releases Performance Grading Index for States/UTs for 2020-21; Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh attain Level -2 grading  ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: Today's News Headlines

Topics: 2022  Current Affairs  Current Affairs: News Headlines  Headlines  Latest News Headlines  News Headlines  Today's News Headlines  Top Headlines  Top News

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently inaugurated Yotta D1  Indias second and North Indias first hyper-scale data centre  in Greater Noida. ContentsWhat is Yotta D1?What is Yotta Greater Noida Data Center Park?Investments by Yotta InfrastructureWhat are the challenges faced by the Yotta Data Centres? What is Yotta D1? Yotta D1 is the ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: Economy & Banking Current Affairs - 2022  States Current Affairs

Topics: data centre  Economy of Uttar Pradesh  Greater Noida  Uttar Pradesh

Union Home Ministry recently notified an order granting citizenship to religious minorities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan residing in Anand and Mehsana districts in Gujarat. ContentsWhat is the recent MHA order on citizenship?Is this the first time that the citizenship is granted to religious minorities from neighbouring countries?How is the recent MHA order different from ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: India Nation & States Current Affairs

Topics: Citizenship  Citizenship Act 1955  Citizenship Act 1955 and Provisions of Indian Citizenship  Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)  Ministry of Home Affairs  persecuted religious minorities
Colombia rebels see gangs moving into drug-producing areas

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Criminal gangs are attempting to take over coca-growing regions in Colombia being abandoned by the leftist rebels to expand cultivation of the plant used to make cocaine, a leader of the country's largest guerrilla movement said.

The threats against communities in the northern Colombia and elsewhere have increased as a peace deal reached last year between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia begins to be implemented, the rebel leader known as Pastor Alape said Friday. Sixteen activists have been killed so far this year, Alape said, and authorities acknowledge some of the slayings may be the beginnings of a turf war waged by the powerful Usuga Clan and other groups to prevent a joint FARC-government eradication program from taking hold.

"It's generating a situation of terror," said Alape, adding farmers might be driven off the land because of pressure by the heavily armed militias.

Alape's warning comes as Colombia's government struggles to rein in a booming coca harvest that has caught the Trump administration's attention and could make it it harder to pacify areas the FARC is deserting.

On Friday, the government unveiled plans to wean farmers off the drug trade as part of the peace deal meant to end a half century of fighting.

The goal is to remove 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of coca crops within the first year by providing farmers who voluntarily destroy the illegal crops with a monthly stipend of around $350 as well as loans, one-time subsidies and technical assistance to plant legal crops. The rebel-supported campaign initially will focus on 40 municipalities responsible for more than half of Colombia's coca production. The total price this year will be around $350 million, a figure the government says represents a huge savings over what it would cost to forcibly eradicate the same amount of coca without guarantees it won't be replanted.

"This is much more cost-efficient and furthermore ensures that territories are transformed and peoples' lives are changed," said Rafael Pardo, the government's top post-conflict strategist.

After six straight years of declining or steady production, the amount of land under coca cultivation in Colombia began rising in 2014 and jumped 42 percent in 2015 to 159,000 hectares (393,000 acres), the U.S. government says. That's an area twice the size of New York City, and after much production shifted to Peru over the past decade, Colombia is again believed to be the world's largest supplier of the drug.

Secretary of State designee Rex Tillerson said during his confirmation that he plans to hold Colombia to its commitment to rein in drug production amid a surge in cocaine production many critics attribute to President Juan Manuel Santos' 2015 decision to suspend U.S.-backed aerial fumigation of illegal coca crops.

The government hasn't renounced forced manual eradication to bring coca levels down, and in a nod to Washington, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas recently set an ambitious goal of destroying 100,000 hectares of coca this year  more than five times the 17,642 hectares destroyed in 2016.

But the preferred strategy the government committed to during peace talks is to win over the hearts and minds of the estimated 64,000 peasant families dependent on the coca trade.

Coca growers are organizing to ensure the government follows through. A fledgling movement calling itself the National Coordinator of Coca, Marijuana and Poppy Growers of Colombia convened its first national meeting in Popayan this weekend. While not explicitly aligned with the FARC, the movement is comprised of activists living in areas heavily influenced by the insurgency.

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Judge: Melania Trump's suit against blogger can go forward

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP)  First lady Melania Trump can move ahead with a libel lawsuit she filed against a blogger who reported rumors that she worked as a high-end escort, a judge ruled Friday.

The blogger, Webster Tarpley of Gaithersburg, sought to have the lawsuit dismissed. His lawyer argued Friday in Montgomery County Circuit Court that Tarpley accurately reported in an August blog post the fact that there were rumors about whether Trump's modeling career included work as an escort.

"There is no dispute that there were, in fact, rumors," said his lawyer, Danielle Giroux. "He did not say that Melania Trump was a high-class escort. What he said was there are rumors about that."

Trump's lawyer said the rumor is false and that reporters can't make defamatory statements under the guise of reporting rumors.

"The job of a reporter is to vet it before you publish it," the lawyer, Charles Harder said.

He also disputed the notion that Tarpley's article merely reported the fact that rumors were out there. He cited a passage in the article stating, "It is also widely known that Melania was not a working model but rather a high end escort."

Judge Sharon Burrell agreed with Harder: "There can be no more defamatory statement than to call a woman a prostitute," she said in denying the motion to dismiss.

Burrell deferred ruling on a separate motion to dismiss filed by Mail Media Inc., which is described in the lawsuit as the corporation that publishes the Daily Mail's website. The argument over the Daily Mail's motion centered on whether the lawsuit against them should have been filed in Maryland, and whether Trump is suing the correct corporate entity associated with the Daily Mail.

Trump also has filed a lawsuit against the paper in London.
Cowboy Cerrone is coming home when the UFC visits Denver

No fighter stays busy like Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, whether he's locked inside the UFC cage or roaming the outdoor playground that is his life.

After completing a perfect 2016, Cerrone is expecting a welterweight title shot at some point in his next jam-packed year. He'll start with an unfriendly showdown with Jorge Masvidal at the UFC event in Denver on Saturday night.

"I am so excited to fight at home," said Cerrone, a Colorado native. "We're going to blow the roof off this place on Saturday night. Home court, home turf, I don't know what that means, but I feel like I have some kind of advantage. ... I'll probably take my time walking out of that tunnel, soak it all in."

Julianna Pena's bantamweight title eliminator against Valentina Shevchenko headlines the card at the Pepsi Center, but there's little doubt Cowboy is the biggest draw. Cerrone attended the Air Force Academy's prep school and learned to ride bulls before realizing he was really good at punching people.

Cerrone (32-7) is in his ninth fight in just over two years, and he has lost only once in his last 13 bouts since August 2013. When he isn't shooting guns, riding jet skis or skydiving, this Trump-supporting, fighters'-union-organizing hell-raiser who lives on a ranch in rural New Mexico drives to fights in his beloved RV.

By the way, Cerrone is going to give away 50 cases of Budweiser out of that RV to his fans after this fight.

Cerrone fights whenever UFC President Dana White will allow him in the cage to fund his busy lifestyle. After losing a lightweight title shot to Rafael Dos Anjos 15 months ago, he moved up to welterweight and racked up four straight stoppage victories last year.

He claims to be much more interested in cash than title belts, but he also realizes he'll deserve a shot at Tyron Woodley's 170-pound strap if he keeps racking up victories.

"(I'm) one away from a title, I hope," Cerrone told reporters in Denver. "It's going to happen this year. 2017 is the year. Next fight, two fights, three fights, we'll just keep knocking them down 'til we get it."

Yet Cerrone already is jockeying for another in-between fight in Las Vegas on March 4 at UFC 209, which is headlined by Woodley's rematch with Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

Masvidal (31-11) is a UFC veteran who has lost three of his last six fights, but all by painful split decision. He expressed a grudge against Cerrone during promotion for their bout, claiming the higher-profile Cowboy had been given highly ranked opponents meant for him in recent years due to injuries.

Cerrone reacted with a shrug.

"He's a game dude, and he comes to fight," Cerrone said. "He's tough, and he's going to bring it, but he just doesn't have the skills to beat me."

In the main event, Pena's meeting with Shevchenko will introduce two up-and-coming 135-pounders to their biggest audiences yet. The winner is a prime candidate to become the next opponent for bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, who defended her belt last month with a star-making stoppage of Rousey in 48 seconds at UFC 207.

Pena (9-2) has won four straight fights since joining the UFC, bouncing back from her December 2015 arrest for street fighting in Spokane, Washington, with a renewed focus. She has threatened to quit the UFC if she doesn't get the next shot at Nunes, but Shevchenko is a formidable obstacle.

"I think, 110 percent, the winner of this fight is getting a title shot," Pena said. "No. 1 and (No.) 2 are going at it, and the winner definitely deserves a crack at the belt."

Shevchenko (13-2) is a Kyrgyzstan-born kickboxer who lives and trains in Peru. She rose to prominence last July with her destruction of Holly Holm, and she isn't impressed by Pena's campaign for a shot at Nunes.
Armed extremists threaten teachers in northern Burkina Faso

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Heavily armed Islamic extremists forced their way into schools in northern Burkina Faso this week, ordering teachers to stop instructing in French and instead focus only on Islam and the Quran, the country's security minister said Friday.

The government of this former French colony deployed soldiers to Baraboule commune, where the incidents occurred, and surrounding areas near the border with Mali, Simon Compaore told journalists. He declined to say how many.

"There can be no question of obeying injunctions of people who are without faith or law and who know only one thing: to sow death and desolation," Compaore said.

There were no reported casualties in the incidents at the schools, but Moumouni Tamboura, a primary school teacher in the nearby town of Djibo, said teachers were too scared to work in the current "atmosphere of terror."

Last month, extremists killed 12 soldiers in an attack on an army barracks in the northern town of Nassoumbou, 260 kilometers (160 miles) from Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.

That attack was claimed by Ibrahim Dicko, a radical preacher whose fighters are believed to be based in Mali.

Jihadists continue to stage attacks in northern and central Mali four years after the French military led an intervention to drive them out.

In a report circulated earlier this month, U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said growing insecurity in border areas between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, together with the impact of drug trafficking on peace efforts, demonstrated the need for regional cooperation to tackle security threats.
WTO panel faults Russia over duties on German, Italian vans

GENEVA (AP)  A World Trade Organization panel is calling on Russia to come into line with its obligations at the trade body after imposing anti-dumping duties on some vans from Germany and Italy.

In a mixed ruling, the panel ruled generally in favor of a complaint filed by the European Union against Russia. Germany and Italy are members of the 28-country EU.

The EU claimed victory and said the Geneva-based trade body had declared illegal anti-dumping duties initiated four years ago by Russia, which range from 23 percent to 30 percent on light commercial vehicles between 2.8 and 3.5 tons in weight.

In essence, the WTO panel agreed with the EU that Russia based those anti-dumping duties on a flawed evaluation of pricing in Russia's domestic market.

The WTO considers "dumping" an unfair trade practice, and says it generally involves pricing exported products at a lower price than the one they would sell for in the producer's home market.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom hailed a "very clear ruling" in one of a number of measures against EU exports in recent years, and said she hoped Russia would respect the ruling "without delay."
Trump's refugee clampdown stops Iranian path through Austria

VIENNA (AP)  Austria has shut its door to about 300 non-Muslim Iranians hoping to use the country as a way station before establishing new homes in the United States, The Associated Press has learned. The action is an early ripple effect of U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to clamp down on refugee admissions.

Under a 27-year-old program originally approved by Congress to help Jews in the former Soviet Union, Austria had been serving until recently as a conduit for Iranian Jews, Christians and Baha'i, who were at risk in their home country and eligible to resettle in the United States. Iran has banned the Baha'i religion, which was founded in 1844 by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by followers.

U.S. officials had been interviewing the candidates in Austria because they cannot do so in Iran. But the United States suspended the so-called "Iranian Lautenberg Program" in recent days, according to Austrian officials, who in turn stopped Iranians from reaching their territory. It's unclear when the program might restart.

The episode isn't directly linked to an executive order Trump signed Friday that orders strict new screening for refugees to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States. But it reflects the knock-on effects already occurring from his tougher line on immigration and refugees. Similar to how tighter German migration rules had consequences across Europe, Trump's actions could lead other nations to take a harder look at people wishing to use their territories as transit points.

The net result could be even tougher conditions for people hoping to escape war and persecution for a better life abroad. There are more than 20 million refugees worldwide, according to the United Nations.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell said the Alpine country acted after "U.S. authorities told us that the onward trip for people to the U.S.A., who received visas from Austrian authorities as part of the program, would be put on hold for now."

A State Department email sent Tuesday said the Austrian government had "electronically canceled" its visas for applicants who hadn't yet reached Austria. If they try to reach Austria anyway, they will be permanently blocked from Austria, according to the email, which was obtained by AP.

Schnoell said the move affects about 300 Iranians with visas waiting to enter Austria. He said about 100 of them had been tracked down and informed that they can no longer do so. The search continues for the rest through airline ticket bookings and other means, Schnoell said.

Other officials said a small number of Iranians with such short-term visas already were in Austria. It wasn't immediately clear what would happen with them.

The end of the program, named for former Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, could have broad implications for religious minorities in Iran.

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society says on its website that ending the U.S.-Austrian partnership "puts people seeking religious freedom in danger and sends the wrong message about the pervasive violations of religious freedom in Iran."

Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to the U.S. and indefinitely bar those fleeing war-torn Syria. The president's upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by the AP.

Cancellation of the U.S. program could mean Iranians arriving in Austria with temporary visas would seek asylum in Austria. Immigration is a highly sensitive issue throughout Europe, which is struggling to deal with hundreds of thousands of people from Syria, North Africa and beyond.

Austria, a nation of fewer than 9 million people, is already strained by efforts to accommodate and integrate more than 100,000 migrants who have flowed in since 2015.

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Longtime face of victims' advocacy group SNAP steps down

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  The man who has been the face of a national organization advocating for victims of abuse by clergy, especially those in the Catholic Church, has resigned from the organization.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/2jn9Jhp) reports that David Clohessy of suburban St. Louis voluntarily resigned Dec. 31 from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

The organization announced Clohessy's resignation this week, days after a former employee filed a lawsuit claiming SNAP was exploiting sexual abuse victims and receiving kickbacks from attorneys for directing clients their way.

Clohessy called the case "preposterous" and said his resignation was unrelated to the lawsuit.

"I told the board in October that I would be resigning," Clohessy said. "We had no idea the lawsuit was coming. It caught all of us completely off guard."

Clohessy, 60, said it was just time to step aside. He plans on remaining on the SNAP board of directors.

"It's been an absolutely wonderful almost 30 years," he said. "I could not have had a more fulfilling and rewarding job or role."

"We are eternally grateful for David's dedication to SNAP and its mission over the past almost thirty years," Mary Ellen Kruger, chairwoman of SNAP, said in the email on Tuesday that announced his resignation. "His passion, his voice and his kindness have touched us all."

The lawsuit was filed Jan. 17 in Chicago by Gretchen Rachel Hammond, who claimed she was fired after questioning what she said was evidence that the organization was accepting kickbacks for referring sex abuse victims to attorneys.

SNAP was founded in 1988 and today calls itself the nation's largest, oldest and most active self-help group for clergy sex abuse victims, with more than 20,000 members, and support groups that meet in 60 cities in the U.S. and other countries. The group gained prominence in 2002 after the Boston Globe's stories on the priest sexual abuse scandal rocked the Catholic Church.
Colorado considers ending longtime switchblade knife ban

DENVER (AP)  The switchblade knives wielded six decades ago by the fictional Jets and Sharks street gangs in the legendary Broadway musical "West Side Story" and in Hollywood films spooked lawmakers across the U.S. and helped usher in state bans.

But 54 years after Colorado enacted its prohibition of the folding knives with blades that pop out from their handles with the push of a button or a lever, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers is trying to repeal it.

They are citing arguments from knife rights activists and others who say switchblades have become everyday work tools that also can save lives because they can be opened with one hand instead of two.

Automatic knives are on display at Bonds House of Cutlery/Knives & More, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in Las Vegas. A bipartisan bill in Colorado would remove switchblades and gravity knives from a list of outlawed weapons that includes blackjacks, metallic knuckles and gas guns. (AP Photo/John Locher)

West Side Story "kind of released this sense that switchblades were what was bringing in Sharks and Jets, and that we would prevent gang activity if we outlawed these," said bill co-sponsor state Sen. Owen Hill, a Republican who argues that Colorado's law is outdated and widely ignored.

Hill and a Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Steve Lebsock, say it's time for lawmakers to get rid of an archaic statute because switchblades are useful and can be bought online easily anyway by people who want them. The bill would also legalize gravity knives with blades that can be flung open from their concealing handle, also with one hand.

At least 11 states have repealed switchblade bans in recent years but 14 states still have them, and the American Knife & Tool Institute that represents knife manufacturers and users is lobbying on behalf of another repeal effort for Ohio.

"These have gone from being a weapon of choice by gangs to being an everyday tool," said institute spokeswoman Liesl Sheehan, whose group helped draft the Colorado bill.

During testimony this week about the bill, Hill said a climbing professional helping him do outside maintenance work on a tall building last summer ended up in trouble dangling 75 feet above ground and was forced to use his standard folding knife that required two hands to open it to extricate himself.

He ended up cutting his hand, but would not have with a switchblade, Hill said.

Retired Air Force Master Sgt. John Bloodgood told lawmakers about a similar climbing mishap that was resolved easily with a switchblade  and how his gravity knife helped him save the life of his Llahsa Apso dog named Chewie.

Bloodgood returned home one day to find Chewie entangled in the window blind cords at his house, her long hair tied up in knots with the cords and virtually suffocating her.

He said he used one hand to lift her so she could breathe normally and that "luckily, I had a knife in my pocket that essentially fits the definition of a gravity knife." He used it to cut Chewie free.

Knife rights activists say the bans in Colorado and those still in place elsewhere violate Second Amendment rights of users because switchblades are normally possessed by law-abiding citizens for legitimate uses.

"What you're seeing nationwide is a confluence of Second Amendment rights and criminal justice reform, where most of those being arrested for having a knife in their pocket, but not having committed any crime, are minorities," said Todd Rathner, director of legislative affairs for the Arizona-based Knife Rights.

In 2015, firearms were used in 72 percent of the homicides in the U.S. while knives or other cutting instruments were used in 12 percent, according to statistics from the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. In Colorado that same year, firearms were used in 115 murders, and knives and other cutting instruments were used in 25.

Colorado's law enforcement community is divided over whether the ban should be repealed, with the County Sheriffs of Colorado association supporting it and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police declining to take a position.

The state legislature's Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 this week to send the bill to the full Senate for consideration.

Committee member Sen. Dan Kagan, a Democrat, said the switchblade ban "is universally ignored and not a big concern of the sheriffs and police of this state."

Sen. Rhonda Fields, a Democrat who cast the dissenting vote, said approving the repeal would signal "we are putting law enforcement at risk."

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James Anderson can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jandersonap

Automatic knives are on display at Bonds House of Cutlery/Knives & More, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in Las Vegas. A bipartisan bill in Colorado would remove switchblades and gravity knives from a list of outlawed weapons that includes blackjacks, metallic knuckles and gas guns. (AP Photo/John Locher)
No prison time for father who pleads in baby's hot car death

JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi father pleaded guilty Friday in the hot car death of his baby daughter but won't go to prison, under a deal with prosecutors.

Joshua Blunt, 26, pleaded guilty to culpable negligence manslaughter and was given a five-year suspended sentence. His attorney, Carlos Moore, said Blunt agreed to the plea after the prosecutor in Grenada County acknowledged Blunt did not intentionally kill 8-month-old Shania Rihanna Caradine.

The child died last May 19 after being found unconscious in Blunt's car, where she was left while he worked at a restaurant job in Grenada, a town about 100 miles north of Jackson.

In August, grand jurors in another Mississippi county declined to indict a white mother whose 2-year-old died in a hot car eight days before Shania died.

Moore has repeatedly said he believes Blunt, an African-American, was treated more harshly because of his race. Blunt forgot his baby was in the car, and that's something that could happen to many parents, Moore said.

"There are no winners here," Moore said in a statement Friday. "A child is dead, Mr. Blunt is a convicted felon, and the state did not get Mr. Blunt behind prison bars as it had so desired prior to today. I personally am sick and happy at the same time."

District Attorney Doug Evans did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday, but a court clerk confirmed details about Blunt's plea and sentence. His trial had been scheduled to begin next Monday.

Blunt has been free on bond since five days after his daughter's death. He originally was charged with second-degree murder, which would entail a maximum sentence of life in prison. In July, a grand jury indicted him on the reduced charge of manslaughter.

Blunt's fiancee and the mother of Shania, Shanice Caradine, is pregnant, and Moore said Blunt didn't want to risk facing a possible 20-year prison sentence by going to trial.

Shanice Caradine said in a sworn court statement in August that she did not think Blunt should be charged in the death of their daughter: "I honestly believe that it was a tragic accident."

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India, France sign pact on maritime information sharing in Indian Ocean Region

Published: January 27, 2017

India and France have signed White Shipping agreement to enable information sharing on maritime traffic and maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The agreement was signed in New Delhi after both countries held their second dialogue on maritime cooperation for the IOR.

Key Facts

The agreement will enable navies of India and France to coordinate their roles in stabilising Indo-Pacific region.

It will enhance Indo-French maritime security cooperation in the region. It will be implemented over the next few months.

Background

India and France firmed up cooperation on sharing of radars in the Indian Ocean during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Paris in 2015. India is setting up a grid of coastal surveillance radars in the IOR that will enable it to monitor increasing Chinese presence in the area, France has shown interest in sharing data from surveillance systems on its Indian Ocean territories in the region that includes Mayotte, besides military bases in UAE and Djibouti. Both countries in the last couple of years are coordinating their naval movements and surveillance in the IOR. France retains interests and assets with territories like Reunion Islands in the IOR.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2017

Topics: China  Defence  India-France  Indian ocean region  maritime security

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Berlin mayor to Trump: Don't build that wall

BERLIN (AP)  The mayor of Berlin is calling on U.S. President Donald Trump not to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Berlin was divided by a wall from 1961 until 1989. It was built by the socialist dictatorship in East Germany to stop its citizens from escaping to the West, becoming a potent symbol of Cold War oppression.

Mayor Michael Mueller said Friday that "we Berliners know best how much suffering the division of a continent, cemented by barbed wire and concrete, caused."

He said Berliners "mustn't simply accept that all our historical experience is discarded by those to whom we largely owe our freedom, the Americans."
Study: Superbug infections found in Chinese hospitals

LONDON (AP)  New research suggests a worrying number of people in China may be infected with bacteria resistant to an antibiotic used as a last resort.

Researchers examined more than 17,000 samples from patients with infections of common bacteria found in the gut, in two hospitals in China's Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces, over eight years. About 1 percent of those samples were resistant to colistin, often considered the last option in antibiotics.

The study, published Friday in the Lancet journal, is one of the first to document the extent of drug-resistant infections in more than one Chinese province.

This 2006 colorized scanning electron micrograph image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the O157:H7 strain of the E. coli bacteria. New research suggests that a worrying number of people in China are infected with bacteria resistant to an antibiotic used as a last resort. Researchers examined more than 17,000 samples from patients with infections of common bacteria found in the gut, in two hospitals in Chinas Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces, over eight years. About 1 percent of those samples were resistant to colistin, often considered the last option in antibiotics. The study was published Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 in the journal, Lancet. (Janice Carr/CDC via AP)

For decades, China has used colistin in its agriculture industry to speed animals' growth, but the drug was not used in people. Scientists say the latest work is further evidence that overuse in animals can spread to people. Chinese officials earlier this year approved colistin for use in hospitals, raising fears that it could worsen the resistance problem.

"It will be very important to ration its use so that it's only used when absolutely nothing else will work," said Mark Enright, a professor of medical microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, who was not part of the research.

Health officials have long worried that colistin-resistant bacteria might spread more widely, setting the stage for superbug infections that would theoretically be impervious to medications. Only a small number of such cases worldwide have been detected, including in the U.S.

Rising concerns over drug-resistant germs have prompted the United Nations to encourage countries to cut back on antibiotic use and develop new medicines.

People infected with these resistant strains can usually be treated with current antibiotics, but doctors warn that as these bacteria  which are already untreatable with last-resort drugs  acquire resistance to current drugs, the infections may become impossible to treat.

Experts also noted a surprise: the apparent ease with which the resistant gene spread between bacteria, including different species of bugs.

"It now looks like there's potential for the resistance gene to move around and spread between different species of bacteria," said Nigel Brown, a spokesman for Britain's Microbiology Society, adding that it could lead to a jump in infections.

In a separate study also published in the Lancet, another group of Chinese researchers analyzed samples from patients with blood infections at 28 hospitals. About 1 percent had the colistin-resistant gene  a much higher figure than would be expected in developed countries.

Colistin's use in hospitals should be restricted to avoid problems, said Yunsong Yu, one of the study's authors.
Theresa May will become the first foreign leader to visit US president Donald Trump at the White House, in a meeting she hopes will help renew the special relationship between Britain and America.

The two leaders will spend about an hour in face-to-face talks on Friday in the Oval Office, where Mr Trump has restored a bust of Winston Churchill removed by predecessor Barack Obama.

As she arrived in the US, Mrs May said Brexit and the election of Mr Trump would allow Britain and America to take up a stronger leadership role in the world.

Prime Minister Theresa May addressing the Republican congressmen's retreat in Philadelphia ahead of her meeting with Donald Trump on Friday (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

And she brushed off suggestions that their different styles will make it difficult for them to work together, saying: Havent you noticed  Sometimes opposites attract.

Top of the agenda for Mrs May will be preparations for a free trade deal between the UK and US after Britain has withdrawn from the European Union.

But the pair will also discuss security challenges including Syria, Russia and the threat from Islamist terror.

And Mrs May has made clear she will mount a staunch defence of the continuing value of Nato, after the Atlantic military alliance was dismissed as obsolete by Mr Trump on the campaign trail.

Speaking to congressmen from the presidents Republican party in Philadelphia on Thursday, Mrs May lent her weight to Mr Trumps call for Nato members to match the US and UK in meeting promises to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

And she offered backing for some of the presidents other foreign policy priorities, condemning Irans malign influence in the Middle East, promising to stand up for Israels security and vowing not to repeat failed interventions like the Blair-Bush invasion of Iraq.

But she also had words of caution for Mr Trump over his approach to Russias Vladimir Putin, suggesting his watchword should be engage but beware.

European Customs Union rules bar the UK from formal negotiations on a free trade agreement with the US until after it has left the EU in two years time.

Tomorrow at 1pm @POTUS will hold a joint press conference with @theresa_may  Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) January 27, 2017

But Mr Trump has shown himself eager for a swift deal and Mrs May said on Thursday that she believed some progress could be made on easing trade while waiting to negotiate a full deal.

I think there is much we can do in the interim in terms of looking at how we can remove some of the barriers to trade in a number of areas, so we are able to see an advantage to both of us even if we havent been able to sign that legal free trade agreement, she said.

Amazing speech by Theresa May in US. Makes you proud to be British  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 26, 2017

Mrs May will face questions over whether the NHS will be protected from private US firms in any deal, after she responded to the issue on Thursday by simply saying the Government was committed to the principle of healthcare free at the point of use.

And Mr Trumps decision to grant a press conference  his first since his inauguration a week ago  may expose differences between the two leaders on issues like the use of torture.
Lee Selby feels the road to a world title unification fight with Carl Frampton should end at Cardiffs Principality Stadium.

Welshman Selby defends his IBF featherweight crown against Argentine Jonathan Barros on the undercard of Framptons WBA title defence in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Framptons keenly-anticipated rematch with Leo Santa Cruz tops the bill at the MGM Grand and the two Britons  as long as they can both win  look to be on a collision course.

Lee Selby (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Massive thanks to my sponsors who have supported me so much. Saturday we will shine together under the Vegas lights  pic.twitter.com/5lh5N2w3OO  lee selby (@leeselby126) January 26, 2017

Northern Irishman Frampton is keen for a unification fight to be staged at Belfasts Windsor Park, but Selby told Press Association Sport: If it does happen Id like it to take place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Thats the dream and, if Carl and myself both win in Vegas and look good, then the fans will demand the fight.

Hes talking about Windsor Park but I think its a bigger fight than that  it could be 40,000 at the Principality.

Inching closer to the fight, Now at the MGM Grand for the final media conference. #teamselby pic.twitter.com/wwR7yHK9kF  lee selby (@leeselby126) January 26, 2017

Selby makes his third title defence against former WBA featherweight champion Barros, who has lost only four times in a 13-year 46-fight professional career.

Barry boxer Selby turns 30 in a few weeks time, and says he is not overawed by the prospect of fighting amid Las Vegas bright lights.

This is a chance to raise my profile, Selby said.
The Manor Formula 1 team is to cease trading after administrators failed to secure fresh funding for the firm, resulting in the loss of around 200 jobs.

The group collapsed into administration earlier this month and administrator FRP Advisory had hoped to attract new investment in a bid to revive the firm.

However, FRP said on Friday that with no new investors forthcoming, it has been left with no alternative but to cease trading at Manors parent firm Just Racing Services Limited.

Manor Racing had previously been owned by Stephen Fitzpatrick

All 212 staff were sent home from work on Friday and, while they will be paid for the month, all but a small handful of staff are expected to be made redundant by the end of January.

Geoff Rowley, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory, said: It is deeply regrettable that the team has had to cease trading and close its doors.

Manor is a great name in British motorsport and the team has achieved a great deal over the past two years, invigorated under new ownership.

Operating and running an F1 team to the high standards demanded however requires significant ongoing investment.

She sure was a great ! As '16 comes to a close, we'd like to say a huge THANK YOU for your incredible support this season. Happy New Year  pic.twitter.com/HXCYhpI1w0  Manor Racing (@ManorRacing) December 31, 2016

Manor had previously been backed by energy boss Stephen Fitzpatrick, the founder of Ovo.

As it stands, the company will not send a team to participate in the 2017 Formula 1 season, which begins on March 26 in Melbourne, Australia.
On the morning of her keenly awaited meeting with President Donald Trump, Theresa May paid her respects to the military dead of the US at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at the Virginia cemetery, which holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean conflict.

Ahead of meeting with @POTUS, @theresa_may lays wreath at Arlington National Cemetery pic.twitter.com/8HYjEwrxXE  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) January 27, 2017

Dressed in sombre black, the PM was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

Theresa May prepares to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery

A cannon was fired 19 times as the Prime Ministers convoy arrived at the cemetery and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

After a military band played the national anthems of the UK and US, the PM mounted the steps to lay a wreath of red poppies, bowing her head in respect as a single trumpeter sounded the Last Post.

Theresa May lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns

More than 400,000 US troops killed in conflicts from the Civil War to the ongoing War on Terror are laid to rest at Arlington.

Among them are a number of British troops who died fighting alongside US forces.
Jo Stevens has resigned from the shadow cabinet in protest at Jeremy Corbyns stance on Brexit.

The Labour leader faces a growing rebellion after imposing a three-line whip requiring his MPs to back the Bill allowing Theresa May to trigger Article 50.

Cardiff Central MP Ms Stevens quit as shadow Welsh secretary, becoming the first member of Mr Corbyns top team to resign over the issue.

Jo Stevens

I have resigned from Shadow Cabinet today. Ill vote against the 3-line whip to trigger #Article50. My letter to the leader: pic.twitter.com/cED6WgNfeX  Jo Stevens (@JoStevensLabour) January 27, 2017

She follows shadow education minister Tulip Siddiq in quitting, while two whips  supposedly responsible for party discipline  have indicated they will also rebel and risk being sacked.

In the chamber for the statement on Article 50. My vote will reflect the views of my constituents. I'm in Parliament to represent them.  Tulip Siddiq (@TulipSiddiq) January 24, 2017

Ms Stevens said: Theresa May is now leading our country towards a brutal exit with all the damage that will cause to the people and communities we represent.

Ms Stevens said she had argued against the imposition of a three-line whip and said a great many of her constituents had urged her to vote against Article 50 being triggered.

She told Mr Corbyn: I accept the referendum result is to leave. I also accept that the parliamentary numbers are such that Article 50 will be triggered and we will leave the EU.

Labour will amend Article 50 Bill to prevent the Tories using Brexit to turn Britain into a bargain basement tax haven off coast of Europe.  Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 26, 2017

We respect the British people's will, but not the Tories' will to cut workers rights & public services, while the richest pay even less tax.  Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 26, 2017

Labour will ensure the British people have genuine say over Brexit negotiations because no one voted to give @theresa_may a free hand.  Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 26, 2017

But I believe that leaving is a terrible mistake and I cannot reconcile my overwhelming view that to endorse the step that will make exit inevitable is wrong.

In a sign of the revolt facing Mr Corbyn, party whips Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire have said they are prepared to go against his orders.

Shadow transport minister Daniel Zeichner  whose Cambridge constituency voted for Remain in the referendum  said he would defy his party leader because it was a very straightforward decision for him to take.

Let me be clear. When the vote on the EU comes before Parliament, my vote will reflect the overwhelming result in Cambridge  to #REMAIN.  Daniel Zeichner (@DanielZeichner) June 27, 2016

He told the Cambridge News the partys leadership was aware of his intentions: They know my position and they understand exactly why Im doing what Im doing and its for them to decide what to do next.

Bristol West MP Ms Debbonaire said she was prepared to lose her job as a whip in order to represent her Remain-supporting constituency.

I am voting against govt being able to trigger Article 50 https://t.co/pzW6jzffS0  Thangam Debbonaire (@ThangamMP) January 27, 2017

When he set out his position on Thursday Mr Corbyn said he understood the pressures facing his MPs but urged the party to unite: Labour is in the almost unique position of having MPs representing constituencies in both directions, and very strongly in both directions.

But senior Labour MP Meg Hillier, who is chairwoman of the influential Commons Public Accounts Committee, said there was palpable rage at Mr Corbyns position in her north London constituency.

Certainly, in Hackney, the rage in the room was palpable, and people are really concerned.
A haulage boss and a mechanic have been jailed for the manslaughter of four people who were killed by a 32-tonne tipper truck with faulty brakes.

Matthew Gordon and Peter Wood were given seven-and-a-half years and five years and three months respectively after they were both convicted of four counts of manslaughter following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Four-year-old Mitzi Steady died and her grandmother, Margaret Rogers, suffered serious injuries when they were hit by the lorry as they crossed the road holding hands.

Two men jailed following fatal tipper truck crash in #Bath in which four people sadly died. Full statement: https://t.co/f7NeMMWx3H pic.twitter.com/cxxcx1anGa  Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) January 27, 2017

The vehicle continued to career down the very steep hill of Lansdown Lane in Bath, Somerset, and killed three men inside a car.

Stephen Vaughan, 34, of Swansea, and Philip Allen, 52, and Robert Parker, 59, both of Cwmbran, all died at the scene.

Gordon, 30, of Dauntsey, Wiltshire, and Wood, 55, of Brinkworth, Wiltshire, were convicted following the trial, while the driver of the truck, Phillip Potter, 20, was cleared of all the charges he faced.

Jailing the pair, Mr Justice Langstaff told Gordon and Wood they had a cavalier attitude to properly maintaining the firms vehicles.

Tributes left at Weston Free Church in Weston, Bath, close to the scene of where the crash took place

I accept that neither of you intended death or injury or even brake failure, the judge said.

You did not wish it. But the fact is that a lorry as heavy as this is likely to cause serious injury and death to members of the public unless properly maintained.

The brakes are critical. You know this. You knew that being casual about the safety risked the lives of others. Your failures are inexplicable.
London Underground workers are to stage two fresh strikes in a row over jobs and Tube ticket office closures, threatening more travel disruption in the capital.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out for 16 hours from 6pm on February 5 and for 15 hours from 10am on the 7th.

London Underground workers to stage16-hr strike from Feb 5 and 15-hour walkout from 7th over jobs and ticket office closures - @RMTunion  Alan Jones (@AlanJonesPA) January 27, 2017

The action was called despite lengthy talks with LU under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas, which have failed to break the deadlocked row.

The RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) staged a 24-hour strike earlier this month which crippled Tube services.

The RMT said further strikes will be taken in March once they are determined and agreed.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash says safety is being compromised because of the cuts (Rick Findler/PA)

Over 3,000 RMT station staff members were balloted for action over the impact on safety from the axing of nearly 900 front-line workers alongside the closure of Tube ticket offices.

The unions have warned that the job cuts have left safety on a knife edge with repeated reports of dangerous overcrowding on stations and platforms.

Union members have been banning overtime, which they say has exposed the massive deficiencies in station staffing.
British Airways cabin crew are to stage a further six days of strikes in February in a dispute over pay.

Members of Unite will walk out on February 5, 6 and 7 and again for three days from February 9.

The union is in dispute over members of BAs so-called mixed fleet, who joined the airline after 2010 and are on worse pay rates than other staff, Unite says.

BA cabin crew on the picket line

British Airways cabin crew are to stage a further six days of strikes in February in a dispute over pay - @unitetheunion  Alan Jones (@AlanJonesPA) January 27, 2017

The crew went on strike last week, but the airline said only a small number of flights had to be cancelled.

A letter from the union to BA said: Your reluctance to offer a reasonable pay deal to our members, yet spend what we believe is now reaching millions of pounds in trying to quash strike action, suggests money is available and this is a question of ideology.

We urge you to recognise that there is a chance here for British Airways to take a different route.

New strike dates announced | British Airways to face six days of #strike action by mixed fleet cabin crew #MoreSoon pic.twitter.com/ATgp9vuJXn  Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) January 27, 2017

Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: Rather than addressing poverty pay, British Airways is spending money hand over fist on chartering in aircraft to cover striking cabin crew.

If it can afford to waste money in such a manner then British Airways can clearly afford to address pay levels which are among the lowest in the industry.

We would urge British Airways to wake up to the determination of our members, who contribute massively to the billions of pounds in profits the airline generates, and get around the negotiating table to resolve the dispute and avoid a further six days of costly strike action.

Cabin crew say #BAlowpaynoway | British Airways facing six more days of #strike action by mixed fleet cabin crew https://t.co/yFolNxQQQw pic.twitter.com/shjTiQrUAg  Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) January 27, 2017

A BA spokesman said: We have flown all customers to their destinations during the previous strikes by mixed fleet and we will ensure this happens again.

We will publish more details on Tuesday once we have finalised our contingency plans in relation to the strikes called for February 5-7.

On Thursday (February 2), we will publish more details in relation to the second strike period, February 9-11.

Our pay offer for mixed fleet crew is consistent with deals agreed with Unite for other British Airways colleagues.
A record nine players share the lead heading into the third round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, with the entire field separated by just six shots.

Overnight leader Bradley Dredge could only add a 72 to his opening 64 and was joined on eight under par by Andy Sullivan, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Nacho Elvira, Jorge Campillo, Thomas Aiken, Jaco van Zyl, Wang Jeunghun and Mikko Korhonen.

The previous record for the most players tied for the halfway lead on the European Tour was eight in the Scandinavian Masters in 1997.

Bradley Dredge

A @EuropeanTour first...



We have a nine (yes nine!) way tie for the lead after 36 holes. pic.twitter.com/fQYjKI6K1U  DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 27, 2017

Sullivan started his round from the 10th with 10 straight pars before four birdies in the last eight holes gave the Ryder Cup star a second consecutive flawless 68.

It was a frustrating start to the day, Sullivan told Sky Sports. I thought my first nine was the one you could really get going on and platform into the back nine, but it didnt really happen.

I just did not convert the putts but my caddie told me just to be patient on this nine and finally the putts started to drop. All in all Im reasonably happy, just feel going into the weekend need to improve on the par-five scoring.

Holing out for eagle on the first hole. pic.twitter.com/SSAL7sTJ2T  DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 27, 2017

Fellow Englishman Jordan Smith was among seven players just a shot off the lead after continuing an impressive start to his debut season with five birdies and an eagle in his 66, the joint-lowest score of the day.

Im over the moon, the 24-year-old said. It was difficult with the wind really picking up in the afternoon and I hit some awesome iron shots out there. Really happy with the way I played.

I came in with a lot of confidence after a good couple of weeks getting the hang of things. I like to say Im pretty good in the wind, playing a lot of links course as an amateur gets you used to that.

Smith finished third in the South African Open earlier this month after playing in the last group in the final round with Rory McIlroy and eventual winner Graeme Storm.
Ukip leader Paul Nuttall has said he would probably support the use of waterboarding if it saved lives.

Mr Nuttall made the remarks in the wake of US President Donald Trumps apparent willingness to revive the use of torture techniques, including waterboarding in which suspects are subjected to simulated drowning.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK would not shift from its condemnation of torture. But speaking on the by-election campaign trail in Cumbria, Mr Nuttall said: I think sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

Paul Nuttall

I think that these people are incarcerated because they are bad people and they want to do us harm, and if waterboarding ensures that it saves a number of lives in this country, or America, because someone admits to something that is going to happen in terms of a terrorist attack then through gritted teeth I probably would be OK with that.

When Mr Trump was asked about the use of torture in his first TV interview as President, he said: Absolutely, I feel it works.

A draft presidential order made public this week envisages a review of interrogation methods for terror suspects, the possible reopening of black site prisons outside the US and the continued use of the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba to hold enemy combatants.

On Friday, Mr Nuttall visited the constituency of Copeland to open the partys campaign office and support its candidate, local NHS worker Fiona Mills.

He is standing for election himself on February 23 in the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election but denied that meant Ukip had less chance of winning in Copeland.

He said: No, I think we have got an excellent candidate here. I think she is perfect, she is our Cumbria chairman and she has an outstanding history working for the NHS. She is a good local candidate and we are going to campaign hard.

I am not going to second guess anything that the British public will do these days after Brexit and we have seen what is going on in the Western world, we have seen the election of President Trump. But what I will say is that I genuinely believe we will improve on our general election result and we are going to give it a damn good go.

Our candidate for #CopelandByElection @Fiona__Mills helped write our 2015 health policy. We'll keep NHS publicly funded. No privatisation. pic.twitter.com/UaBS4rDknJ  UKIP Cumbria (@UKIPCumbria) January 22, 2017

On the subject of Brexit, he said that Labour was all over the place.

He said: The problem that Labour have got is the majority of Labour voters want to leave the EU and voted to do so but in their heart of hearts the Labour Parliamentary Party want to remain and want us to stay in the EU, and now they are going to split all over the place.

The one thing that is clear at the moment and will become even more clearer is that you cant trust Labour with Brexit.

Jamie Reed, the former Labour MP for the seat, prompted the by-election when he resigned to take up a position at Sellafield nuclear power plant.
US President Donald Trump has given his strong backing for Brexit, telling Theresa May that a free and independent Britain is a blessing for the world.

Mr Trump predicted he would have a fantastic relationship with the Prime Minister, as he welcomed her as his first overseas visitor since becoming president and accepted her invitation to come to the UK on a state visit later this year.

In a White House press conference minutes after showing her the bust of Winston Churchill restored to the Oval Office, Mr Trump said the special relationship between the UK and US was one of the great forces in history for justice and for peace.

Theresa May, left, and Donald Trump

And he added, in words that will be warmly appreciated in Downing Street: We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship.

.@POTUS "pledges our lasting support to this most special relationship" pic.twitter.com/JiLxtPkh4a  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) January 27, 2017

The sense that Mrs May had hit it off with the president on their first meeting was reinforced when the pair briefly held hands as they walked from the Oval Office to their first press conference together.

In almost an hour of talks ahead of a working lunch with Mr Trump, Mrs May appeared to have made some progress on key policy issues which have threatened to divide them.

Trump to make state visit to UK this year, announced Theresa May pic.twitter.com/VYyGi0m9Lf  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) January 27, 2017

She pointedly noted that she had secured Mr Trumps 100% commitment to Nato, allaying British concerns over his earlier description of the military alliance as obsolete.

Addressing Mr Trump directly before the TV cameras, Mrs May said: Today we have reaffirmed our unshakeable commitment to this alliance. Mr President, I think you confirmed that you are 100% behind Nato.

And Mr Trump backed away from suggestions that he was ready to sanction the use of torture on terror suspects - something Mrs May had made clear she could not support.

Trump says Defence Sec Mattis doesn't favour torture - "I don't necessarily agree but he will override the president"  Andrew Woodcock (@AndyWoodcock) January 27, 2017

The president said that, although he did not necessarily agree with his defence secretarys opposition to enhanced interrogation methods like torture, he would allow James Mattis to override him.

High on the agenda for the meeting were Britains hopes for a swift free trade agreement with the US after its withdrawal from the EU.

Mrs May said they were both ambitious for a deal and wanted to take forward immediate high-level talks, lay the groundwork for a UK/US trade agreement and identify the practical steps we can take now in order to enable companies in both countries to trade and do business with one another more easily.

Mr Trump left no doubt about his enthusiasm for the process. He said: I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country.

When it irons out you are going to have your own identity and you are going to have the people that you want in your country and you are going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you are doing.

I think it will end up being a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom. I think in the end it will be a tremendous asset, not a tremendous liability.

In his first press conference since his inauguration last week, Mr Trump seemed taken aback when confronted by a tough series of questions on torture, Russia, travel restrictions for Muslims and abortion from BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump have rekindled the special relationship between the two countries in a first meeting at the White House.

In scenes reminiscent of the 1980s when President Ronald Reagan and PM Margaret Thatcher walked on the White House lawns the two leaders spoke of the strong bond which they hope to reinforce following Mr Trumps shock election and Mrs Mays post-Brexit rise to power.

Back where he belongs

(Stefan Rousseau/PA)

One of the first things Donald Trump did after getting the keys to the White House was to return a bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office.

The hand of friendship

(Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The leaders say they agree on many things and will meet again later in the year after the president accepted an invite from the Queen, conveyed by Mrs May, to make a state visit to the UK.

We got your back

Theresa May, right, and Donald Trump

Ancestral ties going back centuries mean the UK is looking to strengthen trans-Atlantic links with the new administration in these post-Brexit times.

Standing together

Theresa May, left, and Donald Trump

There is much common ground between the two nations and Mrs May and Mr Trump plan talks on many issues including trade, the fight on terrorism and the importance of Nato even if they admit to differences on the use of torture.

The way we were

(PA)

Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan made much of the friendship between their countries.

The way we are now

(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Wear high heels or go home - UK report finds sexist dress codes rife

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - You must wear shoes with heels 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) high at all times when you are at work. You must wear make-up and regularly re-apply it. You must wear tights, but not opaque ones.

Those were some of the rules in a dress code imposed by a British recruitment agency on its female workers before one of them, Nicola Thorp, refused to wear high heels one morning and was sent home without pay.

After Thorp, 27, started a petition against compulsory high heels on parliament's website that garnered 152,420 signatures, her rebellion became a national talking-point and led to an inquiry by lawmakers into workplace dress codes in Britain.

They reported on Wednesday that sexist dress codes were rife in some industries and women were routinely being forced to wear high heels in jobs where they were on their feet all day and their shoes were causing them pain and health problems.

"This may have started over a pair of high heels, but what it has revealed about discrimination in the UK workplace is vital," said Thorp, commenting on the report.

Under Britain's equality law, company dress codes must make equivalent requirements for women and men, but the lawmakers said breaches of the law were widespread in sectors including hotels, travel, temporary work agencies, hospitality and retail.

The report said women facing discriminatory dress codes tended to be young and in low-paid jobs with precarious contracts, making it difficult for them to challenge company practices.

It called on the government to take urgent action including raising financial penalties against employers found to be in breach of the law, and promotion of awareness campaigns targeted at companies, workers and students.

The lawmakers set up an online forum for one week in June last year, and 730 people came forward with stories.

While high heels were the most prominent issue, the lawmakers also heard from women who had been required by companies to dye their hair blonde or wear revealing outfits.

"I came in one morning and my manager was cracking down on uniform and informed me that I had to look 'sexy', which entailed wearing heels," wrote one retail worker, who gave her name as Jasmine.

Jasmine complied, but her job involved standing and walking all day and she found high heels extremely painful.
U.S.-Mexico crisis deepens as Trump aide floats border tax idea

By Steve Holland and Miguel Gutierrez

PHILADELPHIA/MEXICO CITY, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso tumbling and deepening a crisis between the two neighbors.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced on Twitter around midday on Thursday that he was scrapping a planned trip to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that Mexico pay for a wall on the U.S. border.

Later in the day, White House spokesman Sean Spicer sent the Mexican peso falling to its low for the day when he told reporters that Trump wanted a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for construction of the wall.

Spicer gave few details, but his comments resembled an existing idea, known as a border adjustment tax, that the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is considering as part of a broad tax overhaul.

The White House said later its proposal was in the early stages. Asked if Trump favored a border adjustment tax, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said such a tax would be "one way" of paying for the border wall.

"It's a buffet of options," he said.

The plan being weighed by House Republicans would exempt export revenues from taxation but impose a 20 percent tax on imported goods, a significant change from current U.S. policy.

"If you tax exports from Mexico into the United States, you're going to make things ranging from avocados to appliances to flat-screen tvs, you're going to make them more expensive," Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told reporters at the Mexican Embassy in Washington on Thursday night.

Countries like Mexico would not pay such taxes directly. Companies would face the tax if they import products made there into the United States, potentially raising prices for American consumers.

The idea is unpopular with retailers and businesses that sell imported goods in the United States. It also has met opposition from some lawmakers worried about the impact on U.S. consumers.

Trump himself appeared to pan the idea in a Wall Street Journal interview last week, saying the House border adjustment provision was "too complicated."

Even after Trump's comments, congressional Republicans have continued to discuss the issue with White House officials in an effort to bring them on board with the idea.

RIFT WITH MEXICO

Trump, who visited Republican lawmakers at their policy retreat in Philadelphia, told them he would use tax reform legislation to pay for the border wall.

"We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," he said.

Trump, who took office last week, views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has long insisted it will not heed Trump's demands to pay for the construction project.

He signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday. The move provoked outrage in Mexico. A planned meeting between Videgaray and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was canceled, a department spokeswoman said.

Videgaray said Mexico would work with Trump but that paying for the wall was out of the question.

"There are things that go beyond negotiation," he said. "This is about our dignity and our pride."

Pena Nieto, who had been under pressure to cancel the summit, tweeted on Thursday: "We have informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday with @POTUS."

Trump had tweeted earlier that it would be better for the Mexican leader not to come if Mexico would not pay for the wall. He said later the meeting was canceled by mutual agreement.

Relations have been frayed since Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, characterizing Mexican immigrants as murderers and rapists. His trade rhetoric has hit the Mexican economy, causing consumers to rein in spending and foreign businesses to wait on new investments, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Trump has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada and slap high tariffs on American companies that have moved jobs south of the border.

Mexico ships 80 percent of its exports to the United States, and about half of Mexico's foreign direct investment has come from its northern neighbor over the past two decades.

The United States runs a $58.8 billion trade deficit with Mexico, according to the latest U.S. government figures. But Mexico is also the United States' second-largest export market.
Dutch justice minister resigns, weakening govt ahead of elections

AMSTERDAM, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A leading member of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's cabinet resigned on Thursday, weakening the government ahead of a national election in March in which it is trailing in the polls.

Justice Minister Ard van der Steur unexpectedly told parliament he would step down amid a debate over the handling of information relating to a settlement prosecutors struck with a drug dealer in 2000.

The affair centres around a settlement with drug baron Cees Helman, who received a tax free payment of around 2 million euros as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

It resurfaced earlier this month following new allegations in a book that detailed an internal email that appeared to show Van der Steur had sought to conceal details of the scandal.

Van der Steur and Rutte had come under fire from opposition lawmakers who accuse them of withholding information and had been expected to call a motion of no confidence later in the debate. The minister took the rare step of resigning before the motion was submitted.

"I told the prime minister I would make a decision after the first round of the debate. I wanted to defend myself against unfounded and unfair accusations that are not based on facts. I will tender my resignation to his majesty the king," Van der Steur said.

The departure of Van der Steur, who is also a member of Rutte's conservative VVD party, was an unwelcome embarrassment ahead of the March 15 election and could dent its popularity.

Rutte is trailing anti-Islam politician and Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders, who is leading public opinion polls.

Wilders called Rutte and Van der Steur liars who "consciously chose to conceal the facts."

"It is ... the latest incident with this failing prime minister and his bungling justice minister," Wilders told the 150-seat lower house. "The sooner this cabinet of lies and deceit is gone, the better," he said.

Wilders cited an opinion poll from Wednesday showing that more than two-thirds of respondents believed Rutte knew parliament had been misinformed.
Dutch court delays bankruptcy ruling on subsidiaries of Brazil's Oi

SAO PAULO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A court in the Netherlands on Thursday postponed until Feb. 2 a decision on whether to enforce bankruptcy proceedings against two subsidiaries of phone carrier Oi SA, which is under creditor protection in Brazil, the company confirmed on Thursday in a securities filing.

Reuters had reported the postponement of the ruling earlier on Thursday. The two sources briefed on the matter did not elaborate on the reasons for the delay.
Defying Trump, Twitter feeds for U.S. government scientists go rogue

By Steve Gorman

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Rogue Twitter feeds voicing employee concerns at more than a dozen U.S. government agencies have been launched in defiance of what they say are President Donald Trump's attempts to muzzle federal climate change research and other science.

Representing scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and other bureaus, either directly or through friends and supporters, the accounts protest restrictions they view as censorship since Trump took office on Jan. 20.

Seizing on Trump's favorite mode of discourse, the feeds reflect concern that the new president, a climate change skeptic, is out to squelch federally backed research showing that emissions from fossil fuel combustion and other human activities are contributing to global warming.

"Can't wait for President Trump to call us FAKE NEWS," read one posting on the newly opened Twitter account @AltNatParkService. "You can take our official twitter, but you'll never take our free time!"

Reuters could not verify that all the accounts, which borrow the names and logos of their respective agencies, were being run by current federal employees of those agencies. The alternate National Park Service Twitter feed said it had passed control of its account to individuals outside the government to protect colleagues at the agency.

The introductory disclaimer borne by the @RogueNASA account was typical of many of the feeds, describing it as "The unofficial 'Resistance' team of NASA. Not an official NASA account." It beckoned readers to follow its feed "for science and climate news and facts. REAL NEWS, REAL FACTS."

An administrator of an associated Rogue NASA Facebook page told Reuters the alternative site was being used as a platform by agency scientists and others who support them.

In some instances, the alternate Twitter accounts were registered on behalf of employees by supporters, presumably to better safeguard their anonymity, as was the case for the unofficial Rocky Mountain National Park site.

An individual contacted at the alternative Twitter feed for Mount Rainier National Park said: "It's not about the people running the accounts. It's about the movement it's generated. We may never disclose our identity due to the current political ecosystem."

The swift proliferation of such sites followed internal directives several agencies involved in environmental issues have received since Trump's inauguration requiring them to curb their dissemination of information to the public.

ADMINISTRATION DIRECTIVES

Last week, Interior Department staff were told to stop posting on Twitter after an employee re-tweeted posts about relatively low attendance at Trump's swearing-in, and about how material on climate change and civil rights had disappeared from the official White House website.

Employees at the EPA and the departments of Interior, Agriculture and Health and Human Services have since confirmed seeing notices from the new administration either instructing them to remove web pages or limit how they communicate to the public, including through social media.

The resistance movement gained steam on Tuesday when a series of climate change-related tweets were posted to the official Twitter account of Badlands National Park in South Dakota, administered under the Interior Department, but were soon deleted.

A Park Service official later said those tweets came from a former employee no longer authorized to use the official account and that the agency was being encouraged to use Twitter to post public safety and park information only, and to avoid national policy issues.

Within hours, unofficial resistance, or rogue, Twitter accounts began sprouting up, emblazoned with the logos of government agencies, the list growing to at least 14 such sites by Wednesday afternoon.

An account dubbed @ungaggedEPA invited followers to visit its feeds of "ungagged news, links, tips and conversation that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is unable to tell you," adding that it was "Not directly affiliated with @EPA."

"Civil servants have a job to do and part of that job is to interpret the national parks and history behind it," said a former official at the Interior Department, the parent agency of the National Park Service, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The former official said that while people outside the federal government could be involved in the rogue accounts, employees with whom the official communicated were supporting the feeds.

"They bristle at any political involvement," the former official said. "They're taking that as an attack on their work. You have 75l,000 people feeling attacked. You're going to play whack-a-mole trying to stop them. I don't see this stopping."

The phenomenon was not limited to U.S. environmental and natural resource employees. They were soon joined by similar alternative Twitter accounts for various science and health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Weather Service. Many of their messages carried Twitter hashtags #resist or #resistance.
Jordan's King Abdullah to visit U.S. from Monday

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said on Thursday, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump.

"HM King Abdullah II will start a working visit to U.S. on Monday during which he will meet w/new administration & Congress," the Jordanian embassy in Washington said on Twitter. It did not say whether a meeting between Abdullah and Trump was scheduled.

Abdullah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria.

Less than a week into his presidency, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that he would "absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.

The creation of safe zones would ratchet up U.S. military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from former President Barack Obama's more cautious approach. Increased U.S. or allied air power would be required if Trump chose to enforce "no fly" restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas.

Abdullah's visit comes as Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran.

Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the Syrian conflict began. The vast majority of refugees referred by the U.N. refugee agency to the United States come from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.

Abdullah, who has a role as custodian of the Muslim sacred sites in Jerusalem, has also been key to efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. Since Israel's creation in 1948, Jordan has absorbed waves of Palestinian refugees, as well as fugitives from the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon and from Iraq.
Chinese Lunar New Year "ticket snatching" apps raise hackles

By Christian Shepherd and Muyu Xu

BEIJING, Jan 27 (Reuters) - As China gears up for Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions of people head home, popular software charging extra to improve the odds of getting coveted rail tickets has been criticised by state media and some users as being akin to modern-day touting.

Plugged by app developers as a way to simplify purchasing, the use of the "ticket snatching" software has ballooned in recent years as more people buy on mobile devices.

"High demand for rail tickets during the New Year season cannot be an excuse for snatching apps to rob consumers, disturb public order and even push up the price," People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, said in a commentary earlier this month.

The Chinese authorities say they want to ensure equal access to rail tickets for all during Lunar New Year, which starts on Jan. 28 this year; about three billion trips will be made in the world's biggest mass migration.

The number of buyers outstrips seats available on trains, and leads to long queues and jostling for position when tickets go on sale.

When purchasing moved online, "snatching" software sprang up from travel and tech companies hoping to increase users' chances of making it to the front of the virtual queue.

Shuang Xu, who works for a travel company in Beijing, started looking for tickets to her home city of Chongqing two weeks before she planned to leave for the New Year, but the official train booking website, www.12306.cn, kept crashing.

Xu paid 60 yuan extra to buy two high-speed train tickets, worth 1,535 yuan, from the capital to the southwestern city.

"I had no choice but to try other ways," she said.

EXPLOSIVE GROWTH

In 2017, almost half of all train tickets are expected to be sold via mobile apps compared to 27 percent in 2016, according to a report by Zhixing Railway Tickets, a booking app company bought by online travel agent Ctrip in 2015.

Software provided by the likes of Ctrip.com International Ltd and search engines including Qihoo 360 Technology Co gives users a better chance, though no guarantee, of securing a spot on China's trains.

The cost for improving the odds varies across platforms and can range from an extra 20 to 200 yuan ($2.90-$29).

More than 50 Chinese travel and tech companies have rolled out ticket snatching software in recent years, acquiring rival apps to help ensure a piece of the growing market for digital ticket booking services.

Ctrip, China's biggest online travel company, has acquired a number of rival companies with ticket-selling apps, which combined make the company the largest provider of the mobile app software.

Most apps, including those by Ctrip, only charge users if they successfully secure tickets, although critics say bundled insurance and other add-ons create price competition regardless of the policy.

JUMPING THE QUEUE?

Ctrip declined to be interviewed for this article.

Qihoo 360's company policy stated it used "safe, no add-ons, no bundles" ticket snatching.

"We have never charged any kind of fee from our users in any way," said Wang Yinhua, chief ticket snatching engineer at 360 Browser, a popular web browser developed by Qihoo 360.

He added: "Before the age of online ticket purchases, people had no choice but to queue up through the night at railway stations and ticket windows."

Yet the software bears some similarity to ticket touts, according to Zhao Zhanling, a legal adviser to the Internet Society of China, which is a non-governmental body backed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"Using ticket snatching software is in effect allowing (buyers) to cut in line," he said. "If there are people who use technology to cut in the line, this means more people who use 12306 (without software) do not get tickets."

One traveller wrote on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo messaging service: "I didn't see the difference between snatching apps and scalpers."

Touting is illegal in China, and companies cannot charge more than 5 yuan on top of a train ticket's set price as a service charge. But snatching software is seen as entrusting a third party to buy the ticket on your behalf, so it does not break the rules.
Romania - Factors to watch on Jan. 27

Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Friday.

2017 BUDGET

Romania's leftist government is expected to approve a budget plan for 2017, keeping the deficit at the European Union's ceiling of 3 percent but with an ambitious growth estimate analysts have said is optimistic.

2016 BUDGET DEFICIT

Romania's consolidated budget deficit stood at 2.4 percent of gross domestic product at the end of December, triple from the previous month but below the annual target of 2.8 percent under Romanian accounting terms, finance ministry data showed.

DEBT TENDER

Romania sold 146.8 million lei ($35.06 million) worth of July 2027 treasury bonds on Thursday, half the planned amount, with the average accepted yield at 3.96 percent, central bank data showed.

CEE MARKETS

The Polish zloty hit multi-month highs against the euro and the forint on Thursday as a global rally in stocks helped Warsaw's blue-chip index .WIG20 surge to a 15-month high.

ANTI-CORRUPTION

A Bucharest court sentenced former organised crime unit chief Alina Bica to three years and six months in prison for using her position to help a defendant win a case.

POWER PRICES

The price of electricity to be delivered on Friday reached a record high 492 lei ($117.01) per megawatt as a result of higher demand due to freezing weather. Ziarul Financiar

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on

For emerging markets economic events, click on

For an index of all diaries, click on
Australian wine exports to China soar as premium labels sparkle

By Harry Pearl and Tom Westbrook

SYDNEY, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The value of Australian wine exports to China surged 40 percent in 2016, industry figures showed on Friday, unexpectedly driven by sales of premium labels rather than the cheaper wines that major producers had been looking to boost.

Rising exports to China, Australia's No. 1 wine export market, also lifted the total value of annual Australian wine shipments by 7 percent to A$2.22 billion ($1.67 billion), according to figures published by industry group Wine Australia.

The jump defies a Chinese government crackdown on corruption that has cooled flashy spending there. If anything, industry insiders said the anti-graft campaign had been a boon for the likes of Treasury Wine Estates' top label Penfolds.

"Rather than drinking the super-expensive French wines, they were turning to Australian wines which were more affordable. Penfolds in comparison is (much cheaper)," wine exporter Greg Corra, managing director of Canberra-based Inland Trading, told Reuters.

A bilateral free trade agreement signed in 2015 has also boosted sales by cutting tariffs, and encouraged Chinese purchases of vineyards and grape processing plants in Australia. Even so, France continues to dominate China's wine market with a market share about twice the size of Australia's.

Shares in TWE rose 3.4 percent on Friday, outpacing the S&P/ASX 200 index which gained 0.72 percent. Treasury declined to comment on Friday ahead of its Feb. 14 earnings announcement.

"I think the premium end is always going to underpin some of the growth at Treasury because it's better known for its premium wines," said Mark Daniels, investment director at fund manager Aberdeen Asset Management, which holds a small stake in the company.

Last August the company reported a doubling of annual profit underpinned by a 76 percent surge in sales by volume to Asia. The company said at the time it expected fastest growth in the mid-market, where it was targeting millennial drinkers.

The fastest-growing export segment was wine priced between A$30 and A$50 ($22 to $38), according to the Wine Australia. Australian exports to the United States and Britain also rose.

But shipments to Hong Kong fell by 16 percent as many exporters re-routed stock directly to mainland China, where tariffs once as high as 20 percent are now below 9 percent.

Another tariff reduction, which took effect on Jan. 1, could see exports for 2017 jump by another 20 percent, d'Arenberg vineyard chief winemaker Chester Osborn told Reuters.
Putin and Trump likely to discuss Ukraine sanctions: White House aide

By Susan Heavey and Christian Lowe

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are likely to discuss the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine when the two leaders speak by telephone on Saturday, a senior White House aide said.

Trump has said in the past that, as part of a rapprochement he is seeking with Russia, he is prepared to review sanctions that his predecessor, Barack Obama, imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

That move would face resistance from both influential figures in Washington and foreign leaders who believe sanctions should only be eased if Moscow complies with the West's conditions on Ukraine.

Among the U.S. sanctions causing the most pain to Russia are those targetting its financial services, limiting the Russian economy's ability to raise debt, and its energy companies.

On the same day he speaks to Putin, Trump will have telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, White House spokesman Sean Spicer wrote in a Tweet. Both Hollande and Merkel have argued that it is premature to ease the sanctions.

Trump senior aide Kellyanne Conway said in U.S. television interviews on Friday that Trump and Putin would likely discuss a range of issues, including joint efforts to combat terrorism.

Asked on FOX News's "Fox & Friends" program to comment on suggestions that the Obama administration sanctions would be on the agenda, Conway said: "All of that is under consideration."

The call will be the first between the Russian and U.S. leaders since Putin called Trump to congratulate him on his election victory in November.

It is a first step towards what Trump has billed as a normalisation of relations after three years of tensions sparked by the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin have never met and it was unclear how their very different personalities would gel. Trump is a flamboyant real estate deal-maker who often acts on gut instinct, while Putin is a former Soviet spy who calculates each step methodically.

PATIENCE

Both have spoken about ending the enmity that has dragged U.S.-Russia relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people? Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I am all for it," Trump told a news conference in July last year.

Trump is under intense scrutiny at home from critics who say he was elected with help from Russian intelligence -- an allegation he denies -- and that he is too ready to cut deals with a country that many of his own officials say is a threat to U.S. security.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian leader would use the call to congratulate Trump on taking office and to exchange views on U.S.-Russian ties.

Asked by reporters if Ukraine would come up, Peskov said: "This is the first telephone contact since President Trump took office, so one should hardly expect that (it)...will involve substantive discussions across the whole range of issues.

"We'll see, let's be patient."

If Putin and Trump can establish a rapport, it could pave the way for deals on Ukraine and Syria, two sources of friction during the administration of Barack Obama.

For the Russian leader, there is much to gain. Putin is expected to run for re-election next year, but is hampered by a sluggish economy. A softening or removal of sanctions would allow Western investment and credit to flow in, lifting growth and strengthening Putin's election prospects.

Any move by Trump to ease sanctions would create a dilemma for the European Union, which has its own set of sanctions against Russia linked to the Ukraine crisis.

Some governments in Europe are sympathetic with Trump's stance and keen for relief from sanctions that are hurting trade with Russia. Others in the bloc believe Moscow has not met the conditions for the sanctions to be lifted.

Merkel, who faces a re-election battle, has invested considerable political capital in keeping the EU aligned behind the sanctions.

A German diplomat told Reuters last month: "If Trump lifts the sanctions, I fear the consensus in Europe would crumble."

Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met in Berlin on Friday, underlining the challenges for European unity in the face of a new U.S. president who has promised to shake up the status quo in international affairs.

"Let's say it honestly, there is the challenge posed by the new U.S. administration, regarding trade rules and what our position will be on managing conflicts in the world," Hollande, who will leave office after an April-May election, told reporters.
Japan Dec factory output seen up as exports pick up, household spending weak

By Kaori Kaneko

TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Japan's factory output is expected to rise for a second straight month in December, supported by signs of a global manufacturing recovery, a Reuters poll showed.

Economists polled by Reuters also expect retail sales rose for a second straight month in December, but see household spending falling for the 10th straight month, showing consumer spending remains sluggish.

While mixed, the data is expected to reinforce the market view that the Bank of Japan will hold off on expanding monetary stimulus in coming months amid signs that the economy may be slowly regaining its footing.

Industrial production likely rose 0.3 percent in December from the previous month, the Reuters poll of 21 analysts found, slowing from a 1.5 percent gain in November.

"Exports are picking up on the back of the overseas economic recovery, which gives positive spillover effects to production activity. As a results, an inventory adjustment has progressed in the past several months," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

"There is a risk of protectionism trade policy but I think the recovering trend in the factory output is likely to continue for a while as the global economy is recovering."

A preliminary private survey earlier this week showed Japanese manufacturing activity expanded in January at the fastest pace in almost three years as export orders surged.

The trade ministry will announce factory output at 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31 (2350 GMT, Jan 30).

Retail sales, which will be released on Monday by the trade ministry, likely rose 1.3 percent in December from a year ago, up for a second straight month.

But household spending was expected to have slipped an annual 0.6 percent, less than a drop of 1.5 percent in November but its 10th straight month of declines, the poll found.

"Stock price gains probably contributed positively to private spending but consumers' budget-minded manner persists, thus consumer spending lacked momentum," said Takumi Tsunoda, senior economist at Shinkin Central Bank.

The jobless rate is expected to have stayed steady at 3.1 percent in December and the jobs-to-applicants ratio likely improved to 1.42 last month, which would be the highest reading since July 1991 when the ratio stood at 1.44.

The internal affairs ministry will release household spending and jobs-related data at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Aramco snub puts Malaysia's Petronas in tight spot over RAPID project

By Emily Chow and A. Ananthalakshmi

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco's decision to shelve a plan to partner with Malaysia's state oil company threatens the country's ambitious plans for an oil and gas processing hub, which it may struggle to keep on course if it cannot find another foreign investor.

The Saudi oil major suspended plans for a joint venture with Petroliam Nasional Berhad, or Petronas, on the $27 billion project in the southern Malaysian state of Johor due to concerns it would not yield high returns, sources told Reuters this week.

Petronas - which has been hit hard by the slump in oil prices, cutting jobs, capital expenditure and its contribution to government coffers - insists the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project at Pengerang, on Malaysia's southern tip, remains on track and will begin operations as planned in 2019.

Analysts say the project is too politically important for Prime Minister Najib Razak, mired in a corruption scandal involving state fund 1MDB, to be scrapped or drastically pared back, but believe Petronas will need a strategic investor to bring in funds and industry expertise.

"They may scale it down, but it's going to go ahead. It might get staggered," said Subbu Bettadapura, senior director of energy, Asia Pacific, at consultancy Frost and Sullivan.

"(Malaysia) would definitely try to channel funds into Pengerang because a lot is riding on that. All the forces, political and industrial, would be trying to make this a reality."

Industry analysts and consultants say Petronas is in talk with other foreign investors.

Najib - who has said RAPID will create jobs, raise standards of living and boost the country's economy - will want to ensure the project in electorally key Johor state faces no further hurdles before the next national election due by 2018.

With Western oil majors also hurting from a slump in oil prices, the most likely solution for RAPID would be to recruit Chinese players to partner with Petronas.

Some analysts say cash-rich Chinese refiners looking to expand into new markets could be interested in RAPID.

Najib has been moving closer to Beijing diplomatically as the fallout from the 1MDB scandal strains ties with the United States, returning from a November state visit to China with about $34 billion in deals.

"Najib needs to ensure that RAPID can still go on," said Achmad Sukarsono, analyst at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. "Politically Najib would want to involve China more."

PROJECT ECONOMICS

Others, however, caution that RAPID may not make sense for China, which already has enough refineries to meet even its huge oil thirst. Chinese energy firms, they say, would rather invest in more crude production.

A bigger concern is the economics of the project, which have been called into question after sources said Aramco had concluded it would not generate sufficient returns.

Petronas said in a statement on Thursday that RAPID - which includes a 300,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery producing gasoline and diesel - was expected to deliver positive returns and value as planned.

The project, part of the huge Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC), was announced in 2011 when oil traded at $110 a barrel. Crude prices have since halved.

Like neighbouring Singapore, the Pengarang peninsula sits between the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea, through which almost all the Middle East oil and gas bound for northern Asia's industrial powerhouses of China, Japan and South Korea is shipped.

If fully developed, PIPC would become one of Asia's biggest hubs for oil storage, fuel refining and petrochemical production, as well as imports and exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Sushant Gupta, research director of refining and chemicals at energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie, predicted Asian markets will be short of gasoline by 2020, meaning RAPID could hit the market at the right time to benefit from improving refining margins.

"So it will be prudent for the sponsors to get the refinery ready on time to capture the expected upswing in margins," Gupta said.

CANADIAN SACRIFICE?

The RAPID setback means Petronas now faces questions over two of its biggest projects.

It is in the middle of making a final investment decision on a $27 billion liquefied natural gas project in Canada that has faced several delays due to environmental concerns.

The state-run company is also wrestling with lower profit and cash flow. In early 2016, Petronas said it would cut spending by up to 50 billion ringgit ($11.27 billion) over the next four years.

With the questions hanging over RAPID, Petronas may be forced to re-think the Canada project.

"RAPID will still come online, it's just there is a greater financial burden on Petronas now," said Peter Lee, an oil and gas analyst at BMI Research. "If anything were to give way or be delayed further, I would think it is the Canada project first."
GRAPHIC-EU split over Russian sanctions, but heavily weighted in favour

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump may be willing to review sanctions on Russia as part of a rapprochement, but he would not find much support at the moment from America's European Union allies.

A Reuters compilation found 17 members of the 28-nation bloc are firmly committed to maintaining the sanctions that Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, helped impose on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

Only three countries - Hungary, Portugal and Slovenia - publicly favour easing sanctions.

The remaining eight are sceptical about the sanctions, but many would be expected to stick to the EU's current hard line.

Furthermore, of the 11 that are either against or sceptical, only Italy carries any significant economic or diplomatic weight. Germany, Britain, France and Spain are all in the pro-sanctions camp.

For a graphic on the EU's stance: http://tmsnrt.rs/2jYMAnv

Trump is expected to discuss the sanctions - which encompass limits on financial services and energy companies - with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Trump will also speak with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.
Peru and Colombia vow to stand with Mexico after row with Trump

LIMA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Peru and Colombia vowed to stand with Mexico as the country faces an uncertain economic future and grapples with a crisis with the United States just days into U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said members of the Latin American trade bloc the Pacific Alliance must double down on efforts to open markets and strengthen ties as they navigate the "turbulent waters" of protectionist rhetoric.

Peru, Colombia, Chile and Mexico formed the Pacific Alliance in 2011 to remove obstacles to trade and orient their markets to the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.

"Right now one of us is facing serious difficulties that are not of its own making," Kuczynski said in reference to Mexico as he sat beside his Colombian counterpart on an official visit. "We have to stand together on our ideals, on global trade which has done us so much good."

Though Kuczynski did not mention Trump by name, his comments were some of the first rumblings of displeasure with the Trump administration from traditional U.S. allies in Latin America.

Trump has insisted he will force Mexico to pay for a wall between the two countries to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking. He has also threatened to slap taxes on Mexican imports and tear up the regional trade deal NAFTA if he cannot renegotiate it to ensure more benefits for the United States.

The Mexican peso has been rocked by tensions between the two countries, firming on Friday after Trump said he had a friendly phone call with Mexican President Pena Nieto.

"There are clouds of uncertainty around the world," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said. "We want to join the call of countries that adhere to the principles that have been so good for the world: free trade, respect for treaties... multilateral solutions."

Santos said he spoke with Pena Nieto by phone on Thursday, when the Mexican leader announced he canceled a meeting with Trump as a diplomatic crisis over the proposed wall deepened.

Kuczynski, a former investment banker who spent years living in the United States, said the four countries in the Pacific Alliance represent a market of some 200 million people and that each has emerged from economic crisis in the past by opening markets to global trade.

"Of course there are costs to global trade, of course there are job losses, but it's also clear that the benefits are bigger," Kuczynski said.
Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto hit back at Donald Trumps order to start building a wall separating the country from the United States - and vowed that Mexicans would not foot the bill, despite what Trump has said.



Mexico does not believe in walls. Ive said it time and time again: Mexico will not pay for any wall, Pena Nieto said in a video published Wednesday evening. The Mexican president said he regrets and rejects the US decision to build a wall.



Meanwhile Trump insisted in an ABC News interview Wednesday that Mexico would absolutely pay for the wall, but failed to clearly explain how that would happen.



Pena Nieto said in his video statement Wednesday that he had asked his government to strengthen protection for Mexican immigrants.Ive asked for the minister of Foreign Relations to re-enforce protection measures to our citizens, he said.Mexico offers and demands respect like the fully sovereign nation we are, he said. Mexico gives its friendship to the people of the United States and wishes to reach agreements with its government - agreements that will be in favor of Mexico and Mexicans.



Trumps order came the same day Mexicos foreign relations and economy secretaries arrived in Washington for talks with his administration, and its timing was seen by many in Mexico as a slap in the face.
       :       ; CBI      FIR  
Encouraging academic achievement by rewarding students who have excelled in the grade five scholarship and GCE Ordinary Level examinations has been an integral part of the CSR initiatives conducted by Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB).

The CDB Sisudiri Scholarship Programme, presented 36 scholarships to the top achievers of these Grade Five Scholarship and GCE O/Level national examinations at a ceremony held at the Tower Hall recently. Director of Ceylinco Life Palitha Jayawardena was the chief guest at the event which recognized the achievements of these future leaders, honouring them with laurels to continue on their high achieving path.

MD/CEO of CDB, Mahesh Nanayakkara in his welcome stated that, Contributing towards Sri Lankas education has been a cornerstone in our companys CSR endeavours. It has been an important resource that has significantly influenced our calendar of sustainability initiatives. We take pride and pleasure in improving the quality of education in our country sustainably, providing students who have made the nation proud with their extraordinary results to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

In his address, Palitha Jayawardena mentioned that, Education is an asset that Sri Lankan parents appreciate and CDB should be truly commended for providing Sisudiri scholarships to outstanding students who have the potential to contribute meaningfully to national progress in the years to come.

The scholarship awards held annually is in its ninth year and has conferred scholarships on 370 students at an investment exceeding Rs. 14 million. By continuing their education, these CDB scholars will maintain their high academic standards and thus optimize their chances of entering a prestigious university to pursue their academic goals. CDB awards a cash grant of Rs. 50,000 to those who excel at the government grade five scholarship examination until completion of the GCE O/Level examination. Those who excel at their O/Levels, receive a cash grant of Rs. 30,000, throughout the study period for their A/Level examination. The bursary is remitted to the scholars parents to ensure that they are able to benefit from the scholarship and is a gesture greatly appreciated by them, as the challenging quest for funding their childs education is greatly reduced due to this scholarship.

CDB is a leading non-banking financial institution serving both rural and urban communities with 69 outlets across all main cities in the country. This expansive network coupled with a high customer relationship focus has enabled the company to enrich peoples lives, helping individuals from all walks of life to gain economically and achieve career aspirations while contributing to national progress.
Fantastic savings on Economy and Business Class return fares to a variety of destinations in Europe, UK, US, Australia and Africa

Colombo, SRI LANKA  Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is offering travellers from Sri Lanka fantastic savings in itsJanuary sale.

Guests travelling in Business and Economy Class from Colombo can choose from a range of destinations across Europe, United States, Australia and Africa. Tickets are on sale until January 30 and are valid for travel between February 13 and December 10 for Business Class; and between March 1 and December 10 for Economy Class passengers.

Etihad Airways currently operates twice-daily scheduled flights from the capital Colombo to the airlines Abu Dhabi hub offering convenient connections and seamless journeys to destinations worldwide.

Business Class return fares to Melbourne start at LKR 305,377; London at LKR 222,014; New York at LKR 256,782; Milan at LKR 189,394; Los Angeles at LKR 297,282; Johannesburg at LKR 193,509; Paris at LKR 181,844; Frankfurt at LKR 175,952; Amsterdam at LKR 218,370; Zurich at LKR 186,802; Abu Dhabi at LKR 112,057; Venice at LKR 287,004 and Istanbul at LKR 173,367.

Economy Class return fares to Melbourne start at LKR 101,177; London at LKR 75,565; New York at LKR 91,682; Milan at LKR 54,194; Los Angeles at LKR 111,082; Johannesburg at LKR 68,209; Paris at LKR 67,243; Frankfurt at LKR 71,952; Amsterdam at LKR 56,670; Zurich at LKR 68,002; Abu Dhabi at LKR 46,857; Venice at LKR 65,704 and Istanbul at LKR 54,667.

Along with great connections, Etihad Airways guests are able to pre-clear US Immigration and Customs before boarding their US-bound flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport saving significant time on arrival. This unique facility is the first and only one of its kind in the Middle East, enabling international travellers to arrive as domestic passengers in the USA, avoiding the need to queue at immigration. The pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi is the only such facility available to guests travelling from Sri Lanka.

Members of Etihad Guest, the airlines loyalty programme, will also be able to earn Etihad Guest Miles on all bookings during the sale. Guest Miles can be used for redemption towards free tickets, upgrades, or for purchases of over 3,000 products from the Etihad Guest online Reward Shop.

All fares are bookable online at etihad.com, through Etihad Airways reservation office by calling 4766500, or through a local travel agent.

Lead-in fares, all-inclusive of taxes, to select destinations in Etihad Airways network include:

DESTINATION ECONOMY CLASS RETURN (LKR) BUSINESS CLASS RETURN (LKR) MELBOURNE 101,177 305,377 LONDON 75,565 222,014 NEW YORK 91,682 256,782 MILAN 54,194 189,394 LOS ANGELES 111,082 297,282 JOHANNESBURG 68,209 193,509 PARIS 67,243 181,844 FRANKFURT 71,952 175,952 AMSTERDAM 56,670 218,370 ZURICH 68,002 186,802 ABU DHABI 46,857 112,057 VENICE 65,704 287,004 ISTANBUL 54,667 173,367

Information about other destinations and special fares on offer can be found on the airlines website.
What does Patali know about politics that Harini doesnt know?

Sri Lanka is going through great pains to get its economy in order after the
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka, Directors of Hemas and GAC participate in the ground breaking ceremony

The Hemas Group together with the GAC Group Sri Lanka are planning to build a modern, 15-acre integrated logistics facility in the Muthurajawela Industrial Zone, with a state-of-the-art distribution centre, container yard and a warehouse facility.

Through this joint venture we aspire to provide total solutions to the Sri Lankan exporters and importers and develop entreport business, supporting the intent of making Sri Lanka the maritime and logistics hub in Asia Hemas Logistics and Maritime Sector Managing Director Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson said.

The project is the first phase of a Logistics City designed to provide the latest facilities and higher levels efficiency related to technology, transportation and logistics in the process of national development by the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the logistics facility was held yesterday, with the attendance of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka and other members of parliament.

The facility is expected to be in operation by early June 2017 and the Distribution Centre will be operational in February 2018.

GAC Group Lanka Managing Director Mahesh Kurukulasuriya said that GACs warehousing designs which have proven successful across the globe would help both it and Hemas to capitalise on the growing domestic supply chain and logistics market using our international strengths.

The new integrated logistics facility will be equipped with the latest reach stackers in operation with the support of a cutting-edge IT platform aimed at innovating Sri Lankas first-ever logistics system connected to the processes of advanced technology solutions.

It will consist of a modern Container Terminal with the capacity of 6,000 TEU with 7 high container stacking and a warehousing and Distribution Centre offering Third Party Logistics (3PL) services.

The Container Depot will have Sri Lankas first-ever user experience such as, a two-way approach to stacks and dual in and out gate that operates independently.

The facility has the services of Institute of International Container Lessors (IICL) certified container inspectors, to survey the containers entering the depot in order to set global bench marking standards.

The Distribution Centre will be a state of the art 22,000 pallet position warehousing with both ambient and temperature controlled facilities. Global best practices in layout design, dock efficiency, pallet racking and material handling equipment will be incorporated to enable agile and scalable logistics solutions.

The entire distribution centre operation will run on an integrated IT platform with warehouse management, distribution management and yard management with barcode and RFID enabled infrastructure.

The Hemas Group is one of the leading conglomerates in Sri Lanka, listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange with a focus on Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Transportation, and Leisure.

GAC Group Sri Lanka is the leading ship agent in Sri Lanka, offering a full range of professional shipping, marine and logistics services.

It is partnered locally with McLarens Group; a diversified conglomerate with a portfolio comprising of shipping and marine services, logistics, supply of lubricants, oil and gas support services, bunkering services, automotive distribution, trading, manufacturing, property development and hospitality.
Judging Process Begins For SLT Zero One Awards

Following the closing date for the acceptance of applications for the SLT Zero One Awards on the 15th of January 2016, Sri Lanka Telecom has announced the beginning of the judging process which will select the winners of Sri Lankas first ever awards platform dedicated to the recognition and appreciation of excellence in the field of digital media.

Organized by Sri Lanka Telecom, the awards program was launched with a massive awareness campaign including dedicated website www.01awards.lk or www.zerooneawards.lk, inviting Sri Lankan institutions and individuals to be part of this first ever initiative and get recognized in respective fields.

The awards consist of a wide scope and is open to a wide audience of applicants comprising of individuals, agencies, SMEs, brands, multinationals as well as students and up-and-comers, providing them with equal opportunities and the ideal platform within which to showcase their work in the digital media sphere.

The organizing committee has selected an independent panel of judges made up of experts, luminaries and professionals from various fields in the industry. This esteemed panel will select the best of the best in each respective category to ensure that only those most worthy will secure the prize.

The panel is made up of local and international experts, who have gained recognition in their respective professions and industries.

As the pioneer in Sri Lankas telecommunications industry for 160 years, Sri Lanka Telecom has re-invented itself many times over the years in order to help the nation revolutionize its telecom and digital structure. Committed to the cause of delivering the complete benefits of ICT to all Sri Lankans, SLT intends to straddle the timeline between today and tomorrow, and thus contribute towards the birth of a Digital - Sri Lanka.
With a major education reforms policy, described by some as an education revolution, being presented to President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday, we could also reflect on the principles of the January 30 International School Day of Non-Violence and Peace (DENIP in Catalan).



This observance was launched by the Spanish poet Llorenc Vidal Vidal in Majorca in 1964 as a starting point for schoolchildren to become peaceful and non-violent in what they do or in settling conflicts.



It coincides with the day of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, widely regarded as the last centurys greatest apostle of non-violence and peace. Through his Satyagraha policy Mahatma Gandhi toppled, what was considered as one of the worlds most powerful empires and proved to the world that power of non-violence to achieve lasting peace and justice was greater than nuclear weapons.



The days essential message is Universal love, non-violence and peace. History has shown that universal love is better and more powerful than egoism-a vice, which tragically the newly inaugurated United States President Donald Trump appears to be propagating, with potentially destructive, if not catastrophic, consequences for the rest of the world.



This days message also proclaims that non-violence is more powerful than violence, and peace is more powerful than war. Those who promote this way of life believe that above all, we are friends and human beings. Without being classified or separated by name-boards of religion, race, social status or other such self-centred or exclusive factors.



The Spanish movement, DENIP and the World Association of Early Childhood Educators work jointly to celebrate this events in schools.



The United Nations Education, Scientific on Cultural Organisations (UNESCO) former Director-General Federico Mayor Zaragoza has been promoting during decades the School Day of Non-violence and Peace, saying We cannot achieve a sustainable development without a culture of peace.



This pioneering, non-State, non-governmental, non-official, independent, free and voluntary initiative of non-violent and peace educationis now practised in schools all over the world and in centres of education, teachers and students of all levels and from all countries are invited to take part.



It advocates a permanent education in and for harmony, tolerance, solidarity, respect for human rights, non-violence and peace.



The School Day of Non-Violence and Peace is a seed, which is planted and cultivated in the hearts of the students. It is a bright, new and positive way of looking at the word and preparing for the future.

In Sri Lanka, with the implementation of the major education reforms where every student will have at least 13 years of education, we hope a regular subject would be introduced to teach children about the culture of peace or the power of non-violence and peace. The children are in school for only about five hours. Therefore the parents also need to be educated on the values and power of the culture of peace, so that they could practise it at home and thereby encourage the children also to do so.



After decades of racial conflicts and a devastating 30-year-war, the national government has committed itself to the principle of inter-religious and inter-racial unity in diversity with a commitment to settle conflicts through peaceful and non-violent means.



We hope with the launching of peace and non-violence classes in schools we will have a solid foundation for lasting peace, social justice and equality.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) honoured Mastercard with the prestigious Hunger Hero Award at its annual dinner at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga accepted the award on behalf of the company, which was recognized for its contributions towards achieving a Zero Hunger world.

Over the past five years Mastercard and the WFP have been working together towards a single mission: to end hunger. Believing that technology has the power to unlock innovation in food assistance delivery, the partnership has worked to bring new ideas to the WFP programmes and raise important funds.

One of the most significant initiatives of the partnership is the use of technology in response to the refugee crisis in Syria. Under a global partnership, Mastercard provided technical expertise that has enabled the WFP to bring electronic payments to 2.2 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, who have been able to access food locally through Mastercard-branded prepaid cards.

The prepaid cards can be redeemed against a list of items at participating local stores, allowing the refugees to buy the food that fits their needs, including fresh produce, which is often scarce. The money is automatically wired to the cards, so the refugees dont have to wait in line to receive their entitlements.

In addition to leveraging its technology, Mastercard enabled the employees around the world to undertake temporary assignments at the WFP offices in order to take hands on approach to the partnership. With the creation of a donation platform that integrates charitable giving into everyday life, Mastercard and its bank and retail partners have helped raise funds to provide over 17 million school meals to vulnerable children around the world.

The belief that business can be a force for good in the world is core to the DNA at Mastercard.

The company is committed to bringing at least 500 million individuals into the financial mainstream by 2020 and has already reached more than 250 million underserved people. Mastercard was also recently ranked seventh on the Fortune Change the World list, based on its work to help transform humanitarian aid for refugees and other vulnerable populations.
China has never asked Sri Lanka to allow only Chinese enterprises to operate inside the Hambantota Industrial Zone (HIZ), Chinas Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said yesterday.

According to Chinas Foreign Ministry, she expressed these views in response to a question posed to her about whether China had asked Sri Lanka to ensure that the industrial zone was only for Chinese companies to operate in.

When asked whether China had forced Sri Lanka to offer them concessions with regards to the Hambantota Port because of how much Sri Lanka owed China and how concerned China was with regard to the protests that took place in Hambantota against the HIZ, Chunying said small-scale protests had taken place mainly because the locals had misconstrued the relevant policies concerning the projects.

The Sri Lankan side has made an official clarification on this. As the two countries are traditional neighbours, China is willing to provide the best assistance it can to help Sri Lanka with its economic development so as to achieve common development objectives. This is in the interests of both countries, she said.

The Spokesperson said Chinese enterprises always discussed the Hambantota Port project with the Sri Lankan side on a voluntary basis, in the spirit of equality and mutual benefit and following market rules.Relevant cooperation projects are expected to play a constructive role in the long-term development of the Hambantota Port and other parts of the country, she said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
The great flaw in ex-president Barack Obamas record was his policy towards Russia. Going against everything he had said and written about before he became president, one action after another antagonised the Russians -- his early proclamation that he wanted Georgia and Ukraine in NATO, his de facto coalition of convenience for a crucial couple of days with the anti-democratic, anti-Russian, neo-fascist, demonstrators in Ukraine, the further expansion of NATO, despite an earlier promise not to, made by President H.W. Bush, to the then Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, and his inability to cooperate with the Russians and Iranians over Syria.



No wonder the Russians are reported to be delirious that Donald Trump is now president, a man who has said nice things about Russian President Vladimir Putin.



If the two meet sometime soon maybe there will be an end to this unnecessary hostility. The Moscow-Washington relationship is the most important political issue in the world and this may well be the last chance to get it right.



Russia and the US have never fought each other in the 200 years of their relationship. Russia aided the North during the Civil War and sent warships to prevent England and France supporting the confederacy. During the World Wars the two were close allies.



However, they came near to a catastrophic war during the Cold War when Russia armed Cuba with nuclear weapons. This will never happen again. It chilled the blood down to zero on both sides. But one can imagine limited armed clashes on the Estonian-Russian border, nuclear sabre rattling, a more intimate alliance between China and Russia, an urge to sabotage, as was done during the Cold War, any diplomacy or interventions made by the other and a continuation of both countries keeping their long-range nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert.



Under H.W. Bush post-Cold War relations got off to a good start. Nevertheless, the US treated Russia as a defeated nation that could be taken advantage of. Unlike with Germany, Japan and Eastern Europe there was no effort to help to get the Soviet Union and then Russia on to its economic feet. In September 2000, a Congressional report blamed President Bill Clintons Russian policy as leading to the nations total economic collapse in 1998.



In 2001 President George W. Bush announced that the US would withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. When Georgia began its war with South Ossetia and Russia the US sided

with Georgia.



Nearly 70% of Russians held a favourable view of the US when Clinton took office in 1993 but by 2000 it had gone down to 37%. Now it is down to single digits.



Winston Churchills observation that Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma is totally wrong. Any nation on earth would have been riled if it were treated in this way -- even a defeated Germany. The Russians are an intensely patriotic, cultured and religious nation. Indeed, one can say they are in aggregate, in terms of classical music, ballet, opera, literature, architecture and painting, the most cultured nation in the world. Almost 75% of all Russians identify themselves as Orthodox Christians, pledged to uphold the same values of helping the poor and turning the other cheek as the other nations of Christendom.



They drink too much and can say stupid things and be overly hot-tempered but they are not some mysterious, oriental, predator.



They are not Tatars of the steppe. When it comes to foreign policy they want first and foremost to be left alone with secure borders. In less than two decades Russia has been reduced territorially in Europe and the Caucasus to its frontiers of 1600 and in Asia to those of the eighteenth century. Thus it is highly sensitive to perceived threats to its territorial integrity.



Gorbachev writes many thoughtful articles which are printed in newspapers the world over. It seems that no one in the Western political elite reads them despite their wisdom and relevance. He is both a patriot and a good friend of the West. In one he wrote, There is much talk in the United States about rethinking relations with Russia. One thing that should be definitely rethought: The habit of talking to Russia in a condescending way, without regard to its positions and interests.



If Trump goes into this meeting with Putin thinking his bullying tactics will be as successful as they have been in his business life he will come a cropper. He needs to do most of the listening and most of the compromising.



If he plays it right he can get the Russians out of Ukraine, he can restore good economic interaction, he can get significant cuts in nuclear weapons and he can get a cooperative solution to putting Syria back on its feet and combating ISIS (the Islamic State). But does Trump have the character to do that?
Ragging is officially prohibited in universities and is a punishable offence under the Ragging Act (Prohibition of Ragging and other forms of violence in educational institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998). Seniors under the guise of orienting first year students (freshers) and making them comfortable to the new surroundings, torment freshers through their indisciplined haughty speech and at times violent physical actions which can be tantamount to torture, and therefore raggers can be charged under the Torture Act (Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act, No.22 of 1994) while provisions in the penal code are executed as well.



There is ample documented and undocumented evidence of students being harassed, and consequently dropping out of university. While physical ragging of freshers may seem to phase out, there is verbal abuse which often leads to mental distress. When students dont comply with the commands of the seniors which are apparently a part of the university sub culture, they are harassed, threatened, ostracized and abused. More often than not, even in universities that claim to have a zero tolerance ragging policy, seniors coerce freshers to follow rules they have laid down.

Cooperating with the seniors and adhering to their policy is supposed to win eligibility to social functions and to the sub-culture.



In certain universities where the university authorities have taken a firm stand against ragging, the freshers continue to be submissive to seniors and obey their commands, resulting in self-ragging. Seniors take advantage of the fear amongst freshers as most students are from rural villages and believe that submitting to seniors is a part of university life. A student under condition of anonymity testified to how she complained about ragging during the orientation programme and how the seniors involved were warned by the student counsellors, which put an end to it. However this is not the case in most universities as students are afraid to complain fearing a backlash and even if they do complain,sufficient action is not taken.



According to several students we spoke to, it seems that ragging is still an inherent part of a first year students life at the university despite the regulations to do away with it. Two students we spoke to and who refused to disclose their names said that the system was discriminatory. For instance male students have been advised not to allow female students to head group projects and they have been asked to look into the affairs of their peer female students, which seems to imply that the female students are feeble.



Earlier last year, the Daily Mirror in an article noted how narcissistic personality traits, border-line personality traits and inferiority complex in students resulted in students ragging others. Commenting further the psychiatrist said that students should be screened for such disorders. He also said, however, that not all raggers suffered from mental disorders and that certain students followed them as a tradition. Certain parties justify ragging claiming that it improves ones personality, social awkwardness and bonds. However experts have pointed out that this is extremely false. In contrast ragging victimizes students so much that some commit suicide.



In certain universities, student unions voice their anti-ragging stance, however first year students complained to us that they are forced to obey the illogical commands of the seniors. Dress code ragging, where female students had to wear skirts and blouses, male students pants and shirts, as a symbol of recognition has been done away with in certain universities, to prove their anti-ragging stance. However freshers in these universities complained of how they have been forced to carry a file around and in another instance buy a diary distributed by the seniors, maintain it, and carry it around in their hand, displaying that they are freshers and are vulnerable. Seniors who oppose such illogical activities are often reproached and condemned as well.

Individualism has had a negative impact on the collective effort of society.

Duminda Nagamuwa- Politburo Member of the Frontline Socialist Party

Requesting students to refrain from such violent behaviour within university premises which could lead to suspension, Duminda Nagamuwa, Politburo Member of the Frontline Socialist Party assured that students union representatives did not indulge in ragging.



Sub cultures are found anywhere. The student sub culture develops togetherness amongst the university student population. There is also a quality amongst students to speak against the wrongdoings of the government or the university management, he noted. As negatives of the student sub culture he said that there was a tendency among university students to continue with the trends brought by the backwardness of society.



When we raised the issue that those who did not adhere to the sub culture were harassed, he said the following: There can be verbal fights but it cant be physical. This is a feature of the sub culture. It does not permit seniors to physically touch first years. Physically attacking someone who does not submit to the student sub culture is not a common situation and is an isolated incident. The occurrence of such incidents should be eliminated, he added.



A person has a right to choose how he wants to live. No one has the authority to infringe this right. But, liberalism today has led to hard-core Individualism. This individualism has had a negative impact on the collective effort of society he said.



When asked if harassment was justifiable in such instances he replied in the negative adding that it was also not appropriate to live a solitary life based on individualism.

They Slapped and punched me for protesting against ragging

The latest incident relating to inhuman and disgraceful ragging and violence against those voicing against this brutish behavious by senior university students with political backing was reported from the Peradeniya University. On Wednesday, January 18 a second year student who had been very vocal against ragging and identified himself as an anti-ragger was assaulted in the Peradeniya University premises.A group of third year students including two who came on a bike assaulted me, said the victim, Sasindu Patabendige.



They slapped me, punched me on the head. There was a security guard as well. He was asked not to interfere. I called the student counsellor and one of the English instructors. They rushed to the place and I was sent to the university health centre. They did the initial diagnosis and I was transferred to the Peradeniya Hospital afterwards, he said.



He added that he was an active anti-ragger empowering freshers and the assaulters had been following him for the past few weeks. Anti-raggers are not allowed to go to the public canteen. They cant even stay in the hostel as they are harassed, he said.The anti-raggers in universities are not an organized movement. They oppose ragging and in return pay a heavy price in the form of being subjected to harassment, bullying and ostracism.



Sasindu and two of his friends who were with him at the time the incident took place have given their statements to the police. OIC Kamal Ariyawansa of the Peradeniya police station said that investigations pertaining to the assault were underway. According to the Peradeniya Police, the identification parade was held yesterday, and seven out of the eight suspects produced, were identified. They have been remanded until the 9th. of February, 2017.

 Seniors who rag are connected to Students Union, sexual harassment predominently on females

A lecturer attached to the Sabaragamuwa

University of Sri Lanka

A lecturer attached to the Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages of the Sabaragamuwa University said that the seniors who rag are invariably connected to the Students Union. The lecturer who wanted to remained anonymous also noted that though the majority of students were females, the students union body, mostly comprised of male students who took decisions. She added that sexual harassment was prominent as well. According to what Ive heard from students, students in the hostel have been taken to a remote place where they have been asked to touch each others body parts. Freshers are scolded in filth and are told that they should be able to bear anything. This is a very traumatizing experience, she said. She added that students were not allowed to utter simple English words such as assignment or canteen which are very much a part of the university jargon.

University authorities dont have a proper mature strategy to counter ragging.

Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri- President of FUTA

Speaking to Daily Mirror Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, the President of the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) said that police should not intervene when tackling ragging because student politics was sensitive. University authorities dont have a proper mature strategy to counter ragging. There should be a zero tolerance ragging policy. They shouldnt use ragging to impose restrictions on other student activities. Ragging should be isolated and dealt with, he said.



He added that students who were subjected to ragging had a tendency to tolerate it believing that it was part of university life. There is direct or indirect acceptance of ragging. Hence there are no complaints, he said.



First year students in the Arts faculty of the Colombo University are physically attacked. This has not happened in history. Seniors have no right to touch freshers. I am against ragging but ragging generally allows only verbal abuse, he added.

We will take appropriate internal action.

Prof. Upul Dissanayake- Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University

The victim has made a complaint to the police and the alleged assaulters have been handed over to the police. We dont have authority to get involved in the legal process. But I have called a meeting and we will take appropriate internal action, said Prof. Upul Dissanayake, the Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University.



When asked about the safety of the student when he returned to the university, Prof. Dissanayake said there were security officers, marshals, student counsellors and a proctor system in place to look into the safety of students.



He added that the students union had been very cooperative and not involved in ragging. I wont say that ragging does not take place. This is an university where 12,500 students learn. So things could happen, he said.

This is not connected to ragging.

Mangala Maddumage- President of the Peradeniya Students Union

Mangala Maddumage, the President of the Peradeniya Students Union said that the assault was a result of a heated argument. This is an assault and we condemn it. But now there is a huge campaign slinging mud at us that students unions are involved and the incident is related to ragging. This is not connected to ragging. We condemn the efforts made to exaggerate this incident as well, he said.



We are clearly against ragging. There is no division as raggers and anti-raggers. We are all students, he said when asked about their stance on ragging. This anti ragging stance by students unions could be observed in many universities where ragging takes place. It seems with what takes place in the university premises that their anti-ragging stance is merely an assurance to pacify the authorities.
The CIA, top American intelligence agency, had observed in 1987 that Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had intervened in Sri Lankan crisis to win Haryana State assembly election, the Indian Express reported on Thursday.

The CIA intelligence memo dated June 8, 1987, which has been declassified by the CIA observed that Indias decision to airlift humanitarian aid to Sri Lankan Tamils was to gain Hindu sympathy.

He (Rajiv Gandhi) probably believes such dramatic actions on behalf of Hindus in Sri Lanka will help win over Indian Hindus before critical election next week in Haryana state, the CIA memo said.

Over a month later, another CIA memo (July 29, 1987) criticised Rajiv Gandhi for having short-term view of things. And, that was the day when India and Sri Lanka signed a peace accord that included provision for Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). The CIA memo reads; Sri Lanka, moreover, could become a military entanglement for India.

Gandhi tends to have a short-term view of things and may not see the pitfalls in trying to achieve a cheap victory using the tougher line on Sri Lanka.

A CIA intelligence officer memo suggested that Rajivs move in Sri Lanka was keeping in the view Indias determination to be the dominant regional power in South Asia.

We do not, however, believe Gandhi or his advisers have a greater India in mind. New Delhi may instead aspire to a relationship with Colombo that resembles its ties to Nepal, over which India exercises strong influence.

The CIA also believed certain political advantage to Rajiv Gandhi with the signing of accord and input suggested that his efforts to bring peace for Sri Lankan Tamils will help him build support among Tamils in Southern India, where the ruling Congress party has been weakest.

Before Rajivs decision, an assessment prepared in June 1984 by the CIA said that New Delhi then rules by Indira Gandhi was preparing for the possibility of direct military intervention. The CIA intelligence memo said Gandhi believes that ethnic violence in Sri Lanka can have serious repercussions for India as well as her own political future.

We believe New Delhis support for Sri Lankas Tamil separatists probably is an effort to control a movement it cannot eradicate. Gandhi cannot move against Sri Lankan Tamils in Tamil Nadu without risking the loss of India Tamil votes in this election year, the CIA memo said.

The intelligence agency said Mrs. Gandhi wants to forestall intervention in Sri Lanka by the superpowers and Indian officials reacted with dismay last summer after hearing of Sri Lankas thinly veiled pleas for security help from several countries including Pakistan, UK and USA. CIA said the Indian Navy can launch a small amphibious assault force against Sri Lanka on short notice.

In our opinion, the likelihood of a peaceful resolution of the tensions that divide Sri Lankan society is rapidly diminishing, the CIA intel note said.

In the war, the ability to see the dust storm even before the engine roars has always been critically important. The CIA memo of December 22, 1987, appears to have had ace up on its sleeve when amid the fog of war it said that Indian forces in Sri Lanka could stay for longer and that could be at least next 3 years.

The CIA said, It is not yet clear how far Gandhi intends to go in establishing dominance over Sri Lanka, but active guerrilla warfare by Tamil fighters against the Indians and over 300 combat fatalities will complicate plans to withdraw and make a long stay more likely; the Indians themselves already are talking of a three year presence. This could presage an extended period of warfare and turmoil.
The Hindu/ JANUARY 26, 2017-Indias 68th Republic Day was celebrated in the capital on Thursday with a display of military strength and cultural diversity in the presence of Chief Guest Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.



Early morning rain and an intermittent drizzle at the Rajpath failed to dampen spirits as the elite Black Cat commandos of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the made-in-India Tejas aircraft made their debut at the parade. A 149-member marching contingent from the United Arab Emirates led by a band comprising 35 musicians was unique to this years celebration.



Indias ceremonial boulevard was filled with myriad colours and music with 17 Tableaux from States and Union Territories, six Central Ministries and departments and cultural performances by schoolchildren.
REUTERS: Sri Lankas tea output hit a seven-year low in 2016, falling 11.1 percent in its third straight year of declining production, the state-run Tea Board said yesterday.

It blamed the fall on adverse weather. Tea exports dropped to a 14-year low, broker data showed.

However, production in December surged by 14.7 percent from a year earlier, up for the second month running, the boards data showed, having fallen for nine consecutive months through October because of severe drought, poor application of fertilisers and a government ban on pesticides.

Mainly it is the weather that impacted production in 2016, said Sri Lanka Tea Board Director-General S.A. Siriwardena.

Sri Lankas 2015 tea output fell 2.7 percent year-on-year to 329 million kg, missing forecasts for a second consecutive year because of heavy rains.

Tea is Sri Lankas top agricultural export commodity and one of the main foreign currency earners for the US $82 billion economy.

Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers, in its market report, said Sri Lankas 2016 tea exports fell 5.9 percent to 288.7 million kg in 2015, while export volume plummeted to 287.2 million kg, its lowest since 2002.

Export earnings fell 5.3 percent to US $ 1.26 billion in 2016 from US $1.33 billion in 2015. Sri Lanka recorded its highest earnings of US $1.63 billion in 2014.

Russia was the largest importer of Sri Lankan tea in 2016, followed by Iran and Iraq. Turkey dropped to fourth position in 2016 from second in 2015. Export volumes to other major buyers such as United Arab Emirates, Libya, Syria and Kuwait fell significantly last year, the broker report said.
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Switzerland to pay 30,000 euros as compensation to a Sri Lankan who was deported from Switzerland and subsequently arrested and allegedly beaten in Colombo, The Local reported yesterday.

The unnamed man, a Tamil who had fought with the Tamil Tigers against the Sri Lankan government, requested asylum in Switzerland in 2009, telling the Swiss authorities he had been persecuted in his own country.

The request was rejected and, following an unsuccessful appeal, the man, his wife and children were deported in 2013.

On arrival at Colombo airport they were stopped and questioned, before the man was taken into custody where he was beaten and ill-treated.

He was visited by a representative of the Swiss ambassador who said the man was too frightened to speak freely, found the court.

After that visit the mans wife and children returned to live in Switzerland.

He was finally released in 2015 and requested a Swiss visa on humanitarian grounds, which was accepted by the Swiss migration office.

In its judgement on Thursday, the ECHR decided that Switzerland must have been aware that the man risked persecution when it deported him to Sri Lanka.

The court judged that Switzerland had therefore violated article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture or degrading treatment and the extradition of a person to a foreign state if they are likely to be subjected to torture there.

Switzerland must now pay the man 30,000 euros in damages and 4,770 euros in costs.
(Courtesy Aljazeera) .25.01.2017 - The United Nations has denounced recent Israeli initiatives to accelerate settlement construction in occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that unilateral actions are an obstacle to peace based on a two-state solution.



For the secretary-general there is no plan B for the two-states solution, UN chief Antonio Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Unilever Sri Lanka together with Cargills Food City drew the curtain on 2016 with the action-packed grand finale of the Shopping Star  Season Four promotion, held at the Thalawathugoda Cargills Food City outlet, recently.

The 10 finalists who were selected from district competitions held around the country competed in the finale to claim the grand prize of Rs.2 million, the second prize of Rs.1 million and the third prize of Rs.500,000.

D. Arulnadam from Batticaloa emerged the winner claiming the first prize of Rs.2 million whilst M.K.N. Samarasekara from Galle and Oshadi Jinanjalee from Kandy won the second and third prizes, respectively.

Unilever Sri Lanka and Cargills Food City rewarded the other finalists with gold jewellery worth Rs.50,000 each.

Speaking to the media on his achievement, Shopping Star  Season Four winner Arulnadam stated, This was by far the most thrilling and delightful experience I have ever had. No words can express the kind of excitement I experienced from the point of being selected for the district competition to winning the grand prize in the grand finale. I must say Shopping Star is a matchless promotion that rewards customers for loyalty with a truly entertaining experience. I am thankful to Unilever Sri Lanka and Cargills Food City for organising this competition.

The extensive first round of Shopping Star - Season Four commenced on October 17 and rolled out for eight weeks covering all districts of the island. All Cargills Food City customers who shopped for at least three of the eight nominated Unilever brands, namely Signal, Lifebuoy, Sunsilk, Lipton, Pears, Vim, Surf Excel and Vaseline, were eligible to take part in the district competitions and 10 finalists selected from the district competitions proceeded to the grand finale.

The Shopping Star competition is our way of connecting with our loyal consumers every year. Consumer trust and strong collaborations are at the core of our success and we wish to nurture these ties. Our partnership with Cargills Food City too has been successful time and again in this initiative. It was wonderful to see the response we received from the public during the course of this competition and kudos to the lucky finalists on their achievements, commented Unilever Sri Lanka Chairman Carl Cruz.

At Cargills Food City we conduct our businesses in a manner that directly engages consumers in a truly unique way. We launched the Shopping Star competition to aptly reward our loyal customers and engage with them through an enjoyable and fun-filled experience. My warm wishes go to all our customers who took part in this great experience and specially to the 10 finalists, including the grand prize winner, said Cargills Food City CEO Sidath Kodikara.

Through the years, Unilever Sri Lanka has formulated a multitude of products that has given them a unique place in the lives of people both here and abroad. They are supported by strong customer bases who utilize their products on a daily basis to look and feel good. Unilevers partnership with Cargills Food City for the fourth consecutive year has been conceptualized to boost consumer experiences and to generate positive associations with the brands. Unilever Sri Lanka will continue to positively impact society, environment and people with strong collaborations, brands and operations which give their customers a chance at getting more out of life, overall.
Global Park workers on strike over haphazard termination read the headline to a news report that appeared on DM Online edition of 16 January, 2017. It said that 66 workers had been suddenly removed from employment.

They were all members of the Free Trade and General Services Employees Union (FTZ&GSEU). The news report also said,.discussions with the owner of Global Park, Onella Karunanayake, regarding this were proved futile. It is no secret that this is a family business of Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and he definitely calls the shots in the business.



It was not long before, the FTZ union complained in writing to the Prime Minister about Karunanayakes high handed management and threats to workers at Global Park, targeting union activists. Few months before, a group of major private sector trade unions including FTZ&GSEU, who are members of the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC), had complained in writing to the Prime Minister, protesting against Development Strategies Minister Malik Samarawickrama and a few businessmen, interfering to change decisions made at the Labour Ministry.



They are both long time businessmen with anti-union track records, now holding strategic ministries that define economic policy of this unity government.



In the Cabinet of Ministers, there are other big time businessmen and some linked to different businesses as well. It is therefore on the strength of this government, the whole approach in the export manufacturing sector management is fast changing into a crude, uncivilised and lawless practice, post January 2015.



The new confidence the export manufacturing sector employers gained post January 2015, in influencing government policies, the continued and growing apathy in State administration that also carries with it a heavily corrupt industrial and labour law enforcing officialdom adds to the arrogance in this sector.



This new arrogance, especially in the Katunayake FTZ, where the manufacturers association is accused of collectively engaging in union busting, is meant to have daily paid contract labour through manpower agencies.



This anti-union crusade seems moving far too rapidly with this unity government that promised Good Governance paying little attention to stop violations. Private sector trade unions in the NLAC, have thus jointly made a request to the Minister of Labour to remove the Katunayake Manufacturers Association from the NLAC membership for its anti-union, anti-labour activities.



This is a sad and an unforgivable turn of events, given the popular acceptance that ousting Rajapaksa created social space for freedom and democracy.



It is also sad, those who rallied to vote this hybrid government to power and cheer it all along, cannot define freedom and democracy to include trade union and labour rights as equally important as all other civil liberties and peoples rights. Theyve probably not heard of the International Labour Organisations Core Conventions. Their presence in Geneva never raised any violations on trade union and labour rights, even under Rajapaksa. They wouldnt go beyond their international sponsors, no doubt.



The international community-which preaches peoples rights, accountability and good governance-has always ignored trade union and labour rights. In 2010, when the EU suspended the GSP Plus concession allowed for Sri Lanka, it was least bothered about violations of trade union and labour rights, despite ICTU and the EUTC presenting a well argued case on labour rights violations in Sri Lanka.



The international community never spoke about trade union and labour rights to be included in the IOSL-31 Resolution, when they included all other Rights as fundamentally important for decent living. The US too accepted what the Rajapaksa government said about trade union and labour rights to extend their GSP concessions to Sri Lanka in 2013, ignoring all evidence on serious violations.

While taking a moral high ground on safeguarding human rights and all other rights in relation to ICCPR and CAT, the international community ignores ILO Core Conventions as the absence of such labour rights benefit investors.



They even ignore the UN Charter on Human Rights when it comes to labour rights. HR Charter very clearly and without any ambiguity, includes labour rights within Human Rights. Article 23 of the UN Human Rights Charter says;



(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.



Yet, that part of human rights, the right to join a trade union, right for decent work, right for just and favourable remuneration as wages have all been ignored in all campaigns that claim to defend Human Rights in Sri Lanka. This bifurcation of rights into two; one the hyped human rights and war related crimes and then the second, the most comfortably ignored labour rights has made it easy for governments to avoid answering violations of trade union and labour rights and for the employer to violate labour rights.



Most violations of labour rights and all union busting and unfair labour practices are seen rapidly increasing in the export oriented manufacturing sector that come under the BOI-SL within and outside FTZs. It was this large sector that was given all the benefits by every government, beginning with the Jayewardene government that pioneered this neo-liberal, free market economy in 1978. It is this sector that is treated right royally and is promoted as the engine of growth by this government. This sector is provided with tax benefits, tax holidays, tax waivers, special infrastructure at State expense for almost four decades for what governments call development.



What has not been told by any government to date is how much the people, as tax payers, have funded these investors in trillions of rupees over decades and what the people had got in return.

This is how a report by Oxfam summed up that untold part of massive exploitation in a pre Davos exposure in 2016.



Large corporations and those on the top play a key role in widening this gap. Super-rich people use a network of tax havens to avoid paying their fair share of tax, drive down wages for their workers and the prices paid to producers, and investing less in their businesses. They also use their connections to ensure that government policy works for them. [5 shocking facts about extreme global inequality and how to even it up in Davos /emphasis added]



Before this years Davos meeting they wrote:

Within the labour share, wage disparities have been growing. Wages in low-skill sectors in particular have been falling behind productivity in emerging economies and stagnating in many rich countries, while wages at the top continue to growIn many developing countries where wage disparities are growing, the pay gap between workers with different skills and education levels is a key driver of inequality. Highly skilled workers with more education see their incomes rise, while low-skilled workers see their wages reduced. This gap accounts for 2535% of income inequality in Asia.

[Oxfam briefing paper/p 03  2017 January / p- 13 emphasis added]

In much the same way crony businesses have far more leverage in deciding government policy of the present unity government than most urban middle class hurrah boys, who believe they have access to President Sirisena and the Prime Minister.



In a society that helped a new-rich business community to emerge with political and State patronage in the export manufacturing sector, fly by night investors believe they dont have to adhere to labour and industrial laws in accruing wealth.



We invest and we earn is their set motto. Management for them is all about increasing profits. They thus prefer to run their factories without any trade union, employing labour through manpower agencies. Post war, there is therefore a trend in employing military officers as Human Resources Managers to force their form of discipline on workers.



What needs to be asked is, with all such written representations by trade unions to the Prime Minister, to the Labour Minister and most recently to the President, why cannot this government put a stop to these violations through management thuggery, in the most vital sector in the economy?

This government cannot and would not.



The very economic model and its policies lead only to accelerated inequality with brutal suppression of labour rights, within this Neo-Liberal global economy. Workers on low incomes across the world continue to see their wages squeezed, particularly through global supply chains where suppliers compete to provide consumers with the lowest prices. Women are the hardest hit, as they are the most likely to work under precarious and low-paid employment [ibid / p-17]



Thus this talk of creating wider space for democratic life under this unity government is simply a myth that holds over 2.34 million private sector workers out of the democratic equation.



This democracy is for the new rich crony businesses, funded by civil society groups and middle class professionals only, who believe they can also accumulate wealth if the status quo is maintained.



In plain language this democracy under this government is all about increasing inequality in society at the expense of good wages, worker rights and decent work.
Editor's Note: Another young girl in the area has been diagnosed with the rare form of brain stem cancer called DIPG (Difuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma). At the familys request only first names will be used in their effort to protect the children from finding out how severe the diagnosis is at this time. The family has decided not to tell their children she has cancer and requests that the public be understanding at this time.

December 3 is a day Mechelle and Jim, the parents of twins, will never forget. Their 11-year-old daughter Sarah Elizabeth smiled at her parents and the left side of her face did not move.

We took her to Childrens Hospital and eight hours, many doctors and an MRI later were told that our baby has DIPG, recalled Mechelle of Bonne Terre. While a doctor was pointing out where this tumor is located and what that means, all I could do was look at another doctor who was standing to the side shaking his head and telling us how sorry he was.

Mechelle said they were told that this tumor is inoperable, there is no cure and it was highly unlikely that a biopsy could even be done. Doctors have said Sarahs life expectancy is 9 to 12 months.

My husband started researching radionuclides because he felt it has to be an environmental issue because of all the similar cases in the area, said Mechelle.

As most Daily Journal readers know, Summer Warren of Bonne Terre lost her battle with the disease in 2014 at the age of 7. In 2016, MaKennah Barron of Farmington lost her battle with the disease at the age of 8.

While the DIPG may be a rare form of cancer, its not rare to our area," Mechelle said. "You feel strange saying it is rare. My fear is if it is going to be common place in this area. Something is causing this.

Mechelle said everything they have read about radionuclides says radionuclides are cancer-causing, even though "they tell you here they arent an issue."

We decided to pull not only Sarah, but her twin brother, Garrett, out of school for home-bound schooling so I can keep him away from all of this, explained Mechelle. The school was great about that, completely understood and agreed.

Mechelle said North County Intermediate Assistant Principal Jessica Mattingly has been completely amazing.

Jeff Jeude, the home-school teacher who has been doing the home-bound schooling with us, has been amazing, said Mechelle. I have to tell you, if you have to be in the position we are in, we just couldnt have better people. I cannot say enough good things about them.

Mechelle added DIPG can cause some emotional problems because of the nerves that it is pressing on. She said her daughter now cries easily, gets frustrated and is emotional. Doctors said she could have outbursts of anger, but they have not seen that so far.

We have just noticed she cries much easier than normal, said Mechelle. She has always been an extremely happy child. She is that little girl who wakes up with a smile on her face in the morning. Her and her twin brother, neither one, we have never had a minute of trouble out of them. They have been an absolute gift, a blessing. Now ... you know  you dont understand and its not fair.

Mechelle said the twins were born eight weeks early and she sat in a special care nursery watching the heart monitors and watching her babies turn blue from heart rate drops. Sarah was in for five weeks weighing three pounds and Garrett, at four pounds, was in for six weeks.

I thought that was the scariest thing as a parent you could ever go through, choked up Mechelle. We made it through that and they were healthy. They were never sickly, they were very healthy kids, they surpassed size and everything the doctors said could be an issue. No problems at all from being premature. Everything was great and then all of a sudden one day my daughter smiles and the left side of her face didnt move. This is the first time she has ever been sick.

Sarah was officially diagnosed on Dec. 5. She underwent a blind biopsy and a shunt was placed in the top of her head to drain the excess fluid that was causing the beginning stages of hydrocephalus.

Mechelle said surgery started at 9 a.m. and when she was done they brought her to a room in ICU at 4 p.m. Mechelle recalled that she thought they walked a thousand miles during the seven hours that Sarah was in surgery.

The main reason I am keeping her out of school is because of the tube in her neck and the shunt in her head which resembles a bump, explained Mechelle. I cant take the chance that something can hit that: a ball, a child, anything and the spot on the back of her head you can still see where they did the biopsy.

Mechelle added she has a port in her chest, and stitches in her stomach, chest, on the side of her neck, on the top of her head and in the back of her head.

We already knew what we were dealing with, we already knew what she had and they called it a blind biopsy, said Mechelle. If you have any idea how scary that is and part of the reason it took so long is once they were able to extract matter in the biopsy, they had to test it to make sure it was the matter they were after.

Mechelle said she walked the entire parking garage from top to bottom more times than she can remember because it was so many hours of not knowing what was going on with her baby and if she was OK.

At 4 p.m. they brought her into ICU and they said she needed to stay in ICU so they could keep a close eye on her, said Mechelle. About 30 minutes later she tries to get up out of bed. They really werent expecting her to be that awake. She hasnt been very different through all this besides her face.

Mechelle said two days later Sarah smiled and her entire face lit up. A full smile. She added they were told that probably would never happen again.

We began researching clinical trials, anything that could stop this monster of a disease that had decided to try to take our beautiful little girl away from us, said Mechelle. After finding out that, because of our daughter's mutation, (DIPG always has a mutation) k27m, that she is not a candidate for this trial, because her HLA typing is not the correct typing for that trial she is not a candidate for it either. One reason after another our daughter did not fit the trials that were not saving lives anyway so the search continued.

Mechelle said they found a clinical trial in New York being done using Convection Enhanced Delivery which involves many surgeries and is very dangerous so they decided to search again and found the same technique being used in London.

A doctor in London is using nanobots to map the blood vessels and direct the catheter to the tumor and this consists of one surgery, explained Mechelle. Reading on it, we find that not only is the surgical procedure far more advanced, but he has children who are still with us 29 months after diagnosis. We were so excited.

Michelle feels they finally found what they were looking for, promise and hope, only to be told their insurance will not cover the private hospital in London where this surgery takes place.

They said 'its not yet an approved treatment and they are so sorry,' but I refuse to accept that, said Mechelle. I knew there had to be another way because I could not let a lack of funding be the end. The initial surgery is somewhere in the area of $80,000 and each treatment afterwards is $9,600.

Each year approximately 250 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with DIPG, a rare high-grade glioma which is more common in elementary school-aged children, but it can affect children of any age.

A GoFundMe account, Sarah's Quest for a cure (Sophie's), has been set up to help raise money to get Sarah to London for the procedure. With high hopes, the family has already applied for their passports and expect to have them by time Sarah has completed her radiation treatments. There is also a "SophiEs Quest" account set up at First State Community Bank for those who would like to make a donation to the family to help get Sarah to London.

I pray for my child and I pray that no parent ever again has to be told that their child has this, said Mechelle. This was originally being labelled as 'SophiE's quest' for my daughters anonymity. Sophie is my daughters puppy and the capitalized S and E stood for Sarah Elizabeth but we are no longer in the position to stay in the shadows."
Presidont Trump, how are you doing? Best? Fantastic? Hows the museum youre living in treating you, buddy? You know, the White House. We can see youre settling in nicely, having tuned the Oval Office into a locker-room already, signing executive orders to grab womens pussy and then clamp it down with law. Good job, Donny. Quite excellent, we must say.

Now, about that Wall. Yes, that wall. We know you are a great builder and you have sky-crapers in India, China, Brazil, Ireland, Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa, Philippines and hell even Mexico. Have you forgotten about the buildings in Mexico, Donny? But, you want to build, as former Mexican President Vincente Fox Quesada puts it, the #Fu**ingWall, anyway, and have the Mexicans pay for it. What do you think the Mexicans are, ancient Chinese?

Donald, don't be self-indulgent. Mexico has spoken, we will never ever pay for the #FuckingWall. https://t.co/a79WDY5vlv  Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) January 26, 2017

Listen in, Donny. You got to worry about the ratings more. Did you realise that they are falling, and now even the New York Post will not carry a raunchy frontpage on your peccadillos. Theyd probably think peccadillo is a special form of dealdo of the Hispanic variety. Seriously, Donald.

Look Donald, even the Mexican president, yeah the tiny chap you were dismissing so far but who knows how to look good with none other than both Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau, yes even that guy doesnt want to go on a date with you. You know what his name is? Do you know who Enrique Pena Nieto is? Dude, thats NOT the guy from Narcos. Dont confuse Pablo Escobar with Enrique Pena Nieto.

Now Donny, have you ever seen the inside of a Trump brand blazer, or an overcoat, or a pullover, or a shirt? Bet, you havent. You dont wear the Trump brand, do you? Melania prefers Ralph Lauren. Ivanka filches from Donatella Versace and Dolce and Gabbana to put her own name on the stuff. But you Donald, you make do with everything that has semen-stained golden thread in it  curtains, bed sheets, upholstery.

Dear Donald, why do you prefer confrontation like a Jallikattu bull?

So, let us share with you a secret. If you ever peek into the innards of a Trump brand clothing item, youd realise that its either Made in Mexico, or Made in Bangladesh, or Made in China. Hows that for a sentimental education? Yes, even your America First catchphrase was made in World War II, in a cartoon precisely, and had its origin in the concerted hate campaign towards American Jewish financers. No, all Jews arent in Israel, even though Netayahu is your second-best friend after Putin.

If you ever peek into the innards of a Trump brand clothing item, youd realise that its Made in Mexico". (Picture: Twitter)

See Donny, you want to have some real fun? Lets tell you how Hillary planned to and Bill and George and Ronald and Richard had their share of fun, while pretending to be all serious about everything. You dont build a wall, Donny, or ban visas from Muslim-majority countries where YOU dont have business interests, yet. No, you never get THAT obvious.

Instead, you build a detention centre in a country with which you did not even have diplomatic relations for 50 years. You keep all the proven and potential weirdos there, you know the bearded guys, all the while promising to shut it down, dangling the carrot of keeping it all cool and civil and nice, while never actually doing it. In fact, you ensure circumstances to keep the detention centre merrily healthy and populated, as you make drones bomb around countries of your choice, or the choice of that very country which gave the US its biggest chance to launch its awesome War on Terror.

Rings a bell, Donny? Pay attention now. You dont SAY that youd ban visa and restrict visits from particular countries, especially countries with very little proven terrorism links in the US soil. Instead, you throw around the moral supremacy of American democracy to keep going about the business of humanitarian intervention. So, if we bomb you, we ban you isnt gonna work. It will expose America as the douchebag it already is. Instead, it should be, our war on terror will not be compromised, or something suitably vague along that line.

Look, what happens in India, for example. Our PM, Narendra Modi, only issues very sombre warning signals to Pakistan whenever theres a municipal or state Assembly or general election in India. He, however, never ever talks of withdrawing trade links with the neighbour!

How on earth will Indians have their favourite spice - ajwain? We talk of sending our liberals  whom we call sickulars  to Pakistan, but dont much believe in barter, so have an issue when Pakistans liberals come over to India to make it even (and work in different creative fields). Nope, we never do anything concrete that leaves a real impact on the majority. Its always shoot and scoot.

Now, we know that the same has been your modus operandi (you learnt that phrase now, remember to use it, with spell-check on) in shows like Celebrity Apprentice, but the White House is a different league of a reality show altogether. So, you cant say the media lies. Just lie to the media. Make the CIA, the Federal Reserve, the FBI, the NSA your allies, Trump and they will help you lie smoothly and efficiently to your own citizens, while portraying you as the godsend at that. Dont you want that, Donny?

Why do you prefer confrontation like a Jallikattu bull? It gets nasty and you rake in the mud like a porky pig. You have gotta be smoother than that Donny. Take notes from Bill and Barack. They are yours, and Americas, best friends.
Will the end of the American century happen with a whimper, a bang or the rubble of protest signage? The signs  trampled debris of lusty activism  ran the gamut from erudite and witty, to the outright vulgar.

Taking aim at the new resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, protesters sought to put President Donald Trump on notice about future actions he might take damaging womens rights, failing to protect the planet, and some even denied he was their president.

Challenges

Its heartening to witness, in an apathetic era where few bother to vote, a portion of the American body politic so galvanised. If nothing else, weve Trump to thank for this. With earnestness and zeal, well-meaning folk across the land hoisted banners on high, donned woollen pink pussycat hats and, alternately, purred or hissed in unison, posting prodigiously on social media to signal virtuous solidarity.

Protesters sought to put President Donald Trump on notice about future actions he might take damaging womens rights.

Social activism writ large faces a number of critical challenges. First, theres the moral constitution of the activist. Mahatma Gandhi, the progenitor of modern protesting, lodged it firmly within a spiritual frame of compassion, satyagraha and non-violence. Cognisant of the need for a certain grace and sanctity, Gandhi called for individuals to act with dignified authenticity if they are to advance social causes with moral authority.

Theres a fine line between genuine conviction and crude self-righteous posturing. Properly-constituted, individual agency contoured by humility is empowering. The opposite is rabble-roused frenzy with crude turns of phrase that conclude with self-congratulatory pats on the back.

Oddly, incivilities and mob-based social anomie, the very thing that many protesters were railing against, was embraced by some as par for the course. With Hollywood in town, everything turned R-rated in a mishmash of metaphor and rage, preluded by Meryl Streeps breathy meretricious melodrama.

Protesting and ruling implicate presence or lack of forms of virtue. If angels were to govern men (and women), Madison reminds us, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. Trump is no paragon of rectitude, nor does he profess to be such. And politicians of every ilk should be held accountable, acknowledging that in democracies sovereignty resides with the people.

There are also institutions in place to check and balance power. Political transitions are always bumpy, and even former President Barack Obama, for whom Trump is an anathema, urged the public to give him a chance.

Another challenge for social movements is direction. Amorphous, rudderless protests for protests sake are the stuff of college campuses. Absent a clear agenda, leadership with a coherent platform, and a message capable of converting sceptics to the cause, protests fizzle or fail. History shows that when activism topples a status quo, creates a void, or unleashes anarchic forces, darker realities often emerge.

An unfathomable ambition of some protesters is to have the new administration fail. To this is appended a hope that its policies will be even worse than any conceivable worst-case scenario. They welcome the apocalypse as a self-fulfiling prophesy. This is the kernel of American decline  a destructive burn-down-the-house stance thats at the other end of the spectrum from the civil rights movement of the 1960s which propelled America forward.

Reckoning

Hillary Clinton herself unleashed some of this. As Thomas Frank pointed out in The Guardian, her campaign turned on the vacuous proposition that she is the last thing standing between you and the end of the world. Her coronation denied, the end of the world is surely nigh. In truth, its the end of America that is at issue with the country buckling at the knees, buttressed only by a toxic ideology of exceptionalism where rhetoric and reality are severely out of sync.

Throughout two terms Obama invoked and promulgated the rose-coloured exceptionalism myth. The truth of the matter is a plainly different picture. The 2016 election represents a major reckoning. Crumbling roads and collapsing bridges, a failing education system, tens of trillions of dollars of public and private indebtedness, crime-infested inner cities, declining race relations, underfunded pensions, swelling prison systems, stagnating wages and income inequality define the dystopic topography of contemporary America.

To this one can add levels of legalised corruption that would make every founder of the republic recoil. Then theres the centrepiece of the Obama legacy, the so-called Affordable Care Act. Although its aims were laudable, hijacked by the insurance lobby and big pharma, it has exacerbated the exorbitant costs of healthcare. Objective stakeholders acknowledge it must be revised.

Agitation

How the ripple effects of pro- and anti-Trump agitation play out will be telling for America. Can there be a pulling together, will people finally acknowledge that the deep structural problems in the country are grave, pressing and severe?

Foremost among them is the decimated middle class required to be the engine of a 70 per cent consumption economy. Or will the moral bankruptcy of balkanised identity politics predominate, where polarised communal raging takes precedence over notions of the common good and actions reduce to brutish wills to power?

Of course, America is not alone in its social and political ills. Politics, out of touch with people, is fuelling populism everywhere: near economic collapse from overindebtedness is ubiquitous, environmental challenges are mounting, and the inability to build coalitions collectively to recognise and address existing and impending crises is the norm.

If Trumps major role has been to declare that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, this is a step forward. What he can fix remains to be seen. One way or another, the Trump presidency will reshape America and the world.

Borrowing Hillary Clintons memorable term, its time for us to realise were all deplorables now  saddled with a similar plight on the same dying horse.

Perhaps this realisation can knit together a nation and doff the woolly caps. Time will tell whether in the euphoria of protest mania this is simply too much to ask.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)
Territorial dogfights may be the most universal kind of politics, but there are some exceptions to the rule. While looking at the USA, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, United Kingdom (especially during the British Raj) gives one the cringe, or a perverted high, Norway is planning to give us a reason to smile.

A campaign is on in Norway to gift Finland a mountaintop to mark its centenary as a free nation. Bjrn Geirr Harsson, a retired Norwegian geophysicist, has been the champion of the idea behind this unprecedented show of kindness, and has made a documentary about it, called Battle for Birthday Mountain.

So the idea is quite simple. Halti Peak, which is part of the Norway-Finland border mountains, is the highest point in Norway, while neighbouring Finland has the hillside, or the valley. Now, Svein Oddvar Leiros, mayor of the municipality of Kafjord where the mountaintop is located, among others, is all for gifting Halti Peak to Finland as a gesture of kindness and friendship, so that the highest point in Finland is raised, and the glorious mountaintop can become a part of the 100-year-old country.

Photo: Stuffpoint.com

This would mean merely 31 metres of sacrifice into the current Norwegian land, but a lovely bouquet of views and thrill for the Finnish.

Of course, all that glitters is not gold. There are massive constitutional hiccups to this seemingly noble idea, as Article 1 of Norways constitution, like good old recalcitrant books of law, states that the kingdom of Norway is indivisible and inalienable.

Bjrn Geirr Harsson wants to make an example of Norway by trending the act of territorial gifts at global parties, but the ride isnt that smooth. Nevertheless, Birthday Mountain is a cause to raise a toast to in Norway, and who knows soon we might start gifting peaks and lakes and even seas in the spirit of camaraderie.
A new police chief has been named for the Potosi Police Department after the sudden loss of their chief, Roy Logsden, in December.

Potosi Police Lt. Michael Gum, 38, was appointed the new police chief of the Potosi Police Department by the Potosi City Council on Jan. 19.

Gum graduated from Arcadia Valley in 1997 and attended Mineral Area College where he graduated the Mineral Area Law Enforcement Academy on May 21, 1999. He has been married to Ashley (Drummond) Gum for 12 years and they have two children.

Gum began working as a dispatcher for the Potosi Police Department in June of 1999. The department did not have an open police officer position at the time, so Gum applied for and was hired as a deputy sheriff with the Iron County Sheriffs Office on Dec. 1, 1999.

I served as deputy sheriff until June 1, 2000 when I was hired by Chief Logsden at the Potosi Police Department, said Gum. I began as a patrol officer and worked my way up the ranks. I also served as the departments detective for many years.

Gum also holds an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Mineral Area College and many certifications in the area of law enforcement. He is also an instructor at the Mineral Area Law Enforcement Academy where he instructs new recruits and current law enforcement officers.

He comes from a rich police background. His great-grandfather was a Milwaukee County deputy for over 30 years in Wisconsin and his father, Mal Gum, has been in law enforcement since 1980 and is still with the Potosi Police Department today. Also, his first cousin, is Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen and they have a great relationship.

This is something I have been striving to do for the last several years, kind of working towards it and it is a great honor for the city to have entrusted me this position, said Gum. Its a pretty good undertaking, but I have a great department and I look forward to keep serving the community. I worked for Chief Roy Logsden for almost 17 years and it was hard to lose him. He trained me well I think. I just want to keep moving forward and move the department in the direction we are going.

Gum plans to approach the city council about hiring a new patrol officer for his department.
In preparation for this summer's annual American Cancer Society fundraiser, Relay For Life of St. Francois County is hosting a Team Captain Kick-off Party beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, at Elizabeth Hall, 210 East Woodlawn Drive, in Leadington.

This year's Relay For Life (RFL) is set to begin at 5 p.m. July 21 and end at 6 a.m. July 22 and will once again take place at Mineral Area College .

According to RFLSFC Co-Chair Sonya Bahr, this weekend's kickoff will highlight how the community has benefited from funds raised and how teams can do their part in the fight against cancer.

Everyone is invited to the kickoff to learn about how to help the American Cancer Society (ACS) save more lives from cancer," said Bahr. We're asking all of our team captains to bring their team members so we can celebrate, remember, and fight back. We are coming together to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

"Guests can register a team and pick up supplies for the RFL event. This is our communitys opportunity to help save lives from cancer by taking our message to more people and raising more dollars to fund the fight, she said. Together, our efforts can make a big difference.

Also on hand at Sunday's kickoff will be Bahr's co-chair, Sarah Dement and ACS Relay For Life Staff Partner Shanna Hayes.

"For those not aware of how large the RFL movement is, four million participated in 6,000 events held worldwide in 2016, Hayes said. "In fact, last year, 297 people reportedly participated in the local RFL, raising $71,685 for ACS."

Even though St. Francois County's RFL has been one of the top regional fundraisers for the ACS since its start in the 1990s, team participation has dropped some in recent years and this is something Bahr and Dement  both long-time RFLSFC participants  are hoping to turn around this year.

"This year we're planning to put a greater focus on children at Julys RFL," Bahr said. They are our future and we want to get them involved while theyre still young.

Hayes hopes that more people will consider participating in RFL this year.

"By attending this weekend's kickoff at Elizabeth Hall, people new to RFL will have a chance to find out how they can be a part of making this years event a success," she said. "We want everyone to know they're welcome to attend, even if they've never participated in a RFL event before."

Visit relayforlife.org or contact Shanna Hayes at 573-718-3746 or shanna.hayes@cancer.org to learn more about Relay For Life.
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Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup></sup> urban office real estate investment trust ("REIT"), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet ("SF"). The asset base in North America includes 31.9 million RSF of operating properties and 3.3 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 7.1 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects, and 7.4 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology, and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity, and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology, and agtech companies through our venture capital platform. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value.
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electric utility, banking, and renewable/sustainable infrastructure investment businesses in the state of Hawaii. It operates in three segments: Electric Utility, Bank, and Other. The Electric Utility segment engages in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. Its renewable energy sources and potential sources include wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, municipal waste, and other biofuels. This segment serves suburban communities, resorts, the United States armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. The Bank segment operates a community bank that offers banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses, including savings and checking accounts; and loans comprising residential and commercial real estate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans. This segment operates 42 branches, including 29 branches in Oahu, 6 branches in Maui, 4 branches in Hawaii, 2 branches in Kauai, and 1 branch in Molokai. The Other segment invests in non-regulated renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure in the State of Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. was incorporated in 1891 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The pick President Donald Trump made as his Secretary of Labor outsourced jobs in the technology department of his fast food business in the Philippines. This move contradicts the vow by Trump to keep jobs in the United States.

Trump has threatened, lashed out and attempted to charm companies in the U.S. that have even contemplated moving some jobs overseas. He says he is sticking up for workers in America who have not felt the economic recovery.

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alerts:

A filing with the Department of Labor by the company of Andrew Puzder and an acknowledgement by a company spokesperson that CKE maintains its IT operation in the Philippines shows a contradiction raised by this nomination.

Congressional Democrats and allies are rushing in so they can exploit the record of Puzder on minimum wage increases and rules for overtime, as they are questioning how he would advocate for the American worker.

Trump said he would put the American worker first. However, it appears more and more this might not be the complete truth and that was seen clearly through his nomination for Labor Secretary, said U.S. Senator Patty Murray, the senior Democrat of the committee that will consider the nomination of Puzder February 7.

CKE Restaurants Inc the company operated by Puzder notified the U.S. government during August of 2010 that it would outsource its division of restaurant information technology to the Philippines.

In doing so, the U.S. agency said, contributed to layoffs for both employees of CKE and those of a staffing firm in California.

The findings by the agency made workers eligible for benefits from the federal government to lessen the impact the employees had from globalization.

The company earlier this week in a prepared statement said that by outsourcing the tech division to a company that employs many specialists, CKE was able to improve its quality of service in its restaurants.

Nothing is illegal or uncommon about the decision by CKE to move the help desk overseas or to lay off workers.

Washington Senator Murray said that the filing that showed jobs outsourced to the Philippines was another troubling example of U.S. workers squeezed by businesses under the leadership of Andrew Puzder.

Trump, in his first week as President, warned he would place a significant tax at the border on companies that manufactured outside the U.S.

He has promised as well to give tax advantages to businesses that product their products domestically.
ServiceNow, Inc. provides enterprise cloud computing solutions that defines, structures, consolidates, manages, and automates services for enterprises worldwide. It operates the Now platform for workflow automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, performance analytics, electronic service catalogs and portals, configuration management systems, data benchmarking, encryption, and collaboration and development tools. The company also provides information technology (IT) service management applications; IT service management product suite for enterprise's employees, customers, and partners; IT business management product suite; IT operations management product that connects a customer's physical and cloud-based IT infrastructure; IT Asset Management to automate IT asset lifecycles; and security operations that connects with internal and third party. In addition, it offers governance, risk, and compliance product to manage risk and resilience; human resources, legal, and workplace service delivery products; safe workplace applications; customer service management product; and field service management applications. Further, it provides App Engine product; IntegrationHub enables application to extend workflows; and professional, industry solutions, and customer support services. It serves government, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, IT services, technology, oil and gas, education, and consumer products through direct sales team and resale partners. It has a strategic partnership with Celonis to help customers identify and prioritize processes that are suitable for automation. The company was formerly known as Service-now.com and changed its name to ServiceNow, Inc. in May 2012. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
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Two Albemarle County residents are behind bars following a short police pursuit.

At about 3 p.m. Wednesday, county detectives and members of the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force attempted to serve a warrant on James H. Turner Jr., 45, during a traffic stop near Greenbrier Drive when police said Turner rammed an Albemarle police cruiser before speeding away.

After a brief pursuit, police arrested Turner and served an outstanding felony warrant for distribution of crack cocaine. Turner also faces charges of attempting to maliciously wound a law enforcement officer, eluding police and possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute.

Police also arrested Turners passenger, 25-year-old Perrie T. Johnson, who faces charges of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and obstruction of justice.

Turner and Johnson are currently being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond.
The theme of this years round of community Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations is Silence as Betrayal, and perhaps no one is more befitting of that premise than the woman who famously broke against the culture of silence in sexual harassment 25 year ago.

Anita Hill was the keynote speaker for this years celebrations, and addressed a packed audience at the Paramount Theater on Thursday evening to speak on the need for inclusive communities in a post-Obama America.

While a portion of the University of Virginia student-heavy crowd was likely too young to remember it firsthand  as Hill herself noted  the Brandeis University professor and rights activist first came into the spotlight in 1991, when she testified that Supreme Court Justice then-nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her when she worked for him at two different government offices. Thomas vehemently denied the allegations and was ultimately confirmed by the Senate, but Hills refusal to back down prompted a nationwide dialogue on sexual harassment in the workplace.

After approaching the stage to an immediate standing ovation from the crowd, Hill said the struggles heard 25 years ago now serve as a 20th-century morality play from which she intended to draw parallels between what was happening then and what is happening now.

In 1991, Hill said, claims of sexual misconduct were personal matters rather than legal ones. There was little guidance as to how one might process a sexual harassment claim, and while claims could be taken to court, judges themselves were often harassers.

Its no wonder that most women didnt complain, Hill said. When women went into court, there was no clear answer. They were not sure they were actually going to be heard.

That was the backdrop for her historic 1991 testimony, which was called forth after a private interview between Hill and the FBI about her allegations were leaked to the press. Asked to publicly testify before the Senate, Hill stated that Thomas had harassed her during her time serving under him at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Hill pointed out that her testimony came under the pretense of outlining Thomas unfitness of character in serving on the nations highest court.

The matter was not one of my personal civil rights alone, it was a matter of equal justice and rights for all, she said.

Thomas denied the claims, with backing from senators eager to confirm a conservative voice to the Supreme Court. In that pursuit, they neglected their duty to hear her voice and collect all the information to properly inform the vote, she said. Instead, they demonized and belittled Hill, saying she had been seeking attention or materializing her own obsession with Thomas.

They created their own made-up narrative and operated in their own alternative realities, Hill said to resounding laughs and cheers at her evocation of a recent presidential counselors use of the phrase alternative facts.

With Thomas claiming victimhood from Hills claims, as both a victim of racism from liberal elites who had used Hill, as well as a victim of Hill herself, the Senate voted to confirm him.

[Thomas] pitted race against gender in the mind of the Senate, Hill said. And because the Senate lacked diversity, they bought it.

While pundits feared that the confirmation would stifle other women from raising claims of sexual harassment, they were luckily wrong. Hills efforts mobilized women and institutions to take on the persistent shadow of sexual harassment in the workplace.

That said, the problem still exists, she continued. It took scores of women to finally convince the public that Bill Cosby may have been a sexual abuser, she pointed out, and yet society remains resilient to seeing harassment as predatory behavior.

The idea that this is just what men do is so offensive, she said. Harassment is about power and its abuse, and we have to treat it that way.

The concept of de-normalizing sexual harassment seems more cogent than ever in the current political climate, Hill pointed out. President Donald Trump has been accused my multiple women of sexual harassment, and has even been caught bragging about sexual misconduct in a 2005 audio recording, provoking fears that his administration will be indifferent to womens rights.

To combat those fears, Hill said, its imperative for both women and men to respond.

We respond by standing up, moving forward, filing our complaints  we cannot remain silent, Hill said.

She notes that while there may be doubts about the federal governments sensitivity to womens rights, much of the work that must be done for equal treatment can be performed at the state and local levels. As opposed to 1991, there is also now a network of institutional partners willing to invest in inclusion and equal treatment, and for good reason  a whole body of research from social sciences has shown that inclusion and equality is in fact good for business.

While refraining from keying in too deeply on Trump and his sexist, bigoted and hateful rhetoric, Hill said that as the country moves forward, it is deserving of more than alternative facts.

Yes, we must move on. Yes, we will. But we will not slink away in fear, Hill concluded. We will draw on our most courageous selves.
This calendar, published every Saturday, lists special events of a religious nature. Because of space constraints, notices about regular worship services cannot be included. Items intended for publication, including an address and phone number, should be faxed to (434) 978-7252; mailed to Worship Calendar, The Daily Progress, P.O. Box 9030, Charlottesville, VA 22906; or emailed to ewood@dailyprogress.com. Material must be received by 4 p.m. the Wednesday prior to publication.
CULPEPER  Jacob Breeden, of Lignum in Culpeper County, recently shot and killed in his front yard what may be Virginias largest-ever feral hog, weighing a whopping 545 pounds.

According to state wildlife officials, the sizable male beast could have been an escaped domestic pig or a feral swine that someone fattened up for recreational hunting, which they do not encourage due to the significant damage that the disease-ridden creatures can cause to crops, property and people.

When 17-year-old Breeden saw the animal tearing up his yard last Saturday, he grabbed his rifle.

I went outside, and it charged me  it was flapping its jaws together and running toward me, he said. I was kind of shocked to see how big it was. When he came up to me the way he did, I had no choice but to shoot him.

Breeden said he was scared for himself and his young nieces and nephews in the house, calling the thing with tusks a wild boar. He said his adrenaline kicked in and he was able to take down the beast that measured 6 feet and 10 inches long from snout to tail.

Breeden, who lives in a wooded area, later weighed the hog at a nearby farm. He said hes had encounters with supposed wild boars in the area before but that he doesnt usually hunt them.

I believe it was a smart one that had been hanging out in the woods for a while, Breeden said.

Mike Dye, district wildlife biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said the creature could not be definitively identified at this point.

If it was a feral hog, it was being fed  a lot, he said. They typically do not have the resources to get that big in nature.

Feral swine are the same species as and often look very similar to domestic hogs, but they are generally thinner with thicker hides of coarse bristly hair and longer tusks.

The average feral hog in Virginia is typically much smaller with an average weight of around 200 pounds for adult males and slightly smaller for females, Dye said.

Larger feral hogs are somewhat uncommon as there is a high mortality rate as there is a lot of hunting pressure on this population, he said.

The beasts are classified as nuisance species in Virginia and can be killed or trapped at any time of the year with no bag limit. They are very destructive to agriculture and environmental resources, including streams and rivers where they like to hang out to cool off, Dye said.

He added that its uncommon for feral hogs to demonstrate aggressive behavior like charging someone as Breeden described, but that it has happened. State game officials have worked for years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to completely eradicate the species, which was first brought to the country in the 1500s by early settlers as a source of food.

A tissue sample was taken for testing, said Jeffrey Rumbaugh, staff wildlife biologist with the USDA office based in Moseley. The sample will be compared with a genetic archive to see if the creature is related to other feral swine from the area, he said.

Its unlikely that a feral hog in Culpeper would grow to be that large unless it had easy access to something other than acorns or whatever else it could find in the woods, Rumbaugh said.

Still, he said, there had been no reports so far of humongous, missing domestic hogs in the Lignum area. Rumbaugh said some feral pigs can show aggression, but its the exception and that they typically dont want to be seen and want to get away quickly when faced with human contact.

Feral swine, with their lack of natural predators, have been reported in at least 35 states, including Virginia, with a nationwide population estimated at more than 6 million, according to the USDA.

Efforts in Virginia to eradicate the population through trapping and killing have been effective, Dye said. At one point, he estimated that hundreds of feral hogs roamed Culpeper County, a figure he said is now likely below 100.

It is a heavily hunted population with the majority of mortality occurring through hunters, he said. In the next two to three years, they could be eradicated.

Rumbaugh said Culpeper was once considered a hotbed for feral pig activity, adding that online searches would point hunters here.

Most people who hunt feral hogs do eat them, and they can taste pretty good, Dye said. However, there is a risk of contracting one of the estimated 30 diseases the pigs can carry, which can also impact domestic livestock.

Breeden said hes not eating his recent kill, saying he was advised that it was not safe because the male meat is loaded with testosterone.

If it was a sow, I could have enough sausage for the next few years, he said.

Both Dye and Rumbaugh said that if genetic results confirm the beast was a feral hog, its the largest one of which theyve ever heard. Anyone experiencing any kind of wildlife conflicts, including with feral hogs, can report them to the USDA at (855) 571-9003.
At a news conference announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Charlottesville commonwealths attorney, firebrand attorney Jeff Fogel said he intends to use the office as a bully pulpit to address concerns he has about the criminal justice system  particularly the massive number of people incarcerated.

Among the issues he spoke about Thursday was reinstituting parole in Virginia; legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational use; reforming sentencing practices; assisting those who struggle with substance abuse and mental illness; and ending racial inequities in the system.

I hope to have a broad community discussion with my adversary about those issues, so that even if he wins, hell understand where the community stands as well on some of these issues, Fogel said.

I think its important because this is a political position, he said, adding that his candidacy is more about the problems he sees in the criminal justice system, rather than his ability as a prosecutor.

Fogel, a fiercely vocal critic of the citys politicians and police officials in recent years, will be facing current city Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Joe Platania for the nomination. Platania recently announced that he is running to succeed Dave Chapman.

Although his relationship with local authorities may be somewhat strained, Fogel said hes hopeful that he can build a positive relationship with local law enforcement.

As an elected official, I will be the one reflecting the views of our community. Police Chief Al Thomas was selected by the city manager, who in turn was elected by the City Council. So hes some steps removed from being directly in touch with the people, he said. I think Im bringing my campaign to the people.

Alluding to recent discussions about the citys temporary investigation stops, known to some as stop-and-frisk searches, Fogel said Thomas has acknowledged that work needs to be done to address socioeconomic issues as a way to prevent crime.

I intend to work with him on that, Fogel said.

When asked about a recently formed political advocacy group whose mission is to help elect candidates who support its platform to local offices, Fogel, who is one of the chief organizers for the group, said hes not sure whether Equity and Progress in Charlottesville will endorse him.

Fogel said its more than likely, but former Mayor Dave Norris, another organizer with EPIC, said its still undecided.

We havent finalized a process for endorsing a candidate, Norris said. But I personally am strongly in support of him and very excited about his candidacy.

While Fogel has been working with community activists for several months to launch EPIC, he wasnt motivated to run for office until after the election of President Donald Trump.

Inspired by the former presidential administrations efforts to reform the criminal justice system and policing models across the country, Fogel said he believes that direction can actually reduce crime and save tax dollars.

It was my recognition that, with somebody like [Sen.] Jeff Sessions as the attorney general, were going to be going the opposite direction. But we here in Charlottesville have an opportunity to go in the right direction, Fogel said.

Instead of trickle-down theory for criminal justice reform, lets have a trickle-up theory, he said. Lets start it at the base level  town by town, county by county.
Updated at 10:25 p.m.

Crescent Hall residents were allowed to return to their apartments late Thursday, after suspicious materials uncovered by authorities earlier in the day turned out not to be hazardous.

The building had to be evacuated just before 2 p.m., according to a statement from the city, while members of the police and fire departments searched for the cause of a smoke alarm activation.

Emergency workers uncovered what they suspected to be hazardous materials, which they collected for testing.

Residents were moved to a nearby church during the investigation, said police spokesman Lt. Steve Upman.

Later tests of the substance found it was not toxic and residents were allowed to return to their homes late Thursday night.

Crescent Halls is a public housing site for elderly and disabled persons.

Residents of the aging complex have publicly complained several times about conditions there, including extensive water damage, pest problems and inadequate heating and air conditioning.
RICHMOND  The parents of a University of Virginia student who was abducted and slain in 2014 are asking state officials to consider expanding DNA collection from convicts, something they say could have saved their daughter.

John and Susan Graham, the parents of Hannah Graham, met with the leader of the Virginia House of Delegates on Friday. Speaker William Howell said the Grahams urged him to push for a state commission to study the possibility of increasing the number of misdemeanor crimes for which a convicts DNA would be collected.

The Grahams, who have mostly maintained a low profile since their daughters death, also spoke with local media outlets. They said if Jesse Matthew, the man who pleaded guilty in Hannah Grahams death, had been DNA tested for a misdemeanor trespassing conviction in 2010, he would have been prosecuted for other violent crimes he committed before he met Hannah Graham.

Jesse Matthew should have been in jail in September 2014, Susan Graham told WCAV. Had he been in jail at that time, he wouldnt have encountered Hannah on the Downtown Mall, he wouldnt have abducted and murdered her, and she would be alive today.

Matthew also pleaded guilty to killing 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, who disappeared five years before Graham, and is serving a life sentence for a 2005 attempted murder and sexual assault in Northern Virginia.

The Grahams, who couldnt immediately be reached by The Associated Press, were pushing for a measure that would ask the Virginia State Crime Commission for a study on DNA collections. They met with Howell after a House committee earlier in the week failed to advance the measure.

Howell said he will to ask the commission to consider the study, but they already have a full plate and may not be able to take it up immediately, he said. The request also comes at a time when the state is facing a more than $1 billion budget shortfall.

The commission, which has four full-time staff members, has gotten far more requests than it can possibly review over the past few years, executive director Kristen Howard said. Howells request would be considered along with all others when the commissions executive committee meets later this year to determine its priorities, she said.

In September 2014, Graham had dinner with friends and attended parties off campus before deciding to walk home alone. Surveillance video showed her crossing Charlottesvilles Downtown Mall, then leaving a restaurant with Matthew. Her disappearance prompted a massive search.
Police said a 36-year-old man, who was found unresponsive and not breathing Saturday, died on Tuesday at Augusta Health. It's not clear why it took three days for police to confirm his death.

A 44-year-old woman found unresponsive at the same location, an apartment in the 200 block of North Commerce, on Saturday. She was pronounced that same day, shortly she arrived at the hospital. Neither victim has been officially identified by police.

Members of the Waynesboro First Aid Crew, and fire and police departments went to the residence in the 200 block of North Commerce after a 911 call came in reporting that two people could not be roused, and were likely victims of a drug overdose. It's not clear who made the call.

Both victims were found in a bathroom. They were unresponsive and not breathing when police arrived. Found at the scene were an uncapped syringe and other drug paraphernalia associated with heroin or other opioid abuse.

Police suspect they were dealing with one of two powerful drugs, carfentanil and fentanyl, drugs that in recent years have been found mixed in with heroin sold on the street. The potent mixture has resulted in hundreds of deaths nationwide in recent years, with most users unaware that what they are taking is much stronger than unaldulterated heroin. And police suspect the presence of fentanyl, in particular, is only increasing, given the growing number of fatal overdoses related to the drug.

Fentanyl is 25 to 50 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Carfentanil is potentially 10,000 times stronger than morphine. It's only legal use is in large animals. Both drugs are so potent, they render even long-term heroin addicts with high tolerances to opioids unconscious and unable to breathe in a matter of minutes, often leading to death. The substances may even pose a danger to first responders and others when incidental contact occurs through touch or inhalation.

The assistance of the Virginia State Police Clandestine Lab was called for to collect evidence and decontaminate the area. All officers and other first responders who either entered the scene or had contact with the victims also went through decontamination.

Test results on the substances have not been released yet, so it's not clear whether the drugs were in fact carfentanil or fentanyl, or perhaps a combination.
RICHMOND  State and local government employees would get another, voluntary option for retirement savings under legislation championed by House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, and endorsed by a House committee Thursday.

The House Appropriations subcommittee on compensation and retirement voted unanimously to support HB 2251 to create a voluntary, 401(k)-style retirement savings plan for state and local government employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, as well as current employees who want the different option.

Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, proposed the legislation on behalf of Howell, who leads a commission on retirement security and pension reform that endorsed the idea last year as a way to give employees a way to carry their retirement savings with them if they change jobs.

Unlike the hybrid retirement plan put into place for all new state and local government employees in 2014, the proposed retirement savings plan would be voluntary for newly hired employees, as well as existing employees who would have the choice in 2019 of switching from their current pension or hybrid plans.

Its another good tool for the state to have in its recruitment tool belt, said R. Ronald Jordan, executive director of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association and a member of the speakers commission.

Jordan and a representative for state police based their support on the plans voluntary nature. As long as its optional, its a great idea, said M. Wayne Huggins, executive director of the Virginia State Police Association.

The Virginia Education Association opposed the bill because the VEA favors traditional pension benefits for teachers in the Virginia Retirement System, but spokesman Jay Deck told the subcommittee, We do appreciate that it is voluntary.

The proposed defined contribution plan is one of the options endorsed by Howells commission  and the approach personally favored by the speaker  as a way to improve portability of retirement benefits and reduce long-term unfunded pension liabilities for the state and local governments. It is expected to pass the House because of the speakers support but its fate would be less certain in the Senate.

The commission had endorsed changes to the current hybrid plan so that more of the mandatory 5 percent of pay employees contribute would go to their portable savings plans rather than traditional pension benefits.

However, legislation introduced this year to revise the hybrid plan isnt going anywhere in this assembly session because it would cost the state $16.6 million in general funds  and $48.2 million in all funds  in the fiscal year that will begin on July 1.

We dont have that kind of money, said Jones, who sponsored a similar proposal last year, in an interview on Thursday.

Instead, legislators are devoting available funds to raises for state employees  particularly state police  which was the Howell commissions top priority because of concern over workforce turnover and wages that lag the private market.

It would have been nice to do, Jones said of the hybrid proposal, sponsored this year by Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico. But with regard to state employees, compensation had to be the first dollar we spend this year.
An immigration rights activist whose own undocumented status was exposed by a drunken-driving arrest has lost her six-month legal battle to remain in the country.

Wendy Uruchi Contreras, a Virginia organizer for the immigrant rights group CASA, is scheduled to be deported to Spain this week after last-ditch appeals were denied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, according to her husband, Giovani Jimenez.

We are devastated, said Jimenez, who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia., with their American-born children, Alex, 13, and Lucia, 7. My children are crying, but we know theres nothing more we can do.

Jimenez said he learned of the decision last week, days before the inauguration of President Trump.

ICE officials did not return a request for comment on the case. Uruchi, a 33-year-old Spanish citizen born in Bolivia, had been held in federal custody since July, when she pleaded guilty to drunken driving.

In her appeal, Uruchi asked prosecutors to show discretion in her case, essentially weighing her community activism and otherwise clean record against the danger of her committing another offense.

Under Obama administration guidelines, however, immigrants convicted of driving under the influence are a priority for deportation. Her appeal was denied.

They focused on one thing, that she got that DUI, and it was like they forgot about everything on the other side of the scale, said Enid Gonzalez, Uruchis immigration attorney.

Now that Trump is president, the outlook for successful deportation appeals is even bleaker, Gonzalez said.

As a candidate, Trump promised to build a wall along the border with Mexico and deport far more of the countrys estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, especially those with criminal records.

Since 2013 alone, the Obama administration has allowed 300,000 criminal aliens to return back into United States communities, he said during an immigration speech in Phoenix. These are individuals encountered or identified by ICE, but who were not detained or processed for deportation because it wouldnt have been politically correct.

But Kim Propeack, communications director for CASA, saw it differently.

Wendys situation illustrates our failure as a country in not creating an immigration system based on family unity and the best interests of children, said Propeack, who helped Uruchi with her appeal.

Wendy will contribute to society wherever she is, Propeack added. Her deportation is a loss to us.

Uruchi came to the United States from Spain in 2002 under the United States visa waiver program, which allows visitors from 38 countries to stay for up to 90 days without a visa.She and Jimenez had chatted online, but only saw each other for the first time when he picked her up at Dulles International Airport. At the end of her three months, Uruchi decided to stay illegally in America with Jimenez rather than return to Madrid, where she feared an abusive stepfather.

She and Jimenez, who is also undocumented, got married, had two kids and settled in Virginia. He worked as a trucker; she cleaned hotel rooms. She began volunteering with Casa in 2013 and was hired full time as a Virginia community organizer the following year.

Even as she helped undocumented immigrants fight deportation, Uruchi managed to hide her own status.

Friends and co-workers were stunned when, after pleading guilty to a May 28 DUI charge in Stafford County, Virginia, Uruchi was transferred to ICE custody and told she would be deported.

Because she had entered under the visa waiver program, Uruchi was not entitled to a hearing with an immigration judge. Instead, her fate lay in the hands of ICE officials.

Gonzalez prepared a motion for stay of deportation, arguing that sending Uruchi to Spain would be a blow to her two children. Alex needed his mothers help to deal with Aspergers syndrome. Lucia woke up in the middle of the night crying for her mom.

On Halloween, a month after The Washington Post reported on Uruchis case, ICE officials rejected her motion for a stay of deportation.

Uruchis appeal was denied on Nov. 14. A week later, CASA held a protest outside of ICE headquarters in Washington, and Jimenez publicly begged immigration officials to reunite his family in time for Christmas.

My wife is not a criminal, said Jimenez, calling his wifes arrest something that can happen to anybody.

Last week, officials told Jimenez that his wife would be imminently deported, he said. On Sunday, he and the kids went to see her one last time at Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail in Williamsburg.

Uruchi, usually the defiant activist, broke down.

She began to cry, Jimenez said. She said she was very sorry, but that soon we would all be together.

Jimenez said he and the kids would stay in the United States until at least the end of the school year. He held out hope that his wife somehow would be allowed to return quickly. If not, he said, then he, Alex and Lucia would move to Madrid this summer.

We would have no jobs, no place to live. My kids would have to learn Spanish, he said. We would have to start from zero.
RICHMOND  Virginia's Senate voted Thursday to expand the use of marijuana oil for medical purposes after a spirited debate that veered into presidential drug usage, 1960s hippie culture and the comically long list of potential side effects recited on TV pharmaceutical ads.

The bill - co-sponsored by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, and Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington - builds on legislation passed into law two years ago that was intended to make it easier for Virginians with severe forms of epilepsy to use two oils derived from marijuana.

This year's measure, which passed on a 29-to-11 vote in the majority GOP chamber, expanded the list of ailments to include cancer, glaucoma, HID, AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease, nail-patella syndrome, cachexia or wasting syndrome, multiple sclerosis and complex regional pain syndrome.

The two marijuana-extracted oils lack the plant's intoxicating properties but help alleviate debilitating seizures for some epileptics. The law passed two years ago provides a way for epileptics or their legal guardians to avoid prosecution for possession of cannabidiol oil (also known as CBD) and THC-A oil.

Passage of that law came after intense lobbying by parents of children with intractable epilepsy. These children suffered dozens of seizures a day and had exhausted every conventional drug or suffered debilitating side effects from them. That 2015 bill was so narrowly tailored that it faced virtually no opposition, even from law-and-order Republicans.

But expanding the list of illnesses raised concerns from some Republicans, who warned about a slippery slope toward marijuana legalization. They also noted that there had not been any exhaustive studies on the oil's effectiveness for other ailments or testimony from patients this year. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, and Sen. Richard Black, R-Loudoun, were among those opposed, with Black warning about "a return to the 1960s."

"Believe me, it was not pretty," said Black, a Vietnam veteran, describing widespread drug use in the military of that time. "It was the worst of all times."

Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, the Senate minority leader, said those concerns were misplaced, since the oil has no hallucinogenic effects.

"We're not going to become a nation of potheads because people with MS and other kinds of ailments are using this kind of oil," he said.

Saslaw also noted that even the last few presidents have admitted to smoking pot, "although one claimed he didn't inhale. I don't think anybody believes that. And God only knows about the current occupant of the White House."

Sen. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, noting that epilepsy patients have not experienced side effects from the oils.

He talked about the litany of warnings that accompany TV ads for medicines. "How many of you watch on TV: 'I have an ear ache'?" he began. "It [the advertised drug] would take care of the ear ache, but side effects: dizziness, diarrhea, blindness, get a heart attack. Twenty things or more could happen to you, but your ear's goning to be okay. But you can die."

Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, a practicing doctor, noted that the Senate had already determined that the oil was so safe for epileptics that the chamber, just two days earlier, approved a bill to allow pharmacies to manufacture and provide the oil. (Currently, patients have to obtain the oil from unlicensed or out-of-state manufacturers.)

She supported the Vogel and Favola's bill, saying the legislature should leave it to doctors to determine if the oil is useful for ailments other than epilepsy.
WASHINGTON  Delia Laux of Charlottesville says her Catholic parish, Saint Thomas Aquinas, sends a group each year to the March for Life, the annual rally in the nation's capital against abortion.

The march has a new urgency this year, now that Republican Donald Trump is president, she said at Friday's march.

Our church goes every year, and we come to make our voices heard in the house of government, the city of government, she said.

We want them to hear the strong voice of the pro-life community  that people stand for life."

This year, she said, "there is a greater chance of limits being placed, and with a Supreme Court justice that will be conservative and perhaps another one coming in the future, there is a possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade, and thats what were hoping for.

* * *

Thousands of Virginians headed to the nation's capital to mark what organizers term the "somber anniversary" of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy came within a right to privacy under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

This year's march, a week after Trump's inauguration, comes as the Republican prepares to announce his pick for the Supreme Court. The court has had just eight members since Justice Antonin Scalia died in last February.

Jessica Stanton, a third-year student at Liberty University's law school, led a group of about 15 Liberty students to Friday's march, which began with a noon rally at the Washington Monument.

"We believe that the right to life is fundamental and monumental to all other rights that are afforded to us by the Constitution," she said.

"You have to be alive in order to exercise those rights, and abortion ends life."

Mary and Kevin Flanagan of Arlington County have marched in many of the annual events. They have two grown, adopted children, and Mary Flanagan spent 30 years working as a physical therapist for children with disabilities.

She lamented that many pregnancies involving a fetus with Down syndrome are terminated.

Kevin Flanagan said he started going to the March for Life in 1980. He said the election of a Republican president alongside a GOP-controlled Congress offers some improvement for the chances of legislation on abortion.

But he said: "I remember the Reagan days, and we thought that there would be changes then."

Many years later, he still is marching.

* * *

The Virginia Society for Human Life said in a statement that "this year's efforts to expand protection for the unborn" are focused on The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act before the General Assembly.

House Bill 1473, sponsored by Del. David A. LaRock, R-Loudoun, seeks to restrict abortions based upon when fetuses can feel pain.

A spokesman for Ed Gillespie, one of four GOP candidates for governor of Virginia this year, stressed Friday that Gillespie "will sign pain-capable legislation" as governor and that Gillespie would work with the legislature on specifics.

Gillespie said in a statement earlier this week that as governor he "would support and sign pain-capable legislation to ban abortions after an unborn child can feel pain, with exceptions for cases involving the life of the mother, rape or incest."

Gillespie attended Friday's march and tweeted a photo of himself shaking hands with Vice President Mike Pence after Pence's speech to the gathering.

Corey Stewart, another GOP candidate for governor, also attended the march. Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, has said he would sign LaRock's bill.

A third GOP candidate for governor, Denver Riggleman, co-owner of Silverback Distillery in Nelson County, says on his campaign website: "I will sign the 20-week ban."

The fourth GOP candidate, state Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, said this week he supports a ban on abortion after 20 weeks as long as there are appropriate safeguards for the health of the mother.

He said he would not support a blanket ban after 20 weeks without that safeguard.

Attorney General Mark R. Herring, a Democrat who is seeking re-election, said in a formal opinion this week that LaRock's legislation would "very likely be struck down as unconstitutional."

Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, would veto the LaRock bill if it cleared the legislature.

* * *

Tom and Gayle Hines of Nokesville, in Prince William, joined the march with Peggy Bolton, a friend from their church. It's been years since they attended a March for Life.

"I'm more hopeful now that we have an administration that happens to be pro-life," Gayle Hines said.

She said she hopes Congress can work with Trump to take legislative action against abortion.

"We are more hopeful now that we have a voice," she said.
As Congress opened this month, I hoped that Rep. Tom Garrett would set aside partisanship and work for the people of his district. Already, I am disappointed.

When the House Republican Caucus made its first priority gutting an independent ethics watchdog, I called to find out where the congressman stood. "I haven't spoken to the congressman yet, and do not know where he stands," his polite staffer told me.

When the president at his first press conference dismissed concerns surrounding his business interests, I called the congressman's office to see if he would speak out on this unprecedented ethics violation. "I haven't spoken to the congressman today," the staffer told me, "and I don't know where he stands."

I called to find out the congressman's position on House Resolution 7  a redundant bill that meddled in the private insurance market and attacked women's reproductive rights just days after thousands of women from his district rallied in marches. Despite the vote being one day away, I was told: "I don't know where the congressman stands on this issue."

The last straw came in the wake of the president stating again, without evidence, that three to five million people voted illegally in the presidential election. Brave Republicans like Lindsey Graham (nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/gop-senator-president-trump-stop-claiming-illegals-cost-you-popular-n711386) have called out such ridiculous rhetoric, which seeks to delegitimize the majority of Americans who opposed the president.

I called my congressman's office to ask if he believed in the sanctity of the democratic process of this country. "I don't know," his polite staffer told me. "I haven't talked to him today."

Congressman Garrett apparently has no intention of listening to his constituents or informing them of his positions, though he will troll them. When one constituent tweeted to the congressman asking how he intended to respond to an administration that lied to the American people, the congressman responded: "I think the voters did that on November 8" (twitter.com/rep_tom_garrett/status/823603011150893057).

I had hoped my congressman would represent my concerns in Congress. Instead, I fear he's tying himself as closely as he can to an historically unpopular president.

Stephen Light

Albemarle County
Mike Pence will become the first vice president to ever address the March for Life in Washington, D.C. when he does so at Fridays anti-abortion event being attended by dozens of local residents even as the political tide shifts ever toward pro-life ideals.

Pence, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke at the 2010 March for Life.

Ending an unborn human life is morally wrong and its also morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use it to subsidize abortion at home or abroad, he said at the time. Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion funding has no place in healthcare legislation now or ever.

White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway is also slated to speak at this years noontime March for Life at the Washington Monument commemorating the 44th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

Each of our speakers exemplifies this years theme, the power of one, in a beautiful way, said Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life. Their words are sure to motivate the marchers, as well as the millions of pro-life Americans who will be watching, who dedicate themselves to restoring a culture of life in the United States.

Father Kevin Walsh, pastor at Precious Blood Catholic Church in Culpeper, has attended the annual demonstration numerous times, and will be leading a contingent of some five dozen local people traveling to the march on a church-sponsored bus. Dozens more wanted to ride along as well, but had to be turned away, he said.

We are happythis is the most we have gotten ever, Walsh said Thursday of the churchs yearly trek to the event. As a church, we clearly teach about the dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.

He said the demonstration is a peaceful protest and a joyful way to express ones beliefs. The abortion debate extends at least to 1973 when it was legalized and it will continue even as the new president strives to offer more protection for life, the priest said. Walsh added that the churchs yearly participation in the March for Life is our little grain of sand supporting the pro-life movement.

Lindy Dimeo, founding director of the Pregnancy Centers of Central Virginias Culpeper location, has been to the march a few times and wanted to attend this years with the church group, but the bus was already full. She said the Pregnancy Center supports educating pregnant women about all of their options while providing a listening ear and support.

Were not here to tell people what to do, Dimeo said. We provide a safe place for them to lay out their concerns.

The Culpeper site saw 549 visits last year, and not just from pregnant women.

We try to help the whole family because its a complicated issue, Dimeo said, adding, I think it is very important that we respect life from conception to a natural death.

She said many women are coerced into having abortions.

A lot of pressure is put on women by parents, boyfriendsI will leave you or kick you out of the house or telling them, your life will be ruined, Dimeo said. Its a decision they have to live with for the rest of their lives.

The Pregnancy Center provides information, counseling, baby supplies, pregnancy tests, adoption education and a support group for moms. It does not provide abortion or abortion referrals.

The Trump administration and Republican-led Congress are already moving to roll back access to abortions. Earlier this week, the U.S. House passed legislation to prohibit use of federal tax dollars for the procedure. The bill would make permanent the 1976 Hyde Amendment, blocking federal money for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save a mothers life.

Virginias delegation in the House voted on party lines for and against the bill with Rep. Dave Brat, R-Richmond, joining his GOP colleagues in supporting the measure.

Also this week, Trump signed an executive order reinstating a ban on foreign nonprofits that get U.S. aid from using their own money to provide abortion services or information as part of family planning services. U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Virginia Democrats, both opposed the measure, joining party voices in offering the counter Global Health, Empowerment and Rights (HER) Act.

Warner said the ideological policy supported in Trumps executive action is short-sighted and would have a devastating impact on the health and well-being of women around the world.

By limiting the ability of foreign (nonprofits) to operate even with their own funds, the policy can lead to programs being closed, less efficiency and studies even show it tends to increase the rate of abortion, Warner said.

Kaine echoed the remarks.

Making foreign clinics choose between providing critical health services to women in their communities and much-needed U.S. aid is wrong, he said. Its time to permanently repeal this harmful policy that puts millions of women around the world at risk.

Following Fridays March for Life rally, participants will walk on Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Supreme Court. The groups official website instructs marchers to not engage with counter-protesters.

Once again, please be respectful of all people and stay focused on the cause of promoting and celebrating life, lovingly, prayerfully and graciously, the website states.

There were an estimated 926,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2014the first time since 1975 that abortions dropped below 1 million, according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, a New York based think tank that supports legalized abortion.

Abortion restrictions and clinic closures mean that patients may need to travel greater distances to access services, said Rachel Jones, lead author of the study. The majority of abortion patients 75 percentare poor or low-income, and nearly two-thirds are already parents. It can be very difficult for them to arrange for time off from work, transportation and child care. While many find ways to access care despite these obstacles, some of the abortion rate decline is likely attributable to women who were prevented from accessing needed services.

Other special speakers at Fridays March for Life will include Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan and Mexican telenovela star Karyme Lozano.

It is our hope that this years March for Life will encourage each of us to seek and fulfill our unique mission to the best of our ability because only in doing so we will collectively build a culture of life in the U.S.a culture where abortion is unthinkable, Mancini said.

Support to do so extends to the Virginia state legislature.

Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, co-sponsored two anti-abortion measures this year including making the performance of an abortion after 20 weeks a Class 4 felony and designating Jan. 22, 2017 as a Day of Tears in Virginia. Opponents said the resolution only sought to shame women who had abortions, warning against the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

State Senator Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, reacted Thursday to a committee vote that killed a proposal that would have stripped the state constitution of regulations imposed on abortion providers.

So many times we hear our colleagues bemoan unnecessary government regulation but, for some reason when it comes to womens healthcare, they believe the more burdensome the regulations, the better, she said in a statement. Its a travesty that in 2017 we still have politicians focused on getting between women and their doctors.
KENTUCKY - USA - Imperial Wizard, Ronald Edwards who had previously stated that, "anything is better than Hillary Clinton", is jubilant of Obama's surefire win for the nomination to be the first ever black American president of the United States.

White Christian Supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan who were very vocal about their endorsement of Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States of America, are very happy about his nomination.

Speaking from his Kentucky office in Dawson Springs, the Imperial Wizard exclaimed that he was darn happy that the crazy ass bitch Hillary Clinton would not be President.

This is the first time in Klan history that any members of the KKK had ever publicly supported an African American candidate for the presidency.

KKK lodges all over America gathered and held rallies throughout the campaigning session supporting the black presidential candidate.

KKK members in Montana show their undying support for Barack Obama

Grand Turk Cletus Monroe had also been very vocal about the election and had donated thousands of dollars to Obamas election fund.

The boy did it. My Klan group alone donated up to $250,000 to the Obama fund. Nationwide were talking millions were donated for Obama. Anything was better than Hillary Clinton. Hell I wouldve adopted a whole African village before I voted for Hillary. This is a wonderful day, were gonna be celebrating all damn week.

A few years back we were lynching negroes. Now were gonna have a black president. Hillary is gone, shes history, vamoose! Anyone or anything is better than Hillary Clinton  anything!!

Placards for Barack Obama had been put up around the Klans Headquarters and the KKK had

television ad campaigns running continuously on multiple channels for the past four months to support their favourite African American candidate.

Ku Klux Klan regional offices were in full party swing all of last night when the news of the win finally came in. All white supremacist groups across America were also jubilant once hearing the news of Obamas historic win.
WASHINGTON D.C - USA - Having the Don on the side of Brexit and against the EU is a good thing, a damn, damn, good thing that must be encouraged at all times.

Thats what is good about the Donald, he knows whats good, and he moves on that like before anyone thinks about moving on it, hes an opportunities guy, a doer, and this is what the U.S. and U.K. needs right now.

Already in his first five days in office, the Don has repealed Obamacare, started building a wall, and fired half of the State department who were linked to Hillary. Thats no mean feat for a fat guy pushing his seventies.

So, what happens when Theresa May, the British PM comes along to meet the Don?

First off, the internal memos have to spell her name correctly, that took about three goes, then the Don has to figure out how hes going to speak to this stuck up British slut, because shes making all the right noises on Brexit but barely delivering.

Dames come a dime a dozen, you just got to know how to treat the ones who have power. This May broad, I cant just grab her, for a start, shes British, they dont like that kinda thing. So, I gotta shake her hand and smile at her, make it business, thats what my adviser says.

No pussy jokes. Shes got a fierce British face with a pointed beak that could poke yer eye out. Nah, Im not gonna try and fuck her, although screwing the Limeys on some trade deals would be good, I think Ill treat em fair as long as they play on my terms.

Mrs. May seen coming off the plane certainly looked prime ministerial, theres something about coming to the land of the free, where no one knows how to make a cuppa, and the wide grid like streets make everything look the same. Compared to tiny old Blighty, America is massive. No doubt, Theresa will be anxious to get to work immediately, and in her newly birthed socialistic tone, she will quietly denounce torture, and commandeer the chauvinistic pig that is the Trump from any manhandling.

I shall tell him to put it away. If he takes it out, or tries to grab a handful, I shall politely remove his hand from my nether regions and change the subject to Russian relations or EU matters, May politely reveals once touching down.

As the news will no doubt filter out later on in the day, everything will go swimmingly and there will be a new special relationship birthed. The return of Churchills bust to the White House, was the beginning of the relationship, after eight long years of horrid anti-British Obama rule.

Yes, it will be like Maggie and Reagan all over again. Trump and May, will frolic in the aisles as they seal the fate of the evil EU once and for all.
Artificial intelligence is developing quickly and airlines and airports are turning to the academic community to help them with predictive tools to tackle disruptions. (Representational image)

Mumbai: Airlines and airports can save an estimated USD 25 billion annually from flight disruptions by harnessing artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, predictive analytics and other progressive technical capabilities, says an industry report.

According to a report by Sita, a technology services provider to air transport industry, predictive tools using artificial intelligence and cognitive computing are likely to be adopted by half of airlines and airports over the next decade, which can help them save up to USD 25 billion.

Predictive technologies can provide passengers with more relevant information about their journey to help them create more seamless and personal experiences, Nigel Pickford, director market insight at Sita said.

"Airlines and airports are focusing on technologies that will make them more responsive to issues in their operations. This will enable them to improve their performance and customer services," Pickford said.

Artificial intelligence is developing quickly and airlines and airports are turning to the academic community to help them with predictive tools to tackle disruptions, he said.
New Delhi: Ratings agency Moody's Investors Service today said Bharti Airtel's weak operating results for December quarter are "credit negative" but will not have any immediate effect on the telecom major's rating and stable outlook.

Airtel -- which has a Moody's rating of Baa3 stable -- reported over 54 per cent fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 503.7 for October-December 2016 quarter due to "turbulence" from "predatory pricing" of newcomer Reliance Jio.

"The slowdown in Bharti's India operations - which contributes around 85 per cent of consolidated EBITDA - was significant quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q), with a 6.3 per cent contraction in revenues and 11.8 per cent decline in EBITDA to Rs 72.5 billion," Moody's Vice President and Senior Credit Officer Annalisa Di Chiara said.

This primarily reflects decline in average revenue per user (ARPUs) across mobile services (voice and data) as well as a 12.4 per cent drop in data customers q-o-q as Reliance Jio continued to drive intense price competition, she added.

"Still this elevated leverage can be accommodated in the rating for a short period of time. We still expect cash flow from operations and monetisation opportunities -- including divestments in subsidiaries -- to reduce absolute debt levels permanently to expedite deleveraging towards 3.0x," Di Chiara said.

The company has no headroom for any delay in its deleveraging plans, she added. Bharti Airtel has sought shareholder approval for issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) via private placement.

"The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation of stable cash flow generation for its Indian operations and the application of the cash proceeds from its monetisation activities will reduce debt on an absolute and relative basis," it said.

The agency added that downward pressure could also arise if competition intensifies further in any of its key markets, but particularly for the Indian wireless business, such that its key operations and/or subsidiaries report materially declining margins.

Bharti Airtel is the third-largest operator globally based on total number of subscribers. As of December 2016, it had more than 365 million customers across its operations. It has operations in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa.
Vijay Mallya has been living in the UK since March last year.

Mumbai: The Karnataka High Court on Friday issued a warrant against liquor baron Vijay Mallya in a contempt case, CNBC-TV18 reported. The high court has also fixed Rs 1 lakh as bail amount against the warrant.

The HC was hearing a contempt petition against Vijay Mallya who failed to keep his oral undertakings he gave to Debt Recovery Tribunal in 2013. He had promised to the Bengaluru bench of DRT that he will not transfer or sell his assets.

The HC issued the warrant as Vijay Mallya did not appear before it during proceedings. In the past too, Mallya did not appear on several occasions before court or investigating agencies in money laundering and loans default cases.

Mallya has been declared a proclaimed offender by special PMLA court in Mumbai and a wilful defaulter by SBI-led consortium.
Mumbai: The government on Friday announced it will finally implement the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR), the much awaited anti-tax avoidance reforms, from April 1 in 2017.

General Anti-Avoidance Rule will be effective April 1, 2017 onwards, Finance Ministry said.

The anti-tax avoidance measures were incorporated in Direct Taxes Code on their introduction in 2010. The laws were first introduced in Parliament during 2012 Budget session by the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The Finnace Ministry led by Arun Jaitley has also made it clear that GAAR will not apply to foreign portfolio investors if main purpose of jurisdiction finalised is not to obtain tax benefits.

GAAR will not interplay with right of taxpayer to choose method of transaction, the ministry said.

The ministry further informed that GAAR invocation to involve two-stage process: first by I-T principal commissioner, second by panel headed by HC judge. GAAR not to be invoked if tax treaty benefits are derived within Limitation of Benefits provisions.
After making a weak opening, the stock further lost 4.10 per cent to Rs 78.20 on BSE.

New Delhi: Shares of Indiabulls Real Estate today fell by more than 4 per cent after the company reported 14 per cent decline in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended December 31, 2016, on lower sales.

After making a weak opening, the stock further lost 4.10 per cent to Rs 78.20 on BSE. On NSE, shares of the company went down by 4 per cent to Rs 78.15.

Indiabulls Real Estate on Wednesday reported 14 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 58.58 crore for the quarter ended December on lower sales. Its net profit stood at Rs 67.88 crore in the year-ago period, the company said in a filing to the BSE.

Income from operations fell to Rs 300.25 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal from Rs 711.51 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Total income decreased to Rs 492.9 crore in the October-December quarter from Rs 735.75 crore a year ago.
Mumbai: Every producers worst nightmare has come true for Rakesh Roshan. His film Kaabil has found its way on the internet on several sites. A Bengaluru based content-production industry Airplex Software Pvt Ltd was employed to swiftly remove the pirated film from all the websites.

However, it is felt by most of the film industrys leaders that stern measures need to be taken to curb piracy.

Says Rakesh Roshan, Unethical practises that are killing the movie business can stop only when those perpetrating these illegal activities understand the gravity of their misdeeds and realize how damaging piracy is to our movie-making business. Unless they realize what they are doing, piracy is unstoppable.

The CBFCs Chairperson, Pahlaj Nihalani, warns that Dubai is the new hub for piracy of Bollywood films. Direct import from Pakistan into India is prohibited. Since movies are exported and imported between India and Pakistan through Dubai, a lot of the piracy is done in Dubai. Earlier the CBFC was blamed for piracy. But its been proven beyond doubt that the censor board has nothing to do with piracy. The menace needs to be checked at the post-production stage of films and when films travel to Dubai.

Meanwhile, Bollywood film producers, already hit hard by demonetization , are looking with renewed terror at the damage perpetrated by film piracy.
With Dilip Mehtas documentary on Sunny Leone being acquired by Netflix, and Indian distributors showing a keen interest in the film, Mostly Sunny is all set for an Indian release despite Sunny and her husband Daniel Weber completely disowning the work. Sunny who agreed to be part of the project earlier is believed to have walked out of its screening because she wasnt happy about the way it had turned out. That hasnt deterred filmmaker Dilip Mehta from going all out to promote the film.

Dilip now intends to release Mostly Sunny in India, and to cater to the desi audience, dub it in Hindi. He says, Netflix and ITunes have already acquired it. The response in the West is tremendous too. I want to dub it in Hindi and release it in India. My only fear is, what will the Indian censor board do with it? That, only time will tell.
Considering the recent political dispute between India and Pakistan, Bollywood movies had been banned in the neighbouring country for quite a while. However, with tensions easing out, Pakistan lifted the ban on Indian movies, and the audience in the country is set to be exposed to Bollywood movies after a gap of three months. A movie thats getting a lot of attention after the lifting of the ban has been Happy Bhaag Jayegi, which had Pakistan as a major part of its story.

The movie is all set to have its premiere in Pakistan, and Ali Fazal, who has quite the following in the country, has been inundated with mails and messages from his fans to be a part of the event. However, Ali isnt quite sure if hell be able to make it this time around. Ali Fazal said, I stand by my country, but we must also understand that art must flow freely. Strangling art is death of time. I dont know if I can make the trip now, but I do hope, in the near future I will be able to. Until then, I hope for the best from the Pakistani censor board.
Sonu Sood is not just playing the parallel lead to Jackie Chans lead act in Kung Fu Yoga, hes also the co-producer of the Stanley Tong movie. The actor is, therefore, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the film gets the best possible release in India. In this endeavour, he decided to skip the premiere of the movie held in China on Thursday evening, despite the fact that Jackie was keen to have his new best-buddy from India join him for the occasion.

Frazzled with a million marketing obligations, Sonu had to bow out. Much as Id have liked to be there, I cant leave right now, said the actor. Were just a week away from the release, and Im handling everything all by myself. I dont have a corporate house or a team of marketing experts to help me. Im supervising the release of Kung Fu Yoga all by myself. The movie opens in China and Singapore this week.
Rating:

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Yami Gautam, Ronit Roy, Rohit Roy, Narendra Jha, Girish Kulkarni, Md. Sahidur Rahaman

Director: Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Guptas Kaabil, based partially on Hollywoods Blind Fury and South Koreas Broken, opens with Rohan Bhatnagar (Hrithik Roshan) preparing breakfast. Instantly we know that hes a magical man.

Though Rohan cant see, he can fix a kids cycle, can sniff people apart, and believes that kuch bhi naamumkin nahin hai if you have vishwas and confidence. Rohan works as a dubbing artist and is often found in studios making funny voices of cartoon characters.

Apart from being so awesome, hes also very handsome and adorable. So, obviously, one Mrs Mukherjee wants to set him up with Supriya (Yami Gautam).

She herself is pretty awesome. A cheery yellow tulip, blooming with innocence and charm, Supriya works, is independent and not so excited about the prospect of marrying a blind man because, she believes, andhera andhere ko roshan nahin kar sakta. But, luckily for Rohan, Su, as he starts calling her at their very first meeting, is a piano teacher at a dance school. Lolz.

Whatever Hrithik Roshan may play  a blind bat, an alien with five heads, a rooster, or, well, an angry Kangana Ranaut  theres one thing he will always do better than anyone else. You know it, I know it and, soon, darling Su knows it as well.

Su and Rohans dance floor routine, with pretend blindness and cute gorgeousness, is all very stagey but fun because these two, with their chiselled noses, healthy dentures and rosy cheeks, make a delightful, handsome couple. But also because we sense how vulnerable they are, and where the film is going to go from here.

Theres a small bichadna scene in the mall. Nothing serious, yet its scary, poignant, very emotional. Separated by a rushing crowd of people who seem mean and uncaring, their helplessness is firmly established in this scene which is symbolic, an omen of things to come.

We know what when we see Amit (Rohit Roy), the younger, spoilt brother of corporator Madhavrao Shella (Ronit Roy). Rohan can smell danger, we can see it lurking near the newly-married.

The horrible things that happen next, the coiling twists that sting so hard, the creepy elder brother (played by real-life elder brother Ronit Roy), and the corrupt cops together enlist us as members of Team Rohan. We want what he wants.

Sanjay Guptas Kaabil has a standard revenge-saga arch. Or, what I call the Ramayan plot. Bad things happen to a woman, and her so-called protector, post-facto, rises to avenge her dishonour, mostly by annihilating evil.

The thing about rape-vengeance films and epics is that they are all about the men  men who need to be punished, and men who need to mete out the punishment.

At the end, of course, a moment is kept to pay shradhjanjali to the dead victim. Kaabil has a heart that belongs to the Seventies. It has both  some old world charm and, in places, the stench of mothball.

But director Guptas stylishly shot Kaabil has a thriller tone to it. And it works, despite the howlers  some so silly that my dog would wince  and the terrible item song. Thats because the characters are nicely done, and Hrithik and Yami have adorable chemistry.

Also, Hrithik, after that mega disaster called Mohenjo Daro, has honed and refined his acting chops. I was convinced that he could not see. And because Ronit Roy, one of the most consistently fabulous actors, is insanely malevolent.
Actor-director-choreographer Lawrence will soon be seen on the big screen again with his upcoming film Shivalinga, helmed by senior director P. Vasu. A bilingual starring Guru actress Rithika Singh, the films trailer is already garnering great response. Interestingly, the story will remind the audience of the actors earlier outings in the Muni series  Muni, Kanchana and Ganga that explored the horror comedy genre.

Lawrence is very keen to have a good release in Telugu since the audience here has always accepted his films. The film will release in both Telugu and Tamil on February 17, shares a unit member, adding that the team will soon come to Hyderabad for the promotional activities. The films music has been composed by S.S. Thaman.
Samantha and Naga Chaitanya, who are getting engaged on January 29, are set to have a completely intimate ceremony with only close friends and family in attendance. Families of actors like Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu along with several others will be coming for the event. Invites were sent out a while ago and the family members personally called everyone whos on the guest list. Just like Akhils engagement, this one will take place elaborately too but it will be a lot more private, shares a source.
I am happy to be a young African woman by origin, but things like reintroducing your tribe on your ID card, those sort of things can be divisive. Sudan needs to redraw some of its boundaries. Yassmin

CHENNAI: Yassmins StoryWho Do You Think I Am, almost sounds like a huge Cartesian challenge to the traditional narrative of memoirs itself. But when this Sudanese-born young Australian woman writer, breaking barriers since she was 16 and now author of a widely acclaimed above memoir at just 25memoirs are usually written at the fag end of ones life touched down Chennai few days back, Yassmin Abdel-Magied hardly expected to see pitched battles over a sensitive Tamil cultural issue. Her passion for making diversity the norm was unwittingly put to test as it were on a terrain she was visiting first time.

After a tremendous response to her memoir at both the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (15-17 Jan) and the Jaipur Literature Festival (18-23 Jan) - I sold a lot of copies, she chuckles. The usually peaceful Chennai looked a dramatically different turf for her, amid the raging youth protests against the ban on Tamils traditional bull-taming sport of jallikattu. Marina wasnt the old Chepauk grounds.

In a conversation with Deccan Chronicle, our attention turned to the jallikattu issue, as Yassmin identified two key challenges before Australian society now. Australia is an example, a microcosm of what is happening more broadly, with shifting demographics and automation changing the way people work amid growing inequality, she mused. The other big challenge is how do you deal with indigenous history? she posed. That steered her view of the jallikattu row as both absorbing and very complex, marking a new boundary with the debate including even the future of indigenous cattle breeds in India.

I have no sufficient understanding of the role jallikattu plays in Tamil society, Yassmin said. But going by the futility of top-down prescriptive approaches in engaging with indigenous history, drawing a bit from her own Australian example, the writer was emphatic that any social change must be driven by people at the grassroots who are part of that process of change.

How do you keep animals safe and yet uphold your tradition? Culture should be respected. The issues - vis-a-vis any ban will have to be thought through comprehensively and rigorously, including what effect the ban is going to have on people affected by the change, Yassmin elaborated.

The protests are also seen as a proxy for a bunch of other issues people are angry about; it is really a delicate place to play in, said Yassmin. The ground reality is nuanced, having to honour peoples cultural identity on the one hand, and also to make sure animals are treated safely. All the more reason, the process needs to be inclusive, include the people who are affected, Yassmin added. Every case (of ban) has to be looked at very closely and are we doing that? she counter-posed.

A mechanical engineer by profession, now working on oilrigs in northern Australia, Yassmin thinks through womens issues very hard, more so in the context of religious concepts coming in the way of their social mobility. As a woman, basic things like your movement is restricted, womans body is policed more, while expectations about marriage and relationships do affect the rights of women, says the writer. But at the same time, she asserts that one needs to be clear about what the religion says about specific things instead of going by ominous critique of anything to do with religion. For her, social change requires a lot of sacrifice. How do I respect my culture and yet reclaim my rights? she wonders.

Yassmin adores the example set by the youngest Nobel-winning Malala Yousafzai, in fighting for womens education, as an iconic inspiration. Yet, in Malalas life, the role of her father is so important to her. In my own life, my basic political understanding of the world came from my father and my fathers support in my growing up has been terribly important for me, says Yassmin. So for this writer, feminism does not mean banishing all males! Mens support? Yes, we need 100 per cent, smiles Yassmin, underscoring her fathers support. He treated my brother and me the same way; maybe, I am a different sort of feminist.

Yassmin is optimistic about the role of Africa in a changing world order. But Africa needs to get over its colonial history, felt Yassmin. This excessive preoccupation with colonial history she found among some Indian writers too during the recent Lit festivals in Kolkata and Jaipur. I am happy to be a young African woman by origin, but things like reintroducing your tribe on your ID card, those sort of things can be divisive. Sudan needs to redraw some of its boundaries, reflected Yassmin.

While Africans yearn for leadership, respected by the community and who value the life of its people, Yassmin had a mixed take about the inspiring leadership provided by the former US president Barack Obama. Yes, Obama did symbolise a new hope; but it did not translate sufficiently either in North Africa or the Middle East. The domestic Obama is different from the foreign policy Obama. The Syrian war is going to continue for a long time...we lost a generation there...that breaks my heart. At that point of our conversation, Yassmins otherwise humourous, vivacious voice turned muted.
The seventh edition of the Hyderabad Literary Fest (HLF) was launched at the Hyderabad Public School campus in the city on Friday, kicking off a three-day celebration of literature, culture and art.

Folk artistes performing the Ghusadi dance form of Telangana.

The days proceedings started with the playing of the National Anthem, that was accompanied by a sign-language performance by the Drama Association of the Deaf, led by Anju Khemani.

Telangana State I.T. Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, poet Ashok Vajpeyi and Ambassador Teresita C. Daza.

With a Guest Nation, The Philippines, and an Indian Language in Focus, Tamil, the Filipino ambassador to India Ma Teresita C. Daza, who was the guest of honour, spoke about how similar her country and India are.

In terms of language  and this is not known to many  there are about 400 words in the Filipino language that originate from Sanskrit. Even today, words like guru, dukha, sakshi, bechara are still used, she said. The inauguration was followed by the HLFs keynote address, delivered by chief guest and poet Ashok Vajpeyi, whose spoke about the importance of literature in the worlds current political scenario. The President of India made a very interesting point in his Republic Day speech, that India has always honoured the argumentative India rather than the intolerant one, he said, adding, Literature offers incomplete truths. It offers truth that is participative. Truth is not given to you on a platter. You are part of the creation of that truth, he said.

Pragya Gupta, a student from the University of Hyderabad and a visitor at HLF, said, I was here last year, and I feel that the quality has been maintained. I feel a bit better about this one too because I got to meet my favourite author Ambi Parameswaran!

Interludes between sessions saw flash mobs take place.

Children taking part in a workshop at HLF.

Also at the event were workshops, cultural performances and more, and even a tribute photo series for classical dancer Chandralekha.
If a person has had idli, the app will tell how many calories have been consumed (Photo: Pixabay)

New Delhi: Ministry of Health will soon launch a mobile app giving information about nutritional value of various Indian food items, said T Longvah, Director of National Institute of Nutrition, here today.

The app is being developed using the data from Indian Food Composition Tables-2017, released recently by the Union Health Minister J P Nadda.

"All consumers have to do is to input the name of the food item and the quantity. The app will tell what would be the calorific value. If a person has had idli, the app will tell how many calories have been consumed. The app will be ready in about three months," Longvah said here.

IFCT-2017 report, he said, provides nutritional information about 151 food components of 528 key foods.

The data is collected from samples from six geographical regions of the country.

The book not only provides data of regular nutrients in foods but also a wide range of bio-active substances. Vitamin D2 content in plant foods is mentioned here for the first time in the world, he said.

The report is useful for policy makers while designing schemes such as mid-day meal for school children as it gives precise nutritional value of food items/components, he said.

NIN had suggested the rice millers that if they reduced the polishing by as little as two percent while converting paddy into rice, more nutritional value can be retained, he said.
Kovalam: A wedding is one of the most memorable event in any couple's life and when the celebration has to be a very special one if the couple have come together despite being from different parts of the world.

For Nikhil Pawar from Maharashtra and Eunika Pogran from Slovakia, it became a significant day as they literally took a plunge into married life by getting married under the Arabian Sea near Kovalam in Kerala.

(Photo: YouTube)

Nikhil is a diving instructor in Kovalam and met Eunika there, and the idea to have an underwater marriage came naturally to him. Nikhils friend stepped in as the minister as the wedding was carried out as per Christian rituals.

(Photo: YouTube)

(Photo: YouTube)

The wedding lasting one and a half hours was organised by Bond Ocean Safari, where Nikhil works as an instructor, and is the first underwater wedding held in the sea.

(Photo: YouTube)

(Photo: YouTube)

The bride and groom took their vows by holding up placards and when the minister held up a placard reading you may kiss the bride the couple removed mouthpieces and kissed underwater. Nikhil also proposed to Eunika under water on a routine dive by hiding a placard that read, Will you marry me?.

(Photo: YouTube)

The couple underwent two days of training for the wedding and the party was held on a wooden platform above the surface.
New Delhi: CBI has registered a case into an alleged attempt to con people by Uttar Pradesh-based individuals who created a website named "Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission" to mint money from gullible applicants.

A case has been registered against Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh, both residents of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly creating a website to make money in guise of giving admission and distributing franchise, CBI sources said.

The matter was referred by the Prime Minister's Office to the CBI complaining the fraudulent institute, Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission, is cheating people by using the name of the Prime Minister.

Claims allegedly made in the website www.nmcsm.in that it is an autonomous organisation, a corporate entity with registered office in Delhi and having accreditation of DOEACC society are false, the sources said.

However, the website is not using the photograph of the Prime Minister and clearly states not to pay in cash.

"The aforesaid fraudulent act on part of Atul Kumar, Jagmohan Singh and other unknown persons with ulterior motive to extract money from innocent public at large for their personal gains by misusing the name of the Prime Minister of India, prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) IPC and under 66D of the Information Technology Act," the complaint said.

It alleged that this was an online fraud and the aspect of acceptance of money by way of demand draft needs to be thoroughly investigated to unearth the criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused.

"CBI has registered a case against two private persons. The allegations pertain to misuse the name of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in order to cheat and defraud general public at large for giving franchise of Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission (NMCSM).

"Earlier, a preliminary enquiry on a complaint regarding creation of said website was registered," CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said.
The woman was caught on camera throwing her child down the stairs. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)

New Delhi: A woman was booked for attempted murder after she was accused by her husband of throwing their two-and-half-year-old child from the staircase of their house in southeast Delhi's Pul Prahladpur area, police said on Thursday.

On January 24, a PCR call was received around 6 pm wherein a man alleged that a child had been thrown from the staircase of house from first floor, a police official said.

Police reached the spot and took the complaint from the man, who also told them that he has a video recording of the said incident, he said. In the video, the woman can be seen flinging her child from the staircase after an argument with her family members.

The child was medically examined at AIIMS trauma centre on the same day and some some blunt injuries were found on the face, the official said, adding the victim's father owns a cosmetic shop in Sharma Market of Pul Prahladpur area.

Police is investigating whether the couple were having marital issues over the child, he said.

The officer also said that it is not known yet what was the provocation or motive of the mother to behave like this with her child.

Police is also verifying the authenticity of the video recording and investigating whether these were regular episodes or a one-off incident and family members are being interrogated.
After she agreed to work in the Gulf, Ms Vipparthi Kumar procured a visa and other documents for Ms Gan-garatham with the help of an agent, Dasari Babu Rao in Hyderabad, and sent her to Muscat in May 2016. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Inakoti Apparao, 55, a farmer from AP, is bedridden after learning that his wife Gangaratnam, who travelled to Muscat to work as a domestic help, is being tortured by her employer.

Ms Gangaratnam, who was in Sohar, Muscat, escaped from her employer a couple of times but local police traced and handed her back to her employer though she pleaded with them to take her to the Indian Embassy.

The family of Ms Gangaratnam, hailing from Bendapudi in Thondangi mandal in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, is dependant on agriculture. About a year ago, a woman identified as Vipparthi Kumar met Ms Gangaratnam and told that she was working in the Gulf for a good salary which had helped her family come out of their financial crisis.

She told Ms Gangarat-nam that she too could travel to the Gulf and earn a good salary.

After she agreed to work in the Gulf, Ms Vipparthi Kumar procured a visa and other documents for Ms Gan-garatham with the help of an agent, Dasari Babu Rao in Hyderabad, and sent her to Muscat in May 2016.

For the next three months, there was no communication from Ms Gangaratham to her family.

Her elder son Nagen-dra Babu said that they had called her and her agent Babu Rao every day but there was no response from anyone.

After more than three months, she spoke to us once and sent us Rs 35,000. Since then there have been few calls from her. Her agent Babu Rao is not responding to our calls, he said.

According to her family members, Babu Rao, who was working in the municipal department in Muscat, had contacts with many people and is trying to prevent Ms Gangaratnam from leaving her employer.

During a call recently, Ms Gangaratnam told the family of the torture that she was facing in Muscat.

She is forced to work for hours without food and made to sleep outside in the compound. A woman, who worked before her in the same house, committed suicide. Twice she escaped from the house but local police caught her and handed over to her employer. said her husband, Mr Apparao.

The family is worried for her life now and is pleading the government to help out through the ministry of external affairs and the Indian Embassy.
During his first deal he purchased half kg ganja from Araku in Vizag, and supplied it to students in Hayathnagar. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: A 23-year-old drug peddler who was supplying ganja to engineering students was nabbed by Rachakonda SOT police on Friday. The cops seized 1.5 kg ganja from Gyaneshwar.

Police said Gyaneshwar, a college dropout, was working for a telemarketing company in LB Nagar. Since two years he was addicted to ganja which he used to purchase from peddlers.

Over a period of time, he learnt the secrets of the trade, and turned a peddler four months ago. During his first deal he purchased half kg ganja from Araku in Vizag, and supplied it to students in Hayathnagar. Two days ago, he purchased 1.5 kg from Arakau and came to Hyderabad. The police tracked him to Araku. On Friday when he reached Hyderabad, the police nabbed him.

Police found that he used to purchase ganja for around Rs 2,500 per kg and spent around Rs 2,000 on travel. He made a profit of around Rs 10,000 by selling a kg of ganja.

The police is checking details of students who purchased ganja from him.
Her parents took her to a private hospital in Devarakonda and returned home after treatment. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: A six-day-old baby girl died after suffering from fever, triggering suspicion that it could be a case of female infanticide, in Nalgonda district on Friday. The baby was said to be the fourth child and third daughter to her parents.

Sources said Madavath Sharada and Mangtha, daily wage workers at Polynayak tanda in Chandampet mandal, had a baby girl weighing about 2.9 kg on January 21 at the Devarakonda Government Hospital. The couple has a son and two daughters.

The baby who was said to be healthy at birth suddenly fell sick on Friday. Her parents took her to a private hospital in Devarakonda and returned home after treatment. The doctor apparently gave her vitamins and glucose supplements.

After they returned home, the baby vomited a couple of times and died within an hour. Her parents and other family members buried the body on the village outskirts without informing the locals.

News spread in the village and came to the notice of officials of the Integrated Child Development Scheme. They rushed to the village and conducted an inquiry.

We are verifying the details. We are questioning the doctor who treated the child. said an official who visited the village. Police said that a prima facie inquiry revealed that the child had died of ill health, but they were investigating the matter.
Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala on Friday condoled the death of 14 army men in an avalanche in Kashmir.

"It is a matter of deep regret that 14 army men who are involved in protecting the Indian borders have died in an avalanche in Kashmir," she said in a statement.

She also regretted that a native of Tamil Nadu, B Ilavarasan of Thanjavur district, was one of those killed.

The army men were involved in protecting the country from enemies, she pointed out and hailed their sacrifice.

The bodies of four missing soldiers were today recovered from avalanche-hit Gurez sector in Kashmir, taking the death toll in the incident to 14.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his government to present the Union Budget after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

According to reports, the chief minister in the letter said that his state might lose out on schemes as the Election Commission (EC) has forbidden the Centre to announce steps for the poll bound states as it may sway the opinion of voters.

The chief minister said that this may deprive Uttar Pradesh, having the maximum population in the country, of special schemes in the Union Budget which would have a direct impact on state's development and interest of 20 crore people.

Yadav recalled that in February-March 2012, the then government had taken a decision to defer the budget on its own till the completion of the poll process at that time.

"In my capacity as the representative of the people of the state I request you think about deferring the Budget till after the elections so that the development of the state and schemes in the interests of the people could be announced," he added.

Read: BJP will put SP's schemes in Budget to gain votes in UP: Akhilesh Yadav

The Centre had swept aside objections raised by opposition parties and is all set to present the Union Budget 2017-18 on February 1 but will refrain from making any announcements pertaining to poll-bound states, as per the EC order.

The government had defended its move to advance Budget presentation by a month saying it had made clear its intention on this way back in September 2016 so as to help begin the investment cycle right from the first day of the new fiscal, April 1.

Opposition parties including Congress and TMC had approached the Election Commission against presentation of the Budget just before the first of the five states -- Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur  go to polls.

According to the scheme drawn, the first part of the Budget Session of Parliament will start on January 31 with President Pranab Mukherjee's address and tabling of the Economic Survey, which sets the scene for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's fourth annual budget. The Budget will be presented the next day.

The Cabinet had in September last year decided to scrap nearly century-long practice of having a separate railway budget and instead merged it with the general budget.

It had also decided to scrap a distinction between plan and non-plan expenditures.
Chennai: Justifying the minimum force used by the police against pro-Jallikattu protesters last Monday, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday said action by the men in khaki was warranted since anti-social elements infiltrated the protests and tried to divert it.

Replying to a question by Leader of Opposition MK Stalin on the violent end to the week-long protests at the Marina Beach and elsewhere in the state, Panneerselvam said the protesters demanded conduct of Jallikattu in the first few days, but the 'goalposts were changed every now and then' making it difficult for the government to respond.

Even after the protest was withdrawn, anti-social elements were involved in violence by ransacking public and private properties. The police exercised utmost restraint but had to use minimum force to disperse the unruly mob, the Chief Minister told the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

He also said the anti-social elements burnt the Ice House police station premises and indulged in large-scale violence across Chennai.

Despite the government explaining the ordinance and how it ensured conduct of Jallikattu, the protesters refused to budge and anti-social elements which infiltrated into the group kept diverting the issue. They kept refusing to call off the protest despite the government fulfilling their demands, Panneerselvam said.

More than 135 people, including 100 policemen, were injured and several hundred vehicles were burnt on Monday as violence erupted across Chennai, after police began dispersing the crowd at Marina Beach.
New Delhi: Supreme Court on Friday favoured a comprehensive national policy to protect farmers, many of whom have committed suicide due to rising debt and crop failures caused by natural calamities, terming it a "sensitive" matter of public interest and human rights.

"It is a sensitive matter of larger public interest and human rights which covers the entire country," a bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice N V Ramana said.

The bench, on its own, expanded the scope of the petition which has raised the issue of farmers' suicides in Gujarat, to entire country. "In this matter, we are of the view that all states should assist and accordingly we implead all state governments, Union Territories, the Centre and the RBI," the bench said asking them to file their responses in four weeks.

The court was hearing the appeal, filed by NGO 'Citizens Resource and Action and Initiative' on issues relating to farmers in Gujarat.

During the brief hearing, the court said that many farmers were committing suicide because of crop failure and indebtedness and yet there was no national policy to protect them.

The PIL which was confined to Gujarat had sought compensation to families of 619 debt-ridden farmers who allegedly committed suicide in the state since 2003.

The NGO has also sought a direction to the state to pay compulsory financial aid of Rs 30,000 per hectare to the farmers who suffered crop failure.

It has challenged the July 10, 2013 order of the Gujarat High Court dismissing its plea for compensation and alleged that farmers were being neglected by the state government.

During the hearing, the court was told that there is another PIL on the issue of farmer suicides pending before it in which the Centre had in 2015 filed an affidavit stating that the number of suicide deaths of farmers had declined since 2009 and there were factors other than agrarian which had led them to take their lives.

The affidavit of Ministry of Agriculture had submitted that out of a total of over one lakh suicides in the country in 2013, farmer suicides were recorded at 8.7 per cent.

Referring to the data maintained by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as per which the number of suicides by persons self-employed in farming/agriculture in 2009 was 17,368 which had come down to 11,772 in 2013.

It had submitted that as against the total population of 122 crore (estimated) during 2013, the total number of suicides in the country was 1,34,799, of which suicides under the category of self-employed (farming/agriculture) was 11,772 which is 8.73 per cent of the total suicides.

Earlier, the apex court had indicated that the suicides may be linked to certain inherent deficiencies in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007, which may be revisited.
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday accepted the resignation of V Shanmuganathan as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, against whom allegations of "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office were levelled.

In a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan, Press Secretary to the President, Venu Rajamony said the President has accepted the resignation of Shanmuganathan.

"The President of India is pleased to appoint Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Assam to discharge the functions of the Governor of Meghalaya and Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya, Governor of Nagaland, to discharge the functions of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, in addition to their own duties, until regular arrangements for the offices of the Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are made," the statement said. 67-year-old Shanmuganathan had tendered his resignation from the post.

Nearly 100 Raj Bhavan staff in Shillong petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking their intervention to remove the Governor and restore the dignity of Raj Bhavan.

The employees had alleged that Shanmuganathan had "seriously compromised the dignity of the Raj Bhavan and made it a 'young ladies club'.

"It has become a place where young ladies come and go at will on direct orders of the Governor... Many of them have direct access to his bedroom."

Women activists had begun a signature campaign here seeking Shanmuganathan's removal. The campaign, spearheaded by women-led Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO) and Thma u Rangli (TUR), was launched following reports of inappropriate behaviour by the Governor.

A woman job aspirant had also accused the governor of making advances when she was appeared for an interview at the Raj Bhavan.
Thiruvananthapuram: A 30-year-old Russian national allegedly jumped to death from a multi-storeyed building at the international airport here, police said on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Dany, a tourist who was on his way to Mumbai, they added.

He took the extreme step last night after completing the immigration clearance and other procedures, police said, adding that they were yet to get other details about him. Though the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, he could not be saved.

The body has been kept at Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram and the Russian Consulate has been informed, police said.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena ministers on Friday requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to cancel a circular banning religious pictures in government offices.

The Sena ministers, in the BJP-led state government, on Friday called on Fadnavis to make a formal representation in this regard.

Later, while talking to reporters, Sena minister Ramdas Kadam claimed that the Chief Minister has agreed to cancel the directive. "The CM has agreed to cancel this directive and has told us that an inquiry would be initiated against the official responsible for the directive," Kadam said.

Notably, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had also slammed the state governments recent order banning the celebration of religious festivals, pujas and pictures of deities in government offices, alleging that party ministers were not taken into confidence before issuing the circular.

"Where was your transparency before you took this decision? Why were Sena ministers not taken into confidence? Had they been, they would have strongly protested it," Thackeray had yesterday said.

Wondering why pictures of deities could not be hung in offices, Thackeray said he accepted secularism, but it should be applied without discrimination.

"If you have the courage, implement the Uniform Civil Code," he said.

The Maharashtra government had last week directed rural civic bodies to remove photos of Gods or religious figures from government offices and state-run schools with immediate effect.

The offices were reminded that solicitation of any religion by displaying religious slogans and performing puja was against the provisions of Constitution.
Hyderabad: Telugu actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who has been raising the issue of Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh, today found fault with the state government after it denied permission for a proposed protest on the issue.

Protesters had given a call for a 'silent beach protest' yesterday, planned to be held at Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam. To foil it, police had imposed Section 144 of CrPc in the coastal city, banning any assembly of five or more people in an area.

"You (government) should have given permission to the youth who wanted to do a peaceful protest. They decided it. It was not a political party calling for a protest. They chose January 26 to convey their collective voice to the Centre because people would come forward as it was Republic Day," Kalyan told reporters here.

The Jan Sena founder, who campaigned for the success of TDP-BJP combine in 2014 elections, has been critical of the NDA government for not giving special category status to AP.

The promise of special category status was made to Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra) by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament when the bill for bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh was passed. The promise was also made by top BJP leaders then.

However, the NDA government announced a package of benefits for the state, stating that special status cannot be given following recommendations of 14th Finance Commission.

Kalyan said he found fault with the package announced by the Centre as he was told by certain experts that there is nothing new in the package. He was told that the package was actually the share of funds and benefits AP was supposed to get.

Taking exception to the remarks of Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu that special status to AP is a closed chapter, he accused him of not doing enough to get the status.

Kalyan alleged that the NDA government has been "unilateral as seen in issues like Rohith Vemula and demonetisation."

Alleging that the TDP government has become a "mini-BJP", Kalyan asked chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to explain why he "compromised" on the special status issue.

He pointed out that his association with TDP-BJP was on people's issues and asked, why he should side with them? "The common agenda between you and me is to work for people. When that is not happening, why should I side with you. You have to tell people," he said.

Condemning Pawan Kalyan's comments on its top leaders, BJP alleged that the Jana Sena Party founder is a "political opportunist and a Twitter Tiger" who lacks maturity.

"BJP strongly condemns Pawan Kalyan statements on Prime Minister Modi, BJP and Venkiah Naidu. His statements are unwarranted, baseless and juvenile. No one who understands basic tenets of governance will make silly statements like he made in his press conference today," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said in a statement here.

Kalyan lacks sincerity of purpose or maturity to address people's concerns in a structured way, Rao alleged.

"Pawan Kalyan is a political opportunist and a Twitter tiger. He is trying to ride a readymade wave, if someone can drive it. He has neither sincerity of purpose nor maturity to address people's concerns structurally. He lacks conviction to be in the midst of the people, whom he wishes to fight for. He is a part time politician who operates through press conferences and Twitter," he said.

Describing Kalyan as a "part time politician", Rao said the actor's personal statements on Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu show his "bankruptcy of purpose" and maturity.

"His (Kalyan) personal statements against Venkaiah Naidu only expose his bankruptcy of purpose and clarity of thought. Blaming PM Modi for rally permission in Vizag is something which only someone with Pawan Kalyan level of maturity can do. BJP warns Pawan Kalyan to focus if he can, on real issues and fight if can, in the real world for real people, than occasionally wake up from his shooting schedules and make pointless, baseless and juvenile allegations on BJP and its national leaders," he said.
Kolkata: Warning against wanton destruction of public property in the name of agitation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced that her government would bring in a legislation under which the vandals would have to pay the cost of the property damaged.

"Those damaging public or private property will have to pay the compensation. If necessary, money will be recovered by confiscating their property. We will bring in a legislation to this effect in the next session of the Assembly," she said while inaugurating "Khadya Sathi Dibas" and Police Investiture Ceremony at a function here.

"Before burning a government vehicle or damaging public property, one should think. They should think from where the money will come," Banerjee said, adding "don't take law into your hand. It is not correct in a democracy."

"If you have any grievance against police or anybody, let us know. The state government will act. The government is there for you. It will give you justice," she said.

Her statement came in the wake of recent violence at Bhangar where a number of police vehicles were burnt and damaged.

The Chief Minister urged the people to ignore and isolate the destructive elements who are trying to disturb the peace in the state.

Without naming anyone, she said some political parties were trying to incite violence and riots. "Bengal will not tolerate it."

"It is not the task of a political party to create disturbance. The state government will take stern action," Banerjee said.

"There is a section who never work in people's interest and keep themselves busy in filing only PIL on all issues due to some vested or political interest," she said.

"If people think that they could escape after writing a provocative post in the social media, they would not be successful.

"Police under the Cyber Crime section are keeping a tab on them and what they are doing in social media," she said.

Giving away medals to police personnel for their courage and gallantry at the police investiture ceremony, the Chief Minister lauded the force for their initiative in maintaining law and order to ensure peace and harmony in the state.

Describing Bengal as a model for development in the world, Chief Minister elaborated how her government brought eight crore people under Khadya Sathi and three crore people under Swatha Sathi projects in the state.

"We have started health insurance scheme  Swasthya Sathi - for three crore people. Healthcare is free at govt hospitals", she said.

Over eight crore people were getting rice at Rs 2 per kg in the state and over 90 per cent people have got some direct govt benefit, she said.

"Despite financial problems, we are working for the people and will continue to do so in the future", she said.

Banerjee said that her government has to pay Rs 40,000 crore to repay the huge debt taken by the previous left front government.

Beneficiaries from across the state who have received helps from departments like Food & Supplies, Health & Family Welfare, Women & Child Development & Social Welfare, Backward Classes Welfare, Forest, Sports, I&CAs Development schemes marched at the event with their tableaux.
However, the remaining five colleges did not respond, signalling the closure as they cannot admit the students in the next academic year without getting affiliation from the university.

Chennai: With steady decline of students joining engineering courses in the state, 10 engineering colleges are likely to close down from next academic year (2017-18). Of 627 engineering, architecture, MBA and MCA colleges, 12 engineering and MBA colleges did not apply for the affiliation with the Anna University for the next academic year.

The last date for applying for the affiliation ended on January 20. So far five colleges have confirmed that they are going to close down from the next academic year and two colleges asked for some more time to submit their details, Anna University sources said.

However, the remaining five colleges did not respond, signalling the closure as they cannot admit the students in the next academic year without getting affiliation from the university.

In the last few years, the interest among students to join engineering courses is waning. Its no surprise that engineering colleges opting to close as they cannot sustain without admitting enough students, professors said.

In the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions 2016 counselling more than 40% of the colleges were not able to attract many students. Only 100 colleges were able to fill about more than 90 per cent of their seats and 200 colleges filled 70 per cent of their seats. The rest of them got less than 50 per cent of the students enrolled in their colleges. These colleges will find it difficult to sustain, said Jayaprakash A. Gandhi, educationist and career consultant.

They are not getting students because they are not getting job placements and they are located in remote areas. Their quality of teaching is also not up to the mark as they cannot hire good faculties due to the poor income, he explained.

He further said many colleges were forced to close as they started based on the business model. Because of the fewer enrolments and more investment in the engineering colleges, the managements are closing down the colleges, he said.

Around 10 engineering colleges did not get a single student in the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions counselling last year.
CM N. Chandrababu Naidu interacts with Union finance minister Arun Jaitley as Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and M. Venkaiah Naidu look on, during the 1st day of the Partnership Summit, in Visakhapatnam on Friday. (Photo: DC)

Visakhapatnam: The AP government has signed MoUs with as many as 128 companies that may bring in investments worth Rs 4.25 lakh-crore on the first day of the Partnership Summit on Friday. MoUs with public sector oil and gas companies alone are worth Rs 1.38 lakh-crore which include Rs 20,000 crore for expansion of the existing facilities in Visakhapatnam.

The AP government will conclude the 21st edition of Partnership Summit by signing 713 MoUs which could fetch an investment of Rs 10.05 lakh-crore. The MoUs, if executed, could provide employment to 14.9 lakh people. During last years Summit, 328 MoUs were signed. Of the 128 companies which inked the MoUs with the government on Friday, 68 are related to IT and allied services. These new companies will provide around 5.5 lakh jobs.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said HPCL and GAIL will make an investment of Rs 40,000 crore and ONGC Rs 78,000 crore. HPCL will invest Rs 20,000 crore for expansion of its existing facilities in Visakhapatnam.
Hyderabad: The TPCC has gone into election mode though polls are due in 2019. The countdown has begun for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, asserting that the Congress will come to power and clear Indiramma housing scheme bills, besides increasing the number of rooms to the houses under the scheme to two.

Congress national and state leaders went hammer and tongs against the PMs Tughlaqian demonetisation decision at the TPCC State level convention Jana Avedhana Sammelanam here on Friday, accusing him of backing corporate mafia. They also criticised the flip flop by the CM on the issue. Congress will come to power in 2019. We will exert pressure on the TRS government to clear pending Indiramma houses bills and others. If they fail, we will do it after coming to power. We will add one more room to the housing scheme for weaker sections, Mr Reddy said.

Taking a dig at arrogant CM, he said that the TRS government has failed to implement its electoral promises. The government paid Water Grid contractors Rs 10,000 crore and irrigation contractors Rs 12,000 crore, but did not waive farm loans in one go, denied fee reimbursement and pending bills. Why? he asked. KCR criticised demonetisation on the first day, changed his tune after meeting Governor and Modi and is now shamelessly backing it for unknown reasons, he alleged. Mr Reddy said Mr Rao was sitting on CMs chair thanks to the Gandhi family and the Congress and lashed out at critics of AICC leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

AICC SC Cell chairman K. Raju released a booklet Modi flop show written by T. Surender. AICC secretary R.C. Kuntiya, demonetisation committee in-charge for South and Karnataka power minister D.K. Shiva Kumar, Committee chairman Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Mohd. Ali Shabbir, CLP leader K. Jana Reddy, TPCC working president Bhatti Vikramarka, Dr J. Geetha Reddy and others criticised out at demonetisation.
Police and child welfare officials conducted raids on 9 police station areas in Balanagar and rescued 45 kids. Most of them were working in the industrial area. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: A 17-year-old girl from Karnataka who had to discontinue her education due to financial problems in the family ended up as a child labourer working in a carton box packing unit in Balanagar. A 14-year-boy from Nalgonda who wanted to help his father run the family was working as a helper to a bike mechanic. These two kids and 43 other minor children who were employed as child labourers in Cyberabads Balanagar zone were rescued on Friday.

Police said that 160 minors who were employed at eateries, cloth stores, welding shops, mechanical garages and other commercial establishments were rescued by Cyberabad police in January 2017. Balanagar DCP Dr Y. Sai Shekar said the operation would continue and everyone found employing children will be booked.

As part of the Operation Smile programme, police and officials from the child welfare department conducted raids in nine police station areas in Balanagar zone and rescued 45 kids, most of them from the Balanagar industrial area.

They were sent to rescue homes.

Twenty persons who had employed these kids were booked under the Prevention of Child Labour Act.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought response of the Centre and all States on an NGOs allegation that drought and debt drove more than 600 farmers to commit suicide in Gujarat alone between 2003 and 2012, when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister.

A bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice N.V. Ramana issued the notice and wanted the Centre to respond whether there is any policy on crop loans when there is a natural calamity. The Bench also wanted the RBI to indicate the policy on loan waiver in such situations.

The notice was issued on a petition filed by Mallika Sarabhai-founded NGO Citizens Resource and Action Initiative which challenged the Gujarat High Courts decision not to intervene in the case on the ground that farmers relief and rehabilitation was a state policy matter.

The court in 2014 had issued notice only to Gujarat. During the resumed hearing, it was pointed out that there is no policy on waivers in case of crop loss due to natural calamities and farmer is left with only crop insurance.

The NGO said its coordinator, Bharat Sinh Jhala, had made a series of RTI queries forcing the Gujarat government to disclose that from 2003 till 2007, as many as 498 farmers committed suicide.
Mumbai: A 23-year-old national level swimmer working with Western Railway allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her home in central Mumbai's Lower Parel, police said on Friday.

Tanika Dhara, who had won a silver medal in the one metre springboard event at the 70th National Aquatics in September last year and also clinched a bronze in 35th National Games held in Thiruvananthapuram in 2015, was found dead at her residence in Poonawala chawl in Lower Parel yesterday, police said.

She was working as a junior clerk with the Western Railway, they said. "The incident came to light when her friend visited her residence yesterday and found the room locked from inside. Even her repeated calls to Tanika went unanswered," a police official said.

Finally, Dhara's friend and some neighbours broke the door open and entered the room, only to find her hanging from a window grill, the official added.

Dhara was rushed to a hospital, but was declared brought dead.

Police, who were alerted about the incident, reached the spot and her body was sent for post-mortem.

According to police, Dhara's parents, who live in Kolkata, have been informed about the incident. "The motive behind the suicide is yet to be ascertained and our investigation is on," the police official added.
BSP supremo Mayawati with the leader of Quami Ekta Dal (QED), in Lucknow on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Congress Party on Friday questioned Mayawati on the clean image the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo is trying to project, after gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari joined her party to fight the Uttar Pradesh elections.

"This is election time. The BSP has been talking about clean politics without gunda politics involved. Now I think this time that Behenji answers these questions how is Ansari so relevant in a clean image that she is trying to project? This is a tough question that the BSP will have to answer in the context of the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said.

Four-time MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is currently lodged in Lucknow jail, will contest from the Mau assembly constituency on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket in next month's polls.

This was confirmed by Mayawati, who said that Mukhtar is being taken back in the party as the allegations against him have not been proved yet.

The gangster-turned-politician's son Abbas and brother Sibgatulla have also joined the party and they will be contesting the elections from Ghosi and Mohammadabad assembly constituencies respectively.

Mukhtar had earlier won a seat from Mau in 1996 on a BSP ticket.

Quami Ekta Dal, formed by Ansari and his brothers in 2010, merged with the Samajwadi Party (SP) last year which was opposed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The merger was expected to be discontinued with Akhilesh becoming national president, which was confirmed once the party announced its party candidate from Mau seat.
Jalandhar: Launching a scathing attack on Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused it of following political opportunism to further its gains and said the party was a "thing of the past" which the people of Punjab must not trust.

He also said Congress is a "sinking ship" and people should not board it as it would not help them reach anywhere.

Addressing an election rally here, he also referred to the politically sensitive issue of Sutlej Yamuna Canal and said Punjab has the right to use water for irrigation.

Modi said waters from Indus river which flow into Pakistan as waste will be brought to Punjab. Haryana and Punjab are locked in a bitter legal and emotional battle over the issue for the past several years.

With Rahul Gandhi raking up the issue of drug menace in the state at a rally in Majitha, Modi hit back at him, saying, "Some people are taking politics to a new low by tarnishing the image of the youth of Punjab."

He also said the pride of Punjabis has been tarnished by such statements and the Assembly polls in the state are the best way to reply to such remarks.

Continuing his broadside against Congress, he said the party is "like water and changes it shape to suit its political needs".

"It is a strange party. It tied up with the Left in West Bengal to survive in the state. Whatever they (Left) gave (as seats), it accepted...In Uttar Pradesh, it attacked the Samajwadi Party in its yatras. Then it went for a pact...It saw an opportunity after a feud in SP...," Modi said.

Dubbing "political opportunism" as the "forte" of Congress, he said the country is witnessing the results of "politics of destruction" the country has seen in the last 70 years. "Now, we have started politics of development," he said.

Referring to demonetisation, he claimed he has been facing "atrocities" for the past three months. "Modi hun. Zulm ke samne jhukta nahin (I am Modi. I do not bow before atrocities)," he said.

The prime minister said his drive against corruption is an apolitical affair aimed at ridding the country of black money.

"But people who have amassed illegal wealth in the past 70 years are worried and are attacking me as they are still unable to digest the decision," he said.

Claiming that Congress was not being able to come to terms with remaining "out of power", Modi said it entered an alliance with SP in UP and the Left in West Bengal for "the lust of power".

"Congress compromised with the Left which they had been fighting against for 50 years. But the hunger for power is such that they joined them.

"For several months, they (Congress) took out rath yatra and chided SP... They came to know they are not being accepted by the public... They saw there is a division in the UP's ruling family and then entered an alliance with SP," he said.

He exhorted voters in Punjab to vote for the SAD-BJP combine for further development in the state.

On the surgical strikes conducted by the army across the LoC in September last year, Modi said people were proud of the force's action against the country's "enemy".

"You did not want that the country's enemy be given reply? How long our soldiers will continue to be killed... then Indian Army conducted surgical strike successfully," he said.

Hitting out at Congress on the issue of One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) schemes, Modi accused the Congress of "befooling" the ex-servicemen for 40 years.

The Prime Minister said when his government was formed, it decided to implement OROP and the budget for which was worked out at Rs 10,000 crore. "We have already disbursed Rs 6,000 crore and rest will be given after the Budget," he said.

On the contentious Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue in Punjab, Modi said farmers of Punjab should also get water to grow crops.

Talking about demonetisation, he said more than Rs 150 crore was seized from the house of a minister in the Congress government in Karnataka. "More than Rs 150 crore was seized but neither Congress was thinking of removing him nor TV channels are highlighting this issue... It was like nothing has happened," he said.

Modi said ever since his government was formed, farmers were not facing any problem in getting urea and asserted that the government had successfully eliminated corruption in fertiliser distribution. "Solutions to our problems lies only in development. We have seen politics of destruction for 70 years which have ruined the youth," he said.

Modi exuded confidence that Punjab voters would create history by bringing SAD-BJP into the power for the third time. "This is the time for the Budget. Preparations are on for the Budget I am not being able to devote as much time as I want to," he said, adding, "But I am confident that Punjab will create history during the election."

Showering praises on Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Modi said he has always batted for peace and harmony in the state. "When there was tension between Sikhs and Hindus, it was Badal who played a role in ensuring unity between them," he said, adding Punjab survived and grew because of the efforts of the Chief Minister.

"During elections, people frequently change their parties. Congress is full of turncoats. But look at Badal, he never changed his party and at heart and he remained committed to Punjab," Modi said.

The Prime Minister further said that whenever he met Badal, the Akali patriarch always raised issues of farmers and poor.

Talking about LPG cylinder issue, Modi said 1.25 crore people have left gas subsidy. 1.50 crore gas connections have been allotted to poor families and in next three years five crore families would be given gas connection, he said.

The Congress on the other hand launched a mega offensive against the Badals in Punjab during the joint public rallies by its vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the same day.

Rahul Gandhi named Captain Amarinder Singh as the Congress Chief Ministerial candidate. Amarinder Singh is currently the Punjab Congress chief.

Rahul will campaign in Rampura Phul, Talwandi Sabo and Bathinda Urban, besides Majthia on Friday.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal too will be campaigning hard for the state and is expected to address a rally on the same day as his biggest political rivals.

Punjab will vote on February 4 and the counting will take place on March 11.
Christians are normally known for two main services to society: education and healthcare. However, not many, including Christians, know that the feasts of the two patron saints of education are celebrated end-January: Thomas Aquinas (28th) and John Bosco (31st). Three years ago I highlighted the life of John Bosco in this column. So, lets focus on little known Aquinas. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is little known in India because the other Thomas  one among Jesus handpicked 12 apostles who was martyred here  is more popular. It is, therefore, not surprising that many Christians in Kerala are named Thomas after the Apostle. But, Thomas Aquinas is the theologian-saint nicknamed Angelic Doctor.

When someone boasted that he had become a doctor of theology, his guru good-humouredly asked: Doctor of theology? What disease is that? Likewise, when I sometimes say that Im a theologian many either ask: Woh kya hai? or reply: Achcha, geology! Then, I explain that theology is Ish-shashtra: the study of matters divine or striving to grasp reality with Gods eyes. While categorising Aquinas, as doctor of theology isnt incorrect, its certainly incomplete. For, he was also philosopher, ethicist, apologist, teacher, orator, pastor, nobleman and mystic. Born into a royal family related to emperor Fredric II, it was natural that his family dreamt of him becoming an able administrator; more so, since young Thomas had a prodigious intellect.

He entered Naples University aged just 11 and wanted to join the Dominican religious order at 18. Bent on blocking Thomas from priesthood, his brothers imprisoned him in a tower for two years. They also hired a temptress to seduce him. Driving her away, Thomas resolved to remain celibate and surrendered to God. Moved by love, his mother set him free by secretly arranging to let him down in a basket. He then earned doctorates at the universities of Cologne and Paris. Aquinas is the most outstanding exponent of Scholasticism that reinterpreted Aristotelian philosophy to teach the basics of Christianity. He towers over other theologians since he mastered every area of theological, philosophical and ethical inquiry.

His magnum opus the Summa Theologica is still a standard textbook at every Christian faculty, worldwide. Angels are Gods messengers. Aquinas, the angelic doctor, could convey Gods message so effectively because he spent hours in meditation and prayer. So engrossed was he in spiritual sadhana that hed forget to eat and sleep. A monk was appointed to remind him to eat and sleep! Short of his 50th year, Thomas became silent. Why have you stopped writing? asked a confrere. Thomas replied, I can write no more. All that Ive written seems like straw. Aquinas inspires us to harmonise faith and reason, contemplation and action, speech and silence.
There is an apocryphal story about Leonhard Euler, a brilliant mathematician of the 19th century, in the court of Catherine the Great, the empress of Russia. Denis Diderot, the French philosopher, known for his atheistic views, visited the royal court in St. Petersburg engaging in philosophical arguments. The bottomline of Diderots arguments was that God does not exist. Since none of the Russian philosophers could match Diderot in the depth of their arguments, the empress called upon Euler to engage in disputations with the visiting scholar. Euler had found out that Diderots weak point was mathematics. So when they began their disputation, Euler wrote a simple mathematical formula and said that in view of the equation written it follows that God exists. When called upon to reply, Diderot was completely flummoxed by this line of argument, as he had no clue to the mathematical content of what Euler had written. He asked for time to reply and then quietly made his way to Paris.

This story indicates that mathematics is beheld as a difficult subject, not a cup of tea for the common man or woman. This has resulted in pressures, social as well as intellectual, that its teaching should be reduced to the bare minimum so that the typical student has no difficulty in passing the school leaving examination. Any action by the educational authorities to ease the pressure of mathematics is welcome to the typical students and their guardians. This type of development, however, goes in opposite direction to the role mathematics is playing in the modern times. Although mathematicians like to claim that their subject is abstract with no visible connection to any tangible effect on human existence, it is well known that many abstract results of mathematical origin have tangible links with real life. Indeed, the rapid growth of science and technology that is influencing our existence today is intimately related to the growth and progress of mathematics. An example will illustrate how important is the role of mathematics in technological development.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched its first satellite, the Sputnik, which marked the advent of space technology. However, the launch caused a great deal of shock and consternation in the US, mainly because against the Cold War background the Soviet feat appeared sinister. It represented the advance of space technology in that country compared to that in the US. For strategic reasons, the US felt that its own space programme must be boosted. Several steps were taken to reduce the implied gap with respect to the USSR. One of the most serious steps was to boost the teaching of mathematics all the way from school to the research level. It was felt that technology cannot flourish without the backing of science and science cannot flourish without the backing of mathematics. An excellent introduction to the multifaceted applications of mathematics is seen from the four-volume compilation of mathematical ideas in the book, The World of Mathematics by James R. Newman.

It shows how mathematics has spread in so many unexpected areas. An interesting chapter is on the Battle of Trafalgar, which was won by Admiral Nelson in the year 1805. Nelson had 40 ships while the attacking French and Spanish armada had 46. In a head-on confrontation, Nelson figured that his smaller fleet would be annihilated. So he followed the following strategy. He divided the enemy armada into two equal parts and sent a diversionary force of eight ships to fight one half of the enemy armada. The other half of the enemy fleet of 23 he attacked with 32 of his remaining ships. This latter encounter wiped out the enemy fleet and left Nelson with 22 ships. In the first encounter he lost all ships but reduced the enemy ships to 21. Thus in the second part of the battle his 22 boats won by destroying all 21 of the enemy boats. Of his own fleet five survived.

This divide and attack policy came to Nelson intuitively as a result of his long experience. But in modern times one can understand the process by mathematical modelling. This has been discussed by Newman and the model leads to the following simple result. Suppose two forces are fighting with similar weaponry but with unequal starting numbers of fighting units. To fix ideas suppose force X has a starting strength of 40 and the opposing force Y has strength 32. The mathematical solution then tells us that as the fighting proceeds the forces lose strength but in such a way that the difference of their squares stays constant. So in the above example the difference of squares is 576, which stays fixed. So when force Y is annihilated the strength left with force X is the square root of 576, that is, 24. By the same law if Nelson had opted for a direct encounter, he would have lost all ships while the enemy would have been left with around 21-22 ships. As it turns out in this example, the application of the mathematical model leads us to a result very similar to what Nelson obtained intuitively.

The use of mathematics in daily life has come in an unexpected way, so much so that even the creators of a mathematical result are taken by surprise. For example, the theory of numbers has results about prime numbers  that is numbers that are not divisible by any number (except one or the number itself). The eminent mathematician G.H. Hardy confidently asserted that one of his highly abstract results would have no application at all. He was proved wrong! Today very large primes are used as keys to codes that transmit very confidential messages. Thus to avoid interaction with mathematics on the grounds that it is a difficult subject is an altogether wrong approach. That way we would be missing a key subject that is indispensable to the development of any nation. Rather one should improve the technique of teaching it. With a good teaching method and an imaginative textbook one can open out a vista of delights in the world of mathematics.
Putting an end to days of speculations which have been building around the Samsungs next flagship, the Galaxy S8, tipster Evan Blass has revealed the release date of the device, confirming other features and specifications as well.

In a twitter post, Evan Blass released an image of a Samsung smartphone claiming, This is the Samsung Galaxy S8, which will be launched on March 29.

Leaked Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone (Photo: Evan Blass)

Additionally in a report to Venture Beat, Evan Blass said Samsung will be unveiling two models of the Galaxy S8 with larger display that appears on the Samsungs oversized Galaxy Note. The two models will come with a 5.8- and 6.2-inch QHD Super AMOLED screens with both featuring Samsungs edge display.

In a schematic diagram leaked by GSMArena, the larger variant of the Galaxy S8 measures 52.38 x 78.51 x 7.94mm, taller and wider than its predecessor. According to GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will feature 6.3-inch display, larger than the Galaxy S7 Edge which features a 5.5-inch display.

While the schematic diagram of the Galaxy S8 showed 140.14 x 72.20 x 7.30mm in measurement. Based on the schematics, the Galaxy S8 was said to feature a 5.7-inch display (when not accounting the side curves), slightly shorter and thinner than the Galaxy S7 smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 was already tipped to ditch the home button, and the images leaked by Evan Blass also shows the smartphone with no home button, adding credibility to the earlier leaks. However, Samsung seems to stick to the 3.5mm headphone jack, unlike its rival Apple who recently dumped it in its latest release, iPhone 7.

This time, some models of the Galaxy S8 will have Qualcomms new Snapdragon 835 built on Samsungs 10 nm technology, while the rest of the models are said to be powered by Samsung Exynos, again built on the 10nm fabrication method.

Evan Blass reported performance-wise the usage of 10nm technology will make the S8 models run 11 per cent faster than the Galaxy S7 overall, with 23 per cent faster graphic processing, but still 20 per cent more energy efficient.

Both the Galaxy S8 models are confirmed to run on Androids Nougat version, but fuelled by 3000mAh and 3500mAh for the 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch design, respectively. Like the Galaxy S7, the S8 will sport 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage option, which will be expandable up to 256GB using a microSD card.

According to the Guardians report, the phone will also have USB-C and a new version of Samsungs Gear VR headset and Gear 360 camera.

In terms of camera, the Galaxy S8 will come with a 12MP rear sensor and an 8MP front sensor, but with improved image quality, low-light performance and speed, compared to S7. Additionally, the camera will feature built-in object recognition found in Google Glasses.

The iris-scanner biometric technology, which made its debut with ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, will be available on the Galaxy S8 smartphone. Since the smartphone will not be housed by the home button, Samsung has moved the fingerprint sensor at the rear next to the camera lens.

As reported earlier, the Galaxy S8 will feature Samsungs new AI personal assistant, called Bixby, developed based on the technology gained from the Viv-lab, which Samsung acquired in October last year.

The smartphone will also consist of a new service called DeX that will allow Galaxy S8 to switch into an Android desktop computer, connecting to a monitor, keyboard and other peripherals.

The Galaxy S8 was expected to be released at the MWC 2017 considering the previous Galaxy S Series launches over the past three years. However, the Galaxy S8 will be unveiled in a separate event in New York on March 29.

The 5.8-inch model will retail for 799 (approx. Rs 58,000) and the 6.2-inch model at 899 (approx. Rs 65,000). Both the models will be available in the market on April 21.

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Mr Barrow was sworn-in on January 19 at the Gambian Embassy in neighboring Senegal because of security threats as Jammeh clung to power.

Banjul: Gambias President Adama Barrow is finally returning home on Thursday, solidifying his position as the countrys first new commander in chief in two decades after a political crisis that sent the previous ruler into exile.

Gambians eagerly await Mr Barrow, who has promised to reverse many of the authoritarian policies of former leader Yahya Jammeh, who was accused of imprisoning, torturing and killing his political opponents. Mr Barrow defeated Mr Jammeh in December elections, but the veteran leader did not want to cede power.

Mr Barrow was sworn-in on January 19 at the Gambian Embassy in neighboring Senegal because of security threats as Jammeh clung to power. Mr Jammeh finally left Gambia last weekend, bowing to international pressure that included a regional military force, ending a more than 22-year rule. The West African troops were poised to oust Mr Jammeh.
US intelligence officials feared that Chinese army could launch an attack on India through Nepal Bhutan and Myanmar, a CIA document has revealed. (Representational Image)

Washington: Soon after the month-long Sino-India (Sino-Indian Border Conflict) war ended in November 1962, US intelligence officials feared that Chinese army could launch an attack on India through Nepal Bhutan and Myanmar, a CIA document has revealed.

A report in the Hindustan Times stated that a declassified document posted on US intelligence agency CIA's website said that China was possibly planning on 'giving the Indians another black eye' after the 1962 war.

Read: India 'still stuck' in 1962 war mindset: Chinese media

A series of events, including India's perception about Tibet and a common border between India and China, had caused the great Sino-India war in 1962. After a month-long fight, China declared a unilateral truce and withdrew its troops from Indian territory.

A DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) document titled 'The Chinese Communist ground threat to India' stated that China was capable of attacking India through the border that connects Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan and Assam.

Read: 1962 war veteran, who crossed into India, yearns to return to family in China

It is estimated that the Chinese could support indefinitely operations in Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan and eastern NEFA, the document revealed.

The document also stated that China could have extended its hold in India by controlling the territory of Leh and seizing the northern side of the Joshimath city in Uttarakhand. China could also take control of Guwahati, but only if it could get a permanent lodgement in the region.

US intelligence agencies also said that China could also have possibly attacked India via Burma through two major routes -- Kunming-Dibrugarh road via Ledo and the Kunming-Tezpur road via Mandalay and Imphal.

Concluding their research, CIA stated that China could pose a limited air threat to India due to the lack of required equipment and most importantly the lack of sufficient air force bases in Himalayas.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer indicated on Thursday that Trump would take questions from reporters after the pair meet at the White House. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Donald Trump will give his first press conference as US President on Friday, in a joint appearance with visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer indicated on Thursday that Trump would take questions from reporters after the pair meet at the White House.

Trumps administration has taken a confrontational approach to the media, while at the same time the new Republican president uses frequent television appearances as a bully pulpit.

His only press conference after winning the election and before taking office was dominated by questions about alleged Russian interference in US politics -- and Trumps gripes with individual reporters.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday embraced US President Donald Trump as a friend and ally, but cautioned him not to turn his back on global institutions and long-established political values.

On her first visit to the United States as prime minister, May called the start of Trumps term a new era of American renewal  but firmly rejected the presidents suggestion that torture might be acceptable, and rebuffed some of his foreign-policy views.

May flew to Philadelphia a day before she will hold talks with Trump at the White House and become the first foreign leader to meet the president since his inauguration.

May worked hard to get the invitation, and is seizing the opportunity to bolster the trans-Atlantic special relationship and work toward a US-UK free trade deal after Britain leaves the European Union.

She told a gathering of Republican lawmakers at their annual Congressional retreat that a Britain outside the EU and the U.S. under Trump can lead together again in the world, as they did when they set up the United Nations, NATO and other international organizations the new president has strongly criticized.

Throughout the more than half-hour of her speech, May declared sympathy for Trumps world view, then reminded the gathered Republicans  and by extension the president  of the United States international obligations.

She also joined in Trumps criticism of past U.S. foreign policy, saying the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.
King Abdullah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Jordan's King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said on Thursday. He will be the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump.

"HM King Abdullah II will start a working visit to US. on Monday during which he will meet w/new administration & Congress," the Jordanian embassy in Washington said on Twitter. It did not say whether a meeting between King Abdullah and Mr Trump was scheduled.

King Abdullah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. Jordan is part of a US-led military campaign against ISIS.

Less than a week into his presidency, Mr Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that he would "absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.

The creation of safe zones would ratchet up US military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from former President Barack Obama's more cautious approach. Increased US or allied air power would be required if Mr Trump chose to enforce "no fly" restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas.

King Abdullah's visit comes as Mr Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran.

Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the Syrian conflict began. The vast majority of refugees referred by the UN refugee agency to the United States come from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.

King Abdullah, who has a role as custodian of the Muslim sacred sites in Jerusalem, has also been key to efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. Since Israel's creation in 1948, Jordan has absorbed waves of Palestinian refugees, as well as fugitives from the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon and from Iraq.

While campaigning for the presidency, Mr Trump pledged to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a statement that drew an outcry from Palestinians and others who said it would kill any prospect for peace.
More than 100 politicians suspected of accepting bribes from powerful construction conglomerates for themselves or for their political party in exchange for allowing the builders to overcharge contracts with state oil giant Petrobras. (Photo: AP)

Curitiba: The number of suspects in the Petrobras corruption scandal will likely double following confessions of former executives at Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, the lead prosecutor in the case told AFP.

"We expect the case load to double in volume, and the collaboration of Odebrecht and many of its executives will provide evidence that will lead to new investigations throughout Brazil," federal prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol said Thursday.

The probe that Dallagnol is leading, dubbed Operation Carwash, has netted scores of politicians and executives and put pressure on President Michel Temer as he tries to drag Latin America's biggest economy out of recession.

Those ensnared in the case include more than 100 politicians suspected of accepting bribes from powerful construction conglomerates for themselves or for their political party in exchange for allowing the builders to overcharge contracts with state oil giant Petrobras.

Current and former executives at Odebrecht have signed plea deals and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in return for lighter sentences.

Dallagnol said that he and his team were surprised at the level of sophistication of the company's bribery scheme, dubbed the "department of bribery."

"We were surprised, because one thing is to know that corruption is rooted, widespread and systematic in Brazil, and another thing is to look at the monster in the eyes," he told AFP.

"We are investigating thousands of crimes involving millions [of dollars] carried out by hundreds of people," Dallagnol, who is 37, told AFP.

The firm's former head Marcelo Odebrecht, who was sentenced to 19 years prison in March 2016, was reported last year to have given testimony implicating president Temer.

A key judge involved in taking testimony from Odebrecht executives, Teori Zavascki, died in a plane crash last week. Police are investigating.

Zavascki, 68, had been studying the confessions of 77 construction executives involved in the corruption scandal.

The judge's compilation of the confessions was to have been completed next month but will now likely be delayed. Brazilian media have speculated that the testimony could implicate Temer.

The probe has uncovered corruption cases linked to people in several foreign countries, including the United States, Switzerland, Venezuela and Argentina.
Washington: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely discuss a range of issues in a reported call, including efforts to combat terrorism, White House senior aide Kellyanne Conway said in television interviews on Friday.

Asked about the planned call for Saturday, Conway told CBS' "This Morning" program, "I assume they will discuss, in the interests of their respective countries, how to come together and work together on issues where you can find common ground and where these two nations could maybe defeat radical Islamic terrorism."
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday met British Prime Minister Theresa May in his first summit with a foreign leader since inauguration, hours after she called on the US and the UK to again lead together.

Ms May, dressed in red, was greeted in person by Mr Trump when she arrived at the White House.

The meeting was being watched with global interest as the two countries seek to find common ground on trade and lay the groundwork for a new deal following last years Brexit vote in favour of the UK to leave the European Union. The two countries are also looking to boost defence ties.

It was also Mr Trumps first tryst with face-to-face diplomacy as he welcomed his first foreign visitor to the White House.

Ahead of the meeting with Mr Trump, Ms May, while speaking at the Republican Retreat in Philadelphia, said with the emergence of non-state actors, it is time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role. We can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together, she said.

She said Britain and the US must lead together again and play their role in safeguarding global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India. The rise of the Asian economies  China, yes, but democratic allies like India too  is hugely welcomed. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up, she said.
The defence ministry wants to boost the proportion of women in the army to 10 percent. (Photo: AP)

Kabul: Afghanistan has announced fresh initiatives to bring more women into the army, weeks after the country's first female pilot sparked a national debate on insecurity and women's rights by seeking asylum in the US.

The defence ministry wants to boost the proportion of women in the army to 10 percent, deputy ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh told AFP on Friday, confirming a slew of incentives including a special salary scale for female recruits.

"At this stage, we have 1,575 Afghan women in our army ranks, it is mere three to four percent which is nothing," Radmanesh said.

"We are aiming to raise this percentage to 10 percent." Fifteen years after the end of the Taliban regime, gender equality remains a distant dream in Afghanistan despite claims of progress.

In December Niloofar Rahmani, a 25-year-old pilot lionised widely as the "Afghan Top Gun", announced she was seeking asylum in the US, citing fears for her safety and sparking a spirited national debate.

Rahmani became a symbol of hope for millions of Afghan women when she surfaced in the press in 2013 after becoming Afghanistan's first woman pilot since the Taliban era.

But with fame came death threats from insurgents and she routinely faced contempt from her male colleagues in a conservative nation where many still believe that a woman does not belong outside the home.

Her shock asylum bid triggered a storm of criticism in Afghanistan for "betraying" her nation but also garnered support from activists.

Radmanesh said there are 400 Afghan female recruits currently training at defence ministry institutions.

Afghan forces are beginning their third year of providing security across the war-torn country after NATO moved into an advisory and training role and the toll on the local forces has been devastating.

An estimated 5,000 were killed and another 15,000 wounded in 2015, primarily by the Taliban, while incomplete figures for 2016 show the toll was even worse.

Some 5,523 Afghan service members died between January 1 and August 19 alone according to a quarterly report from the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

An additional 9,665 were wounded during the period. SIGAR's full report for 2016 has not yet been released.
People rally on a tank after they take over military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul after an attempted coup failed on July 16, 2016. Many coup plotters had fled to Greece. (Photo: AFP)

Athens: Greeces Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the extradition of eight Turkish military officers sought by Ankara over Julys failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a justice source said.

The men landed a helicopter in Greece a day after the botched putsch and asked for asylum, setting up a politically delicate situation in Greece.

Turkey has branded them terrorists and the case is awkward for Athens, which is working with Nato ally Ankara to stem the flow of migrants through its territory towards western Europe.

Regardless of their (alleged) culpability or the seriousness of their crimes, extradition cannot be applied because the rights of those wanted could be nullified or curtailed, the court said.

The officers  two commanders, four captains and two sergeants  embraced each other and snapped pictures with their Greek lawyers after the ruling was read out, the justice source said.

In addition, the court ordered that the eight be released from police custody.

Shortly after the courts decision Turkey issued an arrest warrant for the eight men, Turkish media reported. Turkey has previously asked for the mens extradition.
Trump tweeted that the meeting should be scrapped if Mexico doesn't agree to pay for a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border, Pena Nieto responded via the same platform. (Photo: AP)

Mexico City: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a planned Tuesday meeting with President Donald J. Trump on Thursday, signaling a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration.

The rift capped days of increasingly confrontational remarks - on Twitter and in dueling public appearances - between the two men, whose countries conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to environmental issues.

Hours after Trump tweeted that the meeting should be scrapped if Mexico doesn't agree to pay for a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border, Pena Nieto responded via the same platform.

"This morning we have informed the White House I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday," the Mexican president tweeted. He added that "Mexico reaffirms its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that benefit both nations."

In a speech later Thursday, Trump doubled down on the dispute, saying that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

Trump also claimed that calling off the meeting was a mutual decision and floated a new possible threat to Mexico, which sends about 80 percent of its exports to the U.S. and which has vowed not to pay for a wall.

"We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficit, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall, if we decide to go that route," Trump said.

His spokesman later said Trump was calling for a 20 percent tax on imports to pay for the southern wall.

He has also pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

"I will not allow the citizens or the taxpayers of the United States to pay the cost of this defective transaction, NAFTA, one that should have been renegotiated many years ago, except that the politicians were too preoccupied to do so," Trump said.

Mexican officials have expressed willingness to update the pact, but said they would consider walking away from NAFTA if negotiations mean making too many concessions.

Mexico is one of America's biggest trade partners, and the U.S. is the No. 1 buyer from Mexico, accounting for about 80 percent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the U.S. economy, an disastrous for Mexico's

"Today's events are dangerous for the immediate and long-term security and economy of the United States," Jason Marczak of the Atlantic Council wrote. "U.S.-Mexico cooperation is far-reaching: from intelligence sharing for the capture of drug traffickers to the flow of commercial goods that support the livelihoods of nearly 5 million American workers."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer later responded to the Mexican president's tweet, saying: "We'll look for a date to schedule something in the future. We will keep the lines of communication open."

Pena Nieto's decision ended days of uncertainty about how he would respond to Trump's aggressive stance toward the country, and illustrated the challenges world leaders are likely to face in dealing with the U.S. president's voluble, Twitter-based diplomacy.

The diplomatic row also recalls the rocky days of U.S.-Mexico relations in the 1980s, prior to NAFTA.

"There is a change in the understanding that had been in operation over the last 22 years, when Mexico was considered a strategic ally," said Isidro Morales, a political scientist at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. "Trump has unilaterally broken with this way of doing things."

Mexico had tried its traditional approach of quiet, cautious diplomacy combined with back-room discussions, sending Cabinet officials for talks with the Trump administration. But that changed when Trump decided to announce his border wall on the same day that two senior Mexican Cabinet ministers - Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray and Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo - arrived in Washington for preliminary talks ahead of what was to be a presidential tete-a-tete. Many were affronted by the timing, and Pena Nieto faced a firestorm of criticism at home.

That evening Pena Nieto issued recorded remarks suggesting he was reconsidering his upcoming trip to Washington. On Thursday morning, Trump tweeted: "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel."

The president had "no other choice but to say 'I'm not going,'" former foreign relations secretary Jorge Castaneda told Mexican media.

Already deeply unpopular at home with historic-low approval ratings, Pena Nieto had come under increasing pressure to stand up to Trump.

Mexico's best-known opposition politician, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, tweeted that "in the face of Trump's latest outburst, don't go to the meeting, and submit an urgent complaint to the U.N. for human rights violations."

Many Mexicans said Thursday that they backed Pena Nieto's decision to scrap the trip.

Magda Hoffmann, a Mexico City retiree, called Trump's behavior "insulting and rude."

"As my grandmother said," she added, "'Don't go where you're not invited.'"

Like many, she found the conduct of diplomacy-by-tweets to be odd.

"This is a diplomatic relationship here. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but that has to be given value," Hoffman said. "It's not a question to be handled ... text-messaging back and forth."

Orlando Contreras, a 35-year-old computer engineer in the capital, said he believed Pena Nieto had no reason to "negotiate under their conditions."

"I feel that we have always been under their (the U.S.) yoke," Contreras said. "I think it would be a good thing to separate ourselves from them, so Mexico can strike out on its own."
Moscow: UN-hosted negotiations on the Syrian conflict planned for February 8 in Geneva have been postponed until the end of that month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

"The date of February 8 has been put back until the end of next month," Lavrov told a meeting with minor Syrian opposition representatives in Moscow to discuss peace talks in Kazakhstan that ended on Tuesday without a major breakthrough.

There was no confirmation from the United Nations on the latest plans for the next round of talks between the Syrian regime and opposition.

The main opposition groups stayed away from the Moscow meeting with Lavrov, as the Kremlin seeks to impose its influence as the key powerbroker in Syria on the back of its game-changing military support for leader Bashar al-Assad.

Representatives from armed opposition groups and Damascus were expected to hold their first face-to-face talks in Astana, but the rebels refused over regime truce violations and mediators were forced to shuttle between the two sides.

Key players Russia, Turkey and Iran backed the talks and the main result was an agreement by the three sides to try to shore up a shaky ceasefire on the ground in the war-torn country.

The latest peace initiative to halt fighting that has killed over 310,000 people since 2011 comes after the Syrian regime, with the help of Russian and Iranian firepower, dealt rebels a crushing blow by ousting the rebels from eastern Aleppo last month.
British Prime Minister Theresa May steps off from her plane upon her arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington. (Photo: AP)

London: In a major gaffe, the White House misspelled British Prime Minister Theresa May's name three times in an official schedule of her visit to the US, confusing her name with a porn star.

Staff in US President Donald Trump's administration missed out the 'h' in her name in a document setting out the plan for talks on Friday, including a "bilateral meeting" in the Oval Office and a "working luncheon" following a joint press conference.

The White House's daily guidance and press schedule from the office of the press secretary reads: "In the afternoon, the president will partake in a bilateral meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister, Teresa May", missing out the "h" in her name, despite spelling it correctly elsewhere, the Mirror reported.

It continued, "The president participates in a working luncheon with Teresa May, Prime Minister of United Kingdom."

The error was repeated in a later guidance note from the Office of the Vice President, though it elsewhere also spelt her name correctly, before finally being rectified fully in another notice from the same office.

Teresa May is the name of a former glamour model and porn actress. Teresa May, the actress also trended on Twitter during the race to be prime minister last summer.
Dhaka: A 45-year-old man in Bangladesh accused of secretly marrying 28 times has been arrested and sent to jail over dowry harassment complaint filed by his 25th wife, a media report said.

Yasin Byapari was arrested by the police from his 27th wife's home at Taltali area of Barguna district. A court sent him to jail in the dowry case filed by his '25th wife' Shiuli Akhter Tania, local channels reported.

Tania said she married Yasin in 2011 and after the birth of a daughter, she discovered she was not the only wife of her husband. In fact, she was "his 25th wife!", the report said.

After she came to know this, she managed to trace the names and addresses of 17 of her husband's spouses.

She claimed Yasin has two daughters with his second wife, one son with his third wife, one son with his seventh wife and a daughter with his 24th wife.

She said after their marriage, Yasin cited work as an excuse to often stay away from home. At one point, he began to assault her physically while demanding dowry, the report said.

"Then without informing me, he married a girl from Matibhanga area of Rajapur Sadar Upazila. But the girl divorced Yasin after she discovered his exploits," she alleged.

"Then in 2015, he married a Chittagong-based girl from Taltali. But he did not take her to his house and went on to marry a garment worker from Khulna," she said.

Although Tania provided the name and address of her husband, police have not been able to corroborate the claims.

Tania filed the case with the Khulna Chief Judicial Magistrate, implicating Yasin in a dowry case on September 29 last year, a senior police officer said.

In her complaint, Tania accused Yasin of suppressing information and marrying 28 times, he said. Yasin, however, had confessed to marrying only twice during preliminary interrogation.
Population experts have estimated that the imbalance over the past 30 years has resulted in between 24 million to 34 million more men than women. (Photo: AFP)

Beijing: China's skewed sex ratio, where men have outnumbered women by millions in the last three decades, could create serious social problems in the world's most populous country, a top official warned on Friday.

The gender ratio, which was 113.5 men to every 100 women in 2015, one of the highest in the world, is forecast to drop below 112 by 2020 and 107 by 2030, the National Population Development Outline released by the Chinese central cabinet said. The normal range of sex ration is between 103 and 107.

China's sex ratio has been skewed by a traditional preference for boys. Population experts have estimated that the imbalance over the past 30 years has resulted in between 24 million to 34 million more men than women.

Wang Pei'an, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, has warned that the gender imbalance could result in serious social problems, state-run China Daily reported.

A national guideline released this month said the authorities will continue to intensify the fight against foetus gender identification and sex-selective abortions.

Wednesday's outline estimated that China will see its population peak at 1.45 billion around 2030.

To better monitor demographic changes, China plans to establish a population forecast system based on censuses and sample surveys that will produce regular reports, the outline said.

It also said governments will continue to monitor the effect of the universal second-child policy as well as closely follow changes in the fertility rate to decide on possible adjustment to the family planning policy.

China abandoned the decades-old one child policy last year and permitted parents to have a second child.

Yuan Xin, a professor of population studies at Nankai University in Tianjin, said the second-child policy will contribute to a lower sex ratio at birth because it will result in a higher fertility rate, but added, "The family planning policy should be further relaxed so the ratio can be reduced to a balanced level."

He agreed with predictions that the second-child policy will result in a peak in births in the next few years, but he warned the effect may decline gradually due to the reduced number of women of childbearing age.

About 90 million women became eligible to have another child when the second-child policy was introduced early last year.

However, half were aged 40 or older, meaning they are less likely to give birth again, Yuan said.

"Adjustment to the policies should be based on consistent monitoring of the population. A scientific evaluation should be made," the professor added.
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign policy Sartaj Aziz on Friday alleged that India, which boycotted SAARC meeting in Islamabad, "impeded" the grouping's process and "violated" the spirit of its Charter.

Aziz said this during a meeting with outgoing South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa who is on a visit to Pakistan.

Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming SAARC leaders for the 19th Summit in November but it was postponed when "India impeded the SAARC process and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter", Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

"Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the SAARC umbrella can be pursued more vigorously," FO quoted Aziz saying in the meeting.

He also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, economic progress, social uplift and cultural cooperation.

Aziz said that due to several impediments and challenges, SAARC has been unable to fulfill the vision that was laid out for it by its founding members.

Aziz said he believed that the SAARC Secretariat could play an important role as catalyst to bring all the member states together and ensure timely and effective implementation of programme and activities that would benefit the region.

Thapa emphasised the need to overcome the difficulties the organisation faced and expressed hope that the 19th SAARC Summit would be held in Islamabad as soon as possible.

Thapa, who paid a farewell call on Aziz, also held a meeting with Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, who appreciated Thapa's contributions to the SAARC process and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the SAARC objectives.

Chaudhry emphasised that internal and bilateral problems of member states must not be allowed to affect the organisation and that 19th SAARC Summit should be held as soon as possible to put the whole SAARC process back on track.

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syed Zulfiqar Gardezi, Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) hosted a lunch for the Secretary General, which was attended by Amjad Hussian Sial, Secretary General-elect of the SAARC.

Thapa who hails from Nepal, is the 12th Secretary General of SAARC. He will complete his tenure on February 28 after which Amjad Hussain Sial, former Special Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan is to take charge as the next Secretary General of SAARC.


Sources said the party was perturbed as none of the five candidates declared by its alliance partner earlier has been withdrawn by SP. "SP had announced five candidates in these parliamentary constituencies before the alliance was sealed but since then no name has been withdrawan and local Congress leaders are especailly perturbed over the issue," a senior Congress leader said here.



Though both the sides are more or less agreeable to a broad understanding that Congress will get 6 and SP 4, local leaders and workers are not ready to give up either Amethi or Gauriganj Assembly seats from where SP has already announced its candidates, he said. Congress, which is looking for a major share, also wants freedom to choose its nominees rather than blindly following the "sitting-getting" formula.



"Giving tickets only on the basis of previous performance will only benefit rivals and we cannot afford to see reverses for failure to forsee them," he said. Without assessing the situation and winnability of each candidate before fielding them would be like helping BSP, he said, citing the example of Sareni in Rae Bareli.



SP has given ticket to its sitting MLA in Sareni but situation there has undergone a major change since 2012 and now even their supporters are against them, he said, apprehending that the seat could go to BSP in case the same candidate is repeated.

It is essential that both the alliance partners work towards assessing each others' strong and weak points seat-wise or else it will cause more harm than benefit to the ideals for which both the parties have come together, he said.



The leaders and ticket aspirants in Amethi and Rae Bareli have already vented their displeasure over Congress being made to play second fiddle and have also aired their strong views publicly. They are now awaiting the party high command's directives, the Congress leader said on condition of anonymity. "Negotiations are on at the highest level as per our information, with Priyanka Gandhi taking up our case with the SP leadership and we are hopeful of a favourable outcome," he said.



Besides, there is confusion in the alliance over some seats in Lucknow and some other constituencies like Saharanpur and Congress leaders are waiting for some clarity on them before they embark on electioneering, he said. When contacted, Congress spokesman and UPCC general secretary Maroof Khan said his party has compromised on several points and on several seats but Amethi and Rae Bareli are the traditional Congress strongholds and partymen have worked hard in these constituencies over the years.



"Just as the Congress is not making any unjustified demand on seats in the areas of influence of SP, the honour and dignity of the party should also be upheld especially in areas which have great importance for us," he said. SP holds eight of the 10 seats on Gandhi turf and has to drop sitting MLAs in favour of Congress. Since Amethi and Rae Bareli go to polls in the 4th and 5th phase, it might take some more time for the two parties to resolve the matter.

Congress and Samajwadi Party are haggling over seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli,the parliamentary turf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. Congress, which managed to get 105 of the 403 seats under the seat-sharing deal with the SP after hard negotiations, is in no mood to give up its claim over all the ten seats in Amethi-Rae Bareli.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today said various "anti-social elements" and organisations had "infiltrated" the week-long pro-jallikattu protest at Marina here with the intention of "diverting" it. He promised that the "evil forces" behind the violence here on Monday would be identified and brought to book.



Panneerselvam said following the police announcement early on January 23, asking the protesters to leave the Marina beach, about 10,000 of them had dispersed while about 2,000 stayed back. "Various organisations and anti-social elements had infiltrated the pro-jallikattu protests (at Marina) with the intention of diverting it," he said.



Making a detailed statement in the Assembly after Opposition Leader MK Stalin sought his explanation over the police lathicharge on protesters here on Monday, Panneerselvam said the cops had received information that some of the protesters wanted to prolong the stir till Republic Day. He said those belonging to such organisations "wanted to show black flags and create problems" on January 26.



"Some even raised separate Tamil Nadu demands and there is photographic proof of some holding pictures of Osama Bin Laden with accompanying Boycott Republic Day slogans," he said. Even during the violence, which he blamed on "anti-national, anti-social elements, besides miscreants", the police used "minimum force" to disperse the "unlawful" persons and safeguarded public life and property, the chief minister said and assured the House that the "evil forces" behind the violence would be identified and action taken against them.



Quite a few policemen sustained injuries while many police vehicles were also damaged by the miscreants during Monday's violence, Panneerselvam said. The chief minister, who said the jallikattu ban was implemented in 2011 during the days of the UPA, in which the DMK was a constituent, also recalled the sustained efforts of his predecessor, late J Jayalalithaa, and himself for the conduct of the bull-taming sport in the state.



He also explained in detail the circumstances leading to the state government issuing an ordinance last week, following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the latter promised the Centre's support to the state's legal endeavours on the issue.


Treating head and neck cancer patients with a twice-daily radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy may reduce their risk of death from the disease, a new study has claimed. The study, led by Claire Petit from Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre in France, included patients with tumours in their mouths, throats or voice boxes, that had already begun to spread to neighbouring tissue.



These patients tend to have lower rates of survival than those whose cancer was diagnosed at an earlier stage. The twice-daily treatment is known as hyperfractionated radiotherapy. By splitting the daily treatment in two portions, a higher and more effective dose can be given to patients.



The researchers hope that this can be achieved without increasing side effects. Around 600,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer worldwide each year. It can be difficult to treat because the area of the body affected contains so many vital structures, including those responsible for breathing, swallowing and speech, researchers said.



They used a relatively new technique called a network meta-analysis to bring together data from 117 different trials, including 28,804 patients from around the world. This allowed them to compare 16 different treatments to find out which was best at reducing the spread of cancer and deaths from the disease.



They discovered that the twice-daily treatment, when combined with chemotherapy, cut deaths by 20 per cent compared to the best standard treatment of once-daily radiotherapy with chemotherapy. It also reduced the risk of the cancer getting worse by 23 per cent.



"There are a number of new treatments that have shown promise in head and neck cancer trials. This large study has enabled us to compare several of these treatments to see which is best overall in terms of reducing mortality," said Petit. Petit cautioned that she has not yet studied the side effects experienced by patients, either during treatment or in the longer term, and that more research is needed to examine this and to confirm the results.



"However, this is an important finding for this group of patients who have a higher risk of their cancer recurring following treatment," she said. "This research provides good evidence for the benefits of treating advanced stage head and neck cancer patients with a combination of twice-daily radiation therapy and chemotherapy, compared to one or even none of these separately," Professor Philip Poortmans from Radboud University Medical Centre in The Netherlands added.


Stepping up pressure on government following the success of the Jallikattu stir in Tamil Nadu, students, artistes and politicians today staged a massive protest here, demanding removal of the ban on Kambala, a traditional buffalo race in the coastal region held annually.



All-College Students' Association along with Tulu film artistes, Yakshagana artistes, politicians and members of Tulunada Rakshana Vedike staged protest at Hampankatta here, lending momentum to the growing demand on the issue.



Noted personalities from Tulu film industry including actors Devdas Kapikad, Naveen D Padil, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, director-producer Vijay Kumar Kodailbail, BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Congress MLA Mohiuddin Bava and others called for immediate government action to ensure continuation of Kambala.



Students from various colleges formed a human chain.

Kateel said Kambala had history of 800 years and it was a tradition of Tulunadu.

Tulu, a Dravidian language, is spoken in a small region, mainly in coastal Karnataka and Kerala's Kasaragod district, collectively known as Tulu Nadu.



The student fraternity had gathered to protect Kambala and prove youth power, he said, alleging that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was projecting Kambala in a wrong way claiming that buffaloes were subjected to cruelty, but in fact they were treated with great care and concern.



The protest would continue until ban on Kambala was withdrawn, he said.

Kateel had yesterday threatened to observe a fast unto death if the state government did not promulgate an ordinance on Kambala.



Addressing the protest, Bava said Kambala was a unifying sport and the people of the district were closely attached to it irrespective of religion, caste and creed. The fight would be continued "until justice is done."



Theatre director Vijaykumar Kodialbail said there was no instance of buffaloes being tortured during Kambala and it could not be compared to Tamil Nadus Jallikattu (taming of bull).



In Bengaluru, AIADMK Karnataka unit workers staged a protest, demanding lifting of the ban on Kambala and demanded a ban on PETA, which has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court to restrain the sport.



AIADMK activists and leaders raised slogans against PETA and demanded that the Siddaramaiah government bring in an ordinance at the earliest to clear the decks to conduct Kambala.



"Our chief minister should take the cue from the success story of Tamil Nadu with regard to jallikattu. He should immediately bring in an ordinance to conduct Kambala in the Dakshina Kannada region," AIADMK Karnataka secretary V Pugazhendi told PTI here.



In November 2016, the Karnataka High Court had passed an interim order restraining holding of Kambala.The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 30.


Launching a scathing attack on Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused it of following political opportunism to further its gains and said the party was a "thing of the past" which the people of Punjab must not trust.





He also said Congress is a "sinking ship" and people should not board it as it would not help them reach anywhere.



Addressing an election rally here, he also referred to the politically sensitive issue of Sutlej Yamuna Canal and said Punjab has the right to use water for irrigation.



Modi said waters from Indus river which flow into Pakistan as waste will be brought to Punjab. Haryana and Punjab are locked in a bitter legal and emotional battle over the issue for the past several years.



With Rahul Gandhi raking up the issue of drug menace in the state at a rally in Majitha, Modi hit back at him, saying, "Some people are taking politics to a new low by tarnishing the image of the youth of Punjab."



He also said the pride of Punjabis has been tarnished by such statements and the Assembly polls in the state are the best way to reply to such remarks.



Continuing his broadside against Congress, he said the party is "like water and changes it shape to suit its political needs".



"It is a strange party. It tied up with the Left in West Bengal to survive in the state. Whatever they (Left) gave (as seats), it accepted...In Uttar Pradesh, it attacked the Samajwadi Party in its yatras. Then it went for a pact...It saw an opportunity after a feud in SP...," Modi said.



Dubbing "political opportunism" as the "forte" of Congress, he said the country is witnessing the results of "politics of destruction" the country has seen in the last 70 years. "Now, we have started politics of development," he said.



Referring to demonetisation, he claimed he has been facing "atrocities" for the past three months. "Modi hun. Zulm ke samne jhukta nahin (I am Modi. I do not bow before atrocities)," he said.



The prime minister said his drive against corruption is an apolitical affair aimed at ridding the country of black money.



"But people who have amassed illegal wealth in the past 70 years are worried and are attacking me as they are still unable to digest the decision," he said.



Claiming that Congress was not being able to come to terms with remaining "out of power", Modi said it entered an alliance with SP in UP and the Left in West Bengal for "the lust of power".



"Congress compromised with the Left which they had been fighting against for 50 years. But the hunger for power is such that they joined them.



"For several months, they (Congress) took out rath yatra and chided SP... They came to know they are not being accepted by the public... They saw there is a division in the UP's ruling family and then entered an alliance with SP," he said.

He exhorted voters in Punjab to vote for the SAD-BJP combine for further development in the state.



On the surgical strikes conducted by the army across the LoC in September last year, Modi said people were proud of the force's action against the country's "enemy".



"You did not want that the country's enemy be given reply? How long our soldiers will continue to be killed... then Indian Army conducted surgical strike successfully," he said.



Hitting out at Congress on the issue of One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) schemes, Modi accused the Congress of "befooling" the ex-servicemen for 40 years.



The Prime Minister said when his government was formed, it decided to implement OROP and the budget for which was worked out at Rs 10,000 crore.



"We have already disbursed Rs 6,000 crore and rest will be given after the Budget," he said.



On the contentious Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue in Punjab, Modi said farmers of Punjab should also get water to grow crops.



Talking about demonetisation, he said more than Rs 150 crore was seized from the house of a minister in the Congress government in Karnakata.



"More than Rs 150 crore was seized but neither Congress was thinking of removing him nor TV channels are highlighting this issue... It was like nothing has happened," he said.



Modi said ever since his government was formed, farmers were not facing any problem in getting urea and asserted that the government had successfully eliminated corruption in fertiliser distribution.



"Solutions to our problems lies only in development. We have seen politics of destruction for 70 years which have ruined the youth," he said.



Modi exuded confidence that Punjab voters would create history by bringing SAD-BJP into the power for the third time.
German prosecutors said today they were investigating former Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn on suspicion of fraud over the firm's "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal.





Investigators say they have "sufficient indications" that Winterkorn may have known earlier than he has so far admitted about the cheating, adding his and 15 other names to a growing list of people facing probes for fraud and false advertising.



Winterkorn is already under investigation for suspected market manipulation related to the scandal.



The new evidence comes from "questioning of witnesses and suspects and the examination of confiscated computer files," the prosecutor's office in the north German city of Brunswick said in a statement.



With the 16 names added today, there are now a total of 37 people under investigation.



Prosecutors added that they have this week searched 28 homes and offices linked to the new names on the list, and will take several weeks to evaluate the materials they seized.



Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to installing so-called "defeat devices" in 11 million vehicles worldwide, after their existence was revealed by the US Environmental Protection Agency.



The software caused engines to reduce emissions of harmful nitrogen oxide when they were undergoing regulators' tests.



Winterkorn -- known inside VW as "Mr Quality" for his perfectionism -- stepped down the same month, but has always denied any knowledge of the cheating before it became public.



US investigators and German media have alleged that VW executives knew of the scandal as far back as July 2015, but decided to say nothing.



"That is not the case," Winterkorn told German lawmakers at a parliamentary hearing into the dieselgate affair earlier this month.



VW agreed this month to plead guilty to fraud and pay fines amounting to USD 4.3 billion (4.0 billion euros) in the United States to close its emissions cases with the Department of Justice.



The payment, which will allow VW to avoid a trial, comes on top of USD 17.5 billion in fines and compensation already agreed to cover the costs of the scandal in the US.
A 45-year-old man in Bangladesh accused of secretly marrying 28 times has been arrested and sent to jail over dowry harassment complaint filed by his 25th wife, a media report said.





Yasin Byapari was arrested by the police from his 27th wife's home at Taltali area of Barguna district.



A court sent him to jail in the dowry case filed by his '25th wife' Shiuli Akhter Tania, bdnews24.com reported.



Tania said she married Yasin in 2011 and after the birth of a daughter, she discovered she was not the only wife of her husband. In fact, she was "his 25th wife!", the report said.



After she came to know this, she managed to trace the names and addresses of 17 of her husband's spouses.



She claimed Yasin has two daughters with his second wife, one son with his third wife, one son with his seventh wife and a daughter with his 24th wife.



She said after their marriage, Yasin cited work as an excuse to often stay away from home. At one point, he began to assault her physically while demanding dowry, the report said.



"Then without informing me, he married a girl from Matibhanga area of Rajapur Sadar Upazila. But the girl divorced Yasin after she discovered his exploits," she alleged.



"Then in 2015, he married a Chittagong-based girl from Taltali. But he did not take her to his house and went on to marry a garment worker from Khulna," she said.



Although Tania provided the name and address of her husband, police have not been able to corroborate the claims.



Tania filed the case with the Khulna Chief Judicial Magistrate, implicating Yasin in a dowry case on September 29 last year, a senior police officer said.



In her complaint, Tania accused Yasin of suppressing information and marrying 28 times, he said. Yasin, however, had confessed to marrying only twice during preliminary interrogation.
Hailing the removal of Governor V Shanmuganathan, women activists in Meghalaya today demanded that he be prosecuted for turning the Raj Bhavan into a "young ladies club" and "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office.





"We now need a speedy and decisive inquiry to be initiated which should lead to (his )prosecution," said Angela Rangad, convener of Thma u Rangli (TUR), a progressive peoples group in the state.



"Now that he is not the Governor anymore, Article 361 is not operational, and we do not need prior sanction from the President (for his prosecution)," she said.



"It should not be that now that he has tendered his resignation and it is the end of it. Only this (prosecution) will send out the right message that nobody in any high office can get away with abusing their power," Rangad said.



President Pranab Mukherjee today accepted the resignation of Shanmuganathan as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh after close to 100 staff members of Raj Bhavan accused him of "seriously compromising" the dignity of the gubernatorial office.



TUR and an all womens group, the Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO), had spearheaded a signature campaign seeking Shanmuganathans removal.



Earlier in the day, State Commission for Women chairperson Theilin Phanbuh said that an inquiry should be instituted to find out what had actually happened and all those involved in the controversy be punished.



Phanbuh said she had apprised the National Commission for Women of the incidents at the Raj Bhavan.



"What we did was to inform the concerned authority (of the allegations against the Governor)," Phanbuh said at the launch of a special cell for women and children at the Sadar Police Station here.



She said what the State Commission for Women did was "to apprise the National Commission for Women and highlight what was going on in the state".
Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign policy Sartaj Aziz today alleged that India, which boycotted SAARC meeting in Islamabad, "impeded" the grouping's process and "violated" the spirit of its Charter.





Aziz said this during a meeting with outgoing South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa who is on a visit to Pakistan.



Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming SAARC leaders for the 19th Summit in November but it was postponed when "India impeded the SAARC process and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter", Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.



"Pakistan remains committed to hosting the 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad at the earliest so that the objectives of regional cooperation under the SAARC umbrella can be pursued more vigorously," FO quoted Aziz saying in the meeting.



He also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC for promoting welfare of the people of South Asia, improving their quality of life, economic progress, social uplift and cultural cooperation.



Aziz said that due to several impediments and challenges, SAARC has been unable to fulfill the vision that was laid out for it by its founding members.



Aziz said he believed that the SAARC Secretariat could play an important role as catalyst to bring all the member states together and ensure timely and effective implementation of programme and activities that would benefit the region.



Thapa emphasised the need to overcome the difficulties the organisation faced and expressed hope that the 19th SAARC Summit would be held in Islamabad as soon as possible.



Thapa, who paid a farewell call on Aziz, also held a meeting with Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, who appreciated Thapa's contributions to the SAARC process and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the SAARC objectives.



Chaudhry emphasised that internal and bilateral problems of member states must not be allowed to affect the organisation and that 19th SAARC Summit should be held as soon as possible to put the whole SAARC process back on track.



On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syed Zulfiqar Gardezi, Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) hosted a lunch for the Secretary General, which was attended by Amjad Hussian Sial, Secretary General-elect of the SAARC.



Thapa who hails from Nepal, is the 12th Secretary General of SAARC. He will complete his tenure on February 28 after which Amjad Hussain Sial, former Special Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan is to take charge as the next Secretary General of SAARC.
A federal magistrate judge on Thursday barred the use of a 3-drug cocktail the state of Ohio planned to use to execute death-row inmates, declaring the method the state prefers to be unconstitutional.





Magistrate Judge David Merz of Dayton also halted the executions of 3 inmates scheduled to be executed in the coming months, 2 of which came from Northeast Ohio.





Merz, in his 119-page order, ruled that there were enough problems with all 3 of the drugs Ohio intends to use in its execution protocol to warrant this disallowance. 2 states, Arizona and Florida, have discontinued the use of 1 of the drugs, named midazolam.





"The Court concludes that use of midazolam as the 1st drug in Ohio's present 3-drug protocol will create a 'substantial risk of serious harm' or an 'objectively intolerable risk of harm' as required by (Supreme Court precedent)," Merz wrote.





The ruling is a success for the inmates challenging Ohio's execution protocols and anti-death-penalty advocates who have sought to chip away at the state's ability to execute people since executions resumed in 1999. It may be short lived, though, as the ruling is all but guaranteed to be appealed.





A spokeswoman for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office said the office is reviewing the decision.





Ohio hasn't executed anyone since January 2014, when it took killer Dennis McGuire 25 minutes to die from a previously unused execution drug combination. McGuire was administered a cocktail that included midazolam. Witnesses said he appeared to gasp several times during his execution and made loud snorting or snoring sounds.





State officials and the courts put executions on hold until the state picked a new lethal-injection drug combination of midazolam, rocuronium bromide and potassium chloride last October. The challenge that led to Merz's ruling Thursday was also borne out of McGuire's execution.





During a hearing earlier this month, Merz heard testimony on all 3 drugs. His ruling Thursday said that the state cannot use any cocktail that contained potassium chloride or rocuronium bromide, a paralytic agent, since the state told a court in a previous proceeding that it would not use such drugs during future executions.





Those scheduled to die in the next few months included:





- Ronald Phillips, an Akron man convicted 1993 for raping his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter and beating her to death. His execution was scheduled for Feb. 15.





- Gary Otte, an Indiana man who shot and killed 2 Parma residents during robberies in 1992. His execution was scheduled for March 15.





- Raymond Tibbetts, a Cincinnati-area man convicted in 2001 for murdering Judith Sue Crawford and Fred Hicks. His execution was scheduled for April 12.





Ohio has had trouble in recent years getting drugs to use for lethal injections in part because pharmaceutical companies don't want their products used for killing people.





In 2014, state lawmakers passed a secrecy law hoping to encourage small-scale drug manufacturers called compounding pharmacies to make its lethal-injection drugs. That law was challenged, though courts have declined to declare the law unconstitutional.

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Source: cleveland.com, January 26, 2017
Hundreds of BJP workers on Friday staged a demonstration before state BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya in protest against denial of party nominations to senior and loyal leaders from Assembly seats in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.





Angry workers also stormed Mauryas press conference and demanded a change of party nominees from some seats in the district though Maurya made it clear that there would be no change.



BJP workers were disappointed by the denial of a ticket to Shyamdeo Roy Chowdhary, seven-time party legislator from Varanasi South Assembly seat.



Maurya visited Chowdharys residence in a bid to placate them. Chowdhary is a senior leader...we will accord him due respect, he added.



Chowdhary, however, said that he felt humiliated as he was not even consulted before refusal of nomination.



BJP workers also held a demonstration before the party headquarters in the state capital on Friday to register their protest over selection of outsiders and turncoats as party nominees in the upcoming Assembly polls.



Angry workers also stormed Mauryas press conference and demanded a change of party nominees from some seats in Varanasi district.


Political parties in Uttar Pradesh might not have shown them preference while selecting candidates, but the women leaders of the state are all set to dominate the campaigns for the Assembly elections.





Women leaders of almost all the major political parties, many of whom are campaigning for the first time, have made it to the list of star campaigners. In the Samajwadi Party (SP), Dimple Yadav, Lok Sabha member from Kannauj and wife of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, will be campaigning for party candidates for the very first time.



The Congress has included Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the list of its star campaigners. While Priyanka has campaigned in the constituencies of Raebareli and Amethi for her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi, respectively, this is the first time that she will campaign in the other parts of the state.



Dimple and Priyanka are likely to address election rallies together, in view of the alliance between the Congress and SP.



Actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will also join the campaigns, though sources said that they would address fewer rallies.



Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the star campaigner for the BJP in the state, Union minister Smriti Irani  who lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi  and actor-turned-politician Hema Malini  Mathura MP  will campaign aggressively for the party.



Union ministers Maneka Gandhi and Sadvi Niranjan Jyoti will also seek votes for BJP candidates in the state.



Anupriya Patel, Union minister and leader of the Apna Dal, an alliance partner of the BJP, will join hands with Smriti and Hema in the campaigns.



As for the BSP, party chief Mayawati is the lone woman star campaigner. She is expected to address around five dozen election rallies across the state for her partys nominees.



BJP cuts down Modi rallies in UP

Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leading the BJP campaign in the Assembly elections, the party has decided to cut down on his rallies in the Uttar Pradesh, DHNS reports from Lucknow. According to state BJP sources, Modi, who was expected to kick off his campaign from western Uttar Pradesh on February 4, will be addressing about 12 meetings. The prime minister will be addressing election meetings in every phase... in some phases, there may be only meetings, while there may be more of his rallies in some other phase, a senior state BJP leader said.

The venue of the prime ministers election rallies has not been decided yet, the leader added.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it would consider the Centres plea as well as other petitions relating to Jallikattu on January 31.





A bench presided over by Justice Dipak Misra posted the petitions for Tuesday after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi mentioned that the Union government has filed an application seeking to withdraw its January 7, 2016 notification, facilitating Jallikattu.



The court also posted a writ petition filed by advocate G S Mani for consideration, in which he urged rejection of a plea by Anjali Sharma, advocate and member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), challenging the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment), Ordinance, 2017 (Tamil Nadu Ordinance 1 of 2017).

The ordinance provides for the conduct of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.



Mani also sought direction for contempt proceedings against Sharma for playing fraud on the court as AWBI Secretary M Ravikumar, in a letter, had stated that if at all any petition had been filed, it would be withdrawn.



OPS: terror outfits infiltrated protest

Two days after violence erupted in Tamil Nadu following a clash between the Jallikattu protesters and police, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam claimed that certain terror outfits and anti-national elements intruded the final stage of the agitation to divert the focus of the peace protest, DHNS reports.



Panneerselvam said these anti-social elements also displayed photographs and posters of Osama bin Laden, with slogans like Republic Day, a black day for us.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday accepted the resignation of Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan, who is facing allegations of converting the Raj Bhavan into a young ladies club.





The President asked Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit to hold additional charge of Meghalaya.



Shanmuganathan, who sent in his resignation on Thursday, was also holding additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh.



He has denied the allegations levelled by around 100 staff of the Meghalaya Raj Bhavan in a complaint forwarded to Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Nagaland Governor P B Acharya will hold additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh, a communique said.



Shanmuganathan, who was appointed on May 12, 2015, is the second NDA-appointed governor to leave the Raj Bhavan in the northeast in recent months.
Indias first therapeutic anti-cancer vaccine has begun the second phase of the clinical trial after successfully completing the first leg.



As many as 36 cervical cancer patients will receive the indigenous vaccine, developed by the National Institute of Immunology (NII), along with concurrent chemo-radio therapy in the next one-and-a-half years.



Oncologists at the Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai, will then compare the responses of patients with SPAG-9 vaccine shots with another group of 18 patients who will receive the standard treatment. The trials second phase was launched in Chennai earlier this week, following successful results of the first phase that took place between 2002 and 2006.



The gap of 10 years was utilised to create a special clinical trial ward at the Chennai institute and manufacture the vaccine in a world-class industrial facility, owned by Biocon, for administering it to a large number of patients.



We had to take those steps because of stringency in clinical trial norms. As the second phase rolls out, we expect to get the results by 2019, NII deputy director Anil Suri, whose team developed the vaccine, told DH.



Initially, advanced stage cervical cancer patients will receive the indigenous vaccine along with the standard therapy. If the results are encouraging, the researchers may try it on breast or ovarian cancer patients at a later stage.



The trial is an effort to improve survival in locally advanced cervical cancer. Annually, there are nearly one lakh new cervical cancer cases, of which a minimum of 60-65% will be locally advanced cases. This vaccine will be in addition to the existing chemo-radiation, said V Shanta, chairman of the Cancer Institute.



Unlike the two commercially available preventive vaccines against cervical cancer, SPAG-9 is a therapeutic vaccine that works around a new cancer treatment modality called dendritic cell therapy, in which a patients own immune cells are used to fight cancer.



Doctors are hopeful about its future because of one patient, who received the vaccine in the first phase of the clinical trial.



Her cancer was so serious that it even spread to the lungs. She was first given three shots of the indigenous vaccine followed by chemotherapy, resulting in the elimination of the cervical cancer and regression of the lung lesion.

DH News Service


The high court on Friday issued a warrant against liquor baron Vijay Mallya for contempt of court.





A consortium of banks has accused him of violating an undertaking at the Debt Recovery Tribunal, thereby showing contempt to the judiciary. Hearing a petition filed by State Bank of India and others, a division bench ordered a bailable warrant against Mallya for Rs 1 lakh.



The bench comprises Justice Jayant Patel and Justice Aravind Kumar. When Mallya failed to appear before the court, S S Naganand, counsel for the banks, sought a non-bailable warrant against him.



Justice Patel asked if the banks held any documents to indicate Mallya was not in the country. Naganand cited documents submitted by Mallya to the Supreme Court.



The bench directed him to submit the documents, after which it said it would decide on issuing a non-bailable warrant.



The banks claim Mallya has not kept his word not to transfer his shares in United Breweries Holdings Limited to Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverages company.



According to the petition, Mallya and his son Siddharth pledged their shares to Standard Chartered Bank and violated the undertaking.
Proud Bangalore University toppers walked up to the stage on Friday as they were called to receive gold medals. Little did they know the gold was just a mention on their certificates, and not a real medal.





Of 203 gold-winners at the 52nd convocation, only 100 actually got the medals. Reason: the university says it has no money. The list was announced only a day before the convocation.



University officials had to face the wrath of students after the convocation. The toppers, hailing from remote corners of the state, had dreamt of taking their medals home. The chaos forced B Thimme Gowda, vice chancellor, to address the media.



He said that the awards had been instituted decades ago, and the interest was too low to buy gold medals.



A few decades ago, we would purchase gold even for Rs 500. Now each medal costs Rs 3,375. Wherever the interest is low, students are given cash, he said.



The university had bought medals for those who had come first, he explained. We have written to the families of the donors. Most responded that they had no interest in adding money to the existing fund, he said.



The university handed gold-plated silver medals to 100 students. Students who had to go empty-handed said they were hurt. Khasifa has won five gold medals, but got just one. It is disheartening, she told DH.



It is the first time I am getting such an award. It is not everyday that one receives an award from the governor, said Prakruthi, an MA student who has won two gold medals.

DH News Service



Pay for it, says VC

Bangalore University vice chancellor B Thimme Gowda offered toppers a deal: they could get gold medals if they could shell out the money.



Another option is to give them cash, and remove the gold medal on their certificates.



Najmussahar, a student who intervened during the press conference, suggested the university present achievers at least small mementos instead of the gold medals.


BJP president Amit Shah on Friday night worked out a peace formula to bring together state party chief B S Yeddyurappa and K S Eshwarappa, under which both the leaders will address rallies jointly to mobilise support of backward classes and Dalits.





These rallies will be held under the auspices of the Karnataka BJP OBC Morcha of which Eshwarappa will be in charge. No BJP leader will address any meeting or rally organised by any outfit including the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade.



The truce was announced after a meeting between these leaders with BJP national president Amit Shah after a three-hour meeting at his residence.



Announcing a pact between the leaders, Muralidhar Rao, BJP in-charge for Karnataka, said: BJP OBC Morcha will organise all meetings related to backward communities. Secondly, Eshwarappa will be in charge of it. Thirdly, Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa will travel together to address meetings across the state for this purpose. No leader of the BJP will participate in any other rally organised by any brigade, including Sangolli Rayanna Brigade.



Yeddyurappa said there would be no brigade other than Karnataka OBC Morcha. He and Eshwarappa will travel together. Eshwarappa said he will work with Yeddyurappa for the success of the BJP and free Karnataka of Congress rule. Everything is settled, and we will work together.



A day after Eshwarappa's supporters staged a show of strength under the banner of Sangolli Rayanna Brigade in Bagalkot district, Shah sought to bring about a truce between him and Karnataka BJP chief by holding the meeting with both of them together.



As their differences reached a flash point, Shah is understood to have asked both the leaders to keep the party's interests in mind as the next round of assembly elections was not far away.



Shah was joined in the huddle by the partys national organising general secretary Ram Lal, joint general secretary in charge of southern states B L Santosh, and national general secretary in charge of Karnataka P Muralidhar Rao.



We had good discussion on the political situation in Karnataka. Everybody will work to liberate. In every state, we have OBC morcha to look after. Karnataka OBC morcha will organise programme in the name of Rangoli Rayanna. Both BSY and K S Eshwarappa will address. No leader of BJP will participate in any programme of Sangoli Rayanna other than the party's OBC morcha, Rao said.



Just before Shah went into a discussion with Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa, he was briefed on the circumstances leading to the current crisis in the party by RSS leader Mukund.



Shah heard Eshwarappa's contention that his supporters were only strengthening the BJP's support base by mobilising the backward classes. But Yeddyurappa said the speeches delivered at the convention on Thursday were directed against his leadership.



Yeddyurappa said he wanted any campaign to mobilise support among Dalits and backward classes to be taken up within the party forum.



Eshwarappa, on his part, conveyed to the BJP national chief that Yeddyurappa's style of functioning had led to an atmosphere of alienation within the party since all sections had not been represented in the party organisation.



Eshwarappa pressed for restructuring of all committees of the party to give adequate representation to different quarters, according to party sources.

Without mincing words, Yeddyurappa is understood to have listed the instances when his detractors had gone public with their views affecting the image of the BJP at a crucial time.



The state BJP chief emphasised on the need for discipline by all sides and wanted everyone to keep in mind the larger goal of unseating an inept Congress government in the state.



Eshwarappa wanted the party high command to give importance to the organisation rather than an individual to avoid a repeat of problems that plagued the BJP during its rule from 2008 to 2013 when it had to change chief ministers three times.



Yeddyurappa said he had shown a lot of restraint for the sake of unity and even asked his supporters, who had taken up a signature campaign seeking action against Eshwarappa, to desist from indulging in such activities.

DH News Service



Truce terms

Yeddyurappa, Eshwarappa to address joint rallies

No BJP leader to attend Sangolli Rayanna Brigade meetings

Eshwarappa to be in charge of Karnataka OBC Morcha

Eshwarappa complains against Yeddyurappas style of functioning

Yeddyurappa stresses on discipline within party


Filipina domestic worker Jakatia Pawa was executed in Kuwait.

The Philippines stands to lose its leverage in negotiating clemency for its overseas workers on death row abroad amid talks of reviving the death penalty in the country, a non-government organization said Thursday.





Amnesty International (AI) campaign program coordinator Wilnor Papa said there are about 88 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on death row in different countries who fear their impending death, but the death penalty is something being discussed in their home country.





"We would lose leverage in making deals, discussing, and asking for clemency from different government because we execute our citizens. What's going to stop them?"





On Wednesday, Filipina domestic worker Jakatia Pawa was executed with 3 others. She was sentenced to death by the Kuwait's Court of Cassation in 2010 for the killing of her employer's 22-year-old daughter.





In the Philippines, a House panel has endorsed the death penalty bill to the plenary, where it will be subjected to debates and possible voting.





This, after President Rodrigo Duterte urged Congress to pass measures that will restore death penalty and lower the age of criminal liability to help move his anti-crime campaign forward.





But Papa maintained that for the Philippines to better protect the workers it sends abroad, aside from constantly communicating and working with them, it should prove to the host countries that it has "better laws" and assure these countries that their citizens in the Philippines would not suffer the same fate.





Papa also lamented that the news of her execution came as a surprise even to the Philippine government, who was supposed to stay on top of her case.





Somewhere along the line, he said, "something didn't happen correctly."





"They said they provided her with that much lawyers, then what happened? If the government provided her with lawyer, then the lawyer should have been communicating constantly with our government," he said.





He urged the government to instead be proactive in dealing with OFW cases, and not wait for a conviction from the court before sending a lawyer to assist.





"This shouldn't be the case. Even for common criminals here in the Philippines, our rule is the government should provide lawyers.





Source: abs-cbn.com, January 26, 2017

Duterte restoring death penalty will speed up OFW executions

The Duterte administration's push for death penalty puts more overseas Filipino workers (OFW) on death row at risk of getting executed sooner than later, opposition lawmakers said on Thursday.





Rep. Jose Atienza of Buhay party-list and Rep. Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao issued the warning in light of the death of 44-year-old OFW Jakatia Pawa who was put to death by the Kuwait government on Wednesday afternoon for the murder of her employer's 22-year-old daughter.





"One of the many repercussions of the return of the death penalty is that the Philippine government would be deprived of the moral high ground when it comes to our official appeals for clemency to foreign governments to spare the lives of our citizens who are facing execution. It would be highly problematic for us to plead with other governments for compassion if we ourselves are killing our own citizens here," Atienza said in a statement.





"Restoring the death penalty will deprive the Philippines of the moral high ground

when it comes to our official appeals for clemency to foreign governments

to spare the lives of our citizens who are facing execution." Photo: R. Duterte

"Once Congress reinstates death sentences here [and] President Rodrigo Duterte makes good on his threat to execute 5 to 6 malefactors every day, a greater number of Filipino citizens on death row abroad are bound to be executed by foreign governments. We would have more Jakatia Pawas," he added.





Pawa, who worked as a household service worker in Kuwait, is survived by her 2 children.





In 2012, she lost her husband, who was shot to death in their home province in Mindanao.





"We cannot implore foreign governments to uphold universally recognized human rights, including the right to life, if we ourselves do not respect the sanctity of every human life," Atienza argued.





Baguilat, who is also against the pending death penalty bill, which is a priority legislation of the Duterte administration, shared Atienza's sentiments.





"Of course, our government loses its moral ascendancy and credibility to ask for clemency when it sees nothing wrong in exacting justice through the death penalty," Baguilat said.





According to government records, at least 87 Filipinos are facing the death penalty abroad, mostly in Malaysia and China.





These 87 include Mary Jane Veloso, the 31-year-old Filipino woman who was supposed to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia last year but obtained a last-minute reprieve on the appeal of then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino 3rd and the arrest of Veloso's illegal recruiters in Manila.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Manila Times, January 26, 2017
The state government will cancel the empanelment of 19 private hospitals, including some top corporate facilities, for refusing to serve patients under public healthcare schemes in protest against the non-payment of their dues.





On January 16, as many as 185 private hospitals across the state stopped performing non-elective surgeries under Vajpayee Arogyashree, Rajiv Arogya Bhagya and Jyothi Sanjeevini schemes. Except 19, all of them have now withdrawn the strike, according to Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare.



Among the 19 are some renowned corporate hospitals such as Mallya Hospital, MS Ramaiah Hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya, all in Bengaluru, AJ Hospital and Research Centre, Mangaluru, and KMC, Manipal.



But all hospitals in Belagavi and Kalaburagi divisions are functional, the official said on Friday. She said the government had made alternative plans to substitute for these hospitals.



The 19 hospitals, however, can continue to serve patients who availed themselves of treatment previously and their bills would be cleared, but they cant take up new cases, she added.


The Bengaluru police are planning to introduce a reward system for people who help victims of road accidents.





Police Commissioner Praveen Sood has urged his men to enforce the Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation during Emergency Situations) Act in letter and spirit. The law came into force last year.



He conceded that people do not come forward to help road accident victims because they are scared of police procedures and fear harassment. To encourage Good Samaritans, police are planning a reward system.



The reward need not be monetary as many people do not expect money. Even a thank you from police will boost their morale, he said. The rate of conviction in traffic accidents is very low. If this law is enforced, more lives can be saved and more people will come forward to help the victims, he added.



He said all police officers, especially traffic personnel, had been instructed to save the lives of accident victims first.



They have also been told not to call Good Samaritans to the police station to sign on procedural forms as witnesses. If witnesses choose to maintain anonymity, that should be respected. Police officers should not seek their identity and other details as that may deter them, he said.



Another senior officer lamented that police personnel were not enforcing the Act even after it came into effect last year and the rules were framed. Police officers need to be trained in politeness. Implementing this law isnt difficult. The initiative should come from within. This law will help to bridge the gap between police and the public, the officer said.

DH News Service
Rebel JD(S) MLA N Cheluvarayaswamy said on Friday said that the suspended MLAs will not approach the party seeking ticket to contest the Assembly elections next year.





Except for Mahalakshmi Layout MLA K Gopalaiah, all the seven suspended JD(S) legislators are together. We will jointly take an appropriate decision soon on joining other political party... We have neither submitted an application seeking the party ticket nor will we approach H D Kumaraswamy (JD-S state president) for the purpose, he told reporters.



He was speaking after meeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his home-office Krishna. Chamarajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan and Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy accompanied Cheluvarayaswamy. The JD(S) suspended eight of its MLAs last year after they rebelled against the leadership and cross-voted in favour of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections.



One of the rebel MLAs, Gopalaiah, however, recently made peace with the JD(S) leadership by admitting that he had done a mistake by staging a rebellion. He took the decision, sources in the JD(S) said, after realising that he was unlikely to get the ticket to contest the next Assembly polls if he joined the Congress.



Sources said some of the rebel JD(S) MLAs are in a dilemma whether to sever ties with the party or follow in the footsteps of Gopalaiah. Neither the Congress nor the BJP has so far promised them on giving the ticket to contest the 2018 Assembly polls, the sources added.




Agitated people walked out of the public consultation meeting on the draft of Bengaluru Master Plan-2031 that was organised by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in Mahadevapura zone on Friday.





People sought to know what had happened to the master plan-2015. Some land losers staged a walkout as they had not been paid compensation by the BDA till date.



Ajit Sequira, member of Whitefield Rising said they staged a walkout from the consultation meet as officials failed to explain how much of the previous master plan has been implemented. Some of the proposals listed in the master plan-2015 were good. But they did not have any interim review report of what they have done and what corrections need to be incorporated in the new one, he said.



Amarnath M, a resident of Doddagubbi in Byrati village said that many like him have lost their lands for the formation of the proposed Peripheral Ring Road. But till date there has been sign of compensation to them. The BDA has not acquired the land and have done nothing on ground. The land losers are also not allowed to develop or cultivate their land, he added.



Laly Randolf, former treasurer of the KPCL Residents Welfare Association and a resident of Kasavanahalli too questioned what the BDA has done with regard to its older plan and how much of it has been implemented. The CDP-2015 had shown Bellandur as a hi-tech zone, but in reality and even now it remains a residential zone on BDA maps. However, there has been huge unplanned commercialisation of the area which has increased the chaos. The government had also promised to clear all illegal commercial sites, but nothing has been done, she said.



Many residents of Avalahalli, Bidarahalli, Doddabanahalli, Doddagubbi, Dommasandra, Halanayakanahalli, Kodatti, Neriga, Seegehalli and Thigalanachowdenahalli questioned the officials on the development the BDA has ushered in in the areas, before chalking out the master plan-2031.

DH News Service


The state government is mulling over introducing buses with toilets for Karnataka State Reserved Police (KSRP) force in view of difficulties faced by women constables when deployed to restore law and order, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.



Speaking after flagging off as many as 102 KSRP vehicles on Friday at Vidhana Soudha, he said that police buses with such facility were available in many states including Rajasthan.



Siddaramaiah said the government has spent Rs 24 crore to procure modern KSRP vehicles using state and central government grants. He emphasised on strengthening law and order in the state for safety and security of citizens.



Police have the daunting task to ensure law and order, crime control, and safety of people. Make sure that lawbreakers do not go unpunished and tormentors are brought to book, Siddaramaiah said.



Citizens expect a lot from police Your conduct should make people respect the law of the land, he said. On income tax raids on Minister for Small Scale Industries Ramesh Jarkiholis residence, Siddaramaiah said he has asked for a report on the issue. I will take a call after getting the report.



Home Minister G Parameshwara said that after a gap of 16 years, the state government has purchased a large fleet of KSRP buses.



These are custom-made vehicles for police with adequate space for keeping equipment and weapons, he said.

State seeks Duttas repatriation

Amid speculation that senior IPS officer Roopak Kumar Dutta would be made the next Director General and Inspector General of police of the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he has written to the Centre to repatriate Dutta to Karnataka. Dutta was serving in the Central Bureau of Investigation as additional director and was a contender for the CBI Directors post.

However, he was moved out of the CBI and posted as Special Secretary (Internal Security), Home Ministry. Dutta is the senior most among top four contenders - followed by Neelamani N Raju, H C Kishore Chandra and M N Reddy. Dutta, who is senior to incumbent DG and IG Om Prakash, preferred to go on a deputation to the CBI when the latter was selected the state police chief.
Lela Diane (Demientieff) Foss was born to Augusta (Samuelson) Demientieff and Gerald Ivan Demientieff Sr. She is survived by her husband Leonard Foss Sr., children Darrell, Leonard Jr. and Janelle, grandchildren  Isaac and Luxie; brothers Jerry and Ozzie, and sister Pam; maternal aunt AnnMarie Way and many nephews and nieces. She is preceded in death by her parents Gerald and Gussie, brother Ricky, sister Katie and nephews Scottie (Qayaqsuk) and Glen (Ataq).

Lela liked to make crafts, many she gave away. She had a passion for the pretty things in life: flowers, birds, the tundra, the beach. She loved the Oregon coast, where she made her home. She will be missed by family and friends from all over.

We would like to thank, whole heartedly, the following organizations for making Lelas memorial possible: the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, ONC, BNC, VFW, Swansons store, Sammys Market, Corinas Caselot, Calista. Without the monitory donations, one of Lelas family members, Janelle, would not have been able to attend.

Individuals: Balasia Larson, Carol Samuelson, Susan Murphy (organizing the memorial), Jennifer Clark, Lucy Crow (pianist), Ozzie and Sally Demientieff, Deacon Chris Tulik (who officiated the memorial), Mrs. Tulik for your support. The participants: Earlene Harding, Monica and Melissa, Gerald Demientieff III, Ozzie Sr. Bobby Samuelson, Laura Clark and Serena Solesbee. To all those that donated food and supported us with prayers and thoughts, thank you all so much. If we have forgotten anybody, we apologize. May Gods blessings always be made known to you and yours. -The Foss and Demientieff Families

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There are issues, events, and occurrences that never have been addressed positively since the beginning of biblical, and human histories. Individuals, elected federal, local, regional, religious, and state law-makers purport to have all the answers or do not do what they were elected to do! This has gotten worse over time! Also:

Alerquutet/laws are not followed/ignored; Elected individuals (this also goes for the churches) wont vote no, or yes for fear of losing their positions; Clients input, observations, and suggestions obviously are ignored ad nausseum for those whose only concern is making monies, and names for themselves as I keep stating so, these individuals should not run for public service; Clients who do not have the monetary means (as we constantly share our money) threateningly constantly taken advantage of; Social services (federal, state, region, hospitals) and specifically ONC Elder Services, AVCP, YKHC Hospital, Rescue, churches that are allocated monetary means, etc. to help those with physical disabilities, behavioral needs. It has become obvious beyond doubt that are employed by all of the above stated get all the benefits for themselves, their families, extended relatives, and friends. And these same individuals keep telling those of us who need help that they cant help us.

Public Safety  do not provide the help they are hired, and paid to help all human beings, and when asked for info they do not have the info we need. The drug investigator even this past summer during the opioid meeting with the federal, state, regional, and local presenter stated the fentanyl is a new drug. Fentanyl is NOT a new drug. This drug when mixed with heroin is deadly. This also is freely given by pharmacies for pain control. In itself it is very addictive. Individuals are given their drug, who in turn sell it in the streets, or out of their homes (they do not take it themselves, unless they are doing other drugs/ETOH to get a better high.

Ill leave it to your scientific analysis to figure out the criminal outcomes.

When I was in Anchorage assisted living home, the directors of these homes, employees, and other clients threatened and intimidated in giving you the drugs. Friends and relatives were no exceptions. Even lawyers offered to give their narcotic medications for pain. Now it is any wonder opioid/narcotics are thought to be safe. They have been robbed by employees to get their drugs, for gambling, for travel, etc. etc. ETC!

AND, there are a lot of people who will offer to help you stating I like to help others, and then ask you if you want to buy drugs, or ask you for clothes, makeup, shoes, or for large amounts of money because they have not eaten for days, forgot their wallet at home, use your phone, have your sunglasses, etc. and their lawyers will even direct them to you for the above.

Why does it seem that most people think that its abnormal to be ETOH/drug free when in fact it is not. Quyanarpiilli cakneq.

Mary C. Nanuwak

Bethel, AK

Land should be owned by tribes

If the United States as a country was required to form corporations to hold assets and title to land, there would be cries and protests across the country stating that this requirement is unconstitutional. The American people would not stand for this principle since corporations go bankrupt and go out of existence in a matter of time and that they, the American people, have been cheated and wheezled out of their legal citizenship rights.

So why does the U. S. Congress do an injustice to the Alaskas Native people by the requirement of corporations to hold ownership to assets and lands which rightfully should be held by the sovereign tribes?

The U. S. Congress intended for the assets and lands to revert back to non-Native ownership and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is just another means and method of cheating the Native American people out of their lands and assets.

This intentional felonious law has to be corrected and it is the Alaskan Native tribes who have to initiate the action to make the correction.

Gilbert Keywehak

Mount Pleasant MI

School Choice Matters for Alaska Families

In our country, we love to customize, whether its a new addition to the house or the colors and fonts surrounding our text messages. We choose everything, from our line of work to our preferred place to grab lunch (where we probably customize our lunch order). So its easy to understand why parents want more choices in their childrens education.

Parents understand that education options open doors for their children. Every child is unique, with distinct interests and learning styles. Moms and dads know that a school that might work for one student might not be a good fit for another. They know their child best and should be empowered to select the right school.

In many states, Alaska included, lawmakers have taken action to provide a more diverse variety of school choices for families.

From January 22-28, millions of Americans will raise awareness about the importance of school choice at an unprecedented 21,000 events  including about 50 events in Alaska. These events are planned to coincide with National School Choice Week, the largest celebration of opportunity in education in U.S. history.

For families in the Last Frontier, National School Choice Week provides a good opportunity to review the different types of education options available to their children.

Alaskans can choose traditional public schools for their kids, and the state allows parents, with some limitations, the freedom to choose traditional public schools outside of their existing school zones. This process is called open enrollment, or public school choice.

Alaska also allows public charter schools, which are tuition-free public schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative. Magnet schools, which focus on themes such as math, science, technology, and the performing arts, also exist.

In addition, the Last Frontier is one of 41 states with a tuition-free online academy, allowing students to go to school entirely online.

Of course, parents in Alaska can also pay to send their children to private schools.

Finally, parents have the freedom to educate their children in the home  and more parents are homeschooling their children than ever before.

Seventy percent of Americans support school choice, and January is the time to exercise the choices available to Alaska families.

Parents who would like to explore their options, whether or not theyre happy with their childrens schools, should consider exploring in January. National School Choice Week is a great opportunity to visit schools, ask lots of questions of teachers and administrators, and talk with other parents to see which educational options are likely to be the best fit for their kids.

Parents who begin the school choice process in January instead of waiting till summer break will have more options available to them. Depending on which options seem best, parents may need to meet deadlines for applications or scholarships, or they may want to enroll before a school starts a waiting list.

Why is this process important?

In addition to ensuring greater peace of mind, research has demonstrated that when parents actively choose the schools their children attend, or choose to educate their children in the home, high school graduation rates increase dramatically.

A student with a high school diploma will, over the course of his or her life, earn more than a quarter million dollars more than a student who has dropped out. High school graduates are far less likely to be incarcerated, and are six times more likely to participate in community and civic affairs, than individuals without high school diplomas.

Most importantly, though: school choice matters because every child in America has potential. Todays students are tomorrows leaders, and when parents are empowered to customize their childrens education, just as they choose so many other things in their day-to-day lives, great things happen for kids, and for our country.

Andrew R. Campanella, President

National School Choice Week

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by Nick P. Andrew, Jr.

Tribal leaders on the Lower Yukon River region have the choice to reconsider restructuring and reestablishing Kuiggpagmiut, Inc. that ceased operations in the 1990s.

Kuiggpagmiut, Inc. served as the non-profit Native tribal consortium on the Lower Yukon River. First of all consider the following tribes within our distinct region: Alakanuk Traditional Tribal Council, Algaaciq Tribal Government, Bill Moores Slough, Chevak Traditional Council, Chuloonawick Native Village, Emmonak Tribal Council, Hamilton Tribal Council, Iquirmuit Traditional Council, Native Village of Marshall, Native Village of Nunam Iqua, Native Village of Ohogamiut, Native Village of Hooper Bay, Kotlik Traditional Council, Pilot Station Traditional Council, Paimuit Tribal Council, Scammon Bay Traditional Council, and Yupiit of Andreafski.

Our villages have the human resources and leadership to reinstate Kuiggpagmiut as a regional tribal government versus a state chartered non-profit corporation to rightfully pursue our inherent rights for tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and self-governance for the continued health, safety, and welfare of our people.

As a regional federally recognized tribal government of potentially seventeen (17) tribes, Kuiggmagmiut will be structured embracing our traditional and customary Yupik values, to fight for our Native rights and safeguard our relationship with the land, water, and resources.

It is time we affirm our inherent sovereignty, which must never be alienated by state corporate limitations and guidelines. Our people deserve a brighter future, to have hope, and we must also be mindful for those yet to be born so they may inherit their rightful heritage as Yupik people.

The regional tribal government concept will ensure that our way of life will never be compromised, secured by proactive leadership via delegate tribal leaders, and an executive council that will possess sovereign and plenary power to legislate for and to govern, conduct and manage the affairs of the regional tribal government.

Kuiggpagmiuts administration may include: President, Chief Operating Officer Tribal Operations, Chief Financial Officer, Business & Economic Development, Manager Child Care, Headstart Director, Manager of Human Resources, Manager of Information Technology, Manager of Native Lands & Resources, Manager of Program Compliance, Manager of Public Safety, Manager Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Manager Tribal Child Support Unit, Presiding Judge Tribal Court, Tribal Family & Youth Services, Manager Tribal Vocational Rehab., Tribal Transportation, Vocational Training & Resource Center, and other programs and services for the unmet needs of our region.

Be advised that Kuiggpagmiut will improve the lives of our people who live in the Kusilvak Census Area, the poorest census area of the nation. As our population continues to grow, the economy remains dormant due to lack of jobs, and sustainable economic development opportunities entrapping our people into poverty and other alarming disparities.

Elected tribal officials and the general tribal members must be made aware of the regional tribal government concept and the benefits to the Lower Yukon River area tribes if chosen.

The regional tribal government shall be a constitutional consortium of sovereign tribal governments for the benefit of tribal members that respects the traditions of the Yupik culture, to also strive to improve the quality of life for our people through the consortium of village governments to strengthen our political voice for improved relations with other governments foreign and domestic, subsistence advocacy to protect our traditional and customary subsistence rights our people rely on for sustenance and wellbeing, establishment of tribal justice to carry-out justice systems including tribal police and social services pursuant to Yupik Tribal law, and for improving regional economic development that will generate sustainable regional long-term economic growth and employment opportunities.

This endeavor will require a region-wide consensus, seed funding, consultation, a gathering site, and facilitators. Planning and development shall include devising the constitution, mission statement, management, logistics, and site of operations.

Though this merely an idea, it is worth considering. We on the Lower Yukon River have much to gain creating our own regional tribal government that focuses on our people now and into perpetuity. The shackles of the status quo must be broken.

Nick P. Andrew, Jr. is a Tribal Member of the Native Village of Marshall.

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John Henry Ramirez

John Ramirez goes to the gurney for a murder committed during a robbery





John Henry Ramirez, 32, gets Texas' next dose of lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 2. He was sentenced to death in 2008 after murdering Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi during an alleged robbery.





In July 2004, Ramirez and 2 female friends jumped Castro outside of the convenience store where he worked. Nueces County prosecutors charged that Ramirez and his friends spent the night cruising around town looking to rob people for drug money when they spotted Castro taking out the trash. Ramirez attacked the store clerk with one accomplice, beating him, and stabbing him 29 times. They also allegedly stole $1.25 from Castro's pockets before returning to the van where the other accomplice waited. A police chase ensued, but Ramirez escaped. His 2 friends were caught, and eventually testified against him.





Ramirez evaded arrest for 4 years, spending time in Mexico, where he became a father. He eventually returned to Texas with his family, and was arrested in 2008. Ramirez pleaded not guilty, but the jury returned a quick guilty verdict. DNA evidence found Castro's blood in Ramirez's van; strands of Ramirez's DNA were found on Castro's body. During the punishment hearing, the defense only called one witness - Ramirez's father - though according to court records, Ramirez asked they not call a second witness. Ramirez has since admitted that he didn't want his family history dragged into the case.





Ramirez's direct appeal was denied in 2009. He filed for relief in 2010, arguing that trial prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the murder was committed during a robbery; without the underlying felony, Ramirez would've likely been sentenced to life in prison. Appellate attorneys also claimed that prosecutors at Ramirez's trial conducted an "improper" elimination of potential jurors, and that Ramirez was erroneously shackled during trial, which unfairly tainted the jurors' view of their client. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied his plea in 2012, as did the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals last February. In May, Ramirez appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but was denied 5 months later.





Last week, Corpus Christi news network KIII released a short interview with Ramirez. He said: "I'm not going to ask [Castro's family] to forgive me 'cause I think about it and I don't know how I'd react if someone killed a close family member - a father or a brother. I know it's hard. I wouldn't want to ask them to forgive me, I just want to ask them to know that I'm sorry."





Ramirez would be the 3rd Texan executed this year. Kosoul Chanthakoummane, previously scheduled for execution on Jan. 25, saw his death date rescheduled for July 19. (His attorney Gregory Gardner told the Chronicle that the forensic science used to convict him at his trial has since been debunked.)

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Austin Chronicle, January 26, 2017
The World Psychiatric Association has warned Pakistan not to execute a severely mentally ill man.





Khizar Hayat, a former policeman, could be hanged as early as next week. A stay preventing his execution expires on Monday (30th) unless judges agree to lengthen it.





In a statement issued today, the Association of over 200,000 psychiatrists worldwide said it was extremely concerned by plans to execute Hayat. It added that his execution would be an irreversible miscarriage of justice.





Hayat was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia in 2008. After eight years of treatment with powerful anti-psychotic medications, his symptoms remain as serious as ever, leading to a diagnosis that his schizophrenia is treatment resistant.





His case has close parallels with Imdad Ali, another mentally ill prisoner who was set to be executed at the end of last year.





In Ali's case, Pakistans Supreme Court commented that schizophrenia is a recoverable disease and it does not fall within the meaning of mental disorder.





However, the World Psychiatric Association reiterated today the validity of schizophrenia as a diagnosis, saying that it is accepted by mental health professionals the world over.





Alis case is still before the Supreme Court. On Monday (30th), high court judges in Lahore will decide if Hayats stay of execution should be extended until the Supreme Court has decided Alis case.





Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, said: Pakistans authorities must listen to this warning from psychiatrists around the world and confirm once and for all that it is wrong to execute mentally ill prisoners such as Khizar Hayat and Imdad Ali. It would be outrageous for judges not to extend Khizars stay of execution on Monday while the Supreme Court is still deciding how to deal with mentally ill death row inmates.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: Reprieve, January 27, 2017
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.
so, like i have said, electoral fraud if it exists at all, is not endemic, its vanishingly rare.





while this was a breach of electoral law, it wasnt in any way additional votes gathered during an election, it was just a lazy person who couldnt be bothered finishing the page on the petition. this isnt extra votes for trump. and he wasnt a trump staffer at the time.







dodgy sure,but not an extra vote.



dont get me wrong, i am not defending any of this. faking petition signatures should have significant consequences, as should using a false address, but they are not adding to the tally of votes at the end of the day. one person did. ONE! the noise around electoral fraud makes you think its a big issue, that there are whole ballot boxes being shredded, or armloads of fake papers added in, but it just isnt the case, its one idiot.



you know what, fine, lets cancel that persons vote. actually as punishment, lets remove 100 votes for ever instance of an additional vote being cast. how different is the result?
Hugo Barra, former Xiaomi VP will now lead all of Facebook's virtual reality efforts

Hugo Barra will join Facebook's to lead its virtual reality efforts, including Oculus. The announcement comes from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who posted VR avatars of him with Barra. Barra recently announced that he is leaving Xiaomi due to homesickness and desire to return back to Silicon Valley.

At Facebook, Barra's title will be 'VP of Virtual Reality' and he will lead the team responsible for developing the future of its VR content experience. Before joining Xiaomi in 2013, Hugo Barra was responsible for Google's Android operating system. Barra has been responsible for introduction of multiple Nexus devices and different versions of Android operating system in the past, when he was the head of the Android team for Google.

Barra also took Xiaomi's brand name to US and European markets. He announced its 2016 flagship smartphone, the Mi 5 at MWC 2016 and recently introduced a slew of Android products at CES 2017.

Lately, Oculus has seen few a shakeups in management roles, with co-founder Brendan Iribe stepping down to the PC-based VR division and company founder Palmer Luckey going incommunicado for a really long time. With Barra in, Oculus should be back in the news for new product announcements and he may be responsible for bringing 'Santa Cruz' out of the prototype stage.
The Lenovo-owned iconic smartphone maker has always focused on interesting bits of technology, particularly with the new Moto Mods, and has now ranked India right behind USA and Brazil in terms of growth by value.

Moto has always been a revered brand in India in terms of smartphones, and a new report states that India is the third largest market for the Lenovo-owned company in terms of value. The company also ranks India as one of its fastest-growing markets, right behind Brazil.

In terms of market value, the United States of America leads the pack for Moto, followed by Brazil and India. Lenovo is pitching Moto as a premium brand, with technology like the MotoMods ecosystem adding to the innovation quotient. The company also claims that it is gradually regaining its market share in European markets, and going by the present data, the new Moto Z series, and lesser-priced premium offerings like the Moto M have helped the brand grow in terms of value.

Moto also recently held a developer conference to show the range of applications that it can extend, with MotoMods. The company is banking on features like these keep up with its increasing presence and brand value in India.
A report by Techcrunch confirms that the Chinese upstart, Xiaomi, will not be attending Mobile World Congress 2017.

Chinese upstart Xiaomi will not be announcing a new device at Mobile World Congress, 2017, says a report by Techcrunch. The company had made its first appearance at the Barcelona-based tech event last year, announcing the flagship Xiaomi Mi 5 smartphone. Last years appearance helped Xiaomi gain more visibility in western markets. So, we all assumed that it would be making an appearance this year as well. A spokesperson from the company told Techcrunch otherwise.

Xiaomi has been making forays in global markets recently. However, the company hasnt made much progress in western markets, including US and European countries. The companys first product in the US was the Mi Box, which ran the newest version of Googles Android TV operating system. The device went up for sale in retail stores in the US last year.

Further, Xiaomi recently announced that it had earned revenues worth $1 billion in India, on the back of successful launches like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and others. However, the company had earlier admitted that its decision to launch a lower variant of the Mi 5 in India was a mistake.

Xiaomi recently lost its Global VP, Hugo Barra, instrumental in the companys success in global markets, to Facebook. Barra cited health reasons for leaving Xiaomi, and joined Facebook to lead its VR efforts, including the Oculus Rift.
Nwolfe35 said: You weren't commenting on his current actions, you were commenting on his actions as a POW during the Vietnam war which your hero, Trump, chickened out of serving in. Click to expand...





American citizens are sick and tired of being made into tax slaves and forced to finance the personal economic needs of millions of foreigners who have invaded Americas borders.





Of course I was commenting of McCain's actions as a POW. Additionally, I also have a big problem with his socialist voting record.What is your freaken point? And where is your evidence that Trump is my "hero"? Unlike you, I cannot arrive at such a conclusion until his policies are successfully put in place.JWK
Bangladeshi generic pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer Beximco Pharmaceuticals announced its unaudited financial results for the six months to 31 December on Friday.

The AIM-traded company said net sales increased by 13.6% to BDT 7,630.6m or 79.7m, while profit after tax increased by 17.8% to BDT 1,112.9m or 11.6m in the first half.

For the second quarter, net sales increased 16.0% to BDT 3,865.0m or 40.4m, while profit after tax increased 14.0% to BDT 598.0m or 6.2m.

During the period, the company launched a total of eight new products in the domestic market - three of which were launched for the first time in Bangladesh; Voglibose, Cholecalciferol and Dienogest.

It also commenced US export of Carvedilol, a prescription drug for treating hypertension, in August, making it the first Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company to export pharmaceutical products to the US

Beximco confirmed it also received approval for two more products, Sotalol and Metformin Hydrochloride, from the US FDA in November and December respectively, and the Medicine Patent Pool of the UN granted a sub-license to Beximco Pharma to manufacture Bristol-Myers Squibb's new hepatitis C drug, Daclatasvir.

It also received product approval from Health Canada for the Olopatadine eye drop, which was another first time achievement for a Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company.

Two ophthalmic products were also registered in Australia during the period, and commenced export to Panama, Zimbabwe, Mali and Guinea.

With the formal launch of Carvedilol in August, Beximco Pharma became the first Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company to export a prescription drug to US, explained Beximco managing director Nazmul Hassan.

In addition, we received approval for two more products from US FDA during the period.

Hassan said the company continued to perform well in the domestic market, posting a sales growth of 14.4% over the corresponding period in 2015.

We are confident that we will be able to maintain our growth momentum by achieving our operational and financial targets for the full year.
Oil and gas explorer SDX Energy has bought Circle Oils subsidiaries in Egypt and Morocco for about $30m.

The acquisitions are expected to increase working production by 247% to about 4,705 barrel of oil equivalent per day and its net working interest 2P reserves will grow by 64% to 12.03m barrels of oil equivalent.

The company funded the acquisitions by raising about $40m (32.1m) from a placing of 107.05m shares at 30p each, which were admitted to trade on AIM on Friday. An application has also been made for the shares to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada. The shares represent 57.28% of the companys total issued share capital.

The company has bought a 40% stake in the NW Gemsa concession in Egypt, adding to the 10% stake it already owned, and this will add net working interest production of approximately 2,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day and net working interest in 2P reserves of 3.8m barrels of oil equivalent to the SDX portfolio.

In Morocco, the company has bought a 75% stake in both the Sebou and Lalla Mimouna concessions, which will add net working interest production of approximately 750 barrels of oil equivalent and net working interest in 2P reserves of about 0.9m barrels of oil equivalent to its portfolio.

In addition, the company has acquired a positive net working capital position of about $18.3m, comprising about $16.4m in receivables less payables and about $1.9m in cash.

About $14.5m has been allocated for use in Egypt and about $3.8m in Morocco.

Paul Welch, president and chief executive, said: "This announcement marks an important milestone in SDX's corporate history. The successful fundraise and acquisition will enable us to substantially increase our production, and cash flow, over the course of 2017 and beyond as we seek to build a mid-tier E&P focused on North Africa. We remain excited about our upcoming drilling campaign in South Disouq.

Shares in SDX Energy were up 1.46% to 34.75p at 1017 GMT.
Investors continued to warm to the idea of 'reflation', but only "grudgingly", pointing to a belief among investors that there was one last 'melt-up' left for risky assets, but not more, strategists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said.

Consistent with the above, on the basis of their own clients investment allocation choices and data from EPFR Global, BofA-ML said the real money flows had yet to show a "big" capitulation in terms of asset allocation, with a shift from bonds and into stocks.

Indeed, for the week ending on 25 January inflows into Equities were a miniscule $0.2bn, albeit amid a sharp rotation out of mutual funds and into ETFs.

Bonds on the other hand saw inflows of $8.6bn, the largest such intake in four months.

Precious metals meanwhile saw $0.2bn of outflows, the tenth week of falls out of the last eleven.

A closer look at fixed income flows

Within the fixed-income space, inflows into high yield bonds hit $1.5bn, making for eight weeks of inflows out of the past nine.

Inflows into Investment Grade also rose significantly, to $3.6bn, while bank loand funds took in $1.1bn, TIPS absorbed $0.5bn (11 straight weeks of inflows) and Emerging Market debt funds saw $0.4bn of outflows (first drain in four weeks).

Among equities ...

Japanese stocks were wanted, with the class taking in $3.1bn (inflows in 4 of past 5 weeks), while shares from Emerging Markets attracted $1.0bn of flows, but Europe only saw $0.2bn of inflows.

Equities in the States on the other hand saw $6.3bn worth of outflows, the most in four months.

By sectors, Healthcare suffered the largest weekly drain in 10 months, to the tune of $1.0bn (outflows in 8 of past 9 weeks), while Technology scooped up $1.0bn of client funds - the most in 14 weeks - and inflows into Materials came in at $0.6bn (for an eleventh week of inflows out of the last 12).
Two London traders were on Friday sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring to defraud a Russian bank of more than 141m.

Georgy Urumov, 37, was jailed for 12 years and Vladimir Gersamia, 33, for seven years after getting involved in a series of complex scams.

The sentences followed a four-month trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Urumov manipulated Otkritie Securities Ltd (OSL) into paying him 20m after joining the Russian-owned company. Urumov used Gersamia, an employee of investment management firm Threadneedle Asset Management, to help cover up the scandal.
South Africa's president was considering firing those ministers who supported calls for him to step down last year, defying his instructions, according to Bloomberg, who cited senior leaders of the African National Congress.

The report saw the US dollar snap higher in an initial reaction to 13.5822 versus the South African rand.

As of 1356 GMT the greenback was up by 0.90% to 13.48.

Zuma had reportedly told the ruling party's national executive committee he was considering the action and that government needed to improve its performance.

Among the officials which might be headed out the door were Tourism minister Derek Hanekom, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and Publiw Works minister Thulas Nxesi, those same sources told the newswire.

However, one analyst believed the primary target of a cabinet reshuffle would be finance minister Pravin Gordhan.
Newly-elected US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will speak via telephone on Saturday, with reports suggesting Western sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine a likely topic of discussion.

Trump has repeatedly spoken about attempting to improve relations with Putin and Russia, which have hit their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after allegations of interference in last year's presidential election.

The Republican has been busy during his first week in the Oval Office, signing an array of executive orders and conducting several meetings, including with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

According to a White House aide via Reuters, Trump plans to speak to Putin about the sanctions, which Obama imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Trump said during his election campaign last year that he would consider removing the sanctions, a move which would no doubt face stern opposition from key members of both the Democrat and Republican parties.

During an interview on Fox News on Friday, Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway hinted that the sanctions would be discussed between the two men.

When asked to verify the reports about the discussion, Conway said that "all of that is under consideration".

"I assume they will discuss, in the interests of their respective countries, how to come together and work together on issues where you can find common ground and where these two nations could maybe defeat radical Islamic terrorism," Conway said.
Donald Trump 's administration has lost several senior diplomats as the State Department saw a raft of resignations on Thursday, ahead of the expected confirmation of Rex Tillerson as its head.

Tillerson was narrowly approved by the Senate's Foreign Relations committee after being grilled at the beginning of January, with many lawmakers and critics sceptical of his relationship with Russia and former company ExxonMobil.

Resignations from the State Department this week have included Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy, two assistant secretaries, Joyce Barr and Michele Bond, and Gentry Smith, who directs the office of foreign missions.

While a degree of transition is expected as the country moves from a Democratic president to a Republican one, many have pointed out that this week's resignations are far beyond what is standard.

"It's the single biggest simultaneous departure of institutional memory that anyone can remember, and that's incredibly difficult to replicate," David Wade, a former chief of staff to previous Secretary of State John Kerry, told the Washington Post.

Tillerson is the former chief executive officer of Exxon, which is one of the largest oil corporations in the world. His relationship with Russia and its president Vladimir Putin has been in the spotlight since Trump announced him as his pick for the top diplomatic job in the United States.

Trump has said that the relationship is an asset, rather than something to fear, describing the current situation between the two countries as "horrible".
BT s third quarter revenue increased but earnings were down as the telecoms giant deals with an accounting scandal at its Italian business, while it also faces a more challenging outlook in the UK.

For the quarter ended 31 December 2016, revenue was up 32% to 6.12bn, compared to the previous year, while pre-tax profit fell 37% to 526m and basic earnings per share were down 59% to 3.8p.

On Tuesday, BT cut its profit guidance for the next two years after an investigation into accounting blunders at its Italian business forced it to increase its expected write-downs to 530m from 145m, while the UK business has also seen a deterioration in its outlook.

An investigation alongside accountants from KPMG, which was first announced in October, discovered earnings in the country found to have been overstated for several years.

Its outlook for the 2016 financial year, for adjusted revenue by around 200m, in adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by around 175m, and by 500m for normalised free cash flow due to the EBITDA impact and the one-off unwind of the effects of inappropriate working capital transactions.

For the UK business revenues for the 2016 and 2017 financial years are both expected to be flat. Normalised free cash flow is now predicted to be around 2.5bn this year and in a range of 3.0-3.2bn in 2017.

Total adjustments relating to the investigation of the Italian business amount to 268m and an item charge of 245m for changes in accounting estimates for previous years.

For the quarter, adjusted EBITDA increased 18% to 1.87bn, with underlying EDITDA adjusted for the acquisition of EE, which it bought in February last year for 12.5bn, was down 8%.

While, net cash flow from operating activities was 1.51bn, down 178m and normalised free cash flow was 606m, down 298m in the quarter.

Chief executive Gavin Petterson said: "The good progress we're making across most of the business has unfortunately been overshadowed by the results of our investigation into our Italian operations and our outlook. We've undertaken extensive investigations into our Italian business, including an independent review by KPMG, and I am deeply disappointed with the unacceptable practices by some that we've found. This has no place at BT, and it undermines the good work we're doing elsewhere in the group. We are committed to ensuring the highest standards across the whole of BT."

He said that BT faces a more challenging outlook in the UK public sector and international corporate markets but there was record growth at EE, strong momentum in consumer, and its highest ever fibre net connections in Openreach.

Petterson added that the company is pushing ahead with reforms at Openreach, particularly on governance and customer service. He believes that an agreement can be reached with Ofcom on its Digital Communications Review as EE is now answering 100% of its customers calls in the UK and Ireland and in Openreach, missed appointments have halved year-on-year.

BT had mobile pay monthly net additions of 276,000, with low churn of 1.1% and retail broadband net additions at 83,000, with retail fibre broadband net additions at 260,000.

In the quarter there was a record 498,000 Openreach fibre broadband net connections, including 48% from external service provider.
Bermuda-based insurance company Lancashire Holdings has appointed Andrew McKee as chief executive of Cathedral Underwriting, effective from 26 June and subject to regulatory approval.

Marion Madden will continue as interim managing director of Cathedral Underwriting until McKee starts work at the company.

McKee, who have over 30 years experience in the insurance industry, joins Cathedral Underwriting from MS Amlin's Lloyds business, where he was chief executive.

He started his career as a graduate trainee property underwriter at Sun Alliance in Bristol, spent 18 years at Chubb Insurance and in 2009 became chief executive of MSIG at Lloyds, the underwriting agency managing Syndicate 3210, which specialises in corporate, commercial and specialty insurance.

Lancashire Holdings chief executive Alex Maloney said McKee will be a welcome addition to the companys executive management team.
More than one in seven free-to-use cash machines across the UK could start charging or be shut down if the simmering row about the Link network cannot be resolved, an industry lobby group has warned. After a crucial meeting of the more than 30 members of the Link cash machine network failed to reach an agreement over a new charging system, the ATM Industry Association said 8,000 ATMs were at risk of being removed or starting to charge for withdrawals.  Guardian

Britains wealthiest people appear to get preferential treatment from HM Revenue & Customs and are not being properly pursued for outstanding tax bills, parliaments spending watchdog has concluded. HMRCs failure to clamp down on rich tax dodgers is undermining confidence in the whole system, the public accounts committee said.  Guardian

The new wave of British nuclear power stations was in jeopardy after the government announced it would pull out of a Europe-wide nuclear co-operation organisation. Ministers sneaked out the news that the UK would leave the European Atomic Energy Community, known as Euratom, within the notes accompanying the bill published yesterday to trigger Article 50, the process for leaving the European Union.  The Times

Verizon and Charter Communications are exploring a near-$300 billion merger to create the largest telecommunications company in the world, it emerged yesterday. The companies have hired advisers to explore a potential deal, a banking source said. It was unclear whether or not the companies had met for formal or informal talks. Verizon is one of the worlds largest telecoms companies, with a market capitalisation of about $200 billion. About 114 million customers subscribe to its mobile phone network in the US, making it the largest wireless operator in the country. It also operates Fios, the largest fibre optic network in America, which has 5.6 million subscribers.  The Times

Shareholders scored a major victory against fat cat pay as they forced a FTSE 100 giant to back down over plans to give a boss a 3million pay rise. Cigarette heavyweight Imperial Brands bowed to an investor rebellion by withdrawing a bumper pay rise for Alison Cooper, its chief executive.  Daily Mail




Lead free shot has been around since 1992 when it was banned for use in waterfowl hunting. The ban that was put in place by the USFWS recently includes rifle ammunition as well. They did not ban lead ammo, they are banning the use of it to hunt with. It is ridiculous. California has already did that forcing rifles to use "copper" bullets. Its ******* stupid and ignorant as ****.



The reason lead was banned in shotshells for waterfowling was because after years and years of shooting over the same water hole from the same blind the lead shot was being dabbled up by the ducks and allegedly causing lead poison in massive amounts of waterfowl. Personally I think the real reason was because eagles would eat a crippled duck, and ingest the lead shot that was in it and it would cause lead poisoning in the eagle. But, at the time, the feds thought it would be an easier sell to get DU on board if they sold it as saving the ducks. Ducks have a craw and dabble up sand and pebbles to be used in grinding up the grains and acorns and food they eat. That sand and pebbles passes whole through them. Then so would the lead shot they dabbled. Eagles do not have a craw to grind up their food so the lead shot in my opinion would and did cause lead poisoning.
The UKs largest food wholesale operator Booker Group gained as it reached an agreement to merge with supermarket giant Tesco. Under the terms of the merger, each Booker scheme shareholder would receive 0.861 new Tesco shares and 42.6p in cash, representing a value of 3.7bn for Bookers ordinary share capital.

Gold miners Acacia Mining, Hochschild Mining and Centamin bounced back from previous losses and may have gained on the back of news that Swiss gold exports to China rose over 400% in run up to the Lunar New Year with lower gold prices serving to support new demand.

Kaz Minerals and Ferrexpo was on the front foot as the prices of copper and steel rose marginally by 0.02% and iron ore to 82.4/t from $82/t.

British engineering company Renishaw was given a boost on Friday after Numis upgraded its rating on the engineering company to buy from add and raised the target price to 3,500p from 3,000p. The FTSE 250 firm on Thursday reported revenue increased to 240m in the six months ended 31 December 2016 from 198m the same period a year ago, supported by underlying growth of 12% and a foreign exchange benefit of 9%. Pre-tax profit rose to 35.6m from 28.5m.

Nostrum Oil and Gas and energy focused investment company Riverstone Energy were on the back foot as oil prices dropped by around 1% with West Texas Intermediate at $53.17 per barrel and brent crude at $55.47.

Risers

Booker Group (BOK) 215.10p 17.48%

Centamin (DI) (CEY) 150.70p 5.09%

Acacia Mining (ACA) 412.80p 4.74%

Zoopla Property Group (ZPLA) 364.00p 3.94%

Hochschild Mining (HOC) 236.80p 3.23%

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 452.00p 2.84%

Ferrexpo (FXPO) 144.10p 2.78%

Evraz (EVR) 230.20p 2.77%

Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 496.10p 2.06%

Renishaw (RSW) 2,849.00p 1.93%

Fallers

Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 442.40p -5.79%

Carillion (CLLN) 219.50p -3.43%

Restaurant Group (RTN) 284.90p -3.00%

Berendsen (BRSN) 832.50p -2.75%

Henderson Group (HGG) 221.80p -2.46%

Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 148.70p -2.24%

Riverstone Energy Limited (RSE) 1,280.00p -2.14%

Hill & Smith Holdings (HILS) 1,137.00p -1.98%

NewRiver REIT (NRR) 316.60p -1.80%

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (MLC) 449.50p -1.77%
Subscriber content preview

By JOSH BOAK

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON  Americans pulled back sharply from buying new homes in December, but sales for all of 2016 were the highest since 2007.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that new-home sales last month fell 10.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate 536,000. But sales totaled 563,000 in 2016, up 12.2 percent over the past year.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

You can see Brutus, a 900-pound friendly ambassador from Montana, this weekend at the Washington Sportsmens Show.

SEATTLE  Washington Sportsmen's Show runs through Sunday at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup, and among the attractions is Brutus, a 900-pound grizzly who serves as a friendly ambassador for Montana Grizzly Encounter, a bear rescue and education center in Bozeman.





. . .
A man arrested by Linn County deputies Jan. 21 with multiple aliases and criminal arrest warrants entered the United States illegally from Mexico in 2014.

The development in the Linn County case comes on the heels of President Donald Trumps Jan. 25 executive order seeking to give patrol officers authority akin to immigration enforcement personnel, which would require them to check the immigration status of citizens they suspect may not be legal. The order also threatens to stop federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities," which are cities that do not share inmate or suspect information with federal authorities.

The original Democrat-Herald story about the Jan. 21 arrest attracted criticism from some readers who wondered why the mans immigration status was not reported. But as Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley explained, uncovering the real identity and status of some inmates can be complicated.

"There's no 'red-light/green-light' test that tells us instantly whether someone is illegal or not," he said.

In this case, the man, Emiliano Hernandez-Lopez, was arrested after a traffic stop because the name he gave deputies at that stop turned up an arrest warrant. Deputies at the jail uncovered a long list of aliases, as well as an attempted murder charge. Six days later, after his arraignment, deputies were able to determine the man was born in Mexico, and in 2014 had re-entered the United States and in fact has a detainer issued against him by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

With this new information, Riley, as a matter of policy, contacted ICE to let agents know where he was.

The man was originally arrested as Gabriel Vasquez-Ruiz, but was then discovered to be Hernandez-Lopez; he also was wanted on the attempted murder charge under the name Victor Maya. Riley said his deputies discovered at least three other aliases, but ICE knows him as Hernandez-Lopez.

Riley said his deputies are prohibited by law from looking into the immigration status of any suspect, and only after a person is booked on criminal charges do they seek such information.

Linn County is not a sanctuary county for criminal activity, he said. I swore to uphold all federal, state and local laws, and I take this oath seriously.

Riley also made sure to declare that his office does not discriminate when investigating the status of inmates.

The Linn County Sheriffs Office respects the rights of all people regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender or class, he said in a statement. Our mission statement is Keeping the Peace with Dignity, Honesty and Compassion.

A clash of perceptions

While some want police and deputies to have a broader reach when it comes to immigration status, others caution against a slippery slope that would erode national principles and threaten the public trust.

Mat dos Santos, legal director with the Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, says that a state law enforcement officer contacting ICE with such information violates state law in that it constitutes a misuse of state funds. Specifically, he cites Oregon Revised Statute 181.850, which prohibits use of state agency monies, equipment or personnel to contact federal agencies concerning immigration status of a suspect.

Theyre not responding to a request, theyre initiating contact, said dos Santos. The only reason someone would be actively reporting this information is because theyre anti-immigration.

But a closer look at the statute reveals a clause that gives Riley and his deputies the legal authority to share information with ICE if the suspect has been arrested for any criminal offense.

In fact, every person booked into the Linn County Jail has their record run through federal criminal investigation databases to determine whether the person is wanted on a national level. Riley said this includes the ICE database.

And while running a check on an inmate is a logical step, dos Santos said expanding that to include any suspect regardless of charge would only make immigrant populations less likely to cooperate with the police.

Riley agrees, in that he limits his authority only to people who have committed or are accused of committing crimes.

The criminal question

Those who argue for broader reach from local law enforcement claim illegal immigrants commit a disproportionate amount of crime, while dos Santos and others cite statistics that show that claim to be false. A Jan. 26 New York Times article cited data from several studies that show immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. And experts say the available evidence does not support the idea that undocumented immigrants commit a disproportionate share of crime. Among the studies cited, a CATO Institute report from July 2015, asserted With few exceptions, immigrants are less crime prone than natives or have no effect on crime rates.

But while such debates continue, Riley maintains his position as an elected law enforcement official. While he states that he represents a county that feels a lot the same way that he does on the issue, he maintains a balanced position when it comes to his duty.

As sheriff of Linn County I am part of the executive branch of government, meaning my job is to enforce the law, he said. I do not create laws nor do I pick and choose which laws to enforce.
Louth County Council today announced that contracts have been signed for the delivery of a new state of the art facility for Colaiste Chu Chulainn in Dundalk.

The delivery of this project is a key action in the Governments Action Plan for Education, which aims to make the Irish education and training system the best in Europe within a decade.

A contract for in excess of 16m for the construction of a new 1000 pupil post-primary school building for Colaiste Chu Chulainn was signed on Monday, 16th January at the Offices of Louth County Council. The School will be located on lands opposite the Marshes Shopping Centre and will provide state of the art facilities for the pupils and teachers. The accommodation being provided will also include a two-classroom ASD Unit.

Present at the signing was the Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Councillor Paul Bell; Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin; Director of Services Louth County Council, Frank Pentony; Cathaoirleach of Louth Meath Education and Training Board, Councillor Oliver Tully; Chief Executive of Louth Meath Education and Training Board, Martin OBrien and the School Principal Deirdre Ui Liathain.

The Contractor is Ganson Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd, who are based in Balbriggan and they were represented by David Rogers, Company Director.

Site clearance work commenced shortly before Christmas and it is expected that works will be completed by the summer of 2018 with pupils taking up occupation in September of that year.

Funding for the new School, which operates under the patronage of the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, is being provided by the Department of Education and Skills with Louth County Council managing the construction of the school building on the Departments behalf.

A new public park and playground will be provided as part of the contract.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, TD said that he was delighted that this project had now gone to construction. He said, Under the Governments Action Plan for Education, which aims to make Ireland the best Education and training system in Europe within a decade, we will invest hundreds of millions to provide thousands of new school places in state of the art facilities. Students in Louth will benefit from the opportunity to learn in new and improved teaching spaces and modern educational facilities built to a very high standard.

The Minister thanked Louth County Council for delivering the project on the Departments behalf. He commended the inter-agency co-operation between his Department and Louth County Council for the delivery of a major piece of infrastructural provision which, will not alone be of enormous benefit to its pupils, teachers and parents but also to the wider community in Dundalk.
Professor Colette Henry, Head of School of Business at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has been announced as the 2017 recipient of the European Entrepreneurship Education Award.

The prestigious award is presented annually by the Sten K. Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Lund University, Sweden and it recognises an individual or organisation that has contributed to the improvement of entrepreneurship education in academia in Europe.

Professor Henry has been an active international scholar of entrepreneurship for more than 25 years. In her teaching and research, she has demonstrated a particular interest in gender issues and been a pioneer in her work as editor of the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. Professor Henry has published widely on topics relating to women's entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education & training, the creative industries, social enterprise and veterinary business.

Since joining the School of Business & Humanities in 1998, Colette has been instrumental in the development of a strong culture of enterprise and innovation among students and staff at the Institute. In 2016, DkIT was endorsed as a leading exemplar for embedding entrepreneurship in higher education by global economic advisory forum, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Professor Henry has also been involved in policy development in Ireland, as well as for the EU Commission to facilitate the dissemination of good practice in entrepreneurship education to different countries around Europe.

Speaking today, Professor Henry said: I am thrilled and honoured to receive this award. In DkIT, and in particular the School of Business and Humanities, developing an entrepreneurial mind-set in our students is a strategic priority for us. We do this by adopting an embedded approach to entrepreneurship education, encouraging all our students, regardless of background or discipline, to develop in a safe and supported environment the enterprising attributes of problem-solving, effective communication, teamwork, networking and risk-taking. This is central to our commitment to ensuring that our graduates are flexible and adaptable throughout their careers, enhancing their personal employability and, in doing so, supporting the economic advancement of the North East and beyond.

Also speaking today President of DkIT, Ann Campbell commented: I am delighted that Professor Henry has been selected as the first Irish recipient of the European Entrepreneurship Education Award. Professor Henrys extensive knowledge in this area from an academic and policy perspective, coupled with her unrivalled commitment to driving the programme of entrepreneurship education at DkIT and the North East, make her an extremely worth recipient.

Professor Henry will travel to Sweden, in April to receive her award, which comprises the honour, a diploma and a sum of 100,000
TD Fergus O'Dowd has spoken his disappoint regarding the majority of Louth being excluded from the new designated 'Rent Pressure Zones'.

"I'm extremely disappointed by yesterdays decision by the Department of Housing, to overlook Drogheda and the greater Louth area on the list of newly designated Rent Pressure Zone's. I have been in contact with Minister Coveneys office directly, the Department of Housing, the Residential Tenancies Board, The Housing Agency and the ESRI. I'm currently awaiting reports on the methodology used to decide the chosen areas. I completely disagree that Drogheda and other areas of Louth have not being included as a Rent Pressure Zone."

"Rents have never been higher in the Drogheda and the greater Louth area, and only last year County Louth was recognised by the Department as having some of the highest rents in Ireland and as such the County was administered a Commuter Rate of Housing Assistance Payments that acknowledges the severe rental increases and prices that have taken place. The ability to pay the rents has clearly not been taken into account when making this decision."

"I will be raising the issue in the Dail next week to designate the RPZ to County Louth with immediate effect. There are estates in the Drogheda area that will have certain houses in the RPZ while their neighbours will not, how can this be justified by any methodology that has been used. That is totally unacceptable and needs to be adjusted immediately. Many of my constituents in the East Meath area have been in contact with me today to relay their relieve at being included in the new zoning, and I certainly welcome the South Drogheda and East Meath area being included."
Within 48hrs of his inauguration, the 45th President of the United States introduced a swath of Executive Orders that look set to rip up the old rule book and with it, the legacy of the Obama administration. This includes taking steps to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and the reversal of plans to reduce mortgage insurance premiums on federally insured home loans.

However, of all these sweeping changes, it is confirmation of the USs withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership that has garnered most interest here Australia. To re-cap, the TPP would have been the largest trade agreement in the world, encompassing 12 countries, including Australia.

In an interview with the ABC earlier this week, Trade Minister, Steve Ciobo was adamant that this was really bad news for Australian exporters, and that he, on behalf of the Turnbull government, would do all it could to salvage the deal with the other partners.

Ciobos earnestness is perhaps a little misplaced. There is no question that Australian businesses will lose out on trade with the other signatories of TPP, but the scale of the loss should not be exaggerated. Nor should the opportunity it presents be ignored. According to a World Bank report in 2016, Australias economy was projected to get a boost of just 0.7% by 2030 as a result of signing up to TPP.

In addition, despite the presidents protectionist posturing, lets not lose sight of the fact that we already have a free trade pact with the US (AUSFTA), not to mention Japan and New Zealand. These bilateral trade cordials can actually prove more advantageous to colossal multilateral agreements like TPP, where there is risk that in trying to please everyone, they please no-one. In short, with so many conflicting interests, such pacts are cumbersome and often watered down.

Trumps widely anticipated TPP announcement therefore needs to be approached as an opportunity: to dial up the prospect of bilateral pacts with the likes of Indonesia and India, for example. If a regional pact is the Turnbull Governments preferred route to opening up markets, Chinas Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) could present an alternative to TPP. With a New York Times editorial saying that it feared a chaos presidency, is it perhaps high time we more enthusiastically embraced east over west?

Talking of China, there is another issue that requires careful observation. Beyond TPP, there are more immediate and substantive issues relating to the AU Dollar that could impact Australian exporters. Against market predictions, the US dollar strengthened when POTUS45 won back in November. Trump is now adamant that the Greenback is too strong and in the process, killing American companies, which have to compete against what he believes to be an artificially low Chinese currency. If this trend continues, this could push the Australian dollar up  good news for importers and wage earners, bad news for Australian small businesses selling their wares overseas. Theres even talk that the continued volatility will mean a surge in the property market, as people look to bricks and mortar for a safe investment bet. As if property prices in Australia were not high enough.

About the author

Will Shepherd is Head of Treasury at OFX (formerly Ozforex), an ASX listed global company that manages foreign exchange transfers at competitive rates for individuals and businesses.
With limited time and resources, its often the case that small businesses dont have the capacity to think much about their brand once theyre up and running. And yet, your brand  the way your customers perceive you  is just as important for a small business as it is for a multi-national corporation. So, what is a brand and how can you ensure your business creates a positive brand experience for your customers?

People use the word brand every day. But like so many oft-spoken words, we often dont stop to question their meaning. If you asked people on the street what the word brand means, it might evoke responses like logo or trademark. People often associate a brand with its artistic representation, without realising that a brand, or brand recognition, goes much deeper than that. It goes to the very core of a persons psyche. This is why branding is so important.

The definition

A brand is defined as a perception in the mind of a person. It is commonly described as the sum of all the individual experiences and impressions a person associates with a product or business. What people perceive  how they perceive a brand  makes it their reality.

This is because perceptions are made up of impressions. To create the right perception, every impression  from product, customer service and internal culture  needs to align to the way a brand wishes to be perceived.

New York vs. Florida

To better understand how a sum of experiences can affect our association with a brand, think about how you might picture New York, compared with how you might picture Florida. Thinking about New York, most people will envision a bustling and exciting business metropolis, a concrete jungle, a vibrant, cultural city. But thinking about Florida, its likely people will think of beautiful beaches, palm trees and sunshine. These images have been created through a lifetime of references  the sum of our impressions.

In the same way the names of these cities conjure up clear, yet very different images, a strong brand leaves a lasting impression  even if youve not experienced it firsthand. Strong brands are built by clearly defining who they are and what they do.

Ultimately, if a business stays true to its definition, it can deliver a consistent brand association across its desired market and audience segments. Conversely, the more broken up and different the associations are, the weaker a brand becomes.

Making a good impression

Most importantly, when a brand makes a good impression, it positively impacts the way we think about and engage with it. The more positive experiences people have with a brand the better their perceptions of it. Likewise, bad experiences cause negative perceptions.

Deciding on what perception your brand should create requires you to define what your business is, what you do and why you do it. Understanding this helps you align each touch point of your business to make the right impression  from your packaging to your customer service to your communications.

Branding isnt just important for the Coca Colas and Nikes and Facebooks of the world. Branding is important for every business with customers, no matter how small! And understanding the basics of branding  that every single interaction a customer has with your brand creates an impression  helps you review the way customers react with your brand, allowing you to align these experiences to match your brand aspirations. By doing this, youre heading in the right direction to creating a strong brand.

About the author

Dan Ratner is the managing director of branding and communications agency, uberbrand. He has more than 15 years experience in marketing, communications and branding and is passionate about branding as an enabler to fulfil organisational objectives. He works with well-known Australian brands across a variety of sectors including financial services, travel and education.
BROWNSVILLE  City Councilor Lynda Chambers says she doesnt like violating her oath of office since the community narrowly approved marijuana facilities on the November ballot, and she's asked her federal elected officials to change its listing of marijuana as a Schedule I drug.

Brownsville and several other communities in Linn County recently approved the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana.

But as Chambers pointed out to her fellow councilors Tuesday evening after completing her oath of office as an incumbent, she is bound to uphold all laws, including federal laws and the Constitution of the United States.

Her letter to Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio read: I am a member of the Brownsville City Council. I am writing today to let you know the great quandary I have been put in with Oregon legalizing marijuana, and the federal governments Schedule 1 (classification) of the drug. I have taken an oath, as did you, to uphold the laws of our government. More than once I have been forced to violate this oath. I am writing to ask you to please work to change the classification of this drug so that I and others do not have to continually go against our oath of office.

In January 2016, Councilor Gary Shepherd expressed similar concerns about the conflict between Oregon and federal laws.

I took an oath and swore to uphold state and federal laws and thats what Im going to do, he said.

In August 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reaffirmed the federal governments commitment to retaining marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, in part because the Food and Drug Administration does not believe marijuana has medical uses.

A report issued by the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services noted that marijuana has no currently accepted medical use and the drugs chemistry is not known and reproducible.

Chambers and her fellow council members have wrestled with legalization of marijuana for a couple of years. The council also refused to change the citys business license rules that required all businesses to abide by state and federal laws.

In the May primary election, the council asked voters through Measure 22-134 whether Registered medical marijuana facilities and licensed recreational marijuana facilities should be allowed to operate in the city.

It was not a binding question, but a solicitation of public input.

In November, local residents were asked if marijuana sales and production should be banned in the city. By a narrow vote, 445 to 442, marijuana sales were approved.

Residents were clear that a 3-percent tax should be applied to marijuana sales, 691 yes to 179 no votes.

Last week, the Brownsville Planning Commission approved a conditional-use permit for a medical marijuana shop to be located on Highway 228. Owners Randy and Gayle Simpson have been trying to open a medical marijuana shop in the community since it became legal statewide two years ago.

The council learned that the Simpsons are in the process of having the shop approved by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

City Manager Scott McDowell said that if the Simpsons wish to sell recreational marijuana at a future date, they will have to complete another conditional use application.
Will Oregon's Clean Fuels Program throw a wrench yet again into the Legislature's ability to approve a transportation package?

That's how it played out during the 2015 session, when attempts to approve a transportation deal to pay for badly needed improvements to the state's roads and bridges foundered on Republican objections regarding the fuels program.

The program itself is a well-meaning attempt to reduce the carbon intensity of Oregon's transportation fuels by 10 percent over the next decade. It's not clear whether the program will do much to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, but it's been estimated that it will increase the price of fuel: Previous estimates say it could cost consumers anywhere from 4 cents to $1 a gallon, although Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday that, thus far, the program has added less than a penny (0.25 cents) to the cost of a gallon of fuel in Oregon. (Remember that the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission has voted to delay enforcement of the mandates until 2018 to allow time to develop cost-containment strategies and to work on other tweaks to the program.)

Democrats went ahead and renewed the fuel program during the 2015 session, despite warnings from Republicans that they would be unable to support any later transportation package that relied on an increase in the gas tax. Republicans said they didn't want to saddle their constituents with what amounted to two separate price increases at the pump. GOP legislators stayed true to that promise, and since the increase in the gas tax required at least some Republican support, the transportation package died.

The 2017 session is scheduled to begin in earnest next week, and the transportation package is at or near the top on just about everyone's "to do" list. And, in fact, a joint committee of legislators has been traveling the state to gather information for the package, including ways to pay for it. But if the package requires tax increases, it still will require some votes from Republicans.

And it became clear on Thursday, during a legislative preview session sponsored by The Associated Press, that Republican leaders still consider the Clean Fuels Program to be an obstacle to a transportation package. In fact, "obstacle" was the exact word used by Ted Ferrioli, the GOP's minority leader in the Senate.

What was not clear on Thursday  and likely will not be clear until later in the session  was whether Democrats are willing to consider changes to the fuels program. Sen. Ginny Burdick, the Democratic Senate leader, urged flexibility from both sides but noted that she was gratified that the focus was on finding the best ways to reach the state's overall goal of carbon reduction and not on a debate over whether the state should be reducing emissions in the first place.

Gov. Brown said Thursday that she was open to options, but has said in the past that she's not in favor of wholesale changes to the program  and the fact that she was ready with that new estimate of increased fuel costs suggests that she still feels that way.

But she, and other Democrats, might need to set those feelings aside and prepare to do some bargaining. The logjam over the transportation package was likely the signature failure of the 2015 session. In fact, you might recall, Brown vowed early in the session that she wouldn't let legislators leave Salem until that particular deal was done. Then they left, with no deal in hand.

This session will be considerably more difficult than its 2015 counterpart, especially with a $1.8 billion budget shortfall looming. Still, the Legislature can't afford to leave Salem this year without a finished transportation deal. (mm)
Feb. 20, 1934  Dec. 24, 2016

Roland Gerald McCormick was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on Feb. 20, 1934. In 1947, his family moved to Dallas where he attended Dallas High School. He earned a teaching degree from the Oregon College of Education, and in1955, married his high school sweetheart Joyce Bartel.

After he served overseas in the Navy, Roland and Joyce settled in Albany, where Roland taught at Lafayette Elementary. His career as a beloved teacher spanned 33 years, several schools, and nearly 1,000 students. Specializing in fifth grade, he cared deeply for each student, inspiring and challenging them. He also earned his Masters in education from Oregon State University.

In 1965, Roland, Joyce, and their children moved to New Hampshire and then Woodstock, Vermont. In 1974, Roland and Joyce fulfilled a lifelong dream: purchasing land and building a farmhouse outside Independence. After retirement, they traveled frequently across the globe, and last July, celebrated 61 years of marriage.

Roland was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an avid reader and scholar, and a talented musician with a rich baritone voice who loved singing hymns with his family and in church. Above all, he was a committed Christ follower who shared the love of Jesus with everyone he encountered. After 82 years on earth, this chapter of Rolands life has ended, but we know that Christmas Eve 2016 marked the day his true story with Jesus began. He leaves behind a family who misses him greatly: his wife, three siblings, three children, and six grandchildren.

Roland supported younger generations worldwide. If you would like, consider making a donation or sponsoring a child through World Vision in his memory. A service to remember and celebrate Rolands life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at Riverside Baptist Church, 1300 NW Springhill Dr., Albany, 97321. Online memories and condolences can be shared at www.dallastribute.com. The Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center is caring for the family.
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Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, the American Public Health Association (APHA), Climate Reality Project, Harvard Global Health Institute, University of Washington Center for Health and Global Environment, and Dr. Howard Frumkin, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health, announced Thursday a Climate & Health Meeting that will take place on Feb. 16 at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Supported by the Turner Foundation and other organizations, the event will fill the gap left by the recently-canceled Climate & Health Summit originally to be hosted and sponsored by the CDC and others.

They tried to cancel this conference but it is going forward anyway, said former U.S. Vice President and Climate Reality Founder and Chairman Al Gore. Today we face a challenging political climate, but climate shouldnt be a political issue. Health professionals urgently need the very best science in order to protect the public and climate science has increasingly critical implications for their day-to-day work. With more and more hot days, which exacerbate the proliferation of the Zika virus and other public health threats, we cannot afford to waste any time.

Climate change is already affecting our health, said Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of APHA. This meeting fills an important void and will strengthen the public health response to this growing threat.

2016 was the third consecutive hottest year on record and 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have occurred since 2001. Given the dramatic developments of infectious diseases like Zika and other related public health issues, understanding the threats climate change poses to public health is vitally important. The Climate & Health Meeting is a critical step in bringing together the diverse stakeholders who face climate-related public health issues on a daily basis.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/821849694578114560

The evidence is clear that climate change is a major threat facing the publics health, said Ashish Jha, MD, a physician and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. Openly discussing these scientific issues will help us prepare for this looming challenge and better protect the American people.

Given the expedited timeframe of the event, the meeting will not seek to replace the full three-day conference originally planned by the CDC. However, the event will preserve the focus of the CDC conference and will be a substantive working session for participants, providing a crucial platform for members of public health professions, the climate community and officials tasked with responding to local health problems, to come together around solutions.
By Jeff Masters

The first all-time national heat record of 2017 was set in spectacular fashion on Thursday in Chile, where at least 12 different stations recorded a temperature in excess of the nations previous all-time heat recorda 41.6 C (106.9 F) reading at Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 1944.

According to international weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, the hottest station on Thursday was Cauquenes, which hit 45.0 C (113 F). The margin by which the old record national heat record was smashed: 3.6 C (6.1 F), was extraordinary and was the second largest such difference Herrera has cataloged (the largest: a 3.8 C margin in New Zealand in 1973, from 38.6 C to 42.4 C).

Herrera cautioned, though, that the extraordinary high temperatures on Thursday in Chile could have been due, in part, to the effects of the severe wildfires burning near the hottest areas and the new record will need to be verified by the weather service of Chile.

Fires (red squares) in Chile spread smoke over the Pacific Ocean, as seen at 10:35 a.m. EST Thursday Jan. 26. This MODIS image is from NASAs Terra satellite. NASA

Here are some of the high temperatures from Jan. 26 in Chile:

Maule Region (near the area affected by wildfires):

Cauquenes, 45.0 C

Coronel de Maule, 41.8 C

Los Despachos, 42.8 C

Santa Sofia, 43.1 C

Sauzal, 41.8 C

Maule Region (outside the area affected by wildfires):

Linares, 41.8 C

Longavi Sur, 42.3 C

Parral, 40.8 C

Bio Bio Region (near the area affected by wildfires):

Bulnes, 42.5 C

Quillon, 44.9 C

Ninhue, 43.0 C

Bio Bio Region (outside the area affected by wildfires):

Portezuelo, 41.2 C

Chillan, 41.4 C (DMC station)

Chillan Quinchamali, 43.0 C

San Nicolas, 41.1 C

Los Angeles Maria Dolores Airport, 42.2 C

Record Heat and Extreme Drought Lead to Deadly Chile Wildfires

Record heat and extreme drought in Chile are contributing to their worst wildfires in decades. On Thursday, the entire town of Santa Olga was destroyed by fire, with more than 1,000 building consumed including schools, nurseries, shops and a post office.

As reported in The Guardian, Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the region, said: Nobody can imagine what happened in Santa Olga. What we have experienced here is literally like Dantes Inferno. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Chile due to wildfires on Jan. 20 and as of Jan. 26, more than 100 fires were burning throughout OHiggins and Maule regions.

At least ten people have been killed by the fires, including four firefighters and two policemen. According to insurance broker Aon Benfield, the fires had consumed 578,000 acres of land as of Jan. 26 and damages to the timber industry alone were estimated at $40 million. Hot, dry weather with high temperatures in the 90s are expected to continue for the next week in the Santiago area.

Chiles Ongoing Megadrought Partially Attributed to Human-Caused Climate Change

Central Chile is enduring a decades-long megadrought that began in the late 1970s, with precipitation declines of about 7 percent per decade. According to a 2016 study by Boisier et al., Anthropogenic and natural contributions to the Southeast Pacific precipitation decline and recent megadrought in central Chile, this drought is unprecedented in historical records.

While at least half of the change in precipitation can be blamed on natural causes, primarily due to atmospheric circulation changes from the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the authors estimated that a quarter of the rainfall deficit affecting this region since 2010 was due to human-caused climate change.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Weather Underground.
Elon Musks tweets are causing quite a stir this week. The frequent tweeter surprisingly endorsed President Donald Trumps nomination for Secretary of State and provided some hints about his mysterious tunnel project.

First, the sustainable energy

advocate raised a lot of eyebrows on Tuesday after tweeting his support of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as the nations top diplomat.

This may sound surprising coming from me, Musk tweeted on Jan. 24, but  Rex Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State.



https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/824010489449431040

Many environmentalists were confused by the Tesla and SpaceX CEOs praise for the former oil exec, who spent his entire career working for a company that creates emissions and

funded climate denial.

You are a hero to so many climate activists Elon, Climatologist

Michael Mann tweeted to Musk. Please dont lend your imprimatur to an ExxonMobil-driven foreign policy.

.@elonmusk You are a hero to so many climate activitists Elon. Please don't lend your imprimatur to an ExxonMobil-driven foreign policy.  Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) January 25, 2017

Musk responded, Im just saying that we should see what happens first. The actions may be surprising.

https://twitter.com/WorldfNature/status/809524807112986625

In a series of direct messages with

Gizmodo, Musk elaborated on his Tillerson endorsement:

Tillerson obviously did a competent job running Exxon, one of the largest companies in the world. In that role, he was obligated to advance the cause of Exxon and did. In the Sec of State role, he is obligated to advance the cause of the US and I suspect he probably will. Also, he has publicly acknowledged for years that a carbon tax could make sense. There is no better person to push for that to become a reality than Tillerson. This is what matters far more than pipelines or opening oil reserves. The unpriced externality must be priced.

Musk has long been

in favor of a carbon tax as a means of pricing the damage done by carbon pollution. He told Gizmodo, We should have higher taxes on the things that science says are probably bad for us than those that are probably good for us.

In a similar vein, Tillerson said back in 2009 that a carbon tax is the most efficient means of reflecting the cost of carbon in all economic decisionsfrom investments made by companies to fuel their requirements to the product choices made by consumers. (Some, however, suspect that the oil mans pro-carbon-tax stance amounts to a PR ploy.)

Basically, Musk is saying that Tillerson, who has also acknowledged the risks of climate change, should be given the benefit of the doubt. Even if the president thinks climate change is a hoax and is eagerly pursuing dirty energy projects such as the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipeline, at least Tillerson has Trumps ear.

As Musk told Gizmodo:

The more voices of reason that the President hears, the better. Simply attacking him will achieve nothing. Are you aware of a single case where Trump bowed to protests or media attacks? Better that there are open channels of communication.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/824054997507657728

With Tillersons confirmation all but assured, lets hope that Musk is right.

As for the much-hyped tunnel project, Musk tweeted on Wednesday, Exciting progress on the tunnel front. Plan to start digging in a month or so.

The tech entrepreneur plans to dig a tunnel under Los Angeles to ease through the citys notorious traffic.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/824183010241216512

Musks first announced his tunnel ambitions in December while sitting through L.A. congestion.

It shall be called The Boring Company,' he tweeted. Borings, its what we do.

Without tunnels, we will all be in traffic hell forever, Musk told The Verge via Twitter. I really do think tunnels are the key to solving urban gridlock. Being stuck in traffic is soul-destroying. Self-driving cars will actually make it worse by making vehicle travel more affordable.
In a worlds first, the Irish Parliament voted 90 to 53 on Thursday in favor of a groundbreaking bill that would fully divest public money from coal, oil and gas.

Fossil Free Europe has hailed it as a first-of-its-kind fossil fuel divestment legislation.

https://twitter.com/trocaire/status/824622886187134977

The Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill, which was supported by almost all of Irelands political parties except the Fine Gael, will now go to the committee stage. According to The Independent, the bill is likely to pass into law in the next few months after it is reviewed.

Once enacted, the initiative would force the Ireland Strategic Investment Funda sovereign wealth fund worth more than 8 billionto sell its investments in fossil fuel industries over the next five years and would also prohibit future investments in the sector.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle, who introduced the bill, said the legislation makes a powerful statement to the world.

This principle of ethical financing is a symbol to these global corporations that their continual manipulation of climate science, denial of the existence of climate change and their controversial lobbying practices of politicians around the world is no longer tolerated, Pringle said.

We cannot accept their actions while millions of poor people in underdeveloped nations bear the brunt of climate change forces as they experience famine, mass emigration and civil unrest as a result.

The Republic of Ireland has recently voted on a slew of green measures in order to fight climate change. In October, the Dail Eireann (the countrys House of Representatives, so to speak) voted to ban fracking.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/792124047412883456

Trocaire, an Catholic charity that fights worldwide poverty, backed the divestment campaign.

With a climate-sceptic recently inaugurated into the White House, this move by elected representatives in Ireland will send out a powerful message, said Trocaire executive director Eamonn Meehan.

The Irish political system is now finally acknowledging what the overwhelming majority of people already know: That to have a fighting chance to combat catastrophic climate change we must phase out fossil fuels and stop the growth of the industry that is driving this crisis, he added.

In the powerful video below, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan celebrates the bill as a clear message to the White House, which has embraced fossil fuels.

Donald Trumpwhat an answer to him. What an answer to his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, Ryan said. We are going to be selling your ExxonMobil shares, sir, because we dont believe in the future that you stand for.

[facebook https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1432713546741578/ expand=1]
March 20, 1953  Dec. 31, 2016

Steven Michael Sherwood was born and raised in Vacaville, California. Steven moved to Lebanon in 1983 with his wife Easter. He was married to Easter in 1982 and she passed away many years later.

He is survived by daughters Stacey Marie Sherwood of Lebanon, Sonja Ann Bowcutt of Port Angeles, Washington, Tawnya Villeggiante of Vacaville, California; brother Larry Sherwood of Sweet Home; and sister Terry Sherwood of Cave Junction.

Steven loved riding his Harley-Davidson, of which he road with many friends from around the area. There will be a celebration of life later this year.
Conservation groups filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Thursday over invalid and outdated Endangered Species Act approvals of oil and gas leasing plans for the Wayne National Forest.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Ohio Environmental Council, Heartwood and Sierra Club are challenging the approvals for failing to consider the effects of fracking, white-nose syndrome and climate change on the endangered Indiana bat and other protected species threatened with extinction.

The Indiana bat is already over-stressed by white-nose syndrome and climate change. Summer bat detection rates in Ohio have declined by more than 50 percent since 2011, said Wendy Park, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. But instead of protecting this fragile species, the BLM and Forest Service are allowing the razing and pollution of important bat habitat in the Wayne for harmful fracking.

In December 2016 the BLM auctioned 719 acres of public land in the Wayne National Forests Marietta Unit in southeast Ohio, opening up the forest to large-scale, high-volume fracking of the Marcellus and Utica shales for the first time. The groups legal challenge aims to void this auction and halt fracking in the Wayne to protect the forests wildlife and water.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/809483740800028672

The groups assert fracking would industrialize Ohios only national forest, increase climate pollution, destroy the Indiana bats habitat and risk contamination of water supplies that support endangered mussels and local communities.

Pipelines, well pads and wastewater pits destroy habitat and harm people and wildlife, said Nathan Johnson, an attorney with the Ohio Environmental Council. These impacts are real. In 2014, a frack pad fire and chemical spill near the Wayne forced the evacuation of local residents and killed tens of thousands of fish and mussels.

The 2014 Monroe County well pad fire resulted in the contamination of a creek near the national forest. Wastewater and fracking chemicals spilled into Opossum Creekan Ohio River tributarykilling 70,000 fish over a five-mile stretch.

Fracking the Wayne National Forest in Ohio is like kicking someone when theyre down, said Tabitha Tripp of Heartwood. This land has been overworked for the last 200 years. Are we not rich and wise enough now to let a tiny percentage go wild? Declining species need that. We need that. Instead, we are witness to the betrayal of the public trust and we have no recourse but to sue.

The groups have also filed an appeal with the secretary of the interior to challenge the December 2016 lease sale.

As of 2016, private fracking operators had nominated 18,000 acres of the Wayne National Forests Marietta Unit for leasing, setting up this land to be auctioned off in upcoming lease sales that BLM conducts quarterly. Another lease auction is scheduled for March 23. BLM is accepting formal protests from the public for this proposal to auction over 1,100 acres of the forest until Feb. 13.

There has been statewide opposition to leasing our only national forest for hydraulic fracturing. Ohio ranks 47th per capita in providing public lands to our state citizens. People do not want to hike near frack pads, smell diesel fuel in a forest or fear that streams and rivers are contaminated, said Loraine McCosker, southeast Ohio resident and co-chair of the Forests and Public Lands Committee of the Sierra Club Ohio Chapter.

Along with the impact to citizens who depend on our forest to provide clean air and water and recreational lands, this habitat is critical for many endangered and declining species challenged by climate change and other threats. In addition, Ohio is currently receiving great quantities of fracking waste from within Ohio and adjacent states which is then injected into class 2 injection wells. This proposed extraction will increase the waste created thereby increasing this burden.
President Trump announced Thursday that his administration will pursue a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a project that would perpetuate human suffering, harm border communities and halt the cross-border movement of jaguars, ocelots, wolves and other wildlife.

Among animals, the wall would be particularly harmful to highly endangered jaguars. Two jaguars have been photographed north of the border in recent years, but the U.S. population will never reestablish if migration from the small population in northern Mexico is blocked.

The wall would be particularly harmful to highly endangered jaguars. Conservation CATalyst / Center for Biological Diversity

Donald Trump continues to cling to his paranoid fantasy of walling off the U.S.-Mexico border, regardless of the harm it would do to border communities and wildlife, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. We already know that walls dont stop people from crossing the border, but Trumps plan would end any chance of recovery for endangered jaguars, ocelots and wolves in the border region.

Billions of dollars have already been spent to construct and maintain hundreds of miles of existing border wall with little to no environmental oversight, resulting in major problems with erosion and flooding in border communities and the blockage of normal wildlife movement across the border. Yet Border Patrol and Homeland Security officials have repeatedly testified that the border wall is nothing more than a speed bump that does not stop people from crossing, and just this week an outgoing Homeland Security official called Trumps push for a wall preposterous and an incredible waste of taxpayer money.

Like many of Trumps ideas, this one has nothing to do with reality, Suckling said. By any measure the U.S.-Mexico border is more secure now than its ever been. There is no reason to sacrifice the health of border communities and wildlife for such political grandstanding.

Migration corridors are crucial for the recovery and survival of wildlife along the border, especially those with small populations, including wolves, ocelots and jaguars.

The border region is home to a rich diversity of living beings, Suckling said. Its a place where north and south meet and overlapthe only place in the world where jaguars and black bears live side by side. Its this diversity that makes us strong, not some wasteful, immoral wall.

The wall is widely opposed, especially among communities in the Southwest.

We will not stand by while Trump creates a Berlin Wall on Americas border, Suckling said. Well fight this Stone Age proposal in every way we canand if necessary put our bodies in front of the bulldozers.
ECSU Entrepreneur Lab Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Feb. 4

Elizabeth City State University is dedicated to creating a new generation of entrepreneurs, and so on Saturday, Feb. 4, the ECSU Entrepreneur Lab will be launched with a ribbon cutting and the announcement of two business competitions.

According to Dr. Joy Smith, chair of the ECSU Department of Business and Economics, the Entrepreneur Lab is a space for students to work on entrepreneurial ideas.

To stimulate creativity and create business ventures, says Smith.

Located in room 118 of Williams Hall, the lab is outfitted with computers, business resource materials, creativity kits designed to assist students in developing skills needed to launch a business, and space to work on business plans.

Smith says mentors will be available to students, assisting them in the creation of their business plans.

Last year ECSU conducted a student survey designed to determine student interest in entrepreneurial planning. Smith says that 1-in-3 students expressed a desire to launch their own business ventures.

This gives them focus and mentorship to create their own business plan, said Smith of the new lab.

Two competitions are planned for the lab, a college level competition and a high school competition. The college competition is open to students from ECSU, Mid-Atlantic Christian University, and College of the Albemarle. The high school competition is open to students in the 21-county Northeast North Carolina region.

Smith says college students will create business plans and pitch them to a panel of local judges for cash prizes. High school students will create business plans and compete via Facebook, determining the winner based on the number of likes they receive.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at noon, Feb. 4 in room 118 of Williams Hall. The public is invited to this event.
(Photo: Invisible Threads: Life Saving Sugihara Visas and the Journey to Vancouver.)Japanese envoy Chiune Sugihara who helped thousands of Jews escape the Holocaust.

Japan's prime minister during a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington honored the Japanese envoy Chiune Sugihara who helped thousands of Jews escape the Holocaust.

Shinzo Abe, who met with President Barack Obama on April 28, said while at the Holocaust museum, "As a Japanese citizen, I feel extremely proud of [Chiune] Sugihara's work," the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported.

When he was Japan's imperial consul in Lithuania, Sugihara defied orders from his superiors to issue thousands of visas to Jews between 1939 and 1940, and after World War II he was shunned by Japan's foreign ministry.

During his visit, Abe and his wife each lit a commemorative candle in the Hall of Remembrance and met with three survivors who had been helped by Sugihara.

In January, Abe had visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.

Abe has previously faced criticism for his allegedly revisionist views of Japan's own war-time behaviour, Agence France-Presse reported.

After returning to Japan Sughara, who was an Eastern Orthodox Christian, was forced to leave the foreign service for defying orders for 30 straight days granting visas.

Sugihara's story is the focus of the new exhibit Invisible Threads: Life-Saving Sugihara Visas and the Journey to Vancouver at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

"We discovered the story of Chiune Sugihara who issued a number of transit visas to Polish and Lithuanian Jewish refugees to help them escape from Eastern Europe," museum curator Duncan McLeod told the CBC.

"It was a dangerous decision for him to issue these visas, because it could have been seen as an aggressive stance against Germany."

Sugihara's actions were in direct violation of orders from Japanese authorities due to their alliance with Germany.

Once a rising foreign service star, Sugihara, who was born in 1900, had to work in disgrace as a part-time translator after being thrown out of his job.

It was not until 1991, five years after his death, that his actions gained recognition from Japanese authorities who often had a trying time atoning for the actions of Japan in Asia during the war.

DACHAU INMATE

Solly Ganor knew Sugihara as an 11-year-old Jewish boy and later, as an inmate in Dachau, met Japanese-American troops.

"'My destiny was tied up with the Japanese people from the beginning," Ganor who lives in Israel told United Press International in September 1994.

"I knew Chiune Sugihara - he was the only light in a sea of darkness. He issued us visas."

Still, for Ganor, a visa was not enough to save him from Dachau. He was Lithuanian, which meant he had forced Soviet citizenship. He was arrested trying to leave Lithuania by Soviet police who handed him over to the Nazis.

Masha Leon was one of the 6,000 people issued an exit visas by Sugihara who made it to freedom, escaping Nazi and Soviet persecution.

"We arrived in Japan in February 1941 aboard the last ship to get here," said Leon in 1994, then aged 63.

"I went to a convent run by Japanese nuns in Kobe (western Japan). After the hell of the Nazis and Soviets it seemed like heaven," she said.
Once again, government got it all wrong.

Picking winners and losers among businesses should be left up to consumers and the marketplace. I am referring to the recent Albany City Council decision to give $50,000 to a local business to stay located in Albany. As the owner of two local businesses in Albany I feel more than qualified to weigh in on this issue. In fact, I spoke out against this practice at a past council meeting when the council awarded money to a new brewery for the purchase of equipment.

I am not against these businesses and wish them much success; I simply do not believe that government should be playing favorites. Remember one of the first lessons we learned in kindergarten: you could bring in cup cakes if you brought enough for the whole class.

Somehow we have bought into an entitlement mentally hook, line and sinker. So much so that we now somehow believe that business needs our help. Coupled with the belief that government can solve all problems and heal all wounds. It has become the perfect storm.

Sure, I could use an extra fifty large in my business, but you will not see my outstretched hand. I know lots of businesses that could use some extra working capital. I am very pro business; after all, small business drives the economy.

Call me radical, but I believe business is best served by government getting out of the way. Lowering regulations and barriers to start and grow new businesses is what is needed. Eliminate red tape and lower taxes. How exactly does the city recover this $50,000 grant if the business moves before the agreed 10 years? Sue them? Yeah, thats worked well in the past.

The Albany City councils report card on business development rates an F. Handing out small amounts of money will do nothing to solve the problem of a lack of good-paying jobs in our community. Honestly look at their past behavior. CARA is filled with pet projects. Spreadsheets full of criteria that are then not followed. The city sued Pepsi after Pepsi decided it was not the right time to build a plant here. You might have well just taken out bill boards up and down I-5 announcing keep driving, Albany does not want businesses to locate here.

While businesses have located in neighboring Corvallis and Lebanon, Albany has got squat. And to the council not all business deserves equal treatment. Look at the way Wal-Mart, Lowes and Winco were treated. I am willing to bet that should Wal-Mart decide to move out of Albany not a single councilor would shed a tear.

When you are driving around Albany are you noticing anything? I see plenty of empty commercial and light industrial buildings with for lease signs. Do you notice the empty retail spots? What new business construction do you see?

Government meddling in business is not just a problem in Albany but also with our state. Dictating mandatory minimum wages, sick leave, etc. are also bad for businesses. Its always the people in government that have literally no business experience that somehow think they are qualified to tell businesses what to do. The reason any economic recovery is not robust in Albany or Oregon is because of government interference. And government favoritism is exactly the type of behavior that people loathe.

If government seriously wants to help businesses grow and prosper, stay out of our business! Let businesses succeed or fail on their own merits. That is the only way to ensure a fair playing field for all businesses.

Remember kindergarten?




Vietnamese seafood exports face barriers in int'l market

Vietnam seafood exporters faces several barriers in 2017 that range from protectionism to bad media coverage, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep), vietnamnet.vn reported.

Vietnamese seafood exports last year is estimated to have reached US$7.1 billion, an increase of 8% compared with 2015, despite drought, saline intrusion and environmental disaster in four central provinces caused by Formosa's untreated waste water discharge.

The drought and saline intrusion are expected to continue to have effects on fresh-water fish breeding and have a big impact on the cultivation area and material output, the news report said.

Vietnam will also have to contend with non-tariff barriers set up by importing countries to prevent them from penetrating the markets.

An example is the importing countries' regulations on inspecting import quality. Japan, for one, examines shrimp import consignments from Vietnam to detect furazolidone, enrofloxacin and sulfadiazine.

Australia has also said it would impose stricter examination of Vietnamese seafood for biological toxins and microorganisms after reports that 11 seafood consignments from Vietnam to the EU were found to have had heavy metal concentration (cadmium and mercury) higher than the permitted level during the nine-month period from January to September 2016.

The anti-dumping duties and catfish inspection programme also remain barriers to Vietnam's catfish in the US market. With high anti-dumping duties, only two or three Vietnamese companies would be able to export products to the market, according to the report.

Bad publicity was also cited as posing a risk to Vietnamese seafood exports. Last Jan. 5, a video clip on Spanish television gave allegedly incorrect information about Vietnamese catfish.
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.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
Ocean's Eight added another A-list actress to its high-profile list with Rihanna. The Barbadian beauty is recently spotted filming the upcoming 2018 American heist comedy film with Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson in New York.

The 28-year-old star was wearing an over-all dark navy boiler suit, a pair of huge black hoop earrings while her mane is on chunky dreadlocks. Three actresses were filming what looked like a heist sequence under the pouring rain.

Rihanna was seen running off from the white van behind her doing exciting scenes, even though the weather was unfortunate. In spite of the gloomy ambiance, they remained professional doing their stints and even caught having fun on the set of Ocean's Eight.

When the heavy downpour started, the Diamonds hitmaker made herself ready by using a huge dark umbrella and continued the film's production, according to Mirror Online. Meanwhile, there was surfacing news that two big names will be once again added to the movie's high-profile list of stars.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians stars Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner are set to appear in Ocean's Eight in cameo roles. In fact, the two half-sisters were recently photographed in New York while reportedly filming their scenes, The Independent reported.

The daughters of Kris Jenner will play the role of fictional celebrities attending a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where a robber will take place. The siblings' appearance started to emerge after the older Kardashian was held at a gunpoint and robbed in Paris. She then went on a hiatus from posting on social media and public appearances.

Meanwhile, other stars that are set to be in Ocean's Eight are Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Olivia Munn and much more. Also, Matt Damon will grace the film to reprise his role as Linus Caldwell along with James Corden. However, the appearance of the original cast such as George Clooney and Brad Pitt are not yet confirmed.
The subscribers of The Pirate Bay and other popular torrent sites in UK will have to stop downloading content illegally. They are only given an allowance of 20 days to discontinue patronizing the illegitimate websites providing materials like movies, music and a lot more.

According to Daily Star, the avid fans of The Pirate Bay are starting to obtain emails that are cautioning them to stop downloading content illegally. The messages are being sent from the Get it Right campaign, which targets to inform and guide web users on the barbed subject.

With this move, the authorities are aiming to stop illegal downloads of movies and music. It can be remembered that the latest figures have estimated that over 6.7 million people are using one item of "illegal" online content last year.

Furthermore, The Christian Post has learned that visitors of The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites will receive this email stating "Get it Right is a government-backed campaign acting for copyright owners who think their content's been shared without their permission. It looks like someone has been using your broadband to share copyrighted material (that means things like music, films, sport or books). And as your broadband provider, we have to let you know when this happens."

Upon the receiving of this notification, the user only has a 20-day grace period during which there will be no more cautions to be sent but still the online activities are still monitored. Just in case that the user continues with his or her copyright infringing actions despite receiving the warning; another email will be sent by the ISPs stating "If no further infringements occur and are detected and verified to be associated with your account, you will receive no more Educational Emails.

Furthermore, all data related to this and to previous Educational Emails will be deleted after 12 months." Nevertheless, it is still unclear what will happen next if the user will continue to disregard the issued notices.

In addition, a recent shutdown of a prolific uploader to popular torrent sites was freshly hit with a massive fine. The unnamed uploader has arranged to pay a cash settlement that is alleged to be in the region of 7,500 (6,000) to Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN.

The Virgin, BT, TalkTalk, Sky, NOW TV (owned by Sky) and PlusNet (owned by BT) are among the ISPs that support this endeavor of eliminating The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites. With this, it seems that authorities are hoping that their anti-piracy campaign will achieve its goal.
Kate Middleton might not be able to make it at the 2017 BAFTA Awards Show because reports are swirling that she has been barred to attend the said event.

Kate's presence in the awards show is causing a stir these days because some of the actresses that will be attending fear that the spotlight might be stolen from them by the Duchess. These celebrities are simply worried that Kate might outshine them on the red carpet.

If ever Kate will make her presence in the awards show, there is a possibility that all the cameras will focus on her. As a result, the actresses and the other stars who will be there might be ignored as per Celeb Dirty Laundry.

Some of the Hollywood actresses who will be present during the 2017 BAFTA Awards Show are Naomie Harries and Emily Blunt. Some of the sources say that Kate Middleton might be a problem to the actresses since some of the royal fans have noticed that the Duchess loves red carpet.

If this will happen, many of the Hollywood actresses will be left under her shadow and they do not want that to take place. It was in 2009 when Kate made her last BAFTA Awards ceremony presence. This was the year when she was not yet married to Prince William and before taking the role of Duchess of Cambridge.

But it's not only Kate Middleton who is facing reproaches because even her husband, William is also criticized for not even attending the said ceremony as per Daily Mail. It can be recalled that he is the President of BAFTA which started since 2010.

If Prince William will make up for this year for his absences the past years, then there's a chance that Kate will join him. There's no way that Kate won't allow the Duke of Cambridge to attend the ceremony without her.

So far, the Kensington Palace has not offer any comments if Kate Middleton and Prince William will attend the 2017 BAFTA Awards Show.
In April 2013, the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act (ERRA) was enacted in Britain. Section 97 of the ERRA requires government to introduce a statutory prohibition of caste discrimination into British equality law by making caste an aspect of the protected characteristic of race in the Equality Act 2010, thus prohibiting caste discrimination as a subset of race discrimination. In the context of this direction, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) contracted a team of experts drawn from different research institutions to carry out an independent study on caste in Britain. I led this team from September 2013 to February 2014. Alongside a detailed review of sociolegal research on this issue, we conducted an experts seminar and a stakeholders event, producing two reports (Dhanda et al 2014a, 2014b). My intense engagement in this short period with experts and stakeholders offered a unique opportunity to gauge the range of positions on caste in the diaspora. It is important to locate the divergence in views in a complex political economy, including within it the restricted exchange of psychic energies enforced by a dual life in the diaspora, closeted by usually subtle, but sometimes obvious, forms of racism and casteism.

In May 2015, the issue of caste was catapulted to centre stage once again in Britain, raising the political stakes of South Asian voters in the general election. Conservative party candidates were actively lobbied by sections of the South Asian voters to axe the inclusion of caste in the Equality Act 2010, which had been made mandatory by the ERRA, subject to the passage of a secondary order following public consultation. The Conservative party won, the consultation on the secondary order was pushed into the long-grass and has not happened at the time of writing. Under pressure from various quarters, the government announced on 2 September 2016 that it will open consultation on whether caste needs to be added to legislation at all, instead of the previously promised consultation on the mandatory secondary order. The pressures of the anti-legislation lobby to avoid at all costs the mention of caste in the Equality Act 2010 are relentless. On 15 December 2016, the Conservative MP Bob Blackman (MP Harrow East) demanded a statement to the House on the consultation document before Parliament rises, so that British Hindus have the optimal opportunity to respond and the opportunity to ensure that this ill-thought-out, divisive and unnecessary legislation is removed from the statute book. Lies beget lies.
Match Facts

January 28, 2017

Start time 10.00am local (0800GMT)

Big Picture

There has been a shift in mood for Sri Lanka's tour over the last few days. Despite losing Angelo Mathews they impressively secured the T20 series - their first piece of silverware in South Africa - with a heart-stopping chase at Newlands. A trip that was threatening to be forgettable has been given a new lease of life.

However, this one-day series could be a significantly greater challenge. After AB de Villiers' return for the final T20 - where it looked like he'd never been away, despite Russell Domingo saying he was as nervous as on debut - a host of other big guns are back following their post-Test-series break.

A side that includes Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada - alongside de Villiers - has a daunting look about it. The last time they played ODIs, they steamrollered Australia 5-0 who earlier in the year had managed to upend Sri Lanka at home. Such is the batting strength now available that stand-in T20 captain Farhaan Behardien is unlikely to make the starting XI.

Sri Lanka will hope that their mixture of spin and medium-pace can have a similar impact as it did in the T20s where they managed to keep a leash on South Africa's batting. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan remains a trump card, while Nuwan Kulasekara brought his experience to show.

For both these sides, this series marks the start of serious preparations for the Champions Trophy and they meet in their opening match of the tournament at The Oval on June 3. Time to lay down a marker.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa WWWWW

Sri LankaWWLWL

In the spotlight

Once Kagiso Rabada found his range in the Test series he was too much for the Sri Lanka batsmen to handle. The South Africa management is wary of his workload, without wanting to wrap him in cotton wool, and he has had a couple of weeks to recharge his batteries. He went for over 80 in his last two ODIs against Australia so he'll be keen for a more thrifty display. It is a shame we won't get to see him operate alongside Lungi Ngidi after he was ruled out of the series.

Sri Lanka will have their third captain of the tour after Upul Tharanga was handed the armband ahead of Dinesh Chandimal following Mathews' injury. It is a role Tharanga performed in Zimbabwe last year when Sri Lanka won the tri-series. It feels as though Tharanga has been around forever - his debut came in 2005 - and while he has frustrated Sri Lanka supporters as much as thrilled them he has an impressive 13 ODI hundreds. He was used in the middle order in Zimbabwe, but opened in the deciding T20.

Quinton de Kock is one of a host of big names to return after a short break  AFP

Team news

Ngidi will not be replaced in the South Africa squad so that leaves 14 to pick from. Chris Morris' recall adds another all-round option and de Villiers said that the rain that was around Port Elizabeth on Friday ruled out the chance of a second frontline spinner.

South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Sri Lanka made some late changes to the squad that was originally announced. Despite his heroics in the T20, Seekkuge Prasanna has been replaced by legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay while Isuru Udana, the left-armer, also makes way. They will need to decide whether to use Tharanga in the opening position where he has had most of his one-day success. If they want some extra pace, Lahiru Kumara is an option - he has yet to play any List A one-day games.*

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella, 2 Dhananjaya de Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Upul Tharanga (capt), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Chaturanga de Silva, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Jeffrey Vandersay/Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

Sri Lanka had high hopes in the Test series that Port Elizabeth would be the surface to suit them best, but it was left well-grassed on orders from the home side. The pitches do, however, tend to be on the slower side for one-dayers. There are some showers forecast for the first part of the day.

Stats and trivia

Sri Lanka have not played an ODI at Port Elizabeth since their 2003 World Cup semi-final against Australia

In the last ODI South Africa played, against Australia in Cape Town, Rilee Rossouw scored 122. He has since joined Hampshire on a Kolpak deal.

Such is the inexperience in Sri Lanka's squad that Kulasekara is the third-highest run-scorer behind Tharanga and Chandimal

Quotes

"Even though we feel that we are a more talented and a more skillful and a better group of players than Sri Lanka, we know they are very dangerous at the moment, being very motivated with lots of young talent that can come good at certain times. We are very aware of that."

AB de Villiers
Spanish and French scientists devote 15 years to the study of one of the most acidic rivers in the world and come up with a way of cleaning it, with a surprise in store.

Tinto means red wine in Spanish. It is also the name of a river in the South of Spain which looks like out of this world: it is tinged red, has a very acidic pH and is extremely polluted due to more than 100 mines that line its banks. The mines date from pre-roman times and are now closed, however the minerals still leak their poison. This inhospitable river is close to another river, the Odiel, which is also heavily contaminated. The two rivers pour into the sea 30-40% of all the zinc worldwide that reaches the oceans, as well as 10% of all the copper. In the past, researchers at NASA have studied the Tinto River as a model for the extreme conditions present in Mars. Citizens in nearby towns are not allowed to use the water from these rivers in any way.

The phenomenon responsible for the colouring of Tinto River waters is known as acid mine drainage (AMD). AMD is the result of pyrite oxidation, a chemical reaction that releases acidity into the environment. When these acid waters strike natural waters from adjacent rivers, natural nanoparticles of iron and aluminum oxy-hydroxides are formed, resulting in the beautiful colours that decorate the otherwise arid landscape. But a lot more is hidden behind the spectacular colours: these natural nanoparticles act as scavengers of toxic elements such as arsenic and selenium, and they concentrate Rare-Earth elements (REE), which are also known as critical materials for their use in technological applications.

The Rio Tinto, with different tinges depending on the Ph of the water.

In the last 15 years, a team from the Universidad of Huelva, which is very close to the site, the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) from Barcelona, the ISTerre (CNRS, Universite Grenoble-Alpes) in Grenoble, and the ESRF, has tried to get a detailed nanoscale picture of the different geochemical processes underlying AMD. The result: experiments on seven beamlines, more than a dozen papers, clean water and the side-effect production of REEs. It is a very exhaustive story, explains Alex Fernandez-Martinez, a member of the team from the ISTerre (CNRS). There are two PhD students currently working on the subject and there have been twelve since the beginning of the project. This week, their latest results have been published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

From an analysis of the nanomaterials in the rock 

It all started when researchers studied the nanominerals that developed when the rock in the area (pyrite) comes into contact with rain. Our first experiments were devoted to learning how naturally-occurring pollutants are transported by the iron and aluminum nanominerals in the acid waters, says Rafael Perez-Lopez, from the University of Huelva. Scientists published the structures of schwertmannite and basaluminite, two of the more relevant nanominerals, over the last six years. The atomic-level information of the structure of these disordered phases was provided by Pair Distribution Function (PDF) experiments at the ESRF's ID15, ID31 and ID22 beamlines, in close collaboration with Agnieszka Poulain (ESRF). Further experiments at BM25 using X-ray absorption (EXAFS) gave information about the location of the contaminants in the structure of these nanominerals: This was a crucial step for the design of effective remediation strategies, says Perez-Lopez.

The team used an array of techniques at the ESRF for this research, from X-ray absorption spectroscopy, to small-angle X-ray scattering, diffraction and PDF analyses in different beamlines. It is quite exceptional that a same subject of research can be studied in such a range of beamlines.

The team during their last experiment at the ESRF, on ID22. Second picture, from left to right: Alba Lozano, Ingrid Nayeli, Pablo Cruz, Alex Fernandez-Martinez, Sergio Carrero. Credits: C.Argoud/ESRF.

They also got insight into the formation of minerals using BM26, and about their texture using ID11. In situ small-angle X-ray scattering experiments showed the different steps of formation of the aluminum nanoparticles, mimicking the real chemical conditions of the rivers. X-ray diffraction microtomography was used to study the textural properties of schwertmannite, the iron oxide nanoparticles. The findings from all these experiments at the ESRF result in a complete characterization of the mineralogy and geochemistry of the rivers. It is interesting to see that the same processes that we found in nature are nowadays used in laboratory syntheses of nanomaterials. We can learn a lot from nature, says Sergio Carrero-Romero, a PhD student working between Huelva and Grenoble.

 to hitting the jackpot

Alba Lozano, from the team, prepares a sample at the ESRF. Credits: C.Argoud/ESRF.

In parallel to this research, scientists at the University of Huelva and the IDAEA were trying to figure out how to decontaminate the water from the two rivers to make it useable by the population. They came up with the idea of building big pools in which they could neutralize the acidity using dissolving limestone. But they were in for a surprise: This is a quite straightforward system, we started to test it in the lab in 2005, and we implemented it in the field in 2011. What we didnt expect was what the solid residues contained explains Carlos Ayora, from IDAEA. When they analysed the precipitates on ID21 and BM25, they hit the jackpot. Using the techniques of X-ray micro-fluorescence and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, they found high concentrations of REEs associated with the structure of the aluminum nanoparticles. REEs are used routinely in technology such as mobile phones or batteries. This was a real surprise as they have an important economic value. Today, China has the monopoly of REE thanks to its multitude of mines, and it supplies the rest of the world. Coming across such precious materials unexpectedly was a game changer. We could potentially exploit this to fund at least the purifying process, so it wouldnt cost money and the population in the neighbouring area could use the water, explains Jose Miguel Nieto, from the Universidad of Huelva.

Models of basaluminite (left side of picture) structure reported by Farkas and Pertlik (1997) doped with arsenate or selenate located in: I) monodentate inner-sphere, II) bidentate inner-sphere, III) bidentate mononuclear inner-sphere and VI) outer-sphere theoretical position; and the most probable structural location of arsenate (top right) and selenate (middle and bottom right) onto basaluminite. The signal intensity was normalized by the maximum of Al-O distance. Reprinted with permission from Carrero S et al, (2016) Arsenate and selenate scavenging by basaluminite: Insights into the reactivity of aluminum phases in acid mine drainage, Environ. Sci. Technol. , DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03315. Copyright 2006 American Chemical Society.

Many times the academic work doesnt go beyond the University walls. In this case, however, a multidisciplinary team has managed to make a change for some citizens and the analysis at the ESRF have contributed to a great extent. As Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez says: "It's been a really great experience working on the Rio Tinto. This work has combined field and lab-based research, including many data collected at the ESRF. Thanks to this multi-scale approach, we've been able to get out and offer solutions to a real ecological problem. What's more we got the added bonus of being able to auto-finance the decontamination, so thus doubly helped the population around the river".

Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny

References

Carrero S et al, (2016) Arsenate and selenate scavenging by basaluminite: Insights into the reactivity of aluminum phases in acid mine drainage, Environ. Sci. Technol. , Just Accepted Manuscript. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03315.

Ayora C., et al, (2016) Recovery of Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium from Passive-Remediation Systems of Acid Mine Drainage. Environmental science & technology, 50: 8255-8262

Carrero S., et al,(2015) The potential role of aluminium hydroxysulphates in the removal of contaminants in acid mine drainage. Chemical geology, 417: 414-423

Perez-Lopez, R, et al, (2011) Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Zn-Rich Mine-Drainage Precipitates from an MgO Passive Treatment System by Synchrotron-Based X-ray Analysis. Environmental Science &Technology, 45: 7826-7833

Perez-Lopez R, et al, (2011) Synchrotron-based X-ray study of iron oxide transformations in terraces from the Tinto-Odiel river system: Influence on arsenic mobility. Chemical Geology, 280: 336-343

Fernandez-Martinez A., et al, (2010) The structure of schwertmannite, a nanocrystalline iron oxyhydroxysulfate American Mineralogist, 95, 1312-1322.
Impact is thought to have had a fundamental role in the creation of asteroids and planets from the dust of the early solar system. Scientists from Imperial College London (UK) are performing some of the first gas gun experiments at the ESRF to recreate these dynamic conditions.

In order to reconstruct the conditions that led to the creation of the planets, a team of six scientists from Imperial College London, had to load up a van full of scientific instrumentation, cross the Channel and a big chunk of France to find themselves at the ESRF fourteen hours later. It may sound a bit convoluted, but there is no other way around it. The highly transient nature of our sample loading, coupled with the intrinsic heterogeneity of our specimens has presented a real measurement challenge for the dynamics community, explains Daniel Eakins, Deputy Director of the Institute of Shock Physics at Imperial College. High energy X-ray beamlines, such as the ID19 tomography and imaging beamline at the ESRF, are therefore becoming instrumental to build-up a hierarchical picture of dynamically compressed matter., he adds. The crown jewel in their equipment is the gas gun, which is used to mimic the extreme conditions present during the primordial universe.

David Chapman (left) and Daniel Eakins (right) installing the gas gun on ID19. Credits: C. Argoud/ESRF.

The goal is to understand how early dust in space agglomerated to provide insight into how planetary systems were formed. We work closely with Drs. Gareth Collins, also of Imperial College, and Phil Bland at Curtin University, whose recent simulations of astrophysical impact events have prompted re-examination of the nature of impact-driven consolidation in the early solar system. Our experiments seek to provide the first experimental validation of these models, by studying the local mesoscopic compaction response of bi-modal silica powder mixtures., explains Eakins.

A common way of dating meteorites consists in correlating their phase composition to their respective formation pressures. It is widely believed that at the beginning of the solar system, the impacts of dust were more violent than later on. Thanks to the gas gun set-up, the scientists can apply high-velocity impact onto the powder samples in the same way as it was done in the origins of planets and record it at the same time. This will hopefully increase understanding of meteorite formation, as well as help refine models of planetary impact and formation.

In the control hutch of ID19. Credits: E. Escauriza.

This weekends experiment takes place in the framework of a Long Term Proposal. In three years, the scientists will develop a gas gun that will be made available to other users in the future. It is now on ID19 but researchers can use it on other beamlines where impact of events are required. A gas gun available for the general users programme of the ESRF will allows us to welcome a new community: shock physicists, outlines ID19 beamline responsible Alexander Rack. Especially with ESRF EBS, where we can progress to unprecedented ultra-high speed imaging, we will be able to depict dynamics which have never been seen before.

The Imperial College team with the collaborators from ID19. Credits: C.Argoud/ESRF.

The team from Imperial is joined by Amitay Cohen, a scientist from the Nuclear Research Centre in Israel. In parallel to the gas gun, he will develop a so-called Hopkinson pressure bar to study the dynamic behaviour of materials at lower compression rates.

The potential use of the gas gun goes beyond academia. The mining industry could benefit from this instrument, as they try to understand the optimal way to extract minerals from rock, explains David Chapman, scientist of Imperial College.

The scientists setting up the gas gun (right) and the cameras (left) for the experiment. Credits: E. Escauriza.

Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny
Since Mrs. May has announced her plan to withdraw from the single market and possibly also the customs union, EU countries are trying to reap some advantages of Brexit and allure jobs and investment to the old continent. Major banks with headquarters in Londons financial center  the City  are planning to move their single-market-related operations to Paris or Frankfurt. However, Central European countries are also interested in the financial sector jobs. Polands Wroclaw has been wooing big banks for their business, proposing cheaper operations than in Western EU member countries. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Executives have recently visited the city pondering to expand their already 2,000-employee team in the country.

Britains Supreme Court, however, recently ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May must get approval from the Parliament before she formally initiates the countrys departure from the European Union. The government said that the courts decision would not delay its plans to kick off Brexit negotiations by the end of March, although some believe that the ruling could complicate things. The opposition Labor Party said it would not try to block Britains withdrawal from the EU, but instead it would seek to use the legislative process to have its say on a deal with Brussels.

David Davis, the minister overseeing Brexit, said the government would send legislation proposals to Parliament in the upcoming days. There can be no going back, he said and added that Parliament will rightly scrutinize and debate this legislation, but I trust no one will seek to make it a vehicle for attempts to thwart the will of the people, or frustrate or delay the process of exiting the European Union.




New Yorker, based in Zurich, that goes beyond another report on the campaign and victory of a fascist and would-be dictator in the U.S. The German version, by Hannes Grassegger and Mikael Krogerus was published on December 3, under the title "Ich habe nur gezeigt, dass es die Bombe gibt" ("I just showed that the bomb was there"). Keep in mind when you read it that Robert Mercer controls Cambridge Analytica and, to a great extent the media has not yet understood, the Trump Regime. This is a translation from the German language Swiss Magazine Das Magazin , something like the, based in Zurich, that goes beyond another report on the campaign and victory of a fascist and would-be dictator in the U.S. The German version, by Hannes Grassegger and Mikael Krogerus was published on December 3, under the title "" ("I just showed that the bomb was there"). Keep in mind when you read it that Robert Mercer controls Cambridge Analytica and, to a great extent the media has not yet understood, the Trump Regime.





Psychologist Michal Kosinski developed a method of analyzing peoples behavior down to the minutest detail by looking at their Facebook activitythus helping Donald Trump to victory.





On November 9th, around 8:30 in the morning, Michal Kosinski awoke in his hotel room in Zurich. The 34-year-old had traveled here to give a presentation to the Risk Center at the ETH [Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule or Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich] at a conference on the dangers of Big Data and the so-called digital revolution. Kosinski gives such presentations all over the world. He is a leading expert on psychometrics, a data-driven offshoot of psychology. Turning on the television this morning in Zurich, he saw that the bomb had gone off: defying the predictions of nearly every leading statistician, Donald J. Trump had been elected president of the United States of America.





Kosinski watched Trumps victory celebration and the remaining election returns for a long while. He suspected that his research could have had something to do with the result. Then he took a deep breath and turned off the television.





On the same day, a little-known British company headquartered in London issued a press release: We are thrilled that our revolutionary approach to data-driven communications played such an integral part in president-elect Donald Trumps extraordinary win, Alexander James Ashburner Nix is quoted as saying. Nix is British, 41 years old, and CEO of Cambridge Analytica. He only appears in public in a tailored suit and designer eyeglasses, his slightly wavy blond hair combed back.





The meditative Kosinski, the well-groomed Nix, the widely grinning Trump-- one made this digital upheaval possible, one carried it out, and one rode it to power.









How dangerous is Big Data?





Anyone who didnt spend the last five years on the moon has heard the term Big Data. The emergence of Big Data has meant that everything we do, online or off-, leaves digital traces. Every purchase with a card, every Google search, every movement with a cellphone in your pocket, every like gets stored. Especially every like. For a while it wasnt entirely clear what any of this data would be good for, other than showing us ads for blood pressure medication in our Facebook feeds after we google high blood pressure. It also wasnt entirely clear whether or in what ways Big Data would be a threat or a boon to humanity.





Since November 9th, 2016, we know the answer. Because one and the same company was behind Trumps online ad campaigns and late 2016s other shocker, the Brexit Leave campaign: Cambridge Analytica, with its CEO Alexander Nix. Anyone who wants to understand the outcome of the US elections-- and what could be coming up in Europe in the near future-- must begin with a remarkable incident at the University of Cambridge in 2014, in Kosinskis department of psychometrics.





Psychometrics, sometimes also known as psychography, is a scientific attempt to measure the personality of a person. The so-called Ocean Method has become the standard approach. Two psychologists were able to demonstrate in the 1980s that the character profile of a person can be measured and expressed in five dimensions, the Big Five: Openness (how open are you to new experiences?), Conscientiousness (how much of a perfectionist are you?), Extroversion (how sociable are you?), Agreeableness (how considerate and cooperative are you?), and Neuroticism (how sensitive/vulnerable are you?). With these five dimensions (O.C.E.A.N.), you can determine fairly precisely what kind of person you are dealing with-- her needs and fears as well as how she will generally behave. For a long time, however, the problem was data collection, because to produce such a character profile meant asking subjects to fill out a complicated survey asking quite personal questions. Then came the internet. And Facebook. And Kosinski.





A new life began in 2008 for the Warsaw-born student Michal Kosinski when he was accepted to the prestigious University of Cambridge in England to work in the Cavendish Laboratory at the Psychometrics Center, the first-ever psychometrics laboratory. With a fellow student, Kosinski created a small app for Facebook (the social media site was more straightforward then than it is now) called MyPersonality. With MyPersonality, you could answer a handful of questions from the Ocean survey (Are you easily irritated?-- Are you inclined to criticize others?) and receive a rating, or a Personality Profile consisting of traits defined by the Ocean method. The researchers, in turn, got your personal data. Instead of a couple dozen friends participating, as initially expected, first hundreds, then thousands, then millions of people had bared their souls. Suddenly the two doctoral students had access to the then-largest psychological data set ever produced.





The process that Kosinski and his colleagues developed over the years that followed is actually quite simple. First surveys are distributed to test subjects-- this is the online quiz. From the subjects responses, their personal Ocean traits are calculated. Then Kosinskis team would compile every other possible online data point of a test subject-- what theyve liked, shared, or posted on Facebook; gender, age, and location. Thus the researchers began to find correlations, and began to see that amazingly reliable conclusions could be drawn about a person by observing their online behavior. For example, men who like the cosmetics brand MAC are, to a high degree of probability, gay. One of the best indicators of heterosexuality is liking Wu-Tang Clan. People who follow Lady Gaga, furthermore, are most probably extroverted. Someone who likes philosophy is more likely introverted.





Kosinski and his team continued, tirelessly refining their models. In 2012, Kosinski demonstrated that from a mere 68 Facebook likes, a lot about a user could be reliably predicted: skin color (95% certainty), sexual orientation (88% certainty), Democrat or Republican (85%). But theres more: level of intellect; religious affiliation; alcohol-, cigarette-, and drug use could all be calculated. Even whether or not your parents stayed together until you were 21 could be teased out of the data.





How good a model is, however, depends on how well it can predict the way a test subject will answer certain further questions. Kosinski charged ahead. Soon, with a mere ten likes as input his model could appraise a persons character better than an average coworker. With seventy, it could know a subject better than a friend; with 150 likes, better than their parents. With 300 likes, Kosinskis machine could predict a subjects behavior better than their partner. With even more likes it could exceed what a person thinks they know about themselves.





The day he published these findings, Kosinski received two phonecalls. One was a threat to sue, the other a job offer. Both were from Facebook.





Only Visible to Friends





In the meantime, Facebook has introduced the differentiation between public and private posts. In private mode, only ones own friends can see what one likes. This is still no obstacle for data-collectors: while Kosinski always requests the consent of the Facebook users he tests, many online quizzes these days demand access to private information as a precondition to taking a personality test. (Anyone who is not overly concerned about their private information and who wants to get assessed according to their Facebook likes can do so at Kosinskis website , and then compare the results to those of a classic Ocean survey here ).





Its not just about likes on Facebook. Kosinski and his team have in the meantime figured out how to sort people according to Ocean criteria based only on their profile pictures. Or according to the number of their social media contacts (this is a good indicator of extroversion). But we also betray information about ourselves when we are offline. Motion sensors can show, for example, how fast we are moving a smartphone around or how far we are traveling (correlates with emotional instability). A smartphone, Kosinski found, is in itself a powerful psychological survey that we, consciously or unconsciously, are constantly filling out.





Above all, though-- and this is important to understand-- it also works another way: using all this data, psychological profiles can not only be constructed, but they can also be sought and found. For example if youre looking for worried fathers, or angry introverts, or undecided Democrats. What Kosinski invented, to put it precisely, is a search engine for people. And he has been getting more and more acutely aware of both the potential and the danger his work presents.





The internet always seemed to him a gift from heaven. He wants to give back, to share. Information is freely reproducible, copyable, and everyone should benefit from it. This is the spirit of an entire generation, the beginning of a new era free of the limits of the physical world. But what could happen, Kosinski asked himself, if someone misused his search engine in order to manipulate people? His scientific work [ e.g. ] began to come with warnings: these prediction techniques could be used in ways that pose a threat to an individuals well-being, freedom, or even life. But no one seemed to understand what he meant.





Antidote. Around this time, in early 2014, a young assistant professor named Aleksandr Kogan approached Kosinski. He said he had received an inquiry from a company interested in Kosinskis methods. They apparently wanted to psychometrically measure the profiles of ten million American Facebook users. To what purpose, Kogan couldnt say: there were strict secrecy stipulations. At first, Kosinski was ready to accept-- it would have meant a lot of money for his institute. But he hesitated. Finally Kogan divulged the name of the company: SCL, Strategic Communications Laboratories. Kosinski googled them [so did Here. -ed.]: We are a global election management agency, said the company website [really, the website has even creepier language on it than that. Behavioral change communication? Go look already]. SCL offers marketing based on a psychographic targeting model. With an emphasis on election management and political campaigns? Disturbed, Kosinski clicked through the pages. What kind of company is this? And what do they have planned for the United States?





What Kosinski didnt know at the time was that behind SCL there lay a complex business structure including ancillary companies in tax havens, as the Panama Papers and Wikileaks revelations have since shown. Some of these had been involved in political upheavals in developing countries; others had done work for NATO, developing methods for the psychological manipulation of the population in Afghanistan. And SCL is also the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, this ominous Big Data firm that managed online marketing for both Trump and the Brexit Leave campaign.





Kosinski didnt know any of that, but he had a bad feeling: The whole thing started to stink, he remembers. Looking into it further, he discovered that Aleksandr Kogan had secretly registered a company to do business with SCL. A document obtained by Das Magazin confirms that SCL learned about Kosinskis methods through Kogan. It suddenly dawned on Kosinski that Kogan could have copied or reconstructed his Ocean models in order to sell them to this election-manipulating company. He immediately broke off contact with him and informed the head of his institute. A complicated battle ensued within Cambridge University. The institute feared for its reputation. Aleksandr Kogan moved to Singapore, got married, and began calling himself Dr. Spectre. Michal Kosinski relocated to Stanford University in the United States.





For a year or so it was quiet. Then, in November 2015, the more radical of the two Brexit campaigns ( leave.eu , led by Nigel Farage) announced that they had contracted with a Big Data firm for online marketing support: Cambridge Analytica. The core expertise of this company: innovative political marketing, so-called microtargeting, on the basis of the psychological Ocean model.





Kosinski started getting emails asking if he had had anything to do with it-- for many, his is the first name to spring to mind upon hearing the terms Cambridge, Ocean, and analytics in the same breath. This is when he heard of Cambridge Analytica for the first time. Appalled, he looked up their website . His methods were being deployed, on a massive scale, for political purposes.





After the Brexit vote in July the email inquiries turned to insults and reproaches. Just look what youve done, friends and colleagues wrote. Kosinski had to explain over and over again that he had nothing to do with this company.





First Brexit, Then Trump





September 19th, 2016: the US presidential election is approaching. Guitar riffs fill the dark blue ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York: CCRs Bad Moon Rising. The Concordia Summit is like the WEF in miniature. Decision makers from all over the world are invited; among the guests is Johann Schneider-Ammann [then nearing the end of his year term as president of Switzerlands governing council].





A gentle womens voice comes over the PA: Please welcome Alexander Nix, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Analytica. A lean man in a dark suit strides towards the center of the stage. An attentive quiet descends. Many in the room already know: this is Trumps new Digital Man. Soon youll be calling me Mr. Brexit, Trump had tweeted cryptically a few weeks before. Political observers had already been pointing out the substantial similarities between Trumps agenda and that of the rightwing Brexit camp; only a few had noticed the connection to Trumps recent engagement with a largely unknown marketing company: Cambridge Analytica.





Before then, Trumps online campaign had consisted more or less of one person: Brad Parscale, a marketing operative and failed startup founder who had built Trump a rudimentary website for $1,500. The 70-year-old Trump is not what one would call an IT-whiz; his desk is unencumbered by a computer. There is no such thing as an email from Trump, his personal assistant once let slip. It was she who persuaded him to get a smartphone-- the one from which he has uninhibitedly tweeted ever since.





Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, was relying on the endowment of the first social media president, Barack Obama. She had the Democratic Partys address lists, collected millions of dollars over the internet, received support from Google and Dreamworks. When it became known in June 2016 that Trump had hired Cambridge Analytica, Washington collectively sneered. Foreign noodlenecks in tailored suits who dont understand this country and its people? Seriously?





Ladies and gentlemen, honorable colleagues, it is my privilege to speak to you today about the power of Big Data and psychographics in the electoral process. The Cambridge Analytica logo appears behind Alexander Nix-- a brain, comprised of a few network nodes and pathways, like a subway map. Its easy to forget that only eighteen months ago Senator Cruz was one of the less popular candidates seeking nomination, and certainly one of the more vilified, begins the blond man with his British diction that produces the same mixture of awe and resentment in Americans that high German does the Swiss. In addition, he had very low name recognition; only about forty percent of the electorate had heard of him.





Everyone in the room was aware of the sudden rise, in May 2016, of the conservative senator within the Republican field of presidential candidates. It was one of the strangest moments of the primary campaign. Cruz had been the last of a series of Republican opponents to come out of nowhere with what looked like a credible challenge to frontrunner Trump. How did he do this? continues Nix.





Cambridge Analytica had begun engaging with US elections towards the end of 2014, initially to advise the Republican Ted Cruz, and paid by the secretive American tech billionaire Robert Mercer. Up to that point, according to Nix, election campaign strategy had been guided by demographic concepts. But this is a really ridiculous idea, the idea that all women should receive the same message because of their gender; or all African-Americans because of their race. The Hillary Clinton campaign team was still operating on precisely such amateurish assumptions-- Nix need not even mention-- which divide the electorate up into ostensibly homogeneous groupsexactly the same way as all the public opinion researchers who predicted a Clinton victory did.





Nix clicks to the next slide: five different faces, each representing a personality profile. It is the Ocean model. At Cambridge, weve rolled out a long-form quantitative instrument to probe the underlying traits that inform personality. This is the cutting edge in experimental psychology. It is now completely silent in the hall. By having hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Americans undertake this survey, we were able to form a model to predict the personality of every single adult in the United States of America. The success of Cambridge Analyticas marketing arises from the combination of three elements: this psychological behavioral analysis of the Ocean model, Big Data evaluation, and ad targeting. Ad targeting is personalized advertisement tailored as precisely as possible to the character of a single consumer.





Nix explains forthrightly how his company does this (the presentation can be viewed on YouTube above). From every available source, Cambridge Analytica buys up personal data: What car you drive, what products you purchase in shops, what magazines you read, what clubs you belong to. Voter and medical records. On the screen behind him are displayed the logos of global data traders like Acxiom and Experian-- in the United States nearly all personal consumer data is available for purchase. If you want to know, for example, where Jewish women live, you can simply buy this information. Including telephone numbers. Now Cambridge Analytica crosschecks these data sets with Republican Party voter rolls and online data such as Facebook likes, and constructs an Ocean personality profile. From a selection of digital signatures there suddenly emerge real individual people with fears, needs, and interests-- and home addresses.





The process is identical to the models that Michal Kosinski developed. Cambridge Analytica also uses IQ-Quiz and other small Ocean test apps in order to gain access to the powerful predictive personal information wrapped up in the Facebook likes of users. And Cambridge Analytica is doing precisely what Kosinski had warned about. They have assembled psychograms for all adult US citizens, 220 million people, and have used this data to influence electoral outcomes.





Nix clicks to the next slide. This is a data dashboard that we prepared for the Cruz campaign for the Iowa caucus. It looks intimidating, but its actually very simple. On the left, graphs and diagrams; on the right, a map of Iowa, where Cruz had done surprisingly well in the caucuses. On this map, hundreds of thousands of tiny dots, red and blue. Nix begins to narrow down search criteria to a category of Republican caucus-goers he describes as a persuasion group, whose common Ocean personality profile and home locations are now visible, a smaller set of people to whom advertisement can be more effectively tailored. Ultimately the criteria can be narrowed to a single individual, along with his name, age, address, interests, and political leanings. How does Cambridge Analyica approach this person with political messaging?





Earlier in the presentation, using the example of the Second Amendment, Nix showed two variations on how certain psychographic profiles are spoken to differently. For a highly Neurotic and Conscientious audience, youre going to need a message that is both rational and fear-based: the threat of a burglary and the insurance policy of a gun is very persuasive. A picture on the left side of the screen shows a gloved hand breaking a window and reaching for the inside door handle. On the right side, there is a picture of a man and child silhouetted against a sunset in tall grass, both with rifles, obviously duck hunting: for a Closed and Agreeable audience, people who care about traditions and habits and family and community, talking about these values is going to be much more effective in communicating your message.





How to Keep Clinton Voters Away





Das Magazin. We can target specific towns or apartment buildings. Even individual people. Trumps conspicuous contradictions and his oft-criticized habit of staking out multiple positions on a single issue result in a gigantic number of resulting messaging options that creates a huge advantage for a firm like Cambridge Analytica: for every voter, a different message. Mathematician Cathy ONeil had already observed in August that Trump is like a machine learning algorithm that adjusts to public reactions. On the day of the third presidential debate between Trump and Clinton, Trumps team blasted out 175,000 distinct variations on his arguments, mostly via Facebook. The messages varied mostly in their microscopic details, in order to communicate optimally with their recipients: different titles, colors, subtitles, with different images or videos. The granularity of this message tailoring digs all the way down to tiny target groups, Nix explained to. We can target specific towns or apartment buildings. Even individual people.





In the Miami neighborhood of Little Haiti, Cambridge Analytica regaled residents with messages about the failures of the Clinton Foundation after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, in order to dissuade them from turning out for Clinton. This was one of the goals: to get potential but wavering Clinton voters-- skeptical leftists, African-Americans, young women-- to stay home. To suppress their votes, as one Trump campaign staffer bluntly put it. In these so-called dark posts (paid Facebook ads which appear in the timelines only of users with a particular suitable personality profile), African-Americans, for example, are shown the nineties-era video of Hillary Clinton referring to black youth as super predators.





Blanket advertising-- the idea that a hundred million people will receive the same piece of direct mail, the same television advert, the same digital advert-- is dead, Nix begins to wrap up his presentation at the Concordia Summit. My children will certainly never understand this concept of mass communication. Today, communication is becoming ever increasingly targeted.





The Cruz campaign is over now, but what I can tell you is that of the two candidates left in this election, one of them is using these technologies. And its going to be very interesting to see how they impact the next seven weeks. Thank you. With that, he exits the stage.





It is not knowable just to what extent the American population is being targeted by Trumps digital troopers-- because they seldom attack through the mainstream broadcast media, but rather mostly with highly personalized ads on social media or through digital cable. And while the Clinton team sat back in the confidence that it was safe with its demographic calculations, a new crew was moving into the Trump online campaign headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, as Bloomberg journalist Sasha Issenberg noted with surprise after a visit. The Cambridge Analytica team, apparently just a dozen people, had received around $100,000 from Trump in July; in August another $250,000; five million in September. Altogether, says Nix, they took in around fifteen million.





And the company took even more radical measures: starting in July 2016, a new app was prepared for Trump campaign canvassers with which they could find out the political orientation and personality profile of a particular houses residents in advance. If the Trump people ring a doorbell, its only the doorbell of someone the app has identified as receptive to his messages, and the canvassers can base their line of attack on personality-specific conversation guides also provided by the app. Then they enter a subjects reactions to certain messaging back into the app, from where this new data flows back to the control rooms of Cambridge Analytica.





The company divided the US population into 32 personality types, and concentrated on only seventeen states. And just as Kosinski had determined that men who like MAC cosmetics on Facebook are probably gay, Cambridge Analytica found that a predeliction for American-produced cars is the best predictor of a possible Trump voter. Among other things, this kind of knowledge can inform Trump himself which messages to use, and where. The decision to focus candidate visits in Michigan and Wisconsin over the final weeks of the campaign was based on this manner of data analysis. The candidate himself became an implementation instrument of the model.





What is Cambridge Analytica Doing in Europe?





How great an influence did these psychometric methods have on the outcome of the election? Cambridge Analytica, when asked, did not want to disclose any documentation assessing the effectiveness of their campaign. It is possible that the question cannot be answered at all. Still, some indicators should be considered: there is the fact that Ted Cruz, thanks to the help of Cambridge Analytica, rose out of obscurity to become Trumps strongest competitor in the primaries; there is the increase in rural voter turnout; there is the reduction, compared to 2008 and 2012, in African-American voter participation. The circumstance of Trump having spent so little money on advertising could also speak for the effectiveness of personality-specific targeting, as could the fact that three quarters of his marketing budget was spent in the digital realm. Facebook became his ultimate weapon and his best canvasser, as a Trump staffer tweeted. In Germany, the rightwing upstart party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) may like the sound of this, as they have more Facebook friends than Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) combined.





It is therefore not at all the case, as is so often claimed, that statisticians lost this election because their polls were so faulty. The opposite is true: statisticians won this election. It was just certain statisticians, the ones using the new method. It is a cruel irony of history that Trump, such a detractor of science, won the election thanks to science.





Another big winner in the election was Cambridge Analytica. Steve Bannon, a Cambridge Analytica board member and publisher of the ultra-rightwing online site Breitbart News, was named Trumps chief strategist. Marion Marechal-Le Pen, ambitious Front National activist and niece of the presidential candidate, has tweeted that she has accepted the firms invitation to collaborate. In an internal company video, there is a live recording of a discussion entitled Italy. Alexander Nix confirms that he is in the process of client acquisition, worldwide. They have received inquiries out of Switzerland and Germany.





Kosinski has been observing all of this from his office at Stanford. After the election, the university was in an uproar. Kosinski responded to the developments with the most powerful weapon available to researchers: a scientific analysis. Along with his research colleague Sandra Matz, he conducted a series of tests that will soon be published. The first results seen by Das Magazin are unsettling: psychological targeting, as Cambridge Analytica deployed it, increases the clickthru rate on Facebook ads by more than sixty percent. And the so-called conversion rate (the term for how likely a person is to act upon a personally-tailored ad, i.e. whether they buy a product or, yes, go vote) increases by a staggering 1400 percent.





The world has been turned upside down. The Brits are leaving the EU; Trump rules America. It all began with one man, who indeed tried to warn of the danger, and who still gets accusatory emails. No, says Kosinski quietly, shaking his head, this is not my fault. I did not build the bomb. I just showed that it was there.
In January 2009 the three founders of a little-known website called Airbedandbreakfast.com decided at the last minute to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama. Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk were all in their mid-20s and had no tickets to the festivities, or winter clothes, or even a firm grasp of the weeks schedule. But they saw an opportunity. Their online home-sharing company had limped along for more than a year with little to show for it. Now the eyes of the world would be on the nations capital, and they wanted to take advantage.

They found a cheap crash pad in D.C., an apartment in a drafty three-floor house near Howard University that, like so many other homes during that desperate time, was in foreclosure. The rooms were unfurnished save for a pullout sofa, which the three founders gave to their friend and adviser, Michael Seibel, who ran the streaming-video site Justin.tv. At night they crowded onto the hardwood floor on inflatable beds.





      .





: bloomberg.com

21
Written by ACM

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- The just re-Elected for a New Mandate, experienced President of PanEuropean CoE's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Pedro Agramunt, a mainstream ChristianDemocrat MEP from the Governing Party of Rahoy in Spain, speaking to "Eurofora", earlier Today in Strasbourg, at the Conclusion of PACE's Winter 2017 Plenary Session, (23-27 January 2017), Clearly Declared his Firm Wish for the Voice of Victims of Terrorism to be Heard, in the foreseable Future, possibly also through the Added Force of his own Initiative "No Hate, No Fear", and a related New Priority of the current CoE's Presidency by Cyprus (for the Period of Novembe 2016 - May 2017), that was Welcomed, Earlier this Week, also by CoE's Secretary General Thornbjorn Jagland, (See+Infra).



- Yes, I really Hope so !", stressed CoE Assembly's President Agramunt, in Reply to a relevant Question by "Eurofora".



- Even if I don't know yet how exactly (this would be done), However, we (CoE) should act on that, he Agreed.



Jagland Earlier praised Cyprus' Presidency of CoE's Highest Political body, that of its Committee of Ministers, for having Recently Included, among its Priorities, also the Aim to Help Victims of Terrorism, who are, sometimes, "Left Alone", as he Denounced, and to Give them also "a Voice" on the matters affecting them, because of the Tragedy that they Faced. CoE's SG said that during a Joint Press Point with Cyprus' Foreign Minister, Ioanis Kasulides, (CoE's Chairman-in-office), here in Strasbourg, last MonNday Afternoon.



Agramunt had Pursued Further his June 2016 "No Hate, No Fear", Pioneer Initiative, also during PACE's Autumn Plenary Session, last October 2016. On this occasion, he had Invited 2 Family members of Victims of ISIL's Bloody Terrorists who cowardly Targetted and Murdered many Innocent Civilian People, back on November 2015 in Paris, during the Attacks at "Bataclan" etc. In particular, the Mother of a Killed Young Girl from Italy had Launched, then, a Vibrant Call for Europe's own Voice to be Strongly Heard, against that Islamist Terrorism Barbary, and the Husband of a Killed Wife from France, had supported the view that Terrorisms' Victims really Needed to become Able to take Efficient Collective Actions Together.



Meanwhile, a well known and Experienced, mainly French Association of Victims of Terrorism (AfVT), which Existed Already in the Past, (i.e. Long Before the emergence of a spreading pseudo-"Islamist" Terrorism, recently), and often sends its Press Releases to "Eurofora", suddenly launched an Unusual, Strong Denonciation against the concrete conditions in which was prepared the January 2017 Annual Commemoration Day of the "Bataclan" a.o. ISIL's Attacks, (including, particularly, a reportedly outrageous Publicity that was made, on this occasion, to an Individual who had notoriously been in the Past the Leader of an Islamic Extremists' Group, from which had emerged even the Killers of "Charlie Hebdo" Journalists, back on January 2015, also in Paris.



Previously, it's also several 9/11 Mass Terrorism Victims' Families and Friends' NGOs, particularly HQ at New York, who had Vigorously Opposed, as useless, Scandalous and Dangerous Provocation, an Obama-backed Project to Build an Islamic Mosque at the Proximity of the "Ground Zero" area where about 3.000 Innocent Civilian People have Tragicaly Lost their Lives, after the 9/2001 Barbaric Terrorist Attacks, including Islamist Airplanes' HiJackers, etc).



More among them (9/11 Victims' Families and Friends), joined also by various Other Civil Society Activists, Independent Experts from all over the World, etc., had also Started various kinds of Efforts in order to Find the whole Truth about some, still Shady, Obscure or Controversial aspects of the TWC's strange Collapse, (and/or the Pentagon's, as well as the Air-Flights' Exceptional Incidents, at least on certain points).



On September 11, 2016's Fifteenth Anniversary, it was also Revealed, (particularly by various Press Articles pointing at the Re-Publication of aCritical INTW that had given on 9/11 the currently (2017) New US President, Don Trump, mainly about WTC's collapse. Former US President GWBush had Heard, earlier, several Appeals, made then, by Victims' Families and Friends, to Open Independent Investigations on what Really Happened on 9/11. It wasn't yet known, up to Today, whether Trump might wish to eventualy pursue, one or another point of his initial reaction to 9/11or not.
Investcorp's executive chairman Mohammed bin Mahfoodh Al Ardhi Investcorp's executive chairman Mohammed bin Mahfoodh Al Ardhi

Sometime in the late 1970s, Nemir Kirdar, the ambitious head of Chase Manhattan Banks operations in the Persian Gulf, boarded the Gulfstream II jet of David Rockefeller. Rockefeller, the then chairman of Chase, was bound for Muscat, Oman, where he was to meet Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the Omani sultan.

Kirdar, who accompanied Rockefeller on his annual tours of the Middle East, was excited at the prospect of meeting the sultan. Kirdar looked up to Rockefeller, whom he saw not only as a banker but as a world statesman in his own right. Thanks to him, Kirdar had already met ministers, sheikhs, crown princes, emirs and leading businessmen from across the region. On this occasion, however, his hopes were soon dashed.

David Rockefeller and Nemir Kirdar

During the flight, Kirdar was told Rockefeller would meet the sultan alone.

Kirdar was unhappy and complained, but his immediate boss Bill Flanz told him to accept the chairmans decision. Soon, Rockefeller himself got word of Kirdars discontent and told him to stand down. To Kirdar, Rockefellers choice of a private audience made little sense. Reflecting on it in his memoirs years later, Kirdar wrote: This seemed odd, if not a serious mistake.

He continued: Our business relied on having access to government officials and decision-makers, but persuading the relevant people to see us was often a struggle. If it was known, however, that Chase personnel had been personally received by the king, sultan or emir, we found that doors opened far more easily. Rockefellers decision was a big disappointment to Kirdar because he knew that, to be successful doing business in the Middle East, one had to know the right people.

It was a lesson Kirdar learned early and never forgot.

So when the time came, nearly 40 years later, to select his successor at Investcorp, the Bahrain-based investment firm he was instrumental in founding in 1982 and which he had led ever since, Kirdar knew exactly what sort of person he wanted. Not a banker through and through but someone who could open doors around the Gulf, someone who would be received by the leading figures of the region: the king, sultan and emir.

Kirdar told his top management repeatedly that he wanted someone with the stature of a foreign minister. He found that person in Mohammed bin Mahfoodh Al Ardhi.

When Al Ardhi, an Omani national, was announced as the incoming head of Investcorp, in the summer of 2014, he had only recently become chair of the National Bank of Oman, and had sat on the board of Investcorp for six years  good, if unremarkable, credentials. But, importantly, he had also commanded the Royal Air Force of Oman for over a decade and been awarded the Order of Oman by Sultan Qaboos himself. From his years in the military he had, it seemed, acquired the contacts and diplomatic acumen to be the foreign minister Kirdar envisaged for the firm.

Al Ardhi took the helm as executive chairman in July 2015. Since then, he has met with political leaders around the Middle East and beyond  and begun to make his own mark on Investcorp.

Political ties

From its founding, Investcorp has been a firm that entertains close ties with the public leaders and institutions of the Gulf. Interviews with Investcorp management, including Al Ardhi, together with the information contained in the memoirs of Nemir Kirdar and in several US diplomatic cables, paint a picture of a business firmly rooted in circles of political power.

The formation of Investcorp was set in motion in 1979, when Kirdar and Jawad Hashim first discussed the idea of creating an investment firm that would serve the Gulf by establishing bridges with the west. At the time Hashim, an Iraqi like Kirdar, was president of the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), a relatively new intergovernmental organization set up by the Arab League to promote the development of Arab financial markets. Hashim had been handpicked for the job by Saddam Hussein, the then president of Iraq, with whom he was close.

In Kirdars recollection, the idea for Investcorp originated with him. (On this and other details, Hashim has a different take. Apparently angered by what he perceived as Kirdars attempts to take all the credit for founding Investcorp, Hashim wrote an alternative account, The true story behind the creation of Investcorp, in which he says the idea for the firm was his own.)

In any case, both men agreed on the idea and Hashim invited Kirdar to join him at the AMF to work on it. Kirdar eventually did, in 1980, on a one-year secondment from Chase.

It was under the auspices of the AMF that Kirdar developed the plans for what would become Investcorp. And, according to Hashim, the loan Kirdar took out in 1981 to pay for his share subscription in Investcorp was guaranteed by Hashim himself.

From the very start, therefore, the lines between private and public sectors were blurred. Although Investcorp was to be a company held by private stakeholders, the involvement of the AMF and of Hashim certainly gave it an official aura.

In the lead-up to the launch of the firm, Kirdar travelled the Gulf for months, hoping to garner the support of the regions wealthiest and most powerful individuals. He was successful. In 1982, Investcorp closed the list of its founding shareholders. The 336 names on that list were a Whos Who of the Gulf. It included seven Saudi princes, a member of the Omani royal family, a member of the Emirati royal family, 67 sheikhs from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar, and several sitting ministers from around the region, including the then powerful Saudi minister of oil, Ahmed Zaki Yamani.

The board was also assembled in such a way as to project the image of a well-connected, established institution. Just like the careful political planning that goes into selecting a ministerial cabinet, each board member had to be of the highest profile, in Kirdars words, and represent a key constituency to which he sought to appeal: they came from Jeddah, Riyadh, the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman.

As if to underline the highly political nature of Kirdars thinking, Investcorps headquarters were established in the diplomatic area of Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

From the start, Investcorp was widely understood to be a private-sector equivalent of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the political and economic union of six Gulf monarchies  Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE  founded in May 1981. In its first story on Investcorp, in 1983, Euromoney noted that with the lines between government and private sectors traditionally blurred in the region, some see this parallel [with the GCC] as important in itself.

In the same piece, the magazine quoted Ahmed Ali Kanoo, Investcorps vice-chairman, who said he could not emphasize enough the great rewards to be gained from the Gulf states working together closely on political issues, on foreign policy and on economic policy.

He concluded: So there is this great sense of unity about Investcorp.

At times that sense of unity had the distinct appearance of a conflict of interest.

Hashim, for one, joined the board of Investcorp without relinquishing his post at the AMF, and Abdul-Rahman Al-Ateeqi became chairman of the board while remaining an adviser to the then Emir of Kuwait. (Hashim did not remain on the board long. In late 1983, having fallen out of favour with Saddam and fearing he would be apprehended by the Iraqi Intelligence Service if he returned to the Middle East from his place of hiding in Canada, Hashim thought it safer to resign from Investcorp. Al-Ateeqi stepped down as chairman in 2015)

The practice of maintaining public positions while working for Investcorp continues to this day.

Hazem Ben-Gacem, who leads the firms European corporate investment division, is an adviser to the president of Tunisia, while Yousef Al-Ebraheem, a relatively recent addition to the board of directors, is an adviser to the Emir of Kuwait.

Imagine an economic adviser to the UK prime minister simultaneously sitting on the executive board of Societe Generale, a bank incorporated abroad but affected by UK economic policy.

And, of course, the dozens of shareholders who are members of the Gulfs ruling families and government cabinets have the ability to influence public policy decisions that could affect Investcorp.

'Opaque'

In 1995, Investcorp received its first notable piece of negative press coverage, when the US magazine Time accused the firm of being opaque and too close to the leaders of the Gulf. Among other charges, Time claimed that the Bahraini authorities had granted Kirdar the extraordinary privilege of being able to buy stock in Investcorp, a publicly traded Bahraini company  when only GCC-citizens had that right.

Time also reported that in 1992, Bahrains ministry of finance was a shareholder in Sports & Recreation Inc, a company that Investcorp had acquired.

This would be roughly equivalent to the US Treasury Departments putting money into a takeover arranged by a Wall Street buyout firm, Time wrote.

Investcorp has certainly entertained warm relations with the leaders of Bahrain. Kirdar has often met the kingdoms ruling family over the years.

According to Bahrains state news agency, during one such meeting in 2014, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the crown prince of Bahrain, highlighted the significant role Investcorp continues to play in Bahrain and the wider GCC region. Bahrains ambassador to the UK has repeatedly promoted Investcorp on social media.

That public support, from the firms early days through to the present, has helped establish Investcorp as a credible investment vehicle for the Gulfs wealthiest. It has at times also placed Investcorp and Kirdar at the heart of politically inspired projects outside the typical remit of a private-sector business.

He often had been rumoured to be headed for more senior positions in the government  However, an alleged falling-out with the senior leadership, including perhaps with the Sultan, delayed, if not derailed, such ambitions - Gary Grappo, former US ambassador to Oman

In 2006, for example, Kirdar, who is well liked by the rulers of Qatar  the emir is a friend of his and several members of the ruling family are shareholders in Investcorp  was chosen by the government of Qatar to take charge of a proposal to create a $5 billion bank to invest in Iraqi industries such as oil, gas and agriculture.

The project, which never came to fruition, was revealed by a confidential cable written at the time by the then US ambassador to Qatar, Charles Untermeyer, and published by Wikileaks.

In that cable, Untermeyer writes that the Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, wanted Kirdar to travel to Washington to brief US officials on the idea.

Investcorps privileged access to the political elites of the Middle East did not only bring advantages, however. It also sometimes caused the firm  and Kirdar  some headaches.

On one occasion, Kirdar recounts in his memoirs, Sheikh Zayed, the then president of the UAE, summoned him without delay to Istanbul. During two full days Kirdar was made to wait in a hotel for an audience with the sheikh.

On the third day he decided he had had enough and left, instructing Investcorps head of real estate, John Thompson, to take his place. Hardly a valuable use of Kirdars or Thompsons time, especially since the task the sheikh wanted performed was no more than the valuation of a private residence he was thinking of buying.

But when one gets close to Emirati royalty, one is meant to accept these instructions without question; Kirdar was told he should consider it a huge honour to be summoned in this way.

More worryingly, on another occasion, Hussein, the then king of Jordan, pointed Kirdar to a dubious investment opportunity. In Kirdars recollection, Hussein said he knew a man called Don Aronow who had made his name building fast boats, which he sold to the Florida Coast Guard. That had apparently attracted the enmity of Cuban drug traffickers and Aronow had been shot dead. (Accounts of Aronows murder differ.)

Rather than discard the idea of such a risky investment, Investcorp agreed to the acquisition of Aronow Powerboats as a favour to the king. Investcorp bought the firm for $3 million in 1987, only to write off the investment with a total loss of $20 million just six years later.

Relative independence

It would be wrong, however, to think that Investcorp has been simply a vehicle for the whims of Middle Eastern rulers.

The picture is more nuanced than that. From the start, Kirdar knew the support of Gulf royalty would advance his project. But he also wanted Investcorp to enjoy relative independence from any one royal family or wealthy group.

Having a deliberately broad base of shareholders from across the GCC countries secured that goal. Having all six states represented in the list of original founders meant none felt excluded, yet none had a controlling stake in the firm either.

Investcorp was in many ways a novel business project. When it started, most investment firms in the Gulf were either family offices or sovereign wealth funds. Investcorp was neither. It brought together the wealth of hundreds of individuals from some of the states with the worlds highest oil production. People so rich that, at one point in his interview with Euromoney, Investcorps Ben-Gacem feels the need to coin a new phrase to describe them  the uber ultra-high net-worth individuals.

The genius of Investcorp was to see that it could pool that vast oil wealth and invest it in the west.

Investcorp was also original in its investment methodology. Although it calls itself a bank, it always had more in common with a private-equity firm. But it also differed from the private-equity model.

Typically a private-equity firm raises money from investors, then places that capital into a dedicated fund where it is locked up for a predetermined number of years. The private-equity firm then uses that capital to buy portfolio companies. Once the fund is liquidated, the principal and, hopefully, profits are returned to the original investors. Investors pay a fee when they reclaim their contribution.

Investcorp does things somewhat differently. It identifies a company it wishes to buy, then buys it with its own money. Only then does it invite its regular investors  there are about 1,000 of these  to buy a stake in the company from Investcorp. Even after that process, Investcorp and its management retain a large holding in the company. Investors pay a fee upfront. Once Investcorp sells out, the investors reclaim the principal and any profits.

This way of doing things has been the object of some criticism.

If investors pick and choose which deals to participate in, they can end up with an undiversified and, therefore, risky portfolio. And the upfront fee, which is, by all accounts, substantial, means Investcorp reaps the benefits of the acquisitions it makes even before it has delivered a successful turnaround story.

But there are also a number of advantages. Investors like having more of a say in determining where their money goes. Meanwhile, Investcorp and its employees demonstrate their commitment to investment decisions by investing their own money; they can hardly be accused of passing all the risk on to their clients. When a portfolio company performs badly, Ben-Gacem says, his wife is the first one to tell him off, even before Investcorp, because he will have invested his own money in the business.

It was a culture shock, because until then I hadnt really done much in business or investment - Al Ardhi

Investcorp made its name in the 1980s by buying luxury brands, turning them around and selling them for a huge return. Such was the case with American jeweller Tiffany, one of Investcorps earliest investments. Acquisitions of Breguet, Chaumet, Gucci and Saks Fifth Avenue soon followed. More recently, Investcorp has bought Italian menswear brand Corneliani and Danish jeweller and silverware maker Georg Jensen.

But Investcorp has always been willing to consider investing in more prosaic companies too: it has bought a convenience store chain, a motorway service station group, a chemicals maker and, most recently, a brand of UK potato crisps, Tyrrells.

Every year Investcorp considers hundreds of mid-market firms, luxury and workaday, preferably in the US and Europe, but also in the Middle East and north Africa.

Some investments do not work out  among them Aronow Powerboats. Others  watchmaker Breguet early on, more recently roofing firm Icopal  took years longer than expected to be salvaged and sold.

In the case of Chaumet, as reported by Time magazine, the former chairman of the watch maker, Charles Lefevre, went so far as to accuse Investcorp of using accounting gimmickry to disguise poor financial results.

Lefevre claimed that in 1990 Chaumet invoiced a nonexistent $4 million sale of jewellery to a customer in the Gulf to allow the firm to break even that year.

Lefevre also said that Chaumet sold products at inflated prices to a shell company in Switzerland called Lausanne Investments, allowing Chaumet to get poorly selling merchandise off its books without showing a loss. Investcorp indirectly owned the shell company, Time said.

Investcorps response to these allegations was that it had never misinformed Chaumets shareholders about the companys performance.

But despite these setbacks and any Chaumet embarrassment, Investcorps overall financial performance has been startlingly strong. Since its founding, the firms average annual return has been 17%. Except in 2009, when the effects of the financial crisis were being felt, Investcorp has made a profit in every one of its 34 years.

In other words, the unusual business model Kirdar put in place works.

For better and worse

For Investcorp, what matters now is whether Al Ardhi will continue that success. And, importantly, whether he will maintain the kind of political ties that have defined Investcorp  for better and for worse  under Kirdars tenure.

The two share many traits, suggesting Al Ardhi may adopt some of Kirdars modus operandi. Both come from well-to-do Gulf families. Both grew up in the vicinity of power in their respective countries. Both were educated at prestigious western universities. Both are pro-royalist, pro-western and pro free-enterprise. Both had political ambitions but apparently turned to banking when these were thwarted. Each of them has published books and enjoys good relations with the political elites of the Gulf and beyond.

Kirdar was born in 1936 in Kirkuk, Iraq, an oil-rich city where his family held considerable sway. As representatives of Kirkuk in Iraqs parliament, Kirdars grandfathers and father rubbed shoulders with the Hashemite kings and princes who then ruled over the country. Kirdars mother used to visit Queen Aliya, mother of King Faisal II, at the royal palace in Baghdad; on these occasions the young Kirdar, dressed in his best outfit, would play with the young king, who was his elder by just one year.

But Faisal II only lived to be 23. He died in the summer of 1958 when the Hashemite monarchy was suddenly overthrown in the military coup that established the Republic of Iraq and eventually enabled the rise of Saddam Hussein. On the day Faisal was executed, his friend Kirdar, then a student in Turkey, was waiting to welcome him at Istanbuls international airport. Kirdar has remained fiercely loyal to the Hashemites throughout his life. And although they lost control of Iraq in the revolution, what survived of the Iraqi branch of the family still had connections in western political circles. Another branch ruled over Jordan and does to this day. Kirdar has maintained close relations with both the Iraqi and Jordanian Hashemites.

Kirdar was appalled by the political changes in Iraq. At one point, having returned to the country, he was imprisoned for 10 days by the new ruling Baath Party. He decided he could no longer pursue the political ambitions he had nurtured in Iraq and that his best prospects lay in the US. There he continued his studies and began his banking career, starting off as a teller at First National Bank of Arizona, then moving up the ranks and eventually joining Chase Manhattan Bank. It was with Chase that he returned to the Middle East, having asked in 1975 to be posted to Abu Dhabi. In 1977, after having clinched a big financing deal in Qatar for Chase, he became the head of the banks new Gulf division. From there it was a straight road to Investcorp. By the time he co-founded Investcorp, his banking career had already spanned two decades.



Al Ardhi meets Colin Powell



Over the years he developed ties with the worlds powerful. He wined and dined Middle Eastern royalty and western politicians alike. At the Villa Serenada, Kirdars home in the south of France, he has entertained Prince Charles, George HW Bush, Colin Powell, former US secretary of defense William Cohen, King Abdullah II of Jordan, the former Empress of Iran Farah Pahlavi and the Emir of Qatar.

Less is known of the reticent Al Ardhi. He has not, as yet, published his memoirs. (In 2008 he published a novel, Arabs down under, which is partly autobiographical. It is based on a trip he made to New Zealand and his views on relations between the Middle East and the west.)

Al Ardhi was born in 1961 in Sur, Oman, the son of the Omani head of customs. When he was eight years old, the family moved to a house near a small airstrip, where a military aircraft would sometimes land to deliver supplies to the army. He was taken by the buzz of engines in the sky. At the age of 17 he joined the air force as an officer cadet.

Al Ardhi spent the following years rising through the ranks. By 1990, when the Gulf War began  the only conflict Oman was involved in during his time in the military  Al Ardhi was commanding the air base on Masirah Island. That base was used during the war by US and other coalition forces as a launching pad for strikes on the forces of Saddam Hussein that had invaded Kuwait. Al Ardhi says he missed part of that conflict because in 1991 he moved to the US to study at the National Defense University, an institution funded by the US Department of State and devoted to training high-ranking military officers. He returned to Oman in 1992 and was made air vice-marshal, the highest position in the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO).

He headed the air force for the next 11 years. He also chaired the Oman-US and Oman-Iran military committees, making him, on military matters, the principal Omani point of contact for top US and Iranian officials. Al Ardhi tells Euromoney that his counterparts on these committees included a US assistant secretary of defense and some of Irans top military officials from the Revolutionary Guards. According to an unclassified Pentagon memo, on at least one occasion in 2002, Al Ardhi also met Donald Rumsfeld, the then US secretary of defense. During his time as air vice-marshal he also developed political connections at the highest level of Middle Eastern politics: Al Ardhi met the then president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami; the then president of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed; and King Abdullah II of Jordan.





Meeting the men at the top. Al Ardhi with, clockwise from top left, Sultan Qaboos

of Oman (l); the then president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami; and the then

president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed





In 2003, after 25 years in the air force, Al Ardhi retired from the military.

A confidential diplomatic cable written in 2007 by the then US ambassador to Oman, Gary Grappo, gives a possible reason for his retirement.

In the cable, released by Wikileaks, Grappo writes of Al Ardhi: He had risen quickly within the RAFO ranks and was the youngest Omani in history to command one of the Omani armed forces He often had been rumoured to be headed for more senior positions in the government, including that of the current de facto number two in Oman, minister of the Royal Office and supreme commander of the Armed Forces, General Ali bin Majid al-Maamari. However, an alleged falling-out with the senior leadership, including perhaps with the Sultan, delayed, if not derailed, such ambitions.

Grappo adds: Rumours persist in various Omani circles that he is being rehabilitated and will return to government service at the appropriate time. However, he told the Ambassador that while he would enjoy a return to government service in a meaningful policy position, he has no immediate plans to do so.

Grappo declined to be interviewed for this article.

Al Ardhi tells Euromoney that he left the air force because the work was hard and he felt that he had served long enough. Al Ardhi shifted his attention to the business world. He moved to the US once again, this time to study for a Master in Public Administration at the University of Harvard.

Once he completed that degree, Al Ardhi tells Euromoney, he returned to Oman, where he began his business career in 2004 as chairman of Rimal Investment, a company founded by his father and an uncle. Al Ardhi had at that point no practical experience of finance, except for his work on Omans military budget. As head of the air force, he worked on such things as weapons contracts. According to Grappos cable, he had been an ardent supporter of Omans purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the US in 2002.

Al Ardhi says of taking over Rimal: It was a culture shock, because until then I hadnt really done much in business or investment. But with assets under management of between $30 million and $40 million, Rimal was, by the standards of the Gulf, only a small enterprise.

Soon, however, Al Ardhis political connections helped him advance his career. Al Ardhi knew the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, who in turn knew Kirdar  it was the prince who first introduced them. Kirdar took to Al Ardhi, whose Harvard education, military career and political connections impressed him.

In Al Ardhi, Kirdar felt he had found, as one Investcorp employee puts it, an undeclared foreign minister. In 2008, Al Ardhi joined the board of Investcorp.

After that, Al Ardhi joined the National Bank of Oman, where he was deputy chairman for three years, then eventually chairman for just six months before being announced as the next executive chair of Investcorp. So while he had some experience of banking before clinching the top job at Investcorp, Al Ardhi had far less than Kirdar when he founded the firm. What Al Ardhi did have, however, was an impressive network of contacts.

Direction

While he may not have decades of experience in finance behind him, Al Ardhi certainly has a broad sense of the direction he wants Investcorp to go. He tells Euromoney that as chairman his first question to the board and top management of the firm was: Why arent we Blackstone?

At that point, in mid 2015, Investcorp had about $11 billion of assets under management. Blackstone was roughly 30 times larger. Al Ardhis question was not simply about size; he also meant Investcorp should be as widely known as the US private-equity group. Nevertheless, Al Ardhi told his team they should strive to double Investcorps assets within the next five to six years.

A year on, that objective had been reached. On October 25, Investcorp announced that it was buying the debt management business of UK private-equity firm 3i, adding $12 billion of assets to its books.

But rather than settle for that, Al Ardhi quickly made clear that he wished Investcorp to be larger still. In a meeting after the 3i acquisition had been arranged, Rishi Kapoor, a senior manager, was talking about how the firm had just about reached its medium-term objective when Al Ardhi interrupted him to ask: When do we reach $100 billion? Al Ardhi wants Investcorp to be bigger than it has ever been.

As it sets about continuing its expansion, Investcorp has gained the support of an important player in Gulf finance, Abu Dhabis sovereign investment fund, Mubadala Development Co. Investcorp announced earlier in 2016 that Mubadala would be buying a 20% stake in the firm  a sign that Abu Dhabi is confident in Investcorps long-term prospects.

This expansion is not all Al Ardhis doing. Before his appointment as chairman, Investcorp had grown in a number of new directions. Beyond the private equity-like acquisition business, which has been the bedrock of Investcorp from the beginning, the firm has developed a hedge fund business since the mid-1990s that now totals $4 billion and is backed mainly by US investors. Investcorp has also developed a large real-estate division and created three funds devoted to investing in small and medium-sized technology firms.

But the acquisition of 3is debt management business takes Investcorp down a new avenue. And Investcorp is growing all of its existing segments, too. In November 2015, the firm grew its hedge fund business with the acquisition of the $800 million hedge fund of funds unit of SSARIS Advisors; over the year ending September 2016, Investcorps real estate acquisition activity in the US reached record levels, with $1.6 billion of transactions signed; and it is in the process of launching its fourth tech fund.

Al Ardhis approach is different. 'Just send me an email,' he tells his staff

There are still challenges ahead. The halving of the price of oil over the last two years may result in Gulf investors having less capital to place in Investcorp  although it could also drive them to seek further investment opportunities in the west, to diversify away from oil.

And a former hedge fund partner of Investcorp, Kortright Capital, is suing Investcorp in the southern district of New York for $100 million in damages.

Kortright alleges in its complaint, filed in September, that Investcorp breached its obligations to the hedge fund by pulling its money out of it just as it was about to be bought by UK-based asset manager Man Group, leading to that takeover falling through and Kortright being liquidated.

Investcorp has called the claim groundless and vowed to defend itself vigorously.

But that is not clouding the mood at Investcorp. Its top management tell Euromoney how excited they are about the changes that are taking place. David Tayeh, head of corporate investment in North America, and Tony Robinson, chief financial officer, joined Investcorp after Al Ardhi took over, apparently because they believed in his vision for the firm.

Al Ardhi says he also wants to shake some of Investcorps old habits. The Kirdar way was slow, very slow. As Kirdar told Euromoney in 1998, every October he used to ask the firms 20 most senior partners to write a 40-page report critiquing themselves, their colleagues and each division of the firm. Kirdar would then lock himself away for five days over Christmas to ingest every line of those 800 pages.

Then, every January, the 20 partners would join Kirdar for a two-week planning session in Florida, during which he saw each one of them individually, spending hours discussing their reports. After that, Investcorp would have eight days of general meetings  14 to 16 hours a day  analyzing the firm, its competition and the economy. Finally, in February, each of the 20 got a sheet of paper outlining what the firm wanted from him and his team over the year to come.

Al Ardhis approach is different. Just send me an email, he tells his staff. Though Investcorp now controls $25 billion of assets, it has only a little over 300 employees spread across five offices, making it possible to interact in this way.

There are some things of Kirdars that Al Ardhi wishes to keep, however. Face-to-face interaction with its investors has always been a hallmark of Investcorp. The firm goes so far as to hand-deliver documents. It has a devoted team of placement and relationship managers who travel to see its owners and clients. Al Ardhi is keeping this expensive personalized service  in fact he is doubling the number of these managers in the next two years from 40 today.

Yet it is unclear how directly involved Al Ardhi is in the daily business of running Investcorp. When Kirdar, who was both chief executive and executive chairman, retired, two new co-CEO positions were created to supplement the position of executive chairman. The co-CEOs, Mohammed Al-Shroogi and Rishi Kapoor, have decades of banking experience between them and have worked for many years in top management positions at Investcorp. Either one of them would have had the profile to lead Investcorp. Instead, they both support Al Ardhi, taking care of much of the day-to-day work of managing the firm.



Al Ardhi hosted a dinner in London for Spains former king Juan Carlos



Meanwhile, just as Kirdar had hoped, Al Ardhi spends much of his time meeting the political leaders of the Middle East and beyond, making contacts that may one day serve the firm.

Since becoming chairman, Al Ardhi has already hosted a dinner in London for Spains former king Juan Carlos; convinced former chief of MI6 John Sawers, whom he knows, to speak at Investcorps investor conference in Bahrain; met the high-calibre members of the firms European advisory board (which include former secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and former high-ranking European politicians), as well as the crown prince of Bahrain and Kuwaits minister of finance. He has also travelled to Beirut to meet Lebanons former prime ministers Saad Hariri and Najib Mikati on a two-day trip that one employee of Investcorp said had the aura of a visite detat. (Hariri reclaimed the position of prime minister of Lebanon in November 2016.)

World of trouble

Kirdar eventually learned why Rockefeller had chosen to meet Sultan Qaboos alone all those years ago, in the late 1970s. The meeting had, in fact, nothing to do with Chase. Instead, Rockefeller was carrying a confidential message from the White House to the sultan.

Rockefeller, who is now 101 years old, was prone to blurring the lines between business and politics. Such was his influence in political circles that in 1976, Henry Kissinger, the then US secretary of state and a man he knew well, was directly involved in organizing one of Rockefellers banking trips with Kirdar around the Middle East, according to an unclassified diplomatic cable. And his access to top public officials certainly gave him an advantage in doing business. Rockefeller writes in his memoirs that in 1974 he met the Shah of Iran in the Swiss alpine resort of St Moritz, hoping that Chase would be granted a physical presence in the seemingly impenetrable Iranian market. There and then, the Shah agreed to allow the establishment of an entirely new bank in Iran, part-owned by Chase: no tender necessary and no questions asked.

But Rockefeller eventually learned that getting too deeply involved with public figures could also bring him a world of trouble. In 1979, after the Shah was deposed in a bloody revolution, Rockefeller, with others, successfully lobbied president Jimmy Carter to allow the Shah into the US  a decision that precipitated the Iran hostage crisis and caused Rockefeller to be subjected to intense public scrutiny and criticism.

Although Kirdar, who is now 80, never found himself in the middle of an international crisis, he too became the object of journalistic scrutiny for his blurring of business and politics. Through the many political contacts he had made during his banking career, Kirdar sought to influence US policy on Iraq. In the 1990s he met former president George HW Bush, Kissinger and the sitting director of the CIA, Jim Woolsey, to promote (unsuccessfully) the resumption of Hashemite rule over Iraq. And in 2003, in the early months of the US occupation of Iraq, he met the then US national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to guide her on how to draft the new Iraqi constitution (again unsuccessfully).

But one meeting in particular, with sitting president Bill Clinton in 1995, brought him grief, after it emerged that the deputy chief of staff to Clinton received a message before the meeting saying that Kirdar was good for a solid million  suggesting he would make a $1 million political donation were he to meet the president for just five minutes. A spokesman for Kirdar later said no contributions were solicited and none were made, but the episode highlighted the sort of problem that can emerge when clear boundaries are not drawn between wealth and political access.

Al Ardhi also gets involved in political matters. Years after leaving the Omani military, when he was the chair of family business Rimal Investment, Al Ardhi continued to involve himself in diplomatic affairs. In 2007, Al Ardhi met the US ambassador to Oman, Grappo. In that meeting, he shared with Grappo information he said he had acquired during a recent visit to Iran from a close adviser to Ali Larijani, the then secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, regarding that countrys nuclear ambitions. Al Ardhi, who is now 55, was acting as a conduit between Iran and the US, just as Rockefeller had done three decades before.

Rockefeller, Kirdar and Al Ardhi  three generations of bankers doing business in the Gulf. Three generations of bankers who fancy themselves not just as businessmen but also as foreign ministers.

Al Ardhis ability to meet that standard was key in Kirdars decision to appoint him head of Investcorp. Al Ardhi has certainly proven that he is comfortable dining with royalty and participating in international diplomacy. But at this time of expansion and change for the firm and with transparency said to be an increasingly important part of banking, even in the Gulf, Al Ardhi may wish to do something altogether more simple and boring  be an executive chairman. No more, no less.
This weekend, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Paul Nelson travels to Billings, Montana, to speak on Intelligent Design, Evolution, and the Future of Free and Open Science. His venue is the Big Sky Worldview Forum, to be held Friday and Saturday, January 27-28.

Dr. Nelson has subdivided his theme into four parts:

Design as the Only Reasonable Explanation for Biology

The Metamorphosis Paradox and the Unsolved Problem of Macroevolution

Minimal Complexity as the Key Clue to the Origin of Life

Design Triangulation as a Scientific Method

All talks will be held in the Missouri Room at the Red Lion Hotel and Convention Center, 1223 Mullowney Lane, Billings, MT. A schedule of speakers is here. Enter via the North Convention Center doors. For additional details, please contact the event coordinator, Dick Pence, at 406-672-9207, or via email at rapence45@gmail.com.

Photo: Billings, Montana, by Sara Goth (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
En campagne aux Etats-Unis, Benoit Hamon rencontre Bernie Sanders



In France They Kiss On Main Street

-by Alan Grayson





The Socialists in France are conducting a Presidential Primary this week. The first round was held last Sunday. Remarkably, the candidate who espoused the policies that people believed would improve their lives actually won that first round.





Imagine that.





Notably absent was any discussion of the grabbing of private parts, or the use of private e-mail servers. There was, however, a robust discussion of the right to privacy (or as it is called in Europe, the right to be left alone.)





Also a no-show was any debate about whether the candidates had paid taxes, or how much money they had received from speaking engagements. There was, however, a vigorous debate about how much the rich should pay in taxes, how much pay French workers should receive for their work, and what their working hours should be.





The campaign was mercifully brief. The first-round winner declared his candidacy five months ago, but the campaign really didnt get underway until the incumbent President announced, just last month, that he would not be running for reelection.





The first poll after the candidates qualified for the ballot, earlier this month, showed former Prime Minister Manuel Valls with a large lead over former Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud Montebourg and former Education Minister (for four months) Benoit Hamon:

 Manuel Valls 43%

 Arnaud Montebourg 25%

 Benoit Hamon 22%

 Others 10%

There were three nationally televised debates, all in one week (Jan. 12, 15 and 19). During the debates, the candidates propounded the following agendas:





 Valls: ?

 Montebourg: ?

 Hamon: extend Social Security to everyone, at $950/mo.; reduce the work week to 32 hours; legalize marijuana.





Hamon won the first round of voting:

 Benoit Hamon 36%

 Manuel Valls 31%

 Arnaud Montebourg 17%

 Others 16%

Montebourg immediately endorsed Hamon for the second round of votes, happening this Sunday.





(By the way, please excuse the non sequitur, but Hamons Wikipedia page features a picture of Hamon with Bernie Sanders.)





So in less than three weeks, Hamon soared from third place to first place. What was his secret? He sketched out for ordinary people what he could do and would do, as President, to make their lives better. He convinced them that he actually would fight to make these things happen. And his audience, understanding the opportunity that comes with choosing a national leader, demanded substance from the candidates.





Duh, you say. Isnt that what elections are all about?





As if, I say. Is that what our Presidential election just looked like-- no, what it felt like-- to you?





Elections ought to be a celebration-- a celebration of our democratic opportunity to choose leaders who will take action to improve our lives. Not a two-year-long dental appointment without anesthesia, with the pain so awful that it brings the entire tearful country to the verge of a national nervous breakdown.





I understand that it is not politically popular to praise the French, as John Kerry learned in 2004. Oh, I know-- they did help us during the Revolutionary War, and we fought side by side with them in World War I and World War II, but then les hexagones refused to join us in the war in Iraq. That prompted my former employer, the U.S. House of Representatives, to re-designate the French fries served in our cafeteria as freedom fries. Hah-- that showed them! (That, plus the 250,000+ American troops who returned from Iraq with permanent brain abnormalities.)





But let us give credit where credit is due. The current Socialist Presidential Primary demonstrates that the French know what elections are all about. Elections dont have to be painful. In fact, they shouldnt be. For the French, at least, politics is lamour (love), not cheap display.





In France they kiss on Main Street,

Amour, mama, not cheap display.

And we were rolling, rolling, rock n rollin'.

-Joni Mitchell, In France They Kiss On Main Street (1975)

UPDATE: The French Berniecrat Won




Do you apply your first 10-year carte or renewal? Have you called your prefecture to make sure that your husband could be absent? As it's the same situation as me, I had my appointment in december to apply the 10-year carte. I could not see any requirement in the website of my perferture, nor the RDV letter to ask the spouse to present. But my husband came with me and when we were at the prefecture office, all ok and eventually there is a paper that "must' be signed by the spouse and they also asked casual question to my husband. It depends which department are you.
When a soldier deploys, the burden of that deployment is carried by the family left behind. This can lead to post-deployment stress and secondary PTSD when those troops return.

We know there is an equivalent to PTSD in children and spouses and this is a situation that carries through every fiber of that family, Carmen Fies, head of the Center for Military Families at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

The center held a panel Saturday discussing the impact of post-deployment stress on families after more than 15 years of war.

Post-deployment stress really extends beyond the service member to the spouse and the children left behind, one of the panelists, Kat Cole of Family Endeavours and the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic, said.

Family Endeavours offers free mental health care to veterans and their dependents. The clinic, operated in partnership with the San Antonio nonprofit Family Endeavors, also treats spouses and children exposed to secondhand trauma and works to repair marriages and parent-child relationships.

Veterans almost seem apologetic when they call for help, Cole said. She said shell hear them say, I totally understand if there are other veterans who need the help more than me.

Spouses and caregivers feel the same way, Cole said. They often feel their spouse is the one who needs help, while theyre on the back burner.

Family members, however, also suffer effects from deployment. Research shows a 24 percent higher rate of depression for wives whose spouse deployed for 11 months or longer. Another study found that almost 37 percent of the wives whose husbands were deployed were diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder.

For children, having a parent who has been for deployed for a total for 19 months is associated with decreased tests scores in school. One study found 33 percent of children between 5 and 12 with deployed parents had a high likelihood of developing social and psychological problems. In a 2011 report to Congress, the Department of Defense found a 19 percent increase in behavioral disorders among military children with a deployed parent.

The stresses are compounded when a service member goes to war and comes back wounded.

Dan Blasini, a panelist at the event and vice president of military affairs at Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital of San Antonio, works with veterans who have been wounded in combat.

The service member must learn to cope with their disability, even for common tasks. Family members often want to help with everything right away, but Blasini said he encourages them to step back at first, so the service member can learn their limits.

The family has to know when to watch, when to help, when they need to intervene for safety reasons, Blasini said. Thats the balancing act.

Fies said there needs to be more community awareness of the challenges facing military families so they can find help.

The community as a whole needs to be aware of how to interact with military family members in productive ways, to know how to buffer these things, Fies said.

Cole, a veteran, went through 11 deployments as a family. She said military families can easily get isolated in their communities. She said she sees in San Antonio efforts to see the issue as one affecting the whole family.

More and more family members are coming out of the woodwork, Cole said. Theyre thinking, If I can take better care of myself, I can take better care of my family.

jlawrence@express-news.net
A pregnant Bexar County resident has been diagnosed with the Zika virus after traveling to Brownsville in November, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday.

She is the first pregnant woman in Texas to be infected without traveling outside of the state. The Department of State Health Services said she was in Brownsville around the time mosquitoes there infected six people. The local transmissions were reported between Nov. 28 and Dec. 22.

Because the infection was not transmitted in Bexar County, it does not represent an increased risk of Zika there, the state said.

The woman could have been infected by a mosquito or through sexual contact, according to the state. She was diagnosed during the course of routine prenatal care.

On Dec, 14, the CDC advised pregnant women to rethink travel to Brownsville and told those living in the area to take steps to repel mosquitoes and practice safe sex.

Zika during pregnancy can compromise the pregnancy or lead to severe birth defects like microcephaly, a disorder that affects brain development, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In August, Harris County Public Health confirmed the death of a newborn baby with microcephaly whose mother contracted Zika in Latin America during her pregnancy.

There have been 301 cases of Zika reported in Texas since 2015.

According to the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry, 940 pregnant women with Zika have completed pregnancies in the U.S. from 2016 to 2017. The number includes live births, miscarriages, stillbirths and abortions. Of those, 37 reportedly gave birth to a baby with birth defects.

Health officials say the best way to prevent Zika is to prevent mosquito bites, as there is no vaccine.

bmartin@express-news.net
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It wasnt that long ago that Darrell Woody Parkes name and personal information wouldve been included in the homeless count put on by South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless on Thursday night.

The 59-year-old was found on a bus bench on the Northeast Side that night as part of the organizations annual Point-In-Time initiative. His legs were in braces from getting hit by a car recently, and he clutched a bag of prescription medications he had just picked up from a Veterans Affairs office.

Were volunteers and were checking on homeless in the area, said Justin Schmitt, a local volunteer who also works in corporate communications for insurance giant USAA. Are you OK? Do you need any kind of support?

After a few back-and-forths, Parke revealed that he had been homeless for some time in the past  after a divorce  but that he was set up in an apartment for the time being.

Schmitt was one of seven volunteers in a team charged with scouting out a section of San Antonio for homeless people. The mission was to create a citywide tally of homeless individuals and, ideally, offer them personalized assistance by asking a series of questions.

For the first year, the approximately 300 volunteers used the Counting Us phone app to log data. The count took place in two shifts  one in the morning and one around 6 p.m.

Just that morning, USAA announced that it was making a gift of $1.3 million to six local nonprofits  including SARAH  that continue efforts to end veteran homelessness as well as reduce the overall homeless population.

Schmitt said the citys success in effectively ending veteran homelessness  meaning there is capacity to serve all homeless vets  prompted this years gift.

This success demonstrates that the only way we can actively break through on a multifaceted issue like homelessness is through collaboration, he said. Even if there is one single human being who is homeless on the streets of San Antonio, thats one too many.

Last year, USAA pledged $2.1 million to support Mayor Ivy Taylors joining of the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, a national initiative she committed the city to in 2015.

The number of local homeless is going down, past counts reveal. Last year, there were 2,781 people in San Antonio who were homeless, including 457 children. The number includes those living on the streets, at the courtyard at Haven for Hope, in emergency shelters or in transitional housing.

Of that, 499 were categorized as chronic homeless, a designation that means theyve lived on the streets for more than a year or are disabled and have been homeless four or more times in the past year.

The number of homeless has slowly declined since 2012, when the count was 3,670, according to data provided by SARAH.

People who have experienced homelessness for a long period of time tend to be resistant, said Emily Miller, a volunteer who works as a lead case manager for SAMMinistries.

She, her team and San Antonio Police Officer Dennis Quinn explored their Northeast Zone looking for people to log for future data on homelessness and to spread awareness to them about the types of services available. They were happy to find that in that part of town, there were few homeless people.

Whatever kind of resources we can get to deal with this, the better. Because the way were handling it now is not working, Quinn said.

He said he hopes the count will help in solving the long-term problem of homelessness because arrests and jail time dont seem to significantly change the problem  especially for those who are mentally ill.

Hopefully, this is something we can put a dent in, he said.

And though Parke wasnt currently homeless, he was in danger of returning to that state. When volunteers spoke to him, they discovered that he had recently received an eviction notice. He also said that hes been short on food. Rex Brien, manager of prevention services at SAMMinistries, gave Parke a number to call for help.

Its tough to have to walk away from somebody like that, Brien said as the team trudged to their next stop. To know that Im going into my car, and my home, and that I dont have to worry about the kinds of things he does. Im always reminded, theres so many things we take for granted.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net; mstoeltje@express-news.net
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A pregnant Bexar County resident has been diagnosed with the Zika virus after traveling to Brownsville in November, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday.

She is the first pregnant woman in Texas to be infected without traveling outside of the state. The Department of State Health Services said she was in Brownsville around the time mosquitoes there infected six people. The local transmissions were reported between Nov. 28 and Dec. 22.
A San Antonio police officer who was fired for providing a feces sandwich to a homeless man in May was involved in a second feces prank, according to police records released this week.

Matthew Luckhurst was given a second indefinite suspension in November for defecating in a womens bathroom stall at the San Antonio Police Departments Bike Patrol Office and spreading a brown substance with the consistency of tapioca on the toilet seat, giving the appearance that there were feces on the seat.

Officer Steve Albart was also involved in the prank, according to the records. He was originally given an indefinite suspension, but Chief William McManus reduced it to 30 days without pay. Albart finished serving the suspension Jan. 19.

Albart, who sang opera at his cadet graduation ceremony, according to media reports, was hired two years ago.

At the time of his graduation, Albart told KSAT-TV that he thought the academy prepared him for life as a cop, especially in light of increased scrutiny of law enforcement after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, by a police officer.

There are some nerves there getting ready to go out there, but with the training at the academy, theyve prepped us the way we need to be, Albart told the station in 2014.

Luckhurst, a five-year SAPD veteran who had been assigned to the departments bike patrol unit, was originally given an indefinite suspension in October after he provided the feces sandwich to the homeless man earlier in the year.

The officer told his colleagues, who immediately told him to throw away the sandwich, according to the records.

Luckhurst boasted of the incident to other officers, who reported it to the departments Internal Affairs division, prompting an investigation.

During the investigation, Luckhurst told investigators that he found some feces and a piece of bread, then put them into a discarded food container near the homeless man, assuming the man would pick up the container and throw it away.

Later, Luckhurst said, he returned to the area and found the bread and feces on the ground, then put them in the trash.

This has taught me to stop acting childish and making stupid, baseless jokes, Luckhurst wrote during the investigation. I need to stop the pranks and juvenile jokes to get arise (sic) or reaction from fellow officers and friends.

Luckhurst is appealing both suspensions. His lawyer was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
AUSTIN  For the second straight legislative session, tensions over Muslim relations rose to a boil at the Texas Capitol, this time following a homeland security forum hosted by a state lawmaker accused of asking Muslim leaders to sign a loyalty oath.

The forum, scheduled a few days before Texas Muslim Capitol Day, came against the backdrop of increasing tension in the national conversation about terrorism and President Donald Trumps promises to restrict refugees entering the country, particularly Syrians and those from Muslim-majority countries.

Its hard to be a woman these days, of color, of Muslim faith in a room full of people that want to jump down your throat, said Anjum Hanafi, a 42-year-old Muslim American who stood in the back of the room during the two-hour forum as speakers offered reasons Texans should beware of radical Islam.

The meeting was scheduled after first-term state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, mailed out a questionnaire to mosque and Muslim group leaders about their beliefs. The poll, sent out ahead of the Jan. 31 Texas Muslim Capitol Day to meet with lawmakers, asked Muslim leaders if they regarded the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious and political group, as a foreign terrorist organization, and if they would promise to support former Muslims.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas ran a full-page ad in the San Antonio Express-News on Thursday lambasting Biedermann for the poll, which ACLU said constitutes a loyalty oath, threatening Muslims Americans First Amendment rights.

Such oaths inhibit the freedom of speech and association, single out vulnerable communities and provide no national security benefit. They are designed strictly to intimidate, but no Texan of any faith should be afraid to worship whom and how she pleases, said Rebecca Robertson, ACLU of Texass legal and policy director.

Many of the attendees at Thursdays two-hour forum in a legislative committee room applauded comments by speakers characterizing American Muslims as lying in wait to take over the country. Speakers included representatives of Former Muslims United, American Islamic Forum for Democracy and the mayor of Irving, all warning of radical Islam. In the back stood Shaykh Mutfi Mohamed-Umer Esmail, an imam at the Nueces Mosque outside the University of Texas campus, who engaged Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, in a running debate after the forum about the motivations of Islam.

We pledge allegiance to the United States Constitution. Our children do it all the time in public schools every single day, Esmail said to Zedler. Our children do it in Islamic schools every day. So, what is the fear?

Biedermann scheduled the forum after reporters began calling him earlier this month about his poll. The discussion comes in the midst of reports that President Donald Trump will take steps to bar Syrian refugees from settling in the United States and temporarily freeze other refugee resettlements here.

That was a way to invite as many people to bring their views here to this forum, said Biedermann, who said his survey is not asking Muslims to sign a loyalty oath. This is all about finding out the threat of Islamic radical terrorism in the state of Texas.

Zedler said he does not see a problem with getting Muslim groups on the record about what their priorities are and whether they disavow Muslims that he suspects want to take over the government.

Sometimes it takes time to come out from under the weight of political correctness, he said.

Thursdays forum came two years after former state Rep. Molly White, a Belton Republican, made waves by instructing her staff to require Muslims visiting her office on Texas Muslim Capitol Day to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws.

Her remarks drew national headlines and condemnation from Capitol colleagues on both side of the aisle.

House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, chided White at the time, saying that lawmakers have a responsibility to treat all visitors just as we expect to be treated  with dignity and respect.

She lost her seat in the 2016 GOP primary.

Asked about Biedermanns poll Thursday, Straus said, I believe it is wrong and offensive to single out any group based on their religion.

White, who was in attendance at Thursdays forum, called a television reporter a low-life son of a b---h after he asked if similar forums would be held to discuss threats from radical Christianity and Judaism.

Mustaffa Carroll, executive director of the Houston Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it is ridiculous that he has had to testify against anti-Muslim legislation each session.

Theyre asking us to prove ourselves, which Im totally insulted by, Carroll said.

andrea.zelinski@chron.com
President Donald Trumps executive orders on immigration are sparking fears that longtime undocumented residents of the U.S. who have historically been at little risk of deportation now will be targeted by federal officials.

The orders throw out what had been called enforcement priorities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a policy focusing on immigrants convicted of serious crimes that had been derided by restrictionist groups and the union representing deportation officers.

Under Trump, it appears, ICE officers will have leeway to open deportation proceedings against almost anyone in the country illegally and legal immigrants whove been accused of crime, immigration lawyers and activists said Thursday.

An estimated 11 million to 12 million immigrants are in the U.S. illegally. Shortly after taking office, Trump said he would focus on the 2 million to 3 million immigrants who have been convicted of crimes, although its unclear whether there are that many so-called criminal aliens.

For many immigrants in San Antonio, any feelings that they were moving toward more secure lives in the U.S. were dashed Wednesday, said Jessica Azua, 25, an immigrant from Mexico whos a recipient of Obamas deferred action program for young immigrants and works for the Texas Organizing Project advocacy group.

Under the Obama administration, they felt, I dont want to say 100 percent secure, Azua said. But with the executive orders (Trump is) signing, people are afraid now theyre going to be walking on the street and theyre going to be detained. Theres that fear.

Whats even less clear is how the executive orders will impact so-called sanctuary cities. Despite anti-immigration groups naming San Antonio a sanctuary city because police officers are instructed to not ask about immigration status, both Police Chief William McManus and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said they cooperate with immigration officials.

Likely to have a much larger impact is the executive order signed Wednesday that expands ICEs authority to deport immigrants who have been charged with a crime, have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense and in the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security.

The danger is youve essentially sent a clarion call out to the field to say, Make your own decisions, make your own priorities as to where we should be directing our law enforcement resources, and once you do that, your priorities are determined from the bottom up, not the top down, said Benjamin Johnson, the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. So if somebody wants to start removing a lot of immigrants, you could start showing up at school bus stops, you could start picking up people on the street and start trying to determine if theyre here illegally.

Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for restricting immigration to the U.S., called that interpretation of the order a little bit exaggerated in how its going to play out in real life.

What makes this different from the Obama administration is that these priorities are aligned with the immigration laws and are not meant to drastically limit the types of cases that should be targeted by ICE officers, Vaughan said. Theyre already going to be limited by staffing and detention space and just the overall capacity for enforcement and the need to provide due process, but they will not be limited by arbitrary definitions of who should be a priority.

Early in the Obama administration, ICE focused on generating deportations through two programs, 287(g), which trained local law enforcement officers to identify immigrants in the country illegally, and Secure Communities, which notified ICE whenever someone who had a record with the immigration agency was arrested.

The two programs resulted in record numbers of deportations  more than 3 million were deported under Obama  and widespread criticism from activist groups. Over the past two years, ICE phased out 287(g) and replaced Secure Communities with what was called the Priority Enforcement Program, under which the agency only asked local jails to hold immigrants convicted of serious crimes. After the changes, the number of deportations began to slow.

Trumps order does away with Priority Enforcement and brings back Secure Communities and calls to again step up 287(g).

The Obama administration limited who could be deported because ICE lacks the resources to go after all of the immigrants in the country illegally, plus those legal immigrants who have committed crimes that could result in their deportation, said Alonzo Pena, the agencys former deputy director.

You have to prioritize and have some type of process that's going to get the best results for the resources that you do have, Pena said. So to say that someone's here illegally, they should be removed, is kind of a fallacy because there's a lot of reasons people are here illegally. They may be still fighting (deportation) or have (legal) opportunities to pursue a case in immigration court, and I can't say that you should just take the position that well they're here illegally, so remove them.

Trumps orders called for adding 10,000 deportation officers as well as creating new detention bed space, but its not clear he can do that without congressional approval.

South Texas is home to two large family detention centers with a combined capacity of more than 3,000 and the 1,900-bed South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall.

To add agents or increase detention space, Trump needs congressional approval, said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. That can be done through a budget request at the end of the year, an addition to the continuing budget resolution in April or an emergency request, Cuellar said. He called Trumps decision to announce it in an executive order, a piece of showmanship.

On the campaign trail, Trump criticized so-called sanctuary cities, often described as local governments that dont honor ICEs requests to law enforcement officials to hold people suspected of being in the country illegally. Some groups define it more broadly to include police agencies that dont ask about immigration status.

Trumps executive order appears to give an even narrower definition to sanctuary cities. The order promises to withhold grants from local governments that dont comply with a law requiring police to communicate with immigration agents, something experts said would apply to very few jurisdictions. McManus reiterated at a Thursday night town hall hosted by the San Antonio Express-News and KLRN and the University of Texas at San Antonio at the downtown campus that local police policies wouldnt run afoul of the executive order.

Ill be honest, I really hope that what comes out of all this is that San Antonio turns out not to be a sanctuary city, or if theres any policies that unwittingly appear that theyre sanctuarylike, that theyre clarified so theyre not, responded Jeff Judson, a former board member at the Heartland Institute. I hope that the presidents executive orders have no impact here and were being kept safe. But I clearly think the federal government has the right to withhold funds.

The only mention of ICE detainers in the executive order is in a section that requires the Homeland Security Department to name and shame sanctuary jurisdictions by publishing a weekly list of criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens.

ICE has the option to issue warrants for people suspected of being in the country illegally, but for expediencys sake often issue detainer notices asking local jails to hold onto suspects, usually for 48 hours, said Lance Curtright, a San Antonio immigration attorney.

The federal government doesnt have any way of forcing local jurisdictions to honor those detainers, Curtright said.

Curtright is representing an immigrant from Mexico in a lawsuit against Bexar County Jail alleging he was kept 75 days without charges before being handed over to ICE.

I think they know, and every federal court thats looked at this has said, you cant make local law enforcement agencies honor these detainers, he said. They cant. It violates the 10th Amendment.

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlbuch
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U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, who represents parts of San Antonio and Central Texas up to Austin, says he believes Americans should not waste their time subscribing to newspapers or watching the news, and instead should get their information from President Donald Trump himself.

"Better to get your news directly from the president. In fact, it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth," he said on the House floor Tuesday, according to a C-SPAN clip.
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Last Thursday, the City Council unanimously approved a record-setting $830-million bond program.

The package  which goes before voters in May  included more than $46 million for various projects on the East Side in District 2. But not a dime of it went to the Ella Austin Community Center, one of the East Sides defining facilities, and one that is in desperate need of a boost.

The failure to receive bond funding for the city-owned property, and community speculation that the city might consider selling it to a developer, has Ella Austin insiders worried about the centers future.

Ella Austin is special not only because it provides early childhood development, head start and senior services under one roof (meaning that it serves multiple generations of a family at the same time), but because its Pine Street location makes it convenient for low-income residents who live around it, and have the greatest need for its services.

Unfortunately, the center is located in a run-down, 96-year-old building (which originally housed Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High School) facing an estimated $15 million in deferred maintenance costs. The facilitys historic auditorium is a potential jewel that could  with the right amount of restoration work  be a steady source of revenue for Ella Austin, but, of course, restoration work costs money.

Early in the bond process, Ella Austin reps took the blue-sky approach, asking for $11 million, while fully realizing they would never get that much.

District 2 Councilman Alan Warrick convinced Ella Austin reps to lower their request to the more realistic $5 million, according to a board member who spoke on the condition of anonymity. But the center was not among the four District 2 facilities that made the final cut with the Facility Improvements Bond Committee.

Dr. Christine Drennon, associate professor of sociology and anthropology at Trinity University, served as the board president of Ella Austin for three years, before stepping down last month. She helped lead a 2015 study that zeroed in on the centers impact in the Dignowity Hill neighborhood.

According to the study, the median household income in Ella Austins primary footprint is approximately $29,000, barely more than half the median income for Bexar County residents. More than 35 percent of those in the centers primary footprint live in poverty, compared to 19 percent for the county. The study concluded that Ella Austins current location is vital to the community it represents.

The neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, but the vast majority of the neighborhood remains at-risk, Drennon said. Of the bond projects that got funded for District 2, it seemed to me that the funds went more for projects that would appeal to newer residents than longstanding residents.

In exchange for getting to rent the facility from the city for $1 a year, Ella Austin has been responsible for the upkeep of the building. Even the centers biggest admirers would admit that it has fallen short on that score.

Its tough, because you cant fund-raise to keep up a building like that, Drennon said.

Some Ella Austin board members see Warrick as lukewarm about Ella Austin, although the councilman helped the center get $70,000 in emergency funds last May for plumbing and air-conditioning repairs. They worry that the city, with his support, could sell off the property and move the centers services to a location too far away from the residents who rely on it.

Warrick did not respond to an interview request for this column. Alex Rubio, public engagement officer with the citys Government and Public Affairs Department, said Thursday that the City has not received any offers for purchase (of the Ella Austin property), nor is the City actively marketing the center for sale.

Much community speculation has surrounded Charlie Turner, the CEO for Terramark Urban Homes, who created a 22-home development in Dignowity Hill and has an office space one block south of Ella Austin. A source close to Turner says he sees great potential in the property and has taken people through the building for a look, but is not interested in purchasing it.

Back in 1971, when Ella Austin moved into its current space, then-U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez commended the center for salvaging lives.

Forty-six years later, that remains true. But Ella Austin might need some salvaging of its own.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Once again, Earth has set a heat record. Thats three years in a row.

Its highly unusual to set temperature records year after year after year, and climate scientists say this is yet another indicator that humans are impacting climate change.

This should be the moment when the rhetoric of climate change denial meets reality, prompting a bipartisan commitment to mitigate warming and avert calamity.

Instead, President Donald J. Trump has famously tweeted that global warming is a hoax. More recently, he has cracked the door, saying there could be some connectivity between climate change and human-related emissions.

Some picks for Trumps Cabinet  former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt come to mind  have openly questioned climate science and appear to be in fierce opposition to the missions of the agencies they will oversee. But in their confirmation hearings, Pruitt and Perry halfway acknowledged the scientific reality about climate change.

Pruitt, who is up to head the Environmental Protection Agency, acknowledged at his hearing that the climate is changing, and human activity contributes to that in some manner.

Perry, who is under consideration for the Department of Energy, pretty much stuck to the same grudging talking point.

Any movement toward reality on this issue from Republican leaders is welcome (ahem, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, chair of the Houses science committee), but statements such as these are incredibly limp given the potential calamity.

We are warming. Rapidly.

The average temperature of global land and water surfaces in 2016 was 58.69 degrees Fahrenheit. That is 1.69 degrees above the 20th century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In its own analysis, NASA agreed with NOAA.

More perspective: The last time we had three years in a row of record global heat was 1939, 1940 and 1941. But the Earth is so much warmer now, 1941 ranks as just the 37th-warmest year on record, the New York Times reported.

Global temperatures do rise and fall, and the recent weather pattern known as El Nino had some influence in this wave of record warmth over the last three years, but scientists were quick to say El Nino was not the driving factor.

Consider, 1998 was a strong El Nino year, and was once the warmest year on record. But 2016 was only a partial El Nino year and was far warmer than 1998, which is now the eighth-warmest year.

Another undeniable fact: 16 of the hottest years on record have occurred since 2000.

The potential calamity cant be understated. Even if 2017 cools, as scientists expect, massive amounts of land ice will continue to melt as ocean levels rise. The threat to coastal communities, and the potential for severe drought and flooding are immense.

To avoid human and environmental catastrophe, the global community has sought to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. As it stands now, the Earth is about 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than the late 19th century, NASA has said.

But Trump has put Americas commitment to this effort in question. At the very time we should be leading the effort to limit emissions and the toll of climate change on future generations, America is stepping back into the morass of uncertainty. And that should not occur.
By Todd Hubbs, Scott Irwin, and Darrel Good



Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics

University of Illinois



We recently began a series of articles to evaluate the history of corn and soybean yields and deviations from trend yield in Brazil and Argentina. The objective of the yield analysis is to provide a basis for forming expectations about the likely yields of the 2017 crops. The first six articles focused on the alternative sources of historical yield estimates, the selection of the appropriate series to use in the analysis for both corn and soybeans, the selection of the best-fitting trend model for each commodity and country, trend yield deviations in each country for corn, and trend yield deviations in Brazil for soybeans (farmdoc daily, November 2, 2016; November 9, 2016; November 16, 2016; December 14, 2016; December 15, 2016; and January 12, 2016). Today's article examines soybean yield trend estimates and trend deviations for the Argentinian soybean crop. Since Argentina is the world's third largest producer of soybeans and is the largest exporter of soybean meal and oil, yield and production prospects have important price implications.



Background



We begin by providing some perspective on regional soybean production in Argentina. The production map of Argentina from the USDA/FAS gives a visual sense of the concentration. The top three soybean production provinces consist of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Santa Fe. Table 1 presents soybean production by country from 1971 through 2016 and gives an indication of overall growth in soybean production in the world, and Argentina in particular. Soybean production in Argentina grew rapidly in the early 2000's with a significant jump in 2001. Figure 1 presents the soybean acreage for Brazil and Argentina provided by USDA/FAS estimates from 1978-2016. Both nations exhibited large growth in soybean acreage over the sample period with Argentinian acreage leveling off at the end of the period. Current estimates place Argentina soybean acreage at 48.1 million acres this year.







Figure 2 presents the annual soybean yields in Argentina for the period 1978 through 2016. As previously discussed in the farmdoc daily article of November 16, 2016, we chose a linear trend to fit the soybean yield data for Argentina. Note that these yield estimates are provided by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and are based on past trends, expert opinion, industry intelligence, and AgMin, the Argentinian Ministry of Agriculture, estimates. Yields have obviously trended higher over time. The linear trend indicates annual average yield increases 0.37 bushels for Argentina. A linear trend explains about 49 percent of the annual variation in actual yields in Argentina. The historical soybean yields in Argentina show large variation around the trend with an extended period of above trend yields from 1998-2003. The linear trend since 1978 explains a much smaller percentage of yield variation than is the case for the U.S. (81 percent) and Brazil (79 percent).









Historical Deviations



Historical deviations for Argentine soybean yields for the period 1978 - 2016 are shown in Figure 3. Over the 39-year period, the average soybean yield in Argentina was above trend in 22 years and below trend in 17 years. The largest deviation below trend was 9.79 bushels per acre in 2009. The largest positive deviation from trend was 5.80 bushels per acre in 1998. The average positive deviation was 2.66 bushels while the average negative deviation was -3.44 bushels. The deviation from trend is asymmetric with more years of positive trend deviation and larger magnitudes associated with negative trend deviations. This differs substantially from soybean trend deviations for Brazil. Since 2012, Argentinian soybean yields demonstrate a wide variation around trend with significant yield loss in 2012 and a large positive deviation in 2015. Based on the historical trend deviations, the unconditional probability of a negative deviation is 43.6 percent. If a negative deviation occurs, the unconditional probability of a negative deviation of greater than two bushels is 65 percent, and there is a 29 percent probability of a greater than four-bushel deviation. The probability of a negative yield deviation greater than two (four) bushels, then, is 28 (13) percent. Based on the historical trend deviations, the unconditional probability of a positive deviation of greater than two bushels is 59 percent, and there is a 23 percent probability of a greater than four-bushel deviation. The probability of a positive yield deviation greater than two (four) bushels, then, is 33 (13) percent.









Implications



An examination of the national average soybean yields in Argentina for the period 1978 through 2016 reveals an upward yield trend with substantial annual variation. The estimated linear yield trend points to a 2017 average soybean yield of 42.2 bushels per acre, 1.10 bushels below the 2016 average. Based on the projections of harvested acreage in the USDA's January 12, 2017 World Agricultural Production report, yield at trend value for Argentina points to a 2017 crop of 2.03 billion bushels, 57 million bushels (2.73 percent) smaller than the 2016 crop. Using estimates of the historical yield trend deviations, we estimate there is an unconditional probability of 62 percent of a two bushel trend deviation. A trend yield deviation of two bushels per acre would add or subtract approximately 96 million bushels to our projection of Argentina's 2017 production.



The USDA projects the 2017 Argentinian yield at 43.57 bushels per acre (1.37 bushels above the trend value) and production at 2.094 billion bushels, 7 million bushels larger than the 2016 crop. The USDA estimated production level for Argentine soybeans is 64 million bushels larger than implied by a trend yield. Recent reports in Argentina indicate severe flooding in many growing regions with the potential to reduce production by 100-150 million bushels. If the production reduction materializes in Argentina, 2017 will produce yields well below trend estimates. In the next article, we will examine the impact of La Nina events on Brazilian and Argentinian soybean and corn production.

Source:farmdocdaily
When the sale kicked off with the mated lines, the Farris Family Trust, Chapman Hill, snapped up the first two pens sold by Scott River Trading, paying $3100 for the first eight heifers then $2900 for the next pen of seven.
After witnessing never before seen prices at the breeder sale preceding the bull sale, where lines of Angus-Friesian heifers sold to a top of $3340, the large crowd on offer were expecting to have to dig a little deeper into their pockets to purchase the bulls they were after this year.
During a visit by the Halls to Elders' Bibra Lake show floor last week to inspect wool samples, broker Rob Young pointed out one example of attention to detail in Mr Hall's endeavour to always achieve top quality in what he does and produces.
"With the margins in farming getting smaller and smaller each year, opportunities to grow need to be facilitated, and by releasing as much individual capital per farming business, it allows the farmer to further invest in their own business," Mr Brown said.
It's an issue that clearly is not going away but the political process will keep it as an issue until there is an understanding that the ag industry is talking about business practices, not social media attractions.
ELKO  An updated report on an accident Thursday at the Carlin Tunnels confirms that one man sustained injuries significant enough to require transport to Renown hospital.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers responded at around 9:25 a.m. Thursday to two vehicle crashes on Interstate 80, west of the tunnels.

A white Dodge pickup driven by Bryan Butler from Winnemucca was traveling east when he lost control of his vehicle due to the icy road conditions and struck a guardrail.

A second crash occurred immediately after the first crash in the same location.

A white Ford pickup driven by Jennifer Williams from Crescent Valley was also traveling east. Due to the same circumstances, she lost control of her vehicle and struck the white Dodge pickup involved in the first crash.

Initial investigation of both crashes indicated there were minor injuries.

Further investigation revealed that Bryan Butler was transported to Renown Hospital where he received treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

Additional occupants in the white Dodge pickup were transported to Northern Nevada Regional Hospital where they were treated and released for non-life threatening injuries. Williams was not transported to the hospital.
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Manassas, VA (20110)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Expect mist and reduced visibilities at times. High 77F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Pitts: Before voting, take a look at your sample ballot in Cumberland County and NC
SPRING CREEK  The Spring Creek Association is still working on a way to remedy high water bills and decided to retain the services of the lobbying firm Capitol Partners.

Capitol Partners has been working with the association in the last legislative session. Before the board voted to pay for services from the lobbying group, Will Adler took some time to explain to the board the progress that he, Assemblyman John Ellison and Sen. Pete Goicoechea had made on getting a bill introduced to the state Senate.

The main goal of the bill is to have more monitoring of the companys practices to ensure prices are in line with what other communities are paying for their water.

Adler said the proposed bill has done a good job of grabbing the attention of the Legislature.

It asked for everything from the Legislature and the PUCN, he said. We immediately stirred up the hornets nest and said we want attention and we want it now.

Adler also pointed out that it was important to propose a bill that would grab the attention of legislators who are often not aware of the issues that face residents of rural Nevada.

Ellison attended the SCA meeting on Wednesday night and said Spring Creek was off to a good start in bringing change to the way Great Basin Utilities conducts business in the subdivision.

We finally got the attention of the public utilities commission and really laid out whats going on out here. Thats been our biggest victory so far, he said. Once this bill hits the floor and the bill draft request gets sent to a committee youre going to have someone out there saying this is a good bill.

Because Ellison had been working with Capitol Partners in the last legislative session, board member Jim Jefferies asked Ellison if he wanted to continue working with the lobbying firm.

Ellison responded by pointing out that Spring Creek was going to need all the help it could get if it hoped to get the bill passed.

Youre going to have to have somebody on the day to day basis and meet with these people, he said. Were going to have a lot of people and spend a lot of time on this bill. Weve got a good chance of winning this.

Adler and Capitol Partners are on retainer through the next legislative session to help the association meet its goal, but Spring Creek can terminate the contract at any time once the issue has been resolved.

Great Basin Utilities provides water for several other municipalities but Alder said Spring Creek will likely be the only town pushing for this bill since they are the only town being billed at such a high rate.

For the most part Spring Creek is its own unique issue and is the most severe of them, he said. I think this will be Spring Creeks fight to have and Im going to be there with them.
Earlier this week Richard Bistrong and Marc Hodak, writing for the FCPA Blog, considered how the Wells Fargo incentive system got so out of whack, and how this out-of-whackness contributed to the scandal around fraudulent account openings that has engulfed the bank since last August.

Such incentives systems, without proper monitoring and oversight, can indeed become perverse and lead to legal violations. Now Emily Glazer, reporting in the Wall Street Journal, has added another reason such sales incentives at Wells Fargo got so out of whack: branches were given a heads-up before company internal monitors arrived for inspections.

While its not unusual for some companies to provide a heads-up that a branch or business unit is going to be monitored or audited, it would appear that local Wells Fargo branches took the opportunity to hide evidence of illegal acts.

Glazer noted that the early warning gave many employees time to cover up improper practices, such as opening accounts or signing customers up for products without their knowledge. More than a dozen current and former employees of the bank across California, Arizona and New Jersey, for instance, said they forged or saw colleagues forge signatures on documents or shred papers that could have indicated accounts were opened without authorization.

This information reveals how Wells Fargo may have missed the many red flags that were present, including lack of appropriate customer signatures on new accounts and products, hiding and destroying evidence of fake account openings, and filling out wire transfer forms and back dating of account openings to match closing dates. Or worse, it shows how the bank went out of its collective corporate way to look the other way and hide such illegal conduct.

One former Wells Fargo employee was quoted that regarding such actions, You become numb to it. It became pretty normal.

This part of the Wells Fargo saga indicates several different story lines. It confirms the wide-spread knowledge of the scandal throughout the organization. It also ties into Bistrong and Hodaks perception that even a sales incentive program can become aberrant without proper oversight controls.

Oversight through monitoring and auditing is one of the Ten Hallmarks of an Effective Compliance Program. However, if employees are given the opportunity to destroy evidence of illegal conduct or even worse  see also Arthur Andersen and Enron  oversight will fail.

____

Tom Fox is a Contributing Editor of the FCPA Blog. He has practiced law in Houston for 30 years. Hes the creator of the award winning FCPA Compliance and Ethics website. He is the Compliance Evangelist. His best-selling seminal book, Best Practices Under the FCPA and Bribery Act: How to Create a First Class Compliance Program (available from Amazon here) is widely viewed as one of the top volumes on the nuts and bolts of compliance.
5. Rings (Out Friday, February 3 - USA & UK)

Director F. Javier Gutierrez is the man whos bringing supernatural psychological horror Rings to the big screen, as the third entry into the franchise following on directly from The Ring and The Ring Two. Despite that, the movie does jump 13 years ahead following the events of the first two chapters of the franchise, bringing viewers the story of Julia (Matilda Lutz) and her boyfriend Holt (Alex Roe). Worried about her partner when he watches a mysterious videotape promising to kill the viewer after seven days, Julia discovers she can sacrifice herself to save him, only to discover that theres a movie within the movie that nobody has ever seen before.

4. John Wick: Chapter 2 (Out Friday, February 10 - USA, and Friday, February 17 - UK)

John Wick is back, forced out of retirement and into his life as a hitman once more by a former associates plot to seize control of an international assassins guild. Keanu Reeves of course returns in the titular role, taking John on a journey to Rome t0 fulfil his blood oath to that former ally, going up against some of the worlds deadliest killers in a movie that promises chaos, violence and a lot of compelling, edge-of-your-seat scenes.

3. The LEGO Batman Movie (Out Friday, February 10 - USA & UK)

If theres one thing we cannot deny, despite any critical reception, all Batman and LEGO releases seem to do incredibly well commercially. So, what better way to make a huge movie a success than by bringing the two properties together? Will Arnett voices the Caped Crusader in this take on LEGO Gotham, whilst Zach Galifianakis steps into the role of his adversary, The Joker. An incredible cast also includes Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Mariah Carey and Jenny Slate, all involved in whats slated to be one of Batmans most personal journeys, as he attempts to find himself and learn the importance of teamwork and friendship whilst battling against the forces of evil.

2. A Cure for Wellness (Out Friday, February 17 - USA & Friday February 24 - UK)

This psychological horror flick looks to be one of the most defining releases of the year, starring Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs and Mia Goth in the three leading roles. Written by Justin Haythe and directed by Gore Verbinski, A Cure for Wellness follows a young executive whos sent to the Swiss Alps to retrieve the CEO of his company from a wellness center. It soon becomes apparent however that the treatments at the retreat arent everything theyre supposed to be, and so when he starts to unravel the secrets behind the rehabilitation center, he finds himself diagnosed with the same illness that keeps all of the patients inside.

1. Collide (Out Friday, February 24 - USA)

Felicty Jones and Nicholas Hoult come together for Collide, which was released in Japan in the middle of 2016 but only reaches the rest of the world at the end of February, 2017! Its been a long time coming, as the film was rescued by Open Road Films during Relatively Medias bankruptcy crisis. British-born Eran Creevy is behind the flick, which follows the journey of Juliette (Jones) and Casey (Hoult) as the latter is forced back into a life of crime when his partner ends up in hospital in desperate need of a kidney transplant. German crime boss Geran (Ben Kingsley) steps back into Caseys spotlight, challenging the youngster with a huge heist that blows up in his face. Anthony Hopkins also stars as Hagen, a rival mob lord who rules the German highways and isnt about to let Casey step into his territory without a fight.

- - - -

Other big movies out in February include Fifty Shades Darker (Feb 10), The Great Wall (Feb 17) and Everybody Loves Somebody (Feb 17).

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Princess Anne has opened a new Citizen's Advice Bureau in Epping Forest.

Princess Anne

The 66-year-old royal is a patron of the National Association of the Citizen's Advice Bureaux - who provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities - and was in attendance to cut the ribbon on a new building in Epping on Thursday (26.01.17) with MP Eleanor Laing.

Eleanor told the East London and West Sussex Guardian newspaper: "The Citizens Advice Bureau provides a valuable service to the local community not just in Epping but throughout Epping Forest and it is great that they have been able to move into such a marvellous new base."

"I have watched our local CABs developing over the years and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to speak to some of the staff and volunteers who put so much time and effort into helping other people. They do a brilliant job.

"The Princess's visit is a good way of saying thank you to them from the whole community."

Whilst in Epping Forest, the Princess Royal also toured the new glasshouse in Nazeing where the Lea Valley Growers' Association produce over 200 million cucumbers, sweet peppers, and other salad crops each year.

Princess Anne also took the time to unveil a commemorative plaque, and signed the same visitor's book that her grandmother, The Queen Mother, signed in 1959.

Lea Valley Growers Association secretary Lee Stiles said: "This new glasshouse represents an exciting development for the Lea Valley and we were delighted to have the opportunity to tell Her Royal Highness all about it today.

"Much has changed since the Queen Mother's visit almost 60 years ago, but one thing that has remained constant is the enthusiasm and commitment of our growers to produce the best quality fresh food for the British public."
Robson Green feared James Norton would be hospitalised after prank.

Robson Green

The 52-year-old actor - who has been cast in the role of Detective Inspector Geordie Keating in the popular drama 'Grantchester' - has admitted he feared he had caused some serious damage to his co-star, who plays Reverend Sidney Chambers in the series, after he poured a bucket of cold water over him and James fell into a lake.

Speaking about the gag, which took place when the pair were shooting the second series, to the Daily Express newspaper, he said: "No, that wasn't a prank. That wasn't meant to happen. I s**t myself. Seriously, I thought I put one of the most up and coming, exciting, charismatic actors in f*****g hospital. I thought it would be funny to throw a bucket of water over him and he fell over the edge and just disappeared.

"I thought, 'Oh my God, he's gone, he's done.'"

And the star has admitted he was "reprimanded" severely by the programme's producers and executives.

Speaking about his punishment, he said: "The horror of the telling off I got from the execs and producers - I was reprimanded."

Meanwhile, Robson has teased he and James will jet off to Italy to film series three of the detective drama after basing the show in London and Cambridgeshire, and he believes the change of location will "work well" for their blossoming romance.

Speaking previously about a follow-up, he said: "There is talk of going abroad. If series two does the figures, we're off in series three. We'll probably go to Italy. I reckon we'll be based in Tuscany or Lucca. I think it works well for the pair's relationship to take them out of Grantchester."
Hollyoaks bosses have this week revealed that Jonny Clarke will be returning to the Channel 4 as Bart McQueen, following his controversial exit back in 2013.

Jonny Clarke as Bart McQueen / Credit: LIMEPICTURES

The character originally left the village after he and friend Joel planned to scam Brendan Brady, but when things went wrong they fled Hollyoaks before the Irishman could catch up to them.

Now well see Bart return with Nanna McQueen for Celines funeral, and a new clip from the soap shows him being greeted by his very own Auntie Myra.

Chatting about his return, Clarke said: Im so happy to be back at Hollyoaks. I cant wait for people to see the way Bart has changed since the last time he was in the village.

Hes definitely going to ruffle a few feathers with a sinister secret!

Some of Barts most memorable storylines include his relationships with both Sinead OConnor and Jasmine Costello, growing cannabis in a bid to line his pockets and of course his involvement with the horrific bus crash at the weddings of Ste, Doug, Cindy and Tony.

Hollyoaks continues weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with First Look episodes continuing at 7pm, weeknights on E4.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Actress Kirsten Dunst has confirmed her engagement by showing off her diamond ring at Paris Fashion Week. Last week, there were reports that the actress had accepted Jesse Plemons' proposal and was wearing his ring.





Plemons and Dunst, who played husband and wife on US TV drama 'Fargo', refused to comment on the reports.



But now Dunst showed off her engagement bling at the Ralph & Russo Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2017 show during Paris Fashion Week.



Asked to confirm the news, she smiled sweetly and help her left hand up to the cameras. She was also photographed comparing rings with model Arizona Muse, who is also newly-engaged.



Dunst was first spotted wearing her new ring at the Palm Springs Film Festival in California on January 2, suggesting Plemons may have proposed over Christmas.





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An assistant professor in Ferris State Universitys Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences has received a 2017 New Investigator Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, which will provide $10,000 to support her research on Parkinsons disease.

Jennifer Lamberts is one of 16 recipients of the AACPs competitive award, and said she intends to provide research opportunities for first-year and second-year Pharmacy students.

Parkinsons disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life among the aged population, Lamberts said. The ultimate objective of this work is to discover novel targets for the prevention and/or treatment of Parkinsons disease.

Lamberts intends to research Neuronal Injury and Parkinsons Disease; Role of Purinergic Signaling, which will be the subject of her presentation at the AACP Annual Meeting, to be held July 21-25, 2018 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel & Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass. The association will provide a $1,000 travel stipend to Lamberts, along with other New Investigator Award recipients.

Thomas Dowling, director of Ferris Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, said the AACP award offers a unique learning opportunity for Lamberts students.

Dr. Lamberts is one of our outstanding new faculty and we are delighted by this national recognition of her research, Dowling said. Her early successes in peer-reviewed, external funding exemplifies the teacher-scholar model, and our students will ultimately benefit from this award.

Lamberts earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Kalamazoo College (Mich.), and her Doctorate of Pharmacology from the University of Michigan. She also completed post-doctoral training at the Van Andel Institute. Lamberts joined Ferris College of Pharmacy faculty in 2014.





PHOTO CAPTION: Ferris State University Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences assistant professor Jennifer Lamberts has received a 2017 New Investigator Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. She will research Parkinsons disease, with the AACP providing $10,000 for that study.
Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia hosted an exhibition and conference for a visiting delegation of Bangladesh companies, which could help the further development of the Cambodian apparel industry. A top official of Bangladeshi trade body said his could be done by arranging visits of experienced Bangladeshi apparel sector supervisors and workers.There are several opportunities for investment and trade in various sectors for each member of the Bangladeshi delegation, Abdul Ahmad, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry said. We are waiting to hear from Cambodia on what it can offer and where we can invest.

Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia hosted an exhibition and conference for a visiting delegation of Bangladesh companies, which could help the further development of the Cambodian apparel industry. A top official of Bangladeshi trade body said his could be done by arranging visits of experienced Bangladeshi apparel sector supervisors and workers.#

Bangladeshs envoy to Cambodia Saida Tasneem also added that although trade between the two countries was very less at just $6.7 million per annum, there was potential for cooperation between the countries which could benefit both. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Palamon Capital Partners has acquired majority stake in Swedish designer socks brand Happy Socks, for SEK 765 million. Palamon will also inject SEK 40 million in capital to support the continued expansion of the business. Happy Socks is sold in more than 90 countries through more than 10,000 points of sale, including ecommerce and company owned stores.Founded in 2008, Happy Socks has achieved more than an annual 50 per cent revenue as well as EBITDA growth, over the last three years and posted retail sales of 100 million in 2016.

Palamon Capital Partners has acquired majority stake in Swedish designer socks brand Happy Socks, for SEK 765 million. Palamon will also inject SEK 40 million in capital to support the continued expansion of the business. Happy Socks is sold in more than 90 countries through more than 10,000 points of sale, including ecommerce and company owned stores.#

Following the transaction, co-founder Mikael Soderlindh and Victor Tell will remain actively involved in the management of Happy Socks.Happy Socks is a phenomenal company with a very distinctive brand DNA that resonates with consumers around the world, Ali Rahmatollahi, partner at Palamon Capital Partners said. Palamons investment stems from the firms ongoing effort to identify well-positioned European specialty retail brands with strong growth potential in a global market. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) is helping the Japanese fashion industry step into Indonesia, the worlds fourth most populous country. JETRO organised an event in Jakarta recently, which saw 21 Japanese fashion brands presenting their collections. JETRO considers Indonesia as a potential market for the Japanese fashion industry.Addressing a news conference ahead of Japan Fashion Event 2017, Daiki Kasugahara, chief of JETROs office in Jakarta said, Indonesia is seen as market with good potential for the Japanese fashion sector.

The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) is helping the Japanese fashion industry step into Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. JETRO organised an event in Jakarta recently, which saw 21 Japanese fashion brands presenting their collections. JETRO considers Indonesia as a potential market for the Japanese fashion industry.#

I hope the Japan Fashion Event will create a new fashion culture and help expand the fashion sectors of both countries, he added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
With a vision to take people back to their roots, Craftsvilla.com, the largest online ethnic store, recently did a Fabric Tour of India on social media. Launched in time for Republic Day, the concept is an attempt from the e-commerce company to take people on a tour of India's cultural heritage through the traditional weaves of the country.

Craftsvilla is also set to launch a handloom collection that will have Banarasi, Kanjeevaram, Pochampally Ikat, Bhagalpuri silk among other famous handwoven textiles.

What stands out about this initiative is that it is not just the popular weaves like Banarasi, Kanjeevaram or Chanderi that have been featured. Craftsvilla has picked up beautiful yet lesser-known textiles such as Phanek (Manipur, North East), Pachra (Tripura) Apatani (Arunachal Pradesh), Kunbi (Goa), Kullu Shawls (Himachal Pradesh), Kuchai Silk (Jharkhand), and showcased them on the map of India, said the company in a statement.

With a vision to take people back to their roots, Craftsvilla.com, the largest online ethnic store, recently did a Fabric Tour of India on social media. Launched in time for Republic Day, the concept is an attempt from the e-commerce company to take people on a tour of India's cultural heritage through the traditional weaves of the country.#

The initiative got an enthusiastic response as fans took to social media to show their appreciation in the comments.

Craftsvilla has always taken up initiatives that help people connect back to their roots. And fabric tour is one such initiative. India is a hub of crafts and weaves. While most people know about the mainstream crafts and weaves, there are still unknown gems from various parts of the country that people have not heard about. This is our attempt at popularising these arts and crafts, said Monica Gupta, co-founder, Craftsvilla.

Woven by master craftsmen who work incessantly to keep alive a tradition that goes back centuries, Indian fabrics are a medley of vibrant colours, gorgeous designs, beautiful prints and intricate motifs that tell the tale of Indias rich and glorious past. Even Indian designers are experimenting with the traditional textiles to come up with designer sarees. Craftsvillas initiative paves the way for modern Indians to know all about the history of their country in an interesting way. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Jos Berry, founder and CEO of Concepts Paris, highlighted the new cellulosic yarn brand Naia from Eastman Chemical Company, at the intimate apparel fair Interfiliere that was recently held in Paris. The company unveiled its cellulosic yarn brand story and knit collection at Whisperings, a walk-through experience and trends project that was hosted by Berry.

As an event that coincides with the growing demand for materials originating from sustainable sources, the unveiling of Naia from Eastman represents an opportunity for brands and mills to innovate with a fresh yet proven cellulosic material.

Made from wood pulp derived exclusively from sustainably managed and certified forests, Eastman Naia cellulosic yarn is a poised, new reflection of a long-standing fibre that enables luxurious, comfortable and easy-to-care-for fabrics and garments. A supplier of filament yarn to the textile industry for 80 years, Eastman introduces Naia cellulosic yarn as the newest offering for those seeking to innovate in their next collection.

Jos Berry, founder and CEO of Concepts Paris, highlighted the new cellulosic yarn brand Naia from Eastman Chemical Company, at the intimate apparel fair Interfiliere that was recently held in Paris. The company unveiled its cellulosic yarn brand story and knit collection at Whisperings, a walk-through experience and trends project that was hosted by Berry.#

For Whisperings, Eastman, working with US knitter Bella Fabrics, had created a prototype knit using Naia cellulosic yarn to illustrate the lightness and silky femininity of the new brand name. The installation depicted Gaia, the primal earth goddess, as a reminder of our responsibilities towards dwindling resources.

My vision for Whisperings is to evoke the emotional experience and value that technology brings to lingerie, and Naias first prototype knit seeks to capture the elements of lightness, silkiness and beauty. These themes are integral parts of a lingerie experience for a woman, and the fibre itself enables these elements beautifully, said Berry.

New technical data confirms that Naia can inherently provide the performance consumers are demanding in intimate apparel, such as moisture management, cool hand and practical usability. Fabrics made of Naia release stains like wine and coffee easily, offer excellent wrinkle recovery, and can be laundered at home. It is with these newly proven benefits that Eastman ushers in its fresh brand name for the intimate apparel space. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Karl Mayer, a leader in warp knitting, warp preparation, and machinery for technical textiles, is set to celebrate its 80 year anniversary this year. Like no other company, Karl Mayer represents technical progress and successful partnerships. In various locations, the company will show its new textile developments covering trends like athleisure.The company will show introduction of digitisation into the textile industry value-chain by expanding the application of its new automation platform KAMCOS 2. Sustainability is another important topic for the future. Karl Mayer will show answers with LEO (Low Energy Option) and PROSIZE, a sizing system that will save up to 20 per cent resources in fresh water, size agent, and waste water.

Karl Mayer, a leader in warp knitting, warp preparation, and machinery for technical textiles, is set to celebrate its 80 year anniversary this year. Like no other company, Karl Mayer represents technical progress and successful partnerships. In various locations, the company will show its new textile developments covering trends like athleisure.#

During the last two years, Karl Mayer invested approximately 40 million into their various worldwide locations. It has started new production facilities at Karl Mayer ROTAL in Italy, and opened a new development centre for double-bar raschel technology at NIPPON MAYER in Fukui, Japan, that will be opened officially with an in-house show from March 1 to 3, 2017.At Karl Mayers headquarters in Germany, a new 12,000 square meter assembly hall and a new core competence centre for parts and components will be opened in July 2017. Karl Mayer will also set up nine newly developed machines for an in-house exhibition organised for business partners, plus a separate open day for the public.Furthermore, Karl Mayer, China will show new developments to their business partners in autumn of this year at their factory in Changzhou, China. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
In order to attract more investments in the textile industry, the cap of Rs 50 crore should be removed under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) in the upcoming Union Budget 2017-18, said the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). It has also suggested the government to avoid changing drawback benefits and procedures under GST regime.

The industry has been benefitted by the Rs 6,000-crore special package for the garment industry, announced in June 2016, which aims at facilitating new investment, exports and employment. We expect the budget to supplement it, taking the introduction of GST also this year, Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC told Fibre2Fashion in an exclusive interview.

He also said that the companies that are scaling up should be incentivised and the condition of term loan component of 50 per cent should not be imposed since there is no interest subsidy for the loans being taken from the banks. Clubbing of license should also not be permitted under annual advance license for the enhanced Duty Drawback Scheme.

In order to attract more investments in the textile industry, the cap of Rs 50 crore should be removed under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) in the upcoming Union Budget 2017-18, said the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). It has also suggested the government to avoid changing drawback benefits and procedures under GST regime.#

The entire 12 per cent provident fund (PF) should be contributed by Central government for removing the need for additional registration and compliance requirement of payment of employers PF contribution first and then taking its refund. Some of the notifications pending under the special package like the notification for optional deduction of EPF for the employees less than Rs 15,000 per month should be issued, added Rajani.

Talking about the apparel market, he said, The global apparel markets have been stagnant since 2015. For India, the growth in 2015-16 was a nominal 0.2 per cent and in 2016-17 it is expected to be similarly modest. However, India's domestic market is growing, which is an opportunity for the apparel manufacturers.

Indias overall apparel exports witnessed a decline of 0.2 per cent between April and December owing to the decrease in import from major markets like US and UAE. However, Indias apparel exports grew in non-traditional markets such as Russia, Oman, Tanzania, Argentina, Iran and Qatar.

When asked which factors are most likely to influence Indian apparel exports this year, Rajani said, The revival of the EU, USA and UAE markets  the top three markets for India is critical for export enhancement. The continuation of Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) and effective roll out of the Special package will be critical as these are biggest support that the industry has presently. Besides this, bilateral trade agreement with UK, post Brexit, and India-EU FTA can be huge positive influences on apparel export.

He noted that the delays in the roll out of the special package, non implementation of some of the important support announced and the stagnation in EU and US markets resulted in a curtailed growth potential. The growth witnessed during the months of August, September and October was proof enough that the package is an answer to the industry need for support. (KD)

Click here to read the complete interview.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Arjun Rampal's mother Gwen Rampal, who was suffering from breast cancer has come out as a winner by successfully defeating the illness and Arjun is extremely happy about the development. "A very Happy Republic Day 2017. My mother beats her cancer today.Just got to know let's pledge to beat cancer from our country today."

The actor also thanked the Almighty by saying, "Most importantly the almighty for listening to ur prayers,the prayers of all of you my dear fans and family.I love you, send you all my love," and "It's one of the happiest days in our lives, I am in Lisbon right now. My gratitude knows no bounds to #profcarlogreco #champalimaudfoundation."



A very Happy Republic Day 2017. My mother beats her cancer today.Just got to know  let's pledge to beat cancer from our country today.  arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) January 26, 2017

Most importantly the almighty for listening to ur prayers,the prayers of all of you my dear fans and family.I love you, send you all my love  arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) January 26, 2017

It's one of the happiest days in our lives,I am in Lisbon right now.My gratitude knows no bounds to #profcarlogreco #champalimaudfoundation  arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) January 26, 2017

And of course to my dear friend @LalitKModi who made sure I let for Lisbon, with MoM,from NYC. You saved her https://t.co/z6k5MvZzEC you bro  arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) January 26, 2017

The Rock On 2 star also thanked Lalit Modi on Twitter for his help in saving his mother. Arjun tweeted, "And of course to my dear friend @LalitKModi who made sure I let for Lisbon, with MoM, from NYC. You saved her life. Love you bro."

Arjun Rampal also thanked his near and dear ones who were always there beside him and his mother, during the tough phase of their lives battling cancer. It is indeed a very good news!

Anushka Sharma Opens Up About Her Debut In Hollywood!
The 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' star-cast Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam have arrived at the Jodhpur Magistrate Court today on January 27, 2017 to record their statements on the blackbuck poaching case.

The actors arrived in Jodhpur on the Republic Day as the Court ordered their presence to record their statements on Friday. The stars are currently inside the court for the legal process to take its course. Salman Khan was acquitted in the Arms Act Case last week by the Jodhpur Court and the case was carried on for 18 years.

The five actors are accused of poaching two blackbucks while shooting for the film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' near Kankani village in 1998. The species is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act and is a criminal offence to hunt the animal down.

Salman Khan was acquitted by the Jodhpur Court last week on the Arms Act Case and we will have to wait and see what the same court will decide on the poaching case framed against the actors.

Akshay Kumar & Rajinikanth Starrer Robo 2.0 Teaser To Be Out On April 14?
The Bollywood film industry has a sudden craving for overseas actors/dancers and people appreciate their talent and commitment towards a film despite being from a different country. They are treated as 'insiders' and Richa Chadha opened up about the issue and said despite she being an Indian who has starred in several B-town films, she is still seen as an 'outsider' while the abroad actors are labelled as 'insiders'. She said,

Shahrukh Khan Does A Donald Trump! Blasts The Media

"I was referring to the sort of category that's called the outsider. I don't love that word. People who are not born in the (film) industry are called outsiders but they actually are not outsiders or aliens. In fact, sometimes the industry is much more welcoming for talent from overseas. But it's unfortunate and shameful that people turn down actors from our country. We underestimate their talent and call them outsiders. That's really weird but I don't really care about it that much."



She further continued, "People need to understand that being an outsider does not mean you will not be successful, just like being born into the film family doesn't ensure success. If you're progressive, you eventually get your dues and it should be based on merit. Everybody has to work equally hard today, whether they are from the industry or not. The pressure and expectations of people who are star kids are different and definitely taxing. It's not easy anymore."

On the work front, Richa will next be seen in the film Cabaret, which is directed by Pooja Bhatt and speculations are rife that the film is inspired and based on the life of actress Helen.

Donald Trump To Be The Greatest US President! Says RGV
Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett Smith states that she is quite contented and happy with the fact that the nominations for Academy Awards 2017 has included more black stars to its list.

The 45-year-old star, who is wife of renowned Hollywood actor Will Smith had protested against the lack of diversities in Hollywood and nominations for Oscar in the year 2016, along with her husband. But she is happy to find more black stars being nominated for this year's Oscars.

"I feel really fantastic. It's a beautiful thing to see. We had a lot of exceptional films this year. I'm glad to see that projects like 'Hidden Figures', 'Fences' and 'Moonlight' are getting recognition. I'm very proud this morning," said Jada Pinkett Smith in a statement.

"I look at this beautiful step towards that. Just our participation as artists in this time of how went want to represent our country, what is the messaging we want the world to see." Added the actress.

The actress also stated that it is important for all the black artists in the industry to take the responsibility to raise voice against the lack of diversities in Hollywood.

"As artists we have strong voices. We create strong imagery in regards to the identity of our country. It's important that we take responsibility for that." Said Jada.
Now that the horses have left the barn, trotted out the front gate and are galloping headlong down the county road, editors at The New York Times have taken to public bickering about who left the stalls unlatched.

Not that its doing the rest of us much good.

How the Times retains its pre-eminent place in American journalism after decades of politicized bungling at the highest levels continues to mystify. Almost regardless of how many fruitless investigations it flogs or catastrophic wars the newspaper enables, its editors invariable response to criticism remains Were The New York Times, and youre not.

Even when, as in the latest public challenge to the Timess high opinion of itself comes from inside the building. Public editor Liz Spayd wrote a recent column arguing that regarding Donald Trumps strange bromance with Vladimir Putin, the newspaper definitely left the stall doors ajar.

Headlined Trump, Russia, and the News Story That Wasnt, Spayds column argues that despite having plenty of potentially explosive information about an ongoing FBI probe into the Trump campaigns alleged ties with Russian intelligence operatives, the newspaper sat on the story.

Conversations over what to publish were prolonged and lively, she writes, involving Washington and New York, and often including the executive editor, Dean Baquet. If the allegations were true, it was a huge story. If false, they could damage The Timess reputation. With doubts about the material and with the FBI discouraging publication, editors decided to hold their fire.

Spayd believes the Times was too timid by half. If you know the FBI is investigating, say, a presidential candidate, using significant resources and with explosive consequences, that should be enough to write.

It may also be worthwhile recalling, although Spayd somewhat downplays the comparison, how the newspaper handled an investigation of Trumps rival. The Times treated FBI Director James Comeys highly irregular Oct. 28 letter reopening the agencys fruitless probe into Hillary Clintons emails like the Pearl Harbor attack. There was hardly anything else on the front page.

Then on Oct. 31, the Times delivered itself of a front-page exclusive headlined Investigating Donald Trump, FBI Sees No Clear Link to Russia. Anonymous law enforcement officials said so. Russian hacking of Democratic emails, the article concluded, was aimed at disrupting the presidential election rather than electing Mr. Trump.

Since the election, the Times has reversed itself: Both intelligence and law enforcement officials agree that there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence suggesting that the Russian hacking was primarily aimed at helping Mr. Trump and damaging his opponent.

Too late. Before the Nov. 8 contest, most of the national media followed the Times lead in soft-pedaling the Moscow connection. Regardless of its blunders, the newspapers influence remains canonical. Reporters want to work there pretty much the way whiz kids want to go to Harvard.

Meanwhile, as CNBC reported, none other than FBI Director James Comey argued privately that it was too close to Election Day for the United States government to name Russia as meddling in the U.S. election.

Oh no, perish the thought.

Just the other day, President Trump actually blew Comey a kiss at a White House reception. Hes so impulsive and unpredictable, our president.

Comey gets to keep the job.

But back to the internal dispute at The New York Times. Liz Spayds column about editorial foot-dragging so annoyed Executive Editor Dean Baquet that he took to the rival Washington Post to characterize it as a bad column, with a ridiculous conclusion.

Writing to the always provocative Erik Wemple blog, Baquet denies that the Times got played by its sources. We did not have a story. It was unpublishable speculation, he writes. It made no difference what the Feds wanted. She doesnt understand what happened. We reported the hell out of this, as did other news organizations, and we could prove nothing ... When a news organization concludes that it cannot prove something, it doesnt get to say, I want to show you my notebook anyway.

Point taken. Not that its ever kept the Times from publishing speculative scandal stories over the past quarter century or so. Although Spayds too politic to say so, it appears that she could also be speaking on behalf of Times reporters whose stories got spiked. Either way, weve likely not heard the last of this intramural conflict.

Of course, the most effective response to an accusation of editorial cowardice is a demonstration of editorial courage. The incoming Trump administration will give surely Baquet and everybody else plenty of chances. As the Times has since reported, Trump took office amid an ongoing counterintelligence probe of numerous associates. Short of a high-level Russian defector, however, its hard to imagine Americans will ever know the complete truth.

To catch a runaway horse, its helpful to carry a bucket of feed. Chasing them, however, is futile; youve got to let the animals come to you.
Renowned Hollywood actor and performance artist Shia LaBeouf has been arrested by police at the site of his protest against the newly elected US President Donald Trump.

The 30-years-old actor reportedly had a disagreement and altercation with another anti-Trump supporter, as a result, he assaulted the man for having a diverse political opinion and support. However, the exact cause for the altercation is still not clear.

The Law enforcement groups from specially trained NYPD have been deployed in the area surrounding the protest site co-created by LaBeouf along with Luke Turner and Nastja Sade Ronkko which reads "He will not divide us" which is intended to stay there for next four years.

As per the NYPD officer Sgt. Thomas Antonetti, who opened up regarding the incidence, stated that,

LaBeouf in a moment of agitation and verbal exchange suddenly grabbed the victim's scarf and thrashed him heavily before police approached the scene.

The actor was then charged with misdemeanor assault but also got released later on with a desk appearance ticket.

The very talented actor who first achieved fame at a very young age with the Disney channel series titled Even Stevens has also acted in Steven Spielberg's iconic film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 01/26/17 -- Knight Therapeutics Inc. ("Knight") (TSX: GUD), a leading Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that it has acquired 6,200,000 common shares ("Shares") of Israeli based Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. ("Protalix") at an average price of US$0.57 per share. Knight now owns approximately 5% of the outstanding common shares of Protalix. The Shares were purchased by Abir Therapeutics Ltd ("Abir"), Knight's wholly-owned Israeli headquartered subsidiary, which owns 28.3% of Medison Pharma ("Medison"), Israel's third largest pharmaceutical company ranked by revenues. It is anticipated that Medison will provide selected services to Abir in order to launch innovative pharmaceuticals in Israel.

Protalix, publicly traded on NYSE MKT and the TASE, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. Protalix's first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved for marketing by the U.S. FDA. Protalix's development pipeline includes the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified version of the recombinant human alpha-GAL-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; OPRX-106, an orally-delivered anti-inflammatory treatment; alidornase alfa for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis; and others.

Knight acquired the Shares for investment purposes. Knight may in the future purchase or sell shares of Protalix or otherwise trade in securities of or engage in other transactions with respect to Protalix depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to, Protalix's financial position, the price levels of the common shares of Protalix, conditions in the securities markets and general economic and industry conditions, Protalix's business or financial condition, and other factors and conditions Knight deems appropriate.

"We purchased this position in Protalix to plant a seed for a long and healthy relationship that hopefully blossoms into Canadian and Israeli product rights to Protalix's promising pipeline," said Jonathan Ross Goodman, CEO of Knight. "At a minimum, this will be a GUD investment for Knight. With over $700 million in cash, Knight will continue to grow its portfolio of innovative products for Canada and select international markets, with Abir, supported by our partnership with Medison, leading the charge in Israel."

About Knight Therapeutics Inc.

Knight Therapeutics Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring or in-licensing innovative pharmaceutical products for the Canadian and select international markets. Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s shares trade on TSX under the symbol GUD. For more information about Knight Therapeutics Inc., please visit the company's web site at www.gud-knight.com or www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This document contains forward-looking statements for Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries. These forward looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Knight Therapeutics Inc. considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable at the time they were prepared, but cautions the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries, may ultimately prove to be incorrect. Factors and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations are discussed in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Report and in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015. Knight Therapeutics Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Knight Therapeutics Inc.

Jeffrey Kadanoff, P.Eng., MBA

Chief Financial Officer

514-484-GUD1 (4831)

514-481-4116 (FAX)

info@gud-knight.com

www.gud-knight.com




LOS ALAMITOS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/26/17 -- NovaWurks Inc., a provider of high technology space products and services, announced today that Talbot Jaeger, founder and chief technology officer at NovaWurks, will be conducting in-person, private meetings with global space industry leaders at the upcoming Global Space Congress (GSC) on Tuesday, January 31, and Wednesday, February 1. Jaeger, accompanied by David Barnhart, CEO of Arkisys, Inc., will be sharing their vision of the future of NovaWurks' Hyper-Integrated Satlet (HISat) spacecraft and space structures that enable agencies, businesses and entrepreneurs to affordably and quickly move to the forefront of the NewSpace market.

"Our meetings at the GSC are intended to introduce space industry and agency thought leaders to the limitless applications available through the implementation of the HISat platform for both spacecraft and space structures," said Jaeger.

In those meetings, Jaeger will be sharing the extraordinary list of "firsts" that NovaWurks has achieved thus far in the development and deployment of HISat-based technologies. Among those accomplishments is the first satlet-based satellite approved for assembly on the International Space Station (ISS).

Held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the Global Space Congress is an exclusive, strategic gathering of global space industry leaders including Heads of Space Agencies, C-Level executives from leading space and aerospace companies, government ministries, top researchers and academics. The GSC enables collaborative development and the implementation of core space and satellite technology strategies, bringing global and regional economic benefits.

NovaWurks' HISats, a space-proven technology, provides a foundation for building safe, rapid and cost-effective solutions. With each HISat containing all of the functional capabilities of an autonomous satellite, and the flexibility to conform to the shape or capability requirements of any payload, the HISat-based cellular architecture is flexible for a variety of mission purposes.

For more detail on HISat technology, and a full list of HISat "firsts," or to schedule a meeting with Talbot Jaeger while at Global Space Congress visit here.

About NovaWurks:

NovaWurks, Inc., located in Los Alamitos, California, invents, designs and creates high technology products and services for a broad range of applications for space. The NovaWurks team of designers, scientists and engineers offers a diverse background in spaceflight, consulting and research work with decades of experience in managing complex, visionary projects for government, military and corporate clients. For more information, visit www.novawurks.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vivian Slater

714-573-0899 ext. 235

vivian@echomediapr.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Editor's note: There are two images associated with this release.

Power Metals Corp. ("Power Metals Corp." or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: PWM)(FRANKFURT: OAA1) is very pleased to announce that it has executed an agreement to acquire one of the largest lithium brine permit portfolios in Alberta, Canada, as measured by actual coverage over relevant formations, in this case the Leduc formation (see map attached).

Portfolio Highlights:

-- Immediate Scale-Up to a 505,000+ Acre Oilfield Lithium Brine Project Base. -- Historic Lithium Sampling up to 135 mg/L. -- Significant Lithium Brine Exploration Opportunities in Infrastructure- Rich Region. -- Permits Contain Oil Field Wellheads Offering Potential for Well Sampling Programs and Oil Company Partnerships. -- Permit Control of the Leduc S, South Formation Water Lithium Target Area.

"Power Metals is exceptionally pleased to have secured this accretive lithium brine opportunity. By acquiring a legacy permit portfolio secured prior to recent industry activity, we have secured a massive position of lithium oilfield brines in Alberta. Recent market reaction to the nearby, same formation work by MGX Minerals exemplifies capital market interest in this stable jurisdiction, and offers a compelling project-level business model in terms of examining potential for near-term commercial production of lithium brines," stated Johnathan More, Chief Executive Officer of Power Metals Corp.

Figure 1 - Alberta Lithium Brine Project Map (South Leduc Brine project area) -http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/power_figure1_1.jpg

As part of its broader Alberta Lithium Brine Project, the new South Leduc Brine project area, which independently exceeds 450,000 acres, offers significant and cohesive scale and operational efficiencies, particularly when compared to small, geographically-diffused approaches. The sheer district scope of the project area, approaching 70 kilometers on an east-west basis and up to 38 kilometers on a north-south basis may assist with eliminating and addressing multi-party drainage conflicts commonly associated with smaller geographical brine districts in other jurisdictions.

In Alberta, extractive rights to lithium (and other minerals) accrue to the holder of a Metallic and Industrial Minerals Permit covering the location in question and not to the holder of any rights under oil or gas licenses of same location. As such, petroleum companies operating oil and gas activity in areas of lithium-rich formation water have no legal ownership of prospective lithium brines absent concurrently holding the Metallic and Industrial Minerals Permit. Therein, monopoly holders of lithium right permits have a unique partnership opportunity within Alberta which does not always correspond to other lithium oilfield brine prospects elsewhere. Increased lithium commodity pricing, renewed efforts to cost-recover expenses affiliated with brine water coincidental to maturing hydrocarbon production fields and increased environmental stewardship have brought lithium oilfield brines to the attention of the extractive industry.

The Company encourages investors to review a 2011 report published by the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) entitled, Geological Introduction to Lithium-Rich Formation Water with Emphasis on the Fox Creek Area of West-Central Alberta (NTS 83F and 83K)(ERCB/AGS Open File 2011-10)(the "AGS Report").

The AGS Report concluded that Devonian formation waters associated with producing oil and gas wells in the Fox Creek area of west-central Alberta offered mg/L lithium readings ranging from 5-14 times background levels in Alberta resulting in specific lithium in formation water target areas being of potential economic interest. In addition, elevated bromine, boron and potassium offered the possibility for multi-element by-product streams.

Figure 2 - Estimated Areas of Producible Lithium Formation Water in the Leduc Formation and the Beaverhill Lake Group strata (Source Credit: AGS Report) - http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/power_figure2_1.jpg

Government data from the mid-1990's (see Figure 2) estimated areas of producible lithium formation water in the Leduc Formation (N, North and S, South) and the Beaverhill Lake Group (BL) strata (Bachu et. al., 1995). As it concerns recent industry efforts around oilfield lithium brine prospects in Alberta, this research is significant in so far as it vectors in on potential brine production areas that may have lithium extraction potential.

Importantly, both the South Leduc Brine project area and MGX Minerals Inc.'s Sturgeon Lake Lithium Brine Project target the same Leduc Formation, with the MGX Mineral Inc. project focusing on the N, North region identified in both Figure 1 and Figure 2 and the Power Metals Corp. project focusing on the S, South region, likewise identified.

The Company is particularly encouraged as the S (South) target identified by Bachu et. al. (see Figures 1 and 2) is spatially much larger than the N (North) target and thus, pending further exploration, may represent a larger in-situ lithium brine target that ultimately exceeds the scale of the geographically-smaller N, North target being pursued by MGX Minerals Inc.

In addition to the South Leduc Brine project area referenced above and as part of the permit portfolio being acquired, the Company will also hold an additional lithium brine prospect situated immediately northeast of the City of Red Deer, hereafter referred to as the Red Deer Lithium Brine project area.

Transaction Terms

Power Metals Corp. is acquiring the Alberta Lithium Brine Project, including its twenty-three (23) Metallic and Industrial Minerals Permits granted by the Mines and Minerals Act (Alberta) from arm's-length parties in exchange for the issuance of five million common shares of the Company and the granting of a 2% gross overriding royalty thereon.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval, including approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company is relying on historical brine geochemical fluid data given the stage of the project and cautions that results on its project base may differ from other proximate permit holders.

John F. Wightman, MSc. (Geology), P.Eng., FGAC, a qualified person, prepared the disclosures reports related to these projects. National Instrument 43-101 reports have not been prepared on these properties.

About Power Metals Corp.

Power Metals Corp. is a Canadian mining company with a mandate to explore, develop and acquire high quality mining projects for minerals contributing to power. We are committed to building an arsenal of projects in both lithium and clean power fuels like uranium. We see an unprecedented opportunity to supply the staggering growth of the lithium battery industry.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

Johnathan More, CEO and Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

The view the images associated with this release, please click on the following links:

http://www.marketwire.com/library/20170126-power_figure1_x.jpg

http://www.marketwire.com/library/20170126-power_figure2_x.jpg

Contacts:

Power Metals Corp.

Johnathan More

CEO

646-661-0409

info@powermetalscorp.com




8.1% revenue growth, of which 2.9% organic growth excluding the impact of voluntary contract exits

Full-year outlook confirmed

Regulatory News:

Elior Group (Paris:ELIOR) (Euronext Paris ISIN: FR 0011950732), one of the world's leading operators in the catering and support services industry, today released its consolidated revenue figures for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016-2017, corresponding to the three months ended December 31, 2016.

Commenting on these figures, Philippe Salle, Elior Group's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Our performance in the first quarter of 2016-2017 was in line with our forecasts. Excluding the effect of voluntary contract exits, organic growth for the three months ended December 31, 2016 came in at 2.9%, reflecting further strong sales momentum, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom. At the same time, the implementation of our acquisition program contributed to the acceleration in our overall revenue growth. And thanks to the effective rollout of projects under our Tsubaki transformation plan, we are standing by our financial objectives for the full fiscal year."

Revenue

(in millions) 3 months

2016-2017 3 months

2015-20161 Organic

growth2 Reported

growth Contract catering services 1,187 1,093 0.2% 8.5% Concession catering 407 382 3.9% 6.7% Group 1,594 1,475 1.1% 8.1%

Business development

Business development was buoyant in the first three months of FY 2016-2017. The retention rate for contract catering services rose once again during the period, although it was negatively affected by the Group's strategy of taking a much more selective approach to contract renewals, particularly in France and Italy. A number of major contracts were won in the first quarter of the fiscal year in the contract catering services business, including with Klesia, the municipality of Henin-Beaumont, Saint-Omer hospital, and Nexity in France, as well as with BNP Paribas in Italy, Barts Health NHS Trust in the United Kingdom, the armed forces in Spain and the National Gallery of Art in the United States.

External growth

During the first quarter of FY 2016-2017, the Group carried out three bolt-on acquisitions in its contract catering business in Spain, Italy and the United States with the aim of consolidating its contract portfolio. The newly-acquired companies together contributed 14 million to consolidated revenue for the period.

Revenue

Consolidated revenue totaled 1,594 million for the first quarter of FY 2016-2017. The 8.1% year-on-year increase reflects (i) organic growth of 2.9% (excluding the 1.8% negative effect of voluntary contract exits), (ii) an 8.1% positive impact from acquisition-led growth, and (iii) a 1.1% negative currency effect.

The portion of revenue generated by international operations rose to 55% in the first quarter of FY 2016-2017 from 52% in the comparable prior-year period.

Contract catering services revenue was up 93 million (or 8.5%) year on year, coming in at 1,187 million and accounting for 74% of the Group's total consolidated revenue.

Organic growth was 0.2%. Excluding voluntary contract exits from low- and non-profit-making contracts in Europe organic growth was 2.0%. It was weighed down by an unfavorable calendar effect compared with first-quarter FY 2015-2016 estimated at over 1%.

Recent acquisitions3 accounted for 106 million (or 9.7%) of this business line's revenue figure.

The currency effect during the period was a negative 1.3%.

Revenue generated in France totaled 556 million. Organic growth was a negative 0.4% but excluding voluntary contract exits it amounted to 1.1%.

In the business industry market, revenue was buoyed by the strong business development seen in the previous fiscal year, particularly for high-end catering services.

In the education market, revenue was down year on year due to an unfavorable calendar effect, although this negative impact was partly offset by increased restaurant attendance.

Revenue decreased in the healthcare market as a result of certain contracts not being renewed.

Revenue for the international segment advanced 17.9% to 631 million. Organic growth for this segment was 0.6%, or 2.7% excluding the impact of voluntary exits from low- and non-profit-making contracts in Europe. Recent acquisitions generated additional growth of 19.8% whereas the currency effect was a negative 2.6% during the period.

In Spain, the business industry and education markets reported strong performances, fueled by sustained business development, which more than offset a revenue contraction in the healthcare market.

In the United States, organic growth was boosted by the start-up of new contracts, particularly in the education market and for high-end catering services.

In Italy, revenue was hampered by voluntary contract exits, especially in the education and healthcare markets, as well as by an unfavorable calendar effect in the business industry market.

In the United Kingdom, revenue in the business industry market was also weighed down by an adverse calendar effect. In the education and healthcare markets, however, the start-up of new contracts had a positive revenue impact.

Concession catering revenue rose 25 million in the first quarter of FY 2016-2017, amounting to 407 million and representing 26% of total consolidated revenue.

Organic growth came to 3.9%. Changes in the scope of consolidation resulting from the Group's May 2016 acquisition of a portfolio of contracts in the French railway stations market fueled a 3.4% revenue increase. Changes in exchange rates notably for the Mexican peso had a 0.6% negative effect.

Revenue generated in France amounted to 161 million, up 5.1% on the same period of FY 2015-2016, although organic growth was a negative 3.4%.

Performance in the motorways market continued to be weighed down by the termination of a number of contracts and the effects of renovating sites whose concession agreements have been renewed.

Revenue in the airports market decreased year on year due to the loss of the catering contract for terminals E and F at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport in February 2016 and a slump in air traffic at Orly-Sud airport as a result of airlines being assigned differently at the various terminals.

The city sites leisure market reported a revenue increase, powered by the start-up of new contracts in the railway stations segment and the positive effect of the Paris Motor Show, which was held in October 2016.

In the international segment, 7.7% growth drove revenue up to 246 million for the first quarter of FY 2016-2017. Organic growth was 8.7%, but changes in exchange rates trimmed 1.0% off the revenue.

The motorways market felt the positive effects of higher traffic volumes in Spain, Portugal and the United States, as well as the opening of new service areas in Portugal, which more than offset the closure of a number of areas in Italy.

Revenue in the airports market was lifted by upward trends in traffic volumes and the opening of new points of sale, notably at Bilbao airport in Spain, LAX in the United States, and in Mexico.

Outlook

As part of its strategic plan for 2016-2020, the Group has embarked on a transformation process with a view to accelerating its development. Its aim for FY 2016-2017 is to continue towards the profitable growth targets it has set itself for 2020. Thanks to the first quarter of FY 2016-2017 performance, the Group is standing by its objectives for the full fiscal year, namely to achieve the following:

Organic growth 4 of at least 3%, excluding the impact of voluntary contract exits (which is expected to be less than 100 basis points). Acquisitions carried out in FY 2015-2016 represented aggregate non-consolidated in FY 2015-2016 revenue of c. 250 million.

of at least 3%, excluding the impact of voluntary contract exits (which is expected to be less than 100 basis points). Acquisitions carried out in FY 2015-2016 represented aggregate non-consolidated in FY 2015-2016 revenue of c. 250 million. A 20 to 30 basis-point increase in EBITDA 5 margin compared with FY 2015-2016 (based on a constant scope of consolidation).

margin compared with FY 2015-2016 (based on a constant scope of consolidation). A significant rise in EBITDA5 and adjusted earnings per share6

Financial calendar: May 30, 2017: First-half FY 2016-2017 results issue of press release before the start of trading plus conference call

July 28, 2017: Revenue for the first nine months of FY 2016-2017 issue of press release before the start of trading

Appendix 1: Revenue by business line and geographic region

Appendix 2: Revenue by geographic region

Appendix 3: Revenue by market

The English-language version of this document is a free translation from the original, which was prepared in French. All possible care has been taken to ensure that the translation is an accurate representation of the original. However, in all matters of interpretation of information, views or opinions expressed therein, the original language version of the document in French takes precedence over this translation.

About Elior Group

Founded in 1991, Elior Group has grown into one of the world's leading operators in the catering and support services industry, and is now a benchmark player in the business industry, education, healthcare and travel markets. Now operating in 15 countries, the Group generated 5,896 million in revenue through 23,000 restaurants and points of sale in FY 2015-2016. Our 120,000 employees serve 4.4 million customers on a daily basis, taking genuine care of each and every one by providing personalized catering and service solutions to ensure an innovative customer experience.

We place particular importance on corporate social responsibility and have been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2004. The professional excellence of our teams, as well as their unwavering commitment to quality and innovation and to providing best in-class service is embodied in our corporate motto: "Time savored".

For further information please visit our website: http://www.eliorgroup.com or follow us on Twitter: @Elior_Group

Appendix 1: Revenue by Business Line and Geographic Region (in millions) Q1

2016-2017 Q1

2015-2016 Organic

growth (1) Changes in

scope of

consolidation

(2) Currency

effect (3) Total

growth France 556 558 -0.4% 0.0% 0.0% -0.4% International 631 535 0.6% 19.8% -2.6% 17.9% Contract catering services 1,187 1,093 0.2% 9.7% -1.3% 8.5% France 161 154 -3.4% 8.5% 0.0% 5.1% International 246 228 8.7% 0.0% -1.0% 7.7% Concession catering 407 382 3.9% 3.4% -0.6% 6.7% GROUP TOTAL 1,594 1,475 1.1% 8.1% -1.1% 8.1%

Appendix 2: Revenue by Geographic Region (in millions) Q1

2016-2017 Q1

2015-2016 Organic

growth (1) Changes in

scope of

consolidation

(2) Currency

effect (3) Total

growth France 717 712 -1.0% 1.8% 0.0% 0.8% Other European countries 560 546 0.0% 5.6% -3.0% 2.5% Rest of the world 316 217 10.9% 34.9% 0.1% 45.8% GROUP TOTAL 1,594 1,475 1.1% 8.1% -1.1% 8.1%

Appendix 3: Revenue by Market (in millions) Q1

2016-2017 Q1

2015-2016 Organic

growth (1) Changes in

scope of

consolidation

(2) Currency

effect (3) Total

growth Business industry 505 500 -0.4% 3.9% -2.4% 1.0% Education 385 305 0.5% 26.3% -0.3% 26.4% Healthcare 296 288 0.7% 2.4% -0.4% 2.7% Contract catering services 1,187 1,093 0.2% 9.7% -1.3% 8.5% Motorways 129 132 -2.6% -0.1% 0.2% -2.5% Airports 177 168 6.7% 0.1% -1.0% 5.7% City sites leisure 101 82 8.5% 15.9% -1.0% 23.5% Concession catering 407 382 3.9% 3.4% -0.6% 6.7% GROUP TOTAL 1,594 1,475 1.1% 8.1% -1.1% 8.1%

1. Organic growth: change in revenue based on a constant scope of consolidation and excluding the currency effect. 2. Changes in scope of consolidation correspond to the acquisitions carried out in France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain 3. The currency effect stems from changes in the USD, GBP, MXN and CLP exchange rates. NB: The figures of FY 2015-2016 have been restated due to the reclassification of non-strategic assets held by Areas Northern Europe as discontinued operations

1 Restated due to the reclassification of non-strategic assets held by Areas Northern Europe as discontinued operations.

2Excluding the impact of changes in scope of consolidation and the currency effect.

3 ABL Management consolidated since December 1, 2015; Preferred Meals consolidated since July 1, 2016; Waterfall Catering Group consolidated since September 1, 2016, and bolt-on acquisitions.

4 Excluding the impact of changes in scope of consolidation and the currency effect.

5 Excluding the impact of stock options and performance shares.

6 Adjusted for (i) non-recurring income and expenses, net of the tax effect (calculated at the standard rate of 34%), and (ii) net amortization of intangible assets recognized on consolidation in relation to acquisitions.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006052/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Marie de Scorbiac, +33 (0)1 71 06 70 13

marie.descorbiac@eliorgroup.com

or

Media

Anna Adlewska/Caroline Guilhaume, +33 (0)1 47 03 68 10

anna.adlewska@fticonsulting.com / caroline.guilhaume@fticonsulting.com
STOCKHOLM, Jan 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The vehicle inspection company Opus Group has decided to move its 2016 year-end report forward to February 14 to present the company's new growth strategy for the coming five years. The new growth strategy will be presented together with the 2016 year-end report at a press and analyst conference on February 14 in Stockholm.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors Katarina Bonde, the CEO Magnus Greko, board member and the Head of the Vehicle Inspection division Lothar Geilen, CFO Linus Brandt will all be present. The press and analyst meeting will be web casted on www.opus.se and there will also be a live telephone conference connected to the meeting. More information about the conference will be sent out in advance through a press release.

Molndal, January 27, 2017

Opus Group AB (publ)

For additional information, please contact

Magnus Greko

President and CEO

Phone: 46-31-748-34-00

E-mail: magnus.greko@opus.se

Peter Stenstrom

Investor Relations

Phone: 46-765-25-84-93

E-mail: peter.stenstrom@opus.se

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/opus-group/r/opus-group-brings-its-2016-year-end-report-forward-to-february-14---to-present-new-growth-strategy-f,c2174854

The following files are available for download:


CHESHUNT (dpa-AFX) - The boards of Tesco plc (TSCO.L, TSCDY.PK) and Booker Group plc (BOK.L) announced they have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended share and cash merger. Under the terms of the Merger, each Booker Scheme shareholder will receive for each Booker Scheme Share: 0.861 New Tesco shares; and 42.6 pence in cash. The terms of the Merger represent: a value of approximately 205.3 pence per Booker Share; and a value of approximately 3.7 billion pounds for Booker's ordinary share capital. The merger will result in Booker shareholders owning approximately 16 percent of the combined Group. Booker's CEO will join the combined Group's Board and Executive Committee and Booker's Chairman will also join the combined Group's Board.



The Tesco Board has reviewed its dividend policy and intends to recommence paying dividends in respect of the financial year 2017/18. The Tesco Board expects dividends to grow progressively from that financial year with the aim of achieving a target cover of approximately 2x earnings per share over the medium term.



Tesco and Booker have agreed that Booker shareholders will be entitled to receive: any ordinary interim and final dividends announced, declared or paid by Booker in the ordinary course; and a special dividend in respect of the financial year ending 24 March 2017. In addition, Booker shareholders will also be entitled to receive a closing dividend soon after the effective date.



The Tesco Board expects pre-tax synergies for the combined Group to reach a run-rate of at least 200 million pounds per annum by the end of the third year following completion of the merger. Quantified revenue synergies of at least 25 million pounds per annum are anticipated to come by the end of the third year following completion of the merger, primarily from an enhanced offering and customer proposition. The merger is also expected to enable opportunity for cost synergies of at least 175 million pounds, mainly in areas such as procurement and distribution.



Dave Lewis, CEO of Tesco said: 'Tesco has made significant progress in turning around our UK retail business. This Merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital. Wherever food is prepared and eaten - 'in home' or 'out of home' - we will meet this opportunity with the widest choice and best service available.'



Tesco affirmed that the Group is on track to deliver at least 1.2 billion pounds of Group operating profit before exceptional items for the full year. The merger is expected to be accretive to Tesco's earnings per share (excluding the effects of implementation costs) in the second full financial year following the effective date.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
NUREMBERG, Germany, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Those aged 30-40 are most likely to share data for rewards

China , Mexico and Russia lead for people willing to share data

Germany , France and Brazil have the most people not willing to share data

Over a quarter (27 percent) of internet users across 17 countries strongly agree that they are willing to share their personal data in exchange for benefits or rewards like lower costs or personalized service. This contrasts to 19 percent who are firmly unwilling to share their data.

GfK asked people online to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement, "I am willing to share my personal data (health, financial, driving records, energy use, etc.) in exchange for benefits or rewards like lower costs or personalized service" - using a scale where "1" means "don't agree at all" and "7" means "agree completely."

Equal percentages of both men and women are firmly willing (top two boxes) to share their data in return for benefits - both standing at 27 percent. However, more women than men class themselves as firmly unwilling (bottom two boxes), standing at 21 percent of women versus 18 percent of men.

People aged in their twenties and thirties are most likely to share their data, with a third saying they are firmly willing to do so (33 percent and 34 percent respectively). They are followed by those aged 15 to 19 years old, at 28 percent.

People in China are most ready to share their personal data in exchange for benefits, with 38 percent of the online population saying they are firmly willing to do so and only eight percent firmly unwilling. Other countries with higher than average levels of willingness are Mexico (30 percent), Russia (29 percent) and Italy (28 percent).

The five countries with the highest levels of people firmly against sharing their data are Germany (40 percent), France (37 percent), Brazil (34 percent), Canada (31 percent) and the Netherlands (30 percent).

By using GfK's findings, businesses save time and resources through recognizing in advance which target audiences in each country are likely to respond to standard data-sharing offers, and which audiences require bespoke offers designed to align with their specific mindsets.

To download full findings for each of the 17 countries, visit http://www.gfk.com/global-studies/global-study-overview/
PRESS RELEASE27 January 2017 at 10:30 a.m.eQ Asset Management has a long and successful track record in European private equity investing. eQ PE VII US, the first eQ private equity fund investing in the US, closed in 2015 with 80 million USD of commitments. eQ has just launched its second US vintage. eQ PE IX US fund held first closing on 27 January 2017 with over 45 million USD commitments from 23 limited partners in addition to eQ and RCP. Fund raising continues during the spring and the final closing will be held by the end of June.eQ PE IX US will make commitments in private equity funds whose strategy is to invest equity capital in unlisted small and mid-sized companies in The United States and Canada. The fund portfolio will consist of approximately ten funds resulting in 100-150 underlying companies diversified in various sectors, geographies and development stages. Like the 2015 US fund, the new fund will be advised by RCP Advisors based in Chicago responsible for selecting investments."eQ's first US private equity fund was fully committed in target schedule. We are very pleased with the cooperation of our strategic partner RCP. The US private equity market is the largest in the world. However, the dispersion of returns between managers is especially wide in the small and mid-sized segment. Therefore, finding the best funds and securing allocations requires an experienced local partner. Our seamless cooperation with RCP enables us to offer our clients access to the best US small and mid-market funds very efficiently", comments Staffan Jafs, Head of Private Equity at eQ."We have over 100 limited partners in our private equity funds. The assets under private equity management were 4.3 billion euros at the end of 2016. We launch new European and US funds every alternate year. The next North European private equity fund will be raised again in 2018", concludes Jafs.Helsinki 27 January 2017eQ Asset Management LtdFor further information:Staffan Jafs, Head of Private Equity, eQ Asset Management Ltd+358 (9) 6817 8736, staffan.jafs@eQ.fieQ Group is a Finnish group of companies specialising in asset management and corporate finance business. eQ Asset Management offers a wide range of asset management services (including private equity funds and real estate asset management) for institutions and individuals. The assets managed by the Group total approximately EUR 8.4 billion. Advium Corporate Finance, which is part of the Group, offers services related to mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions and equity capital markets.More information about the Group is available on our website at www.eQ.fi.
Its not often that the physical world changes overnight. On January 20, though, it did.

On that day  when Donald Trump was inaugurated  our national efforts to combat the causes of global warming were shelved, leaving Americans on their own to protect themselves from its effects.

Trumps plan for his first 100 days calls for backing away from the Paris climate accord, scrapping the EPAs Clean Power Plan, and installing a climate denier as the agencys head. Among the first orders he issued were calls to complete the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

Congress likewise seems ready to do nothing to slow flooding along our coasts, drought in Americas breadbasket, or the spread of asthma and insect-borne diseases all over, among the many other threats across a warming America.

But there may be one positive result from Washingtons inaction: Now we wont be paralyzed by the hope that federal regulations will fix everything.

We can instead turn our attention to defending against the rising costs and disruptions of warming right here in our own neighborhoods.

Warming is global, but its effects are very localized. Each community faces different threats and costs, but with one thing in common: Well need to rely on local governments, community organizations, businesses, and families.

Take flooding as an example.

Around the country, nearly 300 electric generation plants  including more than 100 nuclear plants  plus 12 major airports are so close to sea level they need to be moved or protected. Its going to be up to state and local governments to fortify them.

Elsewhere, New Yorkers are contemplating how to relocate or protect 104 public schools, 85 houses of worship, and 16 hospitals that are within 6 feet of todays sea level. In Rhode Island, Newporters are mulling how to safeguard the 968 historic structures that lie in the floodplain  and the tourist revenues those structures attract.

Then theres extreme weather. Many towns must figure out how to finance projects to control sewer overflows and water pollution caused by increasingly severe downpours. Riverside and coastal communities should be planning seawalls and other barriers.

New zoning regulations can reduce watershed loss and repetitive storm damage. Meanwhile, cities may want to expand heat-wave emergency plans, or try to cool themselves by planting trees and mandating reflective or green roofs.

At the neighborhood level, communities are expanding local food sources in case reduced rainfall cuts into the nations supply of groceries. Families should meanwhile be preparing for increased cooling needs, worsening allergies, and water shortages.

Not least, property owners need to contemplate declining property values, particularly for flood- and drought-threatened homes and businesses, while municipalities need to deal with the resulting erosion of their tax base.

As we turn our attention to these effects of warming, we need to encourage inventors and entrepreneurs. Home cooling, water purification and reuse technology, hydroponics, and flood control are only a few of the candidates for innovation.

In one sense, of course, nothing changed on Inauguration Day.

Even if Washington dramatically increased programs to slow warming, the atmosphere weve created has guaranteed rising temperatures, increased flooding and droughts, and other changes over the next 20 years or more.

What has changed is that Washingtons refusal to tackle the causes of warming can galvanize us to think more clearly about how to protect ourselves against its effects.

Now that we know the cavalry isnt coming to stop climate change, its high time we start getting serious about how to adapt our own communities and homes.

The cavalry isnt coming to stop global warming, so its high time we start adapting our own communities and homes.
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Toshiba Corp. (TOSYY.PK, TOSBF.PK) Friday announced that it has decided to implement a company split of the memory business. In a statement, the company said that the memory business, including the SSD business, but excluding its image sensor business, of the storage & Electronic devices solutions company will be separated by a company split by March 31. Toshiba said it is currently giving full and careful consideration to the assets that will be transferred in the company split, to make sure that it does not interfere with the operation of the memory business after the split. The company said it will seek shareholder approval for the decision at an extraordinary general meeting in late March. 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.
A.M. Best will attend the 41st General Assembly and Conference of the Federation des Societes d'Assurances de Droit National Africaines (FANAF), which is to be held 13-16 February in Marrakech, Morocco. The theme of this year's conference is, "New Regulatory Issues and Operational Challenge: Which Strategy for African Insurance?"

Dr. Edem Kuenyehia, associate director, market development communications and William Mills, director, market development will be in attendance at the conference.

The delegation from A.M. Best will be holding bilateral meetings in their designated meeting location on the first floor of Palais des Congres, Marrakech. To arrange a meeting, please contact Charlotte Jackson at charlotte.jackson@ambest.com.

Mr. Mills will also participate in the conference panel discussion on 15 February on the topic, titled, "The Role for Financial Rating in the Development and Investment Strategy of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies."

More information about the conference is available at http://www.fanaf2017.com.

A.M. Best provides Financial Strength, Long- and Short-Term Issuer Credit and Long- and Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings for insurers worldwide including ratings on a number of national and regional (re)insurers in the African Insurance Markets.

Visitors to http://www.ambest.com/ratings can learn about Best's Credit Ratings and read criteria reports explaining the rating process.

A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright 2017 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005026/en/

Contacts:

A.M. Best

Charlotte Jackson, +(44) 20-7626-6264

charlotte.jackson@ambest.com
SOEST, The Netherlands, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Over 200 extraordinary items from the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot (China) and other museums arrive at the Netherlands. The items, including a golden saddle, will be part of the exhibition 'Genghis Khan, world conqueror on horseback'. The objects have never before been shown outside China. The National Military Museum is the first museum that presents the exhibition from 18 February.

200 extraordinary items

Using wide-ranging contemporary sources, digital media and some of the rarest objects from the museums of Inner Mongolia, this is the story of the Mongols -as it has never been told before. The golden saddle is one of the 200 treasures from the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot, China. It is for the first time that these artefacts are accessible at this scale to the public outside China.

Genghis Khan, world conqueror on horseback

The exhibition tells the story of one of the largest contiguous empires ever known to mankind and the impact it had. The golden saddle is one of the key pieces in the collection. The exhibition documents the life of Genghis Khan from a military perspective.

The exhibition 'Genghis' is a project of Nomad Exhibitions in collaboration with the Inner Mongolia Museum and the University of Edinburgh. The exhibition will open on 18 February and be on display until 27 August.

National Military Museum

The National Military Museum (NMM) is the leading museum highlighting the role of the armed forces in the Netherlands in the past, present and future. The museum illustrates this role by means of stories, activities and topical exhibitions that live long in the memory. The museum has a huge presentation area in which many impressive collection pieces are on display, such as aircraft, tanks, armoured vehicles and helicopters. For more information, go to http://www.nmm.nl or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - Eurozone banks lent funds to businesses and households at a faster pace in December, figures from the European Central Bank showed Friday. Lending to businesses grew an adjusted 2.3 percent year-on-year following a 2.1 percent increase in November. Loan growth was the fastest since June 2009, when there was a 3.1 percent gain. Loans to households increased an adjusted 2 percent after a 1.9 percent increase in November. The growth was the strongest since June 2011, when lending rose 2.1 percent. The annual growth rate of the broad monetary aggregate M3 increased to 5.0 percent from 4.8 percent in November. Economists had forecast 4.9 percent growth. The narrower aggregate M1, which includes currency in circulation and overnight deposits, increased 8.8 year-on-year in December versus 8.5 percent in November. 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.
EAGLE POINT, OR -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Grow Condos, Inc. (OTCQB: GRWC),a fully reporting publicly traded company specialized in cannabis industry related "Condo" style real estate and turn-key grow facilities, is pleased to announce that as the Company advances on its key projects, a growing number of noteworthy local media outlets have taken notice of Grow Condo's ventures, and provided coverage, highlighting the opportune timing and magnitude of the Company's endeavors including the developments of Nuggetville, and Smoke on the Water. For the latest updates at any time go to: http://growcondos.com/media/.

Management is overwhelmed with the positive publicity and local support that appears to be emerging. One of the finest ways to get exposure is for a company's prospective clients and partners to encounter that entity in the media. Getting news coverage in the press is a valuable contribution to any company's long term success. Below are some of the headlines that have been discovered over the past few weeks:

Oregon Company Grow Condos Announces Pot-Friendly RV Park

MERRY JANE-Jan 23, 2017

This will be the third major project for Grow Condos, who currently provide warehouse space for marijuana growers in Eagle Point.

Oregon company Grow Condos hopes to build pot-friendly RV park ...

The Register-Guard-Jan 22, 2017

Eagle Point Company Plans Marijuana-Friendly RV Park

OPB News-Jan 22, 2017

Company hopes to build pot-friendly RV park in Oregon

Minneapolis Star Tribune-Jan 22, 2017

Oregon Company Grow Condos Wants to Open the First Cannabis ...

The Marijuana Times-Jan 24, 2017

Since cannabis has been legalized in various states it's clear that there are a number of people who have been, or will be, changing their ...

'Nuggetville,' a new marijuana growing facility, makes business ...

KVAL-Jan 24, 2017

Southern Oregon company plans west Eugene industrial complex ...

The Register-Guard-Jan 5, 2017

1/2 -- This vacant lot in west Eugene could house more than 30 separate marijuana growers. A southern Oregon company, Grow Condos, plans ...

Local business 'Grow Condos' expands to Eugene

KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2-Jan 19, 2017

Wayne Zallen's business 'Grow Condos' began in the recession, and somewhat, as a surprise. "The demand was for marijuana growers, ...

Pot condos? Oregon developer sees big market in marijuana

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce (subscription)-Jan 12, 2017

This complex in Eugene would have 32 "pot condos" for sale or lease. Grow Condos also has a campground and resort division called Smoke ...

Proposed complex would house dozens of pot growers

KOIN.com-Jan 9, 2017

The Register-Guard reports that Grow Condos Inc. has submitted its ... Grow Condos CEO Wayne Zallen says the company has a similar facility ...

Company plans Eugene complex to house dozens of pot growers

Clearfield Progress-Jan 9, 2017

Eagle Point Company Wants to Build Pot-Friendly RV Park in ...

KAJO-Jan 24, 2017

Grow Condos Chief Executive Officer Wayne Zallen says the park will be called "Smoke on the Water." Zallen says if the project moves forward,

The Next Big Thing: Marijuana Growing Condos?

National Mortgage Professional Magazine-Jan 13, 2017

According to a Daily Journal of Commerce report, the start-up Grow Condos is seeking permission from the city of Eugene, Ore., to open a ...

Grow Condo's new wholly owned subsidiary, "Smoke on the Water," recently announced that the Company had entered into an Agreement to acquire one of the territory's privately owned nature rich vacation spots, Lake Selmac Resort & RV Park, situated in the picturesque heart of Southern Oregon. In reference to the transaction, Marijuana Times on January 24th published the following excerpts: "Since cannabis has been legalized in various states it's clear that there are a number of people who have been, or will be, changing their vacationing plans to get a chance to enjoy some legal herb while they get away from the mundane routine of everyday life. Unfortunately, due to strict consumption laws that prohibit people from smoking or vaping marijuana in public, there are very few places where you can enjoy your legal cannabis while on vacation."

Located just 20 miles south of Grants Pass, Oregon and 2.5 miles east of the Redwood Highway (Hwy. 199) in Selma, Oregon, Lake Selmac Resort the peaceful exclusive property currently facilitates Fishing, Swimming, Boating, and in addition to RV parking, has Tent Camping & Cabin locations established for accommodation. To view more regarding the property, visit: http://www.lakeselmac.com. Grow Condos and Smoke on the Water are actively continuing development of the ventures recently announced, and intend to keep shareholders fully informed as projects unfold.

About Smoke on the Water, Inc.: Smoke on the Water, Inc. is Grow Condo's wholly owned subsidiary, designed to capitalize on the country's growing level of recreational marijuana acceptance. The company plans to engage in a roll up strategy for this highly-fragmented industry and provide turn-key solutions for Marijuana-friendly campgrounds and resorts. The company has strategized to initially develop the property through acquisition, subsequently rebranding the existing RV business to represent the Smoke on the Water brand. Upon project launch, the Company plans to provide fully functional vacationing solutions to campground operators and owners seeking to fill the growing demand for stress free and acceptable vacationing for the pro-personal choice and marijuana smoking community. For more information, visit: www.smokeonthewater.club

About: Grow Condos, Inc.: Grow Condos is a fully reporting publicly traded company listed under the symbol GRWC: Pink Sheets. It is a real estate purchaser, developer & manager of specific use industrial properties providing "condo" style turn-key grow facilities to support the cannabis industry. We own, lease, sell and manage multi-tenant properties.

Like during the Gold Rush days in California, Grow Condos is focused on a pick-and-shovel approach to participating in the exploding marijuana industry. We finance the purchase and/or development of properties by offering to investors private placement sponsorships, debt instruments, or limited partnerships. We believe there is a significant investor demand for such opportunities. Currently we own and manage a 15,000-square foot warehouse in Eagle Point, Oregon, own and developing a property in Eugene, Oregon and are currently looking into other acquisitions in Oregon, Colorado, Washington, California and Nevada with like-minded investors who want to share in the growth of this dynamic new industry.

Safe Harbor: This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Grow Condos, Inc, its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) financing plans; (ii) trends affecting its financial condition or results of operations; (iii) growth strategy and operating strategy. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "can," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Grow Condos, Inc. ability to control, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. More information about the potential factors that could affect the business and financial results is and will be included in Grow Condos, Inc. filings with the OTC Markets, Securities and Exchange Commission and/or the company's website.

CONTACT:

Grow Condos, Inc.

Corporate: www.growcondos.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrowCondosInc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrowCondosInc

Investor Relations: ir@growcondos.com




Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
STOCKHOLM, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The best businesses from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland were honoured at an exclusive event last night in Stockholm, for The European Business Awards sponsored by RSM.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462118/Nordic_National_Champions.jpg )



The 54 firms were chosen by a panel of independent judges, including senior businesses and academic leaders, to be 'National Champions' in Europe's largest business competition.



At the event, the seventh in a series of events across Europe, attendees had the chance to speak to leading businesses in their field and hear from guest speakers including Robert Hasslund, Managing Partner of RSM Sweden.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: "These events not only celebrate the success of our dynamic National Champions in the competition but also the key role they play in Europe's strong business community. I congratulate all our National Champions from the Nordics on their success."

Lead sponsor RSM, is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms worldwide, and has supported the European Business Awards since its inception.

Robert Hasslund, Partner of RSM Sweden said: "It is wonderful to see so many successful Nordic businesses networking and creating new relationships. From RSM Sweden, we are very pleased with the event and wish all the National Champions the best in the future."

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM said: "The National Champions are stand-out leaders, demonstrating businesses tenacity and commercial excellence. These companies will lead the way forward bringing growth and prosperity across the continent and beyond. I would like to congratulate them all and wish them luck in the coming rounds".

In the next round, the National Champions are taking part in the Public Vote, which opened on 9 January at http://www.businessawardseurope.com. Category winners and the overall winner of the public vote will be announced at the Gala Final in May 2017.

The European Business Awards was set up to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. This year it engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries.

Further information about the National Champions and the Awards can be found at http://www.businessawardseurope.com and http://www.rsm.global

About the European Business Awards:

The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe.

For all citizens of Europe, prosperity, social and healthcare systems are reliant on businesses creating an even stronger, more innovative, successful, international and ethical business community - one that forms the beating heart of an increasingly globalised economy.

The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways:

 It celebrates and endorses individuals' and organisations' success

 It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to

 It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues

The European Business Awards is now in its 10th year. This year it engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries. Last year's public vote generated over 227,000 votes from across Europe. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE and PR Newswire.

http://www.businessawardseurope.com.

About RSM:

RSM is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, encompassing over 120 countries, 760 offices and more than 38,000 people internationally. The network's total fee income is US$4.64 billion.

RSM is the lead sponsor and corporate champion of the European Business Awards promoting commercial excellence and recognition of entrepreneurial brilliance.

RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms, with the shared objective to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide.

RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. http://www.rsm.global

About ELITE:

ELITE is a full-service programme designed to share best practice and increase growth opportunities for fast growing companies, with a focus on understanding the capital markets. ELITE is an innovative programme based on exclusive training and a tutorship model, supported by access to the business and financial community. Its aim is to prepare companies for their next stage of growth and investment.

For further information on the programme, companies and the full list of partners, please go to:

http://www.elite-growth.com

About PR Newswire:

PR Newswire is the leading global provider of PR and corporate communications tools that enable clients to distribute news and rich content. We distribute our client's content across traditional, digital and social media channels in real time with fully actionable reporting and monitoring.

Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimisation network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information on PR Newswire please visit http://www.prnewswire.co.uk


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Air Products And Chemicals Inc. (APD) on Friday issued its second-quarter and fiscal 2017 earnings view, below current market estimates. This was after reporting lower profit in its first quarter, despite a slight increase in sales. The Industrial gases company also announced higher dividend. Looking ahead, Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said the company is now more cautious in its outlook.



In pre-market activity on the NYSE, Air Products shares were losing 3.23 percent to trade at $144.



'... like any other global company, we are not immune from macro-economic and geopolitical events. The new administration in the United States has not yet articulated its full economic and foreign policy. In Europe, it is not yet certain how the UK government will address the exit from the European Union,' Ghasemi said.



For the second quarter, the company expects adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations of $1.30 to $1.40.



For fiscal 2017, the company expects adjusted earnings per share of $6.00 to $6.25, which at the midpoint, represents a nine percent increase over prior year.



On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $1.55 per share for the second quarter and $6.38 per share for the year. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.



In its first quarter, attributable net income declined to $299.8 million from $363.6 million last year. Earnings per share dropped to $1.37 from $1.67 last year.



Net income from continuing operations was $252 million, down 10 percent versus the prior year, and earnings per share from continuing operations was $1.15, down 11 percent.



Adjusted net income from continuing operations was $322 million or $1.47 per share. First-quarter sales increased 1 percent to $1.88 billion from $1.87 billion a year ago.



Analysts expected earnings of $1.47 per share on sales of $1.95 billion for the quarter.



For the quarter, operating income of $328 million decreased 12 percent, and operating margin of 17.4 percent decreased 260 basis points versus prior year. Adjusted operating margin of 21.7 percent and adjusted EBITDA margin of 34.7 percent increased 110 basis points and 80 basis points, respectively, over prior year.



The company noted that a 2 percent higher volumes and 2 percent favorable energy pass-through were partially offset by 3 percent unfavorable currency. The volume increase was driven by strength in Industrial Gases - Asia and continued progress on the Jazan project. Pricing was flat with the prior year.



The company noted that this is the tenth consecutive quarter where it is reporting high single-digit or double-digit growth in profitability.



Further, the company increased dividend payable May 8, 2017 by 10 percent to 95 cents per share, reflecting its strong financial position and the 35th consecutive year of dividend increases.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- GENERATION NEXT FRANCHISE BRANDS (OTCQB: VEND)

Dear Generation NEXT (OTCQB: VEND) Shareholders;

The New Year is often a time of inward reflection on the developments of the past year, with ambitious goal setting for the coming year ahead. I am pleased to say that 2016 was a year of game-changing transformation and tremendous progress for the Company. We believe that the last two quarters of 2016 have uniquely positioned the Company and the brand for long-term success.

I would first like to thank all of the shareholders for their continued support of the Company. We greatly appreciate the confidence you place in Generation NEXT's business model, management, and mission. As we move forward, I believe we will continue to capitalize on our momentum and create increased shareholder value especially from our new Reis & Irvy's Froyo Robot concept. For a video of our Froyo Robot in action, please see the following:

Testimonial Video

https://vimeo.com/160788415

Our low investment Reis & Irvy's franchise can be purchased for $160,000. This compares to the average initial franchise investment of $520,000 across 3,500 brands, according to Brandon Gaille, marketing expert and blog master. Our franchise includes a minimum of four robots, location procurement services, consumable supply distribution and fulfillment from Honey Hill Farms, via U.S foods and Sysco, training at the headquarters of our development partner Lancer Corporation, which also provides logistics support in the form of delivery, installation and technical support as well as marketing initiatives provided in the form of in-store flavor promotions among other initiatives.

We look forward to 2017 and developing more successful relationships with our franchisees, shareholders, partners, and associates.

Significant Achievements in 2016

Signed an exclusive license deal for the Robofusion technology in February 2016.

Upgraded the license deal to include exclusive distribution rights for North America in May 2016.

Booked our first Reis & Irvy's Froyo robot in April 2016.

Booked our 100th Froyo Robot in July 2016.

Booked our 250th Froyo Robot in September 2016.

Booked our 500th Froyo Robot in December 2016.

Signed an exclusive Development Agreement with Lancer Corporation for the development of the next generation Froyo Robot -- http://finance.yahoo.com/news/generation-next-franchise-brands-appoints-130000749.html.

Selected Spaceman USA as our certified Froyo beverage machine supplier -- http://www.spacemanusa.com/.

Selected Honey Hill Farms as our premium Froyo and frozen fruit supplier -- http://thehoneyhillfarms.com.

Selected Hartfiel Automation as our robotics technology partner -- http://www.hartfiel.com/.

Changed our name to Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, which now owns both Fresh Healthy Vending and Reis and Irvy's. representing over of 350 combined franchisees;

The Company raised $300,000 in debt capital.

Acquired Robofusion, Inc. U.S. utility patent number 8,989,893; U.S. design patent number D647,926; and U.S. patent application numbers 20140120235 and 20160242434 in December 2016 -- http://finance.yahoo.com/news/generation-next-franchise-brands-acquires-130000368.html.

From April 2016 through December 2016, the Company generated over $16,500,000 in franchise bookings for our new Froyo Robot (recorded as deferred revenues until Robots are installed) and over $19 million in total franchise bookings.





Please note that all franchise bookings are recorded as deferred revenues on our consolidated balance sheet, which as of September 30th, 2016 aggregated $14.6 million. Once the Company commences delivery of the Robots, the deferred revenues will be recognized as actual revenues on a pro-rata basis.

Overview of 2017 Goals and Milestones

We expect 2017 to be a busy year for development of our next generation Froyo Robot, continued sales expansion, both domestically and internationally, and increased corporate operations and location procurement services throughout the U.S.

We plan to continue positioning ourselves as a developer and market leader of robotic vending machine concepts by focusing and delivering upon the following objectives:

Completing development of our next generation Froyo Robot -- The Robot will include a smaller footprint, NSF certification, UL listing, telemetry alerts for temperature fluctuations, proximity sensors for lights and music, a patent-pending self-cleaning dispensing system and a 3G modem for cellular transmission of data.

Booking our 1,500th Froyo Robot and 500th franchisee.

Launching our corporate-owned operating model and partnering with a national retail chain.

Initiating our international Master License program.

Turning cash flow positive.

Generating positive reportable net income.

Increasing the strategic nature of our Company's Board of Directors with industry expertise.

Seeking up to an additional $10-$20 million in investment capital.

Introducing the market to our next robotic vending concept supported by additional patent applications.





In closing, we believe that we are uniquely positioned for the challenges ahead and look forward to executing on our evolving business model. Again, we thank all of our shareholders for their continued support and look forward to an exciting and prosperous 2017.

Sincerely,

Arthur S. Budman

CEO

For more information on the revolutionary Froyo Robots, visit the Reis & Irvy's website at reisandirvys.com. To learn more about Generation NEXT Franchise Brands or its family of brands, including Reis & Irvy's, Fresh Healthy Vending or 19 Degrees, please visit www.gennextbrands.com or call toll free 888-902-7558.

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. No Reis & Irvy's franchises will be sold to any resident of any state until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by, such state and the required FDD (if any) has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law. Currently, the following states in the United States regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you reside in one of these states, or even if you reside elsewhere, you may have certain rights under applicable franchise laws or regulations.

Generation NEXT Franchise Brands

Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, based in San Diego, California, is a publicly traded company on the OTC Markets trading under the symbol: VEND. Generation NEXT Franchise Brands is parent company to Fresh Healthy Vending LLC, the market's leading healthy-choice vending machine franchise, Reis and Irvy's, Inc., the world's first robotic frozen yogurt vending robot and 19 Degrees, a corporate-focused frozen yogurt kiosk brand. The Company hosts over 350 active franchisees throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, and continually looks to partner with like-minded entrepreneurs who share its vision.

Cautionary note on forward-looking statements:

Except for historical information contained in this release, statements may constitute forward-looking statements regarding assumptions, projections, expectations, targets, intentions or beliefs about future events that are based on management's belief, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. While the Company believes that expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurances that goals, results and strategy will be realized. Numerous factors, including risks and uncertainties, terms and availability of financing, may affect actual results and may cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by the Company or on its behalf. In addition to statements, which explicitly describe risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with such terms as "believes," "belief," "expects," "intends," "feels," "anticipates," "proposes," "proposed," or "plans" to be uncertain and forward-looking. More detailed information on these and additional factors that could affect Generation NEXT's actual results are described in Generation NEXT's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2016, and its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016. All forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on Generation NEXT's current beliefs and expectations. Generation NEXT undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contact:

Generation NEXT Franchise Brands

info@gennextbrands.com




For far too long the state of Nevada has been ranked at, or near, the bottom of national education rankings. The reasons for this low ranking are varied and disputed, but the reality is Nevada is in a position where they must improve the quality of education available to their students.

With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) the yoke placed on states by No Child Left Behind has been removed. As of August 2016, educational policy has shifted from the federal government to the state and local levels. States have 18 months to put together a plan and have it in place.

Beginning in May of 2016 I have been a member of the ESSA development committee as have other classroom teachers, school administrators, concerned citizens and policy makers. It is an extremely diverse volunteer group of committed people from the North and South of the state who have been meeting via teleconference hashing out the details of the plan.

In addition to the main committee there have been work groups who have met to work out the details of professional development, school evaluation, assessment and other details of the plan. The plan is designed to meet the unique needs of Nevada that builds on our success and proposes new strategies where we know we need to improve. As a Nevada classroom teacher for the last 27 years it is the most exciting attempt at school reform I have ever experienced.

One of the problems I have seen with students who have been educated in the era of NCLB is a complete lack of critical thinking and problem solving skills. I see students who merely want answers which they can spit up on a test yet they have no idea what the question is or what the answer means. I attribute this to the emphasis on test results which determine school funding.

With the implementation of ESSA the single high stake tests which have driven instruction for over a decade are gone. What is replacing them are a variety of assessments which consider socio-economic conditions of the region, teacher development and assessments which have been approved by the state with local input. There is a new emphasis on equity as opposed to equality when it comes to fulfilling student needs and struggling schools.

Funding is now available for early literacy and pre-school programs so students can begin their academic careers on a more equal footing able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them. After school programs and the arts, as well as student mental health, are also being developed with more than adequate funding available to sustain them. It is my deep and sincere hope the local focus on art in education and assisting students through their personal issues will result in students who are curious, motivated and willing to seek creative solutions to the ill-defined problems they will experience in school and life.

I am, and always have been, an optimist. I love my students and want nothing but the best for them. Over the last decade and half I have seen the heart ripped out of education and the soul diminished in my classes. I am hoping local commitment and involvement through ESSA will rekindle the light which used to shine in so many students in Elko. The plan is up for public comment now until March 1 at the Department of Education website  http://www.doe.nv.gov/Boards_Commissions_Councils/ESSA_Adv_Group/ESSA_Advisory_Group

As a member of the committee I can assure you input will be appreciated and it will be heard. The time has come for Nevadans to go All-In for the future of their public education system. We will not have an opportunity like this for a long, long time. I invite you to join me in this critical state-wide effort to help make the students of Nevada an educated population prepared to take on the challenges which lie ahead of them.
HOLLYWOOD, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 --bBooth, Inc. (OTCQB: BBTH), the Hollywood-based digital technology company, is pleased to announce the expansion of its executive team to include two seasoned sales professionals; Greg Siefkin, hired as VP of Strategic Accounts, and Doug Klotz, hired as VP of Technical Sales.

Greg Siefkin brings over 18 years' experience in digital media sales with senior executive level positions at Technicolor, DAX/Sample Digital, Ascent Media/Deluxe, Xstream, and IBM.

Doug Klotz, brings over 20 years' experience, tracing the start of his professional career to Scopus Technology, the company that pioneered the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) industry, followed by senior executive level positions at Siebel Systems, now Oracle, among other companies, building global technical enterprise software sales teams with a focus on SaaS-based CRM.

"We're very fortunate to add sales professionals of this caliber to our bBooth bNotifi team," states bBooth CEO, Rory J. Cutaia. "We've set some aggressive sales goals for bBooth this year and with the addition of these two pros, I'm even more confident in our ability to achieve them."

"I'm thrilled to be part of the bBooth team," states Mr. Siefkin. "With bNotifi's interactive video capabilities, bBooth has created what I believe is the most effective digital marketing tool available in the market today. We've got the right products, at the right time, and as part of a world-class management team, I honestly feel like I'm part of the next big thing."

"bBooth has redefined what a CRM tool should be," states Mr. Klotz. "Our bNotifi platform is designed for those organizations that believe that salespeople should have tools that actually help them 'sell,' not simply 'track' and 'report' their daily activities to management. Technology has changed over the past 20 years when many of today's popular CRM products were built, and so has the manner in which consumers and other sales prospects respond, engage and interact in today's video-centric world. I wanted to be part of this amazing company because I know first-hand that bBooth's bNotifi CRM platform is a disruptive technology that will be embraced by sales-based organizations all over the world."

About bBooth:

bBooth, Inc. (OTCQB: BBTH) is a Hollywood-based digital tech company. We develop and license cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), sales lead generation, and social engagement software on mobile and desktop platforms for sales-based organizations, consumer brands, and artists seeking greater levels of customer, consumer, and fan engagement. Our software platform can accommodate a single direct sales representative, yet is enterprise-class scalable to meet the needs of today's global organizations. We've re-invented what a CRM, lead-gen tool should be in today's video-centric social environment. Our service is built around our proprietary 'Video-First' bNotifi technology, which places interactive video front and center in all customer and prospect communications.

Forward-looking & Safe Harbor Statement: Certain statements in this release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and those statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more Information, please visit:



bBooth Inc.

www.bBooth.com



Please address media inquiries to:

info@bBooth.com

855 250-2300 ext. 2



Please address investor inquiries to:

investors@bBooth.com

855 250-2300 ext. 3




Affecto Plc - Stock Exchange Release, 27 January 2017 at 15:00, HelsinkiProposals of Affecto Shareholders' Nomination BoardThe proposals of Affecto Shareholders' Nomination Board to the Annual General Meeting that is scheduled to be held 7 April 2017:Number of Board members The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that the total number of Board members shall continue to be six (6).Remuneration of the Board of Directors The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that the monthly remuneration of the Chairman of the Board is increased from EUR 3,500 to EUR 4,000 and the monthly remuneration of the Chairman of the Audit Committee is increased to EUR 2,750 from EUR 2,000. The monthly remuneration of the Deputy Chairman and the other Board members is proposed to remain unchanged. In summary, the monthly remuneration is proposed to be as follows: -Chairman of the Board: EUR 4,000 -Deputy Chairman of the Board: EUR 2,750 -Chairman of the Audit Committee: EUR 2,750 -Board Member: EUR 2,000In addition, a fee of EUR 300 shall be paid for participation in each committee meeting and participation in person in Board meetings that are outside the country of residence of the relevant Board member. The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that 40 % of the Board remuneration is paid in Affecto's shares.Composition of the Board of Directors The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that the following Board members shall be re-elected: Aaro Cantell, Magdalena Persson, Olof Sand and Tuija Soanjarvi.Jukka Ruuska and Lars Wahlstrom have announced that they are no longer available for re-election.The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes the following new Members to be elected to the Board of Directors:Mikko Kuitunen Mikko Kuitunen, M.Sc. (Tech.), born 1980, is the co-founder of Vincit Group Plc and currently he acts as the VP of Development in Vincit. Previously, he was the CEO of Vincit 2007-2015. Prior to Vincit, Mikko Kuitunen has acted in different business development positions in Ionific Oy, Botnia Hightech Oy and Sasken Finland Oy.Timo Vaajoensuu Timo Vaajoensuu, M.Sc. (Tech.), born 1967, is an IT Director in Intrum Justitia Oy. Previously, he has acted in various leadership roles on IT & process development in Corob Holding Oy, F-Secure Plc and Munters Group between the years 1999 and 2015.Both proposed new members are independent of the Company and its shareholders.Chairman and Deputy Chairman: The Nomination Board proposes that Magdalena Persson is elected as the Chairman of the Board and Aaro Cantell is elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Board.The Shareholders' Nomination Board The Company announced the composition of the Shareholders' Nomination Board 16 November 2016. The members are Aaro Cantell, Chairman of Affecto's Board of Directors, Petteri Vaarnanen, Head of Asset Management in SP-Rahastoyhtio and Mikko Mursula, CIO of Ilmarinen.AFFECTO PLC Sakari Knuutti Director, Legal & IRFor additional information, please contact:Aaro Cantell Chairman of the Board +358 400 706 072 chairman@affecto.comSakari Knuutti Director, Legal & IR +358 50 562 4077 sakari.knuutti@affecto.com


THOUSAND OAKS (dpa-AFX) - Amgen Inc. (AMGN) said that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use or CHMP of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion for the Marketing Authorization of ABP 501, a biosimilar candidate to adalimumab, recommending approval for all available indications.



ABP 501 has been recommended for approval for the treatment of certain inflammatory diseases in adults.



This includes moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, severe ankylosing spondylitis, severe axial spondyloarthritis without radiographic evidence of AS, moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis, moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa, non-infectious intermediate, posterior and panuveitis, moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease and moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.



The CHMP opinion also recommends approval for the treatment of certain pediatric inflammatory diseases. These include moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease - ages six and older, severe chronic plaque psoriasis - ages four and older, enthesitis-related arthritis -ages six and older, and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis - ages two and older.



The European Commission or EC which has the authority to approve medicines for the European Union or EU, will review the CHMP positive opinion.



If approved, a centralized marketing authorization will be granted that will be valid in the 28 countries that are members of the EU. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, as members of the European Economic Area, will take corresponding decisions on the basis of the decision of the EC.



ABP 501 was approved in the U.S. by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 23, 2016, where it goes by the brand name Amjevita, or adalimumab-atto.



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CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Today, AltaGas Ltd. ("AltaGas") (TSX: ALA) celebrated the grand opening of its Pomona Energy Storage Facility at the site of its existing Pomona generation facility in the East Los Angeles Basin of Southern California (the "Facility"). At 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity storage capacity, it is currently the largest battery storage facility in operation in North America. In addition to AltaGas constructing the Facility on-time and on-budget, the company completed construction of the lithium-ion battery system in less than four months, which ranks as one of the fastest deployments of battery storage capacity on this scale in the industry to date.

"We are pleased to advance our California power strategy by bringing 20 MW of battery storage online within a precedent setting four months," said David Harris, President and CEO of AltaGas. "Providing energy from electricity stored in lithium-ion batteries provides clean reliable energy that complements California's renewable energy portfolio while adding to the versatility of our asset base which is well situated for pursuing other energy storage developments."

In August 2016, AltaGas' subsidiary, AltaGas Pomona Energy Storage Inc., signed a 10-year Energy Storage Resource Adequacy Purchase Agreement ("ESA") with Southern California Edison ('SCE") for 20 MW of energy storage at AltaGas' existing Pomona facility. Under the terms of the ESA, AltaGas will provide SCE with 20 MW of resource adequacy capacity for a continuous four hour period, which represents the equivalent of 80 MWh of energy discharging capacity. AltaGas will receive fixed monthly resource adequacy payments under the ESA and will retain the rights to earn additional revenue from the energy and ancillary services provided by the lithium-ion batteries. Commercial operations of the Facility under the terms of the ESA began on December 31, 2016.

"Offsetting periods of peak power with 80 MWh from battery storage is enough power to feed the electricity needs of approximately 15,000 homes over the four-hour period," said Harris.

The Facility features industry leaders in the energy storage industry including Samsung SDI, Parker Hannifin, Power Engineers and Greensmith Energy Management Systems. ARB was the General Contractor with support from the California Building Trades.

AltaGas' other assets in California include six natural gas-fired power generating facilities, as well as development projects.

AltaGas is an energy infrastructure company with a focus on natural gas, power and regulated utilities. AltaGas creates value by acquiring, growing and optimizing its energy infrastructure, including a focus on clean energy sources.

This release contains forward-looking statements. When used herein, the words "may", "would", "could", "can", "will", "be", "intend", "possible", "plan", "develop", "anticipate", "target', "believe", "seek", "propose", "continue", "estimate", "spur", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to AltaGas or an affiliate of AltaGas, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, and without limitation, this release contains forward-looking statements with respect to AltaGas' ability to advance its California power strategy, the ability of electricity stored in lithium-ion batteries to provide clean reliable energy that compliments California's renewable energy portfolio, the ability of the Facility to add versatility to AltaGas' asset base, AltaGas' asset base being well situated for pursuing other energy storage developments, AltaGas ability to earn additional revenue from the energy and ancillary services provided by the Facility the provision of 20 MW of resource adequacy capacity to SCE under the terms of the ESA and the ability of the Facility to provide the equivalent of 80 MWh of energy discharging capacity. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect AltaGas' current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in AltaGas' public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause AltaGas' actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, sought, proposed, estimated or expected, and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this release. AltaGas does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Contacts:

AltaGas Ltd.

Media

(403) 691-7197

media.relations@altagas.ca




WEVELGEM, Belgium, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Jacoti Hearing Suite, an innovative set of hearing applications created by Jacoti bvba, has been named a Global Mobile Awards 2017 Nominee. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of more than 250 independent judges from across the world, comprising leading industry and subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, academics, and in some cases, mobile operator representatives.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462134/Jacoti_GLOMO_awards.jpg )



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160620/381050LOGO )



JacotiHearingSuite is a set of cloud-enabled mobile applications that grants anyone - from people with normal hearing to those with profound hearing losses - ubiquitous hearing support. Utilizing off-the-shelf consumer hardware, the capabilities of Jacoti Hearing Suite extend far beyond existingand expensive hearingaids and assistive listening devices. Consumer electronics manufacturers can license the IP-protected technologies that drive JacotiHearingSuite (8 international patents, granted or pending).

"We are thrilled that the Global Mobile Awards 2017 have honored Jacoti Hearing Suite for its advanced hearing compensation and enhancement technology which enables hearing without barriers," said Jacques Kinsbergen, CEO of Jacoti bvba.

Jacoti believes that hearing loss compensation and personalization of audio should be a fundamental part of all audio-enabled computing devices. Hearing loss is both a medical condition and a consumer challenge. Therefore, it needs consumer-driven and consumer-oriented solutions.

As the hearing health field moves away from a product-based model to user-centered services, Jacoti Hearing Suite provides users state of the art tools to monitor, support, and personalize their listening experience. Jacoti Hearing Suite consists of the following interconnectable hearing applications:

Jacoti Hearing Center - a revolutionary, patented self-test hearing application that provides clinically reliable results in real-life environments.

- a revolutionary, patented self-test hearing application that provides clinically reliable results in real-life environments. Jacoti ListenApp - the first medically certified hearing aid application.

- the first medically certified hearing aid application. Jacoti Lola Classroom - a flexible and affordable assistive listening solution for classrooms, meeting rooms and lecture halls. It provides extremely low-latency multi-peer audio streaming over consumer-grade Wi-Fi.

- a flexible and affordable assistive listening solution for classrooms, meeting rooms and lecture halls. It provides extremely low-latency multi-peer audio streaming over consumer-grade Wi-Fi. myJacoti - a web service that allows users to store their audio profiles in the cloud, share them across devices, and connect to a remote HearingExpert for remote fitting assistance.

So that third-parties can integrate advanced hearing capabilities into their own products and services, Jacoti will present the world-class hearing enhancement technologies underlying Jacoti Hearing Suite at Hall 1 Booth 1C10 at MWC 2017, which runs February 27th - March 2nd , 2017, in Barcelona, Spain.

About Jacoti

Jacoti bvba is a privately held hearing technology company with offices in Wevelgem, Belgium, Barcelona, Spain and Palo Alto, USA. Jacoti's mission is to bring advanced hearing technology in reach of large populations with a special focus on children during their education.

Accessibility is a right not an option.

Jacoti bvba http://www.jacoti.com.

Copyright  2017 by Jacoti, bvba

All rights are reserved.

Jacoti retains all rights (including, but not limited to, copyrights, domain names, trademarks)
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Grass Carp, one of four Asian carp species, has arrived in the Great Lakes basin, according to a report released today by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The study concludes that Grass Carp have been found in Lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario.

The report - Binational Ecological Risk Assessment of Grass Carp for the Great Lakes Basin - concluded that the ecological consequences of Grass Carp in most areas of the Great Lakes basin could be extreme within the next 50 years. Wetlands in the Great Lakes basin are particularly vulnerable should Grass Carp become established.

The scientific, peer-reviewed study was led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, coordinated by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and authored by experts from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the University of Toronto Scarborough, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The results of the study will be used by both countries to shape decisions about Grass Carp prevention and management activities.

From 2013 to 2016, DFO's Asian Carp Program has recorded and analyzed 23 Grass Carps captured from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Of the fish caught, 9 were fertile Grass Carp, capable of reproducing. Scientific analysis concluded that all of the fish were born outside the Great Lakes waters and made their way into Canada.

Asian carps are considered the single greatest invasive species threat to the Great Lakes. Native to Eurasia, Asian Carps aggressively outcompete native fishes for food and habitat, and can quickly overtake an ecosystem.

Quick Facts

-- Grass Carp would have an extremely negative effect on the natural ecosystem because of their ability to outcompete for space and food and a lack of natural predators. -- Grass Carp have a voracious appetite and can consume 40% of their body weight in aquatic vegetation in a single day. -- In 2012, the Government of Canada announced $17.5 million in funding to establish an Asian Carp Program to protect the integrity of the Great Lakes basin by preventing the introduction of Asian carps. -- The Asian Carp Program conducts early detection sampling for Asian carps at over 36 locations in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes basin.

Quotes

"The federal government is committed to protecting the Great Lakes basin and this risk assessment provides clear, scientific information to help us do that. This study will inform our management and policy decisions with an objective of preventing the survival, establishment and spread of Grass Carp in the Great Lakes basin on both sides of the border."

- The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"Researchers and experts from Canada and the United Stated together applied the highest scientific standards in the development of this peer-reviewed risk assessment.The report released today presents the most current science available about the risks posed by Grass Carp to the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, the news is not good. The assessment suggests Grass Carp pose substantial risk to the Great Lakes. It is the Commission's hope that the conclusions will inform decisions around the management and prevention of Grass Carp and emphasize the need to prevent the future introduction of any invasive species."

- Robert Hecky, vice-chair of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Associated Link

Binational Ecological Risk Assessment of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) for the Great Lakes Basin.

Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Follow us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/DFO_MPO

Contacts:

Hilary Prince

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

905-336-4974

Hilary.Prince@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca



Marc Gaden

Great Lakes Fishery Commission

734-669-3012

marc@glfc.org




TORONTO, CANADA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- BacTech Environmental Corporation ("BacTech" or the "Company") (CSE: BAC)(OTC PINK: BCCEF) today presents its vision for an Ecuadorian project that includes the use of bioleaching to treat high arsenic gold concentrates, resulting in a reduction in mercury use.

Industry Background

With the significant increase in the price of gold over the past 10 years, there has been a corresponding surge in the number of artisanal gold miners ("AGM") globally. An AGM is someone who produces small amounts of ore, usually through the use of rudimentary methods and tools. There are literally hundreds of thousands of these AGMs in the countries of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, according to Dr. Marcelo Veiga of the University of British Columbia ("UBC") School of Mining, a specialist in this field. Over 30 million people globally participate in at least one facet of the industry and collectively AGMs produce an estimated 10 million ounces of gold (Barrick Gold Corp. produced 5.5 million ounces in 2016).

The Problem

After mining the ore, AGMs typically use mercury as an amalgamator of gold and silver, and the resulting environmental damage is significant. In particular, the use of mercury to obtain gold from arsenopyrite-rich material can be an exercise in futility as normally less that 10% of the gold is separated from this refractory type of ore. This is due to the gold being physically encapsulated within the arsenopyrite, which is unreactive and impervious to mercury amalgamation. The increased use of mercury over the past 10 years has led to many governments and NGOs looking for a solution to the problem. Interested readers should visit the Company's website (www.bactechgreen.com) (under "Newsroom", May 24, 2016) to view a video produced by a documentary company, Vice, on AGM mining in Colombia that illustrates the health risks of dealing with mercury. The long-term effects of mercury exposure to humans have been well documented.

In Ponce Enriquez, Southern Ecuador, steps were taken with the assistance of Dr. Veiga and the Canadian government to build sulphide flotation plants to produce arsenopyrite concentrates that are easier to ship and treat using methods other than mercury amalgamation. For the most part, especially in the case of simple sulphides, this led to a noticeable reduction in the use of mercury. However, in cases where arsenopyrite is the main refractory mineral, it provided a double-edged sword, namely, very good gold grades in the concentrates but also prohibitively high arsenic levels (+10%), making the resulting product much less attractive to buyers.

The Solution

This scenario creates a unique opportunity for BacTech and bioleaching. The reader may not be aware that bioleaching is an effective solution for processing high arsenic compounds. Currently, due to the lack of buyers for arsenopyrite concentrates, in which arsenic can run as high as 17%, there are few options for the miner to be paid a decent price for his labours. During the last year, over 150 tons per day of high arsenic compounds found their way to Asia for processing, but the prices paid to the miner can be as low as 50% of the value of the concentrate before even more deductions are made for high arsenic penalties. In addition, the buyer retains any mineral credits such as silver and copper. BacTech would be able to recover more of the gold, as well as most of the other mineral credits, thus allowing higher payments to be made to local AGMs for their concentrate.

The opportunity provided to BacTech is real. Given BacTech's experience in bioleaching, and after studying the local market with the assistance of the Company's newly appointed country representative, Bernardo Brito, we are confident that a strategy of building a bioleach circuit in Ponce Enriquez would provide healthy returns, not only for BacTech, but also for the local inhabitants. With Ponce Enriquez exports of high-arsenic concentrates growing at a 15-20% yearly rate during the last decade, BacTech would be able to capitalize on a booming mining district, and contribute to its sustainability with minimal competition.

It is BacTech's intent to immediately source 250 kgs of material from the local flotation plants and ship the product to Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. The Company is working closely with Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk at Laurentian to design a 5-6 month bioleach test work program that will be used to confirm a scoping study being provided by Dr. Paul Miller of BacTech. A successful outcome from this program would allow BacTech to pursue the construction of a bioleach plant near the flotation circuits of the area, and to become the sole processor of gold concentrate that is currently shipped halfway around the world.

The benefits to Ecuador and Ponce Enriquez are readily identifiable: from the government's perspective, an increase in employment and subsequent tax receipts; from the locals' perspective, an increase in what they are paid for their ores, as well as an improvement in the environment in which they live due to the elimination of the use of mercury because of the reduced arsenic release into the local environment from processing the concentrate.

Should BacTech be successful in implementing its strategy for Ecuador, there are opportunities to duplicate these plants in other high arsenic areas of the Andes Mountains, namely Northern Peru and Colombia.

It is BacTech's intention to source a local partner in all of its international projects.

Finally, with respect to the drill program underway in Bolivia at the high-grade Telamayu tailings, initial assay results from the 12 pre-Christmas drill holes are expected shortly.

Company Profile

BacTech Environmental Corporation holds the perpetual, exclusive, royalty-free rights to use the patented BACOX bioleaching technology for the reclamation of tailings and mining waste materials. The Company's principal focus is a high-grade silver/copper/tin tailings project called Telamayu, located in Atocha, Bolivia, in association with COMIBOL, the state mining group. Investigation has begun to identify opportunities in Ecuador. The Company continues to field enquiries globally with respect to additional opportunities for remediation, including licensing transactions for the technology.

Follow us on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BacTechGreen

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BacTechGreen

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/1613873

Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/bactechgreen

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bactechgreen

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to future tailings sites, sampling or other investigations of tailing sites, the Company's ability to make use of infrastructure around tailings sites or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Shares outstanding 58,882,930

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

Contacts:

BacTech Environmental Corporation

Ross Orr

President & CEO

416-813-0303 ext 222

borr@bactechgreen.com



Bill Mitoulas

Investor Relations

416-479-9547

billm@venturenorthcapital.com




Washington D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - January 27, 2017) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced SEC Chief Operating Officer Jeffery Heslop will leave the agency in February.

Mr. Heslop joined the SEC in 2010 when he was named the SEC's first-ever COO. In the nearly seven years since joining the SEC, Mr. Heslop has led significant innovation in the agency's approach to human capital management, business process, internal controls, and technology infrastructure. Through his efforts, the agency has realized substantial operational cost reductions, increased efficiencies in staffing and operations, and strengthened the cooperation between various SEC offices and divisions.

In his role as COO, Mr. Heslop oversees the operations of the SEC's Office of Human Resources; Office of Acquisitions; Office of Information Technology; Office of Strategic Initiatives; Office of Financial Management; and Office of Support Operations, which includes the SEC's Office of Freedom of Information Act, Privacy, Records Management and Facility Operations.

During his time at the SEC, Mr. Heslop:

Led a team that significantly improved internal controls and compliance in financial management and information security, and eliminated persistent conditions of material weakness.

Developed and implemented a strategy to rehabilitate outdated technology infrastructure and organizational business process approaches to deliver dramatic improvements in customer satisfaction.

Championed the investment in, and oversaw the execution of, numerous business process redesign initiatives to move several SEC processes from manually-intensive, paper-based approaches to efficient, automated processes resulting in the realization of compelling cost reductions and enhanced employee productivity.

"As the SEC's first COO, Jeff helped the agency streamline operations and leverage resources to more effectively serve the investors and markets," said SEC Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar. "He has overseen significant improvements in technology and has helped ensure that our financial reporting controls and FOIA operations are top-notch."

"It has been a true honor to serve with the extraordinarily dedicated and self-sacrificing professionals who comprise the agency's staff," said SEC COO Jeffery Heslop. "In particular, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the staff members from the offices under the Office of the Chief Operating Officer, who, through their collaborative effort, have played an instrumental role in an effort to modernize the agency's human capital, business process, and technological capabilities. Their contribution to the SEC's unwavering and deep commitment to protect America's investors has been simply remarkable, and I am deeply grateful to have had the privilege of leading them."

Before joining the SEC, Mr. Heslop worked at Capital One for 12 years, including in the role of Managing Vice President of Information Risk Management. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1976 to 1998, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Heslop received his Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College and his MBA from the College of William and Mary.

Upon Mr. Heslop's departure, Kenneth Johnson, SEC Chief Financial Officer, will become the Acting Chief Operating Officer.
MEXICO CITY (dpa-AFX) - The war of words triggered by US decision to impose tax on Mexican imports to pay for the planned border wall continued Friday with President Donald Trump accusing Mexico of taking advantage of the U.S. for long. 'Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!,' he said on Twitter. Earlier this week, the president signed an executive order to build a wall along the 3,200 kilometer long border that separates the United States from Mexico, one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. It was followed by a suggestion to impose a 20 percent tax on goods imported from Mexico to pay for the expenses of the massive wall. Trump also said that if Mexico is unwilling to pay for the wall, then it would be better to cancel the Mexican president's upcoming meeting with his American counterpart. Provoked by the suggestion, Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a visit to the US, which had been scheduled for next week. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray made it clear that paying for the wall is simply not negotiable. 'It would be the American consumer who would be paying,' as the tax would make Mexican imports more expensive for US consumers, Luis Videgaray told reporters at the Mexican embassy in Washington Thursday. It is said that the rocky US-Mexico ties put at risk millions of American jobs as well as cooperation on immigration and national security. 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.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Canada Carbon Inc. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: CCB), (FRANKFURT: U7N1) reports that it has filed on SEDAR the National Instrument ("NI") 43-101 report of the updated Mineral Resource Estimate for its flagship 100% owned Miller Graphite Project located 80 kilometres ("km") west of Montreal, near Grenville, Quebec. (See Company news release dated December 14th, 2016 for full details.)

The Resource Estimate was prepared pursuant to Canadian Securities Administrators' N I 43-101 by the independent firm SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS") of Blainville, Quebec. The updated Resource Estimate includes an indicated resource of 2.65Mt ("million tonnes") with an average grade of 0.80% graphite, and an inferred resource of 7.56Mt with an average grade of 0.77% graphite, within the boundaries of an optimized open pit mine model. The cut off grade for the Mineral resources was established at 0.50% graphite. The new pit constrained graphite resources have increased by 379% compared to what was reported in the Company's Miller Project Preliminary Economic Assessment, filed to SEDAR on April 14th, 2016. A cross section figure of the pit is available on Canada Carbon's website (https://www.canadacarbon.com/images/CCBCrossSection.jpg).

Mineral Resource Estimation Parameters

The Mineral Resources were estimated by Jean-Philippe Paiement, P.Geo., M.Sc., of SGS with an effective date of November 23, 2016. This estimate is the second Mineral Resource Estimate produced by Canada Carbon since the acquisition of the Miller property in September 2013. The Mineral Resources were estimated using the following geological and resource block modeling parameters which are based on geological interpretations, geostatistical studies and best practices in mineral estimation:

Graphite Mineral Resources

-- Mineral Resources were estimated from the diamond drill holes and channels analytical results completed by Canada Carbon since 2013. A total of 151 drill holes and 96 surface/channels, comprising 8,148 assays were used for the mineral resources model. -- The 3-D modeling of graphite Mineral Resources was conducted using a minimum cut-off grade of 0.50% Cg over a 2 m horizontal thickness within a preliminary lithological model. The initial mineralized solids were developed using Leapfrog, and subsequently remodelled within SGS's proprietary modeling software Genesis. -- Assay data were composited to 1.5m. -- The interpolation was conducted using Ordinary Kriging of the low grade graphite mineralization and Indicator Kriging for the high grade graphite veins. -- The block model was defined by a block size of 5 m long by 5 m wide by 5 m thick and covers a strike length of approximately 1,030 m to a maximal depth of 170 m below surface. The modeled graphite mineralization is open both at depth and strike. -- The Mineral Resources were constrained within the boundaries of an optimized pit shell using the parameters stated in Table 2 below. All parameters were derived and updated from the economic assessment process associated with the Company's Miller Project PEA. Any interpolated blocks of the resource model located outside of the optimized pit shell are not included in the Mineral Resources. -- All dollar values in Table 1 are expressed in Canadian dollars, with the exception of the revenue value for the thermally treated graphite, assumed to be US$ 13,000/tonne. At an assumed currency exchange rate of 0.75, the revenue/tonne is approximately CDN$ 17,300. TABLE 1: PARAMETERS USED TO MODEL OPTIMIZED GRAPHITE RESOURCES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parameters Value Unit ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Mineralized Material 7.24 $/t mined ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Overburden 2.22 $/t mined ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Waste 3.00 $/t mined ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Dilution 5.00 % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining Recovery 95.00 % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crushing and Processing 37.07 $/t milled ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treatment and Refining 1,560.34 $/t conc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- General and Administration 8.21 $/t mined ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Freight Mine to Treatment 1.00 $/t mined ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue from Purified Graphite 13,000 $/t sold ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Concentration Recovery 88.00 % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Royalties 3.60 % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pit Slopes 45.00 degrees ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Density of Mineralized Material and Waste 2.81 t/m3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Density of Overburden 1.80 t/m3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cautionary Note: Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no guarantee that all or any part of the Mineral Resource will be converted into a Mineral Reserve. Inferred Resources are considered too geologically speculative to have mining and economic considerations applied to them and to be categorized as Mineral Reserves (as defined in NI 43-101). Additional trenching and/or drilling will be required to convert Inferred Mineral Resources to Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

MILLER PROJECT OVERVIEW

The 100%-owned Miller Graphite and Marble Project is located in the Outaouais Region of southern Quebec, Canada, about 80 km west of Montreal, Quebec and 90 km east of Ottawa, Ontario. The closest cities are Grenville, Quebec (5 km to the south) and Hawkesbury, Ontario (8 km to the south). The property is easily accessible from Highway 50, which runs approximately 2 km to the south of the Project boundary, and Scotch Road, which traverses the property from south to north. A wide range of services are available locally in the town of Grenville and at the nearby cities of Hawkesbury or Lachute. Project-specific services such as tree cutting, excavating, drilling, and blasting are available from local operators. Other required services including emergency response, equipment maintenance shops, transport companies, mobile electricians, mobile mechanics, security firms, IT firms, engineering, environmental and geological consultants, restaurants and a variety of housing options are all available near the property. The local skilled labour force is capable of supporting a mining operation. A power line crosses the southern part of the property and a railroad runs parallel to Highway 50, near Grenville. The Project is 90 km via paved highway from the container port at Montreal.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Mr. Jean-Philippe Paiment, P.Geo., M.Sc., from SGS Canada Inc., an independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 guidelines, and has reviewed and approved the technical related content of this news release.

CANADA CARBON INC.

R. Bruce Duncan, CEO and Director

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

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com).

Contacts:

Canada Carbon Inc.

info@canadacarbon.com

(604) 685-6375

(604) 909-1163 (FAX)




The glistening white salt of the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line. The prehistoric lakebed has long been a mecca for daredevil speed racers, as well as a backdrop for famous movie scenes and destination for selfie-seeking tourists. Concerns are mounting about the future of the treeless expanse of salt crystals and yet another study has been launched as researchers try to pinpoint the cause and solution. They know a century of mining a potassium-based salt called potash has played a role and are also trying to assess how racing, tourism and climate change factor in.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Kathryn McGarry, Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry made the following statement today:

We confirm our joint commitment to the fight against Asian Carps in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes following the release of the Binational Ecological Risk Assessment for Grass Carp in the Great Lakes Basin.

Both Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) recognize the critical importance of early intervention to prevent the establishment of invasive species. We share common goals of protecting the biodiversity and habitat of the Great Lakes and Ontario's aquatic ecosystems. The results of the Binational Risk Assessment will be used to inform operational decisions by both our agencies and guide early detection and other operational efforts to keep Asian Carps out of our waters.

As noted in the Risk Assessment, the study concluded that Grass Carp, one of four Asian Carp species, have arrived in parts of the Great Lakes basin, specifically lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario. The study also concluded that the ecological consequences of Grass Carp in most areas of the Great Lakes basin could be extreme within the next 50 years. Arrival is just the first stage of the introduction process and through continued collaboration at the highest levels of each agency we have an opportunity to halt the introduction of Grass Carp in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes.

Both DFO and MNRF have together achieved numerous successes in the fight against Asian Carps to date:

-- Coordinated response and capture of 23 Grass Carp in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes since 2012. -- Biologists from MNRF and DFO continue to work closely together to collect information and share findings related to Asian Carps. -- DFO and MNRF together implement a formal incident command system response following any find of Asian Carps in Ontario waters. The Response Plan ensures effective communications and maximizes the resources available from the various agencies involved. -- Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations under the Fisheries Act came into force in 2015. These regulations provide a national regulatory framework to help prevent intentional and unintentional introduction of aquatic invasive species in Canada from other countries, across provincial and territorial borders, and between ecosystems within a region. -- Ontario introduced the Invasive Species Act (ISA) in November 2015 that further prohibits the possession, transportation, import or sale of live invasive species, unless authorized by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. The ISA is the only piece of legislation of its kind in North America. -- Joint participation on the binational Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), which oversees the extensive partnership efforts of government agencies on both sides of the border. -- MNRF conducts inspections of food fish importers and monitors retailers for compliance. Conservation officers spend approximately 2,000 hours each year inspecting dozens of wholesale and import companies at more than a thousand different locations. -- In 2011 and 2012, MNRF stopped six live-fish haulers, carrying more than 13 thousand kilograms of Asian Carps. Those seizures resulted in several convictions and more than $100,000 in fines.

We remain steadfastly committed to this fight and to the partnership between our agencies. Our future plans include:

-- Continued participation in the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee. -- On-going enforcement and inspection operations. -- On-going research within both agencies towards a better understanding of aquatic invasive species in general and Asian Carps in particular. -- The coordination of a Binational Ecological Risk Assessment for Black Carp. -- A joint DFO and MNRF on-water Asian Carp response exercise near Lake Erie planned for April 2017.

Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Follow us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/DFO_MPO

Contacts:

Laura Gareau

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

613-992-3474

Laura.Gareau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca



Hilary Prince

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Communications

905-336-4974

Hilary.Prince@dfo-mpo.gc.ca



Emily Kirk

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Minister's Office

416-314-2206



Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Media Desk

Communications Services Branch

416-314-2106




BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Brenda Shanahan, Member of Parliament for Chateauguay-Lacolle, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, today announced a repayable contribution of $470,000 to help a Quebec company to commercialize a laser-based soil analysis system that replaces more traditional chemical analyses.

This funding to Logiag Inc. will allow the company to introduce to the market laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a technology that allows for faster and more accurate data at lower cost. The goal is to provide producers with the exact amount of fertilizer needed and thereby avoid the overuse of chemicals.

This investment helps achieve the federal government's goal of creating good jobs in the agriculture sector by supporting discovery science and innovation.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is investing in science and innovation to keep our farmers on the cutting edge, while protecting the environment. Projects like these will help give our agricultural sector a competitive advantage and strengthen Canada's position as a leader in precision agriculture."

- Brenda Shanahan, Member of Parliament for Chateauguay-Lacolle

"The financial support we received was crucial for establishing a world-class laboratory and demonstrating our laser technology, which is attracting a great deal of interest. Representatives of organizations such as Bayer, SGS and Eurofins Scientific have come to us to confirm their hypotheses."

- Charles Nault, eng., MBA, President and CEO, Logiag Inc.

Quick Facts

-- Logiag Inc., an agronomy consulting firm located in Chateauguay, Quebec, was established in 1999 by two brothers. Logiag provides agri- environmental IT services, field-crop production and crop management to its clients, while supporting the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. Logiag has 36 employees in Quebec and Prince Edward Island. -- The technology was developed by Logiag in 2015, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the support of its Industrial Research Assistance Program. (See link to NRC success story below) -- This investment from the AgriInnovation program, a $698-million initiative under the Growing Forward 2 policy framework, will help Logiag create 45 jobs over five years.

Additional Links

AgriInnovation Program - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Logiag

NRC brings laser precision to agriculture

Follow us on Twitter: @AAFC_Canada

Like us on Facebook: CanadianAgriculture

Contacts:

Guy Gallant

Director of Communications

Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay

613-773-1059



Media Relations

Agriculture and Agri Food Canada

Ottawa, Ontario

613-773-7972

1-866-345-7972



Charles Nault

President and CEO

Logiag Inc.

450 427-3000, ext. 227




THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH ITS DISTRIBUTION MAY BE UNLAWFUL

BH Macro Limited

(an authorised closed-ended collective investment scheme authorised by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission and established as a non-cellular company limited by shares under the laws of the Island of Guernsey with registration number 46235)

27 January 2017

Tender offer and proposed structural changes

Further to the announcement on 29 November 2016, BH Macro Limited (the "Company") has today published a circular (the "Circular") in respect of a tender offer for up to 100 per cent. of each class of its issued share capital at a price equivalent to 96 per cent. of net asset value for the relevant class as at 31 March 2017 (the "Tender Offer") and proposed changes to the Company's structure and management agreement (the "Structural Changes") to apply following the Tender Offer.

The Tender Offer is being be put forward to the Company's shareholders, other than certain overseas shareholders (as described further in the Circular) ("Eligible Shareholders"), by J.P. Morgan Securities plc, which conducts its UK investment banking services as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove").

The Circular includes notice of an extraordinary general meeting ("EGM") and separate class meetings of the Company to be held from 11:30 a.m. on 24 February 2017 at the offices of Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited, Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 3QL. The Tender Offer and the proposed Structural Changes are conditional upon the Company receiving the consent of shareholders at the EGM and meetings of the holders of each class of the Company's shares.

The expected timetable for the Tender Offer and proposed Structural Changes is set out below. Shareholders should note that the relevant dates are now one month later than the proposed dates set out in the Company's announcement on 29 November 2016.

The terms of the Tender Offer and the proposed Structural Changes otherwise remain as announced on 29 November 2016. Shareholders should refer to the Circular for the full terms of the Tender Offer and the proposed Structural Changes.

Expected timetable

Closing of Tender Offer and Record Date 22 February 2017 EGM and Class Meetings 24 February 2017 Announcement of results of EGM, Class Meetings and Tender Offer 24 February 2017 NAV Determination Date 31 March 2017 Effective date for Restructuring

(assuming Tender Offer is successful) 1 April 2017 Announcement of Final Tender Price for each class of Share First week of May 2017 Announcement of repurchase date for successfully tendered Shares First week of May 2017 Settlement through CREST/ dispatch of cheques in respect of consideration under the Tender Offer by 12 May 2017 Master Fund Redemption Fee applicable 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2019

Class conversion facility

The Company is suspending its monthly class conversion facility but shareholders should note that shares submitted for conversion in respect of the February 2017 conversion date may not be tendered in the Tender Offer and shares that are tendered in the Tender Offer may not be converted on the February 2017 conversion date. Shareholders should also note that conversion of any shares submitted for conversion on the January 2017 conversion date may not be completed in time for those shares to be tendered under the Tender Offer.

Posting of Circular

The Circular which contains the full terms and conditions of the Tender Offer and details of the Structural Changes, instructions to Eligible Shareholders on how to tender their shares should they choose to do so, together with the relevant Tender Forms and Forms of Proxy, is being posted to Eligible Shareholders.

A copy of the Circular will shortly be available to view on the Company's website at www.bhmacro.com



Enquiries:

Brevan Howard :

Dan Riggs

020 7022 6236

J.P. Morgan Cazenove :

William Simmonds

020 7742 4000

Northern Trust :

Sharon Williams

01481 745436

Important notices

J.P. Morgan Securities plc, which conducts its UK investment banking activities as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Tender Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to customers of J.P. Morgan Cazenove or for providing advice in relation to the Tender Offer, the Structural Changes or any other matter referred to herein.

This announcement does not constitute an offer or solicitation to acquire or sell any securities in the Company. Any acceptance or other response to the Tender Offer should be made on the basis of the information contained in the Circular. The Tender Offer will not be extended into any jurisdiction where to do so may be unlawful or which may otherwise subject the Company or any other person to any unduly onerous obligation.

Notwithstanding the proposals described in this announcement, there is no guarantee that, following the Tender Offer, the Company will make any purchases of its own shares or that any class discontinuation vote will be held. Accordingly, investors should not expect that they will necessarily be able to realise, within a period which they would otherwise regard as reasonable, their investment in the Company, nor can they be certain that they will be able to realise their investment on a basis that necessarily reflects the value of the Company's investment in the Master Fund.

This announcement is not for distribution in or into the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which its distribution may be unlawful. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or elsewhere. The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from such registration. The Company has not been and will not be registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and investors are not entitled to the benefits of that Act. There has not been and there will be no public offering of the Company's securities in the United States.

END
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has expressed support for invoking the so-called 'nuclear option' if Senate Democrats attempt to block his nominee for the Supreme Court. Trump told Sean Hannity of Fox News in an interview on Thursday he would encourage Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., to eliminate the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees. 'I would. We have obstructionists,' Trump said, complaining about Democrats delaying votes on his Cabinet nominees, such as Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., for CIA Director and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for Attorney General. Democrats previously used the 'nuclear option' to eliminate filibusters for executive and judicial nominations other than those to the Supreme Court. However, Republican leaders have expressed reluctance to change the filibuster rules amid concerns about the tables being turned if they find themselves in the minority. Trump said he intends to announce his nomination for the Supreme Court next Thursday and told Hannity he has mostly made up his mind on his nominee. 'I have made my decision pretty much in my mind, yes,' Trump said. 'That's subject to change at the last moment, but I think this will be a great choice.' Recent reports have indicated Trump has narrowed his list of potential nominees to three conservative judges appointed by former President George W. Bush. 10th Circuit judge Neil Gorsuch has been described as the front-runner, while 3rd Circuit judge Thomas Hardiman and 11th Circuit Judge Bill Pryor are also reportedly under consideration. Democrats have suggested they would seek to block any nominee they consider outside the mainstream after Republicans refused to consider President Barack Obama's nomination of appeals court judge Merrick Garland. (Photo: Michael Vadon) 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 analysts forecast the global clientless remote support software marketto grow at a CAGR of over 15% 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/20170127005184/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global clientless remote support software market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global clientless remote support softwaremarketfor 2017-2021. This report mentions a list of global vendors that provide clientless remote support software. The vendors are identified based on the revenue and market dominance in terms of geographical presence, product portfolio, financials, and R&D.

One of the key trends observed in the market is the increasing number of M&A in the market. Since the market is highly fragmented with the presence of numerous small vendors mostly operating in the niche markets, there is high scope for M&A. As the niche market players have superior technology, the most favored way for large vendors to enter the market is through the acquisition of these niche players. In July 2016, LogMeIn merged with Citrix Systems' GoTo family of products.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=56118

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 ICT analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global clientless remote support software market:

Increased adoption of mobility in clientless remote support

Enterprises have enabled remote connectivity using network and security infrastructure. Technologies, such as VPN, played a major role in enabling devices, such as laptops, and have become leading players in connectivity. Smaller devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become more powerful than basic laptops and have better user interfaces. The built-in support for wireless connectivity, such as Wi-Fi, in these devices, has made them a preferred choice among employees. The growth of mobile devices in the clientless remote support software market has made the vendors develop applications specific to mobile OS such as Bomgar InSight

Rise of IoT devices for exchanging data over the Internet

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of tangible and physical objects that are interconnected through technology and can communicate among themselves to collect and exchange data. It connects hardware devices, embedded software, communication services, and IT services. Smart machines can monitor and control various objects using microcontrollers via the Internet from a remote location with the help of IoT technology.

Ishmeet Kaur, a lead enterprise application research analyst at Technavio, says, "IoT has led to the increased number of connected devices ranging from lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to wind turbines in the sea and weather monitoring stations in the Arctic. Optimization and solving issues related to these IoT devices will require clientless remote support software

Need for quick fixing because of rising BYOD policies

"Since many employees are using mobile devices, the need for mobile remote support has become inevitable. Vendors, such as LogMeIn, provide features, such as Click2Fix, in their remote support software for mobile devices," asserts Ishmeet.

Click2Fix addresses issues related to firmware, temperature, battery optimization, and virus attacks. It is also simple to use and provides the user all the information they need at a glance. The feature also provides one-click fixes for the problems that arise from the analysis of the mobile device.

Top vendors:

Bomgar

Citrix Systems

Cisco Systems

LogMeIn

TeamViewer

Browse Related Reports:

Global Mobile Tracking Software Market 2017-2021

Global Advanced Process Control Software Market 2017-2021

Global Output Management Software Market 2017-2021

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 cloud computingIT hardware, and IT security. 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/20170127005184/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
SMITHS FALLS, ONTARIO and TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth") (TSX: CGC) and Mettrum Health Corp. ("Mettrum") (TSX VENTURE: MT) (together, the "Companies") are pleased to announce the successful results of the Special Meetings of Shareholders of Canopy Growth and Mettrum, held in Smiths Falls, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario, respectively, to approve Canopy Growth's acquisition of Mettrum by way of a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement"), as previously announced by the Companies on December 1, 2016.

Now that the requisite shareholder approvals have been obtained, a final order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approving the Arrangement will be sought on January 30, 2017. Provided that the final order is obtained and the satisfaction or waiver of all other conditions specified in the definitive arrangement agreement dated November 30, 2016, as amended, it is expected that the Arrangement will be completed on or about January 31, 2017.

Shareholders of Canopy Growth approved the ordinary resolution approving the issuance, or reservation for issuance, as the case may be, by Canopy Growth, of up to 40,000,000 common shares was approved by: 94.18% of the votes cast by Canopy Growth shareholders present in person or represented by proxy. A total of 19.80% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Canopy Growth were voted at the meeting.

The Arrangement was approved by: (i) 99.76% of the votes cast by Mettrum shareholders present in person or represented by proxy, and (ii) 99.69% of the votes cast by Mettrum shareholders present in person or represented by proxy, excluding votes which may not be included in determining minority approval pursuant to the rules of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Shareholders in Special Transactions. A total of 55.37% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Mettrum were voted at the meeting.

"We are delighted that the shareholders of Canopy and Mettrum have demonstrated such strong support for bringing our two companies together," Bruce Linton, Chairman & CEO, Canopy Growth. "Our focus remains on expanding production capabilities in order to capture market share through a variety of brands. Mettrum's strong growing platform and brand furthers this strategy."

The Arrangement, if completed, will result in the creation of a world-leading diversified cannabis company with six licensed facilities and a licensed production footprint of approximately 665,000 sq. ft. with significant acreage for expansion. Following completion of the Arrangement, Mettrum will cease trading on the TSX Venture Exchange and will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canopy Growth.

About Canopy Growth Corporation

Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis company, offering diverse brands and curated cannabis strain varieties in dried and oil extract forms. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Canopy Growth operates numerous state-of-the-art production facilities with over half a million square feet of indoor and greenhouse production capacity. Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names in Canada and abroad. For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com.

About Mettrum Health Corp.

Mettrum Health Corp. is a Tier 1 Industry Issuer listed on TSX Venture Exchange. With three licenses to produce and sell medical cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, Mettrum Health Corp. is a leading producer and vendor of medical cannabis. In addition, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Mettrum Hempworks, Mettrum also is a licensed producer and distribution of industrial cannabis (hemp) products, including Mettrum's functional food line, Mettrum Originals, under the Industrial Hemp Regulations (Canada) issued pursuant to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada). For more information visit www.mettrum.com.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to all court and regulatory approvals and the completion of the Arrangement. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and neither Canopy Growth Corporation nor Mettrum undertakes any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

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

Contacts:

Canopy Growth Corporation

Tyler Burns

Investor Relations

1-885-558-9333 ext. 122

tyler.burns@canopygrowth.com



Media Contact

Jordan Sinclair

Director of Communications

1-885-558-9333 ext. 309

jordan@tweed.com



Mettrum Health Corp.

Ali Mahdavi

Director, Investor Relations

416.962.3300

amahdavi@mettrum.com



Media Contact

Alison George

Argyle Public Relations

416-968-7311 x230




MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone on Saturday in the first conversation between two leaders since Trump took office. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump will speak with Putin as well as the leaders of France and Germany. 'Getting the most out of the 1st full week- tomorrow @potus will speak by phone with leaders of France, Germany and Russia,' Spicer said in a post on Twitter. The phone call with Putin comes as Trump has expressed optimism about improved relations with Russia and suggested he is open to lifting sanctions on the country. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News the issue of sanctions would be on the table during the phone call. 'All of that is under consideration, and certainly in addition to improving relations with different foreign leaders and their nations around the globe,' Conway said in the interview on Friday. However, the possibility of lifting sanctions on Russia has drawn considerable criticism from some lawmakers such as Senator John McCain, R-Ariz. Responding to the news of the call, McCain said he hopes Trump puts an end to the speculation that he is considering lifting sanctions and 'reject such a reckless course.' 'If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law,' McCain said in a statement. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) 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.
BEAUCAMPS-LE-VIEUX, France, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Sandhills East Limited announces the acquisition of several key brands and a new office location in the northern commune of Beaucamps-le-Vieux, France. The purchase agreement between Sandhills East and Douglas Editions includes tp-Business (www.tp-business.fr), trucks-Business (www.trucks-business.fr), agri-Business (www.agri-business.fr), and compact-Business (www.compact-business.fr). As a global leader in the transportation, agriculture, construction, heavy machinery, aviation, and technology industries, Manchester-based Sandhills East connects buyers and sellers of new and used assets all over the globe. The acquisition furthers the commitment to connecting buyers and sellers in the local French market, across Europe, and beyond.

tp-Business, trucks-Business, and agri-Business boast an especially strong customer base and readership within France. Each publication and website offers listings from sellers of new and used construction and ag equipment as well as trucks and trailers. "In addition to its well-established brands, the Douglas Editions team also brings a great deal of depth and experience in these markets," explains Sandhills' Chief Operations Officer Shawn Peed. "With the additional staff and the backing of our proven business infrastructure, we expect to continue to further our reach into the local French market, ultimately benefitting both buyers and sellers in the industries we serve."

These brands will integrate into the industry-specific magazines circulated by Sandhills East and Sandhills Publishing, the global distribution of which exceeds five million publications every month. The corresponding websites for each publication will also integrate into the network of successful trade websites provided by Sandhills East and Sandhills Publishing.

Beaucamps-le-Vieux, France will be added to Sandhills' already-extensive list of international locations that includes offices in Manchester and Peterborough, United Kingdom; Brisbane, Australia; Senningerberg, Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; as well as Nebraska and Arizona, USA. "The additional office location reinforces our commitment to serving buyers and sellers in their local markets," explains Sandhills' Chief Administration Officer Nancy Paasch. "The space will accommodate staff as we continue to increase recruiting efforts and grow our salesforce across Europe in the immediate future and long-term."

About Sandhills East

As a subsidiary of Sandhills Publishing, Sandhills East builds on the company's decades-long presence in its core industries. Its first publication, Machinery Trader, has served the heavy machinery industry since 1978. The company has since added publications and websites serving the trucking, agriculture, aviation, and technology industries. Its successful brands include: Machinery Trader, Truck Paper, TractorHouse, AuctionTime, RentalYard, MarketBook, Controller, Executive Controller, Charter Hub, Computer Power User, CyberTrend, and more.

Sandhills East was established in 2011, expanding to include office locations across Europe and Australia. The company continues to expand its existing facilities through the ongoing international growth of new and existing products and services that meet the needs of buyers and sellers in its industries.

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 Publishing-we are the cloud.

Contact Sandhills East

+44 (0) 1618718760

feedback@sandhills.com

Photo- http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462202/Sandhills_East__Acquires_Key_Brands_In_France.jpg
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- January 27 marks the anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this day each year, people around the world remember the millions of victims, most of whom were Jewish, who were murdered during the Shoah, and we honour those who survived unimaginable atrocities at the hands of the Nazi regime.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as a reminder of the danger of prejudice, discrimination and hate.

This year, Canada's National Holocaust Monument will be completed, serving as a memorial to the loss of innocent lives, including six million Jewish men, women and children, and others who were victims because of mental or physical disabilities, race, religion and sexual orientation. This Monument will also pay tribute to the survivors who came to this country to rebuild their lives hoping for a better future. It is important that we keep their stories alive and educate ourselves about the Holocaust and the evil that fueled the attempt to exterminate the Jewish people, among countless others.

Let us use these lessons of the past to stand up against racism and intolerance, to refuse to be silent in the face of injustice and hate, and to uphold human rights and human dignity.

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.

Contacts:

Pierre-Olivier Herbert

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage

819-997-7788




PARIS and ST. LOUIS, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Transaction follows receipt of regulatory approvals

Combined business produces diagnostic solutions for over 14 million patients annually from a global network of 21 manufacturing centres and a customer base of over 6,000 public and private hospitals around the world

IBA Molecular has successfully completed its acquisition of Mallinckrodt Nuclear Imaging, announced in August 2016, following the receipt of regulatory approvals.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462270/IBA_Molecular_Logo.jpg )



This merger brings together two leading nuclear imaging businesses with complementary strengths, manufacturing capabilities, commercial footprints and operational networks. The enlarged business will employ over 1,500 people globally, supplying more than 6,000 public and private hospitals around the world with diagnostic solutions. It will comprise 21 manufacturing centres (including 3 SPECT[1] sites, 1 molybdenum manufacturing facility and 17 PET[2] sites) and commercial operations across 60 countries, that will enable it to deliver significant economies of scale. Annually, the combined business will provide potentially life-saving diagnostic solutions to over 14 million patients globally.

Nuclear imaging will continue to be at the core of the enlarged organisation as the business plans to invest further in organic and in-organic growth opportunities.

To reflect the future ambition of the expanded business, a new name and brand is currently being developed which is due to be rolled out in the coming months. In the meantime, the two businesses will continue to engage with customers and suppliers as IBA Molecular and Mallinckrodt Nuclear Imaging and it will be business as usual for customers and suppliers.

Commenting on the announcement, Renaud Dehareng, current CEO of IBA Molecular and the new CEO of the enlarged Group, said: "We have created a world-class provider in nuclear imaging. The figures speak for themselves. We will use our scale, global reach, manufacturing footprint and experience to deliver a superior and more sharply focused service that our customers can rely upon everyday."

Commenting on behalf of CapVest, the owner of the enlarged business, Kate Briant, CapVest Partner and Chairman of the Board, said: "Nuclear imaging is an essential diagnostic tool in modern medicine, underpinned by positive long-term fundamentals. We are thrilled to have completed this acquisitionas it further consolidates the Group's leadership position in this attractive segment. We believe there will be lots of future growth opportunities to exploit as we seek to grow the market in the coming years. We look forward to working closely with Renaud and his new leadership team as they pursue their ambitious growth plans for the business."

Notes to Editor:

[1] SPECT - A Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is a type of nuclear imaging technique that uses radioactive substances injected into the blood to create 3-D images that help to diagnose a variety of diseases across oncology, cardiology and neurology, among others.

[2] PET - Like SPECT, Positron Emission Tomography is a nuclear imaging technique that uses radioactive material injected into the body to create 3-d images. However, PET imaging typically provides better resolutions

About Nuclear Imaging

With the challenge of ageing populations around the world and the rising incidence of diseases, solving diagnostic challenges to ensure patients have better outcomes has never been more important.

Nuclear medicine is a specialised area where 'SPECT' and 'PET' cameras are used to capture emitted particles from radiopharmaceuticals and the technology is used to monitor major disease areas including oncology, cardiology and neurology.

The combination of the radiopharmaceuticals and the advanced imaging technology helps doctors to diagnose diseases earlier and more accurately, making treatments more effective and, as a consequence, reducing the long-term cost of care.

About IBA Molecular

IBA Molecular is a highly diversified global supplier of molecular imaging and other proven technologies in nuclear medicine, mainly SPECT and PET products. The company operates across 18 sites globally, servicing a growing client base of private hospitals and health/imaging clinics in over 70 countries. It produces radioactive tracers used in molecular imaging and therapy to diagnose and monitor a range of common diseases including cancer, heart, brain and bone.

IBA Molecular was created in 2012 following the buy-out of the radiopharmaceutical division of Ion Beam Applications ("IBA") SA, a European-based leader in advanced cancer radiation therapy which is listed on the Euronext pan-European Stock Exchange. In 2016, IBA Molecular was acquired by CapVest. IBA Molecular is today a wholly separate business from IBA SA.

About Mallinckrodt Nuclear Imaging business

Mallinckrodt's Nuclear Imaging business is a global producer of the medical isotope molybdenum-99, and its derivative, Technetium-99m, which is used in nuclear medicine procedures worldwide. The business has manufacturing operations in the US and the Netherlands, close to critical transport links, and its products are approved for use in many countries. Over two-thirds of its revenues originate in the US.

About CapVest

CapVest, which was established in 1999, is a leading private equity firm with a strong record of success. The firm's investment strategy is focussed on identifying and managing investments in companies supplying essential goods and services. A patient investor, CapVest works closely with management to transform the size and scale of its investee companies through a combination of organic and acquisition-led growth.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Copper One Inc. ("Copper One" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: CUO) reports that on January 26, 2017, the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (Quebec Ministere de l'Energie et des Ressources naturelles) ("MERN") issued a press release wherein it announced its intention to suspend all the Riviere Dore claims of Copper One in the Lac Barriere area near Val-d'Or, Quebec. MERN's proposed suspension of the Company's claims appears to be a response to a press conference held by members of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake (the "ABL") who denounced the Mining Act (Quebec) (the "Act") as illegal and unconstitutional.

Scott Moore, President and CEO of Copper One, commented: "Copper One has remedies under the law should it be impeded from conducting exploration activities at the Riviere Dore Project and the Company intends to pursue such remedies. A legally mandated consultation period between the Government of Quebec and the ABL was completed in late 2016 and Copper One consented to extensions to such consultation period in order to grant such parties additional time to consult. Following this five week consultation period, the ABL's response has been to reiterate its 'No Mining' stance and has failed to engage in discussions with the Province of Quebec regarding potential exploration activities at the Riviere Dore Project. We believe this response demonstrates that the ABL was consulting in bad faith with the Province of Quebec. The MERN is unlawfully harming Copper One and all of its stakeholders and Copper One will pursue all its legal rights in court to protect all of its stakeholders."

Copper One confirms that on January 20, 2017, it received a "Notice of draft ministerial decision" letter from the MERN (the "MERN Letter") in which MERN stated their intention to suspend all of Copper One's claims at the Riviere Dore project (the "Project"). The MERN letter states that Copper One was being granted 15 days to comment on the facts being relied upon by MERN in connection with its proposed suspension of the Project claims.

Summary of the MERN Letter:

An English language translation of an excerpt of the MERN Letter states as follows:

"We are hereby giving you notice of a decision that the Ministry intends to render shortly pertaining to the above mentioned subject (1,052 claims held by Copper One in the Barrier Lake area). The attached text summarizes the main facts brought to our file and exposes the motives upon which the draft decision has been drawn. We are allotting a fifteen (15) day period from the receipt of this notice in order for you to comment upon the accuracy of the stipulated facts in this draft decision. Should this delay be too short for you to comment, please communicate with the undersigned to decide on the necessary arrangements. Upon request, you may obtain a copy of your file.

"Should you fail to react to this notice within the allotted timeframe, the draft notice shall remain as drafted."

The MERN Letter includes a draft order (the "Order") pursuant to which MERN proposes to suspend Copper One's claims. In the Order, a copy of which can be found in the PDF link at the end of this press release, MERN states it is proposing a suspension of the Project claims on the assumption that Copper One may not be able to, due to the probability of a physical impediment by third parties, access the Project to conduct the work necessary to retain its mining rights as required by the Act. The proposed suspension is not a revocation of the claims and Copper One would retain all mining rights to the 1,052 claims currently held by the Company during the suspension. MERN stated in the MERN Letter that it would, upon request, provide Copper One with a copy of its file related to Copper One's Riviere Dore claims. Copper One has formally requested its file.

Copper One was in the process of formulating comments on the accuracy of the facts presented in the MERN Letter, within its allotted 15 day period, when the MERN issued a press release on January 26, 2017 notifying the public of its intent to suspend Copper One's claims (the "MERN Press Release"). Copper One is very surprised by the timing of the MERN Press Release and the fact that it disclosed MERN's decision to suspend Copper One's claims six days after the Company receiving the MERN Letter, especially in light of the 15 day comment period. Copper One contends that the process leading to such a draft decision is irregular, as is the public disclosure prior to the conclusion of the comment period. Copper One believes that if this decision is rendered, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources would be wrongly using his power to suspend the Project claims under section 63 of the Act and that such decision would be illegal and would cause undue damage to Copper One, its stakeholders and the reputation of the Quebec Government.

Furthermore, the failure by the Quebec Ministere des Forets, de la Faune et des Parcs ("MFFP" or "Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks") to issue the legally required forestry permits to Copper One, combined with the intention of MERN to suspend Copper One's claims, has caused, and will continue to cause, substantial financial losses in respect of which Copper One reserves all of its rights and remedies.

Summary of Recent Activity Related to the Project

On June 28, 2016, MERN notified Copper One that in its opinion, the situation that gave rise to Copper One's request to suspend its claims in 2011, which were due to expire in November 2011, was no longer valid. As a result, the suspension of the Riviere Dore claims was lifted, and an extension of the claims was granted until November 2018. Copper One was authorized to conduct all exploration activities it deemed necessary at the Project, subject to obtaining the required MFFP forestry permits. Following the announcement of the lifting of the suspension, the Company completed a private placement financing in August 2016 and raised gross proceeds of $2,435,524.12 (please see the Company's press release dated August 17, 2016).

The Company applied for the forestry permits on October 11, 2016 for the preparation of 14 drill pad locations and paid the Quebec Government the required fees. MFFP delayed processing Copper One's permit application for two weeks in the Mont Laurier Office before deciding that the Maniwaki office was the appropriate office to deal with the permit application. Due to this delay, the consultation period with the ABL did not commence until November 11, 2016. The initial two-week consultation period was extended to 30 days at the request of the ABL and subsequently an additional week extension was granted on the request of the ABL to December 16, 2016. Scott Moore, President and CEO of Copper One, commented: "Contrary to the claims of the ABL that Copper One proposes to conduct mining activities in the "Reserve faunique de la Verendrye", absolutely none of our applications for drilling 14 locations are within this area."

Copper One has followed and satisfied all of the requirements for the issuance of the requested permits and the Government of Quebec has satisfied its duty to consult with the ABL (including all the requested extensions of the consultation period). Copper One has diligently pursued the issuance of the forestry permits including sending letters to MFFP on December 21, 2016 and again on January 15, 2017 requesting that its permits be issued immediately.

The Company has accessed the Project on several occasions since the suspension on the claims were lifted in June 2016, and it is confident that it will be able to access its drilling locations, as it is legally entitled to, going forward. The result of the Order would be to unfairly punish Copper One by suspending its claims without providing the Company with, to the Company's knowledge, valid reasons or evidence for such suspension. Copper One has remedies under the law should it be unlawfully barred from accessing the Project and Copper One is prepared to act quickly in such case. Similar legal remedies have already been successfully utilized by Resolute Forest Products Inc. ("Resolute") to conduct commercial forestry operations in the Lac Barriere area despite "physical impediments" to Resolute's activities in the area in 2012. Resolute has successfully conducted commercial forestry operations since 2012 and continues to do so presently.

On January 24, 2017, after receiving the MERN Letter on January 20, 2017, Copper One requested a meeting with Minister Pierre Arcand of MERN. On January 25, 2017, the Company was notified that Minister Arcand refused to meet with Copper One. On January 26, 2017, the MERN issued the MERN Press Release following the press conference held by certain members of the ABL.

Please click here for a PDF copy of the letter and the draft decision from MERN to Copper One dated January 20, 2017.

About Copper One

Copper One is focused on developing the Riviere Dore property located near Val-d'Or, Quebec covering the base of the Bouchette anorthositic complex which spans over 80 km.

Forward-looking information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed suspension of the Riviere Dore project claims, the impact of the proposed suspension of the Riviere Dore project claims on Copper One and its stakeholders, proposed action by the ABL, potential legal action by Copper One, the availability and impact of Copper One's legal remedies, Copper One's ability to access the Project, the content and implications of the MERN Letter and the Order, the issuance of the applicable permits to Copper One and future plans or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward- looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Copper One, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although Copper One has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Copper One does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

Contacts:

Copper One Inc.

G. Scott Moore

Chairman, President and CEO

smoore@copperone.com




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Blackline Safety Corp. (TSX VENTURE: BLN) ("Blackline"), a leading manufacturer of connected worker safety monitoring solutions announced results for its year ended October 31, 2016.

"The 43% growth in our service subscription revenue - plus $1.9M in contracted future service revenue - is from customers embracing our comprehensive leasing program, and demonstrates the success of our transition to a service-dominant business model," says Cody Slater, CEO and Chairman at Blackline Safety. "Despite certification delays for a core product, Loner M6i, and a soft energy sector, we still achieved tangible revenue growth while developing new capabilities for personal gas detection." He added, "Continuing to respond to global customer needs, Blackline expects to complete the approvals process during the second quarter of this fiscal year and begin selling G7 products to customers who have pre-ordered."

Highlights

-- Total annual revenue of $8.0M, a 10% increase over the prior year -- Service annual revenue of $5.9M, a 43% increase over the $4.1M in the prior year -- Annual gross margin of $3.8M, a 13% increase over the prior year -- Contracted future service revenue at $1.9M, a $1.4M increase over the prior year -- Development of environmental gas detection capability

Key Financial Information

Values in this release are in thousands, except for percentages and per share data

Annual revenue for fiscal 2016 was $8,001 compared to $7,268 in the prior year, resulting in an increase of 10% or $733. Service revenue was $5,847, an increase of 43% compared to $4,080 in the year prior. These increases were driven by customers adopting Blackline's Loner Complete leasing program that eliminates up-front capital costs and provides customers with a comprehensive product for a monthly fee during a three-year term.

Contracted future service revenue, representing future lease revenue commitments from the Loner Complete program, was $1,854 as at October 31, 2016 from $423 at the prior year end.

Gross margin for the year was $3,848 compared to $3,405 year-over-year, resulting in an annual gross margin of 48% in fiscal 2016 compared to 47% in the prior year-the increase being attributable to the shift in revenue to a service-dominant business model.

Adjusted EBITDA was $(1,371) for the year ended October 31, 2016 compared to $(641) in the prior year. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA for the year can be attributed to an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses offset by an overall increase in gross margin.

Blackline's audited consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis on financial condition and results of operations for the year ended October 31, 2016 are available at www.sedar.com. All results are reported in Canadian dollars. To learn more about Blackline Safety, visit www.blacklinesafety.com and follow Blackline on Twitter @blacklinesafety.

Financial Highlights Year Ended October 31 2016 2015 Change Revenue $8,001 $7,268 10% Gross Margin $3,848 $3,405 13% Gross Margin Percentage 48% 47% 2% Adjusted EBITDA ($1,371) ($641) (114)% Net Loss ($6,692) ($4,152) (61)% Loss per Share ($0.26) ($0.18)

Post-year Highlights

Blackline announced G7, the first connected safety system to comprehensively help businesses protect personnel from gas leaks, quickly respond to injuries and health events and actively evacuate facilities in record time while accounting everyone's safety along the way. G7 will enable employees to work nearly anywhere with 3G and satellite wireless options while not relying on plant or vehicle Wi-Fi communications or ad hoc networking with other devices.

When purchasing G7, customers will choose 3G wireless or satellite connectivity and select a cartridge with one, two, three or four gas sensors. Current gas sensor options include combustible gases, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and oxygen. Each cartridge is pre-calibrated and field-replaceable, ensuring the customer's maximum uptime of gas detection equipment. Blackline will expand G7 capability over time through introduction of new gas sensors and additional cartridges, helping to future-proof a customer's safety program investment.

While G7 increases the level of safety by connecting employees to live monitoring personnel, it will also deliver cost-savings to employers. Customers no longer need to purchase gas detection equipment-Blackline has incorporated field-replaceable cartridges into all purchased G7 service plans. Blackline's optional leasing program provides an alternative for clients, removing upfront equipment and service costs, replacing them with a three-year operational lease with included gas detection capability.

Ensuring the ongoing compliance of gas detection equipment can be a challenge for businesses. Traditionally, regular gas sensor test and calibration logs are manually retrieved from docking stations in the field. Data retrieval and review to ensure compliance can be time-consuming, presenting a hidden cost for businesses. G7 streamlines this process, communicating all test data to the client's monitoring account in real-time. Automatic compliance reporting provides customers with simple green-yellow-red metrics, confirming compliance, warning of approaching due dates and alerting when anything is out of compliance.

Blackline demonstrated G7 at several trade events in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East. G7 shipments are expected to begin in Q2 FY2017, pending certification processes.

About Blackline: Blackline Safety is a global connected safety technology leader. We help businesses respond to emergencies in real-time and manage efficient evacuations, accounting for everyone's safety along the way. Behind each of our groundbreaking innovations is a strong team of designers and engineers with millions invested in technology research and development. We are agile and capable, developing and manufacturing everything in-house - from wearable technology and personal gas detection to cloud-hosted infrastructure and web-based interfaces. With service in over 200 countries, we are the only provider of industrial-grade, turn-key, work-anywhere connected safety monitoring solutions. We make it easy and seamless to meet the most demanding safety monitoring challenges of organizations in any industry. Alert. Locate. Respond. For more information, visit www.BlacklineSafety.com.

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

Contacts:

Blackline Safety Corp.

Cody Slater

CEO

+1 403 451 0327

+1 403 451 9981 (FAX)

cslater@blacklinesafety.com

www.BlacklineSafety.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Appia Energy Corp. (the "Company" or "Appia") (CSE: API)(CSE: API.CN) is pleased to announce that further to its News Release of January 23, 2017, the Offering was over-subscribed and the Company will close the final tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") on January 30, 2017 with the sale of an additional 405,000 working capital units ("WC Units") at $0.20 per WC Unit for proceeds of $81,000. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the $1,000,000 raised from the first closing of the Offering plus the additional funds raised (an aggregate of $1,081,000) to drill the Loranger Property and for exploration of the Otherside Property to bring it to the drilling stage and for working capital.

Each WC Unit is priced at $0.20 and consists of one (1) common share and one (1) common share purchase warrant (a "WC Warrant"). Each WC Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) common share (a "WC Warrant Share") at a price of $0.30 per WC Warrant Share exercisable until the earlier of: (i) January 30, 2022; and (ii) in the event that the closing price of the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange is at least $0.60 for twenty (20) consecutive trading days, and the 20th trading day (the "Final Trading Day") is at least four (4) months from the Closing Date, the date which is thirty (30) days from the Final Trading Day (the "Trigger Date").

The Company will pay a cash finder's fee of $5,000 to an eligible finder.

All securities issued pursuant to the above referenced Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring on May 31, 2017.

About Appia

Appia is a Canadian publicly-traded company in the uranium and rare earth sectors. The Company is currently focused on discovering high-grade uranium deposits in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its recently acquired properties, Loranger and Otherside, as well as high-grade REO and uranium surface showings on its Alces Lake joint venture. The company currently holds the surface rights to exploration for about 63,654 hectares (157,070 acres) in Saskatchewan. The company also has NI 43-101 compliant resources of 8.0 M lbs. U3O8 and 47.7 M lbs. TREE Indicated, and 47.7 M lbs. U3O8 and 133.2 M lbs. TREE Inferred in the Elliot Lake, ON, historic mining camp. The resources are largely unconstrained along strike and down dip.

Appia's technical team is directed by James Sykes, who has had direct and indirect involvement with over 350 M lbs. U3O8 being discovered in five deposits in the Athabasca Basin.

Appia currently has 50.1 million common shares outstanding, 59.2 million shares fully diluted.

The technical content concerning the Property in this news release was reviewed and approved by Thomas Skimming, P.Eng., a Director of Appia and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Appia Energy Corp.

Tom Drivas

President, CEO and Director

416-546-2707

416-218-9772 (FAX)

appia@appiaenergy.ca



Appia Energy Corp.

Frank van de Water

Chief Financial Officer and Director

416-546-2707

416-218- 9772 (FAX)

fvandewater@rogers.com

www.appiaenergy.ca




FULTON, MS -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Enhanced Community Development, a subsidiary of Enhanced Capital, Wells Fargo and Three Rivers Community Development Entity announced today that they are helping finance the expansion of Mueller Copper Tube.

Mueller Copper Tube is a subsidiary of Mueller Industries, a global manufacturer and distributor of premium quality copper tube and pipe for plumbing, air conditioning, refrigeration, medical gas and other applications. Mueller is using the financing to purchase equipment and expand its existing production facility in Fulton.

Together Enhanced Community Development, Wells Fargo and Three Rivers Community Development Entity are providing a combination of federal New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs) and Mississippi NMTCs for the project. The facility expansion is expected to bring long-term economic benefits to an economically distressed, rural area.

"Wells Fargo is pleased to be part of such a transformative project," said William Turner, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo. "To see our dollars at work retaining and bringing new employment to this deserving community is just another reminder of why we invest in the ways that we do. The Mueller organization has been an integral part of the local community for the past 40-plus years, and we are excited to see the impact this project will have on the people and economy of Fulton, Mississippi."

The project will have significant macroeconomic impacts on the state of Mississippi, including increases in employment, income and output, thanks to increased activity with local suppliers for project completion. The facility's expansion is projected to create new permanent jobs with a full range of benefits as well as job training opportunities coordinated with Itawamba Community College, also in Fulton. In addition, the project is expected to create jobs related to the construction phase of the project.

"Mueller continues to be a key economic driver in Northeast Mississippi," said Vernon R. Kelley III, Executive Director of Three Rivers. "This investment will help increase the stability and future growth of Itawamba County's largest employer. We are extremely proud to participate in this NMTC transaction."

Mueller plans to employ local service providers to assist in building new structures and installing equipment. The increase in economic activity at Mueller will also improve financial conditions at other businesses, creating job growth and more tax revenue from new employees and other companies supporting the expanded facility's operations.

"A large part of Enhanced Capital's mission is to improve communities through impact investing, and we are so excited to work with Mueller Copper Tube on this meaningful project," said Richard Montgomery, Vice President of Enhanced Community Development. "Federal and state New Markets Tax Credits are powerful tools in getting resources to businesses like Mueller that support our small towns and rural communities."

About Mueller Industries:

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017, Mueller Industries has built a well-earned reputation for offering the finest-quality plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, and industrial products in the industry. Mueller is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of copper, brass, aluminum, and plastic products, including copper tube and fittings; line sets; brass and copper alloy rod, bar, and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum and copper impact extrusions; plastic fittings and valves; refrigeration valves and fittings; fabricated tubular products; and steel nipples. Mueller operations are located throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, South Korea, and China.

About Wells Fargo:

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.6 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States.

About Three Rivers Community Development Entity:

Three Rivers CDE is a subsidiary of Three Rivers Planning and Development District, which has provided Community & Economic Development services in rural Mississippi for over 45 years. Three Rivers CDE utilizes the NMTC program and other loan funds to help facilitate manufacturing and other high community impact projects, and to help improve access to healthcare in low-income communities in rural Mississippi.

About Enhanced Community Development:

Enhanced Community Development (ECD), a subsidiary of Enhanced Capital, is a federally designated Community Development Entity focused on the financing needs of businesses and developments located in or serving low-income communities. ECD proudly participates in the federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program and a variety of state NMTC programs. ECD is an Equal Opportunity Provider. Since 2006, ECD has deployed more than $500 million in federal and state NMTC allocation to job-creating businesses and organizations in economically distressed communities.

Contact:

Carling Dinkler

Email Contact




Several leading silk producers have faced declines over the past year. However, recent news suggests that new technology and initiatives will help boost the markets in these countries. Details on the challenges faced by Vietnam and India, as well as their future prospects, are some of this week's featured stories on BizVibe. BizVibe is the world's smartest B2B marketplace and allows users to connect with over seven million companies around the globe.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005715/en/

Market opportunities in the global silk industry (Graphic: Business Wire)

New innovations create opportunities for Vietnam's silk industry

Vietnam's resilient silk industry will likely undergo rapid modernization and advancement in the coming years, moving away from tradition while still remaining a core part of the country's culture and history. Vietnam is the sixth leading silk producing country in the world, producing approximately 450 metric tonnes of silk in 2015.

Though the quantity of silk being produced in Vietnam has declined by 100 metric tonnes from 2010, the future of silk production in Vietnam looks promising, with new innovations and technologies on the horizon. Silk production is expected to move away from traditional methods in many areas in favor of high-tech and high-production technologies.

Connect with textiles and fabrics companies in Vietnam listed on BizVibe

Challenging year brings decline to India's silk industry

The financial year 2015-16 was not a strong one for the Indian silk industry. Exports fell from USD 468.96 million during 2014-15 to USD 364.89 million. The Central Silk Board of India attributes this decline to the global recession, as well as difficult climatic conditions.

Despite this drop in exports, India remains the second-largest producer of silk in the world, accounting for about 18% of the world's raw silk production. It consumes almost 80% of the silk it produces, meaning that despite changes in the global economy, the country will still have a large market for its silk products in the future.

Connect with nearly 35,000 textiles companies in India listed on BizVibe

Recent discoveries shine new light on history of silk

The past year has brought new information to light and given scientists and historians a greater understanding of how silk was used thousands of years ago. In December 2016, scientists found evidence of silk in ancient tombs in the archaeological site of Jiahu, China, one of which was more than 8,500 years old. Silk was previously commonly believed to have originated in China approximately 6,000 years ago.

This discovery complements a finding made earlier in 2016 regarding the Silk Road and how silk traveled from China, its place of origin, to other countries. According to the University of Cambridge, the Silk Road extended much further south than was originally thought. These findings shed light on ancient textile production methods and uses of silk, and set the stage for many more findings to come in these areas.

Connect with over 1,500 silk companies listed on BizVibe

In addition to these segments, BizVibe is also home to 50,000+ apparel and textile companies across 200+ countries, covering all sectors. The BizVibe platform allows you to discover highest quality leads and make meaningful connections in real time. Claim your company profile for free and let the business come to you.

About BizVibe

BizVibe is home to over seven million company profiles across 700+ industries. The single minded focus of BizVibe's platform is to make networking easier. Over the years, we've searched far and wide to figure out how businesses connect and enable trade. That first interaction is usually fraught with the uncertainty of finding a potential partner vs. a potential nightmare. With this in mind, we've designed a robust set of tools to help companies generate leads, shortlist prospects, network with businesses from around the world and trade seamlessly.

BizVibe is headquartered in Toronto, and has offices in London, Bangalore and Beijing. For more information on the BizVibe network, please contact us.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005715/en/

Contacts:

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

BizVibe Media Marketing Executive

media@bizvibe.com

www.bizvibe.com
NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- (Marketwired) -- 01/27/17 -- Brookfield Investment Management Inc. will host a conference call for the Brookfield Global Listed Real Estate Fund, Brookfield Global Listed Infrastructure Fund, Brookfield Real Assets Securities Fund and the Brookfield U.S. Listed Real Estate Fund (the "Funds") on February 3, 2017 at 4:30pm ET. The Funds' investment team will provide an update on the Funds and general market conditions. If you have questions about the Funds that you would like answered on the conference call, please send an e-mail to funds@brookfield.com by 4:00pm ET on January 31, 2017.

The conference call will be available on 800-319-4610. A replay of the conference call will be available soon after completion of the call by calling 855-669-9658 (passcode: 1095) through February 17, 2017.

Brookfield Investment Management Inc. (the "Firm") is an SEC-registered investment adviser and represents the Public Securities platform of Brookfield Asset Management. The Firm provides global listed real assets strategies including real estate equities, infrastructure equities, real asset debt and diversified real assets. With more than $13 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2016, the Firm manages separate accounts, registered funds and opportunistic strategies for institutional and individual clients, including financial institutions, public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds and high net worth investors. The Firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $250 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2016. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com.

Brookfield Investment Funds are managed by Brookfield Investment Management Inc. The Funds use their website as a channel of distribution of material company information. Financial and other material information regarding the Funds is routinely posted on and accessible at www.brookfield.com.

A fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the investment company, and it may be obtained by calling 855.244.4859 or visiting brookfield.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

Brookfield investment Funds are distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC.

Contacts:

Brookfield Place

250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10281-1023

(855) 777-8001

funds@brookfield.com




Biscayne Neurotherapeutics, a Miami, FL-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, raised over US$3m in Series B funding.

Quark Venture made a US$1.6m investment through the Global Health Sciences Fund with participation from Mesa Verde Venture Partners of San Diego and current shareholders.

The company intends to use the funds to initiate and complete a Phase 1b proof of concept trial of its new extended release formulation of BIS-001 in 2017.

Led by Stephen Collins, MD, PhD, President and CEO, and Samuel Reich, Executive Chairman, Biscayne Neurotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel drugs for serious central nervous system disorders such as refractory epilepsy. The companys lead compound  a novel anti-epileptic agent called BIS-001  is a novel synthetic form of huperzine A, a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used as a treatment for cognitive disorders for centuries. Biscayne is initially developing BIS-001 to treat refractory forms of focal epilepsy, including refractory partial complex seizures and children with Dravet syndrome.

Biscaynes technology is licensed from Harvard University, Yale University and the University of South Florida.

FinSMEs

27/01/2017
MIOAssicuratore, a Rome, Italy-based insurtech startup, raised 300k in funding.

Backers include H-Farm and Pi Campus, as well as Vito Lomele, founder of Jobrapido.

The company intends to use the funds to hire engineers to optimize the algorithms to calculate insurance premium and develop new marketing strategies.

Co-founded in 2015 by Giorgio Campagnano and Carlo Martini, MIOAssicuratore is an online insurance broker which supports clients in selecting contracts from different companies, demystifying their clauses and unique features, and assisting in the purchase and renewal phases. By leveraging proprietary algorithms and machine learning tech, the platform calculates the premium in real time considering the unique risk features of any single client.

To this end, the company partners with 27 companies offering over 250 insurance products in the different categories to over 100,000 subscribers.

The platform also enables clients to manage their policies in a dedicated user area.

FinSMEs

27/01/2017
She came to design by chance when she was 42, a mother of four and a restless member of the bourgeoisie with exquisite taste. Today she is a billion-dollar global brand and the epitome of American chic. A friend of Andy Warhol and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, this is the story of her triumphant foray into the cut-throat world of fashion.

A recent photo of Carolina Herrera in her atelier. Fernando Sancho

I stumble upon the great lady in her studio on Seventh Avenue, silhouetted by the midday sun that pours through the windows. She is so petite, poised and untouchable, she could be a dance mistress. Her hair is worn short, her head is held high and her bare masculine hands rest on her hips. Her clothes are neat and minimalist and she wears them with an almost military precision, but there is a refined grace to the way she walks across the room on her vertiginous 8cm heels. She moves as though she is entering a cool restaurant in uptown New York. It is said in the fashion world that nobody makes an entrance quite like her.

Her voice is deep, authoritative and somewhat theatrical, and still has traces of an accent that betrays her Venezuelan roots. Then theres her sense of humor, which is as sophisticated and irreverent as her evening gowns. But dont get me wrong, she says. Its always in good taste. She could be a character from an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. A sane version of Fitzgeralds wife, the much maligned Zelda. She has black Latin eyes and a youthful complexion. Her only concession to frivolity is a racy red lipstick, not unlike the one in the portrait Andy Warhol painted of her, which now dominates her showroom. Other features include a fabulous wrap-around terrace with pebbles and boxwood, art books on old friends, including Salvador Dali, Diana Vreeland and Gore Vidal, and an eye-catching collection of photographs.

Carolina Herrera, in December 2016 in her atelier on Seventh Avenue. Fernando Sancho

Among them is a black-and-white one of Mick Jagger and the late Lord Glenconner on Mustique, the Caribbean bolt-hole for the rich and famous, taken by Robert Mapplethorpe who became a friend when Herrera visited the island as a guest of Princess Margaret. Bob Mapplethorpe was good-looking, charming and very polite, she says. We met on a private flight and hit it off. He was very talented and cutting edge. He asked me to pose for him and since he was poor and had no assistant, my husband helped him with the lights. He died very young. Like Halston [the great American designer] and Steve Rubell [the owner of Studio 54, the club of choice for the wildest and choicest of Manhattan]. The 1980s were both beautiful and terrible.

When asked how she got on with people who were obviously so different to herself, the designer replies, We were great friends. And then each of us went our separate ways. It would be very boring if all your friends were the same. What I cant stand is envy and gossip. I hate it and I hate it. Everyone should be able to live as they please.

Carolina Herrera is not an easy subject to interview, and not just because of her hectic schedule. Theres also her legendary impatience. She finds it hard to concentrate. She loses sight of her cell phone, remembers and then forgets anecdotes, jumps from her childhood to her later years, and hates to enter into personal detail. Shes elusive  a timid person who has been catapulted onto center stage without knowing how or why.

Prior to being a designer, Carolina was already a style icon. Here, she poses with Bianca Jagger at Studio 54 in 1979. Getty

Im an ordinary person who plays with her grandchildren and takes brisk walks in Central Park to speed up her heart rate, she says. I dont spend my days on a plane or at a party, nor do I always wear white blouses, and I never drink champagne. I prefer tequila. At home Im a very bad cook who doesnt even know how to boil water. I was brought up to be the lady of the house, tell the servants what to do and have a large number of children

Shes the last of a dying breed  charming once you get through the icy high society exterior. And though she concedes she might be a hard person at times, she claims never to raise her voice. Its more that I dont give up, she explains. Fashion is an egotistical world and you have to stand your ground. Otherwise youll be eaten alive. But I have never shouted. I treat the company as though it were my family. And you get more out of your employees if you tell them, Dont worry. Well do it together than if you humiliate them. That said, I always have the last word. Every garment that leaves here has to have my approval. I make fashion that pleases me and makes women look feminine, sophisticated, elegant, refined and glamorous. I dont work in the fashion industry, I work in the beauty industry. Chanel said that fashion passes and style remains. There are fashion houses that are only concerned with doing something new every season. And my question is: where are we going with that and what purpose does it serve?

Their answer is to help women to look younger, but Herrera is far from convinced. They dont realize that trying to look younger is the first sign of aging, she says. What you wear should suit your age. The first beauty accessory a woman should have is a full-length mirror so she can see what she looks good in. I know what suits me. And Id rather look old than ridiculous.

Carolina Herrera in front of Andy Warhols portrait that dominates her show room and which she paid for with a bejeweled clutch that Warhol had admired at a New York party. Fernando Sancho

Herreras objective is to turn out beautiful, self-confident women. I dont believe anyone wants to be admired because they are dressed like a half-naked clown, she says. The women I dress want to be admired for being beautiful, not an eyesore.

According to Herrera, a number of designers dress women with the sole purpose of attracting attention in the media and on the all-powerful social networks. Some designers think you have to do something crazy, whether it looks good or not, she says. And theyre just humiliating women for their own ends.

She walks around the studio with her chin held high and a severe expression on her face, as though she were inspecting her team of languid teenage models before they show off her Pre-Fall 2017 collection to distinguished critics and buyers. She smoothes out the panel of one garment, checks out a hemline, studies the fall of an evening gown made from velvet as light and fluid as silk.

Made on the 16th floor, one floor down from this studio, her designs are not only easy to wear, they are timeless. This seasons colors were inspired by the palette of Polish art deco painter Tamara de Lempicka. In this fashion house, each garment has to be well finished, she says. It has to be impeccable outside and in. That is our trademark. I learned that from my mother and my mother-in-law, who were dressed by Dior, Balenciaga and Lanvin.

Some hours later, I am checking the truth of this claim in her boutique on Madison Avenue, on the corner of 75th Street  a spot previously occupied by Givenchy. And as I sort through the clothes racks of pret-a-porter designs with price tags ranging from 2,000 to 10,000, I have to hand it to her. They are finished with the utmost care and delicacy while being unmistakably New York.

Carolina with Marla, Donald Trumps second wife. THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION

On the whole, her clothes are elaborate wardrobe staples, aimed at active women with a view to boosting their morale. Its all about comfort and easy glamour as well as knowing how to accessorize. The peculiarly American style has been espoused by other designers of her generation such as Calvin Klein and Donna Karan and by the next generation too  think Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang and Tom Ford  but there is a signature sophistication to her garments that is unique.

Now 78, Carolina Herrera is the most famous designer on the planet, perhaps because her clothes are red carpet favorites, and as a former style icon herself, she really knows her stuff. According to The New York Times, her brand is worth more than 1 billion  a figure she claims to be unaware of. Though still a family business, her empire consists of Carolina Herrera New York  only sold in the US, and a second trendier label CH, which has more than 150 boutiques around the world with men and womens lines and accessories. There are also 30 boutiques selling her Carolina Herrera Bridal wear and finally, a range of fragrances, created and sold since 1988 by the Catalan firm Puig in 25,000 retail outlets across five continents.

Quite a stunt for someone who came to fashion by chance 35 years ago, having just turned 42. Carolinas childhood was spent in Caracas among high-ranking military officials, wealthy landowners and oil magnates. She married at 18, but was unhappy and a scandalous divorce followed. Her second marriage was to Reinaldo Herrera  a cultured and seductive Venezuelan aristocrat and journalist who had had an affair with Aristotle Onassiss first wife and socialized with the Rothschilds and the Agnellis, not to mention a number of royals. Together Carolina and Reinaldo had four children and then, from one day to the next it seemed, the woman who had been brought up to remain at home became a designer.

A models showcases Carolina Herreras evening wear collection.

There was no formal instruction in cutting fabric or mixing color, only the instinct of a style icon. I had an eye for it, she says. And in this business, that is more important than knowing how to sew on a button. I have the ideas and a team from the big fashion houses behind me. I tell them what I want; I tell them how I want the sleeves and the shoulders, the length of the skirt, the waist, the colors. You have to have a sense of proportion and color and cut. And you cant learn that. You either have it or you dont. Fashion is meant to be pleasing to the eye. And I know how to do that. I know what looks good. Ive seen students coming out of the big fashion schools but they dont amount to much because theyre too technical. They dont have imagination. Fashion is a dream that has to be transformed into reality. There has to be room in life for fantasy.

Carolina was not brought up to be in the spotlight, but she was too restless to stay home. I was okay with that existence until I got to 42 and then Id had enough, she says. The only time I had ever worked was as a PR for the couturier Emilio Pucci in Caracas for six months. But suddenly, I got the urge to do something in fashion. It was as if it had been lying dormant inside me and here in New York, doors opened for me and I was able to explore it. Americans are very generous people. If you have the talent, they open the doors for you.

Many believed it was a passing phase, a whim born out of boredom. Thats what they thought, she explains. They said I would tire of it. And here I am 35 years later. And its a 12-hour-a-day job. Its extremely hard work. But I was encouraged by Diana Vreeland [the legendary editor of Harpers Bazaar and Vogue]. She was my mentor. In 1980, I told her I wanted to do fabric prints and she said, How boring! Dont be silly. Why dont you do a fashion collection? Thats when I got the bug. Luckily, my husband supported me. He said over and over again, You can do it and you have to do it. I was lucky with Reinaldo because if your partner gives you a hard time, you dont get anywhere. You wont get the thing off the ground.

Carolina with her husband Reinaldo Herrera at a 2004 party at the Frick Collection.

Her approach to breaking into the fashion industry was nothing if not business-like. Before showing her first collection in April 1981, at the Metropolitan Club, she had her company all set up.  It was all very clear in my head and I did it 50/50 with my first partner Armando de Armas, who was a Venezuelan editor, she says. You have to have a base of production and distribution.

Her first runway show was a high-profile event with Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger sitting in the front row and David Bowies wife Iman on the catwalk. And despite poor reviews, it sold well. Soon it was on the racks of Neiman Marcus, Saks and Bergdorf Goodman and, most importantly, in the display window of Marthas, the most sophisticated boutique on Park Avenue. A roster of distinguished clients followed, starting with her neighbor Jackie Onassis, whom Carolina would dress until her death in 1994. Im an American designer, she explains. I have always worked in the US. I love Caracas and I love Venezuela, but what can I do? I have always worked here.

For 35 years she has proven it by dressing a melting pot of Hollywood stars with the best of her creations: Latinas such as Penelope Cruz, Wasps like Renee Zellweger or Taylor Swift, African-Americans like Lupita Nyongo and Asian-born actresses such as Lucy Liu.

Herreras career got off to a flying start but it wasnt until 1988 that she showed the extent of her business acumen by signing an agreement with Puig, the Spanish fashion and perfume giant, to promote her fragrance  after which she concocted 20 more. In 1995 she got a further vote of confidence from Puig when it purchased all the shares of Carolina Herrera New York, the engine of her entire business.

Herrera is not an easy subject to interview, and not just because of her hectic schedule

It was a smart move. Puig had the financial muscle to manufacture and distribute her work on a global scale, with the corresponding marketing and management techniques that would facilitate growth. In 2000, through a strategic partnership with the Dominguez brothers Catalonian textile company Lonia, the CH label came into being, selling luxury items at reasonable prices. And in 2010, the powerful Italian multinational De Rigo made a deal to manufacture Carolina Herrera eyeglasses, a very profitable line of business for fashion companies.

Perhaps because of her eclectic methods and pragmatism, Carolina Herrera holds the record for having dressed more First Ladies in the White House than any other designer in history. After Jackie Kennedy Onassis, others such as Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama called in at her design studio on Seventh Avenue, with Michelle Obama bowing out of the White House in a Carolina Herrera dress that made the front cover of Vogue. Herrera likes to remain neutral when it concerns politics. She even dressed the first and second wives of Americas new president, Donald Trump  Ivana and Marla  and says that it would be a great honor to dress the new First Lady Melania Trump, something which two other designers, namely Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs, have refused to do.

Herrera gets out of her Mercedes outside the Lincoln Center on a wet night, dressed in a long black dress. The flash bulbs light up her pearl earrings. Hundreds of guests in formal dress battle one another to get to the champagne. There are actresses, It Girls, models, aristocrats and millionaires with Latin and Eastern European surnames. Carolina Herrera is about to receive the prestigious Womens Leadership Award for her 35 years as the doyenne of US fashion. She looks smaller and her profile seems sharper than the previous day and, beneath the gracious veneer, she is clearly nervous. I wasnt born to be a public figure, she whispers. I was brought up to be private. I dont like being the center of attention. But what can you do?

Thirty-five years is a respectable amount of time to head an empire, but though Carolinas shoulders are beginning to look too frail for the responsibility, she refuses to contemplate retirement, never mind talking about who will succeed her. After all, she is Carolina Herrera. Im not going to take a backseat, she says firmly.

Accepting her award, she smiles at everyone and gives a brief thank-you speech that ends with a resounding God Bless America! And when its all over, she turns to me and asks, Did you like it? I spoke very little because people get bored and I dont want to ruin their evening, least of all before theyve had their dinner. And then she throws her head back and laughs. She is indeed the Empress of Manhattan.

English version by Heather Galloway.
A 24 January report from Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), which collates data on funding of political parties, showed that various political parties received Rs 7,833 crore of funding from unknown sources between 2004-05 and 2014-15, which constitutes 69 percent of their total income during the period. The unknown sources are income declared in the IT returns but without giving source of income for donations below Rs. 20,000. In other words, this is the chunk of money that has come from dubious sources and, thus, could very well be a form of black money.

Lets understand the problem in detail. The current norms offer a big loophole for political parties to escape the scrutiny as the Rs 20,000 and below donations do not require showing of any source. Hence it is easy for any political party to make thousands of receipts for big donations (including from corporations to return them favors) with no questions asked. Without closing this loophole, it is extremely difficult to bring in transparency in political funding. Typically, political parties do not even keep receipts for donations. The Narendra Modi-government has so far not acted on this problem, even when it stipulates that every single transaction done by the common man should be made traceable, taxed and scrutinized.

This is an even bigger irony since the Modi-government has waged a big war on black money like no government has done in the past. It pulled out 86 percent of the currency from the system in one go on 8 November, 2016 stating that the move intends to kill black money, fake currency and corruption in the system. Three weeks later, the government launched a massive cashless economy drive saying that it wants to end cash transactions and make everything digitally traceable so that black money hoarders wont have any room to transact in unaccounted cash.

To compel people to move in this direction, an expert panel has now even recommended taxing all cash transactions above Rs 50,000. The demonetisation move inflicted considerable pain on the common man, hurt the economy in the form of slowdown in business activities and major job losses in the informal sector. In an economy, that operates 70-90 percent in cash, demonetisation came as a major jolt. But the government continued to enjoy the support of masses owing to a sense that finally there was some action taken against the rich and the powerful. But, unless it acts to clean up political funding, no amount of work in its fight against black money will be seen as a convincing act.

The excuses this government has put forward so far to let the dubious political funding continue do not stand. Late last year, a comment from revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia: If it is a deposit in the account of political parties, they are exempt. But if it is deposited in any individual account, in anyones account, that information will definitely come on our radar," stirred up a hornets nest. It meant that political parties continued to have immunity on black money but it was okay to harass the common man in the name of black money, even those with legitimate earnings.

More importantly, this comment came when the demonetisation drive was still half-way. The government immediately went on a damage control mode, saying political parties too will be scrutinized. Just like anyone else, political parties can also deposit their cash held in the old currency in banks till 30 December, provided they can satisfactorily explain the source of income and their books of accounts reflect the entries prior to 8 November," Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley said.

The finance minister also said the income and donations of political parties "fall in the purview of Section 13A of the Income Tax Act of 1961" and that "there is no change in its provisions". But, as this writer pointed out in an earlier column, the question is given that the Modi government has waged an all-out attack on black money, shouldnt it have plugged the loophole on political funding? The reluctance of political parties to collectively act on this issue of can be traced to the fact that all drink from the same well. The Modi government managed to amend the income tax law for individuals, why couldnt it expand the purview of the law for political parties? When it pushes the common man to switch to non-cash payment channels, why cant it ask the political parties too to take all donations only through non-cash modes. The government owes an answer to this question.

ADR numbers

According to the ADR report, which has studied the funding of six national parties (INC, BJP, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPM) and 51 regional parties, the income of national parties from unknown sources increased by 313 percent, from Rs 274.13 crore during fiscal year 2004-05 to Rs 1130.92 crore during fiscal year 2014-15, while the income of regional parties from unknown sources increased by 652 percent from Rs 37.393 crore during fiscal year 2004-05 to Rs 281.01 crore during fiscal year 2014-15.

Among all the National and Regional parties considered, BSP is the only party to consistently declare receiving NIL donations above Rs 20,000 between FY 2004-05 and 2014-15 thus 100 percent of the partys donations came from unknown sources. The total income of the party increased by 2057 percent from Rs 5.19 crore during FY 2004-05 to Rs 111.96 crore during FY 2014-15, the report said.

Globally, many countries have improved transparency in their political funding by bringing this information under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI). Some countries where this is done include Bhutan, Nepal, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, the US and Japan. In none of these countries is it possible for almost 75 per cent of the source of funds to be unknown, but at present it is so in India.

The Modi government cant blame an old law to continue protecting dubious political funding. Unless this issue is addressed, questions will be raised on the seriousness of its anti-black money drive. In this context, the ADR report should be an eye-opener to the government.
Mumbai: Stating that employment has not been increasing in the last three years, rating agency Crisil today said creating jobs should be the top focus of the Finance Minister in his third Budget to be presented on February 1.

"The last three years have seen a slow but steady uptick in economic growth, but it is likely that this hasn't been accompanied by commensurate job increase in employment and that those sectors which grew faster have low labour intensity and share in overall output," it said in a note.

The agency said over 1.5 million people are entering the job market every month and the rapid adoption of automation which reduces the dependency on labour is only

aggravating the situation.

"The thrust of the Budget should be on sectors that can immediately push job creation," it said.

It said policy support will need a mix of both short term and long term focus and identified the road sector, which has historically helped in times of crisis, as a potential sector be targeted in the short-term.

However, the long-term focus must be on alleviating structural constraints to employment creation, it said and elaborated on long-term employment growth strategies.

"We should aim at reducing over-employment in agriculture by providing opportunities outside it," it said. The manufacturing sector should also be pushed by

emphasising on local manufacturing along with improving export competitiveness, it said.

Policies should be designed to push growth in labour-intensive services sectors such as trade, medical and education services, community and social and personal services, it added.

For full coverage of Union Budget 2017 click here.
New Delhi: Addressing investors' concerns ahead of GAAR implementation from 1 April, the tax department today said it will not interplay with their right to choose a method of transaction and won't apply if routing of funds through a jurisdiction is "based on non-tax commercial considerations".

The General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), which seek to prevent companies from routing transactions through other countries to avoid taxes, can be invoked through a two-stage process involving a nod at the level of principal commissioner of income tax and a panel headed by a high court judge.

Seeking to assuage concerns of investors, CBDT said GAAR provisions shall be effective from assessment year 2018-19 onwards and "shall not be invoked merely on the ground that the entity is located in a tax efficient jurisdiction".

"If the jurisdiction of FPI is finalised based on non-tax commercial considerations and the main purpose of the arrangement is not to obtain tax benefit, GAAR will not apply. GAAR will not interplay with the right of the taxpayer to select or choose method of implementing a transaction," the CBDT said in a statement.

In a clarification on implementation of GAAR, CBDT said the provisions will not apply if the tax benefits obtained are permissible under the limitation of benefits clause provided in tax treaties.

Investments made by way of convertible instruments, bonus issuances or split/consolidation of holdings prior to April 1 will be grandfathered, it said.

CBDT said that adoption of anti-abuse rules in tax treaties may not be sufficient to address all tax avoidance strategies and they are required to be tackled through domestic anti-avoidance rules.

"However, if a case of avoidance is sufficiently addressed by Limitation of Benefits (LoB) provisions in the tax treaty, there shall not be an occasion to invoke GAAR," it said.

The proposal to apply GAAR will be vetted first by the Principal Commissioner of I-T/Commissioner of I-T and at the second stage by an Approving Panel headed by a judge of High Court.

"The stakeholders have been assured that adequate procedural safeguards are in place to ensure that GAAR is invoked in a uniform, fair and rational manner," CBDT said,

adding that the government is committed to providing certainty and clarity in tax rules.

CBDT further said that if at the time of sanctioning an arrangement the Court has explicitly and adequately considered the tax implications, GAAR will not apply to such an arrangement. It would also not apply if an arrangement is held as permissible by the Authority for Advance Rulings.

"Further, it has been clarified that if an arrangement has been held to be permissible in one year by the PCIT/CIT/ Approving Panel and the facts and circumstances remain the same, GAAR will not be invoked for that arrangement in a subsequent year," CBDT said.

The tax department also clarified that levy of penalty under GAAR would depend on "facts and circumstances of the case and is not automatic".

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his Budget speech in 2015, deferred GAAR implementation by two years and also said that the investments made up to March 31, 2017 shall not be subjected to GAAR, which was to be applied on those claiming tax benefit of over Rs 3 crore.

CBDT today clarified that Rs 3 crore limit of tax benefit calculation for each arrangement cannot be read with a single tax payer as GAAR is with respect to an entire arrangement that has been entered into.

"One good thing is that CBDT has clarified that if LoB sufficiently addresses tax avoidance then GAAR will not apply. Most new treaties being signed are with LOB. Therefore foreign investors have clarity," Ashok Maheshwary and Associates LLP Partner Amit Maheshwari said.

The exceptions carved out for Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) and investors in FIIs alleviated some concerns as the recent clarification gives a ray of hope to the FPI that GAAR will apply only to abusive or highly aggressive/contrived arrangements, said Nangia & Co Managing Partner Rakesh Nangia.

Another positive thing is that court approved arrangements are outside the purview of GAAR, Maheshwari said, adding he said FPIs would have sufficient clarity on taxation.

In May last year, CBDT had started consultation with stakeholders asking them to give their views where they require clarity before GAAR is implemented.

General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) was part of the 2012-13 Budget speech of the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to check tax evasion and avoidance.

However, its implementation was repeatedly postponed because of the apprehensions expressed by foreign investors.

The government has clarified that GAAR will not be invoked if an FPI invests from a jurisdiction for commercial reasons and the main purpose of investing from such

jurisdiction is not to avail tax benefits.

"This will give some guidance to FPIs who would now have to ensure that they choose a jurisdiction which gives them various non-tax benefits, and availability of treaty benefits is not the only purpose though could be one of the purposes," Deloitte Haskins & Sells Partner Rajesh Gandhi said.

The tax department has also clarified that where LOB clause in the treaty is satisfied, GAAR may not be invoked.

"This partially fulfils a long-standing demand of the industry though the benefit has now got diluted to a large extent because the LOB clause in the India Singapore and Mauritius treaties is relevant only for availing the 50 percent tax rate for 2 years," Gandhi said.

Maheshwari said the revised tax treaties with the Netherlands and Cyprus do not have an LoB clause and these jurisdictions may not provide certainty to investors from GAAR application.

With the implementation of GAAR, India will join nations like Australia, China, Singapore, Germany and France which have anti-abuse provisions in tax treaties.

GAAR, which was originally to be implemented from 1 April, 2014, will now come into effect from 1 April, 2017 (Assessment Year 2018-19).

It contains provisions allowing the government to prospectively tax overseas deals involving local assets.

There have been fears that the government may use it to target P-Notes. Through the use of GAAR, government may try to tax P-Notes as indirect investments, which could attract a tax rate of up to 15 percent, say experts.

To avoid tax altogether under GAAR, an investor may have to prove that P-Notes were not set up specifically to avoid paying taxes.
New Delhi: Concerned over the 'loss' caused to United Spirits' minority shareholders due to $75-million sweetheart deal between its erstwhile promoter Vijay Mallya and new owner Diageo, regulator Sebi may soon order additional payout for small investors by way of a fresh open offer.

Sebi, which on Wednesday night barred Mallya and six others from securities markets on fund diversion charges and also restrained him and Ashok Capoor (ex-MD of United Spirits) from holding directorship at any listed firm, is also probing "change in control of USL" due to a settlement pact under which the beleaguered businessman agreed to exit from boards of USL group companies on payout of $75 million.

Sources said that the investigation conducted by the markets watchdog shows change in effective control of the company after this settlement agreement, resulting significant ownership gains to the new promoters in addition to the monetary benefits to the old owners, thus causing a "loss" to the minority shareholders of the company.

"Sebi's investigation has reached an advanced stage and the regulator may have to order an additional payout to the minority shareholders, possibly by way of a fresh open offer," a senior official said.

This is separate from an 'additional payout' that Sebi had ordered Diageo in June last year to pay to the minority shareholders, who had tendered their shares in an open offer in 2012, on account of $140.97 million payment to Stanchart Bank with respect to liability of Watson Ltd, another Mallya- affiliated company, pursuant to default on a bank guarantee. UK-based Diageo has filed an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal against the aforesaid SEBI direction.

Besides, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is also separately looking into the role of certain auditors for their alleged failure to detect "diversion of funds from USL" to certain companies of Mallya-led UB Group, including the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines whose collapse led to the entire business group running into financial troubles. Cracking its whip, Sebi had last night barred Mallya and six former officials of USL from securities markets in a case related to illegal fund diversions.

Further, Sebi has asked USL, from where Mallya resigned as director and chairman in March 2016, to provide details about steps being taken to recover the diverted funds.

Sebi has restrained Mallya, Capoor and five others from the securities market and also from "buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities in any manner whatsoever, either directly or indirectly" till further directions.

The five others are: P A Murali, Sowmiyanarayanan, S N Prasad, Paramjit Singh Gill and Ainapur S R.Mallya and Capoor have been barred from "holding position as directors or key managerial persons of any listed company". Reacting to Sebi's order, Mallya said he was "surprised".

"Neither have I had any communication with SEBI nor have I ever been afforded a hearing before this purported action has been taken. I have always strongly denied all allegations made by USL," he said in a statement. He also took to Twitter to say that "allegations of fund diversion out of USL are baseless" and said "USL accounts were approved by top auditors, an eminent Board of Directors and

shareholders".

As fresh troubles emerged after Mallya agreed to sell to Diageo a controlling stake in his erstwhile flagship firm USL, the two got into a bitter boardroom battle, which they later sought to end with $75 million pact in February 2016.

Sebi's latest order came close on the heels of CBI naming Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines and nine others in the charge sheet related to the 2015 loan default case.

Sebi said it is also examining the settlement agreement between Mallya and Diageo as well as the role of auditors in the non-detection of diversion of funds from USL.

In furtherance of this pact, Mallya resigned from his position as Chairman and Non-Executive Director of USL. On the same date, USL and Mallya entered into an agreement wherein they agreed to a mutual release in relation to matters arising out of the Initial Inquiry by USL.

"The matter of Diageo entering into a Settlement Agreement with Mallya vis-a-vis USL's agreement with Mallya is being examined separately by Sebi," the regulator said. Under the settlement pact, Diageo agreed to pay $75 million to Mallya who in turn agreed to resign from his position as Chairman and Director of USL and also Director in other USL Group Companies.

"Diageo and USL agreed with UBHL and Kingfisher Finvest India Limited to terminate the Shareholder's Agreement entered into between the parties on November 9, 2013. The aspect of change in control of USL is also being examined separately by Sebi," the regulator added.

It has been alleged that funds were diverted from USL to other Mallya companies between 2010 and 2013.

As per PwC-UK report, the diverted amount is Rs. 655.55 crore while E&Y report estimated the money at Rs. 1,225.24 crore, according to details cited in the Sebi order.

In a 32-page order, Sebi Whole Time Member S Raman said the alleged prima facie violations observed in the case are serious and have larger implications on the safety and integrity of the securities market.

"Investors might have based their investment decisions on the manipulated books of accounts prepared and presented by these persons.

"It would therefore not be in the interest of the securities market and the interest of investors to allow persons of such doubtful demeanour to continue to act as KMPs in the company or in other listed companies or allow them to deal in the securities market," he said.

In its order, Sebi also asked USL to provide details within three weeks about the action taken against Mallya and the six individuals.

Besides, the company has to submit information about the steps taken to recover from Mallya and the companies to which the amount was wrongly diverted.

Meanwhile, another UB group company United Breweries Ltd yesterday said it is not privy to any of the loans taken by Kingfisher Airlines or investigations related to it.

"UBL is an independent listed entity engaged in beer business and is not concerned with KFA (Kingfisher Airlines) in any manner whatsoever," United Breweries Limited (UBL) said in a reply to the BSE, which had sought clarification on CBI charging Vijay Mallya with fraud and criminal conspiracy.

CBI in its charge sheet said that Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines diverted Rs. 263 crore from Rs. 900 crore IDBI loan for "personal use".

The chargesheet names Mallya, Kingfisher and nine others, including the then IDBI Chairman Yogesh Aggarwal who was arrested on Monday, in the 2015 loan default case.

Meanwhile, Diageo in a regulatory filing with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) said that the company and USL are "cooperating fully with the authorities in relation to these matters, and ... USL itself reported the matters covered by the Initial Inquiry and the Additional Inquiry to the relevant authorities."

Referring to Sebi's June 2016 direction for additional payment to minority shareholders of USL, Diageo said it believes "decision in the Sebi notice to be misconceived and wrong in law and has appealed against it before SAT on July 29, 2016.

"The matter was last listed before SAT on December 6, 2016, on which date no substantive hearing took place and is next posted for 15 February 2017.

"Diageo is unable to assess if the notices or enquiries referred to above will result in enforcement action or, if this were to transpire, to quantify meaningfully the possible loss or range of loss, if any, to which any such action might give rise if determined against Diageo or USL," it added.

Listing out various regulatory notices in relation to USL, Diageo said the two entities have received various notices from Indian regulatory authorities, including the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Serious Fraud Investigation Office, National Stock Exchange, Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate, Sebi, Bangalore police, Central Excise Intelligence and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

On notices from Sebi on the settlement pact with Mallya and the Watson backstop guarantee arrangements, the UK-based liquor giant said, "Diageo and USL have complied with such information requests and Diageo has confirmed that, consistent with prior disclosures, the Watson backstop guarantee arrangements and the matters described in the February 25, 2016 announcement were not the subject of any earlier agreement with Mallya.

Sebi had asked Diageo that if there is any net liability incurred by Diageo on account of the Watson backstop guarantee, such liability, if any, would be considered to be part of the price paid for the acquisition of USL shares under the SPA which formed part of the Original USL Transaction and that, in that case, additional equivalent payments would be required to be made to those shareholders (representing 0.04 per cent of the shares in USL) who tendered in the open offer made as part of the Original USL Transaction.

"Diageo is clear that the Watson backstop guarantee arrangements were not part of the price paid or agreed to be paid for any USL shares under the Original USL Transaction and therefore believes the decision in the Sebi notice to be misconceived and wrong in law," the company said.
Actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendra, Neelam and Tabu are set to record their statements in the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case with the chief judicial magistrate court in Jodhpur on Friday.

Times of India reports that Salman's official statement is that the blackbuck died of natural causes. "Only the first forensic report of Dr Nepalia saying that the animal died of "natural causes" was true and the rest of the evidence is false," he reportedly said. The actor has pleaded innocent in this case. The next date of hearing has been announced at February 15.

Salman was asked close to 65 questions by the Jodhpur magistrate and he said "galat" to almost all of them, including whether his jeep was found with bloodstains and hair of the blackbuck, and if he was shooting at night, to which he replied false.

The court completed recording the statement of Saif Ali Khan, too.

On 13 January, the Jodhpur court has ordered the five accused in the case to appear before it on 25 January to record their statements, which then got postponed to 27 January. According to Hindustan Times, Salman's lawyer Hastimal Sarswat said that the prosecution has examined 28 witnesses out of a total 51, and the defence will be given a chance to record their statements soon after.

All five actors arrived on Jodhpur on Thursday, reports NDTV. They are accused of poaching two blackbucks, which is illegal under the Wildlife Protection Act, during the shooting for Hum Saath Saath Hai in 1998. Salman Khan was individually undergoing a trail for possession of illegal firearms for the shooting of the animals.

Blackbuck Poaching Case: Salman Khan arrives in Jodhpur, will appear before Court tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/4Fev3ZV8Yi  ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017

A photo of Saif Ali Khan arriving in Jodpur https://t.co/X3Fh4jWeJg pic.twitter.com/vWTJZyf4Hn  Saif Ali Khan Online (@SaifOnline) January 27, 2017

On 17 January, Salman Khan was acquitted in the Arms Act case, and the Rajasthan High Court has also acquitted the actor in two other related cases.

The case dates back to the making of Hum Saath Saath Hai in 1998 when all five actors allegedly went on a shooting expedition with a certain Dushyant Singh in Kankani village. This was followed by protests from the Bishnoi community, after which a case was filed against all the actors.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Padmavati, which is being shot in Jaipur currently, has been stalled due to a fresh controversy.

Protestors reportedly from Rajput Karni Sena disrupted the ongoing shoot, claiming that Bhansali's film portrays their Rani Padmavati in a bad light, reports Indian Express. Deepika Padukone plays the character.

While the shooting of the film, starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, was underway, the activists of Karni Sena assembled at the Jaigarh Fort and held a demonstration. Some of them also tried to vandalise the set.

Images on Twitter have revealed that the shoot, being held at Jaigarh fort has been stalled at the moment, as Bhansali has called the police.

The protest seems to have gotten violent as reportedly Bhansali got slapped, beaten and pushed around, reports NDTV. The protest also seems to have been regarding an alleged love scene between Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji.

Source from Firstpost Hindi inform that Bhansali was slapped repeatedly, his clothes torn apart and therefore his security team had to resort to firing in the air. There were no actors present at the shoot during the time, however the entire unit was stuck unable to do anything. Some equiptment was broken too.

In view of the trouble, the filmmaker has decided not to shoot the movie here, police has said.

"We had warned the filmmaker against presenting wrong facts. When we came to know about the shooting, we gathered there and protested," said district president of Karni sena Narayan Singh.

Another activist Vikram Singh said the film is presenting wrong facts about Padmavati.

"Our basic protest is about distortion of historic facts which will not be tolerated," he said. He alleged that a security guard opened fire in the air which created panic. However, police denied the allegation.

After the shooting was stalled, Bhansali and his team members talked to the Karni Sena and assured them that their demands would be looked into.

"The filmmakers have assured that they will not shoot here and will pack up," DCP North Anshuman Bhomia said.

He said that there was no report of firing and no FIR has been lodged by any party so far.

Karni Sena previously has not allowed Jodha Akbar to release in Rajasthan because of the wrong name of the Jaipur princess who was married to Akbar. They are allegedly not happy with this film being made.

With Inputs from PTI
By Sue-Lin Wong and Jamie Freed

| BEIJING/SYDNEY

BEIJING/SYDNEY American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) and Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) may reapply to the U.S. Transportation Department for permission to coordinate prices and flight schedules now the Trump administration is in charge, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said.The pair's application for a joint venture covering the United States, Australia and New Zealand markets was rejected in November under the Obama administration amid opposition from rival carriers Hawaiian Airlines Inc and JetBlue Airways Corp (JBLU.O).The alliance would have the largest share of seats between 200 pairs of cities, and account for nearly 60 percent of all seats between the United States and Australia, the department said.President Donald Trump is expected to boost U.S. business through lighter regulation and his administration may take a more hands-off approach to anti-trust enforcement.

"What we need to do is work out the implications, which we are still working through and then talk about what we will do and review our options with the Trump administration," Joyce told Reuters in Beijing on Thursday. "When we do, we will make an announcement of what our intentions are."Citi analyst Anthony Moulder said the inability to coordinate pricing meant the American Airlines flights between Australia and the United States were being sold at lower prices than Qantas flights, placing pressure on the Australian carrier.

"I think it has just taken perhaps a little bit longer than (American Airlines) would have hoped to where their offering has similar yields," he said. American Airlines, which is due to release its fourth-quarter financial results on Friday, declined to comment.

Regulators in Australia and New Zealand had approved the joint venture before it was rejected by the United States. (Reporting by Sue-Lin Wong, Jamie Freed and Alana Wise in New York; Writing by Jamie Freed; Editing by Andrew Hay)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) reported a 3.6 percent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, powered by a surge in demand for the company's flagship cloud platform Azure.The company's shares were marginally higher at $64.34 in after-hours trading.Since taking charge in 2014, Chief Executive Satya Nadella has steered the company toward cloud services and mobile applications away from its slowing traditional software business.The company's "Intelligent Cloud" business, which includes Azure, rose 8 percent to $6.9 billion in the second quarter. That beat analysts' average estimate of $6.73 billion, according to research firm FactSet StreetAccount.Revenue from Azure, which businesses can use to host their websites, apps or data, jumped 93 percent in the quarter. Sales had more than doubled in the preceding quarter.The Azure platform competes with offerings from companies including Amazon.com (AMZN.O), Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O), IBM Corp (IBM.N) and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N).

Microsoft does not give an absolute revenue figure for Azure. Amazon's AWS, Azure's biggest competitor, grew revenues 55 percent to $3.23 billion in its most recent quarter.Sales in Microsoft's personal computing business, which includes its Windows software, fell 5 percent to $11.8 billion. Worldwide PC shipments, which have been in decline since 2012, fell 5.7 in 2016 from a year earlier, according to research firm IDC. However, the market is showing signs of stabilization.

Nadella also orchestrated Microsoft's biggest acquisition, the $26.2 billion deal for LinkedIn. The transaction closed last month.LinkedIn contributed $228 million of revenue in the second quarter, Microsoft said. LinkedIn also reported a net loss of $100 million, or 1 cent per share, in the quarter.Excluding items, Microsoft earned 83 cents per share.

The company's net income rose to $5.20 billion, or 66 cents per share, in the second quarter ended Dec. 31, from $5.02 billion, or 62 cents per share, a year earlier. (bit.ly/2kpo0w6)Adjusted revenue rose to $26.07 billion from $25.51 billion.Microsoft's shares had risen 23.2 percent in the past twelve months, compared with the 20.7 percent gain in the broader S&P 500 index. .SPX (Reporting by Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Nick Carey

Ordering a bottle of Corona beer at a bar in the United States is a simple proposition.Getting it there from its brewery in Mexico involves a complex, cross-border supply network that will likely get more complicated if U.S. president Donald Trump follows through on vows to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or tax imports.Trump has not outlined specific plans for revising NAFTA, but he has made repeated calls for a levy to discourage companies from moving jobs outside the United States. On Thursday, the White House floated a plan to impose a 20 percent tax on imports. Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have included a tax on imports in their blueprint for overhauling corporate taxes.The ideas have met opposition in Congress, even inside Trump's own party. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a republican from South Carolina, took to Twitter on Thursday, saying "Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad."Trump's rhetoric has also heightened uncertainty over the billions in supply chain and infrastructure investment that a diverse array of companies from automakers and railroads to appliance makers and food producers have made on both side of the U.S.-Mexico border during the past two decades.The stakes are high for brands like Corona, which is entirely brewed in Mexico, and the transport companies such as Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N) that make money moving the beer's raw ingredients and packaging into Mexico, and bringing the finished brew back to the United States.Victor, New York-based Constellation Brands Inc (STZ.N), which owns the U.S. rights to Corona, plans to spend $2.5 billion to expand an existing brewery in Nava, just south of the border with Texas and $2 billion on a new brewery in Mexicali by 2021.

Just days before the November 8 U.S. election, the company said it would buy a Mexican brewery from Grupo Modelo for $600 million and expand its operations in the country.To qualify as a Mexican beer, Constellation's beer brands must be made in Mexico. However, about 40 percent of the cost of the company's Mexican beers are tied to ingredients, supplies and freight services that come from the United States, said David Klein, Constellation's chief financial officer during a conference call earlier this month. The company - which has seen its market valuation triple to nearly $30 billion since 2013 when it obtained rights to sell Corona and other Mexican beer brands - imports hops, barley and other grains from the United States to brew Corona. The company does not disclose the specific origin of ingredients."The majority of our glass bottle supply comes from the glass plant at the Nava brewery and other Mexico suppliers. We source less than 20 percent of our glass bottles from the United States. Some raw materials, including hops and grains to brew the beer, do come from the United States," Constellation said in a statement.

Farms in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States are major growers of barley in North America, and in 2015 Mexico was the world's largest importer of U.S. barley. Since 2010, Mexico has been either the world's largest importer of U.S. hops or second just behind the United Kingdom. Unravelling the NAFTA supply chains of companies such as Constellation, or the big automakers, would lead to higher prices for consumer goods, experts and industry executives say. "Everyone would lose, especially the consumer, it's that simple," said Brandon Stallard, CEO of Troy, Michigan-based TPS Logistics, which handles tens of thousands of cross-border shipments for customers daily.

U.S. companies also benefit from Corona production. Perrysburg, Ohio-based glass maker Owens-Illinois (OI.N) formed a joint venture with Constellation to expand a glass bottle plant next to the Nava brewery and subsequently bought a major Mexican glass bottle producer to meet demand. Owens-Illinois declined to comment on where its raw materials come from. Broomfield, Colorado-based Ball Corp (BLL.N) is building a plant in Mexicali to make cans for Constellation's new brewery.Constellation says it imports almost 20 percent of its glass bottles from the United States. The company did not say where those bottles come from, but Lance Fritz, chief executive of No. 1 U.S. railroad Union Pacific often cites the example of glass bottles the company hauls from a plant in Texas to a brewery in Mexico and that those bottles are made from recycled glass Union Pacific hauls from all over America.The railroad has also invested $40 million in cleaning, washing and repair facility for beer-carrying box-cars just north of Constellation's Nava brewery. Union Pacific hauls U.S. barley, malt and rice for brewing."The job we have at hand is to help our elected officials see the world from our perspective and then pray for them to make the right decision," said Fritz. (Reporting By Nick Carey; editing by Joe White and Edward Tobin)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
After missing its deficit targets for five straight years, Spain on Thursday made a commitment in Brussels to make additional adjustments if necessary. Speaking at a meeting of Eurogroup finance ministers, who, among other things, discussed Spains updated draft budgetary plans for 2017, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos pledged that if the economy grows at a rate below Madrids forecasts, new budget adjustments will be made.

Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos (l) with French counterpart Michel Sapin. ERIC VIDAL (REUTERS)

While the Eurogroup on Thursday concluded that the budget of Spain is broadly compliant with the requirements of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), it also left the door open to future austerity measures.

Asked whether Spain would have to take new measures, Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem replied with an assertive Not for the moment, no.

But there was a footnote. It is always positive for a minister to promise that his government will take more measures if things go wrong, he said, alluding to De Guindos pledge.

Spain has already tweaked its fiscal policy by approving tax hikes, but even this will probably not be enough to bring the deficit down to the target of 3.1%, according to a recent European Commission report. Instead, it will presumably be closer to 3.3%, representing excess expenditure of around 2 billion.

At this point, Brussels is concerned about other things, including political instability within its borders

Spain believes that the tax hikes slapped on companies, alcohol, tobacco and sugary drinks, as well as rises in a range of green taxes  together with strong economic growth  will be enough to keep the deficit at 3.1% of GDP. But Brussels is forecasting 3.3% instead.

If the European Commission is right and Spain is forced to make two billion euros worth of new cuts, these would probably take the form of either spending cuts or new hikes to its hydrocarbon tax.

Thats supposing that the Spanish executive, which is in a minority government, is able to secure enough parliamentary support to push the budget through in the coming weeks.

Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Spain needs to take no further measures for the moment. EMMANUEL DUNAND (AFP)

But De Guindos struck a confident tone at the meeting.

It is positive that the Eurogroup is validating the Commissions favorable opinion regarding the budget plan, he said. Spain is a little more optimistic than the Commission about growth, and it is possible that the economic inertia will make Brussels raise its forecast.

Brussels is forecasting GDP growth of 2.3% in 2017  in line with IMF predictions  while Madrid predicts that growth will be 2.5%.

The Spanish economy has stopped being a source of instability for Europe, he added, alluding to strong GDP growth and falling unemployment rates in the last few quarters.

De Guindos has a point. At this juncture, Brussels is concerned about other things, including political instability within its borders, Brexit and the new US president, Donald Trump, said Dijsselbloem. And Greece is beginning to shape up as a renewed threat to the euro.

English version by Susana Urra.
By Tom Miles

| GENEVA

GENEVA A trade accord that will boost global exports by $1 trillion should come into force within two weeks, the head of the World Trade Organization said on Thursday, just as the rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump clouds the outlook for global trade.The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) will have a major impact on poorer countries, because it standardises and simplifies customs procedures, slashing the time, cost and complexity of taking goods over borders."In the WTO's history, it is the biggest agreement we ever reached," WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo told Reuters in an interview.Jordan, Chad and Kuwait are all poised to ratify, which would tip the agreement over the required mark of 110 WTO members to take effect, Azevedo said."There are estimates that once fully implemented, this could have an impact of around 2.7 percentage points on trade expansion throughout the world every year until say 2030, and half a percentage point of GDP growth around the world."Where a product may previously have taken 6-7 weeks to arrive, the waiting time should be cut to a few days. "Things are going to cross the border much more easily, much more transparently and at lower costs," Azevedo said. "If its truly implemented and done well, there will be almost no contact between the client and the (customs) authority," Azevedo said. "When that happens the room for corruption basically disappears. And we know that at the border, corruption is a problem for many countries."

The United States, European Union, China and Japan were among the early adopters, although big and rich countries have less to gain since their customs procedures are already at high levels.Asked if the deal was the high point of global trade liberalisation, the veteran Brazilian trade negotiator said there was still a "rich agenda" of potential trade reforms, including for investment, services and small business.Azevedo said it was too early to tell whether the new U.S. administration would be on board with those reforms, adding that much of what was being said about Trump's plans for trade was speculation inferred from his previous comments. Trump has advocated an "America first" stance, and talked of introducing border taxes to stop manufacturing jobs going to Mexico or China, prompting fears of a trade war between major economic blocs.

"VERY BAD SCENARIO"

Azevedo said there could be an increase in trade disputes, and the WTO was ready to handle them. "A lot of concerns Ive heard in recent political debates in the United States can be addressed by tools that we have here in the WTO."

But a trade war that involved ignoring the rules-based system would be a "very bad scenario".The outlook for world trade growth was hard to foresee because of conflicting signals, Azevedo said, with some people worried about a trade war and others anticipating an accelerating U.S. economy and improving business environment.The WTO is also an important arena for Britain's discussions about its exit from the European Union, because the EU looks after Britain's rights and obligations as a trading entity at the WTO. Britain must disentangle itself so it can negotiate as a separate entity at the WTO."I suppose, from what I hear, that it is going to take a couple of years, at least. At that point in time they will begin to negotiate with WTO members," Azevedo said.Asked if that might interfere with Britain's plan to leave the EU in two years, he said: Timing is not in my hands. Its in members hands  and the political decision to initiate things. Britain could start to negotiate with WTO members sooner, Azevedo said, but he had not heard of such negotiations and he had not been approached to facilitate anything. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: As a part of its envisaged dream to train 150 million young Indians by the year 2022, the National Skill Development Corporation has set an ambitious goal to establish training and certification centres in juvenile homes across the country. The government of Indias agency has already started the first of its kind training centre at the Delhi Juvenile Home in Mukherjee Nagar.

The skilling centre in Delhi comes at a time when the capital city is fighting tooth and nail to contain adolescence delinquency. Delhi has recently seen 16 percent rise in crime committed by minors says a Times of India report.

Sobins Kuriakose, an official in the NSDC told Firstpost, "The skilling centre set up in the Delhi Juvenile Home is a kind of pilot project. We hope that the experience that we acquire from this skill centre can be useful in furthering the project to other juvenile homes across India."

The newly opened vocational centre that provides training in bakery and mobile phone repairing in Delhi Juvenile Home is a special project under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Recently the NSDC transformed the guidelines of PMKVY to incorporate more inclusiveness to accommodate such projects.

While implementing the PMKVY to make India the skill capital of the world, as dreamt by the prime minister of India, it was realised that this vision could be a vehicle of social change and not just of economic growth," says Manish Kumar, managing director, of NSDC.

He further said, There was a demand to skill the youth in Jammu and Kashmir and for that special focus was needed on our part. In the same lines, we got requests to set up training and certification centres in jails and juvenile homes across the country.

Kumar said that the new guidelines are nothing but a set of new realisations that were garnered in the path to attain the goal of making India the skill capital.

Delhi Juvenile Home was one among the reformation centres those laid proposals for a training centre in its premises, said Vishal Singh, the principal magistrate in charge of the Observation Home for Boys in Mukherjee Nagar Delhi.

The skill development courses imparted under the NSDC are meant for adults. But the authorities of the observation home are glad that the NSDC made way to skill its inmates, who are below 18 years of age, under the provisions made for special projects in the revised guidelines.

We are more than happy that the skill development ministry accepted our proposal and we hope that the new skill centre will add much vigour to our reform initiative, he said.

He says that among the 150 inmates in the observation home 90 percent belong to very poor families and are school dropouts.

Explaining why they end up committing crimes, Singh said, "They are prisoners of their circumstances. When they see teenagers from affluent families enjoying food in expensive restaurants and riding bikes or cars, they grow a longing for the same kind life. But the path to earn legitimately is already closed for them, as they are school drop outs."

"The only path they see open for themselves is robbing," the judge said.

Even after serving the term, some return to the same life laments the principal magistrate of the observation home that houses teenagers in the age group of 16 to 18 years.

"After getting out of the reformation home a few struggle to live a life with dignity. But many of them are lured by criminal gangs and they turn dreaded criminals later on," he said.

The judicial official hopes that the skilling course will enhance the chances of their returning to normal lives by providing them with livelihoods.

"They will not only acquire the skills to be good bakers and mobile phone mechanics but also a certification of their skill from NSDC after they complete the one-and-half month long course. The certification will enhance their chances to get jobs in the informal sector and also help them in moving on to the formal sector," he said.

Kuriakose said that the certificates they will be provided with will have no mention of the course being imparted in an observation home, and thus will help them to get rid of the social stigma attached to their past lives.

Though the official inauguration of the centre has yet to be done classes have already began.

"They are keen learners. The classes are going on for near about a week now, but not a single instance of unruly behavior has been reported yet," Singh said.

The NSDC is planning to not only extend this scheme to Tihar and Rohtak jail but also to link the produce of the jail inmates with e-commerce portals.
By Oommen C Kurian, Shalini Rudra, Rhea Colaco and Raushan Tara Jaswal

While healthcare has largely been a neglected issue in past Indian general elections, major parties started talking about health in their manifestos from 2004.

In some states, theres evidence it is becoming increasingly important, this 2014 Lancet report said, citing the Rajiv Aarogyasri Community Health Insurance Scheme for poor families as a major reason for a second term in 2009 for the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S R Reddy, and Gujarats Chiranjeevi Yojana, which provides skilled healthcare to pregnant women in collaboration with the private sector and contributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity when he was chief minister.

Healthcare is important to political and economic debate because inadequate public healthcare and healthcare expenses push an additional 55 million people back into poverty in India every year, according to this 2015 Lancet paper.

However, health-related political discussions are, currently, limited to debates around major health scams , or state failure during severe epidemic outbreaks . In general, electoral battles have not been won or lost because of healthcare issues.

India has a healthcare crisis, but solutions need to be state- and district-specific

While India still has more wasted (low weight-for-height) and stunted (low height-for-age) children than any other countryabout 40 millionthe rate of obesity recorded an 8.6-fold increase in Indias rural areas over 14 years and a 1.7-fold increase in urban areas over 20 years, IndiaSpend reported in June 2016.

More than half of Indias rural population uses private healthcare, which is four times as costly as public healthcare, and can cost the poorest 20% of Indians more than 15 times their average monthly expenditure; shortages of doctors at public health centres have risen 200% over a decade, and even cities such as Mumbai need to double staffing of public healthcare (details here, here and here).

The five states going into polls represent the good, the bad and the ugly of nutrition and health in India, our analysis showed. The trends are so diverse that it is clear that no single set of solutions can be the answer. India needs state-specific, if not district-specific, solutions in health and nutrition.

Problems with early marriage and sex ratio in relatively advanced Manipur and Goa

The percentage of women currently aged 20-24 who were married before reaching the age 18 has declined in all the states going to elections, with the exception of Manipur, where their percentage increased from 12.7% to 13.1%, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reports for 2015-16, released over 2016 and 2017.

In 2015, Punjab had an even lower proportion of women (currently aged 20-24) married before age 18 than Goa, declining from 19.7% in 2005 to 7.6% in 2015. Goa still has 9.8% women (currently aged 20-24) who were married before age 18.

Manipur also has 65.9% children fully immunised.

The latest NFHS data release shows that between 2005 and 2015, Manipurs sex ratio at birth declined from 1,014 to 962. For a state known to be a showcase of womens empowerment, this must come as a wake-up call. A girl born in Manipur was more likely to be educated; more likely to be working as an adult; more likely to survive childbirth and more likely to not be the victim of crime than in most Indian states.

Source: Census 2011; Census 2011; National Sample Survey Office; Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Manipur, 2010-11; Sample Registration System report, 2010-12; National Crime Records Bureaus Crime in India 2015 report.

Note: Rankings are among 29 states; they do not include union territories.

Uttarakhand also showed a decline in sex ratio at birth. Goa and Punjab showed improvement. NFHS data for Uttar Pradesh are not yet out. The governments Sample Registration System (SRS) reports show that between 2011 and 2014, there was a decline in UPs sex ratio at birth, from 875 to 869.

Infant, maternal mortality: Vast variations within states, districts reveal clearer picture

Uttarakhand has shown the slowest improvement in infant mortality rate (IMR)deaths per 1,000 live birthsalthough NFHS data for UP are yet to be released. Still, as SRS data show, UPs IMR has come down from 57 to 48 between 2011 and 2014, suggesting that NFHS data will show improvement between 2005 and 2015.

Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS); *Data for Uttar Pradesh are yet to be released

However, as our state-specific analysis to follow will show, states such as UP reveal wide variations within districts in terms of IMR. For example, according to the Annual Health Survey (2012-13), the latest district level data available for UP, the IMR in Shrawasti district at 96 (the worst IMR in India was 56 in Madhya Pradesh in 2012) was almost three times as much as in Kanpur Nagar, which had an IMR of 37 (comparable to Gujarats 38 in 2012).

UPs Infant Mortality Rate, By District (2012-13)

Source: Annual Health Survey (2012-13); Click on the map to view district-level data.

The government does not provide maternal mortality ratio (MMR)deaths per 100,000 birthsestimates for small states such as Goa and Manipur, The Wire reported in July 2016. Still, there are not many indicators that reveal inter-state health variations within India like MMR does.

The MMR in UP and Uttarakhand is almost five times that in Kerala, the state with the lowest MMR among major states. Yet, in states with high maternal mortality, political parties do not discuss plans to reduce these preventable deaths.

Source: Sample Registration System

Undernutrition is key determinant of ill-health in all five states

Undernutrition is a major underlying determinant of ill-health in all the election-bound states, and the difference between states is not as stark, as it is with, say, MMR.

For example, across the electoral-battleground states, the proportion of stunted children under the age of five were similar: 29% in Manipur, 20% in Goa, 26% in Punjab and 34% in Uttarakhand for the year 2015-16. The latest data for UP are awaited.

Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS); *Data for Uttar Pradesh are yet to be released

Doing too much is as bad as doing too little: The nuances of healthcare

Under-provisioning of healthcare is a major Indian problem, but so, often, is over-provisioning.

In 2015, for instance, in rural areas of Kapurthala district in Punjab, 61.5% of all deliveries in private hospitals and clinics were caesarean. In Manipurs Imphal West district, almost two of every three deliveries in private hospitals were caesarean. Public facilities also have a high proportion of caesarean deliveries, although not to the extent reported from private facilities, as we analyse in the state-specific stories.

Similarly, undernutrition is a major issue, as is over-nutrition.

In Punjabs Fatehgarh Sahib district, 36.5% of men surveyed by NFHS in 2015-16 proved to be obese or overweight, as were 41% of all the women surveyed. In Uttarakhand districts such as Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar, one in every four women surveyed was obese or overweight.

With non-communicable diseases becoming the leading cause of death in the country, the twin burdens of malnutrition and ill-health, and the resulting policy choices, will require discussion.

Will such health- and nutrition-related issues be debated in the battle states? Will people demand better health and nutrition? Will politicians see the merit in developing a constituency of long-term supporters linked to human development? The coming weeks could provide some answers. Meanwhile, district level data analysis will raise more questions.

Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit/FactChecker.in is fact-checking initiative, scrutinising for veracity and context statements made by individuals and organisations in public life
Recent decision of the central government compulsorilyly retiring some officers needs to be welcomed as a step in the right direction. But the other recent decisions of giving extension to selected secretaries to Government of India, in some cases well beyond the age of retirement, is disconcerting.

When there is no dearth of meritorious and deserving officers, this cannot be justified on any ground. This has understandably led to considerable demoralisation among officers, giving mixed signals about Modi governments commitment to undertaking civil service reforms, which have been neglected all these years. It needs to be appreciated that economic reforms aimed at globalisation and achieving double-digit economic growth will be incomplete without adequate emphasis on civil service reforms.

It may be recalled that in spite of Jawaharlal Nehrus reluctance, it was only due to the insistance of Vallabhbhai Patel that specific provisions were made in the Constitution of India to create the two all India services to serve the centre and the states, and give protection to service matters of all civil services. Patel was of the firm view that independent, apolitical civil services, which can provide objective and fearless advice to the ministers were necessary for Indias future. Their importance was also underlined by Justice RS Sarkaria commission report (1988) on centre-state relations.

Unfortunately, like several other provisions of the Constitution, these constitutional safeguards too have remained on paper.

When Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, rose to move the motion for adoption of the Constitution in 1949, with great foresight, he had said : Whatever the Constitution may or may not provide, the welfare of the country will depend upon the way in which the country is administered. This will depend upon the men who administer it. Similar sentiments were expressed by BR Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, in his closing speech in the Constituent Assembly in November 1949: However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of the Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution. The Constitution can provide only the organs of state such as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

The experience of the working of the Constitution during the last 67 years has shown how true are these observations are. Rapid decline in standards of governance have also been commented upon by a number of committees and commissions.

After summarising the observations of a number of commissions of inquiry held earlier, the Shah Commission on Emergency excesses, had, in its last report (1978), noted: One cannot but be struck by the near unanimity in the observations of several commissions on the unhealthy factors governing the relationship between the ministers and the civil servants. Yet nothing seems to have been done, at any rate effectively, to set right such of the aspects of these relationships which, prior to the Emergency, had contributed to the several developments which came in for indictments by the commissions. In the light of this, it may be easy to conclude that what happened during the Emergency is merely a tragic culmination of the particular trend that has been identified and condemned from time to time by the commissions of the past.

The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution had, in its report (2002) stated, The present situation is characterised by a pervasive disenchantment with the way things have worked out. It is futile to debate whether it is the institutions provided by the Constitution that have failed or whether the men who work those institutions have failed.

It is disappointing to see that such a high-powered commission comprising legal luminaries and eminent public figures failed to go into the relevant issues and remained satisfied with such a bland conclusion, which does not make anyone any wiser.

Good governance has now become a globally accepted concept. All political parties in India are seen to be vying with each other in making promises to voters to provide good governance. There is a recognition that good governance can be an effective antidote to the dreaded phenomenon of anti-incumbency. This is borne out by some chief ministers enjoying three or even more terms in office. However the essential pre-requisites for good governance have been deliberately neglected. Prominent among them are civil service reforms.

Unfortunately, even the judiciary, which is the last bastion for upholding the Constitution, has, till recently, been reluctant to take on the political executive, when it came to management of civil services. Repeated pleas made to the Supreme Court against arbitrary mass transfers, undeserved supersessions in promotions, favouritism and suspension of all India service officers failed to elicit worthwhile response. Prominent among these was the writ petition filed by me in the Supreme Court (C) No. 69 of 2004.

It was submitted to the court that the words governance of the country appear only in Article 37 of the Constitution in Part IV on Directive Principles of State Policy but good governance is writ large and implicit in several provisions of the Constitution. In this light, it was urged that time had come to declare right to good governance as a fundamental right.

This would be in keeping with the Supreme Court declaring a number of other rights such as right to privacy, right to information, freedom of press, environmental protection and some other rights as fundamental rights, though they did not find explicit mention in the Constitution.

All political parties in India are seen to be vying with each other in making promises to voters to provide good governance. There is a recognition that good governance can be an effective antidote to the dreaded phenomenon of anti-incumbency. Prominent among them are civil service reforms.

The Supreme Court itself had observed in Maneka Gandhi (AIR 1978 SC 597) that The attempt of the court should be to expand the reach and the ambit of fundamental rights rather than to attenuate their meaning and content by a process of judicial construction. I had urged that civil services should be recognised as the instruments for translating the fundamental right of good governance into a reality.

For this purpose, they should be given independence and autonomy. Simultaneously, I had also proposed a number of civil service reforms such as:

 Pre-mature retirement of officers whose work is assessed to be unsatisfactory

 An officer, who is not empanelled for the post of joint secretary in government of India or secretary in the state government, and for each stage of promotion thereafter, should be retired  There should be a cooling off period of two years after retirement, before a public servant can join a political party.

 There should be a total ban on grant of extension in service or re-employment.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court decided not to admit the writ petition. If it had been heard and pleas therein accepted, the series of major scams which rocked the country after 2004 could have been avoided.

Fortunately, the trend of non-interventionist attitude of the Supreme Court was reversed with the decision of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh and others v. Union of India ((2006) 8 SCC 1) pertaining to the recommendations of the national police commission which had remained unimplemented since 1980.

The Supreme Court has given comprehensive directions for reorganisation and management of police departments of the state governments and the central police organisations. This was followed by the decision of the Supreme Court in writ petition (civil) No. 82 of 2011 filed by TSR Subramaniam pertaining to transfers and promotions etc. of all India services and other central civil services. By its decision dated 31 October 2013 the Supreme Court has laid down some broad guidelines for management of service matters of these services.

However, now a very disturbing trend is evident. Shockingly, the orders of the highest court are being blatantly flouted by several states. The petitioners are left with no other alternative than filing contempt petitions in court. This is not easy for individual officers to do, considering the time, money and effort required for the purpose. Regrettably, the Supreme Court also appears to be reluctant to haul up the defaulting states, which it can do, suo motu, if it so desires. As for Parliament and the state legislatures, less said the better. They have no time to spare for these mundane matters.

We have ostensibly adopted the British model of civil service. But this is only in name. The basic principles, values, rules, procedures, conventions or the esprit de core of the British civil services are no where to be seen.

In fact, the Indian civil services are the unholy mix of British, feudal and American systems, with an unique Indian touch and flavour. It is therefore no wonder we have such highly politicised and arbitrary management of civil services.

Well-known cartoonist Sudhir Telang had memorably depicted in one of his cartoons in 1990, two IAS officers introducing themselves as belonging to Rajiv Gandhi and V.P. Singh batches. Nothing has changed since then. They would now be of Manmohan Singh or rather Sonia Gandhi batch, or Modi batch!

The writer is former union home secretary and secretary, justice. He is the author, among other books, of Good Governance Never on Indias Radar (2014).
Eighty-year-old Jagan Nath Khar was the first Kashmiri Pandit (KP) to return to Kashmir and live with Muslims in his hometown of Mattan, Anantnag. Over eight years ago, he and his wife moved back to live in Kashmir, after they had migrated to Jammu in the early 1990s following the militancy. But last year, when Kashmir erupted in protest after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzafar Wani, Khars house was pelted with stones and he fled to Jammu, where he now lives with his daughter. He only plans to return after the situation in Kashmir improves.

Khar originally returned to his home in Mattan after former prime minister Manmohan Singh announced a package of incentives worth Rs 1,618 crore in 2008 for the rehabilitation of migrants in Kashmir. Under the package, he received Rs 7.5 lakh to rebuild his damaged house in Mattan and lived in Srinagar until the recent protests, and moved to Jammu in September. So far, only two families (including that of Khars) have returned to their respective hometowns, while the case of another one for compensation, to resettle in Kashmir, is being reviewed by the government. Over 5,600 families have applied to the government  agreeing to return to Kashmir  over the past eight years. But only two families have returned. A top government official said KP families that have agreed to return, have sought higher compensation. He said that due to the "security scenario that has only deteriorated over the years, only two families have returned".

Although the KP families have shown a reluctance to return to their hometowns, there are nearly 1,500 KP youths working in Kashmir. They have also taken their families along to live in the Valley; most of the families are living in high-security transit accommodations. But there are some that also live in rented accommodation. The number is significantly lower than the total number of KPs who migrated in the early 1990s  coming out in droves to live in derelict camps in Jammu and other parts of India. Currently, as per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, there are about 60,452 KP families registered with the government, of which, 38,119 families live in Jammu, 19,338 in Delhi and 1,995 in other states.

In view of the demand for increasing compensation, the state government recently asked the MHA to increase it from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh to enable people to rebuild houses. But it has not received any clearance so far. Relief Commissioner YP Suman said higher authorities were reviewing the different possibilities of ensuring return of migrants to Kashmir. "As of now only two families have returned," he said. Other than the low monetary incentive, it is the continuous militancy that keeps migrants from returning to their homes. Although Kashmiri politicians including the separatists have welcomed the return of the KPs, it is the mode of their return that has drawn opposition.

Separatists have opposed the settlement of Kashmiri Hindus in separate townships, arguing that this would pit two Hindus and Muslims against each other. So far, the government has been pursuing a policy of gradual return of KPs to the Valley. Its proposal to house them in separate colonies also fuelled the six month long agitation in Kashmir, which started with death of Wani. Part of the policy is to employ 4,500 youths, and to create 9,000 jobs by providing migrant youth loans on low rates of interest to enable them set up industrial units in the Valley.

While KP youths initially also lived with Muslims in rented accommodation, the last few months of unrest have ensured that many have skipped duties and returned to Jammu and even shifted to the high-security transit accommodations. Forty-year-old Rakesh Pandita, who got the job of a teacher in December 2010 in Baramulla, said it was difficult for migrants to return to their hometowns. "I have been living at a transit camp in Baramulla after I got a job in Kashmir, but I believe it is difficult for us to return to our hometowns. We sold some of our land and our house was damaged at Veervan in Baramulla. We wrote to the authorities, but they have not been able to evict those encroaching upon my sister's land in Baramulla  on which a playground has been raised, he said.

Families of Khar and another KP  70-year-old Durga Nath Tickoo are the only exceptions. Tickoo, who returned to Srinagars Bag-i-Mehtab area, said he has been supported by the Muslims in Kashmir. "I have been able to live due to the support and help from my Muslim neighbours. My wife has a gall bladder ailment and everyone came to enquire about her health. Kashmiri Muslims are like my family members, but the response of the government has been pathetic. The government left us in the lurch, it didnt provide an electricity connection and I have not been able to get a ration card, said Tickoo, who retired as a welfare officer in the accountant-generals (AG) office. Outside his house, during the height of protests last year, a railway bridge was blocked, with youths chanting slogans of freedom and spraying graffiti on its pillars hailing Wani as a martyr. Tickoo said that he was living with his son in Gurugram as his wife was undergoing treatment. "But my Kashmiri friends are taking care of my property. I have left my vehicle in Srinagar," he said.

A KP youth, Rubanji Saproo, said he has to live with difficulty while working in Srinagar. "We sold our land in Anantang, my ancestral hometown, and now it has become difficult to live without my family in Srinagar at the Sheikhpora transit camp. Accommodation at the camp is cramped and I have to share space with another employee. Instead of an economic package, the government has made the KP job package a rehabilitation package. Migrant youths have faced discrimination. We have not been able to get the jobs in schemes for which recruitment is done at the district-level and jobs are given to us on the condition that we return to Kashmir. This is discriminatory," he said.
Nearly 100 members of the Meghalaya Raj Bhavan wrote an extended letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining of the former Meghalaya governor V Shanmuganathan turning the governor's office into a "young ladies club" and compromising the "dignity" of the office of the governor. Shanmuganthan has resigned from his post after the allegations came to light.

The five-page letter was recently shared by The Voice of Sikkim on its Facebook account. Apart from the letter written to Prime Minister Modi where the employees spoke of the extravagant life of the governor as well as his lack of faith in the employees, the news media organisation also posted the one-page letter that was sent to President Pranab Mukherjee.

The employees demanded their intervention to remove the governor and restore the dignity of Raj Bhavan.

"He (Shanmuganathan) has seriously compromised the dignity of the Raj Bhavan and made it a 'young ladies club'. It has become a place where young ladies come and go at will on direct orders of the governor... Many of them have direct access to his bedroom," they alleged.

The employees claimed that security of the governor's house has also been compromised.

The 11 point-letter stated the governor has "appointed two public relations officers, a cook and a nurse on night duty, all of whom are women".

The staff alleged that the governor "selected only girls" to work for him and shifted the male official private secretary to his secretariat.

Shanmuganathan, who took over as the Governor of Meghalaya in May 2015, also holds the position of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, whose additional charge he holds since November last year following the removal of Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa.

While he has resigned as the Governor of Meghalaya, there is no clarity on if he will resign from the post of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh as well.

Women activists had begun a signature campaign here seeking Shanmuganathan's removal. The campaign, spearheaded by women-led Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO) and Thma U Rangli (TUR), was launched following reports of inappropriate behaviour by the governor.

A woman job aspirant had also accused the governor of making advances when she was appeared for an interview at the Raj Bhavan.

You can read it here:

Here's a copy of the letter that was sent to Mukherjee:

With inputs from PTI
By Kate Kelland

| LONDON

LONDON The global spread of bird flu and the number of viral strains currently circulating and causing infections have reached unprecedented levels, raising the risk of a potential human outbreak, according to disease experts.Multiple outbreaks have been reported in poultry farms and wild flocks across Europe, Africa and Asia in the past three months. While most involve strains that are currently low risk for human health, the sheer number of different types, and their presence in so many parts of the world at the same time, increases the risk of viruses mixing and mutating - and possibly jumping to people."This is a fundamental change in the natural history of influenza viruses," Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease specialist at University of Minnesota, said of the proliferation of bird flu in terms of geography and strains - a situation he described as "unprecedented". Global health officials are worried another strain could make a jump into humans, like H5N1 did in the late 1990s. It has since caused hundreds of human infections and deaths, but has not acquired the ability to transmit easily from person to person. The greatest fear is that a deadly strain of avian flu could then mutate into a pandemic form that can be passed easily between people - something that has not yet been seen.While avian flu has been a prominent public health issue since the 1990s, ongoing outbreaks have never been so widely spread around the world - something infectious disease experts put down to greater resilience of strains currently circulating, rather than improved detection or reporting.While there would normally be around two or three bird flu strains recorded in birds at any one time, now there are at least half a dozen, including H5N1, H5N2, H5N8 and H7N8.The Organization for Animal Health (OIE) says the concurrent outbreaks in birds in recent months are "a global public health concern", and the World Health Organization's director-general warned this week the world "cannot afford to miss the early signals" of a possible human flu pandemic.The precise reasons for the unusually large number and sustained nature of bird outbreaks in recent months, and the proliferation of strains, is unclear - although such developments compound the global spreading process.Bird flu is usually spread through flocks through direct contact with an infected bird. But Osterholm said wild birds could be "shedding" more of the virus in droppings and other secretions, increasing infection risks. He added that there now appears to be "aerosol transmission from one infected barn to others, in some cases many miles away". Ian MacKay, a virologist at Australia's University of Queensland, said the current proliferation of strains means that "by definition, there is an increased risk" to humans."You've got more exposures, to more farmers, more often, and in greater numbers, in more parts of the world - so there has to be an increased risk of spillover human cases," he told Reuters.

BRITAIN TO BANGLADESH

Nearly 40 countries have reported new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry or wild birds since November, according to the WHO. In China, H7N9 strains of bird flu have been infecting both birds and people, with the of human cases rising in recent weeks due to the peak of the flu season there. According to the WHO, more than 900 people have been infected with H7N9 bird flu since it emerged in early 2013.In birds, latest data from the OIE should that outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu have been detected in Britain, Italy, Kuwait and Bangladesh in the last few days alone.Russia's agriculture watchdog issued a statement describing the situation as "extremely tense" as it reported H5N8 flu outbreaks in another four regions. Hungarian farmers have had to cull 3 million birds, mostly geese and ducks.

These come on top of epidemics across Europe and Asia which have been ongoing since late last year, leading to mass culling of poultry in many countries.Strains currently documented as circulating in birds include H5N8 in many parts of Europe as well as in Kuwait, Egypt and elsewhere, and H5N1 in Bangladesh and India.In Africa - which experts say is especially vulnerable to missing flu outbreak warning signs due to limited local government capacities and weak animal and human health services - H5N1 outbreaks have been reported in birds in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. H5N8 has been detected in Tunisia and Egypt, and H7N1 in Algeria. The United States has, so far this year, largely escaped bird flu, but is on high alert after outbreaks of H5N2, a highly pathogenic bird flu, hit farms in 15 states in 2015 and led to the culling of more than 43 million poultry.David Nabarro, a former senior WHO official who has also served as U.N. system senior coordinator for avian and human influenza, says the situation is worrying. "For me the threat from avian influenza is the most serious (to public health), because you never know when," he told Reuters in Geneva.

HIGHLY PATHOGENIC H5N1

H5N1 is under close surveillance by health authorities around the world. It has long been seen as one to watch, feared by infectious disease experts because of its pandemic potential if it were to mutate an acquire human-to-human transmission capability. A highly pathogenic virus, it jumped into humans in Hong Kong in 1997 and then re-emerged in 2003/2004, spreading from Asia to Europe and Africa. It has caused hundreds of infections and deaths in people and prompted the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry.Osterholm noted that some currently circulating H5 strains - including distant relatives of H5N1 - are showing significant capabilities for sustaining their spread between wild flocks and poultry, from region to region and farm to farm."What we're learning about H5 is, that whether its H5N6, H5N8, H5N2 or H5N5, this is a very dangerous bird virus." Against that background, global health authorities and infectious disease experts want awareness, surveillance and vigilance stepped up.Wherever wild birds are found to be infected, they say, and wherever there are farms or smallholdings with affected poultry or aquatic bird flocks, regular, repeated and consistent testing of everyone and anyone who comes into contact is vital. "Influenza is a very tough beast because it changes all the time, so the ones we're tracking may not include one that suddenly emerges and takes hold," said MacKay."Right now, it's hard to say whether we're doing enough (to keep on top of the threat). I guess that while it isn't taking off, we seem to be doing enough." (Additional reporting by Ed Stoddard in Johannesburg, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Polina Devitt in Moscow and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris; Editing by Pravin Char)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankars one-year extension announced on Monday does not come as a surprise considering Prime Minister Narendra Modi has complete faith in him. However it is an unprecedented move, more so since the two-year tenure for secretary-level appointments was fixed since 2010 with Nirupama Rao. Jaishankar got the job after he retired as Indian Ambassador to the US. So he is already on extension. At least eight senior IFS officers will have missed their chance, and will be disappointed.

But prime ministers have the privilege of picking officers they trust, even though cautious leaders like Manmohan Singh usually stuck to the rules. Apparently, Manmohan was also keen on having Jaishankar as his foreign secretary, although he was over ruled and the senior-most officer of the batch Sujatha Singh took over. Her term was cut short when the government changed and Modi brought in Jaishankar from Washington. Having the same team at the helm of foreign policy ensures there will be continuity at the top.

While the foreign secretary as head of the service is important, policy is always the prerogative of the prime minister. Whether it was Indias first prime minister Jawaharla Nehru or Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and even Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the policy was always driven by the PMO, which includes the office of the National Security Advisor. Brajesh Mishra, Shiv Shankar Menon or the current incumbent Ajit Doval all played/play an important part in formulating policy. The Ministry of External Affairs gives the inputs and carries out the instructions.

Another thing working well for Jaishankar is that he is also on the same page as Doval and the two work together seamlessly.

Jaishankar, a 1977 batch IFS officer has been ambassador to both China and the US  two countries of enormous importance in Modis worldview, albeit for different reasons. Indias desire to repair relations and come closer to the US began during the first NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But it was the civil nuclear deal signed by Manmohan and former president George W Bush that brought a tectonic change in ties between the two countries. Despite the landmark nuclear deal, during the second term of Manmohans government, there was very little further movement as the UPA regime was beset with problems at home.

Modi came to power in 2014 and has since made it clear that India would veer much closer to the US. The signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (Lemoa) was an indicator. Former governments had hesitated to do so although the foundation agreements were on the anvil since the first UPA regime. As an officer who had been involved in the tough civil nuclear negotiations and as a former ambassador to the US, Jaishankar understands the American system well. In fact, during a recent visit to the US, he was also in contact with the Donald Trump transition team.

The fact that Trump spoke to Modi on Tuesday  the fifth world leader he contacted since taking office  is a clear indication that the new president realises the importance of India. Modi took the opportunity to invite Trump to India. It may be recalled that in 2015, Trump's predecessor Barack Obama became the first US president to be the chief guest for the Republic Day parade. That was seen as a coup of sorts in Delhi, and Jaishankar is believed to have a hand in it. As ambassador, he knew many of the movers and shakers in the Obama administration. Although the Trump team consisting of billionaires and former army generals are unknown entities, the foreign secretary is quite aware of how the American system works and could make the change easy for Modi to comprehend.

China presents both an opportunity and a challenge for Modi and having a foreign secretary familiar with the Chinese system is a major advantage. As Gujarat chief minister, Modi had visited China several times. Jaishankar was the ambassador and it was his duty to take the visiting VIP around.

The prime minister was reportedly impressed by Jaishankar since he saw him in action in Beijing.

As prime minister, Modi began on a high with China. President Xi Jinping visited India in 2014, months after Modi took office. Instead of the usual visit to the capital, the Chinese president and his wife flew in to Gujarat, Modis home state. They later flew to Delhi. The atmospherics were just right, and there was hope that India-China ties would hopefully take a different turn now. Modi too went to China and visited Xis home province. But relations have since dipped and how.

China has blocked India's entry to the Nuclear Supplier Group, it has refused to allow Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief to be designated a terrorist by the UNSC, and gone ahead with the $46-billion Chinese-Pakistan Economic Corridor  some of which runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that India claims is its territory. One reason for New Delhis wish to get closer to US was also because of Indias belief that its proximity to the US would stop Chinese adventurism in the region. India and the US both stand to benefit from working together to ensure that the balance of power in Asia is maintained.

The Japan, US, Australia and India strategic quadrilateral favoured by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to progress under Trump. Jaishankar who also worked in Japan is familiar with Abe. He was in Tokyo during Abes first term as prime minister.

So far, Modis foreign policy has been spot-on, but for the neighbourhood. Pakistan continues to be a problem. Nepal is also a country where India lost much of the goodwill Modi had generated during his first visit. Maybe the Modi-Doval-Jaishankar team will overcome this soon. Jaishankar has one more year to prove his mettle.We have to wait and watch what he is able to deliver.
On Friday, crude bombs were hurled at the RSS offices in Naruvamoodu and Mattannur in Kerala, according to media reports. The BJP, responding to the incident, has called for a shutdown.

Kerala: Crude bombs hurled at RSS offices in Naruvamoodu and Mattannur. BJP calls shutdown in protest  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

The incident comes just hours after a bomb was hurled near a public meeting venue of CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at Kannur on Thursday, leaving a Democratic Youth Federation of India activist injured. The incident occurred around 7.30 pm at about 200 metres away from the venue, where Balakrishnan was speaking at Nangarathupeedika in New Mahe area of Kannur, police said. Balakrishnan left the venue shortly after the incident, police said

The politically sensitive district has witnessed several violent incidents involving the RSS-BJP combine and the CPM after the May 2016 Kerala Assembly polls in which the LDF came to power. In a recent incident on 18 January, a 53-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death at Andaloor in Dharmadam, the constituency of Chief Minister P Vijayan, in which six CPM workers have been arrested. A country-made bomb was also hurled at the RSS Karyalaya at Thaliparamba on 19 January but one was injured in the incident.

With inputs from PTI
SRINAGAR, India The death toll in avalanches in the heavily militarized Himalayan region of Kashmir has risen to 19 after the bodies of four more Indian soldiers were recovered on Friday, army and police officials said.Kashmir has seen heavy snow this week and authorities have warned of the "high danger" of avalanches over the next two days. Power and communication lines have also been cut in some areas.The army recovered the bodies of the four soldiers who had been patrolling near the Line of Control that divides the territory when the snowslide struck on Wednesday, bringing the military toll to 15, said spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia.Four civilians who were also killed included two children from a family whose house was hit by a separate avalanche on Wednesday.

More avalanches hit the region on Thursday, although there were no reports of further casualties.

In 2012, a massive avalanche in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers.Kashmir, divided between the India and Pakistan, has long been a source of tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Paul Tait)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The only public hospital on the island of Ibiza was forced to temporarily shut down its surgery wing on Thursday after detecting flies in seven out of the eight operating rooms. The regional government of the Balearic Islands said it made this decision following the unusual occurrence at Can Misses Hospital.

The surgery area at Can Misses Hospital in Ibiza.

Ibiza and Formentera health authorities have cancelled the 56 operations scheduled for Thursday and Friday at the hospital, which only maintains an emergency surgery room open at this time for life-and-death cases.

Sources at the islands health department said that the flies were first detected in the surgery area on Wednesday night. Following a Thursday morning inspection, the wing will remain closed until authorities find the source of the infestation.

Ibiza health chief Josep Balanzat said that the hospitals management is working to find the source and eliminate it. The area will then undergo a microbiology analysis and reopen 48 hours later.

The cancelled operations will be reassigned immediately next week

This means that operations could be on hold until Monday. Balanzat said that beside keeping open one emergency operating room which is unaffected, a helicopter is standing ready to fly patients to Son Espases and Son Llatzer hospitals on the neighboring island of Mallorca if required.

The cancelled operations will be reassigned immediately next week, said the hospitals medical director, Pedro Fernandez, who hopes that the number of patient transfers to Mallorca will be as low as possible.

English version by Susana Urra.
As Manipur readies to vote for a new Assembly, the state Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan is an extremely busy man. The 1993-batch IAS officer assumed his new role in August last year. Dewangan was serving as the commerce and industries commissioner prior to his role in the poll body. Manipur votes in two phases on 4 and 8 March for its 60-member Assembly. Almost perennially in a state of strife, the ongoing economic blockade, the tensions between the hills and plains districts and the many militant groups only makes this democratic exercise in Manipur even harder. Steering the whole election process from his unenviable position, Dewangan, an IIT Delhi alumni, shares with Firstpost the details of the road that lies ahead. Edited excerpts:

How is the security situation in Manipur in light of the differences between the Nagas, the government and many active underground groups?

The chief secretary held an elaborate meeting with all stakeholders on January 24. Representatives from the army, police and paramilitary forces were present to take stock of the situation. Two hundred and fifty companies of Central Armed Police Force will be here to help us conduct the elections securely. Of the 250 companies, 44 are already here because of the economic blockade. We are expecting 206 more companies as the election draws closer.

What will be the impact of economic blockade and the different roadblocks in the state? Will you be able to move in all requisite infrastructure in time for the polls?

We are ready to hold the polls. All our infrastructure is in place. Earlier, we thought that the state would have a single phase polling. So we already had everything in place. But luckily for us, polling will take place in two phases. Besides, as the state is going to the polls in March, we have an extra month, which has helped even more.

What about the seven new districts that were recently announced? Will they pose a logistical challenge?

The Election Commission has made it clear that the district election officers who were assigned to the earlier districts will continue their work in the new districts. The new deputy commissioners are not empowered as returning officers. These new deputy commissioners won't be in the picture as far as this round of Assembly election is concerned. Everything is in place. We are not expecting any difficulties so far as the formation of the new districts are concerned.

Manipur is a state known for the divide between the hills and the valley. What will be more challenging  the hills or the plains?

All constituencies in Manipur are challenging. Each of them has their own unique problems. But as per the orders of the Election Commission, we are committed to fulfilling the constitutional mandate and holding free and fair elections.

What kind of voter turnout are you expecting?

Manipur, traditionally, has had a very high voter turnout. In the last Assembly election, the voting percentage was 79.19 percent. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, it was 66.4 percent. We are hoping that this time around, voter turnout will cross 80 percent.

Is the Election Commission taking any specific steps to encourage more people to vote?

We have started a systematic voter education programme, which we are taking to the streets. This time, there are 55,000 new voters. To motivate these voters, we are targeting the higher secondary schools and colleges. We are focusing on ethical voting and trying to ensure more participation. In 2012, there were 17,48,399 voters in the state. We are focusing on social media as well. We are updating our website on a regular basis and keeping everyone updated through our Facebook and Twitter accounts. To mark National Voters' Day on 25 January, we launched an app called E-Manipur Election, which is available on Google Play. We are getting a great response from young voters. The good thing about Manipur is that mobile penetration is huge. Manipur has a population of 33 lakh  24 lakh people in Manipur have cellphones  of which 19 lakh are voters. We are attempting to get as many of these numbers so we can send them messages that inspire them to vote.

What about women voters? Is the Election Commission taking specific steps to increase the number of women voters?

In Manipur, when it comes to voting, the gender equation favours women. That's the unique thing about Manipur. As per the 2011 Census, there are 987 females per 1,000 males in the state. However, on our electoral rolls, we have 1,044 females per 1,000 men. Women are making great strides in Manipur. We hope that this time, even more women will participate in the election.

What about the cost of conducting the polls?

As this is an Assembly poll and a one-off election, the cost will be entirely borne by the state. Had it coincided with the Lok Sabha election, the cost would have been shared equally by the state and Centre. If it had been just the Lok Sabha election, the Centre would have paid for the expense.

What about the seizure of cash and keeping the election clean?

On January 24, an investigation team of income tax officials from Guwahati seized Rs 6.75 lakh. We have increased our vigil. Our flying squads are conducting raids.

What makes this poll different?

The spirit is different. It is a festival of democracy. Be it the voters or the candidates, we are taking everyone on board. So far, the response has been great.
The declaration by Uddhav Thackeray that there will be no more pre-poll alliances with any party, including the BJP, is by far his biggest decision. But saying that its alliance with BJP over decades led to his party 'rotting', however, is odd, for that was the BJPs status till 2014  a status that suddenly ballooned thanks to Narendra Modi.

However, the animus between the parties has been building up since before the 2014 Assembly election. The Sena, despite later stepping into the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government, continued to behave like an Opposition party making a mockery of its own position: Was it part of the government or in the Opposition? It confused its cadres, perhaps leading to an identity crisis.

First, the Sena got into the Modi Cabinet, but fought his party in the Assembly election and then became a post-poll partner in Maharashtra. Now, it has not spoken of walking out of the state government, but will fight all civic elections on its own without a pre-poll alliance. This assertion is nuanced: One, there will be no pre-poll alliances with any party and two, the Sena will not go around with a begging bowl.

By implication, there is a door left ajar for later manoeuvring should the need arise. At this point in time, the two parties will fight each other for the control of all the 10 major civic corporations in the state  Mumbai, Thane, Solapur, Pune, Nashik etc, as well as the zilla parishads. The control of these bodies could strengthen the winners party. Mumbai is critical because it is a golden egg-laying goose, with access to oodles of cash.

One should note that the bouts on seat-sharing have been central to Mumbai and Thane, but none of the other cities or zilla parishads that also form the brick and mortar of politics, even though they are supposed to be apolitical in the sense that they are 'local self-governments'. Politics is actually a superimposition on what is essentially a non-political theatre. This is something we Indians have not understood.

The Sena victories in the 2014 Assembly polls, of 63 seats in five cornered contests in most places, are the reason Uddhav showed his spine on 26 January when he articulated the new strategy. He had won those seats in the absence of his father Bal Thackeray and in the face of the Modi wave, which is no mean feat. He nurses the grudge that despite his own contrived wavering in 2014, it was the BJP that had called off the alliance then.

Had the lure of control of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai not been the issue, the bitterness between the two parties would have been less, and an antagonistic pair of parties would have allowed 'local arrangements between local leaders' and saved face. To the Sena, holding on to Mumbai means retaining its base; to the BJP, unseating Sena would be to push the local party into a state of extreme weakness.

In this ensuing battle, the BJP has nothing to lose and everything to gain. It gets an opportunity, and a very significant one at that, to test how far the inconvenience of demonetisationhas led to any erosion of its base. The BJP had asked for 114, or half of the 227 seats up for grabs in Mumbais civic body using the outcome of the Assembly polls. It had led in 115 wards then, and wanted to build on this support. But the snag was many of these civic wards had key Shiv Sainiks as sitting corporators.

Even if both the parties has won half their contested seats each, control of the body would have been jointly theirs because the other parties  the Congress and NCP  appear to stand little chance.

Both are aiming for absolute control or a situation that casts the other party as a junior alliance partner. An alliance rules out the first possibility. Neither hungers for the latter. Hence the BJP, in a cold calculation, has been preparing for a split even in the civic politics with biggies like Kirit Somaiya calling the Sena a mafia and Fadnavis often needling it for corruption at the cost of civic facilities for the city. This 'at the cost of' argument is the only citizen-centric element in their wars.

An interesting offshoot of this political development is that the Congress and NCP  who came together for the first time in 1999, will now find less attention. The focus will remain on the Shiv Sena and the BJP and others including the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on the fringe. The remote possibility is that the Congress-NCP could come to a miraculous arrangement.

It would be foolish of them not to.
Mumbai: Tension between Shiv Sena and BJP are on a high following the former's decision to not to enter into an alliance with its decades' old partner ahead of the Mumbai civic polls scheduled in February. The situation has become so delicate that the Mumbai-based party might even go for a rethink on its participation in the Devendra Fadnavis government if the national party continues to humiliate it with alleged corruption charges.

Even as Shiv Sena legislators and parliamentarians have sought immediate snapping of ties with the BJP, party chief Uddhav Thackeray has preferred to wait until the results of the elections in the 10 municipal corporations and 25 zilla parishads on 23 February are out.

According to sources close to Shiv Sena headquarters Matoshree in Mumbai's Bandra area, the party will take a clear stand on its continuation in the governments both at the centre and in the state after the civic polls results are declared. Things have come to such a pass that Shiv Sena Minister Ramdas Kadam said that they carry resignation letters in their pockets and would resign the moment Thackeray asks them to do so.

A day after Shiv Sena decided to go solo in the forthcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, party MP Arvind Sawant along with his party colleagues in Lok Sabha on Friday skipped a pre-budget review meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Shiv Sena has 20 MPs in the Lower House of Parliament.

"We will submit our demands from the Union Budget session through a letter. We will meet the chief minister on Friday afternoon and hand over a letter signed by all our MPs. We have questions on demonetisation and we have our own demands from the Union Budget that would be presented on 1 February," Sawant told Firstpost.

With the two traditional alliance partners now embroiled in a bitter war, the stability of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra could be at stake if the Shiv Sena decides to withdraw support. In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, BJP has 122 MLAs whereas Shiv Sena has 63 seats. The BJP needs a minimum of 145 to stay in the majority and in the event Shiv Sena walks out of the alliance it will fall short by a whopping 23 seats in the number game.

"Each time BJP has humiliated us. We would no longer allow ourselves to be humiliated. Sena is in no mood to compromise self-respect," said Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khare.

Rajya Sabha MP and party spokesperson Sanjay Raut was even more vitriolic in his attack on the BJP.

"Anyone from the street will get up and ask questions? People should learn to stay in their limits. We do not want to make Maharashtra unstable, that is why we will need to keep alliance in the state for some time. But this time I won't comment how much longer," he said. The Upper House MP even issued a veiled warning to the BJP that the party might quit the alliance in the state government in the coming months.

Four top Shiv Sena ministers Subhash Desai, Ramdas Kadam, Diwakar Raote and Deepak Sawant also met Fadnavis at his official bungalow Varsha on Friday morning to protest against a government circular that bans photos and idols of gods from government offices. The chief minister assured the Shiv Sena ministers that the state government would withdraw the controversial circular.

Meanwhile, the BJP is trying put up a brave face.

President of the party's Maharashtra unit Raosaheb Danve said that the BJP government in the leadership of Fadnavis is stable and it would complete its five-year term.

As the political situation in Maharashtra remains on the tenterhooks, it would be interesting to see in the event Shiv Sena withdraws support from the Fadnavis government then whether the BJP will run a minority government or like before it would prefer to take outside support from the Nationalist Congress Party.

The civic polls indeed have a lot at stake for the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
When Chennai was up in arms at the Marina Beach last week, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on 20 January attempted to broaden the debate by tweeting : "Lesson for Hindutva forces, Uniform civil code cannot be 'imposed'. This nation cannot have one culture. We celebrate all."

He added and said, "People of Tamil Nadu by uniting and coming together have forced the Modi and AIADMK govt to change law to overcome Supreme court judgment.'' What was implicit was that Indian Muslims too should come together to resist any attempt at removing triple talaq. Now, while campaigning in Aligarh, Owaisi has fleshed out his argument further by stating that Muslims have their own culture and should be allowed to marry and divorce the way they want to.

Owaisi's ire is directed against the Narendra Modi government that told the Supreme court in October last year that "gender equality and dignity of women are non-negotiable Constitutional values'' and that "religious practises cannot be an impediment to rights''. Then in the last week of October, Modi at an election rally in Bundelkhand, had said the debate should be between Muslims who want reforms and those who do not want reforms.

"Is it fair for a man to say 'talaq' thrice over the phone and a Muslim woman's life to be ruined?" Modi asked at that public meeting. Owaisi saw this as Modi's interference in a matter that was sub-judice. His party leaders say that the process of divorce is determined according to Muslim religious laws and the objection is to others interfering in it.

The government claims it is going by the larger mood in the Muslim community, especially women, that triple talaq should be done away with. It says even nikah halala (which means a woman has to marry another man in order to remarry a former husband) is a practise that should be banned.

I am surprised that Owaisi is in kolaveri (anger) mode particularly since he is a young educated Muslim politician with progressive ideas. Earlier this month, he argued for subsidy for Haj to be cut and those funds to be instead given to educate young Muslim girls. How is it that the same Owaisi argues for the same Muslim girl to be trapped in regressive religious and marital practices that have no space in 21st century India?

Will the real Asaduddin Owaisi stand up please?

I suspect that in his urge to appeal to the more radical elements in the Muslim community, with the Uttar Pradesh polls round the corner, Owaisi is wearing his more radical skull cap. Owaisi knows that a Bihar-like zero performance in Uttar Pradesh, will scuttle his ambitions to have a pan-India footprint for his party. If you listen to this part of the speech, there is wild cheer from the predominantly male audience to this kind of a rabid line. Men deciding the fate of women, may well appeal to an Uttar Pradesh Muslim electorate. But is this the kind of India Owaisi wants to see?

Owaisi argues that of the 7.36 crore married Muslims in India, just one percent have gone in for talaq. This arithmetic, to Owaisi's mind, does not justify the BJP making it a talking point ahead of the elections. Victimhood was a sentiment one encountered on the sands of the Marina, the feeling that the Tamilians were being discriminated against. Whether it was upper riparian Karnataka refusing to release Cauvery water despite a Supreme court order or whether it was the ban on the traditional sport of jallikattu. The mood in Chennai was "Who are they to tell us what not to do?"

Owaisi is wearing the same victimhood on his sleeve and asking who are "they" to interfere in Muslim religious practises?

Though the apex court is hearing the case, Owaisi would ideally prefer Muslim scholars and ulemas to review triple talaq. Which essentially means status quo because the Muslim Personal Law Board has taken an anti-women stand on the issue of triple talaq.

A survey done by Mumbai-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan last year showed that 92 percent of Muslim women respondents wanted the practice of triple talaq to be abolished. If the Law Commission, that is at present speaking to different stakeholders, arrives at similar findings, it will expose Owaisi as a leader who is not in sync with what his essential voter base desires.

Incidentally, in September, Abid Rasool Khan, Chairman of the Minorities Commission of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, wrote to the Muslim Personal Law Board that it should relook at the practise of the triple talaq. The Board was not amused at the suggestion.

"Triple talaq in the manner in which it is practiced, is leading to harassment of women. It is quite likely that the practise will come under the scanner and pave the way for the imposition of uniform civil code,'' said Abid Rasool Khan.

It is the smart politician in Owaisi who makes the connect between the opposition to Jallikattu ban and the opposition to Uniform Civil Code and linking them with the thread of tradition. But it is a disturbing comparison that Owaisi is seeking to make. Will it mean that if the Supreme court bans triple talaq, the men in the community will do a Marina-type uprising against it?

Owaisi would agree that practise of triple talaq makes the community look bad. The Chennai template is an inspiring one but perhaps the Hyderabad MP would consider borrowing it to say `talaq' to the abominable tradition for ever.
On the face of it, the induction of Priyanka Gandhi into the Congress should really not make any difference. This generation is not into the Gandhi dynasty concept with that Pavlovian response perceived in the older generation. Also, the waters are muddied by her husband Robert Vadra's allegedly dubious deals and now probably ready to be further stirred by the ho-hum fresh references to the Bofors deal.

But since it is the last card in the Congress hand it might as well be played. There is nothing to lose. And if you want to try and make a game of it might as well try not to blink and bluff instead.

So what could this last round achieve? For one, Priyanka's uncanny resemblance to Indira Gandhi will revive memories. Even though it sounds bizarre, the striking resemblance could act as a magnetic pole to attract the Congress diehards who would dredge for a resurrection of the old days. Stranger things have happened.

Again, her one advantage is that she is a bit of a mystery and therefore intriguing. Having kept her head down and maintained her dignity through the rough patches she could also become a rallying figure for the burgeoning womens movement in the nation. This female awareness is not restricted to party lines and is beginning to have the feel of an international movement even if it is currently inspired by an American Presidents conduct.

Certainly, she will be attacked for her lack of experience. In the present world with Donald Trump making a corkscrew out of that premise and her own father having been set to romp home a second time despite having been anointed Prime Minister haphazardly and emotionally from his position as a pilot in Indian Airlines this accusation of amateurism would not carry much weight. Especially when you witness the calibre of the stalwarts in the various parties and the paddle pool depth of tier thoughts.

To her great advantage is her age, her appeal as a modern young woman and the rapport she can have with the under forties as she harnesses the raw power of the new populism surge in the world, India being no exception.

Perhaps the best way to diminish her would be to ignore her but that will never happen. Between media and the BJP it was possible to keep alive her brothers assertion as a political entity and while he may have been deservedly or unfairly made captive of his own caricatured image she will be a more formidable opponent. The media will find her irresistible even as they fling clods of mud on her husband. It will be all too colourful and exciting in a relatively drab political firmament and will lead to reams of publicity as she is decried, critiqued and praised.

The BJP frontline, too, will not be able to rise above it and will contribute their opinions with abandon thereby making her a viable entity and a challenge to them. Indian politicians have not yet learnt the art of ignoring their opposition.

From the Congress point of view absolutely nothing to lose seeing the arsenal is empty. Bring her on.
16:30 (ist)

Won by whisker: Punjab witnessed heavyweights scrapping through in their seats in 2012 polls

In the 2012 polls, 12 out of the 34 SC reserved constituencies saw narrow margins of victories. In fact, the narrowest of the victories was witnessed in the reserved constituency of Phillaur, where Avinash Chander of the SAD won by a mere 31 votes!

Apart from these reserved constituencies, 21 other constituencies witnessed a close electoral battle. They were won by less than 4,000 votes which makes for less than three percent of the total votes polled.

Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, a member of the Khairon political family and a minister in the SAD-BJP government, won his Patti seat by a whisker of a margin of 59 votes.

And Kairon was not the only minister who had to face a narrow victory. Janmeja Singh, the PWD minister in the outgoing cabinet won the Maur seat by 1,387 votes, while BJP's Surjit Kumar Jyani, who is the present health minister, defeated Independent candidate Jaswinder Singh aka "Rocky" by a margin of 1,692 votes.Janmeja Singh, the PWD minister in the outgoing cabinet won the Maur seat by 1,387 votes, while BJP's Surjit Kumar Jyani, who is the present health minister, defeated Independent candidate Jaswinder Singh aka "Rocky" by a margin of 1,692 votes.

"Rocky", a local don from Fazlika, was later killed by unidentified gunmen in May 2016.

Manoranjan Kalia, the industry minister between 2007 and 2012, who had also served as the Punjab BJP chief, too met with a similar fate. Kalia won his Jalandhar Central constituency by just 1,065 votes.

To read more, click here.
Hitting the right note, some say, is extremely crucial during election campaign rallies. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have just done that in poll-bound Punjab's Jalandhar on Friday. Addressing a gathering, Modi's prescription for the return of Akali Dal-BJP combine to power in Punjab was to play on the Punjabi sub-nationalism.

The prime minister began his speech by talking about Indian Army's deep connect with the state of Punjab, the state's importance as the grain bowl of the country and talked at length of its perceived "aan-baan and shaan".

Modi used the Punjab's latent sub-nationalism and its honour to launch a blistering attack against his political rivals, Congress in particular, which is posing a tough challenge to the ruling Akali-BJP combine in the state. He gave reference of the Indian army and contribution of officers and jawans from Punjab which rouses emotions and passions of the electorate. Surgical strikes by the Army in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, across Line of Control and grant of OROP came as nationalist themes, with which he thought people of the state would naturally associate.

For Modi that "aan, baan and shaan" was under attack by leaders from rival political parties due to selfish reasons. Prime Minister's words were important for he arrived in Jalandhar two hours after Rahul Gandhi had finished his speech at a rally in Majithia in Punjab where the Congress vice president had made a scathing criticism of the ruling Badal family, accused them of corruption of all kinds and alleged that 70 percent of Punjab youths was addicted to drugs.

While Modi didn't name Rahul Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal, he sought to turn the tables quite dexterously. He hailed the youth of Punjab who have served in the Army with selfless dedication and discipline and then added saying that now Punjab and its youth were being defamed by Congress and others  Punjab ke youth ke liye jane kaise kaise shabd ka prayog kar rahe hain, duniya me ja ja kar Punjab ke youth ko badnaam kar rahe hain.

Congress and the AAP have the drug issue in Punjab at the top of their poll-issues. Modi did not name AAP even once. Probably, the prime minister did not want to concede that AAP was even a contender to his alliance in Punjab. Modi urged the crowd to use the EVM machine to punish those who had been defaming the state's honour.

Modi realises that this is easier said than done. Congress after facing a massive drubbing in all major elections since later half of 2013, sees a chance to gain power in Punjab, halt its unending downslide and have something to cheer about. Congress' chief ministerial candidate Amarinder Singh has emerged as a real challenger to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Modi used emotive sub-nationalism than substantive arguments to counter the drug charges levelled by Rahul and others. Even during worst phases of terrorism in Punjab, no one defamed and condemned Punjab but same Punjab was put in dock today. "Congress ka rang kya hai, roop kya hai, raah kya hai... pata hi nahi chal raha hai kuch. Ye satta ke bina aise chattpata rahe hain jaise paani ke bin machli chatpata rahi ho. Congress ek beeti hui baat hai, aakhri saans pe apna guzaara karne wala dal hai. Jo naav doob chuki hai, jiss naav me kuch bacha nahi hai, kya Punjab ke log aesi naav mein kadam rakhne ka sochenge? (It's hard to understand what the Congress stands for, what it wants. It has become so desperate that it is doing everything possible. Without the powers, Congress is restless and frustrating. Congress is a story that was, and a party that is dragging on its last breath. Will Punjab step on a boat which is sinking?)"

Modi devoted substantive part of his speech talking about how Congress leaders were looking for any alliance that is available, howsoever unnatural that may be to keep itself floating  alliance with Left in West Bengal and with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. His attempt to portray Congress as a party whose politics was negative as against his brand of development politics  Vinaash ki rajneeti 70 saal tak desh ne dekhi hai, karni hai toh vikaas ki rajneeti karo (The country has witnessed politics of destruction for 70 years, let's now practice politics of development.)"
Election fever in Punjab is at its highest, with high-decibel electioneering on in the state. While on one hand, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in the Akali Dal assembly stronghold of Majitha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi, flanked by the state's chief minister, pulled another show in Jalandhar.

The political rivals took potshots at each other while rooting for the state leadership in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

Eyeing a third consecutive term in Punjab, BJP and SAD are leaving no stones unturned and to this effect was the Prime Minister's Jalandhar rally was replete with catchy slogans and promises of a better Punjab

Modi, a known crowd-puller, was roped in to throw his wight behind the Badals who are battling an apparent wave of anti-incumbency. Starting the rally in his signature style, Modi urged the people to chant 'Bharat Mata ki jai,' Modi went hard on the Congress.

Dubbing the grand old party as a "sinking ship" and "history", Modi called upon the voters not to vote for Congress in the coming assembly elections.

"The Congress is a sinking ship. The Congress is history. It is on its last breath," Modi said addressing the joint election amid a massive cheering crowd.

"The country has seen the politics of destruction for 70 years and the youths of this country are suffering due to it. If you want to do politics, do politics of development," Modi said while challenging the opposition parties to change the political discourse in the country.

Continuing his broadside against Congress, he said the party is "like water and changes it shape to suit its political needs". Modi invoked the Congerss party's past of sketchy alliances with other parties, while comparing it to Parkash Singh Badal's long political career.

"The Congress is a strange party. It has no principles or rules. To survive politically, the Congress, which joined hands with the Communists in West Bengal earlier after opposing them for decades, has now joined hands with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. It saw an opportunity after a feud in SP so it went ahead to butt in their and reap political benefits," Modi said.

"On the other hand, look at Badal sahab. He has been in public life for so long, but neither his heart changed nor his alliances," Modi added.

Talking about his fight against corruption, Modi said people who had accumulated black money in the last 70 years were affected by (demonetisation) action initiated by his government against the corrupt.

Touting demonetisation as a battle against corruption, Modi took every effort to woo voters on the plank of corruption free governance.

Without directly naming Congress, he said that some people were under acute stress as their 70-years' of corrupt earnings were under a threat.

"Teen mahine kya kya zulm hue hain mujh par kyunki mai bhrashtachar ki ladai lad raha hoon lekin Modi hai, zulm ke saamne nahi jhukta (In these three months (post-demonetisation) I was targeted and victimised a lot of times just because I fight against corruption. But Modi doesn't bow down in face of atrocities)," he said.

He also referred to the politically sensitive issue of Sutlej Yamuna Canal and said Punjab has the right to use water for irrigation.

Modi said waters from Indus river which flow into Pakistan as waste will be brought to Punjab. Haryana and Punjab are locked in a bitter legal and emotional battle over the issue for the past several years.

Modi also tried to subdue the anti-drug narrative, which is being played up by the Congress. With Rahul Gandhi raking up the issue of drug menace in the state at a rally in Majitha, Modi hit back at him, saying, "Some people are taking politics to a new low by tarnishing the image of the youth of Punjab."

Punjab, according to various reports, is reeling under the menace of drugs, and the Congress has blamed the Akalis for nurturing the illegal trade.

He dubbed the opposition's efforts to highlight the drug issue as an attempt to mar the state's reputation, while urging the people to beware of people doing it.

"Punish them (those defaming Punjab) in such a way that no one can point a finger at Punjab. This election is an opportunity to reject those trying to defame Punjab," Modi said.

Taking a dig at the Congress, the Prime Minister said the Congress was readying itself to return to power in Punjab five years ago also but the voters of Punjab decided otherwise and instead brought Badal back as the Chief Minister.

"The Congress is frustrated while sitting out of power. The Congress has no colour, shape or path," he said.

He ended his address amid loud cheers of "Modi" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai," from the crowd that swayed with the Prime Minister's catchy slogans and clapped at the right places.

However, it would well be a mistake on the part of the BJP, or any other political party, to be swept away by the crowd that it manages to pull at a rally. In the past too, it has been seen that crowd pulled at star campaigner's rallies often do not translate into votes.

The SAD and Bharatiya Janata Party have been running an alliance government in Punjab since 2007 and it will have a hard time defending itself against the anti-incumbency rhetoric being fanned by the opposition parties.

If a survey conducted by the Axis-My-India for India Today group, is to be believed, Punjab might be the only state where the Congress stands a chance to win. The opinion poll, as reported n News-18, predicts that 2017 assembly elections could fetch a debacle of SAD-BJP alliance, while Aam Aadmi Party that is contesting polls in the state for the first time will stand second. The BJP-SAD combine got a meagerly share of 17 to 21 seats as per the opinion poll. Whether, or not, the Prime Minister is able to convert the crowd at his rallies into votes, remains to be seen.

With inputs from agencies
By Anthony Boadle and Alonso Soto

| BRASILIA

BRASILIA Brazil has an opportunity to strengthen ties with Pacific and European nations that could be targeted if U.S. President Donald Trump pursues protectionist policies, the Brazilian trade minister said on Thursday.In an interview with Reuters, Trade Minister Marcos Pereira pointed to Mexico, a longtime competitor for trade and investment in Latin America, as one of the countries that could develop stronger commercial relations with Brazil.Tensions between Mexico and the United States have risen since Trump took office, with the U.S. president saying he intends to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday scrapped a planned summit with Trump. Pereira also said he hoped Chile and Peru would gravitate toward Brazil and the South American trade bloc Mercosur now that Trump has pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.He added that Trump's political ascent and arrival in the White House has prompted the European Union to show greater interest in concluding a trade agreement with Mercosur that has been under discussion for 15 years.At the same time, Brasilia is hoping Trump does not restrict U.S.-Brazilian trade. The United States is Brazil's second-largest trading partner after China and the largest market for its manufactured goods, including commercial planes. "So far, Brazil has not appeared in Trump's sights," Pereira said. "I think Brazilian manufacturers will not be hurt and that our trade discussions with Washington will continue to advance."

Brazil may not be on Trump's radar because it buys more from the United States than it sells there - running a $646 million deficit last year - and is not drawing investment that threatens U.S. jobs.'BUSY YEAR'

Mired in its worst recession in a century, Brazil is keen to expand its exports and stands ready to pick up the slack in trade with countries that face setbacks in their access to the U.S. market.Trade with Mexico, Latin America's second largest economy after Brazil, has the potential to grow as the U.S.-Mexican relationship sours."We see this as an opportunity to expand trade and hope they have the same view," Pereira said. "It would be good for Brazil and especially good for the Mexicans who are under pressure."The minister also came away from the World Economic Forum in Davos last week convinced the EU is keener than ever to reach a deal with Mercosur.

He said an agreement could be agreed politically by early next year, leaving thorny issues such as French and Irish resistance to lower agricultural barriers to be worked out later.Brazil is in free trade talks with the European Free Trade Association that groups non-EU states Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as with Canada.The Trudeau government in Canada has also signaled it wants to negotiate a solution to a dispute over subsidies for plane-maker Bombardier that Brazil has threatened to complain about to the WTO, Pereira said."It is going to be a busy year with lots of talks between these players to deal with the protectionism that is coming ... given the stance of the new U.S. president," he said. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Paul Simao)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The regional parliament of Spain's Catalonia region is to present a draft bill before the Spanish Congress aimed at decriminalizing euthanasia . On Thursday, all groups within the parliament with the exception of the conservative Popular Party (PP) and its center-right allies Ciutadans supported the first point of a motion presented by Catalunya Si Que Es Pot (CSQP), a coalition led by the left-leaning anti-austerity party Podemos which proposes modifying the Spain's penal code via a draft law that is currently making its way through the Catalan regional parliament and enjoys the support of the majority of deputies there.

Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Canada. Cordon Press

The proposal joins another, broader one that Unidos Podemos, the coalition between the Communist Party and Podemos recently presented to Congress.

What does a dignified death mean to each of us as individuals? asked CSQP deputy Marta Ribas at Thursdays presentation of the motion. The debate on the right to a dignified death was being put before the regional parliament in defense of, among other things, a change to the penal code so that euthanasia and assisted suicide would no longer be criminal offenses.

I did not see any legal barrier that would have prevented me from helping that patient Marcos Ariel Hourmann

According to the Committee on Bioethics of Catalonia, euthanasia is an act carried out by third parties at the express and repeated request of a patient suffering physical or psychological pain as a result of an incurable disease that brings about a rapid, efficient and painless death. Assisted suicide is the act of a person suffering from an irreversible illness ending his or her life with the help of somebody who provides the knowledge and resources to do so.

The regional parliament agreed to set up a body charged with gathering information about the time and place of deaths in Catalonia. One of the problems the DMD [the Catalan Right to a Dignified Death Association] showed us was that there is no data, or that the data is biased about how people die here. There is information provided on the death certificate, but we dont know if [people] have received palliative care, if they have died where they wanted subjective aspects, but that are related to the right to a dignified death, said Ribas on Thursday.

The text presented on Thursday also makes demands for universal access to palliative care, a service that according to the Catalan regional governments 20112015 Health Plan is already fully available. The regional government will now be required to present a report on whether patients really are being given access to palliative care if they wish it.

The regional parliament also called on the Catalan government to raise awareness through a media campaign about patients rights to make advance directives  a document that allows them to outline their wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life. The Committee on Bioethics of Catalonia says Advance directives cannot oblige actions that area against the law, but they can require respect in terms of not applying some treatments or to stop them if they are begun.

The regional parliament also approved its full support for providing people in severe pain and in full possession of their faculties to decide and express their desire to die and to request help to do so. We want each person to be able to decide on their own death. It is not a luxury, it is a right, said Ribas.

An Observatory will gather data on the time and place of deaths in Catalonia

By contrast, the PP and Ciutadans argued that the right to a dignified death should be through better resources and palliative treatment, as well as appropriate medical assistance, rather than through euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Human freedom lasts until the end of life, said Isabel Alonso, the president of the Right to a Dignified Death Association, which is behind the motion. Also attending the debate on Thursday was Marcos Ariel Hourmann, the first doctor to be condemned for euthanasia in Spain.

In 2005, he injected a lethal substance into an 85-year-old woman suffering from an incurable disease at her express request, and with the support of her family. A case was brought against Hourmann by the Spanish public prosecutors office, which led to a one-year prison sentence.

I did not see any legal barrier that would have prevented me from helping that patient. At the human level I believed it was what I had to do and I did it. I did not analyze the consequences and neither did I imagine they would be of this caliber, said Hourmann.

He also admitted that he had paid a high price for his actions.

It would be hypocritical to say that I am not sorry. Not for what I did in itself, because I would never be sorry for the human thing that happened, but I do regret the consequences because they were destructive for my family. But at the human and medical level, I did what I had to do, said Hourmann.

Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Canada, as is medically-assisted suicide, which is also permitted in Switzerland and in some US states.

English version by Nick Lyne.
London: British Prime Minister Theresa May laid a wreath at Arlington cemetery in Virginia ahead of face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.

The pair will spend about an hour together in the first visit by a foreign leader to the White House since Trump was sworn in last week, the Telegraph reported. The meeting comes after May told US Republicans that Britain and US could not return to "failed" military interventions "to remake the world in our own image".

However Sir Michael Fallon, the British defence secretary, said on Friday that this did not mean that Britain would unilaterally shy away from intervening militarily overseas.

May will join Trump for his first news conference as President at 1 pm ET (11.30 pm IST) on Friday. Both the leaders will seek to find common ground on trade and lay the groundwork for a new deal after Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, CNN reported.

In his speech at the Republicans' retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday, Trump joked that with Congress so far refusing to confirm his candidate for commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, he would have to discuss trade with May himself.

"I don't have my commerce secretary; they want to talk trade; so I have got to handle it myself," he said.

May will be keen to ensure that Trump remains fully committed to the Nato military alliance which is a vital organisation to keep Russia in check in eastern Europe. Both leaders are expected to urge other Nato countries increase their defence spending to two per cent of gross national product.

They will also be discussing the West's concern about Russia. The meeting comes a day after May addressed Republicans in Philadelphia. The Prime Minister said relations between Britain and the US have "defined the world," delivering a speech greeted by frequent loud applause.

"I speak to you not just as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but as a fellow Conservative who believes in the same principles that underpin the agenda of your Party," May said on Thursday.

May, the first foreign leader ever to address the annual Republican gathering, also told Trump not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'," she said. "With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'", she said.

"We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence," she said.

As a gift to Trump, May is bringing a quaich - a two-handled Scottish drinking cup for whisky used to symbolise trust between the giver and recipient. She will give Melania Trump a hamper containing a range of British produce, including Chequers apple juice, Damson jam and marmalade, Bakewell tarts, and Cranberry and white chocolate shorties.

Regarding sexist remarks made by the US President on several past occasions, May said that "some of the comments that Donald Trump has made in relation to women are unacceptable, some of those he himself has apologised for."

"I think the biggest statement that will be made about the role of women is the fact that I will be there as a female Prime Minister," May said.
Santiago: Flames from one of Chile's worst wildfires completely consumed the town of Santa Olga as the death toll from the blazes since November rose to 10, officials said.

The flames engulfed the post office, a kindergarten, and about 1,000 homes in the town, located 220 miles (360 kilometres) south of the Chilean capital. The body of one person was found under the charred remains of the town, which another 6,000 residents fled unharmed. Officials have not identified the person who died.

"This is an extremely serious situation  of horror, a nightmare without an end," said Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the neighbouring coastal city of Constitucion. "Everything burned."

Authorities found another body burned inside a house destroyed in the flames about 85 miles (140 kilometres) south of Santa Olga in the coastal city of Concepcion, said Andrea Munoz, the governor of Concepcion province yesterday. Officials later reported that a firefighter also died after a water truck rolled over.

Dozens of teary-eyed firefighters took a moment from battling the blazes to pay homage to one of their colleagues who died in the flames yesterday while he evacuated a family to safety. Two police officers also died yesterday.

The series of fast-spreading blazes have destroyed about 385,000 acres (160,000 hectares) of forest.

The fires have been raging in central and southern Chile, fanned by strong winds, hot temperatures and a prolonged drought. Emergency services have battled the flames non-stop for days with thousands of firefighters on the ground and helicopters and small airplanes in the air.

Residents of some communities have been battling the fires themselves, without any protective gear and often using just branches or bottles of water in a frantic effort to save their homes, pasture and livestock. But those efforts are often undone as winds or smoldering ash spread the fires anew.

The ferocity of the flames prompted President Michelle Bachelet's to declare a state of emergency, deploy troops and ask for international help, calling it "the greatest forest disaster" in Chile's history.

A Boeing 747-400 "Super Tanker" arrived in Chile from the United States to help fight the blazes. The world's largest fire-fighting aircraft can dump nearly 20,000 gallons (73,000 litres) of fire retardant or water.
MEXICO CITY The former governor of the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, charged last August with improper use of his power, was arrested on Thursday to prevent him from fleeing, a state official said.New charges of embezzlement and crimes against state property were also levelled against Rodrigo Medina of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party - allegations linked to tax incentives given to carmaker Kia Motors during his 2009-2015 tenure, Nuevo Leon's security spokesman Aldo Fasci said in a radio interview.He said the arrest order would remain in place for one month, at which time it could be extended. Medina is being held at a prison in Monterrey, officials said.A lawyer for Medina could not be immediately reached for comment.

President Enrique Pena Nieto has struggled to crack down on corruption that has embroiled several governors in his own party, helping drive down his approval ratings.Claudia Garcia, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office, said a second line of enquiry also focuses on the wealth acquired by Medina during his time in office.

Medina's wife and father have both received a court summons in that investigation, Garcia said.

Since October, former Veracruz state governor Javier Duarte has been on the run from allegations he was involved in organised crime and money laundering, while former governor Guillermo Padres of the state of Sonora slipped away for weeks following accusations of corruption. (Reporting by Natalie Schachar; editing by Grant McCool)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Mexico City: Homophobia has surged in Mexico since president Enrique Pena Nieto proposed to legalise same-sex marriage in May, a gay rights group said, reporting 26 hate-fueled murders this year. Alejandro Brito, head of the Citizen Commission against Homophonic Hate Crimes, said there was a "defamation campaign" against gays.

"This can trigger a wave of violence and an increase in attacks against homosexuals. We think that it's important for the authorities to take care of this before a tragedy takes place," he said yesterday. "Homophobia has worsened this year due to the opposition to the initiative that the president has sent to Congress," Brito said at a news conference.

"We don't want an Orlando in Mexico," he said, referring the murder of 49 people by a gunman at a gay nightclub in the Florida city in June. Pena Nieto has proposed a constitutional reform that would legalise same-sex marriage nationwide after the Supreme Court ruled last year that state bans were unconstitutional.

Currently only a handful of the country's 31 states and Mexico City allow such weddings. Brito said that at least 26 people from the LGBT community were killed so far this year, with some brutal homicides perpetrated after the president's announcement.

On June 25, two lesbians were verbally attacked by a man for their sexual orientation while they were outside a store in the northern city of Monclova. The couple left but the man hit their car with his vehicle and shot one of the women in the neck, killing her, Brito said.

The Mexico Equality Movement has documented two other murders of gays after Pena Nieto's announcement. One was run over and the other one was tortured. Brito's group reported 44 homophobia-fueled murders in 2015, down from 72 in 2014. An average of 71 anti-LGBT murders have taken place every year in the past decade.

But Brito said the figure is likely much higher as the statistics are only based on news reports.

"For each case reported in the press, there are at least two others that are not reported," he said. Pena Nieto's initiative has been opposed by Mexico's Roman

Catholic Church and members of conservative parties. The leftist Democratic Revolution Party and LGBT rights groups filed complaints in the interior ministry and the

government's anti-discrimination agency against bishops and a cardinal, accusing them of violating the constitution for their public stance against same-sex marriage.

Brito said that propaganda has spread at private schools claiming that children were at risk of facing questions about gender in class.
Jerusalem: A defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on Friday questioned by the police for the third time as a "possible criminal suspect" in a graft case for allegedly accepting valuable gifts from business figures and trying to trade favours with an Israeli newspaper.

67-year-old Netanyahu's interrogation by the police at his residence in Jerusalem is said to revolve around two criminal cases - the prime minister and his familys dealings with billionaire benefactors, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan known as Case 1000, and his negotiations for a

suspected quid pro quo deal with a top Israeli publisher known as Case 2000.

The interrogation came a day after Netanyahu lambasted the media and rival politicians of trying "a coup attempt" through "undemocratic means". Israeli Police yesterday questioned Hebrew daily Yedioth

Ahronoth's publisher Arnon Mozes with whom Netanyahu held recorded conversations on advancing legislation that would reduce the pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom dailys circulation in exchange for more favourable coverage from Yedioth, the largest circulated daily in Israel.

Israel's Channel 10 reported earlier this week that police were likely to recommend indicting Netanyahu over the gifts he received from Milchan, with the case being in the most advanced stage.

Israel Radio reported that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is leaning toward a charge of breach of trust in the case, but not bribery. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and took to Facebook

yesterday to defend himself, accusing people from the media as well as politicians of exerting pressure on Mendelblit and law enforcement officials in an attempt to oust his government.

"The cat's out of the bag," he wrote claiming that media figures and politicians are trying to apply pressure to have him indicted 'at any price'. He also called the effort an "undemocratic attempt" at

"government overthrow".

The Israeli Premier on Wednesday addressed the Knesset's (Israeli parliament) "Question Time" and made comments in a similar vein, speaking of the efforts as "persecution" and a "show of hypocrisy".

"I have news for you," Netanyahu said adding, "I will continue to lead the State of Israel for many more years to come for the citizens of Israel, the State of Israel and the Jewish people."

Netanyahu also noted that he was "not the first" political leader to have meetings with media publishers, and not the first "to have wealthy friends".

He declined a number of questions in the Knesset on whether he will resign if indicted in one of the two criminal investigations currently opened against him, and on whether gifts he received from businessman Milchan or his relationship with lawyer Shimron constituted conflicts of interest.
WASHINGTON U.S. Senator John McCain, commenting on Friday on speculation that President Donald Trump is considering lifting sanctions on Russia, said he hoped the administration would reject that "reckless course.""If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law," McCain, one of the Republican party's senior foreign policy voices, said in a statement.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Philadelphia/Mexico City: The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern US border, sending the peso plummeting and deepening a crisis between the two neighbours.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced on Twitter around midday on Thursday that he was scrapping a planned visit to meet with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly demanded that Mexico pays for a wall on the US border.

Later in the day, White House spokesman Sean Spicer sent the Mexican peso tumbling to its low for the day when he told reporters that Trump wanted a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for construction of the wall. Spicer gave few details, but his comments resembled an existing idea, known as a border adjustment tax, that the Republican-led US House of Representatives is considering as part of a broad tax overhaul.

The White House said later its proposal was in the early stages.

Asked if Trump favoured a border adjustment tax, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said such a tax would be "one way" of paying for the border wall. "It's a buffet of options," he said.

The plan being weighed by House Republicans would exempt export revenues from taxation but impose a 20 percent tax on imported goods, a significant change from current US policy. Countries like Mexico would not pay such taxes directly. Companies would face the tax if they import products made there into the United States, potentially raising prices for American consumers.

The idea is unpopular with retailers and businesses that sell imported goods in the United States. It also has met opposition from some lawmakers worried about the impact on US consumers. Trump himself appeared to pan the idea in a Wall Street Journal interview last week, saying the House border adjustment provision was "too complicated."

Even after Trump's comments, congressional Republicans have continued to discuss the issue with White House officials in an effort to bring them on board with the idea.

Rift with Mexico

Trump, who visited Republican lawmakers at their policy retreat in Philadelphia, told them he would use tax reform legislation to pay for the border wall. "We're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route," he said.

Trump, who took office last week, views the wall, a major promise during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal immigration.

Mexico has long insisted it will not heed Trump's demands to pay for the construction project.

He signed an executive order for construction of the wall on Wednesday, just as a Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray arrived at the White House for talks with Trump aides.

The executive order provoked outrage in Mexico. Videgaray's planned meeting with US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was cancelled, a department spokeswoman said. Pena Nieto had been under pressure to cancel the summit.

"We have informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday with @POTUS," he tweeted on Thursday. "Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that favour both nations."

Trump had tweeted earlier that it would be better for the Mexican leader not to come if Mexico would not pay for the wall. He said later the meeting was cancelled by mutual agreement.

Relations have been frayed since Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, characterising Mexican immigrants as murderers and rapists. His trade rhetoric has hit the Mexican economy, causing consumers to rein in spending and foreign businesses to wait on new investments, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Trump has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada and slap high tariffs on American companies that have moved jobs south of the border.

Mexico ships 80 percent of its exports to the United States, and about half of Mexico's foreign direct investment has come from its northern neighbour over the past two decades.

The United States runs a $58.8 billion trade deficit with Mexico, according to the latest US government figures. But Mexico is also the United States' second-largest export market.

Marcello Hinojosa, head of Mexican industry association Canacintra in the border city of Tijuana, said the border tax idea would only end up hurting US consumers.

"Trump is shooting himself in the foot with the 20 percent import hike. It's going to lead to a (price) increase for Americans," Hinojosa said, adding it would also hurt his waste-processing company because most of his clients are American plants.
Washington: US President Donald Trump in his first televised sit-down interview as US president has said Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not among countries that will face a visa ban to enter the country.

However, citizens of these countries will face "extreme vetting", the US president said.

In an interview with ABC News, the US President was asked: "Why are we (America) going to allow people (from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan) to come into this country..."

To this, Trump answered, "We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think there's even a little chance of some problem."

"We are excluding certain countries. But for other countries, we're gonna have extreme vetting. It's going to be very hard to come in. Right now it's very easy to come in. It's gonna be very, very hard. I don't want terror in this country," he added.

The interview, broadcast on Thursday, was Trump's first to a television channel since he took oath as President on January 20, and covered a wide range of subjects, from Obamacare to immigration to war against terrorists.

Trump said his plan to limit the entry of people from several Muslim countries was necessary because the world was "a total mess". He denied that it was a ban on Muslims. "No, it's not the Muslim ban, but it's countries that have tremendous terror," Trump said.

"And it's countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems. Our country has enough problems without allowing people to come in, who in many cases or in some cases, are looking to do tremendous destruction."

Trump refused to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about, but did say that he believed that Europe "made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries, and all you have to do is take a look, it's a disaster what's happening over there."
By Mubasher Bukhari

| ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD Pakistani police said they filed a criminal case against the parents of slain social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch, alleging they were bribed to change their testimony to protect one of two sons facing trial in her suspected 'honour killing'. Baloch, an avowed feminist whose raunchy photos posted online challenged social norms in Pakistan, was found strangled in July at her parents' home in Muzzafarabad, a village near the city of Multan in eastern Punjab province.Her death drew renewed attention to the practice, widespread in Pakistan, of relatives killing women thought to have brought shame on their family. The government has since tightened legislation against such 'honour killings', including removing the right of families to forgive those responsible. Baloch's parents, Muhammad Azeem and Anwar Bibi, had originally implicated two of their sons in the killing, but in court proceedings on Wednesday they said their elder son, Aslam Shaheen, was not involved.

In a First Information Report (FIR), which marks the formal opening of a criminal investigation, Muzzafarabad police officer Allah Bakhsh alleged seeing Baloch's parents receive an envelope from Aslam Shaheen outside the courthouse in Multan, where the murder case is being heard. "He told them that he has fulfilled their demand. Now, they should record their statement in the court in his favour," reads the FIR, indicating that the parents had taken a bribe to change their testimony.

Baloch's parents denied the accusation "We had wrongly nominated Aslam Shaheen in Baloch's murder case. It was the outcome of anger," Muhammad Azeem and Anwar Bibi told a news conference outside their home.

Baloch received frequent online abuse including death threats before her murder but refused to back down, writing in one Facebook post about changing "the typical orthodox mindset" of people in Pakistan. (Writing by Saad Sayeed; editing by John Stonestreet)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The American market consumes more tortillas than sandwich bread and Mexican salsa has nearly doubled the sales of ketchup, according to the National Restaurant Association, a hospitality trade organization and lobby group.

Barack Obama at Luis's Taqueria in Oregon. C. HONG

Ketchup, which once defined popular American cuisine, has been displaced by its spicy southern counterpart, which was even declared an indispensable ingredient for a Super Bowl party. Guacamole is also invited to the all-American festivities, and avocado sales have hit record highs.

In the United States, there are more than 57,000 Mexican restaurants, with annual sales hovering around $38 billion, according to market research firm IbisWorld. Mexican food has also overtaken hamburgers to become the Americas third favorite cuisine. It is estimated that the Hispanic food market has grown 31% over the last five years. Quite some time has passed since Mexican food colonized the United States of America.

Last Saturday, during Donald Trumps inauguration in Washington, parts of Seventh Street were cut off by security fences. Seventh Street, a main artery of the city, is home to three of Spanish celebrity chef Jose Andres seven restaurants in the American capital. Two were outside of the protected area, but the wall of his third restaurant dutifully supported one of the fences that demarcated Trumps inaugural party.

The restaurant is called Oyamel, and was once considered the second best Mexican restaurant in the country. The top Mexican restaurant is usually considered to be Topolobampo in Chicago and the restaurants have a lot in common. Both have been frequented by the Obama family, neither is owned by a Mexican and both are contemporary takes on traditional Mexican cuisine. They are not trivial facts and demonstrate characteristics of a type of food that is on the rise in Trumps America.

Ketchup, which once defined popular American cuisine, has been displaced by spicy Mexican salsa

Its not all Taco Bell (which, by the way has more than 5,500 restaurants in all 50 states), or other chains such as Odoba, Chipotle, Baja Fresh, El Pollo Loco or Taco Cabana. The influence of Mexican cuisine has transcended fast food to become a trend in high-end restaurants. This is demonstrated by restaurants like Mary y Titos in Albuquerque, New Mexico which won the prestigious James Beard prize; Mexique, in Chicago, Empellon Cocina and Cosme, by Enrique Olvera, both in New York; and newer initiatives like Tintoreto in Los Angeles, spearheaded by Maycol Calderon.

Back to the Inaugural scene at Oyamel  outside, the restaurant is full of Trump supporters, so passionate that they traveled to Washington to show their support. At the entrance, the fence symbolizes the wall that is to come. Inside, a new, irrevocable reality is palpably evident  no walls can stop the attraction of Mexican flavors. Jose Andres, entangled in his own legal dispute with the new American president, explained it to me in other words  the intangible has beat out the tangible.

English version by Alyssa McMurtry.
A Twitter user in Spain has persuaded four companies to pull their ads from an online publication that ran a story headlined: Why are feminists uglier than regular women?

There is a type of media outlet that thinks it can make fun of these kinds of things as clickbait [content designed to drive traffic to a website]; since women make up half of the population and half the market, I decided to appeal to the social responsibility of the brands that keep these media outlets running, said Cristina Hernandez, 37, in statements to EL PAIS Verne section.

Hernandez, a feminist with a long history of activism, took screenshots of the ads showing up on Mediterraneo Digital after the publication  whose tagline is Politically Incorrect  ran a story on January 24 that commented on feminists looks and attitude, comparing them to Chewbaccas cousins  a reference to a character from Star Wars.

Hernandez then asked five companies through Twitter whether they knew that their ads were running on a site that publishes this type of article.

Anida Vivienda, a real estate firm associated to the BBVA Group, replied that same Wednesday afternoon, saying it would pull its ads on the site. Nissan and Toyota did the same soon later.

Above, a screenshot of the website.

This really angers me; its no joke, says Hernandez. Sexism is what supports the violence against women that exists in this country. The data shows that around 300 women file a complaint against their partners every day, and one woman is killed every five days.

A spokesman for Norwegian Airlines said it is too early to know what action will be taken. The fact that a banner appears in a certain outlet does not entail support from the advertising company.

The insurance company Linea Directa originally declined to pull its ads, but later changed its decision. A spokesperson said that the content is despicable, in bad taste and offensive, since we are a company that does not support sexism.

Sexism is what supports the violence against women that exists in this country

Cristina Hernandez

According to Hernandez, making fun of feminists is an attempt to delegitimize their fight for equality and to be able to live in a violence-free society. Whats at stake is my freedom and the freedom of my friends, my sisters.

The controversial article is reminiscent of others seen on the controversial right-wing and pro-Donald Trump website Breitbart News, which has run stories with headlines such as Does feminism make women ugly?.

Citizens have one kind of responsibility, the media have another, and brands yet another, said Hernandez.

Following the uproar on the social media, Mediterraneo Digital has announced legal action against the activist for allegedly accusing them of encouraging gender violence.

What I said is that sexism encourages gender violence, and I will assert that in a court of law, inside a classroom, on the street and anywhere else necessary, retorts Hernandez. Sexism does kill in this country.

In fact, she encourages others to follow her lead and let brands know when their ads are running next to sexist content.

The success of feminism is collective, and the social media have given us a tremendous power to act.

English version by Susana Urra.
Two widely reported murders by minors who were committing robberies have led to calls for the Argentinean government to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14. On Christmas Eve, 14-year-old Brian Aguinaco was shot and killed following a robbery by two teenagers in Buenos Aires.

One of the killers is arrested. Ministerio Seguridad

More information El asesinato de una embarazada de 15 anos por dos menores conmociona Argentina

Then on January 17, a 15-year girl named Jenifer Trillo Juli, who was five months pregnant, was killed while waiting at a bus stop with her mother in a suburb of the capital.

Two teenagers approached her from behind, grabbing her backpack and pushing her to the ground, according to eye witnesses. The report into the assault also mentions that the girl was shot while she was lying on the ground.

Organized criminal gangs are accused of using underage associates to carry out robberies, typically aboard a scooter: the courts cannot charge them and are obliged to release the minors.

The two individuals arrested for the murder of Juli are 14 and 15 years old, the police revealed.

The boy who killed Brian Aguinaco was 15 and did not face any charges; he has since been sent to Peru with his grandfather.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Xiaomi launched the successor of the Redmi Note 3 in the Indian market last week starting at Rs, 9,999. Dubbed as Redmi Note 4, it comes in three variants in India.

Moreover, the company said that based on their test, the Redmi Note 4 offers 25% more battery life compared to Redmi Note 3. The Redmi Note 4 comes in Gold, Matte Black, and Dark Gray colors.

It is priced at Rs. 9999 for the 2GB RAM with 32GB storage version, Rs. 10,999 for the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage version, while the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version costs Rs. 12,999. It goes on sale every week through flash sales on Flipkart and Mi.com.

Today, we are going to compare this smartphone with its predecessor to find out how good is the latest outing. Does the sequel to the Redmi Note 3 check the right boxes? Is it a worthy successor? Lets find it out.

Design

In terms of physical overview, the Redmi Note 4 looks more or less like Note 3 with a little bit of refining done. This time, the smartphone has a 2.5D curved glass on the front and a bit of curved edge on the back similar to Mi5. The speaker grills are now placed at the bottom with USB port in middle. Comparatively, this smartphone has a chamfered edges with antenna band separated by thin chrome treatment. It measures 151x76x8.45mm and weighs around 175 grams.

On the other hand, the Redmi Note 3 comes with metal unibody design as well. This handset measures, 150x76x8.65 mm, slightly taller and thicker than the successor, but it weighs around 164 grams, about 11 grams lighter. Both the smartphone sport an Always Active fingerprint sensor on the back, just below the camera module.

The button placements are same in bot with the Volume rockers and power buttons on the right, hybrid SIM slot on left, 3.5mm audio jack, infrared sensor and secondary microphone on the top. We also did a fingerprint recognition comparison between Redmi Note 3 and Note 4. Surprisingly the Redmi Note 3 turned out to be the fastest one here.

Display

In this case, both the smartphone shares similar specification sporting a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display on the front. There is a very slight difference in terms of pixel density, which should not be an issue.

Both the phones offer a bright display with good color reproduction. The viewing angles, sunlight readability are equally good on both the smartphones.

Hardware

The Redmi Note 4 comes powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 14nm processor clocked at 2GHz with Adreno 506 GPU. This chipset offers much longer battery life by supporting up to 35% lower power usage. So if you are concerned about the battery life, then Redmi Note 4 is your answer.

Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 3 is powered by Hexa-Core Snapdragon 650 64-bit processor with Adreno 510 as GPU under the hood. Talking about the real world usage, both the smartphone offer lag-free experience and handles multi-tasking butter smooth. Gaming is smooth on both the phones without any frame drop. However two ARM Cortex A72 cores offer better performance in some games.

Talking about storage, the Redmi Note 3 comes in two variants 2GB RAM with 16GB storage / 3GB RAM with 32GB storage and can be expanded through MicroSD card up to 32GB through hybrid slot. Its successor comes in three variants  2GB/3GB RAM with 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage. Also, it supports expandable MicroSD cards up to 128GB through hybrid slot.

The Redmi Note 4 offers 32GB of inbuilt storage, out of which user will get around 23GB of free space. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 3 offers 25GB of free space.

Camera

Moving on to the camera department, the Redmi Note 4 flaunts a 13MP rear camera with CMOS sensor, PDAF, dual-tone LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture and 5MP front camera with 85-degree wide-angle lens. Comparing its predecessor, the camera resolution has been downgraded which might worry some. But, the company has equipped a new 13MP CMOS f/2.0 aperture camera made by Sony or Samsung with bigger pixel size for better images. You can check out the camera samples of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 in our review here.

The Redmi Note 3 has a 16MP rear camera with dual tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1080p video recording, 120fps slow-motion and 5MP front-facing camera as well. You can check out the camera samples of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 in our review here.

Redmi Note 3 Camera Samples

Redmi Note 4 Camera Samples

Software

On to the software front, both the smartphones run MIUI 8 on top of Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) out of the box. The MIUI is known for its customization and the company has enhanced it even more with MIUI 8. If offers lots of features to provide the user with smooth and decent UI experience.

Just like other phablets, the MIUI 8 comes with One handed mode, which shrinks the content on the display down to 4.5, 4.0 and 3.5-inch to any one of the bottom corners. Just swipe the home button and back button to display the shrunken content on to right and swipe the home button and menu button to display the content on left.

Moreover, it also comes with shortcut menu called as Quick Ball similar to Apples Assistive touch. This Quick Ball lets you add up 5 different options, which can be placed anywhere on the edge of the display. Also, it comes pre-installed with native apps that can clean junk, scan virus and much more.

You will get access to various themes and wallpapers from the collection, Mi Remote that lets you control infrared appliances in your home. In fact, there are features like dual apps, Second space, and lite mode as well.

Battery and connectivity

Coming to the battery, the Redmi Note 4 is a jump considering its predecessor. As per the spec sheet, this smartphone comes with 4100mAh battery. The Note 3 is juiced with a reduced 4000mAh battery under the hood. The Redmi Note 4 achieved a One Charge Rating of 17 hours and 16 minutes in our battery test compared to One Charge Rating of 15 hours 36 minutes in Redmi Note 3.

Both the smartphones support connectivity options like 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS + GLONASS. Both the phones have dual-band (2.4 & 5GHz) Wi-Fi, but only the Redmi Note 3 has 802.11ac WiFi support, while the Redmi Note 4 comes only with 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi.

However, it is a little bit disappointing to see that both the smartphones dont support fast charging, even though the Qualcomm chips support Quick Charge.

Verdict

The Redmi Note 4 is indeed a worthy successor with minimum yet crucial refinements. This smartphone comes with an improved camera, battery, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of inbuilt storage as well. If you are searching for a new mid-range in town, Redmi Note 4 is your answer. For those, who invested in Redmi Note 3 recently, worry not!
We finally have a clear look at Samsungs upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone thanks to the popular tipster Evan Blass aka evleaks. Blass has tweeted a live image of the next flagship from Samsung that offers a clear look at the phone from front and black.



Along with the photos, Blass (via Venturebeat) has also shared detailed specification of the Galaxy S8. First up, the phone will come in a 5.8-inch version and a larger 6.2-inch model and both the devices will sport a curved display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Blass added that Galaxy S8 will come with pressure sensitive display similar to Apples 3D Touch. Previous reports had mentioned that the Galaxy S8 will ditch the home button and we can see in the image that the trademark physical button has been removed from the front instead, it has been moved to the back next to the rear camera. This button will come equipped with a fingerprint sensor.

The S8 will feature a 12MP rear facing camera and an 8MP front facing camera with iris-scanning abilities. This feature first made its debut on Samsung Galaxy Note7 last year. The rear-facing camera will have support for optical character recognition (OCR). Samsung is rumored to come with Bixby virtual assistant that will use the camera for visual search. Also visible in the photo is the 3.5mm audio headphone jack, primary microphone, USB Type C, loudspeaker grills and antenna bands.

Samsung Galaxy S8 rumored specification

5.8-inch and 6.2-inch QHD AMOLED display

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos processor

4GB, 64GB internal memory, expandable with microSD

Android 7.0 Nougat

Fingerprint sensor, iris scanner

12-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera

8-megapixel f/1.7 front camera

3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C, water resistance

3000mAh (5.8-inch model) or 3500mAh (6.2-inch model)

Corroborating earlier report, Blass further says the Galaxy S8 will be launched on March 29 in New York. The 5.8-inch model will retail for 799 and the 6.2-inch model at 899 and both the phones will go on sale on April 21. Samsung is aiming to ship 60 million units for the Galaxy S8 this year, according to a latest report.

Source
Ola and Uber ride sharing services have once again come under Karnataka governments radar for their Ola Share and Uber Pool ride sharing services. These services allow commuters to to be picked up and dropped along the route which is against the state transport department guidelines.

According to the state transport department, ride-hailing services have contract carriage permits, which do not allow them to pick up and drop passengers during the course of the ride. They are only allowed point-to-point pick-ups and drops.

Transport Commissioner M.K. Aiyappa told The Hindu,

We have told cab aggregators that share services are not permitted under the law. The contract permit only allows for picking and dropping from start to destination with no stops in the middle during a single trip.

The shared services violate Motor Vehicle Act and the Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, added Aiyappa. He further added that Ola and Uber would not face action over the next four days and he would listen to the representatives of the cab aggregators on Monday.

An Uber spokesperson told LiveMint,

We believe UberPOOL is clearly within the law. We will continue to engage with the transport department and Karnataka government as ride-sharing products like UberPOOL are the future of urban mobility, helping decongest cities by getting more people into fewer cars and letting riders move around their city more affordably. With the cost of shared rides up to 50% less than travelling solo, response to UberPOOL in Bangalore has been phenomenal. More than 25% of our total trips in the city are POOL trips.

Last year, Karnataka State Transport Department had banned bike taxis in Bangalore calling them illegal.

Source: 1, 2
Sony is expected to unveil five Xperia smartphones at the upcoming MWC 2017 in Barcelona next month. The company is said to announce  Yoshino, BlancBright, Keyaki, Hinoki and Mineo smartphones at the event, according to a report from Review.ge.

Yoshino is expected to be the flagship device that will feature a 4K (3840 x 2160 display), Snapdragon 835 processor, 4/6GB RAM and a Sony IMX 400 camera sensor. Next up, Sony BlancBright is likely to have a QHD resolution 5.5-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor or the Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM and the same IMX400 camera sensor. The Keyak is tipped to sport a full HD 1920 x 1080 display, MediaTek Helio P20 processor with 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage, 23-megapixel rear-camera and 16MP front-facing camera.

Codenamed Hinoki, this one is expected to sport a 5-inch 720 x 1280 screen, a Helio P20 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing one. Sony Mineo will be the lowest end device that is expected to be priced at around $350 and have inferior specifications vis-a-vis others in the lineup.

Sony has scheduled an event on February 27 at MWC 2017.

Source
Water may be a commodity that you don't think about much when it comes out of the tap, but water is essential to life. Not only that, it's a multibillion-dollar industry in the business world. Water is a key input in everything from food and beverages to cleaning semiconductor wafers. The sourcing, purification, and distribution of water is big business around the world, and the threat of climate change makes that more true than ever. Many climate scientists expect droughts to become more common in the coming years. These events are likely to make the price of water go up. Some believe that mass desalination, or removing salt from ocean water, will be necessary to ensure an adequate global water supply. Whatever happens, demand for the resource is increasing while the supply is limited. That means now is a great time to consider investing in water stocks since water technology is advancing and the challenge of the climate crisis is likely to spawn further innovations. Most water stocks are utilities, although some can be classified as consumer staples stocks. If you're looking to invest in water stocks, keep reading to learn about seven of the best water stocks you can buy today.

Image source: Getty Images.

Top 7 water stocks

Company Market Cap Description American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) $28.5 billion New Jersey-based water and wastewater utility serving 15 million people across 16 states. York Water Company (NASDAQ:YORW) $586.3 million Pennsylvania-based purifier and distributor of drinking water. Essential Utilities (NYSE:WTRG) $12.3 billion Pennsylvania-based provider of water, wastewater, and natural gas services with 5 million customers. American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) $3.2 billion California-based provider of water and electricity for customers in the state. Middlesex Water Company (NASDAQ:MSEX) $1.82 billion New Jersey-based water and wastewater utility. Xylem (NYSE:XYL) $15.8 billion Producer of a wide range of water-related products, including pumps, meters, and biological treatment equipment. Primo Water Corporation (NASDAQ:PRMW) $2.3 billion Provider of exchangeable water tanks, bottled water, water filtration services, and related products.

Source: Yahoo! Finance and company filings. Market cap data as of March 21, 2022. American Water Works American Water Works may be one of the best examples of how boring stocks can quietly crush the market. Founded in 1886, the water utility went public at $21.50 a share in 2008 and was hovering around $160 a share in March 2022. American Water Works is the country's largest water utility stock. Like other utilities, it benefits from being a regulated monopoly, meaning that the company doesn't face competition in the regions where it operates. In exchange, its prices are regulated by state and local governments. Over the years, American Water Works has grown by investing in its own infrastructure through acquisitions and by seizing opportunities in market-based businesses such as its military services group. The company plans to continue investing in the business and is forecasting between $22 billion and $25 billion in capital expenditures this decade to drive additional growth. It also completed 23 acquisitions in 2021. American Water Works' earnings multiple has expanded considerably as the company has benefited from lower interest rates. This has caused investors to rotate from bonds into dividend stocks and lifted stock market multiples more generally, although that could reverse as interest rates rise. While it's worth keeping an eye on interest rates, the company's size gives it an advantage in scalability and in making acquisitions. It pays a quarterly dividend of $2.41, or a 1.5% yield, as of March 2022. York Water Company York Water Company, founded in 1816, is the oldest investor-owned water utility in the U.S. The company sources, purifies, and distributes drinking water within three counties in south-central Pennsylvania. It also owns two wastewater collection systems and five wastewater collection and treatment facilities. As a water utility, York's growth is determined by the number of customers, as well as water and wastewater rates. Because it can't directly control prices, the best way for the company to grow is by increasing its customer base. York Water has made a number of acquisitions in its territory to boost growth, but it operates in a slow-growing part of the country. The company's total customer count increased slightly from 71,411 at the end of 2019 to 73,144 at the end of 2021. Its 2021 revenue increased 2.3% to $55.1 million. The company is also highly profitable, with an operating margin of 42%. York Water pays a dividend yield of 1.8%, and its payout ratio is around 60%, meaning that investors can count on a continuing dividend. Essential Utilities Essential Utilities, formerly known as Aqua America, is a water and natural gas utility that serves about 5 million people under the Aqua and Peoples brands. The company started as a utility in southeastern Pennsylvania and has grown into a presence across 10 states. It focuses on regulated water and wastewater, along with other utilities. In 2020, it entered the natural gas business by acquiring Peoples Natural Gas company, giving it 750,000 gas utility customers in three states. Two-thirds of Essential Utilities' revenue now comes from water, with the remaining one-third from natural gas. The company is focused on growing in areas where it has a critical mass of operations to gain scale and increase efficiency. Residential water companies have historically increased revenue by about 1% per year -- a reminder that utilities tend to be a slow-growth industry -- but rising rates helped, and acquisitions, including the natural gas business, helped drive revenue up 28% in 2021 to $1.88 billion. The company is also highly profitable, with a profit margin of 23%. Essential Utilities currently pays a 2.2% dividend yield and has a long history of raising its dividend.

American States Water Company American States Water Company is a diversified utility company with several subsidiaries and three segments, including water, electric, and contracted services. As of the end of 2020, the company's regulated utilities had 261,796 water customers and 24,545 electric customers. It also has a number of military contracts. A majority of its revenue comes from Golden State Water Company, which is a subsidiary involved in the purchasing, production, and distribution of water in 10 California counties. Like other utilities, American States Water Company benefits from a lack of competition. However, its growth has been modest in recent years, with revenue increasing 3% from 2019 to 2020. American States Water Company has been less acquisitive than other water utilities, although its profits grew significantly from $1.62 per share in 2016 to $2.33 in 2020. The company has kept costs relatively flat even as rates have ticked up. The company has been a reliable dividend payer, offering a dividend yield of 1.5% as of December 2021. Middlesex Water Company Middlesex Water Company was founded in 1897 and operates regulated water and wastewater utility systems in New Jersey and Delaware. It has approximately 115,000 customers across those two states. Middlesex's revenue has been mostly flat over the past five years, increasing from $132.9 million in 2016 to $143.1 million in 2021, or just about 1% annually. The company has not sought to grow through acquisitions, and operating income has been flat as well. In 2021, it sold a Delaware wastewater facility, and, in one of its territories, rates actually decreased in response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 as the company's tax payments significantly fell after that bill was passed. Middlesex sees its net income being affected by four issues: weather, rate relief, effective cost management, and customer growth. The company has been a reliable dividend stock over the years and regularly increases its payout. As of March 2022, Middlesex paid a 1.1% dividend yield. It has a payout ratio of about 60%, meaning that it should be able to easily increase its dividend in the coming years. Xylem Xylem isn't a water utility but a water technology company. It makes a wide range of products to handle the transportation and treatment of water, pumping and heating, and measurement for meters and data analytics. With a unique business model, Xylem has no single competitor, but it competes against a wide array of companies across its three business segments. It estimates its total served market to be $60 billion in the segments within a larger addressable market of $600 billion in the global water industry. The company sees opportunities in emerging markets as clean water becomes more accessible through technological innovation. Xylem's 2020 performance was affected by COVID-19 as revenue fell 7% to $4.9 billion, but the company returned to growth in 2021, up 7% to $5.2 billion, or 4% organic growth. Historically, Xylem has been solidly profitable, although its profits have fluctuated. Earnings per share peaked in 2018 at $3.03 and fell to $1.41 in 2020, hammered by the decline in revenue and higher expenses. EPS bounced back to $2.35 as it regained momentum in the pandemic recovery. Xylem has regularly raised its dividend since its IPO in 2011, and it now pays a 1.4% dividend yield. Primo Water Corporation The Primo Water brand may be best known for its exchangeable water tanks available at big-box stores, but the current Primo Water is the result of beverage company Cott Corporation acquiring Primo Water in March 2020. Cott sold its coffee and tea business and rebranded as Primo Water to become a pure-play water company. Management is still in the process of repositioning the business following the acquisition. The company announced in November 2021 that it would exit the North American single-use retail bottled water business, which will help increase profitability and reduce its carbon footprint. Primo Water finished 2021 with 6% revenue growth to $2.07 billion and expects to continue to make acquisitions to drive growth. On an adjusted EBITDA basis, the company's margins are about 20%, and its generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) profit is closer to breakeven because of its heavy debt burden. Still, the company is delivering steady growth and offers investors a unique opportunity as a rare pure-play water consumption stock.

Are water stocks right for you? You might be surprised to learn that a basket of these seven stocks would have easily beaten the S&P 500 index over the past decade. During one of the greatest bull market runs in stock market history, that's an impressive feat for a group of dividend-paying, recession-proof stocks in what's seen as the relatively safe and sleepy utilities industry. With this track record, diversifying your portfolio with some water stocks looks like a smart move, especially given their position as a possible hedge against climate change.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos decision to cancel his trip to the United States, originally scheduled for next Tuesday, is the only logical response to President Trumps aggressive stance against Mexico and its people, whom Trump has accused on a number of occasions of being thieves and criminals.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Jose Mendez (EFE)

More information En defensa de Mexico

Many thought that Trumps election rhetoric would fade into the background once he conquered the White House, inaugurating, as is usual in politics, a process of adjustment between campaign promises and limitations imposed on government action by reality. Some of those who thought this, such as Pena Nieto himself, ignored the abundant signs that Trump was not a normal candidate, preferring to opt for a benign and pacifying vision of him. This is what the Mexican president did, despite having met with Trump in his official residence in Los Pinos last August  an incomprehensible and unfortunate visit in which Pena Nieto failed to meet his apparent objective of stopping or bringing nuance to Trumps plans.

It hasnt even taken a week since Trump took power for him to solidify his determination to implement, immediately and in an astonishingly literal fashion, the centerpiece of his promises related to what is euphemistically called immigration and border control, but is in fact a racist and xenophobic agenda, in which Mexico is his first victim.

The construction of a wall that totally separates Mexico from the United States, which he says the Mexicans will pay for; the threat of establishing punitive tariffs on Mexican exports; the pressure on American businesses to stop investing in Mexico; or the threats of deporting Mexican citizens living in the United States are all measures that constitute all-out aggression towards Mexico.

Trump has begun his presidency, which he said he wants to dedicate to restoring Americas greatness, by humiliating his southern neighbor who is poorer and weaker than the United States, and repeatedly threatening the country with a series of actions that, without question, will cause Mexicans great difficulties.

Fortunately, the Mexican people are not alone in this difficult situation. The mayors of some of the United States most important cities, with the backing of millions of good Americans, have manifested their intention to not collaborate with Trumps deportation policy, even if that means losing federal funding.

Fortunately, the Mexican people are not alone in this difficult situation

Even if it wants to, Mexico cannot defend itself alone from the aggressions of a man whose career is marked by the worst kind of bullying, both in politics and in business. This is why a clear and loud voice is necessary for Mexicos defense, both from Europe and, above all, from the Ibero-American countries. If all these regional forums and summits that unite us with Mexico do not serve to inspire clear solidarity, it is fair to ask if they serve any purpose at all.

English version by Alyssa McMurtry.
As with many other oil and gas logistics companies, you might not notice Holly Energy Partners' (HEP 0.86%) growth on a quarterly basis. If you back out and look over the past several years, though, you'll see a business that has grown at a rather steady rate for more than 10 years. A large part of that success has been its relationship with parent company HollyFrontier (HFC) and its ability to drop down midstream assets to Holly Energy Partners.

Herein lies the rub. HollyFrontier is running out of logistics and transportation assets to drop down to Holly Energy Partners, and it's forcing the company to come up with creative ways to generate growth. This, the lack of apparent growth opportunities, could be Holly Energy Partners' greatest business risk going forward.

2016 was a big year for both Holly Energy Partners and HollyFrontier. In late October, the parent company announced that it would be purchasing a 15,000 barrel per day lubricant business in Ontario from Suncor Energy. The $845 million deal includes the lubricant production facility, all of the brand names associated with the Petro-Canada lubricant business, as well as several product warehouse and distribution assets.

In order to finance part of the deal, HollyFrontier dropped down about $275 million in assets to Holly Energy Partners. What made this drop-down unique, though, was that it wasn't pipeline, or storage terminal, or any other kind of asset that Holly Energy Partners typically owned. Rather, it was the newly constructed crude, catalytic cracking, and polymerization units at its Woods Cross refinery.

From a straightforward numbers perspective, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The drop-down of these assets came with a 15-year tolling agreement contract where Holly Energy Partners will only receive a volume-based fee, and at no point will it actually take ownership of the commodity. So, the cash flows from this transaction should be very similar to its other assets in the sense that they are relatively stable and carry no commodity risk.

From a strategic perspective, though, it does raise one question: If HollyFrontier has dropped all of its logistics assets to its subsidiary and is now pushing refining units down to Holly Energy Partners, are the growth opportunities for Holly Energy Partners shrinking that much?

What are the options from here?

One thing for certain is that HollyFrontier can't continue to drop down refining assets to its subsidiary without cannibalizing its own revenue stream. So, some new revenue opportunities are going to have to pop up soon. After all, Holly Energy Partners has a streak of 48 straight quarterly distribution raises to maintain.

A couple of things Holly Energy Partners is working on is increasing its crude oil gathering system in the Permian Basin to serve its Navajo refining assets in New Mexico. The Permian Basin is proving once again to be an incredibly prolific oil-producing region for the U.S., and running Permian crude has a lot of advantages for HollyFrontier. For every dollar change in the difference between a barrel of Permian crude and refined product, it translates roughly to $55 million in annual EBITDA for the parent company.

Aside from that, though, any other growth is going to come from future capital projects from HollyFrontier or from making acquisitions. However, the big Petro-Canada lubricants integration is likely going to occupy management for some time.

What a Fool believes

Thanks to some drop-downs last year -- the Woods Cross refining assets, the Cheyenne product pipeline, and some oil storage terminals -- there should be enough cash flow growth in 2017 to keep the company's distribution streak alive. Beyond that is where things get a little tricky, because the project pipeline is looking a little thin. For investors in this stock, the biggest thing to watch in the coming year is any acquisitions or project announcements that will add assets to the Holly Energy Partners portfolio. Without them, the company's payout could stall out.

That being said, a company doesn't just stumble into 48 consecutive quarters of distribution growth on accident. A track record like that shows a management team that has shown the discipline to balance growth and financial stability. So, if there was a management team up to the challenge of finding new growth, it's this one.
On Friday, during Donald Trumps inauguration, anti-trump protesters swarmed the streets of Washington, D.C. While most of the protesters were peaceful, some vandalized city property, businesses and even nearby vehicles.

In downtown Washington, a limo belonging to a Muslim immigrant named Muhammed Ashram was set ablaze and destroyed by rioters. The incident drew a lot of media attention, but not the type of attention Ashram wanted.

I received a call from my fleet manager and had said that the car has been damaged and then the driver sent me a few images of it and that is how I found out that this was happening , Ashram told the FOX Business Networks Liz MacDonald.

Ashram, who has created a gofundme page to raise money to help pay for the damages, said these protesters need to understand the full impact of their actions.

You feel like a sinking feeling. When I saw my limo being damaged and was put on flame. I felt like I was having a really bad feeling about that. My kids were really affected and I remember my daughter, nine years old Hannah came to hug me at least three to four times and she said Poppa Its going to be okay, he said. Ashram also spoke directly to the protestors saying, There are so many different ways to have your voice be heard, but the violence is not one of them.
The on-again, off-again Keystone XL pipeline has already fueled jobs in the U.S., and manufacturers like Siemens (OTC:SIEGY) are ready to put Americans to work if and when TransCanada (NYSE:TRP) resurrects the project.

TransCanada officially reapplied late Thursday for approval to restart construction of the pipeline, after earlier in the week President Trump signed executive orders to green light the project, which stalled under the Obama administration.

"This privately funded infrastructure project will help meet America's growing energy needs as well as create tens of thousands of well-paying jobs and generate substantial economic benefit throughout the U.S. and Canada," TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a statement.

The Keystone XL order directs the U.S. State Department to complete its review within 60 days of TransCanadas submission of a permit application. The companys initial permit application was denied by the Obama administration in 2015, seven years after TransCanada first sought approval.

While seeking a green light from the federal government, TransCanada spent more than $2 billion on pipe and other parts for Keystone XL. Many of those components were stored in warehouses, waiting for Keystone XL to become reality.

In the projects early stages, TransCanada contracted German manufacturer Siemens to equip 35 pump stations with hundreds of components. Five U.S. plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mississippi and Texas produced motors, variable-speed drives, automation hardware and other equipment for Keystone XL. The products were shipped in 2014, according to Siemens.

Welspun Tubular, a company that employs roughly 500 people at a factory in Little Rock, produced 700 miles of pipe for TransCanada. The project generated more than 600 factory jobs over an 18-month period, according to congressional testimony by CEO David J. Delie in 2013.

TransCanada still owns the pipe, the company confirmed to FOX Business. Given the regulatory delays, TransCanada has kept most of the pipe stored in Little Rock. Some of the pipe made by Welspun was used to construct another section of the Keystone system from Cushing, Okla., to Houston, Texas.

Building the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines will lower energy costs and create jobs across the country and in Arkansas at places like Welspun Tubular, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said this week in a statement.

According to a State Department report from January 2014, Keystone XLif completedis expected to support the equivalent of about 42,100 total full-time jobs annually during the pipelines two-year construction phase. The project was pegged to put an estimated 16,100 workers into action through direct hiring, including 3,900 construction workers. The remaining jobs are considered indirect hires that result from related spending.

TransCanada has said Keystone XL, which is projected to cost as much as $10 billion, would support 9,000 construction jobs in the U.S.

The 1,179-mile pipeline would be an extension of an existing system that starts in Canada and runs south from North Dakota to the Gulf Coast in Texas. Keystone XL is designed to provide a direct route from the Canadian oil sands to Steele City, Neb. From there, oil can travel to refineries along the Gulf Coast.
Water stocks, especially water utility stocks, have had a great run in recent years. Several of them -- including the largest player,American Water Works(NYSE: AWK) -- have crushed the market over the last three years. So, it's not surprising that some of these stocks have pulled back since the middle of 2016. While there could be further pullbacks among the group over the near to mid term, water stocks still make solid investments for the long term.

Water utility stocks are especially attractive within the water stocks category because their primary businesses are regulated and natural monopolies, and most of them pay dependable dividends.

Water utility stocks

Ninewater utility stocks with market caps greater than $300 million trade on major U.S. stock exchanges.

Data sources: Yahoo! Finance and YCharts. Data to Jan..23. P/E = Price to earnings. *Return since its April 2008 IPO. **SJW has significant real estate operations, so is excluded from the analysis. ***No analysts follow Middlesex, per Yahoo! Finance. Returns that have beaten the S&P 500 are boldfaced.

American Water Works: The best water stock for most long-term investors

Image Source: Getty Images.

American Water Worksis thelargest publicly traded water and wastewater utility in the U.S. It has regulated and market-based operations in47 U.S. states and one Canadian province. It remains my favorite in the industry for most long-term investors. The two main reasons are its industry-leading size and geographic diversity.

American Water's size provides it with the resources to acquire small utilities in what is an extremely fragmented and capital-intensive industry. Its geographic diversity -- it has regulated operations in 16 states, double the number as second-most-diverse Aqua America (NYSE: WTR) -- provides it with more opportunities for efficient expansion than its competitors. Expanding near where it already has operations results in economies of scale. This geographic diversity also better insulates it from region-specific challenges, such as droughts.

American Water's main market-based businesses include building and operating water systems for military bases and supplying water and related services to natural gas exploration and production companies in the Appalachian Basin. It entered the latter business via its 2015 acquisition of Keystone Clearwater Solutions. While the fracking water business has been hurt by the big downturn in the energy markets that began in mid-2014, it has the potential to bounce back nicely once the recovery in the energy market progresses further.

Analysts estimate that American Water will grow earnings per share at an average annual rate of 7.6% over the next five years. This is the second-highest projected growth rate for pure-play water utilities operating in the U.S. While California Water Service (NYSE: CWT) is projected to grow EPS at an average annual rate of 7.8% over this same period, nearly all of this growth is expected in 2017. American Water's projected growth dynamics are more attractive, as they're relatively steady.

American Water has increased its dividend payout each year since it went public in 2008.

Sabesp: Worth considering by those comfortable with higher risk

Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo(NYSE: SBS)-- Sabesp, for short -- is worth a look by those comfortable with higher risk. This is a volatile stock -- as the following chart shows -- that is not suited for investors who are interested in relatively low- to moderate-risk utility stocks that pay dependable dividends.

Data by YCharts.

Sabesp provides water and wastewater services in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is a country that suffered a severe drought in much of the southeastern region (which is where SBS's territory is located) from 2014 to 2016, has been embroiled in politicalturmoil, and has a currency that has made big swings in value relative to the U.S. dollar. All of these factors add up to inherent volatility. In fact, the stock's five-year beta is 1.87 -- which means it's been about 87% more volatile that the broader market, which has a beta of 1.0. Most water utilities have betas considerably lower than the market's; American Water, for instance, has a five-year beta of just 0.21.

Sabesp does sport some features that make it a potentially attractive growth stock for investors with higher risk tolerances. First, exchange rates for the Brazilian real relative to the U.S. dollar improved in 2016 after significantly declining in 2015. (Just less than half of Sabesp's total debt outstanding at the end of the most recent quarter was denominated in either U.S. dollars or Japanese yen, so currency fluctuations can have a huge impact on its interest expenses.) Secondly, drought conditions in its coverage territory began easing in 2016.

Over the next five years, analysts project that Sabesp will grow EPS at an average annual rate of 35.1%. This robust growth rate looks mouthwatering for a stock with a forward P/E of 9.8. However, investors need to remember that projected growth rates are just that -- projected -- there is no guarantee companies will achieve them. The stock is priced attractively because it's considerably riskier than other water stocks, as well as the overall market.

Another metric bolstering the case for Sabesp is that it spouted off $241.6 million in free cash flow over the trailing 12 months -- by far the tops in the industry.

California-based water utilities: Continue to avoid due to drought exposure

California has begun to emerge from its epic drought, now in the fifth year, thanks to a very wet winter. According the the U.S. Drought Monitor report released on Jan. 12, just over 65% of the state is now in a drought, down from 100% three months ago. Moreover, only about 2% of the state remains in the most extreme category, "exceptional drought," down sharply from 43% a year ago. Most areas in Northern California are now drought-free, though much of the south is still in some type of drought.

Darker shades correspond to more intense drought conditions. Data released on Jan. 12. Image source: U.S. Drought Monitor.

While this news is encouraging, it's still too early to declare that the end of the California drought is near, according to many experts.So, I continue to believe that most investors should pass on investing in American States Water (NYSE: AWR) and California Water Service.

American States Wateris the water utility that's most exposed to the California drought. The company's core regulated business operates solely in the Golden State, though it does have a market-based business that provides services at military bases throughout the country. Drought conditionsusually increase operating costs, which water utilities must then try to recoup after the fact through rate increases.

In December, the company finally received the final decision from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regarding its rate hike request for 2016 through 2018. Positively, much uncertainty -- which the market hates -- has been removed, as this request dates back two years, because some items have been litigated. The overall rate decision was a mixed bag. Among other things, the CPUC authorized only 87% of the company's capital expenditure requests in customer rates. As a result of all the rate case factors, earnings per share at the company's water utility segment for the first nine months of 2016 would have been lower by approximately $0.07 per share from the company's reported results. The company reported earnings of $1.32 per share in the first nine months of the year, which means that earnings for this period were overstated by 5.6% due to factors related to the rate case.Because the new rates are retroactive to January1,2016, American States will record this negative impact to its Q4 earnings. .

American States Water has a reputation for being very well run. However, I think most investors should continue to pass on the stock for now because there is uncertainty involved in how much longer the drought will persist. This add uncertainty as to whether the company will be able to successfully fully recoup its increased operating expenses related to the drought. Moreover, future rate hike cases could drag on forever like the most recent one did. Furthermore, even when the current drought ends, more frequent and severe droughts in certain areas of the country -- such as California -- will likely become the new norm, in my opinion. There is clear scientific evidence that the U.S. -- like much of the world -- is in a warming trending.

California Water Service also has significant exposure to the epic drought, though not to the same degree as American States. It operates its largest regulated business in its namesake state, but it also has regulated operations in Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii.

Aqua America: Decent size and geographic diversity, but long-term returns are concerning

Aqua America is the second largest water utility operating in the U.S. and thesecond most geographically diverse in the industry. It has regulated operations in eight states.

Like American Water, Aqua America has also been pursuing a fairly aggressive acquisition strategy. While Aqua America is worth watching, American Water is currently the better water stock, in my opinion. American Water is projected to grow EPS at an average annual rate of 7.6% vs. Aqua America's 6% -- and its stock is just a bit pricier from a forward P/E standpoint than Aqua America's. Moreover, Aqua America's 10-year return significantly lags the returns of most of the group. While past performance is not indicative of future performance, past performance over the long term does often reflect a company's sustainable competitive advantages and how well it's run.

Small players: Lack good long-term growth potential

Some positive things can be said aboutMiddlesex Water, Connecticut Water,andYork Water.However, their small sizes combined with their lack of geographic diversity limit their long-term growth potential, in my opinion.

Middlesex has operations in very limited parts of New Jersey and Delaware. Connecticut Water provides services to 56 towns in Connecticut. York Water's operations span 48 municipalities within York and AdamsCounties, Pennsylvania.

10 stocks we like better than American Water Works When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017.

Beth McKenna has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Companhia de Saneamento Basico. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) CEO Mark Fields said on Thursday that President Donald Trump might be willing to renegotiate some tough regulations set to come into force in a few years -- and that might be a good thing for the Blue Oval's bottom line.

Insight from two meetings with the new president

President Trump met with a diverse group of corporate leaders on Monday, and with the CEOs of the three Detroit-area automakers on Tuesday. Fields attended both meetings, and was cautiously optimistic about the new administration's approach in remarks to investment analysts during Ford's fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday.

Ford CEO Mark Fields with F-150s at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan. Image source: Ford Motor Company.

"I think, first off, it's a very positive sign from my perspective that literally in his first two days in office he had his first morning meetings with manufacturing companies, including automotive companies," Fields said. "I think he's going to be very focused on driving policies that drive investment and job creation in American manufacturing and in automotive manufacturing."

In particular, Fields said, Trump might be willing to revise some regulations that have caused consternation among many of the automakers.

Exploring current regulations

Here's the background to what Fields was saying.

In 2011, the Obama administration put in place new regulations that call for gradually tightening fuel-economy standards to a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Those regulations were broadly backed by the auto industry at the time: Gas prices were high, and the automakers were glad to have a set of rules that forced them all to push more fuel-efficient products to market.

But part of the deal between the automakers and the Obama administration was that the rules would be reviewed in 2017 (using, as Fields said, a data-driven approach) to ensure that the stricter targets set to come into effect after 2020 were still reasonable.

That review was expected to happen later this year. But the review was pre-empted by the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month, shortly before Obama left office, when it abruptly moved to declare that the the tougher standards set to come into play next decade were feasible and didn't need changes.

Why Ford wants changes to the EPA's fuel-economy standards

The EPA's move upset the automakers. It's not that the industry (or Ford) hates tough fuel-economy rules per se. (In fact, most autoexecutives are in favor of improving fuel economy and lowering emissions.) The industry's concern is that consumers haven't been willing to pay the added costs of fuel-efficient drivetrains (including hybrids and plug-ins) because gas prices have been much lower than the industry expected when the plan was adopted back in 2011. That has made it hard to offer costly but-effective new technologies that would improve fuel economy without crushing their own profit margins.

Automakers were hoping to convince the EPA to agree to relax the standards, or at least extend the schedule for adoption of the tougher requirements, so that they could roll out the more advanced technologies as they become cost-effective. The EPA's move on Jan. 13 pre-empted that discussion.

But it appears that Trump might be amenable to reopening a review of the fuel-economy rules. And Fields said that Ford is glad to have a seat at the table.

"My impression walking away is this is a president who's going to be focused on a number of important priorities and make sure that he makes progress on those," Fields said."We want to be helpful in the process. Whether it's in terms of trade or tax or regulatory reform, we want to be a trusted source for input."

10 stocks we like better than Ford When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Ford wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017

John Rosevear owns shares of Ford. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Close, but no cigar. That's one way to sum up Raytheon's (NYSE: RTN) fiscal year 2016.

We laid out the expectations for Thursday's earnings report for you earlier this week. According to Wall Street's best guesses, Raytheon was supposed to report earning $2.2 billion in profit on $24.4 billion in revenue, and generate even more cash profit than it was allowed to report as "net income" under GAAP -- $2.5 billion in positive free cash flow, to be precise.

Raytheon makes the highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missile -- but now its own stock is a target. Image source: Raytheon.

And what did Raytheon actually report?

The news

For fiscal 2016, Raytheon reported:

4% sales growth, hitting $24.1 billion (a miss)

7% improvement in earnings from continuing operations -- $2.2 billion (a hit)

Free cash flow of only $2.3 billion, which was 21% better than it reported in 2015 but still fell short of Wall Street estimates.

Tally up those results and it looks like Raytheon achieved analysts' earnings goal, but missed on both sales and free cash flow. What may be even worse is that, on a per-share basis, analysts were looking for Raytheon to report $7.46 in net profit, whereas the company actually only earned $7.44. So depending on how you look at it, Raytheon either went 1-for-3 on estimates -- or 1-for-4.

The reaction to the news

Whichever way you look at it, though, investors don't seem to have been pleased with the results, and they sold off Raytheon shares by 2.7% in response to the news. It probably didn't help matters that the guidance Raytheon issued in conjunction with its earnings release fell broadly short of expectations for 2017.

Already, Yahoo! Finance estimates had investors looking for almost no earnings growth in this new year, with profits coming in just pennies ahead of 2016's numbers -- $7.50 per share -- despite expectations that sales would grow by better than 5%. Raytheon's new guidance, however, shows revenues rising less than expected -- anywhere from $24.8 billion to $25.3 billion, so about 5% growth. Profits, says the company, will be no more than $7.35 (a decline from 2016 profits). Finally, free cash flow should range between perhaps $2.3 billion and $2.6 billion (assuming capex of $500 million or thereabouts).

So is Raytheon a buy or not?

Between the "earnings miss" in 2016 and the weak guidance for 2017, investors could be forgiven for shying away from Raytheon stock right now. But the news isn't all bad. Despite a constrained defense spending environment, Raytheon is growing revenue and generating plenty of profit. The company took in a "record" $27.8 billion in orders for new work last year, giving it a book-to-bill ratio of 1.16 for the year, and growing the size of its backlog by 6%. This promises even more growth in quarters to come as those new orders get fulfilled and converted into revenue -- and profit.

Really, based on what I'm seeing in this report, I have no qualms about the health of Raytheon's business. What concerns me is simply the valuation of Raytheon stock.

After Thursday's sell-off, Raytheon is now valued at $42 billion in market capitalization. Weighed against $2.2 billion in profits, that gives the stock a P/E ratio of 19.1. Weighed against free cash flow of $2.3 billion, the price-to-free cash flow ratio is 18.3.

Neither of these numbers looks particularly attractive in light of S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates that Raytheon will grow earnings at only 6% annually over the next five years. And with Raytheon itself projecting an earnings decline in 2017 -- well, look out below. Thursday's sell-off could be only the beginning of the bad news for Raytheon stock.

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The gloves are off. Supporters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the brainchild of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), which is tasked with protecting consumers against financial fraud, unleashed a legal tsunami this week in efforts to save CEO Richard Cordray and stay independent under the Trump administration.

The independence of the agency is crucial, said Constitutional Accountability Center President Elizabeth Wydra during a conference call on Thursday. The center filed a motion on behalf of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) to intervene in a case in which a federal appeals court previously issued a ruling that would put the CFPB under the direction of the president. U.S. PIRG, Americans for Financial Reform and a host of other consumer advocates filed their own motion to intervene in the case, as well. If allowed to stand, the ruling would give the Trump administration the power to fire the agencys first and only director Cordray.

Attorneys general from 17 states also joined the fight earlier this week.

Rich Cordray is the LeBron James of regulators, it makes no sense to fire him, said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director of the U.S. PIRG, during an interview with FOX Business. Mierzwinski notes that the bureau has returned nearly $12 billion to consumers over the past five years and has grown to a staff of 1,500 to help snuff out bad financial behavior aimed at consumers.

However, critics say Cordray has too much power. They just dont want the agency to be governed by an individual making all the decisions, said attorney Alan Kaplinsky of Ballard Spahr. As the firms lead partner of the Consumer Financial Services Group, he has represented clients against the CFPB. Replacing a single director with a three- to five-member panel would be a far better governance structure, he noted.

The CFPB is an independent bureau established through the Dodd-Frank Act following the financial crisis, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Warren, who at the time was a professor at Harvard, spearheaded the idea. Messing with the bureau could create more bad blood between Warren and Trump, who largely spared her during the campaign. Warren continues to be a frequent critic of President Trump on Twitter (NYSE:TWTR).

While the future of the CFPB remains cloudy, Trumps pick for Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, hinted it may, at the very least, need an overhaul.

That's a complicated issue, he said after being asked to give his take on the bureau during his confirmation hearing last week. The biggest issue I have with the CFPB, I don't believe they should be funded out of profits from the Federal Reserve. I think they should be funded out of an appropriations process.

Mierzwinski scoffed at Mnuchins idea; That is code for I want to kill the CFPB, he said. For Warren, a funding shift would give the big banks more power. The CFPB gets an independent source of funding  like every other federal banking agency in U.S. history  so that it can hold banks like Wells Fargo accountable without fearing budget cuts from big bank allies in Congress. If Mr. Mnuchin and others push to change the consumer agency's funding source, they will be declaring loud and clear that they care more about pleasing big banks than protecting working families and the safety of our financial system, she said in a statement to FOX Business.

As the CFPB hangs in the balance, the new administration has made it clear that some aspects of Dodd-Frank need to go. On Thursday Vice President Mike Pence promised to pass regulatory reform, which means dismantling Dodd-Frank, he told a crowd at the GOP retreat in Philadelphia.

Last year, the CFPB levied a record $185 million fine against Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) for creating upwards of two million phony customer accounts to allegedly meet sales goals. Prior to the fine, in 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported the practices.

The CFPB declined FOX Business request for comment. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters earlier this week, no decision has been made at this time on that [CFPB leadership].

Suzanne OHalloran is Managing Editor of FOXBusiness.com and a graduate of Boston College. Follow her on @suzohalloran
In one of his initial executive orders during his first week in office, President Donald Trump revived the Dakota and Keystone pipeline projects, signaling a shift in U.S. energy policy. Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray discussed what Trump policies mean for the U.S. energy sector and big coal in particular.

This was a victory for the working men and women of this country, Murray told the FOX Business Networks Charles Payne on Friday.

But despite the shift in energy policy under the new administration, is it too late for the coal industry?

It is not too late, he cannot bring the coal industry back, President Trump and Vice President Pence and their administration, to where it was, but they can stop the destruction.

Murray hopes the coal industry will now get support from the Senate as well.

The U.S. Senate has not done anything for coal in the last three years, hopefully their excuse now is gone.

Among the issues Murray hoped the Trump Administration would address next as part of its energy agenda were the EPA and Department of Energy, saying Cut the U.S. EPA in half, eliminate the Department of Energy.

On whether the Trump Administration would move quickly to boost fracking and potentially export U.S. coal and natural gas, Murray responded, Im willing to compete against natural gas. Im an American.

But Murray called for more of a balance between regulations and supporting the environment.

Im also for the environment. But what weve had here are regulations for the sake of regulations to satisfy environmental radicals.

Murray explained that that he wanted government leadership that would be fair and not choose winners and losers within the energy sector.

You give me the ball and Ill compete with natural gas all day if I have a level playing field.
Fitness guru, dancer, model and mom Brooke Burke-Charvet has a lot on her plate with her new role on The Celebrity Apprentice."



She told Fox News the NBC show has been a "learning experience." Recently, the show has drawn extra attention as Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken over as host in place of the former host, now-President Donald Trump.

I think its been a little bit of a funky time politically, but if everyone could remember and focus on the reason we do shows like that  its not about Arnold or Trump or any of the celebrities really its about raising money for charity, she said.

Burke-Charvet said the reason she signed on for the series was to bring awareness to her choice charity, Operation Smile.



"But it was awesome being challenged in the business world to do tasks and figure out how to market and brand a variety of products is such a cerebral grind for me and fun," she said.

When she's not taping "Celebrity Apprentice," you can find the star in the gym.

She is known for posting some seriously sexy Instagram snaps, but Burke-Charvet said her sex symbol days are behind her.

"... Ive grown up, she said of her sexy image. There is so much more to it. I started my career out in that space and I think Ive evolved and I feel good in my skin in my 40s. I think its about taking care of myself and letting myself be as equally important as everyone else in my family. And I hope that what I do in the health and wellness space inspires women.

The dancer has a Booty Burn class that she's recently brought from Malibu to New York City.

The model teamed up with Poise to focus on teaching women to "engage core muscles and pelvic muscles better for the overall health."

I think its a very delicate subject matter so I was happy to get on board and open up the dialogue between women about LBL (light bladder leakage), she said. I was very surprised to learn one out of 3 women are dealing with this.

The mom of four said she likes living a "simple life" at home with her family.

... Living in Hollywood and working in the industry and having a daughter who is dabbling in it herself, I try to teach them about things that are more important. I am very philanthropic and I involve them in a lot of those areas. I think its little things like that that keep them grounded. We spend a lot of time together as a family, they know what I do for a living is just my job and it doesnt define who I am.

The Celebrity Apprentice airs Monday nights on NBC.
Charlotte McKinney says she was no mean girl.

The model told Ocean Drive magazine that she dropped out of her Florida high school because she was the one getting bullied.

Girls would yell at me and call me a slut, she said. I would go to parties and get beer thrown on my head  there was so much bullying. It was just so awful thats why now I kind of use my platform to promote anti-bullying. I try to use what I went through to be a voice for it.

CHARLOTTE FLAUNTS FLAWLESS BODY

McKinney, who will next star in the "Baywatch" movie alongside Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson, first gained nationwide fame when she stripped down for one of the steamiest Carl's Jr. Super Bowl commercials of all time. Check out the video below to see Charlotte when she was just breakign into the biz.
Pick on someone your own size.

That was President Donald Trump's message to comedians cracking cruel jokes about his 10-year-old son.

In a wide-ranging interview from the White House on Thursday that touched on everythign from torture to the Mexican border, Trump talked to Fox News' Sean Hannity about the attacks on his young son, Barron Trump.

Trump blasted ex-"Saturday Night Live" writer Katie Rich for a tweet she wrote on Inauguration Day calling his son the "country's first homeschool shooter."

"A person from 'Saturday Night Live' was terrible," Trump told Hannity. "I don't mind some humor but it's terrible. For them to attack, for NBC to attack my 10-year-old son... it's a disgrace ...It's not an easy thing for him. Believe me."

Trump also commented on Alec Baldwin's impersonation of him on "SNL" saying "he's terrible on the show."

The President addressed Madonna's speech at Saturday's Women's March in Washington DC as well, where she said she's considered "blowing up the White House."

"Honestly, she's disgusting. I think [Madonna] hurt herself very badly. I think she hurt that whole cause," Trump said, adding that what the Queen of Pop said along with a "couple of others" was "disgraceful to our country."

Refugees and visas

Trump defended his forthcoming executive orders that are expected to suspend the United States refugee program and halt the issuing of visas to citizens of certain countries, saying, "We can't take any chances."

"Right now, the FBI has over 1,000 [terrorism] investigations going on  and these are people that we let in," Trump said from the White House Thursday. "We dont need this. Some people have come in with evil intentions. Most havent, I guess, but we cant take chances."

A draft executive order, which Trump could sign as early as Saturday, reportedly would halt the United States' broader refugee program for 120 days and prohibit citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen from obtaining U.S. visas for at least 30 days.

"Weve taken in tens of thousands of people. We know nothing about them. They can say they vetted them. They didnt vet them, they have no papers. How can you vet somebody when you dont know anything about them and they have no papers?" Trump asked.

TRUMP TO ORDER CONSTRUCTION OF US-MEXICO BORDER WALL; EXPECTED TO SUSPEND REFUGEE PROGRAM

Building that wall

Trump also defended his executive order to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a key promise of his presidential campaign.

"The wall is necessary," Trump said. "Thats not just politics, and yet it is good for the heart of the nation because people want protection and a wall protects. All youve got to do is ask Israel."

The president also revisited the issue of torture, saying that he believes methods such as waterboarding are effective. However, Trump added that he would follow the advice of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has argued against the use of such tactics.

"Look, I spoke with people who were in this world that were talking about," Trump told Hannity. "They said, Absolutely, it works. Now, General Mattis said that he doesnt intend to use it. Im with him all the way. Do I believe it works? Yes, I do."

The president also swiped at the media, which he said was made up of "very hostile people" and "very angry people."

WATCH: TRUMP STRATEGIST BANNON TORCHES NY TIMES, MAINSTREAM MEDIA

"The media  much of the media, not all of it  is very, very dishonest," Trump said. "Honestly, its fake news. Its fake. They make things up."



Repealing Obamacare

Trump covered a range of other topics in the interview, including his goal of repealing and replacing ObamaCare, which he called a "horror show and a disaster.

It actually explodes [this year]," Trump said, "and I told [congressional] Republicans. I said, 'Look if you really want to do something, just let it explode, and then [the Democrats will] come begging us to fix it. But thats not the right thing for the public because we have to get it fixed."

He added, "I do believe we're going to have a much better plan, we're going to have a cheaper plan. I think it's going to be a lot less expensive."

The Supreme Court

Trump also disclosed that he had decided on his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court "pretty much in my mind." He had previously said he would announce his choice Feb. 2.

The president blasted Democrats threatening to hold up his eventual nominee  and said he would want Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to use the so-called nuclear option if they filibuster.

I would. We have obstructionists, Trump said, complaining about Democrats treatment of other nominees, including Attorney General pick Jeff Sessions. The nuclear option, if pursued, would allow majority Republicans to seek approval of Trumps Supreme Court nominee with just a simple majority, as opposed to a 60-vote threshold.

The president also said he was examining the case of Navy sailor Kristian Saucier for a possible pardon. Saucier, 29, was sentenced to a year in prison for taking photos of parts of a submarine's nuclear propulsion system. As a candidate, Trump contrasted Saucier's treatment with the FBI's decision not to charge Hillary Clinton for using personal email while secretary of state.

PARDON ME: NAVY SAILOR IN JAIL FOR SUBMARINE PHOTOS PLEADS FOR MERCY FROM TRUMP

"I think its very unfair in light of whats happened with other people," said Trump, who added that he wouldn't even consider a pardon if not for the outcome of the Clinton investigation. "How can you have somebody else get away with such a tremendous amount and then this person who takes a picture of his desk on an old submarine? Look, if China or Russia wanted information on that submarine, theyve had it for many years. That I can tell you."
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks committed suicide in front of his wife, according to multiple media reports.

The Miami Herald, citing a police report, claims that Trucks shot himself in the head with a pistol while his wife of 25-years stood nearby in their West Palm Beach, Florida, condo.

The West Palm Beach Police Department told Fox News "foul play is not suspected, and the case is still under investigation." They referred all further questions to Trucks' publicist who did not return Fox News' requests for comment.

In a 911 call obtained by the Miami Herald, a woman told the dispatcher her "husband just shot himself" and used Trucks' real first name, Claude, to identify the victim.

The caller was reportedly so distraught she could not speak in full sentences but managed to tell the dispatcher the victim was breathing.

However, the dispatcher later concluded the call with a "Signal 7," which is a code to indicate someone has died.

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office told Fox News the office "can't release anything but the name" and that autopsy results for Claude "Butch" Trucks would not be released for "weeks."

Trucks is survived by his wife, four children and four grandchildren.
A new smartphone app will tell shoppers whether their food is really Made in Italy-- or just an im-pasta.

The free app was created by non-profit organization, Reliabitaly, and can be used in Italy and many countries around the globe. Shoppers simply scan products bar codes to see if they are really of Italian origin. The app will also tell shoppers how the item was made, according to The Local.

The goal is to protect and preserve the global prestige of Italian-made products, the app creators say.

Italy has 221 products currently protected under the EUs geographic labels of origin (DOP)-- more than any other country. Buffalo mozzarella, Prosecco, and Modena balsamic vinegar are some of the products protected by the DOP.

Products receiving DOP status must be made according to exact specifications and originate within in a designated area. Companies found trying to pass off any fraudulent DOP products may be subjected to fines. These foods and Italian wines involve 300,000 businesses worth over $14 billion a year for the domestic economy.

FOR THE LATEST FOOD FEATURES FOLLOW FOX LIFESTYLE ON FACEBOOK

Aside from olive oil, one of the biggest Italian-made food fraud products flooding the market is cheese. Sales of foreign-made Parmesan online cost Italy an extimated $64 million a year.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

But the biggest victim of food fraud is the olive oil industry. Farmers cant compete with the lower-priced and lower-quality of foreign oils which claim to be of Italian origin. Italy strictly regulates its own standard of extra-virgin olive oil: the packaging of the oil must state when non-Italian olives have been used and must not mislead consumers with use of Italian symbols like the national flag.

If you really love all things Italian, the Reliabitaly app goes beyond food. Curious shoppers looking for an authentic item of clothing or select home goods will also be able to check the origin of their clothes and accessories that claim to be Italian.

In order to be featured on the app, however, Italian manufacturers need to sign up to the app, so Reliabitaly is still working on developing its database to include more items.
A young Hollywood actor is being praised for his generosity after the 31-year-old opened his doors to a sick, elderly neighbor who needs around-the-clock care.

According to a Medium post, Chris Salvatore and his neighbor Norma Cook became friends while living across the hall from one another in their West Hollywood apartment building.

When Cook, 89, was diagnosed with leukemia, doctors told her she wouldnt be discharged unless she had that 24/7 health care. Thats when Salvatore stepped in.

He raised $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, and when the money ran out after the holidays, he invited Cook and her beloved cat, Hermes, to come live with him. Cook reportedly had lived in the building for decades, and Salvatore didnt want her to be forced out of her home.

He now considers her a grandmother figure, and she often refers to him as a grandson, KTVU reported.

Salvatore said in the post that he hopes his gesture will encourage others to perform acts of kindness.

"I'm so happy I was able to give her this gift of living her last days at home. I can't imagine what it's like to go through the end of your life at a hospital without your friends or pets, he told KTVU. "Norma has forever changed my life. She has made me a better human kinder, gentler, more compassionate and patient. She has showed me what truly is important in life. She is living proof that love and kindness can heal all wounds, both physical and emotional."
A baby born at just 23 weeks gestation and weighing just over one pound, is thriving three months later thanks in part to volunteers who donated breast milk to a hospital-run donor bank program. Bella Marie Fakeye, whose mother Aditu Bangura became too ill to pump breast milk, received the nutrition she needed through Staten Island Universitys Donor Milk Program, SILive.com reported.

Human breast milk is a unique composition of nutrients, enzymes, growth factors, hormones, immunologic and anti-inflammatory properties not able to be duplicated, Dr. Jonathan Blau, director of Staten Island University Hospitals Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, told SILive.com. When mothers own milk is not available or there is insufficient volume, pasteurized donor milk from a recognized donor milk bank is the next best option.

Now weighing over three pounds, Bella Marie became the New York hospitals first patient to receive donor milk through the hospitals program.

I was so upset when I could no longer pump my own breast milk, Bangura told SILive.com. I know what it means for my little girl to have the benefits of breast milk and Im so grateful she is thriving on milk from the donor milk bank. Shes a miracle baby.

The donor milk, which the hospital receives through the Mothers Milk Bank of NorthEast, is kept bottled, sealed and frozen until ready to use, SILive.com reported. Blood screening for potential donors includes tests for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis. The milk is pasteurized and screened for bacterial growth, SILive.com reported.
Tell your tummy to chill!

A cool new weight-loss procedure allows people to slim down without any nipping or tucking, proponents say.

Cryolipolysis, or fat freezing, can eliminate about 20 percent of the fat cells on a particular area of the body in an hour, experts say.

Plastic surgeons and dermatologists who use the procedure hawk it as a harmless and quick way to shed pounds.

The patient is watching a movie, or like when they did my back, I was answering my e-mails, Renato Saltz, a Utah-based plastic surgeon, told Agence France-Presse. They plug you into the machine and after an hour, youre ready to go back to work.

The machine inserts specific body parts, including love handles, chubby backs and stomachs, into a cooling chamber.

The cells are then cooled down to below body temperature but above freezing, which causes them to get metabolized and then get excreted.

Click for more from the New York Post.
The first year of marriage can be a dramatic one for any young couple. But U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Gaytan and his wife, Kayla who recently celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary are on an emotional rollercoaster like few have ever seen.

Sgt. Gaytan is an active-duty military police officer at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who fell deeply in love with Kayla and her two children. Just after their fairytale wedding, Kayla noticed a lump on her neck. After several visits to doctors, the 29-year-old mother was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, a blood cancer.

Though frightened by the diagnosis, the newlyweds hit the cancer head on.

Kaylas doctors began aggressive chemotherapy, injecting the powerful, cancer-killing medicines directly into her bloodstream through a port implanted in her chest. After nearly five months of grueling treatment, the family received good news: Kaylas cancer was in remission.

She and the family rejoiced. But with that joyful prognosis came a sobering coda. Doctors told her the poisonous drugs that streamed through Kaylas body would likely induce early menopause, thus ending the couples dreams of expanding their family.

Then, just three weeks after doctors told Kayla she would probably never conceive a child again, the crestfallen young mother experienced what she thought was a miracle she was pregnant! Kayla and Charles celebrated the news that they were, despite cancer treatments, expecting another child.

During an early visit to her obstetrician, the medical staff performed an ultrasound exam on Kayla. The result shocked everyone in the room. Yes, Kayla was pregnant four times over!

Technicians found four tiny hearts beating inside a woman who thought her child-bearing years were over. All four fetuses were healthy and growing. Kayla had not been using any fertility treatments; doctors told her the chance of conceiving quadruplets without such drugs is roughly 1 in 700,000.

Overwhelmed with joy and the prospect of bearing four children to round out the Gaytan clan, Kayla and Charles were on top of the world. Her doctors wanted Kayla to try to carry the quads for at least 28 weeks 32 weeks would be even better, if she was able. (Forty weeks is the normal gestation for a single birth.) She was determined to exceed their best hopes. She told her husband she planned to carry their quadruplets for 34 weeks, and it appeared she was on track to do just that. Everything was going well. The babies were strong and growing by day. Kaylas blood pressure was normal. All of the medical indicators told doctors her pregnancy was going smoothly.

Other doctors continued to monitor Kaylas blood for any signs of Hodgkins. Those tests repeatedly came back negative all the medical checkpoints indicated her cancer was in remission.

It was Kayla herself who figured out something was wrong.

I know my body well, she said, and the swelling in my neck told me something was wrong.

A biopsy of her lymph nodes confirmed her hunch: Kaylas cancer had returned. The quads she carried were still healthy but only 28 weeks along.

The quick return of the cancer told doctors that Kayla needed aggressive treatment, and quickly. But she couldnt be pregnant while the poisonous chemo concoctions coursed through her veins. After painstaking consideration and consultation with medical teams, the Gaytans and their doctors decided to induce her labor when the quads were 30 weeks along.

Although Kayla had hoped to carry her children for another month, the four births went well. The babies, delivered by cesarean section on December 30th, weighed between 2 and 3 pounds each. Lillian, Victoria, Charles and Matthew continue to strive and grow in the neonatal intensive care unit at Vanderbilt University hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Theyre expected to come home in the middle of February. Kayla restarted her cancer treatment last week.

Somewhat matter-of-factly, she said: Ive been given a 50-percent chance of surviving five years because [the cancer] has come back so quickly.

But this young mother and her soldier husband refuse to believe there is anything but good news ahead.

Knowing shell be bringing her babies home from the hospital in a couple of weeks, even while shes still undergoing treatment, Kayla is inspired. She told Foxs Jon Scott, That added pressure helps me to move forward on a daily basis to get through the day and push forward, knowing I have people that need me here.

A GoFundMe page set up for the familiy four months ago has raised $675,000 a large chunk of the money was raised the past 12 hours, according to a GoFundMe spokesperson.

The road will be long and difficult at times. But with six children and a devoted husband counting on and supporting her, Kayla is determined to beat the cancer and live.

The Gaytans friends at Ft. Campbell established a GoFundMe page to accept donations for the quads future needs and Kaylas medical care. Heres the link: https://www.gofundme.com/2mur9fyf Its also listed at GoFundMe under Gaytans Quadruple Pregnancy."
As an emergency room doctor, Hawaii Sen. Josh Green sees homeless patients suffering from diabetes, mental health problems and an array of medical issues that are more difficult to manage when they are homeless or do not have permanent housing.

That's why Green says he wants homelessness classified under Hawaii state law as a medical condition.

If homelessness is a disease, he reasons, then doctors should be able to write prescriptions for the cure: Housing.

"It is paradigm shift for sure, but the single best thing we can do today is to allow physicians and health care providers in general to write prescriptions for housing," Green said.

Green last week introduced a bill in the Hawaii Legislature to classify chronic homelessness as a medical condition and require insurance companies to cover treatment of the condition.

But if a doctor wrote a prescription for six months of housing, where would the patient fill the prescription?

That's where Green wants Medicaid to step in.

He wants to redirect some of Hawaii's $2 billion annual Medicaid budget to pay for housing.

He says the state could spend less Medicaid money by dedicating some of it to housing instead of paying for frequent visits by homeless people to emergency rooms. A recent University of Hawaii survey found health care costs for chronically homeless people dropped 43 percent when they had decent housing for an uninterrupted six-month period.

"Housing is health care, because it does afford a person a much greater chance of sustaining their health," said Connie Mitchell, executive director for the Institute for Human Services, Hawaii's largest homeless services provider.

But she cautioned that choosing who qualifies would be a challenge.

"You need to really look at when that's appropriate, because there's a lot of people that become homeless," Mitchell said. "Just because they become homeless doesn't mean it entitles them to write a prescription for a unit."

Hawaii had the highest rate of homelessness of all U.S. states in 2015, with 53 homeless people for every 10,000 residents, according to The National Alliance to End Homelessness.

The isolated state's high food and housing costs have prompted thousands of locally-born residents and transplants to erect tents and makeshift structures for homes in parks and sidewalks on Oahu, the state's most populated island.

Concerned about impacts on tourism, city officials have banned sitting and lying down in public spaces in the beachfront neighborhood of Waikiki and other parts of Honolulu.

The prospect of Green's proposal passing is unclear, but Hawaii officials appear receptive to offbeat solutions. State officials last year directed more money than ever to homeless support services.

And this week, 20 state senators proposed issuing $2 billion in state-backed bonds to build affordable housing, public housing renovations and homeless shelters.

Representatives from the state's two largest insurers  Kaiser Permanente and Hawaii Medical Services Association  and the chairwoman of the legislative committee that will first consider the bill declined comment, saying they have not had time to review it.

National homelessness experts said they are unaware of any other U.S. state attempt to classify homelessness as a medical condition.

But more than a dozen states  including California, Louisiana, New York and Texas  have found alternative ways to use Medicaid money for social services to help people stay in housing, like employment services or counseling, according to the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a New York-based group.

And New York is searching for ways to redirect the state-funded portion of its Medicaid budget toward housing payments.

"To date, no one is able to pay for rent using Medicaid. That's the line in the sand," said Barbara DiPietro, senior director of policy at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, referring to federal Medicaid money.

Green's idea is in line with an ongoing push in in Hawaii to expand Medicaid coverage so it will pay for services such as social workers who help people secure housing.

"The state realizes there's a strong intersection between housing and health care, and I think that really is a critical component of our efforts to address homelessness here locally," said Scott Morishige, the homelessness coordinator for Gov. David Ige, a Democrat.

Illness and injuries can lead to homelessness, through loss of income or inability to pay medical bills. When people become homeless, chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes and mental health problems are more difficult to manage, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

"If you don't have stable housing, if you don't have a stable place to live, how are you managing medications and going to doctor appointments?" said Marcella Maguire, a director at Corporation for Supportive Housing.

The Queens' Health System, a Honolulu hospital, billed $80 million for treating homeless people in 2014 and $89 million in 2015, said Lyndsey Garcia, a hospital legislative analyst. More than $10 million goes uncompensated annually, she said.

Some homeless patients visit emergency rooms dozens of times per year, Green said.

"I've heard it described as you go to Queens as a two-day vacation," he said. "It's going to cost probably $2,000 to $3,000 per day, so Queens is going to eat that cost, just for basic shelter."
The outbreak of mumps cases in Washington state has reached nearly 300, officials confirmed Friday. That includes the 90 cases that KREM reported are in Spokane alone.

WDEF.com reported that the Washington State Department of Health is encouraging people to get vaccinated if they are not already and to take certain precautions in social settings during the winter season.

Avoid kissing, hugging and other close contact with anyone who is suspected of having mumps, the department states on its website.

The cases, which span five counties, affect mostly school children.

The news station reported 160 cases are likely in Kings County, which includes Seattle. In addition to the 90 reported in Spokane, at least 35 have been confirmed in Pierce County, while three have been reported in Snohomish and one in Yakima County, according to WDEF.

Mumps causes muscle pain, loss of appetite, fever, headache and swollen glands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus can lead to brain infections, including meningitis, deafness, as well as painful swelling of the ovaries or testicles, and, in rare cases, sterility.

To prevent mumps, for most people, the CDC recommends the first dose of the MMR vaccine which protects against measles, mumps and rubellaat 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 to 6 years. In some cases, individuals can get the second dose earlier as long as its at least 28 days after the first dose.

Although all states require children to be vaccinated against certain communicable diseases to attend school usually both private or public states can establish their own vaccination exemption laws. In Washington, parents may opt their children out of vaccination with a statement to be signed by a health care practitioner stating that he or she provided the signator with information about the benefits and risks of immunization to the child, according to the CDC.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine is thought to be 88 percent effective, according to the CDC. Because mumps is viral, the virus doesn't respond to antibiotics. According to Medical News Today, drinking plenty of fluids and getting lost of rest can aid recovery time. Most individuals recover from mumps in two weeks.

The CDC reported a significant rise in mumps cases in 2016, when 5,311 cases in 46 states and the District of Columbia were reported. In 2015, only 1,300 cases were reported, and only 229 in 2012.
Paris Jackson recently spoke about struggling with both depression and anxiety. Her father, Michael Jackson, also had depression, she told Rolling Stone, and the younger Jackson was eventually prescribed the same antidepressants that her father had taken.

When family members have the same mental health condition, is it a coincidence, the result of sharing the same household environment or evidence that the condition is heritable? Or is some combination of these things true?

Depression is "in the same class as many other complex disorders, like diabetes," in terms of its heritability, Myrna M. Weissman, a professor of epidemiology and psychiatry at Columbia University in New York, told Live Science. In other words, a person's genetic makeup is thought to play a role in the individual's risk of developing depression, but other factors are at work, too.

Researchers think that the heritability of depression  or the amount of variation in the rate of depression within a population that's due to genetic differences  hovers around 30 to 40 percent, Weissman said.

Depression is a common mental health disorder, affecting an estimated 350 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The condition usually involves depressed mood, lack of appetite, sleep difficulties and diminished interest in day-to-day activities.

In a 2010 study published in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports, Dr. Falk Lohoff, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, surveyed a vast amount of research on the link between genes and depression. The survey highlighted a few key facts about the connection.

For one, studies involving twins and family members have indicated that mood disorders do have a genetic component, Lohoff said. In addition, studies of family members have shown that first-degree relatives of people with depression are more likely to also have the condition. (A person's first-degree relatives include their parents, siblings and children.)

But researchers are still trying to figure out the reasons behind this finding: If there are genes that increase people's risk of depression, what exactly do those genes do?

In a landmark 1996 study published in the journal Science, researchers found a gene that encodes a protein that transports the chemical serotonin, which helps regulate mood. Many antidepressants target this chemical. The scientists also found that certain variants of this gene may be associated with people's risk of depression. Changes in the gene have been shown to influence the body's ability to transport and take up serotonin, the report said.

However, additional research connecting this gene to depression has produced mixed results, and more studies are needed, Lohoff's 2010 review said.

That review concluded that studies have so far yielded little evidence that specific genes determine an individual's risk of depression. The condition, ultimately, is too complex to be neatly broken down into one or two gene associations, and most positive findings have yet to be replicated, the review said. For a mood disorder like depression, a person's environment and lifestyle also contribute to his or her risk, the study concluded.

Life events that have been linked to depression include unemployment, loss of a loved one and psychological trauma, according to the World Health Organization. At times, physical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease can also lead to depression, and vice versa, the organization said.

"It is the sum of inside and outside factors that contributes and influences mental pathology and well-being," Lohoff wrote.

Weissman added that "There is a strong environmental component that triggers an episode, but it is highly familial. That is, it is transmitted across the generations."

In her own research and that of many others, scientists are still trying to better determine the network of genes that are involved, she said.

Originally published on Live Science.
In a small study on deaf mice, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital used a novel gene-delivery technique to help the animals make gains in hearing and balance, but cautioned that the therapy is years away from use in humans.

Working with mice born without a gene critical for hair cell function, researchers injected a modified adeno-associated virus (AAV) with the missing gene into the inner ears of mouse pups shortly after birth. One month after treatment, nine of 12 mice had some level of hearing restored and could be startled by a loud clap, a standard behavioral test for hearing. Four of the mice could hear sounds roughly the equivalent of a conversation in a loud restaurant, 70 to 80 decibels.

Mice with damaged or missing hair cells show balance abnormalities and the mice treated in this study showed notably improved balance compared to their untreated counterparts.

Previous gene-delivery techniques have been unable to reach crucial hair cells, the delicate sensors in the inner ear that capture sound and head movement and convert them to neural signals for hearing and balance.

The new model reached a subset of hair cells that had been largely impenetrable by using AAV. Scientists grew regular AAV virus inside cells, which then budded off tiny bubbles made of cell membrane that carry the AAV virus inside them. This membrane virus is coated with proteins that bind to cell receptors, which may be why the bubble-wrapped version of AAV binds more easily to surfaces of hair cells and penetrates them more efficiently, scientists said in a news release.

"Unlike current approaches in the field, we didn't change or directly modify the virus. Instead, we gave it a vehicle to travel in, making it better capable of navigating the terrain inside the inner ear and accessing previously resistant cells," co-senior author and co-investigator Casey Maguire, Harvard Medical School assistant professor of neurology at the Mass General, said in a news release.

Their approach will not be ready for use in humans anytime soon, but gene therapy carries the promise of restoring hearing in people with several forms of both genetic and acquired deafness, the team said in a news release. Every year, about one in 1,000 babies are born with a hearing impairment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

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Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

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PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

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There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
President Donald Trumps inaugural address mentioned the carnage taking place in American inner cities. This followed his recent criticism of Georgia Rep. John Lewiss Atlanta district as in horrible shape and falling apart. Though taken as a whole these comments may be exaggerations, his spotlight on the continuing plight of American urban centers is fair game.

In many ways Atlanta is booming. But the cranes that dot the citys skyline also obscure its serious problems that Trump has shined a light on. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the citys youth unemployment rate is 40 percent, and its black unemployment rate is 19 percent. More than one in five residents live below the official poverty line.

It is unclear how much of the blame for this poverty and lack of opportunity can be laid at Congressman Lewiss feet. In too many urban centers across the country, there are too few opportunities for young and minority jobseekers. In many ways, the situation is worse now than when I was growing up in Atlanta in the 1970s.

Poverty and lack of opportunity have led to a recent surge in violent crime. According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, violent crime is up significantly in major cities nationwide. Atlantas murder rate increased by over 25 percent between mid-2016 and mid-2015, and the city is now one of the countrys top 25 murder capitals. Increased crime chases away existing business activity, further reducing job opportunities.

To end this vicious cycle, legislators must relentlessly pursue policies that foster business and job creation. Yet in Atlanta and other major cities nationwide, the prospects of achieving such an agenda at the local level are slim. But there are encouraging signs at the federal level.

Consider Andy Puzder, who is the labor secretary nominee. Puzder not only understands how job opportunities are created, but also has actually created thousands of jobs as CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns Carls Jr. and Hardees. The Senate should quickly confirm him so that he can get to work fostering a climate of job creation that is so desperately needed in the forgotten neighborhoods of major cities.

Puzder could address urban blight by eliminating and speaking out against the burdensome, unnecessary, or duplicative labor regulations that make it more expensive to do business and hire jobseekers. He could start by killing the previous labor departments overtime rule, which would require businesses to pay their salaried managers overtime pay if they earn less than $47,500 annually.

The overtime regulation  like many similar new and proposed labor regulations  would have economic and societal consequences because it would reduce good job opportunities.

Why? Because business owners rely heavily on their store managers, who are offered flexibility (say to leave work to pick up kids from school) in return for the understanding that they will stay until the job gets done. Usually, these jobs also come with other bonuses, benefits, perks, and prestige that arent reflected in a base salary.

If allowed to take effect, the overtime rule would increase labor costs, which would force business owners to reclassify salaried managers as hourly employees, reduce middle-class, middle-management job opportunities, and upend the longstanding, mutually beneficial relationship between owners and manager. In November, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the rule. Puzder could eliminate it for good.

Puzder has a unique opportunity because he has seen first-hand as CEO of a company with 3,000 domestic franchisees that employ over 75,000 Americans how bad regulations reduce employment and business creation. Urban centers starved for job opportunities need a labor secretary like Puzder who has been in the job creation trenches not the labor economics ivory tower.

I grew up in Atlanta's historic Old Fourth Ward. It is the same neighborhood that gave America, and the world, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If we are to achieve Dr. King's dream we need a vision for economic growth and empowerment in our urban centers. I trust Andy Puzder to promote the policies that make these attainable.
In September of 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain appointed Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty for the War Cabinet. The message WINSTON IS BACK was signaled to all naval ships and installations announcing this appointment in which Churchill stepped back into a role he had held decades before.

President Trump has, for his part, signaled his own WINSTON IS BACK moment, by symbolically returning the bust of Churchill to the White House, that Obama sent back to the UK when he assumed office. Far beyond symbolism, Trump is signaling, with Prime Minister Theresa May, his own reset of the Special Anglo-American Relationship, and it couldnt have come at a more propitious time.

Mrs. May arrived in the U.S. on Thursday, as the coveted first government head to officially visit the U.S., post-election. This is a proud and promising moment for both leaders and one that bodes great potential for the nations they lead respectively and the partnership that they have expressed interest in resetting and strengthening.

Her introductory speech in Philadelphia was inspiring. In it she tackled many of the issues foremost on the minds of Americansthreats from Islamic terrorism, cyber terrorism, our role within international organizations such as the U.N. and NATO. She spoke of the opportunities for her nation and our own in a post-Brexit, outward-looking Global Britain. She referenced the great friendship that was the apogee of the Special Relationsthe Reagan-Thatcher friendshipand drew a parallel to their efforts to free the countries of Eastern Europe shackled by socialism, that Churchill identified as the Iron Curtain. She ended this speech on a hopeful note that our better future is within reach and that we, Britain and America will build it together. Mrs. May sets the tone for a greatly enhanced bi-lateral alliance, moving forward.

While the sheer global importance of the Special Relationship has historically transcended personalities, the last eight years have been challenging. President Obamas approach of one global community, where Britain and other traditional allies enjoyed no special status, but were simply colleagues in the community of nations, challenged our strongest alliances. Not to mention Obamas intervention into the Brexit debate where he predicted a back of the queue position for the UK were it to leave the EU.

This attitude and approach must and likely will be altered. Judging by Mr. Trumps statement during his inaugural address that the U.S. will unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth, it is clear that he intends to recommit to a traditional post-WWII role of ensuring stability. In order for the new administration to do so it needs a steady partner in the UK, a nation, unlike many of its European colleagues, that takes its military and financial obligations seriously.

In a world where ISIS is rampaging, mercilessly slaughtering innocents, with especial enmity towards Middle East Christians, America needs its allies more than ever  and America has no better ally than Great Britain. Britain needs America, too. From the First World War to the War on Terror, the world is safer when the Anglosphere is aligned and working harmoniously.

Indeed, the Brexit decision is part of a larger global re-asserting of national sovereignty and personal responsibility of nations, perhaps crowned by the election of Mr. Trump. Moreover, a central theme of this momentum includes direct trade negotiations and agreement between nations and will surely come to light as Mrs. May hopes to score a bi-lateral US-UK trade pact which would strengthen Britains unsure road as it leaves the EU. It seems she has a willing ally in President Trump, for, as the London Times reported: Donald Trump will offer Britain a quick and fair trade deal with America within weeks of taking office to help make Brexit a great thing.

There is good reason on both sides of the Atlantic to pursue this trade agreement. The figures alone are compelling: the US is the largest investor in the UK and bi-lateral trade mounts to nearly $187 billion. Furthermore, a strong US-UK agreement will be a powerful arrow in Mays quiver when she eventually must negotiate with Brussels.

The current Prime Minister has already spoken forcefully on this issue, So as we rediscover our confidence together  as you renew your nation just as we renew ours  we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age. We have the opportunity to lead, together, again.

Though history has moved on and so much has changed, the global importance of the Anglo-American partnership has endured and even increased. Churchill, first coined the phrase Special Relationship, as far back as 1946 in his Sinews of Peace speech at Fulton, Missouri, in which he explained: not only the growing friendship and mutual understanding between our two vast but kindred systems of society, but the continuance of the intimate relationship between our military advisers, leading to common study of potential dangers, the similarity of weapons and manuals of instructions, and to the interchange of officers and cadets

Seventy-five years hence, Theresa is here and WINSTON IS BACK and is proving to be more relevant more inspirational than ever.
There is no organization as near and dear to the hearts of abortion advocates as Planned Parenthood. President Obama almost shut down the government in 2011 over federal funding of the nations largest abortion vendor. Candidate Hillary Clinton often gushed about her love of the non-profit, which has revenues of over a billion dollars, during her presidential run.

But now Planned Parenthood is in the fight of their lives as they are likely to face a defunding battle in Congress. They are using every scare tactic in the book and throwing millions behind expensive public relations campaigns to drum up support and convince women that access to basic health care will be lost if they lose the half a billion dollars they get from taxpayers every year.

But the truth is: we dont need Planned Parenthood.

According to their own annual report, Planned Parenthood saw 2.5 million clients in 2015, which is down from 3.1 million in 2006. While that number may seem high, it means that 98 percent of women of reproductive age will never step foot inside a Planned Parenthood in any given year for health care.

Planned Parenthood loves to talk about the services they provide -- other than abortion -- but it takes little effort to uncover the fact that while government funding to them has increased by millions, their preventative services have dropped off a cliff.

An investigation released this week into Planned Parenthoods health care services showed that while they tout their prenatal services, in reality, these services hardly even exist.

According to their own annual reports, prenatal services at Planned Parenthood have been cut in half since 2009 and cancer screenings have been slashed since 2006. From 2009 to 2013, Planned Parenthoods adoption-to-abortion ratio is 209-to-1.

Yet, in 2006, they committed one of every five abortions; in 2015, its up to one in every three abortions.

What are taxpayers getting for spending more money at Planned Parenthood? Fewer actual health care services and more abortions. This is a disgrace.

The money that currently goes to Planned Parenthood should be redirected to Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FHQCs), of which outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities 20-to-1. These centers are all over the country, in rural and urban areas, and serve all people.

No one is advocating that womens health care be taken away by defunding Planned Parenthood. There are thousands of other healthcare facilities that provide the same services, sans abortion, that Planned Parenthood does.

Sorry, Planned Parenthood, but we just dont need you. And from the looks of how Planned Parenthood was flush with cash to spend on the 2016 elections, it looks like they dont need our taxpayer dollars anyway.

They spent over $30 million in during the 2016 cycle to elect their favored candidate, which didnt turn out so well. But no matter, because celebrities have come to their rescue, donating hefty chunks of change and lending their star power to the cause.

Money is still flowing to the nations largest abortion provider. The organization bragged about how many donations were pouring in just in opposition to Vice President Mike Pence.

Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, even admitted back in 2011 that the non-profit would survive federal funding cuts because after all, they do have a $1 billion budget.

The abortion giant has enjoyed many years swindling taxpayers of their hard-earned dollars. They are a shady organization at best, a criminal organization at worst. The laundry list of possible crimes is exhaustive: illegally profiting off of the sale of aborted baby body parts (the Select Panel on Infant Lives in the US House of Representatives as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee has recommended national Planned Parenthood and several affiliates for criminal prosecution), covering up rape and child abuse, aiding and abetting sex traffickers, overbilling taxpayers by millions of dollars, and betraying the trust of women by giving confidential medical information to vendors.

As taxpayers, we should not be paying an organization that engages in any of those things, much less all of them.

As women, we deserve better than a group that deems it necessary to sell out their clients for profit and then dare to use scare tactics to have them believe their health care will vanish if Planned Parenthood is stripped of their precious tax dollars.

We dont need Planned Parenthood. Its time to defund Planned Parenthood.
The elite left and their propagandists in the media are already in hysterics over President Trumps first week in office, but for most Americans there are no surprises here.

The president is doing exactly what he has said he would do for the last two years on the campaign  immediately get to work focusing on jobs, immigration and shrinking government. And guess what: Hes going to continue.

President Trumps order to end Obamas utterly irrational ban on the Keystone XL Pipeline could mean 20,000 jobs that were going to China could instead come here and provide Houston with 30 to 40 years of work. Completing Keystone, and the Dakota Access Pipeline, will make us less dependent on the Middle East for our energy and create jobs in our energy sector.

Expediting unending environmental reviews for important infrastructure projects will mean bridge and highway builders will be able to hire workers sooner and complete projects more quickly for less money. This is perfectly Trumpian and completely the opposite of business as usual in Washington.

The last time the country witnessed a president come to office and immediately begin working to enact the will of the American people was in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan took office.

While the media has obsessed over how many people were at the inaugural ceremony, the president has signed orders to shield people, states and businesses from future financial damage wrought by ObamaCare and other pending Obama regulations. This will give people and employers some relief while Congress works to fully fix the countrys hobbled healthcare system and untangle the web of senseless regulations brought on over the last eight years by the Washington bureaucracy.

President Trump has also made good on his promise to immediately begin work securing our border and returning the rule of law to our immigration system  something the left has bitterly opposed.

In a time when heroin and opioid abuse is devastating communities across the nation, and a time when people who want to kill us and destroy our society are trying to infiltrate our county, what reasonable person would say hiring up to 10,000 more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and up to 5,000 more U.S. Border Patrol agents is a bad idea?

The president is immediately working to end the catch-and-release policies of so-called sanctuary cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, where instead of immediately turning criminal aliens who are released from police custody over to immigration officials, the crooks are let back out on the streets.

Leaders in cities granting asylum to such criminals are going to have to explain to their residents why the imagined rights of criminal noncitizens are more important than receiving federal funds to build infrastructure, hospitals, or improve their schools. And I cant wait to see Mayor Rahm Emanuel explain to the people of Chicago  where 4,000 people were shot last year  why its important to put more criminals on the streets of the Windy City.

The left is also understandably alarmed by Trumps announced investigation into voter fraud in America, a problem for which he has consistently expressed concern as a candidate. President Trump wants to make sure that to vote in this country you must be both alive and a legal citizen. I think those are two reasonable criteria to vote, but they pose real problems for the left.

The president is also taking first steps toward reforming the civil service, which is badly in need of overhaul. The hiring freeze Trump placed on some federal agencies has Washington, D.C.s unelected policymakers quaking while people outside the Beltway who pay their salaries are sighing with relief.

All of these actions are perfectly in-line with what President Trump campaigned on  and what the American people elected him to do. So, of course his liberal and establishment critics are shocked, baffled and anxious. Actually doing the things you said you would do during a campaign is completely outside liberalism and unthinkable to the traditional Washington establishment.

The last time the country witnessed a president come to office and immediately begin working to enact the will of the American people was in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan took office.

Within weeks of his inauguration, Reagan proposed some of the most aggressive tax and budget reforms Congress had ever seen. He was reacting directly to the countrys concern over a failing economy and a sense of American decline that was felt worldwide.

Reagan started the first great effort to break out of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt model of American government that has engorged the Washington elite and left the rest of the country flailing.

The second effort was the Contract with America in 1994.

President Trump is leading the third  and hopefully ultimate  charge to steer our country in a bold new direction that is guided by the will of the people.

The left and the establishment were scared in 1981, they were scared in 1994, and they are scared today  for good reason.
In Spartanburg, South Carolina, we have witnessed the power of public art to bring people together.

On October 4, hundreds of people of all ages, all races and all walks of life, from 10 different neighborhoods across the city, stood together, seeing our community in a new way for the first time thanks to public art. They watched as nine new light installations were unveiled as part of Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light, an innovative project that is bringing residents together to reframe the way in which they see the city  and each other. As fireworks lit up the sky over the former mill village, it was impossible not to note the diversity present. Many of the people there had not visited this part of our city in a long time, if ever, and that is powerful.

While the opening was a special moment in the history of our city, Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light is so much bigger than one night of celebration. In the wake of shootings and protests across the country, community-building between police officers and the municipalities they serve has become a focal point in our nation. Through Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light, Spartanburg police officers hoped to harness the power of public art to repair and strengthen police-community relations in the city. They also hoped to shine a light on Spartanburgs commitment to safety and vibrancy, enhance crime prevention efforts and cultivate partnerships that will help to increase public trust and confidence in local law enforcement.

In June 2015, the City of Spartanburg was selected as one of four projects nationwide to take part in Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, placing our city on the national and international public art stage. Then, for more than a year, digital media artist Erwin Redl, the Chapman Cultural Center, city police officers and the citys residents met, talked, listened and dreamed together.

During this time, the project demonstrated how art and artists can help break down barriers. Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light allowed residents who have traditionally felt isolated from the arts to become part of the artistic process. The emphasis on collaboration also developed stronger relationships between residents and police officers, helping to overcome feelings of distrust and, we hope, making it more likely for residents to report suspicious activity.

Residents from every neighborhood formed partnerships and worked toward a common purpose. As Police Chief Thompson said as he stood before the crowd on opening night, during the process of developing Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light, residents representing neighborhoods throughout the city came together. It did not matter which side of the tracks they lived; all were at the table with equal voices.

For example, the Video Village installation, with 52 synchronized video projections featuring interviews with community members, provides a great illustration of the community-building impact of this project. Video Village provided an opportunity for residents of one of our most economically challenged neighborhoods to share their stories and contribute to the vibrancy of the city.

In Spartanburg, we are fortunate to have residents who care about enhancing our city, and proud to have police officers who embrace new ideas. I believe that Spartanburg is a wonderful community, full of spirit and opportunities, and that through collaboration, we will continue to innovate and improve, together.

As Police Chief Alonzo Thompson also said, the remarkable art that has evolved will serve as reminders that there is no problem too big that we cannot solve, nor is there a challenge so great that we cannot meet or exceed. While most of the nine art installations are temporary through April 2017, these collaborative community partnerships will endure, and will be the true legacy of Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light.
January 27th marks International Holocaust Memorial Day. It is the anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp, by Soviet forces.

The liberation was too late for 1 million Jews who were gassed, experimented on or worked to death along with hundreds of thousands of Russian POWs, Gypsies and Poles, murdered there. Historians til this day question why US and British bombers which flew over the death camp never dropped their payloads on the gas chambers and crematoria when they were in full use, murdering and incinerating innocents.

By the time Nazi Germany was defeated in May 1945, 6 million Jews had been systematically murdered, including Anne Frank and 1.5 million other Jewish children.

January 27th is the day that the United Nations and governments on three continents pause from their overwhelming indifference to the fate of 14 million living Jews to remember 6 million dead Jews. These include countries like Sweden, whose political leaders have compared Israel to Nazi Germany and fail to protect their Jewish citizens from Islamist extremists in their midst.

In 2017, there are crucial lessons about todays evil we should be drawing from the past. Ask the Yezidis, the ethnically-cleansed Christians of Iraq and the Syrian children choked to death by Assads chemical weapons.

The names and images of Hitler and the Nazis are also invoked by Iran -- whose regime denies the Holocaust ever occurred while simultaneously accusing the Jewish state of Nazi-like crimes against Palestinians.

This monstrous tactic of equating the Star of David with the Swastika, is also widely deployed across the Arab world and by many pro-Palestinian activists on campuses, NGOs, and yes, even churches.

There are important core lessons about the price humankind can pay when civilized people react only with indifference and apathy in the face of evil.

For one, we should remember that hateful words have consequences. Hitlers genocidal hatred for Jews did not arise out of a vacuum. He drank from a deep reservoir of anti-Semitism ranging from theological rants of Martin Luther to Vienna Mayor Karl Leuger, the man who brought the city and his own virulent modern anti-Jewish rhetoric into the 20th Century. Hitler first openly expressed his ideas of ridding Germany of the Jews in 1919, twenty years before he unleashed WWII.

Secondly, it takes deeds, not mere words to defeat evil. Hitler could have been stopped in the 1920s before he rose to power. The world could have boycotted the 1936 Berlin Olympics to protest Nazi Germanys draconian moves against its Jews. Instead, they rushed to fill his stadiums. No nations recalled their ambassadors after German and Austrian synagogues were systematically torched. When Czechoslovakia was threatened in 1938, European leaders bet they could buy off Hitlers threats and hate with soothing words and dramatic diplomatic photo-ops. They were dead wrong. A year later Hitler plunged the world into war, chaos and genocide.

Academic degrees and social status should never be confused with ethics and morality. German physicians rushed to join the Nazi Party. Many of them would violate their Hippocratic oath by euthanizing the mentally and physically unfit and later perform medical experiments on Jewish and Gypsy pregnant women and twins.

German lawyers rushed to join the Nazi Party to write a new canon of law legalizing racism, anti-Semitism, theft and ultimately murder. German judges retained their robes and gavels as they too did their part to strip German Jews of their rights, paving the way for Jews to disappear into the abyss of the Holocaust kingdom.

In 2017, there are crucial lessons about todays evil we should be drawing from the past. Ask the Yezidis, the ethnically-cleansed Christians of Iraq and the Syrian children choked to death by Assads chemical weapons. Ask the Iranian people who took to the streets of Tehran during the Green Revolution and were rewarded with stone-cold silence from then President Obama and other world leaders. Ask the hundreds of thousands of suffering silent victims in North Koreas Gulag as the leader in Pyongyang escalates his nuclear threats from Seoul and Tokyo, to Los Angeles.

On this Holocaust Memorial Day, I beseech Americans to stop dropping the H*(for Hitler) bomb on Americas political divide.

Love him or hate him, President Donald Trump is no Hitler. Denouncing the democratically elected leader of our country and his cabinet as Nazis denigrates the victims of the past and could cripple our ability to confront and defeat future tyrants and terrorists.
Officials under former President Obama called out the Trump administration Thursday for cutting the ObamaCare advertising budget by $5 million during one of its busiest times of year.

The Health and Human Services Department said in a statement that the government has pulled back about $5 million in ads as part of an effort to cut costs. The statement said HHS has already spent more than $60 million to promote sign-ups this year under former Obama's health care law.

Former Obama officials immediately accused the new administration of "sabotage."

Calling the decision "outrageous," former HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan said in a statement that the move could keep young, healthy people from getting into the insurance pool, thereby driving up costs.

"We know that more young people enroll during the final days of open enrollment, but they need to be reminded of the Jan. 31 deadline," Counihan said.

The advertising cutback was first reported by Politico.

A call to the HealthCare.gov national call center by The Associated Press found it to be up and running. An operator read a reporter a script saying that the transition to a new administration has not affected coverage for 2017, and people are still able to sign up.

The HHS website still linked featured a link for open enrollment and a blog promoting the law.

HealthCare.gov and its state counterparts offer subsidized private health insurance for people who don't have access to coverage on the job. This year the online insurance markets have been rocked by sharply higher premiums and dwindling choice of insurers, although nearly 9 in 10 customers receive final assistance.

Trump and leading Republicans have portrayed the markets as on the verge of collapse, and have cast their own effort to repeal and replace the Obama health overhaul as a rescue mission. Most independent experts say the situation is not as dire, although fixes are needed to strengthen the markets.

"President Trump is signaling he's the new sheriff," Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., told Politico. "He's been elected with a mandate. He's not going to tolerate his employees contradicting and undermining his mandate to get this country going in another direction."

Some 11.5 million people had signed up nationwide through Dec. 24, or about 290,000 more than at the same time during the 2016 enrollment season. It's not clear, however, whether the Obama's administration's goal of 13.8 million enrolled for 2017 will be met.

More than 20 million people have gained coverage since the health care law passed in 2010, bringing the nation's uninsured rate to a historic low of around 9 percent. In addition to subsidized private insurance, the law offers states an option to expand Medicaid for low-income people.

Fox News' Edmund DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report
The mayor of Miami-Dade Thursday ordered the county's jails to comply with federal immigration detention requests after President Donald Trump moved to cut off millions in federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities."

"In light of the provisions of the Executive Order [Wednesday], I direct you and your staff to honor all immigration detainer requests received from the Department of Homeland Security," Mayor Carlos Gimenez told the county's corrections department, in a letter reported by the Miami Herald.

Miami has never formally declared itself a sanctuary city, unlike New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and others. Miami-Dade County has refused to indefinitely detain inmates wanted by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency since 2013. However, the Herald reported that policy is in place because the feds didn't fully reimburse the county for holding the inmates.

A spokesman for Gimenez told Fox News that the mayor's order was a "no brainer."

Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong! https://t.co/MtPvaDC4jM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

Trump praised Gimenez's decision in a post on his Twitter account late Thursday.

Gimenez, a Republican whose family fled to Miami to escape Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution, told the Herald that Miami-Dade County is due to receive $355 million from the federal government this fiscal year. Most of that money goes for services such as elder care, homeless programs and paying police officers.

By contrast, Gimenez said that Miami-Dade declined to incur a cost of around $52,000 to hold around 100 inmates wanted by ICE.

"I want to make sure we dont put in jeopardy the millions of funds we get from the federal government for a $52,000 issue, he said. It doesnt mean that were going to be arresting more people. It doesnt mean that were going to be enforcing any immigration laws."

The mayor's spokesman told Fox News that the county had been assured that federal authorities would remove the detainees in a timely fashion in an effort to cut down on the detention costs to the county.

Fox News' Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.

Click for more from the Miami Herald.
President Trump, in his first meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May Friday, pledged his lasting support to the historic relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., and called an independent Britain a blessing to the world.

During what was also Trumps first meeting with a foreign leader, the pair posed in the Oval Office in front of a bust of Winston Churchill  a possible metaphor for how the Trump administration sees the relationship between the two countries as critical to its foreign policy.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair gave President George W. Bush a bust in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The bust was removed from the Oval Office by President Obama in 2009, triggering significant controversy.

This is the original folks, in many, many ways, he told the press. Its a great honor to have Winston Churchill back.

Well, thank you, Mr. President, May replied. Were very pleased.

At a subsequent news conference, Trump praised the special relationship between the two countries, and noted he had U.K. heritage on his mothers side.

The special relationship has been one of great forces in history for justice and for peace and, by the way, my mother was born in Scotland, Trump said, and added he was looking forward to "working closely" with May.

May praised Trump's "stunning election victory" said she had conveyed an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II for Trump to visit the U.K. as part of a state visit  which he had accepted.

May said she believes they had struck up a good relationship, and said they discussed range of issues, including Syria, Russia and possible reforms to NATO.

We are united in recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense, May said, amid concerns in Europe that Trump had called NATO obsolete in a recent interview.

May added that it was important to make sure the alliance is equipped to fight terrorism and cyberwarfare. She also agreed to encourage European leaders to live up to their commitment to spend two percent of GDP on national defense. Trump has criticized some NATO allies for not contributing enough.

When asked by a reporter how the daughter of a vicar and a "brash TV extrovert" could get along, Trump quipped that he is not as brash you might think, and said he believes they will have a "fantastic relationship."

We want to put the interests of ordinary, working people right up there on center stage, May said.

Trump also praised the U.K. exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, saying it was as a tremendous asset and said Britain will carve out its own identity once it leaves the bloc. He also said a free and prosperous Britain would be a "blessing to the world."

While May and Trump are very different politicians in both style and in their brands of conservatism, the two share some common ground, and both find themselves somewhat isolated on the international stage.

While May did not vote to leave the European Union, her government is tasked with that responsibility as a result of a national referendum last summer. As a consequence, she has found herself isolated in Europe as European leaders play hardball and try to dissuade Britain from leaving the trading bloc.

Trump has found himself similarly isolated, faced with an international community that has at times shied away from, and even condemned some of his more controversial statements and beliefs. Some European leaders have sought to distance themselves from Trump, while on Thursday Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a White House meeting over Trumps plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the U.K, meanwhile, some left-wing politicians have balked at the new president and urged May to keep her distance  advice May has disregarded.

In Parliament Wednesday, left-wing Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn pushed May on the Womens March, asking her if she supported the anti-Trump movement, and asking her to express concerns to him about his misogyny.

Many have concerns that in her forthcoming meeting with President Trump, she will be prepared to offer up for sacrifice the opportunity of American companies to come in and take over parts of our NHS [National Health Service] or our public services, he added.

"I am not afraid to speak frankly to a president of the United States -- I am able to do that because of that special relationship -- a special relationship he would never have with the United States," she shot back, to cheers from the Tory backbenches.

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband meanwhile, urged May to tell Trump he must abide by the Paris Climate Change agreement, and snarkily added to offer the services of U.K. scientists to convince Trump that climate change isnt a hoax invented by the Chinese to giggles from fellow lawmakers.

But prime ministers have often faced opposition from the British left when drawing close to American leaders. Famously, former Prime Minister Blair was repeatedly lambasted and mocked for his relationship with President Bush, with cartoonists, columnists and lawmakers deriding Blair as a poodle who was enabling Bush  who was frequently presented in European media as a reckless cowboy.
For the past two months, Democratic leaders have been reportedly discussing ways to approach the presidency of Donald Trump and have largely landed on a conclusion: fight him at every turn in a not-now-not-ever opposition.

Politico reported that it conducted interviews with about two dozen Democrats in office who were willing to discuss the internal debate.

It apparently did not take very long for these politicans to determine that a working relationship with Trump was not possible, though Washington Gov. Jay Inslee told the magazine that there was a grace period.

But it was midnight the night of the inauguration to 8 oclock the next morning, when the administration sent out people to lie about numerous significant things, Inslee said.

He continued: Its been worse than I could have imagined, the first few days.

Sen. Kirsten GIllibrand, D-N.Y., is credited so far with voting the most against Trump, voting against three of four Trump Cabinet-level picks.

Dozens of House Democrats boycotted Trumps inauguration, highlighted by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., who questioned the legitimacy of Trumps election win.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said he will not be part of the "normalizing or legitimizing" of a man whose election may be the result of "malicious foreign interference of Russian leaders," a reference to U.S. intelligence's assessment that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win.

REPORT: DREW CARREY'S SON SAID HE HELPED START A FIRE AT PROTEST

Of course, there are drawbacks about being the opposition party and some interviewed have concerns that 10 Democratic senators are up for reelection in 2018 who work in states that Trump won.

Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles said a Trump presidency is taking this to places weve never been.

So all I can tell you is any game plan you have for Donald Trump should have a fair amount of audibles, he said.

Fox News' Edmund DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report
The former president of the Soviet Union wrote in an column published Thursday that the current global political climate is filled with problems and policymakers appear to be running out of ideas.

Mikhail Gorbachev wrote in Time magazine excoriated politicians who strip funding from social needs and instead spend money on submarines with capabilities to take out half a continent.

Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense doctrines more dangerous, he wrote. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.

VIDEO: PUTIN HAS HIDDEN TALENT

Last month, Gorbachev gave a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press where he expressed optimism about the Russian-U.S. relationship during a Trump presidency.

Russia-West ties are at their worst since the Cold War era following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March 2014 and its support for a pro-Russian separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

The U.S. and the European Union responded with several rounds of economic sanctions, which along with low oil prices have driven Russia's economy into recession.

VIDEO: IS ANTI-AMERICAN SETIMENT DROPING IN RUSSIA?

Gorbachev, 85, said he was surprised by Trump's victory, but declined to offer an assessment of the president-elect. He said it remains to be seen what policies the new U.S. administration will pursue.

"He has little political experience, but, maybe, it's good," he said.

Gorbachev praised former President Obama. But he deplored what he described as a misguided policy toward Russia pursued by the U.S. and its allies both during his presidency and now.

"They have been badgering Russia with accusations and blaming it for everything," Gorbachev said. "And now, there is a backlash to that in Russia. Russia wants to have friendly ties with America, but it's difficult to do that when Russia sees that it's being cheated."

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Friday that it was an easy choice for his county to follow President Trump's executive order calling on "sanctuary cities" to comply with federal requests to detain illegal immigrants.

"It really was a no-brainer, it's a $52,000 a year issue for Miami-Dade," he said on "Fox and Friends."

That's roughly the cost of detaining the 100 or so illegal immigrants the federal government wants the county to keep locked down each year. A few years ago, Miami-Dade argued that it couldn't meet these federal requests unless the federal government reimbursed the county for those costs.

That led the federal government to see Miami-Dade as a "sanctuary" jurisdiction, one that wasn't fully cooperating with the federal government on detention requests.

But with Trump's order came clarity, Gimenez said. The order threatens the removal of millions of dollars of federal funding to the county and cities like it across the country.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com
A proposal for California to secede from the United States was submitted to the Secretary of States Office Thursday.

The proposed Calexit initiative - its name borrowed from the UK's "Brexit" departure from the EU - would ask voters to repeal part of the state constitution that declares California an inseparable part of the U.S.

A recent poll found that one in three California residents would support a possible secession from the U.S. due to their opposition to President Trump. No mention has been made of the president in the proposal.

If the proposal qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters, it could be a step to a future vote on whether the state would break away from the rest of the nation.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the group behind the proposal, Yes California Independence Campaign, was cleared to begin attempting to collect nearly 600,000 voter signatures needed to place the plan on the ballot.

"In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children," the Yes campaign's website says.

Similar attempts to establish California as a nation, or break it into multiple states, have failed.

The proposed constitutional amendment, titled California Nationhood, would also ask voters to repeal language that states the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law. If approved, it calls for scheduling a vote in 2019 to ask voters, "Should California become a free, sovereign and independent country?"

"America already hates California, and America votes on emotions," Marcus Evans, vice president of Yes California told the Los Angeles Times. "I think we'd have the votes today if we held it."

The campaign must submit the valid voter signatures by July 25 to qualify for the ballot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled Saturday to have their first phone call since Trump became president, White House sources told Fox News.

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that Putin intends to congratulate Trump on taking office, adding that the two leaders are also exchange views about main parameters of current bilateral relations."

The two last spoke when Putin congratulated Trump on his presidential election victory.

The Kremlin has applauded Trump's promises to mend ties with Moscow, which have plunged to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections. Russian officials and lawmakers have warned, however, that rebuilding ravaged ties will take time.

Barack Obama's administration and the European Union slapped Moscow with sanctions for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

The restrictions have limited Russian companies' access to international financial markets and barred key technology transfers, helping drive the Russian economy into recession. Russia has responded by banning imports of most Western agricultural products.

Asked about the claims that Trump was considering an order to lift the U.S. sanctions against Russia, Peskov said he has no information about it.

Fox News John Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump defended his forthcoming executive orders that are expected to suspend the United States refugee program and halt the issuing of visas to citizens of certain countries, saying, "We can't take any chances."

"Right now, the FBI has over 1,000 [terrorism] investigations going on  and these are people that we let in," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an exclusive cable interview from the White House Thursday. "We dont need this. Some people have come in with evil intentions. Most havent, I guess, but we cant take chances."

A draft executive order, which Trump could sign as early as Saturday, reportedly would halt the United States' broader refugee program for 120 days and prohibit citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen from obtaining U.S. visas for at least 30 days.

"Weve taken in tens of thousands of people. We know nothing about them. They can say they vetted them. They didnt vet them, they have no papers. How can you vet somebody when you dont know anything about them and they have no papers?" Trump asked.

TRUMP TO ORDER CONSTRUCTION OF US-MEXICO BORDER WALL; EXPECTED TO SUSPEND REFUGEE PROGRAM

Trump also defended his executive order to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a key promise of his presidential campaign.

"The wall is necessary," Trump said. "Thats not just politics, and yet it is good for the heart of the nation because people want protection and a wall protects. All youve got to do is ask Israel."

The president also revisited the issue of torture, saying that he believes methods such as waterboarding are effective. However, Trump added that he would follow the advice of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has argued against the use of such tactics.

"Look, I spoke with people who were in this world that were talking about," Trump told Hannity. "They said, Absolutely, it works. Now, General Mattis said that he doesnt intend to use it. Im with him all the way. Do I believe it works? Yes, I do."

The president also swiped at the media, which he said was made up of "very hostile people" and "very angry people."

WATCH: TRUMP STRATEGIST BANNON TORCHES NY TIMES, MAINSTREAM MEDIA

"The media  much of the media, not all of it  is very, very dishonest," Trump said. "Honestly, its fake news. Its fake. They make things up."

Trump covered a range of other topics in the interview, including his goal of repealing and replacing ObamaCare, which he called a "horror show and a disaster.

It actually explodes [this year]," Trump said, "and I told [congressional] Republicans. I said, 'Look if you really want to do something, just let it explode, and then [the Democrats will] come begging us to fix it. But thats not the right thing for the public because we have to get it fixed."

"I do believe we're going to have a much better plan, we're going to have a cheaper plan, I think it's going to be a lot less expensive, he added.

Trump also disclosed that he had decided on his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court "pretty much in my mind." He had previously said he would announce his choice Feb. 2.

The president blasted Democrats threatening to hold up his eventual nominee  and said he would want Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to use the so-called nuclear option if they filibuster.

I would. We have obstructionists, Trump said, complaining about Democrats treatment of other nominees, including Attorney General pick Jeff Sessions. The nuclear option, if pursued, would allow majority Republicans to seek approval of Trumps Supreme Court nominee with just a simple majority, as opposed to a 60-vote threshold.

The president also said he was examining the case of Navy sailor Kristian Saucier for a possible pardon. Saucier, 29, was sentenced to a year in prison for taking photos of parts of a submarine's nuclear propulsion system. As a candidate, Trump contrasted Saucier's treatment with the FBI's decision not to charge Hillary Clinton for using personal email while secretary of state.

PARDON ME: NAVY SAILOR IN JAIL FOR SUBMARINE PHOTOS PLEADS FOR MERCY FROM TRUMP

"I think its very unfair in light of whats happened with other people," said Trump, who added that he wouldn't even consider a pardon if not for the outcome of the Clinton investigation. "How can you have somebody else get away with such a tremendous amount and then this person who takes a picture of his desk on an old submarine? Look, if China or Russia wanted information on that submarine, theyve had it for many years. That I can tell you."
President Trump said Friday that his defense secretary's opposition to torture would override his own belief that enhanced interrogation "does work," addressing concerns about a return to Bush-era use of waterboarding and other especially harsh procedures.

Trump, joined by British Prime Minister Theresa May at a White House news conference, also said he had had a "very good call" with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier in the day but reaffirmed his belief that Mexico has "outnegotiated and beat us to a pulp" on trade -- and that would change.

"We're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing," Trump declared.

Two issues -- whether Trump would allow the use of torture and the U.S.-Mexico relationship -- dominated the new president's brief news conference after his first meeting with another world leader.

Since taking office, Trump has signaled a renewed embrace of torture in the fight against Islamic extremism. But he said he would defer to the views of his defense secretary, James Mattis, who has questioned the effectiveness of such practices as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

"He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding, or however you want to define it -- enhanced interrogation I guess would be a word that a lot of ... words that a lot of people would like to use. I don't necessarily agree. But I would tell you that he will override because I'm giving him that power. He's an expert," Trump said. He called Mattis a "general's general," whom he would rely upon.

"I happen to feel that it does work. I've been open about that for a long period of time. But I am going with our leaders. And we're going to win with or without. But I do disagree."

The focus on torture has been renewed since The Associated Press and other news organizations obtained a copy of a draft executive order that signals sweeping changes to U.S. interrogation and detention policy.

The draft order, which the White House said was not official, also would reverse President Barack Obama's effort to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- a place Trump has said he wants to fill up "with bad dudes."

The draft orders up recommendations on whether the U.S. should reopen CIA detention facilities outside the United States. Critics said the clandestine sites have marred America's image on the world stage.

Trump also spoke of his hour-long phone call with Pena Nieto earlier in the day. He described it as a "friendly call" a day after the Mexican leader canceled his visit to Washington after Trump moved forward on his campaign promise to build a border wall.

Trump reiterated his stance that the US-Mexico border is porous and drugs are making their way into the U.S.

He also vowed to renegotiate American trade deals with Mexico.

Following the cancellation, Trump's spokesman said the White House would seek to pay for the border wall by slapping a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico, as well as on other countries the U.S. has a trade deficit with. The White House later cast the proposal as just one option to pay for the wall.

The strong reaction from Mexico signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

Later in the day, the president was to travel to the Pentagon, where he was expected to sign a trio of executive actions, including one to halve the flow of refugees into the United Sates and stop all entries from some majority-Muslim nations.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump also intended to sign actions related to military readiness and the National Security Council. Details of those directives were not immediately clear.

According to a draft of the refugee order obtained by The Associated Press, Trump would move to indefinitely stop accepting Syrian refugees. The order also calls for a pause in the nation's broader refugee program for at least 120 days.

Trump campaigned on a pledge to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures particularly for people coming to the U.S. from countries with terrorism ties. According to the draft order, the president plans to suspend issuing visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days.

While at the Pentagon, Trump was expected to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and attend a ceremonial swearing-in for Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Trump has the authority to determine how many refugees are accepted annually, and he can suspend the program at any time. Refugee processing was suspended in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and restarted months later.

During the past budget year, the U.S. accepted 84,995 refugees, including 12,587 people from Syria. President Barack Obama had set the refugee limit for this budget year at 110,000.

Trump, according to the impending executive order, plans to cut that by more half to 50,000. The draft order says that while the program is suspended, the U.S. may admit people on a case-by-case basis "when in the national interest" and the government will continue to process refugee requests from people claiming religious persecution, "provided that the religion ... is a minority religion in the individual's country." That suggests it would allow the admission of Christians from Muslim-majority countries.
President Donald Trump confirmed that he had a very, very friendly phone conversation with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto a day after rising tensions caused the cancellation of a meeting scheduled for next week.

During the fence-mending phone call, Trump said the two discussed building a fair relationship, but made clear there would be no backing down.

I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great relations with Mexico, said Trump during Friday afternoon press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

The United States cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business, Trump declared, adding that America that under his leadership the U.S. will no longer be the country that does not know what it is doing.

The White House would not disclose who initiated the phone call nor whether the issue of Trumps plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and compel Mexico to foot the bill for its construction was raised.

With respect to the payment for the border wall, both presidents recognized their clear and very public difference between their stances on this very sensitive issue, said a statement released by President Nietos office.

The presidents also agreed for now to not speak publicly about this controversial issue, continued the statement.

The strong reaction from Mexico to the Trump administrations commitment to constructing a border wall was a sign relations with Mexico may have reached a historic low.

President Trump sees a firmer hand on trade and immigration as leveling what has been an imbalanced playing field for American businesses, Mexico views the administrations policies as a personal affront.

Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Luis Videgaray said on Thursday that next weeks summit could not go on if the condition to have the meeting was for Mexico to pay for the border wall.

"This is not about a negotiating strategy. This is about something that goes to Mexico's history, to Mexicans' pride," added Videgaray.

The White House received further blowback after spokesman Sean Spicer suggested placing a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico. Shortly after the proposal was floated, Spicer walked it back saying it was just one of the ways to pay for the wall.
President Trump on Friday continued his crackdown on illegal immigration, signing sweeping new orders that tighten the countrys refugee and visa policies suspending almost all refugee admissions for four months and indefinitely barring entry for some Syrians.

Trump signed the executive action at the Pentagon, where he met with the joint chiefs of staff and participated in the swearing-in ceremony for Defense Secretary James Mattis.

"We dont want them here."  President Trump

Trump said the new measure was intended to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America.

We dont want them here, Trump said.

The executive order also suspends visa entry into the U.S. from seven countries that have predominately Muslim populations. They include: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.

The order also creates an extreme vetting process for any and all immigrants and visitors to the U.S.

House Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told Fox News, Its a safer day for America.

American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero blasted Trump's plan as unconstitutional.

Extreme vetting is just a euphemism for discriminating against Muslims," Romero said in a statement issued moments after the signing. "Identifying specific countries with Muslim majorities and carving out exceptions for minority religions flies in the face of the constitutional principle that bans the government from either favoring or discriminating against particular religions."

Trump defended the executive order during an interview with Fox News Sean Hannity.

"Right now, the FBI has over 1,000 [terrorism] investigations going on  and these are people that we let in," Trump said from the White House Thursday. "We dont need this. Some people have come in with evil intentions. Most havent, I guess, but we cant take chances."

Trump added that the U.S. has taken in tens of thousands of people.

We know nothing about them, he said. They can say they vetted them. They didnt vet them, they have no papers. How can you vet somebody when you dont know anything about them and they have no papers?

Civil rights and refugee advocates around the world have sounded the alarm over Trumps executive order after a draft copy was leaked late Wednesday.

These actions taken by Donald Trump are tantamount to a Muslim ban, Abed A. Ayoub, the legal and policy director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. This is the Muslim ban that was promised by him on the campaign trail.

As president, Trump has the authority to set how many refugees are allowed in annually. He can also choose to suspend the program altogether. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush suspended refugee processing. It was later restarted.

In the last budget year, the U.S. has accepted 84,995 refugees of which 12,587 were from Syria. Former President Barack Obama set the refugee limit for the current budget year at 110,000.

Sources close to Trump tell Fox News he has plans to cut that by more than half to 50,000.

In an interview with CBN, Trump said persecuted Christians from Syria would get priority.

Theyve been horribly treated. Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, at least very tough to get into the United States? If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible and the reason that was so unfair, everybody was persecuted in all fairness, but they were chopping off the heads of everybody but more so the Christians. And I thought it was very, very unfair. So we are going to help them.
White House officials are drafting a presidential directive from President Trump that calls on his newly appointed defense secretary to take a more aggressive approach to attacking ISIS fighters in Syria.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump is expected to make his first visit to the Pentagon Friday and will call on Secretary James Mattis to present new options within 30 days.

The report said the options may include expanding the use of Special Forces. Trump told ABC on Wednesday that he is for safe zones in Syria.

Speaking about the terrorist group ISIS in an interview Thursday, President Donald Trump called the groups fighters sneaky, dirty rats.

We have evil that lurks around the corner without the uniforms, he told Fox News Sean Hannity. Ours is harder because the people were going against they dont wear uniforms. Theyre sneaky, dirty rats and they blow people up in a shopping center and they blow people up in a church.

Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division, said he has not received any change to his orders in prosecuting the ISIS war in Iraq and Syria. When asked if the military could do more to stop the terrorists, he responded, "Our role is where it needs to be right now."

Martin said there was a "significantly higher" operational tempo in the fight for the terror group's Iraq stronghold of Mosul. However, it started late last year when Iraqi forces supported by U.S. airpower started pushing ISIS out of many of their fortifications in the city, after a new offensive was launched. The operation to retake Mosul started more than three months ago.

Pentagon officials, earlier this week, told Fox News it was still too early for Mattis, known as Mad Dog to recommend any changes to the ISIS fight as he gets ramped up in his new role.

The military's airtrike campaign was operating under standard orders from the Obama administration, Martin said.
President Trump signed an executive order Friday designed to protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals by temporarily suspending the entry of immigrants from several Muslim majority countries Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq.

While the proposal is not finalized, it is already drawing outrage among some Iraqis who have taken the lead in the fight against ISIS, a defeat which the new president has said is also his top foreign policy goal.

Iraqis are the largest victims of terrorism and now we are paying double the price, one high-ranking general in the Iraqi Army, who requested anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media, told Fox News. This has caused massive disappointment in the hearts of every Iraqi who is fighting radicalism.

Another Iraqi with close ties to the Iraqi Forces Intelligence community said the proposed ban symbolically sends a message that their lives are cheap. Others conveyed fear given that they have been waiting in-line for resettlement for years  their lives under militia threat for their American associations  only to now be told that they may not make it out.

We invaded Iraq and displaced people. We have since relied on Iraqis as partners to fight against ISIS. If we dont want to deploy thousands of troops to fight these terrorist groups, then we rely on partners in Iraq and elsewhere, Clinton Watts, a fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institutes Program on the Middle East, said. This policy sends a very negative message to countries where we will need indigenous support from translators and peacekeepers.

Trump has said a ban would prevent would-be terrorists from infiltrating the country by posing as refugees. According to a draft of the executive order, refugees from conflict-laden Syria will be indefinitely banned, the wider U.S refugee admissions program will be halted for 120 days, and all visa applications from the countries battling terrorists  Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen  will be paused for 30 days.

While the Obama administration had intended for more than 100,000 refugees to be resettled overall this year, the Trump administration wants to cut the acceptance rate by half.

Several Iraqis expressed upset that the purported ban targets them but does not include other largely Muslim nations such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan that many have accused of exporting, supporting or financing jihadism dating back to September 11.

We are confused by the foreign policy. We see the human rights abuses and the religious extremism in the Gulf that threatens us and the world, but the U.S has not interfered there, the general said.

The two largest terror attacks on U.S soil in recent years were carried out by U.S citizens with connections to countries not included on the draft prohibited list. Syed Rizwan Farook, who was born to Pakistani immigrants, and his wife Tashfeen Malik  a Pakistani national that had lived in Saudi Arabia where he also visited  killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California on December 2, 2015. Last June, Afghan-American Omar Mateen  who also traveled to Saudi Arabia  murdered 49 people at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Iraqis emphasized that the draft ban, as well as comments the president made to the CIA on Saturday suggesting that the U.S should seize Iraqs oil for reimbursement money, could not have come at a worse time as Iraqi and coalition forces attempt to liberate Mosul in an increasingly bloody battle.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was forced to vehemently reassure the public this week that the oil is the property of the Iraqis. Aside from perpetrating distrust and division, some claim that the presidents remarks could even endanger U.S troops on the ground.

One of al Qaedas core tenants for attacking the U.S. was that the West was only interested in the oil, Watts noted. These statements made by Trump echo and confirm al Qaeda and other terrorist groups narratives. It amplifies a wedge in a region where we need allies.

Kirk W. Johnson, a former USAID coordinator and author of To Be a Friend is Fatal stressed that the order would indeed harm crucial local interpreters and other necessary workers who continue to suffer simply for helping the U.S.

This is not only a betrayal of Iraqis who have risked their lives, it is a betrayal of the men and women who depend of them, he said. It will certainly deal a massive blow to their ability to recruit interpreters in any future conflicts.

A spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation trying to eliminate ISIS, did not respond to a request for comment.

However, Trumps intention to enforce the immigration ban  a long-held campaign promise  has also been met with a nod of approval by others.

For the safety of the U.S people, this is needed, said Adnan Barwari, an Erbil-based Kurdish business owner and former interpreter for the U.S during the Iraq War. There are many extremists mixed in with refugees.

TRUMP EXPECTED TO SIGN DIRECTIVE HALTING REFUGEE FLOWS TO US

Anbar-based military journalist Saad Al Jughaify said that it is the right of every state to protect its borders, and that if he was U.S president he would similarly pull the plug on newcomers from his own country.

Ayman Abdel Nour, president of Syrian Christians for Peace and a prominent activist for all Syrians fleeing conflict, said that he understands the security concerns, which are also shared by many in the community.

The president needs some time so his people can double check who is coming in, Nour noted. If the ban isnt reactivated, that would be bad. But for now, it is temporary.

He pointed out that Trumps team already has wheels-in-motion to establish safe zones in Syria, a move he says will be far more beneficial to civilians than refugee resettlement in a faraway land.

Safe zones should have been set up long ago. This was one of the weaknesses of the Obama administration, Nour said. President Trump is not biased against Muslims; he wants to help people in a different way.

Steven Nabil contributed to this report.
A rare negative from Marilyn Monroes first modeling portfolio is up for auction in the U.K. this weekend.

The photo was taken on March 6, 1946 as part of some informal test shots that preceded a formal shoot, Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told Fox News.

This image is a true genesis as it is one of the first professional images ever taken of Marilyn, he explained, via email.

PRINCESS DIANA LETTERS SOLD AT UK AUCTION

Norma Jeane Baker, who later became a Hollywood icon as Marilyn Monroe, was an aspiring 19-year-old model when the photograph was taken on a small street in West Hollywood. Photographer Joseph Jasgur took the shot, which formed part of a modeling portfolio that was presented to Ben Lyon, the casting director at 20th Century Fox.

This photo offers a unique glimpse of the young girl who was to become the global phenomena that was Marilyn Monroe, Aldridge explained, via email. Photos of this type come to market very occasionally, however the true value in this image lies in the fact that it is sold with the copyright to reproduce and distribute the image as the winning bidder wishes.

The negative, which will be auctioned on Saturday, has a pre-sale estimate of between $2,517 and $3,775.

TITANIC TREASURES SOLD AT UK AUCTION

Last year the dress Monroe wore when she famously sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy sold for $4.8 million at Los Angeles auction.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
The NASA astronauts who fly aboard Boeing's new spaceship will wear sleek, blue suits that are lighter, simpler and more comfortable than the bulky orange gear of the space shuttle era, company representatives said.

Unveiled Wednesday, the new "Boeing Blue" spacesuits for the Starliner capsule weigh about 20 lbs. each with all of their accessories, compared to 30 lbs. for the old space shuttle suits, NASA officials said.

Other advances include touch-screen-sensitive gloves, more-flexible material and soft helmets that are incorporated into the suit (rather than the hard, detachable helmets of the shuttle era). [See photos of the new Boeing spacesuits]

"It is a lot lighter, more formfitting, and it's simpler, which is always a good thing," NASA astronaut Eric Boe said in a statement. "Complicated systems have more ways they can break, so simple is better on something like this."

Boe is one of four NASA astronauts currently training to fly aboard the Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon capsule, which the two companies are developing to provide taxi services to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Both vehicles should start flying crewed missions in the next year or two, NASA officials have said.

The Boeing Blue suit, and the one that SpaceX develops, will help keep astronauts safe in the event of an emergency during trips to and from orbit. The suits are not designed for spacewalks; the large, bulky " extravehicular mobility units " that astronauts use for this latter purpose are already aboard the ISS.

"The spacesuit acts as the emergency backup to the spacecraft's redundant life-support systems," Richard Watson, subsystem manager for spacesuits in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said in the same statement. "If everything goes perfectly on a mission, then you don't need a spacesuit. It's like having a fire extinguisher close by in the cockpit. You need it to be effective if it is needed."

Since the space shuttles' retirement in July 2011, NASA has relied on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get American astronauts to and from orbit, at a cost of about $70 million per seat. Starliner and Dragon will end this foreign dependence, if all goes according to plan.

That plan is getting closer and closer to reality, said former NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson, who is now director of crew and mission systems for Boeing.

"To me, it's a very tangible sign that we are really moving forward and we are a lot closer than we've been," Ferguson said of today's spacesuit unveiling. "The next time we pull all this together, it might be when astronauts are climbing into the actual spacecraft."

Originally published on Space.com.
A team of archaeologists and volunteers has found the location of a long-lost early medieval kingdom in southern Scotland.

The excavation in Dumfries and Galloway unearthed an important site from the sixth-century kingdom of Rheged. While the kingdom was known to encompass parts of southern Scotland and northern England, its actual location has long been shrouded in mystery.

Excavations at the site, known as Trustys Hill Fort, offer important clues to the elusive kingdom. What we have found has all the hallmarks of an early medieval royal site, Ronan Toolis, who led the excavation for GUARD Archaeology, told Fox News. Theres lots of evidence of wealth and power.

A FARMERS STORY OF MOLES COULD HAVE LED TO LOST CITY

Artifacts found include imported pottery from western France that once contained dyes and spices, slingshots, as well as crucibles and bowls with traces of gold, silver and bronzes. Toolis told Fox News that the crucibles and bowls were for metalworking - a thistle-headed iron pin with a bronze decoration was unearthed at the site, along with a bronze decoration for a horses bridle.

Excavations show that, in the decades around 600 A.D., the summit of the hill was fortified with a stone rampart and timber. Additional defenses and enclosures were added to the forts slopes.

Experts were drawn to the Trustys Hill site by carvings in the bedrock that are unique to the region. Likely made by one of the Britons that inhabited the region in the sixth century, the carvings are influenced by the ancient Pictish culture of northern Scotland.

MEDIEVAL SIN-WASHING WELL IS UNCOVERED

The Pictish carvings frame one side of the entranceway and a ceremonial well is on the other side, said Toolis. Theres almost like a ritualized entranceway.

Many historians had assumed that the ancient kingdom of Rheged was centered around the modern city of Carlisle in northern England, although the discoveries at Trustys Hill Fort now challenge that assumption.

Excavation at the site began in 2012 and experts have spent the last few years piecing together its history. It has taken quite a lot of time to do the post-excavation analysis, like the radiocarbon dating and specialist analysis of the artifacts, said Toolis.

ENGLAND LAUNCHES HUNT FOR 'WITCHES' MARKS'

Some 60 volunteers also participated in the dig.

The archaeological evidence has just been revealed in the book The Lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged.

Archaeological sites in Britain have been getting plenty of attention recently, such as the potential discovery in south Wales of the lost 13th-century city of Trellech.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Amazons intelligent personal assistant is making big inroads into homes and the keyboard could be the first victim.

The mass adoption of Amazons Alexa devices may lead to the decline of the keyboard, said Ken Cassar, an analyst at Slice Intelligence, in a statement thats part of a just-released report from the marketing research firm.

Echogiven its ease of use and low price point, it could establish itself as the hub of the smart home, Cassar added in the statement, referring to the smart speaker that is the hardware for interacting with the Alexa service.

Echo, which understands spoken questions and commands via its Alexa persona, saw its popularity skyrocket over the holiday season, according to Cassar. Forty five percent of all Echo devices that have been purchased  since it was launched back in 2015  were purchased in November and December of 2016, he told Foxnews.com in an interview.

IS APPLE'S GOLDEN AGE OVER? FORMER APPLE ENGINEER THINKS SO

Though Slice wont give out sales numbers, investment bank Morgan Stanley said last week that Amazon sold 11 million devices between mid-2015 and Dec. 1, 2016, according to a report in the Seattle Times.

But that report noted that the estimate is likely too low, since it doesnt account for the peak of the holiday shopping season that ends in mid-December. Amazon said at the end of December that Alexa Devices topped its best-seller list over the holiday season and that millions of Alexa Devices were sold worldwide, racking up sales that were more than 9x over last year's holiday season. Morgan Stanley believes that translates to about 9 million Alexa devices.

The keyboard's demise?

Cassar points to the kitchen as an emerging digital hub of the home  where the Echo device is most commonly used.

Thats a place where youre doing other things. So to be able to just shout out commands makes a lot of sense, he said.

Another hot spot for Alexa and similar devices is potentially the car, where the keyboard is also impractical, he says.

GOOGLE COULD BE SET TO RELEASE A SMARTWATCH

Looking out to 2019On average, Americans spend about 270 hours a year in their cars. Imagine if [much more] was controlled by voice, Cassar said, adding that shopping in your car, via an Alexa-like service, would also be a popular activity. Microsoft, Apple, and Google are targeting cars for their next operating systems, as Cassar notes, and those operating systems would incorporate intelligent personal assistants.

The upshot is that Echo, and similar devices, will, more and more, fill the void where keyboards are impractical and chip away at traditional computing as they get smarter and are better at responding to human queries and commands.

Most preferred Alexa device

The inexpensive and smaller Echo Dot  priced at $49.99  has been driving a lot of the sales, according to Slice.

Between November 1 and December 31 of last year, 57 percent of sales were the Dot, almost 38 percent where the larger Echo ($179.99), and about 5 percent the Alexa-enabled speaker, Tap ($129.99), according to Slice.
Android is everywhere and laptops may be next.

Android has been the most popular device platform on the planet for years. And usage patterns point to this only increasing in the future.

But the laptop is the one mobile device that has eluded Android  mostly because the operating system has never been tailored to laptops. But that will change in 2017 as Chromebooks (laptops and two-in-one hybrids that run the Google Chrome operating system) get access to the Google Play Store and Android apps.

All Chromebooks launching in 2017 and after as well as [other Chromebooks]will work with Android apps, Google stated on its Chromium Projects page. The page also lists existing Chromebooks that will work with Android apps at a time to be announced in the future.

GOOGLE COULD BE SET TO RELEASE A SMARTWATCH

That list is long and includes dozens of Chromebooks from companies such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus, and Acer.

To get a better idea of what Google is targeting in 2017 and beyond, heres what the company said last year when it announced the initiative.

We're bringing Google Playto Chromebooks. This means youll be able to download and use Android apps, so you can make a Skype call, work with Office filesor take a break with games like Minecraft, Hearthstone or Clash of Clans.

The blog post continued. The same apps that run on phones and tablets can now run on Chromebooks without compromising their speed, simplicity or security.

Android  a touch-based interface  will become more viable as Chromebooks add touch screens, which more new models now have.

WILL AMAZON'S ALEXA REPLACE THE KEYBOARD?

Acer, for instance, announced the Chromebook Spin 11 this week at an education show in London. The touch-screen Spin 11 is a 2-in-1 hybrid Chromebook that can be configured as a standard laptop or converted to tablet mode.

The Chromebook Spin 11will provide additional capabilities thanks to support for Android apps via the Google Play Store out-of-the-box, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Lenovo also announced new Chromebooks this week: the Lenovo N23 Chromebook and N23 Yoga Chromebook.

The N23 Yoga version is the first Lenovo Chromebook equipped with an ARM-based processor, optimized to run the Google Play Store apps, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.

And the fact that the Yoga version comes with an ARM processor  not an Intel processor  is significant because ARM processors are used in all of the major Android smartphones worldwide from companies like Samsung, Google, Motorola, and LG. Android historically has had better compatibility with ARM chips.

Probably the single best thing about Chromebooks for consumers and educators the latter a market where the Chromebook has become widely used is the price.

For example, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook will be available from February 2017, starting at $199. And the Lenovo N23 Yoga Chromebook will be available from April 2017, starting at $279.

And the vast majority of Chromebooks are priced under $400, with many priced under $300.
"Can you hear me?" Police in several states are urging people to avoid answering this simple question from a phone number they do not know.

Authorities in Virginia say the question is aimed at getting unsuspecting victims to say "yes" -- an answer the frauster then records as a way to authorize charges on a phone, utility or credit card bill.

The scam is a variation of one that began late last year, according to law enforcement.

"You say 'yes,' it gets recorded and they say that you have agreed to something, Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy for the Consumer Federation of America, told CBS News. I know that people think its impolite to hang up, but its a good strategy.

The Pittsburgh Better Business Bureau (BBB) reported in October that it was receiving consumer complaints, citing unsolicited automated calls from "an employee" of a home security agency, cruise line, or social security firm.

In those phone calls, scammers were using phrases like, "Are you the lady of the house?"; "Do you pay the household telephone bills?"; or "Are you the homeowner?"

Similar calls are now being reported in Virginia -- with criminals asking the question, "Can you hear me?"

"Usually it has a familiar area code," Officer Jo Ann Hughes with the Norfolk Police Department told WTKR-TV.

That kind of warms you up, Hughes told the station, warning that those on the receiving end should hang up the phone immediately.

In many cases, scammers will play back a person's verbal confirmation and threaten to take legal action if they try to deny the charges.

A lot of times, victims do not want to come forward because they are embarrassed. They feel like, It was my fault. I should have known better, and they are just embarrassed by it all together. So we do not get a whole lot of reports, unfortunately, Hughes told the station.
Despite its romantic Hollywood associations, the sprawling ocean-side city of Casablanca is often overlooked by tourists heading for the beach or Morocco's more exotic cities like Marrakech. But this bustling city of 4 million, Morocco's commercial capital, is a vibrant mix of old and new with gorgeous art-deco architecture, traditional souqs (markets), one of the world's largest mosques and some picturesque beaches of its own.

The kingdom of Morocco also has the reputation of being the most stable country in North Africa and has been largely spared the unrest and protests that have erupted elsewhere across the region.

THE DOWNTOWN

A small port city until the French chose it as the capital of its "protectorate" over Morocco in 1912, Casablanca blossomed under the attention of some of France's foremost architects who now had room to create outside the crowded cities of Europe. The nouvelle ville, as the downtown was known, was done in an art deco meets Middle Eastern style that is still stunning to behold, if you can look up long enough while dodging crowded sidewalks and zooming cars.

Luckily, the center of it all, the elegant Mohammed V Boulevard, has been made a pedestrian street while a new tram system is installed. So until the sleek French-built trams start running by the end of the year, you can stroll down the middle of the street, admiring the handsome buildings from the 1920s and 1930s.

THE "NEW" OLD CITY

Like most Moroccan cities, Casablanca has a "medina" or walled old city of winding alleys, except here it's smaller than most and quite run down, with most shops devoted to day-to-day items that are of little interest to the visitor. The French decided in the 1920s they would build a nicer medina and created the Habous neighborhood just a 15-minute drive away featuring elegant arches and whitewashed buildings.

Habous is much cleaner and quieter than the downtown and is filled with handicrafts shops selling the traditional ceramics, leather slippers, embroidered caftans and metal lamps that tourists flood to Morocco to buy. Since most of the customers are locals as well, the quality tends to be higher than the tourist bazaars of Marrakech. There is also little of the hard sell that can blight a trip to the market in some of the other cities.

THE MOSQUE

In the medieval world, kings left their mark by building massive monuments in their name. A modern king, Hassan II of Morocco, who ruled the country for almost four decades until 1999, did the same. Amid the crashing waves of the Atlantic, he built a mosque so enormous it looms over the whole city, with a retractable roof and a laser on the minaret. Faced with pale stone and ornamented with colorful inlaid geometric patterns and traditional tiles, it can hold 25,000 worshippers inside. The vast esplanade around the mosque is often filled with families enjoying the open space and the quiet, and there's a great view of the sea. The mosque was built through mandatory contributions from all citizens. Unlike most mosques in Morocco, non-Muslims are allowed inside, but only on guided tours in the mornings and afternoons that run $15 a person.

THE BEACH

Once on the city's coast, keep heading south toward the Ain Diab area, where the nicest beaches can be found. First there are the hotels and nightclubs of the wealthy Anfa district, but eventually they peter out and what's left is the corniche, a kind of boardwalk, with some great beaches pounded by Atlantic waves. Along the road there are popcorn and drink vendors, while on the beach itself young men offer pony or horse rides to adults and children alike. Dress tends to be a bit more modest than Western beaches, but is more liberal than many other Islamic countries and women can be seen in the water wearing bathing suits.

At the end of the beach, as the sand turns to rocks, there also sits the saint's tomb of Sidi Abdel Rahman, nearly entirely surrounded by water. The shrine to the holy man is also home to about a dozen families who have clustered their huts around the tomb. The beach area nearby is filled with picnicking families under umbrellas and little stalls serving mint tea.

THE MALL

Just beyond the saint's shrine looms the shiny bulbous mass of Morocco's first luxury mall. In the 10-minute walk from the shrine to the glass doors of the Imax cinema, you can move from the extremes of Morocco's social classes. Inside it's all Ralph Lauren and Christian Dior with an enormous fish tank featuring small sharks. In the fenced-off outside area, the musical fountain performs every hour. Most Moroccans can't afford the luxury items on sale, but the place is always packed. People window shop across the three floors and gawk at how Morocco's 1 percent aspires to live.
Authorities on Cape Cod arrested three people Wednesday in relation to a drug operation run out of a home owned by Kennedy relatives without the family's knowledge.

Barnstable Police charged Troy Monteiro and Trevor Rose with multiple drug crimes, after they seized more than 200 grams of fentanyl worth about $40,000 from the home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

The Hyannisport home is currently own by a limited liability corporation managed by, Robert Sargent "Bobby" Shriver III, son of the late Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Fox 25 Boston reported. It is located a short distance from the Kennedy Compound.

Over the past two months, authorities have been investigating the two men originally from Cape Cod, who were allegedly storing large quantities of fentanyl at the home and on nearby Squaw Beach to distribute to dealers and users on Cape Cod, police said in a news release.

On Wednesday, police followed Monteiro, 29, and his girlfriend Ariel Price-Perry, 26, from their New Bedford apartment to Hyannisport. Once there, Monteiro allegedly ran and attempted to retrieve 200 grams of fentanyl he had hidden on the beach before he was arrested.

Monteiro was charged with two counts of trafficking fentanyl and conspiracy to violate the controlled substance act. Price-Perry was arrested and charged with conspiracy to violate the controlled substance act and impeding a police investigation for allegedly attempting to destroy evidence as Monteiro was being arrested.

Police later arrested Rose, 29, a short time later as he arrived at the home in Hyannisport with the property caretaker, whose name wasn't released. Rose was charged with one count of trafficking fentanyl and one count of possession of cocaine. All three suspects are being held on $100,000 bail each, police said in a news release.

After the arrests, police searched the home in Hyannisport and found fentanyl processing equipment including scales, package material and diluting agents. During a search of the New Bedford apartment, authorities found additional fentanyl and $20,000 in cash.

Click for more from FOX25Boston.com
A group of hikers, including one with "serious" injuries, had to be rescued Thursday after an avalanche on Mt. Baldy in southern California.

The San Bernardino County Fire District said in a news release the slide was reported at 12:13 p.m. local time at the Baldy Bowl, located southeast of the mountain's peak.

Officials said that three hikers were walking at the time of the avalanche on "unstable snow overlaying a sheet of ice," and that one hiker slid down and suffered "serious" injuries.

MT BALDY: #SBCoFD responding to reported AVALANCHE in MtBaldyBowl. Hiker stuck half-way down. No reports of missing parties. ^eas  SB County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) January 26, 2017

Baldy(Update): #AirRescue7 and @sbcountysheriff assets enroute. One confirmed victim with reported serious injuries located in the bowl.  SB County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) January 26, 2017

The two injured hikers were airlifted off the mountain and transported to a local hospital, while the third hiker was able to walk out without assistance.

Mount Baldy is located in the San Gabriel Mountains about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles and rises to 10,064 feet.

Click for more from FOXLA.com.
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School trustees in Las Vegas, where almost half the students are Hispanic, are being asked to declare an immigration safe haven for students regardless of their citizenship status.

Clark County School District board member Carolyn Edwards is proposing a resolution on Thursday that she calls a response to President Donald Trump's promises to deport people living in the U.S. without legal permission.

Edwards says she doesn't know how the other six other board members will vote.

She says she wants to reinforce protections for children of immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order that former President Barack Obama signed at a Las Vegas high school in November 2014.

The fifth-largest public school district in the U.S. reports that 46 percent of its 322,000 students are of Hispanic heritage.
A Massachusetts man is accused of attacking a Muslim airline employee at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, allegedly kicking and shouting obscenities at the woman and telling her that President Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you," authorities said.

The Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes, of Worcester, had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts Wednesday night when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was sitting in her office.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DITCHING BACKSEAT MONITORS IN NEW AIRCRAFT

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Rhodes came up to the door and went on a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying. Rhodes then allegedly punched the door, which hit the back of Khan's chair. Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and Rhodes replied, "You did nothing." He then cursed at her and kicked her in the leg, Brown said.

When another person tried to calm him down, Brown said Rhodes moved away from the door and Khan ran out of the office. Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities and said "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You see what happens," Brown said.

WISCONSIN STUDENT GUILTY OF BLACK CHURCH ARSONS WANTS PRO-WHITE GROUP

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who can comment on the charges.

"The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized society  especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation," Brown said. "Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do, regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice."
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A federal jury has returned a not guilty verdict for a Chicago woman accused of supplying her teenage cousin with a gun authorities say the girl used to kill a 14-year-old rival after a Facebook feud over a boy.

Vandetta Redwood was charged with giving a handgun to a juvenile knowing it would be used to commit violence in the 2014 shooting of Endia Martin. The 35-year-old also was charged with possession of a firearm in a school zone.

Jurors reached their decision Thursday, a day after final arguments.

Redwood shouted and cursed during the prosecution's closing arguments. She said she "didn't kill no baby," and that others had lied. Jurors were excused while Redwood's lawyer sought to calm her down.

Redwood's cousin, now 17, is awaiting trial.
FedEx is backing a driver in Iowa who stopped flag-burning protesters from desecrating American flags in a confrontation caught on video that went viral, according to reports. Many on Twitter were calling him a hero.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported Friday that the video shows Matt Uhrin in a FedEx uniform scuffling with a small group of protesters on a pedestrian mall in Iowa City Thursday after he used a fire extinguisher to save two flags from being burned.

Back off, back off, Uhrin is heard yelling as he clutched one of the flags.

His actions prompted praise on Twitter and led FedEx to issue a statement saying that Uhrin remains an employee and there were no plans to change his status, Fox & Friends reported Saturday.

@FedEx You have an AMAZING employee in Iowa City that saved our flag from being burned. Give him a raise!!  #PATRIOT #MAGA #POTUS  Tracy Inge  (@tringe) January 27, 2017

You've got a hero working out here in Iowa City, @FedEx. Can you thank him for us? Love, Iowa City #MERICA #FedExGuy #GodBlessTheUSA   Paige (@PaigeAyP) January 27, 2017

On Friday FedEx said it had interviewed Uhrin.

Uhrin told the Press-Citizen Thursday that his confrontation with the protesters had nothing to do with FedEx.

An online petition Friday demanded that FedEx not fire Uhrin, the paper reported.

"Let's make sure Matt Uhrin keeps his job at FedEx," the petition said, according to the paper. "He was standing up for our American flag and should be commended, not punished."

As of late Friday, the petition had collected some 3,000 signatures.

According to the Press-Citizen, the protesters were planning to burn the flags to protest racial and social injustice.

Cops arrested two of the protesters for violating Iowa Citys public burn ordinance, not for burning the flag, Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde

A court in 2014 struck down as unconstitutional an Iowa law making it illegal to defile, cast contempt upon, satirize or deride a flag, according to the Press-Citizen.

Alyssa Madruga is a news editor for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlyssaMadruga.
Two major Florida port have canceled plans to sign cooperation agreements with Cuba, following Gov. Rick Scotts threat to cut off state funding to any port that did so.

Port Everglades issued a statement Thursday saying that the signing was off because the National Port Administration of Cuba didnt deem it necessary after all. And on Friday, the Miami Herald reported that the Port of Palm Beach also called off its plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the communist island citing the governors stance.

The funding cut would have meant $37 million for Port Everglades over the next five years and $920,000 over the same period for the Port of Palm Beach.

Gov. Scott, a Republican, was highly critical of former President Barack Obama for allowing some products produced by independent Cuban entrepreneurs to be imported.

After a decades-long trade embargo, the first shipments - two containers of artisanal charcoal - arrived Tuesday at Port Everglades.

The port is doing business with a ruthless dictator, said Gov. Scott earlier this week. I know some of our ports are going to be meeting with individuals from Cuba. Some of them are going to sign MOUs which I think is not good for the state.

The questioned MOU covered future cooperation and could have led to joint marketing studies, training and sharing of data, according to the Herald.

Cuban officials, however, said they would still like to see a signature on that memorandum at some point.

Our interest is to insert the port of Mariel and the Mariel Economic Development Zone into the logistical corridors of the ports of the United States and become part of their supply chains, said Eradis Gonzalez de la Pena, president of Almacenes Universales, to the Herald.

We thought signing the MOU would be a first step in realizing this goal. Well keep on working on it, she said.
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Police in southern Maryland say a daughter and granddaughter of black Muslim leader Malcolm X are charged with stealing a rental truck that was found carrying seven pit bulls in what police describe as inhumane conditions.

Charles County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Janelle Love said Friday that 51-year-old Malikah Shabazz and her 19-year-old daughter Bettih (BET'-eh) Shabazz were arrested Wednesday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in La Plata.

Malikah also faces seven charges of animal cruelty. Love says the dogs were in stacked crates, and some were injured.

She says the truck was reported stolen earlier Wednesday to Vermont State Police.

Both women gave New Hampshire addresses. They've been released after posting $2,000 bond.

No defense attorneys are listed in court records.

The arrests were first reported Friday by TMZ.
A police officer shot a man to death outside an Atlanta Public Safety annex when the man tried to flee in a car while another officer was partially inside of it, authorities said Friday.

The two officers had gone to the building Thursday night to file paperwork when they noticed a suspicious man in a car in the parking lot, authorities said.

Officers initiated a conversation and the man exited the vehicle, then lunged back into the car and tried to flee, police said in a news release.

"One of the investigators was partially in the passenger side of the vehicle as the vehicle fled," the release said.

Police said the man, whose name has not been released, had a warrant for his arrest from Fulton County and had a lengthy criminal history as well as gang affiliation. They also said a firearm was seen on the vehicle's passenger side floorboard.

Atlanta police Deputy Chief Darryl Tolleson said the officers weren't injured.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into circumstances of the Thursday evening shooting on the city's northwest side.
Two Florida teenagers were arrested Thursday for allegedly planning an orchestrated mass shooting at their Orlando-area middle school.

Local news reports said that one of the the two planned to drop a pencil during gym class to signal to the other to begin shooting.

Students who reportedly knew about the plot were told to wear white and shout Eugene to avoid being a target. Some students were told not to come to school altogether.

The two teens, ages 13 and 14, were arrested when deputies executed search warrants. Weapons were found at both suspects homes. The teens were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and were placed in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

According to Fox 35 Orlando, the teens are students at The Villages Charter Middle School. Officials at the school became aware of the alleged plot when they heard other students talking about it.

According to My News 13, Lake County Sheriffs deputies questioned the 13-year-old who was allegedly planning the attack. The student told the police of the plot and referenced the Columbine shooting.

Deputies learned of the second teen involved in the planning. The 14-year-old also referenced the Columbine shooting when speaking with authorities, according to My News 13.

The Sumter County Sheriffs Office expressed its gratitude to students who were brave enough for speaking up about the alleged mass shooting plot, according to WFLA-TV.

Ignacio Liunoras, who has two kids at the middle school, echoed the Sheriffs office statements.

I praise not only the students that reported it, but the parents that taught them to be aware of their surroundings and be aware of any dangers or unusual activity in the school.

Security at the Villages Charter Middle School was expected to increase Friday.

Click for more from Fox 35 Orlando.
Sadie Saucier's heart skipped a beat Thursday night when President Trump mentioned her husband's plight in an exclusive TV interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.

Trump was asked if he might consider a pardon for Kristian Saucier, the former Navy sailor serving a one-year prison prison term for taking photos inside a nuclear submarine. Trump, who spoke of Saucier's treatment during his campaign, called the sentence harsh and said he is giving consideration to a request for a pardon and clemency.

Im actually looking at it right now, Trump told Hannity. I think its very unfair in light of whats happened with other people.

Sadie Saucier, who Friday morning was preparing to visit her husband at the Federal Medical Center at Fort Devens, Mass., where he has been held since October, said the words gave her hope.

Oh my God, Im hoping its for real, Sadie Saucier told Fox News Friday morning as she was preparing to visit her husband at the Federal Medical Center at Fort Devens, Mass., where he has been held since October. Im confident in Trump.

She said she was eager to relay Trump's comments to her husband.

Im hoping that this will give him hope, something to hang onto, she said. When youre sitting in prison, its hard to get his hopes up.

Saucier said their 2-year-old daughter, Kassy, misses her father.

She says Dada, and goes to the door, when she knows were going to go see him. She runs around the house sometimes saying Dada.

Jeffrey Addicott, a former Army attorney and director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St Mary's Law School in Texas, said that Sauciers prosecution was politically motivated.

Addicott said that Saucier admitted making a mistake when he took the photos, but he said that such actions are rarely so severely punished.



With a national focus on then-presidential candidate Hillary Clintons mishandling of classified information on a personal email server while she was secretary of state, and criticism over how the Department of Justice and the FBI were addressing her actions, Addicott said, there was pressure on authorities to be particularly aggressive.

The Department of Justice was being criticized, said Addicott, who submitted the petitions for Sauciers pardon and clemency. Two other sailors who did the same thing just had to pay about $300 fines and didnt go to jail.

Unlike the other sailors, he said, Sauciers case came up in court amid debates about Clintons classified emails, prompting prosecutors with the U.S. attorneys office in Connecticut to make the 30-year-old sailor a scapegoat, Addicott asserted.

Saucier, who served as a machinist's mate aboard the USS Alexandria from 2007 to 2012, used his cellphone to photograph parts of the submarine's nuclear propulsion system while it was docked at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn., according to published reports.

Saucier began his 12-month sentence in October. He was convicted of unauthorized retention of national defense information, which is a felony, and received an "other-than-honorable" discharge from the Navy. He faced a possible 10 years in jail, his lawyers said.

Even before the pardon request, Trump had referred to Sauciers punishment as overkill during his presidential campaign.

They took the kid who wanted some pictures of the submarine, Trump said in a campaign stop, according to The Washington Post. Thats an old submarine; theyve got plenty of pictures. If the enemy wants them, theyve got plenty of them.

Sauciers mother, Kathleen Saucier -- who along with another attorney, Ronald Daigle, met with then-national security adviser nominee retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn in November  said she is cautiously optimistic.

Saucier has been a relentless advocate for her son since he was first charged.

Everyone should be treated fairly and equally, that was not the case, she said, and that was not the case for many others [in the military].

Im hopeful that its being reviewed, its a clear in justice, she said. Were not just focused on my son, but on others who are sitting in prison without a voice, because of the possible overreach of our government.
Amid stories of schoolchildren taunting classmates that they face deportation under a new president, school trustees in Las Vegas approved a measure Thursday to reassure students and families that they have immigration safe haven regardless of their citizenship status.

An overflow crowd and more than a dozen speakers turned out for the vote that Clark County School District board member Carolyn Edwards called a response to President Donald Trump's promises to deport people living in the U.S. without legal permission.

"We will continue to do what we are already doing in terms of protecting the privacy of our students," she said.

Edwards said the resolution was not about sanctuary, but restated protections that children of immigrants have under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act that former President Barack Obama renewed with a signing ceremony at a Las Vegas high school in November 2014.

Her measure passed 6-1, with no comment from the dissenting board member, Chris Garvey. It said information about students' immigration status won't be released to immigration enforcement agencies including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "unless there is parent consent, a judicial warrant, subpoena, or court order."

"We need to protect the children," trustee Linda Young said. "With all that's going on in the world, we need to protect the children."

Immigration policy is a hot topic in Las Vegas, where administrators say students speak some 70 languages and almost half the district's 322,000 students claim Hispanic heritage.

Edwards' resolution drew more attention after President Trump on Wednesday called for rapid construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and signed an executive order to strip federal grant funding for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities." The document made no explicit mention of public schools or universities.

One grandmother, Vicenta Montoya, told Las Vegas trustees that a 9-year-old girl she reads with after school told her about 4th-graders using a sing-song taunt to tell classmates that they now face deportation.

"They said, 'You're gonna go. You're gonna go. They're going to take you,'" Montoya said.

"This is affecting all students," she said.

Carolina Chacon, a former undocumented school student in Las Vegas who became valedictorian of her high school class 10 years ago, became tearful as she said every child deserves to feel safe, protected and able to focus on their schoolwork without worry.

"As guardians of our students, you understand how important it is to ensure the academic futures of our children," she said.

Public school districts in other cities have considered or passed similar statements in recent months, including Los Angeles and Oakland in California; Portland, Oregon; Santa Fe, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Denver and Minneapolis.

Some 90,000 students in Denver recently took home letters in response to what teachers reported hearing from students and parents. In four languages, the letter said school officials do not ask about immigration status when students enroll.

The sprawling Clark County district is the fifth-largest in the nation. It covers a county almost the size of New Jersey, and has 351 campuses including 49 high schools.

Several colleges and universities around the country also have committed to offering sanctuary and financial support to immigrant students, and to not voluntarily help the federal government deport students.
The man who has been the face of a national organization advocating for victims of abuse by clergy, especially those in the Catholic Church, has resigned from the organization.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/2jn9Jhp ) reports that David Clohessy of suburban St. Louis voluntarily resigned Dec. 31 from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

The organization announced Clohessy's resignation this week, days after a former employee filed a lawsuit claiming SNAP was exploiting sexual abuse victims and receiving kickbacks from attorneys for directing clients their way.

Clohessy called the case "preposterous" and said his resignation was unrelated to the lawsuit.
A jury in Ohio has convicted a father and son of repeatedly shackling a teen in their basement and raping her and another girl who lived with them.

Jurors on Friday convicted Timothy Ciboro (SIH'-bohr-oh) and his 28-year-old son, Esten Ciboro, on charges of rape, kidnapping and child endangering.

The oldest girl, who is now 14, testified she was sexually abused many times before she hid a spare key to unlock her handcuffs and escape the home in Toledo last May.

She says she was forced to stay in the basement for different lengths of time as punishment or when the men left the house. She says she was allowed out to shower or use the restroom.

A 9-year-old girl told jurors she too was sexually abused.
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Four days after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, mental health counselors hosted a webinar on how their fellow American Muslims could cope. They surveyed the political landscape: a White House framing Islam itself as a threat, a surge in anti-Muslim hostility and suspicion of immigrants in general.

The counselors offered tips such as limiting time on social media. And they cautioned against withdrawing in discouragement, worried about losing whatever foothold Muslims have gained in public life since the crucible of Sept. 11.

"It's very easy to tell a story of victimization, fear, feeling ... not welcome in our own home," said Ben Herzig, a Massachusetts therapist with a specialty in Muslim mental health. "But the narrative of Islam in American can be a positive one."

While many express alarm at Trump's statements, Muslim leaders are pushing back. They are organizing protests, hosting elected officials at their mosques, building ties with other faith groups and encouraging Muslims to run for elected office. Many of these initiatives had been planned before the general election, but have taken on a new urgency since then.

Trump was expected to sign an executive order to indefinitely stop accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S and suspend issuing visas for people from other majority-Muslim countries. The new president and his supporters insist his measures are needed to strengthen national security.

Meanwhile, a Texas state lawmaker recently sent a provocative survey to local Muslim leaders asking, among other things, their views of Islamic law and whether they would pledge not to harm Muslims who left the faith. On Wednesday, a businessman attacked a Muslim airline employee at New York's Kennedy Airport, kicking her, shouting obscenities at her and saying that Trump "will get rid of all of you," authorities said.

"The discourse has shifted from good Muslims and bad Muslims to 'how bad is the Muslim you're talking about?'" said attorney Hassan Ahmad, an immigration law specialist in Virginia with many clients from Muslim countries.

Muslim leaders acknowledge they are in a relatively weak position from which to advocate, amid the nation's inflamed mood over immigration, religion and terrorism.

The U.S. is home to only about 3.3 million Muslims, which means just a small number of Americans actually know a member of the faith. Many U.S. Muslims come from families that only arrived a generation ago. But they have more organizations, charities and cultural clout than ever, built by a post-9/11 generation eager to assert their American identity.

Companies like Amazon, Nabisco and CoverGirl have recently featured Muslims in their advertisements. The night after Trump's inauguration, comic Aziz Ansari, speaking from one of the most influential platforms in pop culture, as host of "Saturday Night Live," called out anti-Muslim prejudice, white supremacy and other bias that has come to the forefront.

"It's very clear that one of the goals of bigoted language is to make the victims feel isolated and make them feel that they have no allies and they have no power to get them to be silent and intimidate them and make them give up," said Dalia Mogahed, director of research for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, an American Muslim think-tank.

Last month, about 2,600 people filled the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, for an interfaith event expressing support for the community. Among the speakers were U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

This month, Wardah Khalid, a 30-year-old graduate of Texas A&M University, started a Washington organization called Poligon to train American Muslims how to lobby Congress. She got the idea from working as an analyst for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker public policy organization.

"There are other groups visiting (congressional offices) every single day of the year and it makes a difference in terms of policy asks," Khalid said. She said she's received a strong response to the launch on Facebook and through her website. "It got a lot of momentum," Khalid said. "People are finally waking up."

Muslims for American Progress, a project just launched by Mogahed's institute, aims to highlight American Muslim contributions to the country in medicine, science, sports, business and other fields. The profiles are based in part on data the institute has collected about Muslim professionals.

"For 15 years American Muslims have been asked to tell the world what they condemn versus what they contribute, and the conversation in this presidential campaign was with one candidate who thought Muslims were a cancer and the other who basically thought that Muslims were benign and useful as an instrument of counterterrorism. But neither of them understood the value of the American Muslim community to our country outside of counterterror," Mogahed said.

Jerusha Lamptey, a professor of Islam and ministry at Union Theological Seminary, a liberal Christian school in New York, had just wrapped up the school's first leadership training program for Muslim women when details emerged over the last week of Trump's plan to sharply restrict refugee flow.

"The scheduling turned out to be very important because it created something for us to do that was constructive and somewhat hopeful," Lamptey said. "This anxiety for the American Muslim community is not new. But this last year, it's been wildly out of control."

That angst is causing deep fatigue, especially among Muslim college students and parents desperate to protect their children, said Kameelah Rashad, founder of the Philadelphia-based Muslim Wellness Foundation, which educates Muslims on mental health issues. Rashad's son, who is in sixth grade, heard one of his teachers say people upset by Trump's election "should just get over it." Rashad said

"We are such a small minority in the country overall, so it will really just take more than us standing up and saying, 'This is inexcusable,'" Rashad said. "We're very resilient, but we also have to comfort our children. We have to figure out if my place of worship is safe on Friday. How will I be treated at work? There's an emotional exhaustion."

Surveying Trump's first week in office, she said: "I think it will get worse before it gets better."
An Ohio woman whose 11-month-old son died from ingesting heroin has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Prosecutors say Denise Dickinson's son, Dominic, ingested heroin and the powerful painkiller fentanyl before he stopped breathing at a Columbus home in May 2015. He was pronounced dead by medics.

Dickinson, who's now 33, entered her guilty plea and was sentenced Friday.

A message seeking comment was left for her public defender.

The boy's father also was charged in the case. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last year and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have been asked to produce options to ramp up the ISIS fight, which falls on the services to come up with a list of potential assets, U.S. officials tell Fox News.

The Navys top admiral is looking at ways to stage special operations forces, rocket propelled artillery known as HIMARS, M777 artillery systems, Apache helicopter gunships and Marine and Army soldiers aboard large amphibious assault ships to be able to go ashore to Syria to fight ISIS.

The U.S. military wants to keep options light and agile and not build forward operating bases inside Syria like they did in Iraq and Afghanistan years ago, officials familiar with the planning tell Fox News.

The Navy is looking at ways to deploy more warships and potentially keep deployed warships out to sea longer, but officials say this is only in the preliminary phase and no decision has been signed off.

New Defense Secretary James Mattis told lawmakers in his confirmation hearing earlier this month that he would be looking at ways to accelerate the fight against ISIS inside their headquarters in Raqqa, Syria.

At the start of combat operations in Afghanistan in the weeks after the 9/11 attacks, similar basing of US special operations forces off shore occurred.


The skeletal remains of a missing Fort Campbell soldier were found in Tennessee, authorities said Wednesday.

Susan Niland, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement that the remains found on Interstate 24 in Robertson County were identified as missing Pfc. Shadow McClaine.

"I held onto hope that they were just holding her somewhere," - mother of soldier #ShadowMcClaine whose body was found after 145 days @FOX40 pic.twitter.com/9zKSnretAA  Nicole Comstock (@ComstockNEWS) January 26, 2017

McClaine was a member of the 101st Airborne Division at the Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. She was reported missing in September and her abandoned car was found in Nashville.

Jamal Williams-McCray and Charles Robinson, two fellow Fort Campbell soldiers, were charged with murder, kidnapping and conspiracy in McClaines disappearance in November.

McClaines mother told the Leaf-Chronicle in November that her daughter and Williams-McCray had been divorced for more than a year. Williams-McCray was arrested on Oct. 6 on out of county warrants and was being held in the Montgomery County Jail.

McClaine failed to report back for duty as an air traffic control tower operator at Fort Campbell after Labor Day, the Army said. Her car was found several days later.

McClaine joined the Army in 2011 and served stints in Afghanistan and South Korea, her mother said. She was preparing to leave the military on Oct. 11, and looking forward to returning to civilian life, with plans to return to California and go to school to build on her interest in photography.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Some people living at multi-family home in Massachusetts were forced to jump out a second-story window after a fire broke out early Friday morning.

Somerville fire chief says 4 people taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Appleton St. fire. #FOX25 pic.twitter.com/Trjlc7UXSa  Michael Henrich (@MichaelHenrich) January 27, 2017

The fire chief in Somerville told Fox 25 Boston that the fire broke out on Appleton Street just after 2 a.m. on Friday.

While some had to flee from the second floor, all people living in the building made it out safely. Four people were taken to the local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Somerville fire Appleton street pic.twitter.com/vquKW12Xfa  Tarik Omarz (@TarikOmarz) January 27, 2017

"I was sleeping and I just heard this beeping noise and screams," Adam Lawrence told FOX 25. "As I sort of became more awake...as it became more real, as soon as I open up my door I smelled the smoke and I started to see an orange glow coming from the back."

Authorities are investigating the fire.
An emergency official in southwest Georgia says crews have ended their search for a 2-year-old boy reported missing after a tornado struck his parents' mobile home last weekend.

The child, Detrez Green, had not been found as of Friday afternoon. Authorities in Albany say the boy's mother told them he slipped away from her Sunday afternoon and toddled into their kitchen just before a tornado sent an oak tree crashing onto their home.

Search and rescue teams combed the wreckage of the family's home and the surrounding area for days, but found no sign of the toddler.

Dougherty County emergency management director Ron Rowe said Friday that officials have called off the search.

WALB-TV reports Rowe as saying that his agency has turned the case over to police.
A Tennessee knit shop owner is receiving backlash on social media after posting comments about the recent Womens March on Washington.

In a Facebook post on January 24 , The Joy of Knitting owner Elizabeth Poe called the tone of the protest "absolutely despicable" and wrote "I ask that [if you] want yarn for any project for the womens movement that you please shop for yarn elsewhere."



Many Womens March on Washington participants wore so-called "pussy-hats" made from pink yarn. The hats were a reference to President Donald Trump's previous comments about grabbing women by the genitals.



Poe says she does not want what she sees as "vulgar, vile and evil rhetoric associated with her store" in Franklin.



"As the owner of this business and a Christian, Poe continued, "I have a duty to my customers and my community to promote values of mutual respect, love, compassion, understanding, and integrity."



The Facebook post had over 12,000 comments as of Friday morning. The Tennessean reports Poe was initially reluctant to write the post but she became upset after hearing Madonnas speech and by what she saw some women wearing at the march in Washington, D.C.



"This is starting to undermine their efforts," Poe told the Tennessean. "The topless women? I think if you want to get your point across you need to do it the right way and I just think that walking around dressed as a vulva is gross. Hatred is not acceptable speech."



Although Poes shop has received many negative reactions and boycott threats from Facebook users, she told Fox News she was very busy with orders from across the country.



"I am open for business and busier than a bee," Poe told Fox News via a Facebook message. "Orders from all over the United States. Go figure," she wrote.



She continued saying, "people marching for love, womens rights, equal rights, equal pay, do nothing [but] spew hatred on [my] [Facebook] page."



Comments on the shop's Facebook page ranged from anger to support.



"Honey, I dont accept complimentary [judgment] with my yarn purchases, one Facebook user said. You dont need to worry Ill ever sully your establishment."



"You are an example of a strong woman with strong beliefs voicing a strong opinion," another Facebook user wrote in support of Poe. "I applaud you for it."



Some questioned the timing of Poes Facebook post since it occurred after the marches.



"Smart posting this [after] the march, one user wrote. You already got all the money from these people for their hats. My [Planned Parenthood] donation is going to be in your name!"



Others took the opportunity to extend an olive branch to Poe.



"In spite of your feelings, youre welcome at the next march," one Facebook user responded. "Because we value mutual respect, love, compassion, understanding and integrity."



Poe told the Tennessean that she does not plan on deleting the Facebook post since she is pro-rights.



"Im pro-rights, but I have to draw the line with the trajectory this movement has taken," Poe told the Tennessean. "Theyre alienating their supporters. Im not going to stop [supporting women] but Im not going to condone that."
A Wisconsin family of six is being forced to move after their duplex neighbor put up a Nazi flag in a sign of protest against President Trump and a viral photo brought angry strangers to their door.

The Diaz family's troubles began when a passerby snapped a photo of the two-story Oshkosh duplex on Saturday and posted it on social media. The picture quickly went viral  and drew outrage.

Rosangela Diaz, a mother of four, said she did not even know about the flag until she saw a Facebook post about it. Her neighbor, who has not been identified, has said he flew it to make a political statement against President Trump.

According to Diaz  who is Hispanic and whose husband is black  her family has been threatened after the flag first went up. Someone slashed her tires. People have threatened to burn down her house.

Weve had people knocking on our door. Two men approached my kids on the street. I cant get out of here fast enough, Diaz told Fox News.

Now she plans on moving because shes afraid of what will happen to her family.

We are going to look at a few places, she said. "I dont care what any of them look like. We have to leave.

GERMAN RESEARCHERS TO INVESTIGATE NAZI-ERA EUTHANASIA CAMPS

Diazs neighbors have said they put up the flag as a statement over the current political climate. But quickly took it down after it began drawing outrage. However the damage had already been done.

Attempts to contact Diazs neighbors were unsuccessful. Their phone was apparently taken off the hook.

But to a local news station, the unidentified couple said their intention was to make a political statement.

"[T]he reason we chose to do so was simple in our minds, the couple said in the statement. To us, America today feels much like it's heading towards an era likened to the times of Nazi Germany. Our president has spoken out in the past with plans of action that eerily mirror the times of Hitler. We were simply exercising our constitutional right to freedom of speech."

However, the couple seemed to acknowledge its political statement may have gone too far.

"We are very sorry for the extreme misunderstanding of our actions and we would like to let people know that we meant no disrespect," the statement said.

Diazs landlord, Schwab Properties, has offered to allow her family to either break its lease with no penalty or move to another Schwab property in another part of town.

I spoke with her earlier this week. We have offered to let her out of her lease, Grant Schwab, owner of Schwab Properties, told Fox News. Our biggest concern is their safety. They dont deserve any of this.

Diaz created a GoFundMe page, which as of Friday morning had raised about $1,800 in donations, to relocate her family and to pay for her attorney's fees. She plans on suing the person who posted her address on Facebook.

I live there with my four young children and my husband who is almost blind, she wrote in a statement on the page. During this time, numerous threats were made to burn down the whole house [and] to knock on the door and punch people in the face.

The FBI and local police are investigation the threats against Diazs family. The local FBI field office declined to comment. Officials for the Oshkosh Police Department verified to local news outlets that they had received reports in connection to the case but declined to discuss the specifics.

Diaz told Fox News that recently someone had hung up a new flag in the place of the Nazi banner.

I went outside today, she said on Thursday, and saw that someone had hung a peace flag.
Cuba is giving hundreds of thousands of medical workers raises that in some cases exceed 100 percent, official media on the island announced Friday, though pay remains much lower than what medical professionals earn elsewhere.

The Communist Party daily newspaper Granma also reported that Cuba expects to take in $8.2 billion this year for the tens of thousands of medical workers it sends to care for the poor in countries such as Venezuela and Brazil.

Granma published a sample of what the pay hikes, which take effect June 1, will look like. At the high end, doctors with two specialties will see their salary go from the equivalent of $26 a month to $67, while an entry-level nurse will make $25, up from $13.

Salaries at government jobs in Cuba average about $20 a month, augmented by a range of free services and subsidies.

The raise will affect more than 440,000 medical sector employees, Granma said, and was made possible by the elimination of 109,000 redundant jobs in the last four years.

"This is very good news that makes me tremendously happy. ... With my first paycheck I'm going to buy a toy for my youngest grandson, who's 3," said Soraida Pina, a 62-year-old nurse. "This will open new doors for me."

Others were less wowed.

"They had talked to us about this, and it's very important for the family economy, but it continues to be a salary that means very little because everything is very expensive," said Laura Vazquez, a 38-year-old pathologist.

Cuba also is raising the salaries of medical workers on international missions, which already pay higher salaries and in hard currency.

Doctors and nurses working in Cuban ally Venezuela, for example, will see their salaries double.

The changes "will contribute to the stability and quality of the medical services for the people, as well as fulfill international commitments," Granma said.

The paper added that the forecast revenue from overseas medical missions for 2014 represents 64 percent of income from the services sector.

Health Minister Roberto Morales said recently that more than 50,000 Cuban health care professionals are working in some 66 nations.

That includes an estimated 30,000 in Venezuela, which sends Cuba some 92,000 barrels of oil a day, with a total value of about $3.2 billion a year.

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.

Some doctors defect while abroad, though there are no official statistics on how many.
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Relatives say a rubber boat carrying a Lebanese family of 12 to European shores has sunk. Five family members died, three survived and four are missing.

Kelly Safwan, 22, says she learned the boat carrying her family sank soon after it left Turkey because it was punctured. Her father and mother, two young sisters, her brother and his pregnant wife, her sister and three children, her uncle and his son set off from Turkey late Monday.

The family's home in Beirut's Ouazi working-class neighborhood is packed with mourners Thursday, heavy with grief and anxiously waiting for news on the missing four.

The family tragedy highlights how the flood of refugees is encouraging disenchanted people from around the region to make the journey to Europe, expected to get riskier in winter.
Venezuelas most recent initiative to deal with the widespread food shortages? Some 9,000 committees across the country made up of government loyalists are now directly handling the distribution of whatever groceries are still available.

Under the new provision, the selected members of the committees (known as CLAP for its Spanish acronym) are authorized to take truckloads of some food products from supermarkets, warehouses or state-run companies and distribute them directly to families  which have previously been surveyed by such committees.

The products available to the CLAPs are only those with government-regulated prices: milk, corn flour, poultry sugar, rice, wheat, pasta products, butter and oil, among others.

The program comes at a time when Venezuelas economy is collapsing and basic items like food and medicine is difficult to come by.

On Wednesday, Food Minister Rodolfo Marco Torres said up to 70 percent of these products are to be distributed by the CLAP committees, leaving just 30 percent for retail.

While the government alleges that the measure looks to protect Venezuelans' interests and preserve order, a lot of people say the new committees are incurring in political discrimination since the allocation of food clearly favors families who show a Chavista affiliation card.

They are favoring those living in poor areas and where Chavismo have been historically strong, said Luis Ramirez, a Caracas resident from La Pastora, a middle-class district whose committee has not yet received any food to distribute.

His case is not the only one. Oscar Molina, a resident of La Candelaria district in Caracas, told Fox News Latino their case is similar.

They are focusing in the poorest places, but we all have to eat, he said.

In some places, CLAP members openly admit that they take into account political preferences when allocating food.

The party hasnt told me to do that, but if I dont receive enough food I will give to Chavistas first, said Haydee Toro, a party member in Filas de Mariche, a popular segment in the state of Miranda.

In Carrizales, another part of Miranda, Aurimar Gonzalez said the CLAP in her community warned the neighbors that any person that signed the petition for a referendum against President Nicolas Maduro wont have the opportunity to buy the bags of food they allocate.

They said that they will check the population survey name by name, she explained.

The ruling socialist party, in office since 1999, denies that they intend to discriminate people based on their political preferences.

This is just a way to protect the people against mafias that accumulate products to later resell at a higher price. () This is just a momentary plan while we overcome the economic crisis, Hector Rodriguez, a member of the PSUV, told FNL.

But discrimination is not the only problem surrounding the CLAPs  when they have allocated food, the quantity hasnt been enough for a whole family.

The popular segments of El Paraiso, for example, another Caracas district, started to receive food two weeks ago.

For now we will be able to sell one bag of food per month to each family. Our goal is to sell one every week, but its hard, said Luz Poveda, a member of the CLAP there.

In the first week they sold milk, sugar, wheat for arepas, condensed milk, butter, rice and oil.

This is enough for just one week in my house, but I am happy because its the first time in months that I buy these products without having to do a long line, Gregoria Ojeda, one buyer in El Paraiso, told Fox News Latino.

Most CLAP committees havent been able to sell proteins like meat or chicken, which are hard to find and increasingly expensive in Venezuela.

They are typically selling to families every 20 or 30 days. Some have created identification cards to keep track of the buyers.

In order to increase the amount of food available for the CLAPs, the government is taking controversial decisions. Last week it was announced that all the scarce products distributed to supermarkets in downtown Caracas will have to be sold directly and exclusively to the committees, which will be in charge of the distribution.

Last Thursday, a protest broke up when a supermarket announced to the costumers waiting in line that they would not sell them the products because they were going to give them to the CLAPs.

According to the Venezuela Observatory of Social Conflict, so far this year there have been 680 protests for food, 172 of them in May.

Carlos Julio Rojas, a community leader in La Candelaria, said he is concerned about the availability of food in upcoming weeks.

If the CLAPs dont allocate food in the middle-class areas and take products from the supermarkets, we wont have where to buy, he said.
A Czech court has dismissed a complaint by a Somali student who accused a nursing school of discrimination because she wears a hijab.

Ayan Jamaal Ahmednuur demanded an apology and 60,000 koruna ($2,372) in compensation but the Prague 10 district court ruled on Friday there was no evidence of discrimination.

The case attracted numerous anti-Muslim activists, including some politicians, who applauded the verdict.

Czech law doesn't ban headscarves in general, but this school does so for safety reasons. However, it argued that Ahmednuur failed to submit the necessary documentation needed to become a student anyway, and so cannot be discriminated against.

There is only a small Muslim community in the Czech Republic as refugees and other migrants prefer to apply for asylum in rich western countries, such as Germany.
The European Union has prolonged for a year sanctions against dozens of Tunisians, including ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, accused of illegally using state funds.

EU member states agreed Friday to extend the asset freezes on 48 people until Jan. 31, 2018.

They believe "the misappropriation of state funds is depriving the Tunisian people of the benefits of the sustainable development of their economy and society," and undermines the spread of democracy.

The measures target Ben Ali  whose removal inspired the Arab Spring  his wife and 46 others accused of money laundering. They have been in place since 2011.
Ivory Coast's president has promoted two former rebel commanders who sided with the government in talks to quell a mutiny earlier this month.

President Alassane Ouattara's office announced Thursday night that Lt. Col. Issiaka Ouattara would now lead the Republican Guard, where he was formerly second-in-command. It also said Lt. Col. Cherif Ousmane would move from the presidential guard to head an elite commando unit.

The two were rebel commanders during the civil war that split Ivory Coast from 2002 to 2011. They were also instrumental in the 2011 conflict that brought Ouattara to power after his rival, ex-President Laurent Gbagbo, refused to cede office.

On Jan. 6, former rebels mutinied over unpaid bonuses, and Ouattara and Ousmane joined the government delegation that negotiated a deal involving handsome payoffs.
The lower house of the Russian parliament has given final approval to a bill decriminalizing some forms of domestic violence.

The State Duma voted 380-3 Friday to eliminate criminal liability for battery on family members that doesn't cause bodily harm, making it punishable by a fine or a 15-day arrest. The law needs to be approved by the largely rubber-stamp upper chamber and signed by President Vladimir Putin, who has signaled his support.

The bill has raised fears that it could sow impunity for those who beat up their family members, but its supporters have argued that it retains criminal responsibility for repeat offenders.

The measure is a response to conservative activists' criticism of the current legislation, seen by some as a threat to parents who might spank their children.
An opinion poll shows most Filipinos want their government to assert the country's rights in the disputed South China Sea after an arbitration tribunal invalidated China's vast territorial claims and ruled the Philippines can fish and exploit resources in the contested waters.

The Dec. 6-11 survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia made public Friday shows 84 percent of 1,200 adult Filipinos polled nationwide agreed the government should uphold its rights in the disputed waters. The survey had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

President Rodrigo Duterte has rapidly improved once-frosty relations with China and declined to forcefully demand its compliance with the July 12 arbitration ruling, which Beijing has refused to recognize. That prompted China to allow Filipinos to resume fishing at a disputed shoal.
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Malawis Pizza To Open First East Coast Location In Virginia!

Malawis Pizza - Pizza with a Purpose leased 5,000 square feet in The Village of Spotsylvania Towne Centre in Fredericksburg.

January 27, 2017 // Franchising.com // Fredericksburg, VA - The Church Restaurant Group, LLC announced today that coming Fall 2016, it will open the first Malawis Pizza  Pizza with a Purpose franchise on the eastern seaboard. The fast-casual gourmet pizza restaurant will be located in The Village of Spotsylvania Towne Centre in Fredericksburg, its first of five locations in Virginia.

The cuisine at Malawis Pizza  Pizza with a Purpose is fresh and chef-created, said new franchise owner, Patrick Church. We are truly excited to bring this unique dining experience to the greater area of Fredericksburg. We are also thrilled to be part of the charitable aspect of the business.

About Malawis Pizza

Malawis Pizza  Pizza with a Purpose is a fast-casual dining concept offering gourmet pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts served with the freshest ingredients all within minutes of ordering. For every meal purchased at a Malawis Pizza restaurant, a nutrient-dense meal is donated to a child in Malawi, Africa, through its Meal for Meal Exchange Program. There are currently three Malawis Pizza restaurants in the U.S., which have provided more than 767,079 meals to children in need.

Customers can feel good about their decision to dine with us because it supports the fundamental well-being of others, said Corporate CEO and culinary chef, Kent Andersen. We believe in nurturing not only the people of Malawi, but also within our own community. Pizza with a Purpose is more than a marketing tactic, it is part of who we are as a company.

The Malawis restaurant in Fredericksburg will be located at 1 Towne Centre Boulevard and will open in Fall 2016.

Follow Malawis Pizza on Facebook and Twitter for additional information.

SOURCE Malawis Pizza

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Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip Ramps Up Middle East Expansion

New cafes in Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar capitalize on brands popularity throughout region.

January 27, 2017 // Franchising.com // DALLAS - Nestle Toll House Cafes by Chip is continuing its rapid expansion throughout the Middle East, with several cafes recently opened, and under construction, across the region.

On Dec. 18, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed its 10th Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip with its grand opening in the Jeddah Square Center in Jeddah. Another cafe is currently under construction in Riyadh, in anticipation of a March opening.

This month, Al Wazzan Group, the area developer for the brand in Kuwait, will open two new cafes  in the Ahmadi Coop in Al Ahmadi and the 25th February Tower in Kuwait City. Both new cafes are located along busy streets, offer local delivery and feature some of the best cookie cake designs in the world. Along with yet another cafe projected to open in February, Kuwait will become the largest Middle East market for Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip, with 17 locations.

In addition, the popular international franchisor has contracted with the Raiya Group to bring four additional cafes to Iraq over the next three months. In March, a new cafe at Baghdad Mall will celebrate its opening followed closely by another cafe at the 14th Ramadan in the Al Mansour area of Baghdad in June. The Raiya Group intends to expand to the Erbil market in 2017.



This March, another new cafe will open in Doha, Qatar at North Gate Mall.

With these current and projected openings, the Middle East Region will be home to 51 cafes by this summer, up from 30 at the beginning of 2016.

We have made a concerted effort to expand our brand throughout the Middle East, and thanks to our outstanding franchisee partners in the region, our growth is accelerating significantly, said Shawnon Bellah, chief operating officer of Crest Foods, Inc., the franchisor of Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip. Were thrilled to see our cafes spread across Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and we still have plenty of room for continued expansion in these and other nations.

The premium dessert destination concept is built around one of the world's most recognized food brands  Nestle. The popular cafes serve up freshly baked cookies, customized cookie cakes, a wide assortment of freshly baked confections, ice creams, smoothies, cold beverages, premium coffees and savory sandwiches.

For more information about Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip, visit NestleCafe.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check us out on Yelp.

About Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip

Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip is a premiere dessert and bakery cafe offering customers an unrivaled experience through the use of fine ingredients, indulgent creations, distinct flavor profiles, and the rich tradition of the very best Nestle brands. Crest Foods Inc., franchisor of Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip, based in Richardson, Texas, is a premiere restaurant franchisor company. The company currently franchises over 150 bakery cafes in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and the Middle East. The versatile concept has kiosk, in-line mall and street cafe locations. The first cafe opened in 2000. Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazines Franchise 500 for the last 10 consecutive years through 2016. For more information please visit nestlecafe.com.

Nestle, Toll House and associated logos and designs, are trademarks of Societe des Produits Nestle S.A., and used by Crest Foods, Inc. with permission.

SOURCE Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip

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Champion Management

Founder & Principal

O: 972.930.9933

C: 817.675.3499

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The man charged with robbing a Fredericksburg bank earlier this month has served time for similar heists in North Carolina and is suspected of holding up a South Carolina bank just three days before.

Fredericksburg police have charged Michael Shane Satterfield, 48, of Durham, N.C., in the Jan. 12 robbery of the First Citizens Bank in Fredericksburg and the theft of a car from a local 7-Eleven the following day.

The case against Satterfield doesnt end in Fredericksburg, though. Police in several states are still piecing together crimes they believe Satterfield committed before and after the Fredericksburg bank robbery.

Video of bank robbery on 01/09/2017. Contact Det. Lt. Ramsey at (864)206-3320 if you have any information. pic.twitter.com/rLBfPsyf0b  Gaffney Police (@GaffneyPD) January 10, 2017

Satterfield was picked up by police on Jan. 16 in York, S.C., where he remains in jail on charges of being a fugitive, auto theft, larceny and giving false information.

He has a rap sheet a quarter-inch thick, Detective Ron Ramsey with the Gaffney Police Department in South Carolina said in an interview Thursday. Ramsey said Satterfield is a suspect in the Jan. 9 robbery of the First Piedmont Federal Savings & Loan there.

Satterfield was convicted and sentenced to 13 years for robbing three Durham, N.C., banks in 2003, according to U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina records. After his release, Satterfield served another two years in prison for a pair of probation violations tied to illegal drug use.

One probation officer wrote that Satterfield has a chronic addiction problem.

Police suspect the Fredericksburg robbery may be part of a crime spree that started with the Gaffney bank heist.

Surveillance video from about 3:35 on the afternoon of Jan. 9 shows a man drive up to the First Piedmont Federal Savings & Loan in a Dodge Dakota pickup, later determined to have been stolen. The man got out of the truck and went inside the bank, where he showed a teller a note demanding money and said he had a gun.

The man left behind a piece of evidence that may be his undoing, though. While he walked to the bank, he tossed a cigarette butt to the ground.

Ramsey, the Gaffney detective, said police collected DNA from the butt and are waiting to see if it matches Satterfields DNA, which is in a federal database because of his previous bank robbery convictions. Authorities are also trying to collect another DNA sample from Satterfield, but Ramsey said he hasnt cooperated.

There also is clear video from the South Carolina surveillance video of a suspect who looks strikingly similar to the man in the Fredericksburg bank robbery and Satterfields police mug shots.

Three days after the Gaffney bank robbery, a man looking like Satterfield appears on surveillance video at a Hanover County, Va., 7-Eleven.

The man pulls up in a Chrysler Pacifica, which was stolen, according to a Jan. 13 search warrant filed by Fredericksburg Detective Ben Johnson. The man gets out and then steals a Lexus 300 that was left running while the owner went inside the convenience store.

Police allege that Satterfield drove the Lexus SUV to Fredericksburg, where it was picked up by surveillance video at the CVS store next to the First Citizens Bank at Cowans Crossing off U.S. 1 just prior to the Jan. 12 robbery.

That bank was robbed about 4 p.m. by a man who entered the bank, handed the teller a noteI have a gun. All 100s, 50s, 20s, No DYE PACKSand made off with $2,135, according to the search warrant filed by Johnson, who added that the note was written on a receipt connected to the owner of the stolen Lexus.

The following day, Jan. 13, a Ford Escape was stolen from the 7-Eleven on Lafayette Boulevard. Police suspect Satterfield in that theft.

Satterfield was arrested in South Carolina three days after the Fredericksburg bank robbery.

Ramsey noted that a Wachovia bank in Graham, N.C., was robbed during the same time period and said Satterfield is a suspect in that case.

While Satterfield hasnt been charged in the Gaffney bank robbery, the detective said he believes Satterfield is responsible. And Ramsey said his jurisdiction plans to prosecute Satterfield first, because South Carolina has a three strikes law, which could result in a life sentence if Satterfield is convicted.

Were hoping weve put an end to it, he said.
An Alexandria man this week was ordered to serve five years in prison for molesting a little girl who was about 7 years old when the attacks took place in Stafford County several years ago.

Selvin Colindres Mancedo, 35, was convicted in Stafford Circuit Court Monday of aggravated sexual battery and indecent acts. He received a total of 25 years with all but five years suspended. Charges of rape and object sexual penetration were dropped.

Mancedo entered an Alford plea to the charges, meaning that while he doesn't admit guilt, he acknowledges that there was enough evidence for a conviction.

Prosecutor Ryan Frank said he made the deal with Mancedo primarily so that the girl, now 10, would not have to testify in court. He said it took a lot out of her to testify at a preliminary hearing and he didn't want to put her through the ordeal again.

Fairfax authorities were investigating Mancedo regarding the abuse of the same girl there when it was learned that some of the abuse took place in Stafford. Stafford detectives investigated and Mancedo was indicted by a county grand jury in May.

He still has charges pending in Fairfax. Frank said that Mancedo is likely to be deported when he finishes serving his prison sentence.
A trial for a young man accused of shooting a Stafford County deputy last year is in limbo while attorneys debate his competency.

Joshua Anthony Sumter, 18, of Stafford is charged with numerous offenses, including four counts of attempted capital murder and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The charges stem from a June 7 incident during which Deputy Brandon Boyle was shot in the chest, arm, hip and upper thigh. Police believe that the body armor Boyle was wearing prevented a fatal wound to the chest.

At issue during a hearing Thursday in Stafford Circuit Court was a letter from Dr. Elizabeth Wheeler to the court. In the letter dated Jan. 4, Wheeler wrote that she examined Sumter at Central State Hospital in Petersburg and determined that he is currently incompetent to stand trial.

The doctor recommended that Sumter continue inpatient treatment at the mental health facility in an attempt to restore his competency to the point where he can stand trial.

Commonwealths Attorney Eric Olsen disputed the incompetency finding, saying that Sumter was faking the extent of his mental issues. Judge Donald Haddock ordered that Sumter be returned to Central State for now, and another hearing on the matter is set for Feb. 21.

Defense attorney John Spencer said he doesnt understand how Olsen can challenge the findings of a doctor who works for the state. He said it is clear that Sumter is not capable of standing trial at this time.

I want him to stand trial, Spencer said. But I need him to be able to communicate with me and assist in his own defense, something he has not been able to do at this point.

Deputies went to a home on Windsor Ridge Court off Forbes Street in southern Stafford late June 7 following what police said was a call from Sumters mother, who reported that Sumter had broken into a home hed been barred from.

Four deputies entered the home and went upstairs to investigate. They saw a man lying on the floor in an upstairs bedroom and ordered him to show his hands.

Authorities said the man, later identified as Sumter, immediately displayed a gun and starting shooting, striking Boyle.

The suspect got out of the home in the ensuing commotion, but was apprehended about seven hours later at the nearby Thomas Jefferson Place townhouse complex. He has been in custody since then.
Roger Cavendish and his students worry that Germanna will cancel the program if enrollment remains low.

Scott Marsh worked on a farm one summer in the Fauquier County town of Remington. He was fascinated by the stone farm house, which was built in 1810 under the lead of an enslaved stone mason named Hannibal.

Marsh pulled out his phone and showed a picture of the house. He described how the several-thousand-pound stone lintels over the windows would have been placed there by hand and how the walls at the base are 3 feet, 4 inches thick.

Its made of these solid pieces of stone, he said. Its so old and its still standing. It would have taken a really long time to build, because theyd have to cut the stone themselves in the quarry.

Hannibal was the lead mason on homes and churches throughout Culpeper and Fauquier counties, Marsh said.

Its crazy how a man who struggled to spell his name held such talent. In todays world, this talent is extremely rare, Marsh said. His work is a huge inspiration to me to learn the masonry trade.

Marsh, 28, has a full-time job as the manager of Dominos Pizza in Culpeper, where he lives, but he feels drawn to doing something with his hands.

Id love to build my own house someday, he said, scrolling through pictures of brick plantation-style homes that he admires.

So when he learned that Germanna Community College would be offering a four-semester masonry apprenticeship class at its new Caroline Center, he eagerly paid $495 for the first semester.

The class had three students for that initial session, which ran from March to July 2015. Only two signed up for the second semester. Marsh said Germanna told him the class would be cancelled.

This made me very upset, he said. I had dedicated my time and money to learn something that interested me.

He knew one of his regular Dominos customers, Trey Settoe, 22, was interested in masonry, so he invited Settoe to attend and offered to pay for his classes. The two make the hour-and-a-half drive from Culpeper every Tuesday night. The third student, Stacey Howard, is from Caroline.

Instructor Roger Cavendish, who built a handful of high schools and elementary schools in Spotsylvania County with his company, Phoenix Masonry, believes that masonry is not done properly anymore because it is not taught thoroughly.

Nobody teaches vocation anymore, he said.

Locally, Stafford High School and Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center offer vocational classes. Piedmont Vocational School in Culpeper closed about five years ago.

Otherwise, people may need to travel to Richmond or Northern Virginia for this kind of training, said Martha OKeefe, Germannas associate vice president of workforce and community development. We had strong support in Caroline for Germanna to have a physical presence there. By offering this in Caroline, were right where our community is.

The Caroline Center opened in the fall of 2016 with 10 non-credit course offerings. OKeefe said enrollment is small, which she said is typical when a community college opens a new center, but that there is slow growth. There are 15 course offerings this spring semester, which include Microsoft Office, social media for business, business and presentation writing, CPR certification and the masonry apprenticeship program.

Germanna offers HVAC, electrical, plumbing and industrial maintenance apprenticeships at its Fredericksburg location. OKeefe said that contractors have asked them to expand their apprenticeship programs and the masonry apprenticeship is a result of that demand.

All education is important and helpful, but we are seeing a growing emphasis on the trades and industrial skills, she said. There is tremendous career growth potential. Students can start at an entry level in these fields and essentially in many cases the skys the limit.

Cavendish said he thinks vocational training is necessary because on-the-job masonry training is usually insufficient. Often, whoever is doing the teaching never learned properly in the first place, he said.

Ive seen workmanship change during my career, he said. Now people only care about how fast the wall goes up. I see a lot of what I call roamin bond, where the mortar joints arent lined up and they roam all over the wall.

On the first day of most masonry classes, Cavendish said, students build brick pyramids using trowels, levels and rulers. In his class, they start by laying block, learning to spread mortar and maintain the proper 3/8-inch joint between blocks and bricks. They build a wall of blocks, then tear that down except for the bottom two rowsor coursesand build a wall of bricks four feet high and 10 feet long.

After they have completed their walls satisfactorily, then and only then will they get their levels and rulers, Cavendish said. This way his apprentice masons learn not to rely on tools to keep their joints even but on the length and proper placement of the bricks.

Learn the material first, Cavendish said.

He said that the best brick masons could go to work in tuxedos and not get them dirty.

No wasted motions, he said.

On a recent Tuesday night, the students were working on their walls, which were in a running-bond patternbricks laid end-to-end with the long side facing outaccented with offset brick diamonds every few feet. Later in the apprenticeship, they will build double-thick walls and learn different bond patterns such as English, Flemish, stacked, soldier and sailor. Then theyll learn how to install paving brick and stone, read architectural blueprints, write estimates and bid on jobs.

Settoe, who already works as a mason for his uncle, said he likes that the class is teaching him proper masonry technique. He likes the continuous, rhythmic movement of laying brick and smoothing mortar.

I like to work and stay moving constantly, he said. Its not like its easy. Youve just kind of got to want to do it.

I like the stone aspect, too, it feels more creative, he continued.

He said that no one else his age is interested in masonry as a career.

Marsh agrees.

A lot of kids today dont want to use their hands, he said. They want to be doctors, lawyers, dentists. They want to get a degree and get a lot of student debt.

He feels that completing the apprenticeship will guarantee him a job should he choose to move on from the pizza restaurant.

Howard, 40, also sees the career potential in the program. He owns a lawn care service, Picture of Perfection, and would like to expand what he can do for his clients.

With HGTV, everyone wants to add outdoor spaces, fire pits, grills, he said. I could do patios, brick walls, retaining walls. I just want to add another dimension to my work. I see so much potential in this.

Cavendish sends pictures of the students work to the businesses that donated the work space and the materials and equipment used in class. Hes heard lots of praise and encouragement.

Nice, you tell them we are hiring, wrote Melvin Hinton of Lynchburgs MH Masonry, which provided the tools.

Keep them moving forward ... trades need to come back to VA. Thanks for the photos and your dedication to your trade, wrote architect William Gaspar of Moseley Architects, which donated the blueprints.

Cavendish and his students worry that Germanna will cancel the program if enrollment remains low. The work space has room for at least 14 students.

At this time we anticipate students will be able to continue on to complete the program, OKeefe said.

But she said new students are welcome to join the class.

Please give us a call, wed love to talk about it, she said.
The renovation of Fredericksburg's Original WalkerGrant School is on schedule, with the first phase set to be completed by Feb. 17.

Head Start students, teachers and staff will then move into the revamped section so the second phase of work can be completed by Aug. 31.

Were planning a soft opening late this summer, probably in September, with a grand opening in October, said John Gordon III, director of administrative services for Fredericksburg City Public Schools. Well open it to the public on a Saturday to give tours.

The Fredericksburg School Board awarded a $12.5 million contract in 2015 to First ChoicePublic Private Partners to update the nearly 80-year-old building, which is being renamed the WalkerGrant Center. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved funds for work that wasnt in the contract.

This included $120,000 for Downey & Scott LLC to oversee the renovation, and $64,000 to cover the cost of moving the school systems central office from 817 Princess Anne St. and some staff in the Executive Plaza building at 601 Caroline St. to the WalkerGrant Center, as well as unexpected expenses such as data wiring.

The money was in the nearly $1.18 million left in the school operating fund from fiscal year 2016 that the council appropriated Tuesday for the Original WalkerGrant project and other school system expenses. The rest was earmarked for such things as textbooks, professional development and student data management.

Besides Head Start, OWG houses Early Childhood Special Education Services and the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Renovations include remodeling 14 classrooms so each has its own sink and bathroom as well as an ActivWall, an interactive widescreen where teachers and students can work on lessons and collaborate.

Think of it as a larger smart board that has 16 individual components to allow 16 students to work on it, Gordon said. Im really excited about that. It will open up ways to teach.

Other upgrades include a new heating and air-conditioning system, roof, windows, plumbing, fire-alarm system, lighting, fiber optics, flooring, a second elevator and a sprinkler system.

It will be a completely new building with a new entryway, Gordon said. Its no longer Original WalkerGrant, its the WalkerGrant Center, and the address has changed from 200 Gunnery Road to 210 Ferdinand St.

The building dates back to 1938, when it housed Walker-Grant High School, the citys first publicly supported black high school. After city schools were desegregated in 1968, it was used as a middle school until a new middle school was built in 1988.

Memorabilia from the WalkerGrant Alumni Association will be displayed in four cases throughout the building on a rotating basis every 90 days.

We want to make sure we preserve a lot of the memorabilia and traditions, Gordon said. Theyll be organized by decades.

The central office building, which was built in 1910 as Wallace Library, will be turned over to the city.
Officials at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk were still searching Thursday for a missing red panda.

The zoo said in a Facebook post Thursday evening that after a thorough search was conducted, we have reason to believe Sunny might still be on zoo grounds.

Newport News sheriff's deputy Tommy Blyth told The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/2jbIECD ) on Thursday that search dogs haven't given any indication that Sunny has left zoo property.

About 40 members of the community teamed up with zoo staff to search surrounding neighborhoods Thursday, and a Newport News K-9 unit assisted as well. Zoo staff planned to set traps with grapes and bamboo to try to lure Sunny back.

Zoo spokeswoman Ashley Grove Mars said Sunny, a 19-month-old red panda, was in her habitat Monday evening but could not be found Tuesday morning.

Virginia Zoo executive director Greg Bockheim said amorous instincts may be at the root of Sunnys disappearance.

This is panda breeding season, so the animals become a bit more agitated, Bockheim told The Virginian-Pilot. The night it did get out, it may have been on a slippery branch, the male pursing the female in a courtship.

The zoo received about 20 calls of possible sightings by Wednesday night, but all turned out to be raccoons.

Red pandas are tree-dwelling animals with markings similar to a raccoon. They are native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.

The Norfolk Police Department has provided a geothermal camera to zoo staff to help locate Sunny.

The zoo urges anyone who spots Sunny to not try to touch, feed or capture the animal. Instead, people should immediately call the Virginia Zoo hotline at (757) 777-7899.

Sunny is not the first red panda to escape from the Virginia Zoo.

According to the Pilot, a 1-year-old red panda named Yin escaped the enclosure, which features mature trees and a low wall, on the day of her debut at the zoo in 2007.

In 2013, a male red panda named Rusty escaped from the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington. The animal was found was later found in a nearby neighborhood.
IN ACCORDANCE with his promises to shrink the size of the government through attrition, President Trump announced a federal hiring freeze this week.

This is red meat to his base, which has fervently argued that limited government is better and more effective. This administration may be the first to deliver on that idea, with some potential Cabinet appointees having a history of being publicly opposed to the mission of the agencies they have been selected to run, and now this across-the-board halt to all new and existing government jobs, exempting only national security, public safety and the military.

Never mind that federal employment is at record lows. Never mind that the last two times a president froze government hiring, it actually ended up costing more money. When I heard of the plan to freeze federal hiring, however, all I could think about was how bad this decision will be for veterans.

Im a veteran and a former government employee. Ive worked at several federal agencies, most recently at the Veterans Benefits Administration, the nonmedical side of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Before my time as a government employee, I bought into the idea that the problem with government work was people who didnt want to work hard. But outside of military service, the hardest I have ever worked was at the VA. Mandatory overtime, production quotas and hours of continuing educationand all for less money than I made as a secretary working in the private sector.

My memories are of halls filled with racks of folders and less than 200 co-workers to process hundreds of thousands of claims. There simply werent enough new workers coming in to replace those who left for other jobs, illness or retirement. I was one of the people who left early, too, after the stress began giving me migraines.

The argument for small government ignores the real need for enough employees to serve the population. You cant serve 21.8 million veterans with 340,000 employees and expect anything but long wait times and subpar access to care. You cant starve an agency of resources for decades and not expect significant problems. No agency should better understand what is at stake here: After devastating investigative reports, a 2014 VA internal audit showed that tens of thousands of veterans home from war had to wait at least 90 days for medical care. The VA acknowledged 23 deaths due to delayed care, and in 2014, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the agency.

Yet as recently as 2015, some VA hospitals were facing staffing shortages that left as many as half of the critical positions open. Currently, 4,308 jobs are listed as open at the VA. More than 1,100 of those listings are for physicians; 1,185 are for nurses from licensed practical nurses to nurse practitioners. Another 284 are for positions that have direct contact with veterans to help them access benefits. Shrink that number of employees any further, and the two-year backlog that is just now being conquered may return.

And veterans wont just lose out on decent services thanks to this hiring freeze; theyll also lose out on jobs. About one-third of civilian federal employees are veterans, thanks in part to the preference given to qualified veterans in government hiring, and out-of-work veterans will be hit particularly hard by this measure.

The VA isnt the only agency that will be hit by this freeze. Many agencies that directly work with vulnerable populations, including the Social Security Administration, are also woefully understaffed. Despite false claims that the government workforce has undergone a dramatic expansion, the federal workforce is incredibly small relative to the expanding U.S. population. If 2.7 million employees sounds like a lot, remember that the population was just shy of 319 million people in 2014. Our current federal government staffing levels are akin to going to the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving and finding two registers open. Thats why it takes so long for benefits claims to be processed, why getting a passport can take months, why Internal Revenue Service refunds are being delayed until mid-February, because budget cuts were already limiting staff replacement. Despite the ongoing narrative of lazy/greedy government workers, the reality is that any industry doesnt function well if it doesnt have enough people.

Meanwhile, the mantra of smaller government wont save taxpayers any money. It wont make life any easier or improve access to services. All it will do is make life harder for federal employees and for the populations they serve, including veterans, whose very lives depend on functional government. Its not smaller government that America needs right now. Its an effective, compassionate one.

Mikki Kendall is a writer based in Chicago. She wrote this for The Washington Post.
Wounded Marine owed thanks for his service

Recently, I met Marine Cpl. Ronny Porta as he was on his way from Dulles International Airport to Peru to visit his grandfather.

He was traveling by himself (hes married with a son and a daughter on the way), and we helped him through security and out to his gate. Ronny was badly injured in an IED blast in Iraq in 2007. He lost his right arm, several fingers on his left hand, and was burned over 80 percent of his body.

He has had 128 surgeries, but his spirit is huge! He named his son Kenneth Charles, in honor of two Marine buddies killed in the blast.

Ronny will face future challenges, but he is super optimistic and I suspect he will make the most of his life. It was humbling for me, but I am truly impressed that we have such wonderful warriors taking care of all of us, particularly like this Marine who has sacrificed so much.

I found a 2013 USA Today article about Ronny titled, Disfigured veteran deals with disrespect at home. It contained a story about a man who approached Ronny in a Home Depot asking if he was in a car accident.

Ronny, wearing a Marine sweatshirt, responded he was in an IED explosion in Iraq. The man asked, Was it worth it? What a cruel thing to say to a battle-scarred warrior.

The article also mentioned former Marine Corps Commandant James Amos who got to know Ronny as he recovered. Gen. Amos was quoted: I just ask Americans to stop and pause after they make their first stare, and automatically default to, Thats a young man who has suffered. And I ought to go up and say thanks and just put my arm around him. 

Thats great advice for all of us to live by.

John Dupras

Stafford
Ko and her research team conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in 2013 over a three-month period, from August to October. Data was collected on 193 Korean-American patients, ages 50-75, residing in the Seattle area. Participants completed an in-person, self-administered survey.

The findings, published last December in the open-access journal BMC Cancer, showed that one-third of the participants surveyed reported traveling to South Korea for medical care. Those who engaged in medical tourism had 8.91 greater odds of being up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening compared to those who did not travel for health care. Medical tourism, therefore, emerged as the strongest predictor of colorectal cancer screening.

Health care providers may want to take the time to assess medical tourism, especially when screening tests show positive results and treatment with the U.S. oncologist becomes critical, Ko said.

Colorectal cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Korean Americans in part due to low screening rates, according to the study. Prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer through the use of screening tests have resulted in better prognosis and longer survival and reduced disease incidence and mortality, the researchers wrote.

Public health professionals may want to discuss with those engaging in medical tourism about the importance of timely care and the negative consequences of delayed care with medical tourism, as well as finding a health care provider in the U.S. to receive continuous cancer care in the U.S. if screening tests show positive results, Ko said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Development Funds supported this work.

Fred Hutch colleagues Dr. Victoria Taylor, Jihye Yoon, and Wade Copeland also contributed to the study, as did UW Medicine gastroenterologists Dr. John Inadomi and Dr. Joo Ha Hwang. Dr. Eun Jeong Lee was a key contributing community partner from the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging.

Heres additional information about the medical tourism study from the Fred Hutch Health Communication Research Center.

 Adapted from a University of Washington School of Public Health news release
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Winter has certainly arrived in the north of Scotland. Temperatures have dropped and we have even had snow, which lasted long enough for some sledging with the kids.

Thankfully scanning of our stud ewes took place indoors, as there was a blizzard outside. By the time we were done it was smiles all round, with low barren rates and decent lamb numbers throughout.

See also: Read more from the Livestock Farmer Focus writers

Four years ago we decided to get involved with Innovis breeding sheep and became Scottish breeding partners for its Aberfields.

Going down this route was a big decision for us and we have invested both money and time to get the flock to where it is now  with 228 one-crop ewes and gimmers due to lamb this spring along with 2016-born ewe lambs.

Now that the embryo transfer stage of this flocks development is over, we can focus on building numbers up from within the flock, culling hard while breeding something the market wants.

Doubts

As always with a change of direction in a breeding flock, or in any business for that matter, there is doubt about whether you have made the right decision.

Any doubts I had were well and truly kicked into touch once the scan results had been analysed.

Our one-crop ewes and gimmers achieved 200% with 1.75% empty, with single-sire mating for the first 21 days of a 34-day mating period. These are the type of results that can make a big difference to our farm profitability.

Texels also did well, with 184% and 2.7% barren, while NZ Suffolks came in at 167% and 4.6% barren. This was a little disappointing, but we had an issue with one of the rams halfway through the first cycle, so that may explain things a little.

Further scanning will take place throughout January and February. Fingers crossed the results continue to please.

Forage crops are now being used and fodder beet is certainly delivering so far. It has been a mild winter, though and I would like to see how it performs in a winter with harder frosts.

Sheep wintering options

We are hosting a Quality Meat Scotland meeting on Valentines Day to look at options for sheep wintering. Anyone who loves sheep is more than welcome to come along. Keep an eye on the press for details.

As many of you know, its important to keep looking for ways to improve what you do. With that in mind I have booked my study tour to New Zealand in June.

I plan to look at various different farming systems while studying different species of animal. I hear there may be some Lions on the prowl at that time of year?

John and Fiona Scott farm 200 suckler cows, 4,500 breeding ewes as well as some crops across 2,226ha. He also has two contract farming operations and generates energy from a small-scale wind turbine and biomass boiler.
WHATS UP The Cherokee County Literacy Association is having a hot dog sale fundraiser on November 12 at 11:00 a.m.2:00 p.m. in the office parking lot at 409 Buford Street. Plates for...

Blacksburg town employees to get bonus of $175 Blacksburg town employees were rewarded for their work Tuesday with a little extra in their holiday bonuses. Blacksburg Town Council unanimously agreed to give most full-time and part-time employees an...

In this region, no one fights alone Traditional rivals Landrum and Liberty presented a $4,700 check at Fridays Blacksburg game from a competitive fundraiser to celebrate Pink Out Week. Students competed to see which school could raise...

Pet Obituary Cameo CamiWard 7/27/2004  10/29/2022

Cameo chose her forever family by walking into their yard June 2006. She loved her cat proof backyard, window and screen porch. Cameo for many years played hide and go...
July 9, 1938  Jan. 18, 2017

Born to Ila Mae and John Coaster Putman in a company wood mill town in Pine Valley, Oklahoma on July 9, 1938, Edward Putman was the second child and first son. The family later moved to Susanville, California for work, but they moved to Hayward, California when World War II started so that his father, a carpenter, could work on the naval hospital in Oakland. Ed lived in Hayward for the rest of his childhood and met his future wife, Nedra Calvin, in high school.

Ed and Nedra were married on Feb. 7, 1957. He joined the Navy after high school and was stationed on the carrier Philippine Sea in the South Pacific. Their first son Mark was born on Nov. 19, 1957 while he was serving there. When Ed was discharged from the Navy, he went to work at the Morton Salt Company as a warehouseman. On Nov. 27, 1961, his daughter Charlotte was born.

In the fall of 1962 he and his family moved to Bozeman, Montana to attend Montana State University. He worked in the summers and graduated in 1966. He was accepted to Oregon State Universitys masters program in education. On Sept. 24, 1966, their second son Steven was born.

In 1967, Ed accepted his first teaching position in Klamath Falls, teaching industrial arts in woodworking. He then purchased an older two-story home which he continued to remodel during the 9 years they lived there. He was always busy working every summer off from school and eventually started a construction company with his longtime partner Bob Bastian. He was always in demand for making handmade furniture projects, including a new wooden alter for the First Methodist Church. He also served as president of the local Oregon Teachers Education Association during challenging contract negotiations in 1972.

The Putman and Bastian Construction Company built the Putman family dream home in the summer of 1976. Friends and family joined in the building as well. The following year, they built the Bastian dream home. They worked on each others' homes at the bargain rate of $5 an hour.

Ed taught for 9 years at Mazama Mid High School and the rest of his career at Klamath Union High School. All three of his children graduated from KUHS. In 1994, they built their next home in town on Klamath Lake. Ed and Nedra lived there for six years, but started looking for a building lot in Corvallis for their retirement years.

He retired from teaching in 1997 after 30 years.

After commuting from Klamath Falls to Corvallis for more than a year during construction, Ed and Nedra moved into their current home in January 2000.

Once in Corvallis, Ed and Nedra discovered the Habitat for Humanity store in Albany. That started Ed on his last journey in a job he dearly loved, filled with the love and joy of great friendships. He, Brad Smith, and Marg Dennis opened the first Habitat Corvallis store on 9th Street in 2003. The store was a great success and, in 2012, moved to their current Philomath Boulevard location. He was asked to do many different jobs, but he stuck with and liked his sales and cashiers duties best, working faithfully every week, even to the end.

His daughter Charlotte moved to Corvallis from Alaska in 2013, putting her dad Ed in charge of all her property building projects. He involved all his grandkids and took great pleasure in teaching them carpentry and building skills.

He leaves his wife Nedra; sons Mark and wife Karen from Helena, Montana, Steven and wife Jody from Fremont, California; daughter Charlotte Gardner from Corvallis; and grandchildren Stephanie, Aaron, Shelby, Taylor, Jordan, Lilly, Cole, Grant, Morgan, Emma, Hannah, and Hunter. He is survived by eight brothers and sisters; and extended family.

A celebration of Eds life will be held in the spring with the date to be announced.

Please leave your memories and condolences for the family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.
 ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.

 RASPBERRY (razbere) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.

We hereby deliver:

 ROSES to a clever concert surprise cooked up by the overlords at the Corvallis Youth Symphony Association.

The symphony, made up of talented high school players from around the mid-valley, chose to perform a concert featuring so-called "pops" music as part of its annual fundraising event. On the program was a selection of music from the "Star Wars" films.

What the players in the symphony didn't know (and we'll never understand how this was kept under wraps) was that symphony organizers had contacted the Portland-based Cloud City Garrison, a "Star Wars" costuming organization that last year made an appearance at Albany's Christmas Storybook Land.

So, as symphony conductor George Thomson led the players into the first few notes of the "Imperial March," the actor playing Darth Vader appeared on stage, appropriated the baton from Thomson, and led the delighted young players in performing the familiar John Williams tune.

"That was a lot of fun," Thomson said. "And it was great to see the surprise from the students."

 Speaking of the Youth Symphony concert, a reader awarded RASPBERRIES to the Gazette-Times for its preview story about the event. The story made a crack about how "pops" music such as the "Star Wars" theme can be easier to play than the classical selections the symphony usually performs.

Untrue (and unfair), the reader wrote: "A lot of film music is every bit as original and complicated as any of that of the classical masters that we hear from most concert orchestras. Furthermore, the soundtrack orchestras are consummate professionals, who must perform music theyve never seen before without rehearsal and do it in full synchronization with the film, even as the composer may be changing the music on the fly."

Point taken. Just don't send Lord Vader to argue the case in person.

 ROSES to members of the Z Club at Corvallis High School for their work to spread an always-timely message: In November, members of the club wrote messages on 22 T-shirts to spotlight the issue of violence against women. It's part of the national Clothesline Project, which started back in 1990. The idea is to educate, break the silence and bear witness to the issue of violence against women. You can see the T-shirts in the window at the downtown Corvallis Footwise store through Feb. 6.

 RASPBERRIES to President Donald Trump, for continuing to spread incorrect information about voter fraud in the United States. Trump again this week repeated his claim that he would have won the popular vote (Hillary Clinton drew nearly 3 million more votes than did Trump) were it not for millions of people, maybe as many as 5 million, voting illegally. As before, he offered no evidence to back up the claim.

There's a reason for that: As we explained in an editorial a few weeks ago, there isn't any. There is not a shred of evidence to support claims of voting fraud anywhere near the level that Trump believes occurred. In fact, if voting fraud anywhere on that scale actually had occurred, it could call into question the entire election.

But, again, let's be clear: It didn't.

We continue to be baffled by Trump's continuing insistence that this occurred, especially without any collaborating evidence, for this reason: In the only voting total that really mattered, the Electoral College, Trump won easily, with 306 votes.

Trump called for a major investigation into potential voting fraud. Fine. We just have one question: When that investigation is finished, will Trump believe the conclusion? (mm)
Mehlem canal work : B9 one lane in both directions

MEHLEM Canal work at the B9 in Mehlem is causing some road closures, making it a bit messy for motorists. Some relief is expected in a week when urgent repairs are completed.

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Motorists needed a lot of patience on Thursday morning on the B9 in Mehlem. And the city bureau of engineering cant promise it will get any better in the coming days. The reason is canal work on Koblenzer and Drachenburgstrae. The city had announced some days ago that there would be construction areas set up around the Mehlem train station. Head of the bureau, Peter Esch said the work had been delayed due to the permanent frost.

Both directions of Mainzer and Remagener Strae (B9) will be only one lane in the vicinity of the Mehlem train station, even if the work is taking place underground. Making it difficult for drivers, no left turn is allowed from Remagener Strae onto Drachenburgstrae. This unfortunately can not be prevented because two shafts are in danger of collapsing and for the sake of security, they must be urgently renewed, explained Esch. This work will take approximately one week and then Esch is hoping the traffic situation will relax a little.

What this means for drivers: Coming from Remagen on the B9, the right lane going straight ahead is closed, and the left turn lane to Drachenburgstrae is also blocked off. Coming from Bonn, drivers also have only one lane, but are allowed to turn left to Mehlem or make a right to the train station.
Wachtberg Chamber Orchestra : Benefit concert to help education project in Nigeria

Bonn/Wachtberg A priest who once studied in Bonn is back in Nigeria running an education center. He is supported by an association in Bonn called Enyiduru. It will be holding a benefit concert next weekend.

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Education is liberation. This is the phrase used by the Bonn association Enyiduru Project Nigeria in their promotion for an education project in Nigeria. To mark the 20-year anniversary of the project, the Wachtberg Chamber Orchestra will give a benefit concert on Saturday, February 4 at 5 pm in the Bonn Luther Church.

The word Enyiduru refers to special characteristics of elephants such as wisdom, strength and longevity. The organization was founded in 1996 by Lioba Brockamp and Birgitta Schneider, and it supports cleric Boniface Amu who studied in Bonn, and then established an education center in Nsukka in Nigeria. The goal is to help fight bitter poverty caused by lack of education.

Birgitta Schneider spent the last three months in Nsukka and reported on progress that had been made there; a large education center for children and adults - even with a drinking water supply. Around 400 school children visit the center and receive a warm meal there three times a week. Brockamp says this is an important feature because kids often come hungry to classes. Up to now, just about one million euros has been raised and invested in the project.
Drachenfels in Konigswinter : Donkey trail closed for at least a year

KONIGSWINTER The rock below the Drachenfels ruins is cracked and there is an acute danger of stone breaking off. As a result, authorities closed off the donkey trail between the plateau and the Drachenfels ruins on Thursday - probably for at least one year.

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At a press conference in the Konigswinter city hall on Thursday, Udo Kotzea, department head of the Cologne district government explained the problem.

Its not the entire Drachenfels that is unstable, he said. But the rock just below the ruins is so cracked and fissured that there is a risk rock fragments will break off and land on the popular donkey trail below. For this reason, we have had to react immediately and close off the popular Eselsweg (donkey trail), said Kotzea.

It is expected to remain blocked off for at least one year. When safety measures have been completed, the trail will be open again to the public. The damage only became noticeable recently, according to the district authorities. The rock had been overgrown with ivy, and only after the ivy died could one see the poor condition of the rock. According to Thomas Metz of the district government, neither the cost nor the method for securing the area has been determined.

Nets dont work at this particular site, said Metz. They are thinking about somehow bolting it together but if necessary, some chunks of rock would have to be removed. Although the area of danger is of a relatively manageable size, the entire upper donkey trail between the Drachenburg castle and the Drachenfels plateau must be closed, reported Metz.

The trail reopened at Easter of 2014 after having been closed for three years. Authorities say that back then, a sign alone did not suffice to keep people out so they have put up a sturdy gridded fence. Hans Peter Lindlar, head of the association that owns the terrain around the plateau said it is important to clarify that The castle ruins and the plateau are not affected by the barrier. Three other trails continue to lead to the mountain peak and there will be signs posted: from the middle station either over the Kutschenweg or directly at the Burghof over the meadow.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
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Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
bayonel3 at 27-01-2017 10:19 AM (5 years ago) (m)

Nigerias Post-Master General, Adebisi Adegbuyi has said that a lot of students in the country fail English Language because of the usage of social media. He was speaking during the presentation of award to winners of the 2016 Letter Writing Competitions, organized in Plateau. Adegbuyi stated that students were used to communicating with short codes on their phones and it had become a part of them.

Nigerias Post-Master General, Adebisi Adegbuyi has said that a lot of students in the country fail English Language because of the usage of social media. He was speaking during the presentation of award to winners of the 2016 Letter Writing Competitions, organized in Plateau. Adegbuyi stated that students were used to communicating with short codes on their phones and it had become a part of them. It is worrisome that students cannot spell words correctly; they are more used to short codes and symbols they use in sending Short Message Service (SMS) on their mobile phones, Adegbuyi said. He added: The students send messages through social media platforms like the WhatsApp, BBM, and SMS using short-codes and symbols; when they are faced with spelling the full word, they find it very difficult. Adegbuyi was represented by Omo Emmanuel, the Assistant Post-Master General (Marketing).

He also advised the students to continually write letters and improve their grammar Adegbuyi said. He added:Adegbuyi was represented by Omo Emmanuel, the Assistant Post-Master General (Marketing).He also advised the students to continually write letters and improve their grammar

Post Reply I scour the world wide web to bring you interesting stories from around the globe. +2348055557203 Posted: at 27-01-2017 10:19 AM (5 years ago) | Hero
clarajancita at 27-01-2017 11:47 AM (5 years ago) (f)

A Kenyan Gay man who was tired of hiding his segxwal life has eloped to Sweden and married a man. A Kenyan man, Eric Wangai has begged his family after he eloped to Sweden and married another man early December 2016.

A Kenyan Gay man who was tired of hiding his segxwal life has eloped to Sweden and married a man. A Kenyan man, Eric Wangai has begged his family after he eloped to Sweden and married another man early December 2016.

According to Ghafla Kenya, a family member revealed that Ricky (his nickname) has been a gay for long but always managed to hide under the umbrella of having girlfriends hence not blowing up his cover. Eventually he got tired of living a lie and came out of the closet revealing his true colours to his family and friends. His mother was devastated and would cry and pray for him while his dad threatened to curse him if he wouldnt change.



According to Ghafla Kenya, a family member revealed that Ricky (his nickname) has been a gay for long but always managed to hide under the umbrella of having girlfriends hence not blowing up his cover. Eventually he got tired of living a lie and came out of the closet revealing his true colours to his family and friends. His mother was devastated and would cry and pray for him while his dad threatened to curse him if he wouldnt change. Quote We even thought he was possessed with demons he added. It was gathered that Ricky has always been attracted to men since childhood but the attraction became unbearable when he was in Form 2 aged 16 yrs. He knew his family could not be okay with his status so he had no otherwise but to act normal although not for long. Minorities like Ricky end up running away from their homes and society for fear of wrath from friends, family & society.



At a tender age Ricky could get attracted to boys even romantically and he did not see anything wrong at all. At some point in his life he faced a lot of challenges from society due to his status. He got ignored and isolated and even rejected by religious groups especially the Rastafarians with whom he subscribed to.



He finally met this Swedish guy whom accepted him and loved him, and treated him with respect that he felt reborn. There was no need to hide anymore and so the first thing he did was to break up with his longtime girlfriend whom he had been seeing for over 5 years.



he added. It was gathered that Ricky has always been attracted to men since childhood but the attraction became unbearable when he was in Form 2 aged 16 yrs. He knew his family could not be okay with his status so he had no otherwise but to act normal although not for long. Minorities like Ricky end up running away from their homes and society for fear of wrath from friends, family & society.At a tender age Ricky could get attracted to boys even romantically and he did not see anything wrong at all. At some point in his life he faced a lot of challenges from society due to his status. He got ignored and isolated and even rejected by religious groups especially the Rastafarians with whom he subscribed to.He finally met this Swedish guy whom accepted him and loved him, and treated him with respect that he felt reborn. There was no need to hide anymore and so the first thing he did was to break up with his longtime girlfriend whom he had been seeing for over 5 years. Quote Of course she felt betrayed and devastated but the decision had to be made Ricky said when we called him up. Actually By I coming out I have lost many friends, lost family, lost freedom, lost social gatherings and some good opportunities but fortunately I have gained myself I have given out my shadow identity and I have gained my real identity, have gained peace true love, gained power to myself and I know I will liberate many, my soul is full of peace, joy and strength and its all courtesy of this man He further said.



Unfortunately he will be keeping this man private for a while.he just wants him to himself. He further said.Unfortunately he will be keeping this man private for a while.he just wants him to himself.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 27-01-2017 11:47 AM (5 years ago) | Hero
After Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi now plans to announce smart TVs, smart watches & more in India this year News oi -Sneha Xiaomi plans to announce smart TVs & more in India this year.

The Chinese smartphone vendor - Xiaomi has been in news for quite some time now. Whether it's about the company's investments, the recently launched Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, or the exit of the company VP Hugo Barra. Well, now the fresh reports are such that Xiaomi is all geared up to expand its product portfolio and increase its market share in India.

After Hugo Barra quits, the smartphone space believed that Xiaomi might face a tough challenge to retain its market position, however, proving it wrong, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer without taking a step backward is looking forward to the road ahead and claims that 2017 will the most 'competitive year' for the company.

Sketching the roadmap, Xiaomi is expected to expand its portfolio in India in the upcoming days, and the company might achieve so by venturing into new categories like smart televisions, smart watches and much more. Not only that, the company can also unveil a blood pressure monitor as well, considering the rising BP patients in India this year.

SEE ALSO: Hugo Barra joins Facebook to lead its Virtual Reality team as VP

Xiaomi recently unveiled the Redmi Note 4, which gained wide popularity in India. The Chinese smartphone vendor is expected to kick off the seconds round of sale for the Redmi Note 4 on January 30.

Well, now it will be interesting to watch on how Xiaomi will achieve these goals.

Best Mobiles in India
Sublime display

According to Evan, the Galaxy S8 could come in two size variants - one with 5.8-inch and a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED QHD display with an 83% screen-to-body ratio and 18:5:9 aspect ratio. Also, he suggests that the device will come with a pressure sensitive screen akin to the 3D Touch feature seen on Apple's iPhone 6s.

He further claims that Samsung will finally do away with the physical home button and the fingerprint scanner will find a new place for itself on the back (evident in the leaked image).

Hardware: best in the industry

As is the case with all the smartphones, Samsung's Galaxy S8 will see an upgrade in hardware. It is believed to come equipped with the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chipset (an equally capable Exynos chipset for markets other than the US).

As cited on GSMArena, the smartphone could pack a colossal 8GB of RAM. Although likely, we don't believe that Samsung would launch a smartphone with such huge amounts of RAM anytime soon. So, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, if not 6GB of RAM is still a safe bet. That said, it'd be interesting to see if Samsung will include 8GB of RAM which will make it the second phone (after the Asus ZenFone AR) to pack such amounts of RAM. (But, why on Earth one would need a phone with 8GB of RAM? Read this to find out). The smartphone will also have a microSD card slot support to bump the native 64GB (or 128GB) storage up to 256GB.

In terms of overall performance, the Galaxy S8 will be 11% faster than its predecessor, 23% faster graphics processing, and 20% more energy efficient. This bump in energy efficiency is certainly more important than anything else since the 5.8-inch handset is believed to pack a 3,000mAh battery and the 6.2-inch device is expected to draw fuel from a 3,500mAh battery.

Camera department should receive an upgrade

The imaging department will also see a few changes. For instance, the front camera is believed to receive a bump to 8MP with f/1.7 aperture as opposed to the 5MP sensor on its predecessor. Also, it is expected to offer support for iris-scanning. The megapixel count of the primary camera, though is expected to remain the same. However, it should bring along a few camera enhancements.

Another rumor surrounding the Galaxy S8 is that it will debut an all-new DeX software system (akin to Microsoft's Continuum). Samsung is also expected to debut the much-rumored Bixby, the AI-based voice assistant to compete with the likes of Apple's Siri and the search engine giant's Google Assistant.

Get ready to sell a kidney

Regarding the launch details, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to be launched on March 29th in New York City. The 5.8-inch variant is expected to be priced at USD 799 (approximately Rs. 58,200) and the 6.2-inch model will bear a price tag of USD 899 (approximately Rs. 65,480).

Our opinion

For a moment, let's just assume that Samsung announces the Galaxy S8 with the above specs. How will it stack up against the current flagship smartphones or the upcoming models this year?

Well, one thing is sure. If the South Korean giant manages to out the Galaxy S8 with these rumored specs and features, there's no denying that the handset will kick the company's smartphone legacy up a notch.

Moreover, Samsung is believed to be hoarding the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset supply. As a result, other smartphone vendors will have to wait for a while until they get their hands on the chipset. For instance, LG is expected to launch its next flagship, the LG G6 with the Snapdragon 821 (instead of the Snapdragon 835 SoC) due to supply issues.

This way, from a business point of view, we must say Samsung should have the upper hand over other brands at least for a while. Why? Technically speaking, both the Snapdragon 835 and Snapdragon 821 are top-of-the-line SoCs. Although the former is slightly better, there won't be a huge difference between the two. But again, if one has to choose between smartphones with these chipsets, especially if both of them are priced closely, everyone would choose the latest one.

If the official pricing is anywhere near the rumored price, the Galaxy S8 will certainly be Rs. 10,000 more costlier than its predecessor. Is such an increase in the price justifiable? Well, only time will tell us. Until then keep looking at this space for more information.
Apple shipped 2.5 million iPhones in India last year, followed by Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi and Lenovo News oi -Sneha Apple ships 2.5 million iPhones in 2016.

Apple has been going through rough waters for a quite a few years now. However, it looks like the struggle is now over, as a report by the Counterpoint research data suggests that Apple sold 2.5 million units in India last year, which is way more as compared to the past few years. The credit for the rise in sale apparently goes to iPhone 7.

According to what the reports reveal, Q4 of 2016 shows that Apple did attain 62% of the premium smartphone shipments in India, followed by Samsung capturing just 24% and then comes Vivo with 10%, and Xiaomi and Lenovo with 9% each.

In the past few years, Apple struggled to make much progress in the Indian smartphone space. The key reason behind the challenge was the high price tag of the iPhones. That being the reason, Tim Cook visited India early last year, and showed interest in manufacturing iPhones locally, in order to cut down on the price and making it available at a much lower cost.

On Apple's manufacturing unit to be up in Bangalore, the latest report suggests that the Apple will set up its manufacturing unit at Bengaluru and start manufacturing iPhone locally, beginning April. Hence, after the local manufacturing starts, predictions are such that Apple may further improve its sales in India.

SEE ALSO: Why Apple wants to manufacture iPhones in India

Furthermore, Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron is prepping up to set up a plant at Peenya in Bangalore to manufacture or assemble iPhones. However, Tim Cook headed company hasn't commented anything on the same as of now.

Moving ahead, reports further claim that Apple's first official Indian manufacturer could be put to work on 2017 iPhone models and hence the company might skip the previously launched handsets.

Best Mobiles in India
Motorola is betting heavily on Moto Mods News oi -Prajith Motorola may unveil a Moto Mod every month going forward.

At a time when smartphones seemed to be rather incremental updates of their predecessors than an entirely new and innovative product, Lenovo-owned Motorola had launched the Moto Z (later the Moto Z Play).

While the smartphone itself may not be compelling, the modularity concept that accompanies it is something you'd not see quite often. During the launch, the company promised to out more mods (alongside the ones which are already launched) in the future, and the recently held Moto Collide event in Bangalore is just about it.

At the event, the company revealed its plans to expand the Mods ecosystem to address new technologies, enable new interactions, and delve deeper into consumer categories, and much more. In fact, we also got to see an upcoming mod with an e-ink display which could help you capture selfies with the rear camera.

SEE ALSO: Renders of the upcoming Motorola Moto G5 Plus leaked by a case maker

That's not all of it; the company is already working on a couple of other Mods (details undisclosed) thanks to the Moto Collide event.

Speaking of which, Motorola is hosting hackathons where developers (or students) get access to the Moto Mods MDK through which they can develop their own Mods.

Throughout the hackathon, the company will be providing both hardware and software assistance if needed.

Also, according to our sources, the company will be launching a Moto Mod every month going forward.

For people who are excited about the next-gen Moto Z, according to our sources, the device will get an update after the 12-month cycle.

Most importantly, though these smartphones (including the mods) will be backward and forward compatible for at least five years. Meaning, you can upgrade your smartphone (the Moto Z or Moto Z Play) when the next-gen Moto Z phone is launched and still use the Moto Mods you've purchased previously.

Best Mobiles in India
Xiaomi Mi 6 and Mi 6 Pro tipped to launch later this year News oi -Sneha Xiaomi Mi 6 and Mi 6 Pro coming soon.

Earlier tipped to launch at the MWC 2017, Xiaomi Mi 6 is now scheduled for a later date. The reason behind the delay remains a mystery as of yet. Well, reports are also such that Xiaomi might skip MWC this year and will not unveil any device.

Ahead of the launch, Xiaomi Mi 6 has created a lot of buzzes all across the internet. Now it looks like there are fresh rumors hitting the web, which shows that Xiaomi Mi 6 will come in three variant, which will sport a MediaTek Helio X30 processor, while the other two will sport Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 chipset. Here the most premium version will sport a ceramic body. Does this mean that the upcoming Xiaomi phone might pretty much look like the bezel-less Mi Mix which was launched in 2016?

On the other hand, other reports suggest that the high-end version of the Xiaomi Mi 6 will come packed with a dual-edged curved screen, along with 6GB of RAM, however, the other two flat-screen variants will bear 4GB of RAM. Well, these are just rumored specs and Xiaomi hasn't confirmed any of it yet.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi may unveil several mid-range smartphones in 2017, successor of Redmi Note 4 expected

As per the optics, all the three variants are expected to come sport with a 12MP rear camera with Sony's IMX362 sensor. No other details about the camera set-up are revealed as of yet. If the other rumors are to be trusted upon, the smartphone might pack a 3000mAh battery, and run on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, along with the MIUI 9 skin on top. Not only that, the other reports state that the smartphone will be offered in 128GB and 256GB storage capacity options.

As for the price that the smartphone can be made available, the MediaTek processor variant will be priced at CNY 1,999 which is roughly around Rs. 19,800, while the other variant with the Snapdragon 835 SoC will be priced at CNY 2,499, which can be calculated nearly around Rs. 24,800. Whereas, on the other hand, the dual-edged curved display with the latest Snapdragon processor will be priced at CNY 2,999, which in India will be around Rs. 29,800 approx.

Alongside the Xiaomi Mi 6, a curved screen variant is also tipped to launch soon, which is named as Mi 6 Pro.

Best Mobiles in India

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Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy.
Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence at CIA Headquarters

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

January 21, 2017



Langley, Virginia

3:21 P.M. EST

VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Thank you to the Acting Director Meroe Park. Thank you for 27 years serving the United States of America here at CIA. (Applause.)

It's a great privilege for me to be with you today and to have the opportunity to introduce at his first event, on his first full day, the new President of the United States, Donald Trump. (Applause.)

As you can imagine, it's deeply humbling for my family and I to find ourselves in this role. I'm grateful to our new President for the opportunity he's given me and the opportunity the American people have given us to serve. But it's especially humbling for me to be before all of you today -- men and women of character, who have sacrificed greatly -- and to stand before this hallowed wall, this memorial wall, where we remember 117 who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

I can assure you this new President and our entire team recognizes and appreciates the sacrifices of all of the men and women of the intelligence community of the United States of America. (Applause.)

I've gotten to know our new President. We traveled a lot together. When the cameras are off and the -- lights are off, I'll tell you two things I know for sure. Number one, I've never met anyone more dedicated to the safety and security of the people of the United States of America, or anyone who is a greater strategic thinker about how we accomplish that for this nation. In fact, to understand the life of our new President is -- his whole life was strategy. He built an extraordinary success in the private sector, and I know he's going to make America safe again. (Applause.)

And lastly, I can honestly tell you, for all my years serving in the Congress, serving as governor of my home state, traveling cross-country and seeing the connection that he's made to men and women who serve and protect in every capacity in this country, I've never met anyone with a greater heart for those who every day, in diverse ways, protect the people of this nation through their character and their service and their sacrifice.

And so let me say, it is my high honor and distinct privilege to introduce all of you the President of the United States. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I want to thank everybody. Very, very special people. And it is true, this is my first stop, officially. We're not talking about the balls, or we're not talking about even the speeches -- although they did treat me nicely on that speech yesterday. (Laughter.) I always call them the dishonest media, but they treated me nicely. (Laughter.)

But I want to say that there is nobody that feels stronger about the intelligence community and the CIA than Donald Trump. There's nobody. (Applause.)

The wall behind me is very, very special. We've been touring for quite a while, and I'll tell you what -- 29? I can't believe it.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Twenty-eight.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, 28. We got to reduce it. That's amazing. And we really appreciate what you've done in terms of showing us something very special. And your whole group, these are really special, amazing people. Very, very few people could do the job you people do. And I want to just let you know, I am so behind you. And I know maybe sometimes you haven't gotten the backing that you've wanted, and you're going to get so much backing. Maybe you're going to say, please don't give us so much backing. (Laughter.) Mr. President, please, we don't need that much backing. (Laughter.) But you're going to have that. And I think everybody in this room knows it.

You know, the military and the law enforcement, generally speaking, but all of it -- but the military gave us tremendous percentages of votes. We were unbelievably successful in the election with getting the vote of the military. And probably almost everybody in this room voted for me, but I will not ask you to raise your hands if you did. (Laughter.) But I would guarantee a big portion, because we're all on the same wavelength, folks. (Applause.) We're all on the same wavelength, right? He knows. It took Brian about 30 seconds to figure that one out, right, because we know we're on the same wavelength.

But we're going to do great things. We're going to do great things. We've been fighting these wars for longer than any wars we've ever fought. We have not used the real abilities that we have. We've been restrained. We have to get rid of ISIS. Have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice. (Applause.) Radical Islamic terrorism. And I said it yesterday -- it has to be eradicated just off the face of the Earth. This is evil. This is evil. And you know, I can understand the other side. We can all understand the other side. There can be wars between countries, there can be wars. You can understand what happened. This is something nobody can even understand. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen. And you're going to go to it, and you're going to do a phenomenal job. But we're going to end it. It's time. It's time right now to end it.

You have somebody coming on who is extraordinary. For the different positions of "Secretary of This" and "Secretary of That" and all of these great positions, I'd see five, six, seven, eight people. And we had a great transition. We had an amazing team of talent. And, by the way, General Flynn is right over here. Put up your hand. What a good guy. (Applause.) And Reince and my whole group. Reince -- you know -- they don't care about Reince. He's like this political guy that turned out to be a superstar, right? We don't have to talk about Reince.

But we did -- we had such a tremendous, tremendous success. So when I'm interviewing all of these candidates that Reince and his whole group is putting in front, it went very, very quickly, and, in this case, went so quickly -- because I would see six or seven or eight for Secretary of Agriculture, who we just named the other day, Sonny Perdue, former governor of Georgia. Fantastic guy. But I'd see six, seven, eight people for a certain position. Everybody wanted it.

But I met Mike Pompeo, and it was the only guy I met. I didn't want to meet anybody else. I said, cancel everybody else. Cancel. Now, he was approved, essentially, but they're doing little political games with me. He was one of the three. Now, last night, as you know, General Mattis, fantastic guy, and General Kelly got approved. (Applause.) And Mike Pompeo was supposed to be in that group. It was going to be the three of them. Can you imagine all of these guys? People respect -- you know, they respect that military sense. All my political people, they're not doing so well. The political people aren't doing so well but you. We're going to get them all through, but some will take a little bit longer than others.

But Mike was literally -- I had a group of -- what, we had nine different people? Now, I must say, I didn't mind cancelling eight appointments. That wasn't the worst thing in the world. But I met him and I said, he is so good. Number one in his class at West Point.

Now, I know a lot about West Point. I'm a person that very strongly believes in academics. In fact, every time I say I had an uncle who was a great professor at MIT for 35 years who did a fantastic job in so many different ways, academically -- was an academic genius -- and then they say, is Donald Trump an intellectual? Trust me, I'm like a smart persona. (Laughter.) And I recognized immediately. So he was number one at West Point, and he was also essentially number one at Harvard Law School. And then he decided to go into the military. And he ran for Congress. And everything he's done has been a homerun. People like him, but much more importantly to me, everybody respects him. And when I told Paul Ryan that I wanted to do this, I would say he may be the only person that was not totally thrilled -- right, Mike? Because he said, I don't want to lose this guy.

But you will be getting a total star. You're going to be getting a total gem. He's a gem. (Applause.) You'll see. You'll see. And many of you know him anyway. But you're going to see. And again, we have some great people going in. But this one is something -- is going to be very special, because this is one, if I had to name the most important, this would certainly be perhaps -- you know, in certain ways, you could say my most important. You do the job like everybody in this room is capable of doing. And the generals are wonderful, and the fighting is wonderful. But if you give them the right direction, boy, does the fighting become easier. And, boy, do we lose so fewer lives, and win so quickly. And that's what we have to do. We have to start winning again.

You know, when I was young and when I was -- of course, I feel young. I feel like I'm 30, 35, 39. (Laughter.) Somebody said, are you young? I said, I think I'm young. You know, I was stopping -- when we were in the final month of that campaign, four stops, five stops, seven stops. Speeches, speeches, in front of 25,000, 30,000 people, 15,000, 19,000 from stop to stop. I feel young.

When I was young -- and I think we're all sort of young. When I was young, we were always winning things in this country. We'd win with trade. We'd win with wars. At a certain age, I remember hearing from one of my instructors, "The United States has never lost a war." And then, after that, it's like we haven't won anything. We don't win anymore. The old expression, "to the victor belong the spoils" -- you remember. I always used to say, keep the oil. I wasn't a fan of Iraq. I didn't want to go into Iraq. But I will tell you, when we were in, we got out wrong. And I always said, in addition to that, keep the oil. Now, I said it for economic reasons. But if you think about it, Mike, if we kept the oil you probably wouldn't have ISIS because that's where they made their money in the first place. So we should have kept the oil. But okay. (Laughter.) Maybe you'll have another chance. But the fact is, should have kept the oil.

I believe that this group is going to be one of the most important groups in this country toward making us safe, toward making us winners again, toward ending all of the problems. We have so many problems that are interrelated that we don't even think of, but interrelated to the kind of havoc and fear that this sick group of people has caused. So I can only say that I am with you 1,000 percent.

And the reason you're my first stop is that, as you know, I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth. (Laughter and applause.) And they sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. And I just want to let you know, the reason you're the number-one stop is exactly the opposite -- exactly. And they understand that, too.

And I was explaining about the numbers. We did a thing yesterday at the speech. Did everybody like the speech? (Applause.) I've been given good reviews. But we had a massive field of people. You saw them. Packed. I get up this morning, I turn on one of the networks, and they show an empty field. I say, wait a minute, I made a speech. I looked out, the field was -- it looked like a million, million and a half people. They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there. And they said, Donald Trump did not draw well. I said, it was almost raining, the rain should have scared them away, but God looked down and he said, we're not going to let it rain on your speech.

In fact, when I first started, I said, oh, no. The first line, I got hit by a couple of drops. And I said, oh, this is too bad, but we'll go right through it. But the truth is that it stopped immediately. It was amazing. And then it became really sunny. And then I walked off and it poured right after I left. It poured. But, you know, we have something that's amazing because we had -- it looked -- honestly, it looked like a million and a half people. Whatever it was, it was. But it went all the way back to the Washington Monument. And I turn on -- and by mistake I get this network, and it showed an empty field. And it said we drew 250,000 people. Now, that's not bad, but it's a lie. We had 250,000 people literally around -- you know, in the little bowl that we constructed. That was 250,000 people. The rest of the 20-block area, all the way back to the Washington Monument, was packed. So we caught them, and we caught them in a beauty. And I think they're going to pay a big price.

We had another one yesterday, which was interesting. In the Oval Office there's a beautiful statue of Dr. Martin Luther King. And I also happen to like Churchill, Winston Churchill. I think most of us like Churchill. He doesn't come from our country, but had a lot to do with it. Helped us; real ally. And, as you know, the Churchill statue was taken out -- the bust. And as you also probably have read, the Prime Minister is coming over to our country very shortly. And they wanted to know whether or not I'd like it back. I say, absolutely, but in the meantime we have a bust of Churchill.

So a reporter for Time magazine -- and I have been on there cover, like, 14 or 15 times. I think we have the all-time record in the history of Time Magazine. Like, if Tom Brady is on the cover, it's one time, because he won the Super Bowl or something, right? (Laughter.) I've been on it for 15 times this year. I don't think that's a record, Mike, that can ever be broken. Do you agree with that? What do you think?

But I will say that they said -- it was very interesting -- that Donald Trump took down the bust, the statue, of Dr. Martin Luther King. And it was right there. But there was a cameraman that was in front of it. (Laughter.) So Zeke -- Zeke from Time Magazine writes a story about I took down. I would never do that because I have great respect for Dr. Martin Luther King. But this is how dishonest the media is.

Now, the big story -- the retraction was, like, where? Was it a line? Or do they even bother putting it in? So I only like to say that because I love honesty. I like honest reporting.

I will tell you, final time -- although I will say it, when you let in your thousands of other people that have been trying to come in -- because I am coming back -- we're going to have to get you a larger room. (Applause.) We may have to get you a larger room. You know? And maybe, maybe, it will be built by somebody that knows how to build, and we won't have columns. (Laughter.) You understand that? (Applause.) We get rid of the columns.

No, I just wanted to really say that I love you, I respect you. There's nobody I respect more. You're going to do a fantastic job. And we're going to start winning again, and you're going to be leading the charge.

So thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you -- you're beautiful. Thank you all very much. Have a good time. I'll be back. I'll be back. Thank you.

END

3:40 P.M. EST

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Return of torture causes alarm, as Trump administration rejects leaked document

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 25, 2017 9:37PM

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on US Congress to intervene in decisions reportedly being made in the new administration of President Donald Trump about reopening of secret detention centers known as "black sites," where people were tortured as part of the US so-called war on terror.

The US-based rights group voiced concerns after reports emerged that the White House was busy preparing an executive order for the new president to smooth the path for reopening the CIA overseas sites.

The three-page draft order, titled "Detention and Interrogation of Enemy Combatants" would reportedly repeal measures by the administration of former President Barack Obama that led to closure of the secret sites.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer rejected that the document belonged to the White House.

"I have no idea where it came from," Spicer said of the document leaked by The Washington Post and The New York Times among others. "I would urge those people who have reported on it  this is the second day we've had a document that was not a White House document reported on."

He was referring to a false White House document about the Women's March in Washington, released over the weekend.

"I'm not going to start answering hypotheticals about documents that are floating around," Spicer added, cutting off a reporter.

US torture scheme

HRW head Kenneth Roth, meanwhile, told a news briefing in Geneva that "One thing we expect either today or later this week is an order from Trump to begin exploring ... the resumption of CIA dark sites."

He further expressed hope that countries, where the CIA black sites could be set up, oppose such a decision.

"Last time, these black sites were often in democracies - they were in Poland, Latvia, Romania, if you look around the world, they were in places like Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, Afghanistan," Roth said. "I hope all these governments and the other prospective governments say 'no' this time around, that they don't want to be complicit in any new US torture scheme."

Closing door on victims

Roth added that the New York billionaire is aiming to "stop refugee admissions to the United States, ostensibly on security grounds," which means "closing the door" on people fleeing Daesh Takfiri terrorists or their likes.

"In order to score a political point at home, Trump is closing the door on them. That is one particularly ugly aspect of what he is doing," said the head of the prominent rights group. "It's as if Trump is indifferent to the extraordinary suffering that many of these refugees have been through. Many of these people are fleeing ISIS (Daesh), or the ISIS equivalents around the world."

Roth called on the Republican-controlled Congress to "stand up for the Constitution and international human rights law," warning that "If Trump is going to start toying with the Army Field Manual and weakening its preclusion of torture or other forms of inhumane and cruel interrogation, that would be very problematic."

"Obviously people are afraid of Trump at this stage because he does have the bully pulpit, but that's when an independent Congress standing up for principles is particularly important."

Fighting fire with fire

President Trump also appeared on ABC News, where he defended torture in general and highlighted its functionality.

The former reality TV star (said he had asked top intelligence officials in the past day, "Does torture work? And the answer was yes, absolutely."

"We have to fight fire with fire."

He asserted, however, that he wants to do "everything within the bounds of what you're allowed to do legally."

The 45th US president vowed to discuss the matter with Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo before making any decision.

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Lebanon arrests five Israeli Mossad spies

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:27AM

Lebanese security forces have arrested five people over working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad.

Lebanon's General Security Directorate's media office made the announcement on Wednesday, noting that the arrestees had confessed to passing information to Mossad via the Israel embassies in Turkey, Jordan, Britain and Nepal.

"The General Security Directorate arrested two Lebanese, one of them born in 1977 and the other in 1982, as well as a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon born in 1992, and two Nepalese women born in 1991 and 1993 on the offense of spying in favor of embassies of the Israeli enemy abroad," read the statement.

The statement stressed that the individuals were arrested following the intensive monitoring of Israeli intelligence operations in the country as part of Lebanon's activities aimed at dismantling similar networks.

It added that the two spies from Nepal were also engaged in recruiting other Nepalese workers in Lebanon.

"After their interrogation, the arrestees were referred to the competent court on the offense of collaboration with the Israeli enemy, and work is underway to arrest the rest of the people involved," noted that statement.

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Trump Says Pentagon, CIA Will Decide About Reinstating Waterboarding

January 26, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump says he thinks waterboarding and other interrogation techniques widely seen as torture "absolutely" work but that he will defer to his CIA and Pentagon chiefs on whether to reinstate them.

In an interview with ABC News broadcast on January 25, Trump said the United States had to "fight fire with fire" in the face of the beheadings of Americans and other atrocities committed by Islamic State (IS) militants.

"When they're chopping off the heads of our people, and other people...when [IS] is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire," he said.

But he said he would rely on the advice of Pentagon chief James Mattis and Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo.

"I'm going to go with what they say," Trump told ABC. "And if they don't want to do [it], that's fine. If they do want to do it, then I will work toward that end. I want to do everything within the bounds of what you're allowed to do legally."

"But do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works," he said.

In November, after meeting with Mattis, Trump told the press that the general had told him that he believes waterboarding is not effective.

Based on reporting by ABC News and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/trump-waterboarding- mattis-torture/28260311.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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Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 26, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 17 strikes consisting of 27 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Raqqa, 12 strikes engaged eight ISIL tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, three tactical vehicles, two vehicles, a tunnel, a bunker and an ISIL checkpoint.

-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, a tactical vehicle and a heavy machine gun.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed an oil wellhead and an oil pump jack.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and ground-based artillery conducted 10 strikes consisting of 23 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed three mortar systems and two watercraft; and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Sinjar, six strikes destroyed three ISIL headquarters and a weapons storage facility.

-- Near Tuz, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three vehicle-borne bombs, a tactical vehicle and a front-end loader.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

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Joint air load training enhances readiness

By Capt. Jonathon Daniell January 26, 2017

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- With snow on the ground, 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment Soldiers battled the elements learning the procedures of joint air load operations from Airmen assigned to the 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Jan. 12, 2017.

Air load operations are essential to air defenders on the Korean Peninsula. In wartime situations, Soldiers may be tasked to move interceptors to more heavily targeted locations in accordance with the commander's redistribution plan, or assist with integrating external ADA units onto the Peninsula to bolster ballistic missile defense capabilities.

"This training was an introduction to U.S. Air Force specific air mobility equipment and processes," said Master Sgt. Christopher DiSanto, lead instructor for 51st LRS. "This training encompassed both classroom and hands-on training, in an effort to expose individuals to air load procedures, enhance overall military readiness and rapid deployment capabilities."

The training was conducted over three days. Day one consisted of movement preparation area operations, where Soldiers focused on the requirements prior to conducting joint air load operations. The Soldiers trained on hazardous material procedures, the frustration zone process, vehicle inspections, documentation requirements and ended the day with final inspections.

"Fight tonight readiness is the number one priority on the Korean Peninsula, and that means being ready for every situation," said 2nd Lt. Kami Miles, 6-52 ADA officer in charge of air load training. "This event ensured we have Soldiers trained and ready to execute air load operations when needed."

The second day of training was in the classroom learning the proper techniques of air load operations, discussing common errors, and the different responsibilities for everyone involved. With decades of experience between the instructors from the 51st LRS, the Soldiers received a thorough overview of what to expect on execution day.

"The final day of training involved hands-on training with small cargo build-up of 463L pallets, measuring and calculating center-of-balance for vehicles and equipment, and securing large vehicles and equipment," said DiSanto.

Although the Soldiers didn't get the opportunity to load equipment onto an aircraft, the hands on training securing equipment to the 463L pallets met their desired end state. The unit is planning similar training events in the future, and the 51st LRS is prepared to support.

"We definitely look forward to working with them again," said DiSanto.

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Kentucky Guard MEDEVAC trains for water rescue

By Sgt. Alexa BecerraJanuary 26, 2017

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Soldiers from Detachment 1, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation (MEDEVAC) conducted their annual training in a joint-organization effort with the Bluegrass Emergency Response Team (BERT) in Jessamine County, Kentucky, and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Indiana, July 11-25.

Their training consisted of flood and swiftwater rescue techniques, and their AT was the culminating event after a year's worth of training with the BERT.

"In September of 2015 we started attending portions of the MEDEVACs weekend drills and that is where we would practice communications, and they would carry out incident command," said Maj. Steve Proffitt, Training coordinator for the Jessamine County Fire District. "We spent a weekend with them in March taking their crew chiefs and paramedics to the swift water technician rescue level and the next drill is when we started doing roof operations."

According to Proffitt, this training will help the MEDEVAC present a resource to Emergency Management for flood and swiftwater emergencies. This joint-organization effort also gave the MEDEVAC the opportunity to train with first-emergency responders from three counties.

"The Jessamine County Fire district, the City of Nicholasville Fire Department, and the Lexington Fire Department all had key players in developing this training," said Proffitt.

Although this training is the first of its kind in Kentucky, other states have similar training cooperation.

"We modeled our program after a similar program the North Carolina National Guard has in place," said Staff Sergeant Jeremy Lowe, Senior Flight Medic and Non-Rated Flight Instructor assigned to the MEDEVAC. "I asked them a lot of questions, and after over a year of planning we actually started training."

Lowe, who prior to joining the MEDEVAC was a full-time firefighter at the Nicholasville Fire Department, had a vital role in developing this training. His first-responder background aided him in noticing some deficiencies the MEDEVAC had while conducting stateside search and rescue missions.

"We were good at hoist in a combat aspect, but we did not know how to work with civilian agencies, conduct rooftop rescues or any kind of water rescue," said Lowe. "This training enhances the already existing rescue assets we have."

This mission also falls directly in line with the MEDEVAC's Army Combat Mission, Lowe said. Many of the moving pieces that the unit would exercise in a wartime environment were exercised during this civilian, stateside mission.

"In these two weeks, we exercised theater operation center, refueling, rescue hoist operations along with flying and landing aircraft," said Lowe. "We also performed maintenance, practiced communication and went expeditionary to two sites."

Regardless of Military Occupational Specialty, all unit personnel received swift water awareness training.

"The swift water awareness training consisted of HAZMAT awareness, we learned ropes, knots, anchors and practical application for water rescue techniques," said Captain Jessica Tharp, commander of the MEDEVAC unit. "Also, all of our medics and some of our crew chiefs are now certified swift water technicians. Their training was more elaborate and in depth which makes sense because they will be the rescuers on the end of the hoist."

The unit, in conjunction with the BERT, trained in National Incident Management System, said Tharp. NIMS is a standardized resource management procedures for coordination among different jurisdictions and organizations, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"It is one of the few times a Kentucky Guard unit has not only learned NIMS in theory, but used it in practical application.

Overall, all the Soldiers in the unit walked away from AT having learned something beyond their MOS," said Tharp. "Something that may possibly save their lives, and the lives of others, one day."

Tharp also expressed her gratitude for the hardworking members of the BERT.

"Their professionalism and dedication to their knowledge and assets will forever be remembered," said Tharp. "We look forward to our continued work together over the next year to refine our skills."

After over a year of training and planning, the close working relationship between the BERT and the MEDEVAC was evident.

"We couldn't have had a better group of civilians teaching us, and each person brought a certain bit of technical expertise," said Lowe. "They completely integrated with us, and being able to see the difference from the first day that we sat in a classroom together about a year ago to the last day when we conducted the final training exercise was amazing."

The main goal of this units' training: to save lives.

"If this training, and all the time it took to make it happen, saves at least one life then that's all that matters," Lowe said. "It was completely worth it."

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-030-17 January 26, 2017

Department of Defense Announces Changes to Procedures and Policy for Reduction in Force in the Civilian Workforce

This month, the Department of Defense released the policy and procedure changes for reduction in force (RIF) for civilian positions in the competitive and excepted service. The changes are required per section 1101 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 (P.L. 114-92), as codified in 1597(f) of Title 10, United States Code. The law requires that when RIF is necessary, the determination of employee separations shall be made primarily on the basis of performance.

The DoD civilian workforce is one of the department's most important assets. However, there are times when the department must make difficult decisions that impact our civilians, and in doing so, it is imperative these decisions result in our continued ability to seamlessly execute our national security mission. When circumstances necessitate a RIF, the department must ensure we are retaining our highest performing employees.

The department will continue to consider every reasonable action to mitigate the size of reductions, including the use of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority or Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, hiring freezes, termination of temporary appointments, and any other pre-RIF placement options.

In order to comply with the law, the department has reprioritized the "order of retention" as implemented by Office of Personnel Management in government-wide regulations, by placing performance as the primary retention factor. This is a substantial change for DoD from existing, government-wide provisions. The current, government-wide RIF retention factors are: tenure, veteran's preference, length of service, and performance, in descending order.

Under the new procedures, employees shall be ranked on a retention register based on periods of assessed performance, followed by the retention factors of: performance rating of record, tenure group, performance average score, veteran's preference, and DoD Service Computation Date- RIF (DoD SCD-RIF).

The department's new procedures are consistent with the Defense Performance and Management Appraisal Program (DPMAP), which is the department's enterprise-wide performance management program designed to foster a results-oriented performance culture that links individual performance to organizational goals. To ensure fairness, since not all DoD civilians are under the new DPMAP, procedures have been developed to calculate the "rating of record" of employees not covered by DPMAP.

The department is communicating the new RIF procedures to the DoD civilian workforce and human resources practitioners with briefings, online FAQs, and training. Congress has also been notified of the department's change to RIF procedures.

For more information, please view the memorandum at: https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/OSD000467-17-RES-Final.pdf

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1060585/

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Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dusko Markovic

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

26 Jan. 2017

(As delivered)

Prime Minister Markovic, welcome to NATO Headquarters. It's great to have you here. It's great to see you again, but I especially welcome the fact that I'm able to welcome you here at NATO headquarters and to congratulate you on your appointment as Prime Minister of Montenegro.

I would also like to thank you Montenegro for contributing in many different ways to our shared security, to NATO's different activities and NATO's missions. In doing so, you are helping to build security far beyond our own borders. And I'm grateful for your contribution.

You are contributing troops to our presence in Afghanistan. You are helping to fund the Afghan National Security Forces.

And you also last year hosted an important civil emergency exercise for NATO Allies and Partners in Montenegro.

And soon we will launch a new NATO Trust Fund in Montenegro to destroy surplus ammunition, and to help keep people safe in a very concrete way.

So these are just a few examples of how Montenegro and NATO already work very closely together and how we in different ways contribute to our shared security.

Then of course I am looking forward to take that cooperation to a new level when Montenegro becomes a full member of the Alliance. And Montenegro is on the right track to join the Alliance in the very near future.

Your path towards NATO membership has been remarkable  just ten years after regaining your independence. You have been able to reach very far with the signing of the Accession Protocol last year. And the process of ratification is on its way in the different Allied countries.

The ratification process of the Accession Protocol is now in the final stages.

Once all Allies have ratified the Protocol, Montenegro will be invited to accede to the Washington Treaty.

And you, Montenegro, will become the 29th member of the most successful military Alliance in history  the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation  NATO.

This is a clear example of NATO's commitment to the Open Door Policy.

And an important step forward in realising our vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.

As ratification proceeds, I encourage you to continue to work on necessary reforms.

Including strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption and organised crime.

NATO membership is a very significant step forward.

It means sharing the benefits and the responsibilities of collective defence.

NATO membership will strengthen Montenegro's sovereignty.

Montenegro will be part of a unique family of nations, based on shared values.

You will take part in every decision taken by NATO.

You will have equal say with every other country around the table, no matter how big or how small.

And your NATO membership will send a clear signal of stability and security in the whole region, which is the basis for prosperity.

So Prime Minister Markovic, thank you once again. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead.

And I look forward to welcoming your country as NATO's newest member in the very near future. So once again, welcome to NATO Headquarters.

OANA LUNGESCU [NATO Spokesperson]: We have just a few minutes we'll start with Montenegro TV.

Q: First Mr. Stoltenberg one question for you. Is, after the American Administration has been established recently how do you think that the process of the ratification of Montenegro and accession protocol will go on further?

JENS STOLTENBERG (NATO Secretary General): I'm confident that the accession protocol will be ratified by the Senate. It has already passed the Foreign Relation Committee and it has strong bi-partisan support so I have no reason to not believe that that will also be the case in the Senate. So what we have seen is that so far 21 countries have ratified the accession protocol. Today we expect France, the French Senate to ratify the accession protocol so then it will be 22 countries and we expect the others to follow but of course it's up to every national Parliament to decide exactly when they do it but I expect all Parliaments including the U.S. Senate to do it so Montenegro can become a full member in the near future.

OANA LUNGESCU: Wall Street Journal.

Q: A question to both the Prime Minister and then another question to the Secretary General. Prime Minister, are you at all concerned about the delay in ratification in the U.S.? Obviously it has made it through the Committee but the full Senate hasn't taken it up. Are you worried at all that Mr. Trump will weigh in negatively on ratification? And to the Secretary General, Mr. Trump yesterday said torture works. Is torture consistent with Alliance, is torture inconsistent with alliance values or are interrogation methods a matter for national governments to decide, not the Alliance?

DUSKO MARKOVIC (Prime Minister of Montenegro): INTERPRETER: I wish to tell you that we are not worried when it comes to the ratification of the protocol by the U.S. at all. As Mr. Stoltenberg has said important procedures have been completed already by the U.S. Senate and especially the Committee. And as you know - as you heard we have full support for this ratification at the U.S. Senate. And I would say that this tension having to do with the U.S. ratification is much encouraged by those that are against it. However we are sure, absolutely certain that it will take place very soon and on our side as Montenegrin government we continue preparing ourselves to further respect our obligations having to do with membership.

JENS STOLTENBERG: What I can tell you is that all NATO operations are always conducted in accordance with international law and that has been the case for all our different military operations over many years and that is the policy of NATO and that will remain the policy of NATO.

OANA LUNGESCU: Thank you very much. That's all we have time for. Thank you.

JENS STOLTENBERG: Thank you.

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Island Knights Aid in Rescue off Coast of Guam

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170126-14

Release Date: 1/26/2017 2:46:00 PM

From Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific Public Affairs

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (NNS) -- The "Island Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 assisted during their first rescue operation in 2017 where two small fishing boats were in distress off the coast of Guam, Jan. 23.

HSC-25 aircrew members first spotted a distress flare while exercising routine training. Shortly after spotting the flare, two MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters used their forward looking infrared radiometer (FLIR) cameras and night vision goggles to locate the boats. Both fishing boats were adrift in 10-12 foot high seas approximately 10 miles southwest of Cetti Bay.

The vessels were stranded without power, so the Island Knights marked their location and remained on scene until Guam Fire and Rescue arrived. Guam Fire and Rescue towed the two vessels back to shore and safely returned the fishermen.

Last year, HSC-25 aided the U.S. Coast Guard and Guam Fire Department in 60 search and rescue missions throughout the Northern Mariana Islands.

HSC-25 is the Navy's only forward-deployed MH-60S expeditionary squadron, equipped with an armed helicopter capability for U.S. 7th Fleet in support of anti-surface warfare, personnel recovery, special operation forces missions, and humanitarian assistance.

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Gambia's Barrow arrives home from Senegal

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 6:44PM

The Gambia's newly-elected President Adama Barrow has returned to the nation after his predecessor finally agreed to cede power under international pressure and went into exile.

On Thursday, Barrow arrived in Banjul from Senegal, where he had sought refuge in mid-January after his predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, refused to concede defeat in the presidential election and stand down.

Barrow won after the national election late last year, but Jammah's cling to power threw The Gambia's political scene into turmoil.

Upon arrival, the new head of state was welcomed by military officials and senior members of his coalition government.

Barrow's supporters had gathered along the capital's streets to welcome the president home.

"We also hope that if he (Barrow) comes as a president, there will be some changes," said a supporter.

Barrow was inaugurated as president in neighboring Senegal on January 19.

Over two decades of Jammeh's rule came to an end last week after he fled to Equatorial Guinea as thousands of soldiers from the Economic Community of West African States (ESCOWAS) were deployed to the country to force him out of office.

A United Nations official announced earlier in the day that Barrow had asked the 7,000-strong ESCOWAS military contingent to remain in the country for six months.

Barrow requested the forces sent by Economic Community of West African States (ESCOWAS) to remain in Gambia for six months, said Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations' most senior official in West Africa.

"After this request, I think it's normal to give ECOWAS some time to think about this and take all factors into consideration in order to decide," Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations' most senior official in West Africa.

In the meantime, the ECOWAS contingent in Gambia is carrying out a sweep operation to neutralize possible security threats against the new head of state.

Along with the military mission, ECOWAS had sent a diplomatic envoy of regional leaders to persuade Jammeh to relinquish power before the military force was used against him.

The envoy managed to persuade Jammeh to leave the country before clashes began.

On January 21, some two days after the expiration of his mandate, Jammeh finally announced his decision "to relinquish the mantle of leadership," paving the way for the peaceful transition of power.

Referring to terms agreed upon during negotiations between the ECOWAS envoy and Jammeh, Chambas said there were concern about the promises and concessions given to Jammeh before he agreed to depart the country for Equatorial Guinea.

"The three organizations and the two presidents who were there made it very clear they did not have any such power and both as a president and now as a former president, Mr. Jammeh (...) is subject to the rights that are given under the constitution of the Gambia," Chambas said.

Equatorial Guinea confirmed on Tuesday that Jammeh had arrived into the country.

Many Gambians believe Jammeh, who had been in power since a coup in 1994, should face trial for alleged human rights abuses.

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Israel approves 153 illegal settler homes in occupied territories

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:28PM

Emboldened by the new US administration's support, the Israeli regime has given the go-ahead to the construction of 153 new settler units in the occupied Palestinian territories in flagrant disregard of international opposition.

Jerusalem al-Quds Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman said a city planning committee had endorsed the construction of the new structures in the East Jerusalem al-Quds settlement of Gilo, adding that the initiative was among those held up due to pressure from the ex-US government.

Turgeman further announced plans for building some 11,000 settler units in East Jerusalem al-Quds, saying that he will deliver permits for the project "in the coming months."

After the January 20 inauguration of US President Donald Trump, a pro-Israel figure, Tel Aviv launched a major settlement expansion drive.

On Sunday, Israel approved construction permits for 566 new structures in the East Jerusalem settlements of Pisgat Ze'ev, Ramat Shlomo and Ramot.

Two days later, the Israeli ministry of military affairs also announced plans for erecting 2,500 settler units in the occupied West Bank.

The developments sparked widespread condemnations from Palestine and the international community.

'Settlement expansion will have dangerous consequences"

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that Israel's settlement expansion projects would have "major and dangerous consequences."

Abbas further noted that discussions were underway with Arab leaders to prevent Tel Aviv's illegal construction activities in the occupied lands.

He also described a recent UN Security Council anti-settlement resolution as the most important decision with regard to the Israeli settlement activities in 35 years.

"We made important calls and succeeded in holding a session of the UN Security Council and obtain an international decision condemning settlement activity in spite of all the pressures," the Palestinian president said.

In December 2016, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 that denounced the Israeli settlements as a "flagrant violation of international law."

Hundreds of Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.

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South Sudan says rebels attack army troops near Malakal

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:40PM

South Sudan says fresh fighting has broken out between government troops and rebel forces near the restive northern city of Malakal.

On Thursday, South Sudan military spokesman, Santo Domic Chol, told The Associated Press that government forces had come under attack on Wednesday by a rebel unit under the command of Johnson Olony.

The intensity of the fighting and the number of possible casualties are still unclear, with local residents saying that they could hear guns firing at a nearby United Nations camp for the displaced.

Malakal has been a hot spot in the civil war that began in South Sudan in late 2013, after President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, accused his former vice president and present rebel leader, Riek Machar, who is from the Nuer tribe, of plotting to take the helm of the oil-rich African nation.

The city lies in the resource-rich Upper Nile region.

The United Nations has reported "historical deep-rooted rivalries" between the ethnic groups in the country.

Human rights monitors have accused both sides of the conflict of violating the human rights of members of the rival groups.

International attempts to reconcile the conflicting sides have failed repeatedly.

A peace agreement finally achieved in 2015 has sporadically been violated.

In a major setback to the peace efforts, violent clashes erupted in the capital Juba on July 8 between Kiir's guards and troops loyal to Machar.

The July clashes have pushed the number of refugees in the conflict-stricken country past the one-million mark, according to the United Nations.

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Trump prepares orders to cut UN funding, leave treaties

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:20PM

The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing two executive orders to drastically reduce funding for the United Nations and other international organizations, as well as begin a process to review and potentially leave some multilateral treaties, according to a new report.

The first executive order, titled "Auditing and Reducing US Funding of International Organizations," calls for terminating funding for any UN agency or other international body that meets any one of several criteria, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, organizations that give full membership to the Palestinian Authority or Palestine Liberation Organization, programs that fund abortions and any program that circumvents sanctions against Iran or North Korea are included in the criteria.

The draft order also calls for terminating funding for any organization that violates human rights or is controlled by any state that sponsors terrorism.

Overall, the order is aimed at cutting Washington's funding for international organizations by 40 percent, the report added.

The second executive order, titled "Moratorium on New Multilateral Treaties," calls for a review of all current and pending treaties with more than one other country and asks for recommendations on which negotiations or treaties Washington should abrogate.

US allies have reacted with a mix of alarm and skepticism to the report. A senior European diplomat said on Wednesday that the draft orders looked draconian.

During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to withdraw the US from international organizations like the UN and expressed heavy distrust about multilateral agreements such as the Paris climate agreement.

"It would potentially be brutal but as with all these executive orders we have to wait to see what happens in practice," the diplomat said.

Washington has earmarked $594 million in the UN operations funding for next year, but the figure approaches $3 billion once peacekeeping costs are factored in.

Republicans in the US Congress said earlier this month that they were putting together a number of measures to defund the UN in retaliation for the world body's recent resolution against Israeli settlement activities.

The administration of then US President Barack Obama came under bipartisan fire in late December, when it abstained from voting on the Security Council Resolution 2334, which stated that Israel must stop its "illegal" settlement building on occupied Palestinian lands, including Jerusalem al-Quds.

Trump blasted the resolution, saying the UN had become "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"

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PLO slams US silence over Israel settlement plans

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:59AM

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has expressed shock over the US silence with regard to the new Israeli plans to build more illegal settlements in the West Bank.

PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat on Wednesday lashed out at the White House for its refusal to comment on Israel's settlement expansion plans in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem al-Quds, and called on President Donald Trump's administration to clarify its stance.

"We used to hear condemnations, we used to hear American positions saying '(Israel) should stop settlement activities, it's an obstacle to peace,'" Erekat said.

"Not commenting, does that mean that President Trump is encouraging... settlement activities? We need an answer from the American administration," he added.

Erekat called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its policies and added that Tel Aviv has been emboldened by "what they consider encouragement by American President Donald Trump."

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and minister of military affairs Avigdor Liberman announced the approval of 2,500 housing units in the West Bank. The announcement came on top of approval of another plan last week for construction of 566 residential units in several neighborhoods of the Jerusalem al-Quds.

The White House spokesman Sean Spicer refused to take a stance on the issue on Tuesday.

"Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States. He (Trump) wants to grow closer to Israel to make sure it gets the full respect in the Middle East," Spicer said in response to a question about Trump's stance on Israel's new settlement construction.

"We will have a conversation with the [Israeli] prime minister," he noted.

Speaking at the Israeli parliament on Wednesday, Netanyahu said the latest settlement approval is just a "taste" of new measures which will be taken now that Barack Obama is no longer the US president.

"We are leaving the period. This building [approval] was a taste. We are going to be doing many things differently from now on," he said.

Despite its recent resolution against the illegal settlements, the United Nations Security Council refrained from taking any measures against the move following a closed-door meeting held on Wednesday.

After the meeting, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said that the Security Council must ensure the execution of its own resolutions and that the Tel Aviv regime must not be permitted to "get away" with constructing more settlements.

Over 230 illegal settlements have been constructed since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. The illegal structures have hampered attempts to establish peace in the Middle East.

In December 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 that denounced the Israeli settlements as a "flagrant violation of international law."

In a rare move, the US, under the administration of former president Barack Obama, refused to veto the anti-Israeli resolution.

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NATO Chief 'Confident' U.S. Senate Will Ratify Montenegro Bid

RFE/RL January 26, 2017

BRUSSELS -- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has dismissed concerns that the U.S. Senate may not ratify the NATO-accession agreement for Montenegro.

Speaking on January 26 alongside Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said, "I am confident that the accession protocol will be ratified by the [U.S.] Senate."

Stoltenberg noted that the protocol has already been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He said "It has strong bipartisan support" so he expects Senate ratification.

Montenegro is primed to become the alliance's 29th member, but there have been concerns that President Donald Trump's administration might want to slow the process.

Trump has been critical of NATO while praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has voiced opposition to NATO membership for Montenegro.

Twenty-one of NATO's 28 members have ratified the accession protocol.

France was poised to become the 22nd during a Senate vote on January 26.

NATO officials have told RFE/RL that the ratification process is expected to be completed in the spring, with Montenegro joining the alliance shortly thereafter.

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/nato-montenegro-stoltenberg- confident-u-s-ratification/28261592.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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NATO Triples Investment in Polish Military, 2017 Support Program to Reach $57Mln

Sputnik News

13:55 26.01.2017

The budget of the NATO Security Investment Programme for Poland this year will be three times as much as in 2016, a source in the Polish Defense Ministry told the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the source, in 2017 NATO will invest $57.1 million in the Polish military compared with $17 million in 2016 and $29.5 million in 2015.

The funds will be allocated to the renovation of military airports, modernization of communication system infrastructure and military equipment as well as building of fuel depots.

Poland is one of the few European members of NATO that spend 2 percent or more of their GDP on defense industry. The country plans to spend $15 billion by 2022 on its military.

 Sputnik

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Jubilant Welcome Greets Gambia's President on His Return to Banjul

By VOA News January 26, 2017

Gambia's new President Adama Barrow returned to his country Thursday, accompanied by heavy security and greeted by jubilant crowds.

Barrow flew to Banjul from Senegal, where he has been staying since unrest swept Gambia following longtime president Yahya Jammeh's refusal to step down after he lost a national election in December.

Barrow, whose plane was guarded by Senegalese and Nigerian troops after it touched down in the capital, stepped onto a red carpet and was greeted by shouts of welcome, a reporter on the scene said. Hundreds of jubilant Gambians lined the road from the airport ahead of his arrival, dancing and cheering.

A spokesman for Barrow's political coalition, Halifa Sallah, said more formal welcoming ceremonies were being arranged.

Barrow was sworn in as president at Gambia's embassy in Senegal last week.

He has asked troops from member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to remain in Gambia for six months, a U.N. official said.

The special U.N. representative for West Africa, Mohammed ibn Chambas, says the U.N. forces are assigned to ensure the safety of Barrow, his administration and all Gambian citizens.

Jammeh left the country Sunday, after regional leaders backed by the U.N. conducted prolonged negotiations that eventually persuaded him to relinquish power.

Barrow was declared winner of the December 1 presidential election. Jammeh, who came to power in Banjul in 1994 during a coup, at first conceded defeat, but then changed his mind and refused to hand over power, citing mistakes allegedly committed by Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission.

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Africa's Top Diplomat to be Chosen at Upcoming Africa Summit

By Anita Powell January 26, 2017

The five-way contest for the African Union's top job is a packed field, with four foreign ministers and a U.N. special envoy.

Current AU Commission Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, of South Africa, took the job in 2012. She is on borrowed time after heads of state extended her four-year term by six months over indecision about her successor.

That person is to be chosen by African heads of state as they meet next week at for this year's summit AU headquarters.

"It's a very important job," said analyst Liesl Louw-Vaudran of the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies. "The chairperson of the commission has to really run the day-to-day workings of the commission in Addis Ababa, formulate policy, carry it out. There are eight commissioners that range from peace and security to social affairs, et cetera. There are about, over 2,000 staff, not that big, but the chairperson really is the only pan-African position that we have."

Pan Africa

Switching to a pan-African perspective will undoubtedly be a shift for the four current foreign ministers, Botswana's Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat, Equatorial Guinea's Agapito Mba Mokuy and Kenya's Amina Mohamed.

But analyst and open society advocate Jeggan Grey-Johnson says leading the AU commission requires the chairperson to rise above borders and advocate for the entire continent, and sometimes, even against the interests of the powerful leaders who put him or her in the job.

"The ideal candidate would be one that we know is relatively independent, hasn't been tainted by either their reputation that they've had in previous positions, whether it's minister, whether it's prime minister, whether it's a special envoy or whatever, that has not been captured by the legacy of the loyalties that they might have had to their presidents when they were actually serving at their pleasure," he told VOA in Johannesburg.

"The fact that the assembly of the heads of state sometimes can be quite unreasonable, some of the things that they want to do, and it would be good to maybe have a chairperson who for once, also might stand up to the assembly in a reasonable manner."

Candidates debate

All five candidates, who include Senegal's Abdoulaye Bathily, the U.N. Special Representative for Central Africa, appeared to embody this ideal during a well-attended debate at AU headquarters in December.

Each spelled out a list of ambitious and expansive priorities, which included: building peace and security, improving the situation of African youth and of women, increasing employment opportunities, finding a more stable way to finance the AU, adjusting to the challenges of climate change, and fighting the HIV epidemic and the African migration crisis.

This is the first time such a debate has happened, and regardless of the victor, politics and international studies professor Cheryl Hendricks of the University of Johannesburg says it alone is significant.

"I think it's a very good thing for the people of Africa," she said. "Before, nobody knew who the candidates were, if you weren't part of the (inner) circle. We are all now following these various candidates, we are all commenting on them, even though what we say may not influence how our heads of state vote, at least we are all having our say, and I think that is commendable."

VOA News asked all three AU watchers who they thought the winner would be.

Each gave a well-reasoned argument, and a completely different answer in which no single candidate emerged. And each acknowledged the realpolitik of the AU commission, the post informally rotates among the five regions of Africa, and each African head of state is naturally seeking to promote his or her region.

Furthermore, the heads of state will choose the commissioners, and the scramble for those eight high-level spots could also be a game of geographical musical chairs that could shift the balance for the top job.

"But you know, you never know with the AU," Louw-Vaudran said. "It's a secret vote, heads of state make that decision, there's a lot of give and take on various issues. And so, it's very difficult to guess who's going to win this race."

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Haiti's President-elect Questioned on Money-laundering Allegations

By VOA Creole service January 26, 2017

Haiti's president-elect, after appearing at a lengthy hearing to address allegations of money laundering, insisted that those accusations were politically motivated and that the country's "justice system will function without bias" under his administration.

Jovenel Moise submitted to four hours of questioning Wednesday in a Port-au-Prince court. The businessman appeared without an attorney in the closed-door session with Judge Bredy Fabien.

At a news conference afterward, Moise said he voluntarily went to court to demonstrate that "no one is above the law."

The president-elect, scheduled to take office February 7, said he would not allow the nation's justice system or financial watchdog to be co-opted for personal attacks.

"No one will be able to use the justice system and the [Central] Financial Intelligence Agency for personal vendetta," Moise said. "Those institutions exist to bring order where it is needed. They were not created to be used by politicians to attack others."

The money-laundering inquiry began in 2013, and Central Financial Intelligence Unit (UCREF) prosecutors gave a secret report about it to prosecutors last summer, according to multiple news sources.

Moise repeatedly has denied the accusations. His attorney, Camille Leblanc, told VOA that the financial agency had made a mistake and that he had sent the court documents that would clear his client.

Moise, a former banana exporter representing the Bald Heads Party, was elected in November with nearly 56 percent of the vote. Three other candidates challenged the results unsuccessfully.

Last week, UCREF organized a press conference to emphasize its impartiality. Its chief, Sonel Jean-Francois, said, "No one has been allowed to exploit UCREF since I became general director."

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Raytheon-Leonardo Team Drop Out of T-X Trainer Jet Competition

Sputnik News

00:41 27.01.2017(updated 00:55 27.01.2017)

Leonardo, parent company of the now-defunct Alenia Aermacchi, has announced that it will no longer "jointly pursue," with US weapons manufacturer Raytheon, a competition on the US Air Force's T-X program to replace the fleet of 50-year-old Northrop T-38s.

US-based Raytheon and Italian company Leonardo have posted almost identical statements, saying the two companies will no longer "jointly pursue" competition in US Air Force's T-X Trainer program. While Raytheon stated it will drop out of the program completely, Leonardo may still seek the program award alone.

"The companies were unable to reach a business agreement that is in the best interest of the US Air Force," stated Raytheon.

According to Defense News, the statement by Leonardo is almost identical, with the exception of one sentence:

"Leonardo is evaluating how to leverage on the strong capabilities and potential of the T-100, in the best interest of the US Air Force."

According to Raytheon spokesman B.J. Boling, Leonardo is not forbidden to seek competition with its T-100, a jet based on the M-346, which was under development with the Russian Yakovlev Design Bureau.

According to insiders, the two companies could not reach an agreement regarding where primary construction operations would take place. Raytheon reported maintaining that at least 70 percent of the T-X must be produced in the United States.

This is not the first time Leonardo has lost a partner on a T-100 project. In 2000, Alenia Aermacchi could not reach an agreement with the Yakovlev Bureau, which led to the project being split between Alenia's M-346 and the Russian Yak-130.

More recently, Leonardo, which acquired Alenia Aermacchi, failed to maintain a partnership with General Dynamics, who dropped the T-100 project in 2015.

Now, without Raytheon, Leonardo must face competition with a Boeing/Saab partnership, a Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) partnership, a Northrop Grumman/BAE Systems partnership, as well as other less-prominent aircraft makers, making success in the project for the Italian company an unlikely prospect.

The T-X Program intends to replace the US Air Force's fleet of Northrop Grumman T-38s, whose average age is about 43.5 years, its first flight dating back to 1959. After fatigue failure in 2008 killed a two-person crew in a T-38C, the program was rushed to reach initial operating capability in 2017, but financial difficulties have postponed it to 2023.

 Sputnik

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US Apache Attack Helicopters Enter Service on Korean Peninsula

Sputnik News

00:09 27.01.2017(updated 00:11 27.01.2017)

South Korea's Kiowa Warrior helicopters have conducted their final exercises before being replaced by US-built Apaches. On Wednesday the Vietnam War-era warcraft carried out maneuvers at the Rodriguez Live Fire Range military base. In a joint exercise with M1A2 Abrams tanks and AH-64 Apaches, the helicopters attacked stationary targets.

In January the US Forces Korea deployed the 24 AH-64D Apaches that replaced the OH-58D Kiowas.

The 2nd Infantry Division's public affairs office said, "During the exercise, OH-Kiowa helicopters performed a symbolic passing of the torch mid-air," according to Stripes.com.

The single-rotor, single-engine Kiowa debuted in 1966, and was deployed in South Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq. The modernization of Seoul's Army comes as they face a nuclear threat from Pyongyang.

In September 2016 US B1 bombers flew over the Korean peninsula, flanked by South Korean and Japanese jets, as a show of force against Pyongyang who has continued ballistic missile tests despite UN sanctions and international calls for denuclearization.

North Korea bristled at the demands, with the Korean Central News Agency warning, "Any sanction, provocation and pressure cannot ruin our status as a nuclear state and evil political and military provocations will only result in a flood of reckless nuclear attacks that will bring a final destruction."

 Sputnik

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Ryan on Trump's Mexico wall: 'We're going to pay for it'

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:43AM

The United States will fund the initial construction of a wall President Donald Trump plans to build on the Mexican border, according to Paul Ryan, the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

"First off, we're going to pay for it and front the money," he said in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday, hours after Trump ordered construction of a long border wall between the US and Mexico to stop refugees.

Trump said in an earlier interview with ABC News that Mexico would reimburse "100 percent" of the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) wall's costs.

Ryan on Wednesday claimed that ordinary members of the Republican Party are committed to making Trump's wall a reality, adding that there are "various ways" to force Mexico to pay for the project.

"There are a lot of different ways of getting Mexico to contribute to doing this," he said. "There are different ways of defining how exactly they pay for it."

"The point is, [Trump] has a promise that he made to the American people to secure our border," Ryan added. "A wall is a big part of that. We agree with that goal."

"We will be working with him to finance the construction of the physical barrier, including the wall, on the southern border," he continued.

Trump has estimated that construction of the wall would cost $8 billion, vowing to force Mexico to foot the bill.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto made it clear during a meeting with Trump in September last year that his country would not pay for the project.

On Wednesday, Nieto reiterated that "Mexico will not pay for any wall."

"Far from uniting us, it divides us," Pena Nieto said in a statement. "Mexico does not believe in walls."

Trump propelled himself as the president of the United States by framing himself as an anti-establishment outsider, despite the fact that his campaign had been hit with many controversies since its inception in early 2015.

The New York businessman made several controversial remarks, including a call to ban all Muslims from coming to America as well as forced deportation of Mexican migrants by building the wall along the US-Mexico border.

He has also sought a database to track Muslims across the United States and said that the US would have "absolutely no choice" but to close down mosques.

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Reports: Second FSB Agent Arrested; Possible Links To U.S. Election Hacking

Mike Eckel January 26, 2017

Russian media have reported that another Federal Security Service (FSB) officer has been arrested on treason charges in a case that may be linked to cyberattacks targeting the U.S. presidential election campaign.

The reports by Rambler News Service on January 26 come a day after the Kommersant newspaper reported that a senior officer of the cyberintelligence department of the FSB -- Russia's lead security agency -- had been arrested.

Kommersant said Sergei Mikhailov, deputy chief of the FSB's Center for Information Security, had been arrested in December on treason charges.

Another Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, on January 26 confirmed the Kommersant report.

Novaya Gazeta cited unidentified sources as saying Mikhailov was arrested during a meeting with other FSB officers in Moscow, and was taken from the room with a sack over his head.

Also arrested in December was a manager of the renowned Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab.

Investigation Chief Arrested

Kaspersky Lab confirmed the arrest to RFE/RL, identifying the manager as Ruslan Stoyanov and saying he headed the company's investigation unit.

A list on the website LinkedIn indicates that Stoyanov started working at Kaspersky Lab in 2012 and that his previous jobs included a position at the Russian Interior Ministry's cybercrime unit in the early 2000s.

On January 26, Rambler News and REN-TV both said a second FSB officer had also been arrested last month, and identified him as Major Dmitry Dokuchayev.

Dokuchayev headed another unit within the Center for Information Security and reportedly served under Mikhailov.

News of the arrests comes as U.S. intelligence agencies continue investigating the degree to which Russian government-backed hackers penetrated computer servers and e-mail accounts belonging to the political party officials, first and foremost, the Democratic Party.

In one of his final orders as president, Barack Obama publicly endorsed the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community that Moscow was behind the hacking and named nine top Russian officials and entities associated with the FSB and the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Earlier in January, the top U.S. intelligence official told a Senate committee that the cyberhacking campaign constituted unprecedented meddling into the U.S. electoral process.

No Official FSB Comment

Tsargrad TV, a Russian news site run by a Kremlin-loyal businessman, said Mikhailov had links to a Russian hacker group known as Shaltay-Boltay.

That hacker group has published troves of e-mails of prominent Russian officials and businesspeople that it claims to have obtained in cyberattacks.

The FSB has not officially commented on the investigation.

Novaya Gazeta reported that that -- in addition to Mikhailov, Dokuchayev, and Stoyanov -- two other individuals have been arrested in connection with the investigation, one of them an FSB colleague of Mikhailov's.

The newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying that Mikhailov is suspected of providing U.S. intelligence with information about King Servers, a hosting service owned by Russian citizen Vladimir Fomenko.

King Servers was used as a platform by hackers who targeted state-election computer systems in Arizona and Illinois last year. Fomenko, who rents space on his servers, has denied any links to the perpetrators of the cyberattacks.

According to Novaya Gazeta, Fomenko rented computer-server space to another Russian entrepreneur named Pavel Vrublevsky, who ran an electronic payment company called Chronopay and in 2013 was convicted of cyberattacks on Russian companies.

Mikhailov reportedly testified in court that he knew Vrublevsky and his talents well.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fsb -agent-arrested-u-s-election- hacking/28261397.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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White House: Trump Has 'Buffet of Options' to Get Mexico to Pay for Border Wall

By VOA News January 26, 2017

The White House says President Donald Trump has a "buffet of options" on how to get Mexico to pay for the wall he wants to build along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Plans for the controversial wall have soured Mexican relations with the United States, just days into the Trump presidency.

Earlier Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Trump wanted to slap a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico. He said the new tax would raise $10 billion a year and "easily pay for the wall." He also said the president discussed the idea with congressional leaders and wanted to include the measure in a comprehensive tax reform package that Congress would have to approve.

But later, the White House said the idea is just one of several options on the table for paying for a wall along the southern border. And it said Trump has yet to make a final decision about how the U.S. will recoup the costs of his proposed border wall.

U.S. taxpayers initially would foot the bill for the wall, which is expected to cost as much as $15 billion.

It is unclear what retaliatory steps Mexico could take if the border tax is approved, because exports to the U.S. are essential to the Mexican economy.

Earlier Thursday, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled next week's meeting with Trump in Washington after Trump said the talks should be called off if Mexico kept insisting it would not pay for the wall.

"The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week," Trump said. "Unless Mexico treats the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."

Vital to Mexico

It is unclear what retaliatory steps Mexico could take if the tax was approved, because exports to the U.S. are essential to the Mexican economy.

Trump made building a wall one of his top promises during the presidential campaign. He often led his supporters in chants of "build the wall, build the wall."

The wall along the U.S.-Mexican border would be primarily aimed at stopping illegal immigration into the U.S. But many Mexicans regard the idea of a wall as an insult, and the rough terrain and stretches of private property along the border could make building the wall a long, complicated project.

Trump on Thursday also blasted the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. He called it a "total disaster" for the U.S., costing as much as $60 billion each year in trade deficits with Mexico.

"Not to mention millions of jobs and thousands and thousands of factories and plants closing down all over our country," he said. "On top of that are the trillions of dollars the U.S. taxpayers have spent to pay the cost of illegal immigration."

Trump and Pena Nieto met in August in Mexico City to discuss immigration, the border wall and other issues. Trump said that he and Pena Nieto did not discuss who would pay for the proposed wall. But the Mexican president said he began their conversation by telling Trump that Mexico would not pay.

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Hyten: Deterrence in Space Means No War Will be Fought There

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2017  Space capabilities have created a revolution in military affairs, an environment in which information is key to the battlespace and deterrence means war will never be fought in space, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command said this week at Stanford University in California.

Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten spoke at the university's Center for Security and Cooperation on Stratcom's perspectives on 21st century deterrence in space. In the audience were Stanford faculty, postgraduate national security students, grad students and some undergrads, and retired government policymakers and national laboratory scientists.

Hyten was nominated for reassignment to head Stratcom in September 2016. He commanded Air Force Space Command from 2014 to 2016.

"I have two jobs as commander of Strategic Command," he said.

Job No. 1 is defending America against all threats, Hyten explained, and job No. 2 is defending and protecting the space environment so space is available for exploration to every generation in every nation.

The space domain is critical to every military operation, the general said, noting that everything from humanitarian to major combat operations critically depend on space capabilities.

21st Century Deterrence

Hyten said the most important element of space is geosynchronous orbit, a circular orbit 22,300 miles above the planet where satellites appear to be stationary above the surface of the earth. British science fiction writer, futurist and inventor Arthur C. Clark mathematically determined the orbit in 1947, the general said.

The orbit, also called GEO, is important for communications, television and radio satellites and for critical military satellites, Hyten said.

"That's where we do our special communications, from national command-and-control communications [to]  our nuclear business," he added. "If somebody wants to threaten that and if they do something to geosynchronous orbit because of where that orbit is, the debris that's created will be there forever."

Preventing potential aggression in space requires deterrence, Hyten said.

"We have to deter bad behavior in space and we have to deter conflict in space," he added, especially against adversaries like China and Russia that are building weapons in low earth orbit and in GEO that will deploy from the ground to these areas of space.

As Stratcom commander, Hyten said, "that means I have to figure out with the 184,000 people who work under Strategic Command how we defend the nation against that kind of threat and how I deter that conflict from ever happening."

China, Russia and Space Weapons

Hyten said China has stated publicly that its goal is to use space only for peaceful purposes.

China also has been a vocal supporter of the United Nation's Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, he added, "and at the same time they're the most aggressive nation in the world, building weapons that will challenge the United States in space in the future."

The Chinese government tested its low earth orbit capability in 2007, the general said, "and ... they continue to test that capability today  at multiple orbital regimes."

He added, "In the not-too-distant future, they will be able to use that capability to threaten every spacecraft we have in space. We have to prevent that, and the best way to prevent war is to be prepared for war. So the United States is going to do that, and we're going to make sure that everybody knows we're prepared for war."

Russia, which has had an anti-satellite capability since the 1980s, now is exploring significant anti-satellite capabilities, including lasers for use in space and other "capabilities that would threaten our satellites, and many of which would create debris" that could hinder access to space, Hyten said.

Space Enterprise

To make sure war never happens in space, the general said, the United States has been working since after the first Gulf War in 1990-1991 to bolster and build new space capabilities.

"In February three years ago we announced the existence of a program called the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program -- GSSAP," Hyten said, adding that the Air Force has four satellites in GEO now that are "basically a neighborhood watch program for everything that goes on in that high-value orbit."

The Air Force made the formerly classified program public because it wanted the world to know that nothing could be done in GEO that would catch the United States by surprise, he said.

The Air Force also began a series or war games at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado, where players explore "what conflict would look like if it extends into space someday and how we would fight it," Hyten said.

And they developed something called the Space Enterprise Vision.

This, according to a 2016 Air Force Space Command news release, is an integrated approach across all space mission areas, coupling the delivery of space mission effects to the warfighter -- including communications, positioning, navigation and timing, missile warning and weather data -- with the ability to protect and defend space capabilities against emerging threats.

Building Capability

In October 2015, Stratcom launched the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center, or JICSpOC, a collaboration among Stratcom, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Air Force Space Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the intelligence community and commercial data providers, after Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work announced its development at a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency conference in June, said Stratcom spokesman Army Lt. Col. Martin O'Donnell.

Hyten said JICSpOC is a place "where we experiment on war that extends into space so we understand what that is."

There was no commercial industry to speak of when the Air Force started building its current architectures in the 1990s in response to the first Gulf War, the general said, but now there's a huge commercial enterprise with companies that maintain their own satellite constellations and provide services such as space launch, satellite imagery and more.

"All those things are out there right now, and a lot of folks in the military think it doesn't pertain to us," Hyten said. "But it pertains to us in two ways. No. 1, it creates an economic environment that the U.S. military will have to defend at some point, and it creates an opportunity for us to take advantage of a commercial sector ... to do the missions that we have to do."

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Chinese Media Suspect Work on New Super-Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile Underway

Sputnik News

17:57 26.01.2017(updated 20:33 26.01.2017)

China is reportedly testing a beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missile in combat drills capable to engage targets up to 400 kilometers away, China Daily wrote.

According to the newspaper, a photo posted on the People's Liberation Army website, shows a J-11B fighter jet armed with an unknown rocket almost one-fourth of the length of the 22-meter-long plane.

The paper added that the photograph was made during an aerial-warfare drill held in northwestern China in November 2016.

Images of a J-16 strike fighter carrying a nearly identical rocket earlier appeared online.

The newspaper quoted military expert Fu Qianshao as saying on Thursday that China was apparently developing a new missile capable of destroying high-value targets, such as early warning aircraft and flying tankers, which normally stay far from combat zones.

Fu also said that while most of the existing air-to-air missiles had a range of about 100 kilometers, the new missile would be able to destroy targets up to 400 kilometers away.

"Successful development of this potentially new missile would be a major breakthrough in the [Chinese] Air Force's weapons upgrade," the expert said.

He added that the ultra-long-range missile would be able to enter the stratosphere at an altitude of up to 50 kilometers and fly there until it spotted its target and then swoop down to destroy it.

 Sputnik

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Chinese ministries ban military-type exports to N.Korea

People's Daily Online

(Global Times) 08:46, January 26, 2017

China has released a list of goods that are banned for export to North Korea on Wednesday, including items and technologies that can be used to build weapons of mass destruction, according to the Ministry of Commerce(MOC) website.

Expert said that it shows China's resolution to comply with the UN sanctions and serves as a warning to North Korea not to conduct a nuclear test during the Chinese New Year as it did in 2016.

The list contains detailed items and technologies with possible civilian and military use. The items include materials and equipment to develop nuclear missiles and chemical weapons, software related to rockets or drones, high-speed video cameras, submarines, sensors, telecommunications devices and lasers.

The list was jointly released by the MOC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, the China Atomic Energy Authority and the General Administration of Customers.

The list was meant to comply with the requirements of UN sanctions imposed in November in response to North Korea's fifth and largest nuclear test in September. The list was put into effect on Wednesday.

"[This] shows China's attitude on the North Korea nuclear issue. And it is also a warning for the North Korean side not to conduct another round of nuclear testing during China's Spring Festival this year," Jin Qiangyi, director of Asia Research Center, Yanbian University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

North Korea launched an Unha-type rocket southward on February 7, 2016. China's Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin summoned North Korean ambassador to lodge a formal protest over the launch, the People's Daily reported.

Jin said that the list may strike a blow to North Korea's military industry, which mainly depend on imports, but to what extent it would push the North Korean government to give up nuclear tests remains unknown.

"Our purpose is to persuade the North Korean side to go back to the negotiation table or take measures to reform. And we should also pay attention to the livelihood of the North Korean people," said Jin.

In response to Pyongyang's fifth and largest nuclear test in September, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted in its Resolution 2321 "the toughest and most comprehensive sanctions" to slash North Korea's coal exports by 60 percent with an annual sales cap of $400.9 million, or 7.5 million metric tons, beginning January 1, 2017.

According to Reuters, US officials said last week they had seen indications that North Korea may be preparing for a new missile test-launch. A launch could be an early test of the administration of President Trump, who was sworn in on January 20. Trump's defense secretary, James Mattis, planned to visit Japan and South Korea next week, choosing the two US allies for his debut trip abroad as Pentagon chief.

Jin said that China's efforts to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue would help dispel some concerns in South Korea, bringing some possibilities for its decisions on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system.

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North Korean Defector: Kim Jong-Un Would Nuke LA if Threatened

Sputnik News

22:16 26.01.2017(updated 00:11 27.01.2017)

A North Korean defector and former diplomat has claimed that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un could launch a nuclear missile aimed at Los Angeles, knowing that Washington would retaliate. During a BBC interview, Thae Yong-ho claimed Kim was liable to press "the button on these dangerous weapons when he thinks that his rule and his dynasty is threatened."

Thae, formerly deputy ambassador for the DPRK to the UK, and the longest-serving official in that embassy before fleeing to Seoul with his family in August 2016, is one of a slew of high-ranking officials who have defected from Pyongyang recently. He said the obstinate Kim "knows that if he loses the power then it is his last day so he may do anything, even to attack Los Angeles, because once people know that in any way you will be killed, then you will do anything. That is the human being's normal reaction."

In the past, Thae claimed that North Korea's nuclear weapons program would be complete by the end of 2017, and though he believes Kim's rule will one day "collapse by people's uprising," he suggests that nuclear weapons are the key to Kim remaining in power.

The defector, speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire show, said, "Kim Jong Un knows quite well that a nuclear weapon is the only guarantee for his rule. If he lose the power then it is his last day. He may do anything."

Last week, Tom Zoellner, associate English professor at Chapman University, wrote in a Los Angeles Times op-ed that, "Even an inaccurately fired ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) stands a good chance of taking out millions of people instead of hitting lightly populated desert or mountains."

A Japanese newspaper reported Wednesday that Thae may visit the US to meet with White House officials and North Korea experts. UPI quoted him saying, "If properly informing the [US government] of the true intentions of North Korea's nuclear development helps the United States to establish a rational, precise policy toward North Korea, I would not hesitate visiting the United States."

 Sputnik

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China Bans Dual-Use Exports to North Korea - Commerce Ministry

Sputnik News

09:27 26.01.2017(updated 09:51 26.01.2017)

China has imposed a ban on dual-use technology exports to North Korea, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said Thursday.

BEIJING (Sputnik)  The measures are being introduced under the UN Security Council Resolution 2321, adopted following North Korea's massive nuclear test in September, the ministry said in a statement.

Banned exports include dual-use materials and technologies that could be used in weapons manufacture, including in the production of nuclear weapons, warheads, biological and chemical weapons. The ban also covers some software programs which could be used in missiles and drones, as well as metals used in producing multilayer plates, high speed cameras, various telecommunication devices, laser systems, sensors, avionics and air navigation equipment.

On September 5, 2016, Pyongyang launched three ballistic missiles in the direction of the Sea of Japan. Several days later, it conducted a successful test of a nuclear warhead, which is believed to be the fifth and largest blast since Pyongyang began pursuing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The UN Security Council responded with some of its toughest sanctions yet against the country, prohibiting UN members from buying North Korean coal, iron and iron ore, as well as nickel, copper, silver, zinc and monuments, as well as prohibiting the supply of items included in a dual-use list, also obliging members to suspend various forms of cooperation and to restrict the movement of North Korean officials on their territory.

 Sputnik

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Defector: North Korean Regime Crumbling

By Brian Padden January 26, 2017

Declaring that "Kim Jong Un's days are numbered," one of the highest-ranking North Korean officials to ever defect to South Korea shared rare firsthand knowledge and insight into the what he describes as the deteriorating situation inside the secretive and repressive Kim Jong Un regime.

"The elite class, which had supported North Korean society, has turned their backs on Kim Jong Un. Traditional structures of the North Korean system are crumbling," said Thae Yong-ho, North Korea's former deputy ambassador in London, who defected to South Korea in July.

Thae is currently an analyst at the Institute for National Security Strategy, a research organization affiliated with South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

Disillusionment

Speaking at length to journalists in Seoul on Wednesday, Thae said his growing disillusionment with the young North Korean leader, who took power in December 2011, reached a tipping point in the last year, as Kim set a "fanatical goal" to achieve a reliable long-range nuclear strike capability by 2017, while the United States and South Korea are undergoing political transitions.

Despite increasing international sanctions, North Korea in the last year conducted two nuclear tests, 24 missile launches and has indicated it may soon openly test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

After Thae made the decision to defect, it took time and some luck to make his escape with his family. For diplomats stationed overseas, North Korea usually requires that one family member remain behind as a "hostage," Thae said, to deter defections.

"The Kim Jong Un regime even abuses the love between parents and children to control North Korean diplomats," he said.

Thae would not reveal how he arranged it, but he managed to bring both his children to London. Once he had his family together, he made his flight to freedom in South Korea.

He does regret, however, that other relatives he left behind may have been punished and sent to prison camps for his defection.

Grasshopper revolt

Today, Thae said, the rise of illegal "grasshopper" markets, widespread corruption and the influx of outside information are fueling public discontent and weakening the government's traditional ability to maintain order through fear and intimidation.

An increasing number of illegal but often tolerated street vendors, that appear and move suddenly like grasshoppers, have helped keep the local economy functioning following the collapse of the communist state system decades ago.

But these emerging private markets are also making people more resentful of restrictions imposed by the state and less fearful of police and security officials, who have become more interested in soliciting bribes than in enforcing the law.

"A few years ago that sort of resistance was unthinkable because the North Korean system is a system where the people should act according to the instructions of the authority," Thae said.

The influx of information, mostly popular South Korean movies and dramas that show the freedom and prosperity that exists in the outside world, is increasingly penetrating the closed society of North Korea.

Thae is advocating for increasing the dissemination of outside information into North Korea, which he said will be like spraying gasoline on a fire of public anger, eventually sparking a popular uprising that will topple the Kim family regime.

Repression

The former North Korean diplomat compares the growing discontent in his country to the situation in the Soviet Union before its collapse, and hopes for a peaceful outcome that ends with a unified and democratic Korea.

However there is also a high risk that the leadership in Pyongyang will respond to protests with deadly force and repression, as China did following the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Thae warned against the U.S. or South Korea launching any preemptive strikes against North Korea. Such military action, he said, would likely start a war.

He also warned against appeasing Kim Jong Un by compromising on sanctions or ending joint U.S., South Korea military drills for a nuclear freeze. It's a trap, Thae said, that would ultimately legitimize the North as a nuclear state, as has happened over time with India and Pakistan.

The possibility of a military coup inside North Korea is remote because the leadership is loyal to Kim, he said. Although he notes that many in the armed forces are also frustrated with the current system.

And Thae said the leaders in Pyongyang do not fear retaliation from China for its nuclear program, because they think Beijing would rather have a nuclear North Korea on its border than contend with a unified democratic Korea allied with the United States.

Youmi Kim contributed to this report.

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Japan Defense Minister Says Tokyo Covers Over 80% of US Military Presence Costs

Sputnik News

15:32 26.01.2017(updated 15:33 26.01.2017)

The Japanese share in costs spent on US military presence in the Asian country exceeded 80 percent in 2015, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said.

TOKYO (Sputnik)  According to the Japanese Kyodo news agency, Inada made the figures public, speaking in the lower house of the country's parliament.

Tokyo and Washington have close ties in the sphere of military and technical cooperation. The United States have a military contingent of some 54,000 servicemen deployed at the Asian country, within the framework of the US-Japan security treaty signed in 1951. Most of US troops in Japan are deployed in the western Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.

According to The Wall Street Journal, in 2016 the Japanese budget included about $4 billion on expenses related to the presence of the US military bases in the country.

 Sputnik

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Libyan forces recapture key Benghazi district

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:32AM

Forces belonging to the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) say they have taken complete control of a long-contested district in the flashpoint city of Benghazi.

The LNA's spokesman, Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari, made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the LNA forces, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, "liberated all of Ganfouda," an area 15 kilometers west of the center of Benghazi.

Two other LNA officials also confirmed that Ganfouda had been retaken from extremist militants, adding that some of the militants, however, had fled to a nearby area known as the "12 blocks."

A medical source said some 30 forces of the LNA had been killed and 25 others wounded during the past two days of fighting with Daesh terrorists in the western district of Ganfouda.

Meanwhile, a car bomb explosion rocked the center of Benghazi later in the day, leaving at least six people wounded, including five civilians and a soldier. The attack in Benghazi's Shara-e-Jamal street was likely aimed at a military convoy traveling along the road, according to witnesses.

Benghazi has witnessed fierce battles in the past two years between pro-government troops led by Haftar and armed militias, including Takfiri groups such as Daesh and the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia.

Haftar and a faction of loyalist army personnel have taken it upon themselves to fight extremist militants in Libya's second city.

The general used to be an ally of Libya's long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He, however, joined the Libyan revolution against Gaddafi in 2011.

Libya has been dominated by violence since a NATO military intervention followed the 2011 uprising, which led to the overthrow and death of Gaddafi. Rival governments were set up in Tripoli and eastern Libya back in 2014.

In December 2015, however, the two administrations agreed on forming the Government of National Accord (GNA) after months of UN-brokered talks. The presidential council of the GNA arrived in Tripoli in March last year in a bid to restore order to the oil-rich North African country.

Haftar has refused to profess allegiance to the internationally-recognized GNA, but his forces have been fighting militants in Benghazi since 2014. The opponents of Haftar say he is essentially involved in a struggle for power and is undermining the country.

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Myanmar Shrugs Off International Pressure Over Rohingya Crackdown

By Paul Vrieze January 26, 2017

Myanmar has been under growing international pressure over its months-long, brutal security operations in Rohingya Muslim communities in Rakhine State, and last week saw another barrage of criticism from Malaysia and a United Nations human rights rapporteur.

But the democratic government of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has resisted the pressure and defended the military against allegations of massive rights abuses  to the frustration of the international community, where many have launched harsh criticisms of the democracy idol.

The situation has exposed the complexities of the Rakhine crisis and prompted calls for a change in the approach of foreign governments to dealing with Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD) government and the army.

Shift pressure

David Mathieson, an independent analyst, said the international community would do well to shift some pressure away from Aung San Suu Kyi, as her government has no control over the army under Myanmar's constitution. It is also politically hampered by the fact that the country's Buddhist majority loathes the stateless Rohingya Muslims.

"A major thing (the international community) can do right now is to reorient a lot of the valid criticism of what is going on away from the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to the actual perpetrators: the army and the police," said Mathieson, a former Myanmar researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Regional governments should urgently come up with a unified response toward Myanmar over the Rakhine crisis, he stressed. "The Rohingya issue is a regional issue," he added.

No progress, more criticism

Last month, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also foreign minister, hosted an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting on the Rakhine crisis and recently sent an envoy to Bangladesh. But the talks have produced no change in the government's approach to Rakhine  a region long affected by Muslim-Buddhist communal strife.

On Friday, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, expressed grave concern over the security operations, which were launched in Rakhine's Maungdaw Township following deadly attacks on police stations by Rohingya insurgents October 9.

She criticized the security forces' actions and the NLD government.

"The government's response to all of these problems seems to currently be to defend, dismiss and deny. And this response is not only counterproductive but is draining away the hope that had been sweeping the country," she said in an end-of-mission statement.

On January 19, Malaysia convened a special meeting of the 51 Organization of Islamic Cooperation member governments during which Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak lambasted Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya and the "appalling deaths" and "atrocities" they faced.

Malaysia's bypassing of ASEAN and breaking its tradition of non-interference in domestic affairs angered Myanmar. It said Malaysia's initiative was "regrettable" and "exploited (Rakhine) to promote a certain political agenda."

Indonesia, ASEAN's largest Muslim-majority country, has taken a quieter approach, sending its foreign minister to Myanmar several times. During a visit last week she told Channel News Asia that Indonesia preferred "constructive engagement" over "megaphone diplomacy."

Retno L.P. Marsudi, the foreign minister, visited Rakhine to make a donation to schools there, and a Myanmar delegation involving cabinet members and Rohingya Muslim leaders is visiting Indonesia to study its history of communal conflict resolution. So far, Jakarta has not tried to initiate a regionally united response towards Myanmar.

Not a regional issue

Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Aye Aye Soe said it welcomed Indonesia's approach, but rejected Malaysia's and other harsh international criticism of Aung San Suu Kyi's handling of the Rakhine crisis.

"Half the time the things the international community are yelling are not exactly productive, or problem-solving focused, it's more about self-interest," she told VOA.

Aye Aye Soe denied the Rakhine crisis required the involvement of regional governments.

"It's purely our domestic issue that we have to solve in our own way. Because these are our people and we are the only ones who know the situation on the ground," she said.

Aung San Suu Kyi had asked the military to act with restraint during the Rakhine operations, she said, adding that, "so far, it has been followed" as only a few abuse cases had been confirmed and were being dealt with.

According to U.N. agencies, the security operations have caused 66,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and internally displaced 22,000 more, while aid access has been restricted. Hundreds of civilians were arrested, scores were killed for allegedly attacking the army, and satellite images obtained by Human Rights Watch showed dozens of villages were burned down.

Pressuring the army?

Mathieson said Western and Asian governments that began engaging with the Myanmar military in recent years to encourage the country's democratic transition should now slow down and recalibrate their interactions to pressure the army over its operations in Rakhine and northern Myanmar.

Asked what he thought of the November visit of Myanmar army chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing to Brussels and other European capitals, Mathieson said, "It certainly sends the wrong signal and it was unfortunate timing that he was being feted across Europe while his forces were burning Maungdaw."

The EU delegation to Myanmar told VOA in a statement that the Myanmar army chief was in Brussels on a long-planned meeting. The statement added that the EU has been calling for an independent investigation into the Rakhine attacks and army operations, and that EU representatives urged a proportionate response to the attacks in meetings with the army chief.

The EU also said it had consistently called on both the government and army to address the "problems faced by the Muslim communities in Rakhine State  including the elimination of statelessness and discrimination against them."

Kyaw Hla Aung, a Rohingya leader and former lawyer living near the Rakhine capital Sittwe, said he had little hope that any international pressure would make a difference on the ground as long as the army remained powerful.

Asked about Indonesia's initiative, he said, "Indonesia's foreign minister came here and donated something for the IDPs. But the government didn't allow them to donate by their own hands  and they didn't invite the suffering people, they invited (Muslims) from Yangon. So how can they know about the situation on the ground?"

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South Korea mulls taking China to WTO over THAAD 'retaliation'

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:2AM

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official says Seoul is considering countermeasures against what it says is Chinese retaliation for Seoul's decision to allow the deployment of an advanced US missile system on Korean soil.

Seoul announced last year that it had reached an agreement with Washington to install the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on South Korean soil, a controversial move that provoked China's strong opposition.

South Korean officials gradually started complaining that their country was being subjected to "indirect" retaliation by China, including alleged trade bans on South Korean goods. The officials have interpreted the move as a reaction to the permission for the deployment of the THAAD.

Last week, South Korean Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said the uncertainties linked to China  the world's second largest economy and Seoul's biggest trading partner  could pose a threat to his country, which is Asia's fourth-largest economy.

On Wednesday, a Foreign Ministry official told reporters on the condition of anonymity that Seoul was considering legal action against China over the alleged bans, Yonhap reported.

"Several counteractions are being discussed in collaboration with other ministries," the official said, adding that one legal channel was taking the case to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In remarks contradicting South Korea's hostile posture reflected in the remarks of the Foreign Ministry official, the country's Finance Ministry said on Wednesday that Seoul would be enhancing communication with Beijing in an attempt to resolve the problem.

In a statement after a regular government meeting on external economic conditions, the ministry said Seoul was to hold further meetings with the country's local businesses conducting trade with or in China.

It added that authorities would also engage Chinese officials more frequently in international meetings in a bid to pave the way for further expansion in bilateral trade relations between the two Asian countries.

China has not explicitly denied that it is taking indirect action against South Korea. Earlier in January, however, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing had an "open and positive attitude" toward trade ties with Seoul but "this requires a foundation of close friendship."

A senior official with the South Korean Finance Ministry anonymously said on Wednesday that the measures adopted by Beijing could not have come out of "thin air" and that they were so explicitly taken that "it's on everyone's minds right now."

Seoul and Washington claim the THAAD missile system, to be deployed later this year, is intended to counter perceived threats posed by the North Korean missile and nuclear programs.

China, however, says issues with North Korea should be resolved through dialog, not escalatory military countermeasures such as the deployment of the THAAD. Beijing also fears that the system's strong radar can penetrate its territory.

The announcement of the system's deployment has also triggered many protests within South Korea itself.

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Russian Armed Forces to Receive 50,000 Advanced Ratnik Combat Kits in 2017

Sputnik News

20:06 26.01.2017

The Russian Armed Forces will receive 50,000 sets of the second generation Ratnik uniform kit in 2017, Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov, commander-in-chief of Russia's Land Force said Thursday.

ROSTOV-ON-DON (Russia) (Sputnik)  He added that the kits would be purchased for the servicemen of the Land Force, Airborne Force and the Navy's marines.

"In 2017, Russia's Armed Forces are planning to purchase 50,000 sets of the second generation Ratnik uniform kits," Salyukov said.

Russia's advanced uniform kit, dubbed Ratnik, includes dozens pieces of equipment, comprising firearms, body armor, optical, communication and navigation devices, as well as life support and power supply systems. Russia's troops have been receiving the gear sets since 2016.

 Sputnik

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Putin Calls For Strengthening of Russian Armed Forces' Combat Capability

Sputnik News

16:58 26.01.2017(updated 17:17 26.01.2017)

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for strengthening of the Russian Armed Forces' combat capability, including shortening the time of military units' deployment.

"The significance of ground forces together with the aviation and navy in military conflicts is high. Our task is to provide them with the best hardware, modern equipment and significantly boost their combat capabilities," Putin said.

"Mobility is one of the main indicators of the efficiency of the ground forces during troop transfers for long distances and their fast deployment. We need to increase the time of such activity."

He also said that he hoped the Russian Armed Forces would be significantly reinforced by the new MiG-35 (Fulcrum-F) light multirole fighter.

"First of all I want to congratulate you on this important event, on the start of flight tests of our new light MiG-35 fighter," Putin said during a video conference on the occasion of the beginning of the fighter jet's flight tests.

He added that the new fighter has improved characteristics, is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and is capable of tracking from 10 to 30 targets.

"I very much hope that our armed forces will be significantly reinforced by this aircraft," Putin said.

 Sputnik

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Serial Purchases of MiG-35 Fighter Jet to Start in 2019 - UAC

Sputnik News

16:25 26.01.2017(updated 16:31 26.01.2017)

Serial purchases of Russia's advanced MiG-35 (Fulcrum-F) multirole fighter under the state arms procurement program will begin in 2019, President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Boris Slyusar said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Slyusar added that a presentation of MiG-35 for potential foreign buyers will be held on January 27.

"The aircraft is included in the state arms procurement program. Its serial purchases will begin in 2019," Slyusar said in a conference call with members of Russia's Military-Industrial Commission.

The MiG-35 is a further development of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB fighter jets, featuring improved combat capability and flight performance characteristics.

 Sputnik

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Riyadh unveils modern US-made warplane

Iran Press TV

Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:15PM

Saudi Arabia has unveiled a new bomber manufactured by the United States despite international criticism about the kingdom's devastating war on neighboring Yemen.

During a ceremony and air show in the capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday, King Salman and his son Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman watched the unveiling of one of the F-15SA Eagle aircraft made by US manufacturer Boeing.

The warplane, one of the most sophisticated in the world, was displayed against the backdrop of a giant Saudi flag with a missile attached to its belly.

Saudi Arabia is the third biggest military spender in the world with reports saying that the kingdom has splashed billions on weapons and ammunition over the past years.

The deadly Saudi campaign against Yemen, which lacks any international mandate, has faced growing criticism from governments and rights groups as most sorties conducted by the Saudi air force have targeted residential areas.

The Saudi air force has announced plans for strengthening its fleet through adding some 84 F-15SA warplanes under an agreement signed with the United States in 2011. The nearly $30-billion deal also includes Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.

Washington has ignored international calls for a halt in the procurement of weapons and aircraft to Riyadh.

A recent report published in IHS Jane's Defense Weekly revealed that the first of the F-15SAs arrived in December. The kingdom currently has 313 combat-capable aircraft.

During the unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, countries that have benefited from Saudi Arabia's financial support to contribute to its war on Yemen were also represented, a sign that Saudi Arabia may use the bombers in its so-called coalition attacks against Yemen. Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir was the top foreign figure watching the ceremony in Riyadh.

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UK foreign secretary signals shift in policy on Syrian president

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 6:8PM

Britain has accepted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be allowed to run for re-election in the event of a peace deal in Syria, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said, a major shift in British policy which London had pursued since the beginning of the conflict that Assad must go.

Speaking in the UK Parliament on the eve of Prime Minister Theresa May's meeting with new US President Donald Trump at the White House, Johnson acknowledged that the inauguration of Trump meant all sides needed to rethink their approach to Syria.

"It is our view that Bashar al-Assad should go, it's been our longstanding position. But we are open-minded about how that happens and the timescale on which that happens," Johnson told the House of Lords international relations committee.

"I have to be realistic about how the landscape has changed, and it may be that we will have to think afresh about how we handle this. The old policy, I am afraid to say, does not command much confidence."

Johnson's comments signal a dramatic reversal of British policy stretching back to the early days of the Syrian conflict. After he was appointed as foreign secretary in July last year, Johnson insisted that Assad had to go.

The official Foreign Office view has long been that Assad can stay only for a short period as part of a transitional government.

But the defeat of the militants in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Trump's desire to forge closer ties with Russia, and the Turkish rapprochement with Moscow have changed the equation.

"We have been wedded for a long time to the mantra that Assad must go, and we have not been able at any stage to make that happen, and that has produced the difficulty we now face," Johnson said, adding, "We are getting to the stage where some sort of democratic resolution has got to be introduced  and if there is a political solution then I don't think we can really avoid such a democratic event. I think that is the way forward."

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Russia urges US to 'weigh consequences' of Syria 'safe zones' plan

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:13PM

Russia has called on the United States to thoroughly consider the outcome of its plan to establish "safe zones" in conflict-ridden Syria, where both sides are engaged in aerial military campaigns.

It is important to "weigh all possible consequences" of the US measure, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said in a press conference on Thursday.

He was reacting to the latest comments by US President Donald Trump, who said Wednesday that he "will absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees with the declared aim of protecting the war-stricken refugees.

Noting that Washington had not consulted Moscow about the plan before announcing it, the Russian official emphasized, "It's important not to exacerbate the situation with refugees."

According to a document seen by Reuters, Trump is expected to give 90 days to the Pentagon and the US State Department to draw up a plan for establishing what he called safe zones in Syria, a move that could result in increased US military involvement in Syria.

Former US president Barack Obama had long resisted such a plan, fearing the potential for confrontation between US and Russian warplanes in Syrian skies.

Trump's comments come as a countrywide ceasefire is largely holding across Syria amid a fresh diplomatic process backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey, which has brought the Syrian government and opposition groups back to the negotiating table.

Since September 2015, the Russian Air Force has been involved in a military mission against Takfiri terrorists at the request of the Damascus government.

Moscow's fighter planes provide air cover to the Syrian army's ground operations against terrorists.

The US, a staunch supporter of anti-Damascus militants, has also been conducting air raids along with a number of its allies against purported terrorist targets in Syria since 2014.

The attacks, which come without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate, have not only failed to dislodge the terrorists, but led to many civilian deaths and damaged the country's infrastructure.

The US-led raids have on numerous occasions hit Syrian army positions, facilitating militant advances against government troops on the battlefield.

In October 2016, the Russian military specifically warned the U.S. against striking Syrian government forces, saying its air defense weapons in Syria would fend off any attack.

Qatar, Turkey hail Trump's 'safe zones' plan

Qatar and Turkey, Washington's regional allies, who have long sought the ouster of the Syrian government, were quick to welcome Trump's plan.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry's director of information, Ahmed al-Rumaihi, said in a statement that Doha had "emphasized the need to provide safe havens in Syria and to impose no-fly zones" in the Arab country.

In a similar stance, Turkey said that it had long advocated such a plan in Syria, adding that Ankara would make an assessment of Trump's proposal.

"We have seen the US president's request for conducting a study regarding the establishment of safe zones in Syria. What's important is the results of this study and what kind of recommendation will come out from the relevant institutions," said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, Huseyin Muftuoglu.

The Syria-wide ceasefire, which excludes Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist groups, has been in place since late last month.

Organized by Iran, Russia, and Turkey, the latest round of Syria peace talks wrapped up in Kazakh capital city of Astana on January 24 with the three countries agreeing on the establishment of a mechanism to support the nationwide Syria truce and monitor possible violations. The negotiations will continue in Geneva next month.

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Putin meets Jordan king, says no military solution to Syria crisis

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:0AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed optimism over cessation of hostilities in Syria and rejected military options as a solution to the crisis.

At a meeting in Moscow with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Putin praised Jordan's role in supporting the ongoing efforts to achieve peace in Syria.

"Through our common efforts the process is developing on the basis of a very significant decision that was reached  the cessation of hostilities," the Russian leader said.

He pointed to the achievements of the recent Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana as a "good basis", saying all parties to the negotiations agreed that there was "no military solution to the Syrian crisis."

King Abdullah II, for his part, praised Russia's role in the peace talks, saying, "Without Russia, we will not be able to find solutions to not only the Syrian problem but other regional problems in the Middle East."

He expressed hope that the results of Astana meeting will bring "an inclusive future to all Syrian people."

On Tuesday, Syrian peace talks wrapped up in Astana, with Iran, Russia and Turkey agreeing on the establishment of a trilateral mechanism to support the ceasefire in the country and monitor possible violations.

Jordan's support for the Astana talks comes despite the closeness of the country's regional policies to its traditional ally Saudi Arabia. The absence of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which had taken part in previous meetings on Syria in the Swiss city of Geneva, was among the salient features of Astana talks.

The government of Syria had voiced its vehement disagreement to participation of Riyadh and Doha in Astana talks ahead of the international gathering, citing their support for armed militants, who have wreaked havoc in the Arab country.

Marginalization of the United States was another feature of the Astana talks. Iran had objected to the presence of Washington in Syria peace negotiations, with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif noting that no joint invitation had been extended to the United States for participation in Syria talks.

The final joint statement of the talks, which was read by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov, underlined the importance of maintaining the national sovereignty of Syria.

Iran, Russia and Turkey stressed that there was no military solution to the Syria conflict and that the crisis could be only resolved through a political process based on full implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.

The three countries also agreed to work out a trilateral agreement with the goal of supervising the ceasefire in the Arab country to guarantee all parties' commitment to the Syria truce and prevent possible violations of the ceasefire.

Elsewhere in the statement, Iran, Russia and Turkey backed the participation of Syria's armed opposition in UN-sponsored negotiations on Syria, which are scheduled to be held in the Swiss city of Geneva on February 8.

The opposition has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the statement, but it reaffirmed commitment to protecting sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria as a democratic country.

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Trump ordering Pentagon to establish 'safe zones' in Syria

Iran Press TV

Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:41AM

US President Donald Trump is ordering the Pentagon to establish a series of "safe zones" in Syria, a move that could risk confrontation with the Syrian government as well as Russian forces in the Arab country.

"I'll absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people," Trump told ABC News in an interview on Wednesday, without further elaborating on his plan.

He said Europe had made a big mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, and insisted: "I don't want that to happen here [in the United States]."

The safe-zone mandate was included in the text of an executive order signed on Wednesday by the new Republican president that puts harsh restrictions on people travelling from Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and other countries to the United States.

Trump is expected to ask the Pentagon and the State Department in the coming days to devise a plan for establishing the "safe zones," according to a document seen by Reuters.

The development shows that the Trump administration is preparing a step that former President Barack Obama resisted during his time in office, fearing the potential for confrontation between US and Russian warplanes over Syria.

"The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, is directed within 90 days of the date of this order to produce a plan to provide safe areas in Syria and in the surrounding region in which Syrian nationals displaced from their homeland can await firm settlement, such as repatriation or potential third-country resettlement," reads the draft executive order awaiting Trump's signature.

During his election campaign, Trump slammed his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, for proposing the establishment of a no-fly zone and "safe zones" in Syria.

He warned that Clinton's policy towards Syria would "lead to World War III", arguing that she would drag the US into an armed confrontation with Russia.

And now Trump is planning to follow the policy he once criticized despite warnings by several senior American diplomats that there is no "viable option" to set up a "safe zone" inside Syria for civilians and US-allied militants.

Since September 2014, the US and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out airstrikes against purported Daesh positions inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US-led coalition has done little to stop Daesh's advances in Syria.

In September of 2015, Russia launched its own air offensive against the terrorists who were still wreaking havoc in Syria. The Russian campaign, analysts say, has broken the backbone of Daesh and other militants.

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Kremlin Cautious On U.S. Plan For Syria 'Safe Zones'

RFE/RL January 26, 2017

Russia has reacted cautiously to a U.S. plan for "safe zones" in Syria, saying that Washington did not consult with Moscow on the matter and that all possible consequences should be examined.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on January 25 he intended to set up such zones for refugees in Syria, a move related to his sweeping plans to limit immigration to the United States.

Reports say Trump is directing the Pentagon and State Department to produce a plan within three months, according to a draft executive order he is expected to sign in the coming days.

"No, our American partners did not consult with us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on January 26. "It's a sovereign decision."

Peskov said it was necessary to "thoroughly calculate all possible consequences" and that "it's important that this [plan] does not exacerbate the situation with refugees."

Turkey and a Syrian Islamist group say they have always supported the idea of safe zones in Syria, but would need to review the U.S. plan before commenting.

"We support any plan to protect civilians, but we will have to know details of this plan," Yasser al-Youssef of the Nureddine al-Zinki faction told the dpa news agency.

Despite some skepticism, Youssef also said the proposal could "be a blow to the Russian-Iranian expansionist plan in Syria."

Moscow and Tehran back President Bashar al-Assad's government in the six-year-old Syrian war, while Ankara supports the opposition.

"What's important is the results of this study and what kind of recommendation will come out," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said.

"Turkey has from the start suggested this. Jarabulus is the best example," he said, referring to a Syrian border town taken in August by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels from Islamic State fighters.

Qatar, another backer of rebels fighting Assad's government, welcomed Trump's comments.

The state news agency QNA quoted Foreign Ministry official Ahmad al-Rumaihi as emphasizing "the need to provide safe havens in Syria and to impose no-fly zones to ensure the safety of civilians."

In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said it was too early to comment on the U.S. plan for safe zones in Syria. The bloc "will consider plans when they come," she said.

In an interview with ABC News broadcast late on January 25, Trump said he would "absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people," stressing that he decided on the plan after watching the European Union struggle with a major refugee crisis spawned in large part by the Syrian civil war.

"I think that Europe has made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries," Trump told ABC.

Trump indicated that he sees the establishment of safe zones in Syria as one way of stemming what he sees as a threat of terrorism from admitting refugees and other immigrants or visitors from Muslim countries into the United States.

U.S. media are reporting that an executive order on safe zones that Trump is readying will be issued in conjunction with separate orders halting all resettlement of refugees from Syria in the United States, and suspending U.S. visas for people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, and other select Muslim countries until an aggressive system of vetting is in place.

Reuters claims to have seen the draft executive order on safe zones.

It said the order requires the Pentagon and State Department to come up with a plan within 90 days "to provide safe areas in Syria and in the surrounding region in which Syrian nationals displaced from their homeland can await firm settlement such as repatriation or potential third-country resettlement."

Reuters and AP said the document gives no details on what would constitute a safe zone, exactly where they might be set up, and who would defend them.

Jordan, Turkey, and other neighboring countries already host millions of Syrian refugees.

While various U.S. politicians have raised the possibility of establishing safe zones in Syria, including Trump's Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama resisted the proposal out of concern that it would pull the United States more deeply into the six-year-old civil war in Syria and possibly lead to clashes with Russian forces waging an air campaign there.

The clashes could occur if Trump chooses to enforce "no fly" restrictions over the safe zones he is planning.

Moreover, U.S. ground forces likely would also be needed to protect civilians in the zones, greatly increasing the cost of intervention both in terms of money spent and lives at risk.

U.S. military officials have long warned that the creation of no-fly or safe zones inside Syria would require far more resources than those already devoted to fighting against the Islamic State in Syria, and it would be difficult to ensure that militants do not infiltrate the zones amid the chaos of Syria's civil war.

While campaigning, Trump suggested that he would ask wealthy Persian Gulf states to help pay for such safe havens.

On Trump's broader anti-immigration plans, Reuters reported that Trump's draft executive order temporarily barring refugees from Syria and other countries unless they are persecuted religious minorities asserts that the measures are needed to "protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals."

AP reported that the draft order says its purpose is to make sure anyone allowed to enter the United States doesn't "bear hostile attitudes toward our country and its founding principles."

"We cannot, and should not, admit into our country those who do not support the U.S. Constitution or those who place violent religious edicts over American law," Trump states in the order, according to AP.

Human rights groups denounced Trump's anti-immigrant plans.

"The president needs to know he's an absolute fool for fostering this kind of hostility in his first few days. This will inflame violence against Americans around the world," said Seth Kaper-Dale, a pastor at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, New Jersey, which he said helped resettle 28 refugee and asylum-seeking families in the state last year.

"Never before in our country's history have we purposely, as a matter of policy, imposed a ban on immigrants or refugees on the basis of religion," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, calling it "a disturbing confirmation of Islamophobia" that was evident throughout Trump's presidential campaign.

"Actions to build a wall around us, criminalize a religion, and to strike fear in the heart of immigrants make Trump's America look more like a police state than the republic we truly are," said Wade Henderson, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

With reporting by ABC, Reuters, and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/trump-will- set-up-safe-zones-syria-to-keep-refugees- syria-immigration-/28260211.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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Russia, Turkey Exchange Intel Data, Jointly Bomb Daesh in Syria's Al-Bab

Sputnik News

19:47 26.01.2017(updated 20:11 26.01.2017)

Russia and Turkey conducted a joint aerial operation in Syria's Al-Bab after exchanging intelligence data on Daesh targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Russian Su-24M attack aircraft, Su-35S fighter jets, as well as Turkish F-16 and F-4 multirole fighter aircraft.

As a result of joint airstrikes, three Daesh command centers and a number of terrorist strongholds have been destroyed.

"As a result of the joint operation, Russian aircraft destroyed three command posts and a communications facility, as well as several terrorists' fortified positions."

Since January 18, Russian and Turkish warplanes have destroyed some 60 terrorist targets. The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Turkish Air Force jointly launched airstrikes on Daesh targets on January 18, January 21 and January 26.

"As a result of the airstrikes near Al-Bab populated area in the province of Aleppo, 58 targets of Daesh terrorist group have been destroyed. Arms depots, fuel materials, as well as groups of militants with hardware have been destroyed."

During planning of the operation, the Russian Aerospace Forces command center at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria's Latakia and the Turkish Air Force's command center exchanged intelligence intelligence information on Daesh coordinates. The terrorist targets have been confirmed via means of reconnaissance.

The operation is agreed with Syrian authorities.

The news comes amid a nationwide ceasefire in Syria backed by Russia and Turkey which came into effect on December 30 and was later supported by a UN Security Council resolution.

Turkey is currently conducting an operation in Syria dubbed Euphrates Shield. On August 24, Turkish forces, supported by Free Syrian Army rebels and US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and the surrounding area from Daesh terrorist group. As Jarabulus was retaken, the joint forces of Ankara, the coalition and Syrian rebels continued the operation to gain control over Al-Bab in the Aleppo province.

Al-Bab is one of Daesh's last remaining strongholds near the Turkish border. Capturing the city is of strategic importance to Turkey in order to prevent the Syrian Kurds taking it and unifying their own territories.

 Sputnik

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UN aid officials urge Security Council to push for greater humanitarian access in Syria

26 January 2017  Senior United Nations relief officials today urged the Security Council to do more to ensure the support of the Syrian Government to deliver life-saving aid, warning that aid workers are "blocked at every turn" while some 4.6 million people live in hard-to-reach areas across the war-ravaged country.

"We continue to be blocked at every turn, by lack of approvals at central and local levels, disagreements on access routes, and by the violation of agreed procedures at checkpoints by parties to the conflict," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien told the Council in a briefing alongside senior officials from the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.

He noted that "if one brave aid worker drives through the checkpoint without the facilitation letter and the command transmitted down the line" the guard or a sniper shoots.

"The fault is not at the door of the UN or the [non-governmental organizations]  it is the Syrian Government and the governors," Mr. O'Brien said. "We need to be allowed to pass  not as a favour but as a right  and safely."

In addition to millions of people living in hard-to-reach areas, an estimated 644,000 people live in 13 areas under siege in the country, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which Mr. O'Brien heads.

While the figure is down from last year, "it should not be mistaken for progress," the senior UN official stressed. He added that groups use sieges as weapons of war, which "does nothing other than to punish civilians, who already bear the brunt of this terrible conflict."

Mr. O'Brien also voiced deep concerns about reports of stockpiled aid in eastern Aleppo since the city's evacuation, which OCHA is looking into. Such reports highlight the importance of unhindered aid not only for delivery but for monitoring and distribution of aid.

The food situation, in particular, is extremely worrying said Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, Deputy Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

He said some seven million people in Syria are now food insecure and an additional two million are at risk. Food production has hit an all-time now, he said, as widespread insecurity hampers access to land and supplies, fuel is in short supply, and infrastructure is often damaged.

"Four in five Syrians now live in poverty with almost 80 per cent of households across the country struggle to cope with food shortages," said Mr. Abdulla.

If nothing changes, Syria could become "a country of subsistence farmers with most of its commercial agriculture base eroded."

Both UN aid officials also used today's briefing to again call for a political solution to the crisis, underscoring the importance of the 8 February talks in Geneva to be held under UN auspices, and the UN conference with the European Union in the beginning of April.

"After a chronicle of missed opportunities, this is the time for the various parties to come together and bring an end to this horrendous chapter in Syria's history," Mr. O'Brien said.

Speaking by teleconference from Geneva, Peter Salama, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies Programme, said that war has taken a serious toll on civilians and the health workers, hospitals and clinics serving them. Until recent security developments, 30,000 people had sustained war-related injuries every month, he recalled.

"The war has gutted the health system," with more than 100 attacks launched against health centres in 2016 alone, he said, adding that it has led to acute shortages and blocked access to services. Half of all Syrian children were not receiving the required vaccinations and more than 300,000 pregnant women lacked the care they need.

Underscoring the importance of the safety of those providing such services, he said WHO is working to ensure access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, and an end to attacks on health workers, with perpetrators being held accountable. Moving forward, Syria's health system must be rebuilt, with strong support from the international community, he emphasized.

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Turkey, Russia Taking Wait-And-See Approach on Trump's Syria Safe Zones

By VOA News January 26, 2017

Turkey says it is too early to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to establish safe zones in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu says it will be important to first see the results of studies that Trump is expected to order from the Pentagon and State Department about instituting zones where civilians in Syria could be safe from the country's ongoing conflict.

The Pentagon also said it would not comment on "drafts" and "pre-decisional" plans.

"Our focus in Syria is what it has always been, which is the degrading and defeating of ISIS and that has not changed," Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said Thursday.

Turkey, which shares a border with Syria, has long advocated safe zones. Former U.S. President Barack Obama did not support the idea.

In Russia, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian government has not been consulted by Trump's administration. He added that all of the potential consequences of a no-fly zone need to measured first, and that "it is important not to exacerbate the situation with refugees."

Humanitarian crisis

The nearly six-year-old war in Syria sparked a huge humanitarian crisis in the region with nearly five million Syrian refugees currently living in neighboring countries, while many others have gone to Europe. Many places in those host nations have struggled to provide services and have dealt with sharp public debates about whether to let people fleeing violence and instability into their country.

Earlier this week, Turkey and Russia, along with Iran, brought delegates from the Syrian government and rebel groups to Kazakhstan for a round of peace talks that ended with the three nations agreeing to help monitor a partial cease-fire and work toward a political resolution to the conflict.

Turkey spokesman Muftuoglu said Thursday his country will not allow certain fighters to spoil the cease-fire, which went into effect in late December. He also reiterated Turkey's position that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has no place in Syria's future. Turkey has backed the rebels throughout the conflict that began in 2011 as peaceful protests before spiraling into a civil war.

Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said Thursday Assad could be allowed to run for re-election as part of a "democratic resolution", marking a dramatic shift in the country's view of the conflict.

"We were wedded for a long time to the mantra that Assad must go. We haven't at any stage been able to make that happen," Boris Johnson told members of a parliamentary committee in the House of Lords.

Assad's fate has been a point of disagreement during multiple international efforts to achieve peace in Syria. The U.N. has created a framework that calls for a new constitution and new elections. Assad's allies, which include Russia and Iran, have said he should stay in power.

The next peace talks are scheduled to take place February 8 in Geneva.

VOA's Carla Babb contributed to this report

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UN Struggles to Reach Needy Syrians

By Margaret Besheer January 26, 2017

The United Nations said Thursday that it is still facing significant Syrian government-imposed obstacles that are hampering the delivery of life-saving aid to scores of civilians in the war-torn country.

"We have capacity to deliver to hundreds of thousands of people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas every month and we are ready to move," U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the U.N. Security Council in his monthly update on Syria. "The fault is not at the door of the U.N. or the NGOs it is the Syrian government and the [local] governors," he said.

O'Brien ran through a litany of impediments imposed by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, including administrative hurdles, delays in approvals at the central and local levels, disagreements on access routes and violations of agreed procedures at checkpoints.

"We continue to be blocked at every turn," he said.

Cease-fire holds

A nationwide cease-fire that went into effect on December 30 has largely held and there has been movement on the political track, with the two Syrian sides meeting face-to-face for the first time in many months in Astana earlier this week. But despite these first glimmers of hope, thousands continue to lack food, clean water and medical treatment in more than a dozen parts of the country. Severe winter conditions have further complicated their predicament.

"Sadly, in recent months, we have too often been unable to translate hope into humanitarian action," O'Brien said.

Nearly 644,000 Syrians continue to live in areas considered to be besieged, an improvement since eastern Aleppo was evacuated last month, but the tactic is still being wielded as a weapon of war. Another 4.2 million are in hard-to-reach areas after nearly six years of conflict that has killed a half million people.

Islamic State

Where the government is not hindering the humanitarian response, the so-called Islamic State is.

In Deir Ezzor, O'Brien expressed concern for more than 93,000 civilians in the western part of the city who are under siege by the terror group. "Since 15 January, ISIL reportedly took control of several areas, including the main road and the Deir Ezzor airport, and is gaining ground in several more areas, splitting the besieged enclave in two," the aid chief said.

The fighting led to a suspension of air drops by the World Food Program because the landing areas are now in IS-controlled zones.

O'Brien also expressed concern for more than 400,000 civilians in the IS-controlled Raqqa district, where the U.N. and its partners were last able to deliver aid more than three years ago. Fighting there has also displaced tens of thousands and damaged water and power stations.

IS areas are not included in the nationwide cease-fire.

'Horrendous chapter' needs to end

O'Brien urged the Security Council to ensure the current cease-fire is respected, that civilians are protected and all sieges are lifted. He urged support to his political colleague, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who hopes to restart another round of intra-Syrian talks in early February in Geneva.

"After a chronicle of missed opportunities, this is the time for the various parties to come together and bring an end to this horrendous chapter in Syria's history," O'Brien said.

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President Tsai visits servicemen on Matsu Islands

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/26 21:11:17

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () flew to Taiwan's Matsu Islands on Thursday to visit military personnel posted there and wish them a happy Lunar New Year. The president was accompanied by National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (), Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Chiu Kuo-cheng () and other government officials.

Speaking at a luncheon held in honor of military officers, Tsai praised the servicemen for their dedication to safeguarding and protecting the country, particularly at a time when most people are preparing for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday, Jan. 27 to Feb. 1.

"There can be no break in national security," Tsai said.

The Matsu Islands, located in the Taiwan Strait and administered by Lienchiang County under the streamlined Fujian Province, are an outpost and a fortress that protects Taiwan proper and the offshore Penghu County, Tsai said.

She said Taiwan's Armed Forces have been undergoing reforms, including better training programs, which will make all military personnel proud of their service.

During the visit, the president walked through Nangan Township, greeting local residents and wishing them a happy New Year.

In a post in her Facebook page after the visit, Tsai urged the general public not to forget to thank the servicemen on duty across the country who forego traditional family reunions to safeguard national security during the holiday.

(By Sophia Yeh and Romulo Huang)

enditem/pc

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Ma's request to visit U.S. in February approved

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/26 22:03:17

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou's () request to visit the United States in February has been approved, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang () said on Thursday.

A screening committee under the Presidential Office considered the request based on the Classified National Security Information Protection Act and gave Ma the green light because the risks to national intelligence and Ma's personal safety are considered controllable, Huang said.

Citing an assessment by the National Security Bureau, Huang said the risks related to Ma's personal security in the U.S. are relatively low.

The government will provide all necessary assistance during Ma's trip, he added.

The former president's 12-day visit to the U.S. will run from Feb. 28 to March 11, during which time he will deliver speeches to groups of academics around the country, including the Asia Society, and Council for Foreign Relations in New York, the East Asian Legal Studies Center and Fairbank Center for East Asian Research in Boston, and Brookings Institution in Washington.

The trip will be Ma's second visit to the U.S. since stepping down, following his invitation to attend the Asian leadership forum held at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in November last year.

Prior to that trip, Ma's application to visit Hong Kong in June last year was rejected for national security reasons. Instead of attending in person, Ma delivered a speech via a video conference call at the award dinner of the Society of Publishers in Asia held in Hong Kong.

(By Sophia Yeh and Ko Lin)

Enditem/AW

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Kiev Troops Fire Mortars in Lugansk People's Republic - Militia

Sputnik News

01:02 27.01.2017

A representative of the LPR people's militia says that Kiev troops have opened fire in the Zhelobok area of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic in Ukraine's southeast.

LUGANSK (Sputnik)  Kiev troops have opened fire in the Zhelobok area of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) in Ukraine's southeast, a representative of the LPR people's militia told Sputnik.

"At 21:05 from the direction of the Prichepilovka village in the direction of the Zhelobok village of the Slovianoserbsk district, Kiev forces opened fire from 82-mm caliber mortars," the representative said on Thursday.

He added that the Kiev forces opened fire about 10 times, although no immediate information was available regarding casualties or damages.

The LPR, as well as the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in Ukraine's southeast, was proclaimed after the 2014 coup in Ukraine. Residents of Ukraine's southeastern areas refused to recognize the new Ukrainian authorities, which prompted Kiev to launch a military operation in the region.

According to UN data, over 10,000 people have lost their lives because of the internal conflict in Ukraine.

 Sputnik

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Edge data centres will account for most of the telecom server market growth and is projected to reach US$14 billion by 2026 according to a new report from DellOro Group.
Concise letters  250 words or fewer  on topics of local interest will receive first consideration for publication. All letters are subject to editing for language and clarity.

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Piedmont Access to Health Services in Chatham plans to move into a new location, expand its services and hire 64 more employees over three years.

The health care provider  currently located at Main Street and Court Place at the former Woodfin Pharmacy and Southside Cleaners locations in Chatham  is purchasing the Hampco Building at Main and Depot streets in the town. PATHS CEO Kay Crane said she hopes to close on the purchase on Feb. 23.

PATHS relocation to 30 S. Main St. would double its space from 8,000 to about 19,000 square feet, Crane said.

Weve outgrown the current space, Crane said Thursday.

The provider wants to expand its pediatric practice and add a womens health center with obstetric/gynecological care and a small in-house pharmacy offering low-cost prescription medications for patients. Crane said she also wants to have a small dental clinic that would bring in Medicaid children and adults.

In addition, Crane wants to add pediatric behavioral health to its existing integrated behavioral health services.

The nonprofit provides primary, pediatric and integrated behavioral health care at 6 Main St. in Chatham.

PATHS started as Project Access in Danville in 2001 and added its location in Chatham in 2008. It later expanded into Boydton in 2012 and plans to open another location in South Boston in April, Crane said. PATHS also has a location in Martinsville.

Crane said it would be at least a year before PATHS moves into the new Chatham location. PATHS will seek historic tax credits for the remodel of the Hampco Building. The renovations would cost about $1.5 million and would probably start in early summer, Crane said.

We will be paying cash for the Hampco building from our savings account, Crane said. For the renovations we will be applying for historic tax credits, revenue from the sale of the current facility, applying for grants and a low interest loan.

The provider considered the former Chatham Armory building as a new location for its Chatham clinic, but Crane said she did not want to wait to see whether it would be available.

Were just bursting at the seams over there, Crane said. I just didnt want to wait.

PATHS in Chatham currently has 14 employees and hopes to add 64 more over a three-year period, Crane said.

The provider served 4,589 patients during 10,559 visits at its Chatham location in 2016. About 25 percent are on Medicaid, another quarter are uninsured and the remaining half are insured, Crane said.

PATHS gets 25 percent of its operating budget from a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They also get money from Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurers and co-pays from uninsured patients who pay a sliding-scale fee.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 26, 2017) - Rhyolite Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RYE) ("Rhyolite" or the "Company") announces plans to offer a brokered private placement of its securities comprised of a minimum 10,000,000 units ("Unit") up to a maximum of 16,000,000 Units at a price of $0.10 per Unit for gross proceeds of between $1 million and $1.6 million (the "Offering").

Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share and one-half (1/2) share purchase warrant of Rhyolite ("Warrant"). Each whole Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share of Rhyolite at an exercise price of $0.15 per share at any time on or before the date which is 24 months after the closing date of the Offering.

Leede Jones Gable Inc. (the "Agent") is acting as agent for the Offering. On closing, the Company may pay the Agent a commission in cash and/or warrants.

Closing of the Offering is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including that of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The funds raised from the issuance of the Units shall be used to finance potential acquisitions of new properties and for general working capital purposes.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

RHYOLITE RESOURCES LTD.

"Richard Graham"

Director, President and CEO

For further information please contact:

Richard Graham, P.Geol.

Telephone: 604-689-1428



Cautionary Statement for Forward Looking Information

Certain information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements. Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the anticipated use of proceeds of the Offering and the anticipated closing of the Offering. The anticipated closing date assumes that prior to that date, the Company will obtain all necessary regulatory approvals. The anticipated use of proceeds assumes that the Offering will occur as contemplated and assumes the existence of certain other conditions with respect to the capital expenditure program of the Company, general economic conditions, industry conditions, currency fluctutations, commodity prices. In each case, the risk factors that could cause actual results to vary from results expressed or implied by the forward looking statements contained in this press release are primarily events beyond the Company's control that preclude the Company from satisfying all applicable pre-conditions and include the risks that the Offering may not close, general economic conditions, industry conditions, currency fluctutations, volatility of commodity prices, exploration risk, escalation of operating and capital costs, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and competition from other industry participants for, among other things, capital, services, acquisitions of new properties . These forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and undue reliance should not be placed on them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and unless otherwise required by applicable law, the Company does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update or revise such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES

OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Jan 27, 2017 - Condor Gold (AIM:CNR) is pleased to announce, further to the announcement of 15 December 2016, the scout drilling results for four drill holes totalling 719.6 m on the Cacao Prospect at the La India Project. This drilling is designed to test targets with the potential to contribute to La India's high grade mineral resource of 18 Mt at 4.0 g/t for 2.31 Moz gold. Of this, 57% or 1.3 Moz gold is hosted by the La India Vein Set and the remaining 1 Moz is hosted in 6 smaller, separate resources such as Cacao, which has 590,000 tonnes at 3.0 g/t gold for 58,000 oz gold. The scout drilling hopes to demonstrate that La India is a true gold District, with excellent potential to substantially increase the global resource.

Highlights

Drill core demonstrates a significant dilational vein at Cacao, with the prospect of a much larger gold resource

Cacao forms a major "Link" between two major basement feeder zones (La India and Andrea Corridors)

Drill intercepts: 7.85 m at 3.75 g/t gold, 7.85 m at 2.95 g/t gold and 17.1 m at 1.74 g/t gold, demonstrate broad zones of gold mineralisation

Cacao is at the top of an epithermal system, preserved because the regional Highway Fault drops down the entire system towards the southeast

Cacao vein is open along strike and at depth

Cacao vein is now upgraded and prioritised for further drilling, to increase its current resource

1,812 m of 4,000 m scout drilling has been completed on three targets: Cacao, Real de La Cruz and Tatescame. The drill rig will now be moved to the 4 km long Andrea Vein with further assay results announced in due course

Mark Child CEO comments:

"Condor's strategy of proving that the La India Project is part of a major gold District continues to yield positive results. The 719.6 m drilling at Cacao demonstrates a significant dilational vein. This vein forms within a major linking structure between two major basement feeder zones identified by regional soil sampling and airborne geophysics (La India and Andrea Corridors - see map below). New drill results of 7.85 m at 3.75 g/t gold and 7.85 m at 2.95 g/t gold build on results from Condor's prior drilling (including 2.6 m at 34.13 g/t gold and 14.05 m at 6.05 g/t gold). The vein is comparable to some of the best intersections on La India vein. It is important to emphasise that Cacao is at the top of an epithermal gold system, preserved because the regional Highway Fault drops down the entire system towards the southeast. The Cacao vein is open down dip and along strike with signs of being substantially bigger and is prioritised for further drilling to expand the mineral resource."

Cacao Prospect, Structural Setting

Cacao is shown in Figure 1, with significant trends identified by recent soil sampling, a prior helicopter borne geophysics programme and a detailed structural model (see RNS dated 15th December 2016).

Figure 1: Cacao Structural Setting, between Two Major Basement Feeder Zones: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/4057m1.pdf

Cacao occurs within an east-west striking 'link' between major feeder basement structures, namely La India and Andrea Corridors. Structural analysis suggests a component of sinistral strike slip on the basement structures and the link opened a significant dilational vein at Cacao. Cacao is also considered a 'concealed' mineral deposit, because the regional Highway Fault (see Figure 1) drops down the entire epithermal system towards the southeast. This is supported by fossil hot spring material ('sinter') on surface at Cacao, its only occurrence in the District. Surface outcrops at Cacao comprise mostly phreatic breccias, again typical of hot spring areas. The entire epithermal system is therefore preserved and scout drilling was designed to test this theory and drill beneath the phreatic breccias.

Cacao Previous Drilling

Cacao was first drilled by Condor between 2007 and 2008. A total of 2,170 m was completed on fences spaced at 40 m to a maximum depth of 150 m. This shallow drilling (Figure 2) was hampered by some poor recovery and most drill intersections comprised phreatic breccia. Some deeper intersections, and those in the west, showed increasingly thicker veins and improved grades (for example 2.6 m @ 34.13 g/t gold in CCDC 020; Figure 2) suggesting potential for higher grade ore shoots within the vein system.

Figure 2: Cacao Long section with prior and current drill results: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/4057m2.pdf

The current campaign targeted deeper intersections along previous drill fences. The best success came in CCDC 024, which showed a wide intersection of a single vein with classic epithermal textures indicating boiling (typically associated with gold enrichment). The grade was 7.85 m @ 2.95 g/t gold (not true width) (see Table 1).

Table 1: Prior and Current Drill Results on the Cacao Vein

Drill

hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Drill

Width

(m) *True

Width

(m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Other 2007-2008 CCRD002 87 101.05 14.05 6.4 6.05 2.5 Includes 1 m@ 16.5 g/t & 1 m @ 10.75 g/t Au CCRD004 123.35 128.9 5.55 1.4 6.10 12.2 Includes 3.6 m @ 8.57 g/t Au CCRD006 93.12 106.95 13.83 4.0 2.25 4.3 Includes 1 m @ 8.17 g/t Au 132.9 135.5 2.6 0.8 34.13 4.8 Includes 0.85 m @ 99.7 g/t Au CCDC020 154.5 159.28 4.78 2.6 1.37 0 163 167.15 4.15 2.3 2.93 0 CCRD014 134.63 137.28 2.65 1.7 8.45 0 Includes 0.85 m @ 20.1 g/t Au 144.18 148.63 4.45 2.8 1.21 0 2016 CCDC023 157.4 165.25 7.85 3.9 3.75 5.1 Includes 0.9 m @ 11.9 g/t & 0.5 m @ 12.6 g/t Au 167.3 169.5 2.2 1.1 2.24 10.2 CCDC024 199.75 207.6 7.85 4.2 2.95 17.2 Includes 2 m @ 6.06 g/t Au CCDC025 80 82.3 2.3 1.5 1.31 <2 92.7 109.8 17.1 11.2 1.74 1.3 Includes 1.7 m @ 6.0 g/t Au CCDC026 142.3 144.9 2.6 1.2 1.19 2.5 150.9 152.5 1.6 0.8 1.89 3.03

Conclusion

The Company considers that the potential of Cacao is now demonstrated. It is open at depth and along strike in both directions. The vein width is comparable to the best intersections at La India and the hanging wall of the vein is increasingly stockworked, as at La India. As at La India, structurally controlled ore shoots are to be expected in this major dilational, and continuous, vein. The next phase of drilling at Cacao will concentrate on defining these ore shoots and increasing the current mineral resource (590,000 t at 3.0 g/t gold for 58,000 oz gold).

Scout Drilling Update

Condor initiated 4,000 m of scout drilling on several prospects on 7th November 2016, starting with Cacao (See RNS dated 10th November 2016). Four drill holes for a combined drilling of 719.6 m have been completed at Cacao. Four drill holes for a combined 428.8 m have been completed on Real de La Cruz. Three drill holes for a combined 663.8 m have been completed on Tatescame. The drill rig is being moved to the 4 km long Andrea Vein, which has never been drill tested, where six drill holes for 580 m are planned. Further assay results will be announced in due course.

Competent Person's Declaration

The information in this announcement that relates to the mineral potential, geology, exploration results and database is based on information compiled, and reviewed, by Dr Warren Pratt, Chartered Geologist (1994), Fellow of the Geological Society of London and Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists. Dr Pratt is a geologist with over twenty years of experience in the exploration precious metal mineral resources. Dr Pratt consults to Condor Gold plc on an ad hoc basis and has considerable experience in epithermal mineralization, the type of deposit under consideration, and sufficient experience in the type of activity that he is undertaking to qualify as a 'Competent Person' as defined in the June 2009 Edition of the AIM Note for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies. Dr Pratt consents to the inclusion in the announcement of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears and confirms that this information is accurate and not false or misleading.

Technical Glossary

Assay The laboratory test conducted to determine the proportion of a mineral within a rock or other material. Usually reported as parts per million which is equivalent to grams of the mineral (i.e. gold) per tonne of rock Dilational Vein A mineral deposit in a vein space formed by bulging of the walls, contrasted with veins formed by wall-rock replacement. En echelon In structural geology, en echelon veins are structures within rock caused by tension fractures that are parallel to the major stress orientation. They appear as sets of short, parallel, planar, mineral-filled lenses within a body of rock. Geochemistry The study of the elements and their interaction as minerals to makeup rocks and soils Geophysics The measurement and interpretation of the earth's physical parameters using non-invasive methods such as measuring the gravity, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, seismic response and natural radioactive emissions. Hydrothermal Hot water circulation often caused by heating of groundwater by near surface magmas and often occurring in association with volcanic activity. Hydrothermal waters can contain significant concentrations of dissolved minerals. Magnetic (aeromagnetic) survey The measurement of the magnetic properties of the earth surface as controlled by the concentration and distribution of magnetic minerals, particularly magnetite, in the rock. Rocks containing higher levels of iron, such as mafic igneous rocks or some sedimentary rocks will have a higher magnetic susceptibility than felsic igneous rocks, siliciclastic and carbonate sediments and their metamorphic derivatives.. Mineral Resource A concentration or occurrence of material of economic interest in or on the Earth's crust in such a form, quality, and quantity that there are reasonable and realistic prospects for eventual economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, continuity and other geological characteristics of a Mineral Resource are known, estimated from specific geological knowledge, or interpreted from a well constrained and portrayed geological model Mineral Reserve The economically mineable part of a Measured and/or Indicated Mineral Resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses, which may occur when the material is mined. Appropriate assessments and studies have been carried out, and include consideration of and modification by realistically assumed mining, metallurgical, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental factors. These assessments demonstrate at the time of reporting that extraction could reasonably be justified. Ore Reserves are sub-divided in order of increasing confidence into Probable Ore Reserves and Proved Ore Reserves. Phreatic breccias Radiometric Also known as gamma ray spectrometry, is the measure of natural radiation on the top 30-45cm of the earth's surface. The abundance of the three naturally occurring radioactive elements, potassium (K), thorium (Th) and uranium (U), is proportional to the abundance of minerals containing those elements. This information can be used in mapping the surface geology including the definition of areas of potassium enrichment related to hydrothermal alteration. Rock chip A sample of rock collected for analysis, from one or several close spaced sample points at a location. Unless otherwise stated, this type of sample is not representative of the variation in grade across the width of an ore or mineralised body and the assay results cannot be used in a Mineral Resource Estimation Stockwork Multiple connected veins with more than one orientation, typically consisting of millimetre to centimetre thick fracture-fill veins and veinlets. Strike length The longest horizontal dimension of an ore body or zone of mineralisation. Vein A sheet-like body of crystallised minerals within a rock, generally forming in a discontinuity or crack between two rock masses. Economic concentrations of gold are often contained within vein minerals.

For further information please visit www.condorgold.com.

About Condor Gold plc:

Condor Gold plc was admitted to AIM on 31st May 2006. The Company is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on Central America.

Condor completed a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) and two Preliminary Economic Assessments (PEA) on La India Project in Nicaragua in December 2014. The PFS details an open pit gold mineral reserve of 6.9 Mt at 3.0 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold producing 80,000 oz gold p.a. for 7 years. The PEA for the open pit only scenario details 100,000 oz gold production p.a. for 8 years whereas the PEA for a combination of open pit and underground details 140,000 oz gold production p.a. for 8 years. La India Project contains a total attributable mineral resource of 18.08 Mt at 4.0 g/t for 2.31 M oz gold and 2.68 M oz silver at 6.2 g/t to the CIM Code.

In El Salvador, Condor has an attributable 1,004,000 oz gold equivalent at 2.6 g/t JORC compliant resource. The resource calculations are compiled by independent geologists SRK Consulting (UK) Limited for Nicaragua and Ravensgate and Geosure for El Salvador.

Disclaimer

Neither the contents of the Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.







Contact



Condor Gold plc

Mark Child, Executive Chairman and CEO

+44 (0) 20 7493 2734



Beaumont Cornish Limited

Roland Cornish and James Biddle

+44 (0) 20 7628 3396



Numis Securities Limited

John Prior and James Black

+44 (0) 20 7260 1000

Farm Street Media

Simon Robinson

+44 (0) 7593 340107


Vancouver - Voltaic Minerals Corp. (TSXV: VLT, FSE: 2P61) (the Company or Voltaic) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a 50/50 joint-venture (the JV) agreement with Equitorial Exploration Corp. (TSXV: EXX) (Equitorial) for the Green Energy Lithium Project in Utah, USA. The agreement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.As per the agreement, Equitorial will have the right to participate, on a 50/50 basis, in all work relating to the Green Energy Project. For this right, Equitorial will invest $250,000 into Voltaic via private placement, on terms described in this press release. Equitorial will also reserve 5,000,000 shares of Equitorial Exploration Corp. and issue them upon successful production of Lithium from Green Energy Project brine, using Voltaics Lithium Process. Voltaic is currently finalizing an exclusive right of use with its inventors. The JV will have the right to utilize the Selective Lithium Process on the Green Energy Lithium Property and any other project that it deems suitable on a project by project basis. Equitorial and Voltaic intend to work to locate other projects that would be suitable for the Process and proceed on a 50/50 JV basis. A finders fee may be payable on the Equitorial portion of the investment.The Green Energy Lithium Project property encompasses 4,160 acres and is located 30 miles west of the city of Moab, Utah. Saturated brines (40% minerals, 60% water) were discovered during historic oil exploration when drill wells intercepted Clastic Unit #14 of the Paradox Formation. Upon interception of Clastic Unit #14, at depths of approximately 6,000 feet, the exploration wells encountered blow-outs due to the over-pressurized system. Historic fluid analysis of the saturated brines on the Green Energy Project ranged from 81-174 mg/L Lithium; and as high as 1,700 mg/L, from the same Clastic Unit #14, less than 900m to the east-northeast on an adjacent property . Approximately 20 wells were drilled on the Green Energy Project, of which, 5 have analytical data for Lithium.Engineering reports from the 1960s concluded that the brine reservoir is extensive (over 10 square miles) and is recharged from fresh in-flows as indicated by well pressure measurements, drawdown tests and oxygen-deuterium isotopes. Clastic Unit #14 consists of 30 feet of shale, anhydrite and dolomite, and is not part of any oil reservoir. Voltaic Minerals Corp. has conducted a review of recent and historic well logs, along with chemical analysis in the area and reprocessing of seismic data focusing on mineral brine. Evaluation of reservoir potential will be done in preparation for the re-entry of shut-in wells.Voltaic Mineral Corp. disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Rory Kutluoglu, P.Geo., who serves as a Qualified Person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.The Company also announces that it has proposed a non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement) of up to 15,000,000 units (the Units) at a price of $0.06c per Unit for total aggregate proceeds of up to $900,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share (each, a Share) and one-half-of-one share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one additional common share of the Company (a Warrant Share) at a price of $0.12 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months after issuance.The proceeds from the Unit sale will be used by the company to fund exploration on the Green Energy Project and advancement of the Lithium Selective Process. The Private Placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All the securities issued under the Private Placement are subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation.The Company is finalizing its exclusive right to use a proprietary Lithium extraction process. Provided the agreements are signed as scheduled, the Company expects to begin Phase I work as early as February 2017 with initial results expected within 90 days of finalizing the definitive agreement.The Company has granted a total of 1,500,000 options to directors, employees and consultants exercisable for 5 years at a price of $0.075 per share. Voltaic Minerals Corp. is a Vancouver-based Lithium exploration company which, in joint-venture with Equitorial Exploration Corp. , owns 100% of the Green Energy Lithium Project. The Green Energy Project encompasses 4,160 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims, and is located in Grand County, Utah, 30 miles west of the city of Moab. Lithium and other minerals occur at the project in an over-saturated brine (40% minerals, 60% water) discovered during oil exploration when drill wells intercepted Clastic Bed #14 of the Paradox formation.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, VOLTAIC MINERALS CORP.Darryl JonesDarryl Jones, President and Chief Executive OfficerTel: 604.681.1568TF: 1.877.377.6222Email: info@voltaicminerals.comWeb: www.voltaicminerals.comNeither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include that the Company may not raise sufficient funds to carry out our plans, changing costs for mining and processing; increased capital costs; the timing and content of upcoming work programs; geological interpretations based on current data that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumption based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that with further test work may not be comparable; the availability of labour, equipment and markets for the products produced; and despite the current expected viability of the project, that the minerals on our property cannot be economically mined, or that the required permits to build and operate the envisaged mine cannot be obtained. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Alliance Mining Corp. (TSX-V: ALM) (Alliance or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has signed an option agreement (the Agreement) with Tiberius Gold Corp. (Tiberius) a private company, under which ALM may acquire 100% of Tiberius property (the Property) located in center of the Bissett Gold Mine Camp Manitoba (the Transaction)."The Board of Directors of Tiberius Gold Corp. is pleased to be entering into an Option Agreement with Alliance Mining Corp. and look forward to exciting and positive developments."Kenneth W. Munroe, Chairman Tiberius Gold Corp.Under the Agreement, ALM may earn-in a 100% interest in the Property by making certain staged cash payments and/or share payments of common shares in the capital of ALM to Tiberius over a four year period equal to a total of $1,250,000 as follows: (i) $250,000 in cash and/or common shares on or before 90 days of the TSX Venture Exchanges (the TSXV) approval of the Transaction (the Approval Date); (ii) $250,000 in cash and/or common shares on or before the first anniversary of the Approval Date; (iii) $250,000 in cash and/or common shares on or before the second anniversary of the Approval Date; $250,000 in cash and/or common shares on or before the third anniversary of the Approval Date; and $250,000 in cash and/or common shares on or before the fourth anniversary of the Approval Date.The Transaction is subject to, among other things, the completion of a National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Property, and obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals, including the TSXV. If complete, the Transaction will constitute a Fundamental Acquisition as such term is defined in TSXV Policy 5.3. The common shares of ALM will remain halted until the TSXV has reviewed the Transaction in accordance with TSXV Policy 5.3.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDAl BeatonDirector(604) 488-3900This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to the proposed Transaction, completion of a National Instrument 43-101 technical report, comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, and potential mineral recovery processes. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as may, expect, estimate, will, anticipate, intend, believe and continue or the negative thereof or similar variations. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that either of the proposed transactions with Tiberius will be completed or, if completed, will be successful.Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, if applicable. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Company operates, including that: the current price of and demand for minerals being targeted by the Company will be sustained or will improve; the Companys current exploration programs and objectives can be achieved; results of exploration activities; the Company will be able to obtain required exploration licences and other permits; general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; financing will be available if and when needed on reasonable terms; the Company will not experience any material accident; and the Company will be able to identify and acquire additional mineral interests on reasonable terms or at all. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: that resource exploration and development is a speculative business; that the Company may lose or abandon its property interests or may fail to receive necessary licences and permits; equipment breakdowns; labour disputes; the increase in cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; the results of exploration activities; that environmental laws and regulations may become more onerous; that the Company may not be able to raise additional funds when necessary; potential defects in title to the Companys properties; fluctuating prices of commodities; operating hazards and risks; competition; potential inability to find suitable acquisition opportunities and/or complete the same; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the Companys public filings. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Online retail giant Amazon will begin collecting sales tax in Missouri next month, as it does in dozens of other states.The collection of state sales tax in Missouri will begin Feb. 1, Amazon spokeswoman Jill Kerr said in an email to the Post-Dispatch. The state sales tax rate in Missouri is 4.225 percent.Items sold by Seattle-based Amazon.com and its subsidiaries already are subject to sales tax for merchandise shipped to more than 30 states. Amazon will also begin collecting sales tax on Feb. 1 in Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont, and in Wyoming in March.Amazon does not yet have facilities in the state of Missouri, and online retailers aren't required to collect sales tax where they don't have a physical presence. Amazon charges sales tax in Illinois, where it has multiple distribution facilities, including in Edwardsville.Amazon announced this month that it planned to hire 100,000 fulfillment employees nationwide over the next 18 months, leading to speculation that the company will open distribution facilities in Missouri. Amazon declined to comment on its distribution facility expansion plans."I gather they will be expanding in Missouri because there is a lot of warehouse space here," said David Overfelt, president of the Missouri Retailers Association, a Jefferson City-based trade group that supports requiring online retailers to charge sales tax."This is going to be good for Missouri and good for our communities because we provide a lot of services and finding resources is getting tougher and tougher," Overfelt said of Amazon's collection of sales tax. "This is a long time coming. We can't continue down the way we are without hurting Main Street businesses."Several states and retail groups have pushed for years for Amazon to begin charging sales tax, arguing brick-and-mortar retailers that must charge sales tax are unfairly disadvantaged.In 2013, a new tax law in Missouri required online retailers to collect sales tax if the company received business referrals from an affiliate in Missouri. After the law was passed, Amazon ended its Associates Program in Missouri that paid advertising fees to web entrepreneurs for customers referred to Amazon.comStephen Weiss, owner and president of Creve Coeur Camera, said he welcomed Amazon's announcement that it would begin charging sales tax. Shoppers often come to his eight stores to look at equipment but buy on Amazon because no sales tax is collected, making the purchase $50 or even more than $100 cheaper than buying at his stores, a practice retailers call "showrooming.""It makes a huge difference," Weiss said about competing against Amazon's prices that don't include sales tax, which he said is an unfair disadvantage. "It kills us."Creve Coeur Camera, a St. Louis County-based chain, is closing its Edwardsville store at the end of this month and is considering shuttering another store in part due to lost sales that Weiss blames on Amazon. Up until four months ago, Creve Coeur Camera sold some lenses through Amazon, but Amazon recently went directly to the manufacturer to supply the lenses, Weiss said.Adding sales tax to goods sold in Missouri will help level the playing field for retailers, he said. "I think it'll help, no question."A Missouri Department of Revenue spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the amount of new tax revenue that will be generated.Carl Davis, research director for the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, estimated the state of Missouri could collect between $30 million and $34 million annually from Amazon sales, based on an analysis of revenue generated in other states."We're supporters of sales tax being collected on online purchases in the same way they're collected at brick-and-mortar stores," Davis said.Some Missouri Amazon customers criticized the decision on social media Wednesday, saying it could make merchandise more expensive.Judith Stallmann, a professor at the University of Missouri who studies state and local public finance and rural and economic development, said the change may prompt cost-conscious shoppers to shift their buying habits."This means you're going to be paying sales tax on things you didn't before," Stallmann said. "There may be some people for whom paying sales taxes could weigh on their decision."
Arkansas joined a half-dozen other states that have enacted restrictions on a common procedure for second-trimester abortions, with Gov. Asa Hutchinson signing the legislation hours after the Senate passed it Thursday.The enactment of House Bill 1032, which restricts dilation and evacuation abortions, prompted the American Civil Liberties Union to promise to file a lawsuit against the state.The bill, debated for 20 minutes in the Republican-majority Senate, makes it a felony to perform the procedure except to prevent a "serious health risk" to the mother. The ban does not include exceptions for rape and incest. The law takes effect 90 days after the current regular legislative session ends.Courts in four of the six states with similar laws have delayed such bans from taking effect. Only Mississippi and West Virginia have implemented bans on the procedure.
The state Legislature on Thursday overwhelmingly approved $326 million to be distributed among Minnesotans faced with hefty health insurance premium increases this year, sending the bill to Gov. Mark Dayton, who signed it.About 125,000 Minnesotans, facing premium spikes of 50 percent or higher, should now see their monthly insurance bills drop by 25 percent for all of 2017. The measure combines the premium rebate plan first sought by DFLer Dayton with a package of health insurance law changes offered by Republicans, a rare high-profile bipartisan agreement that sets the table for a much bigger discussion to come at the State Capitol about stabilizing the state's individual health insurance market."Today is a good day," said Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, who said he planned to share the news with a couple in his district who contacted him about their health insurance struggle. He encouraged colleagues to similarly spread the news to constituents."With this bill, we're going to be able to improve health care in Minnesota, something we've been trying to do for the last few years," Miller said.Dayton signed the bill late on Thursday. In a prepared statement, he said he does not agree with everything in the bill but appreciated that compromises were made to reach an agreement."The Legislature and I must now turn our attention to making good health care coverage available and affordable for all Minnesotans," he said. "As I said the other night, 'If we all give a little, Minnesotans will gain a lot.' That spirit prevailed in negotiating this legislation. May it continue."Eligible insurance customers likely will start seeing discounts in their March or April bills and also get retroactive rebates for the first few months of the year.The roughly 125,000 people expected to qualify buy their own insurance on the individual market but make too much to get federal subsidies to help pay for it: That's people making more than $47,520 annually, or $97,200 for a family of four.Insurance companies will automatically provide the rebates via payments by the state. The passage of the premium-relief bill comes just days before the Jan. 31 enrollment deadline for the state's MNsure market.The package includes $15 million to help cover people with serious medical conditions who lose their insurance.It also allows farmers to form health care co-ops; allows for-profit health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, the right to operate in Minnesota; and requires insurance companies to announce proposed rate changes earlier.The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 47-19, and the House followed suit a few hours later on a 108-19 vote.All dissenting votes came from DFLers, though the bill won plenty of DFL support in both chambers.Rep. Laurie Halverson, DFL-Eagan, said she was glad to be "giving 125,000 Minnesotans a pretty big, important win." But she criticized the policy changes included in the measure, arguing that "we at best don't know if they're going to help and at the very worst might well destabilize our market further."Rep. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said Minnesota's 40-year-old law that allows only nonprofit insurance carriers to operate here tries to keep companies from putting profits above patient care."If we insert a profit motive and returns to shareholders as the law of Minnesota, instead of returning those investments back to communities and our care, people who are sick are going to get the short end of the stick," Murphy said.Several DFLers pointed to other states that saw for-profit insurance companies pull out of the individual market as evidence that the same could happen here.Republicans struck back, repeating criticisms that DFL support for the Affordable Care Act and the MNsure program caused problems with higher premiums and carriers leaving the market. They said changes to the health care system need to be made soon to avoid problems in 2018."Minnesotans aren't just expecting us to give them premium relief and then throw a parade in our honor in downtown Minneapolis," said House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers. "They're expecting us to try to fix the problem."Senate Majority Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, praised the work of his GOP colleagues, DFL lawmakers and Dayton, who he said showed a willingness to compromise.He noted that the Legislature, four weeks into its five-month session, already has passed two significant bills: Thursday's health care measure and a small tax package last week. The quick action on health insurance followed months of sparring over how to deal with rising premiums."This is the second bill [passed] in January that we were not able to get done in the past," Gazelka said.Republican leaders said they want to focus on "reinsurance." Gazelka said Dayton has pledged to work on such a proposal that would use state funds as insurance for companies facing unusually high claims.
A district judge has ordered the state Public Employees' Retirement System to release the names and other personal data of the more than 57,000 recipients of pension benefits.District Judge James Wilson ruled Tuesday that the information is not confidential and approved the petition of the conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute that sought it.This is the second court ruling against the retirement system over disclosure of records. The Nevada Supreme Court in 2013 granted the request of Reno newspapers to reveal personal information about those enrolled in the system.After the Supreme Court decision, the research institute said it requested the names of those retired, the years of service, the amount of benefits, the years of employment and the most recent employer.Judge Wilson rejected the argument that making these names public would subject the pensioners to cybercrime. He said this stance was "hypothetical and speculative."There was no evidence, said the judge, that "the requested information would actually cause harm or even increase the risk of harm to retired employees."The judge said the research institute was entitled costs and attorney fees.The retirement system covers all local and state employees. In 2014, 57,124 individuals received $1.9 billion in retirement benefits.NPRI initially requested data about pension payouts to add to a website it maintains called Transparent Nevada. The organization received a report that listed pension payouts not by retiree name but by Social Security number, which by law must be redacted.The research institute said the information is needed to determine the value of the system and to detect fraud.
A Washington state senator resigned Tuesday to take a job with President Donald Trump's administration, leaving the state Senate temporarily split 24-24 between Republicans and Democrats.State Sen. Brian Dansel, R-Republic, accepted a job Tuesday as a special assistant to the U.S. secretary of agriculture, according to a news release.Dansel's appointment came a day after news spread that another Washington state lawmaker, Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, accepted a temporary position with the Environmental Protection Agency.For now, Ericksen -- who was deputy director of Trump's Washington state campaign team -- will be leading communications for the transition team at the EPA. Ericksen said he doesn't plan to resign his Senate seat right now and is unsure if he will get a permanent job within the administration, but he's open to the idea.The senators' new jobs prompted questions Tuesday about whether Democrats could take advantage of a tie in the Senate -- either now or in the future -- to pass legislation that so far has proved unpopular with Republican leaders.Right now, Democrats hold a narrow majority in the state House, while Republicans control the Senate with the aid of one conservative Democrat, Tim Sheldon of Potlatch.Some Democratic lawmakers speculated Tuesday that state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, was also a candidate for a job in the Trump administration. But in an interview, Baumgartner denied rumors that he had just traveled to Washington, D.C., and said he wasn't interviewing for a federal job.Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said the current tie in the state Senate shouldn't disturb lawmakers' 105-day session to any significant degree.Schoesler noted that past Republican vacancies in the Legislature have been filled within a week, while other experienced lawmakers could step in to lead the Local Government Committee that Dansel chaired.What's more, Sen. Joe Fain, R-Auburn and the chamber's majority floor leader, said he doesn't plan to hold a Senate floor session until a replacement for Dansel is appointed.Still, some Democrats think the trend of Republican senators going to work for Trump could provide opportunities to advance legislation that Republican Senate leaders have blocked.Should Dansel's seat remain open -- or if Ericksen or Baumgartner later resigns from the Senate to take a federal job -- minority Senate Democrats could bring bills to the Senate floor with the aid of Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, a former Democratic senator who now presides over the chamber, said Senate Minority Leader Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island.As lieutenant governor, Washington's Constitution grants Habib the power to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Yet some lawmakers disagree about whether that privilege applies just to procedural motions, such as bringing legislation to the Senate floor, or if Habib also can cast the deciding vote on a piece of legislation, Fain said.On Tuesday, Nelson said she wouldn't hesitate to put Habib's powers to the test if an opportunity arose. She said she was still consulting with legislative lawyers to see whether Senate Democrats could call floor sessions independently of Fain and other Republican leaders to help make that happen.Nelson said she hasn't ruled out trying to push bills through the Senate during periods where Ericksen is away in Washington, D.C., due to his temporary job with the EPA."If we need to do so, we certainly would be looking at that option," Nelson said.In particular, Nelson said she would seize any opportunity to advance a bill delaying a planned cut to how much school districts can collect in local property tax levies. The proposal to delay the "levy cliff" passed the state House on Monday, but Republican leaders in the Senate said they're reluctant to take up the legislation absent a larger plan to fix how the state pays for schools.Nelson said she also would try to take advantage of a Senate tie to force votes on bills aiming to protect women's right to equal pay for equal work, to get dark money out of politics and to improve representation of minorities in elections.The latter measure, the Washington State Voting Rights Act, has passed the Democratic-controlled state House for the past three years, but each time has stalled in the Senate."It's always best if we could try to work collaboratively, but so far when we have tried to move some of this to the floor, that hasn't occurred," Nelson said Tuesday."I would assume if Sen. Schoesler were in my shoes, he would be doing the exact same thing," Nelson added.Fain said he would be surprised if Senate Democrats try to push through controversial legislation while Dansel's seat is vacant or when Ericksen is out of town, because "it would create incredible bad blood.""I just wouldn't imagine that exploiting that would be something that would be worth considering," Fain said.Keeley Smith, a spokeswoman for Habib, said Habib's office thinks the state constitution is clear in saying the lieutenant governor can cast tiebreaking votes. But that won't be necessary, she said, if Republican officials move quickly to fill Dansel's seat, something Habib is urging them to do.Republican Party officials were already working Tuesday to appoint Dansel's replacement.Republican precinct committee officers in Dansel's Eastern Washington district must produce a list of three nominees to fill his seat. County council members across multiple counties will then choose a replacement from among those three.Caleb Heimlich, the executive director of the Washington State Republican Party, said he is trying to organize a meeting of local precinct committee officers for Feb. 4, with the hope that county council members could appoint a replacement for Dansel as soon as Feb. 6.Schoesler, a wheat farmer, said that despite the temporary uncertainty it creates in the Senate, Dansel's appointment to the federal Department of Agriculture should be a boon for the state's farming and timber industries. Schoesler said having a Washington state official working on agricultural issues at the federal level will help ensure the state's concerns aren't forgotten."As disappointed as I am to see a colleague leave -- especially during session -- I think it's good for our state," Schoesler said.Dansel's work in Washington, D.C., will begin immediately, officials said.Don Benton, a former Republican state senator from Vancouver who didn't seek re-election last year, has also taken a new job with Trump's EPA transition team, The Seattle Times reported. Benton, who was Trump's Washington state campaign director, was named senior White House adviser supervising the agency's transition.Ericksen, who remains in the state Senate for now, said he's been in contact with ethics offices in Washington state and in Washington D.C. on how he can juggle time between his Washington Senate job and his temporary role at the EPA. He said he hasn't figured out exactly how he will split his time yet, but said he could "make both work."Fain, the Senate majority floor leader, said Ericksen's travel schedule shouldn't be an issue in the Legislature this year."He's going to be in town for votes," Fain said.
On Wednesday, in the morning, at 1 William Street, Brisbane, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC presided at a meeting of the Executive Council of Queensland.

In the afternoon, the Governor and Mrs Kaye de Jersey departed Brisbane for an official visit to Townsville.
Description

GIS  27 January 2017 : Some 1,800 apartments of La Tour Koenig (Malaysian I) National Housing Development Co. Ltd (NHDC) housing estate have been renovated at a cost of Rs 79 million.

La Tour Koenig (Malaysian I) NHDC housing estate was constructed in the early nineties with the aim of providing housing to low and middle-income groups. However, due to poor maintenance the apartments were in a state of disrepair.

The rehabilitation works aimed at improving living conditions of the residents and extending durably the life span of the buildings. Remedial works included repairs to the structural elements of the housing blocks, repairs to cracks and spalled concrete externally, and painting as well as waterproofing treatment to external wall surfaces. They also comprise the reinstatement of the green areas spoilt during rehabilitation works.

The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Lands, Mr Showkutally Soodhun, accompanied by the Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, Mr Alain Wong Yen Cheong, made a visit yesterday to the housing estate with a view to be apprised of the situation, and meet the residents.

During the site visit, the Vice-Prime Minister pointed out that as full-fledged owners, the beneficiaries of NHDC housing units should maintain their dwelling as well as upkeep the common areas through their Syndics. Because of the appalling situation of the blocks of apartments, Government has stepped in to remedy the situation, but from now on, as owners, you have the responsibility to carry out any renovation works, Mr Soodhun said.

He recalled that Government contributes Rs 200 monthly per housing unit, totalling Rs 12 million yearly, to all Syndics of the NHDC housing estates for the maintenance and upkeep of the common areas and remedial works. This contribution amounts to some Rs 2.4 million annually for La Tour Koenig (Malaysian I) housing estate.

According to Mr Soodhun, Government is maintaining its rehabilitation programme in other housing estates. An amount of Rs 251 million has been earmarked for, among others, rehabilitation of sewerage disposal systems and water reticulation networks, and structural remedial works, in around 5,000 housing units in 41 sites.

There are 41 NHDC housing estates where a Syndic is operational. Financial assistance is offered to these Syndics to help them improve the living environment and maintain the common areas for the benefit of the community living in these housing estates. Furthermore, sensitisation campaigns are regularly carried out by the NHDC to encourage residents to take full responsibility for their assets as well as to contribute to the Syndic fund.
Description

GIS - 27 January, 2017: Mauritius and France are working together towards strengthening further collaboration in the various economic sectors as well as reinforce the bilateral relations between the two countries. Mauritius and France are working together towards strengthening further collaboration in the various economic sectors as well as reinforce the bilateral relations between the two countries.

This was at the fore of discussions yesterday during a courtesy call by the Ambassador of the Republic of France, Mr Gilles Huberson, on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

In a statement, the French Ambassador Mr Gilles Huberson, congratulated the newly appointed Prime Minister and expressed interest to deepen the triangular relations between France, Mauritius and Reunion Island. The Tromelin issue was also on the agenda.

The French Ambassador further spoke of the two projects to be concluded shortly by Mauritius and France namely, an Extradition Convention and a Defense agreement for the mutual interest of both countries including Reunion Island.
Description

GIS - 27 January, 2017: The United Kingdom will collaborate in reinforcing further both business and commercial relationships with Mauritius so as to help the country in its endeavour to become a High Income Economy. The United Kingdom will collaborate in reinforcing further both business and commercial relationships with Mauritius so as to help the country in its endeavour to become a High Income Economy.

This statement was made by the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Mauritius, Mr Jonathan Drew, yesterday during a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

The British High Commissioner congratulated the newly appointed Prime Minister and conveyed to him the congratulations from his counterpart, Mrs Theresa May.

Mr Jonathan Drew expressed interest to work together with Mauritius in deepening trade relations especially after the Financial Technology (FinTech) conference held on 25th January 2017 by the British High Commission in partnership with the Financial Services Promotion Agency and the Board of Investment to explore the possibilities of developing Mauritius as a FinTech hub for the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

The High Commissioner also spoke of the Brexit issue and referred to the speech of Mrs Theresa May last week in which she reaffirmed Britains close collaboration with the European Union, the commonwealth countries and new allies so as to make the UK a global Britain.

With regards to the Chagos Archipelago, the High Commissioner pointed out that negotiations are ongoing between UK and Mauritius and is of the opinion that both countries can come up with a mutually agreeable agreement.
Newly Appointed Federal Chief Digital Officer: USDS is Here to Stay. Period

NYC Councilmatic Keeps Public Informed

Foundation to Help Continue Obama Administrations Data-Driven Justice Initiative

President Donald Trumps newly appointed federal chief digital officer, Gerrit Lansing, tweeted that the United States Digital Service is here to stay in the new administration. Period.The tweet came Monday in response to a news report in which anonymous sources claimed the USDS would soon face a reduction from more than 200 workers to a few dozen. On Thursday, Lansing also tweeted support for 18F , noting that Reed Cordish, the new assistant to the president for intragovernmental and technology initiatives, told the group "we have your back."This informal support is welcome news for those involved. Amid the Trump administration's transition, questions have surrounded the fate of the USDS, which was founded under the Obama administration to improve government use of technology after the HealthCare.gov failure and is part of the Executive Office of the President. There have also been questions about the future of 18F, another product of the Obama administration, this one founded to build digital services for government.Obama was widely praised for his support of tech , and for working to connect private-sector innovation with federal public services. As it relates to those efforts, Trump is viewed by many as an unknown. The new president has not directly commented on the USDS or other tech initiatives such as 18F.These agencies have been staffed with talent recruited from the private sector. Other than Lansings tweet, the Trump administration has not released any concrete plans about the fate of either group, or the future of tech recruitment under an administration that has so far sought to change many of its predecessors initiatives.The public can now get customized email updates about even the smallest happenings on the New York City Council via NYC Councilmatic , a site aimed at improving online dialog and community awareness by connecting New York City residents with local government.Users can tailor NYC Councilmatics new daily email updates to include specific council members, legislative items, committee hearings and meeting schedules. The feature joins other additions to the site, including email updates for search terms, comments posted for council offices and pasteable HTML, which local groups and blogs can use. The can now receive updates on NYC Council actions each morning via email, eliminating the need to visit and search Councilmatics site.Kristen Rouse of the NYC Veterans Alliance, whose group is featured on Councilmatics home page, praised the features in a statement . This is a great feature for NYC Veterans Alliance members to be able to track legislation they care about, themselves, and to see what community members are saying about it," she said. "Its important to have their voices heard and integrate easily with our members social media channels. Its user-friendly and accessible, and a great innovation that brings our government to our inbox. Our staff and volunteers will use the email alerts to track our legislation and the Veterans Committee meeting schedules.NYC Councilmatic is a nonprofit project by the Participatory Politics Foundation, supported by a charitable grant from the Rita Allen Foundation for greater public dialog. The site, which is open source, was built by DataMade , a civic tech company out of Chicago.After enlisting two former White House advisers, a philanthropic foundation has announced plans to help continue the Obama administrations Data-Driven Justice Initiative, which aims to keep low-level repeat offenders out of the criminal justice system by using data and analytics.The advisers are Lynn Overmann and Kelly Jin, and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation announced their hiring Monday in a release that notes Overmann as vice president of data-driven justice and Jin as director of data-driven justice. Overmann most recently served as senior adviser to the U.S. chief technology officer in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, while Jins last post was as an adviser to the U.S. CTO and chief data strategist in that same office.The duo helped launch the White House Data-Driven Justice Initiative in June 2016. The goal was to help city, county and state governments use data and analytics to keep low-level offenders with mental illnesses out of the criminal system, as well as to change pre-trial incarceration so low-risk individuals arent left in jail because they cant afford bond. It has gathered a bipartisan coalition of 140 city, county and state governments, covering a population of 94 million in places that range from rural Potter County in Pennsylvania to Los Angeles County in California.The initiative, which is no longer listed on WhiteHouse.gov under President Trump, will now be spearheaded by the foundation, as well as the National Association of Counties and other experienced former members of federal agencies.
Allows poll workers to look up voters from the entire county or state. This can reduce time spent checking in voters.

Allows poll workers to easily redirect voters who are in the wrong location to the correct polling places.

Scans a driver's license to pull up a voter's information, avoiding data entry errors.

Notifies poll workers if a voter already voted absentee or during the early voting period.

Allows voters to sign in electronically.

Produces turnout numbers and lists of who voted.

Uses a photo to verify a voter's identity.

(TNS) -- CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County plans to begin checking in voters with electronic poll books in November, using equipment from Tenex Software Solutions.Board of Elections director Pat McDonald and his staff recommended that company to the board at its meeting on Tuesday.The board is expected to vote on purchasing 1,450 electronic poll books at a cost of $1.7 million at the Feb. 8 meeting. The state is footing the cost.Electronic poll books will replace the large, paper rosters of registered voters at each voting location. The county plans to phase in the software during primary and special elections before launching them countywide in November.The county has spent the last year and a half researching vendors, including finalists Tenex and KNOWiNK.Last summer the board decided to delay the choice to allow for further testing and to see how the companies performed in the November presidential election in Ohio counties where they had contracts. KNOWiNK was in 18 counties and Tenex in three counties.Electronic poll books from the vendors were placed in 40 Cuyahoga County locations containing a total of 146 precincts in last November's election. Those precincts had the highest number of provisional ballots cast in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, officials said.The e-poll books were used in a limited capacity to look up where voters live and where they should vote. Voters did not sign in on the poll books, nor were they issued ballots based on electronic poll book information.Voters that came to the incorrect polling location were provided with a print out of step by step driving directions to their current polling locations which could also be sent via email or text message, officials said.According to a report submitted to the board on Tuesday, Tenex allows poll workers to scan the bar code on the stub of the paper ballot, the company provides an easier and more accurate method of updating supplemental absentee voters and staff preferred Tenex's training and ease of setup.See the report below or click here if on a mobile device.Equipment from Tenex had problems in 2015 in Hamilton County, where voters were wrongly told they weren't registered. Problems included lack of training and equipment issues, according to a report sent to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.The Tenex problems were resolved and the March 2016 primary election went smoothly, Tenex president and CEO Ravi Kallem said in April."The use of the Tenex EPBs attributed to a 30-percent reduction in the number of provisional ballots issued in presidential elections. We could not have been happier with the way the EPBs performed as well as with the service and support by Tenex," says a statement from Sherry Poland, director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, on the Tenex website.An e-poll book typically provides one or more of the following functions:
(TNS) -- Self-driving cars are now restricted to a small corner of Boston, but lobbyists are already arriving on Beacon Hill to try to shape any new legislation that will expand their presence on Bay State byways.Folks from all types of industries have reached out, said state Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow), who filed a bill that would give the Department of Transportation authority to regulate self-driving cars. The tech industry is reaching out, the environmental community is very active, certainly the car companies have started to get active.Both General Motors and Volkswagen said in lobbying registration documents they intend to lobby on autonomous vehicle legislation this year.Harry Lightsey, executive director of emerging technologies policy for GM, said future decisions on where to test and deploy autonomous cars will take into account how accommodating or restrictive state laws are.Youve got to have the right policy in place, youve got to have the ability to innovate and develop the technology and deploy the technology, Lightsey said. Its got to give the folks that are developing the technology the room to innovate, the room to change, but at the same time it has to provide the public with the assurance that their safety is going to be protected.Because the technology is moving so fast, lawmakers should stay away from measures that could stifle research and development. Lightsey said GM supports Lessers bill.You cannot regulate it the way you regulate the traditional automobile industry, he said.VW did not respond to a request for comment.Other big automakers, including Nissan and Toyota  the latter of which has built a multimillion-dollar research center in Cambridge focused in part on autonomous vehicles  have also registered lobbyists, but did not mention self-driving cars.Regulating self-driving cars appears to be on the to-do list for lawmakers this session. Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg mentioned the need for regulation in an address earlier this year.Another bill, filed by state Sen. Jason M. Lewis (D-Winchester) and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield) calls for taxing self-driving cars by the mile, restricting how far they can drive without a passenger, and mandating that they be emission free. That bill was sharply criticized by local start-up nuTonomy, which is running tests on public roads in Boston.Everyone whos developing technology in this space wants to ensure technology development is not hampered, said Karl Iagnemma, chief executive of nuTonomy.
Stoffel Vandoorne is in the same league as some of the best drivers to ever race in formula one.

That is the sensational claim of new McLaren chief Zak Brown, exactly a month before official pre-season testing begins in Barcelona late next month.

Belgian Vandoorne, 24, is making his full F1 debut for McLaren-Honda in 2017, with a strong reputation and record from his formative career.

But Brown told Het Laatste Nieuws, a Belgian newspaper, that the Belgian is even better than his record suggests.

"With Fernando Alonso and Stoffel, we are fortunate to have two top drivers," he said.

"I include Stoffel in the category of drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna," Brown added. "Together in the same team, Stoffel and Fernando will surprise."

Brown made the statement to a group of Belgian reporters, who expressed incredulity at the comparisons made between Vandoorne, a rookie, and some of the sport's greatest ever achievers.

"You heard me right," he insisted. "I put Stoffel in that category.

"He has the potential to evolve into a top F1 driver. Stoffel is an incredible driver and a future world champion.

"It is likely that he will commit some rookie mistakes, but he will learn quickly," Brown added.

(GMM)
Ferrari has denied that the official name for its 2017 car is now out of the bag.

Santander, a Spanish sponsor of the fabled Italian team, tweeted a graphic that suggested Ferrari's new car will be called the SF17-JB -- with the 'JB' an apparent tribute to the late former Ferrari junior driver Jules Bianchi.

Santander then deleted the tweet, apologising and retracting the news.

But the name spread like wildfire on the internet, prompting Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport to contact Ferrari for an official response.

The newspaper said Ferrari "denied that (SF17-JB) will be the name of the car".

And a team spokesman was quoted as saying by Italy's Corriere dello Sport: "The news is without foundation.

"The most appropriate and elegant way to remember Jules is doing what was done in Nice, with the dedication of a street in his name."

(GMM)
Carlos Sainz thinks the risk is low that his famous countryman Fernando Alonso will quit F1 at the end of 2017.

Disappointed with the sport's direction of the past decade, Spaniard Alonso has warned that unless the much faster cars inspire him this year, he will not renew his contract.

But as he unveiled a new personal sponsor in Madrid, the two-time world champion's countryman, friend and rival Sainz thinks Alonso will be happy in 2017.

"I do not have much contact with Fernando -- less than people believe anyway," Spanish newspapers quote the Toro Rosso driver as saying.

"In fact, I don't know what he is doing in the pre-season, but I do think Fernando will have a hard time retiring after he tries the new cars," Sainz added.

Sainz has been in the Red Bull simulator this week, declaring afterwards that the 2017 Toro Rosso will be "fast and impressive".

The 22-year-old said: "They are faster cars, with the aerodynamic loads of the golden years of 2005. The tyres are wider and degrade less, allowing us to attack more."

(GMM)


Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met WEF President Klaus Schwab. (Photo: VOV) It was the first time the Vietnamese Government leader participated in the meeting, and also his first foreign trip this year.

Active participation

Right after arriving in Switzerland, the government leader started his working programs with 40 successive activities, including delivering speeches at five sessions on regional and global issues; and organizing high-level meetings with heads of state and Prime Ministers of seven countries, as well as leaders of major international organizations.

He also had 22 bilateral meetings and two dialogues with chief executive officers and leaders of WEFs organisations, as well as meeting with leading international news agencies.

During this year's event, themed Responsive and Responsible Leadership, the PM presented speeches at the plenary and dialogue sessions revolving around the future of manufacturing from regional strategic perspective, ASEAN prospects after 50 years of formation and development, responsive and responsible leadership in a multi-polar world, and strong governance in the fourth industrial revolution.

He called on countries to act responsibly for the maintenance of peace and stability in the region and the world, and lauded the role of multilateral organizations, especially the United Nations and ASEAN, in promoting the common interests of the international community.

Highlighting opportunities and challenges brought about by the fourth industrial revolution to developing countries, including Vietnam, PM Phuc emphasized that Vietnam is restructuring its economy, renewing its growth model based on improving productivity and competitiveness, facilitating startups, innovation and creativity, and developing its high-quality workforce.

Practical benefits

At the meeting, the PM highlighted Vietnams determination to promote comprehensive national reform, economic restructuring and growth model shifting by 2020.

The Government leader affirmed Vietnams commitment to building a constructive and action-minded government, as well as its efforts to improve the business and investment climate, and foster start-ups, renovation and creativeness, contributing to raising the countrys position and image.

The PM met with senior officials from countries like Switzerland, the Netherlands and Austria, and representatives from the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation, the Asian Development Bank and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, to deepen relations with the countries and organisations.

The Government leader met Mr. Tahehiko Nakao, President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). (Photo: VOV)

Notably, Mr Phuc met and joined dialogues with representatives of about 40 out of the 500 largest economic groups in the world, like Microsoft, Facebook, Alphabet (Google), Qualcom, Standard Chartered, Prudential, Alibaba, Mitsubishi, UPS, and Swiss Re, during which he called on them to expand their investment in Vietnam.

Accompanying Vietnamese Ministers actively joined sessions and had meetings with businesses to enhance links in agriculture and industry-manufacturing.

The WEF and Vietnam signed a cooperation agreement, in which the WEF will assist Vietnam in sustainable economic development through policy consultation on economic restructuring, competitiveness improvement, and hi-tech agriculture development.

Vietnam is the first country with which the WEF has signed a cooperation agreement under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) form to help the country access and take advantage of the resources and knowledge of the WEF and its members.

Vietnam - Constructive member

Vietnam joined the WEF in 1989, and senior leaders of the country have attended both the Davos meeting and the WEF on East Asia.

WEF Managing Director Philipp Roesler visited Vietnam in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Recently, the country has engaged in activities of the WEF on East Asia. In 2012-2014, Vietnam attended the WEF on East Asia in Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines. It hosted the WEF on East Asia in 2010 with the participation of about 450 delegates.

On October 25th, 2016, Vietnam coordinated with the WEF to hold the first WEF on the Mekong region to introduce the Mekong sub-region to world leading companies, on the occasion of the eighth Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation Summit and the seventh Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit.

Currently, 11 Vietnamese major enterprises are members of the WEF, such as the Vietnam military-run telecommunications Group, FPT, VinGroup, VinaCapital, VNPT and Vietcombank./.
Two days after President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum inviting TransCanada to  promptly re-submit its application to the Department of State for a Presidential permit for the construction and operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline , the company has done so.

In the memorandum, Trump directed the Secretary of State (former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson is Trumps nominee) to reach a final permitting determination, including a final decision as to any conditions on issuance of the permit that are necessary or appropriate to serve the national interest, within 60 days of TransCanadas submission of the permit application.

The new Administration will rely upon the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Department of State in January 2014 regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline (Final Supplemental EIS) for the decision. (Earlier post.)

In November 2016, then US Secretary of State John Kerry rejected Keystone XL, citing combatting climate change as the critical factor. Kerry noted at that time that the arguments pro and con had been overstated. (Earlier post.)

The proposed Keystone XL project consists of a 875-mile (1,408 km) pipeline and related facilities to transport up to 830,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta, Canada and the Bakken Shale Formation in Montana. The pipeline would cross the US border near Morgan, Montana and continue through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, where it would connect to existing pipeline facilities near Steele City, Nebraska for onward delivery to Cushing, Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast Area.

Keystones first application for the Keystone XL pipeline was submitted on 19 September 2008, and a Final EIS was published on 26 August 2011.

Russ Girling, TransCanadas president and CEO, is emphasizing jobs and the economic benefits of the pipeline.
The supply stems from an emissions trading agreement signed by a number of Japanese companies with the Government of Ukraine. As part of its policy to reduce CO 2 and greenhouse gas emissions using the Green Investment Scheme under the Kyoto Protocol, the Ukrainian government will use the Outlander PHEVs as police vehicles.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced that through its local importer and distributor MMC Ukraine, MMC will supply the National Police of Ukraine with 635 units of the Outlander PHEV. These vehicles are to be delivered around July 2017.

This marks the second time MMC has supplied vehicles under the Green Investment Scheme, the first being to deliver of 507 units of the i-MiEV all-new electric vehicle to the Government of Estonia starting in October 2011.

Since its launch in 2013, the Outlander PHEV has recorded cumulative sales of 80,768 units (as at the end of 2016) and has been ranked as the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in Europe for four years in a row.

Mitsubishi has extensively revised the Outlander PHEV for 2017. A new EV Priority Mode is available across all variants. Once activated, it allows the driver to operate the vehicle in EV mode without the engine starting, provided there is sufficient charge in the batteries. An electronic parking brake is also new to the 2017 Outlander PHEV, as well as the brake auto hold button function which, when activated, holds the vehicle in traffic or on an include the same way a handbrake would, allowing the driver to release the footbrake.

Across all variants, the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV powertrain and chassis has been revised, with new dampers and rear suspension bushes, making it a quieter and more refined to drive. Rapid charging has also been improved, reducing its charging time to 80% from 30 minutes to approximately 25 minutes, and its pure electric range is increased to 33 miles, up from 32 miles.

The 2017 Outlander PHEV also delivers more performance with improved acceleration in EV mode compared to its predecessor. CO 2 emissions have also been lowered by 1g/km to 41g/km, with an average weighted fuel consumption of 138 mpg USa 6.4% increase versus the previous version. Regenerative braking technology, which works to put lost energy back into the battery when slowing down and which can adjusted while driving using the steering wheel paddles, has also been upgraded for 2017 Outlander PHEVthe drive battery output has been improved by 10%.

Safety features have also been further developed and improved on the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Forward Collision Mitigation technology, standard on the Mitsubishi Outlander 4hs and 5hs versions, now features Pedestrian Detection for added safety, while Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert have both been introduced on the 4h variant to assist the driver when reversing out of a space. For example, if traffic is coming from the right, the icon located on the right-hand mirror will light up, accompanied by an audio alert.

The Outlander PHEV offers an ultra-smooth driving experience, with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and a seamless transition between three driving modes (EV, series hybrid, parallel hybrid), which combine to deliver optimum performance regardless of driving conditions.

EV Drive Mode is an all-electric function in which the front and rear motors drive the vehicle using only electricity from the drive battery. With zero on-road gasoline consumption and zero CO 2 emissions the driver can enjoy a quiet and very eco-friendly performance for up to 33 miles, subject to weather conditions, driving style and the usage of the cars electrical and climate control systems.

In Series Hybrid Mode the gasoline engine operates as a generator supplying electricity to the electric motors. The system switches to this mode when the remaining charge in the battery falls below a predetermined level and when more power is required, such as accelerating to pass a vehicle or climbing a steep gradient.

The system switches to Parallel Hybrid Mode when the vehicle reaches high speeds. In this mode, the high-efficiency gasoline engine provides most of the motive power, which is then assisted by the electric motors as required; such as when more powerful performance is needed to accelerate or climb a slope.

The Mitsubishi Outlander also offers adaptive four-wheel drive with twin electric motors driving the wheels. The front and rear axles are each equipped with their own high-output motor to deliver acceleration even more powerful than a 3.0-liter gasoline engine, while maintaining responsive 4WD performance.

The Green Investment Scheme is an international emissions trading plan which provides for funds deriving from the transfer of Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) in emission trading pursuant to Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol to be used for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental measures.

Assigned Amount Units represent the allowable level of emissions assigned to a developed country party with a specific emissions target under the Kyoto Protocol.
It also has an insignificant effect on key gasoline specifications, including potential and actual gum; oxidation stability; intake valve deposits; port fuel injector fouling; haze formation; and water extractability performance. The team suggests that SuperButol is thus a viable and affordable gasoline component, which can help to meet future demands for high-octane gasoline. In addition, the process helps to optimize refinery operations by valorizing low-value products. The team describes SuperButol in a paper in the journal Fuel .

A team from Saudi Aramco Research and Development Center has developed a novel low-cost, high-octane gasoline blend component it calls SuperButol. SuperButol is made from low-value mixed butenes using a new process the team has named Butenes to Butanol (BTB); it has slightly lower blending RON compared to MTBE but has lower blending vapor pressure and higher energy content compared to ethanol.

Knock, an abnormal combustion phenomenon, is the primary constraint on the efficiency of spark ignition (SI) engines. As engine designers strive for higher efficiency SI engines, pressure will build up to increase the anti-knock or octane quality of gasolines in the future. This poses challenges for refineries and high-octane blending components will enable the fuel manufacturers to provide suitable fuels for future engines. Oxygenates such as ethanol and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), are known for their resistance to knock and are used as gasoline blending components to increase octane number In addition, ethanol can be made from bio sources and is considered as a renewable fuel component. It is mandated for use in gasoline in many countries. MTBE is made from methanol and isobutylene-methanol itself can be produced from natural gas or coal while isobutylene is derived either from natural gas or from by-products of fluid catalytic and steam crackers.

 In this paper, we introduce a new high octane gasoline blending component, SuperButol, which is mainly a mixture of different isomers of butanol with small amounts of di-isobutylenes (DIB) and is made from mixed butenes which have low economic value in the refinery and low octane rating for the engine. This blending component could be used on its own or with other octane boosters such as MTBE. In fact, recent studies have demonstrated the potential of using alternative octane boosters, such as SuperButol in less processed fuels in order to reach the same anti-knock properties as a commercial high-octane fuel. Kalamaras et al.

Butenes are olefinic hydrocarbon gases; currently, refineries use mixed butenes resulting from cracking operations as a feedstock to produce intermediates for chemicals. Some of these techniques for processing mixed butenes are costly, and corrosive, the team notes.

By contrast, the SuperButanol production processButenes to Butanols (BTB)is simple and safe, and was successfully demonstrated in a large capacity pilot plant.

Hydration and dimerization reactions occur in a fixed bed reactor at 1070 bar and 100170 C using a sulfonated ion exchange resin catalyst with a water-to-hydrocarbon ratio in the range of 110 vol%. Overall single pass conversion is 14 vol%. Unreacted butenes are recycled to the reactor until all the butenes are converted to the isomers of butanols and iso-octane.



Process flow diagram for Butenes to Butanols (BTB) pilot plant. Product stream from the reactor is sent to the high pressure and low pressure separators to remove the majority of unreacted water to be recycled after azeotropic distillation. The organic phase from the separator vessels is sent to the debutenizer column to separate SuperButol product from unreacted butenes that would be recycled to ensure complete butenes conversion. Click to enlarge.

The SuperButol product as obtained mainly comprises 2-Butanol (63.9%) and tert-Butanol (29.0%). The Saudi Aramco team assessed the blend properties of SuperButol by blending it into gasoline at different concentrations.

This product has very good anti-knock qualities and can be used to increase both RON and sensitivity of a gasoline. It has higher volumetric energy content and leads to lower vapor pressure in blends compared to those containing either ethanol or MTBE, which increases blending flexibility. SuperButol can also increase the refinery revenues by enabling the blending of low value pentanes into the gasoline pool at an acceptable vapor pressure. Its oxidation stability, gum and deposit formation tendencies are similar to those of MTBE. In terms of haze formation and water extractability performance, it is better than ethanol and butanol and should pose no handling problems provided suitable precautions are taken. As a result, SuperButol could provide another practical and affordable option to produce higher octane gasolines in the future. Kalamaras et al.

Resources
The University of California, Irvine is poised to be the first college campus in the US to convert its buses to an all-electric fleet. The student-funded and -operated Anteater Express shuttle service is acquiring 20 buses from BYD for $15 million.

The vehicles are being built at the companys Lancaster plant to roll onto campus for the 2017-18 academic year, joining a hydrogen electric bus to provide more than 2 million pollution-free rides annually. Undergraduates voted to pay up to $40 per quarter to the Associated Students of UCI to cover the bus purchase and other costs. Individual rides are free.

While other schools have added some alternative energy transportation in recent years, UCI is the first to completely scrap its traditional diesel fuel-powered buses, officials said.
Theres no doubt the recent bitter cold winter conditions are impacting people and wildlife in southwest Wyoming, but there is still a bright side to the daunting winter weather conditions, thanks to some volunteers and the good folks at Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Cokeville Game Warden Neil Hymas has responded to multiple calls in which 23 antelope, over 20 mule deer and 40 elk were hit and killed by trains near Sage Junction, as these animals move south and west. Hymas located a hole in the deer fence and volunteers with the Southwest Muley Fanatics Chapter stepped up, p...
Overseas Vietnamese in Indonesia at the meeting to welcome Tet (Photo: VNA)



* On January 23, the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Kobe city, Japan organized a meeting to welcome Tet for overseas Vietnamese families, apprentices and students in the city.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Tran Duc Binh, Vietnams Consulate General in Osaka, appreciated activities during the last year of the overseas Vietnamese community in Kobe, opening Vietnamese class for children of overseas Vietnamese families and organizing Vietnamese beauty contest in traditional long dress.

According to him, these activities not only helped preserve the language, culture, but they also help promote and introduce the cultural beauty of Vietnam to the local people.

He also thanked to the administration of Kobe city and the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association for supporting activities of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in the city in recent years and wished the association to continue to have significant activities towards the homeland as well as contribute to the development of the friendly relations between the two countries.

The participants also enjoyed an art program performed by Japanese artists and Vietnamese students studying in Kobe as well as traditional dishes of Vietnam.

* On the same day, a celebration to welcome Tet was hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia for nearly 300 Vietnamese expatriates and staff members of Vietnamese representative offices.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Hoang Anh Tuan thanked international friends and partners for their continuous support and cooperation.



He highlighted the achievements Vietnam has made in building and protecting the nation, reiterating the overseas Vietnamese community in Indonesia is an inseparable part of the nation.

* On January 22nd, a meeting was also organized for more than 200 overseas Vietnamese to welcome Tet in Aviv, Israel.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Cao Hoang Quoc Hai highlighted the growing diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Israel over the past 25 years and added that Israel is one of Vietnams most important economic partners in the Middle East.

In 2016, the two nations trade value exceeded USD1.3 billion. The two sides are conducting negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement towards the goal of raising the bilateral trade value to USD3 billion.

* On January 21st, a celebration to welcome new year was organized by the Vietnamese Embassy and the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Romania

At the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Romania Tran Thanh Cong reported achievements of the country and reaffirmed that overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the nation.

He appreciated the contributions of the overseas Vietnamese in the country to the development of the homeland as well as to the relations between the two countries.

At the meeting, the participants together enjoy an art program and traditional dishes of the homeland./.
A controversial bill regarding the transfer of land from the federal government to the state was killed by Senate President Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, last week.

The bill, Senate File 3, would have proposed an amendment to the Wyoming Constitution outlining how the state would take land granted to it by the federal government. If it would have passed, Wyoming voters would have voted on the amendment during an election before it would be made into law.

In Sweetwater County, one of the outdoor enthusiasts celebrating the bills demise is Rock Springs resident Jessica Evans, though she admits s...
Debrajoe Smith-Beatty, 80, passed away Jan. 20, 2017, in Mesquite, Nev.

She was born Aug. 26, 1936, in Green River to Joseph Franklin Smith and Vera Robinson.

She married Bill Beatty, but lived an independent life since 1964.

She was raised surrounded by her three siblings and numerous cousins. The gang, as she affectionately called them, lived in Green River and Manila, Utah. While growing up, she played the flute, piano, and sang soprano.

After she graduated from Green River High School in 1954, Smith-Beatty went to study nursing, and later earned masters degree in business.

In her spare time, She enjoyed painting and writing. She worked with several others to self-publish a compilation of short-stories and poems. She was very proud of her volunteer service with the Community Emergency Response Team.

She adored her cat, Babs. She also often expressed her gratitude for her brothers Ron and Ted Smith, and her cousin Houston Robinson, for always being there for her.

Smith-Beatty is survived by her son, Douglas E. Beatty and spouse Eileen of Boise, Idaho; her four grandchildren, Doug, Cameron, Kirk, Brooke; and one brother, Dr. Ted Smith. Preceded in death by her parents, and her brother Ron Smith and her sister Elizabeth Baxter.

The family will host graveside services at a later date in Huntville, Utah. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in their guest book http://www.virginvalleymortuary.com.
Dear Editor,

Wyoming entered the United States as The Equality State just over a hundred years ago, becoming the first state to recognize womens right to vote. That, however, was the last fight we dared for equality. A few years ago we found ourselves in the world spotlight when a young gay man was beaten and left to die on a fence. We were mortified and began a slow change in acceptance of sexual identity outside of the cultural norm. We chose not to fight the district court ruling that gays could marry and accepted their equal right to marry whomever they wish.

Now, though, a bill...
Its been almost twenty years since I graduated from culinary school and was hired to run a kitchen for the first time. The Champagnie family from Kingston, Jamaica, was opening Cafe MoBay and was in search of a chef. I was a recent culinary graduate of Lane Community College, with a good five years of cooking under my belt. We found each other.

I learned so much at that gig  about the influence of New Orleans radio stations on the history of Jamaican music, Ting, the genius of Fela Kuti, rice and peas, festival (cornbread fritters), pineapple-ginger drink, jerk pork, champagne cola, curried chicken and ital vegetables. Ital (adapted from the English word, vital) is a natural way of cooking developed by the Rastafarians.

Above all, my favorite dish was stewed oxtails cooked in the pressure cooker and served over rice and peas. Althea would chastise me because she knew that oxtails should be eaten over white rice. I wouldnt listen; some things dont change.

Nowadays, when theres a chill in the air and I thirst for sunshine or Im just nostalgic, I dont fuss with the pressure cooker, I head over to Da Reggae Cafe on Gate City Blvd. The ambiance and service remind me of what we had going on back in Eugene, Oregon, in the late 90s. Yellow walls and bumping reggae take me to the islands. The oxtails are fantastic, although a tad on the sweet side. The portion is ample and it feeds my soul. I love the D&G ginger beer or a Ting as an accompaniment.

I know that the service is not representative of the love put into each and every bite of food, from the fried plantains to the steamed cabbage that accompanies each meal, but I just feel so much more authenticity for it. There is something about the struggle to get that plate of food that causes me to identify with Robert Nesta Bob Marley and his legendary lyrics. A true cross-section of Greensboro crosses the threshold at Reggae Cafe and that in itself is comforting. The folks there dont mind if I eat my oxtails on rice and peas instead of white rice.

Thank you for the education and I miss working with you Althea, Cynthia and Karen.
A few white students stood with the young African-Americans who made history outside Woolworths segregated lunch counter.

But only one of them was about to graduate as a Bennett Belle.

Mary Ellen Bender was a senior on Feb. 1, 1960, the day four N.C. A&T students first sat down at the lunch counter of the Greensboro store and refused to leave until they were served.

Their protest continued, and participation grew. The original four  David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan)  were joined by students from Dudley High School, North Carolina A&T State University and Womans College (now UNC-Greensboro) as well as from Bennett College, traditionally a school for black women.

Bender knew she wanted to take part in the protest with other Bennett Belles.

I was there on my campus, she says, and they were my friends and they were fighting for their rights.

I wanted to stand up with them.

But she first got permission from Bennetts president, Willa Player.

Bender likely would be the first white woman to graduate from Bennett, and she feared that if she took part in the protest, it would cause problems for the school.

Player told her, as she had told others, Go ahead. Whatever happens will happen.

When Bender joined protesters in the picket line, The hecklers would go after me in particular because I was white and picketing with black people.

She says she has put most of the ugliness surrounding the protest behind her. But she hasnt forgotten the heckler who put a lit cigarette into her jacket pocket.

And Bender remembers being arrested while taking a turn sitting at the lunch counter. She and the other students were fingerprinted and released, she says.

Then in the week of her graduation, with her parents in town for the ceremony, she went to court.

We were represented by the NAACP, Bender recalls, and we were acquitted.

F.W. Woolworth integrated its lunch counter that July, and Bender went on take part in a short-term home missionary program for the Methodist church.

She had been placed in a predominantly white community in the South but was rejected because of her part in the sit-ins, she says. So she went on to a black neighborhood and a good experience in Nashville.

The sit-ins were historic, but Bender says she was affected most by just being at Bennett.

She came to the school as a junior at Ohio Wesleyan University for a semester-long exchange program. There had been other white exchange students at Bennett  one from Pennsylvania took part in the sit-ins  but Bender was the first to decide to stay.

She says that she grew up in New Jersey, so the notion of being a Bennett Belle  required to wear white gloves and a hat  took some getting used to.

Her mother was involved in civil rights through her work with the Methodist Church womens society. But growing up, Bender hadnt really known many black people.

She made friends at the school  some, like author and educator Linda Brown, remain close to this day. Being with black students and getting to know them was a really eye-opening experience, she says.

I felt a commitment to stay.

She also felt a commitment to serve and built a career in social work and counseling. She was a local pastor in the United Methodist Church for 17 years, and now she lives in Pinehurst with a counseling practice in Southern Pines.

Bennett  the close-knit school that valued activism along with ladylike behavior  had changed her life.
Team Trump quickly backed away from its Tequila Tax idea yesterday after it was widely ridiculed.

"Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted.

Yes, Myrtle Beach is fueled by Corona and margaritas.

Maybe we've seen the power of ridicule.

President Donald Trump can't stand to be ridiculed, as we've seen from his bruised reactions to "Saturday Night Live."

Unfortunately, many of his worst impulses are too grave to be mocked. And he digs in at outrage.

But laughing at him may be an effective response at times.
Thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on Washington D.C. to participate in the March For Life on Friday. For a brief stint, an American flag flew above the Capitol to honor them - courtesy of N.C. Rep. Mark Walker, a Greensboro Republican.

The declaration that gave birth to our nation proclaimed God granted us with three unalienable rights, the first and most important of which is life," Walker said in a statement. "Without life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unattainable. To the thousands of pro-life Americans marching and standing for the defenseless, thank you. You are a voice for the voiceless. You are not in this fight alone, and your impact is felt in our hometowns, in Washington, and around the world.

The certification of the flag reads:

"This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capitol on January 27, 2017. At the request of the Honorable Mark Walker, Member of Congress, this flag was flown in honor of the March for Life 2017 participants. Thank you for being a voice for the voiceless."

Scoop asked for a bit more info (we weren't up on the particulars of getting the flag flown above the Capitol). Jack Minor, a spokesman for Walker, clarified the following points:

- Walker's office does this on a couple of occasions, "mainly to honor people in NC (our Community Hero of the Month, WWII Veterans, etc.)," Minor said.

- Getting the flag flown over the Capitol does not require any kind of vote, but does require Walker's office to formally submit a request.

- Once the request is approved, Walker's office can dedicate the flag to be flown in honor of a person or group. The time of flag-flying varies, Minor said - this one flew for 15 minutes - but when the flag comes down, it's delivered back to Walker's office with a certificate containing information on when it flew and for whom.

"We then normally deliver that flag to the person or group we are honoring," he said.

This one will most likely go to N.C. Right To Life, a nonprofit based in Greensboro.


One of the factors creating the attractive investment in agriculture is the Governments commitment to put aside VND50-60 trillion to develop hi-tech agricultural production.

Planting vegetables in net houses (Photo: bacgiang.gov.vn)

Nhan dan (People) newspaper reported that boosting the development of hi-tech agriculture had been chosen as one of the 10 outstanding issues of agriculture and rural areas in the 2010-2015 period by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Developing hi-tech agriculture is a broad trend, not only in Vietnam but in many countries around the world, as applying science and technology helps contribute up to 80-90% to the value of agricultural products.

Seventy percent of Vietnams population do agricultural production; however, the agricultural sector contributes only 20% to the nations GDP. Meanwhile, in developed countries, only 2-4% of population conduct agricultural work but the sector contributes up to 40% of their GDP. In order to turn agriculture into a spearhead economic sector, and to compete with agriculture products coming from regional countries, developing hi-tech agriculture is expected to follow the right track to produce high quality agricultural products.



According to a project on developing hi-tech agriculture of the MARD, by 2020, each locality will strive to establish at least 10 agricultural production businesses and 10 agricultural production zones, with each zone developing 1-2 hi-tech agricultural production areas, in an attempt to bring the proportion of agricultural production using high technology to at least 25% of the agricultural production value of the whole country.

Under the Governments commitment, any individual, organization or business who wants to invest in agricultural production will be supported. The credit package of VND50-60 trillion will be disbursed through banks as an open mechanism for those in need. In fact, in 2016, an increase of the application of bio-technology became a new wave in agricultural production.

According to the Ministry, large businesses have focused on investing in hi-tech agriculture, in which they have attached great importance to applying bio-technology in selecting seedlings, producing and using biological products, creating high quality and safe products that are able to compete with imported goods and look towards to export. In addition, hi-tech agriculture will produce high quality and safe products, satisfying the great demand for safe food of customers.

Although there remain diverse difficulties in capital, infrastructure, environmental protection, investment in seedlings and animals, training of laborers, and consumption of products, developing hi-tech agriculture will help both ensure the quality of Vietnamese agriculture products and increase farmers income./.
GREENSBORO  Maria Luisa Gonzalez is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, but she says that is not what defines her.

The 41-year-old, who lives in High Point, has a job cutting fabric for mattresses. She has three children, including a 19-year-old daughter at Cornell University. She contributes to her community by volunteering at a local shelter, and she helps translate for other immigrants who do not speak English.

Were not just takers, Gonazalez said at her home Thursday afternoon. We also give back to the community.

President Donald Trump is moving forward with his plan to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall to limit immigrants from entering the United States, a promise he made during his campaign. Its a move that has sparked fear in immigrants nationwide and led to a protest here Thursday night.

Trump this week signed executive orders authorizing construction of the wall, increasing immigration agents who are assigned to deportations and expanding the number of Border Patrol personnel.

Trump is also expected to impose a plan to stop accepting Syrian refugees.

Protesters said its policies such as these that brought them to the downtown event, which drew about 500 people. Marchers stopped at one significant spot along the route  the corner of South Elm Street and February One Place, home of the Woolworth building where four N.C. A&T students launched the historic lunch counter sit-in. The building is now home to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.

The Rev. David Fraccaro, executive director of FaithAction International House, said this week that nothing has changed for his organization, which assists 4,000 immigrants from more than 50 countries with food, housing, health care and legal services as well as helping connect them with the larger community.

Faith Actions stance is nothing  regardless of who might be president  nothing will stop us from serving, protecting and loving our neighbors as ourselves, Fraccaro said.

The question is  as things become potentially a lot tougher for our newest neighbors, will our community continue to serve, love and even protect them?

Trumps initial actions Wednesday prompted swift response from those who work with immigrants locally.

The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that works for immigrant and refugee rights, called the presidents policies dangerous and divisive.

For more than two decades, border wall infrastructure has contributed to the deaths of thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and violence who are forced to cross through deadly terrain, said Pedro Rios, director of the organizations U.S./Mexico Border Program, in a statement. This human rights disaster will only be exacerbated with more miles of border walls and excessive, unaccountable enforcement.

World Relief, a refugee relief organization with an office in High Point, decried Trumps ban on refugees.

The lengthy delay imposed in this ban further traumatizes refugees, most of whom are women and children, keeps families separated and punishes people who are themselves fleeing the terror we as a nation are rightly fighting to end, said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief, said in a statement.

Fraccaro said Greensboro has been a hub for refugee resettlement for decades. A couple of years ago, the City Council passed a resolution naming Greensboro the nations first Stranger to Neighbor city, honoring FaithActions bridge-building work in the community.

Fraccaro said he is also concerned about how the incredible work the Greensboro Police Department and other law enforcement agencies have done in partnership with the immigrant community to build trust will be affected by the presidents immigration policies.

We cannot allow these new policies to threaten that partnership, he said.

Fraccaro spent eight years visiting immigrants inside detention centers, what he called truly awful places where human and legal rights went out the window.

He also spent part of a summer on the Arizona-Mexico border working with a group to provide humanitarian aid to immigrants.

These individuals would be the first to get in line if there truly was a line for them to get into, he said.

Gonzalez said she applied to become a U.S. citizen in 2001. She hasnt received an update on her application since 2009.

Shes lived in the United States for nearly 25 years, having moved here as a teenager. She said women didnt have many opportunities in her Mexican village.

Gonzalez started working as a housekeeper at age 11. Other jobs she held included working in a shoe store and as a field hand. And then one of her sisters asked if she wanted to come to the U.S. with her.

When Gonzalez immigrated, she settled in Dallas and made $85 a week cleaning houses. She moved to High Point in 1996 and has primarily worked factory jobs, but would like to have a career as a translator. Other immigrants call on her when they need someone to translate for them at the hospital or the courtroom, she said.

I can say were living a good life, Gonzalez said.

The Greensboro Socialists organized Thursdays downtown rally.

Some participants, like Rachel Samuels of Greensboro, said she wanted to listen and learn from people who werent like her.

Beth Biester, who works in the English-as-a-Second Language department for Guilford County Schools, was there for her students, who are members of immigrant families.

I believe in them, and I want to support them, Biester said.
GREENSBORO  The widow of a Guilford County man has sued Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital Operating Corp. over a bill-collection practice that makes her legally liable for her dead husband's medical bills.

The case could have widespread ramifications for health care agencies and their patients across the state.

Guilford County resident Annah Awartani alleges that the practice known as the "Doctrine of Necessities" violates the state constitution and has caused widows of men across the state to incur huge debts, losing their homes and good credit, without knowing in advance they were responsible.

Awartani filed the suit Thursday in Guilford County Superior Court that asks a judge to make her complaint a class-action lawsuit, which would allow any woman affected by this practice in the state to claim damages against Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital Operating Corp.

Awartani's husband, Masoud Awartani, became sick and died in 2010. In her lawsuit, Annah Awartani alleges she never in any way guaranteed to pay her husband's bills.

Awartani alleges in her lawsuit that after her husband's death she discovered four lawsuits from Cone that included court judgments requiring her to pay the bills.

The lawsuit is based on a part of the constitution that says any property a woman acquired before or after the marriage "shall remain the sole and separate estate of such female and shall not be liable for any debts, obligation, or engagement of her husband."

The constitution refers specifically to women and not men.

Robert J. King III, the attorney who filed the suit on Awartani's behalf, explained her rationale for the suit in a written statement:

"Typically, no one is responsible for anyone else's debts unless they agree to be. If I rack up credit card debt in my name, my wife is not responsible, and vice versa," King said. "The same is true for almost every other kind of debt. 'Necessary' medical expenses are the exception to that rule. But the N.C. Constitution says that a wife cannot be held responsible for her husband's debt (unless, of course, she agrees to be responsible, by signing loan documents, a guaranty, etc.)."

Awartani said that she earlier hired an attorney who contacted Moses Cone asked why it was suing Awartani. The lawyer asked the hospital to cancel the debt but Cone never responded, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Cone has filed more than 50 lawsuits against other people in Guilford County demanding payment since Jan. 1, 2007, but says that the number of women in other counties and courts is "far higher."

If a judge rules to create a class of all women who received court judgments after Jan. 27, 1997, or those who have made payments after judgments, the lawsuit demands Cone to refund those payments with interest.
Nearly 200 community and business leaders attended the American Heart Associations 2017 Guilford Heart Ball on Jan. 21, raising nearly $100,000 for heart disease and stroke research and prevention education. This total included an Open Your Heart moment, with Heart Ball guests raising nearly $40,000 through strictly philanthropic gifts after meeting an inspirational little boy and his family from the community.

Lucas Alcacio is 2 and was born with truncus arterosis, a congenital heart disease. He has undergone two open-heart surgeries and numerous procedures. He still has one more surgery that will take place within the next six months. Lucas and his family  mother Jamie, father Juan and big brother Giovanni  received a standing ovation.

The ball also included a silent auction, gourmet dinner, live auction, DJ and dancing.

Also during the ball, Cone Health Heart and Vascular Center and the American Heart Association recognized Dr. Mike Cooper and Dr. Clarence Owen as the winners of the third annual LeBauer Visionary Award.

Recognized as co-directors of the Structural Heart Program at Cone Healths Heart and Vascular Center, Cooper and Owen have worked together for years to bring a team approach to patient-centered care.

Dr. James Allred and Dr. Henry Smith were also honored as finalists for the 2017 LeBauer Visionary Award.
GREENSBORO  A man shot in the head Thursday afternoon is expected to live.

Officers were called to 1003 Arbor Drive about 4:30 p.m. about a shooting and found a man shot in the head, police said.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, is at the hospital in stable condition and is expected to recover, said Police Capt. Nathaniel Davis.

Police said the victim and the male suspect knew each other. No one has been arrested in the shooting.
GREENSBORO  Police raided eight sweepstakes businesses in December and January, resulting in seven people being charged with related offenses.

Detectives with the Greensboro Police Departments vice and narcotics division conducted a round of raids on Dec. 6, going to five sweepstakes businesses. On Jan. 12, they went to a sixth business. The operation was conducted after undercover work by the detectives, police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen said.

In all, nearly $48,500 was seized from the businesses, as well as 317 computer towers and 37 computer consoles, police said.

Since November 2014, it has been illegal in North Carolina to conduct or promote sweepstakes businesses. Greensboro began enforcing the statute in March 2015.

The seven people are charged with operating five or more server-based electronic video gaming machines and possessing five or more video gaming machines with a display that simulates a game ordinarily played on a machine for the purpose of promoting, operating or conducting a server-based electronic game promotion.

Charges and businesses are:

Barry Thomas Cummings, 60, of Winston-Salem. Business name unknown, at 2896-D Randleman Road.

Police

seized $2,294, 14 computer towers and seven stand-up consoles.

Ryan McQuade Strickland, 34, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; Skillville at 2804 Randleman Road and King of the Skill at 1518 Woodmere Drive. Police seized a combined $16,027, 88 computer towers and 12 stand-up consoles.

Kevin Clinton, 42, of 5 Donlora Court; Off the Hook at 3806 W. Gate City Blvd. Police seized $4,356 and 41 computer towers.

Frederick J. Wooden, 31, of Martinsville, Va.; Outlet at 2910 Randleman Road and Southern Skillz at 2912 Randleman Road. Police seized a combined $9,960, 88 computer towers and 10 stand-up consoles.

Leon Lawrence Lineberry III, 39, of Raleigh; Vape-X at 1708 Stanley Road. Police seized $1,498, 26 computer towers and eight stand-up consoles.

Hyun Jun Lim and Young Hoon Lim, of 1923 Fleming Road; Skill Shot at 4718 W. Market St. Police seized $14,323 and 60 computer towers.

Police said all but two of the people charged are the business owners. Clinton and Lineberry are managers of Off the Hook and Vape-X, respectively.

Each owner was charged with one count for each business owned.

The seized property is being held by police as evidence, Danielsen said. The businesses listed are now closed.

Although search warrants were conducted at the businesses on Dec. 6 and Jan. 12, not everyone was charged until Jan. 19 because not everyone lived in the area, Danielsen said.
GREENSBORO  Partisanship has resulted in the squiggly lines that represent legislative districts, according to Tom Ross, former president of the UNC system.

And Republicans arent alone in responsibility for complex districting that empowers their party. Democrats are really good at gerrymandering, too, he told about 300 people packed into a lecture hall in the UNC-Greensboro School of Education Building Thursday night. About 500 people sent RSVPs, so the university provided an overflow room.

Ross, a former Superior Court judge, and former state Supreme Court chief justices Henry Frye of Greensboro and Rhoda Billings presented a panel discussion about their vision for nonpartisan redistricting.

Nonpartisan redistricting is the key to solving the most-broken aspects of our political system, Ross said. If were not going to step up and fight for democracy, were going to lose it.

He said candidates are being pushed further to the extreme sides of their parties.

Despite that, 59 percent of N.C. voters favor nonpartisan redistricting, compared with 15 percent who oppose it, he said.

In August, the judges  who participated in an advisory panel that Duke University and the nonprofit Common Cause North Carolina formed last year  presented a plan that laid out districts without taking politics into consideration.

The judges used four criteria to form their districts  make districts compact, keep them contiguous, follow state and federal law and ignore all political factors, including voter registration, voter turnout, past election results and residence of incumbents and challengers.

All of Guilford County would be included in a district that would also contain all of Randolph and Caswell counties and parts of Rockingham and Alamance counties.

Under existing maps, Republicans won 10 of the states 13 congressional districts in 2016. The winner of the closest race had 58 percent of the vote.

Under the districting model the panel configured  and using election data from 2016  Republicans would have won six, Democrats four and the other three would have been tossups.

And the races would have been much closer, Ross said.

To create their maps, the former judges broke into two groups, each containing two who ran as Republicans and two who ran as Democrats.

Each group started setting up districts in separate geographic regions. One started by first setting up districts at the states two most populous urban areas  Mecklenburg and Wake counties, each of which are too populous for a single district. The other group was to start by setting up districts along the coast, Billings said.

The two groups then compared maps and went back and made modifications, then compared again.

They checked their final map to see if it complied with the Voting Rights Act, which takes racial demographics into consideration.

What was interesting, Billings said, was how little time we had to put this together.

She said they put the map together in about four hours.

Its really not all that hard if youre not trying to gerrymander, she told listeners, who burst into applause.

Donna Drinnen said she attended because of the political climate in North Carolina.

Im very concerned about the North Carolina political situation  and I have been for a while, she said. It seems to have been hijacked. The gerrymandering is entrenched.

During the event, Ross said the state has been involved in litigation over the districts since they were formed in 2011, costing the state money.

We will likely still be in litigation in 2020, when they do the census again, he said.

The event, presented by the League of Women Voters, was intended to get people interested in supporting districts that are not divided into single parties  districts in which candidates only have to worry about winning their party primary. Politicians in those districts arent likely to listen to the other partys voters.

Frye said the goal for Thursday nights event was to get people thinking about redistricting before the next census.

Its good for us to be thinking about it now, he said. So when the time comes, hopefully, we can have something even better.
GREENSBORO  More than 200 people gathered downtown tonight to protest the Trump administration's immigration policies.

The march and rally, hosted by the Greensboro Socialists, began at 8 p.m.

On its Facebook page, the organization asked people to join the rally "to show President (Donald) Trump that we are going to stand in solidarity with our Muslim and Latinx neighbors."

In his first week in office, Trump has signed executive orders authorizing a wall be built on the border with Mexico, increasing immigration agents assigned to deportations and increasing the number of Border Patrol agents.

A draft executive order obtained by The Associated Press shows Trump intends to stop accepting Syrian refugees and to suspend a broader federal refugee program for 120 days.
GREENSBORO  Local immigrants, refugees and their supporters gathered at the Governmental Plaza on Friday afternoon to explain why they are against President Donald Trumps immigration policies.

This week, Trump signed executive orders authorizing construction of a border wall, increasing immigration agents who are assigned to deportations, and expanding the number of Border Patrol personnel. He is also expected to impose a plan to stop accepting Syrian refugees. These policies prompted a protest and march downtown Thursday night that attracted about 500 people.

Jeremy McKinney, a Greensboro immigration lawyer, said Friday that most estimates put Americas undocumented population at between 10 million and 11 million. He said that in recent history, annual deportations range anywhere from 300,000 to 420,000. McKinney said that shows that the country cant fix its immigration system by deporting everyone.

It hasnt happened, and its not going to happen because the United States was founded on the concept of limited government, McKinney said. And we the people do not want to live in a police state.

More details to come.
GREENSBORO  Starting next school year, students will attend Swann Middle School instead of Aycock Middle.

The Guilford County Board of Education voted 8-1 Thursday night to rename the school after Melvin C. Swann Jr., a former Guilford County Schools administrator who played an important role in the desegregation of the Greensboro school district and the merger of the Guilford, Greensboro and High Point school systems.

Swann worked for the school system for 36 years, serving as a teacher, administrator and as the first deputy superintendent of the newly merged Guilford County Schools in 1993.

Board member Anita Sharpe, the sole dissenting vote, expressed admiration for Swann while saying that she does not support naming schools for people in general.

Widow Gloria Jean McCollum Swann and granddaughter Leah Swann attended the meeting, along with other friends and supporters. Leah Swann, who was the driving force behind the nomination, had tears in her eyes as board members congratulated her.

My grandfather gave his life to education, 30 plus years, she said in an interview prior to the meeting. No matter anything, politics, race, economic status, he always put childrens needs first.

Melvin C. Swann Jr. died last summer at the age of 80.

The vote follows two previous decisions by the board, first signaling that they wanted to replace the Aycock name and second a decision to specifically consider Swanns name, out of a list of suggestions. Charles B. Aycock was an early 20th century North Carolina governor and education champion, but also an ardent segregationist.

On the recommendation of board member T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, the board voted to ask that a freestanding marquee on city property that has the Aycock school name on it be retained, but modified to denote that it is the former Aycock middle school. Bellamy-Small said she wanted to acknowledge, and not erase history with the change.

Earlier in the meeting Board of Education members questioned  and in some cases grilled  district staff over what have been acknowledged as problems with the ongoing renovations at Smith High School. Some of the most discussed questions and concerns involved mismatched tile in locker rooms, costs associated with ordering the schools new wrestling mat, and how well or not the district staff had communicated with school community members about the issues at the school.

Superintendent Sharon Contreras agreed to have her staff put out a Frequently Asked Questions sheet to help address community questions on the project. That came after Bellamy-Small pressed her on whether there was something the district could do to share information about issues in a written way, outside of meeting minutes.

The board voted 5-4 to approve a 2017-18 calendar. It calls for seven inclement weather makeup days, which are days that students will attend school if they miss for snow or other poor weather earlier in the year. The first day of school will be Aug. 28 and the last day June 8, 2018, unless the district needs to use makeup days the week after.
If 3 million illegal votes were cast across the country in November, as President Donald Trump insists, about 100,000 of them should have been in North Carolina based on the states proportion of the U.S. population.

Because of the closely contested governors race, North Carolinas election results were closely scrutinized. Republican Pat McCrory, who narrowly trailed Democrat Roy Cooper, alleged voter fraud in more than 50 counties. His supporters challenged a number of individual votes. In the end, after canvassing in every county and a partial recount in Durham County, no widespread fraud was found.

Since then, the State Board of Elections, per its usual processes, has been working to extensively audit voter records and respond to complaints to identify potential cases of voter fraud and other irregularities, the boards public information officer, Patrick Gannon, said in an email to the News & Record Wednesday.

In a phone interview, Gannon declined to say how many cases are under investigation but gave assurances that the number is not 100,000.

Of course it isnt. Its probably not 100.

The State Board of Elections, as well as local boards in all 100 counties, are controlled by Republicans, not by Trump opponents who were trying to steal the election from him.

President Trump apparently cant come to grips with that.

Before the election, when polls showed him behind, he repeatedly said the election would be rigged against him.

After the election, when he had won enough states to secure victory in the Electoral College but had lost the popular vote by nearly 2.9 million, he claimed that millions of illegal votes had been counted against him.

There was no proof of that, and election analysts viewed Trumps assertion as false.

Now Trump is president and refuses to let go of his contention. He repeated it to a group of congressional leaders Monday. His press secretary, Sean Spicer, on Tuesday defended Trumps statement with the explanation that the president believes it based on evidence hes been given. Yet, the public has not seen any evidence to substantiate Trumps claim. Ideally, a president should form his views on the strength of provable facts.

By Wednesday morning, Trump apparently decided to look for some.

I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time), he tweeted. Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!

This major investigation likely will rely on states reporting what they already know about what happened and what didnt happen in the recent election. Trump wasnt robbed of a plurality of popular votes. But he did win where it counted, which is why he occupies the White House.

Trumps obsession with a rigged election seems to be driven by ego. He apparently cant accept the fact that most Americans voted against him. Well, too bad. It happened.

But theres a serious concern raised by talk of strengthening voting procedures. Republicans could use Trumps false alarms about fraud as an excuse to increase efforts to limit access. States could put up barriers to people who are less likely to have a photo ID, or more likely to vote outside their precinct, or to register at a social services office, or who prefer to vote early or on a Sunday. Those kinds of efforts already have been attempted in North Carolina.

Trumps investigation, if it happens, should be independent and thorough, but hell still believe what he wants to believe no matter what the facts show.
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Knowing that a shiny new car is available in another country but not here seems to make it even more desirable.

The decision of manufacturers to limit distribution to a particular geographic area is more likely a solid business practice than a marketing ploy, but it can still make for some unhappy would-be buyers.

Of course, someone who's willing to spend a bunch of money on import fees, taxes, shipping costs and insurance - as well as making sure the vehicle meets domestic emission standards - is free to shop around.

MADE RIGHT HERE: These foreign cars are produced in the United States

If it were easy to import a car made overseas, a lot of people would. As it is, a Brazilian MP Lafer will continue to be a rare sight on the streets of Houston.

Ford has recently reminded us of its foreign market with an announcement this month at the Detroit auto show that it's bringing back the Ranger pickup in 2019 and Bronco SUV the following year.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford executive vice president, told Road and Track's Bob Sorokanich that the new Bronco and Ranger will both be based largely upon the frame of the 2019 Ranger, now sold only in Europe.

Ford hasn't divulged details about the new Bronco's body style, but according to a post on Reddit, it will be similar to the Ford Everest sold in Australia.

Click through the gallery to see some cool vehicles that are sold in far corners of the world but not in the United States:
Dear Abby: I have had a best friend for more than 20 years. We met when we were 18 and have been inseparable ever since. I was best man in his wedding, and I traveled six hours to be at the hospital when his first child, Sara, was born. I have never missed a birthday or Christmas. When my friend announced they were moving from Ohio to Arizona, I knew I couldnt be away from him and his family, so I moved as well. I have no family of my own, and I adore his two girls.

Well, Sara turned 13 this year and like most teenagers, shes distancing herself from her family and even more so from me. When her mom and dad invite me for dinner or a family get-together, she barely acknowledges me when I say hi or ask how shes doing. She wants nothing to do with me. It breaks my heart. I love her and I consider her to be family.

LIFE HACKS VIDEO: Living better by living smarter

My question is, should I continue to go and support her with her sporting events at school? (I have never missed a game.) Do I continue to shower her with birthday and Christmas gifts? On one hand, I tell myself this is just a phase she is going through and to change nothing, hoping one day she realizes that Im her biggest cheerleader and recognizes the love I have for her. On the other hand, I think shes acting like a spoiled brat, and if she doesnt know how to treat people, then I want nothing to do with her. How should I handle this?

Un-Uncle in Arizona

Dear Un-Uncle: I am sure what you are feeling isnt any different than what Saras parents are feeling right now. I agree that she is probably going through a phase and just being a teenager. My advice is to give her some space and hope that when she finally pulls out of it she will recognize how lucky she is to have such a loving un-uncle. Im keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Dear Abby: My sister and I are senior citizens with health problems, so we share an apartment to minimize expenses and to be sure someone is around if needed. My brother and his wife sometimes socialize with us. The problem is, my brother has a friend. The friend and his wife constantly use foul language. I dont like hearing the f-bomb used as an everyday part of speech. I have tried modeling correct behavior and not cursing, but it hasnt worked. How can I ask them to stop without alienating them and losing my brother and his friend?

Appalled in New Jersey

Dear Appalled: In recent decades there has been a coarsening of the language many individuals use on a daily basis, and its regrettable. However, that doesnt mean you must listen to it and remain silent. The next time it happens, tell your brother and his friends that when they use the f-bomb, it makes you and your sister uncomfortable and ask them to please refrain from dropping it when they are with you. Thats not an unreasonable request, and it shouldnt alienate anyone.
GREENWICH  Greenwich school and town officials applauded the state school construction grant committees support for a new New Lebanon School but panned what appear to be high-level efforts to derail it.

On Wednesday, the school construction grant committee voted to keep the New Lebanon project on the list for state funding, despite a letter the day before from Commissioner of Administrative Services Melody Currey suggesting it should be removed from the list.

We were very happy to receive the news today that the state school construction committee voted unanimously to approve the New Lebanon School building project as part of the 2017 School Building Project Priority List, said Superintendent of Schools Sal Corda. I remain concerned, however, by the efforts, first by Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes and now from the Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Melody Currey to thwart this project.

Corda said he was worried that the recommendations from the state were based on the belief that the states "diversity school statute is bad policy and should be disregarded.

The statute provides 80 percent state reimbursement to school construction projects for schools that violate the state racial balance law and where the district has tried but failed to fix it.

I respectfully submit that (funding) is the determination of the legislature, not state agencies, and any attempt to subvert the law by interpreting our proposal in a haphazard way subverts the intent of the law, said Corda.

Greenwich has followed the letter of the law, conducted extensive due diligence and committed substantial resources in exploring various options to remedy racial imbalance, has submitted a plan to address the imbalance, received approvals from the commissioner of education and the state board of education, qualified for the diversity grant funding according to the eligibility criteria set out in the statute, and submitted all the proper and required documentation through the appropriate state channels, before final submission to the commissioner for her approval, he said.

Curreys letter highlighted enrollment at each of Greenwichs schools as her reason to remove New Lebanon from the priority list for funding.

The potential for consolidation is, in fact, a condition for review in determining whether or not programmatic needs can be met in a more reasonable and cost-effective manner than construction, Currey wrote.

Corda challenged her interpretation, saying that in her Dec. 15, 2016, letter to the Governor, Currey  referring to all of the construction projects submitted, including New Lebanon School --said "All of the enrollment projections were determined to be acceptable to the commissioner of administrative services. All required data has been submitted for each project and nothing remains outstanding. All projects are submitted in accordance with statutory and regulatory authority.

Peter Bernstein, a member of the school board and New Lebanon Building Committee, said, "Currey was wrong to suggest declining enrollments, as that is contrary to what we are seeing across the district and in the New Leb catchment area. In fact, there are presently 75 students in the New Leb area who are at other schools in the district  students that we could not accommodate in their own neighborhood school  and that does not include the kindergarten sections presently being housed offsite.

He added, The town has spoken loudly in favor of neighborhood schools and the New Leb project benefits the entire town.

School officials said they received no prior notice from the commissioner about concerns for the New Lebanon School project.

She provides a rationale (in her letter) for recommending removing the New Lebanon School project for funding that rests on concerns that have been expressed and additional information that has emerged about the project," Corda said.

She does not indicate what these concerns are, from whom they were received, and what investigation was conducted by her office to validate the concerns or the accuracy of the information, he said. She has not communicated with our school district indicating what the concerns are, or what the new information is, and asked if we could provide any comment.

State Sen. L. Scott Frantz (R-36th) called Curreys letter a second shockwave for the Greenwich community.

Its a state-mandated concept, state-mandated project arguably, said Frantz in Wednesdays school construction committee meeting in Hartford. After two-and-a-half years, closer to three years actually, there has been a tremendous amount of effort to put together this new plan which was approved by the state and guided by the state.

Bernstein said, We have met all of the state requirements for this project and the building committee will continue to work in anticipation of the funding.

Funding for New Lebanon School construction will next be taken up by the education committee in late February or early March. The bill then would be reviewed by the finance, revenue and bonding committee before it appears before the General Assembly in late spring and it crosses Gov. Dannel Malloys desk.

We look forward to following the funding process through the legislative process, said Stephen Walko, chair of the New Lebanon Building Committee.

Our hope is that the Education Committee will also vote unanimously to approve the New Lebanon School building project," said Corda.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; @emiliemunson
Agrarian Fund to supply 10,000 tonnes of flour to Angola

Public joint-stock company Agrarian Fund has fined a contract to supply 10,000 tonnes of flour to Angola, Board Chairman Andriy Radchenko has said in an interview with Dengi.ua publication.

"This year we signed a large contract with Angola to supply 10,000 tonnes of flour. We have starting implementing it," he said.

He said that this is a pilot batch. If everything is good, the contract could be expanded in the range of goods and their volume.

In 2016, Agrarian Fund sold 240,000 tonnes of flour. The company's market share grew to 12.2% compared to 11.8% in 2015.

Late 2016 the company launched sales of packaged flour (2 kg) under the Agrarian Fund brand.

"Revenue of the Agrarian fund in 2016 totaled UAH 2.14 billion. The projected net profit is UAH 48.5 million. Our financial target was met by 101%," Radchenko said.

In 2016 the company sent UAH 1.5 billion to finance farmers and signed 190 contracts to buy 500,000 tonnes of wheat, rye and buckwheat.
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This week in 1967 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration family suffered its first fatalities as the crew of Apollo 1 was killed in a training exercise at the Kennedy Space Center.

On Jan. 27, 1967, Apollo 1 astronauts Virgil Gus Grissom, the first American to walk in space, Ed White and rookie Roger Chaffee all died when a flash fire erupted inside their space capsule during a routine countdown rehearsal. The fire quickly spread and killed all three men inside. Later it was discovered that faulty electrical wiring lead to the fire.

APOLLO 1 REMEMBERED: Apollo 1's crew: a Mercury astronaut, spacewalker and rookie

The three men were due to go on a mission that next month on Feb. 21.

Late January and early February are marked with sadness at NASA because the anniversaries of both the 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia space shuttle accidents fall within that period.

NASA honors the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Most on the Apollo team have said that were it not for the fire and the lessons learned out of the tragedy, Americans may have never reached the moon later in 1969. A redesign of the Apollo spacecraft began as the NASA family mourned for the three men who gave their lives for manned spaceflight. The maverick, cowboy aspect of those early NASA days was tempered by the loss. A new quick-release hatch was designed so things like this wouldnt happen again.

In life Grissom always stated that spaceflight was challenging and adversity shouldn't be grounds to abandon the cause.

"If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life," he told reporters in 1965 just after the Gemini 3 mission.

Recently, former Houston Chronicle science writer Eric Berger wrote a chilling Ars Technica story on the hell that the astronauts faced during the 17-second fire. Its the kind of tale that reminds space buffs that spaceflight should never be seen as routine.

NASA DISPLAYING HISTORY: NASA displays Apollo capsule hatch 50 years after fatal fire

Included is a snippet of audio from the fire and the crew which will make readers shudder.

This week Apollo 1s hatch will be put on display at the Kennedy Space Center for visitors to view for the first time in 50 years. For years this key piece of spaceflight history was kept behind closed doors at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. The hatch has undergone some historic restoration.

Many said NASAs embarrassment over the loss of life kept the hatch hidden from the public. The fire cast doubt in the hearts of many about mankind's ability to touch the lunar surface. Gus Grissoms widow, Betty, asked 20 years ago that the capsule be put on display, but her request was denied.

It took 50 years for the hatch to go on display, just as Americans once again look skyward and ponder when and if well ever step foot on soil so very far away.

On Friday the Kennedy Space Center will host a public ceremony at 11 a.m. for the official opening of the Apollo 1 tribute at the Apollo/Saturn V Center of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The event also will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said that there are many criminal cases opened against public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia undergoing the pretrial investigation.

"From the first day when I was appointed we have been fruitfully operating with NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine], SBU [Security Service of Ukraine], PGO [Prosecutor General's Office] and National Police in online mode. As soon as we establish any facts that could be corruption we at once send them to law enforcement agencies from the first day of my appointment. I know that there are many completed or almost completed proceedings in criminal matters supervised by different law enforcement structures," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.

The minister expressed hope that the cases will be sent to courts.

Omelyan said that information handed to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman at the government meeting on January 25 is economic information: what is going on at Ukrzaliznytsia and what measures have been taken since May 2016.
Theyre all going to a polo match after this. Photo: Paul Cheney/Bravo

Bloodied and beaten, the Restaurant Wars survivors gather to assess their situation. Ill never forget Restaurant Wars, vows John, wiping a tear from his eye. We failed on all levels. As people, as cooks, as chefs, it was a disaster. Sheldon moans. We all were just like, weve got this, but we didnt have it, says Casey, dolefully. Katsuji says nothing, because he is gone. Off we go!

To cheer up his old pals, Sheldon decides its time for a group beach trip. And conveniently, he has just the beach in mind! After this crazy battle of Restaurant Wars, we need to get all this bad energy off of us, he explains, as they bound into the cleansing Carolina waves.

Who is that neck-tattooed gentleman waiting back at the kitchen? Why, its our good friend and season-six winner, Michael Voltaggio! Padma is delighted, which you can tell, because shes wearing her mafioso picnic dress for the occasion. And now, together, they are going to explain the Quickfire Challenge: everybody will get five minutes to taste and identify a bunch of different ingredients, but the twist is that they have to do it blindfolded, because this is a reality-TV cooking show and this challenge always shows up eventually. Michael Voltaggio warns them it is going to be very difficult, so obviously John isnt worried. I like this challenge, he grins. I have a really good palate. Say what you will about John, but someday, I aspire to have his misplaced confidence.

Brookes up first, and she identifies pretty much everything with remarkable precision, including a clam and Johns favorite ingredient, pimento cheese. It is almost as if this challenge isnt that hard after all? Just kidding, its impossible. John, the James Joyce of Top Chefs, decides hes going to take a stream of consciousness approach, which means he fails to correctly identify anything (flour? he guesses, tasting cream cheese).

In the end, the final tally is: Emily guessed 5 out of 20 correctly, Sylva and Shirley each got 8, Sheldon had 10, 11 for Casey, and Brooke crushed everyone with a whopping 16 correct guesses. Brooke doesnt win immunity, but she does win 14 cases of wine. Surprise!

Padma loves this stuff. Photo: Paul Cheney/Bravo

Your senses mean nothing without the memories you create around them, Padma segues, deeply. For the Elimination Challenge, each chef will create a dish inspired by their happiest childhood memory, to be served at a cocktail party gala fundraiser on Kiawah Island for MUSC Shawn Jenkins Childrens Hospital. I think this is amazing! Shirley raves. Im just really glad to do our part for Charleston! Padma then reminds them it is very important for them to charge their BMW X5 Hybrids. (Padma is really glad to do her part for BMW X5 Hybrids.)

At Whole Foods, John races for the fish counter, because hes making scampi. Friday night was scampi night! he beams. We scampid everything that came out of the water! Accordingly, he will be buying every piece of king crab in Whole Foods. Im definitely pissed, says Sylva, who was hoping to make crab cakes. Yee-haw! says John, oblivious to the suffering around him.

Luckily, Sylva has another, better idea, which is to make Haitian beef bags, which remind him of being a little kid during the holidays in Haiti. Sheldon will make chazuke, which is rice and tea, because his dad takes a thermos of tea to work every single day, and his family would use the leftovers to make rice. Hes gonna laugh that Im doing a dish based upon us not wasting tea! chuckles Sheldon, before accidentally dumping a bag of barley on the floor.

Brooke, who just spent a weird amount of time trying to make a joke about Sheldons pronunciation of thermos, is making crepes stuffed with eggs Benedict, because my son is my family (he likes crepes), and Emily is doing an interpretation of her grandpas icebox cake, because her grandpa used to make an icebox cake.

But back in the kitchen, it isnt long before Emily is having trouble with that very cake, because the ovens are uneven and the cake didnt cook right. The bigger problem with Emilys icebox cake, though, is that it is an icebox cake. It seems super simple to me, for this $500-ticket event, but hey! offers Sheldon, charitably. Maybe Emilys got a winner! Maybe!

After a quick nights sleep at the ranch, the chefs load up the wagons and set off for Kiawah Island! Brooke is anxious, because she has not made her crepes yet. Its okay, Sylva reassures her. I still havent stuffed my lollipop balls. No one has any idea what he is talking about, but apparently Sylvas beef patties are now going to be beef lollipops, because he wants to remind the guests about the child inside of them. Deep down, the thing that Sylva actually wants is to impress his dad, who still doesnt understand why he struggled for so long so his son could grow up to become the help. My big plan is to win Top Chef and show him that being a chef is an amazing thing, Sylva says, which is moving, but also a lot of pressure to put on a lollipop ball.

This is the kind of house that Denzel would have right here! exclaims Sheldon as the chefs roll up to the poolside party site. This house is no joke! Also no joke: the heat, which is melting Sylvas beef-pops. Emily is still fighting with her icebox cake, which hasnt soaked up enough coffee liqueur, and also kind of has a third-grade-bake-sale vibe. Emilys not worried, though, because shes just going to mush it together into a ring mold. Yum!

Peeling butter, as one does. Photo: Paul Cheney/Bravo

And so the gala begins! Immediately, its clear were off to a strong start, because Michael Voltaggio demands everyone do shots first. Tom and human teddy bear Graham Elliot are both taken with Johns butter-poached crab with garlic foam, because it transports them to the shores of Long Island. This is really good, decrees Tom. And the foam made sense. Truly, the highest praise of all.

Tom says Brookes ricotta and egg-yolk crepe is about as decadent as a breakfast can be and Graham says its a testament. Michael wishes Caseys crab macaron with citrus marmalade and pea shoots had just a pinch more salt, but hell live, somehow. Shirleys Beijing-spiced lamb leg is good, except for the fact that you need a sabre to eat it. Everyone gushes over Sheldons snapper with roasted barley tea and rice, and Tom says Sylvas Island beef lollipop with turmeric and potato is triumph and he should start a beef-lollipop restaurant.

If only the same could be said of Emily and her icebox cake!When someone says think about a childhood memory, you have to elevate that childhood memory, Tom says, frustration rising. You cant just give us the icebox cake that your grandpa made. Another problem is the taste. (Great ring mold, though.)

In the end, the top three chefs of the night are Sylva, for his mind-blowing meat-pop; Brooke, for her crepes Benedict; and Sheldon, for the tea-soaked rice. With unsettling intensity, Michael Voltaggio does the honors: The trophy goes to Sylva! Uh, wow, he offers, startled as ever by victory.

Now for the losers! Its between Casey, Shirley, and Emily. (John, who neither won nor lost, is off to the side reveling in his mediocrity.) Caseys macaron was the most appropriate for the occasion, if only itd had just one more flake of sea salt. Shirleys lamb was perfectly tasty, except that it wasnt possible to eat it, and Emilys cake would have been unobjectionable, if she were at a family picnic. We have all known what is coming, and now the moment is here: Emily is off. It is the end of an era, in a way. She held on for so long!

And so we are down to a single newbie, which makes me somewhat question the very premise of this competition. Next week: grab your lifejackets, cause were all going boating!


Alphabet Inc revealed its fourth-quarter financial results and they are somewhat of a mixed bag. During the holiday season revenue from advertising went up 17.4% to $22.4 billion. However earnings per share were $9.36, which is lower than the $9.67 expected by analysts.

The CFO Ruth Porat underlined that the company broadens its business in hardware, app sales and cloud services which climbed 62% to $3.4 billion.

Results could be even better but Google was hit with a higher tax rate of 22%, contributing to the dent in profitability.

Google-branded hardware showed promise - Google Home, the Pixel gained traction over the holidays, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said to the media.

Research companies estimate Google will hit $60.92 billion in search ad revenue for 2016, or almost 60% of the search ad market worldwide.

Alphabets Other Bets that include Google Fiber, Nest, Waymo and the research facility for moon shot ventures X increased revenue to $262 million from $150 million. However it still contributed a $1.09B loss.

The companys consolidated revenue rose to $26.06 billion above the average estimate of $25.26 billion.

Via
A new experimental update pushed to the Sony Xperia X Concept firmware brings the build number up to 38.3.A.0.83 and the return of a feature that replaces the older STAMINA mode from before the days of Androids Doze.

Sonys new Battery Saver aims to bring some of the features left behind with STAMINA mode. Back before Android brought Doze in Marshmallow, Sony had its own battery saving solution called STAMINAmode. It worked software magic to reduce power consumption without a major hit to performance. When Xperia phones began updating to Marshmallow, the feature was removed to give way for Androids Doze.



Battery Saver and its settings.

You can set the mode to come on when the phones battery drops below any level under 50%. You can control what radios turn off when youve enabled Battery Saver.

Sony also added VoLTE support for additional carriers: Vodafone in Spain and Three/EE in the UK. Another part of the update are some new camera shortcuts in both the Quick Settings menu and in the tap-and-hold menu, directly from the launcher.



New camera shortcuts in Quick Settings and launcher

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The ZTE Axon 7 mini launched back in September last year. It's basically a smaller, cheaper, and lower-end alternative to the Chinese company's Axon 7 smartphone. Already available in several countries, the Axon 7 mini will go on sale in Canada this week.

Carrier Virgin Mobile will be offering it for CAD 399 (around $305) outright. Of course, it'll also be available on a regular 2 year contract, costing CAD 49.

Unlike the US variant, Canadian Axon 7 mini units won't be running the custom MiFavor UI - reports say the software will offer a more stock experience. Also, the Canadian variant won't offer support for dual-SIM.

Via
Lower gas pressure maintained by Russia's Gazprom again has been recorded at the entry points to the Ukrainian gas transport system from the direction of Russia, the press service of pubic joint-stock company Ukrtransgaz has said.

"A fall by 2% of the contract limit was recorded at Russia's Sudzha station as of 06:00 Kyiv time  only 58.8 atmospheres," Ukrtransgaz on January 26.

The company said that Ukraine implements the orders for gas transit for European consumers and ensures required gas pressure on the western border.

According to latest reports from Ukrtransgaz, daily gas transit to Europe exceeds 300 million cubic meters (mcm), a record-breaking figure for the past several years.

From January 1 through January 24 a total of 6.525 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas was transported to European consumers, including 6.522 bcm from Russia.




Haiti - Justice : PNH condemns the violent acts of popular justice





Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH) "strongly condemns the acts of violence occured in Beaumont, Dichiti, Corail and this week in Limonade, where loss of human life, including the assassination of two police officers and the burning of several public buildings, including of police stations were registered [...]"



He explains that "It is true that in some cases the incident that triggers this popular fury is due to a disproportionate use of force. However, the resulting damage caused too much suffering to the community," recalling that the Laws of the Republic lay down in detail the procedures to be followed when a violation of criminal legislation is established.



Thus, article 88 of the Code of Criminal Instruction stipulates that in cases of flagrancy, any citizen may carry out basic police acts, in particular identifying the suspect, prosecuting him, apprehending him or help apprehending him. But, never, it must replace the judicial authorities to apply any penalty.



Michel-Ange Gedeon informs that "The outcome of each of the investigations in progress will be communicated shortly to the competent authorities with a view to shedding light on these files so that all the guilty parties are punished in accordance with the law."



While deploring these actions which do not in any way makes advance the cause of justice and democracy, he reiterates his determination "not to tolerate, in any form, these barbarous acts."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By Vasia Orion | Published on 2017/01/27

Our "Missing 9" may no longer be entirely missing, but episode four reveals that they were not nine to begin with. So-hee may be unreliable, but at least part of her experiences may be true, as a certain someone starts plotting something wicked. The big revelation about So-hee's death takes place, although if there is anything "Missing 9" has taught me it is that truth is subjective.

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There are no free meals in this world and our island group discovers this when their blessing of a camp is invaded by the new survivor. Our group of nine is already unrealistic enough, given the severity of the crash and the lack of seat belts would have smeared everyone onto the fuselage walls, but now I am wondering just how many more made it. The bigger question is, do we want more to have made it? Our newest is not exactly lovable.

His existence does push Tae-ho's (Choi Tae-joon) true nature out, however and sets up the conflict we all sense coming. I do not know if Tae-ho really committed murder, but he is clearly not the poster boy for mental stability either. For all his intelligence, he does not consider what floating around on a glorified rubber ducky in the middle of the ocean entails. It is just a shame that the creators are rushing him into villain territory for the sake of plot progression.

As for the confirmed death in Bong-hee's (Baek Jin-hee) memories, I am not ready to believe that this is all there is to it, given the show's love for different versions of the truth. I would love a leading woman overcoming guilt, as I am all for nuanced, flawed characters. I just know that Dramaland has trouble letting go of its morally sparkly clean leads of Bong-hee's type. I hope what we see is true, but there may be more to it in order to absolve our heroine of even accidental guilt.

Of course whether or not Bong-hee's memory is reliable does not matter at this point, since others will believe it. This includes Tae-yeong (Yang Dong-geun), who will be angry and might not pause to consider the circumstances. I was hoping Bong-hee would have an ally, but if Tae-yeong turns on her and unless the second survivor can help, she only has limited support by investigator Oh (Min Sung-wook).

I am still not sure what is a memory, a false memory, a visualized assumption of knowledge, hallucination or other and so I will not take guesses for now. There is enough material for survival drama and also drama in the presented relationships, so the truth can take its sweet time to form. Episode four thankfully delivers a smooth tone and enough new information to get the main part of the series going.

"Missing 9" is directed by Choi Byeong-gil, written by Son Hwang-won and features Jung Kyung-ho, Baek Jin-hee, Oh Jung-se and Choi Tae-joon.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Note: Due to licensing, videos may not be available in your country
By Lily Lee | Published on 2017/01/26

The whole time I was watching our beloved drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God", I just wanted to write this article so bad. Personally, I think one of the key ingredients to making a successful drama is the right music playing in the background. I get infatuated to the OSTs very quickly because all the feelings of that drama comes sailing back into my heart whenever I listen to them. "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" was a great drama overall, but the quality of the OSTs were outstanding! Being said that, can we all just take a moment to appreciate every single OSTs of this drama?

1. Stay with Me by Chanyeol & PUNCH

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My #1 favorite. The instrument melody gives off a mystical vibe while Punch's heart aching vocal and Chanyeol's attractive low voice whispering into my ears is just the best. The great thing about this track is that there's a hidden message. There's two versions to the song, one is the general track as we hear in the video below but there's a special version inserted in the end of the 2ndepisode where the lyrics is little different.

"I erased you because of the painful memories; I erased all because your love was painful. My love, please don't abandon me. My love, I'm right by you. I'm falling you".

No one noticed this little twist until Episode 14 was aired, where Eun-tak lost her memory of the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.

2. My Eyes by 10cm

3. Hush by Lasse Lindh

4. Beautiful by Crush

My second favorite song of the drama. I wish I had a better way to describe how BEAUTIFUL this song is! It's such an odd song because it has that ray of sunshine type of warmth yet the sad loneliness is right below it. Whenever I listen to this song, I can see Eun-tak smiling in sunlight with dandelions and Kim Shin watching her.

5. You are so Beautiful by Eddy Kim

6. Who Are You by Sam Kim

The lyrics of this song goes so perfect of their situation. The cover photo for this song is Guardian: The Lonely and Great God couple in Canada when Eun-tak lost her memory of the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God and reunited 9 years later. The lyrics goes  "I'll find you, I'll recognize you. Wherever you are, however you look, I will get you". "I'll remember you, I'll long for you. I won't forget you even after many sun dawns".

7. I Miss You by Soyou

8. The First Snow by Jung Joonil





9. I Will Go to You Like the First Snow by Ailee

According to the composers, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God team requested the "most heart aching, desperate, wretched yet beautiful song" possible and after 12 times of rejection, this song got a pass. Lyrics reminds us of Kim Shin's words to Eun-tak in Episode 13, so many fans requested if Gong Yoo can release his version of the song. The song definitely has highly praised reviews, many mentioned that this song will be the new winter romance song (The #1 winter romance song of South Korea have been "Snow Flower" from the drama "Sorry, I Love You" for many years now.)

10. Wish by Urban Zakapa

11. And I'm Here / Winter Is Coming / Stuck In Love

"And I'm Here" is Ji Eun-tak's theme song, who have a lonely fate since birth but always optimistic and hopeful. This song was inserted in the cake scene where young Eun-tak said her farewell to mom's ghost. Also, this song played in the background of the episode where student ghost asked Eun-tak to clean up her room before her mom comes in and be saddened by how poor she was living. As the mother come in the room and cry, we cried together with this song. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God producing team made another little hint in the lyrics of this song as we hear "When you feel so lonely, I'll be here to shelter you" "Have you completely erased me from your memories?, from yours?" "While I still feel your breeze, holding your hands again, holding your hands".

"Winter Is Coming" is not meant to have a lot of meaning on the lyrics but the tone and the imagery from the accent of the song. This song have a few languages combined including Russian and French.

"Stuck in Love" is my personal favorite #3 out of all the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God OST. This is one of the first song we heard as it was inserted in the teaser. First time I heard it, I couldn't believe such a beautiful song could exist.

12. Heaven by Roy Kim and Kim Izzy

13. LOVE by Mamamoo

14. Round and Round by Heize

Personal #4 favorite! We have heard this song over and over in the show. Whenever this song was playing, we knew the important event was about to go down in the drama. Though I must say, ever since episode 10, all I can think of when I hear this song is the Guardian: The Lonely and Great God and Grim Reaper walking down the tunnel in fog with green onions. LOL

So here's all the OSTs of Guardian: The Lonely and Great God and my personal favorites (: Which OST was your favorite?

By. Lily Lee
Deficit of Ukraine's state budget for 2016 comes to UAH 70.1 bln with UAH 83.7 bln ceiling

The deficit of Ukraine's national budget for 2016 amounted to UAH 70.13 billion, including UAH 63.74 billion on the general fund, according to the State Treasury Service.

The service noted the ceiling size of the deficit in the law on the national budget was set at UAH 83.69 billion, including UAH 68.89 billion in the general fund.

According to the assessment of nominal GDP for last year in the amount of UAH 2.358 trillion, made by the National Bank, the national budget deficit in 2016 amounted to 2.97% of GDP.

The State Treasury said privatization brought a total of UAH 190 million, while debt financing transactions amounted to UAH 177.256 billion, changes in the volume of budget funds brought UAH 21.9 billion.

At the same time, bonds worth UAH 129.22 billion were issued for recapitalization of state banks and financing the Individuals' Deposit Guarantee Fund.

According to the report, the deficit of Ukraine's consolidated budget in the past year was equal to UAH 54.68 billion, including UAH 8.31 billion in the general fund, as local budgets over the year posted a surplus of UAH 15.45 billion, in particular UAH 55.44 billion in the general fund.
Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

12:22, 4 NOV 2022
State-owned banks offer the highest deposit rates on the market. This is inadmissible, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Valeriya Gontareva has said.

"Where do we have the rights [deposit] rates now? At state-run banks. This is absolutely inadmissible. I think the issue will be solved now," she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

Gontareva said that the development strategy for state-owned banks approved a year ago requires the revision due to the nationalization of PrivatBank.

She said that the new independent professional supervisory board will be responsible for the strategy of PrivatBank. However, it is to comply with the strategy of the rest of state-run banks.

"One cannot allow unhealthy competition," she said.

Earlier on January 26 former Deputy NBU Governor Vladyslav Rashkovan also tilted at state-run banks, two of which retain deposit rates for individuals at 19-20% per annum. He said that they could be cut by at least 4 percentage points and even to the NBU's refinancing rate being 14% per annum.

Rashkovan said that other banks, especially with Ukrainian capital, cannot allow themselves to attract the money at this cost.
Community Outreach Court is Now Open

News Release from Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, January 26, 2017

There was a successful soft launch Thursday Jan. 26, 2017 of a joint effort by the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, the State Office of the Public Defender, Oahu Office, and the Hawaii Judiciary that aims to resolve dozens of pending cases for individuals while at the same time providing those individuals with needed services.

The court cases, which were deemed minor or so-called nuisance cases, were settled not with the usual fines or jail time but with community service instead. These outcomes are agreed to ahead of time by the prosecuting attorney and the public defender.

Four homeless individuals who collectively had more than 50 pending citations and/or warrants appeared before The Honorable Clarence A. Pacarro.

Following the hearing the individuals were teamed with counselors and service providers to address their varying humanitarian needs. Representatives from the Economic Development Center of Parents and Children Together and the Oahu Jail Diversion Program were on hand to provide services.

Community Outreach Court holds people accountable, reduces backlogs in the courts and the public defenders office and provides an opportunity for individuals to receive services to help them move forward in their lives.

Community Outreach Court is the result of more than a year of planning by Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro, Oahu Public Defender Jack Tonaki and Hawaii Supreme Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald.

This project is funded in part by a grant from the Department of Justice. The Center for Court Innovation assisted in implementation. The ultimate goal is to bring the court and the treatment team into the community to resolve pending cases and provide services. For now all parties will meet at the Honolulu District Court building twice per month.

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Related: Homeless Court Gives Bums Chance to Get a Job
On Jan. 21, 2017, shortly before 4 a.m., several subjects started vandalizing buildings in downtown Boone. The subjects traveled east along King Street and continued spray painting buildings, signs, and a police car with anti-police and anti-Trump slogans. Tsunami surveillance video of the subjects was release through High Country Crime Stoppers.

As a result of the investigation, four individuals were arrested today. The arrestees are:

Taryn Bledsoe, 22, white female of North Street, Boone

Julia Grainger, 22, white female of Howard Street, Boone

Elizabeth Prier, 22, white female of Howard Street, Boone

Hannah Seay, 21, white female of Eric Lane, Boone

Each of the arrestees was charged with 7 counts of Misdemeanor Graffiti Vandalism and 1 count of Misdemeanor Damage to Personal Property. Each received a $1,500 secured bond pending a March 1, 2017, appearance in Watauga District Court.

I stated this case was a priority for us. Thanks to the involvement of citizens who came forward, we resolved this case in short order. I applaud the community for their overwhelming response. I would also like to thank High Country Crime Stoppers for their invaluable service.  Dana Crawford, Chief of Police

Investigators worked diligently to solve these incidents. Final estimated damage totaled $10,000.

We took this case very seriously. Our detectives worked very long hours each day of this investigation, even working through the night, at one point. These hours were spent locating evidence, conducting interviews and eventually gaining confessions from each of these individuals, said Chris Hatton, Lieutenant of Criminal Investigations Davison with the Boone Police Department.

Tips from the public through High Country Crime Stoppers ultimately led to the incidents being solved.

This is a fine example of the partnership High Country Crime Stoppers shares with the public and law enforcement to make our community better. The response to the Tsunami system videos was superb, said Boone Police Department Sgt. Shane Robbins, who is also High Country Crime Stoppers Watauga County Coordinator.

High Country Crime Stoppers pays rewards for information, which leads to arrests; recovery of stolen property; seizure of drugs and the location of wanted persons. Anyone with information on this crime or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 828-268-6959 / 828-737-0125 or the Boone Police Department at 828-268-6900. You may also submit a Crime Stoppers Tip via our website at https://www.tipsubmit.com/webtips.aspx?AgencyID=1251 or Text NCTIP plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES). All information will be kept confidential.

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On Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., the Schaefer Center for Performing Arts will be hosting a Jessica Lang Dance.

Founded in 2011, New York-based Jessica Lang Dance is known for repertoire rich with stunning movement and dynamic visuals that transforms classical ballet into emotionally engaging contemporary work. Hailed a master of visual composition by Dance Magazine, the Bessie Award-winning Jessica Lang choreographs to enrich and inspire audiences by immersing them in the beauty of movement and music.

Lang has a gift for conveying emotion with exquisite simplicity.  Washington Post

What makes Langs work groundbreaking is that she hasnt just discovered some clever effects  she meticulously choreographs these on-screen interactions so expertly that we feel we are no longer watching film, or dance, or dance on film: its like a completely new medium.  Dance Europe Magazine

As a successful female choreographer with a focused and careful vision, Lang continues to push boundaries in dance, crafting subtle art that occasionally verges on masterpiece.  Huffington Post

Jessica Lang is a choreographer and the artistic director of Jessica Lang Dance. Hailed as a master of visual composition by Dance Magazine, Lang seamlessly incorporates striking design elements and transforms classical ballet language into artfully crafted, emotionally engaging contemporary works. Since 1999, Lang has created more than 90 works on companies worldwide including Birmingham Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Japan at the New National Theatre Tokyo, Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet San Jose, Richmond Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ailey II, ABT II, Hubbard Street 2, and New York City Ballets Choreographic Institute, among many others. American Ballet Theatre has presented her work at the Metropolitan Opera House, and she has received commissions from the Dallas Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum for its Works and Process series. For opera, Lang received outstanding acclaim for her directorial debut and choreography of Pergolesis Stabat Mater at the 2013 Glimmerglass Opera Festival.

Lang was a New York City Center Fellow for 2015 and the recipient of a prestigious 2014 Bessie Award. Her ballet Lyric Pieces, commissioned and performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet earned a nomination for a coveted 2013 Manchester Theatre Award in the UK. Lang has received numerous grants for her work on ballet companies from organizations including the Jerome Robbins Foundation, the NEA, and the Choo San Goh Foundation. Her receipt of a 2010 Joyce Theater Artist Residency supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation helped launch her own company, Jessica Lang Dance (JLD) in 2011.

Since its inception, JLD has made rapid success performing at renowned venues and festivals throughout the country including Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Musics Next Wave Festival, New York City Centers Fall for Dance Festival, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Joyce Theater, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Northrop Auditorium, and the Winspear Opera House, among others. The companys performances have been named among the best dance events of the year by major publications in Dallas, Chicago and Boston.

Langs work has also been performed by numerous educational institutions including The Juilliard School, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, The Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, Marymount Manhattan College, SUNY Purchase College, Southern Methodist University, Princeton University, University of Richmond, and Point Park University, among others. She is a teaching artist for American Ballet Theatres Make A Ballet program and was a founding faculty member of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JKO) School. With her strong belief in the importance of education, Lang recently developed her own methodology called LANGuage, a unique creative curriculum that teaches individuals from all populations to cultivate the habit of creative thinking through exercise.

Langs upcoming commissions include a world premiere on Pacific Northwest Ballet and choreography for San Francisco Operas production of Aida, directed by Francesca Zambello. Langs work will also be performed by Orlando Ballet, the National Ballet of Japan, Cincinnati Ballet and Ballet West during the 2016/17 season.

Lang, a graduate of The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, is a former member of Twyla Tharps company, THARP!

This performance is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Tickets range from $10 for students, $20 for faculty and $25 for the general public. You can purchase them online or by calling the Schaefer Center at 828-262-4046.

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The Ukrainian government in February and early March will determine the transitional model for the operation of the gas market from April 1, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Kistion has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"I think that in February and early March we will find a transitional model that would give answers to the questions in relations between citizens and Naftogaz [Ukrainy]. For example, we could give a chance to allow citizens to select gas supplies for household needs. Will it be right? Maybe, yes. We should remove unexpected circumstances and determine the supplier of last resort. We are looking for the transitional, but right, model," he said.

As reported, on April 1, 2017 the public service obligation (PSO) act on supply of gas to households will expire.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has worsened the forecast for the surplus of Ukraine's consolidated balance of payment for 2017 to $1.1 billion compared to the preliminary forecast of $1.2 billion issued in October 2016, while for 2018 it was improved from $3.8 billion to $4 billion.

According to the materials of the NBU published on Thursday, the central bank assessed the surplus of the country's consolidated balance of payment in 2016 at $900 million, and this is $800 million more than in 2015, but it is less than the preliminary forecast of $1.7 billion made in October.

The revision downwards is linked to the revision of the deficit of the current account by the NBU for 2016 from $2.5 billion to $3.4 billion compared to $200 million in 2015.

The regulator also worsened the forecast for the deficit of the current account in 2017 from $2.9 billion to $3.5 billion and in 2018  from $2.8 billion to $3.4 billion.

Deputy NBU Governor Dmytro Solohub said at a press conference on Thursday that the deficit of the current account will be covered thanks to inflow of debt capital. He said that the central bank expects that net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2017 would remain at the level of 2016  around $1.1 billion.

Solohub said that formally FDI inflow in 2016 was around $3.3 billion, according to the NBU assessments, while two thirds of the sum was debt conversion transactions of banks.

"Net inflow is around $1.1 billion. We expect that this year it will be at the same level. We see a potential in privatization," he said.

According to his forecasts, this year sale of cash foreign currency by Ukrainians will still exceed its purchase, but the balance would considerably fall compared to $2.5 billion in 2016.
PJSC Corum Druzhkivka Machine Building Plant (Donetsk region) has started the implementation of the contract to manufacture 100 1KD90 support units of special design for the Heroiv Kosmosa mine of the country's largest coal mining company DTEK Pavlohradvuhillia.

The press service of Corum Group, which includes Druzhkivka engineering plant, told Interfax-Ukraine it is planned to ship the equipment from May to June this year.

"This is a very important order. Support units are one of the main products of our company and a large order for their production is a positive signal strengthening our position in the coal mechanical engineering market. We earlier manufactured 1KD90 support units in a special design and they were highly assessed by the miners of Pavlohrad. This was the reason for a new order," the press service said citing head of the production management department Yaroslav Shkytak.

The cost of the contract was not disclosed.
A TD has called the HSE's behaviour "totally unacceptable" after it labelled two disabled sisters "persistent complainers".

Fianna Fail TD for Wicklow Pat Casey, along with disability and elderly campaign groups, condemned the HSE's terminology when describing identical twins Margaret and Ann Kennedy (64) from Greystones, Co Wicklow.

The sisters have been in a long-running dispute with the HSE, campaigning for new wheelchairs which they said they finally received last month. They have also been in dispute over their care package.

Dr Margaret Kennedy requested Freedom of Information access to her and her sister's health records and was shocked to discover that the HSE had branded them "serial complainers".

"It's totally unacceptable to label two ladies with serious illnesses persistent complainers," Pat Casey told the Herald.

"It's not okay to label anyone that, but especially not in the case of two women who have genuine and serious medical conditions.

"When we go back to how these women's issues were dealt with from day one, this has been mishandled. I'm astounded at how they've been treated.

Dermot Kirwan, from Friends of the Elderly, said: "This is unprofessional and unhelpful language as a way to describe a service user and that's what the women are, service users."

The Disability Federation of Ireland said it "believes it is important for government services to be open to feedback from people with disabilities, especially as we head towards ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Person with Disabilities".

The Kennedy sisters are currently in a dispute with the HSE about the number of personal assistant hours they get. The HSE says the care they receive is satisfactory.

It is understood there have been repeated attempts to resolve the issues.

The Kennedys want to arr- ange their own care package to enable them to live a longer life in their homes.

To enable that to happen they want the HSE to allow them the independence to control their own PA hours.

Talented

"We are left all weekend without a PA. We think the HSE just want us to be little old ladies, sitting watching the TV all day and that's not us - we want to live our lives," said Dr Kennedy.

"I want to give lectures, to attend them too, and Ann is a talented painter and photo- grapher.

An HSE spokeswoman said: "The HSE does not comment on individual cases. However, the HSE can confirm that they are aware of and in ongoing contact with these clients."
Evan OShaughnessy had no memory of the incident

A young man's first date with a woman he met online ended in disaster when he got drunk and was arrested for urinating on stationery shelves in a shop.

Evan O'Shaughnessy (30) could not admit he was an alcoholic when he agreed to go on the date, "one drink led to another" and he went into a "spiral", a court heard.

Judge Anthony Halpin asked if the accused could not have gone for drinks without having alcohol and fined him 99.

O'Shaughnessy, with an address at The Good Shepherd Centre, Church Lane, Kilkenny, admitted public order offences in Dublin city centre last December 18.

Dublin District Court heard gardai were called to Euro- Giant on Middle Abbey Street on the evening in question after the accused had gone into the shop and urinated on the stationery shelves.

He was highly intoxicated and unaware of his surroundings, a garda sergeant told the court. He was arrested for public intoxication and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

Defence solicitor Yvonne Bambury said O'Shaughnessy had been on a dating website where he met a woman.

Ashamed

When they arranged to go out, she wanted to go for a drink and he did not want to admit he was an alcoholic so he agreed, Ms Bambury added.

It had been difficult for O'Shaughnessy to admit he could not have a glass of wine, the solicitor said.

When he did, one drink would lead to another and send him off on a spiral, "which is what it did on this occasion".

He was very ashamed of what subsequently happened on the night and apologised for his actions, which he did not remember.

Judge Halpin asked if the accused had seen the woman again since the night in question. Ms Bambury said he had not, adding: "That was their one and only encounter."

O'Shaughnessy, who was not working, had been dealing with an alcohol problem all his life, she said.

Judge Halpin said "you could go for a drink, even if it was with someone you have met online, and you don't have to drink alcohol".

The court heard the def-endant had been in prison previously and had 200 prior convictions.

Judge Halpin imposed a 99 fine and granted free legal aid in the case after there was no garda objection.
Strictly Come Dancings Tess Daly with the award for Best Talent Show

Former Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman was struck a double blow at the National Television Awards.

Having seen the top judge accolade go to the Great British Bake Off's Mary Berry, he was then forgotten in a thank-you speech when Strictly won best talent show.

Goodman, who was not present at the ceremony at London's O2 Arena, appeared on the BBC dancing show for 12 years before stepping down at the end of the most recent series.

Fabulous

Viewers took to social media to complain when Goodman (72) was not mentioned by name when Strictly co-host Tess Daly and judge Bruno Tonioli accepted the talent show gong.

Awards show host Dermot O'Leary prompted Tonioli to mention Goodman with only moments of the programme left to go.

Daly thanked her co-host Claudia Winkleman, who was absent, and "our fabulous panel of judges", but did not mention the recently departed Goodman by name.

Following O'Leary's mention, Tonioli added: "Len is doing his farewell show, he's pickling his walnuts as we speak. They are nice and polished. I'm sure he'll be delighted with this award."

A stunned Berry (81) said: "The greatest reward is that all the young are baking and everybody is sitting down at 8pm, the whole family - gran, the baby in arms.

"There's no swearing, it's the best programme and I'm so grateful, and thank you very much."

This Morning won best live magazine show, but presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield did not get tattooed after their win, despite promising to do so when they accepted their award on Wednesday night.

Yesterday morning, Willoughby joked: "Unfortunately, tattoo salons aren't open that late."

Meanwhile, Nadia Sawalha, of rival magazine show Loose Women, appeared to swear when This Morning won.

When one fan tweeted, "highlight of NTA was Nadia's reaction to This Morning's win", Sawalha replied. "Whoops!"
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with Canada expressed his hope for a successful implementation of the free trade agreement between the two countries.

"Canada is a true friend of Ukraine bonded with our state not only by relations of special partnership, but also by old historical ties. Canada was the first western country to recognize Ukraine's independence. Since that time it has always been supporting our nation on the path of state building," Poroshenko said in his congratulations to Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two states.

Poroshenko especially stressed Canada's unwavering support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine amid the Russian aggression, as well as a significant contribution of the Canadian government to the implementation of reform in Ukraine.

According to the president, the Ukraine-Canada partnership will be actively developing further.

"We expect successful implementation of the Ukraine-Canada Free Trade Agreement, as well as continuation and enhancement of a fruitful cooperation in political, security and law enforcement areas," he said.

Poroshenko wished Trudeau inexhaustible energy and success in his state activities. He also wished peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Canada.
Militant forces conducted 63 strikes on the Ukrainian Anti-Terrorist peration (ATO) positions in Donbas over the past day, killing two Ukrainian servicemen, the Ukrainian military said.

Regardless of any agreements, the majority of strikes involve mortars of different calibers and heavy artillery, the press service of the ATO headquarters said on its Facebook page on Friday.

According to the press service, 152mm artillery weapons, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms were used against Shyrokyne near the city of Mariupol. Grenade launchers and small arms were fired on Lebedynske, Talakivka, Krasnohorivka and Vodiane, small arms and grenade launchers were used against Novotroyitske, Hnutove and Pavlopil, and Novotroyitske came under sniper fire as well.

Krymske, Novotoshkivske, Novozvanivka, Vodiane, Novo-Oleksandrivka and Popasna in the Luhansk region also came under fire, the press service said.

Mortars were fired on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions near Avdiyivka, Verkhniotoretske and Zaitseve in the Donetsk region. Grenade launchers and small arms were used against Novhorodske, Kamyanka and Avdiyivka.

 ATO HQ

KYIV. Jan 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Militant forces conducted 63 strikes on the Ukrainian Anti-Terrorist peration (ATO) positions in Donbas over the past day, killing two Ukrainian servicemen, the Ukrainian military said.

Regardless of any agreements, the majority of strikes involve mortars of different calibers and heavy artillery, the press service of the ATO headquarters said on its Facebook page on Friday.

According to the press service, 152mm artillery weapons, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms were used against Shyrokyne near the city of Mariupol. Grenade launchers and small arms were fired on Lebedynske, Talakivka, Krasnohorivka and Vodiane, small arms and grenade launchers were used against Novotroyitske, Hnutove and Pavlopil, and Novotroyitske came under sniper fire as well.

Krymske, Novotoshkivske, Novozvanivka, Vodiane, Novo-Oleksandrivka and Popasna in the Luhansk region also came under fire, the press service said.

Mortars were fired on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions near Avdiyivka, Verkhniotoretske and Zaitseve in the Donetsk region. Grenade launchers and small arms were used against Novhorodske, Kamyanka and Avdiyivka.
During a working meeting, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman discussed the situation in Lviv, on the results of which the president entrusted the government to help the city authorities dealing with the problem, the press service of the presidential administration said.

"Rubbish removing is the prerogative of local government. But when they are unable to solve this problem within their competence, when they turn their own economic helplessness into a political matter, and the security of citizens is under threat of ecological disaster, it is necessary to help the citizens and the city which is loved by tens of millions of Ukrainians and millions of foreign tourists," the president said.

Today Groysman is paying a working visit to Lviv.

As reported, Lviv experiences critical situation with the export of solid waste, and there are prerequisites for an environmental emergency. "In the morning, a meeting of the Commission on Emergency Situations of the city took place and we officially notified the state authorities that there was a critical situation with the export of solid waste in the city and there were prerequisites for the environmental emergency," Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy told the city residents on January 18.
Lviv authorities must create new incineration plant in half a year - Groysman

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said that the city authorities of Lviv should establish a new incineration complex in six months.

"The city authorities will undertake the obligation to create a complex in six months," he wrote on his Twitter page.

According to him, a new land plot will be allocated to Lviv for building a new garbage processing complex.
Washington County football: Wildcats, Warriors open playoffs with victories

Williamsport and Boonsboro will play in the second round of the Class 2A-1A West playoffs after victories Friday night.
Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Hryhoriy Tuka has said it is necessary to unblock railway lines in Luhansk region connecting to areas not under the control of Kyiv and punish those individuals who blocked them.

"This should be accomplished under the current laws, and not 'opinions,'" Tuka told journalists in Kyiv on Friday.

He said Ukrainian officials should now "unblock railway lines and prosecute those responsible for the blockages, according to Ukrainian law." He added that as of January 26 in the evening trains with 52 empty wagons were blocked.

As earlier reported, veterans from Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) operations and Verkhovna Rada deputies on January 25 blocked the Luhansk-Lysychansk-Popasna railway line at Horske-Zolote in order to intercept illegal arms shipments with Russia-backed militant groups. The checkpoint of the blockade was named "Bohdan Pillbox."

Ukrainian prosecutors on January 26 opened a criminal case for blocking railway lines pursuant to Part 1 of Article 279 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (blocking transportation corridors).

Spokeswoman for the Luhansk region's Prosecutor General's Office Anna Zykova said dozens of men in camouflaged uniforms along with parliament deputies, including Semen Semenchenko, Taras Pastukh and Volodymyr Parasiuk were located at the 41-kilometer mark of the railway line.

Luhansk Military-Civilian Regional Administration Head Yuriy Harbuz said on his Facebook page that the protesters blocked railways lines used for transporting coal. He said the blockade threatened national security.

"If shipments are not resumed, electricity-generating stations in central and western Ukraine would be deprived of fuel to generate electricity," he said.
OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug has said 5% of all cases of ceasefire violation over the past week occurred in Stanytsia Luhanska area  the disengagement line of forces and military equipment.

He said he had toured the entire Donbas contact line in the past ten days and had to state that violence continued. Weapons were fired on both sides near Stanytsia Luhanska early on Tuesday morning, which meant that both sides were violating the Minsk agreements and the Framework Decision on the Disengagement of Forces and Hardware, Hug said.

Five percent of all truce violations occurred in the Stanytsia Luhanska area over the reporting week, he said.

Forty-five percent of cases were seen by observers on the stretch between Avdiyivka, Yasynuvata and Donetsk Airport, 20% near Svitlodarsk, 15% near Mariupol and 5% in the west of the Luhansk region, he said.

The mission has 709 observers in all, including 592 stationed in eastern Ukraine, he said.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has canceled its decision to ban entry to Ukraine for five years for Mayor of the Polish city if Przemysl Robert Choma, the SBU press secretary, Olena Hitlianska, has said.

"The Ukrainian side has made a positive conclusion of the assessment made by the Mayor of Przemysl about anti-Ukrainian marches in the city. That is why the Service has taken a responsible decision to lift the ban on entry to Ukraine for the mayor of the Polish city of Przemysl, Robert Choma," she wrote on the Facebook page on Friday.

Hitlianska explained that the decision to ban or lift the ban on entry to Ukraine is made based on a combination of security and international factors. "It is from this point of view that the Security Service of Ukraine analyzes the situation in respect of persons who are prohibited from entering our country. It is in constant contact with the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine [on this matter]," she added.

The SBU press secretary also said the security services are aware that the entry ban for the Przemysl mayor was exploited by "the third party" in order to introduce a split in the relations between Ukraine and Poland.

"We believe this situation will not hinder the development of bilateral relations with the fraternal Polish people," she summed up.

The Polish news resource Zycie Podkarpackie reported that Przemysl Mayor Robert Choma was banned entry to Ukraine. According to it, the Przemysl mayor was unable to cross the Polish-Ukrainian border on January 17, when he went to Ukraine at the invitation of the Ukrainian side.

Later on January 17 the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said it banned Choma from entering the territory of Ukraine in the summer of 2016 in order to ensure security of the state.

According to media reports, in June 2016 there was an attack on a peaceful Ukrainian march and the celebration of the Ukrainian holiday of Ivana Kupala in Przemysl was canceled. Mayor Choma called the attack on the procession "unacceptable", but demanded that local Ukrainians should take a clear stand "in the cases of glorification of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists  Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the events of our common history, such as the Volyn tragedy, because this is the topic, which cannot be avoided."
Germany will continue to support Ukraine after the resignation of Frank-Walter Steinmeier as foreign minister, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine Ivan Klympush-Tsintsadze has said.

"We need to understand that Germany has priorities, that there is a coalition government which has a coherent policy... And I do not think that Germany's position will somehow changes in terms of its clear stand regarding sanctions against the Russian Federation and concerning the need for the observance by the Russian Federation of all the security components of the Minsk process," Klympush-Tsintsadze said during the discussion dubbed 'European Integration 2017: The Choice is Made. Let's Change Together!' in Kyiv on Friday.

"I don't think the result-oriented focus of the Normandy Group will change taking into account all of its constraints. And so I hope for a normal, productive dialogue with Germany, which plays a very important role in ensuring the unity of the European Union's support of Ukraine and I hope that it will continue to do so," the deputy prime minister said.

As reported, Steinmeier was replaced by Sigmar Gabriel as German foreign minister on Friday.
IU hoping to draw 40,000 to game with Penn State

Indiana is coming off five straight losses, but still hopes to draw 40,000 fans in the rain to Saturday's game against Penn State.
(JTA)In last weeks issue, Heritage ran a story about a married couple who competed against each other in a Bible contest. The husband of the pair, Yair Shahak of New York City, was one of two winners of the International Adult Bible Contest in Jerusalem.

Shahak, 28, representing the U.S., shared the honor with Israeli Yafit Silman, according to Ynet News. Shahaks wife, Yaelle Frohlich, was also a finalist in the competition, representing Canada. The contest ended on Dec. 28.

The contestsort of a spelling bee, but with biblical verses rather than wordshas the contestants answer the minutest of details about the most obscure of biblical books. Contestants must locate or complete fragments of biblical verses, identify who said which quotation to whom, or name geographical details of the ancient Land of Israel.

The competition drew 27 finalists from all over the world, ages 24 and up, who took a rigorous written exam. It ended in a final round of 16, where contestants were quizzed orally in front of an audience that included Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett.

Shahak, a cantor and graduate student of violin, was one of the international competitions final eight contestants when it was last held in 2014.

Something that bothers me is how little most Orthodox Jews know about Jewish history, and you cant know Jewish history without knowing Bible, Shahak told JTA last month. Biblical history is not in a vacuum, that it maybe happened but we dont really talk about it. I think it was real and it did happen, and we have to understand how it happened and what it means for us.
Marilyn Macklin's story as told by Gloria Green

"My Jewish Roots" Workshops, sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Orlando (JGSGO) continue in February with the workshop: "The Changing Borders of Eastern Europe."

If you've seen Neil Simon's brilliant comedy, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," you will likely remember the character Kate saying "Max Green will be at our table. He's the one whose wife died of 'tuberculosis' (said in a whisper)."

Imagine looking into your family history and finding this painful clue as to what marked the core of a quiet, enigmatic member of the family-your father.

That is what happened when Marilyn Macklin began researching her father's family history three years ago, with help from several "mavens" at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando (JGSGO).

Macklin's father, Aaron Haber, was born in May of 1914 in Philadelphia to Max and Fannie Haber. Aaron was their only child.

Macklin knew that in 1916, her father's father had left his family in Philadelphia, but it was not known why or where he went. Family lore was that when Aaron's mother died a few years later, he was left in the care of his grandfather, who was unable to take care of his 5-year-old grandson. The boy's uncle, Izzie, placed Aaron in an orphanage around 1919.

At the end of the 19th century, tuberculosis was dubbed the "Jewish disease" or the "tailor's disease." Aaron's maternal grandfather, Harris Levy, was a tailor.

Macklin's first discovery in her research was that her father's mother, Fannie Haber, had died in 1918. The assumption was that she had died as a result of the Swine Flu Epidemic that killed 20 million people throughout the world that year. Tracking down Fannie's death certificate, Macklin found that her grandmother had died at the young age of 26 of lobar pneumonia. According to Wikipedia "Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the tubercle bacillus, may also cause lobar pneumonia if pulmonary tuberculosis is not treated promptly." A death certificate for Fannie's sister, Rose Levy, indicated Rose had died two years earlier in 1916 at age 23, also of tuberculosis! And then Macklin recently found a record showing details of the death of Max, Fannie's husband/Aaron's father. When he left the family in 1916, it was to go for treatment for tuberculosis in Colorado. The dry, fresh mountain air began attracting people with tuberculosis to Colorado beginning in the late 19th century. Max landed at National Jewish Health, an academic medical research facility located in Denver, which was founded in 1899 to treat tuberculosis and other diseases. Whatever treatment Max had obviously didn't work, or was too late, and he died in May of 1917.

Orphaned five-year-old Aaron was taken in by his grandfather after his mother died in October of 1918. That placement lasted only a short time as his grandfather also died in December of that year. In January 1920, Aaron's Uncle Izzie placed Aaron in an orphanage-The Philadelphia Jewish Foster Home and Orphan Asylum of Philadelphia. The "Home" was established as "an institution wherein the orphans or the children of indigent Israelites may be rescued from the evils of ignorance and vice, comfortably provided for, instructed in moral and religious duties and thus prepared to become useful members of society." While the children attended public schools, Orthodox religion was practiced in the Home.

Macklin always knew her father had grown up in an orphanage. During a research trip to Philadelphia she discovered the original building was still standing, and she was able to access the archives. Amazingly, they still had the original books in which the children had been signed in and out and which kept track of family status. In 1929, when Aaron was 15, family in Newark, New Jersey, took him in and he worked in the family's grocery store. In time, he managed to earn his GED, met and married his wife. Aaron worked for ITT in New Jersey for over 25 years. He passed away in Winter Park in 2005 at the age of 91.

"It was a journey of heartbreak, but knowing what my father went through as a child is a relief," Marcklin explained. "I now know why father thought and did some of the things he did. Trauma left its scars, but made him a better, kinder person."

You can learn how to access many important resources at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando's (JGSGO) "My Jewish Roots" workshops. The next one is "The Changing Borders of Eastern Europe" featuring International Association of Genealogical Societies expert Hal Bookbinder on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at The Roth Jewish Community Center, 851 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, Fla. The workshop is free and open to the public. Bring your own laptop to participate in the lab portion. It is also possible to attend via the Internet. Pre-registration is required. Pre-register for either in-person or online participation at http://www.jgsgo.org/MyJewishRoots.
NEW YORK (JTA)-Saul Kaye never wanted to be a "Jewish blues" player.

In his opinion, the Jewish music he had heard growing up in Northern California's Bay Area ranged from "really bad to horrible."

In 2009, he was touring as a rock musician, playing hundreds of shows a year with various bands at bars and clubs. And though he had never been very religious, he experienced a bad breakup and felt the need to do something spiritually "radical."

So Kaye decided to take a Talmud course at the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel. One morning, a fellow student approached him and left him with an intriguing prophecy.

"He says, 'Saul, there's a reason you're at a yeshiva and you know who Muddy Waters is-you have to figure it out,'" Kaye said. "I let that marinate for a while and I thought: Why is there no Jewish blues music? It doesn't make sense. Our people have suffered forever, and blues is about suffering, blues comes out of the slavery experience. How come no one has put this together yet?"

Eight years later, Kaye is now seen by many as the "king" of Jewish blues, having released four albums in the genre that range from twangy fingerpicking to more uptempo electric rock in the vein of B.B. King. He plays over 100 shows a year at synagogues, Jewish conferences and festivals across the country-that's down from the more than 200 shows he was playing a few years ago, but that's because Kaye is now a father of two.

Kaye is part of a growing trend of Jewish musicians who combine Jewish spiritual or religious lyrics with Americana music-an umbrella term that encompasses genres such as blues, bluegrass, folk and country, as well as a distinctly homegrown, old-fashioned American sensibility.

Since Jews were viewed as immigrants in the United States for a large part of the 20th century-and are still widely seen as an ethnic "other" in American society-Jewish music and Americana, at first glance, seem an unlikely mixture.

But in addition to Kaye, artists such as Nefesh Mountain, a husband-and-wife bluegrass duo from New Jersey, and Joe Buchanan, a convert to Judaism from Houston who plays James Taylor-esque country, are gaining in popularity on the national Jewish music circuit. Joey Weisenberg, a Brooklyn-based prayer leader and music teacher, has garnered praise for his modern bluesy, indie rock-inspired takes on "niggunim," or traditional Jewish melodies.

These musicians are building upon the foundation laid by other artists such as Andy Statman (an Orthodox, Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist who plays bluegrass with his eponymous trio), Jeremiah Lockwood (leader of the band The Sway Machinery who is also known for his virtuosic blues guitar playing) and Klezmatics co-founder Margot Leverett (whose group, Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys, combines klezmer and bluegrass.)

Of course, American Jews have long incorporated spiritual music with the popular: In the 1960s and '70s, for example, Jewish music icons Shlomo Carlebach and Debbie Friedman turned prayers and Jewish melodies into folk songs that are still sung today.

But the signs are indicating that Americana could be having its biggest moment in the Jewish community right now. The trend follows a train of greater experimentation throughout the Jewish music world.

"For a long time, it felt like the only artists that we were representing or were out there in congregations were a guy or girl with an acoustic guitar, singing acoustic music, singing Debbie Friedman kind of music," said Mark Pelavin, the chief programming officer for the Union for Reform Judaism, which invites groups at the top of the Jewish music scene to play for the 5,000 attendees at its biennial.

"I think now there's an interest in a greater diversity of musical styles across the board," he said. "Some of it's funkier-more drums, bass and loops-and some of it's twangier. There's a lot of experimentation going on right now."

Over the past decade, Americana has seen a comeback in the broader pop music world. The British band Mumford & Sons, which plays a combination of bluegrass, folk and indie rock, has sold millions of albums worldwide since 2009. In 2010, the Grammys instituted a Best Americana Album award. And last May, Billboard began devoting an album chart to Americana and folk records.

"Jews have always taken popular music and brought it into shul because that brings people into shul," said Kaye, who has also begun leading Shabbat services on his tours. "There's been a resurgence in coming back to more organic music because it just resonates-wood and strings in a room is a physical feeling that you aren't going to get from techno, dubstep, house, trance or whatever other million genres."

In the end, American Jewish music and Americana music might actually be two sides of the same coin. While Jewish musicians brought their European influences with them when they immigrated to the U.S., they've been forging their own American musical style for nearly half a century, according to Mark Kligman, an ethnomusicologist at UCLA.

"In the '50s and '60s, most of American Judaism was leaning towards trying to find its Americanness," he said. "[Jews] took European elements-cantorial klezmer and other things-and started adapting those. By the time you have an American-born generation in the 1970s, around [the time of] Debbie Friedman... they wanted to have an American-born tradition."

Still, for many, the juxtaposition is a bit unusual. According to Nefesh Mountain's Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff, even after two years of using the term "Jewish bluegrass," some people still laugh at it at first.

"But what were doing is not goofy at all, it's very soulful and very honest," Zasloff said.

The group has found serious success, touring the country constantly. Nefesh Mountain is in the midst of recording its second album with some of the world's most respected bluegrass artists, such as mandolin player Sam Bush, guitarist David Grier and banjo player Tony Trishka.

Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg combine Jewish lyrical themes with a pure bluegrass sound as the group Nefesh Mountain.

Joe Buchanan, a 40-year-old former human resources manager who grew up Christian in Houston, often recounts to his concert audiences how converting to Judaism resolved his self-esteem issues. Like Kaye, who produced Buchanan's debut album a couple of years ago, he thinks that the country music he was raised on, along with other Americana genres, go well with Jewish culture.

"Americana is strong in storytelling, which is something that we've always been really good at as a people," he said. "It's a huge part of it; we're always telling stories from the Torah."

"If someone asked me how to describe Americana music, I would tell them: Imagine country music and rock and roll had a child, and it was raised by their uncle bluegrass, and their other uncle blues music and cousin folk came over and spent a lot of time-that child is Americana music," he said. "That and Jewish storytelling is a natural fit."
By Stephen M. Flatow

Remember John Howard Griffin's 1961 book "Black Like Me," about a white journalist who posed as an African-American in order to experience what life was like for blacks in the South? An American journalist recently undertook a Palestinian version of that experiment.

Hearing complaints about Israeli checkpoints that supposedly restrict the movement of Arabs in Judea and Samaria, filmmaker Ami Horowitz of Fox News decided to see for himself. He hired a Palestinian driver and, traveling in a car with Palestinian license plates, they drove "throughout the West Bank." How often did Israeli troops interrupt their journey? "We were never stopped," Horowitz reported.

Next he decided to see what it's like for Palestinians crossing at the checkpoints that separate Israel from Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.

One was the Kalandia checkpoint. It's the last defense line for Jerusalem-the final point at which Israeli soldiers can check to make sure that Palestinians are not smuggling bombs, guns or knives into Israel's capital. One would expect there to be long lines and complicated searches that would make the lives of Palestinian travelers difficult. But that wasn't the case at all.

Horowitz asked three different Palestinians at the Kalandia checkpoint how long it takes them to get through on a typical day. All three said, "10 minutes." One, in fact, told Horowitz that the time "the soldier checks my ID or my work permit is just one minute."

The allegation that Palestinians are unfairly restricted by the checkpoints is circulated regularly by the United Nations, much of the international news media and J Street types. It is an accusation that has been embraced even by the U.S. State Department. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, in his infamous Dec. 28 speech, declared that the Palestinians in the disputed territories "are restricted in their daily movements by a web of checkpoints and unable to travel into or out of the West Bank without a permit from the Israelis."

Yet you could say the exact same thing about Americans. We are restricted by security checkpoints in every airport, every courthouse and countless office buildings throughout the country. We have to empty our pockets, take off our coats, turn our laptops on and off, sometimes remove our shoes, throw out our bottles of water, and submit to body scans and searches, among other things. And we can't travel across America's border without a permit-known as a passport-from the U.S. government.

How many of those awful security checkpoints does the Israeli military actually maintain? Look at the website of the extreme left-wing group B'Tselem, a leading critic of Israel. It states that the military "currently operates 27 permanent, staffed checkpoints in the West Bank."

Twenty-seven-in a region of more than 2,000 square miles. And 26 of the 27 are situated at the border between Israel and the disputed territories. What sovereign country does not have checkpoints at its border?

According to B'Tselem, the Israeli military also operates 16 "temporarily manned checkpoints." They "are generally open for Palestinians to cross without being checked." Israeli security forces are present only "sometimes." I would say they hardly even qualify as "checkpoints."

Every year, there are hundreds of attempts by Palestinians to smuggle weapons into Israel. The last year for which I could find that statistic was 2012, when there were 475 such smuggling attempts.

So: A 10-minute delay for Palestinians versus 475 terrorist attacks against Israel. Is that a justified trade-off? You decide.

Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of the Religious Zionists of America, is an attorney in New Jersey. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.
(JNS.org) U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a bill that seeks to cut off funding for the United Nations until U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israels settlement policy, is repealed.

The billtitled The Safeguard Israel Actwill cut off funding to the U.N. until the president certifies to Congress that Resolution 2334 has been repealed.

Twenty-two percent of the money to fund the U.N. comes from the American taxpayer, Graham said. I dont think its a good investment for the American taxpayer to give money to an organization that condemns the only democracy in the Mideast, and takes the settlement issue and says thats the most important and only issue in terms of an impediment to peace.

According to the senators, Resolution 2334 attempts to dictate terms and conditions for negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, which is an abandonment of longstanding policy of the United States and previous commitments made to Israel.

Additionally, Graham and Cruz said the resolution falsely claims that Israels sovereignty over the eastern part of Jerusalem and Jewish communities in the West Bank is illegal under international law, and that the Old City of Jerusalemalong with the Western Wall and Temple Mount, the holiest sites for the Jewish peopleare occupied Palestinian territory.

President [Barack] Obama betrayed decades of robust bipartisan American support for Israel at the United Nations by permitting the passage of a biased resolution that condemns our close friend and ally, Cruz said.
An updated suspicion notification was not handed to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Friday, January 27, as this must be done in line with the international legal assistance procedure, Yanukovych's lawyer Ihor Fedorenko said.

Speaking to Interfax-Ukraine on Friday, Fedorenko said he had appeared at the Ukrainian Chief Military Prosecutor's Office earlier in the day so as to officially inform it once again of valid reasons for Yanukovych's inability to appear for investigative procedures.

The investigator was unable to hand the updated suspicion notification to Yanukovych, as this can be done only as part of an international legal assistance procedure in Russia's territory, he said.

The parties drew up a report, which the investigator signed and which would be transferred to the prosecution authorities, Fedorenko said.

Vitaliy Serdiuk, another lawyer for Yanukovych, told Interfax-Ukraine that he was on a mission to Russia on Friday, January 27, to speed up the proceedings on requests for international legal assistance that the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office had sent to Russia at the end of 2016.

In these requests, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office asked for information whether Yanukovych had Russian citizenship and about his actual address and for assistance in handing a suspicion notification to Yanukovych and arranging his interrogation in a high treason case.

Maksym Krym, a prosecutor from the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, told journalists on Friday, January 27, that the lawyers' refusal to personally accept updated suspicion notifications addressed to Yanukovych did not affect the pretrial inquiry.

"The fact of refusal for any reasons has absolutely no effect on progress in the pretrial inquiry, and I hope we will announce its completion and will open its documents to the defense in the near future," he said.

Yanukovych's lawyer personally appeared at the Prosecutor General's Office, where he officially confirmed in writing that he was unwilling to accept the suspicion notification.

"At the same time, this notification was simultaneously sent by mail to the address of the office where they [the defense lawyers] practice law, and so the Prosecutor General's Office has taken measures to present this notification," Krym said.

As the inquiry is proceeding in the suspect's absence, the suspicion notification is supposed to be handed to the suspect's lawyers, he said.

"He [Yanukovych's lawyer] had the chance to receive it, and therefore he is considered a person notified about the updated suspicion," he said.

Ruslan Kravchenko, a prosecutor from the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office, had said earlier on January 27 that the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office would hand an updated high treason suspicion notification to Yanukovych's defense team.

Kyiv's Pechersky District Court had earlier granted a military prosecutor's motion on authorizing a special pretrial inquiry in absentia into a high treason case against Yanukovych.

The Prosecutor General's Office said it planned to hand an updated suspicion notification to Yanukovych's defense team on January 27.

Yanukovych has faced criminal charges of high treason, aiding deliberate efforts to change Ukraine's territorial borders and national border in breach of the country's constitution, and facilitating an aggressive war since November 28, 2016.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaking with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini during the Middle East peace conference in Paris, Jan. 15, 2017.

(JTA)-Two days after delegates from more than 70 nations attended the Paris summit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was wrong to label the meeting "useless."

Admittedly the France-initiated event, which neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority attended, did not change the international community's understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nor did the gathering take any concrete steps to end the dispute.

But it was neither insignificant nor useless from Israel's point of view. The summit saw Great Britain break ranks with the countries that did attend in a move that pleased Israel and perhaps the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Instead of demonstrating international consensus as intended by France under President Francois Hollande, the summit turned into a showdown between France and the United Kingdom over Israel. In an unprecedented manner, the rift exposed disagreements within a brittle European Union that is bracing for potentially turbulent relations with the United States under Trump.

The first sign of dissent happened before the summit even began, when the United Kingdom dispatched only junior diplomats. By contrast, Hollande attended, as did 36 foreign ministers, including the U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry.

Then, the United Kingdom, along with Australia, declined to join 70 other nations in co-signing a relatively mild statement about preserving the two-state solution, even though it matched positions long supported by the British government-including in its rejection of "continued acts of violence and ongoing settlement activity" and the call for "meaningful direct negotiations."

It was a stunning about-face that even caught longtime observers of Anglo-Israeli relations by surprise.

"I was gobsmacked," Jonathan Hoffman, a former vice chair of Britain's Zionist Federation, told JTA on Monday.

"It was a watershed moment for U.K.-Israel relations and a huge change from anything I had seen before," he said, adding that the United Kingdom typically sides with its allies on policies toward the Jewish state.

The British "snub"-as The Guardian termed it-of the Paris peace summit pleased Israeli diplomats, who openly dismissed the event as doomed to fail because it did not address the Palestinian Authority's refusal to negotiate without preconditions-in this case, a public commitment by Israel to halt construction in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The summit "turned as flat as a failed souffle," Emmanuel Nahshon, the Israeli Foreign Ministry's senior spokesman, wrote Sunday on Twitter. "A big show is no replacement for direct negotiations between the parties."

In previous statements, Israeli officials described the summit as "laughable" in light of Western inaction on the humanitarian disaster in Syria.

The British position was highly unexpected-especially in light of Britain's leading role, as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described it, in drafting and passing on Dec. 23 a U.N. Security Council resolution critical of Israeli settlements. Using far harsher language than that of the summit declaration, the U.N. resolution condemned Israeli settlements as a "flagrant violation of international law."

Trump has called for the United Kingdom to veto any further action on Israel at the United Nations. A midlevel British diplomat, who spoke to JTA on Monday under condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to brief journalists on this matter, said his country will not support any further attempts in the near future to pass another resolution on Israel.

So did the United Kingdom's decades-long policy on Israel radically change sometime between Dec. 23 and Jan. 15?

Unlikely, according to Yigal Palmor, a former top spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry who currently works in a similar capacity for The Jewish Agency.

The British move in Paris, he told JTA, is the result of a mix of factors, including a "desire to assert independence from the European Union"-which the British government under Prime Minister Theresa May is committed to leaving as per the result of a June referendum over the issue. May replaced David Cameron as prime minister last year as a result of the Brexit referendum.

Hoffman, meanwhile, said the apparent conflict between the British support for the U.N. resolution and its opposition to the Paris summit declaration could stem from power struggles between May and the country's Foreign Office, which does not share her relatively pro-Israel politics.

In explaining its refusal to cosign the declaration, the British Foreign Office dropped another clue: A written statement objected that the summit was "taking place just days before the transition to a new American president when the United States will be the ultimate guarantor of any agreement."

The Foreign Office statement also pointed to "risks" that the conference "hardens positions at a time when we need to be encouraging the conditions for peace."

Whereas Kerry avidly supported the summit, members of Trump's transition team signaled their disapproval to French officials, according to The Guardian. The newspaper suggested that May ordered the Paris snub to align her policy with that of Trump.

Hoffman also attributed the apparent British about-face primarily to a Trump intervention.

"It's such a dramatic departure from what we have seen in the past that a Trump intervention is the only thing that makes sense," he said.

Ever since Obama spoke out last year in favor of Britain remaining in the European Union, Anglo-American relations have become strained. Johnson, a former London mayor who became foreign minister following the Brexit vote, accused Obama of meddling in British internal affairs and of harboring anti-British sentiment connected to the president's Kenyan roots.

The Paris summit was not the first time that Israeli diplomacy benefited from those recent tensions. On Dec. 29, a spokesman for May openly criticized Kerry's Dec. 28 speech defending the U.S. abstention on the Security Council's anti-settlements resolution. The spokesman chided Kerry for "focusing on only one issue" of "construction of settlements," and for saying that the Netanyahu government is the "most right-wing" in Israel's history.

"We do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically elected government of an ally," May's office said in its unusual criticism of the Kerry speech.

The cracks in the positions of Israel's allies offer the Netanyahu government "some relief from international pressure" over some of the Jewish state's policies, Palmor observed.

In that regard, the dissent benefits Israel, he said, but "ultimately it is not about Israel, not really."
Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett (center) speaks with Ma'ale Adumim Mayor Benny Kasriel (r) before the start of a special Jewish Home faction meeting in the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumin in the West Bank Jan. 2. Bennett has advocated for a Knesset bill to be introduced after President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20 calling for Israel's annexation of Ma'ale Adumim.

In the aftermath of Secretary of State John Kerry's recent speech defending the United Nations Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements and the Obama administration's refusal to veto the resolution, Israeli political figures are increasingly mulling the idea of annexing the West Bank and implementing a "one-state solution" during the incoming Donald Trump era.

"The U.N. resolution destroyed any residual chance there might have been to achieve peace with the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)," Caroline Glick, an influential Israeli-American columnist and senior contributing editor of the Jerusalem Post, told JNS.org.

"Now they (the Palestinians) have nothing to negotiate about, so they won't-although I would argue that they wouldn't have been willing to negotiate anyway," said Glick, the author of 2014 book "The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East."

Israeli Jews' current mood appears to support such arguments. The latest Peace Index poll from the Israel Democracy Institute, published this week, found that 62 percent of Israel's Jewish public supports continued settlement building in the disputed territories-including 89 percent of the political "right," 83.5 percent of the "moderate right," 45 percent of the "center," 21 percent of the "moderate left" and 15 percent of the left. Regarding Trump, 69 percent of Jews expect the president-elect's attitude toward Israel to be "friendly," while 57 percent believe President Barack Obama was "unfriendly" to the Jewish state during his eight years in office.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the nationalist Jewish Home political party, has advocated for a Knesset bill to be introduced after Trump takes office Jan. 20 calling for Israel's annexation of Ma'ale Adumim, a suburb located east of Jerusalem in the West Bank. Bennet sees this as a first step in annexing all of Area C in the West Bank. Under the Oslo II Accord, Israel has full civil and security control over Area C, compared to the full Palestinian Authority (PA) control of Area A and split Israeli-Palestinian control of Area B.

In November, Bennett said he believed Trump's victory was "an opportunity" to finally abandon a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Trump's victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the center of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause," he said, adding, "This is the position of the president-elect, as written in his platform, and it should be our policy, plain and simple."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that he supports the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes a Jewish state of Israel. Critics of a "two-state solution" to the conflict, however, note that the proposal is unrealistic because the Palestinians are unlikely to meet those conditions in the foreseeable future.

Glick told JNS.org that Israel now faces two questions: "The first is what to do with the PLO regime in Judea and Samaria (the Israeli government's biblical term for the West Bank). The second is how to administer the area."

"How Israel answers the first-now that it is clear that the PLO is not moderate and not a peace partner, but Israel's enemy-will have implications for the second," she said. "But make no mistake, the discussion is now what to do in the absence of a 'two-state solution,' not how to achieve a 'two-state solution.'"

Demographic expert Yoram Ettinger, former minister for congressional affairs at Israel's Embassy in Washington, D.C., dismissed the common concern expressed by "two-state solution" proponents that a "one-state solution" would jeopardize the Jewish character of Israel due to the Arab birthrate. Ettinger downplayed the latest statistics released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, which claimed in a report titled "Palestinians at the end of 2016" that there are 2.97 million Palestinians in the West Bank and 4.88 million in the "state of Palestine."

Ettinger, a member of the American-Israel Demographic Research Group, argued that the most accurate demographic research suggests Jews "make up 66 percent of the population in Israel and Judea and Samaria."

"There is an unprecedented tailwind in the birthrates for Jews compared to the Muslim world as a whole, and Arabs in Israel in particular," he told JNS.org. Arabs in Israel and the disputed territories, he said, "are becoming Westernized in a speedy manner and their fertility rates are dropping."

Ettinger shared the American-Israel Demographic Research Group statistics from May 2016, documenting that the real number of Arabs in the West Bank is around 1.75 million, not the 2.97 cited by the Palestinian research. The statistics favored by Ettinger make up for this gap by citing factors such as the migration of more than 400,000 Arabs, mostly from the West Bank, who have lived for more than a year outside of the territory but are still counted in the Palestinian census.

According to Ettinger, another 300,000 Arabs living in Jerusalem are double-counted-as Israeli Arabs by Israel's census and as West Bank Arabs by the PA census. More than 100,000 Palestinians have married Israeli Arabs and received citizenship, and are also double-counted, he said.

Ettinger also argued that a Palestinian state would be a severe security risk for Israel, noting that the Palestinians have been violently and ruthlessly opposing the presence of Jews in Israel since before the Jewish state gained independence in 1948. Further, the former Israeli diplomat predicted that the establishment of a Palestinian state would lead to unrest in Jordan, as ethnic Palestinians would destabilize the country, and perhaps even in Saudi Arabia, dealing a blow to U.S. interests in the region.

How would a West Bank annexation bill fare in the Israeli legislature? Eli Hazan-director of communications and international relations for Israel's ruling Likud party-told JNS.org that Israeli politics are very dynamic and that certain legislation can be popular one day, then fall out of favor the next day.

"No doubt the Trump phenomenon is raising hopes and expectations on the right regarding government policy in Judea and Samaria," Hazan said. Asked if he sees the "one-state solution" or an annexation measure passing in the Knesset, he responded, "I think the status quo will continue despite all the talk."

Regarding whether or not Trump could help push forward a "one-state solution" policy, Hazan said it is too early to know.

"We have to wait until after Trump takes office," he said.
Choices 2017, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's annual women's philanthropy event, is an evening to socialize, catch up with old friends and make new ones, all while supporting the local Jewish community. But one of the many "bonuses" of attending is that you could walk away with one (or more) of the valuable prizes offered in the Choices Raffle.

This year-so far-the Federation has secured more than $8,000 worth of raffle prizes, ranging from artwork to hotel/dining packages to teeth whitening-and, of course, some stunning pieces of jewelry.

Women who attend Choices have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for $25 each (or 5 tickets for $100). Tickets in hand, the women get to choose which item(s) they would like to win and deposit their ticket in the appropriate ticket bowl during the event on Feb. 9 at Congregation Ohev Shalom in Maitland. Drawings are held for all of the raffle items at the end of the evening.

Raffle prizes are donated by retailers, artists, businesses and individuals. Money raised from the raffle goes to support the Federation's Annual Campaign and to defray the cost of putting on Choices.

The Choices ambassadors and co-chairs have lined up several impressive items for this year's raffle, and they will continue to work hard behind the scenes right up until the event to secure additional prizes, all of which will be on display at Choices.

The full, updated listing of raffle items can be found on the Federation's special Choices webpage (www.jfgo.org/choices). Here's a look at a few of the great items that will be given away on Feb. 9:

Beach Getaway Week at Sandpiper in New Smyrna Beach, donated by Tiffany Lytle. Value $2,500.

Citrine and Diamond Ring, donated by Lauren Sigman Fine Jewelry. Value $1,320.

Citrine and diamond ring, donated by Lauren Sigman Jewelry.

La Costa Organic Jewelry Onyx Necklace & Earring Set, donated by Off Park Interiors. Value $550.

Microsoft Surface 3 Tablet, donated by Fides Solutions, LLC. Value $450.

Zoom Teeth Whitening Treatment, donated by Koyfman Dental. Value $600.

Reserved Parking Space: The lucky winner will have exclusive use, for one full year, of a reserved parking space in a prime location on the Maitland Jewish Community Campus. Value: Priceless.

Raffle tickets can be purchased in advance on the JFGO website or in person at Choices 2016 on Feb. 9. If you haven't yet registered for Choices, you can do so online at http://www.jfgo.org/choices, via email at choices@jfgo.org, or by calling the Federation office at 407-645-5933, ext. 236.
There is a new anti-Semitism in the world, Dr. Ken Hanson stated at a meeting sponsored by the Zionistas on Jan. 17. One could say that anti-Semitism has been in the world since Isaac and Ishmael. It grew in strength throughout Christian Europe with the rise of the Third Reich. It was crushed temporarily after the truth of what was happening in the death camps came to light at the end of World War II.

For a short time, it seemed that anti-Semitism was buried. But now, its back, Hanson said, as he took the audience of about 100 through the journey of anti-Semitisms resurrection.

Its not the same as Nazi anti-Semitism. Its not the same, but not different, he stated, explaining how anti-Semitism drifted to the Middle East and now has come back to Europe expressed as anti-Zionism. It is the oppressors vs. the oppressed. Only this time it is the Jewish people who are the oppressors. The Arabs claim the Jews are colonial oppressors of the Palestinians. Jews are Marxists. Israel is the problem; Israel must be sacrificed to make Muslim rage subside; and Israel is the most dangerous country in the world, tied with Iran is what is taught to children in Middle Eastern countries and now being carried forth into Europe.

Through a power point presentation Hanson showed the desecration, once again, of Jewish cemeteries, shops, homes in Europe. The Star of David is equated to the Nazi swastika.

What we all believed in the past is once again in the present. In March 1999 a pogrom took place in Novosibirsk, Siberia.

Even so, as anti-Semitism grows in strength, so do those who stand against it. Hanson ended his talk with hope and an encouragement to not be silent.

One organization that hopes to bring change within the Muslim community is the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). Its founder and president, Zuhdi Jasser, M.D, confronts the ideology of political Islam and openly counters the belief that the Muslim faith is inextricably rooted to the concept of the Islamic State.

When a member of the audience asked about all the hate-filled references in the Quran about killing the Jews, Hanson responded that we must remember that even in the Torah things are written that we no longer adhere to, for example, stoning rebellious children or the concept of an eye for an eye. His point being that not all Muslims are jihadists, and that there are many people who want change.

Pastor Blake Lorenz, who attended the meeting, was so moved by Hansons lecture, he wrote an essay that he hopes many Christians will read. In part he wrote: We must stand up for the truth by educating ourselves with the facts of history in order to show the ugliness of these lies that spread hatred and harm. We need to organize like the Zionistas, who sponsored this lecture on the new anti-Semitism... There needs to be a dialogue and a strong witness that we will not allow any form of anti-Semitism or prejudice against any group of people, but speak the truth in love with authority and power not in physical force, but in humility and faith in the living G-d who created us in His image.
NEW YORKA wave of bomb threats Wednesday morning caused 27 Jewish community centers in 17 states to quickly engage in security protocols to ensure the safety of their participants and facilities. Many quickly received the all-clear from local law enforcement, with whom they are working closely, and have resumed regular operations. This is the second time this month that multiple JCCs have received bomb threats in a single day.

Paul Goldenberg, the director of Secure Community Networks (SCN), said there were bomb threats called in to Jewish community centers, schools and other institutions in Miami; Edison, New Jersey; Cincinnati; Alabama, and on the West Coast. News reports also cited threats in Albany, New York; Nashville; suburban Boston and Detroit; West Hartford, Connecticut, and the Orlando area.

Whether the institutions, which include schools and community centers, evacuated depended on the practices of local law enforcement, Goldenberg said.

Here in Maitland, the JCC also received a bomb threat call and went under precautionary lockdown at the recommendation of federal and local law enforcement, rather than evacuation.

Keith Dvorchik, The Roth Family JCC CEO, sent an email to JCC members and school parents stating, Our history has strengthened us with superior awareness and acknowledgement of lifes realitythat we must create a secure environment for our children, families and employees. We have taken enormous steps to make our campus safe with thoughtful and appropriate security protections and protocols; we know what to do.

Law enforcement closed Maitland Avenue and Maitland Blvd. in the adjacent areas, and parents were told not to come pick up their children. This not only affected the campus, but area businesses. Dental Associates of Maitland is directly across Maitland Avenue from the JCC campus. Bernard Kahn, DDS, told the Heritage that patients on their way for appointments were diverted and all appointments were delayed for later in the day. Patients already there did not have to leave.

It is a burden, but we did not have to evacuate, Kahn stated.

The calls are similar to those received by JCCs last week when 16 centers in nine states received fake bomb threats, causing many evacuations and a disruption to normal operations. JCC Association of North America praised the JCC professionals who relied on established best practices and continue to collaborate with law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of all who use and benefit from their facilities.

Members of the Orlando Jewish community may not be aware that the Maitland JCC is part of the Secure Community Network, a national network that is an affiliate of the Jewish Federations of North America that monitors, advises and supports the safety and security of Jewish institutions.

David Posner, director of strategic performance at JCC Association of North America, who helps to advise local JCCs on security policies and practices, issued the below statement:

In the wake of last weeks calls, JCCs were well-prepared for the calls received today. Many JCC leaders took part in a webinar organized quickly by JCC Association, featuring officials from SCN and the Department of Homeland Security to address concerns and procedures. Lessons learned and best practices discussed were clearly on display this morning, and we applaud our JCCs for responding calmly and efficiently. Many JCCs not affected last week took the opportunity to review their own security plans, and speak with local law enforcement.

Goldenberg said his organization was consulting with federal authorities, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. He said there was no information as to the perpetrator, but noted an increase in social media threats, particularly from the far right.

The neo-Nazi or white supremacist hate groups seem to be becoming much more vocal, he said. Their threats are much more specific, in some cases... leaving very specific threats against Jewish communitiesbombing threats, harassment.

Operations at the Gordon JCC in Nashville returned to normal approximately an hour after a receptionist received a call stating that there was a bomb in the building, said Mark Freedman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The threat was delivered in a womans voice, but it was unclear whether the call was live or recorded, he told JTA.

Freedman said the community, which was targeted in last weeks series of threats, would not be intimidated by the incidents, which he termed telephone terrorism.

These people, whoever they are, that are making these threats are trying to intimidate, create anxiety and fear, and we are going to do what we have to do to ensure the safety and security of our valued members and constituents, but we are not going to give in to what they are trying to create, which is to drive us away from our valued institutions, he said.

Clearly its a pattern of intimidation, and its likely to continue in the current atmosphere that we have in this country, where hate groups feel that they can come after good-standing members of the community.

The bomb threats Wednesday are the latest incident in a recent wave of increased anti-Semitism in the U.S. The Anti-Defamation League documented rising anti-Semitic abuse on Twitter last year, as well as a spike in hate crimes following the presidential election.

Elise Jarvis, associate director for communal security at the ADL, said she anticipates more incidents like this in the future.

These things often come in cycles, she told JTA on Wednesday. All these things, when you bring them together, it paints an intense picture.

Goldenberg also described an intensity of threats.

We have seen in the last several weeks an uptick in activities and threats to Jewish institutions across the United States, he said. There has been a tremendous amount of rhetoric out there.

Jarvis said institutions need more training in how to deal with bomb threats, including which questions to ask the callerwhere the bomb is, for exampleand how to handle other threats like suspicious mail. If staff are aware of security procedures, she said, being prepared doesnt have to be costly.

We need to be providing a lot more training, specifically on how to respond to bomb threats, Jarvis said. The longer you can keep someone on the phone, the better.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Christine DeSouza contributed to this article.
(JTA)Reacting to the inaugural address of President Donald Trump, Jewish groups stuck to their ideological bearings.

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations praised the unifying portions of Trumps speech and called on him to safeguard Israels security and other Jewish interests.

We welcome President Trumps acknowledgement of the need to heal the divisions in our country, to improve the lives of all Americans, to reinforce alliances and to strengthen our security, the statement said. We look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to deepen the historic special relationship between the U.S. and Israel, enhance the safety and security of the Jewish state and its people and on other issues of vital importance to the American Jewish community.

While Trump promised to reinforce old alliances and form new ones, he also said the United States subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.

Weve defended other nations borders while refusing to defend our own, and spent trillions of dollars overseas while Americas infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay, the new U.S. leader said.

The Zionist Organization of America, a right-wing group whose leaders have praised Trump, congratulated him on initiating a great new era of the United States of America. ZOA also praised Trump for using a verse quoted often by Jews from the Bible. In his speech, Trump said, The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when Gods people live together in unity.

We appreciate our new Presidents determination to eliminate the scourge of radical Islam, and his quote of one of our favorite lines from Psalm 133, often sung by the Jewish people, about dwelling together in unity, the statement from ZOA President Morton Klein and Chairman Michael Goldblatt said.

The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, which opposes bigotry and promotes Holocaust remembrance, castigated Trumps speech for failing to reassure the minorities the presidents statements targeted during his campaign. The statement also linked the president to the alt-right, a loose movement that traffics in white nationalism.

He gave the most hateful speech based on alt-right nationalism we could have feared, the centers executive director, Steven Goldstein, said in a statement. Mr. President, you cannot make America great again if you make it exclusionary again. You did nothing to heal the wounds you inflicted upon women, people of color, LGBT people, immigrants, refugees and the differently abled.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and French President Francois Hollande, pictured in center, shake hands at the Jan. 15 conference on Mideast peace in Paris.

(JNS.org) Sunday's Mideast conference in Paris, attended by officials from some 70 countries, concluded that the "two-state solution" is the only way forward to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warned against unilateral steps by either side.

In their final communique, conference participants said they "call on each side... to refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of negotiations on final-status issues, including, inter alia, on Jerusalem, borders, security, refugees and which they will not recognize."

While the statement did not explicitly criticize President-elect Donald Trump's plans to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a French diplomat said the communique's final paragraph was intended to send a message to Trump.

"It's a tortuous and complicated paragraph to pass a subliminal message to the Trump administration," the diplomat said, Reuters reported.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump's advisers told French officials he strongly objected to holding the conference just days before his inauguration, Haaretz reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the conference "moved the ball forward" on the peace process.

"It underscores this is not just one administration's point of view, this is shared by the international community broadly," Kerry said. This is expected to be the last international forum Kerry participates in before the end of his term Jan. 20.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government did not attend the conference, called the gathering "useless" as well as an attempt by France and the Palestinians to "force terms on Israel that conflict with our national needs."

Netanyahu said he looks forward to a new era under Trump, who has harshly criticized international efforts to impose solutions on Israel.

"This conference is among the last twitches of yesterday's world. Tomorrow's world will be different-and it is very near," said Netanyahu.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, echoing the prime minister, said that "in the next few weeks we will enter a new era and work with the incoming U.S. administration to undo the damage caused by the [recent U.N.] Security Council resolution [against Israeli settlements] and these other one-sided initiatives."

Some Western allies of Israel also criticized the conference. The United Kingdom did not sign onto the communique and only sent junior diplomats to Paris, with a spokesman from the U.K. Foreign Office explaining that the gathering came "just days before the transition to a new American president, when the U.S. will be the ultimate guarantor of any agreement."

"There are risks, therefore, that this conference hardens positions at a time when we need to be encouraging the conditions for peace," said the U.K. spokesman.
By Christine DeSouza

As of this writing, there have been three bomb threats called in to the Maitland Jewish campus since Jan. 4. This campus was not singled out. Jewish community centers in 17 states also received threats the same day on Jan. 9. It is pretty obvious that some one or some group of people is actively seeking to intimidate Jewish communities across the United States.

Thank goodness all the threats were false. However, with each call, the police with their bomb-sniffing dogs came immediately. The streets were closed off. Twice the campus was evacuated, once put in lockdown and area businesses and residents were in lockdown. Definitely an inconvenience for everyone.

In addition to the federal and local law enforcement, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the JCC Association of North America, and the Secure Community Network are addressing the concerns and procedures.

But yes, it is an inconvenience for parents, staff, students, and everyone within the radius of the campus. But is this a reason to stop using the facilities at the JCC? Is this a reason to decide to withdraw children from the school or Early Childhood Center? No. It isnt.

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 133:1, Hine(y) ma tov uma-nayim/ Shevet ach-im gam ya-chadHow good and pleasant it is when Gods people live together in unity. This is how the Orlando Jewish community must standin unity. Not allowing fear to control our actions. In the words of the African-American spiritual, [We] shall not be moved. We will stand... together.

It is understandable to want to protect our children, to keep them from harms way as best we can. But does that mean assimilating into the so-called safety of the surrounding non-Jewish community? Are we to run and hide the second an anti-Semite threatens us?

Kiryat Shmona is the northern-most city in Israel on the Lebanese border, near the Golan Heights. The Jewish families that settled there in 1949 knew the risks. They lived with major inconveniences. The residents dodged the Katyusha rockets that hurtled toward them from the Heights. The citizens of the town had suffered almost daily attacks from the mid-1970s until 2000, when the IDF left Lebanon. In fact, the children slept in bomb shelters. Then, during the Lebanon War of 2006, a total of 1,012 Katyusha rockets hit Kiryat Shmona. Through all this, the residents of this battered city stayed. It is now a thriving city with an airport and population (as of 2007) of 23,100.

The Roth Family JCC CEO, Keith Dvorchik, is fierce about protecting everyone who accesses the campus. In a recent email, sent to JCC members, he reiterated his position:

The Jewish community is no stranger to being the subject of bigotry, hate and threats. Unlike other schools and institutions, we have always been forced to place supreme importance on the security of our classrooms and pubic gathering places. Weve become experts at doing so.

As a community, lets chose to stay banded together and not allow any anti-Semitic acts to keep us from being a part of a Jewish community campus that bonds us together.

I am a Christian and not Jewish as many of you know, but I am standing with you, as are many other Christians.
WASHINGTON (JTA)On Jan. 18, 2015, Argentine terrorism prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in what was almost certainly murder, not suicide. Whoever murdered him didnt just want to kill him but rather his body of work. They wanted to bury the revelations he was about to make the very next day in front of the countrys Congress.

Nisman was in charge of investigating the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center that killed 85 people, making it Argentinas deadliest terrorist attack. He assembled compelling evidence against senior Iranian officials whom he accused of masterminding the bombing. In 2007, on the basis of evidence compiled by Nisman, Interpol issued red notices for five Iranian officials. These red notices, akin to international arrest warrants, remain a black mark on their reputation.

In the case he was due to present in person to Congress, Nisman revealed other devastating evidence, this time against Argentinas then-president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Nisman had legally secured thousands of wiretaps of Kirchner allies, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and Iranian agents operating in Argentina. Nisman said the wiretaps and other evidence proved Kirchner was plotting to find a way to lift the red notices and buy immunity for the Iranian officials he held responsible for the AMIA attack in exchange for expanded trade with Argentina.

Nismans exhaustive investigations also found that Iran used its embassies, mosques and cultural centers to radicalize and recruit from the local population.

While Nismans death precluded him from presenting his accusations to the Congress, and Kirchner supporters spent almost two years deliberately keeping the complaint from being investigated in the courts, this month an Argentine court agreed to open an investigation into the allegations he assembled.

Some of the wiretaps discussed fabricating new evidence that would have been presented to a joint Iran-Argentina truth commission that Kirchner had negotiated with Iran purportedly to jointly investigate the AMIA bombing. Nisman believed the truth commission, part of a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, was a mechanism to whitewash Irans role in the AMIA attack. The memorandum was found to be unconstitutional before anything moved forward.

According to one account, one of those heard on the wiretaps, a Kirchner supporter, discussed inventing a culprit for the AMIA bombing.

They want to construct a new enemy of the AMIA, someone new to be responsible, he said. The blame would be placed on a group of local fascists.

Mauricio Macri, who was elected president of Argentina in late 2015, has distanced himself from Irans malign activities and taken constructive steps to investigate Nismans death. Macri is continuing the investigation into the AMIA bombing.

While opening an investigation into Nismans allegations is an important step forward that could prove determinative, its unclear whether Argentinas judicial system will operate without a high degree of politicized partiality. Politics and the justice system remain closely aligned in Argentina, which the World Economic Forum ranked 121st out of 138 countries when it comes to judicial independence. Macri has an opportunity to reform the judicial system as he has begun to do for other parts of the government.

The investigation will have regional repercussions, as Argentina is not the lone target of Iranian penetration in the hemisphere.

In Peru, a Hezbollah operative, Mohammad Hamdar, is on trial. Authorities found bombmaking material and hundreds of photos of high-value Israeli and Jewish targets in his home. Hamdar and his new wife reportedly received money from Hezbollah, Irans proxy, to stage their wedding. Hamdar was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as being a member of Hezbollahs External Security Organization.

In Venezuela, President Nicholas Maduro recently named Tareck El Aissami to be his vice president. El Aissami is known for his ties to Hezbollah and Irans revolutionaries, and reportedly used his previous positions to supply fake Venezuelan passports to Syrian terrorists and drug smugglers.

These and other examples show how Iran views Latin America as a target-rich region for its revolution and should send red flags throughout the hemisphere.

Argentina and the United States can benefit from lessons learned from Nismans work.

First, Iran reportedly continues to seek the removal of the AMIA-related red notices. While Argentina must take the lead, the U.S. should support the effort to ensure the red notices are renewed by Interpol when they are up for review in November. There should be no statute of limitations on murder.

Second, the U.S. should support a transparent investigation into Nismans death. In addition to recent death threats to the prosecutor investigating Nismans apparent assassination, the crime scene has been compromised. Moreover, there has been evidence tampering in both the murder case and the AMIA investigation itself. Macri should have a zero-tolerance policy for this scheme and punish those who have engaged in it.

Tehrans Argentine agents, such as those heard on the wiretaps, have not been tried or punished. Presumably their nefarious activities continue unfettered. Argentina should monitor their activities and hold them accountable.

Finally, the U.S. government should update the report mandated by the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012. General John Kelly, the nominee to become the head of the Department of Homeland Security, understands the challenge and noted that Iran is willing to leverage criminal groups to carry out its objectives in the U.S. homeland.

Along with ensuring an impartial examination of his final investigation, heeding the lessons from Nismans lifelong work will be a critical element of our national security.

Toby Dershowitz is vice president for government relations and strategy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Gardner Lange is her research assistant.
For those who did not see this Channel 9 Investigative report there was a Radical Syrian clericSheikh Mohammed Rateb Al-Nabulsi, who openly calls for the death of Jews and gaysspeaking in Central Florida earlier this month. Al-Nabulsi found a welcoming home at the Islamic Society of Central Florida (Imam Musris Mosque), AlBir Mosque in Kissimmee, Islamic Society of Pinellas County Mosque, and an Embassy Suites Banquet Hall in Tampa for the American Muslim Leadership Council of Tampa.

Al-Nabulsi wrote a paper called Lesson 35: Ruling on Martyrdom Operations in Palestine.

In it Al-Nabulsi says, ... the wicked Jews are a collection of defects and imperfections, and a hotbed of vices and evils. They are the worst enemies of God, against Islam and its people, The Almighty says: Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews and those who are polytheists. [Quran 5:82]

He goes on, It is not permissible under Sharia to relinquish to the Jews any part of the lands of the Muslims nor to make peace with them, for they are the people of cunning and deception, and the breaking of pacts. All the Jewish people are combatant... this is essentially an entirely aggressive entity from A to Z. This is the Sharia ruling. This is what many of the Ulema say, the Sharia ruling on Fedayeen activity is that it is permissible.

Al-Nabulsi has never retracted his statements publicly. These statements of hatred for all the Jewish people from A to Z, is part of his worldview. In the Muslim world, Al-Nabulsi is a world-renowned Islamic scholar and those who support him must also, by default, share his hate-filled worldview.

Imam Mohammad Musri, on Jan. 7, invited this hate Sheikh into his mosque. Mursri was interviewed by Channel 9 reporter Field Sutton on why he would invite such a controversial figure to his Orlando mosque. Musri did not condemn Al-Nabulsis hate speech against the Jews. In fact, Musri ignored those anti-Jewish comments, thinking Sutton was referring only to Al-Nabulsis anti-gay remarks.

Musris answers appeared to only reference Al-Nabulsis video in which he stated that, All homosexuals deserve the death penaltynot addressing any of the hate Sheikhs anti-Jewish comments.

Musri said, We would not welcome any person or organization that will bash any group, Musri said, after the Pulse nightclub attack, he hopes the visiting scholar no longer feels the way he used to feel. If he does, then it gives us the opportunity to discuss and maybe challenge those views and maybe change minds or hearts.

Im sorry to tell you this Imam Musri, but any reasonable person would want that little detail of calling for the murder of an entire demographic cleared up before inviting him to speak at your mosque, instead of giving the Hate Sheikh a clever pass.

Imam MusriI find your cavalier attitude toward your brother Al-Nabulsis hate speech and incitement to violence pathologically disturbing.

Musris refusing to condemn Al-Nabulsis hate speech against the Jews specifically, creates a dilemma for many in the Orlando Jewish leadership.

For example, Musri co-hosts an interfaith radio show on National Public Radio with Rabbi Steven Engel of the Congregation of Reform Judaism in Orlando. Engel must decide if his personal friendship with Musri is more important than his association with a radical Syrian cleric who says all Jews are legitimate targets for martyrdom operations and death.

Musri had the opportunity to condemn Al-Nabulsi on Channel 9 News but never did, one must ask why? Engel and his congregation must ask why?

The afternoon of Al-Nabulsis lecture at Musris mosque, we went to ask that exact question, but never got the chance. Before entering the mosque, we were confronted by Bassem Chaaban, director of Outreach for Musris mosque.

Chaaban told us, This is a private event and not open to the public... it was not advertised to the public and for our members only.

We were denied entry and asked to leave.

Nowhere on Musris flyer for the hate Sheikh event does it say private or RSVP required. The Al-Nabulsi lecture was advertised on the ISCF Facebook page. Clearly Chaaban, acting on Musris behalf, only wanted Muslims in attendance, all others not welcome.

Al-Nabulsis anti-gay comments

Al-Nabulsi said on video tape that, All homosexuals deserve the death penalty.

The only person from Orlandos gay community who publicly condemned Al-Nabulsi was Randy Ross, the Orange County leader for President Donald Trumps election campaign.

How deep does the hate and intolerance run in the Central Florida Muslim community? There are three mosques and the American Muslim Leadership Council of Tampa who hold Al-Nabulsi in such high regard they invited him to speak, knowing his visceral hatred for Jews and gays.

Conclusion

Musri was the voice of the Orlando Muslim community after the Pulse Nightclub terrorist attack. Musri spoke a message of love, togetherness, and that Islam had nothing to do with the attack by ISIS Jihadi Omar Mateen.

Musri did an interview next to the Pulse Nightclub with Tim Vargas, local gay leader, and George Stephanopoulos. He stated how the Pulse Nightclub shooter did not represent Islam and how the Muslim community stands with the gay community and the entire Orlando community at large.

That was a good and much needed message, only now we learn Musri was not telling the truth. If Musri was truthful in his interview with Stephanopoulos, today he would have condemned Al-Nabulsi publicly for his call to murder gays and Jews. Musri invited a hate cleric to his mosque as an honored guest for his thousands of Muslim congregants, now he must account for his actions.

This is serious business because Musri is well respected in the Jewish, Christian, gay, and interfaith communities. Musri has built these relationships over many years telling these local leaders exactly what they need to hear to build bridges of friendship.

Then while Musri thinks nobody is looking, he shows what lies underneath his slick polished veneer. Underneath that veneer of bridge building is a man who reveres an Islamic scholar who calls for the murder of Jews and gays.

Musri had the opportunity to set the record straight condemning Al-Nabulsi with Channel 9 News reporter Field Sutton, but he did not.

How many followers of Islam in Central Florida who went to hear the hate Sheikh speak agree with his views on the killing of Jews and gays?

How many people who hear Al-Nabulsis incitement to violence against Jews and gays will act upon it? In light of the Pulse nightclub terrorist attack, Ft. Lauderdale airport attack, San Bernardino attack, Ft. Hood terrorist attack, bomb scares to three Jewish facilities in Orlando, this question can no longer be ignored.

This column originally appeared on Family Security Matters. Reprinted under Creative Commons License: Attribution.
Ukrainian positions in the east of the country were shelled 36 times by militants on Friday and two Ukrainian servicemen were injured, the headquarters of anti-terrorist operation said on Friday evening.

In the Mariupol sector, militants fired using 122mm artillery systems, a tank and mortars, according to the headquarters. In the Donetsk sector, militants used grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns and mortars, the headquarters said. In the Luhansk sector they fired antitank missile systems, mortars and grenade launchers, it said.
Well, what happens if they dont? This month, a bunch of Europeans and others walked into a room in Paris to decide what actually had already been decided in 1947 and discussed continually since then: That the best solution for the Holy Land of Israel was to whack it up into two states: One for the Jews, one for the Arabs. As we all know, all the way back in 47, the Jews agreed, the Arabs did not.

The distinguished gentlemen at this latest meeting represented the U.N., a number of nations, a sprinkling of Arabs as well as John Kerry who, by the time you read this will be, thankfully, retired. Of course, these distinguished gentlemen never gave a clue as to how to accomplish this. So, they took a smiling picture of the attendees and went home. But, the meeting was in Gay Paree and they were not paying their own way, so... Vive Le France!!

Lets just suppose that once again, against all his better instincts, Benjamin Netanyahu were to say: All rightlets get this thing donelets sit down at a table and figure out some borders, some tactics and we will have a two-state solution like all these geniuses are crying for.

So, two JewsNetanyahu and another designated negotiator walk into the room and... Oh waitthey did that twiceand nobody else showed up! A couple of years ago the Arabs said Stop all Settlement Building!

So they didstop all building in Judea and Samaria. The Jews waited nine long months. And... nobody showed up. Okay, so that didnt work, Israel started building new Israeli towns and the Arabs screamed bloody murder (and also did more than scream it). Let John Kerry, the retiring U.S. secretary of state bring the leader of the Palestinian Arabs with him to a finallets get it donemeeting. Who is he going to bring?

Abbas, now in the fourteenth year of a four-year term? Okaybut waittheres more! Arent there a load of Arabs in a place called Gaza? How come they arent represented at the table? Ohthey do not want a Two-State Solution. Thats right! They are not ruled by Mr. Abbas. They are ruled by Hamas. Ay, theres the rub ... Hamas wants a One-State Solutionno Jews. Matter of fact, no Jewsanywhere!

Years ago, Netanyahu himself, in his first creation as PM actually shook hands with the Late Yasser Arafat while President Bill Clinton clasped both their hands and beamed. He had done it! Only problem was, as soon as the unshaven Arafat got home, he said thanks a lot but no thanks.

In 1967 the foreign minister of Israel was Yigal Allon. He was a former front line general in the IDF and a distinguished archeologist. As such he knew exactly where the ancient and Holy land of Israel was. But he was also a man of peace. So, he tried to configure borders that would allow for an Arab Quasi State in most of Judea and Samaria to be ruled by Jordan. There was a break in the proposed borders to allow for an international zone that cut off the bottom part of Israel the Negev. It was a terrible idea and never came to fruition. Butit did contain the germ of a wonderful idea. What nation on earth allows an organization thousands of miles away, most of whose members had never been to the area to declare their borders?

In order to negotiate a peace treaty with Egypt, Israel gave up the Sinai. The disputed area today for the most part remains Judea and Samariaintegral parts of the ancient and Holy land of Israelbut now known as the West Bank even though it is nowhere near the Jordan River.

There is an area in the West Bank called Area C. It includes some fairly large Israeli cities which the Palestinian Arabs and the U.N. call Settlements. The area is roughly divided between Arabs and Jews. What would happen if Israel were to simply annex the area?

It would become a part of Israel. The Arab citizens therein would become Israelisentitled to the benefits of citizenshipand dependable electricity and garbage pick-up. They would maintain their educational systemwith an adjustment to the curriculum, taking out the textbooks that call for the death of all Jews.

The argument against this is that demographically, because Arabs have much bigger families than Jews (except for the Haredi who tend to have massive families) that they would outnumber Jews in the area. Well, history shows that as people become more economically independent, family size decreaseswhich, as Israelis, these secular, intelligent Arabs would become.

Maybe its not perfectbut, It makes more sense than a bunch of Europeans and one American sitting in Paris and deciding... nothing.
Its been clear for a long time that there is little difference between the character of terrorist attacks in Israel and those in the West more broadly. Trucks ram into crowdsas they did in Nice, Berlin and Jerusalem. Terrorists blow up or shoot up nightclubsas they did in Orlando, Tel Aviv and Bali. Knife-wielding Islamists dash into venues from shopping malls to police stations stabbing anyone in reachas they did in Minnesota, Brussels and, yes, Tel Aviv.

Compared to 15 years ago, there is a much greater empathy with Israels existential position these days. European leaders like French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May have shown far greater readiness than even our own President Barack Obama to recognize that anti-Zionism is a form of anti-Semitism, that the campaign to boycott Israel is founded upon hatred and that Israel lives in a neighborhood where every day, someone influential somewhere calls for its annihilation.

Sadly, this understanding doesnt carry over into the workings of diplomacy. The last days of the Obama administration have brought us the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which paves the way for imposing a solution outside the framework of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and the Jan. 15 Paris Mideast conference, at which no less than 72 countries, including the U.S., are pulling up in the French capital to issue a statement so utterly divorced from reality that you cant help laughing.

Leave aside the obvious objections: that this conference perpetuates the fallacy that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies at the heart of the Middle East troubles, or simply that the spectacle of 72 countries fixating on Israelwhen neighboring Syria has been turned into a graveyardis nauseating.

Look, instead, at the worldview expressed in the conference statement, a draft of which was distributed in advance of the conference. The tools for achieving and sustaining a two-state solution, it declared, are economic incentives, the consolidation of Palestinian state capacities, and civil society dialogue.

Alright then. Economic incentives: Forget about turning Gaza into a flourishing port city for as long as Hamas is running the place. Ignore the fact that Palestinian Authority (PA) corruption and nepotism have concentrated immense wealth around Ramallah with no trickle to the rest of the West Bank. Disregard the rampant scale of organized crime in the West Bank, as documented by the Palestinian academic Ali Qleibo. Just carry on believing that pumping economic incentives will usher in a new era of peace.

Palestinian state capacitiesthis is an interesting one. It sort of, kind of, hints that we shouldnt automatically expect a Palestinian state to be like, yknow, Norway, from the get-go. And there are two reasons for that. First, that the PA has been thieving billions of dollars in international aid money from day one of its existence. Second, apart from a few exceptions like Jordan and the areas under Kurdish control, Middle Eastern statesof the Sunni and Shia, Arab, Turkish and Persian varietyare little more than dungeons with flags on top of them.

But hey, thats nothing that a bit of civil society dialogue cant fix, eh? I dont want to be unfair here, because there have been some wonderful efforts to encourage dialogue between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, but for that approach to work, you need to first recognize the humanity in each other. What would actually get discussed at these dialogues, anyway? An Israeli asking a Palestinian, Why are your preachers calling us sons of apes and pigs again?

Maybe none of this matters anymore. Maybe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is right when he says that the Paris conference is the final gasp of a failed strategy. He has good reason, after all, to believe that, especially having heard the condemnation of Resolution 2334 from Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson.

Yet while the change of administration in Washington may strengthen Israels diplomatic position for the immediate period, and while the Palestinians will have to get to the back of the line in terms of international priorities, the Palestinian question itself will not disappear. In many ways, it will find its status enhanced.

To begin with, theres the public domain. And this brings us to something that the Europeans have never understood: The historic Palestinian strategy has never been about achieving statehood, but about preventing a negotiated solution in order to perpetuate the image of the Palestinians as the people to whom history has dealt the cruelest blow. Its why the Palestinians make deliberately unrealistic demands, like the right of returna goal the Palestine Liberation Organization originally pledged to achieve through violenceand suing the United Kingdom for the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

In terms of building up public support around the world, its a strategy that has worked. Hence, we can assume that if President-elect Donald Trump does a 180-degree turn on President Obamas approach to the Israelis, the narrative of the Palestiniansignored by America, facing 50 years of occupation under Israelwill become emblematic of public resistance to the foreign policies of the Trump administration. In the American context, the Democratic Party is now the most significant barometer of that process.

The Palestinians can also play power politics. They can carry on with their campaign to achieve membership in international bodies as an independent state. They can curry favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the next stage of his conflict with the West. And they can insert themselves into domestic issuesrising anti-Semitism, the political culture on university campuses, the legality of boycottsin a way that few other foreign policy issues can do.

As I said, Netanyahu may well be right about the last gasp of Obamas strategy to secure Palestinian independence. But none of us should believe that these battles are over.

Ben Cohen, senior editor of TheTower.org & The Tower Magazine, writes a weekly column for JNS.org on Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics. His writings have been published in Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He is the author of Some of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism (Edition Critic, 2014).
HICKORY  From Arizona to Georgia to South Carolina, Angela Pisel has been on the move talking about her debut novel, "With Love from the Inside," published by Penguin Random House.

While she's enjoyed every stop since the book published last August, Pisel was especially excited to return home to Hickory on Wednesday. She was invited to speak at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) by The Write Stuff club.

Pisel discussed her book, her writing process and took questions from the audience.

"Hickory has been extremely supportive. I had a great turnout at our launch at Barnes & Noble," she said. "I've visited several book clubs in Hickory. It's just been a joy to publish a book being from Hickory."

When it comes to writing, Pisel finds inspiration in a simple question, "what if.

In With Love from the Inside, she examines the life of a woman on death row for murdering her infant son, without any hope for appeals, and hoping for one more chance to reconnect with her daughter so she knows the truth of what really happened, according to a synopsis at angelapisel.com.

"I love to take stories I see in the newspaper, see on the news, and just ask what if questions," Pisel said. "In the case of, 'With Love from the Inside,' what if there is a woman on death row, who is actually innocent.

"What would that look like? Would she get exonerated, or would she be executed...what if that happened to me. Could I cope?"

There are many elements from her own life in the book as well. Pisel used the name of her daughter's blanket, and the dog in the book is based off of her family's dog. Her mother's chicken noodle soup also has a part in the story.

Janet Harriman is the president of The Write Stuff club at CVCC and said Pisel was one of the first authors they talked about inviting to the college.

Were honored to have her here as a hopeful author myself, I just want to soak up all the information she can offer and the book is amazing, Harriman said.

As a college were excited to have her and as a group of creative writers were excited to have her and it means the world that she took the time to do it for us.

Originally from Illinois, Pisel moved to North Carolina in 1999 where she's raised four children in Hickory.

She said being able to meet readers and fans is one of her favorite things to do when it comes to being a writer.

"Anybody could do what I've just done," Pisel said. "I want to encourage anybody who has that dream to go for it because there is a 100 percent failure rate if you don't.

"I think there are many people in this room who have very good writing skills...I think this could happen to anybody."

Polly Watson is a CVCC English professor and advisor for The Write Stuff club and knew as soon as she read the book she wanted to meet Pisel. Watson described Pisels book as incredible and was on the front row of her premier of the novel at the Barnes & Noble in Hickory.

She has the desire to publish a book one day as well and like Harriman was eager to learn everything she could from Pisels visit.

Truly, I feel like Im floating in the clouds that I have this opportunity to meet and work with someone who is local, right here in Catawba County and bring it to my students and CVCC, Watson said.

From the moment I read her book, in every one of my classes, I have talked about some of the things Angela brought up in her talk about writing at Barnes & Noble as well as bits and pieces from the story.
KYIV. Jan 27 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Municipal institution Mykolaiv Development Agency has designed 16 business projects to attract investors to the city, Agency Director Vasyl Hoshovsky has said.

"These are turn-key businesses ready to be introduced as investment projects. Today we have drawn up 16 projects. The main thing is that we have worked out a scheme how we can design these projects and we will work on it in the future," Hoshovsky said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday.

He said that first 16 business cases are first linked to those spheres of business which are of top priority for Mykolaiv today and which have advantages compared to other cities and regions of Ukraine.

"These are projects with investments from $1 million to around $50 million. The key spheres are small-size shipbuilding, agricultural product processing and agroindustrial complex. A project to build a class A shopping and leisure center is also proposed. This is one of the largest projects in the business cases," Hoshovsky said.

He said that the website Invest in Mykolaiv was designed for potential investors. The website is being tested and will be launched soon. Investors will be able to see land parcels on the city's map that will be put up for auction. The parcels can be used for construction and municipally-owned facilities. They will be put up for sale or leasing.

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said that city authorities have shaped the first version of the investment map of the city intended to show competitive advantages of Mykolaiv to potential investors.

"This is a first tool of this level in Mykolaiv. It makes clear the things we have not only for residents of the city, but for people who are looking for territories for investment," Senkevych said.

He said that in 2016 private investment in Mykolaiv totaled $320 million. Most of it was sent to develop the port zone of the city and construction of terminals.

Senkevych said that in 2017 investment in the city could fall, as there are no large projects that would be launched soon.

"There is the internal investor  the company Nibulon. It seeks to invest in its fleet expansion and starts river communications I think that the zone adjacent to the port near rivers will start developing," he said.
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Many years ago, the late Bhajanlal Bishnoi, the chief minister of Haryana, in response to an alleged rape in the state flippantly remarked that women are meant for that. The exact phrase used is more evocative: aurat toh bhogne ke liye hi hai! At that time this kind of misogyny was par for the course. After the Nehru era, our leaders were increasingly coarse bumpkins but our media too was very sensitised on gender issues.

This kind of somewhat risque comments were not considered fit for polite company but not considered outrageous either. Bhajanlal got a slight rap on his knuckles from the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and went about his business as usual. In these days this would be considered unpardonable but general attitudes overall have not changed very much. Women are still for most part treated as objects of desire and more so among politicians. Donald Trump should do well here.

To complicate these attitudes is the marked racial or colour preferences due to our own history and evolution as a nation. The very first struggle between invading Aryans and the earlier settlers, the Dravidians has been mythologised as the struggle between the light skinned Devas and the dark skinned Asuras. The consequent Hindu caste structure was essentially racial. Even the fused pantheon of Gods took care of the colour bias by making the dark skinned Gods blue.

Read: Sexist! boorish! misogynist! and this must change now

We generally link beauty with fairness of skin. We are still quite far from the Martin Luther King dream of a country where people are not judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. Hence it should not surprise anyone that even a Vinay Katiyar, a person who hails from the purported birthplace of yet another blue God, Rama, should consider beauty as directly proportional to lightness of complexion.

So, Katiyar, obviously alarmed by the political impact of Priyanka Gandhis entry into the UP election cauldron, but affecting nonchalance says: There are many beautiful star campaigners (in the BJP). There are many heroines and artistes who are more beautiful. Speaking in Hindi he refers to her as gori which simply means fair one.

Speaking elsewhere on the important topic of the citizens duty to vote, senior politician Sharad Yadav said: It is necessary to educate people at large on the importance of ballot paper. Honour of vote is bigger and important than honour of daughter. If daughters honour is compromised, it only affects the village or community but if the votes honour is compromised, it impacts the entire nation. His concern that people should vote is well-meant but his analogy is patently stupid.

He also has well known opinions about westernised women and their values and has famously referred to such ladies as par kati mahilaen. It is a phrase that can interchangeably refer to women as pet birds whose wings are clipped as well as women with cut hair. But at least he is on record not equating beauty with colour. He did make that infamous comment about how he gets turned on by saanvali dusky South Indian beauties, outraging the DMK MP Kanimozhi no end. Clearly colour clouds our outlook.

Read: Sharad Yadav to Vinay Katiyar: A despicable list of sexist remarks by politicos

To set right these attitudes we have NDTV now carrying on a bold, and even if somewhat self-serving, campaign against whitening creams which rails against the preference for light complexions. The ads make the point effectively but by just making it in black and white the implicit colour bias doesnt disappear. It only masks the colour bias. Why then are the lady anchors and interviewers on the channel so heavily made up to lighten their complexions?

Writing about 50 years ago in Soul on Ice the Black Panther activist, Elridge Cleaver, wrote that the biggest harm white people did to black people was instil in them their notions of physical beauty. White women and men epitomised these standards of beauty. Light hair, pink complexions, blue eyes, slim bodies and so on. So much so that black people even began disliking themselves. Some tried to escape their negritude (Aimee Cesares word) by using whitening creams and hair straighteners.

Read: Not just Abu Azmi: Remarks by other leaders highlight misogyny in politics

We Indians are not very different when it comes to standards of physical beauty. We benchmark physical beauty with western standards and notions of good looks. It probably has much to do with the repeated conquests of northern India by light skinned races starting with the Aryans and ending with the English. The Hindu caste and class structure is now racist with complexion as its basic foundation. It is the same with Muslims, where the indigenous Muslim occupying the lower stratas of their community.

These notions have permeated the entire country and the sale of whitening creams and beauty aids are related to the spread of complexions.

Media houses like NDTV have made a bold beginning but they must also put their money where their mouths are.

Mohan Guruswamy is an economic and policy analyst

The views expressed are personal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called the Congress party a sinking boat and accused it of bad mouthing Punjabs youth as he kick-started the campaign for SAD-BJP coalition ahead of state assembly elections.

Some people are out to malign the image of the Punjab. Political points are being scored by spoiling the image of Punjab around the world. For the sake of Punjab, punish such people, so that they dare not do this again, PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister Narendra was speaking at a rally in Jalandhar to muster support for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance, which is battling anti-incumbency after 10 years of rule.

In Uttar Pradesh, Congress constantly took digs at the Samajwadi Party. When the voters did not respond to their message they took advantage of fissures in the SP and joined hands with them, Modi said.

Despite efforts by the Congress, people of Punjab want to see Badal sahab (chief minister Parkash Singh Badal) stay as the chief minister.

Modi praised also the chief minister, saying he spent years in public life but never changed parties or compromised on ideals. The only thing that matters for him is Punjab, he said.

The state will go to the polls on February 4 and the votes will be counted on March 11. Election campaigning will conclude on February 2.

The BJPs has promised a speedy implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in the state, besides building physical infrastructure, eliminate poverty, ensure education and health care for people.

The party has also promised free education till the PhD level for girls from economically weaker sections as well as jobs for every family.

Modi will also address a rally at Kotkapura in Malwa on January 29. Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Narendra Tomar and Avinash Rai Khanna are also expected to campaign for the combine.
Electorates from Patiala assembly constituency were conspicuous by their absence in a roadshow Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal held at the home turf of Patiala royal scion and PPCC President Amarinder Singh on Friday.

The crowd for the show was drawn from neighbouring districts and constituencies such as Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangur and all other rural assembly segments in Patiala district.

Kejriwal was campaigning for AAP candidate Balbir Singh, who is pitted against Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dals general (retired) JJ Singh.

Kejriwal was also shown black flags by Congressmen at some places.

The AAP, however, termed the roadshow historic, claiming on cyber space the entire city converged to welcome Kejriwal.

The Congress dubbed it as a flop show by citing that no local voters turned up for the event.

Accompanying with AAP MP and Jalalabad candidate Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal kicked off the show by paying tribute at the statue of Dalit icon Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar near a local bus stand.

He said if voted to power, AAP government would give exemplary punishment to those involved in the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and attack on Sikh preacher Sant Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale last year.

We are here to form a corruption-free government. AAP is getting a huge response from the people due to some divine intervention, said Kejriwal.

Later he spoke at a gathering at Ghanaur, where the crowd was much less compare to the rally Bhagwant Mann addressed last week.

At the public meeting, Kejriwal claimed Congresss chief ministerial face Captain Amarinder, chief minister and Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, along with many other top leaders of these two parties are sure to face humiliating defeat in the ensuing assembly polls in Punjab.

All the 117 assembly constituencies in the state will go to poll on February 14.

Law & Order situation in Punjab has plunged to a new low and currently jungle raj is prevailing in the state, the AAP leader said.

He claimed that that people of the state have already made up their mind to oust the SAD-BJP government in favour of an honest dispensation led by common men (aam aadmi).

Bhagwant Mann claimed the state is witnessing a political Tsunami in favour of the AAP with people waiting for the polling day to show SAD-BJP-Congress combine the exit door from politics.

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Sukhbir Singh is angry and for a variety of reasons. In Gurdaspur, where hes from, he says the families of fallen soldiers have been given a raw deal. The widows of those martyred in last years terror attack in Pathankot  the border town where hes headed  are still running from pillar to post for their compensation, he claims.

Driving his truck through the electorally significant Doaba region, Sukhbir and his assistant, Gagandeep, survey a landscape that, they say, has been chronically maladministered.

As the winter morning breeze makes the cabin colder, the two get agitated in tandem, recounting their litany of woes in poll-bound Punjab.

The son of an ex-army man, Sukhbir is a class 12th pass out. His immediate surrounding never held out hope and he is employed as a low-paid helper in a truck and gets to drive occasionally when the driver opts to take rest.

Driven by despair, many in his village have left: his younger brother Jaspreet is waiting for a medical test before he can attempt to go abroad.

Sukhbir has no means to escape the dreary existence, and hopes that the assembly elections on February 4 will change things for the better for people like him.

He and Gagandeep differ on the possible outcome of the polls. Gagandeep feels the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will win. Sukhbir is not so sure which of the two  AAP or Congress  will emerge victorious, though he agrees that the Badals will lose due to anger against the ruling family.

Truck tales part 1 | Punjab election: Who are the truckers voting for?

The two men, however, agree on one thing  Punjab desperately requires a surgical strike to set right the wrongs. And both feel that residents of Doaba  the region with 23 seats  will determine Punjabs future course in great measure.

A large number of AAP supporters from abroad have begun campaigning in Doaba, also famous as the NRI belt.

Sukhbir, on the contrary, says the Congress led by Captain Amarinder Singh has an edge. The party had won 6 of the 23 seats in 2012 and hopes to improve its tally. It has fielded sugar baron Rana Gurjit Singh  Punjabs richest candidate  from Kapurthala.

The duo pulls up at a roadside dhaba in Machiwara for lunch and other drivers join them in an animated discussion on the polls, spicing up the food on the table.

Manjeet Singh, 47, a trucker for 26 years, is angry with the Badals, so much so that he blames the ruling family for taking credit for roads built by the Union government.

A government driver is paid Rs 20,000 and a private driver barely makes half that amount despite working for 24 hours. We also have children to raise. We want change too, no matter who comes to power, he says.

Deep in Doaba, drug abuse is an issue thats topping the election agenda alongside unemployment. Most of its residents blame the administration for the festering menace.

Why do drivers have to depend on drugs to travel in the night. The demand will decrease if the supply is reduced, suggests Gagandeep as Sukhbir gets the documents and the vehicle checked at a check post.

As the truck travels past a police training camp in Jalandhar, the conversation between the two turns to corruption and nepotism.

Punjabis either want to do farming or join the army or police force. Under Badal rule, even a 7-ft high candidate is not selected while a 5-ft gets a job in police, just because he is close to the ruling family, Sukhbir says as the truck crosses the toll plaza at Tanda.

The issues confronting Doaba have been crying out for redressal since long. Politicians and their parties have promised solutions in the past but failed to deliver, resulting in voter fatigue.

Nearly 400 km into their journey stretching 23 hours, both Gagandeep and Sukhbir are visibly tired. An agreement still eludes them on who will win. Then they decide to let it go: Ki farq painda paaji. Chalani to truck hi hai na (How does it matter who comes to power. We will continue to drive trucks anyway, Sukhbir sighed, as Pathankot neared.

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China Bans Export Of Military Materials To North Korea

China has banned the export to North Korea of materials and technologies that can be used to build military equipment, from components to develop nuclear missiles to video cameras and sensors reported the Ministry of Commerce.

This ministry, together with other Chinese government agencies, released a list on Wednesday, which is published in the official press, detailing the goods and technologies that their companies can not sell to the neighboring country.

The Ministry of Commerce said that the publication of the document, which came into force on January 25, is aligned with the latest sanctions against the regime in Pyongyang adopted by the UN in November, in response to its nuclear tests.

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Local analysts interpreted this move as an attempt to prove that China is complying with UN resolutions, after criticism by US President Donald Trump and his candidate for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson.

China's list includes products that can be used for civilian purposes, but also have military utility. Submarines, materials, and equipment to develop nuclear missiles and chemical weapons, rocket-related or drone-related software, high-speed video cameras, sensors, telecommunications devices and lasers from this inventory.

Together with the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense, the Atomic Energy Authority and the General Administration of Customs participated in the preparation of this list.

The ban on Chinese exports could strike a blow to the North Korean arms industry, which depends on the outside for its development, but it is unclear what effect it will have on the Pyongyang government, predicted the director of the University's Asian Research Center Yanbian, Jin Qiangyi.

"Our purpose is to persuade North Korea to return to the negotiating table or to take reform measures, and we should also pay attention to the livelihood of the North Korean people," Jin told the Global Times.

Beijing is the traditional ally of Pyongyang, but relations between the two communist countries are going through a stage of detachment, as Chinese authorities struggled to distance himself from the weapons testing regime of Kim Jong-un and supported international sanctions that are punishing.

Despite its rejection of North Korean military escalation, the Chinese government is also opposed to the deployment of the US anti-missile shield THAAD in South Korea, which it considers a threat to its own security.

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An independent candidate in Uttar Pradesh has said that making money is his sole agenda for contesting the assembly polls in the state, a remark that could invite the Election Commissions wrath for potentially violating its code of conduct.

Gopal Chaudhary is contesting from Agra South where voting will be held in the first phase on February 11.

Mera chunaav mein koi mudda nahin, bas ek personal mudda hainmujhe paisa kamaana hai, invest karna hai and saari suvidhaye khari karna hain (I have no agenda. I only have a personal agendaI want to make money and invest it, Chaudhary told reporters on Thursday.

A video clip of his interview has gone viral on social media with many praising him for his honesty while others ridiculed him for demeaning the democratic tradition of voting.

This is what is happening in politicswhoever comes into politics makes money, fills his home. Look at what the ministers of Samajwadi Party are doing. I will also do the same, he said in Hindi, accusing leaders of the ruling party of corruption.

#WATCH: Independent candidate Agra South Gopal Chaudhary says 'my only reason for coming into politics is money, I'll fool people" pic.twitter.com/sYfPIdhiYC  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 27, 2017

Asked how he will win the elections, Chaudhary said he will fool the voters like others.

Itni badi Hindustan mein, sawa so crore janata ko bewakoof bana kar koi banda PM ban jaata hai, toh uss mein koi kaabiliyat toh hogi. Waise hi mai bhi bewakoof banaunga (In such a large country like India, if one man can fool 125 crore people and become the prime minister, it means that he must have some capability of fooling the public. So, why cant I do it? I will also fool public. I will use all my wits), he said, in what appeared to be a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also laid out his plans for making money, saying that 25% of the development funds could be his. He admitted to being without full knowledge of making money but added that he will learn quickly with the help of government officials.

Many people said on social media said Chaudharys comments have a ring of truth as corruption has allegedly become all-pervading in politics.

Over the years, the poll panel has implemented a raft of measures clean up elections and politics, barring those convicted in criminal cases from contesting elections. It has also imposed caps on election expenditure to end corrupt practices in elections.

The ECs model of conduct is in force in Uttar Pradesh where voting will be held in seven phases.
Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay on Friday asked disappointed ticket aspirants within the party not to contest the state assembly polls as independents against party nominees and work for the partys victory.

Talking to reporters in Dehradun, Upadhyay said party leaders who had announced they would contest as Independents should drop the plan for the partys sake, and those who had already entered the fray should withdraw before it was too late.

Reminding them of the recent pledge they had taken at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis rally in Rishikesh that they will not oppose the official nominees of the party, Upadhyay said, After taking a pledge like that, it becomes the duty of every Congress worker to throw all their might into ensuring the win of partys official candidates.

Breaking a vow is sinful, he said.

Congress is grappling with rebellion from within the party in over half a dozen seats in the state, including Sahaspur, from where Upadhyay himself is the partys official nominee.

Party leader Aryendra Sharma, who was a strong contender for the seat, entered the fray as an Independent after resigning from all party positions.

When asked about Sharmas candidature, Upadhyay said he would appeal to him too to withdraw from the fray in favour of the partys official nominee.

He (Sharma) should understand that when he was fielded by the party last time from the seat, some party workers must have been denied a ticket from there, the Congress state unit chief said.

Disappointed ticket seekers within the party have decided to contest as Independents from over half a dozen seats in the state, including Sahaspur, Dehradun Cantt, Rudraprayag and Devprayag.

The hill state along with Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Goa goes to poll next month.
State-owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and gas utility GAIL India Ltd today signed a pact with Andhra Government for setting up a Rs 40,000 crore petrochemical plant.

The 50:50 joint venture will set up a 1.5 million tons Ethylene Derivatives plant, which will produce a wide range of petrochemical raw materials for the manufacture of detergents, paints and coatings, cosmetics, textiles and adhesives.

GAIL was also in news as the company approved issuance of bonus shares to reward shareholders.

The Board of Directors of the company in its meeting on January 25 recommended the issuance of one bonus share of Rs 10 for existing three equity shares of Rs 10 each fully paid up, subject to the shareholders approval, GAIL said in a statement.

Consequently, the paid-up share capital of the company will increase from Rs 1,268.48 crore to Rs 1,691.30 crore. GAIL had last issued bonus shares of one fully paid-up bonus share for every two equity shares in October 2008.

Also, it approved payment of interim dividend for the financial year 2016-17 at the rate of 85 per cent (Rs 8.5 per equity share) on the paid-up equity share capital of the company.

The government holds 56.57 per cent of shares in GAIL and the interim dividend would give it Rs 604.94 crore. Besides it will get dividend tax.

GAILs Board also approved raising of funds through secured/unsecured, redeemable, non-convertible, taxable rupee bonds of up to Rs 750 crore with green shoe option up to 100 per cent of issue size aggregating up to Rs 1,500 crore on private placement basis, in one or more tranches.

The decision has been taken in order to enhance shareholders value and acknowledge their support to the Company over the years, said BC Tripathi, chairman and managing director.

The issue of the rupee bonds would help in funding the growing capex requirements for the future growth of the company, he said.

Giving details of the projects in progress, Tripathi said that work on the prestigious JagdishpurHaldiaBokaroDhamra gas pipeline project, popularly called the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga, is going on in full swing and GAIL is committed to complete the project within scheduled time.

Work on the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar sections of the Urja Ganga project has made significant progress and the next phase of the project is likely to commence in the second half of 2017.

Also, the expansion of the petrochemical plant at Pata in Uttar Pradesh has stabilised. The production from subsidiary Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Ltds plant in Assam is being ramped up, he said.

GAIL is looking to capture new markets for petrochemical products and has commenced exports to China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Vietnam.

GAIL shares ended todays trading at Rs 482.50, up 1.39%.
India and Indonesia are better position against the proposed border tax laws, proposed by the newly elected American president Donald Trump, compared to some of the other Asian economies, reports suggested.

Under the current proposals for the US border adjustment tax, exports will be exempted from the calculation of the US corporate taxable incomes, while imports will be taxed.

In a scenario of no or limited USD adjustment, US import prices could rise as much as 25 per cent, resulting in Asia exports declining 3-4 per cent in aggregate, and shaving around 0.5 per cent from the regions GDP, Credit Suisse said in a research note.

According to global financial services major Credit Suisse, Asian economies like Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia look most vulnerable to a possible US move to border adjustment tax as these countries export product mix that have higher price elasticity, meaning demand is more sensitive to changes in import prices.

The hit to GDP of these most exposed four economies would be around 0.5-0.9 per cent due to a likely decline in exports to the US, the report noted.

India and Indonesia, on the other hand, are better positioned, partly because their export products are less price elastic, the report adding that these two economies are less exposed to border tax adjustments in the US due to their lower share of exports to the US as a share of GDP.

The report jotted down some of the other potential risks to Asian economies that could come from the US border adjustment tax like -- rapid USD appreciation, other economies (like China) would also respond with its own version of border adjustment tax or other similar policies among others, it added.
Bodies of the four soldiers who went missing after avalanches struck an army camp and patrol in Gurez area of Jammu and Kashmirs Bandipora district have been recovered, taking the death toll to 14.

Army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said the search operation had been stopped. We recovered four more bodies which were part of the army patrol. Every soldier has been accounted for, he said.

A series of avalanches struck army installations and residential houses in Bandipora on Wednesday after Kashmir valley received record snowfall in a decade in the month of January.

The avalanches swept away an army camp of 51 Rashtriya Rifles taking the lives of three soldiers. A JCO (junior commissioned officer) and six soldiers were rescued from the camp.

Another avalanche struck an army patrol in the same region from which seven bodies were recovered on Thursday.

Four members of a family were killed in the district after their house collapsed due to heavy snowfall. Police said that their house had come under an avalanche.

In a separate avalanche in Ganderbal district, an army major also lost his life on Wednesday.

Kashmir has been witnessing one of the severest winters since 2006 and 1992, with heavy snow across the territory and temperature dropping to minus 7 degrees Celsius. But conditions are expected to improve from January 27, said director meteorological centre, Sonam Lotus.

Besides militancy, weather has been a major adversary of armed forces in Kashmir. Avalanches caused a third of the army fatalities between 2007 and 2012 in the Valley.

On February 3 last year, 10 soldiers were killed after an avalanche hit Siachen Glacier, the worlds highest and coldest battlefield.

The latest disaster zone is close to the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border with Pakistan.

Police said heavy snow damaged 13 houses, three shops and a shrine in Budgam and Ganderbal districts.

About 150 people were evacuated on Wednesday from avalanche-prone Khadiyall and Ismarg villages of Gurez.

Since the start of heavy snowfall on Tuesday, at least seven civilians have died in the Valley including four members of family in Bandipora.

Authorities have issued avalanche warnings, advising residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.
HARIDWAR

Chief minister Harish Rawat on Friday filed his nomination from Haridwar rural constituency for the February 15 assembly poll.

Rawat on Wednesday filed nomination from Kichha constituency, becoming the hill states first chief minister to contest from two seats.

Rawat performed a puja at Har-Ki-Pauri before filing nomination at the collectorate office.

Congress workers rally in support of Harish Rawat in Haridwar on Friday. (HT PHOTO)

Haridwar rural constituency has a sizeable Muslim and Dalit voters. In 2012, Congress candidate lost from the seat to BJPs Swami Yateshawaranand, who got renomination. The BSP has fielded Mukram Ansari.

The seat came into existence in 2012 following demarcation. Earlier, the area was a part of Laldhang constituency.

We want development of our village. There are a lot problems in our village like contaminated drinking water and health facilities etc, said Ajay Saini from Dhanpura village that falls in the constituency.

Some voters, meanwhile, expressed reservation about the Congress not fielding a local candidate.

We do not like outsiders. CM Harish Rawat is an outsider. Local leader can understand our problems very well than others, said Mukesh Chauhan, a local.
An interesting battle is on the cards in Sitarganj as Congress has pitted a Bengali candidate against the son of former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna who recently switched allegiance to BJP.

Given Sitarganjs substantial Bengali population, Congress has fielded Malti Biswas  the wife of former Pradesh Congress Committee member Shyam Vishwas. Malti is a zilla panchayat member from Shaktifarm area for two terms. Meanwhile, Saurabh Bahuguna, a Pahadi candidate, is taking care of the constituency for last five years.

Of the 1.05 lakh voters in Sitarganj, Bengalis number around 33,000. In 2012, BJP fielded a Bengali candidate, Kiran Mandal, who defeated BSPs Narayan Pal by a margin of 12,612 votes. But Vijay Bahuguna (then with Congress) won the by-election in July 2012 defeating BJPs Prakash Pant with a large margin of 39,954 votes.

Former BSP legislator Narayan Pal had held this seat twice in the past. The scale is slightly tipped in the Congress candidates favour as there are around 22,000 Muslim voters in the constituency.

There is no such thing called the Bengali factor. People vote on developmental issues. There are more than 80,000 votes outside Shaktifarm area where the Bengali community is concentrated and this constituency has a mix of all communities. I have worked for the past five years and earned love of all communities, Saurabh says.

Congress has given ticket to Malti Biswas from Sitarganj. (HT PHOTO)

Biswas is confident that people will vote on the agenda of development. My aim is to work for the betterment of all communities and not just focus on some . Yes, there is a sizeable population of Bengalis here but we represent all communities.

Amit Biswas, who recently resigned as BJP Yuva Morcha president, admit Bengali voters are crucial in Sitarganj. There is high voting from the Bengali community and the candidate who gets their votes becomes the winner. Muslim votes get divided among Congress and Independent candidates. He, however, rejects the assumption that a non-Bengali candidate faces disadvantage. Our community votes for development and not on regional lines because we want progress.

Former Lok Sabha MP Balraj Passi, a member of BJP National Council, says the Bengali factor will not mar BJPs prospects as Saurabh is popular for the work he did in last five years. Gone are the days of casteism and regionalism. People vote for development. He adds Saurabh enjoys good rapport with the community.

Bengali settlers started arriving in Udham Singh Nagar district from East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) to escape atrocities in the 1960s. The trend continued even after the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. The settlers were given shelter here by the then Uttar Pradesh chief minister and later home minister Govind Ballabh Pant under instructions of Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.

Now, their descendants are vying for quota under Scheduled Caste category but their efforts have not borne fruits. The early settlers were given six acre of land each but those arriving after 1971 didnt enjoy the benefit. In Udham Singh Nagar district, there are around 1.25 lakh Bengalis living in Dineshpur, Shakti Farm, Khatima, Sitarganj, Gularbhoj, Gadarpur, Kichha among others.

The community is demanding landholding rights, which were given partially to them. Premanand Mahajan, also from the community, was earlier elected twice from Pantnagar-Gadarpur seat.
Dehradun: Despite the election commission restricting use of loudspeaker for poll campaigning to low noise levels, political leaders in the hill state feel that it was a significant tool to convey a message easily to voters.

Loudspeaker is a traditional medium of communicating. It has vast reach. Without disturbing anyone, the message is easily conveyed through it, BJP spokesman Devendra Bhasin told HT. BJP candidate from Raipur seat Umesh Sharma Kau said, Loudspeakers help connect.

Brijesh, who is campaigning for the Congress, said: You can stop the loudspeaker if you are near schools and hospitals and can restart it.

Noting disturbance to peace and tranquillity of public, the poll panel under Article 324 of the constitution allowed use of loudspeakers between 8 am till 7 pm. Permission to use loudspeakers shall be obtained from the state commission and violation beyond specified timings would be dealt seriously.

Loudspeaker operators said they were looking forward to brisk business. We charge anything between 1,000-3,000 a day as rental for a loudspeaker, said Pratap, a loudspeaker operator at Kanwali Road.

Sudeep Kumar, who provides loudspeaker and other accessories for parties, said, Round the year, we manage with around 10 loudspeakers. But due to elections, I have ordered more from Delhi. Campaigning in Uttarakhand will run at least for another fortnight and this is the time to make healthy business in all districts.

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Delhi government on Friday dismissed reports about the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) scrutinising the foreign trips of ministers and bureaucrats, saying that they have not received any communication from the central audit body. It also sought to drag in the NDA government at the Centre by pointing to the clearance of such trips by the ministries of external affairs and home.

Since the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Delhi two years back, its ministers, especially deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, have made headlines by their frequent foreign trips  as many as 10 in the past one-and-a-half years. Last September, Sisodia drew flak from the AAPs political rivals for staying in the cool climes of Finland when Delhi was in the grip of chikungunya and dengue.

While chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was away in the Vatican City in early September, then lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung asked the general administration department to provide details of the foreign trips of ministers and officials. State home minister Satyendra Jain trained his guns at the then L-G, asking derisively whether he also sought details of Prime Minister Narendra Modis foreign tours.

DNA newspaper reported on Friday that the CAG has written to Delhi finance, general administration and urban development departments, asking details such as purpose of the foreign visits by ministers and bureaucrats and the cost they incurred to the exchequer.

A Delhi government spokesperson, however, denied the report, maintaining that none of the ministers received any communication from the CAG about their foreign trips. Moreover, all foreign trips of Delhi ministers are preceded by clearances from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Home Ministry. So, there is nothing to be investigated, said the spokesperson.

Government officials said that the CAG auditing is a routine procedure that involves a series of communications between the central auditor and the departments concerned. After the draft report is made, comments are again sought from concerned departments before finalising the report, which is tabled in Parliament.

A CAG spokesperson refused to comment on the media report about the scrutiny of AAP ministers foreign tours.
A day after a CCTV footage showing 26-year-old Sonu Gupta throw her three-year-old son Ansh off the stairs emerged, the womans in-laws said it was her father-in-law Ravinder Guptas remarks that triggered the rage.

The family members said they were watching the movie, Baghban, when Ravinder made an adverse comment about how children of the current generation treat parents.

Sonu was sitting in the same room. According to her in-laws, she got very angry over Ravinders comments and entered into a verbal argument with him. She allegedly screamed at him, picked up Ansh and threw him off the staircase.

The incident was reported on January 21 from southeast Delhis Pul Prahladpur area.

Sonu left the house with the child on Thursday when the news was flashed by several television channels.

Police traced the woman to Faridabad and detained for questioning. Sonu Gupta has joined investigation. She is being interrogated to find out what circumstances led to the incident. DCP, southeast, Romil Baniya said.

Sonu told police that she used to have frequent tiffs with her in-laws. She said that she had verbal arguments with her in-laws frequently and on the day of the incident, she lost her temper. Sonu claims that she was pretending to throw the child but he slipped and fell down the stairs, said Baniya.

The maid, Anju, who was putting unwashed clothes in the washing machine at the time of the incident, ran towards the staircase to save Ansh. Ravinder too got up and followed Anju. The CCTV footage shows the family dog following them.

Read: Delhi baby beaters: Why mothers are turning angry, violent

Ansh did not suffer any injuries. He was wearing thick winter clothes, which saved him, said Vimlesh Gupta, Sonus mother-in-law.

Vimlesh said that the incident took place around 3.40 pm on January 21. Ravinder was sitting on the couch watching TV. Ansh, who had returned from playschool, was sleeping on the bed in the same room. His mother was sitting nearby.

Ravinder was watching Baghban and got emotional. He said what he wanted. His exact words were Bachche log kaise karte hai aaj kal (how do children behave these days). Sonu got angry and started arguing with him. What followed was horrific, Vimlesh said.

Nitin Gupta, Sonus husband, lodged a complaint on January 26 at Pul Prahladpur police station. A case under section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was registered. In his statement to police, Nitin said that he had installed CCTV camera in the house after Sonu began beating his mother and son.

Read: Pink, blue, yellow, all taken: Delhi Metro running out of colours for new lines

Speaking to HT, Nitin said: I knocked at the door on Friday morning but no one answered. I thought she must be sleeping so I called her on her mobile but she did not respond. I opened the door using the spare keys and found that she had left with my son and some valuables, he said.

He then went to the police station to inform them about her being missing. The police swung into action and put her number on technical surveillance. She had gone to Faridabad with her son as she got scared after watching the news in the morning. The TV channels were running the CCTV footage and she feared that she may get arrested, so she left the house with her son. Our team detained her, a police officer said.

Meanwhile, the Child Welfare Committee handed over Ansh to his maternal uncle.

Read: Delhi Chak De girls chase down snatchers, beat them blue as traffic cops watch

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(Xinhua) 10:00, January 27, 2017

The UN Women has called for policies and strategies to help Africa ensure women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work.

The call was made on Thursday at the opening of the Africa Ministerial Pre-Consultative Meeting on the Commission of the Status of Women 61st Session.

The meeting was held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa under the theme "Women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work."

The changing world of work is offering both challenges and opportunities for women, young, and old as well as for the displaced persons on the African continent, noted Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director, in her remarks at the opening of the meeting.

"We are also impacted and influenced by the fourth industrial revolution which is driven by the digital technology and ICTs as well as the green revolution which is also ahead of us," she said.

"Africa is a continent has much to gain from making effective change in the world of work. Because our young economies, our challenged economies also need to work, work even much better for women," the executive director said.

Speaking on the occasion, Giovanie Biha, Deputy Executive Secretary for Knowledge Delivery of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said more than three-quarters of women in Africa are estimated to be in vulnerable employment.

More than 70 percent of African women are in the informal employment, characterized by precariousness, endemic low pay and difficult working conditions, according to Biha.

Access to decent, productive employment remains a persistent defining challenge for the majority of African women, she noted.

"This situation exposes women to risks as they lack access to social protection or social security services linked to formal employment," she said. "Thus, women face double discrimination, related to gender equality and discrimination inherent to the nature of informal sector."

She also recalled that African women shoulder the burden of unpaid care work because of unequal intra-household power relationships and division of labor.

Demitu Hambisa, Ethiopian Minister of Women and Children Affairs, noted that women's participation in the economic sphere is narrow and largely confined to domestic work.

"They are mostly engaged in low-paying unskilled jobs in the formal economic sector, which makes them largely reliant on men for economic support for themselves and their families," said the minister.

The UN Women states that the economic costs of gender disparity in labor market in sub-Saharan Africa is constraining achievements of its full economic potential, averaging a loss of about 95 billion U.S. dollars annually since 2010.

The UN Women underlines the need for gender responsive macro-economic policies, programs that recognize women's potential as drivers of Africa's transformation agenda and address barriers to their full participation. Enditem
A gang that extorted money from politicians, ministers and bureaucrats by impersonating as top ranked political leaders of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was busted by the Delhi police on Friday.

The rackets kingpin Sanjay Tiwari, a 40-year-old man who claimed to be a journalist, and his associate, Gaurav Sharma, 23, were arrested on Wednesday from near ITO in Delhi following investigation into a similar case.

Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime) said that posing as Ram Madhav, BJPs national general secretary, Tiwari allegedly tried to extort 10 lakh from Amar Kumar Bauri, minister of revenue, registration and land in the Jharkhand government.

Police said the two were allegedly demanding money for party funds for the upcoming elections in Punjab, Goa and Uttar Pradesh.

The unknown caller made eight to 10 calls to me and my PA. I personally spoke to Shri Ram Madhav and he confirmed that no such calls were made by him or from his office, Bauri told HT over phone.

Read: Romancing at Talkatora: Delhis Chashme Baddoor garden will be lovable again

According to Yadav, Tiwari was previously involved in 17 cases of cheating, blackmailing and extortion registered in Delhi and other states since 2005. He was arrested twice in the past, last time in October 2016 when he and his accomplices allegedly tried to extort money from former BJPs South Delhi MLA Anil Sharma by falsely claiming to be organising a hawan on behalf of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Sanjay Tiwari, who says he is a journalist.

Tiwari was bailed out in November 2016 and since then he disclosed to have cheated at least 10 high-profile politicians, including former deputy chief minister of Manipur Achoba Singh, on one pretext or the other. He took R50,000 from Pramila Rani of BJP from Assam by impersonating as PA to the minister of development of north-eastern region (DONER), said Yadav adding none of the matter was reported to the police.

Madhur Verma, DCP (crime), said that on Tuesday, Bauris personal secretary Shushant Mukherjee filed a case and claimed that an unknown caller posing as Ram Madhav was calling the MLA for the past three days and asking him to contribute funds for elections. On verification from the office of Madhav, Verma said, it was learnt that no such communication was ever made.

Read: Mohalla Clinics: Kofi Annan praise fine, but will Delhi govt fix these 4 issues?

Sources in BJP said that Madhavs office was alerted by the Jharkhand MLA, following which they complained to the cops. The extortionist had made similar phone calls to some leaders in the North East, pretending to be Madhav. He allegedly had earlier masqueraded as Sonia Gandhis PA Madhavan, said a source.

A case was registered and we took up the investigation, said Verma adding their probe pointed the needle of suspicion on Sanjay Tiwari and his aides, as they were booked in the past in similar crimes.

Tiwari and his aide Gaurav Sharma were arrested when they arrived near ITO to allegedly collect the extortion money. Two mobile phones that were used for making extortion calls were seized from them. Tiwaris interrogation revealed that he had a long criminal history and operated very meticulously, said police.

Tiwari allegedly used to make a thorough research about his targets, mostly politicians and government officials who had high aspirations, and then lured them with temptations of giving election tickets, a bigger role in party or other favours. He posed as a person of great clout of any national political party or some ministries and convinced the victims that he will arrange their ascendance in the party ranks or get their files and proposals cleared.

Such was the confidence and attitude of Tiwari that his targets would actually forward him their credentials and resumes to lobby for them. They believed him, got entrapped and on enticement, paid him huge amounts in the garb of party donations or election funds, Verma said adding Tiwari also blackmailed some politicians in the past through sting operations.

Read: Pink, blue, yellow, all taken: Delhi Metro running out of colours for new lines

Tiwari has claimed that he earlier worked with former Tehelka magazine editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal and as an associate of famous film director Tanuja Chandra in Mumbai for some months. While working as PA to an MP from Arunachal Pradesh, he hit upon this modus operandi, Yadav added.

Tiwari never collected money in person and instead engaged his chain of staff on payroll for money collection. The staff so hired were also unaware of Tiwaris intentions. This way, identity of Tiwari was never disclosed to the victims.

People recently cheated by Tiwari (Based on his disclosures before police) *R50,000 from Pramila Rani Brahma of BJP from Assam impersonating as PA of Minister in the ministry of development of north eastern region. *R50,000 from Bhika Sole, BJPs Nagaland state president, by posing as PA to national general secretary of BJP in the name party funds. *R10,000 from HR Joshan, ex- Congress MLA from Punjab by impersonating as Madhavan, PA to Congress president Sonia Gandhi by promising him ticket in the forthcoming Punjab assembly elections. *R10,000 from Achoba Singh, ex-deputy CM of Manipur as contribution in constructing a new building by posing as Bhaiyyaji Joshi of RSS. *R10,000 from P Tusiang Sang, parliament secretary, Meghalaya, Congress, impersonating as PA in the ministry of Doner. *R5,000 from Nilo Rangma, former Congress MLA from Nagaland, by posing as Sonai Gandhis PA *R2,000 from KS Thanga, minister in Mizoram Congress, by impersonating as PA in Doner ministry.
She was wearing provocative clothes, Her clothes asked for it, It was her fault  as if rape and molestation is not enough, rape survivors have to deal with bitter comments from people who shame them for no fault of their own.

Rape of a two and half year old girl took place in August 2016.

Giving a befitting reply to such detractors, a Mumbai-based photography service, AIE has come up with a series of art works titled Never asked for it. They have illustrated some popular molestation and rape cases through their works in which the person is represented in the clothes he or she was wearing at the time. The illustrations are accompanied by the location of the crime and age of victims  details that highlight that it is never the victims fault.

Divya Agrawal, co-founder, says, The victim has already been through hell. But our society still blames the victim instead of the culprit. Comments like what was she wearing are like third degree torture. Through our illustrations, we are making a point that its not the victims fault, it doesnt matter what she/he was wearing. Even arguments like why did they go to that area make no sense because a rape happens because someone rapes! Its a crime and the culprit should be held guilty.

The artists have also illustrated Ranveer Singh, who had revealed that he, too, faced the casting couch.

Actor Ranveer Singh confessed that he faced casting couch during his struggling days.

A graduate of IIT Roorkee, Agrawal used to be a civil engineer but turned full-time photographer. It took the team six days to finish these illustrations. We studied different rape and molestation cases, age groups and locations and realised that age or clothes dont matter to a rapist.. It happened to a 2-year-old, a Bollywood star and an old lady. It is just ones mentality, she says. For some cases, we didnt know what clothes the victims wore, so we used our research to visualise them. But did it matter? No. Their clothes dont justify rape.. nothing does.

The Marine Drive rape case took place in 2005 at a police chowki adjacent to the Marine Lines railway station in south Mumbai.

To reach out to a greater audience, the illustrations were posted on social media. The Bangalore incident was a catalyst. We had been meaning to do something for a long time and after this incident, we came up with this project. We are hoping it will create an impact, says Agrawal.

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An `independent director from a political party getting on to the board of a company may seem like a bit of a contradiction in terms. But such appointments are routine in our system. The NDAs Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has now cleared at least 10 politicians affiliated with the ruling party to positions as independent directors of various public sector undertakings (PSU). Among the PSUs are Engineers India Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and National Aluminium Company Ltd. In 2014, the Securities and Exchange Board of India had made amendments to Clause 49 of the listing agreement for companies making it mandatory for at least 50% of directors to be non-executive or independent among which should be one woman director. The UPA too used to appoint its own politicians to various boards.

But by what stretch of the imagination can a politician who is active in a party be called an independent director? Given past experience, this would be an easy way for the government of the day to interfere even more with the workings of the PSUs. Many of the PSUs are bleeding money and they require directors with expertise. A politician with no experience in the core competence of the PSU concerned is more a liability than an asset to the company.

Read: IITians excited by return of recruiters from PSUs

In addition such independent directors are given sitting fees and reimbursed for travel. Nothing wrong with that except that they are expected to add value to the company, which is hardly ever the case. There are several experts available whose knowledge and skills can be utilised by the PSUs.

This practice of nominating politicians is a way of bestowing grace and favour on a chosen few and should not have any place in a merit-based and competitive business operation.

Some of the appointments are downright baffling. A politician whose qualifications are in mass communications has been appointed to Engineers India Ltd. An Andhra Mahila Morcha head has been appointed to the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation Ltd. It may be recalled that in 2014 when United Bank of India was in the news for its rising non-performing assets, the bank had over the preceding years appointed to its board a politician, a media manager and a businessman none of whom had any qualifications to help the ailing bank.

Read: Govt asks PSU banks to focus on opening Jan Dhan accounts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is particular about meritocracy. It is a principle which should apply to the PSUs. The appointment of politicians also brings with it the danger of decisions being pushed with may not be good for business but may be advantageous for the party in power.

Read: Govts plan to consolidate PSU banks may be shelved due to demonetisation

This practice must end and efforts to derail professionalism in PSUs must certainly not come from the ruling party.

It should lead by example and not emulate the worst in its predecessor.
The state government is ready to adopt a pay off formula for the removal of the Kherki Daula toll, but the ball is now in the court of three major stakeholders - industries, realtors, and the Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

Devender Singh, principal secretary, industry department, Haryana government, appealed to the beneficiaries to take up the challenge of salvaging the situation, because of the presence of the Kherki Daula toll on NH 8. On Friday, he shared a statement in a social media group, of which top Haryana government officials and industrialists are members.

Read: Time for Kherki Daula toll plaza on Gurgaon e-way to go

In a report carried on Friday, the Hindustan Times reported that the government was mulling the idea of buying off liabilities to remove the toll for benefit of commuters, industries, and realtors.

Singh told HT on Friday that he had a discussion with Yudhvir Singh Malik, the NHAI chairman, and shared the brief of that meeting, substantiating the progressive efforts being made in this direction.

NHAI has made its stand clear on liabilities. Now, it will have to be a collaborative effort by three major stakeholders such as the industry, HSIIDC and the builders. The land appreciation will go up many times if the Kherki Daula toll is removed and this will benefit the three major stakeholders, said Singh. He said that a sum of 600 crores will have to be contributed by the three beneficiaries.

Complete coverage: Kherki Daula toll

The HSIIDC, industries and developers have consented to pay off the toll for permanent relief from the traffic mess. Two industrial associations - the Manesar Industry Welfare Association (MIWA) and the IMT Manesar Industrial Welfare Association (IMT-IWA)-have already agreed to contribute  200 crore.

S Raghuraman, CEO Millennium City Expressways Private Limited (MCEPL) said, We have not received any communication from the NHAI in this regard. I cannot comment at the moment. MCEPL is the concessionaire appointed by the NHAI for maintenance of 28 kms expressway starting from Rao Tula Ram Marg New Delhi and ends at Kherki Daula toll Gurgaon.

Sudhir Rajpal, managing director HSIIDC, said, The removal would also benefit Hsiidc as many unsold properties value will go high.

Wishing anonymity, a developer said, We have told Haryana government earlier to levy an additional charge on the line of external development charge (EDC) on developers who have obtained licences. The removal of the toll is urgently required for better real estate growth.

Read: My way on highway: HC shuts down Gurgaon toll

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The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) may buy the Kherki Daula toll plaza from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a top Haryana government official told HT.

The removal of the Kherki Daula toll will benefit over 2,200 industries at Manesar, hundreds of commercial and residential real estate projects and many other stakeholders.

Read: Time for Kherki Daula toll plaza on Gurgaon e-way to go

The 23-lane Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway (NH8) has become a major bottleneck.

Sudhir Rajpal, managing director of HSIIDC, said, A rough figure of Rs 600 crore is the liability that needs to be paid to the NHAI. The stakeholders, who will be the direct beneficiaries if the toll is removed, have agreed to contribute in order to pay off liabilities. In its board meeting HSIIDC discussed the issue and appointed a team to prepare a report of stakeholders.

We have spoken with the NHAI and industries at Manesar also. We are trying to resolve the issue, said Rajpal.

Complete Coverage: Kherki Daula - Taking a Toll

Manesar Industry Welfare Association (MIWA) and IMT Manesar Industrial Welfare Association (IMT-IWA) held a separate meeting of members a week ago and submitted their consent to pay Rs 200 crore. MIWA vice president Manmohan Gaind said, We have roughly calculated to pay Rs 200 crore to the HSIIDC. We will not pay any amount beyond that. It is for the HSIIDC to arrange the remaining amount from all other stakeholders. We have spoken with the developers whose projects are held up due to toll and they are also happy to contribute.

If by paying off liabilities we get permanent relief nothing can be better than this. The toll has become a traffic hazard and we have informed HSIIDC how our clients have suffered in unending traffic jams. I am sure developers and the common man would also get permanent relief, said IMT Manesar Industrial Association general secretary Manoj Tyagi.

Read: Haryana CM ML Khattar assures Kherki Daula toll plaza will be removed

In 2002-03, the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) awarded the maintenance of the highway project to Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL).

According to specifications, DGSCL had to maintain two tolls approved by the NHAI  Kherki Daula and Sirhaul toll plazas  for a concession period of 20 years on a build-operate-transfer basis. The period included construction time to encourage the concessionaire to complete it early. The expressway was opened to public in 2008.

In 2014, we removed the Sirhaul Toll plaza and the DGSCL as concessionaire. We appointed Millennium City Expressways Pvt Ltd (MCEPL) as the new concessionaire to maintain the highway, including the Kherki Daula plaza, till 2023, said an NHAI official, refusing to reveal liability amount.

The Sirhaul toll plaza was removed on the orders of the Delhi High Court. HT also carried out a sustained campaign, in which both civil society and local residents participated.

Read: My way on highway: HC shuts down Gurgaon toll

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The Haryana government is mulling to change the status of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) area that falls in Gurgaon and Faridabad. In a meeting on Friday, the divisional commissioner of Gurgaon, D Suresh, asked divisional forest officers of the two districts to identify the total PLPA area and also the status of the yet to be decided natural conservation zone (NCZ) category area.

The move has drawn criticism from environmentalists who say the plan is to remove a large chunk of land from the status of forest to benefit the builders lobby.

About 1,00,000 hectares of land fall under the Aravallis in southern Haryana. More than 25,000 hectares are identified as forest under sections 4 and 5 of PLPA. Around 62,000 hectares have been identified as NCZ, while another 12,800 hectares have been put under the yet to be decided category.

On Monday, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of the divisional commissioner to examine the status of land that falls under sections 4 and 5 of the PLPA. According to the letter, the forest department has been excluded from this exercise. The letter also states that the entire process will take two months and the report will be submitted to the government of Haryana.

Though the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) had asked Delhi-NCR to include more areas under the Aravalli Notification, 1992, and expand Aravalli hills to the whole of NCR, the state government is still planning to dilute the areas which are under PLPA, activists said.

The plan goes against the direction of orders of the Supreme Court and the NGT, and the directions of the MoEFand the NCRPB, to identify forests as per the dictionary meaning, Lt col (retired) Sarvadaman Oberoi, an environmentalist, said.

Activists said the exercise is aimed at diluting the PLPA area. They said the government has all data regarding PLPA as it is protected forest and there was no confusion over the area.

Chetan Agarwal, an environmental analyst, said, Haryanas forest cover is less than 4% and even the dense forest of Mangar bani sacred grove is still not identified by Haryana officially as a forest. If the state government policy is directed by public interest, then it should focus on completing the exercise of identifying forests as per the dictionary meaning, and increase the officially identified forests rather than trying to reduce the PLPA areas currently identified as forest.

The green activists pointed out that Haryana has not taken any steps to identify forests as per the dictionary meaning.

Only those Aravalli areas which were under PLPA notification, or Aravalli plantations areas, are treated as confirmed NCZ so far. Rest of the Aravalli areas are not treated as forest or as NCZ. Instead of identifying forests the Haryana government is trying to exclude PLPA areas, which are the main Aravalli areas positively identified as forest so far, Agarwal said.

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The proposed construction of check dams on the Ghata lake, which was supposed to start in September last year with an aim to hold the runoff from the Aravalli hills, is still caught in the red tape, even though authorities say the project would kickoff by February first week.

Though the forest department and divisional commissioner have held a series of meetings to for release of funds for construction of the check dams, they are yet to get approval from the government.

Read: Forest depts Ghata flood control project still in limbo

The initial proposal was to construct 250 check dams on the Ghata Lake. However, after the forest department conducted a ground analysis of the area, it was found that most of the units were not traceable. The units were proposed for the project based on imageries taken by satellite HarSAC, but it the areas remained untraceable on ground. The project was revised thereafter, and the new proposal outlined five check dams to be built.

The current proposal by the forest department estimated the project cost at R2.15 crore to construct the five check dams, from an earlier estimate of R14 crore for 250 dams.

Read: Forest department proposes five check dams in Ghata to prevent waterlogging in Gurgaon

Once the project gets completed, it is expected to hold the runoff water that usually leads to waterlogging in areas adjacent to Ghata, Wazirabad, Silani, Haiderpur Viran, Chakkarpur and Nathupur.

The city has faced waterlogging on Friday after just one day of rain. Environmentalists say the situation will be much worse during monsoon.

The civic agencies are not learning any lessons. They are repeating the same mistakes over and over. Till now, the Ghata protect has not yet started and the city will again see waterlogging when monsoon comes by June, Said Vivek Kamboj, a green activist.

Meanwhile, Gurgaon divisional commissioner D Suresh said, We will decide on planning of the project on the first week of February. The project will start soon after the meeting. We have scheduled meetings with the forest officials as well.

Read: 250 water pits planned in Ghata village could have saved Gurgaon from havoc

A senior forest officer said, The work will start when we get clarity on funds. We are in talks with the district administration to start the work before monsoon. 

Ghata Lake, a seasonal water body, was documented in the Gazette of India (1883). The natural lake and the bund used to have enough water till five years ago, and it used to be more than 50 feet deep. The proposed water harvesting structures was supposed to hold the runoff from the Aravalli hills.

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A US-based doctor was allegedly duped by a domestic help service agency on Thursday, after the help left the job within few hours of getting R17,000 on her first day of work. The doctors elderly parents, who reside in Park View City-1 at Sohna Road in Gurgaon, hired a help through a Delhi-based agency.

Dr Charu Dutt Arora said his parents stay in the flat and required a full-time help to help them run the chores. Their previous help left the job recently after getting married.

My parents, both in their fifties, wanted someone to help them do the chores. They posted a query for a domestic help on a website. After a few days, an agency contacted us and asked for a commission of Rs 26,000 in cash or 35,000 by cheque. They said they will send a help, who has to be paid a monthly salary of Rs 5,500. We agreed, Dr Arora said.

The agency sent the help with the required documents. She arrived at our flat on Thursday with another person, who left after pocketing Rs 17,000 in cash. We asked him to take the remaining Rs 9,000 once the police verification of the maid is done. He also handed all the original documents (including a photocopy of the maids identity proof). However, within two hours of taking up the job, the maid vanished into thin air, the doctor said.

As the family could not find the maid, they contacted the societys guards and also checked the CCTV footage. They found that the help left the society without informing any one.

The doctors parents then tried contacting the agency. They claimed though the owner of the agency initially promised to look into the matter and get back to us, he later stopped taking calls and eventually switched off his mobile phone. They also found flaws in the maids documents provided by the agency.

Felling helpless, the family contacted the Badshahpur police station. However, they claimed the police werent willing to pursue their case. Till now, no FIR has been registered by the police. They also asked why we didnt go for police verification before hiring the help, Dr Arora said.

Parveen Malik, the station house officer (SHO) of Badshahpur Police station, said, We are looking into the matter and will take required steps in this case.

As the doctor took to social media to highlight his plight, a resident of Malibu Town who also has house on Sohna Road, said his family had a similar experience as well.

Sandra Chaujer, the Malibu Town resident, said she had hired a help though the same agency and it took

Rs 23,000 from her. However, within a couple of hours of taking the job, the help left. They filed a case in Sadar police station on January 12, but nothing, till date, has been done. The police said they are investigating the case.

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Actor Emma Stone has revealed that she was 14 and sitting in a ninth grade history class when she decided to move to LA to pursue a career in acting.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, the 28-year-old actor, who received an Oscar nomination in the best actress category for La La Land, said that it was a moment of epiphany for her while attending the last period of the day at school.

I had this Howard Beale-like moment... I have a revelation that I needed to move to Los Angeles as soon as possible because thats where I needed to go, Emma said.

Calling her decision crazy, she recounts how she convinced her parents to let her go, despite having no exposure to movie or TV cameras.

The Birdman star added that she rushed home from school and started working on a PowerPoint presentation that she titled Project Hollywood.

Its nuts that they agreed to it... I dont condone it. Everybody should go through high school and graduate, Emma laughed.

Stone also went on to say that she was nervous as a child and was prone to panic attacks and debilitating shyness.

But Emma said she owes managing her nervous breakdowns to her after-school youth theatre classes, finding it easy for her to slip into the skin of other characters and gave her another path to interact with others.

I think my parents saw that acting was the thing that made me fulfilled and happy, Emma said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Telugu actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who has been raising the issue of Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh, slammed the state government on Friday after it denied permission for a proposed protest on the issue.

Protesters had given a call for a silent beach protest on Thursday, planned to be held at Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam. To foil it, police had imposed Section 144 of CrPc in the coastal city, banning any assembly of five or more people in an area.

You (government) should have given permission to the youth who wanted to do a peaceful protest. They decided it. It was not a political party calling for a protest. They chose January 26 to convey their collective voice to the Centre because people would come forward as it was Republic Day, Kalyan told reporters in Hyderabad.

The Jan Sena founder, who campaigned for the success of TDP-BJP combine in 2014 elections, has been critical of the NDA government for not giving special category status to AP.

The promise of special category status was made to Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra) by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament when the bill for bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh was passed. The promise was also made by top BJP leaders then.

However, the NDA government announced a package of benefits for the state, stating that special status cannot be given following recommendations of 14th Finance Commission.

Kalyan said he found fault with the package announced by the Centre as he was told by certain experts that there is nothing new in the package.

He was told that the package was actually the share of funds and benefits AP was supposed to get.

Taking exception to the remarks of Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu that special status to AP is a closed chapter, he accused him of not doing enough to get the status.

Kalyan alleged that the NDA government has been unilateral as seen in issues like Rohith Vemula and demonetisation.

Alleging that the TDP government has become a mini-BJP, Kalyan asked chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to explain why he compromised on the special status issue.

He pointed out that his association with TDP-BJP was on peoples issues and asked why he should side with them.

The common agenda between you and me is to work for people. When that is not happening, why should I side with you. You have to tell people, he said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May sends her wishes through the governments website and her own Weibo account to those who celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year on Tuesday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday sent her wishes through the governments website and her own Weibo account to those who celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year worldwide, pledging to further strengthen China-UK relations.

May said the Year of the Rooster is set to be particularly important for the relationship between Britain and China, because the starting point for bilateral relations is stronger than ever before.

Recalling the historic state visit of President Xi Jinping in October 2015, she said the two countries are seeing an increasing development of their relations.

"We receive more Chinese investment than any other major European country. Weve got around 150,000 Chinese students studying here and the number of Chinese tourists visiting has doubled in five years," May said.

In her message, May indicated that she hopes to make another visit to China, following her trip to the G20 Summit in Hangzhou last year, which was her first visit outside Europe as prime minister and herfirst meeting with President Xi Jinping.

Because this year marks the 20th anniversaryof Hong Kongs return to China and the 45th anniversary of ambassadorial relations between the two countries, she hopes both Britain and China will further develop ties in all fields.

"I want us to take this chance to build on all the ties we share  in business, diplomacy, education, tourism and culture  as we forge a new role for Britain, as the most outward-looking, free-trading nation in the world," May said.

Because both the UK and China are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, she said the two countries are working together on the most pressing global issues.

The prime minister also acclaimed the British Chinese community for its enormous contribution to British society.

The Rooster - the Fire Rooster - represents so many of the characteristics we need to employ in that endeavor: openness, confidence, hard work and leadership," May said, adding indeed, they are characteristics demonstrated day in, day out by the British Chinese community.

"As the lanterns are lit and the dumplings are served, let me wish you and your family, wherever you are, a very happy and healthy New Year, she said, before concluding her message in Chinese: "Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year)"
Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam on Friday defended the police action of evicting Jallikattu protesters from Marina beach in the state assembly, saying they used minimum force to ensure that the agitation did not end up disrupting the Republic Day function.

He also claimed that anti-social elements had mingled with the actual protesters (most of them students), and were not allowing them to withdraw the stir after an ordinance to permit the bull-taming sport was promulgated. Anti-national slogans  some of them seditious  were shouted during the agitation, Panneerselvam said, holding up offending posters featuring slain al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden for legislators to see.

Responding to the opposition DMKs demand for a judicial probe into police high-handedness in ending the agitation, the chief minister said all pieces of videographic evidence in the polices possession were being investigated. Action would be taken against anybody found guilty, even if they are police personnel, he added.

Panneerselvam claimed anti-social elements had burnt down the Ice House police station under the cover of the Jallikattu agitation. The authorities will take appropriate action against the perpetrators after examining videographic evidence, he added.

The chief minister further claimed that the Jallikattu ban was implemented in 2011, during the days of the UPA regime  of which the DMK was a part. He also cited sustained efforts on the part of his predecessor, late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, for legalising the sport again.

Panneerselvams response, however, failed to satisfy the opposition. Criticising his attempts to defend the police, DMK working president MK Stalin led party members in staging in a walkout from the state assembly.

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said that it would hear all arguments pertaining to Jallikattu on January 31. The Centre had recently filed a plea seeking the withdrawal of a January 2016 notification that permitted conducting the sport in Tamil Nadu.

Read | What is Jallikattu? All you need to know about the bull-taming sport

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Dr Vijay Bhatkar is the new chancellor of Nalanda University (NU).

President Pranab Mukherjee, in his capacity as Visitor of NU, appointed Dr Bhatkar as the chancellor of Nalanda University with effect from January 25, 2017.

Dr Bhatkar will hold the office for a term of three years from the date of his appointment as provided under Section 11(3) of the Nalanda University Act.

The post had fallen vacant following the resignation of George Yeo on November 25 following the dissolution of the mentor group functioning as the governing body.

One of the acclaimed scientists and IT leaders of India, Bhatkar is best known as the architect of Indias first supercomputer and as the founder executive director of C-DAC, Indias national initiative in supercomputing. He is credited with the creation of several national institutions.

Bhatkar has been a member of the scientific advisory committee to the cabinet of government of India as also of the governing council of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He has been honoured with Padma Shri and Maharashtra Bhushan awards.

Meanwhile, the Nalanda University has awarded the second contract for construction of non-residential buildings on its sprawling 455-acre permanent campus to Hyderabad-based NCC Limited.

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The body of an Indian fisherman, who died in a Pakistani jail earlier this month, will be brought to Mumbai on February 2, Gujarat fisheries minister Babubhai Bokhiria said on Friday.

Jeeva Bhagwan Bamaniya, a native of Khan village in Gujarats Gir Somnath district, died in a Karachi jail on January 4, a day before 218 Indian fishermen, mostly from the state, were released by Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

The deceased was among the group of Indian fishermen who were lodged in the Pakistani jail. Jeeva was also supposed to be released along with them on January 5.

We have received an e-mail from Indian High Commission office in Islamabad stating that the body will be flown to Mumbai on February 2 after conducting the postmortem, Bokhiria told PTI.

A team of the state governments fisheries department will go to Mumbai on February 2 to receive the body at the airport from where it will be brought to Khan village and handed over to the deceaseds family members, he said.

Earlier Jeevas wife Vegiben had urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to find out the exact cause of his death.

Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani had also written to Swaraj to take up with her Pakistani counterpart the issue of expediting the process to bring Jeevas body back to his native place.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Fishermen Associations senior vice president Veljibhai Masani requested the Gujarat government to provide financial aid to Vegiben, who has five children aged between 2 and 10 years and does not have any source of earning.
Travel from Delhi to Mumbai can become less than a third to 70 minutes  of what it takes in a flight, at costs cheaper than flight tickets.

The mode of transport is called a Hyperloop, a concept that was drawn maverick Tesla CEO and chief architect, Elon Musk on a white paper in 2013.

Hyperloop One is the only company that has built podcars (computerised capsules containers), which is a hybrid of a spaceship and a train, which will travel in nearly vacuum tunnel at over 1,000 kmph.

Its executives met government officials on Wednesday to discuss how to implement projects that will allow passengers and goods to travel between major cities, said Nick Earle, Sr. V-P of global field operations at Hyperloop One.

Distance between Mumbai and Chennai can be covered in 60 minutes and Chennai to Bangalore in 20 minutes.

But, to implement that in India will not be easy. Earle will need a bunch of safety clearances. The regulator needs to give a safety certificate, Earle said.

Then there are issues of laying the tunnel, which are almost five meter wide, and slightly raised from the ground, say about 20 meters. That would need would the central and state government to acquire land. Land acquisition has been a major problem in India, and has been a reason for many stalled projects.

It is also a costly affair. Earle said the company has secured $160 million, and is on its way to raise more capital. It would also need the Indian government to put in substantial amounts of money. Robert Puentes, director of Washington-based Eno Center for Transportation, told a British daily that such projects need millions of dollars to build engineering, the transport and infrastructure.

In the next two months Hyperloop One will do its first live demonstration in the desert of Nevada. Earle calls its the kitty hawk moment, taken from Wright Brothers first flight on December 17, 1903, when they flew the Flyer I four miles south of Kitty Hawk in North Carolina.

In India, like elsewhere in the world, Earle said Hyperloop One will be a public transport, much cheaper than flight tickets, and maybe just as much as a Rajhdhani ticket costs. This is not an executive transport It will be a public transport, which will be cheaper than air travel, said Earle. As per estimates, travel in a Hyperloop between Stockholm and Helsinki would cost 25 Euros, while a flight can be as much at 200-250 Euros.

According to Mineta Transportation Institute, the US-based think tank that researches on intermodal surface transportation in a report said the podcar concept has been around since 1950, when public transportation enthusiast Donn Fichter first talked about it, only five such projects have been started.

Reason why these concepts havent taken off is high cost and limited usage. Hyperloop One wants to solve those problems. The cost of travel will be reduced as it would not require fuel or continuous supply of electricity.

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The Centre wants states to carry out health check-ups for all students under the midday meal scheme to ensure that malnourished and underweight children are given a second helping of the meal. It is also considering a study to assess the impact of the scheme.

According to sources, the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry has asked states to pay special attention to malnourished children.

The ministry is also looking at extending the scheme to students of classes 10 and 11.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the National Steering-Cum-Monitoring Committee for midday meal, first in June and then in November last year. It is also learnt that the ministry sent letters to states last year regarding these issues. Following this, the empowered committee held a meeting last year in which it was recommended that the scheme be extended to classes 10 and 11.

It was suggested in the meeting that identification of the thin children can be done with the data available at school level as the height and weight are already being measured, and special attention can be given to the identified malnourished child. In each school, a teacher can be dedicated to health check-ups, said a source.

They also said the government wants states to use a height and weight tracker to identify such children and use it to assess the schemes effectiveness.

To assess the impact of midday meal, the ministry is also studying a proposal submitted by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration for an impact study.

Of the total enrolment of 13.16 crore children, 10.03 crore children availed midday meal on an average basis in 11.50 lakh schools during 2015-16. Participation was more than 90% in Assam, West Bengal, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Karnataka. It was less than 65% in Delhi, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

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Former CBI director Ranjit Sinha told an inquiry panel that he had met people linked to coal scam cases at his residence, but rejected the charge that he influenced the probe which had ended in the closure of many cases.

This, he told a panel headed by former CBI special director M L Sharma which examined him before submitting its report on his conduct to the Supreme Court, sources said.

The apex court had six months back asked the Sharma-led panel to conduct an inquiry after lawyer Prashant Bhushan submitted a diary of visitors to Sinhas official residence, alleging that he had compromised probes by the agency into the coal block allocation scam, by meeting the accused at his residence.

The top court, in an unprecedented order earlier this week, asked the CBI to conduct an investigation against its former chief observing that prima facie a case is made out to further probe the matter.

Sinha, who retired as CBI director in November 2014 after a two-year tenure, has maintained silence on the matter. When contacted by HT, he refused to comment on the probe panel report.

Sharma panel asked Sinha about the reasons for holding meetings with people connected with cases registered by the CBI. He confirmed the meetings but denied the allegation that he influenced probes in the cases, said a source in the investigation agency.

Read l Ranjit Sinha had ordered closure of coal scam report: Investigator

The Sharma panel indicted the former CBI chief in its report, linking his meetings with the closure of cases, sources said.

It examined 14 cases registered by the CBI in connection with the coal scam, probe in which was concluded during Sinhas tenure as the CBI chief.

The scam involved alleged corruption in the allocation of coal blocks, the loss of which was pegged at Rs 1.86 lakh crore by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2012.

On a complaint by the Central Vigilance Commission, CBI had registered three Preliminary Enquiries (PEs) and looked into around 350 coal block allocations, but found only 50 cases fit for registration of FIR.

The Sharma panel wanted to look into the action taken by the agency following the probe into all 350 allotments but the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the issue.

Read l Trouble mounts for CBI ex-chief as SC panel says he met coal scam accused
Ask anybody in Panna about diamond mining and the response will be: Number 2 or Number 1? For locals, the former is illegal and the latter legal.

In the countrys only diamond producing region, situated nearly 400 km from Bhopal in northeastern Madhya Pradesh, illegal mining is rampant, with even Gond tribals, besides other locals, being involved in the trade.

Extending 240 km along the Vindhya ranges in Bundelkhand region, diamond deposits can be found in forests, farms and government land.

While the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) operates Indias only mechanised diamond mine at Majhgawan in Panna, the government or local administration leases 8X8 metre plots of private or revenue land to prospective miners in the rest of the district.

Diamond hunters dig for gravel, wash it in water and look for the sparklers in the gravel. Once a lessee finds a diamond, he or she has to deposit it at the diamond office, where all diamonds are valued and then auctioned quarterly, with state government getting a royalty of 11.5 % on the sale value. The rest goes to the lessee after deduction of taxes.

Last year, 838 carats of diamond from 952 8x8m mines was submitted at the Panna diamond office.

But many claim this is significantly less compared to the overall diamonds unearthed in the whole of Panna. Diamond hunters sell the best quality gems directly to middlemen who send them to traders in Surat, Mumbai, Hyderabad and elsewhere.

People associated with the trade cite the slow auction process, government apathy and huge royalty as reasons for taking to the illegal route.

In Forests

Diamonds found in forests are much sought after as they are generally big in size and found near the surface, according to locals. After the forest department notified the protected areas, mining has been banned in the jungles.

However, HT learnt of illegal mining in Hurra Chowki forest area close to Panna Tiger Reserve. Gond tribals, engaged in the activity, fled the spot on seeing the HT team.

They had hidden their tools like baskets, shovels and sieves under rocks alongside a stream. At many points along the stream there were fresh signs of digging, cleaning and drying of the diamondiferous gravel.

In Babupur forests, on the outskirts of Panna town, pits were scattered across the terrain.

A Gond tribal in Hurra Chowki, on condition of anonymity, told HT that they targeted the forests as the chances of finding big diamonds close to the surface was more here.

We are poor people. (In forests) We dont have to pay any money to land owners or the officials. But there is always this danger of getting caught by forest officials. Being poor and with nothing to lose, we go for this gamble, he said.

Field director, Panna Tiger Reserve, Vivek Jain said appropriate action would be taken against violators.

We make best possible efforts to ensure there is no mining activity in the forest areas or inside the buffer zone, he said.

On government land

At Kamla Bai ka Talab area on the outskirts of Panna town, where shallow mines have been given on lease, some people were engaged in diamond mining despite expiry of leases as on December 31.

The officials at the diamond mining office in the collectorate told HT that they had received around 50 applications for renewal of leases but the same were yet to be granted.

Though leases are granted for 8X8 metre plots, HT found the shapes and sizes varied, with many quite larger than the stipulated size and some as deep as 20 metres.

Though mines have to be filled up, pockmarked terrain of Panna showed it was not the case most of the time.

On farms

Sanat Kumar, a veteran diamond digger in Itwa and Brajpur, told HT that on farm mines, the land owner gets about 25% of the sale value of diamond, if found.

So, the miner, who has already invested Rs 15,000-50,000 in labourers, does not want to lose further money on royalty and taxes. If caught, these miners use the excuse that they are digging a well.

Similar illegal mining was being carried out in Dalhan Chowki village close to Panna Tiger Reserve.

Here, people who got the lease for mining on one plot dug up adjoining areas also.

People here think it is their land and these are their diamonds. Why should outsiders get lions share in the profits? asked an elderly Shyam Lal.

Middlemen

After mining, the sale is done through middlemen, who frequent the area.

Dalal fix hotey hai (middle men are always in the loop). When they find a good diamond, they inform them on phone and then a deal is struck after on-spot check of the diamonds quality, a 34-year middleman from Itwa told HT wishing anonymity, adding that they get 2% of the cut.

90% diamond sold illegally: minister

Local MLA and minister Kusum Mehadele alleged that roughly 90% of the diamonds unearthed from Panna are smuggled out, especially with regard to big diamonds.

In August last year, a 72-carat diamond, almost the size of a gooseberry, was found by a villager in Panna. And expectantly it was sold illegally. It would have fetched around Rs 40-50 crore, she said, adding that after she wrote to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, an FIR was registered in the matter.

Staff shortage

Diamond officer, Panna, Ratnesh Dixit told HT that with ten sepoys, they were trying their best to keep a tab on over 950 mines in the district.

Right now, we dont have a diamond inspector (in the past there were three diamond inspectors). In the last two years, we have taken action against eight people for mining violations, he said.

He refuted allegations of rampant illegal mining, saying only people who had to pay to labourers immediately, did so.

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The help offered by external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to a four-day-old boy having a serious heart ailment has given a ray of hope to the newborns parents who have now decided to shift him to AIIMS in Delhi for medical treatment.

On January 23, Devesh Sharmas wife Vandana Sharma gave the birth to a child in a hospital in Bhopal. The child was born with transposition of greater arteries (TGA) intact ventricular septum condition in heart.

Devesh on Thursday appealed the minister on twitter to help for the treatment his son, to which Swaraj responded.

Sharma said they decided to seek help after doctors in Bhopal told that they did not have facilities in the city to conduct operation on the child facing this medical condition.

Following his tweet, Swaraj asked for Sharmas phone number so that her staff could contact him.

Subsequently, the ministers staff contacted Sharma seeking all medical reports of the child and sent them to doctors at Delhis All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences.

After consultation, Swaraj tweeted last evening that, We contacted the family and got the medical reports through my Bhopal office. Dr Balram Airan Head Cardiac surgery AIIMS advises an early surgery.

We can organise the babys surgery in AIIMS Delhi. The family has to decide, she said in another tweet.

After Swarajs assurance for help, the childs family is now hopeful that he would get better treatment.

We are in the process of shifting the child to New Delhi through air ambulance for further treatment after Sushmajis tweet. Hopefully, we will shift the child to Delhi by evening, Sharma, who works in a software firm in Bengaluru, told PTI on Friday.

Swaraj is MP from Vidisha Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh. She underwent a kidney transplant operation at AIIMS in Delhi on December 10 last year.

The minister is known for reaching out to Indians stranded across the world through social media.
Police were puzzled after a Russian man allegedly jumped to his death from the security hold area of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Thursday.

Dani, 30, allegedly committed suicide at around 11.35pm on Thursday. A probe has been ordered into the incident.

Speaking to IANS on Friday, assistant commissioner of police Ajith Kumar said: The CCTV visuals are being summoned and we will have a close look. We spoke to the people who said that he scaled the pipes near the security hold area and jumped down.

Kumar, who is conducting the probe, also pointed that Dani arrived in Thiruvananthapuram from Nepal on January 19 with a friend Alexander, also Russian.

According to the information we have, the two later went to an ashram in the outskirts of the capital city. While Dani vacated the ashram yesterday (Thursday), his friend, whom he met in Nepal, is yet to leave the ashram, he said.

We are on the lookout for Alexander to get more information on Dani and to see if he had any issues, Kumar added.

A senior Air India official told IANS that Danis ticket was booked on the airlines flight to Mumbai that was scheduled to depart at 8.10pm. The flight was delayed, the official said.

However, what exactly triggered the incident is not clear yet.

The flight official said that the incident occurred after the passengers had completed their security check and were waiting in the security hold area.

Describing Danis fall, a person said: The Russian man was seen walking up and down in the security area and performing yoga. After behaving in a restless manner for a long time, he suddenly climbed on to the railing and then jumped.

Being Republic Day, there should have been more security. Moreover, whenever there is any one behaving in such a manner, its quite natural for security officials present or watching on the CCTV to act, which did not happen, the witness added.

Dani fell near the customs area located on the ground floor. He was declared dead on being rushed to a hospital.

This is a serious security breach as the incident took place in the highly secured zone when the entire place is expected to be covered by close circuit cameras, a source said.

The Kerala police has contacted the Russian consulate.
Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam arrived in court in Jodhpur on Friday to record their statements in the 18-year-old blackbuck poaching case.

The actors arrived in the city on Thursday after the court, on January 13, ordered their presence.

The five are accused of poaching two blackbucks, which are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, while shooting for the film Hum Saath Saath Hain near Kankani village in 1998.

The actors were ordered before the chief judicial magistrate court (Jodhpur District) after their counsel sought an exemption of their presence on January 25.

Salman Khans counsel Hastimal Sarswat told Hindustan Times that the prosecution has examined only 28 witnesses of the total 51. If required, the defence side would be given a chance after the accused statements are recorded.

Salman is also facing trial for possession of illegal firearms that were used to shoot the animals.

Actor Saif Ali Khan in Jodhpur on Thursday. (HT Photo)

Actor Tabu arrives at Jodhpur on Thursday. (HT Photo)

Two others, Dushyant Singh and Dinesh Ganware, are accused of helping the actors hunt. Ganware has been on the run since the incident and accusations against him are yet to be framed.

Read | Salman Khan acquitted by Rajasthan HC in Black Buck poaching case
China girlfriend rental app popularity increases as people look to avoid pressure from family during New Year

As millions of people in China are preparing to head home for Chinese New Year, many young men are turning to apps to hire a girlfriend to take home with them.

During the Lunar New Year period, single people are often subjected to pressure from relatives who are keen to secure the family blood line.

Apps have now been invented that mean that men can hire girlfriends and give themselves some respite from family questioning over the festive period.

A relationship without the fuss: Apps such as Hire Me Plz allow users to find girlfriends for hire

Thanks to an increase in people using their smartphones, an app named Hire Me Plz has been created to help men look for fake girlfriends.

Single men are able to hire girlfriends for as little as 1 yuan (12p) to 1,999 yuan (230) an hour.

However during Chinese New Year prices can surge to up to 10,000 yuan (1,154) a day.

24-year-old Luoluo is one of the women on the app to offer a fake girlfriend service. She says: 'I'm still seeking people to fill my time slots.'

She has just two-and-a-half days left to fill out of a week long slot.

Hire Me Plz has proved popular. Cao Tiantian, founder of the app said: "Over 1,000 users on our platform have signed up as dates for hire for the New Year break.'

Hire Me Plz has a user base of 700,000 and 1.7 million followers on social media

Since its launch in 2015, Hire Me Plz has a user base of 700,000 and 1.7 million followers on China's biggest mobile social media network Wechat.

Cao says: 'Our business model is still new, though an increasing number of young people have accepted the idea of selling their time as commodity.'

Cao says the initial aim of the app is to help overcome lonliness experienced by people who live and work alone in big cities.

She says: 'I was seeking a more effective way to ask someone out. Who wants to chat for months via social networks and end up with nothing?'

The mobile apps are more secure for users as they ask for identity authentication in comparison to other classified sites which don't.

Apps for women hiring boyfriends are also available.

The price for a pretend boyfriend can run up to 180 per day and services on offer range from meeting parents to staying the night.

Earlier this month it was reported that 'Rent a boyfriend' was a trending keyword on most Chinese search engines, as well as online shopping site Taobao.
The body of a BJP office-bearer from the textile town of Tirupur was found hanging from a tree near his house on the outskirts of Chennai early on Friday morning.

SP Muthu, 53, vice-president of the Tirupur north district of BJP, lived in Muthanampalayam. While the police are yet to ascertain whether it was a case of murder or suicide, his family members allege that Muthu was murdered.

Muthu had gone to a place adjacent to his house to water trees and plants on Friday morning.

When he did not return even after 7am, his wife Pushpa went in search of him, only to find him dead and his body hanging from a tree, police said.

A portrait of Prime Miniser Narendra Modi, garlanded with slippers, along with flags of the BJP, Hindu Munani and a black flag were found near the tree.

Tirupur rural police are investigating the case. The body of Muthu has been sent to district government hospital in Tirupur.
The role of rokda (cash) is key in any election these days. The more you spend, the higher your chances of winning.

But that was not the case with late Ramesh Chandra Kureel, a tailor who won the Manikpur seat in southern Uttar Pradesh in 1977on less than Rs 12.

Kureel, born in Gokhia village in Banda district, had a knack of helping people and he was well connected at the ground level, making him immensely popular in the region, his youngest son Satya Gyan recalled.

Just after Emergency, the anger against ruling Congress was at its peak and Janata Party was looking for candidates to contest from Manikpur seat. The partys state organisation secretary and some workers approached Kureel with the role, but he flatly refused, saying he didnt have the money to even file the nomination.

That is when Jaiveer Singh, an MLC from teachers constituency, came forward and happily donated Rs 12 and promised more.

Kureel then filed his nomination and people campaigned for him on bicycles, leading to his victory, said Raj Bai, his wife.

He polled 51.12% votes against 36% of Congress candidate Shiromani.

Raj Bai added that her husband saved Rs 1.50, which he returned to Jaiveer.

Read | 4-time MLA, twice minister, but no house of his own!

After winning the election, Kureel called on Jaiveer and presented him the account of expenses.

Total eight rupees and 50 paisa was spent on nomination and campaigning, Rs 2 went on travel to Lucknow. This is the remaining 1 rupee 50 paisa for you to keep, recalled Durgesh Yadav, a lawyer and family friend of Kureel.

Kureel remained an MLA till 1980. He didnt contest the next election and returned to what he did beststitching clothes, for the deprived section. Till he passed away in 2013, he remained associated with a body that provided clothes to the poor.

In 1991, some BJP leaders reached out to him and made him the chairman of the Mandi Parishad. He served for a year but didnt like the job and went back to stitching.

Kureel is no more, but people still remember him for his election campaign, and the Rs 12 on which he won the polls.
Mayo College celebrated the Republic Day a day later citing bad weather on January 26, a decision that drew flak from the state education minister.

Director and principal Lt General (retd) SH Kulkarni hoisted the tricolour on the main building of the boys-only residential public school in Ajmer.

The school administration had postponed the R-Day celebrations because of bad weather. Today we heard speeches from students and the school director, said Achal Deep, schools public relations officer (PRO).

Mayo College Girls School and Mayoor School, which come under the council that governs the Mayo College boys school, celebrated the R-Day on Thursday with other schools and institutions in the city.

Deep said Kulkarni had ordered postponement of the function. The order said movement of students was not possible because of rain, so the R-Day would possibly be observed on January 27, said the PRO.

Criticising the Mayo College administrations decision, state education minister Vasudev Devnani said, The action of the principal cannot be justified on any parameters. When students and staff of all other schools and institutions, braving the bad weather, participated in the R-Day celebrations in their schools, and the district-level function was held at Patel stadium, how can Mayo College people take such an excuse?

He said, The function is not weather-specific; the flag has to be hoisted and national anthem played on time. It (postponement) is against the law; we will look into it and take appropriate action against the erring people.

Educationist Achala Sharma said, They (Mayo College) have mocked the most pious day of Indian Republic.

The Army headquarters had recommended cancellation of R-Day parade in Delhi in 1972 because of troops shortage, but then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had declined.
My cab has been sitting idle for the last two months now, says Tanveer Pasha. I have been very busy with union work.

Pasha, a 32-year-old driver attached to Ola, Indias largest app-based cab hailing service, is also the coordinator of the Ola-TaxiForSure-Uber Owners and Drivers Association.

Pasha and his associates had created quite a stir in Bengaluru on January 23, when they organised a protest rally against a steep decline in the earnings of those attached with Ola and Uber. The cab drivers blamed the companies for this, suggesting that they were colluding with each other to drive down incentives and, hence, the earnings of drivers.

When I joined this business three years ago, I was making a lot of money, Pasha says. There were weeks when I earned around Rs 40,000.

Pasha, a father of two, says he started off by leasing a cab. My friend had a vehicle that I leased out. I hired a driver too. But business was so good that I decided to buy my own cab for Rs 7.5 lakh, a Swift Dzire, and decided to do away with the driver as well, he adds.

Initially, incentives were paid on completing 10 trips a day. However, they then increased this limit to 14 trips and then to 18.

Pasha says Bengalurus perennially choked roads make it virtually impossible for the cab drivers to reach the new target. In fact, a recent study by the Bangalore Development Authority estimated that the city faced an annual loss of Rs 3,700 crore due to traffic congestion.

Premnath Shetty, 43, who is attached to both Ola and Uber, highlights another problem that drivers face. Initially, the companies used to deduct 10% from our earnings as commission, he says. As the commission was so low and drivers were paid an additional incentive, the extremely low prices charged by the firms did not matter.

When I saw that my neighbour in Mangaluru had earned Rs 1 lakh within a month of joining Uber, I liquidated my stable goods transport business and bought a Toyota Etios before shifting to Bengaluru, Shetty says. The amount the customers were charged did not matter to us, even though taking a cab was cheaper than hiring an autorickshaw.

However, things changed about a year ago. The commission was increased to 20%, and deducted from each trip as well as the consolidated earnings credited to the accounts of the drivers, Shetty says. The increase in commission, coupled with the high limits for earning incentives, resulted in a significant slump in their earnings.

When I am assigned a trip, I have to bear the cost of the fuel required to reach the customer, and for the trip itself. But the customer is only charged for the trip, Shetty explains.

With Ola charging as low as Rs 6 per kilometre for the Micro category, earnings werent sufficient in themselves, says Pasha. There was another problem, too. We were initially paid Rs 5,000 for introducing new drivers. However, because of that, we dont get enough trips now, he adds.

Both Uber and Ola refused to comment or provide information on the number of cabs plying on Bengaluru roads. The transport department was also clueless about the figure.

In 2016, Karnataka became the first state to regulate the cab business by introducing the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregator (OTTA) rules. Under this, app-based cab aggregators with a minimum of 100 cabs had to apply for a licence.

According to officials at the transport department, both Ola and Uber registered 100 cabs  the bare minimum required. Going by this, it can only assume that 200 cabs attached to the two companies ply in the city. However, analysts at RedSeer Management Consulting estimate that there are around 90,000 cabs attached to Ola and Uber in Bengaluru.

The primary objective of OTTA rules was to regulate the surge pricing model used by firms in the online taxi-hiring space, which is estimated to be worth $1.5-2 billion in India. According to them, the maximum a customer can be charged per km is Rs 14.5 for non-AC cabs and Rs 19.5 for AC ones.

However, cabbies seem to have misunderstood the intention behind the rules. We have demanded that the companies pay us the minimum amount stipulated, says Pasha.

Transport commissioner MK Aiyappa clarifies that the rules do not allow any such minimum payment for drivers. The idea is to cap the maximum a customer can be charged. How much lesser than that the companies charge is not for us to decide, he says. Theres nothing we can do even if the companies charge the customer Re 1 per km.

Highlighting the crux of the strategy employed by the two firms, a RedSeer analyst says, As more and more consumers and drivers become dependent on the platforms services, service providers have decided to cut down on the cash burn by reducing incentives.

Ola has also introduced an alternative model where it leases out cabs to those willing to pay an upfront amount. Under the leasing model, Ola deducts Rs 1,000 a day from the driver, Shetty says. They are no better off than people like me because the problem remains the same  there are too many cabs.

Now, with desperation levels rising, cab drivers have decided that forming unions is the only way to ensure they get their due. I have never been involved in such an organisation before, Pasha says. But then, because I have a two-and-a-half acre farm on the outskirts of Bengaluru, I am better placed than many others who have left everything behind and relocated to this city.

The cab driver says they have 17 WhatsApp groups with 256 members each  the maximum number of people that can be added. The unusual structure is a product of necessity, he explains. None of us have experience in running a union, and this is the first such organisation for drivers that we know of.

Shetty, however, is not convinced. I did join the protest, but I am not going to join any union. I just want the companies to increase our earnings, he says.

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Every year centenarian Jurrat Hussain Kazmi eagerly awaits the Republic Day, nostalgic about a bygone era that unfolded right before him. Kazmi has had the singular opportunity of serving the British, nawabs and Indian administrations in his career as a policeman. And on this day, the police department has been felicitating him as its longest surviving retired personnel.

Kazmi, who claims to have turned 115 this January, has been following the same schedule on January 26 for decades now. He starts the day with cleaning his antique teakwood coffer  his most prized possession. It was a gift from a dear friend and colleague during the British regime. It houses Kazmis medals, leather shoes, a tweed overcoat, silk kurta-pyjama and his favourite Rampuri cap, commonly worn by folks in western Uttar Pradesh.

Dadus day starts at 4 am on the cold mornings of January 26 with the cleaning of his coffer and its contents, which he proudly adorns on the day. He irons his kurta-pyjama and polishes his shoes, a signal for us to get going and help him prepare for the felicitation, says Sameer Ali, Kazmis grandson.

Sameer says the fact that his grandfather loved being a policeman is reflected in how particular he is about his attire and look. However, as luck would have it, this R-Day Kazmi couldnt make it to the felicitation ground at Police lines, Bareilly. Like previous years, he began the day with the same spirit but later complained of breathlessness and dizziness. Hence, we preferred to stay back home, said Azadaar Kazmi, his youngest son, adding that it was the first time missed the felicitation.

Jurrat Hussain Kazmi proudly showing his sign board. (Sachin Saini/HT Photo)

Jurrat Hussain, while sharing his professional journey with HT, said his induction into the Imperial Police in 1922 was accidental. We owned around 2,000 hectares of land in Kulbara village of Moradabad. Since we were zamindaars, I was never in the need of a job. Once when I was in Rampur, I came across the ongoing recruitment and thought of trying my luck. Surprisingly, I was the best performer in the trials and was inducted, reminisces Jurrat Hussain.

He fondly recalls that his first salary of Rs 10 was paid to him in silver coins. The year 1947 was a turning point for him. Nawab Raza Ali Khan, the progressive and last ruler of Rampur, took over the Imperial police. The nawab was our new employer, shares Kazmi.

The princely state of Rampur merged with the erstwhile United Provinces in 1949 after the nawab signed the instrument of accession to the dominion of India. And I was asked to join UP Police as constable, he adds.

In 1952, he was posted at Thana Quila in Bareilly where he eventually settled down. His career as a policeman in three different regimes concluded in 1970 when he retired as head constable. However, confusion about his age arises due to a discrepancy between the years of his retirement and birth recorded as 1902 in his document.

Kazmi, who has 11 children and over 100 family members, fervently believes his long life is the result of his good deeds.

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Despite women empowerment high on their agenda, political parties in Uttar Pradesh have been indifferent towards women candidates.

Leave alone the 33 percent reservation, the parties have not allowed even 10 percent of their tickets to women candidates this time.

Led by a woman, the Bahujan Samaj Party that is fighting elections with a slogan Behenji ko aaney do, betiyon ko muskurane do has not allowed enough space to women candidates. Out of the final list of 401 candidates declared by the party, only 18 seats have women contestants which are not even 5 percent of the total numbers. And many of those that are allowed tickets are either wives or relatives of the existing BSP leaders.

Behenji alone is the woman face of the party. In her last regimes the state has been a safe place for women, said a party leader.

Even Samajwadi Party, that has empowered women all through its last regime through Samajwadi pension and Kanya Vidya dhan and has many goodies for women in its manifesto too, has failed to allow enough space to women.

In addition to allowing ticket to the Yadav familys bahu Aparna Yadav, the party, in its list of 324 candidates declared before alliance, has only 24 names of women. Among the candidates is a young face Richa Singh who has been a student union leader at Allahabad University. The list also includes old women leaders of the party including Arun Kumari Kori and Sushila Saroj.

Bharatiya Janata Party that has so far declared 304 candidates has about 36 women names. Out of this, around 10 are relatives of party leaders. Some such candidates include Manju Tyagi- a party workers wife, Mriganka Gupta- daughter of party leader Hukum Singh, Anita Rajput and Kanchan Lodhi- close aides of Kalyan Singh, Jaidevi- wife of party leader Kaushal Kishore and Neelima Katiyar- daughter of a party leader, among others. The party has also allowed ticket to Rani Pakshalika Singh of royal family of Baah. She is wife of former SP leader Aridaman Singh who is now in BJP.

The Congress party has two women names in its list of 43 candidates declared so far.

Prof Rakesh Chandra, senior faculty Lucknow University who has conducted studies on womens participation in politics said, Parties say that winning ability is the criteria for selection of candidates. Since the fact is that women do not have their own money to contest elections, they fail to enter into politics unless they are propped by some meneither of family or of the party. So, womens participation depends on their backing and not on their wish and capability.

The young voters, particularly women wish to see more young women participation in politics. Anubha Mishra, an IT professional said, I wish to see more educated and young women in the list. If there is any such candidate, I would vote for her, irrespective of her party.

Another Shuchi Singh, a young bank professional said, It is only due to lack of women participation in politics that we do not get the right policies for women. If there are educated and independent women in power, they would definitely work for women issues.

The young voters are also unhappy over allotment of tickets to women family members of party leaders. They feel that such women are only puppets in the hands of the men in their family and dont have any say in politics.

Read more: Gulabi Gang founder among Congress candidates for UP election

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As a food loving audience if you have witnessed the thrill that a mystery ingredient can add to a cooking competition; then be prepared to witness it again. Young chefs from across the world get together in India for a face off in the kitchen.

The International Young Chef Olympiad is back and is going to be one big battle of cooking as youngsters from more than 45 countries have travelled to India to participate in the three rounds planned in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Pune. These will be judged by city chefs as well as celebrity chefs including names such as Sanjeev Kapoor and Ranveer Brar. They will also be present for the opening ceremony, which will have cultural performances.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor will be among the celebrity judges, who will mark contestants on their performance.

We used to organise a competition for the school students in India. The idea to bring students from across the world under one roof excited us and within three months we were able to invite 15 countries for the first edition of the Olympiad, says Abdullah Ahmed, director, International Institute of Hotel Management, Delhi.

Since then, the competition has grown exponentially and now students from hotel management colleges look forward to participate in this big culinary mela. The craze is because the students dont just get to compete with international participants but also attend master classes by international chefs, adds Ahmed.

The quality of food presentation and its taste will decide the marking for each participant.

The recipes for the first (mains) and third (dessert) rounds were shared with the youngsters about four months back. But it is the mystery box in round two which is making many participants curious.

Nervous just before the finale, Puja Mishra, the 20-year-old Indian contestant from Kolkata, says, I have mixed emotions right now but Im planning to focus on my work and not planning to compare myself with anyone elses performance. Also, in the second round when we will be given the mystery ingredient for the vegetarian round, Im planning to bring an Indian touch to my dish.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.

CATCH IT LIVE WHAT: Opening of The International Young Chef Olympiad 2017 WHERE: Talkatora Indoor Stadium WHEN: January 28 TIMINGS: 6.30pm NEAREST METRO STATION: Patel Chowk on Yellow Line

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A day after the Shiv Sena broke up with its 25-year-old ally ahead of the Mumbai civic polls, all eyes are now on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who will address the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) show-of-strength rally in the city on Saturday.

Fadnavis speech to party cadre is expected to set the tone for the upcoming poll battle that is likely to get played out as chief minister versus Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The chief minister has already signalled the BJPs poll plank for the elections will be transparency and anti-corruption. The plank, in itself, is seen as targeting ally Sena, which has controlled the countrys richest civic body for the past 20 years. It remains to be seen whether Fadnavis, who was keen on an alliance to ensure stability of his government, will directly attack the Sena over corruption.

Our list of 227 candidates will get finalised by the Mumbai city chief after it gets a go-ahead from Fadnavis and state president Raosaheb Danve. The nominations will be filed from January 31 or February 1. The most important step now is the rally, where Fadnavis will set the ground for the electoral battle, where the Sena will be our main contender, said a senior BJP functionary.

There are indications of grand mud-slinging between the two former allies, with BJP MP Kirit Somaiya saying there should be a black paper on corruption in the civic body that has left the countrys financial capital with shoddy roads and amenities for years.

For now, the Sena that took the gloves off on the alliance clarified it will not pull out of the state government for the sake of stability. Sanjay Raut, Sena MP and one of BJPs bitter critics, said his party would continue to stay in the government.

The Senas 63 legislators give the BJP the much-needed stability in the 288-member house, as the BJP is short of clear majority with its 122 legislators.

Without the saffron alliance, both the ruling partners are likely to find the going more tough in the Mumbai civic body, other cities and especially in the 25 district councils that administer rural areas.

The results of the zilla parishad polls will give a referendum on the effect of the demonetisation decision of the Centre, with the Sena expected to aggressively target ally BJP on the same along with the Opposition.

Read more: Photos of Gods in Maharashtras rural govt offices: As Shiv Sena ministers get aggressive, BJP-led state govt withdraws its order

Five hard-hitting statements from Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerays speech against BJP on Jan 26

Shiv Sena to fight civic polls alone: BJP says therell be change in Maharashtra

Mumbai civic polls: Shiv Sena calls BJP wild bull, rules out future tie-up with BJP

After split with BJP ahead of BMC polls, Shiv Sena ministers get more aggressive in Maharashtra

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A day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray called off his partys 20-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the civic body, and vowed to never forge an alliance in future, the Shiv Sena ministers decided to up the pressure on the BJP on state level too.

A delegation of Shiv Sena ministers in the BJP-led Maharashtra government will meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday to voice their protest against the governments recent order to remove all photos and idols of Gods from government offices in rural ares. A circular to this effect was issued by states rural development department last week.

In his speech to Sena workers on Thursday, Thackeray severely criticised this decision, calling it a fatwa (diktat) and saying it was taken unilaterally without any discussion or consultation of Shiv Sena ministers.

They knew that if it was discussed in the cabinet, Shiv Sena ministers would have strongly opposed it, Thackeray said, calling it a false show of secularism and questioning the transparency in the state governments functioning.

The Sena chief said if the government is so secular it should first bring about a uniform civil code.

The Sena has decided to contest upcoming polls to all ten municipal corporations, including Mumbai, and zilla parishads alone.

Saying the party rotted over 25 years due to an alliance with the BJP, Thackeray said henceforth they will never go with a bowl for an alliance and that this marks the beginning of the Senas new path.

While the Sena chief did not comment on the repercussions on the coalition government in the state, the partys move is likely to impact the functioning of the state government too, as there are likely to be more disagreements between the two parties in the coalition.

Read more: No place for Gods in Maharashtras rural govt offices

Five hard-hitting statements from Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerays speech against BJP on Jan 26

Shiv Sena to fight civic polls alone: BJP says therell be change in Maharashtra

Mumbai civic polls: Shiv Sena calls BJP wild bull, rules out future tie-up with BJP

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After a motorman of Madgaon-Dadar Jan Shatabdi Express spotted a seven-metre-long piece of railway track placed diagonally over a railway track and stopped the train near Diva station on Tuesday night, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), while suspecting involvement of a terror outfit, have launched an investigation into the incident. The Government Railway Police (GRP) too is probing the matter.

While the GRP has been questioning people in the case, the ATS has started its own parallel investigation to find if it was planned by any terrorist outfit or fringe elements associated with terrorist organisations.

A major disaster was averted around 10.40pm on January 24, two days before Republic Day due to the alertness of the motorman of the train, which was running on the CST-Kalyan fast line carrying around 700 passengers. He spotted the piece about few metres before Diva railway station and immediately alerted to the railway control authorities.

Anti-terrorism agencies have been roped in to probe the alleged role of ISI or any other terrorist organisation in the recent derailments that occurred in North India. Investigators are probing the terror angle particularly because they feel that it cannot be the handiwork of one person, as it would take more than one person to lift the 7-metre railway track that weighed 300kg. They are also looking into the careless attitude of railway authorities who failed to monitor the railway tracks properly despite it being a busy route. The involvement of an organised group with an intention to execute a major disaster cannot be ruled out, said an officer.

Deputy commissioner of police Samadhan Pawar (Central Railway) said, We have been investigating the case from all angels including sabotage and few people have been picked up for questioning who took to take the same route every day that passed through the spot where the metal piece was found.

Read

Loco pilots avert train accident near Thane, sabotage or mischief suspected

Mishap averted: Motorman spots metal piece on CST-Kalyan fast line
Police officers Gao Yang (C-R) and Nie Yingjie (C-L) stand guard at the Changchun Railway Station during Spring Festial travel rush in northeast China's Jilin Province, Jan. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)
After trying their best to get the attention of the citys elected representatives, citizen groups and activists have decided to go the politicians way to get their job done.

With the civic polls scheduled next month, citizen groups are flooded with requests from local corporators and candidates for meetings. This can be seen as a move to garner votes, but activists are also seeing this as an opportunity. According to the activists,they will support any candidate who can promise and present a solution to the problems they feel should be solved.

Some of the long-pending problems of activists include the citizens right to open space, footpaths free of encroachment, parking facilities and the delayed implementation of the Development Plan 2034 among others.

Now, citizen groups are submitting their charter of demands to all political parties and asking them to consider their demands before zeroing in on the candidates in each of the 227 wards. Starting Friday, candidates will have time to file nominations till February 3.

Clean Heritage Colaba Residents Association, who along with the support of political parties had got the parking policy stalled, is submitting the problems of their wards to each party.

The problems in the wards are interrelated. In many places, there is no space for pedestrians or for residents to park their cars as most would either be illegally blocked by hawkers or by illegal parking. The candidates should be well aware of the problems and should have solutions before they file their nomination from the area, said Pervez Cooper, vice-president of the association.

Shailesh Gandhi, RTI activist, has also prepared a 10-point demand charter for the politicians, including the need for open spaces, waste management among other issues that plague the city.

After the Shiv Sena and BJPs decision to go solo in the civic polls, both parties are trying to garner the support of citizen groups.

With many demands like parking policy, hawkers and open space policy pending, citizens groups want assurance from the politicians before they pledge their support to them.

Action For Good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI) is also sending a citizen demand charter to all parties this week. AGNI has also started a campaign in schools where children will be asking their parents to vote on February 21.

We will be sending our demands to all the political parties and also hold a discussion. Through the campaign, we are urging citizens to vote in large numbers, said Shyama Kulkarni, trustee, AGNI.

When these citizen candidates won

In 2007, Adolf DSouza, the citys first citizen candidate, was elected from Juhu in the BMC polls.

Inspired by his success, three citizen groups  Mumbai 227, Lok Satta and Mumbai Nagrik Satta had contested the 2012 municipal polls.

In 2012, independent candidate and a self-proclaimed citizen candidate, Makrand Narvekar, won the election from Colaba. However, he has been criticized for supporting the ruling Shiv Sena in the BMC.

Various citizen groups have in this election too come together to nominate a candidate

Instead of a citizen candidate, many groups are also trying to support a candidate from a political party who promises them a solution to local problems

What do citizen groups hold for these elections?

After the Shiv Sena and BJPs decision to go solo in the civic polls, both parties are trying to garner the support of citizen groups.

What the groups are saying?

With many demands like parking policy, hawkers and open space policy pending, citizen groups want assurance from the politicians before they pledge their support to them.

Citizen groups in the city are submitting their charter of demands to all political parties and asking them to consider their demands before they zero in on the candidates in each of the 227 wards

Read:

Uddhav vs Fadnavis: Battle for BMC set to get bitter

How the polite, shy Uddhav Thackeray made the Shiv Sena roar

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A large part of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerays political career was, until recently, marked by doubts over his ability. Can the polite, soft-spoken Uddhav lead a vociferously zealous party?

When he was named successor to the late Sena chief Bal Thackeray, many were unsure if he could match up. When his cousin, Raj Thackeray, quit the Sena to start his own party, there were doubts over how Uddhav will counter the charismatic Raj, who bears more resemblance than him to the senior Thackerays oratory skills and mannerisms. When, in 2012, Bal Thackeray died, there were again questions: was this is the beginning of the end of the Shiv Sena?

But in the past three years, the 56-year-old Uddhav has more than silenced his critics, effectively demonstrating that he and his party are in it for the long haul.

The first time he did so was in 2014. In the run-up to the state Assembly elections, seat-sharing talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sena collapsed. The Sena was not adequately prepared to contest alone and a significant Narendra Modi wave had swept through the nation, but Uddhav refused to climb down from his demand for 150 of the 288 Assembly seats, and preferred walking away from the alliance instead of succumbing.

On Thursday, he won more acclaim from party workers, when he hit out hard at the BJP for the way it treated the Sena and broke off his partys 20-year-old alliance with the BJP in the civic body. He did so even though the BJP has emerged stronger than the Sena in Mumbai in the 2014 Assembly polls  winning 15 seats against the Senas 14  and becoing a serious threat to the Sena in these elections. Uddhav called the BJP a wild bull, accused it of harbouring goons and only caring about capturing power. He firmly stated he will never opt for an alliance in the future. This was the Senas new path, he said, as he instilled new fervour among his Sainiks.

The Mumbai civic polls next month would be the Senas first with Uddhav as the sole leader, without the presence of his father. Uddhav wants to come out strong in the Senas home turf of Mumbai, change the political equation at the state level and prop up the Sena as an equal, not a junior partner of the BJP.

Both these instances sent a strong message of confidence to his cadre, and that has gone a long way in galvanising the Shiv Sainiks. The Sena workers by nature react strongly when they feel the party is cornered or its existence is under threat, a senior Shiv Sena leader, who did not wish to be named, told HT.

In 2014, despite being left in the lurch by the BJP, he helped the Sena win 63 seats in spite of the strong Modi wave and not having enough resources to match the opponents campaign.

Aggressive now, Uddhav, the youngest son of Bal Thackeray, was known to be reticent and shy, someone more interested in wildlife photography than active politics.

Within politics, he was known more for his back-room management skills before he took up the partys top post in 2003. At the time, this irked several party workers who would have preferred the aggressive Raj Thackeray as their leader instead. Uddhav then began playing a role in the day-to-day functioning of the party and developed his own team of loyal, trusted aides much to the chagrin of senior leaders such as Narayan Rane, who ultimately exited the Sena.

His leadership started emerging when Bal Thackeray was still actively involved in party affairs. It was only after Bal Thackerays death that Uddhav really came out of his fathers shadow. There is no political culture within the Sena to challenge leadership, so the change was smooth-sailing. Meanwhile, he learnt strategies, how to handle coalition matters and finally, how to emerge as a leader considered by all as a force to reckon with, said Surendra Jondhale, head of Mumbai Universitys department of civics and politics.

Learning to adapt with the changing political scenario simultaneously as he strengthened his hold over the Sena has been Uddhavs biggest strength, Jondhale said.

Thursdays decision to contest the polls without joining hands with the BJP is a huge gamble for Uddhav. If the Sena loses hold over the Mumbai civic body, he could face problems. But, he showed the courage to take a call. Whatever the consequences, a majority of his workers will love Uddhavs aggression.

Read

Shiv Sena releases manifesto for Mumbai civic polls

Five hard-hitting statements from Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerays speech against BJP on Jan 26

BMC polls: Uddhav Thackeray mum on tie-up with BJP, announces sops

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A four-year-old female leopard was killed in a road accident along the Pune-Nashik highway on Wednesday night.

Veterinarians said the leopard died of a severe injury to the head at the spot near Narayangaon village, Junnar in Pune district.

This is the second such death within a span of three months.

On November 2, a six-year-old male leopard died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle near Ghoti toll naka, 140km away from Mumbai on the Mumbai-Nashik highway.

There are sugarcane fields on either side of the highway. The leopards move in large numbers from one side to the other, said Dr Ajay Deshmukh, veterinarian, Manikhdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, Junnar. By the time we reached the spot, the leopard had lost a lot of blood and could not be saved.

He said several signboards have been placed along the highway to warn people. Vehicles along the highway, especially during the night, need to be careful and check their speed to ensure animals dont get hurt, said Deshmukh.

Officials from the forest department said they were investigating the matter. We have asked for CCTV footage from the highway control department. We will trace the vehicle and investigate why it did not stop after hitting the leopard, said Arjun Mhase, deputy conservator of forest, Junnar.

Experts said 16 leopards had died in the last decade due to high-speed vehicles accidents across Maharashtra.

Read more: Leopard dies after being hit by vehicle on Mumbai-Nasik highway

16-year-old leopard dies of old age at Mumbais Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Sanjay Gandhi National Park wants Mumbai to get a better view of big cats, to submit new proposal for leopard safari

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Now that the Shiv Sena has announced it will not tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, aspiring candidates have started sending their resumes to the top leadership of both parties.

Pictures with party leaders, participation in rallies,educational and professional qualifications and photographs of overseeing civic work or distributing freebies  the aspirants have gone all out to decorate their CVs.

The elections to the civic body will be held on February 21 and the results will be declared two days later, on February 23.

The window for candidates to file nominations started on Friday.

These elections will see a rise in the number of candidates as the BJP and Sena are contesting separately.

Sources said the BJP has received more than 2,000 applications from aspiring party workers wanting to contest for the local body.

The BJPs internal committee has shortlisted 513 of them and sent the applications to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for a final call.

From ward number 67 in Andheri itself, we received nine applications. All the applications have been scrutinised by the internal committee, the source said.

The Senas vibhag pramukhs have been getting 10-15 resumes from each of the 227 electoral wards.

The Sena has 12 vibhag pramukhs for the six Lok Sabha constituencies in the city.

Kishori Pednekar, Sena corporator and vibhag pramukh for 17 electoral wards said, I have received 15 applications from each electoral ward. The applicants range from party workers to shaakha pramukhs. We are ranking these applications and forwarding it to our party president Uddhav Thackeray for a final call.

Trushna Vishwasrao, senior Sena leader said, All the aspiring candidates prepare a report of the work they have undertaken in their areas and submit it to us.

Thackeray had on Thursday called off the alliance with the BJP in Mumbai and said the Sena will no longer have an alliance with the party in any of the future polls.

READ MORE

How the polite, shy Uddhav Thackeray made the Shiv Sena roar

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No candidate filed his nomination for the February 21 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections on day one of the process in 227 electoral wards in the city, said civic officials.

The last date to file the nominations is February 3.

While major political parties in the city are yet to release their lists of candidates, even the independent candidates did not file their papers on Friday.

No nominations were received on Friday,said Sanjay Deshmukh, additional municipal commissioner, who is in charge of the elections.

Meanwhile, the state election commission has decided that nomination forms will be accepted even on Sunday, January 29.

The state election commission has appointed 22 returning officers (ROs) for the elections . While 21 ROs will be responsible for collecting the application forms, one will be coordinating the process.

The candidate will have to fill up forms on panchayatelection.maharashtra.gov.in, then download these forms and submit the signed ones to ROs of their respective electoral wards.

Only after the form is submitted to the RO with their signatures, will it be considered as a nomination filed, said one of the senior officers working closely with BMCs election department.

Further, owing to no clarity on the saffron alliance of Shiv Sena and BJP for over two weeks and which finally ended on Thursday with the announcement that there will be no alliance between the two for the upcoming civic elections.

Also with the continuous squabble among Congress party leaders ahead of the polls, the first list of candidates expected to be announced before January 27 has been delayed.

However, with the discontinuation of the BJP-Sena alliance, sources say there will most probably be a rejig in the list of candidates of all political parties.

Sources also say there is likely to be a large number of application forms only after Monday.

Read

Mumbai civic polls mirror Raj Thackerays declining clout

Congress to face Mumbai civic polls united: Hooda after meeting squabbling leaders

Shiv Sena releases manifesto for Mumbai civic polls

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After the central zoo authority (CZA) rejected their proposal for a leopard safari last year, officials of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivli have come up with two new proposals to display the big cats for Mumbaiites.

The CZA had, in October, denied permission for a safari at the 20-hectare proposed site, citing security concerns owing to the dense tree cover. As leopards can climb trees, it would have posed a man-animal conflict threat to tourists during the safari.

The SGNP will soon shortlist one of the two proposals and submit it to the state zoo authority (SZA) over the next fortnight. The state authority will then resend the proposal to the CZA.

Taking the issues raised by the CZA into account, we have come up with two locations for the safari. We will narrow down on one before submitting the proposal to SZA, said Anwar Ahmed, chief conservator of forest, SGNP.

The chief conservator of forest, SZA, senior officers from the state forest department and SGNP officials on Wednesday conducted a joint visit to check the feasibility of the project.

According to Ahmed, the first and most-likely proposal identifies a separate area across two hectares within either the tiger or lion safari to house eight leopards [four pairs]. The idea is to have a safari within a safari, he said, adding, As the CZA has granted permission to the tiger and lion safaris, there should not be an issue with this site.

The second proposal looks at setting up a safari along the toy train, which is in the shape of the number, 8, travelling across Krishnagiri Upava, a 5.5 sqkm area of SGNP. A much smaller area, about half-an-hectare, has already been sanctioned as zoo by the CZA. The idea in this case is to have a train safari, but it can house only four leopards [two pairs]. This is the only drawback of the proposal, said Ahmed.

We have decided to have a big trench at either of the sites. The layout will be done in a way to ensure the animals cannot jump out. The trenches will be fenced and aligned with trees, said Ahmed. Tourists can see the movement of leopards from behind a protected fence, similar to a 6.5-m high fence at the current lion and tiger safaris.

After getting the permission, the SGNP will look at appointment of a consultant with expertise in the field of eco-tourism development and prepare a detailed project report, including concept plans, designs and detailed estimates, to bring the park on a par with international parks.

If all permissions are granted and construction starts by mid-2017, the safari can commence by 2019, said park officials.

AUTHORITIES SPEAK

Officials from the state zoo Authority (SZA) said while the plans seemed feasible, the layout for an open space for easy movement of leopards needs to be worked out

Safaris are nothing but a zoo. The captive animals need some free space. We cannot have a dense forested area, neither can there be any tree felling. We are waiting for the final proposal, which will be submitted to CZA, said Sanjay Thakre, chief conservator of forest, SZA.

LEOPARDS AT SGNP

The park is currently home to 15 leopards - eight female and seven male

They have been kept in captivity at eight cages in three buildings

The leopard rescue centre is spread across one-and-half acres

Fifteen-foot-long wooden parallel bars have been erected for animals to improve their balance and resting areas

Shrubs, palatable grasses and medicinal plants such as lemongrass, spear grass, basil, dhub, bhama, durva and bermuda grasses, which can improve digestion of leopards, will be planted within the enclosure.

THE PARK

The SGNP is home to 274 species of birds, 35 species of mammals, 170 butterflies and 1,300 flowering plants

HT had reported in June that a study undertaken by the SGNP, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), found 35 free-roaming leopards in and around the national park.

Read more: Living free: 35 leopards roam Mumbais forests

Caught on CCTV camera: Leopard crossing street in Mumbai

Green diet, exercise: New fitness regimen for Mumbai national park leopards

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1. After split with BJP ahead of BMC polls, Shiv Sena ministers get more aggressive in Maharashtra

A day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray called off his partys 20-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the civic body, and vowed to never forge an alliance in future, the Shiv Sena ministers decided to up the pressure on the BJP on state level too. Read

2. Sanjay Gandhi National Park wants Mumbai to get a better view of big cats, to submit new proposal for leopard safari

After the central zoo authority (CZA) rejected their proposal for a leopard safari last year, officials of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivli have come up with two new proposals to display the big cats for Mumbaiites. Read

3. Leopard killed in accident on Pune-Nashik highway, second incident in three months

A four-year-old female leopard was killed in a road accident along the Pune-Nashik highway on Wednesday night. Veterinarians said the leopard died of a severe injury to the head at the spot near Narayangaon village, Junnar in Pune district. This is the second such death within a span of three months. Read

4. After Shiv Sena chief walks out of alliance, all eyes on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to set the stage for BJPs BMC battle on Saturday

A day after the Shiv Sena broke up with its 25-year-old ally ahead of the Mumbai civic polls, all eyes are now on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who will address the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) show-of-strength rally in the city on Saturday. Fadnavis speech to party cadre is expected to set the tone for the upcoming poll battle that is likely to get played out as chief minister versus Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Read

5. Photos of Gods in Maharashtras rural govt offices: As Shiv Sena ministers get aggressive, BJP-led state govt withdraws its order

In view of the strong reaction from the Shiv Sena and other groups, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis-led state government has withdrawn its diktat on removal of portraits of gods and goddesses from government offices and state-run schools in rural areas. Read
After ruling the BMC together for more than two decades, the BJP and the Shiv Sena are headed for a bitter fight in their bid to get the bigger piece of the civic body that governs Indias financial capital. And a day after the Sena pulled the rug from under the saffron alliance for the Mumbai civic polls, all eyes are now on CM Devendra Fadnavis, who will address at the BJPs show of strength rally at Goregaon on Saturday and is expected to set the tone for the BJP campaign. The fight could impact the functioning of the BJP-led government in the state, with the Sena indicating it will become more aggressive.

Sena minister Subhash Desai said the new crop of BJP leaders is not the same as what it used to be. The Sena has some emotions, sentiments towards the alliance, whereas this next generation of BJP is only about transactions, gains and convenience, he said.

Their participation in the alliance does not come from any kind of sentiment, affinity or loyalty. We cant identify with this generation of BJP leaders, Desai said, adding that if the way the government is functioning becomes too intolerable for the Shiv Sena then at the right time the party leadership will take an appropriate decision.

Sources from both parties told HT that the prestigious Mumbai civic polls will now be played out as CM versus Thackeray and the BJP versus the Sena and not as a local polls involving ward-level candidates and civic issues. The third party in the contest and Opposition so far, the Congress, may be relegated to the side in this battle.

Ironically, both Fadnavis and Thackeray, over the past few weeks, were trying to work out a statewide alliance so that the two ruling partners in the state have an upper hand in the civic and district council elections that are touted as mini-assembly elections because they would cover 80% of the voters in the state.

Fadnavis will address a gathering of polling booth-level party workers. But the address will be for the entire city. It is clear that transparency, non-corruption and development will form our central plank in the coming election. The chief minister will also directly or indirectly answer Thackerays accusations at the same venue, said a senior BJP functionary.

The BJP went into a close huddle on Friday evening to finalise the strategy for its campaign, which will be headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Fadnavis. It is, however, not clear if Fadnavis, who was keen on a saffron alliance to ensure stability to his government, will directly take on Thackeray or attack the Sena. He is, however, expected to put the blame of the break up on the former ally.

Thackeray ended the 25-year-old alliance with the BJP for the upcoming polls to the countrys richest civic body as well as the nine remaining cities and 25 district councils next month. The two parties, which have been in an alliance since 1989, parted ways ahead of the Assembly polls in 2014, joined hands again to run the government in the state before Thackerays decision on Thursday. The two parties will not align anywhere in the state in these elections, which could mean the BJP will have to face the Sena as an opponent in Thane, Ulhasnagar, Pune, Pimpri-Chichwad and Nashik as well as several district councils where it is facing a tough contest. Putting up a good show in these elections is important for Fadnavis.

Significantly, Thackerays remarks of the Sena not aligning with the BJP for any future elections has also put a question mark on the future of the Fadnavis government, which relies on the Senas 63 legislators for stability.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Friday clarified his party will not pull out of the government for now, but added its ministers were prepared for such an eventuality in the future.

We are in the government because we dont want to create any instability. Any instability would only make farmers, the hard-working population of the state, suffer. We are not hungry for power, but this Maharashtra is ours and we care for it. Just as Uddhav Thackeray directed us to break the alliance for the civic body elections, at the right time, he could ask us to walk out of the state government, too. Our ministers have already said they have packed their bags and will be ready to go when they are ordered to, he said.

Although the Fadnavis government may not fall any time soon, it is clear the Sena will create more trouble for the administration and governance.

For starters, Sena ministers indicated they are likely to rake up issues and oppose the BJP in state cabinet meetings. In the next meeting, they said they will press on the transparency in administration that Thackeray said the state government needs to adopt. Thackeray had asked for all cabinet meetings to include minsters of state, members of the media, the opposition leader and a Lokayukta, in response to the BJP demanding transparency in the civic administration.

So far, despite the tussle outside the government, the Sena had not rocked the government by disrupting cabinet meetings. Sena MPs also boycotted a meeting called by Fadnavis of all the state MPs to discuss the budget. And Sena ministers, including Subhash Desai, Ramdas Kadam and Deepak Sawant, met Fadnavis demanding the withdrawal of a government decision to remove all photographs of Gods and Goddess from government offices. Thackeray, in his rally, had termed this decision anti-Hindu. In response, BJP minister Vinod Tawde, in a tongue-in-cheek remark said that if Sena ministers were better informed they would not have let their chief astray and in turn people would not have been misled.

There is no ordinance to this effect by the government and the department concerned had not issued any government order on the same. A letter had been issued by a desk officer without consulting his superiors and a show-cause notice had already been sent to him, said Tawde. He said Thackeray had also made a reference about tenders being discussed in cabinet meetings when in reality no tender gets tabled or discussed in such meetings.

Read more:

How the polite, shy Uddhav Thackeray made the Shiv Sena roar
A 44-year-old mother of eight is seeking to become the first Muslim woman to win an election from Dadri, a Uttar Pradesh town which emerged as a symbol of alleged intolerance in India after the lynching of a man on suspicion of cow slaughter.

Shakila Begum, the candidate of a recently-launched party, is trying to emulate the feat of Congress Satyawati Singh, Dadris first representative in the Uttar Pradesh assembly after the constituency was created in 1956.

Voting in Dadri will be held on February 11 in the first of the seven-phase polls in the state.

I decided to fight an election because all major political parties have failed to provide the basic amenities in our locality. Leaders make promises during elections, but after getting elected as MLA they never work to improve our civic conditions, Shakila told HT at her three-room house in Dadris Nai Abadi colony.

Dadri, a municipal town around 30 km from the Delhi-Ghaziabad border, shot into the limelight on September 28 2015, when a 55-year-old Muslim man, Md Ikhlaq, was allegedly lynched in Bisada village by a mob on suspicion of cow slaughter, banned in the state.

Read: UP election: Only 10 women fielded from Gautam Budh Nagar district since Independence

After the lynching, violence ensued in Dadri for the next two days. A mob consisting of 200-250 people attacked a mosque complex in Dadri thrice. Members of the Muslim community in Bisada alleged that the violence after the lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq over rumours of eating beef was staged to polarise voters for the panchayat polls in neighbouring district in Uttar Pradesh.

The incident triggered outrage over alleged intolerance under the BJP-led government, sparking mass protests across the country. Several writers and artistes had also returned their national awards in protest.

Shakila (right) is pitted against 12 other candidates including those of the BJP, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party. She is also the only woman in the fray in three constituencies  Noida, Dadri and Jewar  in Gautam Budh Nagar district. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

Shakila, whose husband is a tailor, said she was pained by the incident.

I have sought permission from the Gautam Budh Nagar administration to go to Bisada and meet Ikhlaqs family. I will help them in whatever way I can so that the family gets justice, she said.

However, for the class 8 pass candidate of Prajashakti Party (Samdarshi), fighting communal forces is not a priority as much as ensuring decent living standards for the people of this constituency where the Gujjar and Rajput communities are in a majority.

The narrow road leading to her house is waterlogged after a brief spell of rain and the stink from the open drains is nauseating. Very few government schemes have reached her locality, least of all piped water, she said. The Muslim-majority Nai Abadi locality has an estimated 25,000 voters.

Vandana Sharma, the executive officer of Dadri municipality, contested the allegations saying at least Rs 4 crore was spent in the last five years on construction of roads and drains in Nai Abadi locality.

Government housing schemes benefited those who already had houses. (Only) the rich get access to good education and hygiene. But we do not even have schools for our children in the locality, said Shakila who could not educate five of her children. She has four sons and four daughters.

She also vowed to wipe out the menace of fake ration cards which often deprive the genuinely needy of government benefits.

No MLA ever looked into it despite complaints. I will get all issues solved if I get an opportunity to serve my people.

However, Shakila, has her task cut out.

For the record, she is pitted against 12 other candidates including those of the BJP, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). She is also the only woman in the fray in three constituencies  Noida, Dadri and Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar district.

And she will also have to buck the trend in the district of preferring men as their representatives. After Satyawati Singh in 1957, the only other woman elected to the assembly was industrialist Vimla Batham who won the 2014 by-polls on a BJP ticket.

However, she had to vacate the seat in 2017 for Union home minister Rajnath Singhs son Pankaj.

For Shakila, the election is now a matter of pride for the family.

All family members including my husband and mother-in-law Wahida supported me, she said.

Her eldest son Mohammad Sajid, 24, who runs a mobile repair shop, is managing her political campaign.

I have the good wishes of hundreds of supporters. We have plans to hire a car on rent for campaigning so that we can cover all villages that fall in my constituency.

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To woo urban voters, candidates from various political parties, including the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), are deploying women from their family and supporter base. The candidates, along with their supporters, are meanwhile campaigning in rural areas.

Candidates believe that the well-educated urban voters can easily connect with women campaigners. Also, women in urban areas comfortably welcome women campaigners to their home, whereas men are often accompanied by a huge cavalcade.

As almost half of the voters are women, we have asked our women workers, including the wife of the candidate, to reach out to urban voters properly as they play a crucial role in elections, Lal Singh, president of BSPs Gautam Budh Nagar unit, said.

As per the Election Commission data, there is a total of 5,10,548 voters in Noida assembly constituency, of which 2,96,536 are men and 2,13,968 are women. The Noida, Dadri and Jewar segments of Gautam Budh Nagar will go to polls on February 11. Results will be out on March 11.

Campaigning for Pankaj Singh, the son of home minister Rajnath Singh, was done by his wife Sushma and mother Savitri, who visited sectors 33, 34 and 35 and neighbouring areas on Friday.

There are only 12-13 days left for campaigning before the polling day. We need to cover all villages and sectors of Noida. Therefore, all my supporters, including my wife and mother, are meeting people in both rural and urban areas, Pankaj Singh, BJP candidate, said.

Priti, the wife of Samajwadi Party-Congress alliances candidate Sunil Chaudhary, visited sectors 11 and 12 including residential societies to seek support for her husband in the elections.

I visited Barola, Salarpur and Agahpur, which are the largest villages in my constituency, seeking support in the elections. My wife is seeking votes in sectors because urban voters relatively feel comfortable with a team of women campaigners, Sunil Chaudhary said.

There are around 80 urban colonies in which mostly industrialists, traders and professionals live. The Noida constituency has around 40 villages, where mostly farmers and labourers who work in nearby factories, reside.

BSP candidate Ravikant Mishras wife Puja Mishra visited sectors 44 and 45 along with other women supporters from the party.

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The Election Commissions move to put a cap on the expenditure limit per candidate for campaigning in the Punjab assembly polls at Rs 28 lakh has turned the lavish lunch and dinner parties into humble chai-pakora meetings in SAS Nagar.

But there is more to it than meets the eye. While some area councillors or party supporters are voluntarily hosting such meetings in their houses so that their candidate could interact with area voters, many a times these get-togethers are thrust upon them to circumvent the spending limit. This is done so that expenditure is not added to the candidates account.

Songs on wheels The Congress had initially hired 19 three-wheelers but it now has nine moving in different localities. The songs highlight a party candidate Balbir Singh Sidhus message and agenda to appease voters. The SAD-BJP alliance has 12 auto-rickshaws plying in the SAS Nagar segment. These play songs in praise of the alliance candidate TPS Sidhu highlighting his education and clean image. The AAP is using 10 three-wheelers playing party songs in praise of Arvind Kejriwal and seeking votes for candidate Narinder Shergill.

With the election commission keeping a close watch on such gatherings and even seeking records of booking of banquet halls and marriage palaces, the political parties and their candidates are asking their supporters to play host and create an impression that the candidate is invited to seek votes.

Since a councillor is the partys face at the local level, they are supposed to arrange for get-togethers to introduce the candidate to local residents. These initiatives are mostly voluntary and tea, snacks or pakoras are served as courtesy demands it, said Sahibee Anand, BJP councillor from ward 20. With election commission taking a note of poll expenditure it has provided a level-playing field to all candidates, said Manpreet Kaur Dolly, daughter of AAP candidate from the Dera Bassi segment

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The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday morning dismissed a petition filed by a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, seeking action against director general of police (DGP), human rights, Mohammad Mustafa, accused of allegedly campaigning for his wife, Razia Sultana, a Congress candidate from Malerkotla in Punjab.

The high court division bench of justice Mahesh Grover and justice Shekher Dhawan while dismissing the petition orally asked the petitioner to approach Election Commission of India (ECI), if he had any grievance against the officer. Detailed order is awaited.

The petitioner, Seraj Malik , chairman, Improvement Trust, Malerkotla had alleged that the IPS officer was participating in the election process allegedly in favour of his wife, in violation of service rules. Hence, either he be removed or restrained from associating with the campaign of his wife, it was urged.

The direction was sought to Mustafa to not to misuse his official power and machinery in favour of his wife.
A Sikh priest, who refused to honour Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal during his visit to Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 2016, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday and accused the Badals of financially helping those behind incidents of sacrilege in the state.

Priest Balbir Singh had defended his refusal to give a siropa (robe of honour) to Badal on June 3 last year by saying that he had done so to protest the repeated sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab in 2016 and the Badal governments failure to catch the culprits.

Read | Sikh priest at Golden Temple denies siropa to CM Badal, transferred

He was immediately transferred out of Amritsar by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which controls the Sikh shrines in the state.

I also came to know that the Badal family is giving financial help to those involved in the heinous act. Sacrilege incidents on this scale were not possible without the active involvement of the ruling (Shiromani Akali Dal) party. My protest was against the state governments failure to arrest the guilty, Balbir Singh said on Friday after he was inducted into the AAP by senior party leader Sanjay Singh and others.

He said the AAP leadership has assured him that those guilty in the sacrilege cases would be punished.

Before formally joining the AAP, Balbir Singh announced his support to AAP candidate Jarnail Singh, who is pitted against the chief minister in Lambi assembly constituency.

The elections to the 117-member Punjab assembly will be held on February 4 and counting of ballots will be taken up on March 11.

On October 20 last year, the Punjab Police said they had arrested two brothers for their involvement in the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village in Faridkot district.

A senior police officer then said other incidents of sacrilege reported from Kohrian (Sangrur district), Nijjarpura (Amritsar), Ghawaddi (Ludhiana) and Bathh (Tarn Taran) were of localised nature.

The police had claimed that five of the seven reported cases of sacrilege had been solved.
Ram Gopal Varma is back to it again. This time, the filmmaker, known for his fiery (read controversial) rants on Twitter, has taken on Telugu super star Mahesh Babu for supporting Jallikattu. In a series of tweets he posted on his time line on Thursday, RGV also questioned the actor for not talking about granting of special status to Andhra Pradesh.

He tweeted on Thursday: Why @urstrulyMahesh supporting some Tamil festival culture more than survival problems of AP?

Why @urstrulyMahesh supporting some Tamil festival culture more than survival problems of AP ? Becos he's not as caring as @PawanKalyan ?  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 25, 2017

Shocked @urstrulyMahesh is more bothered about dubbing market people than survival problems of actual people who made him super star  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 25, 2017

The Satya-fame director also praised Pawan Kalyan while slamming Mahesh. Becos hes not as caring as @PawanKalyan? Shocked @urstrulyMahesh is more bothered about dubbing market people than survival problems of actual people who made him super star. If @urstrulyMahesh fans dont tell him to back @PawanKalyan s fight for APs struggle they also are as big traitors of AP as him. Other heroes fight only filmy police n filmy politicians but @PawanKalyan is fighting real villains like real police n real politicians, RGV added.

Any celebrity if they don't immidiatley don't join @PawanKalyan in his fight for the people's problems they are criminal traitors of AP  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 25, 2017

If @urstrulyMahesh fans don't tell him to back @PawanKalyan 's fight for AP's struggle they also are as big traitors of AP as him  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 25, 2017

Interestingly, Pawan had also supported the pro-Jallikattu movement. If ban on Jallikattu was imposed only on the pretext of cruelty towards animals, how can the government justify the killing of thousands of cows, calves and buffaloes to produce and export 2.4 million tonnes of beef every year? tweeted Pawan Kalyan, who also heads a regional party Jana Sena.

On Friday, RGV also asked Pawan Kalyan to be little more involved.

Why is @PawanKalyan still only tweeting from far ..When is he coming to battlefield ? How can a war be won without the king leading it?  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 26, 2017

The filmmaker asked the actor to join the fight from the ground, instead of simply tweeting about it.

A true warrior instead of with a phone from a safe distance will be with a sword in the middle of the field  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 26, 2017

Very disappointed that he stayed away after inspiring and exciting ..if he came it would have been a hit instead of failing so badly  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 26, 2017

Though it completley failed today am sure @PawanKalyan will tell some master plan tmrw how to make it super hit  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 26, 2017

Pawan has announced a press conference over the issue on Friday.

#APDemandsSpecialStatus

I will call for a press meet tomorrow morning, between 9-10am  Pawan Kalyan (@PawanKalyan) January 26, 2017

In December, Mahesh Babu, had said Jallikattu reflected the spirit of Tamil Nadu -- bold and fearless. Proud to see such a statement of unity among Tamilians for something that they truly believe in. Especially admire the way the students of Tamil Nadu have been standing up for the cause, relentlessly fighting for their roots and culture, he tweeted.

Proud to see such a statement of unity among Tamilians for something that they truly believe in.  Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) January 19, 2017

Especially admire the way the students of Tamil Nadu have been standing up for the cause, relentlessly fighting for their roots and culture.  Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) January 19, 2017

He even drew a link between Jallikattu and cockfights, a popular sport in rural Andhra Pradesh that has been banned. In fact, cockfights have deep religious significance associated with Lord Kukkuteshwara (a form of Shiva) and they are the cultural identity of Andhra, he said.

Tamil superstar Rajnikanth also joined the protesters in Chennai on Friday. Celebrities like Kamal Haasan, AR Rahman and Viswanathan Anand, too, have spoke in support of Jallikattu.

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Not everyone is a small screen fan. The recent actor to join the bandwagon is Pallavi Joshi, who feels there has been a steady deterioration in television content.

I am not a TV viewer at all. Also, given the content being generated on Hindi television these days, I dont feel like watching them. They show the same thing again and again. It doesnt really matter if you miss an episode, as even after a week or so you will see them harping on the same track. They just drag on and keep milking money out of it. Thats primarily why the audience base is slowly shifting to digital, says Joshi, adding that its time Indian television starts experimenting with more appealing content.

The actor is currently a part of the new historical fiction Peshwa Bajirao on Sony where she plays the character of widow warrior queen Tarabai, the daughter-in-law of Shivaji Maharaj. In terms of the concept and execution, Im happy with the show. The producers not just got a good market value, but they are also capable of converting any subject to a huge mass appealing one. Also with Bajirao, there is no unnecessary tension or extra marital affair or women unnecessarily wearing jewellery to the kitchen, adds Joshi whose last show, Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai, didnt do well.

I am not a TV viewer at all. Also, given the content being generated on Hindi television these days, I dont feel like watching them.

Talking about it, she rues, Unfortunately, when you do good work it always necessarily fails. This was never the case earlier. Even this ongoing show (Indian adaption of the Israeli drama Hatufim, Prisoners of War) is good when it comes to content, but isnt garnering good TRPs.

Joshi also isnt happy with the way supernatural content are being promoted on television. While swapping channels I recently saw a character turning into a fly. As if we didnt have enough of dayans and naagins. (Laughs) I hope such trends will pass soon, she says.

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Ten civilians, including a child, were killed in Turkish air strikes and shelling in and around a Syrian town held by the Islamic State group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

The bombardment hit the northern town of Al-Bab and the nearby area of Tadif, both held by IS, on Thursday.

Al-Bab has come under heavy assault in recent weeks, with Turkish, Russian and Syrian warplanes carrying out strikes in or around the town.

The observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of a ground operation it launched in Syria last August targeting both IS and Kurdish fighters. Several this month have been joint operations with Russia.

But Turkish officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties and have vehemently denied claims civilians have been killed in previous strikes.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday that 22 IS terrorists had been killed in the latest round of Turkish strikes on Syria, against a total of 272 IS targets.

IS is not included in a fragile nationwide ceasefire in force since December 30 that led to peace negotiations jointly organised by Turkey, Russia and Iran in Kazakhstan this week.

There was no major breakthrough in the talks, which brought a government delegation together for indirect talks with representatives of armed groups for the first time.

Ankara has backed rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011. Moscow and Tehran have supported the government.
In spring 2015, the Abu Dhabi royal family urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider a state visit to the United Arab Emirates. New Delhi was unenthusiastic. Indias economic stakes in the UAE were weighed against the Emiratis close relationship with Pakistan. Dubais status as a home-away-from-home for Dawood Ibrahim rankled.

Abu Dhabi indicated it was prepared to talk about counterterrorism, including Pakistan. New Delhi was pleasantly surprised to find the Emiratis were serious: the infamous days when it was one of three countries to recognise the Taliban regime were over.

Modi flew to the UAE in August that year. Crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayeds coming as Republic Day chief guest this year sealed the new Delhi-Abu Dhabi relationship.

Read I India-UAE to increase trade by 60%, to come up with action plan by June

There are several reasons why the UAE has suddenly discovered India.

Foremost is Abu Dhabis sense that its years of acquiescence to Saudi Arabian and Pakistani promotion of Sunni extremism is now threatening to engulf the entire region. In a speech to the UN last year, UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed warned of the dangers organisations, most notably Daesh, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah which exploit religion for political purposes posed to the region.

The UAE has quietly supported the creation of moderate Islamic institutions such as the Muslim Council of Elders, the Global Forum for Prompting Peace in Muslim Societies and the Sawab and Hedayah Centres. Last year, notes James Dorsey of the Middle East Institute in Singapore, the Emirati underwrote a clerics conference in Russia which, when defining true schools of Sunni thinking, pointedly excluded Saudi-backed Wahhabism, Salafists and Deobandi school.

Kings College Gulf expert, David B Rogers, goes as far as to say the UAE has become an advocate of its own brand of secularism, one in which the decisions of ruling elites are informed and shaped, rather than mandated and sanctioned, by Islam.

The UAE has positioned itself as a fourth force in political divisions that presently wrack the Sunni world. It has distanced itself from the Wahhabism promoted by Saudi Arabia. It strongly opposes the anti-monarchical conservativism of the Muslim Brotherhood. And keeps aloof from Turkey and Qatar, which have supported radical Salafi groups including, at times, the Islamic State.

Read I President Pranab Mukherjee thanks UAE for embracing Indians, helping them flourish

This has automatically devalued the importance of Pakistan for the UAE. The Pakistan Armys decision to refuse to join UAE-Saudi military efforts to support Sunni forces in Yemens civil war accelerated this shift. But more fundamental was a sense that if secularised Islam was the UAEs future, India made more sense than its western neighbour.

The India gambit also fits Abu Dhabis economic vision.

With the US effectively energy independent and Chinas double-digit growth years behind it, the fastest growing major market for oil and gas these past several months has been India. This has been noticed by Abu Dhabi, the only one of the Emirates with oil and gas wealth. Offering to have its main sovereign wealth fund, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, put $ 80 billion into Indias infrastructure builds both an economic bond and helps promote a future market.

Abu Dhabi also has two other economic goals in mind. One is to develop capacities in technology sectors such as renewable energy and software, with the idea of diversifying from hydrocarbons. Again Indian corporations are obvious partners in such efforts. Pakistan stands nowhere.

Read I The Abu Dhabi crown prince as the R-Day guest suggests Indias renewed West Asia focus

The other goal is to evolve Dubai into a genuine global financial hub. The Abu Dhabi royal family see the Dubai family as a bunch of buccaneers who allowed all sorts of riff-raff to settle down in Dubai, explained one Western diplomat. The vision is to make Dubai more like Singapore. Again, India makes sense, Pakistan not.

Finally, Abu Dhabi and many other Gulf states are concerned at the regions lack of a geopolitical anchor. The US is seen as unpredictable and disinterested in the region. Newly-elected President Donald Trumps expressed dislike for both Iran and Saudi Arabia only continues, in cruder form, the Obama administrations policy of staying as far removed from the Gulf as possible.

The Saudis and Emiratis were further troubled when the Obama administration, concerned at outsized civilian casualties in Yemen, blocked the sale of bombs and missiles to their respective air forces. Which is one reason Abu Dhabi has begun exploring the possibility of buying Indian-made arms.

Read I UAE will fill up half of Mangalore oil reserve as Modi-Abu Dhabi Crown Prince sign deals

The UAE has sought to hedge its external relations with other countries as well. Crown prince Bin Zayed visited China in December 2015. The UAEs smaller wealth fund, Mubadala, announced plans to launch a $ 10 billion investment fund with two Chinese state institutions. ADIA opened a Hong Kong office last October.

However, Beijing has limited strategic reach in the Persian Gulf. Abu Dhabi is also wooing Russian companies to set up shop in the UAE. But the Emiratis and the Russians support opposing sides of the Islamic State. The UAE also supports the Iranian nuclear deal that Trump has said he will scrap.

India, with its ambitious naval plans in the Indian Ocean, is emerging as a major pillar of this hedging strategy. While New Delhi remains averse to the idea of projecting its power into the Gulf, Abu Dhabi wonders how long India will be able to stay out given its strategic interests and rising military power.

Abu Dhabis attempts to play power politics while maintaining the UAE as the economic centre for all is not without complications. It remains close to the present ruling faction in Riyadh, seeing them as reformers, but this has led it into it a messy war in Yemen.

Its intervention in Libya led to a proxy war with Qatar. Oman is the Gulf country that most closely shares the Emirati worldview, but is unfortunately the weakest among these states. Tellingly, Muscat has traditionally been New Delhis closest friend in the region.
The appointment of the new Saarc secretary general has run into problems because of India-Pakistan tensions, with Islamabads candidate yet to be approved by the grouping.

Pakistan had proposed Amjad Hussain Sial for the post of secretary general during a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Pokhara in March last year. It was Pakistans turn to get the post, which is held by rotation.

After Sials name was proposed, it was expected he would be approved by member states at the Saarc Summit that was to be held in Islamabad last year. However, the summit fell through because of the India-Pakistan tensions.

The incumbent secretary general, Nepals Arjun Bahadur Thapa, will complete his tenure at the end of February. The Saarc Secretariat recently circulated a note to the groupings eight members, seeking their approval for Sials appointment.

In its response, the external affairs ministry asked the Saarc Secretariat to follow the process laid down in the charter for appointing the secretary general. India made it clear the appointment should be endorsed by the Council of Ministers and that it cannot be done through a diplomatic note, sources said.

According to the Saarc process, a rejection by even one member state means an appointment cannot go ahead.

The Indian response, accessed by Hindustan Times, drew attention towards Article V of the MoU on the establishment of Saarc Secretariat that specifies the requirement of appointment by the Council of Ministers for the secretary general.

With very little chance of a meeting of the Council of Ministers being convened in the near future, the appointment of Sial is likely to be on hold for an indefinite period. An extension for Thapa is unlikely as the secretary general has a fixed term of three years.

The Indian response also conveyed New Delhis concern that formal communications on this important matter are not being circulated to all member states by the secretariat and requested that working procedures should be adhered to.

This is an example of hard politics, said a Nepali diplomat familiar with the developments.

Pakistan has expressed dismay over the developments, diplomatic sources in Kathmandu said. Reports suggested Pakistani authorities had expressed their reservations to Nepals envoy, Sewa Adhikari.

The Saarc process has been in limbo since India-Pakistan tensions spiked after a terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri last September.

This is the first time in Saarcs history that the appointment of the secretary general has run into such problems. We are clear that the tensions between India and Pakistan have affected the Saarc process and the appointment of the secretary general, the diplomat said.
Police in Bahrain carried out a dawn raid Thursday against supporters of a Shia cleric on trial in the Sunni-ruled kingdom during which one man was shot and wounded, witnesses said.

Security forces intervened in the village of Diraz, west of the capital, where protesters have been staging sit-ins since authorities revoked Sheikh Isa Qassims citizenship in June.

He is accused of sowing sectarian divisions in the Shia-majority Gulf archipelago, home to the US Fifth Fleet.

A 21-year-old man was hospitalised with a bullet wound to his head after the raid, human rights campaigners said quoting a medical source.

Dozens of residents in Diraz later staged a protest chanting slogans hostile to the authorities, witnesses said.

The trial of the 75-year-old cleric on charges of illegal fund-raising and money laundering opened in July. A new hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Qassim has also been accused by the interior ministry of serving foreign interests -- an allusion to Shia-dominated Iran.

Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister in 2011.

The head of the Shia opposition, Sheikh Ali Salman, was arrested in December 2014 and sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of inciting hatred.
A 45-year-old man in Bangladesh, accused of secretly marrying 28 times, was arrested and sent to jail over dowry harassment complaint filed by his 25th wife, a media report said.

Yasin Byapari was arrested by the police from his 27th wifes home at Taltali area of Barguna district.

A court sent him to jail in the dowry case filed by his 25th wife Shiuli Akhter Tania, bdnews24.com reported.

Tania said she married Yasin in 2011 and after the birth of a daughter, she discovered she was not the only wife of her husband. In fact, she was his 25th wife!, the report said.

After she came to know this, she managed to trace the names and addresses of 17 of her husbands spouses.

She claimed Yasin has two daughters with his second wife, one son with his third wife, one son with his seventh wife and a daughter with his 24th wife.

She said after their marriage, Yasin cited work as an excuse to often stay away from home. At one point, he began to assault her physically while demanding dowry, the report said.

Then without informing me, he married a girl from Matibhanga area of Rajapur Sadar Upazila. But the girl divorced Yasin after she discovered about his marriages, Tania said.

Then in 2015, he married a Chittagong-based girl from Taltali. But he did not take her to his house and went on to marry a garment worker from Khulna, she said.

Although Tania provided the name and address of her husband, police have not been able to corroborate the claims.

Tania filed the case with the Khulna chief judicial magistrate, implicating Yasin in a dowry case on September 29 last year, a senior police officer said.

In her complaint, Tania accused Yasin of suppressing information and marrying 28 times, he said. Yasin, however, had confessed to marrying only twice during preliminary interrogation.
Authorities in Beijing have appealed to officials not to burst firecrackers and to discourage relatives from doing so while celebrating the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival in an attempt to curb the heavy and acrid smog that descends on the city following the festivities.

Celebrations marking the first day of the Spring Festival and marking Diwali in India have two things in common  firecrackers and pollution. The Chinese have been bursting firecrackers during the Spring Festival for centuries, believing they drive away evil. The resulting heavy pollution was an accepted part of the celebrations in Beijing for years.

The local government has been trying to clear the air and keep the city of around 21 million smog-free after the celebrations. In a statement, the government said city officials must take the lead in not setting off fireworks or crackers.

Have firm environmental protection consciousness and a sense of responsibility, the statement said. Proactively guide family members and friends not to let off or to limit the letting off of fireworks and firecrackers, improve air quality together and get into the action of ensuring blue skies for the capital.

Smog in Beijing on Thursday resulted in a sharp drop in visibility. (Reuters)

State media reported earlier that local authorities had limited firework sales in Beijing, approving 511 fireworks stalls this year, compared to 719 in 2016. State-run China Daily said no stalls were approved in central Beijing.

With fewer fireworks during the Spring Festival holiday last year, Beijing's PM2.5 density went down 16% as compared to that of earlier years.

Other parts of China have been trying to crack down on fireworks, but with mixed results.

Central Henan province had to lift a ban on fireworks after people said the ban was against Chinese traditions.

Officials with Henan Provincial Environmental Protection Department said the government moved to lift the ban as it was decided that it would conflict with Chinese traditions, official Xinhua news agency reported.

A survey initiated by sina.com showed that 25% of respondents supported the ban, 47% objected it while 26.4% thought it would be too difficult to implement such a strict ban, it said.

The report said that though industrial emission, coal-fired boilers, automobiles and burning of biofuels are the main causes of smog in northern China, intensive periods of fireworks can cause pollutant density to shoot up in a short time.
Britain Prime Minister Theresa May said at a joint White House press conference with Donald Trump that the US President is 100% behind Nato, an agreement the Republican leader had often been critical of during his election campaign.

Trump did not dispute May, allowing himself to be put on the record about the issue, and his apparent support for Nato is being touted as May-effect.

Trump on Friday pledged Americas lasting support to the US historic special relationship with Britain after he emerged from his first meeting with the British Prime Minister, leader of an ally who seeks to nudge the populist President toward the political mainstream.

May, who said the meeting gave the two a chance to build a relationship, announced that Trump had accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II for a state visit later this year with his wife, first lady Melania Trump.

In his first-ever joint news conference with a world leader, Trump chose his words carefully as he addressed a wide range of topics such as Mexico and his upcoming call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Trump is expected to speak to Putin on Saturday, with experts saying the issue of US sanctions could come up. The US President has refused to preview the conversation, but said that he would like to have a great relationship with every country, including Russia and China.

Read | White House misspells British PMs name, confuses it with a porn star: Report

The British PM, however, has registered her nations opposition to the lifting of sanctions against Russia, in light of Trumps cosy relationship with Putin.

Torture for interrogation

At the press conference, Trump said he will defer to members of his team, defence secretary James Mattis, over the use of torture as an interrogation technique. Trump had on Thursday said in an interview that he supports the use of waterboarding for interrogation. Mattis is reportedly opposed to the use of torture.

Phone call with Nieto

In response to a question during the press conference, Trump talked about an hour-long phone conversation with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier on Friday. While Trump did not specifically mention the issue of the wall he has ordered to be constructed along the Mexican border, he said: The border is soft and weak, drugs are pouring in, and Im not going to let that happen.

Were going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship, Trump added.

I have great respect for Mexico. I love the Mexican people, the US President said, but as you know they have beaten us to a pulp.

Read | Theresa May says she is not afraid to challenge Donald Trump

(With inputs from agencies)
In a major gaffe, the White House misspelled British Prime Minister Theresa Mays name three times in an official schedule of her visit to the US, confusing her name with a porn star.

Staff in US President Donald Trumps administration missed out the h in her name in a document setting out the plan for talks on Friday, including a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and a working luncheon following a joint press conference.

The White Houses daily guidance and press schedule from the office of the press secretary reads: In the afternoon, the president will partake in a bilateral meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister, Teresa May - missing out the h in her name, despite spelling it correctly elsewhere, the Mirror reported.

It continued: The president participates in a working luncheon with Teresa May, Prime Minister of United Kingdom.

The error was repeated in a later guidance note from the Office of the Vice President Mike Pence, though it elsewhere also spelt her name correctly, before finally being rectified fully in another notice from the same office.

Teresa May is the name of a former glamour model and porn actress.

Teresa May - the actress - also trended on Twitter during the race to be prime minister last summer.

May is scheduled to become the first foreign leader to meet Trump since he became President last week. Post-Brexit trade opportunities, security and intelligence co-operation and the future of NATO are likely to feature prominently in Mays talks with Trump.
The failure of the US to punish the perpetrators of torture had left the door open for future abuses, former officials of the administration of US president George W. Bush said.

Donald Trump has promised to walk through that door, Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff of Bushs secretary of state Colin Powell, told a conference yesterday in Paris, the day after the new president said he thinks absolutely that torture works.

Under Bush, what worried me was that no one of any stature such as then CIA chief George Tenet or White House counsel Alberto Morales -- who drafted the infamous January 2002 torture memo setting out a legal rationale for torture-- had in any way, fashion or form been punished, Wilkerson said.

Read | Donald Trump says torture absolutely works, we have to fight fire with fire

Indeed, it looked a lot to me like they had been rewarded for their good work under pressure, he said.

The conference on seeking justice for victims of US torture was organised by leading rights groups including the International Federation for Human Rights and the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights.

Under President Barack Obama, those in the government who found these practices reprehensible were hoping that (he would) reopen the issue of accountability, close Guantanamo (the US military prison in Cuba), which he promised to do, and bring some light into what happened so that most of all it wouldnt happen again. It didnt happen.

Wilkerson was part of a panel that also included former anti-terrorism investigator Mark Fallon, author of Unjustifiable Means: The Inside Story of How the CIA, Pentagon, and US Government Conspired to Torture to be published in March.

Fallon, speaking to AFP, said he thought any return to torture could be tamped down by cooler heads.

On Thursday defence chief James Mattis said the Pentagon was sticking with the ban on torture introduced in 2009 shortly after Obama took office.

And top Republican Senator John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said Trump could not reinstate it with an executive order.

The law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America, he said, in remarks echoed by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Nevertheless, Fallon said he feared a new terror attack on US soil could weaken such resolve.

Were one terrorist attack away from torture, he said.
The study of crashed UFOs and alien autopsies are part of one of the most popular conspiracy theories about the CIA but the spy agency kept a close watch on sightings of flying saucers over India and its neighbours.

A report from April 1968  part of the 930,000 declassified documents recently posted online by the Central Intelligence Agency  details six sightings of unidentified flying objects over Ladakh, Sikkim (then a protectorate of India), Bhutan and Nepal in preceding months.

Though the US security establishment has largely debunked the issue of UFOs in recent years, the CIA and the US Air Force took reports of flying saucers in the 1950s and 1960s so seriously that the spy agencys Office of Scientific Intelligence formed a scientific advisory panel to study the phenomenon.

The CIA report, originally not meant to be shared with foreigners, contains particulars of bright objects seen over south Ladakh, north east Nepal, north Sikkim and western Bhutan.

Read | After 1962 war, CIA feared China could attack India through Nepal, Myanmar

One sighting  over Kaski in Nepal on the night of March 25, 1968  involved a blazing object, flashing intermittently that disintegrated. The report said, A huge metallic disc-shaped object with a six-foot base and four feet in height was found in a crater at Baltichaur, five miles NE of Pokhara.

In clinical and precise terms, the report mentions an object was spotted moving from east to west over Chang La, Fukche and Koyul in Ladakh at 1 pm on March 4, 1968. One white light and simultaneously two blasting sounds were heard. Also, one reddish light followed by white smoke, the report said in its description.

There were two more sightings over Ladakh, one on March 4 and another on March 25, 1968. The object seen on March 25 was spotted moving towards Demchok and was rocket-like with a white-yellow-white trail about 20 yards long at a height of 20-25,000 feet.

Read | US wanted nuclear emissary to reduce India-Pakistan tensions, CIA papers reveal

On February 19, 1968, there were reports of a fast-moving and bright object being spotted over northeast Nepal and north Sikkim at 9 pm. The object, seen over Lachung, Lachen, Thangu, Muguthang and Chholamu in Sikkim, was bright enough to light up the area at night. A thunder sound was heard at Chholamu after it was sighted.

There was also a sighting of a bluish colored object over Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, at 9.30 pm on February 21, 1968. It moved at high speed without any noise and had enough light to brighten the area.

The report gives no insight into what CIA experts made of these sightings. It also does not mention what happened to the object that disintegrated in Kaski region of Nepal.

Read | From Subhas Chandra Bose to Sai Baba, how the CIA tracked India

Following a raft of UFO sightings in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the CIA even considered what it called the man from Mars - space ships - inter-planetary travellers theory but it concluded in a 1952 report: Even though we might admit that intelligent life may exist elsewhere and that space travel is possible, there is no shred of evidence to support this theory at present.

The scientific advisory panel formed by the CIA worked with the Air Technical Intelligence Centre to analyse evidence of UFO sightings and to assess the potential dangers to national security. After a round of meetings in January 1953, the panel concluded the evidence on UFOs shows no evidence that these phenomena constitute a direct physical threat to national security.

Despite this, the CIA continued tracking UFO sightings. The declassified documents have reports of sightings between the early 1950s and late 1960s in South Korea, Iran, Morocco, French West Africa, Kazakhstan, Spain, Uruguay, and Russia.

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President Donald Trump kept up his criticism of Mexico on Friday, saying it has taken advantage of the US for long enough, as a crisis over border security and trade deepened.

Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change NOW! Trump wrote on Twitter.

The United States on Thursday had threatened 20% duty on imports from Mexico to pay for a wall Trump plans to build along the border with the countrys southern neighbour, and then backtracked saying it was only a proposal, just an idea.

By the end of the day, Trump had on his hands his first international dispute without a considered response to Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, who called off their meeting scheduled for next week.

As the exchange over the wall dominated headlines, reports came of the Trump administration removing the top leadership at the state department to make way for its own men and women to work with incoming secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

Trump ordered the National Park Service director to produce additional photographs of his inauguration crowds, believing the images might prove that the media had lied about the size of the audience, according to the Washington Post.

And a senior member of Trumps team, chief strategist Steve Bannon, continued the administrations attacks on the news media, calling it the opposition party in an interview. He also asked the media to keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.

It was Trumps wall, however, that received the maximum attention as he tried to bully the countrys much smaller neighbour into paying for it, with a mix of petulance and bravado. There is no point meeting Pena Nieto then, he suggested in a Tweet.

The Mexican president, who had been under intense pressure stand up to Trump, agreed, and said on Twitter, This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in the afternoon Trump favoured a plan to impose an import duty of 20% on Mexican imports to fund the wall. And then called it only an idea, adding, Instead of 20% it could be 18, it could be 5.

The wall is estimated to cost upwards of $10 billion, which is the figure Spicer is citing in his calculation. Trump set up the math in a tweet on Thursday morning, arguing Mexico could pay for it from its $50 billion trade surplus with the US. This wall was the centerpiece of his election plank, which he trotted out dutifully in every election speech and at every rally and led supporters into chanting build the wall. He would remind them of his promise to make Mexico pay for it.
An Indian fugitive charged with attempted homicide has been arrested by the US Border Patrol as he entered the country illegally from Canada last week.

Manish Patel, 43, was apprehended after he entered the US without presenting himself for inspection and also was found to be wanted for multiple felony charges including attempted homicide of an unborn child, the US Customs and Border Protection said.

Patel, who was arrested on January 19, is being held without bond pending his prosecution.

He was arrested after he tried to illegally enter the US from Canada hiding in a car at the Trout River Port of Entry in New York.
An Indonesian man arrested in Bali this week for suspected links to the Islamic State group after travelling to Turkey was an Australian-educated former finance ministry official, authorities said on Friday.

The Ministry of Finance said Triyono Utomo resigned from his job in the ministrys fiscal policy office in February last year because he wanted to focus on managing an Islamic boarding school in West Java. At the time he was in line to be appointed as a division head within the office.

National Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said Utomo, aged about 40, was well educated and studied for his masters degree in Australia.

Four other people detained with him after they arrived in Bali on an Emirates flight were apparently his wife and three children aged 3 to 12. The ministry said it would not provide Utomo with any legal assistance.

Bali police spokesman Hengky Widjaja said on Thursday that the group was nabbed at a safe house on January 16 by Turkish soldiers.

It was the second batch of Indonesians detained this month after returning from Turkey, which has a porous border with Syria where IS militants control territory.

Last week, authorities detained 17 people, including eight women, as they arrived at Jakartas Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Widjaja said the five left Indonesia Aug. 15 last year for Thailand to avoid raising suspicion in Indonesia. From Thailand, they flew to Istanbul, he said.

Indonesian authorities have heightened surveillance at border checkpoints following a series of foiled plots by IS supporters.

Its not an offense under Indonesias counterterrorism law to travel to Syria and authorities have resorted to making arrests under an electronic information law if they can show suspects tried to recruit others over the Internet or provided funding.

Amendments designed to stiffen the counterterrorism law have languished in parliament for the past year.
The star of Irans Oscar-nominated movie The Salesman said on Thursday she would not attend the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood next month because of US President Donald Trumps proposed ban on immigrants from Muslim nations.

Taraneh Alidoosti, 33, a Tehran-born actress, said the move was racist.

Trumps visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I wont attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest, Alidoosti said on Twitter.

Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not,I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest pic.twitter.com/CW3EF6mupo  Taraneh Alidoosti (@t_alidoosti) January 26, 2017

An executive order expected to be signed by Trump in coming days will block the entry to the United States of Syrian refugees, and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen.

In The Salesman, Alidoosti plays one half of an Iranian couple whose life becomes strained as they take part in a production of the American stage classic Death of a Salesman.

The film, by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, was nominated on Tuesday for a foreign-language Oscar, and has won prizes at film festivals in Cannes, Chicago and Munich.

Alidoosti has also appeared in the popular Iranian TV soap opera Shahrzad.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 15 times violated the ceasefire in various directions along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend Jan. 27.

The Azerbaijani army positions located in the Gushchu Ayrim and Gizilhajili villages of Azerbaijans Gazakh district underwent fire from the Armenian army positions located in the Voskevan village of the Noyemberyan district and in the Berkaber village of the Ijevan district of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani army positions located in the Aghbulag village of Azerbaijans Tovuz district were shelled from the Armenian army positions located in the Chinari village of Armenias Berd district.

The Azerbaijani army positions were also shelled from the Armenian positions located near the Armenian-occupied Yusifjanli village of the Aghdam district, Mehdili village of the Jabrayil district, as well as on nameless heights of the Goranboy, Tartar and Fuzuli districts of Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
A Massachusetts man is accused of attacking a Muslim airline employee at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, allegedly kicking and shouting obscenities at the woman and telling her that President Donald Trump will get rid of all of you, authorities said.

The Queens District Attorneys Office said Robin Rhodes, of Worchester, had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts on Wednesday night when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was sitting in her office.

Queens District Attorney Richard A Brown said Rhodes came up to the door and went on a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying. Rhodes then allegedly punched the door, which hit the back of Khans chair. Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and Rhodes replied, You did nothing. He then cursed at her and kicked her in the leg, Brown said.

When another person tried to calm him down, Brown said Rhodes moved away from the door and Khan ran out of the office. Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities and said Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You see what happens, Brown said.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police, I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldnt tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head.

Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney who can comment on the charges.

The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized society  especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation, Brown said. Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do, regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice.
The United States on Thursday threatened 20% duty on imports from Mexico to pay for a wall President Donald Trump plans to build along the border with the countrys southern neighbour, and then backtracked saying it was only a proposal, just an idea.

By the end of the day, President Trump had on his hands his first international dispute, and in his first week in office, he was left looking woefully clueless after Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto called off their meeting scheduled for next week.

This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS, Pena Nieto tweeted, continuing an exchange started by Trump on the social media site.

Trump had suggested there was no point going ahead with the meeting if Mexico wasnt ready to pay for his wall. But it was only a suggestion, cloaked as a threat, broadcast to the world through his favourite bullhorn, Twitter.

Pena Nieto, who was under pressure from both supporters and rivals at home to stand up to Trump and who had already said Mexico would not pay for the wall, called off the meeting, leaving the Trump administration scrambling for a response.

And when they did come up with one  a steep 20% duty on imports from Mexico unsubtly intended to force Mexicans to their knees  they dropped it after a while, inviting criticism that they had been ham-handed and had created confusion.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer, who has struggled to find both rhythm and respect since taking charge of the podium, told reporters in the afternoon that the president was in favour of a plan to impose an import duty on Mexican imports to fund the wall.

When you look at the plan thats taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico, Spicer told reporters of the protective pool.

If you tax that $50 billion (Mexicos trade surplus with US) at 20 percent of imports  which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do  right now our countrys policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous.

By doing it that way we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone, Spicer said.

Read | After Trump conference, Mexico says wont fund border wall but wants good ties

The wall is estimated by some to cost upwards of $10 billion, which is the figure Spicer is citing in his calculation. Trump set up the math in a tweet Thursday morning arguing Mexico could pay for it from its $50 billion trade surplus with the US.

Spicer was walking back the bluster in a few hours, calling the 20% duty threat an idea, which he tried to pin on House speaker Paul Ryan, repeatedly calling it an idea, adding, damagingly, Instead of 20% it could be 18, it could be 5.

And that, in essence, was Trumps response to Pena Nieto.

This wall was the centrepiece of his election plank, which he trotted out dutifully in every election speech and at every rally and led supporters into chanting build the wall. And he would remind them of his promise to make Mexico pay for it.

He had never checked that with the Mexicans, of course, and the one time he had a chance, when he made a surprise visit to Mexico City to meet President Pena Nieto as a candidate, he didnt  critics had said he had choked.

On Thursday, his administration suffered the same mishap.
Germanys population grew by some 600,000 in 2016 to reach a record high of 82.8 million due to the number of migrants who have arrived in the country, the Federal Statistics office said on Friday.

In a preliminary estimate for 2016, the statistics office said the population eclipsed the previous record high of 82.5 million recorded at the end of 2002, even though the number of deaths in 2016 exceeded the number of births by between 150,000 and 190,000.

Deaths exceed births in Germany since 1972, with a total of more than 5 million fewer births than deaths.

However, countering that trend, more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and beyond flocked to Germany in 2015 and 2016, drawn by its strong economy, relatively liberal asylum laws and generous system of benefits.

Since the height of the euro zone debt crisis, Germany is also attracting many migrants from other European countries such as Greece and Spain.

The figures used to calculate net migration were based on numbers signing up at registration offices. Asylum seekers are initially housed in reception centres and generally only registered later.

Steady economic growth since 2010 and generous pro-family policies by successive governments in recent years have helped lift the birth rate but it is still below the death rate.

German government support for refugees has climbed in recent years. For 2016 and 2017 the government set aside 28.7 billion euros ($30.64 billion) in funding to accommodate and integrate the more than one million asylum seekers who entered the country, the ministry said.
Russian and Turkish warplanes carried out new air strikes in Syria Thursday, targeting positions of the Islamic State jihadists in the town of Al-Bab in the Aleppo region, Russias army said Thursday.

On January 26, the Russian and Turkish air forces conducted another joint air operation against the Islamic State group in the town of Al-Bab, the army said in a statement.

The operation involved Russias Su-24M bombers and Su-35S fighter planes along with Turkeys F-16 and F-4 fighter jets, the army statement said.

The Russian planes destroyed three command and communication centres and several fortified positions, it added.

Moscow and Ankara had already carried out air strikes against IS in Al-Bab on January 18 and 21, after signing an accord earlier this month to coordonate their air campaign against terrorist targets in Syria.

In all, 58 IS targets had been destroyed in the joint air raids, the Russian army said.

Syrian rebel backer Turkey and Damascus regime ally Russia, along with Iran, sponsored two days of Syrian peace negotiations this week between the two sides in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

The talks wrapped up on Tuesday without any tangible progress in finding a political solution to the conflict, which has claimed 310,000 lives since it started in 2011.
Russia has slammed comments by British defence secretary Michael Fallon calling Moscows flagship aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov a ship of shame.

Fallon on Wednesday said British warships and warplanes tracked Russias only aircraft carrier through the English Channel.

The carrier and its escort, the guided missile cruiser Petr Velikiy, are on their way back to Russia after participating in airstrikes in Syria. They left the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month, BBC reported.

We are keeping a close eye on the Admiral Kuznetsov as it skulks back to Russia, a ship of shame whose mission has only extended the suffering of the Syrian people, Fallon said.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday said it had paid attention to Fallons remarks.

The Russian combat ships do not need escort services, the statement said. They know the fairway and the course.

The ministry also suggested Fallon should be paying more attention to the British fleet.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday struck a slightly different tone to his defence counterpart, noting Moscows role in bringing about Syrian peace talks in Astana this week, following on from its military involvement.

To the extent that the Russians are capable of getting a ceasefire and stopping suffering, that must be rated a plus, Johnson told a House of Lords committee.

That comes after a pretty brutal and barbaric bombardment of Aleppo and other places which they facilitated -- or, Im sure, perhaps even participated in, he said.

According to the BBC, Johnson said Russia had intervened in Syria to considerable effect by preserving the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He described Moscows involvement there as a fact of life after other powers such as Britain had declined to step in.

Russias airstrikes in support of Assads forces have been crucial in helping them gain the upper hand in the long-running conflict. In December, they succeeded in pushing rebel fighters from the key city of Aleppo.

Syrias brutal civil war has raged on for nearly six years and killed an estimated 400,000 people.
As India marked its 68th Republic Day,a group of Sikhs held a protest outside the UN headquarters in New York against the Indian Constitution, raising pro-Khalistan slogans and demanding the world bodys intervention to protect the community.

The Sikhs held a liberation rally alleging that the Constitution denies religious freedom to the Sikh community.

Carrying placards that read Wake up UN and Sikh Referendum 2020, they shouted slogans demanding freedom for Punjab.

The protesters also demanded a UN intervention to protect Sikhs and raised slogans in favour of an independent Sikh state of Khalistan.

Rights group Sikhs for Justice sent a communique to Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief urging him to condemn provisions of the Indian Constitution, which they claimed violate religious freedom and identity of Sikhs by labeling them as Hindus.

SFJ legal advisor said the group will lobby with the UN for bringing a resolution in the General Assembly on the issue of Sikhs religious freedom in India.

The rally was organised by the Gurudwara Sikh Cultural Society of Richmond Hill with the support of management committees of Gurudwaras in the tri-state area.
Two snake hunters from India have been hired by Florida wildlife officials to get rid of Burmese pythons, which are wiping out small mammal populations and driving some nearly to extinction in a tropical wetland in the US state.

Masi Sadaiyan and Vaidivel Gopal, both in their 50s and from the Irula tribe of Tamil Nadu, are successful python hunters in India. They were brought in, along with two translators, to work with detection dogs earlier this month to track down and capture the giant snakes.

In just eight days, they have surprised officals of the Florida Fish and Wildlfe Conservation Commission (FWC) by bagging as many as 13 pythons, including a 16-foot-long female.

A joint endeavour of the FWC and University of Floridas Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFS), officials have described it as a unique project.

Since the Irula have been so successful in their homeland in removing pythons, we are hoping they can teach people in Florida some of these skills, said Kristen Sommers, section leader of the FWCs Wildlife Impact Management Section.

We are working with our partners to improve our ability to find and capture pythons in the wild. These projects are two of several new efforts focused on the removal of these snakes, Sommers said.

In their first eight days on the job, the Irula tribesmen -- world-renowned snake catchers from India -- removed 13 pythons, including four on their first visit to Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on North Key Largo in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irula tribe has been catching snakes, a media release said.

Officials said they were currently working with the Irula tribesmen to identify additional programmes to remove more nonnative pythons from Florida.

The FWC and UF/IFAS have been collaborating with public land managers to identify environmentally sensitive areas that would benefit most from targeted python removal.

Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is one such area because of the federally-endangered Key Largo woodrat and many protected bird species that reside there.

UF/IFAS wildlife biologist, Frank Mazzotti, and his team were working with the Irula tribe in South Florida, the media release said.

On January 17, Irula tribesmen, UF/IFAS, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Geological Survey cooperators removed four Burmese pythons from the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The commission says it paid $68,888 to hire the Irula men and their translators and fly them to South Florida from their home in southern India. They will stay in Florida through February.
Syrian rebels urged President Donald Trump to fulfil a pledge to create safe zones in their country, but analysts doubted he would proceed with a step that could drag Washington deeper into war, hasten Syrias fragmentation and risk conflict with Russia.

Trump told ABC News on Wednesday he will absolutely do safe zones in Syria for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.

President Bashar al-Assads opponents have long demanded safe zones to protect civilians who have fled government air strikes and bombardment of rebel-held areas.

But reflecting uncertainties about the announcement, representatives of the insurgents voiced only cautious optimism.

Weve seen no result on the ground from (U.S.) statements that were made six years ago. So therefore we await action before anything else, said Fares al-Bayoush, a rebel commander in northwestern Syria.

Qatar, which backs the rebels, welcomed Trumps comments and emphasised the need to provide safe havens in Syria and to impose no-fly zones to ensure the safety of civilians.

There was no immediate word from Damascus, but it is sure to oppose such a move as Assad has vowed to regain control of all Syria. Iran, which backs militias in Syria including Lebanons Hezbollah, would also oppose any U.S. intervention.

Russia said it had not been consulted on Trumps plan, warning that it should not exacerbate the situation with refugees and Washington should weigh up all the consequences.

MAJOR POLICY SHIFT

The creation of safe zones would mark a major shift in U.S. policy. Former U.S. President Barack Obama resisted an idea that would require a commitment to defend such areas from the Syrian government or its foreign allies, including Russia.

Trump appears to see safe zones as a way to stem the tide of refugees which he sees as a possible threat to U.S. security.

But there are no obvious answers as to how the United States would avoid the problems that have prevented it establishing safe zones in Syria before, including the complication of policing such an area in a war zone dotted with armed groups.

At this stage this is very much in the realm of political manoeuvring, said Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow and Syria expert at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. I dont think it is signalling imminent U.S. action.

Trump could order the State Department and Pentagon to produce a plan that would also create safe areas in countries surrounding Syria where millions of refugees already live.

The Syrian government hopes Trump will end U.S. support for the rebels fighting Assad and refocus U.S. policy solely on fighting Islamic State, perhaps in cooperation with Russia.

Trump has indicated he will do both.

Almost six years of war has turned Syria into a patchwork of areas, some controlled by Assad, some by rebel groups and others by Kurdish militia or Islamic State militants.

Previous discussion of safe zones in Syria has focused on rebel-held areas in the northwest stretching from Idlib province to the Euphrates river. Areas in the southwest at the border with Jordan have also been seen as a possibility.

But the complications have grown since the Syrian opposition first called for safe zones, including the deployment of Russias air force to Syria.

Defending a safe zone from attack by the Syrian government or its Russian and Iranian-backed militia allies would inevitably lead to an escalation, which is one of the reasons Obama had avoided this path in the first place, Sayigh said.

Another big challenge would be how to police the area to maintain its neutral status as a safe zone, he added.

DO SAFE ZONES WORK?

While much of Trumps Syria policy remains unclear, Syrian Kurds, who have generally avoided conflict with Assad, look set to remain central to U.S. strategy.

The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia controls swathes of northeast Syria, where conflict with the government is rare and the U.S. air force mounts regular air strikes against IS targets.

Syrian Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria alarms Turkey, which fears it could increase separatist sentiment among its Kurdish minority. Kurdish groups already govern northern Iraq, where the establishment of a no-fly zone in 1991 helped them on their way to autonomy from Baghdad.

The YPG has links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a designated terrorist groups in Turkey.

Growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria largely explains why Turkey launched a major incursion into Syria last year, helping insurgents from the Free Syrian Army drive both Islamic State and Kurdish militia away from the border.

The operation dubbed Euphrates Shield has created what Turkish officials call a safe zone that is 100 km (62 miles) long. This week, a new Turkish-trained Syrian police force deployed in the town of Jarablus in that strip of territory.

Turkey, which hosts 2.8 million Syrian refugees, has long advocated safe zones in Syria.

But underlining the caution with which foreign governments are viewing Trumps comments, Turkey said it was waiting to see the outcome of a study requested by Trump.

Aid agencies in the region are concerned.

Karl Schembri, Regional Media Adviser in the Middle East for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that from the groups experience, we know that militarily enforced safe zones rarely work and can actually put civilians at more risk.
Comments by US President Donald Trump on nuclear weapons and climate change have helped make the world less safe, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned Thursday, moving its symbolic Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight.

The clock -- which serves as a metaphor for how close humanity is to destroying the planet -- was last changed in 2015, from five to three minutes before midnight.

It is now set at two and a half minutes to midnight, amid concerns about a rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trumps comments on nuclear arms and climate issues, a darkening global security landscape that is coloured by increasingly sophisticated technology, and a growing disregard for scientific expertise, said a statement by the group of scientists and intellectuals, including 15 Nobel laureates.

Trump has made contradictory statements about climate change, at times calling it a hoax and other times saying he would keep an open mind about it.

On the nuclear issue, Trump said in December that the US must build up its nuclear arsenal.

Responding to a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow needs to strengthen its own nuclear force, Trump responded with a tweet: The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.

The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than it has ever been in the lifetime of almost everyone in this room, Lawrence Krauss, chair of the Bulletins board of sponsors, told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington.

The last time it was closer was 63 years ago in 1953 after the then Soviet Union exploded its first hydrogen bomb, creating the modern arms race, he added.

More than that, this is the first time that the words and stated policies of one or two people placed in high positions have so impacted on our perception of the existential threats we believe the world faces, he said, alluding to Trump and Putin.

Imperiling democracy

Krauss cited intelligence reports that accuse Russia of interfering with the US presidential campaign to favour Trumps victory as symbolic of the deeper global threat posed by cybertechnology.

The question of whether the fabric of democracy may be imperiled by reducing faith in both the integrity of election and the very information on which an informed public can base their voting becomes suspect, said Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University.

He also said the bulletin is extremely concerned about the willingness of governments -- including the current US administration -- to ignore or discount some science or evidence during their decision-making process.

Last year, the warmest year in modern times due to human-driven climate change, world leaders actually increased the threat of nuclear war and unchecked climate change through a variety of provocative statements and actions including careless rhetoric about the use of nuclear weapons, said Krauss.

An amid escalating rhetoric on the nuclear front, he called on Russia and the United States, which possess the large majority of the worlds nuclear weapons, to focus in the coming year on reducing their arsenals.

President Trump and President Putin, who claim great respect for each other, can choose to act together as statesmen or act as petulant children risking our future, he said.

Regardless, these issues are too important to be left in the hands of a few men. We therefore call upon all people to speak out and send a loud message to your leaders that you will not allow them to needlessly threaten your future and the future of your children.

In an opinion piece published in the New York Times, Krauss and another bulletin scientist, David Titley, wrote that Trump was a key factor in their decision.

Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person, they wrote.

But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter.

The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947. It has changed 19 times since then, ranging from two minutes to midnight in 1953 to 17 minutes before midnight in 1991.
Determined to wall off Americas border with Mexico, President Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic clash and a fresh fight over trade on Thursday as the White House proposed a 20% tax on imports from the key US ally and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped next weeks trip to Washington.

The swift fallout signalled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The US and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

At the heart of the dispute is Trumps insistence that Mexico will pay for construction of the massive wall he has promised along the southern US border. Trump on Wednesday formally ordered construction of the wall.

The plan was a centrepiece of Trumps election campaign, though he never specified how Mexico would fund the project or how he would compel payments if Pena Nietos government refused.

Read | After Trump conference, Mexico says wont fund border wall but wants good ties

An aerial picture of the urban fencing on the border between the US and Mexico at El Nido del Aguila, outskirts of Tijuana, northwestern Mexico on January 26, 2017. (AFP)

The two leaders had been scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House next week. But Pena Nieto took to Twitter on Thursday to say he had informed the White House he would not be coming.

In a speech in Philadelphia later, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice.

On the flight back to Washington, Trumps spokesman told reporters the president was considering the 20% import tax to foot the bill, the most specific proposal Trump has ever floated for how to cover a project estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone, Spicer said. This is something that weve been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan.

Spicer said Trump was looking at taxing imports on all countries the US has trade deficits with, but he added, Right now we are focused on Mexico.

Read | Merkel vows to find compromise with US President Trump on trade, military spending

But the announcement sparked immediate confusion across Washington, and the White House tried to backtrack. During a hastily arranged briefing in the West Wing, chief of staff Reince Priebus said a 20% import tax was one idea in a buffet of options to pay for the border wall.

A 20% tariff would represent a huge tax increase on imports to the US, raising the likelihood of costs being passed on to consumers. Half of all non-agricultural goods enter the US duty free, according to the office of the US Trade Representative. The other half face import tariffs averaging 2%.

Mexican foreign relations secretary Luis Videgaray said on Thursday, A tax on Mexican imports to the United States is not a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but to a way make the North American consumer pay for it through more expensive avocados, washing machines, televisions.

Read | Trump withdraws US from TPP trade deal

Mexico is one of Americas biggest trade partners, and the US is the No. 1 buyer from that country, accounting for about 80 percent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the US economy and disastrous for Mexicos. And major harm to Mexicos economy would surely spur more people to risk deportation, jail or even death to somehow cross the border to the US  undercutting Trumps major goal of stopping illegal immigration.

House GOP lawmakers and aides interpreted Spicers comments on a 20 percent border tax as an endorsement of a key plank of their own tax plan, which Speaker Paul Ryan has been working to sell to the president. The House GOP border adjustability approach would tax imports and exempt exports as a way of trying to help US exporters and raise revenue.

Earlier this month, Trump called that concept confusing. And during the White Houses clean-up efforts on Thursday, Spicer wouldnt say whether Trump agreed with the border adjustment tax being considered by the House GOP.

The new president has previously raised the prospect of slapping tariffs on imports, but had not suggested it as a way to pay for the border wall.

Read | As Trump takes charge, US State Department hit by spate of resignations

Theres also disagreement within his new administration over the effectiveness of tariffs in general. Wilbur Ross, Trumps nominee for commerce secretary, dismissed tariffs for trade negotiations during his confirmation hearing, saying the 1930 Tariff Act didnt work very well then and it very likely wouldnt work now.

Pena Nieto has faced intense pressure at home over his response to Trumps aggressive stance toward his country. Until this week, Mexico had tried its traditional approach of quiet, cautious diplomacy combined with back-room discussions, sending Cabinet officials for talks with the Trump administration.

But that changed when Trump decided to announce his border wall on Wednesday  the same day that two senior Mexican Cabinet ministers arrived in Washington for preliminary talks ahead of what was to be a presidential tete-a-tete. Many Mexicans were affronted by the timing, and Pena Nieto faced a firestorm of criticism at home.

The diplomatic row recalls the rocky days of US-Mexico relations in the 1980s, prior to the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact that Trump has vigorously criticized.

There is a change in the understanding that had been in operation over the last 22 years, when Mexico was considered a strategic ally, said Isidro Morales, a political scientist at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Trump has unilaterally broken with this way of doing things.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

The meeting between Azerbaijani and Russian foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Sergey Lavrov was constructive, said the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to a message on the ministrys website.

She made the remarks at a briefing on Jan. 27.

The sides discussed concrete proposals and areas of negotiation concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to her.

Zakharova added that meetings with the Russian side dedicated to the conflict settlement will undoubtedly continue.

Mammadyarov paid a working visit to Moscow Jan. 24. The meeting was initiated by the Russian side.

It was earlier reported that the two countries foreign ministers discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement and exchanged views on the issues raised by the countries presidents at the Vienna and Saint Petersburg meetings.

Mammadyarov reiterated Azerbaijan's position on the conflicts settlement and noted that the current status quo needs to be changed.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
US Muslim and Latino advocates have joined forces in opposing changes to immigration rules by President Donald Trump, bolstering their alliance as they mull the prospect of aggressive restrictions.

In joint press conferences and rallies across the country, they are decrying an action Trump signed to jumpstart construction on a southern border wall. Trump is expected to take steps to stop accepting Syrian refugees, suspend the United States broader refugee program for 120 days and suspend issuing visas for people from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa.

As Trump signed the first actions Wednesday afternoon, the hashtags #NoBanNoWall and #RefugeesWelcome trended on Twitter, and thousands signed a pro-refugee petition by Christian evangelical groups. Muslims, immigrants and their supporters rallied in New York City and elsewhere in protest.

Advocates and activists across racial, religious and ethnic lines have linked before but are now mounting a more unified response.

Read | Trump says restricted entry for Muslims needed as world is a total mess

An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, said Greisa Martinez, an advocacy director of the United We Dream Network, describing herself as undocumented, unafraid and here to stay.

We believe this is the start of Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda, she said.

Trump said Wednesday that his executive actions on immigration show that the U.S. will get back control of its border. But the flow of immigrants at the Mexican border has declined, and immigrant and refugee advocates call the moves and plans reckless, dangerous and un-American  and say that actions taken against one group affect them all.

The executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan chapter questioned whether the signed actions would create more security in the U.S.

These executive orders will not make our country safer, rather will produce more xenophobia in our society, Dawud Walid said in a statement.

Michigan has one of the nations largest Muslim communities and thousands of Middle Eastern refugees have settled there. A draft order indicates Trump plans to suspend issuing visas to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries for at least 30 days, halt the Syrian refugee program and stop admitting refugees from other countries for 120 days.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned plans for a wall. Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, who was recently appointed by Pope Francis, tweeted: A fearful nation talks about building walls and is vulnerable to con men. We must challenge the fear before we are led into darkness.

Trump also signed an action that would block federal grants from so-called sanctuary cities, where local police dont enforce federal immigration laws.

Marielena Hincapie, executive director of National Immigration Law Center, said her organization has drafted lawsuits challenging Trumps actions and that law firms have offered pro bono support.

In New Mexico, which has the nations highest percentage of Hispanic residents, activists worried the executive actions would hurt all Latinos and Mexican-Americans. The Albuquerque-based immigrant rights group El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos and the Islamic Center of New Mexico held a press conference along the citys historic Camino Real.

Read | Trump moving forward with border wall, weighs refugee cuts

When they go after Latinos, they go after all Latinos, Ralph Arellanes, chairman of the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico, said. Its not like people are walking on the streets and they have identification that says theyve been here four centuries, or three centuries, or two centuries or one century.

Javier Gonzales, mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico, vowed to fight any effort to make the city hostile to immigrants. Santa Fe recently renewed its commitment as a sanctuary city.

There is no presidential executive order that will ever change our values of being a welcoming and inclusive city. Its whats made our city thrive for more (than) 400 years, wrote Gonzales, whose ties to the city go back to 17th century Spanish settlers.

A coalition of Muslim, Latino and civil rights leaders also held a press conference in Atlanta to persuade Georgians to denounce Trumps immigration and refugee policies.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of the Georgia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said theyre speaking out before some of the actions have even been issued in hopes that maybe we can make the horrible just bad.

Read | Mexico President cancels US visit after Trumps comments on border wall

Mexican-American activist DeeDee Garcia Blase said Trumps moves have increased anxiety in Phoenix because of Arizona laws that targeted immigrants. Everybody is bracing themselves, Blase said. We are telling undocumented immigrants: Dont sign anything.

Samia Assed, 51, of Albuquerque, participated in the recent Womens March on Washington.

I dont think there is anything thats going to come out of this as far as countering terrorism, said the third-generation Palestinian-American. The fear is that it will trickle down to everyday life and every different aspect of Muslim life in America.

___
Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna paid floral tribute to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the embassy and unfurled the national flag in the presence of large number of Indian-Americans to celebrate the 68th Republic Day here.

In his brief address to the gathering, Sarna highlighted Indias development and India-US relationship. He also read out the address of President Pranab Mukherjee made on the eve of the Republic Day yesterday.

This was followed by singing of patriotic songs by a young Indian-Americans.

Documentaries titled A Day in the Life of India and INDIAN ARMY: An Instrument of National Power were screened on the occasion.

Indian Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin unfurled the national flag at the Permanent Mission of India in New York. (Twitter Photo)

Republic Day celebrations were also observed at other Indian diplomatic missions in the US  New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Indian Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin unfurled the national flag at the Permanent Mission of India in New York.

The Day was also celebrated at the California state Assembly by the first ever Indian-American Assemblyman Ash Kalra along with community members and other lawmakers.

Joining the celebrations, Congressman Pete Olson in a statement said it marks important day that India adopted their Constitution as their governing document - the day India officially became a republic and a free nation.

Today celebrates both India becoming a republic and it signifies the special bond between the worlds oldest and largest democracies. This bond encompasses shared values, commercial trade and mutual security, Olson said.
German security services are increasingly cracking down on Reichsbuerger or Citizens of the Reich, a far-right movement long dismissed as malcontents and crackpots but now seen as a growing threat.

A mixed bag of conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis and gun enthusiasts who reject the modern democratic state, the fragmented movement is growing more radical at a time when right-wing extremism in general is on the rise.

Several Reichsbuerger have opened fire on police or hoarded weapons and explosives.

On Wednesday, 200 police raided 12 locations nationwide and detained two suspects, who were formally arrested Thursday, accusing the group of plotting armed attacks against police officers as representatives of the state, asylum seekers and members of the Jewish community.

What do we know about the Reichsbuerger?

What do they believe?

The Reichsbuerger refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the modern German republic and generally believe in the continued existence of the pre-war German Reich, while some idolise Nazi Germany.

Some see modern Germany as a US colony and argue that the Reichs 1919 Weimar Constitution and its formers borders which extend far into present-day Poland remain valid.

Several groups have declared their own mini-states, such as the Exile Government of the German Reich or the Free State of Prussia, made flags and issued their own identity papers, currencies and postage stamps.

They typically deny the legitimacy of police and other state institutions and refuse to pay taxes, social service contributions and fines, which brings them into conflict with authorities.

Their members have often been dismissed as eccentrics, oddballs and trolls known for swamping local municipalities and courts with letters, formal complaints, motions and objections.

Are they neo-Nazis?

The movement is characterised by an extreme right-wing, historically revisionist and often ethno-nationalist ideology.

Several groups are known to have direct links to illegal neo-Nazi organisations and are under surveillance by German state and federal intelligence agencies.

Berlins security service describes Reichsbuerger as following an ideological mix of conspiracy theories, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic views.

The anti-fascist Amadeu Antonio Foundation warns that although it may be tempting to dismiss Reichsbuerger as cranks, behind the masquerade of conspiracy theories, esotericism and government game-playing lies a hardcore right-wing extremism and anti-humanist ideology.

How many are they?

Around since the 1980s, with links to like-minded groups in the United States, the movement was long estimated to number in the hundreds -- but it has grown exponentially in the internet age, especially in the past few years.

This week domestic intelligence service chief Hans-Georg Maassen said the Reichsbuerger scene of activists and sympathisers was now thought to number about 10,000.

Of these, 500 to 600 were known right-wing extremists, Maassen told the DPA news agency.

Most known followers are middle-aged white males. They exist nationwide, but most high-profile cases have been reported in Germanys formerly communist east and the southern state of Bavaria.

How dangerous are they?

Maassen said his service worried about the movements considerable propensity for violence and increased aggressiveness.

In an attack last August, a 41-year-old Reichsbuerger and one-time Mister Germany pageant winner opened fire on police carrying out an eviction order at his house in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The gunman was seriously wounded and three police officers suffered light injuries.

Another Reichsbuerger is accused of shooting dead a police officer and wounding three others during a raid to confiscate his hunting weapons in the town of Georgensgmuend, Bavaria, in October.

After the killing, it emerged that some German state police forces were sweeping their own ranks to search for possible Reichsbuerger and sympathisers in uniform.

Some Reichsbuerger display signs of mental health issues, an intelligence service official from the eastern state of Brandenburg, Heiko Homburg, told Bild newspaper this week.

If they have access to weapons, they pose an extreme threat.
The United Nations aid chief warned Thursday that Yemen was sliding deeper into humanitarian crisis and could face famine this year.

The poor Arab country has been engulfed in war since a Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign in March 2015 to push back Iran-backed Huthi rebels who had seized the capital Sanaa and other cities.

The conflict in Yemen is now the primary driver of the largest food security emergency in the world, Stephen OBrien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council.

Read | Yemens children starve as Saudi-led coalition drags the war

If there is no immediate action, famine is now a possible scenario for 2017.

About 14 million people -- nearly 80% of the entire Yemeni population -- are in need of food aid, half of whom are severely food insecure, OBrien said.

At least 2 million people need emergency food assistance to survive, he added.

The situation is particularly dire for children with some 2.2 million infants now suffering from acute malnourishment -- an increase of 53 percent from late 2015.

Overall, the plight of children remains grim: a child under the age of 10 dying every 10 minutes of preventable causes, OBrien said.

The Saudi-led coalitions shutdown of the Sanaa airport has had a heavy toll on civilians because medicine cannot be flown in and Yemenis cannot receive treatment abroad.

OBrien warned that Yemen could run out of wheat within months because foreign banks no longer accept financial transactions with many of the countrys commercial banks.

- Coalition blocking cranes -

The country is almost entirely dependent on imports, most of which transit through the Hudaydah port, which was bombed by the coalition in 2015.

OBrien said the Saudi-led coalition had ordered a vessel carrying four mobile cranes for the port to leave Yemeni waters and it was now awaiting approval from Riyadh to deliver the new equipment.

The cranes will boost the ports capacity to handle humanitarian cargo.

The United Nations is calling for a ceasefire in Yemen to allow urgently needed deliveries of humanitarian aid and to resume political talks on ending the war.

About 10,000 civilians have died in the war, according to UN officials.

Returning from talks in the region, UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed took a swipe at Yemens President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi for rejecting his peace proposals.

President Hadi continues to criticize the proposals without agreeing to discuss them and this will hinder and impede the path towards peace, the envoy told the council.

Read | Air strikes by Saudi-led coalition kills nearly 70 in Yemen

Ould Cheikh Ahmed has put forward a roadmap for peace that provides for a new unity government to be formed in tandem with a Huthi withdrawal from the capital and other cities.

Under the proposal, Hadis powers would be dramatically reduced in favor of a new vice president who would oversee the formation of the interim government that will lead a transition to elections.
Federal legislation protects land at Gettysburg, Vicksburg

Two separate pieces of federal legislation passed late last year are set to add parkland to Civil War battlefields in Pennsylvania and Mississippi.

At Gettysburg, the government expanded park boundaries to allow the Gettysburg Foundation to proceed with plans to donate the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station and a 45-acre plot of ground on Big Round Top to Gettysburg National Military Park.

President Lincoln arrived at the rail station on the eve of delivering his Gettysburg Address on November 18, 1863; that summer, the station, built in 1858, had seen grisly duty as a hospital and depot for ferrying the wounded and dead out of town.

The vacant Big Round Top land on the parks southeastern boundary was the scene of cavalry skirmishes during the battle, and is currently home to critical wetlands and wildlife habitat near Plum Run. The land was donated to the Gettysburg Foundation by Wayne and Susan Hill in 2009.

Meanwhile, the National Defense Authorization Act passed in December included money to add Mississippi battlefield sites associated with the Vicksburg Campaign, including Champion Hill, Port Gibson and Raymond, to Vicksburg National Military Park.

According to the office of Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the legislation authorizes the National Park Service to acquire 10,000 acres critical to the preservation of battlefield sites in Claiborne and Hinds counties. The land also includes several historic houses that will be maintained by the park.

W.Va. Yank found buried with Rebels

Columbus researcher Dennis Ranney, who for seven years has been writing brief bios of the Confederate dead at the Columbus (Ohio) Confederate Cemetery, thinks hes found a seventh Federal soldier buried among the Rebels. According to the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette, Ranney initially suspected there were Yanks among the Rebs a few years ago when he came across a soldier named John Kennedy identified as being a member of the 33 Ky. Vols. CSA. Kentucky only produced nine Confederate regiments.

Kentucky supplied 60 regiments to the Union, however, and sure enough, when Ranney checked Federal muster records he found a match. Detective work on five other soldiers yielded similar results, turning up Union soldiers from Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Ranney now believes he has found a seventh, Pvt. Benjamin F. Fettro of Clarksburg, W.Va.

The mix-ups likely occurred when paroled (captured and conditionally released) Union soldiers were sent to Ohios Camp Chase stockade to be held in a separate facility until a formal prisoner exchange could be worked out. Some soldiers on both sides who died at the camp were buried in a city cemetery and later re-interred in the Confederate Cemetery. But poor record keeping and illegible headstones at the time made positive identification an imperfect science.

Ebenezer Creek property to become part of greenway

In one of the wars many tragic episodes, hundreds of recently escaped slaves drowned on December 9, 1864, in a tributary of the Savannah River called Ebenezer Creek, about 20 miles north of Savannah, Ga.

Fleeing slaves following Gen. William Tecumseh Shermans army during his March to the Sea were trapped on the wrong side of the creek after soldiers destroyed the pontoon bridge that had carried them across. Panicking, men, women and children plunged into the flooded waters and died or were captured.

As a result of the outcry after the incident, more than 400,000 acres of confiscated coastal property was to be distributed in 40-acre tracts to former slaves in Shermans Special Field Orders No. 15. Although President Abraham Lincoln approved the order, his successor, Andrew Johnson, revoked it.

Now, the site of the tragedy has been acquired by the City of Springfield, Ga., and will be preserved as part of the Ebenezer Greenway, to extend from the creek to the river. The 275-acre acquisition was purchased with grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Program, the R. Howard Dobbs Jr. Foundation and the Knobloch Family Foundation.

This coastal-Georgia property is quite special for people, history and the environment, said Curt Soper, Georgia director of the Trust for Public Land. The public recreational benefits along Ebenezer Creek to the Savannah River will benefit generations of people to come. And the historical significance of the Ebenezer crossing is immense and this land is protected in memory of the many lives that were lost here 150 years ago in the pursuit of freedom.

Kunstler eases up on his easel

After a six-decade career painting historical scenes, with more than 30 of those years devoted to Civil War images, Mort Kunstler is retiring.

His final work is LaGrange vs. LaGrange, taken from an incident about a week after the wars conclusion in LaGrange, Ga. With the towns men still gone to the war, the women of the town face down Union soldiers under, coincidently, Col. Oscar LaGrange. When he promises to spare the womens homes if they put down their weapons, the women agree and actually prepare dinner for the troops.

Its a nice story and a celebration of the end of the war. It was a lot of fun doing this picture. I think it will be nice to end my Civil War paintings on a happy note rather than some of the tragedies I have portrayed in the past, Kunstler told Newsday.

Now 87, Kunstler will continue to paint commissioned pieces and travel to promote his work in signings around the country.

Civil War graffiti uncovered in Virginia home

Homeowners William Biff  and Barbara Genda just wanted to repair peeling paint in their early 19th-century home Glen Owen, near Berryville, Va. The source of the problem was wallpaper that had been stripped long ago without removing the sizing underneath.

But while that was what caused the paint to peel, it had also protected the treasure underneath for 150 years: graffiti written by Civil War soldiers, including a lively back-and-forth between Confederate and Union soldiers and a charming caricature of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in a kepi, which is Barbara Gendas favorite from the assortment.

Architectural historian Maral Kalbian shared the graffitis contents with the Associated Press, including what seems to be a taunt of the Confederates, who then answer with taunts of their own: The first line reads, Rebels, if you can hear, we will whip you (undecipherable) shore. That is followed by, If you do, it will be the first time you impedent [sic] scoundrels. The next line reads, You are cowards nothing but a thief the robbers of millions of women and children you good for nothing skunk.

Marker honors Minnesotans at Nashville

The last major battle of the Civil War in the Western Theater was also the deadliest for soldiers from the state of Minnesota. Four Gopher State regiments took Shys Hill during the December 1864 Battle of Nashville, leading to a rout of Gen. John Bell Hoods Confederate army.

Minnesota lost 87 soldiers during the two-day fight, with hundreds more among the wounded; on December 16 they were honored with a monument in Nashville on the battles 150th anniversary.

Late in 1864, as Gen. William T. Sherman made his way to the sea, Hood was hoping to land a haymaker punch on the Union troops remaining in Tennessee. After embarrassments at Spring Hill and Franklin, Hood decided to bait the Federals into leaving their heavily fortified Nashville entrenchments and attacking his own defensive position.

But 1864 was not Hoods year. Errors in strategy and poorly constructed entrenchments on Shys Hill helped do him in one last time, leaving his career and the Army of Tennessee in shambles.

War-era quilt blocks returned to Massachusetts

When Jane MacDonald, a quilter from Lake Wylie, S.C., saw a fragment of a quilt at a North Charlotte flea market, she recognized a valuable antique and bought it. Her subsequent inspection of the 30 squares of the fragment showed signatures of the original quilters and the date March 16, 1863, on a number of the blocks, along with the words Monument, MA. Eventually her research led her to a genealogist who recognized Monument, MA as Monument Village, now a part of Bourne, Mass., and to the Bourne Historical Society.

Mary E. Sicchio, accessions manager at the historical society, told the Cape News in Falmouth, Mass., that it was former accessions manager Thelma R. Lorings reply to an intriguing e-mail from MacDonald that ultimately brought the quilt squares back to Bourne. To Lorings surprise, that e-mail described the signature that proved to be that of her own great-grandmother.

MacDonald returned the squares to Bourne, delivering them herself to ensure their safety. She and historical society members suspect that the heirloom quilt squares were created at the behest of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, a private relief agency supporting sick and wounded Union soldiers. Quilt-making was part of the commissions efforts for soldiers.

The society plans to display the quilt in May at the Bourne Historical Center, with a digital exhibit of what the completed quilt might have looked like.

Civil War cannonball found in California

A hiker walking along a San Diego creek bed last year came across an object fairly unusual for California: a 9-pound Civil War-era cannonball. The object was eventually donated to the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, a museum and research facility in Redlands, Calif.

Don McCue, director of the Shrine and the A.K. Smiley Public Library, told the Redlands Daily Facts that researchers will now try to learn how the cannonball came to its resting place in that particular spot. Troops were known to have been in the northern Orange and Riverside County areas, and there was a brief skirmish in Temecula. But that is the only Civil Warrelated gunfire to occur in the state, he said.

Historian Douglas Westfall said that some historians have speculated the ball might have been dropped by Union soldiers marching through north Orange County in an effort to guard the Southern California coastline from Confederate landings. They formed a Union contingent to protect this area, and theyre the ones that they sent out to go after the guys who were trying to take Arizona, he said.

Shrine officials hope to learn the cannonballs history and have it displayed by 2016.

Diary donated

A small, leather-bound diary kept by Pvt. William Vaughan of the Confederate Missouri State Guard from December 14, 1861, to May 27, 1862, has been donated to Pea Ridge National Military Park in Garfield, Ark. The diary contains Vaughans accounts of the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862 and the Confederate retreat to Memphis.

Donors were Vaughans great-grandchildren Susie Angwin Heflin of Richardson, Texas, and two relatives in Missouri.

This unexpected donation will enrich the parks interpretation and our visitors understanding of the battle, said Brenda Walters, acting superintendent of the Pea Ridge National Military Park in a press release. The park planned to begin displaying the diary in March to coincide with the anniversary of the battle, credited with enabling Union troops to hold Missouri.

H.L. Hunley finally emerging from crust

After four months of chiseling, conservators from Clemson University are finally revealing the exterior of the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine that vanished after sinking the USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864, in Charleston Harbor.

The vessel was discovered in 1995 and raised in 2000. It was encrusted with layers of sand, sediment and shells. By late January, conservators had removed nearly 70 percent of the crust. Now that they can actually see it, they hope the sub will offer clues to the mystery surrounding its disappearance after its first successful mission.

Originally published in the May 2015 issue of Americas Civil War. To subscribe, click here.
Long jets of flame and billows of smoke erupted from two 8-inch Columbiads on Cummings Point, at the tip of Morris Island, S.C. The crash of heavy artillery from the Confederate Iron-clad Battery rolled across the mouth of Charleston Harbor like spring thunder and echoed off the red brick ramparts of Fort Sumter.

Just more than 1,300 yards away and well within range of the Confederate guns, U.S. Army Maj. Robert Anderson, commander of the Federal stronghold, watched the cannon fire with his fellow officers. They calmly studied the scene through spyglasses and noted the caliber and positions of the enemy guns. There was nothing to fear. The Confederate cannons were firing blanks.

It was early morning March 8, 1861. Whether the festering disputes between the United States and the nascent Confederacy would erupt into open warfare remained to be seen. Rebel forces encircling the fort routinely conducted artillery practice. In fact, both sides had frequently engaged in such drills. The barking guns shattered the silence and rattled windows in Charleston, but nothing more.

Until this morning, that is.

Anderson and his junior officers trained their glasses on the unique Iron-clad Battery. Fashioned from heavy timbers and railroad iron, the batterys thick, sloping walls sheltered a total of three 8-inch Columbiads. Two cannons had just been fired, so the bluecoats were not surprised when Columbiad No. 3 thundered.

They were very surprised, however, to see a cannonball shoot from the guns muzzle and arc over the still waters on a shallow trajectory to the fort. In moments, 50 pounds of solid iron skipped twice off the water and slammed against the granite wharf near the Gorge, the forts main gate. Was this the opening shot of war?

The sudden impact of the projectile triggered a well-rehearsed response from the garrison inside the fort. Virtual hostages in their stronghold for more than two months, suffering shortages of food and supplies of all kinds, wide-eyed bluecoats scrambled to secure the gate and man their own big guns. One and all, wrote Capt. Abner Doubleday, desired to fight it out as soon as possible.

From his perch in the fort, Anderson continued to scrutinize Southern soldiers and laborers on shore. They appeared just as startled as he was, scattering in all directions until the beach looked empty. Other enemy cannons around the harbor remained silent. Anderson and his men soon relaxed. Apparently the shot was an accident caused by amateur enemy artillerymen.

Later that morning Anderson penned a blunt message demanding an explanation to the Rebel commander at Cummings Point, Maj. Peter F. Stevenswho was also superintendent of Charlestons South Carolina Military Academy, the Citadel. Citadel cadets had helped to erect batteries on Morris Island and elsewhere around the harbor. They also helped train militiamen and civilian volunteers to operate the cannons.

But before Anderson could send his demand, a red-faced Stevens was rowed out to the fort under a white flag, bearing an ample apology for the errant missile. The Southerner didnt suspect that the cannonball was put in by any man intentionally.

It appears that in practicing at drill, the fact of one of the guns being shotted was forgotten, wrote Capt. John G. Foster, Sumters chief engineer, and hence the occurrence.

Anderson admonished Stevens. The incident could have triggered war. Stevens acknowledged Andersons patience and forbearance in not returning fire. After their meeting, the uneasy standoff between opposing forces resumed.

On March 9, Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, overall commander of Confederate troops in Charleston, ordered a thorough investigation of the affair. [H]ereafter, he instructed, no gun should be practiced with without first ascertaining whether it be loaded or not.

Military leaders within the fledgling Confederate army that encircled Fort Sumter had freely expressed concerns about their neophyte gunners and the potential for trouble. One Southern officera Mexican War veteranannounced that among the volunteers with whom he was saddled were 290 indifferent artillerymen. Stevens himself admitted that outside of officers and cadets from the Citadel, the men who served his cannons had never undertaken to manage artillery.

On the other hand, Stevens may not have been well served by some of his own proteges. For example, C. Irvine Walker, a 19-year-old cadet, may even have indirectly contributed to the lack of proficiency and discipline exhibited by some of the volunteer gunners that he was supposed to be instructing.

When first assigned to handle a battery of light artillery on Sullivans Island, Walker admitted, I was non-plussed. They were to be fired with friction primers, which I had never seen. Later on Morris Island, Walker shared a small room with 20 other men. It was about a foot deep in straw, he confided. Our friends in town kept us supplied with food etc. Among which was a two gallon Demijohn of the Oh be joyful which was carefully hidden under the straw.

Elsewhere around the harbor, Confederate Lt. Col. Roswell Ripley, a West Pointer and seasoned artilleryman, had begged his superiors to have his men spend less time laboring on defenses and more time drilling on the big guns. Any failure in that branch of the service, I fear, may result in disaster, he had written on March 5.

Beauregards probe into the cause of the near-disastrous cannon shot failed to uncover a guilty party. Little more than a month later, on April 12, 1861, another shot from a Confederate cannon struck Fort Sumter. It was one among more than 3,000 other rounds fired at the fort that day, signaling the start of civil war between North and South. The accidental shot was all but forgotten.

Who was responsible for the loaded cannon on March 8 remained a mystery for more than three decades after the war ended. Finally, in a Charleston News and Courier article on August 25, 1893, the culprits name surfaced: Edwin Lindsley Halsey.

In March 1861, Halsey, then 24 and employed at a Charleston publishing house, served with the Washington Artillery Volunteers stationed at the Iron-clad Battery. Day after day every morning and evening Halsey drilled with other volunteers on the three Columbiads. [W]e went through all of the movements required in artillery practice, wrote a companion, even to firing blank cartridges. His battery mate recalled that on March 7, 1861, while marching from the battery to camp after a drill, Halsey said he was tired of this nonsense, and that there would be some fun in the harbor the next morning.

After the fun roared toward Fort Sumter, Halseys lips were sealed. He never commented publicly about the episode. Possibly, he realized what a breach of discipline his prank represented, one of his grandsons speculated a century later, noting his grandfather was not the patient type. The explosive gesture seemed entirely representative of his feelings.

Halsey served with distinction in South Carolina artillery units throughout the war. The Washington Artillery Volunteers, also known as Hamptons Legion Artillery, mustered into the Confederate Army on June 13, 1861, for service in Virginia. Transferred to Jeb Stuarts Horse Artillery Battalion, Halsey was 1st sergeant and later elected 1st lieutenant in Harts Battery in April 1862. He rose to captain and commanded the battery after Captain James Hart lost a leg during the Battle of Boydton Plank Road, Va., in October 1864. A comrade remembered that Halsey was cool, calm, fearless and as firm as a rock in battle.

Early in 1865, Halsey and his battery, with several South Carolina cavalry regiments, accompanied Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton back to the Carolinas to fight with the Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Halseys Battery was part of the rear guard when Johnston surrendered his troops to Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman near Durham, N.C., on April 26, 1865.

Unreconciled, Halsey devised a plan to elude Union forces and lead a section of his battery to fight on, west of the Mississippi. But Hampton put a stop to it. The renowned cavalry leader told the troops they had been good and brave soldiers, that they had done their whole dutyand that it was their duty to remain where they were and obey commands. The veteran gunners tearfully parted with their weapons.

Halsey broke his saber and kept his revolver before returning to Charleston, where he became a successful lumber and timber merchant. (His business was near present-day Halsey Boulevard.) He also married, fathering seven sons and five daughters. His business thrived and made Halsey wealthy from selling building materials to help rebuild the war-torn South.

Edwin Lindsley Halsey died on October 12, 1903, at the age of 66, and is buried in Charlestons Magnolia Cemetery. A family member recalled that Halsey lived out his days totally unreconstructed.

Schooled in history, geography and graphic arts, Ohio-based George Skoch has contributed prose and artwork to publications for more than three decades.
Outmanned, disorganized and disheartened, the Confederates could do little more than harass Gen. William T. Shermans Federals as they swarmed through the Carolinas in February and March of 1865. But as he met with his commanders on March 18 just southwest of Bentonville, N.C., Sherman conceded he wasnt ready to count out his familiar old adversary, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, just yet. Engagements at Monroes Crossroads and Averasboro in recent days had shown that the Rebels still had a pulse and were doing what they could to stop the Federal juggernaut. Despite the odds, Johnston remained optimistic as long as he could keep Shermans army away from Ulysses S. Grants, currently pinned down opposite Robert E. Lee at Petersburg, Va.

The two wings of Shermans 60,000-man force had marched north on parallel paths since departing Savannah, Ga., on February 1. Now, eight days after crossing into North Carolina, they were about 25 miles from Shermans ultimate destination, the railroad town of Goldsboro. On the morning of March 19, Maj. Gen. Henry Slocums Left Wing would continue marching up the Goldsboro Road while Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howards Right Wing proceeded along a separate road to the south. If all went as planned, they would meet that afternoon at Coxs Bridgeroughly 12 miles from Goldsboroand then cross the Neuse River for the stretch run. The Federal forces of Maj. Gens. Alfred Terry and John Schofield, marching from Wilmington and New Bern, were to join them in Goldsboro.

Johnston was still unsure whether the Federals were heading to Goldsboro or the state capital of Raleigh, so he established his headquarters in between at Smithfield and scrambled to consolidate his command. The Army of the South had been cobbled together from the remnants of the Army of Tennessee; a 12,000-man force under Lt. Gen. William Hardee; Lt. Gen. Wade Hamptons Cavalry Command; and Gen. Braxton Braggs Department of North Carolina.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Battle of Averasboro on March 15-16 had given the Rebels some hope. By attacking and nearly overcoming Slocums isolated wing, Hardee showed that the Federals were not invincible. Perhaps another strike on one of Shermans isolated wings, this time by a consolidated unit fighting on ground of its own choosing, would deliver the victory Johnston desperately needed.

Convinced Goldsboro was Shermans true target, Hampton established a defensive position around the Cole Farm near Bentonville and prepared to intercept Slocums wing as it advanced. He vowed to hold Slocum back with his cavalry while the rest of Johnstons army rushed to Bentonville. Bragg and three Army of Tennessee corps arrived overnight on March 18-19.

Maj. Gen Jefferson C. Davis, commanding Slocums XIV Corps, sensed the enemy buildup and cautioned Sherman that he expected to face more than just the usual cavalry opposition. Sherman gently chided him, No Jeff; there is nothing there butcavalry. Brush them out of the way.

Leading the Union push was Brig. Gen. William Carlins division. Carlins men soon learned, as Davis had warned, that a larger force was indeed waiting when they came under intense artillery fire at the Cole Farm and had to hastily erect a breastwork in an open field. To his credit, Slocum acted decisively once he learned the reality of the situation. He rushed Maj. Gen. Alpheus Williams XX Corps to the front, realigned his wing into a defensive formation and quickly got word to Sherman to send reinforcements.

By 2 p.m. the entire Confederate force was on the field, and at 2:45 Hardee sent the Army of Tennessee and William Taliaferros Division forward. It would be the last great advance of a Rebel army during the war and was initially successful, putting the finishing touches on the rout of Carlins division. But Bragg, ordered to move in tandem with the Army of Tennessee, stayed in place, which allowed Gen. James Morgan to strengthen his divisions position. When Bragg finally moved, Benjamin Fearings brigade was ordered to make a counterattack. Fearings men were soon overwhelmed, but a determined stand by the 125th Illinois bought some time. The first days fighting ended at sunset when the Federals stopped a strike by Col. Alfred Rhetts Brigade. Though stunned, Slocum had earned a tactical victory that day by holding his position, and with reinforcements on the way, the outlook was promising.

The sides resorted mainly to skirmishing on March 20. Aware that Union reinforcements were coming, Johnston extended his left flank and ordered Bragg to realign his division north of Goldsboro Road. Slocum, meanwhile, moved his corps forward to occupy the previous days battlefield.

Early on March 21, Slocum sent out skirmishers to determine the Confederate presence. About mid-morning, Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Mower received permission to lead a reconnaissance around the Rebel left and nearly captured the bridge over Mill Creek, Johnstons lone retreat route to Smithfield. A counterattack led by Hardee drove Mower back, but as Fighting Joe began planning a second attack, Sherman ordered him to return to the main Union lines. Had Mower succeeded in securing the bridge, Johnston would have had little choice but to surrender right there.

Bentonville was the Rebels last gasp. Johnston retreated to Smithfield that night, and the Federals continued on to Goldsboro. Once Lees army fell at Petersburg and then Appomattox, Johnston agreed that further resistance was futile. Near Durham, N.C., on April 26, he surrendered his army to Sherman. The war was all but over.

Chris Howland is the editor of Americas Civil War.

Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Americas Civil War. To subscribe, click here.
The presidents last speech reached beyond the war to a peace he wouldnt experience.

Despite the misty Washington weather, the White House was bathed in light on April 11, 1865, as thousands assembled to hear the president speak. Throughout the city, bonfires blazed and celebratory rockets whistled. Crowds had gathered here the day before, expecting a triumphal speech in the aftermath of Robert E. Lees surrender to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9 at Appomattox Court House, Va. A procession of some 2,000 Navy Yard workmen, dragging six boat howitzers that lobbed explosive shells into the sky, trekked across the city. The crowd swelled on its relentless march to the White House; bands played and revelers sang The Star-Spangled Banner, Hail Columbia and other patriotic tunes. First to be sighted at the mansions second-floor window was not the president, but his 12-year-old son. Tad couldnt resist a parade and, encouraged by the crowds cheering, he waved a captured Rebel fag. Quickly, noted Noah Brooks, the Washington correspondent for the Sacramento Daily Union, he was lugged back by the slack of his trousers by some discreet domestic.

Lincoln had appeared twice on April 10. In the early afternoon, he gazed upon an agitated sea of hats, faces and mens arms, Brooks recalled.

I am greatly rejoiced that an occasion has occurred so pleasurable that the people cant restrain themselves, Lincoln said to boisterous cheers. I suppose arrangements are being made for some sort of formal demonstration, perhaps this evening or to-morrow night.

We cant wait, the crowd roared.

If there should be such a demonstration, I, of course, will have to respond to it and I will have nothing to say if you dribble it out of me.

The throng laughed and shouted, We want to hear you now.

Lincoln used the occasion to ask the band that had assembled to play a song. His choice was Dixie (one of the best tunes I ever heard, he said) and he joked that the Union would reappropriate it as a captured prize of war. Some listeners may have wondered whether in selecting the song he was signaling eventual reconciliation rather than mocking the defeated Confederacy. The President understands well the power of national songs, observed Washingtons Daily National Intelligencer, and what is better, he uses it in the right time and for a good purpose. Lincoln proposed three cheers for Gen. Ulysses Grant and his forces, and three more for the Union Navy, and retired from the scene to work on his remarks for the following day.

At 5:30 p.m., another crowd called on Lincoln, but again the president demurred, saying he planned to wait until the following evening when he would be then that much better prepared to say what I have to say. After all, he observed, everything he said found its way into print and he did not want to make a mistake that would harm the country.

You have made no mistakes yet, someone shouted.

One reporter thought Lincolns remarks as unresolvable as the riddle of Sphinxso carefully did he refrain from any opinion.

The next day people were waiting anxiously for the speech which the President has promised to make, according to the Daily Age. The afternoon edition of the Daily Republican announced that the event was planned for 8 p.m. The notice presumed that bands again would be present. But the music most desired by the nation at this hour of the countrys trial is a speech from the president, noted the writer.  If he speaks tonight he will speak to the people of the whole country who are anxiously listening to hear something from him.

That evening, the north portico of the executive mansion was brightly illuminated. Men and women gathered and stood in ankle-deep mud from the April rains. Banners streamed and bands played. Mrs. Lincoln and some friends could be seen in a window adjoining the one where the president would appear. Writing several years later, Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincolns seamstress and confidante, recalled a mass of heads like a black, gently swelling sea. Close to the house the faces were plainly discernible, but they faded into mere ghostly outlines on the outskirts of the assembly; and what added to the weird, spectral beauty of the scene, was the confused hum of voices that rose above the sea of forms.

When Lincoln appeared the crowd greeted him with tremendous and continued applause, Brooks reported. The president chose to read from a prepared manuscript, evidently so that there should be no chance for misconception of his views enunciated, one reporter assumed. As the pages fell, Tad scurried about the floor gathering them up.

We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart, he began. Petersburg and Richmond had been evacuated. Only a week earlier, the president had walked through the streets of Richmond and had sat in Jefferson Davis chair at the Confederate White House. Since then, Lees Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered. Hope of a righteous and speedy peace now abounded.

Lincoln then turned to the subject of his speech: Reconstruction. Few expected the president to address such a weighty matter at this moment of celebration, but for Lincoln it was the central question. The re-inauguration of the national authorityreconstructionwhich has had a large share of thought from the first, is pressed much more closely upon our attention, he told the crowd,

Indeed, throughout the war Lincoln viewed Reconstruction not simply as an end in itself, but as a means of winning the war. In 1861 he had appointed military governors in North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Texas, and had recognized a restored government in Virginia. On December 8, 1863, he had issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction that provided a plan by which states in rebellion could be reorganized and restored to the nation, once a tenth of eligible voters established a loyal government and adopted a state constitution that abolished slavery.

Six times in his speech he used the phrase proper practical relation to describe what needed to be done to return rebellious states to the Union. It was typical Lincoln, who abjured theoretical debates. The argument over whether the rebellious states were in or out of the Union was a pernicious abstraction, he said.

Lincoln was especially anxious to have Louisiana, which had adopted a new constitution the previous year, formally restoredbut Congress had refused in February to seat representatives elected from the state. Radical Republicans led by Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts sought to slow the process and were instrumental in rejecting a new state government formed under military rule by only 10 percent of the eligible voters.

But Lincoln viewed the matter differently; 12,000 voters in Louisiana had sworn allegiance to the Union, held elections, organized a state government and adopted a constitution that abolished slavery and even provided for public schooling for blacks as well as whites. What could possibly be accomplished, he wondered, by discarding the new state government? How could this serve the public interest?

Lincoln conceded in the speech that the Louisiana government was only at the beginning of what it could potentially become. He publicly acknowledged for the first time a preference for bestowing the vote on selected freedmenthe very intelligent, and on those who serve our cause as soldiersa privilege not specifically included in Louisianas constitution, though it did authorize the legislature to enfranchise blacks at its discretion.

Whatever the circumstances at that precise moment, Lincoln suggested that the new state government of Louisiana was only to what it should be as the egg is to the fowl and asked whether we shall sooner have the fowl by hatching the egg than by smashing it? Put differently, can Louisiana be brought into proper practical relation with the Union sooner by sustaining, or by discarding her new State Government?

Expressing his pragmatic and flexible approach to policy, Lincoln also assured listeners that as bad promises are better broken than kept, I shall treat this as a bad promise, and break it, whenever I shall be convinced that keeping it is adverse to the public interest. But I have not yet been so convinced.

Lincoln had taken his case for Reconstruction directly to the people. The tone was temperate yet firm in challenging the radicals who had prevented the readmission of Louisiana. At the same time, he nodded in their direction by supporting limited black suffrage.

He knew a struggle lay ahead. But Congress would not gather until December, and he had no inclination to call them back for an early session. Perhaps by years end his approach to Reconstruction would have been so far advanced Congress would dare not fail to ratify it. Sumner, no doubt, would still be an obstacle. Mary Todd Lincoln invited him to the White House to hear Lincolns speech and celebrate, but he declined. Iwas unwilling to put myself in the position of opposing him on his own balcony or assenting by silence, he told Chase.

The first lady also invited Adolphe Pineton, Marquis de Chambrun, a French journalist visiting the United States. After the speech, she led him through the White House and when we came opposite the Presidents door, she threw it open without knocking, he recalled. There was Mr. Lincoln, stretched at full length, resting on a large sofa from his oratorical efforts.We exchanged several words on the subject of his address and the extremely moderate ideas which he had expressed therein. He spoke at length of the many struggles he foresaw in the future and declared his firm resolution to stand for clemency against all opposition.

The views of the president concerning reconstruction, as enunciated in his speech of the 11th April, are very animatedly discussed and meet with widely different comments from different people, reported Noah Brooks, adding, the speech was longer and of a different character from what most people had expected.

Still, there was ample praise. The Philadelphia Press reported that the speech gives universal satisfaction, and believed Radicals and Conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, and in some cases even original Secessionists, are eulogizing it.

The speech is from a lofty stand-point; it soars away above party; it is paternal as well as fraternal; it is Christian, and its spirit will be hailed with delight and responded to by almost the unanimous voice of the masses of the people, South as well as North, predicted the Daily National Intelligencer.

Others were less generous. Even The New York Times, a pro-administration paper, reported that those who expected from the President the statement of a settled reconstruction policy have been disappointed. His speech disclosed nothing new on that subject. The editors tried to turn vice into virtue by stating that the special characteristic of the speech was its reserve and calling this wisdom.

The rival New York Tribune disagreed: It is no criticism of the speech to say that it fell dead, wholly without effect, upon the audience.

The Democratic New York World called it vague and vacillating.Mr. Lincoln gropes in his speech like a traveler in an unknown country without a map.

Many observers recognized that Lincolns speech challenged the Radicals. The Baltimore Sun claimed the signs are unmistakable of an impending disagreement between what are called extremists and the administration, relative to the reconstruction policy. The breach is said to be widening, but the policy of the President seems most likely to win, and be accepted by the people as the most practicable one.

Voicing the concerns of Radicals, Salmon P. Chase was not about to accept the presidents policy. After reading Lincolns speech, Chase wrote the president and insisted that the only way to have Congress extend to Louisiana its right to representation as a loyal state in the Union would be if the Louisiana legislature passed an act extending suffrage to colored citizens.

So far as I can see, his speech has fallen very dead, Sumner wrote Chase, but that was wishful thinking as much as reality.

The speech prompted discussion of several topics, including black voting rights. The president briefly alluded to the question of negro suffrage at the South, which is soon to become one of the most important issues of reconstruction, reported the Albany Evening Journal, which argued the franchise should be based on patriotism and intelligence, and not upon birth, caste, or color.

We propose to permit the Confederate soldier, who has been an armed foe of the fag, and of the principles it represents, to return to his forfeited allegiance and resume its immunities; shall we be less generous to the black who has stood for our banner upon the bloody field? the editor asked.

In what might have been another exercise in wishful thinking, the Democratic press saw Lincolns comment on suffrage as little more than a temporizing concession to the Radicals.

Lincoln should have told them, advised the New York World, that the qualifications of voters in the states is a subject in which the federal government cannot intermeddle without a plain violation of the Constitution.

Because States Rights run mad have brought on this war is no reason States Rights should be ignored, observed the New York Herald.

Lincolns lengthy defense of Louisiana seemed to devolve into the egg/fowl analogy, and opponents of recognizing the state government, whether Radical Republicans or Democrats, found ways to turn the metaphor to their advantage. The New York Tribune observed that one sentiment in the whole of [the speech] was applauded that which favored getting of chickens by hatching eggs instead of smashing them. This figure of speech in behalf of the Louisiana scheme of reconstruction provoked great laughter from a portion of the crowd.

But if it should happen that these eggs are cockatrices eggs, what then? the New York Evening Post asked. No egg is better than a rotten one or ones filled with the germs of snakes and monsters.

The New York Sun called the president facetious and asked, What would Mr. Lincoln say if a young hawk or buzzard emerged from the egg he so carefully watched over?

While it was easy to mock the analogy, Lincolns audience was not newspaper editors or even politicians, but the public at large. As the New York Commercial Advertiser opined, Lincoln places the question before them in language as homely yet as expressive as his own countenance.The war-worn people, depend upon it, will say hatch rather than smash, and will rally around the Executive, rather than follow what Mr. Lincoln last night called some vague and undefined when, where and how.

Lincoln had ended the speech by declaring in the present situation as the phrase goes, it may be my duty to make some new announcement to the people of the South. But he would not be given the chance.

Two men, lingering toward the front of the grounds, could not bear what they heard. John Wilkes Booth tried to persuade Lewis Powell to shoot the president as he stood in the window, but Powell refused to take the chance. They departed and, as they walked away, Booth remarked, that is the last speech he will ever make. Three days later, he made good on his boast.

We can never know what would have happened had Lincoln lived, but one writer was not alone in his grief when he predicted the development of things will teach us to mourn him doubly.

Adapted from Lincolns Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion, by Louis P. Masur (Oxford University Press, 2015)

Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Americas Civil War. To subscribe, click here.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Cloudy with light rain developing later in the day. High 59F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers in the evening, then cloudy overnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Anakhanum Hidayatova  Trend:

The underhand tactics of the Armenian delegation to PACE is unacceptable, says Peter Tase, political analyst and international relations expert with the Marquette University.

International community must denounce those intentional acts that violate the ethical and moral values enshrined by the rules approved by the PACE, Tase told Trend via email Jan. 27.

He added that the international community has almost always turned a blind eye to the corruption practices embraced by the Armenian top officials.

Tase said that such an attitude must be denounced and further measures must be taken to prevent such situations in the future.

The Armenian delegation to PACE tried to put pressure on Vladimir Aryev, head of the Ukrainian delegation, to force him not to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh region as Azerbaijans territory at the PACE winter session, which is being held in Strasbourg.

Aryev wrote on his Facebook page that the Armenian parliamentarians tried to give him cognac as a bribe.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
The BOOS Beach Club restaurant in Bridel, Luxembourg is gaining a lot of attention on the internet due to its contemporary architecture. Well, the modern layout of this restaurant is interwoven around an existing house, and the design has been inspired by the Japanese art of origami.

Just by looking at the exterior, you can figure out that its reminiscent to a folded sheet of paper while forming a close interaction with natural surroundings. To make the visitors feel close to nature, Metaform Architects used wood and glass structure for construction that gives natural tones to the interior as well as blends the exterior with the natural landscape.

All thanks to its dynamic design, the bar and eating areas are oriented outwards giving views of lush green trees around the area. Moreover, the triangular form of the building boasts a self-supporting rigid roof with a very few peripheral structural points. The major purpose for choosing this lightweight and easily removable roof system is to leave room for changes in future.

Interior is quite contemporary with an industrial touch, which comes due to the black metal pillars and window frames. Its really beautiful to see how this venue intertwines secluded and open spaces, overlooking the panoramic landscapes. To enhance your mood during the evening, the restaurant staff makes use of stunning LED lights that are integrated throughout the diner and the bar area.

To preserve the Beach club identity of the place, the architects have constructed the new structure completely out of raw materials including burned wood, raw steel, and polished concrete floor. Plus, the terrace is made of wood and white sand.

Have a closer look at the elegant restaurant in the images given below.

Via: Decoist / Images Courtesy: SteveTroes
D evelopers arent generally known for their altruism but Charlotte Grobien could be the exception. In 20 years she has made 1.7 million out of Londons housing market by building, flipping and renting properties  and she has given it all to charities that help children and teenagers.

Prince William presented her with an MBE, which sits on a shelf in her Chiswick home of 21 years. She says people think there is some other angle behind my work, but there isnt. I am doing it because I had the idea, and because I can.

The road to social entrepreneurship began after a long business career during which she set up a successful conference organising company, Forum Communications. Based in a conference centre in Kensington, she met and married the centres owner, Henning Grobien.

After selling out in the recession of the late Eighties, Charlotte embarked on charity work as a business adviser for Young Enterprise, a teen mentoring project, and taught business skills to Wandsworth Prison inmates.

In 2006, the Grobiens decided they were no longer happy living in the tattiest house in the street, and began renovating. Charlotte enjoyed it so much she wanted to do it again and that is how the idea of Give it Away was born.

975,000: once filthy and hideous, this Chiswick ex-council house was turned by Charlotte into a smart family home

Her first project was to build two houses near Putney Common. The site cost 795,000 and the build another 700,000  she funded the scheme by borrowing against her own home but was able to sell the houses before the market collapsed in 2008, for 1.15 million each. The proceeds went to charities, including Small Steps in Putney which helps families with severely disabled children, and React, which works with the families of terminally ill children.

Charlotte changed her approach during the recession, snapping up two show flats in Roehampton, negotiating hard to get furniture and parking spaces thrown in, then letting them while she rode out the economic crisis. She later sold them at a profit.

She has built, bought or renovated 12 houses so far and Give it Away has donated 1.7 million to charities. She carried on working when Henning died five years ago, and has built up a loyal following of supporters.

Total refurb: the wow-factor bathroom in the Chiswick house

Her lawyer and chartered surveyor both work for her free of charge, and she has no problem turning up on the doorsteps of suppliers to ask for discounts and deals, armed with photos of children helped by her charities.

To date she has not lost money on a house. Her current project is an ex-council house in Arnott Close, Chiswick. It was filthy and hideous when she bought it last August but after a total refurb, with a loft extension to add a third double bedroom, its on the market for 975,000 with Winkworth.

She chose the house for its location, five minutes walk from Chiswick High Road and within the catchment area of excellent Belmont Primary School.

Great location: Arnott Close is near Chiswick's shops and Belmont Primary School

She designs a house to be 80 per cent neutral with a few little flourishes to make it stand out. In Arnott Close these include a funky shower lined in black Perspex, glitzy white quartz kitchen work surfaces, a wine fridge and feature walls.

She selects all materials from bricks to door handles. As well as asking for discounts Charlotte picks suppliers brains: I ask them, what are people buying? What is fashionable?

Another house or two and she hopes Give it Away will have donated 2 million to charity. And a little thing like the uncertainty of the property market isnt about to get in her way.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The world is tired of Armenias obstinacy, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Ali Hasanov told reporters in Baku Jan. 27.

Organizations and states all over the world are tired of the obstinate, non-constructive stance and the aggressive policy of Armenia, Hasanov, who also chairs Azerbaijani State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, said.

Even Armenias patrons are tired of it, he said. The Armenian diaspora in the US, France and other countries have either ceased or reduced their aid to Armenia. They see that their aid doesnt reach the Armenian population, but goes to Sargsyan regime.

He said that neither the two peoples, nor the leadership of Azerbaijan are to blame for the events that occurred during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We have become victims of the policy of some states, Hasanov said.

He stressed that the current regime in Armenia has ripped its people off and brings its end closer by clashing with Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
A new Kenya Hospitality Industry Report by Jumia Travel, Africa's leading online hotel booking site sheds light on major travel trends in the country, looking at how the local sector compares with counterparts on the global map; it's rapid development, impending barriers and the impact of technology on the changing domestic travel landscape.

"The findings, compiled from data gathered from the more than 2,000 Kenyan hotels partnering with Jumia Travel, show not only an increase in the absorption of technology in the sector, but also remarkable growth in domestic travel spending' Remarked Cyrus Onyiego, during the launch.

According to the report, Kenyans still prefer searching for hotels online via their laptops, accounting for 59% of traffic to the website. This is compared to 37% of traffic from mobile phones, and only 4% from through tablets. Additionally, 70% of visitors book via computers while the other 30% click on their smartphones. Interestingly, the number of men visiting the website stands at 60%, surpassing that of women who take up the remaining 40%.

Jumia Travel Hospitality Industry Report Kenya 2016/ 2017 Photo by Jumia Travel

The annual report further breaks down the means of payment, in a bid to understand what is influencing the traveler's choice. For instance, and despite the continued adoption of mobile payments, 52% of guests still opt for pay-at-hotel, a notable increase from the 47% recorded in the premier report (2015). Mpesa, as the major mobile money transfer platform takes up 32% of overall hotel payments, while 15% of the local domestic travel consumers pay via card.

Kenya - A last minute, three-star nation?

Not very surprising, a whooping 44% of domestic travellers hit their gadgets for hotel and destination "search" barely a week ahead of set travel date; a small fraction of travellers however seem to prefer planning ahead of time at 7% for more than two months (prior to travel date) and 15% for one-two months. However, it's worth of note that once settled on the hotel, more than 20% will book a week in advance, while same day booking (less than 24 hours) carries the day at 25%.

In what now seems like a trend and lifestyle devotion, Kenyans still prefer staying in three star hotels as compared to any other rating. This however, is a sharp drop from 2014/2015, where three star accommodation recorded a 50% share. Two star hotels seem to have bitten into the share, to exhibit a sharp rise from the previous year to the current 31%.

Estelle Verdier, the Managing Director for Jumia Travel-East & Southern Africa attributes this shift to the growing number of properties now enjoying online, thus global presence. "Through the last 3 years we have developed a unique solution for hotel managers to gain online visibility even when they are not connected to internet, by virtue of joining our platform, this enables them to get bookings which are actualized through our customer service team and travel advisors."

Carmen Nibigira, the Chief operations Officer at East Africa Tourism Platform, (EATP) notes that 53% of Kenyan Tourism is purely domestic and points it as an encouragement to the rest of the EA nations to aggressively market tourism at the local and regional level. "EAC partner states simply complement each other, hence the need to repackage the bloc as a single destination" This, as she explained has been highly boosted by the adoption of the single EA passport, which she says adds value to any tourist visiting the region.

The report further discusses the place of Travel and Tourism on the global economic, social and cultural map, noting that the 1 billion economy recently hit 1.3 billion international arrivals, and continues to exhibit growth, even when faced by multiple challenges. According to the UNWTO, tourism contributes 10% of the global GDP, while accounting for 1/10 jobs. These figures were well portrayed locally, with the sector taking up 1/11 jobs and contributing to 10% of Kenya's GDP (2015).

Full report here
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DL Hughley has a unique and authentically unfiltered way of expressing his thoughts on social media. Last month the comedian shared his opinion on the death of Debbie Reynolds via a tweet with staunch racial undertones. Now it appears he is following suit in his new Twitter rant about Donald Trumps proposed border wall.

In the tweets below Hughley goes off and insists that Americans will pay for the wall when Trump pays for his contractors in addition to stating that America needs minorities.

Its obvious that the comedian is pissed off with the Trump administration and their plan to build the wall. But this isnt the only time Hughley has spoken out against Trump. In fact, the comedian has been flaming the president all week on his social media profiles.

Check out the posts below and let us know what you think about all of this in the comments.

DL Hughley
Details added (first version posted on 19:02)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The world is tired of Armenias obstinacy, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Ali Hasanov told reporters in Baku Jan. 27.

Organizations and states all over the world are tired of the obstinate, non-constructive stance and the aggressive policy of Armenia, Hasanov, who also chairs Azerbaijani State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, said.

Even Armenias patrons are tired of it, he said. The Armenian diaspora in the US, France and other countries have either ceased or reduced their aid to Armenia. They see that their aid doesnt reach the Armenian population, but goes to Sargsyan regime.

He said that neither the two peoples, nor the leadership of Azerbaijan are to blame for the events that occurred during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We have become victims of the policy of some states, Hasanov said.

He stressed that the current regime in Armenia has ripped its people off and brings its end closer by clashing with Azerbaijan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Its safe to say that Lil Yachty isnt up and coming anymore. The Sailing Team captain just shared news on the progress of his debut album earlier this week and now Lil Boat is back to announce dates for his Tour Of Europe.

The rapper took to Instagram this evening to post the dates and unsurprisingly nautical flyer art for the tour. In addition to the stops in London and Stockholm the rapper will land in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and a few other places. Peep the post below.

Lil Yachty
Earlier this month Nike released a remastered version of the Stealth Air Jordan 15 which was advertised as featuring a full-grain leather upper as well as Zoom Air units in the forefoot AND heel just like the original.

Many people who bought the retro Stealth 15s probably couldnt tell if their shoes had Zoom Air technology in the heel, forefoot or none at all, but one savvy sneakerhead took apart his shoes and revealed that the product was not as advertised.

Instagram user @Nightwing2303 shared a photograph of the exposed sole unit, revealing that the Zoom Air bag was only in present in the heel and not the forefoot.

He called out Nike for it and they not only changed the description of their product but, according to SoleCollector, offered anyone who bought the Stealth Air Jordan 15s a 25% discount on the next item purchased through Nike.com.

Stealth XV
As part of his "Russell Brand: Rebirth Tour", the TV personality and comedian-turned-political polemicist will be performing at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, the University Concert Hall, London and The Waterfront Hall, Belfast.

RUSSELL BRAND 2018!

23 May @olympiatheatre

26 May @BelWaterfront

Tickets on sale Friday 03 Feb@rustyrockets pic.twitter.com/nKK74kWB41

 MCD Productions (@mcd_productions) January 27, 2017
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In the final days of the Affordable Care Act's enrollment period, the White House has reportedly ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to end all outreach efforts meant to encourage last-minute enrollment.

All television, radio and online advertisements on how to enroll were discontinued on Thursday, said Ben Wakana, a former HHS press secretary, in an interview. Wakana left the agency when the new administration took over.

"They are clearly trying to sabotage the law," he said.

Enrollment on the federal exchange had been brisk, running ahead of last year, and is set to end Jan. 31. Typically there is a surge of sign-ups in the final days.

The Health and Human Services Department said in a statement that the government has pulled back $5 million in ads as part of a cost-cutting effort, the Associated Press reported.

President Donald Trump has signaled his intention to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and urged Congress to move quickly in repealing and replacing the 6-year-old law known as Obamacare. Hours after his inauguration, the incoming president signed a sweeping executive order giving federal agencies leeway to lift or ignore some of the restrictions and enforcements under the current law.

That action was widely interpreted as a way to begin unspooling the individual mandate that requires most Americans to have insurance. That provision has been especially loathed by the law's critics, but advocates have said it was needed to make sure there were enough people in the individual market to enlarge the risk pool.

Even with repeal likely, Thursday's action was seen by some as a bid to block people from getting coverage.

Kevin Counihan, former CEO of healthcare.gov, called the move by the Trump administration "outrageous," in a statement released Thursday.

"We know that more young people enroll during the final days of open enrollment, but they need to be reminded of the January 31 deadline," his statement said, adding "having health insurance is still the law of the land."

The healthcare.gov site appeared to be working Thursday night.

An HHS spokesman was quoted by Politico as saying, "HHS has pulled back roughly $5 million of the final placement in an effort to look for efficiencies, where they exist."

But Politico noted it had previously reported that the Obama administration had paid for and scheduled the ads and outreach to run until Jan. 31, more than a week after Trump's inauguration.

While Trump and Republicans in Congress have promised a replacement for the law, no plan has been unveiled. It could be weeks or months before a replacement plan is decided. Some members of Congress have said the replacement will come in stages and may not be fully implemented for several years.

More than 8.8 million Americans had enrolled through the ACA's insurance exchange as 2016 came to and end, according to HHS statistics earlier this month. That is slightly higher than the 8.6 million who signed up last year during the same period. In Texas, 1,119,994 people had signed up for 2017 coverage. That number includes both new and returning enrollees.

Texas leads the nation with more than 4 million uninsured, including about 740,000 in Harris County alone. By some estimates if the law is repealed but not replaced quickly or comparably, that number could rise to 6.9 million by 2019.

It is unclear if final numbers from this enrollment period will be furnished by the Trump administration. It is also unknown if analysis or other research will be released. Some Houston enrollment facilitators have already said they feared such data would be blocked.

The developments come as other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Park Service, have reported prohibitions on releasing information.
The CNN news alert buzzed Janet Quezada's cellphone during lunch.

She and her husband were discussing her dress shop, featuring quinceanera, bridal and formal dresses all imported from Mexico, set to open on Saturday. Quezada looked at her phone. President Donald Trump, the alert said, had just proposed a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico to pay for the border wall he's promised to build.

She couldn't finish her meal. She worried about the impact such a move could have on her new small business, Karla Boutique.

"I can't believe it's come to this," she said later.

Trump's apparent endorsement of the import tax proposed by congressional Republicans came just hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a planned meeting with Trump next week.

Although the White House later clarified its comments to assert the proposal could be part of a larger plan to pay for the wall, the suggestion of a tariff at all generated hot reaction from Houstonians with strong business ties to Mexico, the nation's third-largest trading partner.

An exasperated Laura Murillo, president of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, warned that the relationship between the neighboring countries "is one that we must not play Russian roulette with."

Ana Beaven, owner of Cuchara restaurant in Montrose, said such a tariff on the ingredients she imports from Mexico would drive up her costs and she would be reluctant to pass them on to her customers.

Although no action in Washington is imminent, Beaven said she was already beginning to assess which U.S.-grown products she might use in lieu of imports.

If unable to find suitable replacements, she said, she would make cuts "here and there." If a dish ends up too pricey due to the tax, she added, she would take it off the menu rather than serve it with cheaper ingredients of lesser quality.

"We would never sacrifice the integrity of our ingredients," Beaven said.

At Port Houston, a significant local entry point for goods from Mexico, a spokeswoman said it was too early to assess the impact of a possible tariff.

"We are following this closely," director of media relations Lisa Ashley said.

As she continues to prepare for Karla Boutique's opening weekend, Quezada is keeping an eye on the news as well. Should the tax proposal be implemented, she said, she would have to raise the prices on the dresses made in her uncle's factory in Mexico.

"Will we be seeing quinceanera dresses made in China?" she asked, with a laugh.

She clings to the belief that the proposal is but a passing thought. "Not everything the president says he wants to do gets done," she said. "I hope."

Katherine Blunt contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - The fast-food empire run by President Donald Trump's pick for Labor secretary outsourced its technology department to the Philippines, a move that runs counter to Trump's mantra to keep jobs in the U.S.

A filing with the Department of Labor and Trump's criticism of outsourcing could be raised at Andrew Puzder's confirmation hearing, with Democrats questioning how well he can advocate for workers.

Puzder's company, CKE Restaurants, which operates and franchises Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants, notified the government in August of 2010 that it was outsourcing its restaurant information technology division to the Philippines. Doing so, the agency found, "contributed importantly" to the layoffs of both CKE employees and those of an outside staffing firm at an Anaheim, Calif., facility. The finding made workers eligible for federally funded benefits meant to dampen the impact of globalization on employees.

"By outsourcing the function to a firm that employs hundreds of Help Desk specialists, CKE was able to improve the quality of service levels to their restaurants," the company said in a statement Wednesday to the Associated Press.

There's nothing illegal, or even uncommon, about CKE's decision to move its help desk overseas and lay off about 20 workers. But the filing - and a spokesman's acknowledgement that CKE continues to use the IT operation in the Philippines - provides a window into a key contradiction raised by Trump's nomination of Puzder to head the Cabinet agency charged with enforcing worker rights.

"President Trump has said that he will put American workers first, but it increasingly appears this was just empty campaign rhetoric-and we saw this so clearly in who he nominated to lead the Department of Labor," said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the senior Democrat on the committee that will consider Puzder's nomination. "This filing showing jobs being outsourced overseas is yet another troubling example of workers being squeezed by companies under Andrew Puzder's leadership."

During his first week in the White House, Trump warned that he would impose a "substantial border tax" on companies that move their manufacturing out of the United States. He also promised tax advantages to companies that produce products domestically.

"All you have to do is stay," he said during a meeting in the White House's Roosevelt Room. Trump's companies have regularly outsourced supply purchases and sometimes used guest workers.

Trump's anti-outsourcing message, begun during the presidential campaign, is based on the idea that the practice has hurt middle and lower-income working Americans who feel left behind in the nation's economic recovery and form much of the new president's political base.

In its statement, CKE defended moving its IT division overseas.

"The existing CKE restaurant support staff was insufficient to adequately cover the disproportionately high volume of help desk calls that occur during the early morning hours and to provide full, 24-hours per day, seven days per week coverage. So CKE shifted its small help desk services team to a firm that provides both offshore and onshore support."

The Department of Labor's determination that outsourcing cost the CKE Restaurant employees their jobs was one of more than 2,400 such certifications made in 2010.

Outsourcing IT jobs is not unusual, especially in the restaurant industry, because of the cost, said Frank Casale of the Outsourcing Institute and co-founder of the Institute for Robotic Process Automation. "It's going to be cheaper. From the standpoint of efficiency, it's going to be better."

The Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee has scheduled a Feb. 7 hearing on Puzder's nomination, a hearing that has been postponed at least twice. Committee Democrats have offered up current and former employees of his companies to tell unflattering stories about their treatment while working for Puzder's companies.
DES MOINES, Iowa - Workers were expected to complete cleaning up Thursday about 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel that spewed from a broken pipeline onto a northern Iowa farm, the largest U.S. diesel spill since 2010, federal authorities said.

Vacuum trucks were sucking up the fuel that spilled onto an acre of grass and tilled farmland when the pipeline broke.

Eighteen percent of the liquid had been removed, and no fuel entered rivers or streams, Iowa Department of Natural Resources spokesman Jeff Vansteenburg said.

Contaminated snow and diesel are being hauled to a Minneapolis facility. Contaminated soil will be excavated and taken to a landfill near Clear Lake, Iowa, Vansteenburg said.

High wind and blowing snow were complicating cleanup efforts, he added.

The pipeline, owned by Tulsa-based Magellan Midstream Partners, was discovered spewing diesel fuel Wednesday morning.

More than 70 Magellan representatives, local responders, regulators and contractors were at the Thursday, Magellan spokesman Bruce Heine said. No injuries were reported and no evacuations needed. The leak's cause is under investigation.

"Although we expect to begin pipeline repairs later today, we do not have an estimate when pipeline operations will resume on the affected segment of our system," Heine said on Thursday. "We do not expect this incident to disrupt supply of gasoline, diesel and other refined petroleum products in the region."

The pipeline was built in the early 1950s, but Heine said the age of a pipeline is not a safety factor when it is adequately inspected and maintained.

The 127-mile stretch of pipe runs from Rosemount, Minn., to Mason City, Iowa.

The incident is the sixth-largest refined petroleum spill reported by companies to the U.S. Department of Transportation this decade and the largest diesel spill since January 2010, according to the department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration records.

Over the past decade, Magellan had 40 enforcement cases against it for pipeline safety violations, resulting in $1.4 million in proposed penalties.

The farm site is 3 miles north and 1 mile east of Hanlontown, which is 124 miles north of Des Moines.

The incident illustrates that petroleum pipelines are dangerous, said pipeline critic Ed Fallon, director of Bold Iowa, a coalition fighting the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipeline projects.
President Donald Trump's proposal to levy a 20 percent tariff on imports from Mexico is geopolitical bullying of the worst kind and could have dramatic consequences.

When it comes to our foreign trade deficit, Mexico is not even close to our biggest problem. But Trump doesn't have the guts to go after more powerful countries, so he leverages American prejudices to kick around Mexico, our much smaller and less wealthy neighbor.

The U.S. trade deficit with Mexico is only $60.6 billion. That's largely because Mexican labor is less expensive, and most Mexican consumers can't afford expensive, U.S. made products.

China, on the other hand, has a $367 billion trade deficit with the United States. Germany's is $74.9 billion, and Japan's is $68.6 billion. Out of our five largest trade partners, only Canada has a smaller deficit than Mexico at $15.5 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Why then does Trump obsess over Mexico? Perhaps for the same reason he said Mexican migrants illegally crossing the border are made up mostly of murderers, rapists and drug dealers? Or maybe because it appeals to the darkest, most bigoted stereotypes held by too many Americans who wrongfully believe they lost their jobs to Mexico, when they really lost them to automation.

And like any bully, Trump picks only on the country that has the least ability to fight back. A trade war with China would bring down the entire global economy, while Germany and Japan are too strategically important to anger. But when he needs to rally his supporters by vilifying another country and ethnic group, Mexico is an easy target.

Trump's proposed tariff would destroy the largest free trade agreement in the world, trigger a trade war and drive up the prices of everything we buy from Mexico by at least 20 percent. He also would force Mexico to build stronger trade ties with China, and ruin our alliance with Mexico.

A trade war with Mexico would also hit Texas particularly hard. In 2015, Texas imported $84 billion of goods from Mexico and exported $92 billion.

That's right, Texas has an $8 billion trade surplus with Mexico.

Here's the funny thing about tariffs, and just about everything in international relations: They are reciprocal. What we impose on Mexican imports, Mexico will impose on U.S. imports.

"Texas is the largest exporting state and one of the largest importing states. Texas could suffer severe repercussions from the dismantling of trade deals like NAFTA and not participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership," said Chris Wallace, president of the Texas Association of Business. "There is no question that Texas has benefited more than any other state from NAFTA and will be hurt the most if it is killed."

Trump's behavior on Twitter, and through his spokesman Sean Spicer, has been erratic and impulsive. That may work well in a New York City real estate negotiation, but now he's dealing with sovereign nations where citizens have their own pride and politics.

Let's hope that Congress and Trump's advisers intervene, and cooler heads prevail. If Trump continues with this kind of behavior, he can do real and lasting damage to our economy and international relationships.
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SAN FRANCISCO - The Pixel phone, Google's answer to Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy, is off to a promising start - but might have done even better had Google managed consumer demand as smartly as the device's sleek design.

Although Google hasn't released sales figures, industry researchers say the Pixel has been a hot item since its October debut was greeted with mostly glowing reviews and the biggest marketing blitz in Google's 18-year history.

But there were missed opportunities.

Google didn't have enough Pixels available to meet demand. Rather than wait several weeks, many consumers interested in the Pixel probably bought an iPhone, Galaxy or another phone instead. And these people aren't likely to need a phone replacement for another year or two.

Google also struck a deal to sell it through just one wireless carrier, Verizon. Although Google's online store sold Pixels compatible with other wireless networks, most people don't shop for phones that way. Of course, it's a moot point if there weren't enough Pixels to sell, but Google likely would have produced more if it had deals with other carriers.

It's not surprising that Google misjudged the market, given that this is the search company's first stab at making its own phone. Previously, it partnered with various manufacturers on a Nexus line of phones to showcase its Android operating system, but that effort barely made a dent.

"This was probably a really good learning experience for them," says Neil Doshi, an analyst with Mizhuo Securities USA.

The Pixel's success is important to Google because it wants to ensure there's a stylish Android phone to compete with the iPhone and drive more affluent consumers to its search engine, maps, YouTube videos and other services. Samsung's Galaxy and other phones also run on Android, but those devices have been de-emphasizing Google's services.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google can afford to make some mistakes as it tries to establish the Pixel because its internet search and advertising network brings in so much revenue.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

Trend:

Yet another irresponsible statement by Movses Hakobyan, chief of the Armenian General Staff, is not surprising, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry.

Representatives of the Armenian criminal military and political leadership made similar statements before the April events of 2016, the Defense Ministry told Trend Jan. 27 commenting on the statements made by Hakobyan earlier.

Everyone remembers that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, realizing after the April operation that Hakobyans presence in Nagorno-Karabakh region will be disastrous for him, had to urgently transfer him to Yerevan, the ministry said.

After a crushing defeat in April 2016, the Armenian leadership and commanders of the army are trying to weaken the political and social tensions in Armenia by making provocative statements, the ministry added.

However, Hakobyan must realize that the modern weapons, to be used by the Azerbaijani army, are much more destructive than those used in the April battles, and the Armenian army will be fully destroyed, the ministry said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
When Bob Harvey became president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership four years ago, he made a few trips to Washington on Houston's behalf. After a while, he gave up.

"I found it was not a productive use of my time, or the resources of the partnership," Harvey says. "Nothing was moving in Washington." Not a tax overhaul, not immigration reform, none of the big things the region's chamber of commerce really cares about.

Instead, Harvey's group focused on the state legislative session, where they figured they could make an impact. That all changed on Nov. 8th, when Donald Trump won the presidential election in a stunning upset.

Now, each day brings new executive orders that could pose serious challenges to Houston's economy: a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, the termination of trade deals that business leaders favored, the prospect of a trade war with Mexico. That's left the city's most powerful business lobby seriously behind the the eight ball on making its voice heard.

"Now we literally have to develop a federal agenda for Houston and for the partnership, recognizing that everything now is unfrozen," Harvey says. "That creates threats and opportunities."

Still, those threats and opportunities don't seem to have lit a fire under the partnership, which has focused on putting the city's best foot forward for the Super Bowl next weekend. The partnership's newly elected chair, Chevron North America President Jeff Shellebarger, seems content to wait and see.

"It's too soon to tell," Shellebarger said. "We're not worried. We, the business community, work with every administration that comes through. Nobody has anything figured out right now, and generally as a business community you need to see the lay of the land and where everything is going. This is new for everybody, including us."

Of course, that isn't to say that the partnership doesn't have opinions.

Take health care. On an overhaul of Obamacare, which has been a boon to low-income Houstonians as well as the city's hospital industry, Harvey says that "what we can't do is leave the indigent community without options."

On immigration, Harvey supports a path to citizenship for those here illegally, and Shellebarger says he needs people from Mexico to work on Chevron's shipyards and refineries. "We don't have a labor force to do that in this part of the world," he says.



Most importantly, they think trade with Mexico is very important, both imports and exports. They told Mexican officials as much on a trade mission to Mexico City soon after the election. Harvey says Texas benefits from free trade and a prosperous southern neighbor  which also mitigates the problem of people crossing the border in search of jobs.

But it's not something they've broadcast publicly for a while. "We have to gather up the more recent trade data," Harvey says. "We haven't had to make the case for NAFTA for a long time."

Similarly, when asked about the border adjustment tax, which is the mechanism that House Republicans have been proposing since last summer to shift the tax burden from exports to imports, Harvey said he wasn't familiar with the details. He hadn't engaged with the GOP's tax plan, even though the guy pushing it through Congress  House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady  is just up the road in the Woodlands.

Of course, it's true that Trump probably wouldn't respond to the unified business voice of America's fourth-largest city, even if it did raise a ruckus against barriers to the free flow of goods and people. Texas' voters, after all, favored Trump by almost ten points in the election. And many of Texas' businesses are genuinely looking forward to the tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks that they feel sure are in the offing.

But the Greater Houston Partnership wasn't alone in having checked out of Washington during the days of gridlock. Lots of other big companies around the country did too, and found themselves with no leverage as Congress lurched through a series of shutdowns and fiscal cliffs.

Now, as Houston's business community is faced with dire threats to the underpinnings of its prosperity, it might be a case of too little, too late.
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One of Jean-Paul Bourgeois' most vivid memories of growing up near the tiny town of Labadieville in south-central Louisiana was the bonfire his family hosted every Christmas Eve.

This being the epicenter of Cajun country, the bonfire was equal parts food and music, and served as a community gathering in the still-rural area.

"It was a way to bring people together," says Bourgeois, who watched in fascination as his father and neighbors prepared a traditional cochon de lait, or roast suckling pig, among other local delicacies.

The Folse family was among the neighbors. Chef/restaurateur John Folse is considered the authority on the cuisine and culture of the area; he literally wrote the book about it, "The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine." In 1994, Folse established the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in nearby Thibodaux.

When Bourgeois turned 13, his family moved down Bayou Lafourche to Thibodaux to be closer to his school. After high school, he enrolled in the Culinary Institute, where Folse was one of his instructors. He graduated with a bachelor of science in culinary arts in 2006.

Three years later, after working in various restaurants across the U.S., Bourgeois moved to New York and joined the Union Square Hospitality Group, founded by famed restaurateur Danny Meyer. In 2014, he was named executive chef and pitmaster at Blue Smoke, the group's barbecue restaurant in the Flatiron District of Manhattan.

More Information Blue Smoke 116 E. 27th, New York bluesmoke.com See More Collapse

I met Bourgeois at the 2014 Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, an event founded by Meyer to bring in the country's best pitmasters to show New Yorkers what great barbecue is all about.

Bourgeois had only just assumed his new role at Blue Smoke, but even among larger-than-life American barbecue personalities such as Chris Lilly (Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q in Alabama) and Scott Roberts (The Salt Lick near Austin), he more than held his own. Over 6 feet tall with a linebacker build, he certainly looks the part of a burly Cajun bringing barbecue to Manhattanites.

On a visit to Blue Smoke in 2016, Bourgeois' pitmaster chops impressed; during a memorable dinner, he plied me and several barbecue-hound friends with dish after dish of smoked offerings. Blue Smoke bills itself as something of a United Nations of barbecue, offering menu items that represent most styles of U.S. barbecue, from Texas beef brisket to chicken wings covered in an Alabama white sauce.

Bourgeois, 32, still makes frequent trips back to Thibodaux, where his family lives. He'll also be making more stops in Houston. He recently married; his wife, Candace, has family in College Station, and Houston's a stop on the way from Thibodaux.

This past Thanksgiving, the couple did that drive and detoured to visit Roegels Barbecue Co. in Briargrove. Pitmaster Russell Roegels had also worked the 2014 New York Block Party, as a vendor for the restaurant he was previously associated with, Baker's Ribs. Though he'd never met Bourgeois previously, Roegels gave him a tour of the pits, and they exchanged tips on the latest Texas barbecue trends.

Bourgeois continues to expand his repertoire at Blue Smoke. Now that barbecue has become something of a cause celebre within the Big Apple culinary scene, Bourgeois is turning his efforts to true Cajun cuisine.

Monday through Fat Tuesday (Feb. 28), Bourgeois will offer a "Cajun Recipes" menu at Blue Smoke, including dishes such as Rabbit Sauce Piquante, Duck Fricassee and various gumbos. It all harkens back to his days growing up in Labadieville and Thibodaux - and those Christmas Eve bonfires.

"Cajun and Creole cuisine has always been a way for bringing people together in Louisiana," Bourgeois says. "I want to do the same thing to bring people together in New York."
The University of Texas System wraps up the week with greater clarity regarding its future leadership: Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday recommended three candidates to replace a controversial regent and his two board allies.

Abbotts three nominees were cheered by UTs chancellor and UT-Austins alumni group, and sources expected that, if appointed, the boards changed composition would bring in a more collegial relationship.

The conversation had changed by Wednesday. Two lawmakers said they were concerned that no regents are black, and the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans said Abbotts decision to replace the three regents is an attempt to stifle the outgoing regents reform efforts.

Most significantly, in Thursdays confirmation hearing, two nominees criticized the systems move to buy considerable land in Houston for expansion  a key disagreement with UT Chancellor William McRaven and the board at large.

In other news this week 

Higher education leaders converged in Austin this week to ask lawmakers for money in a tight budget. Presidents and chancellors urged lawmakers to fund special items, a tactic that budget committees have used in the past to give money to universities outside of the standard formulas, the Texas Tribune reported.

Renu Khator, the University of Houstons president and chancellor, will join the board of apartment developer Camden Property Trust.

Houston Community College last week voted to protect rights of immigrant students as President Donald Trump moved to restrict immigration.

The AP reports that the University of Texas at Austin ran a $15 million deficit that could grow to $25 million due to financial mistakes and miscommunication within its information technology department.

A study by an online student loan refinance company found this week that the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houstons law schools were among the top 10 universities offering good salary-to-debt ratios, the New York Times reported.

A resolution on the state Senate floor this week recognized TSU Day in Austin for Texas Southern University.

Let me know which higher education stories stuck with you this week  on Twitter or via email: Lindsay.Ellis@chron.com.
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An accident in the early morning hours of Friday claimed the life of one person and caused traffic to be diverted around the FM 1010 overpass on the SH 105 bypass.

According to Capt. Scott Felts, spokesperson for Cleveland Police Department, at around 3 a.m. Friday, an 18-wheeler hauling a trailer was traveling west on the bypass when a Dodge pickup traveling east swerved into its path at the FM 1010 overpass. The vehicles struck head-on, killing the driver of the pickup on impact, Felts said.
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A teenage inmate died Thursday after he was found hanging at the Fort Bend County jail.

Emmanuel Akueir, 17, was found about 6:10 p.m. hanging in an apparent suicide attempt, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Akueir was rushed to OakBend Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead.

Akueir had been in the jail since Jan. 3 after he was arrested by the the Rosenberg Police Department on charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest.

The Texas Ranger Service is assisting the sheriff's office to investigate Akueir's death.

No other details about the case were released.
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A pedestrian wearing black and pulling a dark-colored rolling suitcase died early Friday morning when a deputy constable struck her in a west Houston traffic collision.

The incident happened about 3 a.m. in the 12300 block of Westheimer near South Dairy Ashford, according to the Houston Police Department.

A Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office deputy on patrol hit the pedestrian, whose name has not been released. Police said the woman attempted to navigate Westheimer in an area without a crosswalk and failed to yield the right of way.

The deputy constable, identified as D. Thomas, is assigned to the parks unit to check the closed areas overnight, said Assistant Chief Terry Allbritton of Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office.

Allbritton said Thomas was on regular patrol  not responding to a call  when he realized he hit something.

"It's very dark in the area where she was struck," the assistant chief said. "The deputy stated that he didn't see her at all. He stated that something hit his car and that he didn't see her prior to impact."

The woman, a black female who could be in her 40s, appeared to be homeless because of the suitcase and the number of plastic bags with her, Allbritton said.

The woman's name will be released by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences pending next-of-kin notification.

Preliminary determinations classify the collision as an accident.

Thomas has been with the constable's office for almost 10 years.

"The deputy, of course, is very shook up," Allbritton said. "Unfortunately, it winds up being two victims in a deal like this. We feel for the family of the person who got struck, but we feel for the deputy too. ... Even if she turns out to be a homeless lady, I'm sure there's family that's going to grieve for her somewhere."

HPD will conduct the accident investigation and the Harris County District Attorney's Office has declined to charge the deputy, Allbritton added.
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In his Jan. 11 remarks to the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick chose a dismissive term for those who oppose his renewed push for legislation that would provide public funds for non-public education.

"We're going to have a big battle with the educrats," Patrick said. "And that's not the teachers; that's not even good principals or good superintendents. It's educrats who have forgotten that it should be all about the kids and not all about the adults."

So much power in a mere three syllables. "Educrat," of course, is a variation of "bureaucrat," a word that suggests overpaid, underworked and generally useless paper-pushers shielded by a cushion of taxpayer-funded job security.

Since Patrick bestowed exceptions on teachers and on "good" principals and superintendents, his audience was left with a vague image of men and women lodged in the bowels of school administration buildings. In their windowless cubicles, we might imagine, these civil servants hatch schemes to foil the lieutenant governor's noble policy initiatives.

But at least one woman in Patrick's audience in Austin didn't take kindly to being labeled an "educrat." After the speech, Kristin Tassin, the president of the Fort Bend Independent School District board, went straight back to her hotel, opened her laptop and wrote an open letter to Patrick that has been published online by at least three Texas newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, and a number of education-related blogs. Every headline includes the word "educrat."

"Contrary to what you may believe, not all of us who represent Texas public schools (not the buildings, but the actual children who attend) are liberals or 'educrats,' " Tassin's piece begins.

Tassin goes on to offer rebuttals to points Patrick made in his speech about "school choice," the broader topic of education funding and the state's new A-F school rating system.

Tassin's essay has attracted more attention than the speech that inspired it. That's partly because Patrick didn't make much news that day; his views on these topics are well known. Beyond that, it's not every day that a suburban school trustee openly challenges a politician whose photograph is featured on the February cover of Texas Monthly magazine along with the words: DAN PATRICK. IN CHARGE.

For her part, Tassin didn't appear remotely intimidated when I met her this week at a diner in Stafford. Nor did she seem to be steaming with rage. She's a poised, thoughtful woman whose interest in education issues was triggered by her experience as the mother of three daughters in Fort Bend County public schools.

"I'm a mom first," were her first words to me as I squeezed into a booth.

Her oldest daughter, a high school sophomore, has Down Syndrome, and Tassin has fought to get her the services she needs in inclusive settings. Her middle daughter attends regular classes; the youngest is in gifted-and-talented programs. "We kind of see the whole spectrum," Tassin says.

When Tassin was elected to the Fort Bend ISD board in 2014, she committed herself so fully to the unpaid position - and to her responsibilities as a parent - that she gave up her legal practice.

Tassin believes "school choice" would weaken public schools without benefiting those who took advantage of the vouchers, tax credits or other public support provided for private or parochial schools or home schooling. She thinks the A-F grading system stigmatizes kids in struggling schools. She says the state saddles local districts with unfunded mandates, then penalizes them when they struggle as a result.

Tassin says Patrick has not responded to her open letter. His spokesman did not return my call Thursday.

Reasonable people might disagree about some of the issues covered in Tassin's letter. During our conversation, though, she made a point that struck home: Amid all the ideological flame-throwing, little attention is devoted to developing innovative strategies to improve the public schools that educate 90 percent of American children. Reimagining the structure of high school, she says, might be a good place to start.

These are the issues that Kristin Tassin and other local school officials around the state grapple with every day. Consider what might happen if the state's leaders engaged deeply with these ideas rather than relying on catch-phrases like "accountability" and insulting their opponents with labels like "educrat." Then, as Patrick suggests, perhaps it would be all about the kids.
The Fort Bend County sheriff applauded President Donald Trump's tough stance on border security Thursday, right after announcing a home burglary sting that led to the arrests of 17 men, including at least three who had been deported multiple times in recent years.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said the suspects - mostly Colombian nationals - were linked to 120 Houston-area home burglaries that targeted Asian, Pakistani and other Middle Eastern communities. The sheriff wasn't sure why those communities were targeted, but suspected it stemmed from a notion that those groups owned unique, fine jewelry.

The sheriff's news conference Thursday about the arrests turned political when he said the county's immigration policies have failed and that Trump's policies will keep America safer.

"Obviously our southern border is not secure because they keep coming back," Nehls said. "It's not the federal government's inability to secure our borders, but it's their unwillingness. And quite honestly it's shameful."

Many of the men arrested were in the country illegally, and at least three were deported at least twice, Nehls said. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, could not confirm Thursday if any other men in the group had been deported, but records show most have criminal records in Texas.

The news conference came the day after Trump signed two executive orders to begin building a wall along the Mexico border and increasing deportation efforts.

The last of the 17 suspects was arrested more than four months ago, but Nehls said the timing wasn't political.

Yearlong effort

Investigators said it seemed an appropriate time in the investigation to announce the arrests, which were made between April and September 2016.

He added that he hopes each of the men is deported and that Trump's actions mean burglars never enter the U.S. again.

The sheriff, surrounded by the team of Fort Bend and Houston officers who apprehended the burglars, described the yearlong efforts to arrest the men.

The investigation started in early 2016 when law enforcement officials noticed a string of burglaries at night - an uncommon trend, Nehls said.

"We all know the majority of burglaries are done during when people are gone for work," he said. "Burglars don't want to become robbers. That struck us as odd."

That allowed agencies to connect crimes that covered a more than 35-mile span from Sienna Plantation to Cinco Ranch.

Nehls said that small groups of men waited until a home was empty before they would enter from the window of the master bathroom.

The group's sole focus was jewelry and cash, Nehls said.

Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Caitilin Espinosa said some homes were hit multiple times.

"The residents of those homes were living in fear and afraid for their families' safety," she said.

By connecting the string of burglaries, FBCSO along with the Houston and Pearland police departments, identified suspects and began 24-hour surveillance on each. Group by group the agencies arrested the men as they made their way into each home.

"We would catch them red-handed," the sheriff said.

Ten of the suspects were captured in Fort Bend County. Six of those 10 suspects are in the Fort Bend County Jail. The other four are under ICE holds.

The remaining seven suspects were arrested by HPD or Pearland PD.

Need public's help

FBCSO officials refused to comment on whether more suspects are tied to the group, but asked residents to make sure they secure their homes the best they can.

"There may be more, but we're not going to talk about that," he said.

Similar cases were reported in Plano - a suburb north of Dallas County. Between 2013 and 2015, Plano police warned residents about an uptick in burglaries targeting the homes of Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern residents.

In those cases, suspects were from Houston and Colombia.

It's unclear if the men involved in the Fort Bend County burglaries were involved in the Plano cases.
A federal judge in Houston on Thursday ruled that former Houston school trustee Larry Marshall is liable for as much as $2.1 million in civil damages for participating in a scheme that prevented a contractor from getting business because he refused to pay bribes.

After a lengthy trial last fall, a federal jury found Marshall and several co-defendants liable for illegal interference and racketeering violations and awarded several million dollars in damages, tarnishing the reputation of a school district that has been dogged by allegations of corruption.

But it fell to the judge to sort out the details of who owed what in damages.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison explained in his order Thursday that Marshall and his company, Marshall & Associates, were liable for $1.4 million.

Marshall was also ordered to share in the payment of $676,667 in damages with other defendants in the case.

Gil Ramirez Group, the contractor that sued for damages, was granted more than $4 million by the jury, but some of that liability falls to Marshall's co-defendants.

The judge rejected an attempt by Marshall to limit his liability to $100,000. Ellison ruled that Marshall was not on duty when he interfered with district business and therefore was not protected under the Texas Education Code, which provides immunity to school employees sued while doing their jobs.

Ramirez's lawyer, Chad Dunn, said his client feels vindicated.

"This judgment serves as notice to public officials far and wide that taking advantage of government doesn't pay," he said. "I hope the ruling today sends the message that wasting of the public funds is not going to be tolerated."

The Houston Independent School District is one of the top property owners in Houston, and winning bids to fix its buildings throughout the year is a plum job for any contractor, Dunn said.

HISD was removed as a defendant, but the case cast a shadow over the district's reputation.

Arturo G. Mitchell, the HISD attorney involved in the case, said in a statement the district "and its officers and employees take the contracting process seriously (and) it is periodically and with frequency reviewed, and is subject to significant public scrutiny."

Attorneys for Marshall and his co-defendants could not be reached for comment.

Defense lawyers said previously that they intend to appeal the verdict.

The civil suit was filed in 2010 by Gil Ramirez Jr., who said he lost lucrative school business because he refused to pay kickbacks to Marshall and his campaign treasurer, Joyce Moss Clay.

Records presented to the jury showed that Moss Clay worked as a consultant to several school district vendors, and that she paid Marshall between 65 percent and 75 percent of the fees she received. In 2009 alone, payments to Marshall amounted to $59,175.

Moss Clay was ill, but through a sworn deposition she testified that she provided the money to Marshall because he was her mentor and "familial brother."

Among Moss Clay's clients were two construction contractors, David "Pete" Medford of Fort Bend Mechanical and Eva Jackson of RHJ-JOC.

Medford and Jackson claimed they did not know Moss Clay was giving Marshall a cut of their payments.

In one instance, Medford testified, he was surprised when Marshall showed up at the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., with a free ticket that Medford had given to Moss Clay.

The jury found Medford and Jackson and both of their companies also liable.

Moss Clay and Medford were each ordered to pay $500,000 in damages on top of their share of the $676,667 in damages. Jackson was directed to pay an additional $1 million.

No criminal charges have been filed against anyone in the case.
Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 11:30)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Kunio Mikuriya.

The head of state hailed the successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and WCO, expressing his satisfaction with the fact that Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee is one of the active members of the World Customs Organization.

President Aliyev noted that the large-scale reforms carried out in the Azerbaijani economy, including in the field of customs, are already yielding very good results. The head of state emphasized that despite the decline in trade turnover, the amount of the collected customs duties increased compared to the previous period.

President Aliyev praised Azerbaijani customs system's active role in enhancing regional and international cooperation, hailing the importance of the operation of regional customs bodies, as well as the training center in the country.

The head of state expressed hope that the visit of Secretary General of the World Customs Organization Kunio Mikuriya to Azerbaijan will contribute to the expansion of the bilateral relations.

Praising Azerbaijan's great achievements in a number of areas, including the application of modern technologies in the customs system, human resources management, improving the professional level of staff in the customs sphere, Secretary General of WCO Kunio Mikuriya noted that all this was possible thanks to the strong political support.

Kunio Mikuriya thanked President Ilham Aliyev for supporting this area.

Hailing Azerbaijan's excellent organization of international events in the customs sphere, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya emphasized the importance of the conference on "Economic security: Aspects for trade facilitation and protection" being held in Baku.

They exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the World Customs Organization.
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Paul Michael Slayton, better known to millions as Houston rapper Paul Wall, appeared in Houston court for a routine hearing Friday related to drug and criminal activity charges.

Slayton, 35, and nine others were arrested Dec. 23 during a "smoke session" in The Heights and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance for allegedly selling large amounts of THC to "weed parties."

Slayton, and fellow rapper Ronald Ray Bryant, known as Baby Bash, were in court for a routine hearing Friday but did not appear before the judge.

Slayton's attorney Jolando Jones denied the charges in a Dec. 27 court appearance. During that hearing, Slayton said he would likely test positive for several types of prescription drugs.

"Everything they think they know is just not there," Jones said. She also said Slayton has a back problem and may have prescriptions for several of the drugs.

Staff writer Brian Rogers contributed to this report.
GALVESTON  Thomas A. "Tom" Curtis, a former Houston Chronicle reporter and Texas Monthly writer whose stories contributed to reforms in the Houston Police Department, died from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Galveston. He was 71.

Curtis gained a reputation as a fearless, tenacious reporter over a career that began as a copy boy at the Galveston Daily News and eventually led to some of the most respected Texas and national news organizations.

Story provoked debate

Curtis' stories about shooting deaths by Houston police officers in the 1970s in Texas Monthly Magazine led the department to crack down on "throw-down" weapons, guns planted by police to justify the shooting of an unarmed suspect.

He gained national attention for a 1992 story in "Rolling Stone" titled, "The Origins of AIDS," that roiled the scientific community by exploring a hypothesis that the AIDS virus was transferred from monkeys to humans via an experimental polio vaccination program in Central Africa in the 1950s.

The article was widely criticized, although it helped provoke a debate about the transfer of disease from animals to humans. A respected scientist behind the vaccination program sued Rolling Stone, eventually settling for $1.

"He spent 11 months of his life helping Rolling Stone defend the suit," recalled his former wife, Sandy Sheehy, 71, of Albuquerque, N.M. Curtis was vindicated eight years later by a book, "The River" by Edward Hooper, that expanded on Curtis' Rolling Stone article.

Long-time friend Mark Muhich, 66, of Jackson, Mich., said Curtis stood by the Rolling Stone story. "He always said, 'All I did was report the facts,' " Muhich said.

The first evidence of Curtis' journalistic talent became evident at Galveston's Ball High School, where he distributed mimeographed copies of his writings and wrote for the school newspaper.

He attended from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he edited the school newspaper and interned at the Wall Street Journal as part of the college's unique five-year program of work-study.

Documented police abuses

After graduation in 1968, he worked as an assistant city editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before becoming a reporter for the Houston Chronicle for nearly three years. From there, he worked briefly at the Fort Worth Press before returning to Houston to be news director at the Pacifica Network's radio station KPFT while freelancing for the New York Times.

Curtis left KPFT to open a Houston bureau for the Washington Post.

He sold versions of "The New Gang in Town" about shooting deaths by Houston police to Texas Monthly and the Washington Post in 1977, prompting a number of stories by national news outlets about Houston police abuses.

A year later, he helped launch the now defunct Houston City Magazine. After less than two years the magazine was sold and Curtis began freelancing, in 1979 selling Texas Monthly "The Throwdown" about police planting a pistol after shooting an unarmed teenager. The article became the 1981 TV movie "The Killing of Randy Webster," starring Hal Holbrook and Sean Penn.

The Dallas Times-Herald hired Curtis as bureau chief in 1982 where he worked for five years before joining Texas Monthly as a senior editor. He left Texas Monthly in 1990 and began freelancing, selling "The Origins of AIDS" to Rolling Stone in 1992 and a series of articles on the same subject to the Houston Post.

In 1994, Curtis and Sheehy, who is also an author, returned to Galveston where he continued to freelance until becoming the editor of the UTMB Quarterly at the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1997. He worked at UTMB until he was overcome by the ravages of Parkinson's.

Sheehy and Curtis parted ways after 23 years of marriage and he spent the last five years of his life with companion Victoria Narkin, 74, in Galveston. Narkin said Parkinson's disease took away his ability to write. "He desperately wanted to write another book," Narkin said.

Sunday gathering planned

Curtis is survived by Narkin, Sheehy, and his brother, Michael Curtis.

At his request there will be no memorial service, but a gathering to honor his achievements is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Galveston, 502 Church. Memorical contributions should go to Antioch College, Office of Advancement, One Morgan Place, Yellow Springs, OH 445387, or to the ACLU of Texas, P.O. Box 8306, Houston, TX 77288-8306, or aclutx.org.
Two of Gov. Greg Abbott's three nominees to join the University of Texas System board of regents on Thursday criticized the system's move to buy considerable land in Houston for expansion during their confirmation hearing before a state Senate panel.

Their stances were striking because on Monday the governor had appointed them to replace three regents who often bucked UT leadership. Sources expected the appointees to be on the same page with UT system Chancellor William McRaven and the full board. One of the appointees who spoke against the university's intention to expand its Houston footprint was part of a UT advisory group charged with recommending to McRaven what to build on the land, making her remarks before the Senate nominations committee perplexing and unexpected.

In November 2015, UT regents overwhelmingly approved the $215 million acquisition of 332 acres in southwest Houston, immediately drawing protest from the University of Houston's regents, who called it an obstacle to UH's growth. More than a year after that vote, UT officials still have not defined their vision for the land beyond saying that it will not be used to build a four-year university to compete with UH. McRaven had said the intention is to develop an "intellectual hub" in Houston, leaving the details to be determined.

In February, McRaven asked a task force of Houston business and local leaders to determine by the end of 2016 how the system should use the land. That report is still in draft form, spokeswoman Jenny LaCoste-Caputo said Thursday, adding that it is expected to be completed in a few weeks.

The UT board of regents will ultimately need to approve McRaven's recommendations for use of the Houston land, and he said Thursday during a separate Senate finance committee hearing that he will wait until new regents join the board before bringing recommendations before the group. The Senate nominations panel will vote on the governor's three regent nominations on Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, one of the nominees critical of the Houston project - Janiece Longoria, chair of the Port of Houston Authority and formerly a member of UT's advisory group for how to use the land - said she did not think UT's expansion in Houston "could ever be successful" without local lawmakers' support.

Longoria also said she's not in favor of using the Permanent University Fund - a massive source of funding from oil and gas holdings for UT and the Texas A&M University System that cannot be used by the UH system - for the Houston project. The UT spokeswoman said Longoria was part of the advisory group from March 2016 until leaving earlier this month due to "conflicting commitments."

Another of Abbott's regent nominees, former state Sen. Kevin Eltife, told the Senate nominations panel Thursday he wanted the Houston project "stopped."

"I want someone to explain to me how we spent $200 million on a piece of dirt and we don't know the use of it," he said.

The third regent nominee, businessman Rad Weaver, said he needs to learn more about the project before expressing an opinion.

Their statements kicked off a tough day at the state capitol for UT's efforts to expand in Houston, and left McRaven to answer to skeptical Houston lawmakers on the Senate finance panel.

McRaven said it would have been "irresponsible" not to buy land in Houston, citing the city's nationally renowned medical center, space research and energy sector. He did not, however, offer new information on UT's plans for the land.

"I work for the board of regents," he said. "If, at the end of the day, I am not able to demonstrate that moving forward with this project is of value to UT and to the state, I will follow the direction of the board of regents."

Sen. John Whitmire said McRaven should have consulted lawmakers first, calling his actions an "abuse of power."

"I don't think you give a damn what the legislature thinks," the senator said to McRaven, a retired Navy admiral with a 37-year military career.

McRaven said he respected the Texas legislature, citing his military experience, and said his goal was to innovate higher education in the state.

"This really was about trying to do what I thought was the right thing," the UT chancellor said. "This could very well be a risk and a gamble."

The leaders of McRaven's Houston advisory group anticipated in December that they would deliver recommendations to him in one to two months. The task force's chief said at the time "the project is too big and too important to rush" and said that McRaven was "completely satisfied" with the group's progress.
AUSTIN  For the second straight legislative session, tensions over American and Muslim relations rose to a boil at the Texas Capitol, this time following a homeland security forum hosted by a state lawmaker accused of asking Muslim leaders to sign a loyalty oath.

The forum, scheduled a few days before Texas Muslim Capitol Day, came against the backdrop of increasing tension in the national conversation about terrorism and President Donald Trump's promises to restrict refugees entering the country, particularly Syrians and those from Muslim-majority countries.

"It's hard to be a woman these days, of color, of Muslim faith in a room full of people that want to jump down your throat," said Anjum Hanafi, 42-year-old Muslim American, who stood in the back of the room during the two-hour forum as speakers offered reasons why Texans should beware of "radical Islam."

The meeting was scheduled after first-term state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, mailed out a questionnaire to mosque and Muslim group leaders about their beliefs. The poll, sent out ahead of the Jan. 31 Texas Muslim Capitol Day to meet with lawmakers, asked Muslim leaders if they regarded the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious and political group, as a foreign terrorist organization, and if they would promise to support former Muslims.

Comments applauded

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas ran a full-page ad in the San Antonio Express-News Thursday lambasting Biedermann for the poll, which it said constitutes a loyalty oath, threatening Muslims Americans' First Amendment rights.

"Such oaths inhibit the freedom of speech and association, single out vulnerable communities and provide no national security benefit. They are designed strictly to intimidate, but no Texan of any faith should be afraid to worship whom and how she pleases," said Rebecca Robertson, ACLU of Texas's legal and policy director.

Many of the attendees at Thursday's two-hour forum in a legislative committee room applauded comments by speakers characterizing American Muslims as lying in wait to take over the country. Speakers included representatives of Former Muslims United, American Islamic Forum for Democracy and the mayor of Irving, all warning of radical Islam.

In the back stood Shaykh Mutfi Mohamed-Umer Esmail, an imam at the Nueces Mosque outside the University of Texas campus, who engaged Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, in a running debate after the forum about the motivations of Islam.

"We pledge allegiance to the United States Constitution. Our children do it all the time in public schools every single day," Esmail said to Zedler. "Our children do it in Islamic schools every day. So, what is the fear?"

Not asking for oath

Biedermann scheduled the forum after reporters began calling him earlier this month about his poll. The discussion comes as President Trump took steps this week to bar Syrian refugees from settling in the United States and temporarily freeze other refugee resettlements here.

"That was a way to invite as many people to bring their views here to this forum," said Biedermann, who said his survey is not asking Muslims to sign a loyalty oath. "This is all about finding out the threat of Islamic radical terrorism in the state of Texas."

Zedler said he does not see a problem with getting Muslim groups on the record about what their priorities are and whether they disavow Muslims that he suspects want to take over the government.

"Sometimes it takes time to come out from under the weight of political correctness," he said.

'Wrong and offensive'

Thursday's forum came two years after former state Rep. Molly White, a Belton Republican, made waves by instructing her staff to require Muslims visiting her office on Texas Muslim Capitol Day "to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws."

Her remarks drew national headlines and condemnation from Capitol colleagues on both side of the aisle.

House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, chided White at the time, saying that lawmakers have "a responsibility to treat all visitors just as we expect to be treated - with dignity and respect."

She lost her seat in the 2016 GOP primary.

Asked about Biedermann's poll Thursday, Straus said, "I believe it is wrong and offensive to single out any group based on their religion."

White, who was in attendance at Thursday's forum, called a television reporter a "low-life son of a b---h" after he asked if similar forums would be held to discuss threats from radical Christianity and Judaism.

Mustaffa Carroll, Executive Director of the Houston Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it is "ridiculous" that he has had to testify against anti-Muslim legislation each session.

"They're asking us to prove ourselves, which I'm totally insulted by," Carroll said.
WASHINGTON - Widening a growing rift with the United States' southern neighbor, a Trump administration official on Thursday said the new president sees a proposed 20 percent import tax in Congress as a way to pay for a wall on the Mexican border, a characterization that has alarmed some Texas lawmakers.

The idea was raised by White House spokesman Sean Spicer hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off a scheduled trip to Washington, a decision that came in response to President Donald Trump's executive order to begin fulfilling his campaign promise to build a border wall.

House Republicans minimized Spicer's remarks, saying that they have been formulating a so-called border adjustment tax since June as part of a broader tax overhaul. Several top congressional aides said it is not directed at Mexico, but rather at an array of goods coming in from abroad.

In remarks to reporters travelling to Philadelphia, where congressional Republicans are holding a retreat, Spicer linked the proposed import tax to the border wall, for which Congress has yet to determine a funding mechanism.

"If you think about what a border tax on imports from countries like Mexico that we have a huge trade deficit does, that's really going to provide the funding," Spicer said.

By Spicer's estimate, applying a 20 percent tax to imports from Mexico, with which the United States has nearly a $60 billion annual trade deficit, "we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone."

Spicer added that Trump has been in contact with Republican leaders in the House and Senate about the idea. "This is the beginning of this plan to make sure it is done right," he said. "But it clearly provides the funding and does so in a way that ensures that the American taxpayer is wholly respected."

Congressional Republicans, however, have been loath to link their proposed import tax - already controversial among the party's orthodox free traders - to Trump's push for a border wall. They emphasized that Spicer's remarks did not represent a new policy proposal but simply were an example of one way to pay for the wall.

'Very misleading'

Democrats were even more skeptical.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, said it is misleading for Spicer to portray it as a tax against only Mexico when it was part of a larger discussion over tax reform that has been floated since last year and would impact some 100 countries that import to the United States.

"It's very misleading for Trump and Spicer to say it's a way to get Mexico to pay for the wall," Cuellar said. "They know Mexico is not going to pay for it, and it's a way to save face."

Critics of the border adjustment plan say it could reignite trade wars across the globe and raise the costs of imports for American consumers, regardless of whether the tax revenues are dedicated to building Trump's wall.

Cuellar said under the proposal that was floated last year any country importing to the U.S. would have to raise prices on its goods to cover the cost. "Somebody's going to pay for it," he said. "At the end, it's going to be the consumer."

U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas who represents more miles along Mexico than anyone else in Congress, said a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border.

"As a conservative, I don't believe it is something that anyone should pay for," he said in a statement. "This tariff would be devastating to the communities in my district that rely on border trade, harmful to the thousands of U.S. companies that work hand-in-hand with Mexican companies to produce goods and services, and expensive to the millions of middle class families who will feel the pinch as prices go up."

Many business and political leaders in trade-dependent Texas already have expressed reservations about the proposed import tax proposal itself, even without linking it to the wall.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who has championed increased trade with Texas' southern neighbor since he became governor a year ago, had no immediate comment on Spicer's suggestion.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an outspoken supporter of the wall who served as Trump's campaign chairman in Texas, told Fox News that he was "not too concerned" about any adverse impact of such a tax. He suggested the proposal could be "the first warning shot across the bow" fired by Trump, and that the tax could end up being something less.

Damaging to consumer

One of the leading questions concerns the state's energy sector. The United States imported close to 800,000 barrels of crude a day from Mexico in 2015, trailing only Canada, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. A straight tax on Mexican goods could radically upend that trade, leading refineries along the Gulf Coast to look further abroad for the so-called heavy, higher density crude their equipment is designed to handle.

Were the United States to go ahead with an across-the-board border tax - such as the one Texas Republican Kevin Brady is pushing in the House - the impact is difficult to ascertain, said Afolabi Ogunnaike, a senior analyst with the Houston research firm Wood Mackenzie. Those refineries that predominantly import oil and then sell gasoline within the United States likely would see a sharp increase in taxes, while refineries selling overseas would see a minimal impact under Brady's export-focused reforms.

"Trump said he didn't like it because it's too complicated, and I see where he's headed," Ogunnaike said. "It's not a simple, straightforward impact."

Brady, in an appearance on Fox News Thursday, called the tax reform proposal a way of "leveling the playing field between imports and exports, just like our competitors do, and ending the 'Made in America' tax on our exports, just like our competitors do."

Brady said the GOP plan would allow the "lowest business rates in modern history," down to as low at 15 percent to 20 percent from the current rates of 35 percent to 40 percent. "But you've got to redesign the tax system, as well," he said.

By casting the tax proposal as a way to pay for a border wall, however, the new administration seemed to intensify what many observers see as a quickly deteriorating relationship.

Pena Nieto had been scheduled to meet with Trump next Tuesday to discuss immigration, trade and cross-border drug smuggling. He called off the visit after Trump tweeted that it would be "better to cancel the upcoming meeting" if Mexico refused to pay for the wall.

A slew of analysts quickly slammed the proposed policy Thursday, saying it would be damaging to all American consumers.

"If you tax an import, that's the consumer paying for it," said Jorge Guajardo, Mexico's former ambassador to China and a senior director at McLarty Associates, an international advisory firm in Washington, D.C. "The American consumer doesn't realize how much of their daily consumption comes from Mexico and how a 20-percent tax would affect their daily consumption."

'Trust is gone'

Tony Payan, director of the Mexico Center at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, said such a tax would make any products coming in from Mexico much more expensive and would have far-reaching impact, not only on American consumers but on companies here and in Texas that may have to rethink their business models.

"Texas is the most affected state in the union," Payan said, noting that it is the origin or destination for 65 percent of the binational relationship. "While Mexico depends on the U.S., Texas depends heavily on Mexico. Commerce, industry, business and investment will be severely impacted especially if Mexico takes retaliatory measures."

More than 5 million U.S. jobs rely on trade with Mexico, including some half a million jobs in Texas. More than $400 billion in goods and services crisscross the border, about $179 billion between Texas and Mexico. Nearly half of all of Texas exports go to Mexico, which in turn buys more U.S. exports than Japan and China combined. The opening of Mexico's energy sector also stands to benefit Houston energy companies in particular.

"This introduces a lot of turbulence in the market and adds cost to consumers and a lot of uncertainty to businesses," Payan said. "Engaging in a trade war only hurts everybody and leaves a devastated field behind it. Texas needs to take a stand and its business class and political class is being pushed into a corner to take a stand."

Carlos Petersen, a Latin American analyst at the Eurasia Group, an international consulting firm, said he had expected Trump to impose some trade restrictions on Mexico, even as his Cabinet appointments point more to concern with China, because he had made it such a central part of his campaign.

He noted that Spicer's comments suggested the tax was just an "example of options" for how to pay for the wall.

"It's all part of the noise and uncertainty of the moment," Petersen wrote in an email. "It will be a messy and lengthy process."

However, Guajardo said the damage to the Mexico-U.S. relationship, which hit a historic low point Thursday after Pena Nieto canceled his visit with Trump, already had been done. "It sets them back a lot," he said. "This is like when a couple catches the other cheating, it diminishes all the trust. Maybe you can cohabitate and maybe you can go on, but the trust is gone."

James Osborne contributed to this story.
Take it from a Texan familiar with the vast region known as "La Frontera" to tell the truth about President Donald Trump's plan to build a Berlin Wall of sorts along the entire length of this nation's 2,000-mile southern border.

"Building a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border," U.S. Rep. Will Hurd said in a statement earlier this week. Hurd, by the way, is a conservative Republican from San Antonio whose 23rd District stretches from San Antonio to El Paso and includes 800 miles of border, more than any other congressional district.

The two-term lawmaker also noted that it's "impossible" to build a physical wall through the rough terrain of far West Texas. Texans who have hiked along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park or Big Bend State Park, who have crossed the river at Boquillas or floated downstream from Lajitas to magnificent Santa Elena Canyon know exactly what the congressman's talking about. To force a wall through the region would be akin to sacrilege.

Hurd's not the only Texas lawmaker refusing to fall in line behind a president whose ignorance of border reality is of Santa Elena proportions. When the Texas Tribune surveyed all 38 Texans in Congress a few weeks ago, not one "offered full-throated support of a complete border wall." New Mexicans, Arizonans and Californians also are raising their voices.

If we were dealing with a normal presidency - Republican or Democrat - facts would matter. A president eager to build a border wall would have to deal with the fact that illegal immigration in this country has been headed downward for the last several years, even as the money we spend on border security has skyrocketed, from $263 million in 1990 to $3.8 billion in 2015. Trump can bray all he wants to about Mexico footing the bill for a wall, but ask Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto when he'll be making out the check the new president keeps assuring us will soon be in the mail. Pena Nieto just cancelled a scheduled meeting with Trump and seems finally to be awakening to the fact - thanks in large part to nationwide protests - that the man in the White House can mean nothing good for Mexico.

Make no mistake: It's American taxpayers who'll be paying for a wall, at the expense of much more urgent needs.

A president true to his or her conservative bona fides would have to address the fact that the kind of fortified border wall Trump is talking about would cost upward of $25 billion. With the U.S. deficit and debt projected to spike in the coming year, you'd think a new administration would have reservations about an outrageous boondoggle.

A border wall would push through Indian reservations, national parks and forests, as well as private property requiring ambitious use of eminent domain for the government to acquire. (Ask southwestern ranchers how they feel about eminent domain.) And while President Trump may not care, a border wall also would do incomparable environmental damage to native species, to wildnerness areas, to some of the nation's last wild places. These are lands that desperately need our care and protection, not an ugly, intrusive wall.

No one's proposing a border open to drugs and drug warriors, terrorists or even undocumented immigrants, but a wall is not the answer. The wall would be a monument in perpetuity to nativist spite and paranoia, nothing more.

It may be hard to discern in these first few days of the Trump administration, but we're a bigger, better nation than that. Trump's Folly, if it ever gets built, would be an affront to the values of this state and this nation. Hurd and his congressional colleagues must not give in.
The flurry of bold executive orders and of highly provocative Cabinet nominations (such as a secretary of education who actually believes in school choice) has been encouraging to conservative skeptics of Donald Trump. But it shouldn't erase the troubling memory of one major element of Trump's inaugural address.

The foreign policy section has received far less attention than so revolutionary a declaration deserved. It radically redefined the American national interest as understood since World War II.

Trump outlined a world in which foreign relations are collapsed into a zero-sum game. They gain, we lose. As in: "For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries" while depleting our own. And most provocatively this: "The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world."

JFK's inaugural pledged to support any friend and oppose any foe to assure the success of liberty. Note that Trump makes no distinction between friend and foe (and no reference to liberty). They're all out to use, exploit and surpass us.

No more, declared Trump: "From this day forward, it's going to be only America First."

Imagine how this resonates abroad. "America First" was the name of the organization led by Charles Lindbergh that fought FDR before U.S. entry into World War II - right through the Battle of Britain - to keep America neutral between Churchill's Britain and Hitler's Reich.

Not that Trump was consciously imitating Lindbergh. I doubt he was even aware of the reference. He just liked the phrase. But I can assure you that in London and in every world capital they are aware of the antecedent and the intimations of a new American isolationism. Trump gave them good reason to think so, going on to note "the right of all nations to put their own interests first." America included.

Some claim that putting America first is a reassertion of American exceptionalism. On the contrary, it is the antithesis. It makes America no different from all the other countries that define themselves by a particularist blood-and-soil nationalism. What made America exceptional, unique in the world, was defining its own national interest beyond its narrow economic and security needs to encompass the safety and prosperity of a vast array of allies. A free world marked by open trade and mutual defense was President Truman's vision, shared by every president since.

Until now.

Some have argued that Trump is just dangling a bargaining chip to negotiate better terms of trade or alliance. Or that Trump's views are so changeable and unstable - telling European newspapers two weeks ago that NATO is obsolete and then saying "NATO is very important to me" - that this is just another unmoored entry on a ledger of confusion.

But both claims are demonstrably wrong. An inaugural address is no off-the-cuff riff. These words are the product of at least three weeks of deliberate crafting for an address that Trump said would express his philosophy. Moreover, to remove any ambiguity, Trump prefaced his "America first" proclamation with: "From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land."

Trump's vision misunderstands the logic underlying the far larger, far-reaching view of Truman. The Marshall Plan sure took wealth away from the American middle class and distributed it abroad. But for a reason. Altruism, in part. But mostly to stabilize Western Europe as a bulwark against an existential global enemy.

We carried many free riders throughout the Cold War. The burden was heavy. But this was not a mindless act of charity; it was an exercise in enlightened self-interest. After all, it was indeed better to subsidize foreign armies - German, South Korean, Turkish and dozens of others - and have them stand with us, rather than stationing even more American troops everywhere around the world at greater risk of both blood and treasure.

We are embarking upon insularity and smallness. Nor is this just theory. Trump's long-promised but nonetheless abrupt withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the momentous first fruit of his foreign policy doctrine. Last year the prime minister of Singapore told John McCain that if we pulled out of TPP "you'll be finished in Asia." He knows the region.

For 70 years, we sustained an international system of open commerce and democratic alliances that has enabled America and the West to grow and thrive. Global leadership is what made America great. We abandon it at our peril.

Krauthammer's email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com.
Metro, you have a problem

Regarding "Audit: Vagrancy hurts metro ridership" (Page A6, Thursday), I have ridden the Metro rail line a dozen times or more and almost every time I have been pestered, panhandled or subjected to racist rants to the point that I no longer use it. The rare times I have seen security personnel, they were standing on the platform talking to one another, never on the trains.

I have ridden rail lines in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Dallas, and I have never had these events occur there. Hopefully, this audit will spur Metro administration to do something about this serious issue, especially since visitors from other cities for the Super Bowl will certainly be put off by what they encounter.

It is time to seek advice from other cities that have been much more successful in managing this. Until then, count me out.

J.B. Brown, West University

Energized to celebrate

Regarding "Stalled pipelines resurrected" (Page A1, Wednesday), on Wednesday, I celebrated my 35th anniversary of working in the pipeline industry. Donald Trump has done more for this industry in the first week of his presidency than any previous president in those 35 years by allowing Keystone XL and Dakota Access to build new important energy infrastructure and putting a stop to onerous pending new Department of Transportation pipeline regulations.

He has recognized that the safest, most efficient and environmentally friendly energy transportation system ever devised should not be held hostage by politics and bureaucracy. Thank you, Mr. President.

Steve D. Koetting, Houston

Ranking Texas schools

Regarding "Houston area school districts among Texas' best in 2017 Niche ranking" (Chron.com, Thursday), who cares if your school district is the best in Texas when Texas public schools as a whole rank in the upper 40s in quality of education? What Texans need to focus on is getting rid of the legislators responsible for where our schools rank on a national level and replacing them with people who are focused on raising the level of all of our schools - and that's not a dig at a political party.

I don't care what party they come from, as long as their goal is to fix the problem with Texas public schools. There is no excuse for a state as rich as Texas to have schools so poorly funded and ranked.

John Cassis, posted via Facebook

A toll from parking lots

Regarding "Parking rules" (Page A18, Jan. 18), as one of the most over-parked big U.S. cities - an estimated 20 percent of our land area is blighted by surface parking lots! - and aside from the visual blight, this excess induces more motorists crowding our already congested roads and leaves us with a weakened tax base.

Reform should include a "park-once-and walk" approach, parking maximums, not minimums; restrictions on the removal of on-street parking, and incentives for shared parking. This would prevent so much land lost to surface lots and encourage walking, biking, ride-sharing and use of public transit.

Innovative change like this is slow to happen in Houston, but fixing our ineffective codes should be a high priority. Big cities, in order to survive and thrive, must continually innovate or stagnate. There is not much in between.

Peter Brown, Houston
A scheduled session of ongoing seminar entitled Renewable Energy Sources: Challenges and Prospects was held at Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS).

Representatives from state agencies, various institutions of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, non-governmental organizations, and companies operating in Azerbaijan attended the seminar. BHOS lecturers and students also participated in the session.

At the meeting, deputy head of the Center of Renewable Energy Resources Monitoring of the Azalternativenerji LLC Rasim Mamedov presented a paper Monitoring of Renewable Energy Resources. As he reported, 21 meteorological stations have been set up across the country for monitoring of renewable energy resources. Their assessment then is made on the basis of measurement of various parameters including radiation, humidity, wind speed, and atmospheric temperature at different altitudes during a year.

In conclusion, Rasim Mamedov answered the seminar participants questions. Next session of the seminar is scheduled for February 2017.
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Details added (first version posted on 13:04)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijans experience in the sphere of social security of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is important for Ukraine, Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy Andrey Reva, who is on a visit in Baku, told reporters Jan. 27.

Reva said that the amount of IDPs in Azerbaijan and Ukraine is approximately equal.

Considering the huge amount of IDPs, who left their houses and were forced to live in other districts of the country, it was very difficult for Azerbaijan, noted the Ukrainian minister.

If our internally displaced persons have the right to move freely throughout the territory of Ukraine, including those areas where state authorities dont operate temporarily, the citizens of Azerbaijan didnt have such an opportunity, he said. If they left their places of residence, then, unfortunately, they couldnt come back.

From the beginning, this issue has been very acute in Azerbaijan and the government effectively dealt with it, added Reva.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Its 2017! Along with the standard wave of individual New Years resolutions, employers like you are re-examining their workplaces for well-being potential. What new ways will you invest in the well-being of your employees and, by extension, your business? Not only are there a plethora of new wellness trends, the makeup of the workforce is changing (the last of the millennials and the first of Generation Z are breaking into the professional sphere this year). With those changes in mind, here are five methods for promoting well-being in the 2017 workplace. Encourage your Employees to Sleep Employers are getting wise to the impact of sleep loss on their business, says futureofbusinessandtech.com. According to the website, while adults need 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night, CDC data indicates that a third of American adults get less than six hours of sleep. Coming to work with poor quality sleep can contribute to short-term implications such as impacting decision-making at work, memory, and retention, Interactive Health VP Jane Ruppert states in a Workforce article. This could also impact important workplace processes such as employee onboarding. With the advent of personal mobile devices, step-counting apps have been used as a health tool in some workplace settings. Employers have offered employees cash or other prizes to walk a certain number of steps. This same principle could be applied to sleep: offer employees in...
Hiring managers are often tasked with making sure employees have the skills they need to succeed at work. Naturally, they try to bring individuals on board who already have the experience necessary to be successful. But with jobs and roles constantly changing and employees being asked to do more outside their role, hiring managers are struggling to make sure their employees are equipped to do their jobs. This issue is illuminated by a recent survey we conducted of 175 HR executives. According to the survey, 71 percent of HR executives dont think their employees have the skills they need to do their jobs. Thats a pretty glaring stat, but on top of that, the study showed that more than half of the companies surveyed spend less than $500 a year per employee on training. Since respondents also said it would take double that, $1000 per year, just to train new employees, that annual budget seems insufficient. Todays changing workplace makes it absolutely necessary for companies to invest in training to ensure business success and employee retention. Investing in employees through training is fundamental to employee happiness at work and replacing an unhappy employee who leaves an organization can cost up to 50-60 percent of the employees salary. Companies have to invest in corporate training early to show employees they are valued and to ultimately be more successful. Exceptional corporate training programs not only can help less-quali...
Whats the number one thing you can do to make sure your company succeeds? Some say sales or market fit or even a great product, but all of these are simply a market shift away from making your company irrelevant. In todays knowledge and creative-based economy the absolute single most important thing you need to make sure your company will be successful, is talent! Agree with me for a moment that talent is the most important thing you need to make sure your company will be successful. The next question is, what are the ways you can attract talent to your company? Personally, I would love to just answer with culture or corporate culture. Unfortunately, culture is not what makes the world go around. Money is. So, there are actually two answers to this question. Talent is drawn to your company by money and culture. There has been a lot said about advantages of corporate culture up to this point, and I am happy to say that many organizations are starting to understand that corporate culture is a powerful differentiator for attracting talent. A great culture cannot only attract talent to your company, it can stimulate considerably higher levels and longer bouts of performance from that same talent. I am going to spend the rest of this article talking about the other side ...
Company culture is not ping pong tables and a company beer refrigerator. While these perks can certainly be present in a strong culture, they do not alone represent company culture. Simply put, company culture is the set of behaviors that determine how things get done at company. When thinking about what it means to have a strong company culture, famous examples come to mind, such as Zappos and Google. But how do you understand these examples in terms that you can apply to your company? That is why CultureIQ organizes culture into qualities that are common to high-performance companies. According to Cornell ILR School, a high-performance organization is a company that achieves better financial and non-financial results than those of their peers over a long period of time. Non-financial results include recruiting and retaining top talent. In other words, a high-performance company is a successful company. So, back to the original question: What does a strong company culture look like? To help companies like you tackle this topic, CultureIQ recognizes 10 measurable qualities of high-performance cultures (in no particular order): 1. Collaboration: People cooperate, share, and work well together. 2. Innovation: The company encourages new ideas and individuals are able to move ideas through the organization. 3. Agility: The company responds and adapts to opportunities. 4. Communication: People send, receive, and understand the necessary inform...
When it comes to recruiting new talent, are employers putting the wrong things in the window? In a competitive marketplace, many companies spend thousands, even millions, developing their brands. But todays brand buzzwords  authentic, transparent, engaging  apply just as well to a companys employer brand as they do to their customer brand. The question is, are companies paying as much attention to how prospective employees view them as they should be? According to a new survey released by Randstad Canada as part of our annual Randstad Award, employers are putting the wrong things in the recruitment window and its impacting the way job seekers view them. Employees and job seekers were surveyed about Canadas 150 largest companies and asked to identify the characteristics of those that excel in promoting an attractive employer brand. What we learned is that Canadians on the job hunt are less impressed with your bottom line than you are. While job seeker...
Women from Africa face racism, violent attacks and bitter cold winter temperatures to work as prostitutes on the streets of Helsinki. So what motivates them to come to Finland, and how do they conduct business without falling foul of the law? One sex worker tells her story.

As you settle down for a Saturday evening in front of the television with your family, Pamela prepares herself for another night selling sex to strangers.

A slick of plum-coloured lipstick, and powder blue eye shadow on her dark brown skin, black hair falling around her shoulders. Pamela knows she has to look respectable if she wants to earn money.

As you enjoy a night on the town with friends, going from restaurant to bar, Pamela settled herself into a doorway opposite the name-brand store, around the corner from the luxury hotel. This is the stretch of street she'll work this evening. If she's very lucky someone will pay her for the whole night. But realistically, she concedes, I might stay here until daybreak.

Pamela is one of the hidden foreigners of Helsinki. Out of sight and out of mind. You probably don't notice her at first, but she sees you.

She sees the men who pause a fraction too long on her street, or pass in one direction, then walk back again a few minutes later. Its a sign they might be interested in doing business. She calls out to them softly moi. And if they approach, how are you? Would you like to go somewhere? The price is negotiable.

Much of Helsinkis sex work is done behind closed doors. The Thai women have their massage parlours. The Finns, Russians and other East Europeans are online. But the few African girls in the Finnish capital stick to an old fashioned business model, walking the streets, and propositioning men: sex for cash.

Prostitution is not illegal explains Detective Superintendent Petri Rainiala, whose Helsinki Police unit monitors trafficking and aggravated pimping.

You can sell your sex services privately in Finland, but the main principal is if there is a third person somewhere behind, for instance a pimp, it is illegal.

Modern pimps are far removed from the 1970s Blacksploitation cliche of a man in flared trousers, jewels and fur, running a stable of scantily-clad working girls.

Under Finnish law, you can be considered a pimp if you knowingly take part at any stage of prostitution, and profit from it. You could be buying phone credits for a friend or letting them use your bank account; renting an apartment for one or more girls to live in; placing an advert in the newspaper, or taking any cut of her earnings. And in the world of sex work, it seems that everyone wants to get paid. It's a hierarchy, a pyramid scheme, an easy payday.

If there is one girl in Madrid, and she knows some other girl and the other girl says hey I have one friend in Helsinki, I can call to my friend and see if she can arrange something says Rainiala.

If they have some contacts, they are helping each other to make money. If someone helps you, you have to pay, the help is not free. And if someone helps you it is expected that you have to pay something to her. Everyone in the chain of command has to earn something. It's a network and it depends on the contacts of the girl but very often there is someone behind it he says.

Pamela says she knew someone in Helsinki before moving here. An uncle  although she is quick to stress he didn't bring her here to be a sex worker. In the West African culture where Pamela grew up, an uncle could be a relative, a family friend or just an older acquaintance.

This is Pamela's second winter in Helsinki. Its too cold here she says, but she needs the money to send back to Ghana. Her family there think she cleans offices, or looks after an old lady; and Pamela is conflicted by the lies she's told, so she prays. God forgive me I pray every day, because what I am saying to them is not true.

Before Helsinki, there were good years. Pamela says she lived for a long time in Milan, working in a factory producing mannequins. But she lost her job when work was outsourced to China. With no husband to support her and her two children, and no job prospects in Italy, Pamela decided to move to Finland.

Her story is confirmed in part by an employee at the Italian factory's head office, who said the company reduced employees in the production around 2011 after expanding operations in Shanghai. She was unable to verify if Pamela  certainly not her real name  had worked there, or whether she had been made unemployed at that time.

And so when she found no legal job on arrival in Finland  if I got a job tomorrow I would stop Pamela ended up as a sex worker.

Walking the streets might sound like the lowest rung on the prostitution ladder, but it can have some advantages in terms of safety. Like being able to look at a client in the eye, assess how much hes had to drink, or gauge whether he looks dangerous. But all the time, decisions are driven by the need to make money. And inevitably risks are taken.

Even if they estimate that there is potentially some risks of violence, they take the risks because they need the money says Jaana Kauppinen, Executive Director of Pro-Tukipiste, a Helsinki-based non-governmental organisation that works with prostitutes.

The potential risks to the African working girls come not only from customers, but from law enforcement. Detective Superintendent Rainiala says that while the girl don't like the uniformed officers, they do trust them.

If they have violent customers, very often they call the police officers.

But as Jaana Kauppinen explains, being involved with the police is not always an option for sex workers, especially those girls from Africa.

If there are black women walking in that kind of zone in the very city centre, the police will probably stop them and ask for travel documents, and ask what are you doing here, or they tell them I know what you are doing here, or if I see you still after 15 minutes I take you to the station.

The girls can fall foul of the law in two ways: they can be stopped on suspicion of selling sexual services, or asked for their travel documents under the Alien Act, and ultimately deported if they can't prove theyre here legally.

On nights when business is slow, Pamela faces other problems  casual racism and hurled insults.

Between clients, sometimes the girls look for a place to take a break. Especially in the middle of winter, they want to warm up. Burger King, Pamela says, is off limits.

Maybe it's because we are prostitutes she muses. We always go to McDonalds.

Many people when they pass, say vittu, negra, go back to your country she recounts, indignantly.

Many, when they just pass in a group, they talk bad, turn back and look at you, you know they talk bad. But I say you don't know my problems, you don't know what I'm passing [going] through.

Finnish people know what we are doing and when they drink too much they are violent [...] and so we hide.

Two summers ago, Pamela found herself on the receiving end of that violence, when a customer beat and strangled her. She says she endured a sustained assault lasting 40 minutes.

I met with a Finnish guy and he wanted to kill me she says bluntly.

After he gave me some money he wanted to sleep, but he got up from the bed. I was naked and he was naked.

That's when the attack began, and he started to strangle her.

He continued pressing on my neck, my tongue was hanging out my mouth.

It was only when she grabbed his genitals that he stopped. But the pair continued hitting and kicking each other. Pamela says she struck out at walls and furniture trying to attract attention to her plight, but nobody came.

Eventually she got to the door of the apartment, and found a neighbour outside in the hallway already calling police. Officers took the man away, and advised Pamela to also report to the station, but she never did. Detective Superintendent Rainiala says it's impossible to verify the details, and he couldn't easily find a report of such an incident in police files.

I think their position is very vulnerable and they feel like there is a huge risk to report the violence against them says Jaana Kauppinen from Pro-Tukipiste.

They think that the consequences will be much [more] harsh for them compared to the guy, and also they are very vulnerable to different types of exploitation because they cannot demand their rights, because they do not have any rights.

Some of that exploitation is in the transaction itself between sex worker and customer, pressure to do something they dont want to. Pamela says she won't have sex with a man unless hes wearing a condom.

Even if they pay 1000 we don't do without condom she says. I prefer to have 100 and Im safe.

Pro-Tukipiste, funded in part by the gambling monopoly RAY through the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, offers anonymous counseling and testing services for sex workers.

African girls are very interested in their health says Jaana Kauppinen.

They want to have tests, but for many women their basic knowledge about the human body and how to take medicines, it might be very poor.

For Kauppinen's staff, theres an ethical component as well to testing sex workers for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

If you are not entitled to any treatment, what do you do? If you are not living permanently in Finland, if you are not entitled to Finnish health care services?

Pro-Tukipistes medical staff will give prescriptions for medicines, but not everyone has money to pay the pharmacy costs. Another issue is the extreme loneliness of going through medical care in a foreign country when you are a marginalized member of society.

Kauppinens colleague recounts a story of a sex worker from Africa who gave birth in a Finnish hospital that same morning. The new mother had commented that nobody was there for her during child birth. She felt deeply alone. In her own community she would have been surrounded by female relatives, supporting and joyful.

Its memories of home, where her children are going to school, that give Pamela some comfort on the coldest of Helsinki winter nights, as the clock rolls round to 2am and the all-important 'real feel' temperature shows minus 14 degrees.

Here we always think about home says Pamela. She closes her eyes, thinking of Africa and smiles widely, asked to recall a vivid memory.

When the rain was falling, the scent, I was sitting on my balcony and feeling happy. I said, this is African rain.

In Finnish: Pamela paivystaa illasta toiseen kaduilla myymassa seksia  tallaista on afrikkalaisten katuprostituoitujen arki Helsingissa
Travel Leaders Group's survey also reveals booking trends for high-end hotels, cruise suites, and luxury escorted tours, as well as the most appealing aspects of luxury travel in Australia, Italy, and more.

Today, Travel Leaders Group released its top luxurytravel trends for 2017 in which European river cruises rank as the top international luxury destination outside North America that is being booked among its most affluent travelers. Italy, Mediterranean cruises, Australia and France are also among the top five luxury destinations, while Cuba is now among the top 15 overall. The Luxury Travel Trends also reveal that more than eight out of 10 luxury-focused travel agents say their bookings are higher than or equal to last year for high-end hotels, luxury cruises and escorted tours, suites on cruise ships, and Premium Air (First and Business Class). Conducted November 17-December 9, 2016, these trends are based on responses from 1,240 Travel Leaders Group luxury travel experts.

As we take a closer look at what the majority of our affluent travelers are planning for this year, its hardly a surprise that European vacation options  be they land, river or deep water cruises  are as popular as ever. In fact, it is quite gratifying to see these destinations regain momentum after a challenging year, stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. Further buoyed by a stronger dollar, our clients are seeking out destinations like Italy, France and European river cruises with the added expertise our luxury agents provide in designing unique travel experiences. That is certainly one reason why our bookings for various segments of the luxury travel industry are higher than or on par with last year for more than 80% of our survey participants.

Here are the top luxury travel destinations and latest luxury travel findings from Travel Leaders Groups recent survey:

Top Luxury Travel Destinations (Outside) North America

1 Cruise  Europe (River) 2 Italy 3 Cruise  Europe (Mediterranean) 4 Australia 5 France 6 England 7 Cruise  Europe (Baltic) 8 Ireland 9 Bora Bora 10 Cruise  Australia/New Zealand 11 United Arab Emirates 12 Spain 13 (tie) Iceland 13 (tie) South Africa 15 (tie) Cuba 15 (tie) Turks & Caicos

Top Luxury Travel Destinations within North America

1 Cruise  Caribbean 2 Mexico 3 Dominican Republic 4 Jamaica 5 Costa Rica

Booking Insights for Top Dream Destinations

We know that Australia, Italy, Ireland, and New Zealand are among Americans top dream destinations, according to our proprietary surveys of the traveling public over the years, stated Gail Grimmett, President of Protravel International and Tzell Travel Group, both renowned for their best-in-class luxury travel agent advisors. High-end travelers dont just dream, they go  with the assistance of our experienced travel agents. For Italy, agents from both Protravel and Tzell report their luxury travelers continue to return to Rome, Florence and Venice, but they are also seeking out itineraries that include the Amalfi Coast, the Lake District, and Portofino or Cinque Terre in the Italian Riviera.

Italy: When asked, Which of the following Italian itineraries are you booking the most for your affluent clientele in 2017? it is clear that the major Italian cities continue to mesmerize. The top responses were:

1 Rome, Florence (Tuscany) and Venice 2 Amalfi Coast  Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello 3 Rome and Vatican City 4 Tuscany  Florence, Chianti, Siena 5 Venice

The Italian Riviera, Italys Lake District, Milan, the Dolomites and Sicily round out the Top 10 among most-booked Italian itineraries.

When asked What appeals most to your luxury clients who book trips to Italy? the top responses include: (1) Cultural & History, (2) Sightseeing, (3) Culinary & Dining, (4) Wine Region and (5) Cities/Towns.

Australia: When asked to identify the most popular Australian cities and regions being booked by their affluent travelers, Travel Leaders Groups luxury travel agents identified: (1) Sydney, (2) the Great Barrier Reef, (3) Melbourne, (4) Cairns and (5) Brisbane. Those were followed by the Australian Outback, the Gold Coast, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Queensland and the Blue Mountains to round out the Top 10.

The top reasons why Travel Leaders Groups luxury clientele seek out Australian vacations include: (1) Sightseeing, (2) Cities/Towns, (3) Cultural & History, (4) Beaches and (5) Wildlife.

New Zealand: Luxury agents also stated that their clients booking New Zealand most often visit: (1) Auckland, (2) Queenstown, (3) Milford Sound, (4) South Island, and (5) Rotorua. The rest of the Top 10 is rounded out by: the North Island, Bay of Islands, Marlborough wine region, Hawkes Bay wine region and Napier.

When asked What appeals most to your luxury clients who book trips to New Zealand? the top responses include: (1) Sightseeing/Scenery, (2) Cultural & History, (3) Cities/Towns, (4) Culinary & Dining, and (5) Hiking/Climbing. (Movie-inspired locations just missed the top five.)

Ireland: Ireland is also considered a dream destination for many Americans. Travel Leaders Groups affluent clients most often visit: (1) Dublin, (2) Killarney, (3) Ring of Kerry, (4) Cliffs of Moher and (5) Cork.

Not surprisingly, luxury clients interests include: (1) Castles, (2) Cultural & History, (3) Sightseeing/Scenery, (4) Cities/Towns and (5) the Irish people. (Family History/Genealogy was a close 6th.)

Luxury Travel Bookings in 2017:

When Travel Leaders Group luxury travel agents were asked to compare their overall 2017 luxury travel bookings so far to their luxury travel bookings at this time last year, over 81% of those surveyed say bookings are higher than or on par with 2016.

Increase versus 2016 Same as 2016 Cruise Suite Bookings 29.3% 55.5% (84.8%) Premium Air (First/Business) Bookings 28.0% 56.3% (84.3%) Luxury Hotel Bookings 27.3% 56.8% (84.1%) Luxury Cruise Bookings 32.7% 50.1% (82.8%) Luxury Tour Bookings 27.6% 54.8% (82.4%) Luxury River Cruise Bookings 35.6% 45.6% (81.2%)

These luxury travel trends are part of a comprehensive travel trends survey of 1,689 U.S.-based travel agents from Travel Leaders Groups flagship Travel Leaders brand and All Aboard Travel, Cruise Specialists, Nexion, Protravel International, Travel Leaders Corporate, Travel Leaders Network, and Tzell Travel Group. Results from Travel Leaders Groups 2017 Travel Trends Survey are here.

Travel Leaders Group is one of North Americas largest travel companies  encompassing nearly one-third of all travel agents  and generates gross travel sales of approximately $21 billion. Travel Leaders Group is a leader in both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel, and it consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

Trend:

The awards ceremony "AWITA 2017 - AZERBAIJAN WOMEN in IT AWARD" which was carried out on January 26 in the International Center of Mugam devoted to the successful innovations received by women in the sphere of Information technologies of Azerbaijan became the largest event relating to the fight against gender inequality in the sphere of technologies in Azerbaijan.

Women distinguished professional achievements and significant results in this sector (The innovator of year, the Programmer of year, the Student of year in IT sphere, the Contribution to IT sphere in distant regions, etc.) were awarded on 15 nominations.

Azer Turk Bank became one of active sponsors of the Awards ceremony of "AWITA 2017", organized by "Femmes Digitales , which brought together 100 of the most influential leaders in the IT sector of Azerbaijan, which was realized in life with the support of the Azerbaijani women in IT Club.

"Azer Turk Bank, having received the place among sponsors of this event, is proud of supporting such an important event, participation in its implementation, its small contribution to the achievements of gender equality policy in this field," Head of Strategic Planning and Marketing Department of Azer Turk Bank Leyla Mammadova added.
Arlene Dickinson says Kevin O'Leary's latest "misogynistic" jab at her proves exactly why Conservatives are better off without him as leader.

On Global TV's morning show on Thursday, the businessman responded to Dickinson's harsh evaluation of his Conservative leadership bid by dismissing her as an "emotional" woman.

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Kevin OLeary fires back at his former Dragons Den co-host Arlene Dickinson. pic.twitter.com/CI4a7COALN  The Morning Show (@MorningShowCA) January 26, 2017

"Arlene is a very passionate woman, very emotional. She was never able to separate her emotions from her investment decisions, which is why she did so poorly on that show," he said of the businesswoman and former "Dragon's Den" judge.

Dickinson, who has been named one of Canada's most powerful women, said her former co-host's remarks should raise alarm bells for Conservatives.

There is absolutely nothing about his statement that surprises me," she told The Huffington Post Canada in an email Thursday.

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"Its the same dismissive, misogynistic rhetoric I heard on Dragons Den for seven years. Here's the blaring alert for Conservatives across the country.

Dickinson also wrote a fiery opinion piece for Maclean's magazine in response to his comments.

The businesswoman, who previously called O'Leary "opportunistic," said the Tory hopeful changes positions based on whatever is convenient.

"When hes in the United States filming Shark Tank, he calls Boston home. Now that hes in Canada running for office, he calls Toronto home," she wrote. "Its no wonder he doesnt know the difference between Capitol Hill and Parliament Hill."

She also denied O'Leary's claim that she plans to run for the Liberal party.

"Ive publicly declared several times that Im not running for any political party."

"Its the same dismissive, misogynistic rhetoric I heard on Dragons Den for seven years."

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne also denounced O'Leary's leadership bid in an open letter earlier this week, saying he would only serve "society's most well-off."

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O'Leary responded shortly after by writing his own open letter to Wynne.

"Your policies have all but bankrupted a province that was once an economic powerhouse," he wrote Monday.

Despite the criticism, O'Leary's leadership bid is gaining momentum.

On Tuesday, a Forum Research poll found O'Leary leads the Tory leadership race with 27 per cent support of the 1,332 Canadians surveyed. Quebec MP Maxime Bernier was in second place with 11 per cent support.

There are 14 candidates vying to be Conservative leader.

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A Texas teachers aide has been fired after he allegedly faked having cancer to cover for an appointment in court.

Kevin MaBone surrendered to U.S. marshals on Wednesday, according to WFAA.

The 56-year-old was canned from Wilkinson Middle School after district officials say he lied about being ill so he could drive to a sentencing hearing in West Virginia.

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He could also face theft charges for accepting more than US$10,000 in donations and a car from the school community, according to CBS 11 Dallas.

Students and staff raised more than US$11,000 on GoFundMe after MaBone told the principal in December he had prostate cancer, according to WFAA. A local paint and body shop even donated a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis that he received on Friday.

A magic moment in Mesquite ISD ... Cancer-stricken staffer Kevin MaBone receives his donated 2005 Grand Marquis. pic.twitter.com/CBrUcIlFQP  RayDMN (@RayLeszcynski) January 20, 2017

He had said that he planned to take a few days off for surgery this week, but then he called Principal Leslie Feinglas on Monday and said the cancer was gone, she told WFAA.

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"That was a major red flag," she said.

She told the Dallas Morning News that he still asked for the time off, saying he needed a growth removed. But a Google search turned up his conviction.

He pleaded guilty back in October 2016 to misappropriating nearly US$6,700 in government funds when he worked at Job Corps Centers in Charleston, W.Va and Miami, Fla.

He was free on bond until his scheduled sentencing on Tuesday, but that date has been moved to Feb. 13, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"He had us all duped," district communications director Laura Jobe told the newspaper.

MaBone had started working at the school last August, but his record was clean.

The GoFundMe money will be returned to donors, according to the Morning News.

But students who chipped in feel betrayed.

"He had us all duped."

It just broke my heart. I didnt know he was going to do us like that, Korienna Hilary told CBS 11 Dallas.

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Assistant Principal Jessica Eaton said that MaBone worked 15 to 16 hour days without being asked, and everyone loved him.

I dont think you can fake loving kids. And he loved our kids, fellow Assistant Principal Molly Purl said.

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It looks like President Donald Trump's promised border wall between the U.S. and Mexico might actually be happening.

On Wednesday, the Republican leader signed an executive order to begin construction. But what Trump might not realize is just how huge that wall is going to be.

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The Mexico-U.S. border is 3,200-kilometres long.

In October 2016, documentary filmmaker Josh Begley released a short film showing just how massive a wall would be.

"Best Of Luck With The Wall" is stitched together using more than 200,000 satellite images downloaded from Google Maps.

The video zips along the border, showcasing rocky streams, desert, mountains, forests and cities spanning the region from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

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"For all the talk of 'securing the border' and 'building a wall,' there is surprisingly little visual material that conveys just how vast this stretch of space is," Begley wrote for Intercept.

While some parts of the border are fenced, in other parts the border follows natural terrain like the Rio Grande river  where some U.S. residents technically live just south of the border.

Begley says that making the film only gives a small insight into the lives of millions who live on either side of the border.

"This film frames the entire southern border in six minutes. You can never see the entire southern border in six minutes," the director told Field of Vision, the documentary group that produced the short film.

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"But even in that small [timeframe], perhaps its more than what one sees when reading a headline about building a wall."

If the wall is built, it could be an expensive endeavour. Researchers at MIT estimated it could cost between US$27 and $40 billion  far from Trump's estimate of US$8 billion.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has asserted that his country will not pay for the wall. On Thursday, the White House proposed implementing a 20 per cent import tax to fund the construction, according to The New York Times.

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As if the fear of balding wasn't bad enough, Canadian researchers say a man with a hairless head is more likely to get prostate cancer.

Scientists from the University of Toronto have found men who start going bald early, and lose a lot of hair quickly, are at higher risk for the disease.

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Dr. Neil Fleshner, head of urology at Torontos Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and co-author of the study, says it's not baldness itself that causes cancer, but rather high levels of hormones like testosterone, which have been linked to both male pattern baldness and prostate malignancy.

Fleshner says the study's findings are strong enough that doctors should take men's hair loss into consideration when deciding whether or not to recommend a biopsy.

Nearly 50 per cent of the 400 men surveyed and screened for prostate cancer were diagnosed with the disease and men who indicated they experienced moderate vertex balding were three times more likely to have a malignant tumour. Men who said they experienced severe vertex balding were three times more likely to be diagnosed with a more aggressive form of cancer.

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For men over the age of 30 just beginning to lose their hair, there's no need to panic just yet. Hair loss and male pattern baldness are quite common in aging men.

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Chris Salvatore, 31, wants to tell you about his best friend.

She's sweet. She's a great listener. And she's 89-years-old.

Salvatore and BFF Norma Cook are the definition of #friendshipgoals and they're proving age is just a silly number.

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Somebody's thriving  #myneighbornorma A photo posted by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore) on Jan 12, 2017 at 8:38pm PST

Close friends for the past four years, the pals from West Hollywood, California, have been inseparable ever since the charming young actor introduced himself to Cook, who lived across the hall. After Cook invited him in for a glass of champagne, Salvatore said he knew it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

"We became best friends immediately," Chris told People. "She had a lot of gay friends growing up that unfortunately passed away during the AIDS epidemic and, being gay, that bonded us right away  we talk about fashion and food mostly."

I saw this beautiful lady today in the rehab center! Norma is doing quite well. She wanted me to tell you all thank you so much for the well wishes. She says your thoughts and prayers are keeping her strong! #myneighbornorma A photo posted by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore) on Nov 5, 2016 at 2:42pm PDT

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Salvatore said Cook has helped him through break-ups and has made him feel better during his darkest days. She divorced her husband at the age of 43 and never had children. The actor said Norma considers him the "grandson she never had."

Look! They even have a Christmas card together!

Just in case you weren't in the holiday spirit yet...  #myneighbornorma A photo posted by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore) on Dec 12, 2016 at 11:48am PST

Cook, who has had leukemia for 10 years, has been given only a few more months to live and Salvatore wants to make sure she feels "so loved" every single day. That's when he offered to become her primary caretaker and started a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to help cover the at-home costs Norma's insurance wouldn't cover.

"She has opted out of doing treatment for the cancer," Salvatore revealed. "So now its my job to make her feel comfortable and at peace and not lonely."

In this moment, time stands as still as it can be #myneighbornorma please send  A video posted by Chris Salvatore (@chrissalvatore) on Nov 13, 2016 at 7:43pm PST

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"Im so lucky to have her," he continued. "Shes changed my life. Shes made me a kinder more compassionate person. I feel honoured to spend her last moments with her."

Our hearts!

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People who are frequently depressed or anxious may run a higher risk of dying from certain types of cancer, researchers said on Thursday.

Medical records of more than 160,000 adults in England and Wales showed that those describing themselves as psychologically distressed were more likely to succumb to cancer, especially of the colon, prostate and pancreas.

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Leukaemia and cancer of the esophagus, or food pipe, were also more elevated among this group, they wrote in the BMJ Medical Journal.

The researchers were cautious in their conclusions, pointing out that a statistical link does not necessarily signify a cause-and-effect relationship between mood and cancer.

But the findings add to growing evidence that mental and physical health do not function on separate planes, and that one can influence the other, they said.

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Earlier research, for example, showed that chronic depression and anxiety may help trigger heart disease and stroke.

But attempts to discern similar links between states of mind and cancer have yielded mixed results.

To find out more, a quartet of researchers led by David Batty of University College London examined raw data from 16 longterm studies, covering 163,363 people aged 16 and over.

Participants were monitored for an average of nearly a decade. More than 4,300 died of cancer.

Chicken or egg?

The team sifted through raw data on psychological distress levels, lifestyle habits and cancer incidence.

They searched in particular for evidence of links between stress and cancers related to hormonal changes or lifestyle.

Depression is known to disrupt hormonal balance to the extent of boosting natural cortisone concentrations and inhibiting DNA repair mechanisms, both of which weaken cancer defences.

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It is also well established that people who are down in the dumps are more likely to smoke, drink and become obese  all associated with a higher cancer risk.

The team found that regardless of one's lifestyle, people who described themselves as depressed were nearly twice as likely to die of colon cancer, and more than twice as likely to succumb to pancreas or esophageal cancer. The rate for leukemia was even higher.

The team could not discount that depression may be a result, rather than the cause, of cancer.

"Distress might be a consequence of the early stages of the malignancy rather than a potential predictor," they noted.

If someone is sick, in other words, even if unaware they have cancer, the symptoms are likely to dampen their spirits.

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More research is needed to confirm the link, and tease out the causal connections, said Batty.

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For years women of colour have asked for foundation colours that go beyond the light, medium and dark hues we've long been limited to.

And while some companies are starting to listen, foundation aisles are still looking pretty pale. Fortunately American beauty brand Koyvoca has launched a range of 21 foundation shades at a surprisingly low price  and they ship to Canada!

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Priced at just $16 and ranging from creamy "Bowie" to a deep and rich "Sydney" shade, these cream-to-powder foundations seamlessly blend with almost every skin tone and budget. Just take a look at the colours below:

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And Koyvoca doesn't just stop at foundations  the line, which was handmade specifically for people with deeper complexions, also offers contour kits, concealers, lip sticks, highlighters and finishing powders.

What's your go-to brand for dark foundations? Let us know in the comments below.

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Oh, it doesn't get any better than this.

An old pregnancy test ad by Dutch company Predictor is going viral after six long years (thanks, Internet!).

The 2011 ad, which features a couple looking up at a pregnancy test, is followed by the caption: "When you want to be sure."

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But do you see what's hilariously wrong?

As several Twitter users pointed out, the woman in the photo is clearly pregnant already.

"Shes [sic] shocked about being pregnant? LMAO," one user wrote.

shes shocked about being pregnant? LMAO pic.twitter.com/9N5gmYWnSY  alex romero (@whosalexander) January 24, 2017

Others couldn't stop laughing either and came up with all kinds of alternative theories.

@whosalexander@VanCommander Maybe theres a second on the way she didnt know about.  Henry Brubaker (@Inst_4_Studies) January 24, 2017

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@whosalexander pffft! They already knew she was pregnant. They were testing to see if he was pregnant too!  Charon (@codeofthedamned) January 24, 2017

@whosalexander@Pikmingirl joke is on you It was him who peed on the strip  I identify as Yangus (@Aurailen) January 24, 2017

Other Twitter users are certain the test isn't actually a pregnancy test, but a sex reveal test instead. The company says this is not true.

Speaking to Adweek six years after this so-called blunder, former campaign art director Chris Sant said the agency did try "advertising exaggeration."

"Since Predictor is 99.9 per cent accurate, you'd rather depend on the test than your belly," Sant said.

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So Predictor was trolling us all along. Now that's good advertising.

See more hilarious tweets here.

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Nearly 22 years after his mother, the late Princess Diana of Wales, posed for a photo on the steps of a London hostel, Prince Harry has followed in her footsteps.

On Thursday the 32-year-old prince stopped by Willesden Green hostel before a quick morning run with The Running Charity, a running troupe for homeless and vulnerable youth in London.

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As the prince entered the hostel he was greeted by a familiar face in a photograph prominently displayed on the hostel's wall. The photo featured his late mother posing on the hostel's staircase, arms crossed, with a group of young people around her. The photo was taken in June of 1995, when the princess helped open the hostel.

She really connected with the young people, and returned in a private capacity to play ball games with them, Martin Houghton-Brown, U.K. chief executive of the Depaul group of hostels, said of the late princess, People magazine reports.

In his usual jovial fashion the prince took the opportunity to recreate the photo, arms crossed and everything, with members of The Running Charity.

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Both Harry and his brother William have taken an interest in following their mother's charitable footsteps by supporting those in need and particularly those suffering from illness surrounded by stigma like mental health, HIV and AIDs.

August 31, 2017 marks 20 years since the tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris. William and Harry were only 15 and 12 when she passed.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Samir Ali  Trend:

The latest on the fire in Sovetsky, Baku

19:31 (GMT +4) The fire in a residential building in Sovetsky locality in south-east of Baku has been extinguished, Trend correspondent reports from the incident site.

The roads near the building have been blocked.

Earlier Trends correspondent reported that one person was killed in the blaze, while two were injured.

18:50 (GMT +4) A massive fire has started in a residential building in Bakus Sovetsky locality.

Trends correspondent reports from the incident site that one person was killed in the blaze, while two were injured.

Ten fire engines have been sent to the incident site and fire-fighters are working to extinguish the blaze in the 3-story residential building.

Reportedly, the scale of the fire is expanding as the building was constructed using wood.
An Iranian actress says she's boycotting the Oscars, but not because of #OscarsSoWhite.

Taraneh Alidoosti, who stars in "The Salesman," nominated for best foreign-language film, said she won't be attending the 2017 Oscars come Feb. 26 as a result of President Trump's visa ban for Iranians, which she calls "racist."

On Thursday, the 33-year-old posted her declaration on Twitter, writing, "Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest."

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Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not,I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest pic.twitter.com/CW3EF6mupo  Taraneh Alidoosti (@t_alidoosti) January 26, 2017

Alidoosti's statement came a day after it was revealed Trump is expected to sign measures restricting immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from being granted U.S. visas including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The Guardian notes that although the ban hasn't yet been confirmed, a draft executive order obtained by journalists on Jan. 25 showed a decision is expected soon.

The reports about the visa ban sparked outrage in Iran, with many saying it was discriminatory.

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) said in a statement that it condemned a ban based on nation of origin.

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"Even if this were the right approach, it is notable that the list doesnt include Saudi Arabia and would have done nothing to prevent 9/11 or the other terrorist attacks committed by radical Wahhabi jihadists in the US," read the statement. "But it does include Iran  from which no national has committed a terrorist act in America."

Taraneh Alidoosti attends the closing ceremony of the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 22, 2016 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/FilmMagic)

It continued, "This is discriminatory. This is un-American. And last but not least: This is dangerous as it pits Americans against Americans while undermining the very principles of inclusivity and tolerance that define America. We will not be silent and will use every resource at our disposal to fight these shameful actions and protect the values and people who make America great."

As of press time, neither "The Salesman" director, Asghar Farhadi, nor the male star, Shahab Hosseini, have spoken about whether they plan on attending the 2017 Oscars.

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An economics professor widely expected to be President Donald Trumps pick for ambassador to the European Union says the euro could collapse within the next eighteen months.

Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, a vocal supporter of Brexit and a professor at Henley Business School in Reading, U.K., also compared the European Union to the Soviet Union, and suggested the EU itself may not survive in the long run.

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The one thing I would do in 2017 is short the euro, Malloch said in an interview with the BBC Wednesday. A short is a bet against an asset, which pays off when an asset price declines.

I think it is a currency that is not only in demise, but has a real problem and in fact could collapse in the next year [or] year-and-a-half, he added.

Compares EU to USSR

Malloch may well be intentionally trying to talk down the euro and the whole eurozone economy. During a panel on another BBC show Thursday, he suggested that, as EU ambassador, it would be his job to tame the union.

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I had, in a previous career, a diplomatic post where I helped to bring down the Soviet Union. So maybe theres another union that needs a little taming, he said.

Malloch has held policy positions at the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and in the U.S. State Department. He also taught at Oxford and Yale, worked for the now-defunct investment bank Salomon Brothers, and sat on the executive board of the World Economic Forum.

Asked if the believed the U.S. would ever sign a free trade agreement with the EU (the last round of talks collapsed in 2015), Malloch replied: I personally am not certain that there will be a European Union with which to have such negotiations.

He noted that elections this year and next could bring anti-EU populists into power. France and the Netherlands both have elections coming up this spring in which social conservatives are expected to make gains.

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Donald Trump praised Brexit in an interview with the Times of London earlier this month, saying it was a great thing Britain had voted to leave the EU.

I believe others will leave. I do think keeping it together is not gonna be as easy as a lot of people think.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was probably expecting cute, easy questions from students at a Winnipeg elementary school on Thrusday.

But as kids prove time and again, they're unpredictable.

After queries about his childhood and what he likes about being prime minister, one child asked Trudeau: "Why did your dad give everyone in Western Canada the middle finger?"

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In 1982, then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau was travelling with his sons on a train through Salmon Arm, B.C. during a vacation. Met by protesters unhappy with his handling of the economy, Trudeau gave them the middle finger. The gesture became known as the "Salmon Arm Salute."

In response to the student's question, Trudeau said, "My father had an approach to politics that not everyone agreed with.... In politics, you do have to make big decisions and whenever you make big decisions there's always going to be people who agree with it and people who disagree with it."

The prime minister defended the elder Trudeau as someone who "always thought about what was right for Canada." He also pointed out that the student was in a school with a successful French immersion program because of his father's policies.

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"Ultimately what you have to be confident about, you have to know that in your heart and in your brain that the decisions you're making are the right ones," he advised the kids at Ecole Robert H. Smith School.

With files from The Canadian Press

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OTTAWA  If the Liberal government doesnt substantially improve the lives of the less fortunate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, he will have failed to do his job.

Speaking to a packed town hall at the University of Winnipeg, Trudeau told the boisterous crowd he was elected on a promise to help the middle class and those working hard to join it, so that is the barometer that will indicate whether he was successful.

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If by the end of my time as prime minister, we havent made a significant and real positive difference in the lives of Canadians who are all too often marginalized or forgotten, not given opportunities, not allowed to succeed, ignored and mistreated, then I will have failed, Trudeau said.

The prime minister was asked what he considers to be the one thing that must not happen under his watch.

We need to lift kids out of poverty. We need to include all Canadians in the opportunities for success that we have, particularly through reconciliation and support for indigenous peoples, he responded. Unless we have made Canada a fairer and more just place, with real opportunities for everyone, then we wont have succeeded as a country and we wont have succeeded as a government.

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That may be a tall order for a government that faces re-election in less than three years. During his town halls this month, Trudeau has showed empathy for a number of Canadians who came forward with personal questions and comments, but he also pleaded for more time and understanding while enacting changes in matters such as conditions on First Nations reserves.

Winnipegs town hall  the prime ministers 10th  was marked by more protests and heated exchanges.

I'm taking the opportunity not afforded to me in seven-minute news clips on the 11 o'clock news to actually share my thought process.

Trudeau was questioned by a man who said he didnt understand why the prime minister was still approving pipelines that, he said, would provide only temporary jobs and put future generations in jeopardy.

I dont know if you fully understand the degree to which you are alienating the young voters and progressives who voted you in, the man said, because instead of listening to us you are listening to climate-denying Conservatives who have no intention of ever voting for you, he said.

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Several anti-pipeline protesters interrupted Trudeaus attempt to answer. The disruption was defused when an indigenous elder asked the audience to respect everyone.

Canadians need to be able to have responsible conversations in this country, Trudeau told the audience. People will disagree, but thats why elections are held, he said, and why he was holding town halls to hear a broad range of views.

"I'm taking the opportunity not afforded to me in seven-minute news clips on the 11 o'clock news to actually share my thought process, my reflection on how we need to move forward responsibly as a country  and I feel uncomfortable having to do that with people shouting over my voice, Trudeau said.

He then finished his answer by saying his government is focused on ensuring economic opportunities in a responsible and sustainable way, and he highlighted the Liberals plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions

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The prime minister was also asked about a request for suicide prevention funds by the Wapekeka First Nation that the Indigenous Affairs Department denied on the grounds that it was an awkward time to ask for money.

Now we have private donor who stepped up. This is not the Conservative government; this is your government who said it was an awkward time. We didnt vote you in for that. Is this the new government now, where the private sector is funding the First Nations suicide prevention programs?

Trudeau said his government had done a number of things to respond to the suicide crisis in indigenous communities but that they are not enough. There is more to do, he said, noting the need to spend more on indigenous students and culturally appropriate learning.

Are you going to save Canada for our future?

The prime minister said he often hears from indigenous leaders who say youth centres are needed in their communities with couches and TVs and ways to chill and relax.

When leadership of a community tells me that is what young people need, I know they havent done a very good job of listening to their young people, Trudeau said. That couches and TVs is somehow what young people want? No, young people want a place to store their canoes and their paddles. They want culturally appropriate learning, experience of getting back onto the land, and when they do want electronic things, its a place with good wifi where they can study, learn and connect to opportunities.

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Trudeau also fielded emotional questions about the provinces child welfare service and federal support for universal child care. At the end of the town hall, two fourth-graders asked Trudeau about U.S. President Donald Trump.

I wanted to tell something about  Trump, said a young boy named Evan. Hes doing something bad. Are you going to save Canada for our future?, he asked to loud cheers from the crowd.

Evan is my new hero, Trudeau said laughing.

The prime minister said Canadians expect the government to ensure stability, prosperity and opportunity that comes from Canadas trade-dependent relationship with the United States. We have to have a constructive working relationship with the new administration, and that is exactly what I am focused on.

At the same time, Trudeau added, Canadians expect the government to stand up for values such as openness, diversity, respect, engaging and listening in responsible ways.

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We are going to be focused on ensuring that Canada stays Canada and that Canada stays prosperous.

Trudeaus town hall tour has taken him to:

Halifax

Fredericton

Sherbhrooke, Que.

Kingston, Ont.

London, Ont.

Peterborough, Ont.

Belleville, Ont.

Calgary

Saskatoon

Winnipeg

Trudeau is expected to be in Vancouver on Sunday, but a town hall has not been confirmed.

MPs return to work in the House of Commons on Monday.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has an Indigenous elder to thank for defusing a tense situation at a town hall on Thursday.

Several anti-pipeline protesters showed up at the University of Winnipeg forum, holding signs that read "Water is Sacred" and " No KXL." They shouted, "Keep it in the ground."

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Some of the demonstrators challenged Trudeau as he tried to answer a question about his government's approval of the Line 3 and Trans Mountain pipelines, according to CBC News.

The PM repeatedly asked them for permission to continue speaking.

(Watch the tense moment in the video.)

"I hate to do this, but if you can't commit to letting me finish my question, perhaps you could leave the room," Trudeau later told two of the protesters, to much applause. "This is a lack of respect to people who've come out here."

The standoff continued, until an elder asked for the microphone.

"Sit down, please, you're going to get tackled," Trudeau said, referring to his security detail.

'Respect our territory'

The PM eventually agreed to let the elder speak. "I don't know if she'll listen to you, she won't listen to me," Trudeau says, referring to a protester, as he hands over the microphone.

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"I'm an elder of Treaty 1 territory," he said. "Our treaty has allowed you people to come to our territories. So I'm asking that you people that are making statements, please respect everybody, please respect our territory."

The room erupted in applause after the elder finished.

Prior to the town hall, the PM got a mostly warm reception at a Winnipeg elementary school.

Some kids asked him questions about his childhood and what he likes about being prime minister  but one query stopped the room.

A student asked the PM: "Why did your dad give everyone in Western Canada the middle finger?" It's a reference to an episode in 1982 when then prime minister Pierre Trudeau gestured at B.C. protesters who were unhappy with high unemployment rates in their town.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Trudeau's Cross-Country Tour 2017 See Gallery
President Donald Trump personally called the head of the National Park Service on the day after his inauguration to ask for photographic evidence that would support his claims about the size of the crowd at the event, The Washington Post reported.

A National Park Service official confirmed to The Huffington Post that the call took place on Saturday but would not comment further.

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Trump falsely claimed up to 1.5 million people attended his inauguration, boasting that the crowd extended from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and accusing the media of lying about how many attended. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has pushed similar false claims, which Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway defended as alternative facts.

Trump reiterated those boasts in an interview with ABC News that aired Wednesday.

"Look how far back it goes, he said, pointing to a photograph of his inauguration. This crowd was massive. And I would actually take that camera and take your time if you want to know the truth.

In reality, photos taken of the National Mall during the ceremony showed wide swaths of open space near the monument, and one crowd estimator has concluded that 300,000 to 600,000 people attended the Jan. 20 ceremony  roughly a third of the people who attended President Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009.

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According to The Washington Posts sources, Trump asked Michael T. Reynolds, the National Park Services acting director, to turn over more photos of the Mall, suspecting that additional photos would support his crowd size claim. Reynolds reportedly complied with the request, but the photos did not support the numbers the president had touted.

The White House didnt return HuffPosts request for comment. However, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told The Washington Post that Trumps call to the NPS official displayed his willingness to be so accessible, and constantly in touch.

We regret the mistaken RTs from our account yesterday and look forward to continuing to share the beauty and history of our parks with you pic.twitter.com/mctNNvlrmv  NationalParkService (@NatlParkService) January 21, 2017

Thursdays report is the latest chapter in the ongoing struggle between the new administration and NPS.

On Friday, the agency retweeted photographs comparing Trump and Obamas inauguration crowds. Shortly after, the agency was ordered to stop using its Twitter account, later telling CNN its account was frozen in order to determine if it had been hacked.

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Then, after staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency said they were told to cease social media use and communication with the media, the official account for Badlands National Park in South Dakota began tweeting facts about climate change. The tweets have since been deleted, and the agency said they were posted by a former employee.

On Wednesday, Death Valley National Park in California began a similar social media campaign, tweeting about the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during World War II just as Trump signed an executive order restricting the entry of refugees from predominantly Muslim countries.

Twitter users have rallied around NPS staffers, and several alternative national park accounts have popped up in recent days. While some claim to be run by NPS staffers, HuffPost has not been able to confirm if that is true.

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Marc Romanelli via Getty Images Hispanic small business owner hanging open sign on door

The new year has only just begun, but it's already proving to be another interesting one for Canadian small and medium businesses (SMBs). While economic uncertainty and the changing political landscape are making it difficult to understand the challenges that lie ahead, one thing remains clear: Canadian entrepreneurs who are embracing technology -- and ecommerce, in particular -- are more diversified and feel better equipped to face 2017.

Late last year, eBay Canada's first ever SMB Optimism Index revealed that retail entrepreneurs who had embraced the digital environment saw 2017 as a promising year. This conclusion was evident when we looked at a wide variety of factors that influence levels of optimism, including: location of the business, years in operation, what markets they focused on, the number and types of sales channels they current use, and more. The more SMBs took advantage of technology, the more optimistic they were about their future business performance.

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We identified three key drivers of optimism among Canadian small businesses:

1.Exporting to multiple markets

Thanks to ecommerce, businesses do not need to focus their efforts on one region or even one country anymore. Instead, even micro-businesses have the opportunity to reach multinational consumers. Having a global footprint might be a goal for many Canadian SMBs, but only 11.8% of traditional small businesses export, and those that do only reach an average of 2.5 countries. The story is very different when we look at Internet-enabled SMBs, such as the ones who sell on eBay: Ninety-nine per cent of them export and reach 19 markets on average.

2.Selling through multiple channels

The way we shop is changing. Consumers are calling the shots in terms of where and when they buy, and businesses need to adapt by embracing an "always-open" mindset. The Index data points to the importance of multi-channel strategies, but also shows that not all sales channels are created equal; businesses do better when online sales are part of their channel mix. For example, retail SMBs who sold through online channels averaged 20 per cent higher annual sales versus those that didn't, and 89 per cent of businesses who sold through digital channels in 2016 expected to grow their sales in 2017, compared to 76 per cent of SMBs that were not online. Ecommerce is no longer a trend - it's the newest pillar of retail, and it has unlocked new ways to reach consumers. Consumers may be in the driver's seat, but SMBs now have the advantage of being able to connect with them (and sell to them) anytime and anywhere.

3. Using an online marketplace

Getting more specific about online channels: Trusted and established online global marketplaces are enabling and democratizing ecommerce and trade. How online marketplaces fit into an overall sales channel strategy can vary, but in every scenario they are an instant and cost-effective way to tap into a well-established and trusted online buyer community. Unsurprisingly, the Index discovered that seven in 10 retail SMBs that sold through online marketplaces were confident that they could compete successfully on an international scale. Further, more than two-thirds of SMBs that sold through online marketplaces said ecommerce had positively impacted their businesses, which was significantly higher than all other sales channels included in the report. With a range that stretches from global powerhouses like Amazon and eBay, to niche marketplaces like Etsy, there are exciting opportunities for budding businesses of all shapes and sizes. It's no wonder that the Index found 86 per cent of businesses that sell through online marketplaces expect to grow their sales.

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In an era of increasing uncertainty, the ability to diversity sales - geographically, by channel, and by platform - is critical to building successful and resilient businesses. By following the strategies outlined above, Canadian entrepreneurs are not only likely to feel more optimistic about their future, they are also likely to be significantly better positioned to weather the inevitable ups and downs that are sure to impact us all in 2017.
People around the world will be welcoming the Year of the Rooster come January 28 with extravagance and excitement. No one city in the world celebrates the Chinese New Year the same way over the 15-day long festivity. From organizing a dragon parade to orange tossing by the river, Chinese New Year is one of the most interesting time to visit some of the cities with the largest ethnic Chinese population.

We have scoured the globe and handpicked the top five destinations to experience Chinese New Year.

Vancouver, Canada

Photo Credit: Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver

On January 29, Vancouver will be celebrating its 44th annual Chinese New Year parade, featuring over a dozen floats, traditional lion dance troupes with over 3,000 participants in their colorful traditional costumes. The annual parade which draws over 100,000 spectators globally each year, offers many activities including a cultural fair, Chinese New Year banquet dinner and performances throughout the first two-days of the new year.

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If you want to stay close to the action, check out the Opus Hotel or Hotel Blu. These highly-rated accommodations are within walking distance to the starting line of the parade (Millennium Gate), city centre and the waterfront.

Los Angeles, USA

Photo Credit: Chinese New Year Parade in Los Angeles by Jerry Paquette (Flikr)

Los Angeles is probably the city with the most activities planned for Chinese New Year outside of Asia. From multiple parades across the different valleys of L.A. to a Firecracker Run, it is definitely one of the top destinations to visit during this festive season. A not-to-miss event is the century-old Golden Dragon Parade where you will see a blend of Hollywood and Asian culture. Some prominent personalities who marshalled the Golden Dragon Parade include actor and martial artist, Bruce Lee, Star Trek actor, Garrett Wang and Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner.

Tip: you probably don't want to stay anywhere too far from the parade as traffic would be a pain to get around. Pick an accommodation within the heart of downtown L.A. such as the Resort Style Apartment, which is half a mile from the parade!

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Penang Island, Malaysia

Photo Credit: Kek Lok Si Temple at night

If you're planning to fully embrace the culture, visit Penang Island. Make sure you stay until the last day of celebrations (February 11) to witness a unique Malaysian Chinese tradition -- Chap Goh Meh. This unusual custom involves young maidens throwing mandarin oranges into the sea while the young men wait in boats to scoop them up! Marking the last night of Chinese New Year, this practice has been known as a night of courtship where many young ladies would make their way to the temples, dressed in their best, hoping to find prospective suitors. When you're there, do visit the majestic Kek Lok Si temple, one of Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple for an amazing photo opportunity or get your fortunes read by one of the resident monks.

Complete your stay in Penang at one of the many historical shopfronts turned guesthouses such as Ren I Tang, which was previously South East Asia's oldest Chinese Medical Hall Wholesaler established in 1885.

Singapore

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

In Singapore (and most parts of Malaysia), another unique Chinese New Year tradition is the tossing of raw fish or better known as 'Yusheng'. Customarily, the tossing of 'yusheng' happens on the seventh day of Chinese New Year and involves all the people at the table tossing the dish and uttering auspicious phrases, in hope for a better year. Just head to any Chinese restaurants in Singapore during this season and try it out yourself for good fortune and health in 2017!

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If you're looking for another interesting hotel experience to top off the trip, try the Cube - Boutique Capsule Hotel (not for the claustrophobic!) right along Chinatown. The hotel is designed with the fuss-free traveller in mind, featuring a collection of comfortable capsules with blackout curtain hidden from the outside world.

Beijing, China

Photo Credit: Beijing RuYuan Courtyard, Booking.com

Beijing is known for its temple fair or 'miao hui' since the 1600s. Today, some of these fairs are held every fortnight. During the Chinese New Year season, these temples are decked out in beautiful fans and lanterns and the temple fair is held every night throughout the festive season. One of the most prominent and extravagant temple fairs in Beijing is the one in Ditan Park where tourists can witness spiritual rituals, watch Chinese operas and taste Chinese traditional snacks. Expect a huge crowd at the fair, though!

Less than a mile from the Temple of Earth is the beautiful Beijing RuYuan Courtyard where visitors can stay at the ancient palace of the Qing Dynasty.
Co-authored by Jessica West, program officer at Project Ploughshares.

Tick, tock: the Doomsday clock measured by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientistshas moved 30 seconds closer to midnight (meaning: global catastrophe) -- from three minutes to two minutes, 30 seconds. Not since the 1950s has midnight been so close. Why the move? Scientists point to the growing threat to humanity posed by nuclear weapons, including a potentially lethal Trump-nukes-Twitter combination.

On December 22, president-elect Trump tweeted: "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." These words set the world atwitter about the possible implications. Ostensibly aiming to clarify his intentions, Trump bluntly responded on MSNBC: "Let it be an arms race."

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The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016

This statement is alarming, especially because Trump's statements on nuclear weapons during the election campaign were confusing and uninformed. And not only the timid are afraid. Former U.S. Secretary of Defence William J. Perry expressed his own terror in a cover story for Politico earlier this month.

President Obama's 2009 "Prague speech," which notably outlined a vision for a world free of nuclear weapons, is a reminder that words and actions are not always aligned. The disarmament community welcomed the "Obama moment" with cautious optimism and the "hope that real change is in the offing for U.S. approaches to nuclear weapons and the treaties and agreements that are intended to control and eventually eliminate them."

Soon after the Prague speech, Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "the promise of what might be." But the promise did not materialize.

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As the New York Times recently pointed out, Trump's seemingly dangerous tweet about the U.S. nuclear arsenal can easily be interpreted as a continuation of a central theme of Obama's Prague speech: "As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defence to our allies."

Nonetheless, Obama's vision for a nuclear-free world reinvigorated the global movement to ban nuclear weapons. Words can inspire action by others.

President-elect Trump is now the president. He has been briefed on how to quickly order a nuclear strike in an emergency, an experience described by a former White House chief of staff as a "haunting rite of passage." The actual process is fraught with the potential for deadly error -- the Norwegian Rocket Incident of 1995 being one of many close calls. Was the gaining of such knowledge and power sobering for president Trump? We don't know.

As with Obama, Trump's actions might not line up with his words. But so far, his actions are worrying. Reports from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons suggest that the United States has urged fellow NATO members to boycott UN negotiations to ban nuclear weapons, to be held later this year.

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The clock is ticking. Nuclear weapons threaten us all.

Trump's rhetoric on the U.S. nuclear arsenal, combined with his threats to dismantle the nuclear deal with Iran, is definitely having an impact. While some call for nuclear disarmament, others seem intent on increase their nuclear capabilities. Certainly, the disincentive for other states to limit their nuclear weapons capabilities (think North Korea) is now much stronger.

Where can we hope to find progress? This year will see the start of the first formal international negotiations on nuclear disarmament, in response to a remarkable agreement reached last year at the UN General Assembly to seek a legal prohibition on nuclear weapons. Even those who voted against the resolution (most nuclear-weapon states and their allies, including Canada) can make positive contributions to the process and show faith in multilateral practice.

In recent years, a renewed focus on the catastrophic humanitarian effects of nuclear weapons has been the primary catalyst and rallying point for multilateral political action on nuclear disarmament. A former mayor of the city of Hiroshima has invited president Trump to meet with survivors of the atomic bomb.

While a legal prohibition on nuclear weapons would no doubt be welcome, the international community still needs to work toward collective security arrangements that do not rely on nuclear weapons. Russia's recently proposed dialogue with the Trump administration on strategic stability might provide the right opening for discussions on an international system based on common security, not the threat of nuclear annihilation.

The clock is ticking. Nuclear weapons threaten us all. Two minutes, thirty seconds and counting. Unless we act decisively, we may soon be staring the doom of midnight in the face.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.27

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The US will regret foregoing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Russell A. Green, Will Clayton Fellow in International Economics at Rice University's Baker Institute (Houston) told Trend.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership was a proposed free trade agreement linking the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim economies. The agreement would lower tariffs and other trade barriers among Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam.



The finalized proposal was signed on February 4, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand, concluding seven years of negotiations.

The US President Donald Trump earlier signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the proposed TPP trade deal.

But the agreement had not yet received Senate approval, so the executive order was more of a formality.

The direct impact on imports, exports, GDP and employment were likely to be small in any case. Most estimates put it at 0.5 percent of GDP after 15 years. That's almost a rounding error, said Green.

But it could have had major impacts on investment flows, encouraging US firms to open operations abroad and attracting foreign firms to the US, the expert believes.

With all those markets available for free trade, US factories would have looked much more attractive to, say, European or Korean auto manufacturers. TPP entailed significant soft power benefits for US stature in Asia, he added.

Green believes that Vietnam probably loses the most from the collapse of the TPP.

It was prepared to make significant concessions to meet US standards on labor, environment, governance and investor protection that would have made it much easier for Western companies to set up export operations, said the expert. Domestic firms, too, would have found much better access to major markets.

TPP does not make sense without the US for Japan, said Green, adding that they made significant concessions opening domestic industries to foreign competition, specifically in the hopes of gaining better access to the US market.

Without that, the deal is politically untenable for Japan. Without the US and Japan, TPP loses its value, he added.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Image Source via Getty Images

Blue Monday, which occurs on the third Monday of January, is often publicized online and in the news as the most depressing day of the year. While scientific evidence has proven this is not true, this term continues to trend on social media every January and contributes to the conversation around mental health awareness.

January is also home to Bell Media's popular mental health awareness campaign #BellLetsTalk, where Bell contributes proceeds from every #BellLetsTalk hashtag used in text messages or on social media on that day to support mental health organizations.

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With all of these social media initiatives contributing to the conversation around mental health, I am amazed at how far we have come. There was a time when people were encouraged to hide their mental illness from the world, due to stigma and shame. Now, there are hundreds of online support communities that want people to share their mental health stories and show them they are not alone. Social media has truly changed the way we look at mental health.

Seeing this kind of support and acceptance from a huge celebrity can truly make a difference.

In 2018, it is expected that 20 million Canadians will have at least one social media account to connect with the world around them, share news and stay in touch with friends. Social media also provides us with a sense of community. People suffering with their mental health often describe being stigmatized by their illness and have trouble speaking out about it at school or work.

The mental health community on social media has given people an opportunity to contribute to mental health awareness by giving them a voice. People can now search a hashtag, like #TalkAboutIt, on Twitter or search mental heath support groups on Facebook and find like-minded individuals who are experiencing the same things they are. The ability to connect with others through social media is an incredible thing.

Regular people dealing with mental health challenges aren't the only ones speaking up. Social media gives us access to celebrities and influencers like never before. It should come as no surprise that celebrities, just like us, suffer from mental health issues or know some who does. A lot of popular celebrities have come forward via social media in recent years to speak about their mental health and support others who are dealing with mental health challenges of their own.

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Well-known public figures such as Carrie Fisher, Lady Gaga and Ryan Reynolds have used their social platforms to help reduce the stigma around mental illness. Seeing this kind of support and acceptance from a huge celebrity can truly make a difference to someone who is dealing with their own mental health challenges.

Mental health organizations are also now using social media to help them implement campaigns around mental health awareness. Organizations like CAMH and the Canadian Mental Health Association have utilized social media to show followers what they're working on and the impact their organization has on mental health. People dealing with mental health issues are now a lot more aware of the services that these organizations provide, and have the ability to connect with them more efficiently than ever before.

That being said, I know there is a dark side to social media use as well. Issues like cyber bullying continue to plague these social networks, and can end up creating mental health challenges instead of assisting them. That's why I think it's so important to practice the kinds of values that are promoted on these trending days, like acceptance and understanding, year round.

With 30 years of experience in the mental health field, seeing the outpouring of support that comes through on social media on days like #BellLetsTalk or #WorldMentalHealthDay is amazing. While I don't love every aspect of social media, I do love the mental health community that has emerged as a result of it.
Hiroshi Watanabe via Getty Images

India is undoubtedly on the rise and so are its cities. One-third of India's current population lives in urban areas, and this growing group of urban citizens contributes close to two-thirds of India's GDP. Further, the urban population is expected to double, to approximately 800 million by 2050 -- and India's cities are starting to feel the strain. Challenges of poverty, infrastructure deficits, air quality, education and safety of women are key amongst the rising agenda for action in Indian cities.

The Toronto-based World Council on City Data (WCCD) is now tackling these challenges worldwide, helping cities and countries around the world to develop a culture of data; driving a culture of innovation for a more inclusive and sustainable prosperity -- the essence of smart cities and smart countries. As the WCCD launches a bold new initiative in India, these lessons are also applicable to Canada and globally.

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In June 2015, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced that a new initiative would be launched to develop 100 (now 109) smart cities around the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Smart Cities Mission is geared towards transforming India's urban landscape, while allowing cities to leverage the latest ICT developments. However, there is one overriding concern: a city-level data deficiency across the country. High-caliber data is needed to inform smart investment, and then monitor and benchmark performance on an annual basis, following these investments.

As in many countries, service delivery, infrastructure and environmental data in India are fragmented and in silos across multiple levels of government. However, uncharacteristic of an increasingly highly educated country with significant economic growth -- much of the data for Indian cities is embedded and difficult to access and impossible to compare on a city-to-city level across states, let alone nationally or internationally. In other words, India seemed primed and ready to test ISO 37120 -- the first international standard on indicators for city services and quality of life.

ISO 37120, published in 2014, was developed beginning in 2008, with input from over 250 cities and 80 countries, incubated by the Global Cities Institute (GCI) at the University of Toronto and operationalized by its sister organization the World Council on City Data (WCCD).

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The WCCD visited India in 2015 to assess data capacity and potentials, and challenges aside was convinced that cities in India, with targeted support, could achieve ISO 37120 certification. It is possible to accomplish the transformation of Indian cities into the smart, sustainable, resilient, inclusive and prosperous cities of tomorrow -- but this change needs to be data-driven, and city-level data was a prerequisite. National census data (carried out each decade) becomes outdated quickly with city populations expanding rapidly. ISO 37120 is an annually reported set of 100 indicators that ensures timely monitoring and assessment.

The ISO global seal of approval allows Indian cities to draw comparative benchmarks with other global peer cities.

Having already certified close to 40 cities globally across 25 countries for ISO 37120, the WCCD has come to recognize the challenges of building city-level data. However, with India, a new approach was taken, and the WCCD entered into a partnership with the Tata Trusts to pilot ISO 37120, resulting in the City Data for India Initiative.

Surat, Pune and Jamshedpur were identified as ideal pilot cities, and work began. Data collection -- facilitated by PwC India -- commenced in the second half of 2016. While challenges would certainly arise, it became apparent that high-quality data existed -- it was just embedded and needed to be formulated into indicators, guided by the definitions and methodologies provided in ISO 37120. What needed to be further incubated was a culture of data and data-driven decision making at the city-level.

Following the data collection and verification process, these three cities, in just a few short months, all achieved WCCD ISO 37120 certification. Pune obtained the highest level of WCCD certification -- platinum -- with Surat and Jamshedpur both certified at gold. All three cities have quickly taken their places amongst the WCCD global network of data-driven cities.

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In just over a year, the GCI/WCCD has proven its thesis. ISO 37120 is both relevant and applicable to Indian cities and has the potential to drive smart, sustainable, resilient, prosperous and inclusive development throughout the country. The ISO global seal of approval allows Indian cities to draw comparative benchmarks with other global peer cities and will inform the data-driven decision-making that is needed to accommodate India's rising population and build prosperous and inclusive cities. The partnership with the Tata Trusts serves as an invaluable model for local engagement and will help to continue to drive city engagement with WCCD ISO 37120 certification in India. Most excitingly, the WCCD is now inviting all Indian cities to come on board, to become WCCD ISO 37120 certified and to join the WCCD's global network of cities that supports city to city learning.

Pune, Surat and Jamshedpur are now empowered with globally comparable, standardized and independently verified city-level data. WCCD's ISO 37120 high-caliber data positions these cities as global leaders for city to city learning. It allows cities in India, Canada and globally to confront global agendas such as climate change, measuring progress on the United Nations SDGs and the 2030 Urban Agenda.

In the Indian context, it allows Indian leaders to address rapid urban growth. The data supports prime minister Modi's Smart Cities Mission and drives evidence-based decision-making to solve the myriad challenges faced by Indian cities. As the WCCD continues to expand worldwide, we remain committed to supporting cities across the globe to develop a culture of data, which drives a culture of innovation for a more inclusive and sustainable prosperity. All of which is the very essence of smart cities and smart countries.

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Triclosan: You may have never heard of it, but chances are that you and your family use products that contain it regularly. Triclosan is a preservative and an anti-bacterial agent used in 1,600 cosmetics and personal care products in Canada -- including things like anti-bacterial soaps, hand washes, toothpaste and deodorants. It's even found in toys. Increasingly, scientific evidence shows that it is harmful to the environment and humans -- especially children. And it doesn't work particularly well.

That's why the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently made the decision to ban it in soaps and hand washes -- the European Union passed a similar ban last January. Both Australia and Japan have set limits on triclosan in hand washes far below the levels permitted in Canada. When our federal government finally indicated it would be announcing its long awaited final assessment of triclosan this month, we were hopeful that it too would make a science-based, precautionary decision to keep triclosan out of soaps and hand washes.

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Triclosan can pass through skin and poses serious risks to health.

Unfortunately, however, there is to be no ban on triclosan-containing soaps and handwashes in Canada like there is in the U.S. The government's decision is completely inadequate. Here's why.

What is triclosan?

Triclosan also adversely affects health by contributing to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant germs or "superbugs", thus decreasing the effectiveness of antibiotics. That's why groups such as the Canadian Medical Association have called for a ban on antibacterial consumer products, including soaps and sanitizers containing triclosan.

Triclosan is known to be toxic to aquatic plants and animals even at low concentrations -- causing reduction in growth and reproduction, and impacting survival. It bioaccumulates (becomes concentrated) in fish and has been detected in numerous waterbodies across Canada because it is continually released when products containing triclosan are washed down the drain. Triclosan can transform into dioxins, a highly toxic group of chemicals, when it degrades in surface water while exposed to sunlight. Alarmingly, it also has the potential to react with chlorine in drinking water to form the carcinogen chloroform.

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Despite advertising campaigns espousing the benefits of antibacterial soap use, experts including the FDA, the Canadian Pediatric Society, and the Canadian Medical Association agree there is no evidence that antibacterial soaps containing triclosan are more effective than regular soap and water. The only circumstances in which these products may be beneficial are in hospital and health care settings, or the homes of persons with serious diseases impacting the immune system, where preventing infectious illness symptoms and reducing bacteria on hands is critical.

In other words, for the vast majority of Canadians triclosan-containing soaps and hand washes should not be used in our homes, offices, daycares or schools. In those places, they can cause serious harm to people and the environment while offering no benefits. Stick with regular soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

The Canadian government's underwhelming announcement

The FDA's decision to ban consumer antiseptic wash products containing triclosan and other substances, such as triclocarban, was based on the risks and the ineffectiveness of triclosan and several other substances used in antiseptic washes and soaps. Manufacturers failed to demonstrate that the banned ingredients were both safe for long-term use and more effective than regular soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of infections.

Health Canada's decision does not reflect the fact that triclosan is ineffective.

Although Environment and Climate Change Canada determined four years ago that triclosan is toxic to the environment, Health Canada has maintained its position that it does not meet the standard for human health toxicity. Although the Ministers have proposed adding triclosan to the List of Toxic Substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the risk management measures will focus on the release of triclosan to surface water via wastewater treatment plants. It will not, however, focus on reducing risk to children and other members of our society who are exposed to the substance through consumer products.

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Health Canada's decision does not reflect the fact that triclosan is ineffective. Why accept the risks when there is no benefit to Canadians?

It's time to ban triclosan in Canada

With the U.S. ban on triclosan, some fear that we may see an increase in triclosan products for sale in Canada, because they can no longer be sold south of the border. If this happens we may see an increase in the use of triclosan-containing soaps and washes in Canada, increasing the levels in our bodies and our environment.

Since its emergence in the late 1960s, scientific understanding about the risks posed by triclosan has grown. Governments around the world are recognizing that the serious risks posed by triclosan and corresponding lack of any benefit when used in consumer products mean there is no justification for allowing the substance on store shelves. It's time Canada followed suit.

Next steps

To help encourage the government to take action before it's too late, we've worked with other concerned groups to submit comments urging the government to take a stronger approach to banning toxics in our environment. While it's not going to be easy, we know that it is important to keep substances that may harm our communities, children, and environment off store shelves.

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Ecojustice, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment ("CAPE"), Equiterre, Environmental Defence, and the David Suzuki Foundation ("DSF") responded to the Government of Canada's risk management plan for Triclosan.

The groups made a submission to the Government of Canada about its risk management plan for Triclosan, outlining concerns that Canadians and aquatic environments will be exposed to chemicals that other countries have banned.

Dr. Elaine MacDonald is Ecojustice's Healthy Communities Program Director and Staff Scientist. Kaitlyn Mitchell is an Ecojustice lawyer.

See more at Ecojustica.ca.

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Douliery Olivier/ABACA USA/ABACA USA US President Donald Trump walks back to the Oval Office of the White House, January 26, 2017 in Washington, D.C .Photo by Olivier Douliery/Abaca

It sure didn't take long.

Donald Trump managed to disgrace himself on his first day in office. After hurling insults at the intelligence community on Twitter, comparing them to Nazis, President Trump's visit to the CIA on January 21 was supposed to mend fences.

So much for that.

Unhinged over photos that compared the size of his inauguration crowd to Barack Obama's he chose, instead, to talk about himself and how wonderful he is; and also, to escalate his war on the "dishonest media."

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Still not satisfied that he'd made his point about the size of the turnout and how huge it was, he had his press secretary, Sean Spicer, lie about it, by insisting Trump's turnout was "the biggest ever." All unsubstantiated of course. What else is new?

Give me a break. Who cares?

We shouldn't be surprised at this ridiculous and childish behaviour. We should have known how important "size" is to the Donald. Remember when he became completely unglued during the primaries, when Marco Rubio made snide remarks about the size of his hands? He just couldn't let it go.

Now he has a new bee in his bonnet. Voter fraud. Well, it's not exactly new. He's been whinging about it for a while. He finally shut up about it after he won the election but he's obsessed about it again. This time he's "claiming" that he didn't win the popular vote because from three to five million undocumented immigrants voted for Hillary Clinton.

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Is there anything to back up his claim? No. Is that stopping him? No. And believe it or not, he's

calling for a "major" investigation.

What is wrong with him??

"Donald Trump is his own worst enemy; and he's either too stupid, or too irrational, or too plain crazy to figure it out."

He won the damn election -- without the popular vote. He's the president. He's sitting in the oval office. Move on!

Doesn't he have anything more important, more pressing to worry about?

Speaking of which, what else occupied his time during his first week in office? Well, he signed 12 executive actions, which included taking the initial steps necessary to deprive 20 million people healthcare (without a replacement)and to make it more difficult (and illegal) for women to get abortions. But that's not all:

His staff removed all references to health care, climate change, LGBT rights and civil rights from the White House website as soon as he was sworn in.

He placed a gag order on government scientists so they can't talk about climate change.

He brought members of his staff with him to the CIA to make sure he was cheered.

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What we have here is a man who wants desperately -- make that has a desperate need -- to be taken seriously, to be revered, respected and adored. And yet he undermines himself at every turn.

Donald Trump is his own worst enemy; and he's either too stupid, or too irrational, or too plain crazy to figure it out. He humiliates himself. He makes himself a laughing stock. He's turned himself into a global joke.

And ultimately, he will be responsible for his own downfall.

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Earlier this week, I received an email that offered me the chance to attend one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's town halls. I am hard of hearing. I rely on lipreading. Normally, I shy away from any kind of talk or presentation. But the opportunity to see a sitting prime minister in person, and potentially ask him a question, spurred me to find out more.

On the event page, a note said that American Sign Language (ASL) would be provided upon request. Now, I don't know ASL. I don't identify as deaf. I was mainstreamed in school. I had hearing aids a few times in my life, but they did not significantly improve my comprehension. What works best for me is lipreading in face-to-face communication and CART (communication access real-time translation) for large events.

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CART is basically live captioning. A human CART provider transcribes the proceedings in real time, using a court reporter's steno machine, and that transcript is sent to a screen (a laptop in most cases) that I can view. Fun fact: CART -- like captioning -- is an excellent way to make an event more accessible to everyone if it's displayed on a big screen at the front.

If for some reason, a hearing person is having trouble hearing the proceedings (e.g., the acoustics are bad or the person beside you won't stop coughing), that hearing person can make use of CART as well. Or if, during a question and answer session like Prime Minister Trudeau's town halls, a question is difficult to decipher, hearing and hard of hearing alike can view the transcript on the screen.

Granted the event page said nothing about CART, but it is a common accommodation for people who are hard of hearing. Getting accommodations in Canada can be sketchy at times, but they should be available in any federal government office, and by extension, in any public forum where the prime minister is present. Also, in my city at least, ASL interpreters and CART providers are booked through the exact same agency.

I hit the "RSVP" button on the event page and immediately sent an email to the address to which we were to send ASL requests. Three hours later, I received a reply saying that my request had been received and someone would get back to me.

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It's hard for me to start lipreading in the middle of a conversation or speech if I don't know the topic.

No one got back to me. I waited until the next day -- the day of the town hall -- and sent a follow-up email, asking about the status of my request. This precipitated a flurry of emails with three different people, and it quickly became apparent that none of those people knew what CART is. In the 24 hours since my first email, no one bothered to google "CART" or shoot me an email asking what it is.

Because I work in the disability advocacy field myself, my manager was brought into the conversation. She suggested that if I could sit close to the prime minister I might be able to lipread at least some of the proceedings. This is the suggestion that was implemented. This is NOT a reasonable accommodation. This is expecting me to fly by the seat of my pants, and frankly, flounder badly.

When I arrived at the venue, I was given a seat in the front row, but on the far on the side. I was seated next to a woman named Sarah, who, as it turns out, is deaf. (Sarah has also published an account of the evening, which you can read here.) Neither Sarah nor I were pleased with our seats. We would be viewing Prime Minister Trudeau's profile and it is difficult to lipread a profile. Sarah bravely flagged down one of the organizers and asked that we be moved. This took some discussion amongst the organizers but we were moved front and centre, and ended up sitting beside the mayor and other dignitaries.

The seats were excellent for viewing Prime Minister Trudeau and he is easy to lipread because he's expressive and he enunciates well. However, I never heard a single question. It's hard for me to start lipreading in the middle of a conversation or speech if I don't know the topic. Once I start to piece things together and get the gist, it is easier going. I understood some of what went on, but in no way was I fairly accommodated. Nor was Sarah.

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If I can't receive the accommodations I need in a public forum where everyone else present has access to our country's prime minister, where can I receive them?

This is why we need a Canadians with Disabilities Act.

I was excited when Carla Qualtrough was named as Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities. I was over the moon that her official Mandate Letter tasked her with "lead[ing] an engagement process with the provinces, territories, municipalities, and stakeholders that will lead to the passage of a Canadians with Disabilities Act."

The protection of persons with disabilities under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is not enough. Andre Picard has a great piece in The Globe and Mail that explains why our Charter rights are inferior to the Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States. As Picard points out, the Charter makes it seem as though the inclusion of people with disabilities is a privilege (something people with disabilities should be grateful for, when it is provided) rather than a right.

If I can't receive the accommodations I need in a public forum where everyone else present has access to our country's prime minister, where can I receive them?

If I had been brave enough to stand up and say all of this at the town hall, this would have been my question for Prime Minister Trudeau: "I asked for accommodations as I was told to do. Those accommodations were not provided. I'm 46 years old. I've been fighting for access all my life, and making do with a hodgepodge of insufficient accommodations. I'm tired of fighting. Please speak to the Canadians with Disabilities Act. What's the progress on that? When can I stop fighting and have the same right to access as all other Canadians? After all, to use your own tagline, it's 2017.

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stevecoleimages via Getty Images Prescription bottles and pills on a counter.

Four years ago, at age 84, my dad survived a severe stroke. The downside is that during his hospital stay this otherwise fit person was put on a drug regimen and has been taking nine prescription drugs a day ever since.

My dad's experience with multiple drugs is not uncommon for his age group. Seniors age 65 and over are the heaviest users of prescription drugs in the country. They take, on average, 7.4 prescription drugs.

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Experts have pointed to increased drug utilization as a driver of health care spending in Canada for some years, but safety issues are increasingly salient. Seniors are five times more likely than younger Canadians to be hospitalized as a result of an adverse drug reaction (ADR). In 2011, over 27,000 Canadian seniors -- that is, one in 200 -- had an ADR-related hospitalization.

Seniors face a higher risk of adverse drug reactions, in part because of physiological changes as we age that alter the way our bodies respond to medication (pharmacokinetics) and process them (pharmacomdynamics). For instance, our kidneys and liver tend to lose functional ability and become less efficient in flushing out drugs.

Many drugs prescribed to seniors have either not been adequately studied for this age group or have not been formally approved for the conditions they are being prescribed to treat. They are sometimes prescribed without any evidence they are safe and effective for them, and in some cases, even when they are known to present a possible risk (antipsychotics prescribed to older patients with dementia, for example).

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It is estimated that as much as half of the medications given to seniors are taken incorrectly or are prescribed in an excessive manner.

"The more medications they consume, the more likely seniors are to require urgent medical attention or go to emergency departments."

Clinical trials often exclude not only older people, but also people of all ages who take a combination of medications. On average, two-thirds of seniors take five or more prescriptions drugs over the course of a year -- one-quarter take 10 or more.

The prevalence of polypharmacy (multiple medications) has been rising from 54.7 percent of seniors using five prescription drugs or more in 2000 to 66.1 percent in 2014.

The dangers of polypharmacy for seniors are seen in doctors' offices and hospitals. The more medications they consume, the more likely seniors are to require urgent medical attention or go to emergency departments. A study found that 12 percent of Canadian seniors taking five or more medications have experienced an adverse reaction requiring medical attention.

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Clearly, we need a solution.

In a new Institute for Research on Public Policy study (IRPP), I have documented several collaborative initiatives undertaken by professionals, advocacy groups and health authorities, which seek to provide information and educational resources, reallocate roles and responsibilities and promote innovation. While they are all valuable, their overall effectiveness is limited, because they address only narrow aspects of a much bigger problem.

Improving drug safety among seniors requires systemic change.

Governments could use legislation and financial instruments to much greater effect to steer the country's efforts in the right direction. Required is a comprehensive national strategy which involves leadership and engagement from Health Canada, provincial and territorial health ministries and local health authorities.

Building on the 2015 recommendations of the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, such a strategy would entail revising the drug approval process, monitoring newly marketed drugs prescribed to seniors, improving reporting on adverse drug reactions and encouraging independent research into off-label prescription drug use.

Provincial and territorial pharmacare programs should also be extended to provide broader and more systematic coverage of effective nondrug therapies whenever appropriate, to treat older patients with chronic conditions.

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Provinces and territories would be required to update their prescribing guidelines regularly and require medication reviews. Health authorities would need to ensure that professionals have access to clinical decision-making tools, as well as accurate and comprehensive information on patients' medical histories, in order to improve prescribing practices overall.

Clearly, much more can and should be done by governments to address this serious health issue for our aging population.

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Bloomberg via Getty Images Cranes stand at a condominium construction site in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is scheduled to release housing starts figures on Aug. 9. Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By Lydia McNutt

More than 10,500 new condo units* are slated to hit the Greater Vancouver housing market this year, according to MLA Canada's 2017 Market Intel report -- opening up plenty of more-affordable housing options for prospective homebuyers who have been priced out of the single-detached segment.

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Greater Vancouver's hot housing market activity saw its peak in March 2016, followed by a decline before levelling off into 2017. This shift has been attributed to recent provincial and federal policy changes implemented in 2016 -- namely the foreign buyers' tax and the new mortgage rules. While these changes seem to have had their intended effect of cooling Vancouver's overheated resale market, the pre-construction condo market shows little sign of slowing down.

"In December 2016, Vancouver faced a 10-year historical shortage in resale inventory. In addition to this, housing starts are expected to decrease for the next two years with respect to [2016]," Cameron McNeill, co-president of MLA Canada, told YP NextHome. "At the same time, we continue to see strong demand with increasing population, both from other areas of the country and internationally, due to our stable economic growth and job creation."

In simple terms, demand continues to outpace supply.

2016 in review

Approximately 8,955 condos* were released in Greater Vancouver in 2016. Coquitlam led the pack with the most pre-sale units released -- over 1,800, thanks to the completion of the Evergreen Extension in December. More than 87 per cent of the brand new condos released last year in Greater Vancouver were sold, at an average cost of $915 per sq. ft. MLA reports that pre-sales remained strong in the face of the Foreign Buyers' Tax, with 81 per cent of condos released between August and December 2016 being absorbed.

2017 forecast

McNeill expects this demand for pre-sale condos to continue. "With the sheer volume of buyers and lack of housing options, demand will still remain strong for Vancouver homes -- especially condos," he says.

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"Stability in the single-family market leads to strong demand, and paired with the supply limitations, prices are expected to increase," McNeill says.

While 2016 was a record-setting year, prices are still expected to grow in 2017, though at a much slower pace. "Single-family homes continue to be in high demand and sellers in turn are downsizing into condos, and assisting their children with purchasing a home," McNeill adds.

*Data reported is for concrete construction and does not include wood frame developments. A majority of the projects being built in Greater Vancouver are concrete developments.

For more essential real estate reading, visit YPNextHome.ca.
Theresa May needs to be tough with Trump, and be ready to grasp a historic opportunity for Britain.

Just days into his presidency, Donald Trump is already making his mark on the world. In his first week he has already withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, frozen federal hiring and is coming good on his promise to build a wall on the Mexico border. And this is only the beginning of "four years of ostentatious brutality".

On Friday, he has his first meeting with a foreign leader in British Prime Minister Theresa May. Whilst Trump's protectionist policies mean that he is very much "America first" and focused on creating new jobs and improving living standards for the millions who voted for him, he also believes that revamping and restructuring the US's global economic relationships will be the quickest way to achieve this. The UK needs to be poised to benefit.

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The next four years under Trump are going to be all about the economy. The weapons in the new US president's arsenal are not tanks and bombs, but trade sanctions, economic tariffs and market access. And all the evidence indicates that the big guns will be pointing at China - the country Trump blames for taking American jobs and undermining the US economy. He will also want to bring Taiwan out of isolation and put pressure on China, stating that its pride and joy - the creation of man-made islands - is unlawful at the very least.

China will not compromise its interests easily, though. Its economic might is formidable; this is hardly Mexico, which is deeply dependent on the US economy. So, in order to achieve his aims, Trump would have to start by weakening China politically by using the old authoritarian strategy of 'divide and conquer'. This means splitting the Middle Kingdom from its major international ally - Russia.

US Recognition of the Crimea annexation, finance, technologies, even letting Putin's Russia loose to pursue its ambitions in Ukraine, the Baltics, and perhaps Moldova are all on the cards. The price for Putin? Betraying the alliance with China, the one country that has supported Russia through the pain of sanctions.

All this could have very real implications for the UK.

Of course, Mrs May will want to avoid getting sucked into a vortex of trade warfare, but before Trump's election British officials were talking up a "golden age" for Anglo-Chinese relations. The legacy of the former chancellor, who welcomed Chinese investment with open arms, has left us with numerous business and investment projects on the cards, including the recently re-approved Hinckley Point.

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President Trump is an "all or nothing" kind of man, and may well expect Britain to choose between an alliance with China and its special relationship with the US. This presents a myriad of challenges for a country wishing to increase trading outside of the EU, and the handling of this issue is one of the most important foreign policy and economic challenges today. As Theresa May prepares to meet Trump, who is a tough, rough and cynical negotiator, she must be practical in response and not give in easily.

The UK will be an important ally to the US, and we are therefore negotiating from a position of strength. Mrs May therefore needs to impress on Trump that if he wants UK support against China, such support could prove very costly for Britain indeed. It will need to involve "compensation" for lost Chinese investment, for the costs of Brexit, and for the post-Brexit special trade agreement with China. Such an agreement would be far more beneficial to us than Trump's cryptic promises that his friendship with Putin would "enrich and transform the world". It is hard to see just how indulging the Russian aggressor whilst entering into conflict with the fairly peace-loving China, which is a driver of the global economy on top everything else, could ever make our world better.

After all, the UK was banking on greater collaboration with China in its post-Brexit planning to rebalance any losses in European trade. If the US wants us to turn our back on that and abandon lucrative investment deals, it must compensate us properly.

If, however, Trump is willing to soften his aggressive stance towards China, there could be another, more prudent course. Britain could position itself as a bridge between the US and China, providing a channel for the two superpowers to have a more constructive and cordial dialogue. With this role as a global intermediary, Britain can reap dividends from the two largest economies in the world.

If we are to capitalise on this opportunity, however, Theresa May must be robust with Donald Trump when they meet this Friday. It is paramount that we state our position clearly from the outset and stick to it. At Trump's negotiating table, we must pitch business acumen against business acumen, and involve business representatives as well as politicians to bring real-world expertise to the discussions. In this way, we can protect our interests and drive forward our vision with Trump as the special relationship continues to grow.

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As I walked into the screening room with a bunch of seasoned reviewers and critics, to watch Manchester by the Sea - I have to confess, I had seen the poster in the tube station and heard that Casey Affleck had just won a Golden Globe for it but I didn't know what the movie was about or what to expect, except at the end of it I was expected to write a blog on it! So with my pen and paper ready to make notes....

We meet Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) shovelling snow, putting out the rubbish and dealing with people's plumbing problems, and then he is suddenly called to Manchester (in the US not UK). His brother has died and he finds himself as the guardian of his nephew, Patrick. And as we watch them navigating their way through loss and grief, it engages you because at some point in our lives we all face loss and grief. The movie is honest and heart-wrenching, and at no point does it become sentimental.

As the movie cuts back and forth between past and present, we notice that the residents of Manchester view Lee with distrust, and we begin to wonder who is Lee Chandler and what has he done? As we discover what it is... the movie still doesn't descend into becoming soppy. In fact, humour and sarcasm weaves in and out of the gloom.

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When Lee arrives at the hospital in Manchester and finds out that his brother Joe has died, Joe's best friend is openly crying, whereas Lee has a hard time showing his emotions. Though there are outbursts of anger and destructive behaviour, there's also a lack of sensitivity at the way he handles the new responsibility of being a guardian to his nephew. Even though he is rough and gruff, and his emotional landscape comes across as bleak as the cold, snowy winter landscape around him, there are moments when we see his heart and soul.

Copyright image: StudioCanal

There's no right or wrong way to the grieving process, its individual and each loss in unique. And everyone copes with grief differently. Though it's recommended that we express our emotions during grief, many of us like Lee, are unable to articulate or express how we feel. Often we can't articulate our feelings because we don't actually know what and how we're feeling.

One way to get in touch with your feelings is by getting creative. Simply give shape and colour to your feelings. Paint, draw, scribble, sketch... or write. Write a sentence, a paragraph, a page.... or write a letter to the person you've lost. This may uncover how you really feel and highlight the things that are really troubling you.

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Find constructive ways to understand and process your loss, and release your emotions safely. If you can, then reach out to get support and share your grief. This can be really healthy and comforting. Find someone you trust, or find a therapist or a counsellor, or a specialist bereavement support group.

Another useful tool you can use is, meditation. The process of meditation untangles you from your emotions, so that you can observe your thoughts and emotions, without being judgemental. This not only increases your self awareness but it also allows you to slowly access and experience positive emotions such as peace, love and acceptance.
Shutterstock / marekuliasz

Despite the English language being the third most widely spoken language in the world and providing a huge benefit to those who enjoy English as their mother tongue, an increasingly globalised world means that more and more companies are finding multilingual candidates more desirable.

Schoolchildren in the UK are said to be the worst in Europe when it comes to learning languages, a statistic which doesn't bode well for them should they decide to live or work abroad in future. In 2002, the Labour government made the decision to scrap languages as a compulsory subject for UK secondary schools, and now only 22% of state schools and 76% of private ones make languages compulsory in their syllabi, putting British students at more of a disadvantage than ever before.

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Arguably because English is so widely spoken and is the lingua franca of the modern world, students in the UK are prone to adopting certain attitudes around foreign language learning; a can't, won't, don't attitude, which doesn't just hamper their ability to learn a language, but also to succeed. Last year, less than half of UK students took a language at GCSE and research revealed that only one quarter of Brits could hold a conversation with someone in another language.

It's not all doom and gloom, however, as 99% of primary schools in the UK now give pupils the opportunity to learn a language, which should help to increase the number of polyglots among British children. Parents can also play their part, by encouraging their children to learn another language, especially as the period between birth and puberty is a critical period for language acquisition.

In comparison to the UK, students from other European countries and those who attend international schools are much more likely to be bilingual. 90% of people from the Netherlands, Sweden and Luxembourg, for example, can hold a conversation in more than one language, compared to just 25% of Brits.

Meanwhile, a third (33%) of students who attend international schools are bilingual, with many others being multilingual. This is because they are constantly immersed in a minimum of three different languages: the language(s) spoken at home, the language of instruction at school and the language of the host country. When I attended an international school as a child, many of my friends were fluent in 3 or even 4 languages by the time they were ten years old.

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With 42% of international schools teaching a UK curriculum and 23% teaching the American curriculum, English is often the chosen language of instruction, meaning that increasing numbers of students are becoming proficient in English as the popularity of international schools around the world grows.

How language learning sharpens cognitive abilities

There are many practical benefits to speaking more than one language: you may find it easier to get a job or communicate when travelling, it can be a conversation starter, you have access to many more words, metaphors and concepts, and the list goes on. However, language learning's stand out, salient benefit lies in the cognitive benefits which extend beyond just the mastery of another language.

Research shows that it is possible to distinguish between bilingual and monolingual people simply by looking at scans of their brains. This is because bilinguals use their anterior cingulate cortex more than monolinguals, meaning that it actually grows in size. This area of the brain is not only linked with regulating heart rate and blood pressure, but also with higher-level skills, such as emotion and decision making.

Consequently, bilingual brains are said to be faster and more accurate in processing information, as well as to have a superior ability to concentrate, solve problems and focus. The ability to think in two languages and decipher the answers to problems and thoughts in the appropriate language provides many benefits. Furthermore, the skills acquired when learning one language are transferrable when working in another, so it's no wonder that bilingualism is desirable in the multinational business world.

Research over the years has shown that being bilingual improves your memory, decision making skills and capability to switch between tasks. Schools that encourage learning more than one language may see an improvement in performance across other subjects because the cognitive benefits extend beyond language learning. Research has shown that those who are bilingual generally perform better in standardised tests such as maths and reading. Additionally, simple mistakes in spelling, also known as cognitive traps, are better avoided when a student speaks more than one language. Learning another language can also aid personal growth, increasing confidence, resilience and open-mindedness.

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Not only are these benefits undeniable, perhaps the key benefit of speaking more than one language comes with your wellbeing. Bilingualism has been said to improve your health, as well as to increase your chances of recovering from certain illnesses. Research has suggested that bilingualism slows down natural cognitive decline and delays the onset of dementia by up to five years. It also seems to help you recover from a stroke more quickly.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Azerbaijan will open a trading house in Belarus in the 1Q2017 in order to promote the export of competitive Azerbaijani goods, Azerbaijans Economy Ministry told Trend.

Currently, the work is underway on creation of Azerbaijans trading house in Belarus that is planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2017. An analogical trading house will be created in Ukraine too, said the ministry.

Meanwhile, it is planned to create a position of Azerbaijans trade representative to Russia and other countries, according to the ministry.

Earlier, Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev told reporters that Azerbaijan also intends to appoint its trade representatives to the UAE and China. He noted that the countrys trade representatives will have a status of a staff member of Azerbaijans diplomatic representations in those countries.

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on appointment of trade representatives in the countrys embassies and consulates abroad on Jan. 26.

Under the decree, the countrys economy minister will appoint trade representatives in the Azerbaijani embassies and consulates abroad to facilitate business ties and increase the effectiveness of export promotion measures, represent and fully protect the trade and economic interests of the country and exporters in foreign countries, and expand the delivery of Azerbaijani products to foreign markets.

According to the decree, the trade representatives will take measures to expand Azerbaijan's trade and economic relations with the country where they are appointed.

The trade representatives will also take measures to protect economic interests, increase exports of goods and services of Azerbaijan, promote the business and investment opportunities in the country, the decree said.
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Within minutes of entering the White House, Donald Trump had removed pages on the presidential websites referring to climate change. That's it; the global environmental phenomenon that threatens the very future of hundreds of millions of people - deleted.

On Tuesday, as the debate about facts versus the lies dubbed 'alternative facts' rumbled on, Trump - declaring himself an environmentalist - expedited the approval process of the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access oil pipelines.

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It is in this context - of Trump standing in total denial of the facts of climate change and of using fear and hatred to divide communities - that the British Prime Minister will become Trump's first visiting foreign leader on Friday.

There's a strong smell of desperation hanging over Theresa May's visit. With Brexit looming, it seems the Prime Minister will do anything to give the impression that a quick and dirty trade deal with the United States can be pulled out of the hat in a couple of years' time; even if that means trading away the regulations that protect peoples' health and the environment, global action on climate change, or even just basic standards of decency and respect. "Britain is open for business" is the mantra - and there is a real danger that this could drown out everything else.

But the Prime Minister's visit also runs the real risk of normalizing the extraordinary events unfolding in the US. At the very least, Theresa May's presence will likely be seen as endorsing the doctrinaire foreign policy that puts 'America First', something that probably will come to mean 'America only'. The chances are, she will do this while having zero influence over Trump's actions.

Simply stated, the Prime Minister should not go. But as May will meet Trump, and as this will almost inevitably provide him with a coat of international diplomatic varnish, then at the very least, she must raise - and raise publicly -the concerns of UK and world citizens.

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During the inauguration weekend, another alliance has been forming pan-Atlantic. More than 3.7 million Americans in 500 different cities turned out in the US to march against the Trump administration's abuse of women, people of color, people of different religions, genders and sexual orientations, and the environment. This turnout was mirrored by the hundreds of thousands who marched in the UK's towns and cities, and around the world.

This strength of feeling is inspiring. People from all walks of life and of all colours and cultures took part. The Prime Minister needs to have this reality of a global resistance firmly lodged in her head as she enters the twilight world of 'alternative facts.'

From this, Theresa May can conclude that she has a mandate to stand up for women's rights, the rights of minority communities and, from Friends of the Earth's perspective, the urgent need to protect the environment.

Trump's position is clear. His 'America First' mantra and his early actions are the drawing up of a death warrant for communities around the world. The Prime Minister, and every world leader that visits Trump, needs to convey that the United States becoming a rogue nation on climate change is unacceptable. The lives of entire populations depend on it.

On climate, her message to Trump must be clear and made in public:

First, she must clearly restate the UK's commitment to the UN climate talks, and to the Paris Agreement she and Obama signed in 2015, and say that she will not agree anything on trade with a country that is not part of this process. Trump has said he will pull the US out of Paris.

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Second, she must signal her clear disapproval at the unravelling of US domestic climate change policy. A US-UK trade deal will export US pollution to the UK.

Trump has famously said that if US companies seek to offshore production then they will have to pay handsome tariffs to bring those goods back into America. Two can play at that game (and, in trade policy, they invariably will).

Third, Prime Minister May should make it clear that if the US does renege on policies to cut emissions, then US products will have to pay the costs of their dirty emissions at the UK border.

Trump cannot carry out his sweeping 'America first' promise and make trade deals work. May visiting now, before we understand the degree to which he plans on seeing this promise through, is very poor judgement.

But if she is prepared to stand up to Trump and to argue in the name of equality, decency and science, she could appear strong. Rushing to Washington with a tin of diplomatic varnish for Trump will make her and Britain look desperate and weak.

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After last June's Referendum, then Prime Minister David Cameron suggested it was possible to serve the notice for withdrawal from the EU without reference to Parliament. In response my client Mr Dos Santos brought the first legal claim challenging that and arguing that service of the notice to withdraw under Article 50 requires Parliamentary approval. He was, of course, joined by Gina Miller and others, seeking not, as some have said, to thwart the democratic will of the people but in order to ensure the correct and lawful process applied to triggering Article 50. The claim was not about in or out of the EU. Mr Dos Santos voted for Brexit actually and sought only to establish the lawful process for achieving this.

The case raised issues that are the most significant constitutionally of our time, arguably the most important since the abdication crisis in 1936.

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The question for the Court was whether the Government has the right to start withdrawal using the power of Royal Prerogative or can only do so with Parliament's agreement by statute. Their decision has vindicated those who believed in and sought to reaffirm our Parliamentary democracy.

The Supreme Court decided that the rights attaching to our membership of the European Union were given by Parliament and can only be removed by Parliament. This result is a fresh assertion by the Court that our elected MPs in Parliament have the sovereign power to grant rights and remove them; a power only constricted by consideration of human rights and the rule of law.

The decision is not just a victory for Parliamentary democracy however, but also the rule of law. It vindicates the claimants' courage and determination to shine a spotlight on the rightful process as well as the role that the law plays in forestalling arbitrary actions by Government.

It is well known that both my client and his co-claimant Gina Miller have received hate mail of the most vile and threatening nature during this case. Yet the fact their case has been heard and determined by the Courts with reason and respect is evidence that the rule of law continues to run effectively in this country.

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The Court itself has been vilified and Judges subject to intense media criticism and intimidation. Yet a determination has been made based purely on the legal issues which is as it should be. The Government and the Lord Chancellor have said they respect the Court's decision. It is reassuring that the principle of the rule of law remains sacred.

Some have asked what is the point of this judgment given the Prime Minister already said she will give Parliament a vote on the Brexit deal. But what was proposed did not make the cut for us or the Court. Theresa May's offer of a vote after negotiations ie after the Article 50 notice is served, would have left MPs with a fait accompli; vote for the deal as presented or face going out with no deal. The Government is now duty bound to hold that vote before it triggers Article 50 in March and Theresa May has even now agreed to offer MPs a White Paper laying out her Brexit plans. When considering the Article 50 statute Parliament must pay pay special attention to individual citizen's rights and MPs may want to consider what safeguards are in place before removing such.
Sustaining peace is understood as a goal and a process to building a common vision of a society, ensuring that the needs of all segments of the population are taken into account. In a dual resolution on the UN peacebuilding architecture adopted on 27 April 2016, the Security Council (2282) and the General Assembly (70/262) defined sustaining peace as including "activities aimed at preventing the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict, addressing root causes, assisting parties to conflict to end hostilities, ensuring national reconciliation and moving toward recovery, reconstruction and development".

Sustaining peace is first a political process, and it requires an integrated and crosscutting approach of the three UN pillars: peace and security, development and human rights. By recognizing that sustainable peace can only be achieved when all segment of society are included, the UN has placed this concept into the orbit of the 2030 Agenda and its ultimate goal to leave no one behind.

On 24 January 2017, the President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, who has had himself a lifelong involvement in the field of development, convened a high-level dialogue on "Building Sustainable Peace for All. Synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustaining Peace Agenda". It was a good opportunity to emphasize the shared responsibility of UN agencies, governments, civil society and the global community to building sustainable peace through sustainable development.

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On that occasion, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that we are dealing with serious failures in development and remarked that the wealth of the eight richest men is equal to that of the 3.6 billion poorest people in the world together. He also identified two main challenges to the topic in discussion: "First, education is a prerequisite for both peace and economic development. Second, youth unemployment deprives millions of young people of the opportunity to fulfil their potential, and plays a part in violent conflict and the rise of global terrorism."

Two weeks ago, in his first formal statement to the Security Council, Antonio Guterres urged member states to interconnect efforts for peace and security, sustainable development and human rights "not just in words, but in practice". And he added: "The priority of everything we do together is preventing conflict and sustaining peace... The United Nations was established to prevent war by binding us in a rule-based international order. Today, that order is under grave threat."

Indeed, we need to restore trust in our global order and show those millions left behind in conflicts, in chronic need and in constant fear, the solidarity they deserve and expect from us. We witness volatility of borders, disintegration of states, trafficking in persons and natural resources that finance terrorist groups, appalling violations of human rights and of the international humanitarian law. In many cases, lack of solid institutions, corruption and mismanagement of public funds made states vulnerable to conflict and instability.

The UN matters as the only global institution dedicated to finding solutions to global challenges, and therefore the UN may become the cradle for creative efforts that generate synergies between peace and development. But sustainable peace and sustainable development cannot be achieved without addressing the root causes of conflict and instability. Preventing conflicts is considerably less expensive than responding. It is also less divisive in the international community, including in the Security Council, than finding solutions after the outbreak of crisis.

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The UN has at its disposal an impressive array of tools for conflict prevention and sustaining peace, particularly the Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), but the entire 2030 Agenda is generous in this respect. In 2017, several other high level events devoted to peace and development are scheduled: the Multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the SDGs, the UN Forum on forest and the Forum on financing for development, the UN Conference to the support the implementation of the SDG 14 (on Oceans), the High-Level political forum on sustainable development, and the High-Level meeting of the General Assembly on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

At the same time, locally developed solutions to conflict play an unprecedented role in the modern era and, as the Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom remarked during the debate on 24 January: "Peace building must be nationally owned and inclusive". From this perspective, Romania is a net contributor to UN efforts. We have invested in preventive diplomacy, peace building and development in different parts of the world, and devoted our ODA resources to capacity building of public institutions, election assistance, public order, anti-corruption, youth and education, providing training courses for diplomats, and co-financing projects for institutional capacity in Afghanistan and in countries from Middle East, Africa and Asia. Tens of thousands of students from these regions have been trained in Romanian universities, while Romanian experts have worked in those respective countries to projects ranging from industry to energy and transport infrastructure, thus contributing to their development.
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In Theresa May's speech on Brexit last week, in which she asserted that Britain will be leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union, she was met by many politicians and journalists with disdain.

She was denounced for pursuing the 'hardest of Brexits', and was accused by Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron of 'betraying' the British people. A democrat he is not.

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However, to lambast Mrs May for pursuing a 'hard Brexit', as if it is something entirely unexpected and terrible, is to woefully misrepresent what leaving the EU has to entail if it is to result in meaningful change from the status quo.

So far as I've been able to work out from the bleating within the media and on my Facebook newsfeed, a 'hard' Brexit means leaving the single market and customs union, an apparently irredeemably terrible scenario, whilst 'soft' Brexit means 'leaving' the EU but remaining a member of the former and the latter.

However, if we ostensibly leave the EU only to remain as members of both the single market and the customs union, then we have to abide by all the rules and regulations of membership of both entities, which includes maintaining the free movement of people, and not being able to strike our own trade deals.

Surely those on the Remain side of the fence would accept that this would be far worse than our current arrangement, in that it would leave us in the same situation but with absolutely zero capacity to change anything. In other words, it would constitute not leaving the EU.

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On that basis then, just to be clear for those who still are prone to wilfully misunderstanding the arguments, we have to leave the single market and the customs union in order to properly leave the EU. Even if that is not what you voted for, it is surely beyond obvious that that is what leaving entails?

Further, some have touted the ridiculous notion that 'The People' didn't vote to leave the single market, and therefore to leave it is to go against the will of the people. It is a curious assertion, given that nearly every prominent member of both the Remain and Leave campaigns said in public that a vote to leave the EU would be a vote to leave the Single Market.

Tim Farron, in his piece in The Guardian in which he accused Theresa May of betraying the British people, wrote that 'polls show that 90% of voters want Britain to remain in the single market'.

I followed the link to the poll, and in fact it doesn't say that. Rather, it says that, 'nine in ten people would like free trade with EU countries to continue' but also - and Farron's piece didn't mention this - that 'as many as seven in ten (70%) think the UK should be able to limit the number of people from the EU who come here to live and work'.

As you can see, wanting to continue freely trading with European countries is categorically not the same thing as wanting to remain inside the single market, and there is no reason why Britain will not be able to freely trade with European countries after it leaves.

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Further, it is quite clear from the latter point about voters wanting controls on immigration that, at the very least, leavers did not vote to remain within the single market whilst still wanting to leave the EU, because that would have entailed accepting free movement, to which they were clearly opposed.

So, what is the motivation of the likes of Farron? Well it's quite clear, they want to subvert June's democratic vote, and instead of going about it honestly, they are using made-up terms to advance their agenda.

They want to make it appear that the Government is now pursuing a path that the people didn't vote for, when in fact the exact opposite is the case.
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As the UK Supreme Court in the Brexit case has made clear, the sovereignty of Parliament is at the core of the UK's constitutional framework. Arguably, Parliamentary sovereignty and a binding commitment to the rule of law are the only principles of the UK constitution. Parliamentary sovereignty or supremacy means that Parliament trumps. The history of these islands has been an ongoing battle to confirm this. Theresa May's saga with the courts over who can authorize Brexit, Parliament or the Prime Minister, is yet just another chapter of British history. She should, of course, have known better, and no doubt her constitutional affairs advisers should have told her she did not have the authority to end unilaterally the UK's legally binding relationship with the EU. The extraordinary thing about May's Brexit strategy is that there is a whiff of King James II's attempts at autocracy about it. Even the judge bashing conjured up images of the 1680s.

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So if the Westminster Parliament is sovereign, how does popular sovereignty - via referenda - fit with the principle of Parliamentary sovereignty? Can the popular "will of the people" in turn trump Parliament? The simple answer must be no. There is no meaningful place in the UK constitutional framework for referenda, unless or until the UK deliberately changes its constitutional arrangements.

MPs now have to unpick what the outcome of the referendum means, particularly in the context of the European Communities Act 1972 that incorporated EU law and rights emanating from the EU into UK law. Our Parliament was elected in 2015. All of the current MPs with the exception of one were elected on the basis of manifestos that supported broadly EU membership. There were nuances and, of course, the Conservative Party manifesto contained a commitment to hold a referendum on EU membership. But with the exception of UKIP's one MP, no political party campaigned expressly to leave the EU.

According to the UK constitution, the constituency of Parliament reflects the 'will of the people'. In turn, in 2015 Parliament passed the act establishing the referendum which took place on 23 June 2016. The lack of scrutiny and engagement with the Referendum Bill as it went through Parliament is scandalous. Corbyn's Opposition have questions to answer. Parliament has authorized referenda in the past: we've had half a dozen or so since Wilson's first referendum on EEC membership. But nobody has tried to work out how they work and what they mean. Should there be thresholds and safeguards? How do we interpret non voting? These questions have been largely dismissed because past referenda have always maintained the status quo or given effect to democratically elected government policy. The referendum on EU membership can be nothing more than advisory in the context of the UK constitutional framework.

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The outcome of that referendum was inconclusive. The statistics can be presented in multiple ways: 52% voted to leave, 48% to remain; or alternatively, 37% voted to leave, 36% to remain and 27% didn't vote, meaning 63% did note vote to leave. How do you factor in the non voters? The obvious conclusion to draw is that they want to retain the status quo. But what is in no doubt is that the referendum does not indicate a settled will of the people of the UK. Referenda are, of course, dodgy. Can major policy questions ever be reduced to a simple yes or no answer? They are also vulnerable to demagogy and other extraneous influences, but, more importantly, the UK system of government doesn't do referenda. Our constitutional principle premised upon Parliamentary sovereignty is that we elect MPs on the basis of their manifestos to think through these issues for us, and if we don't like the results of their policies we can in due course elect other MPs whose policies we prefer.

As the Supreme Court has made clear, it is now for Parliament to interpret the outcome of the referendum, not the Prime Minister. It is therefore the role of Parliament, which was elected on the basis that all the political parties but one had a commitment to remain connected with the EU, to clarify what the outcome of the referendum means.

Had we a Prime Minister who believed in Parliamentary sovereignty she or he would at some point after the 24th June have put various options to Parliament. These should have been debated in an open and transparent way, thus informing the entire nation of the issues at stake as well as the Members of Parliament who in turn would vote on the matter.

Is Brexit a party political issue? In theory, no. People from all political traditions voted either to leave or remain (and people from all political traditions chose not to vote). The current Prime Minister's fundamental failing has been to turn the outcome of the referendum into Conservative Party policy, both in terms of keeping that party together and claiming ownership of Brexit (despite having voted to remain). It is not only the Tory Party that is changing its manifesto commitments in light of the referendum. It is also the Labour Party. Let's not forget the 23rd June was a shock for everyone. Would those who voted Conservative or Labour in 2015 have done so had they known that the party they voted for would change its policies on EU membership so fundamentally in the light of an inconclusive referendum vote? The Conservative's slim 6-seat majority comes from snatching Lib Dem seats, but would those Lib Dem voters who voted Tory be happy with that party's volte face over the EU? To be clear, in 2015 the Tories did not campaign to leave the EU.

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Brexit isn't a party political issue, but it is one for the political parties at Westminster to work out and also to frame their own policies around. We know that 37% of those eligible to vote voted to leave, but the Conservative Party narrowly won the last election with a commitment to remaining as part of the European project. What trumps? The outcome of the general election or the outcome of the referendum where 63% of those eligible to vote did not vote to leave? The UK constitutional framework provides the answer to this question. MPs, the overwhelming majority of whom were elected on the basis of remaining, decide, and in due course our political parties will present their policies for re-election and these will be informed by the outcome of the 23rd June referendum. Is the Prime Minister seeking to further undermine the UK constitutional arrangement by presenting the electorate with a fait accompli at the next general election in 2020? Why can't we elect a Parliament on the basis of the positions of political parties vis-a-vis the EU? The respective positions of the Conservatives and Labour need to be put to the people to see how they fair.
In October 2014 I was at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven showcasing handmade products from my sustainable fashion brand for the first time. We had a prominent space to display our textiles and we anticipated a big crowd of people for the event. Every year around 295,000 visitors from the Netherlands and abroad visit this design event that is spread across the city.

I was nervous but also excited, as it was the first time we had presented our brand in a public forum. When the first visitor stopped at our stand to touch, feel and try on our stoles, I made my pitch. "All our products are designed in Amsterdam and handmade in India by rural artisans", I said confidently. The response that I got was not what I anticipated. "Hmm okay. But do you use child labour?" It was the first, but not the last time I was asked that question. That day at Dutch Design Week, I was also asked, "Do your artisans work in good conditions?" "Have you visited your suppliers?" "Are the people you work with being exploited" and even, "do you make your products in sweatshops."

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As the co-founder of a young brand of sustainable fashion, I realised then that I was being held accountable and answerable for my business. And just as I had been looking at hangtags and 'Made in' tags before making a purchase, consumers were doing the same with me.

Purpose and profitability - that's what consumers today demand from corporates - more so in the apparel industry.

As a response to this increasing tribe of the conscious consumer, in 2011, clothing giant H&M introduced their Conscious Collection using organic cotton, tencel and recycled polyester to make garments. Similarly, Zara launched the 'Join Life' collection in 2016, as a commitment from the company to produce responsibly, in addition to reusing packaging to reduce its waste. In May 2016, Inditex also released the names of their wet processing units in Bangladesh, China, India, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and other countries.

In the past, the demand for Social and environment responsibility from corporates was a gentle stream. Today is a raging current and tomorrow it will be a tidal wave. Consumers are changing and if corporates don't respond to that change, their sustainability will be under threat.

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Data shows a clear link between doing good and doing well with customers. In a 2016 study on Corporate Social Responsibility by Nielsen, 30,000 people across 60 countries were surveyed to see how passionate they were about sustainability while making a purchasing decision. Sixty-six percent of global online consumers surveyed said they are willing to pay more for products (50% in 2013) and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact.

Some fifty-three percent of global respondents in Nielsen's survey say their purchase decisions are partly dependent on the packaging - they check the labeling first before buying to ensure the brand is committed to positive social and environmental impact.

During his farewell speech, former American President Barack Obama said that, "This is where I learnt that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together to demand it."

His words beautifully summarise the power that people hold. Even the act of consumption is the equivalent of voting. Someone once said, 'Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want'.

We've continuously had to share our brand values with consumers, reassuring them at we were both socially and environmentally responsible in how we produce. So as a way of being transparent about our production process, we introduced a Talking Tag - a hangtag on each product with a unique QR code showing through photos and videos how the product was made and the people who made it.

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As an entrepreneur who is part of this movement, I have taken a stance on sustainability for my planet, and the world that I leave behind for my two children. As a consumer, you can do the same. Stop to ask questions, just like our consumers did. Look keenly at the 'Made In' tags. Demand information on the environmental and social impact of businesses. Together, we have the power to shape shift behaviour.
'Whiplash' director Damien Chazelle's homage to the underappreciated art of jazz and music found in modern day LA leaves you feeling nostalgic for the Golden Age of Hollywood, whilst also managing to create a great presence of predictability and cliche throughout. Taking an unprecedented 6 million within the first weekend of UK release and favourite to win Best Picture at the Oscars in February, I'm asking is 'La La Land' truly a "masterpiece"? Can you confidently compare Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone to the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman of 'Casablanca'? I don't know about you, but I almost felt instantly obliged to think that Chazelle's ode to olden day musicals is "ground-breaking" purely because of hundreds of 5 star reviews making you believe you should be ashamed to think otherwise.

'La La Land' is indeed a warm-hearted, uplifting, feel good film and Chazelle's contemporary slant on the modern day musical is refreshing. It's also stimulating to see young people in the 'social media' generation share a common passion for the survival of old fashioned arts and values. With Mia's room plastered in retro film posters (but ironically has never seen 'Rebel Without a Cause') and Sebastian's love for a stool once owned by Hoagy Carmichael, the pair aspire careers in industries that essentially are no longer appreciated or even available in the present day. Unfortunately, more often than not, Chazelle throws in 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Casablanca' references, old moie posters and vintage Hollywood film sets purely to play up the nostalgia factor in order to make us think we relate to them and to long for a time that is no longer valued in the present day. The character of Seb, a highly annoying music snob, does a terrible job of attempting to make the audience passionate about the preserving of jazz music by condescending Mia, who admits she doesn't like jazz and takes her on dates to jazz bars thereafter.

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Mia, a struggling barista-come-actress, who somehow can afford to drive a Prius and live in an a decent apartment in LA, dreams of becoming a famous actress and Seb, an aggressive jazz snob who's tired of seeing 'samba/tapas' joints around town and longs to open his own jazz bar, both represent modern propaganda for the 'American Dream'. The film is a corny testament to dreaming and makes you believe that if all American's follow their aspirations they can somehow manage to go from barista to famous actress in Paris who receives her flat whites and skinny lattes for free - which is extremely cliche as we see this happen in the beginning of the film with another famous actress. It's highly un- realistic.
There's very few emails I dislike receiving. I love my job! However there's also only a few emails that I get extremely excited about. One of those such occasions was being invited to visit Mallorca at the end of last year.

Clara and Rafa from Handisport said "do you want to come for some winter sun, try out sailing, mountain trekking, blokarting, and tour the capital Parma?". I was like errr YES. Such a fantastic opportunity right?

So Kasia and I flew on a Monday and had one of the smoothest flights ever. So good I tweeted EasyJet a big thank you. We were greeted at Parma airport by the very happy and helpful driver Hugo from Autocares Adrover. He took us to our 'Island Mallorca' hotel and we relaxed with great food and a glass of wine. The hotel room had a fantastic wetroom shower and Handisport had rented a hoist from Mobility care. I took my own sling, as I usually do.

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After a great sleep we ate a delicious breakfast (the food was constantly delicious!) and we met Hugo by the adapted van. Day 1 of the itinerary had began. Off we headed to tour Parma with 'Routes for Palma'. We rolled around the streets, learned of the history, and saw many interesting places. My favourite was the cathedral that was originally surrounded by the sea. It now stands a little back from the water, but looks out to the horizon beautifully.

After 2pm we headed for a typically later Spanish lunch. It was hosted at the amazing restaurant Es Museu. Starter, mains, drinks, desert and coffee. I was so full and content on that warm Mallorcan terrace. Delicious.

That afternoon we were scheduled to go sailing. However on a rare occasion I decided to sit this activity out. I'd sailed many times before, so I wasn't missing out on a new activity. I was feeling very tired. Overall I wanted to keep my energy up for the next two exciting days.

After a warm late afternoon meander from the harbour, we explored the hotel spa. By using my shower chair on wheels that I always travel with, Kasia could push me into the sauna and steam room. Probably not a great idea with my electric wheelchair.

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I've never been a 'spa guy' - whatever that means. But I could get used to the feeling of relaxation they give you. The following night I had a back, neck and face massage. Plus the sauna and steam room again. Tough gig!

On day 2 of the itinerary Hugo was waiting with his big smile and hilarious conversation. We were to drive further this time to the mountains. Half an hour later I was being lifted by the Handisport team into a mean-machine.

Big tyres. Suspension. Speed. All driven from a joystick like my usual wheelchair! Plus it was comfortable. It was a VERY new experience for me. The machine chewed up the bumpy and sloping terrain. I felt like an explorer in unchartered territory. Here you can see the video we made, including the machine, and my huge smile!

Following a short drive, more delicious food, and great chats with the Handisport team - we headed to a field. Yes a field. To try blokarting!?

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If like me you don't know what blokarting is, let me explain from my recent experience. Imagine a sailing boat on wheels. That's it! It's literally a kart on wheels, propelled by the wind in the sails. It was very exhilarating too.

It wasn't possible for me to operate the speed or the steering. However I enjoyed learning about how the process works. The way the sails are moved to catch the wind and give velocity was so clever. All with the mountains in the background.

On the third and final day, we were speaking at a Mallorcan government building. Myself and the two other bloggers (from Spain and Brazil) gave accessible travel stories and insights. Professionals from government, businesses and charities attended.

It was great to see passionate people trying to improve their community for everyone. Remember accessible travel tends to be adventure travel. We're all aiming for inclusion. Everyone should be able to go wherever and do whatever they want.

Well done and thank you to Handisport, Hugo, the Mallorcan government and all of the project partners mentioned above.

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Best wishes,

Martyn

CEO and Co-Founder Disability Horizons
It was a snowy December evening in Chicago's Westside and I was wrapped up in layers with lovely warm heat blowing in my face as I sat in a big black SUV. I was, however, about to have an experience that would open my eyes to the reality of life on the streets of Chicago; a reality that has included nearly 60 shootings, many fatal, over the Christmas weekend.

I'd spent the afternoon with the Ceasefire team at UCAN; a Chicago based organisation who believe that youth who have suffered trauma can become our future leaders. UCAN serve over 10,000 at risk young people and operate the Cure Violence 'violence interruption' model in the Westside area of Chicago. The Westside is home to communities where violence is endemic, touches everyone and spreads like a contagious disease. The Cure Violence model, pioneered by Dr Gary Slutkin MD, proposes that violence will spread unless interrupted by culturally competent, trained outreach workers who can reduce the likelihood of retaliation through conflict resolution, offer effective, trauma informed support to those most at risk and mobilise communities to change the norms of violence.

My afternoon with UCAN started with me looking in awe at the huge oil painting in the lobby by artist Gerald Griffin. The painting depicts a young Black boy in simple clothes and trainers standing against a backdrop of debris and wreckage but with a pose of strength and defiance. The painting is titled 'Still Standing' and is described as representing 'the power of the will, the resiliency of the spirit and the anomaly of Black people'. This picture really does speak a thousand words.

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Talking with Norman Livingston Kerr, Vice President of Violence Intervention at UCAN, was my next stop and another thought provoking experience. Norman speaks powerfully and eloquently about what growing up in Chicago is really like, particularly for young Black men. He talks of communities focussed on surviving not thriving, of hopelessness, racism, segregation and of a poverty of hope not just wealth. He also talks of the emotional trauma running through these communities like infected blood running through veins, carrying hurt and acting as a carrier for infectious community violence. Norman and his team understand these communities. They understand the violence. Many of them have lived it.

It is the deep lived experience and the community credibility of the Violence Interrupters, alongside high quality training and support which makes them effective. This became evident in the planning meeting I attended, where the team don't rely on referrals to know where violence may occur. They know. The sensitivity of what was discussed isn't for a blog but I was so impressed with how the team pooled their extensive knowledge of what's going on across their patch; worked out where to focus and decided on what violence reduction strategies to implement that day.

Then it was time for me to hit the streets. I've lived and worked with violence for many years and so I wasn't as scared as I probably should've been; you don't get many white women walking through the Westside communities after dark and I didn't expect (or warrant) to be made to feel welcome. Thankfully, the UCAN team made me feel incredibly welcome and safe despite the area we were about to walk through.

Getting out of the nice warm cars and into the freezing night air (it was about -10!) was a shock to the system but so was the whole experience. It was surreal to be walking through streets plagued with violence, the day after a shooting left a 54 year old man fighting for his life after he was shot in the head whilst driving through the neighbourhood. The team, all in distinctive yellow hats to identify them as Violence Interrupters, immediately start shouting as soon as we leave our vehicles. They shout at the top of their lungs 'Ceasefire!' and I'm left wondering is this just an announcement as to who they are or a plea not to shoot at us as we walk through these eerie streets?

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We all carry postcards and bumper stickers urging the community to use their influence and for conflicts to be handled without violence. We put them through letter boxes and on people's doors but more importantly we stopped and talked with people.

Before long, a man came over to talk to us; he looked broken. He explained that he was a close relative of the man that had been shot the day before and that the family were struggling to comprehend why he had been shot as well as questioning how they were going to cope. The team rallied round him, offering comfort and exploring what support could be offered. Sadly the 54 year old died in hospital a few days later.

The UCAN team, as well as other teams delivering the Cure Violence model, know that the prevention of further violence is far from just a law enforcement issue. It is acknowledged that the police have a job to do but that does not concern the Violence Interrupters; they work entirely independently and so maintain the confidence of the community, who are at the heart of the issue and the solutions.

The Cure Violence model works, some would say much more so than incarceration where according to the National Institute of Justice, recidivism sits at about 77%.The Cure Violence model actually reduces violence; in some areas by up to 70%.

Key to the impact of the UCAN team and the Cure Violence model, is that community outreach is just one element of intervention and that all the support offered is trauma-informed. This means that all staff are trained to recognise the impacts of emotional trauma and to respond sensitively and supportively when it manifests in those being supported. The UCAN outreach team includes culturally competent trained

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clinicians able to respond there and then to those in crisis and to offer ongoing support where needed.

The wider UCAN team includes school based mentoring, therapeutic day schools, therapeutic housing provision, mother and baby units, youth leadership development and training for professionals.

We know that hurt people hurt people and so, in my opinion, this therapeutic approach to healing these hurts is essential to violence prevention and reduction. My work with a range of Chicago based not-for-profit organisations, including the Primo Centre for Women and Children will continue in 2017 and will include events to bring best practice in trauma-informed care (TIC) from Chicago to the UK.
Rafe Swan via Getty Images

There has been a recent fuss about GP opening hours, largely, I believe, to distract away from more important issues in the NHS related to funding, workforce and demand. For a brief moment, before the media chose to focus elsewhere there was attention placed on the working day of general practitioners. What may lie at the heart of some of these arguments is a lack of understanding about what GPs actually do in their working day.

On a typical working day I am expected to see at least 34 patients, 16 in the morning, 18 in the afternoon, in two 3ish-hour clinics, though I often see more emergencies. These are the times I consider my door to be "open" to the public. Accounting for running a bit behind I probably spend about seven hours seeing patients face-to-face. But my working day normally starts over an hour before my first patient arrives and can end over an hour after the last one leaves, with a gap in the middle. I probably have, on average, 11 hour days.

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So what do I spend the other four hours doing, behind closed doors?

When I am not seeing patients in the surgery, I am often speaking to them on the phone, either because they have not been able to get an appointment or because they feel that their question can be answered without being seen; though this is not always the case - rashes are particularly difficult to diagnose over the phone. I also see patients in their own home, a time consuming process which can leave you without the relative comforts of their clinical record, computerised safety check of prescriptions, chaperones and second opinions.

Apart from a short break to have lunch, though many GPs each lunch at their desk while working, I spend time at meetings with my colleagues and other health professionals to discuss terminally ill patients, problem cases, children at risk of abuse, new clinical policies and local incentive schemes. Putting aside the patient contacts outside of the scheduled clinics and meetings the rest of my time is spent in front of a computer screen.

Patients discharged from hospital, or seen in clinics, often have changes made to their medication; this can sometimes be because they forgot to tell the hospital doctors what they were taking, there can be mistakes, or medications can be changed for clinical reasons.

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Other information that GPs have to deal with includes results of tests ordered by the surgery (also on the increase), as well as the results of tests done in hospital. If a colleague is away you may have to spend time working out why a test was ordered and what needs to be done about a result, even if it is normal. Within our computer system there is a method for sending messages to each other about patients, reminders, questions, queries. These all need to be dealt with, as well as the incessant barrage of email communication between doctors and wider organisations.

On top of all that there are requests for reports from the Department for Work Pensions, as well as insurance companies that need dealing with and number-crunching associated with schemes that pay GPs for their performance. Payment is dependent on the right computer codes being used in patient's clinical records, so many records have to be reviewed to ensure that the surgery remains financially viable into the future.

Every now and then I use the toilet.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 26

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Bakus beauty, appearance of the modern megalopolis, amazing scenery and climate, architecture, rich and diverse cuisine, hospitality of the people, and worldwide sporting events held regularly make Azerbaijan attractive for tourists, says Juris Maklakovs, ambassador of Latvia to Azerbaijan.

Simplification of the visa regime for foreign citizens by Azerbaijan since January 2017 is definitely a positive step, which will certainly have a positive impact on the development of tourism in the country, Maklakovs said in an interview with Trend.

The diplomat said he discovered many interesting and beautiful places in Baku and beyond the capital city in the early days of his stay in Azerbaijan.

"Now that the visa regime has been simplified, more tourists will come to Azerbaijan," he added.

"The flow of tourists from Arab countries after the visa regime with those countries was simplified is another proof of this," said Maklakovs.

He added that first and foremost there should be a direct flight between Azerbaijan and Latvia for the tourist flow from his country to increase.

"Currently, the Baku-Riga direct flight is open only in summer and autumn," Maklakovs noted. "If the flight is carried out regularly, there will be much more tourists from Latvia."

Maklakovs said that it would be interesting for the Latvian tourists to come to Azerbaijan, get acquainted with the sights of Baku and districts, try national cuisine, and enjoy the hospitality of the Azerbaijani people.

"Tourists from Latvia will also eagerly come to such global events as the Formula 1," the diplomat said.

The Latvian ambassador says he recommends his compatriots willing to come to Azerbaijan to visit the historical and archaeological complexes in the suburbs of Baku  Gobustan and Surakhani.

"The tourists should also visit Azerbaijans regions, in particular, Shaki, Guba, Shamakhi, Gabala, get acquainted with culture, cuisine and hospitality of the local population," Maklakovs said.

"Business cannot grow if there are difficulties with visiting the country," he noted. "Tourism can be seen as a first step: people first have to come to a country and get acquainted with it, and then, after seeing that there is an opportunity to establish business, partnership, the people may want to work in that place."

Simplification of the visa regime in Azerbaijan can become a serious step, which will give momentum to the establishment of business contacts afterwards, said the diplomat.

Maklakovs also called on Azerbaijani investors to invest in Latvia.

He said that currently the volume of Azerbaijani investments in the Latvian economy is $16 million.

"Latvia offers Azerbaijani investors favorable conditions in the form of a special tax regime, guarantees, tax incentives for the enterprises located in specially supported territories, and protection of the investments," said Maklakovs.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Asebaa
With a million people in the UK now identifying as vegan, interest for cruelty-free living goes beyond what is on our plates. In a time when fashion consumers care more than ever about where their clothes come from, clothing made from animal skin is falling out of favour. High-street brands like ASOS, Monsoon and H&M are banning angora and down feathers, and high-end brands are also taking notice: Hugo Boss and Armani are two luxury names who recently banned fur from their collections.

As vegan fashion approaches mainstream, dressing with compassion has never been easier - or further away from the hemp-and-dreadlocks stereotype. Let these eight steps lead the way to a cruelty-free wardrobe.

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1. Donate your fur. Inherited a fur coat from grandma? Old fur can be put to good use. PETA's fur donation programme has helped animals in shelters get new bedding, kept homeless people warm on cold winter nights and even been sent to refugee camps. So don't throw out your pelt - donate it instead.

2. Get acquainted with high-quality faux leather. All vegan leathers are not made equal. The key characteristics to look for when shopping for a better fake are texture (you want a little bit of grain and a matte surface - smooth and shiny are a quick giveaway for fake), weight (a good leather jacket is often a little bit heavier) and a good fit (step away from anything too tight). See Cornelia Guest's capsule collection for the perfect example of good vegan leather, or check out Free People's selection.

3. Phase things out. If you want to donate all your non-vegan clothing and start over with a clean slate, go for it. But otherwise, don't beat yourself up for that old pair of leather shoes or angora-blend jumper still in your closet. Most of us owned those items at some point, and expecting an entire life makeover in a short span of time is unrealistic. As long as you shop cruelty-free from now on, you're good.

4. Explore new brands. Creating a vegan wardrobe is the perfect excuse for hours of online browsing to discover the labels that will elevate your new, compassionate wardrobe to unexpected style heights. Some of the brands you're bound to love include ByBlanch and Beyond Skin for shoes, Freedom of Animals and Wilby for bags, Animal Behavior for sleek, minimalist designs and Raw Apparel for vegan slogan tops.

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5. Discover eco materials. Stella McCartney once said, "using leather to make a handbag is cruel. But it's also not modern, you're not pushing innovation." Wise words. And since the industry is responsible for a variety of toxic emissions, it's hardly a friend of the environment. Good news: the ground-breaking materials set to replace it are kinder to the planet and to humans (did you know that over 90% of Bangladesh's leather workers die before the age of 50 due to exposure to toxic substances?). The fabric Pinatex by Ananas Anam is crafted from fibres that come from waste pineapple leaves. And Muskin, a leather-like material extracted from mushroom caps, is 100% biodegradable. Both of these are still works in progress - for planet-friendly fashion that you can buy and wear today, look no further than Matt and Nat bags, lined with material made from recycled plastic bottles.

7. Find out where to shop online. One beautiful discovery you will make when you trawl the web for animal-friendly fashion is that ASOS has a filter that lets you search for non-leather items (by the way, the Eco Edit at ASOS is a goldmine for sustainable on-trend items). Another is that NET-A-PORTER is actually a fur-free retailer. Ethical multi-brand retailers like LoveChild and Bead and Reel offer plenty of cruelty-free clothing.

8. Learn to distinguish faux from the real deal. Labels aren't always clear, so get used to doing some digging to find out if that leather or fur are real or fake. Real fur often has hide-like backing, whereas faux fur is sewn onto fabric. Real fur is also more tapered than faux, which is often the same length all over. Genuine leather can be more grainy than faux, and harder to pierce with a needle. Most shoes have labels on the outsole - a hide-shaped symbol for real, a diamond symbol for faux.

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As innovation in fashion progresses, choosing ethically produced items will become the default choice - and as animals are not fabric, we have simply no need to wear them today, or in the future.

All photos by Chasity Nao
andykatz via Getty Images

One of the most extraordinary of many memorable events of the first few days of President Trump has been the escalation, rather than the diminution, of his battle with the media. These confrontations may be taking place in Washington and may appear so ludicrous that it is tempting to ignore them. But there are key implications for anyone who is contact with the press and TV in the UK, as well as on the other side of the Atlantic.

Within hours of the Inauguration, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer attacked reporters for 'falsehoods' over the crowd numbers attending the event, even though the easily-provable facts were clearly not on his side. One commentator compared his ill-tempered address, even on this topic of little importance, to the propaganda techniques of the Soviet-era Kremlin and the Nazis. Meanwhile, just to up the ante even further, the President's adviser and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway appeared on TV the following morning, describing Mr Spicer's falsehoods as merely 'alternative facts', for which she was much lampooned. The new approach has shown the power of social media, with Trump's extraordinary and sometimes bizarre twitter feed, but it has also demonstrated the risks; he cannot blame media intermediaries for misrepresenting him, when he is plainly representing himself.

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But to make intentional enemies of the White House Press Corps is surely a huge mistake, and one which the new President and his team will surely come to regret. So is this the new reality in the media world, where anything goes, however tenuous its link to reality? For the moment, from across the Atlantic, we may have to put up with acres of 'them and us' claims and counter-claims by Breitbart and the Office of the President on the one side, and the massed ranks of the New York Times, CNN, Huffington Post and so on, on the other. This trend may be heading for the UK, with Jeremy Corbyn-supporting The Canary and the newly-launched pro-Brexit site Westmonster.com. But I think this very unstable situation with the American media cannot last indefinitely; they will have to find a better working relationship. This is one of those wars that neither side can win - it can only damage both parties. The President's high-aggression tactics will not appeal far beyond his core supporters; similarly in the UK, the highly-politicised news websites remain, and I believe will continue to remain, very much a minority sport.
By Emanuel Pastreich

Back in the 1989 the Japanese conservative politician Ishihara Shintaro wrote a best seller entitled "The Japan that can say 'No'," in which he argued that Japan was punching beneath its weight. He imagined a self-confident Japan which was capable of refusing unreasonable demands from the United States and maintained a healthy equal relationship.

Ishihara is a cynical right-wing politician, but there is something of real relevance for the Republic of Korea today in his words.

The rise of the Trump administration means that Korea must be able to say "no."

The Trump administration has made extreme statements regarding China that are so out of line with American policy, and so provocative, that Korea cannot have anything to do with its actions.

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James Mattis, secretary of defense in the Donald Trump administration, will visit Seoul next week to make a series of demands for cooperationof a headless Korean government. It is clear that drawing Korea into an alliance with Japan to confront China is at the top of his list. Moreover, Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillersonand the White House have demanded that China must leave the islands that it claims in the South China sea, and suggested that the United States will make China leave.

These statements are so inflammatory that many are wondering whether or not they are dreaming. But there is no doubt as to the meaning of those words. They are the equivalent of a declaration of war.

If Korea values its future, it had better learn to say "no" pretty quickly.

Korea has a long relationship with China and there are numerous exchanges in business, academics, local government and NGOs that contribute to the well-being of Korea. Korea has deep economic ties with China that continue to deepen and mature. It is absolute necessity to maintain them.

The Trump administration is planning to confront China over its actions in the South China Seas on a set of islands to which the United States has no claim.

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The conflicts in claims over the islands date back into the past and are similar to other conflicts over islands elsewhere in the world that are managed successfully.

The United States can play a positive role in the security of East Asia, and China is not opposed to such a role. But China does not dispute the United States possession of Hawaii and the United States should not dispute China's claims in the South China Sea.

The very concept that China is an enemy to be contained is an irrational policy promoted by cynical militarists that must be opposed. China is not just a country; it is one sixth of the Earth's population. Not only is China committed to most global institutions, it plays by the rules of international law far better than the United States.

As an American who studied Chinese at Yale College and Harvard University and who taught Asian studies in the United States for ten years, I take pride in the long tradition of cooperationbetween the United States and China.

I was inspired as an undergraduate at Yale by the work of the Yale-China Association which has promoted educational exchanges with China since 1901. The United States defended China in the face of the imperialist powers in the early 20th century and supported China in the war against Japanese imperialism. The United States also made sure that China was a founding member of the United Nations.

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China is taking the lead in the response to climate change these days and has shown itself to be an active member of international efforts to promote peace as shown in Xi Jinping's call for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The position of the Trump administration is entirely out of line with the international community, with the American tradition. We must clearly voice our opposition.

Barak Obama and Xi Jinping signed a critical agreement for cooperation between China and the United States last year that included military-military cooperation and joint efforts to respond to climate change. That agreement reflects the direction that US-China relations should move.

China and the United States should work together with Korea to assure stability and prosperity in East Asia. Three countries must respect each other's concerns and put together a far-sighted plan for the future.

If anyone in the United States, or elsewhere, suggests otherwise, we must firmly and unambiguously disagree.

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People walk past a homeless man sitting on the pavement in a street as temperatures plunged under 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) on January 26, 2017 in Lyon. / AFP / PHILIPPE DESMAZES (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)

Residents experiencing homelessness in the District of Columbia know too well that finding a restroom can be very difficult, if not impossible, especially in the center of the city.

That's why in the first legislative session of the year, I introduced a bill that creates a plan for the District to provide public restroom facilities, and create incentives for businesses that make restrooms available to the public.

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The idea came from advocates at the People for Fairness Coalition. The group did an analysis of publicly available restrooms downtown and found there were only three clean, safe restrooms open 24/7 in all of Washington, D.C.

Lack of access to public restroom facilities is an issue that affects many residents, but its effects are particularly felt by the homeless and people with unique restroom needs such as pregnant women, people with disabilities and the elderly.

"Lack of access to public restroom facilities is an issue that affects many residents, but its effects are particularly felt by the homeless people.





Access to clean water and proper sanitation is something that everyone in the District deserves.





Many residents experiencing homelessness don't have regular access to a restroom. This can be a particular problem when businesses don't provide access or a business that does provide access during the day closes for the night. Homeless residents may be fined for urinating in public, aren't able to pay the fine and then are swept up into the criminal justice system. Others may have embarrassing accidents in public places or on public transit because they can't find dignified facilities.

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Many major world cities in Europe and Asia readily provide public restrooms, and large U.S. cities have increasingly sought to provide restroom access for all. Portland, Oregon has a program called the Portland Loo, which creates permanent private facilities around the city. In London, the city will provide businesses with a financial incentive if they agree to keep their restrooms open to the public.

My bill would authorize a task force to study these kinds of programs and make specific proposals for D.C., such as site location and pricing, which could serve as a roadmap for future installation of public restrooms in the District. It would also explore how we could create incentives for businesses that make restrooms available to the public.

I introduced this bill with the support of fellow Councilmembers Grosso, Silverman, R. White, Allen, and Bonds.

Access to clean water and proper sanitation is something that everyone in the District deserves. This bill will bring us one step closer to making that a reality.

More information about the bill is available HERE.
By Yesha Maniar

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump made various comments about immigration, consistently targeting Muslims and Mexicans. He's claimed numerous times that he wants to create a "Muslim registry" of immigrants and to build a wall along the border between the US and Mexico. In order to incite fear in his potential voters, he has also insulted these groups, calling them terrorists and gang members.

Today, we're seeing that he's moving one step closer towards accomplishing his campaign promises. With the use of executive orders, Donald Trump has moved forward with building a wall on the US-Mexico border and has plans to limit immigration from Muslim-majority countries. He also plans on decreasing the number of refugees we accept. These are all part of his "national security" measures.

Firstly, his actions create more fear and support the unfounded stereotypes surrounding brown people. Many brown people today are facing discrimination, hateful speech and the "lowercase kkk" as Aziz Ansari called it on "SNL." Instead of increasing "national security", these policies decrease the security of minority populations within our country.

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Secondly, most crimes, terrorist attacks and shootings are committed by American-born individuals. The American Immigration Council published a report in 2015 showing that there is a decrease in crime rates with increased immigration rates and immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens. If we wanted to stop crimes and shootings, we should take a look at our gun control measures not at immigrants.

Thirdly, Donald Trump wants to hold the ban on Syrian refugees until the Department of Homeland Security improves its vetting process. However, the vetting process already takes up to two years to be completed. There are twenty steps involved, including two background checks, three fingerprint screenings and an extensive in-person interview. I'm not sure how much more thorough a vetting process can be.

Fourth, if Donald Trump really stood for economic development and what continues to make America great, he would recognize that this country is made on the backs of immigrants. From the building of the first transcontinental railroad to today's agricultural, healthcare and IT workforce, immigrants dominate in the sectors necessary for America's economic prosperity.

In a study by McLaren and Hong, it was found that for every immigrant that enters America, there are 1.2 local jobs created for local workers, and these jobs are usually held by native-US born workers. Additionally, wages do not decrease as a result of increased immigration. In fact, wages increase in the local, non-tradeable sector. In another study, it was found that immigrants start 28% of new businesses in 2011.

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Lastly, immigrants are an invaluable asset to this country, and not only because of the economics, but also because of what they represent. While America has not always shown tolerance for people of color and we still have much to accomplish in this realm, America has become a symbol of freedom to people all over the world. By closing our borders and discriminating against minorities, we no longer let America be the sanctuary it used to be.

The Syrian refugee crisis is a humanitarian crisis. There are children growing up in crowded refugee camps and families that underwent some of the most strenuous experiences to escape Syria. A 2014 UNICEF report from Lebanon found that two thousand children living in refugee camps suffer from severe acute malnutrition. If a child can recognize that we should help Syrian refugees and not turn them away and articulated this to President Obama, surely a 70-year old man should try to learn a little bit more on the topic before he continues making policy.

Donald Trump's recent spree of unilateral action through executive orders seems difficult to stop especially with a Republican-controlled Congress. So, how can we resist his policies and express our dissent? An executive order can be overturned by the Supreme Court or a new law passed in Congress.

Since the Supreme Court is not supposed to be influenced by the public, that leaves us with influencing our elected officials. You can find your representative using this website, and you can also search their pages for phone numbers and in-person events you can attend. Call them until you speak with an aide and tell them why it's important to you as a voter that they do everything possible to prevent this executive order from becoming a reality.

Tell them about your personal stories as an immigrant or your parent's stories or your grandparent's stories or your friend's stories. Make them realize that we are not "others" or any lesser because we weren't born in this country and that immigrants are people just like anyone else looking to give their families the best life they possibly can. Our voices matter and the more we push back, the more we oppose, the more Donald Trump and Congress can't ignore us.

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***

Yesha Maniar graduated from Dartmouth College in 2014 and spent a year working at a charter school in Boston. She enjoys reading a variety of genres and spends her free time in Boston cafe hopping. She currently attends Boston University School of Medicine with hopes of working with young children and adolescents in the future in the field of community health.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

I went to the Women's March in Downtown Los Angeles with my entire family last Saturday. And I must say, it did for me what Lexapro, Xanax, Double-Stuffed Oreos, Single-Stuffed Oreos, talk therapy, punk rock and binge-watching Norwegian crime thrillers couldn't do: It made me feel good. Or at the very least, not "walk into the ocean with stones in my pockets" bad. Which is roughly how every day, post-election, has felt for me and many, many people like me.

The March was one of the greatest days of my life. It was even better than the previous day, Inauguration Day had been bad. It was a day filled with hope, energy, solidarity, kindness and the feeling that our collective voices could bring about meaningful change, regardless of the opposition.

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And then I got home. I got to watch our president lie to the CIA about the size of his inauguration and demonize the media for his shoddy relationship with the intelligence community. Since then, we've got to witness a daily onslaught of draconian executive orders meant to make scapegoats of society's most vulnerable people. We've seen the president make up a voter fraud claim out of whole cloth to delegitimize his opposition. And wage war against the media to delegitimize anyone seeking to hold him accountable to an empirical truth.

Needless to say, my post-march glow has dissipated. And my fear and melancholy has returned in full-force. So I had the Double-Stuffed Oreos. And Peanut M & M's. And Cheddar Goldfish.

What's also returned is my need to speak out. Especially, when I saw a certain cabal on my Facebook feed denigrating millions of peaceful protesters as "babies throwing a tantrum." And castigating anyone who objects to Trump's policies or temperament as "not giving him a chance." You know what, it's been six days. I've seen more than enough.

So today at lunch, I jotted down these few short thoughts comparing the rise of Trumpism with the rise of totalitarianism. Mind you, I'm a comedy writer not a historian. Also mind you, I went to college nearly 300 years ago, so I did the best I could from memory. Still, there's no excuse for not having a single Beer Hall Putsch reference. Hey, there's one. And the rest is my post as it appeared in its original form on Facebook. I'd say, "enjoy." But I think the more apt greeting is "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

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I'm not sure there's such a thing as an official dictator's handbook. But a hallmark of every tyrannical power grab tends to involve creating the illusion of a dire national emergency that only an autocratic strongman can rescue you from.

It invariably involves tapping into an often economically aggrieved citizenry and selling them a portrait a nation in decline, whose best days are in the rear-view mirror. It means convincing the populace that their nation is wounded and demoralized and under the oppressive thumb of foreign powers. And whose national security and national character is jeopardized by weak, cosmopolitan elites in power by the sudden appearance on their shores of the "others" with nefarious motives.

Hitler rose to power, in large part because of the emotional myth of the diktat. This was the sense that Germany's malaise and economic woes could all be traced to the bum deal that they got from the Treaty of Versailles. He sold the notion that regular real Germans had been sold out by the political elite and forced to accept both extensive and unjust blame and reparations for World War I.

So it's no surprise to me that Donald Trump has been diminishing America with his vituperative rhetoric for 30 years. That his convention and inaugural speeches describe a dystopian landscape akin to what President Snow usually talks about before declaring the next Hunger Games.

From the time he came into the public eye, Trump has never spoken to the virtues of our American experiment. In his view our economy is always in shambles and on the verge of collapse. Our military is always weak, demoralized and sold out by civilian oversight. We are the chumps on the wrong end of every trade agreement. Notice that every description of urban life is of a stereotypical war-torn wasteland beset by zero education and non-stop gun violence. It's why "Mexican immigrants are rapists" who come here to murder innocent "real Americans." It's why every Muslim immigrant or refugee is instantly suspect and a likely purveyor of global terrorism.

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In Trump's mind and rhetoric, America must always be a nation in decline. Must always be on the verge of economic collapse. Must always be at risk of mass murder or terrorist attack. Because that's the only justification for a strongman to emerge and clean up the mess. By banning members of one religion and mass deportations of people on a path to citizenship. By curtailing civil liberties through the power of fiat and executive order.


"These schools and this community became staked more than fifty years ago on the idea that education is the highest investment for the present and for the future, in light also of the huge historical changes that human kind is going through."

-- Carla Rinaldi

In September 1994, Jerome Bruner, the famed psychologist, professor and education visionary, visited Reggio Emilia, a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The President of Reggio Children at that time had written to Professor Bruner inviting him to visit the city's schools. From that year onwards until 2012, Professor Bruner visited Reggio for one month of each year to study the city's schools and enjoy its rich culture. According to Carla Rinaldi, current President of Reggio Children and Director of the Loris Malaguzzi International Center in Reggio Emilia, these schools and the local culture were "among his dearest research subjects."

I met Carla Rinaldi in New York City at a memorial service for Jerome Bruner after his death last year. It is my honor to welcome her to The Global Search for Education to talk about Bruner and the fascinating work her organization continues to do. In addition to being President of Reggio Children and Director of the Loris Malaguzzi International Center in Reggio Emilia, Carla is also a professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. She worked side-by-side with Loris Malaguzzi from 1970 until 1994 in the municipal infant toddler and preschool system of Reggio Emilia, where she was the first pedagogical coordinator. She lectures in countries around the world.

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"Everyone is unique, the holder of an exclusive gaze on the world. If we are aware of this, we look for the other, so as to understand, enrich, and exchange points of view about the reality and the possible."

-- Carla Rinaldi

Welcome Carla. Let's speak a little about the philosophy of education in Reggio Emilia. What do you believe makes its schools special?

The great trust in the child (and in the human being), in his potential and possibilities; the idea that he is holder of a culture, the culture of childhood, which is to be found in the infant toddler centers and preschools (0-6 project); the places where this culture can be expressed, made visible and influence the culture of the areas where the schools are located. This happens if, and only if, the infant toddler centers and the preschools are quality educational centers, a quality that is defined in the spaces and times emphasizing the everyday life.

An everyday life (the day in the infant toddler centre and in the preschool), which recognizes the child's right to learn according to his own times and manners, in a constructive act, which is an original, individual and a group act, potentially creative and always interactive and in which he expresses himself through the hundred, thousand languages he uses to construct joyfully, stubbornly and with a big effort his relations with the world and that express the beauty and the richness of his interiority.

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Teachers play an important role in building up the opportunities to learn and to make visible - through the video and photographic documentation - the beauty and the richness of these processes concerning education and participation in life.

A further structural element of the Reggio experience relies on this process of shared education: the participation of parents in the educational process of their own children, which, as such, proves to be one of their paths towards a responsible parenthood.

Parents, along with teachers, are the promoters of a cultural and political sensitization to foster children's rights and quality places for early childhood. These schools and this community (the city of Reggio Emilia) became staked more than fifty years ago on the idea that education is the highest investment for the present and for the future, in light also of the huge historical changes that human kind is going through.

Is there any particular initiative you are working on now that you would like to share?

The great effort we are doing, thanks to the Municipal Administration, the teachers, the citizens and the parents of Reggio, is to continue to believe that education, and only quality education, is the most advanced tool for social justice and peace worldwide. For this reason, we continue our efforts to open the schools to the thousands of visitors coming from all over the world who have been visiting them for more than forty years now.

"No child in Reggio Emilia can really be well if the other children around the world are not well," said Loris Malaguzzi, the philosopher and pedagogista who, with the municipal Administration, gave life to this experience in far off 1963 along with the teachers and the families of that time, and who dedicated his entire life to it. And being loyal to this principle is now, more than ever, difficult but necessary; human kind willing to focus on childhood so as to restart from children, and with children to find again the sense of future and life.

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"Jerome had a special relationship with the children in the schools; he listened to them with high respect, a real curiosity and a big interpretative generosity."-- Carla Rinaldi

What was it that Jerome found so fascinating about the city itself? How does the educational style of Reggio connect to its wealth of culture?

Jerome Bruner came to Reggio for the first time in 1994 but he had had indirect contacts with our experience for many years. He was struck by the experience that he admired for the features I tried to express above. This is what Jerome said on his first visit with his wife Carol Feldman: "I spent an entire life saying that it was possible but lately I was concerned it wasn't. Now I know it is possible. What struck me in the infant toddler centers and in the pre-schools is to see how imagination is fostered so as to strengthen in children the sense of possible...." What struck him was the interaction between teachers and children (based on a great respect and deep influence/reciprocity) and between the schools and the city. Jerome found the confirmation and the consolidation of the idea that infant toddler centers and preschools are the places where culture and knowledge are constructed; a strong and brave vision that he declared and improved over the years with his Reggian friends.

Jerome liked to talk to everyone. What is the importance of gathering multiple perspectives? What does this say about Jerome as a person?

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Yes, Jerome loved to speak with everyone, starting with children. Everyone is unique, the holder of an exclusive gaze on the world. If we are aware of this, we look for the other, so as to understand, enrich, and exchange points of view about the reality and the possible.

Pluralism as an antidote to the dictatorship of the absolute truth. Jerome Bruner was among the fundamental authors of this perspective. What was striking is that this way of thinking became for him a "strategy of everyday life," a way of looking at others, at the world through the others' eyes and the others' narrations, but above all a way of coming into contact with the many people and with the many worlds whose narrations he listened to.

Jerome had a special relationship with the children in the schools; he listened to them with high respect, a real curiosity and a big interpretative generosity.



"The primary goal is to contribute to improve the quality of the life of children, teenagers and young people worldwide by taking inspiration from what has been learned in the experience of the infant toddler centres and preschools in Reggio Emilia and from their relations with the city and the world." -- Carla Rinaldi

Jerome became an "honorary citizen" of Reggio. What does it say about his intimate relationship with the city?

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In June 1997, the Mayor of Reggio Emilia conferred him with honorary citizenship. A moment of joy and emotion for everyone, which sealed a friendship, stated a deep esteem and expressed the gratitude of the city for the professor, who, with his analysis and interpretations, made the city more aware of the importance of its choices and of its responsibilities. "In Reggio Emilia, I feel as a citizen of the world. These wonderfully creative schools don't exist in a vacuum container. They are an integral part, they are an expression of this small and wonderful city," he declared immediately after he received this acknowledgement. And for him, who received prizes and awards from all over the world, this was a moment of genuine pride and real emotion.

What are your dreams for the Reggio Foundation in the next decade?

As the Charter of Values of the Foundation states, the primary goal is to contribute to improve the quality of the life of children, teenagers and young people worldwide by taking inspiration from what has been learned in the experience of the infant toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia and from their relations with the city and the world.

To develop solidarity by looking for new possibilities which allow the communities, the cities, and the countries to understand that education is the biggest investment that a society can make and that this process of educational, cultural and political "overhaul" should begin from brave choices, starting from the centers and the places of childhood, used as parameters for a new human kind and as a lever for new projects of civilization.

(Photos are courtesy of Reggio Children)



C. M. Rubin and Carla Rinaldi

Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.

The Global Search for Education Community Page
U.S. President Donald Trump looks up while signing an executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House in Washington January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

I was skeptical about a Trump presidency from the moment he announced he was running. With his lack of experience and brash, take-no-prisoners style, I questioned whether he could ever be an effective leader.

But I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. In scarcely a week, Donald J. Trump has proven himself to be the greatest president in the history of the United States. Better than Washington, better than Jefferson, better even than Lincoln. Why? Because every one of those leaders took years to set America on a better course, often with great collateral damage. But with a few, brilliantly-chosen policy changes and inspired ideas for groundbreaking legislation, Trump has steered our country off a path of destruction and doom and set it gliding down a highway toward unmatched prosperity and glory.

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But I don't want to oversimplify things by giving all the credit to President Trump's superior intellect. We must also acknowledge his powerful charisma -- a life force and, dare I say it, sex appeal that has with startling speed reinvigorated the very spirit of the American people. With his thousand-watt smile and movie star swagger, he has ignited a vibrant new patriotism that has swept like a brush fire across this great land.

Just as he promised, President Trump has Made America Great Again. He has accomplished everything he said he would and in record time. Which is why resigning now and leaving office, at the top of his game, would seal his reputation as the greatest leader in modern history -- perhaps in the history of mankind.

Because, honestly, things can only go downhill from here.

Therefore, and I think I will find widespread agreement on this, I propose a farewell to our Beloved Commander-in-Chief like this country has never seen. A "thank you" parade across the breadth of our nation and ending in Washington DC, where we will unveil a scale model of the 14k gold-plated statue of our dear President that we will erect as soon as he cleans out his desk and officially leaves office. It will be taller than the Washington Monument, more emotionally-moving than the Lincoln Memorial, and it will be amazing and beautiful, and it will last forever. There might be a revolving restaurant at the top where you can enjoy a nice steak.

And so I say to President Trump, God bless you, our fair-haired prince! Alas, we hardly knew ye! You shall be beloved forever and remembered long after the last star in the last galaxy has burned out. Bon voyage, our American Hero! Fare thee well! Godspeed!

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Finally we conclude a series of thoughts and observations on Jan Fabre's art, continuing from here, here, and here. He currently has a gigantic exhibition, Knight of Despair/Warrior of Beauty, installed at the State Hermitage Museum, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I had the pleasure of seeing it there, and have spent a long time since then reflecting on my understanding of his work.



a sculpture by Jan Fabre, installed at the Hermitage

As we have discussed, Fabre is a magician, a much more feasible occupation in the mysterious nighttime of art than in the cold daylight of the real world. He develops a loose conceptual framework for his projects, and then moves inside this framework on the basis of inspiration. Because he trusts in his sense of play, of the work presenting itself to him, he falls on the opportunist side of the opportunist/perfectionist divide. This is a divide I first heard of in the context of evolution: that evolution is an opportunist. It doesn't sit around all day designing an ideally-adapted organism, as a perfectionist would. Instead, it tries everything it can, and if something works, great. Both strategies yield benefits, and have their representatives in the arts. Vermeer and Kubrick, for instance, are perfectionists. They make few works, but the works they make are astonishing and divinely crafted. Picasso and Werner Herzog are opportunists. They make a lot of work, and a lot of it fails, but that is inherent to the procedure, and when they succeed - greatness. Fabre is in this latter camp, which boils over with invention and mayhem.

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So we will discuss here a few pieces which, for me, work. They are the reward for his searching and his frenetic generation of images and objects.

APPEARANCE AND DISAPPEARANCE



Jan Fabre, The Appearance and Disappearance of Christ I, 2016, 124  165.3 

Ballpoint (bic) on Poly G-film (Bonjet High Gloss white film 200gr), dibond

This is a series consisting of enormous black and white photographic prints, of vaguely baroque imagery, which appear to have vanished behind gleaming cobalt surfaces. A closer inspection reveals that these otherworldly jewels are created in the most tedious way from the most prosaic materials - layer after layer of lines drawn with blue ballpoint pen, Bic perhaps, at 69 cents a pop, until a dense and dazzling mat of ink is developed. Through this mat, it is nearly impossible to see the submerged image. And yet it presents itself in certain light, at certain angles of the eye. And most uncannily, it is quite clear to an iPhone.



iPhone view of an Appearance and Disappearance work

This is not what the pieces look like at all - they can scarcely be deciphered in person. In this series, a private moment of doodling in a magazine is blown up to a statement of ontological significance. The title catches it, appearance and disappearance: these objects hover between the being and non-being of the image, presenting all the possibility and menace of an indeterminate degree of existence.

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FALSIFICATION DE LA FETE SECRETE



Left: Melchior de Hondecoeter, Dead Game, before 1783

Right: a nearby drawing by Jan Fabre

(not photographed at the same scale)

These drawings are installed irregularly in a hall with the Flemish and Dutch paintings which inspired them. They are small drawings, with the bright colors and quirky humor of children's books of the 19th century. In contrast with the industrial-scale martialling of forces required to execute so much of Fabre's work, they are appealingly simple and direct. The strengths and weaknesses of Fabre's hand show through here. The work is imperfect, and its varying qualities reflect the character of a living man. To other artists, I think, Fabre is at his most recognizable here, his most vulnerable. He becomes like all of us, a pilgrim to the great works of the past, trying to recreate what he loves in those works, and in his failing, as all of us fail, discovering his own distinct nature. Fabre's drawings here recapitulate the artist's journey toward maturity, demonstrating the adorations of the art student and the solitary creativity of the artist.

ALIENS

(my title, not his)



Jacob Jordaens paintings

Finally we come to the installation which, for me, is the masterpiece of the exhibition. It is the best of the rewards for Fabre's opportunistic method, the point at which the elements align and his magical vision becomes embodied in matter. The room in which it is installed holds gigantic still lives and animal scenes by 17th century Flemish master Jacob Jordaens. In these paintings, we see the world through an eye attentive to the strange. The masses of animal and vegetable matter come very close to being truly alien - right here in the heart of the Western tradition, the most familiar tradition, the alien is lurking. These paintings, taken together, gaze so closely at the real world that it reveals its persistent weirdness. And right here, Fabre introduces his bizarre menagerie of the bones of men, covered over in beetle shells and fused with mounted birds. The men have twisted postures and surprising colors, and the birds are incongruous, but taken altogether, these creatures have biological integrity. They make sense relative to themselves; they simply happen to be from another world.



a Fabre sculpture in the Jordaens room

Fabre places them in a room where our own world becomes as unrecognizable as it gets. Two passages of the nearly foreign therefore appear in one place, and for a glimmering moment, the viewer may slip over into Fabre's universe. His iridescent men may be the native creatures of our world, and our own squids and sharks, lions and leopards, cantaloupes and cabbages become the disconcerting intrusions from elsewhere. Fabre's insight is that the paintings of Jordaens are so peculiar as to alienate us from our world, and thus, make us receptive to another world as our own. He fashions, to the extent art can, a gateway between worlds.

This is the most potent instance of his magic which I saw in the show.



the skeletal feet of one of Fabre's alien men

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President Donald J. Trump said he will "absolutely do safe zones in Syria." Establishing safe zones is a consequential decision. Benefits and risks must be carefully considered.

The devil is in the details. Where will safe zones be established? How will safe zones be enforced? Which local fighters can the US rely on?

Safe zones are viable in Syria's south, along its border with Jordan, and in the north on Syria's border with Turkey.

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The Southern Front, a coalition of CIA-vetted Syrian rebel groups, controls the desert region adjoining Jordan. The Southern Front is supported by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. It represents a bulwark against Iranian influence and Iranian backed armed groups such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), would secure the northern safe zone. The SDF includes 40,000 Kurdish fighters comprising Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The provinces of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin encompass the northern zone. There is precedent for cooperation with the SDF. The US is supporting SDF fighters in the battle to retake Raqqa, the ISIS capital.

Safe zones will require the US to expand its deployment of Special Forces. The US would also have to provide a more sophisticated arsenal to the Southern Front and SDF.

In addition, safe zones will require air power. De-conflicting with Russian warplanes will be critical.

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Safe zones could yield substantial benefits.

Safe zones will shrink the territory controlled by ISIS. They will be a launch point for rebel groups fighting ISIS. Safe zones will also help mitigate the humanitarian crisis, serving as a sanctuary for displaced Syrians.

There are also costs.

Establishing safe zones will require significant military assets. US troops will be in harm's way. Enforcing safe zones also risks putting the US on a slippery slope to further involvement in Syria's civil war.

The northern safe zone risks a further falling out with Turkey, which has staked out its own zone of influence in Jarablus. Turkey adamantly opposes US cooperation with the YPG, which it sees as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). A safe zone along Turkey's border will be viewed as a nascent Kurdish state, protected by the US the same way that the US protected the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

In response, Turkey could deny US access to Incirlik air force base. Then Pentagon planners would be compelled to ramp up operations from Jordan, Cyprus, and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Tense US-Turkish relations are exacerbated by Trump's rhetoric about radical Islamic terror, listing the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, and restrictions on immigration of Muslims. Not only was Turkey the primary supporter of ISIS, it has become increasingly Islamist and anti-Western.

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Military action will not occur in a vacuum. Safe zones will go hand in hand with US diplomatic engagement.

Russia and Turkey have sought to exclude the US from talks aimed at ending Syria's civil war. The rancorous collapse of last week's "peace conference" in Astana, backed by Russia and Turkey, showed the limits to Russian-Turkish diplomacy and the indispensable role of the US in mediating and enforcing a peace agreement.

Trump must carefully consider both the benefits and risks of safe zones. Safe zones will require a sustained military and diplomatic commitment. Shooting from the hip is no way to go to war.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijan and Ukraine have big potential for cooperation in all directions of social policy, said Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Salim Muslumov.

Muslumov made the remarks during his meeting with Ukraines Minister of Social Policy Andrey Reva in Baku on Jan. 27.

The study of labor market, employment sphere, insurance and others are among the directions of social policy, where the two countries have big potential for cooperation, said the minister.

He added that Azerbaijan and Ukraine have a full legal base for cooperation in the sphere of social security that is based on four agreements.

Ukraine is the only country that provides our citizens, who previously worked in this country, with pensions, noted Muslumov adding that the Ukrainian side transfers these funds to Azerbaijans State Social Protection Fund, which, for its part, transfers them to pensioners accounts.

The minister emphasized that Ukraine is the only country, which fulfills its social obligations to other countries.

Currently, more than 500,000 Azerbaijanis live in Ukraine and among them there are people who hold high state positions, added Muslumov.
Donald Trump's inaugural speech has fittingly been described, as "dystopian," as "dark," as "a declaration of war." The new president made no call for unity, did not reach out to a soul not already in his camp -- despite losing the popular vote by almost 3 million votes -- nor uttered a word to bring together a fractured nation or address a world deeply nervous at his ascension to the most powerful of offices.

In the first few days as president, his actions mirrored his words. Trump has rushed headlong into creating further divisions and has begun an assault on human rights and basic decency -- including a de facto ban on many Muslim refugees from entering the United States and the resurrection of CIA "black sites" -- and promises more to come.

The new president exalts torture, mocks the disabled, casts aspersions on those who defend human rights, appeals to racist sentiments through coded and not-so-coded language and denigrates women in both word and deed. He shows no regard for the Geneva Conventions or the painstaking work of generations of human rights activists, many of them American, to ensure that civilians are not abused in times of conflict and that the vulnerable are protected.

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For good measure, he seems to demean virtually every restraint that protects the citizen from the state. His first call as president to a foreign leader was to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, who crushed the protests against army rule, devastated Egypt's civil society with draconian laws targeting human rights defenders and turned Egypt's legal institutions into "kangaroo courts." A chilling signal indeed.

Say what you will, Trump has clearly laid down the gauntlet that places the most powerful of nations on the side of the privileged and signals that human rights will be honored only in the breach. This can hardly be a surprise, given his campaign rhetoric that called openly for torture and other serious crimes that violate international and domestic law.

For me, the nadir of Trump's remarks in front of the Capitol echoed his campaign: "From this moment on, it's going to be America First." This phrase -- "American First" -- is a term loaded with historical meaning, dating back to Charles Lindbergh and the "America First" movement of the 1930s. At first blush it indicates a withdrawal from the world, but that movement is also strongly associated with anti-Semitism, racism and the white nationalism that is espoused by some of Trump's closest advisers.

The new president's inaugural speech was encased in other nationalistic slogans, most prominently "Make America Great Again," harkening back, at least rhetorically, to what many minorities, women and marginalized people remember as days stained by segregation, hate and discrimination on the basis of race, gender and sexual orientation.

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I started my life in segregated schools in North Carolina and have seen up close the country's failure to protect an array of minorities and to implement the promises of the 14th Amendment and the Bill of Rights. Racial injustice continues to be a heavy burden on this country, as the events of Ferguson and elsewhere have shown. Much needs to be done to address the still-open sore of mass incarceration of African-Americans, police violence and a litany of other abuses of police power, as so well-articulated by the Black Lives Matter movement and other activists. Trump has no answer to this problem; instead, he demonizes minorities and callously rejects their legitimate demands.

Trump is on a road to undermine the progress that has been achieved. His appointment to the Supreme Court will certainly aim to undercut the steps that the court has taken over the past 60 years to, haltingly, make the Bill of Rights not simply a promise but gradually more of a reality. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the promissory note of the Bill of Rights has gradually been paid down, but in Trump's vision this will stop now: One must have "total allegiance to the United States of America," presumably as he interprets it. The whiff of McCarthyism is in the air for those of us who do not define ourselves as allegiant to Trump's vision of America.

The inaugural speech and Trump's first actions also send powerful messages regarding the struggle for human rights across the planet. The consequences of his dark vision will be dire. The record of the United States is patchy at best in terms of promoting human rights abroad, but it has played an important role in a number of areas, commencing with Eleanor Roosevelt's work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

While its record in Latin America and the Middle East has been particularly deplorable, this country has supported civil society groups in a number of countries and other international initiatives that have promoted accountability for human rights violations. It has worked with other countries and the United Nations to advance the normative agenda that has enshrined human rights in international law and broadly supported the human rights movement in areas such as individual liberties and women's rights. Mr. Trump will end these efforts in an obvious return to the old adage: "Governments can boil their own people in oil for all we care, as long as they support us."

This abdication of American support for human rights will not only undermine those countries that respect human rights but will also embolden those who seek to undermine the United Nations and other institutions that have advocated for and protected those rights. The emerging Trump-Putin partnership will mean that victims of human rights abuses around the world will have nowhere to turn to, as avenues to redress, accountability and acknowledgement of the violations close down.

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The question is, what can we do? What is our responsibility as human rights defenders, but also as citizens of the United States and the world at large?

I was in New York City on Saturday, participating in the Women's March, and was heartened by the tremendous crowd and the energy to resist Trump's dystopian agenda. This is an encouraging sign, which indicates that vast segments of American society do not support Trump's agenda. But the concern has to be expressed that these marches may be like "Occupy Wall Street," a burst of energy but with little organization to follow up. We will need to think harder and deeper about how to resist an agenda that would erode the gains that have been achieved.

While there is not a single "silver bullet" to take on what we will face ahead, we need to move past "conversations" and start organizing. It is hard to imagine -- in this diverse and app-based world of today -- that a single organization can take the lead in such a movement, like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (with lots of allies and competition, of course) did for the Civil Rights Movement. However, it is clear that a coalition of forces must emerge in American civil society to provide the backbone of resistance to the Trump agenda.

We cannot afford atomization along the lines of our specific causes, be they accountability for human rights violations, racial injustice, inequality, LGBTI rights, indigenous rights or other human rights causes we support. If we are to have a chance to stop Trump's destructive agenda, we must unite and act as a movement as strongly against the Dakota Access Pipeline as against a registry for Muslims or systemic police violence against African-Americans. Our goals in protecting human rights in the United States must be as clearly defined as our actions must be coordinated.

There also must be a revitalization of the Democratic party, which should take a page or two from the Republican playbook and be a genuine party of opposition and (when needed) of obstruction. Building on the energy of a progressive agenda, as illustrated by Bernie Sanders' campaign, needs to replace the Clinton approach of the 1990s that is responsible, in part, for the disaster of last November.

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In the era of alternative facts, words have become more ambiguous than usual. So when President Donald Trump says he'll spend $1 trillion rebuilding America's infrastructure, we should look at the details to see what he really means.

Damon Hininger, CEO of the country's largest private prison company, sure thinks he knows what Trump means. To Hininger, when Trump says "infrastructure," he doesn't just mean roads and bridges, he also means prisons and jails.

Asked in a December interview about what impact Trump would have on his business, he told CNBC, "I think this whole conversation about infrastructure and the need to replace old antiquated facilities, I think we can provide a lot of value."

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The "we" is Hininger's company, CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The "conversation" he was referring to is, of course, Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

But, remember, the details.

From what we know about the plan, when Trump says "rebuild," he really means "privatize." Most of that $1 trillion would be other people's money. Instead of issuing public debt--the simplest and cheapest way to build things--Trump would dangle a massive tax break to attract private investment to public infrastructure. Such "public-private partnerships" can be rife with problems--without protections, the public often loses control over policy regarding the infrastructure and workers get lower wages and fewer benefits. The tax break is just the cherry on top.

Apparently, Hininger wants in on it. CoreCivic profited $222 million in 2015 from owning and operating prisons, jails, immigration detention centers, and halfway houses. But he wants the world to know they build stuff too. When they changed their name from CCA in October, Hininger said it was about transforming the business to a "wider range of government solutions," including real estate. In fact, several years ago they changed their corporate legal status to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). In the interview, he even brags about it: "No one has built more facilities in the last 15 years than CoreCivic in the United States."

There's no question America needs an infrastructure upgrade. We've neglected our roads, bridges, and water systems for far too long. We've also failed to invest in new infrastructure such as light rail and broadband communications to respond to 21st century challenges and opportunities.

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But we need fewer prisons, jails, and detention centers, not more. America already has the biggest incarcerated population in the world. Every dollar of profit that falls into Hininger's pockets should instead be going to reducing that population, to public programs for things like mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and education.

Private prison companies like CoreCivic don't need a tax break--because they've already got one. In 2015 alone, CoreCivic and its primary competitor, GEO Group, used their REIT status and other avenues to avoid a combined $113 million in federal income taxes.
Back in the 1989 the Japanese conservative politician Ishihara Shintaro wrote a bestseller entitled 'The Japan that can say "No"' in which he argued that Japan was punching beneath its weight. He imagined a self-confident Japan that was capable of refusing unreasonable demands from the United States and maintained a healthy equal relationship.

Ishihara is a cynical right-wing politician, but there is something of real relevance for the Republic of Korea today in his words.

The rise of the Trump administration means that Korea must be able to say "no."

Members of the Trump administration have made hostile statements about China that are so out of line with American policy, and so provocative, that Korea cannot have anything to do with its actions.

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James Mattis, secretary of defense in the Donald Trump administration, will visit Seoul next week to make a series of demands for cooperation from a headless Korean government. It is clear that drawing Korea into an alliance with Japan to confront China militarily is at the top of his list. Moreover, Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson and the White House have demanded that China must leave the islands that it claims in the South China sea. They said explicitly that the United States will make China leave.

These statements are so extreme that many are wondering whether or not they are dreaming. But there is no doubt as to the meaning of those words: They are the equivalent of a declaration of war.

If Korea values its future, it had better learn to say "no" very quickly.

Korea has a long relationship with China and there are numerous exchanges in business, academics, local government and NGOs that contribute to the well-being of Korea. Korea has deep economic ties with China that continue to deepen and mature. It is absolute necessity to maintain them.

The Trump administration is planning to confront China over its actions in the South China Seas on a set of islands to which the United States has no claim.

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The conflicts in claims over the islands date back into the past and are similar to other conflicts over islands elsewhere in the world that are managed successfully.

The United States can play a positive role in the security of East Asia, and China is not opposed to such a role. But China does not dispute the United States possession of Hawaii and the United States should not dispute China's claims in the South China Sea.

The very concept that China is an enemy that must be contained is an irrational policy promoted by cynical militarists and it must be opposed. China is not just a country; it is one sixth of the Earth's population. Not only is China committed to most global institutions, it plays by the rules of international law far better than the United States.

As an American who studied Chinese at Yale College and Harvard University and who has taught Asian studies in the United States for ten years, I take pride in the long tradition of cooperation between the United States and China.

I was inspired as an undergraduate at Yale by the work of the Yale-China Association which has promoted educational exchanges with China since 1901. The United States defended China in the face of the imperialist powers in the early 20th century and supported China in the war against Japanese imperialism. The United States also insisted that China must be a founding member of the United Nations.

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China is taking the lead in the response to climate change these days and has shown itself to be an active member of international efforts to promote peace as shown in Xi Jinping's call for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The position of the Trump administration is entirely out of line with the international community, with the American tradition. We must clearly voice our opposition.

Barack Obama and Xi Jinping signed a critical agreement for cooperation between China and the United States last year that included military-military exchanges and joint plans for the response to climate change. That agreement reflects the direction that US-China relations should move.

China and the United States must work together with Korea to assure stability and prosperity in East Asia. Three countries must respect each other's concerns and put together a far-sighted plan for the future.

If anyone in the United States, or elsewhere, suggests otherwise, we must firmly and unambiguously disagree.

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I have been a strong supporter of the US-Korea Alliance and I am a director at the Korean American Association. The future for the United States and for Korea is with Asia and close cooperation with China is essential for our future success.
Gambian President Adama Barrow arrives at Banjul International Airport in Gambia January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

The tiny country of Gambia had a president who lost an election but refused to give up power. He was told to leave willingly or West African troops would oust him militarily.

As Senegalese troops crossed the border, the former president Yahya Jammeh ended his 22 years in office by flying to exile in Equatorial Guinea, taking with him the goodies he had accumulated. The man elected as president in December, Adama Barrow, returned home on Thursday from exile in Senegal to cheering crowds.

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ECOWAS, the Economic Community for West African States, is telling leaders they are subject to military intervention if they defy election results or initiate a civil war. The alliance intervened in Liberia in 1990 and then in the Ivory Coast's post election crisis in 2011.

Warning to dictators?

But Reed Brody, a human rights lawyer, said that although "ECOWAS' decisive action is definitely a warning to dictators, the signs are still very uneven if we look at the passive reaction to a stolen election in Gabon (in West Africa) and the overriding of term limits in places like, Rwanda, Uganda and most recently, Burundi" in central and east Africa.

Brody, who was instrumental in the recent prosecution and conviction in Senegal of the former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, said that The Gambia was a small country with a small army in a more democratic region of Africa, so the cost of intervention there was relatively low.

"If you want to stay in power forever, you'd better be sure that you have the support of your neighbors or the might to resist them," he said in an interview.

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Troops from Senegal which surrounds Gambia, the smallest country on the African continent, were the first to cross the border and other countries from the region followed.

"One of Jammeh's biggest mistakes was that he pissed off his big neighbor Senegal by supporting rebels in the Casamance region. Senegalese speak the same language as Gambians (Wolof) and follow Gambian events closely," Brody said.

"They correctly saw Jammeh as a brutish and buffoonish dictator and were very supportive of their government's moves to get rid of him," he added.

The youngsters did it

Alex Vines, head of the Africa Program at the London think tank Chatham House, said a key lesson was the importance of "youth and civil society pushing for change"

"This played a role in Nigeria and Ghana and now Gambia," he was quoted as saying.

Barrow, a real estate entrepreneur and a strict Muslim, who has two wives and four children, had been inaugurated in the Gambian embassy in Senegal.

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He arrived home to dancing crowds with troops and jets from Senegal and Nigeria guarding the airport. Many Gambian military officers are believed loyal to the ousted president.

To force Jammeh to leave peacefully and escape prosecution, the West Africans, the African Union and the United Nations allowed him to keep the goodies he as well as his cabinet ministers and party supporters had amassed, mainly at the expense of the impoverished country. They included a fleet of luxury cars and other goods, variously estimated at $10 million.

Brody however said perpetrators of torture or systematic killings can't have their crimes erased in a declaration should someone want to prosecute. Jammeh has a history of torture that his successor, Barrow, vowed to undo.

International legitimacy?

The UN Security Council, in an emergency session on December 17, refrained from endorsing a military intervention but it backed ECOWAS' activities. In a 15-0 vote, it "expressed its commitment to ensure, by political means first, the respect of the will of the people of The Gambia as expressed in the results of 1st December elections."

This was hint to allow military action but not quite. Peter Wilson, the deputy British ambassador, told reporters told reporters that on the question of force, the new president could request it.

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"If President Barrow asks for assistance then that is something that as the legitimate President of Gambia he is perfectly entitled to do," he said.

Kunta Kinte

Gambia, which boasts lovely beaches that attract tourists, is bordered to the north, east and south by Senegal with a small outlet to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Before becoming a British colony, it was occupied and pillaged by several European powers and Arab traders.
The human rights issue in China is a political minefield for the U.S., raising political and economic concerns. Washington may waver, but Wakka Wakka, the visual theater company, gets it just right.

And it does it with puppets.

Now at 59E59 Theaters, Made in China, the company's first musical, takes audiences on a roller-coaster ride of sassy commentary. A kooky exchange kick-starts a satire about our massive consumption of Chinese goods and the searing realities behind its production.

It begins with two squabbling neighbors, Mary, a 60-year-old housewife from Ohio, and Eddie, her Chinese neighbor. By various fantastical machinations, beginning with a shopping spree at Target and ending in a wild global adventure, the show makes its political case with humor and inventiveness.

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The puppetry is superb, though the randy elements may raise a few eyebrows. Throw in a dragon, eerie figures and singing utensils, and you get a wonderfully creative and touching production.

Written and directed by Gwendolyn Warnock and Kirjan Waage, with a spot-on score by Yan Li, Made in China takes full advantage of the freedom a puppet show affords. The music, by Minensemblet, an eclectic ensemble based in Norway, hits just the right note.

Seven skilled performers, hidden in black clothes and veils, imbue Mary and Eddie with genuine humanity. Made in China is as wacky as it is relevant.

CSC's The Liar also entertains, while underscoring an eternal truth: Clever liars can bewitch us. Indeed, "a good memory is the keystone for a good liar," explains Dorante in the aptly titled work.

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David Ives has again spun his magic to adapt-- or what he calls a "translaptation" -- of Pierre Corneille's 17th-century play, delivered in rhyming verse.

The charming rake Dorante (Christian Conn) cannot tell the truth, while his manservant Cliton (Carson Elrod) cannot tell a lie -- and we wait for the sparks to fly.

Dorante comes to Paris bent on romance; en route he manages to lie to everyone he meets, from two well-born women, Clarice (Ismenia Mendes) and her less-courted friend Lucrece (Amelia Pedlow), to his duped father (Adam LeFevre) and a highly volatile friend, Alcippe (Tony Roach).

Both he and Alcippe are courting, but given the endless lies, dubious identities and a general tendency to conflate reality, Dorante manages to upend everyone's expectations, which makes The Liar such a delightful experience.



Staged at an electric pace by director Michael Kahn, the comedy and its social commentary are smart. "An unimagined life is not worth living," struts Dorante.

There is much clever word play, expertly rendered by an excellent cast, but in the age of Trump, the expansive lies, however funny, take on a sobering tone.

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Still, like CSC's earlier rendition of Ives' The Heir Apparent, the joy is watching the disparate story elements come together into a humorous and satisfying whole.
Alternative Facts and True Lies

It's all in the narrative

By Gautam Adhikari

The media are dishonest, says the new president. He accuses journalists of going all out to challenge his assertion that millions of illegal migrants voted in the presidential election to give his opponent a wide margin of victory, whereas he believes it is true, says his press secretary. It's because there are alternative facts to what the media may put out, says an aide to the chief.

Some say the president is delusional or an incurable egotist. But there might be method in the madness. Is it possible most of us are completely misinterpreting an astute tactic devised by smart strategists in or close to the White House? The more this kind of fact-dilution continues, the more the possibility looks likely. After all, President Trump has a few smart people around him, notably Steve Bannon. He is by all accounts an intelligent, highly educated adviser who has been part of the media and may have a long view on how to disrupt and recreate public opinion. In which case, welcome to politics infused with postmodernism.

'Alternative facts' may seem an affront to common sense as well as a blatant attempt to delegitimize evidence-backed journalism. But it fits in with a postmodernist interpretation, prevalent in many liberal arts campuses, of history, or rather of 'narratives'. There are always alternative narratives based on different readings of facts, which may all be equally valid. Thus, scientists may pursue objective efforts to understand reality; but reality, in the postmodern view is relative. It is constructed by the human mind as it tries to comprehend particular and personal realities. Facts, therefore, can always have alternatives.

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The modern mind believes in scientific and existential truth. A postmodernist mind denies the validity of ultimate principles. All experience is relative and all interpretation is fallible. When inducted into the political world, a postmodernist communications strategy can work brilliantly to erode trust, whether it be in the credibility of the media or in researched opinions of experts.

For planners of Trump's communications strategy, eroding the credibility of the media and professional experts is probably crucial to their longterm objective. Which seems to be to ensure a conservative dominance of socio-political America in the foreseeable future.They already have the famed checks and balances of the US constitutional structure tilted in their favor. The executive is in their control; the two houses of Congress with Republican majorities are likely to remain deferential to the needs of the president in the foreseeable future; and the judiciary, with numerous vacancies in federal judgeships waiting to be filled and a soon-to-be conservative majority in the Supreme Court, is also taken care of.

It's the fourth estate that's the problem. As Bannon bluntly declared, while asking the mainstream media to keep its mouth shut, the media is now 'the opposition party".

In the media, too, there are convenient divisions. Fox News and and the overwhelming majority of radio talk shows, along with outlets of ethically unrestrained social media, can continue to ensure that the executive branch's view prevails. The rest of the media, the allegedly 'liberal' part, can be aggressively challenged on factual reporting and evidence-based opinion by promoting alternative narratives that can chip away at the credibility of newspapers, TV and policy experts.

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Two or three years of incessant alternative chatter can award, say, the improvement of the economy to a change in presidential leadership overshadowing the fact that the US economy, by conventional yardsticks, has been doing well for at least three years. In post-modern style, you come to believe whichever narrative suits your preset inclination. Facts no longer form the foundation of truth; it's all up for debate. The idea is to sow doubt in the minds of a critical mass.

In such a strategy, facts are overrated. What matters is what you can make a decisive number of people believe through deft manipulation of the media, mainstream and social. Lies become true. Facts become debatable. Positive can be turned into negative and faith can trump reason if enough people are seduced. Politics becomes a stage for salesmen of competing narratives.

Vladimir Putin of Russia is probably the current world champion in this sport of how to manipulate the media narrative. Donald Trump's team, Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Narendra Modi of India are not far behind. They all wear hard nationalism as their ideological cloak. And more such leaders seem positioned to ascend to power....

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The chief strategist in the White House, a man who rallied a growing white nationalist movement behind Donald Trump, is now telling the news media to "keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while."

We should all be outraged - and more than a little unnerved.

We all know that conservative politicians have been trying to delegitimize the mainstream press for decades. And, indeed, conservatives have created a constellation of alternative media more to their liking - Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, to name the most obvious.

But with Trump, we're witnessing something different, something more insidious. Something that seems pathological.

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It was disturbing enough a week ago to see the president's press secretary blatantly lie about the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration, reportedly because Trump was outraged by the television coverage.

It got worse when Trump operative Kellyanne Conway described the lies as "alternative facts," a phrase that drew instant ridicule.

Then, Trump told a gigantic, more consequential lie when he insisted that as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants voted illegally, costing him the popular vote.

That led to yesterday, when Stephen K. Bannon told The New York Times that the media had been "humiliated" by Trump's victory and should "keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while."

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In other words, stop reporting the facts because they put the lie to Trump's alternative reality. Just listen to Trump.

Meanwhile, the pesky journalists have reported that the administration is clamping down on information that routinely comes from government agencies.

This is what dictators, tyrants and totalitarian governments do.

To maintain their propaganda, they must muzzle the institutions that reveal the facts, the objective information that informs policy decisions. Without this information, a democracy simply cannot function.

Without a vigilant press and without the free flow of government information, Trump can lie with impunity. He can govern based on the "alternative facts" he gets from the far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists he apparently follows quite closely.

Voters, meanwhile, will have no way to get the truth.

This is a perilous situation, one made worse by the people who have Trump's ear - specifically Bannon.

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During the campaign, Trump repeatedly said he was "just the messenger" for the angry movement he was leading. He repeated the claim on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the day before the inauguration.

Based on the lies, fear-mongering and xenophobia-based policies that we're already seeing, it appears that the president really is channeling a movement, one embodied by the person whispering in Trump's ear - Bannon.

It's important that we all never forget who and what Bannon is.

He is the media executive who, in his own words, turned the Breitbart News website into "the platform for the alt-right." The alt-right is simply a rebranding of white nationalism for the digital age. At an alt-right gathering held shortly after the election just a few blocks from the White House, Richard Spencer - a man who has been lauded by Breitbart as one of the movement's leading intellectuals - quoted Nazi propaganda and prompted sieg heils from the audience.

During his campaign, Trump shared links to Breitbart's racially charged content with his Twitter followers more often than he linked to any other media outlet. Another outlet that linked to Breitbart more than any other: the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, whose proprietor on election night exulted that "[o]ur Glorious Leader has ascended to God Emperor."

Now, Bannon sits at the right hand of the president and wants to silence the legitimate news media. He wants Americans to get their "news" from the website favored by neo-Nazis.

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"You see, we elected men and women whom we think are good Pro-life Republicans," Rodriquez wrote in an email this week to supporters. "Like the Republican mascot - Elephants, strong and proud.

But, when it comes to the issue of Life, instead of strong elephants we've seen balled up snakes, hatching their lame agenda - namely, keeping their 'seat' and getting re-elected whatever the cost.

Well - those seats cost lives!...even when we ran life-saving legislation last session there were several 'Republicans' who voted against pro-life bills in Committee hearings.


(Maps of the Conflict, in the Landscape)

"Thus said God the Eternal One: When I have gathered the House of Israel from the peoples among which they have been dispersed, and have shown myself holy through them in the sight of the nations, they shall settle on their own soil, which I gave to my servant Jacob, and they shall dwell on it in security. They shall build houses and plant vineyards, and shall dwell on it in security, when I have meted out punishment to all those about them who despise them. And they shall know that I the Eternal One am their God." (Ezekiel 28:25-26)

The prophet Ezekiel spoke those words in the Divine name in the sixth century before the Common Era, when the land of Israel had been conquered and many of its people carried away into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.

The prophecy echoed a more storied, ancient promise, repeated by God to Moses at the burning bush, on the outskirts of Egypt, as we also read this week:

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"I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the Eternal One, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for possession." (Exodus 6:6-8)

Year by year, we repeat the promise at our Passover tables, reliving the account of how the assurance was fulfilled in the days of Moses and of Joshua, in the exodus from Egypt and the long Israelite journey to the Promised Land.

In a time not long after Ezekiel, in the 5th century BCE, when the empire of Babylonia was superseded by that of Persia, the promise was seen to be fulfilled anew - as Jews were allowed to return to the erstwhile kingdom of Judah to rebuild a Temple in Jerusalem and a semi-autonomous province, Yehud, within the new Achaemenid Persian order of the region.

In our own times, too - after still other tribulations and wanderings, from the Roman conquest of Judea and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, through the violent persecutions of Jewish diasporic communities, culminating in the Holocaust of the mid-20th century - fulfillment of the ancient promise is perceived again in the creation of the modern State of Israel, its independence declared in 1948 following a United Nations resolution.

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This week, various online outlets keen for Israel's security warn that rage against the new Trump administration is being exploited by groups whose aim is to further an anti-Israel agenda.

That is no doubt true with regard to some quarters and actions. It does not, however, answer the separate question of whether a new United States President, who appoints an Ambassador to Israel said to dismiss a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, will be good for the security of Israel.

I believe deeply in Israel. In spite of much there in the present political moment that disappoints me, Israel is indelibly in my blood and in my soul. And if I am disappointed with Israeli politics, I do not fall into the all-too-common Jewish proclivity for seeing everything as our own fault so as to believe that we alone can solve it.

We can't solve it alone - peace is made with neighbors. And I say that, in turn, without drawing moral equivalence between the sides in this long conflict. Historically, Israel responded to the United Nations resolution recommending partition of the British Mandate into Arab and Jewish states by building its country; its neighbors responded by committing themselves for decades to the demise of Israel - and, far and wide, some still seek that end.

Yes, there were displacements in Israel's war of independence in 1948 - and, without excusing misdeeds that also occurred, the territorial inclusions must be seen in view of the fact that defeat would have meant the end of Israel and another exile if not another Holocaust. By contrast, failing to end the Jewish state did not spell the demise of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, the countries that waged war on nascent Israel, along with volunteers from Yemen, Pakistan, and the Sudan. Israel's establishing a defensible land also did not mean the end of possibility for a Palestinian state alongside it - although an independent Palestine was not formed in the years from 1948 to 1967, when Jordan annexed the West Bank and called Jerusalem its own "alternative capital."

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Like many, I have seen friends perish in this conflict. And since for me that happened principally in the time directly after the assassination by a Jewish Israeli extremist of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of blessed memory, when terrorist attacks by extremist Palestinians ensured that a successor committed to the path of peace would not succeed, I cannot help but see totalizing factions as locked in a dance of death with one another.

Israel will not vanish, heaven willing; but neither will the Palestinians somehow go away. Annexation of the West Bank would mean the end of either Jewish or of democratic Israel. As to settlements, post 1967, we should not take a position similar to the one heard frequently from Israel's bitterest opponents, drawing no distinction between hilltop outposts far within occupied territory, on the one hand, and what they maliciously call the "settlement" of Tel Aviv. Former U.S. Ambassador Dennis Ross is right in what he has said here at Harvard and elsewhere: Israeli construction policy should draw clear and sensible borders and boundaries for the sovereign and fully democratic state of Israel, leaving clear room for a neighboring and viable Palestinian state.
A Joint Statement from Atheist Democrat, Evangelical Republican

This essay is a collaboration between Kevin Healey, Assistant Professor of Communication at University of New Hampshire; and Robert H. Woods, Jr., Professor of Communication at Spring Arbor University. One of us is a registered Independent who leans strongly Democratic, while the other is a registered Republican. One of us is religiously unaffiliatedan atheist by any standard definitionwhile the other is a committed evangelical Christian. Yet we agree: Trump is a false prophet. We encourage readers to share this essay in a spirit of forging new alliances across differences. The views expressed in this essay belong to the authors and do not represent the views of their home institutions.



(Download a printable version of this cartoon here.)

"The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly."

- Proverbs 15:1-2

The Fall of Wisdom

In early January, Americans were shocked and dismayed to learn that a giant sequoia, the 137-year-old Pioneer Cabin Tree, had fallen. Had it happened any other time, the downfall of such a creature might not be so symbolic.

This giant's demise happened to coincide with a particular moment of crisis in American politics.

Just days before the swearing-in of the next Presidenta man whose election appears to have been buttressed by foreign interference, and who is known to lash out at the slightest provocationthe shattering crash of a wise, old sequoia crystalizes an anxiety many Americans now share:

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Is the long, but steady growth toward an authentic American democracythat upward thrust of history toward a more perfect Unionis that hope, too, about to collapse?

We suggest that great sequoia's fall represents the collapse of a certain virtue. Slowly but steadily, our understanding of what it means to live fully and authentically has been trivialized by Twitter-fueled sloganeering and party-loyal posturing.

We've become a nation of proud and stubborn acorns.

The Ethics of Authenticity

On the Wednesday before Christmas, NPR's Morning Edition aired two interviews which get to the heart of America's disagreement over a man who, according to friends and foes alike, is nothing if not "authentic."



In the first exchange, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told NPR's Rachel Martin, "If Trump remains honest and seems like a person who's authentic, he's going to go a long way. If, under the pressure of the city, he starts dissembling and saying things that aren't true, he'll decay much as Obama did."

In the second conversation, NPR's Steve Inskeep asked outgoing President Barack Obama about the letters he's received since the election.

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The ones that "mean the most to me," Obama said, are those from long-time "skeptics" who concede that, overall, he "did a pretty good job." "If you haven't persuaded them on the issues," he mused, "at least maybe they've recognized that I've tried to be true to the meaning of this office, that I've held it in reverence."

Gingrich and Obama are a case study in contrasts, and their comments raise a crucial question about what we mean by authenticity: Should we be true to ourselves, or true to something much bigger? Can we do both?

The former Speaker, Gingrich, praises Trump for the reason that excites rally-goers: He speaks his mind. Political correctness be damned! He's refreshingly unlike phony politicians who say one thing while thinking, and doing, another.

Surely a good number of Trump critics spit their morning joe across the breakfast table on hearing Gingrich declare his hope that Trump "remains honest." That's a strange expectation to place upon a man accused of being dodgy about his taxes, at best, and inconsistent on a host of other issues.

But if it seems Gingrich is speaking out of both sides of his mouth, that's because he defines authenticity in terms of Trump's simple willingness to be transgressive.

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Trump breaks the rules, so to speak, whether it comes to political correctness or long-held conventions regarding candidates' tax returns. Phony rules simply prop up the same phony Washington bureaucracy which, according to Gingrich, has become "too arrogant and imperial."

Phony Washington needs to be disrupted. Trump surely fits the bill, no?

But in his willingness to offend, his disregard for convention, in his refusal to see beyond the boundaries of his own ego, Trump exemplifies a small-minded version of authenticity: self-obsessed, individualistic, unrooted in a sense of common purpose.

As the philosopher Charles Taylor rightly notes, this shallow brand of authenticity is an acute malady of the post-modern era. And while it's not entirely without merit, it's lop-sided to say the least.

There is another dimension of authenticity we seem to have forgotten.

Being "True" to Something Bigger

Maybe Gingrich has a point about Obama. Doesn't the outgoing President carry the mantle of a mushy-mouthed political correctness?

One does hear in Obama's interview the very thing his critics decry. His responses are measured and thoughtful. Unlike Trump, he pauses to think before speaking. Is he too busy being "PC" to say what he really thinks?

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Not necessarily.

Thomas Jefferson once remarked, "When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred."

Jefferson knew that authenticity is not just a matter of jettisoning the mental filters that keep offensive comments from slipping out. To insist that we treat others with dignity is not "political correctness," Obama rightly argues, but simply "good manners, sound values."

Conservatives, too, are sensitive about certain issues. After wishing others "Happy Holidays," Obama recalls, his critics insisted that "I was trying to kill Christmas."

Can't we meet somewhere in the middle? Can't we have "legitimate political debates," as Obama suggests, while still "thinking about how words affect other people"?

Yes, we canbecause authenticity is not just about what's inside your head. It's also about being "true" to something beyond your ego's cravings. It's about being true to ideas that transcend your ego altogether, and to which we are all committed.

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Seated in the White House for one of his last interviews as President, Obama talked about being "true to the meaning of this office," and holding it "in reverence."

It's worth noting that this a dimension of authenticity Republicans have embraced as well. When Vice President Biden told an audience that Republicans would "put y'all back in chains," then-candidate Mitt Romney decried the Democrats' reelection campaign as "demeaning to the office of the White House."

Setting aside the specifics of the debate, notice the point of agreement: Authenticity, for both Obama and Romney, is an aspiration toward virtue. It's about what we have yet to become.



Photo by Obama White House, 11/12/12

Shortly before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King, Jr. told a gathering of Philadelphia high school students, "in your life's blueprint, [there] must be a commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love, and justice."

The office of the Presidency is well-architected physically and philosophically. It calls upon its occupants to be, to become, more than their personal views.

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This is the point where bipartisanship begins.

Authenticity in this sense is a collective virtue, not a solitary one. An authentic person needs the help of others and, importantly, the support of those institutions crafted with noble ideals in mind.

The Office of the Presidency is one such institution, along with the Constitutional principles that enableand restrainits power.

Bipartisanship Gets Trumped

The irony here is that, compared to Trump's willful defiance of convention, Obama sounds like a traditionalist, if not a conservative.

A few decades ago, countercultural progressives championed transgressive authenticity. Mario Savio famously told his Berkeley compatriots to throw themselves on the gears of the Washington machinery. It was traditionalist conservatives who guarded threatened institutions.

We seem to have stepped through the looking-glass as the outgoing Democrat raises what sounds like a traditionalist plea: In your rush to destroy business-as-usual in Washington, please preserve what is still Right and Good about American democracy.

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Preserving basic standards of mutual respect and decency should be a point of bipartisan agreement. But as Obama's one-time rival Mitt Romney argued in scathing tones, Republican leaders seem all too willing to embraceor conveniently ignoretheir nominee's brand of "trickle-down racism."

With Trump's ascendance, Romney openly worried his party had lost its moral bearings. Tears in his eyes, he told a group of business partners, "I love what this country is built upon and its values, and seeing this is breaking my heart."

Where were conservatives to turn? Early on, the Democratic primaries seemed equally driven by concerns about authenticity, and similarly open to an outsider. Bernie Sanders captured the attention of voters across the political spectrum.

One self-identified conservative told The Atlantic, "I'm not 100 percent behind his platform but I like him as a person. For me it really comes down to authenticity."

In fact, Bernie Sanders defied the liberal-conservative binary by garnering support from many life-long Republicans.

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Progressives and conservatives shared a dislike of Clinton for her apparent lack of forthrightness and her establishment pedigree. Andy Crouch, executive editor of Christianity Today, argued that Clinton embodied the "path to power" typical of technocratic elites, which he said is "rooted in a rigorous control of one's image and calculated disregard for norms that restrain less powerful actors."

Like many pro-Sanders conservatives, progressives loved the Vermont Senator's take-no-prisoners condemnation of Wall Street's greed. Sanders appeared to be the one candidate who embodied both personal authenticity and commitment to a transcendent common Good. That was the key to his bipartisan appeal.

As the primaries ended, though, the conservative strongman and the liberal technocrat prevailed.

In the end, the strongman won.

We Need Both

In the relative lack of enthusiasm that left- and right-leaning voters both held toward their nominees, there is an opening for a bipartisan return-to-values moment. To the extent that Democrats and Republicans agree on the importance of being "true" to the Office they hold, and not to their selfish interests, we may still have reason to hope for a politics beyond the rancor and antipathy of the current scene.

Let's be clear. In criticizing President-elect Trump's brand of authenticity, we're not arguing against conservatism per se. Many dyed-in-the-wool conservatives have questioned whether the businessman is deserving of the name in the first place.

We're arguing instead against a pattern in which disruption for the sake of disruption threatens to undermine the delicate balance between traditionalism and progressivism that democracy requires.

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In our classes on media and ethics, we use a couple of simple analogies to underscore important of this balance.

The first is one we all learn in elementary-school: the difference between centripetal and centrifugal force.

Centripetal force is the "inward" force, so to speak. It holds things together, like how gravity holds together the solar system's planets. In Latin, centripetal means "to seek the center." This is what conservatism does.

Centrifugal force is the "outward" force. It pushes things apart. In Latin, centrifugal means "to flee the center." This is what liberalism does.

Here's the key: both are necessary. If not for gravity, the planets would wander into space. There would be no seasons, no sunlight, no life. On the other hand, the whole thing would collapse into a flaming mass if not for (excuse the pun) planetary revolution.

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In American culture, disruption has become a value unto itselfup to a point. We like candidates who disrupt politics-as-usual in Washington. We praise dot-com start-ups for disrupting, well, everything.

Legislative and technological disruption often go hand-in-hand. It's worth recalling that, as Speaker, Newt Gingrich spear-headed the deregulatory 1996 Telecom Act. It set off an unprecedented wave of industry consolidation that laid the groundwork for today's Silicon Valley elite.

Is it any wonder that the first Twitter President is a no-holds-barred, free-market capitalist?

It seems that the only thing worthy of preservation is a conspicuously strident form of market fundamentalism.

Where is the common Good?

As writer Maria Popova suggests, the "fetishism of disruption" has its down-sides. One day, while chatting with Andrew Sullivan, the conservative commentator told her "You know, culture needs stewardship, not disruption."

Her response summarizes my view precisely: "We need both, always, to move forward."

Proud Acorns

The second analogy is more philosophical.

Imagine this exercise from the students' perspective. Somewhere in the first few weeks of the semester, the professor draws a tree on the board and below it, a multitude of tiny acorns. The professor turns and asks you, the student: What is the authentic nature of an acorn? What does it look like for an acorn to live authentically?

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What would you say? Typically, students are quiet for a while. But eventually, someone observes that, as long as it gets sunlight and good soil, an acorn will become a tree.

The authentic nature of the acorn, in other words, is not an acorn at all. It's something altogether different.

Unfortunately, we are steeped in a notion of authenticity that is strident and stubborn.

Now imagine that the professor asks you: What if those acorns simply refuse to become trees? What if one of them fashions himself a Leader of Acorns, convincing the others they should be proud of their acorn nature?

At this point in the exercise, many students knit their eyebrows in consternation. That would be crazy!

Indeed. But that's essentially the direction we see American politics moving.

Consider Trump's case. Besides "authentic," the other word people use to describe him is "narcissistic." This is not a contradiction, if we understand Trump's brand of authenticity as the "flat," type that Taylor laments, and which Gingrich celebrates.

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Trump refuses to see beyond the boundaries of his own ego.

Moreover, Twitter enables him to indulge the proverbial devil on his shoulderhanding that little guy a megaphone in the wee hours of the night.

As journalist Kiku Adatto presciently noted in his book Picture Perfect, authenticity in the era of mass-media often means little more than becoming "the master of your own artificiality." Today, "fake authenticity" becomes attractive, even desirable, as throngs of would-be celebrities clamor for adulation and notoriety.

Saving Evangelicals (and Liberals) from Trump-ism

But Trump's case is worse than that: Intentionally or not, his populist campaign tapped directly into a strident white identity politics which, too often, hides behind a pretense of religious faith.

According to a Pew Research poll, an overwhelming majority of white evangelicals feel that American culture has gone downhill since the 1950s. Meanwhile whites as a whole, and an even larger majority of African-Americans, say it has gotten better.

What's going on here? Washington Post religion reporter Sarah Bailey concludes that many Trump supporters are driven by "nostalgia for white Christian America."

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Trump's call to "Make America Great Again" clearly echoes Sarah Palin's call to "take America back again." It was Palin's brand of populist evangelicalism that "paved the way" for Trump, as NPR's Don Gonyea suggests. Palin, too, was lauded for being "authentic"a "rogue" outsider to the Washington establishment.



Photo by Alex Hanson

But whose evangelicalism is this?

Liberals have been the loudest voices to condemn Palin and Trump for pandering to the fears and prejudices of white voters. In these critics' view, praising Trump because he "says what we're thinking," as his rally-attendees contend, is to say in essence, "he's one of us."

That's tribalism: the acorn proudly refusing to become a tree.

But the common liberal view, that evangelicalism is irredeemably racist, overlooks a long history of evangelicals' passionate defense of social and economic justice. It's worth noting that most African-American churches are both evangelical and theologically conservative.

In fact, a range of conservative evangelicals have condemned the troubling prejudice that seems to have driven the Trump campaign. Kathryn Freeman, a Director at the Christian Life Commission in Austin, Texas, told Christianity Today that it was "disorienting to see so many evangelicals including the ones who say they care about racial justice and esteem womenchoose a candidate whose message and language was so demeaning and in some ways downright hateful to those groups."

Karen Swallow Prior, a Professor of English at Liberty University, argued that Trump's victory showed that "the echo chamber won," and called on her fellow believers to "love our neighbors" regardless of race, ethnicity, or class.

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This post-election moment, as divisions between pro- and anti-Trump evangelicals threaten to fracture the community, is not a wise time for liberal critics to paint evangelicalism in unflatteringly broad strokes. Doing so reinforces a vicious cycle that reduces secular liberals and conservative evangelicals alike to warring factions of proudand tinyacorns.

Instead, Trump's nomination and election could, and should, be an opportunity to forge new alliances across old boundaries.

Fascism is not Conservatism

Unfortunately, what we have seen recently are various strands of self-obsession. As scholar Arun Saldanha argues in his book Psychedelic White, there is a "violent micro-fascist tendency" in all oppositional movements, including typically left-leaning ones like unionism and youth subculture. It's a threat that can come from all quarters.

Digital media often amplifies this form of tribalism.

Today, it happens to take the form of Trump's incoming administration. Trump's candidacy and election has energized a white nationalist movement whose leaders are doubling down on stubborn tribalism. Rather than moving beyond tribal allegiances, they have become further entrenched within them.

Our point is not to attack conservatism. In fact, as Saldhana notes, "fascism is not conservative, but revolutionary." It flourishes in the context of intense desire and fear. But in its self-obsession, it sows the seeds of its own demise.

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An exemplary moment occurred in late November 2016 when the white nationalist National Policy Institute (NPI) held a conference in Washington, DC titled "Become Who We Are." It's a group that the conservative National Review described as "thugs" who thrive on the "politics of resentment."

Despite such loud disavowals from mainstream conservatives, NPI head Richard Spencer told NPR that his organization could serve as the "intellectual vanguard" that would "complete Trump." Reporter Jessica Taylor described the conference as an effort to mobilize "a return to the white origins of the country and protecting the white race."

The NPI's conference title, "Become Who We Are" draws from a line in Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra, where the protagonist recalls having counseled himself to "Become what you are!"

Similar themes echo in the work of Martin Heidegger, who lectured extensively on Nietzsche and offered a vision of authentic living steeped in the writings of Sren Kierkegaard.

As Rector of Freiburg University, Heidegger was also a Nazi.

No wonder that David Harsanyi, senior editor at The Federalist, warned against conflating conservatism with Trump, and Trump with Richard Spencer. To do so raises the profile of extremists, and undermines conservative efforts to critique Trump on the grounds of, well, conservatism.

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Trumpeting False Prophesy

Trump has disavowed his white nationalist supporters, if half-heartedly. But even if we assume that he does not share their racist ideology, one thing is clear: In his brazen rejection of political correctness, he has opened the door to all manner of vile and tribalist rhetoric.

Capitalizing on American voters' longing to break through Washington phoniness, Trump has made any shocking pronouncement, any offensive outburst, seem somehow prophetic.

This is not an over-statement. In fact, many evangelical Christians have sincerely praised Trump as a prophet. James Robison, an evangelical author and television broadcaster, proclaimed of Trump, "I sense that he is being captured by the heart of our Father."

When Trump attended a Sunday service of the International Church of Las Vegas, associate pastor Denise Goulet prayed over the businessman saying, "The Lord is saying I'm your father and I have prepared you for such a time as this."

There is an argument to be made here. In the Hebrew scriptures, the prophet's outcries are a form of "shock therapy" intended to jolt the masses out of complacency.

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The prophet Ezekiel, in his own brand of street theater, shocks the citizens of Israel by rubbing animal excrement on his hands in the middle of the streetto show them what they have become.

Isaiah speaks to the hypocrisy of empty ritual, counseling the Kingdom of Judah that their sacrifices are meaningless without efforts to protect society's helpless.

Jeremiah preaches first in a loincloth and then in a wooden collar to show, in part, how God would ruin the pride of Judah.

Need we mention as well that, in the New Testament, Jesus stops the execution of a prostitute and runs the money-changers out of the Temple?

Indeed, the prophet is often shocking and disruptive. It should be surprising to no one that the label has been handed to Donald Trump. Replace radio with Twitter, and Trump is clearly the Howard Stern shock-jock of the political world. The prophet's spirit of non-acceptance is fueled by anguish over what he perceives as unjust patterns in a society. Trump is clearly fueled by what he deems injustice, from his suggestion that China is "raping our country," to his claims of a "rigged election."

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But in the age of shock-jocks and Twitter-fueled political campaigns, false prophets are easy to come by.

In the Jewish and Christian traditions, the prophet was not driven by animosity toward his community, or condescension toward foreigners and enemies of Israel, but by a deep sense of compassion and concern for humanity's plight.

In the book Prophetically Incorrect, Robert H. Woods, Jr. (co-author of this essay) and Paul Patton offer a helpful set of guideposts. If you're not sure whether that loud voice in the room is authentically prophetic, or simply loud, consider the following checklist:

The prophetic voice never regards shock value as an end in itself. Shock therapy is not just a crude instrument for headline-grabbing self-expression. It is an instrument serving the greater end of alleviating human brokenness.

Prophetic critique avoids unethical humor. Intent matters. A prophetic voice might wield sarcasm to edify, but never to wound. Prophetic shock therapy yields a golden mean between naivete and cynicism.

The prophetic voice knows when, and how, to shock its audience. Evangelical preacher Tony Campolo is a master in this regard. Once, after describing how thousands of children die each day from starvation and disease, he shocked his mainly-Christian audience by telling them, "you don't give a shit!" Pausing as the audience gasped, he drove home his point: "What's worse than that is that you're more upset with the fact that I said 'shit' than that thirty-five thousand children died last night. And that's what's wrong with your Christianity."

The prophetic voice is accountable to his or her broader community. An authentic prophetic voice is not a free-wheeling bombast. Instead, she is passionately intertwined with the people and cares deeply about their well-being.

By these standards, Trump is the quintessential false prophet.

Many conservative evangelicals agree. In a statement in Christianity Today, executive editor Andy Crouch urges his fellow evangelicals to "speak truth to Trump" by denouncing his "blatant immorality." Crouch's scathing critique highlights how Trump violates the four principles described above. He says of Trump:

"He has given no evidence of humility or dependence on others, let alone on God his Maker and Judge. He wantonly celebrates strongmen and takes every opportunity to humiliate and demean the vulnerable. He shows no curiosity or capacity to learn. He is, in short, the very embodiment of what the Bible calls a fool."

Behind the authentic prophet's demand for justice, peace, and charity there is a call for unity. Through this heartfelt vision, the prophetic voice avoids advocating the superiority of one tribal agenda over another, aiming instead to serve the broader society as a whole.

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A Forest of Grand, Humble Trees

If nothing else, the 2016 primaries highlighted a bipartisan yearning for an authentic, prophetic voice. Instead, both parties remain trapped in their hardened shells.

Is there yet a true prophet among us?

Some continue to look to Bernie Sanders for inspiration. Richard Sugarman, an Orthodox Jew and a long-time friend, praised the Vermont Senator for his commitment to social justice and his "prophetic sensibility."



Artwork by David Lacasse

Indeed, the gray-haired Senator punctuated his speeches with quotes from the Hebrew Bible and, in one viral moment, was joined at the podium by a small bird.

"I think there may be some symbolism here," the Senator remarked as the crowd erupted in cheers.

But Sanders would be the first to reject he label of prophet. All along, he's insisted his work is not about him.

While the Office of the Presidency calls on politicians to live up to some set of ideals beyond their own egos, the most important role, as Justice Louis Brandeis once suggested, may be that of public citizen.

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In a chapter from our book, Prophetic Critique and Popular Media, professor Robert Jensen argues that when traditional leadership fails, "it is tempting to want to turn to a prophet." That, he says, "would be a mistake." He goes on:

"This is a moment that cries out not for a prophet but for prophets. It is time to recognize that we all must strive to be prophets now. It is time for each of us to take responsibility for speaking in the prophetic voice."

To fulfill this responsibility, we need to revisit our understanding of what it means to live an authentic life, and our understanding of what constitutes authentic democratic politics.

It must not be a destructive vision. Authenticity is not cruel honesty, or boastful pride. It's not a strongman.

An authentic politics requires solidarity, community, and relationship.



Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Writing in Journey to the Common Good, Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann decribes how the collective movement from anxiety, fear, and scarcity towards a spirit of "neighborhood" is "the key journey that Jews must make, that Christians must make, and that all humans must make in order to be maximally human." It is a journey that requires "steadfast love," andmost importantlyit is one that "must be taken again and again."

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When an acorn lets go of pride, it becomes what it truly issomething far grander, and more deeply rooted, altogether. The seedling for yet another Pioneer, another grand sequoia, may now be resting on some fertile soil, if not sprouting from its protective shell.

Do we have the wherewithal to nurture it? Will we, too, become so humble and wise?

About the Authors

Kevin Healey is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of New Hampshire. Though registered as an Independent, he leans heavily Democratic. He is part of the growing number of religiously unaffiliated Americans, and qualifies as an atheist by most conventional definitions. His essays appear in Salon, Huffington Post, Religion Dispatches, The Revealer, and numerous academic journals and books. He is co-editor, with Robert H. Woods, Jr., of the book Prophetic Critique and Popular Media (2013).

Robert H. Woods, Jr. is Professor of Communication at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. Robert is a registered Republican and a devout evangelical Christian. He holds a Ph.D. in communication from Regent University, Virginia, and is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He recently served as the president of the Religious Communication Association (2009-2010). He is the author, co-author, and editor of numerous articles and books.
(Details added, first version posted at 13:08)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijans Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Salim Muslumov and Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy Andriy Reva have signed a program of cooperation in social policy.

The document envisages implementation of the agreements reached earlier, Reva told Trend.

We dont think we need to sign anything new. It is necessary to focus on implementation of what we have already agreed on  social protection, pension provision, social insurance, employment, labor protection and other areas, said the Ukrainian minister.

Azerbaijans Minister Muslumov added that to date, four agreements have already been signed by the two ministries.

The first agreement on cooperation in pension provision was signed in 1995, according to him.

Two agreements were signed in 2000 - one on cooperation in the area of pension provision and private insurance of servicemen and members of their families and the other  on cooperation between the two ministries.

In 2004, the sides signed another agreement which is on provision of social protection to Ukrainian citizens working in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani citizens working in Ukraine, according to Muslumov.
It is not often that the relationship with a country whose population is smaller than that of Washington, D.C. serves as a litmus test of American foreign policy. That, however, is exactly the case regarding the pending U.S. Senate approval of Montenegro's joining NATO.

In May 2016 after the little Balkan country had successfully fulfilled NATO's exacting military and political requirements, the alliance formally invited it to become its 29th member. The only remaining hurdle was approval of the Protocol on the Accession of Montenegro by all 28 current members in accordance with their domestic democratic processes. In this country since the Accession Protocol is an amendment to the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty, according to Article II, section 2 of the Constitution, the approval by two-thirds of the U.S. Senators present is required.

That approval almost occurred by unanimous consent of the Senate during the lame duck session in December but foundered when Republican Senators Rand Paul (Kentucky) and Mike Lee (Utah) objected. Then on January 11 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted for the second time to send the Resolution of Ratification to the Senate floor, but unanimous consent was withheld again. Meanwhile, a required report on the cost of Montenegro's accession is being prepared by the Government Accountability Office.

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If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is again unable to secure unanimous consent of the full Senate for approval of the Resolution of Ratification, he can follow normal procedure and schedule floor debate, followed by a roll call vote. In that case the measure would undoubtedly pass with overwhelming bipartisan support. Montenegro would then have to await the near certain ratification from the five member states that have not yet approved its candidacy. The final step would be for President Donald Trump officially to deposit the Protocol of Accession (the U.S. is the NATO Treaty's depository) and to notify the other alliance members of its deposit.

But this may not be the script the White House wants to follow. President Trump has disparaged NATO as "obsolete" and on numerous occasions has voiced his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and proclaimed his desire to work together with the Kremlin. Putin, who as late as 2001 publicly considered the possibility of Russia's someday joining NATO, now labels the Western alliance and its enlargement serious threats.

Montenegro's tiny armed forces have only 1,950 active duty members, yet it sent 45 troops and medical personnel to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and continues to contribute to NATO's Resolute Support Mission there. It is on a pace to fulfill the 2% of GDP spending for defense ahead of the 2020 target date set at the Wales NATO Summit.

Although by any military standard Montenegro hardly menaces Moscow, the Kremlin's drive for greater influence in the Balkans coupled with its paranoia about NATO have caused problems for the little republic. In 2013, pro-NATO Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic refused a request by the Russian Federation for permission to install a military base in its Adriatic port of Bar to provide logistical support to the Russian naval fleet in the Mediterranean. Then last fall Montenegro barely foiled a coup d'etat in which pro-Russian Serb nationalists planned to assassinate Djukanovic and seize control of the government in the capital Podgorica.

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Three countries lie between Montenegro and the Russian border, but the Kremlin understands the larger geopolitical ramifications of Montenegro's joining the alliance. It would make the entire northern shore of the Mediterranean, from Spain to Turkey, NATO territory and would also be an encouragement to other potential members, from Macedonia in the Balkans to Sweden on the Baltic.

Would President Trump cater to Putin's evident desire for a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe and tell Majority Leader McConnell that he doesn't want the Resolution of Ratification of Montenegro's accession to NATO even to be considered? There have, in fact, been instances where treaties have lain dormant in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for decades before eventually being withdrawn.

This scenario is highly unlikely. McConnell has always been a strong proponent of NATO. Moreover, the Majority Leader is a fierce defender of the Constitution's separation of powers, which Trump implicitly belittled in his inauguration address. There are no indications that he is considering shelving the Resolution of Ratification.

Even after Senate ratification the President could, in theory, throw a last-minute monkey wrench into the accession process, though this tactic also looks far-fetched. With twenty-two of the other twenty-seven countries in the alliance having already ratified Montenegro's membership, and the other five soon to follow, a U.S. veto would amount to an abdication of American leadership in NATO right after British Prime Minister Theresa May had implored President Trump to do just the opposite.

Domestically it would signal a serious confrontation of the President with a Congress controlled by his own party. Outside the beltway, many Americans, including the more than 20 million citizens of Central and East European origin - most of whom are residents of states that gave Trump his Electoral College victory - would be appalled at what looked like the first element of a "grand bargain" with Moscow at the expense of the lands of their ancestors.

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Internationally the fall-out would be even greater, since scuttling Montenegro's NATO candidacy would herald a definitive U.S. turn away from NATO toward Russia and would signify Washington's acquiescence in Moscow's growing influence in the Balkans. It could presage a lifting of U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and active military involvement in eastern Ukraine.

Finally, it would mean the end of the alliance's "open door" to membership for qualified aspiring countries, which is enshrined in Article 10 of NATO's founding document. Allies like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland that regularly endure unsubtle threats and provocations from Moscow would assume that candidate Trump's questioning whether the U.S. would honor its NATO Article 5 collective defense commitment was now U.S. policy. It would be the beginning of the unravelling of the alliance.

Montenegro has earned the right to join NATO. Its accession would strengthen the alliance and restate the vitality of the "open door," one of its basic principles. The U.S. Senate should ratify Montenegro's membership as soon as possible, and President Trump should formalize it. For Trump to do otherwise would show the world that during his presidency the Kremlin will exercise unprecedented influence on U.S. foreign policy.
By Katerina Manoff

For better or for worse, Facebook is many a stressed-out mommy's escape. We log on during naptime or a walk in the park, while breastfeeding or waiting in the school pick-up line. Browsing Facebook as a mom looks very different from browsing Facebook pre-baby. Inevitably, when we become parents, our Facebook experience, much like every other aspect of our lives, morphs until it becomes almost unrecognizable. We meet and friend other moms, old classmates start having kids, and, before we know it, our news feed is filled with photos of babies and afternoon snack recipes. Here's a handy guide to the moms you'll encounter on your next Facebook break.

1. The MLM Hustler

Rodan & Fields. Jamberry. Usborne Books. Your Facebook friend has thrown her hat into the multilevel marketing ring, and she wants to shout it from the rooftops...and, just maybe, get you to buy a few products or sign up to join her consultant team. These days, using personal social media accounts for promotion is a standard MLM technique, and consultants often post ads daily, or even multiple times a day. You don't mind it...until you get to the 232nd cheery post about how amazing fill-in-the-blank product is, lose your patience, and block every MLM vendor in your friend list.

2. The #Blessed Mom

Her kids are smiling and well-behaved and can usually be found cavorting adorably in matching outfits. Her husband is handsome and involved. Her house is clean and her home-cooked meals look like something out of The Food Network. If she works, she'll be sure to share photos of her in a power suit rocking her career. Each of her captions and status updates is optimistic and cheery. #Blessed is her favorite hashtag. Sometimes you dream of being her; sometimes, you want to smack her.



3. The Debbie Downer

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Why is Facebook such a place of extremes? One minute, you're rolling your eyes at internet perfection, and the next, you're cringing at an emotional tale of woe with a side of TMI. This mom can often be found typing up lengthy, punctuation-optional rants about rude strangers, ridiculous lines at the grocery stores, or making vague and bitter comments like "I guess now I know who my real friends are."

4. The Nonstop Poster

This morning, her baby ate some Cheerios. Later in the day, they stopped by the playground, then met up with a friend, and finally, ran to Target for some errands. How do you know all this? She's posted photos of each mundane moment, of course--with filters, emojis and careful captions to boot. Some days your newsfeed seems to consist of nothing but her posts. You have to wonder how she finds time to actually get things done in between her careful documentation of each day.

5. The Content Curator

This mom occasionally posts about her own life, but her Facebook activity mainly consists of a steady flow of viral content--videos, best-of lists, quizzes, memes and recipes. You enjoy her animated gif of those adorable quintuplets and the link to toddler travel tips...but you probably could have survived without knowing which Disney princess she was in a past life.

6. The Social Activist

This mom's Facebook feed is her own personal soapbox, from which she wages a nonstop one-woman crusade for or against her controversial issues of choice. Some social activists' opinions are perfectly rational; others are more likely to quote a pseudo-doctor who thinks chocolate cures cancer. Regardless, after one too many of her posts, you find yourself desperately scrolling down to look for some nice, noncontroversial baby pictures.

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7. The International Mom of Mystery

Her profile picture is several years old, and timeline is bare. If you've just met and you were hoping to use Facebook to figure out if you two will click, you're out of luck. If you've known her for a while, you're used to getting all of her life updates via text or in person. In fact, when she actually makes a social media post, you have to suppress the urge to call her up and ask whether her account's been hacked. Why does she even bother with Facebook? Simple: how else would she keep up with everyone else's news?

8. The Mom Who Isn't on Facebook

Okay, so you won't actually see this mom on your newsfeed. This rare mommy species has forsworn Facebook for reasons philosophical or technological. You admire her resolve and independent spirit, but get slightly annoyed when she's constantly texting you to get Facebook event details or asking questions that have been answered in detail in the local mommy Facebook group.

9. The Facebook Hero

This mom's feed is a highlight of your Facebook breaks. She posts regularly but not too often, sharing high points and the occasional cute everyday moment. Her posts are mostly positive, with a dose of reality thrown in here and there when a child gets sick or a busy day spins out of control. Once in a while, she shares a video or article, which you nearly always click on because they're interesting and relevant. She has mastered the art of Facebook. Now if only all of your friends could follow suit!

Image credit: Fotolia/dglimages

This piece was originally published by Katerina Manoff on Mommy Nearest. Katerina Manoff is an education consultant, mom, and recent transplant to Houston from NYC. She runs Houston New Moms, a free directory of Houston resources for parents of babies and toddlers. You can also follow her on Facebook.

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By Albert Jacquez

Like all Americans, Latinos care deeply about the health and wellbeing of our families. We also care about good jobs and a strong national economy. These are built on the irreplaceable foundations of clean air, clean water, and a healthy natural environment - which is why Scott Pruitt's nomination to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is deeply troubling.

The EPA is the federal agency responsible for protecting our health by safeguarding our environment, our air, our water and our land. But as Attorney General of Oklahoma, Pruitt continually filed lawsuits to block measures aimed at reducing pollution and boosting the development of the nation's clean energy economy. This is not the type of "environmental protection" any of us need, especially not the 24 million Latinos who live in the 15 cities with the country's highest levels of smog pollution.

Last week, in his hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Pruitt could not provide a single example of an action he initiated to protect the environment in his role as Oklahoma's Attorney General. In fact, Pruitt's record shows that he filed over a dozen lawsuits against the EPA on behalf of, and in coordination with, energy companies. He has not committed to recuse himself from any of these lawsuits should he be confirmed as EPA Administrator.

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Instead, Pruitt's actions have focused on making it easier for large companies to pollute. He opposes basic protections for American families - protection against air pollution that causes asthma and against toxic mercury, a potent neurotoxin that damages brain development in children. He even shut down the environmental enforcement unit in his Oklahoma office.



When asked how many Americans suffer from asthma, Pruitt's response was, "I don't know."

When asked what level of lead exposure is safe, Pruitt responded, "I don't know."

Equally problematic is the detrimental impact Pruitt's leadership would have on the American economy and on good jobs. Just this week, a new report from Environmental Defense Fund found there are at least 4 million jobs tied to sustainability reaching all 50 states. Because of the on-site nature of many renewable and energy efficiency jobs, these jobs cannot be outsourced, and many pay above average wages.

This isn't a negligible workforce or a niche economy. In fact, the clean energy economy is outpacing the rest of the economy in both growth and job creation. Solar employment opportunities alone are currently growing at a rate 12 times faster than other sectors.

Pruitt's nomination suggests that the Trump Administration has no understanding of the potential of the green economy to protect our children's health and our natural environment, while simultaneously providing the economic development and job growth that could serve our country so well.

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On the eve of last November's election, Latino Decisions conducted a survey of Latino voters and the results are clear: our community wants the government to fight against air pollution and climate change, and to support the transition to a clean energy economy.

The survey found that 71% of Latino voters nationwide consider it to be very or extremely important that the next President and Congress take a stance in fighting against climate change. An even higher percentage (75%) considers it to be very or extremely important to fight against water and air pollution. The study also highlights that 76% of the Latino voters prefer candidates who support reducing pollution and creating clean energy jobs, rather than candidates who favor oil extraction, fracking, and fossil fuels subsidies.

Good jobs, clean air, and clean drinking water are not partisan issues. They impact all Americans, regardless of political party. No one voted for President Trump because they wanted more pollution. In fact, even a majority of Trump voters overwhelmingly support environmental protections. But Scott Pruitt's nomination reflects that the Trump Administration is out of touch with these basic American values.

Nationwide, all our communities must call on Congress to lead in a way that reflects American values, including our care for our natural environment. A crucial first step is for Senators to vote "no" on Pruitt and instead select an EPA Administrator who will protect Americans and our environment. Now is the time: pick up the phone, write an email, or send a Tweet. Tell your senator that our environment, our health, and our economy can't wait.
US President Donald Trump's Senior Counselor Steve Bannon waits for the start of Trump's meeting with business leaders in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 23, 2017. / AFP / NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Welcome to the new version of reality. Welcome to Trump's reality.

1. Steve Bannon says the media should keep their mouths shut. Because we need our journalists to be government shills. That's democracy now folks. More here.

2. California want a third gender option on their ID. Looking at Cali as the hope of the future. More here.

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3. Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says the world is preparing for war. Can all the adult world leaders just take a second and get a grip? More here.

4. New Gambian president, Adama Barrow, has returned home from exile after autocratic president Yahya Jammeh finally stepped down. Is this hope for us all? More here.
"It's great to see our youth have a day ON...not a DAY OFF! Happy MLK Day!" said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. "By painting the community center that they share with senior citizens, they prove that Dr. King's legacy is strong!" This was addressed to the 30 Publicolor volunteers offering a Day of Service while transforming with vibrant colors the main lobby and cafeteria of the Bronx Community Center.

Publicolor's Founder, Ruth Lande Shuman, encouraged by the spirit of the volunteers, said, "It was an honor and a joy for us at Publicolor to spend MLK Day painting alongside fathers and sons at the Bronx River Community Center, and then to have Council Member Ruben Diaz stop by! Our students were thrilled!!"

The project was a collaboration between Publicolor, Bronx Fathers Taking Action, Bronx Youth Corp, Acacia Network, FAIM Inc., CASW, and Bronx River Tenants Association.

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In the spirit of Dr. King's legacy, you, too, can give back to your community by volunteering with Publicolor every Saturday from January 21 to March 11. You'll paint alongside Publicolor's students, staff, and mentors. Individuals can volunteer at NYCares.org. School groups, corporation, and not-for-profits should contactMs. Catherine Stein at Catherine@publicolor.org.

Upcoming locations include: Jill Chaifetz Transfer School (Bronx), PS/MS 206 Jose Celso Barbosa (Manhattan), and Lyons Community School (Brooklyn).

Please arrive at the school no later than 9:45 A.M. Organizers will pair all volunteers with Publicolor students. This is a golden opportunity for both volunteers and students to engage in an unforgettable and unique dialogue that Publicolor views as informal mentoring. Pause for a healthy, nutritious lunch around 12 P.M., and resume painting until 3 P.M.

What you need to know about volunteering:

What about lunch?

Publicolor will provide lunch. However, in order to help defray the cost of lunch, they ask that the volunteers donate $12 per person the Monday before you are scheduled to volunteer.



Can I bring my kids?

Publicolor loves children, but because their work is so technical they prefer that the children you bring be 12 years or older and chaperoned by you while they paint.

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What do I wear?

Please wear clothes and shoes you don't mind getting paint on. Publicolor uses odor-free latex paint that will wash out of your hair and skin but not out of your clothes. Publicolor will provide gloves for painting upon request.

For more information about volunteering go to Publicolor's website
At a wall-to-wall packed opening at the Grey Art Gallery, photographer/ filmmaker / musician John Cohen held court in front of a video installation of some vintage photographs he took at the heyday of artist owned galleries on 10th Street. Talk about a fascinating pocket of art history! "Inventing Downtown: Artist-Run Galleries in New York City 1952-1965" features paintings by Alex Katz, Jim Dine, Jane Wilson and other noted artists of the midcentury, Dan Flavin, George Segal, exhibited in the context of the galleries: Tanager, Hansa, Brata, Delancey Street Museum, to name a few. A John Cohen photograph graces the handsome exhibition catalogue's cover: Red Grooms crossing Third Avenue, transporting artwork in what looks like a baby buggy to the Reuben Gallery in 1960.

This exhibition and another at Madison Avenue's L. Parker Stephenson Gallery marks a synergistic moment for John Cohen, who also had photos in the New Museum's exceptional "Keepers" exhibition, and the expansive "Beat Generation" show at the Centre Pompidou this past summer, co-curated by Jean-Jacques Lebel, an artist included at the Grey Gallery show. As a photographer, Cohen shot the stills of the classic Robert Frank/ Alfred Leslie Pull My Daisy, and made some important historic films of his own to be shown this weekend at Anthology Film Archives. A Steidl book with the poetic title, Cheap Rents and de Kooning, serves as a catalogue for Cohen's show uptown and says much about art's bygone era in New York City!
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia, U.S. January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

It's been several days, which makes it seems like old news in Donald Trump's frenetic and disordered world. But this will affect a lot of us, so it's important.

Trump, in what's been hyped as an "unprecedented" move, has instituted a freeze on the hiring of federal employees. Hyperbole aside (it's hardly unprecedented, since Ronald Reagan did the same thing on his first day in office), one thing is already clear: This will hurt a lot of people.

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Trump's order exempts military personnel, along with any position that a department or agency head "deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities." That offers a fair degree of latitude when it comes to filling positions in certain areas.

But Trump's appointees aren't likely to ask for "national security or public safety" exemptions for the many government jobs that help people in ways Republicans despise. So who stands to lose the most under this hiring freeze?

1. Social Security Recipients

Trump and his advisors seem to have had Social Security in mind when they included this language:"This hiring freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of the sources of their operational and programmatic funding ..." (Emphasis mine.) While there may be other reasons for this verbiage, it effectively targets Social Security, which is entirely self-funded through the contributions of working Americans and their employers.

Social Security is forbidden by law from contributing to the deficit. It has very low administrative overhead and is remarkably cost-efficient when compared to pension programs in the private sector.

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That hasn't prevented Republicans in Congress from taking a meat cleaver to Social Security's administrative budget. That has led to increased delays in processing disability applications, longer travel times for recipients as more offices are closed, and longer wait times on the phone and in person.

Social Security pays benefits to retired Americans, disabled Americans, veterans, and children - all of whom will be hurt by these cuts.

2. Working People

The Department of Labor, especially the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), ensures that working Americans are safe on the job. It's a huge task: Nearly 2.9 million Americans were injured on the job in 2015, according to OSHA data, and another 145,000 experienced a work-related illness. 4,836 people died from work-related injuries in 2016. (These numbers count only reported injuries, illnesses, and deaths; not all are reported.)

OSHA's employees study injury and illness patterns, communicate safety practices and rules, and inspect workplaces to make sure that the rules are being followed. This hiring freeze will lead to fewer such studies, communications, and inspections. That means working Americans will pay a price -- in injury, illness, and death.

3. Veterans

Some 500,000 veterans have waited more than a month to receive medical care from the Veterans Administration. Nevertheless, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer confirmed that Trump's hiring freeze will affect thousands of open positions at the VA, including positions for doctors and nurses. The nation's veterans will pay for this freeze, in prolonged illness, injury, and pain - or worse.

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Vets will pay in another way, too. Vets make up roughly one-third of the federal workforce, which means they will be disproportionately harmed by this hiring freeze. So will women and minorities, both of whom have a significant presence among federal workers - greater than in the workforce as a whole.

4. Small Businesses and Workers All Across the Country

Contrary to what many people believe, federal employees are work in offices all across the country. The goods and services purchased by each federal worker provide jobs and growth for their local economies. Cuts in the federal workforce will therefore cause economic damage all of the states where federal jobs are located.

According to the latest report on the subject from the Office of Management and Budget, states with the largest numbers of Federal employees are: California, with 150,000 jobs; Virginia, with 143,000 jobs; Washington DC, with 133,000 jobs; and, Texas, with 130,000 jobs.

That's right: Texas.

Other states with large numbers of Federal employees include Maryland, Florida, and Georgia.

Demand for goods and services will fall with the federal workforce. So will demand for workers, which means that wages will rise more slowly (if at all). This hiring freeze will affect small businesses and working people in states like Texas and all across the country.

5. Everybody Else.

The "public safety" argument could also be used to exempt employees of the Environmental Protection Agency from the hiring freeze. But Trump has nominated Scott Pruitt, a longtime foe of environmental regulation who has sided with some genuinely noxious polluters, to run the EPA.

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As Oklahoma's Attorney General, Pruitt has sued the EPA 14 times. "In 13 of those cases," the New York Times reports, "the co-parties included companies that had contributed money to Mr. Pruitt or to Pruitt-affiliated political campaign committees."

In other words, Pruitt is dirty. It's unlikely he'll seek a "public safety" exemption for the inspectors that identify industrial polluters and bring them to justice. So another group that will suffer under this freeze, without getting too cute about it, is pretty much anybody who drinks water or breathes air. That covers just about everybody.

And that's just the beginning.

This is not an all-inclusive list. We've left out tourists, for example, who'll pay the price for staffing cuts at the nation's monuments and national parks. But the overall impact of Trump's hiring freeze is clear: it shows a reckless disregard for the health, safety, and well-being of the American people.

(And that's not even counting his plan to end the Affordable Care Act. Physicians Steffie Woolhandler and David Emmelstein estimate that this will result in 43,000 deaths every year. And they're not Democratic partisans or ACA apologists; they've been fighting for single-payer healthcare for years.)

Given these implications - and the thousands of jobs affected at the VA alone - it was surprising to read, in Politico, that "Trump's move, by itself, doesn't actually do much."

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That's true, in one way. The 10,000 to 20,000 jobs affected by this freeze pale in comparison to the federal government's total workforce of 2.2 million.

But Trump's just getting started. His memo instructs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to come up with a broader long-term plan for reducing the federal workforce through attrition. And Trump's choice for that job, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, is a far-right Republican who's been fighting to cut the federal government for years.
January 27, 2017. 12:00 PM EST

As of noon Eastern time today, it has been only 168 hours since Donald Trump became President*. The first of those hours brings to mind the title of Arthur Koestler's classic 1940 novel about Stalinist Russia under a brutal dictator called "Number One," Darkness at Noon. The events of the ensuing week have made another novel of the 1940s, George Orwell's Nineteen Eight-four, a best-seller again almost seventy years after its publication. It has been the most ominous week for America (and the world) in more than a half century--since the week that began with President (no asterisk) John F. Kennedy announcing in a televised address on October 22, 1962 that the Soviet Union was constructing nuclear missile bases in Cuba.

There was, however, in the same week of darkness and dread now ending the bursting forth of the brilliant sunshine of one of the most hopeful developments in modern American history: the Women's Marches around the world last Saturday, in which nearly five million people came out to physically oppose the horror show that had become the government of the United States the day before.

I'll address that hope in a subsequent piece. Here, we'll focus on the reasons for despair. For starters, any doubt that may have lingered in the minds of some that the man who has moved into the White House is certifiably insane has been removed. He spent most of his first work as Misleader of the Free World arguing over and lying about the size of the crowd at his inauguration, the number of times he has been on the cover of Time magazine, the totally absurd claim that he would have won the popular vote had it not been for three to five million illegal votes, that his "despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of CIA's Memorial Wall of Agency heroes," as former CIA Director John Brennan correctly characterized it, was "a home run," one of the greatest speeches ever and that he received "the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl," and on and on.

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The damage to the nation and the world that such a mentally ill (read what he said in his Wednesday interview with ABC's David Muir if you think that characterization might not be justified) person can do in the position he now holds is incalculable.

In the most perfect example of a Freudian slip imaginable, press secretary Sean Spicer revealed the basis for Trump's insecurity and mental illness when he said in his Monday press briefing: "It's just unbelievably frustrating when you're continuously told it's not big enough."

A short time after the CIA fiasco on Saturday, Trump had sent Spicer, into the White House Briefing Room to scream at the assembled journalists. Spicer's litany of lies included this whopper about the crowd at Trump's inauguration: "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration--period." On Sunday morning, Kellyanne Conway told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that Spicer had offered "alternative facts." George Orwell, meet Groucho Marx.

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Trump has adopted, though presumably not consciously, a line from the Marx Brothers 1933 film, Duck Soup as his way of dealing with the American people: "Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?"

Orwell wrote in a similar vein fifteen years later: "The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

As the dominance of Orwellian Newspeak this week indicates, along with an insane president*, we are facing a man and an administration that are showing every sign of an intent to move our republic as far towards authoritarianism as they can get away with. The unprecedented (and, as Trump said, "unpresidented") slew of executive orders in the opening days of the new administration makes that clear. Yes, President Obama used and probably over used executive orders, but that was only after years of the refusal of a Congress of the other party to act on critically important matters. Trump's party is in control of Congress, but he prefers to dictate, to rule by decree.

Then Trump's chief White House strategist, white nationalist Steve Bannon, said in an interview with the New York Times that the media are "the opposition party" and should "keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while."

Without even getting into all the specifics of Trump's decrees and actions and how they threaten the nation and world, the clear attempt by a "Leader" to move the United States of America toward authoritarianism marks this as the scariest week since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Rethinking Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock

By Ronald TierskyJanuary 19, 2017

From RealClearWorld

Rethinking Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock

As the initial fury dies down over the Obama administrations abstention on Resolution 2334 and Donald Trump's inauguration dawns, here's a suggestion on the intractable Israeli-Palestinian deadlock.

Various solutions are in the mix: One-state, two-state, three-state, no-state outcomes. Envisioning two Palestinian states rather than one might make good sense. The first state would be built in the West Bank, the second in Gaza. Not West Palestine and East Palestine, i.e. not two halves of one state, but separate states, perhaps autonomous republics, with the question of merger deferred until circumstances change, if ever indeed they do.

It has long been understood that any Palestinian state entity would be autonomous but not fully sovereign, with control over internal affairs but limited sovereignty in defense and security arrangements. Security would be guaranteed by outside powers, including Israel first of all. A Palestinian state would be launched with substantial economic aid from outside and would be embedded in new transnational economic structures.

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Demilitarization has long been accepted by Palestinian Authority negotiators. While it needs police forces, a Palestinian state doesn't need an army. Outside powers would provide external security, and demilitarization guarantees that a Palestinian state could not threaten Israel.

To accept a two-Palestinian-state formula is a sacrifice by Palestinians against the goal of a single contiguous nation-state. For Israel, on the other hand, two Palestinian states create not greater danger but greater security. The neighboring states, Jordan and Egypt, are not asked to make sacrifices either. The issue is whether Palestinians have reason to take the deal.

Four other options have been discussed, none of which breaks the deadlock.

The first is the familiar two-state solution. Through negotiations, a new, contiguous State of Palestine is created. Israel and the new state live side-by-side in peace and security.

The second is the so-called one-state solution of the Israeli nationalist right, i.e. Greater Israel. It involves annexation of the entire West Bank and East Jerusalem, including the Palestinian population, minus people subsidized to leave, or perhaps expelled. There is no Palestinian state at all in this scenario. For demographic reasons--Israel could not long remain a Jewish state--remaining Palestinians would have to be denied equal Israeli citizenship, resulting in legal apartheid. Critics who say Israel is already heading toward a one-state apartheid country can't explain why even a Greater Israel government would blindly annex to the point of apartheid, trading Israel's democracy and all international credibility for more land.

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The so-called three-state solution is the third possibility. It would recreate governance in the Holy Land as it existed from the 1949 Armistice Agreements through the 1967 Six Day War. Gaza would revert to Egypt, which occupied it in 1949 and then lost it in 1967. The West Bank would revert to Jordan, which had incorporated it in 1950, also losing it in the Six Day War. A three-state solution means no Palestinian state at all. The very idea of a distinct Palestinian people would be put into question. The three-state motto is that a Palestinian state already exists: It's Jordan.

Why and how Egypt and Jordan should accept Gaza and the West Bank is a mystery left unanswered. And why West Bank and Gaza Palestinians would accept national dissolution and distance from Jerusalem is no clearer. Neither is the question of why the United States and other outside powers would make themselves complicit in a nationalist Biblical Greater Israel. The three-state solution is in effect a recipe for more war and chaos in the Middle East.

A no-state solution is the fourth alternative. Israel's real policy, in this version, is to prevent any kind of Palestinian state. The real strategy is sitting tight, keeping powder dry, always being prepared for war, and outlasting outside pressures. Gaza continues to be governed by Hamas, Israel continues its control of the West Bank, and settlement expansion proceeds incrementally. How long this policy is sustainable is a question of controversy. Critics say it would lead inevitably to a one-state solution, if this last is not interrupted by major war meantime.

Against these alternatives, the virtues of two Palestinian states are clear, both as a goal and in terms of negotiations.

Creating two Palestinian states deflects the issue of territorial contiguity, deferring it to some future moment when circumstances will have changed.

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Two timetables are possible, including deferring a state solution for Gaza as long as necessary. The West Bank has priority. The "peace process" becomes relevant again. West Bank Palestinians have an incentive to conclude an agreement earlier rather than later. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said there will be no Palestinian state without Gaza, but this could be taken as an opening gambit, and in any case Abbas is on his way out.

Can Gaza's future be deferred indefinitely? Is it morally justifiable?

This is the issue of dealing with Hamas, in two respects: its rejection of Israel and its significance in the wider Islamist movement of which it is an instance. Here there are only questions. What responsibility does Hamas leadership feel toward the people of Gaza? What happens in five years, 10 years or beyond? Would the strategy remain the same if a West Bank Palestinian state were established, exposing Hamas politically and militarily? Geographically locked between Israel and Egypt, Gaza would be prey to possible international military intervention.

A West Bank state, and an eventual Gaza state, would need incorporation into wider structures to prosper. Economic and perhaps political confederation would involve at least Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, with the prospect of wider arrangements in the Middle East with Arab states and perhaps Turkey, and even with the European Union.

Outside powers would have strong reasons to help post-deadlock Palestinians. The moral principle is that Palestinian demands for dignity and respect are valid, and the international community is not indifferent to their suffering.

For Israel, the benefits are also clear: an end to the conflict including a pledge of no more Palestinian claims, an end to contestation of Israel's legitimacy, a solution to the problem of how Israel can be both a Jewish state and democratic, and a basis for political de-escalation among Israelis themselves.

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What about Jerusalem? The future of Jerusalem is the issue of issues. But it's not unresolvable, even recognizing that Israel's government always controls the agenda of what is possible. Beyond this is a discussion too long even to begin here.

Why would the West Bank Palestinians accept the proposal of two Palestinian states, one in the near future, the other a deferred and hypothetical promise that abandons the population of Gaza for the time being?

Geopolitical analyst George Friedman asserts, "the Palestinians can't accept a state divided between Gaza and the West Bank, without any transport under their control," and Israel cannot give up its positions on the Jordan River line "since it is their main defensive position" against possible future conventional attack by Arab states whose future orientations may be different than today's. Therefore "it is impossible" to create an Israel-Palestine two-state solution.

The problem of contiguity, as stated above, can be deferred. As to Israel's security, the Commanders for Israel's Security, an organization of more than 200 of Israel's former highest ranking government, military and intelligence personnel, has presented a deep study of how a multi-layered national and international security system could guarantee a two-state solution. The two-Palestinian-state solution is covered implicitly by this plan.

Look at the deadlock geopolitically from the Palestinian point of view. They are in no position to propose terms to Israel. Geopolitics is, as Friedman says, the belief that power determines outcomes.

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Donald Trump meets with professors and students at the Cleveland Arts and Social Sciences Academy in Cleveland, Ohio. Mike Segar/Reuters

Before Brexit and the US elections, Nature magazine columnist Colin Macilwain set out a challenge: "If Donald Trump were to trigger a crisis in Western democracy, scientists would need to look at their part in its downfall."

Now Trump has become president, the possibility of crisis is real, including the spectre of a "Twitter ban" for scientists. So what of scientific introspection?

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Macilwain argues that the scientific elite is inextricably linked to the centrist, free-market political establishment. In their continuous pursuit of funding, scientists reinforce the ruling nexus of politics and finance, oblivious to the evident cracks in the system.

We share Macilwain's diagnosis, and note that the scientific community seems set to avoid a much-needed soul-searching about its responsibility in the twin crises of science and democracy, escaping introspection by using denial, dismissal, diversion and displacement.

These tactics need to be understood in order to address the current crisis and its potential solutions.

Denial and dismissal

Denial goes something like this: "There is no crisis in science. And if there is one, it does not impact the social role of science, including informing policy."

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International organisations studying the production and delivery of science, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UNESCO seem to adopt this position, discussing scientific advice without admitting the problems in the science that underpins it.

Alternatively, researchers and policy-makers could acknowledge the existence of a problem but dismiss it as something to be treated with topical remedies. For example, one recent analysis shows how bad incentives drive off good science by sustaining a state of affairs that systematically encourages malpractice.

But responses from the field seem to conceive of the problem as one that requires only a refined technical solution from within the scientific establishment, not fundamental reforms.

Even a recent manifesto for reproducible science, which lists measures to improve key elements of the scientific process including methods, reporting and dissemination, reproducibility, evaluation and incentives, aims only to make science more efficient.

We argue that the present scientific crisis emerges, in part, from uncritically applying to science a mainstream economics concept of efficiency, unavoidably associated with measurements and metrics, when metrics are seen instead by many as part of the problem.

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Diversion and displacement

Diversion is another way to avoid addressing the current problems with science.

This stance can be summarised as, "There is a problem, and this is due to an ongoing war on science between the educated liberal left and the ignorant conservative right." It has been realised by the election of Donald Trump.

Because science is under threat, then, it holds that scientists should close ranks and reject criticism, as they have done in the past when faced with postmodern critiques.

This position feeds onto a persistent Cult of Science, portraying science as the master narrative to adjudicate on the full range of human and societal affairs, and scientists as a nobler domain of humanity.

But in doing so, scientists risk being perceived as just another interest group. Indeed, the public is increasingly wary about trusting scientists to be objective, and scientists would be wise to reflect on the nature of their activism.

Last but not least, displacement is perhaps the most widespread response, judging by the insistent claims about the onset of the post-truth era. This position implies that before Brexit and President Trump, we were living in a world where truth was commonplace in policy and politics.

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Scientists accuse the public of incompetence on scientific matters such as vaccines and climate change. And Donald Trump fuels these fires by flirting with known vaccine bashers and shutting down the climate pages on government websites.

In this view, the world would be a better place if only the lay public and politicians better understood science.

But it is important when analysing the vaccine saga - or the ease with which conspiracy theories catch on - to consider the relations between the pharmaceutical industry and regulators, feeding on a series of documented instances of corrupted science, and ruthless industrial pressure.

The mistakes of the lay public should not be taken as an excuse to overlook science's own faults. Let us not forget the parallel cases of Love Canal in the 1970s, and Flint, Michigan and Washington, DC today, where the same script seems to repeat itself, with residents having to rely on their own scientists to expose the truth.

What went wrong with science?

In one recent analysis, we suggest that science is in crisis because of contradictions between the practice and structure of science, and its public image and social roles.

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In his 1963 book, Little Science, Big Science, Derek de Solla Price described how the small-scale, single-project research activities that characterised most scientific work in through the mid-20th century shifted dramatically to big science after the second world war. This resulted from the impressive growth in the scientific production and workforce, and was characterised by large projects requiring advanced technologies.

De Solla Price speculated that this current context might one day lead to a senility of science.









Amir Cohen/Reuters





Our analysis - which owes to earlier works by philosopher Jerome Ravetz - follows on to argue that the sheer scale of science today is destroying the disciplinary peer communities of little science and demanding objective metrics of quality, which encourage perverse incentives and are subject to corruption.

No quantitative and formalised system of quality control can replace the old, informal system. Instead, resolution will require people and institutions beyond the scientific system.

For political scientist Dan Sarewitz, the degradation of science is also due to its engagement in what he calls a "trans-scientific" endeavour, meaning a problem that can be expressed scientifically but is not amenable to a scientific solution via existing scientific means.

Obesity, for example, seems to be a scientifically soluble problem only if we neglect the extremely complex chain of possible causes which could contribute to the condition.

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Sarewitz argues that the miracles of modernity came not from "the free play of free intellects but from the leashing of scientific creativity to the technological needs of the US Department of Defense."

From this perspective, the ongoing problems with reproducibility in scientific experiments result from researchers choosing to study trans-scientific issues to maximise their funding and publication metrics. Even though science is better, for Sarewitz, when constrained by clear mandates and control, for example, at the service of a market-driven technological development.

Still, the idea that "market" and "innovation" keep science clean begs the question of who keeps market and innovation clean?

What should be done?

Though science is often put at odds with religion, there share similarities in that both function as worldviews. And despite their existential crises, religion and science remain a source of hope for many.

For this reason, it is perhaps not far-fetched to look at the crisis of the church to gain insights for the scientific field.

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Martin Luther started his Protestant Reformation in an outraged reaction to generalised corruption - economic and intellectual - within the church. Monk John Tetzel, who was selling indulgences (a remission to the amount of punishment a sinner has to undergo after death) in Germany around 1517, was an example of such corruption.

Today's science crisis also reveals how the combination of corruption, rage and new technology can mobilise major social change.

Reconstructing science would require a broad democratic constituency, including humanists, technologists and citizen activists, as well as scientists, investigative journalists and whistleblowers.

At the moment, however, creating a blueprint for such a reformation seems delusional: we live in an age of increasing fragmentation, not inclusion.

We must be able to question the idol of objective truth without being accused of postmodern relativism. We must also critically view the co-evolution of science and power that Macilwain alludes to.

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Any worldview shift today, scientific or otherwise, must also reconsider the present economic paradigm.

Science in society

None of these structural changes is easy to achieve, of course. So what we suggest, while conditions for this global critique ripen, is that science is at its best when it is explicitly embedded in society, enhancing knowledge rights to an extended peer community.

Taking cases of environmental degradation such as Love Canal or Flint discussed above, it is clear that corrupt administrations, operators and regulators, with their own science, may concur to produce disasters.

Here an extended peer community of concerned citizens and willing scientists can identify the problem and its possible solutions.

Citizens have the right to engage with ideological and political debates about science and question the governance processes that produced these failures. Instead, right now, they're just being called to defend science from its purported enemies.

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Details added (first version posted on 13:03)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijan and Ukraine have big potential for cooperation in all directions of social policy, said Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Salim Muslumov.

Muslumov made the remarks during his meeting with Ukraines Minister of Social Policy Andrey Reva in Baku on Jan. 27.

The study of labor market, employment sphere, insurance and others are among the directions of social policy, where the two countries have big potential for cooperation, said the minister.

He added that Azerbaijan and Ukraine have a full legal base for cooperation in the sphere of social security that is based on four agreements.

Ukraine is the only country that provides our citizens, who previously worked in this country, with pensions, noted Muslumov adding that the Ukrainian side transfers these funds to Azerbaijans State Social Protection Fund, which, for its part, transfers them to pensioners accounts.

The minister emphasized that Ukraine is the only country, which fulfills its social obligations to other countries.

Currently, more than 500,000 Azerbaijanis live in Ukraine and among them there are people who hold high state positions, added Muslumov.


Foreign policy, now online. Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Six days after taking office, President Donald Trump is facing the first international crisis of his administration. And it's unfolding on Twitter.

Following through on campaign promises to crack down on immigration, Trump signed executive orders to both kick-start the construction of a border wall with Mexico and block federal grants for "sanctuary cities" - jurisdictions that offer safe harbour for undocumented immigrants.

Trump justified these measures as necessary for improving domestic security. "A nation without borders is not a nation," he said. "Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders."

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After signing the orders, Trump insisted in an interview with ABC news network that Mexico would reimburse construction expenses "at a later date".

Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

Trump's push to force Mexico to pay for the wall has plunged the two neighbours into a tense and unusual diplomatic standoff. Mexico has long been a key partner and ally of the US and Enrique Pena Nieto's government has keenly tried to avoid a standoff. Trump, on the other hand, has fuelled one with his frantic social media activity.

Welcome to the era of Twitter diplomacy.

American non-diplomacy

Historically, diplomacy is not one of America's strong suits. Former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali once noted that he was surprised to learn that US international officials usually see "little need for diplomacy". For Americans, Boutros-Ghali claimed, it's perceived as "a waste of time and prestige and a sign of weakness."

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But with Mexico President Trump has taken this tradition of American non-diplomacy to uncharted territories.

Pena Nieto chose moderation and diplomatic subtlety to address Trump's belligerence. This conciliatory strategy has, indeed, been perceived as a sign of weakness on both sides of the border.

Yet the Mexican government's situation is delicate. Either Pena Nieto endures Trump's relentless humiliation, or he jeopardises the nation's commercial partnership with the US, which buys 80% of Mexican exports.

So Pena Nieto did everything possible to appease Trump, probably hoping that he would eventually moderate his positions. He even appointed Luis Videgaray - the unpopular politician who organised then-candidate Trump's ill-received August 2016 visit to Mexico - as Minister of Foreign Relations.

Trump answered the conciliatory gesture, which was deeply controversial in Mexico, by tweeting that his southern neighbours would pay for the wall in the border "a little later" in order to build it "more quickly".

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Pena Nieto then tried to warn Trump about the consequences that a conflict with Mexico could have upon the US agenda. Using the infamous druglord Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo, as a subtle rebuke to Trump's stance on Mexico, the president extradited him to the US on January 19, just a few hours before Barack Obama's term expired.

US officials and the Mexican public interpreted the timing of the extradition, which had been green-lighted for months, as a Mexican housewarming gift to the Trump White House.

But a different hypothesis seems more plausible. Mexico rushed to hand over El Chapo to Obama to prevent Trump from taking credit for the extradition. As Mexican journalist Esteban Illades argued, if Mexico had delayed the extradition by one more day, Trump would have boasted about his role in organising it for months on Twitter.

But Trump didn't pay attention to Pena Nieto's warning: two days after taking office, he announced that he would begin renegotiating NAFTA with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, and set a meeting with Pena Nieto on January 31.

Pena Nieto sent Videgaray and Ildefonso Guajardo, Mexico's Minister of Economy, to Washington for preparing his meeting with Trump. He instructed them to avoid both submission and confrontation in negotiations with the American administration.

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But that plan faltered when, on the night before the emissaries were to arrive to Washington, Trump tweeted that Wednesday would be a "big day" for "national security" because he was looking forward to "building the wall". Videgaray and Guajardo were actually in the White House when Trump left the building to sign his executive order.

This insult raised outrage in Mexico. Intellectuals, politicians and citizens, both left and right, demanded that Pena Nieto cancel his visit to Washington.

Mexico's president answered this new provocation with a short video statement, in which he said that Mexican consulates would now serve as legal aid offices for undocumented Mexican migrants in the US. He resisted though cancelling the meeting with Trump, saying that he would make a decision based on Videgaray's and Guajardo's report out.

But another social media blast from Trump derailed that wait-and-see strategy, too:

of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

Even for mild Pena Nieto this was too much. He cancelled the meeting with Trump without even a press conference. Instead he tweeted: "This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the working meeting with @POTUS scheduled next Tuesday."

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Esta manana hemos informado a la Casa Blanca que no asistire a la reunion de trabajo programada para el proximo martes con el @POTUS.  Enrique Pena Nieto (@EPN) January 26, 2017

As Foreign Minister Videgaray acknowledged, "You don't ask your neighbour to pay for your home's wall."

A phone call between Trump and Pena Nieto on Friday morning may allow for a brief cooling-off period, but without a doubt Mexico and the US have entered into an age of conflict. The consequences, in North America and beyond, are still uncertain.

Spectres of the national anthem

If the US administration moves forward with its proposed plan to build the wall and fund it by imposing a 20% tax on Mexican imports, Pena Nieto's government has options for retaliation. It could implement a crackdown on American citizens - many of them retirees - who overstay their tourist visas in Mexico, or impose reciprocal tariffs on American exports.

Indeed, the US should not take Mexican friendship for granted. As Mexican historian Enrique Krauze has pointed out, despite recent good relations, Mexico has a series of historical grievances against the US, which remain deeply rooted in Mexican collective memories.

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First, the US invaded Mexico in 1846, annexing half of its territory. This event was so traumatic that it became the main theme of the Mexican national anthem.

Then, in 1913, the American ambassador Henry Lane Wilson plotted to have democratically elected president Francisco Madero murdered. This incident plunged Mexico into a fierce civil war and postponed effective implementation of democracy in the country for 90 years.

Finally, in 1914 US marines occupied the city of Veracruz, triggering a prolonged period of hostile relations. The bond between Mexico and the US only normalised again in 1942 with Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbour policy.

To maintain this peaceful coexistence, both Mexican and American governments have usually taken into account the complex historic relationship between the countries.

Trump's novelty is that he seemingly has no interest in or intention to contemplate the conflicted history of Mexican-American relations - not even considering the strategic importance of Mexico for his nation.

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The Twitter president

Instead, his policy decisions seem based on social media metrics.

Mexican writer Jorge Volpi believes that Trump's use of Twitter as a privileged medium says a lot about this president. Twitter favours speed over analysis, wit over depth, and aggression over reflection. For Volpi, these are very Trumpian character traits.

The global consequences of such Twitter diplomacy are unknowable. But in Mexico, beyond generating a diplomatic crisis, Trump's actions are successfully arousing the dormant spirits of Mexican nationalism.

Social media platforms are on fire there. Denise Dresser, a respected liberal intellectual, declared that though Donald Trump's presidency may last eight years, Mexico has existed for thousands of years. The historian Rafael Estrada Michel has called for Mexico to renegotiate not NAFTA but the Guadalupe-Hidalgo treaty, which established the current US-Mexico border after the Mexican-American war.

If US-Mexico relations continue in this line, Mexicans will be forced to pay a terrible price for Trump's antics. NAFTA established a prosperous free-trade zone in North America, and without its main trade partner, Mexico will have to entirely reinvent its global alliances and its economic structure.

By the way, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative website - which, in our brave new world of alternative facts, might be taken down soon - US manufacturing exports have increased 258% under NAFTA, and 40% of Mexican exports into the US are actually originated in American inputs.

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It is also likely that the US will find it seeking Mexico's support in the near future. Neighbourly collaboration is still necessary to face the myriad challenges both countries share, including climate change and cross-border drug policy. Will Mexico be there next time the US needs it?

It now falls on American and Mexican citizens to defend and foster the peaceful relationship that has been built with much suffering over decades - not with Twitter diplomacy, but with human feeling.

Luis Gomez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong
By Christopher Johnson, ZEALnyc Contributing Writer, January 27, 2017

Vadim Gluzman, the Ukrainian-born Israeli violinist whose recent gig with the Chicago Symphony won rave reviews, joins the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for its next concert at Carnegie Hall, on February 4. The program features two headline events: the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto--a first for Orpheus--played on the instrument it was written for, and the New York premiere of a new piece by Michael Hersch, one of our most compelling younger composers, who is having a banner year.

Gluzman will use the 1690 Stradivarius once owned by Leopold Auer, the Russian titan whose playing inspired Tchaikovsky in the first place. Unfortunately, Tchaikovsky was so inspired that he wrote at white heat and published the piece with a dedication to Auer, without waiting for Auer's permission. Auer, miffed at having his name attached to a piece that he felt was almost unplayable, refused to touch it for the next fifteen years, never played it without his own cuts and alterations, and insisted that all his students (Zimbalist, Elman, Heifetz, and so on) follow his example. Gluzman's performance on February 4 is the first time the concerto will be heard as Tchaikovsky wrote it, in the hall he opened, on the instrument he had in mind. (Somewhere, Piotr Ilyich is enjoying a hearty last laugh.)

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The "ex-Auer" Strad comes to Gluzman as a long-term loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago, a philanthropy that puts "great instruments in the hands of rising stars." Founded in 1985, the Society provided the fourteen-year-old Midori with her first adult violin, then moved on to benefit a who's-who of up-and-coming players including Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Leila Josefowicz, Leonidas Kavakos, Rachel Barton Pine, and Gil Shaham, among many others. In an economy where fine stringed instruments are such hot investment properties that young musicians can no longer afford them, this is a win-win-win situation: great instruments get to come out of the display-case and have some exercise, prolonging their useful lives; promising young players gain access to high-quality instruments that might help them make the jump to artistic greatness; and donors get a chance to back something that has both musical and moral value, and gives great pleasure into the bargain.

The concert also marks a high point in Michael Hersch's busy season, which began with a three-day festival at Spectrum, continues through a slew of premieres in the US, Britain, and Europe, and reaches a climax this coming spring with the release of a film of his lavishly praised opera On the Threshold of Winter. The new work, end stages, inspired by a set of drawings by Kevin Tuttle showing the impacts of physical illness and mortality, was commissioned by Orpheus as part of its American Notes initiative, and premiered earlier this month on a tour through the Southeast.



Composer Michael Hersch at his home in Havertown; photo: Sam Oberter

Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony, an Orpheus specialty, opens the program. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

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Cover: Vadim Gluzman; photo: Marco Borggreve

______________________________

Christopher Johnson writes frequently for ZEALnyc about classical music and related performances.

Read more from ZEALnyc:
Schmidt ad says Democrats helping Pyle "trying to steal" governor's race

Attorney General Derek Schmidt's campaign has hit out with a radio ad saying "national Democrats are trying to steal the Kansas governor's race."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.27

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The US has signed first contracts for the sale of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to the message posted on the Department of Energys Office of Fossil Energy.

A notice of sale for a price-competitive sale of up to 8 million barrels of light sweet crude oil was issued by the Department of Energy Jan. 9.

Contracts were awarded to Shell Trading (US) Company and Phillips 66 Company for the total sale of 6.4 million barrels of crude oil, according to the message.

Of this amount, 1.7 million barrels will be sold from the Bryan Mound site, 3 million barrels from the Big Hill site, and 1.7 million barrels from the West Hackberry site, said the Office of Fossil Energy.

Reportedly, the deliveries will be scheduled to take place in March and April.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is the world's largest supply of emergency crude oil. The federally-owned oil stocks are stored in huge underground salt caverns along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Decisions to withdraw crude oil from the SPR are made by the president under the authorities of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). In the event of an energy emergency, SPR oil would be distributed by competitive sale. The SPR's formidable size (design capacity of 713.5 million barrels) makes it a significant deterrent to oil import cutoffs and a key tool of foreign policy.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijani and Kazakh sides signed a document confirming transfer of an area to Azerbaijan for its pavilion at EXPO 2017 in Astana, said Energy Ministry.

National day of Azerbaijan is scheduled to be held on July 9 as part of the exhibition. Azerbaijans Energy Minister Natig Aliyev will be the commissioner of the national section at EXPO 2017, reads the Energy Ministrys message.

EXPO exhibitions are being held since 1851. Astana will host the exhibition for the first time on June 10-Sept. 10.
Sony To Re-Launch Monument Records with Jason Owen, Shane McAnally At Helm

Sony Music announced plans to re-launch their venerable label Monument Records, with veteran label execs Jason Owen and Shane McAnally serving as co-presidents.

Rounding out Monument Records executive staff is Katie McCartney, who will serve as SVP Marketing & Label Operations, reporting directly to McAnally and Owen.

Previously with Lyric Street, Sony and Black River Records, McCartney most recently served in UMG Nashvilles Marketing & Artist Development department where she oversaw the marketing efforts of several artists including Lauren Alaina, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Vince Gill and Shania Twain.

Kelli Porter has been tapped as Manager, Marketing & Label Operations, reporting to McCartney. Formerly with UMG, Porter first served in distribution, then in the UMG Nashville marketing department over the course of four years.

Initial signings for the label, which will be headquartered in Nashville, include Caitlyn Smith, who has co-written hits for Meghan Trainor, and Walker Hayes, who attracted notice with his one-man 8Tracks (Vol. 1 & 2) EPs in 2016.

Originally founded in 1958, Monument Records served as a label home to Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Little Big Town and Dixie Chicks among others.

via Celebrity Access

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HJ Heinz, a food manufacturer, lost its bid to be covered by its food contamination policy following a finding by an appeals court that it failed to disclose previous contamination claims in its insurance application.A report by the National Law Review said that the company was involved in a 2014 food contamination incident at its China plant after authorities informed it that the baby cereal manufactured in the country was laced with lead. The company filed a claim with Starr Surplus Lines under an accidental contamination policy, seeking compensation for losses, but the insurer refused coverage.Starr filed a counterclaim seeking to revoke the policy based on Heinzs failure to report the incident in its application.The company alleged that the food manufacturer did not meet the disclosure requirement, which stipulated that the company had to disclose incidents within the past 10 years upon filing of the application.Its investigation also revealed that the company was fined by the Chinese government for a separate mercury contamination incident involving its baby food.According to the appeals court finding, the Heinz employee who completed the application process deliberately misrepresented the companys history to keep the coverage premium low. Thus, the District Court voided the companys contamination coverage with Starr.
State has seen eight EV fires from "saltwater intrusion"
Crosby Principal Aaron Dean took over cooking duties on Thursday.

'Chefs In Schools' Brings Healthy Eating to Pittsfield Children



The students get a taste test from chef Guy Koppe to help determine if the meal should be on the lunch menu in the future. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Eat well, sleep well, and exercise are the keys to a healthy life. Thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield, the first of which is being instilled in young children throughout the city schools through Project Bread's "Chefs in Schools" program.

One of the Boston-based Project Bread's initiatives, it brings chefs into schools to help train cafeteria staff, test out new recipes, and teach children about healthy eating  even getting the picky eaters to try new things.

The overall goal is to teach the importance of healthy eating and on Thursday school officials joined in a demonstration of the meals the project brings to the schools.

"We partner with school districts who are looking to increase the fresh fruits and vegetable and the quality of the school meals. Essentially, it is a culinary training program for the school staff that also we pair with sampling and menu testing with kids," chef Sam Icklan said. "We develop recipes that meet the school lunch requirements and also involve fresh fruits and veggies."

The chef-educator has been able to mesh both teaching and cooking through the program. Icklan said the non-profit this year chose six city schools where runs the program two days a week. For the last six weeks, he has been at Crosby Elementary School and he'll be moving on to the high schools and middle schools.

In Thursday's demonstration, he showed what is involved with a tasting of chicken teriyaki. He handed our recipe cards to the children, explaining that it is a relatively easy dish to make, showed how it is made, and then asked for feedback. That feedback determines whether or not the meal will be on the menu.

"If they don't like it, we use that feedback to tweak the recipes and sometimes we just have to say that wasn't a hit and go back to the drawing board," Icklan said. "It engages cafeteria staff, kids, the school community at large."

Icklan has a long history of cooking and for the last eight years has focused on cooking in schools. But for Thursday's demonstration, he let Principal Aaron Dean give it shot.

"These are the fun things as a principal. You get to have fun with the kids and that's a good thing," Dean said.

Joining in on Thursday's demonstration were Mayor Linda Tyer, Superintendent Jason McCandless, Deputy Superintendent Joseph Curtis, Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristin Behnke, Ellen Parker from Project Bread, and Guy Koppe, another chef-educator with the program. All of them spent time visiting lunch tables to chat and teach about the food.

"We need to eat healthy, get good sleep, and get exercise," Tyer reminded the students.



Chicken teriyaki was on the menu Thursday. Dean praised the program for its ability to help connect the students to fresh fruits and vegetables than many of them don't get.

"Project Bread was a nice opportunity for us. It gave us a chance to make a link between the local community farmers' market and the school. Students in this community don't often get an experience or exposed to a lot of fresh vegetables and ways to eat healthy. This program allowed us to bring a chef into the schools and give students a flavor of different things," Dean said.

"It really just gave them a chance to try things they might not otherwise try."

That link can be found through the Pittsfield Farmer's Market as well. The students on Thursday were all given $5 coupons for the market to take home. Both the Chefs in Schools program and the Farmers' Market is supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

"We have a healthy living agenda. How we describe healthy living is healthy eating, active lifestyles and healthy environments. We've been partnering with Project Bread for a long time. We launched this program a number of years ago with Project Bread and we are now partnering across the state," said Jeff Bellows, vice president of corporate citizenship and public affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

The state had previously funded the program but it was cut from the budget in 2016. Blue Cross Blue Shield stepped in to fund the project throughout the state. And it isn't just educational. It's fun.

"I like to try to shift the culture to trying new things and offering stuff to kids in this fun, engaging, low-pressure environment," Icklan said.
Williamstown Elementary School Committee members Dan Caplinger, left, and Joe Bergeron serve on the committee's finance subcommittee.

Williamstown Elementary Faces Budget-Busting Hike in Costs

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Williamstown School Committee heard some sobering news about the prospects for the fiscal 2018 budget talks it will begin in earnest next month.

The K-6 district expects costs for the fiscal year to increase by about twice the funding increase historically offered by the town unless cuts are found.

"As a starting point for planning for FY18, we asked: What happens if we just keep level staffing from this year to next?" WES Committee Chairman and finance subcommittee member Joe Bergeron told his colleagues at Wednesday's monthly meeting. "The reality is we're just a hair shy of a 5 percent increase."

The town, which is yet to release its FY18 budget, generally raises spending across the board by 2.5 percent.

Last May, town meeting approved an elementary school budget that rose 6.35 percent from FY16 to FY17.

Bergeron and WES committee member Dan Caplinger, who comprise the panel's finance subcommittee, have been crunching the numbers with district Business Manager Nancy Rauscher, interim Superintendent Kim Grady and other administrators.

In response to questions from other committee members, Bergeron said "an enormous chunk" of the projected 5 percent increase in costs comes from health insurance premiums, over which the district has no control as part of a countywide insurance group. Other cost increases stem from previously negotiated hikes in contracts with school employees.

Bergeron emphasized that the budget numbers are not finalized.

"I don't want this to be a red flag for people to think about programming or staffing that's in jeopardy," he said. "We want to push for the best interests of the school and want to push for everything we can, but those numbers say we need to be aware that adding programs is going to be challenging from a pure numbers basis.

"We want to make sure we communicated that out of the finance subcommittee."

The School Committee created a subcommittee to track the district's finances last spring after a tumultuous budget season. Members of the town's Finance Committee recommended the School Committee create a subgroup similar to the one that operates at Mount Greylock.

"In the past, we collectively started the [budget] process somewhat under the gun," said John Skavlem, the longest tenured member of the School Committee. "I appreciate the recommendation of the town Finance Committee and others that led to the formation of that subcommittee.

"It's still going to be very difficult with that news. But the fact that you two at least have a handle on that will be helpful."

Grady noted that the finance subcommittee has been communicating with the School Committee's liaison on the town Finance Committee and the chairman of that committee.

"The town will have no surprises, either," she said.

Bergeron insisted that budget cuts are not inevitable.

"I do want to make sure people recognize that even with us saying, it's certainly not great news where FY18 is headed, but it's also not bad news," Bergeron said. "We're not doomed to any program or staffing changes.  It's just a reality that we're going to have a little bit of an uphill climb.

"It's in our power to advocate for any budget we see as appropriate, but then it's up to us to bring the rest of the town along with us."
Berkshire Bank Appoints Key Corporate Finance Officers

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Berkshire Bank has announced several key appointments within its Corporate Finance Department to accelerate the company's progress and to empower the next level of leadership.



Kevin Nihill has been named senior vice president/treasurer, and Allison O'Rourke has been named executive vice president/Finance.



Nihill has been serving as the lead of Berkshire's Strategic Analytics group. Nihill has nearly 20 years of experience in the financial services industry in a number of treasury, financial modeling and finance-related roles and joined the company in 2010.



Nihill is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder, earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and received his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Clark Art Institute Names Senior Curator

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Esther Bell has been selected to serve as the Robert and Martha Berman Lipp senior curator of the Clark Art Institute. Her appointment was announced Friday by Olivier Meslay, the Felda and Dena Hardymon director of the Clark.



Bell currently serves as the curator in charge of European paintings at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, where she has organized a number of important exhibits, including the recent critically acclaimed "The Brothers Le Nain: Painters of Seventeenth-Century France," presented in partnership with the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas and the Musee du Louvre. On Feb. 25, Bell will open "Monet: The Early Years" at San Francisco's Legion of Honor, an exhibit organized by the Kimbell in collaboration with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.



"Esther Bell is one of the brightest curators working today," Meslay said. "Her creativity, intellect, and scholarship are only equaled by her passion and energy for the diverse demands of curatorial work. Esther's international experience and her deep expertise in French paintings will be of great importance in her work here at the Clark. We are delighted to welcome her as a colleague."



Prior to joining the staff of the Fine Arts Museums in 2014, Bell was the curator of European paintings, drawings, and sculpture at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She began her career in New York, serving as a research assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as both a research assistant and curatorial fellow at the Morgan Museum and Library. In 2015, Apollo magazine named Bell as one of the top ten curators in North America under the age of 40.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.27

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Oil markets look set to tighten further in the coming quarters as better than expected compliance from OPEC and select non-OPEC producers with agreed production targets should ensure further drawdowns in oil inventories, according to the analysis of the US JP Morgan bank.

However, the decisions taken by producers in 2016 now look set to forestall a price recovery in 2018, the analysts believe.

Consequently, we retain a 2017 Brent price forecast of $58.25 per barrel and introduce a 2018 price forecast of $60 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices are $2 per barrel below this at $56.25 per barrel and $58 per barrel for 2017 and 2018 respectively, said JP Morgan.

The analysts expect OPECs agreement to tighten balances in the short term.

However, the expected collapse of the deal and subsequent rebound in OPEC production expected in late 2017 and 2018 lifts forecast production by 0.5 million barrels per day in 2017 and 1.1 million barrels per day in 2018, according to JP Morgan.

For prices to be supported above $60 per barrel in 2018 would likely require continued OPEC output reductions that continue to tighten the market beyond the third quarter of 2017  something that looks unlikely at this juncture, said the analysts.

During a meeting in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 30, 2016, OPEC members decided to implement a new production target of 32.5 million barrels per day. Later, non-OPEC countries agreed to cut the output by 558,000 barrels per day during the meeting held Dec. 10, 2016.



Eleven non-OPEC countries  Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan  agreed to reduce the oil output.



OPEC and non-OPEC countries pledged to start implementing the deal from Jan. 1, 2017 for six months, extendable for another six months.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 27

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Ashgabat hosted the next meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asia, the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary state news service reported.

The ICWC is the body of five governments, which entrusted direct functions of water resources management and development and maintenance of sustainable natural and hydro ecological processes on transboundary water resources to the ministries (State Committees, Departments) of water resources.

The forum was attended by heads and experts of ministries of the regions countries, as well as by representatives of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS).

In particular, results of the vegetation period of 2016, as well as withdrawal limits and predictive mode of reservoir cascades for 2017 in the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers that affect water availability for irrigated areas were discussed during the meeting.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 27

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Ashgabat hosts a meeting of the Turkmenistan-Tajikistan joint intergovernmental commission on trade and economic, scientific and technical cooperation, the Altyn Asyr TV channel reports.

The meeting is attended by representatives of authorities and business structures of the two countries. Trade, fuel and energy sector, power industry, agriculture and water industry, healthcare and tourism are among priority directions of discussions.

The necessity to expand the list and volumes of delivered goods and provided services, establishing direct business contacts was noted during the meeting.

Special attention was attached to the transportation and communications sphere by considering the implementation of joint project on construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway, said the report.

A relevant memorandum on the projects implementation was signed in Ashgabat on March 20, 2013, during a trilateral meeting of presidents of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The TAT railway is intended to become an important link in the transportation of the Asian region. The railways construction started in June 2013. As of today, the railways Turkmen section is ready.
Israelis You Should Know: Haim Hazaz

The Fellowship | January 27, 2017 Israelis You Should Know: Haim Hazaz

Lived: September 16, 1898  March 24, 1973

Known for: A beloved Israeli novelist

Why you should know him: Haim Hazaz was born to a Jewish family in a small village in the Russian Empire. Like many Russian Jews of this period, he witnessed pogroms, which played a role in the work of writers of the generation. Before making aliyah (immigrating) to the Holy Land and settling in Jerusalem in 1931, Hazaz lived in many European metropolises, including Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Kiev, and Constantinople. But once Hazaz settled in the Holy City, it would be his home for the rest of his productive life.

Hazaz was first published in 1918, and his stories gained recognition throughout the 1920s. Many of his novels had his early homeland of Russia as the backdrop, including his first, which told the story of a Jewish family in Ukraine during the Russo-Japanese War shortly after the turn of the century.

For his lifes work, Hazaz was awarded the Israel Prize in 1953, the first year the award was given out. He and his wife, the poet Yocheved Bat-Miriam, lost their only son Nahum when he was killed in 1948, fighting for their true homelands independence. Because of all he gave the people of Israel, Haim Hazaz will be remembered as one of the nations most important artists.

From Hazazs short story, The Sermon, we get a picture of his Israel and the Jewish people:

They have been, most of the time, objects of history. Their history is that of the nations in the midst of which they have lived. THeir history has been made for them by others; it is imposed upon them. It is all passivity. And, thus, one reaches the conclusion that the Jews are not really a nation. Only now, in the State of Israel, are they made into a nation.




This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
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It has been a week dominated by politics, with the swearing in of President Trump and huge womens marches in the US, London and around the world. Many women marching were wearing self-knitted pink pussy hats, women united in rejecting Trumps position as a world leader for, amongst other reasons, here is a man who has demonstrated little respect for women.

The opening this week of Entangled: Threads & Making  which brings together more than 100 works by 40 women artists of 19 nationalities united by their use of materials and methodology of making art  seems particularly appropriate. Historic modernist figures including Sonia Delaunay, Louise Bourgeois, Anni Albers and Hannah Ryggen are included alongside a new generation of artist makers.

I should state my involvement. I have been mulling over the idea of curating a show about women since the 1990s, when I approached the now-director of Tate Modern, Frances Morris, with the idea of putting on an exhibition together. Sadly we never got to develop the idea as she was then starting to work on a large show of Louise Bourgeois.

Undeterred, many years later I offered the idea of an exhibition focusing on textiles and weaving to Turner Contemporary in Margate, and the exhibition has been developed over the past few years. This is an appropriate museum to hold the show, with a woman director, Victoria Pomery, and Sarah Martin, the curator who has worked tirelessly alongside me. The museum is named after JMW Turner as it stands on the site of the guesthouse he visited many times. Turner loved Margate, using the light and the sea as inspiration for much of his work, dressing in more, relaxed, often outlandish garb when he left the city.

Kiki Smith, 'Sky', 287 x 190.5cm, Jacquard tapestry, 2012 (courtesy Timothy Taylor Gallery, London)

One of the most powerful sculptures in the exhibition is a small textile work by Louise Bourgeois: a sickly salmon-pink hand sewn crudely, its gnarled fingers outstretched, sits on a worm-eaten piece of wood. Its pathos is clear, the scarred raw stiches visible. What is disguised is the steel armature inside, a symbol indeed of womans exteriors often camouflaging their serious intent. Nearby hang two Bourgeois embroideries. One is a work clearly made from the backs of bras, here used as graphic geometric patterns, another symbol of femininity used by Bourgeois, who amongst all 20th century artists was a pioneer who made materials such as textiles appropriate to be used in fine art.

Travelling to foreign climes to discover new artists has enabled me to discover a contingency of artists from Iceland and Norway, where the long winter evenings have perhaps led to the creation of more labour intensive woven works. Hannah Ryggen was born in 1894 in Malmo, Sweden. She moved to northern Norway with her painter husband and turned away from painting to weaving. She experimented with making her own dyes, including encouraging male visitors to provide urine to make her intense blue. Her large political works, drawn often of photos in newspaper reports, responded to the difficult political situation in which the Norwegians found themselves. In 6 oktober 1942, the tapestry included in the exhibition, Churchill stands stoically in the centre with Hitler floating upwards to the left, the oak leaf, a symbol of Nazism, coming provocatively from his anus on the left. Ryggens family is portrayed in a boat preparing to flee. Ryggen believed in her work and refused to sell to private collectors, insisting it be seen by a wider public even when the family was desperately poor.

Anna Ray, 'Margate Knot', Cotton, polyester, machine and hand stitch, 2016 (courtesy Anna Ray)

Ryggens influence remains strong in Norway, and it was a brave Norwegian artist Ann Cathrin November Hoibo who took up the challenge of making a new work. Using wool from a spaelsau sheep, a native Norwegian breed, for the warp (the horizontal) November Hibo acquires materials during her travels to incorporate into the weft (the verticle). Like Ryggen, she works from the back of the tapestry, so until she ties off the finished product she has only a vague idea of how it will read. The result, a majestic diptych woven in various materials, rewards close inspection with its rich mixture of textures.

Anni Alberss controlled geometric tapestry stands guard near the somewhat freer experimentation of her peers. Growing up in Germany, Albers wanted to become an architect but women were not permitted to enter the course in the Bauhaus. Instead she was encouraged to take up a more feminine practice: weaving. Unlike her husband painter Josef Albers, she was not accepted on the faculty of Yale. Eva Hesse, born in 1936, also grew up in Germany and emigrated to the US with her parents where she lived until her premature death in 1970. Hesse, like many of the women in this show, could not approach materials without experimenting with them and releasing their potential. A grouping of her late studio works illustrate her inventiveness and the impress of her hand.

Margret H Blondal, an Icelandic artist, has responded to the architecture of Turner Contemporary. Her new works made of what some might perceive as rubbish, in this case plastic rope and packing plastic, draws attention to both the light, space and the height of the building.

Karla Black, 'What To Ask Of Others', 2011, polythene, chalk dust, thread 140x300x30cm (courtesy the artist, Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia (Italy) and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne Photo:  Dario Lasa)

When I visited American artist Kiki Smith in her New York studio a few years ago I found her engaged with her assistants in refining the cartoon for Sky, one of three tapestries in a group. Rather than sitting and talking to me, she first apologised and then squatted on a low stool, drawing with swift strong strokes, cutting, collaging and glueing the flimsy paper that would become the template for the tapestry. Smiths curved universal unashamed naked woman ascends in Margate amongst a cluster of stars.

Falling in that area that might often be considered craft, these artists elevate the elements of embroidery, knitting, weaving and crochet to a high art form. Anna Ray, who collaborated with a group of local women to create the Margate Knot, told me that her work was often rejected as too crafty by art galleries and too artistic by craft galleries. This work, composed of 2,000 individual pieces, is a collaborative social event but loses none of its artistic strength. Paying women for their labours, bringing them into the museum to stuff the individual elements, she has created a massive installation that involved the community.

Samara Scott has used carpet as a material for her before. On her visits to Margate Scott, like Ray, observed the unique colours of the sea and the light. She decided she needed a new material to add to her repertoire of cosmetics and laundry products she had previously utilised, choosing in this case, yoghurt mixed into plaster.

Judith Scott, 'assemblage de fils de laine, de tissus sur ubne boite de carton', Sculpture, 2003 (courtesy Collection de L'art Brut Lausanne, Suisse)

What surprised and thrilled me when curating this show was the willingness of artists to participate in an exhibition of all female artists. As process was at the centre of the selection, any feeling of being ghettoised was soon dispelled. I am not only interested in women artists And it is wonderful that with the Rauschenberg show currently at the Tate, with the inclusion of his tapestries discovered during his travels, it is possible to see other interpretations of textile art.

Entangled: Threads & Making allows the viewer to see a wide variety of objects and interpretations. It is a generous, rich show and includes artists unseen before in a public gallery in England. Come and make your own mind up whether it moves you or not. Hopefully there is something to please and antagonise everyone.

'Entangled: Threads & Making', Turner Contemporary, 28 January until 7 May. www.turnercontemporary.org
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George Orwells dystopian classic 1984 has sold out on Amazon in the US, just days after rising to the top of the site's bestseller list.

The seven-decade-old novel began its ascent at the start of the week, shortly after Donald Trump's adviser Kellyanne Conway coined the term alternative facts when asked to explain why press secretary Sean Spicer had made a statement to reporters riddled with inaccuracies.

The book, set in Airstrip One  formerly Britain  under a totalitarian regime, is famous for inventing the concept of Newspeak, a language designed by the government to influence the way people think through the words available to them. The language, which limits free thought and prevents thought crimes, is promoted by the Ministry of Truth, a government department responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism.

Several journalists referred to Ms Conway's comments, made in an interview on Sunday, as Orwellian and compared them to the novel, which appears to have led to the enormous surge in sales.

 Kellyanne Conway argues with Chuck Todd over 'alternative facts'

Now, the worlds largest bookseller has become unable to meet demand, as publisher Penguin struggles to print more copies.

We put through a 75,000 copy reprint this week. That is a substantial reprint and larger than our typical reprint for 1984 a Penguin spokesman said.

The spokesman explained that the start of the new school and university term always leads to a rise in sales of the book, since 1984 is a compulsory classroom text. But the size of this reprint is unusual. According to Nielsen BookScan, which measures most but not all book sales in the US, 1984 sold 47,000 copies in print since election day in November. That is up from 36,000 copies over the same period the previous year, an increase of 30 per cent.

BookScan's data does not reflect any of the new sales since inauguration day. Penguin did not provide any further data about the number of copies sold.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The current second-bestselling book on Amazon is Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. In fourth place is J D Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, which The New York Times listed as one of six books to help understand Trump's win.

Sales of 1984 also spiked in 2013, when leaks by Edward Snowden made National Security Agency surveillance a huge international news story.
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Following theatre roles and minor appearances in films directed by her father Ron, Bryce Dallas Howards first lead performance arrived in M Night Shyamalan's 2004 film The Village.

Following that, the actor went on to appear in an array of projects ranging from Oscar-friendly adaptations (The Help) through to blockbuster sequels (Jurassic World), not to mention cutting-edge television (Charlie Brooker's dystopian anthology series Black Mirror).

Next up, she appears opposite Matthew McConaughey in Gold, a biographical drama from director Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) about a prospector who attempts to unearth gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia.

The Independent spoke to Howard about working with McConaughey, her Black Mirror experiences and what fans can expect from Jurassic World 2.

 Gold - Trailer

What marked Gold out as a film you wanted to be in?

The fact it was a true story was obviously incredibly fascinating to me. I felt like it depicted a couple at a very specific moment in America's history that I felt like I could resonate with a little bit because my family were from that part of the country, in Louisiana and a small town in Oklahoma. I just saw it and I was into it.

This is your first time acting opposite Matthew McConaughey. How was that?

Howard with Matthew McConaughey in Gold

Oh yeah, hes in flow. Its just fun getting to work with him because hes at this moment in his career where theres so much creativity, exploration and courageousness. On set, it was so fun because we would shoot and shoot and shoot and at a certain point you lost track of when they were actually filming. Scenes would come alive. I havent always felt that I've been able to inhabit a character in the way that I got to inhabit Kay.

Does it feel like 12 years since your lead debut in M Night Shyamalan film The Village?

You know what? Yeah. It was a while ago. I bumped into Paul Giamatti last night on a plane  we did Lady in the Water together  and I was walking towards him like, This is overdue. I saw Sigourney [Weaver] a couple of months ago and it was like, Oh my gosh, that was a while ago. I would never have thought at the time that 10, 12 years later I would have two kids, be married and that Id still be working in the same way. Its very cool.

You appeared in the latest season of Black Mirror. Charlie Brooker himself told us hed consider bringing back past characters in future episodes. Would you be keen?

Oh my gosh, I wish. Listen, if they write something, Im there. I told them they could put a wig or a nose on me, nobody would know, I could be another character. That series is honestly, not to be too washy about it, but what an honour, really. What's being said and what that series is doing  what Charlie and Annabel [Jones, co-creator] has created is really kind of amazing.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

There's really nothing like it on TV is there?

No. It's obviously Twilight Zone-esque, being an anthology and having terrific sci-fi, but really theyre all cautionary tales. Sort of what Isaac Asimov would do, or Shirley Jackson  these short stories about, you know, watch out! Here's whats coming! We need this right now. It's critical at this moment to explore these possible scenarios. Were gonna need to start asking ourselves the big questions. Charlies tuned in. Hes a futurist.

What's next for you, Bryce?

Im going to be doing another Jurassic World, which I cannot wait for. That can't happen soon enough because I just love me some Chris Pratt and dinosaurs. Then I'm working on developing a show based on a book [by Melanie Benjamin] called The Swans of Fifth Avenue  Im excited because I havent done that before. And now I love TV! Id like to write more, though. That's sort of the goal.

Films to get excited about in 2017 Show all 13 1 /13 Films to get excited about in 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director: Rian Johnson Rian Johnson Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Lupita Nyong'o Plot: No details yet, but it will continue directly on from Rey coming face-to-face with Luke at the end of The Force Awakens. Release Date: 15 December 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Thor: Ragnarok Director: Taika Waititi Taika Waititi Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Mark Ruffalo Plot: Story details are minimal as of now, but Thor's third return to screen has already been teased to feature a loose adaptation of the famous 'Planet Hulk' storyline. Release Date: 27 October 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 You Were Never Really Here Director: Lynne Ramsay Lynne Ramsay Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Alessandro Nivola Plot: A war veteran's attempt to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring goes horribly wrong. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Annihilation Director: Alex Garland Alex Garland Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac Plot: A biologist's husband disappears. She thus puts her name forward for an expedition into an environmental disaster zone, but does not quite find what she's expecting. The expedition team is made up of the biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Wonderstruck (image from Far From Heaven) Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and Amy Hargreaves Plot: The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Mother (image of Darren Aronofsky) Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Ed Harris Plot: A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Killing of a Sacred Deer (image from The Lobster) Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Alicia Silverstone Plot: A surgeon forms a familial bond with a sinister teenage boy, with disastrous results. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Blade Runner 2049 Director: Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto Plot: Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Release Date: 6 October 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Lady Bird (image of director Greta Gerwig) Director: Greta Gerwig Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Lucas Hedges Plot: The adventures of a young woman living in Northern California for a year. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara (image of director Steven Spielberg and star Mark Rylance) Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Mark Rylance, Oscar Isaac Plot: The Kidnapping Of Edgardo Mortara recounts the story of a young Jewish boy in Bologna, Italy in 1858 who, having been secretly baptized, is forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents' struggle to free their son becomes part of a larger political battle that pits the Papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 How to Talk to Girls at Parties Director: John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell Cast: Elle Fanning, Ruth Wilson, and Nicole Kidman Plot: An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London suburb of Croydon. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Dark Tower Director: Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel Cast: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Taylor Plot: Gunslinger Roland Deschain roams an Old West-like landscape in search of the dark tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world. Release Date: 28 July 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Suburbicon Director: George Clooney George Clooney Cast: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Josh Brolin, and Oscar Isaac Plot: A crime mystery set in the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, where the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and betrayal. Release Date: 24 November

The first Jurassic World was such an adventure. Considering JA Bayona [The Orphanage, The Impossible] is directing, can fans expect a darker sequel?

Yes definitely. I think it writes itself to JAs sensibilities  his cinematic sensibility  because all of his films are so filled with suspense and elements of horror; theyre deeply emotional human stories. Its going to be awesome.

I'm guessing there'll be lots more running away from terrifying dinosaurs, right?

Statistically, I think Im not giving anything away in saying that will definitely happen [laughs].

Gold is in cinemas from 3 February
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Two hundred years ago in 1817, Robert Burnss bones were dug up, along with the coffin in which he had been laid to rest in 1796, in Dumfries in south-west Scotland. Workmen were preparing for the re-interment of Scotlands national poet beneath a mausoleum being built as a more fitting memorial.

The workmen present stood in the cramped graveyard of St Michaels Church, their frames thrilling with some indefinable emotion, as they gazed on the ashes of him whose fame is as wide as the world itself, to use the words of a report at the time.

Barely two decades after his death, Burns had already become a secular saint.

Yet his legacy was still very much up for grabs at the time  unlike today. Now that it is time once again to toast Burns immortal memory on 25th January, both in Scotland and around the world, how does our perception of him now compare to then?

And how did Burns make the journey from Edinburgh drawing rooms at the turn of the 18th century to his global superstardom today?

The battle for Burns

The Dumfries mausoleum was the first of numerous Burns memorials that studded the towns of lowland Scotland by the end of the Victorian era. Most were statues, erected in an informal race between Scotlands urban elites. Overseas, above all in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Scots settlers and their descendants soon followed suit.

Robert Burns' mausoleum resting in St Michael's Churchyard in Dumfries, in the south-west of Scotland, circa 1900 (London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The sentimental appeal of Burns writing and his preservation in verse of a rural Scotland fast disappearing was one of the reasons he was well-loved. But this alone cant explain why from the time of his death onwards, his legacy has been fought over.

Much has to do with establishment fears about where the cult of Burns might lead. Terrified by the prospect of revolution and radical violence in Scotland inspired by songs such as A Mans a Man, his first editors elided poems and sections of them that asserted human dignity regardless of rank, title or wealth.

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

As The Scotsman reminded its readers at the time, the chief characteristic of Burns was his Nationality.... He was utterly and intensely, before and beyond everything, a Scotchman.

There were those who believed Burns had rescued Scotland from oblivion  above all through his work as a collector, adaptor and writer of Scottish song.

The Robert Burns monument stands as a memorial in Dumfries, Scotland, circa 1910 (London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

If Scots felt alienated within a union in which England was politically and culturally dominant, Burns offered them a sense of pride and self-respect that fuelled the emerging Home Rule movement.

Scotland the what?

Recommended The bonds that tie Robert Burns and Shakespeare

Burns legacy as a moving force in Scotlands history has now dissolved. He has become a malleable symbol of the nation, functioning partly as a tourist attraction whose familiar face can sell shortbread, whisky, ales and tea towels. As usual, nationalists and unionists and other factions will claim him as one of their own  but mainly by judicious selection from his works and no little credibility stretching.

At the best of the Burns suppers, attendees will be reminded that Burns spoke for no one party. He spoke for humanity itself, warts and all. Right now, in the wake of Brexit and the inauguration of President Trump, that is precisely why he is still worth reading.

Christopher A Whatley, professor of Scottish history, University of Dundee. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 27

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

In accordance with the Turkmen military doctrine of defensive nature, provision of guaranteed protection of the Turkmen state is the main purpose of the Armed Forces and other troops of the country, reads the appeal of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the officers, servicemen and cadets on the occasion of their professional holiday.

Berdimuhamedov in his appeal added that military doctrine designed to strengthen the Turkmen defense is not directed against any country.

The doctrine reflects the ancient traditions of the Turkmen people - maintenance of good neighborly relations, peace, establishment of mutually beneficial and equal relations with the neighboring countries, non-interference in the internal affairs of any state, refusal from the use of force when dealing with certain issues, the Turkmen president added.

Turkmenistan will continue to focus on strengthening and modernization of material-technical base of the countrys Armed Forces, military training of personnel, creation of necessary conditions for their decent military service and living in high-standard homes.
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Donald Trumps plan to build a wall between the US and Mexico is insane, useless and an act of self-sabotage, environmental activists claim, as they say it will have a noticeable impact on climate change and threaten endangered species such as jaguars and ocelots without actually affecting immigration.

Conservationists pointed out that the amount of concrete needed to build a solid wall across the whole border would produce vast amounts of carbon dioxide  with Bloomberg New Energy Finance calculating a figure of up to 1.9 million tons depending on how high it might be.

Mr Trump has been vague about the details with suggestions the wall could be anything from 35ft to 55ft (10-17m) high, although he also said fencing could be used.

 Donald Trump's Mexico wall: At what cost, and how long?

But the emissions produced during its construction are not the only problem for the natural world. The wall will prevent many animals from moving to different parts of their range and from heading north as the climate warms, something that many species have already been doing.

Dan Millis, of the Sierra Club's Borderlands project, told ClimateWire: "In terms of climate adaptation, building a border wall is an act of self-sabotage.

And the reason I say that is we're already seeing wildlife migrations blocked with the current walls and fences that have already been built. We have hundreds of these walls that were built without dozens of environmental protections.

And Bryan Lee, of the Arts Council of New Orleans, who has written about ethical issues concerning the built environment, added: The embodied energy in thousands and thousands of miles of wall is insane and useless in so many ways.

The embodied energy of creation is one thing, and that has detrimental impacts from a climate perspective. But also the embodied energy from the social perspective. The aspects of building walls separates and directs flow.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance based its calculations on a steel-reinforced concrete wall that was 1,000 miles long, 35ft high and 18 inches thick. This would result in the creation of between 1.2 million to 1.9 million tons of carbon dioxide, it said.

While this may sound like an impressive barrier, Mr Millis suggested it would not even achieve Mr Trumps stated aim.

Animals in decline Show all 8 1 /8 Animals in decline Animals in decline Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) Where: Orkney Islands. What: Between 2001-2006, numbers in Orkney declined by 40 per cent. Why: epidemics of the phocine distemper virus are thought to have caused major declines, but the killing of seals in the Moray Firth to protect salmon farms may have an impact. Alamy Animals in decline African lion (Panthera leo) Where: Ghana. What: In Ghanas Mole National Park, lion numbers have declined by more than 90 per cent in 40 years. Why: local conflicts are thought to have contributed to the slaughter of lions and are a worrying example of the status of the animal in Western and Central Africa. Animals in decline Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) Where: Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Costa Rica. What: Numbers are down in both the Atlantic and Pacific. It declined by 95 per cent between 1989-2002 in Costa Rica. Why: mainly due to them being caught as bycatch, but theyve also been affected by local developments. Alamy Animals in decline Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) Where: South Atlantic. What: A rapid decline. One population, from Bird Island, South Georgia, declined by 50 per cent between 1972-2010, according to the British Antarctic Survey. Why: being caught in various commercial longline fisheries. Alamy Animals in decline Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica) Where: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. What: fall in populations has been dramatic. In the early 1990s numbers were over a million, but are now estimated to be around 50,000. Why: the break up of the former USSR led to uncontrolled hunting. Increased rural poverty means the species is hunted for its meat Animals in decline Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) Where: found worldwide in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. Why: at risk from overfishing and as a target in recreational fishing. A significant number of swordfish are also caught by illegal driftnet fisheries in the Mediterranean Animals in decline Argali Sheep (Ovis mammon) Where: Central and Southern Asian mountains,usually at 3,000-5,000 metres altitude. Why: domesticated herds of sheep competing for grazing grounds. Over-hunting and poaching. Animals in decline Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) Where: the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa and to the Tuamoto Islands (Polynesia), north to the Ryukyu Islands (south-west Japan), and south to New Caledonia. Why: Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing and trading of the species

People have already travelled hundreds, if not thousands, of miles by the time they get to the border, he said. They are not going to look at a wall and turn around. They are going to go find a ladder or a rope.
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The television has gone through quite the transformation over recent years. Smarts, 3D, 4K and curved displays have all helped reinvent the humble old box, making it one of the most exciting product categories in the world right now.

This year, HDR remains a key screen improvement.

Thats High Dynamic Range, which lets you see skies which are varied and colourful, not blown out, at the same time as shadows that have detail and depth, instead of being grey smudges.

The results, if managed right, are gorgeous to look at, dramatic and immersive. But its also easy to make them look fake or over-saturated.

Things are further complicated by the kind of screen. The screens that offer outstanding contrast and colour fidelity are OLED, because each pixel is lit independently and when theyre turned off make for deep, perfect blacks.

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

But OLED is less bright than LED, and HDR needs the capability of bright light output for the effects to work, so really works best in a lower-lit environment.

Japanese AV giant Panasonic recently announced an OLED screen, its first for a while, which will be released in June. Theres no final price yet but its going to be expensive (as a comparison, the companys last OLED model went on sale in late 2015 for 8,000).

The latest TV, called the EZ1002, ticks a lot of boxes for innovations but, more importantly, the picture quality is staggeringly good. Shown alongside a smaller industry reference monitor costing 30,000 and used by Hollywood studios, the EZ1002 matched the reference near-perfectly.

Panasonic claims this is because of improved luminance in the panel and a boldly named Absolute Black Filter, which soaks up light and reflections to deepen the effect of black areas of the screen.

Plus, most importantly, the video processing chip, called the Studio Colour HCX2 processor. This can work quickly and accurately to remove visual banding effects, eliminate image noise and more.

The BBC trialled 4K HDR footage on iPlayer for the very first time last year

The EZ1002 also addresses the thorny problem of audio from a flatscreen by designing a tilted soundbar that sits in the TV stand.

I asked Masahiro Shinada, Panasonics Director of TV Business Division, if OLED is the future of TV. Some part of it is OLED, the top line is OLED. But he also felt OLED prices could drop. In the future it will probably become more affordable. That will be down to efficiencies.

And if HDR is part of the future, does OLEDs lack of extreme brightness limit it? From 2017 the HDR function looks like being much more popular. Unfortunately, in the last year, when every manufacturer launched this function in their TVs, still some customers didnt know what it meant. From this year, awareness is ready to spread so HDR will be very popular. With OLED especially we can reproduce very accurate colours and contrast.

However, he went on, we dont think OLED is limiting HDR. Its not just about peak brightness or black levels, its about the contrast which is most important  thats what gives you the drama.

HDR is a brand new technology, so how confident is he that it is ready? As you say its a new technology, so its the responsibility of the whole industry. The manufacturers, the studios, the distributors, everybody has come together to create the standard, called Ultra HD Premium, so if youre buying a TV which is certified to Ultra HD Premium and content and players, then youll get the best experience, theres no doubt about that.

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Sony and LG also had new OLED launches and Samsungs own technology, QLED, was also on display at CES 2017. Id say that first impressions of the Panasonic were the most striking, though.

David Preece, the marketing director of Panasonic UK, told the Independent about the advantages of OLED and HDR. Motion is so brilliant on an organic panel, it isnt just about the black level, though Panasonic has always been great at managing black levels. And its not just about colour, its about motion, and OLED manages that very smoothly. HDR offers an amazing picture with the punch of its brightness, the management of dark scenes and more. As far as Im concerned, its a no-brainer.

When you see it you realise what youve missed all along. OLED is everything you always wanted from plasma but with the addition of 4K and HDR. Because there are no motion issues, its a very comfortable picture.

Theres no 3D on the latest TV. As David Preece points out, with HDR and 4K, the picture is so compelling, you dont need 3D. Panasonic is not alone in dropping 3D. Almost every manufacturer felt this feature was no longer worth including. Its a rare backward step in an industry that heads relentlessly forward. And if the leading TVs from Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and LG live up to early indications, 2017 looks like being a vintage year.
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Local officials in rural England rejected an incredibly stupid proposal by a group of high-speed traders to build radio masts as tall as the Eiffel Tower, dashing plans to open the fastest possible trading route between financial markets in London and Frankfurt.

At a public meeting last night, Dover District Council rejected separate planning applications from Vigilant Global, and New Line Networks. Representatives from both firms declined to comment.

By shaving a few milliseconds off the time it takes to buy and sell securities, so-called 'flash boys' gain an edge over rivals and exploit tiny discrepancies in prices, potentially making millions of pounds.

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In 26 years as a councillor, this is the worst application I have have ever seen, said Bernard Butcher, the vice chairman of the planning committee in his response to Vigilants application. This particular proposal is just unsightly, its too incredibly stupid for us to even contemplate. There have to be other locations where it will not cause so much havoc and unsightliness.

On one side of the council chamber were suited executives from the world of high-speed trading and their planning and public relations advisers. On the other: members of the public opposed to the erection of two 300-metre-plus (980 feet) masts in the nearby countryside. Vigilant and New Line Networks had waited a year for the council to decide whether they could proceed with their plans, which would have shortened trading times between Europes two biggest financial centres.

(Reuters)

Planning officer Andrew Somerville laid out the case against the masts: they would spoil views from Richborough Roman Fort, one of the areas main tourist attractions; they presented no benefit to the national economy; and Vigilant, at least, had failed to sufficiently assess the potential danger to the local environment, including its population of water voles.

After the local official had recommended that the masts be blocked, the 10-member committee of elected councillors took turns criticising the plans, leaving little doubt as to the eventual verdict. Vigilants proposed 305-metre tower was rejected by nine votes with one abstention. New Line Networks tower was unanimously blocked.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

The speed traders have one last card to play. They can appeal to the U.K.s central government, arguing that the towers have a wider benefit to the British economy. Ultimately, a minister could overrule Dover District Council, allowing the project to go ahead, said Iain Gilbey, a partner at law firm Pinsent Masons who specializes in infrastructure planning.

Its a bit of a wait and see, Gilbey said.

Bloomberg
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The Church of England has been accused of encouraging gay clergy to keep quiet about their sexuality.

Religious leaders have proposed asking gay and straight people the same lifestyle-related questions during their application to join the priesthood.

The proposal, by the House of Bishops, said asking gay applicants specific questions about their sexuality was pastorally unhelpful.

But one charity that campaigns for gay rights within Christian institutions claimed the proposals would discourage people from being open about their sexuality and would result in a Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy.

The term is a reference to the former US military policy, scrapped in 2011, that prevented openly gay or bisexual Americans from serving in the forces but allowed them to do so if they did not reveal their sexuality.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement wrote to the bishops to voice its opposition to the new proposals.

"You are proposing to formalise Don't Ask, Don't Tell among clergy in same-sex relationships," it said. "This essentially asks clergy to dissemble and keep the nature of their relationships hidden - far from equalising the situation between straight and gay clergy, it pushes LGBTI+ clergy back into the closet."

Tracey Byrne, the charity's chief executive, dismissed the report as a "missed opportunity".

World's most popular religions Show all 7 1 /7 World's most popular religions World's most popular religions Christians Source: Pewforum Getty Images World's most popular religions Muslims Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Hindus Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Buddhists Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Folk Religions Source: Pewforum Getty Images World's most popular religions Other religions Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Jews Source: Pewforum Getty

He said: "LGBTI+ people who have participated in this process in good faith, at considerable personal cost, will feel angry and disappointed that there appears so little real change.

"Despite us knowing that many individual bishops favour a move towards a more gracious, compassionate and inclusive Church, collectively they've failed to deliver - promising only more reflection."

Church leaders denied they were advocating a Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy.

The Rt Rev Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said: "The Church of England has always been suspicious of intrusive interrogation of its members, preferring to trust clergy and lay people in their Christian discipleship.

Orthodox church leaders meet after more than 1,000 years

"However, all clergy are asked at their ordination whether they will fashion their lives 'after the way of Christ'. We believe we should revisit how this is explored beforehand so the same questions are addressed to everybody without distinction. This is not Don't Ask, Don't Tell in any shape or form."

Current arrangements for asking applicants to the clergy about their relationships and lifestyle are not really working very well, Mr James admitted.

The report also suggests the Church adopt a "fresh tone and culture of welcome and support" and interpret laws in a way that provides "maximum freedom for gay people - but says there is little support for accepting gay marriage.

The proposals will be presented at a four-day meeting of the Church Synod beginning on 13 February.
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Britain and the US will never again invade sovereign foreign countries in an attempt to make the world in their own image, Theresa May told Republican policymakers in Philadelphia.

The Prime Minister vowed never to repeat the failed policies of the past in reference to Western military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, breaking from the liberal intervention principle established by Tony Blair.

Referencing the special relationship between the UK and US, Ms May also stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries to meet their obligations of leadership and stand up for our interests".

It is in our interests  those of Britain and America together  to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe, she said.

"This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.

However she called for strong, smart and hard-headed actions to stand up for Western principles, adding: Nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene.

She also pledged support to Mr Trump in the continued fight against the new enemies of the west and our values.

Ms May said it was a priority to push back on Irans aggressive efforts to increase its "arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean". However, she defended the nuclear deal brokered by Barack Obama despite threats from Mr Trump that he would rip up the agreement, saying it had been successful in neutralising a potential threat.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

She also delivered a stark warning to Mr Trump on Russia, saying: With President Putin, my advice is to engage but beware.

The speech, delivered on the Prime Ministers first leg of her US visit, will be followed by a face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump on Friday in Washington, part of a determined push by the Prime Minister to seek US commitment to a trade deal when Britain leaves the EU.

The Presidents allies have told the Prime Ministers team that they could do a trade deal in a week  provided it is on favourable terms.

But Mr Trump has taken a highly-protectionist stance and Britain risks inflaming tensions with the EU if it breaks the rules on negotiating new agreements while still a member.

Ms May will be the first foreign leader to meet the President since his inauguration last week.

The pair are expected to deliver a joint press conference from the White House following the meeting.
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Theresa May is set to hold a joint press conference with Donald Trump on Friday during her visit to Washington, the White House has announced.

Ms May left for the United States on Thursday to become the first foreign leader to meet the President.

Speaking ahead of her flight, she said of her future relationship with Mr Trump: Sometimes opposites attract.

She will hold talks in the White House with the Republican leader amid criticism over his views on torture.

During his first interview since his presidential inauguration, Mr Trump said he believes torture absolutely works and that the US should fight fire with fire.

However, Ms May said the UKs guidance was very clear and that the approach towards torture had not changed and would not.

Donald Trumps press secretary Sean Spicer said the US president would answer reporters questions after the pair meet.

The Trump administration has taken a distinctly confrontational approach to press relations, with the real-estate mogul recently attacking reporters as the "the most dishonest human beings on Earth."

His last press conference was dominated by allegations of Russian interference in the US elections, degenerating when Mr Trump refused to answer questions from individual reporters, labelling them fake news.
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Ukip leader Paul Nuttall has echoed President Donald Trumps views on waterboarding, saying he would probably be OK with it because it could stop terrorists from taking lives.

Mr Nuttall, who is standing in the forthcoming Stoke by-election, made his remarks in an interview with Sky News, claiming the controversial practice was a price worth paying.

Mr Trump said this week that people at the highest level of intelligence services had told him the method  which simulates drowning  works.

The Presidents remarks were roundly condemned in the US and the UK, with senior Republicans keen to stress that torture is illegal.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who met Mr Trump on Friday, told reporters she roundly condemns the practice.

Mr Nuttall, who is trying to wrestle the seat of Stoke Central from Labour, said: I think sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, and I think these people are incarcerated because they are bad people OK? And they want to do us harm.

If waterboarding ensures that we save a number of lives in this country or in America because someone admits to something that is going to happen in terms of a terrorist attack, well through gritted teeth I'd probably be OK with it.

If someone admits that a terrorist attack is going to happen and saves the lives of innocent individuals then I think maybe it's a price worth paying  if a British government was elected and said it was required to ensure it saved innocent people's live then sometimes you have to go that extra mile.

Ukips Suzanne Evans, who lost the recent leadership contest to Mr Nuttall, said she did not share her colleagues views.

Barack Obama outlawed waterboarding in 2009 after the CIA admitted to having used the method on three Al-Queda suspects.

'I was tortured' claims Iraqi who threw his shoes at Bush Show all 2 1 /2 'I was tortured' claims Iraqi who threw his shoes at Bush 'I was tortured' claims Iraqi who threw his shoes at Bush 242129.bin AP 'I was tortured' claims Iraqi who threw his shoes at Bush 242128.bin REUTERS

Waterboarding can cause extreme pain, damage to lungs, brain damage from oxygen deprivation, other physical injuries including broken bones due to struggling, lasting psychological damage, and even death.

Mr Trump said in an interview with ABC news this week that he could be open to bringing back torture because he absolutely believes it works.

He said: When ISIS is doing things that no one has ever heard of, since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding?

As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire.

Military evidence disputes the effectiveness of waterboarding, and Democrats and Republicans have both opposed bringing back interrogation methods used during the George W Bush administration following the 9/11 attacks.

A 2014 US Senate report on the use of torture, including waterboarding, concluded it doesnt work and produced unreliable intelligence or none at all.
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A widow is preparing to marry a homeless man she befriended after she spotted him sifting through her bins for food.

The octogenarian pair began to bond after Joan Neininger, now 88, started to leave carefully wrapped sandwiches for Ken Selway, 89, outside the bookshop she managed in Gloucester in the Spring of 1975.

Over the years the pair gradually became close friends and she has supported him as he struggled with schizophrenia.

"When I saw him ferreting through the bins outside a fish and chip shop near my bookshop, I never thought for a minute it would end like this," said Ms Neininger.

"But although he was living on the streets, I knew straight away that Ken was a lovely man with a beautiful soul."

Mr Selway was smartly dressed, in a belted grey mac, and drank only milk, she said. She assumed he was staying in a B&B and had nowhere to go in the day time because of the negative stereotypes she had built up about homeless people, she said.

But after reading Jeremy Sandford's 1971 book about homelessness, Down and Out in Britain, she realised he could be one of many ordinary people slipping through the welfare state safety net.

Soon she had developed a strong emotional attachment to Mr Selway.

"The man haunted me like a spectre and it was dreadful to see him slowly deteriorate," she said. "The first time I saw him searching for food in a rubbish bin, it silently broke my heart."

Although he accepted the sandwiches, Mr Selway would not take any money from Ms Neininger.

Eventually, she persuaded him to have dinner with her and her husband, Norman, with whom she had three children.

Norman Neininger, Joan Neininger and Ken Selway in the Cannon pub, Gloucester (SWNS)

Mr Selway gradually opened up about his life, telling the couple he had been born in London but sent to Wales as a child during the war, where he was conscripted to work in the coal mines.

When the Welsh man he had come to regard as a father died, he returned home. But his mother could not cope with his mental health problems so he left home sleeping in railway stations and shop doorways.

He had travelled to Gloucester in the hope of finding relatives of the man who had brought him up.

On his arrival he had stumbled across a derelict house to sleep in. His only belongings at the time were a set of clean clothes, a radio, a fossil he once mined and a few personal pieces that he kept in hidden behind a brick in a wall.

As he got to know them better, he told them that he frequently considered suicide.

Over the next few years, Mr Selway came in and out of Ms and Mr Neininger's lives.

Generally the three got on well, and at times lived happily together.

Ms Neininger admitted that she eventually fell in love with Mr Selway. But she said the pair never had sex because of his illness and as a result, Mr Neininger did not view him as a threat.

"I married at 16 and Norman was a wonderful man and a lovely husband and father," Ms Neininger said. "Because there was no sexual jealousy it was fine and Ken and Norman were like brothers. It was like a little paradise, just Ken, Norman and me."

Joan Neininger and Ken Selway with a big snake (SWNS)

But at times Mr Selway's mental health problems, which made his behaviour unpredictable, caused problems.

At one point, Mr Neininger issued an ultimatum, telling Mr Selway could not stay anymore. So Ms Neininger moved into a caravan for a period of time.

"People with schizophrenia are imprisoned by the voices," said Ms Neininger, who left her bookshop job to become a mental health campaigner. "Ken believed everything these voices were telling him so it was very difficult to have a relationship. I did not know anything about it but I soon learned."

Joan Neininger and Ken Selway (SWNS)

After Mr Neininger died of a heart attack in 1983, the pair became even more inseparable.

When Mr Selway developed health problems and had to move into a care home, Ms Neininger, who is now a great grandmother, missed him so much she joined him there.

On 29 February 2016, the leap year day when tradition dictates that men can propose to women, she proposed and Mr Selway accepted.

They will now become husband and wife on Ms Neininger's birthday, four days after Valentine's Day, at Cinderford registry office.

She said her three children are delighted and her grandchildren all want to be bridesmaids.

The causes of homelessness Show all 7 1 /7 The causes of homelessness The causes of homelessness Family Breakdown Relationship breakdown, usually between young people and their parents or step-parents, is a major cause of youth homelessness. Around six in ten young people who come to Centrepoint say they had to leave home because of arguments, relationship breakdown or being told to leave. Many have experienced long-term problems at home, often involving violence, leaving them without the family support networks that most of us take for granted The causes of homelessness Complex needs Young people who come to Centrepoint face a range of different and complex problems. More than a third have a mental health issue, such as depression and anxiety, another third need to tackle issues with substance misuse. A similar proportion also need to improve their physical health. These problems often overlap, making it more difficult for young people to access help and increasing the chances of them becoming homeless Getty/iStock The causes of homelessness Deprivation Young people's chances of having to leave home are higher in areas of high deprivation and poor prospects for employment and education. Many of those who experience long spells of poverty can get into problem debt, which makes it harder for them to access housing Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Gang Crime Homeless young people are often affected by gang-related problems. In some cases, it becomes too dangerous to stay in their local area meaning they can end up homeless. One in six young people at Centrepoint have been involved in or affected by gang crime Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Exclusion From School Not being in education can make it much more difficult for young people to access help with problems at home or health problems. Missing out on formal education can also make it more difficult for them to move into work Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Leaving Care Almost a quarter of young people at Centrepoint have been in care. They often have little choice but to deal with the challenges and responsibilities of living independently at a young age. Traumas faced in their early lives make care leavers some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities, with higher chances of poor outcomes in education, employment and housing. Their additional needs mean they require a higher level of support to maintain their accommodation Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Refugees Around 13 per cent of young people at Centrepoint are refugees or have leave to remain, meaning it isn't safe to return home. This includes young people who come to the UK as unaccompanied minors, fleeing violence or persecution in their own country. After being granted asylum, young people sometimes find themselves with nowhere to go and can end up homeless Getty Images/iStockphoto

Mr Selway said his mental health has improved significantly since he started to get professional help and he is a lot happier now.

"When I met Joan I was sleeping rough and wanted to kill myself," he said. "I probably would not be here now if wasn't for her leaving those sandwiches in the bin. She's a really kind person."

But Ms Neininger said she could not take credit for rescuing Mr Selway.

"People say I saved Ken," said Ms Neininger. "But it was actually Jeremy Sandford's book that made me look twice at the men sleeping rough and see him as the person he was.

"The sad thing is that it's still happening today, in fact it's getting worse."
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Church of England bishops have rejected the idea of changing its opposition to same-sex marriage.

The House of Bishops said there is little support for changing the Church of Englands teaching on marriage that it is between one man and one woman.

A new report, following two years of internal discussion, does however say the church needs to adopt a fresh tone and culture of welcome and support.

The Rt Rev Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said at a press conference that the church should not adapt its doctrine to the fashions of any particular time.

We hope the tone and register of this report will help to commend it, though we recognise it will be challenging reading for some, said Rev James, who will present the report to the General Synod on 15 February.

This is no last word on this subject. For there are very different views on same-sex relationships within the church, and within the house of bishops, mainly based on different understandings of how to read scripture.

The report, entitled Marriage and Same Sex Relationships after the Shared Conversations, suggests new teachings on marriage and relationships should be drawn up to replace those introduced in the 1990s.

It said, despite rejecting the idea of changing policy on same-sex relationships, that the new teachings should provide maximum freedom for gay people.

The report also said there was some support in the House for the new document including penitence for the treatment some lesbian and gay people have received at the hands of the Church.

Sex between two men over 21 and in private, in England and Wales, was legalised in 1967. The age of consent was lowered to 16 in 2000.

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed for England and Wales in 2013 and came into force the following year.

The same House of Bishops report has been criticised for adopting a dont ask, dont tell stance on gay clergy  a reference to the former US military policy.

It said that singling out the personal sexual conduct of gay applicants was pastorally unhelpful.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement charity said, in an open letter: You are proposing to formalise Dont Ask, Dont Tell among clergy in same-sex relationships.

Its chief executive Tracey Bryne said: Collectively theyve failed to deliver.
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The European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator has rubbished Theresa Mays pledge to deliver a new EU trade deal by 2019 as impossible.

Guy Verhofstadt also suggested the British people voted to leave the EU because of a Little Englander mentality. Yet he held out the prospect that Britain could choose to rejoin the bloc one day, saying, That is always possible.

In her Brexit speech earlier this month, the Prime Minister threatened to crash out of the EU with no deal if other leaders refused her demands.

However, a day later, she told MPs she would deliver an agreement by Brexit, to avoid inflicting punishing World Trade Organisation tariffs on businesses. Thats what Im committed to  and thats what this Government is going to deliver, she said, raising the stakes for the negotiations to come.

But Mr Verhofstadt, a senior MEP and former Belgian Prime Minister, dismissed the prospect, in an interview with Al Jazeera English. Thats technically impossible, he said, referring to the suggested two-year timeline.

EU leaders have insisted Britain must first agree to a suggested 50bn divorce bill  a payment for outstanding liabilities  under the terms of the Article 50 exit clause.

This years elections in both France and Germany are also expected to slow the Prime Ministers hopes to start trade talks  which normally take many years to complete, regardless.

Although the European Commission will lead the talks from the Brussels side, the European Parliament must also ratify any agreement.

Ms May has threatened to make other arrangements if she fails to strike a fresh trade deal before Brexit  widely interpreted as a threat to slash taxes and regulations, to attract investment.

During the interview, Mr Verhofstadt also sought to emphasise that the rest of the EU would not be looking to punish the UK in the negotiations. However, you can never have outside the European Union a better status than as member of the European Union, he said.

On rejoining the EU, Mr Verhofstadt said: They can always reintroduce a request for membership of the European Union. Certainly, we have enough experience to make it a little bit a faster process than what is normal.

Asked about which issue drove 52 per cent of Britons to vote for Brexit last June, he replied: Mainly the migration. Its very clear.

And, asked if xenophobia and a Little Englander mentality explained the Brexit vote, Mr Verhofstadt said: Thats maybe a good explanation.

The interview can be watched at www.aljazeera.com/upfront from 19:30GMT on Friday 27 January.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 27

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmen Foreign Ministry officials had talks with Lilia Burunciuc, the World Bank regional director for the Central Asia Region, in Ashgabat.

The sides expressed interest in the development of socio-economic cooperation and institutional training, said the Turkmen Foreign Ministry in a message Jan. 27.

The sides discussed the ongoing reforms aimed at improvement of the investment climate in Turkmenistan, strategies for expansion of private enterprises and entrepreneurs access to financing, and issues related to water resources management, stable economic growth and climate change, reads the message.

World Bank earlier forecast Turkmenistans GDP growth rate at 6.5 percent in 2017, as compared to 6.2 percent in 2015.

Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of the natural gas reserves, according to BP.
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Jeremy Corbyn has accused Theresa May of alternative facts over her stance on the Iraq War after she branded it a failed policy  despite voting for it.

The Labour leader let rip after the Prime Minister used her US speech to declare that the days when the two countries invaded countries to nation-build were over. Ms May told Republican congressmen she wanted the UK and US to stand strong together, but added: This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past.

The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.

But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.

Ms May did not directly mention the invasion of Iraq, or her own own vote, in March 2003, for Britain to join America in that invasion.

However, Mr Corbyn  who did vote against the Iraq War  was quick to tweet: I don't remember her joining me in the voting lobby. Maybe she has alternative facts?

In her Philadelphia speech  ahead of meeting President Trump at the White House today  Ms May ripped up Tony Blair's doctrine of liberal interventionism.

However, setting out her vision for a new special relationship between post-Brexit Britain and the US, she said both countries had a duty to provide world leadership.

The eclipse of the West in the 21st century by China and India was not inevitable but the US and UK had to lead together again.

Her speech repudiated the Blair doctrine  set out in a speech in Chicago in 1999  that the West should be more willing to intervene militarily to replace dictatorships with democracy. That view formed part of the justification for the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and  under David Cameron  Libya.

In some respects, Ms May was bowing to the inevitable, because Mr Trump has already declared that the US will only intervene where its national interests are at stake.
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Labour may yet oppose the Article 50 Bill if its amendments are thrown out, the party said today.

Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, created further confusion about Labours stance when she said it would review our position if it failed to change the legislation.

The comment appeared to raise the prospect of Labour voting against triggering Article 50 if Theresa May refuses to guarantee a meaningful Commons vote on her final deal.

Recommended Labour whip says she will not follow whip on Article 50

Jeremy Corbyn sparked an internal Labour war yesterday when he announced a three-line whip to support the legislation to start Brexit, next week.

One shadow minister, Tulip Siddiq, immediately resigned and two Opposition whips said they would defy the order  despite telling other MPs to obey.

Today, another senior MP, Meg Hillier, said her London constituents were in a rage about Labours decision to support the Prime Ministers Bill.

But Ms Abbott, a key ally of Mr Corbyn, said: Are we going to vote with the Tories come what may? This is a question of opening the process.

We will seek to amend and, if we are not able to get any of our amendments through, clearly we will have to review our position.

A Labour source confirmed to The Independent that yesterdays decision was to support the Bill at second reading only, in a vote next Wednesday.

That will be followed by three days of line-by-line scrutiny in a Bill committee, at which Labour will attempt to shape the Brexit process - before a final vote, called third reading.

Most important, it is demanding a meaningful vote in Parliament on the final Brexit deal  early enough for Ms May to seek better terms if hers are rejected by MPs.

Its amendment states: The consent of Parliament would be required before the deal is referred to the European Council and Parliament.

However, the Prime Minister has threatened to crash out of the EU with no deal if Parliament rejects her terms  despite stark forecasts of an economic slump if she does.

Labour will also seek to compel Brexit Secretary David Davis to publish reports on the negotiations every two months.

And it wants the legal status of EU citizens in the UK to be resolved before negotiations begin, with all workers rights protected.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Ms Abbott suggested Labour rebels on Article 50 would escape punishment, saying there was great sympathy for MPs in pro-Remain constituencies.

And she defended Mr Corbyn's stand, saying: You have to remember how this looks to people in post-industrial Britain, former mining areas, the North, the Midlands, South Wales.

It would look as if elites were refusing to listen to them. It would be wrong.

How could MPs vote for a referendum and then turn around and say 'It went the wrong way so we are ignoring it'?

But Ms Hillier told the BBC: Certainly, in Hackney [her constituency], the rage in the room was palpable and people are really concerned.

"My constituency voted 78 per cent to Remain and, while a lot of those people recognise the outcome of the referendum, we just don't want a blank cheque, there are so many issues that we need to get resolved.

Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire are the two whips who have said they will defy Mr Corbyn in next weeks vote, as has transport spokesman Daniel Zeichner.
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Theresa May has pledged to urge Britains European neighbours to spend more on their militaries, following a meeting with Donald Trump.

After bilateral talks with the President in Washington DC Ms May moved to placate concerns voiced Mr Trump about Europe being ill-equipped to fight a war.

At a joint press conference in the White House Ms May said that Mr Trump backs the Nato alliance 100 per cent, though the US President made no personal confirmation of this claim. He recently branded aspects of the Cold War alliance obsolete.

Ms May said Britain and the United States were united in recognising Nato as the bulwark and collective defence of the West.

Mr Trump has previously suggested that he might not come to the military aid of European states that did not spend the 2 per cent of GDP Nato target on defence.

Ms May told journalists: Ive agreed to continue my efforts to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver on their commitments to spend 2 per cent of their GDP on defence so the burden is more fairly shared.

She added: Today we have reaffirmed our unshakeable commitment to this alliance.

Mr President, I think you confirmed that you are 100 per cent behind Nato.

Figures collated in 2016 show just five of the 28 Nato countries spend enough to meet the 2 per cent target.

The PM said: We are discussing how we can work even more closely together in order to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamist extremism wherever it is found.

She said there would be deeper intelligence and security cooperation between the UK and the US including measures to counter the terror group in cyber space.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

It is not clear how Ms May intends to convince European countries to spend more on defence. She herself faces a daunting negotiation with the European Union over Brexit.

Mr Trump himself hailed the special relationship between the UK and the US.

Ms May is the first foreign leader to visit President Trump in Washington DC since his inauguration.
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Tam Dalyell said MPs should have the balls to vote honestly on Brexit in a candid interview less than eight months before he died.

The stalwart Labour backbencher, who spent 43 years as an MP and died yesterday, said politicians were being cowards if they did not vote with their guts.

His comments, aired on 29 June, six days after the referendum on the UK leaving the EU, are particularly poignant this week after Jeremy Corbyn announced a three-line whip urging his MPs to vote in favour of Article 50.

Recommended Jeremy Corbyn facing shadow cabinet resignations over Article 50

In a previously unseen edit, released yesterday by BBC journalist David Grossman, who interviewed him for Newsnight, Mr Dalyell tests the water before going on record.

Am I entitled to say that MPs should have the balls or should we discuss the guts? asks the 84-year-old.

Mr Grossman says: Balls is good, balls is fine, and a colleague chimes in: Absolutely.

Mr Dalyell continues: MPs should have the balls to use their best judgement because Parliament is sovereign and if their best judgement, [which] as I understand it is the best judgement of 450-more, is that Britain should remain in the European community.

They should have the balls to say so and vote accordingly. This is a matter of cowardice if they dont.

Mr Corbyn, who has insisted the Labour Party would not block the triggering of Article 50, is facing a shadow Cabinet rebellion after ordering MPs to vote accordingly.

Any minister or shadow minister who breaks the three-line whip  so called because the instruction is underlined three times on paper  is typically forced to resign from the front bench.

Shadow early years minister Tulip Siddiq has resigned over the dispute already.

Mr Dalyell was a keen pro-European, anti-imperialist and anti-war MP.

He famously and repeatedly asked subsequent prime ministers the so-called West Lothian question, which argued against giving Scottish MPs votes on English-only matters.

Mr Corbyn paid tribute to a titan of parliamentary scrutiny while Nicola Sturgeon said he was a real giant of Scottish politics.
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Theresa Mays historic visit to America was mired in controversy tonight as Donald Trumps presidency was rocked by a wave of fresh scandals.

As the Prime Minister touched down in Philadelphia she indicated that the UK could stop sharing intelligence with the CIA after Mr Trump gave his backing to waterboarding in tackling Isis.

Asked about British rules stating that British spies cannot work with nations that use torture, Ms May said: We condemn torture and my view on that won't change  whether Im talking to you or talking to the President.

Her rebuke to Mr Trump came as his fledgling presidency was hit by a series of new controversies, including:

The Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto, cancelled a meeting with Mr Trump in Washington next week a day after Mr Trump unveiled his plan to build a wall between the US and Mexico

Human rights groups expressed alarm over Mr Trumps decision to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants in the US, saying the shocking and xenophobic move will terrorise communities across the US.

The entire senior level of management officials at the US State Department resigned  hours after a visit from new incoming Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

The President was due to sign an executive order launching an investigation into voter fraud during the US election, despite Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan saying he had seen no evidence of problems

Read the full transcript of Ms May's speech here.

Despite the issues facing Mr Trump, Ms May said she believed she could forge a close relationship with the President, declaring: Havent you ever noticed? Sometimes opposites attract.

She made the statement as she flew to meet Mr Trump and just days after thousands of women marched across the world in solidarity against the President and his sexist comments.

Anti-Trump protesters in Philadelphia on Wednesday (EPA)

As the Prime Minister left Heathrow today, on her way to becoming the first foreign leader to meet the new President, it was unclear how well the more reserved vicars daughter would gel with the most outlandish leader ever to sit in the Oval Office.

However, the Prime Minister said the most important thing about her trip was that she would be able to sit down with President Trump and talk to him face to face about the issues, about the interests that we share.

She added: Im sure that I will leave with a very clear picture. I want to give him a very clear picture of the UK.

But also I believe that what will come out of this is a very clear determination on both sides not just to maintain the special relationship but to build the special relationship for the future. I think there is a real role for the UK and for the US working together.

Ms May tonight visited a congressional Republican Retreat, where she gave a speech with a particular focus on foreign policy. Tomorrow she will meet Mr Trump at the White House for crunch trade talks and the opportunity for a photocall that will help set the tone for the relationship between Ms May and the President.

However, hopes for a smooth start to the landmark visit were dealt a blow after Mr Trump expressed his support for torture when interrogating terrorist suspects, saying that the US had to fight fire with fire.

 Trump boards Air Force One for first official flight as President

The Prime Minister was asked about British guidelines stating the countrys spies cannot work with other nations agencies that practise torture.

Recommended PM indicates major shift in UK foreign policy in Philadelphia speech

Speaking as she flew to the United States, she said the UKs guidance is very clear and that the approach towards torture had not changed and would not.

After being repeatedly pressed on the UK position of not sharing intelligence with countries practising torture, she said: Our guidance is very clear about the position that the UK takes, and our position has not changed.

She added: The real question you should be asking is what do we think about torture? What we think about torture is we condemn it. We do not believe in torture. That position has been clear for some time and that position is not going to change.

Mr Trump is expected to rip up restrictions put into place by Barack Obama after earlier stating that he wanted to bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Ms May was on Wednesday challenged over the issue in the House of Commons by Tory MP Andrew Tyrie, who demanded the UK not be dragged into facilitating torture.

In a further controversial move, the Prime Minister left the door open for the greater involvement of US corporations in the NHS as part of a future trade deal.

Ms May would say only that she was committed to a health service that was free at the point of delivery, but made no comment on whether the NHS would be off the table in any future talks.

Asked whether health services might form a part of a potential deal, she said: We're at the start of the process of talking about a trade deal. We're both very clear that we want a trade deal.

Ms May spoke in Philadelphia (AP)

It will be in the interests of the UK from my point of view, that's what I'm going to be taking into the trade discussions that take place in due course. Obviously he will have the interests of the US. I believe we can come to an agreement that is in the interests of both.

Asked again whether the NHS would be off the table, she said: As regards the NHS, we're very clear as a Government that we're committed to an NHS that is free at the point of use.

The statement left open the possibility of the greater involvement of US firms in healthcare, as long as people do not have to pay for the services they provide at the moment they are received.

One of the key factors that led to opposition to the TTIP trade deal between the US and EU was fear over whether it would open up the NHS to vast multinational corporations that might put the profits ahead of patient care.

Ms May faced repeated questions in the Commons on Wednesday, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urging her to rule out any deal that would give US giants a toehold in British healthcare. The SNP also raised concerns that a deal could see UK supermarkets stocked with foods that do not meet current safety standards.
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Five anti-Trident protesters have been found guilty of blockading a nuclear weapons manufacturing facility  days after new concerns were raised about the safety of Britains Trident nuclear missiles.

The protesters, who barred the entrance to Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire in June of last year, were from the Christian group Put Down the Sword / Trident Ploughshares.

Trident mounted nuclear warheads are assembled at Burghfield, which has been the site of repeated demonstrations for a number of years. The MoD said work on the missile system was disrupted by the protests.

The judgment at Reading Magistrates Court came the same week as the Ministry of Defence acknowledged that a rogue unarmed Trident missile was accidentally fired towards the United States by a British nuclear submarine.

Theresa May was accused of covering up the malfunction of the multi-billion pound system, which happened shortly before the House of Commons were asked to vote through a renewal of the programme.

The activists defence team argued that they were acting in accordance with their religious beliefs, which they said were protected by the Human Rights Act.

However district judge Khan said that he did not agree that that the actions of the defendants were a manifestation of a religious belief and in any case that these rights have to yield to the primary right of passing and re-passing the highway outside the base.

He suggested they could have joined a non-disruptive prayer vigil outside the base instead of blockading its entrance.

The five defendants were Nina Carter-Brown, 33; Nick Cooper, 34; Angela Ditchfield, 38; Joanna Frew, 37; and Alison Parker, 33. They were represented by lawyers from Matrix Chambers and 6KBW.

They were found guilty of wilful obstruction of the highway and were all sentenced to a conditional discharge of six months with costs of 100 and a surcharge of 20.

A joint statement from the defendants said: We stand by what we said in court: Trident is an illegal and immoral waste of money, a crime against humanity and God.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images 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 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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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The prosecution said we could just have joined in a prayer vigil to the side of the road, instead of lying in it; we said our consciences wouldn't allow that. We believe prayer is important but sometimes our faith compels us to put our whole bodies in the way of injustice and violence.

The Bible says religious acts are meaningless unless we also stand up for the poor and needy; we are called to bring a just peace with hope for all. We will continue to seek peace, and to take the consequences of doing so. It's a small price to pay for the chance to challenge an evil like nuclear weapons.
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The UK cannot begin negotiating with the US or any other country until its obligations as a member of the EU end, Chancellor Philip Hammond has admitted.

Theresa May is expected to trigger the Brexit process in March and the disentanglement from the continent could take two years or more.

Mr Hammond tweeted this morning from the European Council's economic and financial affairs council: "At #ECOFIN with EU finance mins to deliver a clear message: UK will be an engaged EU member until we leave & close partner in the future".

Recommended PM indicates major shift in UK foreign policy in Philadelphia speech

He told reporters: "We will continue to abide by the rules, and the regulations and the laws, of the European Union for so long as we are members.

"Of course we want to strengthen our trade ties with the very many trade partners we have around the world, but we're very mindful of our obligations under the treaty and we will follow them precisely."

Ms May told Republicans on Thursday was was "delighted that the new administration has made a trade agreement between our countries one of its earliest priorities".

The Prime Minister said she was "looking forward to pursuing talks" about a new UK and US free trade agreement.

It will take detailed work, she told leaders of the GOP in a speech in Philadelphia. But we welcome your openness to these discussions and hope that we can make progress so the new global Britain that emerges after Brexit is even better equipped to take its place confidently in the world.

Ms May is only allowed to talk about deals with new partners in principle and cannot make any concrete attempts to negotiate free trade agreements before Britain leaves the EU.

She had earlier said: "We're at the start of the process of talking about a trade deal."

Meanwhile, Mr Trump told reporters: "I'm meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow, as you know, of Great Britain. I'm meeting her tomorrowI don't have my commerce secretary [and] they want to talk trade. So I'll have to handle it myself, which is OK."
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The Gambias President Adama Barrow returned home on Thursday, almost two months after winning an election disputed by the tiny West African country's long-time dictator.

Hundreds of thousands of Gambians flooded the streets to celebrate after power was peacefully transferred in a contest that nearly tipped the country into civil war.

President Barrow had been waiting in Senegal where earlier this month he was inaugurated.

"I am a happy man today," the new President said. "I think the bad part is finished now."

 British tourists describe airport 'chaos' in fleeing crisis-torn Gambia

He promised to get his Cabinet in place and "then get the ball rolling," adding that a commission would be set up to address reconciliation.

The 51-year-old businessman  who once worked as a security guard at an Argos shop in north London  has promised to reverse many of the authoritarian policies of his predecessor.

The former leader oversaw a government accused of imprisoning, torturing and killing his political opponents during a 22-year reign.

Some political prisoners have been released, but the fate of many who have disappeared remains unknown.

Yahya Jammeh finally left The Gambia last weekend, bowing to international pressure and the threat of West African troops poised to oust him.

Since then, they have been securing the country for President Barrow's arrival.

Mr Jammeh ended up in Equatorial Guinea, taking luxury cars and other riches amassed during his presidency, and accompanied by family and trusted security guards.

Former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh boards a private jet before departing Banjul airport, Gambia (Reuters)

When he left, The Gambias capital Banjul exploded in celebration, with music blaring from speakers and people dancing in the streets.

The Presidents biggest challenge will be restoring the Governments depleted cash reserves.

The Gambia's biggest export is peanuts, although the country, the smallest on Africa's mainland, also has become a significant source of migrants making their way to Europe.

Tourism is a vital industry, but the increasingly isolationist regime had frightened many visitors away.

"We expect a lot of things from Barrow," said 26-year-old Modou Fall.

"We want the forces to stay so that we can reform our army ... and we need development in this country."

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Former Vice President Al Gore will host a climate change summit after it was abruptly cancelled after President Donald Trump's inauguration.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention cancelled the climate and health summit earlier this week.

Some in the scientific community accused the CDC of cancelling the event over fears of political reprisal from the Trump administration, which is sceptical of climate change.

However, Mr Gore and the American Public Health Association have said they will host the summit in Atlanta, Georgia, on 16 February.

Today we face a challenging political climate, but climate shouldnt be a political issue, Mr Gore said in a statement.

Health professionals urgently need the very best science to protect the public, and climate science has increasingly critical implications for their day-to-day work.

"With more and more hot days, which exacerbate the proliferation of the Zika virus and other public health threats, we cannot afford to waste any time.

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

After losing the 2000 presidential election, Mr Gore dedicated his time to raising awareness of the threat of climate change.

In 2006, he wrote and starred in the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" about his campaign to educate the public about global warming.

A sequel is planned for 2017.
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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to revive and expedite two multi-billion-dollar underground pipelines that would snake oil through US states to centers of the petroleum industry.

One is the contentious $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which would shuttle petroleum more than 1,100 miles, from North Dakota's Bakkan oil fields to holding tanks in Patoka, Illinois.

The other is the Keystone XL pipeline  a new segment of the existing Keystone Pipeline system, which begins in the Alberta, Canada oil sands, also called tar sands (use of either term is controversial), and ends in Patoka as well as points in Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. The XL segment, which could cost its builders as much as $10 billion, is partially built and would move larger volumes of oil in less time by shortening the route and burying larger-diameter pipes.

Proponents of the pipeline say it will lessen dependence on foreign oil while creating jobs and growing domestic industry. However, many Americans, and primarily Native Americans, are furious about Trump's latest executive order.

Barack Obama killed the Keystone XL pipeline in November 2015, stating it wouldn't have helped lower gas prices or create that many jobs. He also said the long-term contribution to climate change  possibly more than 22 billion metric tons of carbon pollution, according to Scientific American  wasn't worth the loss of America's global leadership on fighting emissions that exacerbate global warming.

"If we're going to prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming inhabitable, if not inhospitable [...] we have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground," Obama said.

Trump's televised revival of Keystone XL didn't mention its steep environmental costs, including the 54,000 square miles (140,000 square kilometers) of pristine Alberta wilderness that may be industrialized to feed it.

"We're not saying the project is good or bad. We're just saying the scale and severity of what's happening in Alberta will make your spine tingle," Robert Johnson, a former Business Insider correspondent, wrote after flying over the Canadian oil sands in May 2012.

Keep scrolling to see an updated version of Johnson's photo essay, which shows Canadian oil mining  a process in which tar-laden sand is dug from the ground and the oil is separated through a lengthy and messy process.

To get a look at the oil sand mines, we rented this Cessna 172, which the pilot was allowed to bring down to 1,000 feet. Through the open window we could see what really goes on in one of the most controversial places on the planet.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The Alberta oil sands are spread across more than 54,000 square miles but we're taking a look at just a small part of it. The red line is an approximate outline of the entire deposit  the green is where we'll be flying.

(Google Maps (Google Maps)

Thousands flock here to make real money in the oil sands, where creating synthetic crude begins in the strip mine.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

This is how the oil sands have been harvested since 1967.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Only two companies worked the sands in 1998. In May 2012 there were more than 10 times that number.

That's because in the late '90s oil prices rose, the Canadian government restructured its royalty system, and new technology caused a huge boom.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

From small companies to conglomerates like Shell, each outfit starts off the same way.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

First they cut down all the trees.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Then they scrape away the shallow layer of leafy, peaty topsoil called muskeg.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Trucks and shovels move in to scoop up the oil sand  this shovel is electric  and scoops up 90 tons in one load. It takes about 2.5 tons of sand to produce one barrel of oil.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The Cat 797 dump trucks are the largest in the world and can haul 1 million pounds in a single load  more weight than a fully loaded Boeing 747 airplane.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

They're so large people say they can drive over a Ford F-150 like it's a 'speed bump.' This shot of one inside a mechanic's shop shows what they mean.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

And the dump trucks are everywhere out here.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Carrying the chunks of compacted oil sand...

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

...Often across bridges like these, which are supposed to be the strongest in the world...

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

...To crushing plants like this, which break up the chunks into a fine mixture that can be transported along the conveyor belts below.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The conveyors take the sand to be conditioned  the first step in separating it from the oil.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Conditioning just mixes the oil sand with water to create a slurry, in which oil begins to part from the sand.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The slurry is then piped to containers where it separates into three parts: Oil froth on top; sand on the bottom; and oil, sand, clay, and water in the middle.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The sand and water mixture in the middle is pumped to open storage areas called tailings ponds.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The ponds are vast and some look more like lakes.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Most ponds are coated in a sheen of oil that can be deadly to waterfowl, like ducks and geese, that land on its surface.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Scarecrows like this are all over the ponds to help keep birds away.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The ponds are used to clarify the oil-water slurry. Solids slowly sink to the bottom, chemicals and oil float to the top.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The surface chemicals are skimmed off with floating lines like those used in oil spills.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

To give an idea of the size: That dump truck passing the pond is 50 feet long.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

This is what one pond looks like on the ground.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

And this is what the surface material looks like up-close.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

After the surface water is skimmed, it's relatively sediment- and chemical-free and is pumped from one pond to another.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

This clarified water is supposed to provide 90 percent of what the oil companies need to start all over again.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The solids left behind will be used to reclaim the land as the operation moves on.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

As the sand finally dries, it turns white. Sound cannons boom in these areas to scare birds away, especially after a 2010 incident where hundreds of ducks landed on a roadside pond and died.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Oil companies are required to return the land to its original condition and this reclaimed section, populated with Wood Bison, is not far from the pond.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

It looks a whole lot different on this side.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The petroleum industry is also working to limit surface mining and increase its share of "in situ" production of oil, which drills wells into hard-to-reach deposits, blasts them with steam, and pumps oil products to the surface.

About 20% of Alberta's oil sand deposits can be reached with surface mining. The other 80% is ripe for the in situ method, which has a less visible footprint compared to mining. The split in method of production today is about 50/50.

So far, only a small portion of Alberta's oil sands are developed. And Canada requires any mining operation to reclaim the area. But there are costs to expanding in situ production.

In situ extraction still impacts wildlife, such as caribou herds, and it takes more energy  and generates more greenhouse gases  to extract oil compared to mining. Critics also say restoring a piece of developed land to its native condition is not realistic.

With the mining method, once the crude oil is pulled from the sand, it's shuttled to an 'upgrader' like Suncor's here on the Athabasca River  one of the sites where the oil from the sands is converted into synthetic crude.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

This is done by heating the raw oil, called bitumen, in a process called coking. Smoke from the process hovers about the whole area and a smell that fills the cockpit of the plane.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Here are some small piles of coke.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

And here's one very immense pile of coke waiting to be used or sold as fuel for smelting iron.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

After it's coked, the oil is "cracked" to break the heavy parts down into lighter, more desirable petroleum products.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

What's left after cracking gets sent to towers like this. Inside it's hotter at the top than the bottom, forcing dense material down and lighter petroleum products up.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Then everything is exposed to hot, high-pressure gas that removes even more impurities like sulfur.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The sulfur would normally then be sold.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

But a glut in the sulfur market in May 2012 kept prices low, so mountains of it grew.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Once the oil is "upgraded" it goes to a storage tank, like this one currently under construction.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

This is Syncrude's Mildred Lake plant along Route 63.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Route 63 is a deadly stretch of road. A family of seven died the day I arrived in Alberta, and their memorial is right across from Syncrude by the side of the road. After taking this photo, Syncrude security arrived and told me to leave.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Just north of the memorial sit these two machines some companies used in mining up until 2006  a dragline on the left, and a gray bucketwheel to the right.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Spectacularly immense, this bucketwheel is the largest crawling machine in existence.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

That fence post in front of the wheel is about six-feet-tall.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

These bucket teeth that dug into the sand were very effective, but when the bucketwheel broke down, mining stopped  so they were phased out in favor of the shovels and trucks.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Fleets of trucks work the sands. That way, if one breaks down another one simply takes its place  but at $5 to $6 million apiece they are not cheap.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

And they go through tires pretty quickly. The ones for the big dump trucks run about $45,000 apiece.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

At 13 feet wide and 12,000 pounds each, 797-tires are a burden to dispose of  so they're put to use wherever they can be. Here they make a security fence.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

To keep vehicles from getting bogged down in the mud, these wooden boards are often laid down.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

But they're not always practical, so a nearby gravel mine pumps out stone to layer the roads.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The gravel mine produces its own uniquely colored pools of water.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

But they don't compare to the deep orange of this oil sand pit we pass in the plane moments later.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The companies out here all have their own landfills.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Even though city officials are building a state-of-the-art incinerator as part of their modernization effort.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Most oil workers live in housing like this and are bused in to the compound from their homes and families in Fort McMurray.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

There are no public gas stations up by the camps. Even this store was closed at noon on a Sunday.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Which may have been just as well because the bootie dispenser outside the door was empty.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The average dump truck driver makes about $55 an hour plus overtime working the mines and the average family income here is around $190,000 a year.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

That kind of money prompts many people to settle down and stay far longer than they planned. (This is where the pilot lives with his parents.)

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

But the locals I talked to all said they'd like to see more transparency and updates on what exactly is being found and what they should watch out for.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

And just as you would imagine, the people who live here are very concerned about pollution  this site was fined $275,000 for contaminating the Athabasca River in 2011.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The provincial government tests the area waters constantly.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

The oil sands, with its up to 2 trillion barrels of oil sitting in the ground, is a complex place.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

And despite how you may feel about the immense environmental impact the oil companies may have on the world...

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

...You can be sure they're not going anywhere while there is still oil left to collect  with or without a Keystone XL pipeline.

(Robert Johnson - Business Insider (Robert Johnson - Business Insider)

Read more:

 What marijuana really does to your body and brain

 The 9 best cities in the world to live in when you don't have guaranteed work

 Here's what it's like to fly first class on Qatar Airways, the airline voted the best in the world

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jan. 27

By Demir Azizov Trend:

President of Uzbekistan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a working meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Defense in the Tashkent higher combined arms command military school, Uzbekistans National News Agency (UzA) reported.

The head of state outlined specific measures aimed at improving the efficiency of legislative regulation in security, the organizational structure of the armed forces and training of personnel, according to UzA.

A number of issues related to the provision of servicemen with thorough social protection were also discussed during the meeting.

The president also paid special attention to the patriotic education of the youth and improvement of the citizens sense of responsibility for their country.
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Police in the US have warned residents to be wary of a telephone scam, where fraudsters record people answering the phone to help them demand huge payments.

Victims receive a phone call from a familiar local area code, and the person on the other end of the line introduces themselves and their business.

After the introduction, the person asks Can you hear me?. If the victim replies with yes, their response will be recorded for the criminal to use.

Scammers then pretend to be from a security company or holiday provider, play back the recorded verbal confirmation to the victim and threaten to take legal action if unspecified charges are not paid, according to WTKR.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

People in Florida and Pennsylvania have recently reported falling victim to the scam and police in Virginia are telling people to be vigilant.

In a new guide, police have advised people not to answer the phone from numbers you do not recognise, refrain from giving out personal information and refuse to answer questions over the phone. Officers said the best course of action was to hang up the phone and call 911 immediately.

Anytime you become victim to a crime, you just feel violated, said Jo Ann Hughes of the Norfolk Police Department in Virginia. A lot of times, victims do not want to come forward because they are embarrassed. We want people to hear this advice.
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Donald Trump's plan for a 20 per cent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for a border wall will also harm American companies and consumers, experts have warned.

Relations between the US and Mexico have plunged to a new low, after Mexico's president announced he was cancelling a visit to Washington in opposition to Mr Trump's demand his country pays for the wall.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Mr Trump would propose a 20 per cent tariff on all goods imported from Mexico to the US in order to pay for his promised wall.

However, experts have said the tax could increase the price of many products in the US.

 Donald Trump wants import tax to pay for Mexico wall

"The notion that a 20 per cent tariff is a way of forcing Mexico to pay for the wall, it's just a falsehood," Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN Money.

"It's a way of forcing American consumers to pay for the wall."

His concerns were echoed by William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Centre, who told USA Today: The irony of putting a tariff on Mexican goods is that, to the extent it raises consumer prices in the US, consumers will be paying for the wall, not Mexican producers.

Some Republicans also took issue with Mr Trump's plan.

Representative Justin Amash of Michigan said on Twitter it would be a "tax on Americans to pay for the wall."

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he was "mucho sad" and added: "Any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila or margaritas is a big-time bad idea."

Around 6 million US jobs, which rely on trade with Mexico, could be jeopardised by Mr Trump's tax, CNN Money reports.

As the Statista chart shows, the US imports over $50bn worth of motor vehicles and nearly $44bn worth of vehicle parts from Mexico.

Total imports are worth $294.7bn.

Americans could also end up paying far higher prices for many goods, from tequila to cars and avocados.

Mr Trump's proposed tax would also hit companies who assemble goods such as cars and computers in Mexico, with added costs likely passed on to consumers.

Such a knock-on effect would leave Americans footing much of the bill.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The White House later began to walk back from the idea, saying it was simply one option among many.

Mr Trump has said he is OK with being "reimbursed" by Mexico at a later date, because he is keen to start construction of the wall immediately.

Mexico has refused to pay for the wall.
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Donald Trump gave his first full interview as President of the United States on Wednesday night, covering topics from waterboarding to the "Sea of Love" at his inauguration as he rambled around the White House before sitting down in front of the camera.

"You have a 17 per cent approval rating, which is pretty bad," he told interviewer David Muir of ABC, as they clashed repeatedly throughout a 40-minute broadcast segment.

A Washington Post fact checker said: This interview is so filled with inaccurate and misleading statements by Trump I dont even know where to begin." His counterpart at the Toronto Star described the discussion as "the most bonkers presidential interview transcript I've ever read".

Here are nine stand-out lies, boasts, and threats from the President's media debut.

Things got apocalyptic.

Lowering his voice to a gravelly murmur, Mr Trump said: "David, I know you're a sophisticated guy. The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets.

"What? You think this is gonna cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place."

He was referring to the White House order to halt immigration from Muslim-majority countries Iran, Syria, Sudan, Yemen and Iraq, with whom America is currently allied in the fight to retake Mosul from Isis.

The military were given a free pass.

Pressed over his suggestion that America might have "another chance" to seize all of Iraq's oil, presumably by invading a nation currently allied with the US, Mr Trump found a simple way to avoid a yes or no answer.

"When it comes to the military I don't wanna discuss things," he said, suggesting this could compromise the security of American troops. "I wanna let the action take place before the talk takes place."

Critics have noted seizing Iraq's oil supply in this way would "break all international law", but Mr Trump dismissed these concerns: "I don't call them critics. I call them fools."

We were told torture "absolutely" works.

While stopping short of confirming he would reintroduce waterboarding and other forms of torture currently illegal under US law, Mr Trump confirmed the policy was on the table.

"I have spoken as recently as 24 hours ago with people at the highest level of intelligence," he said. "And I asked them the question, 'Does it work? Does torture work?' And the answer was, 'Yes, absolutely'."

His intention, he said, is to "fight fire with fire."

The president told his interviewer to start watching Fox.

The media in general came in for a battering, but Mr Trump was full of nothing but praise for Fox News. During the squabble over his CIA speech, he lectured the journalist: "I hate to say this to you, and you probably won't put it on, but turn on Fox and see how it was covered."

Asked if he bragged too much in his speech to the CIA, he bragged some more.

The ABC anchor asked if Mr Trump regretted using his speech at CIA headquarters to rake over the inauguration crowd debate and boast about appearing on the cover of Time magazine rather than somberly addressing his fraught relationship with the intelligence agency.

"That speech was a home run," Mr Trump replied. "We see what Fox said... they showed the people applauding and screaming, and they were all CIA....

"People loved it. They loved it. They gave me a standing ovation for a long period of time. They never even sat down."

He claimed the border wall would be good for Mexico.

Former Mexican president Vincente Fox Quesada recently told Trump's administration in no uncertain terms: "We're not paying for the f****** wall".

But Mr Trump thinks his southern neighbours will come round to the idea, saying: "It's gonna be good for Mexico. We wanna have a very stable, very solid Mexico...

"Lots of things are coming over to Mexico that they don't want... I think we're gonna end up with a much better relationship with Mexico."

Even Donald Trump was scared by Donald Trump having the nuclear codes.

On inauguration day, Mr Trump will have been briefed on his nuclear capabilities, and given a small device known as the "biscuit" which includes the codes he alone can use to launch a nuclear strike.

"Its very, very, very scary in a sense," he confided. "I have the confidence Ill do the right thing, the right job, but its a very scary thing."

He added that he had not lost any sleep over the issue.

He contradicted his press secretary.

Spokesperson Sean Spicer, under attack since fiercely criticising the media and refusing all questions at an initial press conference, has said there were Trump employees scattered through the receptive crowd at the CIA briefing.

Mr Trump simply told his interviewer it was "all CIA people."

He showed off an inauguration photo with the wrong date on it.

Towards the end of the interview segment, Mr Trump strolled through corridors freshly decorated with photographs of the inauguration and his family.

He drew Mr Muir's attention to multiple images of the inauguration crowd, repeatedly insisting it was the largest ever, in defiance of analysis by political scientists. One picture was emblazoned with the incorrect date, placing his inauguration on 21 rather than 20 January.

Pointing to the crowd, he said: "I call it a Sea of Love."
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Donald Trump has been accused of illegally gagging government employees after his administration ordered them not to speak to members of Congress.

The instruction came from the acting Secretary for Health and Human Services, Norris Cochran, in a memo sent to leaders of government agencies.

He wrote: No correspondence to public officials (e.g., members of Congress, governors)... unless specifically authorized by me or my designee, shall be sent between now and Feb. 3, during which time you will have the opportunity to brief President Trumps appointees and designees on any such correspondence which might be issued.

It led Democrats to accuse the new administration of illegal gagging government employees and preventing them talking to elected representatives.

Elijah Cummings, a congressman representing Maryland, wrote to new White House chief lawyer Donald F. McGahn II to express concern.

He said: The Trump administration has issued restrictions at multiple agencies on employee communications, including, in some instances, communications with Congress.

These directives appear to violate a host of federal laws.

Mr Cochran was later forced to clarify his initial instructions, saying the memo should not be interpreted or implemented in any way that would preclude or in any way interfere with our HHS staff addressing their concerns to their elected representatives in person or in writing.

The initial note was sent to staff on 20 January and claimed restrictions on communication were needed to allow Mr Trumps appointees to review and approve any new or pending regulations of guidance documents.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

US laws are designed to allow open communication between government employees and members of Congress. One even makes such openness a condition of agencies receiving funding.

It comes as leaked notices reveal staff at a number of other agencies have been hit with similar restrictions.

The Environmental Protection Agency was banned from providing updates on social media or to reporters, while the Department for Agriculture (USDA) team responsible for climate change research was told not to release any public-facing documents including news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content..

A USDA spokesperson later admitted the memo was flawed. They said: This internal email was released without departmental direction, and prior to departmental guidance being issued.

The department was committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public, they added.

The Department for Transportation had earlier been told not to publish news releases or engage on social media accounts.

Asked about the issue earlier in the week, Mr Trumps press secretary, Sean Spicer, said he would need to investigate further before commenting.
 Close Donald Trump says 'there goes that relationship' in response to BBC's Laura Kuenssberg's question

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Donald Trump and Theresa May emphasised the strength of the "special relationship" between the US and the UK during a joint news conference in Washington DC on Friday - and appeared to brush aside the many issues they disagree on

She is the first foreign leader to meet with Mr Trump since he entered the White House.

Ms May attempted to reiterate her support for Nato and said sanctions would continue against Russia.

Meanwhile the new President tried to strike a more reasonable tone by saying he would back his new Defense Secretary's decision on torture despite his belief that 'it works'.

Read below for our full coverage of the event as it happened.
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A campaign staff member who shared racist posts on Facebook while working for Donald Trump is to join the US Department of Education.

Teresa Unrue worked as a graphic designer for Mr Trumps South Carolina team and will form part of a new administration team overseeing education across the United States.

In August last year, Ms Unrue reportedly published a series of Facebook posts and videos with derogatory comments about black, Mexican and Muslim people.

One video showed a black man eating fried chicken and contained criticism of black men. In another post, Ms Unrue claimed America needs Islam control, not gun control, and accused then-President Barack Obama of being a terrorist.

Ms Unrue also linked to a website that alleged the US government assassinated the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last year of a heart attack.

A selection of Facebook posts shared by Teresa Unrue last year (AP)

The graphic designer was not reprimanded for her actions and did not lose her job after the posts were reported. Her Facebook account has since been deleted.

Acting education secretary Phil Rosenfelt sent an email to staff, seen by The Huffington Post, in which he announced the wave of new appointments, including people from varied backgrounds in policy, communications and finance.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

In August 2015, Mr Trump's presidential campaign announced it had fired a member of staff, Sam Nunberg, who had allegedly made racist Facebook posts.

In November last year, it was reported Mr Trumps pick to be Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, was previously rejected as a judge because of alleged racism.
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Donald Trump has signed two executive orders to ban refugees from entering the US and to rebuild the military.

One order begins the process, in his view, of building up the armed forces, while the other is designed to prohibit radical terrorists from entering the country, but acts as a temporary, blanket ban for any refugee coming to the US.

This is big stuff, he said, signing the order in front of a raft of cameras.

Recommended Trump to ban refugees from some Muslim countries today

It is the first act to institute a threat he first gave in December 2015 shortly after the terrorist attacks in Paris, when he said all Muslims should be banned from the country.

Muslims will be the biggest victim of the new executive order, which was reduced to only target immigrants from seven Muslim-dominated countries: Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. No new visas will be issued from these countries for 30 days. These countries are affected by conflict and terrorism, but anyone escaping persecution and death will be barred from refuge in the US.

Syrian refugees will be banned "indefinitely", although an exemption in the order an remarks by Mr Trump indicate Christians from the country will still be allowed in. It already takes around two years for Syrian refugees to be vetted and enter the US.

Refugees from the other six countries will be banned for 120 days.

"[This is a] measure to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of America. We dont want them here," said Mr Trump.

He warned that the US should never forget the attacks of 9/11 or those who lost their lives in the Pentagon.

"We dont want to admit the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those that support our country and love, deeply, our people."

It is yet to be defined how the President will carry out his proposal of "extreme vetting" and the "religious test" of incoming immigrants when the ban is lifted.

Rep Michael McCaul, the Republican and Homeland Security chairman, told CNN that Christians from Syria would not pose a terrorist threat to the US compared to Muslims.

It seems to be they [Christians] would be top of the list, he said.

The President has been widely condemned for threatening to institute this order, which was seen as discriminatory.

It was signed on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a reminder that the US barred tens of thousands of Jews from a safe haven when more than six million of their people were being murdered by Nazis.

He then signed another executive order to rebuild the military, to build new planes, new ships, tools and resources.

In 2015, the US spent $598 billion on the military.

"As we prepare our budget request for Congress, our military strength will be questioned by no one and neither will our dedication to peace. And we do want peace," he said.

The orders were signed while General James Mattis was being sworn in as defense secretary.

"I want to extend a very special congratulations to a great man and thats Secretary Mattis," he said. "I think hes going to lead us so brilliantly. Hes a tremendous solider, always has been. Hes a generals general."
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President Donald Trump failed to explicitly mention Jews during his Holocaust memorial statement, a move which critics say serves to "generalise" one of the worst genocides in history.

Mr Trump released a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, noting his "heavy heart and somber mind" to "remember and honour the victims, survivors and heroes of the Holocaust".

"It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror, the statement read.

"Yet, we know that int he darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent."

Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defmation League, said the omission of the word Jews - the main target of the Holocaust, which resulted in six million murdered - was puzzling and troubling.

Reza Aslan, an Iranian-American author, tweeted: "This is not an accidental omission. He is generalizing the Holocaust the way the Iranian govt or Neo-Nazis do. Theres a purpose behind it."

Vice President Mike Pence did mention the Jewish people in a tweet the same day.

In the same week Mr Trump signed an executive order to ban refugees from war-torn Muslim majority countries, suspending Syrian refugees "indefinitely" and giving priority to Christians.

Rabbi Jack Moline, President of the Interfaith Alliance, said in a statement: "President Trump's forthcoming executive order banning refugees and Muslims would be deeply troubling on a regular day, but he is adding insult to injury by signing it on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"This is a day where we honour the victims of the Nazis and reflect upon the actions of the United States during the Holocaust. Tens of thousands of Jewish refugees were refused entry to the United States  including the passengers of the St. Louis  due to fear, suspicion and bigotry. Trapped in Nazi Europe, they faced a grim fate."

The US denied entry to tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.

The statement on the memorial day comes after several disturbing anti-Jewish incidents around the country, including two waves of bomb threats at Jewish community centres, and a group of Neo-Nazis that planned to march against the Jewish residents of a small town in Montana.

Mr Trump has repeatedly been criticised in the past over race relations, including being prosecuted in Manhattan for discriminating against people of colour who applied to live in his apartment blocks, and being slow to disavow the endorsement of David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

His chief strategist, Steve Bannon, founded Breitbart and said last year it was a "platform for the alt-right", alluding to a white supremacist movement.
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As US President Donald Trump signs executive orders aimed at secluding America, the business he refuses to divest from is planning major domestic expansions.

Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger told reporters after a summit panel discussion that out of 26 major metropolitan areas in the US, the hotel brand is in five. I dont see any reason that we couldnt be in all of them eventually. Danziger said.

Recommended Trump and Putin expected to discuss lifting Ukraine sanctions

The flourishing of the Trump name and subsequent potential boons for the namesake organisation throws up further questions for a president already rife with conflict of interest accusations.

Along with hinting at the hotel chains expansion, Danziger said that planned expansion into China was pretty much off, adding both brands and any others we create will have a domestic emphasis for the next four or eight years. His comments drew laughter from the crowd, Bloomberg reported.

China has been the butt of numerous Trump attacks online and off. In 2012, he tweeted that climate change was a hoax created by China to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.

Trump also enflamed tensions between the two superpowers quickly into his tenancy as President-elect by conducting a phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in early December and later saying that the US did not have to be bound by the long standing One China policy.

The suggested national expansion of Trump hotels also comes after the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which Trump has previously dubbed the Winter White House, doubled its initiation fee to $200,000.

Trump has refused to divest from his sprawling business empire, instead handing the company to his two sons and saying they are not going to discuss it with me.

Director of the US Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, called the plan wholly inadequate in a conference at the Brookings Institute.

We cant risk creating the perception that government leaders would use their official positions for profit. Thats why I was glad in November when the President-elect tweeted that he wanted to, as he put it, in no way have a conflict of interest with his business.

Unfortunately, his current plan cannot achieve that goal. Shaub said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.

In September, while still just a presidential nominee, Trump opened a Washington, D.C. branch of his eponymous hotel chain which was quickly embroiled in conflict of interest accusations. The lease of the hotel stipulates that elected officials can not profit from the building, with some suggesting that Trump will have to forgo his stake in the hotel now that he is president.

The hotel again was subject to controversy when the Kingdom of Bahrain chose it to host national day celebrations. US President are forbidden from accepting money from foreign governments under the foreign emoluments clause.

Trump has said that any money generated from foreign governments would be handed to the US Treasury, though this will likely not assuage concerns that foreign powers could use the hotel in attempts to gain favour with the administration.
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The photos comparing Donald Trumps Inauguration with former President Barack Obamas were seen by a lot of people, including Mr Trump himself.

On President Trump's first morning in office, the suggestion that less people attended his big ceremony than his predecessor aggravated him so much that he asked his staff to get the National Park Service director, the agency responsible for the Mall in Washington DC, to call him.

Deputy director of operations Michael Reynolds, who has three decades of experience working in federal government, called the number and was asked to hold for the President, as reported by the Washington Post.

Recommended Trump has again claimed largest inauguration audience in history

Mr Trump was irked by the National Park Service having tweeted comparative photos of his and Mr Obamas crowd sizes.

The NPS does not provide official estimates of crowd numbers, so Mr Trump asked Mr Reynolds to send over more photos from the event and help him prove the media were being "dishonest" after all.

Mr Reynolds sent over pictures. They did not help Mr Trumps case.

The NPS could not be immediately reached by The Independent.

White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed to CNN that Mr Trump made the call.

If he sees an issue, he is going to take action and do something to fix it, Ms Sanders said.

After the NPS tweeted those pictures, the Interior Department informed employees, as instructed by the Trump team, to not tweet until Monday. A media blackout ensued, with bans on social media and blog updates. Press secretary Sean Spicer denied any such request had come from the White House.

The incident led to Mr Spicer reading out a very terse statement about the reporting of crowd sizes that day, attacking the media and insisting that the crowd size was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration. Period."

Mr Spicer walked out without taking any questions.

 White House spokesman Sean Spicer threatens media, vowing to 'hold to account' 'dishonest' reporting

Although he returned the next day, determined to be more jovial with the press, the issue of crowd size was carried on by Mr Trump at the CIA, when he was supposed to be commemorating those who had died serving their country.

I get up this morning, I turn on one of the networks, and they show an empty field. I say, wait a minute, I made a speech, he told around 400 CIA employees.

I looked out, the field was  it looked like a million, million and a half people. They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there.

Experts have estimated the crowd size was only around 800,000 people.

The issue was also addressed by his senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, who said during television interviews on Sunday morning that the government might have to rethink its relationship with the press.

Mr Trumps chief strategist Steve Bannon told the New York Times this week in a rare interview that the media had been humiliated by the Presidents surprising win and should keep its mouth shut.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 26

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Irans economic policymakers appear to consider the automotive industry as a major engine of economic growth as it is a main industrial and economic force worldwide.

Iranian automotive industry is projected to form at least 4 percent of the countrys economic growth by 2025.

The countrys carmakers accounted for 2.2 percent of Irans economic growth over the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2016) with a contribution of about $9.1 billion (294 trillion rials).

According to World Bank estimations, Irans gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 stood at $393.7 billion.

This is while Irans car industry in 2015 witnessed a downward trend as the industrys share in the countrys GDP was 0.5 percent lower than in preceding year.

However, the latest statistics on the output of the countrys automotive industry suggest a huge surge. The industry made more than 946,000 vehicles over the first nine months of the current fiscal year, indicating a 38.7 percent growth year-on-year.

Due to the removal of sanctions following the implementation of the nuclear deal, Iranian car manufacturers reestablished cooperation with European companies, including Peugeot, Citroen and Renault. This resulted in a strong growth of nearly 151 percent for automotive sector, which ended 2016 as the top performing sector on the Tehran Stock Exchange.

In the meantime, at least two European carmakers have earlier announced that they experienced a considerable surge in their sales in Iran over 2016.

On the other hand, multinational companies have demonstrated a surge in interest in investment in Irans car sector following the implementation of the nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and the world major powers in January 2016.

Coming to shortcomings, Iran Standard and Quality Inspection Company has highlighted the vulnerability of the industry, i.e. substandard products.

According to Iran Standard and Quality Inspection Company, at least 11 car brands produced by domestic carmakers in a period of one month between Nov. 21 and Dec. 21, 2016 did not meet the required standards.

Economic experts suggest that the automotive industry is capable of giving boost to the countrys depressed economy and creating new job opportunities as each direct auto job supports more indirect jobs.

Meanwhile, a number of sub-sectors of economy, including industries such as steel, iron, aluminum, glass, plastics, glass, carpeting, textiles, computer chips, rubber and more are linked to the automotive industry.

Observers and economic experts believe that increasing the automotive industrys share in the countrys economic growth to about 5 percent is realistic, if the policymakers and industry officials come up with a well-laid plan for the coming years.
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President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss Ukraine sanctions when the two speak for the first time since the inauguration.

Mr Trump has criticised the Obama administration in the past for sanctions imposed in 2014 for Russia's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. He has indicated that he would lift the sanctions against Russia in exchange for a nuclear arms reduction deal.

The President is also scheduled to speak with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the same day he speaks with the Russian president. The call is expected to focus on Russia.

Should Mr Trump decide to lift the 2014 sanctions, he will face opposition from leaders in Washington and abroad.

Sen John McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, condemned the possible move by the White House to lift sanctions as a "reckless course" and said he would work with Congress to "codify sanctions against Russia into law".

"Putin wants to be our enemy. He needs us as his enemy," Mr McCain said. "He believes that strengthening Russia means weakening America. "

"President Trump should remember this when he speaks with Vladimir Putin," he added. "He should remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn.

"For our commander-in-chief to think otherwise would be naive and dangerous."

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

In his final White House press conference, former President Barack Obama said he believed the sanctions should remain connected to the reasons they were implemented in the first place. If Russia stopped "meddling" in Ukraine's affairs, then he would support a lift.

"The reason we oppose the recall was not because of nuclear issues. It was because the independence and sovereignty of a country, Ukraine, had been encroached upon by force by Russia, Mr Obama told reporters.

"I think it will probably best serve not only American interests but also the interests of preserving international norms," he added, "if we made sure that we dont confuse why these sanctions have been imposed with a whole set of other issues."

The Trump administration has faced scrutiny for its alleged links to Russia during the 2016 election campaign. Intelligence officials assessed that the Kremlin was behind hacks of the Democratic National Committee with the intent of swaying the election in Mr Trump's favour.

A reversal of the sanctions also raises conflict-of-interest questions with regard to Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson.

While ExxonMobil CEO, Mr Tillerson brokered deals with the Russian oil conglomerate Rosneft estimated at $1bn (800m). But Exxon had to suspend operations in Russia as a result of the 2014 sanctions.

 Theresa May in America: The PM's first speech in 90 seconds

Mr Tillerson has come under fire for providing misleading answers about his role in lobbying against the sanctions while running the massive oil company in 2015 and 2016.

"I have never lobbied against sanctions personally, Mr Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. To my knowledge, Exxon never directly lobbied against sanctions."

However, between 2014 and 2015, according to public documents, Exxon spent some $300,000 on lobbying against the Russian sanctions in Washington.

But the budding relationship between the Trump administration and Mr Putin could lead to friction between the US and UK, complicating the "special relationship" between the two countries.

Speaking to congressional Republicans in Philadelphia this week, Theresa May issued a warning about the Russian President.

"When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who, during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev, used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify'," she said.

"With President Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware'."
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US President Donald Trump has said that Syrian Christians will get priority for refugee status in America during an interview set to air on Sunday.

In a clip from the president's interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Mr Trump says that Christians in Syria have been horribly treated before going on to add: If you were a Christian in Syria, it was impossible, very, very tough to get into the United States.

If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible and the reason that was so unfair, everybody was persecuted in all fairness, but they were chopping off the heads of everybody but more so the Christians.

Mr Trump signed an executive order on Friday that will suspend travel visas for anyone from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US. The order will affect people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, reports suggested.

According to the Pew Research Centre, the numbers of Muslim and Christian refugees from all countries entering the United States were around the same last year. 37,521 Christian refugees entered the US during 2016, with 38,901 Muslim refugees entering in the same period.

 Donald Trump open to working with Moscow to fight Isis in Syria

Mr Trump campaigned on hardline anti-immigration rhetoric, saying in December 2015 that he wanted a total and complete shut down of Muslims entering the United States.

He has also signed an executive order telling government agencies to start planning for his promised wall between Mexico and the US, along with the hiring of 5,000 additional border patrol officers.

As well as his comments on Christian Syrians, Trump was trailed by the network saying that he had always felt the need to pray.

The office is so powerful that you need God even more, Trump said in attempts to signal his religious credentials. Theres almost not a decision you make when youre sitting in this position that isnt a really life altering position, so God comes into it even more so.

Though Mr Trumps Christianity has been questioned in the past, the same is rarely said for his Vice President, Mike Pence, who took to the stage at Fridays anti-abortion March for Life in Washington DC as the first Vice President to do so.

Speaking to the crowd, he said that the administration would work with Congress to end taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion providers and suggested that Trumps pick for the Supreme Court vacancy would also be anti-abortion.

In another trailer for the CBN interview, Trump said that he thinks Evangelicals will love my pick and will be represented very fairly, again suggesting that the nominee will come from Americas religious right.

The interview will be aired at 11pm EST on Sunday, January 29th.
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A petition calling for Donald Trump's tax returns to be released has received a record number of signatures.

At the time of writing, 384,000 people have signed the petition.

Last week, the petition reached the 100,000 signatures needed for a White House response within 24 hours of it being posted to the White House's official website.

Petitions are typically given a month to get the required number of signatures.

 Kellyanne Conway says President Trump will not release his tax returns

The petition demands the new president "immediately release [his] full tax returns, with all information needed to verify emoluments clause compliance."

It states: "The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution."

The White House petitions web page states that if a petition obtains 100,000 signatures within 30 days, the administration will issue an official update within 60 days.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Mr Trump went against decades of precedent during his election campaign by refusing to release his tax returns.

Recently he has claimed reporters were the "only ones who care" about seeing them.

A poll carried out several days before the billionaires inauguration revealed three quarters of Americans, including half of Mr Trump's supporters, want him to release his tax forms.

Almost half of his supporters said he should release his returns, while 94 per cent of Hillary Clinton supporters agreed.

On Sunday, Mr Trump's strategist Kellyanne Conway confirmed he has no intention of releasing his tax returns, claiming "people didn't care".

Responding to the petition, she told ABC News: The White House response is that hes not going to release his tax returns.

"We litigated this all through the election, people didnt care, they voted for him. He made this very clear."

While there is no law demanding the president release his tax returns, Mr Trump is the first president in American history to be so opaque about his taxes.
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Theresa May and Donald Trump have been photographed holding hands as they took a walk through the White House.

The candid moment was caught by a photographer moments before the two world leaders held a joint news conference.

It is unclear who initiated the contact, made as they walked along The Colonnade.

Theresa May was the first world leader to visit Donald Trump

Ms May is the first world leader to meet the Republican in Washington after his inauguration last Friday.

Both leaders used the news conference to reinforce their commitment to the "special relationship" between the US and UK.

"We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship," Mr Trump said.

Theresa May with Donald Trump earlier on Friday (Getty)

He added that friendly relations between the UK and US was "one of the great forces in history for justice and for peace".

Ms May said an "even stronger special relationship" was in the interests of the wider world.
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There was one occasion when a British Prime Minister spoke some stern words to a bullying US president.

I think his has become a bad relationship, where the president gets what he wants and casually ignores those things that really matter to Britain, the prime minister adds.

Fortunately or unfortunately, that scene only exists in the fictional celluloid world of Love Actually. In truth, every time a British leader meets with a US president, that do so as a very junior partner, desperate to cling onto the idea that a special relationship still exists.

British prime minister tend to go along with what US presidents say (YouTube)

On Thursday, Theresa Mays visit to the US was no different, and her meeting with Donald Trump par for course with previous encounters, with the British visitor keen for a smooth visit. Last week, Ms May admitted she would not raise Mr Trump's controversial and demeaning comments about women, despite terming them them as unacceptable. At a time when Britain is more desperate than ever to lock down trade deals with the US, the Prime Minister was going to play by the script.

I thank you for inviting me so soon after your inauguration, and Im delighted to be able to congratulate you on your stunning election victory, she said.

She added: Todays talks, I think, are a significant moment for President Trump and I to build our relationship.

Mr Trump, perhaps aware that half the world was watching the press conference, was oddly calm and restrained, and almost presidential.

We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship, he said. Together, America and the United Kingdom are a beacon for prosperity and the rule of law.

He added: The special relationship between our two countries has been one of the great forces in history.

Ms May said that while Britain and the US were close allies, sometimes it was appropriate for close friends to point out things they disagreed on. But from the news conference at the White House, at least, they seemed largely on the same page.

Ms May said early on that Mr Trump had reaffirmed the USs unshakeable commitment to the NATO military alliance, an issue on which he had sparked controversy by suggesting the group was obsolete and that the United States may not not come to the aid of countries that did not meet targets for their own defence spending.

The issue of Russia is one area where the two leaders probably have most disagreements. On Thursday, she urged the US not to be fooled by Vladimir Putin amid reports that Mr Trump was considering lifting sanctions.

Mr Trump said on Friday that it was very early to be talking about that. He did say the US wanted to have a great relationship with all countries, including Russia.

Another thing that will have pleased Ms May, were Mr Trumps comments on Brexit, something he had supported.

The respects the sovereignty of the British people and their right of self-determination, he said. Both countries understand that governments must be responsive to everyday working people.
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Donald Trump has said he will leave the decision on whether the US should use torture to his Defence Secretary, Gen James Mattis.

During the presidential campaign, Mr Trump said he wanted to make use of waterboarding as part of the fight against extremists, including Isis.

As recently as this week, he told an interviewer not only that he believed that torture worked but that the intelligence officials advising him did so too  a claim that spark widespread debate among among security experts.

At a news conference on Friday with Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Trump repeated his belief in the value of torture. Yet he said he would leave the decision on whether or not to use it, up to his Defence Secretary, Mr Mattis, whom he described as a generals general.

He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding, or however you want to define it I dont necessarily agree, said Mr Trump.

But I would tell you that he will override because Im giving him that power. Hes an expert.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr Mattis opposed the use of torture.

The Associated Press said that Mr Trump once quoted Mr Mattis as saying: Give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture.

The Senate passed a ban on torture in 2015, but Mr Trumps public comments have led to concerns that he may try to bring it back. In an ABC News interview this week, Mr Trump said that he believed torture absolutely works.

Ive spoken as recently as twenty-four hours ago, with people at the highest level of intelligence, and I asked them the question, Mr Trump said.

 Theresa May congratulates Donald Trump on 'stunning election victory'

Does it work? Does torture work? And the answer was yes. Absolutely.

He said he would leave the decision on whether to use torture to Mr Mattis and the new CIA director, Mike Pompeo.

He added: If they do want to do it, I will work toward that end. I want to do everything within the bounds of what youre allowed to do legally. But do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works.

Mr Trumps comments on Friday will have made things easier for Ms May, The British leader had suggested that British intelligence could stop working with American intelligence if the US reinstated the use of torture.

Others who have spoken out against torture, both from the point of view of human rights and its inefficiency, include Senator John McCain, who was held captive and tortured by North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will speak by telephone on Saturday, the Kremlin said, a first step towards what Trump has billed as a normalisation of relations after three years of tensions sparked by the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump will also have a telephone conversation the same day with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and that call is expected to focus on Russia, a source in Berlin familiar with the matter said.

Trump has said in the past that, as part of the rapprochement he is seeking with Russia, he is prepared to review the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

That move is likely to face resistance from both influential figures in Washington and foreign leaders - Merkel among them - who argue sanctions should only be eased if Moscow complies with the West's conditions on Ukraine.

Trump is already under intense scrutiny at home from critics who say he was elected with help from Russian intelligence - an allegation he denies - and that he is too ready to cut deals with a country that many of his own officials say is a threat to US security.

Trump and Putin last spoke in November, when Putin rang Trump to congratulate him on winning the presidential election.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian leader would use the call to congratulate Trump on taking office and to exchange views on the current state of US-Russian ties.

Asked by reporters if Ukraine would come up, Peskov said: This is the first telephone contact since President Trump took office, so one should hardly expect that this phone call will involve substantive discussions across the whole range of issues. We'll see, let's be patient.

He said he was unaware of any plans by the White House to lift Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia.

Recommended Donald Trump suggests sanctions against Russia could be dropped

If Putin and Trump can establish a rapport, it could pave the way for deals on Ukraine and Syria, two sources of friction during the administration of Barack Obama.

Trump and Putin have never met and it was unclear how their very different personalities would gel. Trump is a flamboyant real estate deal-maker who often acts on gut instinct, while Putin is a former Soviet spy who calculates each step methodically.

Both have spoken about ending the enmity that has dragged US-Russia relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people? Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I am all for it, Trump told a news conference in July last year.

Putin, at a news conference in December, said he would reciprocate. Mr Trump... said he believes it's right to normalise Russian-American ties and said it definitely won't be any worse, because it couldn't be worse. I agree with him. Together we'll think about how to improve things.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

For the Russian leader, there is much to gain. Putin is expected to run for re-election next year, but is hampered by a sluggish economy. A softening or removal of sanctions would allow Western investment and credit to flow in, lifting growth and strengthening Putin's election prospects.

For Trump, a rapprochement with Russia carries political risks. Powerful Congressional figures say they will block any move to lift Ukraine-related sanctions.

That would displease some of Washington's European allies too. The source in Berlin familiar with plans for the Trump-Merkel call said it would be unpleasant if Trump were to lift sanctions against Russia, but added: It doesn't mean that we go along. The European Union has its own set of sanctions against Russia that it imposed over Ukraine.

Trump is also vulnerable to allegations at home of being too cozy with Moscow.

US intelligence agencies published a report this month saying Russia had mounted a campaign, including through hacking of Democratic Party emails, to influence the presidential election in Trump's favour. Both Trump and the Kremlin have denied that happened.

Reuters
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President Donald Trump said that he wants to foster a good relationship with Russia, and will approach President Vladimir Putin with an open mind.

During a press conference with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Trump declined to say whether he was ready to lift sanctions against Russia, but looked forward to the call with the Russian leader over the weekend.

I dont say good, bad, or indifferent, he said, referring to his opinion of Mr Putin. I dont know the gentleman. I hope we have a fantastic relationship. Thats possible, and its also possible that we wont. 

Recommended Trump and Putin expected to discuss lifting Ukraine sanctions

Well see what happens.

Top White House counsel Kellyanne Conway told Fox that a reversal of sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration, following the incursion and annexation of the Ukraines Crimea peninsula, was under consideration.

However, Mr Trump said it was very early to talk about that.

Trump Inauguration protests around the World Show all 14 1 /14 Trump Inauguration protests around the World Trump Inauguration protests around the World Activists from Greenpeace display a message reading "Mr President, walls divide. Build Bridges!" along the Berlin wall in Berlin on January 20, 2017 to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United State Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World An activist holds up a sign at the "We Stand United" rally on the eve of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration outside Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York on January 19, 2017 in New York Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Protesters burn a U.S. flag and a mock flag with pictures of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump outside the U.S. embassy in metro Manila, Philippines Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Filipino protestors hold placcards during a protest rally in front of the US embassy in Manila, Philippines, 20 January 2017. On the eve of President-elect Donald Trump's inaguration as the 45th president of the United States, Filipinos and Fil-Americans held a protest in front of the US embassy in Manila to denounce the incoming US president. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Hong Kong police officers and security guards look on as an anarchist protester belonging to the Disrupt J20 movement sits after using a heavy duty D-lock and motorcycle lock to chain himself to a railing at the entrance gate to the Consulate General of the United States of America in Hong Kong to protest the inauguration of United States President-elect Donald Trump, Hong Kong, China, 20 January 2017. Two activists were arrested and taken away by Hong Kong police during the demonstration. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A banner is unfurled on London's Tower Bridge, organised by Bridges Not Walls - a partnership between grassroots activists and campaigners working on a range of issues, formed in the wake of Donald Trump's election, which aims to build bridges to a world free from hatred and oppression. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Protesters chain themselves to an entry point prior at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, DC, U.S. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Bridges Not Walls banner dropped from Molenbeek bridge in Brussels, Belgium, 20 January 2017, in an Greenpeace action part of protests Wolrd protest in solidarity with people in the US, the day Donald Trump sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A woman holds an anti-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump placard during a rally in Tokyo, Japan, Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A Palestinian protester holds a placard during a demonstration against the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and against US President-elect Donald Trump, on January 20, 2017, near the settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Banners on North Bridge in Edinburgh as part of the Bridges Not Walls protest against US President Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World Russian artist Vasily Slonov (L) and his assistant carry a life-sized cutout, which is an artwork created by Slonov and titled "Siberian Inauguration", before its presentation on the occasion of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in a street in Krasnoyarsk, Russia Getty Trump Inauguration protests around the World A woman holds a banner during a march to thank outgoing President Barack Obama and reject US President-elect Donald Trump before his inauguration at a park in Tokyo, Japan, 20 January 2017. EPA Trump Inauguration protests around the World Palestinian demonstrators protesting this week against a promise by Donald Trump to re-locate the US embassy to Jerusalem Reuters

We look to have a relationship with all countries, ideally, he said. If we can have a great relationship with Russia, with China, and with all counties, Id be all for that. It would be a tremendous asset. No guarantees. That would be a positive, not a negative.

Mr Trump had previously suggested that he would lift Russian sanctions in exchange for a nuclear arms reduction deal.

 Theresa May in America: The PM's first speech in 90 seconds

However, Ms May made clear that she did not support such a deal.

We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk [ceasefire] agreement fully implemented, she said.

Senior Republican Sen John McCain lambasted Mr Putin and urged the President not to lift sanctions in a blistering statement. He rebuked Mr Trumps reckless course with the Kremlin and said he would work with Congress to codify sanctions against Russia into law.

Putin wants to be our enemy. He needs us as his enemy, Mr McCain said. He believes that strengthening Russia means weakening America.

President Trump should remember this when he speaks with Vladimir Putin, he added. He should remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn.

"For our commander-in-chief to think otherwise would be naive and dangerous."
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Donald Trump gave two major interviews this week in which he set out more details of his policy agenda.

Speaking with Fox News Sean Hannity, a well-known supporter of the new US President, Mr Trump was rarely challenged on his plans for government.

But in a separate interview David Muir of ABC News, whose network Mr Trump considers to be one of the cabal of mainstream organisations that cover him unfairly, pressed Mr Trump on voter fraud and the Mexico wall. He nonetheless left many of Mr Trumps other claims unchallenged.

While both interviews lasted nearly half an hour, the majority of both conversations saw Mr Trump repeat his well-known arguments and justifications for what is shaping up to be one of the most right-wing agendas from a US president since Ronald Reagan.

We picked five of the most notable moments from the two interviews:

1. Law Enforcement may have to stop being "politically correct"

Mr Trump has fewer supporters more loyal than the law enforcement community and he repeatedly staked a claim to being the "law & order" candidate during the campaign.

Referring to a high crime rate in Chicago, Mr Trump said he would send in whatever helped was needed to the midwestern city's police force.

"Maybe theyre not going to have to be so politically correct," he said. "Maybe theyre being overly political correct, maybe theres something going on.

Some commentators have taken this to mean that Mr Trump is embracing racial profiling of civilians by police - something that was deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge in 2013.

This would be incredibly controversial in the US where there have been repeated protests about police brutality in a number of cities after unarmed black men were shot dead by officers.

Mr Trump previously said that he could not afford to be politically correct when asked about his misogyny, in the first televised debate with with Republican nominees for the presidency.

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

2. Removing 75 per cent of regulations because right now you cant start a company

While there are famous differences between Mr Trump's outlook and orthodox Republican policy, the new President's promise to remove 75 per cent of all business regulations will no doubt play well with his party's faithful, such as Republican leaders Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.

Recommended Immigrants less likely to commit crimes in the United States

In both interviews Mr Trump claimed that he wanted to protect the consumer as well as stripping regulation.

But targeting an arbitrary percentage of legislation reveals that business interests are, unsurprisingly, likely to enjoy primacy over workers rights and consumer protections.

3. Trump confronted with the shakiness of the Pew reports on voter fraud

Mr Trump has seemingly been obsessed with voter fraud.

But evidence that it took place on a widespread level appears to be thin on the ground.

Law professor Justin Levitt found just 31 cases of voter fraud in over 1 billion ballots between 2000 and 2014, in an study written about for The Washington Post.

For many, the denial of voting rights to thousands of people has been the bigger issue.

 Donald Trump believes 'millions voted illegally' says Sean Spicer

In Wisconsin, a crucial swing state that Mr. Trump won with a majority of only 22,000 votes, it is estimated that 300,000 citizens were eligible to vote but didnt, according to a federal court, because they did not have the correct form of identification.

4. American taxpayers will pay for the wall, and Mexico will pay them back

Mr. Trumps claim that he will build a wall on the border with Mexico while forcing the Central American nation to pay for it proved so popular with much of the conservative base during the campaign.

The new president's assertion the US will be reimbursed for its estimated 15 billion (12 billion) cost, is useful groundwork for Mr. Trump to wriggle out of the persistent promise he made that Mexico would straight up pay for it.

5. Trumps characterization of the world as angry as it gets

Trumps inaugural address painted a dystopian picture of a fearful, dangerous nation, with the crime, and the gangs and the drugs representing an American carnage.

Mr Muir gave the new president a large window for a monologue on the total mess the world is in. The presenter did suggest the notion that targeting Muslims would provoke more "fear" but he did not characterise Mr Trump as Islamophobic.
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A bookcase in the former State Department library in Washington DC has been filled with Donald Trumps books, it has been claimed.

According to an unverified photograph that emerged on Thursday, shelves of the Eisenhower Executive Office Buildings library are now stocked with reading material authored by the US president.

Writing on Twitter, MSNBC journalist Christopher Hayes, who shared the photo, said: A contact sends along a picture of a bookcase in what's called the Old State Department Library in the EEOB (Eisenhower Executive Office Building). It's the first thing you see.

The books pictured include: Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again; Trump 101 and Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich-And Why Most Don't, however it was unclear if other shelves had also been stocked with Mr Trump's books.

The Government building is situated west of the White House and originally housed the departments of State, War and Navy. The building still houses offices of many White House staff members.

The picture emerged following reports the Trump administration issued a gag order to prevent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and other Government staff from speaking publicly, prompting leading scientists to accuse the President of censorship".

Other federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, were also told to suspend external communications, although the latter department's gag order was subsequently lifted.

The ban includes the issuing of press releases, blogs and social media posts, according to information leaked to several media organisations, and all media requests must be screened by the administration.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.26

By Dalga Khatinoglu  Trend:

Iran says bunkering (refuelling of ships) in Iranian ports is 5-7 US dollar cheaper than the same service in UAEs Fujairah port.

"About 17 shipping companies are sailing to Iranian ports in Persian Gulf and this is a great opportunity to boost bunkering operations. International ships can refuel in Irans Qeshm port, 120 miles far from Fujairah, to get cheaper fuel," Iran Shipping Lines chairman Mohammad Saeidi said.

Qeshm ports bunkering facilities with 1 million tons capacity were inaugurated Jan.26.

It should be noted that marine trade shares 85 percent of Irans total trade turnover with foreign countries.

Just six countries, including UAE are responsible for almost sixty percent of global bunker sales, according to OPECs estimations. Iran was not included in this list.

UAEs Fujairah is the world's second largest bunkering port, with annual sales of around 24 million tons. Iran claims that the about 80 percent of bunkered fuels in Fujairah is of Iranian origin, exported to UAE.

According to the official statistics of Irans Port and Maritime Organisation, the oil, gas condensate, LPG, NGLs and oil products loading from Iranian ports stood at 165.46 million tons in 2016, while the unloading operations reached 23.96 million tons. The loads and unloads indicate 5.213 million tons increase and 4.39 million tons decrease respectively year-on-year.

With inauguration of Qeshm facilities, Irans annual bunkering capacity stood at 5.4 million tons.

Irans bunkering service in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman was officially commenced in 2004, with selling 392,000 tons of fuel oil to the passing vessels in the first year. The figure reached 3.345 million tons in 2011, but after Iran got hit with sanctions in 2012, the figure plunged to 1.8 million tons per year, but it has been on the rise since 2013. Iranian officials say the figure reached 4.4 million tons in 2016.

Iran currently has free capacity to export or bunker about 7.2 million tons per year of this fuel due to decreasing gas oil consumption in its power sector.

Currently fuel oil shares 24 percent in Irans refineries output, but the country has a $14-billion investment package to decrease this figure to 10 percent by 2021.

Iran also plans to increase refining capacity from the current 1.8 million tons per day to about 3.1 million tons per day in the next five years.

The Persian Gulf Star Refinery will add 360,000 b/d, while Siraf Complex, Anahita and Bahman Geno refineries will add 480,000 b/d, 150,000 b/d and 300,000 b/d to the current refinery capacity.

During the last fiscal year, ended on March 20, Iran daily produced 67.1 million liters of gasoline, 89.39 million liters of gas oil, 10.13 million liters of kerosene, 64.49 million liters of fuel oil, as well as 10.66 million liters of liquid gas (LPG).

---

Dalga Khatinoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Iran news service, follow him on Twitter: @dalgakhatinoglu
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Holocaust survivors and campaigners have compared Donald Trumps immigration ban to the unprecedented plight of the Jews.

Mark Hetfield, the chief executive of Jewish refugee programme HIAS, said Mr Trumps executive order on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, was a tragic irony.

Survivors of the genocidal horror, waged by the Nazi regime, have also said Americas refusal to accept child victims of the Holocaust resembles closing borders to Syrian children.

The US President signed an executive order this week that temporarily bans people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including refugees from war-torn Syria, entering the country.

Its a deep and tragic irony that Donald Trump is slamming the door in the faces of refugees right before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Mr Hetfield told Haaretz.com.

The entire refugee convention came out of the Holocaust and the failure of the international community to protect Jews and survivors."

Remembering the Holocaust Show all 16 1 /16 Remembering the Holocaust Remembering the Holocaust 119165.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119169.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119229.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119167.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119162.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119166.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119163.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119224.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119168.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119228.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119152.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119226.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119150.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119151.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119147.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119231.bin Hannah Bills

Mr Hetfield, the president of HIAS, which was formed in 1881 to help Jews already fleeing Eastern Europe, said the US had reached rock bottom and the lowest point weve seen since the 1920s.

The US shut its doors to immigrants in 1921 and did not lift it until after the Second World War.

What is America without refugees, said the US citizen.

How can Trump claim America first and abandon the values that make us America? When refugees come here, theyre considered Americans, not refugees. Thats what gives us credibility in the world.

Canadian immigrant Gerda Freiberg, from the former Upper Silesian region in eastern Europe, survived three years of Nazi slave labour in a womens camp in Sudetenland.

The 91-year-old described how camps for displaced people set up by the allies, during the Second World War, were as important as refugee camps now.

 Denial: Timothy Spall on playing Holocaust denier David Irving

She added: There may be terrorists among some, but there are more decent people among them."

Manny Lindenbaum, who was chased by the Nazis as a small child from his hometown of Unna in Germany, in 1938, said: When we talk about closing the borders or looking at refugees as enemies, they are talking about us.

Mr Lindenbaum, who now lives in Jackson, New Jersey, attended a candle lighting Hanukkah ceremony with the Obamas in 2015.

America is refugees, thats what America is, the thought that they are a danger to us," he said. "Thats how it was when we came here. The US didnt want refugees from Germany, including Jews, because they were fearful of criminal activity.

Manny Lindenbaum, pictured at a Hanakkah ceremony at the White House in December 2015, talked of how the US was built with refugees (AFP/Getty)

Miriam Caine, the vice president of the Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Philadelphia, also thought "closing the door to immigrants is 100 per cent wrong".

The 83-year-old added: "That's what hurts the most - when the door is shut in the face of a child who is not given the opportunity for a better life."

At least six million Jews are estimated to have died in the Holocaust, including 1.5m children.

Their comments came after a spike in hate crimes in the US, with 897 reports recorded in the 10 days after Mr Trump's triumph.

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (Holocaust Memorial Day Trust)

Speaking to The Independent, the UKs Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said: I think any anti-Semitic comments or discriminatory language just adds fuel to discourse and just adds fuel to this kind of language.

But I'm reluctant to make any direct comparisons between the Holocaust and his [Donald Trump's] direct language.

"People marking HMD should learn about the past and reflect upon it and the continued relevance and what steps they can take to make a better world."

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which also commemorates victims of genocide since the Holocaust including in Darfur and Yugoslavia, will see around 6,000 local events.

This is up from 5,500 in 2016 and 3,500 in 2015.
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Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes in the US than those born in the country, according to new analysis of 30-years of census data.

Between 1980 and 2010, immigrants were one-half to one-fifth as likely to be jailed when compared with American citizens, the study by the Cato Institute think tank found.

Around seven per cent of the countrys population are non-citizens, while five per cent of inmates in state and federal prisons fall into that category,

The drew their conclusions after analysing figures compiled by the US Justice Department.

Theres no way I can mess with the numbers to get a different conclusion, Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, told the New York Times.

The analysis comes as President Donald Trump submitted an executive order that claims immigrants present a significant threat to national security and public safety.

The order forces the Department of Homeland Security to publish a weekly list of all crime committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honour any detainers with respect to such aliens.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The list will also include details of so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to hand over immigrant residents for deportation.

The order claimed the measures were needed to ensure the safety and territorial integrity of the United States and on signing the order, Mr Trump read out the names of US citizens who were murdered by illegal immigrants.
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A gay activist from New York has announced plans for a mass LGBT protest after being inspired by hundreds of thousands of women who marched in Washington DC last week.

David Bruinooge from Brooklyn, NYC, posted plans on Facebook for a march in the capital on June 11, in response to fears within the LGBT community that President Donald Trumps administration threatens equality rights.

Mr Bruinooge, who works in television, told the Washington Blade: I was watching the events [of the womens march] unfold on TV and I was very proud and inspired by all the women, the strong women in our country who were kind of taking this to the street and getting their voices heard.

And in the back of my mind as an openly gay man I thought the gay community should be doing something like this to follow up on the momentum, he added.

Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Show all 18 1 /18 Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters gather outside the White House at the finish of the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds attended the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters hold up signage near the Washington Monument during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Drew Angerer/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters gather during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. The march is expected to draw thousands from across the country to protest newly inaugurated President Donald Trump. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters arrive at the Capital South Metro station for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the Women's March has spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters arrive on the platform at the Capital South Metro station for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the Women's March has spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Demonstrators protest during the Women's March along Pennsylvania Avenue January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: Protesters attend the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the Women's March has spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A marcher holds a sign during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. The march is expected to draw thousands from across the country to protest newly inaugurated President Donald Trump. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A woman chants while attending the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Mario Tama/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters attend the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Mario Tama/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters march in Washington, DC, during the Women's March on January 21, 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded US cities Saturday in a day of women's rights protests to mark President Donald Trump's first full day in office. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A protester gestures toward the White House on the Ellipse near the South Lawn of the White House during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Drew Angerer/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington A protester, holding a Donald Trump doll wearing a pink cap, marches in Washington, DC, during the Womens March on January 21, 2017. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded US cities Saturday in a day of women's rights protests to mark President Donald Trump's first full day in office. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters take to the National Mall to demonstrate against the presidency of Donald Trump Washington, DC on January 21, 2017. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protesters march during the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. Mario Tama/Getty Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Demonstrators gather on The Ellipse during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Demonstrators march down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women's rights groups demonstrated across the US to send a defiant message to US President Donald Trump. Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images Thousands attend Women's March on Washington Protester's signs are left near the White House during the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Mario Tama/Getty

The LGBT community has expressed concerns it is under attack after Mr Trump refused to confirm he would retain legislation around workplace discrimination.

Immediately after he took office, the revamped White House website removed all reference to equality laws.

The last major LGBT protest in Washington was the National Equality March in 2009, where hundreds of thousands of participants called for full equality for LGBT people in all 50 states.

At that time, only five states had legal same-sex marriage, but under Barrack Obamas administration, gay marriage was legalised in every state and the US military lifted its ban on gay service personnel.

In 2014, Mr Obama issued an executive order banning LGBT discrimination by government contractors  but this week, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he doesnt know if Mr Trump plans to repeal this.

The march planned for June will coincide will Capital Pride, DCs annual celebration of gay rights and culture, which consistently draws large crowds.

Up to half a million people are believed to have attended the womens march in Washington last week, with more than two million women and men around the world estimated to have taken part.
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US First Lady Melania Trump, unfazed by recent diplomatic tensions, is gracing the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico this week - just as Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancels a planned meeting with her husband over his promised wall between the US and its southern neighbour.

In the cover, shot by Douglas Freidman, Mrs Trump is seen in a white dress, twisting a fork around a silver necklace as if to eat the jewelry.

Ms Trump did not speak to Vanity Fair Mexico for the piece, entitled The Secret of Melania. Both the article and picture were originally featured in GQ.

The cover was still surprising for many watching the ongoing feud between President Donald Trumps new administration and the government of Mexico. On Friday morning, the day after the edition went on sale, Mr Trump tweeted that Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!

 Melania's face falls the moment Trump turns away

The diplomatic spat partly played out on Mr Trumps favourite medium, Twitter, with Mr Pena Nieto announcing in a tweet that a meeting planned for next week had been cancelled.

An executive order on the southern border wall between the two countries was part of a flurry of unilateral actions Mr Trump has taken since arriving in the Oval Office including one ordering staff to start slowing down the Affordable Care Act and another that stops US money going to NGOs abroad that promote abortions.

The shoot was not the first time Ms Trump has appeared on the pages of GQ, the Slovenian supermodel featured in an article in the July 2000 issue along with a nude photoshoot set on Mr Trumps custom Boeing 727.
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Mexican avocados have been held up at the American border after the US Department of Agriculture temporarily blocked their import after a row over potatoes.

Five trucks carrying 100 tonnes of the fruit from the Mexican state of Jalisco were halted at the border last week after the US reneged on an export agreement signed last year.

Mexicos Agriculture minister Jose Calzada announced the two countries had agreed to begin importing avocados from Jalisco in July.

The US had previously only accepted them from the neighbouring state of Michoacan because of concerns about the prevalence of an invasive species of Mediterranean fly which infests the Jalisco crop.

But the trucks containing the fruit were turned away at the border despite complying with hygiene regulations because of a temporary halt on US potato imports, according to to the Univision TV station.

Mexico first allowed the import of US potatoes in 2014 but following a legal injunction submitted by domestic producers stopped trade for a few hours during which time the export agreement was suspended.

Currently Jalisco is heavily dependent on its avocado trade. It produces 120,000 tonnes of the fruit every year  50 per cent of which are exported to places like Canada, Japan, Europe and other parts of South America, according to the Association of Jalisco Producers and Exporters (APEAJAL).

The row comes as Donald trump threatens to crack down on Mexican imports (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Meanwhile the US is one of the largest avocado markets in the world but demand is mostly met by domestic farms in California and Florida.

 Donald Trump's Mexico wall: At what cost, and how long?

It is unclear whether the decision to halt imports is connected to the inauguration of Donald Trump though it comes as he announced plans to follow through on his campaign promise to build a wall on the border and make Mexico pay.

On his first full business day in office Mr Trump signed an executive order signalling his intention to renegotiate the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

On the campaign trail Mr Trump was critical of the deal, which came into force in 1994, saying it was responsible for the loss of US manufacturing jobs.

He pledged to scrap the deal and punish US firms which relied on Mexican workers.

The former reality star also indicated he would force Mexico to reimburse the US for the cost of building the border wall through a punitive 20 per cent tax on all Mexican imports but experts warned this would increase the price of goods for US consumers.

The Independent has contacted the US Department of Agriculture for comment but none had been given at the time of publication.
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Mikhail Gorbachev has urged Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to strongly denounce nuclear war in the face of the militarisation of politics and the new arms race.

The 85-year-old, who was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union and its Communist Party, said he believed it looked "as if the world is preparing for war.

The Cold War-era politician responsible for glasnost made the comments in a piece for Time magazine ahead of Theresa Mays first meeting with Mr Trump today.

Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev at their landmark summit in November 1985 (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

The world today is overwhelmed with problems. Policymakers seem to be confused and at a loss, he begins.

But no problem is more urgent today than the militarisation of politics and the new arms race. Stopping and reversing this ruinous race must be our top priority.

The current situation is too dangerous.

The Russian-Ukrainian describes how troops, tanks and armoured personnel carriers are being brought to Europe.

He also writes about how Nato and Russian forces and weapons, once deployed at a distance, are now at point-blank range to one another.

The frequently vocal critic, once a sceptic of Boris Yeltsins presidency, also said state budgets were struggling to fund peoples essential social needs, but that military spending is growing.

He talks of submarines whose single salvo is capable of devastating half a continent.

 Germany cheers 25 years since Berlin Wall s fall

Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defence doctrines more dangerous, said Mr Gorbachev.

Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.

Mr Gorbachev, who is credited with aiding the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, played a part in nuclear disarmament in the 1980s.

Eighty per cent of nuclear weapons accumulated during the Cold War years have apparently been decommissioned and destroyed.

New York protests against Iran nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a poster as she takes part in a rally on Times Square in New York opposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York An inflatable mushroom cloud stands among demonstrators during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A member of the Neturei Karta Orthodox Jews sect is escorted away by New York City Police during a rally near Times Square to demand that Congress vote down the proposed US deal with Iran in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman shouts slogans during a rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A protestor holds a placard during a demonstration and rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Some of several thousand protestors crowd into 7th Avenue at 42nd street as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a placard as she joins several thousand other protestors to demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rallied against the Iran nuclear deal in New York's Times Square KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protestors shout slogans as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran

Mr Gorbachev also called for a repeat of the November 1985 summit between he and Ronald Reagan in Geneva, which concluded that "nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought".

According to a BBC article, in September 2016, the US had 1,367 strategic nuclear warheads, Russia had 1,796 and the UK had 120.

I think the initiative to adopt such a resolution should come from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin  the Presidents of two nations that hold over 90 per cent of the worlds nuclear arsenals and therefore bear a special responsibility, he said, before quoting President Franklin D Roosevelt.

The time to decide and act is now.

Mr Gorbachevs comments follow two US congressmen submitting a bill restricting Mr Trumps ability to launch a first nuclear strike, and details of a failed UK nuclear test.

Unconfirmed reports also say China has moved long-range missiles to the Russian border.
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Shortly after Donald Trumps Press Secretary prompted a furore by suggesting a 20 per cent import tax on Mexican goods would help pay for the border wall, he tried to row it back.

Sean Spicer told NBC News that the tax was not a policy proposal, it was an example of how the US would pay for the wall and then ask Mexico to reimburse them.

The clarification came soon after he told a group of reporters on the Air Force One plane that the administration would hike Mexican imports by a fifth to cover the cost of the wall, prompting critics to question why he appeared to be making up policy on the spot.

Recommended Trump calls for 20 per cent tax on all Mexico imports to pay for wall

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus also told NBC that the tax was only one of a "buffet of options", adding to a statement made the previous evening House Speaker Paul Ryan, who told MSNBC there were "various ways" Mexico could reimburse the US.

American taxpayers would be hardest hit by any such hike, paying more for imported goods such as cars and fruits and vegetables.

It could also prompt Mexico to hike prices on imported US goods in return, as well as violate trade deal NAFTA, which was signed under Bill Clinton and which Mr Trump has vowed to scrap.

Mr Trump has signed an executive order to begin the constriction of the wall along the 2,000 mile border already but has not suggested how Congress will stump up the $8 to $14 billion required.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a statement on Wednesday evening that he would not pay for the wall, and that he "regretted and rejected" the US suggestion they would chip in.

The Mexican President cancelled a trip to visit Mr Trump next week following the incident which has only served to worsen relations between the neighbouring allies and trading partners.

Mr Trump responded he would "go a different route" and that the meeting would have been "fruitless".
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A Republican has introduced a bill to Congress which, if passed into law, would ban abortions after six weeks across the country and be the largest threat to Roe v Wade since the 1970s.

Emboldened in the wake of President Trumps executive order to ban US funding for international organisations that offer abortion counselling, Congressman Steve King of Iowa has introduced a bill that would ban the procedure after just one and a half months.

The so-called heartbeat bill, introduced on 12 January, insists that the procedure should be banned as soon as the babys heartbeat can be heard.

At a press conference this week, Mr King said the bill would amount to a near total abortion ban as at six weeks many women do not even realise they are pregnant.

"This bill does eliminate a large share of abortions, about 90 per cent," Mr King said during the same week of the 44th anniversary of Roe V Wade, standing beside women anti-abortion campaigners who said they would send heart-shaped valentines to members of Congress.

"By the time we march this thing down to the Supreme Court the faces on the bench will be different," Mr King said. "Im not sure how different, but Im hopeful."

Mr Trump is about to appoint a Supreme Court justice to replace late justice Antonin Scalia.

One appointment might not overturn the 1973 law, but a second or third pick for the bench during his administration could push the majority of judges towards a more conservative and pro-life stance.

The Center for Reproductive Rights has deemed the bill "unconstitutional".

It has no exceptions for women who are victims of rape or incest. It has a clause to not punish women who get an abortion after six weeks; instead the bill would seek to punish the abortion provider with up to five years behind bars.

It follows a similar heartbeat bill which was struck down in Ohio by governor John Kasich, who said it had certain provisions that went against the Supreme Courts ruling on abortion in 1973. Mr Kasich favoured a 20-week ban instead.

There have been 238 state-level restrictions imposed on obtaining an abortion since 2010 and 50 last year alone, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Both the Ohio heartbeat bill and the one introduced by Mr King were co-authored by anti-LGBT and anti-abortion activist Janet Porter, who wrote the book The Criminalization of Christianity: Read This Book Before It Becomes Illegal!

Hundreds of women died due to illegal and unsafe abortions in the 1960s before it was made legal.
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The White House misspelled Theresa May's name three times in an official schedule of her visit to the US, even as the Prime Minister talked up the "special relationship" in a speech at the Republican Retreat.

Staff in Donald Trump's administration missed out the 'h' in her name in a document setting out the plan for talks on Friday, including a "bilateral meeting" in the Oval Office and a "working luncheon" following a joint press conference.

The mistake was later corrected, it was reported. Teresa May is the name of a former glamour model and porn actress who starred in films including Whitehouse: The Sex Video and Leather Lust.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

'Teresa' is also the Spanish variant of Ms May's name.

At a presidential debate in California in 2015 Mr Trump told Jeb Bush, whose wife was born in Mexico, that "this is a country where we speak English, not Spanish".

In fact, the US is the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico  even ahead of Spain, with 41 million native Spanish speakers, plus another 11.6 million who are bilingual.

Prime Minister Theresa May's name is misspelled in an official schedule (White House)

Prime Minister Theresa May's name is misspelled in an official schedule (White House)

Much of the US is territory gained from Mexico in the mid-19th century.

Ms May used her speech to warn Mr Trump and his party to beware of Vladimir Putin.

Invoking the spirit of the Cold War, she called on the US and the UK to engage with the Kremlin from a position of strength and warned about the possible eclipse of the West if they failed.

But the PM also said the days in which the West seek to "remake the world in our own image are over", citing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and leaving others to remember David Cameron's ill-fated foray into Libya.

Recommended UK could stop sharing intelligence with CIA over Trump torture remarks

She also pledged support to Mr Trump in the fight against Isis and Irans aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean. But she backed the nuclear deal the new President has threatened to tear up.

The Prime Minister was speaking on foreign policy to US congressmen and women who had gathered at the Republican Retreat  with the party now controlling both Houses of the US legislature, their support will be critical to Ms Mays drive for a new special relationship.
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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has temporarily halted trips by staff to interview refugees abroad as it prepares for a likely shakeup of refugee policy by President Donald Trump, two sources with knowledge of the decision have said.

The decision effectively amounts to a pause in future refugee admissions, given that the interviews are a crucial step in an often years-long process.

The DHS leadership's decision to halt the interview trips was communicated to those involved in the US refugee admission process on Wednesday, one of the sources said.

It means that though Trump has not yet ordered a temporary halt to the refugee programme, future admissions are likely to be delayed.

Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Thursday that Trump could sign several executive orders on Friday, but that the nature of those had not been decided yet.

Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project at the New York-based Urban Justice Center, said she was informed of the decision to halt the overseas interviews by several people in and outside of government.

Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security and which conducts the interviews, said the agency had delayed a number of upcoming trips but that they had not been officially canceled.

DHS officers regularly visit countries such as Jordan, Malaysia, El Salvador, Kenya and Ethiopia to interview refugees seeking to enter the United States. It is usually one of the last steps in the refugee resettlement process.

Heller said the decision to halt the overseas interviews would cause delays in refugee processing even if Trump decides to maintain the refugee programme or re-start it after a temporary closure.

In the past, when we've frozen the refugee programme to re-examine security issues, it's been really important to continue processing even if you can't admit people, because processing times in this programme can be two to three years, Heller said.

During the election campaign, Trump decried former President Barack Obama's decision to increase the number of Syrian refugees admitted to the United States over fears that those fleeing the country's civil war would carry out attacks.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Obama approved allowing up to 110,000 refugees in the 2017 fiscal year, compared with 85,000 the prior year.

Trump said during the election campaign that there was no proper system to vet refugees.

In addition to the interviews, refugees hoping to be resettled in the United States undergo extensive security screening by multiple U.S. agencies as well as vetting by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Reuters
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Iran may cancel gas pipeline deal with Pakistan due to long-delayed construction works, the head of National Gas Company Hamid Reza Araqi told Mehr Jan. 27.

He said there are three scenarios on the table: continuance of the current situation; resuming negotiations to find a way for realization of the Iran-Pakistan pipeline, called Peace Pipeline; and finally, cancelling the deal.

Iran signed a deal with Pakistan during Mahmoud Ahmadinejads presidency to export 22 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of gas.

Tehran even offered a $500 million loan (a third of the pipelines cost) to Islamabad to start pipeline construction in Pakistans territory, but then withdrew arguing the financial problems due to sanctions.

Pakistan should have started Iranian gas imports in early 2015, but neither has it started construction of a pipeline, nor has Iran completed the IGAT7 project, aimed to transit South Pars fields gas to the borders with Pakistan.

Iran should build a pipeline with a length of more than 180 km to complete the project.

Recently, Pakistans Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that for implementation of the Peace Pipeline all of the sanctions on Iran should be removed. Some unilateral sanctions of the US on Iran, including the bans on deals with Iran using US dollars, still remain.

However, Mehr reported that Pakistan demands Iran to decrease the gas price as well.

Pakistan also claims that the gas price offered by Turkmenistan through TAPI pipeline is less than Irans price proposal.
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Donald Trump's likely pick for ambassador to the European Union has suggested he wants to bring down the bloc.

On BBC One's This Week, Ted Malloch was asked why he wanted to be US ambassador to the EU considering he is clearly not a fan of Brussels.

Mr Malloch replied: "I had in a previous career a diplomatic post where I helped bring down the Soviet Union. So maybe there's another union that needs a little taming."

The businessman and strident Brexiteer also referred to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker as a "very adequate mayor of some city in Luxembourg."

Mr Juncker was prime minister of Luxembourg between 1995 and 2013.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The potential ambassador also said Mr Trump dislikes the idea of EU integration.

"He doesn't like an organisation that is supranational, that is unelected, where the bureaucrats run amok, and is not frankly a proper democracy," he said.

On Wednesday, Mr Malloch said he believes the euro could soon collapse.

On Friday, Theresa May became the first foreign leader to visit the US president at the White House.

Ms May hopes the meeting will renew the special relationship between Britain and America.

Top of the agenda for Ms May will be preparations for a free trade deal between the UK and US after Britain has withdrawn from the EU.

But the pair will also discuss security challenges including Syria, Russia and the threat from Islamist terror.
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Ireland has voted to be the worlds first country to fully divest public money from fossil fuels.

The Irish Parliament passed the historic legislation in a 90 to 53 vote in favour of dropping coal, oil and gas investments from the 8bn (6.8bn) Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, part of the Republics National Treasury Management Agency.

The bill, introduced by Deputy Thomas Pringle, is likely to pass into law in the next few months after it is reviewed by the financial committee.

 Trump comments on Paris Climate deal

This principle of ethical financing is a symbol to these global corporations that their continual manipulation of climate science, denial of the existence of climate change and their controversial lobbying practices of politicians around the world is no longer tolerated, Mr Pringle said.

We cannot accept their actions while millions of poor people in underdeveloped nations bear the brunt of climate change forces as they experience famine, mass emigration and civil unrest as a result.

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

Once enacted, the bill would force the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to sell its investment in fossil fuel industries over the next five years.

In 2015, Norways sovereign pension fund divested from some fossil fuel companies, but not all.
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Islam is "not sustainable" in its current form with religious teachings that are "out of touch with the present", according to a leading Austrian professor.

Ednan Aslan, professor of Islamic religious education at the University of Vienna, proposed several changes to a religion he said he wanted to "reshape" with modern values.

With that in mind, Mr Aslan is currently developing a curriculum for an Islamic theology course to be taught across Austria, to encourage scholars to "question" the nature of the faith.

"Islam, as it is now, is not sustainable," Mr Aslan told the Kurier. "We want to reshape the face of Islam. It is important that Islam is given a new face in order to be able to remain visible. It is out of touch with the present.

"Currently, Islam is unfortunately a religion of isolation. A religion of migration. A religion of Turkey, of Saudi Arabia. But no religion of Europe, which advocates pluralism or prepares children accordingly for a plural society.

"Why do we base the image of Muslims on women with headscarves? Organisations which shape our image of Islam, but they are just a small section of it."

Mr Aslan said European countries must lead the way in helping to amend the reputation of Islam, as certain Middle Eastern and African nations lacked the democratic freedoms necessary for such a debate.

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. 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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. 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"Unfortunately, this is not possible in Islamic countries. They simply cannot lead this debate in Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia," he added. "Democracy is an invention of the Enlightenment."

Islam is the second most widely observed religion in Austria, practiced by 7% of the population according to a report from 2014. The largest proportion live in the capital Vienna.

In September last year, a leading Austrian cardinal courted controversy by claiming many Muslims were trying to conquer Christian Europe by importing their practices.

In November, a right-wing trade union in the country provoked outrage by suggesting Muslim workers should not be entitled to Christmas bonuses on account of their religion.
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Israel has approved another 153 settler homes in occupied East Jerusalem and planning permits for another 11,000 buildings, the citys deputy mayor has said.

The vast expansion in building over the 1967 Green Line  viewed as illegal by the international community  comes after the announcement of thousands more homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the last week.

The bold new policy approach has come into effect since US President Donald Trump  who is sympathetic to Israeli interests  took office last week.

The planned permits had been previously held up until the end of former President Barack Obamas tenure, said Meir Turgeman, chair of the city halls planning and building committee, on Thursday. Mr Obamas administration was critical of Israeli settlements, warning that such construction was chipping away at hopes for a two-state solution.

The additional 153 buildings will be located in Gilo, an established settlement neighbourhood. The move comes after 566 new settler housing units were announced last Sunday.

Separately, Israels Defence Ministry announced on Monday a planned 2,500 homes in the West Bank.

Both the United Nations and the European Union condemned the accelerated settlement expansion initiatives earlier this week.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation has demanded international action on the major expansions, saying in a statement it believed the Israeli moves came as a result of what they consider encouragement by American President Donald Trump.

The incoming Trump administration has struck a much less critical tone towards Israel than his predecessor.

 Barack Obama uses final interview as President to slam Israeli policy on settlements

Mr Trump spoke with Isareli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in what was described as a very warm conversation.

His pick for ambassador to the country, David Friedman, is strongly pro-settlements.

Since the 1970s successive Israeli governments have encouraged large numbers of Jews to move onto what is viewed internationally as occupied land.

The total settler population in the West Bank is now thought to be 550,000 strong.

Settlement building, which has increased year-on-year under the right-wing Mr Netanyahu, is viewed as one of the major stumbling blocks to a lasting peace deal in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr Netanyahu says the Palestinian failure to recognise Israel as a Jewish state is the biggest obstacle to peace, rather than settlements.

News agencies contributed to this report
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Jordan's King Abdullah will begin a visit to the United States on Monday, the Jordanian embassy said on Thursday, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump.

HM King Abdullah II will start a working visit to US on Monday during which he will meet w/new administration & Congress, the Jordanian embassy in Washington said on Twitter. It did not say whether a meeting between Abdullah and Trump was scheduled.

Abdullah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. Jordan is part of a US-led military campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria.

Less than a week into his presidency, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that he would absolutely do safe zones in Syria for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.

The creation of safe zones would ratchet up US military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from former President Barack Obama's more cautious approach. Increased US or allied air power would be required if Trump chose to enforce no fly restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas.

Abdullah's visit comes as Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran.

Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the Syrian conflict began. The vast majority of refugees referred by the UN refugee agency to the United States come from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.

Abdullah, who has a role as custodian of the Muslim sacred sites in Jerusalem, has also been key to efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. Since Israel's creation in 1948, Jordan has absorbed waves of Palestinian refugees, as well as fugitives from the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon and from Iraq.

While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a statement that drew an outcry from Palestinians and others who said it would kill any prospect for peace.

Reuters
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The Ministry of Defence has said it has noted 252 alleged violations of international humanitarian law carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemens civil war.

The Government declined to say whether UK-made weapons had been used in any of the tracked incidents, the logging of which which came to light as the result of a Freedom of Information Act request from the BBC.

More than 10,000 people have died since the conflict in Yemen descended into full-scale civil war almost two years ago, the UN says. The fighting has also exacerbated hunger and disease in the Middle Easts poorest country.

A coalition of Arab countries has intervened on behalf of Yemens exiled government since March 2015 against the Iran-allied Houthi movement in what Riyadh says is aimed at curbing creeping Iranian influence in the region.

The campaign has been widely criticised for hitting civilian infrastructure, including the bombing of a Sanaa funeral that killed 140 people in October last year.

Several Western governments  including the UK  have been rebuked for selling arms to Saudi Arabia, which rights groups say are destined for use in the conflict.

Former Business Secretary Vince Cable told the BBC that he was staggered by the number of potential breaches of humanitarian law in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia announced it was creating an investigations panel into alleged violations last year, but many rights groups continue to call for an independent or UN-mandated review.

Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Show all 4 1 /4 Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod

The UK has signed off 3.3bn in arms exports to Saudi Arabia since the start of its offensive.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is taking the UK Government to the High Court in a challenge over the legality of the arms sales next month.

UK law says that weapons cannot be sold abroad if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international law.

The Ministry of Defence says that all weapons exports are kept under continual review.
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A senior Palestinian politician has said that if the US follows through with President Donald Trumps election campaign promise to move the countrys embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the Palestinian Authority (PA) could withdraw its recognition of the Jewish state.

Speaking to the Voice of Palestine radio station on Tuesday, Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Mahmoud Abbass Fatah party, said the PA was planning retaliatory measures if the embassy were to be relocated, including the escalation of Palestinian peaceful popular resistance.

[We would also] demand that Israel recognise Palestine as a state with Jerusalem as its capital, he added.

Jerusalem is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital. Most countries maintain embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv. Israel annexed East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War in a move which has never been recognised by the international community.

Several prospective US presidents have promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, but none have actually followed through with the controversial move. Mr Abbas has written to Mr Trump asking him to reconsider the idea, warning it would "unleash the gates of hell."

Observers fear such a decision could spark violence and signal the US is no longer interested in pursuing a two-state solution.

 Netanyahu blames Palestinians for lack of peace in Israel

Earlier this week the White House press secretary Sean Spicer appeared cautious, telling reporters that Mr Trumps administration was in the very beginning stages of discussing a potential relocation.

Also on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Hamas, the militant organisation that runs the Gaza Strip, said that Mr Trump would add oil to the fire by following through on the campaign promise.
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Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most prominent Muslim nations which has previously been associated with terrorism and religious extremism, is likely to escape censure from Donald Trump.

The US leader blocked refugee admissions from Syria, barring all refugees from the rest of the world for at least 120 days and suspending immigration from Syria and six other predominantly Muslim countries, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, for at least 30-days.

But the document makes no mention of Saudi Arabia, despite the Middle-Eastern country's associations with the largest terror attack on US soil.

ountries in the same region not subject to the impending crackdown include Saudi Arabia, where Mr Trump had declared he registered a number of companies including THC Jeddah Hotel and DT Jeddah Technical Services, in the kingdoms second city, Jeddah  some of which have since been closed. Trump Organisation lawyer Alan Garten said in December 2016: There is no deal in Saudi Arabia.

In January 2016, a few months after the companies were created, Mr Trump told Fox News that he would want to protect Saudi Arabia from a potential Iranian threat.

But he added that the Arab kingdom was going to have to help us economically and referenced the billions of dollars the country has made from the oil trade.

Saudi Arabia has previously been associated with terrorism and religious extremism, and has been linked with the largest terror attack on US soil.

Of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, 15 were Saudi Arabian citizens.

The independent American commission that investigated the attacks found no evidence that the Saudi government or senior Saudi officials financed the terrorists. Saudi Arabia has strenuously denied any involvement in the attacks.

Saudi officials also recently admitted to misleading the US on funding extremism, according to the Politico website.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

The country, which strictly enforces Sharia law, is also home to Wahhabism - the fundamentalist strand of Islam which has inspired many of the extremists the US is trying to defeat, including Isis

Despite Saudi Arabia's extremely religious nature  the state claims status as guardian of the two most holy sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina  the government has not condemned Mr Trumps remarks about Muslims.

Indeed, the new US President's ascendancy has been welcomed by the Gulf States, who share his deep opposition to Iran, their geopolitical rivals.

We are very optimistic about the Trump Administration, Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Al Arabiya after Mr Trumps inauguration.

The positions that President Trump has articulated are ones that we are completely in accordance with, Mr Jubeir said. Restoring Americas presence in the world is something we  and all of the American  welcome because the lack of an American engagement leads to a vacuum.

Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Show all 8 1 /8 Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah al-Zaher Abdullah al-Zaher was arrested at the age of 15 for attending a protest and he is was the youngest in a group of juvenile offenders put on death row Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah al-Zaher Previously held alongside fellow juvenile offender Ali al-Nimr, whose case sparked outrage around the world, Abdullah has now been moved to solitary confinement at a new facility and could be beheaded at any moment Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah al-Zaher His family and lawyers believe he was forced to sign a document without knowing its contents, and which later was used as a confession in the closed trial against him Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Ali Mohammed al-Nimr faces imminent beheading and crucifixion for crimes he reportedly committed as a child Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Ali Mohammed al-Nimr The UN has issued an urgent call for Saudi Arabia to halt his execution but a Saudi court has upheld the sentence of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of a prominent government dissident, despite growing and high-level international condemnation Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Mr al-Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 for his participation in Arab Spring protests when he was just 16 or 17 years old, could now be put to death at any time Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Dawood al-Marhoon Dawood al-Marhoon was 17 year old when he was arrested for participating in an anti-government protest Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Dawood al-Marhoon After refusing to spy on his fellow protesters, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer

Barack Obamas relationship with Saudi Arabia was somewhat cooler than previous presidents. While his administration maintained relations, the Iran deal caused great frustration in Saudi Arabia.

The US has been a solid partner of Saudi Arabia since 1945, when the Kingdoms strategic importance  particularly for oil  was recognised by the then US President, Franklin D Roosevelt.

The Carter Doctrine of 1980 further consolidated this relationship, when President Jimmy Carter vowed to use military force to protect its interests in the Persian Gulf.

The countries have since shared extensive economic and security ties.

President Donald Trump is also bombing four of the seven countries from where he's restricting immigration
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Three men have been remanded in custody in connection with the alleged gang rape of a woman in Sweden, reportedly live streamed on Facebook.

They were arrested after police were alerted to the on-going attack by witnesses who apparently saw it in a closed Facebook group, according to Swedish press.

Uppsala District Court remanded two of the men, a 20-year-old Afghan national and an 18-year-old, also from Afghanistan, in custody on suspicion of rape.

The third man, reported to be a 24-year-old Swedish citizen, was detained on suspicion of failing to report a rape.

A woman is said to have been raped in an apartment. He is suspected of that, said the 20-year-olds lawyer, Christer Soderberg.

He denies any criminal offence, and he has given in my opinion a perfectly coherent story about what happened. I cannot go into details, but he has told me in a way that is not contradicted by anything else, he told Swedish news agency TT.

In Sweden, a person suspected of a serious crime can be detained before trial with the approval of a court if there is a risk that they will abscond, obstruct the investigation or continue to commit crimes.

Investigators are still working to get hold of the footage showing the alleged assault on the woman, said to be in her 30s, although they have obtained stills from some of the film.

One person who reportedly saw the live stream told the tabloid Aftonbladet: I first thought it was a poorly orchestrated joke.

Lead prosecutor Pontus Melander said on Wednesday that Facebook has been asked for help in retrieving the video.

Facebook has said that they want to cooperate, but they are based in the US so we need international legal aid, which I have requested, Mr Melander told TT.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Iran has signed deals with dozen European companies like Spanish Cepsa and Italian Eni to rent its 35 oil tankers to them for oil transits, Sirous Kian-Ersi, the managing director of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) told Mehr Jan.27.

He added that the all of 35 deals are voyage charter.

During January, three Iranian super tankers reached Europe.

After several years of suspension regarding the sailing of Iranian oil tankers to EU due to sanctions, the first Iranian oil ship reached Spain's Algeciras and two other Iranian tankers also left Persian Gulf to Netherlands.

Irans oil exports to EU reached 622,581 barrels a day in January, according to Bloombergs calculations.
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Union members who work for BAs Mixed Fleet operation will stop work for two sets of three days, starting on Sunday 5 February and Thursday 9 February  a full week, apart from a break on the Wednesday.

Mixed Fleet cabin crew work on a range of domestic, European and long-haul routes from Heathrow.

So far this year there have been two previous strikes  one of two days, and one of three. The airline says it cancelled 68 flights over the five days, representing 1.7 per cent of the total departures. In addition, BA brought in aircraft from other airlines to cover for grounded flights.

Unites national officer, Oliver Richardson, said: Rather than addressing poverty pay, British Airways is spending money hand over fist on chartering in aircraft to cover striking cabin crew.

If it can afford to waste money in such a manner then British Airways can clearly afford to address pay levels which are among the lowest in the industry.

A BA spokesperson said: Our pay offer for Mixed Fleet crew is consistent with deals agreed with Unite for other British Airways colleagues.

It also reflects pay awards given by other companies in the UK and will ensure that rewards for Mixed Fleet remain in line with those for cabin crew at our airline competitors.

The airline will publish its plans for the first three days of strikes on Tuesday 31 January, and for the second tranche on Thursday 2 February. The spokesperson said: We have flown all customers to their destinations during the previous strikes by Mixed Fleet Unite and we will ensure this happens again.

Mr Richardson said: We would urge British Airways to wake up to the determination of our members, who contribute massively to the billions of pounds in profits the airline generates, and get around the negotiating table to resolve the dispute and avoid a further six days of costly strike action.

BA flights serving Gatwick, London City and Stansted, and most routes to and from Heathrow, are unaffected.
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Hoteliers have reacted with fury to plans for a bed tax for the capitals 2,100 hotels, which could add 3.40 to the cost of a night in a budget hotel in the capital.

A Greater London Assembly (GLA) report says tourism imposes costs on Londons economy through additional demand on public services such as the public transport network, street cleaning, policing and health services.

It says: A Berlin-style tax of 5 per cent of the room rate per night could generate 240 million each year.

Such a tax would add 3.40 to the price of the average 68 budget hotel room in the capital, and 32 to the cheapest room tonight at the five-star Lanesborough, currently 640.

Other options, such as taxing four- and five-star hotels more heavily, would raise less revenue.

The report says money could be directed to cultural attractions offering free entry, borough councils maintaining the public realm, London government which promotes the tourism offer  or the industry itself for education and training purposes. But it adds the levy could also potentially support a reduction in other taxes.

Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, called the proposal absolute folly and said: A bed tax, however small, will discourage guests from staying overnight and reduce the amount they spend in the wider London economy, impacting shops and restaurants as well as hotels. Local bed taxes will make it even harder for British businesses to compete.

The UKs rate of Tourism VAT is already twice the European average.

Londons Mayor, Sadiq Khan, told The Independent that it was designed to ensure that tourists who come to London contribute to our city.

If you look around the world, major cities have a levy for tourists of one or two per cent.

This is a discussion with those in the hotel industry about how we can make sure London stays special.

Especially with hotels facing all sorts of pressures with the shared economy, the rise of Airbnb, what we dont want to do, is cause damage to our brilliant hotels, some of the best in the world.

London is the world centre of air travel, with more airline seats pointing at the capital than any other city on the planet. Almost 20 million foreign visitors came to the capital last year, with a typical stay of six nights.

The capital has 2,100 hotels, offering a total of 150,000 rooms, with around 25,000 rooms also available on Airbnb.

The GLA says 4.3 per cent of hotels in 2015 were five-star, with an average nightly rate of 233. Four-stars account for 24.5 per cent, while the remainder are three-star or below, hostels and traditional B&Bs.

One of the most popular London boroughs for tourists, Camden, has considered a 1 per night bed tax to pay for street cleaning in locations such as Camden Lock.

As The Independent revealed earlier this month, the city of Bath is considering a tourism levy. A council spokesperson said: As Bath welcomes such a large number of tourists from all over the world, it is sensible to consider the potential for increasing the councils income to help support local services, invest in the local area and address the financial challenges it faces.

There is no immediate prospect of a bed tax in London, Bath or anywhere else in the UK, as it would require new Parliamentary legislation.
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In an open democracy, it is easy to take the freedom of the press and access to information for granted.

But a report from the Risk Advisory Group shows that these aspects of government are a relative rarity in the world.

The consultancy ranked countries based on the opacity of their governments, scoring them on factors such as the availability of public information, the quality of that data and how easy it is to access "human sources" for new information.

Here's how the world's most impenetrable places stack up according to the study:

9. Belarus Belarussian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has been called "the last dictator in Europe," earning his country an opacity score of 22 and a place on the list.

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko (AFP/Getty)

8. Democratic Republic of Congo  The central African nation has been scarred by civil war and scores 24 on the Risk Advisory Group's opacity scale.

Nothing says "holiday" like the Democratic Republic of Congo (Getty)

7. Bhutan  Bhutan's monarch is known as the Thunder Dragon King, but despite recent political reform the Himalayan state gets an opacity score of 26.

Tiger's Nest Monastery is the most holy Buddhist site in Bhutan (Getty)

6. South Sudan  South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and has been locked in a civil war since 2013, earning a score of 27.

Sudan peacekeepers (AFP/Getty)

5. Libya  The North African state is yet to regain stability after overthrowing former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and has a score of 28.

(AFP/Getty (AFP/Getty)

4. Republic of Cuba  Despite a recent rapprochement with the US, Cuba's government ranks highly on the opacity scale with 29.

Havana, Cuba (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

3. Laos  Laos is a Marxist republic in South East Asia. The country's GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world, at around $6,000, and the government has an opacity score of 30.

Bungalows on Don Det (Gorgo/Wikimedia Commons)

2. Turkmenistan  Turkmenistan was ruled by President For Life Sapurmurat Niyazov for 31 years between 1985 and 2006. The country has not opened up much since then, scoring 33 on the opacity scale. Turkmenistan is the third worst country in the world for press freedom conditions according to Reporters Without Borders.

(Getty Images (Getty Images)

1. The Democratic People's Republic of North Korea  The secretive, autocratic state gets a score of 34 from the Risk Advisory Group, cementing it as the most opaque government on the planet.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un smiles as he visits Sohae Space Center for the testing of a new engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) (Reuters)

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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Joe and Ali Olson spend their days traveling around the world with their one-year-old daughter, Annabelle.

Each in their early 30s, the couple were able to quit their jobs as public school teachers in August 2015 and retire after just eight years in the workforce.

How do you retire early as a public school teacher? The key: minimizing cost of living and finding a good side hustle.

The Olsons met in 2004 when they were both college students, and got married during winter break of their senior year. Straight out of college they moved to Las Vegas, where Joe had accepted a teaching position with Teach For America. Ali started as a substitute teacher and eventually joined TFA as well, teaching English at a local high school.

"Luckily, Las Vegas has a really low cost of living  but it also has a low teacher pay," Ali told the Mad Fientist on an episode of his "Financial Independence Podcast."

So they took on any extra jobs they could  teaching summer school, running clubs, after-school tutoring  to bulk up their salaries. "It's a big difference percentage-wise because if you're making $35,000, and you teach summer school for $3,500, it's like, 'Wow, there's a 10% boost in my salary,'" Joe explained.

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Some years, they were able to boost their income by as much as 50% through these supplemental positions.

Eventually, the couple realized they wanted to achieve financial independence and have the freedom to pursue whatever dreams they wanted, whenever they wanted. They continued to live frugally, saving around 75% of their teaching incomes, and in 2008, they bought their first rental property in Vegas.

In the following couple of years, the couple scooped up 14 more rentals. Though they lost money on these during the financial crisis, the market eventually turned and their properties starting bringing in steady profits, eventually pushing their net worth over $1 million.

Now, they're completely financially independent, traveling the world with Annabelle in tow, and occasionally sharing their experiences on their blog, Adventuring Along. Read on to see how they did it.

The Olsons graduated from college with a combined $30,000 in student loans to pay off  no small amount, but not as much as it could have been, thanks to the low tuition costs of their public, in-state college and assistance from relatives. But they lived frugally and made consistent payments, quickly watching that number shrink.

Enjoying the beach at Port Douglas, Australia (Joe and Ali Olson)

In 2007, Joe and Ali bought their Las Vegas condo at a steep discount. At the end of 2008  amid the financial crises when housing prices were battered  they also purchased a rental property nearby and started trying to turn a profit. It didn't work out at first, and they took a financial hit.

Hiking El Camino de Santiago (Joe and Ali Olson)

"It seemed like a good deal because the price of the property was $120,000, and at the peak, it had sold just two years before for $360,000," Joe said. "But then the prices kept falling. And it kept falling in 2009 in 2010. And that property actually bottomed out being worth around $80,000. So we were under water on it, but we were still making money every month because the rent was higher than the mortgage payment by a decent amount."

Winter in Zagreb, Croatia (Joe and Ali Olson)

Joe and Ali weren't deterred, however. They kept at it, snatching up more properties during the market's downswing. Despite pulling in a combined $80,000 per year from teaching  plus extra income from summer school, tutoring, and other endeavors  the couple managed to live on just $20,000, so they were able to continually save and continue scooping up properties.

Meeting kangaroos and wallabees in Australia (Joe and Ali Olson)

"When we moved to Vegas to get teaching jobs after college, we moved into a 416-square-foot condo which only cost us under $500 per month for the mortgage and HOA (homeowners association) fees," Joe told Business Insider.

There, they lived frugally.

"We kept driving the same cars... We also ate at home, a lot. Eating out was rare, and a treat," Joe continued. "When we started acquiring rentals, friends and family would ask when we were going to move into one of these three-bedroom, 1,800 square feet places, rather than our tiny condo. But we were happy where we were. We never felt like we were depriving ourselves, because simple pleasures were enough."

They ended up with 15 properties in total. A third are concentrated in the Las Vegas area, but they own places in other markets as well, including Michigan, Vermont, and North Carolina. "A bunch of hedge funds came and started purchasing up rental properties and prices rose quite a bit," Joe said. "And so I started looking at other markets and investing in other areas."

Torre de Belem, Lisbon, Portugal (Joe and Ali Olson)

Eventually, the market flipped and the value of their properties began to rise quickly. Not only were Joe and Ali saving around 75% of their income, but the value of their rental assets caused their net worth to balloon rapidly. Eight years after arriving in Vegas, their combined net worth had eclipsed $1 million.

Meeting elephants near Chiang Mai, Thailand (Joe and Ali Olson)

How were they able to keep up with so many mortgages?

Joe explains: "Eventually we ended up with 15 properties, but only four with mortgages. $13,000-plus in gross rents each month, less $2,000 per month in mortgages."

Though they loved teaching, both Joe and Ali had other goals they wanted to pursue, including traveling and starting a family. "Teaching was great, but it was time to start new adventures," Ali wrote on their blog. So they decided to pack up and go for it.

Exploring the jungles of Thailand (Joe and Ali Olson)

"In 2015, after working for eight years, we quit and started to travel," Joe said. "We hiked El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile walk, to kick off our adventures. We then bounced around Europe a bit, before settling in Istanbul for three months to have a baby, born January 2016. We've kept traveling since then, from Europe over to Australia and around Southeast Asia."

Touring Angkor Wat, Cambodia (Joe and Ali Olson)

Though theyre financially independent and retired from teaching, the couple still runs a few side hustles. They retain control of their rental properties from abroad, and Ali writes romance novels.

Prague, Czech Republic (Joe and Ali Olson)

Read more:

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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They must have been high-fiving (or whatever Foreign Office mandarins do to celebrate) when the news came through that Theresa May would be the first foreign leader to meet President Donald Trump  before Israels Benjamin Netanyahu, before Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico, and before the Queen of Europe, Angela Merkel. The glad tidings promised an end to what had, after all, been a very tricky start.

Almost anything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Our man in Washington was accused of miscalling the election, leaving the UK without contacts in the Trump team. There was the highly undiplomatic suggestion, made by the then President-elect himself, that Nigel Farage would make the ideal UK ambassador for the new era. Then as a postscript came inferences  little more  that British intelligence had some sort of involvement, even at one remove, in a dossier designed to discredit the new President. The special relationship was starting to look at best somewhat frayed.

But now, in what would appear by any standards to be a triumph of statecraft, everything has come out all right. In fact, it is a good deal better than all right.

There is a nice soft prelude in Philadelphia, where there is a shared history (the Liberty Bell and all that) and where she will be among friends, joining an away day for Republicans (nostalgic Thatcherites all). Trump will be there too, so she will have a chance to get the measure of the new President before starting the serous business in Washington the next day. Not only that, but just in case it all goes badly wrong  Donald Trumps endorsement of waterboarding hardly made for an auspicious start  she will be flying out the same evening for a brief visit to Turkey. The words and pictures can be adjusted accordingly. So well done, everyone; jolly well done.

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For the White House, the early invitation to Theresa May was an astute move. Maybe the Downing Street fixers even made that argument. Trump may be heedless of his image (though not quite as heedless as his reckless bombast might suggest), but the set of pictures he badly needs is one that shows he knows how to behave around women. That is what last Saturdays massive marches on both sides of the Atlantic were mostly about. And while it is easy to object that he is no Reagan and she is no Thatcher, referencing the Ronnie-Maggie show still plays well way beyond Peoria.

So in terms of symbolism and appearance  what we now apparently have to call the optics  a good job has been done that promises benefit to both sides. The wisdom of the whole exercise from the UK side, however, is quite another matter.

How was Theresa May propelled to the front of the queue for that first Oval Office handshake? What undertakings were given  after, of course, the gilded carriage-ride up the Mall and the banquet at Windsor Castle? Is it not demeaning that to be first into the Trump White House appears still to signify so much in the corridors of power in London? And the positioning of that Churchill bust?

Is the public flattery that the Prime Minister has included in her Philadelphia speech in the nations name really necessary? Does it make sense for the UK, having gone to such lengths to break with what the Leave campaign cast as the EUs constraints on its sovereignty, to appear to beg for an even more special relationship with the superpower across the Atlantic? And what of the bilateral trade agreement that the UK appears to have in its sights?

Remember the precise fears about the terms of the deal that threw up so many stumbling blocks with the EU: data protection, hormones in meat, an open door for US pharmaceuticals, possible inroads into Europes socialised medicine. Are we to accept terms that, as an EU member, we would have rejected, just to demonstrate that we are not all on our own out there?

With US participation in the Pacific trade pact signed away by Executive Order on Trumps first day, and renegotiation of the 18-year-old North America Free Trade Agreement now in the Presidents sights, forecasting any advantage for the UK from a separate deal would seem foolhardy.

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Defence and security are the other links that the UK is concerned to maintain. From the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation via the Trident missile system to the five eyes arrangement for intelligence sharing, the UK makes no secret of its preference for formalised links with the United States rather than with its nearer and more natural partners in Europe. Only days after the UKs vote to leave the EU, the defence secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, was on his feet threatening to veto any plans the rest of the EU might have for a European army, a demarche rightly resented across the Channel.

Advance reports suggest that Theresa May wants to disabuse the US President of his idea that Nato in its present form is obsolete. She also, apparently, plans to warn him against a rapprochement with that all-purpose bogeyman Vladimir Putin, and to argue for the continued existence of the EU. If this is nothing more than wishful spin for a gullible home audience (you and me), that is one thing If it is for real, however, the absurdity of it all should be obvious.

Yet again, it would appear, a UK Government is overestimating its influence with Washington  as, most egregiously, did Tony Blair  and chasing the fiction of that special relationship (which Obama in effect reassigned to Merkel). So far, Trump has shown that he is serious about what he said during his campaign, so it would be as well to prepare for the eventuality that he was also serious about Nato and engaging with Russia. And if he was, then the UK needs to take a hard look at its current security arrangements. Is there an alternative to the transatlantic alliance? Should there be? How valuable  remember Iraq and revisit Trumps own scepticism  is the intelligence sharing, really? Or Trident, given the revelations of last weekend?

The temptation to be first to meet a new US President is always, alas, too great for a British prime minister to resist. This time, of all times, though, it would have been wiser and more dignified to have waited, and used the time not only to judge what Donald Trump is about, but to ensure a security anchor in Europe. The risk is that, by rushing to ingratiate ourselves with Trumps Washington, we burn our European security boats and find ourselves stranded in mid-Atlantic.
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No china was smashed, it seems. Indeed the vicars daughter appeared to have had an oddly tranquilising effect on her host. Was he even a little intimidated by her?

Were you tuning into the Apprentice President for the first time, you might have been disappointed. All the old rules of press conferences with foreign leaders were adhered to. President Donald Trumps opening remarks were content-free, nice-cup-of-tea, small talk. One of the great bonds of the world, he mused. That would be the special relationship.

He brought up Brexit as a wonderful thing for your country after praising himself for purportedly having predicted Remains defeat in Britain before it actually happened. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, also reported that he was now 100 per cent with Nato. Thats a score, if true.

He said he wasnt averse to the use of torture, an astonishing public statement from a sitting American president. But to make sure thered be no squabbling over the working lunch that was to follow, he said his soon-to-be Defence Secretary, General James Mattis, didnt agree and he would be deferring to him. Torture wont be happening. Thats good. Also if true.

Perhaps it was the quaich that did the trick, the Scottish drinking goblet that was just one of the gifts Ms May had brought along with her for the visit. His mum was from Scotland. Actually, from serious Scotland, he wanted us to know. Its not clear which parts of Scotland he would consider not serious. Anyway. There were some Bakewell Tarts too.

They, apparently, were meant for Melania. You can just see her diving into all that pastry and white glue. Oh, and didnt anyone remind the Prime Minister that Donald Trump is a teetotaler?

More likely, this was a triumph of British sycophancy. In her speech to Republicans in Philadelphia the day before, Ms May said they and Mr Trump had swept all before them in last Novembers elections. An almost true, but deeply insensitive remark if you want to show at a least a patina of bipartisan empathy. Alongside Mr Trump she hailed his stunning victory.

Stunning indeed. Stunned are the charities about to be deprived of US funding because they think family planning is an important part of development policy. Stunned are the refugees of Iraq and Syria, about to be deprived of hope of making it to safety in a country which has been partly or even wholly responsible for the tragedies their lives have become.

Stunned are civil servants in Americas environmental agencies who have been gagged by their own president lest they contradict him to the media. Stunned are election officials who have been told 5 million voted illegally in November when they didnt. Stunned are the photographers who captured empty spaces at the inauguration only to be told there were none.

Stunned more than anyone is Mexico which finds itself having to deal with the preposterous notion that a wall will now be erected along the border with the United States and the yet more preposterous one that it, not America, should pay for it. Its American soil it will be built on.

Ms May may have been giddy to be the first foreign leader to enter Trumpland. Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexicos President, had taken a stand, cancelling his visit to Washington set for next week. What did she have to say about that? Nothing, nothing at all. The special relationship must not be put at risk. She said there might be times the two of them disagree, but that was it.

Its a shame. The British excel at the quiet but devastating put-down. And admonishment that went right over his head would have been best. It would have cost her nothing politically at home either where Nigel Farage runs his Trump fan-club of one. How about a line about loving thy neighbour as yourself? But its Trump First now. Even America First comes second.

If ever there was a time for a Prime Minister not to fawn in the Oval Office it was this week. Has Downing Street grasped all the dangers that the Trump presidency represents? The rupture of the world order that may be about to happen? Where exactly are the interests of Britain and Trump aligned now hes in office? The EU? He relishes that it might crumble more. America as leader of the world? America First. Return to protectionism. Fortress America.

Take Mr Trumps word on nothing. Surely we know that by now. Ask Pena Nieto. When he and then candidate Trump held a joint press conference in Mexico City last August, Mr Trump boldly stated they hadnt discussed who would pay for the border wall. They had. Mr Pena Nieto was reduced to revealing the truth in a Twitter message after Trump had gone.

Why should we believe him when he says he will leave torture matters to Mattis? That he loves Nato all of a sudden? That he wont rush to lift sanctions on Russia so his affair with Putin is made real. Or he cares at all about a big new trade deal with Britain? Or that he will even remember the name of the British Prime Minister by the time he wakes up the next morning? Yet fawn she had to, because in a Brexit world, America comes first  to Britain. Even more so than it did before.

On the level of personalities, its doubtful that May was any more awed by Trump than he was by her. Yet, its sad to see yet another British leader awed by the office of the President, even when the person occupying it deserves another response. For everything he has said and done in his first week in office, it would have been good to have seen less Bakewell and more tart.
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The greatest economist of the 20th century, at the least, John Maynard Keynes was required to write a book entitled How to Pay for the War. That was in 1940, when his services were needed more than ever. Serious advice for serious times. In the tragi-comic world of the Trump presidency Keynes might now be called on to author How to Pay for the Wall.

If it ever does get built, the Trump Wall, or however posterity will remember it, will be paid for first and foremost by the hard-pressed American taxpayer. Federal funds are required, which means they will have to come from taxation or from borrowing (i.e. future taxation). The sums involved are estimated to be somewhere between $8bn and $25bn. This is a lot of money, and could be better spent elsewhere, but in the context of the global total of US federal spending  $3.8 trillion, or $3,800bn  it is not going to be difficult to find the cash. The total cost of the wall, in other words, which will presumably take years to complete, represents just 0.65 per cent of a single years outlay.

Indeed, a Keynesian might say that it didnt really matter where the money comes from if it is there to boost the American economy; a bit like when he advised British governments in the Depression to pay men to dig holes and then fill them in again. The money gets into the economy, and gets spent, and thats the important bit.

 Donald Trump's Mexico wall: At what cost, and how long?

But of course this is beside the point. This, typically for Trump, is about revenge, about having the last word, and about being seen to win. Thus, he requires Mexico to pay, even though only a proportion of the emigrants are Mexican, and even though there is very little the country can do to stop the flow. It is, after all, about economics; if people feel they can get a better life then they will take some considerable risks to get to it. The flow of migration may be re-directed, but it is unlikely to be stemmed. It also might become more violent than it is now  and dead people are a considerable economic cost, quite apart from any other considerations of simple humanity.

So President Trump can and probably will make Mexicans pay, though hardly fairly. If he slaps duties on Mexican goods, then the companies that make them or the farmers that grow them may not be able to recoup the tariffs/taxes by raising their prices. By the time a Mexican avocado gets to a New York deli to go into a brunch, it will be there competing for its place on the plate with other avocados from all over the world. Another 12 cents cannot be added without a loss of sales.

So the 12 cents, or whatever it is, is paid for by the Mexican farmer, out of his profits, not by the bruncher in NYC. The Mexican farmers workers will see lower pay, his own family less spending power. He may not be able to afford his annual holiday break in the US, or to buy US-made kit for the farm.

Much the same goes for VW Tiguan cars made in Pueblo, say, a more telling example. These cars show how globalisation has left Trumps ideas way out of date. For a slump in the profits of VW Mexico would harm a company based in Germany, and maybe some managers and engineers working there, but it would also hit all those who own shares in VW Group  pension funds in Switzerland, in Japan and California, for that matter.

It might also rebound badly on US firms supplying components to VW to put into the Tiguans. What if those workers in the US are then laid off? And if Trumpery means that all production of small SUVs like the Tiguan for the US market move from cheap labour economies in South America and east Asia to the US again, then their cost and prices will certainly rise, though it will mean more jobs for Americans. Thats the essence of protectionism, and Trumpism.

The point is this: because so much economic activity is global nowadays the idea that one nation or one economy or one company can be hit with a tax or tariff with no reverberations across borders and continents is pitifully naive  and dangerous. In that sense, the whole world, including Americans, will pay for the walls tariffs.

Alternatively, Trump could slap higher fees on Mexicans crossing the border legitimately (ironically). Again this would raise money  but only from those Mexicans directly affected, not the Mexican people as a whole. Few, one suspects, are the villainous people traffickers and drug dealers of Trump folklore. Thus it would be an unjust levy. Then again, fairness to Mexicans isnt a slogan Trump has been much associated with.

The danger with all this is that it will spark a trade war with Mexico. The Mexicans would be hit hardest out of that  they need America more than America needs them, but it is still harmful and an example of how trade wars hurt everyone in the end. Mexicans will have less to spend on US goods and services; and they could retaliate by making travel from the US much more expensive. Then the tit-for-tat would spiral.

Geopolitically, the US shouldnt want Mexico to go looking for friends and supporters elsewhere in the world, a sort of big version of Cuba or Venezuela. Besides, US corporations and consumers have done well out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, even if, which is admitted, many jobs have been exported south of the border.

The problem for America is not that it has been unable to generate new jobs  for it has done that impressively over the past quarter century. The problem, as in so much of Europe too, is that the new well-paid jobs are not in the places where the old jobs have disappeared. Too little attention has been paid to relocating enterprise to where there is unemployment and, frankly, making it easier for people to move to where the new jobs are, to offer them training and help with housing and schools.

Those are the real, prosaic answers to the economic dislocation that all trade and indeed all economic change presents. Not a great big wall, no matter how beautiful President Trump thinks it is. I dont know if the Great Wall of Trump will be seen from space when completed, but we can see already that it is an enormous spiteful folly.
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Women have little idea of how much men truly hate them, the feminist academic Germaine Greer warned in 1970. Under Donald Trumps presidency, we might be just about to find out.

As the world enters a deeply disturbing political era, womens bodies are emerging as one of the battlegrounds on which society is set to slug out its struggles. Exhausted by the tiring politically correct guise of having to pretend women are actually humans, hard-line Republican politicians can finally relax and show their true selves.

One of Trumps first actions as president last week was to sign an executive order defunding any international development groups which even give women or girls overseas advice on abortion. The ban, known as the Global Gag Rule, is set to hit women of colour and low income hardest and health workers have warned it will inevitably cost lives.

 Sean Spicer: Trump to reinstate global abortion funding ban

While the ink on that executive order had scarcely had time to dry, Trumps colleagues in the Republican party were on to the next hit, this time passing the Hyde Amendment into law. The Amendment is a clause which has been tagged onto bills that dictates how Medicaid funds can be used and bans any federal money from helping to fund abortions. While its previously had to be reinserted each time a new funding bill has come up, Republicans have now moved to make it a permanent stand-alone law. It is unlikely that Democrats will have enough power to reverse it for decades.

On a roll and emboldened with power, a Texas politician has now also put forward a bill to make abortions a criminal offence in the state. He thinks it will force women to be more personally responsible, he reckons. Normally, such an offensive idea would not be uttered by any serious politician due to fear of backlash, but now a Congressman has felt empowered enough to put it into a bill.

Its proof, if any were needed, that society in 2017 remains deeply misogynistic. While we have made some considerable gender progress in recent generations, the current determination of Republicans to regress on reproductive rights shows just how superficial much of that change really is.

However, for people living in the UK, we must be careful not to get on our high horses about the restriction of reproductive rights in the US, lest we risk a considerable fall from grace.

Abortion remains a criminal offence in one part of the UK: Northern Ireland. Women there are forced to perform abortions on themselves at home by buying pills online, or travel to Britain for the procedure. The law isnt an abstract one either. Last year, a 21-year-old was convicted of committing an abortion after she took pills at home when she was just 19 and faced an unplanned pregnancy. Her housemates found out and called the police. Another woman is currently awaiting trial for helping her teenage daughter buy pills online.

MPs at Westminster could intervene and change the law but have failed to do so, seldom even acknowledging the human rights abuse happening within their own country.

Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Show all 5 1 /5 Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS

As recently as 2012, the Conservatives toyed with the idea of reducing the time limit for abortions in the UK. Minister for Women and Equalities Maria Miller proposed reducing the limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks. Our own health minister Jeremy Hunt backed halving the legal term limit for abortions in England and Wales down to just 12 weeks.

Some countries have sought to limit the damage incurred by Trumps Global Gag Rule. The Netherlands is looking into setting up its own abortion fund for international aid organisations who will lose funding under his new policy. Their government says between 15 and 20 countries across Europe and Asia have expressed interest in joining the fund and making donations. However, while the Dutch have been leading on this issue, the British have been conspicuously silent.

Theresa May is currently in the US to meet the president. But anyone hoping she will take him to task on behalf of women around the world will no doubt be disappointed. So far in her trip, rather than call him out on his actions to restrict reproductive rights, she is simply offering flattery about the special relationship.

The sad reality seems to be that the UK is failing to offer the same leadership and moral authority as countries like the Netherlands, amid the disturbing events in the US. Both at home, and on an international plain, Britains record on reproductive rights leaves a lot to be desired.
Almost half of Irish business leaders (45pc) are forecasting a drop-off in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity this year as a direct result of Britain's decision to leave the EU.

Just under a third (30pc) of respondents to the survey - carried out by financial advisory firm KPMG - said they didn't foresee a change in the M&A environment, while 17pc said there would be an increase in activity due to the relocation of financial firms from the UK. Nine per cent stated that currency fluctuations would result in an increase in Irish M&As.

Just 12pc of business leaders here believed there would be a reduction in deal activity as a result of Donald Trump's election as US president. Mr Trump has made a point of targeting US firms based abroad with further concerns that a reduction in US corporation tax rates could be detrimental to Ireland's hopes of luring and keeping multinationals in the country.

Greencore, the highly profitable food group led by Patrick Coveney, says that the arrival of the Trump administration may in fact be a boon for the company as it looks to boost its presence in the US.

"Over time, we will continue to target the US for further investment opportunities. There is good positive momentum in the US economy and early indicators suggest that the new administration will be business and deal-friendly," said Greencore chief financial officer Eoin Tonge.

More than a fifth of respondents (22pc) said they expected to see a fall in deal activity as a result of general uncertainty. However, an identical number said the opposite, forecasting a rise in the number of investments undertaken as a result of sectoral improvements.

However, 42pc said that they did not see US policy having an impact on M&As here.

Consolidation with other Irish firms is viewed as the most attractive proposition for investors in Ireland, with 27pc expecting deals to be done internally.

Almost a quarter (24pc) said they believed the UK was the most likely destination for Irish investors seeking acquisition targets. Europe was seen as the most likely destination by 20pc, while 18pc said they saw Irish firms heading to the US and Canada to find new assets.

Just 11pc thought Irish firms would explore emerging markets for acquisitions.

One fifth of bosses believed that the technology sector would be the most popular sector for M&A activity, while 20pc believed that agribusiness and food firms were most likely to consolidate.

In what may be a harbinger for things to come, it was announced earlier this week that two Irish mushroom firms - Walsh Mushrooms and Golden Mushrooms - were to merge. The mushroom industry has been hit particularly hard since the Brexit vote, with a drop in the value of sterling causing some companies to go out of business.

17pc of corporate bosses believed that most mergers would come in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, while 15pc said amalgamations were most likely in the construction sector.

Investor confidence was considered the most important macro economic factor that would influence deals in the year ahead.

The continued improvement on financial markets was rated as the most likely determinant by 16pc of company leaders,followed by the valuations on available companies.
The IDA expects a snowball effect of more Brexit-related jobs in the pharmaceutical sector after a major Northern Ireland company announced it was expanding in the Republic to boost its presence in the EU.

The development - in which pharmaceutical services group Almac will create up to 100 jobs over the next two years in Dundalk - is regarded as the first Brexit jobs win by the State.

It is understood that, having alluded to the fact it wanted to expand its operations globally, a pitch was made to them about enhancing operations in the Republic, which would ensure continued access to the single market.

The State is not actively targeting firms in Northern Ireland in the wake of the Brexit vote, as the market is regarded as too small to devote resources. However, companies that want to set up operations south of the Border to have a foothold in the EU will be welcomed by the Government here.

Almac Group employs almost 3,000 people at its global headquarters in Craigavon, Co Armagh. Although it has a small presence in Athlone, it is opening a new facility in Co Louth as part of a global expansion.

Read More

IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said the development provided the company with certainty of access to the EU in the long term.

"This certainty of access is an increasingly important selling point for Ireland as we look to win business for Ireland," Mr Shanahan said.

A spokesman for the IDA declined to comment when asked how the investment came about, citing commercial sensitivity. But he said further jobs could be won in the pharmaceutical sector by companies keen to ensure they had access to the single market.

It is hoped that the first trickle of Brexit jobs here, in the pharma and banking industries, will lead to a snowball effect as confidence grows in Ireland as a location in which to conduct EU business.

More companies are also expected to sit up and take notice of the island and Ireland's unique position of having a foothold in the EU and the UK.

"Our strongest selling point a lot of the time is reference sell from other companies and especially in areas like pharmaceuticals where companies will watch what their competitors are doing closely. When one company does something, the others will tend to follow," the spokesman said.

Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor said Ireland's expertise in the pharma sector was unrivalled.

"This is a very exciting project for Dundalk and builds on the strong cluster of multinational companies who have very successfully located in that town in recent years and who have found it a great base from which to promote their sales into other EU member states," he said.

Asked whether the IDA was interested in attracting Northern Ireland firms to set up operations in the Republic in the wake of Brexit, an agency spokesman said: "Northern Ireland isn't a source market from IDA's perspective. However, IDA Ireland is in the business of winning mobile investment and, if people are making investment decisions, we will be there to articulate Ireland's proposition, which is extremely strong in the context of Brexit.

Almac Group employs 71 at a facility in Athlone, Arran Chemicals, which it bought in 2015 and had an existing relationship with the IDA that predates yesterday's announcement.

Almac Group chief executive Alan Armstrong said the 100 jobs would be rolled out within the first two years.
Greencore chief executive Patrick Coveney believes Irish companies are preparing for Brexit in a much more realistic fashion than their counterparts in the UK.

The global food group boss emphasised the uncertainty that is swirling around global markets after a turbulent 2016, but insisted "just because we can't see the way, doesn't mean that the way won't emerge".

Speaking at the launch of Core Media's 'Marketing Multiplied' report, Mr Coveney said: "Irish business is thinking much more deeply and much more rationally than British business.

"And it is thinking much more rationally about what some of the consequences might be. It's going to bounce around a lot, both in terms of what is being sought out and the timeframe over which it happens."

Mr Coveney added that the outlook for Irish agri-exporters may not be as bad as was first feared because of the UK's dependence on Ireland for much of its agricultural produce.

He said the reality of Ireland's trading relationship with the UK meant that the UK would still be dependent on Irish imports for the foreseeable future.

He noted the challenge would be to overcome the impending bureaucratic hurdles thrown up by the UK's exit from the single market.

Britain would continue to buy Irish food, he said, adding: "There is no structural way in which Britain will become self-sufficient in beef, self-sufficient in dairy in the next 20 or 30 years."

Mr Coveney cast doubt on whether the UK would be granted the type of free trade arrangement outlined by Prime Minister Theresa May last week.

He said the notion that the UK would get a free trade deal from the EU was "somewhat naive".

The Greencore boss said that long-standing relationships would be key for Irish businesses over the medium term as they adapt to the new environment post-Brexit.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his ministers will embark on a series of trade missions in the coming months as they actively seek to attract post-Brexit business.

After next Monday's meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Kenny will begin planning trips to Malta, Poland, the United States and Germany.

He has also said every minister who signs up to travel abroad for St Patrick's Day will be ordered to schedule meetings with companies who have links to Ireland or could potentially invest here.

"Brexit is the number one priority for the foreseeable future," the Taoiseach said. "This is the single most important issue economically of the last 50 years. In advance of the triggering of Article 50, we have been intensifying our own preparations and our international engagement."

He said the Government was considering the requirements for extra trading capacity within the eurozone and beyond, adding that Canadian businesspeople had expressed "a lot of interest" in Ireland.

"And for those who will be travelling abroad for St Patrick's week, there will be a specific trade element built in to all of there visits.

"It's not just going to participate in some occasion around St Patrick's Day, it's going to be meeting with companies who are exporting from Ireland and ones who might create new investment," he said.

Read more: Defensive Kenny insists all bases covered in Brexit plan

Mr Kenny said he looked forward to welcoming Mrs May to Dublin on Monday.

"We've got quite a deal of issues to discuss about the Border, the common travel area, our trading links, our place in the European Union and how we maintain links as close to what they are," he said.

The Taoiseach has refused to appoint a Brexit minister on the grounds that he is leading the Government response.

"I chair the Cabinet committee on Brexit, all ministers are involved in this. I've asked them to prepare papers in respect of their responsibilities.

"I call ministers in as necessary so that we can get an entire government response on a constant basis.

"This is far too serious to leave to just one minister," he said.

Asked about how long he intends to remain in office, Mr Kenny replied: "I am focused on the agenda of Government here.

"A big Programme for Government, 600 commitments, a whole range of activities.

"We are not going to be fazed here by Brexit and international relations.

I don't expect there will be any alteration from what we have with the Fianna Fail party in terms of the supply and confidence [deal] and the review at 2018.

"There is a very big agenda here. We are not going to be diverted by extraneous matters."
Larry Goodman has said that the word demand was being over used in discussions around Brexit and the potential impact on the Irish agri-food sector.

Speaking to FarmIreland.ie, he said Brexit posed many challenges for the agri-food industry, but that demanding results or deals was not the way forward.

There are too many people asking and demanding for things to happen.

There is not enough about efficiency.

I have yet to hear anyone talk about efficiencies and how we can be more efficient and thats critical

Across all levels there needs to be greater efficiency in farming and the entire supply chain. Its not just at farmer level, but that has to improve too, but there must be greater efficiency in the supply chain.

Goodman was attending the Irish Farmers Journal/AIB conference on Navigating Global Trade and told FarmIreland.ie that his meat processing group ABP has twice as many factories in the UK as it has in Ireland, so the future of UK farming is vital for the company.

At the conference EU Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan was asked what was he doing for Irish agri-food sector in light of Brexit.

Commissioner Hogan also told delegates at the conference that the British farmer is in a very difficult position.

They showed very little leadership in the campaign, and he warned that If there is going to be free trade agreement between the UK and the US, he questioned whether or not such imports would be of the same quality as EU food.

If not we will have hormone beef and food not of the same standards as EU.

Commissioner Hogan also that It is imperative that the Irish agri-food industry prepares for a full spectrum of possibilities, but until Article 50 is triggered, no one knows the lie of the land.

If the Irish agri-food sector is to continue on an upward trajectory trade is vital to that.

Ireland, he said, as part of the EU is part of the most powerful trading bloc in the world and trade is critical for the EU agri-food sector.
Marts remain the premier venue for livestock sales in Ireland with over 1.7m cattle a year selling through local marts.

A national conference of ICOS mart directors and managers heard at a meeting in Portlaoise, with factories (1.6M) and farm to farm movements (1.2M) counting for considerably less than that figure.

Marts can sometimes be stereotyped as a more traditional method of buying and selling livestock but they are still the shrewd choice for farmers who want to get a top price and a guarantee of payment," according to ICOS National Marts Executive Ray Doyle.

He says the marts have agreed that they need to encourage more farmers to actively conduct their own business in person at the mart by enhancing and evolving services as they have been doing for over 60 years.

While agents and dealers provide a valuable service to some part time farmers and farmers with low time thresholds there is a cost when engaging their services but it should be realised that the auction process is best served with as big an audience as possible," he said

The continued popularity of marts come as thousands of Irish cattle are being sold every month on the Internet as the younger generation in particular abandon the cattle marts in favour of on-line dealing.

Farmers from every county in the country are selling livestock on the internet  lured by the convenience of being able to sell from their own yard and without the transport costs.

Time-poor, part-time farmers who cannot take a day off from the day job, and net- savvy young farmers are among the most enthusiastic sellers of cattle on the web.

A recent marts modernisation programme has also seen new technology facilities and electronic data displays installed in marts throughout the country.

The screens allow for the uniform display of information for farmers, including EBI and beef genomics data, which is of widespread benefit at a time when farmers are increasingly buying animals on the basis of their genetic profile, particularly dairy stock.

Overall, the availability of information on cattle movements, days in herd, breed and genetics is very substantial in mart centres and this cant be readily accessed either with private deals, the internet or through direct farm to farm selling," Doyle said.

The meeting agreed that continuing innovation and modernisation is necessary to ensure that the best possible range of services are made available to farmers on a consistent basis.

"This should include the potential for increased co-operation between marts wherever feasible to create overall efficiencies and economies of scale for the long term benefit of co-operative farmers in the future, Doyle said.

Irelands livestock mart sector consists of over 60 co-operative mart centres across the country, providing services to farmer shareholders and buyers and sellers of cattle.

Several marts have also diversified their service offering into property sales, payment scheme entitlement trading, valuations and retail centres among other operations.
There was no one more surprised than Michael O'Keeffe when he heard that Kilree Leo had moved to the top of the ICBF listing of young beef bulls on test over recent months, with demand for straws topping all of the more popular breeds in the country on the index.

Leo was bred by his late father, Richard O'Keeffe, before he passed away just over two years ago, and Michael has no doubt that it would have been very gratifying for him, if he had been spared to see the day that a bull from his Piemontese herd achieved such prominence.

Home-bred on the family 70ac - farm at Kells, Kilree, Co Kilkenny out of the herd dam, Kilree Irene, and by the stock bull on the farm, Kilree Gringo - he will be three years old later this week.

The first of his calves, which have been born on farms during 2016, have been very promising, and their evaluation has had a big influence on the ICBF ranking for the bull.

Kilree Leo is a five-star bull with a replacement index of 128 at 42pc reliability on his latest genomic proof under ICBF which was issued last week, and has been increased by 28pc since he was first listed in the Gene Ireland catalogue 12 months ago.

The beef breed was first imported into this country in the 1980s from the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. In recent years, there has been considerable growth in popularity with a doubling in society membership and over 320 purebred Piemontese imported by breeders.

Beef from the Piemontese is so highly regarded in Italy that it is known as the "Queen of Beef" and there is always a shortfall in supply and a ready market for exports both in beef and on the hoof.

The light-boned breed, it has a fine elastic skin and a low quantity of fat in the carcase. It is described as "lean and tasty meat that is also very tender" thanks to a double quantity of the myostatin gene in the breed.

The main characteristics of the breed are that they are not only double muscled animals, but are easily calved and claiquickly produce an excellent kill out of the super-lean but tender beef.

The Piemontese Society claims very good feed conversion and a kill-out of 70pc, reducing carcass wastage to a minimum.

It was mainly sheep on the Kilree farm until the arrival of the Piemontese around a decade ago.

Michael recalls that his late father, Richard, was "on a trip over to Italy with the society buying cattle, and he brought six of them home with him and went on from there to build up the herd" to the present stocking of 20 breeding cows, the only bovines running alongside the sheep on the farm.

"I am not sure if he intended to buy them when he went to Italy, or just liked what he saw, because I was quite young when we got them," said Michael.

Richard's widow, Jane, has continued to run the herd with the assistance of 23-year-old Michael, who admits that he is "very interested in farming" and hopes to continue breeding the Piemontese on the farm. He has a steady market for all of the progeny from the herd which are exported, and is "quite happy" with the returns.

Indeed, he maintains that there is demand for all the calves the herd can produce.

A new stock bull, Castle Quarter Large, has recently been purchased, and they hope that the first bull from the herd to have been selected by ICBF is the beginning of a new era for the Kilree Piemontese.
UK premier Theresa May's bid to clarify her stance on Brexit last week has confused many in Brussels.

In a long-awaited speech to foreign diplomats, she pledged to maintain the common travel area with Ireland and pledged there would be no "return to the borders of the past".

But she was less clear on what she expected from trade with Ireland and the rest of the bloc, hinting she would leave the customs union but seek tariff-free trade with the EU - an option that is legally impossible.

Ireland's 11 MEPs met the EU's lead Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, ahead of the speech to plead Ireland's case.

Fine Gael's Sean Kelly (inset), who organised the meeting, said Mr Barnier was sympathetic to Ireland's concerns on border issues and Northern Ireland.

"Most people would agree a hard border is the least possible and least practical outcome," he told the Irish Independent. "It could undermine the whole peace process."

But he warned the UK risked having to extend its two-year negotiating timeline because of the complexity of the talks.

"It's fairly clear to anybody, you won't get a full agreement in that space of time," he said. "I think they might have to ask for an extension, it's almost inevitable."

While the UK said it will notify the EU of its intention to leave by the end of March, Mr Kelly said talks won't kick off until the terms have been agreed by EU leaders which could take until June.

Sinn Fein's Matt Carthy, who was also at the meeting, called for Northern Ireland to get "special designated status within the EU" given its people's right to Irish citizenship under the Good Friday agreement. And he said a transitional deal was needed to protect Irish people and companies.

"The EU has a responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens who risk being dragged out of the European Union against their own democratically expressed wishes," Mr Carthy said.

"If Ireland is to mitigate the inevitable uncertainty following Theresa May's speech - uncertainty which will adversely affect Irish exporters, the agriculture sector and farmers - the Irish Government needs to press for a transitional agreement," Mr Carthy said.

The Midlands, North and West MEP also called for a European Parliament working group to examine in detail how Brexit will impact on the farming community.
The EU Commission has today approved a host of changes to Ireland's Rural Development Programme including the proposed new TAMS Tillage Scheme.

The Minister for Agriculture has said the scheme a TAMS Scheme, specifically tailored to the tillage sector, is due to open shortly. This Scheme will support grain growers in achieving further economic efficiencies and details will be made available in the near future.

IFA Rural Development Chairman Joe Brady said that todays formal approval by the EU Commission for the 2016 amendments to the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme (RDP) must now be followed by proposals for 2017.

This, he said is necessary because unless changes are made, the full allocation of 4bn for the RDP will not be fully utilised.

Joe Brady said the acceptance of the Sheep Welfare Scheme, GLAS changes, TAMS tillage grant and measures for the Hen Harrier and the Freshwater Pearl Mussel areas is important but further changes are required for 2017.

The Rural Development Chairman said, so far due to the slow speed in starting some schemes and delays in making GLAS and TAMS payments, as well as in getting the locally-led environment scheme off the ground, there is significant underspend on some measures.

In the recent 2017 Budget, an extra 100m has been allocated for RDP measures, bringing the total figure to 600m annually. Further increases will be necessary in the later years of the Programme to utilise the funding available.

However, the IFA Rural Development Chairman said more changes are now required, these include increased allocation for ANC payments, additional items under TAMS such as underpasses, rubber slat mats, meal bins for all livestock sectors and further changes to GLAS.

IFA expects Minister Creed to make a proposal to Brussels later this year as part of the annual amendment that is allowed by each member state to their RDP.
The company that formerly owned the market, Camden Market Holdings Corp, had sued Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), in October 2013, claiming breach of contract. Stock image

IBRC, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, has emerged victorious in a legal feud between the bank and the high-profile former owners of the landmark Camden Market in London, who had claimed losses of 19m (22m) they wanted the bank to be held liable for.

The company formerly behind the market, which was backed by investors including Israeli billionaire Bebo Kobo, had sought damages for breach of contract against IBRC, linked to a 195m (230m) loan provided by the bank to purchase and develop properties at the market in north London - a major tourist attraction.

But the Court of Appeal in London has ruled that the claim made by the former owners has no chance of succeeding and granted summary judgment in favour of IBRC.

The market, which attracts about 40 million visitors a year, was sold in 2014, after the legal action was launched, to Israeli billionaire and Playtech founder Teddy Sagi, for 400m (469m).

The company that formerly owned the market, Camden Market Holdings Corp, had sued Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), in October 2013, claiming breach of contract.

Earlier that year, IBRC was instructed by Finance Minister Michael Noonan, to sell off its loan book after he moved to suddenly liquidate the bank after a deal was sealed with the European Central Bank on Anglo's debt.

Anglo Irish Bank had provided the then market owners with a 195m loan in 2005 to purchase and develop properties at Camden Market.

The individuals behind the firm that bought it included Mr Kobo, who is heavily involved in property investments, as well as Richard Caring, the businessman and restaurateur whose portfolio includes The Ivy, the famous London celebrity haunt. The other investor was London property firm Chelsfield Partners.

Anglo loans, including a loan made to the Camden Market group, were among those marketed for sale by the bank, beginning in 2013.

The company and related firms that owned the market took legal action against IBRC to try and halt its loans being marketed for sale, relying on a facilities agreement that IBRC should not to anything to hinder the market owner's own marketing of the properties they were developing.

The former owners claimed their losses amount to 19m in respect of the costs of refinancing their Anglo loan, the difference between the market value of the properties on which, but for the alleged breach of contract, they would have been sold for under an agreed exit strategy, and other "wasted costs".

The claim against IBRC was based on an alleged implied term in an agreement with the bank dated in November, 2012. In 2014, the bank applied for summary judgment or to strike out the claim, insisting the claim had no real prospects of success.

But in 2015, a judgment was handed down by London's High Court that deemed the dispute should go to trial.

IBRC then appealed that ruling, giving rise to the summary judgment it has been awarded.

"I have concluded that the Camden Market group's case is bad in law, and the group has no real prospects of succeeding on it," said Lord Justice Beaton, one of the judges hearing the appeal by IBRC. "Accordingly, I would allow the appeal and enter summary judgment for IBRC."

The other two judges hearing the appeal agreed. The liquidators of IBRC made an initial payment to the bank's unsecured creditors late last year.

Those payments included 275m that was paid to the State.
Ulster Bank used a controversial scheme set up to deal with recession-hit companies to "shut down viable businesses in a property grab strategy", Jackie Lavin has claimed.

The well-known businesswoman told an Oireachtas committee that the bank's Global Restructuring Group Ireland (GRGI), which was established to work with SMEs that borrowed between 1m and 25m, "ruined families" by "deliberately targeting" distressed businesses.

Ms Lavin said that Glencullen Holding, which she ran with her partner and former 'The Apprentice' boss Bill Cullen, entered GRGI in 2011 - but immediately the bank "started to squeeze the cash flow".

She claimed the bank forced them out of business, called in a receiver and "took everything... leaving us nothing to fight them with".

"This systematic abuse of customers is mirrored across all the other businesses we spoke to all across the country," she said. She is now part of an action group representing 60 SMEs that believe they were treated unfairly.

"GRGI was sold to business owners under the guise of the bank taking a special interest in the company in a caring partnership arrangement. Businesses did not suspect it was a purpose vehicle designed to take down the company.

"Firms that had never missed a loan payment were pushed into GRGI under the bank's secret policies for reasons that had nothing to do with financial distress," Ms Lavin said.

However, in a statement to the Irish Independent, Ulster Bank disputed many of Ms Lavin's points.

"During the period 2008 to 2013, Ulster Bank granted extensive forbearance to the vast majority of the customers managed in GRGI," the bank said.

"This reflected the primary goal of the bank to support customers who might return to viability when the recovery started to emerge.

"In line with the process under way in the UK, Ulster Bank is making the same supports available to our SME customers in GRGI during that period.

"Ulster Bank strongly rejects any claims that businesses in GRGI were artificially distressed by GRGI and a number of independent reports have supported this conclusion."
Irans Ambassador to Paris Ali Ahani said on Thursday that the French foreign minister leading a politico-economic delegation is to visit Tehran next week, IRNA reported.

He said that the joint economic commission will be co-chaired by Ayrault and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

By relying on its strong industrial, agricultural and transportation infrastructures, the Islamic Republic can be France's permanent economic partner, Ahani said.

Relations between Iran and France entered new chapter following the implementation of the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the visit last year to Paris by President Hassan Rouhani, he said.

The upcoming visit by the French foreign minister will have positive effects on bilateral relations between the two nations, said the Iranian envoy to Paris.

Big French banks are wary of likely US punishments, he said.

'This is going to prevent development of economic ties between the two nations and should be addressed by exercising prudence,' Ahani said.
NATIONAL grid operator EirGrid is planning an upgrade of the transmission system costing up to 2.9bn to enhance security of supply and allow more renewables be used to generate electricity.

The State-owned company is also planning a six-week public consultation to help plan how best to upgrade the grid while taking into account changes in consumption patterns, rollout of new technologies and meeting binding emissions targets.

The 'Tomorrow's Energy Scenarios 2017 - Planning our Energy Future' consultation begins next month and was announced at EirGrid's annual conference in Dublin Castle.

Ceo Fintan Slye said it involved four scenarios around low and steady economic growth, high economic growth, which leads to a push to a low-carbon future, and a fourth where consumers generate electricity by way of solar or wind and feed it back into the system.

"One of our roles is to plan the development of the electricity transmission grid to meet the future needs of society," Mr Slye said.

"The key is to get feedback on the scenarios and it provides a way to get a structured conversation around policy and choices and the impacts of them.

"It's not saying this is what the future should be. It allows us to plan the transmission system. We don't want to build stuff which ends up not being used. It allows us to assess any projects against future scenarios."

Separately, the Grid Development Strategy sets out planned investment of between 2.6bn and 2.9bn over the coming years, including the controversial North South Interconnector, Grid West which is under development, a reinforcement of the grid around Dublin and grid strengthening in the north west.

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, said the interconnector would "open up" the north-east for investment.

The plan also includes an interconnector to France at a cost of some 1bn.
Personal Finance expert Sinead Ryan answers your property questions

Question: I moved to the UK for work last year, leaving my house vacant. My father died suddenly before Christmas and my mother is quite frail, but very independent. He looked after her and their house is in a rural location. I have convinced her to move into my house in the town as I'll be away for another five years. I'm not going to charge her rent and the sale of the family home will add to her pension and I'll have the security of her in the house. Are there any tax issues with this, for her or me?

Answer: This sounds, on the surface, like a good solution for both you and your mother. However, there are issues in tax terms, which I asked Barry Flanagan of Taxback.com to explain.

"Assuming your mother's home was her principal private residence, no Capital Gains Tax liability arises on sale, as it is fully relieved. Should you dispose of your own house in the future, any gain should be similarly relieved on the understanding that for the period of ownership, it was your PPR (an exemption exists for any period where, as a result of a foreign employment, it ceased to be your PPR).

"There is a Dependent Relative tax credit to claim if you maintain, at your own expense, a widowed mother, regardless of her age or the state of her health. Assuming you will be in receipt of income subject to Irish tax, your tax liability for the year may be reduced by the credit, which is currently 70 for the tax year 2017. Use Form DR1 or by annual tax return if you are the chargeable person. If your mother's income for the year exceeds certain limits, you may not be entitled to claim it.

"The final issue is potentially the most complex however. The provision of rent-free accommodation to your mother is likely to be regarded as a gift to her as, from your description, it seems unlikely she would be regarded as an incapacitated individual. The 'gift' is calculated as the open market value of the rent forgone. It can be reduced by the small gift exemption of 3,000 per annum and thereafter by any balance left from her lifetime 'Group B' threshold.

"It could be more tax efficient for either a life interest or a limited interest in the property to be conferred. The liability arising from either is dependent on several factors, such as the value of the property, the market rate of the rent and your mother's age. Therefore, it may well be worthwhile to engage a specialist tax consultant to examine the options and calculate any potential exposure for you both."

Question: I live in a former ghost estate. It was taken over by Nama and a builder is now finishing it off, so it's still a building site, but the houses in my row are finished and occupied and I've lived here since last September. My question is whether I now owe property tax? Is it still considered exempt or do I have to pay?

Answer: Don't worry. As far as Local Property Tax (LPT) is concerned, you, along with around 3,300 other people in 421 former and current 'ghost' estates are not due to pay anything until October 2019, even if they are currently being rebuilt or have already been rebuilt.

The next formal valuation date is November 1, 2019 in any event, so it will be due if you are occupying the house on that date, and you will need to get a sense of what it is worth and which band it falls into on that date. Your local authority will set the rate and you should be notified.
A new report says that 403,500 Dublin visitors stayed in Airbnb properties in the capital last year, with typical hosts earning an average of 4,900. Photo: AFP/GETTY

In the past year alone, 6,100 Airbnb hosts welcomed more than 400,000 guests to their homes across Dublin county.

A new report says that 403,500 visitors to Dublin stayed in Airbnb properties in the capital last year, with typical hosts earning an average of 4,900.

An overall 273m generated includes an estimated 221m of guest spending and 52m earned by Airbnb hosts.

"Airbnb allows families to boost their income by sharing vacant space in their home. Hosts provide great experiences for guests, spreading visitors and benefits beyond tourist hotspots," Aisling Hassell, global head of customer experience at Airbnb, said.

But while the economy, tourists and property owners are seeing the benefits from Airbnb, the online accommodation service has not evaded stark criticism in recent times.

Deputy Pat Casey complained in the Dail this month that property owners renting out apartments on Airbnb long-term while homeless people were in hotels was "a complete reversal of what should be happening".
Housing Minister Simon Coveney last night published the list of new rent-pressure zones, which will see the caps come into force immediately. Photo: Doug O'Connor

Rent caps have been extended to 24 further areas as part of the Government's attempts to tackle spiralling bills.

Housing Minister Simon Coveney last night published the list of new rent-pressure zones, which will see the caps come into force immediately.

The caps, which are set at 4pc per annum, were introduced in Dublin and Cork cities before Christmas after agreement was reached between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

The new list of zones includes Galway city, as well as 23 towns in Cork and along the Dublin commuter belt. These include Bray in Co Wicklow, Naas, Celbridge and Newbridge in Co Kildare, and Laytown-Bettystown, Ashbourne and Ratoath in Co Meath.

The areas were finalised by Mr Coveney on the back of recommendations by the Residential Tenancies Board and the Housing Agency. They will come into effect as rental pressure zones from today.

For towns to be designated as a pressure zone the average rent has to be above the national average and prices must have increased by 7pc in four of the last six quarters.

Landlords can increase rent by only 4pc a year for the next three years in designated zones.

However, there will be disappointment over the decision not to include Waterford or Limerick in the latest list of areas.

Last night, Mr Coveney acknowledged that supply was the most important issue that needed to be addressed.

But he said this move would push the number of tenancies protected to above 200,000.

"We have made very significant progress in a short space of time to have this new system in place and to ensure that we can properly target this intervention towards those areas facing the most severe pressures," Mr Coveney said. "Over the medium term though, additional supply is the right way to address rental pressures. We need to ensure the supply side response is strong and swift by implementing the full range of complementary supply measures contained in the rental strategy."

Fianna Fail's housing spokesman Barry Cowen last night said his party would continue to insist on the designation of more areas as pressure zones in the coming weeks.

The announcement of 24 new zones came just hours after there were testy exchanges in the Dail over the issue of the housing crisis.

Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett strongly criticised the Government's approach, saying rent support payments were far too low to help people rent a home.

The Dun Laoghaire TD said in all of south Dublin there was only one flat for rent which was within the permitted limit.

Fianna Fail TD Lisa Chambers told the Dail that the town of Westport in her home constituency of Mayo was a "no-go area" for people seeking rental accommodation.

During Leaders' Questions, Ms Chambers said housing support schemes such as HAP and RAS must be reviewed.

In response to the criticism, Education Minister Richard Bruton insisted the Government's housing plans were being implemented in full and the focus was on increasing supply.
A picture claiming to show off the Samsung Galaxy S8 has been posted online, along with purported specifications and launch plans.

The handset will be available in 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch options and will be officially unveiled at an event on 29 March, according to VentureBeat tipster Evan Blass.

The picture appears to back up past reports describing the S8s dual-edge curved infinity display, which is said to cover 83% of the handsets front panel, leaving no room for a home button or even Samsungs logo.

The companys branding will instead sit on the rear side of the phone only, beneath the 12-megapixel camera sensor and fingerprint scanner.

The latest leak also claims that both models of the S8 will feature a 2,560 x 1,440 Quad HD Super AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel selfie camera, a USB Type-C port, a headphone jack and pressure-sensitive touch technology similar to 3D Touch on the iPhone.

Theyll also run Android Nougat and use the Snapdragon 835 processor  Qualcomms fastest, most energy-efficient mobile chip  paired with 4GB of RAM.

That claimed energy-efficiency boost could be crucial, as the 5.8-inch version of the phone is expected to be powered by a 3,000mAh battery, with the larger model featuring a 3,500mAh battery. Both sound fairly conservative, when you consider how demanding the enlarged, QHD display is likely to be.

The Galaxy S8 is reported to go on sale on 21 April, with the 5.8-inch version costing 799 and the 6.2-inch model priced at 899.
Ive been a bit of a snob about bridge cameras of late.

Its not that I dont appreciate their flexibility or their appeal as pick-up-and-go travel cameras. Its just that many have small sensors that result in limited quality.

However, there are a couple of exceptions. Sonys RX10 and Panasonics FZ1000 lines have been a real step up in quality on what you normally see in the genre. So if youre looking for a really good, advanced all-in-one superzoom model, Panasonics brand new Lumix FZ2000 is well worth a look.

Ive had it on trial for a couple of weeks, now. Overall, Ive been very happy with it.

It packs a massive 20x zoom into a camera thats around the same size and weight as the smallest DSLR.

This focal flexibility takes it from the equivalent of 24mm (which is quite wide, for landscapes and detailed indoor shots) to 480mm (which can turn a speck on the horizon into a recognisable feature). And thats what makes the FZ2000 an awfully versatile and capable travel camera. I had forgotten how handy it is to have a big zoom on hand without having to carry a backpack with a giant separate lens.

An aside: long zooms are very underrated for landscape photography. As the photos of Baldoyle and Burrow Beach (inset) show, you can get angles that bring you a totally different perspective on your typically wider (zoomed out) shots.

But a zoom is no use unless the camera has something to stop blurry photos happening from the naturally-occurring small wobbles in your hand. This camera has an incredibly impressive five-axis stabilisation feature on it that lets you zoom all the way out and still take a steady shot with clear details resulting.

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As for the relative quality of those shots, I found them to be good. This camera has a 1-inch sensor, which is considerably smaller than a professional full frame sensor but not that far off what you get in some DSLR cameras and much bigger than other superzoom bridge cameras. As long as the lighting level is reasonable, youll get nice clarity and really good shots out of it. At lower levels of lights, the cameras tech compensates a lot but you wont get quite the detail of a bigger-sensor camera, such as Panasonics G-series, Fujis X-series, Canons M-series or Sonys A-series.

Then again, none of those larger-sensor cameras have anything like the zoom range of this FZ2000 model in a single lens. And if youre a casual shooter looking for flexibility, the slight compromise on low-light detail (and some depth-of-field tradeoff) is probably a price well worth paying for the considerable benefits on offer here.

This is not really a compact camera, mind you. Its almost as big as some DSLR models. You can get much smaller, pocketable versions of this kind of 1-inch sensor camera (such as Sonys RX100 or Panasonics LX15) but youll lose most of the zoom.

Other things of note with this camera include its flip-out, articulating touchscreen. This is a brilliant feature for flexibility, particularly if you want to use the video-recording features.

Speaking of this, the FZ2000 captures video in full 4K (ultra-HD) resolution. As well as being the clearest, best grade you can get, this also allows you to take 8-megapixel still images from your 4K recordings. Its a really good backup photo option if you didnt get to snap something at the right moment but videod it instead.

There are other fairly advanced features on board, such as manual control over the cameras ND filter and burst modes of up to 12 frames per second. I found the autofocus to be excellent for a camera of this type. I really didnt miss any shots at all.

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The bottom line is that this is an easy-to-use, do-everything camera that you can bring anywhere knowing youll always get some kind of shot. Its not a specialist portrait device, but a capable all-rounder.

Is 1,300 a steep price to pay for such a camera? I cant really decide. But I know you wont really get the same quality from any superzoom camera for under 1,000.

The other think to bear in mind is that cameras are no longer cheap. Phones have knocked out the budget (and even part of the mid-range) end of the market. What we have left is higher-performing dedicated snappers with the requisitely higher prices

For example, Fujis new X100F, which is a standalone, fixed-lens compact camera with one focal length (35mm) costs about the same. But that camera is bought by advanced enthusiasts who want slightly higher quality and are willing to sacrifice any possibility of even the slightest zoom capability.

So if youre going on safari or on honeymoon, or if you want close-up shots of the bride and groom from the back of the church, and you dont want a full bag of kit to bring around, the Lumix FZ2000 is a very reasonable choice.
Microsoft reported a 3.6pc rise in fiscal second-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by growth in its fast-growing cloud computing business, but it saw a slight decline in margins in the unit that includes its flagship cloud platform Azure.

Shares of the world's biggest software company were up about 1.1pc in after-hours trading.

Since taking charge in 2014, ceo Satya Nadella has steered the company toward cloud services and mobile applications and away from its slowing traditional software business.

Gross margins for Microsoft's so-called "commercial cloud" business, which includes Azure and versions of its online Office 365 product sold to businesses, were 48pc, said Chris Suh, head of Microsoft's investor relations.

That is down from last quarter's 49pc but up from 46pc a year ago, Suh said. The figure is watched closely by investors as a sign of the actual profit made of Microsoft's cloud products, which the company does not publish.

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The Azure platform competes with cloud infrastructure offerings from market leader Amazon.com, Alphabets Google, IBM and Oracle.

"We're not at Amazon's margin today," said Suh. "Their infrastructure business is much larger. They have the benefit of scale. We track more like what Amazon was when they were closer to our size."

On the company's earnings conference call, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood fielded questions from analysts about Azure-specific gross margins. She did not disclose a number but said there was a "material improvement" since last quarter.

Analysts also questioned Microsoft's practice of providing a combined gross margin for cloud infrastructure, which at other firms tends to have gross margins around 30 percent, and cloud software, which at other firms has higher margins of 70pc or 75pc. "I do think it will be a blend of those," Hood said.

But ceo Nadella emphasized that the company thinks of its cloud offerings as comprehensive lineup of both software and infrastructure, as it did with its historical business as a combination of products with different margins, like Office and Windows Server.

"We have a cloud strategy that is not just about infrastructure," Nadella said, pointing out differences with Amazon Web Services.
If George Orwell were alive to present awards for the best examples of double-speak, this year's winner would surely be White House strategist Kellyanne "alternative facts" Conway. But the Trump administration has a way to go before it rivals the linguistic contortions of the Third Reich, which perpetrated perhaps the greatest lie in history.

Emblazoned in giant metal letters above the entrance gates to every concentration camp, the phrase Arbeit Macht Frei (work will make you free) gave the poor souls who trudged beneath it the idea that by toiling honestly they might somehow redeem themselves in the eyes of their captors.

Not so. Some weren't given the chance to work at all, and were frog marched directly to the gas chambers, while the rest were worked till they could work no more then gassed, burned and buried in anonymous mass graves. And as if all of that wasn't bad enough, within a few decades some people were denying that any of this had ever happened at all.

Perhaps the most famous, and certainly the noisiest, Holocaust denier was the British historian David Irving, whose attempt to sue American historian Deborah Lipstadt is now the subject of a major film.

'Denial' stars Rachel Weisz as Lipstadt, who in the mid-1990s was going about her business when Irving decided to sue her for libel.

She had described him in print as a Holocaust denier, a charge he vigorously rebuffed, so Lipstadt was forced to come to London and defend her name in a trial that became a pitched battle to defend the legacy of the death camps. In the film's opening scene, Irving (Timothy Spall) invades one of her lectures to challenge her, and when I talked to Deborah earlier this week, I wondered if that first encounter had been heightened by the filmmakers for dramatic effect.

Expand Close The gates of Auschwitz death camp. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel / Facebook

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"Not at all," she tells me.

"It happened exactly like that. I'd never seen him before in my life to that point, and I was giving a guest lecture at a community college in Atlanta, and suddenly he stood up and interrupted, saying 'I'm that David Irving'. And he began waving around a bunch of dollar bills, and saying 'I have a thousand dollars here for anyone who can prove that the Holocaust happened', and I was in this terrible dilemma.

"I don't believe in debating people who deny the reality of the death camps - it's a ridiculous position and I didn't want to dignify it by debating him. And if I take him on, the students sitting there will think, 'oh my God, there are two sides to this story', but then again, if I don't debate him it looks like I can't answer him.

"And in fact Rachel called me the morning she was about to film that scene, and she said, 'tell me what you were thinking, tell me what you were feeling', and I told her that I was like a deer in the headlights - I didn't know what to do. I didn't debate him, and yet all the students thought, 'she can't answer him'. It was not a good moment. But it was a prelude for him to sue me, he wanted to first scare me and then sue me."

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When the first legal letter arrived, she thought it was a joke. "I laughed, I thought it was ludicrous. Because here was a man who'd said 'I'm going to sink the battleship Auschwitz'; here was a man who in an interview with a survivor in Australia, pointed at the number on her arm and said 'how much money have you made from having that number tattooed on your arm'; here was the man who said 'more people died in Senator Kennedy's car at Chappaquiddick than died in gas chambers at Auschwitz'.

'So it seemed to me that here was a man who was very proud of being a Holocaust denier, and so when he said (he was going to sue me), I thought 'this is ridiculous, nothing will ever come of this'. But it did."

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At the time, Irving was taken very seriously by many as a historian, and before the trial Lipstadt was attacked by such high-profile British academics as John Keegan, who described her as "self-righteously politically correct". Amongst other things, Irving had suggested in his writings that the gas chambers at Auschwitz were a fiction. All of this would become central to the bad-tempered 32-day trial.

"A lot of the publicity for the film talks about how we had to prove the Holocaust happened," she says, "but actually we really weren't doing that. What we were doing was following Irving's footnotes back to the sources to prove that he was a liar. So where the sources said 'I have evidence and I have a document here that proves a, b and c', we'd go back and find that the document says nothing like that. We came up with about 25 or 30 different examples showing that he makes claims, and claims to have proof for them, and he doesn't have proof. It was all a tissue of lies."

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But the hardest thing about the trial for Deborah was her lawyers' insistence that she remain silent throughout, and not take the stand, as to do so would play into Irving's hands.

"Torture is probably the right word for it," she laughs. "In fact, I have friends who say that the biggest miracle of the entire case was that I kept my mouth shut! And, yes, he was trying to provoke me, saying terrible things about me in the press and saying she's afraid and so forth, and the thought that someone was accusing me of being afraid drove me nuts. I desperately wanted to respond, but I was convinced by the lawyers that it was wrong thing to do."

They were right: Irving lost his case, his reputation was destroyed, he was unable to pay his legal costs and was subsequently declared bankrupt. "I got no money from him," she recalls, "I didn't cover my expenses, I never went after him for cost, Penguin did but I didn't.

"But it was an exposure of him, an exposure of what he was. The judge called him every synonym for liar, and destroyed his claims that the gas chambers at Auschwitz had not existed. And that's what I hope people will come away from the film with, that there's a difference between lies, truth and facts. As someone said recently, you're not entitled to your own facts."

In 2005, Irving was jailed in Austria under that country's Holocaust denial laws, a move Lipstadt disagreed with. "David Irving has a right to free speech," she explains. "He has a right to say what he wants, whatever I might think of it. I don't want lawmakers deciding what can and cannot be said, I think that's dangerous and we see that happening today in my country, the United States."

Buoyed perhaps by the publicity the film has attracted, and the current vogue for far-right politics, Irving has emerged from the undergrowth in recent months, claiming a surge in followers and even embarking on a lecture tour.

"He's going around now saying he has thousands of followers," Lipstadt concludes. "I have no idea if that's true, but even if it is, there are a lot more people who'll see this film and see what a liar and a racist and a misogynist and an anti-Semite he is, so that's ok with me."
Mike Scannell of Kerry County Council , Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Housing and Cllr Jim Finucane look at the plans for 15 new homes in Tralee as part of the Governments Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. Photo: Domnick Walsh

Some 2,505 children were homeless last Christmas, new figures reveal - causing a charity to question the Government's housing plan.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) has raised concerns about families who lack cooking facilities as well as areas to play. From July to December last year, 157 more children were in emergency accommodation, an increase of almost 7pc.

"The Government made a commitment within the Rebuilding Ireland plan to end the practice of using hotels, hostels and B&Bs for emergency accommodation for children. However, the ISPCC has seen little progress on this issue as we approach the deadline of mid-2017," said chief executive officer Grainia Long.

The Department of Housing defended the initiative, saying it anticipated that 2,700 people were rescued from homelessness in 2016, compared with 2,300 the previous year.

Meanwhile, Simon Communities warned that the overwhelming majority of rental properties on the market were beyond the reach of people on State housing benefits. A survey of 112 rental properties in November found only 17pc were in line with State Rental Supplement and Housing Assistance payments.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Iran has signed two deals with Russia in nuclear sphere, including the production of stable isotopes and nuclear fuel, Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said.

According to him, only Russia, the US and the UK-based Urenco Group are able to produce stable isotopes, IRNA reported Jan. 27.

Kamalvandi, who also serves as the deputy head of the AEOI for international, legal and parliamentary affairs, and Russian Rosatoms head Alexey Likhachev signed two agreements of cooperation in Moscow on Jan. 19.

Kamalvandi said Iran is able to produce 20-percent enriched uranium fuel, but the process is very complicated and Russia would provide a nuclear fuel production road map to Iran based on the agreement.

Irans major 1-gigawatt (GW) power plant Bushehr uses 3.5-percent enriched nuclear fuel. Iran plans to construct more nuclear power plants of the same scale in coming years with Russia.

Russia has committed itself to providing the needed nuclear fuel for these plants for 10 years.

Iran also has a 5-MW Tehran Research Reactor (TRR), which consumes 20-percent enriched nuclear fuel.

Kamalvandi said that Russia would construct two new power plants at Bushehrs scale for Iran after getting 185 million euros of advance payment.

He said that during his visit to Moscow, the time table of construction of new plants was negotiated, but didnt give further information.
The cost of taking in unaccompanied migrant children to Ireland will be considerably less than was originally estimated  so more money will be available for more children, the Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has revealed.

The Irish authorities are working with Tusla, the child protection agency, with the goal of assessing 40 children in Greek refugee camps before the beginning of the summer, ahead of their arrival in Ireland.

It had been thought that the cost of providing services and accommodation to the 40 minors would be about 11.3 million.

Speaking at the launch of a new report on the struggles faced by refugee women in Europe, Minister Zappone said with Ireland geared up to accept 80 migrants a month over the course of the next year, it is clear that families and communities want to play their part.

Our support is not only welcome but is needed, she said.

The report carried out in partnership with the Immigrant Council of Ireland entitled Hidden Struggles on the adversities faced by refugee women in Europe has found that one in five women have experienced physical violence during their journey to Europe, the majority committed by police or smugglers, while almost half of the women reported not feeing safe in the camps.

Four out of five women privately interviewed at the camps reported that they constantly feel depressed or feel depressed most of the time.

Brian Killoran, CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland called on political leaders both here and in Ireland to deliver policy changes to improve the situation for women asylum seekers.

He also called for the relocation and resettlement in Ireland to be sensitive to the needs of women and girls in terms of healthcare, counselling services and help for those who have experienced violence.

Syrian journalist Razan Ibraheem told those attending the launch that while the drive to grant refuge to families and unaccompanied minors is welcome, the Irish authorities should also consider taking in single Syrian women, saying they integrate well into communities.

Having volunteered at the Greek camps, she said she witnessed the most appalling conditions in which people were living.

Meanwhile she said she is in contact with a family of a mother, father and eight children who have recently settled in temporary accommodation Ireland in the past few months.

They are so happy and so well taken care of. All eight children are in school and are getting English classes and they have now the Irish accent after a few months, she said.
A 35-year-old man died at a Dublin hotel after consuming a cocktail of drink and drugs, an inquest heard.

Daniel Greene was found dead in his bed at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel following a heavy drinking session with his uncle, Paul Hippo Ward.

Giving evidence at Dublin Coroners Court, Ward  whose conviction for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996 was quashed  recounted the hours leading up to his nephews death.

DRUNK

The pair had checked in to the Naas Road hotel early on the afternoon of Saturday, August 15, 2015.

Ward told coroner Dr Myra Cullinane that they drank in the hotel bar and in their room before moving on to Clondalkin.

We were very drunk, he said. They were refused entry to two pubs before going to the Village Inn where they stayed until closing time.

The pair returned to the hotel and retired to their room where Mr Greene, of Greenfort Park, Clondalkin, slept on the floor.

There was no drug-taking in the room, there was no mention of drugs, said Ward.

I didnt see him doing any drugs, although I know he has done cocaine in the past. I had tablets in a bag but they were fat burners for working out. We worked out together.

An emotional Ward said he last saw his nephew alive at 4am. He woke around 7am and fixed the covers around Mr Greene. At 9am he got up and nudged him with his foot saying, get up lazy.

When he opened the curtains, Ward said he knew something was wrong and ran to the corridor for help.

Mr Greene was pronounced dead at the scene. A cigarette box containing diamorphine and two plastic packets of cocaine were found in the room.

A post mortem gave the cause of death as multiple drug use with evidence of diazepam, heroin, cocaine, alcohol and levamisole found in his system.

Dr Cullinane recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
Dozens of occupants, who are unlawfully being rented accommodation in an unauthorised hostel, will have to leave the premises by next Wednesday following a court order.

Judge Jaqueline Linnane heard The Pines, Lehaunstown, Cabinteely, where South Americans and eastern Europeans are currently living in dangerous, unhealthy and cramped conditions, was being rented by its owner, Richard Stanley, to a Christian Carter.

Barrister Michael Binchy, for Mr Stanley, said his client was an elderly man in his 80s and in poor health.

Mr Stanley had rented the property to Mr Carter, with addresses at Dunedin Drive, Monkstown, Co Dublin and at Grove Park, Rathmines, Dublin, and had been unaware of the situation.

Counsel said Mr Stanley was consenting to orders sought by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council restraining the continued use of the house as a multi-occupancy dormitory property.

The court heard that a son of Mr Stanley, who lives in the UK, had arranged for the tenancy agreement with Mr Carter, who rented the property for 4,000 per month.

Expand Close A room full of bunk beds at The Pines, Lehaunstown. Photo: Independent.ie / Facebook

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Whatsapp A room full of bunk beds at The Pines, Lehaunstown. Photo: Independent.ie

Judge Linnane was told the agreement had not been registered with the Residential Tenancy Board and Mr Carter had been taking up to an extra 1,500 a month out of the property by sub-renting it.

Barrister Liam OConnell, who appeared with law agent Dorothy Kennedy for the local authority, said Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was also seeking to join Mr Carter to the proceedings.

Mr OConnell said Mr Carter had been aware of the proceedings and could be served personally with court documents today as it was believed he was in the Four Court complex in relation to another matter.

Mr Binchy said Mr Carter had stated in an email he would empty the premises by March 1st next. Mr Stanley and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council had concerns about the welfare of the residents and thought the date was too far away.

Mr OConnell told Judge Linnane that the residents were aware of the proceedings coming down the track and of various inspections of the premises by the local authority. The court heard they expected they would have to vacate the premises.

Last Monday, when the matter first came before the court, counsel had said that the overcrowded private dwelling was considered a fire and health risk.

It has come to the councils notice that the three-storey dwelling is being used as other than a private dwelling with up to 17 individuals in one room and about 36 people housed in the basement, Mr OConnell told the court.

Aonghus O Neill, a planning inspector with the local authority, stated in a sworn document that the Lehaunstown house, on four levels, was registered at the Land Registry in the name of Richard Stanley as owner. It comprised a basement with two rooms, a ground floor, first floor and attic level.

Mr OConnell told Judge Linnane that the County Council had become aware of reports that up to 70 people were being accommodated in the house and for health and safety reasons had carried out an inspection.

He said Mr ONeill and another council inspector, Aidan Shannon, found that almost every room they could obtain access to had been filled with either double-beds or bunk beds.

Loose electrical cord providing power to a washing machine and two tumble dryers at the top of a stairs leading to the basement had to be avoided. In a boiler room there were no smoke or heat detectors and flammable materials were scattered about the room.

One room in the basement contained 11 bunk beds and a second room contained five bunk beds and two double beds. There were electrical extension cables across the floor. Each of the beds appeared to have been recently slept in.

They had found a communal dining room and a living room which had been turned into dormitories. Three rooms on the first floor had been locked shut.

Mr OConnell said the use of the property had changed from that of a private dwelling to one involving the provision of accommodation to paying customers in the course of commercial activity whereby occupants were accommodated in large communal dormitories.

The local authority sought orders to immediately end the use of thes property as what can only be described as an unauthorised hostel.

The court heard that Mr Stanley will file a replying affidavit.

Today Judge Linnane joined Mr Carter as a respondent to the proceedings and granted the local authority an order to cease unauthorised development at the property by midday Wednesday 1 February.

The judge ordered that court documents be served on Mr Carter at his two addresses and also on the occupants at the Lehaunstown house.

She adjourned the matter to next Thursday.
A 55-YEAR-old sewage plant worker who slipped and fell on a path at work has been awarded over 47,000 by the High Court.

James Kelly was working at the Tipperary sewage treatment plant, which was being decommissioned, when he fell on a pathway at the side of a flume used for conveying raw sewage.

Mr Justice Raymond Fullam held Mr Kelly, Corville Road, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, was 40pc responsible for the accident.

Maintenance was part of Mr Kelly's job at the plant in Templemore and that included the cleaning of the flume surrounds, the judge said. He was the only worker at the plant.

As an experienced worker, Mr Kelly should have dealt with the situation himself or, if he couldn't for equipment reasons, he should have brought it to the attention of management before it became a hazard, he said.

In the circumstances, the judge reduced the award he was making from 79,000 to 47,400.

Mr Kelly had sued Templemore Town Council as a result of the fall at the plant on February 3,2010.

He claimed there was a failure to provide a safe place or system of work and that he had not been provided with appropriate tools such as a power hose to carry out his tasks.

He further claimed that sewage waste had overflowed from the inlet channel on to the pathways of the plant.

The claims were denied.

Mr Kelly told the court as a result of the accident, he had bad headaches and backaches. They continued over the next number of weeks along with pain and spasms and he was unable to return to work.

Mr Justice Fullam accepted Mr Kelly's evidence that a lot of the time there was an issue with the pumps and he did not have time to clean the paths on a regular basis.

The judge said there was no dispute the hard standing surrounds of the flume were in a bad state on the day of the accident.
Three men have been charged by gardai investigating a huge weapons seizure in west Dublin.

James Walsh (33), Johnathon Harding (44) and Declan Brady (51) were brought before Dublin District Court charged in connection with the haul at an industrial estate.

Judge Anthony Halpin remanded them in custody until next Wednesday after no bail applications were made on their behalf.

They are charged with possession of five revolvers, ammunition and a silencer.

The find was made after officers from the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) raided a warehouse at Grant Drive in the Greenogue Industrial estate, Rathcoole in a dawn operation on Tuesday.

The three men had been detained at Clondalkin and Ronanstown Garda Stations before they were brought before Dublin District Court this afternoon.

Their cases were dealt individually.

Mr Walsh, of Neilstown Drive, Clondalkin, Mr Harding of McNeill Court, Sallins, Co Kildare and Mr Brady, from The Park, Wolston Abbey, Celbridge, also in Kildare, remained silent as evidence of their arrest, charge and caution was given to the court by detectives.

They are each charged with three offences under the Firearms Act - unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a silencer and having five handguns.

These are alleged to have been a Zastava M83-02 six-shot revolver, two special calibre Smith and Wesson model five-shot revolvers and two Rossi five-shot revolvers.

Detective Sergeant Emmet Casserly told the court he arrested Mr Brady at 12.35pm today for the purpose of charge at Clondalkin Station.

He was charged at 1.14pm and in reply to each count he said no. Det Sgt Casserly said he was objecting to bail.

However, defence solicitor Anarine McAllister said Mr Brady was not applying for bail on this occasion.

There was consent to the accused being remanded in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court on February 1.

Judge Halpin ordered all necessary relevant medical attention and treatment to be provided to him while he is in custody.

Mr Brady, wearing a zip-up hooded grey top and dark tracksuit bottoms, sat with his arms folded during the proceedings.

Judge Halpin asked if DPPs directions were available.

Detective Superintendent Tony Howard said there were preliminary instructions but it was anticipated that there would be further charges.

Mr Walsh, dressed in a dark grey hooded top and lighter grey tracksuit bottoms with black and white runners, was then brought into the court.

Detective Sergeant Michael Cuffe then gave evidence of arresting, charging and cautioning Mr Walsh at 1.34pm at Ronanstown Garda Station today. He made no reply after caution.

His barrister David Staunton asked Judge Halpin to make a similar remand order in this case, as Mr Walsh was also not applying for bail.

Mr Staunton handed a statement of Mr Walshs financial means in to court to support a legal aid application. Judge Halpin deferred a decision on legal aid to a later date.

Mr Harding, wearing a zip-up grey hooded top and blue jeans, was the last of the accused to come in to court.

Detective Sergeant Paul Curran said he arrested Mr Harding at Clondalkin Station at 10.50am this morning.

He made no reply to the charges after caution. He was granted legal aid following an appplication by his solicitor Brian Coveney. There was no garda objection.

The accused were brought to the Criminal Courts of Justice by gardai in unmarked cars with blacked-out windows. They will appear via video-link on the next court date.
Gardai have seized cannabis worth an estimated 200,000 during a search in Co Kerry.

The search was part of an on-going operation targeting the illegal sale and supply of controlled drugs in the Kerry area.

Approximately 100 mature cannabis plants and 6.5 kilos of cannabis herb were discovered and seized shortly before 4.30pm following the planned search of a premises at Kilmorna area of Listowel, Co Kerry.

The Kerry Divisional Drugs Unit and Listowel District Drugs Unit carried out the search and the scene is preserved for technical examination.

One man, aged 42 years, was arrested and is currently detained at Listowel Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

The latest discovery comes just a day after gardai uncovered separate grow houses in Co Limerick and Co Leitrim.
'More than half of principals identified issues such as martial breakdown, financial difficulties and bereavement as their greatest challenge when it came to pupil welfare' picture posed

Increasing numbers of young children are arriving in school with emotional problems because of family matters, school heads have warned.

More than half of principals identified issues such as martial breakdown, financial difficulties and bereavement as their greatest challenge when it came to pupil welfare.

Meanwhile, one in four said high anxiety levels in children was a growing problem requiring attention.

The findings emerged in a recent survey by the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN), in which almost 500 primary principals or deputy principals participated.

Meanwhile, one in four primary principals reported a drop in the level of school-based bullying.

The principals have noted the changes since the introduction of revised Department of Education anti-bullying guidelines in 2014.

However, 66pc said there had been no change over the three year period, while 9pc said the problem had worsened.

IPPN president Maria Doyle welcomed the drop in bullying behaviours noted by one in four principals and said "the landscape is not all doom and gloom".

But she expressed concern about what the survey is saying about the emotional wellbeing of pupils in the country's 3,300 primary schools

Ms Doyle said schools were involved in the rollout of programmes to support pupils in matters of welfare but said they needed more resources to help them deal with issues around children's mental and emotional health.

Speaking at the IPPN annual conference, Ms Doyle said that fewer than 22pc of principals felt adequately trained to identify mental health issues in children.

"The Department of Education must be more proactive in providing training for educators and funding for targeted emotional wellbeing programmes so that increasing levels of childhood depression and anxiety, as identified in our survey, are halted as a matter of urgency," she said.

A report last year by the IPPN on emotional wellbeing in primary schools found that, while principals and teachers were not trained to diagnose or resolve emotional and mental health problems among their students or their families, there were some actions that could be taken by schools to support these children and their families, provided the required supports and training were provided at a national level.

Suicidal

According to the IPPN, children can present with a very wide range of emotional issues on a spectrum of emotional wellbeing, from complete wellness on one end to suicidal at the other.

While the supports available at the more extreme end are relatively well known, they say it is less clear where to go for help when a child displays distress or the school becomes aware of some dysfunction at home.

"In other words, there is a need for a clear 'continuum of support' to meet the varying needs right across the spectrum," the report states.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

An electrical short-circuit was initially announced as the reason of the Plasco building fire in Tehran, Irans Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Jan. 27, Tasnim reported.

The fire engulfed the 17-story Plasco building, which housed a big shopping center, on Jan. 19. The high-rise collapsed as the fire-fighters were trying to extinguish the blaze.

Rahmani Fazli also said experts are still holding investigations to find out the final reason of the fire.

Iran announced on Jan. 27 that 16 fire-fighters were killed in the incident. The damage to the Plasco building is estimated at about $500 million, Ali Fazeli, head of Iran Chamber of Guilds, previously told IRNA.
Bus Eireann may pull out of some loss-making Expressway services in an effort to cut costs and avoid going out of business.

A briefing note prepared by the National Transport Authority (NTA) says it "anticipates" that the semi-state transport company will seek amendments to a "significant number" of licences. It could include reducing the number of stops in other cases.

The NTA, which is responsible for all publicly funded bus services and issuing licences to the commercial sector, says it is putting in place contingency plans for passengers on affected routes. It is not predicting the outcome of talks between management and unions at the company, but merely planning for a worst-case scenario, it said.

It comes as the five trade unions representing staff issued a statement calling on Transport Minister Shane Ross to intervene in the dispute. Unite, the NBRU, Siptu, TEEU and TSSA asked the minister to "provide leadership and do the right thing by commuters and staff by facilitating a forum".

They said that if Bus Eireann imposed unilateral cuts they would "respond accordingly", and threatened an all-out strike.

Siptu's Willie Noone said they were going to look at a range of options, and that all-out strike action had been "very strongly" put to them by union members.

Read more: Transport Minister Ross 'not getting involved in nitty gritty' of Bus Eireann dispute and unions threaten 'all out strike'

"It would be the nuclear option as far as we're concerned, but at times you have to fight fire with fire. The company has thrown a nuclear bomb into our conditions of employment and if that's the mandate that we get from the members that's the one we'll follow," he said.

Bus Eireann said it was seeking to engage with unions, adding that Expressway would remain part of the company's business.

However, changes were "urgently required" to address the company's adverse financial situation, with losses of 9m projected for 2016, which could result in alterations to routes.

Company management has warned it could go out of business by the end of the year with the loss of 2,600 jobs, but the Department of Transport said the minister would not intervene in an industrial relations dispute.

However, there is a reluctance to shut down all services as unions are aware it would severely impact passengers, particularly in rural areas. The unions have not set a date for their next meeting, but will react to decisions made by the company. Bus Eireann was not available for comment last night.

The NTA note also suggests that Bus Eireann may also seek changes to its licences in an attempt to grow passenger numbers. Permission may be sought to extend some Expressway routes to key locations including airports and business parks, increasing frequency and adding extra weekend or evening services. It may also seek joint-venture partnerships with commercial operators.

If Bus Eireann withdraws from some routes, the NTA said it could amend existing contracts or seek firms to operate the routes to ensure a service remained in place.
With all the supposed grey areas around consent (can someone please explain to me what these are?), its worth having a look at the Cup of Tea/Consent viral video.

In the UK, Thames Valley Police highlighted the issue of consent by promoting a cartoon comparing sex to drinking a cup of tea.

The result is a very clear, eff-

ective and actually funny video, which gives clear instructions as to what constitutes sexual consent. The clip goes through all the situations in which consent is twisted into grey areas by some people, all the while keeping with the tea analogy.

Unconscious

Maybe they were conscious when you asked them if they wanted tea and they said yes, the video narrator says.

But in the time it took you to boil the kettle, brew the tea and add the milk they are now unconscious. Dont make them drink the tea. They said yes then, sure, but unconscious people dont want tea.

If someone said yes to tea, started drinking it and then passed out before theyd finished it, dont keep on pouring it down their throat. Take the tea away and make sure they are safe. Because unconscious people dont want tea. Trust me on this.

Consent should be straightforward. Sex without consent is rape, but in this country we actually have no statutory definition for consent. The courts have had to create their own definitions.

New legislation to prevent people being taken advantage of has been sought since the 1980s.

Its long-overdue. An EU study last summer found that 21pc of Irish respondents thought having sex without consent is acceptable in certain situations.

Meanwhile, 11pc of Irish people think being drunk or on drugs justifies sex without consent, the poll found. Some felt that walking home alone, wearing certain clothing or going home with someone made non-consensual sex acceptable. Thats classic victim blaming.

There are many questions. How drunk is too drunk to consent to sex? Is it rape if both people are drunk? How can you tell if someone is too drunk for sex? If you have sex when drunk, is that rape?

Horrific

A university in San Diego made headlines after a student was suspended for having non-consensual sex with another student when both were drunk.

The suspended male successfully sued the college for not giving him a fair trial.

Asking For It, the book by Louise ONeill, deals with the issue of consent, a horrific assault and the treatment of the victim by her community in the aftermath. The central character, the victim, is unlikeable. The point is, its about consent and not about the likeability of a person.

Consent. Its really quite simple and should be patently obvious to any decent person.

Blogger Rockstar Dinosaur Pirate Princess writes: Whoever you are initiating sexy times with, just make sure they are actually genuinely up for it. Thats it. Its not hard. Really.
David McInerney and Davey McCarthy at Tuthills shop in The Mill Shopping Centre in Clondalk, which was rumoured to have sold the winning ticket in the Euromillions. Picture: Arthur Carron

Dublin was whipped into a frenzy after lotto chiefs confirmed the winning EuroMillions ticket was bought in the capital  with all eyes on Clondalkin.

The National Lottery said the 88.5m winner was sold in a Dublin shop, but didnt specify the location.

Early this week, the rumour mill generated a flurry of claims that a 36-strong Cork factory syndicate had won the top prize on Tuesday.

But the rumours switched to suggestions that the massive haul was actually bought in Clondalkin, Dublin.

These rumours cranked up a notch when Lotto representatives confirmed the sale in the capital  but it all turned out to be a hoax.

Read More

One shop worker told the Herald he had started all the talk that the winning ticket was sold in Clondalkin.

David McInerney, from Tuthills Newsagents proudly said he was responsible for circulating the rumours.

I had a big feeling that I sold it. One chap came into the shop on Tuesday to buy his weekly ticket and I advised him to buy it on Friday instead. But he said that hed stick with his gut and get it then, he said. I thought about that guy several times later on and actually thought that he might win it.

Then when it was announced that the winning ticket was bought in Ireland I took to Facebook to say I sold it.

TRAVELLED

Everyone started liking and sharing it, then I said that theres a word going around that it was sold in Tuthills in the Mill Centre.

David said that the rumours, which travelled all across the city, even prompted some people to put money on Clondalkin being the location.

The following day I went to the bookies for bingo and overheard a woman talking to someone saying Did you hear about the Mill Centre? Someone won the winning ticket in Tuthills.

I just thought it was hilarious and great fun seeing how hopeful everyone was.

Expand Close Emma Gordon gives her reaction to rumour that the winning ticket in the Euromillions was sold in The Mill Shopping Centre in Clondalkin. Picture: Arthur Carron / Facebook

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Whatsapp Emma Gordon gives her reaction to rumour that the winning ticket in the Euromillions was sold in The Mill Shopping Centre in Clondalkin. Picture: Arthur Carron

Asked what he would do with 88m, David said that he would buy Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard for an Irish club team.

Clondalkin local Emma Gordon said she would be on the next plane out of Ireland if she hit the jackpot.

I would have such a good time trying to spend it in all sorts of places but Id be very generous with it too, she said.

Karen Byrne also said that she would leave the country and go down under to Australia.

Im only back from there now after visiting my nephew. Its such a nice country that I could easily see myself living the high life over there, she told the Herald.

Another man in Clondalkin said that if he was the winner, he would definitely go public.

Then theyd kidnap my missus, he joked.

Early speculation linked a 36-strong syndicate of cleaners, maintenance workers, general operatives and administrative staff from Janssen pharmaceuticals in Little Island on the outskirts of Cork, with the win.

WINNING

Numerous Janssen staff, questioned by the Herald, denied any knowledge of the winning syndicate while confirming they had all heard the local rumours.

There are more than 1,000 staff spread between the two sites in Little Island and the plant in Ringaskiddy, one worker said.

Im in a syndicate with some friends here and we certainly didnt win. Hand on heart.

Another Janssen employee arriving at the facility for work at 8am yesterday laughed off reporters questions.

If I won the 88m do you think Id be walking to work in the wind and cold? one man joked.
Since 2011, 1,637 motorists have been recorded as driving with drugs in their system. Stock picture

Roadside drug testing starting within weeks will check motorists for commonly prescribed medicines including Valium and sleeping tablets, as well as illegal drugs.

But why are they happening, and could gardai not already test for drugs?

Here's everything you need to know about the roadside drug testing:

1. Why are these tests being introduced?

Roadside drug testing has been proposed for a number of years, but the technology to take a saliva sample was not available until relatively recently.

Drug use can impair driving ability and increase the risk of being involved in a collision, and the tests form part of the national road safety strategy aimed at reducing deaths.

2. Can gardai not already test for drugs?

Yes, using roadside impairment testing already includes five types of tasks - testing for pupil dilation, asking motorists to touch their nose with their finger, assessing balance, a walking test, and standing on one foot for a count of eight.

Since 2011, 1,637 motorists have been recorded as driving with drugs in their system.

3. I take prescription drugs. Am I affected?

Only if you exceed the stated dose, or don't take them as prescribed.

A number of medicines will also be exempt from the new rules, including medicinal cannabis.

But experts warn that if a motorist does not feel well, they shouldn't drive. They also suggest if your medication changes, or the dose is altered, you should take extra care.

4. What about other medications such as anti-histamines?

In the case of these drugs, gardai will have to prove impairment and that you were unfit to drive.

5. What if I smoke a joint?

Professor Denis Cusack from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety said yesterday this was a difficult question to answer, as cannabis is more potent today than in the past. The drug may not be detected in your blood 12 hours after ingestion, but a driver can still be impaired.

6. Can I refuse to provide a sample?

No, you face a fine of 5,000 and/or six months imprisonment.
The former government jet - sold off due to escalating repair costs - has been refurbished by a private firm and flown to destinations such as Paris, New York and Barbados.

The Dail's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) quizzed Department of Defence boss Maurice Quinn about the sale of the Gulfstream IV jet for 418,000, more than 300,000 less than its estimated value.

Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane criticised the sale process and said the aircraft's new owners, US-based Journey Aviation, have insured it to the value of $5m (4.6m).

Fine Gael TD Noel Rock said highlighting the insurance valuation was an "unfair comparison".

He insisted the Government saved money by selling the aircraft, given the repair costs that would have been incurred had it been retained and kept in service.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) report said an informal valuation prior to the 2015 sale estimated the aircraft as below 750,000. Spare parts - later sold for 53,000 - were previously valued at more than 400,000.

Mr Quinn insisted he was "satisfied with the value achieved" in both sales due to the "exceptional circumstances involved".

He said a 2.5m engine overhaul was due by 2019. Government had only approved maintenance costs of 400,000 a year. Other repairs in 2014 would have cost 1.34m.

He said selling "was considered to be the only viable option". At the time the jet was stripped down at a Gulfstream facility in the US.

Mr Cullinane told TDs the plane was back in use and had been flown to Paris and Barbados.

"That to me is a far cry from this jet in pieces in a hanger... that's now flying around the world, making money for some company," he said.

Mr Quinn said he wouldn't comment on a service being provided by an independent party.
Former army officer Bob Stewart said he had been 'kind of a torturer' when he was posted to Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Stock Image: GETTY

A senior Conservative MP who served as a soldier in the North claimed torture is sometimes "justified" and can work as an interrogation method.

Former army officer Bob Stewart said he had been "kind of a torturer" when he was posted to Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The former colonel said techniques like sleep and food deprivation could be acceptable in certain situations. He told Emma Barnett on BBC 5 Live: "We don't like torture. No one likes torture. Not even Trump likes torture. But the fact of the matter is . . . sometimes it might work, and sometimes it might be justified.

"I don't agree with waterboarding but a certain amount of persuasion might be justified if someone, for example, had the knowledge about where a nuclear weapon that was going to explode in London was," he added. "That is where I suggest that people might say a certain amount of persuasion could be justified.

"I'm qualifying it all the way through.

"In circumstances where a great number of people, or indeed one person, is going to be killed, you have to think very carefully about what pressure you can put on people in order to give that information to stop people's lives being lost."

Asked about the types of torture techniques that might be suitable in those situations, he replied: "Sleep deprivation. Lack of food. Perhaps, as I've done, showing people pictures of their friends that have been blown up. That sort of thing."

Mr Stewart completed seven operational tours of the North during the Troubles. He told the programme: "Technically, as you look at it today, I was a kind of a torturer.

"Of course, it was acceptable then. It's now unacceptable and now it's defined as torture."

It comes after US President Donald Trump indicated his support for waterboarding.

He is understood to be preparing to order a review of interrogation methods and the possible reopening of "black site" prisons outside the US.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who meets the new US president today, said Britain would not back away from condemning torture, regardless of the approach taken by Trump's administration.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is in the firing line from his own TDs after opening the door to the possibility of Fine Gael entering a coalition with Sinn Fein.

Backbenchers and ministers have privately told Independent.ie they are deeply concerned and shocked by the party leaders sudden change of tack on the issue.

And a number have now publicly rejected the notion of sharing power with Gerry Adams.

Prior to last years General Election Mr Kenny said Sinn Fein were not fit for government and as far back as 2009 he said: "I made it perfectly clear that Fine Gael would not be doing business with Sinn Fein and I have no intention of revisiting that.

However, when asked about the possibility yesterday, the Taoiseach replied that he had also previously ruled out doing business with Fianna Fail who are now propping up his minority government.

Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell said talk of a coalition with Sinn Fein is nonsensical and concerning.

Should Sinn Fein ever enter a coalition government in the Republic, I cannot imagine it ever being with Fine Gael.

I would say that the likelihood of them making it into government would be at the discretion of others in the opposition benches, specifically, Fianna Fail, should the prospect arise.

In short, Fine Gael entering coalition with Sinn Fein would be nonsensical both in terms of policy and ideology, he said.

Dublin South West TD Colm Brophy said he would not support Sinn Fein being brought into government in any way, shape or form.

I believe they would wreck the economy of our country. I believe they are completely incompatible with Fine Gael, he said on RTEs Sean ORourke programme.

Longford/Westmeath TD Peter Burke echoed those sentiments, saying Fine Gael needed to challenge what he described as left-wing populism from Sinn Fein.

And Louth TD Fergus ODowd said his constituents would not support him if I voted for or went into government with Sinn Fein.

He said there were too many unanswered questions about Sinn Feins links to the IRA and suggested Gerry Adams wants people to believe he was nothing more than the chairman of the west Belfast tiddly-winks committee.

There was some unease within Sinn Fein too with the partys Dublin West TD Eoin O Broin tweeting: Is Enda Kenny having a laugh! Why would any self respecting republican want to be in coalition with a right wing partitionist party?

The partys deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said she wants to be in government but not at any price.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has opened the door to Fine Gael doing business with Sinn Fein, in a move that will cause major disquiet within his party.

In a dramatic shift from his pre-election position that Gerry Adams's party is "not fit for government", Mr Kenny repeatedly refused to rule out a future coalition.

It follows a softening of Sinn Fein's stance that it would only enter into a coalition if it was the senior partner.

The party's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald now says she wants to be in government and a "conversation" needs to be had between now and the next election.

Mr Kenny, who has been leader of Fine Gael for 15 years, has always maintained that there was no way his party would work with Sinn Fein. However, asked whether this might change in light of Ms McDonald's comments, he replied: "I said I wouldn't do business with Fianna Fail so, depending on the result you gave as a member of the electorate, politicians have to work with the result.

"So Sinn Fein seem to be converted now to a position of changing their stance."

However, Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar said yesterday that a Fine Gael deal with Sinn Fein "wouldn't be possible".

"I can't see it. I wouldn't seek a mandate for it and I think our policies are so far apart that it wouldn't be possible.

"It's actually the public and the people who will decide the make-up of the next government. But I absolutely do not envisage and would not seek a mandate for coalition with Sinn Fein," he said.

A number of senior Fine Gael sources were last night shocked by Mr Kenny's inconsistency, with one saying: "This is ridiculous stuff. I can't understand why he would open up this can of worms."

Sources said the vast majority of the party were still opposed to working in a coalition with a party that had strong links to the IRA.

Mr Kenny was given several opportunities by reporters to reject the idea of a coalition with Sinn Fein, but only went so far as to say they have "a long journey to go".

"I saw the comment from the deputy leader of the Sinn Fein party. I'm glad that they are now beginning to realise that in order to get things done you need to be there. I'm not going to make any further comment on that," he said.

When pressed, Mr Kenny said the issue didn't arise in the current administration as they have an arrangement with Fianna Fail. But rather than rule out the possibility after the next election, the Mayo TD said he expected Fine Gael to have "a much stronger result" next time.

Earlier this month, Government chief whip Regina Doherty faced a major backlash after stating she was open to a coalition with Sinn Fein.

The Meath East TD, who has been one of Gerry Adams's fiercest critics, said there were some "fabulous" people in the party.

"There are some incredible people in Sinn Fein; incredibly smart, articulate, thoughtful and could I work with them? Of course I could, yeah," Ms Doherty said.

Former Fine Gael director of elections Frank Flannery was the last senior party figure to give legitimacy to the idea in 2009 - but was demoted soon after.
Browne family confirm the sale of historic Westport House and Estate. Owners of Hotel Westport to invest 50 million and create 200 jobs. Pictured at Westport House today. L/R Mr. Owen Hughes, Ms Sheelyn Browne and Ms Karen Browne (Owners and Daughters of the late Lord Altamount), Mr. Cathal Hughes (Chairman of The Hughes Group) and Mr. Harry Hughes. Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Browne family confirm the sale of historic Westport House and Estate. Owners of Hotel Westport to invest 50 million and create 200 jobs. Pictured at Westport House today. L/R Ms Sheelyn Browne (Owner and Daughter of the late Lord Altamount) and Mr. Cathal Hughes (Chairman of The Hughes Group). Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Browne family confirm the sale of historic Westport House and Estate. Owners of Hotel Westport to invest 50 million and create 200 jobs. Pictured at Westport House today. L/R Mr. Owen Hughes, Ms Sheelyn Browne and Ms Karen Browne (Owners and Daughters of the late Lord Altamount), Mr. Cathal Hughes (Chairman of The Hughes Group) and Mr. Harry Hughes. Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Westport House has been sold to a local business family, while Mayo County Council have acquired 40 acres of the estate.

The house was bought by the well-known local family Hughes family of Portwest and The Hughes Group.

The news will be confirmed at a press conference in the estate today.

Ganly Waters oversaw the sale of the 10-bedroom property by Nama, which was on the market for 10m, making it the nation's second most expensive country home for sale this year.

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Previous owners Browne family today confirmed the sale of the historic property and said that estate administrators have agreed the terms of the sale of the estate and house to Hotel Westport.

The owners of Hotel Westport will invest 50m in the project and will create 200 jobs for the local area.

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"This is an emotional day for our family," Ms Sheelyn Browne said today.

"On the one hand, we are handing over custody of our ancestral family home after hundreds of years but we are doing so in the knowledge that the new owners are committed to bringing to fruition the ambitions and dreams of our late and much loved father Jeremy Browne.

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"We are indebted to the estate administrators Con Casey and Dermot Furey for their unrelenting efforts to secure the future of the estate.

"We also want to thank all those who supported our efforts from our local TDs to the community of Westport. In particular we would like to thank Minister Michael Ring, Peter Hynes, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council and his team and NAMA for working constructively and collaboratively with our advisers.

"There is one group that deserves special mention. That is our hard-working and dedicated small team at Westport House. We would not have been able to survive the last three difficult years without their unwavering support and loyalty. They know who they are and we as a family owe them a great debt of gratitude."

The family also said they were "touched very deeply" by the support shown by the locals in Westport over the "last few difficult years".

Expand Close Browne family confirm the sale of historic Westport House and Estate. Owners of Hotel Westport to invest 50 million and create 200 jobs. Pictured at Westport House today. L/R Mr. Owen Hughes, Mr. Cathal Hughes (Chairman of The Hughes Group) and Mr. Harry Hughes. Pic: Michael McLaughlin / Facebook

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Meanwhile, Chairman of the Hotel Westport Mr. Cathal Hughes said they plan to make the multi-million euro investment and create jobs within the next five years.

"We plan to invest up to 50m in new facilities which will lead to the creation of 200 new jobs over the next five years," Mr Hughes said.

"On behalf of the Hughes family I want to wish the Browne family every success in the future and I look forward to liaising with them as we develop our plans over the next few years.

"I want to assure all the existing staff, suppliers and customers that we will continue to operate as normal under the new ownership."

Luxury

It has also been claimed as Ireland's most beautiful.

Whether or not this is the case, the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Sligo with 455ac certainly leaves you breathless at the richness and quality of each and every main room inside, and is therefore one of the few abodes to truly qualify for that much bandied term: 'stunning'

The entrance hall is somewhat famous as the only surviving Richard Cassels-designed interior of a Doric Frieze and coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling.

Its inner end opens to an imperial staircase of Sicilian marble which was designed by George Wilkinson and has balustrade details by Francis Skidmore, the supremo of 19th century metal work.

Almost every top craftsman in these islands through the late 18th and 19th century has had some hand here. Each room is a show-stopper, among them the Chinese bedroom, which features a full wall-to-ceiling hand painted depiction of the famous willow pattern, telling the tale of a tragic love story between a young oriental couple.

The original house was built in the 1650s by Colonel John Browne on the foundation of Grace O'Malley's Castle. He married O'Malley's great great granddaughter, Maude Burke.

The current house dates largely from the 18th century and stands as a two storey block with nine bay front and two bay wings on either side.

At 38,210 sq ft, it would accommodate the floor space upstairs and downstairs of almost 40 standard city homes.

Ganly Waters also completed the sale of former Health Minister James Reilly's mansion Loughton House this week.

Westport House in numbers:
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Frances Constitutional Council has repealed a law on criminalization of denial of the so-called Armenian genocide, Turkish media outlets reported.

This ruling causes uncertainty regarding expressions and comments on historical matters. Thereby, this ruling is an unnecessary and disproportionate attack against freedom of speech, the council said.

The law carried a punishment of a year in prison or 40,000 euros of fine.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out genocide against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Turkey in turn has always denied the genocide took place. While strengthening the efforts to promote the genocide in the world, Armenians have achieved its recognition by the parliaments of some countries.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Dublin Zoo is celebrating the birth of a bongo - one of the rarest antelope species in the world.

As few as 75 eastern bongos exist in the wild in their native Kenya, where they are hunted in remote highlands for their horns and meat.

The calf's gender has yet to be confirmed because newborns are shy and naturally take cover to protect themselves.

But keepers say the youngster is healthy and being nurtured by its mother, Nanyuki.

It brings to five Dublin Zoo's herd of the big-eared antelope, which are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Helen Clarke-Bennet of Dublin Zoo said it was delighted with its second bongo calf in almost two years.

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"The calf has been well-received by its mother, and grandmother Kimba has also taken a shine to the family's latest addition," said Ms Clarke-Bennet.

"We're pleased to see the new arrival is feeding well and has adapted seamlessly to its new-found surroundings."

The eastern bongo's distinctive large ears help it hear approaching predators in the wild, such as leopards and hyenas.

Those who would like to see the latest addition to the zoo family can do so by visiting the Bongo Habitat in the African Plains.

Just last month the zoo welcomed the birth of a baby oryx.

The scimitar-horned oryx is considered to be extinct in the wild.
Frustrated by your inability to fall asleep? You're not alone. An estimated 15pc of Irish people suffer from insomnia, a sleep disorder that can adversely affect the mood and impair emotional regulation.

If you're at the end of your tether, or you feel as though you've tried everything, perhaps it's time to take an alternative approach.

1 TAKE AN EPSOM SALT BATH

Magnesium is known as nature's Valium for good reason. It improves nerve function, relaxes muscles, and may even reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. If you want to get a better night's sleep, the best way to take magnesium is in the bath. When Epsom salt, also known as magnesium sulfate, is used as a bath soak, a small amount of magnesium is absorbed through the skin, and it's often just enough to relax the body and induce sleep.

2 DON'T LOOK AT THE CLOCK

Those who habitually lie awake at night will know that insomnia can sometimes be a fear of not falling asleep, as much as it is an inability to fall sleep. This is known as 'psychophysiological insomnia' - the pressure to fall asleep - and it triggers a self-perpetuating cycle.

Sleep experts advise that insomnia sufferers don't compound the anxiety by looking at their clock during the night. It's also important to use soothing self-talk. Instead of thinking 'I'll be exhausted tomorrow', assure yourself that you have functioned perfectly well on limited sleep in the past and there is no reason why you can't do it again.

3 REDESIGN YOUR SLEEPING SPACE

The Sleep Foundation has outlined specific standards for the ideal sleeping environment. A bedroom should be cool - between 15 C and 19 C - and free of any noises that can disturb sleep. They also recommend blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, 'white noise' machines, humidifiers, fans and other devices, if necessary.

4 YOUR BED IS ONLY FOR TWO THINGS

sleep and sex. All sleep experts are united in this advice. Avoid the temptation to watch movies or work on your laptop while lying in bed. This will help you associate your bedroom as a place of rest, rather than work or recreation. Additionally, sex is proven to induce sleep. It has to do with the 'cuddle hormone' oxytocin, which is released during sex.

5 SLEEP UNDER THE STARS

A fascinating study published in Current Biology found that a week of camping (without exposure to artificial light) resets the body clock. When we are exposed to natural light, our internal body clocks align with solar time, the study found. If you've been working night shifts (which can wreak havoc on the sleep schedule in the long run), consider a getaway that allows you to sleep under the stars.

6 START A GRATITUDE DIARY

Arianna Huffington, author of The Sleep Revolution, recommends writing a gratitude diary as part of your bedtime routine. "Write down a list of what you're grateful for before bed," she says. "It's a great way to make sure your blessings get the closing scene of the night."

7 NATURE'S SLEEP PILL

If you are in a cycle of taking prescription sleeping pills, consider transitioning to a non-addictive natural alternative. Integrated medicine pioneer Dr Andrew Weil recommends the sedative herb valerian, which has been used since the age of Hippocrates to treat insomnia. You can find it in most health food shops. Take one to two capsules half an hour before bedtime. Check with your doctor first.

8 PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness meditation has myriad benefits, better sleep being just one of them. According to a study that was recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, those who practiced mindfulness had less insomnia, fatigue and depression, when compared to another group who had completed a sleep education class.

9 COUNT NUMBERS, NOT SHEEP

The tired old cliche about counting sheep probably won't help those who have difficulty falling asleep. However, counting numbers can be surprisingly effective, says sleep expert Dr Vicky Seelall, who recommends counting backwards from 100 in multiples of 3... 99, 96, 93, 90, 87, 84 etc.

10 EXERCISE EARLIER IN THE DAY

Exercise is proven to enhance sleep quality, but the time of day that you work out is crucial. Vigorous exercise within three hours of sleep, when the body should be going into wind-down mode, can over-stimulate the metabolism.

11 WEAR PYJAMAS

It's all too easy to fall into bed wearing tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt. However, sleep experts suggest that our sleep wear can act as an external cue that signals to the brain that it is time to fall asleep.

12 LEARN TO SELF-SOOTHE

Deirdre McGrath of Deva Healing Arts in the Dublin Holistic Centre (devahealingarts.com) is an energy medicine practitioner, which is described as "acupuncture without the needles". She teaches a workshop on insomnia in which she suggests the following technique: "Place one hand flat across your forehead and the other flat across your lower belly (just below the navel). Hold for 2-3 minutes.

"Then, keeping one hand on your belly, press the tips of thumb, index and middle finger of the other hand together, and hold lightly at the hollow at the base of your throat. This connects your energies in a way that dissipates stress, allowing your body to relax and drift off to a natural sleep."

13 WIND DOWN WITH YOGA

Yoga teacher Sinead O'Connor of Hush Yoga (hushyoga.com) recommends restorative yoga and yin yoga to those who are suffering from insomnia. "The beauty of these yoga styles is that they reenergise when energy is needed, yet they have an equally calming effect so that when it's time to rest, it's possible to do so."

She also recommends a number of postures that can be done just before bedtime. "Postures that promote good sleep are mostly seated forward bends," she explains. "The forward motion of the spine has a very calming effect on the nervous system. There are an array of postures that one can choose, including Balasana (child's pose), Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog), Janu-Sirsasana (head-to-knee forward bend), Badhakonasana (butterfly pose) and Sukasana (easy pose), to name a few.

"It is also important to balance all the forward motion with a simple backbend. Something like bridge posture is a good choice here as it isn't as intense as some of the other backbends that can invigorate the nervous system."

14 PRACTICE 4-7-8 BREATHING

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is known as a tranquilliser for the nervous system. Dr Weil says it can help insomniacs fall asleep in 60 seconds, although that claim may be a touch farfetched. Nonetheless, it's a powerful breathing technique that induces a deep state of relaxation. With your mouth closed, inhale quietly through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Finally, exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound, for a count of eight. Repeat the cycle two to four times, or until you feel relaxed.

15 SCENT TO SLEEP

Certain essential oils can calm the mind and relax the body, leading to a better night's sleep. Aromatherapist Michael Hinch of In Harmony Holistic Therapies recommends the following blends:

Blend 1

 1 drop geranium

 2 drops palmarosa

 2 drops lavender

 10ml grapeseed carrier oil

Mix all the ingredients and use the blend for therapeutic massage or in a diffuser (without the carrier oil).

Blend 2

 1 drop sweet orange

 2 drops lavender

 2 drops geranium

 10ml grapeseed carrier oil

Mix all the ingredients and use the blend for therapeutic massage or in a diffuser (without the carrier oil).
Some 150 families have moved into the Millers Glen development north of Swords since the project hit the headlines in 2014, when house-hunters queued up overnight to bag their house of choice at the scheme, the first to launch in north Dublin in seven years.

A second phase called Fairbook followed in 2015 and the third phase, Longview, is being released this weekend.

Many of the first-time buyers have been lured not just by prospect of getting more bang for their buck near the satellite town than in suburbs closer to the city, but also by Millers Glen's location opposite the two new primary schools.

There are plans afoot to eventually develop several hundred more homes at Millers Glen, according to the selling agent.

To the left of the original phase on Glen Ellan Road is Longview, a new sector that will comprise 130 three and four-bed homes when it's finished. This weekend, 41 of those homes will be released for sale, with a new style of showhouse to market a three-bed semi-detached style.

Designed by Conroy Crowe Kelly Architects, the facades are half mottled brown brick, half render, with a canopy over the front door and additional brickwork detail over the first-floor windows.

The three-bed townhouses at Longview measure 1,195 sq ft, while the three-bed semi-detached houses are 1,216 sq ft and the four-bed semi-detached houses span 1,550 sq ft. The four-bed detached properties have 1,582 sq ft of accommodation. Prices start at 299,950 for the three-bed townhouses, rising to 315,000 for the end-of-terrace version and 345,000 for the detached type. The price tags for the four-beds start at 375,000 for the semi-detached version, climbing to 445,000 for the four-bed detached properties.

The homes, in the Applewood area of Swords, qualify for the new tax rebate for first-time buyers. The scheme is being built by Gannon Homes, which is also about to start construction on a new neighbourhood retail centre as part of Millers Glen.

Features included as standard at Longview are oak-veneered internal doors, Irish-made kitchens and bedroom wardrobes from Cawleys, and sanitary ware, pumped showers and extensive wall and floor tiling in all bathrooms and ensuites. Because the homes have an A3 BER, they are efficient and cheap to run. Solar panels provide a continuous supply of low-cost hot water, the central heating is gas-fired and there are double-glazed uPVC windows from Grady Joinery throughout.

Longview is a five-minute walk from Applewood Village, Swords village is 2km away, while Airside Retail Centre is 3km, as is the Pavilions Shopping Centre. For commuters, Longview is located just off the M1 motorway and close to the M50 and Dublin Airport. Swords Express, which serves Dublin City Centre, is planning a bus stop for Millers Glen.

The new showhouse at Longview, fitted out by Phoenix Design, is on view tomorrow and Sunday between 2pm-4pm.
Theresa May's speech of January 17 has been justifiably described as somewhere between catastrophic and disastrous in its implications for the island of Ireland.

The threat to leave not only the single market but the EU's customs union as well will clearly have hugely damaging consequences for trade in both directions between Britain and Ireland. It will also make the creation of a hard border between the North and the Republic almost inevitable.

It is curious, therefore, that the speech seems to have been welcomed here by some at the highest levels of Government. Presumably, they were seduced by Mrs May's honeyed words referring to the special relationship which exists between the UK and the Republic and her desire to maintain the Common Travel Area (CTA) between our two countries. In my view, however, the CTA is a poisoned chalice that currently offers very few benefits to Ireland.

The CTA is essentially a mechanism which enables the UK to control immigration into Ireland. In other words, Irish immigration authorities have to ensure that all non-nationals requiring visas to enter Ireland from outside the CTA are pre-approved by the British Home Office.

In my own experience serving in Irish embassies abroad, there have often been interminable delays while I waited for such pre-approvals to be granted for visa applicants wishing to holiday or study in Ireland - who under any other circumstances could only be described as highly desirable visitors. One could not help but suspect that requests for visa clearances emanating from our Department of Justice did not rank highly in the Home Office's list of priorities. Needless to say, consultation did not take place in the opposite direction.

It is argued, of course, that the CTA greatly facilitates travel between the Republic and UK. But is this really the case? We all know that air travel from here to the UK already requires a valid passport or other photo identification. Would there be any great change in practice if the CTA ceased to exist?

The Border

The crux of the whole matter undoubtedly is the Border with Northern Ireland. No amount of deft diplomacy will prevent the creation of a hard border between the North and the Republic if Mrs May (pictured inset) makes good on her threats regarding the single market and the customs union.

So it is essential that the Irish Government focuses its efforts on protecting the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in full and seeking to uphold the will of the Northern Irish electorate as expressed in last June's referendum. In this regard, a special status arrangement with the EU for Northern Ireland seems to me to be essential.

Failure to achieve this will create a vista almost too grim to contemplate.

How this special status can be obtained is clearly a matter for lengthy negotiations with both London and Brussels in the coming months and years. Whatever the eventual outcome, achieving such an arrangement should be the Irish Government's prime objective.

Without every possible pressure being exerted by Dublin, it seems certain that few concessions will be granted by London to recognise the North's unique requirements. Nor can much help be expected in this regard from what is likely to be an increasingly dysfunctional Belfast Executive.

British Objectives

Having said all that, I believe that those who doubt the sincerity of Mrs May's commitment to friendship with Ireland are probably mistaken. She does indeed want a close relationship with the Republic - but it will not be one based on the principles of equality or evenhandedness.

Instead, she would seem to envisage a return to the old days prior to EU membership, when the Republic was often little more than a client state of the UK. Under such circumstances, there would be no difficulty for London in agreeing to the greatest possible freedom for the movement of people and goods between and within our two islands. Indeed, if we Irish were eventually to detach ourselves partially or completely from the EU, that would be even better from a British point of view.

That, however, is not what the vast majority of Irish people want. By allowing ourselves to be persuaded that retention of the CTA is a major policy objective for us, we would not only become unpaid agents for the protection of Britain's borders but we would also risk losing much of the hard-won sovereignty which our EU membership has enhanced. The CTA should be regarded as little more than fool's gold which will prove worthless unless we grasp the bigger picture.

In this respect, our long-delayed membership of the Schengen Agreement may well prove much more beneficial to us than retention of the CTA.

Overall, Mrs May's speech was patronising to all Britain's EU partners - but particularly to us. She stated at one point that she alone would act on behalf of "all four nations of the UK", including, presumably, the Irish nation.

She failed to recognise that of the 6.5 million members of the Irish nation currently resident on the island of Ireland, fewer than two million come under her jurisdiction - and even of these at least 56pc have no desire to leave the EU at all.

Unless Mrs May takes lessons soon in geography as well as history, it may prove very difficult for us all to avoid the chaos which Brexit is likely to unleash upon these islands.

Dr Niall Holohan retired as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia after 40 years in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has also served in the Secretariats in Belfast and Armagh
I apologise to Donald Trump. As Sean Spicer so wisely said at his first news conference on Monday (it was the first. The one that happened on Saturday did not happen at all, and I recognise that!), it is unfair to be so mean and negative all the time.

Here is the fair and unbiased story about the inauguration written in compliance with the Trump style guidelines that we should have been obeying all along.

Nothing that has ever happened or will ever happen was as great as Donald Trump's inauguration.

The crowd was magnificent and huge, bigger than any crowd had ever been before! It stretched all the way to the moon. The Pope, who was there, confirmed it.

"Thanks for being here, Pope," Donald Trump told him.

Everyone in the world had come there at great expense. They sold all their possessions to raise money to come and see this great sight. They could not believe that a perfect being such as Donald Trump even existed. They thought that he was a myth or a legend or a decades-long series of fabrications.

But then they saw him, and their doubts fell away.

The media was there, too, and they were very sorry. "Donald," the newscasters said, "we were mean to you. We used to laugh and call you names. We were no better than all of the other reindeer. How can you ever forgive us?"

"Forgive you?" Donald Trump asked. "I've already forgotten." He smiled a big, beautiful smile. That was just who Donald Trump was: forgiving, like Jesus, but blond.

It was a wonderful start to the day.

Everyone liked Donald Trump's speech and the words that he used. They liked even more the part where he rolled up his sleeve and showed off his bicep.

Donald Trump pulled out a violin and played a solo, and then he pulled out a guitar and played an even sicker solo. The whole ground was soon covered with women's undergarments. (Millions of women were there to support Donald Trump, and they were all at least sevens.) Also, every woman that Donald Trump had ever dated was there, and they were not upset with him, just ashamed that they had not lived up to his required standard.

"Trump! Trump! Trump!" the crowd cheered.

Donald Trump touched many people in the crowd in a way that they all thought was welcome and appropriate, and he cured their ailments, from cancer to autism.

Then Donald Trump served loaves and fishes to everyone there. There were enough loaves and fishes for everyone, and they all were Made in America and said "TRUMP" on them.

It was like the Oscars, but also like Woodstock, but also like the Super Bowl, but also like the Sermon on the Mount.

If you were not there, you should just go home and die, because nothing in your life will have purpose or meaning by comparison, not even holding your newborn child in your arms or having health insurance. This is what FOMO (fear of missing out) was talking about for all these years.

Bono, and Bruce Springsteen, and Elton John, and the Rolling Stones, and Beyonce and all the top artists were there. They fought hard over who would be allowed to sing. Finally Bruce Springsteen won. Bono cried and cried, and the other artists had to console him.

The people were so excited that they built a very special stone pyramid just for Donald Trump so that he would not have to wait until he died to see what his monument would look like. But they were silly to be concerned. Donald Trump will never die!

A little child was in the audience, and he started to cry because the emperor was wearing so many clothes. Also, he could tell that he was not and never had been racist.

Donald Trump can talk to the animals, and his eyes are lasers.

When the floor is lava, Donald Trump can walk on it, but only Donald Trump.

When Donald Trump points his finger at you, you have to lie down. But when other people point their fingers at Donald Trump, he does not have to. Donald Trump's block tower is the biggest. He does not need a nap or a snack.

He has the longest, biggest attention span. Everyone loves Donald Trump, and what he has to say interests them.

Donald Trump is the star.

He won the popular vote, too.
Coronation Street actor Ben Price has quit the soap to spend more time with his family.

The actor, who plays Nick Tilsley in the ITV series, said that he left with nothing but good memories, but wanted to focus on his personal life.

Price, who commutes from London to Manchester for the role, told the Daily Mirror: "Coronation Street has been the most significant part of my career and I have had a fantastic seven years here.

"The decision to leave is purely personal - I want to be able to spend more time with my family.

"I have been supported by a terrific cast and crew and have had the most glorious storylines and for that I am most grateful."

Father-of-two Price, 45, has been in the soap since 2009 and has had a long-running storyline with Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson).

The soap pair are currently preparing to welcome a baby. Nick knows he is not the real father but Price's exit storyline, set for early summer, is thought to be linked to other characters discovering that Rovers Return pint puller Steve McDonald is the dad.

Coronation Street executive producer Kieran Roberts said: "We fully respect Ben's decision to leave Coronation Street.

"As Nick, he has been at the centre of some of the biggest plots of the last seven years.

"He is valued member of cast who will be greatly missed, but we still have many months of great storylines with him, leading to his dramatic exit later this year."
Mischa Barton visits the Avakian Suite during The 69th Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2016 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Avakian)

Mischa Barton arrives at amfAR's 23rd Cinema Against AIDS Gala at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 19, 2016 in Cap d'Antibes, France. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

The OC actress was arrested in December 2007 for DUI charges.

Mischa Barton attends tThe Heart Fund Generous People Gala 2016 during the 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2016 in Cannes, . (Photo by Pierre Suu/Getty Images)

(L to R) Ben McKenzie and Mischa Barton as Ryan and Marissa on The OC

Mischa Barton attends the De Grisogono Party during the annual 69th Cannes Film Festival at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 17, 2016 in Cap d'Antibes, France. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Actress Mischa Barton attends the Globe Fashion Week X China Moment fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Art Beam on September 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images for New York Fashion Week: The Shows)

Mischa Barton attends the Chiara Boni La Petite Robe fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at The Dock, Skylight at Moynihan Station on September 13, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for New York Fashion Week: The Shows)

Mischa Barton poses for photographs at the amfAR's 23rd Cinema Against AIDS Gala at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 19, 2016 in Cap d'Antibes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/WireImage)

Mischa Barton attends the 'Loving' premiere during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2016 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Isa Saiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Actress Mischa Barton has reportedly been hospitalised for a mental evaluation after a bizarre incident at her home in West Hollywood on Thursday morning.

Sources tell TMZ police officers were called to her pad after neighbours reported her odd behaviour, claiming she was hanging over her backyard fence and ranting about her mother being a witch.

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters responded to a call about a possible overdose and reportedly found Mischa wearing only a dress shirt and tie.

Police sources tell the news outlet Mischa was voluntarily transported to a nearby hospital for a mental evaluation.

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The actress' mental health has caused concern in the past - following her exit from teen drama The O.C. in 2006, she hit headlines for a 2007 DUI arrest, a stint in rehab, and an emotional breakdown in 2009.

In 2013, she reflected on her recovery from her "full on breakdown", crediting her "jet-set lifestyle" which attracted the wrong kind of crowd.

"It was terrifying," she added. "Straight out of Girl, Interrupted. Story of my life."

"There were a lot of enablers around, people to fly you around and make it all possible," she told People.

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Last year, Mischa accused her estranged mother, Nuala, from Newry, Co Down, of stalling the planned sale of their Beverly Hills mansion, a year after suing her for fraud and accusing her of stealing money.

Barton alleged her mother had rigged the paperwork on the purchase of the California property to give herself co-ownership of her seven-bedroom pad, and then took out loans against the house before kicking her daughter out.

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The case was dismissed in February, after the two women agreed to sell the house to help them both settle financial debts, but in legal papers filed in May, Mischa claimed Nuala had reneged on the deal by refusing access to potential buyers. Mischa's lawyer asked the judge overseeing the case to place a trustee in charge of securing a sale.

Nuala hit back at the "heinous" and "false" accusations in her own court response, lodged in June, insisting her daughter was the one to blame for the delay of the property sale.

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The two women have since accepted a $7 million bid on the home.

Mischa attempted to launch a career comeback with a stint on U.S. talent show Dancing With the Stars last year, but she became the second celebrity to be booted off the show in April.

In November, she became the unlikely co-host of U.S. TV car show Joyride. The six-episode motor enthusiast show premiered on the Esquire Network on November 15.
On 25 January 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order for border security and immigration enforcement improvements at the Department of Homeland Security AP

Donald Trump has ordered his new administration to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants.

The US Presidents sweeping new executive order on immigration, which he signed on the fifth day of his presidency, includes a paragraph mandating the Secretary for Homeland Security to "make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens" in the US.

The list will also include details of so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to hand over immigrant residents for deportation.

The order reads: "To better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions, the Secretary shall utilize the Declined Detainer Outcome Report or its equivalent and, on a weekly basis, make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens."

It does not specify that only crimes committed by illegal immigrants should be included - raising the prospect of offences committed by any immigrant being published even if the person is living in the US legally.

The decision to publish a list of immigrant crimes is reminiscent of the Black crime listings on Breitbart News - the far-right website that until recently was run by Steve Bannon, who is now Mr Trumps chief strategist.

In an executive order titled "Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements", Mr Trump signed into law many of the pledges he made during his election campaign. These include building a wall along the US-Mexico border, deporting illegal immigrants, establishing new immigration detention centres and hiring 5,000 more Border Patrol agents.

The order claimed the measures were needed to ensure the safety and territorial integrity of the United States and said illegal immigrants present a significant threat to national security and public safety.

On signing the order, the President read out the names of US citizens who were murdered by illegal immigrants.

Mr Trump has repeatedly promised to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the US. During the presidential campaign, he said: "We have some bad hombres, and were going to get them out".

On the issue of Mexican immigrants, he said: "Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists and some, I assume, are good people".

The Republican pledged to remove 11 million undocumented migrants from the US within the first two years of his presidency, although later said the real number would be "probably two million, even three million".

There are an estimated 820,000 undocumented migrants with criminal records in the US.

In response to Mr Trumps threat, the Democrat mayors of a number of large US cities, including New York, Chicago and Seattle, said they would refuse to co-operate with federal authorities attempting to deport immigrants.

The Republican responded by saying he would starve such cities of federal funding, and has now signed this into law via a second executive order, signed on the same day and titled 'Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States'.

This states that "sanctuary jurisdictions" are "not eligible to received Federal grants".

However, some experts have suggested such a move could be illegal. US law says federal funds can only be withheld if a city or state refuses to do something directly related to the funding they are receiving.

For example, money earmarked for education or economic investment could not be withheld if a city refused to comply with immigration enforcement.
Vladimir Putin plans to hold telephone talks with Donald Trump over the weekend, Sputnik reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to hold telephone talks with US President Donald Trump over the weekend, an NBC White House correspondent reports.

"President Trump and Vladimir Putin are expected to talk by phone this weekend, per administration source. 1st call since inauguration," Hallie Jackson wrote on Twitter.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the date of a first phone call between Putin and Trump since the US presidents inauguration had not been determined yet.
CCTV footage captured the moment a man was attacked with a pair of nunchucks as he tackled two would-be thieves trying to steal his motorbike.

The owner ran out of his house carrying the martial arts weapon as one suspect armed with a screwdriver tried to steal his three-wheeled bike in Arnull's Road, Croydon, south London.

One of the crooks grabbed the nunchucks before lashing out at him with them, injuring the 46-year-old's hand.

As neighbours came to his aid, the two men fled on foot, leaving behind a stolen bike they had arrived on just after 1.30pm on December 10.

Detective Constable Ania Casey, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "If the owner had not locked his motorbike with a heavy chain, his bike may have been taken in seconds.

"Those extra minutes were sufficient enough to alert the owner and his neighbours to deter the two suspects."

One suspect is described as wearing a dark jacket with a red logo on the back, black trousers with a blue line down the side, black trainers with white soles and gloves.

The second wore a dark jacket with a grey top, dark trousers, black trainers with white soles and a helmet with a Nike tick on the back.

No arrests have been made, and police have urged witnesses to call officers on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
A woman is set to marry a former homeless man she fell in love with after striking up a friendship when she found him rifling through a bin.

Joan Neininger (88) took pity on 89-year-old Ken Selway when she saw him looking for food outside her bookshop while he lived on the streets.

She started to make him sandwiches and, over the the years, the couple grew close as she helped him overcome his many demons.

The couple's love story, which began in spring 1975, will now have a happy ending when they tie the knot at a registry office next month.

Mr Selway had become friendly with Ms Neininger and her then husband, but following Mr Neininger's death, the pair started a romance.

Ms Neininger, a great-grandmother with three children, lives with her husband-to-be at a residential home in Gloucester.

She said: "When I saw him ferreting through the bins outside a fish and chip shop near my bookshop, I never thought for a minute it would end like this.

"But although he was living on the streets, I knew straight away that Ken was a lovely man with a beautiful soul."

Ms Neininger said that from their first meeting, she always felt Mr Selway was different. She spent years battling with Mr Selway's schizophrenia before proposing last year.

They will now become husband and wife on Ms Neininger's birthday, four days after Valentine's Day, at Cinderford registry office.

She said that when she first saw Mr Selway he was smartly dressed and drank only milk so she presumed he was staying in a B&B and just had nowhere to go during the day.

But she said that after reading Down and Out in Britain by Jeremy Sandford, she realised that he could be one of the many people slipping through the welfare state safety net.

Ms Neininger added: "The first time I saw him searching for food in a rubbish bin, I silently broke my heart."

She began leaving sandwiches in the bin for him because he would not take any money and eventually, with the blessing of her then-husband Norman, she invited Mr Selway in for a meal.

For a long time, Mr Selway refused all offers of help and money, but he eventually opened up about his own life. He revealed that he had been born in London and had been evacuated to Wales.

When the Welsh man he regarded as a father died, he returned home, but his mother could not cope with his mental health problems.

After being made homeless, Mr Selway slept in railway stations and shop doorways until he went to Gloucester looking for relatives of his evacuee father and stumbled across a derelict house to sleep in at night.

His only belongings at the time were a set of clean clothes, a radio, a fossil he once mined and a few personal pieces that he hid behind a wall.

He frequently considered suicide, but Ms Neininger said she spotted an "innate dignity and a measured way of speaking" that made her realise he was from an educated family.

Over the next few years, Mr Selway came in and out of the family's life, but caring for him took a toll on Ms Neininger's 30-year marriage.

At one point, Mr Neininger issued an ultimatum and she moved out into a caravan which Mr Selway would come and stay at.

At first they were happy, but Mr Selway's mental health problems made him unpredictable and he could "fly off the handle".

Ms Neininger, who went on to become a mental health campaigner, said: "People with schizophrenia are imprisoned by the voices.

"Ken believed everything these voices were telling him, so it was very difficult to have a relationship. I did not know anything about it, but I soon learned."

Because of Mr Selway's illness, the couple's relationship has always been celibate, but Ms Neininger believes this has made them even closer.

And this meant that for several decades Mr Selway and the Neiningers all lived happily together.

Ms Neininger added: "I married at 16 and Norman was a wonderful man and a lovely husband and father. Because there was no sexual jealousy it was fine and Ken and Norman were like brothers. It was like a little paradise, just Ken, Norman and me."

After Mr Neininger died of a heart attack, Mr Selway developed health problems that meant he eventually had to move into a residential home, where he was later joined by Joan.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, USA, ahead of her meeting with President Donald Trump. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

British Prime Minister Theresa May bows her head as she lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., January 27 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

British Prime Minister Theresa May lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., January 27 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., January 27 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

British Prime Minister Theresa May bows her head as she lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., January 27 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

British Prime Minister Theresa May participates in lay wreathing ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., January 27 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

British Prime Minister Theresa May lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, U.S., January 27 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

President Donald Trump walks over to pose for a photo with British Prime Minister Theresa May between a bust of Winston Churchill, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump stand side by side at the start of a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

President Donald Trump re-arranges on a table before posing for a photograph with British Prime Minister Theresa May in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

U.S. President Donald Trump greets British Prime MinisterTheresa May as she arrives at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

President Donald Trump shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

US President Donald Trump has given his strong backing for Brexit, telling Theresa May that "a free and independent Britain is a blessing for the world".

Mr Trump predicted he would have a "fantastic" relationship with the Prime Minister, as he welcomed her as his first overseas visitor since becoming president and accepted her invitation to come to the UK on a state visit later this year.

In a White House press conference minutes after showing her the bust of Winston Churchill restored to the Oval Office, Mr Trump said the special relationship between the UK and US was "one of the great forces in history for justice and for peace".

And he added, in words that will be warmly appreciated in Downing Street: "We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship."

The sense that Mrs May had hit it off with the president on their first meeting was reinforced when the pair briefly held hands as they walked from the Oval Office to their first press conference together.

In almost an hour of talks ahead of a working lunch with Mr Trump, Mrs May appeared to have made some progress on key policy issues which have threatened to divide them.

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She pointedly noted that she had secured Mr Trump's "100pc" commitment to Nato, allaying British concerns over his earlier description of the military alliance as "obsolete".

Addressing Mr Trump directly before the TV cameras, Mrs May said: "Today we have reaffirmed our unshakeable commitment to this alliance.

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"Mr President, I think you confirmed that you are 100pc behind Nato."

And Mr Trump backed away from suggestions that he was ready to sanction the use of torture on terror suspects - something Mrs May had made clear she could not support.

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The president said that, although he did not "necessarily agree" with his defence secretary's opposition to "enhanced interrogation" methods like torture, he would allow James Mattis to override him.

High on the agenda for the meeting were Britain's hopes for a swift free trade agreement with the US after its withdrawal from the EU.

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Mrs May said they were both "ambitious" for a deal and wanted to "take forward immediate high-level talks, lay the groundwork for a UK/US trade agreement and identify the practical steps we can take now in order to enable companies in both countries to trade and do business with one another more easily."

Mr Trump left no doubt about his enthusiasm for the process.

"I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country," he said.

"When it irons out you are going to have your own identity and you are going to have the people that you want in your country and you are going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you are doing.

"I think it will end up being a fantastic thing for the United Kingdom. I think in the end it will be a tremendous asset, not a tremendous liability."

In his first press conference since his inauguration last week, Mr Trump seemed taken aback when confronted by a tough series of questions on torture, Russia, travel restrictions for Muslims and abortion from BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

Donald Trump joked about the quick demise of the special relationship between the UK and the US, after a grilling from the BBC's political editor.

The president's first response to Laura Kuenssberg's stern questioning was to say: "There goes that relationship," prompting laughter from those gathered at the White House press conference.

She put it to Mr Trump: "Mr President, you've said before that torture works, you've praised Russia, you've said you want to ban some Muslims from coming to America, you've suggested there should be punishment for abortion.

"For many people in Britain those sound like alarming beliefs. What do you say to our viewers at home who are worried about some of your views and worried about you becoming the leader of the free world?"

Pointing to Ms Kuenssberg and turning to Mrs May, Mr Trump said: "This was your choice of a question?"

Leaning in to the microphone with a smile, he added: "There goes that relationship."

Mrs May said: "I have been listening to the president and the president has been listening to me. That's the point of having a conversation and a dialogue."

She added: "There will be times when we disagree and issues on which we disagree. The point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion so we are able to make that clear when it happens.

"But I am clear also that there are many issues on which the UK and the US stand alongside one another, many issues on which we agree."

She said an "even stronger special relationship" would be in the interests of the wider world.

Her meeting at the White House comes after she addressed congressmen from the president's Republican party in Philadelphia on Thursday.

She lent her weight to Mr Trump's call for Nato members to match the US and UK in meeting promises to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

And she offered backing for some of the president's other foreign policy priorities, condemning Iran's "malign influence" in the Middle East, promising to "stand up" for Israel's security and vowing not to repeat "failed" interventions like the Blair-Bush invasion of Iraq.

But she also had words of caution for Mr Trump over his approach to Russia's Vladimir Putin, suggesting his watchword should be "engage but beware".

Her speech at the Republican Congressmen's Retreat was the first time a foreign head of government had addressed the annual gathering.

In a sign of her determination to deepen links with the Republican establishment as well as the team around Mr Trump, she held private talks with senior congressmen including House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

Aides said the meeting with Mr Ryan focused on trade and he told Mrs May that Republicans in both houses were very keen to work with the UK on a deal beneficial for both sides.

Following their press conference in the East Room of the White House, the two premiers will continue their talks over a working lunch in the State Dining Room.

Before their talks, Mrs May and Mr Trump posed for photographs at the bust of Sir Winston Churchill, which the president restored to the Oval Office after it was removed by Barack Obama.

Standing alongside Mrs May, Mr Trump pointed to the bust and said: "This is the original. It's a great honour to have Winston Churchill back."

A smiling Mrs May responded: "Thank you, we were very pleased that you accepted it back."

At one point Mr Trump had a large lamp moved to give the cameras a better view.

Calls

U.S. President Donald Trump will hold telephone calls with the leaders of Russia, Germany, and France on Saturday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a tweet on Friday.

The Kremlin earlier said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump would speak. Separately, a source in Berlin said Chancellor Angela Merkel would talk with Trump, although Merkel's spokeswoman declined to comment. French President Francois Hollande and Merkel held a joint news conference earlier on Friday.
Scientists have created the first human-pig hybrids in a breakthrough that could pave the way for doctors to grow an unlimited supply of organs for transplants.

Western countries are currently facing a crisis in organ donation because the number of deceased donors is dropping as advances in medical care mean more lives are saved.

In the past, scientists thought they might be able to use the organs of pigs, which are roughly the same size of those of humans, but they could not prevent the immune system rejecting animal tissue.

An alternative idea was to use stem cells - which can become any cell in the body - and simply grow new organs in the lab. But scientists have struggled to coax stem cells into complex three-dimensional structures.

Now a team at the Salk Institute in the US has combined both concepts and shown it is possible to grow human tissue within a pig.

The achievement took four years, 1,500 pig embryos and the stem cells from 40 people.

"We underestimated the effort involved," lead investigator Professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, of the Salk Institute of Biological Studies' gene expression laboratory, said.

"This is an important first step. Our next challenge is to guide the human cells into forming a particular organ in pigs. The ultimate goal is to grow functional and transplantable tissue or organs."

To reach the current point, scientists first created a rat-mouse hybrid by introducing rat cells into mouse embryos to see if animals could still develop using the DNA of another species.

After the tests were successful, the team genetically edited out part of the mouse DNA, which is critical for the growth of organs, and repeated the experiment in the hope that the rat DNA would fill in the gaps.

As predicted, the rat cells completed areas that were missing in mouse DNA, forming a rat heart, eyes and pancreas within the mouse.

The team then set about introducing human cells in pigs, a far more complicated procedure because pigs have a gestation period that is only one third as long as humans, so cells must be placed with perfect timing to match the developmental stage of the animal.

They used the CRISPR technique, which works like molecular scissors to snip away parts of DNA code that are not wanted.

The human cells survived and formed a human/pig hybrid embryo, which was then implanted into a sow and allowed to develop for between three and four weeks. Crucially, the surrogate cells only had an effect on muscle formation.

The idea of human/animal hybrids has met ethical opposition, with some claiming scientists are creating 'monsters'.

"I find these experiments disturbing," Dr David King, director of Human Genetics Alert, the secular watchdog group, said.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
The next round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva has been postponed until late February, Russia's foreign minister has announced.

The UN-mediated talks in Switzerland, previously set for February 8, will instead take place by the end of the month.

Sergey Lavrov made the announcement at a mini-summit in Moscow with state-approved representatives of the Syrian opposition.

Syrian rebel factions fighting to remove president Bashar Assad had declined an invitation to attend, raising doubts that the Moscow meeting could offer anything beyond another Syria discussion panel.

However, some of the rebel groups fighting in Syria were represented at talks this week in Kazakhstan, brokered by Russia and Turkey and aimed at shoring up the December 30 ceasefire with Mr Assad's forces.

Those talks, which brought the armed rebel factions face-to-face with Mr Assad's representatives for the first time, ended with an agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran- all with forces deployed to the war-torn Middle East nation - to consolidate the truce, take joint action against extremist groups and jump-start peace negotiations.

The Kazakhstan talks were also supposed to pave the way for the revival of the Geneva peace process, which stalled last April.

In a move certain to rattle Turkey, representatives of Syria's leading Kurdish party attended the Moscow gathering on Friday. Turkey is waging a low-grade war against the Democratic Union Party in Syria, which Ankara views as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency with its own borders.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kurdish participation in the Geneva process is "necessary".

According to Kurdish adviser Nasser Haj Mansour, two Syrian Kurdish representatives at the Moscow gathering - Khaled Issa and Rody Othman - have presented Mr Lavrov with a plan for a federalised Syria, which would diminish Mr Assad's authority over the country and bolster the Kurds' gains in northern Syria.

The federalisation proposal has in the past been rejected by Syrian rebels and Damascus, as well as Turkey, which is seeking to keep Syrian Kurds and their growing influence in check.

Mr Lavrov, meanwhile, said that Russia has also floated a draft proposal for a future Syrian constitution in a bid to encourage debate - not as an attempt to enforce Moscow's will on the Syrians.

"We made an attempt in the draft to put together some common elements we heard from representatives of the government and the opposition," Mr Lavrov said.

In the Kazakh capital of Astana, Syrian rebels factions had refused to discuss the draft.

"We did not even lift the paper off the table," said rebel legal adviser and spokesman Osama Abo Zayd.

The fighting in northern Syria has complicated the rebels' position.

Ongoing clashes with the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front has pushed several of the factions which attended the talks in Astana into the embrace of the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group out of self-defence.

This potentially undermines their efforts to portray themselves as moderates prepared to play a role in a post-war transition period.

The clashes, which broke out on Wednesday in the Idlib province, continued into Friday, according to Ammar Sakkar, a military spokesman for the Fastaqim faction.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said other factions were caught up in the clashes as well.

Idlib and neighbouring Aleppo province are host to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced civilians who are threatened by government and rebel violence on a daily basis.

In the town of Atareb, in the Aleppo province, a few hundred protesters called on the rebel factions to unite against the Fatah al-Sham front in a demonstration recorded by Thiqa News Agency, an activist media outlet.
Mr Trump has insisted Mexico will pay for the border wall (AP)

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has cancelled a planned meeting with President Donald Trump, signalling a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration.

The rift capped days of increasingly confrontational remarks - on Twitter and in duelling public appearances - between the two men, whose countries conduct some 1.6 billion dollars a day in cross-border trade, and co-operate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to environmental issues.

Hours after Mr Trump tweeted that the meeting should be scrapped if Mexico does not agree to pay for a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border, Mr Pena Nieto responded via the same platform.

"This morning we have informed the White House I will not attend the working meeting planned for next Tuesday," the Mexican president tweeted.

He added that "Mexico reaffirms its willingness to work with the United States to reach agreements that benefit both nations".

In a speech later, Mr Trump doubled down on the dispute, saying that "unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice".

Mr Trump also claimed that calling off the meeting was a mutual decision and floated a new possible threat to Mexico, which sends about 80% of its exports to the US and which has vowed not to pay for a wall.

"We're working on a tax reform Bill that will reduce our trade deficit, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall, if we decide to go that route," Mr Trump said.

His spokesman later said Mr Trump was calling for a 20% tax on imports to pay for the southern wall.

He has also pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

"I will not allow the citizens or the taxpayers of the United States to pay the cost of this defective transaction, NAFTA, one that should have been renegotiated many years ago, except that the politicians were too preoccupied to do so," Mr Trump said.

Mexican officials have expressed willingness to update the pact, but said they would consider walking away from NAFTA if negotiations mean making too many concessions.

Mexico is one of America's biggest trade partners, and the US is the number one buyer from Mexico, accounting for about 80% of Mexican exports.

A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the US economy and disastrous for Mexico's.

"Today's events are dangerous for the immediate and long-term security and economy of the United States," Jason Marczak, of the Atlantic Council, wrote.

"US-Mexico co-operation is far-reaching: from intelligence sharing for the capture of drug traffickers to the flow of commercial goods that support the livelihoods of nearly five million American workers."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer later responded to the Mexican president's tweet, saying: "We'll look for a date to schedule something in the future. We will keep the lines of communication open."

Mr Pena Nieto's decision ended days of uncertainty about how he would respond to Mr Trump's aggressive stance towards the country, and illustrated the challenges world leaders are likely to face in dealing with the US president's voluble, Twitter-based diplomacy.

The diplomatic row also recalls the rocky days of US-Mexico relations in the 1980s, prior to NAFTA.

"There is a change in the understanding that had been in operation over the last 22 years, when Mexico was considered a strategic ally," said Isidro Morales, a political scientist at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.

"Trump has unilaterally broken with this way of doing things."

Mexico had tried its traditional approach of quiet, cautious diplomacy combined with back-room discussions, sending cabinet officials for talks with the Trump administration.

But that changed when Mr Trump decided to announce his border wall on the same day that two senior Mexican cabinet ministers - foreign relations secretary Luis Videgaray and economy secretary Ildefonso Guajardo - arrived in Washington for preliminary talks ahead of what was to be a presidential tete-a-tete.

Many were affronted by the timing, and Mr Pena Nieto faced a firestorm of criticism at home.

That evening Mr Pena Nieto issued recorded remarks suggesting he was reconsidering his upcoming trip to Washington.

On Thursday morning, Mr Trump tweeted: "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel."

The president had "no other choice but to say 'I'm not going'", former foreign relations secretary Jorge Castaneda told Mexican media.

Already deeply unpopular at home with historic-low approval ratings, Mr Pena Nieto had come under increasing pressure to stand up to Mr Trump.

Mexico's best-known opposition politician, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, tweeted that "in the face of Trump's latest outburst, don't go to the meeting, and submit an urgent complaint to the UN for human rights violations".

Many Mexicans said that they backed Mr Pena Nieto's decision to scrap the trip.

Magda Hoffmann, a Mexico City retiree, called Mr Trump's behaviour "insulting and rude".

"As my grandmother said," she added, "'Don't go where you're not invited.'"

Like many, she found the conduct of diplomacy-by-tweets to be odd.

"This is a diplomatic relationship here. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but that has to be given value," Ms Hoffman said. "It's not a question to be handled ... text-messaging back and forth."

Orlando Contreras, a 35-year-old computer engineer in the capital, said he believed Mr Pena Nieto had no reason to "negotiate under their conditions".

"I feel that we have always been under their (the US) yoke," Mr Contreras said.

"I think it would be a good thing to separate ourselves from them, so Mexico can strike out on its own."

AP
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis told German Defense Secretary Urusla von der Leyen that the administration of President Donald Trump remains committed to the NATO alliance, Sputnik reported.

Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade soldiers (R) walk with U.S. 82nd Airborne Division soldiers during the NATO allies' Anakonda 16 exercise near Torun, Poland (File)

The administration of President Donald Trump remains committed to the NATO alliance, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis told German Defense Secretary Urusla von der Leyen in a telephone conversation, the Department of Defense said in a read out.

"The secretary assured the minister of the United States enduring commitment to the NATO alliance," the read out stated on Thursday night.

Mattis also thanked von der Leyen for Germanys leadership in NATO activities on the eastern flank and in Afghanistan, and acknowledged the role that her country plays in fighting terrorism, especially in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, the read out noted.

The two defense chiefs pledged to consult in the months to come and looked forward to working together at the Munich Security Conference in February, the read out added.
US president Donald Trump and the Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto have spent one hour talking on the phone amid rising tensions over the proposed southern border wall.

Mr Trump and Mr Pena Nieto were supposed to meet in Washington next week, but the Mexican president cancelled the visit on Thursday.

This came after Mr Trump moved forward with plans to construct a wall along the US-Mexico border and have Mexico pay for construction.

Following the cancellation, Mr Trump's spokesman said the White House would seek to pay for the border wall by slapping a 20% tax on all imports from Mexico - as well as other countries with a trade deficit with the US.

The White House later clarified that the proposal was just one option to pay for the wall.

Earlier, Mr Trump aimed a fresh broadside at Mexico over trade and security issues.

The US president wrote on Twitter that "Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough", adding: "massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!"

Mr Trump has also ordered cuts in federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities" and a boost in the number of border patrol agents and immigration officers, pending congressional funding.

Separately, Mr Trump is set to sign an executive order temporarily halting the flow of refugees into America and stopping all entries from some majority-Muslim nations.

A draft of the order also includes an indefinite ban on accepting Syrian refugees, with the pause in the broader refugee programme extending for 120 days.

Read More

Mr Trump campaigned on a pledge to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures, particularly for people coming to the US from countries with terrorism ties.

According to the draft order, the president plans to suspend issuing visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen for at least 30 days.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Mr Trump intends to sign the order during a Friday afternoon visit to the Pentagon, along with actions related to military readiness and the National Security Council.

While at the Pentagon, Mr Trump is expected to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and attend a ceremonial swearing-in for defence secretary James Mattis.

Mr Trump has the authority to determine how many refugees are accepted annually. He can suspend the initiative at any time. Refugee processing was suspended in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but was restarted months later.

During the last budget year, the US accepted 84,995 refugees, including 12,587 people from Syria. Former US president Barack Obama had set the refugee limit for this budget year at 110,000.

Mr Trump, according to the impending executive order, planned to cut that programme by more half to 50,000.

The draft order said while the programme is suspended, the US may admit people on a case-by-case basis "when in the national interest" and the government would continue to process refugee requests from people claiming religious persecution, "provided that the religion ... is a minority religion in the individual's country".

That suggests this would allow the admission of Christians from Muslim-majority countries.
US First Lady Melania Trump, unfazed by recent diplomatic tensions, is gracing the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico this week - just as Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancels a planned meeting with her husband over his promised wall between the US and its southern neighbour.

In the cover, shot by Douglas Freidman, Mrs Trump is seen in a white dress, twisting a fork around a silver necklace as if to eat the jewelry.

Ms Trump did not speak to Vanity Fair Mexico for the piece, entitled The Secret of Melania. Both the article and picture were originally featured in GQ.

The cover was still surprising for many watching the ongoing feud between President Donald Trumps new administration and the government of Mexico. On Friday morning, the day after the edition went on sale, Mr Trump tweeted that Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!

Read More

The diplomatic spat partly played out on Mr Trumps favourite medium, Twitter, with Mr Pena Nieto announcing in a tweet that a meeting planned for next week had been cancelled.

An executive order on the southern border wall between the two countries was part of a flurry of unilateral actions Mr Trump has taken since arriving in the Oval Office including one ordering staff to start slowing down the Affordable Care Act and another that stops US money going to NGOs abroad that promote abortions.

The shoot was not the first time Ms Trump has appeared on the pages of GQ, the Slovenian supermodel featured in an article in the July 2000 issue along with a nude photoshoot set on Mr Trumps custom Boeing 727.
Mexico may be forced to pay for the building of a wall between itself and America through an aggressive 20pc tax on all its exports to the United States, the White House said last night.

As Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto refused to fund the estimated $15bn (14bn) cost of the wall, Mr Trump vowed to renegotiate the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement.

He said: The US has a $60bn trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning.

His spokesman Sean Spicer later said there were plans to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico.

He added: If you tax at 20pc of imports, by doing it that way we can do $10bn a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. Thats really going to provide the funding.

Mr Nieto yesterday cancelled a summit with Mr Trump in Washington next Tuesday as relations between the two countries plunged to a new low.

A multi-billion dollar border wall was a signature campaign promise by Mr Trump and he signed an executive order on Wednesday indicating it would be built, with Mexico paying for it. Mr Nieto replied that Mexico would not pay, leading Mr Trump to say on Twitter: If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.

Within hours Mr Nieto did pull out.

The row signalled a souring of relations between the US and its southern neighbour. Mexico is one of Americas largest trading partners and shares a border with it of nearly 3,200km.

It came as a group of four senior foreign service career diplomats with 150 years combined experience reportedly resigned from the US State Department. They included Patrick F Kennedy, the undersecretary for management.

Meanwhile, officials at several government agencies including Nasa and the Environmental Protection Agency, started rogue social media accounts to speak out against the Trump administration, particularly on the issue of climate change.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over Mr Trumps decision to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants in the US, saying the shocking and xenophobic move will terrorise communities across the US.

The US president issued an executive order on Wednesday titled Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements, which signed into law many of his most extreme immigration policies.

It included an instruction that the Secretary for Homeland Security should on a weekly basis, make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens in the US.

The list will also name so-called sanctuary cities that are refusing to hand over immigrant residents for deportation.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A man kicked and hurled abuse at a Muslim woman airline employee at New York's John F Kennedy Airport, telling her new US president Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you", authorities have said.

Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes, of Worchester, Massachusetts, had arrived from Aruba and was waiting for a connecting flight to his home state on Wednesday night, when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was in her office.

District attorney Richard Brown said Rhodes came up to the door and launched a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying, before punching the door, which hit the back of Ms Khan's chair.

Ms Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and he replied: "You did nothing."

He then swore at her and kicked her in the leg, Mr Brown said.

When another person tried to calm him down, Mr Brown said Rhodes moved away from the door and Ms Khan fled the office.

But Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down, imitating a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities and said, "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You see what happens", Mr Brown said.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police: "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct.

"I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes.

"The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilised society - especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation," Mr Brown said.

"Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice."
A holocaust survivor places flowers in commemoration of the people killed by the Nazis at the former Auschwitz Germany Nazi death camp in Oswiecim (AP)

Dozens of Auschwitz survivors have laid flowers at the infamous execution wall in the former Nazi death camp, paying tribute to the victims of Adolf Hitler's regime exactly 72 years after the camp's liberation.

Elderly survivors also paid homage to those killed by wearing striped scarves reminiscent of the garb prisoners once wore there.

They walked slowly beneath the notorious gate bearing the words "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Will Set You Free) and made their way as a group to the execution wall, where they lit candles and prayed.

Janina Malec, a Polish survivor whose parents were killed at the execution wall, told reporters that "as long as I live I will come here", describing her yearly visit as a pilgrimage.

In Germany, foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his nation remains committed to commemorating the genocide, honouring the memory of the victims and taking responsibility for the crimes.

January 27, the anniversary of the day that the Soviet army liberated the camp in German-occupied Poland in 1945, is recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Commemorative events are being held across Europe and Israel.

Mr Steinmeier said Auschwitz stands for all the death camps and the entire Nazi "persecution and murder machinery" which remains part of Germany's history.

He said that while Germany cannot change or undo what happened, the country has a continued obligation to commemorate the genocide, honour the memory of the victims and take responsibility for the crimes.

Noting the political instability in the world today, Mr Steinmeier said that "history should be a lesson, warning and incentive all at the same time".

He added: "There can and should be no end to remembrance."

Mr Steinmeier's statement came hours before he was due to hand over the post of foreign minister to the current economy minister, Sigmar Gabriel.

The Nazis murdered about 1.1 million people in Auschwitz during the Second World War - mostly Jews from across Europe, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and others.

Poland's prime minister Beata Szydlo, who is from the Polish town where the Auschwitz memorial and museum is located, recalled the "destruction of humanity" and the "ocean of lost lives and hopes" in Oswiecim.

"It's an open wound that may close sometimes but it shall never be fully healed and it must not be forgotten," she said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used the day of remembrance to warn against a rise in extremist ideology in the modern world: "Tragically, and contrary to our resolve, anti-Semitism continues to thrive.

"We are also seeing a deeply troubling rise in extremism, xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim hatred. Irrationality and intolerance are back."

Mr Guterres vowed to "be in the front line of the battle against anti-Semitism and all other forms of hatred".

In Croatia, the Jewish community boycotted official commemorations, saying the country's conservative government is not doing enough to curb pro-Nazi sentiments there.

Community leader Ognjen Kraus, the coordinator of the Jewish communities in Croatia, said the decision was made after authorities failed to remove a plaque bearing a Second World War Croatian pro-Nazi salute from the town of Jasenovac - the site of a wartime death camp where tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Roma perished.
Donald Trump has said in an interview that he expects to hold talks with Vladimir Putin soon, Sputnik reported.

US President Donald Trump expects to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

"He called me after I won, but I havent had a discussion, but I understand we will be having a discussion soon," Trump said.

The United States getting along with Russia will be beneficial for both of the countries and will help defeat Daesh terrorists, Trump also noted.

"I dont know [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, but if we can get along with Russia thats a great thing, its good for Russia, its good for us, we go out together and knock the hell out of ISIS [Daesh], because thats a real sickness," Trump said.
Two years ago, Barack Obama was a damaged-goods, lame-duck president who had just endured his second consecutive midterm drubbing - thanks in large part to GOP efforts to tie Democrats to him and his eponymous health-care law.

Today, Obama is virtually tied for first place in a new poll of the greatest modern president.

The Quinnipiac University poll indicates 29 percent say Obama is the greatest president since World War II - just shy of the 30 percent who cite Ronald Reagan, the long-standing titleholder.

That's a vast improvement for Obama, who back in July 2014 was viewed as the greatest modern president by just 8 percent.

A big reason he's surged is that Obama has now gobbled up a bigger portion of the greatest-Democratic-president pie. The percentage saying the greatest modern president is Bill Clinton has dropped from 18 percent in 2014 to 9 percent. The number citing John F. Kennedy is down from 15 percent to 12 percent. Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson dropped 2 points and 1 point, respectively.

But Obama also seems to have gobbled up some of the GOP's pie. Reagan dropped from 35 percent in 2014 to 30 percent today, and the GOP's share of the overall greatest-modern-president piece has dropped from 46 percent to 38 percent. Democrats, meanwhile, have risen from 50 percent to 56 percent.

Part of it is almost certainly proximity. Obama is just days removed from office, and perhaps that gives him a bump. He's also perhaps helped by the fact that the last Democratic president before him left office 16 years ago, and that president's wife just suffered a pretty bad defeat. The Clinton brand just isn't what it once was.

That proximity also hurts Obama when it comes to the worst modern president, which Quinnipiac also polled. For that honor, Obama (23 percent) is virtually tied with Richard Nixon (24 percent) and George W. Bush (22 percent) at No. 1. But even there he's improved; back in 2014, he was clearly the No. 1 worst modern president, with 33 percent saying so.
By Zolzaya Erdenebileg

In May 2015, Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia. In a trip that included patting a horse and trying his hand at bow and arrow, Modi also made a significant announcement hinting at the future of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia  a US$1 billion credit line, as well as promises of increased trade and support. Mongolia, which has always held a third-neighbor policy to decrease the looming presence of Russia and China, welcomed the announcement, highlighting the religious and political affinities of the two nations.

A possible India-Mongolia alliance has economic and geopolitical significance. This was highlighted throughout Modis visit, and further underlined when Mongolia announced its intent to use the US$1 billion credit line to invest in oil refineries and energy capability. At present, Mongolia imports most of its refined oil from Russia. Oil refining capabilities would go a long way towards increasing the energy independence of the country, and flowering other subsequent industries, such as chemicals production.

While Modis visit raised eyebrows, Indian-Mongolian relations have a long history. India was the first country outside of the Soviet bloc to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955. Since then, the two countries have signed a number of cooperative agreements and MOUs, including agreements in the industries of health and medical, geology and mineral resources, nuclear energy, biotechnology, animal health, and dairy, among many others.

On May 17, 2015, India and Mongolia upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership, with special focus on trade, training, and defense.

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Economic cooperation

In 1996, during Vice President K.R. Narayanans visit to Mongolia, the two countries signed an Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation, elevating each other to most-favored nation (MFN) status for a number of considerations including customs, duties, and taxes on imports and exports. In 2001, during President Bagabandis visit to India, the two sides signed an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.

Trade volume between India and Mongolia reached a peak in 2012, during the period of Mongolias fast tracked growth. Since then, volumes have suffered, although there was an uptick in 2015. Indian exports to Mongolia largely consist of medicines, mining machinery, and auto parts. Mongolian exports to India include raw and prepared wool and animal hair.

In December 2016, Mongolia was incorporated into the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), formerly known as the Bangkok Agreement, joining Bangladesh, India, China, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Laos as members, and raising the prospect of increased trade with South Asian countries. As part of the agreement, India decreases duty rates on over 3,000 items by five to 100 percent.

Below is a representation of the trade volume between India and Mongolia as of June 2016.



China controversy

The new age of India-Mongolia relations ushered in by Modis visit was tested after a visit by the Dalai Lama to Mongolia. The high-profile visit was objected to by China, which views the Dalai Lama as a separatist. When the visit went through, China retaliated by raising tariffs at the Mongolian border and suspending talks for a US$4.2 billion loan. In economic strain, Mongolia called upon India to put the credit line into effect. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson responded positively, saying, We are closely working with the Mongolian government to implement the credit line in a manner that is deemed beneficial to the friendly people of Mongolia by its leadership. However, with a debt deadline looming, Mongolias Foreign Minister, Tsend Munkh-Orgil, released a statement acknowledging that the Dalai Lama will likely not be visiting Mongolia for the duration of the current administration.

RELATED: Singapore and India to Include Limitation of Benefits in DTAA

Future outlook

The incident resurfaced existing regional tensions, and placed some uncertainty on what seemed to be a robust partnership developing between India and Mongolia. Further, the US$1 billion credit line is still to be implemented at some point soon. Meanwhile, Mongolia is continuing to negotiate with the Import-Export Bank of India to build oil refineries and pipelines, a project that could increase Mongolias GDP by 10 percent. Finally, it is likely that bilateral trade will continue to increase as Mongolia steadily revamps its economy after a difficult period of stalled growth.



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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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a phone conversation on Saturday with U.S. President Donald Trump, the Kremlin confirmed Friday.

According to Russias TASS news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the scheduled phone conversation.

Putin had previously said in a statement that Moscow would determine how to restore Russian-U.S. ties based on the policies of the Trump administration.

During his campaign and since his election, Trump has expressed his intention to entertain good relations with Russia and repeatedly praised its leader.
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At the inauguration of an exhibition at the Airside Centre in Zurich Airport dedicated to Blancpains Ocean Commitment, which is open until 12th February 2017, I was treated to an exclusive first showing of Laurent Ballestas breathtaking new documentary Antarctica, in the footsteps of the Emperor penguin, which was filmed in the Antarctic Ocean off Frances Antarctic research station an included a number of pioneering diving achievements. The documentary airs for the first time on the European channel Arte tomorrow at 8.50pm in French and German. Blancpains support for Laurent Ballestas expeditions is just one aspect of the brands Ocean Commitment programme in which it has invested several million Swiss francs over the past seven years.



Laurent, how do you prepare for such an expedition?



It took two years of preparation. We thought we would do it in one year but six weeks before we were due to leave there was a problem with our paperwork and we had to wait until the next season. But this allowed us to send some material in advance because there are a lot of logistics involved.

We sent a tracked vehicle, for example, which we had bought. We also bought a portable decompression chamber. In total around five tons of equipment was sent out. On site we had a hyperbaric doctor.

For the dives themselves we had closed air rebreather systems, which meant that we could stay in the water for up to six hours. We also had an electric heating system that kept our hands more or less warm. Even though they felt freezing cold we could still move our fingers so we had no excuse for leaving the water. So with a certain sense of responsibility and pride we pushed our own limits so that we were never the first person to resurface. This is how we managed to set some world firsts in polar diving.







But surely the performance aspect was not the primary objective of the expedition?



Actually, in a way it was, because in the Antarctic, the deeper you dive, the more interesting it gets. In tropical regions it is exactly the opposite.



How important is Blancpain's support for you?



There is evidently a huge financial outlay necessary for such expeditions, so Blancpains support is important for this reason alone. Neither myself nor French TV could finance this kind of expedition on our own. But beyond that there is a very serious dimension to the brand. If I was sponsored by another brand things would be different. I might not have the same credibility vis-a-vis researchers, for example, or intellectual TV channels such as Arte, who will show the documentary. Its flattering for me because it is a prestigious brand. The partnership also works very well because Blancpain watches have elements of technology but also art and craftsmanship. This is exactly the same mix that I find in my own work. This brings us closer together.



Alain Delamuraz, Blancpains Vice-President of Marketing, has said that the most important thing about the brands involvement with the ocean is that it brings concrete results, citing the three million square kilometres of ocean that have been protected. What results did your expedition bring to you personally?



In some cases its too early to say because scientific research takes a while to publish. There is peer review and there are protocols to be respected. But from the outset we knew we would be contributing to science, because the French Institute for Polar Research offered us eleven berths. We must not forget that these eleven berths were effectively taken from other researchers. All French researchers, and even researchers from other countries, can submit their research projects to the institute for consideration. If accepted the institute pays all their expenses. It is the first time that people like us have been welcomed on to the base, so its clear that there was a scientific interest from the start. Obviously there is a public relations dimension, too, but the commitment was that all images, after their commercial use in the film, were given to the scientific community free of copyright. So last month, once we had finished the film, we sent them a package of 800 photos and full descriptions from our dives. Many of the species were known, but only from dead animals. In most cases it was the first time that they had been seen in their natural environment. For example, the crab living inside the jellyfish that you see in the film were both known species, yet no one knew that the crab actually lived inside the jellyfish.



How do you communicate with your team under water?



First of all, we all know what we are doing and once we are under water we actually manage to communicate and even speak to each other. Because we are using rebreathers there are no bubbles, so even though we have something in our mouths we can still speak, as long as we keep things simple. Our voices actually travel quite far.







Many divers rely on a mechanical divers watch as a safeguard, since its traditional technology does not require and electricity or electronics. But your drysuit is 5mm thick and your wetsuit 12mm thick. Can you fit a Blancpain watch around all that?

Unfortunately not, but I always have my X-Fathoms in my pocket! When I was a child, people used to tell me that dive computers would never catch on because you cannot take electronics underwater. The X-Fathoms is still my back up. The dive computer gives me an enormous amount of information. Not just the time and the depth but it also analyses in real time the mixture of gases that I am breathing and continuously adjusts the mixture according to depth and programs my decompression stages. This is all vitally necessary, of course, but if there is a big problem I only need two things to save my life: time and depth. If the electronics fail, the X-Fathoms gives me both and I know it will get me out of a tricky situation.







Are you already planning your next expedition?



Yes, things are already in motion. One of the team is looking for the necessary boats and we are going to return to the location of the second expedition in 2014 to film the sequel. I want to film sharks hunting in groups at night to see whether there is a pattern or tactics. People talk about the frenetic hunting of sharks and the fact that they go mad if you put just a drop of blood into the sea but I dont think this corresponds to the reality and I think they are actually much better organised.
Performers are seen at the Opening Night Celebrations of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' at The TCL Chinese Theatre on December 15, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Kevork Djansezian)

The "Star Wars" franchise has been on a roll recently, dropping two hit films in the last two years, namely: The Force Awakens and Rouge One: A Star Wars Story. That roll will seem to continue as Disney and Lucasfilm announced that its upcoming "Star Wars" film that will be released on December 15 will be called "The Last Jedi."



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It was just this Monday that the name of the eighth episode to the "Star Wars" series was revealed, NBC News reported. "The Last Jedi" will follow the 2015 blockbuster "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" which saw the return of the late Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in their "Star Wars" characters.



Fisher, who died on December 27, 2016, will be seen the last time as Princess Leia as she finished the shooting for "The Last Jedi" before suffering a heart attack. Aside from Fisher and Hamill, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong'o, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Anthony Daniels and Andy Serkis will also star in the much awaited eighth episode.



Though the Princess Leia character is expected to be included in the following episodes, Lucasfilm said that it has no plans of digitally creating the character of Fisher's performance. Leia is originally lined up to appear in the ninth "Star Wars" film set to begin production in 2018 but that might change with the turn of events.



There is still not much details about the plot of the film but the red lettering on the "Star Wars" logo, which had been yellow for the past seven films, has sparked rumors about the story. In the "Star Wars" series, red is considered a color of Sith Lords and their color of lightsabers and that change might mean something bigger for the franchise, Wired reported.



Watch the video below for some of the expected plots for "The Last Jedi."






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The Tanka population in the southern Chinese coast used to be significant until the 1950s. (Photo : Linguistic Minorities)

The Tanka Group, an ancient group of people living in southern China's coastal waterways, are under threat as the younger generation look to other ways of living, The New York Times reported.



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Instead of staying with their families on floating communities, most young people from the Tanka Group are more interested in moving and working in the cities.



Such is the case with Chan Kuai-hung's family.



Chan, who lives with a Tanka group in Datang, Guangdong Province, said that the young people have little to no intentions of "joining life on the water."



"They don't fish anymore," Chan, a 55-year-old fisherman, told The New York Times. "No one in the family is taking up this tradition."



"Our culture is on the verge of extinction because young people under 30 head into the city for work," Lam, another Tanka resident in Datang, shared with The New York Times.



"Look at our hands; you can see that we do hard manual labor. Our life depends on the weather and the waters," said Lam.



It doesn't help that they live in Guangdong Province, a region fast earning a reputation for urban growth, with a penchant for manufacturing. Apartment blocks have been built along the riverfront in close proximity to the Tanka's 200-strong community of boats, while various factories dot the shoreline. And as the Tanka way of life disappears, older members of the group like Chan and Lam can only watch.



Some of the Tanka who have moved onwards to the cities don't even tell their children about their background, according to Wu Shuitian, an expert on Tanka people and a professor at Guangzhou University.



"Many Tanka people who have settled onshore haven't told their children about their Tanka background. The Tanka life on the water is disappearing, and it's also disappearing as a culture," Wu told The New York Times.



The Tanka population in the southern Chinese coast used to be significant until the 1950s. As time went on, the local population dwindled. The Tanka are not listed as a Chinese ethnic minority, and instead has been classified as an impoverished subgroup of the Han majority.


 January 30 hearing in federal court in Washington, D.C, is still happening. But Department of Justice and Department of the Army need more time to brief new Trump leadership on the #NoDAPL lawsuit.Republican President Donald Trump has already sent shock waves through Indian Country by pushing the Dakota Access Pipeline forward but even more changes could further the new administration's war on tribal interests.

The Department of Justice was supposed to submit a key reply in the ongoing #NoDAPL lawsuit in a matter of days. But government attorneys requested a delay in order to the give the Trump administration an opportunity to put its mark on the case.

"The United States seeks this extension because of the federal governments change in administration, which took place on January 20, 2017," government attorneys wrote on Wednesday . "Because of the change in administration, the Army and the Department of Justice also experienced a transition in leadership. The United States requires additional time to brief the new leadership of the Army and the Department of Justice on this case before filing its reply brief in this case."

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe , whose leaders filed the lawsuit last July, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe , whose leaders were allowed to intervene as plaintiffs last August, did not oppose the request for the delay. Neither did the pipeline's wealthy backers, who intervened as defendants in the case.

As a result, Judge James E. Boasberg granted a delay until February 20. That gives Trump's team plenty of opportunity to change course in light of the president's controversial directive aimed at completing the pipeline

"The National Congress of American Indians is deeply concerned with these actions because it circumvents the legal process for environmental review of this project," President Brian Cladoosby of NCAI, the largest inter-tribal organization, said in a press release after Trump announced his new direction at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office.

Trump's Dakota Access memorandum does not outright authorize the final portion of the pipeline near Standing Rock in North Dakota. But he has clearly directed his administration to consider approving it "in an expedited manner."

"The recent announcements from the Oval Office have made it abundantly clear this administration will side with and protect the interests of 'Big Oil' over the treaty-secured rights of Native peoples and in violation of federal laws which protect the environment," the Native American Rights Fund , the oldest and largest Indian legal non-profit, said in a statement

#StandAgainstDAPL // Breaking It Down In December, the US Army Corps of Engineers declined to issue a final easement... Posted by Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Thursday, January 26, 2017

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Facebook: Submit Comments on Dakota Access Pipeline



A different legal filing earlier this week already spoke to changes in leadership at the Department of Justice. A former aide to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), who has been nominated by Trump to serve as Attorney General of the United States , is now overseeing the #NoDAPL lawsuit, according to a notice submitted on Tuesday.

Sessions, who has not yet been confirmed to the post, does not have much of a record on Indian issues. But he was forced to admit -- repeatedly -- during his confirmation hearing earlier this month that he opposes tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians even as he acknowledged that non-Indians contribute to high rates of violence in Indian Country.

The high-ranking aide in charge of the #NoDAPL lawsuit is Jeff H. Wood , who advised Sessions on the environment and energy. Like his former boss, he does not have much of a record on Indian issues -- he instead was a registered lobbyist for corporate interests.

The Department of Justice isn't the only agency seeing change either. Trump has nominated Vincent Viola, a billionaire with no government experience , to run the Department of the Army , which formally took the lead on Dakota Access in the final days of the Obama administration.

With the White House memorandum as their guide, Sessions and Viola can easily undo all of the gains tribes made should they be confirmed to their jobs. Rather than oppose a cross-claim filed by Dakota Access aimed at completing the pipeline , Trump's legal team could withdraw objections or soften its stance.

Over at Army, Viola or another Trump loyalist could rescind a December 4 memo that called for a new review of the pipeline near Standing Rock. He could also withdraw the government notice that announced the review.

The notice was published in the Federal Register on January 18, two days before Trump took office. It initiated an environmental impact statement, or EIS, for the portion of the pipeline at Lake Oahe along the Missouri River.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its many allies in Indian Country and around the world continue to urge the public to submit comments, which are due incidentally by February 20, on the "scoping" or initial phase of the EIS. Public meetings in North Dakota are also supposed to be scheduled, unless Trump manages to delay or cancel them.

"To date, nearly 40,000 people have submitted comments expressing concern about DAPL," the tribe said in a post on Facebook on Thursday.

"The President cannot grant an easement (as articulated in his Presidential Memo) - thus obliterating the process above - simply because he wants it," the tribe said. "Additionally, the Army Corps lacks the authority to issue the easement because it has committed to the EIS process."

"For these reasons, we maintain Trumps Presidential Memo arbitrary and overreaching," the statement concluded.

Despite agreeing to a delay in the government's response to the Dakota Access cross-claim , Judge Boasberg has called the parties in for a hearing on January 30 in Washington, D.C., to discuss the latest developments.

MINUTE ORDER granting [90] Consent Motion for Extension of Time to File. The Court ORDERS that the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe shall file any reply briefs in support of their Motions to Dismiss or for Summary Judgment on Dakota Access's Cross-Claim on or before February 20, 2017. Signed by Judge James E. Boasberg on 1/26/2017. (lcjeb3)

The text of the judge's order granting the delay follows:

White House Documents: Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (January 24, 2017) Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline (January 24, 2017) Executive Order Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects (January 24, 2017) Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of American Pipelines (January 24, 2017) Presidential Memorandum Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing (January 24, 2017) Press Release: President Trump Takes Action to Expedite Priority Enery and Infrastructure Projects (January 24, 2017)

Federal Register Notice: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in Connection With Dakota Access, LLC's Request for an Easement To Cross Lake Oahe, North Dakota (January 18, 2017)

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China Updates Banned Goods for Export to North Korea as Concerns Arise on Nuclear Program

People walk past a display of model missiles including a North Korean Scud-B (C) at the War Memorial of Korea. (Photo : Getty Images)

China just released an updated comprehensive list of goods that cannot be exported to North Korea. This includes many dual-purpose items that can be used for building weapons of mass destruction.



The list was published weeks after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated that "China won't help control North Korea."



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The list will help avoid the growth of international concern over North Korea's missile development and nuclear program.



It was jointly released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Atomic Energy Authority, Customs Bureau and State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.



The list contains technical details regarding items that could be used for contributing to the weapons programs of North Korea. It includes equipment and materials needed to develop nuclear missiles, software that are related to rockets or drones, lasers, sensors, high-speed video cameras and submarines.



The new list of banned items contains more details to the lists released last year and in 2013. It was formed after China's Commerce Ministry told companies to pay attention to the latest U.N. sanctions on North Korea to avoid unnecessary economic losses.



The ministry said: "The list was meant to comply with the requirements of a round of U.N. sanctions imposed in November in response to North Korea's fifth and largest nuclear test in September."



North Korea is currently doing several tests with their intercontinental ballistic missile that might reach the west coast of the United States. U.S. officials stated that they had seen indications of North Korea's preparation for a new missile test launch, which could be an early test of President Trump's administration.



James Mattis, the defense secretary of the Trump administration, plans to visit both Japan and South Korea next week for his debut trip abroad as the Pentagon chief.


This morning, before the Republic Day parade, President awarded the Ashok Chakra to Havaldar Hangpan Dada of the Assam Regiment. The medal was received by his wife Chasen Lowang Dada. Havaldar Hangpan Dada laid down his life for the country on 26 May 2016.

His is an inspiring story that doesnt come along very often. Watch it here.

Fondly called Havaldar Dada in the unit, he single-handedly neutralised three terrorists in the inhospitable Shamshabari Range in Kupwara district, Kashmir. On spotting four terrorists, he first blocked their escape route and then without a care for his safety engaged with the enemy. He moved to a flank and came in close contact with the terrorists. He killed two of them at close quarters but was injured in the process.

Indian Army

He didnt stop there and went after the remaining two terrorists and came face to face with the third. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, he killed the third militant. Despite the grave injury he continued in pursuit and was instrumental in eliminating the fourth terrorist trying to infiltrate.

Unfortunately, he made the supreme sacrifice in the process.

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Tagra Raho Havaldar Dada!
A new twist in the sad tale of Pakistani reality TV star, Qandeel Baloch, has come after her father has refused to testify against her brother who allegedly killed her, following the controversy over her videos that were tagged as obscene by the extremists in Pakistan.

According to PTI, during the court proceeding, Qandeel's father and complainant Azeem Baloch refused to testify against Aslam (brother of Qandeel) whom he had earlier declared as one of the suspects in the case.

In the FIR Azeem had alleged that Aslam was involved in the planning of the murder of 25 year-old Qandeel. However, in a court in Multan, he backtracked from his statement. Additional district and sessions judge Saeed Ahmad Raza ordered the police to register a case against Azeem.

Twitter

Qandeel Baloch was mercilessly killed last year and it indeed shocked her followers on social media and elsewhere.

She was found strangled in her house in Multan, some 350 kilometers from Lahore, on July 16, 2016. Her brother Waseem had confessed to having killed his sister 'in the name of honour'.

In his confession video, Waseem had expressed no regret in killing his sister. In the video, he had said.

I am proud of what I did. I drugged her first then I killed her. She was bringing dishonor to our family."

Waseem in his confessional statement had also said humiliation of Qawi was also one of the motivational factors to kill his sister. Reports claim that Qandeel had received threats from the supporters of Qawi for allegedly trying to disgrace him. And now the murder of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch has taken a new turn.

Police have registered a case against him under section 213 of Pakistan Penal Code.

The court has already indicted three suspects - Qandeel's brother Waseem, her cousin Haq Nawaz and taxi driver Abdul Basit. The suspects, however, denied committing the crime. Another suspect Zafar Khosa is absconding.

Police claimed that Waseem had made a confession of killing her sister in the presence of an area magistrate. But the counsel for the accused denied any such confession.
Salman Khan is controversy's favourite child, and today, Bhai was present in Jodhpur court where he claimed that the "blackbuck died of a natural cause."

"Only the first forensic report of Dr Nepalia, saying that the animal died of 'natural causes' was true and the rest of the evidence is false," said Salman Khan.

Salman Khan told Rajasthan Court today that he has been falsely accused of killing blackbuck deer during a film shoot in 1998.

"I am innocent," he reportedly said in Jodhpur court where his co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam were also present as co-accused.

Blackbuck poaching case: Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Sonali Bendre appear before Jodhpur court. pic.twitter.com/NFf01QRIFl  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

The four cases that have majorly revolved around Bhai's life include the alleged killing of two blackbucks and two chinkaras in the alleged deer hunt while he was filming Hum Saath-Saath Hain.

The prosecution has produced 28 witnesses. A total of 65 questions were put before Salman but he, in return, claimed that the case has been cooked up and he has no involvement in the matter, whatsoever. When Salman was asked who was driving the jeep, he said,

"I do not know, I was not there. This case is a cooked up case."

The actor was asked 60-odd questions by the Jodhpur magistrate to most of which he said "galat."

And when Salman was asked about his religion, he reportedly replied, "I'm Indian."

LET. THE. TROLLING. BEGIN.
After the grand success of Baahubali: The Beginning, fans are now eagerly waiting for the sequel to hit the screens. Meanwhile, Rana Daggubati - who played Bhallaladeva in the extravagant period war film - is now gearing up for the release of Telugu-Hindi film The Ghazi Attack. It's Indias first submarine warfare film based on the mysterious sinking of PNS Ghazi, a Pakistani submarine, during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

In a recent interaction with IANS, Rana Daggubati explained why he decided to do the film in between Rajamouli's two Baahubali movies.

The report quoted the actor saying,

Here goes!! New and improved !! #biggermeanerstronger A photo posted by Rana Daggubati (@ranadaggubati) on Oct 3, 2016 at 8:26pm PDT

"Post 'Baahubali,' everybody would have expected me to do a commercial film. But I chose 'Ghazi' because it has an interesting story to tell. Although made as a bilingual and also dubbed in Tamil, this is a national film. The story is about India and Pakistan. It's set in Visakhapatnam, making it a Telugu film. Weve also dubbed it in Tamil. The Hindi theatrical rights have been bagged by Karan Johar and Anil Thadani, who will release it across the country.

Talking about what convinced him to say a yes for this project, he added,

Blessed to have been able to share the last smiles. #RIPOmPuri A photo posted by Rana Daggubati (@ranadaggubati) on Jan 6, 2017 at 9:32am PST

"As a movie lover, these are the kind of films I have watched and enjoyed growing up. The story of 'Ghazi' is very historic and one thats not known to all. Its a story that deserves to be told, but such stories are rarely made. If not for cinema, these stories will remain history. The whole sinking of PNS Ghazi could be recreated only because we decided to make it as a film. Cinema has that power to bring such stories to life. It can recreate any scenario."

From playing King Bhallaladeva in Baahubali to a navy officer in Ghazi, Rana admits the transition was challenging. He explained,

My first look from #TheGhaziAttack #Ghazi A photo posted by Rana Daggubati (@ranadaggubati) on Dec 13, 2016 at 12:20am PST

Bhallaladeva as a character is very tough to come out of because its so overpowering and larger-than-life. The challenge in Ghazi was to get my look right. When you watch both the films, you realize I dont look like the same person. I could only achieve it due to rigorous cardio training and then I had to do a lot of underwater training because the film features underwater sequences."

Playing a navy officer and shooting inside a submarine was thrilling but it was claustrophobic too. He added,

Let's salute our defenders. #jaihind #republicday A photo posted by Rana Daggubati (@ranadaggubati) on Jan 25, 2017 at 9:39pm PST

It was not an easy film to shoot. Initially, the idea felt so exciting. But until we started shooting, we didnt realize how challenging it was. You are inside a submarine for the longest time and you dont know the difference between day and night. After a month of shooting, I knew a lot of actors started to feel very claustrophobic. There were occasions when we didnt see sunlight for days together. This is when we decided to take a break and shoot other portions which happen on land."
1. After Salman Said Blackbuck Died Of 'Natural Causes,' The Internet Blew Up With Some Of the Hilarious Reactions

Later Salman Khan will say blackbuck death was an " Act of god " .  Hun  (@nickhunterr) January 27, 2017

Reports claim that he was asked 65 questions by the prosecution, based on statements from 28 witnesses and Twitter had a field day!

2. Protesters Slap Sanjay Leela Bhansali And Tear Off His Clothes On The Sets Of Padmavati

Twitter

Members of the Rajput Karni Sena vandalised the sets at Jaigarh Fort which also disrupted shooting. According to the slogans that the protestors shouted, they alleged that the film has love scenes between Queen Padmini and ruler Alauddin Khilji, the roles that are being played by Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.

3. KJo Congratulated SRK For Raees And What Followed Was An Epic Banter That's Unmissable

Now u should also make an intense action film. U have it in u. Dishoom Dishoom Hota Hai. https://t.co/KbJbdgycQS  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) January 26, 2017

King of wit and humor AKA Shah Rukh Khan like always had an epic response. What we didn't see coming was a filmy banter between the two, where they made plans for making a film called Dishoom Dishoom Hota Hai!

4. From Baahubali To The Ghazi Attack, Rana Daggubati Spills All About The Challenging Transition

My first look from #TheGhaziAttack #Ghazi A photo posted by Rana Daggubati (@ranadaggubati) on Dec 13, 2016 at 12:20am PST

Rana Daggubati told media, "Post 'Baahubali,' everybody would have expected me to do a commercial film. But I chose 'Ghazi' because it has an interesting story to tell. Although made as a bilingual and also dubbed in Tamil, this is a national film. The story is about India and Pakistan. It's set in Visakhapatnam, making it a Telugu film. Weve also dubbed it in Tamil. The Hindi theatrical rights have been bagged by Karan Johar and Anil Thadani, who will release it across the country.

5. KRK Tweets About Bigg Boss Being Fixed, Claims That Bani J Will Win The Show

In his tweet, KRK claims that Bani would win the show as she is the property of Viacom18. In his other tweets, he has also mentioned how previous winners of Bigg Boss have also been Viacom18 properties.
Mushrooms doesn't suit everyone and many people are allergic to it. But if it does suit you, there is good news. A new study claims that mushrooms may enhance nerve growth in the brain that can prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

BCCL

According to researchers, certain edible and medicinal mushrooms contain bio-active compounds that may enhance nerve growth in the brain and protect against neurotoxic stimuli such as inflammation that contribute to Dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

The study, published in Journal of Medicinal Food supports the potential role of mushrooms as functional foods to reduce or delay development of age-related neuro-degeneration.

The researchers from University of Malaya in Malaysia discussed the scientific findings related to the health benefits of edible and culinary mushrooms.

BCCL

It is estimated that as many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease and, worldwide, 42 million cases are expected by 2020.

Despite the advancement of medication, the management of these diseases has remained largely ineffective.

The authors focus on the activity of bio-active components of mushrooms that may offer neuro-protective and cognitive benefits.

"In contrast to the body of literature on food ingredients that may benefit cardiometabolic diseases and cancer, very few studies have focused on food that may benefit neuro-degenerative diseases," explained study author Sampath Parthasarathy from University of Central Florida.

BCCL

They found that each mushroom increased production of the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) - a molecule primarily involved in regulating growth, maintenance, proliferation and survival of certain nerve cells in the brain.

"The current study might stimulate the identification of more food materials that are neuroprotective," Parthasarathy added.
Kisspeptin, a hormone that triggers puberty in humans, could soon become the 'mental Viagra' that'll boost low libido and help couples conceive.

hdwallpapersrocks.com

What the research came up with

kingston.ac.uk

The trial involved 29 healthy young men who were injected with kisspeptin  discovered in the mid-1990s in Hershey Pennsylvania, which eventually lead to the chocolate called Hersheys Chocolate Kisses  and were put through an MRI scan to monitor their brains.

The scientists at the Imperial College London who were behind this experiment found that injecting young men with the hormone, induced a surge of activity in the parts of their brain that are activated by sexual arousal and romance, thus, piquing their interest in the subject of sex and relationships. This indicated that such a treatment could really help men who want to start a family and who couldn't previously.

A solution to conception issue?

mynews4.com

Although initial studies reveal the hormone's role in stimulating emotions and responses related to sex and reproduction, 'ultimately the goal is to use kisspeptin to effectively treat psychosexual disorders and help couples struggling to conceive, states professor Waljit Dhilo, the lead author of the research. The effect is most likely due to the role kisspeptin plays in stimulating the release of reproductive hormones.

The research till date on infertility has mostly focussed on biological factors that hamper natural conception among couples. But the role that the brain plays in emotionally assisting the process hasnt really been explored and as a result only partially been understood, adds Dhilo.

It treats depression as well

sheknows.com

In fact, Dr Alexander Comninos, one of the first authors of the studies at the Imperial claims that apart from boosting sexual and romantic activity in the brain, kisspeptin, also shows a decrease in negativity. This adds, even more, credibility to the treatment as psychosexual disorders and depression often occur simultaneously, making it beneficial for women as well.

Bonus: It boosts your testosterone levels, too

menprovement.com

There is yet another incentive for the men who are not in a relationship. A study previously from Edinburgh University has found that the hormone assists in the production of testosterone, which, in turn, works to boost sex drive. Another reason to look forward to the treatment.
The iconic logo and tagline of Nokia is displayed along with the potential look of the upcoming Nokia Edge Android smartphone. (Photo : YouTube/ Latest Mobile Phones OFFICIAL)

Nokia 6, Nokia 8, and Nokia P1 have been highly anticipated for their specs, price, and release date. In particular, the Nokia aims to replicate the flash sale success of Nokia 6 in the Philippine market, as the country would soon welcome the said device.



In preparation for the second flash sale for Nokia's latest Android release, the company has already reached an estimated 1.4 million registrations for Nokia 6. Such performance is no surprise, for the same thing happened during the first flash sale wherein the Nokia's latest Android phone was sold out under a minute.



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The current success and high interest for Nokia phones in China will soon be tested as the company will bring the device to their neighbouring country, the Philippines. Nokia 6 will be sold in the said country with the price of PHP 18,590 which is about $370, according to GSM Arena. It will be sold by Philippine online retailer Lazada before the end of this week.



Apart from the highly talked about Nokia 6, two variants are still being speculated online. Interest for Nokia 8 and Nokia P1 have grown over the past weeks, especially with its rumored introduction on the upcoming Mobile World Congress.



In retrospect, Nokia 8 has been reported to have been accidentally revealed during the previous CES event weeks ago. However, Qualcomm immediately denied the incident concerning their alleged disclosure of the said Nokia flagship product.



"We do not disclose details of our reference design. We've seen a few stories rumouring what we demonstrated in our CES booth to be a Nokia device. Those reports are not accurate, our 835 demos were on our own reference design devices, which we use to demo our latest Snapdragon SOCs every year," PC Advisor quoted a Qualcomm spokesperson as saying.



With respect to the Qualcomm's processor, it has also been reported that another Nokia product will be supported by Snapdragon 835. The same website highlighted that Nokia P1 will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835.



However, there are still no confirmation of the said report and the aforementioned speculations. What the Nokia has confirmed so far is their upcoming tradeshow in February that will showcase more Nokia Android devices.



Watch here below upcoming Nokia Android phone concepts:






Not many Indians and even Americans for that matter know about the story of Herman Perry, an African-American soldier of US army, who lived with tribal Nagas in North-East India. He hunted, smoked opium and married a Naga girl before being caught and executed by the US authorities.

In fact, most of the Indians dont know that the US army had entered the British India to help the British Indian army to fight the Japanese during World War-II.

.cbi-theater.com

It was efforts of American journalist, Brendan I Koerner, who wrote Herman Perrys story in his book, 'Now the Hell Will Start: One Mans Flight from the Greatest Manhunt of World War II' which came out in 2008 and put Perrys life before the world.

Koerner tracked down Perrys story from the US militarys court-martial proceedings against him, after which the American soldier was sentenced to death by hanging.

The US armys 849th Engineer Aviation Battalion was mainly consisting 'black and coloured soldiers' commanded by white officers.

It came in India in 1942 to construct Ledo Road which would help the allied forces mainly, the British Indian army moving swiftly against the menacing Japanese who had gained significant ground and were knocking doors of British India.

Wikipedia Commons

The 849th, Perry was a part of the contingent that was tasked to build the Ledo Road, a planned alternative route for supplies to China after Japanese occupation of Burma had cut the previous route for supplies, the Burma Road.

But constructing Ledo wasnt an easy task

Constructing 1,072-mile-long Ledo Road wasnt an easy task. Not even for Americans because it passed through miles of untamed jungle, beastly huge mountains interspersed with rainforests and tall elephant grass.

In some places, it went through swamps which bred mosquitoes and leeches.

Hla Oo

The Ledo Road, which was later, renamed Stilwell Road after American General Joseph Stilwell soon made American workers mostly blacks release that for next couple of years, their lives will be nothing lesser than hell.

Long working hours and discrimination by White officers marred Perry and many others

YouTube

Herman Perry was just 22 when landed here. He had a special liking for white shirts, nice food, and dance at night, but didnt get any of these things here. To add to his miseries, long working hours which went up to 16 hours a day infested with racially discriminating white officers passing orders, further made lives of Perry and many others a living hell.

Opium was the only solace

Wikipedia Commons

Opium and marijuana (Ganja) which was readily available since it was locally grown offered brief relief from the rigors of work. Harman and many others often consumed opium to get some amusement from an otherwise tiring and boring life.

Solitary confinement

While the construction had entered North Burma, Perry riding high on opium one day raised his voice against the alleged discrimination by white officers.

Therefore, Perrys first act of disobedience led to solitary confinement for 90 days, for which, he was driven back to Ledo Stockade in India.

Isolated in a narrow cell, Perry was kept there for two weeks.

Parry fled the work and killed a white officer

After his first solitary confinement, one morning in March, 1944, Perry did not turn up for reveille  the compulsory procedure to monitor attendance. Riding high on opium, Parry was spotted wandering in woods with his rifle. The commanding officer ordered his arrest and a white officer, Harold Cady led the charge.

Wikipedia Commons

Koerner in his book writes, a nervous Perry, aware of the punishment that awaited him for indiscipline, warned Cady not to advance. But Cady ignored warnings from Perry and thus when Cady tried to grab Perry by the shoulder, Perry fired twice at Cady. Perry fled and Cady died of his wounds.

Perry met Nagas and amused them with gun and tin food

Perry returned to the camp after night, but after his fellow soldiers told him that he wouldnt get pardoned since he killed a white officer and he would have to face the penalty, he fled again.

This time he took tins of soups and other eatables along with his gun.

His wandering brought him to a Naga village in the Patkai hills about six miles from the road. Koerner suggests they were the Heimi Nagas, a tribe of head-hunters.This new black man was certainly a wonder for them and more than him, his gun and food supplement that he carried along with him.

Perry soon became a part of their daily life. They taught him how to hunt because, with his gun, their task of hunting became easier than before.

itinerantneerdowell - WordPress.com

Soon, he was known as 'Jungle King'. Nagas especially found the metal ration tins a precious gift, useful for making the trinkets they wore. When rations ran low, Perry would sneak back down to the road, receiving the help of sympathetic members of the 849th.

Perry married a Naga girl

Cherished by the gun and repeated gifts from Perry, the village Ang (chief) gave his daughter to Perry along with a basha (thatched-roof hut) of their own where the couple soon conceived a child.

Perry enjoyed his status in the tribe and the simple lifestyle of opium, ganja, farming and hunting. Among the Nagas he was an equal, no prejudice or its associated harsh treatment as in the Army.

Cigarettes did him in

Perry had the habit of smoking and since he was the son-in-law of the chief of tribe, tribesmen would come to market to fetch American cigarettes for him. Soon the word spread that a black American is living in jungle and it reached to his camp as well.

www.cbi-theater.com

After living four months with Nagas while hunting and smoking, Perry was arrested on July 20, 1944. He was shot in the chest in order to prevent him from escaping.

Court marshalled and sentenced to death

Perry was taken to base hospital where he survived the bullet injury he received. But soon he was interrogated by the Criminal Investigation Division and his answers were taken as a confession which he was forced to sign.

www.cbi-theater.com

On September 4, 1944, he was court marshalled. A bench of six white officers convicted Perry of killing a white officer and then deserting which was also punishable by death.

Herman Perry was sentenced to be dishonourably discharged, forfeit all pay and allowances, and to be hanged by the neck until dead.

On December 16, 1944, he was free again! From this world.
Mariam Khaliq, a Pakistani origin British woman has settled a two year legal battle with her Indian husband after he agreed to pay alimony According to Mariam, her 'husband' Noushad Hussain, a resident of Kerala had deserted her and was trying to marry another girl in his hometown.

Mariam Khaliq/ Facebook

The duo had first met in London where Noushad was an MBA student and Mariam was a sales officer. They married in April 2013 in Dundee, Scotland. However, Noushad left for Kerala, promising Mariam that he would return soon, after convincing his parents.

Mariam said Noushad who used to be in regular touch with her even after he left for Kerala gradually started avoiding her.

Later, Noushad sent a text to Miriam saying that his parents did not agree on the marriage and that he won't be returning to UK. It is at this point Mariam decided to trace her deserter husband.

In 2015, with little information on his hometown she landed in Kerala, and with the help of a women's group traced him in Chavakkad in Thrissur district.

She filed a case against Noushad in a local court, which directed her to stay in her 'husband's house and ordered her protection.

Mariam Khaliq/ Facebook

Mariam alleged that while she was staying at their residence, she was verbally abused and even tried to portray her as an ISI agent, because of her Pakistani roots.

She returned to Kerala again to force Hussains family to give in by accepting a settlement in October 2015. Hussain had by then married a Kerala woman and his family was willing to pay her compensation provided she returned with a divorce certificate and withdrew cases registered against them.

After obtaining a divorce decree from London, Mariam returned to Kerala on January 19.

Mariam Khaliq/ Facebook

Since he had married another woman, there was little worth in fighting a bigamy case. Hence, we decided to go for an out-of-court settlement, her lawyer said.

According to The Indian Express, Hussain who now lives in Abu Dhabi married Mariam, who was a British citizen to get a permanent residency visa.

I had gone to the UK on a two-year visa in 2010. When the term of my visa was nearing expiry, marriage was the only option to get it extended he said, adding that She took the relationship seriously. I had no other option but to escape. To wriggle out of the relation, I told her that I wanted to go to Kerala to meet my family. On reaching here, I told her that I do not want to return.
The desire for "lavish" lifestyle, have landed four Delhi University students in Police custody. This after they allegedly robbed a delivery boy of an expensive phone in northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar area.

BCCL/representational image

The victim, Selvin, told the police that the accused had ordered a phone worth Rs 26,000 and when he reached to deliver the order on the mentioned address, two people took him to an abandoned plot nearby, saying they were friends of the person who had placed the order and were taking him to the customer.

BCCL

Selvin, who had grown suspicious by then, noted the number of their bike as he went with them. After reaching the spot, they thrashed him and snatched the packets he was carrying for delivery, police said.
An interaction on Facebook turned out to be a nightmare for a Malaysian woman, who has alleged that a man raped, cheated and had unnatural sex with her on the pretext of marriage. Following the police investigation, a court has framed charges against the man for rape, unnatural sex, and cheating.

narcity/representational image

The woman alleged that she made several trips to India following the promise of marriage and even paid the accused in Malaysian ringgits amounting to lakhs of rupees after he promised to marry her, get her an Indian citizenship and accept her child from a previous marriage.

Realising that he had taken physical and financial advantage, the woman filed a complaint with the police following which additional sessions judge Ramesh Kumar-II framed the charges under IPC Sections 376 (2) (n) (raping a woman repeatedly), 377 (unnatural sex) and 420 (cheating).

In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was in touch with the man on Facebook from September 2015 to May 2016. She also came to India and during her 15-day stay in the city, developed physical relations with the man believing he would marry her.

"Not only this, the accused also made a video recording" and clicked her nude photos, the complaint alleged.

BCCL/representational image

Senior public prosecutor AT Ansari highlighted the allegations made in the woman's complaint which alleged that the man kept making excuses that he was trying to convince his family as theirs was going to be an inter-faith marriage.

Besides 20,000 ringgits (Rs 3.2 lakh) given by the woman to the man for accommodation, she again gave 1,800 ringgits (Rs 30,000) as he assured an Indian citizenship and registration of marriage.

She, however, went back as none of what had been promised happened. On her return, the woman alleged, the man obtained her signature on a blank piece of paper and she also paid 15,000 ringgits (Rs 2.4 lakh) and gave two diamond-studded gold rings.

The woman kept transferring money to the man from time to time, but on realising that she was "cheated, exploited and physically abused" got a complaint registered with the police.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing three cases involving an attempt to blast tracks in East Champaran, the Indore-Patna Express derailment and last week's Koneru rail accident, has prima facie found to be correct the Bihar police's line of investigation pointing to an ISI-backed sabotage plot to cause train mishaps in India.

The agency feels the ISI angle merits further probe.

BCCL

Three accused arrested in Motihari, during their recent questioning by NIA sleuths, have repeated their claims of a sabotage angle in both the failed Ghorasahan track blasting attempt as well as the Kanpur derailment.

Also Read: 39 Killed, 100 Injured In Yet Another Train Mishap In Andhra Pradesh, Railways Suspect Foul Play By Naxals

"There are no contradictions whatsoever in what they had told the Bihar police earlier and now our own sleuths. They seem to be very sure of and consistent in their 'disclosures'. Also, technical evidence points to conversations between the arrested accused on the one hand and Nepalese handler Brij Kishore Giri, Dubai-based mastermind Shamsul Huda and Karachi-based suspected ISI agent Shafi Shaikh on the other, lending credence to the ISI involvement theory," said a home ministry officer.

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Umashankar Patel, one of the three accused arrested by Bihar police, had spoken to both Huda and Shaikh while they were together in Dubai in August, after being put in touch with them by Giri.

"They discussed conspiracy to cause train accidents in India by planting IEDs on the tracks. The discussion was general in nature and did not raise any specific mention of the impending sabotage plans for Ghorasahan or Kanpur."

Also Read: Train Carrying 700 Passengers Stops Just Before Obstacle On Track In Maharashtra, Another Mishap Averted

"That they were in direct touch with Huda as well as an alleged Karachi-based kingpin having links with ISI, has led NIA to strongly suspect an ISI angle to the alleged sabotage involving passenger trains in India," the officer said.

BCCL

With the probe into Ghorasahan sabotage attempt as well as the Kanpur train derailment now formally with NIA, its teams will be seeking custody of the accused, Patel, Motilal Paswan and Mukesh Yadav as well others arrested in Delhi, for exhaustive questioning as well as a recreation of the events leading to the said incidents.

This will involve taking the accused to the Kanpur derailment site and establishing the sequence of events leading to planting of the alleged pressure cooker bomb, corroborating their journey details, establishing any money trail of payments for execution of the conspiracy and digging out technical evidence, including their mobile network details, to prove their presence at the derailment site before the incident.

TOI

Though an NIA team has already inspected the site of the latest train accident at Koneru in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, it is yet to submit its report on the findings.

"We are not risking a guess on a likely sabotage angle. Let us wait for the initial report," said a home ministry officer.
The Supreme Court will hear the plea filed by December 16 gangrape convicts Akshay, Pawan, Vinay and Mukesh challenging the Delhi High Court order which had sentenced them to the gallows after keeping in view the fact that it was a rarest of the rare case.

AFP

Earlier, the apex court had declined the request by two amici curiae - senior counsel Raju Ramachandran and Sanjay R Hegde to withdraw from assisting the court in hearing of appeals by the convicts in the gang rape case.

Asking both to continue assisting the court in hearing of the appeals by the four accused convicted and sentenced to death, the three judge bench comprising of justices Dipak Misra, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan said: "We can appreciate the anguish expressed by the learned amici curiae".

PTI

Six people gang-raped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a moving bus and thrashed her and her male friend. They then violently raped and attacked her, and threw both of them from the moving bus on December 16.

One of the accused, Ram Singh hanged himself in prison, while another man, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was convicted in August and will serve the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home.

AFP

Meanwhile, on December 3, amicus curiae Sanjay Hegde questioned the evidence produced by the prosecution in the gang-rape case, and came out with certain points putting a question on the merit of evidence.

According to Hegde, one of the convicts, Mukesh, was not with the prime culprit Ram Singh when the offence was committed, since their mobile locations were found to be different on that night.
Exactly 10 days ago, The World Economic Forum's Inclusive Development Index released its list for 2017 and India stood at a lowly 60th position among 79 developing countries.

(Also read: India Ranks 60th Among 79 Developing Economies In The World Economic Forum's Inclusive Development Index)

But how well do we understand these indexes and what they really mean to us?

57 billionaires control 70% of Indias wealth India is second most unequal economy'https://t.co/tlwkVajLqq pic.twitter.com/aXgXnPD7vr  Times of India (@timesofindia) January 27, 2017

When someone says that India is the second most unequal economy in the world, the phenomenon clearly indicates towards the stark rich-poor divide in which our economy is fluttering. The most ill-matched economy in the world is Russia.

Reuters

This soaring income inequality has resulted in Indias richest 1 per cent having a hold over 58 per cent of the countrys total wealth  higher than the global figure of about 50 per cent, a new study showed on Monday.

Oxfam India CEO, Nisha Agrawal, tells that demonetisation has only aggravated this inequality with no significant long-term benefits.

The Oxfams new report Economy for 99% also claims that since 2015, eight men own the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of the world.

In India, the richest 1 per cent control 60 per cent of the total wealth.

Reuters

Inequality is fracturing our economy and the reality is that today 57 billionaires control 70 per cent of Indias wealth. Even International Monetary Fund recently warned that India faces the social risk of growing inequality.

Percentage of the country's wealth held by the top 1%

According to the International Monetory Fund (AMF), Indias Gini coefficient rose to 51 by 2013, from 45 in 1990, mainly on account of rising inequality between urban and rural areas as well as within urban areas.

(Also read: Bill Gates Is Likely To Become Worlds First Trillionaire And We Are Not Even Surprised)

Among a lot of other factors that are to be blamed for this sluggish improvisation, the tax system is one of biggest one. Today, India is highly dependent on the regressive tax structure of indirect taxes and thus, the approach should move towards a more progressive taxation system that raises more tax revenues from the wealthy to fund more public expenditures on health and education to create an equal opportunity country.

In the last 25 years, the rich have become richer and the poor have become poorer. These rich people have gained more income than the bottom 50 per cent put together, thereby, fueling the divide.

Far from trickling down, income and wealth are being sucked upwards at an alarming rate. Like many other countries, in India too, policies have not focussed on raising the incomes of the poorest.

Reuters

In the early 1990s, when the Indian economic liberalisation was at its peak, it also saw an explosion in the inequality since it created opportunities in the high-end sector, barring the lower end of the pyramid.

Sectors like banking, IT, telecom and airlines flourished, however, only created a handful of jobs for the highly skilled and educated. Not many policy reforms have happened either in agriculture or labour intensive manufacturing that could have created millions of jobs and raised incomes of the poor.

Furthermore, not much effort has been made to raise more revenues and spend on basic education and health so that the poor could benefit from the opportunities being created.

Reuters

As a result, the system has since remained flawed. All the rich people who are sitting at the top aren't self-made- they either inherited their wealth or accumulated it through industries prone to corruption and cronyism.

Over the next 20 years, 500 people will hand over USD 2.1 trillion to their heirs  a sum larger than the GDP of India, a country of 1.3 billion people, Oxfam said.

The only way out of this situation is if the government stops obsessing about GDP and build an economy for the 99 per cent of humanity instead of the 1 per cent.
US President Donald Trump has called Islamic State terrorists sneaky, dirty rats. CBS News reported him telling Fox News in an interview, We have evil that lurks around the corner without the uniforms.

Ours is harder because the people we're going against they don't wear uniforms. They're sneaky, dirty rats and they blow people up in a shopping center and they blow people up in a church.

This is not the first time Trump has said something negative about IS. In fact, during his campaign, he promised he would bomb the hell out of them.

Reuters

He added, These are bad people."

ezidipress

When you're fighting Germany and they had their uniforms, and Japan and they had their uniforms and they had their flags on the plane, and the whole thing. We are fighting sneaky rats right now that are sick and demented. And we're going to win.
Two Indian snake hunters have been hired by Florida wildlife officials to get rid of Burmese pythons, which are wiping out small mammal populations driving some nearly to extinction in a tropical wetland in the US state.

Floridawildcare

Masi Sadaiyan and Vaidivel Gopal, both in their 50s, from the Irula tribe of Tamil Nadu, are successful python hunters in India, and were brought in, along with two translators, to work with detection dogs earlier this month to track down and capture the giant snakes.

In just eight days, they have bagged as many as 13 pythons, including a 16-foot-long female.

"Since the Irula have been so successful in their homeland at removing pythons, we are hoping they can teach people in Florida some of these skills," said Kristen Sommers, section leader of the FWC's Wildlife Impact Management Section.

Metzger/University of Florida

"We are working with our partners to improve our ability to find and capture pythons in the wild. These projects are two of several new efforts focused on the removal of these snakes," Sommers said.

"In their first eight days on the job, the Irula tribesmen, world-renowned snake catchers from India -- removed 13 pythons, including four on their first visit to Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on North Key Largo in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irula tribe has been catching snakes," a media release said.

Officials said they are currently working with the Irula tribesmen to identify additional programmes to remove more non-native pythons from Florida.

Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is one such area because of the federally-endangered Key Largo woodrat and many protected bird species that reside there.

Metzger/University of Florida

On January 17, Irula tribesmen, UF/IFAS, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Geological Survey cooperators removed four Burmese pythons from the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The commission says it paid USD 68,888 to hire the Irula men and their translators and fly them to South Florida from their home in southern India.
No one can really fathom the suffering of separation unless they go through it, but the great India-Pakistan has given birth to plenty of such stories. These painful stories of division, which even veteran authors failed to express, are still thriving in several parts of the country.

One such case is the life of Zaiba.

Mithila Jariwala

Zaiba could not visit her place of birth for 45 years even though she has lived only 30 kilometres away from it all this while.

Separated by border and distance, when she eventually managed to make it to her native village of Chalunka on August 29, 2016, she found her 96-year-old mother, Khatibee, paralysed and unable to see anything.

Zaibas journey back home was delayed because of a controversial line in the snow that separates the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region from the India-administered area of Leh  both once part of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chalunka was on Pakistan's side until December 1971 when the two countries went to war and the Indian army captured the village along with a few other settlements in the area.

Mithila Jariwala

Leaving her parents and siblings behind, Zaiba migrated with her husband to Thoqmus  a village 30 kilometres to the west in the Pakistani-controlled territory.

She did not realise that she would have to wait for four and a half decades  and undertake a long cross-border journey of more than 3,000 kilometres  to cover that small distance.

Her story is not different from thousands of people, who were asked to shift to a different land than their's - losing their homes, families, and lives behind.

A map of Zaiba

Her children and some relatives got together to collect all the documents that were needed for the journey, along with some 40,000 rupees, so she could come back.

When we first applied for an Indian visa for her in November 2015, the application was rejected, says Ilyas Hussain, Zaibas nephew who lives in Skardu.

After being rejected a couple of times, they were finally able to apply for it fully in June 2016. Upon reaching there, she said that the landscape, cuisine, culture, architecture, language and people in Chalunka and its nearby village of Turtuk appear exactly the same as in eastern parts of Gilgit-Baltistan where Thoqmus and Skardu are located.

Her story of separation is part of a collateral damage.
Man Who Got Lost After Biking for One Month for Spring Festival Gets Free Ticket Home

The man, who biked his way home and got lost, gets a free ticket, thanks to a policeman and tollbooth workers. (Photo : Getty Images)

Its that time of the year. Everyone wants to come home to be with their families and loved ones to spend Chinese New Year in the fastest and most convenient way.



But this migrant worker working in Rizhao, Shandong Province, instead of spending it on trains, buses, or planes, biked his way home to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province.



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The trip will obviously take longer than usual (and cheaper) compared to a bus, plane, or train ride, but as for the man's trip, it took him a month because he didnt know that he was going the wrong direction.



Not until a traffic police in Wuhu, Anhui Province, stopped him on the side of an expressway.



Shanghaiist reported that the man claimed he had been biking home for Spring Festival for a month already, and his hometown is in the opposite direction.



The man couldnt blame other people who gave him wrong directions at the start of his journey, because he himself didnt question them again over 500km bike ride southwest to Anhui.



The policeman and tollbooth workers all chipped in to buy the man a ticket back home out of pity, and advised him not to bike the 2,450 km back northeast anymore.



Known as Chinese New Year, the Spring Festival is the most important, highly anticipated festival in China as well as neighboring countries. This year, the festival starts on Jan. 28.



Up to 356 million trips are expected to be made via rail stations alone. For sure, bus or plane fares are equally expensive as the festival is nearing.


The IHS Energy South African Coal Exports Conference is in its 10th annual year. We will be debating the current change in global coal prices and its effects on South Africa's international exports and domestic supply balance. A mix of International buyers, domestic suppliers, government speakers, IHS and Industry experts and new market entrants make this a must attend event in South Africa for knowledge and networking.
Visitors crowd around a light work during Guangzhou International Light Festival on Nov. 22, 2016, in Guangzhou, one of Guangdong's first-tier cities. (Photo : Getty Images)

Among 31 provinces and municipalities in mainland China, Guangdong Province in South China is the largest and fastest-growing economy in terms of GDP, which was driven by government efforts to stabilize the economy and the rising housing prices.



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The Global Times cited data released on Sunday, Jan. 22, by the Statistics Bureau of Guangdong Province that showed that the province's economy jumped by 7.5 percent year-on-year to 7.95 trillion yuan ($1.16 trillion) last year.



Guangdong's economic growth also remained faster than the national average of 6.7 percent, although it slowed down from 8 percent in the previous year.



The provincial government said in its website that this is the 28th consecutive year that its GDP volume was hailed as the largest in the country.



According to the website article, if Guangdong can be considered a country, its economy would have been the 16th largest in the world.



The article also noted that Guangdong was also the first province or municipality in the country to earn more than 1 trillion yuan in general revenue, an expansion of 10.3 percent year-on-year in 2016.



Xing Xiaowei, director of the Guangdong statistics bureau, was quoted as saying that the province did not only maintain its "overall stable" economic growth in 2016 but it has also opened new opportunities for growth.



Xing said that the driving forces behind the growth of Guangdong's economy may be attributed to improved economic structure, innovation and consumption.



"Under the new normal, the transformation of Guangdong's economic structure and the change in economic driving forces has picked up pace," the official added.



Government data showed that the total sales of consumer goods in the province surpassed more than 3.5 trillion yuan, up 10.2 percent year-on-year. Its services sectors also posted rapid growth as profits earned by major services firms rose 21.7 percent year-on-year.



Xing said that the efforts to stabilize growth and implement structural reforms have driven the economic growth last year.



Ding Li, a regional economy expert at the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, said that being open and market-oriented has made it easy for Guangdong to adopt to changes and maintain stability.



"Cutting outdated capacity, while adding effective supply is a key part of the structural reform, and the market can decide better than any other forces," Ding told the Global Times. "Guangdong has better experience in this area."



Meanwhile, Liu Xuezhi, a macroeconomist with the Bank of Communications, said that Guangdong's real estate sector has a big contribution to its growth. The province has two first-tier cities--Guangzhou and Shenzhen--which have some of the highest-priced housing in the country.



Official data showed that commercial housing sales hit more than 1.6 trillion yuan, up 41.7 percent on year-on-year basis, while real estate investment climbed by 20.7 percent last year.



Xi said the province is set to implement measures to prevent real estate overheating.


Just Back From Syria, Rep. Gabbard Brings Message: 'There Are No Moderate Rebels' By Susan Jones January 26, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " CNSNews " - - Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Democrat, says she made a secret, four-day trip to Syria -- meeting with ordinary people and even President Bashar al-Assad -- because the suffering of the Syrian people "has been weighing heavily on my heart." "I wanted to see if there was in some small way, a way that I could express the love and the aloha and the care that the American people have for the people of Syria, and to see firsthand what was happening there, to see that situation there," Gabbard told CNN's "The Lead" with Jake Tapper on Wednesday. She returned with a message: "I'll tell you what I heard from the Syrian people that I met with, Jake, walking down the street in Aleppo, in Damascus, hearing from them. They expressed happiness and joy at seeing an American walking through their streets. But they also asked why the U.S. and its allies are providing support and arms to terrorist groups like al-Nusra, al-Qaida or al-Sham, ISIS who are on the ground there, raping, kidnapping, torturing and killing the Syrian people. "They asked me, why is the United States and its allies supporting these terrorist groups who are destroying Syria when it was al Qaida who attacked the United States on 9/11, not Syria. I didn't have an answer for them, Gabbard said. The reality is... every place that I went, every person that I spoke to, I asked this question to them, and without hesitation, they said, there are no moderate rebels. Who are these moderate rebels that people keep speaking of?



Regardless of the name of these groups, the strongest fighting force on the ground in Syria is al Nusra, or al Qaida and ISIS. That is a fact, Gabbard said. There is a number of different, other groups -- all of them essentially are fighting alongside, with, or under the command of the strongest group on the ground that's trying to overthrow Assad.



The Syrian people recognize and they know that if President Assad is overthrown, then al Qaida -- or a group like al Qaida, that has been killing Christians, killing people simply because of their religion, or because they wont support their terror activities, they will take charge of all of Syria.



This is the reality that the people of Syria are facing on the ground, and why they are pleading with us here in the United States to stop supporting these terrorist groups. Let the Syrian people themselves determine their future, not the United States, not some foreign country. Gabbard said initially, she didn't plan to meet with President Assad: "When the opportunity arose to meet with him, I did so because I felt it's important that if we profess to truly care about the Syrian people, about their suffering, then we've got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if there is a possibility that we could achieve peace, and that's exactly what we talked about." Tapper noted that Assad is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of people being forced from their homes and even their country during the five-year civil war: "Did you have any compunctions about meeting with somebody like that, giving him any sort of enhanced credibility because a member of the United States Congress would meet with someone like that?" Tapper asked. "Whatever you think about President Assad, the fact is that he is the president of Syria, Tulsi replied. In order for any peace agreement, in order for any possibility of a viable peace agreement to occur, there has to be a conversation with him, Gabbard said. The Syrian people will determine his outcome and what happens with their government and their future, but our focus, my focus, my commitment is on ending this war that has caused so much suffering to the Syrian people. In a speech on the House floor earlier this month, Gabbard criticized Americas interventionist wars. Our limited resources should go toward rebuilding our communities here at home, not fueling more counterproductive regime change wars abroad. She urged her fellow lawmakers to support her bill, the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, legislation that would stop the U.S. government from using taxpayer dollars to directly or indirectly support groups allied with terrorist groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda in their war to overthrow the Syrian government.



The fact that our resources are being used to strengthen the very terrorist groups we should be focused on defeating should alarm every American, Gabbard said. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and stop this madness. Gabbard supported Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, but after the election, she was one of many people invited to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York. "President-elect Trump asked me to meet with him about our current policies regarding Syria, our fight against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as other foreign policy challenges we face," Gabbard said about the meeting. I felt it important to take the opportunity to meet with the President-elect now before the drumbeats of war that neocons have been beating drag us into an escalation of the war to overthrow the Syrian government -- a war which has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions of refugees to flee their homes in search of safety for themselves and their families. The Syrian People Desperately Want Peace By Tulsi Gabbard As much of Washington prepared for the inauguration of President Donald Trump, I spent last week on a fact-finding mission in Syria and Lebanon to see and hear directly from the Syrian people. Their lives have been consumed by a horrific war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and forced millions to flee their homeland in search of peace. It is clear now more than ever: this regime change war does not serve Americas interest, and it certainly isnt in the interest of the Syrian people. We met these children at a shelter in Aleppo, whose families fled the eastern part of the city. The only thing these kids want, the only thing everyone I came across wants, is peace. Many of these children have only known war. Their families want nothing more than to go home, and get back to the way things were before the war to overthrow the government started. This is all they want. I traveled throughout Damascus and Aleppo, listening to Syrians from different parts of the country. I met with displaced families from the eastern part of Aleppo, Raqqah, Zabadani, Latakia, and the outskirts of Damascus. I met Syrian opposition leaders who led protests in 2011, widows and children of men fighting for the government and widows of those fighting against the government. I met Lebanons newly-elected President Aoun and Prime Minister Hariri, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard, Syrian President Assad, Grand Mufti Hassoun, Archbishop Denys Antoine Chahda of Syrian Catholic Church of Aleppo, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, humanitarian workers, academics, college students, small business owners, and more. Their message to the American people was powerful and consistent: There is no difference between moderate rebels and al-Qaeda (al-Nusra) or ISIS  they are all the same. This is a war between terrorists under the command of groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Syrian government. They cry out for the U.S. and other countries to stop supporting those who are destroying Syria and her people. I heard this message over and over again from those who have suffered and survived unspeakable horrors. They asked that I share their voice with the world; frustrated voices which have not been heard due to the false, one-sided biased reports pushing a narrative that supports this regime change war at the expense of Syrian lives. I heard testimony about how peaceful protests against the government that began in 2011 were quickly overtaken by Wahhabi jihadist groups like al-Qaeda (al-Nusra) who were funded and supported by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the United States, and others. They exploited the peaceful protesters, occupied their communities, and killed and tortured Syrians who would not cooperate with them in their fight to overthrow the government. I met a Muslim girl from Zabadani who was kidnapped, beaten repeatedly, and raped in 2012, when she was just 14 years old, by rebel groups who were angry that her father, a sheep herder, would not give them his money. She watched in horror as masked men murdered her father in their living room, emptying their entire magazine of bullets into him. I met a boy who was kidnapped while walking down the street to buy bread for his family. He was tortured, waterboarded, electrocuted, placed on a cross and whipped, all because he refused to help the rebels  he told them he just wanted to go to school. This is how the rebels are treating the Syrian people who do not cooperate with them, or whose religion is not acceptable to them. Although opposed to the Assad government, the political opposition spoke strongly about their adamant rejection of the use of violence to bring about reforms. They argue that if the Wahhabi jihadists, fueled by foreign governments, are successful in overthrowing the Syrian state, it would destroy Syria and its long history of a secular, pluralist society where people of all religions have lived peacefully side by side. Although this political opposition continues to seek reforms, they are adamant that as long as foreign governments wage a proxy regime change war against Syria using jihadist terrorist groups, they will stand with the Syrian state as they work peacefully toward a stronger Syria for all Syrians. Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it. I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if theres a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering. I met these amazing women from Barzi, many of whom have husbands or family members who are fighting with al-Nusra/al-Qaeda, or with the Syrian army. When they come to this community center, all of that is left behind, as they spend time with new friends, learning different skills like sewing, making plans for their future. They were strangers before coming to this community center whose mission is empowering these women, and now they are  sisters sharing laughter and tears together. I return to Washington, DC with even greater resolve to end our illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government. From Iraq to Libya and now in Syria, the U.S. has waged wars of regime change, each resulting in unimaginable suffering, devastating loss of life, and the strengthening of groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. I call upon Congress and the new Administration to answer the pleas of the Syrian people immediately and support the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. We must stop directly and indirectly supporting terrorists  directly by providing weapons, training and logistical support to rebel groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS; and indirectly through Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Turkey, who, in turn, support these terrorist groups. We must end our war to overthrow the Syrian government and focus our attention on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS. The U.S. must stop supporting terrorists who are destroying Syria and her people. The U.S. and other countries fueling this war must stop immediately. We must allow the Syrian people to try to recover from this terrible war. Thank you, Tulsi The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Congresswoman defends meeting Assad in Syria, says U.S. engaged in counterproductive regime change war : Our counterproductive regime change war does not serve Americas interest, and it certainly isnt in the interest of the Syrian people
Read Draft Text Of Trump's Executive Order Limiting Muslim Entry To The U.S.



The document details how the president plans to deliver on his campaign promise of a Muslim ban.



By Jessica Schulberg January 26, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " HP " - WASHINGTON  The White House intends to temporarily shut down travel from a wide swath of countries to the United States and implement dramatic restrictions on immigration and refugee admission, according to a draft version of a White House executive order obtained Wednesday by The Huffington Post. The document, which could still be amended before being officially signed, confirms the details reported by HuffPost on Tuesday, and adds new information about the planned strategy. According to the draft executive order, President Donald Trump plans to: Block refugee admissions from the war-torn country of Syria indefinitely.

Suspend refugee admissions from all countries for 120 days. After that period, the U.S. will only accept refugees from countries jointly approved by the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Director of National Intelligence.

Cap total refugee admissions for fiscal year 2017 at 50,000  less than half of the 110,000 proposed by the Obama administration.

Ban for 30 days all immigrant and nonimmigrant entry of individuals from countries designated in Division O, Title II, Section 203 of the 2016 consolidated appropriations act: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. These countries were targeted last year in restrictions on dual nationals and recent travelers participation in the visa waiver program.

Suspend visa issuance to countries of particular concern. After 60 days, DHS, the State Department and DNI are instructed to draft a list of countries that dont comply with requests for information. Foreign nationals from those countries will be banned from entering the U.S.

Establish safe zones to protect vulnerable Syrian populations. The executive order tasks the secretary of defense with drafting a plan for safe zones in Syria within 90 days. This would be be an escalation of U.S. involvement in Syria and could be the first official indication of how Trump will approach the conflict there.

Expedite the completion of a biometric entry-exit tracking system for all visitors to the U.S. and require in-person interviews for all individuals seeking a nonimmigrant visa.

Suspend the visa interview waiver program indefinitely and review whether existing reciprocity agreements are reciprocal in practice. The draft order, which is expected to be signed later this week, details the Trump administrations plans to collect and make publicly available within 180 days ... information regarding the number of foreign-born individuals in the United States who have been radicalized after entry into the United States and engaged in terrorism-related acts. It also describes plans to collect information about gender-based violence against women or honor killings by foreign-born individuals in the U.S. The language is unclear as to whether the names of these individuals, which could include American citizens, would be made public, nor does the document define radicalized or terrorism-related acts, leaving open the potential to sweep vast numbers of people onto the list. The move is reminiscent of the expansive enemies lists created by former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover last century.

Trumps first few days in the White House have been marked by a chaotic lurching from one issue to another. That drafts of executive orders are circulating and leaking to the press is another mark of early dysfunction.

Trumps initial campaign promise, that he would ban all Muslims from traveling to the United States, has been dialed back to a blanket ban on all travel from a smaller number of countries. But the focus is still on Muslims. The executive order says that priority will be given in the future to refugees who face religious persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individuals country of nationality. In other words, an exception will be made for non-Muslims in the Middle East, which undercuts the argument that the policy does not target Muslims specifically.
Notorious Mercenary Erik Prince Is Advising Trump From the Shadows By Jeremy Scahill January 26, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " The Intercept " - Erik Prince, Americas most notorious mercenary, is lurking in the shadows of the incoming Trump administration. A former senior U.S. official who has advised the Trump transition told The Intercept that Prince has been advising the team on matters related to intelligence and defense, including weighing in on candidates for the Defense and State departments. The official asked not to be identified because of a transition policy prohibiting discussion of confidential deliberations. On election night, Princes latest wife, Stacy DeLuke, posted pictures from inside Trumps campaign headquarters as Donald Trump and Mike Pence watched the returns come in, including a close shot of Pence and Trump with their families. We know some people who worked closely with [Trump] on his campaign, DeLuke wrote. Waiting for the numbers to come in last night. It was well worth the wait!!!! #PresidentTrump2016. Princes sister, billionaire Betsy DeVos, is Trumps nominee for education secretary and Prince (and his mother) gave large sums of money to a Trump Super PAC. In July, Prince told Trumps senior adviser and white supremacist Steve Bannon, at the time head of Breitbart News, that the Trump administration should recreate a version of the Phoenix Program, the CIA assassination ring that operated during the Vietnam War, to fight ISIS. Such a program, Prince said, could kill or capture the funders of Islamic terror and that would even be the wealthy radical Islamist billionaires funding it from the Middle East, and any of the other illicit activities theyre in. Prince also said that Trump would be the best force to confront Islamic fascism. As for the world looking to the United States for leadership, unfortunately, I think theyre going to have to wait till January and hope Mr. Trump is elected because, clearly, our generals dont have a stomach for a fight, Prince said. Our president doesnt have a stomach for a fight and the terrorists, the fascists, are winning. Prince founded the notorious private security firm Blackwater, which rose to infamy in September 2007 after its operatives gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians, including a 9-year-old boy in Baghdads Nisour Square. Whistleblowers also alleged that Prince encouraged an environment in which Iraqis were killed for sport. At the height of the Blackwater scandals in 2007, another prominent Trump backer, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, praised Prince, who once worked in his congressional office. Prince, Rohrabacher said, is on his way to being an American hero just like Ollie North was. Ultimately, Prince sold Blackwater and now heads up a Hong Kong-based company known as Frontier Services Group. The Intercept has previously reported on Princes efforts to build a private air force for hire and his close ties to Chinese intelligence. One of his latest schemes is a proposal to deploy private contractors to work with Libyan security forces to stop the flow of refugees to Europe. Prince has long fantasized that he is the rightful heir to the legacy of Wild Bill Donovan and his Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. After 9/11, Prince worked with the CIA on a secret assassination program, in addition to offering former SEALs and other retired special operators to the State Department and other agencies for personal security. Blaming leftists and some congressional Democrats for destroying his Blackwater empire, Prince clearly views Trumps vow to bring back torture, CIA-sponsored kidnapping, and enhanced interrogations, as well as his commitment to fill Guantanamo with prisoners, as a golden opportunity to ascend to his rightful place as a covert private warrior for the U.S. national security state. As we reported last year, Prince  who portrays himself as a mix between Indiana Jones, Rambo, Captain America, and Pope Benedict  is now working with the Chinese government through his latest private security firm. The Trump presidency could result in Prince working for both Beijing and the White House. The Blackwater founder has also endorsed some of Trumps overtures to Russia, saying: Think about it: If FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, can deal with Stalin to defeat German fascism in World War II, certainly the United States of America could work with Putin to defeat Islamic fascism. We dont have to agree with the Russians on everything, or even on a lot, but we can at least agree that crushing ISIS in the Middle East is a very good idea. Prince described Democrats as anti-Catholic, anti-Evangelical, saying the DNC hacks and leaks revealed the disregard, the disdain they have for the average American voter and citizen. Prince has a close relationship with Breitbart News and Steve Bannon, Trumps senior counselor and chief strategist. Prince has appeared frequently  and almost exclusively  on Breitbart Radio. In August, Prince offered praise for Trumps candidacy, telling Breitbarts Milo Yiannopoulos: I even like some of his projects that have gone bankrupt, because people that do things, and build things, and try things, sometimes fail at doing it, and thats the strength of the American capitalist system. Prince added: We have kind of turned our back on the fact that hard work, sacrifice, risk-taking, innovation, is what made America great. Washington did not make America great. In September, Prince backed Trumps proposal to commandeer Iraqs 2 million barrels of daily oil output. For Mr. Trump to say, Were going to take their oil  certainly were not going to lift it out of there and take it somewhere else, but putting it into production, and putting a tolling arrangement into place, to repay the American taxpayers for their efforts to remove Saddam and to stabilize the area, is doable, and very plausible, Prince said on Breitbart Radio. Princes sister, Betsy DeVos, is Trumps nominee for education secretary and she has all but vowed to embark on a crusade to push a privatization and religious agenda in education that mirrors her brothers in military and CIA affairs. Prince has long been a contributor to the campaign of fellow Christian warrior Mike Pence, and he contributed $100,000 to the pro-Trump Super PAC Make America Number 1. Princes mother, Elsa, pitched in another $50,000. That organization, run by Rebekah Mercer, daughter of billionaire hedge funder Robert Mercer, was one of the strongest bankrollers of Trumps campaign. According to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, in December Prince attended the annual Villains and Heroes costume ball hosted by Mercer. Dowd wrote that Palantir founder Peter Thiel showed her a picture on his phone of him posing with Erik Prince, who founded the private military company Blackwater, and Mr. Trump  who had no costume  but joke[d] that it was N.S.F.I. (Not Safe for the Internet). Not even Trump is brazen enough to give Prince a public post in his administration. But Prince is operating in the shadows, where he has always been most at home. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Jeremy Scahill on Trump Team: A Cabal of Religious Extremists, Privatization Advocates & Racists
Trump's Embassy Move to Jerusalem 'Self-destructive'



Trump's gamble in moving the US embassy to Jerusalem will have horrific and irreversible outcomes. By Ramzy Baroud January 26, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Al Jazeera " - Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump is about to reverse an historical course that has been in the making for 100 years. The inexperienced, demagogic politician hardly understands the danger that lies in his decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. If he goes through with this, he is likely to unleash an episode of chaos in an already volatile region. The move, which is now reportedly in the "beginning stages", is not a mere symbolic one, as some naively reported in Western mainstream media. True, American foreign policy has been centred mostly on military power, rarely historical fact. But Trump, known for his thoughtlessness and impulsive nature, is threatening to eradicate even the little common sense that governed US foreign policy conduct in the Middle East. If the new president moves forward with his plan, unsympathetic to Palestinian pleas and international warnings, he is likely to regret the unanticipated consequences of his action. A century ago, British forces under the command of General Sir Edmund Allenby occupied the Palestinian Arab city of Jerusalem. That ominous event in December 1917 disturbed the cultural and political equilibrium that existed in Palestine for nearly a millennium. Throughout his campaign for the White House, Trump made numerous, wholesale, often contradictory promises. While initially he pledged to keep a similar distance between Palestinians and Israel, he later reversed his position, adopting that of Israel's right-wing government. It also initiated a war that has proved the longest and one of the most bloody and destabilising in modern human history. Although Palestine was wrestled from the hand of its governing bodies operating under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire, its new British rulers understood the unequalled importance of Jerusalem to its people. That understanding was always present, even when France and Britain signed the Sykes-Picot agreement in May 1916, dividing Ottoman territories among themselves, Jerusalem's status was designated as an international area owing to its shared religious significance. The same emphasis regarding the neutrality of Jerusalem was made time and again, including in the League of Nations' decision in 1922 to give Britain a political mandate over Palestine, and the United Nations resolution to divide Palestine into two countries, one Arab and one Jewish, in November 1947. While that envisaged Palestinian state never actualised (thanks to numerous obstacles placed by the US and Israel), Israel became a reality in May 1948. Mere months after an armistice agreement was reached, Israel declared Jerusalem as its capital in December 1949. It was then that biblical mythology was remoulded to fit political exigencies. Israel's first Parliament (Knesset) declared in January 1950 that "Jerusalem was, and had always been the capital of Israel". The "was" and "always been" are references to a twisted interpretation of history that has no place in modern international law, of which Israel is never a follower to begin with. After 1,500 years of Canaanite rule over Palestine, the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea fell under the rule of numerous invaders, including the Philistines, the Israelites, the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Crusaders, and then it was ruled by various Islamic Caliphates from 1291 until the British mandate in 1922. The Israelites' control barely lasted for 77 years and it is largely contested that Israeli Jews of today are even blood relatives of the groups that inhabited Palestine 2,000 years ago. Yet, that was enough for the modern Israeli national myth, which is now championed by the most right-wing, religious extremists in both the United States and Israel. READ MORE: How Britain destroyed the Palestinian Homeland In 1967, Israel occupied the rest of historic Palestine, including Palestinian East Jerusalem, annexing the city in 1980. The international community has continually rejected and condemned the Israeli occupation, with repeated emphasis on Jerusalem. Countries around the world, even those that are considered allies of Israel, including the United States, reject Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, and refuse Israeli invitations to relocate their embassies from Tel Aviv to the illegally occupied city. The United States' attitude towards Jerusalem, however, has been marred with contradictions. Since 1995, the US position has been divided between the historically pro-Israel US Congress and the equally pro-Israel but slightly more pragmatic White House. In October 1995, the US Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act. The act was passed by an overwhelming majority in both House and Senate. It called Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel and urged the State Department to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The US administration at the time protested against the violation of protocol as such a decision is the responsibility of the executive branch, not politicians beholden to Israel's influential lobby in Washington. The other dilemma is that if the US walks away from international consensus on the matter, it both loses the little credibility it had as a "peace broker" and would be left to contend with the terrible consequences that are likely, including political instability and violence. It is true that Jerusalem has tremendous spiritual significance for Muslims, Christians and Jews, but the uninterrupted cultural and religious significance it had for Palestinian Christians and Muslims alike makes it unpatrolled as an economic, political and cultural hub as well. For many years, US administrations under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama have signed a presidential waiver that deferred the Congressional bill six months at a time. The last time the waiver was signed by former President Obama was on December 1, 2016. Throughout his campaign for the White House, Trump made numerous, wholesale, often contradictory promises. While he initially pledged to keep a similar distance between Palestinians and Israel, he later reversed his position, adopting that of Israel's right-wing government. Now the opportunistic real-estate mogul enters the White House with an eerie agenda that looks identical to that of the current Israeli government of right-wingers and ultra-nationalists. "We have now reached the point where envoys from one country to the other could almost switch places," wrote Palestinian Professor, Rashid Khalidi, in the New Yorker. He wrote, "The Israeli Ambassador in Washington, Ron Dermer, who grew up in Florida, could just as easily be the US Ambassador to Israel, while Donald Trump's Ambassador-designate to Israel, David Friedman, who has intimate ties to the Israeli settler movement, would make a fine Ambassador in Washington for the pro-settler government of Benjamin Netanyahu." The Israeli right is almost in a state of political euphoria. Not only are the superfluous references to a "peace process" and a Palestinian state over, but they also now have a free hand to build illegal Jewish settlements (colonies) in occupied Jerusalem unhindered. New bills are springing in the Israeli Knesset to annex even the Jewish settlements rendered illegal by Israels own definitions, and to remove any restriction on new settlement construction and expansion. The Trump administration has no qualms with that; to the contrary, this falls squarely in the agenda of the new rulers of the United States who now control the legislative and executive branches. The odd thing is that the US is about to violate the very international consensus (as in US-led Western consensus) regarding the conflict in Palestine. Speaking to the Paris peace conference on January 15, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned Trump against the "very serious consequences" that await in case the US embassy is in fact moved to Jerusalem. The French and other European countries are aware that such a move would end the US-led "peace process" along with the thus far futile quest for a two-state solution. However, this should be the least of anyone's concerns, since both the "peace process" and the "two-state solution" charade have been largely an American investment to maintain US leadership, power and influence over the conflict in Palestine. The US, and its Western allies, certainly had the needed clout and power to achieve a peaceful and just resolution to the conflict, if that was indeed their overriding priority. They failed to do so over the course of 25 years, starting in the Madrid Talks of 1991 and ending with the pitiful Paris conference on January 15. Past American failures notwithstanding, the Trump administration's gamble in moving the US embassy is likely to ignite a political fire throughout Palestine and the Middle East with horrific and irreversible outcomes. Spinning the occupation: Israel and the media - The Listening Post Palestinians and Arabs understand that moving the embassy is far from being a symbolic move, but a carte blanche to complete the Israeli takeover of the city, including its holy sites, and complete the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Muslims and Christians. That escalation will certainly and explicably lead to violence. Vital US interests in the Middle East could and will also suffer the consequences of such an imprudent move. Palestinian officials and religious figures alike condemned the US decision. A top Palestinian official referred to it as a declaration of war on Muslims. Considering the significance of Jerusalem to Palestinian Muslims and Christians, and hundreds of millions of believers around the world, Trump might indeed be igniting a powder keg that would further derail his already embattled presidency. While some in the mainstream Western media are already predicting "a fresh wave of Palestinian violence" should the embassy be relocated, the new US administration must think carefully before embarking on such self-destructive moves. Just because Trump intends to reverse the legacy of his predecessor doesn't mean the new American president should begin his legacy by inviting more violence and pushing an already volatile region further into the abyss. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for more than 20 years. He is an internationally syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His books include Searching Jenin, The Second Palestinian Intifada and his latest, My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gazas Untold Story. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Congress Should Enact a No Presidential Wars Statute By Bruce Fein January 26, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " WT " - Congress should enact a No Presidential Wars statute that defines presidential wars; declares them contrary to the U.S. Constitutions Declare War Clause; and, makes presidential wars prospectively impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors justifying removal from office under Article II, section 4. This will make America great, prosperous and invincible against aggression faster and surer than any alternative. The United States is currently engaged in nine presidential wars: Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, al Qaeda and ISIS. Every soldier involved in these engagements should be redeployed to the United States with enhanced pay for invincible self-defense. The fully allocated cost of fighting presidential wars since 9/11 approaches a staggering $10 trillion. War is the oldest scourge of mankind. It turns children into orphans, wives into widows, and makes fathers bury sons rather than sons bury fathers. It silences the law, crushes liberty, aggrandizes executive power, spirals debt, diverts genius from production to destruction, promotes secret government, precipitates blowback, and afflicts our own soldiers with PTSD generated suicides. Alexis de Tocqueville observed in Democracy in America: All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it. Thousands of years of history taught the Constitutions authors that the executive would be predisposed toward war to enhance power, to excite patriotic support, to operate secret and unaccountable government, and to leave a legacy. In contrast, the legislative branch is a highly risk-averse talking shop which will only take the nation from peace to war in response to actual aggression against the United States. Gratuitous wars have nothing in them for members of Congress. Their powers and stature are eclipsed by an omnipotent president. They win no fame or remembrance. Congress has declared war in only five conflicts since its birth 227 years ago, and only when members were convinced the United States had been attacked. Everyone who participated in the drafting, debating and ratifying the Constitution highly distrusted the presidency in matters of war and peace. They unanimously entrusted to Congress exclusive responsibility for taking the nation to war in Article I, section 8, clause 11 of the Constitution. The authors did not believe the power of the purse would be sufficient to prevent presidential wars. They knew once the president commits troops, members of Congress would be forced to provide funding under the banner of patriotism. The universal sentiment was expressed by James Madison in a letter to Thomas Jefferson: The constitution supposes, what the History of all Govts demonstrates, that the Ex. is the branch of power most interested in war, & most prone to it. It has accordingly with studied care, vested the question of war in the Legisl. Despite the clarity of the constitutional prohibition, presidents have chronically decided to take the nation from peace to war since at least President Harry Trumans decision to fight the Korean War in 1950 without a congressional declaration. Fueled by a multi-trillion dollar military-industrial-counterterrorism complex, presidential wars have come to dominate the nations budget and agenda. The warfare state has given birth to the surveillance state, the bail-out state, and the welfare state. The federal government has ballooned into a $4.3 trillion Leviathan. Congress and the American people have generally ignored the lawlessness of presidential wars and the havoc they have wrought both at home and abroad. We are imitating all previous empires in our enthusiasm for self-ruination. Presidential wars have become de facto constitutional. This must change. Through a No Presidential Wars statute, Congress needs to establish rules defining and sanctioning presidential wars prospectively. The law should warn before it strikes. And nothing good can come from taking up arms against history. Presidential wars should be defined as wars in which the president decides to take the United States from a state of peace to a state of war. It should not include wars in which Congress has decided itself to take the nation from peace to war. Neither should it include cases in which the president responds with proportionate military force in national self-defense against actual or imminent aggression or a declaration of war against the United States by a foreign nation or non-state actor. But presidential wars should include cases in which the president unilaterally decides to make the United States a co-belligerent in an ongoing war by systematically or substantially supplying one of the warring parties with war materials, military troops, trainers or advisers, military intelligence, financial support or its equivalent. Presidential wars should further be defined to include cases where an incumbent continues an unconstitutional presidential war commenced by a predecessor. The No Presidential Wars statute should also declare that a violation will be deemed a high crime and misdemeanor under Article II, section 4, and will cause the President to be impeached by the House, convicted by the Senate, and removed from office. It would mark the Constitutions finest hour, and save the republic from destruction. Copyright  2017 The Washington Times, LLC. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. New bill aims to ban Donald Trump from first use of nuclear weapons without Congressional Declaration of War : Mr Trump's ignorance of nuclear defence theory increases the risk of an accidental nuclear war. Thanks to Trump, the Doomsday Clock Advances Toward Midnight; Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person. But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter.
Barf Alert Theresa May Speech Warns - 'Beware of Vladimir Putin'



The Prime Minister also said 'failed policies' like the Iraq War in which the West tried to remake nations must end



Video and Transcript January 27, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - This is the full text of the speech delivered by British Prime Minister Theresa May to the Republican Party 'Congress of Tomorrow' conference in Philadelphia on January 26, 2017:



Thank you very much for that fantastic welcome.



Majority Leader McConnell, Mr Speaker, Distinguished Members of the Senate and Representatives of the House.



I would like to thank Congress and the Congressional Institute for the invitation to be here today. The opportunity to visit the United States is always special. And to be invited to be the first serving Head of Government to address this important conference is an honour indeed.



I defy any person to travel to this great country at any time and not to be inspired by its promise and its example.



For more than two centuries, the very idea of America  drawn from history and given written form in a small hall not far from here  has lit up the world.



That idea  that all are created equal and that all are born free  has never been surpassed in the long history of political thought.



And it is here  on the streets and in the halls of this great city of Philadelphia  that the founding fathers first set it down, that the textbook of freedom was written, and that this great nation that grew from sea to shining sea was born.



Since that day, it has been Americas destiny to bear the leadership of the free world and to carry that heavy responsibility on its shoulders. But my country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has been proud to share that burden and to walk alongside you at every stage.



For the past century, Britain and America  and the unique and special relationship that exists between us  have taken the idea conceived by those fifty-six rank-and-file, ordinary citizens, as President Reagan called them, forward. And because we have done so, time and again it is the relationship between us that has defined the modern world.



One hundred years ago this April, it was your intervention in the First World War that helped Britain, France, our friends in the Commonwealth and other allies to maintain freedom in Europe.



A little more than seventy-five years ago, you responded to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour by joining Britain in the Second World War and defeating fascism not just in the Pacific but in Africa and Europe too.



And later, in the aftermath of these wars, our two countries led the West through the Cold War, confronting communism and ultimately defeating it not just through military might, but by winning the war of ideas. And by proving that open, liberal, democratic societies will always defeat those that are closed, coercive and cruel.



But the leadership provided by our two countries through the Special Relationship has done more than win wars and overcome adversity. It made the modern world.



The institutions upon which that world relies were so often conceived or inspired by our two nations working together.



The United Nations  in need of reform, but vital still  has its foundations in the Special Relationship, from the original Declaration of St James Palace to the Declaration by United Nations, signed in Washington, and drafted themselves by Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.



The World Bank and International Monetary Fund, born in the post-war world at Bretton Woods, were conceived by our two nations working together.



And NATO  the cornerstone of the Wests defence  was established on the bonds of trust and mutual interests that exist between us.



Some of these organisations are in need of reform and renewal to make them relevant to our needs today. But we should be proud of the role our two nations  working in partnership  played in bringing them into being, and in bringing peace and prosperity to billions of people as a result.



Because it is through our actions over many years, working together to defeat evil or to open up the world, that we have been able to fulfil the promise of those who first spoke of the special nature of the relationship between us. The promise of freedom, liberty and the rights of man.



We must never cease, Churchill said, to proclaim in fearless tones the great principles of freedom and the rights of man which are the joint inheritance of the English-speaking world and which through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and the English common law, find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence.



So it is my honour and privilege to stand before you today in this great city of Philadelphia to proclaim them again, to join hands as we pick up that mantle of leadership once more, to renew our Special Relationship and to recommit ourselves to the responsibility of leadership in the modern world.



CHANGE IN AMERICA



And it is my honour and privilege to do so at this time, as dawn breaks on a new era of American renewal.



For I speak to you not just as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but as a fellow Conservative who believes in the same principles that underpin the agenda of your party. The value of liberty. The dignity of work. The principle of nationhood, family, economic prudence, patriotism - and putting power in the hands of the people. Principles instilled in me from a young age. Principle that my parents taught me in the vicarage in Southern England in which I was raised. I know that it is these principles that you have put at the heart of your plan for government. And your victory in these election gives you the opportunity to put them at the heart of this new era of American renewal too. President Trump's victory - achieved in defiance of all the pundits and the polls - and rooted not in the corridors of Washington, but in the hopes and aspirations of working men and women across this land. Your party's victory in both the Congress and the Senate where you swept all before you, secured with great effort and achieved with an important message of national renewal. CHANGE IN BRITAIN



And a newly emboldened, confident America is good for the world.



An America that is strong and prosperous at home is a nation that can lead abroad. But you cannot  and should not  do so alone. You have said that it is time for others to step up. And I agree.



Sovereign countries cannot outsource their security and prosperity to America. And they should not undermine the alliances that keep us strong by failing to step up and play their part.



This is something Britain has always understood. It is why Britain is the only country in the G20  other than yours  to meet its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence, and to invest 20% of that in upgrading equipment. It is why Britain is the only country in the G20 to spend 0.7% of gross national income on overseas development. It is why my first act as Prime Minister last year was to lead the debate in Parliament that ensured the renewal of Britains independent nuclear deterrent. And it is why the Government I lead will increase spending on defence in every year of this Parliament.



It is why Britain is a leading member  alongside the United States  of the coalition working successfully to defeat Daesh; why we have agreed to send 800 troops to Estonia and Poland as part of NATOs forward presence in eastern Europe; why we are increasing our troop contribution to NATOs Resolute Support mission that defends the Afghan government from terrorism; and it is why we are reinforcing our commitment to peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, South Sudan and Somalia.



And it is why Britain is leading the way in pioneering international efforts to crack down on modern slavery - one of the great scourges of our world - wherever it is found. I hope you will join us in that cause  and I commend Senator Corker in particular for his work in this field. It is good to have met him here today.



As Americans know, the United Kingdom is by instinct and history a great, global nation that recognises its responsibilities to the world.



And as we end our membership of the European Union  as the British people voted with determination and quiet resolve to do last year  we have the opportunity to reassert our belief in a confident, sovereign and Global Britain, ready to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.



We will build a new partnership with our friends in Europe. We are not turning our back on them, or on the interests and the values that we share. It remains overwhelmingly in our interests  and in those of the wider world  that the EU should succeed. And for as long as we remain members we will continue to play our full part, just as we will continue to cooperate on security, foreign policy and trade once we have left.



But we have chosen a different future for our country.



A future that sees us restore our parliamentary sovereignty and national self-determination, and to become even more global and internationalist in action and in spirit.



A future that sees us take back control of the things that matter to us  things like our national borders and immigration policy, and the way we decide and interpret our own laws - so that we are able to shape a better, more prosperous future for the working men and women of Britain.



A future that sees us step up with confidence to a new, even more internationalist role, where we meet our responsibilities to our friends and allies, champion the international cooperation and partnerships that project our values around the world, and continue to act as one of the strongest and most forceful advocates for business, free markets and free trade anywhere around the globe.



This is a vision of a future that my country can unite around  and that I hope your country, as our closest friend and ally, can welcome and support.



A RENEWED SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP



So as we rediscover our confidence together  as you renew your nation just as we renew ours  we have the opportunity  indeed the responsibility  to renew the Special Relationship for this new age. We have the opportunity to lead, together, again.



Because the world is passing through a period of change  and in response to that change we can either be passive bystanders, or we can take the opportunity once more to lead. And to lead together.



I believe it is in our national interest to do so. Because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear.



The end of the Cold War did not give rise to a New World Order. It did not herald the End of History. It did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs.



For some  the citizens of Central and Eastern Europe in particular  it brought new freedom.



But across the world, ancient ethnic, religious and national rivalries  rivalries that had been frozen through the decades of the Cold War  returned.



New enemies of the West and our values  in particular in the form of Radical Islamists  have emerged.



And countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights  notably China and Russia  have grown more assertive in world affairs.



The rise of the Asian economies  China yes, but democratic allies like India too  is hugely welcome. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up.



But these events  coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fall out, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11, and difficult military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan - have led many to fear that, in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West.



But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer. And as they do so, they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty.



But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure. And the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever.



So we  our two countries together  have a responsibility to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain and the world.



It is in our interests  those of Britain and America together  to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe.



This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.



And whether it is the security of Israel in the Middle East or the Baltic states in Eastern Europe, we must always stand up for our friends and allies in democratic countries that find themselves in tough neighbourhoods too.



We each have different political traditions. We will sometimes pursue different domestic policies. And there may be occasions on which we disagree. But the common values and interests that bring us together are hugely powerful.



And  as your foremost friend and ally  we support many of the priorities your government has laid out for Americas engagement with the world.



It is why I join you in your determination to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology of Islamist extremism that inspires them and many others terrorist groups in the world today. It is in both our national interests to do so. This will require us to use the intelligence provided by the finest security agencies in the world. And it will require the use of military might.



But it also demands a wider effort. Because one of the lessons of fighting terrorism in the last 15 years or so is yes, killing terrorists can save innocent lives. But until we kill the idea that drives them, the ideology, we will always have to live with this threat.



And as they are defeated on the ground, the terrorists are exploiting the internet and social media to spread this ideology that is preying on vulnerable citizens in our own countries, inspiring them to commit acts of terror in our own cities.



That is why the UK has led the world in developing a strategy for preventing violent extremism, and why the British and American governments are working together to take on and defeat the ideology of Islamist Extremism. I look forward to working with the President and his Administration to step up our efforts still further in order to defeat this evil ideology.



But of course, we should always be careful to distinguish between this extreme and hateful ideology, and the peaceful religion of Islam and the hundreds of millions of its adherents - including millions of our own citizens and those further afield who are so often the first victims of this ideologys terror. And nor is it enough merely to focus on violent extremism. We need to address the whole spectrum of extremism, starting with the bigotry and hatred that can so often turn to violence.



Yet ultimately to defeat Daesh, we must employ all of the diplomatic means at our disposal. That means working internationally to secure a political solution in Syria and challenging the alliance between the Syrian regime and its backers in Tehran.



When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who - during his negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev - used to abide by the adage trust but verify. With President Putin, my advice is to engage but beware.



There is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West. And nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War. But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength. And we should build the relationships, systems and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict  and that, particularly after the illegal annexation of Crimea, give assurance to Russias neighbouring states that their security is not in question. We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putins claim that it is now in his sphere of influence.



And progress on this issue would also help to secure another of this nations priorities  to reduce Irans malign influence in the Middle East.



This is a priority for the UK too as we support our allies in the Gulf States to push back against Irans aggressive efforts to build an arc of influence from Tehran through to the Mediterranean.



The nuclear deal with Iran was controversial. But it has neutralised the possibility of the Iranians acquiring nuclear weapons for more than a decade. It has seen Iran remove 13,000 centrifuges together with associated infrastructure and eliminate its stock of 20% enriched uranium. That was vitally important for regional security. But the agreement must now be very carefully and rigorously policed  and any breaches should be dealt with firmly and immediately.



STRONG INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONS



To deal with the threats of the modern world, we need to rebuild confidence in the institutions upon which we all rely.



In part that means multinational institutions. Because we know that so many of the threats we face today  global terrorism, climate change, organised crime, unprecedented mass movements of people  do not respect national borders. So we must turn towards those multinational institutions like the UN and NATO that encourage international cooperation and partnership.



But those multinational institutions need to work for the countries that formed them, and to serve the needs and interests of the people of those nations. They have no democratic mandate of their own. So I share your reform agenda and believe that, by working together, we can make those institutions more relevant and purposeful than they are today.



I call on others, therefore, to join us in that effort and to ensure they step up and contribute as they should. That is why I have encouraged Antonio Guterres, the new UN Secretary General, to pursue an ambitious reform programme, focusing the United Nations on its core functions of peacekeeping, conflict prevention and resolution. And it is why I have already raised with my fellow European leaders the need to deliver on their commitments to spend 2% of their GDP on defence  and 20% of their defence budgets on equipment.



It is also why I have already raised with Jens Stoltenberg  the Secretary General of NATO  the need to make sure the Alliance is as equipped to fight terrorism and cyber warfare, as it is to fight more conventional forms of war.



Americas leadership role in NATO  supported by Britain  must be the central element around which the Alliance is built. But alongside this continued commitment, I am also clear that EU nations must similarly step up to ensure this institution that provides the cornerstone of the Wests defence continues to be as effective as it can be.



Yet the most important institution is  and should always be  the nation state. Strong nations form strong institutions. And they form the basis of the international partnerships and cooperation that bring stability to our world.



Nations, accountable to their populations  deriving as the Declaration of Independence puts it their just powers from the consent of the governed  can choose to join international organisations, or not. They can choose to cooperate with others, or not. Choose to trade with others, or not.



Which is why if the countries of the European Union wish to integrate further, my view is that they should be free to do so. Because that is what they choose.



But Britain  as a sovereign nation with the same values but a different political and cultural history  has chosen to take a different path.



Because our history and culture is profoundly internationalist.



We are a European country  and proud of our shared European heritage  but we are also a country that has always looked beyond Europe to the wider world. We have ties of family, kinship and history to countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and countries across Africa, the Pacific and Caribbean.



And of course, we have ties of kinship, language and culture to these United States too. As Churchill put it, we speak the same language, kneel at the same altars and, to a very large extent, pursue the same ideals.



And, today, increasingly we have strong economic, commercial, defence and political relationships as well.



So I am delighted that the new Administration has made a trade agreement between our countries one of its earliest priorities. A new trade deal between Britain and America must work for both sides and serve both of our national interests. It must help to grow our respective economies and to provide the high-skilled, high-paid jobs of the future for working people across America and across the UK.



And it must work for those who have too often felt left behind by the forces of globalisation. People, often those on modest incomes living in relatively rich countries like our own, who feel that the global system of free markets and free trade is simply not working for them in its current form.



Such a deal  allied to the reforms we are making to our own economy to ensure wealth and opportunity is spread across our land  can demonstrate to those who feel locked out and left behind that free markets, free economies and free trade can deliver the brighter future they need. And it can maintain  indeed it can build  support for the rules-based international system on which the stability of our world continues to rely.



The UK is already Americas fifth largest export destination, while your markets account for almost a fifth of global exports from our shores. Exports to the UK from this State of Pennsylvania alone account for more than $2 billion a year. The UK is the largest market in the EU  and the third largest market in the world  for exporters here.



America is the largest single destination for UK outward investment and the single largest investor in the UK. And your companies are investing or expanding in the UK at the rate of more than ten projects a week.



British companies employ people in every US state from Texas to Vermont. And the UK-US Defence relationship is the broadest, deepest and most advanced of any two countries, sharing military hardware and expertise. And of course, we have recently invested in the new F-35 strike aircraft for our new aircraft carriers that will secure our naval presence  and increase our ability to project our power around the world  for years to come.



Because of these strong economic and commercial links  and our shared history and the strength of our relationship  I look forward to pursuing talks with President Trump and his new Administration about a new UK/US Free Trade Agreement in the coming months. It will take detailed work, but we welcome your openness to those discussions and hope we can make progress so that the new, Global Britain that emerges after Brexit is even better equipped to take its place confidently in the world.



CONCLUSION



Such an agreement would see us taking that next step in the special relationship that exists between us. Cementing and affirming one of the greatest forces for progress this world has ever known.



Seventy years ago in 1946, Churchill proposed a new phase in this relationship  to win a Cold War that many had not even realised had started. He described how an iron curtain had fallen from the Baltic to the Adriatic, covering all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe: Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia and Bucharest.



Today those great cities  homes of great culture and heritage  live in freedom and peace. And they do so because of the leadership of Britain and America, and of Mrs Thatcher and President Reagan.



They do so - ultimately - because our ideas will always prevail.



And they do so because, when the world demands leadership, it is this alliance of values and interests  this Special Relationship between two countries  that, to borrow the words of another great American statesman, enters the arena, with our faces marred by dust and sweat and blood, to strive valiantly and know the triumph of high achievement.



As we renew the promise of our nations to make them stronger at home  in the words of President Reagan as the sleeping giant stirs  so let us renew the relationship that can lead the world towards the promise of freedom and prosperity marked out in parchment by those ordinary citizens 240 years ago.



So that we may not be counted with the cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat, but with those who strive to do the deeds that will lead us to a better world.



That better future is within reach. Together, we can build it. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. The Guardian Accused of Misogyny Publishes a cartoon seeming to depict UK Prime Minister Theresa May moments after being sodomized by Donald Trump. What do you think? Steve Bell - Guardian Opinion cartoon - The daily cartoon from the Guardian's opinion and debate section Donald Trump 'committed to NATO', says May in US visit ; Donald Trump is "100 percent behind" NATO, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has said, after becoming the first foreign leader to meet the US president since he was sworn in a week ago. Theresa May shows British poodle can lead the way for erratic new master : The PM paid homage to the patron saints of the special relationship but emphasised the importance of European security Britain becoming U.S. vassal state, says French presidential hopeful Macron : Britain is becoming subservient to a United States that will be extremely difficult to cooperate with judging by President Donald Trump's "serious and worrying" first acts, French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. Russian Embassy mocks Theresa May over 'beware Vladimir Putin' speech : Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will speak directly for the first time since the US president's inauguration in a telephone call on Saturday, the Kremlin has confirmed. Theresa May is preparing to abandon plans for a British Bill of Rights, sources suggest : Ministers have confirmed that the Government's plans to scrap the Human Rights Act have been shelved until after Brexit.
Trumps Freeze on Immigrants and Refugees Plays Into the Hands of Islamic Terror Recruiters



LA Times Editorial January 27, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " LA Times " - President Trump is expected to sign orders Friday to temporarily freeze immigration from seven Muslim nations and halt refugee resettlements from everywhere  a classic example of a solution in search of problem, and just the kind of symbolic act that gives weight to radical Islamists when they argue that the U.S. is an enemy of their faith. Trumps campaign for president was built on a foundation of fear and resentment, and that dark cloud hangs over these putative attempts to bolster national security. Based on a draft version of the executive order, it seems that Trump will impose a 30-day suspension of visas for people from seven predominately Muslim countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  while the government reviews and presumably tightens its visa-vetting protocols. He also will direct security officials to determine within 30 days what information they need to evaluate potential visitors, and list the countries around the world that dont provide it. Countries that dont correct the error of their ways within 60 days of that report  including the seven affected by the ban  will have their citizens barred until they comply. Worse, Trump apparently plans to suspend U.S. acceptance of all refugees  people fleeing war or oppression for whom returning home is not an option  for 120 days as the government reviews and revises its screening procedures, and he is expected to slash the number of refugees the U.S. would accept through October 2017 from 110,000 (set by President Obama last September) to 50,000. Trump also will prioritize the resettlement of refugees seeking asylum on grounds of religious persecution, officially valuing people oppressed because of their religion over those targeted for political dissent, sexual orientation or other reasons. Efforts to restrict access to the U.S. by people fleeing war-torn parts of the world would be misguided and inhumane. And Trump wants plans drawn for safe areas for Syrians within Syria or nearby nations, which could help the administration at a later point if it wants to institute a longer-term ban on Syrian refugees. But the draft order offers no details on how the safe zones would be secured, or the legal basis for the U.S. establishing control of territory in a sovereign (if war-torn) state. Such efforts to restrict access to the U.S. by people fleeing war-torn parts of the world would be misguided and inhumane. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, reported in 2015 that in the 14 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, 784,000 refugees resettled in the U.S. Yet during that time only three resettled refugees were convicted on terror-related charges  two of them for plotting against an overseas target and the third for hatching plans that were barely credible, according to the report. The vast majority of refugees allowed into the U.S. are first vetted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, whose screeners then recommend placements in third countries. When the U.S. gets a referral, it conducts its own security screening before offering resettlement, a process that routinely takes one to two years. Whats more, a study by the New America Foundation shows that 80% of the terrorist attacks in this country since 9/11 have been carried out by American citizens (although some of those perpetrators were naturalized citizens). It is not surprising that some Americans are worried by the hostility directed at them from a small, radicalized segment of the Islamic world. But such fears should not be channeled into a broad, discriminatory retrenchment that is at odds with the best of our humanitarian principles  especially if that retrenchment would likely do little to protect us. The U.S. became a wealthy world power in large part through immigration. And its openness has provided a lifeline to the oppressed of the world  the U.S. has formally resettled more refugees than any other country (though at the moment it is not bearing its fair share of the burden of resettling the tens of millions of migrants currently fleeing war zones). Trumps actions are not only inhumane, they are a betrayal of what the United States stands for. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Expecting Trump action, U.S. suspends refugee resettlement interviews: The decision effectively amounts to a pause in future refugee admissions, given that the interviews are a crucial step in an often years-long process.
Trump Appoints Hate Group Leader to Border Patrol Agency

By teleSur

Julie Kirchner, former executive director of an anti-immigrant hate group, now has a key role with U.S. Border Patrol.

January 27, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " teleSur " - Just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump issued orders to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and attack migrants living in the U.S., two outlets are reporting that he has also appointed Julie Kirchner, former head of the anti-immigrant hate group Federation of American Immigration Reform , as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

The Southern Poverty Law Center labels FAIR a hate group, crediting its white nationalist and pro-eugenics founder John Tanton with creating the modern anti-immigration movement in the U.S. by advocating a complete moratorium on all immigration and encouraging violence towards racialized migrants.



Kirchner worked with Tanton  who wrote that the U.S. requires a European-American majority  for years before leaving FAIR in 2015 to work on Trumps campaign as an advisor on immigration issues.

Both Democracy Now! and the SPLC reported that Kirchner will serve as chief of staff at Customs and Border Protection, one of the worlds largest law enforcement agencies, which is in charge of customs, immigration, and border security.

However Rewire reported that when contacted the agency would not confirm Kirchners position, only saying she will serve as an advisor.



During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly cited studies by FAIR and its offshoot Center for Immigration Studies, which the SPLC also designates as a hate group noting that it distributes work by Holocaust deniers and white supremacists, to justify his racist immigration policies.



Just before Trumps inauguration, FAIR bought advertisements calling for an end to Sanctuary Cities. On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order cutting off funding to cities which refuse to enable federal government attacks on migrants.

The appointment is especially concerning for migrant rights activists given the Border Patrols long history of violence towards migrants and the openly racist pronouncements of the U.S. Commander in Chief.



Now that people feel like its OK to be proud of being racist [because of Trumps rhetoric on the campaign trail], I think we will see an increased level of mistreatment and misconduct by Border Patrol agents  and theres no way to stop it. No independent accountability measure has been put into place or will be put into place, and Congress doesnt care. These things have been happening for a long time, but now we will face some of the most brutal aggression against immigrants and border communities, said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Texas-based Border Network for Human Rights, in an interview with Rewire.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

Trump, Pena Nieto Talked by Phone After Wall Feud, Official Says: The call was reported earlier by the Associated Press, which said the two leaders spent an hour on the call.

Mexican Government to Launch Anti-Trump Strategy: Representatives from the three branches of the Mexican government meet today at the presidential residence of Los Pinos in Mexico City to coordinate a joint plan of action in response to attacks by U.S. President Donald Trump against Mexico.

Mexico wall: Trump condemned over imports tax proposal : "A tax on Mexican imports to the United States is not a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but to a way make the North American consumer pay for it through more expensive avocados, washing machines, televisions.''

How a 20% Mexico tariff could cost US shoppers : American consumers may have to pay more for products ranging from Toyotas to vegetables to beer if a proposal floated by President Trump to impose a 20% tariff on Mexican imports goes into effect.

The Dangers of a U.S.-Mexico Trade War : This situation could get rather ugly. A recession in Mexico can backfire for the US  including bringing more of what the great wall is trying to prevent.

Expecting Trump action, U.S. suspends refugee resettlement interviews: The decision effectively amounts to a pause in future refugee admissions, given that the interviews are a crucial step in an often years-long process.

The White House will publish a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrant s: The Secretary of Homeland Security will be publishing a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants, and of the cities that refused to turn them in for deportation.

Sanctuary Cities Have Upper Hand in Legal Battle Against Trump : Silver lining of the week: Lawmakers didn't review Trump's executive orders, making them easy to legally dismantle.
Lifting of Sanctions Could Be Costly To Russia By Paul Craig Roberts January 27, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Tweets on social media say Trump is about to lift the sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama regime. Being a showman, Trump would want to make this announcement himself, not have it made for him by someone outside his administration. Nevertheless, the social media tweets are a good guess. Reports are that Trump and Putin will speak tomorrow. The conversation cannot avoid the issue of sanctions. Trump during his first week has moved rapidly with his agenda. He is unlikely to delay lifting the sanctions. Moreover, there is no cost to Trump of lifting them. The sanctions have no support in the US and Western business communities. The only constitutuency for the sanctions were the neoconservatives who are not included in the Trump administration. Victoria Nuland, Susan Rice, Samantha Power are gone along with much of the State Department. So there is nothing in Trumps way. President Putin is correct that the sanctions helped Russia by pushing Russia to be more economically independent and by pushing Russia toward developing economic relationships with Asia. Lifting the sanctions could actualy hurt Russia by integrating Russia into the West. The Russian government should take note that the only sovereign country in the West is the United States. All the rest are US vassals. Could Russia escape the same fate? Anyone integrated into the West is subject to Washingtons pressure. The problem with the sanctions is that they are an insult to Russia. The sanctions are based on lies that the Obama regime told. The real purpose of the sanctions was not economic. The purpose was to embarrass Russia as an outlaw state and to isolate the outlaw. Trump cannot normalize relations with Russia if he lets this insult stand. Therefore, the social media tweets are likely to be correct that Trump is about to lift the sanctions. This will be good for US-Russian relations, but perhaps not so good for the Russian economy and Russian sovereignty. The Western capitalists would love to get Russia deep in debt and to buy up Russias industries and raw materials. The sanctions were a partial protection against foreign influence over the Russian economy, and so the removal of the sanctions is like removing a shield as well as removing an insult. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has said that some senators, who are members of the ruling All Progressives Party would be joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) once the party finally resolves its leadership crisis.

Akpabio disclosed this at the Expanded Caucus and the 73rd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the PDP held on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that although some lawmakers were defecting from PDP to other parties, the PDP still had very significant number of lawmakers as it was winning more seats through conducted elections.

There is no election that will be conducted in the former PDP 28 states that the party will not win. That is a matter of fact.

As I speak so many senators from the opposing party are eager to join PDP.

All they want is return of peace to the party, once that is done I can assure that 20 senators are on their way to joining the PDP.

Message to those who are thinking of defection is to retrace their steps because PDP is bouncing back to victory in 2019, Akpabio said.

Akpabio regretted that the PDP lost elections in Edo and Ondo States, saying the party must put its house in order ahead of Anambra and Ekiti election in order not to lose.

He also urged other governors to emulate Dr Ayodele Fayose, the governor of Ekiti and the Chairman PDP Governor Forum, in support and speaking for the party.

He also urged them to carry the partys stakeholders along saying they cannot do it alone in 2019.

The Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu said those who recently defected from the PDP to the ruling party had no electoral value saying they will soon know their worth.

We should allow them get the contract they are looking for, to get employment they are looking for.

At the appropriate time we will know who is who in the South East. There is nothing to worry about, we are completely in control, Ekweremadu said.

Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Ayodele Fayose, said he wondered why people still defected to the ruling party when Nigerians were tired of the party.

Fayose said that Nigerians were already waiting for another change.

Fayose, who promised to keep speaking for the party urged other leaders to keep supporting PDP.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr Dayo Adeyeye, while briefing newsmen after the meeting, said the leaders discussed important issues concerning the party including the expansion of the membership of the national caretaker committee to 13 from six.

Adeyeye said it was also agreed that the additional number would be selected from each of the six geo-political zones of the country.

Adeyeye denied that the party had abandoned the construction of its national secretariat attributing the suspension of work at the site to the current crisis facing the party.

You cannot be talking of building project when your house is in crisis. We will revisit it when we resolve our crisis, Adeyeye said.
People's Bank of China Becomes First Central Bank to Issue Own Digital Currency

Headquarters of PBoC on Beijing financial street. (Photo : Getty Images)

The People's Bank of China has just successfully completed its trial run of a digital bank acceptance exchange. This makes PBOC the first central bank in the world to issue its own digital currency.



Sources from PBOC said that the central bank completed the trial in settlements and transactions of bank acceptance bills using its own digital currency on Dec. 15.



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The bank's digital currency is supported by a blockchain technology, which is a secure digital ledger that records online transactions.



In addition, sources said that a digital currency research institute will be officially set up after the Chinese New Year holiday.



The recruitment in filling up several positions in the institute was announced last November, seeking experts in cryptography, blockchain technology and experts in developing big-data systems.



Chinese monetary authorities have stepped up their efforts in developing a government-backed sovereign digital currency in response to the Internet currency Bitcoin. Chinese regulators have tightened the scrutiny to Bitcoin and banned financial institutions from using it, as it lacks any official backing.



These efforts came into the spotlight after the central bank released a statement, stating, "Its experts were discussing along with Citibank and Deloitte a general framework for an electronic currency. It was the first central bank to voice support for the concept of digital cash."



PBOC added that Chinas digital money will be legal tender backed by the central government, unlike Bitcoin, the encrypted electronic currency that can be bought, sold and transferred without a bank. Ultimately, both digital and paper currency will be in circulation.



PBOC's digital bank acceptance exchange platform will be connected with the Shanghai Commercial Paper Exchange when the system is ready. This is to form a national platform for bank bill transactions.



The U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England are also pursuing similar efforts in exploring future forms of currency.


The President of The Gambia arrived Banjul airport on Friday morning to a rapturous reception as he returned from Senegal where he had been for a week before ex-President Yahya Jammeh went into exile.

President Barrow defeated ong-time ruler, Yahya Jammeh who had been in power for 22 years in Presidential elections held in December 2016. Jammehs refusal to hand over power led to Barrow leaving the country and he was sworn-in in Senegal.

I am a happy man today, Mr Barrow told a reporter from the Associated Press in the crush at the airport, adding: I think the bad part is finished now.

He has named his Vice President and is expected to name his cabinet this week.
One of Chelseas long serving players, Branislav Ivanovic has been linked with a move away from the club with reports suggesting that the right back will not be at Stamford Bridge after the January window. Ivanovic, who used to be a key player at the club has seen his prominence reduce as a first-team place has become impossible for him.

With six months left on his contract, he is said to be considering offers from Zenit St. Petersburg and some Premier League sides.

He will be the third Chelsea player to leave this season with John Mikel-Obi and Oscar having departed for China.
The founder of Chocolate City, Audu Maikori has shared his thoughts on the ongoing crisis in the southern region of Kaduna state, the area he is from.

The lawyer has been expressive in condemning the ongoing killings which have ravaged the region for decades.

Maikori even claimed to be a target for speaking on the issue.

The 41-year-old tweeted:

It's official, the SA to the Kaduna state governor @mareeyama confirms I am a target. Well noted https://t.co/nmCr4Nxtsx  AuduMaikori (@Audu) January 27, 2017

He also expressed his sadness that the issue wasnt taken serious

https://twitter.com/Audu/status/824888270467198977

The region is said to have been ravaged by attacks by Fulani herdsmen and also reprisals from their victims.

Maikori who has been vocal on the issue labelled the situation a genocide in a Facebook post December last year.
The Nigeria Customs Service on Friday said it has confiscated two civil model Bell Helicopters after a failed attempt by yet to be identified person to smuggled them into the country.

According to the Customs Area Controller, Mr. Frank Allanah, the helicopters were seized at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on November 7, 2016 due to inability of the unknown importer to produce end user certificate from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in contravention of Section 36 (2) of the Customs and Excise Management Act.

Mr Allanah who put the import duty value of the two helicopters and their accessories at N9, 757,135,240.86 said they have handed them over to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to aid its fight against the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.

He said the helicopters were flown in as a consignment with Airway Bill Number 17232444403 through the airport.

Officials who examined the consignment found two civil models 412 EP of serial numbers 36608 and 36606 Bell Helicopters respectively, in standard configuration.

In all there were 23 packages weighing 11,475 kg in the consignment.

The choppers were immediately impounded and detained at the Skyways Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) shed pending fulfillment of all legal requirements for the importation.
Some concerned locals in a town in England have voiced their discontent over plans for a 4 million whisky distillery, saying it is too Scottish.

The distillery is set to be built in Princetown, Devon, which would be the largest in the UK, outside Scotland.

The designs show the distillery in the Dartmoor National Park with a pagoda-style roof used throughout the industry north of the border.

But angry locals have told the architects to think again, complaining that Princetown is not Scotland.

The plans from Princetown Distillers Ltd, which include a visitors centre and cafe, have brought in 46 letters of objection and four letters of support.

Residents are concerned the distillery is to be rendered brown when the village is mainly white with slate.

Villagers are also concerned about the height of the building and whether the business is too big for Princetown.

Local resident Alison Geen wrote: The pagoda whilst typical to Scottish distilleries is not typical here and inappropriate to a building in Princetown or anywhere on Dartmoor.

One villager, who gave their name as D Spence, wrote that they would be more supportive of the idea if it made less of an impact to the area.

Even the architect for the distillery said the design of the high tower and general appearance of the property is purely cosmetic and in keeping to a traditional Scottish distillery, they said.

Well Princetown is not Scotland and the looks are not in keeping to the local area.

However, some residents support the plans, recognising the potential boost to jobs, investment and visitors to the area.

Stuart Ross wrote that it was a great idea for the village, reports the BBC.
The Federal High Court in Maitama Abuja was told today that a former acting governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Fintiri spent N2.8 billion on phantom projects in Malamre ward in Jimeta Local Government Area.

The absurdity was that the money was spent at a time when the area was under attack by the Boko Haram insurgents.

The story of misappropriation was reeled out by a witness, Ibrahim Andrew in the trial of the former governor before Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court.

Prosecuting is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.

Fintiri, who was also a member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, is facing a 5-count charge of money laundering.

He was arraigned on June 30, 2016 alongside Mayim Construction and Properties Limited, for allegedly laundering monies to the tune of N2.9billion through his naira and dollar accounts domiciled at Ecobank Plc., as well as making a large cash payment for the purchase of a property at Plot Number 7, Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja when he held sway as the acting governor of the State.

The offence is in contravention of Section 15(2)(a) of the Money laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) and (4) of the same Act.

Andrew, while being led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Larry P. Aso, told the court that, when he was appointed Secretary to the State Government, he requested for briefing from various ministries and their responses showed that state funds running billions of naira were misappropriated.

He also explained how the defendant (Fintiri) during the press briefing as the acting Governor claimed to have received N21billon in the 86 days he spent in office.

Andrew also told the court that the N475million meant for the construction of Faculty of LAW at the Adamawa State University, was diverted as there was no construction. Only the foundation was laid, he said.

Two documents were tendered as exhibits.

Though, the defence counsel, M. A. Magaji, SAN, objected its admissibility, his objection was overruled and the documents were admitted as exhibit A and B.

The case has been adjourned to March 2, 2017 for the continuation of trial.
Gambias new president, Adama Barrow, who was recently engaged in a power tussle with exiled Yahya Jammeh, arrived at the Banjul airport on Thursday, after returning from Senegal.

Jubilation took over the atmosphere as citizens welcomed their new leader.

Below are some pictures of his arrival into the country.
Troops of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday night prevented an heavy onslaught on the military base in Yobe State by members of the

dreaded Boko Haram terrorist, who attempted to take over the location, the PREMIUM TIMES has reported.

The terrorist, it was gathered stormed the base in Kamuya at about 5:30 p.m. in large numbers with heavy artillery shooting sporadically from several locations for almost an hour.

This, reports said caught the soldiers unaware making them to withdraw initially into the base.

The military quickly scrambled reinforcements from the nearest base in Buni Yadi which joined the troops and overpowered the terrorists after hours of intense battle.

Many terrorists were believed to have been killed in the fight while several others flee with gunshot wounds. It was also gathered that three soldiers lost their lives while some are still missing as at the time of writing this report
A grueling near five-hour match was what it took 14-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal to beat 25-year-old Grior Dimitrov in the semi-final of the Australian Open.

It is a significant win for the Spaniard who has been far from his best since 2014 as a result of recurring injuries. In Australia, one person who has constantly been in the stands cheering him on is long-time girlfriend, Maria Francisca Perello.

The couple who are very private about their relationship were spotted just outside a Melbourne hotel sharing a quick kiss.
Genichi Tamatsuka (R), CEO of Lawson, and Douglas Feagin (L), senior vice president of Ant Financial Services Group, experience using Alipay at a Lawson convenience store in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo : Getty Images)

Alipay, the electronic payments service of China's Ant Financial Services Group, has announced that it will now be accepted at over 13,000 Lawson convenience stores throughout Japan starting Jan. 24.



The move comes just four days before Chinese New Year. It is an extension of a pilot program, wherein Lawson implemented Alipay payments in nine of its branches last Jan. 2016.



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Lawson is currently a leading convenience store operator in Japan.



"More than 60 percent of Lawson's customers are tourists from overseas, spending 20 percent more than domestic shoppers," said Lawson chairman and CEO Genichi Tamatsuka.



According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, Japan receives more visitors from China than any other country, with the Chinese accounting for 26 percent of all foreign tourists in 2016.



Douglas Feagin, the senior vice president of Ant Financial Services Group, said, "Customers will be able to use Alipay to settle payments in Chinese yuan rather than Japanese yen in Lawson stores without an additional service charge."



Feagin added that Lawson also started to introduce Chinese-language in-store radio announcements on Tuesday to cater to Chinese customers.



The partnership is part of a broader strategy, as Alipay moves into overseas markets that are popular with Chinese travelers. Its major rival WeChat Pay, on the other hand, is still confined in China.



A month ago, Alipay announced plans of partnership with Barclays PLC, Paribas Group, SIX Payment Services Ltd., UniCredit SpA and BNP. These are four financial institutions that will enable them to provide payment services to Chinese travelers in nearly a million stores throughout Europe.



Alipay also made deals with other foreign payment firms. This includes Thai payment firm Ascend Money, French payment technology firm Ingenico, India's largest online payment provider Paytm, and U.S. payment processors First Data and Verifone.



Alipay currently has more than 400 million users worldwide.



Ant Financial Group is eyeing an initial public offering in either the Chinese mainland or Hong Kong this year.


Nigerian newspaper headlines today, January 27, 2017.

Premium Times

The Senate minority leader and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, has said that about 20 senators of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, are planning to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Punch

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, who is also the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, says Nigerians are tired of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Guardian

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Borno has sealed four private guards companies for alleged illegal operation in the state.

Vanguard

The House of Representatives, yesterday, resolved to investigate all cases of unlawful arrest and detention of Nigerian citizens by the Department of State Services, DSS, as well as disobedience to court orders.

The Nation

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has pleaded with the Federal Government to review the Central Bank of Nigerias (CBNs) foreign exchange policy, which placed ban on importers of 41 items from accessing the forex market.

Leadership

A money-for-job scandal is brewing in the Nigeria Peace Corps following the report that unemployed youths desperate for employment are being forced to pay a recruitment fee of N48,000 to enlist in the Corps.

Thisday

President Muhammadu Buharis media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina launched another attempt yesterday to allay fears over the health of his principal, who is on a ten-day vacation in the United Kingdom, but has not been seen or heard from since his departure last week.
The Police in Zamfara have confirmed the death of one person in Magazu Village of Tsafe Local Government Area of the state following a fresh attack by bandits.

The State Commissioner of Police, Shaba Alkali, made the disclosure while speaking to newsmen in Gusau on Friday.

Mr. Alkali said gunmen on motorcycles had invaded the village on Thursday night shooting sporadically in the air and shooting one hunter, Idi Isa.

He said the victim was rushed to Tsafe General Hospital where he died in the early hours of Friday.

According to him, the village people were provoked by the development, which they blamed on the herdsmen of the area and, therefore, started attacking all herdsmen on sight.

The commissioner said he had deployed a combined team of armed mobile and regular policemen led by his deputy to contain the situation and that normalcy had been restored in the area.

Also speaking, the Commanding Officer of 223 Light Tank Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Gusau, Adamu Abdullahi said the military who were on patrol around the area had also moved in to restore order.

One of the inhabitants of the village, Musa Rabo, said that the herdsmen invaded the village in search of one person popularly known as Zuma whom they accused of killing their cow sometime ago.
The suspects are: Bekewei Agbojule, aka Prince Yellow, 29; Philip Kakadu, aka General Kakadu; Romeo Council, aka Raw; and Totki Okoda, 34. A statement issued by the force spokesman, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Don Awunah, said Okoda, who resided in the creek behind the school, provided information for the gang.

Awunah said in the course of investigation, the suspects were trailed and arrested at different locations in Delta, Ogun and Lagos states respectively, adding that further investigation led to the arrest of Bekewei Agbojule aka Prince Yellow, a principal suspect and one of the key members of the gang on January 25.

N1.2 million, his share of the ransom, was recovered from him. The four suspects confessed to the crime, volunteered useful statements to the investigators and are cooperating with the police, he said, noting that concerted efforts were being made to arrest the remaining suspects who are at large.Awunah gave the assurance that all the suspects would be arraigned in court on completion of investigation. The victims, who were abducted on January 13, had already regained their freedom. They were released by their abductors on January 24 around 8p.m.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the incessant cases of kidnapping in various schools across the country saying, it is an affront on the right to education and should not be tolerated.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the commission, Mrs. Oti Ovrawah, made this statement when the National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the board of governors of the organization paid a courtesy visit to the commission.

Lamenting the ugly trend of kidnapping in various schools across the nation, Ovrawah called on parents, security agencies and the general public to be vigilant and nip in the bud every case of kidnapping, while ensuring that those who indulge in the unwholesome act are punished in accordance with the law.

Earlier, Onwubiko told the Acting Executive Secretary that they were in the commission to register their distaste over the alleged killing of innocent Nigerians across the nation by herdsmen, hence the need for the commission to partner with the Department of the State Security (DSS) for improved human rights protection and enforcement among other sundry human rights issues.
The Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, has faulted media reports alleging that five students of the college were ambushed and killed by Fulani herdsmen in Southern Kaduna.

The college made the rebuttal in a statement signed by its Acting Registrar, Samuel Tukurah, and made available to journalists on Thursday.

It said that the media reports were totally false and unfounded.

The College does not run any Department of Mass Communication and all her students of the Gidan-Waya campus are presently on break, it said.

The college expressed regret that the story was peddled by even reputable media outfits like Vanguard without making any efforts to authenticate it.

It urged the general public to disregard the report, saying that it was an attempt by unscrupulous people to compound the security challenges in the area.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has vowed to be a thorn on the flesh of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government, stressing that Nigerians are tired of them.

Fayose made the declaration at the Expanded National Caucus of the PDP in Abuja on Thursday.

He said he would continue to express his mind and would not even mind if the Federal Government withdrew his police guards.

I will continue to leak their secrets. I will remain a thorn in their flesh. Anything they want to do, let them come. If they want to carry their police, let them carry their police. I dont care, he said.

The Chairman of the PDPs Governors Forum, urged members of the PDP to remain steadfast and not to be intimidated by the spate of arrests, incarceration, intimidation, provocation by the party in government.

Fayose insisted that Nigerians were already yearning for another change because of the APCs alleged poor handling of the nations economy.

He said, The whole country is not only tired of the ruling party, they want another change. If not for the constitution, they want the change tomorrow.

Lamenting that Nigerians dont seem to learn from the past, Fayose said, the same party that has been rejected by Nigerians is the party that people seem to be defecting to.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum faulted the current anti-corruption fight of the ruling party.

He said, Nigerians are tired of the story of corruption, especially when you find how people that are fighting corruption are busy stealing cows and are running after those people alleged to have stolen squirrel.

Stressing that the ruling party has caused hunger, the governor said it was evident that Nigerians had made a mistake by voting the APC, but said that opportunity was coming soon to correct it.

Source: Dailypost
The Nigerian Army on Thursday said it had taken into custody three suspected Boko Haram terrorists handed over to it by Zurmi Emirate Council in Zamfara State.

Col. Abdullahi Adamu, the Commanding Officer, 223 Light Tank Battalion of Tactical Operation Unit, Gusau said the suspects were apprehended by the local vigilante in the area.

Adamu, who displayed the arms recovered from the suspects, said the three suspects had been moved to the 1 Division, Nigerian Army Kaduna for interrogation.

He said the arms recovered were AK 47 riffles, over 600 ammunition, illicit drugs, charms and other belongings.

He said, Based on our preliminary investigation, we discovered that the suspects may be connected to the fleeing Boko Haram members who were recently disbanded by the military from Sambisa forest of Borno state.

He commended the emirate council and local vigilantes for their efforts in arresting criminal elements in the state.

The Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku said the arrest of the suspected Boko haram members was part of the directive to district heads of the emirate, to monitor and report to security agencies any new face or suspicious movement in their respective communities.

The emir said information on the suspects was first forwarded by the District Head of Mashema about five days ago, when he reported that 11 suspicious persons were seen hiding in the bushes.

Atiku therefore, urged the Army and other security agencies to track the remaining suspects.
Despite the challenges, interest in traveling to China and Tibet remains high among travelers and adventurers from all over the globe. (Photo : Getty Images)

Long considered an exotic location for many travelers, China's beauty is slowly unraveling itself to the outside world. While tourists are keen to travel the unfamiliar path, businesses, however, struggle to keep up with their demands.



It's not because the tourists are demanding--it has more to do with logistics, permits, border controls, and the like.



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It's one of the problems Toronto-based entrepreneur Bruce Poon Tip encounters in managing his travel company, G Adventures. Case in point: travelling to Tibet. Due to restrictive travel visas and stringent rules imposed by the Chinese government, arranging and operating tours in Tibet has become near impossible.



"There have been many times when they've just closed the border completely, and without any notice. We've had passengers on their way to the border in Nepal, on a trip with us, and the border closes. It happens regularly," Poon Tip shared with The Globe and the Mail.



"It's a customer service nightmare for us, when we have a group of people who have paid us to go to Tibet, they're in Nepal about to go across the border, and the border closes," added Poon Tip.



Despite the challenges, interest in traveling to China and Tibet remain high among travelers and adventurers from all over the globe.



In addition, China, which was once considered a hard-to-reach destination, has a growing service sector ready to embrace tourists. Government-imposed restrictions have been loosening as well.



"China's service sector remains relatively closed to private investment compared to the manufacturing sector, but there are some signs that some restrictions are loosening," said Julie Ades, who works for the Conference Board's Global Commerce Center.



"For example, restrictions were relaxed on services such as e-commerce and finance, under China's 2015 foreign investment industrial guidance catalog. And China's most recent five-year plan had the opening of the services sector among its objectives."



With a burgeoning service sector and a keen clientele, entrepreneurs like Poon Tip just have to keep on overcoming travel obstacles until conditions are more favorable.


Reprinted with permission from the "SpareFoot Storage Beat.

As we head into 2017, self-storage operators are looking to make their mark in an increasingly competitive industry. Based on their past performance and future plans, here are 10 companies expected to make headlines this year.

1. Baranof Holdings, Developer, Dallas

2016 accomplishments: Broke ground on nine facilities in four markets: Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Seattle. Facilities will be completed one per month beginning in March and represent 650,000 square feet of rentable storage space.

2017 goals: Six to eight new storage developments in high barrier-to-entry markets.

Greatest strength: Baranof is well-capitalized, and from the outset of our company, a purposeful internal set of systems and procedures were designed to move quickly throughout the development process, particularly in otherwise difficult to develop markets, says Andy Hendricks, managing partner.

Biggest challenge 2016: Increasing competition in the development market has had a major impact on almost every aspect of the process, Hendricks says. The biggest day-to-day challenges were getting enough time with busy vendors. Forming long-term strategic relationships with vendors has helped strengthen commitments, he adds.

Biggest challenge 2017: Rising construction costs will place higher premiums on site selection, as well as partnering with the right design and build professionals.

2. Brookfield Asset Management/Simply Self Storage, Global Alternative Asset Manager, Toronto; Operator, Orlando, Fla.

2016 accomplishments: Acquisition of Simply Self Storage by Brookfield in March. Under Brookfield, Simply has acquired about $600 million in assets, going from 90 facilities to 175 owned properties by year-end. The company closed on developments and lease-up facilities at a projected cost of $125 million that will expand its footprint in Florida, Metro New York, Southern California and Texas.

Many of the acquisitions marked Simplys entrance into new markets, thereby adding sufficient scale for the company to perform competitively in these markets while pursuing smaller deals to fuel future growth, says Kurt OBrien, CEO of Simply. Brookfield also obtained $750 million in securitized loans to refinance existing debt, finance new assets and purchase additional facilities.

2017 goals: Continue aggressive growth through acquisition of operating and Certificate-of-Occupancy assets in addition to ground-up development. Invest in revenue management and digital marketing technology to further drive customer demand.

Greatest strength: Brookfield has made a long-term commitment to the sector and provides sellers great comfort in its ability to close quickly with certainty, and enhances Simplys already strong reputation in the industry among brokers and other industry players.

Biggest challenge 2016: The biggest challenge for Simply in 2016 was implementing Brookfields reporting requirements and policies and procedures. Brookfields policies and procedures now have Simply operating in the same fashion as a public company.

Biggest challenge 2017: The aggressive growth strategies can stretch its resources. The biggest challenge will be to ensure the company can continue to invest in people and processes to execute the strategy, official say.

3. Closetbox, Valet Self-Storage Provider, Denver

2016 accomplishments: Achieved seven times its growth year-over-year and expanded nationally to reach 70 percent of the U.S. population, with service in 40 of the top 50 metro areas.

2017 goals: Partner with self-storage operators to help them expand service offerings. Closetbox presents a unique opportunity for the most forward-thinking and innovative self-storage operators to gain a competitive advantage by partnering with us, said Chris Griego, vice president of partnerships.

Greatest strength: Its devotion to exceptional customer service, proprietary technology and unique ability to help customers anywhere in the United States, officials say.

Biggest challenge 2016: Overcame many challenges by doing hard things well.

Biggest challenge 2017: Finalizing partnerships with select self-storage operators.

4. Monolith Group Development, Self-Storage Owner and Developer, Scottsdale, Ariz.

2016 accomplishments: Entitled and developed five self-storage facilities totaling more than 550,000 square feet.

2017 goals: Seven projects comprising 800,000 square feet are under contract and finalizing entitlements. Two more projects closed escrow and are ready to start construction in February. The company has the capacity for two more development projects.

Greatest strength: Thirty years of industry experience and vertical integration of acquisition, development, entitlement, brokerage and construction, and the ability to build facilities faster and more economically than others. The fastest we have built an all-concrete masonry-unit building was five months from the moment we put a shovel in the ground. That building was 105,000 square feet. I wont tell you what my cost was because nobody would believe us, CEO Tony Ardizzone says.

Biggest challenge 2016: Working with municipalities to build near residential areas. When you are building a 100,000-plus-square-foot building directly next door to a residential neighborhood, you need to envision your own family living in that house that you are impacting. You need to take yourself out of the developer/investor mode and acquiesce to the concerns of your neighbors, Ardizzone says.

Biggest challenge 2017: Lenders appear to be restricting the advantages we saw in the last 24 months. There is still plenty of lending options, but the right lending partnership is crucial to a successful project, Ardizzone says.

5. Prime Group Holdings, Self-Storage Owner, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

2016 accomplishments: Acquired more than 80 locations and entered five states. Portfolio now totals 124 facilities in 19 states.

2017 goals: Add 50 to 75 more locations, approaching portfolio of 200 facilities.

Greatest strength: The carefully chosen people who not only have excellent skill sets, but also care about others and the industry as a whole, officials say.

Biggest challenge 2016: Adding 80-plus locations while maintaining solid infrastructure.

Biggest challenge 2017: Finding properties that meet criteria.

6. Space Shop Self Storage, Self-Storage Developer and Owner, Atlanta

2016 accomplishments: Acquired or started construction on seven new storage properties as well as opened three new sites in metro Atlanta.

2017 goals: Seven ground-up development projects are on track to open. Several acquisitions of existing properties with improvement and expansion capability are also in the process.

Greatest strength: Discipline. Performing detailed, thoughtful market due diligence and choosing to walk away from mediocre deals to find great deals, says Cliff Hite, vice president of operations.

Biggest challenge 2016: Rising construction costs and increasing new supply in overheated markets. Construction costs have elevated the overall cost of doing a new development to a point where conservative rental-rate projections many times do not justify moving forward, Hite says. Willingness to walk away from deals that are just good and waiting for ones that are great is critical to success.

Biggest challenge 2017: Operating multiple facilities in multiple states undergoing lease-up. Keeping an eye on unit rates and balancing concessions and growththis is where we excel, and we have put systems in place to help maximize our success, Hite says.

7. Storage Pros Self Storage, Self-Storage Owner, Farmington Hills, Mich.

2016 accomplishments: Acquired 13 properties and started three development projects. Completed portfolio repositioning involving the sale of 54 assets over a two-year period.

2017 goals: Complete two to three developments in progress and carefully examine other opportunities. If we could match 2016s production, that would be terrific, CEO David Levenfeld says.

Greatest strength: We think that for a while now, we have been the largest company in the industry without pre-determined equity source that has a hand in our investment decisions, Levenfeld says. This allows Storage Pros to be nimble and quick when it comes to decision-making, and the freedom to consider strategic exits in response to market conditions.

Biggest challenge 2016: Transformed from a self-managing operator of 70-plus assets to a company utilizing third-party management (CubeSmart). This change in business model resulted in a substantial restructure of the organizational chart and day-to-day focus. On the acquisition front, there was intense competition for desirable properties and high asking prices. On the development front, there was an extremely difficult, costly and lengthy permitting processes.

Biggest challenge 2017: Continued disciplined growth at this part of the cycle.

8. Store Here Storage Management, Owner and Management Company, Orange, Calif.

2016 accomplishments: Four acquisitions, two expansions/remodel projects, 15 facilities rebranded and four facilities were sold. The company also launched a call center system of 70 facilities.

2017 goals: 10 acquisitions, four new development projects and an expansion of the call center to serve 150 facilities.

Greatest strength: The owners/principals are highly involved in every aspect of the business; from acquisitions, operation, accounting, tenant insurance and call center, we handle all business internally and limit outsourcing. We use state-of-the-art tracking and revenue management to maximize returns to our investors and partners, says James Hanrahan, managing partner.

Biggest challenges 2016: Finding deals with solid upside, with a preference for off-market direct deals. It can be a ton of work, but we have found the deals in the areas we wanted with a bit of tough digging, Hanrahan says.

Biggest challenges 2017: Finding the right deals to expand into regions where the company isnt doing business. Also, anticipating capitalization-rate trends and the lending environment.

9. Wentworth Property Co., Self-Storage Developer and Owner, Phoenix

2016 accomplishments: Since late 2015, the company has accumulated a portfolio of 15 existing facilities and development projects in four states: Arizona, California, Nevada and Oregon. It currently has nine facilities in operation and six under construction, representing 1.2 million rentable square feet.

2017 goals: Close on one project a month and surpass 2 million rentable square feet. Grow into several more states.

Greatest strength: With a lot of help from the rest of our company, David Brown and I pride ourselves on not getting out-hustled. Were a small team that [is] willing to wear a lot of hats, says David King, vice president of self-storage.

Biggest challenge 2016: Sourcing good opportunities and being able to get debt that makes sense. Having great partners that can move fast is also really important, King says.

Biggest challenge 2017: Getting the doors open on all of our current development projects and replicating what we did in 2016, King says. Finding the right kind of debt is also a challenge.

10. Westport Properties Inc./US Storage Centers, Self-Storage Owner and Management Company, Irvine, Calif.

2016 accomplishments: Acquired 25 new facilities in four states and began construction or entitlements on eight new sites. Expanded brand and market presence.

2017 goals: Continue to acquire and develop well-located facilities. Capacity to do as many good deals as the market allows. Starting year with very full pipeline of prospective acquisitions and development deals, officials say.

Greatest strength: What differentiates us competitively is our entire team and company culture. Our late founder and industry pioneer, Barry Hoeven, created a culture of being results-driven, accountable, respectful and of giving back to the community. Also, we have a very deep bench with dedicated departments for acquisitions, development, marketing and operations, officials say.

Biggest challenge 2016: Market shift made deals more difficult to get done. We still got all of our deals done but, just not with the ease of 2015. I know many of our peers experienced this as well and its probably for a variety of reasons, officials say.

Biggest challenge 2017: Finding quality deals in good markets due to heightened competition compared to recent years.

Alexander Harris is a reporter covering the business of self-storage. He obtained his degree in journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University. He loves reading Elmore Leonard novels and listening to classic country music. You can call him Al. For more information, visit www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/news.
By Heinrich du Plessis

The South Africa self-storage industry is still very young. Though there are some major players, they mostly operate in the regions six biggest cities: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth. When you drive through smaller cities or towns, you do notice smaller one-man-operated sites; but the local population is largely uneducated about self-storage, and most view facilities as small, out-of-town places to store goods.

One reason is the industry hasnt been property marketed. You can find very little information online about self-storage in the region. Possibly another reason is many owners only build a single site to fund their own retirement.

The facility I manage, Bloem Self Storage in Bloemfontein, South Africa, opened 10 years ago as one of the areas first purpose-built storage facilities. Following are my observations on the local market, including its trends and challenges.

Consumer Awareness

A big challenge we face in South Africa is crime and the publics perception of self-storage safety. Bloem has a guard at the gate to monitor anyone coming in and out. The property also includes a number of basic security features such as electric fencing, video cameras, and, of course, vigilance from all staff. Weve minimized the crime risk of which so many people are afraid. The public will understand this better in time as more people use storage and refer their friends.

Wed like more people to be educated about self-storage. To achieve this, my company maintains a well-populated website. We dont do a huge amount of advertising, as the facility is well over 90 percent occupied. Bigger companies do more marketing and education, so over time, people will take more notice of the industry.

Development

Most storage developments in the area are by bigger companies and are generally concentrated in cities with airports. Distances are vast in South Africa so, for now, it doesnt look like the big players are willing to break into the smaller towns. Another reason for this is the cost. Its too expensive to build in a smaller city, which has a lower yield and rental rates. Staffing would also be an issue, as area managers would need to drive the long distances between facilities every month.

When looking at facility design, smaller ones tend to stick with brick and mortar. This might be done out of habit, even though there are other options these days. Another reason is it can be expensive to import new materials. Some of the newer options Ive seen used include polyvinyl chloride and light-gauge steel-frame construction. Many developers are also choosing to incorporate green elements, such as solar panels and features to reuse rainwater for irrigation.

Smaller towns dont have multi-story storage buildings, as it creates more legalities with hoists and lifts. Generally speaking, South African customers arent fond of hoists and prefer ground-floor units. Big cities now feature some five-story big-box buildings with solar panels and other features, but theyre expensive to build.

Rental Rates

South African customers are looking for several things when they seek storage. Price and security are at the top, followed by location or convenience of entry, and flexible access hours.

I recently completed a study of rental rates across South Africas provinces, minus the six biggest cities. From north to south and east to west, most facilities charge roughly the same price for an 18-square-meter unit, with the rate ranging from R700 to R800. The average yield is around R48 per square meter. The reason I didnt look at the big six is because theres a huge variance in priceanything from R600 to R2500 per monthwhich would make a huge difference in the average yield.

Garage-Style Storage

I wouldnt call it a trend just yet, but there are some storage facilities being built with garage-style units. What do most people use their garage for? They might use this space as an office or man cave, or for band practice, car maintenance or a place to work on hobbies. In America, this is called condo storage, but its a very new concept in South Africa.

A storage business that offers this unit style recently opened in Pretoria. The facility offers 200 units, which sold out fairly quickly. For now, I just cant see this trend becoming widespread in the country, apart from some of our big citiesat least, not yet.

The Future

The South Africa self-storage industry still has a long way to go in terms of public awareness. Each store owner and manager should take on the responsibility to educate the public as much as he can through advertising and networking, especially with potential new customers. In the end, it will benefit us all.

I believe the future is bright for our self-storage market, especially when looking at the local building trends. New residential developments seem to be smaller than a few years ago, yet people are acquiring more stuff. People dont stay in one job for too long and often move between cities, which also creates a greater need for storage. For these reasons and others, the South Africa storage industry will continue to grow.

Heinrich du Plessis is the manager of Bloem Self Storage in Bloemfontein, South Africa. With a background in the hospitality industry, hes been involved in self-storage since 2011. Bloem opened 10 years ago as one of the areas first purpose-built storage facilities. The family-owned and -operated business plans to expand in the near future. For more information, visit www.bloemstorage.co.za.
A man suspected of breaking into a self-storage unit at Triple L Mini Storage in Columbia, Mo., on Wednesday was found sleeping in an adjacent unit. Police arrested Christopher Howery, 29, at about 1:30 p.m. on suspicion of second-degree burglary.

A tenant of the facility at 6101 Paris Road told police he noticed another man, later identified as Howery, climbing over the top of the wall between his unit and an adjacent one, according to the source. The victim claimed the lock on his unit had been cut. When he opened the space next to his, he found Howery asleep on a couch, he told police. He also discovered items that had been taken from his unit.

Howery is being held at the Boone County Jail. His bond was set at $4,500, the source reported.

Founded in 2000, Triple L Mini Storage operates seven properties in Columbia, Fulton, Hallsville, Moberly and Mexico, Mo.
Real estate developer Bob McKinley, who manages Canada-based private-equity firm MPM Seven LP, intends to build a self-storage facility in Wabasso, Fla. The developer is still creating a site plan for a self-storage structure of up to 60,000 square feet, but has been clearing trees and brush from a combined property of more than 21 acres, according to the source. The building site is north of 77th Street between U.S. Route 1 and Old Dixie Highway, but the project requires approval from River County, Fla.

MPM Seven purchased adjoining 6.5- and 15.2-acre lots for $1.125 million out of foreclosure from two separate banks, which marketed the land together, according to the source. Last April, the planning and zoning commission approved a rezoning request to change 12.4 acres to heavy commercial, which would allow self-storage, and 2.8 acres at the northernmost portion of the property to light commercial.

McKinleys original plan was to develop a vehicle-storage facility with a clubhouse catering to high-end car collectors. The facility may have also included detailing and repair shops, but the owner and residents of Palm Paradise Mobile Home Park to the north of the site objected to the project.

After meeting with Palm Paradise owner Bill Brehm and residents, McKinley agreed to change the development to traditional self-storage. Brehm officially withdrew his objection during the April rezoning meeting, and McKinley agreed to retain trees along the northern border of the property to serve as a 100-foot buffer, the source reported.

If approved, the self-storage facility would be McKinleys second real estate development in the United States, according to the source.
Live Oak Bank, which launched a lending division for self-storage developers, investors and owners, nearly two years ago, closed more than $137 million in self-storage loans last year. The firm has made nearly $160 million in 77 loans since launching its storage division, according to a press release.

The bank offers financing for acquisitions, expansion of existing facilities, new construction, refinancing of current debt, and renovation. It specializes in Small Business Administration (SBA) products and has focused efforts on educating self-storage owners about its lending options, the release stated.

We focused 2016 on educating the industry about how to leverage SBA loan products through webinars, seminars, articles, blog posts and more, said Terry Campbell, general manager of the banks self-storage team.

Campbell will present an education seminar on how SBA financing fits within the self-storage industry during the Inside Self-Storage (ISS) World Expo, which will be held April 10-13 at the Paris Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas.

Founded in 2008, Live Oak originally specialized in lending to veterinarians before expanding to other healthcare-related industries and specialty areas such as self-storage. The bank provides small-business loans for acquisitions, new construction, refinancing and other real estate loans. It was voted Best Finance Company by ISS readers as part of the 2016 Best of Business poll.
Self-storage properties are constantly changing hands, and Inside Self-Storage is regularly notified of these market transactions. Many are covered in detail on the ISS website and available for viewing on the Real Estate topics page. Following are additional acquisitions and sales that werent covered.

AA Accredited Storage in Clearwater, Fla., was sold to a private investor. The property at 14433 62nd St. N. comprises 16,419 rentable square feet of storage space in 358 units. It also contains 104 vehicle-storage units, including fully enclosed, half-enclosed and covered parking, as well as one open-bay space.

The seller, also a private investor, was represented in the real estate transaction by Brian Baldwin, investment associate, Luke Elliott, vice president of investments, and Michael A. Mele, senior managing director of investments, in the Marcus & Millichap Tampa, Fla., office. The buyer was represented by Anne Williams, vice president of investments in the companys Memphis, Tenn., office.

Blythe Mini Storage in Blythe, Calif., was sold for more than $3.3 million via the online auction platform Ten-X, formerly known as Auction.com. The property at 225 S. Carlton Ave. was foreclosed on by a special servicer on behalf of the lender in early 2015. The buyer was a private party in an exchange transaction, according to a press release from Bancap Self Storage Group Inc., the real estate firm that brokered the deal.

Located just off Interstate 10 in the Colorado River Valley, the facility contains 14 single-story buildings, and comprises nearly 64,000 net rentable square feet of indoor storage space in 471 units. It also features 29 outdoor parking spaces. The 3.7-acre site includes a rental office and a second-story manager residence.

Corona Self Storage in Fort Mohave, Ariz., was sold for $385,000 to a local buyer. The property at 1475 Corona Road contains 132 drive-up storage units. The seller was represented in the deal by Jeff Gorden, vice president of brokerage services for Eagle Commercial Realty Services, who is also an Arizona broker affiliate for the Argus Self Storage Sales Network.

Crestline Storage in Lansing, Kan., was sold as part of a 1031 exchange of farm land in Nebraska. The first phase of the 5.5-acre development was completed last September. The buyer plans to expand the facility as soon as possible, according to a press release from Argus, the firm that brokered the deal.

The property at 13621 W. Gilman Road comprises 65,116 square feet of space in 123 units, three office/warehouse spaces and 79 outside parking spaces. It also includes a 1,500-square-foot retail office and manager residence. The seller was represented in the transaction by Larry Goldman, an investment properties specialist with RE/MAX Commercial, who is also the Argus broker affiliate for Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri.

Happy Self Storage sold two of its properties in North Lamar, a neighborhood in Austin, Texas, to a limited-liability company (LLC). The properties at 1004 S. Meadows Drive and 824 Wagon Trail are about a half-mile apart. The buyer and the seller, also an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Dave Knobler, a senior associate in the Marcus & Millichap Houston office.

A four-property self-storage portfolio in Montgomery Ala., was sold to an LLC. The properties are within 5 miles of each other and comprise 178,680 net rentable square feet of storage space. The seller, also an LLC, was represented in the deal by Mele, Eddie Greenhalgh and Preston Cooper, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap Birmingham, Ala., and Tampa, Fla., offices. The trio as well as Sean M. Delaney, vice president of investments for the company, also represented the buyer.

Painesville Mini-Storage in Painesville, Ohio, was sold for $1.2 million. The property at 649 Hoyt St. comprises 48,240 net rentable square feet in 162 units. The buyer and seller, both LLCs, were represented in the transaction by Brett R. Hatcher, vice president of investments in the Marcus & Millichap Columbus, Ohio, office.

Stor-All Self-Storage in Reno, Nev., was sold for $10.9 million to Hollywood Investment Co. LLC, a local company. The property at 777 Panther Drive is adjacent to U.S. Route 395. Situated on 8.48 acres, it includes 22 single-story buildings comprising 126,963 net rentable square feet of storage space in 790 units as well as an office and managers residence.

The seller was represented in the transaction by Bobby Loeffler of The Loeffler Self-Storage Group. The buyer was represented by John Pinjuv, an investment specialist with Avison Young.

Argus is a Denver-based network of real estate brokers who specialize in storage properties. Formed in 1994, the company has 36 broker affiliates covering nearly 40 markets.

California-based Bancap has completed more than $1.3 billion in self-storage sales. The company has specialized exclusively in self-storage properties for more than 30 years.

Happy Self Storage operates one facility in Spring, Texas, and three in Houston.

The Loeffler Self-Storage Group specializes in self-storage real estate in California and Nevada, having closed more than 80 transactions in those states.

Founded in 1971, Marcus & Millichap is a commercial-property investment firm with more than 1,500 investment professionals in offices throughout Canada and the United States.

Based in Irvine, Calif., Ten-X is an online real estate marketplace. The platform allows buyers, sellers and real estate professionals to search, list and transact properties via its website.
Update 3/10/17  Storage Asset Management (SAM), a property-management and consulting firm, reported its 2016 financial results for the 66 self-storage properties it manages. The company increased same-store revenue by 7.4 percent and NOI by 10.5 percent, according to a company press release. Same-store occupancy grew 2.9 percent during the year.

SAM collected more than $25 million in rent while managing a portfolio comprising more than 3.5 million square feet during the 12-month period, the release stated. It processed 495 online rentals and received 559 online reviews during the year, with an average star rating of 4.6, company officials said.

SAM attributed its results to its staff, a companywide focus on training, customized marketing and operating plans for each location, and an ability to build business-to-business relationships in the markets it serves.

Founded in 2010 and based in York, Pa., SAM oversees self-storage facilities as well as three UPS Stores in 18 states, primarily along the East Coast.

2/28/17  Self-storage management company Absolute Storage Management (ASM), which owns and manages self-storage facilities throughout the Southeast, has released its fourth-quarter 2016 and year-end operating results, showing improvements in same-store revenue year over year.

ASM increased same-store revenue during the quarter by 6.4 percent compared to the same period in 2015 and 8 percent for the year, according to a press release. Occupancy at its 44 same-store locations was 86.6 percent for 2016. Net operating income at its same-store locations increased 12.7 percent for the 12-month period.

The company gained 14 management contracts during the year, including three in the fourth quarter. The most recent additions are in Alabama and Florida.

2015 and 2016 have been record years for us and the industry, but we are now seeing a notable slowdown in rental-rate growth, said Michael Haugh, president and CEO. Also, occupancy has crested, and new supply should soften our sector in the second half of 2017 and especially 2018."

Founded in 2002, ASM manages 88 self-storage facilities, 16 of which are owned and operated in joint ventures with the company. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., it has regional offices in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Jackson, Miss.; and Nashville, Tenn.

1/27/17  Sentry Self Storage Management, an industry management and consulting firm, has released its fourth-quarter 2016 operating results showing year-over-year improvement in revenue, net operating income (NOI) and occupancy. The company reported revenue growth of 7.3 percent and a 0.6 percent decrease in property expenses, which resulted in a 9.4 percent increase in NOI compared to the same period in 2015.

Occupancy at Sentry operated self-storage properties was 90.9 percent as of Dec. 31, a year-over-year increase of 30 basis points.

The company added two new management contracts during the quarter for self-storage properties in Houston and Orlando, Fla. Both assets will be added to Sentrys management portfolio during the first quarter of 2017, the release stated.

The operator has development activity in Deerfield Beach and Hollywood, Fla., while its joint-venture project in North Haven, Conn., opened in December.

Based in Coral Springs, Fla., and founded in 1997, Sentry owns or manages 25 properties comprising more than 2.1 million net rentable square feet. The companys services include consulting, development, feasibility studies, acquisitions, renovations and facility management.
The SEC has filed a complaint against Michael Cohen and Vanja Baros alleging corrupt dealings in Africa and that the pair misled the hedge fund.

The shoe that many were waiting for finally dropped.

On Thursday the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed suit against two former Och-Ziff Capital Management Group employees, accusing them of being the driving force behind a far-reaching African bribery scheme which violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA.)

The charges were filed against Michael Cohen, ex-head of Och-Ziffs European business, and Vanja Baros, formerly a private equity analyst for the hedge fund. In September, Och-Ziff had paid a $213 million U.S. Department of Justice criminal penalty and a $199 million SEC resolution to resolve charges of bribery relating to Cohen and Baross alleged dealings in Africa. That fine was the fourth-largest FCPA settlement in history.

While the suit against Cohen and Baros opens an old wound for Och-Ziff, there is also an element of vindication. The SECs case lays out how Cohen and Baros allegedly took pains to hide their actions from their hedge fund bosses, including CEO Daniel Och. In a statement announcing the charges, Kara Brockmeyer, head of the SECs FCPA unit, said that Cohen and Baros were the masterminds of Och-Ziffs bribery scheme that improperly used investor funds to pay bribes through agents and partners to officials at the highest levels of foreign governments. Och-Ziff investor funds allegedly went to pay bribes and influence corrupt government officials in Libya, Chad, Niger, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The SEC is seeking a jury trial.

According to the 80-page complaint, Cohens questionable dealings in Africa began in or about 2007, when the then-head of Och-Ziff Europe began seeking ways to obtain clients and investment opportunities from Libya. The North African country was at that time under the dictatorship of colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Cohen, a U.S. citizen, was able to secure $300 million from the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) sovereign wealth fund, then run by Gaddafi officials with ties to the colonels family. According to the complaint, the agent whom Cohen hired to secure the investment paid more than $3 million in bribes to Libyan government officials in connection with securing and retaining the LIA investment for Och-Ziff.

Cohen and Baross alleged activities, however, quickly spread to other countries on the continent. The complaint claims that beginning in 2007 and continuing through at least August 2012, Cohen and Baros executed a sprawling scheme involving serial corrupt transitions and bribes. This included making $86 million in loan payments to a South African partner in an Och-Ziff subsidiary, African Global Capital I, money used primarily for bribes to high-ranking officials, illicit payments to middlemen, the personal benefit of Och-Ziffs business partners, and expenditures unrelated to investments.

Och-Ziff declined to comment on the SECs charges against its former employees.

Morrison Foerster attorney Ronald White, acting for Michael Cohen, wrote in an e-mail: Michael Cohen has an unblemished reputation built over the course of a career spent creating value for Och-Ziffs investors. Mr. Cohen has done nothing wrong and is confident that when all the evidence is presented it will be shown that the SECs civil charges are baseless.

Baross counsel could not be reached.
Ride-hailing firm Didi faces rap over talent poaching. (Photo : Getty Images)

Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing was ordered to remove the price-hiking function in its platform, following a meeting with the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, China Daily reported.



Advertisement

The company was given two days to implement the order, as it pledged to delete the price-hiking module in the application based on the commission's requirements.



On Monday, Jan. 23, Didi published a note announcing that the function of "suggested price hiking" was temporarily eliminated. The function asks users if they would like to pay extra money for a ride.



The commission also asked Didi to remove another function which says, "dispatching fee paid by passengers out of their own will," thereby completely eliminating the possibility that users have been unfairly made to pay extra cost for a ride in Shanghai.



Didi, however, said that they could not ensure that they can complete the process within the two-day period, since it will take some time to have the updated app examined. But they pledged to make the changes and complete it within two weeks.



According to the report, the change made by Didi will only be applicable in its operation within Shanghai.



The move by the Shanghai commission received praises from Li Yi, deputy director at the Internet plus consulting center at the Internet Society of China, who urged transportation commissions of other cities to follow suit. He also called on the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Commerce to look into the matter.



On Saturday, Jan. 21, Luo Wen, a senior product director of Didi Chuxing, published an explanation on the online question-and-answer platform Zhihu. He said that the recent difficulties in hailing rides are caused by the surge in orders as Spring Festival approaches while the number of available taxi drivers has decreased.



"For example, the number of taxi drivers taking online orders has dropped by 25 percent, but the number of orders surged by 30 percent recently in Beijing. The short supply has resulted in rising prices," Luo wrote.


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Inflation remains the primary concern for the worlds central banks, which have engaged in the broadest and fastest tightening regime in history, according to Alejandra Grindal, chief economist at Ned Davis Research.
Regulations around general and personal advice need to be changed, a broker has said.Currently, ASIC states that general financial advice does not take into account any personal objectives, financial situations or needs.As the name suggests, personal advice does take into account the personal situations of clients, with ASIC stressing that it is important to talk with a licensed adviser.Robert Cooper, director of CPR Insurance Services, said that more needs to be done to ensure the differences between the two streams of advice are clear to clients.I would like the discrepancy about what is general advice or personal advice to be changed, Cooper told Insurance Business.For the average consumer, they would not know if they are getting general advice only or not.In the industry, the debate around advice continues to play out between brokers and direct competition.Direct insurers are able to operate on a general advice model and expect insureds to research their own insurance needs and decide which product is best for them. More often than not, this does not happen.While brokers do have to work to ensure that they are the first port of call for a client looking for insurance, changes to advice regulations would help consumers and limit underinsurance, Cooper believes.In addition, he noted that, currently, the approach by direct insurers leaves a lot to be desired.Simply saying here is your cover in this 80 page booklet and expecting them to read and understand it, to me, is a breach of a duty of care that is owed when providing insurance advice, Cooper continued.Do you agree that advice regulations need to be changed? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
An Australian financial services company that offers superannuation and investment products, insurance, financial advice, and banking products has divested its fledgling venture capital arm in a bid to improve overall performance.AMP has decided to close its New Ventures fund three months after it announced that it would book $1.168 billion in impairment and other one-off charges in the financial year ending June 30 due to consistent deterioration in the insurance market, Reuters reported.Australias life insurers have experienced declining business since the scandal over the use of discredited methods to refuse legitimate claims for insurance payouts broke out in March.National Australia Bank Ltd sold an 80% stake in its life insurance business to Japans Nippon Life Insurance Co for $2.4 billion last year, while the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd is seeking to sell its insurance and wealth arm for $4.5 billion.Founded in 2015, AMPs New Ventures fund had five employees, and had invested in three small companies, including $1 million in online brokerage Macrovue Pty Ltd and over $1.5 million in personal finance mobile app Money Brilliant Pty Ltd.An AMP spokesman said the fund would not make any further investments in startups to support the companys broader focus of improving performance in the short term.We have a strong portfolio of existing investments and our current focus is on maximising the benefits from these, the spokesman told Reuters.
Intermediaries are often the ones left behind when technological disruption hits an industry.For brokers, this is a deeply worrying trend. As the industry remains a target for outside disruption, some believe that if brokers want to avoid the fate of the video store, they need to start by looking at themselves.From the broker point of view, many need to go on a journey of self-discovery to fully understand what customers need and want from an insurer, Brent Lehmann, general manager  affinity and commercial at Willis Towers Watson told Insurance Business.Insurers, by their very nature, are conservative companies. Theres an opportunity to work with brokers to build innovative solutions and products to build their customer propositions.Lehmann warned that if insurers and brokers dont do it, then one of the emerging insure-tech disruptors will.Lehmann said that those looking towards disrupting the industry may have been surprised by the regulatory and compliance framework that surrounds insurance, which is often cited as a safeguard that has protected the industry up to this point.With global insurtech firms such as Lemonade , Trov and others making inroads in the industry, this protection will not last much longer.Its only a matter of time before disruption hits the industry; theres no doubt its coming, Lehmann continued.In the local market, well see the major insurers create joint venture opportunities with start-up insurtech firms to try to be their own disruptors.Lehmann stressed that the industry needs to defend its position and cannot rest on its laurels. The industry will need to trial innovative ways of connecting with customers, and joint-ventures with existing insurtech firms may make the most economic sense.A recent study from Willis Towers Watson found that 74% of insurers believe that the industry has failed to show leadership on digital innovation.If insurance incumbents want to secure their roles for the future, this has to change fast.
New Jersey Transit faces a widening examination of its safety practices after federal regulators discovered hundreds of potential work-hour violations, including altered duty logs and shifts longer than permitted.

Federal Railroad Administration inspectors recommended penalties in September after they found timekeeping irregularities by a small sample of engineers and other on-board crew, according to material obtained by Bloomberg in response to a public-records request.

The lapses, the inspectors wrote, allowed employees to work longer or more preferred jobs at the nations third-largest mass-transit operator, a crucial link to New York City. The broadening review comes as lawmakers question safety and finances at the agency, which in the 1990s was a model for innovation and service, only to suffer increased breakdowns and more crowded rush hours as the state provided less budget aid.

Hours-of-service laws are not foolish, Martin Robins, New Jersey Transits deputy executive director when the agency was founded in 1979, said in an interview. Theyre set up for a reason: to protect the public.

State Assemblyman John McKeon, a Democrat from West Orange who is co-leading public hearings on the agency, requested details Wednesday afternoon of New Jersey Transits scheduling practices and any documents authorizing excess hours.

Recent Accidents

The reports are crucial to combating fatigue, a factor in deadly train wrecks in recent years in Connecticut, Arkansas and Iowa. In response to a fatal New Jersey Transit crash and a Long Island Rail Road wreck in Brooklyn that injured more than 100 people, five U.S. senators this month urged the National Transportation Safety Board to review railroads testing procedures among engineers for sleep disorders.

In the matter of New Jersey Transits duty logs, inspectors reviewed two days of handwritten records in June, and alleged 246 instances of improper documentation, including alterations to 42 signed records and 34 instances of insufficient rest time between shifts.

Nancy Snyder, an agency spokeswoman, said most lapses were record-keeping clerical issues, and that the agency is considering switching to an electronic system to avoid such errors.

New Jersey Transit routinely reviews employees hours of service to ensure they are in compliance with federal regulations, Snyder wrote in an e-mail. Trains are not routinely staffed by individuals working hours beyond what regulations allow.

Handwritten System

Still, disciplinary action has been taken against one employee and proceedings are pending against 35 others, Snyder said. Now, while regulators consider whether to seek penalties against the railroad, federal examiners are looking for widespread discrepancies among handwritten logs submitted daily by New Jersey Transits 1,600 engineers and other on-board crew.

McKeon, in a letter to Steve Santoro, the agencys executive director, requested two years of conductors and engineers work schedules and all approvals for hours beyond what the law allows. He also asked for names of employees overseeing staffing hours, storage locations for handwritten records and results of any internal audits to ensure timekeeping protocol are followed.

What actions has NJ Transit taken to ensure that it can manage employee hours, specifically concerning employees with fatigue risks? McKeon wrote.

The Federal Railroad Administrations audit and our enforcement actions remain ongoing, Matthew Lehner, a spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Department, said in an e-mail. No hours-of-service violation notices have been issued.

The New Jersey Transit workers whose duty logs raised red flags are among the train personnel nationwide at greatest risk of fatigue and most likely to exceed monthly work-hour limits, according to a 2013 report by the Federal Railroad Administration. Sleep disorders, including apnea, also appear to occur at a higher rate among railroad employees than other U.S. workers, the report found.

Earlier research by the federal agency found that crew fatigue had a role in about 25 percent of train accidents attributed to so-called human factors, such as inattentiveness and poor judgment.

Commuter Headaches

New Jersey Transit, with 90 million passengers annually, has been beset in recent years by crowding, more frequent breakdowns and unreliable service. Rail service Tuesday was returning to normal a day after a wind-driven storm took down electrical wires along tracks in Linden, suspending New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains for hours along the Northeast Corridor, the nations busiest line.

Snyder said the railroad is cooperating with the expanded railroad administration inquiry, which began in June.

A separate review of operations and finances is under way by New Jersey lawmakers in response to a September wreck in Hoboken that killed a woman on a platform and injured more than 100 passengers. The trains engineer had undiagnosed sleep apnea, his lawyer has said.

Cash Crunch

At a hearing in Trenton in November, Santoro said lack of funding is at the root of many of New Jersey Transits troubles.

From 1990 through fiscal 2017, New Jersey Transit used $7.1 billion intended for capital improvements to cover day-to-day expenses. Forty-two percent of those diversions took place under Republican Governor Chris Christie, more than any other governor.

From January 2011 through July 2016, New Jersey Transit logged the most train accidents and the highest safety-violation fines of any U.S. commuter railroad, federal data show.

At the November hearing, Santoro disclosed instances of forbidden mobile-phone use, locomotives left unattended and missing emergency equipment, all documented by federal inspectors. In response, he said, the railroad was stepping up enforcement and expanding training. He also committed to fully staffing a safety office that was operating without a deputy chief and about a dozen others.

In some cases, the records were missing documented days off or such details as travel time to assignments, which counts toward maximum hours. Each penalty carries a fine of as much as $25,000, though those amounts typically are negotiated down.

McKeon said the Railroad Administrations findings on duty logs, if proven, are intolerable to the thousands of people who rely on New Jersey Transit every day.

Whether mismanagement or lack of personnel or outright violating of federal safety rules, the FRA being involved, with all its heft, can only help, he said in an interview.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics USA Legislation New Jersey
After years of lagging behind London on spawning financial technology startups, Paris this week hosted a show of force aimed at proving the French capital can catch up as more than 1,500 bankers, investors and entrepreneurs gathered.

The Paris Fintech Forum, which took place Wednesday and Thursday in the old bourses temple-like building, tripled its turnout from last year. With the UKs vote to leave the EU seen as an opportunity for Paris to raise its game, executives from Societe Generale SA, insurer AXA SA and Spains Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA among others showed up to talk about potential in France.

Just as London is Europes banking and finance center, it has been center stage for fintech financing in the region. Paris startups in this segment, as in other parts of tech, have run into a lack of financing in recent years, as well as being confronted with a generally more constraining business environment.

Who would have imagined just a few years ago that a central banker would be speaking at a forum on innovation? Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said. For banks and insurers, the digital revolution is upsetting the traditional model for client relations and there are difficult choices ahead.

For French banks, relatively high profitability has helped avoid the deeper cost cuts of the kind of UniCredit SpA and Deutsche Bank AG. Still, revenues remain under pressure partly because new technologies are creating cheaper alternatives for clients. With a French law will going live next month making it easier for customers to switch banks, BNP Paribas SA, Credit Agricole SA and Societe Generale have made stepping up digital spending a priority.

Groupe BPCE, which commands the second-biggest market share of French loans, plans to shift 1,000 employees onto its digital teams and open venues in France and Berlin, Chairman Francois Perol said. BPCE last year bought Germanys Fidor, an on-line bank and a platform for financial advice. Societe Generale is also accelerating investments in technological change and its on-line-banking unit is sharing an account-aggregating tool with the companys consumer-banking networks.

Frances top financial firms need to need to embrace innovation as clients increasingly turn to their smart phones for banking. In 2016, only 20 percent of visited to their bank more than once a month, down from 62 percent in 2007, according to a BVA survey for the French Banking Federation.

You need to create a sense of urgency, AXA Chief Executive Officer Thomas Buberl said. Everybody at AXA has understood that digital is there, that digital changes our business and also that digital can create an opportunity.

While start-ups such as KissKissBankBank, Lendix and Compte Nickel were among the better-known of French fintechs at the conference pitching for business, Paris has a long way to go to catch up in terms of venture financing. Only 3 percent of fintechs attending the conference have raised more than 100 million euros ($107 million). The Paris Fintech Forum selected 125 fintechs from 26 countries. Just a third are French.

Paris fintech venture-capital financing represents a fraction of Europes total. European funding for financial-technology firms fell to $233 million in the third quarter, the lowest in more than a year, according to KPMG and CB Insights.

Improving those figures wont be easy.

There is expectation that Paris might get more opportunities in the banking industry in general but fintech competition is very international, ING Groep NV Chief Innovation Officer Ignacio Julia Vilar said in an interview.

The French capital has been better at reversing a shortage of venture capital investments in some startup segments than others, over the past few years. Fintech is one, but biotech has also been left behind.

Investment in digital technology reached $1.4 billion in France during the first nine months of 2016, second in Europe only to the U.K.s $1.8 billion, according to a report by CB Insights. It was positioned to leapfrog the U.K. in the final quarter of last year, Bpifrance said in mid-December.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Carriers InsurTech Europe France
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System agreed to invest $1 billion to back the $4.8 billion acquisition by Prem Watsas Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. of insurer Allied World Assurance Co.

The investment will give OMERS a 21 percent stake in Allied World, according to a statement Friday from Toronto-based Fairfax. Watsas company is also in talks with several additional third parties to participate in the Allied World investment, according to the statement.

Fairfax agreed in December to buy Zug, Switzerland-based Allied in a cash-and-stock deal to expand in the commercial insurance market and add more assets that Watsa can invest as he bets on economic growth after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. Fairfax said at the time that bringing on equity partners would limit dilution for its investors.

OMERS is a proven, long-term investor and the commitment by it will allow us to increase the cash component of the Allied transaction, Watsa said in the statement. The deal gives us the flexibility to potentially buy back their interest over five to seven years time.

OMERS previously joined with Watsa in his deals for Brit Plc and a controlling stake in Eurolife ERB Insurance.

Fairfax originally committed $4 billion toward the purchase price with its own shares. Watsas company said it could limit dilution by bringing in partners for as much as $2.7 billion of the purchase price.

Increase Portfolio

Without Watsa bringing on the partners, Allieds investors would have received a 27 percent stake in his insurance and investing firm. If the full $2.7 billion is contributed in cash, that would be reduced to 10 percent, under the terms of the agreement.

Fairfax has the lowest of 10 investment grade scores by S&P Global ratings, which limits Watsas ability to take on more debt without risking a cut to junk status.

The purchase will boost the companys investment portfolio to $39 billion from about $30 billion.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Canada
With nearly 400,000 employees expected to retire from the insurance industry workforce within the next few years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, its incumbent on carriers to consider the ways in which they communicate with and recruit job applicants.

According to PwCs top issues annual report 2016, Commercial insurers  like many other kinds of insurers  have an aging workforce and are facing an impending talent crunch. Automation cannot replace the qualitative judgment that is necessary for effective underwriting. Therefore, it is vital for insurers to develop a performance-driven culture that enables the recruitment, development, and retention of younger underwriting talent.

This impending talent shortage, coupled with recent studies suggesting that the insurance industry isnt widely appealing to millennials, is forcing insurers to rethink their recruiting strategy, according to Dave Coons, senior vice president of Jacobson Group.

Were facing a potential talent shortage unlike anything weve ever seen in the past, Coons said.

The insurance industry isnt alone in this workforce revolution.

The authors of the PwC report wrote, Most US employers are woefully unprepared for the business realities of an aging workforce and face a potentially massive loss of skilled, knowledgeable workers. Companies that effectively recruit, train and develop dedicated future staff and leaders will differentiate themselves and set themselves up for success into the future.

As a result of this massive transformation, insurers must reexamine how potential employees are screened and interviewed, Coons explained.

In the past, we were always more inclined to screen candidates out, Coons said. However, this is quickly being replaced with a screening in mentality  meaning that we have to more actively or proactively engage candidates to consider longterm careers in the insurance industry.

In its 2016 property/casualty insurance outlook report, Ernst and Young noted that Insurers must be proactive in recruiting and retaining next-generation innovators and leaders.

The role of one department in particular is highlighted in the PwC report: Human resources recruiters are the scouting departments of the insurance industry. Insurance recruiters have two options  to hire experienced candidates or recruit and develop raw talent through effective training programs.

According to Chad Record, assistant vice president of The Jacobson Group, candidates may not know about the wide array of opportunities that exist within an insurance company.

Thats because in the past, the focus on a potential employee might be just on the skills needed for a particular job. Now, carriers are widening their focus on all of an applicants abilities to zero in on where their skill set might best fit into the company.

Its incumbent on the company to look at where their skills and competencies might transcend certain boundaries and actually help candidates explore options and alternatives within the organization, Record said.

Record said if a candidate is placed in a role that maximizes his or her strengths, it will lead to greater job satisfaction and engagement.

The emphasis for insurers looking to increase staff size and replace employees is to cater to millennials, said Coons. With 66 percent of insurers looking to add staff, according to a Jacobson and The Ward Group study, and millennials expected to make up 50 percent of the workforce population, its a no-brainer.

Catering to millennials means offering job stability, providing meaningful work and rewards for the type of work they do, Record explained. In addition, advanced technology and providing millennials a voice in how they perform their jobs are important workplace qualities.

Leveraging energy, enthusiasm and creativity might advance a companys growth and development, Record said.

Changes in employee recruitment calls for changes in the interview process as well, explained Record. There has been an increase in the use of video conferencing for interviews as well as video career fairs. In addition, the interview process may now include peer to peer interviews.

Theres a greater emphasis on peer to peer interviews which allows candidates to get a better sense of who they will be working with, rather than just who they will be working for, said Record. Team work is very appealing to millennials so this process is something were seeing a lot more of these days.

Coons provided examples of what some insurers are doing to revise their recruitment process. This includes an increased use of social media for a broader reach proactively and interactively with prospective employees. Carrier career websites have also been upgraded to offer options such as click to chat with a recruiter, employee videos and links to social media. The idea is to be able to interact 24/7, Coons said.

Coons expressed his enthusiasm for all of the changes happening in the hiring process.

Its an exciting time to be employed in the insurance industry, said Coons.

Insurance industry executives and groups working to attract millennials to the sector are now actively targeting their younger colleagues to help get the word out through the Insurance Careers Movement initiative.

Last December, the recruiting initiative held a webinar designed to appeal to younger property/casualty insurance employees to raise awareness of the industry and help recruit new applicants. According to organizers, close to 2,000 people took part in the webinar, with millennials and others logging in from the U.S., U.K., Turkey, Switzerland, Mexico, Ireland, India, France, Canada and Bermuda.

The Insurance Careers Movement has designated February as its second annual insurance careers month. Overall, the Insurance Careers Movement includes more than 600 insurance carriers, agents/brokers, trade associations and industry partners.

Related:

Topics Carriers Talent Market Training Development
The Oklahoma Insurance Department announced it will host a series of town hall meetings across the state to discuss health care reform. Citizens are encouraged to attend and offer their suggestions.

In a statement, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak said the department wants to hear from Oklahomans to learn what changes theyd like to see when it comes to health care.  We will take those reform recommendations to federal lawmakers so our voice is heard when the replacement plan is put together.

Those who cannot attend in person may submit their feedback online at www.oid.ok.gov.

Health Care Town Hall Schedule

January 27  Enid

Enid Public Library

120 W. Maine St.

12:00-2:00 p.m.

January 30  Durant

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Hallie McKinney Building Ballroom

416 University Blvd.

12:00-2:00 p.m.

January 31  Tulsa

Tulsa Central Library

400 Civic Center

12:00-2:00 p.m.

February 6  Norman

Norman Public Library

225 N. Webster Ave.

11:30-2:30 p.m.

February 6  Oklahoma City

Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Portland Campus

3500 NW 150 th St.

St. 5:30-8:30 p.m.

February 7  Bartlesville

Bartlesville Public Library

600 S. Johnstone Ave.

2:00-4:00 p.m.

Source: Oklahoma Insurance Department

Topics Oklahoma
Indian Army soldiers parade at Republic Day 2017. (Photo : Indian Army)

For one-and-a-half hours along the magnificent Rajpath (King's Highway) in New Delhi, the Indian Armed Forces carried out a magnificent display of Indian military power to celebrate India's 68th Republic Day on Jan. 26.



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With the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as guest of honor, the military put on a spectacular display of might meant to inspire patriotism among Indians and give pause to India's potential foes, Pakistan and China.



The Crown Prince is the first royalty from any Middle East country to attend R-Day. He's also Deputy Supreme Commander of the Union Defense Force, the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).



Again, it was the impressive military parade the expectant public sought to see and they weren't disappointed.



For the first time, the public saw a marching formation of the elite "Black Cat" commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG), a Special Forces unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). NSG personnel are often referred to as Black Cats because of their black uniforms and black cat insignia on their uniforms.



The Indian Army paraded fearsome weapons such as the T-90M Bhishma main battle tank tailored to army needs; the BMP-2 Sarath amphibious infantry fighting vehicle; BrahMos cruise missiles (the world's fastest) on their mobile autonomous launchers; the Dhanush 155 mm towed howitzer; the mobile BEL Weapon Locating Radar that locates enemy artillery positions and the Akash medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system.



The Indian Air Force had a magnificent fly past showing off its HAL Tejas multi-role light fighters and DRDO Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEWACS) aircraft.



The Air Force also conducted the grand finale of the parade, which was a spectacular flypast by IAF warplanes in formation. A formation of three Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft was wildly cheered.



The Indian Navy showcased the elite Marine Commandos; models of the indigenously built Kolkata-class Destroyer and the Kalvari-class next generation attack submarines. It also showcased a model of the Boeing P-8I Neptune Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.



The marching contingents of Army included horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry; the Mechanized Infantry Regiment; the Bihar Regiment; the 39 Gorkha Training Center; 58 Gorkha Training Center; the Madras Engineering Group and Centre and 103 Infantry Battalion.



The Navy contingent consisted of 144 young sailors. The paramilitary and other auxiliary civil forces included the Border Security Force's Camel Contingent; Indian Coast Guard; Central Reserve Police Force; Central Industrial Security Force; Delhi Police; the National Cadet Corps and the National Service Scheme.



A highlight of the parade was 149-member marching contingent from the UAE consisting of personnel from the Presidential Guards and the Union Defense Force. The marching UAE troops were led by a band of 35 musicians.


State Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, announced he has filed a measure that would fold the state building code commission into the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB).

House Bill 1168 would place the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (UBCC) under the CIB, where it originally was placed in 2009, and would eliminate its staff, which McBride said is unnecessary and redundant. The bill would also cut the UBCC fees it collects by at least 25 percent.

The UBCC was created to provide statewide minimum building codes, which it adopts every three to four years, said McBride.

McBride said the organization had a budget of $200,000 in 2009, but recently had a budget of $950,000. Today, the UBCC has five employees and a lobbyist.

There is absolutely no reason the functions of the UBCC cannot be assumed by the CIB, and there is certainly no reason this small commission needs a lobbyist, other than to get more taxpayer dollars, McBride said in a statement released by the House of Representatives.

McBride, whose family has been in the homebuilding business since 1972, said the bill has nothing to do with homebuilders. He said the bill is about being good stewards of limited taxpayer dollars.

When we take a dollar from a family, that is a dollar that family doesnt have for groceries or to pay their electric bill, said McBride. We have to start remembering that when we create new boards or agencies, or when we pass laws that cost Oklahomans more money.

McBride was recently appointed to the Governors Occupational Licensing Task Force, which will provide recommendations to the governor to remove unnecessary or burdensome regulations that are a barrier to potential workers, according to a news release issued by the Governors Office.

The 2017 legislative session begins on February 6.

Source: Oklahoma House of Representatives

Topics Legislation Oklahoma
A proposed settlement was filed Wednesday in the state investigation of West Virginia American Waters role in a chemical spill and resulting water crisis in the Charleston area three years ago.

Thousands of gallons of a coal-cleaning agent leaked from a Freedom Industries storage tank into the Elk River in January 2014, leaving 300,000 people in nine counties without water for up to nine days. Businesses in the states largest drinking water system were temporarily shut down. Residents cleared store shelves of bottled water, and hundreds of people headed to emergency rooms for issues from nausea to rashes after coming into contact with tap water that smelled like licorice.

Attorneys for the parties presented a proposed agreement to the Public Service Commission, which has been overseeing the investigation. The PSC said at a hearing later Wednesday that it would review the proposal, then issue an order.

If approved, the water company agrees to install upstream monitoring systems to detect contaminants sooner, increase tank storage with more emergency supply for residents, report and update measures annually to protect source water and practice emergency measures. Its building two tanks to hold 8 million gallons of water in Amandaville about 14 miles west of Charleston that could be used in a crisis, the company said.

The company also agreed to study the possibility of adding a second water intake for its Kanawha Valley Treatment Plant, this one along the adjacent Kanawha River.

We worked diligently and cooperatively with the other parties involved to address the numerous issues raised through this case, company spokeswoman Laura Martin said. The settlement recognizes that we have made important changes over the past three years to improve customer confidence in the water system, and additional changes will take place according to this agreement.

West Virginia American Water has already filed its protection plan with state health officials, according to the settlement. It promises to maintain an incident reporting system that complies with health department requirements that depending on severity will include emergency phone calls, emails and texts; websites and social media; and notifying municipal and emergency management officials.

More than 65 residents attended the PSCs meeting Tuesday to urge the commission to not give in to persistent water company requests to narrow the scope of the investigation, saying questions remained unanswered.

Attorney Paul Sheridan, a member of Advocates for a Safe Water System, said at Wednesdays hearing the proposed settlement will improve the safety of the water system in significant ways. But he said it had shortcomings and that the group wanted a full investigation of West Virginia American Waters role in the crisis.

We think there have been serious transparency issues in the way that the water company conducts matters, Sheridan said.

Fred Stottlemyer, a former public service district employee in neighboring Putnam County, had testified before the PSC that the water company should have closed its intake at the Kanawha Valley plant after the chemical spill.

The settlement said evidence and testimony was filed in advance, important changes can be achieved based on that, and there would be limited incremental value from the time and expense of a full evidentiary hearing.

Under a separate tentative settlement reached in federal court last fall in a spill lawsuit involving residents and businesses, West Virginia American Water will pay $126 million and chemical maker Eastman Chemical will pay $25 million.

Virtanen reported from Morgantown, W. Va.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Virginia Chemicals
A jury has awarded $1.25 million to a former San Diego, Calif. high schooler who was denied a bathroom break and forced to urinate in a bucket.

The girl, then 14, used the bucket in a Patrick Henry High School supply room in 2012. A teacher had denied her request to leave a 25-minute class, believing it was against school rules.

Her lawyer said after the incident made headlines, the girl was mercilessly teased, traumatized and attempted suicide.

She sued the teacher and the San Diego Unified School District.

District lawyers said the teacher, who no longer works on campus, never intended to embarrass the girl.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported the district will consider whether to appeal the decision.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California
The state of Montana has reached settlements totaling $25 million with more than 1,000 victims of asbestos-related disease over claims that health officials failed to bring attention to the hazards of a contaminated mine.

The Flathead Beacon reported that the settlements stem from nearly 100 lawsuits brought against the state for failing to protect residents in the northwestern Montana town of Libby.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands sickened by asbestos exposure from Libbys now-shuttered W.R. Grace and Co. vermiculite mine, which operated for decades just outside of town.

A different set of more than 1,000 plaintiffs reached a $43 million settlement with the state in 2011. Asbestos-related disease can have a decadeslong latency period before lung problems and other symptoms appear.

The plaintiffs in the latest settlements had not been diagnosed when the earlier deal was reached, Tom Lewis, a Great Falls lawyer for the plaintiffs, told The Associated Press.

Theyll receive payments ranging from $10,500 up to $60,000 for more severe cases, said Dale Cockrell, a Kalispell attorney who represented the state in settlement negotiations.

Since an initial deal was reached in June, 30 to 40 additional people have filed similar claims about health problems from asbestos exposure. Those claims still are being reviewed and theres been no decision yet on how the state will handle them, Cockrell said.

Separate lawsuits from victims are pending against BNSF Railway, which transported asbestos-containing vermiculite from the mine to processing sites across the country, and International Paper, the current owner of a lumber mill in Libby where vermiculite was stored.

Wednesdays settlement marks the end of lengthy negotiations between victims and the state. It resolves hundreds of claims against the state on behalf of miners, their family members and members of the community.

Attorneys with a Kalispell law firm representing 826 claimants and Lewis firm representing more than 200 reached separate agreements with the state, resolving the individual lawsuits.

The Libby mine closed in 1999 and nearly $600 million has been spent on a cleanup program for the Montana community. The Environmental Protection Agency has investigated or cleaned more than 7,100 properties in and near Libby and plans to finish another 700 properties before completion.

W.R. Grace agreed in a 2008 settlement to pay the EPA $250 million for cleanup work.

Health officials have estimated that as many as 400 people have died and almost 3,000 have been sickened from exposure in Libby and the surrounding area.

The Montana Supreme Court overturned lower court decisions in 2004, ruling that the state should have warned miners of the dangers first identified by officials in the 1950s.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pollution
The Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative, a consortium formed last year by five European insurers to explore blockchain technology in insurance, is preparing to add "several new members."

The news agency Reuters spoke to Swiss Re executive Paul Meeusen, who revealed the plans, at a recent blockchain conference. Swiss Re is one of five founding members of the group; the others are Allianz, Aegon, Munich Re, and Zurich.

Meeusen said that the group, which goes by B3i for short, will be "significantly enlarged and fully international in scope." The group also could be ready in as soon as eight weeks to test its database.

In October, the B3i said it would "co-produce a pilot project, using anonymized transaction information and anonymized quantitative data, in order to achieve a blockchain proof of concept for inter-group retrocessions."
Peter Navarro, an economist, professor of business, and outspoken critic of China's economic policies was appointed by then-President Donald Trump on Dec. 21, 2016, to head the National Trade Council, set up by the Trump administration. Navarro was a key voice in the former President's ear on the trade war with China and the forming of the USMCA, the 2018 trade deal between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Key Takeaways Peter Navarro was the director of the National Trade Council during the Trump administration.

Navarro is credited with largely shaping the administration's trade policies, particularly in regard to China.

Before his government work, Navarro was an economist, university professor, author, and political candidate.

Navarro is currently a Professor Emeritus of Economics and Public Policy at The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California-Irvine.

A staple of right-wing media outlets, Navarro is a notable proponent of false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Investopedia / Bailey Mariner

Navarro was among the first White House officials who warned the administration about COVID-19 before it became a global pandemic. According to The New York Times, Navarro issued a memo in January of 2020 warning about the impacts of the virus if it spread outside of China. In the memo obtained by the NYT, Navarro wrote, "The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil."

Early Life and Education

Peter Kent Navarro was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Tufts University and earned a Ph.D. in Economics in 1986 from Harvard. Navarro also spent three years in the Peace Corps in Thailand.

For more than 20 years, he has been a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California-Irvine.

Notable Accomplishments

Academic, Candidate, and Author

As the only academic among Trump's advisers, Navarro had no experience working in government and found little success in running for office. He ran for mayor of San Diego in 1992 and ran for the House of Representatives in 1994 losing both races. Navarro has appeared on major media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, CNBC, and 60 Minutes.

Navarro also published multiple books on business, management, and the markets, such as The Well-Timed Strategy, When the Market Moves, Will You Be Ready? and What the Best MBAs Know.

Navarro argued for an aggressive stance against China's unfair trade practices, which included intellectual property law violation, currency manipulation, and the exploitation of workers. Since then, he wrote extensively about China. His book, Crouching Tiger: What China's Militarism Means for the World, was published in 2015. Among his other books on China, Death by China: Confronting the DragonA Global Call to Action has received the most attention and was made into a documentary.

Navarro has argued that China is "waging an economic war" through export subsidies, import restrictions, and currency manipulations. According to The New York Times, one of Mr. Trump's favorite books was Navarros The Coming China Wars and Navarro's views caught the attention of then-candidate Trump.

Trump Administration Adviser

Navarro's views on China eventually helped him land a job in the Trump administration. Before that, during the 2016 presidential election, Navarro served as the Republican candidate's campaign adviser on economic issues.

As reported by Reuters, Trump called Navarro "a visionary economist" who will "develop trade policies that shrink our trade deficit, expand our growth, and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores."

Navarro's appointment underscored a rift among Trump's economic advisers, dividing them into those who supported free trade and those who opposed it. Navarro and Wilbur Ross, who was Trump's Secretary of Commerce, pushed for trade restrictions, while the broader team of advisers, which initially included Carl Icahn, Gary Cohn, Rex Tillerson, and Terry Branstad, strongly advocated free trade.

Director of the White House National Trade Council

In late December 2016, former President Trump appointed Navarro as the director of the White House National Trade Council. Then in late 2017, Navarro became Director of Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.

On March 8, 2018, Trump announced that the U.S. would impose tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on imports of aluminum. Early reports framed the tariffs as being aimed at China, and the announcement earned a speedy rebuke from Chinese officials, who accused the Trump administration of violating World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. China responded with tariffs, which eventually included over 5,000 U.S. goods sold to China worth $60 billion in trade. The goods included natural gas, peanut oil, soybeans, seafood, and whiskey.

Outrage also came from Brussels, which threatened to retaliate. Jean-Claude Juncker, who was the European Commission president at that time, proposed slapping tariffs on blue jeans, motorcycles, and bourbon. The European Union eventually retaliated to Trump's tariffs on European steel and on June 22, 2019, imposed duties of 25% on 2.8 billion of imports from the U.S.

Although China got much of the attention from former President Trump, it turned out that China was not the largest exporter of steel to the United States and only represented about 2% of all U.S. imports in 2017. The honor of being the largest source of steel imports went to Canada, which provided 18% of the total steel imports to the U.S. for the year.

Responding to claims that the tariffs would harm U.S. industries and consumers, Navarro told Fox, "There are no downstream price effects on our industries that are significant." He added that the effects on consumer prices wouldn't be material. "If you look at a 10% tariff on aluminum, a six-pack of beer or Coke, that's a cent and a half."

Peter Navarro is a notable source of misinformation about the 2020 election, appearing on right-wing media outlets to spread discredited conspiracy theories.

Why Is Peter Navarro Famous? Peter Navarro was the director of the National Trade Council throughout the Trump administration. He has since gained notoriety spreading disproven conspiracy theories on right-wing news outlets.

What Did Peter Navarro Do Before Working in the Trump Administration? Before his government work, Peter Navarro was an economist and a professor of economics, mostly at the University of California at Irvine. Dr. Navarro is also an author of various books on economic topics, and he ran for several political offices in the San Diego area over the years.

What Is Peter Navarros Title Now? Peter Navarro is a former Trump White House Advisor who is under indictment for contempt of Congress by refusing the January 6th Commission subpoenas.

The Bottom Line

Dr. Navarro has become a bit infamous after the 2020 election for appearing on right-wing media outlets to spread discredited claims about election fraud. But before that, he was a notable economist, author, and public servant who is credited with shaping a large part of the Trump administration's trade policy, especially in regard to trade with China.


Tom Cavanagh, Keiynan Lonsdale and Carlos Valdes of The Flash attend the IMDb Yacht at San Diego Comic-Con 2016: Day Three at The IMDb Yacht on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Tommaso Boddi)

"The Flash" Season 3, episode 11 will center on Cisco (Carlos Valdes) fighting with Gypsy (Jessica Camacho) in "Dead or Alive."



In episode 10, Gypsy arrived in Central City in search for her next bounty. She has her sights set on H.R. (Tom Cavanagh). When H.R. comes face to face with Gypsy, he is so close to surrendering himself to her.



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However, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Cisco will also find out that there is a way Gypsy will let H.R. go for good and that is if they will fight against her. Cisco will put on his Vibe costume to prove his loyalty to H.R. After all, the latter has been treating him nicely throughout the entire season.



Here's a look at the official synopsis for "Dead or Alive":



"H.R.'s past catches up with him when a bounty hunter with vibe powers named Gypsy arrives in Central City to bring him back to Earth-19 to stand trial for his crime. It turns out inter-dimensional travel is illegal on their Earth. H.R. surrenders but when Barry and Cisco find out H.R.'s only hope would be to challenge Gypsy to a fight to the death, they intercede and Cisco offers to fight Gypsy instead."



Meanwhile, the promo for "Dead or Alive" feature Gypsy arriving at S.T.A.R. Labs and telling everyone the truth about H.R. After she reveals that the latter is a fugitive, she injects him with a chemical that makes him fall asleep.



H.R. was so ready to leave Earth-1, but Barry and Cisco do not want him gone. The latter tells Gypsy that he wants to be the one to challenge her, and if he wins, H.R. will stay with them for good.



Gypsy agrees to fight against Cisco, but reminds him that this could cause his death. Cisco becomes concerned that he might actually get killed so he practices his abilities with the help of Barry. When he asks his friends what are the chances that Gypsy would kill him, Julian (Tom Felton) tells Cisco that from a scale of one to 10, it is a pretty solid one.



"The Flash" Season 3, episode 11 will air on The CW on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. EST.






Jarlath Regan is set to fly to the US next week to donate a kidney to his brother.

The comedians brother has battled with a kidney condition since his childhood, and in recent years has rapidly deteriorated.

Speaking on the Eoghan McDermott Show on RTE 2fm, he's at a critical level so I guess we saw it coming along way off. His kidney function was down to 15 and normal is 85.

I flew over to Rochester in Minnesota and I was as good a match as he could hope to find. Considering the number of pints I've drank over the course of my life, there is no known reason why my kidney function is well over 100.

So he's going to be rocket-powered by the time he gets this.

Massive thanks to @Eoghan2FM on @RTE2fm for having me on to talk about organ donation. #donation @IrishKidneyAs  Jarlath Regan (@Jarlath) January 26, 2017

Jarlath explained to Eoghan that it was one of the easiest decisions he's ever had to make but he is worried about how his wife Tina is taking the stress.

During the consultation his doctor pointed out to him that it is usual the person closest to you can take on most of the stress as he was worried that he was being so blase about it.

Doctor stressed to him that his is perfectly normal.

Chatting about the procedure, the father-of-one said that organ donation needs to be discussed more openly in Ireland as more and more people are dying in this country as a result of organ shortage.

Just one of the amazing kidney donation stories I've read in the past few months. Have the conversation with your family. #kidneydonation pic.twitter.com/2BzPenIYOG  Jarlath Regan (@Jarlath) January 26, 2017

For more information on Jarlaths experience, tune into his podcast The Irishman Abroad.
Donald Trump has cited planning problems with his Doonbeg resort as a reason why Brexit will good for the UK.

During a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, the US President said that leaving the EU will be a "tremendous asset" for Britain, because it wont be constrained by EU laws.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has two variants running on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. (Photo : YouTube/ The Verge)

Android Nougat update release for Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is looming as a similar device running on the latest OS has been spotted in a benchmark database. This could mean that Samsung is about to eventually offer the most recent Android version to those who won the tablet.



According to Phone Arena, the Galaxy Tab S2 recently visited Wi-Fi alliance, the organization responsible for certifying Wi-Fi products. The newsworthy part of it is that the Tab which received certification ran on Android 7.0 Nougat.



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Notably, the Wi-Fi alliance has already certified six Galaxy Tab S2 variants, all running on Android Nougat. The six models include SM-T817 (international), SM-T817R4 (U.S. Cellular), SM-T817A (AT&T), SM-T817P (Sprint), SM-T817T (T-Mobile), SM-T817W (Canada), and SM-T817V (Verizon Wireless).



Passing the Wi-Fi certification means that the Galaxy Tab S2 is one step closer to getting a final Android Nougat update. Unfortunately, Android 7.0 Nougat may turn out to be the last OS update the tablet receives from Samsung.



Unlocked units are the most likely ones first to receive the updates, after which carrier-branded versions will follow. 2015 and regular Galaxy Tab S2 models are expected to receive the software versions coded as MMB29M.T818VVRU1AQA3 and MMB29K.T817VVRS2BPL1 respectively.



The Android Nougat update will also arrive at other Samsung Galaxy devices including Galaxy S7, the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy Note 5, and the Galaxy Note 4. Each Galaxy Nougat update will be different although there are major features expected to remain the same across the board.



If Samsung Galaxy users are not familiar with Android Nougat features, they can have a look at Samsung's Android Nougat guide at Sam Mobile. The guide outlines the variances between Nougat and Marshmallow.



It also explains the changes in detail, which might help users prepare for the alterations that come with the upgrades. The major thing is that Samsung Nougat updates will roll out with a January security update onboard.



In the United States, T-Mobile users can expect Nougat updates for their Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, and Galaxy S7 Edge. Watch the clip below for a complete list of Samsung devices receiving the update:






Barcelona is curbing the number of rooms for tourists in the city centre in a controversial move aimed at appeasing residents concerned about sky-high property prices.

The move is opposed by hotel and business owners.
A Thai court has sentenced an opponent of the military government to more than 11 years in prison for posting material on the internet which was found to be insulting to the country's monarchy.

The military court halved the sentence for Burin Intin from an original 22 years and eight months for two offences as he pleaded guilty to the lese majeste charge as well as to violating the Computer Crime Act by posting illegal content.
US President Donald Trump has made clear that his defence secretarys opposition to torture would override his own belief that enhanced interrogation "does work".

Mr Trump was addressing concerns about a return to Bush-era use of waterboarding and other forms of interrogation and torture.

Since taking office, Mr Trump has signalled a renewed embrace of torture in the fight against Islamic extremism.

But he said he would defer to the views of his defence secretary, James Mattis, who has questioned the effectiveness of such practices as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

"He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding, or however you want to define it - enhanced interrogation I guess would be a word ...that a lot of people would like to use.

"I dont necessarily agree. But I would tell you that he will override because Im giving him that power. Hes an expert," Mr Trump said. He called Mr Mattis a "generals general," whom he would rely upon.

"I happen to feel that it does work. Ive been open about that for a long period of time. But I am going with our leaders. And were going to win with or without. But I do disagree."

The focus on torture has been renewed since news organisations obtained a copy of a draft executive order that signals sweeping changes to US interrogation and detention policy.

The draft order, which the White House said was not official, also would reverse President Barack Obamas effort to close the military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - a place Mr Trump has said he wants to fill up "with bad dudes".

The draft orders up recommendations on whether the US should reopen CIA detention facilities outside the United States. Critics said the clandestine sites have marred Americas image on the world stage.

At a new conference in the Oval Office alongside British premier Theresa May, Mr Trump also spoke of his hour-long phone call with Pena Nieto earlier in the day.

He described it as a "friendly call" a day after the Mexican leader cancelled his visit to Washington after Mr Trump moved forward on his campaign promise to build a border wall.

Mr Trump reiterated his stance that the US-Mexico border is porous and drugs are making their way into the US.

He also vowed to renegotiate American trade deals with Mexico.

Following the cancellation, Mr Trumps spokesman said the White House would seek to pay for the border wall by slapping a 20% tax on all imports from Mexico, as well as on other countries the US has a trade deficit with. The White House later cast the proposal as just one option to pay for the wall.

The strong reaction from Mexico signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

Later in the day, the president was to travel to the Pentagon, where he was expected to sign a trio of executive actions, including one to halve the flow of refugees into the United Sates and stop all entries from some majority-Muslim nations.

AP
A man kicked and hurled abuse at a Muslim woman airline employee at New York's John F Kennedy Airport, telling her new US president Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you", authorities have said.

Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes, of Worchester, Massachusetts, had arrived from Aruba and was waiting for a connecting flight to his home state on Wednesday night, when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was in her office.

District attorney Richard Brown said Rhodes came up to the door and launched a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying, before punching the door, which hit the back of Ms Khan's chair.

Ms Khan asked Rhodes what she had done to him and he replied: "You did nothing."

He then swore at her and kicked her in the leg, Mr Brown said.

When another person tried to calm him down, Mr Brown said Rhodes moved away from the door and Ms Khan fled the office.

But Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down, imitating a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities and said, "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You see what happens", Mr Brown said.

At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police: "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct.

"I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Rhodes was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes.

"The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilised society - especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation," Mr Brown said.

"Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice."

- AP
UK economic growth hadnt slackened but risks lie ahead as some sort of hard Brexit deal looms large, the bank said in its quarterly report, noting Irish-owned manufacturing industries had experienced a softening in demand even before the sharp slump in the value of sterling six months ago

The Central Bank said it had received in all 100 inquiries from UK-based banks and investment funds who were at an early stage in weighing possible new homes in the EU should they barred from selling financial services from London, if the UK strikes a hard Brexit deal with Brussels.

It emerged yesterday Barclays Bank had settled on Dublin for its main hub inside the EU after Brexit and is planning to add about 150 staff to its operations here if UK-based finance companies lose easy access to the EU. The bank already employs about 100 staff in Ireland.

The bank started scouting Dublin for office space this month and has been in contact with Irish regulators about expanding its operations. But there could be a downside effect here to house prices rise as foreign workers seek homes.

Gabriel Fagan, chief economist at the Central Bank, said that any influx of foreign bank personnel could affect house prices because the shortages of supply are so acute. The market could need more than 25,000 new homes a year to meet demand, he said, and Irish home buyers would likely need to put more of their income aside to buy a house in the coming years.

Mr Fagan said the outlook for the Irish economy was something of a mixed bag as more jobs and modest wage increases lifted domestic deamand amid risks from a hard Brexit deal and cuts in US tax rates.

It cut its GDP forecast this year to 3.3% from 3.6%, mainly because of the effect of slower global growth on Irish exports. It projects growth will slow to 3% in 2018.

It was implausible the Irish economy would fare worse that the UKs under a hard Brexit, Mr Fagan said. Reform and cuts in US corporate tax rates pose a key risk because US multinationals employ 150,000 people here.

Bloomberg reported Barclays was moving ahead with contingency plans so it can continue serving EU clients if UK prime minister Theresa May fails to strike a transitional or permanent deal preserving Londons access within the two-year renegotiation period.

Barclays staff moved to or hired in Dublin could include senior managers, derivatives specialists, currency traders, compliance and human resources staff.

Separately, Merrion Capital said it is more cautious of stocks overall because of the huge rally by stock markets since the election of Donald Trump in November. In its global investment outlook, it said US tax cuts could boost earnings of US companies, but Trumps protectionist instincts and America First policy concerning world trade may lead to higher tariffs and restrictions to world trade.

The UK could be affected in time when the Brexit trade deals become a reality, while elections on the continent this year mean another volatile year for investors, the broker said.
Pre-tax profits rose 7% to 8.1m in the six months to the end of December, as revenues increased by 6% to 228.7m.

It plans to pay an interim dividend of 5.75c a share, an increase of 10% from a year earlier.

We remain confident in the outlook for the business and expect to deliver continued profitable growth for the remainder of the financial year, said CEO Anne Heraty.

Davy Stockbrokers said the stand-out feature in the latest six-month period was an upturn in the margin earned on temporary recruitment even as healthcare hiring in the UK was weighed down.

Specifically, this relates to the longer lead times in placing nurses after the implementation of more onerous English language requirements.

However, while the issues in UK healthcare look likely to continue into the second half, there was continued permanent growth in Ireland and central and eastern Europe. Encouragingly, the growth in Ireland was broad-based and not particularly reliant on any one sector, the broker said.

Davy said it did not plan to make any major upgrade to CPLs earnings for the full year. CPL said that in a competitive market it had posted some improvement in temporary recruitment.

Apart from currency transaction costs, political uncertainty have had limited impact, it said, adding it holds 35.2m in cash.
More than 130 Agricultural Science Association (ASA) members attended a day-long workshop at the Grassland Research Centre, Teagasc Moorepark, on Wednesday, for an update on new technologies in grassland.

A large gathering of farmers are also expected at the Mooreark centre this morning for the launch of a new Teagasc online service to promote enhanced grass utilisation on farms.
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at Leicester Cathedral for the reinterment ceremony of King Richard III, on March 26, 2015 in Leicester, England. (Photo : Richard Pohle / Getty Images)

Mark Gatiss revealed in a recent interview that they wanted to end Season 4 with the room for a beginning. Steven Moffat also weighed in and said that Sherlock's character is now aware of his innate humanity, an important revelation that separates him from his cold brother, Mycroft.



According to Radio Times, Gatiss and Moffat are not entirely closed about the possibility of another season. In fact, the showrunners revealed during the interview that their initial plan was to run season 4 as the backstory and give the viewers a deep insight into the men Sherlock and Dr. Watson are known to be.



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Gatiss also explains that Sherlock's emotional growth in season 4 leaves a door open for a lot of possibilities. Sherlock experiences a human connection not just due to Mary Watson's (Amanda Abbington) death but also due to abrupt appearance of his sister, Eurus, that he did not even know about. Moffat further explains that it is this newfound wisdom in Sherlock that will transform the famous detective into the Sherlock Holmes that fans love, the kind played by Basil Rathbone.



In fact, Gatiss and Moffat made a reference to Rathbone in the last scene when Sherlock and Watson were seen running out of the Rathbone Place. The showrunners reveal that they initially decided to splash "the beginning" on the screen, but decided against it as it would have been "too cheesy," the duo claimed.



According to Moffat's interview with Vulture, the writers already have the inspiration for stories in Season 5, should there be one. Gatiss wants to adapt "The Red Headed League" and wants to explore the Irene Adler element from "The Greek Interpreter." However, nothing is confirmed for now until official announcements are made.



Even though the showrunners are already thinking a step ahead, as far as "Sherlock" season 5 is concerned, it is still too soon to give a go ahead. The show's lead characters, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, are reportedly busy with their respective Hollywood projects at Marvel Studios, so it is possible that Season 4 might just be the end.






The lender is continuing to co-operate with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on its investigation, though timing of a settlement remains uncertain, the bank said yesterday.

RBS has taken 6.7bn of provisions related to as many as 15 mortgage investigations and lawsuits, and may face further charges.

RBS is one of the few global lenders that has yet to settle in a years-long probe thats garnered more than $50bn (46.6bn) in penalties for the DOJ since it began investigating the pre-crisis sale of mortgage bonds.

The UK taxpayer-owned lender was considering taking a provision based partly on Deutsche Banks $7.2bn settlement and Credit Suisses $5.3bn accord, both announced in December.

RBS investors, including the UK government, are paying a heavy price for decisions made by RBS before the crisis. Its another painful example of that legacy, CEO Ross McEwan said. The charge reflects the legacy of time when RBS lost its way on its quest to build a global bank. The shares rose as much as 6.7%, the most since November 10.

Although the lenders board was able to make the fresh provision based on other European banks settlements, chief financial officer Ewen Stevenson said RBS isnt yet in any active negotiations with the Justice Department.

Drawing a line under the US investigations would clear a significant barrier for Mr McEwan in his task to return RBS to profit and restore dividends. While he must also divest its Williams & Glyn consumer division, settling the probes could make it easier for the UK government to sell its majority stake in the lender.
The diversified communications and media company yesterday reported a 2% year-on-year rise in underlying revenue, to 666m, for the six months to the end of December. In that first half, pre-tax earnings were also up 2% at 243m, while operating costs reduced by 8m year on year.

The three months to the end of December  Eirs second quarter  showed a 4% rise in earnings to 121m and a 2% underlying revenue increase to 336m. This was Eirs seventh consecutive quarter of earnings growth.

Chief executive Richard Moat said he was very pleased with the performance, adding it benchmarks well against Eirs European peers and keeps the company on track to meet its full-year guidance.

Management is anticipating earnings growth of around 4% for the 12 months to the end of June.

The business is performing in line with expectations, with continued underlying revenue, and EBITDA growth, said chief financial officer Huib Costermans.

This is supported by growth in operational KPIs [key performance indicators], including broadband connections along with increasing take-up of our bundled offerings. We remain committed to delivering efficiencies and have reduced our operating costs by 3% for the first half of the year.

As a result, we are on track to achieve full-year guidance on single digit year-on-year EBITDA growth, as well as further cash generation.

Mr Moat also reiterated it is likely Eir  predominantly owned by US hedge fund Anchorage Capital  will see a return to public ownership, via another stock market flotation, in the coming years, but no sooner than 2019.

By the end of 2017, Eir should reach the 80,000-home mark in its rural broadband roll-out, well on track to meet its 300,000 homes target by the end of 2018. It is also on track to reach 1.9m premises with high-speed broadband by the end of next year and has reached 95% population coverage with its 4G coverage, three months ahead of schedule.

Eirs total broadband customer base stood at 880,000 at the end of December, up by 26,000 year on year.

Mr Moat said Eir is seeking to win as many contracts as possible when the Government awards under the National Broadband Plan.

It also plans, over the next decade, to start scrapping its traditional copper landline infrastructure network and replace it with a more up-to-date fibre network.
This amount does not include acquisitions Microsoft may make in the sector, Bharat Shah, the companys vice president of security, told Reuters on the sidelines of the firms BlueHat cyber security conference in Tel Aviv.

As more and more people use the cloud, that spending has to go up, he said.

While the number of attempted cyber attacks was 20,000 a week two or three years ago, that figure had now risen to 600,000 to 700,000, according to Microsoft data.

In October Microsoft said quarterly sales from its flagship cloud product Azure  which businesses can use to host their websites, apps or data  rose 116%.

In addition to its internal security investments, Microsoft has bought three security firms, all in Israel, in a little over two years. Microsofts venture arm has also made three cyber security investments in Israel, including this week an undisclosed amount in Illusive Networks, which uses deception technology to detect attacks and has been installed at banks and retailers.

Though Microsoft does not have any near-term plans to implement deception technology, we look at lots of different technologies that might be of use in the future, Mr Shah said.

He believes that in the next year or so, progress should be made in moving toward broader implementation of user authentication without need for a password.

Microsofts Windows 10 operating system includes Windows Hello, which allows users to scan their face, iris or fingerprints to verify identity.
Actors Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher attend the Warner Bros. 'Justice League' Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Kevin Winter)

All of the promotional material for the upcoming live-action "Justice League" movie lack Superman (Henry Cavill) due to the events of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Despite this, director Zack Snyder has confirmed Superman will have a big role in the film.



"Superman does play a big part in this movie," Snyder told Empire. "His presence, and lack of presence, are big story points."



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"Batman v Superman" and the trailer for "Justice League" both indicate that Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) are determined to form the team of heroes in Superman's honor. They are also forming the team to battle the enemy that Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) hinted was coming.



In the original DC comics, Superman was also killed by the monster known as Doomsday. However, the character was later discovered alive but not yet as powerful as he once was. During this recovery period, Superman wore a black suit with a silver crest on his chest.



A leaked image has been tweeted out, indicating what Superman may look like in his black suit. However, the photo is blurry and no official comment has yet been stated by Snyder or Warner Bros. Pictures regarding the image. This raises the possibilities of the image being fake, Cinema Blend reported.







Regardless, Cavill did tease the black suit on social media last year, confirming that his character will be making some kind of appearance in the film. It is still unclear if this resurrected Superman, in his black suit, will be featured prominently in the movie or only in a cameo.



"Justice League" will feature Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller as the Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg and Jason Momoa as Aquaman. Actor Ciaran Hinds has signed on as the main villain, Steppenwolf.



The film will open on Nov. 17. The initial trailer featured during the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con can be viewed below:






The situation is so bad that during heavy spells of rain, sewage from septic tanks in Graball Bay area is flowing into storm water drains and down the road and out into the nearby picture-postcard village of Crosshaven.

Cllr Aidan Lombard raised the issue at a Cork County Council meeting when he said something had to be done urgently to address the issues for people living around Graball Bay.
John Moore, aged 57, of Cherrymount Crescent, Clontarf, Dublin 3, was ordered yesterday to stay away from all de Valera family members.

He was arrested at Glasnevin cemetery in the capital at 3.15pm on Wednesday. He was then brought to Mountjoy Garda station and detained before he was charged with causing criminal damage to Eamon de Valeras headstone and unlawful possession of knives in connection with the alleged incident.

He was held overnight and brought to appear before Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court on Thursday morning.

Garda John Beckett told the court the defendants reply to the criminal damage charge was Im guilty and his response to the second charge was I had a hammer.

Judge Halpin asked the man if he had a solicitor and he replied: I do not, no.

Gda Beckett requested that the accused would stay away from Glasnevin Cemetery, have no contact with the de Valera family or any of their properties or assets, sign on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Clontarf Garda station, and reside at his current address.

Gda Beckett asked for an adjournment to allow time for a file to be prepared for the DPP.

Judge Halpin imposed the terms sought by the garda and remanded Mr Moore on bail on his own bond of 200 to appear again on March 30.

Former taoiseach and Easter 1916 Rising commander Eamon de Valera died in 1975 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

The graveyard is the final resting place of a number of key figures in Irish history, including Michael Collins, ODonovan Rossa, Daniel OConnell, Countess Markievicz and Charles Stewart Parnell.
Rajini Benesh, aged 38, from India but with an address at Abbeyview, Monkstown, Co Dublin, was fined 750 after she pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining 9,270 in childrens allowance payments.

Joseph Maguire, prosecuting, told Judge John Brennan at Dublin District Court that Benesh did not tell the social welfare authorities that her two children were living in India.

There was one charge for failing to notify and five counts of making false declaration in which she filled out forms with false information from July 2012 until November 2015. The prosecution said her children were not in the State during that time.

The fraud was detected when the Garda National Immigration Bureau checked passports.

Mr Maguire said all the money has been repaid.

In a plea for leniency, Joe Coonan, defending, told the court that Beneshs son had a skin pigmentation disease and had to go back to India for treatment which was too expensive in Ireland.

She was the sole income earner as her husband was a PhD student at the time. She has taken out a loan to pay back the money to the social welfare authorities.

Judge Brennan said the amount obtained was not insubstantial and went on over a long period. However, he noted she pleaded guilty, the mitigating factors, and that the money has been paid back in full. He convicted her and ordered her to pay the fine within six months.
WHEN a school principal contacts Jenny Ryan in her North Dublin office, its often because a parent has reported bullying but the teachers havent seen it.

Or they get in touch because teachers have noticed an issue with children in a particular class  maybe fifth class kids arent gelling well at yard time or a childs being excluded.

For the past three years, Ryan, a psychologist and founder of My Life Solutions, has been running Saturday assertiveness workshops for nine to 16-year-olds affected by bullying.

And for five years she has offered her schools programme (encompassing parent talks, staff training and student workshops), predominantly focusing on tolerance, inclusion, empathy and assertiveness.

This is for children from first class up.

Teachers often dont feel qualified  they see it as a bit of a scary topic  so schools hire someone in, says Ryan, who with educational psychologist Sarah OHanrahan and one other facilitator has delivered the programme in approximately 12 schools, mostly primary, in the past year. In the same period, theyve run four assertiveness workshops.

Ryans team is adept at seeing dynamics in class groups. They use creative techniques to help children see them too.

For example, pupils are asked to select a potato from a box of potatoes and say why its different to another potato.

They return it to the box and are then asked to find it again based on its difference.

They cant find it. The point is: were all human. We all have different flaws and imperfections so we mustnt judge by first look.

Ryan almost always uses the weighing scales metaphor drawing it on board or Powerpoint  to help children understand where they are on a spectrum spanning all the way from aggressive through assertive to passive.

I ask: if everybody was fair and equal to everybody in the world, where would we sit on the scales? They all say wed be in the middle  no one would be up or down.

Then we talk about when things go wrong, when somebody decides theyre better than us or that they have something we dont. They tend to go up in order to raise their social status. If they lack empathy, they bring someone else down in order to bring themselves up.

Ryan says children immediately get the concept.

They say oh, thats when they dont let us in the game or they laugh when we get a question wrong.

Its explained to children that those at the top are aggressive, though they mightnt be shouting or screaming, and that the person who has been brought down  whos feeling low, laughed at and excluded  is often passive because of their responses.

The children can plot themselves [on the scales], says Ryan. They say: oh, yeah, I was down there because I put my head down or I walked away.

Once we understand why a situations happening, we cope better.

Ryan sees the weighing scales exercise giving children lots of validation, helping them understand the behaviours and feelings accompanying the up and down positions.

Children learn that the middle line is an assertive type of communication  and that its where you get balance.

Pursuing a Masters in Forensic Psychology and specialising in the development of youth aggression, Ryans interest in this area accelerated after a stint as a school guidance counsellor 12 years ago, when she dealt with a situation involving two senior students.

One suffered relentless bullying and had no strategies to deal with it.

He ended up lashing out and got into serious trouble, though he was the one targeted for years.

[After] this, I dealt with many situations with the same commonality  children having no effective strategies and parents and schools not knowing how to deal with the situation.

Ryan says schools and parents mishandle bullying in several ways. Much of the time, children arent told the impact of their behaviour on someone else. Theyre told thats bold, not nice. Theyre not asked how do you think what you did made that other person feel?

Its all very well teaching children to treat others as theyd like to be treated, but thats not teaching them empathy, says Ryan.

If we teach children that everybody likes to be treated the same way, were not teaching empathy because empathy means understanding that different people feel differently to us sometimes.

Everybody has a different story and a different level of sensitivity. Disciplining the aggressive child doesnt help either.

It can cause resentment and make the situation worse for the targeted child. A child bullies because they feel powerless and are trying to increase their power plus they lack empathy. Discipline doesnt help either.

Advising children at the receiving end of bullying to give as good as they get or to walk away doesnt help. If a child responds with an aggressive comment, theyre now in conflict with the other.

Each person tries to go one step further. When they run out of ideas face-to-face, they resort to online bullying. On the other hand, responding by walking away shows powerlessness.

Instead the child should stand their ground  literally own the ground  with eye contact, shoulders back and a neutral comment: thats your opinion. Role play helps to perfect this.

We advise them to fake it til they make it. When theyve successfully done it once, they feel empowered.

Ryan says both the aggressor and the targeted child have responsibility in a bullying situation.

One child has to go from aggressive to assertive, the other from passive to assertive.

The child whos targeted by bullying will often laugh at the behaviour and say its fine, I dont mind and then go home and complain.

This child needs to say I do mind. I dont like it.

Visit www.mylifesolutions.ie.

Child support

Parent tips for dealing with bullying:

Liaise with the school. Talk to your child about their fears around your doing this. Communicate these fears to the school.

Do not tell your child to fight back  this can result in your child being hurt or they may get into trouble.

Do not tell your child to ignore the bullying. This can be a red rag  it shows the other child they have power and control over your child.

And this only fuels the situation.

Encourage your child to stand their ground and not to give the other child power. They can do this by holding assertive eye contact and responding neutrally (OK, Whatever, Thats your opinion). Practise this skill through role play til they feel comfortable doing it.

Make sure they have safety in numbers and that they dont find themselves on their own.

Reassure your child that they have done nothing wrong. Continue to build their self-esteem and sense of empowerment through assertive role plays.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May, is meeting US president, Donald Trump, in Washington today. She could hardly be more different from the president whom she hopes to charm and who reportedly calls her my Maggie, after former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

In the best traditions of the British Foreign Office, May will be briefed up to the eyeballs about her interlocutor, about what can be discerned of his policies, and what she should extract from him. Trump may or may not receive a briefing on her.

As the Wall Street Journal notes, the two leaders hold diametrically opposed views on globalisation and trade, the president seeking economic self-sufficiency for his country, and the prime minister wishing to project the UK into the globe. A New York Times columnist described Mays view of a Global Britain as baloney.

It seems, then, that not so much a valued ally as a beggar has arrived in Washington, a leader isolated in Europe, seeking a deal from another who has written off the continent.

Former US president, Ronald Reagan, and Thatcher had a relationship in which he was the stronger and she the tougher; they needed each other, if only psychologically. The possibility for such chemistry between the billionaire and the vicars daughter seems remote.

But lets assume that May has thought this through and is prepared to deploy her strengths. What would they be?

The first and best would be Nato. Trump has called it obsolete, and has raised fears that he may pull out of it. No one can say if his criticism of the alliance is serious, or an offthe-cuff remark that will be as comprehensively renounced as his contempt for the CIA was transformed intolove earlier this week. May will strive to ensure it is the latter.

Britain was the progenitor of Nato, through the towering figure of Ernest Bevin, foreign secretary in the postwar Labour government: after the United States (a long way after), it is its largest component. Its armed forces are configured with Nato membership as their guide. Britains strategy, war games, and training are within the context of Nato. The same is largely true of the other European states, including some  like the Scandinavian countries  that have very small militaries.

If Nato collapses, a European Defence Force  often tabled, never pursued  may have to be created and, given the European Unions still limping economy, now is a bad time to try.

May could use this to her advantage. Britain could claim to be a bridge between the EU and the US, persuading Trump that his countrys security, and that of the world, is better with Nato than without it.

May could tell the other European countries that they had better increase their military budget to the 2% of GDP they have all promised (but which few of them have delivered), or they will have the larger headache of creating an entirely new force and new strategy.

The proposal could be further enhanced by the appointment of former British prime minister, David Cameron, as Nato secretary general, a possibility that has been mooted. Cameron is not liked in the EU, for holding a referendum that has plunged it into crisis. But if he is the link that binds the western alliance together, he might be acceptable.

Mays other large card is Britains friendship. Much mocked by those who forecast, or wish, her failure, Trump should not dismiss it. May is a reluctant Brexiteer  she voted Remain, though with no obvious enthusiasm  but the referendum has made her a determined one: no other US ally takes that position, which puts her on Trumps side.

Yet, as it would be folly to destroy Nato, so it would be foolish to will the EUs collapse, for both trade and security reasons. Britain has every good reason to bring the White House round to at least a grudging recognition of the benefits of a continued alliance: if Trump really does want to see May as his Maggie, he might accept advice from her that he would scorn from any other European leader.

Trump wishes to be amiable: the man nominated as ambassador to the UK, Professor Ted Malloch, has said the UK will get a trade deal within 12 months. In a BBC interview this week, he said the negotiations would take no more than three months.

Britain has ensured, by the referendum vote, that it has no choice but to get closer to a US whose chief executive seems to wish to tell the rest of the world to get lost. Yet, turning a campaigns worth of tweets into policy is, to say it at its kindest, clearly fluid. That may give the prime minister her opening.

With the returned bust of Churchill at her back, May is about the only world leader whom the president might accept as a frank friend and whose advice he might follow, and for whom he has already constructed a little play: Maggie to his Ronnie.

It is a big role for the industrious daughter of a vicarage: but if she can succeed in modifying America First, with Britain Second, she will do herself, Europe, and the United States a service.

John Lloyd co-founded the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, where he is senior research fellow.
The Dail discussion on the health and safety management of dangerous chemicals in the air corps confirmed what we already knew, while leaving a number of questions unanswered.

After two days of revelations in this newspaper, Paul Kehoe, the junior defence minister, took to his feet in the Dail on Wednesday night to deliver a prepared speech in which he confirmed his department received protected disclosures from whistleblowers concerned about technicians exposure to toxic chemicals while carrying out their duties in workshops in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel.

He confirmed that, following a number of inspections, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) issued a report in which it, in the ministers words, highlighted a number of advisory items for follow-up.

That report came almost a year after the first whistleblower raised the matter with the Department of Defence.

According to Mr Kehoe, these recommendations included areas of risk assessment, health surveillance, monitoring of employees actual exposure to particular hazardous substances, and the provision and use of personal protective equipment.

All of this was revealed in the Irish Examiner earlier this week. A number of questions remain.

The first case against the State was lodged in 2013, in which allegations were made about the lack of safeguards at Casement Aerodrome.

In the Dail on Wednesday night, Fianna Fails Lisa Chambers pointed out that the air corps safety management system carried out a safety review at the base and made certain recommendations in 2013.

This newspaper has seen correspondence from PDForra, the organisation representing members of the Defence Forces, in which it refers to concerns being raised by staff in the workshops in 2012.

If concerns and allegations on the safety management of chemicals at Casement Aerodrome have been raised as far back as 2012, why is it that in October 2016 the HSA is threatening legal action unless shortcomings are addressed? What actions, if any, were taken in the years preceding the HSA inspection to protect workers, or to address concerns raised previously?

The next question is why former defence minister Simon Coveney, Taoiseach Enda Kenny  the current Defence Minister  or Mr Kehoe as junior minister have failed to directly contact any of the three whistleblowers in the 14 months since the first protected disclosure was made?

Mr Coveney was sent the first disclosure in November 2015, while Mr Kenny was contacted a month later by a whistleblower concerned at the lack of direct communication with the then- defence minister.

Mr Kehoe said his office wrote to the whistleblowers to inform them of the process under way.

Mr Kehoe revealed that that, with some difficulty, he first appointed someone to review the whistleblowers claims in July 2016, but that this person was replaced weeks later in September.

What was this difficulty? Why did it take eight months to appoint someone to review allegations that there were ongoing dangerous working conditions in Baldonnel?

Notwithstanding the need to replace the person after a few weeks, why have four months passed without the new appointment speaking with the whistleblowers?

Ms Chambers and Anti Austerity Alliance TD Mick Barry raised this with Mr Kehoe on Wednesday night, but no explanation was given.

Mr Kenny and Mr Coveney have not responded to similar queries from this newspaper.

The HSA report and whistleblowers disclosures all raised the issue of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers.

Ms Chambers, Mr Barry, and Sinn Feins defence spokesman, Aengus O Snodaigh, all asked Mr Kehoe for assurances that the necessary PPE such as gloves, eye protection, and respirators have been made available to workers since the HSA report was issued.

Mr Kehoe said he has asked that all Defence Force members are given such equipment, but did not say whether this has happened yet.

Were apprentices  some of whom could have been as young as 16 years old  introduced into an environment where they were not adequately trained to use the chemicals required for their jobs?

Did a lack of training contribute to a laissez-faire health and safety culture at Baldonnel? The HSA report stresses that it is important to create a culture which encourages reporting of minor accidents and incidents from within the organisation.

Meanwhile, Ms Chambers highlighted the allegations that apprentices were the victims of practical jokes in which they were dumped into baths full of unknown chemicals and an initiation process.

She raised this as an example of how there was a lack of knowledge and training about the seriousness of the dangers of the chemicals.

Mr Kehoe chose to tell the her about the anti-bullying efforts within the Defence Forces, ignoring her argument that it points to a lack of regard for the hazards of the substances involved  perhaps due to an absence of training.

The final unanswered question may be the one the State is afraid to ask: Is there a link between the illnesses suffered by former air corps staff and the working environment in Casement Aerodrome?

Ireland is not the first country to see Defence Forces staff make such a connection.

Similar complaints by Australian Air Forces maintenance staff led to the government there establishing a board of inquiry, commissioning studies to see if there was a link, and ultimately setting up a scheme that has awarded tens of millions of dollars in compensation to workers.
Business Visa and KBZ Ready to Issue Two Types of Credit Cards

Staff from Visa and KBZ Bank holds a joint press conference in Rangoon on Jan. 12 announcing the companies launch of new payment cards. / Chan Sone / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  US financial services company Visa and local Burmese bank KBZ will issue two types of credit cards starting from Jan. 25, U Zaw Lin Aung, the banks managing director, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

Two weeks after the Central Bank announced that international payment providers could now offer products and services in Burmas domestic market, Visa and KBZ are issuing the first credit cards denominated in Burmese kyat.

Starting from today, we launch these two types of credit cards to the public with Visa, U Zaw Lin Aung said, referring to both classic and platinum cards. Platinum cards have higher spending and credit limits than the classic cards.

Both types of cards will come with Visa payWave contactless technology, allowing cardholders to tap and pay at payWave-enabled sales locations. The cards will also have the standard swipe or insert payment capabilities.

KBZ Visa card holders can enjoy the same security, convenience and speed afforded to billions of other Visa cards worldwide, Arturo Planell, Visas country manager for Burma, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Transaction with international cards issued locally will be denominated in Burmese kyat, meaning Visa cardholders wont need to apply exchange rates while using their cards domestically.

Customers can now apply for credit cards at all branches of KBZ across the country, U Zaw Lin Aung told The Irrawaddy.

There are 40 million outlets around the world that accept Visa cards worldwide, including 3,500 shops in Burma, according to Visa.

U Zaw Lin Aung said KBZ will also continue to issue debit cards which launched last year before the new National League for Democracy-led government gave the green light to the issuing of credit cards in Burma.

One of the largest private commercial banks in Burma, KBZ Bank was established in 1994 in Taunggyi, Shan State. It now has 440 branches across Burma, and opened international branches in Thailand and Singapore in 2016.

Visa is one of the worlds biggest payment card providers, with a network of approximately 40 million outlets worldwide, and more than 3,500 in Burma. It entered the country in 2012.
Montenegrin infantry. (Photo : Army of Montenegro)

Nothing will prevent the strategically important southeastern European country of Montenegro from becoming the 29th member state of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the military alliance that has kept the peace in Europe since the end of World War II.



NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement saying he expects pro-western Montenegro to become a member "in the very near future." He remains absolutely confident all 28 of the alliance's member states will soon finish ratifying the country's accession, allowing Montenegro to become a full member of the alliance.



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Montenegro received an official invitation to join NATO on Dec. 2, 2015. The invitation was meant to start final accession talks.



Of the NATO member states, 21 have ratified Montenegro's accession, and France is expected to become the 22nd state to do so. The United States still has to ratify Montenegro's membership and there is apprehension Trump might sit on his hands while he cozies up to his fellow autocrat, Vladimir Putin.



"I look forward to welcoming your country as NATO's newest member in the very near future," said Stoltenberg to Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.



Markovic said he expected Montenegro to participate as a full member in this year's NATO summit. Montenegro's NATO membership will send a strong signal of commitment to regional security, said Stoltenberg.



"Your NATO membership will send a clear signal of stability and security in the whole region, which is the basis for prosperity," Stoltenberg said to Markovic at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.



As expected, Russia condemned the move as another example of NATO's encroachment into its backyard.



Putin has done all he can to dissuade Montenegro from joining NATO, and even tried to overthrow the Montenegrin government in mid-October 2016.



This attempted coup d'etat was undertaken by pro-Russian Montenegrins and Serbs acting on the behest of Moscow. The coup plotters, most of whom were later arrested in Montenegro, planned to seize control of the Parliament of Montenegro and bring a pro-Russian coalition to power.



The plotters planned their coup for Montenegro's election day last Oct. 16. The plan was for 500 pro-Russian people to enter Montenegro on election night to "cause violence ... and hire professional sharpshooters to kill the prime minister."



Milivoje Katnic, Montenegro's special chief prosecutor, said the Russian nationalists planned to topple Montenegro's pro-Western government because of Montenegro's bid to join NATO.



Katnic said the investigation confirmed "nationalists from Russia" organized the criminal group that attempted the coup d'etat



"The plan was to stop Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path, especially to prevent it from entering NATO," said Katnic.



Montenegro was invited to join NATO despite strong opposition from Russia and Putin. Montenegro's joining NATO would have deprived Russia of its only strategic access to the Adriatic Sea. This will also leave Serbia as Russia's only ally in the region.


Culture High Schools Ignore Women Role Models, Impacting Female Students

Members of the Rainfall NGO attend an event in Rangoon, Jan. 20, 2017. / Jonas Scheu / Facebook

RANGOON  The exclusion of women role models from Burmese high school curricula has a negative impact on female students perspectives, leading them to believe they are second-class citizens, according to a newly released NGO report.

The Rainfall Gender Studies Organization announced their research findings on Friday at the Myanm/art Gallery in Rangoon, where they published a report titled Gender Fairness in Curriculum.

The education system trains female students to be perfect women, the researchers stated. In Burmese society, women are allowed to fulfill only two high positionsthose of effective wives and mothers.

When the researchers examined high school lessons, stories, and poems, they found that those lessons were generally training and defining girls to be model wives and mothers. But for boys, the school lessons send a different messageto be brave. In particular, the exclusion of patriotic women heroes from Burmese history had an effect on students thinking.

In order to break down this attitude that says women are second-class citizens, the curriculum should add more about women heroes, womens strong abilities, and the ideas of creative women thinkers on moral lessons and stories, said U Nai Min, one of the Rainfall members.

Teacher training colleges should stimulate more discussion and hold workshops with teachers to talk about gender issues, he added.

Rainfall is a Rangoon-based NGO that promotes womens rights and gender equality. Founded by four Burmese women in 2011, the group aims to challenge patriarchal values in Burmese society, to remove the culture-based oppression of women, and to fight back against sexism. The group publishes Myanmar Feminist Magazine.

The research paper argues that gender discriminationin education, employment, and day-to-day lifeis the cause of some of the deeply rooted inequalities in Burmese society.

In Rainfalls curriculum report, researchers analyzed the way in which school textbooks commonly describe women as caretakers, domestic workers, and obedient followers. The same books defined boys as masculine, strong, and natural leaders.

These high school curricula teach moral lessons, the researchers said. They tell students that to be a woman means to be humble, to sacrifice for the nation, and to be obedient.

Rainfall surveyed 300 students and teachers from Rangoon, Naypyidaw, and Mon State. The survey asked questions about respondents understanding of Burmese literature, history and geography.

Rainfall also organized what it called focal group discussions with students and senior teachers from several fields. The NGO conducted interviews with prominent student activists and officials from Burmas Ministry of Education.

Burmas education system discriminates against female students who choose to study certain masculine school subjects, the report stated. For example, it requires female students to score higher than their male counterparts in order to apply to the best medical universities. This has serious impacts on womens career options.

Regardless of a students ability or intelligence, our education system still decides a students future based on their gender, whether they are female or male, said U Nai Min.

He is pushing to change societys perspective on what it means to be a woman. U Nai Min suggests that more people raise questions, start arguments, and talk about gender discrimination.

For example, some places at the pagoda will not allow women to enter, he said. In this situation, women should question thisand society should question thiswhether this is true or necessary instead of just accepting it without questioning.

In order to create an equal society, the law, political institutions, religion, and our education system are all important, U Nai Min added. And they should all be concerned about gender discrimination in society. They must be better at educating and empowering both women and men.

The Rainfall report strongly recommends that schools promote equal rights for women and men in education. It stresses the importance of breaking down patriarchal culture and values in Burmese school curricula in order to create more gender fairness.

The Rainfall group plans to launch a program called Gender Training in Government Schools in March 2017.

We will start discussions, workshops, and presentations about gender inequality in society, said U Nai Min. Well talk more about education with teachers from both the government and monastic schools in Burma.
Features Living in America, but Dreaming of a Karen Homeland

Dr. Kevin LaChapelle talks to KNLA officials at a KNLA base in Karen State.

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  After showing his US passport at the Bangkok airport immigration counter in December, Samuel Thaw, a onetime Karen refugee, felt differently from the way he did 10 years ago. He said he didnt need to feel afraid of being arrested by Thai police, like the way he felt in the past when he and his family lived with stateless status in a Thai refugee camp.

When they [Thai immigration police] saw my American passport, they didnt ask any questions. They let me go freely. We dont need to sneak around anymore. Its such a big change, said Samuel Thaw, who used to stayed at Mae La Oon refugee camp, in Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand.

Years ago, when he possessed no legal documents for living in Thailand, Samuel said he was arrested by the Thai police when he snuck out one time from the Mae La Oon camp. Now, with his US passport, he feels like he is treated with dignity.

Samuel and his family moved to the US in 2010 when arrangements were made by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the US and Thai governments. Now he studies nursing at San Diego City College, in San Diego, southern California. But he still recalls the hardships of life in the refugee camp.

It was like living in a prison. I used to sneak out of the camp, and I looked for work to support my family. Life was very tough. We could barely meet our daily needs, said Samuel Thaw.

Then one day, God opened a window of opportunity. We got the chance to move to the United States. I felt a sense of freedom that I had never experienced before, he said.

On Dec. 25, Samuel Thaw returned to Thailand and Burma for the first time since his resettlement in the US in 2010. And he didnt come back just for tourism purposes; he returned to carry out a humanitarian mission to aid the Karen peopleboth in Karen State and in the Thai-Burma border regionwho have been displaced by civil war.

Like Samuels family, there are thousands of other ethnic Karen refugees who resettled in the US, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. The US alone received about 70,000 Burmese refugees who are mostly ethnic Karen people, according to the UNHCR.

Samuel Thaws humanitarian mission to Thailand and Burma was organized by PowerMentor, a San Diego-based non-profit organization founded by Dr. Kevin LaChapelle, a former police officer. PowerMentors team visited several refugee camps, including Mae La, Nu Po, and Mae Ra Ma Luang on the Thai border. They team held meetings with leaders of Karen National Union (KNU) and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and community leaders.

They also met the KNUs vice-chairperson Naw Zipporah Sein, the KNLA commander-in-chief Gen. Saw Johnny, and Col. Ner Dah Mya, commander of the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) at their respective bases on the Burma-Thai border.

As Samuel Thaws humanitarian team met with Karen community members, refugee camp authorities, the KNU, and the KNLA, many Karen people reported that they felt abandoned by the Karen diaspora who have already moved to live in third countries.

Some of them [Karen leaders and Karen people] think that we abandoned them when we left for the United States. But we want to tell them that we havent abandoned them. We went to the United States to get a better education and to create a better future. So now we can provide assistance to our people [in Karen State]things like healthcare, education, and technology. This is our mission, said Samuel Thaw.

Some of the people whom Samuel Thaw interviewed expressed the opinion that Karen refugees moved to third countries because they didnt want to get involved in the armed struggle. Instead, they were prioritizing their own family needs. Some also disliked the Karen diaspora for expressing criticism of the current KNU leadership and the way it has handled peace negotiations with the Burma Army.

Dr. Kevin LaChapelle, PowerMentors founder, began his work by mentoring young people in San Diego who were at risk of being lured into criminal activity. He said that he believed the Karen diaspora in San Diego has the capacity and the commitment to give back to their homeland in the future.

I see the capacity of the Karen people, and I truly believe these guys are capable of doing exactly what they say. And what I see in this trip is that the Karen young people want to rise up, but they havent been encouraged to do that because of the dynamic of living in refugee camps, said Dr. Kevin LaChapelle.

When Dr. Kevin LaChapelle started working on mobile humanitarian outreach, he first took his program to Mexico and China. Then in 2015, he decided to bring the outreach project to Karen State. He hopes to bring more Karen young people from San Diego and elsewhere to contribute to the humanitarian and education sectors in Karen State. He also met the KNLAs vice chief-of-staff, Gen Baw Kyaw Heh, during his 2015 trip.

I hope to bring more Karen people next year, not necessarily to come back to fix Karen State. But I want to bring excitement and show them that they are not forgotten. We will campaign and encourage Karen people around the world to send their representatives for our next mission, said Dr. Kevin LaChapelle.

His team brought medical aid and construction supplies, which they delivered to Karen communities they visited. Their projects consisted of medical screening, dental hygiene, education, construction supplies, and clothing distribution.

Dr. Kevin LaChapelles group also held talks on education, empowerment, and leadership skills with young people who are studying in camps. During their trip from Dec. 25 to Jan. 18, the group also visited a KNU-recognized university known as T Thanbyar Christian Institute in Papun Township, Karen State.

We Karen people are still behind others in technology. We still use cattle or even human resources to do farming. A lot of people dont know how to use farm machinery. So I want to help in modernizing the technology here, said Lwe Htoo, a member of the PowerMentor team who studies automotive engineering at San Diego Mesa College.

Another aspect of the PowerMentor mission is to establish healthcare clinics and a hospital in KNU-controlled areas. They will rely on modernized transportation and helicopters to transport the sick and injured quickly.

Some of the young Karen refugees in San Diego are taking pilot training courses, and they plan to return to Karen State to fly medical missions, said Dr. Kevin LaChapelle.

After my study, I want to come back and contribute to Karen communities and to the KNU organization. Our leaders want Karen people in third countries to come back and help them in the political administration. I want to help them with administration in line with democratization, said Hser K. Moo, a Karen college student who traveled with the humanitarian mission.

Unlike many young Karen refugees who resettled in the US and encountered problems with alcohol, drugs, gangs, or criminal activity, these young Karen refugees havent forgotten their roots. They are committed to contributing to their communities, said Dr. Kevin LaChapelle.

About 2,000 refugees from Burma now live in the San Diego area, and a majority are Karen ethnic people, according to the Karen Organization of San Diego. They have been arriving in San Diego since 2007 through the UN Refugee Agencys resettlement program.

Naw Day, another onetime refugee who joined PowerMentor, said that her move to the US was a great opportunity because now she can study and contribute to her Karen people. She said that many young refugees are stuck in the refugee camps with limited freedom and opportunities. Many of them end up in underage marriages, teach in the refugee schools, and work in their local communities without pursuing further education.

Growing up in refugee camp, I didnt know much about the Karen struggle and what they have been through because I was too young. When I arrived in the US, I got to learn more about the Karen people and their suffering, said Naw Day.

During the recent trip, the PowerMentor team encouraged young people to rise up and get involved in leadership. They also treated sick people and distributed medical supplies and clothes.

Karen people are very shy, said Samuel Thaw. But we will encourage them. Their voices are important. Their voices must be heard. We want them to rise up. We want them to be leaders. We all have different capabilities and skills. Together, we can grow. Our group is very small now. But when we come together, we will become big, and we can help rebuild our state.
Burma Book Plaza to Open in Rangoons Lanmadaw Township

Than Market in downtown Rangoons Lanmadaw Township, soon to host the Yangon Book Plaza. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  One of the first book plazas in Burma, run by a young publisher and an author, will open in Rangoons China Town at the end of February.

U San Mon Aung, owner of WE publishing house, as well as author Myay Hmone Lwin, have been preparing to open the enterprise in Than Zay, Lanmadaw Township.

I will invite publishing houses and book shop owners to invest in this book plaza on February 3. They can offer a price to rent space, and I will adjust the renting price, he said.

The Yangon Book Plaza will occupy a 100- by 200-foot space on the fifth floor of Than Zay market, with an initial investment of around US$100,000.

I can only provide 30 book shop places, so publishers who want to open there can offer prices, he said.

There will be three types of spaces available, differentiated by rental costs. The plaza will also have a playground, coffee shop and indoor recreation area, although the design is not yet finalized.

The Ministry of Information recently established Botahtaung Townships Thein Phyu Street as the Yangon Book Street, with new and second-hand bookshops ready to market to readers from early January.

Lets see later which area is better for book lovers. Anyway, the arrival of more bookshop areas is a better sign for the market, said a Yangon resident and self-described book lover U Aung Myint.

U San Mon Aung started the WE publishing house in Burma in 2003producing translations of internationally renowned works, as well as previously banned works of dissident Burmese literatureand has written under the pen name Myay Hmon Lwin.
Burma Burma Army Places Two Kachin Pastors in Police Custody

Kachin pastors Nawng Latt and Gam Seng. / Ministry of Defense / Facebook

RANGOON  The Burma Army handed over two Kachin pastors to police in Muse Township on Sunday after detaining the religious leaders for a month without charges, local sources said.

Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) members visited pastors Nawng Latt and Gam Seng on Wednesday morning at the police station in Muse town, where the pair remains in jail.

They arrived at the police station on Jan. 22. We visited them this morning, and together we held a prayer ceremony for them, said Zau Ra, a KBC official based in Lashio.

The KBC is the largest church group operating among the largely Christian Kachin community.

Both of them are in good health, Zau Ra added. They told us the military plans to file charges against them.

The Burma Army first arrested the two pastors in Mong Ko town on Dec. 24. The army accused the two men of working as financial supporters, informers, recruiters, and rumor-mongers for the ethnic armed groups of the Northern Alliance, according to a statement from the defense ministry. The Northern Alliance has engaged in frequent clashes with the Burma Army since Nov. 20.

KBC members spoke to the Muse police on Wednesday and requested to know what charges would be filed.

The police dont even know yet what type of charges will be brought against the pastors. They are waiting to hear from the army, Zau Ra said.

KBC members asked repeatedly for the Burma Army to release the two pastors since their detention on Dec. 24. The KBC argued that the two men were innocent, and that they were only working in Mong Ko to aid those who were wounded in the conflict.

On Tuesday, the international NGO Human Rights Watch released a statement demanding that family and lawyers be given access to the detained pastors.

The military in Northern Shan State should urgently transfer Langjaw Gam Seng, 35, and Dumdaw Nawng Lat, 65, to police custody so that they are no longer at risk of abuse by military personnel, the Human Rights Watch statement read.

Matthew Smith, CEO of the non-profit rights group Fortify Rights, also contributed to the Human Rights Watch report.

The arrest of the two Kachin Baptist leaders appears to be retaliation for their help in exposing wartime abuses, he said. The military came clean about their detention only after local and international outcry, but they are still at grave risk.

If the Burma Army does file charges, the KBC plans to provide for the pastors legal defense, Zau Ra said.

Previously, the Burma Army said it was investigating the two pastors under Section 376 of Burmas Constitution, which states that no person may be detained more than 24 hours without charge, except on precautionary measures taken for the security of the Union or prevalence of law and order, peace and tranquility.

Friends and relatives became increasingly concerned about the pastors after they received no news about their whereabouts for almost a month. The Burma Army announced that they were holding the two men only on Jan. 19, after human rights groups applied pressure to the army and the government.
Burma Climbing Bagans Temples May Soon Be Banned

Sunrise view from Shwesandaw in Bagan, Jan. 25, 2017. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  A possible ban on temple climbing in Burmas ancient capital Bagan is rumored as State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi denounced the controversial activity at the tourist hot spot during her visit this week, suggesting that alternative viewing platforms be built.

She called for the ban to protect cultural heritage in Bagan on a visit to the area with the Royal Queen Mother of Bhutan Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck.

Viewing sunset and sunrise from the temples can cause damage to the cultural heritage, the State Counselor commented on Tuesday while visiting the earthquake-affected ancient temples in Bagan. [It] is not suitable in the long run and should be banned in the future, she added.

Bagan houses stupas, temples and other Buddhist religious buildings constructed from the 9th to 11th centuriesa period in which some 50 Buddhist kings ruled the Bagan Dynasty. There are more than 3,000 stupas and temples in the area. Of these, 120 temples have stucco paintings and 460 have mural paintings that are found to be in need of preservation. Temple climbing is regularly cited as a must-do for tourists and local visitors to be able to enjoy the ancient capitals famed sunrises and sunsets.

An attempt by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture last year to prohibit visitors from climbing the steps of stupas and temples in Bagan was met with criticism by the tourism industry, after which temple climbing was allowed at five famous temples Pyathatgyi, Shwesandaw, South Guni, North Guni and Thitsar Wadi.

The ministry also slammed temple-climbing tourists inappropriate clothing as culturally disgraceful in an official statement banning the activity.

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Burma in August last year damaging more than 400 pagodas in the ancient capital, affecting the strength of the temples and causing the ministry to further restrict climbing on all temples except Pyathatgyi, Shwesandaw, and South Guni.

U Aung Aung Kyaw, a director in Bagans Archaeology Department, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the very first alternative viewing platform near Sulamuni temple has yet to be completed and the ban would take effect during the next tourism seasonfrom late October until June, after more platforms were built.

[Temple climbing] is not appropriate from both religious and cultural perspectives, he said.

These ancient structures were built [more than 1,000 years ago] and suffered from quakes that affected their strength, he said. [Climbing the pagodas] should be banned.

However, Bagan resident U Zaw Weik said a total ban on temple climbing would not be an appropriate solution. He suggested that limiting the number of temple-climbers and visiting hours at the crowded temples would be a better approach.

It should be balanced between a total ban and a huge crowd of temple-climbers every day, he said.

Regarding alternative viewing platforms, U Aung Aung Kyaw said the structures would be five meters tall and sympathetic to the surrounding landscape of the ancient city.

However, U Zaw Weik said locations for the platforms were controversial as there are plans to build them on an ancient water reservoir and archaeological experts and UNESCO have been skeptical about the plan.

UNESCOs national project officer Ma Ohnmar Myo told The Irrawaddy that the organization would not object to the plan if the platforms would decrease the impact on the heritage value of the temples and not cause damage to the original landscape. The water reservoir could have heritage value as well, but thorough research is needed to prove this, she added.

During her visit to Bagan, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged transparency in the conservation and repair of the ancient structures affected by the quake. She also highlighted the importance of public consultation in establishing a zoning system in Bagan.

She said that in order for the public to accept the new zoning, the process should be conducted deliberately and with complete transparency.

Conservation of cultural heritage does not mean conserving lifeless edifices and items, she cited. It means conservation of things which are connected with the history and culture of our country.

However, U Zaw Weik told The Irrawaddy that Bagan locals have not been well informed about the conservation projects in the ancient heritage site and do not know what to object to and what to suggest.

Burma plans to nominate the Bagan Archaeological Zone for UNESCOs list of culturally significant sites this year for reconsideration in 2018. Bagans first attempt came in 1996, but it was rejected due to poor conservation management plans and legal framework. UNESCOs Ma Ohnmar Myo noted that the countrys approach for conserving the city has been on the right track.
Burma Despite Improvements, Corruption Continues in Burma

Workers count kyat banknotes at the office of a local bank in Yangon April 2, 2012. / Reuters

RANGOON  Burma has risen slightly in transparency rankings under the new civilian government, ranking 136th out of 176 nations in a new report from graft watchdog Transparency International this week.

Under the systematic oppression of a military junta for several decades, the country suffered from political crises and nepotism. The United States and the European Union blacklisted the country for many years until a political reform took place under the new quasi-civilian government in 2010, and sanctions were only lifted last year after a democratically elected civilian-led government took office.

On a 100-point scale ranking clean governance, Burma scored a 28, the same as Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon. Denmark and New Zealand topped the index with scores of 90, followed by Finland with 89.

From its ranking of 180th out of 183 countries in 2010, Burma has also made progress in less than 10 years in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the perceived amount of corruption in the public sector.

In 2015, Burma ranked 147th out of 168 nations, earning 22 on a scale of 100. Despite the improvement, Burma continues to face challenges in ending corruption, consistently ranking among the bottom countries every year.

The Berlin-based graft monitoring organizations most recent results regarding corruption perception highlighted the link between corruption and inequality, the 2016 report stated.

The two phenomena interact in a vicious cycle, the report said. Corruption leads to an unequal distribution of power in society which, in turn, translates into an unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity, it explained.

The report claimed that the lower-ranked countries in the index have untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions, while higher-ranked ones are likely to enjoy an independent judicial system and a high degree of access to information.

Even where anti-corruption laws are on the books, in practice these laws are often skirted or ignored in lower-ranked countries, the report said.

Burma became a legitimate state party to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in January 2013 and enacted an anti-graft law under former President U Thein Sein in July. The law mandated a commission chaired by U Mya Win, a former major general in the Burma Army. The commission has received 2,661 complaints since its formation in March 2014, according to its own statistics.

Last year, the National League for Democracy-dominated Parliament urged the cabinet to take a stronger stance against the countrys deep-rooted nepotism and corruption, following the partys landslide win in the 2015 election. It complained that the commission had not achieved a significant reduction in corruption, suggesting that a new commission under the popularly elected NLD government be re-formed.

Commission chair U Mya Win said some provisions of the anti-graft law need to be modified to allow the commission more authority in handling complaints.

Commission member U Thin Maung echoed U Mya Win, adding that corruption will not disappear immediately and can only be reduced over time.

The countrys democratic transition contributed to its rise on the transparency index, he said, emphasizing that under the new government the commission could perform more systematically in handling corruption complaints.

Judicial grievances ranked at the top of the Upper House of Parliaments Public Complaints Committee, with more than 2,000 letters received out of 4,071 complaints, expressing grievances with court decisions, alleged corruption of judicial servants, and a slow judicial process.

Observers have cited several drivers of corruption and bribery in Burma, including low pay for government employees and a complex and nontransparent bureaucracy, which in turn creates an abundance of opportunities for bribery and other forms of corruption.
Burma Govt to Reinstate Anti-Smuggling Checkpoints En-Route to Chinese and Thai Borders

Burmese border gate.

RANGOON  The government has announced it will set up two major checkpoints on the Chinese and Thai borders as part of its anti-smuggling plan.

The Ministry of National Planning and Finance will work with various government departments to implement the initiative. It includes checkpoints in Hsenwi Township, northern Shan State and in Mon States Kyaikhto Township, U Yan Naing Tun, director general of the Ministry of Commerce, told The Irrawaddy.

A lot of trucks are going to the China and Thailand border areas everyday. We will check them at those two major points, he said. In the new government era, we will also work with other departments to check for smuggled goods, U Yan Naing Tun said.

According to the proposed plan, the ministries of commerce, immigration, and agriculture and irrigation will work with the anti-narcotics team under the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as the countrys anti-human trafficking team.

The same two checkpoints currently being proposed were opened under Burmas military government in the 1990s, then closed in Jan. 2012, after U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government took office.

U Thein Seins administration formed a multi-departmental task force of mobile teams to check for smuggled goods across the country.

The teams were deployed along border routes starting in 2012, with the police, customs officials and the Ministry of Commerce participating.

The team was dismantled in December 2015, before the new National League for Democracy-led government came to office.

Over the course of three years, the mobile teams seized more than 54 billion kyats (US$39.5 million) worth of smuggled goods, according to the commerce ministry.

The team focused in particular on the Muse border crossing with China in northern Shan State, and the Myawaddy border crossing with Thailand in Karen State, as well as the Thai border along Mon State. The items most frequently seized around the China border route were timber, jade and gems, frozen foods, electronic goods, live animals and mobile phone handsets.

Since Jan. 2016, the customs department, under the Ministry of National Planning and Finance has handled the seizure of smuggled goods.

The Burma-China border crossing at Muse is the biggest border trading zone of Burmas 16 such stations, comprising more than half of the countrys total border trade volume. The Muse 105th mile trade zone trades at least $5 billion per year and recorded $3.3 billion in trade between April and mid-November 2016, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The Myawaddy trading zone on the Thai border, which is the countrys second largest border trading point, traded $596 million from April to November 2016.
Burma Israeli Activists Push Supreme Court to Stop Military Export to Burma

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing tours a naval base and defense manufacturers in Israel in September 2015. / Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing / Facebook

A group of 10 Israeli human rights activists and lawyers submitted an urgent petition to the Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday, calling for it to stop an export of Israeli military weapons to Burma.

The activists submitted their petition to the Supreme Court after Israels defense ministry rejected on Jan. 8 a previous call to suspend the military exports.

In December, the activists wrote to Racheli Chen, head of the Israeli defense ministrys export control department, calling on her to review all defense export licenses purchased by the Burma Army.

They argued that the Burma Army should not be allowed to purchase Israeli weapons at the same time that it fights a war against ethnic minorities in Shan and Kachin states and while it violates human rights in Arakan State.

I hope that the judges will confirm that Israel does not have the authority to approve military exports that take part in crimes against humanity, war crimes, and gross violations of human rights, said Eitay Mack, a Jerusalem-based human rights attorney.

The petition submitted on Thursday is based on Israeli law, international law, and in terms of basic human morality, Mack told The Irrawaddy.

Mack said that it will be hard for the Israeli Ministry of Defense to deny that it sold weapons and gave training to the Burma Army, as there were already reports published on the Facebook page of Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and on the website of an Israeli defense company, which stated that it is now in service in Myanmars Special Operations Task Force.

I hope that Israel will learn the lessons from its past defense exports during the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, and realize that it will be accountable for complicity in the crimes committed in Shan and Kachin states, and particularly against the Rohingya, said Mack.

During his visit to Israel in September 2015, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing toured the offices of defense manufacturers Elbit Systems, Israeli Aerospace Industries, and Elta Systems Ltd.

The Burmese delegation also visited the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, an Israeli naval base, and a memorial to Israeli soldiers who died fighting in the Gaza Strip. Reports and pictures of the trip were revealed on the Burma Army chiefs Facebook page, where he announced that he had spoken with Israeli representatives about purchasing military equipment and training.

The petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, written in Hebrew, was drafted by Israeli human rights activists Aya Gavriel, Sahar Vardi, Ofer Neiman, Noni Tal, Guy Hirshfeld, Yael Agur Orgal, Yael Ravid, Gilad Liberman, Hagit Shemer, and Michal Haramati.
Burma Ma Ba Tha Resists Reforms to Race and Religion Laws

Buddhist monks from Ma Ba Tha gather at Thuwunna Stadium in Rangoon on Oct. 4, 2015 to mark the enactment of the Race and Religion Laws. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  A Ma Ba Tha central committee member announced on Friday that the Buddhist nationalist group will not accept new amendments to the Race and Religion Protection laws.

Earlier this week, Upper House parliamentarian U Mya Thaung said amendments would have to be made as Parliament prepares to introduce a long-awaited bill for the prevention of violence against women. But as the amendment news came out, Ma Ba Thaalso known as the Association for Protection of Race and Religionquickly prepared for possible nationwide demonstrations, according to Maung Thway Chon, a Ma Ba Tha central committee member and writer.

If the Race and Religion Protection laws are amended, Ma Ba Tha will not accept this, said Maung Thway Chon. The government will have to face unwanted consequences and will be in trouble. All the people across the country will come out into the streets if Parliament dares to try it.

The four laws related to race and religionthe Buddhist Womens Special Marriage Act, the Population Control Law, the Monogamy law, and the Religious Conversion lawwere first proposed by Ma Ba Tha in 2014 and formally adopted by former President U Thein Seins government in 2015.

When the race and religion laws were passed, it was claimed that they would protect Burmese Buddhist women from abuse and violence.

The new bill to prevent violence against women has been in development for years. Womens rights groups first proposed the legislation in 2013, and the precise terms of the bill are still being negotiated by rights activists and the Ministry of Social Welfare.

From a human rights perspective, it is unavoidable that we will have to amend the Race and Religion Protection laws. The existing laws do make some good points, so we would only need to amend them and not revoke them entirely, said Upper House lawmaker Dr. Mya Thaung, who chairs the committee on women and childrens rights.

Dr. Mya Thaung also pointed to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as an example. The UN committee recommends that governments remove or amend any laws that exclude or restrict women on the basis of sex.

Were planning to submit the violence against women bill in 2017. And before that can happen, the Race and Religion Protection laws must be changed. We have to do this to avoid a conflict between the two laws, said Dr. Mya Thaung.

Once the new bill is submitted to Parliament, a committee will review the proposed law and follow the procedures for adopting the law, he added.

Both lawmakers and womens rights activists agree that the purpose of the Race and Religion Protection laws was not solely to shield women from abuse, but that there was also a political agenda at work when the laws were passed in 2015. Today, the activists are pushing for a comprehensive bill to protect women from violence.

So far, negotiations for the comprehensive anti-violence bill are making positive progress, according to May Sabe Phyu, director of the Gender Equality Network, a rights group that is collaborating with the Ministry of Social Welfare. She thinks it was a positive move by the NLD government to show interest in the UN CEDAW committee and to raise awareness about the issue.

But the new law should not be delayed for a long time, she added.

We want a new law that prevents violence and guarantees better protections for women. What we dont want is an incomplete law that might be hard to amend in the future, said May Sabe Phyu.

Another positive change, she said, was the reformation of the Myanmar National Committee for Womens Affairs (MNCWA) in late December. The government tasked the MNCWA with implementing policies related to the advancement of women and the protection of women in conflict areas.

On Tuesday, the NLD government held a consultation with womens rights activists in Naypyidaw to discuss the CEDAW committees recommendations. Those who attended the meeting agreed that the government would follow up with the UN committee by June 2018 to evaluate how well Burma was making progress.

Recently the UN CEDAW committee compiled a list of 56 recommendations for the Burmese government, based on a report the government submitted in 2015. One of the key issues the committee raised was to remove or amend discriminatory lawsand the interfaith laws were placed in this category.

Discrimination against women has been continuous in Burmese society because of some longstanding misperceptions, the Minister of Social Welfare, Dr. Win Myat Aye, announced on Dec. 30 in an address to womens groups. Gender-based violence against women is a human rights violation, and the abuses are happening in many different ways in different places.

Htet Naing Zaw contributed to this report.
Burma Missing Kachin Pastors Confirmed Detained by Burma Army

Kachin pastors Nawng Latt and Gam Seng. / Ministry of Defense / Facebook

The Burma Army confirmed on Thursday the arrest of two Kachin pastors, Nawng Latt and Gam Seng, who disappeared on Christmas Eve in the conflict-torn northern Shan State town of Mong Ko.

The two Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) pastors were arrested in Mong Ko on Dec. 24 at 6:30pm and are accused of acting as financial-supporter, informer, recruiter, [and] rumor-monger for ethnic armed groups during the Northern Alliances offensives in November and December, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.

The Burma Army said the pair were investigated in line with Section 376 of Burmas Constitution, which states that no person can be detained for more than 24 hours without charge except on precautionary measures taken for the security of the Union or prevalence of law and order, peace and tranquility.

According to the statement, the two arrestees could not be detained under investigation by opening files of lawsuits as there were ongoing military clashes in Mong Ko, and there was no functioning police force in the town at that time.

The two men had assisted journalists from Rangoon (including those from The Irrawaddy) to report on the situation in Mong Ko, the site of heavy fighting between the Burma Army and the Northern Alliancea coalition of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA).

Despite multiple requests for information from the KBCincluding a letter to the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyithe pairs whereabouts remained unknown for nearly a month.

A Lashio-based KBC official, Zau Ra, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the pastors friends and family were surprised to learn the news from a military statement.

We were all worried that they had been killed, he told the Irrawaddy.

Zau Ra strongly rejected the Burma Army accusations that the two men assisted the KIA by informing them of Burma Army information, recruiting troops, and transporting fuel.

They only helped the wounded. They did not support the [ethnic armed groups], he asserted.

The KBC have contacted the Burma Army to request that the two men be handed over to Mong Ko police as soon as possible.

Zau Ra also noted the timing of the Burma Armys statement; it came on the two-year anniversary of the double rape and murder of two Kachin teacherspurportedly by Burma Army soldiers.
Actors Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder attend the 'The Vampire Diaries' panel during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Matt Winkelmeyer)

"The Vampire Diaries" (TVD) Season 8 episode 11 airs Feb. 3. The upcoming segment is titled "You Made a Choice to be Good" and it will see what happens when the Cade returns to Mystic Falls. Here are a few spoilers for the next chapter of the series. Read on to find out what happens next.



[Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for "The Vampire Diaries" (TVD) Season 8 episode 11 "You Made a Choice to be Good." Do not read further if you don't wish to know more about it.]



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Cade returns to Mystic Falls and create chaos. According to "The Vampire Diaries" (TVD) Season 8 episode 11 synopsis on Spoilersguide, the evil is back. Cade comes back to the town and he has new tasks for Stefan and Damon to accomplish. Little do they know their new tasks have some unimaginable consequences.



Meanwhile, Mystic Falls becomes prey to Cade's hunger for souls. The residents become the victim of his wrath. Meanwhile, Caroline and Matt come together to protect Mystic Falls from Cade's wrath.



Elsewhere, Bonnie and Enzo's take a romantic road trip together. Their love for each other continues to strengthen. They even take the bell with them to keep it safe. Will they be able to protect it?



Online publication Cartermatt reports that "The Vampire Diaries" (TVD) Season 8 episode 11 will feature plenty of carnage. Fans can also expect the unexpected. According to the website, plans for at least one of them may not go as expected.



A promo for "The Vampire Diaries" (TVD) Season 8 episode 11 is yet to be released. It is expected to be out after the broadcast of episode 10. Stay tuned, it will be updated here.



"The Vampire Diaries" (TVD) Season 8 episode 11 "You Made a Choice to be Good" airs Feb. 3 at 9:00 pm on The CW. More spoilers and updates are expected soon.



UPDATE



A promo video for "The Vampire Diaries" episode 8X11 is out. Scroll down to watch it.


Burma UNFC Wont Attend Peace Conference as Observers

A previous meeting UNFC meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  Ethnic armed group bloc the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) reiterated that they will only join the upcoming 21st Century Panglong peace conference if all of their seven member groups are invited as participants, not observers.

Our stance is as beforewe will not join the conference if we are invited as observers, the vice chairman of the UNFC Nai Hong Sar told reporters on Tuesday.

The UNFCs Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) plans to meet government peace negotiators for further talks before the end of January, he said.

They expect equal status with other stakeholdersincluding armed groups who have signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA)to discuss politics and federalism, military and security affairs, social and economic issues, as well as land and environmental issues, he said.

UNFC members rejected an invitation as observers to the first ever Union Peace Conference, held under the former president U Thein Sein, in January 2016.

If we are not able to participate [in the next conference] as delegates and cannot discuss our opinions, it would be no different, said Nai Hong Sar.

UNFC members did participate in the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led governments 21st Century Panglong peace conference in August and September last yeardespite not signing the NCAunder special conditions from the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC).

The second round of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference is slated to be held in late February, but the date will not be confirmed until a meeting of the UPDJC led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in early February.

The UNFC raised a list of nine principles necessary for them to sign the NCA. The first principle states that after signing the NCA, the government and the Burma Army must announce a ceasefire within 24 hours, and the UNFC members will then announce a ceasefire within 48 hours of that time.

The nine principals have been agreed by the UNFCs seven members and are now part of negotiations between the bloc and the government.

Fighting continues in Burmas northeast where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Arakan Army (AA), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the Kokangs Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Monglas National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) are based.

The UWSA and the NDAA are not members of the UNFC and negotiated separate agreements with government peace negotiators to attend the Union Peace Conference in August and September last year, arguing that their bilateral ceasefire agreements were sufficient.

Aside from negotiations with the UNFCwhich is currently chaired by the KIAthe government also needs to hold talks with the Northern Alliance, who are currently actively engaged in conflict in northern Shan State.

The Northern Alliancecomprised of the KIA, the TNLA, the MNDAA and the AAreiterated their request to hold peace talks with the government on Monday, following their meeting with Chinas Special Envoy of Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang in Chinas Yunnan Province last week.

The Monday statement said that as stakeholders in the peace process since its inception, the group is full of ambition to discuss with the Union government for resolving political problems through the political means of dialogue.

Even informal talks between the government and the Northern Alliance have stalled, however, due to the Northern Alliances request that the UWSA join meetings.

Though the government has said that the door is always open to discuss peace, for non-NCA signatories, the conditions remain unclear.

Advisor to the governments peace commission U Hla Maung Shwe said the upcoming Union Peace Conference has to follow NCA principles in which groups must sign the NCA to attend the conference as delegates.

We do not know for sure whether there will be any alternatives for non-NCA signatories to attend the conference or not, he said. But according to the terms of the NCA, only NCA-signatories can be represented as delegates at the conference. he added.

Nai Hong Sar added that whether the UNFC signs the NCA will totally depend on the upcoming negotiations.
Burma USDP and Allies Call on Security Council to Intervene

The USDP discussion on state security and rule of law in Rangoon. / Chan Sone / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Burmas main opposition party and its allies called on the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) to intervene in security and rule of law issues that face the country.

The issues highlighted ranged from the question of accepting Rohingya back into the country who had previously fled, to the formation of the Arakan State Advisory Commission, to the appointment of a national security advisor.

A joint statement made by the countrys former ruling partythe Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)and 14 other political parties on Tuesday said peoples socio-economic security was growing weaker and that state security was also at risk.

The joint statement said the current government has ignored parliamentary discussions, political parties concerns and suggestions regarding the formation of the Kofi Annan-led Arakan State Advisory Commission.

The government failed to consult the NDSC while making an important decision like the formation of the commission, it said, adding that the recent National Security Advisor appointment was made by the Union government without consultation as well.

The NDSC should handle security threats and rule of law issues facing the country, the statement said.

The 11-member NDSC was formed under former President U Thein Seins administration and is empowered by the Constitution to formulate policy regarding certain military and security issues, including the right to petition the President to declare a nationwide state of emergency. The military commands a 6-5 majority in the council.

Since the National League for Democracy government came to power in April, council members have not been called to meet.

The current council members consist of President U Htin Kyaw; the two vice presidents; the two parliamentary speakers; State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; Home Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe; Border Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Ye Aung; military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing; Lt-Gen Soe Win; and Defense Minister Lt-Gen Sein Win.

The joint statement also called for a clear explanation from either a relevant ministry or the government about the governments plan for the Rohingya who fled following a security forces crackdown, stating that the public was concerned about the government accepting a large number of non-citizens through the countrys back door.

The UN said around 65,000 people have fled to neighboring Bangladesh fearing a further crackdown by government security forces after a series of local militant attacks on border guard outposts in October last year.

Earlier this month Burmese Special Envoy U Kyaw Tin met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and discussed the issue of the Rohingya taking refuge in Bangladesh, according to Burmas foreign affairs ministry.

Daw Aye Aye Soe, the deputy director-general of the foreign affairs ministry, told The Irrawaddy last week that the number would be verified by both sides and that those who fled the country would be brought back at a suitable time.

The USDP also held a discussion on state security and rule of law on Monday when its chairman U Than Htay indirectly criticized the new NLD-led government for not summoning a meeting of the NDSC despite attacks on police outposts in October in Arakan States Maungdaw Township.
Burma WFP Faces Funding Shortfall of $19 Million

The World Food Programme provides aid in Lashio Township, Shan State in 2013. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

RANGOON  The World Food Programme (WFP) in Burma faces a funding shortfall of US$19 million and will be unable to continue full operations by the end of next month unless it secures more funds.

Partnerships Officer at WFP Arsen Sahakyan told The Irrawaddy that the unexpected and unplanned needs of displaced people in northern Arakan State following security operations that begun in October 2016 had strained WFPs Burma budgets.

By the end of January 2017, WFP will have provided aid to 23,000 of the most food-insecure people in northern Maungdaw Township as part of emergency food assistance, on top of some of the resumed regular programs in northern Arakan State.

We simply did not anticipate that something of this scale might happen, said Sahakyan. We do not have funding to continue operations through to June, but are good until the end of February.

The need for extra funds comes despite recent donations of $5 million from the United States, $1.4 million from Australia, and $1 million from Sweden.

The WFP is reaching out to partners including foreign governments and private sector donors to secure the extra funding.

Internal WFP measures to cope with the shortfall include a relocation of funds from less urgent activities to cater to the most vulnerable people in Arakan State, according to Sahakyan.

A WFP report released on Wednesday said that government restrictions on delivering aid in Shan, Kachin, and Arakan States meant that in December 2016 the WFP was only able to assist 442,938 of the 574,900 people in Burma in need of assistance.
Politics Youth Protest Calls for Mon Political Parties to Unite

Ethnic Mon youth protest in Lamine, Ye Township on Jan. 27, calling for the joining of two Mon political parties. / Mon Youth Forum

RANGOON  Around 300 ethnic Mon youth in Lamine sub-township in Ye, Mon State, protested on Friday against the leaders of two Mon political groups who refused to combine their parties, according to local sources.

The protesters took to the streets at noon and asked that the Mon National Party and the All Mon Region Democracy Party to abolish the individual parties and re-form together as a new party.

Nai Nyan Seik, an advisor to the Mon Youth Forum (MYF), a leading Mon youth organization, told The Irrawaddy that the rally started in Lamine, but that his group would work to protest throughout the Mon region.

Our youth asked them to abolish their two parties, and then form a new party which all of our Mon could accept, he said.

MYF is planning a statewide protest in February for its members. We will do a different type of protest. We will protest in public, but we will also protest in other ways, however we can.

Buddhist monks, youth, and Mon community leaders attempted for nearly three years to negotiate the joining of the two parties, but senior party leaders refused, according to Nai Nyan Seik.

In the 2015 election, the National League for Democracy won the majority of votes in Mon State, which many ethnic Mon blamed on vote splitting between their two parties, and a subsequent divide in their communities.

Even between fathers and sons from the same families, there were problems regarding political interests, said Nai Nyan Seik.

In a statement issued on Friday by MYF youth members who protested in Lamine, they said that the parties leaders not answering the wishes of the Mon peopleto unite. The statement also blamed electoral losses on the division.

They just blamed each other, and then they did not agree to join as one party, said the statement.
Brenda Jimenez, 22, is one of the favorite contenders at the Miss Universe 2016 beauty pageant in the Philippines, the home country of reigning Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. She will stand out even more with her unique dress created by designer Gustavo Arango.



The dress Arango created for Jimenez to wear during the Miss Universe 2016 competition is water-inspired. He told El Nuevo Dia that he was inspired by water because he wanted Miss Puerto Rico to project liquid and reflect softness.



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According to Arango, the dress, which is super carved, will be sexy not because it will show Jimenez's cleavage down to the navel but because her way of walking will carry a strong message. With her elegance, she will show that she is a candidate who has a dress with an international look that anyone can use not only in Puerto Rico but also in Paris, London and New York, the designer explained.



Arango was the designer of the Miss Universe dresses of former Miss Puerto queens Mayra Matos and Denise Quinones. Matos was Miss Universe 2009 fourth runner-up while Quinones won Miss Universe 2001.



Jimenez will wear a dress that is not the typical beauty contest costume, Arango claimed. The designer pointed out that the dress has the elongated silhouette seen in the dress worn by Quinones, who became the fourth Miss Puerto Rico to win Miss Universe.



The other Miss Puerto queens to win Miss Universe were Marisol Malaret, Deborah Carthy-Dreu, Dayanara Torres and Zuleyka Rivera. Torres crowned her successor Sushmita Sen of India in the Philippines in 1994.



Both Torres and Sen are returning to the Philippines as judges of Miss Universe 2016. Originally, Miss Universe Puerto 2016 Kristhielee Caride was set to represent the country but after her dethronement, Jimenez, the first runner-up, was assigned as her replacement.



Meanwhile, Jimenez's mother Brenda Hernandez Calderon recently told Primera Hora that she admires her daughter immensely because she does not take into account the fatigue she may have. Instead, the Miss Puerto Rico candidate continues with greater strength every time to fulfill her mandate, the mother said.



Watch Jimenez's visit in Baguio City, Philippines, on Jan. 18 with her fellow Miss Universe 2016 candidates and Wurtzbach here:






The all new and upgraded Toyota car enters its eighth generation with the 2018 model, and unlike all the seven generations, the upcoming 2018 Toyota Camry was developed to focused on driving dynamics and deliver an improved driving experience.

2018 Toyota Camry: What You Need To Know On The Hybrid Car?

The 2018 Toyota Camry is America's favorite sedan, according to Car And Driver. The Toyota Camry 2018 was revealed at the 2017 Detroit auto show and bound for dealerships this summer. The team who are just making the upcoming sedan had to confront some severe performance anxiety.

The team faced the freedom afforded by the fresh Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform which signs that Americans are continuing to abandon mid-size sedans and the fact that the current, inoffensively-yours Camry has really been selling well despite industry trends.

As described by US News, TNGA is Toyotas new way of designing all its vehicles, which Toyota said to help make them more exciting to drive. The Toyota Camry is built with the new GA-K platform, and as a result, the car is lower, broader and more structurally rigid than ever, making it (in theory) more of a drivers car. The GA-K Camry has, as Toyota describes it, a more exciting and emotional character.

Fortunately, the team was never just going to settle for subtle nips and tucks. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has demanded more adventurous and exciting designs across the board as part of his aim to prevent the boring cars from Toyota Motor Corporations lineup or starters. It's no secret that I like to involve myself in the design process, said Toyoda, who made the official presentation of the new 2018 Toyota Camry himself. My team might call it something else.

The 2018 Toyota Camry hybrid will pack a fully re-engineered version of company's latest hybrid system, the THS II, which takes advantage of the performance gains in the latest Prius. Toyota has spilled a large amount of effort into the powertrain, striving to strengthen sales of the upgraded Camry hybrid even as gas prices have remained low and sales of the variant have dropped to about five percent of the total Camry sales.

2018 Toyota Camry: Sportier Looks And More Dynamic Performance

According to CNET, the interior designer of the 2018 Toyota Camry wanted to provide a more visually attractive look while retaining a practical and intuitive layout of the car. The front seats were redesigned for the users to be more comfortable and supportive. The refinement is up with the use of higher grade soft-touch elements on major surfaces of the dash part, center console as well as door trim.

Backing the Toyota Camry's sportier looks is a new platform that makes the use of a more ultra-high-strength steel and new molding techniques. In this case, the looks will help to increase the structural rigidity. Combined with a re-engineered rear double wishbone suspension, a 2-inch longer wheelbase and a lower center of gravity, Toyota promises considerably improved driving dynamics performance.

Like the other competitors such as Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima who have turned to turbocharged four-cylinders as the engine upgrade option, the 2018 Toyota Camry will be sticking with an updated 3.5-liter V6. The output figures aren't available as of now, but it should punch in at around 268 horsepower, which is what the V6 in the outgoing Camry is rated at.
Any hopes of passage of the Democratic plan to save cable TV customers money from paying rental fees on set-top boxes are lost since the Federal Communications Commission switched to Republican control, under Chairman Ajit Pai.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's Position

According to Ars Technica, GOP lawmakers have asked new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to close the proceeding on Democrat plan to regulate rental fees for cable TV boxes. This makes the death of the Democrat plan official.

House Republicans House Republicans wrote to Pai on Wednesday, Jan. 25 that video programming distributors, consumer electronics manufacturers, content producers, and the consumer should be informed that the Commission's consideration of the set-top box proposal has reached its end. The letter has been signed by nineteen Republican representatives, led by the chair and vice chair of the Commerce Committee Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas), as well as the chair and vice-chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Leonard Lance (R-N.J.).

Previous Democrat Position

Tom Wheeler, the Democrat former FCC Chairman, started the set-top box effort more than a year ago, aiming to save customers money on cable box rentals. According to the original plan, pay-TV providers would be required to make video programming available to the software developers and makers of third-party devices without the need for a CableCard. Wheeler hoped that device and app makers would offer some cheaper alternatives to the set-top boxes that require paying high monthly fees.

Top cable companies such as Comcast pushed an alternative proposal and lobbied against the plan. According to the cable industry proposal, cable companies would be required to develop their own video applications for third-party set-top boxes. Wheeler accepted the basic outline of this proposal, introducing some changes. He wanted the industry to use a standard license and asked that the cable company apps must include the same recording functionality that is provided in rented set-top boxes.

Because of the changes implemented to the cable industry proposal, Republican FCC commissioners, Republican lawmakers, cable companies and programmers continued opposing the plan. Consumers would have been guaranteed, in case that the FCC had passed the modified plan, that cable company video apps would work on streaming boxes like the Roku and Apple TV and Roku, or anything running Android, Windows or iOS.

Congressional Democrats have lost their fight for set-top box reform. Wheeler wasn't able to get enough votes in the commission despite having a 3-2 Democratic majority. One of the reasons for the failure of his plan was the fact that Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel withheld support. When Democrat Hillary Clinton lost in the presidential election to Republican Donald Trump, it was the final blow to the set-top box plan.

Consumer advocacy groups are not happy with the turn of the events. For instance, consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge urged Pai to ensure that consumers can choose from a competitive market, as granted by Section 629 of the Communications Act. According to the website xfinity.com, Comcast and other pay-TV companies provide some video streaming apps but their deployment is still uneven across devices and cable companies.

According to Yahoo News, Pai is also an opponent to net neutrality. The appointment of Pai as the head of the FCC regulatory body appears to bring some important changes to the previous policies.
"Not all cells are 'dead' when an organism or the body dies," senior author Peter Noble of the University of Washington and Alabama State University told Seeker. "Different cell types have different life spans, generation times and pliability to extreme stress." "It is likely that some cells remain alive and are trying to repair themselves, specifically stem cells," Noble said.

Signs Of Cellular Life

Interestingly, gene transcription linked to embryonic development also increased. It's as though parts of the body in essence go back in time, exhibiting cellular features of very early human development.

The Twilight Of Death

"Death is a time-dependent process," Noble remarked. "We have bordered our discussion of death about 'postmortem time' because on the one hand, there is no reason to be suspicious that minutes after an animal dies, gene transcription will brusquely stop."

"On the other hand," he added, "we know that within hours to days, the animal's body will eventually decompose by natural processes and gene transcription will end." The authors referred to the window of time between "death and the start of decomposition as the 'twilight of death' - when gene expression occurs, but not all of the cells are dead yet."

For years of research, they have noted that recipients of donor organs, such as livers, often exhibit risk of cancer following a transplant. It is also indicating there could be a link between "twilight of death" gene transcription and increased cancer risk.

"It might be valuable to pre-screen transplant organs before it increased cancer gene transcripts," Noble said, which might offer insight on the health of the organ, though more research is badly needed. Perhaps some cells have different life time table, but there could be another enlightenment that has not yet been considered.

Putting Death On Hold

Malhotra hopes that the trials of Noble, Pozhitkov and their team could be frequent with more sampling test - it may die eventually going beyond 48 hours - to better recognize the identified transcriptional changing aspects. Since the new study is the first comprehensive investigation to evaluate changes in genetic transcription after organismal death, many questions remain unanswered.

Malhotra even raised up the big question of the presumed dead body. He wonders now if it might be possible to "put a hold on death" if the molecular possesses underlying cellular death control could be further determined and if scientists could develop scientific ways to "interrupt body shutdown."

Arne Traulsen of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology also voiced excitement over future death-related research. "I think this could be the start of a much more comprehensive analytic approach on how processes are being shut down after death," Traulsen explained to Seeker.

"Spiritualy, death is probably more likely turning a computer off or much less like turning lights off," he added, stating somewhat computer-like systematic shutdown and minutiae involved. "We will see the significances of this at some point, but I would not be surprised of this research and it may provide an entirely new understanding on the function of complex biological systems."
Although HTC is not among the top smartphone makers in China, its performance in recent years has been great enough to achieve a great popularity in Asias largest economy, thanks to mobile devices with great specs and features, at a price that even in the country of budget smartphones is really great for the customers. Nevertheless, newest information suggests that HTCs next flagship -allegedly called HTC 11- could be so outstanding that it could represent a huge threat for Huawei, which is the most important smartphone maker in China.

HTCs Strategy With Its Next Flagship Is Quite Heterodox

According to PC World, in addition to the HTC U Ultra, the company will release a mobile device that would be equipped with the Qualcomm 835 Snapdragon processor, which is something that just a few mobile devices will have this year. In fact, the U Ultra will wear just an 821 processor, which even when its an incredible one, it wont match the latest in terms of speed and performance.

Apparently, HTCs next flagship will be released just a couple of months after the U Ultra, which doesn't seem like a great strategy for this specific mobile device, given the fact that it could be cannibalized by the next flagship, and being unable to achieve an important hit in the market, which is much needed for a company that wants to increase its power and relevance.

In fact, this is a move that would only benefit the alleged HTC 11, which could mean that the companys action is extremely bold, considering that it would sacrifice what everyone thought it would be the main flagship, to the detriment of another that even when it remains unknown, it seems to be way better than the U Ultra. In any case, being released this year and the big possibility of making a huge hit is the silver lining of a decision that is quite controversial.

Nevertheless, HTCs next flagship could even excel the U Ultra in its 3,000 mAh battery, which has been one of the most criticized specs of this mobile device, given the fact that customers expected something bigger from the company. Also, is expected that the alleged HTC 11 would have greater specs than the U Ultra, and wear the latest trends in smartphone technology.

HTCs Next Flagship Will Be A Serious Threat For Huawei

Naturally, if the rumors end up being the truth, this mysterious mobile device would definitely represent a huge threat for Huawei phones, considering that were talking about a relatively new brand with good popularity and a mobile device that would offer the same as the greatest flagships in the world. Actually, another important element to analyze is the way in which Huawei will focus more on the U.S. market rather than the Chinese, which would be something that HTC might take advantage and take the spaces that Huawei will abandon while expanding its business globally.

As reported by Android Central, this kind of expansion is not something that the HTC will do in short term, given the fact that the company wants to establish a great reputation and an important position in the Chinese market before taking the big leap. Fortunately, with this next flagship, this mission could be possible, and Huawei should take notice of this situation.
Of every single mobile device that Chinese customers are expecting, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is one of the most promising ones, since its believed that this will be the biggest bet from the tech giant in order to increase its popularity in Asias largest market and beat its biggest competitor Huawei, and become the biggest smartphone maker in this country. Far from keeping the release of this flagship in the usual manners, new information reveals that Xiaomi will actually launch the Mi 6 in three different versions, but one of these would have a ceramic body, offering a luxury design that could be a huge success...or a terrible fiasco.

The Xiao Mi 6 Will Come In Three Different Versions

According to GSMARENA, this specific Mi 6 will be the greatest of the three different versions in which this flagship will be launched, since it would be equipped with the Qualcomm 835 Snapdragon processor with 6GB of RAM, which is practically more than enough to be considered as a huge threat for every single Huaweis smartphone that is going to be released. Naturally, this ceramic body version of the Mi 6 will also be the most expensive of the three different versions, since it would be priced at the equivalent of just $435, which seem as something extremely cheap for a mobile device that has incredible specs ad features.

Believe it or not, this version of the Mi 6 also has the storage capacity option of 128 GB and 256GB, which make it something so outstanding, that is probably why Chinese customers end up loving this mobile device. Also, this Mi 6 -and the two other versions- will use a 12MP camera with Sony's IMX362 sensor, and its software will be the Android 7.0 Nougat, which might be a little disappointing considering that the greatest mobile devices will use the latest update.

Also, another detail that might disappoint some customers is the fact that the three versions of the Xiaomi Mi 6 will be equipped with a 3,000mAh battery, which even when is something great, there are many other smartphones that offer something better in this field. In any case, the cheaper version ($290) will come with a flat screen and MediaTek's Helio X30, the mid-range version ($363) will come with a flat display and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, while the ceramic one will come with a dual-curved touchscreen and this same incredible processor.

The Ceramic Body Of The Mi 6 Could Be A Huge Success

Regarding this design, is quite possible that the ceramic body ends up being a huge success for the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 6, given the fact that is always a never-failing bet to add an aesthetical luxury to a product that already has the greatest elements to make a big hit in the market. In fact, if Xiaomi never decided to create the high-end version of the Mi 6 without the ceramic body, it would be a mobile device that wouldn't offer something different from its Chinese competitors, which could be extremely harmful for a company that is betting more than ever China, considering its reluctance to expand to the global market.

It is quite possible that the ceramic body would be such an important detail for the Mi 6, that its sales might skyrocket because of it. As reported by BGR, it remains unknown which will be the release date of the Mi 6, but several rumors suggest that it could be made at the MWC 2017 in Barcelona.
A combination of three antibodies might be the next effective HIV cure. Researchers at Rockfeller University revealed an antibody combination which completely suppressed HIV in infected mice. A failure in some HIV treatments is due to virus ability to mutate and dodge the immune system, however, the finding with this new method reveals that the virus eventually run out of options and dies.

HIV infection is characterized by failure of the immune system. With time, HIV develops to AIDS in some patients as the virus evolves beyond the body's capacity to control it. In this condition, the progressive immune system failure allows deadly infections to thrive. However, a small group of infected patients, the so-called elite controllers, has the capability to defeat the virus. This is accomplished using neutralizing antibodies.

In a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers used antibodies from these elite controllers to defeat the virus in mice which immune system are modified to resemble that of humans. They administered three antibodies -- BG18, NC37, and BG1 -- to HIV infected mice. "Some people with HIV produce these antibodies, but most of the time the virus eventually escapes them through mutations in the antibody's corresponding epitope," Natalia Freund first author of the study said in a press release from Rockfeller University.

Freund compared the relationship of antibodies to a tug of war. Some virus escape the antibodies by mutating and continue to grow. Even after years, the body produces new neutralizing antibodies but the virus escapes again. The study reveals that after several rounds of escaping from the administered antibodies, the virus eventually run out of options.

Three weeks after the combination of the antibodies where given to the mice, test results revealed that the virus was undetectable in about 66 percent of the mice. "This study validates the approach of using three different antibodies to control HIV infection," Freund said. She added that this could open a path for a new HIV cure.
Utah ranks as the fourth state in the nation for deaths related to drug overdose according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Erik Christensen, chief medical examiner for the Utah Department of Health states that it goes from tolerance to dependence to addiction to overdose and death for many people in Utah and it is time to stop the epidemic.

On Wednesday, the health department kicked off a new public awareness campaign, Stop The Opidemic. The new campaign aims to bring an end to the devastation that opioid abuse and addiction has on persons, their families and the communities throughout the state. The campaign aims to educate the people on the dangers of opioids, even when the painkillers are prescribed.

Education on the signs and symptoms of overdose and the importance of having an antidote medication ready whenever drugs are being used or suspected to be present at home is also taught by the campaign. This year, lawmakers are seeking multiple changes on how opiates are being prescribed to encourage insurance companies to set various policies on opioid drug coverage, relieving liability on people who administer naloxone in an overdose event and adding new controlled substance to statewide database for better enforcement on their use.

In a House Health and Human Services Committee meeting, Rep. Ray Ward, R-Bountiful stated that this is not a problem that can be solved by one group making a change. Ward had proposed HB90 which would invite insurance companies to be part of the solution to the epidemic. Ward believes that it will require some steps from the Legislature, the community, physicians and insurance companies to make a difference as reported in an article by Deseret News Utah.

Utah is one of the states that had been hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic. According to the Department of Health a total of 268 Utahns died from prescription opioid overdose between 2013 and 2015 and 127 people died from illicit opioids such as heroin as reported by Fox13.
Last year, security firm Check Point already warned all Android users regarding a new type of malware called HummingBad. This time, Check Point has let off another warning about Android malware called HummingWhale that was hidden inside 20 apps in Google Play and could have been downloaded millions of times.

HummingWhale Malware Infect Millions Of Android Devices

HummingWhale is a variant of HummingBad, which was as bad as its name suggests. The HummingWhale malware is a much more sophisticated thing compared to the earlier one. It uses its control and command center to basically kill any Android phone through shitty fake apps and ads. Last year, CheckPoint gave us the warning about Hummingbird. That variant presented itself within very legitimate applications on the Google Play store.

"HummingBad stands out as an extremely sophisticated and well-developed malware, which employed a chain-attack tactic and a rootkit to gain full control over the infected device" CheckPoint explains.The security company estimated that perhaps, an approximation of 10 million people have been affected by this malware. It also identified that the culprits as a Chinese hacking outfit called Yingmob, as reported by The Inquirer.

"The malware was spread through third-party app stores and affected over 10 million victims, rooting thousands of devices each day and generating at least $300,000 per month. HummingBad was so widespread that in the first half of 2016 it reached fourth place in the most prevalent malware globally' list, and dominated the mobile threat landscape with over 72 per cent of attacks."

The security firm also said in an update that "This new variant, dubbed HummingWhale, includes new, cutting edge techniques that allow it to perform ad fraud better than ever before." The malware was probably only a matter of time before the malware named HummingBad evolved and made its way onto Google Play Store. "HummingWhale malware first raised suspicions when Check Point researchers analyzed one of the apps."

Here's How To Avoid It HummingWhale Malware

If you were infected with HummingBad you had few options to do. If your Android smartphone was not just a crappy block of shiny metal you might have been abe to perform a factory reset on it. As easy at it is. But this option is always considered a last resort for the great un-backed up.

According to Trusted Reviews, CheckPoint says it also identified several new HummingBad samples which also promote the new HummingWhale version of the malware. This is how the company says the malware works:

"First, the Command and Control server (C&C) provides fake ads and apps to the installed malware, which presents them to the user. Once the user tries to close the ad, the app, which was already downloaded by the malware, is uploaded to the virtual machine and run as if it is a real device. This action generates the fake referrer ID, which the malware uses to generate revenues for the perpetrators."

But HummingWhale also conducts other malicious activities on the Google Play Store and if the app is already downloaded, in the Android smartphone, including displaying illegitimate ads and hiding the original app after installation. While CheckPoint doesn't believe the new version of the malware was produced by the same Yingmob group, which is behind HummingBad, the company says that whoever is behind the HummingWhale malware seems to have learned from the previous version.

The good news is, Google has already removed all the applications affected by HummingWhale malware from the Play Store according to the security firm's update. If you think you may have still infected by, the best option is to simply carry out a factory reset of your device, after backing up any files such as photos and other media.
Samsung Galaxy S8 is deemed to be even better than all the other phones that the South Korean tech giant launched in the past. Company insiders reveal that the flagship phone will have better features and Samsung also took great pains to ensure that the problems with Galaxy Note 7 phones will not be repeated. There were leaked images of the handset and these were said to be the final product for the company's new flagship phone.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Specs

In the past, Samsung released two handsets and one has been dubbed as the Samsung Edge. Since both of the new phone models are going to use curved glass, this name is going to be dropped. The new leak confirms prior reports that the phones, which come in two varieties will have screens larger than the Note 7 -one has a 5.8-inch screen while the other will have a 6.2-inch screen. The device will have an aspect ratio of 18:9 and the screen would take up 83 percent of the screen. This means Samsung Galaxy S8 is going to have a larger display compared to Xiaomi Mi Mix and LG G6.

Another shocker about the latest leak is that Samsung might not put its logo in front of the phone and there is a headphone jack after all. As rumored, the Galaxy S8 is going to run on Snapdragon 835, which would use 20 percent less battery. Unfortunately, the battery size for the device remains the same at 3,000 and 3,500 mAh.

The phones will have the new digital assistant Bixby. Aside from that, Samsung could include the virtual search function and the DeX that allows users to operate their devices in desktop mode.

Samsung Galaxy 8 Release Date

Aside from all the excitement for the new features of Samsung's flagship phones, more users are interested to know when it will be released. The Mobile World Congress is happening soon but Samsung will not announce the Galaxy S8 there yet. The company wants to be thorough in checking the quality of its new devices. However, it might not be such a long wait as the company could launch the new flagship device on March 29 at the New York Unpacked event. The phone's release date will follow on April 21.
It appears that Yahoo is not the only company in trouble for exposing private information of its clients as Acer is currently under fire for the same charges concerning the credit card information of buyers on its online store. The tech company is facing a $115 thousand fine for leaving the personal data of 35,000 customers exposed to hackers.

Acer Hacking Scare

Acer suffered a hacking scare a year ago and they had to settle with the New York Attorney General's office and at the same time, provide assurance that they are going to beef up the digital security in their online store.

Acer was found guilty of making major security errors that allowed the hackers to infiltrate its system and gain access to the credit card information of its online buyers. Acer left its security platform in debugging mode from July 2015 until April 2016. This misconfiguration allows unauthorized users to browse through the website directory where the data were stored as unencrypted plain text log files.

This mistake is a big one especially for a computer manufacturer as big as Acer. The number of affected buyers may not be greater than the 500 million user data leaked by Yahoo but it is still a large number.

Hacking Victims

Based on the findings of the investigation, at least one group of hackers accessed the company's website between November 2015 and April 2016 and stole the information of the buyers including their name, address, usernames, passwords, and their credit card verification number. Luckily, the social security number of the victims who lived in Puerto Rico, U.S. and Canada were not included in the information stolen by the hackers.

Acer's security breach was discovered in the course of investigation since the purchase from the store was the last valid transaction for the credit cards. Given the number of security risks online, companies that operate online stores like Acer should ensure the safety of its buyer's personal information.
Miss Universe 2016 updates: Is Lindita Idrizi the first Miss Albania to win the crown?

Lindita Idrizi, 20, is the official candidate of Albania to Miss Universe 2016. If she wins the crown, she will be the first representative from her country to do so.



The only two Miss Albania candidates to have a placement at Miss Universe are Anisa Kospiri and Angela Martini. Both reached Top 10 in 2002 and in 2010, respectively.



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In an interview with Balkan Web in 2016, Idrizi said her priority is career. She revealed that she has been offered a successful career in exchange for sex but she refused.



Currently, Idrizi is studying Social Science at AAB College in Pristina, Kosovo. Prior to Miss Universe 2016, she was crowned Miss Elbasan, Miss Europe Continental and Miss Universe Albania and now, she is looking forward to be crowned by the reigning Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach as her successor.



On Jan. 30, Monday, Wurtzbach will crown her successor at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Miss Universe 2016 coronation night will be hosted by Steve Harvey with "America's Next Top Model" judge Ashley Graham as the backstage host. The musical performers are Boys II Men and Flo Rida, who is also set to perform at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, The Wichita Eagle reported.



Three previous titleholders will join the judging panel during the coronation night, namely Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres from Puerto Rico, Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen from India and Miss Universe 2011 Leila Lopes from Angola. Joining them are theatrical, TV and film producer Francine LeFrak, Paper Magazine editorial director Mickey Boardman and "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Cynthia Bailey.



On Jan. 18, Wurtzbach participated in a dinner program in Baguio City, Philippines, which was hosted by Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup. Distinguished people of the city welcomed them along with some Miss Universe 2016 candidates including Idrizi.



Have a glimpse of Idrizi's visit in Baguio here:






Microsoft Surface Pro 4 just had a price drop and this led to theories that the company is liquidating its stock to give way to the Surface Pro 5. There is still no release date for Microsoft's flagship device but the company has been busy with promoting the Surface Pro 4 and going as far as giving huge discounts for the device.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Price Drop

The Microsoft store in the U.K. was reportedly the first store to give as much as 15 percent off the Surface Pro's low to mid-tier configurations. Customers who had the voucher code could avail of the said discount. The Microsoft stores in the United States followed suit in less than 24 hours. With this newest promotion, buyers can avail of a $100 discount for the Surface Pro 4 M3 model that does not have a stylus. In Australia, the configuration that had no stylus pen had an AU$450 discount. Given the company's efforts to dispose of the Surface Pro 4, many buyers are curious if this will pave the way for its newest device.

Microsoft Creators Update

Microsoft has a lot of exciting plans for the year and one of this is definitely the Creators update that improved the gaming capability of its devices. This update is scheduled for release early this year and it was delayed so the company can launch it alongside its newest Surface device. Coupled with the price drop for the Surface Pro 4, it would not be surprising if Microsoft unveils the Surface Pro 5 soon.

Whether Microsoft plans to launch the Surface Pro 5 early in 2017 or not, there is no denying that this is the perfect opportunity to buy a Surface Pro 4. Meanwhile, those who want the Surface Pro 5 should be saving up as it seems that the newest device from Micsoroft could have a hefty price.
Law enforcement authorities from Europe and Asia have arrested five members of an international cybercriminal group that specialized in hacking into automated teller machine (ATMs).

The investigation began in early 2016, according to Europol. Three suspects were arrested in Taiwan, one in Romania, and one in Belarus. Most of them had multiple citizenships and could travel easily between countries, the agency said Friday.

Hacking into ATMs to steal money is nothing new, and there are malware programs built specifically for such machines that allow criminals to withdraw money using hidden commands.

To infect ATMs with such malware most attackers either receive help from bank insiders or buy service keys that can be used to open the front panels of ATMs and access their communications ports.

However, the gang targeted by this law enforcement investigation had a different modus operandi. They used spear-phishing to target bank employees and penetrate the banks' internal networks. They then located and hacked into the ATM network segment from the inside.

Targeting and compromising financial institutions instead of their customers is a more recent technique. A year ago, researchers from antivirus vendor Kaspersky Lab warned about three cybercriminal groups that hacked into banks' computer networks.

Some of them can wait for months or even a year inside a compromised network before they start stealing money, during which they carefully observe and gather information about the target's internal procedures, money moving processes, and key employees.

One such gang dubbed Carbanak stole between US$500 million and $1 billion from hundreds of financial institutions in at least 30 countries.

Compared to Carbanak, the losses to banks caused by the five arrested suspects are estimated at around $3.2 million. Two of them have already been convicted, Europol said. It's unclear when all of the arrests happened.
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.
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Disclaimer

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.
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LETTERS

From Kevin Barclay-Jay, Sandown:

I am absolutely astounded by the levels of ignorance over the five Syrian refugee families arriving on the Island in April.

The levels of hatred and fear aimed at these five families is beyond comprehension when the real facts are known

This ignorance of the facts can only be laid at the foot of our IW Council, which has dithered and procrastinated over this issue, releasing titbits of news to the papers without any clear information. It is mostly to blame for the levels of ignorance exhibited

Lets be clear:

They are five families with young children from among the millions in refugee camps around Syria. They are not migrants from Europe, they have not travelled through any countries to get here. They are funded from the governments existing foreign aid budget, not from our council tax and they wont be claiming any benefits.

They have been given five-year temporary visas and will be returned to Syria when it is safe. They will not be taking up any properties on the housing list or displacing any homeless people. They will be going into normal rented accommodation, of which we have a surplus on the Island

These simple facts counter every single mistaken statement and hatred expressed online and in social media

The council should have made all this very clear when it submitted its 'bid for the refugees. Its failure to do so has led to hatred and fear


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These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience  the local community.

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Related Feminist human rights activist Mozn Hassan banned from travel

Egyptian human rights lawyer Negad El-Borai was barred from travel by authorities at Cairo International Airport on Thursday morning as he attempted to board an international flight, Ahram Arabic news website reported, citing security sources at the airport.

Airport officials said that El-Borai was stopped in accordance with a judicial order.

El-Borai was referred to investigation in April over allegations that he formed his United Group law firm without a permit.

El-Borai was on his way to Amman to visit his wife who lives in Jordan.

I will not appeal the [judges] decision or any other decision taken by the government, though if I am referred to court under clear charges I will defend myself, El-Borai said on his official Twitter account Thursday afternoon.

El-Borai, who resigned from the semi-governmental National Council for Human Rights in 2014, added he is still committed to defending human rights and that he would not leave Egypt.

We will fight the battle for freedoms until our last breathe, he said.

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CALLS for Parliament to deal with any change in the law  needed after Tuesday's school fine Supreme Court clash between the Department for Education, Isle of Wight Council and Jon Platt  have been made by MP Andrew Turner.

Some critics of the case have claimed the Department for Education seeks to use the case as a way of changing what the law originally intended, without formally bringing it before MPs.





Speaking in Parliament yesterday (Thursday), former teacher Andrew Turner said: "One of my constituents will appear in the Supreme Court next week because the Department for Education wants judges to interpret the word 'regular' in relation to school attendance. If the Government win the case, the law will retrospectively criminalise the actions of tens of thousands of parents.





"If the law needs to be changed, it should come before Parliament for proper debate and scrutiny. Will the Leader of the House encourage the Secretary of State for Education to make a statement on the situation?"





Leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, said it would be inappropriate to comment ahead of the case.





He added: "The Department requested permission to intervene in the Supreme Court, supporting the local authority, because following the lower courts decision we need clarity on what the law actually means before we can take any policy decisions that may be necessary."




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Before Bill Gates became one of the most successful and respected businessmen in the world, the 61-year-old revealed that he had some insecurities as a young boy. In his blog, the business magnate revealed how his 4th grade teacher had an impact on his formative years, and how she has helped him become the man he is today.

Gates said that his teacher, Blanche Caffiere, the elegant and engaging school librarian at Seattles View Ridge Elementary, helped him develop his passion for learning at a time when he could have gotten turned off by the school. At the time, the Microsoft co-founder said that he was trying to be invisible as he was well aware of his awkward ways.

I was trying to hide the fact that I liked to readsomething that was cool for girls but not for boys, he revealed.

Gates said Caffiere took him under her wing and encouraged his love for books. The librarian started by asking him questions about the books he loves to read and would find him tomes that were more complex and challenging than the ones that he mentioned.

[She] helped make it okay for me to be a messy, nerdy boy who was reading lots of books, said Gates.

Today, the philanthropist supports libraries all over the US and Canada with his non-profit organization, the Gates Library Foundation. He and his wife, Melinda, partner with public libraries to bring computers and digital information to the communities they serve.

Though Gates has already left Microsoft and is busy with his charitable work, the entrepreneur still finds time to read. Last month, he revealed that his favorite books of 2016 are David Foster Wallaces String Theory, Phil Knights Shoe Dog, Siddhartha Mukherjees The Gene, Archie Browns The Myth of the Strong Leader, and Gretchen Bakkes The Grid.

Gates said that he has been reading a book a week since he was a young boy. He added that even when hes extremely busy, he makes sure to carve out a lot of time for reading.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on Arianna Huffingtons tips on boosting productivity.
After going through the application and the interview process, you are now called for a job offer. When it comes to negotiating your salary, employers would often ask about how much you were making in your most recent job. Should you disclose your previous pay? Can they even find out how much you really received?

Actually, there is a federal law that prohibits prospective employers from finding out what the applicant's previous salary was unless the applicant signed an authorization form allowing them to do. That is applicable in all states in the U.S. except for Louisiana, as reported by Business Insider.

In some states, though, employers cannot even ask about your previous salary. The most recent to bar employers from asking for an applicant's salary history is Philadelphia. As reported by ABC News, Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney just signed on Monday a bill on that measure, which aims to narrow the wage gap between men and women employees. Philadelphia's wage equity ordinance came after Massachusetts became the first state to prevent employers from asking their potential hires to disclose previous salaries.

On one hand, while you are protected by law to not reveal your previous salary, Amy Glaser, a senior vice president at the Adecco Staffing USA employment agency, said that it is best not lie about it. Do not even try to inflate how much you are currently earning. Instead, focus on how much you believe you deserve and what you are willing to accept. In addition, when telling about your pay, keep in mind that it should be the total compensation, including incentives and allowances.

Asking unreasonable salary demands would also put you in a bad light, especially when you're applying for a similar position. The hiring manager most likely has a knowledge about your market value based on the position you are seeking. Being honest makes things less complicated. Do not risk your credibility. When your employer finds out you were lying, you would face a termination and your record would be tarnished.
McDonald's is facing market and technological-related challenges as revenues fall. The breakfast menu is no longer bringing in sales, and they look to mobile ordering to reach more customers.

In 2015, US fast food giant McDonald's expanded their breakfast menu and made it available during all hours of the day. According to a news report published by Bloomberg, the decision led to sales soaring for a year long.

Domestic same-store sales reportedly fell by 1.3 percent even though the estimates made by analysts last quarter was proven wrong by McDonald's overall earnings. The company's shares declined by approximately 2 percent after the results were published, wrote Bloomberg.

The challenge for the company at present is to attract the new kinds of customers and provide for their it-must-be-healthy needs. For instance, because of the drop in prices, more people are buying food in groceries and making them at home instead of buying food from restaurants.

As a result, the number of customers that visit McDonald's restaurants has fallen for the past four years, dropping by 2.1 percent in 2016. In an attempt to bring in the new generation, McDonald's is trying to improve the quality of their food by removing artificial ingredients, such as using real butter and avoiding preservatives.

Furthermore, it is also said that they are moving towards mobile ordering in order to keep customers and improve sales. By spending more on technology, they can provide self-serve kiosks in domestic restaurants similar to how it is in the McDonald's branches in European countries like Germany and the United Kingdom.

With an investment in technology, it can compete with other fast food chains like Taco Bell and Dunkin' Donuts. In other news, the recently opened and much talked about McDonald's in Vatican is now giving food to the homeless every Monday. Read more about it here.
Most retirees would rather take it easy and spend the rest of their days being men and women of leisure. But for Deb Baker and Barb Diner, retirement was an opportunity for them to go into a business thats mostly dominated by younger men.

According to the New York Times, Baker, a retired high school teacher, and Diner, a former marketing executive, have found retirement life to be quite dull, so the Denver-based duo thought about a venture that they could both pursue which would help supplement their income.

Three years ago, the two found that there were no child-resistant marijuana containers that would comply with Colorados regulation. Diner told Forbes that back then, it was normal for a Colorado dispensary to throw some weed in a baggie and send it out the door. But the new mandate requires making the marijuana packaging child-resistant, opaque, and bearing a warning. Thus, Higher Standard Packaging was born.

Diner and Bakers first batch of products consisted of plain white canisters in various sizes with child-resistant caps. The two marketed their products by calling over a hundred businesses mostly in the Denver area, and initially, the ladies were met with some skepticism when they personally visited cannabis sellers.

Baker, 62, and Diner, 56, said that marijuana sellers used to look at them with suspicion when they entered the store. But eventually, they managed to gain their trust, with Diner saying, We would swear a bit and people would relax.

Over time, the business flourished and Higher Standard Packaging started selling other items within the first six months of operation. The company now sells tubes, child-resistant caps, and single-serving barrier bags.

The entrepreneurs recalled the time when they received their first payment from a cannabis dispensary, which was a total of $5,400.

[The payment] was all in small bills and the whole thing reeked of pot, they recalled. Afraid to deposit it in the bank lest they arouse suspicion, the pair put the money in Bakers clothes dryer and tumbled it with a few Febreeze sheets to get the marijuana smell out of the bills.

We literally laundered the money, Baker said, and ended up with cold hard cash.

On their website, the duo explained their reasons for getting into the marijuana business, with Diner saying that what led her was a desire for doing something completely different and out of my comfort zone.

As for Baker, she said that her 20-something son and 60-something husband are both amused and supportive of her endeavor.

I continue to learn something new every day, she said.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on the challenges of running a weed business, as told by a Bud and Breakfast owner.
A two-day conference on Arab-US relations in the light of the new US government will be held by the American University in Cairo (AUC) in collaboration with the Middle East Institute of Washington, D.C., starting Sunday.

In a press release, the AUC said the objective of the event is "to look for a way forward and to offer guidelines for decision makers for future action with concrete and creative suggestions on how to restore a solid Arab-American relationship that serves both the United State and the Arab world in the years to come."

The conference, which "will be the first of its kind in the Middle East" since the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States on 20 January, according to the release, will host speakers from the US, the Middle East, and Europe.

Former Egyptian foreign minister and dean of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at AUC, Nabil Fahmy, along with Wendy Chamberlin, former US ambassador and president of the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. will inaugurate the event.

"This workshop brings together prominent scholars, academics and practitioners to examine the dynamics of Arab-US relations in an emerging Middle East landscape. As events continue to unfold in these two different parts of the world, we hope to help set a future agenda that serves mutual interests, said Fahmy as quoted in the press release.

The experts invited to the event include Amr Moussa, former Egyptian foreign minister and 2013 presidential candidate; Frank Wisner, former US ambassador to Egypt; Mohamed Tewfik, former Egyptian ambassador to the US; Professor Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland; Paul Salem, vice president of MEI; and Nassif Hitti, former Arab League ambassador to Paris and Rome and professor at The American University of Beirut.

In collaboration with MEI, the conference is being organised by the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research at the American University in Cairo.

The workshop will be held from January 29 to 30 in Marriott Hotel in Cairo's Zamalek district.

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In a few months, thousands of graduates all over America will be searching for jobs. However, most people who are about to enter the workforce are underprepared for the job hunt and interviews, and this could lead to a longer job search down the line.

However, graduates can get ready for the process by preparing a few things to bring before going on the job quest. Here are all the things that every job hunter must have before going to a job hunt and interview.

A resume

You cant just walk into a building and ask for job openings without leaving a resume. Prepare an updated resume with a professional-looking template and font. Recent college graduates can include links to a LinkedIn profile and an email address in their resumes. You can also mention your GPA if its above a 3.0.

Ideally, you should have several copies of your resume, but dont carry them around in a brown envelope. To keep them pristine, keep them in a slim, leather portfolio in a dark, solid color. Or take it up a notch with a leather padfolio from Leatherly, which protects your resume and has compartments for a business card or an ID card, and you can even stash a thin legal pad in it. It also houses a pen pouch and a pen holder so you can take notes or fill out application forms.

An interview outfit

Your interview outfit must make you look good and feel good. Apart from looking professional, your goal is to be comfortable while going on interviews. Men can wear dark suits and leather shoes if applying for a corporate business position, while a jacket, flat front slacks, and a button-down in tasteful colors are appropriate for business casual jobs.

Ladies should opt to wear heels no higher than two inches for comfort, so save the stilettos for date nights. Find out what the companys dress code is before choosing your interview outfit, then dress accordingly. Makeup should be tasteful, so apply cosmetics with a light hand.

A kit for freshening up

Carry a small, zippered pouch with essentials for freshening up. For men, this could be a pack of body wipes, a small stick of deodorant, a mini toothbrush and toothpaste, mints, and a small comb. Ladies could bring the same items, plus a pressed powder compact, lipstick, stain remover, safety pins, Band-aids, and an emery board to smooth and shape nails.

Cash

Sometimes, youre left with no choice but to get a cab, especially when youre running late for an interview. Bring some cash with you in small denominations while going on a job hunt.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires tips on how to land a job after you graduate.
All eyes are on the Trump family as President Donald Trump begins his first days in the White House. But another member of the family has captured the publics attention, and thats no other than the new POTUS daughter, Ivanka Trump.

Ivanka has been much admired even before she started campaigning for her father. The mother-of-three first burst onto the scene as a teen model, walking the runways for Versace and Thierry Mugler back in the late 90s.

She joined the family business in 2005 and has her own line of clothes, handbags, and shoes which are available in major department stores across the country. With her innate fashion sense and her classic style, its no surprise that Ivanka is a style inspiration for many working women in the U.S.

So how does one crib Ivanka Trumps style for the office? Here are a few style lessons we can all learn from the First Daughter.

Dont be afraid of color

Though Ivanka is a true New Yorker at heart, the 35-year-old does not shy away from color. In addition to gorgeous dresses and separates in inky black, she has also been spotted in pale colors such as blush pink and pale lavender.

Embrace your femininity

Ivanka favors dresses in floral prints, often opting for a fit-and-flare style. She has also been seen wearing solid colored tops paired with floral-printed skirts.

Dont underestimate the impact of a good coat

Ivanka Trump knows that a good coat can enhance any look. She often wears a camel-colored trench coats, as well as coats in white and charcoal gray.

Pick a versatile outfit for the day

Speaking with InStyle, Ivanka said that she likes versatile outfits because she often has no time to change for her various tasks for the day.

Ill get dressed, then be on the floor with my kids in the morning or dropping them off at school and carrying their book bags, and thats the same outfit Im wearing to board meetings, she said.

Use statement accessories to liven up your work wardrobe

According to Ivanka, this is the easiest way to update your work clothes.

Patterned shoes or a leopard print belt can make even the simplest black dress look more fashion forward, she told Who What Wear.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on the work style lessons we can learn from Amal Clooney.
Several CEOs folded one by one and gave in to the United States President Donald Trump's wishes, but it appears that FedEx CEO Fred Smith will not be one of them. The CEO of FedEx did not hesitate to call out Trump's decision to make the U.S. exit the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

The Trump administration is taking a protectionist stance on trade as the new president promises to bring back jobs in the United States. Trump has been claiming that some of the trade agreements have unfair provisions for the United States.

Business Insider reported that Smith criticized Trump's order to end the TPP agreement. The FedEx CEO pointed out that signing the executive order that would stop the United States from participating in the trade agreement is detrimental to the trade industry.

Smith said the executive order could hit the trade industry of the United States, which may lead to job losses. In other words, the executive order goes against Trump's agenda of getting more jobs for American citizens.

The FedEx CEO also warned that China could take advantage of the United States' lack of participation in the agreement. China has been known to foster protectionist ideals when it comes to trading, always putting its interest first before others. Stepping into the void that the United States will leave could hurt the American and European economies.

Trump expressed resentment on the United States' trade agreements overseas. He lamented how hard it is for American companies to export their products because of the high tax imposed by other countries. He said he wants to push for a fair trade.

Jobs & Hire previously reported that Trump threatened companies that plan to expand outside of the United States that he would impose huge border tax on their products. Carmakers have started announcing their expansion plans in the United States to appease Trump.
Earlier this month, Turkish chef Nusret Gokcet became the first meme of 2017. A photo of him elegantly sprinkling salt on a piece of meat sparked the meme, and Gokcet became known as Salt Bae. Following his rise to fame, it was reported that the chef is about to open restaurants in London and New York.

Buzzfeed previously reported that an Instagram video of Gokcet showing off his knife skills circulated the Internet, and people were in awe with how sensuously he sprinkles salt on the meat. The video has gotten over 8.5 million views since it was posted on Jan. 7.

The chef, who co-owns a global chain of steakhouses called Nusr-et, has become famous all over the world as his famous salt-sprinkling pose has appeared everywhereeven on a t-shirt worn by pop star Rihanna.

Speaking with Turkish Hurriyet Daily News, Gokcet said that he plans to open restaurants in London and New York. Of his signature salt-sprinkling technique, the chef said that the move came naturally to him.

I did not do that to show off, said Gokcet. It is just my signature. You can think of it a kind of final touch for a painting. It was a final touch to the meat; I was blessing the meat.

As Gokcet is gearing up to open new steak houses and unleash his viral meat-salting moves on two of the biggest and busiest cities in the world, the chef said that he plans to communicate with people through meat as he doesnt know foreign languages. Gokcet added that though he came from an impoverished background, success was possible by telling stories and drawing peoples attention.

The chef revealed that he started working at a butchers shop as an apprentice when he was only 14 years old. He also said that his viral videos and photos were not created by a PR team and that they were taken by waiters working at his restaurants.

Since his Insta-fame, Salt Bae has been immortalized in apparel, fan art, a mural in Australia, and a portrait made of real salt. Gokcet took to Instagram to thank fans all over the world for their love and even encouraged them to get in touch with him through his email account.

Thank you for your support everyone, he wrote. This is my email nusretgokce34@gmail.com.tr #salt.

For more, check out Jobs & Hires report on the two retirees who created a lucrative marijuana packaging business in Denver.
Traveling alone for a business trip has its perks. Apart from getting to do what you really want to do during off hours, you also get to focus on what you need to do at your destination. However, going on a business travel on your own can get lonely at times, and it can be hard to stay focused with all the distractions that a new place has to offer.

However, there are ways to stave off loneliness and boost productivity while on a business trip. All it takes is a bit of effort and being open to possibilities while youre away, and making good use of your free time between meetings.

Here are a few tips on how to overcome loneliness and be more productive on a business trip.

Plan the contents of your suitcase

Apart from the necessary outfits, cosmetics, and gadgets, savvy professionals know that the key to making time away from home a bit better is to plan the contents of ones suitcase. Some take along their favorite scented candle to make any hotel room smell a little like home, while others even go as far as bringing their own sheets and pillowcases to make a hotel bed feel a bit more like the one at home.

Schedule some time for pampering or self-care

If you can fit in a weekend before the beginning of a business trip, make use of the time wisely by scheduling a day for pampering or self-care. For instance, if youre heading to Japan, you can try bathing in one of the many natural hot springs in the area called onsen.

Apart from being a soothing and relaxing experience, going to Japans famous hot springs is also a visual treat, as these natural wonders are found among mountains, along the seashore, and in valleys. Youll find that youre refreshed, relaxed, and ready to take on everything that comes along during the business trip.

Make a to-do list during long commutes

If youll be spending a lot of time on planes or trains before arriving at your destination, use your commuting time to plan your activities. Just bring a notebook and a pen to write down your to-do lists and goals for the business trip. Even better, you could start a bullet journal during your business trip, and you can check out Jobs & Hires tips on how to start one right here.

Communicate with your colleagues

Even though youre on a business trip, youll still need to touch base with your co-workers. Set up an account on Slack so everyone on the team can get on the conversation. You can also document important parts of the business conference via Instagram or Snapchat and share them with your team.
A policeman and three suspected drug-dealers were killed in a shootout close to Ain Sokhna resort town on Friday, the interior ministry has said.

In an official statement, the ministry said the shootout took place after police forces arrived at the scene of the suspects' hideout, located 102km along the Cairo-Ain Sokhna highway, after reports of drug-dealing.

When the police arrived, the suspects shot at the forces, so they fired back, the statement added.

The ministry said that a "number" of suspects were arrested at the scene, mainly for substance abuse, and 33 firearms in addition to 7 kilograms of heroin were confiscated.

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Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Friday evening a host of local and regional issues with youths attending the second monthly conference of dialogue wth the president in Aswan.

The conference is part of an initiative to hold monthly youth conferences, which was adopted at the first annual National Youth Conference in October.

El-Sisi fielded questions from the audience on a number of topics including the persisting absence of indoor plumbing in most of Egypt's 4,500 villages, the impact of Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam on Egypt's share of Nile water, and the potential ramifications US president Donald Trump's stated intentions to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

El-Sisi president said that although Egyptians' concerns about the Ethipian dam are legitimate, he assured that the issue is being dealt with "in a good way" and in accordance with the agreements reached between Cairo and Addis Ababa.

He assured the audience that Egypt takes the issue seriously, saying the issue of Egypt's water supply is a matter of "life and death."

The two-day gathering brings together 1,300 young people from Upper Egyptian governorates, and is being held in one of the city's hotels amid tight security measures.

The meetings are attended by a number of MPs and ministers.

The conference aims to tackle challenges facing Upper Egypt, including ways to develop the economy and tourism in the area.

It is also focusing on social and political empowerment among young people, El-Sisi's office said earlier this week.

In his first public comments on Trump's campaign promise to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the hopeful capital of any future Palestinian state, the president he is delivering a message to the whole world, including the American and Israeli public, "not to make the situation more complicated."

A peaceful settlement for the Palestinian issue is key, El-Sisi said.

On domestic economic development, the Egyptian president also said that the government intends to raise the number of villages that have indoor plumbibg from 10 percent of the country's villages to 40 percent by mid 2018.

Sisi also addressed the country's ongoing economic difficulties, saying that Egypt currently has limited financial resources.

He said that publicly-owned pharmaceutical companies are not operating at full capacity due to financial and legislative obstacles.

The president and the minister of housing, who also attended the meeting, stressed that the government is committed to building more affordable housing for poorer citizens.

On inflation, El-Sisi said price hikes will be slow down once the supply catches up with the demand, adding that current economic growth is slower than population growth.

In October, over 3,000 young people from a number of the country's universities and political parties attended the National Youth Conference in the Sinai resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The first monthly follow-up conference was held in December.

During his visit, the Egyptian president is scheduled to inaugurate the new Aswan Public Hospital, which has 15 outpatient clinics. The establishment of the new six-floor hospital cost EGP 140 million, in addition to the EGP 155 million cost of equipping the hospital.

El-Sisi arrived in Aswan on Wednesday, where he shook hands with a group of tourists on the streets of the city, later joining a group of young people as they watched Egypt play Ghana in the African Cup of Nations tournament.

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Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met on Friday with his Ethiopian counterpart in Addis Ababa, where they discussed Ethiopia's under-construction Renaissance Dam and relations between the two countries, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The two officials also discussed coordination in tackling African issues on the agenda of UN Security Council, of which both countries are members during this session, as well as issues on the African Union agenda.

Shoukry expressed Egypt's wish to develop trilateral cooperation between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, not only regarding the Nile and water issues, but also in mutual investments.

Ethiopian foreign minister Workneh Gebeyehu stressed the importance of the historic relations between the two countries, their eternal bond through the River Nile, and that the two countries should maintain positive relations, adding he wishes to visit Egypt soon.

Gebeyehu assured that his country would adhere to the terms reached in the negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan with regards to the Renaissance Dam.

Shoukry arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday to attend a ministerial-level African Union meeting ahead of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis participation in the AUs 28th General Assembly by the end of this month.

The General Assembly, dubbed Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth, kicked off in Addis Ababa on 22 January and will conclude on 31 January.

Aside from participating in the assemblys official meetings and activities, Shoukry met on the sidelines with his African counterparts as well as AU commissioners, including from Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Burundi, Sudan and Algeria.

In a presidential-level AU meeting in July, President El-Sisi told his counterparts that there is no substitute for adopting a model of regional integration in Africa.

El-Sisi also advocated the creation of a free trade zone between AU countries.

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Elder Law Clinic

SAM often gets questions about legal matters for older people, and one of the most valuable resources for such information is Wake Forest Universitys Elder Law Clinic, which is currently accepting applications for its spring 2017 semester.

The clinic, which is part of the universitys School of Law, helps law students get practical experience under the supervision of an attorney by providing free legal services to the community. The clinic accepts applications year-round, though services are only provided during the school year when law students are on hand.

Potential clients for the clinic must be at least 60 and have an income of less than $1,800 a month for a household of one, or $2,400 for a household of two.

According to the clinic, cases they typically handle include wills (if a person owns real estate), powers of attorney, Medicaid planning, guardianship, nursing home questions, abuse, fraud and consumer problems.

They do not handle criminal cases, traffic violation and accidents, medical malpractice, probate (estates), slips and falls, and divorce cases.

Potential clients can fill out a one-page application online at elder-clinic.law.wfu.edu/services/ or call (336) 758-5061 to have an application mailed to them. After the application is reviewed, you will be notified if your name has been added to the waiting list. Getting accepted to the waiting list is not a guarantee they will be able to meet with you.

The clinic also has legal resources available on its website, including basic information on elder law resources, long term care insurance, state laws, LGBT health care rights, and nursing home and adult care issues, elder-clinic.law.wfu.edu/resources/

Q: Last October, I paid $20 cash for popcorn from a Scout and his mother who went door-to-door in our neighborhood. The popcorn was delivered in mid-November, but I was told I owed $20 as they had no record of payment. I know I initially paid, but had foolishly paid in cash, got no receipt, names or troop number, nothing to prove I paid.

M.G.

Answer: Unfortunately, there isnt much that can be done without more details such as the identity of the Scout or his mother. But perhaps your situation can be a lesson for others.

We have more than 1,000 Scouts selling popcorn each fall, said Sandra Scott, communications and fundraising coordinator for the Old Hickory Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The money goes to support Scouting programs in eight counties in northwestern North Carolina, as well as providing funds to the units to help pay for their programs and outings.

Local troops and packs are encouraged to take orders first then collect money upon delivery, Scott said. If a customer is asked to pay up front, they should ask for a receipt or at least the name and phone number of the Scout and the name of the troop he represents. So sorry this happened to your reader.
The change in control of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Trump administration will likely play a pivotal role in the future of the North Carolinas Medicaid program.

N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, sued both the federal and state health and human services agencies on Jan. 13. At that time, the federal DHHS was under the Obama administration.

The lawsuit was an attempt to prevent Gov. Roy Cooper from submitting an amendment request to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would affect a state Medicaid waiver request submitted June 1 by the administration of Coopers predecessor, Pat McCrory.

Late Wednesday, the state legislative leaders and the federal DHHS filed a joint motion with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina that asks for a 60-day stay of litigation.

The motion says the federal DHHS has agreed to the stay request to allow time for incoming officials in the new administration to evaluate the issues in this case.

Delayed action on request

According to the motion, the federal DHHS also has agreed to take no action on Coopers expansion request for at least 89 days after approval of a stay. Federal DHHS officials would be allowed to review the amendment proposal and ask for additional information if needed.

Federal defendants expressly represent that in no event will the proposal be approved by any federal government agency or official before 89 days have elapsed from the receipt of any submission, according to the motion.

In response to the request for a stay, U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan said Thursday that she will not hold the hearing that had been scheduled for today in New Bern on the legal complaints related to Coopers request.

The state legislative leaders want Flanagan to issue a preliminary injunction that bars Coopers request. On Jan. 14, Flanagan issued a temporary restraining order that expires Saturday.

State DHHS offiicals said Thursday that the court should dismiss the case altogether because it lacks jurisdiction, rather than stay the proceedings. They said the rationale for staying litigation based on incoming Trump administration officials with the federal DHHS has no bearing on the plaintiffs case ... which only concerns whether the state defendants may submit their proposed state plan amendment.

Cooper spokeswoman Noelle Talley said Thursday that its a shame that legislative leaders continue to put politics ahead of bringing billions of dollars, tens of thousands of good jobs and better health care to North Carolina.

Taxes paid by North Carolinians are already going to expand Medicaid in other states, and we need to bring that money back home, Talley said.

The waiver request focuses on creating a hybrid oversight solution involving for-profit insurers and not-for-profit health-care systems with no expansion element. It doesnt include an expansion of Medicaid in the state.

Expansion supporters, as well as several academic studies, have determined that expanding the program could benefit more than 500,000 North Carolinians  potentially raising total Medicaid recipients to 2.4 million. The goal would be having Medicaid expansion in effect by Jan. 1, 2018.

Berger and Moore claim Cooper is trying to defy a 2013 state law that governs Medicaid expansion. The law prohibits the executive branch from making any expansion attempt without the General Assemblys approval. The law, signed by the Republican McCrory, is being challenged by Cooper, a Democrat.

When Berger and Moore filed their lawsuit, they referred to the state Medicaid program as a welfare entitlement program and Coopers request as an expansion ploy.

The federal and state DHHS filed a joint motion to dissolve the temporary restraining order before the Trump administration took over the federal agency.

Authority questions

In a separate legal filing Wednesday, North Carolinas interim health secretary, Dempsey Benton, claims that legislative leaders dont have the legal authority to thwart Coopers waiver-amendment request.

If Flanagan grants the stay, the parties would be required to file after 60 days a joint motion declaring whether a dispute remains in the case, and if so, provide a new due date for defendants to file any briefs.

The court would (at that time) be in a position to rule on plaintiffs request for a permanent injunction before federal defendants act on any proposed expansion plan, according to the motion.

Benton said in Wednesdays response that Berger and Moore lack Article III standing because they are attempting, without authority, to bring suit on behalf of the General Assembly.

The only purported authority that plaintiffs identified was a statute allowing them to intervene on behalf of the General Assembly in actions challenging the constitutionality of state law.

That statute, however, does not authorize plaintiffs to do what they have done here  initiate litigation on behalf of the General Assembly.

Benton said that the fundamental problems with plaintiffs case  administration change or not  persist.

No amount of artful pleading can disguise that their claim arises under state law, nor can they conceal that this intramural dispute between state officials has no business in federal court, he said.

The N.C. Medical Society and N.C. Hospital Association have signaled their support for Coopers proposal.
A federal judge on Friday approved a 60-day stay of Gov. Roy Coopers request to expand the state Medicaid program.

N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, sued both the federal and state departments of health and human services on Jan. 13. At that time, the federal DHHS was under the Obama administration.

The lawsuit is an attempt to prevent Cooper from submitting an amendment request to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, that would affect a state Medicaid waiver request submitted June 1 by the administration of Coopers predecessor, Pat McCrory.

McCrorys waiver request focused on creating a hybrid oversight solution involving for-profit insurers and not-for-profit health-care systems. It didnt include an expansion of Medicaid in the state.

A motion for the stay was filed Wednesday by the leaders, who were joined by federal DHHS and CMS that are now under the authority of the Trump administration. Berger and Moore also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction.

On Jan 14, Judge Louise Flanagan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued a temporary restraining order that was set to expire today. Flanagan opted Thursday not to hold a hearing that had been scheduled for Friday in New Bern on the legal complaints related to Coopers request.

The legislative leaders and federal health agencies requested the stay to allow time for incoming officials in the new administration to evaluate the issues in this case.

Flanagan took the changeover into consideration in her approval of the stay, even though the state DHHS has asked that the lawsuit be dismissed.

The motion to stay seems to anticipate that a proposed state amendment plan will be submitted by the state defendants very quickly after dissolution of the restraining order, Flanagan wrote.

She disagreed with the state DHHS position that a stay serves as a temporary abandonment by plaintiffs of their motion for a preliminary injunction.

Berger responded to the stay approval with a Facebook statement in which he said a federal court issued another stay blocking his reckless scheme.

He was referring to Cooper.

But for some reason, he is still beating a dead horse and pursuing Obamacare expansion in open defiance of the law, Berger continued.

He said he considers any further effort by Cooper and the state DHHS as an expensive and hollow political stunt.

The parties have until March 31 to file a joint motion declaring whether a dispute remains in the case, and if so, provide a new due date for defendants to file any briefs.

Flanagan is giving federal DHHS and CMS officials until April 7 to respond to the preliminary injunction request, and state DHHS officials five days to respond to the federal agencies response.

State DHHS officials said Thursday that the court should dismiss the case altogether because it lacks jurisdiction, rather than stay the proceedings.

They said the rationale for staying litigation based on the authority changeover at DHHS and CMS has no bearing on the plaintiffs case ... which only concerns whether the state defendants may submit their proposed state plan amendment.

According to the motion, the federal DHHS has agreed to not take any action on Coopers expansion request for at least 89 days after approval of a stay. Federal DHHS officials would be allowed to review the amendment proposal and ask for additional information if needed.

Expansion supporters, as well as several academic studies, have determined that expanding Medicaid could benefit more than 500,000 North Carolinians  potentially raising total Medicaid recipients to 2.4 million. The goal would be having Medicaid expansion in effect by Jan. 1, 2018.

Berger and Moore claim Cooper is trying to defy a 2013 state law that governs Medicaid expansion. The law prohibits the executive branch from making any expansion attempt without the General Assemblys approval.

The law, signed by the Republican McCrory, is being challenged by Cooper, a Democrat.

When Berger and Moore filed their lawsuit, they referred to the state Medicaid program as a welfare entitlement program and Coopers request as an expansion ploy.

A stay should surprise no one, since its clear that Gov. Cooper was attempting to circumvent both a 2013 state law and his constitutional obligations to uphold state law, said Mitch Kokai, a policy analyst with the John Locke Foundation, a conservative research group.

The goal was to get a parting gift from the outgoing Obama administration to fulfill one of Coopers top campaign promises, Kokai said.

That parting gift and Coopers promise would have obligated state government to take on hundreds of millions of dollars in new costs linked to Medicaid expansion.

The N.C. Medical Society and N.C. Hospital Association have signaled their support for Coopers proposal that would include not-for-profit health-care systems helping to pay the states 5 percent match of Medicaid expansion administrative costs for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

North Carolina hospitals would receive $11 billion in funding over the next 10 years if Medicaid was expanded, a report from left-leaning N.C. Policy Watch said. Thats money that could literally help many rural hospitals stay open and operating.
The number of flu-related deaths in North Carolina has climbed to 19 with the report of three victims last week, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.

Two of the most recent deaths involved individuals 65 and older, along with the first victim in the 5-to-17 age group.

All of the victims died during the week that ended Jan. 28. The week that ended Dec. 31 has had the most deaths at four.

For the flu season that began Oct. 1, 14 deaths have been individuals age 65 and older, along with two in the 55-to-64 age group and one in the 5-to-17, 18-to-24 and 25-to-54 age groups.

There have been no reported flu-related deaths in the Triad and Northwest North Carolina. Some county health directors do not publicly report flu deaths, citing patient privacy policies or state DHHS directives.

Flu can be a serious illness not only for the elderly, but also children under age 5, pregnant women and those with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease.

By comparison, there were 59 flu-related deaths during the 2015-16 season, along with 218 flu-related deaths in 2014-15, with 180 of the victims being 65 and older.

The new year begins with Cone Health of Greensboro and Randolph Hospital of Asheboro announcing visitors restrictions related to the flu season. The Cone Health restrictions also cover Alamance Regional Hospital, Annie Penn Hospital, Wesley Long Hospital and Womens Hospital.

Forsyth Medical Center and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have not chosen to restrict visitors at this time.

The restrictions, as has been the case for several flu seasons, ban children from visiting patients, and apply to lobbies and waiting areas. The policy, as usual, does not apply to children who need emergency care or hospitalization.

Most flu cases run their course in several days, and symptoms can be helped with over-the-counter medications, according to hospital officials.
Gusty winds knocked trees into power lines Thursday, causing about 1,000 power outages in Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties, authorities said.

Winds reached speeds up to 45 mph in the Triad and 55 mph in Northwest North Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. Those conditions were the prelude to a forecast of light snow in Ashe and Watauga counties today through Sunday night and a slight chance of snow flurries Sunday in Forsyth.

The forecast for today, Saturday and Sunday calls for high temperatures ranging from the mid 40s each day in Winston-Salem and Mount Airy with sunny skies. There is a 30 percent of snow in the early morning hours today in Boone, and then it will be partly sunny with a high temperature near 33 degrees.

There is a 10 percent chance of snow flurries Sunday night in Forsyth County, said Keith Sherburn, a National Weather service meteorologist in Raleigh. No accumulation is expected.

There is a chance of flurries Sunday. It will not be anything of consequence, Sherburn said.

Low temperatures tonight, Saturday night and Sunday night will range in the mid to high 20s in Forsyth and Surry counties amid mostly clear skies. In Watauga County, there is a 40 percent chance of snow Friday night, a 20 percent chance of snow Saturday night and a 30 percent chance of snow all day Sunday.

Ashe and Watauga counties could receive up to 2 inches of snow by Sunday night, said Andrew Loconto, a meteorologist in Blacksburg, Va. Some areas in the higher elevations could get 4 inches, he said.

Moisture from the Great Lakes region will combine with cold air to produce the snow, Loconto said.

Wind issues

On Thursday, heavy winds toppled a large tree, yanked down a power line and started a small fire at a Winston-Salem home. A live wire hit the siding on the house in the 200 block of Corona Street and caused the fire, officials said.

I heard a loud thud that shook the house and ran outside, said Daniel Lipford, who rents the house. I saw the tree down and my neighbors pointed out the house was smoking.

Damage to the exterior of the house was minimal, and the fire didnt damage the bedroom on the other side of the wall, said Capt. Rodney Miller of the Winston-Salem Fire Department.

The downed line resulted in a power loss only to the one house, he said. A crew with Duke Energy Corp. repaired the line.

Traffic was delayed for 30 minutes Thursday afternoon on West Mountain Street in Kernersville after strong winds cracked a utility pole, toppled a tree and dropped a telephone line on a tractor-trailer.

The driver, Larry Madill of Winnipeg, Canada, had just started a trip to Saskatchewan, Canada, after he picked up a piece of heavy equipment from the nearby Deere-Hitachi plant.

Madill passed the site of the downed tree lying on a power line when he noticed a motorist flashing her headlights to warn him of the low hanging wire on his vehicle. He stopped, and a repair crew removed the line from his tractor-trailer.

In another nearby incident, a tree fell on a power line in the 200 block of Linville Road, knocking out power to 56 Duke Energy customers. Traffic was delayed on Linville Road for several hours, Winston-Salem police said.

High winds also caused 50 power outages near Pfafftown, the utility company said. Another 874 Duke Energy customers lost power near Pinnacle and Pilot Mountain.

Power had been restored to the majority of customers by late Thursday, the companys website showed.

The weather service issued a wind advisory Thursday for Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga counties and warned residents of winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph along the southern Blue Ridge mountains.

A cold front moving through the Carolinas caused the strong winds, Sherburn said.
Its out of the frying pan  or small skillet  and into the fire for N.C. Sen. Joyce Krawiec as boxes of lard were delivered to her Raleigh office and Kernersville home on Thursday.

Krawiec, a Republican who represents Forsyth and Yadkin counties, tweeted Monday night: Message to crazies @Womens March  If brains were lard, you couldnt grease a small skillet. You know who you are.

By Thursday morning, at least 10 boxes of lard had been sent to Krawiecs office in Raleigh, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Many more packages could arrive today thanks to overnight delivery, according to posts on social media.

Winston-Salem resident Chloe Mylet sent Krawiec a 4-pound tub of lard.

Mylet, who attended the Womens March in Washington D.C., on Saturday, also started a Go Fund Me page to raise money to help people send lard to Krawiec.

We want to send her a message that just because you dont agree with someone doesnt mean theyre brainless, Mylet said. Personally, I hope she donates the lard to a food shelter and that she takes away that everything on the Internet is permanent and not to judge others.

Several Amazon users commented on different lard products that they had purchased for the senator, including a 64 ounce container of Armour Lard that sells for $16.

One user, ZimZimZimmer, wrote: I just sent four pounds to (Krawiecs) Senate Office in Raleigh and couldnt be more delighted with my purchase! Highly recommend!!!!

A representative for the senator said Thursday that Krawiec would not be commenting on the lard protest.

Krawiecs controversial tweet was deleted less than 12 hours after it was posted and Krawiec issued a series of apologies Tuesday, saying she was referring only to marchers who acted inappropriately.

Charlotte resident Mickie Hall said she knew of many women who were sending lard to the Krawiecs office, but hadnt sent any herself.

I understand it. A lot of the women feel thats the only way to make a statement, Hall said. Personally, I think it would be more productive if we could sit down and talk with her.

Hall, a senior clinical research associate, was one of hundreds of thousands who attended the Womens March. She said she was offended by the tweet.

It was an amazing group  doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers, moms, grandmothers, she said. No crazies, all intelligent women capable of bringing home the bacon and frying it up in a pan.

Krawiec is not the only lawmaker in hot water over march tweets.

A Nebraska state lawmaker, Republican Sen. Bill Kintner, resigned Wednesday after a controversial social media post suggesting Womens March protesters were too ugly to be groped.

North Carolinas newly elected Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey also faced outrage after retweeting a Womens March meme: In one day, Trump got more fat women out walking than Michelle Obama did in 8 years. Causey later apologized.

It was unclear Thursday how many packages of lard Krawiec had received amid the backlash of her comment.

Rebekah Radisch of Kernersville offered a different take: Instead of sending lard to Krawiec, send margarine or butter to Crisis Control Ministries in Krawiecs name, in the vein of a protest last year aimed at Vice President Mike Pence.

Last year, activists made more than the 82,000 contributions to Planned Parenthood in Pences name after he called for ending federal funding for the organization and imposed restrictions on abortions while governor of Indiana.

Such donations send a message while helping the community, said Radisch, who made a $50 donation to Crisis Control.

Join me in sending (Crisis Control) something ... and lets do it in spite of the self-loathing senator from Kernersville, Radisch said. Lets turn her patronizing insult into something good.
Updated 6:43 p.m.

Winston-Salem police have reopened the 200 block of Linville Road after a tree fell on a live power line in the area Thursday afternoon.

Posted 5:23 p.m.

Winston-Salem police have blocked traffic in the 200 block of Linville Road after a tree fell on a live power line.

The incident has cut power to the immediate area, police said in a news release.

About 20 customers were affected by the outage at 5:30 p.m., according to Duke Energy's website. Power is expected to be restored by 7 p.m., the website indicates.

Motorists are advised to use an alternate route.
CHAPEL HILL  UNC-Chapel Hills Ackland Art Museum announced its largest-ever donation Wednesday, a $25 million gift that includes seven Rembrandt works.

The donation is from Boston orthodontist and UNC alumnus Sheldon Peck and his wife, Leena, also an orthodontist, who have collected 17th century Dutch and Flemish masterworks for four decades. The Peck Collection features 134 works, valued at $17 million. The donation adds another $8 million for an endowment to support future acquisitions and a new curator.

The Ackland is the first public university art museum to own a collection of Rembrandt drawings. One of the sketches bears an inscription in the artists own handwriting, which until this donation was the last known privately held drawing with such an inscription.

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt called the gift a giant step forward for the universitys museum, which is on campus near the center of downtown Chapel Hill. Its a wonderful expression of the importance of the arts here, she said.

Museum director Katie Ziglar said in a statement, We are overjoyed with the Pecks exceptionally generous gift of art, funds for its stewardship and support for future acquisitions. ... Works of such high achievement and quality will fascinate and delight Ackland visitors for decades to come.

Along with the Rembrandts, the collection includes drawings by such notables as Peter Paul Rubens, Aelbert Cuyp, Jan van Goyen and Jacob van Ruisdael.

Peck, a Durham native, is an orthodontic specialist, educator and art collector. After receiving his undergraduate degree from UNC in 1963 and his doctorate from the UNC School of Dentistry in 1966, he moved to Boston for a residency in orthodontics. He was a clinical professor of developmental biology at Harvard Universitys dental school for 20 years and also served as an adjunct professor of orthodontics at UNCs dental school.

He has donated to the Ackland since 1988 and is a member of the museums national advisory board.

Decades ago, he gave a drawing by Allart van Everdingen to the museum in honor of his older brother, Harvey Peck, also a UNC alumnus.
Bureaucracy, thy name is DMV.

It was a hot mess last year when the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles reported that some residents had lost their drivers licenses because of  lets say technical difficulties. But everything seems to be back on track now, Forsyth County Clerk of Court Susan Frye told the Journals Michael Hewlett recently. People who lost their licenses for no proper reason have had them restored.

They have done a great job in correcting what was wrong with the process, Frye told the Journal.

At one point, Frye said, her office was receiving 75 calls a day over the issue. That number has dropped down to essentially zero, she told the Journal.

The problem came about because the DMV didnt update the records of drivers who were involved in court cases to show when they had taken actions to keep their licenses  paid traffic tickets or rescheduled a court date to get a failure to appear taken off their records. Next thing these drivers knew, they were being notified that their licenses had been revoked, even though, as far as they knew, everything was fine.

It was a major snafu that affected possibly thousands of North Carolina residents, many in Forsyth County.

There also seems to have been a disgruntled employee who was gumming up the works by shredding some error reports. Officials were reluctant to discuss that matter, but did say that an employee was found to have failed to update driver records in a timely manner and was terminated for unsatisfactory work performance.

Good.

Fortunately, once the DMV realized there was a problem, it began taking corrective actions. It did an audit of two years worth of error reports to ensure that all driver records reflect the appropriate court action, John Brockwell, a spokesman with the DMV, told the Journal. It sent out a news release with a phone number for people to call if they believed there was a problem with their driver records. The N.C. Department of Transportations Office of Inspector General started an investigation into the error reports, Brockwell told the Journal.

The DMV also updated its electronic system several times to make sure error reports are accurately processed, officials reported, and restructured its Processing Services section to make sure all conviction information that the DMV receives is handled efficiently. The N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts and the DMV started a joint working group in April to develop best practices and methods to make sure DMV information is accurate, the Journal reported.

It sounds like the DMV did everything it could. Its part of living in a technological society  there are going to be big problems and people are going to be inconvenienced  sometimes maddeningly so. But the DMV seems to have handled the situation in a responsive and responsible way. Lets hope thats the end of it.
BOB G. TANNEHILL, Winston-Salem

A community city

Having returned home from several days away I began sorting through back issues of the Journal. On the front page of the Jan.19 issue, in bold print, was the headline: Rowes words reopen rift. It concerned an interview by a Washington Post reporter with Mount Airy Mayor David Rowe that implied he was a racist. The Journal gave the mayor opportunity to defend his remarks.

I havent seen David Rowe in over 50 years, since when I was an editor of The Mount Airy News. To my recollection, neither he nor his well-respected parents were racists. The remark he supposedly made may not have been necessary, but it certainly wasnt racist, except in the narrow mindset of those who seem always eager to start a ruckus. I actually agree with Rowe and dont feel he needed to apologize, but being the way times are now, he did and thats that. It was the making of a mountain out of less than a mole hill.

During my three years as a most welcomed resident of Mount Airy, I discovered a community city, whose people, affluent or not, were always seeking ways to lend a helping hand. And they never put folks down  well, unless they didnt agree with their politics. I cherish memories of those times.

The Post reporter attempted to besmirch the image of the Granite City, perhaps to recruit a few readers. It aint gonna work!

******

ERNEST J. LUNSFORD, Winston-Salem

Known facts

I am writing to object to the Jan. 24 JournalNow Poll question: Who do you believe got the bigger inauguration crowd? Donald Trump, Barack Obama or I dont know.

We have clear factual evidence that Obamas crowd was bigger. The matter is not in doubt. Why are you inviting readers to opine about a known fact? By doing so, you are playing into the current hullabaloo over fake news and alternative facts.

You might as well ask readers: Where do you believe the sun comes up? The east, the west or I dont know/not sure.

You are a serious news organization. Do not undermine your own credibility by asking your readers to offer their opinion or belief about known facts.

******

FRED MULCOX, Winston-Salem

Inaction

Barack Obama is no longer president, so who are the Republicans going to blame now for their inaction, President Trump?

******

WILLIAM C. CRAWFORD, Winston-Salem

Good health care

President Trump says that he wants good health care for everybody! This declaration comes on the heels of eight years of strident attacks by Republicans on Obamacare, a plan largely modeled on Romneycare, a successful GOP initiative in Massachusetts. Congressional Republicans and Trump, as a candidate, hypocritically pivoted to blame President Obama for a program that worked well by many measures but needed fine tuning. But Obama never conceived the ACA in the first place, Republicans did. However, Obama certainly did something his seven predecessors failed to do. He threw the full force of his new presidency behind the GOP plan, and the ACA emerged to expand health insurance to 22 million more Americans.

Trump now stands in a unique position to make sure that the U.S. is no longer the only industrialized nation in the world without health insurance for everybody. He should challenge Congress to do its job. He should proclaim that health insurance for himself and Congress should be the very same as any new plan that might emerge to replace Obamacare. Universal coverage that treats every citizen the same will help cut through persistent congressional gridlock, and it might become the crown jewel of the populist movement that helped to propel Trump into the White House.

Obama had the guts in 2009 to tell Congress to get moving! President Trump should now step up to do the same. Trump, the consummate deal maker, should make health care for everybody happen now.

******

JULIE EDELSON, Winston-Salem

A bumpy night

My favorite view from the right on Jan. 17 was from the letter in The Readers Forum that said that when President Trump attacks, its always in response to an attack (In response). Never mind where the truth lies; what about the notion that no one should attack Trump? Not even someone like Rep. John Lewis, who has acted for civil rights and human dignity with his body and soul for some 50 years.

When Trump uses gutter language and sickening personal insults to assert his prerogative and his hate-filled agenda  for example, begrudging sick people health insurance  everybody should just keep still? Fat chance. Its going to be a bumpy night.

When You Write

The Journal encourages readers comments. To participate in The Readers Forum, please submit letters online to Letters@wsjournal.com. Please write The Readers Forum in the subject line and include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. Or you may mail letters to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Letters are subject to editing and may be published on journalnow.com. Letters are limited to 250 words. Letter writers are allowed one letter every 30 days.

If you would like a photo of yourself included with your letter, send it to us as a .jpg file.

For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/opinion/submit_a_letter.

The Journal welcomes original submissions for guest columns on local, regional and statewide topics. Essay length should not exceed 750 words. The writer should have some authority for writing about his or her subject. Our email address is: Letters@wsjournal.com. Essays may also be mailed to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Please include your name and address and a daytime telephone number.
Today

Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. High near 70F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a half an inch.

Tomorrow

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
The United Nations cannot confirm a Russian statement that talks on the Syrian conflict planned for February 8 in Geneva have been postponed, a spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said Friday.

"There is no confirmation that the February talks are postponed," said Yara Sharif. "We're going to be sure when the special envoy is back" from talks next week with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier Friday that the Geneva talks would be postponed until the end of February.

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Related Turkey submits new extradition request for Greece coup suspects

Turkey on Friday threatened to abandon a key pillar of a deal with the EU to reduce the migrant flow after Greece blocked the extradition of alleged coup suspects.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara was considering scrapping a "readmission agreement" under which Turkey has been taking in migrants sent back across the Aegean after landing illegally in Greece.

His remarks followed Thursday's decision by the Greek Supreme Court not to hand over eight former military officers wanted in connection with last year's failed putsch in a move which angered Ankara.

The move has put a severe strain on diplomatic ties between the two neighbours who have been working closely on both the refugee issue and to resolve the Cyprus dispute through talks in Geneva.

"We are now considering what we are going to do," Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber a day after the ruling.

"We have a readmission agreement between us and Greece, with the European Union. We are going to take necessary steps, including the cancellation of this readmission agreement," he added.

Last March, Turkey and the EU signed a landmark agreement in which Ankara pledged to take back all illegal migrants landing in Greece to help stem migrant flows to the EU.

There is also an existing agreement between Ankara and Athens on Turkey's readmission of illegal migrants.

The March deal helped put the brakes on a massive influx of migrants and refugees, especially from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which has mushroomed into a combustible political and social issue in Europe.

Turkey's pledge was aimed at deterring migrants from making the perilous sea crossing in the first place, knowing they could be sent back.

Some 1,183 migrants have been returned to Turkey in the past 12 months, Greek police figures show.

Turkey could not "look favourably on a country which protects terrorists, traitors, coup-plotters," Cavusoglu said.

"Greece needs to know this."

The Greek court's decision blocked the extradition on grounds the men would not have a fair trial in Turkey, in a move which Cavusoglu denounced as "political".

The suspects landed by helicopter in Greece a day after the botched putsch, demanding asylum. They were immediately taken into custody on grounds of entering the country illegally, but the Supreme Court ordered them released.

However they remain in police custody "for reasons of national security," Greek state agency ANA said, citing police sources. This stems from their illegal entry.

Earlier Friday, the Turkish justice ministry submitted a second extradition request to Greece for the return of the officers, state-run news agency Anadolu said.

The officers deny any part in the attempted putsch to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and say their lives would be in danger should they return to Turkey.

Their asylum requests were initially rejected but appeals are currently being processed.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' office defended the court's refusal to extradite, stressing that the Greek justice system was "solely qualified to deal with such issues and (that) its decisions are binding."

Historical foes but now NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have enjoyed warmer ties under Erdogan, though tensions never completely disappeared.

In a bid to mollify Ankara, Tsipras' office released a statement stressing that "those responsible for the coup are not welcome in our country."

But Cavusoglu said the ruling would have an "effect on relations whether we want it to or not."

Despite his remarks, European Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud said she was confident that the migrant deal would remain in place.

"The EU-Turkey statement continues to be applied by both sides and we are confident that it will remain the case".

The deal has already come under strain over the delay in granting Turkish citizens visa-free travel to Europe in the Schengen zone, which Ankara sees as the EU's side of the bargain in the accord.

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TeleSur |  

Twitter accounts are being used as a tool of resistance to fight censorship and bring reliable scientific information to the public.

Employees from more than a dozen U.S. government agencies have established a network of unofficial rogue Twitter feeds in defiance of what they see as attempts by President Donald Trump to muzzle federal climate change research and other science.



Badlands National Park in South Dakota, July 16, 2014. | Photo: Badlands National Park

Seizing on Trumps favorite mode of discourse, scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and other bureaus have privately launched Twitter accounts  borrowing names and logos of their agencies  to protest restrictions they view as censorship and provide unfettered platforms for information the new administration has curtailed.

Cant wait for President Trump to call us FAKE NEWS, one anonymous National Park Service employee posted on the newly opened Twitter account @AltNatParkService. You can take our official twitter, but youll never take our free time!

The swift proliferation of such tweets by government rank-and-file followed internal directives several agencies involved in environmental issues have received since Trumps inauguration requiring them to curb their dissemination of information to the public.

Last week, Interior Department staff were told to stop posting on Twitter after an employee re-tweeted posts about relatively low attendance at Trumps swearing-in, and about how material on climate change and civil rights had disappeared from the official White House website.

Employees at the EPA and the departments of Interior, Agriculture and Health and Human Services have since confirmed seeing notices from the new administration either instructing them to remove web pages or limit how they communicate to the public, including through social media.

The restrictions have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change skeptic, is out to squelch federally backed research showing that emissions from fossil fuel combustion and other human activities are contributing to global warming.

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

Wochit News: National Parks And NASA Go Rogue On Twitter
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

I told this story back in 2005 but it is a good story, has held up, and bears repeating now that President Trump is again promoting torture as effective. Torture is a good way to get people to tell you what they think you want to hear so that you will stop torturing them. That is, torture may occasionally turn up some good information if it is applied to someone not very clever or not very committed. But it is an excellent way to be trolled by a seasoned operative, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Before the Iraq War, the US government had captured a handful of important al-Qaeda figures and applied torture to them.

One of these was Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, a Libyan terrorist whose real name was Ali Abdul Hamid al-Fakheri. Under torture, he confessed that that Saddam Husseins Iraq was training al-Qaeda operatives in the use of chemical weapons.

The Defense Intelligence Agency and other high-level intelligence operatives dismissed this information as unreliable.

It should be noted that no money traces showed al-Qaeda funds coming from Iraq. No captured al-Qaeda fighters had been trained in Iraq. There was no intelligence that in any way corroborated al-Libis story. And, it was directly contradicted by two of his superiors.

The information from KSM and Abu Zubaydah circulated widely among intelligence officials.

I still remember Fox Cable News almost nightly in late 2002 droning on about a chemical weapons facility at Salman Pak in Iraq where, its anchors alleged, Saddam was training al-Qaeda agents. It was, like most of the stories told about Iraq in that period, fake news.

There was also a phony story, retailed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and other members of the administration, that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian extremist who had spent time in Afghanistan, had ties to Saddam Hussein once he relocated to Iraq in 2002. But later on the US army released a document from the Baath Party secret police showing that an APB was put out on al-Zarqawi immediately on his entering Iraq, and local police were ordered to shake down the Jordanian expatriates in Iraq to find out where he was and arrest him immediately, since he was dangerous and had ties to the Saudi terrorist Usama Bin Laden.

Top al-Qaeda operative and 9/11 mastermind and

Khalid Shaykh Muhammad and al-Qaeda travel agent and marginal personality Abu Zubayda, according to the 9/11 Commission report, revealed to interrogators that Usamah Bin Laden had prohibited al-Qaeda operatives from cooperating with the secular Arab nationalist, Saddam Hussein.

This crucial information was withheld from Congress and from the American people by the Bush/Cheney administration in the run-up to the Iraq War.

(Although KSM was captured only shortly before the war, surely the connection to Saddam was the first thing they asked him about. His answer was not shared with us, to say the least.)

 The report on Zubaydahs debriefing was circulated among US intelligence officers, but his statements were not included in public discussions by Administration officials about the evidence of al-Qaeda ties. I remember reading the Abu Zubaydah debriefing last year, while the Administration was talking about all of these other reports and thinking that they were only putting out what they wanted, one official said. 

This was a community of intelligence. Those with the clearances saw those confessions. The lower-level analysts were amazed when they saw Bush and Cheney and Rice on television hyping al-Libis torture-induced revelations. . . . They were only putting out what they wanted . . ..

It is impossible that Bush, Cheney and Rice saw the intel from al-Libi but not from Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Shaikh Muhammad. The only way to explain these comments is that they suppressed the latter in order to emphasize the former. This tactic was deeply dishonest.

So in September of 2002, as the new product was being rolled out in the psychopathic words of Bush adviser Andy Card, this is what we heard:

Thursday, September 26, 2002 Posted: 1:28 PM EDT (1728 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN)  President Bushs national security adviser Wednesday said Saddam Hussein has sheltered al Qaeda terrorists in Baghdad and helped train some in chemical weapons development  information she said has been gleaned from captives in the ongoing war on terrorism. The comments by Condoleezza Rice were the strongest and most specific to date on the White Houses accusations linking al Qaeda and Iraq. The accusations followed those made by President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who earlier in the day said the United States has evidence linking Iraq and al Qaeda, but they did not elaborate.

This lie by omission was repeated over and over again by Bush and his cronies:

Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda.

 Bush in January 2003 State of the Union address.

Iraq has also provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training.

 Bush in February 2003.

Al-Fakheri / Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi had a last laugh on the people of the United States. Yes, they captured and tortured him. But he misdirected them toward his enemy, the secularist Baath government of Iraq and arranged for the Americans to overthrow it.

Al-Zarqawis branch of al-Qaeda in Iraq, thus freed from Baath surveillance, went from strength to strength, morphed into Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) and by 2014 took over 40% of Iraqi territory.

So beware of the information you get from torture. Your victim may be setting you up. And the psychopaths in the White House will be perfectly happy to run with the fake news gained from torture and use it to bamboozle the public for their own nefarious purposes.
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By Peter Certo | ( Otherwords.org ) |  

If Trump can sell a plain-as-day lie about his inauguration crowd, he can lie about anything  including things that hurt his own supporters.

About an hour after Donald Trump was sworn in, I was having lunch with my wife and our five-month-old. As we picked at our food outside my office in D.C.s Dupont Circle neighborhood, groups of tourists trickled by in Trump regalia.

Early the next morning, as I dumped a pail of diapers in the trash can out front, I ran into a much different crowd: throngs of people wearing pink and carrying anti-Trump signs, passing through my neighborhood on their way to the Womens March.

It was scarcely 7am, yet already Id seen more pink hats than Id seen red ones the day before. Surprised  and still in my pajama pants  I scurried inside.

DCs Womens March alone attracted three times as many visitors as Trumps inauguration, crowd experts quoted by The New York Times estimate. According to ridership data from the DC Metro system, only one other event topped it: Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009.

This was obvious to anyone who lives here, and to anyone whos seen aerial photos of the crowd.



(Photo: woodleywonderworks / Flickr)

Of course, whose crowd is bigger matters only a little more than whose hands are bigger, among other appendages Trump likes to size up. But sometimes he cant help himself.

liberal-media-trump-alternative-facts

At a moment youd expect a new president to be busy with other things, Trump directed his press secretary to announce that his crowds had been the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period. Any media outlet that told you differently, he said, was lying.

It was laughably untrue. But it wasnt a lie, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told NBC. It was just an an alternative fact.

If that doesnt set your Orwell alarm off, I dont know what will. Yet almost immediately, Trumps version of events started circulating through conservative news sites and social media outlets.

The Trump administration, in short, used its inaugural press conference to tell bald-faced, easily falsifiable lies  and many Americans believed them. Aerial photos, crowd experts, Metro data, even TV ratings be damned  all that mattered were the alternative facts of the Trump team.

Theres more at stake here than a whose is bigger? contest  including for millions of Trump supporters. To see how, let me tell you something else about Trumps first day in office.

Shortly after announcing that every decision will be made to benefit American workers and American families, Trump retreated to the Oval Office to sign his first directives as president.

The first raised mortgage fees for working families, including many who probably supported Trump. Another began the process of dismantling a health care law thats helped 20 million people get insurance.

Trump voters in red states could be especially hard-hit.

From Florida to Pennsylvania, in fact, over 6 million people getting health insurance subsidies live in states that Trump won. Combined with the laws Medicaid expansion and protections for people with pre-existing conditions, thats helped deep-red states like Kentucky and West Virginia cut their uninsured rates by half.

But heres the question: If Trump can tell you your own eyes are lying about a simple aerial photograph of his inauguration, can he also convince you your mortgage fees didnt just go up? Or that youll still have health care after he axes your subsidy and gives your insurer permission to drop you?

Talk about alternative facts. If those things slide, what else can he get away with?

Trump voters are famously skeptical of Washington. Of all people, I hope theyd agree that watching what a politician does tells you more than hearing what he says. If they shut their eyes now, theyre going to get sucker punched.

Peter Certo is the editorial manager of the Institute for Policy Studies and the editor of OtherWords.org.

Via Otherwords.org
[JURIST] The Slovenian parliament passed amendments to the Aliens Act [text] to enact emergency measures to deny refugees entry into the country and to expel those whom did not have their asylum claims properly assessed on Wednesday. Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] reported [AI report] that refugees are entitled the protections being stripped by these amendments under international and EU law. AI has denounced this action as a serious backward step for human rights in Slovenia. AIs Researcher for the Balkans and the European Union Jelena Sesar has stated:

By sealing its borders to these desperate people and turning its back on its international obligations, Slovenia is treading the same unseemly path as its neighboursHungary and Austria. This is deeply regrettable for a country which has traditionally upheld core human rights values and has been a true leader in the region.

The rights of refugee and migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issues around the world. In November experts questioned humanitarian conditions at Grecian migrant camps when a 66-year-old woman and six-year-old boy died [JURIST report] in a camp fire. In April several aid organizations urged [JURIST report] EU leaders to stop deportations of migrants from Greece to Turkey and to stop detaining asylum seekers. Also in April Human Rights Watch reported [JURIST report] that the first deportation of 66 people from the Greek island of Chios to Turkey was riddled with an array of irregularities. In April former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged [JURIST report] world leaders to accept more refugees and to combat the growing international anti-refugee sentiments. That same month, an independent UN human rights expert encouraged EU leaders to remain steadfast [JURIST report] in their obligations to handle the recent influx of migrants to the EU.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson [official website] signed HB 1032 [text; PDF] into law on Thursday banning the most common abortion procedure employed in the second trimester of pregnancydilation and evacuation. Proponents of the law, titled The Arkansas Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, called the procedure barbaric and stated that it required dismemberment of the fetus, while opponents stated that the procedure is the safest method of terminating a pregnancy. Among other things the law provides for civil damages against any individual found in violation of this act. Furthermore, the act allows civil suits for injunctive relief to be filed by the pregnant woman herself, her spouse, her parents and her health care provider, but civil suits for damages may not be filed by the health care provider. The allowable statutory damages are three times the cost of dismemberment abortion and can be awarded for both physical and psychological damages. A violation of this law is also considered a Class D felony. This is now among the most restrictive abortion legislation enacted in the US, although Mississippi and Louisiana have enacted almost identical laws. However, this law does not restrict abortions performed using any other method for any reason, including rape or incest. According to the Arkansas health department, dilation and extraction was used in 683 of the 3,771 abortions performed in Arkansas in 2015. Opponents of the law have vowed to fight it [Reuters report], and Rita Sklar, an an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website], stated that, [t]he law puts an undue burden on a womans constitutional right to obtain a second-trimester abortion, and I think the legislature knows it and doesnt care.

There has been a recent slew of state laws and suits dealing with abortion. US President Donald Trump has vowed to fight abortion rights [JURIST report]. In October a federal judge blocked a Mississippi law that disqualified [JURIST report] Medicaid benefits for non-therapeutic abortions. Also in October the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that a state law adding new licensing and inspection rules for facilities that perform abortions is unconstitutional. In September a federal judge issued a temporary injunction [JURIST report] against Arkansas suspension of Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood [advocacy website] after Hutchinson terminated [AP report] the Medicaid funding last year following national controversy ignited by video recordings of Planned Parenthoods practices. In August a judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida [official website] permanently blocked [JURIST report] portions of a Florida law that would stop funding to Planned Parenthood. In July the ACLU and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against an Arizona law that would potentially prevent low-income women from obtaining healthcare from their provider of choice. Earlier the same month a federal judge placed an injunction [JURIST report] on an Indiana law that would have banned women from seeking abortion procedures when they are based on race, sex, or the potential for or actual diagnosis of a disability in the fetus. Recently the US Supreme Court ruled [opinion, PDF] 5-3 in Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt [SCOTUSblog materials] that a Texas law HB2 [text] imposing certain requirements on abortion clinics and doctors creates an undue burden on access to abortion, and is therefore unconstitutional [JURIST report].
[JURIST] The Egyptian government prohibited a prominent human rights lawyer from leaving the country on Thursday. Negad Borai, the lawyer who runs the United Group for Law [advocacy website] intended to visit family in Jordan when airport authorities prevented [AP report] him from boarding a plane. Borais name had been added to the countrys no-fly list by the public prosecutors office. Though no charges have been filed against him, Borai is accused of deliberately spreading false information with the purpose of harming public order or public interesta common accusation imposed on civil rights activists in Egypt. In November the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights [advocacy websites] issued a joint report [report] citing 80 travel bans instituted by Egypt between January 2014 and September 2016.

Egypt has been internationally scrutinized in recent months over allegations of human rights infringements and free speech violations. In December Egypts Supreme Constitutional Court upheld [JURIST report] the effective ban against protests. The current law requires individuals seeking to protest to inform the interior ministry, at least three days prior, of any public gathering with more than 10 people, allows security forces to break up unapproved protests with water cannons, tear gas, and birdshot, and imposes up to five years of jail time for violation of various protest restrictions. In September an Egyptian court froze assets [JURIST report] of five notable human rights activists and three NGOs for allegedly accepting foreign funds without governmental authorization. In July Amnesty International criticized [JURIST report] the Egyptian government for abducting and torturing hundreds of citizens during a crackdown on political activists and protesters.
Frances Constitutional Council, struck down [judgment, in French] a section of the Law on Equality and Citizenship on Thursday that expanded the definition of parental authority in the Civil Code to include rejecting all cruel, degrading and humiliating treatment, including all recourse to corporal violence. The law did not include any punishment [France 24 article] for violating the act, but was meant to be read out to couples when they were taking their wedding vows. The section (Article 222), was struck down because [advocacy website] the amendment that had added article 222 to the Equality and Citizenship Bill had no link with the original text and thus was unconstitutional.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has previously requested [UN report, PDF] in a February 2016 report that France prohibit all corporal punishment against children, stating that no violence against children is justifiable and that corporal punishment is a form of violence, invariably degrading and preventable. The UN report also suggested that France change the term parental authority to parental responsibility, which it states is more in line with the rights of the child. The European Council has also criticized [European Council resolution] Frances use of corporal punishment on children, saying in March 2015, that it is a violation of Article 17 Section 1 of the Charter. The European Council noted that this same violation was found in 2003, 2005, and 2011.
Related Hamas leader says relations with Cairo have improved

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya returned to Gaza Friday after five months abroad, an AFP reporter said, praising improving ties with neighbours Egypt.

Haniya, Gaza head of the Islamist movement, left in September to perform the Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, returning via Gulf countries and Egypt, where he sought to mend frayed relations.

"The movement's delegation completed a successful visit to Egypt," a Hamas statement read, saying they had a series of "fruitful" meetings with Egyptian officials, including head of general intelligence Khaled Fawzy.

Upon his return home in the Shaati refugee camp west of Gaza city, Haniya told journalists the relationship with Egypt was improving.

"(Hamas) will continue to develop this relationship and strengthen it," he said.

It was Haniya's first trip outside Gaza since the isolation and eventual overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's Islamist president and Hamas ally, in 2013.

Relations between Egypt and Hamas soured following Morsi's overthrow and the subsequent election of President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi.

Egypt's army largely closed the border with Gaza after El-Sisi's rise to power citing security concerns.

However, Egypt has periodically opened the crossing on a number of occasions for humanitarian reasons.

The army also destroyed dozens of illegal trade tunnels between north Sinai and Gaza, saying the tunnels were used by militants to carry out attacks on Egyptian security forces.

However, relations between the Islamist Palestinian faction and El-Sisi's government have improved in the past year and the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is due to open Saturday for a few days.

Hamas has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 after a near civil war with rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

More than 1.5 million Palestinians in the strip have lived under an Israeli siege since 2006.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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[JURIST] Military courts in Lebanon are trying civilians, including children, in matters regarding political activism and protest against the government, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported [HRW report] Thursday. HRW said that 14 individuals who protested the 2015 waste management crisis are facing up to three years when their case goes before a military court on Monday. HRW argues this use of military courts [backgrounder] violates Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [text], which states, trials of civilians by military or special courts should be exceptional, i.e. limited to cases where the State party can show that resorting to such trials is necessary and justified by objective and serious reasons, and where  regular civilian courts are unable to undertake the trials. According to HRW, these military courts have previously used torture tactics to extract confessions from both adult and child defendants, interrogated defendants in the absence of a lawyer and handed down decisions without providing explanations. According to the Union for Protection of Juveniles in Lebanon [official website], military courts tried 355 Lebanese children in 2016.

The Lebanese military court system has a broad range of jurisdiction over civilians, including matters that relate to weapon possession, espionage, treason, and any conflicts arising between military personnel or employees of the Ministry of Defense [official website, in Arabic] and civilians. Many of the judges appointed to military courts by the Ministry of Defense do not require a law degree. According to HRW, this structure undermines the Lebanese peoples right to a fair trail. In 2006 military courts began prosecuting [HRW report] prominent human rights lawyers on slander charges for having challenged the use of military courts on civilians. In 2008, HRW began documenting instances of torture [HRW report] of defendants by military personnel. Although the Lebanese Parliament established [HRW report] a National Human Rights Institute to curtail the use of torture in October, such practices are still in use.
The Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) [official website] confirmed [press release] Thursday that it had arrested a Constitutional Court [official website] judge in an investigation involving three other suspects and as many as 10 other detainments. The investigation surrounds allegations that the judge and another official accepted bribes from the two remaining suspects in return for favorable rulings. The KPK intends to request [Reuters report] that the judge be removed from his position.

The battle against corruption has been an international struggle. Earlier this week Transparency International reported [JURIST report] on a strong correlation between corruption and social exclusion worldwide. Also this month Indias Supreme Court threw out [JURIST report] a corruption case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That same month Thailands National Reform Steering Committee, which is appointed by the military, proposed a new law on stating that Thai officials convicted of corruption involving more than 1 billion baht (USD $28 million) would be eligible for the death penalty [JURIST report]. Again in January Chinas President Xi Jinping declared that the nations battle against corruption [JURIST report] must go deeper, stressing the need for the Communist Party to be governed systematically, creatively and efficiently.
An international lawyer alleged on Thursday that she was attacked by two Dutch police officers due to her race, leaving her in the hospital. The American lawyer, Chaka Laguerre, claims [Independent report] that she was brutalised, arrested and thrown into jail after two officers stopped her Tuesday morning for walking her bike across the road on a red light. The police department in The Hague [official website], where Laguerre works at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website], has denied [POLITIE report] these allegations, claiming that it was necessary to take Laguerre to the police station because she kept resisting. The police intend to file a complaint with the ICJ over Laguerres allegations. Lagueere posted her complaint about the officers treatment on Facebook. She contends that after being stopped and unable to provide the police with adequate ID, she was beaten up and dragged into the car. The police in return state that Laguerre attempted to escape the grip of the police and kept resisting. The police also claim that they have CCTV footage of the entire incident.

The use of racial profiling by law enforcement officials has been an ongoing topic of discussion. In October 2015 California Governor Jerry Brown signed a new bill [JURIST report] meant to curb racial profiling and the use of excessive force. That August Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced [JURIST report] plans to issue new guidelines significantly limiting the use of racial profiling in policing as an effort to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In 2014 the UN Committee Against Torture urged the US [report, PDF] to open investigations [JURIST report] into all cases of police brutality and excessive use of force by police officers. The committee expressed concern over the use of force against certain people and the use of racial profiling by police and immigration offices, among other tactics used by law enforcement.
[JURIST] A Kenyan court on Thursday ordered doctors to end a strike or risk being sent to jail. The union protest has lasted for more than six weeks and has sent the hospital system into a crisis [NPR report]. Justice Helen Wasilwa had declared the strike illegal, but thousands of doctors, part of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union, continued to defy the government. The protests stem from a demand to fulfill a 2013 agreement of a pay raise, review of working conditions and promotions criteria, and hiring of more staff. There have been ongoing negotiations between the union and government during the strike, with the Kenyan government stating only a 40 percent pay raise would be possible.

Kenya has faced criticism for its treatment of protesters, though this strike has been peaceful. In November a group of UN human rights experts condemned reported violence [JURIST report] against anti-corruption protesters and journalists in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. President Uhuru Kenyatta has particularly come under fire for violence against protesters. Last year the ICC withdrew charges [JURIST report] against Kenyatta, who was accused of crimes against humanity for post-election violence, but indicated it would renew the charges if presented with enough evidence. In response to the charges against Kenyatta, the African Union unanimously resolved [JURIST report] in 2013 that African heads of state should be immune from prosecution by the ICC. Also in 2013 Kenyas National Assembly approved a motion [JURIST report] to leave the ICC.
[JURIST] Turkish citizens hae filed 5,363 cases in the European Court of Human Rights [official website] over a purge carried out by the Turkish government in response to Julys coup, according to the president of the court, Guido Raimondi [official profile]. At a press conference on Thursday, Raimondi said [press release, PDF] that the number of cases from Turkey had dramatically increased since the failed coup. Including the other 2,945 cases filed by Turks [EurActiv report] unrelated to the coup, the number of cases from Turkey has quadrupled since 2015. However, Raimondi praised Ankaras decision to establish a special committee to hear complaints.

Tensions between Turkey and the EU have heightened since Turkeys crackdown following the attempted coup to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since then the government has dismissed [JURIST report] 10,000 civil servants with links to the plotters of coup. In September Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said [JURIST report] that approximately 32,000 people had been arrested in relation to the coup attempt, and 70,000 had been questioned. In November Erdogan threatened [JURIST report] to send a new wave of migrants to Europe following a vote to halt negotiation [JURIST report] over EU membership. On Thursday a top Greek court ruled against extradition [JURIST report] of eight Turkish soldiers. This was the final decision after lower courts in December said only three soldiers should remain in Greece [JURIST report].
A Pakistani man who was convicted of killing a cleric in 2002 can be executed [judgment, PDF], according to the Supreme Court of Pakistan [official website] Friday, despite having been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The court stayed the execution [press release] of Imdad Ali last October as his wife, Safia Bano, appealed the conviction on the grounds that he required treatment in order to be mentally competent and prepare a will before his execution . Relying on precedent from a 1988 ruling [judgment] of the Supreme Court in neighboring India, the Pakistani court determined that schizophrenia was not a permanent mental disorder. Four experts from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] urged [statement] Pakistani authorities not to execute Ali, and to retry him in compliance with international standards regarding mental illness.

Human rights and mental health activists have followed this case [JURIST report] closely, noting that Ali could be executed by hanging at anytime unless his case is retried. Capital punishment [JURIST op-ed] remains a controversial issue in Pakistan as well as worldwide. In October the US Supreme Court vacated [JURIST report] the death sentence of an Oklahoma man convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two children in a case where the trial judge permitted family members to recommend the sentence to the jury. Earlier that month, a group of UN human rights experts spoke on the subject of the death penalty and terrorism, calling the death penalty ineffective [JURIST report], and often times illegal, in deterring to terrorism.
[JURIST] Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello [official Twitter] signed into law on Thursday a heavily-debated labor reform bill [materials, in Spanish]. The bill, known as the Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act, was enacted to stimulate the economy and create employment, but critics have raised concern that it infringes on workers rights. The law provides for flex-time work schedules and daily overtime rates at time-and-a-half. However, it also places a reduced limit on Christmas bonuses, caps the amount of damages attainable in employment discrimination cases and reduces the amount of time to file an unjust dismissal or wage claim. Rossello was sworn into office on Monday and is taking swift moves to bring the island out of economic crisis including a 12 percent unemployment rate.

Labor issues and workers rights have been at issue worldwide. The Supreme Court of Missouri ruled [JURIST] this month that the Kansas City Board of Commissioners must place a minimum wage proposal on the upcoming ballot. Also in January the Sixth Circuit recently waded into uncharted waters with its decision to uphold a Kentucky county right to work ordinance, rejecting [JURIST op-ed] the firmly grounded understanding of the language of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Starting on January 1, French companies are now required [JURIST report] to guarantee employees a right to disconnect from technology, in an effort to combat the always-on mentality pervading our modern workforce. In November a judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction [JURIST report] blocking an overtime reform rule that was to be implemented next week.
[JURIST] The UK Ministry of Justice [official website] released figures [text, PDF] Thursday demonstrating a record number of suicides and other deaths in prisons in England and Wales in 2016. Many experts and politicians [Guardian report] have attributed the findings to overcrowding and a cut in funding and staffing. UK Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss [official profile] responded [press release] to the statistics:

Since becoming Justice Secretary, I have been clear that the violence, self-harm and deaths in our prisons are too high. I have taken immediate action to stabilise the estate.  These are long-standing issues that will not be resolved in weeks or months but our wholescale reforms will lay the groundwork to transform our prisons, reduce reoffending and make our communities safer.

In November Truss announced [BBC report] significant prison reforms to add officers, drug tests and more autonomy in the system.

Prisoner issues have been prominent across the world. Following a clemency order issued by President Pierre Nkurunziza, Burundis government began releasing [JURIST report] scores of prisoner earlier this month. Also this month Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that a referendum [JURIST report] on the governments plan to pardon thousands of prisoners was needed after thousands protested the proposal. The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii filed a complaint [JURIST report] with the US Department of Justice in January, stating that overcrowding in the state correctional facilities is resulting in violations of the prisoners Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. In December Bolivian President Evo Morales pardoned 1,800 prisoners [JURIST report] in a continued attempt to cut down on prison overcrowding.
The House of Commons of the UK Parliament [official websites] completed its first reading of HC Bill 132 [text, PDF] on Thursday in accordance with Article 50 [text] of the Lisbon Treaty, which would empower the prime minister to trigger Brexit. This development follows the UK Supreme Courts [official website] ruling [JURIST report] on Tuesday that the parliament must vote before the Brexit process can begin. Prime Minister Theresa May [official website] has further promised that she will begin the process of removing UK from the EU by March. The bill has the backing of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn [official website], who stated [FT report] that he will force his colleagues [members of parliament] to vote for the Article 50 bill through a strict three-line whip. The bill is scheduled to go before the House of Lords by the week beginning February 20, following which, it will be submitted for royal assent assuming that the upper house approves the bill. The targeted date of submission for royal assent is March 13.

A majority of UK voters expressed their desire to leave the EU [JURIST report] in June, leading to the resignation of former prime minster David Cameron. The EU has set out a mechanism for leaving in Article 50, where a member state may decide to withdraw from the union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements, and must notify the European council of its intention. Under Article 50, a member country can only be removed from the EU two years after notification. While Britain might bypass this process through repeal of the European Communities Act of 1972, it is believed that this would make coming to a preferential trade agreement with the EU more difficult.
The UN announced [UN News Centre report] on Thursday that the independent panel charged with assisting in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria will be headed by a senior judge or prosecutor with extensive experience in criminal investigation and prosecution. The head of the panel, which is officially called the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of those Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011, will be further assisted by a deputy and a secretariat. The panel is primarily charged with collecting, consolidating, preserving, and analyzing evidence of human rights violations, and facilitating and expediting independent criminal proceedings in accordance with standards of international law. The panel will be established in phases [UN correspondents note], and the new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres [official website] will name the head of the panel by the end of February.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution [JURIST report] last month, approved by a vote of 105-15, with 52 abstentions, establishing the panel. The panel will work closely with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council [official websites] in 2011. The war in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] continues to have a devastating impact, particularly for the war torn region of Aleppo. In December the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein [official profile] accused Syrian pro-government forces of going door to door and systematically killing civilians [JURIST report] in at least four Aleppo neighborhoods. The Russian/Syrian coalition committed war crimes in Aleppo during September and October, Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] said [JURIST report] in early December. Earlier this month UN officials urged [JURIST report] the international community to unite with the UN Security Council to protect civilians in the war-torn eastern Aleppo region of Syria. US Central Command concluded [JURIST report] in November that airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition near Dayr az Zawr, Syria, in September did not violate international law. Also in November a group of German lawyers announced [JURIST report] the filing of charges against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, alleging that he committed war crimes in Aleppo.
US President Donald Trump is expected to order up a new plan for defeating the Islamic State (IS) militants with expanded US military involvement as he makes his first visit to the Pentagon Friday.

Trump, who pledged to eradicate the extremist group during the presidential campaign, is reportedly preparing to direct new Defense Secretary James Mattis to more aggressively attack IS positions with the aim of defeating them more quickly.

That could mean more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria, according to analysts.

"We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice," Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the Islamist militant group.

"This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen."

After his predecessor Barack Obama took a longer term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces, "President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table," retired general David Barno told National Public Radio Friday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump will give the Pentagon 30 days to come up with a new set of options for a tougher campaign against IS.

The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as "advisors" -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight.

They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on IS's hold on the key city of Mosul.

The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of the part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighborhoods on the river's west bank.

According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armor and helicopters involved in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces.

Trump "could elect to put American boots on the ground on larger numbers," Barno said. "That all entails new uses of military power .... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties."

Trump promised during his presidential campaign to eliminate IS saying he had a secret plan to quickly defeat the group.

Last week, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would present Mattis with options to "accelerate the campaign" against IS.

"What is really important is first that we have a conversation about what we are doing today, why we are doing it, and what other things might be done and why we haven't done it to date," Dunford told reporters in Brussels.

Trump is also open to conducting joint operations with Russia against the IS in Syria, his spokesman said earlier this week.

"If there's a way we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it's Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we'll take it," press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

During his Pentagon visit, Trump is expected to sign executive orders limiting the flow of refugees into the United States and setting up "extreme vetting" of some migrants, according to CNN.

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South Africa-based avocado and fruits producer Westfalia Fruit has acquired a majority 51% stake in Peruvian fresh and processed fruits exporter Camet Trading for an undisclosed sum.

Camet said the deal will boost its plans to expand its clonal propagation nursery in Chilca, 76km south of Lima, Perus capital. The transaction will also open an experimental field and second clonal propagation nursery in La Libertad Region, in the north west of the country, as well as establish an additional avocado nursery for distribution to its producers in the southern Cuzco region, Camet said.

The acquisition will also help Camet develop new varieties of avocado, mango and citrus fruit and bring them to commercial production within three to four years, the company explained in a statement. With this in mind, we are investigating the development of 1,500 hectares of these crops in experimental fields at varying altitudes and in different regions of the country to identify the optimal areas. This strategic alliance between producers, marketers and importers creates a unique opportunity to continue growing as individuals and companies, while remaining globally prominent in terms of innovation.

Camet provides technical support to producers of Hass avocado and mangoes across more than 1,800 hectares in 14 regions around the country.

With the support of Westfalia Fruit, we will be able to include in our clonal propagation nurseries new varieties of avocado  including the GEM and Carmen varieties  as well as mango varieties of early and late production and new varieties of citrus and other fruit trees, Camet said.

Westfalia said it is a year-round supplier of fresh subtropical fruit and related products to international markets. The company grows avocados in its own orchards, sources produce from around the world and processes related products.
PepsiCo is launching dual-flavoured tortilla chips under its Doritos brand in the UK.

The new Doritos Heatburst, launched initially as a UK exclusive aims to push the limits of snacking to offer shoppers unrivalled flavour experiences with an unexpected taste transformation of two flavours on one tortilla chip, PepsiCo said.

The company is planning to launch the chips in other markets this year. Its a big launch for Doritos globally throughout 2017, but UK is the first market to launch, PepsiCo told just-food.

Doritos Heatburst is available in two varieties, BBQ and Chipotle Cream, in GBP1.00 (US$1.25) marked packs. PepsiCo said tastebuds are flooded with heat as mini chilli capsules burst when consumers crunch into the chips of either flavour.

The chips will be in all major retailers including the impulse channel, which will appear over the next month or so, PepsiCo said.

The new product follows the launch of Doritos Roulette, which contains randomly placed fiery hot tortilla chips hidden amongst tangy cheese chips.

PepsiCo marketing manager Andy Hawkswell said research by Mintel indicated two-thirds of users like to try new snacks and we know that chilli rates amongst the top 10 most popular flavour components and is growing in popularity with consumers looking for spicier snacks.

As a result, we expect this new dual flavour concept to generate real excitement, driving penetration and growing the category, Hawkswell said.

Earlier this month, PepsiCo launched its international tortilla chip Doritos brand in India.
Islamist Shabaab fighters attacked a Kenyan military base in southern Somalia on Friday in their latest assault on foreign and national army outposts.

The attack on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) base at Kolbiyow, close to the Kenyan border in Somalia's Lower Juba region, began with suicide truck bombers blasting their way into the camp, followed by militants attacking from different directions.

Shabaab claimed in a statement to have overrun the base, captured military vehicles and equipment and to have killed scores of Kenyan soldiers.

"Fighters have taken control of the base and the overall Kolbiyow area after massacring the Kenyan infidels," the statement said.

KDF spokesman Paul Njuguna denied the base had been overrun, but gave no casualty figures.

"We are engaging the enemy and we have actually repulsed them, but it is ongoing," Njuguna said.

Shabaab frequently overstates the death toll from its attacks while Kenya commonly underplays its losses.

In January last year a Kenyan base at El-Adde was attacked and overrun by Shabaab fighters who claimed to have killed over 100 Kenyan soldiers. The government never gave its own toll.

The Shabaab, which once controlled much of Somalia, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.

It launches regular attacks on government, military and civilian targets and has carried out a series of deadly assaults against foreign soldiers deployed in Somalia as part of an African Union force.

On Tuesday at least 28 people were killed when Shabaab bombers and fighters attacked a hotel in the capital.

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New Jersey, 01/27/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

Opioids are driving this national tragedy, with nearly 19,000 overdose deaths related to pain relievers and more than 10,500 related to heroin in 2014 alone. Four out of five heroin users began with prescription painkillers. As the rate of opioid abuse continues to escalate, so does the rate of heroin abuse. Today, the country is experiencing a frightening surge in opioid abuse and overdose deaths.

People Using Heroin the Most

Heroin use has increased across nearly every demographic group. Surprisingly, the groups that traditionally were the least likely to use heroin  women, people with higher incomes, and the privately insured  have seen the greatest increases. High school students, especially seniors, are at a greater risk of abusing opioids and heroin than ever, with 12.4% of seniors admitting to lifetime nonmedical opioid use. According to surveys, Caucasian high school students were more likely to report nonmedical opioid and heroin use than African American and Latino students were. However, Caucasian students were less likely than the other two groups to use heroin without nonmedical opioid use.

People between the ages of 18 and 25 are most at risk of heroin addiction. Heroin use among this age bracket has more than doubled in the last 10 years. This increase may be attributable to the easy access of prescription painkillers and heroin, as well as heroins lower cost. As more young people misuse prescription opioids with the impression that they are safer than illicit drugs, the number of heroin users likewise escalates. Other risk factors for heroin abuse include:

Prescription painkiller addiction

Cocaine addiction

Alcohol addiction

Lack of insurance or Medicaid

Living in a large metropolitan region

Male non-Hispanic demographic

Urban areas still have the highest rates of heroin abuse, but rural communities are quickly catching up. The influx in heroin and opioid abusers in rural areas across America has led policymakers to try to make addiction treatment centers more easily available to citizens who live far away from the nearest metropolitan help center.

Areas With The Most Rampant Heroin Use

The Midwest has seen the most drastic increase in heroin abuse, closely rivaled by the Northeast. Nearly every state has experienced a rise in heroin use in the last decade, but some states are seeing higher rates of abuse than others are. Ten states saw drug overdose death rates that exceeded 20 deaths per 100,000 people in 2014  the highest year on record for the number of overdose deaths  the top three of which were West Virginia, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. West Virginia had 35 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, an increase of 437% since 2004.

Death Toll And Other Costs

An estimated 467,000 people are currently addicted to heroin in the United States. The consequences of this significant issue are immense and devastating. The number of accidental overdose deaths has more than quadrupled since 1999, resulting in an unquantifiable loss in premature deaths. The U.S. takes a hit for lost productivity costs, health care costs, unemployment, crime rates, homelessness, and treatment center costs. The estimated annual cost to American of all drug abuse is $786 billion.

Heroin use also affects unborn children, leading to an increase in societal medical costs. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) greatly increases the length of a newborns hospital stay, from an average of 2.1 days to 16.9 days. This increases the cost of birth from $3,500 on average to $66,700 per child born with NAS. While NAS typically does not have lasting health effects, babies born with drug dependencies have to undergo the painful symptoms of withdrawal, just as an adult would.

The Future Of Americas Heroin Epidemic

The issue of substance abuse in America involves many facets of public policy, including border security, the criminal justice system, and health care regulations. The federal government provides educational training to health care providers so they prescribe the appropriate amount of painkillers. Providers must also educate patients on the risks of becoming addicted to prescription opioids and their use as gateway drugs for heroin and other substances.

Increasing access to treatment centers is a top priority, as there is currently a deficit between the number of beds available and the number of addicts seeking treatment. Researchers need more funding to create pain medications that are less prone to addiction and create treatments for heroin addictions that are more effective.

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source: https://www.serenityatsummit.com/blog/tracking-numbers-regarding-u-s-heroin-epidemic/

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Photo Credit: Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Lisbon is an alluring city any time of year, so why not celebrate the beginning of 2017 there? Its similar in many ways to San Franciscoseven hills, stunning bridges, dynamic neighborhoods, great food and wonderful people. A destination unto itself, its also very close to wine country, beaches and mountains. Plan to invest several days to enjoy what the city has to offer. Here are highlights from a recent trip.

Where to Stay

Settle in at the Pousada de Lisboa, which is one of many Small Luxury Hotels (SLH). You wont beat the location in the historic center right off the Praca do Comercio, which is close to shopping, restaurants and transportation with views of the Tagus River.

The Pousadas de Portugal are members of a national organization that showcase traditional Portuguese buildings classified as national monuments. This Pousada, housed in an old Pombaline building (an architectural style introduced in the 18th century during Lisbons rebirth after the earthquake), served as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and also housed the office of Salazarthe countrys infamous dictator. It is adorned with amazing vaulted ceilings, sleek furniture and original artwork and sculpture from some of the citys museums. The rooms are similarly designed, some with views of the Praca scene. Find modern amenities, friendly service and a luxe feeling throughout.

After a long day exploring the city, relax in the spa or at the pool. A stunning atrium is the setting for an indulgent European buffet breakfast with Iberian ham, smoked salmon and champagne in addition to other delicacies.

Photo Credit: Small Luxury Hotels of the World

The Internacional Design Hotel is located off bustling Rossio Square also in the city center. This upscale, luxury boutique hotel has rooms with a view of the historic square. Find a colorful, urban-chic design, ample space and high-tech amenities in the rooms. The breakfast buffet offers traditional fare and specialty Portuguese breads, sweets and other items.

Photo Credit: Bo Links

Where to Shop & Play

Lisbon, like San Francisco, is a terrific walking city, hills and all, though there are elevators up and down many of the hills. Must sees include:

Miraduoros: With more than 30 citywide, youll always find a fabulous view and local cafe at these spots nestled throughout the neighborhoods. Each one is different, but youll always find traditional blue and white tiles (azulejos) as well as colorful laundry hanging outside the nearby buildings.

Praca do Comercio: This massive square overlooks the Tagus River, the 25th of April bridge and has proudly displayed the equestrian sculpture of King Dom Jose I in its center since the city was rebuilt in the wake of the 1755 earthquake. The bustling square is bordered on three sides by shimmering yellow and white facades, walkways and arches overhead.

Lisbon Story Centre: Located on one side of the Praca, find an interactive multimedia space dedicated to the history of Lisbon.

Photo Credit: Bo Links

25th of April Bridge: A suspension bridge built by the same company that also constructed the Oakland Bay Bridge, which many people confuse with the Golden Gate Bridge because of its brilliant red color. Spans the Tagus River from Lisbon to the south.

Castelo d S. Jorge: A National Monument that sits atop one of Lisbons many hills. This majestic Moorish castle offers a vibrant history (built in the 11th century and home to royalty) with knock-out views across the city and its surroundings.

Photo Credit: Bo Links

Rua Augusta Arch: This grand, neoclassical arch joins Praca do Comercio with the main pedestrian shopping street, Rua Augusta and the Baixa neighborhood. The massive historical building is richly adorned with cornices, Coats of Arms and sculpted figures. Take the stairs to the top for brilliant views.

Douro Azul Cruises: Famed artist Joana Vasconcelas transformed the former ferryboat, Trafaria Praia, into a work of art. From the hand-painted tiles on the exterior to the underwater gallery below, youll be mesmerized by her skills. Climb aboard for a cruise up and down the Tagus with incredible views of Lisbon, the 25th of April Bridge, Belem and more.

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum: This phenomenal private art collection is considered to be one of the worlds best. From the masterpieces of Ruben and Rembrandt to the Impressionists, Lalique jewelry, ornate furniture and Greco-Roman art, its not to be missed.

Belem: A short ride outside the city center and situated at the mouth of the Tagus River, it once was an important location in defense of the region. Today, tourists are drawn to the area to see UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the Belem Tower, built in the 15th Century to protect the river from hostile ships and the Jeronimos Monastery, a 16th century tribute to Portuguese expansion and the sea route to India. Pasteis de Belem is world famous for flaky egg tarts.

Photo Credit: Bo Links

Trams and Lifts: A great way to get around, the historic cable cars offer an insiders view of the neighborhoods, the monuments and the hilltops. Lifts provide a respite up and down some of the steepest hills.

Lisbon Card: Makes visiting museums, historic buildings and riding the trams easy. The cards offer options depending on your length of stay.

Portuguese Pavement: You cant help but notice the mosaics  distinctive small black and white stones formed in beautiful pictures and patterns throughout the city.

Ginjinha: A traditional Portuguese liqueur made from ginja berries (sour cherries) infused with alcohol, then mixed with sugar and other ingredients. Popular in Lisbon, but also in the town of Obidos at Ginja dObidos.

Fado: Lisbon is a late night city. Each neighborhood has a distinctive vibe, but Fado music is a constant found everywhere. Dont miss the melancholy sounds at places like Tasca do Chico and Maria da Mouraria.

Photo Credit: Bo Links

Where to Dine

Have fun eating your way through Lisbons dynamic food scene. From traditional neighborhood tabernas to petiscos (tapas), wine bars and gelaterias, there are plenty of options. Regional cuisines specialize in shellfish and fish (bacalhau), breads, pork, lamb, sweets and more.

By The Wine: This stunning wine bar (the vaulted ceiling is lined with several thousand empty wine bottles) is located on the popular Rua das Flores. A local favorite, savor the food paired with wine exclusively from Jose Maria da Fonseca. Taste Portuguese varietals grown in Setubal, the Alentejo and the Douro with food from the same regions. Specialties include oysters, Iberico ham, cheeses, shrimp, carpaccio and other delicacies.

Mercado de Campo de Ourique: At the end of the always-packed 28 Tram ride and the calmer 25, find this wonderful neighborhood enclave. Comprised of both markets and restaurants, its always a hot gathering spot. Filled with artisanal products and foods, choose from your favorite purveyor (or two or three), find a seat at a table and enjoy your spoils! Find wine, charcuterie, pork sandwiches, carpaccio, sushitheres even a gin corner. Other upscale markets around Lisbon include:

Sol e Pesca: This tiny spot, decorated with fishing rods, buoys and nets, only serves fish from a can, (i.e. sardines, tuna, mackerel and much more) which are all considered delicacies in Portugal.

Taberna da Rua das Flores: Get here early to snag a table at this charming local spot. Food is expertly prepared and delicious, so be sure to try favorites such as the mackerel tartare served only as a late afternoon petisco.

Hotel Mundials Panoramic Lounge Bar: Head straight to the top floor at sunset for the best rooftop bar in Lisbon. Take in knock-out views of the city sites while sipping cocktails and sharing tasty bites.

Gelato Davvero: Its worth the wait for rich gelato or refreshing sorbet from this popular spot.
US President Donald Trump will hold telephone talks Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House said Friday.

Trump is hosting British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House on Friday to discuss post-Brexit trade ties and inject new momentum into the "special relationship" between the United States and Britain.

"Getting the most out of the 1st full week -- tomorrow @POTUS will speak by phone with leaders of France, Germany and Russia," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Twitter.

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EU countries must do more to stop the trafficking of unaccompanied migrant children, some of whom are suffering sexual abuse, the bloc's migration commissioner warned Friday.

EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos urged politicians in the 28 member states to go against a rising tide of populism on the continent and speak out on the subject of young migrants.

"Many children are in the hands of smugglers, traffickers," Avramopoulos told a conference in Malta after EU interior ministers met to discuss the migration crisis. "Many are sexually abused."

"If we don't bring public opinion on board, we will not succeed because these children are on the streets of our cities," he added.

Avramopoulos, whose native Greece has been hardest hit by the wave of refugees and migrants fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere, said that EU countries "must take up their responsibilities."

"Some politicians are good in rhetoric but not in doing things," he told the conference, organised by the Brussels-based NGO Missing Children Europe.

EU data shows that around 90,000 unaccompanied children entered Europe in 2015 among a record number of asylum seekers.

The European police agency Europol caused a stir a year ago when it announced that some 10,000 migrant children had gone missing, raising alarm that many of them could have fallen into the hands of traffickers for labour, sexual or criminal exploitation.

Heidi de Pauw of Missing Children Europe told the conference that politicians had to "lead" efforts to change views about migrants at a time when right-wing anti-immigration parties are on the rise.

"We have to admit public opinion is not in favour of migration," de Pauw said.

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US President Donald Trump on Friday played down talk that he might quickly lift sanctions on Russia, as he stepped onto the global stage alongside Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May.

Britain is a strong supporter of maintaining international pressure on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine, and Trump took a cautious line at their first joint news conference.

Trump has also come under withering attack at home from hawkish critics in Congress, worried that his stated desire to become friends with President Vladimir Putin might weaken US resolve.

But the new US leader plans to have a telephone conversation with Putin on Saturday, and his aides say he is re-considering the sanctions regime.

"We'll see what happens as far as the sanctions -- very early to be talking about that," Trump said, welcoming May to the White House as the first foreign leader to visit since he was sworn in a week ago.

May took a sterner line, insisting that Putin must live up to the Minsk Agreements that would put an end to Russian military interference in Ukraine.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented, and we've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," she said.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer had earlier announced on Twitter that Trump plans to talk to Putin, France's President Francois Hollande and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel over the weekend.

France and Germany brokered the Minsk Agreement between Russia and Ukraine and have been pressuring both sides to live up to it.

Appearing on Fox News, Trump's senior advisor Kellyanne Conway said the new commander-in-chief was indeed considering lifting sanctions on Russia.

"All of that is under consideration," she said.

"If another nation that has considerable resources wishes to join together with the United States of America to try to defeat and eradicate radical Islamic terrorism, then we're listening."

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would congratulate Trump on his inauguration.

But he refused to comment on rumors that Trump might already be gearing up to roll back the measures that have helped drive ties to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

"This is the first contact by phone since President Trump assumed office so it is hardly likely there will be substantive contact on all issues. Let's be patient," Peskov said.

On Thursday, in a speech to US Republican lawmakers, May had suggested Washington engage Putin but be wary of him.

Trump has sparked concerns among Washington's European allies and foreign policy hawks at home by repeatedly declaring his desire to forge closer ties with Moscow.

He won the presidency amid charges that Russia interfered in last year's election on his behalf, in part by hacking the emails of top officials in his rival Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Republicans in Congress have warned against softening Washington's stance on Putin.

"He should remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn," Senator John McCain said.

Of talk of lifting the sanctions, McCain said: "I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course.

"If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law," he added.

The Trump-Putin call will be their first official contact since the Republican took office a week ago.

The pair spoke by telephone in November, shortly after Trump's election victory and, according to the Kremlin, "declared the need for active joint work to normalize" ties.

Today there are several sets of sanctions on Russia, including the Magnitsky Act, which Congress passed in 2012 to punish corrupt officials.

Such legislation would be difficult to repeal, but sanctions imposed over Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea could be rolled back with a stroke of Trump's pen.

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LINCOLN  No Limits, Nebraskas youth-led tobacco prevention movement, is accepting applications to participate in the No Limits Kick Butts Day Rally March 1415 in Lincoln.

According to a No Limits press release, the event is open to Nebraska 12-18 year olds in grades seven-12.

Participants will plan and prepare for the rally during a workshop on March 14. The No Limits Kick Butts Day event on March 15 includes a march from downtown Lincoln to the rally site on the steps of the Nebraska State Capitol. Participants will meet with state senators before the march to discuss how tobacco is affecting Nebraska teens.

The No Limits Kick Butts Day Rally is free for accepted applicants, and includes lodging, food and transportation to and from Lincoln. Groups are encouraged to have an adult sponsor, but sponsors are not required.

The application deadline is Feb. 15. More information and application forms are available at NoLimitsNebraska.com or by calling 866-FYI-TEEN (866-394-8336) or info@NoLimitsNebraska.com.
LEXINGTON  A Lexington teenager allegedly involved in an armed robbery in May asked District Judge James Doyle to transfer his case to juvenile court Tuesday.

Luis Alfredo Rodriquez is accused of burglary, a Class III felony, and first-degree false imprisonment, a Class IIIA felony, in the robbery of a rural Lexington home.

Doyle took the motion for transfer under advisement. Rodriquez was 16 at the time. He has been held on cash bond of $50,000 since his arrest May 29.

Walter G. Rojas-Argueta allegedly accompanied him. The victims told investigators the pair made off with $5,000, a rifle and a cell phone. Rojas-Argueta said they took $30 and the rifle.

Before leaving, Rodriquez and Argueta-Rojas forced their victims into a basement, but their vehicle was identified. It was reported to Lexington police and Dawson County sheriffs officers. Police stopped the vehicle, and the pair were arrested.

Rojas-Argueta, 27, is scheduled for a jury trial Dec. 13. His case has been delayed twice on motions to negotiate a plea bargain.

He is charged with two counts of robbery, Class II felonies; use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class IC felony; burglary, a Class III felony; first-degree false imprisonment, a Class III felony; and possession of methamphetamine, a Class IV felony.

Rojas-Argueta is being held under a cash bond of $500,000.

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LINCOLN (AP)  School choice activists rallied at the Capitol on Thursday to urge Nebraska lawmakers to approve a tax credit that would reimburse donors for every dollar they give to scholarship funds that send students to private schools.

The gathering drew hundreds of private school students, administrators and advocacy groups as a part of National School Choice Week, a campaign to promote public school alternatives such as charter schools and homeschooling.

In a speech to students at the rally, Gov. Pete Ricketts praised Nebraskas public schools but said the state should provide more choices to families.

The more we give kids opportunities and more ways to learn, the more successful you will all be, he said.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would add Nebraska to a list of 17 states with similar tax credits, including Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota. Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion said he introduced the measure to help more families afford a private education, but opponents say its just a backdoor way to provide state funding for private schools.

The state would cap the total amount of tax credits at $10 million in 2018, an amount that would increase annually if more than 90 percent of the tax credits are claimed in the previous year.

The proposal is about recognizing that all families should have the opportunity to provide the best kind opportunity for their children, Smith said in testimony to the Legislatures Revenue Committee.

John Bonaiuto, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Association of School Boards, said the organization opposes the tax credit and believes it would likely expand dramatically if it passes.

The bill is not about public vs. private or parochial schools, he said. Parents right now have this choice. ... Public schools are always available to all children.

Jayleesha Cooper, an eighth grader at Holy Name School in Omaha, said her mother moved her out of the citys public schools after second grade because she wasnt reaching her potential as a student.

There are many kids just like me who want to find a school thats a better fit for them, she said. But they dont have that opportunity.

Two senators on the eight-member committee took issue with the proposal.

The states really reimbursing those donations, Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said. On April 15, when the taxpayer writes that (tax) check, he gets back that donation.

Schumacher also expressed concern that lawmakers could have a tough time keeping track of the tax credits cost because future senators may not realize they exist.

Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha said the $10 million in tax credits would reduce the state money available to pay for public schools, corrections programs and social services. He also questioned whether the bill would allow participating schools to discriminate based on gender or sexual orientation. Smith said the proposal bans discrimination based on race, color or national origin, but doesnt address other groups.
Lets stop acting like wounded innocents. The U.S. has been big-footing around the globe for more than a century. We have influenced elections in other countries and when that didnt work, we have deposed leaders who did not support our interests. Prominent examples include intervening several times in Central America and supporting coups that replaced elected leaders with dictators in Iran, Congo and Chile.

Russias motivations are clear. Last May, I participated in the Dartmouth Conference, a U.S./Russian exchange that has been going on since the Eisenhower administration. During meetings in Zavidovo, Russia, and Moscow, my Russian counterparts made clear that they preferred Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton. We can do business with him, one of the oligarchs said.

What he didnt say at that meeting, but what U.S. participants knew from several previous discussions, were three things.

First, the Russians resented Bill Clinton for the NATO expansion of the 1990s, which Russians viewed both as a threat to their security and as an effort to humiliate Russia. Second, Russians disliked Hillary Clinton because they believed that she was part of an Obama administration effort to effect regime change in Russia. My U.S. colleagues and I thought this was crazy, but most of our Russian counterparts seemed to believe it, and President Vladimir Putin acted on it. Third, the Russians saw Trump as a rube who could be swayed by flattering words and profitable deals for his company.

I would put Rep. John Lewiss point about the president-elects legitimacy this way: Whether Russia actually succeeded in swaying the election, the fact that they tried to do so weakens Trumps moral claim to the presidency. Lewis may have had another reason to challenge Trumps legitimacy: voter suppression laws that may have kept tens of thousands of African-Americans and Hispanics from voting in Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and other states.

Trump has fulfilled the Russians wildest fantasies by helping to undermine his own legitimacy. Rather than accept the intelligence findings and express serious concern about Russias actions, he has denigrated the intelligence community.

His refusal to release his tax returns means that suspicions about his financial dealings, including possible debts to the oligarchs, will linger throughout his presidency. And his failure to relinquish a financial interest in his company means that whenever he makes a decision, millions of Americans will ask, How much is he getting out of this?

Russia is not likely to relent in its efforts to influence U.S. politics any more than the U.S. is likely to stop trying to influence politics in other countries.

In recent decades, the U.S. has developed norms  laws and social conventions  to protect the integrity of our elections and to ensure that our elected leaders decisions are not corrupted by personal financial interests. Trump has refused to follow those norms. To the contrary, he seems to have profited from violating them.

As a result, he invites reservations about the legitimacy of his presidency and he invites accusations that his decisions are corrupt.

Edwin Dorn is a professor of public policy at the University of Texas at Austin and a former under-secretary in the Department of Defense. eddorn@mail.utexas.edu
with Wendi Starling and Stephen Spinola  Chemdas deterioration; Christmas tree removal; Wendis john update; Trumps crackdown on imaginary voter fraud and the building of The Wall; Stephen calls to explain the Barron Trump tweet fallout; celebrity nude hacker receives 9 months jail time; KATG polls

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The traditional concept of filial duty is fading amongst Koreans, and the family no longer functions as the social safety net it once was, a comprehensive survey suggests.

In the survey by Statistics Korea last year among 37,000 people over 13 or more, only 33.2 percent said children should take care of their retired parents. This is a huge drop from 40.7 percent as late as 2008.

At the time, only 11.9 percent said people should be responsible for themselves in retirement, but that rose to 13.9 percent last year.

In a similar survey in 2008, some 46.6 percent of respondents said their parents took care of their own living expenses, increasing slightly to 48.9 percent in 2012. The proportion who said they are paying for some or all of their parents living costs shrank apace, from 52.9 percent to 50.7 percent.

More people instead feel the need for a wider and stronger social safety net from the government. In 2008, 43.6 percent said that more extensive government support for elderly people is required. Last year, that had risen to 48.7 percent.

There is also a growing gap between generations in how they see the role of the family. While 36.6 percent of the people aged 65 or more said children should help with living costs of their parents, only 30.3 percent of those in their 30s agreed.

People with a lower household income were unsurprisingly less willing to look after their parents. Among those with a monthly household income of less than W1 million (US$1=W1,083), 17.1 percent said parents should take care of themselves, compared to only 12.1 percent among those who earned W4-5 million.
Mexico's president has canceled a planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, deepening the rift between the two countries over Trump's announced border wall.

President Enrique Pena Nieto announced on Twitter that he would not attend Tuesday's planned visit at the White House.

Speaking from a congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia later on Thursday, Trump said the two leaders agreed to cancel the meeting because it would be "fruitless" if Mexico won't agree to pay for the wall.

"The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week," Trump said. "Unless Mexico treats the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, third from left, attends a meeting with Syria's opposition members in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. Lavrov said at the start of his Friday's meeting that the negotiations previously set for Feb. 8 have been postponed until the end of the month. He didn't elaborate on reasons behind the delay. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
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If you Google misophonia you might be shocked to find numerous articles discussing the tragic suicide of 52-year-old Russian-born scholar, Dr. Michelle Lamarche Marrese. Journalist Joyce Cohen was the first to report Marreses suicide in the New York Post piece She could hear everything and it cost her her life. Cohen explains that she and Marrese had been corresponding about Marreses struggles with misophonia for over 14 months, and that in her last correspondence to Cohen, Marrese stated, Forgive the intrusion and the outpouring. I have left your name for my husband. If I cant stand any more agony, at least you can write about me.

Misophonia (termed by Drs. Pawel and Margaret Jastreboff of Emory University in 2001) is characterized by heightened physical tension and negative emotional reactivity in response to decreased tolerance for specific sounds. Sounds can be soft or loud, and are often pattern-based. Typical sounds that trigger aversive responding include chewing, pencil tapping, breathing, keyboard clicking, throat-clearing and more. Offending sounds often emanate from other people but may also come from animals and inorganic objects as well (e.g., rain tapping on the roof, clicking of turn-signal in car). Common physical reactions include increased heart-rate, sweating, and muscle tension. Emotional responsivity includes feeling overwhelmed, fear, panic, anger, rage, and the need to get away from the offending sound.

Misophonia is not a condition to belittle or to ignore. However, Maresses tragic suicide likely had to do with other factors in addition to the sounds that plagued her. Before her death, Maresses Facebook page was replete with despairing remarks about her husband, who after 30 years of marriage, had reportedly asked for a divorce. Some of Maresses comments included:

So I am being dumped after 30 years of taking care of him and being left alone

Our marriage vows are a joke  30 years of lies, I cannot live this way. Too much grief. I am suffering beyond words.

Friends and family assumed that Maresses suicide was related to her disintegrating marriage. However, journalist Cohen is certain Maresse committed suicide solely because of misophonia. According to Cohen, during the time of their intimate correspondence, Marrese wrote about the shrill noise that could be continually heard from the neighbors construction. Maresse also told Cohen that her husbands breathing and chewing was unbearable, and that she felt rebuffed by him. He did not understand her emotional struggle and they often fought. In addition, Maresse confided in Cohen that she was struggling to finish a book she had been working on for 13 years, felt trapped in her marriage due to finances, and suffered from migraine headaches.

As this story clearly illustrates, misophonia has received more attention in the press than it has in academic or medical studies (a problem perhaps not unique to it). Because of this, many people with the disorder are not properly diagnosed. We do not yet have a validated way to test for misophonia. Therefore, many people with misophonia may also have co-occurring depression, anxiety, or even underlying medical or developmental conditions that have not been identified.

Certainly, Ms. Cohen felt compelled to fulfill her confidantes last wish. However, the NY Post article and ones that have stemmed from it are causing unnecessary fear amongst people who have misophonia. Most notable, are the calls I and other misophonia providers and advocates have been receiving from concerned parents worried about the uncertain futures of their young children with misophonia. We hope this piece serves to clarify what is known, and what is not known about the disorder.

While the body of misophonia research is small there is agreement that:

Misophonia is real.

Misophonia varies in severity from mild to severe.

Many people cope and/or develop coping skills.

Others have greater difficulty and may have impaired social, academic or work-related functioning.

Underlying mechanisms are auditory and neurologically based with behavioral, cognitive, and emotional responses.

No single cause has been determined.

Misophonia is most likely related to atypical connectivity between auditory brain areas and the parts of the brain that process emotion.

One of the candidate brain areas that is highly likely to be involved is the amygdala, as it mediates autonomic (involuntary) nervous system arousal and fight/flight response.

There is not enough evidence to make conclusions about age of onset.

Academic or scientifically based genetic studies have not yet been done.

Specific co-occurrences with other disorders is unknown, although anxiety and obsessive personality disorder, and sensory processing disorder are suggested.

The best treatment at this stage includes a cross-disciplinary approach that is specific to each individuals needs.

Dr. Zach Rosenthal of Duke University states, Trigger sounds set off a domino effect, that begins with a physiological response that affects cognition, emotion, and behavior. He adds that Misophonia should not be classified as any specific type of disorder (i.e. psychiatric or auditory) but should be researched and conceptualized across multi-disciplinary fields such as audiology, psychology, neurology, neuroscience, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, etc.

In conclusion, those with misophonia (and their families and friends) should by no means assume that having misophonia is a suicide risk factor. In fact, suicide experts recently reported that predicting suicide, in general, is, unfortunately, more unreliable than had been previously thought. A recent review of 50 years of suicide research published by the American Psychological Association (November 16) reports that:

Despite major advances  our analyses showed that science could only predict future suicidal thoughts and behaviors about as well as random guessing. In other words, a suicide expert who conducted an in-depth assessment of risk factors would predict a patients future suicidal thoughts and behaviors with the same degree of accuracy as someone with no knowledge of the patient who predicted based on a coin flip 

Suicide should be never be taken lightly. However, it is a huge inferential leap to assume that Maresses tragic death was solely due to misophonia as Cohen reported. We need more research on the association of misophonia with mental illness, and how the combination of misophonia symptoms may or may not predispose individuals to self-harm or suicidal ideation. Cohen was left with an ominous mission and did what she felt was right. However, as much as we would all like more information as fast as possible, it is most important that we report and circulate accurate knowledge.

Jennifer Jo Brout is a psychologist. Barron H. Lerner is the author of The Good Doctor: A Father, A Son and the Evolution of Medical Ethics.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
As employers search for ways to lower their health care costs, theyre encouraging employees to sign up for a high-deductible health insurance policy paired with a health savings account. An HSA gives you a triple tax break: Your contributions are sheltered from income taxes, the money grows tax-deferred, and the funds can be withdrawn tax-free for medical expenses. Its like a supercharged flexible spending account that never expires, and it can even serve as an extra retirement-savings fund. Most employers also add a few hundred dollars to the accounts each year as a bonus. Below we answer your questions about how HSAs work and how to make the most of them.

How do I know if I can make HSA contributions? If your policy has a deductible of at least $1,300 for individual coverage and $2,600 for family coverage in 2016 and 2017, you may be eligible to contribute to an HSA. But not all high-deductible policies are HSA-eligible. The policy must also make everything subject to the same deductible (other than preventive care, which must be covered by all health plans without any deductible or cost-sharing). Some plans, for example, arent eligible because they have a separate deductible for prescription drugs. Ask your insurer or employer if the plan is HSA-eligible; plans arent always clearly marked, especially on the state exchanges.

How much can I contribute to an HSA? You can contribute up to $3,350 if you have self-only coverage in 2016, and $6,750 for family coverage. For 2017, you can contribute up to $3,400 for self-only coverage and $6,750 for family coverage. In both years, you can also make a $1,000 catch-up contribution if you're 55 or older anytime during the year. Your contributions are pretax if made through your employer or tax-deductible if youre on your own, and you can use the money tax-free for medical expenses in any year.

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You still have until April 18, 2017, to make HSA contributions for 2016. If you had an HSA-eligible policy for the full year, then you can contribute up to $3,350 for individual coverage or $6,750 for family coverage (plus $1,000 if you were 55 or older in 2016). If you had an HSA-eligible policy for only the first few months of the year, your contribution limit is based on the number of months you had the policy. But if you had the policy on December 1, 2016, you can make the full years contribution even if you didnt have the policy for the full year. However, in that situation, you must keep an HSA-eligible policy for all of 2017 in order to avoid a penalty.

Where can I open a health savings account? What should I look for in an HSA administrator? Many banks and brokerage firms offer health savings accounts, and you can open an account anywhere as long as you have an HSA-eligible health insurance policy. Most employers and insurers have relationships with specific HSA administrators, but you arent required to use their plan. However, there are benefits to sticking with the plan they offerit may streamline the claims-paying process, and it could be the only way to get an employer contribution. For example, employers offering Fidelity HSAs contribute an average of $860 a year to employees accounts; you could get even more if you participate in a wellness program.

You can search for HSA administrators using the HSASearch.com tool from consulting firm Devenir. Look for a plan with low fees and investment choices that match the way you plan to use the HSA. If you expect to use the money for current medical expenses, look for an HSA with a low-cost savings account and a debit card that makes it easy to tap the money.

But youll get the biggest tax benefit if you keep the money growing in the HSA for the long term and use other cash for current bills. In that case, look for an account that offers mutual funds or other long-term investment options. HSA Bank, for example, lets you invest in mutual funds, stocks, exchange-traded funds and other investments through a TD Ameritrade brokerage account. Health Savings Administrators offers 22 Vanguard funds, and several fund choices from TIAA, T. Rowe Price, Dimensional and MFS. Compare fees, and see if you can avoid any changes by maintaining a minimum balance.

If you choose to switch to a different HSA administrator, you can transfer the money; its similar to an IRA rollover.

What can I pay for with HSA money? Is there a time limit for using it? You can use the money tax-free for out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as your deductible, co-payments for medical care and prescription drugs, or bills not covered by insurance, such as vision and dental care.

Theres no time limit for using the money, and you can even use it tax-free for many medical expenses in retirement. You can reimburse yourself for the money that Social Security withholds from your benefits to pay Medicare Part B, and you can also make tax-free HSA withdrawals to pay Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage premiums (but not medigap premiums). You may also make tax-free withdrawals to cover a portion of long-term-care premiums based on your age ($4,090 per year if age 61 to 70, and $5,110 if older than 70 in 2017).

Can I contribute to an HSA after age 65? You can withdraw the HSA money tax-free for medical expenses at any age, but you can no longer contribute to an HSA after you sign up for Medicare.

You may be able to delay signing up for Medicare Part A and Part B if youre still working at age 65, which makes sense for some people if their employer contributes to their HSA. However, you may not be able to delay Medicare enrollment if you work for an employer with fewer than 20 employees or if you sign up for Social Security and are automatically enrolled in Medicare.

What happens if I want to use the money for non-medical expenses?

If you use the money for non-medical expenses before age 65, youll have to pay a 20% penalty plus taxes on the withdrawals. The penalty goes away after age 65, but youll still have to pay taxes if the withdrawals arent for eligible medical expenses.

Its much better to use the money for health care and avoid the taxes. Fidelity estimates that a 65-year-old couple retiring in 2016 will need $260,000 for health care costs in retirement, in addition to expenses covered by Medicare. The HSA can be a great source of tax-free money to pay those bills.

Theres no deadline for making eligible withdrawals. If you used cash for medical bills after opening the account and let the money grow in your HSA, you can withdraw money tax-free for those bills at any time as long as youve kept the receipts. Many insurers make it easy to keep records of past expenses. For example, Cignas expense tracker lets you upload your medical receipts and mark whether you paid the bill from your HSA or other sources.
BEIJING, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The Asset Management Association of China has punished seven Chinese companies for illegal stock trades, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

The association has cancelled registration qualifications for private equity managers at six companies after they illegally traded stocks online, Xinhua said.

A seventh company has been ordered closed for six months for facilitating illegal stock activities, it added.

The report did not give any more details.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)
Japan Dec core CPI down 0.2 pct yr/yr



TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Japan's core consumer prices fell 0.2 percent in December from a year earlier, marking the smallest decline since a flat reading in February, government data showed on Friday. The core consumer price index, which includes oil products but excludes fresh food prices, compared with economists' median estimate for a 0.3 percent annual fall.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

kitco news
(Adds confirmation date, approval of capital raising)

By Tracy Rucinski

ST. LOUIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Peabody Energy Corp , the world's largest private-sector coal miner, can begin seeking creditor votes for a plan to cut $5 billion of debt and exit its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a U.S. bankruptcy judge said on Thursday.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barry Schermer overruled objections from opponents including state regulators, shareholders, environmental activists and even former executives. Their complaints can still be debated at a confirmation trial on March 16.

Peabody has said it hopes to emerge from its $8 billion bankruptcy in April with a plan that will raise what lawyers called "a monster" $1.5 billion in private capital and leave it with under $2 billion of debt.

Judge Schermer also approved the private capital raising over objections regarding some terms of the offering, including large fees to be awarded to certain creditors as part of the deal.

Peabody's biggest creditors support the plan, which the company defended in court over competing proposals by a small group of creditors that would see Peabody exit bankruptcy with about $2.4 billion of debt.

Testifying in a packed courtroom, Peabody Chief Financial Officer Amy Schwetz said it would be "irresponsible" to take on more debt given the cyclical nature of the coal industry and put it at risk of another Chapter 11.

"We only want to do this once," Schwetz said.

Peabody resolved objections from certain noteholders, the United Mine Workers of America and federal bankruptcy watchdog the U.S. Trustee before Thursday's hearing.

Indiana and environmental groups opposed the plan, saying that it fails to address whether Peabody can cover $1 billion in future mine cleanup costs with third-party bonds.

Until now, Peabody has covered cleanup liabilities under "self-bonding." This federal program is under scrutiny for exempting presumably healthy coal companies from providing financial guarantees to cover their legal obligation to return mined land to its natural setting. Other objectors are generally upset about the way Peabody is allocating its value, which has fluctuated with swings in coal prices.

Shareholders have said the company is worth more than it acknowledges and that their stock should not be cancelled.

Peabody's volatile pink sheet ended up 0.9 percent at $2.85 on Thursday. The stock rocketed briefly above $18 in October in response to steps by China to limit its domestic coal production but has since drifted lower.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
PRAGUE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Friday.

ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA==========================

Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: ==========================NEWS==================================

UNIPETROL: Czech oil refiner Unipetrol's fourth-quarter net profit jumped to 4.17 billion crowns ($166.15 million) after the restart of some facilities and the reversal of an impairment allowance, the company said on Thursday.

Story: Related stories: CNB: The Czech central bank is unlikely to remove its cap on the crown currency before the second quarter, outgoing board member Pavel Rezabek was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: The Polish zloty hit multi-month highs against the euro and the forint on Thursday as a global rally in stocks helped Warsaw's blue-chip index .WIG20 surge to a 15-month high.

Story: Related stories: ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change

close on day in 2017 vs Euro 27.019 27.017 -0.01 -0.04 vs Dollar 25.319 25.234 -0.34 1.28 Czech Equities 938.08 938.08 -0.01 1.79 U.S. Equities 20,100.91 20,068.51 0.16 1.71 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT ==========================PRESS DIGEST========================

TURKISH PLANT: Czech Export Bank (CEB) could take over the Adularya coal-fired power plant in Turkey, where Vitkovice Power Engineering invested around 12 billion crowns ($474.38 million) and CEB provided a loan for that project. This plan comes from the Finance Ministry, but still needs to clear some hurdles.

Hospodarske Noviny, page 16

(Reuters has not verified the stories, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.)

For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX For updates on CEE currencies TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477

E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com

($1 = 25.2960 Czech crowns)

(Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
* Outstanding senior debt risks losing TLAC value

* Traditional bondholder rights hamper potential bank recaps

* Nail-biting wait ahead as negotiations get underway

By Helene Durand

LONDON, Jan 27 (IFR) - An arcane clause buried deep in a European Commission package finalising Basel III could catch some of the region's banks offside and make billions of senior bonds issued to meet new regulatory requirements redundant.

"Some of the historical issuance of TLAC does not fully comply with certain conditions/criteria that are drafted in the legislation," said Peter Jurdjevic, head of global finance solutions at Barclays.

Traditionally, senior debtholders have acceleration rights when banks are wound up or in the case of non-payment of coupons. In the latter instance, they do not have to go through wind-up proceedings to get paid, unlike subordinated debtholders.

However, under Article 72b(m) of the Europe Commission Capital Requirement Regulation draft released at the end of 2016, senior debt cannot have acceleration rights outside of insolvency in order to be TLAC-eligible in Europe.

"The changes to senior are pretty extraordinary," one lawyer told IFR.

The Fed has already grappled with the issue for US banks, stating at the end of 2016 that it would count long-term debt with certain acceleration clauses if it had been issued before the end of that year.

"Issuers are hoping that, like the US banks, they will get some relief," said Jurdjevic.

"However, there are technical hurdles given the CRR is a binding regulation and there are no obvious ways for banks to get relief."

ANXIOUS WAIT

Ever since the Financial Stability Board finalised the concept of Total Loss Absorbing Capacity in 2015, banks have been anxious to push on with issuance and try to meet the new requirements quickly.

However the rush to issue ahead of the European version of the rules being finalised could now backfire and leave banks that thought they had first mover advantage scrambling to catch up.

They face an anxious wait to see if the amendments proposed by the EC under the CRR go through unchanged.

Banks in the UK have issued billions of holdco debt that meet the global TLAC criteria, but not the proposed European version. This could create a headache for banks such as HSBC, for example, which raised over US$34bn of TLAC-eligible debt in 2016 alone, with a large chunk coming in the senior format.

German lawmakers' solution, which transformed traditional senior funding into TLAC debt, also falls short of what the EC is proposing.

For an institution like Deutsche Bank, the implications are potentially significant. Its 111bn of TLAC debt would lose most of its regulatory value and become pure funding again.

"For those banks that already have meaningful amounts of debt outstanding that do not comply with the draft European rules, a favourable grandfathering arrangement like that implemented by the US Fed will be crucial," said Tobias Kessler, a director in HSBC's hybrid capital structuring team.

But regulators want to ensure there is sufficient bail-in-able debt when needed and that losses can be imposed on these instruments.

"Investors would of course prefer instruments that offer more protection to them but at the same time, if you're investing in a TLAC instrument, it is bail-in-able and the traditional features of senior debt are less relevant, especially if there is a substantial stack of capital beneath you," said Kessler.

DIVERGING PATHS

While negotiations by national regulators in countries where banks are impacted are already underway, some institutions are leaving nothing to chance. Lloyds, for example, has removed acceleration rights from its bond documentation.

RBS has chosen a different path and given itself a menu of options as to what features will be included depending on what it needs to issue. Barclays meanwhile has left its documentation untouched.

"It's been a hot topic this year and we are starting to see a split emerging as UK banks have issued senior holdco debt or updated their EMTN programmes," the lawyer said.

"At the moment, there isn't an obvious path but clearly, some banks are sufficiently concerned with paragraph M to make changes to their programmes."

(Reporting by Helene Durand, editing by Alex Chambers, Robert Smith and Julian Baker)
(Adds background, economist)

HELSINKI, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Finnish consumer and industry confidence rose in January to the highest level since 2011, suggesting the Nordic euro-member economy may be on track for a recovery after a decade-long period of stagnation.

The consumer confidence index rose to 21.0 points from 19.5 points in December, data from Statistics Finland showed, compared with a long-term average of 11.7 points.

A separate gauge of industry confidence rose to +2 points from a reading of +1 point in December, having been in negative territory for several years, the Confederation of Finnish Industries reported.

"The improvement in industry confidence suggests that the outlook for the Finnish export industry is stabilising," said Pasi Kuoppamaki, economist at Danske Bank, who expects the economy to grow 1.3 percent this and next year.

Finland suffered a long recession after the financial crisis as its export problems were exacerbated by the decline of Nokia's former phone business, high labour costs and a recession in neighbouring Russia.

Kuoppamaki added that the nascent economic recovery in Russia was among the factors helping Finnish exports this year.

Finland's industry confidence is still among the weakest in the European Union, however, on a par with Greece and Estonia.

(Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
(Adds details from Handelsblatt report)

BERLIN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Germany is against the introduction of joint bonds for euro zone countries, a finance ministry spokeswoman said on Friday, following a media report that said the European Commission was discussing such paper to be called 'European Safe Bonds'.

Germany has long opposed the idea of common bonds in the euro zone, fearing its reputation for fiscal prudence would be diluted by what many Germans see as spendthrift governments elsewhere, particularly in southern Europe.

"Generally, the negative attitude of the federal government towards eurobonds has not changed," spokeswoman Nadine Kalwey said in a statement.

She added that the ministry had doubts if there would be sufficient demand for such financial instruments, particularly in crisis situations.

German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Friday that the European Commission and central banks in the euro zone were discussing plans to introduce common bonds in the single currency bloc.

The newspaper cited a document in which the Commission suggests that the new borrowing instrument should be scrutinized by the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), which was set up in response to the global financial crisis.

It said that the instrument was a form of securitization of bonds issued by euro zone countries and that these bonds should be mixed together into one single portfolio.

The ESRB is responsible for macro-prudential supervision - managing systemic risk - cannot force countries to adopt policies but only make recommendations to the relevant authorities.

ESB bonds will amount to bundling bonds issued by the 19 countries sharing the euro under common debt, Handelsblatt said, citing no source.

The Commission believes the new debt instrument will minimize the risk of contagion in the banking sector and in the event of a sovereign debt default, the report said.

(Reporting by Matthias Sobolewski and Gernot Heller; Writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Andrea Shalal)
On January 20th, Barack Obamas 2nd term as US President expired and Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President. This is the last in a 3 part series looking at the Obama Presidency after Part 1  Electoral Legacy and Part 2  Domestic Policy.

Israel

US policy towards Israel traditionally has focused on the possibility of a lasting peace via a two state solution between Israel and the Palestinians with almost every President since 1948 seeking this outcome. Thus the Obama Administration began its efforts against a back drop of long standing historical failure by his predecessors. However what separates out the Obama Administration is its barely concealed hostility to Israel compared to previous post war Presidents. This comes as no surprise given that Obama previously marinated in the university common rooms long standing antipathy to Israel. His formative advisors on Middle East matters come from a similar history of opposition or ambivalence towards Israel including Edward Said, one of Obamas close friends and mentors in Chicago. The same was true for the Administrations UN Ambassador Susan Rice, a person with a long history of favouring Palestinian positions over those of Israel.

This has led to a most aggressive stance towards Israel. It began with a ham-fisted attempt by Obama to stop apartment building projects in West Jerusalem (a portion of the city known to be Jewish occupied for centuries and quite some distance away from the hotly contested West Bank). Netanyahu responded by ignoring Obama. Things went downhill since then. Rather than pressure Hezbollah and Hamas into recognizing Israel and forswearing their desires to destroy Israel as a necessary precondition for peace, Obama has uniquely placed the onus of peace almost entirely on Israels shoulders and foolishly mused that Israel should retreat to its pre-1967 borders  a situation that places Tel Aviv and the heart of Israels industry and defense establishment within easy gun and rocket range of its hostile enemies.

Obamas attempt at intervention in the last Gaza war made things worse and Obamas antipathy to Netanyahu has been manifest in various ways including: slighting him at a March 2010 White House visit by abruptly ending an important bilateral meeting to have dinner with his family, his attempts to block Netanyahus address to Congress in 2015 regarding the Iranian nuclear deal, and his clandestine sending of campaign operatives to assist opponents to Netanyahus Likud Party in March 2015 Knesset elections.

But it was Obama and Secretary of State John Kerrys actions in the dying days of the Administration where the most profound slight against Israel was delivered. Usually when anti-Israel resolutions are brought to a vote at the United Nations Security Council, the US vetoes them as they are normally a one-sided condemnation of Israel. On December 23rd, Obama allowed his UN Ambassador to abstain from a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This has caused outrage because not only does it depart from the long standing (at least since the Carter Administration) policy of the US vetoing controversial anti-Israel resolutions but because the resolution itself went so much further than mere condemnation of West Bank settlements by criminalizing Israelis in East Jerusalem (a location with centuries old Jewish roots) and effectively criminalizing any devout Jew who attempts to pray at the Western Wall of the Temple. Furthermore, it empowers the International Court of Justice in The Hague to try Israeli soldiers if engaging in acts of war against the Palestinians as war criminals. These are radical, extreme and manifestly unfair proposals that the US had no business standing back from and allowing to pass. New Zealand is caught up in this shameless act as it was the joint mover of the motion. Murray McCully, Obama and Kerry have all disingenuously tried to say that this does not represent any change in US (or even NZ) policy when clearly what was passed adds language never before passed by the SC.

Obama and Kerry managed one more pro-Palestinian zinger just as they left office; the State Department made an unauthorized payment of $221 million to the Palestinian Authority on Kerrys instructions just hours before the Inauguration of Donald Trump last Friday, an action that was not only expressly forbidden by Congress but where the previously appropriated funds were frozen. The brazenness of this action speaks volumes for the Obama Administrations attitude towards Israel. Fortunately the relevant Senate Committee Chair put a block on the transfer.

Ukraine and Russia

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kicked off an ignominious start to the Obama Administrations Russia policy with the infamous Russian reset. What did this reset result in:

Scrapping the placement of US missile defense systems in Poland and Czech Republic to pacify Putin;Standing by while Russia annexed Crimea and invaded eastern Ukraine;

No consequences for Russia despite the revelations that Russian backed Ukrainian separatists were identified as the source of the missile that downed Malaysian Airlines MH 17 over the Ukraine killing 298 innocent civilians (including a Belgian friend of mine who had previously been a long-time resident of Queenstown);

Allowing Russia a free hand to expand its influence in the Middle East all the while letting Syrias Assad off the hook.

Of even greater significance has been Russias stepped up cyber incursions into sensitive US government computer servers. Russian hacks into US military, intelligence and government servers have been extensive, ongoing and potentially damaging and yet the Obama Administration appears to have done little to prevent it or hold Russia accountable UNTIL it appeared that Russia was behind hacks into the Democrat National Committee computer (where emails showing the DNC skewered the Democrat primary in Hillary Clintons favor) and the leak of Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podestas emails (that showed high level Democrats dissing key parts of their base). Suddenly, these incursions were worthy of action with Obama announcing some sanctions and travel bans on Russian government official.

Iran

Obama has made a virtue of leading from behind. A great example of his passivity was his failure to back the Green Revolution in Iran in 2009. The Iranian regime was vulnerable and opposition forces pleaded for support from the US and got nothing: not even rhetorical or moral support as Obama seemed to want to keep the Mullahs in place to later cut a deal he could take credit for and so he stayed on the sidelines. This was an opportunity to possibly change the trajectory in the Middle East by backing regime change in Iran. Such a change likely wouldve ended the Iranian quest for nuclear weapons with a more moderate faction in power.

In January 2016, another offshoot of the Iranian nuclear deal became apparent and that was a hostage swap where 4 Americans in captivity in Iran were released simultaneous to the US returning 7 Iranians. What made the deal more suspect was the sight of the US shipping $400 million in US Dollars, Swiss Francs and Euro bank notes, some from the US Treasury, the rest from the central banks of nations like the Netherlands and Switzerland. Whilst the Obama Administration claimed it was the repayment of funds owed to Iran from funds frozen back in 1979, the fact that the payment was kept secret from Congress (the cash shipment being discovered by accident) AND the timing of the payment mere days after the return of the US detainees, gave the transaction the appearance of a cash for hostage release.

Iranian nuclear deal

The Iranian nuclear deal is the perfect metaphor for Obamas foreign policy and so it will merit more detailed attention. On July 14th 2015 the Obama Administration announced that an agreement (known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) had been reached with the Iranians regarding their nuclear programme. It was sold heavily by Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama as a good deal that will constrain Irans nuclear ambition and bring peace in our time. The deal was quickly ratified by the UN Security Council but was the subject of much internal GOP Senate wrangling before it was approved by the Senate.

Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran has conducted a large number of acts of aggression against enemies of its Islamic fundamentalist ideals beginning of course with the 444 day captivity of 56 of the staff of the US Embassy in Teheran. Iran has been an aggressive funder and provider of weapons for Islamic terror groups across the Middle East including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Houthi rebels in Yemen and a number of attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets around the globe with the most devastating attacks being in Argentina. After the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Quds forces acted to foment Shia on Sunni sectarian violence in Iraq that was not quelled until the Petraeus led surge of US troops in 2006.

Iran cannot be considered as anything other than an extremist repressive theocracy. There are no free elections, no trade unions, no free press, an extensive and brutal secret police to stamp out opposition, woman are subservient as Islamic laws that treat them as second class citizens are enforced and homosexuals are routinely beaten, imprisoned and executed.

The whole purpose of the JCPOA arose from the long efforts of the Iranians to build a nuclear weapons capability. The entire sanctions regime that was under review was imposed on Iran because it continued to develop this capability despite UN Security Council resolutions and the original opposition of the US and its allies.

The Obama Administration entered these talks with several so-called red or bottom lines. As the negotiations wore on in Geneva, the US progressively caved on each red line:

* The closing down and dismantling of the underground facility at Fordow. Now it can continue to operate with nothing more than ineffectual Russian oversight.

* Inspections were initially going to be anywhere  anytime. These have been negotiated away to a farcical regime that gives the Iranians the ability to effectively police themselves.

In addition, a relatively toothless monitoring regime was put in place:

1st  Known nuclear sites. Policing of these sites will be more rigorous under the JCPOA. For this reason, the Iranians will migrate the weaponization programme from these heavily policed sites that are the most talked about to secondary sites. These known sites are where the Iranians will very publicly reduce the numbers of centrifuges to give the impression of freezing their nuclear programme.

2nd  Secondary suspicious sites. It is activity at these sites where the scope for Iranian flouting of the JCPOA will first occur. The regime for inspecting these sites is frankly pathetic. The IAEA, the US and allies have long suspected the facility at Parchin to be a nuclear weapons development site. But in a secret side deal between the Iranians and the IAEA (that the Obama Administration refuse to show to Congress) the Iranians are allowed to monitor themselves at Parchin. This agreement specifically makes Parchin off limits to US inspectors leaving Iran to phone it in.

3rd  Unknown sites. The Iranians will cheat the most in small unknown sites. The inspections regime negotiated makes finding suspicious activity at these sites all but impossible. If suspicion arises, the IAEA must first provide evidence, a P5 + EU committee must approve of inspections (this will take months and the Russians and Chinese will delay and object) and only if the committee agrees, THEN the Iranians will be given 24 days warning of a formal inspection; enough time to clean up any nuclear material despite claims of technology to find even cleaned up sites. According to former IAEA inspector Ari Knownen the chance of catching Iranian breaches of the JCPOA at these sites is zero.

The Agreement makes no genuine attempt at permanently dismantling Irans nuclear bomb development capacity. It temporarily forces Iran to give up only SOME of its infrastructure (several thousand of the smaller, simpler centrifuges) for 10 years only to give it back. The Iranian regime has not been required to halt research and development of the faster centrifuges that will enable it to break out to a bomb more rapidly than is the case right now. The deal specifically legitimizes ongoing R&D under certain eroding limitations. Iran can commence testing on the fast IR-8 single centrifuge machines as soon as the deal goes into effect and can commence testing on an additional thirty IR 6 and IR 8 centrifuges in 8 years time enabling it to race to the bomb even faster despite the give back of the uranium.

The entire sanctions infrastructure has been shredded with almost no ability to re-implement anything quick or stringent for any Iranian bad behaviour. The so-called snap back provisions are far from that. It took many years to set in motion the previous sanctions. Whilst the US Congress could quickly re-impose restrictions on the flow of funds through US banks, without buy-in from the EU countries and Russia and China (two countries who opposed the sanctions in the first place and sought ways to circumvent them), there would not be nearly the same deleterious effect on the Iranian economy from what the JCPOA proposes would happen in the unlikely event that Iranian subterfuge is caught with the severely weakened inspections regime the Obama people caved on.

The agreement not only lifts the sanctions that had progressively become quite draconian and had severely constrained Iranian economic activity but the JCPOA provides for a massive financial shot in the arm to the regime of $160 Billion. The Iranians would like to have the West believe that this money will be spent on domestic improvements. A short glance at Iranian foreign policy tells us that plenty of this money will be spent by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to further arm Irans Shiite proxies in Lebanon, the West Bank, Yemen and Gaza. Where else does Hezbollah get its huge arsenal of rockets to fire into Israel and Hamas the financial capacity to build its deep and sophisticated terror tunnels into Israel and its own arsenal of Israel-bound rockets? The IRG will also continue to prop up the Assad regime in Syria and its own vicious civil war with ISIS.

Obama was so desperate to do the deal that Iran got other bonuses it didnt ask for. First it got the lifting of the ban on conventional weapons. This means that the signing bonus money can be spent on perfecting medium to long range conventional missiles that can threaten not just Israel but Europe as well. Only a few days ago, Iran was caught testing these weapons in contravention of the agreement. And you can plan on any accelerated development of Iranian missile delivery of conventional warheads to have cross over applicability to its parallel pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Second, Iran got a guarantee from sabotage of its nuclear programme. Its not sufficient that the US gave away its anywhere anytime inspections goal, the agreement requires the P5 to protect the arrangement from external manipulation.

Few recall Obamas campaign promise in 2008 to negotiate with Iran without conditions, an approach that, at the time, placed him to the left of even his Democrat rivals. With his showcase domestic reform (Obamacare) faltering and proving to be both costly and unpopular, with his presiding over some of the most devastating electoral losses for his party at the national and state level in over 70 years, after several shambolic foreign policy catastrophes (Syria, Libya), Obama was hungry for a legacy building showpiece foreign policy achievement. John Kerrys appeasing instincts were on display soon after he returned from active duty in Vietnam so he made the perfect negotiator for Obama. After Obama ignored his Syrian red line over chemical weapons, stood by idly as the Russians took the Crimea and made incursions into Ukraine unopposed by NATO and ramped up the rhetoric against Israel, the Mullahs in Teheran knew they were dealing with a weak, pacifist dilettante anxious to sign any big agreement with them. The US gave away pretty much all it previous bottom lines and prostrated itself before the savvy Iranian negotiators in Geneva.

Rise of Islamic State

The Obama Administration made no genuine attempt to re-negotiate the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi Government after some initial pushback from the Iraqi Parliament. Disagreement was more over the size of the residual force with Obama favouring 10,000 and the Iraqis wanting about the same as were left in Korea (about 25,000). Whilst this was signaled by the Iraqi government to the Bush Administration, with some careful and patient negotiating, a residual force of US troops couldve been negotiated (an equivalent was the amount of troops and length of time US forces remained in Germany post WW2 and in South Korea post the Korean War). Obama wanted all troops out and hid behind the supposed disagreement and let the old SFA expire.

The total withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq sent a signal to Islamic jihadist forces to do no more than wait out the US withdrawal. This vacuum and uncertainty allowed ISIS to take root and spread. Since ISISs expansion in Iraq and now Syria, Obama did the bare minimum to contain it almost going through the motions, his Administration has not been fully engaged in defeating ISIS. It ignored or downplayed intelligence that pointed to its rapid rise and Obama was foolish in his public dismissal of ISIS calling it the JV team (JV = Junior Varsity, the US equivalent of the 2nd XV in rugby) not wanting to cast any shadow on his decision to completely exit Iraq and the good political optics of ending an unpopular war. Obama was handed a war that had been won (he said it, Biden said it, Petraeus said it), a reasonably pacified US ally and some good things were finally happening in Iraq. He ignored military advice that said that a total withdrawal would lead to an even more unstable and fragmented Iraq

Syria

Obamas weakness in confronting rogue players was never more manifest than his dealings with the Assad regime in Syria. Obamas failure to enforce his red line against Assads use chemical weapons has had catastrophic results. It sent a signal to allies and adversaries that US threats were bluster and commitments meaningless. His vacillation at doing anything like train and arm rebel fighters to overthrow Assad (before they were displaced by Islamic fanatics) has fueled a civil war leaving 500,000 dead and millions displaced and ISIS getting a foothold in Syria as well as Iraq. There were Syrian moderates, encouraged by CIA Directors Penetta then Petraeus and there was a moment that arming them wouldve helped but the window closed due to Obamas vacillating; the good ones were killed, driven out and the only rebels left were easy for the extremist jihadist to recruit and coopt.

Obama compounded his earlier errors by effectively washing his hands of any major US involvement in Syria by effectively sub-contracting the task of trying to deal with ISIS in Syria to the Russians who were more interested in propping up Assad and expanding their influence in the volatile Middle East. Obamas inaction left a void into which Putin stepped.

Libya

Whilst no one had any time for Libyan strongman Gadhafi, one of the few benefits of the invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein was Gadhafis decision to voluntarily surrender his nuclear capability and shelve his nuclear ambitions. Libya was still a dictatorship but one of limited threat to its neighbours and to regional Middle East instability. Obama chooses to wage a limited air war designed to destroy Gadhafi with few options for a stable replacement government, all things he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were warned about. The allied bombings emboldened radical Islamist factions to overthrow and murder Gadhafi and Libya predictably collapsed and fragmented into a series of warlord controlled territories with several quickly becoming terrorist havens.

For months, the US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens had warned the State Department that the situation in Benghazi was becoming more and more violent and volatile and that the US Consulate there needed to be significantly strengthened and fortified if it was to remain. All other major western nations had taken out all their consular representation in Benghazi due to the volatile situation. Despite his numerous pleas, the security situation at the consulate and residence remained vulnerable and during a time when Ambassador Stevens visited, an al Qaida in Libya group overran the Consulate and ended up killing the Ambassador and three of his CIA security detail. Given the sensitivity of the date of the attack (anniversary of 9/11) and the proximity to the 2012 Presidential elections, the Obama Administration pulled out all the stops to try to minimize any electoral fallout over this devastating news. Apart from the lack of preparation for such an eventuality (no ready rescue forces close enough) and the repeated ignoring of Ambassador Stevens increasingly shrill security concerns, Obama allowed his Administration to perpetrate a lie about the source of the attack by saying that the unrest had been fomented by an obscure inflammatory anti-Islamic video posted by a crank on You Tube. On the night after the attack in Benghazi Hillary Clinton emailed her daughter Chelsea to say it was a jihadist terrorist attack and yet the next day Obamas UN Ambassador Susan Rice goes on all five US Sunday TV and cable news talk shows to propagate the line that the attack was a spontaneous riot triggered by the video. Clinton perpetrated that lie in an even more insidious way by repeating it to the families of the four killed Americans when they met with her at the time their bodies were returned to the US. It took weeks before Obama would finally admit to the Islamic terrorist connection behind the attacks. The whole Libyan fiasco and the events at Benghazi remain one of the most shameless acts of dereliction of duty and subsequent deceit by a President in living memory.

Burgdahl swap

Bowe Burgdahl was a marine who deserted his post in Afghanistan and was captured by the Taliban in 2009. In May 2013, the Obama Administration blatently hid the details of Burgdahls capture and his ending up with the Taliban and negotiated a lopsided prisoner exchange releasing five known and convicted Taliban terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility into a 1 year custody arrangement in Qatar. Outrage erupted when the full details of Burgdahls desertion (that ultimately led to his court martial) and for the inordinately high price that the Obama Administration had paid to bring home someone so undeserving.

Far East/China

Emboldened by US global weakness and the deliberate Obama regimes policy of shrinking in size of the US Navy, China has pressed ahead with a rapid expansion of its deep-water navy and assertions of sovereignty and aggression in key merchant ship seaways of the South China Sea leading to rising tension between China and Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan. These tensions are exacerbated by aggressive Chinese expansion of the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands by adding infill land onto coral reefs sufficient to build runways and an air force landing base within such proximity to threaten the vital shipping lanes.

Conclusion

Obama has been weak and ineffectual on the world stage. The world is infinitely more unstable and violent than it was at the beginning of his presidency. ISIS, whilst having lost some territory in Iraq, seems able to indirectly or directly inspire and/or coordinate terrorist attacks with increasing frequency especially on mainland Europe. The Middle East is in turmoil with Syria ravaged by civil war, Israel and the Palestinians no closer to a two state solution and traditional Arab allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan nervous about Iranian hegemony in the region and Libya a dangerous basketcase. Russia is flexing its muscles regionally with annexations, military incursions and a growing influence in the Middle East. China seems able to expand its ambitions with relative impunity. The US has shown scant regard for the security of its allies and has coddled the enemies of the US (Iran, Cuba) and has not stood firm against the terrorist tendencies of Hamas and Hezbollah. Obama gave a soaring speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and yet so little of his vision has ever come to pass. It was the perfect metaphor for his Presidency, powerful rhetorical flourishes not backed up by concrete action that has eroded US power abroad. Whilst many in New Zealand would view such constraints on US influence as a good thing, few would argue that Obama has left Trump a safer world.

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Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma at the Davos forum earlier this month.



Jack Ma pessimistic on nation's prospects, urges focus on quality of growth



By Nectar Gan

China's short-term economic outlook will be "tougher than expected" and trade friction was inevitable with the US, Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma said as China was reported to be lowering its growth target for this year.

"In the coming three to five years  the economic situation will be even more arduous than everyone had expected," said the e-commerce billionaire on Wednesday at an annual meeting of the General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs, a private business association that he chairs.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

On Thursday, Reuters cited policy sources as saying China would lower its 2017 economic growth target to about 6.5 per cent from last year's 6.5-7 per cent, reinforcing a policy shift from supporting growth towards reforms to contain debt and housing risks.

China's economy grew by about 6.7 per cent last year, the slowest in 26 years but within Beijing's target range.

At the meeting, Ma said it was "only natural" that China's rapid growth over the past three decades could not continue, and that the focus should be shifted to the quality of growth, such as upgrading its manufacturing industry.

Ma also shared his outlook on China-US relations, as well as his impression of US President Donald Trump, whom he met at Trump Tower in New York.

Despite an "overall optimistic" outlook on trade between the world's two largest economies, Ma said conflicts "will definitely be there".

"If [the conflicts] were not dealt with properly, they might lead to a relatively big trade war, which is not a good thing for China, the US or the world economy," he said.

Trump has accused China of being a currency manipulator and has proposed steep tariffs on imports from China.

Ma said Trump should not be underestimated.

"It is only that his speaking style and the way he does things are different from what we're used to expecting from politicians. He saw the many problems existing now in the US and he hopes to solve them in a different way.

"He is a businessman, a man of action and result-oriented," Ma said, adding that he believed the new US president was "a very smart person".
A file picture of China's sole aircraft carrier Liaoning taking part in a drill last month in the South China Sea.



Donald Trump's election as US president has increased the risk of hostilities breaking out, according to Chinese state media and analysts

By Liu Zhen





China is stepping up preparedness for a possible military conflict with the US as the Donald Trump presidency has increased the risk of hostilities breaking out, state media and military observers said.

Beijing is bracing itself for a possible deterioration in Sino-US ties, with a particular emphasis on maritime security.

The People's Liberation Army said in a commentary on its official website last Friday, the day of Trump's inauguration, that the chances of war have become "more real" amid a more complex security situation in Asia Pacific.

The commentary written by an official at the national defence mobilisation department in the Central Military Commission said the call for a US rebalancing of its strategy in Asia, military deployments in the East and South China Seas and the instillation of a missile defence system in South Korea were hot spots getting closer to ignition.

"A war within the president's term' or war breaking out tonight' are not just slogans, they are becoming a practical reality," it said.

The official People's Daily said in another commentary on Sunday that China's military would conduct exercises on the high seas regardless of foreign provocations. China's sole aircraft carrier Liaoning passed through the narrow Taiwan Strait last month.

The commentary referred to remarks by the US secretary of state Rex Tillerson hopeful that the US should stop China's access to artificial islands it has built in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

New White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a press conference on Monday that the US would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea.

Spicer told the press "the US is going to make sure that we protect our interests there," when asked about US President Donald Trump's position on the South China Sea. "It's a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we're going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country," he said.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying responded by telling the US "to be cautious in what it says and does, so as to avoid harming the peace and stability in the region."

The Chinese military is constantly prepared for possible military conflict whoever serves as US president, but Donald Trump's possible "extreme approach" against China was dangerous, according to analysts.

Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said some of the comments from Trump's key advisors and appointees suggest that the US may pursue a more hardline policy against Beijing in the South China Sea over the next four years

"As it's highly unlikely that China will compromise its sovereignty claims in the face of US pressure, we can be sure that the dispute will increasingly become a risky point of contention between Beijing and Washington," he said.

The comments come as President Xi Jinping is overseeing massive reforms within China's military to improve its fighting capabilities. A huge reshuffle is also underway in the military's top brass. Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong, commander of the South Sea Fleet, is to replace retiring Admiral Wu Shengli as chief of the PLA Navy.

Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Yuan Yubai, the former North Sea Fleet commander, has been promoted to head the Southern Theatre Command, which focuses on the South China Sea. "Promoting naval officers to command theatres is aimed at utilising them to the maximum and getting ready to win wars," Song Zhongping, a military affairs commentator at Phoenix TV, said.

The navy has been the focus of recent developments within the PLA, with massive investment and the construction of large numbers of ships, Song said.

China is involved in other disputes beyond the South China Sea, particularly with Taiwan. Sovereignty disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and concerns over the deployment of the missile shield in South Korea are other potential flashpoints.
A jump in China's coal imports from North Korea in December is probably attributed to Pyongyang's push to increase shipments ahead of Beijing's decision to temporarily suspend the purchase of the energy resource from its neighbor, a Seoul official said Wednesday.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on Monday that China imported 2 million tons of North Korean coal in December, up 13 percent from a year earlier, citing China's customs data.

The shipments surged even though China's commerce ministry imposed a three-week-long ban on imports of North Korean coal to implement the latest sanctions by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Seoul's unification ministry believes North Korea might have boosted its outbound shipments to China in early December before the temporary ban was put in place, a spokesman said.

"Also, export prices of coal have been on the rise, which might have served as a factor (in boosting North Korea's coal exports)," said Jeong Joon-hee, ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

On Nov. 30, the UNSC adopted a set of sanctions over North Korea's September nuclear test, including a significant cap on Pyongyang's exports of coal.

The move is aimed at cutting North Korea's annual coal outbound shipments by more than 60 percent or around $700 million each year.

Under the March resolution, North Korea's coal exports for "livelihood" purposes were allowed, an exception that was exploited by the country. (Yonhap)
The chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has called the results of the investigation by Samsung Electronics Co. into what caused the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire an "important step forward."



Announcing the results of its monthslong probe Monday, Samsung said earlier this week it concluded that faulty batteries were the cause of the Note 7 fires, not the smartphone's hardware design or software.



In a statement released Tuesday, Elliott Kaye, chairman of the U.S. CPSC, said, "Samsung's announcement of the findings of their investigation into the root cause of both Note 7 batteries that were recalled is an important step forward."



Samsung decided to discontinue the Note 7 in October last year after recalling millions of the devices worldwide over safety concerns.



Samsung made its decision after about 700 Samsung researchers and engineers replicated the incidents by testing more than 200,000 fully assembled devices and more than 30,000 batteries.



Kaye hailed Samsung's efforts to find out what caused the Note 7 fires.



"While CPSC staff continues to conduct an independent investigation, let me set reasonable expectations for how it might go: CPSC is a vital health and safety agency, but we have nowhere near the resources and people power that Samsung does," Kaye said.



"In fact, Samsung employed more engineers and staff to work on just this issue than CPSC has employees in our entire agency," Kaye said.



In the wake of the global recall of the Note 7s, the CPSC plans to assess high-density battery products and technologies, Kaye said.



"We added to the CPSC's 2017 operating plan a project for our technical staff to assess the state of high-density battery technology, innovations in the marketplace, gaps in safety standards, and the research and regulatory activities in other countries," Kaye said.



"Beyond an excellent recall response rate, we need more good to come out of the Note 7 recalls, and I believe Samsung agrees," Kaye said. (Yonhap)




South Korea's auto exports to the United States fell for the first time in seven years last year amid concerns that the Trump administration may take protectionist measures on vehicle imports, industry data showed Wednesday.

According to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, automakers here shipped 964,432 cars to the U.S. last year, a 9.5 percent on-year fall. The cars were worth $15.58 billion, also down 9.8 percent.

In contrast, U.S. vehicle imports here surged 22.4 percent last year to a record 60,099, the data showed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on imported vehicles, as a way of prodding global automakers to build plants in the U.S. and create more jobs there.

Last year's sluggish auto shipments to the U.S. was because Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. -- the country's top two automakers -- suffered a series of labor strikes, which cut their output amid increased competition.

Hyundai Motor exported 335,762 units to the U.S. last year, down from 368,172 the previous year, while Kia Motors also saw its shipments to the U.S. drop 27 percent to 332,470 units last year.

Since the global financial crisis in 2009, South Korea's auto shipments to the U.S. had been on a steady rise, partly aided by a free trade deal with the U.S.

However, there are concerns that free trade could suffer a setback under the Trump administration.

Trump, who blamed free trade for many American economic woes, has denounced the free trade agreement with South Korea as a disaster, though he stopped short of directly saying he would seek to renegotiate it.

Attempts to revise or renegotiate the agreement could set off diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Washington. (Yonhap)
Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill prohibiting President Donald Trump from launching a nuclear first strike without a declaration of war by Congress.



Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017, saying the issue of nuclear "first use" is more urgent than ever now that "Trump has the power to launch a nuclear war at a moment's notice."



"Nuclear war poses the gravest risk to human survival," said Markey. "Yet, President Trump has suggested that he would consider launching nuclear attacks against terrorists. Unfortunately, by maintaining the option of using nuclear weapons first in a conflict, U.S. policy provides him with that power. In a crisis with another nuclear-armed country, this policy drastically increases the risk of unintended nuclear escalation."



Markey said neither Trump nor any other president should be allowed to use nuclear weapons except in response to a nuclear attack.



Lieu also said that it is a frightening reality that the U.S. now has "a commander-in-chief who has demonstrated ignorance of the nuclear triad, stated his desire to be 'unpredictable' with nuclear weapons."



"Our Founders created a system of checks and balances, and it is essential for that standard to be applied to the potentially civilization-ending threat of nuclear war," he said.



Concerns have flared about a fresh nuclear arms race between the U.S. and Russia after Trump said last month that the U.S. "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."



The remark came after Russian President Vladimir Putin also called earlier in the day for bolstering "strategic nuclear forces," especially those capable of penetrating "existing and future missile defense systems."



Trump did not back down, saying a day later: "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all." (Yonhap)




Twitter employees say the company is eliminating workers without enough notice in violation of federal and California law.
Missouri State University issued a campus-wide text alert on Friday afternoon after an armed robbery in a dormitory.

The text alert at 2:41 p.m. says, "Missouri State Alert: A report of an armed African American Male, wearing a camo vest and hat, last seen fleeing Hammons House. Report suspicious activity."

An MSU spokeswoman said the robbery turned out to be in Hutchens House, not Hammons House. Those two dormitories are next to each other at 1001 and 1021 E. Harrison Street, about a block from JQH Arena.

A more detailed description of the robber is that he is African-American, wore a camouflage vest, camouflage hat, and gray sweatpants. The robber displayed a silver handgun. He fled toward Elm Street, two blocks north of Harrison Street.

University officials locked down residence halls, Greenwood Laboratory School, and Taylor Health Center. For the dorms, that meant residents have to use their access cards to enter. Administrators let students leave Greenwood with their parents and guardians when more security was in place. University officials said the dorms would remain on lockdown over the weekend as a precaution, even though they were sure the robber was no longer on campus.

Springfield police said the robbery was reported at 2:12. They said the robber confronted a resident on the sixth floor and displayed a handgun. The robber left the scene with a cell phone and some cash.

Police described the robber as black, likely in his 20s, and about 6 feet tall and 190 pounds. He was wearing a black hoodie under a camouflage jacket, gray sweat pants, black and white Nike shoes, scruffy hair and sideburns, and was carrying a tan-colored JanSport backpack.

The robber left on foot and had not been located by 5 p.m.

Anyone with information can contact the Springfield Police Department at (417) 864-1810 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at (417) 869-8477.
She jetted off to Costa Rica yesterday with her family and her boyfriend Tyga. And hours after heading out of Los Angeles, Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to post a snap with her beau.

The 19-year-old showed off her flat stomach and also the bottom of her white bra while rolling her eyes in the picture. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star captioned the photo: Walk up in this b**** like! That Eye Roll tho.

Kylie wore camouflage patterned trousers slung low on her hips with a cropped long-sleeved shirt.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
PRESS RELEASE

European Prominents Call for Lifting of Russia Sanctions

Jan. 26, 2017 (EIRNS)Former European Union Commission President Romano Prodi called for lifting EU sanctions against Russia before the Trump Administration lifts the U.S. sanctions, so that Europe can occupy its position as the preferred partner for the Russians again, a position undermined by the sanctions regime. Prodi said this in an interview with the Italian La Stampa daily.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Budapest yesterday that his countrys economy has lost 6.5 billion in trade with Russia during the past three years, mostly in the agriculture exports which were hard hit by the Russian countermeasures to the EU sanctions. Measured against the 90 billion of total exports of Hungary, 6.5 billion are a substantial loss, he explained, urging sanctions be lifted at the next EU Summit in March.

Matthias Platzeck, chairman of the German-Russian Forum, said at an event of the Forum in Moscow that in the wake of Trumps stated intent to improve U.S. relations to Russia, the European sanctions no longer made sense and should be lifted.
In the summer of 2016, while walking through the Christian Quarter in Jerusalems Old City, I passed by a dry-goods store. A framed picture hung prominently on the shops walls. It was of the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, the self-appointed apostle of pan-Arabism, prime mover of the 1967 war and sworn enemy of a state that was  and still sometimes is  spitefully referred to by its neighbors only as the Zionist entity instead of its actual name: Israel.

It was a jarring juxtaposition. Nearly 50 years after Israel wrested control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City, from Jordan (which had occupied it and the West Bank for 19 years), Nasser was still being lionized in the heart of the city that some Israeli politicians, with some chutzpah, call their eternal and indivisible capital.

A few minutes later I walked through the Jewish Quarter. As I passed by a number of street markers, I noticed that someone had defaced all the Arabic place-names, literally rubbing them out from the plaques themselves. (Arabic is one of Israels two official languages.)

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Historical memory is a form of warfare. And when, as with Israelis and Palestinians, a conflict is so intense that hanging stock portraiture, or the recognition of a native tongue, can be construed as incendiary, diplomats must reckon with a great chasm separating the two antagonists, which can  and often do  derail negotiations before they even begin.

A Path to Peace, by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, and Alon Sachar, who worked under Mitchell while at the State Department, shows the extent of this challenge, even for a veteran negotiator. The book has three parts: a condensed history of the conflict; a detailed account of Mitchells frustrating (and frustrated tenure) as President Obamas special envoy for Middle East peace from 2009 to 2011; and the outlines for a two-state partition plan. All of this is contained in a rather slim, if congenially brisk, volume. While President Trump has argued for a more transactional approach to U.S. foreign policy, this book might help educate him about the deep historical and cultural drivers of the conflict.

George Mitchell, right, meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Jerusalem in 2009. (Jim Hollander / EPA)

The middle third of A Path to Peace, where Mitchell describes his experience trying to bring Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table, is the books most illuminating section. Mitchell, the architect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (which ended the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland), seemed to undertake his responsibilities as special envoy with admirable probity and seriousness. But his approach to the conflict  which reflects a long-standing American bipartisan consensus about the two-state solution  appears, especially at our current moment, depressingly conventional.

To understand why, we need to step back and look at the larger political framework informing the proposed partition process itself. Israel is a key ally for America in the Middle East, and the two countries share strong cultural, economic and political affinities, and important military and intelligence ties. Israel, although a tiny country, contains multitudes: It is cosmopolitan and secular Tel Aviv; it is Jerusalem, steeped in  and being pulled apart by  the multiple religious faith and traditions that deem the city holy; it is Nazareth, a bastion of Israeli Arab (or Palestinian Israeli) commerce and culture; and it is beleaguered, bleak Sderot, populated almost exclusively by Mizrahi Jews (that is, Jews of Middle Eastern descent, about 700,000 of whom fled or were expelled from their homes across the region after Israels founding).

But Israel is also an occupying power, subjecting millions of Palestinians in the West Bank (and, with important distinctions, in East Jerusalem) to a military regime that systematically violates their individual civil and human rights and squashes their collective right to self-determination. Human Rights Watch has called Israels treatment of Palestinians severe and discriminatory and its settlement enterprise unlawful.

The American attitude, embodied by Mitchell, has been to treat Palestinians and Israelis as coequals in the partition, or peace, process. They are not. One party possesses the preponderance of power in the relationship; the other lacks sovereignty  it is in fact negotiating for its sovereignty with another, sovereign entity. Even accounting for the Palestinian Authoritys deficiencies  among them its corruption and authoritarianism  this is the fundamental imbalance in the conflict. Israel has the power to withdraw, or not, from the territories. Palestinians possess, at best, a proto-state entity that is reliant on Israel for its very survival. (It is also dependent on funding from international sources, as the Obama administrations last-minute $221-million aid disbursement to the Palestinian Authority shows).

Much of A Path to Peace deals with the thorny issue of Israels settlements. As Mitchell writes, settlements are an obstacle to peace because they are constructed on land that the Palestinians and the international community, including the United States, believe should be reserved for a Palestinian state. Here, Mitchell recapitulates the traditional American position, which, although critical of settlements, refrains from explicitly acknowledging the almost-universal consensus (outside of Israel and some in the United States) that they are illegal under international law.

In December 2016, the U.N. spontaneously erupted in applause when  after an abstention from the Obama administration  a resolution condemning Israeli settlements passed the Security Council, the first resolution on Israel and Palestine in almost eight years. The U.S. was now officially inching closer to the consensus international position on settlements. (In fact, the resolution stated that the settlement project possesses no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution.)

In the book, Mitchell recalls that in late 2009 he urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to negotiations, even in the face of continued Israeli construction in contested areas of East Jerusalem (which Palestinians claim as their future capital) or in the West Bank. Abbas refused to do so. As Mitchell writes, Abbas would agree to nothing less than a total settlement freeze as a precondition to talks. Even though continued settlement construction has been widely interpreted as fatal to any peace deal, this was instead cited as evidence of Palestinian intransigence.

Mitchell, meanwhile, took a forbearing approach to Israeli domestic political pressures. He and other Obama administration officials, he writes, knew that ending settlement activity was a lot to ask of any Israeli government. Narrowly speaking, this is true: Under that countrys parliamentary system, and especially in a right-wing coalition government such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus, small settler and religious parties do exert disproportionate influence.

But the U.S is uniquely positioned to change the political calculus within Israel. Indeed, in the past both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations have found the will to coerce Israeli governments to cease settlement building or to alter its political positions. For example, in 1991 George H.W. Bush cut off Israeli loan guarantees to force the right-wing government of Yitzhak Shamir to attend the Madrid Peace Conference. The Obama administration failed to apply even this relatively modest amount of pressure on Netanyahu during Mitchells time as Middle East envoy.

Obama had a kid-gloves approach toward Netanyahu, despite the sense that the Israeli prime minister was negotiating in bad faith. As Mitchell recounts, for instance, Netanyahu required that, as a precondition to discussion of borders, Israel would need security guarantees that permitted Israeli troops to remain stationed in the Jordan Valley for decades. But, as Mitchell writes, no Palestinian leader has ever given any indication of a willingness to consent to a long-term Israel military presence, and, in fact, when Netanyahu broached this subject with Abbas, the latter strongly and categorically rejected it. In other words, this proposal was no proposal at all: It was a poison pill.

Consider as well the Israeli governments March 2010 decision to announce the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem while Vice President Biden was meeting with officials in Israel to underscore the administrations commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship. This was, as Mitchell writes, a direct and astonishing insult to the Obama administration. But, again, Obama made no concrete effort to pressure an ally that, at the time, received roughly $3.5 billion a year in military aid. (Indeed, in September 2016, Obama agreed to a 10-year, $38-billion military aid package for Israel, the largest ever made by the U.S.).

As Mitchell notes, Israel does face real, serious security threats emanating from the Occupied Territories, including from radical Islamist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Gaza Strip, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2006, presents a serious challenge to both Palestinian and Israeli negotiators. There are nettlesome questions regarding how the Fatah-aligned Palestinian Authority can legitimately negotiate a lasting peace accord for a discontiguous state when Hamas controls one of the two major constituent parts of a future, independent Palestine. But, paradoxically, as Mitchell also writes, without a peace deal, Israel will cede its capacity to shape its own future  which is the very reason many security-oriented Israelis fear an end to the occupation itself.

Alas, the long-range strategic thinking advocated, if imperfectly and weakly, by Mitchell and the Obama administration now seems a vestige of gone era.

If President Trumps appointment of David Friedman  who, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz is positioned on the far-right of Israels map and is even more hardline than Netanyahu  as U.S. ambassador to Israel is any indication, the situation in the region may rapidly deteriorate. (The Israeli governments Jan. 24 announcement of a major settlement expansion reflects its newfound sense of latitude under a Trump administration.)

Trump has already promised to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a highly incendiary gesture. Looking out at the beautiful West Bank highlands, our new president may not be capable of seeing a contemporary human rights tragedy or an incipient geopolitical disaster. Real estate is what it is, after all, and if this man knows one thing, its the value of location, location, location.

Dorfman is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

A Path to Peace: A Brief History of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and a Way Forward in the Middle East

George J. Mitchell and Alon Sachar

Simon & Schuster: 272 pp., $26
If you want a deeper understanding of what has been inaugurated in Washington, read Steve Colls Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power. Rarely has a book been so profoundly and presciently relevant to events that would take place five years after its publication.

It is not just a book about a company  incoming Secretary of State Rex Tillersons gargantuan, profit-spawning alma mater. It is the portrait of an ethos. And as the pattern of Cabinet appointees makes plain, this ethos has just been ushered out from behind any vestige of discretion to rule unabashed over the executive branch of our government.

Full disclosure: I know and like Steve Coll. I hosted him in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when he was working on a January 2012 New Yorker article. But we have scarcely intersected since, and my judgment is not contaminated: I would not recommend his Pulitzer Prize-winning but wordy Ghost Wars, for example. Private Empire is a much better book.

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Weighing in at more than 700 pages, it is wordy too. Readers may want to dip in and out of its various narrative threads, as their particular issues or regions of interest suggest  be it climate change, sea-soiling spills, human rights, the fate of specific countries such as Chad or Venezuela, or the cynicism of corporate influence strategies.

Through the aggregation of these strands, Colls trademark marriage of encyclopedic research and thriller writers style and construction delivers a clear and unimpeachably substantiated picture. It is a picture of relentless focus on shareholder return above any other consideration, of a cult-like corporate culture characterized by secrecy, rigid conformity and aggressive exploitation of dominant positions, alongside a consistent pattern of public deception.

Media coverage and Tillersons confirmation hearings have focused heavily on his relationship with Russia and touched on his attitude toward human rights and potential conflicts of interest when dealing with countries where ExxonMobil operates. But Private Empire reveals an underlying mindset that in my view has even more profound implications for his fitness to serve the nation.

One of the most telling passages comes early, in a description of the culture of rule books and fear-inspiring management techniques at Exxon. Analogous to natural selection, writes Coll, a merciless grading system hardened Exxons culture and wrote the corporations DNA. A point would come in potential managers careers when they either committed to Exxon or left. Those who stayed did not find the  system ironic or extreme; they liked it.  Restless free thinkers and habitual dissenters who accidentally got hired (often as scientists) tended to decide quickly that they would be happier elsewhere. The result was a corporation led in its upper management ranks by  true believers.

In 2008 as ExxonMobil chairman, Rex Tillerson spoke at a press conference. (Brian Harkin / Getty Images)

Answering senators questions, Tillerson dwelled on his pivot away from this world  away from all he had striven to assimilate and become since the age of 23  assuring them that if confirmed to be secretary of State, [I] will have one mission only, and that is to represent the interests of the American people. But 41 years in the environment Coll describes is not dispensed with overnight.

The ultimate measure (and the chief purpose) of this culture, writes Coll, was Exxons financial performance. This sounds self-evident. But the ExxonMobil story encapsulates a profound cultural shift that has swept much of the world beginning in the 1980s: the triumph of money over almost all other measures of social value and standing. I spent two weeks in Nigeria in 2015 asking people if the meaning of money had changed in their lifetimes. The answers were emphatic (yes), articulate and often surprising in their details. Americans have responded with equal fervency. The growing fixation is one of the most significant trends of the last several decades. And ExxonMobil is a chief exemplar. At issue here, as Coll makes clear, is not the profit motive. It is profit as the exclusive motive in the face of trade-offs of broader and broader import.

To stay competitive in this race with no finish line  for financial performance, shareholder value, zeroes in bank accounts  elites have been writing rules (or ensuring their selective enforcement) in their own favor. Private Empire documents countless examples, including Exxons unilateral decision to ignore SEC regulations on how oil holdings should be counted, its bombardment of government scientists with Freedom of Information Act requests while designing protections for its own information far more severe than anything [one executive had] seen while holding a top secret clearance.

An ExxonMobil pipeline through Cameroon in West Africa in 2003 (Gail Fisher / Los Angeles Times)

Compounding the financial performance incentive is the way ExxonMobil is valued. Its not enough for the companys success to sell fossil fuels and petrochemicals and make money. Coll charts how Exxons entire corporate strategy is shaped by the need to gain equity control over, or book, new reserves to replace oil it has produced in a given year. For, unless the company opted to expand into other activities or energy sources  which ExxonMobil has declined to do  failure to replace reserves would guarantee an eventual end to the company. And who would buy shares in a doomed company?

The obsessive push to beat its competitors in replacing reserves flies in the face of many realities pertaining to the outside world  a place with which Tillerson is relatively unacquainted, having never lived abroad, as Coll notes. The first, of course, is climate change. If ExxonMobil must keep finding, extracting and selling oil ad infinitum, then no climate concerns can be brooked.

Coll documents the companys consistent efforts to block international climate agreements and also its deceitful campaign to debunk science while predicating its own planning on that very science.

(As head of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Coll more recently created the Energy and Environmental Reporting Project, which, in partnership with the L.A. Times, ran a series of stories expanding on the book, unearthing internal documents that showed what the company knew about climate change as far back as the 1980s. On Jan. 12, in one of the investigations resulting from that L.A. Times reporting on the topic, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge ordered ExxonMobil to surrender documents it had sought to withhold.)

Exxons attitude is similar to that of Goldman Sachs, which in the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis bet against the very securities it was selling its customers.

It is unwise, in this context, to credit Tillersons belated conversion to the reality of global warming  and even his past support for a carbon tax. Private Empire argues convincingly that the shift was a public relations calculation aimed at deflecting criticism without deviating from the overall aim of ensuring governments lack the political will to  force any big shift away from oil. Indeed, with more urgency since the conclusion of the Paris climate accord, the companys survival depended on a Trump victory in November. But the manifestly suicidal basis to this entire business model raises questions about the analytical acumen of those who cleave to it.

Exxons need to find replacement reserves has driven the search for oil ever farther and deeper, and in more dangerous locations. The inevitable consequence is spills that devastate irreplaceable natural treasures and human livelihoods, and an exacerbation of the resource curse in rich, tragically afflicted developing countries like Equatorial Guinea or Nigeria, where corrupt officials gorge on oil money while much of the population endures crippling poverty. Time and time again, Coll illustrates that ExxonMobils instinctive response was to deceive the public about the reality of these consequences.

The picture that emerges from Private Empire is of a company and its senior management bereft of the most elementary concept of the public interest or honors dictate to take responsibility for the consequences of ones actions. Coll depicts a company arrogantly conscious of its own sovereignty  as against that of the United States. With the appointment of this companys CEO, and so many others of his ilk, in the name of an anti-corruption campaign, what we are witnessing is the outright acquisition of our government by what can only be described as a kleptocratic cartel.

Sarah Chayes, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, is author of Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security, which won the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize, and with Sarah Peck, of The Oil Curse: A Remedial Role for the Oil Industry.

Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power

Steve Coll

Penguin Books, paperback edition: 704 pp., $20
Inspired by the various womens marches across the country and world last week, Carole King has shared a stripped-down, previously unreleased recording of a song called One Small Voice, originally released on her 1983 album, Speeding Time.

On January 21, 2017 men, women, and children of all ages with a variety of political views marched peacefully in Womens Marches on seven continents around the world, King wrote in a Huffington Post article posted Thursday.

I marched in a snowstorm in Stanley, Idaho (pop. 63), with 29 other people comprising half the town, she said. I carried a handmade sign that said One Small Voice because Ive never stopped believing that one small voice plus millions of other small voices is exactly how we change the world.

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The song, which begins with the lyrics, The emperors got no clothes on, is available for free streaming and download, because, says King, it will take the strength and persistence of many small voices to overcome the lies of the loudest voice with our message of truth, dignity, and decency.

Hear the new version of One Small Voice below.

agatha.french@latimes.com

@agathafrenchy
Defense Secretary James Mattis has ordered reviews of the Air Force One and F-35 fighter jet programs, two projects that have frequently been in President Trumps crosshairs.

Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said Friday that Mattis ordered separate reviews of both programs to inform programmatic and budgetary decisions, as well as his recommendations to the president regarding critical military capabilities.

In a Thursday memo to the deputy secretary of Defense, Mattis said the review would look for opportunities to significantly reduce the cost of the F-35 program while still meeting requirements.

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As part of that, Mattis said a parallel review would compare the operational capabilities of the F-35C for the Navy, which is designed to withstand the stress of landing on carriers, with the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

This review would determine whether improvements could be made to an advanced Super Hornet that would provide a competitive, cost-effective fighter aircraft alternative to the F-35, the memo said.

A separate memo from Mattis ordered a review of the Air Force One program to determine whether costs could be cut.

Both programs have connections to Southern California.

Boeing Co., which builds the iconic presidential 747 aircraft, has several hundred suppliers in the U.S. that support the 747 program. One of the largest is Triumph Aerostructures, which assembles the 747s center fuselage panels in Hawthorne.

Northrop Grumman Corp. operates an El Segundo facility that produces fuselages for Boeings F/A-18.

More than 100 Southern California suppliers provide parts and software for the F-35s builder, Lockheed Martin Corp.

Chicago-based Boeing said in a statement, We welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with the Trump administration.

Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, Md., said it was ready to support the review.

We are confident such a thorough and objective analysis will show that only the F-35, with its advanced stealth and sensors, can meet the 21st century air superiority requirements of all of our military services, the company said in a statement.

Since December, Trump has targeted the costs of both the Air Force One and F-35 programs in tweets and speeches. He has met with both Boeing and Lockheed Martins chief executives since then.

But pitting an advanced Super Hornet against the F-35 is not a new idea. The U.S. Navy has been buying Super Hornets in greater numbers than the F-35 for years, said Richard Aboulafia, aviation analyst for the Teal Group. The first F/A-18s flew in the 1980s, and proved their worth in the 1990s during Operation Desert Storm.

Its been the reality for some time, he said.

The F-35 has three variants to fit the needs of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The Air Force version is the most common type, with many planes going to U.S. allies. The U.S. Navy is the predominant customer for the F-35C, Aboulafia said.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

@smasunaga

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Part-time casual longshoremen outside the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Casual Longshore Dispatch Hall in Wilmington, where some lucky workers will nab a shift. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

If Cynthia Byington wins her version of the lottery, she will probably have to wait a decade to claim her prize. But Byington doesnt mind, because the reward is a shot at one of the rarest lifelines left for working-class Americans: a unionized blue-collar job.

In February, for the first time in over a decade, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will raffle off thousands of part-time gigs working at Los Angeles-area ports. The slots dont come with benefits or steady hours. But eventually, after putting in years at the docks, some of those part-timers may earn the chance to become unionized longshoremen, who can make as much as $200,000 per year.

You get full benefits your entire life. Even if its not til I turn 90, its worth it, Byington, 53, said.

You get full benefits your entire life. Even if its not til I turn 90, its worth it.  Cynthia Byington

Casual longshoremen who showed up for shifts earned less than $31,000 on average in 2016. Full-time union members get paid $161,000 on average. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The 2,400 names drawn in the raffle will become casual longshoremen.

Although they perform the same work as union members  loading thousands of containers on and off massive cargo ships to keep the ports running on time  they work far fewer hours. And the wait to receive full union benefits can stretch over a decade.

The average casual worker who showed up for weekly shifts earned nearly $31,000 in 2016, according to data from the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents the shipping companies and terminal operators that employ the dockworkers. Full-time union members get paid $161,000 on average, but those with seniority can earn tens of thousands more.

A worker shows a ticket with her assignment for the day. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A part-time worker waits near the gate at the dispatch hall. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Today, there are part-timers who have been waiting 13 years to get into the union. But the PMA said that for now, there are no firm plans to elevate any of them.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to have applied for the new casual slots, the PMA said. Scores of Southern Californians rushed to post offices and postal stores across the South Bay in January, buying up the 4x6-inch blank cards required to enter the raffle.

At the Postal Annex, a tiny storefront about five miles from the ports in San Pedro, owner Patrick Meehan could barely take a breath without getting a phone call about the lottery. He said hundreds of people streamed into his store in the three days before the deadline hit in late January.

The massive interest in the longshoremens lottery is a sign of just how desperate Americans are to gain even the most tenuous ground toward a stable, high-paying career working with their hands.

It says a lot about the state of our current labor market, said Ken Jacobs, chairman of the UC Berkeley Labor Center. There are a dwindling number of blue-collar union jobs where people with just a high school education can make a good living.

Fewer than 14% of workers in manufacturing, construction and trucking belonged to a union in 2015, down from nearly 40% in 1973, according to a database of Census data compiled by economists from Trinity University and Georgia State University.

Thats what propelled Byington to put her name in the running.

Its once in a lifetime, said Byington, who lives in a mobile home in Wilmington. She has seen longshoremen and women buy houses and put their kids through college on their union-won paychecks. Another friend recently got a full set of teeth implants, thanks to union-provided dental care.

Workers line up on the street to find out if theyll get a shift at the ports. This ritual is repeated every morning for casual longshoremen and women. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

If you say someone is a longshoreman, it means respect, even if they are a little spoiled, Byington said.

Earning that title, and the respect that comes with it, takes longer than ever.

In the 1990s, longshoremen would spend three to five years freelancing before they got elevated onto the rolls of the ILWU, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former casual workers. But then the recession hit, trade faltered, and the PMA temporarily stopped hiring union members.

The ports are using more automated machines, which is part of the reason the union workforce hasnt grown much. In 2016, the Port of Los Angeles processed 17% more container traffic than in 2005, but the number of full-time union longshoremen had increased by only 3.5% over that period.

Longshoremen also say employers have been relying more and more on part-timers.

The PMA, terminal employers and ILWU work together to maintain a balanced approach on the number of registered workers needed at the ports, said Wade Gates, a spokesman for the PMA.

Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the union, said the union has traditionally pushed to get more full-time positions, but the dockworkers bosses are reluctant. The last time the PMA added full-time union members to the payroll was in 2012.

Generally speaking, the employers would like to see more casual workers earning a little less pay, Merrilees said.

Mario Huerta says he has been working part time for 10 years at the docks, desperately trying to amass enough experience to become a union longshoreman.

Huerta and other casuals show up around 6 a.m. at a dingy dispatch hall and wait to hear if their number gets called for one of three shifts at the port. If they dont get called up in the morning, they can return around 4 in the afternoon for the next round of work opportunities.

On good weeks, a part-timer will manage to nab two to three eight-hour shifts, casuals said.

Part-timers gather near the dispatch hall early in the morning. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

After driving 60 miles to Wilmington from his home in Riverside on a recent Friday, Huerta was assigned a shift that would likely involve securing containers to a ship deck.

Sometimes I get work two or three days a week. Sometimes it's only one day a week, Huerta said, standing in the rain just outside the building where casuals go to get dispatched. He has no idea when the unsteady work will turn into something long-term.

How close am I to being elevated? Nobody seems to know, he said. At least today I have work.

Several others who failed to get work that day said they felt as if theyre being kept out of the union for as long as possible so that the shipping companies can avoid hiring more highly paid, full-time longshoremen.

Sometimes I get work two or three days a week. Sometimes it's only one day a week  Mario Huerta

The casuals all cobble together odd jobs on days they cant find work at the docks, including gigs in construction, landscaping and as security guards.

Chris Grove, 39, has spent 13 years reporting for duty at the casual hall and says the instability of the work tore up his marriage. Grove, who comes from a long line of longshoremen, including his mother, says the work at the ports was steady and continuous until the recession of 2008-2009.

I was able to put groceries on the table and keep the wife happy, he says.

After the financial crisis, though, his name barely ever came up for shifts. So he got a second job, installing security systems, and then another, installing satellite dishes for DirecTV. He put his name on a list to join an elevator construction union and became a bouncer and then a security guard at a cannabis collective. He even got paid to register voters.

The work was unpredictable, he says, and his paycheck was so much thinner than it once was.

Grove still shows up for work at the casual hall some weekends, but now hes more focused on his day job: In 2014, after waiting for eight years, he was admitted into the International Union of Elevator Constructors and makes good money with a full slate of benefits.

Times staff writer Ronald D. White contributed to this report.

Lead photo caption: Part-time casual longshoremen outside the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Casual Longshore Dispatch Hall in Wilmington, where some lucky workers will nab a shift. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

natalie.kitroeff@latimes.com

@NatalieKitro
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants the acting Labor secretary to explain why a website for complaints from Wells Fargo & Co. employees has disappeared, and she has requested an update on the departments investigation into the banks unauthorized-accounts scandal.

Taking down this website enables Wells Fargo to escape full responsibility for its fraudulent actions and the department to shirk its outstanding obligations to American workers, Warren wrote Thursday to Edward Hugler, a deputy assistant secretary and 39-year department veteran who has been acting secretary since President Trump took office.

It is imperative that current and former Wells Fargo employees retain access to information on their rights under federal labor law and their ability to file a complaint if their rights are violated, the Massachusetts Democrat added.

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The site was created in September after former Labor Secretary Tom Perez began a top-to-bottom review of how the bank treated employees as it pushed aggressive sales quotas that led to the creation of as many as 2 million accounts opened without customers consent.

Warren and seven other senators asked Perez for an investigation after Wells Fargo agreed to pay $185 million to settle investigations by Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer and federal regulators into the unauthorized accounts.

The senators cited allegations that the bank failed to pay overtime to tellers and other employees who worked late nights and weekends to meet sales quotas.

The website  www.dol.gov/wellsfargo  is no longer active. It was working as of Jan. 20 when Trump took office, Warren said in her letter.

Labor Department spokesman Stephen Barr said the site was taken down Jan. 9. He didnt say why but denied the Trump administration had anything to do with it.

The current administration gave no direction whatsoever regarding Wells Fargo here at the Department of Labor, Barr said.

Warren spokeswoman Lacey Rose was not able to provide evidence the site was working on Jan. 20 but said the exact date was irrelevant.

Regardless of which administration took down the website, Sen. Warren is concerned it came down and believes the Department of Labor should put back up the website as soon as possible, Rose said.

Trumps nominee for Labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, the chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc., is scheduled for a Senate confirmation hearing next week.

Warren asked Hugler if the department will continue all ongoing investigations into Wells Fargos treatment of employees and reinstate the complaint website. If violations were found by the Labor Department, Wells Fargo employees could be provided back pay.

Warren also asked Hugler about a Wall Street Journal report on Jan. 6 stating the Labor Department accused an outside attorney for Wells Fargo, Tammy McCutchen, of hampering the investigation by denying records and interviews. When pressed by a Labor Department investigator, McCutchen reportedly said Trump was taking over in a few weeks and she might land an administration job.

In her letter, Warren requested that Hugler notify Congress if McCutchen or any other attorneys that represented Wells Fargo are nominated to serve in the department, and asked that they recuse themselves from investigations of the bank if they take office.

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter

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UPDATES:

12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with a comment by a Warren spokeswoman about the date the website was taken down.

10:10 a.m.: This article was updated with comment from a Labor Department spokesman and clarifying that Warren was the person saying that the website was taken down after Trump took office.

This article originally was published at 8:20 a.m.
Orange Countys Wet Seal Inc. has apparently become the latest retailer to close its doors for good in a spate of mall-shop shutdowns.

The teen-oriented retailer filed a notice with the state on Jan. 20 that it was firing 148 employees in Irvine, where it is headquartered, in what it described as a permanent closure. In a Jan. 20 letter, vice president and general counsel Michelle Stocke told Irvine employees that Wet Seal would close all locations and lay off its entire staff after the company was unable to obtain the necessary capital or identify a strategic partner, and was recently informed that it will receive no further financing for its operations, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Launched in 1962 in Newport Beach as Lornes, after founder Lorne Huycke, the California-themed apparel brand soon changed its name when Huyckes wife saw a woman modeling a black bathing suit that she thought resembled a wet seal.

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It expanded across the country in the 1980s and 1990s, offering young women a casual, sun-kissed aesthetic. As it grew, the privately held firm rolled out the unisex teen clothier retailer Limbo Lounge and later acquired 200 Contempo Casual stores from Neiman Marcus Group.

But in recent years, sales lagged and interest waned. Its reputation suffered after a racial bias suit alleged the company replaced black employees with white ones. (Wet Seal paid a $7.5 million settlement in 2013.)

After two years of losses amounted to more than $150 million, Wet Seal in 2015 closed more than 330 stores, laid off around 3,700 employees and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Versa Capital Management, a private equity firm, acquired the retailer that year. Versa Capital declined to comment; Wet Seal did not immediately respond.

According to its website, Wet Seal operates 171 stores in 42 states and employs more than 3,000 people.

Wet Seals decline can be traced to a loss of identity, according to retail experts.

Wet Seal is not the only teen-targeted fashion firm to have suffered in recent years. Once-trendy retailers such as American Apparel and the Limited have struggled in part because of changing buying habits that prioritize steep deals and of-the-moment looks ahead of brand loyalty.

After its second bankruptcy protection filing, American Apparel was sold this month to Canadian firm Gildan Activewear and it began laying off 2,400 workers in Southern California and moving to close all of its stores. The Limited womens apparel chain is closing 250 stores this month and laying off 4,000 employees.

But their woes came as chains such as H&M and Forever21 have flourished.

Industry experts pinpoint a few factors. Some say that for retail stores to thrive in todays market, they must cater to a young clientele that has grown increasingly impatient roaming malls and seeks instant gratification.

As mall traffic has decreased in the last decade, some shoppers have turned to the Internet  making online and mobile shopping vital. But when customers do visit stores, they want to go where they can buy an entire outfit in one spot, according to Britt Beemer, chairman and founder of Americas Research Group.

Thats easier on the pocketbook at places like H&M and Forever 21, which carry a wide array of styles at discount prices.

SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter 

Jane Hali, chief executive at Jane Hali & Associates, an investment research firm, said todays consumers, particularly young ones, value nothing more than a deal.

This generation was raised seeing their parents lose their home and they went through the second-biggest recession in the country, she said.

Peter Lynch, a partner at A&G Realty Partners, says todays young shoppers are less loyal to brands than previous generations, which is why companies need to communicate their identity clearly.

Unless youre able to get an emotional connection with the customers, its going to be very hard to compete in apparel in todays environment, Lynch said.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

@melissaetehad

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2:55 p.m.: This article was updated to provide additional context about Wet Seals origin.

This article was originally published at 11:30 a.m.
President Trump has a pretty good idea. Although he hasnt raised the issue since the November election, Trump tackled the growing problem of student debt while on the campaign trail. About 44 million Americans hold roughly $1.4 trillion in student loans  more than is owed for credit cards.

Students should not be asked to pay more on the debt than they can afford, Trump said during an October appearance in Columbus, Ohio. And the debt should not be an albatross around their necks for the rest of their lives.

His solution: Capping annual student-loan payments at 12.5% of income. After 15 years, whatevers still outstanding would be forgiven.

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As is rapidly becoming clear, Trump said a number of things while running for office that  how shall we put it?  had no basis in reality. Exhibit A: his eagerness to release his taxes.

Addressing student debt deserves more serious treatment.

The federal government now accounts for the vast majority of student loans, but the betting is that, under Trump, private-sector lenders and loan servicers will play a greater role. Thats why shares of private loan originator Sallie Mae have jumped by nearly 70% since the election.

But more action for private companies also means more opportunities for borrowers to be ripped off by unscrupulous firms.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week joined two state attorneys general in suing Navient, the countrys largest servicer of student loans. A loan servicer collects monthly payments on behalf of banks, the government and other lenders.

Under the Obama administration, people with student debt were given more options for paying back their loans, including the possibility of debt forgiveness after 20 to 25 years. The CFPB is alleging that Navient went out of its way to keep borrowers in the dark about such opportunities.

For years, Navient failed consumers who counted on the company to help give them a fair chance to pay back their student loans, CFPB Director Richard Cordray said in a statement. At every stage of repayment, Navient chose to shortcut and deceive consumers to save on operating costs.

Too many borrowers paid more for their loans because Navient illegally cheated them.

Props once again to the consumer watchdog for doing its job, despite Trump and Republican lawmakers aiming to eviscerate the agency as a gift to business interests.

I spoke with Josephine Lee, an attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. She specializes in student debt and represents about 80 borrowers at any particular time. Much of her efforts involve untangling borrowers dealings with Navient.

Clients tell me theyve been bullied by Navient or werent notified of all their options, Lee told me. I hear a lot from clients about Navient giving improper advice.

This jibes with allegations made by the CFPB, which says Navient deliberately gave bad info to borrowers to prevent them from reducing their debt. The company is also accused of processing payments incorrectly and failing to respond to complaints.

The average borrower carries more than $37,000 in student debt, and at least one in four is either late on payments or in default. Navient services more than $300 billion in federal and private student loans extended to about 12 million borrowers.

A Navient spokeswoman, Patricia Christel, declined to comment on the lawsuits or the companys alleged misdeeds. She passed along a company statement calling the allegations unfounded.

Tustin lawyer Chris Santos, 45, would beg to differ. He told me hes carrying about $135,000 in student debt from his undergraduate education and law school. Navient is his debt servicer.

A couple of years ago, Santos said, he fell two months behind on his loan payments. He contacted Navient and said he wanted to pay the outstanding amount so he could catch up. After making the payment, the service rep assured him that all was well.

A month or so later, however, he was told by Navient that he was still late, and that his tardiness had been reported to the credit bureaus. The company said the earlier service rep had been mistaken about how much he owed.

I asked how that was fair, Santos said. How could it be my fault when I was given incorrect information? They just said that it was my fault for not making my payments in the first place.

Hes still trying to rebuild his credit.

Navients alleged rough stuff notwithstanding, its time for bold steps in alleviating the student debt crisis.

College costs keep rising, but government grants and financial aid are either harder to come by or cover a smaller share of overall expenses.

As a result, students have to borrow more for a post-secondary education. That means they enter their working lives already deep in a hole and often have to defer things like getting married, having kids or buying a home. Delaying such major events can jeopardize financial stability later in life, when people need it most.

Trumps proposals for a 12.5% of income cap on payments and debt forgiveness after 15 years are a good starting point. He said during the campaign that hed pay for uncollected student loans by reducing federal spending elsewhere.

As with nearly all his campaign proposals, Trump offered no specifics about what hed actually do. So its unclear what budget cuts he has in mind.

One thing he may want to reconsider is that 12.5% cap  its a high amount compared to steps many other developed nations have taken in dealing with their own student-loan situations.

Australia, for instance, puts its cap at between 4% and 8% of a borrowers earnings, and you dont have to make any payments until youre pulling down at least $40,000 a year.

Federal repayment programs implemented by former President Obama require 10% of discretionary income annually for up to 25 years, so 12.5% over 15 years is better for borrowers. But its still a heavy load to carry.

Thats why I also like the idea of allowing people to work off student debt through community service.

Such programs already exist on a limited basis (check out SponsorChange). Trump should seek the private sectors help in allowing employees to carve out time for a wide array of volunteer gigs  a couple of days a month, say  that would result in student-loan reductions.

Some employers also are matching employees student-loan payments as a workplace benefit. Promoting such programs is another way Trump can advance a business-friendly agenda while also helping people.

Hopefully he wasnt just blowing smoke when he said in October that if borrowers work hard and make their full payments for 15 years, well let them get on with their lives.

Thats one promise worth keeping.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.

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A canned good here, a super hero there  and isnt that Olive Oyl (or perhaps her doppelganger) opening the door to 1961s Refrigerator #3, lined with jiggly rows of identical soda bottles from the supermarket?

In a painting like this, its easy to see why Peter Saul was received as a brash, pioneering Pop artist in the early 1960s, when commercial subject matter was busily kicking pure abstraction in the teeth. Saul did it with notable glee.

At George Adams Gallery at CB1-G, three paintings, 16 works on paper and one painted sculpture track aspects of the transformation Sauls work underwent from 1957 to 1967. The Pop aspect is inescapable (and inescapably new for painting); but so is an established Surrealist sense of warped time/space dislocation and gestural paint-handling with Expressionist verve. In combination with vernacular subject matter, the mix sets his work apart.

In a typical Saul painting or drawing, German expatriate social-observer Max Beckmann collides with jingoist all-American Thomas Hart Benton within an abstract structural armature of Willem de Kooning, all slathered with a cheeky overlay of Mad Magazine irreverence. Its quite a mash-up, one that was nicely articulated in the small but powerful 2008 survey of Sauls career shown at the Orange County Museum of Art.

Peter Saul, Gun Moll, 1961, oil on canvas (George Adams Gallery)

Gun Moll is emblematic  a grotesque, De Kooning-style woman dressed in bra and panties, smashed against a graffiti-marked wall, dripping dollar bills, wielding a handgun and chatted up by a giant, floating hamburger. The casual violence of both the pictures substance and its brushy, acrid colors is at once dark and funny, horrific and sad.

Drawings are among the shows standouts. Rather than the public bleating of urban street-graffiti, which would have such a profound impact on late 1970s and 80s art, his scrawled drawings meditate on the private fears and lonely viciousness expressed on the walls of toilet stalls. The secretive inner workings of humanity head toward sordid public expression.

Saul was born in San Francisco in 1934 and lived mostly in Paris when the earliest works were made. Returning to the U.S. in 1964 as the Vietnam War ground on, he soon examined American militarism. A grim trio of examples concludes this modest but bracing show.

One is a raucous 1967 painting of Green Berets raping and bombing in a delirious orgy of brutality; the others are a garish lithograph and a painted sculpture, both showing an American soldier nailed to a cross. Sauls impure, hybrid style is just the right vehicle to convey the wars haunted complexity, where abused victims and heroic saviors can sometimes be one and the same.

George Adams Gallery at CB1-G, 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles. Through Feb. 18; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. (213) 806-7889, www.cb1gallery.com

christopher.knight@latimes.com

@KnightLAT

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Artist Theaster Gates likes to refer to himself as a potter. But the one-time urban planning student is perhaps best known for a long-running work of social practice on the South Side of Chicago.

There he has transformed a series of neglected buildings into centers of culture. These range from a space that screens films with African American themes to a once-abandoned but still graceful neoclassical bank (sold to him for $1 by Mayor Rahm Emanuel) that now maintains a vast library of historic black publications accessed by scholars and even musicians, including Corinne Bailey Rae and Meshell Ndegeocello.

This gives him a nuanced perspective on the issues of crime, education and neighborhoods that many, including the new president, dont see.

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I think that what Trump is indicating is that hes unwilling to look at the preconditions that created this thing  from segregation to the lack of equity and job opportunities to schooling and healthcare, Gates says when asked about Trumps tweet on Tuesday promising to send in the Feds if the horrible carnage of Chicagos shootings and killings doesnt stop. My nephew in Chicago can get arrested for five years for marijuana and a white man in Aspen, Colo., can make millions selling it.

I cannot afford to just be an artist in this moment. I have to use my art and my brain to try to imagine solutions.  Theaster Gates, artist

The art Gates creates often starts with materials he harvests from the Chicago spaces hes reclaimed  be they assemblages made out of decommissioned firehouse equipment or abstracted collages rendered from old gym flooring. And they have been shown in institutions around the world, including the Fondazione Prada in Milan, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Now Gates has returned to Los Angeles with a new exhibition, But to Be a Poor Race, inspired by a cache of Jet magazines from his Stony Island Arts Bank and a series of curious charts created by sociologist W.E.B. DuBois, who mapped black life in the United States.

The original DuBois charts, made in collaboration with his students at Atlanta University in 1900, examined everything from urban migration to taxable property owned by African Americans in Georgia.

These early infographics, intended for an exhibition about African American life at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, were more than simple data sets. DuBois interpreted his figures as fantastical paintings, featuring whorls of bold color presented in visually engaging ways. (Imagine Kandinsky as a statistician.)

Using the DuBois designs, Gates has created a series of new paintings and installation objects for the show at Regen Projects in Hollywood. It is his first solo exhibition at Regen, which now represents Gates exclusively in the United States.

In this lightly edited conversation, Gates took time to chat via telephone about why he finds DuBois data maps so intriguing, how L.A. played a vital role in his career as an artist, and more about President Trumps dark view of Chicago.

How did you first come across DuBois statistical charts?

Around 2012, there was a really important series of seminars happening on W.E.B. DuBois at a number of East Coast schools. I was asked to make a work responding to DuBois. I decided I would take portions of one of his speeches, and I would improvise my own speech so that I was, in a way, channeling DuBois. In doing that research, I came across these statistical drawings and they were so unbelievable.

What struck you about them?

I realized that he was teaching [his students] art as he was teaching them statistical mapping. He was talking about how people were moving to cities and owning land and implements, mapping black asset ownership, and he could do this empirical work with such flair. DuBois was maybe one of the earliest black contemporary artists.

In your paintings, you replicate DuBois fields of color, but you dont reveal their context. Why strip the data away?

This is where my conversation with abstraction begins. By taking the information away, I get to create an abstraction that makes people think about data: A black man with a show about data? That must be about killings.

In this situation, people are given an opportunity to imagine their own content  they can layer themselves upon my abstractions.

Its a commitment to painting, too. Its the way that [Mark] Rothko or Romare Bearden, how they would have talked about abstraction: The world is too complicated or too ugly  I dont have to represent the war. I dont have to represent that verbatim. My job is to show people a possibility. If we have a willingness to look at this statistical drawing, we might ask, what could change? What else is possible?

What makes these pieces significant in this political climate?

The show was intentionally not wearing politics on its sleeve. Its simply responding to the energy of this moment. For me, on the South Side and the West Side of Chicago, whether its the last political moment or this one, its hard to say that the poorest in America benefited or lost anything from either. Really, the anxiety is in the middle.

What I realized is that this is a demonstration, this is an opportunity that one has to keep going to work  you gotta keep working. The show says, I am going to continue to go to work. Im going to continue to make art. Im going to continue to sing. Im going to keep working as a protest.

The white American world has wanted to believe that the black male is savage and nonhuman since the beginning of the founding of this country.  Theaster Gates, artist

A number of sculptures in the exhibition employ old copies of Jet magazine. How did all of those magazines end up in your hands?

Linda Johnson Rice, the CEO of Johnson Publishing [which published Jet], she came to my home. She saw that I had a lot of books and said, I have some books  my fathers books. Why dont you come down to our building and check em out? So I went to Johnson Publishing on Michigan Avenue and the seventh floor was their library with 26,000 books in it.

I said, Yeah, I would love these books. She said, You can have them. I had just acquired a bank and the banks principal mission would be to activate and give a life to these books that hadnt really been seen by the public.

She also gave me the bound periodicals that consisted of the entire cannon of Johnson Publishing: Jet, as well as Black World and Negro Digest, Ebony, Ebony Jr. and Tan, a magazine for lighter-skinned women. They produced over 26 publications. Negro Digest is like a black intellectual journal. John Johnson [the founder of Johnson Publishing] was commissioning the only black PhDs from Harvard and Yale. The young Richard Wright was making essays for Jet and Ebony in 1951 or 52.

Why are these publications so important to you?

I thought John Johnson was one of the most significant early black entrepreneurs, especially around publishing and the black image. He was doing something that advanced black people in a way that made good business sense. He was the man. As [the company] was trying to figure out their next life, I wanted to say that Johnson Publishing matters. I was trying to demonstrate that these archives had a life.

For me, this was a way of engaging the archive, of taking it out of the sphere of entrepreneurship and putting it back in the sphere of cultural action. Now we have artists like Corinne Bailey Rae and Meshell Ndegeocello and they are making new music out of their research in the library.

Im interested and occupied with black power. Not Black Panther power  but black spiritual and religious power.  Theaster Gates, artist

For this show, youve taken these copies of Jet and written poems on their spine: Not only pentatonic / Black Harmonics / Gallowed / Clay Body / Dark and Lovely / Fabulaxer. Id love to know how you ended up with pentatonic and Fabulaxer in a single poem.

My poem is a kind of a black index to the content inside each bound volume. Each has 12 to 20 weekly editions of Jet magazine. I would simply peruse through each bound volume, kind of waiting for information to pop out at me. In a way Im making concrete poetry, but my field is 2 to 3 inches  thats all the space I got.

And Fabulaxer was a black womans perm relaxer. People talk about the fact that I like found things. But its not found things that Im preoccupied with. Its that as people become more middle class, they become less interested in using words like Fabulaxer. Im exhuming language. Im trying to make it high language so that were not afraid to use these words.

You began your art career with pottery. I understand that you were inspired by important Southern California ceramicists such as Peter Voulkos and Paul Soldner. Why were they significant to you?

I came across their work because of my undergraduate ceramics teacher Ingrid Lilligren, my only formal art teacher. She took the entire class to Los Angeles  it was 93 or 94  and I stayed at the Brewery [the artist studio complex east of downtown]. And that was the thing that made me want to study art. Up until then I was an urban planning student.

[Ingrid] studied under Soldner and she knew all of those ceramics guys  like Akio Takamori, God rest his soul. It was there that I learned about the world of ceramics  and that led me to Africa, to India and, ultimately, I studied in Japan.

I met Soldner once. And I saw Voulkos throwing from a stage. I was really impressed by these kind of conceptual uses of craft. I dont call it ceramics. I talk about the material. Im a clay artist.

The show at Regen features clay works by you that resemble masks. What inspired these?

For the last maybe two years. Ive been asking myself questions about the power inherent in fetish objects and how can I access that power. Im interested and occupied with black power. Not Black Panther power  but black spiritual and religious power. And the masks, they represent demonstrations of that power.

Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump talked about Chicago as a symbol of urban malady. Whats your view of his view?

One thing is true: That the white American world has wanted to believe that the black male is savage and nonhuman since the beginning of the founding of this country. The language has changed, the phrases  whether its the war on drugs or war on crime or whether theyre using the language of antiterrorism. So one has to recognize that the mechanism is not a new one at all.

I think that the problem is that in the absence of a certain kind of black leadership, we fight each other instead of fighting the system. And I want to implicate myself in this: I cannot afford to just be an artist in this moment. I have to use my art and my brain to try to imagine solutions not only for the museum, but for the city  for black people. I cant afford to lock myself in the studio.

+++++

Theaster Gates: But to Be a Poor Race

Where: Regen Projects, 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood

When: Through Feb. 25

Info: regenprojects.com

Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstah

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Watch a nightclub shooting in virtual reality? For Rose Troche, painful subjects make for powerful art

Filmmaker Rose Troche wants her virtual reality work to be considered something other than cinema. She premiered a VR piece at Sundance, If Not Love. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Rose Troche says she came out three times in her life: first as a Puerto Rican, next as an artist and finally as a gay person.

By the time I came out as gay, it was like, Oh, this old thing? jokes Troche, the child of immigrant parents who grew up hiding her minority identity on multiple levels in a tough Chicago neighborhood during the 1960s and 70s.

Relaxing on a couch in a Hollywood Hills chalet, she explains how shes in the midst of a fourth coming-out of sorts. As a writer and director on the vanguard of virtual reality, shes trying to articulate that her latest form of art isnt filmmaking.

Its a tricky but important sticking point for the celebrated indie filmmaker, whose virtual reality project If Not Love premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festivals experimental New Frontier arts and media exhibition.

Since 2012, New Frontier has showcased the film worlds bold and exciting steps into the VR space. Troche, who has exhibited three pieces at New Frontier since 2014, is searching for fresh language to describe that entrance.

Im advocating for a whole new set of words so that we stop calling it cinema, she says. This needs to exist as what it is and not be put into a funnel of what is a beautiful and amazing medium, but its not the same thing.

Troche would know. She carved out a career for herself in film after her 1994 feature debut, the lesbian romantic comedy Go Fish, became a cult hit. Made for $15,000, the film grossed more than $2.4 million at the box office thanks to a string of awards and a nomination for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

I do pieces that take you to places that you dont want to go, and I dont want to take you to those places on a whim or in a cavalier way.  Rose Troche

Film gave way to a decade spent building commercial success in television, most notably as the co-executive producer of the lesbian drama The L Word. But a history of social activism and a desire for a new artistic challenge drove Troche to create VR work.

Three out of four of her pieces have dealt with difficult subjects. Perspective Chapter 1: The Party was a first-person exploration of date rape from the point of view of both the survivor and the assailant. Perspective Chapter 2: The Misdemeanor told the story of a police shooting from the perspective of a policeman and a young black man being shot.

The new work, If Not Love, is a short piece that takes the viewer on a painful, 360-degree journey through a mass shooting at a gay nightclub. If Not Love isnt intended to re-create last years Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., but the project was inspired by that incident as well as by the tragedy in Nice, France, when a truck plowed through a crowd at a Bastille Day celebration.

In both cases, Troche wondered if anything could have been done to stop the violence.

If Not Love explores that thought by following the story of a closeted gay man who, after an anonymous hookup, decides to carry out a shooting at a nightclub. The piece presents an alternate scenario where, instead of letting him leave after sex, the mans partner asks him to stay. The two men kiss and hold each other, while back at the nightclub the bodies on the ground suddenly rise up in reverse of the falls they took in the shooting.

The idea, which Troche admits is perhaps naively simplistic, is that a single act of love just might save someone from himself. She felt VR would be the most effective medium to get her idea across because of its immediacy.

This form allows you a shortness of story, but in a more immersive way, Troche says. I do pieces that take you to places that you dont want to go, and I dont want to take you to those places on a whim or in a cavalier way. I wouldnt want you to be immersed in this for more than seven minutes.

If this isnt film, what is it? You watch it like film, only through a special headset. And the watching is active, instead of inactive. VR encourages you to move around  to look up, down, right and left. If you turn completely around during the scene in If Not Love, when the shooter is leaving after his secret tryst, for example, you will see a childs car seat.

With VR, Troche says, we are relearning how to watch. Its teaching us how to view things differently, and to be more intuitive viewers.

New Frontier curator Shari Frilot says she has invited Troche to exhibit year after year because of her ability to emotionally penetrate the limits of the intellect  in ways that are powerful, familiar and accessible.

She continues to stand out as a storyteller in this field who is doing something unique around combining classic aspects of filmmaking  character, performance, story structure  with the embodied power of this immersive medium in ways that continue to push this field forward, says Frilot, who has seen New Frontier grow exponentially since its inception in 2007 as a fledgling space at the intersection of art, filmmaking and technology.

Troche believes that VR will claim its rightful place in the pantheon of future media arts when its makers learn to create strong narratives with powerhouse performances. Three years ago, she says, it was popular to say narrative couldnt be done in VR. This has been proven false, but to date she doesnt feel the accomplishment has been properly achieved.

Its really important to me to test the parameters of how to create sustainable narratives in VR, Troche says, adding that the sooner a cohesive language to describe it emerges, including critics who understand and employ that language, the sooner that feat will be accomplished.

Actors, too, will need to relearn their craft if VR is to flourish. Actors are never off camera in a 360-degree film, unless they physically leave the room. Its almost like being in a play, only, unlike with theater, actors in VR need to understate everything. The more they project in VR, the more false they look.

Troches next step into the narrative realm is a 30-minute VR comedy series called LGBTQIA, which she describes as The Bad News Bears of gay comedy.

Im trying to find the strengths of VR and what it has to offer, she says.

I watched the film Blue alone in a movie theater, and I remember being in the space and bubble and world of it. I think VR has the potential to put viewers back in that space in a whole new way.
Cody Wilson turned a toothpick over in his mouth and swirled the olive-adorned drink in front of him.

I dont ask anyone to be sympathetic to my position, he said. I dont think Im a very sympathetic character.

The 28-year-old may or may not be on to something when he makes that statement about his personality. He is decidedly on-point when he makes it about his ideas.

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Wilson is part of a loose group of techno-anarchists, or crypto-anarchists. Together with such figures as Bitcoin developer Amir Taaki and, somewhat more distantly, the likes of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, he seeks to overthrow established systems by using new forms of digital savvy and aggression. These are, needless to say, far from consensus beliefs..

FULL COVERAGE: Sundance 2017 

Wilsons ideology, ascent and travails are followed in Adam Bhala Loughs The New Radical. The youth-culture filmmakers latest documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this week, takes viewers on a sweep through an underground world, offering as much a portrait of a new and subversive way of thinking as of the thinkers themselves. Told slickly if not always explanatorily, New Radical follows such initiatives as Defense Distributed, a digital file that allows anyone with a 3-D printer to create their own gun away from government oversight, and Dark Wallet, a kind of Internet market in the shadows where digital currency can move undetected.

At the center of it all is Wilson, who founded and created the file for Defense Distributed and is a key cog in Dark Wallet.

As it has played at Sundance several times over the course of the week, Radical has landed with all the gentleness of a Molotov cocktail. Despite their ambition, issue-minded movies at this gathering tend to fall into a comfortable set of mainstream center-left positions; someone who occupies both the extreme right and left ends of the spectrum (depending on the issue) will almost inherently be a feather-ruffler.

Power is the threat of violence.  Cody Wilson

In New Radical, the archetype alluded to by the title looks to create fundamental political change by pushing for one or more of the following: an eradication of intellectual-property laws, radical free speech, fierce encryption to protect that speech, anonymous money (basically, digital currency not controlled or monitored by any government) and a general disdain for traditional legislative structures.

Wilson has added another element: weapons. The hyper-articulate Arkansas native came into the public eye in 2013 when Defense Distributed released the blueprint for its first gun, called The Liberator. The program essentially allows anyone with access to a 3-D printer to make an end run around gun regulations by printing a plastic weapon at home.

The project started with guns. It was like, If you combine WikiLeaks and guns  guns and the Internet  doesnt that change the political? Power is the threat of violence, he said. The mere possibility that anyone can take up arms will, in Wilsons view, keep everyone in check  in turn both neutralizing government and taking over its order-maintaining function.

1 / 193 John Lithgow and Salma Hayek from the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 193 Director and actress Michelle Morgan from the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 193 Director Dan Sickles, left, director Antonio Santini and director of photography Adam Uhl from the film Dina. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 193 Director of photography Adam Uhl from the film Dina. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 193 Director Danny Strong, left, actor Nicholas Hoult and actress Zoey Deutch from the film Rebel in the Rye. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 193 Actress Lois Smith from the film Marjorie Prime. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 193 Actor Jon Hamm from the film Marjorie Prime. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 193 Actor Mark Hamill from the film Brigsby Bear. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 193 Actor Nick Offerman from the film The Hero. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 193 Director Jovanka Vuckovic from the film, XX. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 193 Actress India Menuez from the Amazon series I Love Dick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 193 Actress Laura Prepon from the film The Hero. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 193 Actor Sam Elliott from the film The Hero. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 193 Director Annie Clark (also known as the musician, St. Vincent) from the film XX. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 193 Director Joshua Z. Weinstein, left, and Menashe Lustig from Menashe at the Sundance Film Festial in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 23. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 193 Actress Zoe Chao, left, co-director Celia Rowlson-Hall, co-director Mia Lidofsky and actress Meredith Hagne from the television movie Strangers. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 193 Actor Martin Donovan, left, actress Julia Ordmond, director Mark Palansky and actor Peter Dinklage from the film Rememory. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 193 Actress Madeline Weinstein from the film Beach Rats. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 193 Ryan Horrigan, left, Paul Raphael, Felix Jajeunesse and Sebastian Sylvan from the film Miyubi. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 193 Actor Harris Dickinson from the film Beach Rats. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 193 Director Eliza Hittman from Beach Rats. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 193 Actresses Nefessa Williams, left, Adriyan Rae, Steve Harris, Seryah and Imani Hakim from the film Burning Sands. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 193 Actor Jon Daly, left, director Janicza Bravo, actress Judy Greer, actress Shiri Appelby and actor Brett Gelman of Lemon. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 193 Director Julia Ducournau from the film Raw. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 193 Actress Anya Taylor-Joy, director Cory Finley and actress Olivia Cooke from the film Thoroughbred. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 193 Director Matt Heineman, second from right, and citizen journalists Mohamad Almusari, left, Hamoud Almousa and Abdalaziz from the documentary film City of Ghosts. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 193 Subjects Raj Majethia and Victoria Harrelson from the documentary film The Mars Generation. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 193 Subject Raj Majethia, left, director Michael Barnett and subject Victoria Harrelson from the documentary film The Mars Generation. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 193 Actor Adam Horowitz, left, actress Emily Browning, director Alex Ross Perry and actress Analeigh Tipton from the film Golden Exits. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 193 Director Wally Wolodarsky, left, actor Jack Black, actress Jenny Slate, director Maya Forbes, actress Jacki Weaver and actor Willie Garson from the film The Polka King. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 193 Director Rory Kennedy and surfer Laird Hamilton, from the documentary film Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 193 Actress Julia Jones from the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 193 Actress Kelsy Asbille from the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 193 Director Kogonada from the film Columbus. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 193 Actor Rory Culkin, left, actor John Cho, actress Michelle Forbes, actress Haley Lu Richardson and actor Parker Posey from the film, Columbus. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 193 Director Taylor Sheridan from the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 193 Actress Gigi Gorgeous and director Barbara Kopple from the film This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 193 Actress Gigi Gorgeous, from This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 193 Executive Producer Danny Glover, left, and director Yance Ford from the documentary film Strong Island. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 193 Actor Sam Elliott, left, actor Nick Offerman, director Brett Haley, actress Katharine Ross and actress Laura Prepon from the film The Hero. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 193 Co-Executive Producer Sarah Gubbins, left, actor Griffin Dunne, actress India Menuez (kneeling), actress Roberta Colindrez, actor Kevin Bacon, director Jill Soloway, actress Kathryn Hahn and Lily Mojekwu from the Amazon series I Love Dick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 193 Actress Kathryn Hahn, actress Roberta Colindrez and director Jill Soloway from the Amazon series I Love Dick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 193 Actor Jason Isaacs and Crash from the film Red Dog: True Blue. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 193 Actor Sasheer Zamata, director Sydney Freeland, actress Danielle Nicolet, actor David Sullivan, actress Rachel Crow and actress Ashleigh Murray, from the film Diedra and Laney Rob a Train. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 193 Actor Daniel Houck and director Stefan Avalos from the documentary film Strad Style. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 193 Actor Jeremy Renner from the film Wind River,. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 193 Director/actor Zoe Lister-Jones from the film Band Aid. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 193 Actress Chloe Sevigny from the film Golden Exits. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 193 Actor Jack Black from the film The Polka King. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 193 Surfer Laird Hamilton, subject of the documentary film Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 193 Actress Julia Jones from the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 193 Actress Kelsy Asbille from the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 193 Actress America Ferrera from the new Web series Gente-fied. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 193 Director Miguel Arteta from the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 193 Actress Connie Britton from the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 193 Actress Salma Hayek from the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 193 Actor Jay Duplass jumps behind writer-director Gillian Robespierre, actress Jenny Slate, actress Edie Falco and actress Abby Quinn from the film Landline. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 193 Actor Blake Jenner, actor Logan Lerman, actress Elle Fanning and actress Michelle Monaghan from the film Sidney Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 193 Actress Natalie Paul, left, actor Lakeith Stanfield, screenwriter Matt Ruskin and actor-producer Nnamdi Asomugha, from the film Crown Heights. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 193 Actress Judy Greer, left, actor Woody Harrelson and actress Laura Dein, from the film Wilson. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 193 Actress Isabella Amara, from the film Wilson. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 193 Actor Josh OConnor, left, director Francis Lee and actor Alec Secareanu, from the film Gods Own Country. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 193 Jaque Fragua, director Michelle Latimer, center, and Sarain Carson-Fox, from the documentary film Rise. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 193 Director Amir Bar-Lev, left, Steve Parrish and Trixie Garcia, from the documentary film Long Strange Trip. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 193 Actress Connie Britton, from the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 193 Actor-producer Nnamdi Asomugha, from the film Crown Heights. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 193 Director Andrew Dosunmu from the film Where Is Kyra. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 193 Actor John Lithgow, from the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 193 Director Shawn Christensen from the film Sidney Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 193 Actor Garrett Hedlund, director Dee Rees, actor Rob Morgan, musician Mary J. Blige, and actress Cary Mulligan from the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 193 Geremy Jasper, director and writer of the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 193 Actress Danielle Macdonald from the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 193 Actress Laia Costa from the film Newness. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 193 Actor Mamoudou Athie from the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 193 Actor Nicholas Hoult from the film Newness. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 193 Actor Siddharth Dhananjay from the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 193 Actor Mamoudou Athie, left, actress Cathy Moriarty, actor Siddharth Dhananjay, director-writer Geremy Jasper, actress Bridget Everett and actress Danielle Macdonald from the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 193 Director Evgeny Afineevsky and subject Kholoud Helmi from the HBO documentary film Cries From Syria. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 193 Subject Marli Renfro and director Alexandre O. Philippe from the documentary film 78/52. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 193 Actress Cathy Moriarty from the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 193 Actress Bridget Everett from the film Patti Cake$. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 82 / 193 Actor Nicholas Hoult and director Drake Doremus from the film Newness. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 193 Ben York Jones, screenwriter of the film Newness. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 84 / 193 Actress Aisha Tyler, who participated in the Womens March through Park City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 85 / 193 Rashida Jones, Jill Bauer, and Ronna Gradus of the film, Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 86 / 193 Co-writer Justin Lader, Director Charlie McDowell, and Alex Orlovsky of the film, The Discovery. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 87 / 193 Actor David So of the film, Gook. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 88 / 193 Actress Hania Amar of the film The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 89 / 193 Actor Fares Fares of the film The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 90 / 193 Director Tarik Saleh of the film, The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 91 / 193 Director Dee Rees of the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 92 / 193 Director Jim Strouse of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 93 / 193 Actor Tye Sheridan of the film, Yellow Birds. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 94 / 193 Actress Pom Klementieff of the film, Ingrid Goes West and Newness. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 95 / 193 Actor Jack Huston of the film, Yellow Birds. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 96 / 193 Director Matt Spicer of the film Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 97 / 193 Directors Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott of the film, Bushwick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 98 / 193 Actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer and Director Helene Hegemann of the film Axolotl Overkil. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 99 / 193 Co-Director Sabbah Folyan, Kayla Reed, Tef Poe, Co-director Damon Davis of the documentary film, Whose Streets. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 100 / 193 Actress Elizabeth Arjok, actor Fares Fares, director Tarik Saleh, actress Hania Amar, and actress Mari Malek of the film, The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 101 / 193 Roxanne Shante, and actress Nia Long of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 102 / 193 Actor Michael Larnell, actress Chante Adams, Roxanne Shante, actor Elvis Nolasco, and actress Nia Long of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 103 / 193 Director Morgan Neville, Cristoph Neimann, Tinker Hatfield, and Scott Dadich of the Netflix series, Abstract: Art of Design. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 104 / 193 Cristoph Neimann of the Netflix series, Abstract: Art of Design. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 105 / 193 Director Morgan Neville of the Netflix series, Abstract: Art of Design. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 106 / 193 Scott Dadich of the Netflix series, Abstract: Art of Design. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 107 / 193 Actress Omono Okojie of the film Gook. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 108 / 193 Actor Curtiss Cook Jr., and actress Simone Baker of the film Gook. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 109 / 193 Actress Brittny Snow and actor Dave Bautista of the film, Bushwick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 110 / 193 Director Austin Peter of the documentary film Give Me Future. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 111 / 193 Actress Cary Mulligan of the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 112 / 193 Director and actor Justin Chon of the film, Gook. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 113 / 193 Director Lone Scherfig of the film Their Finest. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 114 / 193 Actress Pom Klementieff of the film Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 115 / 193 Director Alexandre Moors of the film, Yellow Birds. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 116 / 193 Actor OShea Jackson Jr., actress Aubrey Plaza, director Matt Spicer, and actress Pom Klementieff of the film Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 117 / 193 Richard Vevers, Director Jeff Orlowski and Zackery Rago of he film, Chasing Coral. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 118 / 193 Actress Chelsea Handler. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 119 / 193 Director Austin Peters, musician Jillionare, and singer/songwriter Diplo, of the documentary film Give Me Future. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 120 / 193 Singer/songwriter Diplo, Thomas Wesley Pentz of the documentary film Give Me Future. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 121 / 193 Musician Jillionaire of the documentary film Give Me Future. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 122 / 193 Actor Lakeith Stanfield of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 123 / 193 Actor Chris ODowd of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 124 / 193 Actress Jessica Williams of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 125 / 193 Actress Aubrey Plaza of the film, Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 126 / 193 Actor OShea Jackson Jr. of the film Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 127 / 193 Actress Jessica Williams of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 128 / 193 Actress Mari Malek of the film The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 129 / 193 Actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer of the film Axolotl Overkil. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 130 / 193 Executive Producer Tim Robbins and his son, Director Jack Henry Robbins, from the short Hot Winter, A Film By Dick Pierre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 131 / 193 Actor Michael Larnell of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 132 / 193 Actor Garrett Hedlund of the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 133 / 193 Executive Producers Christopher Cohen, Sean Hayes, Mark Herzog (kneeling) and Todd Milliner of the CNN series, History of Comedy. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 134 / 193 Executive Producer Sean Hayes of the television series, History of Comedy. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 135 / 193 Actress Melanie Lynskey of the film, I Dont Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 136 / 193 Actress Nia Long of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 137 / 193 Actress Simone Baker of the film, Gook. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 138 / 193 Actress Elizabeth Arjok of the film, The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 139 / 193 Roxanne Shante of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 140 / 193 Actor Elvis Nolasco of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 141 / 193 Jack Henry Robbins, from the short, Hot Winter, A Film By Dick Pierre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 142 / 193 Actress Mari Malek of the film The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 143 / 193 Actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer of the film Axolotl Overkil. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 144 / 193 Actress Maya Stange, director Damien Power and actor Aaron Glenna from the film Killing Ground. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 145 / 193 Actress Tavi Gevinson with the film Person to Person. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 146 / 193 Dolores Huerta from the documentary Dolores. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 147 / 193 Director (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 148 / 193 Actor Jorma Taccone from the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 149 / 193 Actor Aaron Glenane from the film Killing Ground. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 150 / 193 Actress Kate Micucci with the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 151 / 193 Dree Hemingway with the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 152 / 193 Directors Andrew Smith and Alex Smith with the film Walking Out. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 153 / 193 Actress Molly Shannon from the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 154 / 193 Actor Jason Ritter with the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 155 / 193 Lauren Weedman, actor Jon Gabrus, actress Kate Micucci, director Jeff Baena, actress Alison Brie, actor Dave Franco, Adam Pally and actress Molly Shannon with the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 156 / 193 Actor Dave Franco with the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 157 / 193 Actress/director Michelle Morgan and actors Jorma Taccone and Dree Hemingway from the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 158 / 193 Director Marina Zenovich of the film Water and Power. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 159 / 193 Actress Abbi Jacobson with the film Person to Person. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 160 / 193 Actress Florence Pugh and director William Oldroyd from the film Lady MacBeth. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 161 / 193 Producer Ryland Aldrich, from the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 162 / 193 Actress Maya Stange with the film Killing Ground. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 163 / 193 Front: Actors Kingston Foster and Jason Maybaum; back: actors Rio Mangini Jason Ritter and Brighton Sharbino from the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 164 / 193 Actress Kingston Foster, director Marianna Palka, actress Brighton Sharbino, actor Rio Mangini, actor Jason Ritter, actor Jason Maybaum, actress Jaime King and actor Zac Clark with the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 165 / 193 Director Marianna Palka with the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 166 / 193 Actress Brighton Sharbino mingles with the rest of the cast of the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 167 / 193 Director Amanda Lipitz, center, and step team members, from left, Tayla Solomon, Cori Granger and Blessin Giraldo from the documentary Step. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 168 / 193 Directors Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen with the film Follow Up to An Inconvenient Truth. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 169 / 193 Producer Carlos Santana with the film Dolores. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 170 / 193 Team members, from left, Tayla Solomon, Cori Granger and Blessin Giraldo from the documentary Step. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 171 / 193 Director Kristen Stewart and actor Josh Kaye with the film Come Swim. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 172 / 193 Actress Zoe Kazan with the film The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 173 / 193 Joshua Wong and director Joe Piscatella with the documentary Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 174 / 193 From left, producer Barry Mendel, actress Holly Hunter, director Michael Showalter, actress Zoe Karan, writer Emily V. Gordon, writer Kumail Nanjiani, and producer Judd Apatow with the film The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 175 / 193 Husband and wife co-writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon from The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 176 / 193 Consulting Producer Benjamin Bratt of the film Dolores. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 177 / 193 Director Kristen Stewart of the film Come Swim. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 178 / 193 Actress Holly Hunter with the film The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 179 / 193 Actor Logan Miller, actress Cynthy Wu, director Ry-Russo Young and actresses Zoey Deutch, Elena Kampouris, Medalion Rahimi and Jennifer Beals, from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 180 / 193 Actress Zoey Deutch, from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 181 / 193 Actress Medalion Rahimi, from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 182 / 193 Actress Elena Kampouris, from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 183 / 193 Actress Jennifer Beals, from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 184 / 193 Actress Cynthy Wu, from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 185 / 193 Actor Logan Miller, from Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 186 / 193 Actor Miles Fischer, from the television show Playdates. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 187 / 193 Composer Dan Romer, from the films The Little Hours and Chasing Coral. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 188 / 193 Director Jamie Greenberg, whos at Sundance with the film Future 38. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 189 / 193 Directors Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau, with the documentary Trophy. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 190 / 193 Peter Nicks director of the documentary film The Force. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 191 / 193 Composer Dan Romer, attending Sundance with the films The Little Hours and Chasing Coral. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 192 / 193 Actors Paul Scheer and Carla Gallo, from the television show Playdates. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 193 / 193 Actors Paul Scheer, left, Carla Gallo and Miles Fisher, from the television show Playdates. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Though the State Department shut him down shortly after he went online, Wilson continues to fight the battle in the courts, and says he is optimistic that he can win in the next few years. What [judges] have been doing is piece by piece committing themselves to positions I hold. What Im doing them is beating them slowly, death by a thousand paper cuts.

Wilson speaks with a kind of intellectual turbocharge, casually using phrases such as furious mimetic force and assuming a level of political-philosophy literacy that would tax an advanced grad student. Radiating a no-nonsense confidence, Wilson can be off-putting to some; at the festival, that reaction has sometimes been palpable.

Silicon Valley needs to get its teeth kicked in whenever it can; Im down for that first and foremost.  Cody Wilson

His ideas, he said, took root in intensive readings of leftist political theory before sprouting into a new kind of hybrid. Indeed, Wilson confounds most traditional positions; figuring out where he stands on issues can be an exercise in checking off boxes from wildly different columns.

Heres a quick list:

Intellectual-property rights, no; political leaders, really no; progressive politics, really, really no (Liberalism is the thing we whistle while we assert our domination over people, he says in the film); the tech world, pretty emphatically no (Silicon Valley needs to get its teeth kicked in whenever it can; Im down for that first and foremost, he said in the interview).

Easy access to guns, yes; unfettered encryption, yes; radical free speech, yes; a monetary system untethered to any government, really yes; a government that itself withers away, Marx-style, really, really yes.

Wilson does take pains to separate himself from the alt-right. As he began to explain the distinctions, Bhala Lough jumped in to say that the movie was largely completed before that movement gained mainstream currency, then sought to change the subject, implicitly suggesting that such publicity would be radioactive.

1 / 122 Actor Peter Dinklage of the film Rememory. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 122 Actress Shirley MacLaine, director Mark Pellington and actress AnnJewel Lee Dixon of the film The Last Word. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 122 Actor Harris Dickinson of the film Beach Rats. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 122 Actress Anne Heche of the film The Last Word. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 122 Actress Adriyan Rae of the film Burning Sands. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 122 Actress Shiri Appelby of the film Lemon. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 122 Actor Brett Gelman of the film Lemon. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 122 Director Janicza Bravo of the film Lemon. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 122 Director Adam Bhala Lough, seated, and subject Cody Wilson of the film The New Radical. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 122 Actress Isabella Amara of the film Wilson. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 122 Andrew Dosunmu, director of the film Where Is Kyra? (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 122 Actor John Lithgow of the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 122 Actor Josh OConnor of the film Gods Own Country. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 122 Actress Connie Britton of the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 122 Actress Michelle Monaghan of the film Sidney Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 122 Actress Judy Greer of the film Wilson. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 122 Actress Elle Fanning of the film Sidney Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 122 Actor Jay Duplass of the film Landline. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 122 Actress Salma Hayek of the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 122 Trixie Garcia of the documentary film Long Strange Trip. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 122 Actor Logan Lerman of the film Sidney Hall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 122 Actress Isabella Amara of the film Wilson. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 122 Actress Chloe Sevigny of the film Golden Exits. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 122 Surfer Laird Hamilton, subject of the documentary film Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 122 Actor Jeremy Renner of the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 122 Actress Gigi Gorgeous from the film This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 122 Actor Adam Pally from the film Band Aid. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 122 Actress America Ferrera from the new Web-series Gente-fied. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 122 Director Jovanka Vuckovic from the film XX. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 122 Director Sofia Carrillo from the film XX. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 122 Director Yance Ford from the documentary film Strong Island. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 122 Beastie Boy and actor Adam Horowitz from the film Golden Exits. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 122 Director Roxanne Benjamin from the film, XX. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 122 Actress Kelsy Asbille from the film Wind River. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 122 Actress Lois Smith from the film Marjorie Prime. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 122 Actress Geena Davis from the film Marjorie Prime. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 122 Actor Mark Hamill from the film Brigsby Bear. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 122 Actor Nicholas Hoult from the film Rebel in the Rye. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 122 Producer Akiva Schaffer from the film Brigsby Bear. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 122 Director Danny Strong from the film Rebel in the Rye. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 122 Actor Kyle Mooney from the film Brigsby Bear. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 122 Actor Jack Black of the film The Polka King. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 122 Actor John Lithgow of the film Beatriz at Dinner. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 122 India Menuez of the Amazon series I Love Dick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 122 Actor Jon Hamm of the film Marjorie Prime. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 122 Actor Mark Hamill of the film Brigsby Bear. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 122 Actress Anya Taylor-Joy of the film Thoroughbred. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 122 Actor Sam Elliott of the film The Hero. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 122 Director Kitty Green of the documentary film Casting JonBenet. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 122 Director Michael Barnett of the documentary film The Mars Generation. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 122 Actress Parker Posey of the film Columbus. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 122 Grammy-winning Beastie Boys founder and actor Adam Horovitz of the film Golden Exits. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 122 Actress Jenny Slate of the film The Polka King. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 122 Executive producer Danny Glover of the documentary film Strong Island. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 122 Director Annie Clark (also known as the musician St. Vincent) of the film, XX. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 122 Actor Nick Offerman of the film The Hero. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 122 Actor John Cho of the film Columbus. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 122 Actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer from the film Axolotl Overkill. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 122 Actress Brittany Snow from the film Bushwick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 122 Actor Dave Bautista from the film Bushwick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 122 Executive producer Sean Hayes from the documentary series The History of Comedy. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 122 Actress Jessica Williams from the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 122 Director Jack Henry Robbins from the short film Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 122 Actress Melanie Lynskey from the film I Dont Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 122 Executive producer Tim Robbins, standing, and his son, director Jack Henry Robbins, from the short film Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 122 Musician Jillionaire from the documentary film Give Me Future. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 122 Actress Cary Mulligan from the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 122 Actress Chante Adams from the film Roxanne Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 122 Actor Fares Fares from the film The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 122 Actor Chris ODowd from the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 122 Actor Lakeith Stanfield from the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 122 Director Nacho Vigalondo from the film Colossal. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 122 Actress Chelsea Handler, who led the Womens March through Park City, Utah. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 122 Actress Aisha Tyler, who participated in the Womens March through Park City. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 122 Executive producer Tim Robbins from the short film Hot Winter, A Film by Dick Pierre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 122 Actor Garrett Hedlund from the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 122 Director-writer Michael Larnell from the film Roxanne Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 122 Roxanne Shante, subject of the biopic Roxanne Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 122 Actress Mari Malek from the film The Nile Hilton Incident. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 122 Actor OShea Jackson Jr., from the film Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 122 Actress Pom Klementieff, starring in Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 82 / 122 Director Matt Spicer of the film, Ingrid Goes West. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 122 Actor Jack Huston of the film, Yellow Birds. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 84 / 122 Rashida Jones of the film Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 85 / 122 Actor Tye Sheridan of the film Yellow Birds. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 86 / 122 Executive Producer Tim Robbins of the short Hot Winter, A Film By Dick Pierre. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 87 / 122 Executive Producer Sean Hayes of the CNN series History of Comedy. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 88 / 122 Mary J. Blige of the film Mudbound. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 89 / 122 Actor Elvis Nolasco of the film Roxanne, Roxanne. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 90 / 122 Actor Chris ODowd of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 91 / 122 Actor Lakeith Stanfield of the film The Incredible Jessica James. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 92 / 122 Music producer and DJ Thomas Wesley Pentz, known as Diplo, of the documentary film Give Me Future. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 93 / 122 Actress Molly Shannon of the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 94 / 122 Actor Dave Franco of the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 95 / 122 Actress Alison Brie of the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 96 / 122 Actress Kate Micucci of the film The Little Hours. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 97 / 122 Actor Paul Sparks of the film Thoroughbred. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 98 / 122 Dree Hemingway of the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 99 / 122 Director and actress Michelle Morgan of the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 100 / 122 Actor Jorma Taccone of the film L.A. Times. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 101 / 122 Actress Abbi Jacobson of the film Person to Person. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 102 / 122 Actress Olivia Luccardi of the film Person to Person. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 103 / 122 Producer Carlos Santana of the film Dolores. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 104 / 122 Actor Jason Ritter of the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 105 / 122 Director Amanda Kernell of the film Sami Blood. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 106 / 122 Director Peter Bratt and his brother Benjamin, producers of the documentary film Dolores. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 107 / 122 Dolores Huerta of the film Dolores. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 108 / 122 Actress Jamie King of the film Bitch. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 109 / 122 Directors Andrew Smith and Alex Smith of the film Walking Out. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 110 / 122 Actress Holly Hunter of the film The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 111 / 122 Actor Logan Miller of the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 112 / 122 Actress Carla Gallo from Playdates. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 113 / 122 Producer Judd Apatow of the film The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 114 / 122 Actress Cynthy Wu of the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 115 / 122 Actor Paul Scheer from the television show Playdates. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 116 / 122 Actress Zoey Deutch from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 117 / 122 Actress Medalion Rahimin from the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 118 / 122 Actor Josh Kaye of the film Come Swim. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 119 / 122 Actress Elena Kampouris of the film Before I Fall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 120 / 122 Joshua Wong of the documentary film Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 121 / 122 Director Kristen Stewart of the film Come Swim. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 122 / 122 Actress Zoe Kazan of the film The Big Sick. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The truth is that some of Wilsons positions, particularly those involving guns, could be conflated with that movements. Then again, President Trumps proclamation during the campaign that he was the law-and-order candidate, with its intimations of a strong, government-led police and military presence, are hardly the sorts of ideas most anarchists get on board with.

At Sundance screenings, questions directed at Wilson have at times been skeptical, even hostile, and laid bare the divisions at the festival, which takes place in a red libertarian state but is attended heavily by registered Democrats. Wilson, of course, occupies terrain all over the map.

I love the fact that people will write him off as a gun nut and then [when they hear more] say, ... Im just conflicted about this guy now, Bhala Lough said.

The filmmaker takes few overt positions on his subject in the film. Even in person he is hard to read on the matter, though he certainly has grown close with Wilson. Bhala Lough said that he thinks his movie has some things in common with another piece about a man who fought a crusade with uncomfortable side effects.

I thought a lot about The People vs. Larry Flynt when I was making this movie, the director said. Was that a pro-porn film? He was a difficult person to love, but man, did he do some important things. (Gun-control advocates might note some distinctions, both historical and legal, between the 1st and 2nd Amendments.)

Some of Wilsons ideas have a seductiveness across the political spectrum. The notion that technology combined with radical speech could enable a toppling of the plutocracy taps into the same currents that elected Trump. Those opposed to the new president, meanwhile, would find in those ideas meaningful tools of resistance.

What the anarchist may not have satisfactorily explained, however, is what happens if his vision pans out as he says it would: What comes after a government crumbles? Could hundreds of millions of people exist, let alone be better off, without government so long as they owned guns and had their own Internet-enabled Swiss bank account? Would that not lead to vigilantism, or demagoguery, or other forms of exploitation?

Im not useful as a human. Im useful as a cherub of the disaster to come, Wilson says in the film, perhaps acknowledging where society will go if it follows his template, though more likely warning what will happen if it doesnt.

He said in the interview that he was reckoning with what he can or wants to change.

Im trying to limit my expectation, he said. Maximum potentiality motivates me even as I wake up every day and see the limits of my own power.

At the same time, he talked grandly about winning the 3-D gun case and then springboarding to other radical libertarian changes  In order to do other stuff, we need to have the moral authority [on guns] first. He also alluded mysteriously to soon deploying a number of technologies Ive sat on for years.

So is Wilson the future or just a really good talker? A truth-talking prophet or just one more whippersnapping expression of digital overconfidence?

Is his prediction of a techno-enabled anarchy the stuff of pure prescience  a man who sees the emergent populism of the past American and European year not as a familiar pendulum-swing but the rumblings of something much deeper and longer lasting?

Or are such predictions the delusions of someone less powerful than he imagines, a man who uses theory-speak to make up for what he lacks in actual influence?

The New Radical doesnt answer these questions. But at Sundance, perhaps for the first time in mainstream pop culture, theyre being asked.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

steve.zeitchik@latimes.com

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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Awards season is in full swing, and in a weekend already crowded with Saturdays Producers Guild Awards, Sundays Screen Actors Guild Awards show is the main event.

Heres everything you need to know.

How can I watch the awards?

This years SAG Awards are taking place at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center and will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday at 5 p.m. Pacific. TBS and TNT subscribers are also able to live-stream the awards through the networks websites as well as their mobile apps. TNT will air an encore presentation of the ceremony immediately after the conclusion of the live event.

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LIVE UPDATES: 2017 SAG Awards 

1 / 12 WINNER: Male actor in a television movie or miniseries  Bryan Cranston (Hilary Bronwyn Gayle / AP) 2 / 12 NOMINATED: Cast in a motion picture; male actor in a leading role  Casey Affleck (right); female actor in a supporting role  Michelle Williams (left); male actor in a supporting role  Lucas Hedges. (Claire Folger / AP) 3 / 12 WINNER: Stunt ensemble in a comedy or drama series; NOMINATED: Ensemble in a drama series; male actor in a drama series  Peter Dinklage. (Helen Sloan / AP) 4 / 12 NOMINATED: Female actor in a television movie or miniseries  Kerry Washington. (Frank Masi / AP) 5 / 12 WINNER: Female actor in a television movie or miniseries  Sarah Paulson (left); NOMINATED: male actor in a television movie or miniseries  Sterling K. Brown (right), Courtney B. Vance. (Ray Mickshaw / AP) 6 / 12 NOMINATED: Female actor in a television movie or miniseries  Audra McDonald. (Michele K. Short / AP) 7 / 12 Gauthier, Robert  B581389016Z.1 SUNDAY CALENDAR JULY 31, 2011. DO NOT USE PRIOR TO PUBLICATION ********************BEVERLY HILLS, CA, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011  Bryce Dallas Howard at the Four Seasons Hotel to promote the movie, The Help. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 12 NOMINATED: male actor in a drama series  Sterling K. Brown. (Ron Batzdorff / AP) 9 / 12 WINNER: Male actor in a drama series  John Lithgow; female actor in a drama series  Claire Foy (left). NOMINATED: Ensemble in a drama series. Pictured with Foy is Jared Harris. (Alex Bailey / AP) 10 / 12 NOMINATED: Cast in a motion picture; male actor in a leading role  Viggo Mortensen (second from left). (Cathy Kanavy / AP) 11 / 12 NOMINATED: Female actor in a leading role  Amy Adams (right). (Jan Thijs / AP) 12 / 12 NOMINATED: Ensemble in a comedy series. (Michael Yarish / AP)

What about the red carpet?

E! News begins its televised red carpet coverage at 3 p.m. Pacific, and TNT will be live-streaming red carpet coverage starting at 2:30 p.m.

What if I dont care about fashion?

Not impressed with Hollywoods finest fashions? You still might want to catch the red carpet live-stream, if only to see the awards for television and film-stunt ensemble awarded, only available on the pre-show webcast.

Which bland white guy late-night comedian is hosting?

None!

The SAG Awards are a very DIY affair: They dont need your traditional host, thank you very much. They have actors.

Presenters scheduled for the evenings ceremonies include Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures and Moonlight) and Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), all of whom are nominated, sometimes multiple times, for their performances in 2016.

Whos nominated?

The Screen Actors Guild honors performers in film and television,and the film nominees are chock-full of Oscar contenders.

Manchester by the Sea leads with four nominations, including for performance by a cast in a motion picture, followed by Fences and Moonlight, each of which scored a nomination for cast, as well as two individual nods.

Television nominations are all over the map, with Netflixs historical drama The Crown, FXs limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Netflixs sci-fi throwback Stranger Things all scoring three nods.

You can find the full list of SAG Award nominees here.

But whos going to win?

Resident expert Glenn Whipp breaks down all of his SAG Awards predictions here, and while most categories have a couple of viable contenders, there are a few sure things to look out for.

On the film side, no one can unseat Viola Davis for female actor in a supporting role for her exceptional work in Fences.

For his part, Davis co-star (and Fences director) Denzel Washington looks to take home the prize for male actor in a leading role, based on sheer number of SAG Award nominations alone.

Washington joins four other actors  Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Sean Penn  who have earned four SAG Award nominations. Given that Washington has never taken home the honor, Sunday should be his night.

As for television, Sarah Paulson is a sure thing to take home top honors for female actor in a TV movie or miniseries for her performance as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Paulson has already garnered an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the role.

Similarly, Paulsons The People v. O.J. Simpson co-star and Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance has similar heat heading into Sundays ceremony and will likely win for male actor in a TV movie or miniseries.

But whos definitely going home with an award?

Lily Tomlin will receive the SAG Life Achievement Award from 9 to 5 co-stars Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton. Reminisce over Tomlins decorated work in film and television with this photo retrospective of her career.

Follow all The Times SAG Awards coverage at www.latimes.com/sagawards

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

libby.hill@latimes.com

@midwestspitfire

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Disco lives.

John Legend, Andra Day, Celine Dion and other pop, R&B, rock and country stars will pay homage to the Bee Gees and the groups blockbuster 1977 soundtrack album Saturday Night Fever in an all-star Grammy Awards-related salute from the Recording Academy, CBS and AEG Ehrlich Ventures.



For the record: An earlier edition of this post described the Bee Gees as an Australian group. The Gibb brothers were born in England and achieved their first musical success after their family moved to Australia. Additionally, Ed Sheeran was originally listed among the participants, but he is not on the latest lineup provided by the Recording Academy.

Stayin Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees, marking the 40th anniversary of the album that spent 24 weeks atop the Billboard sales chart in 1977-78, also will feature Keith Urban, Tori Kelly, Pentatonix, DNCE, Little Big Town, Demi Lovato and others.

The modern-day stars will be joined by Bee Gees founding member Barry Gibb during a Feb. 14 concert at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles and recorded for broadcast later this year. Maurice Gibb died in 2003 and Robin Gibb in 2012.

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Describing the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as an emblem of 1970s pop culture, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow also said in a statement, With expert harmonies, undeniable groove and a personal charisma matching their on-stage persona, the iconic band of brothers defined not just a genre, but a generation.

Longtime Grammy Awards telecast executive producer Ken Ehrlich told The Times on Wednesday, They had a remarkable impact on several generations of music. Their harmonies certainly influenced generations to follow. I have always been a huge fan, and Im really glad were going to be doing this.

He said that while the music from Saturday Night Fever, album, which spawned hits including Stayin Alive, How Deep Is Your Love and Night Fever, will form one anchor of the show, performers will also delve into other facets of the groups musical legacy, which dates to 1967 with the Bee Gees first U.S. hit, New York Mining Disaster 1941.

Saturday Night Fever collected an album of the year Grammy Award. The Recording Industry Assn. of America has certified sales of 15 million copies in the U.S. alone.

The salute follows in the recent tradition of spinoff specials featuring many of the artists who attend the Grammy Awards ceremony itself, as performers, presenters, nominees or audience members. Tickets for the concert will be available at www.axs.com.

The first such special was The Beatles: The Night That Changed America in 2014 on the 50th anniversary of the groups watershed performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

That was followed early in 2015 by Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life and then Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert in December of that year. Unlike the Beatles and Wonder specials, which tied in with Grammy ceremonies both years, the Sinatra tribute was shot separately in Las Vegas.

randy.lewis@latimes.com

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Canele, the cozy restaurant that has defined Atwater Villages neighborhood dining scene for more than a decade, is closing. Chef and co-owner Corina Weibel will continue serving her rustic, market-driven California-French dishes until the end of March or early April, then will pack up her knife kit, as it were, and go.

Weibel, who cooked at Campanile and Lucques before opening Canele with business partner Jane Choi in 2006, says rents are rising in the neighborhood and when her lease was up she decided it was time to move on.

Its a changing business, said Weibel on a recent night from Caneles equally cozy open kitchen, where she was shaping loaves of bread. I want to recharge and regroup and figure out what the next thing is.

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Corina Weibel is selling to two veterans of Gjelina, David Wilcox and Guy Tabibian, who plan to open the doors to their first restaurant in the space by this summer. The name of both that restaurant and the duos larger farm and dining project is Journeymen, which Wilcox described as very vegetable-driven, very progressive, very community-based.

Journeymen will open as fast as possible, hopefully before summer, said Wilcox. Well put a coat of paint on it; I love that space, he said of Canele.

Itll be an anchor in this neighborhood, Weibel said of Journeymen, and if youre sensing a kind of mutual admiration society, you would not be wrong; both Weibel and Wilcox echoed each others concerns that the restaurant remain a neighborhood-focused, locally owned, farmers market and farm-driven place.

Canele chef Corina Weibel, at her Silver Lake home. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After closing Canele, Weibel will be heading to Switzerland  where she was once a commodities trader, of all things  as part of a much-needed, two-month vacation. It will be, unsurprisingly, a cooks vacation, and thus likely include cooking school in Italy and Ireland. In the time before Canele closes (for some reason I feel well be here until tax day), Friends Cook, in which visiting chefs and other folks take over the kitchen on Tuesday nights, will continue.

Also continuing will be the plates of salt-roasted branzino and pissaladiere, as well as the basket of tiny caneles that is offered, like mignardises, upon your departure. Not a bad farewell.

3219 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 666-7133, canele.la/#/home.

Caneles at Canele. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times)

amy.scattergood@latimes.com

@latimesfood

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Struggling with mindfulness? Here are a few events that can help sharpen those stilling-the-mind skills.

Kit and Ace, a maker of technical apparel, will be offering complimentary mindfulness sessions from Saturday to Monday at its Pasadena and El Segundo locations. The hip clothing brand is hosting what it describes as Reflection Rooms -- sanctuaries created in conjunction with Blu Dot furniture. People can try out headsets from Muse: Its brain-sensing technology lets you know when your concentration is wavering. You can also sample Whil, a new digital platform offering more than 200 programs designed to help with mindfulness, relaxation, improving insomnia and ending bad habits.

Mindful Morning guided meditations take place at the Pasadena location at 107 W. Colorado Blvd. from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, with treats from Canyon Coffee from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Sunday, a Mindfulness Station featuring Muse headsets and group meditations using Whil will be available all day. oldtown@kitandace.com

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At the El Segundo location, at the Point at 840 S. Sepulveda Blvd., there will be Mindful Morning guided meditations from 10 to 11 a.m. Sunday, and the Mindfulness Station will set up shop there all day Monday, . thepoint@kitandace.com

Julia Frodahl, a Los Angeles teacher of yoga, meditation and mindfulness, is going back to basics with a workshop Sunday in Sherman Oaks. The 2-hour Fundamentals of Yoga is designed for those still pretty new to the practice; it will be part discussion and part working on poses. Take along your mat and a notebook. $40 in advance, $45 day of. 1 to 3.30 p.m. at Rising Lotus, 14148 Magnolia Blvd., in Sherman Oaks risinglotusyoga.com.

Any parent will attest to the challenge inherent in staying mindful while dealing with kids. Help is at hand with the affordable Mindfulness for Parents workshop, which runs four consecutive Tuesdays in Los Feliz. Hosted by teachers Lara Plutte and Sara Lamm, the series is designed to help those caring for children to be more mentally present and teach them skills and exercises to use at home. Parents only. $15-$25. 10.45 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. Feb. 7-28 at the Studio at the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center at 1110 Bates Ave., Los Angeles. Sliding scale cost from $15 to $25 per person. insightla.com

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Theres a picture of me from that night  with a giant panda head on. I should have known then what I was in for, but thats half the fun  or torture  of growing up, isnt it? The not knowing what we know now; the hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

I met him at Finn McCools on Main Street in Santa Monica. It wasnt even a bar I went to often, but my niece and I were looking for some Irish men, or at least some Irish music  it was St. Paddys Day, after all.

He was so fun and wild; he was buying all our drinks, we were laughing and flirting, and although he wasnt much taller than my 5 feet 2 inches, it didnt matter. Personality trumped height in this instance.

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As the bar shut down, we got in a cab and headed to his friends place in West Hollywood. Thats where the panda head happened, a relic from a costume party. It all naturally led into a fully fledged two-month whirlwind of budding romance.

But my whirlwind soon began to feel more like a weird-wind.

Are you a veteran of L.A.'s current dating scene? We want to publish your story

Things he said stopped adding up, but I didnt want to judge too quickly because goodness knows I didnt come with a clean canvas.

And at first, they seemed harmless.

Like, the black Mercedes he would pick me up in turned out to be his mothers. The occasional weed indulgence he admitted to that was actually more like a daily wake-and-bake ritual. The retail management job he claimed to have became more vaguely defined every time I asked about it. This all put quite the damper on our sex life.

He told me he was cash poor because of a large investment hed made in a fledgling retail business and that it was always slow getting a new venture off the ground. I could tell he was one of those guys who always had something in the works; the type of guy that is so excited about his next big thing that you barely question what that thing actually is.

More L.A. Affairs columns

So I started paying for dinners if we wanted to go out, and then groceries when we wanted to stay in  which became more and more frequent because, well, money problems. He got hooked up for Dave Grohl concert tickets in San Diego one weekend, only I drove us down and paid for the hookup tickets, and even put dinner on my credit card.

Amid all this and after about a month of dating, I let him come live with me in my minuscule Culver City studio apartment. I made space for his clothes when I barely had enough for my own. One night, he attempted to cook me stuffed squash blossoms and left my tiny kitchen an oil-splattered mess. It was romantic  for about five minutes.

Again  hindsight is 20/20  I try not to be too harsh on myself for letting it go so far.

One night he came home later than he had said he would, and I was rightfully worried. He explained that he had to take the bus because his car was confiscated.

Confiscated?

He told me that there had been $10,000 worth of marijuana in the trunk and a rival retail business stole it and the car.

None of it made sense. Why wasnt he calling the police about his mothers stolen Mercedes? Why did he have all that weed? Why was he lighting up a joint at a time like this?

Maybe because my boyfriend was a weed dealer.

After putting the pieces together and demanding some answers, I realized that his retail business was in fact a brick-and-mortar dispensary planned for West Hollywood. I wasnt so upset that he was in the pot business  I was more upset that he was terrible at it.

The next day, I stopped asking myself why. It had been about two weeks after he had moved in, taking my precious closet space, getting his car confiscated and slowly hinting at just how messed up everything was for him. The charismatic and entrepreneurial guy Id met at Finn McCools had faded fast. That morning when he left to do whatever small-time, unsuccessful weed dealers do, I gathered all his belongings up and dropped them into two paper bags. They fit.

When he showed up at the door later that afternoon, I told him he couldnt stay there anymore. He didnt say much in return, he knew his failings. I watched him walk across the street to the bus stop where he had to wait 20 minutes for the next bus.

I felt terrible, watching him on that bus bench, his head hung low, almost as if weighed down by a giant panda head.

The author is a freelance journalist in Los Angeles who has written for Vanity Fair, Mashable and Variety. She is on Instagram at @tiniv11

L.A Affairs chronicles the dating scene in and around Los Angeles. If you have comments, or a true story to tell, email us at LAAffairs@latimes.com.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

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Alicia Michel pleaded in front of the audience, asking for an inquiry into a sheriffs deputy she said was corrupt.

The Compton resident said she didnt feel comfortable lodging a grievance at her local Los Angeles County sheriffs station, so instead she spoke into a microphone at a public forum Thursday, hoping her complaint would be heard by those all the way at the top of the department.



For the record: Sheriffs Department: An article about the L.A. County Sheriffs Department Civilian Oversight Commission in the Jan. 27 California section said both the commission and inspector general could view internal disciplinary files. Only the inspector general can view the files, but he can report to the panel on general information from the files or on his assessment of the fairness of the probes.

I wish to send it to the County of Los Angeles, Michel said in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter. That is why Im here. I want an in-depth investigation.

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Michels brief statement immediately elicited an invitation to file a complaint directly with the countys inspector general, Max Huntsman, who monitors the Sheriffs Department and who was sitting just yards away.

Michel was one of dozens of members of the public who spoke up Thursday at the first meeting of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, a nine-person group appointed by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to examine the Sheriffs Department and provide recommendations on improving it.

A long-awaited body  composed of a law professor, two attorneys, an advocacy group director, a former prosecutor, a former public defender, a retired sheriffs lieutenant, a pastor and a rabbi  the commission is the first all-civilian review board assigned to monitor the agency, one of the largest local law enforcement agencies in the nation.

Unlike the inspector general, whose office was established in 2014, the commission will hold monthly public meetings where anyone can comment and is set up to address overarching themes rather than detailed policy analyses. The commission and inspector general will work together and can view internal disciplinary files on deputies through a cooperative agreement Huntsman has with the department.

Neither oversight group has subpoena or disciplinary power, an element some critics have said is necessary to straighten out a department battered by a years-long jail abuse scandal.

The meeting came a day after President Trump issued two executive orders signaling a crackdown on people living in the U.S. illegally, a topic raised by many audience members who said theyre terrified by the possibility of immigration officials working more closely with the department.

Within my family, theres fear for our family members who have been deported, and were worried that they wont be able to come back, said Vanessa Deleon, a member of the Youth Justice Coalition.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell pledged this week to not let Trumps orders alter his departments practice of staying out of immigration enforcement, noting its a federal responsibility. Immigration officials have some access inside the county jail system, which the department runs.

McDonnell, whos advocated for a civilian oversight group and was a member of the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence, a blue-ribbon panel that chronicled a pattern of abuse in the county jail system in 2012, said the new commission represents an opportunity for his department to be the national model of transparency.

I ask that you share community concerns with us freely. When we are wrong, we will own it, acknowledge it and fix it. But when we perform our duties in a manner that demonstrates the courage, compassion and commitment that the overwhelming majority of our people have every day, [we ask] that you acknowledge that as well, said McDonnell, who attended about an hour of the meeting.

From left, Lael Rubin, Sean Kennedy, Xavier Thompson, Hernan Vera, Patti Giggins and James P. Harris, raise their right hands as they swear into their positions on the LA County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission with the rest of the panel. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Concerns over immigration and the use of drones, which the department unveiled this month, calling them unmanned aerial devices, dominated the session. The department said deputies would limit use of the aircraft to serious incidents, such as search-and-rescue operations or standoffs with armed, barricaded suspects, but critics worried the devices could eventually be used in everyday surveillance.

Were wondering, why this high level of military-grade weapons? said Steve Rogers, a member of the advocacy group Dignity and Power Now. Its almost like the Sheriffs Department is preparing to go to war against the community.

The meeting began at 9:30 a.m. at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall, a building just south of downtown owned by the county Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Some attendees said the time and location of future meetings should be changed so that more residents who work during the day could participate. The panel is scheduled to meet on the fourth Thursday of each month.

Others argued that the presence of metal detectors and deputies standing at the front of the auditorium, as well as at some of the exits, could make some people uncomfortable about critiquing the department at the meetings.

We hear you, Commissioner Xavier Thompson, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference and a senior pastor at Southern St. Paul Church, told the audience at one point. We are not asleep at the wheel. Hold us accountable as we hold the Sheriffs Department accountable.

maya.lau@latimes.com

Twitter: @mayalau

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Most of the time, motorists driving on Interstate 80 between Davis and here look out on vast tracts of farms and wetlands.

But over the last two weeks, something remarkable has happened in what is known as the Yolo Bypass. Runoff from epic rains and snow has filled the open space with water.

Now, drivers on the freeway pass over miles of water on their trek, making the interstate appear like long bridge over a wide lake.

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And thats exactly how engineers envisioned it when they built it about a century ago.

The Yolo Bypass is one of Californias most daring and critical pieces of water infrastructure, collecting runoff from various streams and rivers from the Sierra Nevada and other mountain ranges to prevent Sacramento and surrounding suburbs from being flooded.

The bypass is now filled like it hasnt been in the last five years of drought, with officials estimating that a whopping 1 million acre-feet have passed through in the last few weeks. That amount of water could fill nearby Folsom Lake to the brim.

Its an inland sea, said Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis.

So much water came rushing down from the states rivers this month that for the first time since Dec. 31, 2005, state workers opened up the floodgates of the Sacramento Weir  a low spot in the levees that can allow river waters to pour into this historic floodplain.

The area is well-known to anyone who has driven from San Francisco to Sacramento and lies underneath Interstate 80 as the freeway approaches Californias capital. The causeway is elevated so that the land below it  fields used in the summer for rice, sugar beets, corn and tomatoes  can become a flowing lake that spares Sacramento from the threat of floodwaters.

At its greatest capacity, the Yolo Bypass can handle five times as much water as can the narrow banks of the Sacramento River. And it has performed spectacularly.

This whole city of Sacramento could not exist as it does without that bypass, said Nancy Vogel, spokeswoman for the California Natural Resources Agency.

A completely full Yolo Bypass provides enough water to double the wetted area of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the joining of the two longest rivers in California. Thats equivalent to one-third the area of the San Francisco and San Pablo bays.

The full bypass is a testament to how much water has poured out of the sky this month. The central Sierra Nevada has had its wettest January in recorded history. With a few more days to go this month, it is already the fourth-wettest January in Sacramento, which has seen nearly 10 inches of rain, more than triple the average. Mammoth Mountain has had a record amount of snow in January  20 feet so far.

All those storms have brightened the drought outlook. A year ago, more than 95% of California was in some form of drought; now, 51% of the state remains in moderate to extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

1 / 9 A bicyclist makes his way through East Chiles Road, which remains flooded at the underpass to Interstate 80 in the Yolo Bypass area, west of Sacramento. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 9 An Amtrak train heads east toward downtown Sacramento over the Yolo Bypass, west of Sacramento. The bypass protects Sacramento and other riverside communities from flooding. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 9 Downtown can be seen from the bank of the Yolo Bypass west of the Sacramento. Heavy rain has led to flood water filling the Yolo Bypass with water from the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers, poured through low spots in the levees known as weirs. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 9 Interstate 80 looking east into downtown Sacramento from the Yolo Bypass, west of Sacramento. The bypass, usually covered with farm fields and wetlands, is filled with water from the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 9 California Department of Water Resources workers close up the Sacramento Weir, a low point in the levees that pours river water from the Sacramento and American rivers into a flood plain known as the Yolo Bypass, west of Sacramento. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 9 Interstate 80 looking east into downtown Sacramento from the Yolo Bypass, a flood plain that filled with water after heavy storms arrived this month. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 9 The Yolo Bypass, a designated flood plain, protects Sacramento and other riverside communities from flooding. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 9 The Sacramento River flows under the Tower Bridge on the western border of Sacramento. The Sacramento River would overflow if not for the flood plain known as the Yolo Bypass near this bridge. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 9 The Yolo Bypass has been full of flood waters in recent weeks. Normally, the flooded area in the plain is covered with farmland and wetlands. Heavy rain this month has led to flood waters spilling into the wide bypass, which can carry five times the flow of the narrow Sacramento River. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

RELATED: How a rain shadow left this reservoir parched even after all those storms 

That precipitation has caused dramatic amounts of water to flow down the states major rivers. And the only way to contain them from flooding Californias capital is the wide Yolo Bypass.

Flooding in the Central Valley is part of Californias natural history. In fact, Californias two great valleys, the Sacramento and San Joaquin, were once underwater.

It was a much larger version of San Francisco Bay, said Mitchel Russo, chief of river forecasting for the California Department of Water Resources. The only reason were standing on it is because we are standing on thousands of centuries of sediment thats been brought down from the Sierras.

In his book Battling the Inland Sea: Floods, Public Policy, and the Sacramento Valley, historian Robert Kelley describes 19th century winter rains annually creating a 100-mile-long inland sea, blanketing the center line of the Sacramento Valley, which only slowly drained into river channels and through the delta before waters coursed out of San Francisco Bay.

Everything changed after the discovery of gold by Swiss adventurer John Sutters foreman along the upper reaches of the American River. Suddenly, thousands of people poured into the new city of Sacramento, built where the American and Sacramento rivers met.

Almost immediately, Sacramentos disastrous relationship with flooding began. The flood of 1850 dramatically showed how Sacramento was built in the middle of the annual inland sea. The legendary flood of 1862 was said to have forced the states eighth elected governor, Leland Stanford, to row through floodwaters to his inauguration and then back home to climb in through the second story. In Sacramento, old homes entrances are on the second floor, as the first story was essentially sacrificial, Lund said.

For years, California tried to deal with the flooding by relying only on levees on either side of the river. But if you just had levees everywhere, the river would eventually break the levee in an uncontrolled fashion, said John Cain, an expert with the conservation group American Rivers.

Another idea, promoted by Colusa Sun newspaper editor William Green in the 1860s, suggested a more natural approach: create a designated floodplain that would allow the Sacramento River to flood as it had done in centuries past.

His idea was to allow the river to do what it was going to do, which was to spill its banks, Russo said. Its going to do that once in a while. You just gotta accept it.

After devastating floods in 1907 and 1909, steps were taken to build the Yolo Bypass, as well as another one further upstream, the Sutter Bypass.

The bypass system is essential because of the massive precipitation that can fall in California when so-called atmospheric river storms  long plumes of water vapor  pour over from the Pacific Ocean and hit the Sierra Nevada, as they did this month.

The Sierra tends to wring that moisture  it kind of squeezes it like a wet sponge  and drops it on the western slopes of the Sierra, Russo said.

What we get is a very large amount of water for the size of the watershed, he added.

By the 1930s, much of the Sacramento Flood Control Project, including the Yolo Bypass, was in place.

There are two main entrances to the 40-mile-long Yolo Bypass. To its north, water coming from the Sacramento River, the Feather River and the Sutter Bypass enters through the Fremont Weir, completed in 1924, essentially a six-foot-tall curb that usually keeps water flowing in the Sacramento River during normal flows, but naturally allows floodwaters to spill into the bypass when water levels rise.

To its east is the Sacramento Weir, finished in 1916. Floodgates here must be manually opened by workers, and this entry primarily allows water to flow in from the American River. Workers opened the gates on Jan. 10 and completed closing them on Thursday. It will take some days or weeks to drain, Lund said.

Other creeks drain naturally into the Yolo Bypass, which in addition to being used as farmland is also set aside as a wildlife area, shared by birdwatchers, schoolchildren and hunters. The bypass is in the heart of the Pacific Flyway and is home to waterfowl and migratory birds.

Another river has also used the concept of the bypass system  the Mississippi. The rivers massive floods of 2011 caused officials to open up the Morganza Floodway to divert water from Baton Rouge and New Orleans to the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana, the first time that had been done since 1973. Waters flooded trees, swamps and fields of wheat, soybean and sugar cane.

There are discussions underway to expand the Yolo Bypass. Among the ideas are to expand the weirs, allowing more water to flow in, and to move levees surrounding the bypass further inland, increasing capacity of the floodplain.

There are also ecological benefits to the floodplain, Cain said. Juvenile salmon there have access to much more food and are farther away from predators who dont get onto the floodplain.

Cain said expanding and carving out new floodplains along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers will be important in the coming years to protect California from disastrous flooding that breaks levees. One plan is to create a new flood bypass near Stockton, Cain said, which will require the purchase of easements, or permission to flood land, from farmers during the rainy season.

In the decades to come, rising global temperatures are expected to cause storms to dump more warmer rain instead of colder snow on California, which will worsen floods when they happen.

The U.S. Geological Survey has warned that a repeat of the great 1862 flood would overwhelm Californias flood protection system and cause floodwaters in the Central Valley 300 miles long and over 20 miles wide.

Times staff writers Matt Stevens and Joseph Serna contributed to this report.

ron.lin@latimes.com

Twitter: @ronlin

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Cryptozoological museum: In the Jan. 22 Travel section, an article about the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, said that an image of Bigfoot, based on a pictograph, was painted on a museum wall. The image has been removed.

Icelands Blue Lagoon: In the Jan. 22 Travel section, an article about Icelands geothermal baths said that the 35-room Silica hotel at the Blue Lagoon would reopen as a 60-room hotel later this year. A new 60-room hotel will open in addition to the Silica.

On the Spot: In the Jan. 22 Travel section, a column about hotel taxes and fees misspelled the last name of William Beckler, a co-founder of AlltheRooms.com, as Blecker.

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If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Deirdre Edgar, readers representative, by email at readers.representative@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep.
A Los Angeles actor who served time in prison for fatally stabbing his aunts boyfriend was back behind bars Thursday, accused again of wielding a knife and attacking others.

DeAundre Marquise Bonds, 40, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a dirk or dagger and felony vandalism with prior convictions, prosecutors said.

Bonds played Stacey in the 1999 movie The Wood, about a group of high schoolers in Inglewood, a character he reprised in 2015s Dope.

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Police arrested Bonds on Tuesday at a home in South L.A. after a family member told him to leave and he responded by grabbing two kitchen knives and attacking the relative, authorities said.

He threw one of the knives at the relative, who escaped to a bedroom and locked the door, authorities said. Bonds then allegedly stabbed the locked bedroom door, prosecutors said in a statement.

The police were called and officers found Bonds nearby with a knife in his waistband and arrested him. If convicted, he faces up to 13 years in prison.

In the previous incident, Bonds was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he stabbed his aunts boyfriend to death in front of her home, according to a 2002 Times article.

In an interview Bonds gave a Times reporter from prison a year later, the actor said he was taking a break from filming a movie in New Mexico at the time of the stabbing. Actor Denzel Washington had picked him for a supporting role in the film Antwone Fisher so he went to his aunts home in South L.A. to celebrate, he told The Times.

When he arrived, he accidentally knocked over a trash can and got into a confrontation with his aunts boyfriend, Anthony Lamar Matthews, according to the article. The men argued and Bonds ran to the kitchen, retrieved a knife and fatally stabbed Matthews in the chest. Bonds claimed it was self-defense.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
Several Bay Area activists were among a group of Greenpeace protesters who scaled a 270-foot crane near the White House to unfurl a huge banner bearing the word Resist this week and are now facing misdemeanor charges, authorities said.

At least four of the seven people who hung the 70-by-35-foot yellow banner on Wednesday were from the Bay Area, Cassady Craighill, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The protesters were charged Thursday with second-degree burglary, unlawful entry and destruction of property less than $1,000, according to online records from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They were released from custody after a court appearance, according to the Chronicle.

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The activists included San Francisco resident Karen Topakian, the board chairperson for Greenpeace. Topakian hosted a Facebook Live session from the top of the crane.

It was a little chilly this morning when we arrived at the crane site, but it was a lot chillier in the Oval Office when President Trump decided to sign those executive orders reinstating the Keystone Pipeline, she said in the video.

The protesters also included Pearl Robinson, a national organizer for the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco, and Nancy Pili Hernandez, a Bay Area muralist who wore a San Francisco Giants stocking cap under a hard hat atop the crane.

She said in a Facebook Live video during the protest that other crane operators were waving and giving thumbs up to the protesters.

Washingtons Metropolitan Police Department closed streets in the area Wednesday as two protesters dangled from the crane alongside the banner.

The crane is being used in the construction of the new headquarters of Fannie Mae on the site of the former Washington Post building.

The massive banner could be seen hovering over the White House a half-mile away.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

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ICE agents arrived Thursday morning at a San Francisco nonprofit serving mostly low-income Latino immigrant families, rattling staffers and stoking fears about illegal immigration crackdowns under President Trump.

But though agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents did descend on the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center in the Mission District, immigration officials said it was not a raid but a targeted effort to find a convicted sex offender wanted for deportation.

The agents  many with ICE in large letters on the back of their clothes  arrived about 9:20 a.m. at the center and lingered outside the building, according to Jaime Aragon, the organizations service coordination manager. After a few minutes, they entered and asked Aragon about people who lived there.

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I told them this is a family resource center. No one lives here  I cant help them, said Aragon, who directed the agents to a housing complex next door. The officer thanked me and left.

Virginia Kice, an ICE spokeswoman, said that after learning the suspects last address was actually next door, the agents promptly walked out. At the housing complex, the agents didnt find the man, whose identity was not released, and left the area without making an arrest, Kice said.

The arrival of ICE was first reported by the San Francisco Examiner.

ICE described the action by agents as routine  part of typical operations to track down specific individuals in the country illegally who pose a threat to public safety or national security.

ICE deportation officers and special agents conduct operations every day in locations around the country, Kice said in a statement.

An ICE policy memorandum from 2011 calls on officers to avoid conducting actions at sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, churches and public demonstrations, and to use extra caution at organizations that help children and pregnant women.

To Aragon, who has worked at the nonprofit for seven years, the presence of federal immigration agents put him on edge.

Nothing like this ever happened close to home. It was very jarring, Aragon said. It took us by surprise. We know what to do and we are equipped to respond in an appropriate way, but it was still very disturbing.

The brief presence of ICE agents came just a day after Trump signed two executive orders designed to begin building a wall along the border with Mexico, add lockups for detaining immigrants who cross the border illegally, enhance enforcement powers for border agents and strip federal funding to cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement.

According to a draft document reviewed by The Times, under the new order, the federal government would threaten to withhold funds from so-called sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with immigration officials. San Francisco, like Los Angeles, is a sanctuary city, a broad policy aimed at welcoming those here illegally.

Staffers at Good Samaritan Family Resource Center hoped that the brief visit by ICE agents does not frighten away those who utilize their services: primarily low-income immigrant families. The organization provides child care, English classes, parenting groups and after-school programs.

Aragon said it was a small relief that the federal agents came at 9:20 a.m. The group has a large wave of English as a second language students who arrive at 9 a.m., usually with their children in tow.

Everyone missed these officers by a hair, he said.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

UPDATES:

7:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on the suspect.

This article was first published at 6:35 p.m.
Local transportation officials on Thursday hired one of the more controversial names in California construction to build a $2.4-billion section of the Westside subway, which will connect Century City to downtown Los Angeles.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys board of directors voted 8-0 to award a $1.37-billion contract to a joint venture led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini Corp. and Chief Executive Ronald Tutor.

The boards vote marks a form of redemption for Tutor, whose work on L.A.s first subway a generation ago sparked a protracted legal battle that, until now, had left him excluded from Metros rail building boom.

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Tutors bid was hundreds of millions of dollars lower than his competitors, drawing criticism from some skeptics. But during Thursdays meeting, Tutor told directors that he had cross-checked until my eyes crossed to ensure the bid was accurate.

The decision to select the lowest bidder could pose challenges for Metro, which will face the risk of cost overruns and so-called change orders that could add to the price of the complicated subway project.

There is an old saying I subscribe to: Once bitten, twice shy, said former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who served on the Metro board for two decades. Metro has a long history with the Tutor company, and its a not a good one.

Tutor could not be reached for comment.

In a prepared statement, Metro officials promised a strong oversight plan with experienced staff to keep the project on time and on budget. That could include periodic meetings between Tutor and Metro Chief Executive Phil Washington to resolve project claims and changes, the release said.

The Purple Line, which will eventually connect downtown to West L.A. by a half-hour subway ride, is the most anticipated rail project in a generation.

Its second phase will extend west from Wilshire Boulevard and La Cienega Avenue, running beneath Beverly Hills High School and into Century City. The 2.59-mile extension is scheduled to open in 2025.

Tutor Perini and its partner, Connecticut-based O&G Industries, have been hired for a highly technical job: Digging and aligning their tunnels with the first phase of the subway project, which is currently under construction between Koreatown and the intersection of Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards.

In 1995, Tutor-Saliba-Perini sued Metro, claiming $16 million in alleged unpaid expenses for work on three subway stations along Wilshire Boulevard. Metro filed a cross-complaint several years later, alleging that Tutor had demanded money for illegitimate claims.

After a decade of legal skirmishes, a judge ruled in 2001 that the firm and its attorneys had destroyed and withheld documents, turned in false claims for payment and used minority subcontractor companies as fronts. A jury awarded Metro about $29 million, plus legal fees and other expenses.

For the current Purple Line project, Tutors total bid was $1.45 billion, which includes more factors than the contract award, such as compensation for potential delays. The proposal was $493 million lower than the second-place bid and $871 million lower than the third, a difference of nearly 60%.

I dont think Ive ever seen three bidders on a project that were so far apart from one another, Yaroslavsky said. Because of the history that Metro has had with the Tutor company, you have to wonder how rigorously the financial aspects of the bid were analyzed.

The Tutor group received the lowest score for its proposals to build and manage the project. In a statement, Metro officials said all three proposals were comparable on their technical merits, but the Tutor Perini teams proposal was the best value.

When Metro director Jacqueline Dupont-Walker questioned Tutor on Thursday about the cost difference, he acknowledged that it must have come to peoples attention, but stood by the estimate, saying no company had more experience building L.A. subways.

Weve built most of this system, Tutor said. We know what it costs us.

He added that the firms earlier legal battles were not about the quality of the work. During subway construction, there were some questions about the thickness of the tunnel walls near downtown, but Metro staff said at the time that the walls were structurally sound.

Tutors work on the subway tunnel through the Cahuenga Pass to North Hollywood was completed ahead of schedule.

The suite of Tutor companies has worked on other major L.A. projects over the years, including the Alameda Corridor, a rail expressway that serves the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It opened in 2002 on budget and on schedule.

The Sylmar firm also is the contractor on the first section of the California high-speed rail project. The company has requested compensation for more than a year of delays on construction caused by problems with land acquisition in the Central Valley.

Four Metro directors were absent for the Westside subway decision, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who cited a conflict and said he couldnt vote. Director Kathryn Barger, a Los Angeles County supervisor, did not vote, citing a conflict.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

For more transportation news, follow @laura_nelson on Twitter.

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10:14 a.m. This article was updated to correct the end point of the first phase of the Purple Line, and to note that Mayor Eric Garcetti was absent for the vote because of a conflict.
Investigators have recovered the missing Porsche of a hairdresser who was found stabbed and beaten outside his Woodland Hills home.

Few details were released about the black 2008 Porsche Carrera or when and where it was found. Detectives are still investigating Fabio Sementillis death, Officer Irma Mota, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said Thursday.

The 49-year-old Coty Inc. executive was found about 5 p.m. Monday on the patio of his home in the 5000 block of Queen Victoria Road, according to police. He had injuries to his face and significant blood, said Officer Liliana Preciado, an LAPD spokeswoman.

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When authorities arrived, he was unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Preciado said. Sementilli suffered numerous stab wounds to his neck and upper torso, police said.

While investigating Sementillis death, police discovered his Porsche was missing.

Sementilli, who was Canadian born, was a vice president of education for the cosmetics giant Coty, according to Modern Salon magazine.

Sementilli mentored tens of thousands of hairdressers with a hands-on approach either on a one-to-one basis or on a grander scale, Modern Salon wrote.

On Wednesday, Mirella Rota Sementilli said on Facebook that her brother had a profound existence that affected family, colleagues, friends and the beauty industry.

You left behind precious memories that we will forever hold close to our hearts, she wrote. I will never accept the suffering they put you through because being your older sister meant experiencing all your pain with you. Im so hurt and I hope you will give me strength and guidance to live the life you were so proud of.

Sementilli posted a photograph of his 1987 hairstylist certification on Facebook on Friday in celebration of his 30 years of work in the field.

[Thirty years] ago today I received my hairstylist certification and my professional career started with optimism, an immigrant family work ethic with no pedigree in hairdressing to speak of but I had a strong conviction with hopes and dreams, he wrote.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
Tragedy has once again visited a pack of mountain lions struggling to survive in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Wildlife officials said Friday that a female mountain lion kitten known as P-51 was struck and killed by a car while crossing the 118 Freeway  the same freeway that claimed the lives of her mother and a sibling late last year.

The carcass of the 8-month-old kitten was retrieved in Simi Valley by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Jan. 14. It was found one mile east of Rocky Peak near Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, according to wildlife officials.

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Unfortunately, this case illustrates the challenges for mountain lions in the region, where roads are both major barriers to movement and potential sources of mortality, wildlife ecologist Seth Riley said in a statement. The area where these animals were killed is part of a critical wildlife corridor that connects the genetically isolated population in the Santa Monica Mountains to what is considered the nearest source population, in Los Padres National Forest.

The kittens mother  a mountain lion known as P-39  was struck and killed by a car on Dec. 3 east of Rocky Peak as well. Weeks later, the kittens brother  P-52  was also killed by vehicle on the same freeway.

P-51 and P-52 belonged to an adorable trio of blue-eyed kittens who gained national fame when their images were widely circulated on the Internet last summer. The kittens were about 4 weeks old when they were discovered in their den on June 22.

Its unknown whether P-50 has managed to survive longer than his brother and sister.

We havent seen evidence of P-50 since he was 4 weeks old, so were really not sure if he is alive, said Kate Kuykendall, spokeswoman for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The same was true of P-51 and P-52 prior to them being discovered on the 118, too.

Researchers had been tracking the mother of the litter since April 2015, when she was outfitted with a collar to track her movements. The mothers remains have not been found, although researchers have recovered her tracking collar.

After their mothers death, wildlife officials feared that the kittens hadnt developed the hunting skills to survive without her.

But so far, it looks like their mother taught them a thing or two about hunting.

A necropsy performed on P-52 showed that he weighed only 24 pounds, although he had adequate fat reserves. He had also recently fed on a skunk, which wildlife officials is typical prey for a young lion learning to hunt.

Whether or not these kittens had the ability to feed was a subject of much discussion, Marc Kenyon, the departments mountain lion conservation program coordinator, said in statement. Apparently, their mother had taught them predatory skills within their first six to seven months, and were hopeful the necropsy on P-51 confirms this, too.

According to wildlife officials, P-51 is the 17th known case of a mountain lion being killed on a freeway or road since researchers began tracking the animals in the Santa Monica Mountains since 2002.

Last year, the California Department of Transportation proposed building a landscaped bridge over the 101 Freeway near Liberty Canyon Road in Agoura Hills to connect the Santa Monica Mountains with the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains and provide a corridor for wildlife movements.

Wildlife advocates say the 165-foot-wide, 200-foot-long crossing would reduce deaths of mountain lions and other animals trying to trek across the hillsides. L.A.s network of freeways, they say, are a major barrier for mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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2:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area spokeswoman Kate Kuykendall.

This article was originally published at 12:15 p.m.
The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to spend $59.3 million to buy a piece of land billed as a crown jewel in Mayor Eric Garcettis push to restore an 11-mile stretch of the Los Angeles River.

On an 11-0 vote, the council moved ahead with the purchase of the 41-acre site, formally known as G2, from railroad company Union Pacific.

Councilman Mitch OFarrell, who heads the committee overseeing the river restoration effort, said the property is by far the largest along the concrete waterway to have a willing seller. That makes the purchase a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for City Hall, he said.

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Its unheard of to have a parcel of this size that we can acquire next to the river for habitat restoration, for public use, for revitalization efforts  you name it, OFarrell said. In order to do anything along the river, we must control the property.

Because the site is heavily contaminated, the citys strategy for buying the land, cleaning the soil, restoring habitat and adding public improvements is expected to reach $252 million. The work would transform the mostly empty site into a place for residents to hike, bicycle and view wildlife.

The project is expected to take several years and is still short tens of millions of dollars. Nevertheless, Garcetti said at least a segment of the site could become an initial park within three years.

That would represent a big change for the G2 site, which has long been a barrier between the rivers edge and the nearby neighborhoods of Cypress Park and Glassell Park. The G2 parcel, said Garcetti, will open up more than a mile of direct riverfront access.

For decades, weve looked at this piece of land, which has split the community away from the river, Garcetti said in an interview. We finally have the ability to bring people down to the banks of the river, through nature and parks, in a working-class part of Los Angeles.

City officials have been working for years on a strategy to restore a stretch of the river between Griffith Park and downtown. That initiative would include efforts to widen the river in some locations and free sections of the channel from what Garcetti called its concrete straitjacket.

Revitalization of the 11-mile stretch of river was expected to cost $1 billion three years ago, with the city splitting the cost equally with the federal government. Since then, the overall price tag has jumped to nearly $1.6 billion.

A recent analysis warned that unless additional funds are identified, the city could shoulder as much as 76% of the financial burden for the restoration and recreation initiative.

State Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) identified $25 million in funds for the G2 site two years ago. City officials also expect the federal government to provide at least $25.4 million for the property.

Still, prospects for securing federal funds are unclear, in part because of the election of President Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funds from cities with lenient policies toward illegal immigration.

G2 was once part of the 247-acre Taylor Yard railroad complex, which hosted train maintenance and fueling operations. Sections of the yard have been sold off over several decades.

Fridays vote was welcomed by several environmental organizations, including the Friends of the Los Angeles River. Lewis MacAdams, that groups co-founder and former president, said he has been pushing for the purchase for more than 30 years.

Escrow on the G2 site is expected to close by March 1.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidZahniser

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The rapper known as Chief Keef was arrested Thursday in connection with a home invasion robbery that occurred last week at the home of his former music producer, Ramsay Tha Great, according to the victim and authorities.

The 21-year-old Chicago rapper, whose real name is Keith Cozart, was taken into custody by a team of Los Angeles Police Department special operations officers at his Tarzana home in the 5100 block of Otis Avenue around 4 p.m. A second man, Darron Rose, 24, was also arrested, according to LAPD Lt. Tim Torsney.

Both men were booked on suspicion of home invasion robbery. Cozart and Rose were being held on $500,000 and $250,000 bail respectively, according to authorities.

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Cozarts attorney Michael Goldstein said officers broke down part of a wall to gain entry to the rappers home. He said officers did not recover a gun during the search.

I dont why they need the SWAT team, Goldstein said. My client doesnt have a felony conviction.

Footage of police detaining the rapper was broadcast by KNBC-TV Channel 4.

LAPD Officer Tony Im confirmed that the search and arrests were in connection with a Jan. 19 robbery at a home in the San Fernando Valley but declined to name the victim. At least two men armed with assault rifles broke into the home, according to Im, and assaulted the victim.

Cozarts former producer however has taken to social media saying he was the target of the violent attack and has condemned his former client.

While lying in a hospital bed, the producer described the assault in a video. He said he was woken up by someone at his door. When he went to see who it was, Cozart and another man, who was armed with an AK-47, pushed their way into his room, he said. They started hitting him in the face.

He stole my $1,600, he stole my rings and he stole my a Rolex watch, the producer said.

The victim also posted photos of himself on social media that revealed bruises, swelling and a cut near his eyebrow. He also wore a neck brace.

This aint Grand Theft Auto, the producer said on Instagram. You have been playing too much of that. Its real life. You cant do that.

Following Cozarts arrest Thursday, some fans criticized the victim and threatened to harm him for snitching.

This provoked an angry response from the music producer.

Yo its real sad to see my black community condone home invasion, armed robbery with deadly assault  hitting me the face with an AK-47, he said on a video posted to Instagram.

Its Chief Keefs fault, the producer said. If he didnt do this to me, he didnt run in my crib like that, if he didnt jump me, punch me in the face, rob me, home invasion, he wouldnt be going to jail.

In 2015, two men were found fatally shot in a Compton marijuana dispensary that bore Chief Keefs name. But the rappers manager denied that he had any formal ties to the dispensary, known as the Chief Keef Glo Shop.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

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UPDATES:

1:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Chief Keefs attorney Michael Goldstein.

8:15 a.m. Jan. 27: This article was updated with comments from Ramsay Tha Great and the arrest of Chief Keef.

This article was originally published at 11:55 p.m. on Jan. 26.
The Russian wife of Enrique Marquez Jr., the man accused of conspiring with the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack, pleaded guilty Thursday to entering into a sham marriage with Marquez and lying to the FBI.

In a Riverside courtroom, Mariya Chernykh, 26, entered the plea to federal charges of conspiracy and perjury, according to the U.S. attorneys office in Los Angeles.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal, Chernykh admitted to putting false statements on her immigration paperwork, lying to FBI agents during her interviews, and giving Marquez regular payments for his continued involvement in the sham marriage.

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Bernal could impose up to 20 years in prison and a $1-million fine at Chernykhs sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 20.

Chernykh was charged last year along with her sister, Tatiana Farook, and her brother-in-law, Syed Raheel Farook, whose younger brother was one of the two terrorists responsible for the Dec. 2, 2015, rampage in San Bernardino that left 14 dead.

Marquez, a former neighbor of the Farook family, was charged with buying weapons used by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in the attack.

The investigation into the sham marriage was not connected to the terror plot, but federal officials learned of it during their exhaustive probe following the attack.

Chernykh is a Russian citizen who came to the U.S. on a short-term visa in 2009. Prosecutors said she married Marquez to obtain legal U.S. residency, even though the two did not live together and never actually had a marriage ceremony.

Syed Raheel Farook and his wife, Tatiana, helped the couple plan and execute the fraud, prosecutors said. Syed Raheel Farook pleaded guilty earlier this month to conspiracy to commit a crime in relation to a marriage fraud. Tatiana Farook is scheduled to go on trial in March.

Prosecutors say Marquez was paid $200 per month for marrying Chernykh, who wed him so she could gain legal status in the U.S. During interviews with federal agents, prosecutors said Chernykh lied when she claimed to live with Marquez but actually lived in Ontario.

Before tying the knot with Marquez, Chernykh dated a Los Angeles resident named Oscar Romero for several years. The two had a child, and in an interview with The Times in 2015, Romero insisted the couple split up when she married Marquez.

Prosecutors said that Chernykh and Marquez panicked when they learned of an immigration interview in late 2015. Syed Raheel Farook created a fraudulent lease agreement that suggested Marquez and Chernykh had been living together since November 2014, prosecutors said. The document falsely claimed the couple lived with Farook and his wife at their home in Corona, prosecutors say.

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In online correspondence, the pair openly discussed their jitters over the interview, which was scheduled for Dec. 3, the day after the attack on the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

Marquez admitted to Chernykh that he was just a little anxious and had prepared practice questions, according to the affidavit.

According to court papers, she replied, Omg!! Enrique Im the one freaking out here!!! ... Ill see u Monday and well talk.

She had urged him to relax, adding, [I]f they decline me its my problem not yours.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

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Night after night, a small group of students and professors from California State University Northridge traveled to Van Nuys last year for an unorthodox mission.

In packs of two or four, they searched for young women standing on dark street corners along Sepulveda Boulevard, then waited for the men who would inevitably come calling on them.

For eight months, the students and instructors followed the johns and the women they sought sex from along a stretch of the boulevard that officials consider one of the busiest prostitution strolls in Los Angeles. The Cal State group documented the places they met and where they had sex in an attempt to help police and city officials stamp out a decades-old problem.

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The answer? A little re-decoration.

Based on the academic research, Councilwoman Nury Martinez said Thursday that she has launched a $780,000 program aimed at eliminating locations where johns and young women, many of whom she said are forced into prostitution under threat of violence, meet to have sex. The CSUN study identified up to 40 locations used for illegal sex that could be safeguarded by the addition of street lamps or the trimming of nearby trees, Martinez said.

It has to do with line of sight, said Deputy Chief Bob Green, who oversees operations for the LAPDs Valley Bureau. When people feel like they can hide in the shadows to commit prostitution or take something from your car or steal your car, theyre gonna do it.

Crews trim tree branches at a Sepulveda Boulevard intersection known to be used for illicit sex. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The project is the latest step in a years-long initiative to curb human trafficking and prostitution along Sepulveda Boulevard, Martinez said. The councilwoman and Green came together to spearhead the creation of an anti-trafficking task force in the San Fernando Valley in 2015, a unit that arrested nearly 400 johns last year, according to the LAPD.

Prostitution has been a problem in the area for decades, according to Martinez, who grew up in the neighborhood and said the sight of women waiting on street corners along Sepulveda was common as far back as the 1980s. But in recent years, Martinez said she has noticed a troubling trend. The corners are now populated by girls, rather than women.

The last couple of years, the age of the women who they traffic on this corridor has gotten younger and younger and younger, she said, speaking over the roar of a saw held by a public works employee trimming a tree across the street. That, to me, is whats so devastating about this.

The victims, she said, are trafficked to Los Angeles from other major cities, including Las Vegas and Seattle.

Henrik Minassians, an associate professor of urban studies and planning at CSUN who led the study, said anyone trying to have sex with an underage girl would have little trouble doing so along the Van Nuys stretch. During their research, Minassians, criminologist David Lopez and two undergraduate students spoke with several women along the boulevard. When Minassians asked one about the age of the women on the various street corners, he was mistaken for a customer.

She can bring you underage girls, she told Minassians, before pointing to another woman.

At least 10 trafficking victims have been rescued from the area, according to LAPD records. Five of them were just 15 years old, said Lt. Marc Evans, who heads the LAPDs San Fernando Valley trafficking task force.

Martinez hopes the changes will improve quality of life in the neighborhood and discourage pimps who are trafficking young women in her district.

To the people living in these neighborhoods, it means that you dont have to find condoms outside of your driveway as youre taking your kids to school, she said. And also, the 15-year-old girl who sometimes gets sold under these trees, this tree-trimming might actually save her life.

Minassians said the purpose of the study was to eradicate conditions favorable to public sex, in the hopes of making the neighborhood less attractive to pimps and johns. There are several strip malls along Sepulveda with parking lots that remain unlit overnight, he said. The simple placement of a street light would make the area a far less desirable location to have sex, Minassians said.

The use of environmental manipulation to disrupt illicit activity has worked well for other police agencies. When trying to find a way to combat lewd conduct and public sex in recent years, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department began using similar tactics, namely trimming trees and improving lighting, to eliminate secretive areas where the sex acts could take place.

In all, Martinez hopes to trim trees in nine locations and place at least 35 new street lamps along Sepulveda. Most of the $780,000 in funding is being provided through federal Community Development Block grants, said Adam Bass, the councilwomans communications director.

Green promised to continue enforcement of prostitution and trafficking laws along the corridor, but conceded that the LAPD cannot simply arrest their way out of the problem. A permanent fix, he said, will require more than handcuffs.

For community safety, long term, its about environmental change, he said.

james.queally@latimes.com

For more breaking crime and cops news in Southern California, follow me on Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT

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An autopsy on Albert Olango, killed by El Cajon police in September, revealed he was hit by four rounds and bled to death in the hospital during surgery.

He also had cocaine and a small amount of alcohol in his system, according to the report released Thursday.

Olango, 38, was fatally shot Sept. 27 when he pointed his clasped hands at an officer while holding a vaping device with a silver cylinder.

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Police were investigating after Olangos sister phoned 911 three times to say that he was not acting like himself and that he needed a psychiatric evaluation. Olango was seen walking into traffic, and officers confronted him behind a taco shop.

Officer Josh McDaniel shot Olango with a Taser at the same time that Officer Richard Gonsalves fired four rounds from his pistol. All four rounds hit Olango.

The district attorney found the shooting legally justified. That finding and the release of photos and video of the shooting prompted numerous protest marches and demonstrations, with critics decrying the police action as another example of an unarmed black man gunned down by white officers.

The autopsy noted Olango had bullet wounds to his upper right arm, the left side of his neck, the back of his right shoulder and his lower left chest. Some of the penetrating rounds hit his liver, kidney and lung and fractured his ribs.

Surgeons discovered what the autopsy referred to as a devastating wound to a major artery leading from the middle of the body to the heart.

A toxicology report noted cocaine and related compounds in Olangos blood and urine. His blood-alcohol level was .02%, below the level presumed to be under the influence under California law.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Repard writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Inside a Maywood laundromat, Hector Cruz waited amid the whir of spin cycles with his infant son. Although the 25-year-old arrived from Mexico without documents, he found a job at a car wash and feels safe within the tiny town that proclaimed itself a sanctuary city a decade ago.

Now the emergence of President Trumps long-anticipated crackdown on illegal immigration has Cruz envisioning immigration raids, deportation, a fractured family.

Once places of refuge, so-called sanctuary cities have become targets, where residents worry that any concern for their welfare could be trounced by their communitys need for government funds.

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But while anxiety and fear swirl in hundreds of cities across the nation that chose the largely symbolic designation  so too does defiance. In California, the forefront of the sanctuary movement, the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley banded together and released a joint statement to decry the White Houses morally bankrupt policies.

Other leaders in the state have publicly declared they will continue offering protection for immigrants arriving illegally, disputed Trumps capacity to cut off their access to federal purse strings, and even considered filing suit.

Immigration issues belong to the federal government and to coerce and push a city to take on those responsibilities is 100% wrong, said Sal Tinajero, a city councilman in Santa Ana, which voted unanimously to become a sanctuary city shortly after Trump was elected.

Tinajero said city leaders are prepared for possible funding cuts, adding that Santa Ana has more than $41 million in reserve, just in case.

Well continue to move forward and stand in solidarity and send a strong message to the president of the United States and to our community, he said. We will not be using our police officers to work with the federal immigration system.

Like Santa Ana, many of Californias sanctuary cities have large  if not overwhelming  Latino populations. Many have been for generations first stops for immigrants  here both legally and illegally  who have come to the United States from Latin America.

Inside Sheilas flower shop in Cudahy, Olga Torres, 44, and Susan Flores, 45, watched Spanish-language TV news coverage about Trumps crackdown.

Torres, who is in the country illegally, said shes happy to be living in a sanctuary city like Cudahy, where her immigration status doesnt seem to be a big deal. Now she fears that might all change.

Were worried. We dont know whats going to happen, she said Wednesday. Its hard enough to find work without documents, and now Im sure its going to be even harder.

Flores said she empathizes with her friend.

I spent three years without documents, she said. I know what its like to be walking around always in fear. If youre in this city, youre fine, but if you go elsewhere, you dont know what peoples attitudes are toward immigrants.

Susan Flores, 45, works in her flower shop in Cudahy. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Adopting sanctuary policies has been seen as a smart political move, especially in areas like Los Angeles County, where nearly 10 percent of the nations 11 million immigrants without legal status reside.

There is no neat definition of sanctuary city, but in general, cities that adopt the designation seek to offer political support or practical protections to people who are in the country illegally. For some cities, the sanctuary movement consists simply of encouraging people without legal status to get more involved in government. Other places, such as San Francisco, adopt far-reaching policies, such as taking steps to cut ties with federal immigration officials and refusing to fully cooperate with them.

Maywood declared itself a sanctuary 11 years ago, enacting a law that said local police could not enforce federal immigration law.

We wanted our residents to know that we were there to support them, said Veronica Guardado, a Maywood councilwoman at the time.

Guardado says Trumps efforts make a troubling statement about America.

Should we keep the Statue of Liberty or maybe take it down for a while? she asked.

But supporters of Trumps order say the plan to cut off funding to sanctuary cities was a long time coming.

Money talks, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank that advocates for restrictions on immigration. But there probably will be some die-hards who will continue to play chicken on this, and they may face other consequences, such as litigation.

Other anti-illegal immigration activists agreed, saying Trump is carrying out policies they have advocated for decades.

The policies have finally put federal executive action on the side of the victims and potential victims of crime instead of protecting the interests of the businesses and organizations who profit from keeping as many illegal migrants in the country as possible, said Roy H. Beck, who heads NumbersUSA, a powerful national advocacy group opposing illegal immigration.

As cities wait to understand how Trumps order will play out, officials are scrambling to determine what it could mean if their funds are stripped. Los Angeles City Council members ordered advisors to report back on the definition of a sanctuary city and how it might apply to them.

Santa Ana recently decided not to allocate funds to some community programs in preparation for what might come. If budget funding is cut off, the city may consider banding together with others to file a lawsuit against the federal government. Cudahy has mulled over whether it could lose funds from a grant used for parks and public housing.

Towns like Maywood, which struggled with insolvency not long ago, have to consider their ability to function without federal help as well as residents who rely on their policies.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Trump could be challenged by the 10th Amendment, which has been interpreted by the U.S Supreme Court to say the federal government cannot compel a local official to carry out a federal program.

We feel very strong the legal case is clear, Garcetti said Wednesday, hours after Trump signed the executive order seeking to withhold money from cities that dont cooperate with immigration authorities.

Los Angeles will receive about $500 million this fiscal year from the federal government to pay for an array of services including port security, anti-gang programs and senior citizen services. That money doesnt include federal funding that flows to entities such as the Los Angeles Unified School District or Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Although Los Angeles follows policies similar to those in cities that trumpet themselves as a sanctuary city, leaders have skirted from a formal designation, with some preferring to use the term welcoming.

At Maywood Riverfront Park, immigrant residents said they feel that sense of welcome and hope it wont change under Trump.

Maria Ruiz, 55, who divides her time between Mexico and Maywood, said she wants her city to maintain sanctuary status, even if that means losing federal funds.

I support what theyre doing. The city will be fine. Theyll find a way to make up for the loss, she said.

Hernan Hernandez, 51, of Compton said its one thing to carry out the law, and its another to punish an entire community.

If the president wants to deport illegal immigrants, he can technically do that, and I have no issues with that, he said. But I find it to be a sad thing if he wants to withhold money from cities, because theyre entitled to it.

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It was the snowiest winter Park City had seen in years. Nour Haji, wearing a T-shirt despite the freezing temperatures, backed his white Toyota Camry toward a snowbank to turn around.

How has your night been? he asked, peering into the rearview mirror at his Lyft passenger in back.

Just over a year ago, Haji, 26, was still living in Turkey, having fled his home in Syria and become a refugee. He had longed to go to the United States ever since he was a teenager, when he begged his father to let him study there.

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He arrived in Utah with his mother and sister in late 2015 and started working as a ride-hailing driver a few months ago. The side job paid decently and was a great chance to keep working on his English.

Back in Syria, he was always at the top of his class in English. He liked to watch American movies and invent conversations in his head to practice, consulting a translating app on his phone whenever he got stuck. Now it was paying off.

But people like Haji will no longer be allowed into the United States under an executive order signed by President Trump on Friday. The order suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and indefinitely bans refugees from Syria.

Haji and his family, who are Kurdish, fled their home in central Aleppo in 2012. The Syrian conflict had started a year earlier, and though heavy bombing wasnt yet a staple of life in the northwestern Syrian city, conditions had already become difficult.

There were no jobs, no safety, no money, no incomes, he said. You just needed to leave to be able to get a life.

So Haji and his mother, father, sister and two brothers took refuge in a village in northern Aleppo province, where they owned a home and some land. A few days later, most of them sneaked across the border into Turkey. His eldest brother stayed behind because he worried he would not be able to support his wife and four young daughters.

Haji struggled to find work in Turkey, at one point going five months without a job. When he did work, it was long hours and little pay in construction, sales or textiles, he said.

On the advice of another brother who had moved to Canada before the war, Haji, his mother and his sister visited a U.N. office in Istanbul to see if they could start the process of resettlement. They were interviewed at length later in the capital, Ankara. His father and brother were skeptical and skipped the interview.

The process of refugee resettlement usually begins with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Chris Boian, a spokesman for the agency.

First, a person has to meet the legal definition of refugee: somebody who has been forced to flee his or her country because of war, violence, or a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

There are vastly more refugees than countries have agreed to resettle. After screening and interviewing candidates, the United Nations refers as many as it can to third countries for consideration. Women and children at risk, victims of violence or torture, refugees with medical needs and members of persecuted minorities get priority. The agency also tries to reunify families.

Refugees do not get to choose where they will be sent. The United Nations provides host countries with lists of eligible candidates and those countries then do their own vetting and decide who gets in.

In the United States, the screening for resettlement includes a series of background checks, interviews, fingerprinting and medical checks conducted by the State Department, National Counterterrorism Center, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and other intelligence agencies.

Applicants who pass all those tests then face additional screening by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and are checked against flight watch lists before they are finally allowed to board planes to the United States. The entire process takes 18 to 24 months on average.

Refugees are screened more carefully than any other type of traveler to the U.S., says an overview of the process on the State Departments website.

Trump has ordered a review of the screening process and instructed the secretary of State and other officials to identify and put in place additional measures to ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat.

Nearly two years after his initial visit to the U.N. office, Haji landed in Los Angeles with his mother and sister in November 2015. A few days later, they arrived in Salt Lake City, where they had relatives.

The life here  its kind of difficult and the cultures are way different, but Im growing used to it, he said.

He found work as a carpet cleaner but he quit a few weeks ago because he felt the pay was too little. While he looks for other employment, he gets by with his Lyft job.

In just the first four days of the Sundance Film Festival, which started Jan. 19 in Park City, he had made $2,000, he said.

Eventually Haji hopes to go to college to study engineering.

In Turkey and in Syria I lost my hope  I felt like maybe Im dying, he said. But now, here, I have hope. I know if I work hard, in the future my life is going to be better.

Not all members of his family have been so lucky.

While the brother who came with him to Turkey made it to Germany after a dangerous journey by sea and land through Greece, his father returned to northern Aleppo, joining Hajis eldest brother.

They cannot go home to the city of Aleppo, which was once a thriving commercial center but has been devastated by the six-year conflict between rebels and the Syrian government.

Under the refugee program as it stood before Trumps executive order, people with refugee status could petition for spouses and unmarried children to join them. But they faced more hurdles when it came to siblings and parents.

Now, Hajis father and brother have no chance of moving to the United States in the foreseeable future.

If I could, I would try to bring them tomorrow, said Haji. But its like asking, can you touch the clouds? No, you cant.

Haji said he had a message for Trump. A few hundred years ago there was no America, he said. America was built by refugees.

Im working here like any American, he said. Im paying taxes. I work more jobs than maybe the average person. Im not asking for any help. The only thing I need is to stay safe.

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

Twitter: @AgrawalNina

UPDATES:

Jan. 27, 6:45 p.m. This article was updated with information about the executive order signed by President Trump.

This article was originally published Jan. 26 at 6:20 p.m.
One of Americas most important strategic relationships plunged to a new low Thursday when an escalating dispute over a proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border prompted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a planned visit to the White House.

President Trump has been in office barely a week, but his increasingly bitter feud with Mexico over who would pay for the new wall has left Mexican officials furious and now threatens to ignite a trade war between the two crucial allies.

Pena Nieto had been scheduled next week to be one of the first world leaders to meet with Trump. But a day after Trump issued orders to build a new wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, Pena Nieto on Thursday abruptly canceled the Jan. 31 visit.

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The Mexican presidents announcement came after Trump warned him on Twitter early Thursday morning to stay home and skip the meeting unless Mexico is willing to fund construction of the wall. Not long after, Pena Nieto announced he would do just that. Mexico, Pena Nieto said, offers and demands respect.

Trump had his own, unique version of events.

The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week, he told Republican lawmakers gathered in Philadelphia. Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go in different route. We have no choice.

Many Mexicans, meanwhile, cheered their president for standing up to the man who regularly demonized Mexico as a source of U.S. problems during the presidential campaign. Analysts said Trumps move could be the opening salvo in a trade war.

You cannot trust a man who hates you, who hates all Mexicans, said Sergio Ramirez, a 28-year-old engineer in Mexico City. Mexico must prove that we can go on without them. Its time to shut this man up.

While a presidential candidate, Trump repeatedly said he would build a border wall  and make Mexico pay for it. Mexico has countered that it would not pay for the wall, and immigration experts question whether the kind of barrier Trump envisions would even be effective. The proposal would add to the 653 miles of fencing and barriers already along the 2,000-mile border.

On Thursday, Trumps spokesman, Sean Spicer, said the wall could be paid for by imposing a tax on imports. This would include goods such as automobiles and produce from Mexico, where the size of the trade imbalance reached $59 billion in 2015.

Spicer said the tax on Mexico alone was an option that would produce $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone.

Mexico and the United States do half a trillion dollars in trade annually, and a trade war between the two would be extremely costly for consumers on both sides of the Rio Grande.

Trumps instructions Wednesday on building the wall came as his aides met with senior Mexican officials to prepare for the Pena Nieto visit. To Mexicans, the insult could not have been more clear.

It was a declaration of war, said Mexican political analyst Jose Antonio Crespo. Not a military war, but a diplomatic and economic war.

For years, dating to the Mexican-American War in the 1840s and even before, Mexico has viewed the United States with suspicion, even hostility. The U.S. seized large swaths of Mexican land, including what is today California, and often threw its weight around in diplomacy, trade and other spheres.

A relationship of true cooperation flourished only after the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, and then during the U.S.-friendly government of President Felipe Calderon, who took office in 2006.

In the 1990s, we were the best amigos, said Genaro Lozano, professor of political science and international relations at the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City. We were taught that the future of Mexico belonged in North America and we should consider ourselves partners in this region. Thats all gone. Trump is telling us that Mexico is on its own and we should look somewhere else.

By alienating Mexico, Trump risks a host of problems. Mexico is one of the United States top trading partners, creating a market that employs millions of Americans, and is an indispensable partner in controlling illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Trumps actions also make it more likely that China will continue to make serious inroads in Latin America, profiting from hungry markets and reaping vast mineral wealth.

Trump blames Mexico for sending legions of undesirable people into the U.S. In fact, several studies show more Mexicans are leaving the U.S. than entering. Moreover, the influx of Central American immigrants, which crested in 2015, has been subdued in large part due to Mexico patrolling its border with Guatemala.

The only reason we dont have a crisis at our border is because of what Mexico is doing at its [Southern] border, said a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity during a time of uncertain transition.

The rest of Latin America will look warily at Trumps treatment of Mexico. Veteran diplomats point to what they see as the progress made in recent years: almost every country in Latin America is ruled by a civilian democracy, not a military dictatorship, and most have a favorable opinion of the United States, in contrast to a past when the U.S. was seen as the hemispheres biggest bully.

The diplomats worry, however, that such favorable trends could be reversed under Trump. Nowhere is that more important than in Mexico.

It has taken a generation to build the relationship, said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas, an advocacy group in Washington. Now it has taken a new direction. This is a new day.

Relative prosperity and stability in Latin America has been predicated in large part on increased integration and free trade. Trump seems intent on rolling that back. He already removed the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty, of which Mexico too is a signatory, and has announced renegotiation of NAFTA. Pena Nietos visit was meant to be a first step in that process.

NAFTA governs an interlocking web of commerce across Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, and nurtured a sizable middle class in Mexico, a country that was mired in poverty. But efforts to renegotiate the pact will be challenged if Trump and Pena Nieto are not on speaking terms.

Mexico could retaliate by refusing to cooperate on security and immigration issues, opening the floodgate of Central American immigrants or balking at efforts to stop the northward flow of drugs.

Ordinary Mexicans on Thursday were proud of Pena Nietos decision to rebuff Trump.

Trump wants to see us in the hole, said Eugenio Arvide, 69. But we will fight. If you want war, we will go to war.

It is a shame what is happening. I grew up admiring the United States, looking to them as an example of freedom, rights, and a strong economy, said Nidia Romero, a 38-year-old graphic designer. Trump is the worst example of Americans. There are difficult times for Mexico, but dont forget they also lose without us.

Albert Sosa Medina, 47, who sells cars, said, When there are major disasters, we are always united, always helping each other. We are a united people in the face of this misfortune called Trump.

The performance of the Mexican peso was not so sanguine. Having already lost more than 10% of its value against the U.S. dollar since Trumps election in November, it fell further on Thursday.

Trump, in Philadelphia, again reiterated that the American people would not pay for the wall, nor would he allow U.S. taxpayers to lose money in what he called the defective transaction that NAFTA represented. His solution for the wall would be tax legislation that would reduce the trade deficit and increase American exports.

That would be part of a larger legislative agenda that Trump said could make the Republican-led Congress the busiest in decades, or maybe ever.

In Mexico City, Mario Lara, a 52-year-old merchant, said its time for Americans to stand up to Trump. Weve had enough of our countrymen being treated badly, Lara said. The Americans are aware of everything Mexicans do contribute to their country, and they should put a stop to their president. 

I want to tell Trump that we are not afraid of him, we know that his country is very strong and powerful, but we Mexicans have dignity and we are not afraid, Lara said.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

Twitter: @katelinthicum,

TracyKWilkinson

Linthicum reported from Mexico City and Wilkinson from Washington. Also contributing were staff writer Michael Memoli in Washington and Cecilia Sanchez of the Mexico City bureau.

ALSO

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Column: Trumps plan to tax Mexican imports will create a whole new set of winners and losers, possibly including consumers

Analysis: Trump versus California: The feud turns from rhetorical to real
President Trump struggled on Friday to define and shape his new administrations foreign policy, taking his first face-to-face meeting with a world leader, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and trying to move past an early nasty fight with Mexico.

A week into his presidency, Trump has confounded and confused the diplomatic establishment, leaving many veterans at a loss to discern a clear strategy.

While Trump has tried to project the image of renewed American strength, his inexperience in foreign policy matters has at times contradicted that message.

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On Thursday, Trump picked a fight with the Mexican president over Trumps insistence that the U.S.s southern neighbor  a top trading partner  fund a border wall to block illegal immigration. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly canceled their meeting scheduled for next week. But by Friday morning the pair were back on the telephone trying to smooth over differences.

On Saturday, Trump plans a friendly telephone call with traditional U.S. foe President Vladimir Putin of Russia, but Trump has laid out few details about how he intends to approach that fraught relationship.

And the new president risked angering Muslim allies with plans to impose sweeping new restrictions on refugees entering the U.S. from Syria and other war-torn countries.

Meanwhile, one of Trumps other chief foreign-policy representatives, had tough talk of her own Friday.

Nikki Haley, on her first day as the administrations new ambassador to the United Nations, promised significant change in the way we do business.  Our goal with the administration is to show value at the U.N., and the way that well show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies, and make sure that our allies have our back, as well, Haley said at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

For those who dont have our backs, she warned ominously, were taking names.

Trumps foreign-policy actions are having domestic consequences as well. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer added his voice Friday to those who said they will not support Trumps selection for secretary of State, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.

Just one week into his administration, President Trump is turning our foreign policy into shambles, Schumer said. His nominee for secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, a man who will not lift a finger to fight climate change and will not rule out a Muslim registry, would make it even worse.

Tillerson has also wavered on whether to maintain sanctions against Russia. He narrowly won confirmation in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, by an 11-10 vote along strict party lines. He awaits confirmation from the full Senate.

For all his disruptive behavior in his first week in office, Trump took a more moderated tone and calm demeanor in the brief news conference with May.

Having declared a new policy of America first in his inauguration, Trumps focus with May was on the potential benefits of increased bilateral trade with Britain.

May rose to power last summer after the British voted to leave the European Union in a referendum that Trump touted as a precursor to his own victory, both prompted by nationalist fervor.

But differences with May were also apparent.

May called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization the bulwark of our collective defense. She made a special point of saying that Trump had affirmed in their private meeting that he was 100% behind NATO.

Trump, who has called NATO obsolete and suggested the United States might not honor its mutual-defense commitments, let Mays statement stand without comment.

On Russia, Trump said it was too early to discuss with Putin the lifting of sanctions, as his advisor Kellyanne Conway has suggested. Washington and the European Union slapped economic sanctions on Moscow after Putin annexed Crimea in 2014.

We look to have a great relationship with all countries, Trump said. If we can have a great relationship with Russia and China, and with all countries, Im all for that. That would be a tremendous asset.

May, however, said flatly that sanctions should not be lifted until Russia pulls out of Crimea.

Trump confirmed he held an hour-long telephone conversation Friday with Mexicos Pena Nieto. He did not offer many details of the conversation, but repeated oft-made complaints about what he said is Mexicos unfair advantage in trade matters with the U.S. They are beating us to a pulp, Trump said.

Trump reiterated his belief that torture works as a terrorism-fighting tool. But he said he would leave the final decision over whether to use such techniques to Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis, who has voiced opposition.

Congress has outlawed the use of torture and lawmakers show little willingness to revisit the issue.

Even so, for a president who has presented himself as a muscular leader, Trumps public statement that a Cabinet secretarys views on a key issue would override his own was highly unusual.

Trumps position on torture was another disagreement with May.

We condemn the use of torture, and my view on that wont change, May told reporters on her flight to the U.S.

In terms of personal styles as well, the two could not be more different. Where Trump shoots from the hip and is at times rash, May is a stickler for details and prefers a labored decision-making process.

Asked about the contrast, Trump said: Im not as brash as you might think, adding the two leaders would get along.

May arrived in the United States on Thursday, speaking to a gathering of House and Senate Republicans in Philadelphia just hours after Trump did. She highlighted the values Republicans shared with her Conservative Party and paid tribute to the new president.

His victory was achieved in defiance of all of the pundits and the polls, and rooted not in the corridors of Washington, but in the hopes and aspirations of working men and women across this land, she said.

She also conveyed the concern other Western leaders have about a Trump presidency: that in his declaration of America first, Trump signaled a U.S. retreat from its traditional role of global leadership.

The leadership provided by our countries through the special relationship has done more than win wars and to overcome adversity. It made the modern world, she said. The institutions, upon which that world relies, were so often conceived by our two nations working together, she added, citing the United Nations and NATO.

michael.memoli@latimes.com

For more White House coverage, follow @mikememoli on Twitter.

ALSO:

Trump and Pena Nieto talk on the phone in an effort to defuse tensions

If Trump revives the use of torture and black sites, he will reopen a debate over what the U.S. stands for

Trump calls for safe zones in and around Syria, paid for by other nations

UPDATES:

1:05 p.m.: This article was updated after the press conference with Trump and May.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m.
Two teens were arrested Thursday after being accused of planning a Columbine-style attack at their central Florida middle school, according to the Sumter County Sheriffs Office.

The incident started on Tuesday when a school resource officer at the Villages Charter Middle School heard rumors going around about a student planning a mass shooting for Friday, deputies said.

One student, a 13-year-old boy, was questioned as he arrived at school Wednesday and told deputies he and another student had been talking about a plot, which referenced the mass shooting at Columbine High School, according to a release from the sheriffs office.

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The other student, a 14-year-old boy, was also questioned. Deputies said he also mentioned the 1999 shooting at Columbine, which left 12 students and a teacher dead, along with dozens of others injured.

Deputies say they learned the pair had planned an attack, which included what they would use as a signal to open fire.

Neither teen had any weapons in their backpacks or lockers at the school, but guns were found at their homes when deputies arrested them Thursday.

The pair, who were not identified, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

The Sumter County Sheriffs Office is grateful for those students brave enough to speak out about the plot, a statement from the agency reads. Their heroic actions may have prevented a deadly tragedy and loss of precious lives.

The sheriffs office says they plan to increase patrols at the school Friday but said no additional suspects are outstanding.

Hayes writes for the Orlando Sentinel.

UPDATES:

8:15 a.m.: This article was updated with reporting from the Orlando Sentinel.

This article was originally published at 6:40 a.m.
Good morning. Its Friday, Jan. 27, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Immigration earthquake

In Californias many sanctuary cities, fear and anxiety are mixed with defiance as Donald Trumps immigration crackdown takes shape. While politicians vow to fight the presidents plans, theres a sense among some people here illegally that the welcome mat is being pulled away and that life is about to get a lot tougher. Los Angeles Times

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Mexico: Just six days in office and President Trump has roiled a key U.S. strategic relationship by prompting Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a planned visit to the White House and raising the specter of a brutal trade war by imposing a 20% tariff on imports from Mexico. Los Angeles Times

Legal resistance: Will the 10th Amendment, which addresses the powers of state and federal governments, stall Trumps sanctuary cities crackdown? Los Angeles Times

Support: Longtime California anti-illegal immigration activists back Trumps plans. Finally! one said. Los Angeles Times

The wall: And no, it doesnt look like there is much California can do to block the wall if Trump finds the money to build it. Los Angeles Times

Trade: The idea of a tariff on Mexican imports is sending shock waves through the California economy, and beyond. Los Angeles Times  And especially along the border region. Los Angeles Times

Going up

University of California regents on Thursday lifted a six-year freeze on tuition, approving a 2.5% increase beginning this fall to pay for more faculty, classes and student services. Officials said the increase was needed to keep the UC quality top-notch. Some students protested the hike, arguing that tuition has more than doubled since 2006, to the highest level in California history. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Donald & Elon: How L.A. inventor extraordinaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump may turn out to be unlikely bedfellows. New York Times

A new Hammer: The Hammer Museum in Westwood  lodged inside a high-rise along Wilshire Boulevard  has never been noted for its architectural grace (windowless box wrapped in bands of white and gray marble.). But there is now a plan to remake the museum in a dramatic way. Los Angeles Times

In mourning: The Buddhist observation of the 100-day anniversary of the death of Thailands king drew tens of thousands from the Thai community to temples across the United States, including in Hollywoods Thai Town. The surge of grief is likely to march on, even into the spring, particularly for those who only ever knew one king. Los Angeles Times

Bright light: So how much did the original neon sign from the Sunset Strip club Whisky a Go Go sell for? Really? SCPR

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Too much Trump? As the states political class aims its guns at Trump, heres a warning that it not ignore Californias many problems in the process. Sacramento Bee

Inspection record: Scores of California hospitals with high rates of patient infections have not been inspected within the last five years, according to a petition filed by Consumers Union. Los Angeles Times

Voting demos: One-third of California voters were not born in the state. Washington Post

At the border: A poll found little support in San Diego for Trumps border wall. San Diego Union-Tribune

Bye, Christopher: In San Francisco schools, Columbus Day is out and Indigenous Peoples Day is in. San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME AND COURTS

Linked killings? A drifter who died in a California prison while serving time for killing and dismembering a Contra Costa County woman has been linked to the disappearance of a New Hampshire woman and to the deaths of another woman and three children whose bodies were found in metal drums in the woods of New England. Los Angeles Times

Big payout: The San Diego Unified School District has been ordered to pay more than $1.25 million in damages to a former student forced to urinate in a bucket after her request for a bathroom break was denied. Los Angeles Times

Cold case: Anna Lynn Johnson was only 14 when she disappeared on a fall night in 1982 after attending a party just doors down from her Vacaville home. Hours later, a railroad worker found the teenage girls bludgeoned body in a nearby field. Three decades later, police say theyve found her killer. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Rain but no water: How a rain shadow left a key Santa Barbara reservoir parched even after all those storms. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Big bill: The Disneyland eatery where dinner for 12 costs $15,000. LA Weekly

Biking away: Guy Webster had reason to be grim. The famed photographer, motorcycle collector and bon vivant suffered a debilitating stroke two years ago. It left him unable to move his left arm and left leg, and denied him the principal pleasures of his life. Now hes selling his famed collection. Los Angeles Times

Changing times: Another piece of Newport Beach history is exiting the scene. Original Pizza, a landmark for 50 years and a symbol of the old beach town, is shutting down. Orange County Register

Surfer wipeout: Wet Seal, the onetime booming teen retailer and influencer in the Orange County fashion scene, is shuttering its stores. Mercury News

Changing times: The view of the Trump immigration crackdown from the eyes of a Latino ad agency. There is a rejection of multiculturalism. Latino consumers feel betrayed, they have been cast as the enemy. There is a tremendous need, and opportunity, for marketers to reconnect with Latino consumers. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area and San Diego: Sunny with highs in the mid-60s. San Francisco area and Sacramento: Sunny with highs in the mid-50s. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Theresa Moore:

I was born in Los Angeles in 1954. We moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1955. I still live here and have witnessed over 60 years of change. I remember when the Ventura Freeway was one lane east and one lane west in 1960. My father drove me to school exiting on Woodlake Avenue. I always wondered why we didnt drive neighborhood streets; it was only a few miles away. I remember the orange groves before Topanga Plaza was built. The heavy scent of orange blossoms smelled like perfume. I love the scent of orange blossoms.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Shelby Grad.
President Trump is expected to sign orders Friday to temporarily freeze immigration from seven Muslim nations and halt refugee resettlements from everywhere  a classic example of a solution in search of problem, and just the kind of symbolic act that gives weight to radical Islamists when they argue that the U.S. is an enemy of their faith.

Trumps campaign for president was built on a foundation of fear and resentment, and that dark cloud hangs over these putative attempts to bolster national security. Based on a draft version of the executive order, it seems that Trump will impose a 30-day suspension of visas for people from seven predominately Muslim countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  while the government reviews and presumably tightens its visa-vetting protocols. He also will direct security officials to determine within 30 days what information they need to evaluate potential visitors, and list the countries around the world that dont provide it. Countries that dont correct the error of their ways within 60 days of that report  including the seven affected by the ban  will have their citizens barred until they comply.

Worse, Trump apparently plans to suspend U.S. acceptance of all refugees  people fleeing war or oppression for whom returning home is not an option  for 120 days as the government reviews and revises its screening procedures, and he is expected to slash the number of refugees the U.S. would accept through October 2017 from 110,000 (set by President Obama last September) to 50,000. Trump also will prioritize the resettlement of refugees seeking asylum on grounds of religious persecution, officially valuing people oppressed because of their religion over those targeted for political dissent, sexual orientation or other reasons.

Efforts to restrict access to the U.S. by people fleeing war-torn parts of the world would be misguided and inhumane.

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And Trump wants plans drawn for safe areas for Syrians within Syria or nearby nations, which could help the administration at a later point if it wants to institute a longer-term ban on Syrian refugees. But the draft order offers no details on how the safe zones would be secured, or the legal basis for the U.S. establishing control of territory in a sovereign (if war-torn) state.

Such efforts to restrict access to the U.S. by people fleeing war-torn parts of the world would be misguided and inhumane. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, reported in 2015 that in the 14 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, 784,000 refugees resettled in the U.S. Yet during that time only three resettled refugees were convicted on terror-related charges  two of them for plotting against an overseas target and the third for hatching plans that were barely credible, according to the report. The vast majority of refugees allowed into the U.S. are first vetted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, whose screeners then recommend placements in third countries. When the U.S. gets a referral, it conducts its own security screening before offering resettlement, a process that routinely takes one to two years.

Whats more, a study by the New America Foundation shows that 80% of the terrorist attacks in this country since 9/11 have been carried out by American citizens (although some of those perpetrators were naturalized citizens).

It is not surprising that some Americans are worried by the hostility directed at them from a small, radicalized segment of the Islamic world. But such fears should not be channeled into a broad, discriminatory retrenchment that is at odds with the best of our humanitarian principles  especially if that retrenchment would likely do little to protect us.

The U.S. became a wealthy world power in large part through immigration. And its openness has provided a lifeline to the oppressed of the world  the U.S. has formally resettled more refugees than any other country (though at the moment it is not bearing its fair share of the burden of resettling the tens of millions of migrants currently fleeing war zones). Trumps actions are not only inhumane, they are a betrayal of what the United States stands for.

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One of the applause lines of Donald Trumps presidential campaign was his suggestion that he would bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.

Trump later drew back to some degree from that sickening suggestion, but the idea that his administration might subject suspected terrorists to torture keeps resurfacing.

This week it was reported that a draft executive order is circulating that contemplates modifications in interrogation practices and implies that limits in current law are too restrictive. Equally ominous, the document also floats the idea of re-establishing overseas detention centers operated by the CIA at which high-value alien terrorists would be interrogated outside the reach of U.S. law.

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Barack Obama ordered the closing of such black sites shortly after he took office in 2009. At the same time Obama ordered CIA interrogators to abide by the standards of the Army Field Manual, which prohibited waterboarding and other inhumane interrogation methods. Congress later wrote that requirement into federal law.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the proposed executive order was not a White House document. But The New York Times quoted three administration officials who said it had circulated among staff members of the National Security Council.

Meanwhile, Trump told an interviewer for ABC News this week that he has spoken to intelligence experts who were big believers in waterboarding. Not only that: He said he had asked people at the highest levels of intelligence: Does torture work? And the answer was, Yes, absolutely.

To be fair, Trump said that he would defer  for now anyway  to Secretary of Defense James Mattis who said hes not a believer in torture. The president added that I want to do everything within the bounds of what youre allowed to do legally.

The problem is that those legal boundaries could change: The draft executive order is a catalog of possible changes, all of them bad, which is why the White House needs to strongly and clearly disavow the document.

Torture is not a subject on which the administration can afford to send mixed signals.

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Imagine if President Trump announced that he wanted to oust California from the United States. If it werent for us, after all, Trump would have won the popular vote he so lusts after by 1.4 million. Blue America would lose its biggest source of electoral votes in all future elections. The Senate would have two fewer Democrats. The House of Representatives would lose 38 Democrats and just 14 Republicans. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, among the most liberal in the nation, would be changed irrevocably. And the U.S. as a whole would suddenly be a lot less ethnically diverse than it is today.

For those reasons, Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Republicans with White House ambitions, opponents of legalizing marijuana, advocates of criminalizing abortion and various white nationalist groups might all conclude  for different reasons  that they would benefit politically from a separation, even as liberals and progressives across America would correctly see it as a catastrophe.

So it makes sense that the leader of the Yes California Independence Campaign, Marcus Ruiz Evans, was  contrary to popular assumptions  a registered Republican when he formed the separatist group two years ago, according to the San Jose Mercury News. He briefly hosted conservative talk radio shows in Fresno, and would not tell the newspaper if he voted for Trump.

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 A group trying to get California to secede from the United States said the results of the presidential election give their cause new momentum.

There is a subset of people here, mostly from the privileged classes, who feel sullied by their political affiliation with Red America.

And yet hes pitching independence to Golden State progressives. In a Mercury News op-ed article, Evans announced that his organization will soon start circulating a petition for a Calexit vote and thus begin the long, multi-step process for withdrawal from the United States. Californians are better educated, wealthier, more liberal, and value healthcare and education more than the rest of the country, he argued. Our views on education, science, immigration, taxation and healthcare are different.

The Yes California Independence website, moreover, is clearly addressed to Trump-haters, some of whom tweeted out support for a Calexit after election day. If Trumps enemies go down this road, he doesnt need friends.

At a moment of great urgency, as a subset of those who govern us veer toward authoritarianism, Yes California Independence is sucking up attention on a gambit that is highly unlikely to succeed, and that existentially threatens Democrats if it does. The 2018 midterms could change the course of U.S. history. They will determine whether Trump will continue to govern without meaningful restraint from congressional Republicans  whove abandoned conservative principles to exploit his populism  or face a newly invigorated opposition party willing to investigate his conflicts of interest.

Theres a huge downside to the Calexit movement, and no real upside.

For decades California has exerted more influence on American politics and culture than vice versa. Secession would not improve our values. But it would practically ensure that the rest of the U.S. would drift farther away from our laid-back tolerance and easygoing diversity. And theyd still be our neighbors, geographic reality unchanged by political independence.

It reminds me of the old joke about a libertarian complaining to a conservative about civil liberties violations in America. Bah! Love it or leave it, the conservative scolds. What, the libertarian retorts, and subject myself to its abusive foreign policy?

Many of the arguments offered by the Yes California Independence Committee dont even pass a sniff test. California has some of the best universities, one talking point begins, but in various ways, our schools are among the worst in the country. If most other states are outperforming us in education, why would secession be necessary for improvement?

California is a global leader on environmental issues, another item begins. However, as long as the other states continue debating whether or not climate change is real, they will continue holding up real efforts to reduce carbon emissions. But if the United States minus California continues to do little or nothing nothing to combat climate change, Californians  along with the rest of the world  will suffer.

Evans acknowledged some of the dangers that secession invites in his newspaper op-ed article, though he naively dismissed all of them. No one is going to pull money out of California if it secedes, he wrote, apparently oblivious to the fact that several major companies have already pulled out of the state and moved to cheaper ones even without the costs secession would impose.

If the banks are too big to fail, he declared, then a top 10 economy is too. But the banks did fail! And the odds of a Washington bailout would be rather slim once we cut ties. Wed be more like Greece to its Germany  nicer weather, sure, but that aint everything.

And did I mention Colorado River water?

The main benefit of a California exit would be psychic. There is a subset of people here, mostly from the privileged classes, who feel sullied by their political affiliation with Red America. Secession would boost their sense of personal virtue.

The Calexit movement is trying to exploit that.

But satisfying the urge for ideological purity would come at a very dear cost: a worse life for many millions of Californians and tens of millions of Americans.

Conor Friedersdorf is a contributing writer to Opinion, a staff writer at the Atlantic and founding editor of the Best of Journalism, a newsletter that curates exceptional nonfiction.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook

MORE FROM OPINION

What happens to democracy when the experts cant be both factual and balanced?

When it comes to Trump, liberals cant see shades of gray

Trumps freeze on immigrants and refugees plays into the hands of Islamic terror recruiters
To the editor: I am a retired engineer and I defer to no one in my skepticism. Before a theory is accepted as valid, it must be able to predict measurable test results, evidence that is replicated independently by unbiased, independent observers. (Psychologists ask: What makes some smart people so skeptical of science? Jan. 21)

However, the kind of skepticism described in The Times (of climate change and vaccination, for example) is not healthy; it is based on hearsay, anecdote and an innate fear of mathematics and science.

I have taught undergraduate mathematics and physics to college students seeking to satisfy graduation requirements  I am not talking advanced calculus or quantum mechanics here. Nonetheless, there were a number of students who simply could not do math; they froze when confronted with even the simplest equation. The fear and anxiety were palpable, and it blocked otherwise bright students from thinking clearly and acquiring any understanding of mathematics and science. This anxiety is a serious problem that breeds antipathy toward legitimate science.

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I have a question for the anti-vaccination crowd: Smallpox has been eradicated from this planet. Please explain how, if not for vaccination.

Robert Mandl, El Segundo

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To the editor: President Trump won the election promising to build a huge wall on our southern border and have Mexico pay for it. Now it appears that his project will proceed along the lines of his usual business model: Borrow the money, fail, declare bankruptcy and stiff his creditors. (Trumps order to begin wall construction opens wider rift with Mexico, Jan. 25)

If I have this right, he is going to use our money to build the wall and in his fantasy world somehow recover the costs from Mexico. When this does not work out, all Americans will get stuck with the bill.

The thing that annoys me most is that he is using my tax dollars for this self-aggrandizing folly while he probably does not even pay taxes.

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Marcia Goldstein, Laguna Woods

..

To the editor: I urge all Americans and people around the world to renew their travel plans to Mexico if they havent been there recently, as I have. Their hard-earned money will help Mexican workers who are in need, so one hand helps the other.

Mexico is a delightful country rich with history, art, museums and food. Mexico City itself is safe with yuge amounts of police patrolling by car and foot. Dont fall for you-know-who telling us it is a disaster.

Furthermore, policing the border should be a joint venture, with the Mexicans and the Americans uniting with a plan to make the border a dual responsibility. Drugs will continue to come into the United States with or without a wall.

I encourage Americans to visit, meet and support the people of Mexico. In doing so, we will also be supporting humanity and not stirring up further animosity.

Nancy Freedman, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Rather writing that lawmakers are opposing Trumps actions, isnt outlaws a better term for our state legislators who oppose federal immigration law?

I believe law and order is a foundation to any civilized society. If people like State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) believe immigration law is unjust, they should seek to rescind the law. Until they succeed in doing so, they must uphold the law.

Mitchell Lane, Shadow Hills

..

To the editor: Trumps plan to build a wall on the Mexican border confirms his status as a visionary genius.

Some things are timeless, and the idea of erecting an imposing physical barrier to keep out unwelcome intruders is as cutting edge today as it was more than 2,000 years ago when the Chinese started to build their wall.

I suggest one additional policy tweak to ensure that the wall is effective: Put in place tough economic sanctions against any factory in Mexico that manufactures ladders.

Gerald Gornik, La Verne

..

To the editor: Mexicos indignation over the wall the president proposes to build would be more credible if that country didnt have such an appalling record of mistreatment of immigrants crossing its own borders from Central America.

Killings, extortion and sexual enslavement characterize the welcome our ever-righteous neighbor to the south provides migrants.

Michael Jenning, Van Nuys

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In the 2018 governors race, Gavin Newsom leads the pack in fundraising Gavin Newsom, the first major candidate to jump into CA's 2018 governor's race, narrowly lead the pack in 2016 fundraising w/ $4.27 million  Phil Willon (@philwillon) February 1, 2017 Facebook

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Schwarzenegger: Were going through some difficult moments ... but I guarantee we will work our way out of this By Seema Mehta (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the United States had faced trying times and political crises before, and has always persevered. Yes, were going through some difficult moments right now, as we have in the past, but I guarantee we will work our way out of this, Schwarzenegger said, speaking at an electoral reform event at the University of Southern California. He recalled immigrating to the United States and seeing the violent protests at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, Watergate and the economic troubles during President Jimmy Carters tenure. One thing you can count on in America is even though it falls every so often  as we all do  it dusts itself off, gets up and gets going again, Schwarzenegger said. That is why  its the number one country in the world. Although Schwarzenegger did not mention President Donald Trump by name during his remarks, the comments appeared to be a reference to the turbulence since Trump took office less than two weeks ago. Tensions between Schwarzenegger, who replaced Trump as the host of Celebrity Apprentice, and the new president and fellow Republican have been escalating. On Monday, Schwarzenegger called the implementation of Trumps temporary ban on immigration from several Muslim-majority countries crazy. The previous week, Schwarzenegger slammed Trumps pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt, as a hypocrite. Earlier in January, Trump mocked Schwarzenegger for the first ratings of Celebrity Apprentice after the former governor took over as the host. During the presidential campaign, Schwarzenegger repeatedly made clear his disdain for Trump, pointedly casting his ballot in the California primary for Ohio Gov. John Kasich after he had dropped out. On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger was headlining an event about redistricting reform at his namesake institute at USC. He did not respond to reporters questions after the event. While governor, Schwarzenegger championed electoral reform, including an ultimately successful effort to take the redrawing of congressional and legislative districts away from politicians and give them instead to an independent commission. Both political parties have long tried to use gerrymandering to create districts that favor their politicians. But David Daley, author of The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal Americas Democracy, argued that Republicans were able to make unprecedented changes in the 2010 redistricting that will have long-lasting effects on this nations politics because of a confluence of factors, including unprecedented technology such as mapping software, and a flood of anonymous money due to the Citizens United ruling. In 2010, gerrymandering enters its steroid era, Daley said. The end result, he said, was that while the nation remained relatively closely divided between the two parties, the GOP was able to exponentially expand its hold of statehouses, governors mansions and congressional seats. Speakers urged Californians to take the lessons they had learned through the states redistricting reform and try to help voters apply them in other states, through the initiative, or legislative or legal systems. We are the model for the rest of the nation and that is why we in California have to do everything we can to pull together all the things that happen successfully in California and nationwide, Schwarzenegger said. Because the rest of the states are waiting for us. Facebook

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Top Democratic donor Tom Steyer is planning a larger role opposing President Trump By Chris Megerian On Sunday, Tom Steyer was holding a cardboard sign saying not on my watch at San Franciscos airport, one of thousands protesting President Trumps order preventing visitors from several predominantly Muslim countries. I went out there to participate, but also to listen, he said. Like other liberal leaders, hes been hunting for the right approach to counter Trump. Now the deep-pocketed Democratic donor is launching a new effort that could expand the scope of NextGen Climate, the San Francisco-based organization he created and funded. Although Steyer expects to stay active on environmental issues  the onetime hedge fund manager is best known for advocating stronger steps to fight climate change and support clean energy  hes looking to play a more expansive role in opposing Trump. The number of issues that have to be addressed are broader, he said in an interview, pointing to Trumps statements on issues such as voting that he considers to be a broader attack on fundamental American rights. In a video posted on Tuesday night, Steyer says, I promise to do everything in my power to stand up to Trump and asks for the publics thoughts on what next steps should be taken. Steyer spent $74 million in the 2014 midterm election, and then millions more last year to support Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. Although results have been mixed  Republicans gained ground in both years  Steyer said the experiences have positioned NextGen to educate and mobilize voters across the country. There are very few people who are set up organizationally to do what were trying to do, he said. Steyer has already played a role in opposing Trumps nominees, running advertisements criticizing his choice for secretary of State, former Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson. Besides simply fighting Trump, Steyer also hopes to project an alternative view of the country  one that comes with a dose of California sunshine. America can pursue a much more optimistic, a much more prosperous, a much more equitable and a much healthier future, he said. Facebook

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Former aide is preparing to run for Rep. Grace Napolitanos seat if she retires By Javier Panzar Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk), who turned 80 last year, has not made plans to retire. But one San Gabriel Valley politician is raising funds to run in case Napolitano does decide to bow out after 10 terms in Congress. Mary Ann Lutz, the former mayor of Monrovia and a former aide to Napolitano, reported having $101,000 in the bank to run for Napolitanos 32nd Congressional District seat, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission. But Lutz says she will run only if Napolitano retires. I have enormous respect for my former boss, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and would never run against her for any office, Lutz said in a statement. In the event that the 32nd Congressional District seat eventually opens up, I plan to run, and run aggressively. Napolitano suffered a minor stroke last February that affected her ability to write and slightly slowed her walk. She continued her reelection campaign and beat state Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina), who effectively ended his campaign in August after a judge granted his ex-wifes request for a domestic violence restraining order against him. During an interview with The Times a day before the November election, Napolitano said the health of her 90-year-old husband would be a key factor in her decision on whether to run for an 11th term in 2018. I would love to stay but it depends, she said. I will be ready to hang it up when I am ready. Lutz was elected in 2003 to the City Council in Monrovia, a city of 36,000 in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, and was elected mayor in 2009. She lost her reelection bid in 2015 and went on to work for Napolitano as an advisor on water issues. Lutz raised $26,000 and loaned her campaign committee an additional $75,000. Napolitano has $144,692 in the bank if she wants to run again. Facebook

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State Senate committee votes in favor of funding legal aid for immigrants in California facing deportation By Jazmine Ulloa (John Moore / Getty Images) A state legislative bill seeking to expand legal services for immigrants in the U.S. illegally moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday on a 5-2 vote. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), would create a legal defense program funded with state money that would provide lawyers for immigrants caught in deportation or removal proceedings. It comes roughly three years after the Unaccompanied Undocumented Minors program began providing state-funded legal services for young refugees fleeing gang violence in Central America. Hueso said the measure faced new urgency given President Trumps executive orders last week on immigration. This is a bill protecting Californians, protecting their families, but also protecting Californias economic prominence, Hueso said. I hope we can all stand united on this and say, Yes, we stand by our immigrant community in California. Members of the committee raised concerns about whether it whittled away at defense services available for detainees convicted of certain crimes  and over how the state would be able to afford it amid a looming deficit and budget cuts from the federal government. It is well-meaning, but it is a whole different agency that we are setting up in an expedited way, Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) said. Read More Facebook

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California assemblyman wants state to make cleaner purchases By Chris Megerian (Alexis Cuarezma / For The Times) A California lawmaker wants state officials to consider greenhouse gas emissions when making new purchases, a proposal that would add a new wrinkle to the bidding process for government contracts. Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) said the legislation (AB 262) would harness the states enormous buying power to support clean manufacturing. The measure, which includes state agencies and university systems, would affect the purchase of materials such as asphalt, cement, steel and glass for projects such as hospitals, dormitories and roads. Companies bidding on state contracts would be required to report greenhouse gas emissions generated by the manufacturing and transportation of supplies. Officials would then factor that information into their decision. Given Californias goal of slashing emissions, Bonta said he hopes that the legislation puts the states money where its values are. He doesnt expect the requirement to report more information would be a significant burden on companies seeking contracts. This will just be one more piece of information that will need to be added, he said. Facebook

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First of several immigrant protection bills clears state Senate Public Safety Committee By Jazmine Ulloa (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) As national debate and protests have taken place over President Donald Trumps executive actions on immigration and refugees, the state Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday passed the first of several bills aimed at protecting immigrants in California. Senate Bill 54, introduced by Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, detain, report or arrest persons for the purposes of immigration enforcement. The proposal, dubbed the California Values Act, also aims to protect immigrants personal data, requiring state agencies to review their confidentiality policies and to ensure that they are only collecting information necessary to their departments. It moved out of committee with a 5-2 vote. Long line of advocates, lawyers in support SB 54, prohibiting law enforcement agencies from using resources for immigrants enforcement. pic.twitter.com/G0IV9ihRjE  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) January 31, 2017 The bill seeks to strengthen immigrant protections threatened under Trumps executive actions. In orders signed last week, the president pledged to cut federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities, which have policies limiting the cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. At a committee hearing Tuesday, De Leon said the proposal builds on the California Trust Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in October 2013. The state law prevents law enforcement agencies from detaining immigrants longer than necessary for minor crimes so that federal immigration authorities can take them into custody. A long line of immigrant advocates, lawyers and lobbyists rose in support of the bill, saying it would continue to help law enforcement officials build trust within immigrant communities and allow more victims and witnesses to report crime. Democratic members in the committee urged their Republican colleagues to vote for the legislation and move away from Trumps rhetoric, which they said stereotyped immigrants as criminals. They pointed to low crime rates in immigrant communities and stressed that many police chiefs do not want to enforce immigration laws. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), chair of the committee, said people across California were under economic stress that could be manipulated into fear. All of us want hardened criminals prosecuted under the law, she said. All of us. But what we are watching now is a pitting of people against each other, a targeting of immigrants. Opponents were not swayed. They said the bills language was too broad and could prevent communication among police agencies at different levels of government, allowing dangerous criminals to escape prosecution. Im concerned that you are basically making the state of California a de facto sanctuary state, Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Murrieta) told De Leon. Facebook

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California lawmakers seek stricter enforcement, more transparency at state toxics control agency By Melanie Mason Jose Gomez, at his home on South Hicks Avenue in East Los Angeles, is among thousands whose yards have been tested for contamination from the former Exide plant. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Assembly Democrats unveiled a package of five bills Tuesday aimed at reforming the state agency tasked with regulating toxic substances. The Department of Toxic Substances Control has been roundly criticized for its flat-footed response in regulating and cleaning up pollution from the now-closed Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon. A Los Angeles Times review in 2015 found the department knew for years that the plant was violating environmental regulations but was slow to act on it. Too many communities, including communities I represent, have been harmed by toxic emissions that were released into their neighborhoods  emissions that could and should have been stopped, Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said in a statement. The goal of this legislative package is a more transparent, accountable, and responsive Department of Toxic Substances Control  and safer and healthier communities throughout California. The proposed legislation includes: AB 245 by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles), which would require hazardous waste facilities to comply with higher financial assurance requirements to make sure there are adequate funds for contamination cleanup.

AB 249 (Gomez), which would increase maximum penalties the department can assess to match what the federal government can assess in similar situations.

AB 248 by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-San Bernardino), which would require hazardous waste facilities to submit permit renewals two years prior to the current permits expiration to avoid lapses.

AB 246 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), which would promote the use of fence line monitoring by facilities to better detect leaks.

AB 247 by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), which would create a statewide task force focused on reducing lead poisoning in the state. Facebook

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she will vote no on Jeff Sessions nomination for U.S. attorney general By Sarah D. Wire California Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced this morning that she will vote no on the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for U.S. attorney general. The statement comes after protestors visited Feinsteins home and office out of concern that she may vote in favor of the nomination. Protesters marched on her home and California offices last night. #CASen https://t.co/U0HhsJxwTB  Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) January 31, 2017 JUST NOW: On Sessions attorney general nomination: I must vote no. pic.twitter.com/lfQnX5Khug  Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) January 31, 2017 It is very difficult to reconcile for me the independence and objectivity necessary for the position of attorney general with the partisanship this nominee has demonstrated, Feinstein said Tuesday. We are being asked to determine whether this nominees record demonstrates that he will have the objectivity to enforce the law for all Americans and be an independent attorney general and not an arm of the White House. Feinstein is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which votes today on the confirmation of Sessions to be President Trumps attorney general. Feinstein pointed to former acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Sally Yates as an example of what she is looking for. Yates was fired Monday, just hours after she announced that the Justice Department would not defend Trumps controversial executive order banning refugees and travelers from certain countries. Yesterday, early in the evening, we clearly saw what a truly independent attorney general doesI have no confidence that Senator Sessions will do that, Feinstein said. Instead, he has been the fiercest, most dedicated, and most loyal promoter in Congress of the Trump agenda, and has played a critical role as the clearinghouse for policy and philosophy to undergird the implementation of that agenda. Facebook

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Where do Californias members of Congress stand on President Trumps refugee order? By Sarah D. Wire Noor Hindi, left, and Shah Najjar, middle, join the protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) President Trumps executive order Friday, which blocked U.S. entry to refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations, brought thousands of Americans to the nations airports in protest over the weekend. Several Democrats from Californias 54-member congressional delegation joined constituents at airports, and lobbied customs and Border Patrol officials to release the detained visa holders. Many of the states 14 Republican representatives were initially silent on the executive order. Several have since voiced their support, while others were critical of the orders rollout. Heres a look at what each member of the California congressional delegation has said about the executive order: Read More Facebook

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California state Senate passes resolution condemning President Trumps refugee ban By Jazmine Ulloa Protesters are held back by airport police on Sunday at LAX. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) After nearly two hours of debate, the state Senate on Monday passed a resolution that condemned President Trumps executive order banning immigrants and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries, calling it discriminatory overreach. Democrats introduced the resolution after the presidents order Friday spurred a weekend of protests and chaos at airports across the country. The resolution denounces Trumps actions and urges the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to comply with federal court orders permitting detainees to have timely access to counsel. It cleared the Senate floor with a 26-11 vote largely along party lines, reflecting the national rift over Trumps immigration order. Two Republican members abstained. On the Senate floor, Democrats called the executive order an affront on religious freedom that panders to fear and foments discrimination, and said it would not further public safety. Reaching to members across the aisle, they said the resolution was not about partisanship or opposing Trump, but about protecting American institutions. In a fiery speech, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said the order is unconstitutional and violates fundamental rights. You see this is how we end up with fascism and totalitarianism, she said. Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said she did not want four more years of executive orders crafted in the cover of darkness. But Republican members said that President Obama had taken similar actions and that they had a duty to their constituents, who were worried about national security and a vetting process they said did not stop terrorists from entering the nations borders. Obama has rejected comparisons of his policy to Trumps. We do not welcome those who have come here to harm us, Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) said, urging a no vote. We cannot ignore contemporary reality. Our enemies do not reside beyond our shores. They are within. The resolution states that 134 million people are temporarily barred from entering or reentering the United States, including nationals with dual citizenship. Hundreds of thousands with visas are also blocked, it says. The resolution also denounces the manner in which the executive order was executed, saying it was not fully vetted by the departments tasked with protecting the nations national security interests. Facebook

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State attorneys general met in Florida to strategize on how to counter Trump, Becerra says By Patrick McGreevy California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. ((Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) ) A joint statement by 15 attorneys general over the weekend condemning President Trumps refugee order grew out of a meeting in Florida between California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and some of his concerned counterparts, Becerra said Monday. Becerra gathered Thursday in Fort Lauderdale with other attorneys general, including Washington Atty. Gen. Bob Ferguson, to strategize about responding to the Trump administration on various issues. The meeting took place at the annual winter conference of the Democratic Attorneys General Assn. Several of the AGs have been in communication, Becerra said in an interview with The Times. We made it very clear in our joint statement that we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the unlawful, unconstitutional executive orders by the Trump administration dont see the light of day. Officials who signed the joint statement included legal representatives from Washington, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia. On Monday, Ferguson announced he was suing Trump over the executive order that suspended refugee entries for 120 days and barred entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Becerra said that he had been in contact with Ferguson and that the option to pursue legal action is under consideration for California. Thats one of many avenues of how we are looking to approach this, Becerra said. As a result of the Florida meeting, Becerra said, the top lawyers from the 15 states are collaborating on how to address various Trump directives. Everyone is doing a little bit of something, he said. Everyones trying to figure out how best to address this. Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, a Republican, did not attend the meeting, Becerra said. Facebook

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California warily watches President Trump while pushing forward on climate change By Chris Megerian (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Its been a decade since California set its first target for slashing greenhouse gas emissions, one of several policies that has made the state an international leader in the fight against global warming. So while President Trump suggests hes going to roll back the countrys environmental regulations, state leaders insist they wont be knocked off track here. This is when you do your best work, said John Laird, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. We cant worry about pulling back just to sink with everyone else who isnt moving at all. Read More Facebook

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Rep. Duncan Hunter urges Trump to make an executive order exemption for Iraqis who aided U.S. military By Sarah D. Wire Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) are asking President Trump to approve waivers to his executive order for Iraqis who helped the American military. Hunter and Kinzinger, who both served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in the letter to Trump that they supported a request from Defense Secretary James N. Mattis that visa reviews for some Iraqis be fast-tracked. For the safety of these courageous individuals and their families, and in the interest of our national security, its critical that we make this exception and do so swiftly, the congressmen said in a statement. The executive order Trump signed Friday bars all refugee entries for 120 days, blocks Syrian refugees indefinitely and bars for 90 days the entry of citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. Some of the earliest stories of people caught up in the ban included military interpreters from Iraq who had visas. We respectfully ask that you take this action to ensure these individuals are not put in any further danger. Doing so would send a strong signal to those who show such immense courage to advance U.S. security interests at a risk to their own safety, as well as the many veterans and warfighters whove relied on the service of these individuals for their own protection and to accomplish their objectives, their letter states. Facebook

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Democrats in the California Legislature move to condemn President Trumps immigration orders Facebook

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Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes voices his misgivings about refugee order By Patrick McGreevy Assembly Minority Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) speaks in the Capitol on Jan. 11. (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley on Monday joined a number of GOP politicians who are voicing misgivings about President Trumps order temporarily barring refugees from some majority-Muslim countries from entering the country. Religious liberty is a core value of our nation. My ancestors immigrated to America to flee religious persecution, Mayes said in a statement. While bolstering our national security is important, when forced to decide between security and liberty, I will always side with liberty. He is concerned about them [the orders], said Matt Mahon, a spokesman for the assemblyman. Trumps directives suspended refugee entries for 120 days and barred entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Facebook

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Rep. Zoe Lofgren and other ranking Democrats demand emergency meeting on refugee ban By Sarah D. Wire After two days of protests across the country over President Trumps order Friday banning refugees from seven countries, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and the ranking Democrats of three committees that oversee immigration issues are demanding a meeting with President Trumps new Homeland Security secretary, John F. Kelly. The move by Trump prevented green card and visa holders from reentering the country, and led to the detention of more than a hundred people landing at U.S. airports with valid entry documents. Late Saturday, a federal judge in New York issued a temporary stay against the deportation of anyone who had arrived with a valid visa. The letter demanding the meeting, signed by Lofgren, Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Elliot Engel (D-N.Y.), calls for it be scheduled by the close of business Wednesday. The Democrats also ask for more information about how the order is being implemented, whether the stays placed by federal judges over the weekend are being followed and whether green card holders are affected. Only two days after the order was signed it is clear that it has already led to panic and disorder, not to mention protests, the letter states. This is apparently due in part to the lack of internal administration review prior to its issuance as well as a lack of clarity and guidance provided thereafter. Lofgren, a former immigration attorney and the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committees Immigration Subcommittee, also plans to file legislation today to rescind the executive order. Getting such legislation through the House could be difficult with Speaker Paul Ryan supporting the executive order. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is proposing similar legislation in the Senate. House and Senate Democrats plan to hold a rally against the order outside the Supreme Court Monday evening. Facebook

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As California Democrats blast Trumps refugee order, Republicans in the congressional delegation hold their fire By Sarah D. Wire Only a few of the states 14 Republican representatives have publicly commented on an executive order signed by President Trump on Friday that barred refugees and green card holders from seven countries from entering the U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) released a statement Sunday night saying some tweaks are needed, but his background as chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee leads him to support the executive order. In light of attempts by jihadist groups to infiltrate fighters into refugee flows to the West, along with Europes tragic experience coping with this problem, the Trump administrations executive order on refugees is a common-sense security measure to prevent terror attacks on the homeland. While accommodations should be made for green card holders and those whove assisted the U.S. armed forces, this is a useful temporary measure on seven nations of concern until we can verify who is entering the United States, he said. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) told the Washington Post that pausing the intake of refugees from terror hotspots is the right call to keep America safe, but he hopes the cases of people traveling on visas who were prevented from reentering the country are resolved quickly. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said on Twitter on Sunday that the rollout has created confusion, and that executive orders arent the way to fix the countrys long-term problems. View Twitter post View Twitter post Several of Californias 38 Democratic congressional representatives and the states two senators were out in force over the weekend demanding the release of refugees and green card holders, and an end to the executive order. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced two pieces of legislation shell file in response. One would immediately rescind the presidents order. The second would limit executive authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to prevent a president from unilaterally banning groups of immigrants. Its clear that the president gave little consideration to the chaos and heartbreak that would result from this order, she said in a statement. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) joined protesters outside the White House Sunday afternoon. We will fight against racism. We will fight against anti-Muslim rhetoric. We will fight against those who will marginalize who we are. pic.twitter.com/R54f3MDhvo  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2017 In Los Angeles, Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) joined protesters at Los Angeles International Airport. On Saturday, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro) and Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) joined the initial protests at the airport, and worked to get some of those being held released. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) accompanied protesters at San Francisco International Airport Sunday. Congresswoman @MaxineWaters is here at LAX protest leading the crowd in the chant "no ban, no wall, you build it up we'll tear it down" pic.twitter.com/iNEmkVVkmW  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) January 29, 2017 2:31 p.m. Jan. 30: This post was updated to clarify Rep. Ed Royces statement about the executive order. It was originally published Jan. 29. Facebook

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State Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra condemns Trumps refugee order and explores challenge By Patrick McGreevy Assyrian Christians, who fled unrest in Syria and Iraq, attend Mass at St. Georges Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, Lebanon. Trumps directive provides an exception for religious minorities. ( (AFP/Getty Images)) California state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Saturday condemned an executive order by President Donald Trump barring people from some Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. and said he is consulting with legal advisors over a way to challenge the directive. Trump has suspended all refugee entries for 120 days and barred entry to the U.S. for 90 days for those traveling from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Justice in America doesnt live or die on the stroke of one mans pen regardless of how high his office, Becerra said in a statement late Saturday, less than a week after taking office. The Trump Administrations anti-religion, anti-refugee executive order is in so many ways unjust and anti-American He said the order discriminates against people based on their faith and denies entry to those with fears of death and persecution. I have conferred with my team, and we are reaching out to others as well, to find every avenue possible to defend our family members and those who live permanently in our communities who may be barred from re-entry into America, Becerra said. The Trump executive order should not stand and must be confronted as a constitutional overreach, he added. Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: Reactions to President Trumps first week By John Myers Even before the weekend controversy and protests, Californias top elected officials spent much of the last week reacting to the first moves by President Donald Trump. On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we take a closer look at the sharp words offered by Gov. Jerry Brown in his State of the State speech when it comes to the new politics of Washington. We also focus much of this weeks discussion around three big topics that caught the attention of a number of California lawmakers: immigration moves by Trump; the rough week that was for the nations environmental protection enforcers; and rekindled but unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud. Im joined by Marisa Lagos of KQED News and Anthony York of the Grizzly Bear Project. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown will undergo new round of treatment for prostate cancer, but wont miss any work By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown, who first was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, will begin a new round of treatment for the disease, his office reported on Saturday. Brown, 78, will maintain his duties as governor during the treatment, according to his staff. No additional details were provided about how long the treatment will take, or what prompted its timing. Fortunately this is not extensive disease, can be readily treated with a short course of radiotherapy, and there are not expected to be any significant side effects, said Dr. Eric Small, a UC San Francisco oncologist, in an emailed statement provided to reporters. The prognosis for Gov. Brown is excellent. Brown initially learned he had prostate cancer in late 2012 and underwent similar treatment for several weeks. The governor has also been treated for basal cell carcinoma  a type of skin cancer  twice in the past nine years, with reconstructive surgery on the right side of his nose in 2011. With almost two years remaining on his final term in office, Brown is already the oldest governor in California history. He often made a point of pointing out his physical fitness in his return to the job in 2011, including a 2012 challenge to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie of a 3-mile race, a push-up contest and a chin-up contest. Though hes been treated in San Francisco, the governor and First Lady Anne Gust Brown now live full-time in the historic governors mansion in Sacramento after moving out of Oakland last year. Facebook

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Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra takes a jab at the Trump administration when asked about the battles to come Facebook

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Proposed law would make penalties for using fake immigration papers the same as those for using fake drivers license By Jazmine Ulloa A proposed California law seeks to ensure that a person who uses false documents to conceal their citizenship status faces the same punishment as a person who uses a fake drivers license. The legislation by Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) would amend the penal code to make both crimes wobblers,

meaning prosecutors would have the discretion to charge suspects in such cases with either felony offenses or lower-level misdemeanors. Under the proposal, the repercussions for defendants would be the same: If convicted of a misdemeanor, offenders would have to serve up to one year in county jail, while a felony conviction would mean up to 16 months in county jail, or two or three years in prison. A spokesman for Bocangera said the measure was introduced as a proactive response to President Trumps hard-line stance on immigration and would reverse part of Proposition 187, a controversial ballot measure to deny public services, such as education and healthcare, to immigrants in the country illegally. The proposition, approved by voters in 1994, requires any person who uses false immigration records to face felony charges. Bocangeras bill amending those provisions would need a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and the state Senate to pass. Today, if an underage college student uses a fake ID to purchase a six-pack of beer, he or she can be charged with a misdemeanor, Bocanegra said in a statement. However, if an immigrant is caught using that same fake ID, he or she is automatically charged with a felony and is subject to five years in prison. This is fundamentally unfair. Facebook

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Fearing catastrophe, Californias Gov. Jerry Brown wants the worlds leaders to stop goofing off By Chris Megerian Gov. Jerry Brown pointedly criticized world leaders for goofing off instead of addressing looming problems with climate change and nuclear weapons during a radio interview on Friday. Theyre really averting their gaze, he said. And that is dangerous, very dangerous. Brown has become increasingly outspoken about issues he describes as existential threats to humanity, and the election of Donald Trump has only made him more concerned. During the interview, he spoke in sweeping terms about the need to support scientific research in the face of political denial. Darkness cannot totally extinguish the light, Brown said while criticizing Republicans for refusing to accept the scientific consensus around climate change and the need for dramatic changes to confront global warming. @JerryBrownGov in our studio (in fact, in my chair!) as he chats w/ Ira Flatow on @scifri pic.twitter.com/kIyGBFQW9X  Beth Ruyak (@CapRadioRuyak) January 27, 2017 At another point, Brown mused that humans have accumulated vast power without a corresponding increase in wisdom. That creates a gap between the power to destroy and the wisdom to control those destructive forces. Brown reiterated his plan to push forward Californias policies on climate change even if Trump follows through on the federal governments plans. Were going to do everything we can to stay on track, he said. Facebook

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Some California lawmakers say its time to expand how the state defines violent crime By Jazmine Ulloa As California undergoes the largest overhaul of prison parole in a generation, some lawmakers and law enforcement officials say its time to revisit how the state legally defines a violent crime. Gov. Jerry Browns Proposition 57, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November, continues a statewide effort to increase rehabilitation services and decrease the prison population. Among its provisions, the initiative gives the state parole board greater latitude to consider the early release of prisoners who have served their primary sentences, and whose crimes are not designated as violent under the California penal code. But since the early days of the ballot measure campaign, debate has brewed over just who the law will benefit, with prosecutors saying that short and porous list excludes certain rape crimes and other dangerous offenses. This legislative session, the discussion moves to the Capitol. Read More Facebook

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Fearing deletion, Tom Steyer copies Environmental Protection Agency website on climate change By Chris Megerian (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) With President Trump in the White House, information about climate change has been disappearing from government websites. Some fear the same thing could happen with the Environmental Protection Agency. Now the advocacy organization run by environmentalist and political donor Tom Steyer is taking steps to preserve the information. We will not allow Trump and the oil corporations to push us towards an Orwellian world full of official lies and misinformation.  Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) January 27, 2017 NextGen Climate copied the website and made it available at SaveOurEPA.com. As Americans, we will not allow Donald Trump to erase the truth or rewrite history, Steyer said in a statement. This information belongs to the people, and the public has a right to know the truth. Trump has taken other steps that have alarmed environmentalists. For example, he greenlighted two oil pipelines that had been stopped by former President Obama. Facebook

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For California, a return to center stage in the 2020 presidential contest By Mark Z. Barabak (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) Kamala Harris hadnt even arrived in Washington to take up her job as Californias spanking-new U.S. senator when the chatter began: Kamala for president! Never mind her disavowals  Seriously?  or the fact that the first balloting of the 2020 race is, at a minimum, 1,000-plus days away. The soul-sapping election of Donald Trump has Democrats desperately looking far, far down the road. Usually the candidates start sending signals, said Jim Demers, a longtime party strategist in New Hampshire, the state that traditionally holds the first presidential primary. This time Im hearing activists begging for the race to begin. With a wide-open contest (read: not a Clinton or Obama in sight), the list of would-be contenders, real and imagined, is lengthy, even by the prodigious standards of this early stage. Whats different in 2020 is that California  huge in population, mighty in economic power, desperate to matter in presidential politics  figures to be at the center of speculation in a way it hasnt for a generation. Read More Facebook

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Theres a major fight on the way over Trumps plans for sanctuary cities By Liam Dillon Immigrant workers marching in Los Angeles in 2014. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) Cities in California are gearing up for a legal fight against President Trumps plans to take away federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities. These cities typically are defined as those that dont cooperate with federal immigration officials for deportation purposes, and the new president wants to strip them of funding unless they start doing so. But the language in Trumps executive order on the issue is vague, and San Francisco officials believe their city is already exempt from the mandate. Read More Facebook

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Fighting Trumps border wall on environmental grounds probably wont win in court By Liam Dillon A pair of fences separates Mexico, left, and the U.S. south of San Diego. (Bill Wechter / AFP) California political leaders are seeking all sorts of strategies to fight President Trumps plans to build a wall along the border with Mexico. One strategy thats likely to fail is a lawsuit based on state and federal environmental laws, legal experts said. Congress already has given the federal government broad authority to waive environmental laws to build a border fence and the courts have upheld that power. Read More Facebook

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Calexit organizers can now start collecting signatures to get California secession on the ballot By Christine Mai-Duc Supporters of the campaign for California to secede from the United States can now begin collecting the hundreds of thousands of signatures they need to get a proposed Calexit initiative on the ballot. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla cleared the proposed initiative to begin collecting signatures on Thursday. If the measure gets on the ballot and gains approval by a majority of voters, it would repeal clauses in the California Constitution stating that the state is an inseparable part of the United States and that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, according to the title and summary prepared by the state attorney generals office. The measure would place another question on the ballot in 2019, asking whether California should become a separate country. If at least half of registered voters participate in that vote, with at least 55% of those voting to approve, the results would be treated as Californias declaration of independence. The current measures fiscal effect is dependent on various factors, writes the states nonpartisan legislative analyst, and if it succeeds would result in major, but unknown budgetary impacts. The proposals backers, known as Yes California, have argued that the state is culturally out of step with the rest of the U.S. and that California pays more money to the federal government than it receives in spending. The election of President Trump has only strengthened their argument, they say. California loses [by] being a part of America culturally and financially, said Marcus Ruiz Evans, one of the groups founders. It could be a nation all its own, everybody knows that. The only question is if they want to break off. Its unclear how the group will collect the required 585,407 valid signatures from registered voters over the next 180 days to qualify for the ballot. A campaign committee, Yes California Independence Committee, has raised no funds so far, according to records from the secretary of state. But Evans says that his group has more than 7,000 volunteers (significantly down from a 13,000 estimate in December) ready to gather signatures and that voters can expect to see signature gatherers on the streets in the next couple of days. Yes California says that even if the proposed initiative does land on the ballot and voters approve it, such an unprecedented move to secede would need to receive approval of at least a majority of the states in the union, among other legal hurdles. Evans says hes not fazed. America already hates California, and America votes on emotions, he said. I think wed have the votes today if we held it. UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: This post has been updated to clarify that the proposed initiative would place a future vote on Californias secession on the ballot in 2019. Facebook

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Rep. Ted Lieu is trolling Donald Trump, and he hopes youre watching By Sarah D. Wire Rep. Ted Lieu is now placing an asterisk next to President Trumps name in news releases. Its the Torrance Democrats way of drawing attention to his concerns about the new administration, he said. Sometimes the best way to respond to crazy is with satire, Lieu said. Never before have I had this feeling where our leader is potentially unhinged and has a problem with the truth, and that is highly disturbing for the leader of the free world. So Ive decided Im just going to point that out as much as I can. The asterisk leads readers to the bottom of the email, where a postscript says:  ***In addition to losing the popular vote, Trump  as of January 20, 2017  is in violation of the Emoluments Clause set forth in Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution due to massive conflicts of interests and his refusal to put his global business holdings in blind trusts. Trump also benefitted from Vladimir Putin ordering a multifaceted and brazen Russian influence and cyber hacking campaign with the goals of undermining faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrating Secretary Clintons electability, and helping Trumps election chances. Trump and his press secretary also routinely make stuff up. The sophomore congressman said he initially planned to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, hoping his rhetoric was a campaign tactic and that he would pivot to uniting the country following the election. Then Lieu listened to the presidents inaugural speech. I was hoping he would govern different than how he campaigned, he said. I came to the conclusion that it would be worse for America to normalize him. Lieu followed the addition to his news releases with a Cloud of Illegitimacy Clock that counts the time since Trumps swearing-in, which is how long Lieu says Trump has been in violation of the Constitution by not divesting from his businesses or putting them in a blind trust. The Constitution bans government officials from receiving gifts or payments from foreign governments. Next he posted a series of tweets mocking White House spokesman Sean Spicer for giving incorrect figures on how many people attended the inauguration, and top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway for using the term alternative facts. Was charged $2.99 for coffee listed at $2.59. That's why I have trust issues. Oh, and the fact that @seanspicer at #WhiteHouse makes shit up  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 23, 2017 Ive decided that the administration using alternative facts is more profane than anything that I could say, he said. When the administration lies, they just need to be called out on that. If they are going to lie about stupid little things, like crowd size, imagine what theyre going to say when they roll out their healthcare plan, whenever that might be. Lieu has needled Trump in responses to several executive orders this week, including by saying he would bet a nice bottle of California wine that the Administration will be unable to find a credible witness to testify under oath to the allegation that 3-5 million people illegally cast votes in 2016, and by mentioning the inauguration crowd while talking about Trumps proposed border wall. Lieu said hes absolutely hoping Trump will respond. I think satire is an effective way to highlight issues, and I want the American people to see who this president really is, because in 22 months they get to vote again on every member of Congress, and that will be a referendum on Donald Trump, Lieu said. Facebook

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California Democrats propose adding third, nonbinary gender option for drivers licenses and other official documents By Melanie Mason View Twitter post California drivers licenses and birth certificates could have a third option for gender in addition to male or female under legislation unveiled Thursday by Democratic lawmakers. The bill by state Sens. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would establish a new nonbinary gender marker for official state documents. Lawmakers framed the measure as an expansion of rights for transgender, intersex and other people who do not identify as male or female. It will keep California at the forefront of LGBTQ civil rights, Atkins said at a Capitol news conference. The bill, SB 179, also would streamline the process for people to change their gender on such documents. It would remove the requirement that an individual obtain a sworn statement from a physician certifying medical treatment for gender transition. It also would create a process for people younger than 18 to apply for a change of gender on their birth certificate. Jo Michael, of Equality California, a gay rights advocacy group, said the bill had personal resonance. Michael identifies as transgender and nonbinary. For the first time, Californians like me could have accurate gender markers that truly reflect who we are, Michael said. Wiener said the proposal places California in stark relief to other states in the country, including North Carolina, where a high-profile law regulating transgender peoples use of public bathrooms roiled the state. As the LGBT community  but especially the trans community  is under assault in this country, California needs to go in the opposite direction and embrace the trans community and support the trans community and modernize these laws, he said. The legislation does not specify what the alternate gender marker would be, but other countries that have implemented such a policy, such as Australia and New Zealand, have used the letter X alongside M for male and F for female, according to Sasha Buchert of the Transgender Law Center. Atkins, who is a lesbian and a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, said this proposal marks an evolution for her in better understanding the concerns of the transgender and intersex community. She authored a law in 2014 that ensures death certificates reflect a persons gender identity, an experience she said made her more aware of the bureaucratic hurdles that transgender people often face. This years bill, she said, is moving us forward into a new world, where acceptance is ... letting people be who they tell you they are. Facebook

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Former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder will visit Sacramento to meet with Democratic legislators next month By Melanie Mason (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) California lawmakers will have a chance to meet the Legislatures new outside counsel on Feb. 7, when former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. travels to the state to address Senate and Assembly Democrats. Holder, leading a team of attorneys from the firm Covington & Burling, has been hired by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) to serve as outside counsel as the state prepares a legal strategy to deal with the administration of President Trump. But Senate and Assembly staff officials said his invitation to meet with lawmakers was extended prior to the contract, which begins in February, and that Holder is making the trip on his own personal time. His travel and accommodations expenses will not be paid with state funds, and his appearances will not be part of his billable hours, they said. Holder will address Senate Democrats at their annual policy retreat, and will speak to the Assembly Democratic caucus. His visit comes soon after state Democratic leaders this week denounced Trumps executive orders on immigration and pledged to take his administration to court should other legislative means of resistance fail. Facebook

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A guide to the guessing game that is the 2018 California governors race By Phil Willon While the race to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown already has attracted a small cadre of well-known Democrats, the behind-the-scenes strategizing, cajoling and guessing games surrounding a handful of other potential contenders could create havoc in whats expected to be Californias biggest political showdown since 2010. Among those watching closely are the candidates already definitely in the running, including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang. Delaine Eastin, who spent eight years as Californias top education official, announced she was running in November and officially launched her campaign  and fundraising operation  on Thursday. Read More Facebook

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This is not a monarchy: California Senate leader Kevin de Leon bashes Trumps immigration orders By Jazmine Ulloa (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) California Senate leader Kevin de Leon took another shot at President Trump and his executive orders on immigration Wednesday night, calling his threat to withhold federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities political blackmail and political vengeance. In an interview on the MSNBC show The Last Word with Lawrence ODonnell, De Leon said California was working with former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. to study all of its legal options to oppose the directives. Under the 10th Amendment, the state Senate leader said, the federal government cannot commandeer and force local municipalities and police agencies from carrying out their work. The appearance came hours after Trump signed orders to temporarily halt the U.S. refugee program, cut funding for cities that offer immigrants protections and order federal officials to construct a U.S.-Mexico border wall. California will not become a cog in the Trump deportation machine, De Leon said. This is not a monarchy, and I know he fancies himself as a king, but this is a republic. Read More Facebook

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President Trumps voter fraud allegation is a lie, says Californias top elections officer By John Myers Secretary of State Alex Padilla. (Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press) With President Donald Trump rehashing last years accusation of widespread voter fraud in California and elsewhere, the states top elections official is also restating his take: Its not true. When the president says millions of illegal ballots are cast, thats simply not the case, said Secretary of State Alex Padilla in an interview on CNN Wednesday. Its a lie. As was the case when Trump made the accusation in November, theres no evidence of such a broad attempt to sway the outcome in California. The president lost the Golden State to Democrat Hillary Clinton by almost 4.3 million votes. Trumps announcement on Wednesday of a major investigation into voter fraud reignited the issue, even though there was also Republican skepticism in the wake of the new round of accusations. Is it a question of millions of people? Thats a pretty steep hill to climb, said Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach), the vice chairman of the Assemblys elections committee. Youd have to have a very strong coordinated effort across California to pull that off. Harper said he believes the better discussion is whether new, independent audit capabilities need to be in place to examine election results. Others, though, were sharply critical of the presidents motives. Allegations of widespread voter fraud are not just alternative facts, they are a calculated and sinister attempt at voter suppression that takes a page from this nations bleak history of segregation, said Laphonza Butler, president of the state council of the Service Employees International Union. In the CNN interview, Padilla said he worried the president was sowing doubt in an effort to legitimize efforts such as a purging of voter rolls. I hope that its not a sign of things to come, he said. Facebook

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Intelligence committee led by Californians investigating Russian influence in 2016 election By Sarah D. Wire The House Select Intelligence Committee is examining allegations that the Russian government tried to influence the 2016 election, Republican Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes and ranking Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff said in a statement Wednesday. The two Californians said the committee is looking at Russian cyber activity and other active measures directed against the U.S. It also will examine links between Russia and people working for political campaigns as well as the federal response to Russia, including leaks of classified assessments from the intelligence community. The statement does not specifically mention President Trump, the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia attempted to intervene in the presidential election to ensure he would win or news that Trumps national security advisor was in frequent contact with the Russian ambassador as President Obama was considering sanctions against Russia. This issue is not about party, but about country. The Committee will continue to follow the facts wherever they may lead, the statement said. The Senate Intelligence Committee, on which Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) serves, also is investigating Russian interference in the election, and the U.S. response. Two Republican senators have joined a number of House and Senate Democrats, including House Select Intelligence Committee member Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) in pushing for a nonpartisan independent commission to examine the issue. Nunes, who served on Trumps transition committee, has previously said he doesnt think an independent commission is necessary. The statement also asked the new, Trump-appointed heads of intelligence agencies to bring documents requested by the committee directly to committee members. It will not be adequate to review these documents, expected to be in the thousands of pages, at the agencies. They should be delivered to the House Intelligence Committee to provide members adequate time to examine their content, it states. Facebook

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No stamp, no problem: Lawmaker says postage-paid ballots should be available to all Californians By John Myers (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) California voters would no longer have to scrounge around in search of a stamp to mail in their ballot under new legislation introduced this week at the state Capitol. We want to make sure voters dont have any barriers, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), the bills author. Ballot envelopes sent by elections officials would be marked as prepaid postage and the postage costs would be paid for by individual counties. A key question will be the cost for mailing in as many as 10 million ballots statewide. Not all ballots will weigh the same, given the numerous city and county measures that also are considered in regularly scheduled elections. The initial language of Assembly Bill 216 doesnt offer specifics on reimbursing counties, though Gonzalez Fletcher said she expects the proposals ultimate cost could be under $2 million, if the law also makes clear that voters can still place a stamp on their ballot. Regardless, postage fees are likely to be deemed a mandated cost that state government must cover. Gonzalez Fletcher said the advent of email and online bill-paying services have meant that fewer voters have stamps readily available, with busy working Californians scrambling just to find the time to exercise their right to vote. It starts to feel like a very small poll tax, she said. The proposal is another example of the steady evolution of elections conducted less by the ballot box than the mailbox in California, as more than half of all registered voters now permanently receive absentee ballots. A number of the states most populous counties are expected to soon embrace a sweeping new law shifting elections away from neighborhood polling places and toward a substantial number of votes being cast by mail. This is welcome legislation, said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. Requiring voters to pay for ballot postage sends a message that the government is putting up obstacles to make it more difficult to vote. In many cases, ballots placed in the mail without proper postage are already being delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Some counties in California have offered prepaid postage in the past, but the vast majority have not. Facebook

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California improves grades from anti-smoking group with barrage of anti-tobacco laws By Patrick McGreevy California led other states in adopting a flurry of new laws restricting tobacco products last year, resulting in a big improvement in the states grades from the American Lung Assn. In a report released Wednesday, the health group boosted the states grade for the level of tobacco taxes from an F last year to a B, in recognition that California voters in November approved a $2-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax. The Legislature last year also adopted a half-dozen new laws, including an increase in the minimum age for smoking from 18 to 21 and an expansion of a smoking ban in public places, including restaurants and theaters, to also include use of electronic cigarettes. The states grade for smoke-free air policies rose from a B to an A, while California received a B for restricting tobacco to young people. The group gave the state an incomplete for funding of tobacco prevention programs because officials have not yet started collecting money from the tobacco tax increase in Proposition 56. In 2016, Californians fought back against Big Tobaccos grip on our state, said David Pogue, chairman of the American Lung Assn. in Californias governing board. Tobacco-related illnesses remain the single most preventable cause of disease and death in California, and were proud to reaffirm ourselves as a national leader in the effort to reduce smoking rates and exposure to secondhand smoke and to protect our children from a lifetime of addiction. The group cited the lack of significant new tobacco laws passed in Los Angeles for its decision to leave the citys C grade unchanged. El Monte and West Hollywood passed some new tobacco policies and raised their grades. Santa Ana earned a C, but was at top of the list in Orange County, where almost all the other cities received Fs, officials said. Facebook

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Sen. Kamala Harris pushes Trumps budget director pick on timely disaster relief By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) pushed President Trumps budget chief pick Tuesday on whether hed advise the new Republican leader to offer timely disaster relief, especially to states like California that face earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters. Can you assure me that when natural disasters hit various parts of the country like California, that you will be willing to put the immediate interests of people in need as the first priority for you, or will you insist that the budget cuts be made before agreeing to provide critical assistance to those victims? Harris asked Rep. Mick Mulvaney during a confirmation hearing Tuesday. The South Carolina Republican asked for spending cuts to offset billions in relief funding after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. There is a proper federal role in dealing with natural disaster relief, Mulvaney said in response to Harris questioning. Sandy is a tremendous example of something so large, its simply too large for one state or local government to deal with, it is an appropriate function of the federal government. Harris pushed a second time, So can you assure me that if a natural disaster hits other states, like California for example, that you will not hold up relief for the state, waiting to determine whether there are going to be budget cuts or cuts in order to provide that relief? Or are you going to sit back and crunch the numbers while people are waiting for help? Mulvaney replied, No, I see my role in that particular circumstance as advising the president. Mr. President, heres what weve done it in the past, heres how it worked out, heres how I think we should proceed in this circumstance and heres why. And then whatever the president says to do, I will enforce. Harris is still weighing how to vote on Mulvaneys confirmation, her staff said. Facebook

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Trump is a hot topic in Californias race for governor, but not in a good way By Phil Willon Donald Trump at the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame in April. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) One of the most talked about politicians in Californias 2018 governors campaign isnt even running. Rarely does a day go by when Republican President Donald Trump isnt used as a political pinata by one of the top Democrats in the race. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom took some jabs Tuesday when he addressed the California Legislature before Gov. Jerry Browns annual State of the State speech. Newsom mocked the Trump administration for its reliance on alternative facts  a phrase used by a Trump senior advisor when defending inflated inauguration crowd figures  and took a subtle shot at the presidents comment about American carnage in the nations cities. The insecurity of this man is near incomprehensible. These lies damage our democracy & country's reputation-Shameful https://t.co/ib7i6DqfH8  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 24, 2017 On Monday, state Treasurer John Chiang criticized Trump for doubting the scientific evidence of climate change. President Trump may believe global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive, Chiang said. We Californians stand with the scientific community and the 195 nations that have declared climate change is an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet. When Antonio Villaraigosa announced his bid for governor right after the general election, the former Los Angeles mayor was sure to include a dig at Trump. Im running because I think the answer to the divisiveness we see in the country right now is unity, and the answer to fear is hope, he said. Last May, Villaraigosa compared Trump to segregationist George Wallace. Californias former superintendent of public instruction, Delaine Eastin, last week ripped Trump for nominating Betsy DeVos for Education secretary. Eastin said DeVos, a charter school advocate and Republican fundraiser from Michigan, was a threat to public education in the country. In speeches, in fundraising emails, in tweets and Facebook posts, the Democrats have liberally excoriated Trump while largely avoiding lobbing any criticism at one another. Its a safe and easy tactic that appeals to a sizeable majority of voters in left-leaning California. In the November election, Trump was trounced by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in California  losing to her by more than 4.2 million votes. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican being urged to run by fellow party members, has also rebuked Trump in the past. In May, Faulconer said he rejected Trumps divisive rhetoric about women and immigrants. Faulconer was absent at Trumps inauguration and skipped a Trump campaign rally in San Diego last spring. For any Republican to have a legitimate shot in the governors race, or any statewide election, the more distance they put between themselves and Trump the better, said GOP political consultant Rob Stutzman. Its important that youre not on the record gushing about Trump, Stutzman said. 3:30 p.m.: This story was updated to correct the title of Delaine Eastin. She is a former state superintendent of public instruction. Facebook

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Californias House members vote along party lines on permanently banning federal funds for abortion By Sarah D. Wire Californias House delegation split along party lines Tuesday on a bill to permanently prohibit the use of certain federal funds for abortions. President Trump promised the anti-abortion community during the campaign that he would make the funding ban  commonly called the Hyde Amendment  permanent. It passed the House 238-183 and goes next to the Senate. The 52 members who represent California in the House split along party lines, with 36 Democrats against for it, and 14 Republicans voting for it. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Jim Costa (D-Lieu) did not vote. Their staffs each said the member would have joined Democrats in voting against the measure. If passed by the Senate, it would permanently prohibit federal funding from being used to cover abortion costs except in cases of rape, incest or if the mothers life is in danger. It effects government employees health plans, Medicaid and health insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act. The amendment has been added to the annual appropriations bill for the past 40 years and the bill approved by the House Tuesday would make it permanent. During debate on the House floor Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) called the bill a womens health catastrophe that will keep poor women on Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act from having access to insurance. In effect it makes abortion only an option for the wealthy, she said. Previous versions of the bill twice passed the House but were not considered by the Senate while President Obama was in office. 11:09 a.m. Jan. 25: An earlier version of this article reported that Democrats voted for the bill and Republicans voted against the bill. It was the opposite. Facebook

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California lawmakers to weigh whether younger children should be allowed to testify in custody cases By Jazmine Ulloa California lawmakers will weigh whether family courts should allow children as young as 10 to testify before judges regarding parent custody or visitation rights. A bill filed by state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) would lower the current threshold from age 14 to enable more children to express their wishes in court, some of whom she said could find themselves in life-threatening situations. The legislation was co-sponsored by the California Protective Parents Assn. and the Center for Judicial Excellence. Neither current law nor the bill would require children to testify in family cases unless they choose to. In a statement, Levya called the proposal an important child safety measure. As a family court makes critical life decisions for children, it makes sense for them to be granted a greater voice in court proceedings since they can contribute essential information before final decisions are made, she said. Facebook

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Support for California secession is up, one poll says By Phil Willon Students from several high schools rally at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 14 after walking out of class to protest the election of Donald Trump. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press) Californians support for a breakaway California republic has increased, one poll has found. One-third of state residents support peacefully seceding from the United States, up from 20% since Californians were last asked the same question in 2014, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The polls margin of error for the California answers was plus or minus 5 percentage points. Still, half of Californians opposed the idea of succession, though Democrats were more inclined to support it than Republicans. The survey found that 60% of Republicans gave the idea of peacefully seceding a thumbs down compared with 48% of Democrats and 50% of independents. Nationally, 22% of those polled supported having their state break away from the U.S., according to the survey. A Calexit campaign already is underway to make California an independent nation. The effort faces extremely long odds. The poll surveyed 14,000 adults nationwide, and 500 in California, from Dec. 6 to Jan. 19. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown defiantly tells lawmakers California is not turning back in face of Trump and GOP proposals By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown used his State of the State speech on Tuesday to promise a forceful defense of Californias efforts on climate change, healthcare and assistance to those in the country illegally against new proposals by President Donald Trump and national Republican leadership. California is not turning back, Brown said to applause. Not now, not ever. The governors remarks, delivered in front of lawmakers and state elected officials in the Assembly chambers, came just four days after President Trumps forceful inaugural address that signaled a dramatic new course for the federal government. While he never mentioned the president by name during the 16-minute speech, Brown said there are disturbing signs as to whats on the horizon. We have seen the bald assertion of alternative facts, whatever those are, he said, a reference to top Trump advisor Kellyanne Conways weekend comments on NBCs Meet the Press. We have heard the blatant attacks on science. Familiar signposts of our democracy  truth, civility, working together  have been obscured or swept aside. The annual event in the chamber of the state Assembly was unusual from the outset. Just minutes before beginning his speech, Brown gave the oath of office to Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, the former Los Angeles congressman confirmed to the post on Monday afternoon by the state Senate. Legislators have had a decidedly unusual start to their new two-year session. After a raucous opening day in December that laid bare wounds from the presidential race, lawmakers were presented two weeks ago with Browns projection of a $1.6-billion budget deficit looming on the states fiscal horizon. But the sea change in national politics has been a persistent buzz in the state Capitol, and Brown promised a strong defense of Californias unique view on major policy issues. The governor made a special mention of the issue of illegal immigration, offering perhaps his strongest words to date. Let me be clear, the governor said, his voice rising. We will defend everybody  every man, woman and child who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state. Even with those critiques, the governor veered from his prepared remarks to praise Trumps call for a new focus on infrastructure projects. I say, Amen to that, man!  he said. And Brown urged members of the Legislature to reject the bitter partisan divisions of this moment in the nations history. Democrats are in the majority, but Republicans represent real Californians, too, he said to bipartisan applause. We have generally been civil to one another and avoided the rancor of Washington. I urge you to go even further and look for new ways to work beyond party and act as Californians first. Facebook

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Xavier Becerra takes oath of office, is first Latino to become California attorney general By Patrick McGreevy Xavier Becerra ((Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) ) Minutes after resigning his seat in Congress on Tuesday, Xavier Becerra took the oath of office as Californias new attorney general, and he immediately made plans for a sit-down with sheriffs from throughout the state to talk about law enforcement issues. Becerra, 58, was given the oath of office at the Capitol by Gov. Jerry Brown, who predicted earlier that Xavier will be a champion for all Californians. The ceremony was held before Brown was scheduled to deliver his annual State of the State address, and a day after Becerra received final confirmation by the state Senate. I will do my utmost to uphold your faith in me to serve as our great states next chief law enforcement officer and legal advocate, Becerra said in a letter to Brown on Tuesday, letting him know he had resigned from Congress. And while I leave Congress with mixed emotions, I am ready to begin my work as Attorney General. Californias hard-working families are counting on us, and we wont let them down, Becerra said. Becerra was accompanied at the ceremony by his wife, physician Carolina Reyes, two of his three daughters, and his parents, both immigrants from Mexico. Brown appointed Becerra to fill a vacancy after former Atty. Gen.l Kamala Harris won election to a seat in the U.S. Senate. Becerra has pledged to challenge any attempts by the new administration of President Trump to roll back state policies on immigration, civil rights and the environment. Brown noted his appointees background during his speech. Like so many others, he is the son of immigrants who saw California as a place where, through grit and determination, they could realize their dreams, Brown said. And they are not alone, millions of Californians have come here from Mexico and a hundred other countries, making our state what it is today: vibrant, even turbulent, and a beacon of hope to the rest of the world. The first Latino to become state attorney general in California spent the last two weeks meeting with dozens of legislators as he went through confirmation hearings in both houses. Governor Brown and state legislators have already shared valuable ideas on our path forward, Becerra said in a statement after his confirmation. And next week I hope to sit down with sheriffs from across our state to begin our work together keeping our families safe and enforcing our laws fairly. The first focus on local law enforcement was welcomed by Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, president of the California State Sheriffs Assn. He wants to start with law enforcement in the San Joaquin Valley, and I think thats a really positive step, Youngblood said. Im impressed with his credentials. Im impressed with his background, and I think hes going to be a good attorney general. Facebook

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Watch: Gov. Jerry Brown delivers his State of the State address Gov. Jerry Brown will deliver his State of the State address at 10 a.m. PST. Watch live here: Facebook

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Xavier Becerras resignation from Congress took effect at 9:15 a.m.; he calls serving a distinct honor Xavier Becerra has submitted letter of resignation from Congress ahead of swearing in for California attorney general today  Patrick McGreevy (@mcgreevy99) January 24, 2017 Facebook

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Californias senators split on CIA director confirmation By Sarah D. Wire Californias senators split Monday night on the confirmation of Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), President Trumps pick to lead the CIA. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who serves on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee and backed Pompeo, said in a statement that Pompeo gave straightforward answers to her questions, and that House colleagues called him smart, hardworking and devoted to protecting our country. Congressman Pompeo has committed to following the law regarding torture, promised to provide objective analysis of Irans compliance with the nuclear agreement and insisted that he would continue to keep the Senate Intelligence Committee fully informed of CIA activities, Feinstein said. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said in a statement that she appreciated that Pompeo was responsive, engaging, and has made a number of positive commitments during the confirmation process, but said she couldnt vote for him after looking at his entire record on issues such as torture, surveillance, and the collection and use of metadata. Pompeo was confirmed 66 to 32 Monday evening. Thirteen Democrats joined Feinstein in voting for him. While House members dont get to vote for confirmation, the leaders of the House Select Intelligence Committee, Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) and ranking Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) joined Feinstein in congratulating Pompeo for his confirmation. Facebook

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Sen. Kamala Harris moves into some familiar digs on Capitol Hill By Sarah D. Wire (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and her staff can begin moving today into her official Senate office, the same space she interned in as a college student. Few offices can hold a staff as large as the ones allocated to the California members and as expected, Harris was assigned an office in the Hart Senate Office Building, the same space occupied by former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Harris can start moving in this morning, her staff said. Back home, Harris plans to have state offices in Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco, her staff said. It is a bit of a change from Boxer, who had additional offices in Oakland and Riverside, but did not have an office in San Francisco. The space in Washington should feel familiar. It was occupied by Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) when Harris interned for him as a mailroom clerk for a summer when she was a Howard University student in the 1980s. Two floors up in the same building is Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Except for states where staff size is a consideration, Senate offices are assigned based on seniority and sitting senators have months to decide if they want to move offices. That means some new senators could spend months working out of temporary space. Facebook

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Assembly speaker taps former Obama spokesman for communications strategy By Melanie Mason Bill Burton (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) With Californias face-off against Washington, D.C., getting widespread attention, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has turned to a veteran of national politics to help shape his public image: White House veteran Bill Burton. Burton, who once worked as deputy press secretary in the Obama administration, was hired this month by Rendon, a Democrat from Paramount, for communications strategy. Now a managing partner in the Los Angeles office for SKDKnickerbocker, a prominent liberal public affairs firm, Burton said he relished being involved in California politics, which he said sets a model for liberals nationwide. With President Trump and congressional Republicans controlling the national agenda, Speaker Rendon and his incredible staff are at the center of some of the most important progressive fights in the country and we couldnt be more excited to be helping any way we can, he said. Burton said his services, paid for out of Rendons campaign account, are meant to offer a more intentional approach to how hes been dealing with media  a recognition, he said, of Rendons and Californias elevated role in national politics. Rendon is not the only legislative Democrat to be represented by SKDKnickerbocker. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens also is a client. The firm also worked with Democratic Reps. Grace Napolitano and Linda Sanchez in their reelection bids, as well as freshman Rep. Nanette Barragan in her heated congressional race against fellow Democrat, former state Sen. Isadore Hall. Facebook

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State Senate votes for final confirmation of Xavier Becerra as state attorney general By Patrick McGreevy Gov. Jerry Brown, left, appointed Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) as state attorney general. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) The state Senate on Monday voted 26-9 in favor of final confirmation of Rep. Xavier Becerra as Californias attorney general, putting on watch a veteran politician who has promised to block efforts by President Trump to roll back state policies on immigration, civil rights and the environment. Becerra, a Los Angeles Democrat and 12-term congressman, is set to take the oath of office on Tuesday before Gov. Jerry Browns State of the State address. As Attorney General, Xavier will be a champion for all Californians, Brown said in a statement after the party-line vote. Brown appointed Becerra as the states first Latino attorney general to fill the vacancy left when former state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said Becerra will be an effective counter force to Trump, who has threatened mass deportations and the repeal of some environmental laws. Many of us know him personally and can attest to his character, to his integrity and to his qualifications, De Leon said of Becerra. He will be a strong partner for our state to help us work with the federal government when we can and to resist when we must. State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said Becerra understands the challenges ahead. He will indeed vigorously defend the values of our state by taking the fight to the federal government when necessary, said Jackson, who chairs the state Senate Judiciary Committee. Becerra, 58, said during two weeks of confirmation hearings that he would also fight any attempt to weaken environmental protections or adopt stop-and-frisk police policies that allow officers to search anyone on the street. All Republican senators voted against Becerra or withheld their vote. I think when you are the top cop you have to enforce the law to the fullest extent, said state Sen. Joel Anderson (R-San Diego) before he voted against Becerra. Opponents cited Becerras support for sanctuary cities that refuse to have their officers help enforce immigration laws. San Francisco prohibits local authorities from holding immigrants for immigration officials if they have no violent felonies on their records and do not currently face charges. Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities. Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) also opposed Becerra, saying he is worried that the antagonistic tone being set by Democratic lawmakers with Becerra could put at risk the $86 billion the state and its cities gets annually from the federal government. I dont want to jeopardize those funds, Moorlach said. Becerra said he was humbled by the vote and ready to get working.He plans to meet soon with county sheriffs to discuss local law enforcement issues. As I embark on this new journey, my compass will be the experiences of hard-working families like the one I grew up in, Becerra said. As the son of immigrants, I know how important it is to protect the rights and dreams of every aspiring American. I will make sure no headwinds from outside our state can knock us down. Facebook

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Attorney general nominee Becerra questioned on guns, death penalty and pot during confirmation hearings By Patrick McGreevy Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), shown at a gun violence event in June, was selected by Gov. Jerry Brown to be Californias next attorney general. ((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) ) In two weeks of confirmation hearings, state attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra has been asked for his position on many issues, including new gun control laws, the states death penalty policy and the recent voter approval of an initiative that legalized recreational marijuana use. The 12-term congressman is up for a possible final confirmation vote Monday in the state Senate. Read More Facebook

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California attorney general nominee Xavier Becerra is warned against suing Trump early and often By Patrick McGreevy Rep. Xavier Becerra (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) With Xavier Becerra facing a final confirmation vote Monday for state attorney general, two former high-level officials in the office are warning against drowning President Trump in lawsuits. The pressure to sue Trump early and often is a trap, according to Michael Troncos, former chief counsel in the California attorney generals office, and Debbie Mesloh, a former senior advisor to the California attorney general, writing in an op-ed piece published by the Los Angeles Times. In this right-wing political moment, a major legal case on our climate change laws or our policies benefiting (young immigrant) Dreamers may well lead to a Trump White House victory, establishing precedents that far outlast this presidency, the two write. In fact, the cases Becerra chooses not to bring may be among his most important achievements. Courts cant rule on whats not before them. Troncos and Mesloh said California will be up against a U.S. Supreme Court remade in Trumps image, and that [a]sking a federal court to overturn federal immigration policies could be a fools errand. Read More Facebook

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California cities would have to make it easier to build houses under new legislation By Liam Dillon California cities that are falling behind on housing production goals set by the state would be forced to remove some of their development restrictions under legislation from a Bay Area state senator. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) released new details in his bill, SB 35, Monday morning that would require cities to approve new housing in areas already zoned for high-density development provided developers set aside some units for low-income residents. The bills provisions would only apply in cities where growth isnt keeping pace with housing production targets developed by the state every eight years that are designed to ensure California has enough homes for its growing population to live affordably. Right now, thats not happening. The states median home price of $485,800 is more than 2 1/2 times the national average, with the states poorest residents the hardest hit. And in the most recent eight-year housing cycle ending in 2014, production was less than half of the state target. Wiener, a former San Francisco supervisor, said Californias affordability crisis requires the state to involve its
Kamala Harris hadnt even arrived in Washington to take up her job as Californias spanking-new U.S. senator when the chatter began: Kamala for president!

Never mind her disavowals  Seriously?  or the fact that the first balloting of the 2020 race is, at a minimum, 1,000-plus days away. The soul-sapping election of Donald Trump has Democrats desperately looking far, far down the road.

Usually the candidates start sending signals, said Jim Demers, a longtime party strategist in New Hampshire, the state that traditionally holds the first presidential primary. This time Im hearing activists begging for the race to begin.

With a wide-open contest (read: not a Clinton or Obama in sight), the list of would-be contenders, real and imagined, is a lengthy one, even by the prodigious standards of this early stage.

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Whats different in 2020 is that California  huge in population, mighty in economic power, desperate to matter in presidential politics  figures to be at the center of speculation in a way it hasnt for a generation.

Its not just Harris, now almost a full month into her term, whom the mentioners are mentioning. Whoever succeeds Jerry Brown will instantly acquire, along with keys to the governors mansion, a spot high on the list of talked-about prospects.

When youre governor of California, you automatically have one of the biggest soapboxes in the country, said Rose Kapolczynski, a Democratic strategist whose clients include Tom Steyer, the hedge-fund-billionaire-turned-environmental-crusader and possible 2018 gubernatorial candidate.

But its more than size.

California is pushing the envelope of progressive issues, from climate change to worker protections to equality, said Kapolcyznski, anticipating what Democrats may hunger for in the partys 2020 savior-slash-standard-bearer. That makes Californias governor very interesting.

(Necessary aside: Any Republican born in the U.S. who were to defy steep odds and win the governorship in November 2018 would from that very moment become a leading GOP prospect in 2020 or 2024, depending on the fate of President Trump.)

Its been a long drought, politically speaking.

California produced two Republican presidents in a 12-year span  Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan  and plenty of politicians, powerful and otherwise, who dreamed of following in their footprints. (Former Vice President Nixon had moved to New York City by the time he won the White House in 1968, but the Orange County native remained politically rooted in California.)

The states last serious presidential candidate was then-Gov. Pete Wilson, who failed miserably in his bid for the 1996 GOP nomination.

Since then, California has been sidelined, save for its perennial role as cash dispenser for candidates from other places.

Democratic Gov. Gray Davis might have liked to run, but he was recalled before he had the chance. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to run, but his Austrian birth certificate proved an insurmountable hurdle. Brown really, really wanted to run, but his age  he turns 79 in April  and political wisdom kept him on the sidelines in 2016 after three previous tries.

As for the states two longtime Democratic U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and the recently retired Barbara Boxer, neither had the inclination to seek the White House nor, to be blunt, the right gender to be taken seriously as presidential contenders. (Hillary Clinton may have lost the 2016 election, but she made it infinitely easier for the next generation of female candidates to follow.)

As California ushers in a new generation of political leaders, a higher presidential profile seems assured.

Still, whether its Sen. Harris or Gov. Antonio Villaraigosa, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Gov. John Chiang or some chief-executive-to-be-named-later, any one of them would bear a distinct burden should they cross the Missouri River.

You come with either the uninformed or out-of-touch label, said David Nagle, a former Iowa congressman and longtime Democratic activist in the state, whose precinct caucuses traditionally kick off the nominating process. Its assumed  even if its not true  that you dont know anything about farming, that you dont understand small towns, that you dont understand rural America.

That is hardly insurmountable; witness Chicagoan Barack Obama, whose upset victory in Iowa launched him past Clinton clear to the White House. But its something any Californian running for president would likely need to overcome.

First, though, the requisite expressions of disinterest.

Sen. Harris is singularly focused on fighting for the people of California in her new role, said Lily Adams, a spokeswoman, elaborating on the brusque dismissal Harris offered on election eve. If the first two weeks are any indication, thatll keep her plenty busy.

Lt. Gov. Newsom, one of the early front-runners in the gubernatorial contest, was even more adamant.

That seems like the most miserable job in the world, Newsom said when asked about the presidency at a November forum hosted by Recode, the Silicon Valley news website. Dont even talk about it. Were wasting valuable time.

He might have even meant it.

For now, anyway.

mark.barabak@latimes.com

Twitter: @markzbarabak

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Judge Thomas M. Hardiman, one of three leading contenders to be named by President Trump to the Supreme Court, is a conservative jurist from Pittsburgh with a personal story not unlike many of the blue-collar voters who catapulted Trump to the White House.

The son of a cab driver and the product of public schools in Waltham, Mass., Hardiman, 51, helped pay for his education by driving a taxi.

And unlike the current high court justices, he does not have an Ivy League pedigree; he was the first in his family to graduate college, earning a degree from University of Notre Dame before heading to Georgetown Law School. His wife, Lori Zappala, came from a prominent Democratic family in Pittsburgh.

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He is a kind of lawyers judge, someone who focuses on the facts in the case before him, said University of Pittsburgh law professor Arthur Hellman. He doesnt impose an overarching view of the law.

Trumps victory assures a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. 

Trump has said he will announce his pick on Thursday to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Other leading contenders include Judge Neil M. Gorsuch from the 10th Circuit in Colorado and Judge William H. Pryor from Alabama, who serves on the 11th Circuit.

All three are among the 21 judges whom Trump named during the campaign as potential Supreme Court nominees.

Hardiman is a former trial judge who moved up to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, where he serves along with the presidents sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry.

Lawyers in Pittsburgh describe Hardiman  a strong defender of the 2nd Amendment  as personable, smart, hard-working and practical, but not as academic and ideological as Justice Scalia, the courts outspoken conservative.

And in contrast to Pryor, who was an early favorite to replace Scalia, Hardiman has not made highly controversial statements on issues such as abortion. Pryors characterization of the landmark abortion case Roe vs. Wade as an abomination ensures he would face a rough confirmation, which appears to have reduced his chances of being picked.

Hardiman won a unanimous confirmation from the Senate in 2007. He has, however, written several opinions that could fuel opposition from Democrats.

Hardiman staked out a strong position four years ago in favor of a 2nd Amendment right to carry a gun in public. He dissented when the 3rd Circuit upheld a New Jersey law that required people seeking a gun permit to demonstrate a justifiable need to be armed. Plaintiffs who had been turned down for permits sued, alleging the restriction violated the 2nd Amendment.

A district judge upheld the law, and the 3rd Circuit agreed by a 2-1 vote. The majority said that while the Supreme Court had recognized a right to have a gun at home for self-defense, it had not ruled the Constitution protected the right to carry a gun in public.

For the 4th time, the Electoral College picks the loser of the popular vote. 

Hardiman wrote a 40-page dissent, arguing the high court and Justice Scalia described the 2nd Amendment as protecting a right to self-defense. Because the need for self-defense naturally exists outside and inside the home, I would hold the 2nd Amendment applies outside the home, he wrote in Drake vs. Filko. In passing its law, New Jersey has decided that fewer handguns legally carried in public means less crime, he wrote. It is obvious that the justifiable need requirement functions as a rationing system designed to limit the number of handguns carried in New Jersey, he said, but it cannot stand in the face of a 2nd Amendment challenge.

The law survived an appeal to the Supreme Court, however. The justices without comment turned down a petition in 2014 asking them to review the 3rd Circuits decision.

The justices are likely to take up the issue again in the next year or so. Several states, including California, face 2nd Amendment suits from people who have been denied the right to carry a concealed weapon.

Hardiman also wrote an important opinion that upheld the power of jailers to strip-search all new inmates, even if they are being held briefly for failing to pay a fine and do not appear to pose a security risk. A class-action suit was brought on behalf of people who had been arrested and strip-searched in a county jail in New Jersey. They alleged these full-body exams amounted to unreasonable searches in violation of the 4th Amendment. The lead plaintiff, Albert Florence, had been arrested and briefly jailed for not paying a fine that he had, in fact, paid.

A district judge ruled for the plaintiffs, but Hardiman spoke for a 2-1 majority to throw out their claim. We do not minimize the extreme intrusion on privacy associated with a strip-search by law enforcement officers, he said. However, the balance tips in favor of the county because the prevention of the entry of illegal weapons and drugs is vital to the protection of inmates and prison personnel alike.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in Florence vs. Board of Chosen Freeholders, but affirmed Hardimans 3rd Circuits decision by a 5-4 vote in 2012.

His judicial record is not uniformly conservative. In 2009, his opinion for the 3rd Circuit revived a claim of gender stereotyping discrimination brought by a man who said he was harassed, ridiculed and finally fired from his job at a specialty printing company because he was seen as effeminate. Hardiman said neither Congress nor the Supreme Court had outlawed discrimination based on an employees sexual orientation. However, he said, the justices had said employees may sue for illegal discrimination if they are fired for failing to conform to gender stereotypes. In the case of Prowel vs. Wise, he cleared the way for the fired employee to take that claim before a jury.

david.savage@latimes.com

Twitter: DavidGSavage

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Abortion opponents met Friday for their 44th annual march in Washington with reasons for buoyant optimism: Republican control on Capitol Hill and a newly inaugurated president who appears intent on proving his later-in-life embrace of their cause.

On Monday, President Trump reinstated a ban on funding international organizations that provide abortion services or related counseling, reversing President Obamas action eight years earlier. Next Thursday, he is expected to announce an anti-abortion jurist to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Members of Congress, meantime, are pushing several abortion-limiting measures that were blocked during the Obama years.

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Im very optimistic that things are going to go well for the pro-life movement and unborn children, said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee. I think this has been a fantastic first week for the administration.

Vice President Mike Pence, who on Friday became the highest-ranking elected official ever to appear at the march, told tens of thousands gathered near the Washington Monument that the administration will push for a permanent ban on taxpayer money for organizations involved in abortion. Thousands of marchers carried signs demanding that Planned Parenthood be stripped of federal funds, although under current law it is not allowed to use federal money for abortion services.

Life is winning in America, and today is a celebration of that progress, Pence said. The truth is being told, compassion is overcoming convenience and hope is defeating despair. In a word, life is winning in America because of all of you.

As with many other issues, Trumps election upended expectations, turning what anti-abortion advocates feared would have been another term in the wilderness under Hillary Clinton into a new opportunity.

It also paved the way for renewed attention to federal actions, after years of focusing their battles in states with more powerful allies.

Were living at the apex of a 40-year, state-by-state effort by the anti-choice people, said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, the prominent abortion rights organization. They have been working on this day in and day out. ... We have to be prepared for the fact that theyve got all the pieces in place to do real damage.

Trump makes for an odd savior for abortion opponents, given that in 1999 he described himself in a television interview as very pro-choice despite hating abortion.

As late as 2000 he reiterated that position, but by 2011 was describing himself as opposing abortion except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the woman. He favors the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

But his struggle to find the right balance with this new positioning was demonstrated in an interview last March with MSNBCs Chris Matthews, in which Trump broke with the position usually taken by anti-abortion organizations to say that there has to be some form of punishment for women who receive abortions.

His campaign later issued a statement saying that only doctors who performed abortions should be punished.

Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood worker turned anti-abortion activist, said she hoped Trump would improve his ability to deliver the movements message.

Some people in the movement are probably pretty confident, Johnson said in an interview before the march. Im cautiously optimistic. He certainly needs to learn how to better articulate his message of being pro-life.

I think its fine to have concerns  I certainly have concerns and I think many of us do  and I think we have reasons to be hopeful.

Trumps supporting cast is cited by many as crucial to his credibility.

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, pointed to the key roles played by Pence and counselor Kellyanne Conway.

Pence has been a stalwart, said Mancini, alluding to his strong anti-abortion record while in Congress and later as Indiana governor. Conway, who has been involved in past marches, promised the crowd Friday that Trump would follow through on his promises: We hear you, we see you, we respect you, and we look forward to working with you.

In the past, support at the highest levels has not guaranteed progress as defined by abortion opponents. No recent Republican president  including Ronald Reagan and both George Bushes  was able to curb abortion rights or shift the countrys views on it.

Weve had other pro-life administrations, Mancini said, and they had other priorities along the way.

The renewed focus comes at a notable time. A study released this month showed that in 2014, the last year for which statistics are available, the rate of abortions fell to the lowest level since legalization in 1973  14.6 per every 1,000 women ages 15-44. That was 14% lower than the rate in 2011. In California, abortions fell by 15% over that period, according to the study by the Guttmacher Institute.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion divide give credit for the drop to the expanded availability of contraceptives and the closure of clinics. Cracking down on clinics, pressing legislatures to outlaw abortion earlier in pregnancy and requiring women to fulfill multiple requirements before they obtain the procedure have been hallmarks of the state-by-state strategy of the anti-abortion movement.

While those actions were disruptive, many of them were overturned or stalled by judges. Judicial appointments represent perhaps Trumps most powerful tool in rewarding the anti-abortion community for its support in November.

Scalia died almost a year ago, but Senate Republicans blocked Obamas proposed replacement, hoping to save the choice of nominee for a Republican president. Trumps pick next week will not give anti-abortion justices the majority needed to reverse Roe vs. Wade, but any future slots well could.

We have had for 30 to 40 years the ability to pass pro-life legislation in the states; our problem was that judges would always enjoin the laws, said Tobias of the National Right to Life group. So we do have to look at the Supreme Court as, long term, the longest-lasting effect that can really make a difference.

Any changes by the court will come in defiance of public opinion, which is steadily in favor of abortion rights.

In a Pew Research Center poll published earlier this month, 69% of Americans backed Roe vs. Wade, while only 28% wanted it completely overturned. That marks even broader support than in 1992, when 60% supported it and 34% did not.

The sentiments are extremely partisan. Republican sentiment has stayed stable with just over half saying they support Roe. Democratic support has risen from 66% to 84%.

A Quinnipiac poll released Friday found that Americans oppose the defunding of Planned Parenthood by a 2-1 margin. When reminded taxpayer funds already cannot be used for abortion, even 65% of Republicans opposed cuts to Planned Parenthood. Overall, the poll found, 64% believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

Among the throngs of abortion opponents who marched from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court on Friday, views were decidedly different.

Ann Grimes-Essay traveled to Washington from Pittsburgh, taking a day off from her job as a special education teacher to join the marchers. She attended her first Washington march at the age of 14; on Friday, at 56, she said she was thrilled at the vice presidents appearance and hoped the administration could work with Congress to ban funding for Planned Parenthood.

We should not be paying for a crime, she said of American taxpayers. And murdering children is a crime.

March organizers, meantime, were allowing themselves to hope for changes that none have imagined for years.

Our most lofty goal is a culture where abortion is unthinkable, said Mancini, the March president. The political piece is an important part of it. But the culture is upstream of politics, and the much bigger and more important goal is changing hearts and minds.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

ALSO:

U.S. abortion rate drops to a new low, but theres a fight over why

Trump versus California: The feud turns from rhetorical to real

Huge rallies may signal emerging anti-Trump movement. But sustaining unity could prove difficult

UPDATES:

12:40 p.m.: This article was updated with reaction from the march.

This article was originally published at 7:20 a.m.
President Trump signed an executive order Friday that temporarily halts the nations refugee program and ushers in the most sweeping changes in more than 40 years to how the U.S. welcomes the worlds most vulnerable people.

The order blocks all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days and suspends the acceptance of refugees from war-torn Syria indefinitely.

We want to ensure that we are not letting into our country the very threats that our soldiers are fighting overseas, Trump said after swearing in new Defense Secretary James N. Mattis at the Pentagon.

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Trump also blocked visa applicants entirely from a list of countries that the administration considers of major terrorism concern, including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, until a new extreme vetting procedure for visa applicants can be launched.

The action capped Trumps frenetic first week in the White House, as well as a busy day that included his first meeting with a foreign leader, British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Trump also spoke by phone for about an hour with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, attempting to soothe what has already become a tense relationship. And he swore in Mattis and signed a second directive that instructs the Pentagon to draw up a list of plans to upgrade equipment and improve training.

The U.S. has admitted more than 3.3 million refugees since 1975, including more than 80,000 refugees in the last year. Under Trumps plan, those numbers will plummet to a trickle for the next several months. For the full fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the order sets a cap of 50,000 refugees.

The order provides an exception for religious minorities, a category that could include Christians fleeing largely Muslim countries as well as other groups including Yazidis and Bahais that face persecution in the Mideast.

Trump said in an interview Friday with the Christian Broadcasting Network that the order will help Christians fleeing Syria enter the United States.

The order also expands the ability of local jurisdictions to block the settlement of refugees they object to. During the Obama administration, the federal government stopped efforts by some local officials to block refugee resettlements.

Trumps action, seen as part of his campaign pledge to ban Muslims from entering the country, sparked an international outcry, given the historic role that the U.S. and other industrialized nations have long played in embracing victims of war and oppression. The last major change in U.S. refugee policy came during the Vietnamese resettlement programs of the mid-1970s.

In recent months, Trump has backed away from a blanket ban on Muslims and instead says he will focus on blocking people from countries linked to terrorism.

Democrats, however, say the new order is just a more cleverly worded way of achieving the same goal. And the Council on American-Islamic Relations immediately announced that it would sue.

Make no mistake  this is a Muslim ban, said Sen. Kamala Harris of California. Broad-brush discrimination against refugees and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, most of whom are women and children, runs counter to our national security interests, and will likely be used as a terrorist recruitment tool.

But Trump won backing from some key congressional Republicans, including Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who leads the House Homeland Security Committee.

We are a compassionate nation and a country of immigrants, McCaul said. But as we know, terrorists are dead-set on using our immigration and refugee programs as a Trojan horse to attack us.

The new vetting procedures block admission of individuals who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred or would oppress members of one race, one gender or sexual orientation.

Trump called the vetting procedures totally extreme during an interview with Fox News on Thursday.

Were going to have extreme vetting for people coming into our country, and if we think theres a problem, its not going to be so easy for people to come in anymore, he said.

Im going to be the president of a safe country, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday when asked about the policy. We have enough problems.

In the ABC interview, Trump said Germany and other European countries had made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people.

He said residents of countries left out of the ban  Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia  will nonetheless face what he calls extreme vetting, and dismissed concerns that his actions will inflame tensions in the Muslim world.

The world is as angry as it gets, he said. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger?

Critics called Trumps order a betrayal of long-held American ideals.

Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition of America, welcoming immigrants, that has existed since America was founded has been stomped upon, Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said in a statement.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, whose family fled the communist takeover of then-Czechoslovakia when she was a child, said she had benefited personally from the American tradition of openness.

This order would end that tradition and discriminate against those fleeing a brutal civil war in Syria. It does not represent who we are as a country, she said.

Traditionally, the U.S. has accepted refugees based on their vulnerability and their ties to friends and family in the U.S., said Michelle Brane, a director at the Womens Refugee Commission. Religion and nationality are factors to consider in evaluating the refugee claim, but the program should not exclude a refugee on one of those grounds alone, she said.

Several of those who condemned Trumps order noted that it was signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a reminder that thousands of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany were denied safe harbors in the United States and elsewhere, forcing them back to Nazi-controlled territory, where many were murdered.

Donald Trump is retracting the promise of American freedom to an extent we have not seen from a president since Franklin Roosevelt forced Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II, said Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect in New York City.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Michael A. Memoli contributed to this report.

brian.bennett@latimes.com

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett and @Noahbierman

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Yes, Trump can boost deportations and gut the Dreamer program for young immigrants

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UPDATES:

4:45 p.m.: This article was updated with President Trumps signing of the order on extreme vetting.

This article was originally published at 11:05 a.m.
If President Trump directs military and intelligence officials to begin torturing terrorism suspects and to renew the use of secret overseas sites to hold them, as he is said to be considering, he is all but certain to reignite a drawn-out debate that lawmakers, foreign leaders and human rights advocates had considered put to rest.

Born out of the Bush administrations frenzied search in the months after 9/11 to hunt down its perpetrators, the tactics  which included repeated use of waterboarding and a painful technique called rectal feeding that served no medical purpose  eventually fell out of favor and were ultimately condemned in an exhaustive Senate report as inhumane and ineffective.

Trump campaigned on bringing back waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods, conducted by the CIA, saying that concern about being politically correct was harming the countrys ability to defend itself. The line drew cheers from his supporters but, less noticeably, condemnation from most who were involved with or had closely studied the program.

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Trump has wavered on his support for harsh interrogations, most notably when James N. Mattis, sworn in last week as his secretary of Defense, told him that beer and cigarettes during interrogations produce more useful information.

But draft memos being circulated by Trumps newly formed National Security Council call for national security officials to review what interrogation methods are allowed under the Army Field Manual, the standard that Congress used to outlaw torture in 2015.

Were not playing on an even field, Trump said in an interview this week with ABC News, citing Islamic States beheading of captives on video and its use of other medieval tactics. He said unnamed high-ranking intelligence officials had told him torture works, contradicting the Senate reports conclusions.

The draft order would revoke former President Obamas policy to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and lift Obama-era restrictions on such interrogation methods as beatings, waterboarding, mock executions, forcing detainees to be naked and inducing hypothermia, as well as depriving detainees of food, water or medical care, all used by the CIA.

The order also calls for revamping military commissions for trying terrorism suspects to deliver verdicts more quickly. Some of the suspects in the 9/11 attacks, including self-proclaimed mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, have been held for more than a decade as military court proceedings drag on.

The draft order instructs the attorney general to review a 2012 policy that restricts the military from holding Americans in custody unless they are closely linked to Al Qaeda and have planned or carried out attacks, which could open the door to an expanded role for military detention of terrorism suspects arrested in the U.S. or Americans arrested abroad.

The CIA and the militarys Joint Special Operations Command are expected to play a major role in increasing attacks on Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, a priority for Trump. During his inaugural address, Trump promised to eradicate from the face of the Earth Islamic terrorist groups.

In one telling edit in the draft order, the Bush-era phrase global war on terror was crossed out and replaced with fight against radical Islamism, a phrase that Obama shied away from. Obama administration officials backed off on use of the term radical Islam, as did the Bush administration before it, over concerns that it strained relations with key allies in the Arab world and implied that violence was widespread among the worlds 1.6 billion Muslims.

Career intelligence agents, scarred by what many consider a dark stain on the CIAs history, are reluctant to return to overseeing harsh interrogations, said one intelligence official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Now the CIA relies on other governments and foreign intelligence services to hold terrorism suspects and U.S. officials relay questions they want answered, the official said.

And both Republican and Democratic lawmakers believe torture goes against long-standing American values of treating people humanely and standing as an example to other nations.

Tortures not legal and we agree with it not being legal, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday at a retreat for congressional Republicans in Philadelphia.

The policy, the deep-seated policy in American culture, is not to torture  that is not going to happen, said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. We passed a law that prohibited torture.

Risch said he expected that Trump would listen to his Cabinet and Congress. That advice is coming back pretty much unanimously  this is not the American way, he said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who led the Senate panels review, said Trump should read the full classified report before deciding to green-light similar methods.

Capturing terrorist suspects and torturing them in secret facilities failed. Period, she said in a statement.

Trump also risks straining relations with some of the nations closest allies, such as Britain and France, with which the U.S. has intelligence-sharing agreements but which have vowed not to act on intelligence netted from suspects under duress.

Trump may meet resistance closer to home: Two senior officials in his Cabinet who would be giving orders for handling terrorism suspects, Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, dont support returning to torture or waterboarding.

Pompeo repeatedly told senators at his confirmation hearing that he would not restart the CIAs use of secret prisons and would refuse any orders from the White House to torture suspects.

Trump said he would defer to Pompeo and Mattis.

If they dont wanna do [it], thats fine, he said. If they do wanna do [it], then I will work for that end.

Times staff writers Michael A. Memoli in Washington and Lisa Mascaro in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

ALSO

When Trump says he wants to deport criminals, he means something starkly different than Obama

Yes, Trump can boost deportations and gut the Dreamer program for young immigrants

An outsider takes charge of the Border Patrol  and yes, hell wear the green uniform
Has it really only been a week since Donald Trump took the oath of office?

Weve already had massive protests, a foreign confrontation, a half-dozen major shifts in federal policy and heated confrontations between the White House and the press.

In the language of one of Trumps former professions, we cant yet say if The Trump 45 Show will get a full eight-year run, but theres no worry that the audience will be bored.

Good afternoon, Im David Lauter, Washington bureau chief. Welcome to the Friday edition of our Essential Politics newsletter, in which we look at the events of the week in Washington and elsewhere in national politics and highlight some particularly insightful stories.

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A MONTHS WORTH OF NEWS IN A WEEK

Trump and his aides have done so much in the first week that its hard to keep track: That, of course, is part of the plan. Before voters can truly figure out what they think about one act, the White House is on to the next.

In his first days in office, Trump reimposed a ban on international aid to groups that discuss abortion  a measure first imposed by Ronald Reagan. And he named a new FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, who wants to quickly end the Obama administrations push for so-called net neutrality regulations.

And Trump also once again floated the idea of reviving the use of torture and secret black sites to interrogate terror suspects. As Brian Bennett wrote, U.S. intelligence and defense agencies oppose both of those ideas.

Those were just sidelines, however. The main events involved healthcare, immigration, trade and the environment.

OBAMACARE

For all the head-spinning amount of news, there was a pattern in most of Trumps early moves: They started out with a blare of trumpets that generated big headlines, but when the White House released the actual documents  often hours after Trump signed them on television  the fine print provided lots of wiggle room for the new administration.

The pattern began over the weekend with a directive on the Affordable Care Act, telling the Department of Health and Human Services to reduce the burdens of President Obamas signature healthcare law.

As Noam Levey wrote, explaining the new order, Trumps directive opened the door for his administration to start dismantling Obamacare if it chooses to do so. But the order didnt actually do anything right away, leaving the administration maximum room to maneuver.

Republican members of Congress remain in the dark about what, exactly, Trump wants them to do on healthcare. Many had hoped to ask him about it when he joined Republican lawmakers on a retreat Thursday in Philadelphia. But Trump visited the gathering just long enough for a short speech and took no questions from the members.

Meanwhile, the GOP remains deeply split on one of the most basic issues, Levey wrote later in the week: Do they want to make sure everyone has insurance, or not? In the Senate and among Republican governors, many say yes. But in the House, a large number of conservative lawmakers say no. Until they resolve that split, legislation to replace Obamacare will be hard to pass.

IMMIGRATION

On Monday, Trump started to make his priorities clearer, and deportation of young immigrants appeared to have fallen off the list.

During the campaign, Trump denounced Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has given a shield against deportation to more than 740,000 young immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children. But so far, the Trump administration has taken no steps to end the program and has continued to process new applications.

Trumps decision not to immediately end DACA has drawn fire from some anti-immigration groups and they are pushing him to stick to his campaign pledge. But White House press secretary Sean Spicer has now repeatedly indicated that the administration is in no hurry.

The new president is in much more of a hurry to get started on one of his key campaign pledges  building a wall along the Mexican border. That was the topic on Wednesday, as Trump issued orders to start planning the border wall and to take action against so-called sanctuary cities, as Mike Memoli and Noah Bierman wrote.

But, as Bennett explained, there, too, Trump gave himself lots of room. The order on the wall, for example, did not commit to any particular type of barrier, or any specific amount.

It directed the Department of Homeland Security to come up with a plan for operational control of the Mexican border. That could end up meaning a few dozen miles of new fencing or a few hundred, but most likely not a wall stretching the full 2,000 miles of the border.

Similarly, the sanctuary cities part of the order allows the administration at its discretion to cut off an unspecified range of federal funds from certain cities that willfully refuse to comply with federal immigration law. That could sweep in a lot of localities or very few, depending on how big a confrontation the new president wants.

As Evan Halper and Melanie Mason reported, California and other Democratic states already have begun preparing legal obstacles that could block Trumps efforts to go after sanctuaries. The state is prepared to litigate until the end of time, said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).

Trumps orders do, however, almost certainly mean that the number of deportations will rise. So, too, will the number of immigrants being held in federal detention for crossing the border illegally. The government already spends more than $2 billion a year on detaining immigrants. That price tag could now quadruple, former officials say.

As the week went on, the dispute over the border wall plunged the U.S. and Mexico into a diplomatic crisis, with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapping plans for a White House visit next week. As Kate Linthicum and Tracy Wilkinson wrote, the tension threatens a range of important U.S. interests.

And as Don Lee wrote, Trumps rift with the Mexican president set off worries about future of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which both countries, in theory, would like to renegotiate.

On Thursday, Trump floated one idea for how he could pay for the border wall  a GOP plan that would raise taxes on all imports. Opponents of that idea, who include big retailers, oil refiners and the influential conservative Koch brothers, warn that move could raise prices for consumers.

Whatever else it would mean, its definitely not Mexico paying for the wall.

Later today, Trump is expected to announce a new policy severely restricting the admission of refugees to the U.S.

In the meantime, Del Wilber and Bennett discovered that federal agents are reinvestigating several dozen Syrian refugees living in the U.S. who may have slipped through a crack in the vetting procedures. The refugees had possibly derogatory information in their files that investigators initially missed.

ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND TRADE

Trump has offered mixed messages about how aggressively he plans to reverse Obama administration policies on climate change. But his order reviving the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects sent one unmistakable signal, Halper wrote: Big oil is back.

That doesnt necessarily mean Keystone will get built, though. As Halper noted, oil prices have dropped a lot since the TransCanada Corp. first proposed the pipeline. It may no longer make economic sense. And the economics will be harder to make work because of Trumps insistence that the pipeline be built with American-made steel.

That new requirement on steel was just one of the moves Trump made as he moved quickly to revamp U.S. trade policy.

THE OPPOSITION

Trump hadnt been in office 24 hours before the first huge protests took place  rallies in major cities around the country that brought together at least a couple of million protesters. Those demonstrations could presage an emerging anti-Trump movement, Cathy Decker wrote. But, she noted, sustaining unity could prove difficult.

The question for the future, Mark Barabak wrote, is whether the protests mark a turning point or just a day to let off steam: Where do the protesters go from here, he asked.

Democrats, led by officials in California, have adopted a strongly oppositional strategy to the new administration. In his annual State of the State speech, Gov. Jerry Brown held out California as a model for the country and sharply criticized Trumps policies, John Myers wrote.

The speech was a reminder that Brown loves the limelight, wrote columnist George Skelton.

As Decker noted, Trump returned fire and has targeted California. That was a clear undercurrent of his sanctuary cities order as well as his insistence, against all evidence to the contrary, that 3 million-5 million illegal voters had taken part in Novembers election.

Trumps fixation on non-existent widespread illegal voting, as well as his seeming obsession with the size of the crowd at his inauguration, provided fodder for all sorts of long-distance psychologizing about the presidents insecurities.

It also contributed to an unapologetically aggressive tone taken by the administration in its first days, highlighted by Spicers first briefing as press secretary, which started things off with a bang.

Meanwhile, if youre wondering about the the White Houses alternative facts regarding Trumps inauguration crowd, Bennett took a careful look at Spicers main claims and why theyre wrong.

SUPREME COURT

Trump has said he will announce a nominee to replace late Justice Antonin Scalia next week, most likely Thursday.

Three judges, all men currently sitting on federal appeals courts, appear to be the leading candidates for the job. David Savage has profiled each of them: Judge William H. Pryor, a protege of Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trumps attorney general nominee; Judge Thomas Hardiman, a Philadelphia-based appeals court judge who reportedly has the backing of the presidents sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry; and Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and Byron R. White.

LOGISTICS

If you like this newsletter, tell your friends to sign up.

That wraps up this week. My colleague Sarah Wire will be back Monday with the weekday edition of Essential Politics. Until then, keep track of all the developments in Washington and the Trump administraiton with our Essential Washington blog, at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

David.lauter@latimes.com

@davidlauter
Neil Gorsuch could fall somewhere between his hero, Justice Scalia, and former boss, centrist Justice Kennedy By David Savage Judge Neil M. Gorsuch was resting midway down a Colorado ski slope last year when his cellphone rang with the news that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died. I immediately lost what breath I had left, Gorsuch recalled in an April speech, and I am not embarrassed to admit that I couldnt see the rest of the way down the mountain for the tears. Now, as President Trumps pick to replace Scalia on the high court, Gorsuch is seen by many on the right as a fitting replacement for the iconic jurist that Gorsuch considered a lion of the law. Like Scalia, Gorsuch, 49, who serves on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, is a well-respected conservative who believes judges should decide cases based on the law as it was understood when passed, not on how they think it should be. Hes a clear, impassioned writer, albeit without Scalias flare for biting sarcasm. But Gorsuch also evokes the qualities of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, for whom Gorsuch worked as a law clerk. (If confirmed, Gorsuch would join three justices who previously clerked on the high court, but he would be the first ever to serve alongside the justice he or she worked for.) Like Kennedy, 80, Gorsuch is a Westerner with a polite, congenial manner who at times has won praise from liberals. He may be more conservative than Kennedy when it comes to expanding individual rights, but he seems to lack Scalias fervor for overturning liberal precedents from decades past. Which way Gorsuch skews could be pivotal for the future of the court. Conservatives clearly hope hell be more like Scalia than Kennedy, a centrist swing vote who has often joined liberals on issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Some conservatives have even expressed hope that Gorsuchs personal history with Kennedy might enable him to draw the Reagan-appointee back toward the right. Read More Facebook

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Trump chooses Neil Gorsuch, a conservative seen as likely to be confirmed, for Supreme Court By Michael A. Memoli President Trump nominated federal Judge Neil M. Gorsuch on Tuesday to the Supreme Court to fill the seat of the late Antonin Scalia, choosing from his short list an appeals court judge from Denver seen as most likely to win Senate confirmation. Because Scalia was a stalwart conservative, Trumps choice is not likely to change the balance of the court. But it does set the stage for a bruising partisan fight over a man who could help determine law on gun rights, immigration, police use of force and transgender rights. Read More Facebook

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Trump administration is radicalizing Democratic voters, creating a challenge for the party, Rep. Adam Schiff says By Sarah D. Wire (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) As protests spread over policy announcements from the Trump administration, Democrats must work to encourage participation in politics, but face a danger of the party becoming too radicalized, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said Tuesday. The radical nature of this government is radicalizing Democrats, and thats going to pose a real challenge to the Democratic Party, which is to draw on the energy and the activism and the passion that is out there, but not let it turn us into what we despised about the tea party, Schiff said. During a meeting with reporters and editors in the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau, Schiff also discussed his role as the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Select Intelligence Committee under a Trump administration and how Democrats will manage in the minority. Ever since the election, party leaders have been debating: Did we lose because we were too far to the left and we had too small a tent, or did we lose because we are too mainstream and didnt energize the base? Schiff asked. We are obviously having that debate, but theres a whole new element, which is the reaction to the Trump administration that makes this different in kind, certainly different in intensity, than I think weve ever seen after an election, he said. The more radical the administration is, the more radicalized our base becomes, which just feeds the Breitbart crowd, and who knows where that ends. Democratic leaders have to channel public reaction to Trumps actions into progress, rather than deadlock, Schiff said. Reaction to Democrats seen as working with the Trump administration has been strong. Monday night, for example, protesters marched on Sen. Dianne Feinsteins home and office voicing fears she would back Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general. The senator from California announced Tuesday that she would oppose Sessions. Several groups calling themselves indivisible have popped up in cities across the country as focal points for efforts to organize. We have two of the most capable strategists as the head of our House and Senate Democrats, Schiff added, referring to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Senate Democratic leader Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York. If anybody can grapple with this, they can, but its going to be a challenging and moving target day to day. I just hope that we can channel that energy in a way where we can provide a check on this administration because Ive never been more worried about the countrys future than I am right now, he said. Schiff said part of his role as the ranking Democrat on the House Select Intelligence Committee will be pushing back when the Trump administration puts out inaccurate information about the intelligence community and its findings. Trump has repeatedly dismissed or sought to minimize the intelligence communitys findings that Russia sought to intervene in the 2016 election to benefit him. Schiff said hes concerned about what else the administration might be willing to dismiss. I think that will be kind of a new frontier, he said. How do we contradict a president making representations about what the intelligence community has to say when the information is classified? Facebook

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Trump administration signals that some temporary bans on entry into the U.S. could become permanent By Brian Bennett  Trumps orders put a greater emphasis on deporting those convicted of crimes and those in the country illegally who were charged with crimes not yet adjudicated The Trump administration doubled down Tuesday on its commitment to transforming the nations border law enforcement, signaling that some of the temporary bans on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries are likely to be made permanent and elevating a deportations official to run the top immigration enforcement agency. Administration officials, led by newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, moved to allay the havoc that marked the roll-out of the ban and another on refugees. They briefed reporters and planned to head to Capitol Hill later today in an apparent effort to smooth relations after reports that lawmakers and other stakeholders were left out of the crafting of the executive order on toughened vetting at border entry points. In a news conference, Kelly and other top Homeland Security officials conceded some problems, including poor communication. But they insisted that all court orders were followed over the weekend, rebutted reports that some legal residents were denied access to attorneys at airports and said they everyone detained by border agents was treated with dignity and respect. The vast majority of the 1.7 billion Muslims that live on this planet, the vast majority of them have, all other things being equal, have access to the United States, Kelly told reporters. And a relatively small number right now are being held up for a period of time until we can take a look at what their procedures are, he said, seeming to acknowledge that mostly Muslims have been affected by the ban. The moves signaled that the White House remained committed to remaking border law enforcement even in the face of widespread confusion and condemnation of President Trumps order. Kelly said for the first time that the some of the restrictions that caused confusion and sparked protests over the weekend could be extended well into the future. Some of those countries that are currently on the list may not be taken off the list anytime soon, he said. Trump also named a longtime deportation officer, Thomas D. Homan, as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homan, who will oversee the execution of Trumps immigration enforcement order, was most recently in charge of the agencys 5,000 deportation officers, a force Trump said he would triple to 15,000. Trumps orders put a greater emphasis on deporting not only those convicted of crimes, but also people in the country illegally who were charged with crimes not yet adjudicated, those who receive an improper welfare benefit and even those who have not been charged but are believed to have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense. Facebook

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White House tries to ban the word ban, hours after president uses it himself By Noah Bierman This is not a ban, spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters in a fiery news briefing. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) President Trump used the word ban in a tweet as recently as Monday to describe his new executive order suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries and halting the refugee program for several months. But facing backlash from many directions, the White House adamantly insisted Tuesday that the word is verboten. This is not a ban, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters in a fiery news briefing. When we use words like travel ban, he said later, that misrepresents what it is. Its seven countries previously identified by the Obama administration, where, frankly, we dont get the information that we need for people coming into this country. In fact, people from the seven banned countries  Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya  cannot enter the United States under the order. Spicer appeared to be making a renewed effort to distinguish the order from the all-out ban on Muslims entering the country that Trump proposed during the campaign. Many around the world see the newest policy as an outgrowth of that proposal. Trump himself conceded a religious connection when he said in an interview on Friday that he wanted to make it easier for Syrian Christians to enter the country. And former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Fox News that the order sprang from a group he formed at Trumps request to create a legal framework that would accomplish the campaign goal of a Muslim ban. But amid confusion and worldwide criticism in recent days, the Trump administration has tried to temper some of the more incendiary rhetoric around the proposal. Even the words extreme vetting, a favorite Trump slogan, were called into question by Spicer on Tuesday. Calling for tougher vetting [of] individual travelers from seven nations is not extreme, he said. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country. But changing the ban branding around the program at this point will be difficult. Heres Trumps tweet from Monday: If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the "bad" would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad "dudes" out there!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 And Spicer himself used the term ban as recently as Sunday: Sean Spiceer today: This is not a Muslim ban. It is not a travel ban.



Sean Spicer in White House press release, Jan. 29: pic.twitter.com/axTM1m66nM  Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) January 31, 2017 Facebook

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Senate confirms Elaine Chao as secretary of Transportation By Associated Press Elaine Chao testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Jan. 11, 2017. (Zach Gibson / AP) The Senate has confirmed Elaine Chao to serve as Transportation secretary in the Trump administration. The vote was 93 to 6 on Tuesday. Chao is an experienced Washington hand. She was Labor secretary under President George W. Bush and is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Chao would be a lead actor in pursuing Trumps promise to invest $1 trillion to improve highways, rail service and other infrastructure projects. Facebook

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Speaker Paul Ryan defends Trumps immigrant and refugee ban, as Congress grumbles about being left out By Lisa Mascaro "What is happening is something we support... we need to make sure that the vetting standards are up to snuff," Paul Ryan says of travel ban pic.twitter.com/iX6YkOLkLl  CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2017 House Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Tuesday stood by President Trumps temporary ban on refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations and indicated that he was confident the administration could fix the confusing rollout without action from Congress. What is happening is something we support, said Ryan, whose office was the target of a sit-in by protesters opposed to Trumps order. We need to pause and we need to make sure that the vetting standards are up to snuff so we can guarantee the safety and security of our country. Congress was blindsided by Trumps executive action -- Ryan learned about it as the public did when the White House announced it Friday afternoon. Many GOP lawmakers have raised concerns. During a private meeting in the Capitol basement Tuesday, Republican lawmakers were counseled on how to handle protesters and office sit-ins happening across the country. Its regrettable that there was some confusion on the rollout of this, Ryan said. No one wanted to see people with green cards or special immigrant visas, like translators, get caught up in all of this. Ryan also said he was concerned the ban could be used as propaganda by terrorist groups. The rhetoric surrounding this could be used as a recruiting tool, and I think thats dangerous, he said. Still, Republicans leaders as well as rank-and-file GOP lawmakers largely agreed with the presidents move to halt refugee admissions for 120 days, and to temporarily ban citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, unless they are Christians or other religious minorities. The president was well within his right to issue an executive order, said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), chairman of the House Rules Committee. Do I feel let out? I feel like everybody was left out, he said. I wish they communicated it. I wish they had gotten more information to people. I wish they had measured three times and sawed once. Lawmakers have shown little appetite for Congress to get involved, and suggested the chaos that erupted at airports over the weekend was just part of a learning curve at the White House. I support the thrust of the executive order, said Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), who nevertheless said the administration should have been better prepared and will need to get your act together. Last year, Ryan had strongly condemned Trumps campaign-trail call for a Muslim ban. In recent days, Ryan, like other congressional leaders, was forced to dial up the administration with his questions and concerns about the order, conferring Monday with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. I am very pleased and confident that he is, on a going-forward basis, going to make sure that things are done correctly, Ryan said. Pressed on whether Congress would have a role, Ryan did not indicate any immediate legislative action. Facebook

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Democrats boycott Senate committee votes on Price, Mnuchin By Jim Puzzanghera Senate Democrats speak with reporters after boycotting Finance Committee confirmation votes. (JIM WATSON / AFP/Getty Images) Senate Democrats on Tuesday boycotted a committee vote on two of President Trumps top Cabinet nominees -- Tom Price to lead Health and Human Services and Steve Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary. Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) blasted the Democratic move as he sat in a hearing room with only Republicans on the dais. They ought to be embarrassed. Its the most pathetic treatment Ive seen in my 40 years in the United States Senate, Hatch said. I think they should stop posturing and acting like idiots, he said. At least one Democrat needs to be present for the committee to vote on the nominations, Hatch said. He recessed the hearing until further notice, saying he hoped a vote could take place later Tuesday. But asked mid-afternoon if he thought the committee would be able to meet Tuesday, Hatch said it doesnt look like it. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the committees top Democrat, said Price and Mnuchin have misled the public and held back important information about their backgrounds. Until questions are answered, Democrats believe the committee should not move forward with either nomination, Wyden said. This is about getting answers to questions, plain and simple, he said. Ethics laws are not optional, and nominees do not have a right to treat disclosure like a shell game. Today @SenateFinance Democrats refused to move forward with nominations of Mnuchin & Price.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) January 31, 2017 The litany of ethics revelations regarding @RepTomPrice are strong evidence that he cannot be allowed to have control of #Medicare.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) January 31, 2017 Mr. Mnuchin continued to fail to come clean on shady foreclosure practices that hurt Americans.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) January 31, 2017 Liberal groups cheered the boycott while Senate Republican leaders decried it as Democratic obstructionism. They are manufacturing issues on a daily basis to drag this process out, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) said of the confirmations of Trumps nominees. I dont see how they can explain to the American people how it is appropriate to prevent the administration from getting up and getting started, he said. Democrats have said Mnuchin, a wealthy Wall Street executive, misled the committee in his response to a written question about foreclosures at Pasadenas OneWest Bank while he ran it from 2009-15. Democrats pointed to a report Sunday by the Columbus Dispatch that Mnuchin denied that OneWest engaged in so-called robo-signing of mortgage documents. The paper said its analysis of nearly four dozen foreclosure cases in Ohios Franklin County in 2010 showed that the bank frequently used robo-signers. The Columbus Dispatch cited a foreclosure involving a mortgage signed by Erica Johnson-Seck, a OneWest vice president who said in a deposition in a 2009 Florida case that she signed an average of 750 documents a week. Barney Keller, a spokesman for Mnuchin, said Monday that several courts had dismissed cases involving allegations of robo-signing by Johnson-Seck. The media is picking on a hardworking bank employee whose reputation has been maligned but whose work has been upheld by numerous courts all around the country in the face of scurrilous and false allegations, Keller said. Democrats also have problems with Price, a six-term congressman and former orthopedic surgeon who has distinguished himself in conservative circles for his staunch opposition to the Affordable Care Act and his plans to slash federal healthcare spending. His nomination has become among Trumps most controversial, in part because of his hostility to government safety net programs, including Medicaid and Medicare. Democrats have also been increasingly critical of Prices extensive trading in healthcare stocks while he has been in Congress, and in some cases while he has pushed legislation that would benefit his portfolio. Price has denied any wrongdoing. Also drawing criticism is Prices purchase of discounted shares in an Australian biotech firm, Innate Immunotherapeutics, which he was offered through a private deal not available to general shareholders. Price also denied that this was improper, and Senate Republicans have rallied to his side, saying he did not violate any ethics rules. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said he and the other Democrats on the committee want Mnuchin and Price to explain their lies either in person before the committee or in new written answers. I want them to disclose this information that they seem not to want to disclose, Brown said. 12:10 p.m.: This post was updated with additional comments from Hatch as well as from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Sherrod Brown. 8:00 a.m.: This post has been updated with additional information and background. 8:07 a.m.: This post has been updated with additional information. Facebook

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White House aides who wrote Trumps travel ban see it as just the start By Brian Bennett (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Even as confusion, internal dissent and widespread condemnation greeted President Trumps travel ban and crackdown on refugees this weekend, senior White House aides say they are only getting started. Trump and his aides justified Fridays executive order, which blocked travel from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days and halted refugees from around the world for 120, on security grounds  an issue that they say they take seriously. But their ultimate goal is far broader. Trumps top advisors on immigration, including chief strategist Steve Bannon and senior advisor Stephen Miller, see themselves as launching a radical experiment to fundamentally transform how the U.S. decides who is allowed into the country and to block a generation of people who, in their view, wont assimilate into American society. That project may live or die in the next three months, as the Trump administration reviews whether and how to expand the visa ban and alter vetting procedures. White House aides are considering new, onerous security checks that could effectively limit travel into the U.S. by people from majority-Muslim countries to a trickle. Read More Facebook

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Why corporations cant risk keeping silent about Trumps immigration ban By David Pierson Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said the Seattle coffee company is developing plans to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. (Richard Drew / Associated Press) Corporate America generally prefers to stay quiet about partisan politics. Pick one side of a hot-button issue, the thinking goes, and youll risk losing customers on the other side. But like so many norms before it, President Trump has turned this one on its head. A growing number of companies are deciding its a bigger risk to their investors and bottom line to stay quiet than it is to protest Trumps ban on refugees and travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, betting vocal opposition to the executive order scores them a moral and fiscal victory. While it was possible for companies to take a wait-and-see approach leading up to Trumps inauguration, many firms can no longer ignore the White Houses policy given the effect the order is already having on employees either stranded or fearful of traveling. Only a week ago it seemed foolish to speak out against a president who has admonished individual companies on social media such as Carrier, Boeing and General Motors. Now the pendulum has swung the other way. Companies, mostly in technology but increasingly in other sectors, have decided that its not enough just to speak out against the immigration order. They believe that they must also take headline-grabbing action. Read More Facebook

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Op-Ed: Trump is taking the Bannon Way, and it will end in disaster By Jonah Goldberg Bannon has said hes a Leninist' but hes really more of a Trotskyist because he fancies himself the leader of an international populist-nationalist right wing movement, exporting anti-'globalist' revolution. In that role, his status as an enabler of Trumps instinct to shoot  or tweet  from the hip seems especially ominous. The Bannon way might work on the campaign trail, but it doesnt translate into good governance. Its possible  and one must hope  that Trump can learn this fact on the job. But what if he doesnt? He could put the country in serious peril.  Jonah Goldberg Read More Facebook

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Trump will leave LGBTQ protections in place By Associated Press (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) The White House says President Trump will leave intact a 2014 executive order that protects federal workers from anti-LGBTQ discrimination. In a statement released early Tuesday, the White House said Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community and that he continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election. The Trump administration has vowed to roll back much of President Obamas work from the last eight years and had been scrutinizing the 2014 order. The directive protects people from LGBTQ discrimination while working for federal contractors. The recent statement says the protections will remain intact at the direction of Trump. Here is the text of Obamas executive order, signed on July 21, 2014: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including 40 U.S.C. 121, and in order to provide for a uniform policy for the Federal Government to prohibit discrimination and take further steps to promote economy and efficiency in Federal Government procurement by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Amending Executive Order 11478 . The first sentence of section 1 of Executive Order 11478 of August 8, 1969, as amended, is revised by substituting sexual orientation, gender identity for sexual orientation. Sec. 2. Amending Executive Order 11246 . Executive Order 11246 of September 24, 1965, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows: (a) The first sentence of numbered paragraph (1) of section 202 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex, or national origin. (b) The second sentence of numbered paragraph (1) of section 202 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex or national origin. (c) Numbered paragraph (2) of section 202 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex or national origin. (d) Paragraph (d) of section 203 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex or national origin. Sec. 3. Regulations . Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Labor shall prepare regulations to implement the requirements of section 2 of this order. Sec. 4. General Provisions . (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an agency or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. Sec. 5. Effective Date . This order shall become effective immediately, and section 2 of this order shall apply to contracts entered into on or after the effective date of the rules promulgated by the Department of Labor under section 3 of this order. Update 6:45 a.m.: This article was updated with the text of the 2014 executive order. Facebook

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Trump fires Justice Departments top official after she refuses to defend his refugee ban By David Lauter Sally Yates. (J. David Ake / Associated Press) President Trump fired acting Atty. Gen. Sally Yates on Monday, just hours after she announced that the department would not defend his controversial executive order banning refugees and travelers from certain countries. Yates has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States, the White House said in a statement. It is time to get serious about protecting our country. The move came after Yates sent a letter to Justice Department lawyers saying that she questioned the lawfulness of Trumps executive order. My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts, Yates wrote. At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities, nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful, she wrote. Consequently, for as long as I am the acting attorney general, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of the executive order unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so. Yates was a holdover from the Obama administration. But because Trumps nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, has not been confirmed and no other senior Justice Department officials have been appointed, firing her was expected to cause significant problems within the department. Among other issues, Yates is the only person in the department currently authorized to sign warrants for wiretapping in foreign espionage cases involving the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Trump replaced Yates with Dana J. Boente, a three-decade veteran of the Justice Department who was appointed in 2015 by former President Obama as U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. 6:37 p.m.: The story was updated with Trumps decision to fire Yates. Read More Facebook

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U.S. service member killed in Yemen identified as Navy SEAL from Illinois By Jeanette Steele The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed the death of a U.S. servicemember in a raid in Yemen targeting al-Qaeda, marking the first American combat death under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. A Navy SEAL from the Virginia-based elite unit known as SEAL Team 6 was killed Sunday during an unusual nighttime raid that put U.S. troops on the ground against Al Qaeda leaders in the middle of war-torn Yemen. The fallen sailor was identified Monday as Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens, 36, of Peoria, Ill.. Three other Americans were wounded in the raid and an MV-22 Osprey had to be destroyed after the aircraft suffered a hard landing and couldnt fly. Another U.S. service member was injured in that crash. The raid marked the first known counter-terrorism operation and first confirmed combat fatality under President Trump. Steele writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Facebook

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Protests against Trumps ban on certain immigrants continue across the country By Ann M. Simmons Protesters rally at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 29, demonstrating against the immigration ban imposed by President Trump. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) After a weekend of turmoil at many of the nations airports following President Trumps executive order to suspend the U.S. refugee program and temporarily prohibit entry to citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations, federal officials said all people being detained on arrival to the U.S. had been released. But that hasnt put a stop to demands to lift the travel ban. Protests continued to be held and organized throughout the country  incluidng in New York, New Orleans, Colorado and Connecticut. According to Ground Game, an online platform for organizing, at least a dozen demonstrations were planned for this week in what the group described as a fight against Islamophobia and Fascism. Calls to rally, demonstrate and protest swept social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. In Louisville, Ky., a rally was planned for Monday evening at the Muhammad Ali Center, in what organizers said would be a gathering for American values and to voice support for our nation and our city, which was founded and is strengthened by immigrants. In Hattiesburg, Miss., there was call to join a peaceful vigil in solidarity with refugees, immigrants, and Muslims on the University of Southern Mississippi campus on Monday evening. Declaring that Jersey City stands with our Muslim and immigrant community, organizers in that New Jersey city called on people to come to a pedestrian mall on Monday to stand in solidarity and peace as we show our strength in diversity as one of the most diverse cities in the nation. Other demonstrations were planned for later in the week in cities nationwide, including Tuesday in Tuscon, where organizers encouraged people to stand in solidarity with Senator (John) McCains strong public statement opposing the executive order banning refugees and Legal Permanent Residents from Muslim countries! Similar actions were planned on Tuesday at the South Carolina State House in Columbia and at the Worchester City Hall and Common in Massachusetts, while organizers in San Francisco, under the banner #NoBanNoWallSF, urged residents to join the resistance against Donald Trumps racist and exclusionary Executive Orders on Saturday. We will not allow our country to be divided by hate and religious persecution, read a statement from #NoBanNoWallSF posted on Facebook. Facebook

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Obama carefully weighs in on refugee ban, says he is heartened by public response By Michael A. Memoli (Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images) Former President Obama has offered his first public comment on the conduct of his successor, saying through a spokesman that he is heartened by public demonstrations against the Trump administrations controversial move to temporarily ban refugees and block all admissions from seven countries. President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country, Kevin Lewis, a spokesperson for the former president, said in a statement emailed to reporters Monday. In his final official speech as President, he spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy--not just during an election but every day. Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake. Lewis also said in the statement that Obama fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion. Trump aides deny that his executive order, released Friday, involves religious discrimination. The order temporarily blocked travel to the U.S. by residents of seven predominantly Muslim nations, but left many of the Islamic worlds largest population centers unaffected, they note. The order also included an exception for believers of minority religions in those countries, a provision that Trump explicitly said would help Christians. Obamas statement is notable less for its content than for the fact that it was issued at all. It reflected the delicate balance he feels he must strike between showing a degree of deference to the new president and speaking out on issues he sees as critically important. The statement tiptoed around the content of the order, focusing more on the former presidents interest in citizen engagement. Obama said before leaving office that he expected to choose carefully when to comment on the actions of his successor and would focus less on normal functioning of politics and more on certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake, as he put it in his final news conference. Mondays statement did point, though, to comments Obama made at a news conference in November 2015, when he called the idea of a religious test for immigration policy shameful and not American. We dont have religious tests to our compassion, he said at the time. Facebook

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GOP-led Congress worries about its role in the Trump era By Lisa Mascaro Its what congressional Republicans had long dreamed about: a majority in both chambers to advance conservative policies and a president from the same party to sign them into law. But the Trump White House isnt turning out exactly the way they envisioned. The GOP establishment is experiencing whiplash after a week of President Trump bulldozing through the norms of policy and protocol  dashing off executive orders without warning, escalating a diplomatic crisis with the countrys closest southern neighbor, triggering global confusion with a new refugee policy and generally hijacking party leaders agenda and replacing it with his own. Rather than the hoped-for collaborative new relationship between the White House and Congress, GOP officials complain that Trump is brushing aside their advice, failing to fully engage on drafting tough legislative packages like tax reform and Obamacare, and bypassing Congress by relying on executive actions, something they frequently complained about under President Obama. At the same time, Trumps unilateral moves continue to blindside Republicans and direct the national focus toward topics many in the party would rather avoid, whether thats how to pay for building the border wall with Mexico, warming ties with Russia, investigating false claims about voter fraud or, most recently, implementing sweeping new policies on refugees and visas. In the name of party unity, many Republicans so far have refrained from publicly attacking the new president. But for some, the new refugee policy crossed the line, signaling the first major rift in their already fraught partnership. Read More Facebook

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Washington state sues Trump over immigration order By Mark Z. Barabak President Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends all immigration for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) Opening a new legal front, lawyers for the state of Washington filed suit Monday seeking to block President Trumps executive order temporarily banning foreign refugees from entering the United States. No one is above the law, not even the president, Atty. Gen. Bob Ferguson said in announcing the federal lawsuit. And in the courtroom, it is not the loudest voice that prevails. Its the Constitution. Over the weekend, a federal judge in Brooklyn issued an order curtailing portions of Trumps executive order, issued Friday, which temporary halts migration from seven predominantly Muslim countries for at least 90 days and also closed the nation to refugees for at least the next four months. Other challenges are pending. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Seattle was the first taken by a state attorney general, and its provenance was no surprise. Washington state and others along the West Coast voted overwhelmingly for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November and have emerged as a hotbed of anti-Trump sentiment. We will not yield, said Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who joined Ferguson at a Seattle news conference. We will not be leveraged. We will not be threatened. We will not be intimidated. We will not be bullied by this. Trumps order, which has sparked demonstrations across the country, brought an outpouring of objection from Insleys Democratic colleagues around the country. President Trumps recent executive orders that divide and discriminate do not reflect the values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution or the principles we stand for as Oregonians, said Gov. Kate Brown. A single executive order does not define who we are as a country, said Connecticut Gov. Daniel P. Malloy. We are a nation of immigrants and must continue to fight for the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to breath free. In Massachusetts, another state that voted overwhelmingly for Clinton, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker joined the chorus of Democratic criticism, saying the travel ban would undermine the international relations forged by the states business, academic and healthcare communities. The confusion for families is real. The unexpected disruption for law-abiding people is real, Baker said. Thankfully, the federal courts will have an opportunity to straighten this out and it is my hope they do so, and do so quickly. Facebook

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How a top conservative radio host took on Trump, lost his audience and faith, but gained a new perspective By Mark Z. Barabak Charlie Sykes, right, interviews Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) before Wisconsins 2016 primary (Morry Gash/Associated Press) For nearly 25 years, Charlie Sykes was one of the most powerful and influential voices in Wisconsin. He cheer-led policies that turned this historically progressive state into a model of conservative governance. He made and destroyed political careers, using his perch on Milwaukee talk radio to help vault figures such as House Speaker Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker to national prominence. But for the moment Sykes was speechless. He sank into the brown leather banquette of a suburban steakhouse. He stammered. He sighed. When youve devoted your whole life to certain beliefs and you think now they have been undermined and that you might have been deluded about things, he began. So. So. Um... In 2016 Sykes emerged as one of Donald Trumps most prominent critics, a stance that outraged listeners, strained longstanding friendships and left him questioning much of what he once held true. Read More Facebook

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Pentagon compiling a list of Iraqis who aided the U.S. military and wants them shielded from Trumps travel ban By W.J. Hennigan The Pentagon is compiling a list of Iraqi citizens who have worked with the U.S. military and is recommending that they be exempt from President Trumps temporary ban on entry to the U.S. by people from Iraq and six other predominantly Muslim countries, according to the U.S. military. The move could potentially shield tens of thousands of Iraqi interpreters, advisors, and others who have assisted the American military from the presidents controversial executive action that blocked visitors from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Monday that the list will include names of individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to helping the United States. Even people that are doing seemingly benign things in support of us  whether as a linguist, a driver, anything else  they often do that at great personal risk, he said. So people who take these risks are really making a tangible signal of support to the United States, and thats something that will, and should be, recognized. The list would not require any changes to the presidents order, but rather serve as guidance to the Department of Homeland Security and the White House in implementing the new policy. White House spokesman Sean Spicer later pushed back against blanket exemptions. We recognize that people have served this country, we should make sure that in those cases theyre helped out, he said. But that doesnt mean that we just give them a pass. Trump, who signed the order at the Pentagon on Friday, did not consult Defense Secretary James N. Mattis or Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the temporary suspensions of entry to visitors from the seven nations, according to U.S. officials. The executive action put the U.S. military in a difficult position because it works closely with the Iraqi government on a range of issues, including the fight against Islamic State, which necessitates travel between the two countries. For instance, Iraqi military pilots train to fly F-16 fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Its not clear those pilots, who are active in the fight against Islamic State, could arrive in the U.S. for the training. 1:10 p.m.: This post was updated with White House response. Facebook

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Trump signs order on rulemaking: For every regulation added, agencies have to cut 2 others By Noah Bierman (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump signed an executive order Monday designed to fulfill his campaign pledge reduce red tape for businesses. The two-page order requires that when a federal agency proposes new regulations, it shall identify at least two existing regulations to be repealed. We want to make the life easier for small businesses and big business, Trump said Monday from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, where he met with nine representatives of the small-business sector. Trump said he hoped to see up to 75% of federal regulations eliminated during his presidency. Regulation has been horrible for big business, but its been worse for small business, Trump said. He also reiterated his promise to gut the Dodd-Frank Act, the financial regulatory overhaul that was passed after the financial crisis. Dodd-Frank is a disaster, he said. Were going to be doing a big number on Dodd-Frank. Consumer advocates who backed the law say that eliminating it would help Wall Street and other players in the financial sector at the expense of consumers. Facebook

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U.S. diplomats to protest Trumps travel ban order By Tracy Wilkinson Protesters of President Trumps immigration order block traffic at LAX. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) A number of U.S. diplomats are condemning President Trumps ban on some Muslim immigrants and visitors, saying the abrupt order does not make the U.S. safer and will only stoke anti-American fervor overseas. The complaint, being made through the State Departments so-called dissent channel, echoes criticism coming from human rights attorneys, legal experts and lawmakers from both political parties, as well as world leaders. It is significant because it represents the viewpoint of the men and women who must carry out Trumps unconventional and often provocative foreign policy. A policy which closes our doors to over 200-million legitimate travelers in the hopes of preventing a small number of travelers who intend to harm Americans ... will not achieve its aim of making our country safer, said a draft version of the memo that was circulating Monday and was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. It was first reported by ABC News. Moreover, such a policy runs counter to core American values of non-discrimination, fair play and extending a warm welcome to foreign visitors and immigrants. The White House was quickly dismissive of the dissent and seemed to suggest the diplomats should quit if they disagree with a policy. Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said the diplomats raising of opposition does call into question whether or not they should continue to work in the State Department. It was not clear how many officials would sign the memo. Dissent channel memos are in theory not made public. The mechanism is designed to allow diplomats to offer an alternative policy without fear of retaliation. Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner confirmed the existence of the memo but declined to comment on its contents. The dissent channel is a longstanding official vehicle for State Department employees to convey alternative views and perspectives on policy issues, he said. "... It allows State employees to express divergent policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership. The agency is still waiting for a boss. Trumps pick for secretary of State, former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate this week. The last time a dissent-channel memo was reported publicly was last year, when about 50 diplomats protested Obama administration policy in Syria, which they described as inaction. 12:20 p.m.: This story was updated with White House comment. 8:40 a.m.: This story was updated with comment from a State Department spokesman. Facebook

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Trump to announce his Supreme Court choice Tuesday -- in prime time By Michael A. Memoli (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump will announce his first Supreme Court nomination in prime time on Tuesday, he tweeted this morning. I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. (W.H.)  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 The announcement was moved up two days amid the continued fallout from the executive action Trump signed temporarily banning refugee admissions from some countries. Trump had tweeted last week that he would announce his high-court decision Thursday. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Friday, Trump said his administration was doing some final vetting of his choice to replace the late Antonin Scalia, and that the pick would be from among the list of 20 names he issued during the election campaign. I think the person I pick will be big, big, he said. I think people are going to love it. I think evangelicals, Christians will love my pick. And will be represented very fairly. Times Supreme Court reporter David Savage profiled each of the leading contenders: Judge Thomas Hardiman of the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge William H. Pryor Jr. from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The move could prompt a major clash with Senate Democrats, who have warned the president against a choice outside what they consider the mainstream. Some are threatening to block any choice in retaliation for Senate Republicans refusal to even hold hearings on President Obamas choice to replace Scalia, Merrick Garland. Democrats 2013 change to Senate rules that allowed most nominations to advance with a simple majority vote exempted Supreme Court nominations, meaning that Democrats could potentially filibuster the choice. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to rule out any further rule change in an interview last week, though Trump urged him to consider doing so. Facebook

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As Hollywood gathered at the SAG Awards, some entertainers joined LAX protest Facebook

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This New York doctor went to visit family in Sudan, and now hes stuck By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Dr. Kamal Fadlalla (Dr. Kamal Fadlalla / For The Times) Dr. Kamal Fadlalla, a hospital resident who has been working in New York for the last 20 months, was stuck in Sudan on Sunday, having gone there to see his family earlier this month. He had left Jan. 13, was due to return Feb. 4 but tried to return on Friday after hearing about President Trumps executive order on immigration, which suspended entry for people from seven countries, including Sudan. He made it past passport control, all the way to the gate at the airport in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. One hour before departure they called my name, he said, and summoned him to the ticket counter, along with other New York-bound Sudanese passengers. When I got to the counter, they said there was a notice from Customs and Border Protection that ... they had to offload us from the flight. I was shocked. Fadlalla, 33, hoped for a reprieve as other passengers gathered, all stuck. One family, they came back from Dubai, she was a mother of three or four kids. She was waiting overnight at the Dubai airport. There were also two passengers turned back from New York, he said. It was a very tough night on me, He stayed for several hours, then returned to his mothers home in Madani, two hours south. Fadlalla is a second-year resident in internal medicine at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn. He is hoping to specialize in hematology and oncology. The Committee for Interns and Residents found an attorney to represent him, he said, but he had not received any news about how a New York federal judges ruling late Saturday, which halted the deportations of people who had arrived in the U.S. with valid visas, could affect him. I dont know what Im going to do. My vacation is going to end and I have to join the hospital next week. Its going to be tough on me, Fadlalla said. I dont know for how long Im going to stay here. I dont know what Im going to do. My visa is valid for three months. Im really stuck. I have my house there, my utilities, my work, my patients, my colleagues. It was my life for the past 20 months. And Im stuck here. Fadlalla is from northern Sudan, and describes himself as a moderate Muslim. He said the executive order wont make the U.S. safer by barring valid visa holders like him because, Ive been through the whole process of visa interviews. He had planned to take board exams next year, and if he misses them, his schooling will be delayed. He had wanted to stay and work in New York, too. All my life is there. Now Im stuck here. I dont know what to do, he said. Its going to really affect my life, my patients, my colleagues and their work schedule. He said the executive order has shocked others in Sudan, too. Theyre talking about human rights. Everybody knows the United States is about freedom, he said. Everybody knows America is a free country, a country of chances for everybody. Still, people have hope in those protesting at airports all over the United States and attorneys who have volunteered to help immigrants and refugees, he said. He said the order is especially worrying for aspiring Sudanese medical residents who have been preparing to match with a hospital in March to study in the United States. A lot of my colleagues who are preparing for exams are really, really worried about this, Fadlalla said. Im really worried about the future of these young people. They study a lot and spend a lot of money, a lot of effort to enter the United States. Im concerned about my future and my colleagues future. Facebook

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Californias congressional Republicans hold their fire on Trumps refugee order By Sarah D. Wire Only a few of the states 14 Republican representatives have publicly commented on an executive order signed by President Trump on Friday that barred refugees and green card holders from seven countries from entering the country. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) released a statement Sunday night saying that some tweaks are needed, but that his background as chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee leads him to support the executive order. In light of attempts by jihadist groups to infiltrate fighters into refugee flows to the West, along with Europes tragic experience coping with this problem, the Trump administrations executive order on refugees is a common-sense security measure to prevent terror attacks on the homeland, Nunes said. While accommodations should be made for green card holders and those whove assisted the U.S. armed forces, this is a useful temporary measure on seven nations of concern until we can verify who is entering the United States. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) told the Washington Post that the executive order is the right call to keep America safe, but he hopes the cases of people traveling on visas who were prevented from reentering the country are resolved quickly. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said Sunday on Twitter that the rollout has created confusion, and that executive orders arent the way to fix the countrys long-term problems. View Twitter post View Twitter post Several of Californias 38 Democratic congressional representatives and the states two senators were out in force over the weekend demanding the release of refugees and green card holders as well as an end to the executive order. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced she would file two pieces of legislation in response. One would immediately rescind the presidents order. The second would limit executive authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to prevent a president from unilaterally banning groups of immigrants. Its clear that the president gave little consideration to the chaos and heartbreak that would result from this order, she said in a statement. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) joined protesters outside the White House on Sunday afternoon. We will fight against racism. We will fight against anti-Muslim rhetoric. We will fight against those who will marginalize who we are. pic.twitter.com/R54f3MDhvo  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2017 In Los Angeles, Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) joined protesters at Los Angeles International Airport. On Saturday, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro) and Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) joined the initial protests at the airport, and worked to get some of those being held released. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) accompanied protesters at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday. Congresswoman @MaxineWaters is here at LAX protest leading the crowd in the chant "no ban, no wall, you build it up we'll tear it down" pic.twitter.com/iNEmkVVkmW  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) January 29, 2017 Facebook

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Legal moves come too late for Iranian man who arrived at LAX after Trumps order By Matt Hamilton Ali Vayeghan arrived at 7:15 p.m. Friday from Tehran. He was going to stay with relatives, then go to Indiana, to join his wife, who arrived in the U.S. four months ahead of him, and his son. But he never emerged from customs. His niece said he was put on a plane to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The ACLU was trying to prevent his deportation but arrived with paperwork 45 minutes too late. The family spoke to him by phone after he landed in Dubai, where he was waiting to be put on a flight to Tehran. Hes literally crying in the airport in Dubai, Ali Vayeghans niece, Marjan Vayghan, said. On Sunday afternoon, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered authorities to transport Vayeghan back to the U.S. and admit him under the terms of his visa, which is set to expire Feb. 14. U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee said in her order that Vayeghan had demonstrated a strong likelihood of success in establishing that removal violates the Establishment Clause, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and his rights to Equal Protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution. But by the time the order came down, Vayeghan was on a plane bound for Tehran. Federal judge in LA has issued order allowing Iranian man deported from LAX yesterday to be admitted to US pic.twitter.com/yPth0xEQpv  Matt Hamilton (@MattHjourno) January 29, 2017 Facebook

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The political climate is a hot topic at the Screen Actors Guild awards The Actor statue watches over the red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium. (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press) Stars on the red carpet and at the winners podium tonight in Los Angeles are not keeping their mouths shut on current affairs. The 23rd Screen Actors Guild awards are being held at the Shrine Auditorium. Heres what they have had to say so far: I want you all to know that I am the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France, and Im an American patriot, and I love this country, and because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes and this immigrant ban is a blemish and it is un-American.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus, accepting her award for her role in Veep We need to vote. Had we all voted, we wouldnt be here. You dont like it, you dont have nothing to say if you didnt vote. Get a clipboard, get organized and get in it. Dont sit back on the sidelines. Get in it. This is a fight for the country right now. Its worth fighting for.  Courtney B. Vance, nominated for his performance in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story For the first time ever in my lifetime, Ive been concerned about where its going to go. It doesnt seem to be that its going to go in a very positive direction.  Claire Foy, nominated for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the Netflix series The Crown Read More Facebook

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Green card holders will not be blocked by Trumps order, Homeland Security says By David Lauter (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) The Trump administration backed away from one of the most controversial parts of its new executive order on immigration Sunday evening, saying that permanent U.S. residents in most cases will not be affected by the new rules. Since the president issued the order Friday, confusion has been rampant over the effects on permanent residents, noncitizens who hold so-called green cards that allow them to live and work legally in the U.S. Many were stopped and detained at airports for many hours on Friday and Saturday and, in some cases, reported that they had been threatened with being returned to their home countries. An undetermined number of other green card holders were stopped from boarding U.S.-bound planes. Late Sunday, however, the secretary of Homeland Security, retired Gen. John Kelly, issued a statement changing the policy. Statement By Secretary John Kelly On The Entry Of Lawful Permanent Residents Into The United States  https://t.co/Es1qivoR3J pic.twitter.com/hffMK2MOQC  Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 29, 2017 I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest, Kelly wrote. Green card holders from one of the seven countries covered by the 90-day ban will still need to request a waiver to gain reentry to the U.S. if they have traveled abroad. But unless officials have significant derogatory information about a green card holder that indicates a serious threat to public safety and welfare, lawful permanent resident status will be a dispositive factor in deciding the case, Kellys statement said. A White House official, briefing reporters about the change in policy, said that about 170 people have applied for a waiver to the ban so far, and all 170 have received a waiver and have been allowed to enter the U.S. The seven countries affected by the ban are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Facebook

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Uber fights immigration order -- and #DeleteUber hashtag -- with $3-million legal fund for drivers By Tracey Lien Hours after Lyfts co-founders announced a $1-million donation to the American Civil Liberties Union to defend the

Constitution, Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick pulled out his pocket book as well. Kalanick promised in a Facebook post that the company would create a $3-million legal defense fund to help drivers affected by the Trump administrations move to restrict immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The fund will help drivers with immigration and translation services. Kalanick also said the San Francisco ride-hailing company will provide 24/7 legal support to drivers stuck outside the country and compensate them for lost earnings. Drivers eligible for assistance were directed to contact the company via an online form. Although the announcement was greeted with some support on Facebook and Twitter, many saw it as too little too late. The company had come under fire a day earlier for advertising on Twitter that it was operating at New Yorks Kennedy International Airport during a taxi strike protesting the executive order. That gaffe, coupled with Kalanicks involvement in a panel advising President Trump on economic issues, helped spawn the Twitter hashtag #DeleteUber, which encouraged customers to delete the app from their phones in protest. You are 20 hours too late, one person wrote in response to Kalanicks Facebook post. Still deleted my account today, wrote another. Though Kalanick issued a statement on Saturday opposing the executive order, it didnt stop thousands of Twitter users from adopting the trending the #DeleteUber hashtag to decry Ubers actions. They accused the company of attempting to profit from the strike and prioritizing business interests over a moral imperative. Celebrities also jumped on the bandwagon, with actor and activist George Takei on Sunday tweeting to his 2.9 million followers: Lyft donates $1mil to ACLU while Uber doubles down on its support for Trump. #DeleteUber. Facebook

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75-year-old grandmother from Iran tells the story of her detention at LAX By Alene Tchekmedyian Siavosh Naji-Talakar of Phoenix hugs his grandmother Marzieh Moosavizadeh after she was released from detention at LAX early Sunday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Marzieh Moosavizadeh and her grandson follow a routine when she visits almost every year from Iran. The 75-year-old, who travels in a wheelchair and speaks little English, struggles to find direct flights to Phoenix, where he and his family live. So they meet in Los Angeles and he escorts her on the last leg of her trip. This time was different. Moosavizadeh landed at Los Angeles International Airport a day after President Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, from entering the United States. Read More Facebook

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GOP senators call executive order a self-inflicted wound. Trump calls them wrong and weak By Matt Ballinger McCain and Graham in 2013. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona released a statement Sunday saying that confusion at U.S. airports shows that President Trumps executive order on immigration was not properly vetted. Such a hasty process risks harmful results, the Republicans statement read. We should not stop green-card holders from returning to the country they call home. We should not stop those who have served as interpreters for our military and diplomats from seeking refuge in the country they risked their lives to help. And we should not turn our backs on those refugees who have been shown through extensive vetting to pose no demonstrable threat to our nation. It went on: Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism. The president responded on Twitter: The joint statement of former presidential candidates John McCain & Lindsey Graham is wrong - they are sadly weak on immigration. The two...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017 ...Senators should focus their energies on ISIS, illegal immigration and border security instead of always looking to start World War III.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017 Facebook

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At least 600 people wait to greet Syrians arriving in Phoenix By Nigel Duara Elijah Chavez and Brandi Hernandez protest in Phoenix (Nigel Duara/Los Angeles Times) A Phoenix-bound British Airways flight was scheduled to arrive from London at Sunday evening carrying several Syrians. A protest of about 600 people was waiting at a Phoenix international airport terminal for the flight to arrive. The outcome when these people arrive is uncertain at best, said Tanveer Shah, an Arizona attorney in private practice who volunteers with the ACLU. Shah said Syrians on board the flight would, in the best case, walk off the plane without a problem. But given the outcomes in other cities on Saturday and Sunday, Shah said it was incumbent on civil liberties attorneys to be there when the plane arrives. We have staff attorneys here ... who are prepared to file emergency pleadings, Shah said. Facebook

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When Muslims got blocked at American airports, U.S. veterans rushed to help By Matt Pearce (G. Morty Ortega / Getty Images) Jeffrey Buchalter was reflooring his foyer in Chesapeake Beach, Md., and listening to MSNBC over the weekend when he heard the news: An Iraqi who had worked with American forces as an interpreter had been stopped from entering the U.S. under a new executive order on immigration from President Trump. The story stopped him cold. Buchalter, an Army veteran who works as a law-enforcement instructor at the Department of Homeland Security, had served multiple tours of duty as a military policeman in Iraq, service that cost him dearly. He was decorated for injuries sustained from gunfire and improvised explosive devices. Exams revealed hed suffered herniated discs, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, and he spent 2  years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center trying to get right. But he was still alive, and now the married father of two children. And he believes thats thanks in part to the work of Iraqi interpreters who acted as guides during his work in their country. So he told his younger daughter and son they were going to take a trip: a two-hour drive to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., where, for the first time in his life, Buchalter would join a protest. Read More Facebook

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Demonstrators against Trumps immigration limits  and a few who like them  surge through LAX By Javier Panzar The crowd at LAX is getting bigger and bigger. pic.twitter.com/dJ281TETXj  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) January 29, 2017 Thousands of people filled the international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday afternoon to call for the release of an unknown number of people being detained by immigration authorities. Filling the arrivals section of the terminal and spilling into the street outside, the throng chanted, Let them in, and Love, not hate, makes America great. Jacob Kemper, a 35-year-old Army veteran who fought two tours in Iraq, said he was infuriated to think soldiers he fought alongside might be denied entry to the country. I really dont care about religion, but I really hate oppression, he said, holding a sign that read, I Fought Next To Muslims. Shay Soltani, a network engineer, fled the Iranian revolution 40 years ago and still has family members in Iran. She doesnt know if she will be able to see them again. As she and hundreds of others marched through the airport, she said she was horrified by Trumps order. I am so hurt by this, she said. He is against freedom of speech and the constitution and everything I believe in as an American. Meanwhile, about a dozen counter-protesters popped up on the other side of the street, holding signs that said X-treme vetting and Keep Refugees Out. They said they were tired of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally, which they said jeopardizes the safety of American citizens. Chanell Temple, 63, of Los Angeles said she was sick of watching immigrants here illegally steal benefits and services from American citizens, specifically veterans and homeless people who need aid. I worked out here for 40 years and they are coming here and taking everything away, said Temple, a former bookkeeper who said she lost her job and healthcare after she was fired for an inability to speak Spanish. Raul Rodriguez Jr., coordinator of a group called America First Latinos, said he was concerned about what he considers a surge in crimes committed against Americans by those who are in the country illegally. They are lawbreakers. They have violated federal law and they need to be deported, he said. Facebook

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Silicon Valley execs speak out against immigration ban By Tracey Lien Technology executives are speaking out against President Trumps executive order on immigration, highlighting how the ban hurts their businesses. Leaders of companies that include Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Dropbox and Twitter denounced it over the weekend. Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do, said Apple chief executive Tim Cook in a memo to employees. In my conversations with officials here in Washington this week, Ive made it clear that Apple believes deeply in the importance of immigration  both to our company and to our nations future. General Electric Co. chief executive Jeff Immelt said Sunday that businesses with global operations must balance working with the new administration while also supporting their workers and partners. We have many employees from the named countries and we do business all over the region, Immelt said in a statement. These employees and customers are critical to our success and they are our friends and partners. We stand with them and will work with the U.S. administration to strive to find the balance between the need for security and the movement of law abiding people. Facebook

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LAX protest grows as families wait Meg Heatherly, 27, of Los Angeles holds a Shame sign during a protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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L.A. city attorney barred from seeing detainees at LAX By James Queally Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer said he was repeatedly denied access to federal detainees or an attorney who could discuss the situation with him at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Federal officials have declined to discuss the LAX detentions or respond to Feuers criticisms. While he was at the airport, Feuer said he was approached by a woman who claimed her father, suffering from Parkinsons disease, was among the detainees. It is those kind of real stories that are at stake because of this outrageous action by the feds. It is time not only for officials in my position, but all Americans, should find this a breathtaking violation of rights.  Mike Feuer Read More Facebook

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Democratic attorneys general from 15 states condemn Trump immigration order By Ann M. Simmons California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) More than a dozen Democratic attorneys general from states across the country have condemned the Trump administrations executive order suspending acceptance of refugees and have vowed to oppose it to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created. In a communique Sunday, the group said: As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trumps unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith. The executive order places an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and prohibits citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering as refugees for four months. It also places a suspension on admissions of other citizens of those countries. The legal officials represent 15 states. They include California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and his contemporaries in Washington, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country, and no president can change that truth, the attorneys general said in the statement. They praised the decision of multiple federal courts to order a stay on some aspects of the order. We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts, the statement said. Facebook

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13 people who had been detained at LAX have been released, source says By James Queally Protesters at LAX on Sunday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Thirteen people who were detained Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airports Terminal 2 were eventually released, a law enforcement source told The Times. Each of them held green cards, which grant permanent residency in the U.S. The source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation at the airport, could not provide detention figures for the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which has been the center of protest activity. Thats where protesters were gathering Sunday. Nurse Jamie Shoemaker, 51, of Los Angeles held an American flag in one hand and carried a sign that read, Muslims are welcome here, racists and fascists are not. She called Trumps order un-American. This is not the country I want, she said. This is not the country I grew up in. Read More Facebook

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Democrats in Congress drafting legislation to repeal Trumps refugee ban, pressuring GOP for support By Lisa Mascaro Sen. Chuck Schumer becomes emotional speaking against Pres. Trump's immigration order, calling it "mean-spirited and un-American." pic.twitter.com/NkhUdpaNyV  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 29, 2017 Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Democrats will introduce legislation as soon as Monday to stop President Trumps actions temporarily banning refugees and arrivals from certain Muslim countries. House Democrats are taking similar legislative action, and lawmakers from both chambers will rally Monday evening at the Supreme Court to protest Trumps orders. This executive order was mean-spirited and un-American, said Schumer, the New York Democrat, choking up as he stood with immigrants and refugees at a press conference Sunday. It must be reversed immediately. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said House Democrats are exploring legal options, including an amicus brief in support of the ACLU lawsuit against the actions. The chances of passing a bill through the Republican-controlled Congress are slim, as most GOP leaders and lawmakers have not objected to Trumps ban. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that while he was personally opposed to a religious test on admissions, it was best left to the courts to resolve the issue. Its hopefully going to be decided in the courts as to whether or not this has gone too far, McConnell said on ABCs This Week. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed his support Friday for Trumps action. A handful of Republicans, though, are uneasy with Trumps orders, and have spoken against them. Schumer noted that just few more Republicans would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold for advancing Senate legislation. Maybe we can pass something in Congress, Schumer said. Its up to Republicans. Facebook

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Emotional reunion at JFK airport after release of elderly Sudanese man from immigration detention By Barbara Demick Tears and hugs at JFK's international arrivals as a detainee is released, reuniting father with son. More families wait, cheering. pic.twitter.com/WrVpoocWjY  Jack Smith IV (@JackSmithIV) January 29, 2017 For those immigrants temporarily detained under a new Trump administration executive order at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, attorneys have put a priority on getting some of the older detainees released to their families. One small victory for the lawyers was the case of Yassin Abdelrhman, a 76-year-old green card holder from Sudan who had been detained after a trip home to visit family. He was released about noon on Sunday after being detained for 30 hours. Soon, he was reunited with his sons. He is a strong individual, but he has some health challenges, said U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who had been working on their case. Facebook

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Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will not attend Oscars Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi after winning an Oscar in 2012. ((Allen J. Schaben/ Los Angeles Times) ) In a statement to the New York Times today, Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi said he no longer planned to attend this years ceremony. Farhadis film The Salesman is nominated in the foreign language film category. Farhadi had initially hoped to attend despite the prohibition on visitors from Iran. But he said he had decided the possibility of this presence is being accompanied by ifs and buts which are in no way acceptable to me even if exceptions were to be made for my trip. Read More Facebook

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How an Iranian Fulbright scholar got into the U.S.: We found a lawyer who found a lawyer who found a lawyer By Barbara Demick Iranian students in front of a makeshift law office in JFKs Terminal 4. (Barbara Demick / Los Angeles Times) Perhaps nothing encapsulates the chaos emanating from President Trumps executive order better than what happened with Ukrainian Airlines Flight 232. The regularly scheduled flight to Kiev had to turn around on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy Airport early Sunday after a federal judge issued a stay of a deportation order of dozens of foreigners, including a 32-year-old Iranian linguist who is a doctoral candidate and former Fulbright scholar. With just minutes to spare, Vahideh Rasekhi -- helped by volunteer lawyers and her smart phone  managed to prevent the flight from taking off. She had arrived Saturday afternoon, but was blocked from entering the United States by the executive order barring arrivals of citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia and Libya. Around midnight, she was put on the Ukrainian Air flight to return to Tehran, via Kiev. We found a lawyer who found a lawyer who found a lawyer, said Mehdi Namazi, 29, a friend who has been waiting for her at the airport. The lawyers were showing officials a copy of the order issued a few hours earlier by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn. It was all very confusing. They were arguing as the plane was taxiing, Namazi said. According to one lawyer, Melissa Trent, Rasekhi herself was walking up and down the aisles arguing for the plane not to take off. She knew that if the plane left she would never get back to the United States again, Trent said. Rasekhi spent most of Sunday in detention with other Iranians, but was released into the United States at around 3 p.m.. A dozen Iranian friends had been waiting inside the airports Terminal 4 amid a clutter of discarded coffee cups and half-eaten donuts in front of a diner that had been turned into a makeshift law office. Another Iranian student was waiting for her parents, who were taken into detention after arriving on another flight I havent seen them in 3-1/2 years. They dont speak English. But Im hopeful, said the student, who gave her name as Sahar. The students were both furious at the way their country had been targeted by Trumps order and touched by the outpouring of support from the volunteer lawyers. We see two different Americas here. There is this order banning us, and than there are all these people here who came to the airport. If it werent for these volunteers, she would have been deported, said Namazi. Im very depressed. We feel betrayed by this country that we invested so much energy and hope into. We are all graduate students, professors, PhDs, engineers. To say this is for national security, it doesnt add up, said Tahmineh Tabrizian, 33, another friend of Rasekhis. She said her own parents had planned to come to the United States and had spent $14,000 on tickets and visas and would now have to cancel their trip. Rasekhi, who has lived in the United States for a decade, was a Fulbright scholar at UC Santa Barbara and received a masters degree at Fresno State University, according to a resume supplied by one of her friends. She had been studying for a PhD at Stony Brook University on Long Island. She had gone to Tehran over the Christmas break to visit her parents and was on her way back to resume her studies when she was detained. Facebook

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Protests begin again at LAX on Sunday morning By Genaro Molina Facebook

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Protesters in Tel Aviv compare Trump immigration order to Israeli refugee policies By Joshua Mitnick Demonstrators in Tel Aviv protest U.S. President Trumps new immigration order. (Joshua Mitnick / Los Angeles Times) Holding signs reading Refugees Welcome and chanting No Ban, No Wall, Sanctuary for All, several dozen demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Sunday to join protests in the U.S. against President Trumps new immigration policy. Mia Zur Szpiro, a 36-year-old filmmaker, said she felt compelled to demonstrate because her parents survived the Holocaust. We are a country of immigrants, and to me it was astounding that this [order] was passed on Holocaust Memorial Day, she said. Its wrong to stereotype, and its wrong to send people who are in need back into the face of danger and the risk of death. Elliot Vaisbrub Glassenberg, a protest organizer and migrant rights activist, compared the new U.S. policy to Israeli policies toward tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese migrants who crossed into the country illegally from Egypts Sinai desert. The policies that Trump has enacted are no worse than the policies that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has enacted for years here  such as not allowing any non-Jews to be given refugee status in Israel, except for a select few. Togod Omar, a native of Sudan who was at the protest, said he applied for political asylum in Israel three years ago, and is still waiting. He said Sudanese friends hoping to be resettled in the U.S. were upset by the new executive order. Trump doesnt understand whats going on in Sudan, Omar said. You cant punish the Sudanese people for what the Islamic government is doing. You cant banish someone because of their religion. Facebook

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President Trump hits majority disapproval in record time, Gallup finds By David Lauter Days until achieving MAJORITY disapproval from @Gallup



Reagan: 727

Bush I: 1336

Clinton: 573

Bush II: 1205

Obama: 936



Trump: 8. days. pic.twitter.com/kv2fy0Qsbp  Will Jordan (@williamjordann) January 29, 2017 President Trumps actions during his first week in office have appeared to be aimed at the voters who already supported him, not at reaching out to the rest, and thats taken a rapid toll on his support, which was already historically low. Gallup, which has measured job approval for presidents for decades, shows Trumps approval so far at 45%, with 48% disapproving. Thats an average of several days polling. The daily trend lines are not kind to the new administration. As of Saturday, 51% of Americans disapproved of Trumps performance. Thats a record for the speed of getting to majority disapproval. By comparison, President George W. Bush hit majority disapproval six months into his second term, in June 2005, and remained in negative territory for the rest of his tenure. President Obama did not hit 51% disapproval until August of 2011, during the crisis over the federal debt ceiling that summer. His approval rebounded later that year, but he had a second period of majority disapproval during late 2013 and much of 2014. He ended his term with widespread approval and 37% of Americans disapproving. Trump Job Approval: Approve 45% (-1); Disapprove 48% (+3). Get the full trend https://t.co/BjTUhf0NAM.  GallupNews (@GallupNews) January 27, 2017 Facebook

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Hundreds of travelers were caught in limbo over rushed visa ban By Brian Bennett (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Hundreds of travelers were blocked from entering the U.S. or prevented from boarding flights in the hours after President Trump signed his order banning arrivals from seven predominantly Muslim countries, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In the order, Trump temporarily suspended refugee admissions and banned travelers from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Scores of people from those countries were aboard airplanes flying toward the U.S. when Trump signed his executive order on Friday afternoon, setting off waves of confusion among border officials and the traveling public. Upon landing at U.S. airports, 109 people from the listed countries were detained by immigration officials and prevented from entering the U.S., officials said. The department had approved 81 waivers to the new travel ban by Saturday afternoon, the official said, but at least some of the people detained on arrival were sent back to their countries of origin. Court orders issued Saturday evening required U.S. border officials to stop returning people who had already arrived with valid visas. It is unclear how many people were deported before the orders were issued. It is also unclear if the Trump administration has fully complied with those orders. In addition to the people who arrived in the U.S. and were detained, as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, an additional 173 travelers from the listed countries had been stopped from boarding flights to the U.S., a Homeland Security official said in a statement. The department did not make an official available to describe the actions and the agencys response. As many as 3,250 travelers may have been inconvenienced by the new visa restrictions, officials for the department said in a statement Sunday. Yesterday, less than 1% of the more than 325,000 international air travelers who arrive every day were inconvenienced while enhanced security measures were implemented, the statement read. The department will comply with court orders, the statement said. But no evidence was given to confirm this. Lawyers seeking to meet with detainees at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington and at San Francisco have said that they were blocked by officials on Sunday. The Department of Homeland Security will comply with judicial orders, faithfully enforce our immigration laws, and implement President Trumps executive orders to ensure that those entering the United States do not pose a threat to our country or the American people, according to the departments statement. All of the visa holders and travelers from the listed countries blocked from entering the U.S. since Friday already had gone through multiple steps of security screening that checked their biographical information and travel history against U.S. terrorism databases. Facebook

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White House seems to back down on part of new vetting policy By Christi Parsons The White House on Sunday appeared to back down on a key part of President Trumps tough new immigration order, signaling that travelers trying to enter the country from seven banned countries will be allowed in if they hold green cards. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said that these legal permanent residents are exempt from the travel ban moving forward, even though over the weekend other administration officials said the rule did apply to them. The apparent reversal came amid a national controversy over the new Trump order that temporarily halts the entry of all refugees to the U.S. and any traveler from seven majority Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Federal judges across the country have blocked parts of the presidents executive actions since they came down on Friday, mostly preventing the deportation of some travelers who ran into the first wave of implementation over the weekend. The back-and-forth over the green-card holders reflected a generalized confusion about the new order, which also bars Syrian refugees from entering the United States indefinitely. Lawyers for some of the affected immigrants said border agents seemed uncertain about the new rules and were disagreeing with one another about which travelers were affected and which were not. Further complicating the picture was a statement from the Department of Homeland Security asserting that its agents would enforce all of Trumps orders while also complying with judicial orders. As some of the orders block deportation, that left individual officers to try to figure out which priorities to honor. Facebook

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Op-Ed: Trumps cruel, illegal refugee executive order By Erwin Chemerinsky Protesters demonstrate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Saturday. (Stephanie Keith / Getty Images) Barring individuals fleeing persecution from entering the United States is simply inhumane. Adding irony to injury, Trumps executive order was issued on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which should have been an occasion to atone for turning away refugees during the 1930ssome of whom then died in concentration camps. For example, in 1939, the United States turned away the St. Louis, a boat filled with refugees, many of them German Jews. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 254 passengers from the St. Louis died in the Holocaust.  Erwin Chemerinsky Read More Facebook

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Lyft pledges to donate $1 million to ACLU following Trumps immigration order By Tracey Lien (Richard Vogel / Associated Press) Tech executives had been mostly quiet for the first week of Donald Trumps presidency  but that changed after his controversial executive order restricting refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries. Executive after executive spent Saturday tweeting and posting messages to Facebook decrying the administrations actions. Lyft co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green went a step further: On Sunday, they announced they would donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years. Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity, from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft and our nations core values, the co-founders wrote in an email to Lyft customers. We stand firmly against the actions, and will no
An abruptly postponed conference on climate change and its effects on human health is going to take place after all  thanks to Al Gore.

But theres a caveat: The conferences original sponsor  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  wont be involved.

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Assn., told the Washington Post that the former vice president called him up after the news broke of the conferences postponement and said, Lets make this thing happen.

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It was a no-brainer, Benjamin told the Post.

The Climate and Health Summit was originally scheduled to be held from Feb. 14-16 in Atlanta.

It wasnt officially canceled, but in the weeks after Donald Trump was elected president participants received word that the conference would not be happening as scheduled.

The agency never gave a reason for the change in plan. In a statement it said it was exploring options to reschedule the meeting while considering budget priorities for fiscal year 2017.

So non-governmental groups took the matter into their own hands.

They tried to cancel this conference but it is going forward anyway, Gore said in a statement released by the Climate Reality Project, an education and advocacy group he founded. Today we face a challenging political climate, but climate shouldnt be a political issue.

The year 2016 was the third consecutive hottest year on record, and experts say that the growing number of hot days has a direct effect on public health  for example, by exacerbating the proliferation of the Zika virus.

The evidence is clear that climate change is a major threat facing the publics health, said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, in a statement. Openly discussing these scientific issues will help us prepare for this looming challenge and better protect the American people.

The new conference will be sponsored by a consortium of organizations including the APHA, the Climate Reality Project, Harvard Global Health Institute, and the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment.

Organizers added that due to the expedited time frame of the event, the CDCs originally scheduled three-day summit will be replaced by a one-day meeting on Feb. 16.

Still, they say it will preserve the intent of the postponed meeting  providing a forum for public health professionals and the climate community to discuss solutions to what could be a growing health concern.

deborah.netburn@latimes.com

Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Burbank police announced today the arrest of a man allegedly responsible for snatching a 54-year-old womans purse earlier this month.

The incident took place at around 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the McDonalds at 2565 Hollywood Way. Lance MacClellan, a 29-year-old Los Angeles resident, reportedly entered the restaurant and grabbed the womans purse, according to Burbank police spokesman Lt. Claudio Losacco.

He then got into a short struggle with the woman as he attempted to get away.

The suspect was able to overpower the victim and fled with her purse to a vehicle nearby, Losacco said. Within a short period of time, the suspect attempted to use one of the victims credit cards at a nearby business.

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A witness was able get a partial license plate number and description of the car, which police were able to link to a rental car leased in MacClellans name. They also discovered he was on probation for robbery, according to Losacco.

When officers contacted the 29-year-old at his home, they found him in possession of the womans ID, Social Security card and several credit cards.

He has been charged with robbery and identity theft by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Officers were unable to recover the purse because MacClellan threw it away, Losacco said.

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Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
I need to commend Rep. Adam Schiff for recognizing the need for factual information in our democracy. In addressing the current administrations lack thereof, he said, It has the gravest consequences. Whether the truth be hidden by distractions, brushing under the rug, outright lies, or alternative facts does not matter. Citizens in a democracy need truthful representatives.

Schiffs remark was said in the context of foreign relations but the same applies in the context of climate change. Despite scientific consensus about cause and a global movement toward clean energy, President Trump has painted climate change as a non-issue. Even if we werent to take his hoax remark at face value, the cabinet nominees are telling. In this environment we cannot be passive  we need to keep climate change solutions a priority.

This is not a partisan issue. Even Rex Tillerson has voiced support of a carbon tax to address climate change. While Trump is removing climate references from the White House website, there is a bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus (consisting of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats in Congress) dedicated to exploring options such as the carbon fee and dividend (CF&D) approach.

CF&D is a national, revenue-neutral system which places a predictable, steadily rising fee on carbon suppliers. CF&D returns all fees collected minus administrative costs to households as an energy dividend  so not a tax.

This market-based solution will save lives, create jobs and boost our economy while reducing the risks associated with climate change. Californias legislature has already voted to support this at a national level.

Please make your voice heard as the gravest consequences are at stake.

Doug Bell

Burbank

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Growth drives increased traffic

Every time I get in my car and drive around Burbank, I cant believe the amount of traffic. We will soon be just like West Los Angeles or Glendale, in perpetual gridlock. What will our city be like in the near future? The new IKEA (one of the largest stores worldwide) and the Talaria project (241 units plus Whole Foods Market) have already been approved.

Also, the following projects are pending approval: Premier on First, 154 units and a hotel; First Street Village, 261 units plus retail and restaurants; 777 Front Street, a huge multiuse property; 555 Third Street, a hotel with 198 rooms; multiuse projects in the area including and surrounding the old IKEA building and the Avion development at the airport. Also, dont forget the high-speed rail coming to Burbank with all of its added traffic. These developments will equate to thousands of additional cars. If you are as concerned as I am, please email a note to the Burbank City Council and voice your opinion. Other cities have opted for responsible growth  lets join them.

Glenn Nicol

Burbank
Pacific Symphony has announced that award-winning Broadway stars Megan Hilty and Brian Stokes Mitchell will join the orchestras 2016-17 Pops season, replacing Jason Alexander, who was forced to cancel because of an unforeseeable conflict.

Hilty and Mitchell will join the 88-piece orchestra to deliver an evening of feel-good music led by guest conductor Albert-George Schram at 8 p.m. April 21 and 22 in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Together, the performers are expected to bring a fresh feel to a program of standards that include music from Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.

Tickets range from $35 to $195. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit PacificSymphony.org.

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Disneyland Fastpass system undergoes changes

Disneyland Resort has announced changes to its Fastpass system, including the launch of a digital option.

The new system, called Disney MaxPass, will allow visitors to book and redeem a Fastpass on rides at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks through the Disneyland App, the resort announced on the Disney Parks Blog.

It will follow the same rules as the current Fastpass system, which enables park visitors to obtain one Fastpass at a time, with a delay before guests can get another one. And the ticket is also valid only during a set time period.

In addition to the digital option, Disney MaxPass will also provide the user an unlimited number of downloads of PhotoPass images, according to the blog post.

Disney MaxPass, which will formally launch later this year, will start out at an introductory price of $10 a day.

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Maverick welcomes offbeat musical Little Shop

The Maverick Theater in Fullerton celebrates its 15-year anniversary with Little Shop of Horrors. This year also marks the 35th anniversary of the musical, which debuted Off-Off-Broadway in 1982.

The show at the Maverick  featuring only 60 seats, a live band and 8 performers  is based on Roger Cormans 1960 B-movie about a skid row floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for human flesh. Soon Audrey II grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays through March 11. Tickets are $25 or $15 for students and may be purchased at mavericktheater.com or by calling (714) 526-7070.

The Maverick Theater is 110 E. Walnut in Fullerton, across from the Amtrak station.

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Free yogurt on Feb. 6 at Yogurtland locations

Yogurtland will celebrate International Frozen Yogurt day on Feb. 6 by offering free yogurt and toppings from 4 to 7 p.m. at all locations.

Yogurtland has teamed up with Hersheys to showcase two flavors for the event  Peanut Butter Cup and Chocolate Milkshake. They will be available throughout February.

The company has dozens of locations throughout Orange County.
As a child, Brenda Ziegler would spend weekends watching her friends grandmother sew, but she never realized that she was being prepared for a career as a custom pillow designer.

Then four years ago, Zieglers daughter Emily needed a makeup bag for cheer practice.

Each cheerleader was given a clear cosmetic case, but Ziegler figured it could be difficult to differentiate which bag belonged to whom. So she sewed vibrant pieces of fabric together and made her first Brenda Kristine bag.

Other moms and daughters noticed and pretty soon were asking for the bags.

Now, when Ziegler isnt working on tailor-made home decor for clients and interior designers, shes busy creating handbags and clutches for Orange County women who want to add fun and a pop of color to their accessories.

Inspired by Hawaii, where she lived for a time, Catalina Island and Santa Barbara, Ziegler embarked on creating a line of colorful and original patterns that are practical but handcrafted with a touch of whimsy.

It just became popular and thats how it started, Ziegler said as she stood in her Newport Beach home that she shares with her husband, Greg, and three children, who range in age from 13 to 29. Everywhere wed go, someone would say something.

And this is how Ziegler, who has designed and sewn slipcovers and pillows for 25 years  and continues to do so  launched her handbag collection.

The Brenda Kristine line with its prints, contrasting zippers and embellishments spread around town, and Ziegler sold out on social media site Instagram. She launched her e-commerce site in 2016 and has since expanded the line to include leather goods, bucket bags and home decor items. Her husband manages the business side of things.

And the products are all handcrafted in a place the family knows well: their garage.

I love fabric and I love anything tropical, beachy, vintage and fun, Ziegler said as she brushed past a cutting table, three sewing machines, shelved material and canisters filled with threads and beads.

She typically spends eight hours in her workplace conceptualizing and hand-sewing clutches, eyeglass cases, bucket bags and mini wallets. And she has gotten into special-occasion bags and tiny bags for lip gloss and other small makeup items.

Her signature Conversation Bag ($32) comes in various themes, including a Laniakea surf scene, a throwback to the mid-century with images of the Bobs Big Boy restaurant logo and Route 66 sign, and a beach motif with palm leaves and hula dancers, to name a few. They are finished with bright lining and a corresponding embellishment attached to the zipper.

Ziegler, who attended Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles and is a pattern-maker by trade, said she always wants to add more texture to her designs.

She recently incorporated velvet and lace for her upcoming Valentines Day selection and also carries a clutch in leather. Shell also take custom orders.

Overnight bags and totes are also on her wish list.

Currently, her products are sold online, in Mermade Designs off Old Newport Boulevard and in a store in Honolulu.

Most of her shoppers select a piece because the fabric evokes a memory for them, whether its an image of the North Shore in Hawaii or of Happy Trails.

My bags can be silly and colorful, Ziegler said. The point is theyre fun.

For more information, call (949) 677-7775 or visit brendakristine.com.

kathleen.luppi@latimes.com

Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
In Hermosillo, the biggest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, the air perpetually smells of grilled meat. Or, more specifically, it smells of the perfume-y aroma of burning mesquite wood as it envelops large flanks of beef, cooking cuts from the countrys best cows, which have been raised there for centuries in the arid landscape.

Every time I drive down Magnolia Street near Tio Flacos in Fountain Valley, I am taken back to the barbecue heaven that is Hermosillo, the meat capital of Mexico. The familiar smell of charred mesquite is a permanent emanation from the year-old taqueria, which, as far as I know, is the only one in Orange County permitted to grill over wood.

Enter and the scent gets stronger, wafting through the air from behind the smoke-coated panes of hot glass that separates Tio Flacos groundbreaking grill from the dining area. If youre lucky enough, it lodges in your hair and clothes for the remainder of the day.

Grilling over an open wood fire is the preferred method for preparing carne asada in northern Mexico, and it makes a heck of a flavor difference. Order a taco or mulita filled with the stuff at Tio Flacos and youll get carne asada that isnt composed of dry, overcooked nubs like at most taco trucks. Instead of offering tasteless meat that resembles mulch, the restaurant takes its quality cuts straight from the grill to the nearby cutting board, where they get hacked up with a cleaver, chopping them down to bite size while tenderizing away the crispier bits.

Sadly, this process has become somewhat of a lost art on our side of the border, where strict fire codes and health regulations prevent its widespread use. L.A. only has two restaurants serving this regional delight  Sonoratown and Salazar  both of which opened in the last year. Fountain Valley lifers Caesar Ruiz and Steven Dabic opened Tio Flacos in July 2015.

Ruiz first had the idea to open a taqueria here after being unable to find tacos like the ones he grew accustomed to eating while on work trips in Tijuana. There, at streetside walk-ins like Taqueria Franc, wood-grilled meat is the norm, and tacos come on handmade tortillas with a mop-top of guacamole before being wrapped in a square of parchment paper.

Tio Flacos, which is named after Ruizs late Argentine uncle, doesnt veer too far from tradition. A smear of silky guacamole goes down first instead of sitting on top, but the tortillas are still pressed to order, the carne asada is grilled using smoky mesquite and your taco order comes lined up on a paper plate, each hand-held morsel cradled in a piece of white parchment paper.

It should be said that for all its authenticity, Tio Flacos definitely exists with its gringo audience in mind.

In addition to the aromatic carne asada, there are more familiar protein options like shredded chicken, pork carnitas and savory al pastor, all delicious in their own right but cooked on the flat plancha, not over open fire. The minimal lineup of offerings also includes bases like taco salads and mulitas, the latter of which the menu refers to as a taco sandwich.

The salsa bar includes five different options that claim to range from mild to crazy hot but really go from avocado puree to tomatillo puree (its OK, the meat doesnt need much). While you eat, an endearingly terrible soundtrack of 90s radio  think Spice Girls, Nelly, Destinys Child  plays.

And then theres Templeton, the restaurants mascot and a sure sign that Ruiz and Dabic arent taking their very serious effort to bring a Tijuana taqueria to O.C. too seriously. While the carne asada might be doing things the old fashioned way, Templeton is a totally original character, a business representative built for the social media generation.

First of all, Templeton is a green octopus. Except that hes really a person dressed as a green octopus and is drawn in all instances as having human legs and arms. Secondly, hes hilarious. In a series of clever custom commercials posted to Tio Flacos Instagram over the past two years, a man dressed in a green octopus costume leads Fountain Valley police on a wild car chase, smashes TVs in the parking lot while surrounded by cheering children (a la Crazy Gideon) and stars in his own remake of Back to the Future (Back to the Flacos).

Keeping tongue in cheek amid interesting political times, Tio Flacos owners had yard signs printed that say Templeton for Prime Minister and recently posted a video of a fake news segment showing multiple people dressed as Templeton marching down Magnolia demanding more of the restaurants signature dessert, churro chips.

Watching the Instagram post from the comfort of my couch, all I could think was How is Templeton craving churro chips with all that mesquite smoke in the air?

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SARAH BENNETT is a freelance journalist covering food, drink, music, culture and more. She is the former food editor at L.A. Weekly and a founding editor of Beer Paper L.A. Follow her on Twitter @thesarahbennett.
Its been a long run for Original Pizza, but after decades of serving simple slices in a no-frills atmosphere, the pizza parlor on Newport Beachs Balboa Peninsula is shutting down.

The family-run business last day is Tuesday, said owner Steve Kalatschan, whose father, also named Steve, founded the restaurant at 2121 W. Balboa Blvd. in 1963. It will be replaced by a Mexican food establishment.

Kalatschan said the closure is the result of several consecutive years of declining business. The restaurant sees a tourist surge in the summer but has a harder time the rest of the year, he said.

Kalatschan also wants to focus more on Original Pizza II, located in the Back Bay Center at Irvine Avenue and Mesa Drive in Costa Mesa. Its essentially a clone of Original Pizza but with a slightly expanded menu and bar.

Original Pizza, whose kitchen aromas can be taken in on the sidewalk outside, has been a vestige of so-called Old Newport. The decidedly untrendy restaurant changed very little over the decades.

It outlasted another old-school pizza joint, Perrys Pizza, which opened in 1973. Perrys closed its Newport Pier location in 2014 and moved to Huntington Beach.

Kalatschan, 47, stood in the restaurant on a recent afternoon, reflecting on the family enterprise where he has worked since he was a kid. He wore a special T-shirt made for Original Pizzas closing. It reads, Last call: 1963 to 2017.

Ive literally spent my whole life in here, Kalatschan said. I teethed on the crust.

Behind him was a mural painted in 1968 by a homeless man known only as L. Kavich. It depicts a beach scene. Kavich received $20, some pizza and a case of beer for the job. After he finished it, he was never seen again at Original Pizza, Kalatschan said.

As Kalatschan spoke, a former employee, Steve Hill, walked in and said hello. It was a reunion.

I worked in here before he was born, Hill said, pointing to Kalatschan.

Hill, who lives in Costa Mesa, made pizzas at the restaurant in the mid-1960s. Before getting a job there as a teenager, he would frequent Newport Beach in the mornings, then wander into Original Pizza, where Steve Kalatschan Sr. gave him free food in exchange for helping to clean up the restaurant.

It was really cool, said Hill, 67.

How Original Pizza came to Newport Beach is a family legend. Steve Kalatschan Sr., of Russian descent, immigrated to Boston from Europe after World War II. His family wanted to start a business and decided that making pizza would be profitable.

Because they knew nothing about making pizza, they dug through other pizza companies trash to find out what they were doing.

They dissected the best pizza places in Boston, the younger Kalatschan said with a smile. The end result was their first restaurant: a takeout window in a bar in Revere Beach, north of Boston.

Later, Kalatschan Sr. went to Newport Beach. He wanted to rent the place where Original Pizza ended up, but the owner tried to discourage him because he didnt think Kalatschan Sr. was making a good investment with his hard-earned savings.

Kalatschan Sr. thought the owner was discriminating against him because he was Russian. Eventually, though, the owner relented and let him have the space.

Original Pizza had a slow start. But Kalatschan Sr. worked his butt off, made the business work and even was able to buy the building, his son said. The family has since sold it.

Kalatschan Sr. died in 1998 at age 72. His likeness is on the restaurants sign.

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FAREWELL PARTY

What: Original Pizza plans a goodbye party for guests 21 and older, featuring a raffle, live music, pizza and drinks. Prizes will include a piece of the restaurants 1968 mural.

When: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Near Original Pizza, 2121 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach

Cost: Tickets are $25, with proceeds benefiting the Environmental Nature Center, T1D Exchange and Newport Beach Film Festival.

Tickets and information: thealumnicollective.com/originalpizza

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint
The designers rendering accompanying the Jan. 25 article, Proposed La Crescenta mixed-use development heads to L.A. County planners, creates a false impression of the density surrounding YSTs proposed development. The residential area north of Foothill Boulevard is not nearly as built up as Sean Mos rendering portrays. It is filled with mostly single family residences and a few apartment or condominium complexes smaller than YSTs proposal. Based on this misleading rendering someone unfamiliar with the area could easily be deceived into thinking that the projects scope and scale would fit the surrounding area well.

A careful reading of the Crescenta Valley Town Councils decision to recommend approval of the project reveals the oh, it could have been so much worse, reality that constrains our local representatives. The real problem is the difficulty of fighting zoning decisions made by the county government miles away and decades ago, the impact of which has been delayed by lack of development. Meanwhile hundreds of families have purchased homes in what were then quiet, residential neighborhoods, unaware of the threat posed by developers ready and willing to take advantage of those long forgotten zoning rules.

The Glendale News-Press Forum page should be advocating for an independently prepared environmental impact report and traffic study, not confusing the issue by printing a misleading rendering of the proposed development.

Mary-Lynne Fisher

La Crescenta

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Let us pray for the president

On the morning after the election, I started praying for Donald Trump and have done so every day since. This isnt because I voted for Donald Trump. I didnt. As a matter of fact, I didnt vote at all.

But as an observer of the times and a student of prophecy, I have an interest in Americas prophetic role.

Why should I pray daily for President Donald Trump?

First, because were called to. Were promised that if we pray for all who are in authority well live quiet and peaceable lives (First Timothy 2:2). Shouldnt we want that?

I live in Glendale and my church, Glendale Filipino Adventist, is involved in 10 days of praying. I have brought before those who faithfully join in every night, the urgency of praying for Donald Trump.

Many years ago, our prayer coordinator for this regional conference, Janet Lui, called us to prayer for Bill Clinton when he was undergoing his own presidential crisis. One question Janet asked was Where were President Clintons intercessors? The question was a sharp arrow in my conscience. Since then, I have prayed for our presidents.

How about recognizing that God put Trump in office? This isnt heretical or incorrect conjecture. Romans 13:1 specifically states this fact. If you cant check it out at home, let me quote it here: Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Does that sound radical? Check it out then.

Are you negatively exercised about this presidency? Try interceding for Donald Trump. You may be transformed in your peace quotient.

Ray Puen

Glendale

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Applause for a letter writer

Re: Obama scared GOP voters, Mailbag, Jan. 19. After reading the letter by Ray Shelton in the mailbag section of the Glendale News-Press, all I have to say is bravo, Mr. Shelton, bravo. I could not have said it better.

Richard Jenkins

Glendale

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Trumps gain is Americas loss

Ray Richmonds column On fear and the future (Jan. 12) certainly brought the xenophobes and racists out of the woodwork, as well as those who want to return to the 1950s and to that narrow view of what they think America should be. They believe that Donald Trump is the man to take them there. But that isnt going to happen. That train has left the station. Globalization wont go away. Clean energy will overtake climate-destroying dirty coal and oil. And the diverse society that makes some of these people phobic is here to stay.

Trump won, at least for now, even though he lost the popular vote by almost 3 million votes. If that were a city, it would be the third-largest city in the United States behind only New York and Los Angeles. Had Trump won the popular vote but lost the election he would not have accepted the outcome graciously as Secretary Clinton did. He even claimed that the election was rigged after he won!

So, to the haters who disagree with the 65,844,954 people who voted for Clinton, heres the deal. Trump wont build a wall. He wont bring steel or other factory jobs back. He wont rejuvenate the coal industry. He wont drain the swamp; on the contrary, he promptly nominated cabinet members who rule the swamp. He not only wont make America great again (it was already great before Obama was elected and is even greater because of his presidency  ask the 20 million people who now have health insurance and those in the auto and other industries whose jobs were saved), he will run it into the ground for his own personal gain. When his true relationship with Putin and Russia is revealed, he will be seen as the traitor he is, and, of course, the pathological liar that he has already shown himself to be. Unfortunately, it will take decades to reverse the damage he will do to the country and to the world.

Hank Schlinger, Ph.D.

Glendale

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Richmond is not alone

Regarding Ray Richmonds column On Fear and the Future of Jan. 12: I completely agree with all that he said. And no, I am not a whiny, poor loser; instead, I am an American who is horrified that a man who is a racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, Putin-loving liar (as seen on Saturday, as he spoke in front of the Memorial Wall of Agency Heroes at CIA headquarters) is now sitting in the Oval Office. Mr. Richmond is petrified, and I am terrified.

Lindsay Soderlund

Glendale

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Lights bring safety to park

I want to thank the city department that has illuminated Brand Park at night. It is lovely.

More important, the lights leading up to Brand Library from Grandview are a good safety factor for people walking along that route at night. I live near the park and usually walk to it. Every so often, when going to the library or the auditorium at night without my husband, I always had a small feeling of trepidation  not about any wildlife but about the human factor that could be lurking around the area. It used to be a bit nerve-wracking but now it is not.

Carol Brusha

Glendale

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Kudos to Commissioner Landregan

During Planning Commissions Jan. 18 meeting, Commissioner Stephanie Landregan stood out as a person caring for the general populace, instead of falling for the inaccurate reports and statements of Rodney Khan and Jano Baghdanian, who represented Jons Marketplace, defending its self-serving interests.

Although the Commissions 3 to 1 vote can only make a recommendation to the Council for a final decision on this zone change request, it was baffling to witness the three approving commissioners (Astorian, Lee, Manoukian) superficial and pretentious posture, disregarding the facts that once Jons daily 2,462 patrons vehicles  according to Baghdanians report  and the 18-wheel delivery trucks are directed to exit its parking lot and turn right onto the narrow, residential Elk Avenue, they will endanger not only themselves but also other motorists on Glendale Avenue, especially when they try to turn south on already overloaded Glendale Avenue.

In addition  also per Baghdanians report  on a weekday, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. a total of 664 vehicles enter said parking lot. Can anyone imagine the consequences of dumping additional 664 unto Glendale Avenue at a time which is exactly the same period when that stretch struggles with chocking traffic congestion? As it is, anyone attempting to turn south on Glendale Avenue during those hours has to say a prayer before heading towards the intersection. Add the marked pedestrian crosswalk at the same intersection in southerly direction, and the obstructed vision of motorists heading south on Glendale Avenue after crossing Colorado Street, youll have a recipe for tragedies to happen.

It is hoped that the City Council will value the citizens safety when it discusses this case.

Chahe Keuroghelian

Glendale
Climb a volcano, play on a beach, stalk sloths, turtles and monkeys on a weeklong trip to Panama with climate-change scientist Sarah Aciego.

The Big Chill Adventures trip includes visiting the Kuna and Embara tribes, indigenous people living on the Isthmus, and trekking Sendero de Los Quetzales, one of Panamas most beautiful trails. It runs between Cerro Punta and Boquete, crisscrossing Rio Caldera.

Panama offers amazing landscapes, cultures, culinary delights and biodiversity, Aciego said.

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Other activities include visiting the Panama Canal, exploring old sections of Panama City, snorkeling, white-water rafting, horseback riding and a visit to a coffee plantation.

Lodging will be in a cloud forest treehouse.

Dates: Feb. 11-18

Prices: Rates start at $3,600 per person, including accommodations, meals, guides, transportation and fees. Airfare from LAX to Panama is not included.

Info: Big Chill Adventures, (307) 640-9001

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel

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Jewish and Christian leaders prayed over the ruins of gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau as some leaders warned Friday on International Holocaust Remembrance Day of rising xenophobic hatred against Jews and others, including Muslims.

Dozens of survivors gathered with political leaders and representatives of Polands Jewish community at the site where Germany murdered about 1.1 million people during World War II, mostly Jews from across Europe, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and others.

Polands Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, who is from the Polish town where the Auschwitz memorial and museum is located, recalled the destruction of humanity and the ocean of lost lives and hopes in Oswiecim.

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Its an open wound that may close sometimes but it shall never be fully healed and it must not be forgotten, she said.

Dozens of Auschwitz survivors began a day of commemorations by placing wreaths and flowers at the infamous execution wall on the 72nd anniversary of the camps liberation by Soviet soldiers. The United Nations recognized Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005, and many commemorative events were taking place across the world on Friday.

Tragically, and contrary to our resolve, anti-Semitism continues to thrive, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement made in New York on Thursday, and which was read out at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva on Friday. We are also seeing a deeply troubling rise in extremism, xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim hatred. Irrationality and intolerance are back.

Guterres vowed to be in the front line of the battle against anti-Semitism and all other forms of hatred.

In Germany, outgoing Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his nation sticks by its obligation to take responsibility for the crimes committed by the Nazi regime of Adolf Hiltler.

Noting the political instability in the world today, Steinmeier said, History should be a lesson, warning and incentive all at the same time. There can and should be no end to remembrance.

In Croatia, the Jewish community boycotted official commemorations, saying the countrys conservative government is not doing enough to curb pro-Nazi sentiments there.

Community leader Ognjen Kraus, the coordinator of the Jewish communities in Croatia, said the decision was made after authorities failed to remove a plaque bearing a World War II Croatian pro-Nazi salute from the town of Jasenovac  the site of a wartime death camp where tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs and Roma perished.

Elderly survivors at Auschwitz, which today is a museum and partially preserved memorial, paid homage to those killed by wearing striped scarves to symbolize the uniforms prisoners were given when they arrived at the concentration camp.

Visitors are seen behind a gate with the inscription Arbeit macht frei (Work Will Set You Free) on the grounds of the Sachsenhausen memorial of a former Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg near Berlin on Friday. (Maurizio Gambarini / AFP/Getty Images)

They walked slowly beneath the notorious gate with the words Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Will Set You Free) and made their way as a group to the execution wall, where they lighted candles and prayed.

Janina Malec, a Polish survivor whose parents were killed at the execution wall, described her yearly visit as a pilgrimage and told the PAP news agency that as long as I live I will come here.
Amid an escalating crisis between neighboring nations, President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had a constructive and productive telephone conversation early Friday.

The two presidents spoke for about an hour, according to near-identical official statements from both presidential press offices.

The conversation seemed a clear effort to tone down rising tensions a day after Mexicos leader canceled plans to meet with Trump in Washington, D.C., next week. Pena Nieto scrapped the visit following Trumps insistence that Mexico foot the bill to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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The two presidents had a productive and constructive call and recognize their clear and very public differences about who would pay for the proposed wall, the White House said.

Both leaders agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship, it said.

The two chief executives also agreed for now not to speak publicly about this controversial theme, said the statement from the Mexican presidents office, apparently alluding to the dispute about payment for the wall. The White House statement did not mention any agreement to limit public discussions.

Trumps signature proposal, which would add to the 653 miles of fencing and barriers already along the 2,000-mile border, has sparked outrage in Mexico.

The government there has repeatedly rejected Trumps insistence that Mexico would pay for it. Many Mexican commentators and average citizens view the suggestion as a humiliation.

The two nations, which share not only a long frontier but also considerable history and culture, historically have cooperated on a range of issues. Decades of good relations appear to have deteriorated rapidly in recent days, however.

Themes discussed in Fridays call, the White House said, included the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico  a major concern of the Trump administration  and the importance of the friendship between the two nations, and the need for the two nations to work together to stop drug cartels, drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales.

Mexican officials highlighted their cooperation with U.S. authorities on drug trafficking and the flow of Central Americans to the United States through Mexico. The smuggling of arms from the U.S. to Mexico is another issue they have raised.

Trump has also sent tremors through the Mexican economy by vowing to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement  involving the United States, Mexico and Canada  and tax imports to the United States.

During the presidential campaign, he regularly assailed U.S. manufacturers who have set up shop in Mexico to take advantage of cheap labor and a liberal trade regimen. Mexicos economy is heavily dependent on exports to the United States, which accounts for almost 80% of Mexicos export market.

Mexicans have been riveted by the rift between Pena Nieto and Trump, and on Friday, the countrys wealthiest businessman weighed in on the situation during a rare news conference.

Carlos Slim, a telecommunications tycoon and the third-richest person in the world, held up a copy of one of Trumps books, Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again, and said the new U.S. president should be expected to follow through on his campaign promises  and threats.

There are no surprises with him said Slim, who criticized Trump during the election campaign but had dinner with him shortly after Trumps victory. He said the two had not spoken since the dinner.

Slim called Trumps protectionist economic policies an attempt to return to the past and said an import tax would hurt business interests and American consumers more than it would hurt Mexico.

The billionaire said he was pleased that Trump and Pena Nieto had spoken by phone, and called on Mexicans to unite behind their president as negotiations over NAFTA and on other issues go forward.

What is clear is that they will not be able to negotiate on Twitter, Slim said.

Staff writer Michael A. Memoli in Washington, D.C., contributed to this article.

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UPDATES:

2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Carlos Slim.

This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.
Through the centuries, humans have demonstrated extraordinary inventiveness in finding ways to extract confessions from foes. One of the most enduring means of coercion, dating at least to the days of the Spanish Inquisition, is a method that was long known as water torture.

It comes down to the simplest of elements: air and water. And the most elemental of emotions: fear.

Now known colloquially as waterboarding, the tactic has hopscotched across conflicts and cultures. Once again, it has made the leap from medieval parchments to TV screens, as President Trump signals he may seek to revive its use.

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In modern times, waterboarding is so named for the board, angled downward at the head, to which a subject is strapped before interrogation. When water is poured over the face, it creates the feeling that the lungs are filling with water, simulating an overpowering sensation of drowning.

Long before waterboarding was employed against suspects in the 9/11 attacks  most famously in the case of alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was said to have undergone the tactic 183 times in a single month  American troops utilized a form of it in the Spanish-American War in the Philippines at the dawn of the 20th century.

U.S.-allied South Vietnamese forces also did so more than half a century later. When Japanese troops were put on trial for war crimes after World War II, episodes of waterboarding were featured in tribunal transcripts. In the 1970s, the practice turned up in the fearsome prisons of Latin American dictators. The French utilized variants of it in Algeria; so did the British, in mandate Palestine.

During the Spanish Inquisition, water torture was one of an array of means of forcing unfortunates to confess to purportedly heretical thoughts and actions. By the 16th century, the practice was codified in criminal law across continental Europe, a practice adhered to by princes and kings and sovereign city-states and, sometimes, dioceses, said University of Pennsylvania emeritus history professor Edward Peters.

Favored because it could inflict immense suffering without leaving a mark, water torture took the form of both simulated drowning and pumping water directly into the stomach. Peters cited a 16th century French text on criminal procedure with an illustration showing a practice very similar to waterboarding, including use of a thin cloth to cover the subjects mouth while water was poured onto the face.

The late writer Christopher Hitchens, a self-described skeptic as to whether waterboarding was all that bad, once voluntarily submitted to a session of it at the hands of former military trainers who had schooled elite American troops in how to resist  not inflict  the practice.

You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning  or rather, being drowned, albeit slowly and under controlled conditions and at the mercy (or otherwise) of those who are applying the pressure, Hitchens wrote in a 2008 Vanity Fair piece headlined Believe Me, Its Torture.

Initially holding his breath and then finally forced to draw one, Hitchens recounted that the inhalation brought the damp cloths tight against my nostril, as if a huge, wet paw had been suddenly and annihilatingly clamped over my face. The experience left him unable to determine whether I was breathing in or out, and flooded more with sheer panic than with water.

Human rights advocates  who hailed the Obama administrations 2009 decision to outlaw the practice  have expressed horror over its potential return. In the current political context, though, argument about the practice turns not only on its morality, but its efficacy.

A landmark study by the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that harsh interrogation methods including waterboarding did not result in obtaining crucial information that could not have been unearthed through other means. But that drew pushback from some current and past intelligence officials who defended tactics including waterboarding as having helped pinpoint Osama bin Ladens location and the raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader.

Trump, who has gone back and forth on the issue, declared in a televised interview Wednesday night that he had asked high-level intelligence officials whether harsh interrogation methods  torture  in fact worked.

And the answer was, Yes, absolutely, the president told ABC News.

He added: Do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works.

On Friday, Trump reiterated his views favoring harsh interrogation methods  but said he would defer to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis. The Pentagon this week reaffirmed that Mattis was committed to upholding the law against waterboarding.

I happen to feel it does work, Trump said, speaking at a news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May. But he pronounced Mattis an expert and added: Im going to rely on him.

The new CIA director, Mike Pompeo, was reported to have been caught by surprise by the existence of a draft directive opening the door to reviving the use of torture. Pompeo had told Congress during confirmation hearings that he would oppose reintroducing methods such as waterboarding.

And U.S. Sen. John McCain, who underwent years of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has vowed to lead the fight against abusive interrogation practices.

The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes, the Arizona Republican said in a statement issued Wednesday by his office. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.

Even if the directive goes forward, waterboardings usefulness as a tool continues to be sharply questioned.

Forensic psychologist Coral Dando, who specializes in the psychology of torture, wrote in Thursdays editions of Britains Independent newspaper that in situations of extreme physical and psychological stress  such as waterboarding  human cognitive processes begin to break down, sometimes irrevocably, affecting decision-making and memory.

Even if interrogators are 100 percent sure that a detainee knows the information being sought  coercive methods may in fact interfere with the quality and quantity of any information that might be forthcoming, she wrote.

Naureen Shah, director of Amnesty Internationals program on security and human rights, said she believed there would be a strong legal case for preventing any executive order from being implemented, not least because Obamas ban on torture was codified by Congress, and waterboarding is explicitly prohibited by the Army Field Manual, used as an interrogation guidebook by U.S. personnel.

By all first-hand descriptions, waterboarding is simulated death, Shah said. Only under a radical reinterpretation would it be considered anything other than torture.

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

UPDATES:

11:45 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments Presidents Trump made Friday regarding the effectiveness of torture.

This article was originally published at 9 a.m.
Chiles worst ever wildfires threatened the city of Concepcion and the nations wine industry Friday, a day after flames destroyed a town about 200 miles south of the nations capital.

President Michelle Bachelets office said the fires had killed 11 people, forced the evacuation of more than 5,000 and burned nearly 900,000 acres, mainly forests.

Most of the evacuees come from the town of Santa Olga, southwest of Santiago, which was destroyed Thursday.

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We are facing a serious situation and can only succeed if we work together, Bachelet told reporters Friday morning after coordinating relief efforts at a meeting at the La Moneda presidential palace. Earlier in the week, Bachelet said the fires were the worst in the countrys history.

The government said Friday that as many as 65 separate fires continued to burn out of control.

Felipe Neira, president of Itata Valley winemakers association, said in a telephone interview that the industry, which is mostly concentrated in central Chile, so far had had lost about 100 acres of vineyards to the fires but that 1,250 acres were in jeopardy.

Our wine heritage is burning up, Neira said.

Firefighters, police and soldiers were concentrating in Concepcion in a bid to keep the fast moving flames from the city of 250,000. The Chilean navy dispatched 550 marines to maintain order in Concepcion and other affected areas.

Flames were reported to have destroyed several houses in the Concepcion suburb of Chaimavida.

International aid, including firefighters from Peru, Colombia and France, had begun to arrive, Bachelets office said.

Bachelet has declared a state of emergency in the Valparaiso, OHiggins, Maule, Bio Bio and La Araucania regions. Businesses and residents in those areas are eligible for agricultural subsidies as well as debt relief.

The fires started in mountainous areas southeast of the capital in November and spread due to high temperatures and strong winds, said Augusto Roberts, a spokesman for the commercial timber company Forestal Mininco. The timber industry had lost about 100,000 acres of commercial forests.

The management of firebreaks is not only [to maintain] distance between the timber plantations, it is also important to keep houses away from potential sources of fuel, Roberts said. In Chile there is still much to learn.

Special correspondent Poblete reported from Santiago, Chile. Special correspondent Chris Kraul in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.

MORE WORLD NEWS

Refugee lost hope in Syria, but rediscovered it in the U.S.

Israel to grant asylum to 100 children orphaned in Syrias civil war

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While the United States was preparing plans to close its borders to Syrian refugees, Israel announced plans Thursday to accept 100 orphaned Syrian children from around the battered city of Aleppo.

Critics immediately dismissed the plans as window dressing designed to enhance Israels public image. Nevertheless, the proposal represented a change in Israels relationship with its northern neighbor.

While millions of refugees have flowed out of Syria into neighboring countries during the course of the six-year civil war, Israel has kept its doors closed to civilians fleeing a country with which it technically remains in a state of war.

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Confirming a television news report from Wednesday, government officials said that the plan to bring in orphans is still in its preliminary phases and that Israel had reached out to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for assistance in identifying candidates.

The children would eventually be eligible to become permanent residents, and Israel would consider accepting immediate family members as well, according to Israels Channel 10 television news.

This is a just and important decision, Itzik Shmuli, an opposition member of parliament, said in an interview with Israel Radio. The government should be congratulated.

From the archives: One country that wont be taking Syrian refugees: Israel 

But Eyal Zisser, a political science professor at Tel Aviv University, said the plans, reportedly being drawn up by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, were mostly symbolic.

The minister wants to show empathy and show hes doing something, Zisser said. The main issue here is that 100 is really nothing. Its to show Israels nice face to the world and to address Israeli public opinion.

Despite its refusal to accept Syrian refugees on an ongoing basis, Israel has temporarily admitted 3,000 Syrians for medical treatment and hospital care over the last four years from rebel-controlled villages near the countries border in the Golan Heights. The army has set up a field hospital on the border, and sent limited shipments of medicine, food and blankets over the border to aid those villages.

Seeking to avoid being drawn into the Syrian civil war, Israel has remained on the sidelines of the fighting. It has made exceptions to defend its border in the Golan Heights  which was bulked up with a fence  from spillover in the fighting and also launched strikes inside of Syria to intercept weapons systems destined for Hezbollah, the Shiite militant organization in Lebanon.

As the desperation of Syrians to reach Europe caught international attention in 2015, Israeli opposition politicians argued that the country had a moral obligation to absorb refugees, given its history as a shelter for European Jews who survived the Holocaust. The calls to take in refugees were rejected as too risky by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that Israel was too small to absorb Syrians.

The appeals in Israel surged again at the end of 2016 during the siege of Aleppo, which created a massive humanitarian crisis. A crowdfunding initiative raised more than $100,000 and Deri declared that Israel could not remain indifferent to the crisis in Syria. In December, Netanyahu said Israel had begun to explore the possibility of bringing refugees to Israel.

In addition to concern about the security risk from accepting civilians from an enemy state, Israeli officials have feared that accepting Syrian refugees could affect negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and its demand of a right of return to Israel. Some 500,000 Palestinians in Syria are considered refugees, and Israeli officials worry that giving Syrian refugees residency might bolster the claim of Palestinian refugees to residency rights there.

Israel has a restrictive immigration and refugee policy for non-Jewish migrants. In a span of about seven years, more than 50,000 Africans illegally crossed into southern Israel, most of them from Sudan and Eritrea. Israeli immigration officials have largely refused to grant requests for asylum, and instead have pressured the African migrants by putting men in detention centers.

Moti Kahana, an Israeli American businessman who has lobbied Israeli officials to accept Syrian refugees and founded a non-profit, Amaliah, to aid Syrians still in the country, commended the decision. But he said Israel could be doing more to help the Syrians living closer to the Golan Heights.

The Israeli people woke up when Aleppo collapsed, he said. Why from Aleppo, because it sounds good politically? There are people 200 meters from the Israeli border.

The Trump administration has drawn up plans, which were leaked Wednesday, to temporarily ban all refugees, and to enact a more permanent ban on Syrian refugees. President Trump has not yet signed the executive order that would put the plan into action.

Mitnick is a special correspondent

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All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
A day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a planned meeting with Trump in Washington, the US president again took aim at trade ties between the two countries.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is one of the most awaited laptops of 2017. The US tech giant hasn't cleared the specs of its flagship device. However, the geeks are waiting for its official announcement. The 2-in-1 laptop from Microsoft is said to launch in March 2017.

Some reports suggest that Microsoft's Surface Pro 5 might be released during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The event will take place from Feb. 27 to March 2. The speculations also indicating regarding the three variants of the high-end laptop with having different processors.

Surface Pro 5 is also rumored to mark 4K display, which will surely make the laptop stand apart to its rivals. While some reports also indicate that the Surface Pro 5 will also support a 3D display with a frame rate of 60 frames per second. According to PC Advisor, Microsoft might unveil the Surface Pro 5 in March. As MWC is one of the biggest tech shows in the world, the US-tech company is trying to cash this opportunity to release its highly anticipated laptop. Microsoft Surface Pro 5's variants are said to sport Intel Kaby Lake processor.

The users might also see the much-improved stylus in Surface Pro 5 that can be recharged wirelessly.

In terms of connectivity, Microsoft will also try to win in this area by featuring USB-C type. Another major change would come in touch panels as Microsoft might consider IPS touch panels over AMOLED.

In terms of storage, the Surface Pro 5 is likely to sport two different versions of RAM storage 16GB and 32 GB with 512GB to 1TB storage SSD. While Qualcomm Snapdragon 635 processor could be the choice for the processor.

The cost of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is not confirmed but is said to be around $900.

For more update stay tune with us.
Robots and drones are now the best buddies of plant biologists these days because of the increasing need for increased data on plants, not just on improved yields but also how plants can cope with climate changes or increasing populations needing to eat.

According to The Scientific American, robot overlords is the rise of mechanical and electronic supervision to the research on plants. Plant biologist Christopher Topp used to drive 600 kilometers. From North Carolina to Georgia to image his plants, all potted and dripping in water, to a Physics lab in that state. Now moved to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis, Missouri, Topp now has easier access to imaging equipment to examine his plants.

From February 10 to 14, 2017, plant biologists will gather together in Tucson, Arizona to compare methods and techniques on plant research. The need for speed in gathering data has been highlighted recently among the plant community, as not only the plant yields and the height have been traditionally studied but also their resilience against other external factors like climate changes.

"Phenotype is infinite," says Topp, referring to a plant's overall characteristics, which may include its physical traits and DNA sequencing. The best we can do is capture an aspect of it - and we want to capture the most comprehensive aspect we can," Nature notes.

The urgent need of these plant biologists for phenotypes spawned some remarkable projects and facilities for phenotyping plants lately. One of them is the US Department of Energy who in 2015, announced the launch of a US$34 million project using sensors, robotics and modern methods to map sorghum, a plant used as biofuel.

Likewise, the European Union last year launched a pan-European network of phenotyping facilities to address this issue. Just goes to show that the age of robots as the partners of Man in plant research have now begun.
Facebook will be having a massive update this year. The company is beginning to test integrating the ads into its mobile messaging app's user interface. They will launch the testing ads in Messenger app to the limited users in Australia and Thailand.

According to Techcrunch, the said update on its Messenger app will allow businesses to promote their products and services on the messenger's home screen at the bottom of favorite users and most recent conversations.

This will be fairly prominent card-style ads which will include image thumbnails accompanied with text and links. According to Facebook, nobody can see the ads in the conversation unless they will click on the ad experience on the Messenger home screen or even start a conversation with a brand.

Facebook also ensures that the ads will not originate in conversations. According to Facebook Product Manager Eddie Zhang's blog, having this functionality will give businesses a chance to place an ad in the Messengers below the recent conversation.

Furthermore, the ad will be in the same spot as to where Facebook usually reminds users of birthdays and active users. The new update provides other ways for businesses to reach their target customers via Messenger that includes News Feed ads that take users into a chat session and sponsored messages.

Messenger nowadays has over a billion monthly users which could be reached in this kind of advertisement. People all over the world are sending a billion messages to brands every month which is a good indication that people want to see ads like this in their Messenger.

Facebook also ensures that messenger users will totally have complete control over their experience. They can either hide or report specific ads with the use of a dropdown menu which is also similar to how users report ads in their News Feed.

The company also warns to advertisers not to directly message the users unless the user initiates the conversation.




The competition to reach the moon is on its final leg. Google and X Prize announced that out of the 33 teams that joined the race, only five were able to secure a launch contract, which is necessary to stay in the Google Lunar XPRIZE.

The five remaining teams are India's Team Indus, Moon Express from the US, Hakuto from Japan, Israel's SpaceIL, and Synergy Moon, which is composed of different teams who initially started with the other four. Each of them now has a one-way ticket to the moon, wherein they would compete for the final task of the competition, National Geographic reports.

As the first team to secure a ticket on October 2015, SpaceIL is teaming up with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for a flight scheduled in the latter half of the year. Their spacecraft, called the Sparrow, is built to be small and smart hopper, able to leap horizontally up to 1640 feet.

Looking into mining and retrieving lunar resources for use in Earth, Moon Express' MX-1E lander will board the Electron, a yet to be tested rocket from startup company Rocket Lab. Initial testing of the rocket will start in a few months' time.

Team Indus will be assisted by the Indian Space Research Organization on getting their lunar lander to its destination. Its mission when it gets there, though, is yet to be stated.

As for Hokuto, their dual landers will be hitching a ride with Team Indus. Composed of the two-wheeler Tetris and a four-wheeler Moonraker, the Japanese team is set to explore a lava tube on the moon's surface.

With a goal to make manned orbital travel possible and cost effective, Synergy Moon will be launching their lunar lander along with a team member. They will be carried by Interorbital system's NEPTUNE 8, which has yet to be tested as well. Aside from manned orbits, the team wants to look into satellite launches Solar System exploration as affordable and accessible as possible.

As reported by Forbes, X Prize has given more time for the teams to complete their mission. They now have to get their landers to the moon by December 31, 2017, instead of completing the mission by that time. According to the organizers, the move was done due to the diverse mission plans of each team. Each team, however, is required to cover at least 1,640 feet of lunar terrain and should be able to send images back on Earth.

The prize: $20 million for the first place, $5 million for the runner up, and an additional $5 million for outstanding achievement. Additionally, the $1 million Diversity prize was split to the 16 teams, as the organizers were impressed by the unique approach and initiatives they have shown during the process.
Samsung has already said that it will not be announcing the upcoming Galaxy S8 at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show. Now Xiaomi has also revealed that it will also have zero announcements on the upcoming event, making the Mobile World Congress a little light this year.

Xiaomi to skip MWC

Just last year, Xiaomi officially announced its flagship smartphone, the Mi 5, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. While the up and coming Mi 6 was rumored to make some noise this year, it seems like fans for the China-based tech company will have to wait a little longer since, According to DigitalTrends, one of Xiaomi's spokesperson confirmed that the company is skipping the show.

Other Devices to look forward to

It has already been a tradition for most smartphone manufacturers to debut their flagship devices for the year at MWC. So despite the no-show by Xiaomi, there's still quite a number of upcoming devices to look forward to. Devices such as LG's G6, Sony's Xperia lineup, and BlackBerry's keyboard-laden flagship will be present at the upcoming event.

Reason for Xiaomi's absence

Xiaomi is still relatively new to the event, and a key factor for its absence could be due to its slow growth in smartphone sales. According to AndroidCentral, the company has recently said that it will not be revealing how many smartphones it has sold in 2016, which marks the first time it has not done so.

In an open letter, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said that the company has grown "too fast." The Chinese company attended CES 2017, where it announced a white version of the Mi Mix, as well as an upcoming 4K TV product.

A former Googler with the name of Hugo Barra helped put Xiaomi on the world stage as vice president of international. He recently left the company due to health issues and homesickness.

According to rumors, Xiaomi's loss of Barra could have also affected its decision to attend the Mobile World Congress.
Most probably in the next quarter Samsung could return to be the smartphone market in Taiwan. Sources of the local retail channels says that the performance of the manufacture's mid-range models will play the key role in rising the rank of Samsung in the third quarter in Taiwan

According to phonearena the Galaxy J series has been selling like anything and the demand is getting very high for the smartphone, moreover that is not the online line of series who has nailed the market.

As per leakite the mid to high end range of Samsung Galaxy A series is providing outstanding customer experience for the price, and customers are loving the price range of these smartphones.

Adding to this the expected launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship will happen in the late April or June time frame, and users can have a company that could be running on all cylinders as Q2 comes to a close.

The thing that might be the concern of Samsung is any lingering concern about the batteries exposition like Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. However Samsung had recently reported the results of their investigation which blamed the battery of the phablet's explosions.

For safety purpose Samsung had started an 8 point battery safety check to make sure that its new model and this will not run into the similar problem with the batteries inside each smartphone.

Samsung is aiming for a 40% share of the mid-rage market in Taiwan. If it can hit that bogey, Samsung should be able to rank on top of the smartphone sales charts in the country for the second quarter and perhaps beyond.

After the failure of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 the goodwill of the company was down and to regain the trust of consumers Samsung had done a lot of efforts. Hopefully it will be back in market at the top of the list.
#NCT 127 K-pop group NCT 127's concert in Jakarta ends early for safety reasons A concert by K-pop boy group NCT 127 in Jakarta ended early on Friday after some excited fans caused chaos to get closer to the stage, a local event agency said. "An unexpected ...
Jan 26, 2017, 5:37pm ET

Tesla lawsuit accuses former Autopilot head of poaching, taking proprietary data

Sterling Anderson is accused of violating his employment contract for a new startup named Aurora, with help from the former head of Google\'s self-driving car project.

Tesla Motors has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the former manager of its Autopilot program, Sterling Anderson.

The company accuses Anderson of offering employment to a dozen fellow engineers for a new startup he founded while still allegedly working at Tesla, violating non-solicitation terms in his employment contract, according to details of the lawsuit cited by The Verge.

The filing is also said to claim Anderson took hundreds of gigabytes of proprietary and confidential data, which Tesla considers its "most competitively sensitive information."

Tesla claims the violations involved Chris Urmson, the former head of Google's self-driving car project, who allegedly worked with Anderson to form the separate startup, known as Aurora Innovation.

"In their zeal to play catch-up, traditional automakers have created a get-rich-quick environment," the filing says. "Small teams of programmers with little more than demoware have been bought for as much as a billion dollars ... Anderson and his business partners, including Christopher Urmson, the recently departed head of Google's self-driving car initiative, decided to take a run at a similar fortune."

Tesla claims it is typically supportive of its employees' desire to pursue other opportunities or create startups of their own, however the company considers Anderson's alleged actions to be worthy of a legal showdown.

"Tesla cannon sit idly by when an employee liek Anderson abuses his position of trust and orchestrates a scheme to deliberately and repeatedly violate his non-solicit agreement, hide evidence, and take the company's confidential and proprietary information for use in a competing venture," the filing adds.

The lawsuit names Anderson, Urmson and Aurora Innovation as defendants in the case.
The attorney for convicted murderer Quadir "Avon" Taylor argued he doesn't deserve the life sentence he received Friday.

The 29-year-old Easton man was one of four people who conspired to rob 76-year-old Carrie Smith in her Wilson Borough home in 2012. Smith suffered a heart attack that night and died two months later.

A jury convicted Taylor two weeks ago of second-degree murder.

Defense attorney James Brose said no weapon was used against Smith. Brose was involved with a case last week where defendants bound and beat a victim during a robbery and got away with 10- and 20-year minimum prison sentences.

Taylor left Smith sitting in a chair in her home and got life.

"I think it's wrong and I think it's unfair that Mr. Taylor faces this kind of consequence," Brose said.

Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Mulqueen said she "couldn't disagree more" with Brose.

Taylor and Rogel "Roger" Suero sneaked in and terrified Smith. They smothered her with a pillow and pulled her out of bed by her hair.

"It's so silly for them to sit here and say they went to rob an elderly woman in the dead of night with the best of intentions. 'Super sorry that she died,'" Mulqueen said. "They weren't kind when they went in there. This was a violent attack on this woman until she was able to open that safe."

The robbers got away with $35,000 in cash and $18,000 in jewelry.

Judge Paula Roscioli agreed with Mulqueen.

"You have no one to blame but yourself," she told Taylor. "I have no hesitation in imposing a life sentence without the possibility of parole."

The crime devastated Smith's granddaughter, Tanya Brown. Her mother died when she was 5 and she was raised by Smith.

"For me it wasn't losing a grandmother," she wrote in a letter to Roscioli. "It was losing a mother again as well."

She said her grandmother doted over her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her fervor for housecleaning led her cousin to nickname her the Energizer Bunny.

Smith was a broken woman after the robbery. She was too frightened to return home. She had frequent nightmares and needed help to take a shower or a bath.

"I lost a part of my heart when I lost my grandmother" Brown's letter said. "I feel like a part of me died with her."

"We were all forced to endure endless hours, days, months and years of grieving so intense at times it nearly tore our lives apart," added Smith's daughter, Michelle Phoenix.

Taylor was free until 2015, when co-conspirator Rebecca Johnson told police he was involved.

Johnson is Smith's granddaughter. She secured a key to the home for Taylor and Suero, her boyfriend, to rob it. Both Johnson and Suero are serving life sentences for the murder. The getaway driver, David Bechtold, was sentenced to one to two years in prison.

Taylor portrayed himself as a reluctant participant in the crime when interviewed by police. He said he had a young child and one on the way and felt pressure to provide for them.

"I really didn't want to do it. I never robbed people, especially old ladies. I've got a grandmother," he said in the taped interview with police. "I don't know what you want to call it. I just felt like I was doing what I was doing for my kid. I know it was wrong. Sometimes you got your back to the wall."

Smith's relatives were grateful Taylor was eventually caught.

"I hope one day you, Quadir Taylor, will realize what you did to hurt my entire family," Brown wrote. "May God forgive you for your actions."

"You walked around free for far too long and now your time has come," Phoenix wrote. "Your life as you knew it will be taken from you as our lives were taken from us. This day was a long time coming."

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A man was arrested early Friday morning after an Easton police Vice Unit investigation into crack cocaine sales morphed into a probe of social media threats against officers.

Jermaine Newsome, 29, was taken into custody just after 6 a.m. at 131 S. 13th St. in the city's West Ward.

An Airsoft gun was found in the home and could be the same weapon the man showed on social media after an earlier video where he threatened to shoot officers after a previous contact with city police, Lt. Matthew Gerould said.

Newsome will be charged by summons with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Gerould said. The investigation into the threats is continuing, but Newsome wasn't charged in connection with that Friday, Gerould said. Newsome was subsequently released, Gerould said.

A search warrant was served, Gerould said.

Newsome tried to run off when the Special Response and Vice Units entered the apartment, but he was quickly arrested, Gerould said.

Newsome's girlfriend, who is the leaseholder, was not involved in the case, Gerould said. There were three children in the home, he added.

After the man refused, the girlfriend gave police permission to search a maroon car outside the first-floor apartment, Gerould said. Luggage was taken from the trunk and gone through, but it was put back and the car was not towed.

In addition to the air gun, drug paraphernalia was recovered from the apartment, Gerould said. No drug buys were made from the residence, he said. A box of possible evidence was removed from the home and loaded into a Bearcat armored vehicle.

Newsome complained about his wrists being twisted as he was taken to a patrol vehicle.

The Easton Emergency Squad was later called to the police department.

The investigation is continuing into another address possibly tied to Newsome, Gerould said. While he appeared to live in the Easton home, Newsome also has an Allentown address, according to police.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
firefighters-honored.jpg

From left, Easton fire Deputy Chief Kevin Arnold stands alongside firefighters Ronald Behm and Andrew Wuttke as they're recognized by city council Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, for helping to deliver a baby Jan. 11, 2017, at Third Street Alliance in Easton. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleyliuve.com)

Easton firefighters on a medical-assistance call earlier this month helped bring one of the city's newest residents into the world.

Firefighters Ronald Behm and Andrew Wuttke responded during the early morning hours of Jan. 11 to Third Street Alliance for Women and Children, 41 N. Third St.

Suburban EMS was on scene with a woman in labor, but Behm and Wuttke soon found themselves alone with the soon-to-be mother to continue monitoring her.

"During that time the baby crowned and firefighters Behm and Wuttke delivered the baby, and the mother and baby were transported to the hospital," a city council resolution recognizing their actions states.

Council passed the resolution and thanked Behm and Wuttke in front of a handful of their colleagues.

"Firefighter don't just fight fires," Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said. "Obviously they don't just deliver babies. But last year they delivered and installed over 479 smoke detectors in homes in the West Ward and they expect to do it again this year in other parts of the city, as well.

"They're very mindful of fire prevention as much as fighting fires. So we want to thank those guys. They do a great job for us, and we're really proud of them."

Fire Deputy Chief Kevin Arnold joined the firefighters at council's meeting and said he was very proud to be co-workers of theirs.

"They work as a wonderful, professional team and I couldn't ask for more from them," Arnold said.

Standing from left, Easton City Councilman James Edinger, city firefighters Andrew Wuttke and Ronald Behm, Councilman Ken Brown, Councilman Peter Melan, Councilwoman Sandra Vulcano, Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and fire Deputy Chief Kevin Arnold are seen at the Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, meeting of council where Wuttke and Behm were honored for helping to deliver a baby Jan. 11 at Third Street Alliance in the city. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Behm and Wuttke did not comment during the presentation of framed copies of the resolution. Third Street Alliance, whose residents include victims of abuse, said the mother is unavailable for comment.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
After deliberating for about 10 hours Thursday, a Lehigh County jury found a man guilty of fatally abusing his 3-month-old daughter.

Matthew Wolfe, 32, was convicted of third-degree murder and child endangerment in the 2013 death of his daughter Quinn. His sentencing is scheduled for March 17, and he faces a maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

Wolfe's attorney, Scott Wilhelm, said his client plans to appeal, and that one of the issues was that the jury was not allowed to consider involuntary manslaughter.

Wolfe was disappointed with the verdict, Wilhelm said, but "obviously the jury looked at it hard, and gave it a lot of thought and consideration."

The death was investigated by the county grand jury, and Wolfe was arrested and charged in the case in December 2015.

Wolfe's trial began Jan. 18, and closing arguments were made Thursday morning. Jurors were released to deliberate a little after noon, and didn't come back with a verdict until after 10 p.m.

Wolfe had been free on 10 percent of $150,000 bail, but bail was revoked following his conviction.

The case centered around the hours before Wolfe took Quinn on Nov. 12, 2013, to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill.

The baby's mother, Cristen Sanchez, was working at the hospital at the time, and Wolfe was alone with Quinn for most of the day at the family's home in the 1200 block of Forrest Road in Whitehall Township.

Prosecutors previously said the baby was 2 months old at the time, but at trial the record was changed to 3 months old.

At the hospital, the baby was cold with mottled skin, and was eventually taken to the emergency room, where doctors found multiple traumatic injuries to her body including her brain.

The baby was near death, and immediately taken to St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia. She was pronounced dead on Nov. 18, 2013.

The prosecution's expert witness was Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen, a pediatrician with Lehigh Valley Health Network and a child abuse expert.

She testified the baby would have shown immediate symptoms following the "severe, lethal episode of head trauma" she suffered, meaning the injuries occurred while Wolfe was alone with the child.

Wilhelm said it was Sanchez who caused the child's injuries. Wilhelm's expert witness did not appear in court to testify, but his report was read before the jury and entered into the record.

The couple were living together at the time the baby girl died, but separated soon after and did not have contact since then, Wilhelm said.

Sanchez testified during the trial for the prosecution, and was seated in the courtroom audience for much of the trial.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The 11th annual Portarlington & Killenard Charity Gala Ball takes place this year on Friday, February 24, with Laois Down Syndrome as its chosen charity.

A firm favourite in the Laois social calendar, organisers say tickets for the glamorous night at 50, are flying out, with another memorable night in store.

Portarlington ladies Marie Corcoran, Colette Kennedy and Marie Molloy organise the ball every year.

"It is always a great night, full of glitz and glamour. Over half of the 350 tickets are sold, said Marie.

Dublin Solicitor Gerald Kean, who appeared on Celebrity Operation Transformation, is again a guest of honour this year.

We are delighted to again be supported this year by Gerald who always gives us very generous support.

We have more celebrity guests that we will confirm closer to the day," said Marie Corcoran.

The ball is again in the Heritage Hotel Killenard, with music by JL Sound and drinks on arrival, a four course meal with more wine, followed by dancing until the early hours to the Keith McDonald Showband.

Over the years, the Balls have raised hundreds of thousands for many Laois charities.

We have raised about 300,000, estimates Marie.

There is a positive ripple effect for local businesses.

Many people already have their ballgowns bought, and the hairdressers, tanning parlours, nail bars are all booked out for miles around. It's great for the economy of Portarlington.

Everyone gets a chance to wear their jewels and fur, but at the end of the day it's all about helping a great local charity, she said.

Mick Gorman is chairman of Laois Down Syndrome, and he is delighted that it is the chosen charity for the first time this year.

As well as dinner and dancing, guests have the chance to win in a raffle, with generously donated prizes from local businesses, worth hundreds of euros each.

The night starts at 7pm sharp, and dress is formal.

Tickets are available in the Saoirse Care charity shop, Portarlington, or call Marie at 087 7589896, or Colette at 086 2654277

Pictured at the 2016 ball were Maria Molloy, Gerald Kean (guest of honour), Sean Doyle (Fair City) and Marie Corcoran.

Photo: Michael Scully.
The Jog for a Dog 5k fundraiser returns to Castletown House to mark World Autism Day on Sunday, April 2 next.

All money raised from the third year of this event will go to My Canine Companion Autism Services. The 5k, which participants can jog, walk or run, is sponsored by Naas-based Irish Dog Foods.

We are so delighted that Irish Dog Foods are supporting us again, said committee member Laura Sullivan at the official launch last week.

Thanks to their generous support over the last three years we have raised over 35,000 for an amazing charity that trains service dogs for children and young adults with autism.

The race is organised and run by families who have all benefitted from autism service dogs and pups provided by My Canine Companion.

Thanks to our sponsors covering all our race costs, every penny of our runners and walkers registration fees and any money they raise through sponsorship, goes straight to the charity.

Jog for a Dog was co-founded by Niall Ruddy and his wife Cliona ORourke five years ago.

Like the majority of charities in this sector, we receive no government funding, therefore all our funds have to come from great fundraising events such as this. The charity itself and the families, including a number in the local Kildare area, greatly appreciate the support.

Service dogs can provide huge benefits including safety, independence and companionship.

Online registration is now open at www.popupraces.ie with entry fees ranging from 10 for juveniles runners/walkers to 20 for senior runners/walkers. This year sees the introduction of a Family Category to cover two adults and three children for 50.

Numbers are strictly limited to 500 participants. The organisers hope to provide registration on the day (15 for juveniles/25 for seniors/60 family) but this will be dependant on online sales. Last years event was a sell out.

Sponsorship cards are also available from race@jogforadog.com or call Laura on 086 358 1338.

For more information on My Canine Companion, visit www.mycaninecompanion.ie.
STOP Suicide's goal is zero suicides in the North West during Spring 2017.

STOP Suicide was founded in 2004 by families who were bereaved by suicide. The organisation's purpose is to provide a safe, confidential place where those who request assistance can talk about the loss, stress, confusion, conflicts and other pain in their lives.

STOP Suicide have a freefone number 1850 211877 is manned from 8am to 9pm and they aim to put callers in touch with a counsellor within 24 hours. In the meantime they will support callers on the phone if necessary. There is no cost for this service which is funded solely by voluntary donations and community fundraising events.

STOP Suicide value and care for each person who seeks their services. Through their experience of working with self-harm and suicide they acknowledge the very difficult life events that can lead people to hurt themselves, or end their lives.

Their style of counselling is to listen, support and perhaps help with insight to either change what is possible to change, or to live more contentedly and creatively with that which is not.

STOP Suicide are a community, voluntary body that works to prevent suicide by informing, educating and promoting positive suicide prevention policies throughout the west and north-west of Ireland.

Their central office is located at the Beepark Resource Centre in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim and they also have a list of fully accredited counsellors located in Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Roscommon and Mayo whom they can call on to provide counselling on a no fee basis.

STOP Suicide liaise with other organisations that provide a similar service including SOSAD (Save Our Sons And Daughters) in Cavan. Suicide is very often a cry for help, not a wish to die and it can be prevented. STOP Suicide assists people to choose life instead of ending it.
There is concern over the fall in the number of Garda detectives nationwide.

In the Sligo/ Leitrim division hthere was a dramatic drop of 28% falling from 28 in 2011 to 20 in October 2016.

Fianna Fail TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy released that in October just passed, there were just 804 detectives in the force, an 11% drop since May 2015 when there were almost 100 more detectives on the streets.

The decreases throughout divisions appear to have accelerated in 2016, with 70 detective positions being lost since last May, explained the Deputy.

The Roscommon/Longford division has taken a real hit in terms of the numbers of detectives as there are now only 14 as of October 2016 which is not an adequate number when you consider the size of this rural Garda division. Likewise Sligo/Leitrim has seen a huge decrease in detective numbers with a drop of 28%- we need a greater number of detectives working across divisions to protect our communities.

In light of the decrease in crime detection rates recorded between 2010-2014 and recently published by the CSO, the Minister should be looking at increasing the number of detectives on our streets and not allowing this slide in numbers to continue.

While all Gardai play a crucial role in the detection and prevention of crime, communities affected by serious and often organised crime require the support of specialist detectives, concluded Deputy Murphy.
I have felt sick to the stomach virtually every day this week as new pronouncements come from the new US President. Already hes damaged our planet by authorising new pipelines, promised to reinstate torture and proclaimed that hes going to build that wall no matter what.

For me, though, the worst was the distasteful image of a man who has gloated about sexually assaulting women sitting, surrounded by men, signing an executive order which will ensure that vulnerable women lose their lives. He has reinstated the global gag rule on abortion which means that no US funds can go to organisations which provide abortion services. No US money pays for abortion services, but no organisation can receive funds for its other programmes.

The impact of this on Africa is highlighted by this Washington Post article:

In Kenya, public health experts raised immediate concerns about the new policy. Women here often resort to dangerous methods to end their pregnancies, including drinking battery acid and using wire coat hangers. In parts of rural Kenya, young women have hired local healers to stomp on their stomachs until the pregnancy is deemed over. Trumps policy means even fewer services will be offered, said Chimaraoke Izugbara, a researcher at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in Nairobi. Some women will not be reached, and providers may not be available to offer services. I think we are headed to a major disaster. Nearly 8,000 women in Kenya die every year from complications caused by pregnancy and childbirth. At least a fifth of those deaths are caused by self-induced abortions, according to Izugbara.

However, Dutch trade and development minister Lilianne Ploumen has a solution:

Minister Ploumen said that the Trump administrations decision risked undermining recent advances in womens health. We must not let this happen, she said. We need to compensate for this financial blow as much as possible, with a broad-based fund  which governments, businesses and civil society organisations can donate to  so that women can remain in control of their own bodies.

Our former International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone called on our Government to support the Dutch initiative.

This is a deeply damaging act by the new US President, and shows just how unwilling he is to look at the facts around the importance of womens reproductive health. I praise this announcement by Lilianne Ploumen in the Dutch government, and call on our Prime Minister to commit to supporting this initiative to ensure that no women face the negative consequences of Trumps antiquated and oppressive views.

Trumps move is nothing new. The global gag rule was in place during the administrations of Reagan and George W Bush. However, those were 36 and 16 years ago. Society has moved on since then and there is greater international understanding about how these issues affect women and greater willingness to do something about them. Its time for the rest of the international community who cares about these things to step up. In doing so, they will save womens lives.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
The Anglo-American Special Relationship is becoming the EXTRA Special Relationship  and not for the right reasons.

The Special Relationship is based on a shared historic, legal, cultural, and philosophical root buttressed by military and political alliances, a shared outlook of the world and intelligence services which are joined at the hip and just about every other part of the political anatomy.

The Extra Special Relationship is based on a shared pariah status, siege mentality and Britain and Americas common need for friends in an increasingly friendless world. The Brexit vote has isolated the UK from its former partners in continental Europe. Trumps style plus his anti-Islamic, anti-EU, anti-free trade, anti-Nato, anti-Chinese and pro-Russian and pro-Israeli rhetoric has done the same.

On top of that, Prime Minister Theresa May needs a big trade deal to show that Brexit can work to Britains advantage. Trump is offering a massive bribethe trade deal.

But can such a deal be negotiated quickly? Is it really in Britains interest?Is it in the interests of the wider world? Is it worth the price of cosying up to Trump? What impact would this have on British politics?

Yes, the deal can be negotiated quickly. It has effectively already been completed. It is called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership which has been hammered out between the Obama Administration and dumped by the Trump people. All that is required on the part of the British and American negotiators is to go through the documents and change EU to UK. That should take a lot less than the 90 days allotted by Ted Malloch, Trumps ambassador designate to Brussels.

Trump wants a weakened EU. A united Europe is a commercial competitor to the United States. He supports Brexit and the alt-right anti-EU populist movements sweeping across the continent because businessman Trump knows he can get better deals negotiating with a motley collection of national governments than he can with the worlds largest trading bloc.

But this is not good for Britain. The May government wants out of the European Union but it does not want the European Union to fail. Britain has historically always been separate from but part of Europe. Instability on the European continent dragged it into two disastrous world wars in the twentieth century and scores of others in the centuries before that.

There are other key areas of disagreement. Britain is a leading advocate for global free trade. It is pro-NATO and like the rest of the alliance worried about Trumps talk of obsolence and closer political and military relations with Russia. Commercial, political and military attacks on China are seen by Britain as dangerously counter productive and a pro-Israeli Islamaphobic policy is viewed as yet another recruitment poster for Al Qaeeda and ISIS.

Next there is the impact that a close Trump-May relationship would have on British domestic politics. Theresa Mays majority in the House of Commons is a slim 15 votes and Trump is disliked and distrusted on all sides of the House. Yes, Americas status as the worlds only super power means that government ministers have to work with the Trump Administration, but they should be wary of being seen to support Trump the man.

He is heartily disliked in Britain. A hundred thousand protesters took to the streets of London the day after his inauguration. But more telling was a survey conducted by ComRes of the wider British public. Sixty-six percent said that the world was in a more dangerous place as a result of the election of Donald Trump. Ten percent said it was safer. Fifty-eight percent thought Trumps election set a dangerous precedent for American and world politics, and 15 percent thought it was good to shake things up a bit. And finally 53 percent thought Trump was a bad man and 15 percent thought he was good.

British PM Harold Macmillan once famously said that Britains role was to play Greece to Americas Rome. The belief was that British wisdom would temper gung-ho shoot from the hip Americans . Tony Blairs experience in Iraq underscored the dangers of that approach.

* Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and the author of The Encyclopedia of the Cold War and the recently published America Made in Britain that has sold out in the US after six weeks but is still available in the UK.
GARDAI have been given additional time to make inquiries as to the source of almost 13,000 in cash which was seized at the home of a Limerick criminal.

Limerick District Court has been told 12,970 was seized during a search of a property at St Marys Park on May 14, 2015.

The money was seized during a major garda operation targeting the activities of suspected drug dealers in the city.

The owner of the house where the cash was seized  Vincent Collopy  is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence which was imposed last summer after he admitted threatening to kill another man.

His brothers  Brian Collopy (44) and Kieran Collopy (41)  are also currently serving eight-year prison sentences for drugs offences.

Gardai who believe the cash is the proceeds of crime were previously granted a court order allowing them to retain it to facilitate their inquiries.

Vincent Collopy (37) was extradited from Bulgaria in May 2014 and Detective Garda Anthony ODriscoll said gardai are liaising with authorities in Bulgaria in an effort to establish where the cash came from.

We are still making inquiries, he said during an application to extend the period of detention.

The detective told the court it is anticipated that gardai will ultimately seek to have the cash forfeited to the State.

There was no objection to the application which was granted by Judge Marian OLeary who said gardai can detain the money for a further three months.
A MEETING with the Minister for Education has been scheduled for the coming weeks with three whistleblowers associated with the University of Limericks finance department, who staged a sit-in at the Department of Education in Dublin this week.

An exact date has been scheduled with the Minister for Education & Skills Richard Bruton, which will possibly be brought forward if he is in Limerick before that date, following their sit-in at the Department on Marlborough Street this Monday.

One of the whistleblowers, former UL employee Leona O'Callaghan, said she was prepared to be escorted out of the offices, unless a meeting was facilitated with Minister Bruton that day.

No gardai were called, as confirmation was received in writing from the Department that the meeting had been pencilled in.

Two whistleblowers from UL's finance department currently remain suspended for 19 months with pay.

Referred to as Persons B and C in the Mazars report, which was commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to examine a number of issues in UL, they said: We haven't received a fair response to date and all we are seeking is that all the issues be dealt with in a fair, open and transparent manner.

Suspended on June 12, 2015, the women said they continue to be placed under chronic stress as a result of the inability of any authority to resolve their case.

We would be happy to meet with the incoming UL president, Professor Desmond Fitzgerald, and we would hope that he would listen to everything as a whole, in an impartial manner, they said of the former vice-president of UCD, who takes up his 10-year term as UL president in May.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Sean Fleming, has also confirmed that UL will be among a number of universities set to be questioned on a number of financial and governance issues in the coming months.

While three Dublin institutions will also be examined, he said Limerick has specifically come up as a big issue.

Deputy Fleming said that among the financial issues at UL which may be examined will be the high severance packages to a number of staff members, which were not sanctioned with the Department of Education and Skills.

A report by the office Comptroller and Auditor General last year highlighted that UL did not comply with good practice in offering two employees severance packages amounting to over 450,000 between them, following a review of high-value discretionary severance payments.

Following this, the Department of Education confirmed to the Limerick Leader that UL did not seek prior written approval in relation to an additional 150,000 severance payment to a staff member.

A spokesperson for the department said that it was only informed of this severance package, made in 2014, subsequent to it being paid.

The claims by all three women who say they were put under undue pressure by their superiors regarding expenses and other financial matters in UL  first aired in the Limerick Leader in September 2015  gave rise to the HEA commissioning a report into processes and procedures, which found a number of shortcomings.

Ms OCallaghan, who has left that department, originally brought her concerns regarding expense claims she was asked to process to the Public Accounts Committee in 2012.

She signed a compromise agreement with UL in June 2012 after being out on sick leave, while the two suspended employees were presented with severance agreements by Arthur Cox solicitors, on behalf of UL, offering them nearly 60,000 each if they signed a confidentiality clause.

Both of those contracts have been seen and printed by the Limerick Leader.

UL continues to maintain that both suspended employees have been subject to a number of disciplinary hearings, including making a malicious complaint against a colleague, which the whistleblowers strongly reject.

The HEA, which has dealt with the case for more than a year, particularly under its former chief executive Tom Boland, said it has exhausted all its efforts on this case, and has passed the matter to the Department for resolution.

A support group for other 'distressed' former staff of UL was later established by Dr Niall Cahill, who was director of medical services on the campus for 15 years, and Jeremy Callaghan, a former director of student affairs at UL.
INDUSTRIAL diamond manufacturer Element Six has announced a 100 job expansion as part of a 7m investment at Shannon.

The investment will see employment levels more than double to 550 since implementation of a restructuring plan in 2009.

A member of the De Beers Group of Companies, Element Six - which produces synthetic diamond super-materials - has today announced the creation of a further 100 jobs at its Shannon facility.

The company said the investment - officially announced today at a briefing at the plant hosted by Element Six Executive Director of Operations Ken Sullivan and attended by Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Pat Breen and the companys global CEO Mr. Walter Huhn - will bring to 40m the overall spend by Element Six at Shannon over a four year period.

The positions are in the areas of supply chain, engineering and manufacturing, with recruitment already underway and all posts set to be filled in the first half of this year, bringing to 550 the company's overall employment at Shannon.

Mr Huhn said: This is a significant moment for Element Six and its staff in Shannon as it is validation of the hard work of our management and staff here in turning the business around.

"Thanks to a culture of continuous improvement, the use of world-class manufacturing techniques and efficiency and quality gains, our Shannon operations have now taken on additional, global cutting-edge processes, leading to this investment and considerably enhanced employment levels.

"Oil and Gas is a volatile industry but the improvements and investment here at Shannon ensures we are as future-proofed as possible going forward. A key influencer is the operating environment, which is considerably better now in Ireland. In return, we have invested heavily and created high-value jobs for the region.

Jobs minister Mary Mitchell OConnor said the announcement was "further evidence of the very competitive operating environment we have in Ireland, including in the regions.

"In 2009, the company cited the high cost of operating in Ireland when it was on the brink of closure. But a combination of the improved operating environment and commitment of staff has transformed operations to a level that the company has more than doubled its employment here since.

"The addition of 100 extra jobs is a great vote of confidence for the region which has much to offer companies who wish to grow their businesses in Ireland. I wish Element Six and the team every success in the future."

Minister of State Pat Breen said it was a "very important day for Element Six, for Shannon and, indeed, the wider Clare and Mid-West area.

"This announcement is a very strong endorsement of the Shannon Free Zone as a leading destination for innovation and job creation."

Welcoming the news and the increase in Element Six's "footprint in Shannon", IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said it sent "a very positive message around the globe about this area as an attractive inward investment location".

Company director of operations Ken Sullivan remarked on Element Six's "60 year history at Shannon and todays announcement very much signals that we have entered a new era in terms of our operations here.

"A strong spirit of partnership has sustained us through a very challenging period and, in no small part thanks to the commitment of staff to this partnership approach, we have emerged as one of the biggest and best employers in the Shannon region."
IN a week in which Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald answered questions in the Dail regarding an alleged sexual assault by a member of the gardai, the Limerick Leader has confirmed that a member of the force was ordered to pay 5,000 after a disciplinary hearing into the matter.

The member of the force, no longer serving in Limerick, was fined 5,000 over his part in the investigation of the alleged rape of a woman by a member of the force, garda sources confirmed the week.

But it is understood that no charges were preferred against this member of the force.

The woman at the centre of the allegations wants her case re-opened after confirmation that the garda at the centre of the rape probe has been suspended for a second time, after an 11-year-old made child made a sex accusation against him.

While GSOC declined to comment, it has been confirmed that the investigation into that matter is ongoing.

In the Dail this week, Fianna Fails Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice if she had been aware of allegations of sexual assault by members of An Garda Siochana in Limerick; the course of action she intends to take; and if she would make a statement on the matter.

In recent times another local garda has been suspended over separate allegations that he sought sexual favours to conceal certain offences.

That is a matter for either the Garda Siochana or, in relevant circumstances, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission," said Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

"The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission is the independent body established by law, with extensive powers, to investigate allegations of Garda wrongdoing, the minister told Deputy Collins in a written reply.

Furthermore, she added, where issues of discipline in An Garda Siochana arise, these are for the Garda Commissioner to deal with in accordance with the appropriate regulations. Again, I have no role in the process.

The Deputy will appreciate that any member of An Garda Siochana who is the subject of any allegation is entitled to due process, as is any person against whom allegations, serious or otherwise, are made.

"In these circumstances and in order not to prejudice any investigation which may be ongoing it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
Jan 26, 2017, 10 PM

Austria issued this tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 2006 on the occasion of his 250th birthday.

By Michael Baadke

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of classical musics most celebrated composers, was born Jan. 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, the son of Anna Maria Pertl Mozart and her husband, composer Leopold Mozart, who became a primary musical instructor for his gifted son. Anna gave birth to seven children, but only Wolfgang and his musically talented older sister Maria Anna (born in 1750) survived infancy.

Wolfgang exhibited extraordinary musical abilities at a very young age, composing music when he was just five years old. By the time he was eight, he had completed his first symphony, and his successful three-act opera, Mitridate, re di Ponto, was performed in Milan in 1770 when he was 14.

Three years later, Mozart was named court musician of Salzburg and began his immense output of music, including concertos, symphonies, string quartets, and more. He left Salzburg for Paris in 1778, and then moved to the Austrian capital, Vienna, in 1781. The next year, he married Constanze Weber, with whom he had six children, though only two survived infancy.

Mozart met and was influenced by the older composer Franz Josef Haydn, and it is believed that he also met and influenced the younger Ludwig van Beethoven when the German was an emerging 16-year-old musical prodigy.

Mozarts prodigious output includes some of the most respected music in the classical repertoire. His more than 40 symphonies include the majestic Jupiter Symphony in C major (No. 41), and the lively Paris Symphony in D major (No. 31). His many operas include The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, and his Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is one of the most familiar and beloved serenades of all time.

After falling ill while in Prague in September 1791, his health deteriorated while working on his Requiem. He died on Dec. 5, 1791, at age 35. The cause of his death remains uncertain.

Mozart has been a popular subject on stamps from all over the world, including his native Austria, which celebrated the 250th anniversary of his birth with a 0.55 stamp issued Jan. 27, 2006 (Scott 2039).
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The dying DVD rental This might be the final chapter for DVD rental stores in Mumbai. We visit three legends /news/talking-point/the-dying-dvd-rental-111646908019901.html 111646908019901 story

In December 2015, critic and film-maker Khalid Mohamed wrote a short piece for The Quint on the steady decline of DVD rentals in Mumbai. He mentioned the closing down of the long-running Shemaroo library on Napean Sea Road in 2014, and of the Teenage Library in Colaba, and the general lack of romance" associated with DVDs in India. Only a scant few dial-a-DVD outlets plod on," Mohamed wrote. But for how long?"

Ask the remaining outlets and theyll tell you, not long at all. Everyone seems to agree that streaming services and downloadslegal and otherwisehave effectively ended the rental business. On Hotstar and Netflix, you can get the films almost for free," B.K. Ramesha of Movie Empire says. Even the downloaded prints have become better. I dont think DVDs have any future beyond two-three years." It wont be that long," the stores other manager, Izaz Sheikh, chimes in. This will be the last year." As if to confirm this, during the 40-odd minutes I spent at Movie Empire, the phone rang only once, and there were no walk-ins.

Movie Empire was started in 2003 by Arun Goenka. Over the years the ownership has changed, as has the location; after eight years on Carter Road, it moved to Pali Naka in 2011, and to its present location on 16th Road, Bandra-West, four months ago. The day-to-day management, though, has remained in the hands of Sheikh and Ramesha since the start. Ramesha speaks often and with authority; Sheikh is more circumspect. Sheikhs preference runs to classic Hindi and English films; Ramesha drops auteur names like Roman Polanski and Yasujiro Ozu and confides towards the end of our chat that hes trying to make it as a director.

Though they have some 11,000 members in their database, Ramesha admits that the current numbers are extremely down". With difficulty, we get about 100 customers a month," he says. A decade ago, however, the library would receive around 200 calls and lend a hundred DVDs on average every day. Hollywood films comprised the bulk of their trade but what set them apart from all but a few rental stores was their world cinema collection. Even today, the selection is broad and eclectic, covering the familiar (Federico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodovar) and the obscure (the short films of D.W. Griffith).

I should mention my own debt of gratitude to Movie Empire. Ten years ago, on a two-month training programme in Mumbai, I visited their store on Carter Road and fell in love, not just with world cinema (which I had recently started devouring) but with the beatific vision of shelves stacked with DVDs. For someone who had read of Andrei Tarkovsky and Sergei Eisenstein and Jean Renoir but had never seen them, as it were, in the flesh, this was close to a religious experience. Even today, I remember the titles I rented: Pier Paolo Pasolinis Mamma Roma, Gillo Pontecorvos The Battle Of Algiers, Michelangelo Antonionis LAvventura.

Ten minutes from Movie Empire, the Sarvodaya Video Centre is an even more venerated haunt for foreign film fans. It opened in the pre-DVD era, when Manish Chandaria, after converting part of his fathers general store, began renting out VHS tapes in 1982 (his younger brother, Bakul, managed the business with him from 1990 to 2015). Today, the store sells phones and electronics in addition to lending DVDs and Blu-rays. The ground floor has mostly English and Hindi films and TV series, but go up a winding staircase and youll find yourself in a low-roofed attic chock full of world cinema.

Chandaria sources all the DVDs himself. He estimates that there are some 12,000 titles now. Each DVD has an old-fashioned library card at the back. The aim is to have each one borrowed 20 times," he says. If it goes 20 times then Ive made back my money."

He runs me through some of the titles in the attic. There are such amazing films here," he murmurs. Makes me feel proud." He looks at a pile of Tartan releases of Ingmar Bergman films, calls them zabardast. Also zabardast are the Artificial Eye DVDs on the nearby shelf. I notice a copy of Krzysztof Kieslowskis Camera Buff and mention that the films lead actor, Jerzy Stuhr, had been at the Pune International Film Festival a week ago. Really?" he asks, face creasing into a smile. This man? And where did you find the DVD?"

This might be the greatest contribution of these rental librariesmaking a broad selection of foreign-language films available to cinephiles (variable quality notwithstanding, pirated DVD sellers might have had an even more profound effect). Unsurprisingly, both the Bandra-Khar outlets have well-known directors, producers, writers and actors among their clientele. Ramesha mentioned Sujoy Ghosh, Anurag Kashyap, Amole Gupte and Siddharth Roy Kapur, while Chandaria listed Ranbir Kapoor, David Dhawan and Aamir Khan as old customers, and spoke of his friendships with Ram Gopal Varma and A.R. Rahman.

It wasnt just the films either. Libraries like these were places to browse and unwind, to talk cinema with like-minded people.

Across Bombay you see that its shut downDVD sales, rentals," Sheikh says. Everyones changing their business. No one wants to take the risk." I ask what theyll do with their stock if they have to close down. Who knows?" Ramesha says, Itll end up in personal collections. Or well keep it in a flat somewhere..."

Sarvodaya is marginally better off than Movie EmpireChandaria owns the store and thus saves on rent. Yet, he too admits that the era of the DVD, and of DVD rentals, is almost over. Everything has its time," he says, fatalistically. Barring a major crackdown on illegal downloading, he sees little chance of the business recovering. He has no immediate plans to close down, though; he feels an obligation to his old clients, some of whom have been coming in since they were children, or have brought their own children in.

the Movie Empire DVD library. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

With the closing of Shemaroo and Teenage libraries, Casablanca, on Carmichael Road, is the only significant rental store supplying the southern parts of south Mumbai. It was started in 1999 by Kalpesh Kerawala, who had joined Shemaroo as a 17-year-old and worked there for five years. Casablanca initially operated out of a bungalow on Altamount Road belonging to Kerawalas friend and then-partner Nikhil Gupta. Kerawala claims they were the first exclusive DVD library in Mumbai, maybe in India"other stores were still selling VHS tapes and laser-discs when he decided to concentrate only on DVDs, he says.

Most of Casablancas customers live in the arc from Shivaji Park to Cuffe Parade, and from Bombay Central to Agripada. There are still a few drop-ins every daya 60-something woman comes in looking for new releases, and is recommended Akan Satayevs Anonymous by Kerawalabut the business runs primarily on deliveries. The store differs from its Bandra counterparts in that theres a predominance of Hollywood films, old and new, and little foreign-language cinema. Kerawala is well aware of this, explaining that the clientele for world cinema consists of filmi people", who live mostly in Bandra and Andheri (They want to watch all these foreign films, basically, to get ideas," he says).

Casablanca has some 3,000 customers in its database, but Kerawala says only a couple of hundred are still active. He remembers how, at their peak, they would average 150 rentals a day. Now, he says, its a struggle to break even every month. There are customers who have stuck with him from the beginning, but its getting increasingly difficult to convince people to continue their memberships, he says. Customers ask me, why should I renew?"

Casablanca, like Movie Empire, is a rented property, and the high cost of keeping a business running on Carmichael Road is forcing Kerawala to consider closing down the store and operating out of a garage. Like everyone else, he speaks of the near-impossibility of running a DVD rental business in the age of streaming services and illegal downloads. His few remaining regulars are mostly over the age of 50: the sort who couldnt be bothered to get a Netflix account or learn how to work a torrent.

Our conversation seemingly over, I reach to switch off the recorder. At this point, Kerawala, under the misconception that I am a screenwriter, mentions that he had always hoped to write a movie himself. I ask if he has any unpublished drafts lying around. There used to be," he replies, speaking very softly, as if trying not to wake slumbering memories. I didnt write down stuff, but I had a voice recorder, which had short stories, many things. And one day, I left the recorder in a cab. So its all gone."

When Im browsing, its my time

Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh on nearly two decades of frequenting DVD rental stores

I have been taking DVDs from Sarvodaya and Movie Empire for a long time. I cant remember exactly when I began. From Sarvodaya, it was around 1998. We used to get laser-discs initially. Later, we moved on to DVDs.

I go as often as I canon average, once a week. Not for anything else, but I love films. I think if I wasnt a film-maker I would still visit these two places with equal enthusiasm. Being a film-maker helps, but I watch films as an audience, not as a director.

These places allowed us to see so many international titles, which otherwise we wouldnt have access to. A lot of these are straight-to-DVD releases, so you get to see stuff youve never heard of. Its also the pleasure of shopping. You flick through the DVDs, read whats written on

the back.

When I started out, there was no way of knowing what was releasing on DVD. I didnt go in with a fixed idea of what I was looking forId reach there and decide. Now we are more aware.

Apart from quality and everything, what I loved about these titles is that theyd have good subtitling and special features. Initially, the extra features didnt make much difference to me, but since Ive become a director Ive started appreciating them more.

Sarvodaya, especially, had an immensely good collection of world cinemathey still do. Initially I wasnt choosy, now Im a little more aware. Whats happened is that, now, were learning more before we get to the film. Earlier, wed learn from the DVD; now, we learn from the Net and then go to the DVD.

The DVD wont last much longer. Even if you see abroad, there are few shops selling them. Its all accessible through streaming now. You dont need DVDs any more.

I have a fondness for physical copies. You have e-books, but you still buy books. I guess thats just me, because Ive grown up with it. It depends on the individual. I have a lot of fondness for vinyl but my children couldnt give a shit.

If these stores shut down, it will take away a little bit of my pleasure. I like going there. When Im browsing, its my time.
Why the BJP wouldnt have risen the way it did with Vajpayee Vajpayee was certainly diplomatic but he could also pose as a liberal when it was opportune to seem one, and act as quite something else when it wasn't /news/talking-point/why-the-bjp-wouldn-t-have-risen-the-way-it-did-with-vajpayee-111646907915301.html 111646907915301 story

I spent Republic Day engrossed in a new biography of the man who extolled the virtues of the Constitution of our republic while also, as prime minister, submitting that even in the mightiest fort one has to repair the parapet from time to time". One cannot have an argument against reviewing constitutional provisions, if not its fundamental freedoms, periodically in a democratic system of our scale, size and diversity. But concerns that this proposal emerged from a protege of M.S. Golwalkars (who famously lamented that our cumbersome" Constitution was poorer for absorbing absolutely nothing" from the Manusmriti) caused one former occupant of 7, Race Course Road (now Lok Kalyan Marg), to warn that this shouldnt become a case of tenants (going) for rebuilding in the name of repairs".

Till the tenants lasted a full lease, there were few fears of this happening. I was six years old when Atal Bihari Vajpayee ruled India for 13 days, 8 when he returned for 13 months, and then from 1999 he remained Prime Minister till 2004. Among schoolboys of my time he inspired little heroic appeal, what with his vast person, capacious dhotis, artificial knees, and tendency to break into Hindi poetry about birds and peace. But our assorted fathers were quite charged by Vajpayee, who displayed might in nuclear avatar and prevailed over our ancestral enemy in Kargil. His everyday sobriety seemed to them an assetand a reliefand there was genuine conviction that he would change India for the better. In many ways, he did. And thankfully this didnt involve touching too many parapets" of our constitutional fort.

Vajpayee, now laid up for years with age and illness, is a more interesting figure than he has been given credit for, and reading Ullekh N.P.s The Untold Vajpayee, I was struck by how easy it was, in my youthful mind, to write off his grandfatherly style as uninspiring. This was a man who, in a party dedicated to the idea of the gau mata, had no qualms digesting a near cousin in the equationVajpayee loved buffalo meat. Bhang and alcohol were not taboo, but he was not a rebel-child, merely, instead, leading a life that embraced experience in all its variety. Endearingly, he welcomed his fathers desire to attend law school with him, the two Vajpayees sharing a hostel room, the son cooking his fathers vegetarian food. He never married, but for 50 years Mrs Kaul lived with him with her husband and children, and ran his household. When she died, Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi paid Vajpayee a condolence call.

In the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), this made Vajpayee an unusual figure, and more orthodox members lost no opportunity in maligning him for a lifestyle that was miles away from the pious guidelines the rest of them toed. As Ullekh writes, Vajpayee alone could defy the RSS and get away with it." One leading rival, Balraj Madhok (who charitably announced that if Congress is malaria, Communists are the plague"), resented Vajpayee for a lifetime for his breezy successes in flouting dozens of rules while retaining full commitment from the RSS. Vajpayees ability to best better or at least more correct men with his charm, oratory, quiet shrewdness, and, most importantly his reputation for moderation, was hated by many but also became indispensable to the growth of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and subsequently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Vajpayee was certainly diplomatic but he could also pose as a liberal when it was opportune to seem one, and act as quite something else when it wasnt. Whether one defines this as political pragmatism or insincerity depends on ones own principles, but since politics is an exacting beast, we can only pass judgement in a certain context. Certainly, the BJP wouldnt have risen in quite the way it did without Vajpayeeif a hard-boiled RSS egg like Madhok had wrested control from Vajpayee in 1968, this faction would have remained true to their basic principles but never won the respectability and wide acceptance that Vajpayees method invited from people who would otherwise have found those basic principles abhorrent.

Vajpayee himself seems to have known this. In the mid-1990s, when he won an award in Parliament, he said: I am aware of my limitations and I recognize my faults. The adjudicators must have ignored my limitations and mistakes to select me. This is a wonderful, unique nation. You can even worship a stone by putting vermillion on it." He meant it in another context, but Vajpayee, when situations demanded it, wore the vermillion and said strange things, and when it suited him, posed as a less threatening stone.

This is perhaps why the opposition, while willing to parley with him, remained suspicious that Vajpayees poetry and moderation were a mask to further his own ambitions in an arrangement that also furthered an odious agenda shaped by other forcesforces he could not entirely control. Some years after the destruction in Babri, Ullekh points out, a video emerged that has Vajpayee, on the eve of the tragedy, joking that the earth has to be levelled" for any ceremony to be performed. He may not have known what was about to happen, but he was quite willing to add fuel to the fire with which others lit a blaze. This was also the prime minister who described the demand for a temple as an expression of national sentiment which is yet to be fulfilled". The only defence here is that other prime ministers too have played with fire, and regretted it.

Vajpayee did, for most part however, play the statesman and earn respect, though his power was incomplete. More impatient, more aggressive elements in his own party worked to push him asideit was almost as if having come to power on the back of his appeal, they felt it was now time for real business. The constitutional review and its 1,979-page report went nowhere, thoughwhile his party rebutted the Congress criticism with a document titled Let Facts Speak For Themselves, pointing out that partys attempts to thoroughly re-examine" the Constitution years before, the din was too loud. And in 2004, the BJP lost power, and Vajpayee dissolved into retirement and illness. Today the BJP is under a different leadershipwhat plans, if any, are proposed for the Constitution need to be seen.

Medium Rare is a weekly column on society, politics and history. Manu S. Pillai is the author of The Ivory Throne: Chronicles Of The House Of Travancore. He tweets at @UnamPillai.
NEW DELHI : Amit Masurkars debut feature film Sulemani Keeda (2014) was a likeable mumblecore film about two struggling screenwriters, set in suburban Mumbai. The subject and backdrop of his second film, Newton, is vastly different. It is about a clerk on election duty in the jungles of Chhattisgarh. Newton will premiere in the Forum section at the Berlin Film Festival, which will take place from 9-19 February. It will do the rounds of a few more film festivals before releasing in Indian theatres, tentatively by mid-year.

In an interview, Masurkar talks about the research and risk involved in his sophomore project, his Herzogian wish fulfilment and his search for authenticity. Edited excerpts:Tell us about Newton. How and where did it begin

It was 2013, when I was waiting for the post-production of Sulemani Keeda to begin. I was thinking what to do when just as an exercise I started typing random words on the computer. One of the words was constitution. I had never read the Constitution of India, so I downloaded the PDF and read up the preamble. It was so powerful. It makes you feel anybody who follows it can make the country really great. So where did it go wrong? Why does India have these problems? Yes, we are a large country and its difficult to do things. But I realized that the only day people feel powerful and really a part of the democratic process is election day: regardless of caste, gender, religion. I thought I should write a film on the day of election in a polling booth. But it will be even more interesting to set it in a conflict area, where there is a fierce opposition to the election, where an entity is asking for a boycott of the elections. There, it is even more important for the government to hold elections to show to the world, the media and the people that they have control. It could have been set in, say, Kashmir. But Chhattisgarh is in the heart of the country and the conflict there is not about independence from the nation. So I decided on it as the setting.

The movie is about a rookie clerk who gets election duty as a booth officer in a jungle in Chhattisgarh. He has the single-minded agenda of conducting free and fair voting despite the apathy of police officers and the looming fear of attacks from Maoists. Initially, nothing happens but then a lot starts happening.ou have got Drishyam Films as producer. Did your first film make it easier with getting funding?

pitched it to two studios but nobody showed any interest. They said they didnt want to make a film about politics, even though they had not read the script. They suggested we make something like Sulemani Keeda with a bigger budget. I met Manish Mundra and pitched the idea to him. He really liked it and said he will back it. Thats when I got Mayank Tewari, who played one of the leads in Sulemani Keeda, on board as a co-writer.

What kind of research did you need to do?

I started writing a basic script after reading up online. I was already aware of the situation there. I read Nandini Sundars Subalterns And Sovereigns: An Anthropological History Of Bastar, 1854-1996. I had read Rahul Panditas Hello, Bastar: The Untold Story Of Indias Maoist Movement that somebody had gifted me. Then Ilina Sens Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir. I read two or three other books that I didnt like. I also read the Planning Commission report from 2008-09 on left-wing extremists. Then I wrote a rough draft of the script.

But research only gives you the information and perspectives. We needed to understand the multiple narratives in the story and the different points of view. We had to be sensitive to the core problem, which is the suffering of people who live in the jungle. Thats the message I wanted the film to have. The second thing was to write an interesting story. I kept working on it, got the scripts read by Nandini, Rahul, Ilina and some screenwriter friends for feedback. I had to balance it between my style, which is humour, and the urge to tell the real story. I was constantly aware of this in every scene: how people are being represented, the way we place the camera, whos sitting, standing in which positions, what side of the frame he is looking at, the colours in the frame. All this is very important because certain colours, symbols subconsciously mean certain things to us.

Sulemani Keeda was practically made out of your parents and friends apartments in Mumbai. How challenging was it to shoot in the jungles of Chhattisgarh?

I have always wanted to shoot in a jungle, ever since I saw Werner Herzogs Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (1972). That was a big thing for me. We have this perception that people who live there are uncivilized. In fact, their society is superior to middle-class urban India. They respect the place they live in, there is comparatively more gender equality, they are less greedy, live fuller lives and are self-sufficient. That is generally the case with people who live close to nature.

We had to shoot the entire film without light. We had to use Arri Alexa XT (with Anamorphic lenses), an expensive proposition. It is impossible to use a generator in the jungle because it will make noise. Even if you keep the generator 2km awayfor which you need a really long wireyou will hear a hum and we were shooting in sync sound. Its a story of one day; the characters in the movie go into the jungle in the morning and come back by late afternoon. Maintaining continuity of light was very difficult because it rained during the shoot. It was March and the only place in India where it rained was there!

Genre wise, how would you describe the film?

Its difficult to say. Its not a comedy exactly. The humour is incidental and the subject is serious. Some may find elements of a thriller. I would call it a dramedy.

Did you have any films as reference in mind for Newton?

No. When I pitched it to Manish (Mundra), he had asked for a reference. I looked around but couldnt find any. Same with my director of photographyI couldnt have referred to him an Apocalypse Now or Aguirre because the jungles of those regions look very different. All the references were from real life. A journalist friend Javed Iqbal helped me with some unpublished stills he had taken. These were references for my art department to construct a Gondi village. Once, Mayank and I just walked across the Indravati river into the liberated zone where government officials and the paramilitary arent allowed, but teachers and activists can go freely. We went to one such place called Narayanpur and collected a lot of images and first-hand references.

A still from Newton.

You worked mostly with non-professional actors in your first film. In Newton, you have actors such as Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathy, Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav.

Sulemani Keeda was actually the first time I was directing actors, let alone non-professional actors. Because before that I had only made some non-fiction corporate and NGO films. The actors chosen in Newton suited the characters. Rajkummar Rao has a malleable quality that makes you feel for the character, even though he does certain things that have repercussions. We also got people from the IPTAs (Indian Peoples Theatre Associations) in Raigarh and Raipur; that is a huge pool of talent.

But for certain roles, we felt its better to cast non-actors; they dont come with baggage. We worked with many people from the Gond community. We didnt have to work much on them much except an ice-breaking workshop, where we all sat in a circle and introduced ourselves. Each of us did something; some people danced, some said jokes. They were good, they knew what they were doing. Even for the roles of the constables,we got some who were writing police exams and have been to the National Cadet Corps. But we got this army guy who, along with the paramilitary supervisor, would train them how to walk in the jungle. Now, according to the procedure manual, they are supposed to be in savdhaan mode when on guard. But in reality, they slouch with their guns a lot while travelling in the jungle. We worked on a lot of things like these to make it authentic.

Like Sulemani Keeda, Newton is an intriguing title.People judge the book by the cover. Newton is a title you dont forget. Everybody has read about him in school, there is a ring to it. And then you see the poster with a guy in a helmet, so theres a mystery. I got it from a random persons name on Facebook and kept it as a working title. But, as we discovered later, it also suited the film. Like Newtons law, Rajkummar Raos character tries to find order in chaos.

***

A still from Bhuvan Shome

Satyajit Ray famously described Mrinal Sens film as Big, Bad Bureaucrat reformed by a rustic belle. The eponymous protagonist (Utpal Dutt) is a middle-aged widower and a strict, upright Bengali railway officer who goes on a duck-hunting holiday in Gujarat. There he is transformed by an encounter with a village lady (Suhasini Mulay). Today, Bhuvan Shome is considered one of the films that started a new wave in Indian cinema.

Mandi (1983)

A brothel, run by the fiery Rukmini Bai (Shabana Azmi), is moved outside the city under political pressure. Its new location, near a dargah, boosts its clientele. More irony follows in this film directed by Shyam Benegal, which also has Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri in the cast.

Welcome To Sajjanpur (2008)

In a village with unique characters that communicate with the outside world through letters, Mahadev (Shreyas Talpade) has the power to change fates. He is an unemployed graduate who makes a living by writing letters for the illiterate but aspires to be a novelist. It is one of Benegals later films

Peepli (Live) (2010)

Former NDTV journalist Anusha Rizvis debut film was a commentary on the by-products of a shining, new India: the farmer suicides and the broadcasting medias sensational style of coverage. It centres on Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri), a poor farmer with a family to support who decides the best way to relieve himself of debts is suicide.

Dekh Tamasha Dekh (2014)

A poor man is crushed to death by the giant-size hoarding of a local politician (Satish Kaushik) in Feroz Abbas Khans film, set in a coastal town of Maharashtra. Soon, it comes to light that he is a Hindu who converted to Islam. Chaos ensues.
A portrait of a soldiers wife Chasen Lowang, who received the Ashok Chakra on behalf of her husband Havildar Hangpan Dada, killed in battle at the LoC, shares memories of their life together /news/talking-point/a-portrait-of-a-soldier-s-wife-111646908244821.html 111646908244821 story

He loved his dal, Chasen Lowang recalls suddenly. It must have been a habit he picked up in the army. So every time he came home on leave to Borduria village in Arunachal Pradesh, he and their two children, Roukhin, 10, and Senwang, 7, would eat dal and rotis while Chasen stuck to her fermented or boiled vegetables.

Todays the first time she realizes hes gone, she says. Back home, she could still imagine that her phone might ring early on a Sunday morning, her husband calling to remind her to take the children to church and to pray for the troops with whom he served.

The Don Bosco village church was where their romance started too. They went from exchanging glances during Sunday mass to meeting with friends to marriage in 2004. When shes alone, she can almost imagine that he will come home and that they will all hop on to his Pulsar motorcycle and drive down to Khonsa, 12km away, for some tea and snacks by the river.

But here theres no escaping her veer naari (army terminology for brave widow) status.

At the Republic Day parade on Thursday morning, she received the Ashoka Chakra, Indias highest peacetime military award for valour, on behalf of her husband Havildar Hangpan Dada, who died in Kashmir last May, his AK-47 still in his hands. (Read Priya Ramanis column titled Portrait of a soldier here)

Shes scheduled to have tea with the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan a couple of hours after we meet. Everyone, including the chief of army staff and the Prime Minister, has paid their respects.

Also read: Portrait of an Indian Soldier

Dada, an Assam Regiment soldier posted in a Rashtriya Rifles battalion, killed three terrorists in a fierce gun battle somewhere in the remote Shamshabari range near the Line of Control (LoC) before he succumbed to an injury.

They called her at 10.30 that night to tell her he was critically injured, but she only found out the truth later when his body arrived by helicopter. The entire village attended the funeral.

Some days Chasen knows she will have to live by the Assam Regiments pithy motto: Tagra Raho (stay tough). Shes decided to send her children to a nearby boarding school so they can make something of their lives and so she doesnt have to talk in whispers about their fathers death when people visit. She herself works as a clerk in the district collectors office.

Other days she questions why a good, god-fearing man like her husband, always helpful, always the one to defuse fights, always the first to volunteer, had to go. She wonders if Dada knew he was going to die. He always told her that if anything happened to him, she shouldnt be sad. Stay strong for the children and, remember, my regiment will always look after you, he used to say. Now its all happening exactly like he said," she says, weeping silently into a white handkerchief. Dada is the regiments first Ashoka Chakra and Chasen will always be a guest of honour at all regimental events, like she was at its platinum jubilee in Shillong recently.

Im gently prodding Chasen to share stories and food seems a safe topic in the minefield of memories of their life together. He was always a better cook than her and during those visits back home, he made pork or chicken momos for the children. He boiled and shredded the meat, added bamboo shoot, fermented soybean, chopped onions and seasoning, then mulched the mixture with his hands. Come learn, he would tell Chasen and her younger sister Cha Jo.

Chasen, which means most beautiful or most lovely, is dressed in an electric-blue mekhla with a white jacket, her hair tied in a single braid that goes halfway down her back and held together with a silver-grey bow. She will record the stories nicely, her sister tells her about me. Narrate them properly, with details.

Chasen tries. She tells me about how her husband never liked her reprimanding the children. About how he was always the playful parent. Dada loved to take photographs and fool around with them on the computer. So he replicated an image of hers multiple times and laminated it. Its an old photo of her in an off-white salwar kameez, sitting on the grass, their church in the background, orange lilies in the foreground, taken in a time when they didnt have a cellphone.

I show her a photograph that I know is going to make her cry again. Its the first time I saw this lovely couple, when they popped up on my WhatsApp with that all-too-familiar line: Salute to the martyr. Tell me this story, I say.

There are enough clues in that photo for anyone to tell it was taken during a holiday in Agra. Turns out its now also an image of their last family holiday. That year, the family visited Dada in Lucknow, where he was posted, and hung out with him from Diwali until the year-end. After celebrating New Years Eve with friends, they hopped on the train to Agra. Dada and the children ate lots of petha, that famed sweet of Agra. They hung out with his paratrooper buddies (Dada started his life in the army with the Para regiment) and reached the Taj Mahal in the evening. It was a perfect holiday. Last Christmas they were scheduled to visit the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata but then life changed. She tells me many more stories until she stops. I cant tell you any more stories, she says. Theres nothing more I can ask.

Priya Ramani shares whats making her feel angsty/agreeable. She tweets at @priyaramani and posts on Instagram as babyjaanramani.

Also Read Priyas Mint Lounge columns
Anant Singh: The ganglord of Mokama An adaptation from the story of Anant Singh, the unlikely poster child for electoral success in a flourishing democracy /news/talking-point/anant-singh-the-ganglord-of-mokama-111646907771832.html 111646907771832 story

Anant Singh is not a murderer. He merely manages murder," the man said flatly and without a trace of irony. The person who spoke these words was a well-educated engineer, a friend of an acquaintance of mine, and we were sitting in his stately ancestral home on the banks of the Ganges River in central Bihar, sipping our third cup of homemade sickly sweet chai while discussing the local political scene. I had sought out the engineer to chat about a local politician, Anant Singh, a three-time MLA from Mokama, a surprisingly lush constituency in the poverty-stricken easternmost reaches of Patna district. Singh was one of the areas most well-known politicians, not least because of the length of his rap sheet.

The engineers family had long known Anant Singh and was connected to the political party he was affiliated with, the ruling Janata Dal (United). The engineers remark about Singh lingered in the air, much like a word cloud from a newspaper cartoon. I paused for a second, not knowing whether the man was joking or serious. It was clear from the expression on his face it was the latter.

Anant Singh is an unlikely poster child for electoral success in a flourishing democracy. He is fond of wearing sunglasses, a cigarette perched on his lips, his body adorned in all white, occasionally gussied up with a leather jacket. If he were not in politics, Singh could have had an alternate career as a cinematic villainhis practised bad boy look was straight out of central casting.

When Crime Pays Money And Muscle In Indian Politics. By Milan Vaishnav, HarperCollins India, 434 pages, Rs799.

In addition to his official designation as an elected representative of this poor, rural constituency, Singh doubles as something of a local godfather, or dada. Singh rose to political prominence on the back of his older brother, Dilip, who emerged as a Bhumihar gang leader in the region in the mid-1980s. Dilip parlayed his muscle power into political power, eventually entering state politics and winning the Mokama seat in 1990. Anant, who commenced his criminal career as Dilips enforcer, ultimately took over the political reins of the family. When I arrived at the engineers house in the fall of 2010, Singh was days away from winning his fourth consecutive election.

Over the years, Singh has been implicated in dozens of criminal cases, and many of his alleged criminal acts, widely reported in the press, have been carried out in a brazenly public manner.

The circumstances surrounding Anant Singhs first (alleged) murder are something of a local legend. Anants eldest brother, Birachi, was a mukhia (village headman) and a prominent landlord. Several villagers told me that a sympathizer of Naxalite rebels, who were carrying out targeted assassinations of upper-caste landlords, killed Birachi before taking refuge on a boat in the middle of the Ganges. Anant supposedly tracked his brothers killer for months. When he eventually learned of the mans location, Anant swam across the river and is said to have murdered the man. With such a history of high-profile transgressions, videos circulating on YouTube of Singh drunkenly dancing while brandishing an AK-47 seem downright tame in comparison.

On the morning I set out to visit Mokama, The Times of India published a prominent story on page two of its Patna edition titled, Anants Sarkar (government) in Mokama." The profile described Singh as a dada who wielded more influence in his constituency than the actual government. Indeed, his constituents rarely call Singh by his given name; instead they refer to him as chhote sarkar (little lord) for his dominance over the constituency. The reporter who penned the piece mixed in anecdotes about Singhs feared personality with talk of improved safety and better access to services under his watch. Residents told me that Singh could often be found holding court at his durbar, ready to take a call on everyday disputes that arose between citizens, hear complaints about the police, or initiate action against miscreants."

Though dozens of cases have been lodged against Anant, police and prosecutors have yet to obtain a single conviction. Cases against Anant have languished for years, during which time judges have passed away, law enforcement officials have been transferred, and evidence has gone missing. But Singhs alleged criminal acts are not his only attributes that have gained notoriety; the lawmakers idiosyncrasies and penchant for extravagance are also widely discussed. In the thick of the Hindi heartland, Singh speaks little Hindi, preferring instead the local Magahi dialect; he keeps a python as a house pet as well as an elephant trained to shake hands; and he raises expensive horses tasked with pulling an antique buggy in which Singh often rides.

But perhaps the most surprising fact about Anant Singh is that his political patron is a man who burnishes a reputation as one of Indias cleanest politicians: the reformist chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar. Kumar swept into office in 2005 with promises of cleaning up one of the countrys poorest, most corrupt, and socially fractured states. Between 2005 and 2010, when Kumars ruling alliance won a resounding re-election, Kumar made great strides, against all odds, in doing exactly that. So why would Kumar risk his reputation by giving Anant Singh a party ticket and then campaign tirelessly on his behalf?

The short answer is that Anant Singh was simply too powerful for the chief minister to rebuff him. Kumar embraced Singh because he believed that any candidate allied with Anant would have a strong advantage, especially among the upper castes, a constituency not intrinsically supportive of Nitish Kumar or his party. Thus, Kumar brought Singh within the JD(U) fold back in 2005. And when Anant won that election, rumour has it that he brought Kumar to his constituency and weighed him in gold. Once asked why he had embraced known criminals like Singh, Kumar bluntly retorted, There are certain compulsions of politics."

In 2015, Anant Singh was arrested on murder and kidnapping charges. This time, the so-called compulsions of politics forced Nitish Kumar to cut Singh loose, in a move largely interpreted as a sop to Kumars longtime rival turned newfound partner, Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Lodged in jail and forced to contest polls as an independent, Singh instructed his wife Neelam to campaign on his behalf. Day in and day out, she sought votes in her incarcerated husbands name, who she dubbed a rare diamond." When all the votes were counted, Singh handily won re-election without once setting foot on the campaign trail. We were on a weak wicket as chhote sarkar was behind bars, but people stayed with us in even these tough times," Neelam explained to the press. We have shown Nitish and Lalu that they may have won Bihar but chhote sarkar is still a force to reckon with."

Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The text has been adapted from his forthcoming book.
Lounge Loves: Cashmere saris by Tanira Sethi The collection had three segments: handwoven, hand-painted and lace saris, all in exquisite cashmere /relationships/it-s-complicated/lounge-loves-cashmere-saris-by-tanira-sethi-111646907851457.html 111646907851457 story

Tanira Sethi, 23, has a powerful" problem. She is the daughter of Sunil Sethi, president of the Fashion Design Council of India, labelled the first man of Indian fashion for his entrepreneurial and networking prowess. As his daughter, and a debuting textile designer, access to creative and business opportunities could have been simple. But it wont take away the multiple expectations in performance and creativity the fashion industry will have from her.

But Tanira also had a powerful idea two years back. She showcased a small sample of cashmere saris at a design exhibition in Delhi. Handwoven and delicately finished in muted colours, they were standout pieces that got the right media coverage (you could credit Sunil Sethi for inviting the right people), but were soon forgotten.

Then Tanira, a textile design graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, went to the UK to study at the Chelsea College of Arts. Alongside, she won, in 2015, an award for a project on refashioning the unstitched garment".

Cashmere saris by Tanira Sethis label Taani.

On her return to India, Tanira imaginatively revived her cashmere saris, getting them woven in different weaving clusters of India in 100% cashmere. A fortnight back, the first complete collection of saris from her label Taani by Tanira Sethi was displayed at the Patine store at the DLF Emporio mall in Delhi. The collection had three segments: handwoven, hand-painted and lace saris, all in exquisite cashmere. While cashmere saris will be seen by some design and textile experts as innovative and relevant extensions of long cashmere shawls (mens dorukha shawls in Kashmir are 7m in any case), the saris, made from Leavers Lace fabric, conceptualized by Ezma Fine Cashmere, London, and woven in France by Beauvillain Davoine, are a first. Taniras promotional communication bills these saris as the worlds first cashmere lace saris". A claim hard to refute and easy to admire given the delicate texture, feel and colour palettegrey, charcoal, maroons and muddy browns among a couple of accented blacks and deep blues. It is smart design work that capitalizes on an untried aspect of Indian-European couture.

Personally, I love Taniras woven and hand-painted saris, especially those in deep blues and muddy browns, a lot more than the lace ones. All the same, there is no denying the appeal of cashmere lace among Indias couture clientele, always on the lookout for something Indian that looks at least a little non-Indian. If Tanira is able to keep up the consistent production of such saris and innovate in the right direction by retaining her debut signature of non-blingy, woven saris in authentic yarn, she wont need her fathers access to take her places.

Taani by Tanira Sethi, at Patine, Second floor, DLF Emporio mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. Prices range from Rs70,000 to Rs1.5 lakh, with lace saris being the most expensive.
Pankaj Mishra: Democracy is reasserting itself in a perverse way Author Pankaj Mishra on why recent political leadership has taken the form of a backlash against the elite class, the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi, and how democracy and capitalism can coexist /news/talking-point/pankaj-mishra-democracy-is-reasserting-itself-in-a-perverse-way-111646908295539.html 111646908295539 story

From the election of Narendra Modi in India to that of Donald Trump in the US, the world seems to be heading towards greater polarization. The winners accuse the losing side of being apologists for what they consider a decadent and unjust system. Those who have lost are worried that the new order signifies intolerance, deceit and xenophobia. There is no consensus now on economic matters either. The high priests of capitalism are worried about populist threats to the forward march of globalization. What is to be made of all this?

Here is someone who describes himself as the stepchild of the West" and thinks that the problem is not one of deceit, nor is it rooted in local factors. In his latest book, Age Of Anger: A History Of The Present, Pankaj Mishra, an acclaimed author and commentator, goes back to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Friedrich Nietzsche, among others, to tell us that the answers to the most burning questions of todays agefrom why privileged Europeans are joining the ranks of Islamic State fighters to phenomena such as Brexit and Trumpare to be sought in the early history of capitalism in the West. Edited excerpts from a phone interview with Mishra, who was in Myanmar:

You started thinking about this book after Modis 2014 victory, finished writing it in the week in which Britain voted to leave the European Union, and it went to press at a time when Trump emerged victorious in the US election. Looking at these developments in retrospect, are you surprised? After all, the majority had a big reason to be satisfied with the status quo.

I think the first one (Modis election) was rather surprise than shock. But after that, one began to see a pattern in the way people were responding to misrule, being neglected and left behind. The experience of despair was bound to have some kind of a political consequence, which is what we are witnessing. I also think this is not over and we are likely to see more of it in Europe and elsewhere.

In a 2007 interview, you said, You can move around the world but meet only people who speak your language, who share the same ideas, the same beliefs, and in doing so you can lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of the world does not think or believe in or speak the everyday discourse of the elite". Do you think the median voter in countries like India or the US is really worried about Modi or Trump? Does it make much of a difference to their day-to-day lives?

Unfortunately for many people, including those who voted for change, it would soon become evident that whatever change has come is for the worse and there is no positive change. In India, for example, demonetization is the biggest sign that change has come for the worse. People still have a lot of faith in democratic processes, and even though they might choose unwisely at times, that should not be used to undermine the whole process of democracy.

The other point you raise by quoting my interview is a much more serious problem. People who have been in charge of gauging the public mood, such as policymakers or journalists, at least for 15-20 years constituted an elite which unfortunately has become disconnected from the lives and aspirations of ordinary people. I think that by choosing politicians with a different kind of track record than one which had the membership of this class is a sort of backlash against this elite class, which has been so callous towards them.

Your book sees the old West-dominated world order giving way to an apparent global disorder", marked by an acrimonious debate between those whose lives are marked by Atlantic Wests still largely unacknowledged history of violence, and those who see it as the apotheosis of liberal modernity". Should we expect this to be the new normal? Is global liberalism under capitalism some sort of an oxymoron today?

To be more specific, there is obviously conflict between democracy, which is about equal rights, and a form of capitalism which basically assumes that inequality in certain circumstances is important so that people work harder. This conflict becomes critically acute when inequality becomes intolerable. What we are witnessing today is democracy reasserting itself in a perverse way. People are rediscovering democracy as a weapon to rebel against the elites who benefited from a very unequal form of capitalism. The two (democracy and capitalism) can coexist together if there are enough ways of pacifying the population at large, and making them feel that the state would be intervening to take care of their interests through redistribution.

You are transparent about the fact that your writings are meant for a very elite audience. This book basically suggests that things are only going to get worse. For the elite, this pessimism of intellect can at least be compensated by material well-being. What significance do such arguments have for those who are in the ranks of have-nots?

I think its the responsibility of politicians to posit an idea of growth that is politically and environmentally sustainable. The idea that everyone should be or ought to be consuming at the same level as a few Americans and Europeans is simply an absurd fantasy and is never going to be realized in a country like India. Of course, it would also have deeply destructive environmental repercussions. It is up to the politicians and technocratic elite to formulate a vision of life where you are able to meet the material expectation of a majority of citizens. Notions of India becoming a hyper-modern state with smart cities and bullet trains, which are based on imitating some ultra-modern states, are not going to help the political situation. Unless we have a different idea of individual agency and aspiration, things are going to get worse.

Given your emphasis on the need to cut down on consumption and limit aspirations, how important do you think the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi are?

Gandhi has always been relevant in all of these debates, and is even more relevant today. This is because long before people in the West or anywhere else saw it, he predicted that modern civilization was going to create a satisfied tiny minority, which was also capable of raising completely unrealistic expectations. He had accordingly devised a lifestyle and way of being in the world which was respectful of the environment, and emphasized cooperation rather than just individual autonomy and ambition. He also wanted individuals to be aware that there are other people and things around them on whom they are profoundly dependent.

Age of AngerA History Of The Present: By Pankaj Mishra, 406 pages, Rs699. Publisher: Juggernaut

Your books title seems to be inspired by historian Eric Hobsbawms famous four-part series. What do you think would follow the Age Of Anger? Any plans to write one or more sequels?

No. I am not a historian and think of myself as a writer who deploys various genres to give opinions on matters of the day. So there is no Hobsbawm connection or influence to it. I think Age Of Anger is more directly inspired by the age of anxiety. There are no plans to write sequels and this book came out of a sense of bewilderment really, and I wanted to clarify my own anxieties and questions more than anything else. At some point in the course of my thinking and research, I began to feel that I had to take these to a larger audience, which is how all books are conceived. Its a journey of exploration rather than a product of my being some professional historian or scholar.
Goodbye readers This is my last edit in Lounge, and I want to thank you /news/talking-point/goodbye-readers-111646907753923.html 111646907753923 story

Youve been steadfast in this last decade. Youve read me and written to me. Reader, youve kept me going.

This is my last edit in Lounge, and I want to thank you. Thankful also to Salman Khan devotees who have sent unique expletives to my inbox on the couple of occasions I have written scathingly about his movies.

I dont know most of you by face, but after 10 years in this magazine, I know who a Lounge reader is. He or she likes surprises and original voices, and dislikes paeans of the famous. He or she is mentally sophisticated, and can be found everywhere in India. I once met a fan of Natasha Badhwar at a party in an army cantonment in Vadodara. As expected, the officer was charmingly ceremonious. When he learnt I wrote for Lounge, he said, Natasha Badhwar is so heartfelt." His elegant wife noddedshe had, indeed, introduced him to our columnist, and the officer took Natasha to heart. At a Chinese restaurant in Shillong, a local musician saw me in a new light when I said I was a colleague of Shamik Bag. An acquaintance from an advertising agency once told me he has been sending Lounge copies to his parents in a small town in Madhya Pradesh for several years.

Besides you, reader, there is the Lounge team that makes the job of an editor tough and fulfilling. The team has kept changing over the years, but the thing that makes it a Lounge team hasnt ever changed: Each writer with a unique voice and the rigour of telling the best story possible. Scattered across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, weve bonded without regular editorial

meetings.

Ten years ago, Lounge was launched by the instinctive, sharp and indefatigable editor Priya Ramani and her founding team. I was a features writer, also in charge of the two books pages. Since then, Ive never not wanted to come to work. So a decade isnt sometimes that long a time at one job.

After writing for eight years, I became editor, and as you know, last year we relaunched as a broadsheet. The magazine now has more variety in style and subjects; we are constantly trying to do more on Livemint. It is bigger, but with the same DNA with which we launched in February 2007.

So why have I decided to move on from the best features journalism job in India? Its that point when daily working hours need to take a back seat, and personal life needs attention. Equally importantly, I am beginning again as a writer.

I hope to write much more across Mint. I plan to travel within the city and outside of it much more than I have done in the past several years. I plan to learn swimming. Mid-mornings, while the world drinks coffee and turmeric latte in offices, I will work out with my trainer in a shaded corner of my neighbourhood park. And while all this gets done, I get much more time with my five-year-old daughter. We already have great conversations, now she will get to know me more (for better or for worse!).

So goodbye, reader.

Keep reading Lounge. I certainly will.
Every vintage car tells a story Kolkata has around 200 of them. Coinciding with this weekend's annual rally, and just after the legendary Wanderer got restored, we revisit this slice of city nostalgia /news/talking-point/every-vintage-car-tells-a-story-111646907796396.html 111646907796396 story

Around the middle of last year, a senior executive of German automobile manufacturer Audi took vintage car restorer Pallab Roy to visit" a car. He didnt tell Roy much about the car, only that facilitating its restoration was an assignment the executive dare not ignore. He wanted Roys help.

Walking through the driveway of the house on Kolkatas Elgin Road, Roy quickly realized the import of the task. Manufactured in 1937 by the German motor company Auto Union, the immediate predecessor of Audi, the four-door sedan was locked inside a glass cage. It may have looked dull but it was part of a gleaming, extraordinary history. This was an opportunity like no other and I accepted the challenge easily," says Roy.

It took six months of painstaking toil to restore the Wanderer W24 Sedanits number plate BLA 7169 reflecting a time when Bengal didnt have the West" prefixed to its name. Its unveiling on 18 January by President Pranab Mukherjee coincided with the completion of 75 years of the great escape (from the British) of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.

It was the wee hours of 16 December 1941, that Bose, disguised as Pathan insurance agent Mohammad Ziauddin to hoodwink British intelligence, escaped from his Elgin Road residence in the Wanderer.

The President wasnt scheduled to sit in the car and when he excitedly decided to after I started the engine, he sat on the front seat next to me," says Sugata Bose, grand-nephew of Bose, a member of Parliament and Gardiner professor of oceanic history and affairs at Harvard University, US. He refused to take the back seat where Bose had sat."

It was Sugata Boses father, Sisir Kumar Bose, a medical student at the time, who drove his uncle over the next two days to the Gomoh railway station in present-day Jharkhand; from there, his uncle made his way to Peshawar. Though the Bose family owned another car, the bigger and faster Studebaker President, one reason the Wanderer was chosen, writes Sisir in The Great Escape, was its undistinguished looks. From Peshawar, Subhas Chandra Bose would travel half the worldAfghanistan, the Soviet Union, Germany, thereafter undertaking an exceptional journey in the German submarine, U-180, before transferring to the Japanese I-29 submarine around the Cape of Good Hope to finally reach Japan, all the while enlisting support and building an army for Indias freedom struggle against the British.

When Sisir silently drove out at 1.35am with Bose, his only passenger, it would be the last time Boses family or city would see him. What followed is history.

The restoration of the Wanderer comes as an interesting addition to Kolkatas fleet of 150-200 vintage cars, says Ravindra Kumar, editor and managing director of The Statesman. The English daily has been organizing The Statesman Vintage Car Rally since 1964 in Delhi and 1968 in Kolkata. Since 1993, it has added classic cars, manufactured between 1940 and 1978, as well as vintage and classic motorbikes to the rally in Kolkata. The idea of starting the vintage car rallies, says Kumar, came from the experience of a former motoring correspondent of the newspaper who watched a lot of old cars from India being unloaded from a ship that had docked in a UK port; their Indian owners had sold them without realizing the importance of these vehicles".

The annual vintage car rally gave owners an incentive to keep and restore such cars, initially very basic and to make them roadworthy", but soon, with judging categories crystallizing and points being awarded on the authenticity of restoration, even the quality of restoration improved. The Delhi rally we organize sees some outstanding cars, because the city has a strong group of collectors and an extended motoring calendar. But in terms of participation and number of cars, Kolkata has more, with new entries every year. Vintage car restorers like Sanjay Ghosh in Calcutta are outstanding and very passionate. There are such top-bracket restorers in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Coimbatore," says Kumar, himself a vintage car enthusiast who has been stopped from buying one only by his very practical" wife, who was concerned about the time and money one needed to invest in these beauties.

The Studebaker President 8 State Limousine restored by Pallab Roy

While The Statesmans imposing, over-a-century-old building in central Kolkata is part of the citys architectural legacy, the newspaper itself is part of Indias heritage, says Kumar. Being associated with the vintage car rally was natural," he says, sitting in his chamber among files, books and paper. We may be creaking in the joints, but we have our heart in the right place."

Like the Ford Model T, one of the earliest mass-produced iconic cars from the early 20th century, owned by The Statesman, many cars rev to life during The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rallythis year, its being held over Saturday and Sunday. The late-winter season seems just ideal for cars like the 1906 Renault FreresKolkatas oldest car, owned by the late Shashi Kanoria and driven by his son, Shrivardhanand the Rolls-Royces, Adlers, Stoewers, Bentleys, Daimlers, Morris Minors and Baby Austins to leave spectators wonderstruck. The throwback to the past is reinforced by the attire of the attendeesflowing gowns, veiled hats, pristine white gloves and waistcoats are embraced as enthusiastically as crisp dhoti-panjabi and heavy saris, a nod to the Bengali babu culture.

The baton of enthrallment has been passed on to newer generations, who are now engaging more actively with the vintage car passion of their fathers and grandfathers. Documentary film-maker Madhushree Mukherjee, who recently helmed a 72-minute film, The Vintage Trail, chronicling the citys vintage car culture, says Kolkata was the first port of call for most imported cars in the early 20th century. Indeed, an online report suggests that the first motor car in India was imported in the city in 1897, though the claim could not be verified independently. Another report suggests the first car was driven in Mumbai.

A model on display at the 51st Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally in Tolly Club. Photographs by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint

Each car has a backstory. In The Vintage Trail, Shrivardhan Kanoria, the current owner of the 1906 Renault Freres that followed on the heels of the first patented automobile (1886) by Karl Benz in Germany called the Motorwagon, describes his possession as an Edwardian car predating the vintage tag, a car belonging to the transition period between horse-drawn carriages and motor cars.

The archives of The Statesman also throw up a wide gamut of stories and triviaPradyumnu Mullick, a wealthy north Kolkata babu clad in the traditional dhoti, was slighted by the manager of the Rolls-Royce showroom and ended up importing six Rolls for Rs50,000 each. The manager, of course, was sacked. The Rambler that Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar used to romance actor Supriya Devi in real life was later restored by Sanjay Ghosh; the unsuccessful journey that former West Bengal chief minister Siddhartha Sankar Ray undertook to retrieve a Sunbeam-Talbot car from a garage in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is recorded. Ravindra Kumar says one of the vintage cars, a regular participant in the rally, is said to have belonged to A.A.K. Niazi, the Pakistani general during 1971s Bangladesh War, before it was seized by the Indian Army.

At a vintage car display at Kolkatas elite Tolly Club last Sunday, I met the elderly Partha Sadhan Bose, who was there with his family and four of his 12 vintage cars. Partha runs a 166-year-old family stevedoring business, his stable of vintage cars highlighting his status and passion. In 1985, when he was travelling through Bihar, he noticed an old wooden rim while sitting at a tea stall. His eyes lit up at the evidence of a rare vintage car. The hunt led him to a disused Ford Model T. While the villagers were willing to sell him the car, they wouldnt let go of its powerful engine, which they were using to draw water from the village well. It was only after Partha bought them a Kirloskar pump set that he could gain possession of both the car and its engine.

The unveiling of the restored Wanderer W 24 Sedan.

His son, Debarshi, has inherited the family business as well as his fathers obsession with vintage cars. As the senior Bose pulled on his pipe and a member of their team moved around with a cockatoo perched on her shoulder, Debarshi recounted the story of how the family acquired the gleaming brick-red 1926 Auburn parked behind them.

The car belonged to the Deb family of Sovabazar Rajbari, one of the most prosperous and earliest Bengali aristocratic families of Kolkata, known for their business acumen and proximity to the British. When they fell on hard times, the Auburn fell into a state of disrepair. When Partha sought to buy the car, the owner offered to give it for free. Their pride didnt allow them to sell the car, but my father refused to take the car for free," says Debarshi. Finally, a deal was struck. The Auburn changed hands only after Partha went over to meet the owner with a pot of rabri, a dessert. It was a 10-kilo pot bought from north Kolkatas Nalin Chandra Das & Sons," says Partha.

Pallab Roy and Saurav Roy with the 1928-made Studebaker .

For this sect of aficionados, Kolkata seems the inevitable stage for their interesta former capital of British India; regarded once as the second city of the empire after London; and a melting pot of European thought and influence. The continuing roll of the wheel is indicative of the rise, plateauing and revival of the fortunes of individuals, if not of the city itself. Unlike in Delhi, where vintage cars are a professional business, Kolkata sees entire families involved with them and the whole affair is still conducted amateurishly," says Kumar. These cars are treated as heirlooms."

For Subhas Chandra Boses family too, it was a narrative of fortunes made, lost and regained. After Boses escape from India in 1941, his elder brother Sarat Chandra and nephew Sisir too were imprisoned by the British. The British attached the properties of Subhas Chandra Bose. Sarat Chandra Bose was arrested in December 1941 and taken to a prison in south India. My father was also arrested. They both were released in the latter half of September 1945. They were in dire financial condition," recounts Sugata. While the family had to regretfully" sell the Studebaker President, the Wanderer was sold to a family friend. It was with him from 1943-1945. Sisir repurchased the Wanderer, understanding the historical significance" of the car, says Sugatathe vehicle is now one of the prime tourist attractions at the Netaji Research Bureau on Elgin Road. Subhas Chandra Bose became Netaji only after his escape, for which the Wanderer played a crucial role."

Models on display at the rally. Photographs by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint

At his spacious English manor-fashioned home on Kolkatas Harish Mukherjee Road, Pallab Roy, the restorer of the Wanderer, lets me into a little secret". Only three people, Sugata, Pallab and his son Saurav, who assists him during restorations, have been privy to the story, he adds. A vintage car restoration can take up to a few years, but he was given a very tight deadline of six months for the Wanderer, without any compromises on the authenticity of the restoration. Audi and Sugata helped in sourcing components, but Pallab couldnt procure the original windscreen wipers. I couldnt bear the thought of the President of India unveiling the restored car without wipers. I had to quickly do something," says Pallab. Till he could source the wipers, Pallab decided to lend" the wipers of one of his own vintage cars, a 1928-made Studebaker President 8 State Limousine (FA), a top-of-the-line Studebaker model that a reviewer on Autojunction.in describes as extremely rare".

With two other vintage cars in his stable, including a recently acquired 1947 Chevrolet FleetMaster State Sedan formerly owned by Karni Singh, the last maharaja of Bikaner, the Studebaker President commands special devotion from the Roys. Its the only surviving car from the stable of Kamalaranjan Roy, the raja of Cossimbazar; at one point they were considered among the wealthiest zamindari estates in Bengal. A rich and interesting history is the invisible occupant of the Studebaker President. Before the Wanderer, Pallab, along with his son, had restored two other cars from his private collection: a 1967 Mercedes Benz 230 S and the Studebaker. The Wanderer was his first professional restoration assignment.

Models on display at the rally. Photographs by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint

Perched at the crucial crossroads of Indias past, the Roys trace their genealogy 11 generations back to Ajodhya Ram Roy, a merchant with a flourishing trade in Murshidabadi silk around the early 18th century. After British forces led by Lord Clive defeated the Bengal nawab, Siraj-ud-Daulah, in the epochal Battle of Plassey in 1757, Cossimbazar lost its eminence as a trading post. Later generations purchased swathes of land in eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh) and became one of the most prosperous zamindars in Bengal, but they suffered with the emergence of a competitive zamindari family, palace intrigues and a case of an enterprising Roy patriarch getting poisonedfamily history that Pallab doesnt care to delve into.

Pallabs grandfather, Raja Kamalaranjan Roy, who nurtured a love for cars and bought the Studebaker in 1928, after the American automobile company exhibited the car in the city as part of a roadshow, witnessed many of the pitfalls of modern Indian history. Partition saw much of the familys zamindari land fall in East Pakistan, a territory they had no access to; the abolition of the zamindari system after independence ate further into the family treasury. This was followed by Operation Barga, the extensive land reforms movement undertaken by the Left Front government in West Bengal from 1978, and the Naxalite movement during the same period. Our fortunes went down. The people our family looked after for so long suddenly turned against us. That no physical harm came upon my grandfather is because of the goodwill the Roy family had for doing benevolent work, yet a lot of people took pride in the fact that the rajas were reduced to ashes," says Pallab.

As the years went by, all the cars owned by the Roys were sold off. Only the Studebaker survived, but it went into disrepair, revived only for short phases when Pallabs father, Prosanta Kumar Roy, and later Pallab himself, chose the stately car to travel for weddings. For a long time, it stood motionless at one of the family garages. This was a very difficult phase of our lives," Pallab recounts. In 1990, his mother, Supriya, chose the garage space fronting the Harish Mukherjee Road residence to start a small bakery outlet. Soon, cakes and pastries started flying off the shelves.

Today, the Sugarr & Spice brand that she founded, and where Pallab is now a director, has over 120 outlets, employing over 200 people. Pallab was looking after a wholesale business in medicines when he decided it was time to turn his attention towards the long-ignored Studebaker.

Saurav by his side, they toiled over the car for four years, using the Studebakers sales catalogue for reference. The body colour, the state of the metal body, the rubber fitments, the upholstery, the mohair-covered ceiling, the silk assist cords, the robe rail, the one-way intercom service between passenger and driver used when the separating glass is rolled up, the silk curtains, the suction technology-equipped interior fans, the wiring, the headlights, the wire wheels, the whitewall tyres, the Atalanta figurine mascot, the foot warmer with the coal drawerthese were all gradually returned to their original state. Restoration of a vintage car is meticulous work and requires a careful eye for detail. The idea is to return the car to its factory state using the same technology used back then," Pallab says.

The glinting lion and unicorn emblem of the Cossimbazar royal family on the left side of the 1928-made Studebaker President 8 State Limousine (FA) takes you back in time. Even as Pallab carefully wipes off the specks of dust on a side mirror, he enthusiastically explains the working of the car. The Roy scion is serious about his role as the future custodian of the familys past.
In Your City: Ahmedabad Ahmedabad has a new address for artthe Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, which will be inaugurated on Sunday /news/talking-point/in-your-city-ahmedabad-111646908002348.html 111646908002348 story

Ahmedabad has a new address for artthe Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, which will be inaugurated on Sunday.

The brainchild of Sanjay Lalbhai, the chairman and managing director of Arvind Ltd, and his wife Jayshree, the museum started as a project to restore an ancestral home that was over a century old. It now aims to highlight the family legacy of the Lalbhais and share with people their collection of artefacts.

The home was built by Laljibhai Sheth (Sanjays great-grandfather) in 1905," says Jayshree over the phone from Ahmedabad. Subsequently, his three sonsChimanbhai, Kasturbhai and Narottambhailived here with their families, and then moved out. In 1997-98, we moved out too. We didnt want this house to deteriorate. So we thought of restoring it first and then putting it to some use."

The family also had a huge collection of artwork, most of it just kept in storage. So the home museum solved both problems.

The museum is spread across two buildings. The building adjacent to the ancestral home, the Claude Batley House built in the 1930s, will house temporary exhibitions, retrospectives of artists and work by young artists.

While the main building will house old antiquities from the family collection, the building at the back will be earmarked for shows," says Jayshree.

It took architect Rahul Mehrotra about two-and-a-half years to restore the house. Simultaneously, we were cataloguing and archiving our collection. So the entire process took about three-and-a-half years," she says.

There is also a small amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 250 for small cultural activities.

Just about 150-200 articles are on display in the first building, not a large number, but they have a history spanning more than a thousand years". These include a collection of miniatures and other art that they acquired from the extended Tagore family in the 1930s, paintings from various schools such as Mughal, Rajasthani, Bengali, Deccan, and art in stone, metal and wood.

The second building is for modern and contemporary art. We are in talks with many artists to bring their work and consulting with experts on how to run it," says Jayshree.

Free curated tours for the public will start from 16 February. The museum will be open from 10.15am-1pm and 3-6pm on all days except Wednesdays and public holidays.
Stunning architecture

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

Researchers have precisely mapped a historic English country house with laser scanners in an effort to learn more about the construction of a secret "priest hole" in the tower of the gatehouse of the building.



Coughton Court in Warwickshire has been the ancestral home of the Throckmortons, an influential English Catholic family, since the Middle Ages. The oldest parts of the existing building date from the 14th century.



At some time during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the late 16th century in England, a hidden space known as a priest hole was constructed between the floors of the turreted tower on the right of this photograph. [Read full story about the hidden "priest hole"]

Unassuming room

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

The secret priest hole cannot be accessed from below  only from above, through a trap-door in the turret, just beyond the door on the left of this room in the gatehouse.



The secret room was designed as a place for Catholic priests to hide from search parties enforcing the anti-Catholic laws enacted by England's Queen Elizabeth I.



The English heritage charity National Trust, which now owns Coughton Court, keeps this room open to the public. The secret entry to the priest hole is now exposed beneath a transparent cover. But, the room is at the top of a flight of spiral stairs, and many visitors to the historic house are unable to make the climb.

Hidden in plain sight

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

The 3D data from the laser scans has been combined to create a 3D model of the entire building that reveals how the secret priest hole (shown here in color) was hidden inside the pre-existing structure.

Tricking the trickster

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

The scans show the "double blind" construction of the hidden space (shown here in orange, beneath the entrance to the turret, shown in green), which was designed to fool searchers into thinking they had discovered an empty priest hole.



But the priest could be hiding in a second secret space (shown here in blue and light blue) below a trap door in the upper priest hole.

A hiding place

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

To reveal how the priest hole was constructed inside the pre-existing structure of the building, the researchers made precise 3D maps of the interior of the secret space with a Leica laser scanner.

Rebel architect

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

Under the anti-Catholic laws, priests faced torture and execution if they were captured by the Protestant Royal authorities, who enforced worship in the Church of England, the official state religion.



Historians think the priest hole at Coughton Court was built late in the 16th century by Nicholas Owen, a celebrated English Catholic spy, artificer and escape artist who is thought to have built more than 20 priest holes in the country houses of Catholic families around England.

A nefarious position

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

Catholic priests would travel in disguise around England, aided by a network of influential and wealthy English Catholic families.



More than 100 priests and other Catholics killed during the persecutions are today regarded as martyrs by the Catholic Church. One such person was Nicholas Owen, who constructed the priest hole at Coughton Court. He was captured in 1606 and died during torture in the Tower of London.

Techy research

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

To show the surrounding structure of the house, archaeologist Chris King (right) and mapping specialist Lucasz Bonenberg (left) laser-scanned the interiors of all the rooms in the building, as well as the exteriors and the surrounding grounds.

Preserving history

(Image credit: University of Nottingham)

Coughton Court is now owned by the British heritage charity National Trust, which keeps it open to the public for much of the year as an historic building.



The 3D scans of the building and the hidden priest hole will now be used to help visitors understand the secret space  even if they are not able to make the climb to the towers of the gatehouse. The researchers hope to expand the project to investigate other priest holes in country houses around England.
During the summer, when Lake Baikal is full of melted ice from the Siberian mountains, it is sometimes possible to see more than 130 feet (39 m) down.

Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world (by volume) and the world's deepest lake. Somewhat crescent shaped, it is in the southern Siberia area of Russia. In 1996 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. It is home to approximately 1,700 to 1,800 endemic plant and animal species," said Jennifer Castner of Pacific Environment's Russia program. Additionally, it holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, due to the lake's depth.

By the numbers

Volume: 5,521 cubic miles of water (23,013 cubic kilometers). This volume is approximately equivalent to all five of the North American Great Lakes combined, according to Geology.com.

Maximum depth: 5,354 feet (1,632 meters). Its lowest point lies more than 4,000 feet (1,219 m) below sea level, according to Smithsonian magazine.

Average depth: 2,442 feet (744 m), according to Smithsonian magazine.

Surface area: 12,248 square miles (31,722 square km), according to Smithsonian magazine. This area puts it in seventh place worldwide in terms of surface area, according to Geology.com.

Length: 397 miles (640 km), according to Lake Baikal.org.

Maximum width: 49 miles (79.5 km), according to Baikal World Web.

Average width: 29 miles (47 km), according to Baikal World Web.

Minimum width: 16 miles (25 km), according to Baikal World Web.

Coastline area: 1,300 miles (2,100 km), according to Lake Baikal.org.

Lake Baikal location

Lake Baikal is located in south-central Russia near the Mongolian border. The largest nearby city is Irkutsk. Lake Baikal has historically played a large role in the Russian imagination. It represents the unspoiled beauty of Russia and is sometimes referred to as the Sacred Sea. Lake Baikal plays a central part in many local creation myths and appears throughout Russian folklore, according to Baikal Nature. Lake Baikal attracts more than 500,000 tourists a year, according to the Siberian Times.

Though it is in southern Siberia, the lands around Lake Baikal are generally warmer than the rest of the area because large bodies of water have a moderating force, according to LakeBaikal.org.

Olkhon Island is the largest island on Lake Baikal. About 1,500 people live there. (Image credit: marinya Shutterstock)

Lake Baikal features

There are 27 mostly uninhabited islands in Lake Baikal, according to Lake Baikal.org. The largest is 45-mile-long (72 km) Olkhon, on which there are villages. About 1,500 people live there.

More than 300 streams and rivers feed into Lake Baikal, but the Angara River is the only outlet. It carries out about 60 cubic km (15.8 trillion gallons) of water per year into the Yenisei River. Eventually the water makes its way to the Arctic Ocean.

The Selenga River is the largest source of water coming into Lake Baikal. Flowing north from Mongolia, it contributes nearly 50 percent of the lake's water. Like Lake Baikal, the Selenga Delta is internationally recognized for its biodiversity and importance, according to the Ramsar Convention.

Lake Baikal is the only very deep lake to have oxygenated water at its lowest depths, like the ocean, according to a 2009 article in BioScience. Additionally, the earth under Lake Baikal is heated. The cause of the heat is unknown.

Lake Baikal is considered one of the clearest lakes in the world, according to CNN Traveler. During the summer, when the lake is full of melted ice from the Siberian mountains, it is sometimes possible to see more than 130 feet (39 m) down. The stunning clarity is the result of the melted ice's purity, plankton that eat floating debris and a lack of mineral salts in the lake.

Lake Baikal may be warmer than other parts of Siberia, but in the winter it still gets very cold. The average air temperature in winter is minus 6 F (minus 21 C). Despite its size, Lake Baikal freezes over in the winter and usually melts in May or June, according to LakeBaikal.org. The ice can be up to 6 feet (2 m) thick. In the summer, the average air temperature is 52 F (11 C). The water temperature in August is around 50 F (10 C).

The nerpa is the world's only exclusively freshwater seal. It is only found in Lake Baikal. (Image credit: Andrei Gilbert Shutterstock)

Lake Baikal history

At least 25 million years old, Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. It and the surrounding mountains were formed by the Earth's crust fracturing and moving. According to Baikal World Web, it was probably originally a riverbed, but tremors and fractures in the Earth's crust increased the size and widened the space between the shores. Parts of the Baikal basin developed at different times throughout the Tertiary Period (66 million to 2.6 million years ago). Melting glaciers also increased the water levels.

It is likely that a series of lakes, similar to the Great Lakes, developed first and then united in the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 to 2.58 million years ago), according to Baikal World Web. There are several theories about what could have caused the unification, including sinking earth, falling rocks, erosion and earthquakes. Likely, it was a combination of all factors.

Lake Baikal is in a rift valley and up to 2,000 earthquake tremors are detected each year. The earthquakes deepen the lake and increase its size. For example, an 1862 earthquake resulted in the creation of Proval Bay, according to Irkutsk.org.

According to the Baikal Center, some geophysicists think that Lake Baikal is an ocean being born. The shores drift farther apart by 2 cm (0.78 inches) a year, the same rate at which Africa and South America drift apart.

Indigenous communities have lived around Lake Baikal since at least the sixth century B.C., though they visited long before that. It was the site of a battle in the Han-Xiongu War (133 B.C. to A.D. 89). Local legend holds that Jesus visited Lake Baikal, according to Smithsonian magazine. The first European to visit Lake Baikal was the Russian Kurbat Ivanov in 1643. Russia expanded its territory to include Lake Baikal during the 17th-century Russian conquest of Siberia.

Lake Baikal ecosystem

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Commission, Lake Baikal is sometimes called the "Galapagos of Russia" because of its exceptional biodiversity and importance to evolutionary science. The age, isolation and deep oxygenated water of Lake Baikal have resulted in one of the world's richest freshwater ecosystems.

About 80 percent of the more than 3,700 species found at Lake Baikal are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth. Probably the most famous of these species is the nerpa, the world's only exclusively freshwater seal. Scientists are unsure how the nerpa came to Lake Baikal and evolved, but they suspect the seals might have swum down a prehistoric river from the Arctic, according to LakeBaikal.org. Other endemic species include the oily, scaleless golomyanka fish and the omul, a white fish that is one of Lake Baikal's most famous dishes.

Other land-based species around Lake Baikal include bears, reindeer, elk, wild boar, Siberian roe deer, polecats, ermine, sable and wolves. American minks, imported from Canada, also live around Lake Baikal, according to Baikal World Web.

More than 50 species of fish live in Lake Baikal, according to Baikal World Web. Aquatic invertebrate species include more than 100 species of flat worms, more than 700 species of anthropods (insects, arachnids and crustaceans) and more than 170 species of mollusks. These invertebrates all help purify the water.

There are dozens of tree species, including cedar, fir and spruce, growing in the Lake Baikal area. Some of the trees are up to 800 years old. The Angara pine tree is native to the area, according to Baikal World Web.

Lake Baikal is in southern Siberia. The closest city is Irkutsk (Image credit: Peter Hermes Furian Shutterstock)

Threats to Lake Baikal

As Russia and Mongolia have become increasingly industrialized and tourism has increased, Lake Baikal has faced more and more threats to its environment. Additionally, climate change is threatening its ecosystem. Water temperatures and ice cover have already changed, according to BioScience.

Castner described several of the dangers facing Lake Baikal. The biggest threat is probably the "huge problem with algae on the lake and government failure to develop an adequate response to it," she said. Massive green algae blooms plague bodies of water like the Great Lakes, but for a long time Russian scientists assumed that Lake Baikal was too big to be affected by them. But since at least 2008, Spirogyra algae blooms have appeared on the bottom of the lake, according to National Geographic (opens in new tab). The algae blooms are found in shallow water and wash up on shore, where they emit a horrible stench.

The algae are toxic to other species. The algae have damaged water snails, sponges, fish and crustaceans  which pass the toxins along to people, according to the New York Times.

"The algae blooms are presumably caused by temperature changes, climate changes and excessive runoff into the lake from agricultural sewage and industrial sewage," Castner said. The concentration of algae in shallow water and the fact that algae blooms have historically appeared in areas with untreated sewage suggest that untreated sewage is a significant contributing factor to the problem. "But," Castner noted, "no proper study has been done to definitively determine the cause of the algae blooms."

She added, "There's a huge increase in tourism on shores all around the lake and there's not a real understanding of how that's affecting the lake." Local communities do not have adequate waste management systems relative to the number of tourists. But at least one effort to healthily manage tourists at Lake Baikal is succeeding: the Lake Baikal Trail, which will surround the entire lake, is being built slowly but surely.

"Another serious threat is a proposed series of dams on the Selenga River and its tributaries," Castner said. Mongolia is actively planning to build the dams in order to obtain energy. But the dams would seriously reduce the amount of fresh water flowing into the lake. In addition to lowering lake levels, the dams could change the level of sediment entering the lake and lessen the quality of breeding sites for birds and fish, as well as and block their migration routes, according to The New York Times.

Lake Baikal has successfully met environmental challenges in the past. In 2006, activists were able to get the government to completely reroute an oil pipeline. "It would have crossed into the lake's watershed in the north and come within 800 meters of the lake. It would have had devastating impacts," Castner said.

From 1966 to 2008, the Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill operated off the shores of Lake Baikal. "Paper-making and pulp-processing are water-intensive processes that involve using water and then dumping it," Castner explained. The dirty water was dumped into the lake, which resulted in a 12-square mile environmentally dead zone in the shallows. Community-led opposition led to valid studies of the problem and, though the government repeatedly delayed it, the mill was eventually shut down. Today, the environment in the water is slowly recovering. But the plant has not been demolished, the land around it has not been restored, and the chemicals around it have not been removed. The town is struggling economically.

Additional resources
The priest hole (in color) was built in a closed-off space in a tower of Coughton Court, as a place for Catholic priests to hide from search parties.

Agile scientists equipped with 3D laser scanners have revealed the secrets of a hidden room, known as a "priest hole," in the tower of an English Tudor mansion linked to the failed "Gunpowder Plot" to assassinate King James I in 1605.

A new study reveals how the secret double room was constructed in the tower of a gatehouse at Coughton Court in Warwickshire, as a hiding place for priests during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Catholic priests faced execution as traitors under the English laws of the time, and they were often tortured to reveal their accomplices, according to Christopher King, an assistant professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, and one of the lead researchers of the study. [See More Photos of the Secret "Priest Hole" at Coughton Court]

Despite being outlawed, many priests chose to travel around England in disguise and perform the banned Catholic ceremonies in secret, often at the country homes of wealthy Catholic families such as Coughton Court, he said.

The secret priest holes were ingeniously constructed inside walls and between floors, as places where a priest could hide from search parties while the family of the house pretended to go about their normal lives, King told Live Science. The priest hole at Coughton Court was rediscovered by later owners in the 1850s.

"We know that priests were hiding in these spaces for up to three days while people were searching the properties," he said, "and some of them are really very small, where the priest would be in quite an enclosed box-like space."

Double-blind

Archaeologist Chris King (left) and mapping specialist Lucasz Bonenberg prepare an exterior laser scan at Coughton Court. (Image credit: University of Nottingham)

To learn more about how the priest hole was constructed and hidden from searchers, King and his colleagues used 3D laser scanning equipment to precisely map the secret chambers and determine their location in relation to the rest of the building and its grounds.

The composite images and 3D computer models generated from the laser scans show the chamber's "double-blind" construction, which was designed to fool searchers into thinking they had found an empty priest hole, King said.

"When they're searching, they think they've found the priest hole but it's empty, but actually the priest is hidden in the more concealed space beyond," he said. "And that's what happens at Coughton: there's one chamber under the floor in the turret of the tower, and then there is another trap door that goes through into a second space, which we assume is where the priest was actually hiding." [10 Biggest Historical Mysteries That Will Probably Never Be Solved]

The restricted size of the priest hole presented a challenge for King and his colleague Lukasz Bonenberg, a geodesy and mapping specialist at the University of Nottingham's Geospatial Institute.

"They are quite narrow, probably about a meter [3.3 feet] across, and quite tall and thin. It was difficult to get the scanner in there, and Lukasz ended up spending a couple of hours down there with the equipment, basically because he's the skinniest," King said.

Gunpowder Plot

In 1605, Catholic resentment over England's anti-Catholic laws inspired the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to assassinate King James I by blowing up the House of Lords at Westminster while the king and his government ministers were inside.

King explained that Coughton Court played a role in the plot when it was rented as a family home by Sir Everard Digby, who was one of the Catholic conspirators along with Robert Catesby, their leader, and Guy Fawkes, who became the most famous of the plotters.

On the date agreed by the plotters for the assassination, Nov. 5, 1605  now commemorated as "Guy Fawkes Night" in the U.K., complete with bonfires and fireworks  a group of leading Catholic conspirators met at Coughton Court to wait for news of the attempt to kill the king. [

But when the messenger reported that the plot had been discovered and many of the plotters had been captured, the conspirators who had gathered at Coughton Court fled into the night. Most were captured and executed in the years that followed, King said.

Coughton Court is now owned by the heritage charity National Trust, which keeps most of the historic property open to the public, including the tower that contains the priest hole. But the tower itself is inaccessible to many people, King said.

"The scans and the fly-throughs that we've created will be really good for people who can't get up the stairs to the priest hole  you can stand in the courtyard with these images and it really helps you visualize where the space is," he said.

The initial study at Coughton Court was funded by Britain's National Lottery, and King now hopes to expand the research project by investigating other priest holes in historic houses in England. Around 30 are known to exist, but many are not open to the public and most are deliberately difficult to access, he said.

"That's really important from a public outreach point of view: making sure that visitors are aware of these spaces and their very interesting histories, and, hopefully, getting people interested in the stories associated with the buildings," King said.

Original article on Live Science.
Chimpanzees are in crisis, but NASA may be able to help: The agency recently announced a partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute, in hopes of helping chimpanzee conservation efforts.

One hundred years ago, more than 2 million chimpanzees were in the world. Now, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that only 345,000 or fewer chimpanzees remain in the wild. The new partnership will use NASA satellites and the U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat satellite to monitor the chimps' forest homes.

One of the primary reasons chimpanzees are at risk is habitat loss, according to Lilian Pintea, a remote sensing specialist and vice president of conservation science for the Jane Goodall Institute. [8 Humanlike Behaviors of Primates]

In fact, the deforestation is so drastic that it can be seen from space, Pintea said. In 2000, he saw a side-by-side comparison of satellite images of the area around Gombe National Park, a chimpanzee reserve in Tanzania. The images, one taken in 1972 and the other in 1999, show the dramatic deforestation that occurred outside the park.

"NASA satellite data helps us understand what it means to be a chimp, by overlaying distribution of the habitat with the chimpanzee behavior and ranging data," Pintea said in a statement.

This data enables him and other scientists to monitor where chimps are at risk with more context. Plain maps don't show the chimps' habitat along with human activities, according to NASA officials, whereas Landsat images can relay information about land use and its impact on the forests.

Chimpanzees' habitat once spanned an uninterrupted belt of forest and woodlands, but chimps in the region now occupy increasingly small fragments of land outside the park area. Population growth, logging and charcoal production led to the increased deforestation, according to conservationist Jane Goodall. As such, Goodall said conservation efforts must include working with local communities.

"It was really exciting to see the impact of these images on the villagers," Goodall said, adding that villagers could identify landmarks and sacred places in the satellite imagery. "It was like a piece of reality dropped magically from the sky."

Satellite data will be used in the Jane Goodall Institute's conservation efforts to help inform scientists and conservationists, as well as the local communities, as the Institute plans for more thoughtful land use and support chimpanzee habitats.

Original article on Live Science.
Starship secures $17.2m in seed funding, with pilots this year involving vehicles as mobile transport hubs for fleets of autonomous mini-android assistants

Delivery robot developer Starship Technologies has secured $17.2 million in seed funding investments led by Daimler, supported by a number of venture capital companies (VCs) and other investors.

The company is building a fleet of autonomous robots, monitored by humans, designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 3-5km radius. It is currently running commercial delivery pilot programmes in the US, the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Estonia with partners like Just Eat, Hermes, Metro Group, Swiss Post, Wolt and others offering robotic delivery for the food, grocery and parcel industries.

Starship is reinventing the last mile transportation process, allowing convenient and sustainable robotic delivery, said Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship Technologies. This funding further accelerates development of our technologies and enables us to launch pilot programmes in several new markets.

Mercedes said its investment in Starship Technologies, the world's leading start-up company for the development of ground-based, autonomous delivery robots, was the next stage of Mercedes-Benz Vans adVANce strategic future initiative and is an extension of its existing collaboration with Starship Technologies.

A first prototype emerging from the cooperation was introduced back in September 2016, involving a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter acting as a mobile loading and transport hub for eight robots. Mercedes said pilot projects combining Mercedes-Benz vans and delivery robots are planned to be initiated in Europe over the course of this year.

The two companies already introduced the so-called mothership concept back in September 2016, the company said. The concept combines the advantages of a van with those of an autonomous delivery robot.

A Sprinter presented as a prototype serves as a mobile loading and transport hub for eight robots. Thanks to the intelligent interlinking of delivery processes, it will play a part in significantly improving the efficiency of last-mile delivery logistics in future.

It said the mothership concept was the first outcome of a research and development cooperation between Mercedes-Benz Vans and Starship Technologies that began in 2016. Through its financial commitment to Starship Technologies, Mercedes-Benz Vans is now reinforcing this strategic, long-term collaboration.

"The robot can only travel short distances under its own power and until now has had to return to the warehouse to be reloaded after each delivery, said Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. On the one hand, the introduction of the van as a mobile hub widens the operational radius of the robots significantly, while also rendering superfluous the cost-intensive construction and operation of decentralised warehouses.

We see the combination of these two technologies as an opportunity to give our van customers access to some completely new services and business models. At the same time, we make the delivery process much more convenient for the end customer. For example, the concept makes it much easier to deliver goods to the end customer on time.

It said the aim is to develop the concept systematically over the coming months. As the two companies recently announced at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, initial pilot tests for this combination of van and robot are planned for Europe.

Following pilot testing of the delivery robots, which has been and continues to be undertaken by Starship Technologies with other partners, the plan is to begin widespread testing of the joint concept with one or several logistics partners, Mercedes said. The launch of the pilot project in a real-world environment is scheduled to take place later this year.

Mercedes-Benz Vans unveiled its strategic future initiative adVANce last September. The business division is systematically directing its focus at new, quickly changing customer needs, with a particular eye to identifying innovative solutions.

The company said it will invest some 500 million in the advancement of digitisation, automation and robotics in vans as well as in innovative mobility offerings by 2020. Mercedes-Benz Vans is thus evolving from a globally successful van manufacturer into a supplier of holistic system solutions, the company said.

Hardi Meybaum, general partner at VC firm Matrix Partners, commented: The way we move physical objects has changed dramatically thanks to Amazon and other delivery companies. Starship is enabling the trend and opening use-cases for the future that we cant even imagine yet.

Our investment in Starship is special because one of Matrixs earliest investments was FedEx; Starship is bringing us full circle with the future of delivery using autonomous robots.

The co-founder and managing director of another VC backer, Shasta Ventures, Rob Coneybeer, said: Starship Technologies has proven the viability of ground-based robotic delivery, showing us that its not just a far-fetched idea - its our reality today.
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Family & Parenting, School & Education, Local News, Arts & Culture, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: January 26 2017

Mineola Union Free School District (MUFSD) in New York state has announced that no home work or examinations will be given on the day of Hindu festival of Diwali.

Diwali will be listed on the school calendar as a day of worship.

Mineola, NY - January 26, 2017 - Mineola Union Free School District (MUFSD) in New York state has announced that no home work or examinations will be given on the day of Hindu festival of Diwali, the most popular of their festivals.

MUFSD Superintendent Dr. Michael P. Nagler, in an email today to Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, wrote: Diwali will be listed on the school calendar as a day of worship. As such no homework or exams will be given on that day. Children that wish to take the day off may do so.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, welcoming this announcement, in a statement in Nevada today, urged the MUFSD to seriously consider declaring official holiday on Diwali like the neighboring Syosset Central School District and East Meadow School District.

Rajan Zed also urged all the New York state public school districts, private/independent schools and charter schools also to adopt Diwali as an official holiday on their 2017-2018 school year calendars.

Zed pointed out that it would be a positive thing to do in view of presence of a substantial number of Hindu students at schools around the state, as it was important to meet the religious and spiritual needs of these pupils.

Rajan Zed indicated that schools should make efforts to accommodate the religious requirements of Hindu students and show respect to their faith by not conducting regular business and scheduling classes on Diwali. We did not want our students to be put at an unnecessary disadvantage for missing tests/examinations/papers, assignments, class work, etc., by taking a day-off to observe Diwali.

If schools had declared other religious holidays, why not Diwali, Zed asked. Holidays of all major religions should be honored and no one should be penalized for practicing their religion, Zed added

Rajan Zed suggested all New York state schools; public, private/independent and charter; to earnestly look into declaring Diwali as an official holiday, recognizing the intersection of spirituality and education. Zed noted that awareness about other religions thus created by such holidays like Diwali would make New York students well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow .

Zed urged New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New York State Education Department Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and New York State Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia; to work towards adding Diwali as an official holiday in all the public school districts, and persuading the private/independent and charter schools to follow.

Rajan Zed further says that Hinduism is rich in festivals and religious festivals are very dear and sacred to Hindus. Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Besides Hindus; Sikhs and Jains and some Buddhists also celebrate Diwali, which falls on October 19 in 2017.

Mission of MUFSD, which runs five schools, includes inspiring each student to contribute positively to a global society. Christine Napolitano is President of its Board of Education.
Just one day after executing a deadly suicide assault on a popular hotel in Somalias capital Mogadishu, Shabaab announced that its religious courts executed three spies. One of the alleged spies was accused of working for the CIA to direct drone strikes on Shabaab, better known as al Qaedas branch in East Africa.

Radio al Furqan, a Shabaab radio station and media outlet, reported that the three spies were killed in the town of Yaaq Barawe in the Bay Region of southern Somalia. The three were identified as local residents who were found guilty of aiding the CIA, Jubaland intelligence services, as well as Somali intelligence services, respectively. Another Shabaab outlet said that the individual who had purportedly worked for the CIA had been doing so for two months before being caught.

The Amniyat, Shabaabs intelligence and security service, routinely executes alleged spies in an effort to protect its leaders from being targeted by the US, which has waged a covert war in Somalia for a decade. Last June, the group reported that it beheaded a fighter within its ranks who allegedly gave information to the CIA that led to the death of its founder, Mukhtar Abu Zubayr, in a drone strike in Sept. 2014. Another fighter was reportedly beheaded for helping the CIA to kill Adnan Garaar, the mastermind of the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya, in 2015. Last October, Shabaab said it executed two men it claimed were working for the British MI6.

The US military and CIA have targeted Shabaab leaders and facilities in at least 30 airstrikes and special operations forces raids since Jan. 2007, according data compiled by FDDs Long War Journal.

In addition to Zubary and Garaar, other Shabaab leaders killed in US operations include Aden Hashi Ayro, the groups first emir; Yusuf Dheeq and Tahlil Abdishakur, both who served as the head of the Amniyat; and Saleh ali Nabhan, a senior leader in Shabaab and al Qaeda.

Shabaab has also executed captured African Union soldiers in an effort intimidate them. Last week, Shabaab released a video showing the execution of a Ugandan soldier that it captured in Sept. 2015 after a large-scale attack on a base in southern Somalia. That assault left at least a dozen Ugandan soldiers dead and the AMISOM base in the hands of Shabaab.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal. Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.

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.
Beijing says it will protect its territory after the Trump administration's threats over maritime disputes

China called on the United States on Jan 24 to respect facts and "speak and behave with caution" after the new US administration of President Donald Trump hinted it would take a tougher stance on the South China Sea.

"China's determination to protect its own territory and sovereignty will remain unchanged, regardless of what other countries say or what changes occur," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a news conference in Beijing.

China will firmly safeguard its maritime sovereignty, as it holds talks with countries directly involved, to maintain stability in the region, she said. Hua had been asked to respond to White House spokesman Sean Spicer's comment on Jan 23 that "the US would make sure that we protect our interests" in the South China Sea.

On Jan 11, Trump's secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson said that China should be denied access to the South China Sea islands.

Hua, when asked whether China worried that the Trump administration would take further steps regarding the sea, said that China is not the only country concerned about that.

"China's position on the South China Sea is consistent, and our actions are justified," she said.

Tensions have cooled over the South China Sea issue since China and other countries involved, including the Philippines, agreed to peacefully solve disputes through negotiations.

In October, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made a state visit to China, during which the two nations agreed to restore bilateral ties that had been jeopardized by the ruling of an arbitration unilaterally launched by his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.

"Any responsible country should be glad to see this trend, and play a positive role in promoting regional peace and stability," Hua said on Jan 24.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the Trump administration's attitude toward the South China Sea is similar to his predecessor's - namely, emphasizing disputes there.

"While Obama dealt with it in so-called multilateral and legal ways, Trump might try to get rough and try to overwhelm China with force there," he said. The South China Sea will continue to be an increasingly disputed area between the two countries, he speculated.

However, Li said, it remained to be seen whether Washington would follow up on Tillerson's proposal because of "Trump's unpredictability and the different opinions within the Cabinet".

"The Trump administration might make an adjustment, adopt a more practical China policy after six months, when it sees it has failed to force China to concede to its aggressive manner regarding issues Washington believes are critical," he added.

Teng Jianqun, a senior US studies researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said the Trump administration will continue to test China on various issues, including trade and security, but China will never compromise on territorial issues.

Wang Qingyun contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 01/27/2017 page15)
Nearly one in 10 British women are experiencing painful sex (dyspareunia), according to a new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The findings come from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) - the largest scientific study of sexual health lifestyles in Britain - carried out by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UCL and NatCen Social Research.

The national survey included 8,869 women aged between 16-74, interviewed between 2010 and 2012. Among the 6,669 women who had been sexually active in the past year, 7.5% reported having painful sex; of those, 1.9% experienced morbid pain (symptoms lasting at least six months, occurring very often or always and leaving the woman feeling distressed).

The proportion who reported painful sex was highest among women aged 55-64 (10.4%) and those aged 16-24 (9.5%). Of the 1,708 women in the study who were not sexually active, 2.05% said they avoided intercourse due to painful sex or a fear of feeling pain.

The study found that painful sex was strongly associated with other sexual function problems, in particular vaginal dryness, feeling anxious during sex, and lack of enjoyment in sex. It was also linked to poor physical and mental health including depression, sexual relationship factors, such as not sharing the same level of interest in sex, and adverse experiences, such as an STI diagnosis and non-volitional sex.

Of those women who reported painful sex, 30.9% said they were dissatisfied with their sex life compared to 10.1% of women who didn't report painful sex, while those experiencing pain were more likely to say they had avoided sex in the past year because of sexually difficulties (44.9% versus 10.7%).

The study's lead author is Dr Kirstin Mitchell, who began the research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and is now based at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow. She said: "While dyspareunia is a common problem, sexual pain disorders are often overlooked because underlying conditions are often difficult to diagnose and treat, and causes can be complex and poorly understood.

"This data demonstrates the importance of taking a holistic approach to medical care which takes into account the sexual, relationship and health context of symptoms. Healthcare professionals should be supported in taking a detailed history during a patient's clinical assessment; thoroughly investigating symptoms, asking about enjoyment and satisfaction, and considering the relationship context.

"There is also a need for resources to support clinicians who feel uncomfortable broaching the topic of sexual function and pleasure with patients, including advice on language and on when to refer patients to specialists in sexual health."

Edward Morris, Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), said: "This study raises the need for increased awareness that sex is more likely to be painful at the extremes of reproductive life (ie. in young women and those who have gone through the menopause). It also reveals an association between painful sex and women wanting to have known more at first sexual experience. Given that painful sex is common in younger women, and that half of young women report their first experience of intercourse as painful, it would be beneficial to ensure that the possibility of pain is discussed openly in sex education and in consultations between young people and health professionals.

"It is important that women who experience recurrent painful sex speak to their doctor or healthcare professional."

The study was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Wellcome Trust with additional funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department of Health. The MRC/Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow is funded by the MRC and the Scottish Government CSO.

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Culture

An upcoming exhibition series at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark will focus on a new generation of pace-setting and prize-winning architects, beginning with the Chinese designer Wang Shu

Jan 27, 2017 | By AFP Relaxnews

The 2012 Pritzker-Prize-winner Wang Shu will be the first architect featured in the The Architects Studio exhibition series at Denmarks MoMA from 9 February to 30 April 2017.

Wang Shu

Wang Shu works with his wife Lu Wenyu at the Amateur Architecture Studio based in Hangzhou, China. He was the first Chinese citizen to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2012, commended for his architecture that is timeless, deeply rooted in its context and yet universal.

Shu is known notably for his work on the Xiangshan Campus of the China Academy of Art and the Ningbo Historic Museum, which both make use of reused materials, showing Shus commitment to restoration, tradition and functionality in preference to the concrete urban sprawl that exists throughout China.

The Amateur Architecture Studio will collaborate with the museum on the creation of the exhibition, which will include the firms installation At the Parallel Scene from the 2016 Venice Biennale.

The Architects Studio

The exhibitions in The Architects Studio follow on from a previous series that was held from 1998 through 2005 which looked at the contributions of so-called starchitects such as Norman Foster, Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel.

The aim of the series is to provide a narrative of architecture over time, and how it responds to challenges and evolution, in particular with regards to sustainable and socially aware practices. After Wang Shu, the architects Alejandro Aravena from Chile (winner of the 2016 Pritzker Prize) and Tatiana Bilbao from Mexico will be featured at the exhibition.
Properties / Interiors & Decor

From Porto to Lisbon, we put the spotlight on one of Portugals most prolific design companies currently reviving the countrys creative scene.

Jan 27, 2017 | By Olivia Lock

Part of a new wave of emerging Portuguese designers, lighting design firm DelightFULL creates mid-century contemporary lighting fixtures for the home. Unique and tailor-made for commanding attention in any room, the creations will certainly serve as an ice breaker at gatherings. The brands signature Heritage collection showcases a range of high quality and versatile pieces, of which the Botti chandelier stands out as a truly singular work of artistic craftsmanship.

Characterised by an expressive rhythmic composition of horn elements, the chandelier embodies the best of DelightFULLs unique design philosophy, bringing together quirky features (in this case, an orchestra of trumpet bells) tinged with a vintage ambience. Perfect for those with a penchant for jazz-age influences, the chandelier reflects the alluring aesthetics of 40s, 50s and 60s culture whilst emanating a quiet power that strikes the viewer from every angle.

With no expense spared to ensure excellent quality and workmanship, the hand-crafted and made-to-order fixtures are created by a skilled team of artisans in Portugal. Crafted in brass and swathed in a luxurious gold mantle, the piece is available in three sizes and is also further customisable (for colour and pole height) to suit your design specifications.

Place it in your bedroom for a glamorous touch of soul, or let it dominate your living space. Whether in large areas, smaller abodes, restaurants or even hotels, Botti is sure to impress.

Interestingly, DelightFULL has also made a name for itself as one of the selected interior design firms to be featured in the film adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey. This partnership has certainly catapulted its fame beyond the lights of Hollywood and into the homes and spaces of design aficionados everywhere. Having recently launched a furniture and home accessories collection as well, one can only expect nothing but the best quality pieces from the popular brand.
Chinese investment in a natural gas project in the resource-rich Arctic region promises to be a game-changer later this year

Amega overseas project for liquefied natural gas that will likely burnish China's global profile, contribute to the country's energy security, enhance its geopolitical strategy and bolster efforts for economic rejuvenation is scheduled to start production in the Russian Arctic late this year.

The Yamal project - its corporate entity is called Oao Yamal LNG - is located in north-central Russia and is expected to produce 16.5 million metric tons per annum.

In September 2013, China National Petroleum Corp, the country's largest oil and gas producer by annual output, acting through its subsidiary, CNPC Russia, bought a 20 percent stake in Oao Novatek's $27-billion (25 billion euros; 21.6 billion) Yamal project for $5.4 billion.

Oao Novatek holds a 50.1 percent stake in the Yamal project, while Total holds 20 percent and the Silk Road Fund, 9.9 percent. Novatek is Russia's independent natural gas producer and the country's second-biggest LNG company after state-owned Gazprom.

China's investment will help the Russian gas supplier to complete the project, one of the largest industrial undertakings in the Russian Arctic. The new gas production center evolving in the Yamal Peninsula is expected to transform the Russian gas industry.

It is also expected to boost China's oil and gas reserves substantially, ensuring a steady, long-term supply.

Much of Yamal's output would be supplied to China and other Asian countries, according to Novatek. CNPC pledged to buy at least 3 million tons of LNG per year, said analysts.

According to Wang Lu, an Asia-Pacific oil and gas analyst from Bloomberg Intelligence, imports from Yamal may account for more than 1.6 percent of China's gas demand, which is estimated to be 257 billion cubic meters in 2018, assuming a 10 percent compound annual growth rate during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

"China's LNG imports will continue to be an important contributor to its supply landscape in 2020," she says.

"The project's success and reliability will enhance CNPC's investment return, so this aligns CNPC's interests with Novatek's."

For CNPC, Yamal has strategic importance. It expects the project to foster greater cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic, give a fillip to economic development and scientific research, and shape regional rules and norms relating to gas reserves in the region.

Li Li, energy research director at ICIS China, a consulting company that provides analysis of China's energy market, says the country had arranged for the steady import of natural gas from Russia even before the Yamal investment.

Russia's Gazprom has a 30-year contract with China to supply 38 billion cu m of natural gas annually beginning in 2018. CNPC's participation in Yamal is part of Chinese companies' global strategy and signifies the country's intent to be a key player in the crucial Arctic region.

In the process, China will have also helped Russia with its shortage due to sanctions imposed by the US and Europe over the annexation of Crimea.

The deal represents a significant step in Russian President Vladimir Putin's push to boost commercial ties with China.

China's backing will ensure the project will roll, says an official from CNPC Russia. Elaborating, he says sanctions had rendered financing for the project in US dollars impossible.

Several US and European banks have pulled out of financing deals, leaving a void to be filled with China's capital, technology and massive markets.

According to Evgeniy Kot, director-general of the Yamal project, the company has sold 96 percent of the project's LNG production to European and Asian customers through 20- to 25-year contracts.

Benefiting from the vast natural gas reserves across the Yamal Peninsula, the company signed loan agreements with the Export-Import Bank of China and the China Development Bank Corp for 1.2 billion yuan ($173 million; 161 million euros; 138 million ) in all.

For its part, Russia will provide tax incentives to companies involved in the development of the Arctic region, including zero export duty on LNG and special tariffs for condensate oil.

CNPC Russia said it is confident Novatek's rich experience in operating in Arctic weather conditions will help the Yamal project.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 01/27/2017 page27)
When Eoghan Murphy entered the Irish parliament in 2011, he started writing memos to Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny stressing the importance of a strong relationship with China.

His views were heard, and soon there was a surge in bilateral trade and investments from financial firms like the leasing arms of ICBC, China Development Bank and Bank of Communications. Huge investments from firms such as Bank of China Aviation and ICBC Leasing made inroads into Dublin.

"From a personal point of view, I've seen our relationship very much a target of engagement in the past six years," Murphy says with a confident and satisfied smile, sitting in his spacious office at the heart of Dublin's Department of Finance.

Eoghan Murphy, Ireland's minister of state for financial services, believes Ireland could become the new gateway into the European market for Chinese companies after Brexit. Cecily Liu / China Daily

Since becoming Ireland's Minister of State for Financial Services in May 2016, Murphy has aggressively pushed forward the China agenda. With his help, Dublin received a quota for China onshore-financial investment, lodged an application to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and made highly publicized visits to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Perhaps the timing of his ministerial appointment is fortunate: The Brexit referendum made Murphy realize Ireland could become the new gateway into the European market for Chinese firms, and lost no time in promoting this message.

"With so much uncertainty in the world at the moment, we see ourselves as a rock of certainty and stability," says Murphy.

Citing Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on the benefits of globalization and free trade, Murphy stresses that Ireland's openness to foreign investment fits exactly into those values.

"We have a pro-business government, we want companies to come in and make investments to create jobs."

Those words bear great similarities to the 'open for business' message that Britain's former prime minister David Cameron and former chancellor George Osborne used to strengthen Chinese ties during their time in government.

But with Cameron and Osborne having left office after the 2016 referendum vote, hints of the new British government, led by Theresa May, somewhat reducing its level of openness emerged when May announced new legal guidelines to closely scrutinize foreign investment in national security-related infrastructure.

Within this context, perhaps Murphy's message chimes more pleasantly with China. For Murphy, strengthening Chinese relations is not empty rhetoric, as Brexit uncertainties have sent a warning to Ireland about overreliance on the UK as a trade partner, and Murphy sees China as an assuring partner in its work to diversify and balance trade.

"We've had a close relationship with the UK. Slowly over time we've exported to new markets and found new opportunities, and this process is happening more quickly because of Brexit." For instance, the sudden devaluation of the pound was a "dramatic" consequence of Brexit-related uncertainties already felt by Irish exporters.

"President Xi spoke about commitment to globalization and countries working together to improve the benefits of globalization for their citizens. I suppose this leads to greater ambition for Chinese firms overseas, and that increases opportunities for a country such as Ireland, which has a global outlook."

He stresses Ireland's unique advantage as the only English-speaking country in the European Union post-Brexit, its common-law legal system's similarity to the UK's legal framework, and its government's open-for-business attitude, all of which are factors making Dublin attractive for Chinese firms who once went big on UK investment as a means of European expansion, but who are now adopting a wait-and-see attitude while Britain negotiates its exit terms.

In addition to attracting Chinese investment into Dublin, Murphy also holds a vision for Dublin to engage with China through the Belt and Road Initiative, financial technology cooperation and educational exchange.

The Belt and Road Initiative, initiated by President Xi Jinping three years ago to strengthen Asian European trade links through infrastructure investment, has gained momentum, receiving support from more than 100 countries and international organizations, more than 40 of which have signed cooperation agreements with China.

In May, Murphy will visit Beijing for the China-led Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, where he will explore possibilities for Ireland's further participation.

In addition, Murphy is eagerly waiting for the AIIB's approval for Ireland's membership, which would enable Ireland help fund infrastructure projects in Belt and Road countries and share its own infrastructure development lessons with the AIIB.

"I think the AIIB plays an important role for countries that need infrastructure investment to increase the capacity and scope of their economies, we want to bring our knowledge to use in the AIIB whenever we can."

He stresses that Ireland's engagement with AIIB is not entirely centered on self interest, and that the potential financial gains are less important than the geopolitical gains.

"There may not be returns for the Irish state in terms of financial returns, but there'll certainly be a return for helping other economies to increase their scope and improve the standards of living for their people".

Murphy praises the AIIB's operating model, explaining it achieves efficiency, quick delivery speeds while maintaining low operating costs.

Murphy says the infrastructure funding AIIB helps to channel into developing countries is crucial at a time when the global economy is searching for new sources of growth.

He says: "It's going to be a whole new source of funding in parts of the world that may not necessarily have the resources. The AIIB has come along at an important time to make sure that type of funding can continue and that model can continue."

As a country that has also developed on the back of heavy infrastructure development, Ireland has experience to share with the AIIB, such as lessons in public-private partnership investment, Murphy says.

Public-private partnerships, in which initial government investment helps to reduce the risk of the private sector's investment, attract a great deal of private-sector investment and are also at the core of AIIB's philosophy.

In addition, Murphy sees great opportunities in broader Irish-Chinese fintech collaboration, explaining that Ireland's system of fintech innovation and supply chain could be the fertile soil where Chinese fintech firms strengthen their products and solutions.

Education is an additional area in which Murphy hopes to further Irish-Chinese collaboration, not least because he personally developed an interest in China through teaching Chinese students English during his university days.

In the early 2000s, Murphy taught English as a foreign language to Chinese and other Asian immigrants to Ireland at the Able Academy in Dublin and developed valuable friendships with his Chinese students, whom he describes as "especially committed to family, culture and creativity".

"It was very much interaction outside the classroom that allowed me to understand the Chinese people. They'd always invite me to cultural festivals - films, dance, music. On occasion, we'd all go out as a group and have food and drink and spend time together, and that's how I got a sense of the importance of family in Chinese culture."

Those fond memories and precious friendships prompted Murphy to take up Mandarin lessons when he attended King's College London studying for his master's degree, although he admits to finding it difficult.

"I quickly failed at Mandarin. It was very difficult for me. There's the language, the writing, the tonal aspects. I was trying to continue my relationship with China through language, but wasn't able to keep it up."

Despite not learning Mandarin, Murphy has today found not just one but many ways to continue his relationship with China, including encouraging educational exchanges between Irish and Chinese universities.

He says: "From my visits to the country, I have realized China places a strong emphasis on education. We do as well. We are constantly trying to think of different courses that suit people, help them up-skill, and that's the approach China is taking."

cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 01/27/2017 page32)
If youve ever been to Melbourne, you might be familiar with T2 Tea. This Australian-born tea brand is known for its quirky and imaginative range of teas that have won tea-loving souls the world over with its unorthodox flavour combinations. If youre a fan of the brands aromatic brews, or simply love tea in general, heres good news: T2 Tea has just opened its very first store in Singapore at [email protected]!

T2 Teas new Singapore store also marks the brands first foray into Asia. Singapore was chosen for the brands Asian debut, in particular, because of the diverse multi-cultural influences and strong tea-drinking culture (we cant disagree here). As per tradition, a special tea blend has been crafted to pay homage to its new city, and it is inspired by none other than a local breakfast favourite: the humble but absolutely delicious kaya toast. Featuring a blend of pu-erh tea, coconut flakes, green tea and roasted rice, the Singapore Breakfast Kaya Toast brew is truly an aromatic homage to our national breakfast staple.

Be a part of T2 Teas Tea-Loving Community

The new store, sprawling over 550 square feet, carries over 140 different blends of tea and also a small selection of rare Japanese and Chinese teas. Its bestselling brews include the French Earl Grey, Green Rose and Fruitalicious Tisane. The store features an island brew bar, where six types of hot and iced tea beverages are brewed daily for you to sample. If you wish to deepen your tea brewing knowledge, the store also hosts regular tea masterclasses and tea-blending sessions through the tea community group, T2 Society, which is free to join.

So the next time youre in Orchard Road for a bit of retail therapy, be sure to head down to the store for a spot of tea! We dont know about you, but the kaya toast-inspired Singapore Brew definitely has us intrigued. Head up to our gallery above to check out some of the tea blends and brewing accessories available in the new T2 Tea store!

T2 Tea is now open at #01-20 [email protected], 313 Orchard Road. Prices start from SGD15 for a box of tea.

Sarah Khan

Photos: T2 Tea

Read More:

Tea Bar: 1872 Clipper Tea Co. sets up flagship store at ION Orchard

Zero Caffeine: 5 Herbal teas and their secret health benefits
As always, our political commentary is intended to be nonpartisan. We favor neither party nor any individual politician, and neither do markets. We assess developments solely for how they may impact markets and investments.

America has a new president, which means it's time for everyone to pin their wildest hopes and fears on a one-man walking Rorschach test: Some see the sun rising, some setting and still others see a light through fog, which could be the sun or an approaching train. Many anticipate Republicans' control of the executive and legislative branches means major changes will swiftly come a-knocking-either boosting or hurting stocks, depending on one's biases and opinions. But legislative risk (or opportunity, we guess) isn't as high as many presume, as a new flavor of intraparty gridlock should keep President Trump's pen quiet. This should be welcome news for stocks, which dislike the potential for radical change and thrive on gridlock.

On paper, Senate math slightly favors the GOP, 52 seats to 48, and it is true Trump has the largest congressional majority of any newly elected post-war Republican president. But those 52 Republican senators are not a uniform, Trump-supporting bloc. Eleven never endorsed him. Many have openly denounced his plans and initial executive orders. The potential for defection is high, and it would take only three to quash a bill.[i] Republicans also lack the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster, so they'll need Democratic allies to pass controversial policies. Anything that does squeak through will likely be diluted from what people envision today.

Extraordinarily popular presidents are good at getting Congress to fall in line, but Trump lacks political capital. His initial approval rating is 45%-significantly below all other presidents from Truman onward, making him the most hated modern president.[ii] His initial disapproval rating is four times the average of the last nine presidents. Lawmakers therefore have little incentive to fall in line and back Trump on unpopular legislation-too risky for their own prospects. After all, 2018 is less than two years away, and an incumbent's goal is always to win re-election.

The effort to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides an early look at the roadblocks Trump likely encounters. It was the GOP's flagship campaign pledge-with near-uniform support-yet the effort is already floundering, and not just because Democrats are putting up a fight.

Congress did cross one hurdle a couple weeks ago, passing a budget that theoretically enables them to defund the ACA without a filibuster. But that doesn't guarantee said defunding actually happens. Even if it does, the law remains in place-personal mandate, employer mandate and all the rest. The actual repealing and replacing is much more difficult, and Republicans haven't unified around one approach. Some-including Trump-want to simultaneously repeal and replace the ACA in short order. Others want to do both in one fell swoop, but take more time. Still others wanted to pass a repeal law now that takes effect later, once they hash out the replacement. Several Republican governors oppose moving too quickly, which matters, as states are big players in the implementation. Meanwhile, voter support for the ACA is rising, with only 30% favoring a wholesale repeal (down from 40% in November) and 56% preferring some tweaks. The likelihood this moves swiftly is exceedingly low.

There are plenty of other places where intraparty gridlock could easily stall or neuter Trump's plans. For example, Trump campaigned on a $1 trillion infrastructure-focused fiscal stimulus program-something Congressional budget hawks aren't thrilled about. Trump already trimmed the target amount by nearly half, to $550 billion, but this may still face roadblocks. Intraparty opposition to prescription drug price caps or Medicare negotiation is high. Immigration policy is a political minefield. Taxes, too. President Trump also favors a simpler corporate tax code with lower rates, which lawmakers tend to shy away from once they realize it means closing their constituents' favorite loopholes. If we didn't see "grand bargains" when Congress and the president had more goodwill, it's difficult to imagine them miraculously happening now.

Even on trade, where the president wields more authority, big change isn't a given. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a bill to curb the president's trade authority last week.[iii] Even without that, most sweeping new tariffs likely require legislation, and there is significant Republican opposition. John McCain (R-AZ), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) spoke out against protectionism and new tariffs this week. Representatives of constituencies where trade brings jobs won't cave easily.

Swamps are difficult, if not impossible to drain. Those who try generally end up stuck in the quagmire. The same probably happens to Trump. Rhetoric and jawboning might still affect short-term sentiment towards Health Care or other stocks. But the sort of fundamental change that would materially change the outlook for a given sector requires legislation, which seems set to get stuck in the morass. So whether you cheer or fear his proposals, he probably accomplishes less than envisioned.
MARTINSVILLE-The New College Institute will have to make changes in the coming months in order to develop. That was the main takeaway from Thursdays meeting of the board of directors, held in Richmond.

One key change involves funding, as the Harvest Foundation terminated its grant with the school. Harvest put forth a $50 million challenge grant to the state in 2004 to encourage NCI to launch a baccalaureate degree-granting school in the Martinsville-Henry County area. Out of that $50 million, the foundation has provided the institute $23.7 million. In late 2016, Harvest officials said that 12 years was enough time to show progress toward that goal. They gave a deadline of Jan. 31, 2017 and if NCI didnt have an agreement in place or have proof of sufficient progress toward that goal, the grant funding would be terminated. With no agreement in place or any deal on the horizon, foundation officials withdrew the remaining dollars.

We dont fund anything unconditionally, Harvest Executive Director Allyson Rothrock said in a phone interview after the meeting. She pointed out that NCI is not a university and appears not to be headed in that direction.

But we want them to succeed, she said, noting the millions of dollars that Harvest has invested in NCI so far.

Our doors are not closed to NCI, Rothrock said. The institute is welcome to apply for Harvest funds in the future, and the foundation will consider the request like it considers requests from other organizations for money to benefit worthwhile health, education and community vitality projects, she said.

Moving forward

State Sen. Bill Stanley said Thursday that amid efforts to chart the New College Institutes (NCI) future course, he hopes to receive proposals from current and potential partner universities and colleges for lawmakers to consider by April 5, when the General Assembly reconvenes for its short session.

I am optimistic that every college and university weve talked with will make a proposal, Stanley, R-Franklin County, said after Thursdays meeting of the board of directors. He is the boards chairman now.

Longwood University is a current partner from which a proposal will be sought. The Farmville-based school has shown interest in recent months in deepening its relationship with NCI. Officials have said the institute would not become a branch campus of the university although it could become something similar.

My conversations with Longwood have been positive, said NCI Executive Director Leanna Blevins. That prompts her to believe that the university will put forth a proposal, she said.

However, she added, theres not mandate that any university or college submit one.

The push to find a college or university partner comes as NCI finds itself in need of funding.

NCI currently provides local access to certain bachelors and masters degree programs offered by other higher education institutions. Generally, the degrees are ones which have been determined necessary to qualify people to fill job vacancies that area employers have found hard to fill.

NCI opened in 2006. Since then, some degree programs that failed to attract many students were discontinued. Stanley vowed that the institute in the future is not going to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars (to other higher education institutions) for programs that dont work anymore.

As NCI evolves, Im looking for a hybrid, stand-alone option, Stanley said  one that provides the best of the traditional higher education experience yet affords students a unique environment in which to learn.

You have to have a hook in education in order to attract students, especially ones from outside Martinsville-Henry County, he said during the board meeting. For instance, he mentioned that the hook of the private Liberty University in Lynchburg is providing students a learning experience steeped in Christian values.

Weve got to be something so innovative, so cutting-edge that they (students) dont want to go anywhere else but Martinsville to earn degrees or other types of educational credentials, he added.

Stanley vowed that within 18 months, we will have a clear, articulate  plan of action for NCIs future.

He hopes to have it within 12 months, though, he said.

NCIs board normally meets in Martinsville. However, Stanley wanted Thursdays meeting to be at the General Assembly Building at the Capitol so board members could meet lawmakers and lobby for the institute.

Buying a building

Also during the meeting, Stanley and board member Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, noted provisions that House Appropriations Committee Chairman Del. Chris Jones, R-Chesapeake, put in a state budget bill on NCIs behalf.

One provision concerns NCI being able to buy its ultramodern, roughly three-year-old building on the Baldwin Block uptown from its private fundraising arm, the New College Foundation (NCF). The state leases the building from the foundation for about $383,000 per year, according to Stanley.

Buying the building is necessary at some point in the future, Stanley said, because money spent on rent could instead be put toward educating students.

We have to be good stewards of the peoples money, he said.

Blevins said she works closely with NCF representatives but they have not yet responded after Stanley and Marshall reached out to them.

Stanley said he isnt worried.

We (NCI board members) just need to re-establish our relationships with the foundation, he said.

Another provision calls for NCI and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to evaluate options for alternative pricing that result in lower charges for courses and study programs taken by NCI students. Currently, students pay tuition and other charges levied by universities that administer the programs.

Although Jones wants NCI to be a progressive higher education provider, he wants to make the New College the least expensive provider of four-year degrees in the state, Stanley said.

NCI board members did not draft the budget bill provisions, he emphasized. Jones drafted them and said yall sign on to them, he said.

That shows the states continuing support for the institute, Marshall said.

In a unanimous vote, the board instructed Blevins to begin the process of hiring a new dean of academics.

Blevins held the post of associate director/chief academic officer until she was promoted to executive director in December, when she also was serving as interim executive director. The academic dean is to fill her previous role.

An initial one-year contract will be offered to the right candidate, Stanley said.

That person ideally will be someone with incredible academic experience who knows the players in Virginia government and higher education circles, he said.

NCI had been without a permanent leader since William Wampler retired from state service last July. Wampler, who represented the Bristol area in the state Senate from 1988 to 2011, was hired to lead NCI after he decided not to seek re-election.

Stanley said a headhunter  executive recruiter  will not be used in the process of hiring the new dean.

We wasted $60,000 on a headhunter in the search for a new executive director, he said, and that ended up being a fruitless exercise.

After interviewing applicants and not finding what it thought was the right one to lead NCI, the board suspended the search. Blevins did not apply for the job but she later accepted it, saying that she wants to see progress that the institute has made over the years continue.
Author John Steinbeck reputedly once said that Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

Theres a lot of truth in that statement, particularly in that last portion. All too often, we view the accumulation of wealth as a measure of success, and if we do not have wealth, we assume we have done something wrong.

The satisfaction of accumulating wealth, it seems, should be enough to make anyone happy. Its hard to be depressed when you can afford a perfectly-restored 1959 Cadillac Coupe Deville convertible, candy apple red with a white top and white leather interior (your own wealth-related fantasies may vary).

But maybe theres another side to the coin.

In 2003, I went on a trip to the west coast, and on my way back, I stopped in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A family friend was considering building a house in a gated community just outside the city, but before pulling the trigger, she wanted to talk to someone who already lived there. And so, through a strange sequence of events, I found myself sitting with this family friend in the home of a famous architect inside a gated community in New Mexico.

The home that the architect and his wife shared was perfect. You could have scoured the place for hours and you wouldnt have been able to find a stain, or a scuffed floor, or even a dust mote. He invited us to sit on the couch. I sat down carefully.

His wife asked if we would like some iced tea. As a native Virginian, I of course said yes, and she went to the kitchen to prepare it.

While she was gone, the architect told us about the community. Albuquerque, he said, was a dangerous city; this gated community was a bulwark against the chaos outside the walls. It was a place where people could live freely and enjoy the wonderful weather and majestic southwestern scenery without having to worry about the criminal element.

Through the window, I could see several pinon pines, the state tree of New Mexico. I commented that they were neat-looking trees.

The architect smiled sadly. They were, he said, but the community was being ravaged by a pinon blight. All of the trees were slowly dying, and no one knew how to stop it.

He talked to my family friend about the rules and regulations she would need to follow if she chose to live in the gated community. Gated communities have plenty of rules, of course; everything cant be perfect and lovely if some jerk decides to put a bunch of pink flamingoes and wooden cut-outs of bent-over grannies in his front yard.

There were so many rules, too many to remember, rules about where to put the trash cans and what colors of paint were acceptable and what kinds of grass you could plant and when you could water the lawn.

About half an hour later, the architects wife emerged from the kitchen with a glass pitcher of iced tea, yellow circles of lemon floating on top. The pitcher was sitting on a hand-carved wooden tray with a blue-and-white checked linen cloth, its corners hanging over the edges at perfect uniform angles. There were several glasses, a cut crystal dish of sugar, and a separate dish containing at least seven varieties of artificial sweetener.

It occurred to me that this very nice lady had spent half an hour of her life making the most picturesque display of iced tea that ever existed, and it was being wasted on a schmoe like me.

The architect and his wife were perfectly lovely, accommodating people, yet I felt a deep sense of depression in their home. Here were two people who had used their vast wealth to essentially build a prison for themselves. It was a nice prison, and an expensive one, but a prison nonetheless. I did not feel like I was in a house; I felt like I was inside an intergalactic zoo built to house humans, but whoever built the habitat made it so perfect that it felt wrong.

Looking back on the pinon tree blight, I can think of nothing but the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Masque of the Red Death, where a group of wealthy nobles hold a masquerade ball while a plague rages outside the abbey, only for the plague to take human form and crash the party.

Wealth can be nice, but when we use it to create an artificial reality and wall ourselves off from our fellow man, it can also be tragic.

Having said that, I still want to get that Cadillac one of these days.
Over 100 people gathered on U.S. Inauguration Day for the United Against Trump Town Hall held at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. The event was hosted by a coalition of organizations led by the Canadian section of the International Marxist Tendency, Fightback. Others who supported the event included the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW), the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario (CFS-O), the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario (CUPE) and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).

The event brought together workers, students and activists from across Ontario, including many belonging to marginalized groups that have been targeted by Trumps sexist, racist, anti-immigrant, homophobic and transphobic rhetoric. The aim of the town hall was to form a broad-based coalition of organizations and communities to fight Trump-style politics here in Canada. Although there remains much to be done, we can at least say that the wheels have been set in motion.

The mood at the town hall was undeniably radical. The event featured three panel speakers, each of whom took aim not only at Donald Trump, but at the capitalist system which gave rise to him. The first of these speakers was Mike Palecek, National President of CUPW. Paleceks participation was an encouraging sign that it is possible to build unity between the labour movement, students and marginalized layers of the working class.

Palecek spoke at length about the polarization of American society, the dissatisfaction with the status quo, and how these things combined to produce a Trump presidency. As he pointed out, the politics of the establishment were helpless against right wing populism. With the absence of any outlet on the left, the path was laid clear for Trumps victory. Palecek suggested that the only way to prevent Trump-style politics from surfacing in Canada was for workers and students to organize, mobilize and agitate for socialist politics. The power of the working class, he pointed out, is far greater than any right wing demagogue. With that, he made an impassioned appeal for the audience to join the fight.

Palecek was followed by Gabriel Allahdua, an activist with Justice for Migrant Workers. Originally from St.Lucia, he has spent the last five years as a migrant worker on a farm in Lemington, Ontario. Allahdua described the treatment of migrant workers in Canada as the bottom line of capitalism, and drew parallels with the anti-immigrant policies espoused by Donald Trump. He explained how migrant workers are denied the same basic rights as other workers, including the right to vote and ability to unionize. He said that if migrants dont speak out, its only for fear of deportation. Isnt that Donald Trump? he asked. Except this wasnt Trumps America that he was talking about, but Trudeaus Canada.

The final speaker of the night was Jessica Cassell, an organizer and editorial board member with Fightback. Cassell continued where Allahdua left off, putting Canada up to the harsh mirror of reality. Just like our neighbours to the south, Canada is based on colonialism, racism, exploitation and oppression, she said, continuing on to highlight that similar conditions which allowed Trump to take power exist here in Canada. Canada even has its own version of Trump, with Dragons Den reality TV millionaire and pro-business commentator Kevin OLeary entering the Conservative leadership race. People are seeking an explanation for why their living conditions continue to decline and in lieu of a revolutionary alternative, a layer of people will turn to the right-wing explanations which blame immigrants, women, racialized people, and LGBTQ folks, in order to distract and divide the exploited and oppressed majority from the real root of the problem: the capitalist system. Cassell explained that simply voting for the perceived lesser evil, whether it be the Democrats in the United States or the Liberals in Canada, only benefits the ruling capitalist class and lays the ground for the bigger evil to come to power down the line. What is needed is a mass movement for the socialist transformation of society to unite all layers of the workers and youth, including the most marginalized, in the struggle for a society that prioritizes human need over corporate greed!

After the panelists spoke, members of the audience were invited to speak from the floor. While several commented on the threat that Trump-style politics posed to workers, youth, immigrants, women, racialized groups, LGBTQ folks and the environment - there was a general mood of enthusiasm that we can - and will - fight back. Others highlighted that Trumps presidency and its reflection in Canada and abroad have millions of people all over the world questioning capitalism. The need to get organized and for unity came up repeatedly. Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park, spoke and made an appeal for the young people in the room to take up the struggle for socialism.

Halfway through the event, a weak attempt at sabotage was made. A fire alarm was pulled (not minutes after two obvious Trump supporters exited the lecture hall) which forced us to evacuate the room. The fire department later admitted it was done intentionally. Rather than be disoriented, we evacuated the building in an orderly fashion and gathered people outside where we took a vote to continue the discussion on the streets. It wasnt very long before we were readmitted into the building where we continued the discussion; our spirits and determination having only been risen! This incident shows how weak and cowardly the forces of the alt-right really are in the face of the organized workers and youth.

The discussion concluded on a highly optimistic note. While Trump and his reflection in Canada represent a significant challenge to workers and youth, there has not been a time of such deep questioning of the capitalist system since the 1930s. Trumps rise to power is itself a sign that we have entered into a turbulent period of sharp and sudden changes, as the masses begin to seek out alternatives from the right and the left. It is the historic task of the Marxists to provide a genuine socialist alternative with a concrete program and way forward. If we are educated, organized and militant, we can succeed not only in bringing down the Trumps and Kevin OLearys of this world, but the whole capitalist system of exploitation and oppression. If you believe in Fightbacks vision for a better world - one where the vast wealth that exists is put to use benefiting the majority instead of a small parasitic minority - then reach out to us at fightback@marxist.ca or (416) 461-0304 to join the fight for socialism!
21691267-mmmain.jpg

Butch Trucks

(File Photo)

The death of Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks has been attributed to suicide, several news outlets reported.

The Miami Herald, Billboard, Rolling Stone, and others cite police reports that Trucks shot himself with a pistol in his West Palm Beach, FL home.

The incident was apparently witnessed by Trucks' wife.

Along with percussionist Jai "Jaimoe" Johnny Johanson, Trucks helped to create the sound of Southern rock. He was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame with the band in 1995.

Trucks was touring of late with his own project, Butch Trucks and the Freight Train. The band had a performance scheduled for March 31 at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, Conn.
Each week, MassLive showcases pets available for adoption at shelters at rescue organizations across Massachusetts.

With the participation of the shelters listed below, many animals should be able to find a permanent home.

We also provide some pet-related news items that we hope you will enjoy.

Young Aussie surfer photo bombed by shark that shared wave

Rod McGuirk, Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- A 10-year-old surfer has had a close encounter with a photo-bombing shark that shared a wave with him off an Australian beach.

Chris Hasson said that he was taking photos of his son Eden riding a wave off Samurai Beach at Port Stephens, 180 kilometers (110 miles) north of Sydney, on Tuesday when something unexpected and indistinct caught his eye.

He discovered he had photographed the face of a twisting shark just below the surface with his son on an apparent collision course.

"I saw the second photo and (thought) -- no way," Hasson told the AP. "I quickly called him in and whistled."

"He (Eden) saw a shape in the wave and thought it was seaweed and felt something as he went over the top -- he got his leg rope caught on something -- but he thought nothing of it until he saw the photo," Hasson said.

James Cook University shark researcher Andrew Chin said the photographed shark was possibly a small great white.

"From the angle, it looks like the shark was spooked and is rolling away from the board to escape it," Chin said. "There is no way that this is a hunting approach."

Eden said he was glad he hadn't seen the shark until he was safe on the beach and saw the photo.

In this photo from Jan. 24, 2017, provided by Chris Hasson, 10-year-old Eden Hasson, Chris' son, surfs near what is believed to be a great white shark at Samurai Beach, Port Stephens, Australia. James Cook University shark researcher Andrew Chin says the photographed shark is possibly a small great white. (Chris Hasson via AP)

"If I was on the wave and saw it, I probably would've freaked out and fell off," Eden told Nine Network television on Thursday. "I was lucky I didn't fall off."

Port Stephens is on the northern coast of New South Wales state which has experienced an extraordinary increase in shark attacks since a Japanese tourist was killed by a great white in early 2015.

Hasson said he was back in the surf with Eden and his siblings, aged 12 and 5, on Wednesday to enjoy the final week of the school summer vacation.

"Everyone's back to business. It's too good a lifestyle sport not to," Hasson said.

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MASSACHUSETTS SHELTERS:

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Address: 163 Montague Road, Leverett

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 548-9898

Website: www.dpvhs.org

Address: 171 Union St., Springfield

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-4000

Website: www.dpvhs.org



Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center

Address: 627 Cottage St., Springfield

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Thursday, noon-7 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-1484

Website: tjoconnoradoptioncenter.com

Westfield Homeless Cat Project

Address: 1124 East Mountain Road, Westfield

Hours: Adoption clinics, Thursday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Website: http://www.whcp.petfinder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westfieldhomelesscatprojectadoptions



Westfield Regional Animal Shelter

Address: 178 Apremont Way, Westfield

Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 564-3129

Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ma70.html

Franklin County Sheriff's Office Regional Dog Shelter and Adoption Center

Address: 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 676-9182

Website: http://fcrdogkennel.org/contact.html

Polverari/Southwick Animal Control Facility

Address: 11 Depot St., Southwick

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 569-5348, ext. 649

Website: http://southwickpolice.com/chief-david-a-ricardis-welcome/animal-control/

Berkshire Humane Society

Address: 214 Barker Road, Pittsfield

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 447-7878

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/

Purradise Feline Adoption

Address: 301 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington

Hours: Monday and Tuesday: Closed; Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Friday,10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 717-4244

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/contact-us/

Greyhound Options, Inc.

Address: 43 Sygiel Rd., Ware, MA. 01082

Telephone: 413-967-9088

Website: greyhoundadoptions.org



Animal Rescue League of Boston

Address: 10 Chandler Street, Boston, MA 02116

Telephone: (617) 426-9170

Fax: (617) 426-3028

Website: adoption@arlboston.org

Worcester Animal Rescue League

Address: 139 Holden St., Worcester, MA 01606

Telephone: (508) 853-0030

Hours: Open 7 days a week from noon to 4 p.m.

Website: www.worcesterarl.org


1 25 na drug arrests

From left, Joshua Evans, Emilio Garcia-Cappas, both of Springfield, and Jaycee Bressette of North Adams.

(North Adams police photos )



NORTH ADAMS - Two Springfield men were arrested early Thursday in a narcotics raid that yielded what police are saying were large amounts of heroin, cash and packaging materials.

In all, police arrested three people in the 5 a.m. raid at 28 Mill St. The raid was conducted by the Berkshire County Drug Force and the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team following an investigation into drug activity there.

The raid was the result of police obtaining a district court search warrant.

Arrested werre Jaycee Bressette of North Adams and Joshua Evans and Emilio Garcia-Cappas, both of Springfield.

Bressette and Evans were charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

Garcia-Cappas was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, second offence, conspiracy to violated drug laws, and giving a false name to a police officer.

The three were arrainged on the charges Thursday in North Adams District Court, but information on the arraignment was not available.
With the Israeli consul general http://www.matr.net/article-75361.html in attendance, the University of Montana rolled out a new program Thursday night, one that will house seven different platforms designed to help startup businesses succeed at various stages along the journey.

The program, Accelerate Montanahttp://www.acceleratemontana.com/ , covers an entrepreneurs first stop at Blackstone LaunchPad to a business ambitious decision to export its product on a global scale with the aid of the Montana World Trade Center.

The Montana Code School, the Montana Small Business Development Center and the Montana Procurement Technical Assistance Center, among others, now fall under the umbrella of Accelerate Montana.

Martin Kidston

Full Story: http://www.missoulacurrent.com/business/2017/01/missoula-um-accelerate-montana/
Pursuing MBA from MBA colleges in Coimbatore, Known as the Manchester of South India, is the prime choice of youths who wish to make business management as their career or want to embark on entrepreneurship journey after completing their MBA education. If you are planning and searching for the most suitable MBA colleges in Coimbatore, your search is now over!

Doing MBA in Coimbatore from one of the top MBA colleges like Amrita School of Business; PSG Institute of Management; GRG School of Management Studies; Firebird Institute of Research in Management; Sreekrishna Institutions (SKIM); KCT Business School; Jansons School of Business; Karunya School of Management; Hindustan College of Arts & Science among other MBA colleges in Coimbatore offers you good career opportunities in Corporate World. These MBA colleges in Coimbatore have made the city a preferred MBA destination.

CHECK & COMPARE TOP MBA COLLEGES IN COIMBATORE BY RANKING.

Top MBA colleges in Coimbatore carry high RoI and offer good opportunity to get more industry exposure leading to good career prospects. As Coimbatore is one of the largest industrial cities of India and many international & national companies have invested and opened their offices here, the demand for pursuing MBA in Coimbatore is rising significantly. With the emergence of diverse sectors apart from textile, like real estate, retail, health, financial services, banking, consulting, manufacturing and ITES, it is right to predict that making a choice of doing MBA in Coimbatore would be a right decision.

Based on in-depth research, MBAUniverse.com will help you know all about most suitable MBA colleges in Coimbatore. So read this article for list of MBA colleges in Coimbatore, Placements, Fee, Cut offs and much more to help you choose the right MBA college in Coimbatore accepting CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT, SNAP, MAHCET scores for MBA admission.

Why Coimbatore is a preferred MBA destination

Before you know about the various MBA colleges in Coimbatore, you should know what makes Coimbatore a preferred MBA destination:

Manchester of South India

Coimbatore is known as Manchester of South India since it is an industrial hub of Tamil Nadu. MBA colleges in Coimbatore offer quality MBA education in a healthy and scenic natural environment clubbed with high industry exposure and placement prospects. Top MBA colleges in Coimbatore are few but these MBA colleges in Coimbatore are the most sought after destination to pursue the dream of doing MBA.

Largest City with High Placement Prospects

Coimbatore also known as Kovai, is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu, after Chennai. The MBA colleges in Coimbatore are also highly ranked.

Hub of MBA education

Well known management institutes and universities are located in Coimbatore. Top MBA colleges in Coimbatore are Amrita School of Business; PSG Institute of Management; GRG School of Management Studies; Sreekrishna Institutions (SKIM); KCT Business School; Jansons School of Business; Karunya School of Management; Hindustan College of Arts & Scienceand many other MBA colleges in Coimbatore have made the city a preferred MBA destination.

Know about MBA colleges in Coimbatore

We will now discuss about the MBA colleges in Coimbatore and will cover the following information:

MBA colleges in Coimbatore under CAT, XAT, SNAP, CMAT, MAT, MAHCET

MBA colleges in Coimbatore with Fees

MBA colleges in Coimbatore with Placements

Known as the Manchester of South India Coimbatore is one of Indias most preferred MBA destination. Based on reputed Rankings, the top 5 MBA colleges in Coimbatore are Amrita School of Business; PSG Institute of Management; GRG School of Management Studies; Sreekrishna Institutions (SKIM); KCT Business School

Top MBA Colleges in Coimbatore

Let us know about the USPs of some of the best MBA colleges in Coimbatore like PSG Institute of Management, Amrita School of Business which have earned a great reputation in imparting management education and are the renowned MBA colleges in Southern India.

PSG Institute of Management (PSGIM)

Started in 1971 and later metamorphosing into a full-fledged institute in 1994, spurred by the onset of the liberalization of the Indian Economy, the 50+ year legacy of PSG Institute of Management makes it one of the pioneering management institutes in Southern India. Active collaborations with IIFT, Alliance Francaise and University of Toledo, Hof University, Germany have put the institute in the forefront of management education today.

PSGIM offers 2 years full time MBA and PGDM programmes. MBA is a two year program affiliated to Anna University, approved by AICTE, New Delhi and also is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The AICTE approved 2 year full time Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) a complete study package that connects industry with time tested concepts and tools. Throughout the expedition, industry & academic experts help you imbibe business concepts and lend a supportive hand in building strong relationships with the practical world.

Amrita School of Business

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham established under UGC Act of 1956 offers more than 200 professional programs through 15 schools across 6 different campuses in 3 South Indian states. It was awarded 5th position in the MHRD-NIRF University rankings 2021. The MBA programme at the Amrita School of Business Coimbatore is highly ranked with highest placement running at Rs.20.5 lakhs. The MBA at the B-school offers specializations in all the key areas of management. It also offers Dual Degree MBA in partnership with international management institutes and universities. Read More

Jansons School Of Business

Jansons School of Business is affiliated to Bharthiar University and offers university MBA degree. The institute is AICTE approved and NBA accredited in India and internationally accredited by ACBSP. MBA at Jansons School of Business is a reputed programme with high placements.

Karunya School of Management

Established in 1994, Karunya School of Management (KSM) operates under the aegis of Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences (A deemed to be university). The MBA program at KSM focuses on regular Industry interaction & mentoring programs, along with good placement opportunities. KSM was ranked among the Top 100 B-Schools by Dalal Street and is AICTE Approved and NAAC Accredited.

Firebird Institute of Research in Management

Firebird Institute of Research in Management (FIRM), Coimbatore is a premier Business School established in 2016 under the aegis of Dr SVK Educational Charities backed by Shiva Texyarn Private Limited. The institute is located in Chettipalayam, Coimbatore, in a sprawling campus and with world-class infrastructure to sculpt global leaders. Set up by Rs 1500 crore industrial group from southern India - Bannari Amman spinning Mills/Shiva Texyarn Group of companies, Firebird Coimbatore was started with the objective of providing industry ready students on day one of graduation. Top Industry Professionals and Academics on Firebird Advisory Board include Dr. Prafulla Agnihotri, Former IIM Trichy Director and Professor of IIM Calcutta; Mr C.K. Ranganathan, Founder & Chairman, Cavinkare; Dr. B. Santhanam, President, Saint Gobain Ltd. Read More

Hindustan College of Arts & science

Department of Management Studies at Hindustan College of Arts & Science has Started functioning From the Academic Year 2005-06. It is approved by AICTE and affiliated to Bharathiar University with 180 seats for MBA and the college is providing Specializations of Marketing, Finance, Human Recourse, Media Management, Logistics Management, Production Management. The department has produced University Ranks and many of the candidates with Distinction.

MBA Colleges in Coimbatore accepting CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT scores

Most of the MBA colleges in Coimbatore shortlist the candidates and offer admission to their flagship MBA/PGDM programmes on the basis of CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT and also state level TANCET exam scores.

Amrita School of Business, PSG Institute are the most sought after MBA colleges in Coimbatore with low fee structure, strong alumni base and high placements. The CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT exam scores cut off in the top MBA Colleges in Coimbatore is 60 to 70 percentile.

MBA Colleges in Coimbatore accepting MAT, TANCET; Cut offs

If you dont have a high CAT, XAT or CMAT score, dont worry. Most MBA colleges in Coimbatore namely PSGIM, KCTBS, GRGSMS, Firebird Institute of Research in Management among others also offer admissions based on MAT and TANCET exam scores, apart from CAT, XAT scores. If you have 60 to 80 percentile score in MAT or TANCET, you stand a good chance.

Fee for MBA Colleges in Coimbatore

There are good MBA colleges in Coimbatore with low fee structure but offering quality MBA education. Plenty of options for MBA in Coimbatore exist at moderate fee. The fee range for MBA colleges in Coimbatore is not high. Do you know that KCTBS has a very low fee structure? There are many good MBA colleges in Coimbatore that charge low fee as against other parts of the country and offer good education and placements. Lets look at fee for a few select B-schools:

MBA College in Coimbatore Fee for 2 year MBA/PGDM (Rs.in lakhs) (Under Revision) Amrita School of Business 10.60 PSG Institute of Management 8.00 GRG School of Management Studies 2.85 Firebird Institute of Research in Management (FIRM) 5.30 KCT Business School 8.00 SardarVallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles & Management 2.60 Jansons School Of Business 5.20 Karunya School of Management 4.78

MBA Colleges in Coimbatore Placements

MBA colleges in Coimbatore have registered strong placements over the years. Below are shared the average placement packages recorded recently by MBA Colleges in Coimbatore
Top MBA colleges in Patna and nearby cities include IIM Bodhgaya, CIMP, DMI, Patna University MBA department, among other MBA colleges. Patna is not only the capital city of Bihar but the top B-schools in Patna also make the city a key MBA destination. These highly ranked MBA colleges in Patna despite being few, attract the MBA aspirants from all over India. These MBA colleges in Patna are the most sought after destination to pursue the dream of doing MBA in Patna. MBA colleges in Patna with low fee structure offer quality MBA education leading to high placements. If we compare top MBA colleges in Patna rank wise, MBA in Patna is considered a better option than many other cities in India.

CHECK & COMPARE TOP MBA COLLEGES IN PATNA BY RANKING.

Known as the The greatest mart of the eastern region in the 17th century Patna is the Capital of the State of Bihar and MBA colleges in Patna offer great career opportunities to MBA graduates as the city of learning is also full of career opportunities for MBA graduates.

Although admission to top MBA colleges in Patna through CAT is available, the admission to MBA colleges in Patna through CMAT or MAT is also available. Besides, if you have not appeared in any of the national level MBA entrance exam for admission to MBA colleges in Patna, you can explore admission opportunity in MBA colleges in Patna without entrance exam as a few B-schools in Patna conduct their own admission tests or offer admission through the regional MBA entrance exam also.

MBA aspirants who are in search of top MBA colleges in Patna to pursue the management programmes can apply in the MBA colleges in Patna. The well known MBA colleges in Patna are well prepared with good infrastructure to meet the rising challenges of producing young business leaders full of enthusiasm to make the country proud. These MBA colleges in Patna offer education with good career prospects to sharpen your managerial skills.

During the past few years, Patna has become the prominent centre for MBA education in the country. Top MBA colleges in Patna have contributed to put the city on the map of MBA education in the world. The MBA colleges in Patna have continuously been producing Forward Looking business leaders.

Patna is the business capital of Bihar and offers more MBA placement than other cities in the State of Bihar. Apart from housing service oriented industries, Patna now has great manufacturing and agriculture base.

MBA Placement in Patna

Management Institutes in Patna have made sure high industry interface and get high MBA Placements year after year. The city is going to its pristine glory of knowledge with the establishment of more quality MBA colleges in Patna.

MBA Placements in Patna are offered by top industries in Patna like Bharat Wagon & Engineering Company; Patna Dairy Project; ITC Ltd; Tata Power; Tata Steel; Reliance; Nokia; Panasonic; Whirlpool; JK Tyre; Sony India; HPCL Biofuels; Gammon India; TVS among others.

MBA Colleges in Patna: Fee, Placement, Admission Process

MBA colleges listed below are some of the top B-schools in Patna with all the information regarding their rank, MBA programmes offered, intake, acceptable exam for admission, fee structure, average placements and key USPs. Also you can find detailed information and contact details of your favorite MBA colleges in Patna by clicking on the respective MBA College.
The fourth annual STEAM Expo, presented by McDowell County Schools and McDowell Technical Community College (MTCC) with funding support by Duke Energy, is a free event that showcases STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) within the community.

This year's expo is from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday at the Universal Advanced Manufacturing Center with awards being presented at 4 p.m. in the MTCC auditorium.

The STEAM Expo is open to the public and free of charge.

My favorite part is seeing the student projects. The creativity and innovation that you are able to see when looking at the student projects always amazes me. We have so much talent within our community, said Foothills Community School Principal Melanie Shaver. If your organization or business is interested in exhibiting, we still have spots.

Duke Energy will present awards this year that were custom built by Turtle Laboratories, giving winners a uniquely-crafted, local STEAM trophy. The show will also feature the Catawba Science Center's Rockin Reactions.

During the Expo, MTCC will have an open house for the community. Visitors can check out the Expo exhibitors and see the different programs, certificates and products MTCC offers within our community for high school graduates.

We have some wonderful, local organizations that will be present in the Exhibitor Hall, Shaver said. Last year we had approximately 300 people in attendance throughout the day, and about 300 projects. This year we hope to see even more people.

McDowell County Schools goal is to build awareness that STEAM is relevant and vibrant in the community. Through the industries McDowell County houses, to the organizations that citizens volunteer and work within, to the curriculum that is teach in school, it is connected through science, technology, engineering, art and math.

To become a sponsor, or to find out more information, call Melanie Shaver at 828-659-3086, or visit http://fcs.mcdowell.k12.nc.us/.

The following organizations are sponsoring awards:

McDowell Technical Community College

North Carolina Science, Math and Technology Center

McDowell County Schools

McDowell County Schools Career and Technical Education Center

Lake James Environmental Association

Asheville Art Museum

McDowell Arts Council Association
Orlando, U.S. & Montreal, Canada  January 27, 2017  On the eve of the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in Orlando, Florida, the largest medical simulation conference, CAE Healthcare announced the release of CAE VimedixAR, an ultrasound training simulator integrated with the Microsoft HoloLens, the worlds first self-contained holographic computer. CAE Healthcare will be the first company to bring a commercial Microsoft HoloLens application to the medical simulation market.

VimedixAR delivers an unprecedented simulation-based training experience, allowing learners to interact and move freely within a clinical training environment that is augmented with holograms. For the first time, students will be able to examine 3D anatomy inside the body of the Vimedix manikin. As learners practice scanning an animated heart, lungs or abdomen, they will observe in real-time how the ultrasound beam cuts through anatomy to generate a ultrasound image.

Learners can elevate the VimedixAR hologram above the body to gain an understanding of human anatomy and how its circulatory, respiratory and skeletal structures are integrated. The hologram of the heart, for example, can be isolated and enlarged, rotated, and turned as it floats at eye level. If a learner is struggling to understand a concept, he or she will be able to walk around the hologram to gain a different perspective.

We are on the cusp of a new frontier in simulation for healthcare, said Dr. Robert Amyot, president of CAE Healthcare. Augmented and virtual reality can accelerate learning and provide shared training experiences in a more immersive and engaging clinical learning environment. Our engineering team is just beginning to explore possibilities with the Microsoft HoloLens, and we look forward to offering it as a key training solutions technology to our industry partners.

The CAE Healthcare team has already begun to develop training prototypes with the medical device industry that incorporate the Microsoft HoloLens and are expected to accelerate professional education for new technologies. With CAE Healthcares virtual views of human anatomy and the Microsoft HoloLens, physicians will be able to practice placing cardiac devices or implants with speed and precision before they perform procedures on real patients.

At Microsoft our goal with HoloLens and mixed reality is to help customers visualize and interact with 3D content in ways that offer new possibilities for creation, collaboration and consumption of information, said Lorraine Bardeen, General Manager, Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Experiences. It is inspiring to see how CAE is integrating HoloLens into its healthcare simulation portfolio, and we are excited about the opportunities mixed reality presents to revolutionize the future of patient education and training through the use of holographic computing.

The VimedixAR module with Microsoft HoloLens will be available for presale and during the IMSH conference and online. For more information, visit caehealthcare.com/hololens

About CAE Healthcare

CAE Healthcare offers cutting-edge learning tools to healthcare students and professionals, allowing them to develop practical experience through risk-free simulation training before treating real patients. CAE Healthcares full spectrum of simulation solutions includes surgical and imaging simulation, curriculum, the LearningSpace audiovisual and center management platform and highly realistic adult, pediatric and baby patient simulators. Today, approximately 9,000 CAE Healthcare simulators and audiovisual solutions are in use worldwide by medical schools, nursing schools, hospitals, defence forces and other entities. www.cae.com/healthcare

About CAE

CAE (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) is a global leader in the delivery of training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. We design and integrate the industrys most comprehensive training solutions, anchored by the knowledge and expertise of our 8,000 employees, our world-leading simulation technologies and a track record of service and technology innovation spanning seven decades. Our global presence is the broadest in the industry, with 160 sites and training locations in 35 countries, including our joint venture operations, and the worlds largest installed base of flight simulators. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defence crewmembers, as well as thousands of healthcare professionals.

Follow us on Twitter: @CAE_Inc

 30 

CAE contacts:

Helene V. Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Global Communications

+1-514-796-5536

helene.v.gagnon@cae.com

Investor relations:

Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations

+1-514-734-5760

andrew.arnovitz@cae.com
by Sara Guaglione , January 26, 2017

National Geographic Partners has laid off around two dozen staffers at its media properties, according to a report from The Washingtonian.

When asked for details, National Geographic EVP of communications and chief communications officer Laura Nichols would not confirm that number.

"The personnel changes made were part of an effort to realign resources and create efficiencies in line with an evolving media environment," she said.

Most of the cuts were made in the editorial and rights clearance departments, a National Geographic employee told Publishers Daily.

In October 2015, National Geographic laid off about 180 people, affecting roughly 9% of its 2,000 employees in a cost-cutting move. It was the largest round of job losses in the companys 127-year history. According to The Washington Post, employees dubbed that month Choptober.

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I n November of that year, 21st Century Fox bought the National Geographic Society and its media assets for $725 million, forming National Geographic Partners. Small staff cuts here and there have followed.

In the early 1990s, the companys flagship publication boasted 15 million subscribers  that number is now closer to 3.5 million.

It is the season for layoffs at big publishing companies. Just yesterday, Gannett-owned North Jersey Media Group announced 141 employees will lose their jobs.

Earlier this month, as part of its ongoing reorganization of its sales and marketing departments, 30 staffers left Time Inc., including six senior sales and marketing executives.
by Larissa Faw , January 27, 2017

Borden Cheese is relaunching its brand for the first time in four years to better compete with widely-known and better-funded cheese brands Kraft and Sargento.

Developed with VSA Partners, the integrated campaign includes TV, social, and digital media initiatives as well as a Martha Stewart integration that uses her Facebook Live channel to promote Borden Cheese.

In the video, Martha shares a classic seasonal recipe - grilled cheese and tomato soup - using a variety of Borden Cheese products, the first time she has ever supported a cheese brand on her show. The event, which Steward also shared in a blog post, first aired Dec. 5 and has attracted 218k views and yielded over 10k interactions.

In addition, the campaign includes a series of online advertisements and six TV spots (served programmatically) featuring dairy-farm families caring for their farms under the "Love. Always an Ingredient" tagline.

advertisement advertisement

As part of the relaunch the clients website was redone. The agency re-designed the existing pages, added a products page and conducted a photoshoot for the addition of a recipes page.

The campaign has already obtained over 190 million impressions since its launch in September 2016, with social media initiatives attracting more than 6.3K Facebook followers. Coordinated paid search efforts and updates to the Borden Cheese website have resulted in a three-fold increase year-over-year in unique users, according to the agency.

VSAs relationship with Borden Cheese began six months ago when its expanded its scope of work for client Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) Consumer Brands division. VSA now works on marketing initiatives for three of the groups major cheese brands: La Vaquita Cheese, Borden Cheese and Cache Valley Creamery.
A study published by The BMJ suggests that higher levels of psychological distress (anxiety and depression) may be associated with an increased risk of death from certain cancers.

The findings are observational, so no firm conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn. However, the authors say their findings add to the growing evidence that psychological distress could have some predictive capacity for certain physical conditions.

There is some evidence that psychological distress (anxiety and depression) is related to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, but links with different types of cancer are either unclear or untested.

So a team of researchers from University College London, University of Edinburgh, and University of Sydney set out to examine if psychological distress is a potential predictor of site specific cancer mortality.

They analysed data from 16 studies (13 from England and three from Scotland), which started between 1994 and 2008. In total, 163,363 men and women aged 16 or over and free from cancer at the start of the study, were included.

Psychological distress scores were measured using the general health questionnaire and participants were monitored for an average of nine and a half years. During this time, there were 4,353 deaths from cancer.

Several factors that could have influenced the results were taken into account, including age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, BMI, smoking and alcohol intake.

Dr David Batty from University College London, the lead author, said: "After statistical control for these factors, the results show that compared with people in the least distressed group, death rates in the most distressed group were consistently higher for cancer of the bowel, prostate, pancreas, and oesophagus and for leukaemia."

The authors point out that this association may also be affected by reverse causality, where undiagnosed (early) cancer might have had an underlying impact on mood.

In a bid to correct for this, they carried out a further analysis excluding study participants who died in the first five years of follow-up, but this made no difference to the findings - the links between distress and cancer remained.

Dr Batty said: "Our findings contribute to the evidence that poor mental health might have some predictive capacity for certain physical diseases but we are a long way off from knowing if these relationships are truly causal."
About one million Americans each year undergo total knee or hip replacements, but complications bring as many as 1 in 12 back to the hospital and result in higher use of post-acute services within 90 days.

To compel hospitals to do better, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program in April 2016, which penalizes hospitals for readmission of joint replacement patients within 90 days. But a new study finds that CMS and care providers lack the predictive models needed to assess the risks patients face that necessitate readmission.

Some hospital systems are apprehensive of getting penalized inadvertently because CJR's current payment model does not include a risk adjustment method to account for patients' medical complexity or their functional status, said study lead author Amit Kumar, a postdoctoral research associate at the Brown University School of Public Health.

In the new study, Kumar and co-authors tested the three best candidate risk adjustment indices - including one developed by CMS - but found that none were useful in predicting readmissions among patients who underwent joint replacement to address osteoarthritis.

There is therefore a need for a model, or index, that can accurately predict the risk of readmission to improve patient care and to help CMS judge hospitals on the quality of their care rather than on how inherently risky their patients are, Kumar said.

"In the absence of that risk adjustment, when sick patients have worse outcomes, hospitals will be penalized," said Kumar, whose paper appears in Arthritis Care & Research. "If we could find an index that was working for this population, we could recommend that - but unfortunately none of them are working very well."

Three blind models

Kumar and former colleagues at the University of Texas Medical Branch tested the applicability of the three industry-leading indices for predicting mortality and health care utilization: the Charlson Comorbidity Index, the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index and CMS's Hierarchical Condition Category.

He analyzed Medicare data on every beneficiary who survived for 90 days after a total knee or total hip replacement performed because of osteoarthritis between January 2009 and September 2011. In all, the study covered a total of 605,417 patients. The data showed that 46.3 percent of patients were discharged home, 40.9 percent went to skilled nursing facilities and 12.7 percent stayed in inpatient rehabilitation.

Kumar's analysis sought to determine whether any of the three indices made a meaningful difference in predicting where patients would be discharged and whether they'd return to the hospital within 30, 60 or 90 days.

The analysis showed that the indices made no useful difference at all. In fact, none significantly improved upon a "base model" of merely accounting for a mix of demographic and medical factors.

To rate the base model and the three indices, Kumar relied on the calculation of a number called the "C-Statistic," which essentially measures the probability that an index would identify as high risk a person who actually turned out to be high risk. By convention, a C-statistic has to be higher than 0.7 to be considered clinically relevant. The base model scored in the 0.63 to 0.65 range, and the indices only nudged those numbers up in the hundredths place, never rising above the 0.7 threshold.

What to account for

Kumar said the models, which he acknowledged weren't created for this exact purpose, likely break down in the case of joint replacement because they don't account for patients' functional status or other relevant health conditions.

Functional status includes measures of post-operative pain, their ability to move the affected joint and able to perform activities of daily living. Medicare doesn't require hospitals to report it, but in a study earlier this year he was able to obtain inpatient rehabilitation data for patients who had strokes, hip fractures and some joint replacements. Kumar and co-authors found that adding functional status data into a predictive risk model yielded a substantial improvement.

"The reason we do joint replacements is to reduce pain and improve functional status, but this information is missing from our risk indices," Kumar said.

In the current study, Kumar and his co-authors were able to assess other relevant health conditions. He found the health conditions most frequently associated with hospital readmission were diabetes, pulmonary disease, arrhythmias and heart disease. In addition, prior research suggests obesity is likely an important determinant, though that wasn't tracked in the study.

In the near term, Kumar said, CMS should begin tracking functional status of patients who undergo joint replacements. Ultimately, he said, that data should be tried in a new index that will help hospitals assess which patients are at greatest risk to struggle and will help CMS assess which hospitals are taking on such riskier patients.

In addition to Kumar, the study's other authors are Amol Karmarkar, Brian Downer, Deepak Adhikari, Dr. Soham Al Snih and Kenneth Ottenbacher of the University of Texas in Galveston and Dr. Amit Vashist of Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City, Tenn.

The National Institutes of Health funded the study.
Surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have been the first to operate on a patient with retinal vein occlusion using a surgical robot. Operated by an eye surgeon, the robot uses a needle of barely 0.03 millimetre to inject a thrombolytic drug into the retinal vein of the patient. KU Leuven developed the robot and needle specifically for this procedure.

The operation was successful and is a real world first: the procedure shows that it is technically possible to safely dissolve a blood clot from the retinal vein with robotic support. A phase 2 trial now has to show what the clinical impact is for patients with retinal vein occlusion, a disorder that can lead to blindness.

In case of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) there is a blood clot in one of the retinal veins. This leads to reduced eyesight or even blindness in the eye affected. At the moment, treatment consists of monthly injections in the eye that only reduce the side effects of the thrombosis. Until recently, taking away the blood clot itself was not possible.

Researchers from University Hospitals Leuven and KU Leuven are studying retinal vein cannulation (RVC), a revolutionary treatment that addresses the cause of retinal vein occlusion by removing the blood clot in the retinal vein. RVC is a promising method requiring the eye surgeon to insert an ultrathin needle into the vein and to inject a medicine that can dissolve the blood clot. A real feat, because a retinal vein only has the width of a tenth of a millimetre, about the same width as a human hair. No surgeon is able to manually inject a drug into such a thin vein while holding the needle perfectly still for 10 minutes. The danger of damaging the vein or the retina would be simply too high.

This is why researchers from the department of mechanical engineering of KU Leuven developed a robotic device enabling the surgeon to insert the needle into the veins in a very precise and stable way, after which the robot can hold the needle perfectly immobile. In contrast to most surgical robots, there is no need for a joystick to operate the device. The eye surgeon and the robot co-manipulate the instrument. The surgeon guides the needle into the vein while the robot eliminates any vibration of the needle, hereby increasing the level of precision more than tenfold. After locking the robot, the needle and the eye are automatically stabilised. The surgeon can then inject the product into the vein in a controlled way. The researchers also found a way of producing an ultrathin injection needle: the needle point has a width of barely 0.03 millimetre, three times thinner than a human hair.

The robot is the result of seven years of research and a cooperation between KU Leuven engineers and University Hospitals Leuven ophthalmologists. The current phase 1 trial aims to demonstrate that it is technically feasible to use a robotic device to insert a microneedle into the retinal vein and to inject the product Ocriplasmin to dissolve the blood clot. On the 12th of January 2017 the procedure was performed for the first time in a University Hospitals Leuven patient. The patient is doing well and can now start working on the rehabilitation of the eye. In a subsequent phase 2 trial the physicians will study the clinical effects of the procedure.

Prof. dr. Peter Stalmans; eye surgeon at University Hospitals Leuven: "Current treatment for retinal vein occlusion is costing society  32 000 per eye, a high price tag, especially if you know that you are only treating the side effects and that there is little more you can do than avoid decreasing eye sight. The robotic device enables us to treat the cause of the thrombosis in the retina for the first time. I am therefore looking forward to what is next: if we succeed, we will literally be able to make blind people see again."

Prof. dr. ir. Dominiek Reynaerts, KU Leuven Department of Mechanical Engineering: "We are hugely proud that our robot enables us to perform eye surgery that was previously impossible to perform safely. This brings us one step closer to commercialising this ground-breaking technology. We look forward to making other revolutionary procedures possible with this robotic device and to improving the quality of existing surgical treatments."

Worldwide there are 16.4 million people with a blocked retinal vein caused by thrombosis in the blood vessel. In Belgium, there are about 25 000 patients.
ST. LOUIS

Jan. 26, 2017

Feb. 6

St. Louis

St. Louis

Missouri

Missouri

Jan. 24

St. Louis

$70 million

$72 million

$55 million

New Jersey

Ted Meadows

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Beasley Allen

Beasley Allen

$26 billion

Beasley Allen

Helen Taylor

/PRNewswire/ -- The Missouri Supreme Court has denied requests by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and its supplier of baby powder talc to delay upcoming trials over allegations that the company's talc-based products led to the development of ovarian cancer in some women. That means the next trial will go forward oninAttorneys for J&J and Imerys Talc America had asked the state Supreme Court to deny the jurisdiction of the 22nd Circuit Court into hear the cases, since most of the plaintiffs with pending claims are notresidents. The plaintiffs' attorneys countered by pointing out those individuals are legally and properly before that court and that both defendants have a presence in the state of. In the latest blow to the defendants, the Supreme Court rejected their motions on. An appeals court had also denied the motions earlier this month.Last year,juries returned three separate verdicts ofandfor cancer victims who sued-based J&J.The cases claim that numerous scientific studies have shown the link between ovarian cancer and genital use of talc-containing products manufactured and marketed by J&J, including Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower. Attorneys for the plaintiffs allege the companies knew about the dangers of talcum powder for decades, but attempted to suppress and dismiss the research while refusing to provide warning labels on talc-containing products."The Missouri Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutional rights of these women and families to file these claims in a central location with well-educated jurors, a fair-minded judiciary, and efficient court system," said, attorney for the plaintiffs and principal at the Beasley Allen Law Firm in. "J&J has known about the risk and the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer for a long time. We have the world's leading clinical researchers and scientists on the subject testifying to the link between talc and ovarian cancer. We have the internal company documents, the testimony, and the evidence. And we can show and have shown that J&J has been trying to doctor that evidence for many years."In the U.S., ovarian cancer affects about 24,000 women a year and is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death for women. Medical experts estimate that more than 14,000 women die from talc-related ovarian cancer each year, and two scientific studies have found that nearly 10 percent of the new ovarian cancer cases reported annually are caused by the genital use of talcum powder.Headquartered inis comprised of more than 70 attorneys and 200 support staff. One of the largest plaintiffs' law firms in the country,is a national leader in civil litigation, with verdicts and settlements in excess ofwas one of only 12 firms in the nation named by Law360 to its Most Feared Plaintiffs Firms list in 2015, and the firm was included on the National Law Journal Midsize Law Firm Hot List and the NLJ Elite Trial Lawyers List in 2014. For more information about our firm, please visit our website at www.beasleyallen.com.Media Contact:(334) 495-1169(334) 201-2311 voice or text(800) 898-2034 x169helen.taylor@beasleyallen.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/missouri-supreme-court-denies-requests-to-delay-talc-related-cancer-trials-300397635.html



SOURCE Beasley Allen




PUNE, India

January 26, 2017

USD 2.52 Billion

USD 1.55 Billion

North America

Europe

Asia

North America

Switzerland

Seattle

United States

/PRNewswire/ --According to a new market research reportpublished by MarketsandMarkets, the market is projected to reachby 2021 fromin 2016, at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2016 to 2021.(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/molecular-cytogenetic-market-148469224.htmlThe report provides a detailed overview of the major drivers, restraints, challenges, opportunities, and strategies impacting the molecular cytogenetics market along with the estimates and forecasts of the revenue and market share analysis.The major factors driving the growth of this market are increasing incidence of genetic disorders and cancer, rapid growth in the aging population, and growing healthcare expenditure worldwide.The report segments this market based on product, technique, application, end user, and region. Among the products, kits and reagents are expected to account for the largest share of the market. The high growth of kits and reagents segment can be attributed to the increasing number of rental agreements and increasing use of kits and reagents in diagnosis of genetic disorders and cancer worldwide.On the basis of techniques, the molecular cytogenetics market is segmented into comparative genomic hybridization, fluorescence in situ hybridization, in situ hybridization, and other techniques.http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=148469224Based on applications, the molecular cytogenetics market is segmented into genetic disorders, cancer, personalized medicine, and other applications. The genetic disorders segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global molecular cytogenetics market in 2016.Based on end users, the molecular cytogenetics market is segmented into clinical and research laboratories, academic research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and others. The clinical and research laboratories segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global molecular cytogenetics market in 2016. Rise in healthcare expenditure has resulted in the increasing diagnosis of genetic disorder and cancer resulting in increasing use of cytogenetic kits and reagents in the above mentioned end users.Based on regions, the global molecular cytogenetics market is segmented into, and the Rest of the World (RoW).is expected to account for the largest share of the market during the forecast period. Growth in this regional segment is driven by factors such as increase in the aging population and increasing prevalence of cancer and genetic disorders in the region.http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=148469224Key players in the molecular cytogenetics market include F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. () Danaher Corporation (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Agilent Technologies (U.S.), PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.), Illumina, Inc. (U.S.), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Oxford Gene Technology (U.K.), and Applied Spectral Imaging (U.S.).by Technology (ELISA, ELFA, PCR, NGS, Immunohistochemistry, Microarray, Imaging (MRI, CT, PET, Ultrasound, Mammography), Biopsy), Application (Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Melanoma) - Forecast to 2020http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cancer-diagnostics-market-186559121.htmlby Technology (Immunohistochemistry, in Situ Hybridization, Digital pathology & Workflow, Special Staining), Disease (Breast Cancer, Gastric Cancer), Product, and End Users & Region - Global Forecast to 2020http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/tissue-diagnostics-market-1063949.htmlMarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street Suite 2175,, WA 98101,Telephone No: 1-888-600-6441. Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.comVisit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://mnmblog.org/market-research/healthcare/biotechnologyConnect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarketsSOURCE MarketsandMarkets
ATLANTA

Jan. 26, 2017

Ricky E. Harrell D.M.D

Medical University of South Carolina

University of the Pacific

University of Alabama

University of Alabama

Westminster, CO.

Aurora, CO

University of Colorado

April 2015

Medical University of South Carolina

Atlanta, GA

Sandy Springs

Gwinnett

/PRNewswire/ -- After a nationwide search that spanned several months, The Georgia School of Orthodontics' Board of Directors have selected., M.A., and Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics as the new program director.Harrell joins The Georgia School of Orthodontics from thewhere he served as the Program Director and professor in the Department of Orthodontics. He brings a wealth of experience in both clinical practice and graduate education to The Georgia School of Orthodontics.According to Chairman of the Board, Randy Kluender, D.D.S., M.S., "Harrell's more than 32 years in the practice of orthodontics and graduate education makes him the ideal choice to lead the continued growth of The Georgia School of Orthodontics."Harrell's experience and expertise includes the areas of Temporary Anchorage Devices, Diode Laser Treatment, the role of extractions in orthodontic treatment and surgical orthodontics. He earned an M.A. in education from thein 2014.As Program Director, Harrell will focus on faculty, residents and staff engagement and will continue to further GSO's mission: educating outstanding dentists to be proficient in the clinical specialty of orthodontics, while providing affordable care to an underserved population."The way The Georgia School of Orthodontics is approaching graduate education and training is momentous," said Harrell. "It's an honor that the school is entrusting me with this responsibility."As a graduate of theSchool of Dentistry, Harrell served as a commissioned office in the U.S. Public Health Service in the Navajo Area Indian Health Service. He later returned to theand completed his residency in orthodontics and became a private practitioner inIn 2006, he became a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, 919Medical CO (DS) inand joined the faculty at the. In, he joined theas Program Director in the Department of Orthodontics.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-georgia-school-of-orthodontics-announces-new-leadership-300397273.html



SOURCE The Georgia School of Orthodontics






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Women scheduled for C-sections downloaded a special app on their smartphones four weeks prior to the procedure as part of a PSH, a patient-centered, physician-led, team-based model of coordinated care that spans the entire surgical experience, from the decision to have surgery to discharge and beyond.The app reminded them of appointments, provided pre-surgery information - such as when to start and stop medications - and facilitated remote post-surgery health checks such as pain control and wound recovery. Researchers reported on the first 30 women using the app and found the average length of hospital stay after delivery decreased from 3.7 days to 2.7 days.The program is the first in the United States to employ enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for C-section. An element of the PSH, ERAS programs use a variety of methods to ease the effects of surgery and fast-track patient recovery. When factoring in the cost savings of shorter hospital stays with the cost of the resources required to participate in the program and develop and implement the app, the return on investment was significant - 216% the first year and an estimated 282% in subsequent years, researchers note.While it is too soon to report quality outcomes such as surgical site infections, urinary tract infections and patient satisfaction, early results are promising, said study author Attila Kett, division chief of obstetric anesthesia at Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J. "The app empowers women by putting them in control of their health care needs," said Dr. Kett.To improve and standardize patient care, Cleveland Clinic created a centralized, flexible, anesthesia-led model of preoperative care that followed the same guidelines-driven clinical protocols, practice management, resources, staffing models and process flows at all 14 of their pre-anesthesia clinics.The new Pre-Anesthesia Consultation Clinics (PACC) concept included changes such as centralizing and streamlining the scheduling process, updating protocols to reflect a more evidence-based approach and enabling patients to have their pre-surgery evaluation at any of the clinics, regardless of where the surgery would take place, said study author Maureen Keshock, assistant medical director PACC at Cleveland Clinic.The rollout of the large project throughout the Clinic Enterprise required attention to metrics and frequent assessment of staffing needs. At one point during the rollout, patients were only seen an average of two days prior to surgery. After evaluating staffing needs and changing the process in which PACC visits were scheduled, patients were seen an average of 10 days before surgery. This gave providers more time to assess and address issues before surgery, such as prescribing medications early enough to prevent anemia and reducing the need for blood products.Another metric followed was the number of patients calling to schedule their surgeries or ask questions who hung up before an operator addressed the call. This dropped-call metric during the lowest point of the roll out was 18%. Three additional scheduling operators were added and that number decreased to 1.9%.This single model of service throughout the organization eliminated redundancies, saving an estimated $1.4 million in annual operating costs. "Patient care was improved by decreasing variability and creating a unified set of anesthesia guidelines," said Dr. Keshock.The 2008 implementation of an anesthesia care team at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center in Houston - the nation's largest level 1 trauma center - led to more efficient care, increased volume and improved employee satisfaction, a retrospective study shows.The most effective aspect of the program was the change in culture as a result of creating effective teams, improving communication and establishing accountability, said study author Carin A. Hagberg, former chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and current division head of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Changes implemented included:- real-time tracking of all surgical cases, which eased staffing assignments and enhanced communication;- organizing surgical service lines into a pod system (for example, putting general, gynecological and urological surgeries together), which improved efficiency, quality of patient care and surgical team satisfaction;- employing anesthesiologist assistants as members of the care team to help manage service expansion.From 2009 to 2015, operating room volume increased by 33%. First case on-time starts improved from 66% in 2009 to more than 80% by 2010. Case cancellations decreased from 4% in 2009 to 1% in 2010. From 2009 to 2015 physician satisfaction scores increased from 20% to 91% and overall surgical team satisfaction improved with composite scores increasing 23% or more."Strategic partnership between the hospital and physician group, as well as the support of administrators, nursing staff and surgeons enabled successful change in the culture of care," said Dr. Hagberg.Source: Eurekalert
This year, India invited Abu Dhabis crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. AS the R-Day celebrations get over and we get back to work, a certain video being shared online catches the eye.

 YouTube

The video shows the interiors of a luxury aircraft that apparently belongs to the Abu Dhabi crown prince. With a huge luxury lounge to host friends or business guests, a bedroom that looks comfortable enough for a nice nap before the plane lands and another smaller lounge, the aircraft is a mini house, except it flies.

Well, Abu Dhabis a rich place.
The rumour mill surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S8 has been a steady stream of leaks that has kept us occupied for a while. The device is expected to be unveiled on March 29th, and Samsungs flagship phone is expected to have some outstanding specs. However, contrary to expectations, a leak from a reputable source was released on Twitter and the first official photos of the phone are now available. They detail some of the specs that are onboard the flagship phone which might not be what you were expecting.

VentureBeat reports that Samsung has been working extremely hard to release a flagship phone to compensate for the ill-fated Note 7. As the pictures suggest, the design is fresh, feature-driven and safe, which might make it the flagship phone weve all been waiting for.

 Twitter

Blass elaborates that the Galaxy S8 will be launching with two variants, one of the said phones will have a 5.8-inch screen and the other a 6.2-inch screen. Both devices are rumoured to have super AMOLED displays with a unique 18:5:9 aspect ratio. Most phones in the market today have 16:9 displays making the Galaxy S8 one of a kind. Just like the Galaxy S7, both variants will have Samsungs Edge display.

One can also derive from the pictures that the Galaxy S8 will be equipped with a headphone jack even though many companies are now ditching the analogue port for extra space in the chassis. Since Apple has taken on the decision to remove the headphone jack on iPhone 7, it seems like Samsung is trying to win hearts by including the headphone jack in their forthcoming device.

Other rumours suggested that the fingerprint sensor will be embedded beneath the display; however, these latest leaked pictures suggest that the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back of the device similar to other Android phones. The home button has vanished and it has an all-glass front display.

According to reports, the hardware specs of Samsungs upcoming phone look something like this:

 Display: 5.8-inch or 6.2-inch QHD AMOLED display

 Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera, 8-megapixel f/1.7 front

 Processor: Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos (varies by market)

 Storage: 64GB with microSD expansion

 Memory: 4GB

 Battery: 3000mAh (5.8-inch model) or 3500mAh (6.2-inch model)

 Other: Headphone jack, USB Type-C, water resistance

Not everything here is good news though. The fact that the phone will have only 4GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage is very disappointing. It might be the industry standard to have the 4GB/64GB configuration, however, fans and the press were expecting something exciting and groundbreaking much like the One Plus 3/3T.

The Galaxy S8 is Samsungs flagship device, which means it is expected to be a little on the pricey side. The pricing structure for the phone remains shrouded in mystery, however, according to Blass, the phone is expected to retail around $850 for the 5.8-inch model and $950 for the 6.2-inch variant.
TCITR intl association set to approve working plan for 2017

The international association of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR) will approve the working plan for 2017 on Jan. 18, the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping CJSC said in a message.The message says that Batumi recently hosted the first meeting of the working group on the development of the TCITR. Tariffs on the Trans-Caspian corridor on the China-Europe route through the Caspian Sea were again discussed during the meeting and a comparative analysis of other alternative lines of the route was conducted.The participants discussed opportunities to increase the corridors competitiveness, eliminate difficulties which may arise, as well as the delivery of cargoes to Central Asia and China and vice versa via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway after its commissioning, says the message. A final protocol was signed at the end of the meeting.The meeting of the founders of the TCITR international association will also be held on January 18, and the working plan for 2017 is expected to be approved during this meeting.In October 2016, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia signed an agreement on the establishment of the TCITR International Association with its office in Astana. Its activities are aimed at attracting transit and foreign trade cargo, as well as developing integrated logistics products via the TCITR.The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further through Turkey and Ukraine to Europe.
The News in Brief

EBRD to assist in building new bridge on Armenia-Georgia border



Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of Armenia, Vahan Martirosyan, on Wednesday received European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Board of Directors team leader for Netherlands, Mongolia, FYR Macedonia, Armenia, and China, Frans Weekers.



The minister underscored Armenias cooperation with EBRD, and expressed the hope that it will continue.



The interlocutors discussed one of the Armenia-EBRD cooperation projects: the building of a new bridge on the Armenia-Georgia border, at the Bagratashen-Sadakhlo checkpoint.



In addition, Martirosyan presented his ministrys proposals and agenda projects, around which cooperation with EBRD is possible.



Furthermore, they reflected on the establishment of a regional Data Center in Armenia.



The Armenian minister expressed the hope that EBRD will contribute also to the project of improvement and development of the interurban transport network of Armenia. (news.am)







Venice Commission to come to Tbilisi for working visit



The Venice Commission delegation, headed by its President Gianni Buquicchio, will pay a visit to Georgia on January 20.



Georgias Speaker of Parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze, invited the delegation for a working visit to Georgia's capital of Tbilisi to receive expert opinion on a variety of issues.



According to Zviad Dzidziguri, one of the six Vice-Speakers of Parliament of Georgia, Buquicchio is one of the most experienced professionals in legal constitutional issues.



Back in December of 2016, the new 73-member Constitutional Commission headed by Parliament Speaker Kobakhidze was established. The commission unites seven political parties, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and experts.



The Venice Commission will hold meetings with Georgias Speaker of Parliament and other high-ranking officials including Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili.



Within the scope of the official visit, the Venice Commission will also meet with the parliamentary minority. (Agenda)







German and Austrian eparchies protest against appointment of Metropolitan Seraphime as eparchy leader



The parish and clergy of the German and Austrian eparchies protests against the appointment of Metropolitan Seraphime (Jojua) as the head of the eparchy.



The parish and clergy of German and Austrian eparchies released a statement over the issue.



The statement notes that they learnt about the appointment on January 16, and it has caused outrage, disagreement and turmoil. The authors of the letter address Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia to respond to the case appropriately.



According to the statement, Metropolitan Seraphime must immediately leave the Borjomi and Bakuriani eparchy due to the heaviest allegations of the parish.



The appointment of Metropolitan Seraphime as the head of the eparchy is utterly unacceptable for us due to the abovementioned allegations. This decision caused outrage, disagreement and turmoil. This will not lead to peace and unity among believers, says the statement.



The authors of the statement say they will not become subordinate to Metropolitan Seraphime and will remain under the subordination of the Patriarchate of Georgia. (IPN)







Tskhinvali Sets Date for Presidential Polls



Voters in Georgias breakaway region of South Ossetia will go to polls on April 9 to elect their new leader, according to the decision adopted unanimously by the de facto South Ossetian parliament on January 17.



Incumbent South Ossetian leader Leonid Tibilov, the de facto president of the region since 2012, is set to run for his final five-year term.



Tibilov, the former head of KGB, the breakaway regions security service, became South Ossetian leader as a result of two rounds of repeat elections in March, 2012 and April, 2012. Repeat elections were held after results of polls in November, 2011 in which opposition candidate Alla Jioyeva won, were annulled, followed by street protest rallies.



Parliamentary Chairman of the breakaway region, Anatoly Bibilov, is believed to be the incumbent presidents major contender. Bibilov, whose United Ossetia party holds 20 seats in a 34-member legislative assembly, ran against Alla Jioyeva in 2011 Presidential Elections, but decided not to participate in the March poll.



There are reports that Eduard Kokoity, the breakaway regions president in 2001-2011, plans to run in the presidential elections as well.



Simultaneously with the presidential polls, the breakaway South Ossetia might also hold a referendum on renaming the region to South Ossetia  Alania.



Elections in the breakaway region are denounced as illegitimate by Tbilisi and the international community, except for Russia and its allies, which have recognized the region as independent. (civil.ge)




Note: These estimates have since changed. We've posted the latest nuclear weapons count and map here.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has advanced its symbolic Doomsday Clock by 30 seconds, suggesting humanity is an alarming 2 minutes and 30 seconds away from the brink of an apocalypse.

It's a dramatic statement, but the clock's annual movement is determined by a board of preeminent global security and scientific experts, including 15 Nobel laureates. And they're deadly serious.

Each shift takes into account major threats to civilization, including climate change. However, it assesses  first and foremost  the threat of nuclear war.

This year the Bulletin is especially concerned with the rise of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, and North Korea's recent weapons tests. But in an unusual move, it took aim at President Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric on expanding US weapons programs, including his desire to proliferate atomic weapons  just one of which can wipe out millions of people in a matter of seconds  to other countries.

The Bulletin's board said in its full statement that, while it "takes a broad and international view of existential threats to humanity" and "the statements of a single person [...] have not historically influenced" its decisions, "wavering public confidence in the democratic institutions required to deal with major world threats do affect the board's decisions."

Below is a map that shows which countries have nuclear warheads and the best estimates of how many.

BI Graphics_Nuke Count

NOW WATCH: This Cold War-era technology could safely power the world for millions of years





More From Business Insider


By Ernest Scheyder, Catherine Ngai and Terray Sylvester

Jan 27 (Reuters) - When U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders to revive two controversial energy pipeline projects this week, he pledged to require new pipelines to use American-made steel, a gesture to workers in the hard-hit industry who helped propel him to power.

But U.S. steelmakers will receive negligible benefit from the multi-billion dollar Keystone XL project, one of the two projects Trump ordered to proceed, because they have limited ability to meet the stringent materials requirements for the TransCanada line.

Economists said Trump's order has many loopholes to enforcement and could violate international trade law.

Meanwhile, in the quiet prairie town of Gascoyne, North Dakota, deer wander among gleaming stacks of steel tubing intended for the Keystone pipeline. The company bought the material years ago when the U.S. debate was raging over whether the project should go ahead.

TransCanada tried for more than five years to build the 1,179-mile (1,897 km) pipeline, until then-President Barack Obama rejected it in 2015.

Since the materials were already purchased for Keystone, Trump's move to revive the project should not result in new large steel orders.

The profits for manufacturing that steel were booked by companies with corporate headquarters in Russia, India and Italy. Those companies own the steel mills in the United States that made about half of the pipeline for the $8 billion project.

Much of that steel has sat exposed to the elements in several giant stockyards along the pipeline's route for more than two years. Analysts said some of it will need to be replaced.

But that is unlikely to come from U.S. producers, such as U.S. Steel, AK Steel or Steel Dynamics, analysts and traders said, because of the specialized steel required for the big-ticket project.

Trump's directive on using U.S.-made steel is likely also inconsistent with long-standing World Trade Organization rules that require imported products to be given the same treatment as domestically produced goods.

Story continues

The directive could well become the target of a challenge under WTO rules.

Trump's order also runs counter to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a pact that he said he wants to renegotiate but one that nevertheless remains in effect.

'NICE GESTURE'

TransCanada resubmitted its application Keystone project on Thursday, two days after Trump signed the orders.

The line is designed to link existing pipeline networks in Canada and the United States to bring crude from Alberta and North Dakota to refineries in Illinois en route to the Gulf of Mexico.

Around Gascoyne where the tubing has sat idle in a TransCanada yard, there is little sign among residents of the fierce opposition that stopped Keystone and led to the delay of the other controversial pipeline that Trump pushed forward on Tuesday - the Dakota Access Pipeline.

But townspeople were skeptical of Trump's made-in-America order.

"It's a nice gesture, but you can't renegotiate when the pipe's been bought already," said Dan Peterson, 47, a contractor from nearby Bowman, North Dakota, who supports the project.

About half of the pipe was forged in Arkansas, at a plant owned by India's Welspun. About a quarter came from a Russian-owned plant in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and the rest came from Italy and India.

Alberta-based TransCanada expects to use roughly 821,000 tons of pipe in Canada and 660,000 tons in the United States for the project. TransCanada representatives did not return a request for comment.

Trump's order pertains only to sections of pipelines built in the United States, and it said the directive should be followed to the "maximum extent" possible, which gives the administration wiggle room.

Steel manufacturers and analysts said that TransCanada's stringent requirements for the pipeline, including thickness and pressure requirements, already keeps most U.S.-based steelmakers out, given current forging and manufacturing processes.

That includes Nucor and Steel Dynamics, which can make pipeline that is thick enough but may not meet all the pressure parameters. For the main trunk line, experts say that Keystone requires welded line pipe between 36 inches to 42 inches (91 to 107 cm) in diameter.

Foreign-owned steelmakers with U.S. operations, such as India's Welspun and JSW as well as Russia's Evraz, are best able to produce the pipe.

To be sure, U.S. steelmakers have a large part of their business in producing pipe and tube for the oil and gas industry. But, analysts said that to meet Keystone's requirements, they will need to reinvest and retrofit their plants to reorient production. It's not clear if other pipeline projects would have the same standards as Keystone.

"There are people who make (this type of) steel pipe in the U.S., but they're mostly Indian and Russian" companies, said Charles Bradford, an analyst at New York-based Bradford Research.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder in Houston and Catherine Ngai in New York; Additional reporting by Terray Sylvester in Gascoyne, North Dakota; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
We expect Anadarko Petroleum Corporation APC to beat expectations when it reports fourth-quarter 2016 results after the market closes on Jan 31. Last quarter, this oil and natural gas exploration and production company reported a negative earnings surprise of 56.14%. However, the company has registered an average positive surprise of 4.38% in four trailing quarters.



Why a Likely Positive Surprise



Our proven model shows that Anadarko Petroleum is likely to beat estimates because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates and Anadarko Petroleum has the right mix.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Quote

Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate of a loss of 47 cents and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 51 cents, is +7.84%. This is a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive surprise.



Zacks Rank: Anadarko Petroleum currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. The combination of its favorable Zacks Rank and positive ESP makes us reasonably confident of a positive surprise this season.



Conversely, we caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.



Factors to Consider



Anadarko Petroleum raised its divestiture adjusted total sales volume guidance by 8 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMBOE) to 262264 MMBOE. Additional rigs in the Delaware and DJ Basins are expected to boost production.



Amid the decline in commodity prices, the company is focused on improving its cost structure. Thanks to this initiative, Anadarko Petroleum is expected to lower its expenses by $800 million per annum.



Anadarko Petroleum monetized a portion its non-core assets in 2016 and utilized the proceeds to lower the debt level and make strategic acquisitions, which will boost the performance of the company, going forward.



Price Movement



Over the last three months, Anadarko Petroleum has outperformed the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas  Exploration and Production  U.S. industry. During this period, companys shares gained 15.8%, compared with the industrys return of 6.9%.

Story continues





Other Stocks to Consider



Anadarko Petroleum is not the only company in this industry looking up this earnings season. We see likely earnings beats coming from these companies as well:



EQT Corporation EQT is expected to release fourth-quarter 2016 results on Feb 2, before the market opens. The company has an Earnings ESP of +22.22% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here



Laredo Petroleum Inc. LPI has an Earnings ESP of +6.25% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release fourth-quarter 2016 results on Feb 15, after the market closes.



W&T Offshore Inc. WTI has an Earnings ESP of +66.67% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to release fourth-quarter 2016 results on Mar 14.



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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP)  Mining operations controlled by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice haven't paid $4.6 million in safety fines and penalties, according to federal authorities.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration said that was the unpaid balance as of Wednesday. Most of it is at the Treasury Department for collection.

Some operations have an installment agreement with the federal agency that covers $571,000 of the debt and paid $975,000 previously, according to the federal office.

Justice listed 50 companies involved in mining in his financial disclosure last year at the state ethics commission. He has said he'll put his businesses now run by his children in a blind trust while governor. The ethics commission hasn't approved such a trust.

The governor's office didn't immediately reply to requests Friday for comment.

Southern Coal Corp., a Justice-owned holding company, said recently in response to an Associated Press query about unpaid taxes that it will meet every obligation owed. The company didn't immediately reply Friday to a query about safety fines and penalties.

The unpaid safety penalties and tax debts owed by Justice-owned coal companies were first reported in October by National Public Radio and The Associated Press.

Justice, while campaigning, made no apologies for the debt owed by some of his coal companies, saying he is doing everything he can to keep his businesses running and workers employed while other companies go under.

He told the AP in November, following his election, that he didn't know how much the West Virginia tax liens were but "anything that's owed to the state will absolutely be paid and cleaned up," depending on whether payment plans are already in place.

He pointed out that he's paid many tax debts owed by his companies' former owners. Last year when he completed a $5 million buyback of Mechel Bluestone Inc. from Russian company Mechel OAO, there were outstanding delinquent taxes of $2.5 million each to McDowell and Wyoming counties.

Story continues

"The Russians would have never paid them, and I paid them in full," Justice said.

Justice has been reported to be the richest man in West Virginia, with a fortune estimated at $1.56 billion by Forbes magazine and a profusion of coal and agricultural interests. He is forgoing the governor's $150,000 annual salary and has emphasized that he personally wants nothing from the office and is focused on governing for the sake of the state's 1.8 million people.

He was elected at age 65 as a Democrat in his first run for statewide office in a largely self-funded campaign.
CASS CITY  The newest member of the Cass City Village Council is not a yes man.

Village Trustee Tom Herron attended his first village meeting as a member of the council in December. Herron, who has faithfully attended village meetings as a member of the audience, has frequently spoken up, given input and his opinion on village operations.

He made his concerns over village operation known in a scathing letter to the editor in area papers  published on Page 4A in todays Tribune.

His letter to the editor is a litany of complaints and criticism of the councils and village managers actions on how things were and were not handled. He took issue with the situation with the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) milk plant, where the village allegedly made promises to the company to get them to build in Cass City and then were not able to make good on them. He pointed to the village not being able to handle the milk plants wastewater when it said it could, which resulted in several thousands of dollars in costs for both the village and the DFA.

DFA ended up building its own wastewater treatment system. Because of the failed commitment, Herron says the village is paying back $700,000 for engineering costs with the help of a bank loan.

Herron says he is worried DFA may not follow through with building its proposed second phase expansion.

During his first meeting as a trustee in December, he took issue with the 2017 budget when it was presented for approval.

The 2017 general-fund budget projects revenue of $1,304,941 and estimates expenses at $1,301,764; and the budget included an increase for some utilities.

Herron was the only council member to vote against the budget and criticized it.

Im against 3 percent increase  1.5 percent for water and 2 percent for sewer, said Herron in an interview after the meeting. They wouldnt even talk or look at making any cuts to the budget. It was just given a rubber stamp. Its a terrible budget!

Village Manager Peter Cristiano said it was a tight budget because of reductions in state funding.

Over the last 10 years, the state has reduced state funding overall by $10 million to villages and townships. Our village has lost between $500,000 to $600,000, said Cristiano, noting the budget is conservative and realistic in its estimates. Even though the budget is tight, we are able to make everything work ... like we always do. There were no cuts to services or village employees (this year).

Staffing changes were gradually made in the last few years.

We have 15 employees, five part-time (police) officers, and we hire some summer help, Cristiano said. With that, everything balances out.

Herron contends several adjustments could have been made to the budget to save money. One of his suggestions was to eliminate the $7,200 funding given to operate Caro Area Airport, which he claims no business in Cass City uses any more.

His letter to the editor went on the say he plans to make good on his campaign promises of accountability and change, and encourages village residents to become active participants in their government by attending Mondays 7 p.m. council meeting.
SEBEWAING  Under Michigans education regulations, students are not the only ones whose performance is evaluated and graded. Unionville-Sebewaing Area School District Superintendent George Rierson just went through the evaluation process.

Michigans Superintendent Evaluation Law requires each schools board of education and each intermediate school districts board of education do a performance evaluation of administrators. The Revised School Code also requires board of education members to receive training on using the evaluation instrument to be used for the superintendent beginning with the current school year.
To the editor:

Since I was elected to the Cass City Village Council, I have found many issues that concern me. I would like to share some of them with the citizens of Cass City.

First, I want to discuss the new Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) milk plant. This plant has been the greatest thing that has happened to Cass City since Walbro came here in the early 1950s. If DFA goes ahead with its planned expansion here, it will give Cass City an enormous boost. Before that happens, there are issues concerning DFA that must be dealt with, the sooner the better.

During the planning process for this plant, Village Manager Peter Cristiano made several commitments that the village could not meet. One of these promises was the utilization of the village's wastewater treatment plan, which proved impossible without substantial, additional investment. Ultimately, DFA had to spend a substantial amount to build its own wastewater treatment plant.

This failed commitment cost the village over $700,000 for engineering costs, which are now being paid back through a bank loan. In addition, there were charges for inspection fees for Doerr Road construction of $100,000 and bond attorney fees of $150,000. These charges were in anticipation of selling bonds for a wastewater treatment plant expansion that never happened.

Since the milk plant was constructing its own waste treatment system, it no longer needed that service from the village. However, it needed water directly from the village. DFA is billed at full rate, with no discount for such a high volume of water. It was also agreed that DFA would pay $475 per month for sewage charges for three toilets.

During the first year of the milk plant's operation, DFA was substantially overcharged in the amount of $10,000 per month because the village was adding full sewer charges. When the billing error was discovered, Village Manager Cristiano was contacted and reminded that there was a signed agreement that was not being followed. The overcharges were more than $250,000, but Cristiano denied the deal.

After some time elapsed with no cooperation from the Village of Cass City, Cristiano finally produced a check for $153,000 signed only by himself and the village clerk with no apparent council approval.

At the regular Dec. 12 council meeting, I read aloud the above statement. No one around the council table seemed to care.

DFA wants to be a part of this community and a good neighbor. This situation has created great concerns with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) in Lansing, where Cass City has the reputation that it is not a good place to do business. It is important that something gets done immediately. We need to make a trip to Lansing to discuss the situation and ensure that Cass City is the perfect place to do business. I can't express enough the importance of keeping the milk plant and its future expansion here in Cass City.

My first council meeting was Nov. 28. It was to review the budget to prepare for the upcoming Dec. 12 public hearing. I thought, as was done in years past, that we would review it and get prepared for the upcoming public hearing. I had questions to ask but was told that we were only approving a motion to take the budget to a public hearing. This meeting lasted only 20 minutes.

On Dec. 5, I met with Nan Walsh, the village clerk. I had questions on the budget. One item in particular stood out. Wastewater treatment revenue was listed at $930,399 for 2015 and the estimated for 2017 was shown as $676,466. I asked why so much in 2015. Her reply was that the milk plant had used a lot of extra water due to the start up. I knew from talking to the DFA plant manager that this wasn't true.

I then asked if the 2015 high wastewater revenue included the $253,000 overcharge to the milk plant. She said yes. Then I asked does that amount show going out in the expenditures column and she shook her head as to say no. After that, I asked for the fund balance. She promised to have it ready by the next morning. After five calls with messages left over the next two days, I gave up. I still have not received this information.

At the public budget hearing held Dec. 12, I questioned the sewer and water rate increases.

"Why can't we try cutting the budget?" I asked.

There was no response.

I also asked why we are still budgeting $7,288 for the Caro Airport when no other town or township in the county except Caro is supporting it.

There was no response.

I asked a question regarding the $253,000 overcharge to the milk plant. While I already knew the answer, I wanted the public to hear it. I asked that question three times and got no answer. After this, the budget was voted on and quickly passed. I was the only no vote.

Going back to the Nov. 28 meeting, I went early and had a discussion with Village Manager Cristiano. At the end of that talk, I asked him to resign, and he agreed to retire effective Feb. 1. He announced this decision at the council meeting.

Two weeks later, in an article in the Cass City Chronicle, Cristiano announced that some of the council members had convinced him to stay through the construction of the new grocery store. Cristiano is being paid $128,000 per year, including benefits. We can no longer afford to pay him, nor do we need a full-time manager going forward.

A new grocery store on Main Street would be the greatest thing that has happened to this community in years. It is looking more and more like this will become a reality. I am sure we will know soon We do not need Peter to work on this. It is being handled through some very capable Downtown Development Authority (DDA) members and the Tuscola County Economic Development Corp. (EDC). The DDA and EDC are also working on a plan to make our downtown a redevelopment zone, which will open up state and federal grant money for downtown development.

It is of the utmost importance that we do something about the cost of living in Cass City. Our high taxes, water and sewer charges are a deterrent to people that may otherwise move here. This in turn causes our home values to drop. We can only change this situation by getting serious on budget cuts.

I ask my fellow council members to think about their qualifications for these positions. I further challenge them to put in the time and effort necessary to turn our community around. We must be able to make many tough business decisions. There can be no more 15-20 minute council meetings because we must conduct our business in a way that informs all the citizens of our community.

I ask all of the citizens of Cass City for your help. I can't handle these challenges alone. If you care, please call council members and let them know what you think. And please attend the council meeting on Jan. 30. If you don't want to speak, that's OK, just be there to show your support.

Tom Herron

Cass City councilman
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...
A military couple whose U.S.-purchased 2013 Toyota RAV4 SUV experienced major mechanical problems while they were stationed in Germany has had their vehicle replaced by Toyota after the company dropped an appeal that argued the couple was not protected under rules known as "lemon laws."

When Army Sgt. John Snell and his wife Christina purchased the new vehicle in Georgia before their permanent change of station move, the dealer told them that the warranty and rules protecting them against catastrophic vehicle defects, or "lemon laws," would apply, they said.

But when a faulty anti-lock brake system actuator caused major mechanical problems, the Germany-based dealership was unable to make repairs in under 30 days, the time cap required by Georgia before the car is declared a "lemon." Rather than replace the car, Toyota said the law did not apply because the couple was out of the country. The repairs took more than 90 days, Christina Snell said.

A Georgia panel ruled last year in the Snells' favor, but Toyota filed an appeal, saying that it had covered the costs of the repairs.

"Toyota doesn't believe this delay in fully repairing the vehicle in Germany qualifies it for repurchase, as the Snells requested in arbitration," Aaron Fowles, a Toyota spokesman, said in a statement posted in October to Change.org where the Snells had a petition on the case.

But instead of going through with the appeal, Toyota offered to settle the case late last year -- a move Christina Snell believes was forced by the thousands of signatures and hundreds of comments her petition about the case received on Change.org.

The Snells said they did not want any additional cash as part of the settlement -- just their car to be replaced and some lawyer fees to be paid.

"I told my lawyer, 'I'm not demanding anything,' " Christina Snell said. "I don't know what they expected, money or additional payment. I just really wanted my car replaced."

Toyota did not respond to requests for comment about the settlement.

Under the settlement, the couple was permitted to trade in their 2013 vehicle and received a new 2017 RAV4 this month, Christina Snell said.

The settlement is a big victory for military consumers, said Rosemary Shahan, who leads the lobbying group Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. She worried an appeal victory for Toyota could have resulted in car manufacturers no longer honoring lemon laws for any military personnel who take their vehicles to overseas duty stations.

The lawsuit "signaled what Toyota wanted was an appellate court decision that they could then use in every case where someone in the military took their car with them overseas," she said. "It would've set a very harmful precedent, and other manufacturers would've been then able to cite that."

Instead, the settlement "sends a very healthy message to manufacturers," she said. "Toyota is very big. They thought they could get away with this."

Christina Snell said in the end she is disappointed Toyota didn't do what she believes to been the right thing to start with.

"I was disappointed by a company that couldn't be forthcoming," she said. "After all this is said and done, I realize Toyota has the right to appeal ... but I don't think they did that in the best interest of the consumer."

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
The top Senate and House Republicans on veterans issues called on President Donald Trump Thursday to lift the federal hiring freeze at the Department of Veterans Affairs for doctors, nurses and other caregivers.

"One of our government's highest priorities -- and VA's single most important mission -- is to provide timely, high-quality care to the men and women who have bravely served our nation in uniform," Sen. Johnny Isakson and Rep. Phil Roe said in a letter to Trump.

"On behalf of the over six million veterans nationwide who rely on the health care system, we are writing to respectfully request that you provide guidance indicating that exempting VA direct patient care providers is consistent with the tenets of and latitude permitted in your January 23rd Executive Order pertaining to a Federal civilian employee hiring freeze," the letter said.

The letter went out as the VA and Defense Department scrambled to cope with the Trump hiring freeze that has spread confusion across federal agencies on implementation of the order.

At the VA, spokesmen referred to the statement Tuesday by Acting Secretary Robert Snyder of his "intent" to file for public safety exemptions to the freeze to hire doctors, nurses, mental health clinicians, claims specialists and other urgently needed personnel.

When asked whether Snyder had begun submitting requests for exemptions or was drawing up a list, a spokesman declined comment and referred back to his statement: "The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to exempt anyone it deems necessary for public safety, including front-line caregivers."

It was unclear how the White House Office of Personnel Management would deal with requests for exemptions, but The Washington Post quoted a White House spokesman as saying that "public safety" can be construed as "public health."

The memorandum that went out with Trump's executive order Monday on the freeze stated that "the head of any executive department or agency may exempt from the hiring freeze any positions that it deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities."

However, a guidance memo obtained by Federal News Radio from the Office of Management and Budget on how the freeze should be put into effect said that exemptions to the freeze for public safety or other reasons should be "limited."

In issuing the across-the-board federal hiring freeze, Trump made clear that the uniformed military would be exempt. He said as he signed the order "except for the military, except for the military," but there had been doubt about whether the order would apply to new hires for the 740,000 DoD civilian workforce.

Pentagon spokesmen confirmed Wednesday that the freeze would apply to DoD civilians, but there appeared to be room for public safety exemptions on hiring. A DoD official told Defense News that new Defense Secretary James Mattis can exempt from the hiring freeze any position "that he deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities."

Veterans currently make up more than 30 percent of the DoD's civilian employees, and they also make up a large proportion of those applying for jobs. Hiring veterans was made a top priority for all agencies under a 2009 executive order signed by former President Barack Obama on the Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government.

In an address at a Congressional Republican meeting in Philadelphia on Thursday, Trump made no direct reference to the hiring freeze in reviewing the accomplishments of his first week in office, but said he was moving to create a "lean, efficient government."

"We will rebuild our military and take care of our veterans," he said.

"We're working very hard with our veterans; we're going to do something very special with our veterans," said Trump, who argued during the campaign for allowing veterans more choice on private care.

In a letter to Trump on Wednesday, 55 Senate and House Democrats urged him to lift the hiring freeze at the VA, which has an estimated 2,000 openings, and continue to hire veterans at all federal agencies.

"While there can be no debate that the federal government, including VA, should be more efficient in its delivery of services to all Americans, a hiring freeze at VA will delay veterans' access to health care and resolution of their disability claims," the letter said.

The Democrats argued that public safety exemptions for the VA in hiring would not be enough to clear up the huge backlog of more than 450,000 claims and appeals for benefits.

"We urge you to re-evaluate this hiring freeze and take into account the effect it will have on veterans who will have to wait longer for earned benefits, whether it's disability, survivor or education benefits, or whether it's vocational rehabilitation or job training services," the Democrats' letter said.

"There's a level of confusion right now that's certainly not helping" at the VA and other agencies on the implementation of the hiring freeze and the exemptions process, said Katherine Kidder, a fellow in the Military, Veterans, and Society Program and the Center for a New American Security.

"It seems the VA is trying to work around [the freeze], at least for communities where there's real emergency" in the quality of care and the appointments backlog, Kidder said. At the DoD, there is concern that active-duty uniformed personnel might be moved into critical but vacant civilian positions, she said.

The open question is whether the freeze is "a true move to increase government efficiency or a political maneuver" to fulfill a campaign pledge, Kidder said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
A handful of senators want the Army's chief of staff to explain why the service supposedly banned soldiers from using highly reliable polymer magazines such as the PMAG in their M4 Carbines.

The senators' letter may be misinformed, since soldiers have used PMAGs extensively in some of the heaviest gunfights of the war in Afghanistan.

Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, a combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Friday led Sens. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas; Jim Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma; Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia; and David Perdue, a Republican from Georgia, in sending a letter to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley questioning "why polymer ammunition magazines for United States Army rifles are not authorized for use in combat or in training."

The letter stems from the Marine Corps' recent decision to authorize PMAGs for its M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle after the weapon experienced reliability problems in an Army test with M855A1 ammunition. The Corps also authorized PMAGs for its M16A4s and M4 carbines.

"Reports state that the polymer magazines approved for use by the Marine Corps had zero magazine-related stoppages through all of the tests carried out by the Marine Corps when combined with any ammunition tested. Additionally, reports state they also reduce damage to the chamber face and feed ramps when using M855A1 ammunition. As our national debt approaches $20 [trillion], ensuring the longevity of these rifles is important," the letter states.

The letter also states, "The Army and Marine Corps simultaneously issued orders stating that polymer magazines were not authorized for use in 2012."

Army officials from the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command did issue a message in April 2012, declaring that only government-issued aluminum magazines were authorized for use in the M4 and M16 rifles.

TACOM officials released the message to address reports of Army units using "unauthorized" commercial, polymer magazines such as the popular PMAG, introduced by Magpul Industries Corp. in 2007. The decision left combat troops puzzled, since the PMAG has demonstrated its extreme reliability in combat and has an Army-approved national stock number, which allows units to order them through the Army supply system.

Army officials, however, acknowledged in a June 6, 2012, statement that TACOM's message was poorly written and not intended as a directive on the use of PMAGs. Matthew Bourke, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon responding to questions from Mililtary.com at the time, said the message should have included guidance that the final decision rests with commanders in the field.

"At best, the message is incomplete; at worst, the message allows soldiers to jump to the wrong conclusions," Bourke said. "Maintenance Information Messages [from TACOM] are permissive. They are not an order. They are not a directive. All content and direction in those messages are optional for the recipient."

Military.com reached out to the Army for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Meanwhile, TACOM announced in July that it was introducing a new M4 Enhanced Performance Magazine.

The new magazine will feature a tan body and blue follower and will be engineered to address feeding issues with M855A1 ammunition.

The Army first started to improve M4 magazines in 2008 after reliability tests found that the original follower caused many of the weapon's feeding malfunctions during the test.

PMAGs have developed a word-of-mouth reputation for being extremely reliable as well as durable. Special operations units such as Army's 75th Ranger Regiment issue PMAGs, as do many infantry units before war-zone deployments.

Soldiers from B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, had been issued PMAGs before deploying to Afghanistan in 2009. On Oct. 3 of that year, they fought off a bold enemy attack on Combat Outpost Keating that lasted for more than six hours and left eight Americans dead.

Some soldiers reported firing up to 40 PMAGs from their M4s without a single stoppage.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

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The U.S. Army has accused two 101st Airborne Division soldiers with allegedly kidnapping and murdering a female 101st soldier, according to a Fort Campbell press release.

The skeletal remains of 25-year-old Pfc. Shadow McClaine, who had been missing since September, were discovered Monday in Tennessee, Army officials from Fort Campbell, Kentucky announced on Thursday.

The cause of McClaine's death is still under investigation, but Sgt. Jamal Williams-McCray and Spc. Charles Robinson remain in pre-trial confinement pending court-martial on charges of kidnapping, conspiracy and premeditated murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the release states.

Fort Campbell officials did not say when Williams-McCray and Robinson were taken into custody.

Williams-McCray, 25, arrived at Fort Campbell in October 2012. Robinson, 24, arrived at Campbell in May of 2013. McClaine arrived at Campbell in June 2013.

All three soldiers were in the same brigade, according to Fort Campbell officials. The brigade was not released

The Leaf-Chronicle reports that Williams-McCray is McClaine's ex-husband.

Fort Campbell officials said the date for the Article 32 hearing preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, or TBI, recovered the remains of McClaine near Exit 19 off of Highway 24 in Robertson County, Tennessee.

Senior officials at Fort Campbell and special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command -- the lead investigative agency -- are in close communication with the family and TBI.

"All of us here at Fort Campbell are saddened by the news, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time," said Maj. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas, commanding general for the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he will defer to the judgment of Defense Secretary James Mattis that torture and waterboarding should continue to be banned in the interrogations of terror suspects.

"He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding or however you want to define it," Trump said of Mattis, a retired Marine general who had commands in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I don't necessarily agree, but he [Mattis] will override because I'm giving him that power."

"I'm going to rely on him" on so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques," Trump said, though "I happen to believe it does work."

Trump said Mattis told him in December that he could get more out of a terror suspect with "a pack of cigarettes and a beer" than he could with torture.

At a White House news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump also said that the subject of lifting sanctions on Russia might come up in his phone call Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I hope we have a fantastic relationship," Trump said of closer cooperation with Russia on a range of issues. "It's also possible that we won't. If we could have a great relationship with Russia, with China and all countries -- I'm all for that."

As she stood next to Trump, May made clear that she disagreed with him on the sanctions. "We believe sanctions should continue, and we have continued to urge that inside the European Union."

Earlier, Kellyanne Conway, Trump's counselor, said on "Fox and Friends" that lifting sanctions and the possibility of cooperation between the U.S. and Russia in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria were likely topics of the Trump-Putin phone call. "All of that is under consideration," she said.

Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement calling on Trump to keep the sanctions in place and threatening moves to put the sanctions into law if the president lifts them.

"In just the last three years under Vladimir Putin, Russia has invaded Ukraine, annexed Crimea, threatened NATO allies, and intervened militarily in Syria, leaving a trail of death, destruction, and broken promises in his wake," McCain said.

"Trump should remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn. For our Commander-in-Chief to think otherwise would be naive and dangerous," McCain said.

Following the news conference, Trump was headed for the first time to the Pentagon for meetings with Mattis and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss a more aggressive ISIS campaign and his pledge to rebuild the military with more troops, ships, planes and money.

Trump was to meet with the nation's military leadership in the "Tank," the Joint Chiefs of Staff conference room, and later preside at a ceremonial swearing in of Mattis, the 26th secretary of defense.

Mattis took the oath last Friday night from Vice President Mike Pence in the old Executive Office Building next to the White House, but the ceremonial swearing in held at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, a room dedicated to the more than 3,400 recipients of the Medal of Honor, is traditional for defense secretaries. Pence was to join the Pentagon meetings after attending an anti-abortion "March For Life" rally Friday morning that was to end at the Supreme Court.

Syria's more than five-year-old civil war and the offensive by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Raqqa, the self-proclaimed ISIS capital, were expected to be at or near the top of the agenda for Trump's talks with Mattis and the service chiefs.

Mattis in his Senate confirmation hearings spoke of the possibility of an "accelerated" campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. ground commander for Iraq said earlier this week that he had received no notice of plans to change troop levels or rules of engagement since Trump took office.

In a briefing to the Pentagon, Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, commander of Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-Operation Inherent Resolve, said, "Our orders have not changed since the 20th of January" when Trump was inaugurated.

"I can't speculate on what the future's going to hold," Martin said, but his troops were still operating under the orders approved by former President Barack Obama.

Trump is expected to ask Mattis and Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson for a new plan within 30 days to speed up the ISIS campaign.

Trump and Pence were greeted by Mattis as they arrived at the Pentagon at about 3:30 p.m. and then went into about an hour-long closed meeting with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford; Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and the service chiefs.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the new White House national security adviser, also was in the closed meeting, a Pentagon spokesman said. White House strategist Steve Bannon was at the ceremonial swearing-in, but it was unclear if he was also in the meeting with the Joint Chiefs, Trump and Mattis.

At the ceremony in the Hall of Heroes, Trump dropped his usual reference to Mattis with the nickname he doesn't like -- "Mad Dog" -- and instead called him a "man of total action; he likes action."

Pence administered the ceremonial oath of office, as he had last week at the official swearing in of the Marine Corps legend. Pence noted the names of 3,498 recipients of the Medal of Honor that are inscribed on the walls of the Hall of Heroes.

"It is humbling for us to be among their names," he said.

In his last post as head of U.S. Central Command before retiring in 2013, Mattis had charge of about 200,000 personnel. Pence said, "Mr. Secretary, your president has called you to lead all of the armed forces of the United States."

In brief remarks, Mattis told Trump and Pence: "Welcome to the headquarters of your military, your always loyal military, where America's awesome determination to defend herself is on full display.

"I'll just tell you, Mr. President, you've made clear your commitment to our national defense, and the Americans in this hall [the lists of Medal of Honor recipients] remind us of our strength as a nation of patriots," he said.

"On behalf of your department, I want you to know that after a decade of war, our longest war, those serving today have been tested and you can count on us all the way," Mattis said.

Trump used the occasion to sign what he called two "executive actions" signaling his intent to boost military spending and troop strength, and to impose "extreme vetting" on those entering the country.

He gave no details but promised a "great rebuilding of the armed services of the United States" that will involve "developing a plan for new planes, new ships, new resources and new tools for our men and women in uniform, and I'm very proud to be doing that."

"As we prepare our budget request for Congress, and I think Congress will be very happy to see it, our military strength will be questioned by no one, but neither will our dedication to peace. We do want peace," Trump said.

The extreme vetting is needed to "keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don't want them here," he said. "We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love, deeply, our people."

Trump promised the audience of Pentagon staffers and uniformed personnel, "Our administration will always have your back; we will always be with you."

He said of Mattis, "I think he's going to lead us so brilliantly. He's a tremendous soldier, always has been. He's a general's general. He's a special, special man."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
I was born on a tobacco and cotton plantation in _______ of South Carolina in June 15, 1916. And finishing high school in 1933 in the midst of the Depression. I came to Louisiana to play in Huey Long's band as he expanded LSU because I could get an education on a scholastic scholarship as well as a band scholarship and came to Louisiana for that reason and never left.

I was in the military at LSU as a member of the band company and finished LSU in 1937. I had then been accepted as a Louisiana citizen and therefore, got virtually a free medical education at the LSU Medical School in New Orleans, from which I graduated in 1941.

I then was pretty well ensconced into the city of New Orleans and took my hospital training at Southern Baptist Hospital here in New Orleans as an intern in 1941 and 1942. And on December 7, of course, while an intern, the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place and the war was on.

This was in the middle of my internship. Right after the first of 1942, as an intern, I had my first brush with the war. Possibly the closest brush that I almost ever came again. We interns one day were approached by a representative from United Fruit, wanting people who were willing to take a trip on United Fruit as a ship's doctor.

And of course, there was a great deal of activity in the Caribbean and Gulf with torpedoing of our shipping, but this somehow didn't bother me particularly. So I signed up that I would take a trip with United Fruit. Months passed and I had completely forgotten about it until one day I was paged on the loudspeaker at Baptist Hospital and a very foreign gentleman introduced himself as Dr. Prieto, the local United Fruit representative, and he wanted to inform me that my ship was in port.

Well, I had to do a double take and quite a flurry of activity during the next few days to get my Z-card [required for any employee working a ship flying under the U.S. flag] and so forth, and suffice to say that we did ship out in the early part of June 1942 for Panama. Getting underway was interesting that night. I remember we were docked at the Julia Street Wharf, and they were trying to get a company of sailors aboard enough to man the ship.

It was a merchant ship, of course. As fast as the virtual hijack of the ship's company and put them aboard as they sobered up, knowing the conditions in the Caribbean and Gulf they would walk off. So by nearly midnight, we didn't have nearly a complete company so we left the docks and anchored just below New Orleans, and the rest of the ship's company were brought aboard in boats so they couldn't desert.

So sometime after midnight, we sailed supposedly to pick up our convoy the next morning at the mouth of the river, but as we got at the mouth of the river, there was a submarine alert and all hands on deck, except those men in the engines and no convoy, but we did sail coastwise and stay overnight in Mobile Bay in a secure area. We saw no submarine.

We then spent the next night in Panama City, Florida, to escape the enemy and the next night in Tampa Bay, always expecting to pick up a convoy. There never was a convoy. From Tampa Bay, we sailed between Yucatan Peninsula and Cristobal, on the way sighting numerous ships afire on the horizon. The water was full of debris and life jackets, beat-up life boats, saw everything in the water but bodies.

Must have seen seven ships afire on the horizon. Got to Cristobal safely, stayed less than 24 hours and sailed 9:00 in the morning, again alone, never having seen a navy craft at all or U. S. aircraft. Sailed coastwise for Ft. Abarios, Guatemala.

But, 12 hours out of Cristobal, we were torpedoed twice at 9 o'clock at night on my birthday, June 15, 1942, and all five lifeboats managed to get off. There was 29 men in the bow of the ship who were never seen again. The man who survived was the one in forward mast crow's nest as a lookout. The man on the bow was never seen again nor any of the guys sleeping in the hole.

Of the five boats, all survived, one was picked up, maybe two, one was at sea for five days. My boat had a motor, and we did not see the submarine, but the submarine did surface and came alongside one of the lifeboats and demanded to know the name of the craft which was given, our ship, the S.S. SIXAHOA, which was given to the skipper of the submarine.

He asked did they know the direction to shore which they did, did they have food, yes they did, did they have water, but they didn't have any cigarettes, so he issued them two flat 50 packs of cigarettes in tins, asked for the master who was aboard that boat, but they lied and told them he wasn't, and the submarine went off into the distance.

But my lifeboat made it ashore to the little town of Bocas del Toro, on the northern coast of Panama, a United Fruit village, which had just about dried up because of the Panama blight and I stayed there for three or four days and had a glorious time.

I met a young lady just the right age and we picnicked up and down the beaches and had a wonderful time until we were picked up by an army supply tug and taken back to Cristobal where I crossed over to the Pacific side to the hospital where I saw one of my fellow interns who by this time completed his internship and was a resident there.

I bunked with him until we got a ride on a ship coming back to the U.S. through the Canal and set sail for the mouth of the Mississippi and New Orleans. Twelve hours out of the Mississippi, again there was an alert, a submarine at the mouth of the river, so we right-angle turned due east and went into Tampa Bay and I came back to New Orleans by bus and appeared about 6 o'clock one morning after an all-night bus ride standing up and it, of course, was rumored that our ship had gone down with all hands aboard and I had been given up for lost.

But then I completed my residency the following year at Baptist Hospital during which time I had begun trying to get into the service. I applied for a commission with the Navy and was turned down because of my weight. I was six feet tall and weighed only about 118 lbs.

And I applied to the Army and was turned down for the same reason. They simply did not want anybody in my shape. After two or three more applications and inquiries, I was finally told that the Navy might accept me.

I was interviewed and told that they would accept me with the commission of the Lt.J.G. if I passed the physical. So on the morning of the physical, I ate fourteen bananas, and drank a quart of milk and weighed in. By then I tipped the scales at 127 so they gave me a waiver which I never understood what I was wavering, that I was only 127 lbs. but with that weight with a stomach full of milk and bananas, I was accepted and given a commission as Lt.J.G. in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps.

I got my orders and was to report to duty in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the Navy Air Station for introduction into the Navy method of doctoring. I drove out with a little car I bought for $150 and was able to get new tires on it because I was a doctor and they allowed me to buy tires. They were in rags. So it was four new tires on an old dilapidated little Oldsmobile Coupe.

I drove to Norfolk, Virginia, for my indoctrination which lasted six weeks learning how to fill out Navy forms and that sort of thing. Then I got my orders to join the amphibious forces of the U.S. Navy with headquarters in Little Creek, Virginia, a suburban area out of Norfolk. I drove there and reported for duty with about 12 or 15 other young Lt. J.G. doctors all just having been indoctrinated only one of which had been with me in Norfolk.

We then spent the fall there getting lined up on Navy methods and Navy medical methods, some training with rifles and with .45 automatics and I then was assigned to the branch of the amphibious forces known at the LCTs or landing craft tanks, not landing ship tanks, the LST but LCTs which would hold theoretically five tanks or about a dozen or so trucks or 30 or 40 autos.

They were not designed for personnel because any personnel other than those running the boat would have to sleep on deck although we wound up, before the war was over, carrying almost anything.

LCTs are 105 feet long and there were 12 to a group and 3 groups or 36 boats to a flotilla. At times I was a medical officer of a group and at times there was no other medical officer in the two other groups so my responsibility was for the health of 36 boats.

There were 12 enlisted men and one ensign assigned to each boat. They were diesel operated. The older ones had the engine and cunning tower in quarters all in the middle of the back of the boat and later on over to one side.

There were two different designs of it. These boats were carried to Europe in two ways. They were sometimes set on the deck of an LST and carried over intact and sometimes they were cut into three parts and set on the deck of a Liberty ship and re-welded together when they reached England.

We got orders to go to New York to await shipping out. This was in early November 1943. We went to New York, of course, by train. While in the Norfolk area, we spent a great deal of training in Chesapeake area. My group would go out and train formations of the boats and how to operate in various kinds of weather and the art of maneuvering the boats in single file or abreast, and of course, I was not particularly involved in all of this.

I was aboard to look out for the welfare of the men. Although I spent most of my time on shore. Going aboard the boat was really just a part of the training that the medical officer ought to have in how to handle himself at sea, of course. So in early November finally after we got our training since late summer, we got to Pier 92 in New York where we stayed about two weeks waiting to ship out.

My flotilla with its 12 men per boat and 12 to 36 boats, of which I was medical officer, shipped out on the Queen Mary. Again, we expected a convoy, but we never did have any convoy at sea. The Queen Mary made it across on its own because it was so fast that they felt that with the zigzag course, they could evade submarines and all during the war it did evade.

I believe there were about 12 or 14,000 of us aboard the converted Queen Mary. She was stacked up with bunks from bulkhead to bulkhead and from deck to deck, but reasonably comfortable, good food. Crossing took place in about four-ish days. We landed in Scotland at Firth of Clyde and my small group was then as we moved, I was moved with my original twelve boats whom I had gotten to know all the skippers very well and lots of the men and we were put on a train to go south to Plymouth.

We went down through the countryside of England, my first trip to Europe and were offloaded to go to our billet which was most confusing and we went east for a while, west for a while, each place we went said we were not supposed to be there so really it was almost an all-night truck ride, we were in trucks then, until we finally came to our correct billet which was the beautiful southernmost town in the British Isles, rather in Great Britain because the channels Isles are south of it which was in the town of Salcombe in the county of Devonshire.

I must say that I spent a most pleasant winter and spring in Devonshire. I learned to love the people, the countryside, the scenery was gorgeous, I've been back twice to take my wife, because I loved it so much and would have been perfectly happy to have lived there the rest of my life and still would.

My group of boats then operated out of Salcombe and their duty for the next six months was to practice landing the United States Marines and Army on the Slapton Sands which was an area just east of us on the south coast of Devon where time after time after time our flotilla of landing craft landed troops in rehearsal.

Each time that we were assigned to a landing operation, we did not know but what that might be invasion. We never were totally suspicious that it was, but we always knew that it might be. I was in a little particular situation then because there was a small navy base at Salcombe but my flotilla of boats was a separate unit with separate command from the home base.

But as the doctor, I was of little value going out with the boats on these trips and only made several of their repeated rehearsal landings, but my services could best be rendered, they thought, by staying in the little local hospital where the men at the base and the countryside around in that area were being treated and handled.

So a little hotel, St. Elmo Hotel, was commandeered by the Navy and as our hospital. And therefore, I joined the five doctors who were stationed at the base, I being somewhat of an outsider since my primary assignment was my flotilla of boats. But I lived most of my six months in the hospital with those other doctors who have been friends of mine for life.

In fact, St. Elmo Hotel is the absolute picture of the hotel in "Faulty Towers." It could be the same setting, although I believe that is supposed to have taken place in the town of Torquay, which was about 35 miles east of us. I went to Torquay. I have since [been] back to Salcombe on two occasions, visited and even lived in the reconverted hotel of St. Elmo, and the whole place is very attractive.

I spent no time being a medical doctor to the local population. Except in a few emergency situations. They did not lean on us for help. We handled any troops that were in that area, navy, army or otherwise, but primarily the navy, the naval units there in Salcombe were primarily a CB unit -- repair and maintenance of boats, and they could just about make anything.

Well, as I say, each time we made an "invasion," on Slapton Sands, we didn't know but what that might be the real thing. But not extremely suspicious until finally, I got my orders and me and me alone, to catch a train to Wales. The trip to Wales from Devonshire is up around the Welsh Channel, Bristol Channel, I believe it is, and I went to the town of Cardiff, and was assigned to the base there.

I was kind of a loner there. I was a doctor, had landing craft, but I didn't really know what they were planning to do with me. After staying there about a week, it became evident that I was going to be put aboard a Liberty ship. The name of the ship was the SS Woodward.

That Liberty ship was outfitted as a medical station, a supply ship and a repair ship. There were three units on it, each of which had its own sort of commander. I was in command of the medical division. There was a wonderful repair supply under the command of a Lt. Commander Murray from Philadelphia, and we had a great deal of supplies that we could give to the boats who would come to us for medical supply or repair -- those three things.

We had a lieutenant commander over all of the Navy operations on board that ship, as well of course as there was a merchant marine captain, mates and seaman who ran the ship as a ship.

Because I was to spend a good deal of time on the SS Woodward from then on. I knew we were doing the real invasion again, because I was given blood instead of plasma as an adjunct to my medical kit. And I knew that the blood wouldn't last, not as well in those days as it would now, so I knew the invasion had to be imminent.

Blood, of course, is a more valuable adjunct to a person in shock or severe wounds than plasma, although plasma can be a lot safer. But plasma will last for a very prolonged period where blood has to be kept at the proper temperature and does not last long at all.

Well, sure enough, this was in the first day or so of June, 1944. And we sailed. I did not see any of my boats at that time, and as far as I recall, did not ever see any of my own boats throughout my stay on the French coast. We got off the Normandy coast late in the day of D-Day.

There were armadas of ships, boats of all sorts just as has been shown in the movies over and over and over again. There was a great deal of gunfire on shore. It was days and days before I ever went on shore. Maybe a couple of weeks after that, before I put my feet on shore. Our ship was assigned to the British beaches sort of on loan. They had their own landing craft, LCVPs, LCTs, LSTs, of course the LSTs could probably look after themselves, they all had a doctor aboard, the LCT, had one doctor for a group or flotilla.

But they did not have the Liberty ships of the kind that I was on to look after the personnel and the landing craft, so we were sent over to Sword and Gold as an adjunct to the British landing craft. So I saw actually more British personnel during the weeks and months of the landing than I did Americans.

I did not see any severe casualties of war. I treated the guys who got sick and who came to see me. I had five pharmacists' mates, and myself. We made up the medical team. We had minor accidents, illnesses, a fair amount of venereal disease.

If I had anything severe, I always had access to take them by small landing craft to a hospital ship of which there was almost always one in sight. They came over and anchored a few days and picked up a load of casualties and took them back. Lots of interesting incidents happened.

Our ship was being hit by flack falling from the sky. We never were hit or as far as I know even a close call of any enemy fire. We stayed anywhere from one to four miles offshore depending on where we were and what the tides were like.

There was a time when we ran aground and kept bumping on the ground beneath us, right severely to where our ship's captain was very much worried about us breaking up or suffering damage to our keel but we got off in a high tide and of course got into deeper water.

We mainly watched the boats and ships that brought the supplies ashore at the time of D-Day on D-Day and on the weeks and months following. We actually swung an anchor there for four months until late September before I was taken back to England. During that time later on after the Cherbourg had gotten secure and Normandy beaches had all cleared, I went ashore many times to take men that had problems that I couldn't handle to bigger hospitals ashore and that sort of thing.

I guess my most exciting thing that happened to me was one time in very foul weather when it was very difficult for small boats to dock against our bulkhead, I did an appendectomy on somebody that had an absolutely red hot case of acute appendicitis. I had no way of doing a blood count on him so I had to make the diagnosis purely clinical. It was a rather interesting experience. None of my five pharmacists' mates had ever been in an operating room for a major operation. So we had two or three rehearsals of going through the procedure and very rapid instruction period and we did it!

I did it under general anesthesia, having one pharmacist mate, drop ether, on an open ether mask under my direction. Another pharmacist mate did nothing but kill flies throughout the procedure, one more or less held me to the table because the ship was rolling terribly, and one assisted and one handled the non-sterile instruments. I mean it was a non-sterile nurse handling the instruments as they came back and forth from the autoclave.

But we found the diagnosis to be correct, took the appendix out, kept the fellow for two or three days, and when the weather was calm, shipped him off to a hospital.

As I said earlier, the flak would fall very heavily in the early days of the invasion and one of my big problems early on after we'd been on the coast for only a day or two that would illustrative of my activities is that one of our cooks, a very important man aboard ship of course, was out and when a big burst of shell took place above us, he looked us and apparently with his jaw sagging, one of his sets of false teeth fell out on the deck and he reached down to pick it up and the other set fell out both of which burst in two.

Well, to have a cook with no teeth was a minor disaster. So I visited a hospital ship in a small boat and took the teeth and told them my story and they took the teeth back to England on their next trip and we set out our signalman and watch on the bridge to keep a sharp lookout for that same hospital ship when it made its next trip over which it did after a number of days and much complaining by the cook and again I had a small boat take me to the hospital ship, picked up his teeth, and from then on our food improved considerably.

I remember another incident when one of the men who either lived aboard my ship or was on and off of it in small craft, probably the latter, came down with a classical case of gonorrhea. Again, no way of diagnosing by microscopic examination, because I didn't have a microscope, but it was a classical case in history and physical. So, I had never seen any penicillin in my life.

I was not given any penicillin, I did have sulphur, which I started him on, but I knew some penicillin would be a very helpful adjunct to his treatment. So I got a boat that didn't have too much to do and we start off from ship to ship to ship begging penicillin.

It was my only time to board some real British men-o-war, and I'll never forget the curious look they gave me when I would come board, asking for permission to board, ask permission for the officer of the deck to go to the sick bay to seek out a doctor and tell him my problem and ask him if he can give me some penicillin.

And I got 10,000 units here and 10,000 units there, and 10,000 or so from a hospital ship, all together making up I guess 50 or 60,000 units which I gave this man. We now of course give nothing less than units by the millions of units, but of course, the gonorrhea germ in those days was not as resistant to penicillin as it is now and as far as I remember, the man was successfully cured.

What I got was about 1/100ths of the dose that we would think of giving now. When things quieted down, I made several rather pleasant trips up and down the Normandy Coast. After Paris fell and was taken over by the Allies, I very much wanted to go to Paris, but it would involve being away from my ship overnight and I was never willing to do that.

I was given leave, though, at one time, and went back to England on a ride back on some transporting vessel, I think it was an LCI landing craft infantry. Went back over to England and spent a couple of days at Salcombe with my old friends down on the coast. They were still sitting there doing the same thing they were doing when I left.

None of the five other doctors at Salcombe St. Elmo Hospital had ever left. They were still seeing some casualties but never had any very acute activity in the war. I think they sort of envied me having been on the coast, and seeing some of the action.

Although to say that I took a great part in the Normandy Invasion would not be anything I would say. I simply filled my niche, I suppose. If I had a good word to say about anybody on my ship, it would have been the repair unit which was one of the three functions of our Liberty ship. Those guys could do anything. They could make a boat. They could make an engine.

They were marvelous. And of course, when they had spare time, they spent it making trinkets for us like tin holders out of empty shells, mounted in mahogany, had a great deal of mahogany wood because the landing craft were very much made of mahogany -- the small landing craft. The LCTs were made of steel.

So after swinging in anchor for four months, seeing a good deal of medical problems, many of which I could handle myself and many I had to ship off if they were too serious or I had no diagnostic means of handling, I got orders to go back to England where I again, after a brief stay in London, visited my old base in Salcombe, Devonshire, and was shipped back to the States with the idea of being sent to the Pacific.

I came down from New York to Washington by train and got orders to return to Norfolk where I was sure I would be sent to the Pacific, but was sent to an on-guard base just three miles from the Little Creek base from where I had first shipped out to New York.

An on-guard base was the training of the gunner recruit which manned the small cannon mounted on the stern of each of our merchant ships during the war. And they had a group of about six or eight men called the armed guard which was manned that gun on each merchant ship and I simply was in the medical department of the base which looked after those men as they came through for retraining.

One of the most interesting parts of the constant training they were given were in spotting and identifying aircraft that were flipped on a screen at just a hundredth of a second, and these men would have to learn whether it was a friendly or enemy aircraft.

After serving until the war in Germany ended, the on-guard school was turned into a discharge base where we had the examinations for men being discharged from the Navy and I served on that until May of 1946 when I was discharged from the Navy.

I didn't treat any battle wounds other than very minor things like the boys on the small crafts taking troops on shore might have suffered. Anyone who was shot or injured in the actual invasion would not have been brought to my ship. We did not have hospital facilities, diagnostic facilities, and frankly, what my duty was more or less command a sick bay for anything that happened to come up among the personnel anywhere in the location that we stayed at anchor.

So as far as ever seeing anybody with a bullet in him or a limb shot off, or anything like that, I never saw it.

Oh! The battle wounds that I ever saw and treated, and I did, were on Slapton Sands making the simulated invasion. Things happened there just as happened in the recent invasion of the Persian Gulf where our troops were fired upon by friendly fire.

And I remember having a man brought to me on an LCT where I was at that time. Not on a big ship but on one of my craft of desperately wounded. I got him started on, in-shock, I got him started on plasma and got him shipped to a larger ship, I forget what type it was. It wasn't a hospital ship where he could be cared for and I'm sure he died. Some rocket fire from friendly fire.

But as far as seeing it on Normandy, I did not. I don't have any other significant statement. Because we think of all the soldiers and sailors sort of knowing what the all-over picture was, in battle, but you don't.

You only see it thirty feet from where you are. And I had no idea what beach I was on. I had no idea I was on a British beach instead of an American beach. I was just aboard my ship to do my thing.

And only later did it come out the all-over picture to see what I was. ... I can only say the little guy as I was, was a tadpole in the ocean rather than a fish in a small pond. You simply follow orders and do your thing from your small horizon.

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This article originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

Hirepurpose spoke with PwC to find out what makes its Veterans Affinity Network (VAN) so valuable.

With more than 46,000 employees and 80 offices across the United States, PricewaterhouseCoopers isn't exactly a small company. So to get noticed by the boss, you have to really stand out. That's hard enough when you have years of corporate experience, but it can feel nearly impossible when the majority of your experience is in the military and not corporate America.

But PwC is working to make sure that their veteran employees have the same shot at advancement as their corporate counterparts through their Veterans Affinity Network. The VAN allows them to not only attract and hire the most-qualified veteran candidates, but to work with them to keep them in the PwC family throughout their careers.

Hirepurpose spoke with one of PwC's veteran employees to find out what makes the Veterans Affinity Network so valuable and why other employers should develop their own version.

Michael Donoghue, 44, enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17 and spent 11 years in the military, finishing not only his high-school education during his time in the Army, but going to college as well.

Donoghue studied criminal justice in college, after having enlisted in the Army as a military police officer, but when he completed his military service in 2000, he felt "a little bit like a ping-pong ball," unsure of what to do and bouncing around between jobs. He eventually found his way into consulting, working with domestic transportation security to develop a new management system, From there, he found his way to PricewaterhouseCooper, where he's now worked for 14 years.

"As an employer, I'm PwC's biggest Fan," Donoghue says of his job at PwC. "PwC has provided me so many opportunities and I've been able to leverage all of the skills I have learned while serving in the military to help me along the way."

His love of the company, and his work, led him to help create the company's Veterans Affinity Network.

"We started the VAN for the sole purpose of strengthening the individual," he says. "We wanted to make it easier for vets to join and assimilate into PwC, and the network allows individuals to learn faster and catch up to their civilian counterparts who've been in the field for 10 or 15 years."

Donoghue and the other vets who helped him start the VAN had the ability to help colleagues bridge the military-civilian divide because they'd already leapt that gap themselves. Now, they wanted to help others achieve what they had.

Already considered a top military-friendly employer, the Veterans Affinity Network helps PwC strengthen its relationship with the veterans community and has created a network of employees like Donoghue, who now go out and sing the company's praises to friends, encouraging even more vets to apply for openings.

And for PwC, that's a great thing. As Donoghue explained, "A vet comes in with key attributes: they're team-oriented and work until the mission's complete. There are no clock-watchers in the group. These are folks who solve problems."

Once PwC hires a veteran, the new team member is assigned a mentor for the first six months of his or her career, and that mentor helps them transition into the civilian workforce and assimilate into the PwC culture.

Through the VAN, PwC has created programs for non-degreed professionals to help them advance, and they have education programs for employees so they can get their degrees while working at the firm.

"We're looking for E-4s, E-5s," Donoghue says. "We want to train them and keep them in the firm, so we give them a sort of emersion experience."

And vets are "enthralled" with the opportunities PwC has created for them, according to Donoghue. There are now more than 1,500 veterans and military family members involved in the Veterans Affinity Network across the organization, with multiple chapters throughout the country so PwC employees can work with local members to help get them all spooled up for their new jobs.

"We want to stay ahead of how vets are being leveraged in the marketplace," Donoghue adds of the company's efforts. "The leadership veterans offer is invaluable at every level of the company."

This article originally appeared at Task & Purpose. Follow Task & Purpose on Twitter.

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Final round to be announced if all doors for justice closed: Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri

Addressing the protest rally held to demand the release of Justice Baqir Najfi Commission report, PAT Chairman Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that the Model Town tragedy is the worst incident of state terrorism. He said that both federal and provincial governments are involved in this gruesome incident. He said that when he saw that all doors leading to justice are closed, he will announce the decisive round. He said that if the families of the martyrs come out for justice, it will be difficult for the killers to freely roam around.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that all eyes are set on judiciary. It is to be seen what verdict it gives between the powerful and the weak. He said that if the killers are allowed to go scot-free, it will tantamount to murder of justice, law and humanity. He said that the first matter to be presented in the court of Allah Almighty on the Day of Judgment will that of the unjust killings.

The rally started from the Aiwan-e-Iqbal and concluded at the Lahore Press Club. PTI leader Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, APML leader Fatima Atif Malahi, JUP (Niazi) Secretary General Dr Amjad Ali Chishti, MWM leader Syed Hassan Kazmi, Secretary General of Minority Alliance Reverend Dr Samuel, Bashrat Jaspal, Sajid Bhatti, Jawad Hamid, Mazhar Alvi, Zara Malik, Allama Mir Asif Akbar and Hafiz Ghulam Farid addressed the rally.

Rulers now want to kill justice after killing innocent people. We are peaceful people. We are looking up to judiciary for justice.  Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri (@TahirulQadri) January 27, 2017

We are waiting as to what kind of verdict the judiciary delivers between the weak and the powerful.  Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri (@TahirulQadri) January 27, 2017

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri demanded that those who conceived and planned the act of terrorism in Model Town should be apprehended and held accountable for their crime. He said that if the police had come to remove barriers, why they fired at the gates of his residence and into his bedroom, asking what barriers were placed there. Why did the policy barge into the secretariat of MQI and what kind of barriers there were inside the building? He said that DIG Operations was supervising the Model Town operation and he had the full assistance of 7 SPs and 17 SHOs.

Dr Qadri warned that if justice was not delivered in the Model Town case, then rulers will easily digest hundreds of Panama like cases without a trace and no one will be able to get justice. He said that the first JIT report dubbed the Police FIR as illegal and the members put in dissenting notes. The main accused did not present themselves in the court of law despite being summoned. So much so that the weapons used in the operation were not allowed to be inspected.

The PAT Chairman said that after killing the innocent people, the killers now want to murder justice. He said that we are peaceful people and looking up to judiciary for justice. He said that a judge who delivers justice without fear or favor will go to paradise. He said that his workers challenged the status quo. He said that the rulers were afraid of his arrival in the country and resorted to shedding blood to scare him away.

Speaking at the rally, PTI leader Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed said that Model Town tragedy is the most heinous incident of state terrorism of Pakistans history in which the state killed its own citizens. He said that if the Sharif brothers are not involved in the incident, then why are they now allowing the publication of the Justice Baqir Najfi Commission report?

PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur reiterated the vow that seeking justice was the goal of every PAT worker, adding that there was no way the party is going to withdraw from the demand of Qisas.

A large number of women and children attended the rally.
(Adds filing details and context)

SAO PAULO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - CCR SA, Brazil's largest toll road operator, plans to raise up to 4.025 billion reais ($1.27 billion) from investors through a share offering, becoming the latest local company to return to the equity markets for fresh capital.

The plan involves the sale of as many as 221.23 million common shares in a so-called restricted-efforts offering, CCR said in a Friday securities filing.

The offer could be increased by 15 percent in the event of robust investor demand, it said.

Reuters reported last week that CCR was in talks with banks regarding an offer to finance potential acquisitions. Sources told Reuters on Thursday that about 4 billion reais could be raised, depending on market conditions.

CCR estimated the total value of the transaction based on Thursday's closing price for the common shares, at 15.82 reais each. Existing shareholders will be given priority in the deal, the filing said.

The company expects to price the offering by Feb. 9.

Proceeds will go to the company's coffers entirely, the filing said, noting that they will be used to strengthen CCR's balance sheet and fund purchases of operating licenses.

(Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; editing by Alonso Soto and Jason Neely)
* TPG, Cerberus, Thoma Bravo interested in bidding

* Shares rise as much as 6.8 percent

* CPPIB would partner private equity investor

* DH said received approaches in December (Adds shares, further details on approaches)

By John Tilak and Matt Scuffham

TORONTO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and several U.S. private equity firms are interested in acquiring Canadian financial technology services provider DH Corp, according to people familiar with the situation.

TPG, Cerberus Capital Management LP and technology-focused Thoma Bravo are some of the U.S. buyout firms looking at DH, the people said on condition of anonymity because the matter is confidential.

The moves come more than a month after DH appointed a special committee as it received expressions of interest. The company hired Credit Suisse and Royal Bank of Canada as financial advisers. It said at the time that it had received no formal offers.

Shares in DH rose by as much as 6.8 percent in afternoon trading, having been up 2.2 percent prior to the Reuters report on interest from CPPIB and U.S. firms. The shares were up 3.7 percent to C$23.2 at 1330 ET, valuing the business at C$2.48 billion.

The interest in DH came at a point when its shares were in a slump, dropping to a record low last November. Its shares have since risen by more than 60 percent in anticipation of a deal materializing, but are still trading at just over half the record high they hit in July 2015.

TPG, CPPIB and Cerberus declined to comment. DH and Thoma Bravo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

CPPIB, Canada's biggest public pension fund, is directly investing in companies as it looks to diversify capital away from public equity and fixed income markets.

Canada's major financial institutions are investing heavily in financial technology, or fintech, companies in the expectation that new innovations will transform the financial services industry in decades to come. Fintech investments by private equity firms has also surged in recent years.

Story continues

CPPIB is likely to partner with a PE firm if it chooses to proceed, the sources said.

Formerly Davis + Henderson Corp, DH has transformed itself from a cheque printing company into a provider of payment and lending services. Its customers include banks and credit unions.

It has close to 8,000 customers, including Canada's five biggest lenders and more than half of the world's 50 largest banks. Nearly 60 percent of its C$1.5 billion in annual revenue comes from outside the United States.

Given DH made a string of acquisitions in the past few years, any potential buyer will look to extract savings by streamlining operations and revamping the business, the people said.

(Reporting by John Tilak and Matt Scuffham; Editing by Chris Reese and Andrew Hay)
ANN ARBOR, MI - Bob Evans restaurants across the United States, including Michigan, could switch hands after the company announced changes to its business structure and a possible sale of its more than 500 locations.

Bob Evans Farms Inc. announced Tuesday, Jan. 24, it plans to sell the restaurant side of its business to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $565 million. The California-based private equity firm operates restaurant chains California Pizza Kitchen and Red Lobster and retailers PacSun, Payless and Eddie Bauer.

The company operates 523 locations across 18 states, according to its website, including two locations in Washtenaw County: 3143 Ann Arbor-Saline Road which opened in late 2015, and 2411 Carpenter Road.

Patrons of Bob Evans should not experience any difference during future visits, a company spokesperson said.

"Our guests should see no changes at our restaurants across the company. This is business as usual for our restaurants," said company spokesperson Hinda Mitchell.

According to a Frequently Asked Questions article on the company website, the restaurants will maintain the Bob Evans name and the same menu items. Customers are able to continue using gift cards at any Bob Evans restaurant location.

The first Bob Evans restaurant opened in 1962 in Ohio, under the leadership of founder and namesake Bob Evans. The chain offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and markets its food products in grocery stores in all 50 states.

"This company already has made tremendous progress in updating every aspect of the guest experience, and our relationship with Golden Gate Capital greatly enhances those opportunities, while maintaining business as usual for our employees and guests," said Saed Mohseni, CEO of Bob Evans Farms Inc., in a statement.

The company remains headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, near Columbus.

In 2015, Bob Evans announced it would close some under-performing restaurants in Michigan. Restaurants in Kalamazoo, Fenton, Flint and Saginaw closed throughout the year into 2016.
LANSING, MI - Three apartment projects aimed at low and moderate-income residents have been approved for more than $7 million in low-income housing tax credits that will allow their construction within the next two years.

The three projects will create 164 new apartments on the city's West and Southeast sides, where a shortage of affordable housing has become a critical need as private housing developers take advantage of the city's growth.

They are among 15 projects statewide that were approved for tax credits by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) this week. The program allows the developers to raise money for their projects by selling an authorized amount of tax credits to investors.

Projects approved by MHSDA include:



 501 Eastern Avenue

Backed by the Inter-City Christian Federation (ICCF), a non-profit housing developer, this 65-unit apartment project will be located along Eastern Avenue SE between Logan and Baxter Avenues.

ICCF Executive Director Ryan VerWys said the $18 million project has been in the pipeline for the past 10 years. "This is the fourth application we've made for this site, he said.

When completed, the two four-story buildings include several "live/work" apartments on the ground floor and 17 apartments for homeless youth. Four of the 65 apartments will be market rate while the others will be set aside for residents whose income falls below 60 percent of the area's median income.



 Stockbridge Apartments

This $18 million ICCF project is part of a larger development in which Rockford Construction Co. plans to re-develop two city blocks on the city's West Side. The project will include a Meijer grocery store, offices, a parking ramp and apartments.

ICCF plans to build the 64 apartments on the top three floors of a retail development along the east side of Stocking Avenue north of Bridge Street NE. Thirteen of the apartments will rent for market rates while the remaining 51 apartments will be set aside as "workforce" housing.

"This is just a great opportunity for us to have mixed income types living in that neighborhood," VerWys said.

 St. James Apartments

This $13.2 million project by Genesis Non-Profit Housing Corp. will create 36 apartments in a vacant school building that was once owned by St. James Catholic Church. Genesis also plans to build 16 townhouse apartments on land adjacent to the school at 765 and 779 First Street NW.

Executive Director John Wynbeek said the development will include 13 apartments designed for low income persons with special needs while the remaining unit will be set aside for low and moderate income persons.

Also in West Michigan, MSHDA approved low income housing tax credits for a 48-unit project in Plainwell, a 24-unit project in Cadillac and an 81-unit housing project in Benton Harbor.
BATTLE CREEK, MI -- Battle Creek's largest employer now has its newest employee health care facility.

Saying onsite access and coordinated healthcare is needed at its facilities in the United States, global automotive industry supplier Denso Manufacturing Michigan Inc. hosted a dedication ceremony Thursday for its new Denso Family Health Center.

Denso says the facility, at its North Logistics Center at 4909 Wayne Road in Battle Creek, strengthens its commitment to the health and wellness of its employees.

"We are focused on being an employer of choice and this expansion fits well with our company philosophy to offer amenities that help make employees' lives easier," Andris Staltmanis, Denso Manufacturing Michigan president said in a prepared statement.

The North Logistics Center was developed inside a building that adjoins its Wayne Road location and that Denso purchased in 2015. The 215,000-square-foot facility, which has 10,000 square-feet of office space, underwent a full renovation.

When it opens for business on Feb. 7, it will be staffed by a primary care physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, physical therapist and other medical professionals. Employees and their family members who are covered by a Denso health plan and who are age 12 or older will be eligible to use the facility, but its usage is voluntary.

They will be able to receive primary care, chronic condition management, immunizations, physical therapy and other occupational health services. They will also be able to have laboratory work done and schedule well and sick visits.

The company did not said how much it spent to get the facility up and going, or how much it will cost to provide ongoing services.

"Our goals with the health center are to better manage the company's rising healthcare costs, pass some savings on to our employees and provide employees and their families with convenient access to high-quality health services," said Staltmanis, who oversaw a ribbon-cutting with Denso staff members. They included Karen Cooper-Boyer, who retired in 2016 as Denso Manufacturing Michigan's vice president of human resources and who was praised for improving health and wellness at the operation.

According to information provided by the company, the center will use what is called the Patient Centered Medical Home approach to strengthen the healthcare provider-patient relationship and try to provide comprehensive healthcare for its workers.

"Denso is proud to lead in this trend to provide a more comprehensive approach to healthcare," Staltmanis said. "Having a family health center on site will make it easy for our employees to stay proactive with their health and help manage chronic conditions if needed through quick access to primary care."

Denso's operation inside Battle Creek's Fort Custer Industrial Park is the lead production facility for Denso Corp.'s Thermal Systems North American Center. It manufactures automotive air conditioning and engine cooling components and systems. That includes condensers, radiators and CRFMs (condenser, radiator and fan modules), as well as heater cores, evaporators and HVAC units.

It employs more than 3,000 workers at its Battle Creek campus, which is the largest operation in the industrial park. Its six buildings have a total more than 1.38 million square feet of manufacturing, warehouse and administrative floor space.

Global automotive components manufacturer Denso Corp. is headquartered in Kariya, Japan. It has more than 17,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and its North American headquarters is in Southfield.

Cooper-Boyer, who joined Denso Manufacturing Michigan in 1990 as a manager of corporate services, was the operation's first female executive. The Western Michigan University graduate was a general manager of human resources, corporate services and human resources systems planning.

In spring of 2015, Staltmanis became Denso's first American-born president.
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State Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, speaks at an election eve rally on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor on Nov. 7, 2016.

(Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR, MI - As one of his first actions as Ann Arbor's newest state representative, Yousef Rabhi is introducing legislation to require polluters to pay to clean up environmental contamination they cause. Under current state law, Rabhi complains, polluters can simply manage the risk of human exposure by restricting access to polluted properties or aquifers instead of treating or removing the pollutants and restoring the environment. House Bill 4123, which Rabhi has introduced with a bipartisan group of 21 co-sponsors, would require pollution such as the

to be cleaned up as much as technically feasible. "Across our state, there are many polluted places where people can't live or drink the groundwater because our laws don't hold polluters accountable for cleaning up their messes," Rabhi said in a statement. "Instead of writing off more and more of our land and water every year, we need to restore our state to be as pollution-free as possible." Rabhi represents Ann Arbor, where a company called Gelman Sciences decades ago discharged large amounts of the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane into the environment. The pollution continues to spread through the area's groundwater and is the subject of ongoing legal negotiations.

Last month, a

from Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County and the Huron River Watershed Council to intervene as plaintiffs in the decades-old case between the state and the polluter to press for a better cleanup. Because there is no law requiring Gelman Sciences or its parent companies to pump and treat the contaminated water to fully restore the aquifer, Rabhi argues, the court-approved management plan that's in effect allows the pollution to remain in the ground and spread toward the Huron River. If it ever reaches Barton Pond, an impoundment on the river, it could contaminate Ann Arbor's primary drinking water source. "The people of Michigan deserve clean and safe air, water and soil," Rabhi said. "I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting this important step toward making our state a better place to live." Gelman Sciences was acquired in 1997 by Pall Corp., which was acquired in 2015 by Danaher Corp., a multibillion-dollar corporation that some local officials and residents argue has the financial resources to do a better cleanup. The polluter has spent millions doing pump-and-treat remediation over the years to remove dioxane from the groundwater. However, the rate of pumping and treating has slowed in recent years and some want to see it increased. Gelman Sciences maintains it is complying with requirements of a court-approved management plan as amended in 2011, pumping as much groundwater as necessary to keep the footprint of the plume west of Wagner Road from expanding into township areas where people are on well water, while simultaneously pumping enough dioxane from extraction wells to the east to keep the plume within a court-ordered groundwater use prohibition zone that covers much of Ann Arbor from its western limits to the Huron River. That still allows dioxane to spread eastward through the groundwater use prohibition zone in high concentrations, with the idea that someday it will discharge to the Huron River and become diluted. Local officials argue that doesn't take into consideration vapor intrusion into homes and other buildings as a potential exposure pathway, and that's one of the reasons for going back to court to press for a change in strategy. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Gov. Rick Snyder in October issued new emergency rules to establish

, lowering the amount of dioxane allowed in residential drinking water from 85 parts per billion to 7.2 ppb, and acknowledging the state's longstanding dioxane exposure criteria was not protective of public health. The state standard used to be 3 ppb back before Republican Gov. John Engler in 1995 enacted new laws weakening the state's environmental regulations and essentially adopting a risk-management approach that allows pollution such as the dioxane plume in Ann Arbor to fester in the environment. Jeff Irwin, who represented Ann Arbor in the state House before Rabhi took over his seat this month, has complained Michigan has lax environmental laws. "We used to enjoy a polluter-pay law that was written by our very own Sen. Lana Pollack," he said. "Then (in 1995) the law changed, and the law changed to say that polluters only have to clean up their pollution if it's actively harming someone, and so that's a big reason why this cleanup has dragged on for so long."
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University of Michigan student Eric Kammerer, 26, was last seen by roommates on Jan. 16. He drives a bronze 2004, four-door Toyota Corolla (vehicle displayed is not his actual vehicle. Photo provided

UPDATE: Missing University of Michigan student found dead

ANN ARBOR, MI - Police are looking for assistance locating a University of Michigan student who was last seen by his roommates on Jan. 16.

Eric Allen Kammerer, 26, last had contact with his parents on Jan. 13, via text message. His credit card was last used on Jan. 17 and his last known cell phone usage was at 8 p.m. on Jan. 18, which pinged off of a cellular tower located near the Ann Arbor Airport.

Kammerer is a white male, 5-feet-11-inches tall, 150 lbs, with sandy hair and green eyes. He drives a bronze 2004 four-door Toyota Corolla, Illinois license plate G302165.

Kammerer is a fourth-year computer science major at U-M. He has a past history of depression and does have access to a firearm.

The Ann Arbor Police Department is working with Kammerer's family and the University of Michigan to locate him. If you have any information, please contact investigators at 734-794-6930, ext. 49326, the Ann Arbor Police Tip Line at 734-794-6939, or dial 911.
Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility inmate Janika Edmond, 25, died of suicide in November 2015.

PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI - The court process for a former Michigan Department of Corrections officer charged in connection with the suicide death of an inmate is delayed for several months as lawyers make their way through a hefty amount of discovery in the case.

Dianna Callahan, 48, of Flint is charged with involuntary manslaughter and willful neglect of duty in the November 2015 suicide death of prisoner Janika Edmond.

Discovery in the case - at least that on paper- totals almost 1,000 pages so far, Callahan's attorney, William Hatchett, told District Court Judge Richard Conlin during a probable cause hearing Thursday, Jan. 26 in Washtenaw County's 14A-1 District Court.

At least 30 witnesses need to be interviewed as well, he said, and he and Washtenaw County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Steve Hiller agreed to postpone the hearing until April.

"(I)t's my understanding that there are some issues that need to be worked out in terms of some additional discovery I know Mr. Hatchett would like to have - some things that we're probably going to be able to agree to, some things we may need to ask the court (to) decide eventually," Hiller told Conlin.

Callahan is now scheduled for a probable cause hearing on April 20 and a preliminary examination on April 27. She remains free on a $5,000 personal bond.

Edmond was found injured on Nov. 2, 2015, from a suicide attempt in the segregation shower unit of the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township. She was pronounced dead at a hospital several days later.

Edmond was sentenced in 2013 to one year and four months to two years for assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer and one year and five months to four years in prison for violating probation. During her time in prison, Edmond had a history of misconduct and suicidal tendencies.

Edmond family attorney, David Steingold, has alleged that on the day of her injury, Callahan ignored Edmond's requests for a suicide-prevention vest and had a bet related to whether Edmond would ask for one. In addition, Michigan State Police reports obtained by MLive and The Ann Arbor News show Callahan may have pumped her fist, given a thumbs-up and said "somebody owes me lunch" in apparent response to Edmond's statements.

The reports also show Callahan and another prison employee, Kory Moore, discussed a Subway sandwich shortly after surveillance video picked up audio recordings of Edmond expressing suicidal ideations.

Callahan and Moore were both fired in March 2016 after MDOC's internal investigation into the death. Michigan State Police records show detectives only knew to investigate the death after an investigation by The Ann Arbor News and news of the firings were published. MDOC later admitted fault in how the death was handled.

Moore has since been reinstated.

If Callahan is convicted of felony involuntary manslaughter, she faces up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine. If she is convicted of misdemeanor willful neglect of duty, she faces up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
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A man sought medical treatment after he was robbed by a group of five men early Friday, Jan. 27 near the University of Michigan's central campus.

This story has been updated to provide further description of the group of men, the victim of the incident and the injuries he sustained



ANN ARBOR, MI - A man sought medical treatment after he was robbed by a group of six men early Friday, Jan. 27 near the University of Michigan's central campus.

According to the Ann Arbor Police, the 21-year-old Ann Arbor resident was approached by the men around 1:30 a.m. in an alley off the 600 block of Church Street, south of South University Avenue.

The men, described as white males, took the victim's wallet and cell phone and punched him several times, leaving in an unknown direction, according to police. No further physical description of the group of men was provided by the victim. The victim was transported to U-M Hospital for treatment of facial injuries that were described as "non life-threatening in an email from Ann Arbor Police Lt. Matthew Lige.

Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security at 734-763-1131 or the Ann Arbor Police Department tip line at 734-794-6939 or tips@a2gov.org.


(Adds comments from Tahoe)

By Susan Taylor

TORONTO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A Canadian court ruled on Thursday that a lawsuit against Tahoe Resources Inc filed by Guatemalan men who claim to have been shot by the miner's private security guards can proceed in British Columbia, according to a copy of the judgment seen by Reuters.

The decision by the Court of Appeal for British Columbia, which reverses a 2015 provincial Supreme Court ruling, said that Vancouver-based Tahoe had not proven Guatemala was a more appropriate forum for the case.

The case is being closely watched by Canadian miners that operate abroad because it could increase litigation risk.

Seven Guatemalan men allege in a civil lawsuit that security personnel hired by Tahoe opened fire on them in April 2013 during a protest outside the Escobal silver mine in southeastern Guatemala. The men say they were injured during the shooting as they attempted to flee.

The men, whose suit was filed in June 2014, are seeking unspecified punitive and compensation damages against Tahoe.

Tahoe maintains its position that Guatemala is the appropriate jurisdiction to hear the case, it said in a statement, adding that Thursday's ruling does not impact its current operations in the Central American country.

The company said that it will decide whether to appeal the ruling after reviewing the decision, and plans to defend itself regardless of the jurisdiction.

Two other miners are facing legal challenges in Canadian courts.

A suit against Nevsun Resources, by Eritreans who say they were forced to work at the company's Bisha mine, is proceeding in British Columbia and three lawsuits against HudBay Minerals also alleging abuses in Guatemala are moving to trial in Toronto.

"We're thrilled with the result today," said lawyer Matt Eisenbrandt, a member of the Guatemalan men's legal team, with the Canadian Centre for International Justice.

"This is an important statement by the Court of Appeal that British Columbia is the appropriate place for a case to be heard against a B.C. mining company ... (and) making sure that Canadian courts are open to those who have been victims of alleged abuses in overseas mining operations."

Story continues

Tahoe, which has mines in Guatemala, Peru and Ontario, acquired Canada's Lake Shore Gold for some C$751 million in February 2016 and Rio Alto Mining for about C$1.4 billion in 2015.

Its Escobal mine is operated by subsidiary Minera San Rafael.

(Reporting by Susan Taylor; editing by Alan Crosby, G Crosse)
DETROIT -- A historic strip of storefronts along Woodward Avenue is being redeveloped in a $7.5 million project overseen by a nonprofit that owns key stretches of the commercial district.

Nonprofit development group Midtown Detroit Inc. purchased 6568 Woodward Ave., a three-story structure built in 1896, to be renovated and rebranded as Woodward Grand, which sits along the new M-1 Rail streetcar track.

"It's a catalyst for New Center," said Sue Mosey, executive director of Midtown Detroit Inc. "It gives us a whole new set of beautiful storefronts to place businesses."

The space will feature 10,000-square-feet of retail space in multiple Woodward Avenue storefronts, 10,000-square-feet office space and 10 third-floor housing units, three of which will be designated affordable units.

Across the street, another storefront space also owned by Midtown Detroit has been renovated and rebranded the North End Collective, housing retailers Purple Love, Traveling Pants Co., United Front and Live Coal Gallery.

The two projects were part of a $7.5 million investment announced by Midtown Detroit on Friday.

"We are all working collectively to open new housing and commercial space to help create a vibrant neighborhood in New Center along the new QLine," Mosey said, referring to a streetcar line set to open in the spring for transportation along Woodward Avenue between New Center and Downtown Detroit.

The group owns more storefronts in the New Center Commercial Historic District -- which was added to the National Register of Historic Places Program last year -- and plans to oversee another $36.5 million in investment there over the next two years.

The strip long housed a sleepy, but viable stretch of business -- Payless Shoes being the most visible -- that shut down in recent years as the M-1 rail line was built.

In the past year, Midtown Detroit Inc. purchased about 70,000-square-feet of commercial space in the Midtown-New Center corridor, Mosey said.

Woodward Grand will house Wilda's Cafe and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation headquarters, which is contributing a $500,000 grant toward green infrastructure in the building.

"We're excited about the opportunity to move the Foundation's headquarters to an area in the region where our presence might help accelerate the development and momentum that's already on the ground," said David Egner, CEO of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is also contributing $750,000 to help restore Woodward Grand.

"We are excited to be part of this project that will historically rehabilitate the highly visible building...and to continue to see investment moving north along Woodward corridor," said Greg Tedder, vice president of community and development and marketing for MEDC.

Other funders include Capital Impact Partners, Invest Detroit and PNC Bank.

The developers hope to see residents moving into the Woodward Grand residential spaces by late May or early June.
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Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell

(Jake May I MLive.com)

FLINT, MI - Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell says he "has never seen the money" that a federal racketeering lawsuit claims he charged court process servers.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Detroit U.S. District Court by attorney Scott Batey, alleges that over the course of 10 years, funds from Pickell's required fee to deputize process servers went "into a bank account for the personal gain/benefit" of the sheriff.

According to the suit, the alleged pay-to-play deputizing system allowed process servers - individuals who perform numerous court-related tasks, including serving legal documents - to receive work as deputies and agents of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

The plaintiffs in the case are eight former process servers and Genesee County residents: William Trier, Jeffrey McKinsey, Harold Daniel, John Austin Harrington, Richard Sparks, Jacob Trier, Crystal Baker and Joel Mata.

"I didn't see that money, I don't even know where it went," Pickell told MLive-The Flint Journal. "I want to state clearly that this is a frivolous lawsuit that has no merit. This is more about the attorney getting his money than the truth. Anyone with $150 can file a lawsuit. I look forward to taking quick action."

Later, he echoed the sentiments in a Facebook status.

The system for empowering process servers varies from county to county across Michigan, said Blaine Koops, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Sheriff's Association. In Allegan County, where Koops was sheriff for 16 years, a local company was hired to do process serving, and only one of its employees was deputized, he said.

As of January 2017, the system of deputizing process servers in Genesee County has moved into the courts, where servers obtain similar authority as officers of the court, Pickell said.

Batey said that his plaintiffs had already taken advantage of the switch and were deputized last week by Chief Circuit Judge Richard B. Yuille.

"He didn't charge a penny," said Batey. "And there's no problem with charging money for deputizing if the money is going to the county, but they're acting as a political office to get money for personal gain."

In addition to Pickell, the executive director of Genesee County's process servers, Scott L. Hope and his company Allen & Hope Process Serving Management Co.,Inc. and Genesee County are all listed as defendants in the suit. The lawsuit alleges two violations of the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one count of violation of First Amendment rights.

The lawsuit states that Pickell, Hope, and Allen & Hope worked as a "loosely knit business enterprise" designed to "financially enrich" the three and to keep Pickell in office and attack his opponents.

Letters included in the suit from Pickell to the plaintiffs from Dec. 6, 2016, state that the sheriff's office "will exclusively use the firm of Allen-Hope & Associates" for serving orders.

"From at least 2006 continuing until 2016, defendants annually engaged in a pattern of racketeering where defendants would take and receive money not due to them under the pretense that they were entitled to the money," the lawsuit claims.

Checks were allegedly made out to Pickell, The Committee to Retain Sheriff Pickell, or a charity selected by Allen & Hope.

Pickell said that money collected from the process servers was a training fee. "Once a year, we'd hold a meeting in December in Harris Auditorium, and go over complaints, and they would pay a fee for training."

Copies of checks made out to Pickell and his campaign committee, purportedly related to the allegations, were attached to the lawsuit as evidence. Some of the checks were endorsed with a signature reading "Scott L. Hope."

Hope, who serves as executive director of the Genesee County Civil Division and oversaw the county's process servers, said that the checks were made out to Pickell by process servers who wanted to be deputized, but that the money "was just a suggestion" and "every dime" has been donated to a local charitable organization of Pickell's choosing.

"We'd send out a letter each year with an amount," he said. "I never remember it being as high as $300, though."

Batey said the suit against the sheriff is "not personal," despite former suits in which the two went head-to-head.

"We had great success in the Boulton case and this one had merit," he said of the new lawsuit. The alleged deputizing for pay process "is outrageous, using political office for personal gain is outrageous."

No court date has been set to hear the case.
COURTLAND TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 19-year-old Rockford woman injured early Friday in a two-vehicle crash on M-57 has died, according to Michigan State Police.

Emergency crews were dispatched around 8:30 a.m. to M-57, also known as 14 Mile Road, between Myers Lake Avenue NE and Berrigan Avenue NE. The stretch of highway was closed in both directions, and remains closed at least four hours later.

Preliminary investigation determined the woman was driving eastbound when her vehicle struck the rear of a flatbed truck, which was stopped, waiting to make a left turn north onto Berrigan Avenue, police said.

The woman was transported to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, but died as a result of the crash. She was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, police said.

Citing the pending investigation, police did not release the name of the victim, or information about the other driver involved in the crash.

Michigan State Police were assisted on scene by emergency personnel from the Courtland Township Fire Department, Kent County Sheriff's Department, Kent County Road Commission and Rockford Ambulance.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Dave DeBruyn, the longtime curator for the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, never met the Apollo astronaut for whom the planetarium is named.

Neither has Bob Steelman, who chairs a scholarship foundation created to honor the Wyoming native who was one of three astronauts killed 50 years ago in a Jan. 27 launch pad fire.

But thousands of area students and adults know of Chaffee thanks to their efforts and others who have supported the museum and scholarship fund.

On Feb. 10 and Feb. 11, the museum and Grand Valley State University will sponsor "Roger That! A Celebration of Space Exploration in Honor of Roger B. Chaffee." The two-day event is designed to introduce students to astronomy and space exploration.

For visitors to the planetarium at the Grand Rapids Public Museum's Van Andel Museum Center, an introduction to Chaffee and his legacy is part of the orientation.

Using a video and artifacts donated by Chaffee's parents and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the display introduces West Michigan kids to the man who studied hard and became one of the nation's most elite pilots before tragedy struck.

Chaffee's legacy also continued through a scholarship fund that was created by his parents and community leaders. The $3,000 scholarship is awarded every spring to a Kent County senior headed for a career in math or science.

"The community felt the scholarship was important to honor new talent and also to honor a Grand Rapids hero," said Steelman, whose daughter, Kelly, was a recipient 20 years ago. She's now a professor at Michigan Technological University in Houghton.

"I think it's very meaningful for the recipients, not only in that it provides some money to help their education, but I think it's an inspiration, too," said Steelman.

DeBruyn had been on the job for two years at the planetarium when the fire occurred. The following May, planetarium was renamed to honor Chaffee in a ceremony attended by Eugene Cernan, a fellow astronaut and Chaffee's neighbor in Houston.

The association and name continued when the museum and planetarium moved across the river to the Van Andel Museum.

"From then on throughout the end of the Apollo era, whenever we had shows that dealt with space, we recalled his contribution," says DeBruyn, who retired from the museum 13 years ago but retains an office at the museum and writes an astronomy column for The Grand Rapids Press.
Celebration Village chick fil a.jpg

A rendering of of Chick-fil-A's proposed location at 2183 E. Beltline Avenue NE at Celebration Village in Grand Rapids. The restaurant is re-submitting plans for a drive-through this January after the Planning Commission denied its proposal in October 2016. Contributed.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Chick-fil-A's second attempt for a drive-through restaurant at Celebration Village has met the same ax as the first plan.

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission denied Chick-fil-A's plans for a 120-seat restaurant with a 23-car drive through at 2183 E. Beltline Ave. NE. on the Grand Rapids city line in its Thursday meeting.

"At first glance to me this doesn't appear to be demonstrably different," said Chairman Kyle Van Strien. "I think they were trying to address our concerns but I don't know if this meets the spirit and intent of the overlay district and the joint plan. We have denied a lot of drive-throughs for this area."

In October the commission had denied nearly identical plans for the restaurant because it was a standalone drive-through, and the project didn't offer more than one use.

This January Chick-fil-A returned with plans - proposing what they considered to be "multi-use" by tacking a 1,200-square-foot office space with its own entrance onto the side of the Chick-fil-A building.

Jason Hill, development manager for the company, said he was hopeful that the proposal would have met approval with the office space - but the Planning Commission didn't agree.

The commission's Thursday denial cited a need to protect the transportation capacity of the East Beltline corridor -- and that a drive-through does not fit with the walkable intent of Celebration Village.

The proposed office space wasn't enough to constitute a mixed-use project or an integrated development, the commission said, and the peak times at the restaurant along lunch and dinner will clash with rush hour.

Hill said the company would be reviewing whether they wanted to pursue the Celebration Village location.

Chick-fil-A has the property that fronts East Beltline under contract, Hill said. The location is the site of two former failed restaurants - Fajita Republic Cantina and Johnny Carino's.

"You do want to consider the longevity of the business that will be there on a site where two restaurants have failed," Hill said. "We've never closed (a Chick-fil-A) due to lack of performance."

The company was proposing to tear down the existing building and build a new 5,036 square-foot restaurant that would seat 120 people, as well as an adjacent 1,200 square-foot office. Plans submitted did not include windows, and Chick-fil-A did not yet have a tenant in mind for that space.

Chris Zull of the city's traffic engineering department showed the Planning Commission a video of traffic during the opening day of the Chick-fil-A at 1545 Edgeknoll Dr. S.E. in Gaines Township. It showed an aerial angle of cars backed up along Kalamazoo Avenue and the exit ramp from M-6, waiting to get into the restaurant.

Opening Day! Posted by Chick-fil-A Grand Rapids South on Thursday, January 12, 2017

Zull wanted the Planning Commission to consider whether they would want that kind of traffic on Beltline and Knapp.

"This area is very congested, with 30,000-plus cars a day on Beltline, and 15,000 cars on Knapp," Zull said. "This is the type of context that needs to be considered, especially for opening day and the regular weekend traffic."

Hill said Chick-fil-A worked with police on the opening day of the Gaines Township Chick-fil-A as they anticipated crowds. When necessary, Hill said the company will pay for police to mitigate traffic on opening days.

Traffic is still higher than normal at the Gaines Township location, Hill said, noting he expects it to taper off in several months as more Chick-fil-A locations open in West Michigan.

Chick-fil-A was not required to conduct a traffic study for the Beltline proposal.

Grand Rapids lawyer Matt Zimmerman presented a lengthy argument to the planning commission on behalf of Chick-fil-A -- but it did not prove to be enough.

"In Michigan, infrastructure follows the use," Zimmerman said. "The Michigan Department of Transportation is already looking at adding lanes on both sides of Beltline."

Zimmerman said the outlot that Chick-fil-A is pursuing was never a part of the "walkable village" design of Celebration Village -- and that developing an unused site would help the rest of the businesses there.

The owner of Celebration Cinema agreed -- a representative read aloud a letter from John Loeks at the Thursday meeting, in which he supported the Chick-fil-A.

The Grand Rapids South location is the first of three scheduled to open in West Michigan this year. Locations also include 700 54th St. SW in Wyoming and 6202 S. Westnedge Ave. in Portage.
(Adds details on specific stocks, updates prices)

* TSX down fell 29.55 points, or 0.19 percent, to 15,585.97

* Seven of TSX's 10 main groups move lower

TORONTO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index slipped on Friday as some heavyweight natural resource stocks weighed, while electronics manufacturer Celestica Inc jumped to a 12-year high.

Celestica surged 9.6 percent to C$18.30 after its adjusted earnings beat expectations and it said it would exit the oversupplied solar panel manufacturing market.

The energy group retreated 0.6 percent as oil prices slipped on an increased focus on U.S. production increases that could lessen the impact of an OPEC agreement to reduce supply.

TransCanada Corp fell 0.8 percent to C$63.03 as the country's energy regulator said it would restart from the beginning a hearing into the company's proposed Energy East pipeline.

Fellow pipeline operator Enbridge Inc declined 0.6 percent to C$57.73 after announcing it would pay about $170 million to take private Midcoast Energy Partners LP.

At 10:25 a.m. ET (1525 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index fell 29.55 points, or 0.19 percent, to 15,585.97.

The index was heading for a 0.6 percent gain on the week and is within striking distance of an all-time high hit in 2014.

Rogers Communications extended a rally to its highest level since August as investors cheered Thursday's results that suggested its turnaround was on track. It advanced 1.6 percent to C$56.91.

Restaurant Brands International Inc advanced 0.2 percent to C$64.75. The company said it would expand its coffee and doughnut chain, Tim Hortons, into Mexico.

The financials group remain unchanged.

Industrials rose 0.3 percent, although plane and train maker Bombardier Inc fell 1.2 percent to C$2.54 as Brazil said Canada had signaled a willingness to negotiate to resolve a feud over government support that threatens to turn into an international trade dispute.

The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.2 percent.

Story continues

Potash Corp and Agrium Inc both fell 1.1 percent. The companies, which plan to merge by mid-2017 to cut costs, are struggling with the deepest slump in a decade for the oversupplied potash fertilizer market.

Seven of the index's 10 main groups were in negative territory, while decliners outnumbers gainers by a 1.4-to-1 ratio overall.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Paul Simao)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Attorneys for death-row inmate Marvin Gabrion contend he is incompetent and unable to help challenge his murder conviction and death sentence.

Gabrion has filed a civil appeal in U.S. District Court in the 1997 killing of Rachel Timmerman, 19, of Cedar Springs.

He is also suspected of killing her 11-month-old daughter, Shannon, whose body wasn't found, and three of his associates.

His attorneys filed a detailed report that looks at Gabrion's life and four generations of his family. It includes stories of mental illness, abuse, poverty, violence and substance abuse.

Gabrion's attorneys asked for a stay in proceedings and a hearing to determine his competence.

They have also sought recusal of the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell. The case will likely fall to another judge, anyway, because Bell is retiring.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has found Gabrion severely mentally ill but not incompetent.

His attorneys say he is incompetent now and was at trial.

Gabrion "has a long history of severe mental illness" that "may have deteriorated over the last 15 years while he has been housed on death row. His condition has certainly not improved," his attorneys, Scott Graham of Portage, and Monica Foster and Joseph Cleary, both of Indianapolis, wrote in documents.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer McManus opposed the motion for a competency hearing, the attorneys said.

The government says Gabrion killed Timmerman two days before she was to testify that he raped her in 1996. She was bound to cinderblocks then thrown into Oxford Lake, a remote Newaygo County lake on federal land.

Michigan does not allow the death penalty but federal prosecutors convinced the jury the killing happened on federal land, thus allowing the federal death penalty.

Gabrion's attorneys said he is unable to assist them with his appeals unless his competency is restored with medication.

They say it would be an "abuse of discretion" to deny Gabrion a hearing because the issue of his competence has not undergone an adversarial hearing.

"Mr. Gabrion behaved bizarrely during the run up to the trial and during trial itself," his attorneys wrote.

"His peculiar conduct has continued unabated in the 15 years since he was sentenced to death. His mentally ill conduct did not begin with the events described at trial. Mr. Gabrion behaved erratically for decades prior to Ms. Timmerman's death."

The attorneys said there were reports at trial that Gabrion was faking mental illness to help his criminal case. His trial attorney reported "difficulty communicating" with him.

It was "a refrain that would haunt this case to its conclusion," Gabrion's attorneys said.

Despite the concerns, the trial attorney did not insist on a hearing to test government witnesses' conclusions, his appellate attorneys said. The trial attorney sought a competency evaluation but a neuropsychologist and a forensic psychologist concluded he was "competent and malingering even though some bizarre behavior was noted ... ."

At trial, Gabrion whispered loudly, was very agitated, belched and was told repeatedly by his attorney and judge to be quiet.

Gabrion ignored his attorney's advice and took the witness stand where he declared: "I am the speaker of the truth."

His testimony veered into irrelevant tangents.

When the penalty phase began, Gabrion punched his attorney in the face as jurors looked on.

The judge noted that Gabrion's competency was "one of great concern to this court," but denied a request then for a competency examination, records showed.

Gabrion returned to court after 25 witnesses testified.

Then, he said: "I'm sorry to be represented by evil shysters in a kangaroo court in a prostitute evil nation that murders its babies by abortion. And I'll be quiet because I'm forced to just as if I was in Nazi Germany. Thank you."

He spent the last day of the penalty phase with his head on the defense table, sleeping.

Then, he again testified against his attorney's advice and went on odd rants. He told jurors he would be "fine" with whatever punishment they handed out.

He didn't care because he had been depressed over the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, he said.

He speaks nearly every day with the Indiana Federal Community Defenders' Office but refuses to talk about his case.

"He is consumed with topics having nothing to do with his litigation and that is all he will discuss with counsel," his attorneys said.

"He's actively delusional."

They said he was not always this way. Despite chaos and poverty growing up, he was described as a "tenderhearted" boy who looked after family and stood up for kids being bullied. He ran track and liked to play chess.

The trouble started after high school, when his behavior turned bizarre, his attorneys said.

His attorneys say a forensic psychiatrist would testify that Gabrion is incompetent. His competence could be restored with psychiatric medication but that is not the goal of the Terre Haute, Indiana, prison where he is housed.

"The process that leads to the execution of a citizen by the government must bear the hallmarks of due process," his attorneys wrote.

"Mr. Gabrion's trial conduct was bizarre. Though the government claimed he was malingering mental illness for the purpose of influencing these proceedings, Mr. Gabrion did nothing to try to save his own life and much to destroy any chance of a life sentence."

His attorneys say they need "nondelusional input" from Gabrion to assist in his appeals.
Fifty years ago this week, America's exuberant chase to land a person on the moon was caught horribly off-guard when a launch pad fire killed three astronauts, including West Michigan native Lt. Roger B. Chaffee.

It was not like earlier rocket launches where Americans huddled around their television screens and counted down with mission control. The fire occurred on a Friday at 6:31 p.m. after a long day of testing in which the systems in the Apollo 1 capsule were being tested for a future launch.

A random spark caused a fire to flash through the capsule that had been pressurized with pure oxygen. The men inside were trapped and asphyxiated by the toxic fumes as rescuers struggled unsuccessfully to open the hatch in time.

The Apollo 1 tragedy created a new national awareness of the dangers of the nation's space program, according to Glen Swanson, a visiting professor at Grand Valley State University and a former historian at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

"Because it happened inside the spacecraft, the accident hit home with the public," Swanson said. "It caused a lot of folks to step back and pause and think about the nature of these flights. That mission was a very big eye-opener."

Chaffee, a 31-year-old Navy pilot, was in training for his first space flight. Beside him were veteran astronauts Lt. Col. Virgil Grissom, the second American to fly in space, and Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the first man to "walk" in space in a previous mission.

They were preparing for a flight later that spring that was supposed to orbit the Earth for up to 14 days to test the new Apollo capsule.

Previously, the nation had watched as the Mercury capsules safely carried a single astronaut into space, followed by the Gemini capsules with two astronauts aboard.

The Apollo spacecraft were the next step, designed to carry two astronauts to the surface on a lunar landing craft while the third astronaut orbited the moon, fulfilling the bold dream the late President John F. Kennedy had cast before the nation in 1961.

In West Michigan, the fire was an even deeper tragedy. It snuffed out a local hero and father of two children who would have been the youngest man in space.

Lt. Roger B. Chaffee has his U.S. Navy wings pinned onto his uniform jacket by his wife, Martha, in this 1959 photo. (Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Public Museum)

At every turn in his career, Michigan proved to be a touchstone for the young astronaut.

Born in Grand Rapids on Feb. 15, 1935, Chaffee developed an early interest in aviation from his father, Don Chaffee, a "barnstorming pilot" whose day job involving working as chief inspector for local defense contractor, Doehler-Jarvis. He introduced his 7-year-old son to flying in 1942 when he took him along on a flight over Lake Michigan. From that flight on, the boy was hooked on space.

Roger Chaffee was an earnest student who earned 10 merit badges in his first year as a Boy Scout, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from Grand Rapids Central High School in 1953, he joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering.

In 1954, Chaffee nearly washed out of his flight training when he failed an eye test. A sympathetic physician told him to come back the next morning for another try. After taking a long walk on the beaches of Lake Michigan that night, Chaffee returned the next morning and passed the vision test with flying colors, according to his NASA biography.

As an undergraduate at Purdue University, Chaffee met his wife, Martha, while teaching a mathematics class. They married in August, 1957, the same month in which he completed his naval training.

Chaffee had a successful career as a Navy flyer, most notably flying planes that identified Soviet installations in Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis. In 1962, he joined 1,800 applicants for the second round of NASA's astronaut selection process.

Astronaut Edward H. White, II rides life raft in the foreground as astronaut Roger B. Chaffee sits in hatch of the boilerplate model of the spacecraft during water egress training in a swimming pool at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas. (Courtesy | NASA)

In 1963, while on a hunting trip in Michigan, Chaffee learned he was being admitted to the prestigious space program. At 28, he was the youngest person selected by NASA. He was assigned to follow the spacecraft's communications systems.

As an astronaut, Chaffee joined an elite fraternity of national heroes, whose public adulation was fed by Life magazine's exclusive access to them. While they were not paid much, the Life magazine contract allowed the family to build a new suburban home, next door to fellow astronaut Gene Cernan.

In March 1966, Chaffee was named to the first Apollo mission. He was the first astronaut to win a post on a "prime" crew without first serving on a backup crew.

"Roger was one of the smartest boys I've ever run into," Grissom told The New York Times. "He's just a damn good engineer. There's no other way to explain it. When he starts talking to engineers about their systems, he can just tear those damn guys apart. I've never seen anyone like him."

But the flames aboard the space capsule cut his promising life short.

On Jan. 31, Chaffee was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery. President Lyndon B. Johnson sat with the family in the front row as television cameras recorded the service. Cernan, his neighbor and fellow astronaut, comforted Chaffee's 5-year son, Stephen, during the military funeral.

Afterward, Martha Chaffee, then 27, returned home with Stephen and her 8-year-old daughter, Sheryl. She later told a reporter she slept with the flag that had been draped over her husband's coffin. "That was the last thing that was closest to him, and it was a comfort," she said.

Meanwhile, the fire prompted a re-design of the Apollo spacecraft, delaying any future flights by 21 months as politicians held hearings and engineers went back to their drawing boards.

"As a result of that tragedy, a lot of changes were made to the spacecraft," Swanson said. "Chief among them was a hatch that opened outward rather than inward." They also changed the air supply, switching from 100-percent oxygen to a mix of oxygen and nitrogen that was less prone to flash fire.

In August, 1968, Apollo 7 flew, completing the low earth orbit tests the Apollo 1 mission was supposed to perform. Eleven months later, on July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong fulfilled the mission of which Chaffee had dreamed and stepped onto the surface of the moon.
UPDATE: Driver dies after crash on M-57.



COURTLAND TOWNSHIP, MI -- Police have closed a portion of M-57 in Cedar Springs to investigate a crash that injured at least one person.

Emergency crews were dispatched around 8:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27 following report of a serious crash on M-57 (14 Mile Road NE) between Myers Lake Avenue NE and Berrigan Avenue NE.

Based on a dispatch report, a woman was critically injured and transported to a nearby hospital via ambulance.

The Michigan Department of Transportation reported the highway closure of all lanes at 8:40 a.m.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A man apparently drove himself to a hospital after being shot in the leg Thursday, Jan. 26.

The wound is not considered life-threatening.

The man told police that someone in a red SUV fired at a pedestrian and missed. A bullet penetrated his black SUV and struck him near the knee.

He showed up at a local hospital at about 7:30 p.m.

Police say they're trying to determine the accuracy of his story. Officers initially believed the shooting happened near Buchanan Elementary at Buchanan Avenue SW and Brown Street.

Later, however, they received additional information that it happened near a gas station at Burton Street SW and Palace Avenue.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Ann Arbor News has won the Newspaper of the Year award in its circulation category in the Michigan Press Association's 2016 Better Newspaper Contest.

The newspaper competed against papers with circulations from 11,001 to 20,000, including the Battle Creek Enquirer, Monroe Evening News, Traverse City Record-Eagle, Bay City Times, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Times Herald, Herald-Palladium and Holland Sentinel.

Overall, MLive Media Group journalists received 99 awards in the MPA's contest.

The awards were announced Thursday evening at the MPA's annual convention at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids.

MLive Media Group formed in 2012, and includes the MLive.com web site, as well as newspapers in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Jackson, Flint, Saginaw and Bay City.

Here are the rest of the awards won by The Ann Arbor News.

Best page or pages (circulation 11,001 to 20,000)

Second place: The Ann Arbor News: "The Ann Arbor News"

Business/agriculture news (circulation 11,001 to 20,000)

Second place: Matt Durr, The Ann Arbor News: "Campus Inn sold"

Feature story (circulation 11,001 to 20,000)

First place: Lauren Slagter, The Ann Arbor News: "We have to tell this story says father of transgender 7-year-old"

Government/education news (circulation 11,001 to 20,000)

First place: Lauren Slagter, The Ann Arbor News: "Undocumented Ypsilanti valedictorian: I want a bright future"

Second place: Lindsay Knake, The Ann Arbor News: "Ann Arbor teachers, administrators at odds over new evaluation system"

News enterprise reporting (circulation 11,001 to 20,000)

First place: Ryan Stanton, The Ann Arbor News: "Dioxane plume under Ann Arbor"

News photo (circulation 11,001 to 20,000)

Second place: Melanie Maxwell, The Ann Arbor News: "GOP debate in Detroit"

Best headline - open class

First place: Ann Arbor News staff: "Down with Crosswords"

Most innovative storytelling - open class

First place: John Counts, The Ann Arbor News: "Revisiting super drunk law"

Public Service Award - open class

Second place: Ryan Stanton, The Ann Arbor News: "Dioxane plume under Ann Arbor"
china military

A Chinese military official has warned that war between the US and China is becoming "a practical reality" following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

On January 20, an official from the People's Liberation Army wrote on its official website that the US's "rebalance" in Asia, its deployments to the region, and its push to arm South Korea with the THAAD missile-defense system were provocative "hot spots getting closer to ignition," The South China Morning Post reported Friday.

Before his inauguration, Trump sparked controversy in China when he took a phone call from the president of Taiwan, going against the US's decades-long protocol to respect a "One China" policy. At the time, Chinese officials lodged a complaint with the White House but referred to the call as a "shenanigan by the Taiwan side."

But that hasn't put to rest all of China's concerns. "The Taiwan question" is a core interest to the country, which, two PLA authors wrote in December, could push a more aggressive response as the US supports independence for Taiwan and more exports of weaponry.

"We hope that the US will rein in at the brink of the precipice and avoid going farther and farther down the wrong path," the authors wrote on the Chinese military's official website.

For now, China seems to be trying to get a read on what a Trump administration might do, especially in the contested South China Sea. But it is continuing to build up military preparedness and overhaul its ranks, according to SCMP.

"As it's highly unlikely that China will compromise its sovereignty claims in the face of US pressure, we can be sure that the dispute will increasingly become a risky point of contention between Beijing and Washington," Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, told the paper.

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By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil major Royal Dutch Shell cannot be sued in London courts over Nigerian oil spill allegations, the High Court ruled on Thursday, dealing a setback to attempts to hold multinationals liable at home for subsidiaries' activities. If the High Court had ruled in favour of the two groups, other claimants against British-based multinationals could have been emboldened to pursue legal action through the British courts, some legal experts had said. Villagers from the Bille and Ogale communities in Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region were trying to pursue oil spill allegations against the company's Nigerian subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) in British courts. The court ruled that the suit did not establish that Shell, the parent company, had legal responsibility for SPDC's actions. "The claimants have failed to demonstrate that the first threshold requirement  is there a 'real issue' between the claimant and the anchor defendants  is met," the ruling stated. Leigh Day, a law firm representing the villagers, said it would appeal the ruling. Igo Weli, SPDC's general manager for external relations, said the firm hoped "the strong message sent by the English court today ensures that any future claims by Nigerian communities concerning operations conducted in Nigeria will be heard in the proper local courts". The Nigerian villagers argued domestic courts were unfit to hear their case, while Shell said the matter was a uniquely Nigerian issue and should be heard there. Shell also denies responsibility for the spills, which it says were due to sabotage and illegal refining. "It is our view that the judgment failed to consider critical evidence which shows the decisive direction and control Royal Dutch Shell exercises over its Nigerian subsidiary," said Dan Leader, partner at Leigh Day who also represented Nigeria's Bodo community in another oil spill claim against Shell that ended in a $55 million settlement in 2015. Last year, the High Court ruled that a case brought by Zambian villagers against miner Vedanta Resources over environmental pollution could be heard in England. (Reporting By Karolin Schaps; editing by Susan Thomas and Adrian Croft)
By Paul Sandle and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - BT boss Gavin Patterson said an Italian accounting scandal that wiped 8 billion pounds ($10 billion) from the company's value this week was under control as he sought to reassure investors who he said were rightly upset with the firm. BT stunned the market on Tuesday when it said a complex accounting scandal in Italy had blown a 530 million pound ($665 million) hole in its accounts, while demand from the British government had slowed, forcing it to cut profit targets for the next two years. Pre-tax profit slumped 37 percent in the third quarter to 526 million pounds, dragged down by a 69 percent fall in core earnings at BT's global services division, which includes the Italian business. While acknowledging shareholders' anger over the Italian scandal, Patterson said they should not lose sight of the fact that its core consumer business was performing well. "Many of our shareholders are unhappy and they have a right to be. Frankly I am angry that the integrity of BT has been undermined by the wrongdoing of a few individuals in one part of the business," Patterson said. "The situation is now under control, we have already appointed new management and as you would expect we are proactively providing assistance for the Italian authorities." Finance Director Simon Lowth said "a handful" of executives were behind a complex set of improper accounting transactions, and a subsequent cover-up that kept London in the dark. He said internal controls had since been strengthened. Shareholders were told of an issue in Italy in October, but Patterson said then it would not affect group forecasts. His confidence was badly misplaced, as the cost of the scandal ballooned from 145 million pounds to 530 million. Asked if he had a grip on the business, he said the deception was bigger and more sophisticated than the company had thought. The head of continental Europe, Corrado Sciolla, was leaving because it happened on his watch, BT said. Andrea Bono, currently running its Switzerland unit, would lead Italy, according to a person familiar with the situation. Patterson could lose some of the 5.4 million pounds in pay and bonuses for last year, but when asked, he said that was a matter "for another day". The warning on Tuesday, which said underlying revenue would not grow this year and free cash flow would be up to 700 million pounds lower than forecast, wiped out a fifth of BT's market value and all of the gains made under Patterson. CONSUMER PROGRESS RELEGATED The warning overshadowed positive progress in BT's consumer and networks businesses reported on Friday. The group said it had added 83,000 broadband customers in its third quarter, while 260,000 switched to faster fibre connections. It also said 276,000 customers signed up for monthly contracts at mobile network operator EE - with growth coming from both consumers and business - while churn, or the number of people leaving the network, was low at 1.1 percent. Underlying revenue, adjusted for the acquisition of EE, fell 1.5 percent. "We mustn't lose sight of the fact that BT is in good health overall," Patterson said. "We need to keep this in perspective." Shares in the group, which had made up no ground since Tuesday's plunge, were trading 1.6 percent higher by 1240 GMT. Analyst Polo Tang at UBS said the results provided some encouragement on EE and the networks arm Openreach, but he remained wary of further downside risk to free cash flow. BT struck a more conciliatory note in its long-running battle with regulator Ofcom over how the company runs the national broadband network, saying an agreement could be reached. Patterson said changes he had already made in how the unit was managed within BT could "form the basis for a fair, proportionate and sustainable settlement". ($1 = 0.7980 pounds) (Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Susan Thomas and Adrian Croft)
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budget Budget 2017: HPCL expects custom duty exemption on greenfield expansion Such exemptions would aid funds infusion into infrastructure projects and also allow for potentially reasonable returns, said M K Surana, Chairman and Managing Director, HPCL.
By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand medical device firm Fisher & Paykel Healthcare will consider switching factories making products bound for the United States from Mexico to New Zealand if U.S. President Donald Trump's administration taxes Mexican imports.

The company, a major global supplier of specialized respiratory equipment for hospitals, is one of the first companies with Mexican operations to disclose how it would respond to the Trump administration's proposed tariff on imports from across the U.S. southern border.

Shifting production to New Zealand could raise production costs, said Fisher & Paykel Healthcare's chief executive Lewis Gradon. The firm did not yet know by how much because it was uncertain what the Trump administration's policies were.

"Tariffs are never good," the CEO said in a phone interview with Reuters.

"We've got two plants, one in New Zealand and one in Mexico. We have the capacity to supply the United States from New Zealand if that makes more economic sense," he said.

20-PERCENT TAX?

The White House said on Thursday Trump could pay for a wall all along the border with Mexico with a new 20-percent tax on goods from Mexico.

But the U.S. president's office later walked it back, saying it was not endorsing the border adjustment tax and it was merely an example of a way of making Mexico pay up.

"Anyone in business prefers stability and predictability. The 20-percent tariff seems to be evolving," Gradon said.

Fisher & Paykel would still manufacture products destined for its non-U.S. markets in Mexico, Gradon said, and could benefit from the cheaper labor costs there as the Mexican peso weakens.

The peso fell 0.6 percent against the dollar following the White house's announcement that a wall on the southern border could be financed with a new tax on goods from Mexico.

The peso was the worst-performing major currency last year, weakening 20 percent against the dollar as Trump closed in on the U.S. presidency.

Story continues

SECOND MEXICAN FACTORY

Jitters over the proposed tariffs sent shares in Fisher & Paykel Healthcare down 3.1 percent on Friday, its largest daily percentage loss in more than two months.

The firm's largest shareholders include Australian fund manager Northcape, New Zealand state-owned insurer AC, and U.S. fund Vanguard Group.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, which produces devices including masks for treating sleep apnea and humidifiers for mechanical ventilation, is scheduled to start work this year on a second factory in Mexico, where it currently employs about 700 people and produces almost a third of its products.

The device maker originally began producing in Mexico in 2009 as an insurance policy against any large scale disaster affecting operations, such as an earthquake hitting New Zealand.

Now, its Auckland operations are considered the back-up option for U.S.-bound exports, which along with Canada account for just under half of the firm's revenues, as American protectionism grows.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare expects full-year net profit after tax to be between NZ$165 million ($119.44 million) and NZ$170 million, according to forecasts provided in November.

(This version of the story was refiled to correct company name to Fisher & Paykel Healthcare throughout)

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
business Bull's Eye: Buy Berger Paints, Bank of India, Bata, Bajaj Hind Jay Thakkar of Sharekhan is of the view that one may buy Anant Raj with a target of Rs 45.40.
The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo this month proposed a plan to bring free college tuition to middle class students attending public colleges in the state. On Tuesday, state legislators started to debate the cost and likelihood of such an undertaking.

Cuomo is proposing that students from families making less than a certain income be eligible to receive free tuition at two- and four-year public colleges in New York. If approved, the free tuition would be available to students from families earning less than $100,000 a year. In the second year that number would rise to $110,000, and it would top out at $125,000 in 2019. The income cap was selected because 80% of households in New York state make $125,000 or less, and nearly 940,000 of those households have college-age children who would be eligible for the program.

With Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by his side, Cuomo made the proposal on Jan. 3, detailing the importance of higher education if students are expected to compete in todays economy. Its incredibly hard and getting harder to get a college education today. Its incredibly expensive and debt is so high its like starting a race with an anchor tied to your leg, Cuomo said.

For the 2016-17 school year, tuition at New Yorks state-operated colleges (which includes 64 SUNY campuses) will cost $6,470 at a four-year school and $4,350 at community colleges. The proposal would not include the cost of room and board, which can cost up to $12,590 if you live on campus. Overall, Cuomo is asking the state for $163 million per year to pay for the free-tuition program.

While the idea of free college sounds appealing, Cuomo is facing an uphill battle in rallying support from local legislators. One critic, New York State Assembly Republican Leader Brian Kolb, says Cuomo isnt actually providing free tuition, just a bigger burden for taxpayers. At the end of the day someone has to pay the bill, and once again his political ambitions will be subsidized by the highest-taxed people in America, he told CNN.

Story continues

Cuomo is just the latest politician to join the free college movement, which received a lot of attention during the presidential campaign thanks to Democratic candidates Sanders and Hillary Clinton. President Barack Obama also pushed a proposal to make community colleges free in 2015. With the election of President Donald Trump, however, it doesnt look like a national free tuition program is in the cards, but on the local level, several states are making strides in providing free or discounted educational options for their students.

Last year Kentucky battled over free tuition when local officials proposed the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program to give free tuition to students pursuing a two-year degree or certificate. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin vetoed the bill for the 2016-17 school year, but left $15.9 million available to fund the program for the 2017-18 school year. Like many other programs, the Work Ready Scholarship is a last-dollar award for recent high school graduates that will cover any unmet tuition and mandatory charges after other state and federal financial aid has been applied.

In Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo wants to make her state the first to provide two years of free tuition at public college for in-state residents. The cost will hover around $30 million per year, which would come out of Rhode Islands annual $9 billion budget. Raimondo submitted her plan on Jan.19, and it needs to be approved by the states legislature before its implemented.

At least two states have gone all in when it comes to free tuition. In 2014, Tennessee became the first state to enact a program to make community colleges tuition-free for at least some high school graduates. Oregon followed up in June 2015, when it launched The Oregon Promise, a state grant program that provides free tuition at Oregon community colleges to all qualified high school grades and those receiving their GEDs. Full-time students can receive awards ranging from $1,000 to $3,397 per year, depending on their financial need and other state and federal grants theyve been awarded. The program officially launched for the 2016-17 school year, and Ben Cannon, executive director of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, says the feedback has been positive.

We have seen a very enthusiastic student response to the Oregon Promise program, greater even than expected, Cannon told Yahoo Finance. Nearly 7,000 recent high school graduates and GED completers received the grant at Oregon community colleges in Fall, 2016.

There are currently 12 states that have some type of state legislative activity happening around this issue. There are also 25 states that have a local promise program in place, which is defined as a place-based scholarship program making college tuition free for at least one college.

As for New York, Cuomos proposal is part of the 2017 budget, so local legislators will debate the topic and cast their votes by April 1. It will no doubt be an uphill battle, but Sanders sees it as an opportunity to set a new standard. I urge New York legislators to pass this enormously important proposal, and become a model for the rest of the nation, he said.

If Cuomos proposal passes, New York could be the first state offer free tuition at all public colleges and universities.

Brittany is a writer at Yahoo Finance.

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January 27, 2017

Fake News Of "Interests" And "Intervention"

U.S. and other media continue their strong move towards baseless, aka fake, news. We recently caught the New York Times claiming that Russia started the war in Georgia, something the NYT had earlier debunked itself. The Washington Post claimed that Russian hackers were sneaking into the U.S. electricity grid. The story fell apart within a few hours. Nothing in it was true. Hundreds of pieces were written about "peaceful demonstrator" rebels in Syria, about 250,000 civilians besieged in Aleppo or Syrian government bombings of hospitals that lacked any base in reality.

That onslaught of fake news by repudiated media continues unabated in print, web and TV.

Yesterday a sensational piece in the Washington Post claimed that The State Departments entire senior administrative team just resigned:

The entire senior level of management officials resigned Wednesday, part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior Foreign Service officers who dont want to stick around for the Trump era.

The simple truth: These were people in political positions who serve "at the pleasure of the President". They got fired even though some of them wanted to stay on. For bureaucratic reasons they had to write formal resignation letters. They did so after they were told to leave. There was also nothing sensational about that. It happens with any change of the President. As the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) explained:

While this appears to be a large turnover in a short period of time, a change of administration always brings personnel changes, and there is nothing unusual about rotations or retirements in the Foreign Service.

Only one higher manager in the State Department "survived" the 2001 change of administration from Clinton to Bush. There was no reason to think that the current change would be any different.

Another fake news item currently circling is that Trump has given order to the military to create safe zones for Syria. The reality is still far from it:

[H]is administration crafted a draft order that would direct the Pentagon and the State Department to submit plans for the safe zones within 90 days. The order hasn't yet been issued.

The draft of the order, which will be endlessly revised, says that safe zones could be in Syria or in neighboring countries. The Pentagon has always argued against such zones in Syria and the plans it will submit, should such an order be issued at all, will reflect that. The safe zones in Syria ain't gonna happen.

Another fake news item comes in the description of a Theresa May speech she yesterday held in front of U.S. Republicans. The BBC headlines: Theresa May: UK and US cannot return to 'failed' interventions. Sky News likewise headlines: Theresa May warns US and UK cannot return to 'failed' interventions. From the BBC piece:

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Mrs May was signalling there would be no more wars like those in Iraq and perhaps Afghanistan, and it was significant that she had chosen her US speech to signal such a shift. BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said it was a hugely significant speech, arguably the biggest by a UK PM in the US since Tony Blair's 1999 speech in Chicago advocating armed interventionism against dictators - something repudiated by Mrs May.

The claims by these BBC commentators are ludicrous. May did not call for less intervention as those comments make seem. Indeed she argued for more intervention. She argued against interventions for "values" (which were anyway always just a propaganda ploy) but strongly called for intervention for "interests". She of course would not like such interventions to 'fail'. From her speech:

It is in our interests  those of Britain and America together  to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests.

Shorter: "It is in the U.S. (and our ass-kissing country's) interest to defend its interests by intervening for the sake of its interests."

May destroys the fake facade of liberal interventionism, the "responsibility to protect" nonsense, and argues for wars of aggression for purely monetary or geo-political reasons - "interests" as she calls it.

That is not, as the BBC claims, "signalling that there would be no more wars like those in Iraq and perhaps Afghanistan" but the opposite. There will be more such wars and all will predictably end with bad consequences for those invaded as well as for those who invade.

This is May's approval for Trump's call for stealing Iraq's oil:

[H]e suggested the costly and deadly occupation of the country might have been offset somewhat if the United States had taken the country's rich petroleum reserves. "To the victor belong the spoils," Trump told members of the intelligence community, saying he first argued this case for "economic reasons."

...

"So we should have kept the oil," he said. "But, OK, maybe you'll have another chance."

With stealing Iraq's oil the invasion would have been in the U.S. and UK's "interest". As such it would not have "failed".

(The end result though, would have likely been the same. The U.S. and its British sidekick would have been kicked out of the country.)

To turn such talk around and argue, as the BBC does, that May "repudiated" such wars, is worse than simple fake news. It is Orwellian.

Posted by b on January 27, 2017 at 16:37 UTC | Permalink

Comments
Did you miss out on the Pop Quiz this week? It's time to catch up and get ready for next week!
Yan can cook, so can you!

Celebrity Master Chef Martin Yan, who coined that motto, is coming to Morgan Hill to lead a Feb. 4 free cooking demonstration at the Morgan Hill Library, located at 660 W. Main Avenue.

Yan will host the free Chinese cooking demonstration beginning at 3 p.m. No reservations are required.

Hear from Chef Yan himself as he shares preparation and cooking techniques, discusses common ingredients and seasonings to use in different dishes and imparts valuable cooking hints, reads the Jan. 23 announcement from the Santa Clara County Library District. Just in time for the Lunar New Year, Chef Yan will discuss festive dishes to prepare during the Year of the Rooster.Yan is known for his life-long mission of promoting Chinese cuisine and his passion for teaching others the joy of cooking.

Chef Yan was certified as a Grand Master Chef from the Ontario Restaurant Association, Canada and is the author of more than 30 cookbooks. His popular cooking shows have won the James Beard Award for Best Food Documentary Show for two consecutive years, according to the press release.

Several of his cookbooks and merchandise will be available for purchase at the Feb. 4 event and Chef Yan will sign autographs afterward.
The Geely Automobile Holdings logo is pictured at the Auto China 2016 auto show in Beijing, China April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

By Nick Carey

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Chinese automaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd <0175.HK>, the owner of Volvo cars, plans to roll out its mid-priced Lynk & Co brand in the United States and Europe in early 2019, but cautioned those plans could change if U.S. President Donald Trump imposes a border tax on imported vehicles, a senior company executive told Reuters.

Senior vice president Alain Visser said Geely planned to launch the Lynk & Co brand in San Francisco and Berlin before expanding within months to other cities. The possibility that the United States would impose a tax or tariff on imported cars is a risk, Visser told Reuters on the sidelines of the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in New Orleans.

"That's an open question but we're going to offer employment in the U.S. so we believe there's a positive business case to let us in," Visser said.

Geely has said Lynk is aimed at the middle of the market where it would likely compete with established brands like Toyota <7203.T> and Honda <7267.T>. Volvo, which Geely bought from Ford in 2010, will continue to focus on premium vehicles, company executives have said.

Lynk is also looking to forge partnerships with auto dealers that would allow it to sell its electric and hybrid vehicles through company-owned stores, but get them repaired through a franchised dealer network.

"Our target is not to upset the dealers or say their model doesn't work," Visser said. "The dealer model can exist and we're going to offer them business."

The brand's first vehicles in Europe and America will likely be plug-in hybrids or possibly even fully electrified.

"Because of the cost structure we have, we would be able to offer an electric car at the price of a normal combustion-engine car," he said.

U.S. dealers and individual states have aggressively pushed back against Tesla Motors Inc's <TSLA.O> model of selling directly to consumers instead of using the franchise model.

Story continues

Lynk unveiled its '01' model, a compact SUV, in Berlin last October.

The brand expects to open 170 retail stores in China in 2017 and has plans for around 100 stores in American cities. For those who do not want to buy a car, Lynk will allow customers to use cars for a subscription fee, with owners and Lynk sharing the revenue.

(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Not long ago, I found myself confronting some brutal facts about my listening habits. I have become something of a music snob over the years. I mentioned that personal insight to a friend of mine and he just laughed and said, Yeah, youre kind of condescending about music. I asked why nobody told me and he just said, Its kind of fun to watch you go off on stuff.

My musical snobbery (and attitude snobbery) leaves me with some blind spots. One of those was highlighted last week when a guy I play guitar with suggested that I fire up John Mayer. Im not sure if I pretended to put my finger down my throat, rolled my eyes, or laughed out loud, but he just walked up to me and said, Brother, Im telling you, you dont know what youre missing.

Thinking way too highly of myself, I dismissed Mayer because of Your Body Is a Wonderland. He was just too much of a cute-boy pop star for me to think highly of. Sure, I knew he was a really good guitar player, but I had a blind spot  a massive blind spot  when it came to hearing more of his stuff. This friend sent me a playlist and almost everything I heard gave me chills at how subtle and crazy-skilled Mayer is. He plays with dynamic-driven sensitivity, raw power when necessary, rhythmic precision, and he creates atmospheres through the perfect placement of the right sparse chords and lead lines. The legacy of Leo Fenders Stratocaster sounds so clean and glassy in the hands of Mayer.

For sure, I still was reluctant to talk about this to hard core blues fans, dedicated R&B listeners, and certainly my grungiest alternative friends. Then the other day, the jig was up. I had been listening to Continuum on my phone before I met a friend for lunch. When we got to my car afterwards and I instinctively started the car in his presence, Bluetooth kicked in and Gravity blared. I think I felt myself blush. My friend just grinned and said, You listen to John Mayer? Never would have thought of that for you. I think I was about to apologize when he said, Thats good (stuff) there, man. He plays like butter. You just sit back and let those blues take you away. I love that guy. Why was a I so embarrassed?

I guess we all get kind of snobbish about not wanting to be cliche or mainstream but, you know, if something sounds good it sounds good. No apologies. Every now and then we all have a sweet tooth. What Mayer plays, however, is more than just a foray to a candy store. He is legit. The man can flat out play guitar, and his singing is really good, too. If you dont believe me, check out his song, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room  it puts his guitar playing and laid back vocals on amazing display.

Last summer, I watched him play two sets at Bonnaroo with the living members of the Grateful Dead (see what I did there?). The Deadheads around me werent all that happy about having him there, but even they couldnt hide behind their purism too long. Before long, they were in the groove with the music just like everybody else. I saw it with my own eyes. Mayer is not a shallow pop star, but a real musician with roots as deep as the waters of the Mississippi  just listen to him play the blues to know what I mean.

I dont know why we like to categorize musicians into narrow categories, but Mayer is a great player who can play with blues greats, rock legends or R&B icons, then turn right around and produce an over-the-top bubblegum pop song. Though I have little personal use for too much bubblegum shallowness, it has a place and Id do well to give it a chance. The real lesson, though, is that the world needs great players who might only be found because they had the guts to play a cheesy song to get somebody's attention. Thats when they can show us something really good. The only question is whether we will have the guts to give them a chance.

Jonathan Henley is the host of Road Signs radio show, which airs Sunday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight on 1065 The End. Contact Henley via email at roadsigns@1065.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roadsignsradio. Read past columns and join his blog at www.1065.com/onair/road-signs-51152/.
Emma Wall: Hello and welcome to the Morningstar Series "Why Should I Invest With You?" I'm Emma Wall and I'm joined today by Hyung Jin Lee, Head of Asian Equities for Barings.

Hello Jin.

Hyung Jin Lee: Hi Emma.

Wall: So, let's start by saying Happy New Year.

Lee: Happy Chinese New Year. Year of the Rooster.

Wall: Indeed, and last year was the Year of the Monkey. Which was supposed to be unpredictable, which in terms of politics and macroeconomics it certainly was. But in terms of markets actually Asian equities did quite well over the last 12 months, despite people being nervous about the market up 9%.

Lee: Well, as we have been saying for quite a while now. The fundamentals and the equity market outlook for Asian equities was not as dire as perhaps the market was pricing in. Now there is volatility, no doubt and there is sort of what we call tail risk or event risk in the horizon. But I think the underlying fundamentals still remain what we thought they would be. Of course, there are challenges and potential pitfalls for the Asian markets is of course one of them is continuing slowdown of Chinese economy.

Thats all sort of what I call normal type of stuff. It is not financial policy, nor is it how is commodity pricing going to differ. So, in terms of that context I think again Asia and emerging markets in general were outperforming for most of the year last year. Then you had some turbulence with U.S. presidential elections, as well as the rate hike. There was some volatility there but again as you see in year-to-date although much too short to say anything. But again, going back into that pattern, you are seeing more and more interest build up in emerging markets especially in Asia.

Wall: I'm glad you mentioned President Trump there, because I suppose he is the specter on the horizon for China and Asian equities in the way that he wasnt this time last year. This time last year he was definitely an outsider. There is a lot of talk from Trump about China and China policy obviously, thats something for politicians to be concerned about, but for investor in Asian equity should they be concerned about that.

Lee: Certainly, I mean in cases where there could trade friction as indeed there already seems to be between the Trump administration and other countries. Again, that was one of the things that I meant when I talked about little bit of event risk in the horizon. I think from our perspective certainly that is concern for us, in the short term.

But even if that occurs I think it will, I mean hopefully be contained and no one really benefits from a sustained trade tensions. I think in terms of equity markets it could cause some turbulence, but for us of course we will be looking at that kind of volatility as both opportunity as well as strength.

Wall: I suppose there is one thing to say that unlike 10 years ago, where China and Asia were heavily reliant on the U.S. consumer in order to grow the bottom line of both business and the country. They are now much more self-contained and the trade within the Asia region in between those countries is growing daily isnt it. So, in a way they are increasingly self-sustaining.

Lee: Yes, thank you very much. You seem to  I think you should write our strategy. I think that is precisely what one of the points that I'd like to point out to our investors. That Asia has sort of its own internal growth engine if you want to call it that. And that will barring extreme cases, black swan events if you want to call it that. That will continue to run and it might not be the most exciting thing in the world, but just steady economic growth, steady corporate earnings growth hopefully and in the long term of course, personal income growth. Thats going to drive domestic event grow.

Wall: And what about where you are seeing those opportunities. Because obviously with the rising market there must be some sectors that are looking quite expensive and others that perhaps the fundamentals are more compelling.

Lee: Yes, I mean if there is sort of more unique characteristic of the recent markets in 2016 and year-to-date has been what we call the value rally or outperformance of what are traditionally considered lower growth sectors and companies. Certainly, they had been very, very cheap in terms of valuation before, and one can argue that many investors were sort of hiding away in more what are thought to be more stable, more predictable companies and sectors like consumer as well as healthcare. Again, that is fine as long as the fundamentals and earnings outlook back that up.

Indeed, we also have participated in the rallies, if you want to call it that of what are traditionally called cyclical sectors. But for us the earnings growth, the earnings outlook has to be there and we're not going to invest in stocks or sectors just because their share prices are down and perhaps they would have like a trading pick up. So again, we are looking mainly at the long-term fundamentals, long term earnings story and long term growth stories. So, for us in terms of day-to-day research pretty much the same.

Wall: Jin, thank you very much.

Lee: Thank you.

Wall: This is Emma Wall from Morningstar. Thank you for watching.
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The latest Goodman Report on the apartment sector in Metro Vancouver sounded the alarm on the areas lack of supply relative to the burgeoning demand for rental housing.Its anticipated that the regional population will increase by an average of 35,000 per year until 2040, authors David and Mark Goodman wrote, as quoted by the Vancouver Sun.The Goodman Report expects local landlords to remain insulated from any apparent decline in tenant demand or softening of rents.And while 9,470 purpose-built rental units across the Lower Mainland are either in the pipeline, have already been approved, or are now under construction, the report authors warned that this would not be sufficient to address the outsized demand, which has inflated the average price per suite to $377,000 last year (up by 52 per cent annually).You cant just have condos and have a viable society, David Goodman stated. You need rentals. And if you are not building enough rentals, people are going to throw their hands up in disgust  and they are going to leave our city. These are often people who are educated and have lost all hope of even renting, so theyll go to Alberta or back east  where they wont have such a stressful time finding a roof over their heads.The situation mirrored that of the citys industrial real estate sector. A fresh report from CBRE predicted that the Vancouver market will suffer accelerated price growth in the very near future, as the citys supply of industrial space is unable to cope with current and projected levels of demand.The Q4 market review of Vancouvers industrial real estate sector warned that the city, along with Burnaby and Richmond, has only less than 10 years of land supply left for industrial purposes. Clients who might have normally considered Vancouver are now looking for space in Surrey and Delta, CBRE said.
Posse saddles up to help children Russell Libby describes his golden palomino horse, Sonny, as the calmest, sweetest guy and his best friend for nearly two decades. Sonny is the reason Libby and his wife, Laura,...

Kris Kringle to support library programs The Moorpark Friends of the Library is offering the second annual Letter from Santa fundraiser. For a $25 donation to the Moorpark Friends of the Library, children will receive a...

Oakmont welcomes new executive director Ronda Wilkin, certified dementia practitioner and a senior living executive, joins Oakmont of Moorpark with more than three decades of experience in health and human services. During her 15 years...
Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic, left, and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto shake hands during their meeting in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. (Lajos Soos/MTI via AP)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- The European Union's economic sanctions against Russia have failed economically and politically because they have not achieved their objectives, Hungary's foreign minister said Friday.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary had lost some $6.5 billion in export opportunities to Russia and other countries partly because of the sanctions the EU imposed on Russia over the annexation of Crimea and its role in eastern Ukraine.

"I don't think we should celebrate that we hit the Russian economy because it's bad news for Europe as well," Szijjarto said. If the sanctions were truly effective, they should have had some impact by now, he added.

Szijjarto said the "timing is perfect" for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Hungary next week, given the change in administrations in Washington.

"The visit has great significance since there's a great expectation all around the world about the improvement of the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship," Szijjarto said. "We will be able to hear the Russian perspective about that."

He said it would be the first time the United States won't be pressuring Hungary as it tries to improve relations with the Kremlin.

"So far, whenever we tried to work on improving our bilateral relationship, we had to face American pressure not to do it and European pressure not to do it," the minister said. "Now what we can be sure of is that as we try to further improve our relationship with Russia, there will be no American pressure not to do it."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an early supporter of President Donald Trump, has said a new world order is being formed in great part thanks to Trump's victory.

Szijjarto said that the "decisively more patriotic American government," possible closer ties between Washington and Moscow, an "apparently deep antagonism" between Europe and Russia, and China's economic expansion would all contribute to make 2017 "one of the most exciting years for foreign policy since the end of the Cold War."

Szijjarto also said there were great expectations for improved relations with the United States and its new Republican leadership after years of "American attempts to influence Hungarian domestic policy," such as a ban on six Hungarians, including the then-head of the Hungarian tax office, from entering the United States because of corruption allegations.
Acknowledging that Michigan Technological University has been instrumental in their lives, a couple with a long history of philanthropy to their alma mater has established the Faculty Fellows in Business at Techs School of Business and Economics.

Richard and Joyce Ten Haken were high school sweethearts in east central Wisconsin in the 1960s. The couple came to Michigan Tech to study business, first Richard in 1966 and Joyce a year later. They married in 1968, the summer before Richards third year, and lived in Daniell Heights.

Although Joyce came to Tech a year after Richard, she finished her degree in three years, and they graduated together in 1970. Both were accounting majors with bachelors degrees in business administration.

To help cope with out-of-state tuition, Richard says he worked on campus. I worked at the computer center in Fisher Hall. Think six-feet high tape machines and punch cards. He also was helped out financially by a two-year Air Force ROTC scholarship, which paid dividends beyond tuition. This led to a career as a military pilot for nine years and then as a captain for a major US airline for 27 years, Richard says.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Joyce made the most of her Michigan Tech experience as well. Professor Sam Tidwell played a critical role in my decision to pursue a career in public accounting. He gave me the encouragement to break the glass ceiling, she says.

Despite the limited opportunities available in the male-dominated field of public accounting at the time, she was hired by a CPA firm early in her career and earned her Certified Public Accounting certificate. In celebration and in observance of a tradition, I sent Professor Tidwell a red tie to wear in class, Joyce says.

Subsequently, she kept advancing in her career and became a partner at a relatively early age and eventually became a managing partner in the CPA firm of Ten Haken, Hinz and Co., CPAs in Yuba City, California.

Throughout their careers, the Ten Hakens have maintained their relationship with Michigan Tech. The establishment of two Faculty Fellows in Business is the latest example of the culture of philanthropy they have embraced. Based on our experiences, blessings and beliefs, we wanted to contribute to Michigan Tech where and how we could help, financially and in other ways, Richard says.

For nearly 20 years the couple has annually funded scholarships for students in the School of Business and Economics. Richard says they wanted to do more.

This past summer we started talking about other ways to help the SBE. In the fall we traveled to Tech so that Joyce could attend a series of meetings for the Presidential Council of Alumnae, of which shes been a charter member for 20 years, Richard explains.

During that visit, Richard Ten Haken met with Dean Johnson, who at the time was the interim dean of the SBE. Johnson has since been appointed dean. Richard says he learned from Johnson the need for faculty support in the School. As a result of those discussions, the Ten Hakens established two Faculty Fellow positions, one specifically for accounting and another that can be awarded to accounting or non-accounting faculty.

"This past summer we started talking about other ways to help the SBE." Richard Ten Haken

Johnson says the initial Faculty Fellows are accounting faculty members Dan Eshleman and Peng Guo. The Faculty Fellows will assist the SBE to retain faculty and produce quality research streams. The Ten Hakens support will enable the Faculty Fellows to acquire the databases required to conduct research in the accounting, finance and management areas, Johnson explains. These Faculty Fellows will also recognize the experiential student engagement by faculty members within the accounting and business disciplines.

Johnson says, as witnessed in the Schools strategic goals, SBE has developed a strong reputation for providing experiential education.

Accounting Faculty Fellows

Eshleman, who came to Michigan Tech in 2015, says the Faculty Fellow position is important to SBE. This fellowship will be very helpful for the accounting unit.

Guo explains how the Faculty Fellow in Accounting is important to her work. This fellowship will support the acquisition of an accounting database, which will allow me to perform my research.

The Ten Hakens are members of Michigan Techs McNair Society. A major portion of their estate plan endows student scholarships and Faculty Fellows. They encourage others to consider including the University in their estate planning.

Richard Ten Haken says, We are very happy we are able to support the students and faculty as we have done. We believe faith, family and education are the pillars forming the foundation for a fulfilling life. Dont ignore or waste them. We look forward to additional opportunities to help the SBE as they may arise.

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.
Gold The Weinstein Company

In 2005, Stephen Gaghan was one of the most sought-after screenwriters in Hollywood and coming into his own as a director with the release of his second feature, "Syriana," which earned Gaghan a best original screenplay Oscar nomination and George Clooney a best supporting actor win.

But then Gaghan suddenly went silent. After riding to the top of the industry with his Oscar-winning screenplay for Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic" in 2000 and getting Soderbergh and Clooney to back "Syriana," it looked as though his rise was fizzling as quickly as it came.

It didn't help that while promoting "Syriana," Gaghan told the Financial Times that Soderbergh and Clooney stepped in and took over the edit from him.

"I wanted two hours, 24 minutes," he said of the running time. "But Steven insisted on two hours. I think he was dead wrong and he ruined my movie."

But Gaghan recently told Business Insider that his demise has been greatly exaggerated and that the lack of work we've seen from him in a decade has come down to bad luck.

"I was on the one-half yard line three different times with three different movies and it would fall apart," Gaghan said. "It got really, really frustrating."

Stephen Gagahn Mike Coppola Getty

Looking back, Gaghan sees his failure in the business side of filmmaking. Because he wasn't just writing and directing, but also producing a handful of projects at once, he found himself unprepared to wage the battles that are needed to figure out the logistics and financing to get a movie off the ground.

"I don't think I'm very good at that," Gaghan said. "In hindsight, I just have to have a strong producer."

In January 2015, Gaghan finally ended his dry spell by putting his passion projects aside and taking a for-hire job. "Gold," which opens in theaters on Friday, was a project that had been in development since 2011 and had gone through the hands of directors like Michael Mann and Spike Lee before landing with Gaghan.

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Written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman, the story is a modern-day "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." It's loosely based on the 1997 Bre-X mining scandal. The mining company had reported it was sitting on a huge gold find in the jungles of Indonesia, which led the company's stock price to soar, but it was discovered to be a massive fraud.

Matthew McConaughey added close to 50 pounds and gave himself a receding hairline to play the role of Kenny Wells, the prospector who travels to the jungle with a geologist (Edgar Ramirez) to find their fortune in gold.

"It was like a fever breaking, and I just felt so happy all of a sudden that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing," Gaghan said of directing "Gold."

However, the joy would be short-lived, as the toils of shooting in Thailand and Indonesia almost ruined Gaghan's comeback.

Comparing his shoot to watching "Hearts of Darkness"  the behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of "Apocalypse Now," which was plagued with horrific storms, among other things  Gaghan said he insisted on filming "Gold" during monsoon season, but he underestimated its power.

Gold McConaughey The Weinstein Company final

"I wanted real rain. I thought it was important to the story, but it came late," Gaghan said. "When we got to the jungle, the locals were saying, 'Monsoon very late.' I'm looking up to the sky and it's a blue sky."

Not expecting a lot of rain, Gaghan had rain towers brought in for the first day of shooting. That would be the last day his set would be dry.

"The second day of shooting it started to rain, and it was this weird event where two rivers connected and our river rose 35 feet in 12 hours," he said. "It was astonishing. The third day we had to evacuate the set  our base camp was gone, the rain towers were upside down, washing down the river."

Gaghan got into a canoe to survey the damage and found the set underwater.

"The water receded and not much was left, and I was just sitting on a folding chair watching the water buffalo and wondering what are we going to do now," he said.

It seemed as though the movie gods had struck again and would keep Gaghan from making a movie, but remarkably, he rebounded and got enough footage in the jungle to complete filming.

With a transformed McConaughey and Gaghan's pedigree, the film's distributor, the Weinstein Company, thought it had an awards contender. But "Gold" didn't gain traction and was shut out of the Oscars. The movie is now relegated to a release in the Hollywood "dump month" that is January.

Syriana Warner Bros

Gaghan, however, is only seeing the bright side of things these days.

"I'm super proud of the movie, and obviously, the thing you hope is what you make stands the test of time," he said.

But where does he go from here? Has he burned his bridges with Soderbergh, or is there a chance the two could reconnect?

"I talked to him three days ago," said Gaghan, who added that he showed Soderbergh an early cut of "Gold."

Gaghan said he has patched things up with Soderbergh and Clooney, and now he believes "Syriana" "benefited from their insight."

"I literally owe every good thing that happened in my career to Steven Soderbergh," he said. "And that's not just the good fortune that happened in getting to develop the script of 'Traffic' with him and being on set when he was making that and have him produce and back me to make 'Syriana,' but he's just super generous. And 'Gold' was a direct beneficiary."

It doesn't look as though we'll have to wait another 10 years to see a Gaghan movie. It's been announced that he will write and direct the bioterrorism sci-fi movie "The Division," starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain. And he's confident some of the projects he was working on before "Gold" aren't dead.

"I think one or two of those projects will still get made," he said.

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A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo

By Osamu Tsukimori and Aaron Sheldrick

TOKYO (Reuters) - Iran's monthly oil exports are set to climb slightly in February, as Indonesia takes its first shipment since sanctions on Tehran were lifted last year, a person with knowledge of Iran's tanker loading schedule said.

Volumes remain below last September's high, however, suggesting that Iran has had difficulty finding more buyers for its oil, even after being exempt from production cuts agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other exporters last November.

Traders had expected it to raise output slightly and boost exports to reclaim market share.

Crude and condensate exports for February will be just over 2.20 million barrels per day (bpd), up from 2.16 million bpd this month, which is the lowest rate since July, the person said. Exports rose to as high as nearly 2.6 million bpd in September.

While crude and condensate exports have slipped, Iran is planning to significantly boost oil product exports this year as it refurbishes refineries, said Abbas Kazemi, Iran's deputy minister of petroleum and president of its national oil refining company NIORDIC.

"In 2017 I see about 600,000 barrels per day of oil product exports. That is the plan," Kazemi told Reuters at an oil conference in Tokyo on Thursday.

Products will include fuel oil, gasoil and kerosene, he said.

Crude oil loadings for Asia, where Iran's biggest customers are located, are set to rise to a three-month high of nearly 1.5 million bpd in February. Loadings for January, meanwhile, have been running a little above 1.46 million bpd.

Indonesia is expected to lift nearly 34,000 bpd in February, according to the source.

Exports to Europe are set to total a little more than 610,000 bpd in January and nearly 590,000 in February, compared with a high of almost 800,000 bpd in December, the most since the sanctions were lifted.

The Netherlands is lifting its first crude and loading nearly 70,000 bpd this month, according to the source. It earlier bought condensate from Iran.

Story continues

That ties in with information from oil trading and shipping sources who told Reuters that two Iranian-owned oil tankers are sailing to Rotterdam, the heart of northern Europe's refining and trading hub.

The development shows Iran breaking through yet another barrier in its bid to regain oil market share lost during years of international sanctions that hindered its sale of crude oil and condensates to the international market.

Iran had been ramping up shipments of oil on foreign owned tankers since restrictions on ship insurance were eased last April. They will be eased further from next month.

In the last month supertankers owned by Greek and Croatian owners have hauled Iranian crude from Kharg Island to Spain, Italy and Thailand according to ship tracking data on the Reuters Eikon terminal.

Italy is loading about 32,000 bpd in January and nearly 110,000 bpd in February, while Spain is loading a similar amount in January and just above 70,000 bpd in February.

"Italy and Spain used to be quite enthusiastic buyers of Iranian crude ... In 2011 they were accounting for respectively 7 and 6 percent of Iranian oil exports," said Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at ship broker Banchero Costa in Singapore.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori and Aaron Sheldrick; Additional reporting by Keith Wallis in SINGAPORE; Editing by Sonali Paul)
US Drought Monitor Map, Jan. 24, 2017 View Photos

Sonora, CA  Although experts warn against hanging ones hat on it, the latest drought monitor reading is causing some local cheers.

As of today, the US Drought Monitor map (see pictorial graph in left image box) shows that the rains from the past week diluted drought zone readings enough for all signs of exceptional drought (depicted by a dark burgundy color) to disappear. After nearly five years when virtually all of the state was darkly depicted, almost half the state (49.6 percent) now shows up as not being in a drought state or experiencing only abnormally dry conditions.

As for local impacts, it is a far cry as, for the first time in years small slivers of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties are indicated  on the monitor at least  as out of the drought. Other parts of both are listed as experiencing a moderate drought or abnormally dry state.

As reported here, regional conditions vary, such as here in the Mother Lode, where wells on fractured rock formations take much longer to recharge than those that pump from groundwater.

The deepest drought conditions, according to the monitor, exist in about two percent of the state northwest of Los Angeles, which is still colored red, indicating an extreme drought level.

The monitor also notes that in spite of all the rain and snow, groundwater levels are still significantly impacted. Locally, that bears out as Tuolumne County officials confirm about 100 residents with failed wells are still receiving water deliveries.
State of Jefferson View Photos

The movement calling for the State of Jefferson to become the USAs fifty-first state continues to grow. The state would include Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado and nearly every county north of Sacramento.

Joe Bick, local resident and advocate for the new State of Jefferson, was Fridays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

Last year, those behind the movement were in Sacramento Declaring the Petitions of Separation to the Secretary of State for recording and then walked them over to the Legislators office for presentation.

According to Bick, Tuolumne and the other counties included in the State of Jefferson have not had adequate representation in the California state legislature for the past several decades. The most expeditious way to restore representation is to create a new state where local issues by local people can be dealt with and representation will be restored.

The Jefferson state movement is using the legal method of engineering a state split through the formula required by Article IV Section 3 of the US Constitution. This formula necessitates a greater than 50% majority of both houses of the state legislature and Congress approving the split in order to create a state out of an existing state or states.

Bick stated that only nine representatives come from the twenty northern most counties of California. In comparison, thirty-five come from Los Angeles County alone. As go the large population centers, so goes the entire state.

The formula to create a new state as outlined in Article IV Section 3 of the US Constitution is fairly simple but achieving the end result requires dedication and a thorough understanding of all parties involved.

Jefferson must be shown to be a win-win for both the new state and California. For Jefferson, representation would be restored and how it chooses to govern itself will be determined within its borders. What remains of California will be two-thirds of its original land mass but greater than 95% of its population. This should enable the California legislature and governors office to be more efficient and effective in creating and executing laws that directly relate to the population they govern. The concentrated urban centers would benefit from a government that is familiar with the issues and solutions required of an increased population density. Those within Jefferson face completely different challenges that would best be met by those who share similar circumstances.

Bick acknowledged that there are critics of the plan and he knows this is not be an easy task. Bick emphasized that the pursuit is legal and that a variety of concerns will be addressed at community gatherings.

A fundraising dinner will take place at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora on Saturday February 25th. This includes a no host bar, a Diestel turkey dinner, music, raffle tickets for a Remington 783 Rifle and an auction. Advanced tickets are $20. Tickets are $25 at the door. Advanced tickets are available at Let Er Buck in Sonora, Radovich Hay & Feed in Jamestown, and Miners Mart in Groveland.

For more information, log onto www.tuolumnecountysoj.com

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Update 3/30/17: Vanier is no longer being sought by the police department in regards to this incident and no charges were filed, per officials.

Update at 11:40am: The Angels Camp Police Department has just learned that Vanier was provided a ride to the Modesto Gospel Mission. The Modesto Police Department was notified of the situation, but has been unable to locate Vanier.

Original story posted at 9:58am: Angels Camp, CA  The Angels Camp Police Department has identified a man that is being sought for questioning regarding a reported incident this past Monday.

This is an update to an earlier story. The Police Department is asking for the help from the public in locating 47-year-old Victor R. Vanier. He allegedly approached a juvenile high school student, asked if the juvenile was homeless, and offered to share his hotel room. The Police Department learned that Vaniers hotel room was paid for by a local church. Vanier later asked the church to pay for a subsequent night at the hotel, but the request was denied.

The PD reports that Vanier has an extensive criminal record from several states. Most recently, in August of last year, Vanier was arrested in Broadwater County, Montana on charges related to DUI and disorderly conduct. A condition of his release was that he was not allowed to leave the state of Montana without permission. Locally, the Angels Camp PD reports that Vanier is wanted for questioning related to charges of annoying children.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 209-754-6500. The Angels Camp PD asks that you not approach or contact Vanier.
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Andrew Wakefield

A movie theater in London's Soho neighborhood that was set to screen the film "Vaxxed," a documentary produced by Andrew Wakefield, the man who's been linked to jump-starting mass, unfounded hysteria over vaccinations, was pulled within 48 hours due to public outcry from scientists.

In 1998, Wakefield infamously presented a paper  since retracted  claiming that a combination vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) could be linked to the onset of autism.

In the fallout from his error-riddled presentation, his so-called findings were discredited in close to every way possible: The paper was retracted. Wakefield was stripped of his medical license, found guilty of "abusing a position of trust as a medical practitioner," and found guilty of "dishonesty" in his studies.

You wouldn't have known it from looking at TicketTailor.com, however, where the tickets (which were listed as sold out as of the time of this piece's publication) were being sold. Here's how they described the film, called "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe":

In his ongoing effort to advocate for children's health, Wakefield directs this documentary examining the evidence behind an appalling cover-up committed by the government agency charged with protecting the health of American citizens.

The website also stated that guests "will have the privilege of attending a panel discussion with several well-known experts in the field, including Andrew Wakefield."

Wakefield attended one of President Trump's inaugural balls last week, where he broadcast a video of himself calling for a "huge shakeup" of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump himself mistakenly suggested that vaccines were harmful in 2012; he met with Wakefield this summer.

Donald Trump

Story continues

A link on the site with the text "Join the discussion" leads to a Facebook page with more than 2,300 members called "Bring Vaxxed to the UK." On January 24, one of the group's members posted that a "private screening" of the film was to be shown on February 14 (Valentine's Day) at London's Curzon Cinema. The film was never listed anywhere on Curzon's website. On Thursday, January 26, Curzon provided the following statement to Tom Whipple at the London newspaper The Times saying the screening had been cancelled:

The screening is not part of the Curzon programme; rather it is a private hire hosted by the filmmakers themselves. Part of our business is to provide an entirely impartial, democratic event space in which anyone can hire our screens for events and film screenings. All private hires are unaffiliated with the Curzon brand or any of our venues and we consider such events to be an entirely separate concern from that of our public-facing activity. The presentation of "Vaxxed" is an example of this distinction being unclear and we now unwittingly find ourselves at the heart of the discussion around it, to a degree where we must take a stance on the material. In light of the responses we have received from members of the public, we have decided to cancel the private hire contract and pull the film from our venue. We do not wish to profit from a film that has demonstrably caused great distress.

Business Insider reached out to the contact information listed on TicketTailor's site as well as to members of the Facebook group but did not immediately receive a response.

Last year, the documentary was pulled from the line-up of New York's Tribeca Film Festival after numerous requests from scientists and film-makers demanding its removal. The requests included a public complaint from documentarian Penny Lane, who received the Tribeca Film Institute's Documentary Fund (not the same entity as the film festival) in 2012. Lane wrote a scathing public letter to Tribeca on Facebook which read in part, "Dear Tribeca Film Festival, I love you but you made a very serious mistake."

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A Spectrum News reporter in Texas was cursed out by a former state lawmaker Thursday after asking whether there will be forums for radicalized Christians during a public meeting that discussed radical Islamic terrorism.

Texas state rep holds forum that discussed radical Islamic terrorism

He said he's not singling out Islam but extremists in that region

Reporter asked if there will be forums for radicalized Christians

Former lawmaker cursed out reporter



Max Gorden of Spectrum News for San Antonio, a sister station to Bay News 9 and News 13, got an earful from former state representative Molly White when covering a central Texas freshman lawmaker's "fact-finding forum" to discuss radical Islamic terrorism in Texas.

When asked whether there will also be forums on radicalized Christians or radical Judaism, a former state representative had some choice words.

"How dare you say that. How dare you, you lowlife son of a bi***," White said to Gorden.

Watch White's response to Capital Tonight reporter Max Gorden below. (WARNING: Video contains graphic language):

I asked Rep. Biederman if he'd also be holding forums on Radical Christianity and Radical Judaism. This is what happened: pic.twitter.com/8pkOuyFPLl  Max Gorden (@Max_Gorden) January 26, 2017

White is a former House member who put an Israeli flag on her reception desk and asked anyone coming into her office during the 2015 Texas Muslim Capitol Day to pledge their allegiance to the United States.

It started when Republican state Rep. Kyle Biedermann recently drew criticism for sending out a survey asking Muslim leaders about their beliefs. At Biedermann's forum, members of the Muslim community shot back against the state rep's actions.

The forum was called "Defending Against Radical Islamic Terrorism in Texas."

At the same time, Muslim leaders held a counter-news conference at the Capitol to denounce "intolerance."

The events came just a few days before the biannual Texas Muslim Capitol Day.



Tensions were high on both sides of the debate. Sarwat Hussain, of the Texas chapter of Muslim American-Islamic Relations, noted a letter recently sent out by Biedermann questioning Muslim leaders in the state about their faith.

"He's coming up with all sorts of imaginary falsehoods, accusations," Hussain said.



Biedermanns questionnaires have been called "loyalty oaths" to Texas Muslim leaders.



"When I saw the letter, to me, it was just a trash. We receive a lot of letters. I receive a lot of threats, a lot of letters. People are ready to convert me," Hussain said.



Hussain took part in a news conference at the Capitol on Thursday denouncing discrimination against Muslims. Meanwhile, several lawmakers and dozens of others gathered at the forum hosted by Biedermann.

"This will be a fact-finding homeland security forum," Biedermann said. "Homeland security must be our top priority."

The forum featured several speakers who said Islamic terror would come to Texas if something wasn't done.



"We're concerned about the safety of the citizens of the state of Texas. So that's the type of legislation we're looking at passing," Biedermann said.

Meanwhile, another question was raised at the news conference.

"I think it is very appropriate to ask the representative from Fredericksburg, 'Sir, have you no shame?'" said Ahmad Zamer of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.



Biedermann said he'd look to file legislation on the topic, though nothing specific at this point. Biedermann stressed he wasn't targeting Islam as a religion, rather he was singling out extremism.


A Volusia County Sheriff's Office deputy is under investigation after allegations surfaced of him taking money from defendants during DUI arrests, the agency said Friday in a news release.

Volusia County deputy accused of stealing money from defendants' wallets

The incidents happened when Deputy John Braman made DUI arrests

WATCH: Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood gives a statement 

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the agency received complaints over the last several months that Deputy John Braman would take money from the wallets of people being arrested following DUI stops.

Braman, 33, was placed on administrative leave with pay Wednesday.

Braman was hired by the Sheriff's Office on Jan. 1, 2007, and was assigned to road patrol prior to him being placed on leave. He previously worked as a motorcycle deputy in the Sheriff's Office's traffic unit.

The information has been forward to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is conducting a criminal investigation in conjunction with the State Attorney's Office. The Sheriff's Office is also conducting an administrative investigation.

"Integrity is the cornerstone of any law enforcement officer's career," Chitwood said in a statement. "Once you lose your integrity, you've lost your ability to be an effective law enforcement officer."

The Sheriff's Office said no further comments or information is being released because it is an active investigation.

Braman was one of the agency's four Employees of the Year in 2011, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office's website.

Braman was shot in the line of duty in November 2011 while he was following up on a domestic violence incident. Braman sustained a gunshot wound to his left arm. Another bullet missed his face and tore into his shoulder, the Sheriff's Office said. The suspected gunman was eventually secured.

Braman was awarded the Medal of Valor and Purple Heart for his actions.
A 26-year-old Hutchinson County deputy sheriff who was wounded last week is originally from Hale Center, and the man suspecting of shooting the officer was later shot and killed by officers.

According to the Associated Press, police in Borger were seeking 44-year-old Christopher Garza when he was located Thursday, Jan. 19, near Fritch.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Cindy Barkley said the suspect shot Hutchinson County Deputy Sheriff Gloria Robles. Other officers returned fire, killing Garza.

Barkley said Robles, 26, was discharged Friday, Jan. 20, from Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo. She didnt release details of her injuries, however the Hale County American quoted Hutchison County Sheriff Kirk Coker, The bullet went through one leg and into the other. She is perfectly fine. She is off work and up and around and doing real good.

The American reports that Robles is a Hale Center native and began her law enforcement career by attending the South Plains Association of Governments Law Enforcement Academy under the sponsorship of the Hale Center Police Department.

According to the Associated Press, Coker on Jan. 18 tried to stop a SUV linked to an unrelated shooting. Police say someone inside fired at Coker's patrol vehicle, striking the windshield, then drove off. Coker wasn't hurt.

A warrant was then issued for Garza for aggravated assault against a peace officer. They apparently were attempting to serve the warrant the following day when Robles was injured and Garza was fatally shot.

The investigation into Garzas death has been turned over to the Texas Rangers at the request of the Hutchinson County Sheriffs Department, according to the Hale Center American.
Laughter is near extinction in America! Yep, those once familiar sounds that could be heard almost everywhereat home, in restaurants and theaters, on playgrounds, and even in church when the pastor would crack a joke or relate a funny story  are now growing faint. Has any research been done to validate my theory? I dont know, but I think some good research would certainly confirm it.

Why is laughter becoming extinct? I dont think there is one specific reason; its a combination of several factors. The internet, television, radio, newspapers and magazines infiltrate our lives constantly with negative news like human trafficking, police shootings, child abuse, murders, suicides, political scandals, domestic violence, flooding, and the list goes on and on. It is good to stay informed, but we dont need to hear about everything from everywhere on earth all the time. I call this depressive information overload, and when a person is experiencing depressive information overload, it is difficult to conjure up a good laugh.

I believe that texting and emailing are the two main culprits responsible for stifling our laughter. After all, LOL in a text message or email doesnt measure up to the benefits of a real spontaneous outburst of laughter.

Finally, some people have never laughed or they have forgotten how! At an early age they were probably taught by well-meaning parents, a teacher or other role model that when you reach that magical age of adulthood it isnt proper to laugh out loud. Maybe a quiet chuckle, but nothing more!

I was fortunate to have grown up in a home where laughter was the norm, and now I find myself feeling a little anxious when someone doesnt laugh at a joke or when I say something funny. In fact, I have developed a bad habit of prompting others to laugh by saying something like, Laugh; that was supposed to be funny, or Its OK laugh, really.

Laughter is a gift from God, and I want to do everything I can to make sure that it isnt extinguished during my lifetime. The Bible references the topic several times.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.  Job 8:21.

In Luke 6:21, Jesus said, Blessed are ye that are hungry now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.

The benefits of laughter are incredible. Even when we are immersed in the most unpleasant circumstances, we can temporarily escape, because we have the ability to create laughter.

When laughter is shared it bonds people together and increases happiness, and it is one of the most effective ways of keeping relationships fresh and exciting.

Besides feeling really good while we are actually laughing, there are other proven health benefits. Laughter releases tension caused by anger and fear, it decreases anxiety and depression, stimulates the circulatory system, boosts the immune system, increases pain tolerance, lowers blood pressure and relaxes muscles. Laughter relieves stress, improves mood, increases creativity, and increases the overall quality of life.

I hope you are convinced that laughter is important and it should be preserved for future generations. Become an advocate for laughter, and join me in encouraging others to do less texting, less emailing, more verbal communication, and more laughter.

(Alice Sawayer is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Central Plains Centers Integrated Healthcare. She provides counseling at Covenant Health Care Center in Plainview. Contact her at alicesawayer@att.net.)
AUSTIN -- The Senate Finance Committee wrapped up two days of hearings on public universities Thursday, and this year the committee is taking a hard look at non-education related spending. Committee Chair Jane Nelson of Flower Mound says that in a tight budget year, colleges and universities must prioritize students. "These costs have grown exponentially over the years and I believe a top-to-bottom review is in order," she said. "Many of these items are worthwhile, but we need to look at every single one of them and ask ourselves: was this intended as start-up money or is it part of a continuing commitment." The Senate budget first draft includes only $300 million for special items, down from over a billion dollars last biennium. Nelson stressed that it's just a starting point, and a place to begin the total review of non-education spending in state higher education.

To that end, Nelson appointed a workgroup, chaired by Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Kel Seliger of Amarillo, to consider special item spending in light of certain criteria. She charged them with ensuring requested special items aren't redundant to other funded items, offer public benefit to the state and, most importantly Nelson said, they are fulfilling the core mission of higher education. "It's going to be a very tough assignment," she told Seliger Wednesday.

Seliger spoke about special items at Monday's first Finance Committee meeting. He said there are dozens of these types of appropriations across university systems, some going back to 1909. While many of them were intended to be one-time appropriations, they simply became part of the biennial budget and are awarded every two years. "Some of the programs are really worthwhile, and have had value, some of them should've expired in the biennium in which they were granted and yet have kept going for years, even generations," Seliger told his colleagues. "I would argue that some of them aren't really special or exceptional at all."

Another issue that arose was the question of class credits following students as they may move from community college to four year university or other transfers. It's an issue that has been unresolved for too long, said Dallas Sen. Royce West. "We go back 20 years on this issue," he said. "We still haven't been able to achieve this goal of transferability." West told Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Chair Bobby Jenkins, testifying before the committee for his agency Wednesday, that he hopes the state can meet the goal of 25 to 30 transferability agreements in the most popular majors in the upcoming interim, and report back to the Legislature in 2019 that the task is done.

Thursday, the Senate Nominations committee considered three nominees for the University of Texas Board of Regents, including one of their own, former Tyler Sen. Kevin Eltife, who retired after last session. Members of the committee took the opportunity to quiz the nominees on their view of the relationship between the legislature and regents and about their philosophies of education in general. Eltife, along with fellow nominees Janice Longoria and James "Rad" Weaver, committed to good stewardship of state university funds, transparency in the admissions process, and making college more affordable and accessible. "My interest is in higher education for all of Texas," said Eltife. "We need to lift up all institutions. We need to make it transparent, affordable, easy access for all institutions in Texans."

The Senate will reconvene Monday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.
CHESHIRE  The parents of a town resident who died of a heroin overdose earlier this month are remembering their son as loving, loyal and respectful.



On Jan. 15, Keith Candelora, 25, of Cheshire, was discovered unresponsive in the bathroom of a McDonalds in Hartford. He was taken to Saint Francis Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said they found drug paraphernalia in the bathroom, and ruled his death an accidental overdose.



The face of the addiction has changed, said Keiths father, Pat Candelora. Its in the suburbs with people coming from good homes, kids that are good kids.



(Opioids) are so accessible, said Keiths mother, Amy Candelora. Anyone knows where to get it.



A Cheshire resident for about 20 years, Candelora attended Doolittle Elementary School, Dodd Middle School and graduated from Cheshire High School.



The oldest of five siblings, Candelora was an avid Star Wars fan and enjoyed spending time with his girlfriend.



He was just a good kid, he really was, his mother said.



He wasnt afraid to show his affection for his family, Pat Candelora added. Good friend, loyal friend.



During summers, Keith Candelora worked at Tufano Amusements.



Amy and Pat Candelora said their son struggled with opioid addiction for about a year. In November, he entered rehab for about 30 days. Upon leaving, his family said they were cautiously optimistic.



When you dont use, and then you have that urge to do it... , Amy Candelora said.



Your tolerance is lower, Pat Candelora said, completing his wifes thought.



Hartford Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said last week there was nothing suspicious surrounding the overdose beyond the implicit illegal purchase and sale of potentially dangerous opioids.



The family started a GoFundMe for funeral and burial expenses and raised more than $10,000 in less than a week.



Cheshire police recently began carrying naloxone. Between 2012 and September 2015, there were two heroin overdoses that resulted in deaths in Cheshire. Through the first half of 2016, 444 state residents died of accidental overdoses, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.



Heroin, its a demon, Pat Candelora said. These people that sell it, they need to be taken to task.



He said he hopes to see more emergency services carrying naloxone.



I think it should be mandated by the state, he said.



A state law passed last year requires all first responders to carry the overdose reversal medication. State Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, said she supports all emergency services carrying the medication.



It should be carried by everyone, she said. Opioid addiction, it knows no socioeconomic boundaries.



blipiner@record-journal.com 203-317-2444 Twitter: @BryanLipiner






SOUTHINGTON  A Hartford man faces charges after police say he broke into a West Street restaurant with two accomplices last year. The trio used a Red Cross van reported stolen from New Hampshire and took cash and vodka, police said.



Jahlmar Cintron, 20, of 558 Blue Hills Drive, Hartford, was arrested by warrant Thursday and charged with third-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny, third-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy.



About 7:30 a.m. on June 28, police responded to Cava Restaurant, 1615 West St., for a report of a burglary alarm. Officers determined entry into the restaurant was forced through a window and rear door, according to a police report. Around $150 and two bottles of vodka were reported missing. Officers found visible finger and palm prints on a table inside the restaurant.



Security footage from the exterior of the restaurant showed a white van pull into the parking lot and stop in the rear of the building, the report said. Three men who werent wearing anything to cover their faces or hands exited the van, the report noted.



They were able to force their way into the restaurant and were seen rummaging around the bar and cash register area. After taking cash and vodka, they left, got into the truck and drove away, the report said. Officers noted the van appeared to have a medical logo and writing.



Investigators collected prints and DNA from various surfaces and sent them to a laboratory for testing. The following day, Southington officers were at Bristol Superior Court for an unrelated matter when court personnel told them two men were arrested that morning for trespassing in a Bristol park while in a white van with a Red Cross logo, the report said.



The van was discovered to be reported stolen from New Hampshire. Police looked at booking photos of the two men and noted they had similar features and were wearing the same clothing as two of the men from the video at Cava Restaurant, the report said. Police also learned the two men were found with two bottles of the same brand of vodka reported missing from the restaurant.



The men, identified as Nicholas Carr, 19 and Justin Fennelly, 19, also had fresh cuts to their hands, according to the report. Police inspected the van and noted it appeared similar to the one from the security footage at Cava. Samples of DNA pulled from Cava matched that of Carr and Fennelly, the report said.



Cintron has an extensive criminal history for burglary and larceny charges, the report continued. Police compared previous booking photos of Cintron to the security footage and identified him as the third suspect in the burglary at Cava, the report said.



Cintron was arraigned in Bristol Superior Court on Friday. The judge set bond at $60,000 and continued the case to March 3.



According court records, Carr pleaded guilty to third-degree larceny and was sentenced in August to five years in prison, suspended after 30 days, followed by a three year conditional discharge. It is unclear if Fennelly has been charged in connection with incident at Cava. He was arrested on Jan. 9 on burglary charges stemming from an incident in Farmington June 28, the same day as the Cava burglary. Fennelly has been released on a promise to appear in Bristol Superior Court on Feb. 7.






Abe Irizarry arrived at Delancey Street in 1973, a 30-year-old junkie and ex-convict, his life thus far all charm and swagger and nothing productive to show for it.

By the time he died, hed become not just a permanent resident, but the very embodiment of Delancey. Hed become, said those who knew him best, its soul.

His memorial service Sunday is expected to draw a diverse crowd of Delancey residents and supporters: men and women he mentored over the decades, local and national politicians, and the regulars at the Delancey Street restaurant where Mr. Irizarry was the longtime maitre d. The service will be a celebration with salsa dancing and singing and telling of old stories, and it will be as raucous and warm as the man himself, his friends said.

He radiated everything Delancey Street stands for, said Mimi Silbert, founder of the residential program. He had a fabulous character and he was so loyal. Beyond loyal. He never gave up on anyone.

Mr. Irizarry died of a heart attack on Nov. 17 in his room at Delancey Street. Hed just returned with Silbert from a working tour on the East Coast visiting Delancey facilities, and had seemed in great health. He was 73.

Mr. Irizarry got off to a rough start in life. He was born in New York but soon moved to his parents native Puerto Rico, where he lived until he was 8. They came back to the United States and settled in Hayward. He had no siblings and wasnt close to his parents, and by age 10 he was already doing hard drugs, Silbert said.

He grew up embedded in gang life and through his teens and 20s was in and out of jail and prison  for burglaries, selling drugs, assault. He was trying to avoid a fourth or fifth return to prison when he wrote to Delancey and asked for a spot in the San Francisco program.

His letter, Silbert recalled, wasnt remarkable. He said what most people say: I need to change, I dont want to go back to prison, I need to make a life for myself, she said. And when he came in, of course, it was a truer story: He didnt really feel much hope at all.

Delancey had been founded only two years earlier, and Silbert was still fumbling her way through developing a program. Mr. Irizarry, she said, was my first Delancey Street child.

When he arrived he was tall but with the scrawny look of a longtime addict. He had a dope-fiend walk and tossed around gang slang, but he fit in well with the program, Silbert said. Two years later, Mr. Irizarry was still there and she had appointed him vice president of Delancey.

He used to say all the time, Mimi believed in me and I didnt believe in myself. And it turns out she was right, Silbert said.

In his nearly 45 years with Delancey, Mr. Irizarry, like all of the residents there, threw himself into whatever job needed to be done. Before he was maitre d at the restaurant at 600 Embarcadero, he helped lay the concrete for the building under construction.

He traveled the country with Silbert to work with other Delancey facilities and promote the program. He interviewed potential residents in jail and he charmed politicians in Washington and philanthropists at fundraising dinners. He mentored hundreds if not thousands of young men and women.

I never thought I would be anything, just a convict in prison, part of a gang, said Ramiro Mejia, a nine-year resident of Delancey. He had the same story, and he did it, and he would tell you you could do it too. Hed tell you, You just have to change the way you walk, the way you talk, pull your pants up and grow up. He always gave you another shot. And another shot. And then another.

Mr. Irizarry could be stern  actually, he could really let loose and yell, when thats what it took, Silbert said  but his anger came from a warm and mindful place. Hed usually explain why he was about to yell before he got started, she said with a laugh.

He had two daughters whom he didnt raise but kept in touch with as adults, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His family was largely Delancey, though. He would pick up Silberts children from school sometimes and loved visiting her parents in Florida; her father gave him a Jewish star necklace. At least once, he walked the bride down the aisle when a Delancey resident got married.

He was special, said John Burton, the state Democratic Party chairman and former congressman and state Senate president. Not a lot of special people floating around town anymore.

In addition to numerous friends at Delancey Street, Mr. Irizarry is survived by daughters Andrea Irizarry of Modesto and Lisa Irizarry of Cottage Grove, Ore.; grandsons Ronald Landaker, Jordan Gallagher and Dylon Gallagher; and three great-grandchildren.

Sundays memorial service will run from 3 to 5 p.m. at Delancey Street. Donations in his memory can be made to the Delancey Street Foundation, 600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Bay Area activists were among seven Greenpeace protesters who were charged Thursday in Washington, D.C., with commandeering a crane, climbing 300 feet in the air and unfurling a 70-foot, hand-painted Resist banner that swayed behind the White House.

At least four of the people who mounted the crane Wednesday morning are from San Francisco, Oakland and other Bay Area cities, said Cassady Craighill, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace.

The protesters, seeking to rally opposition to President Trump, were charged with unlawful entry, destruction of property less than $1,000 and unlawful demonstrating, authorities said.

They were arraigned in Superior Court in the afternoon and released. They included Karen Topakian, the board chair for Greenpeace and a resident of San Francisco, who hosted a Facebook Live session from atop the crane, in which she said she was blocking the crane operator from entering the platform that she and the six others stood upon.

It was a little chilly this morning when we arrived at the crane site, but it was a lot chillier in the Oval Office when President Trump decided to sign those executive orders reinstating the Keystone Pipeline, reinstating the North Dakota pipeline, Topakian said in the video. Despite her fear of heights, Topakian said, she needed to risk my comfort zone to say, Resist.

Pearl Robinson, a national organizer for the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco, joined Topakian and the others. The wind is throwing me around, but its so worth it! #ResistOften, Robinson tweeted.

Also arrested were Zachary Riddle, Zeph Fishlyn, Josh Ingram, Zakaria Kronemer and Nancy Pili Hernandez. They were taken into custody about 10 p.m. Wednesday after surrounding streets were blocked off, said officials from the Metropolitan Police Department.

MPD respects everyones right to protest, however, todays actions are extremely dangerous and unlawful, officials said in a statement.

Trump signed executive orders Tuesday to revive the Keystone XL pipeline, which had been rejected by former President Barack Obama, and the Dakota Access pipeline, which had stalled under the past administration. While supporters of the pipelines tout economic benefits, opponents fear the projects will lead to spills, harm American Indian land and contribute to global warming.

We are definitely in high gear to stand up to this man in the White House, Craighill said, adding that it is pretty likely we will see lots more courageous acts like this from people all over. (Trumps) denial of climate change is quite appalling, as well as his infringement on other civil liberties.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
For nearly two years, the mostly elderly Chinese immigrant tenants in a Chinatown residential hotel have been harassed and forced to live for months without working showers, sinks and toilets as the owners have worked to reposition the building as a dorm for young tech professionals and students, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

These substandard conditions were brought about when the owners and operators turned the 68-unit SRO into a construction zone in an attempt to convert it from low-income housing to space for more affluent residents, said Steve Collier, the attorney representing tenants of the single-room-occupancy hotel.

In the complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, 55 tenants at 937 Clay St. say they have endured broken showers, inadequate showers, showers kept locked and inaccessible to plaintiffs, lack of functioning toilets, toilets that are filthy and in a state of chronic disrepair.

Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle

The manager of the building, however, denies the building is being transformed for younger, wealthier tech workers.

We are not kicking out any tenants, said manager Tony Brettkelly of Latitude 38 Housing Services. We are trying to improve the property.

The lawsuit arrives at a time when San Franciscos housing crunch has made the citys stock of SRO hotels  long the housing of last resort for the poor  attractive to young professionals migrating to the city to take advantage of the tech boom. Several investment groups have snapped up SROs in the South of Market, North Beach and other neighborhoods.

The suit names the buildings current owner, 233-237 Eddy LLC, and manager, Latitude 38 Housing Services, and the former owner and manager, Clay Street Apartment Group and Urban Pioneer Management Inc. Dipak Patel, who owns several SROs in the city, controls the current owner.

While the average tenant pays $400 to $500 a month in rent, the current management firm is charging new tenants $1,095 a month for a room. That is up from $550 a month in 2013.

There are ways to make money from vacant units and ways to renovate without taking out the vast majority of the services, Collier said. Nonprofits do it all the time.

Residents say that for about a year there were only two showers and two toilets working in the building. Feng Xiao Chen, 81, said she would get up to shower at 2 a.m. because it was the only time there was not a long line. Some days she would hop on one of the free buses to Sonoma County casinos that leave from Chinatown and, after a two-hour drive, use the sinks there to wash up.

It is always a race to use the showers and sinks, said Chen, a retired seamstress and kitchen worker. I try to let the younger people use them in the morning because they have to go to work.

Guo Yi Deng, 61, said he and most of the men in the building have resorted to urinating in buckets because the toilets have been out of service so frequently.

Deng said he would have left the building, but he has nowhere to go I can afford.

Building manager Brettkelly said his company has moved quickly to fix problems since taking over the building in October. He said the company is investing $70,000 in wiring and $20,000 in fire safety.

Brettkelly said the four showers out of the original 10 still awaiting repair will be working soon and that the flooring in the hallways, bathrooms and kitchens will be replaced.

If you saw it six months ago, you wouldnt believe the condition of the kitchens, he said. The wiring systems were shot, and there were a bunch of notices of violations. It was a nightmare. There is still a ton of work to do, but we cant do much until we have rewired the building. If you were to come back in six months, you would see a dramatic visual change.

Throughout the building are signs threatening to fine tenants up to $300, and possibly evict them, for activities including walking on the fire escape, storing items in the hallway, using sinks to clean clothes, and leaving the bathrooms dirty. Collier said the signs, along with the endless construction, seem designed to make life unpleasant enough that tenants paying low rent will move.

While Latitude 38 manages buildings in SoMa and elsewhere that are very much marketed and designed for Millennial techies, this isnt one of them, Brettkelly said. We make it clear that this is a traditional Chinese immigrant building, he said. Its not a student building or a tech building.

Of the six units the company has leased since Latitude 38 took over in October, he said, four went to young people and two to family members of longtime residents. Counting tenants that were already in the building, about 12 of the rooms have been leased to younger professionals, he said.

But Gen Fujioka, policy director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, which organized the tenants, said the lawsuit is about resisting efforts by a series of investors to exploit affordable housing in Chinatown.

Latitude 38 is taking over working-class housing, housing for seniors, housing for very low-income people, both here in Chinatown and other parts of the city, he said. This is a building that is clearly in transition. Half of it is clearly being designed not for this community, not for the existing tenants, and half of it is the older traditional housing.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents Chinatown, called 937 Clay St. an outrageous case and said the neighborhood is the final frontier for investors looking to turn a profit in traditionally low-income neighborhoods.

We have been getting increasing cases of SROs being turned into short-term rentals, of speculators trying to make a quick buck, Peskin said. As long as I am a supervisor, I am going to use every legal means at my disposal to make sure San Franciscos Chinatown doesnt go the way of New York and other Chinatowns that have been decimated.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @sfjkdineen
Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg came out against President Trump's executive orders on immigration policy in a lengthy post on his Facebook page Friday.

"Like many of you, I'm concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump," Zuckerberg said, referencing the orders Trump signed earlier this week to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and prioritize the deportation of undocumented immigrants from so-called sanctuary cities in the U.S.

"We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat," the Facebook CEO continued. "Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don't pose a threat will live in fear of deportation."

While he was critical of Trump's stance on immigration during the presidential campaign, Friday's post is the first time that Zuckerberg has publicly addressed the president's policies since the inauguration. His comments also come one day after Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg voiced her opposition to Trump's anti-abortion executive order.

In his post on Friday, Zuckerberg said he remained optimistic about Trump's vague commitment to protecting "Dreamer" immigrants who were brought into the U.S. at a young age from deportation.

"I'm also glad the President believes our country should continue to benefit from 'people of great talent coming into the country,'" Zuckerberg said. Trump has proposed a merit-based immigration policy that he's said will directly benefit tech companies like Facebook that already rely on being able to hire skilled workers from other countries.

Zuckerberg has been an immigration reform activist for years, dating back to his cofounding of the FWD.us lobbying group in 2013. Despite recent speculation that Zuckerberg is interested in getting into government, the billionaire was noticeably absent from Trump's recent meeting with tech CEOs.

Story continues

Here's Zuckerberg's full post on Trump's immigration orders from Friday:

My great grandparents came from Germany, Austria and Poland. Priscilla's parents were refugees from China and Vietnam. The United States is a nation of immigrants, and we should be proud of that. Like many of you, I'm concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump. We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don't pose a threat will live in fear of deportation. We should also keep our doors open to refugees and those who need help. That's who we are. Had we turned away refugees a few decades ago, Priscilla's family wouldn't be here today. That said, I was glad to hear President Trump say he's going to "work something out" for Dreamers -- immigrants who were brought to this country at a young age by their parents. Right now, 750,000 Dreamers benefit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that allows them to live and work legally in the US. I hope the President and his team keep these protections in place, and over the next few weeks I'll be working with our team at FWD.us to find ways we can help. I'm also glad the President believes our country should continue to benefit from "people of great talent coming into the country." These issues are personal for me even beyond my family. A few years ago, I taught a class at a local middle school where some of my best students were undocumented. They are our future too. We are a nation of immigrants, and we all benefit when the best and brightest from around the world can live, work and contribute here. I hope we find the courage and compassion to bring people together and make this world a better place for everyone.





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NEW ORLEANS (AP)  For decades, bars along Bourbon Street have had an open-door policy, enticing anyone over 21 to walk in at all hours with drink specials, blaring music and neon lights. Come in, order a drink and carry it back out to the street, if you like.

City and state officials want to put an end to this easy access, and they are proposing the bars close their doors at 3 a.m.  but remain open for business  in an effort to curb violence that has stained the city's image.

"I don't see what the point is in it," said Earl Bernhardt, owner of Tropical Isle and other clubs on and near Bourbon. He worries the policy might affect his bottom line. "We do a lot of business after 3 o'clock."

Officials hope a simple closed door will diminish the intensity of on-the-street, alcohol-fueled hoopla that has, at times ended abruptly in gunfire. They say it's not a curfew for a city known for all-night partying.

"Right now, the doors are open, so it's an open pedestrian party at 3 o'clock in the morning," Mayor Mitch Landrieu told reporters this week. "We're going to try to encourage them, through changing their environment, that it's going to be a little bit more comfortable for them to go inside the bars, which they'll be able to do until whatever hours they want to."

The closed-door initiative, which needs City Council approval, is one part of an anti-crime program Landrieu, city officials and Gov. John Bel Edwards unveiled this week. The city is dealing with a depleted police force and a murder rate that spiked last year to 175 killings. It had reached a 43-year low of 150 in 2014.

The plan calls for more early morning street sweeping in the French Quarter, as well as the use of high-tech gadgetry such as license plate readers and high-definition cameras to keep an eye on the crowds.

Deputy Mayor Jeff Hebert said he was unaware of any other city with a similar closed-door policy and that most other cities have a time when bars must completely shut down.

"What we wanted to do was come to a middle ground," Hebert said.

Security expert Cynthia Deloach of Atlanta-based THG Consultants said it could help bar managers keep a closer watch on traffic, preventing someone excessively drunk or under-aged from entering. Conversely, it could keep trouble from spilling into the street.

Peter Scharf, a criminologist at the LSU School of Public Health, said the policy might give police and cameras a clearer view of the streets, while encouraging bar patrons to stay inside might help with crowd control.

But, Scharf said, it's a Band-Aid solution in a city where violent crime is "a gushing artery." And Bourbon Street isn't a hotspot for violent crime compared with other parts of the city, he noted.

Indeed, few of last year's homicides took place on Bourbon or in the surrounding French Quarter. Officials emphasized that the anti-crime plans are to apply city-wide. Another step lets officers who live in the city take home patrol cars so they can park them in neighborhoods.

Still, violence on Bourbon brings unwanted international attention to the tourism-dependent city. In 2014, a gunfight broke out between two men at 2:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning, leaving a visitor dead and nine other people wounded, including tourists from neighboring states and Australia. It was a similar story last November when a dispute broke out between two out-of-towners. The resulting gunfire around 1:30 a.m. left an uninvolved Baton Rouge man dead and nine others injured.

Landrieu's proposal was met with skepticism from some, but not all, on Bourbon Street one recent evening. After all, fights in bars are almost as commonplace as the booze.

"What do they expect to accomplish?" asked Dawn Kesslering, a longtime bartender at Johnny White's. "Are they trying to keep the people in the bars from emptying into the streets? What does closing the doors do?"

Gafur Tursanov, of Miami, said it might work if all the bars cooperate, but added: "I don't' think it will really do a lot."
San Antonios Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program kicked off this years tax-filing season Friday with the largest force of volunteer certified tax preparers in the U.S., providing free filing services for people who earn less than $60,000 a year, according to local officials.

The San Antonio-based program has 345 certified tax preparers at 18 walk-in sites, plus one in Fredericksburg. The program is in the process of training 541 more volunteers for certification. Additional volunteers are awaiting training.
Less than four months after laying off 87 employees and shutting down solar cell production, San Antonio-based Mission Solar pns to lay off more employees.

Mission Solar didnt say how many employees would lose their jobs, but it reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining its headquarters in San Antonio. The company had 294 employees after the last round of layoffs.
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For one shining moment, San Antonio resident Ricardo Chavira, who graduated from Lee High School and the University of the Incarnate Word, portrayed the president-elect of the United States.

His character, Democrat Francisco Vargas, had something big to celebrate in the early minutes of "Scandal's" midseason premiere on ABC Thursday night: He won the election against Republican hopeful Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young).

(Alert: Spoilers ahead!)

Then, as is wont to happen on the soapy political drama, tragedy hit: Vargas, as he triumphantly greeted the voters, was shot by a lone gunman.

In the midst of shock and tears, the No. 1 suspect in the minds of everyone, including Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn), was ruthless snake Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), Vargas' running mate. After all, the master manipulator had something huge to inherit: the highest office in America, the presidency.

But wait! Why does he look like such a broken man after the shooting, as if he were truly mourning Vargas? Even Olivia and President Fitz were fooled, which leads the latter to endorse Cyrus for president.

Then, comes the climactic moment: In the middle of a congratulatory hug from Olivia, a call comes in, pointing the finger to Cyrus as the mastermind behind the killing.

Talk about cliffhangers -- something "Scandal," of course is famous for.

As for Chavira's future on the show. . .Well, is there one?

In a private Twitter message, Chavira assured us he'll be back on "Scandal". . .in flashbacks.

"Flashbacks for sure. To clean up the storyline," Chavira said.

jjakle@express-news.net
An avante-garde Danish punk band found an audience in the Alamo City, tucked in a converted warehouse at 1906 S. Flores in the middle of the night on Wednesday.

A hub of the underground Southtown art scene, Silkworm Studio and Gallery is no stranger to unique, international artistic alliances. Last night's show matched the Copenhagen-based Marching Church with Montreal performance artist Bernardino Femminielli and San Antonio artist Justo Cisneros.
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A slew of San Antonio hot spots  from trendy bars to iconic restaurants and strip clubs  saw demerits for some disturbing violations this week.

A total of 40 establishments earned a spot on this weeks dirty list, cited for expired food, mold in the ice machine, roach droppings and toxic chemicals where they shouldnt be.

In Downtown, Rebelle and Haunt at the St. Anthony Hotel received demerits when food handlers didn't wear hair nets, while in Southtown, Madhatters Tea House & Cafe was caught with an expired permit.

To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must earn a score of 89 or below  or anything less than an "A"  during a random city health inspection.

More notable names to make the list include: Dignowity Meats at 1701 E. Houston St., Bohanans Steak & Seafood at 219 E. Houston St., Bun & Barrel at 1150 Austin Hwy and Viola's Ventanas at 9660 Westover Hills.

Get all the highlights from this week's dirtiest restaurant list in the slideshow above.

RELATED: San Antonio restaurant inspections: January 20, 2017

The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environmental Health Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system, where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each are assigned a demerit score of 3, 2 or 1 points, according to the health division.

Scores and demerits listed are only representative of the state of the restaurant at the time of inspection and are surveyed at random.

rsalinas@mysa.com

Twitter: @RebeccaLSalinas
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A wedding venue in Lindale, just north of Tyler, has fused the two loves of Texans  the great outdoors and a shooting range  for a unique wedding venue.

The 6 S Ranch has been getting a lot of attention as of late, from wedding guides to television reporters looking to highlight the uniquely Texas hitching spot.

Coordinator Teri Dixon tells the Houston Chronicle that the range came first in 2011 and soon after they opened up wedding facilities.

We are the only wedding venue of our kind in Texas, Dixon says.

The range is still open seven days a week, although shooting is halted during the wedding proceedings.

The shooting stops when the wedding starts, says Dixon, unless the bride and groom dont mind the sound of clay pigeons bursting in air while they say their vows.

Dixon has lost track of how many weddings have been held at the range, which also accommodates pistol shooting.

The ranch even has a fan in local girl and country star Miranda Lambert, Dixon says.

It all started, Dixon says, when a bride wanted to take photos with her bridesmaids on the range with their shotguns. They started seeing more wedding dresses on the range as word got around on social media sites like Pinterest.

Weddings here can range in price from $2,500 to $9,000. Right now they are constructing another venue on site in the middle of the woods.

Wed like to call that the redneck wedding area, Dixon says. Its for people who want to get back to nature.

If you are already hitched or looking for an interesting date night, the ranch also has a date night event every few weeks where couples can come out and shoot together and cap off the night with dinner and dancing under one of the pavilions nearby.

We have some of the most beautiful sunsets here, Dixon says.
A report released by the American Civil Liberties Union this week found that nearly half of all police departments in Connecticut, including a number in the Danbury area, are violating state law when it comes to fielding citizen complaints.

The report found that 43 percent of police departments surveyed violated a state law that require scomplaint forms be available at several locations besides the police department and that complaints can be filed anonymously.

Several local departments were directly cited in the report for failing to comply with state law, including Bethel, where complaints are not allowed to be filed anonymously, and Redding, where complaints must be signed in front of a police officer. The survey was conducted by volunteers who called the departments seeking the information.

The ACLU also found a dozen departments in the state where no information about how to file a complaint was made available to the callers, including Danbury, Newtown, New Milford, and Brookfield - something that ACLU officials said was very disturbing.

Many of the larger departments have the right policies in place, but the dispatcher may provide wrong or misleading information, said David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU Connecticut chapter. The polices are only effective if they are followed through.

In Danburys case, McGuire said the volunteer was put on hold and eventually transferred to the voicemail of a captain in the department.

Part of the state law requires that citizens can make anonymous complaints, he said. If someone has to leave their name and number, that anonymity doesnt exist.

Someone trying to submit a report may also give up if they are put on hold several times and are unable to reach someone, he said.

Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said Friday that he is reviewing the report. Danbury is unique in that it privatized its dispatch operations a few years ago to a private company - New Jersey-based IXP Corp.

We are very receptive, and will address any concerns with the company that handles our dispatch, he said.

Ridenhour added that because of the citys diverse population, the department offers complaint forms in both English and Spanish, and is in the process of translating the form into Portuguese.

Redding Police Chief Doug Fuchs noted that there may be discrepancies with departments that use civilian dispatchers who may not have all the information about how a complaint should be filed.

McGuire said its a situation that could easily be resolved by having a 10-minute conversation with civilian dispatchers about the policy.

Fuchs said he also believes there may be some inaccuracies in the ACLU report, noting that while the document states Redding requires a signature in front of an officer, that isnt the departments policy.

No signature is required to make a complaint, he said.

He added, however, that in situations where criminal charges are possible, prosecutors will often seek a sworn statement from the complainant before moving forward on the case.

Western Connecticut State University was singled out as being the only police department in the state that allowed residents to file complaints in any manner, including at the police station, by mail or through email.

Western Police Chief Roger Connor said that while many of the laws governing complaints were passed two years ago, their complaint process has been in place since 1994.

I know, because I wrote it, he said. We are working with our IT department right now to see if we can make the process even easier.

But the trend, the ACLUs spokesman said, is disturbing and can erode the publics confidence in local police.

Many Connecticut police agencies still make it difficult for members of the public to easily obtain basic, legally required information regarding complaint forms and processes, stated the report. In some cases, this lack of transparency violates state law, and it could prevent law enforcement agencies from becoming the fair and just entities that communities and police deserve.

Fuchs said it would be helpful if the ACLU could provide information on when they made their phone calls so the calls, which are typically recorded, can be reviewed with staff as a teachable moment.

McGuire said that while the reaction by police chiefs throughout the state was mostly negative two years ago, when a similar survey was conducted, the reaction this week has been largely positive.

Many department have already reached out to us and said they are working on training measures to address the issues, he said. Our point is that this should be a transparent process, and it serves as a great benefit to both police departments and the public.

Bethel Police Chief Doug Fuchs was not available for comment.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is officially dropping the lawsuits he filed against hundreds of Hawaiians that would compel them to sell their inherited "kuleana" land.

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced the news in an open letter printed in the Kauai newspaper The Garden Island on Friday.

"We've heard from many in the community and learned more about the cultural and historical significance of this land," the Facebook CEO wrote. "Over the past week, we've spoken with community leaders and shared that our intention is to achieve an outcome that preserves the environment, respects local traditions, and is fair to those with kuleana lands."

"To find a better path forward, we are dropping our quiet title actions and will work together with the community on a new approach," he continued. "We understand that for native Hawaiians, kuleana are sacred and the quiet title process can be difficult. We want to make this right, talk with the community, and find a better approach."

Zuckerberg's decision to drop the suits comes on the eve of a protest that his neighbors had planned to take place at the six-foot-tall wall he erected last year, along part of his 700-acre estate on Kauai.

"People are furious down here with him," the protest's organizer, Joe Hart, told Business Insider on Thursday. "He's made his money stealing everyone's information, which we've let him do, but to come down here and start suing everyone, that's not going to fly down here."

Zuckerberg filed eight lawsuits in local court on December 30 against families who collectively inherited 14 parcels of land through the Kuleana Act, a Hawaiian law established in 1850 that, for the first time, gave native Hawaiians the right to own the land they lived on.

The 14 parcels together total eight of the roughly 700 acres Zuckerberg owns, but the ancient law gives any direct family member of a parcel's original owner the right to enter the billionaire's otherwise private compound.

Story continues

Zuckerberg said he was "reconsidering" the lawsuits earlier this week after receiving heated criticism from Kauai residents and local government officials.

"We cannot allow billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg to use piles of money to tilt Hawaiis justice system against local residents," Hawaii State Representative Kaniela Ing recently said in a post on Facebook. "Let's remind Zuckerberg that, in Hawaii, we approach each other with aloha and talk story first. We don't initiate conversation by suing our neighbors."

In his open letter on Friday, Zuckerberg expressed regret for filing the so-called "quiet title action" lawsuits, which require defendants to take on expensive litigation costs in court.

"Upon reflection, I regret that I did not take the time to fully understand the quiet title process and its history before we moved ahead," he wrote. "Now that I understand the issues better, it's clear we made a mistake."

"The right path is to sit down and discuss how to best move forward. We will continue to speak with community leaders that represent different groups, including native Hawaiians and environmentalists, to find the best path."

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Nassau

Cleanup efforts at the site of the former Dewey Loeffel landfill will not be affected by turmoil at the Environmental Protection Agency, officials told residents.

At an informational meeting Wednesday in Nassau, EPA and General Electric officials updated townspeople on the investigation of contaminants at the site where GE, SI Group and Bendix Corp. dumped 46,000 tons of PCBs, solvents and other toxic chemicals from 1952 to 1970. The site was closed via court order in 1970.

EPA officials told the Times Union that because the agreement to clean up the designated Superfund site was done in a legal contract, it will not be affected by the decision by President Donald Trump's administration to freeze EPA grants.

At the Dewey Loeffel site, investigators have been sampling soil for contaminants and monitoring wells since 2013, when EPA reached an agreement with GE and SI Group.

Tainted water leaking through the unlined landfill is being treated before it is discharged into Valatie Kill, a stream that drains into Kinderhook Lake.

Full results from the first phase of the investigation should be available on the EPA's website in the next few weeks, with more tests scheduled over the next two years.

Some of the roughly 50 Nassau residents attending the update raised concerns with the methodology of some of the measurements they believe could dilute upcoming health risk assessments and underplay the threat of carcinogens.

Charles Sullivan, a retired state Department of Environmental Conservation attorney, questioned the depth at which samples were taken. He and others at the meeting say the agency and companies should test at shallower depths, where chemicals could more easily come into human contact and could spread through insects and the animals that eat them.

Residents also raised concerns with the standard minimum by which cancer-causing chemicals are determined to be health risks. Sullivan and others said they'd prefer the DEC's more stringent range be applied.

RDownen@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  Follow @RobertDownenTU
The former director of the Derby Senior Center, fired last year after allegations that she embezzled money from the center, has applied for a pre-trial program for first-time offenders.

Sarah Muoio applied for accelerated rehabilitation during a court appearance Thursday, reports the Valley Independent Sentinel. She could avoid jail time if she is admitted to the program.

Mayor Anita Dugatto told the Sentinel that the city will ask the judge to reject Muoios application.

Muoio, 30, was arrested last May on one count of first-degree larceny, a Class B felony. She is free on a $10,000 bond.

According to four search warrant applications, police confiscated furniture, carpeting, bed frames, a yoga ball, house paint, dining sets, quilts and a number of other personal items, including Muoios iPhone, iPad and Mac computer, pawn tickets and safe deposit box keys from her home.

The court papers put the amount of the alleged theft at nearly $22,000, and said it was taken from the centers three accounts at Webster Bank. The papers indicated some of the money was used by Muoio to pay her home electric and cable bills.

Mayor Anita Dugatto had fired Muoio without explanation on Jan. 21, 2016 and was criticized at the time because the center director was mourning the recent death of her father, a retired Ansonia educator.

But the warrant applications by Detectives Edward Sullivan and Gino DiMauro indicate that an audit had found discrepancies in the senior center accounts.

Receipts from Overstock.com indicate that Muoio had bought items including a dining table and chairs made of eucalyptus wood, a sun bed with canopy, chairs covered in fake fur and other items with center funds, the investigators said.

Those items were found in her Milford home, they said.
MILFORD  The director of a NASA program that works with high schools to design and build space station components will be visiting Platt Technical School on Feb. 2.

Stacy Hale, director of the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program will give Platt Tech students to opportunity to have their names launched into space, by having them sign a completed equipment locker that will be used in an upcoming mission, officials said Friday.
STAMFORD  Some 28 individuals and groups were recognized Friday at the 20th annual Stamford Volunteer Day ceremony at the Harry Bennett Branch of the Ferguson Library.

This is the absolute best America has to offer, what we are honoring here, said Kim Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut, which coordinated the event. One of United Ways greatest assets is being located in a community like Stamford that is committed to giving their time, talent and efforts to build healthy communities.
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SHELTON  The city school board is pondering three different spending schemes as it finalizes a 2017-18 budget plan.

One thing missing from all of them is an anticipated $351,000 bill from Bridgeport.

District officials told the school board this week they wont be penciling in what the Bridgeport School district intends to charge for the 117 Shelton students attending Discovery Magnet School and the Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet Schools.

They need to understand if they send us a bill, we are not sending them a check, Win Oppel, a Shelton school board member said.

Bridgeport last year, seized on a state law that allows it to charge tuition to sending districts with states permission. It received the state go ahead and put 18 districts on notice this year that tuition bills would be forthcoming for the 2017-18 school year.

The plan is to charge $3,000 apiece for nearly 567 students, giving Bridgeport $1.7 million to offset the cost of its magnet schools.

The law that allows Bridgeport to charge other districts tuition holds no provision for collecting the money should districts refuse, state officials said Friday.

Several districts have banded together to fight the charge. Stratford has threatened to sue. Siegel has suggested that challenge would be aimed at the state since it created the law.

In Trumbull, the anticipated $288,000 tuition charge has been penciled into the towns budget proposal.

Budget director Sean OKeefe said a meeting was held in late December between officials from Bridgeport and several impacted school districts to see if some compromise might be reached.

OKeefe said he suggested to Marlene Siegel, finance director for Bridgeport Public Schools, that perhaps the fee could be phased in, starting with next years ninth graders.

She seemed favorable to the idea and said she would bring it to her board, OKeefe said.

No mention was made of the suggestion, however, when the Bridgeport school boards finance committee started looking at 2017-18 budget plans this month.

In Shelton, Superintendent Chris Clouet said his staff is working with legislators and lawyers to see if a fair resolution can be achieved. He also called it a matter of potential litigation.

Under current law, districts can not keep their students from applying for the magnet school.

They can make it harder, however. Stratford  facing a $576,000 tuition charge  has indicated it will not let city officials recruit students within their schools. They also wont promote it heavily.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; @lclambeck
Splendora Independent School District plans to leave the Southeast Texas Cooperative for Special Services and begin providing its own in-house special education services in the 2017-2018 school year.

According to Rick Kershner, Splendora ISD assistant superintendent of academic and human resource services, the district's decision is a result of growth and an increase in the number of students utilizing special services in the district.

"I can't say enough good about the co-op," Kershner said. "We're very proud of the relationship we had with them. It has been a great working relationship. We just feel at this point we can better serve the needs of our students by operating (special education services) from inside the district."

Splendora ISD has been with the co-op since the 2011-2012 school year.

The Southeast Texas Co-op currently provides special education services to eight area school districts: Splendora ISD, Anahuac ISD, Cleveland ISD, Devers ISD, Hardin ISD, Hull-Daisetta ISD, Liberty ISD and Tarkington ISD.

Tammie Marberry, Southeast Texas Co-op director of special services, said Splendora ISD's decision to leave the co-op is amicable and not an uncommon move for growing districts.

"Splendora was a smaller district when they came in to the co-op, but they're growing, and as they've gotten larger and added more kiddos, it makes it possible to take care of services without the co-op," Marberry said. "They're growing so quickly it makes sense for them to take care of their kiddos without our support.

"We are one of the largest co-ops in the state. We still have seven districts without Splendora. We will just work to budget and readjust to continue providing services to schools in the districts where we work."

Marberry said the co-op will help the district transition to providing in-house special education services.

During the Splendora ISD Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 12, the school board approved the employment of Jennifer Stewart as the director of special services.

Stewart is a Splendora ISD graduate and was valedictorian of the class of 2002. She worked as a licensed specialist in school psychology in Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD and is a nationally certified school psychologist.

Prior to her position as Splendora ISD director of special services, Stewart was the special education coordinator and liaison between Splendora ISD and the Southeast Texas Co-op.

"We're going to have to start building the program from the ground up," Stewart said. "Some of the co-op staff may be interested in staying with the district, which is an option. We are also in the process of hiring a (special education) coordinator who is scheduled to start Feb. 1, so that next year we have a process and plans in place."

Leah Howard, who was hired on as the special education coordinator, expressed her enthusiasm toward helping the district create its new program.

"It's an exciting opportunity to join Splendora ISD, and to be able help to with its transition from a shared, multi-district special services cooperative, to an in-district program. It is an important step for a growing district to take," Howard said. "This transition will provide high-quality programs and services focused on the specific needs of Splendora ISD students. I have over 20 years of experience in education and special education programs, and it's really exciting to be able to put that knowledge to use for the students of Splendora. I'm really looking forward to assisting in the development and implementation of the new program here."

According to Stewart, Splendora ISD was serving 304 special education students as of October 2015. In October 2016, the number of special education students had increased to 331.

"That number has already risen, due to transfer students and referrals, to 345 students currently being served with 35 special education referrals in the process," Stewart said. "Assuming the majority of those students qualify for services, our special education number will be around 370."

Stewart said having a special education staff exclusively for Splendora ISD will benefit the district by increasing accountability and helping provide services to the growing number of special education students in the district.

Additionally, the district anticipates the new special education budget to be comparable to the current budget.

"The money that is currently allocated toward the fees for being a member of the co-op will primarily go into new full-time staff positions," Stewart said. "This will allow for better support of our campuses and students by our own staff."

Kevin Lynch, Splendora ISD assistant superintendent of business and operations, said last year the district's special education program expenses were about $2.3 million.

According to Lynch, the co-op received approximately $500,000 last year from Splendora ISD in addition to federal funding for special services that went directly to the co-op.

As the provider of its own special education services, Splendora ISD will now receive those federal funds for their district's program, which Lynch estimated may total roughly $650,000.

Although the district may incur some start-up costs associated with hiring new employees, such as furnishing office spaces, preliminary estimates project the new special education budget at approximately $2.3-2.4 million.

Lynch believes an in-house special education department will benefit the district in terms of long-term cost efficiency and quality of service.

"We will be able to give more personal attention to our kids and our staff," Lynch said. "The co-op was wonderful when we needed it, but as we grew as a district and our needs increased, it comes down to an economy of scale. We got to the point in our district where we will be able to produce a better product in-house with our own staff."

Splendora ISD posted the special education positions for which it is hiring on its website, https://splendoraisd.tedk12.com/hire/Index.aspx.
Houston's Public Works and Engineering Department plans repairs to concrete panels near the 2400 block of West Lake Houston Parkway from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.

Crews will work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the contractor will make repairs in the left southbound lane and right northbound lane, according to a news release from Councilman Dave Martin's office.
Memorial Villages Police/video

A woman previously charged and indicted with injury to an elderly individual has been caught, according to a report from Memorial Villages Assistant Police Chief Ray Schultz.

According to Schultz, "Houston Police Officers were dispatched to an apartment complex at about 2 a.m. (Friday) in southwest Houston on a suspicious persons call. Upon arrival the officers located the suspicious person who happen to be Ms. Brenda Floyd. She was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail. Ms. Floyd is the suspect in the assault case of a village resident from New Year's Day."
Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack is pushing forward with a project to construct the Gosling Road bridge despite a stalemate between his office and Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle.

Noack met with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett Friday.

"We discussed the history of the Gosling Bridge project, funding alternatives and possible solutions on how together we could move forward," Noack told The Courier.

Emmett is a member of the Houston-Galveston Area Council's Transportation Policy Council, which determines the rules of funding road projects and which projects will be considered for funding. Noack said Emmett will review the Gosling Bridge project, meet with Cagle and determine the appropriate steps.

Later Friday, Noack spoke with David Wurdlow, Transportation Improvement Plan manager for HGAC, who confirmed that the calls for projects for 2017-18 and any funding rules associated with them have not been decided, meaning the Gosling project is not in jeopardy of losing its opportunity for funding due to the commissioners' stalemate so far.

Noack also said the total cost of the project could drop and the timeline be reduced if the project is funded with local dollars.

While there is no professional estimate on the cost of the project so far, Cagle's office requested $5.1 million for Montgomery County's share, with around $3.4 million of those costs being reimbursed to Montgomery County per an Advanced Construction Agreement between Harris County and the Texas Department of Transportation, according to Cagle.

Noack's counter proposal is for Montgomery County to fund 100 percent of the engineering and design portion ($1.7 million). Harris County would be responsible for the construction cost and reimbursed 80 percent from TxDOT through the advanced agreement.

Noack said one reason to let Cagle handle the bridge construction is because Harris County Precinct 4 also will be widening Gosling Road from Mossy Oak to the bridge, giving Cagle the opportunity to oversee the entire construction project. Noack would want to be involved in choosing the engineering firm along with Harris County.

Noack also wants a firm estimate and claims Cagle's cost estimates for the project have ranged from $830,000 to $5 million.

Noack does not want to start the Gosling Bridge construction project until the ongoing Kuykendahl Bridge project is completed.

The Gosling Road bridge, which crosses the county line near The Woodlands Village of Creekside Park in Harris County, is one of Noack's five funded projects approved by voters in November 2015 as part of the $280 million road bond package. Noack allocated $3.8 million for the county share of the project.

The Stalemate

Cagle said "communication difficulty" started sometime ago with Noack's stance against several of his projects, specifically the Texas 249 tollway and direct connectors for the Grand Parkway at Interstate 45, during a meeting regarding the Kuykendahl bridge project over the Montgomery-Harris County line.

"At that meeting, Noack announced he wanted to oppose our 249 project," Cagle said in a previous Courier article, noting also in attendance at that meeting were then-Precinct 2 Commissioner Craig Doyal and Alex Sutton, with The Woodlands Development Company. "Not really a good way to start a set of negotiations."

However, Noack said his stance was not against Harris County's toll program and Texas 249, but against Montgomery County developing a toll road program which Doyal, now county judge, and fellow court members support.

"Just because Commissioner Cagle doesn't like (my stance) doesn't mean (the Gosling project) is not something we should work together on," Noack said. "What Commissioner Cagle needs to realize is I am elected to protect the interests of Montgomery County not Jack Cagle."

Since then, the commissioners claim the other has not been willing to meet to discuss the project.

Cagle said he has tried to meet with Noack but claims the Precinct 3 commissioner has been "too busy." But Noack said when he reached out to Cagle following his invite, the Precinct 4 commissioner never responded.

On Dec. 15, Cindy Turski, an executive assistant with The Woodlands Township, sent an email to Noack and Cagle copying several other county and township officials stating township chairman Gordy Bunch would like to set up a meeting regarding an update on the ongoing Kuykendahl Road bridge project and future planning for the Gosling Road bridge project.

An additional two-lane bridge is being constructed on Kuykendahl Road over Spring Creek between Pine Plains Drive and Flintridge Drive. Noack has expressed a desire to wait until that project is completed before starting the Gosling Road bridge project so that two north-south corridors in close proximity at the county line are not affected at the same time.

Besong responded to Turski's group email stating Noack was available the first few weeks of January. However, in a Dec. 19 letter to Turski, Cagle said, "I respectfully believe there is no need for me to come to Montgomery County to appear before you on this occasion. The Kuykendahl Bridge, being managed by the Woodlands Road Utility District No. 1, is under construction and is scheduled for completion by May 17, 2017. On the Gosling Bridge, Harris County continues to await a check in the amount of $5.1 million dollars from Montgomery County. Of those funds, Montgomery County, after TxDOT gives its anticipated reimbursement, will receive a reimbursement of $3.4 million, making the total cost of the project to Montgomery County $1.7 million.

"Harris County would appreciate the assistance that your entity may lend, if any, in encouraging Montgomery County to send us the check."

Cagle suggested in December that Emmett and Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal step in and work out the project and cost. However, Noack said that is not necessary and reached out to Emmett earlier this month to discuss a plan to move forward.
The Woodland Township Board of Directors again put its foot down regarding mobility projects around the community, specifically the proposed extension of Mansions Way from FM 2978 to Dobbin-Huffsmith Road.

The board unanimously reaffirmed an amended resolution from February 2016 opposing several mobility projects in the community, including the Woodlands Parkway extension. The amended resolution opposes the Mansions Way project, which starts a quarter-mile south of Woodlands Parkway, and suggests Hardin Store Road be widened and realigned as a more viable option to connect FM 2978 to Texas 249. The resolution also asked the Montgomery County Commissioners Court to provide a traffic impact study and host a forum for public comment regarding the Mansions Way project.

Montgomery County commissioners unanimously approved awarding land surveying services to Tomball-based Arborleaf Engineering and Surveying Inc. for $264,855 and engineering services for the project to Houston-based R. G. Miller Engineers Inc. in the amount of $264,477 during their Jan. 10 meeting. The $530,000 in contracts is being funded through Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley's budget. There is currently no funding or timeline for the construction of the connector.

In February 2016, the township board approved a resolution opposing the Woodlands Parkway extension to Dobbin-Huffsmith and ultimately through to Texas 249 following the backlash from residents who believed the extension would dramatically increase traffic along Woodlands Parkway through the community. That resolution also opposed the proposed Branch Crossing north, Gosling Road north, and Grogan's Mill north. Those projects are part of the Montgomery County Major Thoroughfare Plan and the South County Mobility Plan.

"Some of the issues we are dealing with regarding this particular project is this is a rebranding of the same project," said Board Chairman Gordy Bunch. "It's using the exact same rights of way they already have."

Bunch said the township still wants to have dialogue with the county regarding issue.

"They came to this board last year  and said 'before we go any further, we will include you,'" Bunch said. "And then they didn't. My hope is that what we are doing tonight is reaffirming that this board is still opposed to those actions from last year  ."

However, Riley said in a previous Courier article that Mansions Way is not the same project and he is longer considering the Woodlands Parkway extension. He said the Mansions Way project addresses the opposition who did not want a connector directly into The Woodlands.

"When I see Mansions Way is a new intersection on Mansions Way on FM 2978 with a traffic signal already built, that is a perfect spot to take this new road," Riley said. "It ties into an intersection that cannot go into The Woodlands, which is what everyone was telling me."

Riley said the new connector will use the previously purchased rights of way in the area but will require the county to purchase a small portion near FM 2978.

When County Judge Craig Doyal was Precinct 2 commissioner, the county purchased the rights of way between The Woodlands Development Company property, located on the west side of FM 2978 where Woodlands Parkway ends, and other private developer land near Dobbin-Huffsmith for the connector, with the plans that it go all the way to Texas 249. That involved 38 purchases of varying-sized parcels for a total cost of $1.657 million.

Both Doyal and Riley agree Hardin Store was not a viable option because of the difficulty in obtaining rights of way to widen the current two-lane road. According to Doyal, one of the main reasons he purchased the majority of rights of way for the future extension of Woodlands Parkway while he served as Precinct 2 Commissioner was due to the fact that it was more difficult to purchase those rights of way along Hardin Store Road. He said the railroad tracks that cross Hardin Store Road would be a challenge.

The issue arose in early 2015 when residents learned Riley was planning to extend Woodlands Parkway from FM 2978 to Texas 249. The project was part of a $350 million road bond referendum set to go to voters in May of that year.

Concerned about the increase in traffic in the community, residents of The Woodlands urged the court to remove the project from the May bond. But the court, specifically Riley, refused to take the project off his list. And on May 9, 2015, voters rejected the bond, with 57.19 percent of more than 28,300 votes countywide against it.

In August 2015, the court agreed to move forward with another road bond for the Nov. 3 ballot in the amount of $280 million. That referendum excluded several projects, including the Woodlands Parkway extension. Voters passed the $280 million referendum easily, with 63.36 percent of the more than 45,500 votes for it.

The extension of Woodlands Parkway has been part of the thoroughfare plan since the original draft in the late 1980s. However, it wasn't until last year when the project was included on the May $350 million road bond that residents and community leaders divided themselves over the issue. The majority of the opposition came from Precinct 3 in The Woodlands, where residents said they didn't want the project, which is within Precinct 2. There were concerns it would increase traffic through The Woodlands on an already-congested parkway.
AUSTIN  The Farm Credit Bank of Texas Board of Directors has re-elected James F. Jimmy Dodson of Robstown board chairman and Lester Little of Hallettsville board vice chairman of the Austin-based cooperatively owned bank.

The two South Texas farmers were re-elected to one-year terms during the boards annual organizational meeting in January. Dodson has served on the FCBT board since 2003, and Little has been a board member since 2009. Both were first elected to their current officer positions in 2012.
Twenty-seven DECA members at Plainview High School will compete in the State Career Development Conference in San Antonio on Feb. 23-25.

The students qualified for state competition by placing in the District 8 Career Development Conference held at Amarillo College on Jan. 20. In all, 42 Plainview High school students participated in the District 8 competition.
NEW YORK (AP)  Police in New York City are asking for the public's help in apprehending a burglar who wore a white biohazard suit to conceal his identity when he stole a safe containing $200,000 from a home in Queens earlier this month.

WNBC-TV reports surveillance video shows the burglar pull a Mercedes-Benz station wagon into the driveway of a home in the Bayside section of the borough on Jan. 6.
NORWALK  Doubts in the accuracy of the school districts enrollment projections.

Regret over the city having sold off school property in years past.

Amazement.

Those are just a few of the reactions that came as Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski presented to the Norwalk Land Use Committee and the

Common Council Tuesday evening the districts $245.5 million facilities master plan, which includes the construction of a new South Norwalk school and the expansion and renovation of several others.

When any city, town or municipality builds a school, its done at tremendous expense to the community, Adamowski said. ... You cant just meet a simple objective. ... We have to do it in a way that will elevate the educational value of the school system overall.

Besides just meeting the school districts need for 900 new seats in the next five years, Adamowski said the plans offer extra benefits including an additional intra-district magnet school program and a much-needed school for the South Norwalk neighborhood.

School district officials spent much of the meeting making the case for the need for new, expanded and renovated facilities and walking city officials through the districts demographic history and projected enrollment increase. They then explained the process of how they came to their current plans to meet the growing districts needs and took comments from city officials.

Common Council member Steven Ferguson expressed concerns over the accuracy of the districts enrollment projections and questioned if the type of housing development

popular in Norwalk

was considered.

Common Council member Travis Simms commended some of the plans, but said the Nathaniel Ely site should be taken off the table as an option for the construction of a new school.

Common Council member Frances DiMeglio asked why the former Benjamin Franklin school wasnt considered as a site for a new school.

Some seemed impressed by the plans overall, while others questioned the plans high price tag.

The bulk of the hefty capital budget  passed by the Board of Education last week  amounts to $70.91 million and would go toward transforming Ponus Ridge Middle School into a pre-K-8 STEM-themed magnet campus.

Roughly $45.88 million would go toward constructing a pre-K-8 school campus at the site of the former Nathaniel Ely School, which Columbus Magnet School will move into.

Another $36.61 million would go toward renovating the current Columbus Magnet School building to house a K-5 intra-district magnet school with an International Baccalaureate Early Years Programme.

Finally, $32.06 million would go toward the renovation of Jefferson Science Magnet School, which will subsequently lose its temporary trailers and magnet-school status and become a neighborhood school.

District officials hope to have a total of $50.69 million of that budget allotment covered by state grant reimbursement.

An additional $60 million was requested to cover everything from curriculum materials and textbooks to paving and concrete for the new, expanded or renovated school sites.

The effort to act swiftly for changes in school facilities come as the district runs roughly 750 seats short, is expected to grow to over 1,000 by 2025 and nearly 400 kids are stationed in 15 portable trailers that are nearing the end of their designed lifespan. Various aging school buildings were also recently deemed in need of renovations.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling has said  despite his request for more time to be given for public input on the plans  that he recognizes the need for additional classrooms and would include requested funding in his capital budget proposal.

KSchultz@thehour.com; 203- 354-1049; @kevinedschultz
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Foundation Source added four business development associates in its Fairfield office. The company provides management and advisory services for private foundations.

Joining the company are Stephen Frois, Erik Larsen, Samuel Uberti and Jessica Donahue. Frois, Larsen and Uberti are graduates, respectively, of the University of Connecticut, University of Vermont and Albertus Magnus College. Donahue has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

On the deans list

Four Fairfield natives earned a place on the deans list for the fall 2016 semester at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain: Sarah Chapdelaine, Hazem Darwish, Jennifer Moran and Goran Potrebic. To achieve this academic distinction, an undergraduate student at CCSU must carry at least 12 academic credits during the semester and earn at least a 3.5 grade-point average out of a possible 4.0 GPA.

Two Fairfield natives, both members of the class of 2019, were named to the deans list for outstanding academic achievement during the fall semester of the 2016-17 year at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Students on this list have earned a semester grade-point average of 3.75 or higher.

Claire Mepyans attended Fairfield Ludlowe High School and is the daughter of Priscilla Scanlon, of Fairfield, and Kevin Mepyans, of New York City. Julia Von Ehr, of Southport, attended Fairfield Ludlowe High School and is the daughter of Joseph and Fatima Von Ehr, of Southport.

Seven Fairfield natives were named to the deans list for the fall 2016 semester at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic.

From the class of 2017, Nicholas Fernandes is majoring in social work, Gregory Hyman is majoring in sport and leisure management, Miguel Restrepo is majoring in major is business administration and Christina Rossomando is majoring in communications.

Thomas Luckner, a member of the class of 2018, is majoring in mathematics and economics. Jake Kiremidjian, a member of the class of 2019, is majoring in business administration. Jessica Sullivan, a member of the class of 2020, is majoring in history.

Three Fairfield natives achieved a 3.5 or better grade-point average for the fall semester at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Kaitlin McKenna, Julia Pavoni and Julia Lajeunesse have been named to the deans list recognizing academic performance.

Six Fairfield natives have been named to the fall 2016 deans list at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. Full-time students who complete 12 or more credits per semester and earn a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher are placed on the deans list that semester.

The local students include Acacia Longley, Paul Morin, Sydney Burr, Manuel Rivas-Colon, Caroline Naspo and Katherine Vaugh .

Fairfields Gregory Beckwith , a finance major, has been named to the Siena College deans list for the fall 2016 semester. To be named to the deans list, a students grade-point average for the semester must be between 3.5 and 3.89 at the school in Loudonville, N.Y.

Fairfields Jane Pollard and Aidan Rooney , University of Dayton undergraduates, made the deans list for the fall 2016 semester, which honors undergraduate students achieving a minimum 3.5 grade-point average for the semester at the Ohio school.

Nicholas Hughes of Fairfield is among the more than 1,500 students named to The University of Scrantons deans list for the 2016 fall semester. A student must have a grade-point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours.

Hughes is a senior marketing major in the Pennsylvania universitys Kania School of Management.

Leaving town

The specialty metals company 5N Plus is moving its Connecticut offices to Trumbull from Fairfield, where it has been located at 515 Commerce Drive. Based in Montreal, 5N sells purified metals and chemicals used in products ranging from digital devices to pharmaceuticals.

In the third quarter last year, 5N lost $4.2 million on $55.5 million in revenue, with sales off 19 percent from the third quarter of 2015 when the company lost $32.2 million.

According to commercial real estate broker Colliers International, 5N is taking more than 40,000 square feet of space at 120 Corporate Drive in Trumbull, owned by Shelton-based R.D. Scinto.

Building sells for $1M

A 9,000-square-foot mixed-use building located at 35 Kings Highway East in Fairfield recently sold for $1.1 million. Brett A. Sherman, senior vice president of Southport-based Angel Commercial , represented the buyer, BAO Partners, who acquired the property as an investment.

Call for photos

The Fairfield Museum and History Center will host its ninth annual IMAGES Juried Photography Show to celebrate the exceptional work of talented photographers in the region.

Entries will be accepted through Feb. 5.

Professional, serious amateur and student photographers from Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are invited to participate.

The show will be on display from March 9 to April 30. The photography of Joe Standart will also be on display.

Visit fairfieldhistory.org/exhibitions-2/images for information or to enter.
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It was a different scene at City Hall Thursday morning when the Conroe City Council unanimously agreed to earmark $50,000 to send Councilman Duane Ham to Austin for the remainder of the legislative session in a lobbying effort on the city's behalf.

Following initial concerns from several council members about scope and accountability at the council's workshop Wednesday, city staff presented the council with a more detailed outline of just what Ham's responsibility will be as the city's legislative liaison.

"I am excited that the city of Conroe has stepped up and decided we are going to have representation and not just going to sit back," Ham said. "We are going to fight for the citizens of Conroe. I'm excited they asked me to go to Austin and represent us."

City Attorney Marc Winberry said he along with Ham, Mayor Toby Powell and Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon worked Wednesday night to develop the legislative program to include guidelines, procedures, budget and fiscal accountability."

State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, is sponsoring a bill in the state House that would change at least some of the appointed positions on the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District board to elected positions.

Under general scope, Ham would be required to advocate proposed legislation to replace the appointed Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District board with elected directors, keep the city and council informed of any bills filed, committee hearings or other proceedings. Starting in February, Ham also will provide in writing a status of his activities. The program does allow for Ham to advocate on other issues as directed by the council.

The $50,000 would be "all inclusive" for travel, parking, per diem, lodging and other expenses incurred. Reimbursement for anything over the per diem would be considered by the council on a case-by-case basis. The council also would be responsible for approving any lodging or rental agreement for a term greater than 30 days.

Coon said he is pleased to see the scope of work.

"This is very important," Coon said. "I think it strengthens Mr. Ham's position and will withstand public scrutiny."

The rest of the council also supports the legislative program.

"I just want to thank everyone for working together.  I know it was a lot of work and it wasn't easy," Councilman Guy Martin said. "I think all our veteran legislators are going to be appreciative."

Powell said he is pleased with the council working together on the issue.

"I think it shows continuity on the council and that we are here to work for the benefit of the citizens," he said. "We are always obligated to their service."

The city has been focused on water issues for some time after LSGCD required 2009 all large-volume water users in Montgomery County to reduce groundwater usage by 30 percent of 2009 figures starting Jan. 1, 2016, as part of a long-term plan. In response to that, the San Jacinto River Authority created the Groundwater Reduction Plan and gathered a group of large-volume water users. The SJRA created a plan to run pipelines to Conroe and South Montgomery County, including The Woodlands, to pump surface water from Lake Conroe to provide a blend of groundwater and surface water. All large-volume users that entered the GRP pay fees to the SJRA for the construction project.

The city of Conroe, along with 150 other entities, entered into a contract with SJRA in 2010 to meet the 30 percent mandate. However, the city of Conroe filed a lawsuit against the LSGCD Aug. 27, 2015, claiming the LSGCD was acting beyond its legislative authority by putting down unlawful limits on groundwater production.

While the concern about water and the fees began more than a year ago, the issue came to a head in August when the city of Conroe approved a resolution refusing to pay the recent GRP fee increase to the SJRA. The SJRA board voted in June to raise its pumpage and surface-water fees by 18 cents per 1,000 gallons (7 percent) effective September 2016.

The SJRA claims the city's decision puts the SJRA and other Groundwater Reduction Plan participants in immediate financial risk, specifically involving the repayment of over $400 million in debt to the state of Texas. The SJRA filed suit against Conroe and notified the Texas attorney general and the Texas Water Development Board of Conroe's rejection of its contractual obligations regarding its GRP contract.

The case is ongoing.
A group of good Samaritans helped save a Conroe man from a "bank jugging" crime, although he did not walk away unscathed, Conroe police said.

Conroe police say bank jugging is when people loiter in a bank parking lot and wait for patrons to exit the building, usually with large quantities of money in hand. The assailants then follow the patron to the car or home and either rob the person or burglarize the car in order to get the cash.
A search for a more meaningful career and a budding fascination for healthcare eventually led Greg Curry to opportunity to help so many on the South Plains.

I enjoy doing this so much, said Curry, who has served the past six months working as a family nurse practitioner at Covenant Health Plainview.

I enjoy the interaction with patients and the opportunity to be a part of their healthcare.

Though he has only worked as a nurse practitioner for less than a year, Curry has provided care all over the Plainview hospital for more than five years.

I started in Plainview as a registered nurse back in 2012, Curry explained.

But before then, Curry lived an extremely different life, one far away from patients and health care.

In the 1980s I received my degree in anthropology from the University of North Texas, Curry said.

Curry explained he was always intrigued with the study of human societies, their cultures and their development.

In the 1990s, Curry explained he wanted to take his love for anthropology to a higher level and became a PhD candidate in forensic anthropology at the University of New Mexico.

With forensic anthropology, Curry worked with ancient and modern human remains to discover who they were and details like their ethnicity and their culture.

Curry could tell such details just by looking at microscopic changes in the bone structures of human remains.

Unfortunately, Curry said the PhD program at UNM would dissolve while he was going to school.

Explaining that he was extremely disheartened by the shutting down of the program, Curry choose to take a break from anthropology, deciding to enter the business world.

Curry said he worked mostly in sales and eventually moved to Lubbock where he has lived for the past 25 years.

During his free time, Curry said he kept busy. This included working as a part-time massage therapist and volunteering as a scoutmaster for a troop of Boy Scouts.

It was during his 20 years as a Boy Scout leader that Curry started to gain an interest in healthcare.

Over the years, during our outdoor adventures, I had seen quite a bit of injuries, explained Curry.

Feeling he wasnt quite prepared for treating severe injuries, Curry said he enrolled into an intensive wilderness first aid class at Texas Tech University.

The 10-day course lit a spark in Curry; drawing him into a life in the medical field.

I remember I came home and told my wife I thought the course was great and I wanted to look into doing that, Curry said.

Curry said he felt unfulfilled in his sales career which prompted him to start researching a different way of life.

It was then that Curry said he found a one-year RN/BSN program at Texas Tech.

I felt this was a great opportunity to achieve some personal growth, Curry said.

Curry earned his nursing degree quickly and worked some in the community wellness program at UMC in Lubbock. However, Curry said he knew he wanted more and knew eventually he wanted to pursue a nurse practitioner degree.

Curry wanted experience. He wanted to engulf himself in every aspect of medical care, from the specialized care needed from nurses in ICU to the fast paced, quick thinking environment of the emergency department.

Curry decided Covenant Health Plainview was the perfect place to gain that experience. A facility with advanced and specialized capabilities but nestled in a small town community hospital.

I thought it would be a great place for me to cross train in all aspects of health care and medicine, Curry said.

And Curry did just that, starting at the Plainview hospital in 2012, floating mainly in Intensive Care, Emergency and Labor and Delivery departments.

Six months after his start date, Curry returned to school to earn his practitioner degree.

In 2016, Curry earned his MSN/FNP degree from West Texas A&M University and landed a job in the office of longtime Plainview physician Sergio Lara, M.D.

I had other offers, but I wanted to stay in Plainview. I like the community and I feel my presence can really make a difference, Curry said.

Curry said he enjoys working with Lara and is happy for the opportunity to work in internal medicine.

Its a completely different aspect of healthcare, added Curry.

On his free time, Curry is still a scoutmaster for Troop 536 in Lubbock and is also involved in anthropology missions.

Just last year, Curry said he visited the county of Belize where he helped build a church and complete a fresh water project.
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A Las Vegas man has been charged with taking part in the 2006 murder of the leader of an organization in San Franciscos Chinatown, a killing for which Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow has been sentenced to life in prison.

Wen Bing Lei, nicknamed Skinny Ray, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on a charge of murdering Allen Leung during racketeering activity. Prosecutors said Lei, 50, is in federal custody on other charges.
CHARLESTON, SC / ACCESSWIRE / January 27, 2017 / Mission Solutions Group ("MSG"), Inc., a Delaware Corporation and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), announced leadership changes in the corporation. Mr. Dave Taylor is starting as the President of Marshall Communications Corp (a wholly owned subsidiary of MSG). Mr. Mike McCormack, the current President of Marshall, is being promoted to the position of Executive Vice President-Strategy & Development at MSG. In this capacity, he will participate in establishing and executing the company's strategic plans and take a leading role in expanding its M&A activities, and will lead the company's efforts to expand its business lines.

MSG is a family of premier companies providing dedicated mission critical support in the Communications/Cyber-Security and Sustainment verticals, which includes Marshall Communications and Sidecar Enterprises, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

"We welcome a new leader of Dave's caliber and are looking forward to what I am confident will be continued success at Marshall. Dave brings a boatload of experience in this space and is a proven leader. We are also excited about Mike moving into his new role within MSG and helping us further accelerate our strategy of growth through M&A activity. He did a great job leading Marshall, and I am highly confident the contribution he'll make in his next role will be substantial," said Damon Walsh, Mission Solutions Group's CEO.

Mike McCormack, EVP-Strategy & Development of MSG, "I have tremendously enjoyed being able to play a role in leading Marshall to a successful first year under the MSG enterprise and appreciate all the hard work undertaken by the folks at Marshall. I am also excited about moving into a different role within MSG and look forward to continuing to help build on the success we've realized to date."

"I am very excited about the new opportunity to lead Marshall to the next phase of its successful growth across several markets and capitalizing on the foundation that's in place at what can only be described as a provider of premier services and products. The company is clearly poised for success due to Mike's leadership and the exceptional effort put forth by members of the Marshall team. I am looking forward to keeping the accelerator pressed to build on this momentum," said Dave Taylor, the new President of Marshall Communications Corp.

Story continues

About Mission Solutions Group

Mission Solutions Group ("MSG") is a family of premier companies providing dedicated mission critical support in the Communications/Cyber-Security and Sustainment verticals to support the U.S. military's important missions around the globe. MSG was founded by military and defense industry veterans with Special Operations, Force Protection, and solution development / implementation backgrounds. The MSG executive leadership team represents over 150 years of professional experience serving the DoD and commercial marketplace in all facets. For more information on Mission Solutions Group, please visit www.missionsolutionsgroup.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release may contain "forward-looking" statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking-statements. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company does not undertake, and it specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, events, or circumstances after the date of such statement.

Contact:

Damon Walsh

CEO

Mission Solutions Group, Inc.

717 Old Trolley Road, Suite 6-275

Summerville, SC 29485

PH: 843-860-9074

SOURCE: Mission Solutions Group
AUSTIN - In an effort to enhance mobility and support interstate trade, the Texas Transportation Commission, at its January meeting, approved the designation of a 25-mile segment of the state highway system as Interstate14.

This is the first segment of I-14 to be designated in Texas. It will run jointly with US 190 from the intersection of US 190 and Business US 190 E in Copperas Cove to Interstate 35 in Belton.
WESTPORT  A town residents housekeeper allegedly wrote and cashed $500 in checks from her employers checkbook.

Olga Rincon, of Lincoln Avenue in Bridgeport, forged the checks, writing them to herself and signing her employers name, according to police. The 63-year-old was allegedly caught on surveillance video cashing one of the checks at a Bridgeport bank.

Westport police arrested Rincon Jan. 25 after she was stopped driving through town that evening because her brake light was out, according to the department. The forged checks had been reported in December and a warrant was out for Rincons arrest when an officer pulled her over.

Rincon was charged with forgery, third-degree, and held on a $10,000 bond ahead of a Feb. 8 court date. Westport police said she also has as a warrant out for her arrest from Guilford on similar charges.
Donald Trump

The Mexican peso is higher by 1.4%, at 20.9218 per dollar, as of 1:37 p.m. ET after the Washington Post reported that US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had an hour-long phone conversation.



The peso was already rising Friday and gained further after news of the phone conversation crossed.

Friday's gains come after a wild session on Thursday that saw the peso climb by as much as 1.3% following a back-and-forth between Trump and Pena Nieto.

The call comes after the two leaders exchanged Tweets on Thursday and Friday morning.

Early on Thursday, Trump tweeted: "The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting."

Pena Nieto responded with a tweet, "This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the @POTUS." The Mexican president has repeatedly said Mexico would not pay for the border wall.

Later on Thursday, the Trump administration said it was considering a 20% border tax on Mexican imports to pay for the wall.



Then on Friday, Trump tweeted: "Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough. Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!"

The Mexican peso has fallen about 13% since Trump's election victory on November 8.

Mexican peso

NOW WATCH: Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin





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Authorities are looking for Murphy, Bruno and Casper  a trio of English Bulldog puppies, and brothers, who were taken from a San Antonio-area pet store earlier this week.

Around 1 a.m. Thursday, employees at the Petland in Leon Valley said three puppies were taken after a male suspect broke into the store.
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A man arrested Thursday is accused of pistol-whipping a man before fatally stabbing him while he sat in the passenger side of a car last year.

David Ortiz, 30, was arrested on a murder warrant in the death of 34-year-old Roland Pantoja, according to his arrest warrant affidavit. His bail was set at $100,000.

Pantojas body was found Aug. 30 with stab wounds next to railroad tracks in the 10,000 block of Quintana Road.

RELATED: Motorcyclist seriously injured when bike crashes into SUV

A witness told San Antonio Police Department investigators that he knew Ortiz was the one who stabbed Pantoja, but initially did not say why.

An investigator with the Dimmit County Sheriffs Office reached out to SAPD detectives with information that the witness police were interviewing had dropped off a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier at a home in the county.

The witness told a resident at the home that a man had been stabbed inside of it. In a second interview, the witness admitted that he power-washed the interior of the car to get rid of the blood.

RELATED: SAPD cop fired twice for feces-related incidents

He also told police he and Pantoja had gone to a home in the 1400 block of Colima to obtain drugs from Ortiz.

The witness admitted he purchased drugs on a regular basis and was familiar with Ortiz, according to the warrant.

While they were there, Ortiz approached Pantoja and accused him of running over another suspect, identified in the warrant as Ignacio Jimenez Jr.

Ortiz pulled out a handgun and struck Pantoja several times in the head while he was in the passenger seat, the warrant states.

Pantoja tried explaining that he ran over Jimenez on accident, but Ortiz was not listening, witnesses told police.

Ortiz retrieved a knife from his vehicle and stabbed Pantoja several times while he was still sitting in the car, according to the warrant.

Pantoja was then forced to crawl out of the car, witnesses told police. Thats when Jimenez allegedly stabbed Pantoja while he was on the ground, police said in the affidavit.

Witnesses said Pantoja died there. Ortiz then called an unidentified man who helped wrap Pantojas body and load him into the back of Ortizs SUV, the warrant states.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
A motorcyclist is in critical condition after colliding with an SUV on Thursday night on the Northwest Side.

The accident was reported at about 9 p.m. on the southbound access road of Northwest Loop 410 just south of Ingram Road, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
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SAN ANTONIO  Military officials have identified the pilot who died Wednesday in a plane crash near Stinson Municipal Airport, a news release said Friday.

Maj. Lee Berra, 32, died Wednesday afternoon after a single-engine Cirrus SR22 went down at about 3:45 p.m. while traveling from San Antonio International Airport to Stinson Municipal Airport, according to a news release.

RELATED: One dead in plane crash on San Antonios South Side

The crash site was about a half-mile away from the San Antonio River near Mission and Espada roads, according to a previous report.

Berra was a B-1 test pilot with the 419th Flight Test Squadron and was temporarily assigned to the 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio for T-38C pilot instructor training. He was in the third week of the 14-week course and held a private pilot license, using his personal aircraft for transportation to the training location. Berra also was a licensed commercial pilot, a news release said.

RELATED: Motorcyclist injured in Northwest Side accident

During his 10-year career with the Air Force, Berra flew 2,599 total military flight hours in 30 different aircraft, with the majority of those in the supersonic B-1 Lancer.

From 2010 to 2015, Berra was assigned as a B-1 pilot at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. He was then reassigned to Edwards Air Force Base to attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He graduated in June 2016, according to the news release.

Berra is survived by his wife and parents.

RELATED: Major wreck on Southeast Side shuts down I-37 heading into downtown

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are still investigating the crash.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
EPPING, N.H. (AP)  Police say a Burger King manager and employee in New Hampshire have been arrested on drug charges after authorities were tipped off that drive-thru customers asked for "Nasty Boy" and extra crispy fries to get some marijuana with their meal.

NH1 reports (http://bit.ly/2jViBwC) Epping Police Chief Mike Wallace said 20-year-old Garrett Norris was arrested Saturday after police conducted a sting operation. Also arrested was 19-year-old Meagan Dearborn, the shift manager.
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A City Council member has proposed designating a West Side street in honor of the late Archbishop Emeritus Patrick J. Flores, prompting early opposition from neighborhood residents.

The pending proposal calls for designating part of West Woodlawn Avenue  from North Zarzamora Street to Bandera Road  the Archbishop Patrick Flores Memorial Way.

District 7 Councilman Cris Medina submitted the request for council consideration on Jan. 19, 10 days after Flores died at the age of 87. The request was supported by at least four other council members to qualify for consideration by the full council.

Medinas petition described Flores as one of San Antonios leading icons. Flores resided at the Catholic Chancery on West Woodlawn during much of his tenure.

Social media posts diagree with the idea; some suggest that Flores be honored in some other way.

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez
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AUSTIN  U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke condemned President Donald Trumps immigration rhetoric and executive actions on Friday, arguing that building a wall and imposing trade tariffs on Mexico will jeopardize more than six million jobs in the United States.

The El Paso Democrat said in a press conference Friday that protectionist economic trade walls will create more barriers for U.S. exports and the country would lose economic growth.

We will find ourselves in another Great Depression if we continue down this path, ORourke said.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Thursday to start construction of extending the border wall, fulfilling a campaign promise, and suggested a 20 percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico could be imposed to pay for the wall, prompting fears of a possible North American trade war. Mexico is the third largest exporter to the U.S. in 2015, with $309 billion in goods sold.

About $84 billion of those goods were sold to Texans in 2015, roughly a third of the states imports that year, according to U.S. census data.

ORourke said that Trumps trade war would make American exports less competitive around the world and hurt the American worker. Latin America, Asia and Europe would close their doors to American trade, he said.

We make and build and produce things here in America, we ship them to Mexico for final assembly and we bring them back here, ORourke said. Six million Americans in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and 500,000 in the state of Texas depend on U.S. Mexico trade for their jobs. If we lose that trade, and we will if we slap a 20 percent tariff on them, were going to lose those jobs.

ORourke said humiliating Mexico with a border wall, imposing trade tariffs and jeopardizing the North American Trade Agreement are not aligned with the best American traditions and that it is hateful and racist.

ORourke said El Paso is among the safest cities in the United States, but that safety and security are both at stake as the president announced the border wall executive action and border tariff proposal.

It also jeopardizes our ability to effectively work with Mexico on issues like security, human smuggling or drug smuggling, issues like vector control when we have things like the Zika virus at our border and the ability to cooperate effectively with our southern neighbor, he said.

When questioned about running statewide in 2018, ORourke said he is very encouraged about what is going on in the state.

Ive spent much of the last two months traveling around the state of Texas and in every instance in meeting every person, Republican, Democrat, Independent, or otherwise, very encouraged about whats going on in the state, the opportunity for someone to present leadership where it may be lacking today, and very close to making a positive decision to run against Cruz or for Texas, he said.
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A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop in New Braunfels who police said was trafficking a juvenile for prostitution across multiple states.

Roderick Tasby faces a first-degree felony charge of trafficking of persons, a third-degree felony charge of tampering with evidence, and Class B misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and failure to identify.

RELATED: SAPD: Killer on the loose weeks after woman, 31, killed with machete in NW Side apartment

New Braunfels police officers conducted a traffic stop at about 10:35 p.m. Wednesday in the 1400 block of Interstate 35 North for a speeding black Chevrolet Impala.

While making contact with the driver, the officer smelled marijuana coming from inside the car and the officer detained the driver, Tasby, and the passenger, a 14-year-old girl, a news release said.

The officer learned through his investigation that the girl was a listed runaway from the Dallas area and had numerous escort ads posted on the internet. She had been involved in prostitution in Austin, San Antonio and Louisiana, the release said.

RELATED: Suspect charged in 2015 revenge killing of man, 24, who allegedly invaded gang member's home

Tasby also allegedly tried to conceal marijuana from the officer during the traffic stop, according to the news release.

He was taken into custody and an additional warrant was issued for the trafficking charge. The warrant alleges that Tasby benefited monetarily by prostituting the girl.

If convicted, Tasby faces five to 99 years or life in prison for the first-degree felony and up to 10 years in prison for the third-degree felony.

RELATED: Assailants at large after pregnant woman tied up, robbed in NW Side home

The girl has been reunited with family members and is receiving victim services from the New Braunfels Police Department and other agencies, the release said.

Tasby is being held on a $312,000 bond, according to a news release.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
SAN ANTONIO  A Texas most wanted sex offender on the run since July 2016 was captured at a home in the suburbs this week.

Jose Julio Arce Jr., 56, was arrested Wednesday at a home in Kirby, according to a news release.
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Police arrested two suspects on Tuesday after they allegedly robbed two teenage John Jay High School students at gunpoint while wearing black ski masks.

Robert John Flores, 19, and Joseph Xavier Morales, 19, now face multiple counts of aggravated robbery each. They remain in the Bexar County Jail.

RELATED: SAPD: Fired police officer fired again

The pair of suspects are accused of robbing the two students, aged 15 and 17, while they were walking back to school from lunch on Tuesday in the 7100 block of Hickory Lane. According to an arrest affidavit, Flores and Morales pulled up to the students in a red Honda Civic, jumped out and pointed firearms at them.

Flores was allegedly armed with a black handgun, and Morales retrieved a shotgun from the trunk of the car. They were both wearing black ski masks.

The two suspects told the student "empty their pockets." The students laid their cell phones on the ground in front of them. But Morales also wanted the 17-year-old's shoes, so he took those as well, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Assailants at large after pregnant woman tied up, robbed in NW Side home

The suspects then fled the scene. The students notified a teacher and school police. San Antonio police were notified of the incident once the students got home.

Police received a suspect vehicle description, and later located Flores and Morales in the car, where the stolen property was also located.

Flores now faces four charges of aggravated robbery. Morales faces three.

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Twitter: @calebjdowns
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SAN ANTONIO  Police are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the suspects who fatally shot a 24-year-old man inside a Northeast Side hotel Saturday.

Kenneth King was found around 2 p.m. suffering from a gunshot wound inside a Budget Lodge Hotel in the 3800 block of Interstate 35.
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SAN ANTONIO  After wrapping one of the most deadly years in recent history, gun violence has made it's way into Alamo City malls and shopping centers.

With four violent incidents of gun crime in the past seven days at San Antonio retail centers, safety is now a major concern for area shoppers.

The week of violence started Jan. 20 at the Exotic Diamonds store at the South Park Mall, where three armed men dressed in black entered the store and robbed it. One suspect held the employees at gunpoint as the other men jumped a counter, broke a glass display and stole jewelry, according to a previous report.

Those suspects are still at large.

RELATED: SAPD: 3 armed men dressed in black rob diamond store at South Park Mall

No one was injured in the robbery, but two days later an attempted armed robbery at Rolling Oaks Mall proved fatal.

As people shopped at the Northeast Side mall Sunday, two armed men, later identified by police as Jose Luis Rojas and Jason Matthew Prieto, both 34, attempted to rob the Kay Jewelers. As they fled the scene, two good Samaritans intervened in the robbery, according to police.

One of those civilians, 42-year-old Jonathan Murphy, was fatally shot by one of the suspects. Murphy and his wife, Aimee, had gone to the store to have their wedding rings cleaned, according to a previous report.

The other citizen who intervened, who has not yet been identified by police due to being a witness in the case, shot and critically injured Rojas, who was taken to the hospital.

Prieto was arrested Sunday night by Converse police after fleeing the Rolling Oaks Mall earlier that day.

Both suspects face charges of capital murder and two counts of aggravated robbery, previous reports show.

RELATED: 10 things we know about the botched armed robbery at Rolling Oaks Mall

Two other people, assistant principals from the near-Houston area, were injured by gunfire in the mall shooting, as well. They have since been released and returned to their home in Willis.

Others at the mall suffered from medical complications likely brought on by stress from the shooting.

In light of the shooting Sunday, the Rolling Oaks Mall has reiterated that the shopping center does not allow firearms on its premises.

Although we respect the laws of the state and individual rights, we do, however, maintain a separate code of conduct that we visibly post at our entrances that includes the prohibition of any weapons on the property, the malls general manager Dustin Christensen said in a statement. Our top priority continues to be the safety of our shoppers as we strive to provide the best possible shopping experience for all.

The violence continues

Two days after the fatal Rolling Oaks Mall shooting, two armed suspects threatened to kill a mother and daughter outside Ingram Park Mall on the Northwest Side.

RELATED: SAPD: Suspects threatened to kill mother, daughter at Ingram Park Mall, fired shots before fleeing

The incident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 6300 block of Northwest Loop 410, where two men wearing black handkerchiefs over their faces pulled up next to them in a green SUV and shouted Im going to kill you!

The two women ran into the Macys department store and called for help, with witnesses telling police they heard about two or three gunshots before the men fled the scene. Both of the women were very shaken up by the incident, said SAPD spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame.

On Thursday, the Park North Shopping Center on the North Side became the next retail center to experience the threat of gun violence.

RELATED: SAPD: Armed man holds up restaurant in Park North Shopping Center

A suspect approached an employee of the Freddys Frozen Custard and Steakburgers at about 8:30 a.m. in the 6600 block of Blanco Road, telling the employee he had a gun and ordered him into the restaurants office.

He then told another employee to open the safe and take out the money, which the employee did. The suspect took that money, cash from the register and money from a blue bank bag before fleeing in a red vehicle that was parked near the restaurant, according to a previous report.

Following the incident at Ingram Park Mall Tuesday, San Antonio police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame responded to what at the time was the third violent gun incident at local malls in a matter of days.

"It's concerning for us," Salame said. "But again, it just highlights the need for everyone to always pay attention. No matter where your surroundings are, no matter what's going on."

Staff writers Caleb Downs and Joshua Fechter contributed to this report.

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twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
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Police on Wednesday arrested a suspect in the 2015 murder of a 24-year-old man who allegedly invaded the home of a prison gang member.

Leandro Torres, 45, now faces a charge of murder. He remains in the Bexar County Jail. His bond has yet to be set.

According to an arrest affidavit, Torrest shot and killed Raul Herrera, 24, around 11:40 a.m. on July 17, 2015 in the 900 block of Formosa Boulevard.

RELATED: SAPD: Fired police officer fired again

Police found Herrera suffering from several gunshot wounds and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Officers were able to locate witnesses to the killing, who told them Herrera had just left his residence with his girlfriend, Sylvia Flores, when he was shot. Flores later told police she fled the scene in fear of her safety.

Police also found an abandoned Mazda in the 600 block of Pike Ridge after Herrera was shot and killed. There were several weapons inside the Mazda, and the car smelled of gunpowder.

Officers tracked down the owner of the car, who told them Torres and three other men had awoken him earlier that day, but he didn't know anything about the shooting. The affidavit does not specify why Torres and the other suspects met with the owner of the car or how they came in possession of it.

RELATED: Assailants at large after pregnant woman tied up, robbed in NW Side home

Months later, on Jan. 6, 2016, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper gave police new information about Herrera's murder. Herrera was allegedly involved in the home invasion of a member of the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano, a U.S. prison gang based in the Rio Grande Valley that was started by Mexican citizens incarcerated in Texas.

PRM gang members retaliated for the alleged invasion by tracking down Herrera and allegedly shooting him to death, according to the affidavit.

FBI agents later contacted San Antonio police and provided them with a witness, who is not identified to protect him from the PRM gang and the Mexican Mafia, according to the affidavit. The witness claimed to have knowledge of Herrera's death.

RELATED: SAPD: Armed man holds up restaurant in Park North Shopping Center

The witness told police that he grew up with a man named Bryan Gagne, who told the witness he had killed Herrera, along with Leandro and two other suspects, Samuel Martinez and Robert Barrientes.

He said Gagne shot the victim several times, and then several more times as Herrera "gasped for air." Barrientes was allegedly driving, and Leandro and Martinez were in the backseat.

It is unclear if the other suspects involved in Herrera's killing have been charged.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

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Twitter: @calebjdowns
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SAN ANTONIO  Interstate 37 was closed Friday morning after three major accidents, one involving a tour bus full of people and another involving an overturned cement truck, brought traffic to a standstill.

The most serious of the accidents occurred around 9:45 a.m. on the northbound side of I-37 at Pecan Valley Drive when a tour bus with dozens of people on board collided with a pickup.

San Antonio Police Department officer Roger Horner said traffic on the highway was slowing down just after the Pecan Valley exit, and a man driving a pickup truck broke hard to avoid crashing into the slowed traffic ahead of him. He turned left and was broadsided by the tour bus.

"The truck, I guess, wasn't paying as much attention as he should have," Horner said.

READ ALSO: Motorcyclist hospitalized after striking SUV on Loop 410 access road

The truck was pushed to the median, where it burst into flames. Fortunately, some construction workers on a job near the location of the crash and were able to rescue the driver and two other passengers before the truck was completely engulfed in flames.

"They happened to be here at the right time," Horner said.

The driver was rushed to University Hospital with burns on his left shoulder and torso.

Two people on the tour bus, out of about 40 to 45, were also injured, though Horner could not give additional information about the extent of their injuries.

The passengers were trapped on the bus for about 45 minutes before they were transferred to a VIA bus and escorted off the highway. The wreckage from the incident was cleared at around 1 p.m.

About a mile away, at the intersection of Military Drive and Goliad Road, a cement truck overturned onto a Toyota Tacoma around 9:40 a.m.

Police at the scene said four vehicles were involved in the crash, and four people were treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Police said it appeared as though the cement truck was speeding, swerved to avoid crashing into the back of a vehicle and then overcorrected and tipped over. The wreckage was cleared around 12:30 p.m.

Finally, a pickup truck crashed into the back of an SUV around noon on Interstate 37 under the Loop 410 bridge.

Police said traffic was still backed up in the northbound lanes from the crash at Pecan Valley Drive at the time of the crash.

Drivers were slowing down, but the driver of the pickup truck wasn't paying attention and rammed into the back of the SUV.

The pickup truck driver went to the hospital to have her back checked out, but she did not appear to be injured.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com.

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
* Graphic on Russian sanctions: http://tmsnrt.rs/2jYMAnv

* Trump, Putin due to talk by phone on Saturday

* U.S. sanctions target banks, energy firms

* Trump shift could put EU consensus on sanctions at risk (Releads with Trump aide, calls with French and German leaders)

By Susan Heavey and Christian Lowe

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are likely to discuss the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine when the two leaders speak by telephone on Saturday, a senior White House aide said.

Trump has said in the past that, as part of a rapprochement he is seeking with Russia, he is prepared to review sanctions that his predecessor, Barack Obama, imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

That move would face resistance from both influential figures in Washington and foreign leaders who believe sanctions should only be eased if Moscow complies with the West's conditions on Ukraine.

Among the U.S. sanctions causing the most pain to Russia are those targetting its financial services, limiting the Russian economy's ability to raise debt, and its energy companies.

On the same day he speaks to Putin, Trump will have telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, White House spokesman Sean Spicer wrote in a Tweet. Both Hollande and Merkel have argued that it is premature to ease the sanctions.

Trump senior aide Kellyanne Conway said in U.S. television interviews on Friday that Trump and Putin would likely discuss a range of issues, including joint efforts to combat terrorism.

Asked on FOX News's "Fox & Friends" program to comment on suggestions that the Obama administration sanctions would be on the agenda, Conway said: "All of that is under consideration."

The call will be the first between the Russian and U.S. leaders since Putin called Trump to congratulate him on his election victory in November.

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It is a first step towards what Trump has billed as a normalisation of relations after three years of tensions sparked by the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin have never met and it was unclear how their very different personalities would gel. Trump is a flamboyant real estate deal-maker who often acts on gut instinct, while Putin is a former Soviet spy who calculates each step methodically.

PATIENCE

Both have spoken about ending the enmity that has dragged U.S.-Russia relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people? Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I am all for it," Trump told a news conference in July last year.

Trump is under intense scrutiny at home from critics who say he was elected with help from Russian intelligence -- an allegation he denies -- and that he is too ready to cut deals with a country that many of his own officials say is a threat to U.S. security.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian leader would use the call to congratulate Trump on taking office and to exchange views on U.S.-Russian ties.

Asked by reporters if Ukraine would come up, Peskov said: "This is the first telephone contact since President Trump took office, so one should hardly expect that (it)...will involve substantive discussions across the whole range of issues.

"We'll see, let's be patient."

If Putin and Trump can establish a rapport, it could pave the way for deals on Ukraine and Syria, two sources of friction during the administration of Barack Obama.

For the Russian leader, there is much to gain. Putin is expected to run for re-election next year, but is hampered by a sluggish economy. A softening or removal of sanctions would allow Western investment and credit to flow in, lifting growth and strengthening Putin's election prospects.

Any move by Trump to ease sanctions would create a dilemma for the European Union, which has its own set of sanctions against Russia linked to the Ukraine crisis.

Some governments in Europe are sympathetic with Trump's stance and keen for relief from sanctions that are hurting trade with Russia. Others in the bloc believe Moscow has not met the conditions for the sanctions to be lifted.

Merkel, who faces a re-election battle, has invested considerable political capital in keeping the EU aligned behind the sanctions.

A German diplomat told Reuters last month: "If Trump lifts the sanctions, I fear the consensus in Europe would crumble."

Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met in Berlin on Friday, underlining the challenges for European unity in the face of a new U.S. president who has promised to shake up the status quo in international affairs.

"Let's say it honestly, there is the challenge posed by the new U.S. administration, regarding trade rules and what our position will be on managing conflicts in the world," Hollande, who will leave office after an April-May election, told reporters.

(Additional reporting by Noah Barkin, Joseph Nasr and Andrea Shalal in Berlin in Berlin, Polina Devitt and Denis Pinchuk in Moscow, and Eric Walsh in Washington; Editing by Richard Lough)
WASHINGTON - President Trump said Friday that he continues to believe torture methods can be effective to combat terrorism, but he pledged to defer over whether to implement such tactics to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who has opposed them.

"He will override," Trump said in a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House. "I'm giving him that power."

Trump said that enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, which were forbidden by the Obama administration, can work.

Mattis, a retired Marine general, "has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding," Trump said. "I'm going to rely on him."

In the fight against terror groups, Trump added, "we're going to win with or without" such torture tactics.

Trump's remarks came on a day in which he planned to visit the Pentagon to oversee Mattis's ceremonial swearing in. He is expected to sign several executive actions related to national security, including directives to move forward on his pledge to eradicate terror groups such as the Islamic State.

More for you President Trump's first seven days of false claims, inaccurate statements and exaggerations

Trump's meeting with May was his first with a foreign leader, a summit on trade and security that is being closely watched around the world.

Trump's decision to invite May is a chance for him to demonstrate his administration's commitment to maintaining close relations with a key U.S. ally while pursuing new trade ties as Britain works to exit the European Union.

May said at the news conference that she expects economic sanctions imposed by the United States and European countries on Russia to remain in place until Moscow abides by an agreement to halt hostilities in Ukraine.

Trump, who is scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is reportedly considering lifting those sanctions as he pursues a better working relationship with Moscow.

"It's very early to be talking about that," Trump said when asked if he would lift the sanctions. "If we can have a great relationship with Russia and with China and all countries, I'm all for that. No guarantees, but if we can, that would be a positive, not a negative."

Trump and May vaulted to power last year by speaking to similar strains of populist anxiety over broad global shifts in the economy and immigration that led voters to reject the status quo and take a gamble on forces who promised sweeping change. Trump's skepticism toward international institutions and multilateral partnerships have raised questions abroad about the future of U.S. leadership on the world stage.

Trump and May appeared together at a joint news conference at the White House, the first time the new president has fielded questions from the full press corps since his inauguration.

Trump has sought to follow through on his promises of change in a whirlwind first week as he signed a flurry of executive actions meant to shake up the United States's role internationally. He has withdrawn U.S. participation in a 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal, ordered planning to begin on a border wall with Mexico and floated plans to block refugees and immigrants from Syria and other Muslim-majority countries.

He was expected to sign new executive actions focused on national security during a trip to the Pentagon on Friday after his meeting with May.

"Now is the dawn of a new era of American independence, a rededication to the idea that the people are in charge of their own destiny," Trump told Republican lawmakers at a congressional retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday.

His meeting with May, who replaced David Cameron in July, represents Trump's opening bid to begin pursuing the sort of bilateral negotiations on trade and security that he prefers over the kind of multilateral partnerships that former president Obama favored.

During her own remarks at the GOP retreat Thursday, May praised Trump's electoral success and hailed "a new era of American renewal" and she expressed a kinship with Trump as leaders who put power in the "hands of the people."

But she also emphasized that the United States must not abandon international institutions such as NATO and the United Nations. "Some of these organizations are in need of reform and renewal to make them relevant to our needs today," May said.

Trump's rapid-fire moves since taking office have prompted a vocal backlash at home and abroad. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled a visit to the White House scheduled for next week.

Trump aides reacted by suggesting that the United States could pay for the wall, which is projected to cost billions of dollars, through a 20 percent import tax on goods from Mexico, a move that, if carried out, could spark a trade war with the United States' third-largest trading partner.

"Mexico has taken advantage of the U.S. for long enough," Trump wrote on his personal Twitter account Friday morning. "Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak border must change, NOW!"

On Friday morning, Trump and Pena Nieto spoke by phone for an hour, White House officials said.

The personal row with Pena Nieto was one of several opening week conflagrations for Trump that threatened to derail the new administration's focus. Stung by news coverage over the crowd size at his inauguration, the president and his aides have repeatedly denounced what Trump called the "dishonest media" and accused reporters of purposely seeking to discredit him

In a private meeting with congressional leaders and in interviews, Trump renewed baseless claims this week that 3 million to 5 million ineligible voters cast ballots in the presidential election last November, claiming they helped Democrat Hillary Clinton win the popular vote.

Trump intends to sign a directive as soon as Friday aimed at opening a federal review of the voting rolls, aides said.

And on Saturday, Trump is scheduled to speak with several other world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Putin.

Trump was a harsh critic of Merkel during the campaign, calling her policy of allowing Syrian refugees to settle in Germany "a very tragic mistake" and "a catastrophe."

Trump has said he is willing to work with Putin despite the assessments from U.S. intelligence agencies that Moscow meddled in the presidential elections to help him.

Though the president has acknowledge Russia's involvement in the hacking of Democratic Party emails, Trump has insisted that he does not believe Putin's regime wanted him to win.
Judith Ann Judy Bel, a beloved teacher of English and religious studies at Incarnate Word High School during the 1990s, died Jan. 16 after a long illness. She was 68.

The oldest of three children raised by working-class parents, Bel grew up with a strong sense of social justice.

Her parents gave her a fundamental look at the world that said to treat everyone with dignity, her husband John Bel said. She did not see color or ethnicity or ideology; she saw people.

Attending Whittier College in her home state of California on scholarship, Bel studied speech and education, graduating in 1970.

It was at Whittier that she met her future husband, testing him on their first date when she took him to see the movie Guess Whos Coming to Dinner? a 1967 movie about an interracial romance.

The fact that I enjoyed the movie and did not see that as an irreconcilable difference between people helped Bel make up her mind to continue dating him, John Bel said. The couple married in 1969.

At St. Bonaventure Catholic School in Southern California, he said, Bel just loved teaching junior high kids, an age group many teachers find challenging.

Walking into the classroom, Bel would tell her students how happy she was to be there  and she really was, John Bel said. They almost immediately recognized that she liked them; they could see it in her face and in her behavior.

More Information Judith Ann "Judy" Bel Born: Sept. 6, 1948, Phoenix, Arizona Died: Jan. 16, 2017, San Antonio Preceded by: Parents Mary and Clyde Kimbrough; a sister and a brother. Survived by: Husband John Bel; daughters Elisa Fronapfel and son-in-law PJ, Aimee Bel and son-in-law Steven Gould, Kate Phelan and son-in-law Robert; son Rick Kimbrough and daughter-in-law Becky; seven grandchildren. Services: Memorial was Saturday. See More Collapse

Bel took a break from teaching when the couple started their family in 1973, returning to work about eight years later, after they had moved to Minnesota for her husbands career.

Continuing to teach in Catholic schools, Bel never gave up on her students.

She had absolute confidence that students would learn if they were given the opportunity to learn, John Bel said. Her job was to give them those opportunities.

Judy Bel had the same philosophy with her own children.

She expected a lot out of everybody, her daughter Elisa Fronapfel said. Part of what made her a good teacher is she held everyone to a high standard. At home she was the same person  held us to a high standards but helped us if we needed picking up and dusting off.

Bel took another break from teaching when the family moved to San Antonio in the late 1980s.

Their oldest daughter, who had always attended the schools in which her mother taught, missed her when she was enrolled at Incarnate Word High School and decided to do something about it.

I went into the office and got her an application  and told her to fill it out, Fronapfel recalled. I took it back in along with her resume, and she got hired.

Teaching English, religion and speech, Bel quickly became a favorite among her students.

She was always accessible and enthusiastic about wanting us girls to have all the knowledge and all the resources for the future, said former student Veronica Moreno. She put everything she had into teaching us; she wanted the best for us.

She imparted lessons about equality and justice but always wanted us to think about things, come to a choice or belief after having thought about it from all sides, former student Katherine Jelliss said. And she worked really hard to make everybody feel valued and respected.

Navigating the sometimes conservative Hispanic upbringing of some of her students, Bel never judged us, Moreno said. She was so easygoing and relatable to our culture.

Judy Bel often spent time in her students homes. She fit in no matter their circumstances.

We were very traditional, Moreno said. She never made my mother or father feel inferior.

When Moreno was uncertain about going to college, Bel encouraged her.

I remember her  sitting me down and telling me that she believed in me, Moreno said.

mheidbrink@express-news.net
One of many Qualcomm buildings is shown in San Diego, California, U.S. on November 3, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

By Stephen Nellis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's new legal assault on Qualcomm in the United States and China reflects its conclusion that regulators are unlikely to put an end to what it considers the chip maker's unfair business practices, analysts said.

Apple (AAPL.O) has long objected to Qualcomm's practice of charging for the "modem" chips that help phones use wireless networks data plans and its demands for a license fee based on the total price of the phones. Qualcomm (QCOM.O) was the original inventor of a number of key wireless technologies.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm over the practice on Jan. 17. But earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump named FTC Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen to head the regulatory agency. Ohlhausen had vigorously opposed the FTC's lawsuit.

"[W]e have a hard time seeing the case go forward with the dissenting FTC commissioner slated to become the head of the FTC," Morgan Stanley analyst James Faucette wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday. "If the FTC abandons its case, it certainly would not be helpful to Apple, but we would guess that Apple will probably still try to push the issue."

In the Qualcomm case, Ohlhausen broke her usual practice of not commenting on her dissenting votes, saying the lawsuit was "based on a flawed legal theory ... that lacks economic and evidentiary support" and "fails to allege that Qualcomm charges more than a reasonable royalty."

The FTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In its U.S lawsuit, filed on Jan. 20, Cupertino, California-based Apple alleges Qualcomm withheld $1 billion in rebates and other payments owed to Apple as a result of a Korean Fair Trade Commission investigation into the San Diego-based chip maker. That probe led to a $853 million fine for Qualcomm but no demand for changes to its business model.

"For many years Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with," Apple said in a statement the same day it filed the lawsuit.

Story continues

But the intent of the suit is to challenge Qualcomm's full-device royalty model. "They're very clearly trying to attack the business model - that's crystal clear," said Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with Bernstein.

Apple also filed two lawsuits against Qualcomm in China this week. Despite fining Qualcomm $975 million in 2015, Chinese antitrust regulators did not take immediate aim at the chip maker's business practices either.

On its earnings call on Wednesday, Qualcomm said it would defend its business model in courts around the world.

"There has been no sudden change in the law to make this practice improper, and it remains the most efficient and fair method of licensing," Qualcomm President Derek Aberle said.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Paul Simao)
Theresa Catalani was known for keeping her loved ones happily fed, as she was always cooking up something tasty in her kitchen.

Almost every Italian will tell you that the kitchen is the center of the home. I would walk into the house and within 15 minutes shed have food out and ready said daughter-in-law Pam Catalani. Everything I learned about cooking was from her.

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Catalani kept her traditions alive through cooking and was known to participate in the Christopher Columbus Italian Societys spaghetti dinners and other related events.

Were a close-knit Italian family. My mother was one of 10 children, all of which lived in S.A. except one. We still celebrated at the Christopher Columbus Italian Society said daughter Diane Catalani Falkenberg.

According to Falkenberg, her mother and father, Nicholas Nic Louis Catalani, Sr., met at a dance at the Christopher Columbus banquet hall. They would remain married until his death in 1991.

Catalani died Jan. 22 at 96 from congestive heart failure.

A devoted wife, Catalani supported her husband with his business, B. Catalani Wholesale Produce, which remains active and thriving today.

More Information Theresa Sirianni Catalani Born: Dec. 17, 1920, Clifton, Arizona Died: Jan. 22, 2017, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Nicholas Louis Catalani, Sr.; parents Tomas and Annunciata Sirianni; and nine siblings. Survived by: Son Nic Catalani, Jr. and daughter-in-law Pam; daughter Diane Catalani Falkenberg and son-in-law Howard; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Services: Rosary and mass at 11 a.m. today at San Francesco di Paola Church, 205 Piazza Italia; burial at San Fernando Catholic Cemetery #2 at 746 Castroville Road. See More Collapse

In 1968, Catalanis husband partnered with Pat Zachry to develop the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel, and subsequently, the couple was asked to represent the Palacio Del Rio at other Hilton openings and hotel conferences.

They chose my family to represent the hotel because of their dedication and connection not only to the hotel but to the culture of San Antonio, said Falkenberg. The hotel was a big part of their lives and they were involved with it until my fathers passing.

Her husbands death was devastating to Catalani, but it did not keep her from enjoying life or from taking care of her family.

As long as her husband was alive, she was completely dedicated to him, but when he passed, she kept her love for life, said daughter-in-law Pam Catalani. That Italian spirit was alive and well in her until the end.

Catalani was as dedicated to her children and grandchildren as much as she was to her husband.

She took excellent care of her grandchildren. When the holidays came around, she would bake dozens and dozens of cookies, Pam Catalani said.

Falkenberg added, My mother would do anything for her children and her grandchildren. She loved everybody, but especially her family.

procha@express-news.net
And so it begins.

President Trumps war of words on Mexico and Mexicans has taken a darkly ominous turn. They are no longer just words. It is the beginning of trade war. If there was ever any doubt that Trump should not be taken literally on what he said during the campaign, his presidential pen has put that fanciful notion to rest.

All in one week, the president announced plans to impose a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports, promised to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities, took the first steps to build that border wall and signaled that he would triple border security manpower and vigorously go after undocumented immigrants in this country.

With a visit from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in the works (and reports that he was contemplating not coming because of the border wall announcement), Trump said he should cancel if he was going to continue to insist that Mexico would not pay for the wall. Pena Nieto cancelled. How could he not without seeming Trumps lap dog?

The disrespect directed toward Mexico was palpable and will have repercussions that will hurt the U.S. economy and Americans pocketbooks. Just as important, it will diminish an important relationship for the United States. President Trump says he wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. What kind of negotiating mood does he suppose these actions will instill in Mexico? This tariff, in fact, violates that pact and likely dooms it.

The actions are undertaken as if immigration and Mexican trade are black-and-white, us-and-them issues. It is as if plenty of benefits dont accrue to Americans from both these issues. Yes, there are costs associated with undocumented immigration, but most credible studies point to net economic gains  among them goods and services that are more affordable because of these immigrants presence.

The stakes are particularly high for Texas. In 2015, Texas exported $92.5 billion in goods to Mexico, according to the International Trade Administration. And this has translated into some 382,000 jobs here that the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has said are linked to trade with Mexico. Nationally, an estimated 1.9 million U.S. jobs are pegged to Mexican exports. And, as the Washington Post reported, Mexico is the worlds second largest customer for U.S.-made products and 80 percent of all Mexican exports come to the United States  at a value in 2015 of $296 billion.

Texas border communities are particularly threatened, as is San Antonio, with longstanding cultural and economic ties to Mexico.

The reverberations from this will ripple through Mexico and the healing will take years. There is a legacy of rough treatment from the U.S.,  including a Mexican-American War in which this country took much of Mexican territory, and then there was the lack of civil rights for a long time for Mexicans settled here. This has bred long simmering resentments that are now likely to boil over and threaten a host of bilateral issues  among them a shared commitment to fighting drug cartels that send poison to the United States and which destabilize Mexico. An unstable Mexico is not in the U.S. interest.

Despite this history, Mexican leaders have pursued a course of mutual benefit, even acting in the U.S. interest in tightening its own southern border to stem the flow of Central Americans seeking refuge in the United States.

All of this is under threat.

Because much of this involves money, Congress can and must act. Only it can appropriate the money to build that wall  at an estimated cost of $8 billion to $20 billion. And only it has the taxing authority to levy that 20 percent tax  which President Trump says is how he will get Mexico to pay for the wall. And that means Congress is in a position to reverse Trumps course here.

Texas congressional delegation is particularly well positioned to inject more reason into the debate. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Woodlands, chairs the taxing Ways and Means Committee in the U.S. House. And Sen. John Cornyn is the No. 2 Republican in the Senate. Both Houses are controlled by the GOP.

President Trump  whose administration says it will be eyeing imports from other countries for taxes  is embarking on a perilous course that will spark trade war and lasting enmity between the United States and Mexico and other countries.

Congress must assume the role of adult in this fracas, with the Texas delegation leading the way.
Many high schools across the country require that sophomores take the preliminary SAT or the practice ACT in preparation for the junior-year tests, which help determine their competitiveness at highly selective schools. When they do this, the students have the option to fill in a bubble on their answer packet agreeing to let prospective schools contact them in the future.

This is how it came to be that on the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, my mailbox was stuffed with 12 (and counting) ego-stroking letters from colleges across the country for my youngest son.

Seeing them all at once served to highlight the baffling array of unsolicited pitches students and their parents must wade through when trying to decide where to spend untold thousands of dollars on a chance at a degree.

By turns, these letters, most often signed by the universitys director of admissions, said my son was a talented student with a bright future, unique, motivated and accomplished. Some were more flattering than others: I know a future leader when I see one  and from what I can tell about your successes so far, youre going places.

Some employed a supportive, consultative tack: I want to help you prepare to catch the attention of admissions staff at any college (as youve certainly caught mine). And: Because Im interested in you and your continued success, I want to help you find the school where youll be happiest and truly excel.

All offered personalized listicle-style guides  ostensibly a free and helpful gift of insight into the college admissions process, but really designed to convert letter readers (who have been provided with individual usernames and identifier numerical passwords) into website visitors.

Theres 4 Tips for a Successful College Search, 5 Smart Ways to Select Your Ideal College, 5 Signs a College Is Worth It, Five Ways to Find a College That Maximizes Your Potential, 5 Reasons Your Application Will Stand Out. The Seven Things Students Forget When Choosing a College, 7 Tips for Motivated Students and my non-numerical favorite: Your Wow Factor  and How to Use It to Start Your Career.

Id share some tips but none of these guides was accessible without logging in and inputting lots of personal details about mom and dads finances and contact information into super-spammy looking websites.

Although three out of the 12 inquiries that we got were from actual universities with long-standing reputations and ties to their campus communities, others were  to two parents with three graduate degrees between them  obviously sketchy.

One school, which in its letter boasted about state-of-the-art facilities and the latest technologies and professors that take the time to get to know students and do what it takes to help them succeed, was described in bracing terms as shady, only in it for the money and a sham on a consumer complaints website.

Im not suggesting that all universities and colleges that do heavy direct-mail marketing are scams, but it used to be that a simple check about whether a school was non- or for-profit could set your mind at ease  and thats no longer the case.

But it tends to be the degree mills, the for-profit schools and poorly regulated distance learning schools that pour millions of dollars into complex digital marketing recruitment strategies. These tactics put the most vulnerable applicants  first-time college students and their families  at greatest risk.

Last February, the Department of Education created a Student Aid Enforcement Unit to respond more quickly and efficiently to allegations of questionable actions, misconduct or suspected fraud by higher education institutions. It aimed to build on steps the Obama administration had taken to protect students from aggressive recruiting practices. The actions include the creation of consumer tools to help families make more-informed college choices, gainful employment regulations aimed at ensuring that students at career colleges dont leave campus with crushing debt, and enforcement of the ban on incentive compensation from recruiters.

But until all these efforts truly get off the ground, the onus is on parents.

As you get your bundles of college come-ons, check with the Federal Trade Commissions resources for avoiding degree scams, for investigating accreditation and for direct links to reputable sources for comparing university programs. Deciding where to go to college is too consequential to get wrong.

estherjcepeda@washpost.com
One of the initiatives pushed by former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro in his role as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development was to attempt to move more low-income citizens into affluent suburban neighborhoods.

In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the governments right to do that under the 1968 Fair Housing Law. That law was immediately thwarted by President Richard Nixon. He nixed then-Housing Secretary George Romneys attempt to enforce it. But Obama and Castro wanted to use it to help struggling families move out of neighborhoods beset by poverty.

Unfortunately, too many Americans find their dreams limited by where they come from, and a ZIP code should never determine a childs future, Castro said.

A range of studies indicates that when children from low-income families attend school with children from affluent families, they are more likely to graduate, to attend college, to earn more money, pay more taxes and lead more stable lives. And they dont pull down the performance of affluent students.

Castro also authorized higher Section 8 rent subsidies to put low-income families in more expensive surburban neighborhoods.

This stirred up a storm in the conservative media.

The conservative news web site Breitbart, under a headline reading Obama Using Federal Funds to Push Urban Poor into Middle-Class Suburbs, featured a photo that appears to show looters in front of a Ferguson liquor store.

Thats all good for the cities managers, city property owners and for millennial college-graduates, because it helps local developers to gentrify urban blight for urban professionals, Breitbart said.

It is unlikely that Castros initiative will be pursued by Donald Trumps HUD secretary, Ben Carson  much to the relief of suburban politicians, including some Democrats.

But that doesnt mean cities like San Antonio cant pursue economic desegregation. One strategy: invest in helping lower-income families stay in inner-city neighborhoods undergoing gentrification as more affluent individuals and families escape the suburbs.

The politics are easier. People moving into transitional neighborhoods know that low-income people are already there. Pushing them out is a consequence, but not their goal.

We should help families stay in their homes as property values and rents rise. We should also add new housing for less affluent families in or adjacent to the neighborhoods. One example: The Cevallos Lofts on the edge of King William. In exchange for tax breaks, 25 percent of the units are rented to people making more than the minimum wage, but not enough to afford market rents.

San Antonio is particularly well situated to promote economic integration because of developments in the San Antonio Independent School District. For many years it offered little or no incentives for families that had a choice to use its schools. The late Judge Andy Mireles, who had served as school board president, once told me that more educated parents werent wanted because they would uncover widespread corruption in the district.

That has changed under Board President Patty Radle and Superintendent Pedro Martinez. The district is offering a range of attractive magnet schools and other programs. Even before that, parents who had moved into the King William area worked with other parents to make major improvements at the neighborhood school, including a dual-language program.

The Bonham Academy is now rated so highly that affluent families have for years been moving into the neighborhood partly so their children can attend Bonham. This despite the fact that more than half the student body qualifies for the free lunch program. They, of course, are prime beneficiaries of the schools economic integration.

So for the next four years, at least, perhaps we should not fight uphill battles trying to push low-income people to affluent suburbs. Lets help them stay in and move into areas that affluent families are gentrifying.

This column first appeared as the Last Word on KLRNs Texas Week with Rick Casey. The program appears Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Re: Moving to deferred annuity not worth readers trouble, Scott Burns, Business, Sunday:

I read the short announcement following his column that Scott Burns has decided to retire. I have followed his personal finance columns for more than 30 years.

I am in my 70s, and he has been among the best personal finance advisers I have ever read. He is knowledgeable and thorough in dealing with reader questions, and most important, he exudes common sense. I have used several of his column questions and answers to create related personal financial application and general knowledge questions for my college algebra and precalculus students to broaden their perspectives.

I will miss dearly his print columns but will continue to visit his forums online from time to time.

Scott, have a long and healthy retirement!

Edward Esparza

Applauding Straus

Re: Session hears a dirty word by Straus; Re-elected speaker touts compromise, front page, Jan. 11:

Texas Speaker Joe Straus has said, Compromise has become a dirty word in politics. But in reality, its how we find common ground to achieve the common good.

Joe Straus for president!

Cynthia Lyons, Kendalia

Grateful to women

I want to thank hundreds of Lower Rio Grande Valley women for their march last Saturday in Brownsville. Such hope. Such vision. Such potential for a much fairer United States.

I felt waves of nonviolence and compassion emanating from the marchers. I was honored to join the marchers. As a male, I was forced to examine at least some of my conventionally sexist ideas.

I hope this reflection results in a deeper understanding of what millions, even billions, of women encounter daily, be it in violent homes, sexist workplaces or under unjust laws.

And I hope it motivates me to listen more to women and support their desires, especially when it comes to voting for candidates who will enhance their lives.

Eugene Novogrodsky, Brownsville
MILFORD  A restaurant delivery driver was attacked and robbed Thursday night on Noble Avenue, by two suspects who hit him in the head with a blunt object, police said.

The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, Officer Joseph Dempsey said and a 14 year-old boy from Bridgeport was arrested. The second suspect is still at large, the police spokesman said.
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STAMFORD  Two city fire marshals say the Shippan home where three children were killed on Christmas Day in 2011 was destroyed prematurely and a renowned expert called the investigation inept and unprofessional, according to court documents obtained Friday.

The new documents, filed in Hartford federal court this month, also describe an apparent cover-up attempt by key officials in the case.

The Shippan Avenue home was torn down the morning after the fire, which killed Madonna Badgers parents and three young daughters on Dec. 25, 2011. Three days later, pieces of the home were carted away.

Authorities said the fire began after Badgers then-boyfriend Michael Borcina left a bag of fireplace ashes in a mudroom bin on Christmas Eve.

A deposition transcript  part of a civil lawsuit filed by the childrens father, Matthew Badger, against the city of Stamford and several of its employees  shows former Chief Fire Marshal Barry Callahan acknowledged it was a mistake for the home to be destroyed before more potential evidence could be gathered.

It shouldnt be carted off until it was available, Callahan testified.

Until it was available to Madonna Badger, Matthew Badger and others, right? asked Ilann Maazel, an attorney for Matthew Badger.

Yes, Callahan said.

And thats what you called spoliation of evidence, right? Maazel asked.

That would meet the definition, Callahan said.

During that part of the testimony, attorney Barbara Coughlan, representing the city of Stamford, unsuccessfully objected to Callahan answering those questions, the deposition transcript shows.

Patrick Kennedy, who is described in the lawsuit files as the countrys leading fire investigator, said the citys investigation and handling of the fire was the most inept, ill-conceived, inexpert, mishandled, unqualified, unprofessional, appalling, and probably illegal, endeavor he has encountered in his 55-year career.

The city has said the house was knocked down because it was about to collapse.

In another deposition, Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Sollitto testified that other examinations may have brought a different result as to the cause of the fire.

Matthew Badgers attorneys cited 16 reasons why they believe the house did not pose a safety risk, including its location, which was on a dead-end street and 28 feet from the nearest neighbors home.

Coughlan and Corporation Counsel Kathryn Emmett did not return a request for comment Friday. City spokeswoman Libby Carlson said the mayors office does not comment on pending litigation.

Matthew Badger argues the city improperly inspected renovation work at his ex-wifes home, failed to identify the contractor was not licensed in Connecticut, and quickly tore down the structure and removed the debris to destroy possible evidence.

The City of Stamford, Director of Operations Ernie Orgera and Chief Building Official Robert DeMarco are defendants in the civil suit. The city has declined a settlement offer of $17 million, court records show.

Madonna Badger has a similar lawsuit against the city, Orgera and DeMarco. Her ex-husband previously settled lawsuits with two contractors who worked on the house.

In February 2012, DeMarco drafted a timeline to explain why, when and how the home was demolished, according to court documents. The draft timeline stated Orgera ordered the demolition, but that information disappeared from the final timeline, which was typed by Orgeras secretary, according to the lawsuit.

A series of other accusations include a city electrical inspector noting problems with fireblocking  a construction technique designed to prevent the quick spread of flames within walls  just six months before the blaze. However, the inspector still approved the work, according to the lawsuit.

The fire marshal also found electrical circuit panels in Madonna Badgers basement after the blaze, but electrical permits obtained for the renovation did not authorize the installation of new panels, according to the lawsuit. The electrical panels were demolished with the rest of the house.

DeMarco and Orgera demolished the house without alerting the Badgers, in violation of a law that says the homeowner must first be notified, according to the lawsuit.

Kennedy said its impossible to know the cause of the fire because the city destroyed all the evidence. Callahan appears to make that point in his testimony.

And because the house was destroyed and all the evidence was destroyed and carted off and sent to a dump, we will never know for sure if there were working smoke detectors, is that fair? Maazel asked him, according to Callahans deposition transcript.

Thats correct, said Callahan, who retired in 2013.

Staff writer Angela Carella contributed to this report.

noliveira@stamfordadvocate.com, 203-964-2265, @olivnelson
1 Italy avalanche: The final death toll from Italys devastating avalanche stands at 29 after the remaining bodies were pulled out of the rubble of a hotel crushed by tons of snow, firefighters said Thursday. Firefighters issued the update after a week of search efforts at the isolated Hotel Rigopiano in central Italy near the town of Farandola. Nine people were pulled out alive in the first days of the rescue. Premier Paolo Gentiloni told lawmakers a criminal investigation would ascertain responsibilities.

2 Hotel attack: Somali police official says the death toll in Wednesdays attack on a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, has risen to 26. Capt. Mohamed Hussein says 52 others were injured in the assault that began with a suicide car bomb exploding at the hotel gate. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

3 Extradition rejected: Greeces Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an extradition request for eight Turkish servicemen who fled their country by helicopter after a coup attempt. The ruling drew a furious response from Turkeys Foreign Ministry which accused Athens of protecting coup plotters. Judge Giorgos Sakkas said the servicemen were unlikely to face a fair trial if returned to Turkey. The eight officers argued that they face mistreatment in prison if returned.

4 Sought for graft: Brazilian police issued an arrest warrant Thursday for a businessman famous for amassing and then losing a multibillion-dollar fortune, the latest person caught up in a wide-ranging corruption probe roiling Latin Americas largest nation. Federal police were working with Interpol to locate Eike Batista. Batista is being sought for allegedly paying bribes to former Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Sergio Cabral, apparently to gain an advantage in government contracts.

5 Far-right plot: German federal prosecutors say theyve charged a second man with suspected involvement in a far-right extremist group that wanted to attack police, asylum-seekers and Jews. The 51-year-old German man, identified only as Thiemo B. in accordance with privacy regulations, was charged Thursday with breaking weapons laws and helping to form a terrorist organization. The man was picked up Wednesday in a series of raids along with the alleged ringleader, a 66-year-old who has been charged with incitement. Thiemo B. possessed explosives, weapons and ammunition that were seized as evidence.

6 Police raids: Austrian authorities say they have arrested eight people on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization through possible connections to the Islamic State. The public prosecutor in the city of Graz said the suspects were arrested Thursday after raids on several residences in Graz and Vienna. The eight are suspected of participation in a terrorist organization, Islamic State. Some 800 police officers were involved in the operation.

7 No torture: Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain absolutely condemns the use of torture, and she is not afraid to say so to President Trump when she meets him in Washington Friday. Britains official policy is to halt intelligence-sharing with countries that practice torture. May did not say what her government would do if the U.S. reinstated waterboarding, which has been called a form of torture and was banned under former President Barack Obama. But she said, Our position has not changed.

Chronicle News Services
Zanu-PF Secretary for Transport and Welfare Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has said former First Lady Grace Mugabe dented her husband Cde Robert Mugabes legacy.

Addressing a provincial co-ordinating committee (PCC) meeting at Mutare Polytechnic yesterday, Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri, said: By allowing his wife to have an active role in politics, Cde Mugabe plotted his own downfall.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri added: I think it was a lesson to all that we should not allow our spouses to dictate the pace in politics. It is a shame that some churches were allowed to be used to preach the hate gospel at their gatherings. A person with a degree will not act that way.

On why she had relinquished her post as the Secretary for Women Affairs to Mrs Mugabe, Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said she had been pressured to do so by a lot of people.

Some people are asking why I relinquished my position to Grace Mugabe in the first place, but I want the truth to be known now, she said. I received so many visitors in 2013 ahead of our last Congress asking me to consider relinquishing my post for Mrs Mugabe. Some of them literally knelt before me.

After serious consideration, I relinquished the post because the pressure was just too much and little did we know that we were creating problems for the party. This was a well-orchestrated move by the G40 because they knew that if Grace Mugabe becomes part of their cabal, it was easy to deal with Cde Mugabe because of his advanced age.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri called for restraint among party cadres.

I know some of you were persecuted by the G40 cabal, but we should all show maturity and move forward, she said. Yes, we know that some people were fired from their positions on factional lines.

As we move forward, we should correct these anomalies, but we should not fire people from the party. We do not want indiscipline in Zanu-PF. As we restructure, we should never allow nepotism. Positions should be given on merit.

We should look for serious people to occupy key positions, not what we were witnessing being done by the G40 people. At one time I asked myself if we had seriously run out of leaders in Manicaland, especially the Womens League. People like Mai Undenge are known for their MDC links in Bulawayo, but you were now saying they should lead you.

You should not allow yourself to be used by people without any track record. Some of the money that was being splashed around was obtained corruptly and we will move to address that.

Speaking at the same occasion, Zanu-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa said if people had voted Cde Mugabe as the partys First Secretary and President at the forthcoming Extraordinary Congress, they would have voted for Mrs Mugabe to take over as President.

When Cde Mugabe won the 2013 elections, we realised that power was now vested in his wife, he said. Some of the things that we agreed in the Politburo and Cabinet were being reversed by the then First Lady.

Some ministers were making a beeline to Mazowe for briefings by Mai Mugabe. We realised that we were not going anywhere with such kind of leadership, the reason why we decided to act this year.

We cannot have a leader who is known for shouting at people and causing divisions. The so-called Youth Interface rallies were destroying the party. These were well calculated to fire Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa from the party.

We were also fired on the behest of Mrs Mugabe. We said enough is enough, the country cannot be led by a person who was not elected by the people.

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THE body of a woman who had gone missing has been found in a river in Dete, Hwange District after police received a report that a 13-year-old girl had stumbled upon it while fetching water.

The teenage girl, Tatenda Dlakama ran back home in fear with an empty bucket after seeing the lifeless body lying in a pool of blood at Chabasichana stream.

She ran to inform her father who made a report to the village head before alerting police.

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda confirmed the suspected murder and appealed to members of the public who may have information about the incident to alert police.

He identified the deceased as Sylvia Nyathi of Dete area under chief Nekatambe.

The body was nak_ed and in a pool of blood with clothes next to it while an empty beer bottle was at the scene.

On 16 April 2022 around 10am, a report of murder was received at ZRP Dete from the informant who is a village neighbour to Sylvia Nyathi to the effect that her daughter had seen a lifeless body in Chabasichana River.

Circumstances are that the informant sent her daughter a female juvenile aged 13 years to fetch water from Chabasichana River, Cross Dete but few minutes later his daughter came back with an empty bucket informing him that she saw a naked body lying in the river, said Insp Banda.

He said the girls father informed the village head and other villagers about the incident.

Villagers mobilised each other and proceeded to the stream where they saw the deceaseds naked body lying lifeless facing downwards and in a pool of blood.

Neighbours positively identified the deceased as Sylvia Nyathi who had left home on 15 April 2022 in the evening proceeding to Cross Dete business centre and did not return home.

A report was made to police who attended the scene.

The deceaseds clothes were lying beside her head.

The body had a deep wound on the upper side of the left ear suggesting that she was assaulted with a sharp object, police said.

There was also an empty beer bottle at the murder scene about two metres away from the body.

No one has been arrested and no murder weapon was recovered.

 Herald

Breaking News via Email
State Democrats are pushing hard for the increase from the current $10.10 per hour.

HARTFORD, Conn.  In Connecticut, Democratic legislators are trying to increase the states minimum wage from $10.10 to $15 per hour, the Wall Street Journal reports. However, with the Senate now 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, victory is far from assured.

Earlier this week, state Rep. James Albis sponsored the bill to increase the states minimum wage. That legislation acquired more than 40 co-sponsors. Its a very good start, Albis said. But we have a lot of work to do.

Since 2010, Gov. Dannel Malloy, along with fellow Democrats, has passed two previous minimum wage hikes. But replicating that success will be difficult, given the evenly divided Senate. The Democrats control the House of Representatives. Being tied in the Senate is a totally different dynamic, said Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Len Fasano, who is against a $15 minimum wage.

Business interests arent thrilled with the idea of raising the minimum wage, given the states so-so job recovery from the 2007-2009 recession. Its the wrong time to be thinking about this in Connecticut, said Eric Gjede with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

In November, four states voted for higher minimum wages (Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington). Meanwhile, the International Franchise Association is asking the Supreme Court to rule on its objection to Seattles $15 per hour minimum wage.
Yves here. Im running this post because it shows the lengths to which many media outlets are going to keep evil Putin story alive. Now mind you, Putin is an authoritarian. Journalists and commentators could no doubt find examples of recent and long-standing limits on freedoms and if nothing else keep working those into articles as they fit. But that would be work.

The new meme that Helmer debunks below is.drumrolldepicting Putin as hostile to the needs of women! So not at all subtly, Putin is depicted as misogynist or at least hopelessly insensitive. And without it needing to be said, who is the current Enemy Number One of feminists? Trump! So this would be another basis for a Putin-Trump lovefestwhen the idea that they are in cahoots is a fabrication. And needless to say, the story is a twofer by reinforcing the idea that women need to hang together and stand up to male bullies just like they did last weekend in the womens marches.

As an aside, I cannot tell you how many women old enough to have been either pioneers in their fields or only a few years younger, meaning they have front line experience in the gender wars, were at best highly skeptical of the rallies last weekend. As one said, Pink hats with ears? Only babies wear those! You want to be taken seriously with that kind of visual message? You are signaling you are incapable of engaging in a fight. Im all in favor of effective protests against Trump, but the platform statement for the US rallies was troublingly atmospheric, and the issues were almost entirely those of privileged women. I know many people are hopeful that this effort will show some muscle and go against specific targets. But the hand of neoliberal Dems as organizers was all too visible. And to leave no doubt having Gloria Steinem, who excoriated female Sanders voters as being in thrall to boys (ahem, what about those of us who dont have boy toys?) was a clear message that the bona fide left was not welcome.

As Helmer explains (although you have to get to the very end of his piece to get the reason why), what the Western press has depicted as an anti-female violence stance is actually pro-woman, once you understand how the system works in Russia. And Helmer describes how the foreign media has further lost the plot: where Putin has fallen down is not in his policy position, but in not being all that forceful about pursuing it.

In addition, since when are state policies on family violence a subject of press interest? Brides with inadequate dowries are routinely beaten or killed in India, yet I dont recall much noise from US feminists about pressuring the Indian government to Do Something. Ditto the retrograde policies of Saudi Arabia. I am sure readers can provide other examples. Horrific incidents, like a gang rape-murder in India, and the occasional stoning to death of adulterers in the Middle East, sometime garner international coverage, but you see at best a passing mention of the legal issues, and pretty much no calls for action.

By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears

A new campaign against the Russian devil has started in the US and UK media where the Hillary Clinton-for-President forces are strongest. The problem for them this time is that President Vladimir Putin is on the side of the angels. But he is unwilling to stop a power play by the Russian Orthodox Church. Four out of five Russians, and an even higher number of Russian women, would back Putin if he did.

A month ago, Putin came out against parental slapping or beating of children, discreetly referring to the Churchs biblical interpretations as obsolete. We should not slap children and justify it based on some old traditions, Putin said at his national press conference on December 23. Neither parents, nor neighbours should do this, although this sometimes happens. There is a short distance from slaps to beating. Children fully depend on adults; they are the most dependent members of society. There are many other ways to bring children up without slapping.

The president was responding to a Church-sponsored revision of Article 116 of the Russian Criminal Code. In its present form, inherited from the Soviet code, conviction for violence in the family is a criminal offence, punishable by up to two years in prison. The readiness of victims to file charges; of the police and prosecutors to investigate; and of the courts to convict has been lax. On the other hand, Putin qualified himself, he isnt exactly against the legislative change proposed in the State Duma by the Church. We should be reasonable too, because actions such as you describe destroy families. Like you, I am against such distorted forms of juvenile justice. Frankly speaking, I believed that my instruction had been fulfilled. The State Duma Speaker [Vyacheslav Volodin] has updated me on this only recently, and he said that the related amendments had been approved. Let us discuss this issue once again. I promise to look at this matter and to analyse the situation. Unceremonious interference in family matters is unacceptable.



Patriarch Kirill and Putin meeting at the Kremlin on May 24, 2016. They also met together on February 1, 2016, when Putin told Kirill a big thank you to you for developing the Russian Orthodox Church and for strengthening the unity of our people and society. In 2013 Putin had told Kirill: :"The Russian Orthodox Church and other traditional religions should get every opportunity to fully serve in such important fields as the support of family and motherhood, the upbringing and education of children, youth, social development, and to strengthen the patriotic spirit of the armed forces." Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-church-idUSBRE91016F20130201

Last month Putin not only went beyond Church doctrine on family discipline, battery and violence. He also extended state protection against violence to animals. We should proceed from the principle of humanism with regard to animals, including stray ones. He went on: About animal rights  it sounds nice indeed, but [for] dog owners, any pet owners  they [animals] do have rights. As for humanitarian issues such as the humane treatment of animals, these fall into a different regulatory domain, although it should certainly be improved. You know, there have been suggestions about toughening some of the legislation and the general regulatory framework. I would support them, given that everything is within reasonable limits, but regulation is certainly necessary.

Putins instruction to parliament on regulating family violence remains unpublished and unclear. He is hinting at more effective regulation to improve protections, including protection from violence, as well as from state, court or administrative intervention in child custody, adoption, and same-sex arrangements.

The Church has proposed changing the criminal sanction for violence within the family to an administrative offence, punishable by a fine. This decriminalization, according to Putin, is justifiable if it increases the reporting of complaints and the ease of prosecution and conviction. Second offences would remain criminal, without a code change. Injury to health requiring hospitalization also would remain a criminal offence. A comparison of the Art.116 changes with the existing provisions can be followed here.

An amendment adopted last year by the Duma decriminalized a first battery offence between strangers but left battery between kin or spouses as it was. The practical effect was anomalous  strangers beating children could be treated with more leniency than parents. Under the proposed revision of the law a first battery conviction would result in a fine of up to Rb30,000 (about $500), with 15-day detention or 120 hours of community service as alternatives for those without the money.

From January 2015 to September 2016, police statistics reported by the federal Interior Ministry indicate 97,000 crime reports involving domestic or family violence. Of that total, 30,200 were beatings inflicted by a close relative of the victim. HelpLine data suggest that reports to the police may amount to less than a third of offences committed. For background, read this.

Opponents of the decriminalization amendment, which will be given its final Duma hearing and vote today, claim the practical effect would be to equalize the administrative consequences for family and non-family members, but they argue it will have the reverse effect on intention and deterrence. These critics claim the measure would encourage more violence, not less.

The anti-Russian media in the UK and US have dramatized this, according to an Amnesty International claim that it is a sickening attempt to trivialise domestic violence, which has long been viewed as a non-issue by the Russian government. Claims that this will somehow protect families or preserve traditions are ludicrous  domestic violence destroys lives. A Guardian reporter named Shaun Walker claimed last week there is fury at Russian move to soften domestic violence law. He omitted to report how much popular support there is for the measure. For more of Walkers inventions from Moscow, read the backfile.

A national opinion poll by the Levada Center in July 2016 revealed that both Russian men and women have reported significantly less violence from their kin, spouses or lovers than they had acknowledged in comparable polls in 2002, 2003, 2011, and 2012. Women reported suffering violence from related men in 12% of the sample; 7% of men reported the same thing from women; 10% of women and the same proportion of men refused to say. Internal family conflict is commonly acknowledged in all the polls. Arguments over money are the most commonly cited reason. Verbal abuse was cited as often in 13% of cases; rarely in 39%. Violence was cited as often by 2%; rarely by 9%.

In a publication by the Russian Church in Moscow last July, the Patriarchal Commission on family issues endorsed the biblical doctrine  he that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him early (Book of Proverbs 13:24). There is no doubt, the document from the commission declared, that children should be protected from really criminal acts, whatever they were, especially when we are talking about criminal violence. However, there is no real reason to equate such criminal attacks with a reasonable and moderate use of physical punishment by loving parents in the upbringing of the child the issue of choice of those or other methods of education of children, not causing them any real harm, should be the subject offree solutions to parents, not forced legal regulation. Orthodox Christians, of course, may have different views and beliefs in practice on the education of their children, the desirability and permissibility of the use in the education of certain approaches and methods, including means of family discipline. However, there is no doubt that as Scripture (Prov[erbs]. 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15; Heb[rews]. 12:6-11, etc.) and the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church examines the possibility of intelligent love and use of physical punishment as an integral part installed by God in the rights of parents. Thus, attempts at legislative restriction of this right of parents is contrary to the teachings of the Orthodox Church.

The latest Russian poll suggests the Churchs position is a minority one. Last week the All-Russia Centre for the study of public opinion (VTsIOM) reported the incidence of beatings in Russian families is far from rare. One-third of those polled said they were aware of cases among the families and friends they know; 10% said they had personally experienced battery in their own families.

The VTsIOM poll shows that a very large majority (79%) of Russians condemns all forms of violence inside the family. That leaves a 19% minority saying it favours the use of force within the family. Roughly the same sized minority supports prison sentences for battery. A majority supports decriminalization with a combination of lesser penalties  fines, community service, and brief detention  although not for the Churchs reason, as this group believes the administrative measures would increase reporting by victims, and add to deterrence.

A close reading of the VTsIOM survey results reveals how unpersuaded Russians are of the Churchs view in favour of righteous battery.

VTsIOM TABLE-1: AWARENESS OF BEATINGS IN FAMILIES

After months of active campaigning the VTsIOM poll indicates the Church has failed to convince Russians under the age of 25, who are the most vulnerable to family assault. As this table indicates, the younger generation is even less likely to support any form of battery within the family than their elders.

VTsIOM TABLE-2: PUBLIC ATTITUDE TOWARDS BATTERY IN THE FAMILY

Russian women support more severe sanctions for battery than men.

VTsIOM TABLE-3: PUBLIC VIEWS ON THE APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT FOR BATTERY

Neither gender nor age makes a significant difference to the assessment circulating in the foreign media that the Russian Churchs proposed change in the law will increase the frequency of assaults. The largest proportion of Russians  41%  believes that if the amendment becomes law, there will be an improvement, and family violence will diminish. More women believe this than men; more younger people than older ones. A comparable proportion of the population believes nothing will change if the amendment becomes law.

VTsIOM TABLE-4: PUBLIC VIEWS ON THE LIKELY EFFECT OF DECRIMINALIZATION

The outcome in practical terms, as reported by this months VTsIOM survey, is that there is a 59% majority in support of the enactment this week; just 33% oppose.

VTsIOM TABLE-5: MAJORITY RUSSIAN SUPPORT FOR DECRIMINALIZATION



Source for all tables: https://wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=116035

These poll results have been cited by the Duma Speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, as the reason for the deputies adoption of the first and second readings of the law so far. The Churchs position has been advocated by Yelena Mizulina, and she is the prime mover of the legislative change.

An academic lawyer, Mizulina has been an elected member of parliament since 1993, changing her party affiliations several times. She has been chairman of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs; she is currently deputy chairman of the Federation Councils Committee on Constitutional Law. The US government sanctioned her in 2014 at the demand of US gay rights organizations; for the details, read this.

So far, the Art. 116 revision has been adopted almost unanimously, with only one deputy, Igor Lebedev, voting against, and one abstaining. However, popular support for Mizulinas rationale for the proposed decriminalization of domestic battery remains as weak as it is for the Church doctrine. Mizulina, Volodin, Lebedev, the press secretary of the Duma Family Committee, and the office of Patriarch Kirill were asked this question by telephone and email: Since everyone agrees that domestic violence should be deterred, how does the proposed decriminalization law achieve that result? The politicians and the patriarchate refused to answer. The Church spokesman also refused to give his name.

A Moscow social policy analyst commented: The reason there is so much public support for a fine for this offence has nothing to do with the Church; nothing to do with Mizulina. Foreign critics have missed the point. Russians understand their police very well. They know that if theres no money incentive, there is no enforcement. Thats why first-offence beatings arent followed up, but traffic violations are. If the local militia can see their chance to collect money from complaints, they will do it with alacrity. Every Russian understands this. Foreigners dont.
It has been astonishing to see the UK press tout yet another Brexit delusion: that the UK will show up those nasty Europeans by cutting an awesome trade deal with their new best buddy, Donald Trump.

Weve discussed long-form how the UK is in hot water with its Brexit plans regardless. The EU is hanging tough on not starting any sort of Brexit talks until Britain pulls the Article 50 trigger. The EU treaty stipulates that departure happens in 24 months irrespective of whether an exodus has been tidied up . Pretty much everyone agrees that a Brexit by default rather than a negotiated Brexit would be worse for the UK. And while there is a mechanism for extension, it requires unanimous approval of the 27 remaining states. The UK is so widely disliked in the EU that no one expects an extension to be granted.

And here is a partial list of other problems the UK faces:

Lack of adequate staffing to man the Brexit talks thanks to years of budget-cutting. Where can they possibly find more bodies to handle bi-lateral trade talks in parallel? The specialists at the big-ticket accounting an law firms are too narrow to be very good. Worse I am hearing private reports that extremely experienced experts cross-European law whove put out feelers regarding Brexit gigs have been ignoredand were quickly snapped up by the EU side. Near-impossiblity of getting any new trade deal in place in two years1. And contrary to what the press keeps saying, there is no default to the WTO. That has to be negotiated like any other trade and services deal. The WTO has said it will not give the UK priority. Risk that the EU will bar the UK from undertaking other trade talks before it has completed its exit. By treaty, the UK cannot negotiate other trade pacts until it is out of the EU. The EU has incentives to enforce this rule. Does it have the means? Certain damage to important UK export sectors. European countries would love to take a piece out of the City. The ECB already tried to get Euroclearing moved to the Eurozone. The only thing that prevented that was an ECJ ruling that said the ECB could not discriminate against a member of the EU> France has already started making rules to expedite getting Euroclearing on the Continent. UK banks continue to announce plans to relocate staff to Europe, and every bank of any size is scouting for office space Another important export business for the UK is aircraft parts manufacture for Airbus. All that activity will be migrated to European parts-makers once Brexit has commenced.

Theresa May has been grasping at the straw of an offer by Donald Trump to give priority to a US-UK bilateral trade deal. But just because The Donald gets on with Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage does not mean that a pact with the US will be a salvation for the UK.

Trump has put the US on a mercantilist footing. The UK is an exporter to the US. The US is bigger than the UK. On top of that, the UK is desperate and under time pressure. Either one puts a negotiator in a weaker position; the two in combination are deadly. This chart from the Financial Times shows the UKs balance of trade and services with its major trading partners:

That alone points to high odds of an unhappy ending to the UKs US as savior fairy tale. And when you get more granular, it does not look any better. Here are the major export sectors with the US:

Financial services. Do you think an Administration chock full of ex-Goldmanites will give UK financial firms any quarter? Mind you, the US is willing to chat about some City-friendly ideas, but its unlikely theyll go anywhere. Again from the Financial Times story: Apparently a system such as passporting  the automatic mutual recognition by which EU financial institutions have access to each member countrys market  is under consideration for a UK-US trade deal. But the recognition of regulatory systems across the Atlantic was a big stumbling block in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks between the US and the EU. (The key sentence from the public statement of US objectives: we will continue to ensure that our government retains full discretion to regulate the financial sector.) Transportation. Trump has made getting auto company jobs back into the US a big priority, since they are highly visible and historically were the anchor of manufacturing wages generally. Moreover, the demands of just-in-time manufacturing means that at least some parts suppliers find that it behooves them to have operations within reasonable proximity of the final assembly plant. So he has every reason to play hardball here. Similarly, theres no reason to think Team Trump will look kindly on the idea of having UK suppliers to Airbus try to displace US suppliers to Boeing. Their only hope would be to shoulder aside any fabricators in Mexico, again assuming Trump doesnt try to force that production across the border. Pharmaceuticals. Although the US is an overly-zealous defender of intellectual property, and hence drugs under patent, Trump has started making noise about pressuring drug companies on prices. If he actually follows through, its not hard to think hell go after foreign firms first. So all Trumps friendship may mean is Novartis, Roche and Sanofi will have the screws put on them before Glaxo.

And any deal with the US will entail the UK making concession. For instance, the Financial Times points out the risks to now-protected UK sectors. For instance, Australia, an agricultural powerhouse, learned in a 2004 bi-lateral trade agreement how zealous the US is zealous about promoting its Big Ag:

Australia made some unpopular concessions, including changes to its public drugs purchasing scheme at the behest of the US pharmaceutical industry, and received little in return. The countrys famed beef and dairy exporters achieved only a little more access to Americas protected agricultural markets, and its super-competitive sugar farmers essentially none. Studies tend to show the deal at best diverted rather than created trade, and has been of little benefit to Australias economy. The UK risks the same thing. There are several agricultural sectors including beef and poultry in which UK farmers are currently protected by high EU tariffs, which the US will undoubtedly ask to be cut. Mrs Mays political opponents have also wised up to Washingtons likely demands to relax EU-mandated hygiene rules, including restrictions on chicken meat cleaned with chlorinated water, beef fed with growth hormone and crops grown with genetically-modified organisms. There is more at stake, though, than the squeamishness of British consumers. If the UK accedes to the USs demands on food rules, its farmers will find it harder to sell into the EU market, currently their largest single customer, unless they expensively adhere to multiple standards of production. This clash of regulations shows that the prize for the US is not just access to the UKs market, but establishing precedents for talks with other large economies.

Reread the last sentence from the quote. The US has many good reasons to take advantage of a particularly vulnerable UK. No wonder Trump is so keen to have the UK walk into a trap and even worse, be grateful whatever they get. Politically and practically, any agreement with the US would be better than none.

___

1 Some Brexit boosters cite the 2004 bilateral trade deal between Australia and the US that was completed in less than a year as proof that trade deals can be completed quickly. While it is true that a pure trade deal, as in one involving only physical goods, could be completed in less than two years, pacts that involve services to any meaningful degree take much longer. Given that financial services is the UKs biggest export to the US, its hard to think it would be completely quickly. Moreover, its almost certain that the pressure to wrap up the agreement quickly came from the Australian side, since Australia was one of the few to join the Iraq Was coalition of the willing despite 94% opposition to the war among the Australian public, an unheard-of level in polls. Prime Minister John Howard no doubt felt the need to show some benefits of being loyal to the US. But as the story of the results of the negotiations shows, even with the US in theory needing to reward Australia for its service, they didnt come out very well from the deal.
By Jomo Kwame Sundaram, former UN Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development. Originally published at Inter Press Service and cross posted from Triple Crisis

New American President Donald Trump has long insisted that the United States has been suffering from poor trade deals made by his predecessors. Renegotiating or withdrawing from these deals will be top priority for his administration which views trade policy as key to US economic revival under Trump. What will that mean?



The new administration promises tough and fair agreements on trade, ostensibly to revive the US economy and to create millions of mainly manufacturing jobs. The POTUS is committed to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed in 1994 by the United States, Canada and Mexico. And if NAFTA partners refuse what the White House deems to be a fair renegotiated agreement, the President will give notice of the United States intent to withdraw from NAFTA.



Constraints?

Presidential fiat may well be extended in radically new ways by the incoming president with, or perhaps even without the support of a Republican-controlled Senate and Congress. However, in terms of trade, Trump may be constrained by his own partys free trade preferences, while the minority Democratic Party is likely to remain generally hostile to him.



Many informed observers doubt the ability of the US President to unilaterally impose trade policies, as the POTUS is subject to many checks and balances, conditions and constraints. But a widely held contrary view is that existing legislation allows the president considerable leeway. But as such ambiguity can be interpreted to grant the president broad authority over trade policy, Trump is likely to use this to the fullest.



Worryingly, Trump and his appointees often appear to see trade as a zero -sum game, implying that the only way for the US to secure its interests would be at the expense of its trading partners. Their rhetoric also implies that the most powerful country in the world has previously negotiated trade deals to its own disadvantage  a view almost no one else agrees with.



Thus, Trumps belligerent rhetoric threatens trade wars or acquiescence to the US as the only means to change the status quo. But future deals even more favourable to the US can only be achieved with weaker partners, e.g., through bilateral treaties, or those with ulterior motives for accepting even less favourable terms and conditions.



Unequal Effects

Of course, the real world is more complicated than one of competing national interests. For example, while US corporations and consumers may benefit from relocating production abroad, American workers who lose their jobs or experience poorer working conditions will be unhappy. Clearly, there is no singular national interest.



Trumps rhetoric so far implies an opposition of American workers to the globalist US elite with scant mention of consumer interests, the main source of support for the globalists. The unequal effects of freer trade have long been recognized by international trade economists except globalization cheerleaders who insist that freer trade lifts all boats  a myth belied by the experiences of increasing numbers of American workers and others in recent decades.



Meanwhile, US protectionists have been in denial about labour-displacing automation throughout the economy. They also fail to recognize how laissez faire American capitalism has let the devil take the growing ranks of the hindmost. In contrast, managed capitalism has often ensured less disruptive and painful transitions due to trade liberalization and automation, e.g., through government retraining schemes.



Trade Rules Biased

Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the Trump administrations trade strategy will unfold. While trading system rules are skewed to favour the powerful, US relations with trading partners have sometimes become dysfunctional and perhaps less advantageous. Hence, a more aggressive Trump administration may well secure better deals for US interests. Some options favouring US companies would only involve minor disruptions, while others could disrupt the US as well as the world economy, possibly precipitating another global recession.



Besides renegotiating or rejecting bilateral and plurilateral deals, the US could also bring more cases before the World Trade Organization (WTO). After all, the US and Europe wrote most WTO rules after the Second World War, and the US has almost never revised its trade rules and practices, even after losing cases. The US has long used the WTO dispute settlement mechanism to great effect until it began disrupting its functioning recently after losing a case.



Trump has long threatened targeted duties to ensure compliance and more favourable deals. While trade lawyers debate the scope for and legality of such actions, most trade economists have argued that US consumers will pay much higher prices to save relatively few jobs.



Triggering Trade War

However, instead of imposing duties on specific products, as allowed for by WTO rules, emergency authority may be invoked to impose broad-based tariffs on exports from specific countries, as Trump has threatened to do.



Such an escalation risks causing significant economic damage all round, especially if it provokes retaliatory actions, with no guarantee of securing a more favourable deal. A relatively minor trade dispute can thus easily spin out of control to become a very disruptive global trade war.



After Trumps inauguration, the White House announced US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, effectively killing the agreement. Ironically, the Obama administration had claimed the TPP would enable the US to write economic rules for the region instead of China, Trumps favourite bogey. Thus, even presidential one-upmanship can trigger the new world trade war.



Bullying as Global Trade Strategy?

In yet another irony, in Davos last week, a Goldman Sachs veteran announced the sale of a majority stake in his multibillion dollar business to a Chinese group before joining the Trump administration as senior trade adviser. Perhaps as a foretaste of what to expect, in response to Chinese President Xis reminder that No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war, he warned that China stands to lose way more than the US if it retaliates when the new administration imposes selective tariffs on its exports.
European nanotechnology project to design less toxic photovoltaic materials (w/video) (Nanowerk News) The University Institute for Advanced Materials Research at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) has participated in the European Project Sunflower, whose objective has been the development of organic photovoltaic materials less toxic and viable for industrial production. A consortium of 17 research and business institutions has carried out this European project in the field of nanotechnology for four years and with an overall budget of 14.2 million euros, with funding of 10.1 million euros from the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission.

An introduction to Sunflower.

Researchers at Sunflower have carried out several studies, among the most successful of which there are the design of an organic photovoltaic cell that can be printed and, consequently, has great versatility. In short, "we can assure that, thanks to these works, progress has been made in the achievement of solar cells with a good performance, low cost and very interesting architectural characteristics", states the director of the University Institute for Advanced Materials Research (INAM) Juan Bisquert.

The goals of Sunflower were very ambitious, according to Antonio Guerrero, researcher at the Department of Physics integrated in the INAM, since it was intended "not only to improve the stability and efficiency of the photovoltaic materials, but also to reduce their costs of production". In fact, according to Guerrero, the processes for making the leap from the laboratory to the industrial scale have been improved because, among others, non-halogenated solvents have been used that are compatible with industrial production methods and that considerably reduce the toxic loading of halogenates.

"The involvement of our institute in these projects has a great interest because one of our priority lines of research is the new materials to develop renewable energies," says Bisquert, who is also professor of Applied Physics. In addition, these consortia involve the work of academia and industry. According to the researcher, "the transfer of knowledge to society is favoured and, in this case, we demonstrate that organic materials investigated for twenty years are already close to become viable technologies".

Change of use of plastic materials

The participation of UJI researchers at Sunflower has focused on "improving the aspect of chemical reactivity of materials or structural compatibility", says Germa Garcia, professor of Applied Physics and member of INAM. "We have worked to move from the concepts of inorganic electronics to photovoltaic cells to the part of organic electronics," he adds. The researchers wanted to take advantage of the faculties of absorption and conduction of plastic materials and to verify its capacity of solar production, an unusual use because normally they are used as an electrical insulation.

At UJI laboratories, they have studied the organic materials, very complex devices because they have up to eight nanometric layers. "We have made advanced electrical measurements to see where the energy losses were and thus to inform producers of materials and devices in order to improve the stability and efficiency of solar cells," explains Guerrero.

Solar energy in everyday objects

"The potential applications of organic photovoltaic technology (OPV) are numerous, ranging from mobile consumer electronics to architecture," says the project coordinator Giovanni Nisato, from the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM). "Thanks to the results we have obtained, printed organic photovoltaics will become part of our daily lives, and will allow us to use renewable energy and respect the environment with a positive impact on our quality of life," according to Nisato.

The European Sunflower project has been developed over 48 months with the main objective of extending the life and cost-efficiency of organic photovoltaic technology through better process control and understanding of materials. In addition, in the opinion of those responsible, the results of this research could double the share of renewable energy in its energy matrix, from 14% in 2012 to 27-30% by 2030. In fact, Sunflower has facilitated a significant increase in the use of solar energy incorporated in everyday objects.

The Sunflower consortium consists of 17 partners from across Europe: CSEM (Switzerland), DuPont Teijin Films UK Ltd (UK), Amcor Flexibles Kreuzlingen AG (Switzerland), Agfa-Gevaert NV (Belgium), Fluxim AG (Switzerland), University of Antwerp (Belgium), SAES Getters SpA (Italy), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-ISMN-Bologna (Italy), Hochschule fur Life Sciences FHNW (Switzerland), Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola AB (Sweden), Fraunhofer Institut der angewandten Forschung zur Foerderung @EV (Germany), Linkopings Universitet (Sweden), Universitat Jaume I (Spain), Genes'Ink (France), National Centre for Scientific Research (France), Belectric OPV GmbH (Germany) and Merck KGaA (Germany).
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Oil behemoth Saudi Aramco has taken the next step towards its initial public offering by hiring two U.S. companies to audit its oil reserves. Aramco, the state-run entity of Saudi Arabia, is estimated to own about 15% of the worlds oil.

According to Reuters, sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Saudi Aramco has asked a subsidiary of Baker Hughes BHI, Gaffney, Cline & Associates, to review its reserves. Sources apparently also indicated that DeGolyer and MacNaughton, a Dallas-based reserve auditor, has been asked to do some work.

Aramcos initial offering is set to be the worlds largest IPO yet, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that he expects the deal to value the company at more than $2 trillion.

(Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About The Saudi Aramco IPO)

Prince Mohammed serves as the head of Aramcos ten-member Supreme Council and has been tasked with preparing the kingdoms economy for a future that is less-dependent on oil. Saudi Arabia has been plagued by inefficient government and declining oil revenues; a reform effort called Vision 2030 was created to address these issues.

An IPO is just one piece of Vision 2030, which has the overall goal of making the kingdoms economy less reliant on oil prices. While some transition away from the oil industry is expected, Saudi Arabia is also working on refocusing its oil empire.

One ongoing initiative is for Aramco to get more involved with downstream efforts. Last year, the company teamed up with the kingdoms petrochemical brand to develop an oil-to-chemicals project. Saudi Aramcos CEO, former petroleum engineer Amin H. Nasser, also announced a massive shipbuilding complex to be installed within a few years.

Specific plans related to the IPO have yet to be finalized, but most analysts expect the company to offer up about 5% to 10% of the company in a listing on the domestic market, as well as a dual listing in a foreign market.

Story continues

The scope of the IPO and overall value of Aramco will depend on the results of reserve audits, as the specific internal details of the company remain well-guarded and our current perception of its holdings are solely based on estimates.

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Former Jefferies & Co. managing director Jesse Litvak was convicted for a second time of defrauding customers on trades of mortgage-backed securities  but only on one of 10 criminal counts.

On the sixth day of deliberations Friday, a federal jury in New Haven, Conn., found Litvak guilty of one count of securities fraud following a trial that began Jan. 4. He was acquitted of nine counts.

Litvak displayed no emotion when the verdict was presented. As jurors read out the first three not-guilty counts, family members in the courtroom squeezed each others hands and smiled. The mood changed sharply when the single guilty count was read out. Litvak hugged family members and declined to comment as left he the courtroom. Jurors also declined to comment as they were leaving court.

The case has been closely watched by bond traders. While Litvak admitted lying to customers, his lawyers argued during both trials that his misrepresentations weren't important enough to his counterparts to influence their decisions to buy or sell bonds. Litvak's first conviction, in which he was found guilty on all 15 counts, was reversed on appeal in December 2015.

The appeals court ruled Litvak should have been allowed to present expert witnesses to bolster his defense. At the retrial, Litvak's attorney offered one expert witness to explain that bond traders are sophisticated market professionals backed by substantial research capabilities and are likely to be skeptical about statements made about pricing during negotiations.

Bond Trades

Litvak's arrest in January 2013 led to scrutiny of the way mortgage bonds and other securitized debt is traded. Since then, at least six other individuals have been charged and dozens have been suspended or forced to resign over similar allegations.

Prosecutors said Litvak "was caught" when a customer obtained a spreadsheet showing he had been misled about bond pricing. Michael Canter, head of the securitized asset group at AllianceBernstein Holding, testified for the prosecution that he stopped doing business with Litvak and Jefferies in 2011 after obtaining the spreadsheet. He said the data showed he had overpaid for bonds, hurting his firm's investors.

Defense attorney Dane Butswinkas told jurors that the government "was not even close" to proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Litvak's lies had significantly altered the total mix of information customers used to decide on bond transactions.

Phillip R. Burnaman II, a former portfolio manager at ING Bank, who managed a $500 million portfolio at ING, testified for the defense that it's common for bond traders to lower bids in an effort to get a better price.

"It's a bit like playing poker and bluffing," said Burnaman, who is now chief risk officer with hedge fund Dendera Capital.

Closely Watched

The case has been monitored by participants in the market, especially those involved in other cases.

In March 2015, a former Royal Bank of Scotland Group trader, Matthew Katke, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit securities fraud and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. About six months later, three former Nomura Holdings Inc. were charged with defrauding investors by inflating the prices of mortgage bonds. And the same month that the appeals court reversed Litvak's conviction, another former RBS trader, Adam Siegel, pleaded guilty to similar conduct.

Both Katke and Siegel are watching the Litvak case, as their agreements allow them to withdraw their pleas if he is ultimately found to have not violated the law. The three former Nomura traders are scheduled to go on trial in May.

A former Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. mortgage-bond trader, David Demos, was indicted last month on fraud charges for allegedly lying to customers.
Redfin is launching a mortgage banking subsidiary that will lend to the company's real estate customers, as part of an effort to provide end-to-end home-buying services.

Redfin Mortgage will begin issuing loans in the first half of 2017 and will initially serve consumers in the Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio markets, the Seattle-based real estate brokerage said Thursday. The company has hired Jason Bateman, the former BBVA Compass executive vice president of mortgage operations, to run Redfin's mortgage operation from a Dallas-based office.

The company will use warehouse lines to fund its loans and will initially sell them to a correspondent investor. Further down the road, the company plans on selling its loans directly to Fannie Mae.

"All of our mortgage advisors and underwriters will be employees, and we will close and fund the loan prior to selling them to an investor, so we will be the lender," Bateman said. "We wanted to own the experience."

Redfin plans to go one step further in owning its mortgage experience. The company is building its own loan origination system from scratch, and the platform will also serve the company's real estate brokerage business and integrate with its title and escrow business through its Title Forward subsidiary. For certain ancillary services, including document preparation and product and pricing engines, Redfin will partner with outside vendors.

"Redfin's overall mission is to redefine real estate in the customer's favor," said Adam Wiener, Redfin's chief growth officer. "We felt to really reinvent real estatewe needed to become a banker to control that experience form application all the way to closing."

Wiener added that Redfin expects the integration will also "build efficiency" into the company's system and allow them to close loans more quickly.

The company chose to focus initially on Texas and base its mortgage operations in Dallas because of the strength of the housing markets and the large number of mortgage professionals there, Bateman said. Lenders who currently operate in the markets Redfin is targeting echoed Bateman's sentiments, suggesting that the market is primed for new entrants.

"I'm not surprised that another lender is coming in," Bill Dawley, executive vice president and divisional manager at Amegy Bank, said. "The state of Texas has been extremely consistent in the appreciation of home valuesWe have numerous successful mortgage companies in these markets. I don't see why they wouldn't be successful."

Redfin also chose Texas, Bateman said, because of its central location, which will make later expansion easier. (The company's software engineers and technology staff will remain in Seattle.)

"The vision is that Redfin Mortgage will serve all of the markets that Redfin does," Bateman said. Currently, Redfin's real estate brokerage business operates in 80 metropolitan areas.

Redfin picked the mortgage banking route, in contrast with real estate competitors. Remax's Motto Mortgage follows a franchise model, and Realogy operates its mortgage business through a joint venture with PHH Corp.

The company also formed its compensation structure with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act's Section 8 provision in mind, which bans kickbacks for referrals between mortgage and real estate companies. Regulators have put lenders and real estate companies, including Realogy and PHH, in the hot seat over compliance with this rule in recent years.

"There will be no compensation for any of the three parties referring business," Bateman said. "Our Realtors are paid on customer experience. So if Redfin Mortgage does not do a good job, they will not do business with us."

In other words, Redfin's real estate agents are paid in part based on customer feedback regarding the home-buying process, and a lender's performance reflects on that. Similarly, the company's "mortgage advisors" will be paid based on customer service. As such, real estate agents' willingness to work with Redfin Mortgage will be contingent on the subsidiary's performance, and the company will not prevent them from passing business along to existing preferred lenders.

That approach is a comfort to lenders in the Texas markets where Redfin will initially enter.

"It's going to be a learning experience for all us," said Jay Abeya, a loan originator with K&G Capital Mortgage, who Redfin lists as a recommended lender in the Houston area.

"You can't tailor too much" to the new competition, Abeya said. "What I've been doing up to this point is working. I'm going to keep on doing my darnedest to get their business."
NEVADA

RENO

PCLender, a loan origination system provider, said that Joseph Langner has been named president.

He previously served as general manager and executive vice president of Sage Inc.

Langner, who has over 25 years of senior level sales, marketing and general management experience, also served as chief sales officer and chief operating officer at Ellie Mae.

NEW YORK

NEW YORK

Tanya Eastwood, president of Greystone Affordable Housing Initiatives, a provider of affordable housing recapitalization and rehabilitation services, has been appointed to the board of the National Rural Housing Coalition.

Eastwood's tenure with the NRHC includes several years as an active member, while simultaneously leading Greystone's efforts in preserving thousands of affordable housing units across the United States.

NRHC, founded in 1969, has the mission to achieve better housing and community facilities for low-income rural families.

TENNESSEE

NASHVILLE

Built Technologies has named Sarah Kaczanowski business development director for construction lenders and their clients in the Western United States.

Kaczanowski, who will be based in Denver, previously served with Ping Identity and Worldwide101 before joining Built Technologies.

TEXAS

DALLAS

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. said that Mihir Patel has joined Nationstar as the company's new EVP and chief risk officer.

Patel, who held risk-related leadership roles at Capital One Bank, will lead the enterprise-wide risk management functions at Nationstar.

He will also be a member of the executive management team.

WISCONSIN

MILWAUKEE

Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp., the principal subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corp., has promoted James Hughes to executive vice president, sales and business development and Salvatore Miosi to executive vice president, business strategy and operations.

Hughes previously held the position of senior vice president, sales and business development.

He has been a member of MGIC's sales team since 1987 having started with the company as account manager in the mid-Atlantic region.

Miosi previously served as MGIC's senior vice president, business strategy and operations.

He has been with the company since 1988 and has held a variety of positions in the operations, technology and marketing divisions.

FRANCE

PARIS

AXA Investment Managers - Real Assets has appointed Steve McCarthy as the new head of North America, and Aaron Kutner as U.S. director of acquisitions. Olivier Thoral, current head of North America, will return to the firm's headquarters in Paris where he will assume new responsibilities.

With more than 30 years of real estate investment experience, McCarthy joined AXA IM - Real Assets in 2013 from his role as co-founder and principal of MXA Capital.

He previously held senior positions in the U.S. at the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance, Buchanan Street Partners, WestWind Capital Partners and Jones Lang Wootton.

As U.S. director of acquisitions, Kutner reports to and is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and executing acquisitions.

Kutner joins the firm following six years at Clarion Partners (formerly ING Clarion) where, since 2014, he was vice president of acquisitions.

Are you a mortgage professional who recently changed jobs? Let us know! Send your announcement and photo (if available) to Glenn McCullom at glenn.mccullom@sourcemedia.com.
(Natural News) During his first press conference after winning the election, President Donald Trump made some very bold statements that, generally speaking, are uncharacteristic of the Republican Party. Rather than kowtow to pharmaceutical interests as would be expected from an establishment politician on either side of the aisle, Mr. Trump actually called drug companies to task for ripping off Americans, adding that the entire industry is getting away with murder as it currently functions.

These piercing words from the president sent shock waves throughout the drug industry, which saw massive drops in stock value almost immediately after they were stated. Clearly frustrated with the corruption between pharmaceutical companies and the federal government that keeps drug prices high, President Trump reiterated what hes been saying all along the campaign trail about the need for reform  a message that was also heralded by failed Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Pharma has a lot of lobbies, a lot of lobbyists, a lot of power. And theres very little bidding on drugs, President Trump remarked from Trump Tower in New York City. Were the largest buyer of drugs in the world, and yet we dont bid properly. Were going to start bidding. Were going to save billions of dollars over a period of time.

President Trump also criticized the drug industry for manufacturing drugs in other countries where theyre cheaper to produce, only to ship them back to the U.S. to sell to Americans at top dollar. This hallmark of crony globalism, a major target in the presidents platform all throughout his campaign, is something thats most definitely on the chopping block with the incoming administration.

Our drug industry has been disastrous, President Trump explained before the press pool. Theyre leaving left and right. They supply our drugs but they dont make them here, to a large extent. And the other thing we have to do is create new bidding procedures for the drug industry, because theyre getting away with murder. (RELATED: Stay informed about Big Pharmas illegal practices at BigPharmaNews.com)

RINO Republican Paul Ryan wants to maintain Big Pharma monopoly over medicine

Going against an old-guard Republican establishment that has long favored not only Big Pharma but a host of other special interest groups, including biotechnology and chemicals, wont be an easy task. Top Republican kingpins like House Speaker Paul Ryan, for instance, are already challenging President Trumps remarks, tacitly implying that the system is working just fine and doesnt need to be changed.

In an interview with Mike Allen of Axios, Ryan emphasized that he wants to have more conversations about the issue to presumably redirect President Trumps agenda. He carefully sidestepped the gaping problems stemming from Big Pharmas monopolistic control over medicine, instead offering up rhetoric in favor of maintaining the status quo. When asked about the presidents comments that drug companies are politically protected, but not anymore, Ryan remarked: I dont speak like that, generally speaking. Im always looking for win-win situations, and I believe theres a lot more we can do to bring down the price of drugs.

In other words, Paul Ryan isnt the type of guy to take a stand against anything or anyone who pays his salary  in this case, big money interests like Monsanto and Merck. Its the Republican way, perhaps, but not President Trumps way, which begs the question: will the president be able to effectively overcome this deep-seated gravy train funding Republicans-in-name-only (RINOs) like Paul Ryan? (RELATED: See news about how everything is rigged at Rigged.news)

Conservative nonprofit exposed for pro-Monsanto, pro-Hillary agenda

Considering the fact that so-called conservative groups often work in lockstep with liberal groups to advance the same agenda  in this case, pushing the special interest agendas of their mutual donors  accomplishing this feat could be the biggest challenge of Mr. Trumps life.

One such group, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), was exposed late last year for helping a billionaire donor for the Hillary Clinton campaign secure  wait for it  Republican support for failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Besides the seemingly contradictory nature of such a union, the AEI, as revealed by GMWatch, is closely aligned with biotechnology giant Monsanto.

No matter how you look at all this, President Trump definitely has his work cut out for him. While the drug industry is known to make large financial contributions to candidates from both political parties, historically the industry has been more focused on funding RINO Republicans, with the exception of Democrat Hillary Clinton who received, by far, the most financial support from Big Pharma during the 2016 presidential election season.

Industry PACs have given at least $4.4 million to Republicans and $2.6 million to Democrats in House Races across the primary and general elections, news organization STAT reported back in November. In the most competitive House contests  those rated as toss-ups or only leaning toward either party by the Cook Political Report  pharmaceutical PACs have given more than $435,000 to Republicans, a separate STAT analysis found. By comparison, the committees have given less than $70,000 to Democrats in those races.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com

GMWatch.org

CNN.com

StatNews.com
(Natural News) The past few years have left people all over the world concerned about the future of our planet. While there are those who believe that culture has its ups and downs and that the pendulum always swings back and forth, there are those who believe that we have reached the point of no return and that it is only a matter of time before the world as we know it has been completely destroyed.

This fringe idea seems to be picking up more and more steam as environmental issues across the world become more and more obvious. What once appeared to be an idea that existed solely in the minds of conspiracy theorists has since become extremely common as the visible effects of our lack of respect for the environment have manifested themselves all over the globe. As a result, people who never would have been contemplating the end of the world as we know it are now at the front lines of these conversations, discussing what should come next.

One of the more interesting developments in recent months has been the government of French Polynesia announcing their plans to potentially create a floating city should ocean levels continue to rise. Since a majority of the land could very soon be submerged by the sea, this is an extremely good idea and one that many countries across the world should be paying close attention to because it actually makes a whole lot of sense.

(RELATED: Learn more about the potential of a societal collapse by visiting Collapse.news)

In charge of researching and developing the floating city is the Seasteading Institute, who believes that in addition to the environmental factors that it will improve, the city will also promote growth in the technological and economic sectors. It could be a win-win for everyone involved.

Bec Crew of Science Alert reports, According to Seasteading executive director, Randolph Hencken, the plan would not only save locals from islands like Tahiti  the most populous island in the French Polynesian collective  from having to flee their sinking homes in the coming decades, it would also offer a unique tourist experience to help bolster them economically.

Though the plans still have to go through the legislation process, if they are passed, construction of the city could begin as soon as 2019, so future societies may be coming sooner than we ever would have thought. While this creation specifically helps French Polynesia, we could be seeing these kinds of floating cities all over the world in areas that are surrounded by water.

Thats not where the potential for this type of futuristic society ends, though. Given the various environmental hazards we are facing in 2017, there are likely people in the United States that are planning ways to create sustainable societies throughout our country. This is most definitely a good idea because, as history has proven time and time again, the unpredictable is always right around the corner.

Hopefully the Trump administration starts paying close attention to environmental issues before it is too late. While adding endless regulations definitely isnt what any of us need, investing in sustainable living  like the government in French Polynesia has done  could only benefit us. It certainly makes a lot more sense than paying for the cell phone bills of the laziest members of our society, which is what has been happening under the rule of the Obama administration

Sources:

Mirror.co.uk

DailyMail.co.uk

ScienceAlert.com

(photo courtesy of The Seasteading Institute)
Friday, January 27, 2017 by: Daniel Barker Tags: Big Pharma , cannabis , research , synthetic marijuana This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Leave it to Big Pharma to find a way to turn a natural, effective, plant-based healing substance into something patentable and deadly.

Thats right; the guys in the pharmaceutical labs are so desperate to develop a drug that delivers the same therapeutic benefits as cannabis  under their own exclusive money-making patent, of course  that they dont mind if a few people die along the way.

Thats what happened last year in France, when a clinical trial involving a synthesized laboratory drug designed to stimulate the bodys endocannabinoid receptor system left six people hospitalized, one of whom was later declared brain-dead.

The pharmaceutical industry has long been in the business of isolating or synthesizing the active ingredients of medicinal plants and patenting the resulting drugs so that huge profits can be made, and they often look to governments to aid them in obtaining exclusive rights and eliminating competition.

From True Activist:

[W]hen government-connected industries wish to shut out their competition, which in this case is a plant, they lean on the states ability to stifle competition through claiming a right to the intellectual property behind a particular set of ingredients  otherwise known as a patent.

Since no one can patent a wild plant, pharmaceutical industries turn to their labs and chemistry to recreate nature.

But to reproduce the wide-ranging and nearly-miraculous therapeutic properties of cannabis in a laboratory is no simple task. The effects of cannabis on the human body are very complex, and there are many active compounds contained within the plant.

Scientists have only recently discovered what is called the endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS), and its the key to how and why cannabis works so well to alleviate pain and even cure many illnesses.

From Reset.me:

Cannabis medications work so efficiently because of the endocannabinoid (EC) system, present in all humans and many animals as well. This system consists of a series of receptors that are configured only to accept cannabinoids, especially tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). (RELATED: See more news about cannabidiol at CBDs.news)

The way this system works is just beginning to be understood, and the death and hospitalizations that occurred as one drug company rushed to test its own lab-based synthetic ECS stimulant is a testament to the fact that we simply dont understand the endogenous cannabinoid system well enough yet to begin subjecting humans to experimental drugs designed to affect it.

What we do know, however, is that the whole cannabis plant delivers all of the therapeutic benefits, without any dangerous side effects.

That fact scares the hell out of the pharmaceutical industry, because they are seeing people discarding pain pills and other drugs in favor of a natural remedy that costs nothing to grow.

Thats also why Big Pharma is continuing to put pressure on the government to keep marijuana classified as a dangerous drug and to stifle research into the use of the natural plant as opposed to dangerous, government-approved chemical drug research and development.

Fortunately, the prohibition of marijuana is failing. As more and more studies confirm the therapeutic benefits of the plant itself, and the old attitudes and stigma regarding marijuana begin to fade into the past, it will be difficult to continue convincing the public that the plant should be outlawed and that only government-approved chemical cannabis substitutes should be made available.

But the battle isnt over yet. We, as citizens, must continue to demand the right to have access to cannabis and to be able to grow it at home. Until the federal government completely legalizes marijuana and removes it from the list of controlled substances, the fight isnt over.

Big Pharmas chemical version of cannabis is not an acceptable substitute for the real thing.

Sources:

TrueActivist.com

StatNews.com

Reset.me
(Natural News) The media have been providing an awful lot of coverage on the womens march against Donald Trump, but they fail miserably to cover other viable protests to their nations health. They continue to try and undermine the legitimacy of the Presidency, but that is by design. The owners of the mainstream media are all tied to interests that Trump seems determined to correct, which is why he didnt want any campaign funding to begin with. (RELATED: See more Donald Trump news at Trump.news)

Trump took to Twitter on Sunday morning to address his displeasure with the protests, but acknowledged peaceful protests ultimately as a good thing. Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didnt these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly, Trump initially tweeted. Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I dont always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views, followed up Trump.

Hillary Clinton did not participate in the Womens March on Washington. Hillary Clinton attended the inauguration. By doing so, she sets a shining example, which her followers are unfortunately failing to follow. (RELATED: Find more Clinton news at Clinton.news)

The initial organizers of the march were white women, but they handed leadership over to organizers from New York, who embrace a liberal agenda focusing on workers rights, reproductive rights, environmental justice, immigrant rights, and ending violence against women. A group of anti-abortion women also wished to participate in the event, but those activists were excluded. Why would those women be excluded? Well, thats the left wing for you.

The mainstream media pummeled viewers with news stories claiming nobody was interested in the inauguration, and that everybody was super excited for the march. Nielsen television ratings put Trumps inauguration as the 2nd highest recorded in 36 years.

Are you marching for a cause, or is the cause marching for you

Neither the protests nor the DisruptJ20 attacks were spontaneous or organic demonstrations. Without the aid of left wing funded organizers, they would have never occurred. We know how fast the left wing works, weve seen how quickly ads went up on Craigslist to secure paid protesters after Trumps election. Its no surprise that the usual suspects were involved behind the scenes of the march.

The groups that organized the Womens March on Washington were underwritten by George Soros. He believes that Chinas government is superior to the US government. He sees the United States as his biggest obstacle in conquering his globalist agenda. The radical left wing still cant except the electoral college results, so its blatant they dont respect the constitution.

Asra Q. Nomani wrote in the New York Times the march really isnt a womens march. Its a march for women who are anti-Trump. Nomani is a lifelong liberal feminist who voted for Trump. Nomani recognized the funding, politics, and talking points of the some 403 groups that are partners of the march, and discovered George Soros has either funded, or maintains a close relationship with, 56 of those partners. Among the Soros grantees designated as partners were MoveOn, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Constitutional Rights, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch  to name a just a few.

Its sad to see that Soros has control over so many groups with a designated cause; his cause. We knew Soros was going to be all over the inauguration the day that Trump was elected, we just didnt know how it would all go down exactly. The ambiance in downtown Washington for the march wasnt much different from that at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last summer, just more of the same anti-police and anti-white radicalism.

Stay informed about more political activism news at NewsTarget.com.

Sources:

WashingtonPost.com

FrontPageMag.com
(Natural News) The integrity of science is founded upon the ability of researchers to freely ask questions without fear of retribution. But does this freedom actually exist?

Not for those who challenge powerful industries like biotechnology and genetic engineering, warns the award-winning documentary Scientists Under Attack: Genetic Engineering in the Magnetic Field of Money, by German director Bertram Verhaag.

One question means one career, says UC Berkeley Professor Ignacio Chapela, one of the scientists featured in the film. You ask one question, you get the answer and you might or might not be able to publish it; but that is the end of your career.

The lie of safe GMOs

The other scientist featured in the film is Dr. Arpad Pustazi, a world expert on the plant defensive chemicals known as lectins. In 1998, Pustazi did a television interview in which he spoke of forthcoming research showing that rats fed potatoes genetically modified (GM) with a lectin from snowdrops grew poorly and had immune dysfunction compared with rats fed unmodified potatoes. (RELATED: Follow more news about GMOs at GMO.news)

According to some commentators, the controversy that erupted played a key role in turning British public opinion against GM foods. It also destroyed Pustazis career.

Pustazi noted that the results of his research could not be explained by the lectins themselves, which showed no ill effects in rats even at very high doses. He suggested that the genetic modification had caused some other change in the potatoes, perhaps reducing their nutritive value.

The biotech industry went on the attack. Newspaper articles published a false claim that the potatoes had been modified from a poisonous jack bean  a claim that GM scientists use to discredit the research to this day. This lie was later repeated in a press release by the Rowett Research Institute, Pustazis employer.

The institute fired Pustazi, seized his research, and banned him from speaking publicly. The Royal Society conducted an analysis of raw data, not intended for publication, and declared it invalid.

The study was later published using only data collected by co-researcher Stanley Ewen, who did not work for the Rowett. Because of the controversy, the paper received three times the normal number of peer reviewers. It was approved, and published in the prestigious journal The Lancet.

But Pustazis career in science was over. I would have characterized [his treatment] as disgraceful, Ewen said. I dont see how any reputable scientist  could be treated in this way.

Proof of GMO pollution

Chapelas case, while less influential, has been widely regarded as an example of the intersection between politics and science, and actually began years before his groundbreaking research was published. In 1997, Chapela created a media scandal by publicly opposing an agreement between the University of Berkeley (his employer) and biotech company Novartis (his former employer). Under the agreement, Novartis would donate $500,000 in exchange for the rights to a third of the universitys biotech research.

My gut reaction was that the company was trying to buy the university, Chapela said.

Then in 2001, Chapela published an article in Nature showing that genes from GMO corn (maize) grown in the United States were present in wild maize in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the very area where maize had initially evolved. This implied that hundreds of species and thousands of years of genetic diversity were at risk.

The Mexican government itself went after Chapela, with both agriculture and biosecurity officials trying to stop the articles publication. When that failed, two of the people who had supported the Berkeley-Novartis deal sent letters to Nature attacking Chapelas research. Nature published a statement just one step shy of a retraction, and urged Chapela to recant. But he stood by his research.

When Chapela came up for tenure in 2003, he was unanimously recommended by the tenure committee, but the university still denied him. Following public outrage, he was eventually granted tenure in 2005.

He would be vindicated again in 2009, when another researcher published a study in Molecular Ecology confirming the presence of transgenes in Mexican maize.

It is good to see thisbut it took seven years, Chapela noted.

Follow more news about the corruption of science at Scientific.news.

Sources for this article include:

AnonHQ.com

ResponsibleTechnology.org

TheGuardian.com

TheAVA.com

Berkeley.edu

Nature.com
howard schultz starbucks

Starbucks is facing a crisis, and the CEO refuses to offer any specifics on how he's going to solve it.

The coffee chain's stores are being inundated with mobile orders, and that's drastically slowing down service and alienating customers. Same-store transactions, a measure of customer traffic, dropped 2% in the most recent quarter, according to the company.

Starbucks' shares fell more than 4% on Friday morning.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz went on CNBC on Friday to address the problem.

"It will be fine," he said, repeatedly asserting that the company would solve the issue. "I'm not really worried. I know that the market has overreacted."

When asked for specific solutions, such as whether he would rearrange the stores or hire more people to handle the bottleneck of orders, he demurred and reiterated that the company would find a fix.

"We are facing this congestion problem and the anxiety of the customer," he said. "It is a problem that we will solve. It won't take us that long. We have been on it now for 30 days, and in the quarters that follow we will get back to the experience that you have come to expect."

In some ways, it's a good problem to have, as it highlights the growing popularity of Starbucks' mobile order-and-pay program. But the negative effect on service has dragged down customer traffic, and that could become a permanent issue if Starbucks doesn't find a fast fix.

Starbucks is also facing pressure from declining traffic at shopping malls and restaurants as customer shopping habits change and people increasingly choose to eat at home.

But Schultz insisted that Starbucks is immune to that industrywide trend because the coffee chain provides an emotional experience for consumers, he said.

"Unlike a department store, unlike the apparel business, Starbucks is not going to be affected by the downturn in traffic, which will be significant and have an adverse effect on the overall retail and restaurant sector," he said.

Story continues

With that experience now being dampened by long lines and delays in stores, it remains to be seen whether Starbucks' customer traffic will bounce back.

Screen Shot 2017 01 27 at 10.43.05 AM

NOW WATCH: Doritos were originally Disneyland trash





More From Business Insider


(Natural News) President Donald J. Trump stirred up the angry Left and its sycophants in the mainstream media earlier this week when he announced, via Twitter, that he was going to look into the problem of voter fraud.

Eyes rolled. Heads shook slowly. Is this some sort of weird obsession with the president? Whats his deal, anyway?

Yes, this issue likely is an obsession of the presidents, but not for the reason the angry Left believes. In order to Make America Great Again, Trump wants to also make Americas electoral system trustworthy again, for he suspects that true-blue voter fraud is much more real than any phony Russian election hacking narrative.

And guess what? Many experts agree with him.

As reported by The Daily Signal, the Department of Justice, when it launches its presidentially-directed probe, is liable to find many instances of systemic voter fraud. That will necessitate the launching of a much broader investigation which will turn up even more evidence, say the experts.

In recent days, Trump suggested that there may have been as many as 35 million ballots cast illegally on Nov. 8, and he suggested that as the reason why he lost the popular vote to Democratic challenger and two-time presidential loser, Hillary Clinton. (RELATED: Say, whats she up to these days anyway? Find out at Clinton.news)

In particular, Trump is not concerned as much with illegal aliens voting as he is with voter registration rolls being compromised and incomplete, with the dead voting and other people voting in several districts (more on this in a moment).

A legal organization took action this week to prevent additional voter fraud in the future. The Public Interest Legal Foundation, which focuses on voter integrity, reached a consent decree with Noxubee County, Mississippi, which, amazingly, has had voter registration that actually exceeds the number of county residents  since 2011. A consent decree is a legal agreement between parties that does not acknowledge any guilt on the part of either party.

The Daily Signal noted:

The decree includes requiring the county to identify dead voters on the rolls, clear voter rolls of former county residents, and mail all registered voters who have been inactive since January 2011.

The organization last week also sought to force the release of information regarding non-citizens who are registered to vote in Manassas, Virginia. A spokesman for the Public Interest Legal Foundation, Logan Churchwell, said it will be a good thing now that the Justice Department wont simply leave the task of discovering and reporting voter fraud to non-profit groups to deal with.

We need to know how many noncitizens are voting and know the unknowns, Churchwell told The Daily Signal. Trump could just enforce the law. The giant research project he tweeted about, or had a series of tweets about, is worthwhile and only something the federal government could do.

The DS reported earlier that estimates put the number of non-citizens who voted in the November elections illegally at around 800,000, according to Jesse Richman, an associate professor of political science at Old Dominion University. To reach that figure, Richman extrapolated data from a 2014 study that examined illegal vote casting in the 2008 and 2010 elections.

Why isnt there a bigger outcry about this from the media? Because most voter fraud helps the Democratic Party, and the Washington establishment media is essentially the Democratic Partys propaganda division.

This was laid bare recently in an undercover sting operation launched by Project Veritas. As reported by The National Sentinel, undercover journalists for Project Veritas managed to record a Democratic election official in New York City admitting that voters are bussed from district to district to cast ballots for Democrats.

The video of that sting is below:

In addition, the Obama administration, The Daily Signal noted further, went out of its way not to enforce motor voter provisions in federal law that require local governments to keep voter registration rolls current. Also, Left-wing organizations like the ACLU have gone to court to stop states from requiring voters to produce a legal photo ID before being allowed to vote. (RELATED: Read about more failures of bloated, ineffective, politicized bureaucracy at BigGovernment.news)

An investigation into voter fraud is not going to be very hard, said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group.

You can see the numbers we are talking about by looking at public voter registration lists and cross-checking that against a list of noncitizens, Fitton told The Signal. The federal government could coordinate with state and local governments and determine who registered to vote illegally. Its a simple process. Thats why the left is so upset. They know the jig is up.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for Natural News and News Target, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

DailySignal.com

TheNationalSentinel.com

NewsTarget.com
China is taking dramatic steps to comply with the recent coal capacity target as specified in its latest Five Year Plan. The government has just suspended 85 percent of its planned and under-construction coal power projects, which has a total capacity of over 1000 GW.

Increased Energy Capacity Despite Suspension

Green Peace's energy desk reports that the recent suspension was just implemented in 13 provinces. Some are expecting more suspensions to come to light sooner or later.

In the electricity chapter of the country's 13th Five Year Plan, China has committed to a total capacity cap of 1,100 GW -- a rather sizeable increase compared to China's current capacity of 920 GW. The total number of coal power projects that exist in the country would amount to 1,250 GW; hence, the surprising suspensions.

It can be recalled that back in 2016, China has been grappling with a coal overcapacity crisis, as per a report. In response, the country took measures such as new policies to tackle the problem.

For instance, in March 2016, China ordered several provinces to cease the approval of coal plants. In April 2016, it then opted the introduction of a "traffic light" system for coal power approvals throughout the country. By Octobe, it actually began the cancellation of under-construction projects.

Suspension Beneficial to End China's Pollution

Greenpeace elaborated that these steps also appear to have good benefits to China's ecosystem in the long run. China already has an unprecedented pollution problem as it is, so lessening the production of coal power may lead to the reduction of some aspects of pollution as well.

Regardless, the world can expect more aggressive moves on China's part to fulfill its 13th Five Year Plan. This can be a good example for other countries who also want to follow the objectives laid by their own renewable energy plans or the Paris Agreement.

The suspension is also a good nod to the growing increase in prominence of renewable energy sources and services worldwide.
Who would have thought that the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States will have a great impact in the symbolic Doomsday Clock?

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has recently announced that the Doomsday Clock is now 2  minutes closer to "midnight."

Members of the Bulletin noted that the decision to move the clock 2 minutes and 30 seconds closer to the fall of man was made after the international community failed to mitigate some of humanity's most pressing issues, including nuclear weapons and climate change. Additionally, the decision of the Bulletin was also influenced by the recent result of the U.S. presidential election.

"Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person. But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter," wrote theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss and retired Navy Rear Adm. David Titley, in a New York Times op-ed.

"He has made ill-considered comments about expanding and even deploying the American nuclear arsenal. He has expressed disbelief in the scientific consensus on global warming."

Since its inception in 1947, the Doomsday Clock has become an iconic symbol representing how close and vulnerable humans are to inadvertently ending the world, which is symbolized the word "midnight".

The clock has wavered between two minutes and 17 minutes in the last 70 years. However, the clock has never been this close to midnight since 1953, when the U.S. tested their first thermonuclear device, followed by the hydrogen bomb test of the former Soviet Union.

Aside from Donald Trump, other factors that forced the moving of the doomsday clock include the persistent development of nuclear weapons by North Korea. The growing conflict between Russia and the U.S., which holds most of the world's nuclear arsenals also played a role to decision of the Bulletin.

Furthermore, the mixed results of the global efforts to address the problem of climate change also contributed to the Doomsday Clock.


MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -- A $5,000 contribution to Second harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin will help support its Mobile Pantry Program in Tomah, Highland, and Platteville.

The donation came from American Transmission Co.

The Mobile Pantry Program distributes about a week's worth of free groceries to about 1,400 households per month.

Second Harvest Foodbank is grateful for American Transmission Co.s support of the Mobile Program, says Dan Stein, President/CEO for Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. Because residents of rural communities rely on the food they receive from the Mobile Pantry Program, gifts from supporters like ATC really have a positive impact in the community.

The Mobile Pantry Program accounts for one-third of all food distributed by Second Harvest in a year.

Copyright 2017: WMTV
The latest Vanity Fair Mexico cover is making waves for all the wrong reasons.

https://twitter.com/VanityFairMX/status/824725741908717570

A smiling Melania Trump is front and center, sporting a simple white outfit and twirling silver jewels on a fork like linguini. The February 2017 magazine release on Thursday coincided with Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto cancelling his trip to the United States after Trump took executive action to build a wall along the Mexican-American border. In light of current political controversies, some Trump critics have mocked the timing and subject of the story, which touts Melania as the new Jackie Kennedy.

The Vanity Fair interview is nothing new -- literally. Originally printed in English last April, Julia Ioffes story was commissioned for GQ, another Conde Nast publication. But the introduction, which was penned after Trumps electoral victory, gives some insight into how Mexican writers view the first lady and her husband.

If she suffered a terrible car accident, her husband wouldnt leave her -- as long as her breasts were still intact, of course, the editors wrote in Spanish. They called Melania timid, beautiful, and complacent, and commented on her pictures from last spring.

In a photoshoot with Douglas Friedman, the now first lady of the United States reflects that essence of luxury that surrounds her, they wrote, A status with which she feels comfortable, happy, regardless of whether in editorial images this seems sarcastic and almost laughable.
A group of hikers were recovering Thursday after an avalanche sent them tumbling down the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department received a call for help from hikers around midday in the Mount Baldy area, about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Witnesses called authorities and the hikers had also activated their personal GPS tracker.

Footage from NewsChopper4 showed four men, some standing and one lying on the frozen snowpack. Fire officials said they were hiking along the ridgeline when the snow gave way, sending them tumbling 200 to 300 feet down the mountain.

Louis Wojciechowski was nearing the end of a hike to the top of Mount Baldy with two of his friends, Cody Ayala and Chris Chung. Wojciechowski said he didn't know the fourth hiker, who may have also been injured.

"The next thing you know we were all just hit by the snow and just spun in different directions. I got buried a little bit," said Wojciechowski, who managed to get only gashes on his thigh. "I thought I was going to die."

Ayala was airlifted to safety and appeared alert during the rescue. He suffered injuries to his ribs, the most serious of the group. Chung was also airlifted and only had minor lacerations to his leg.

"It happened so quick," Wojciechowski said. "We were all so shaken up."

Fire officials said the hikers were lucky to be alive. Wojciechowski is planning to hike Mount Baldy again as soon as his stitches heal.

"Can't just let something like that keep you from doing what you love," he said.

The wilderness area featuring trails, ski runs and rugged terrain is among the parts of Southern California that received significant snowfall over that past few weeks.
On Dec. 3, the day after a devastating fire tore through the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, a small nonprofit in San Francisco took charge of collecting contributions.

Every penny that is donated here should go to the fire victims funeral expenses, medical expenses and health-related expenses, said Josette Melchor, founder of Gray Area Foundation for The Arts. Melchor spoke for the group intent on helping victims the Monday after the fire.

Thats our priority first and foremost, she said.

The nonprofit posted a plea online. The city of Oakland then directed donors to Gray Area. And the money poured in.

We just felt like, what can we do? said Romney Steele.

Joining nearly 12,000 people who gave to Gray Area, she donated two nights profits from her Oakland restaurant, The Cook and Her Farmer.

In that two- to three-hour window, I think it was $600 that we raised, Steele said. So that felt really good.

The running total of donations coming into the fund is $901,000. But some complain that the total handed out to victims stands at zero.

Why is it taking so long? asked Carmen Brito, a former resident of the Ghost Ship. They know what were dealing with. They know we lost our home. They know we lost everything.

Brito said she, as well as others who spoke with NBC Bay Area but declined to be identified, are in need of help. They say they received cash assistance hours after the fire from the Red Cross, which distributed money from a different fund led by the As, Warriors and Raiders.

But the Gray Area foundation has provided them no money.

They kinda just didnt seem to get it, she said.

GRAY AREA FUND: STILL COLLECTING

SPORTS TEAMS' FUND: DONATIONS CLOSED

That surprised us. Because in December, Melchor, the Gray Area founder, said she was enlisting the Red Cross to help manage the fund.

This is what they do. Theyre good at it, she said. Were not going to reinvent the wheel.

But the Red Cross says Gray Area opted to manage the fund itself, on its own schedule.

I would like to have seen an immediate handout, Steele said.

NBC Bay Area has been asking Gray Area for information for weeks. On Thursday, the founder agreed to a follow-up interview. She confirmed that all the money is sitting idle in a bank account.

We haven't spent a dime, Melchor said.

Melchor said she has heard peoples concerns but assures them that Gray Area is beginning to approve applications.

Eventually, they will be getting a check, in the next days to weeks, she said. So, to a certain point, I think theyll begin to be thankful. And I think most people are thankful. They are just a few vocal people who are speaking out.

As for why its taken close to two months, Melchor attributed the delays to getting records from the city and the coroner, which she says the Red Cross had immediate access to.

MORE INFO: GRAY AREA NEWS RELEASE

There was just a huge hold up in us getting the information that we needed to serve the people that were affected, she explained.

Our research found another hiccup: a call from the Attorney Generals Office.

Records we retrieved show the state sent Gray Area three different delinquency letters in 2016 for failing to file financial records. One notice, from August, warned of the states intent to suspend or revoke its registration as a charity.

RESEARCH A CHARITY: CA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE

Melchor told us Gray Area was unaware of the letters until late December  in the middle of fundraising  when the Attorney Generals Office called.

We cleared that up within 72 hours of the phone call with the Attorney General, she said. So, that is completely a non-issue.

Not everyone agrees.

Thats really a bad sign, said Daniel Borochoff, president of CharityWatch, which scrutinizes and rates nonprofit organizations. Borochoff reviewed Gray Areas filings as well as its online fundraiser.

He asked: If the group cant even get it together to get their finances reported, their basic public disclosure documents provided to the state of California and the IRS, then how can they be expected to get it together to get this huge quick influx of funds to the needed victims?

Borochoff questioned Gray Areas decision to administer the fund.

There are certainly groups in the Bay Area that are better equipped and have the experience to handle a disaster such as this warehouse fire, he said.

Melchor said her groups recent budget exceeds the balance of $901,000 relief fund, so it is capable of handling that much money.

The victims and donors we talked to told us they just want Gray Area to distribute the money with the same urgency that the sympathetic public donated it.

I dont think anybody who gave money was like, Yes I want this money to sit in a bank account of a foundation thats dragging its feet. Brito said.

Steele agreed.

I understand that its a difficult process. Its a difficult process to weed out. But theres got to be a way to make it happen faster, Steele said.

Gray Area is still collecting donations. It has increased its fundraising goal several times and says it will continue to up its target.

Applications for aid are due March 7.

VICTIM ASSISTANCE: APPLY HERE

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Karen Topakian had a pretty good reason not to be at her San Francisco book club this week.

The 62-year-old Greenpeace chair was 100-feet up in the air on top of a crane in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, spreading her progressive messages on Facebook Live, before she was arrested along with six other activists  three others of whom are from the Bay Area.

This is why I had to miss book group last night," Topakian wrote cryptically on Wednesday to a friend, in a post from atop a crane that has been seen nearly 500,000 times. I told her Id explain it to her later, Topakian said in a phone interview on Friday, a day before she plans to return home to her home in the Mission District.

The action was one of the top trending stories earlier this week, and drew global attention to the simple banner the group hung up top of a construction crane that read: Resist.

Their protest came one day after President Donald Trump signed orders intended to restart construction of two oil pipelines, the Dakota Access and the Keystone XL. Trumps administration also moved on Tuesday to delay implementation of at least 30 environmental rules and froze new Environmental Protection Agency contracts and grant awards. On Thursday, he reiterated he was going to build a wall on Mexico's dime.

Yes, this was Topakians first time climbing a crane. But no, this was not her first arrest. It was her 36th.

The Rhode-Island born activist started off as an anti-nuclear movement in the 1980s, about the time when she moved to California and attended the San Francisco Art Institute.

So she is quite familiar with the legal process. She and the six other high-climbing protesters were arraigned Thursday on three misdemeanor charges. The charges are unlawful entry, destruction of property and unlawful demonstrating.

Theres another court appearance scheduled in a few weeks and Topakain said, I fully intend to be there. Its my responsibility to follow through. She was arrested with Pearl Robinson and Zeph Fishlyn, both of of Oakland and Nancy Pili Hernandez of San Francisco. The three other activists, Zachary Riddle of Maryland, Josh Ingram of Seattle and Zakaria Kronemer of Brooklyn, were the ones who climbed up the full 270 feet to hang the banner.

The group received much praise from like-minded liberals. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you," wrote Jennifer Bryson.

But Topakians own Facebook feed is full of critics too. Rachel Springstead wrote: Learn to accept it. It is democracy and its in the constitution. What you have done today is dangerous and illegal, with careless regard for anyone else. And Lecia Balian wrote, You are a shame and embarrassment to Armenians everywhere around the world. Your actions should be considered an act of treason.

Topakian, who owns her own communications business when shes not climbing cranes, doesnt know who first came up with the idea to pull the stunt in D.C. She was on the East Coast anyway for the Womens March. All she knows is that when she heard about it, she knew she was in, despite her very strong fear of heights.

I was absolutely freaking out, she said. But I knew I had to past it because the stakes are much greater than my fear.

She also feels the action was a complete success, based on the news stories it garnered and the views on Facebook Live, which she said was surprisingly easy to use, even at five stories up in the air. It was really effective in delivering my message, which then gets immediately shared, she said.

As for the message?

It was a long laundry list of environmental, feminist and pro-immigrant rights desires and platforms. Our goal was to send a message to the president, Were going on the record to resist your reprehensible policies,  she said.

But, she said, the action was also to inspire people who dont understand their country any more and serve as a rallying cry to resist.
With scientific facts, calls to act against climate change, and witty one-liners aiming squarely at President Donald Trump, the scientific community is responding to new federal policies on climate change with dozens of rogue social media accounts from rebel agencies, dissident national parks and muzzled researchers.

Now the movement is going off-line and in-person with a science march on Washington and in cities across the country. While no date for the event has been set, @ScienceMarchDC had more than 200,000 followers as of Thursday evening.

Professor Michael Eisen, a geneticist in the molecular biology department at UC Berkeley, said he's ready to organize his colleagues because he's afraid of what the Trump administration might do next.

"They seem to just be rejecting evidence in mass, and they dont feel like it's an important thing to make evidence-based decisions or base policy on science and evidence. Thats a threat not just to science and scientists; its a threat to the whole country," Eisen said.

Emails sent to the Environmental Protection Agency staff detailed specific prohibitions banning news releases, blog updates or posts to the agency's social media accounts as part of a push by the Trump administration to institute a media blackout.

This move to stifle the EPA's external communications is dangerous because those researchers provide valuable information to the public like air quality measurements, toxins in drinking water, weather data and more.

In a statement, an EPA spokesperson said: "The EPA fully intends to continue to provide information to the public. A fresh look at public affairs and communications processes is common practice for any new administration, and a short pause in activities allows for this assessment."

Scientists who have focused on their research and tried to stay out of the political fray are increasingly concerned, said Union of Concerned Scientists President Ken Kimmell.

"We are hearing now about scientists organizing and wanting to march because, from their point of view, a world of alternative facts is not the world that they operate on," Kimmell said. "The Trump administration is about initiate a war on science."

Organizers of the Scientists' March on Washington say the event is nonpartisan, but they want to influence policy. They also say the march isn't just for people with Ph.Ds.

"Anyone who values empirical science" can participate, they said.

The resistance online started with four tweets about climate change from @BadlandsNPS that appeared to defy Trump. The tweets went viral, attracting thousands of "likes, but were later deleted.

The tweets came just three days after the Interior Department briefly suspended its Twitter accounts after the park service retweeted photos about turnout at Trump's inauguration, which the president has claimed without evidence was larger than reported by news media. The accounts were reactivated the next day.

According to a National Park Service spokesman, the tweets were posted by a former employee who is not authorized to use the park's account. Tom Crosson, NPS's chief of public affairs, told NBC News that the park was not told to remove the tweets but "chose to do so when they realized that their account had been compromised."

"At this time, National Park Service social media managers are encouraged to continue the use of Twitter to post information relating to public safety and park information, with the exception of content related to national policy issues," Crosson added.

Now @AltBadlandsNPS has taken up the charge, along with @AltNatParkSer and other "alt" Twitter feeds authored by people claiming to be park rangers or employees who are angry with Trump and unafraid to speak out.

2016 was the hottest year on record for the 3rd year in a row. Check out this @NASA & @NOAA report: https://t.co/rLJUC56xqi pic.twitter.com/AKhFzYw6l6  Golden Gate NPS (@GoldenGateNPS) January 23, 2017

In California, official National Parks accounts are chiming in subtly with posts about climate, history and America's natural treasures.

@RedwoodNPS bragged about how redwood groves are nature's best carbon sink and an essential tool in the fight against global warming.

DYK redwood groves are #1 carbon sink / acre in nature? About 200 tons an acre. More redwoods would mean less #climatechange #climate pic.twitter.com/mHdpRmYEx0  Redwood N&S Parks (@RedwoodNPS) January 25, 2017

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area shared a recent report published by two federal science agencies (@NASA and @NOAA).

2016 was the hottest year on record for the 3rd year in a row. Check out this @NASA & @NOAA report: https://t.co/rLJUC56xqi pic.twitter.com/AKhFzYw6l6  Golden Gate NPS (@GoldenGateNPS) January 23, 2017

@DeathValleyNPS referenced the Japanese-American internment camps at Manzanar.

Togo Tanaka: interned at Manzanar and Cow Creek (Death Valley) during WWII #JapaneseAmericanInternment pic.twitter.com/hvqtv6rynV  Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017

The park service did not return calls requesting comment Thursday.
The recovery of a stolen unmarked police cruiser ended a 30-hour-plus manhunt that stretched from the Santa Cruz Mountains to San Jose, and led to three dramatic arrests on Friday in connection with a Scotts Valley bank robbery the day before.

Based on early evidence, Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies say they are "very confident" that the primary suspect  who robbed a Bank of America on Thursday wearing a black mask, and then led CHP officers and sheriff's deputies on a massive, hours-long manhunt through the Santa Cruz Mountains that shut down Highway 17  is among those in custody.

Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies said that the suspect stole an unmarked car from the Redwood Estates area, described as a 2009 Silver Chevy Malibu with California license plate number 3QWI051. Sources told NBC Bay Area that residents in rural Los Gatos and Scotts Valley were told that authorities believe the suspects left the area in a stolen police cruiser.

Friday's chase began around 2:30 p.m. when San Jose police officers spotted the vehicle in question near an apartment complex on Mission Street. One man who was seated in the car took off running, forcing officers to shut down Taylor Street.

"He chose to flee officers into a complex and we surrounded it, and sealed it off so he couldn't escape," said Lt. Jason Dwyer with the San Jose Police Department.

Three suspects were arrested Friday in connection with a Scotts Valley bank robbery the day before, and although law enforcement sources say that the primary suspect and an accomplice are among those in custody, police have yet to confirm that. Michelle Roberts and Rick Boone report.

The man crossed nearby train tracks and hid on a construction site, winded and missing one shoe, but officers armed with rifles, aggressively searched for him on land and by air.

"When we tried to take him into custody, one officer had to deploy a Taser to take him down," Dwyer said.

It was initially believed that this was the primary robbery suspect. However, law enforcement sources clarified that the suspect was only an accomplice.

Two other occupants of the car were also taken into custody, but details of their arrests have not been disclosed. Police said the suspects were being interrogated separately so they didn't have a chance to get their stories straight.

On Friday, the search and ensuing perimeter snarled traffic in downtown San Jose and forced police officers to order people in their homes to shelter in place, while denying entry to others who tried returning to their residences.

When police officers burst into his San Jose neighborhood, resident Michael Bunnell said he was "concerned for the safety of the people" who, like him, called the area home.

"I came out, I was walking down the corridor. There were two officers by the park on 7th Street that flagged me down and they had their guns pointed at me, told me to put up my hands, so I did, of course," he recalled.

On late Thursday night, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Sgt. Rich Glennon said the man thought to be the main suspect broke into a woman's home in Los Gatos, took a hunting knife and stole her burgundy minivan, which was towed away early Friday morning from where he allegedly ditched it.

Glennon said that deputies responded to a 911 call about 11:30 p.m. on Thursday from residents at Aldercroft Heights and Locust Drive, just south of Lexington Reservoir, who may have seen him, sheriff's officials said. The woman told deputies that the man had also stolen some clothes  a green beanie, a teal San Jose Sharks shirt, black and white shoes and blue gloves.

And then he got away.

Matthew Troquato came face to face with him.

I came around the turn, the guy is between me and the cops, and they're out there with their guns, so I was just looking down the barrels of their guns and tried to get out of there as quickly as possible, he said.

Highway 17 was closed for more than nine hours earlier Thursday as a slew of Bay Area law enforcement agencies searched for the robbery suspect in the rural community of Redwood Estates in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The suspect reportedly hit several cars while evading police, but his car failed him at Redwood Estates, prompting him to ditch it and run on foot into the nearby densely wooded area.

A sheriff's deputy fired shots at the suspect during the course of the incident, sheriff's Sgt. Rich Glennon said. It is unclear whether the suspect was hit, and no deputies have been injured.

The search started sometime before 10:50 a.m., which is when sheriff's officials locked down Lexington Elementary School, located off Highway 17 north of Redwood Estates.

The school's principal was told to keep students inside, and parents were not allowed to pick up their children until further notice, according to Los Gatos Union School District Superintendent Diana Abbati.

The lockdown, which was called off around 2 p.m., scared parents.

"I was shaking," said Iris Phillip.

Her second-grader son Max, however, deemed the experience "pretty exciting."

On Friday, Troquato and other South Bay residents, who were stunned to find themselves smack in the middle of a 30-hour-plus manhunt, said they were happy sheriffs deputies say they have their man.

My mom's at ease, and there are other neighbors, women that live alone that are at ease now, he said.

On Saturday, sheriff's officials said that other law enforcement agencies are keen to explore whether the primary suspect is behind other bank robberies in the Bay Area. The suspects will not be identified immediately, they said, as the investigation is ongoing.
University of California at Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks affirmed Thursday that controversial Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos will be speaking at the university next week, potentially drawing thousands of protesters to the campus.

The letter comes after a protester was shot and seriously wounded at the University of Washington Friday night, where Yiannopoulos was speaking.

"In our view, Mr. Yiannopoulos is a troll and provocateur who uses odious behavior in part to 'entertain,' but also to deflect any serious engagement with ideas," Dirks wrote in an open letter to the campus community.

Yiannopoulos is a leading figure in the "alt-right movement," a growing group of white nationalists who often espouse racist and misogynistic views. The Breitbart editor, who was permanently banned from Twitter for his role in a hate campaign directed at actress Leslie Jones, has been touring college campuses as part of his self-described Dangerous F*ggot tour. Yiannopoulos is openly gay.

"He has been widely and rightly condemned for engaging in hate speech directed at a wide range of groups and individuals, as well as for disparaging and ridiculing individual audience members, particularly members of the LGBTQ community," Dirks said.

But, despite protests from students, Dirks said Berkeley College Republicans have a right to invite him to speak. He reiterated that the campus upholds the values of free speech, even when that speech is intolerant and divisive.

Chancellor Dirks wrote a lengthy email to @UCBerkeley students about Milo Yiannopoulos' upcoming campus appearance. Highlights: pic.twitter.com/EKaQKQsxPn  Gillian E. (@GillianM925) January 27, 2017

The sold-out event will be held at the Pauley Ballroom of the MLK Student Union at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

"While working as a journalist for Breitbart, Milo has earned a reputation for his vocal criticisms of feminism, Islam, political correctness, and social justice," organizers of the speaking engagement wrote. "To his supporters, he is a cultural whirlwind, to his critics, he is a bigoted rabble-rouser, but to everyone, he is nothing short of amusing and provocative."

More than 1,000 people have responded on Facebook that they intend to protest the event.

"The election of Donald Trump has emboldened the far right -- racists, Islamophobes and misogynists are attempting to come out into the light and gain a foothold across the country," protest organizers wrote. "We have to show them that we won't tolerate any rise in far right activity."

Yiannopoulos's other recent campus appearances have led to tense protests, including a joint appearance with pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli at UC Davis, where protesters blocked the entrances and the event was cancelled before the two took stage.

An event for Feb. 2 at UCLA was cancelled earlier this week because organizers with the Bruin Republicans said they were unable to accommodate the requirements from Yiannopoulos's team.

In a response to the UCLA cancellation, Yiannopoulos said, "I travel with bodyguards twenty-four hours a day, and (the tour) is a multimillion-dollar operation with logistical and security requirements like any other celebrity or professional musical tour. We understand some college organisers invite me unaware of this complexity, so we work hard to help them through the process."

Yiannopoulos also complained on Facebook that UC Berkeley was requiring campus Republicans to pay a security fee for the event. But Dirks insisted that the university typically requires event organizers to pay for basic security  a sum that totals up to $10,000.

Berkeley College Republicans will not be responsible for the added costs of security for protests, which Dirks said the campus would pay. He noted that officials would not stand idly by while laws are violated, no matter who the perpetrators are.

Dirks also said he told the Berkeley Republicans that while they have a right to host him, Yiannopoulos's rhetoric and actions are at odds with the values of the university.

"Nothing we have done to plan for this event should be mistaken as an endorsement of Yiannopoulos's views or tactics," Dirks said. "Indeed, we are saddened that anyone would use degrading stunts or verbal assaults on marginalized members of our society to promote a political platform."
Nearly three weeks after allegedly opening fire inside of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Esteban Santiago was officially charged Thursday for the deadly mass shooting.

Santiago, an Iraq War veteran who flew from his home in Anchorage, Alaska to South Florida on Jan. 6, was indicted on 22 federal charges by a grand jury, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The 26-year-old faces two charges each for the five people killed during the incident near the baggage claim of Terminal 2. Santiago also faces two counts each for the six people wounded in the shooting.

Santiago is due back in court Monday, where he will enter a plea on all charges. He confessed to planning the shooting following interrogation from officials with the Broward Sheriffs Office, FBI and other agencies, authorities said.
The Doomsday clock has ticked 30 seconds closer to apocalyptic midnight, and the scientists who control it are laying some blame at the feet of President Donald Trump.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the clock, a symbolic countdown to the world's end, to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight Thursday. It's the closest the clock has been to midnight since the 1950s, when the country was in the midst of the Cold War.

The Bulletin noted a darkening international security landscape featuring rising nationalism and the United States and Russia at odds in several regional conflicts. Scientists expressed concern about Trump's refusal to take climate change more seriously  he's skeptical of the scientific consensus on climate change  and his "disturbing" nuclear rhetoric.

Trump refused during the campaign for president to rule out using nuclear weapons and in December said the U.S. must increase its nuclear arsenal.

"To step back further from the brink will require leaders who have both vision and restraint. President Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, who claim great respect for each other, can choose to act together as statesmen, or act as petulant children," said Lawrence Krauss, director of the Bulletin's Board of Sponsors.

The Doomsday Clock was created 70 years ago. This is the first time the scientists behind it have moved it 30 seconds, which reflects the fact that Trump has only just taken office.

"Even though he has just now taken office, the president's intemperate statements, lack of openness to expert advice, and questionable cabinet nominations have already made a bad international security situation worse," the Bulletin said in a statement.

The clock held no closer than five minutes to midnight from the 1980s until 2015, when it ticked to three minutes to midnight.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that he says is aimed at rebuilding" the United States military while advocating "peace through strength."

Speaking at the Pentagon, the president said "The rebuilding of the United States Armed Forces" called for new planes, new ships and new resources for the men and women in uniform.

"As we prepare our budget request for Congress, our military strength will be questioned by no one, but neither will our dedication to peace, we do want peace," Trump said.

New U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley echoed those comments at the United Nations Friday announcing a new way the U.S. does business. The Trump administration's goal is to show U.S. strength, speak out, and defend its allies  and as for countries opposing America, "We're taking names," said Haley.

Trump announced the plans, though the details of the order were not immediately clear, following a ceremonial swearing-in for his new Defense Secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis.

"[Mattis] is a man of honor and action, he likes action, he's the right man at the right time and he'll do us proud," Trump said.

Earlier Friday, questions over whether Trump would allow the use of torture, the U.S.-Mexico relationship and the future of sanctions on Russia  dominated the new president's brief news conference after his first meeting with another world leader.

Trump, joined by British Prime Minister Theresa May at a White House news conference, said that his defense secretary's opposition to torture would override his own belief that enhanced interrogation "does work," addressing concerns about a return to Bush-era use of waterboarding and other especially harsh procedures.

Trump was asked if he was considering lifting U.S. sanctions against Russia ahead of an expected Saturday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump was noncommittal, saying "We'll see what happens. As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that."

Since taking office, Trump has signaled a renewed embrace of torture in the fight against Islamic extremism. But he said he would defer to the views of his defense secretary, James Mattis, who has questioned the effectiveness of such practices as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

"He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding, or however you want to define it. ... I don't necessarily agree. But I would tell you that he will override because I'm giving him that power. He's an expert," Trump said. He called Mattis a "general's general," whom he would rely upon.

The focus on torture has been renewed since The Associated Press and other news organizations obtained a copy of a draft executive order that signals sweeping changes to U.S. interrogation and detention policy.

The draft order, which the White House said was not official, also would reverse President Barack Obama's effort to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba  a place Trump has said he wants to fill up "with bad dudes."

The draft orders up recommendations on whether the U.S. should reopen CIA detention facilities outside the United States. Critics said the clandestine sites have marred America's image on the world stage.

Trump also spoke of his hour-long phone call with Pena Nieto earlier in the day. He described it as a "friendly call" a day after the Mexican leader canceled his visit to Washington after Trump moved forward on his campaign promise to build a border wall.

Trump reiterated his stance that the US-Mexico border is porous and drugs are making their way into the U.S.

He also vowed to renegotiate American trade deals with Mexico.

"We're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing," Trump declared.

Following the cancellation, Trump's spokesman said the White House would seek to pay for the border wall by slapping a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico, as well as on other countries the U.S. has a trade deficit with. The White House later cast the proposal as just one option to pay for the wall.

The strong reaction from Mexico signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

Trump also appeared to withhold judgment on whether he would continue the sanctions that the Obama administration and the European Union slapped Moscow with for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Relations have changed over Ukraine, Putin's backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.

May, meanwhile, said the United Kingdom supports the continuity of sanctions until the 2015 Minsk agreement on ending the conflict is fully implemented.
In an ABC News interview that aired Jan. 25, President Donald Trump doubled down on false and misleading claims about voter fraud.

Trump falsely claimed that a Pew Charitable Trusts report supports his claim that millions of people voted illegally. The report documented millions of instances of voter registration inaccuracies.

Told the Pew report found no evidence of voter fraud, Trump falsely claimed the report all of a sudden changed and the author was now groveling. It did not, and he did not.

Trump claimed that you have people registered in two states. Theyre registered in a New York and a New Jersey. They vote twice. The 2012 Pew report found that 2.75 million people were registered in more than one state  as apparently are four members of Trumps cabinet or staff  but there is no evidence that any of them voted twice.

Trump claimed I didnt say there are millions of fraudulent votes cast in the 2016 election. But he did  in a tweet in November, and again at a meeting with congressional leaders on Jan. 23.

Trump claimed if you look at it they [fraudulent voters] all voted for Hillary. Since there are no reports of widespread fraud, were not sure what to look at, but even the author who penned a disputed report on noncitizens voting found that 80 percent  not all  backed Barack Obama in 2008.

Trump said, if dead people are registered to vote and voting, which they do  But experts say this is largely urban myth and so-called cases of dead people voting are extremely rare.

As we wrote recently, Trump has continued to claim  without any evidence  that there was massive voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election. And on Jan. 25, the new president announced via Twitter that he will ask for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD.

In an interview that aired on Jan. 25, ABCs David Muir asked Trump for evidence of widespread fraud, given that what you have presented so far has been debunked. Its been called false. We found several of Trumps claims in defense of his statements to be inaccurate. (In some cases, we relied on an unedited transcript of the entire interview, posted by ABC News, which aired an edited version of the interview.)

[NATL] Donald Trump Through the Years

The Pew Study

When asked for evidence of widespread voter fraud, Trump cited a 2012 study by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The report, Inaccurate, Costly and Inefficient: Evidence That Americas Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade, found that more than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters and that approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state.

The reports authors said it shows that voter rolls are susceptible to fraud, though they did not claim it was evidence of actual fraud. Rather, Pew said that it is evidence of the need to upgrade and update voter registration systems.

The inability of this paper-based process to keep up with voters as they move or die can lead to problems with the rolls, including the perception that they lack integrity or could be susceptible to fraud, the report said.

Muir said he spoke to the primary author of the Pew report the night before the interview, and David Becker told him the Pew authors found no evidence of voter fraud.

Really? Trump responded. Then why did he write the report?

When Muir repeated that the author said the Pew researchers found no evidence of voter fraud, Trump responded, then hes groveling again.

Later, Trump told Muir, Now, youre telling me Pew report has all of a sudden changed.

But the report from Pew never changed, nor has Becker changed his position.

Back in November, Becker tweeted, We found millions of out of date registration records due to people moving or dying, but found no evidence that voter fraud resulted.

Becker reiterated that position in a Jan. 24 interview on CNN, saying the Pew report made no real attempt to quantify voter fraud.

We were really just trying to quantify the challenge that election officials have in keeping their election rolls, their voter lists, up-to-date in the course of an election cycle, Becker said.

Becker added that in his experience, voter fraud is exceedingly rare.

The Washington Post Fact Checker noted a handful of media interviews in February 2012 in which Becker consistently related that the Pew research did not show any evidence of actual fraud.

In short, the Pew report has not all of a sudden changed nor has its primary author, Becker, changed his position.

Voting Twice?

Trump claimed that there is a problem with people voting twice.

You have people registered in two states, Trump said. Theyre registered in a New York and a New Jersey. They vote twice.

There is some evidence, as Trump said, that there are many people who are registered in two different states. As we noted before, the Pew report in 2012 found that approximately 2.75 million people were registered in more than one state.

That figure may now be lower, said Becker, the primary author of the report. In the five years since the report was published, he told CNN, state and local officials have done a much better job of using data and technology to keep their voter rolls up-to-date.

But even if there are still millions of people registered to vote in two states, it is not evidence of them actually voting illegally in both of those states. (Indeed, the Guardian reported that senior White House adviser Stephen Bannon was registered in two states, as was Trumps pick for Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, according to CNN. And the Washington Post also found that Trumps son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner, as well as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, are improperly registered in two states.) Rather, it is evidence that states could do a better job of sharing information to keep track of residents who have moved.

Una mujer de Utah dice que se llevo una sorpresa al abrir una lata de vegetales.

What Trump Said

At one point in the interview, when Muir questioned Trump about his claim that there were million of illegal votes, Trump responded, I didnt say there are millions. But I think there could very well be millions of people.

Thats a puzzling statement from Trump, because earlier in the interview, when Muir asked Trump about reports that he told congressional leaders on Jan. 23 that he lost the popular vote because of 3 million to 5 million illegal votes, Trump at first responded that it was supposed to be a confidential meeting, but then added, I said it. And I said it strongly because whats going on with voter fraud is horrible.

So thats one instance. And as Muir pointed out in the interview, Trump also tweeted this, on Nov. 27:

Illegal Votes Went for Clinton?

Trump also claimed several times that in addition to there being widespread voter fraud  from noncitizens, those voting twice and those voting on behalf of dead people  it all broke Hillary Clintons way.

I will say this, of those votes cast, none of them come to me, Trump said. None of them come to me. They would all be for the other side. None of them come to me.

Later in the interview, he reiterated the point, saying, Believe me. Those were Hillary votes. And if you look at it they all voted for Hillary. They all voted for Hillary. They didnt vote for me. I dont believe I got one. Okay, these are people that voted for Hillary Clinton. And if they didnt vote, it wouldve been different in the popular.

Were not sure what to look at when it comes to millions of fraudulent votes, because as we have said, there have been only a few reports of people voting twice or on behalf of a dead person. As for noncitizens voting, Trump has in the past referred to a controversial and disputed study penned by two Old Dominion University professors and published in the journal Electoral Studies, which analyzed a national election survey in which some people self-identified as noncitizens, but indicated that they voted. The two professors estimated, based on extrapolating figures from the survey to a national audience, that 6.4 percent of noncitizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent of noncitizens voted in 2010.

But in that study the authors found that Obama won more than 80 percent of the votes of noncitizens in the 2008 sample. Thats an overwhelming majority, but it does not support Trumps speculation that all of the alleged noncitizen votes would have gone for Clinton. And as we said, the study itself is disputed by a number of academics. (See here, here and here.)

Dead People Voting

And finally, on the topic of dead people voting, Trump added which they do. But voting experts told us that fraudulent ballots cast in the name of dead registered voters is largely an urban myth, and that such voting is extremely rare.

Trump, Jan. 25: If people are registered wrongly, if illegals are registered to vote, which they are, if dead people are registered to vote and voting, which they do. There are some. I dont know how many.

As we explained earlier, the Pew report found that nationwide more than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters. But again, that doesnt mean that people tried to fraudulently vote on their behalf.

When we visited the topic back in October, numerous voting experts told us it is quite rare.

This issue of dead people voting is just not substantiated, said Lorraine Minnite, a professor at Rutgers University and author of The Myth of Voter Fraud.

From time to time, she said, states have compared their voting records against the Social Security Death Index, and in some cases they turned up hundreds or even thousands of apparent instances of dead people voting.

But with a bit of digging, almost all of those turned out to be due to clerical errors or as a result of people who legally voted via absentee ballots or the early voting process but later died before Election Day, Minnite said.

For example, in 2012 South Carolinas attorney general notified the U.S. Department of Justice of potential voter fraud after finding 953 ballots cast in elections going back to 2005 by voters listed as deceased, in some cases as long as six years. But a subsequent review by the State Election Commission found no evidence of fraud and that mostly the cases were clerical errors.

In a letter to the attorney general, the executive director of the State Election Commission wrote that it only had the resources to investigate 207 cases from the most recent 2010 election. Of those cases, it found 106 cases were the result of clerical errors by poll managers; 56 cases were the result of bad data matching, meaning that the person in question was not actually dead; 32 cases were voter participation errors, including stray marks on lists erroneously indicting they had voted; three cases were absentee ballots issued to registered voters who cast ballots and later died before Election Day; and 10 cases contained insufficient information in the record to make a determination.

There are a handful of known cases in which documentation shows that votes have been cast in the names of voters who have died before the vote was submitted, wrote Justin Levitt in a 2007 report, The Truth About Voter Fraud, for the Brennan Center for Justice. It is far more common, however, to see unfounded allegations of epidemic voting from beyond the grave.

Much of the misinformation about dead people voting is due to flawed matches of lists from one place (death records) to another (voter rolls), Levitt found. Levitt explored five reports of widespread fraud regarding dead voters and found all of them were unfounded or greatly exaggerated.

None of this is to say that voter fraud doesnt ever occur. A 2015 report from the conservative Heritage Foundation documented hundreds of cases of voter fraud over the last decade. The Washington Post scoured news reports and turned up a handful of incidents of voter fraud in the 2016 election  including two instances of people voting twice and one in which a woman cast a ballot on behalf of her dead husband (all three of whom purported to be voting Republican).

But voting experts we talked to pointed to numerous studies that have found in-person voter fraud  the type of fraud Trump is alleging  is virtually nonexistent. A Government Accountability Office report released in October 2014 and reissued in February 2015 said that no apparent cases of in-person voter impersonation [were] charged by DOJs Criminal Division or by U.S. Attorneys offices anywhere in the United States from 2004 through July 3, 2014.

The bipartisan National Association of Secretaries of State released a statement on Jan. 24 stating that its members are not aware of any evidence that supports the voter fraud claims made by President Trump.

The burden of proof lies with the person making the claim. And Trump still has offered no evidence to support his contention that millions voted illegally.

FactCheck.org is a non-partisan non-profit organization that will hold candidates and key figures accountable during the 2016 presidential campaign. FactCheck.org will check facts of speeches, advertisements and more for NBC.
Miami-Dade County's mayor has instructed jail officials to honor all immigration detainer requests a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would strip federal funding from sanctuary cities.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez sent a memo to the county's corrections director Thursday saying jails should hold undocumented immigrants detained by police and turn them over to the Department of Homeland Security when requested.

President Donald Trump praised Gimenez for the move, tweeting "Miami-Dade Mayor drops sanctuary policy. Right decision. Strong!"

Mayor Gimenez explained why he decided to scrap the policy.

"We're taking away any kind of excuse or any kind of reason as to why the federal government could withhold any federal aid to Miami-Dade County, which is millions and millions of dollars," said Gimenez.

Before Thursday, Miami-Dade only held detainees if federal immigration officials agreed to reimburse the county for the detention costs. The condition set in 2013 put the county in a Department of Justice report that listed sanctuary places that refused to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The ACLU of FLorida released a statement condemning Gimenez's decision:

Todays decision by Mayor Gimenez flies in the face of Miamis long history as a city of immigrants. It also flies in the face of the advice of professional law enforcement that policies like the one Gimenez embraced today serve only to drive a wedge of distrust between law enforcement and our immigrant community.

Members of the immigrant community and supporters rallied at Mayor Gimenez's office Friday morning to voice their protest his decision.

The City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado also voiced his opposition to the county's decision. He tweeted, "@MiamiPD job is to protect and serve the residents of @CityofMiami. I am disappointed with the decision of the County."

Miami-Dade turned over about 180 people to immigration officials in 2016 but was not reimbursed for any costs.

The move comes as politicians in New York, Seattle and other "sanctuary cities" declared they won't be intimidated by Trump's move to cut federal funding to such communities.

Many cities vowed legal action, arguing that the threatened punishment would be unconstitutional. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh promised to let immigrants who feel threatened by the administration's actions take shelter in City Hall if necessary.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called Trump's executive orders on immigration mean-spirited and unnecessary. California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat, tweeted: "See you in court."
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson, who was briefly hospitalized after feeling light-headed during a press conference Friday morning, will need a kidney transplant, he said at a news conference later that evening.

During the followup conference, Johnson was visibly in a better spirits than earlier in the day when he appeared dazed and disoriented before being taken to Christ Hospital. He joked about being excited about having bought new flat screen televisions that were being mounted at his home. But he also said he's been battling kidney disease for 32 years.

This morning I took blood pressure medication on an empty stomach, which is something that you shouldnt do, especially before doing a press conference and standing next to the mayor while youre doing itbut I did it, he said.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said earlier that day Johnsons medication problem was unrelated to his longstanding kidney issue.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to give you the facts on whats been floating around today regarding my personal health, Johnson said, before confirming that he is on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Johnson said the transplant has not yet been scheduled and the search for a matching donor continues.

Once the donor is found and the operation takes place, I should be back to work in somewhere between three to five weeks, he said.

He will continue to work until the operation is to take place at Rush Medical Center, he said.

Id like to thank the doctors at Rush Medical Center who will be performing the surgery, Johnson said. Because I know when that day comes, theyre gonna do a fantastic job and get me back to work quickly.

Sources told NBC 5 City Hall was made aware of Johnson's medical condition before he was asked to apply for the top cop position, which he did not ultimately end up applying for, adding this is not an "overnight crisis." Johnson reitirated this at Friday's press conference.

An ambulance was called Friday morning when the 56-year-old appeared light-headed during a press conference announcing new strategic centers for the Chicago Police Department.

Guglielmi said Johnson felt light-headed but "did not lose consciousness."

"He was coherent and will go to an area hospital for examination," Guglielmi tweeted.

He later said Johnson was "doing fine and is in good spirits joking with hospital staff."

The press conference began around 10:45 a.m. and near the end of the event, while Mayor Rahm Emanuel was answering a question, Johnson appeared to sway and stagger. Emanuel stopped and asked him, "Are you ok?" before telling Johnson, who appears dazed, to have a seat.

Unsteady, Johnson is escorted from the stand and a crowd surrounds him while someone requests an ambulance.

Chicago Police News Affairs said Jonhson refused ambulance transport, walked out of the building on his own and left in an SUV. The Chicago Fire Department said his vitals "were found to be good" and he "left the facility in his own car."
Cook County Commissioner Jesus Chuy Garcia told the Chicago Sun-Times Thursday that hes considering another run for Chicago mayor in 2019.

In 2015, Garcia forced Mayor Rahm Emanuel into Chicagos first-ever mayoral run-off but lost by 73,609 votes.

During the Sun-Times interview, Garcia criticized Emanuel's leadership. The Democrat faulted the mayor for the city's uptick in homicides and shootings, claiming the mayor relied too heavily on overtime to mask a shortage in manpower.

After Garcia suggested that Emanuel honor a 2011 promise to hire 1,000 new officers, the mayor called the idea unaffordable, according to the report.

He said the proposal was fairy dust, Garcia told the Sun-Times. Two years later, he says were gonna do it. Why did it take so long? Because it was something that I put forth? It really wasnt because he had said he would do it four years prior to the last election. Its now been six years.

Garcia claimed the delay helped exacerbate the citys violent crime crisis.

The Democrat also accused Emanuel of switching stances on the issue of taxes to solve the citys $30 billion pension crisis.

In the lead-up to the 2015 runoff, Emanuel predicted that Garcia would rely on a massive property tax hike to make good on a variety of campaign promises. Following the election, Emanuel pushed through 1.2 billion in tax increases, the Sun-Times reports.

Its the honesty part that hasnt been there, Garcia said. He denied that he would do that. He suggested that I would raise taxes. He ran paid commercials to that effect. His evidence was the modest property tax increase I had voted for when Harold Washington was mayor that paled in comparison to the record property tax increase and all of the other tax increases that have now hit historic levels.

Additionally, Garcia told the Sun-Times that he plans to make Emanuels handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting a campaign issue if he plan to run in 2019. McDonald was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014. A judge ordered the city to release dash-cam video of the incident in November of 2015.

Emanuel came under fire for keeping the McDonald video under wraps for over a year and waiting until one week after the 2015 runoff to authorize a $5 million settlement to McDonalds family.

Many people think there was a cover-up, Garcia told the Sun-Times. Many people think that it was concealed, that it was quashed because of the potential impact on the election. What really clouds things is the payment of $5 million. They didnt want the family to raise the issue.

He claimed the video would have had profound implications in terms of the election.

Should he decide to run in 2019, Garcia plans to raise $10 million to $20 million to unseat Emanuel. In 2015, the mayor raised more than $20 million, while Garcia pulled in less than $6 million, the Sun-Times reports.

Garcia reportedly plans to make a decision on his prospective bid by early summer.
President Donald Trumps team included a pair of Chicago rail projects in the Republican's bold $137.5 billion infrastructure plan, McClatchy reports.

Among the roughly 50 proposed projects are plans to redevelop Chicagos Union Station and modernize the CTAs Red and Purple lines.

Over the course of his campaign, Trump promised to revitalize the nations aging infrastructure. Doubling down during his inaugural address, Trump pledged to build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels and railways across our wonderful nation.

According to Trumps plan, the Union Station redevelopment will cost an estimated $1 billion and create roughly 1,000 direct jobs. The modernization of the North Side CTA lines will cost an estimated $2.1 billion and create roughly 2,100 jobs.

Trumps transition team reportedly provided a preliminary list of projects to the National Governors Association, who ultimately shared the list with state officials in December. The group told the officials that those projects were already being vetted, according to McClatchy.

A more detailed proposal, circulated within the congressional and business community, proposes funding half the sweeping infrastructure plan through public-private partnerships. A congressional aide told McClatchy that both documents are working drafts that will be developed using input from the National Governors Association.

According to the report, the more in-depth proposal included projects that were nearly identical to those presented to members of the National Governors Association. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters told McClatchy Wednesday that the more detailed proposal is not an official White House document, while a spokesman for the Trump transition said the Excel file in question was not a Transition document.

The National Governors Association reportedly confirmed Wednesday that the group received the plan as an Excel file from the transition team.

Additionally, the National Governors Association sent a letter to governors offices last month looking for 3 to 5 project suggestions from each state, according to McClatchy. The letter reportedly said proposed projects would be vetted by a bipartisan infrastructure commission overseeing investments.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill Tuesday that would create an estimated 15 million jobs, NBC News reports. The group challenged Trump to work with them to pass the legislation during a press conference Tuesday.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer dismissed any proposal to cut domestic spending as well as Trumps plan, which would rely on financing through tax incentives and public-private partnerships.

We dont want all the benefits going to developers and wealthy people, Schumer said. How we will pay for it we will discuss with President Trump."
By Nick Carey (Reuters) - Ordering a bottle of Corona beer at a bar in the United States is a simple proposition. Getting it there from its brewery in Mexico involves a complex, cross-border supply network that will likely get more complicated if U.S. president Donald Trump follows through on vows to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or tax imports. Trump has not outlined specific plans for revising NAFTA, but he has made repeated calls for a levy to discourage companies from moving jobs outside the United States. On Thursday, the White House floated a plan to impose a 20 percent tax on imports. Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have included a tax on imports in their blueprint for overhauling corporate taxes. The ideas have met opposition in Congress, even inside Trump's own party. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a republican from South Carolina, took to Twitter on Thursday, saying "Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad." Trump's rhetoric has also heightened uncertainty over the billions in supply chain and infrastructure investment that a diverse array of companies from automakers and railroads to appliance makers and food producers have made on both side of the U.S.-Mexico border during the past two decades. The stakes are high for brands like Corona, which is entirely brewed in Mexico, and the transport companies such as Union Pacific Corp that make money moving the beer's raw ingredients and packaging into Mexico, and bringing the finished brew back to the United States. Victor, New York-based Constellation Brands Inc , which owns the U.S. rights to Corona, plans to spend $2.5 billion (2 billion) to expand an existing brewery in Nava, just south of the border with Texas and $2 billion on a new brewery in Mexicali by 2021. Just days before the November 8 U.S. election, the company said it would buy a Mexican brewery from Grupo Modelo for $600 million and expand its operations in the country. To qualify as a Mexican beer, Constellation's beer brands must be made in Mexico. However, about 40 percent of the cost of the company's Mexican beers are tied to ingredients, supplies and freight services that come from the United States, said David Klein, Constellation's chief financial officer during a conference call earlier this month. The company - which has seen its market valuation triple to nearly $30 billion since 2013 when it obtained rights to sell Corona and other Mexican beer brands - imports hops, barley and other grains from the United States to brew Corona. The company does not disclose the specific origin of ingredients. "The majority of our glass bottle supply comes from the glass plant at the Nava brewery and other Mexico suppliers. We source less than 20 percent of our glass bottles from the United States. Some raw materials, including hops and grains to brew the beer, do come from the United States," Constellation said in a statement. Farms in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States are major growers of barley in North America, and in 2015 Mexico was the world's largest importer of U.S. barley. Since 2010, Mexico has been either the world's largest importer of U.S. hops or second just behind the United Kingdom. Unravelling the NAFTA supply chains of companies such as Constellation, or the big automakers, would lead to higher prices for consumer goods, experts and industry executives say. "Everyone would lose, especially the consumer, it's that simple," said Brandon Stallard, CEO of Troy, Michigan-based TPS Logistics, which handles tens of thousands of cross-border shipments for customers daily. U.S. companies also benefit from Corona production. Perrysburg, Ohio-based glass maker Owens-Illinois formed a joint venture with Constellation to expand a glass bottle plant next to the Nava brewery and subsequently bought a major Mexican glass bottle producer to meet demand. Owens-Illinois declined to comment on where its raw materials come from. Broomfield, Colorado-based Ball Corp is building a plant in Mexicali to make cans for Constellation's new brewery. Constellation says it imports almost 20 percent of its glass bottles from the United States. The company did not say where those bottles come from, but Lance Fritz, chief executive of No. 1 U.S. railroad Union Pacific often cites the example of glass bottles the company hauls from a plant in Texas to a brewery in Mexico and that those bottles are made from recycled glass Union Pacific hauls from all over America. The railroad has also invested $40 million in cleaning, washing and repair facility for beer-carrying box-cars just north of Constellation's Nava brewery. Union Pacific hauls U.S. barley, malt and rice for brewing. "The job we have at hand is to help our elected officials see the world from our perspective and then pray for them to make the right decision," said Fritz. (Reporting By Nick Carey; editing by Joe White and Edward Tobin)
A LaSalle County judge did not make a decision Thursday on whether video recorded from inside a nursing home at the center of an alleged abuse case can be admitted at trial.

The case was continued on a procedural matter.

Doris Burke, 35, was working as a nurses aide at Pleasant View Luther Nursing Home, a senior living facility in Ottawa, when she was captured on video mistreating a resident, according to prosecutors.

Ottawa Police charged Burke with felony aggravated battery to a person older than 60 and felony abuse of a long-term healthcare facility resident. She has pleaded not guilty.

The video was set up and recorded by John Chiurato after the mans father began complaining of a Pleasant View employee. Francesco Chiurato, 88, depended on around-the-clock care from staff. He passed away last November.

(Burke) would make him clean himself up after accidents, Chiurato described. Theres one situation where she ran up to him and put her middle finger in his faceyou could see her cleaning his genital area and then forcing the same rag into his face.

A police report also detailed one incident when Francesco fell back into the bed from a standing position, and his head went back and over the other side of the bed, and Burke did not help him up.

According to the police report, in another instance, while the cameras view is blocked, Burkes right arm jabs in a punching motion toward Francesco. He is heard moaning immediately after the movement.

Burke initially told police in interviews that Francesco could be aggressive and has tried kicking her before. Burke denied to police that she ever threw anything at him or hit him.

Burke and her attorney, Darrell Seigler, declined comment as they were leaving the courthouse.

The defense has filed several motions, including one to suppress the video evidence. Seigler claimed Chiurato violated the law when setting up the camera. According to the Illinois Authorized Electronic Monitoring in Long-Term Care Facilities Act, facilities must first be notified in writing before installing a recording device.

Seigler also argued that the act states a sign must be clearly and conspicuously posted at the entrance to a residents room where authorized electronic monitoring is being conducted.

Seiger also raised the concern that the video had been altered and edited. Chiurato had recorded forty hours of video surveillance over the course of several weeks, which he condensed down to a ten-minute clip for police.

The LaSalle County States Attorneys Office told the Chiurato family that it was preparing to reduce the felony charges to misdemeanors in response to the arguments raised by the defense.

Shortly after Chiurato contacted NBC 5 Investigates, Karen Donnelly, LaSalle Countys new States Attorney, decided she would take over the case.

This kind of abuse should never occur, and this is going to send a strong message to other (certified nursing aides) that were not accepting this, said Donnelly.

Assistant states attorney George Mueller said after Thursdays court hearing that both he and Seigler agreed to a stipulation. The two sides will discuss the facts on how the tape was made before arguing the defenses motions in court.

The next court date is scheduled for February 9.

Pleasant View Luther Nursing home has been fined by the Illinois Department of Health for failing to protect residents. The 90-bed facility paid $13,750 in fines.

Pleasant View said it immediately addressed the issue once a concern was raised but declined further comment because of the pending case.
The Chicago White Sox will kick off their annual SoxFest on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Chicago, and although some of the faces will be different, there is a fresh air of enthusiasm around the team as theyve engineered a change of direction this offseason.

It all started when the team announced that Rick Renteria would be the new manager for the 2017 season, replacing Robin Ventura in that capacity. After that move, G.M. Rick Hahn moved Chris Sale and Adam Eaton in blockbuster trades, bringing in a slew of talented prospects that have the White Sox poised to potentially have a young and strong lineup for many years to come.

Fridays festivities will kick off with the Opening Ceremonies at 4pm, and then players will sign autographs and the first batch of seminars will take place. Hahn and Renteria will hold a seminar to kick off the festivities, and later in the evening players like Jose Abreu, Melky Cabrera, and Yoan Moncada will host a panel called La Vida Away from the Clubhouse, which is sure to be an entertaining one.

Saturday will feature more opportunities for photos and autographs, with Hahn and Renteria holding another seminar and a First Rounders panel of Tim Anderson, Zack Burdi, Zack Collins, and Caron Fulmer will also take place. Frank Thomas will also be in the house and taking questions from fans, as will broadcaster Steve Stone.

Finally on Sunday the farm system will take center stage, as Dan Fabian, Chris Getz, Jeremy Haber, and Nick Hostetler will give fans an inside look at what the team is doing as they begin their rebuilding process. The White Sox broadcasters will also hold a panel, as TV play-by-play man Jason Benetti and radio cohosts Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson will discuss what its like to cover the team on a daily basis.

For tickets and further information on events, fans can check out the White Sox official website for details.
Chicago police Supt. Eddie Johnson became lightheaded at a press conference Friday morning because he did not eat food before taking blood pressure medication, a department spokesman said.

An ambulance was called as Johnson appeared faint during the announcement of new strategic centers for the Chicago Police Department. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Johnson felt light "did not lose consciousness."

Guglielmi said the incident during the press conference was unrelated to Johnson's "longstanding kidney issue." Multiple sources familiar with the situation told NBC 5 Friday that Johnson will need a kidney transplant.

"He was coherent and will go to an area hospital for examination," Guglielmi tweeted.

He later said Johnson was "doing fine and is in good spirits joking with hospital staff."

The press conference began around 10:45 a.m. and near the end of the event, while Mayor Rahm Emanuel was answering a question, Johnson appeared to sway and stagger. Emanuel stopped and asked him, "Are you ok?" before telling Johnson, who appeared dazed, to have a seat.

An ambulance was called Friday morning as Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson appeared light-headed during a press conference announcing new strategic centers for the Chicago Police Department.

An unsteady Johnson was escorted from the stand and a crowd surrounded him while someone requested an ambulance.

Chicago Police News Affairs said Jonhson refused ambulance transport, walked out of the building on his own and left in an SUV. The Chicago Fire Department said his vitals "were found to be good" and he "left the facility in his own car."
Business owners and relief groups are promising to help those impacted by a fire that destroyed a popular historic bridal shop in Chicagos west suburbs Thursday.

VIP Occasions in Elmhurst caught fire shortly before 2 p.m. The blaze grew so strong that flames tore through the store from top to bottom, leaving the building at 351 N. York St. completely ruined, as well as everything inside.

Cellphone video shot at the scene showed plumes of smoke billowing for a charred building. Multiple fire trucks were parked in the street as firefighters doused the building from the ground level and from above in a cherry picker.

The strength of the fire was so intense that its remnants were still smoking and smoldering early Friday morning.

It was the many bridal dresses at the shop that had been fueling the fire, making it so difficult for firefighters to knock out.

Fire officials said the shop is a total loss, with most of the suits and dresses left in ashes amongst the damage left behind.

Sisters Nicole Samardzija and Natalie Krstev owned VIP Occasions for more than 25 years, since opening the shop in 1991.

Despite the devastating loss of our "baby," my sister and I are working tirelessly on behalf of our loyal customers, they wrote on the stores Facebook page. We are overwhelmed by the charred ruins of countless memories, despite the relentless & heroic efforts by teams of local firefighters. Miraculously no one was injured and for that we are grateful.

Other owners have also stepped up to help brides who lost their gowns in the blaze.

David Gaffke, who owns Complete Bridal in East Dundee, told NBC 5 that if a bride can prove they bought a dress that was lost in the fire, he will replace it for free. The only cost to the bride would be for any alterations needed, Gaffke said. He helped 43 brides when Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn burned in 2010.

Volle's Bridal Boutique in Lake Zurich and Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn are also offering to help brides with proof of purchase who lost dresses in the fire.

The owners of VIP Occasions plan to set up a temporary shop at York Medical Center once this area is safe, they said, as they work to accommodate and respond to all of the customers whose orders and merchandise were lost or destroyed.
Police in Hobart are warning of a sophisticated check fraud scheme being perpetrated by a band of thieves in towns throughout Indiana and Illinois.

Police say the crooks are using fake checks and fraudulent bank accounts to make expensive purchases in the names of innocent victims.

People make these checks and they look very authentic, Hobart police Lt. James Gonzales told NBC 5.

Karen Jordan is a physician in Indiana who lives in Chicagoand a victim of the identity theft. Someone used her information on a fake ID and checkbook to make multiple purchases totaling thousands of dollars in Indiana and Illinois.

I received bounced checks from a debt collector, in my name, and its been upsetting Jordan said, adding that shes been dealing with the situation every day for the last three months.

Jordans daughter, Anne, has stepped up to help her try and fend off the damage from her credit.

Its so frustrating, its hours and hours of phone calls a day, she said. She also said there are 41 transactions that she and her mother know about so far that toal more than $7,000.

Authorities say its unclear how the personal information was obtained by the thieves.

We have no idea how they got her information and thats really scary, Anne said.

Its quite rampant that people are doing this and its difficult to catch them, Karen Jordan said.

Police are continuing to investigatebut in the meantime suggest getting a lock on your credit and protecting your license and credit cards while out shopping.
A $10,000 reward is being offered by the FBI for information in the 2016 death in Belize of an executive producer at a Chicago television station.

An autopsy determined ABC-Channel 7 producer Anne Swaney was killed by "asphyxia due to compression of the neck area, throttling and blunt force traumatic injuries to the head and neck."

The 39-year-old Swaney was reported missing the evening before her body was discovered Jan. 14, 2016, in the Mopan River. Her belongings were later found on a deck by the riverside where she had gone to do yoga exercises.

Swaney was a guest at the Nabitunich resort in the Cayo district when she was reported missing

Earlier this week, the FBI and Belize National Police asked for the public's help in solving Swaney's case.

A "person of interest" was questioned early last year and was charged with an unrelated crime, but no charges were filed in Swaney's death.

Swaney had traveled to the resort for a seven-day vacation, Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu told NBC Chicago. She was traveling alone.

Swaney was found dead after a daylong search with bruises on her neck and lacerations on either side of her head, Arzu said. Police believe she may have been sexually assaulted.

"We suspect that she may have been sexually violated, Arzu said. She had bruises around her neck that reveals that there might have been some strangulation or some sort of fight back.

Post-mortem reports show Swaney was bleeding profusely, but there was no blood on the deck where her belongings were found, police said Sunday, which leads them to believe that the crime may have been committed somewhere else.

She went out to do yoga Thursday morning around 8 a.m. along the Mopan River near the resort, Arzu said. Hours later, a tour guide found her belongings along the river but no sign of her.

Dogs were brought in to help search for Swaney Thursday night. Her scent was picked up near the river, though she was not located until the following day when she was found floating face-down in the river wearing only a bra, authorities said.
A conference on climate change and health is back on but apparently minus the U.S. government.

Several organizers including former Vice President Al Gore have resurrected the meeting set for next month in Atlanta.

The government's top public health agency had planned the conference with the American Public Health Association (APHA), then canceled it in December without explanation.

The APHA says Gore, one of two keynote speakers, stepped in to help keep the meeting alive, NBC News reported.

"I was minding my own business and he picked up the phone and called me," APHA executive director Dr. Georges Benjamin told NBC News.

The decision to hold the meeting was hatched by Benjamin's group, Gore, the University of Washington and the Harvard Global Health Institute.

The one-day meeting is moving from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Carter Center.

"It's going to be on climate and health, and in many ways it's going to be a very different meeting," Benjamin said.

Benjamin said he doesn't know if government officials will attend; many had been scheduled to speak at the conference .

An after-hours message to the CDC was not immediately returned.

A recent report by the U.S. government said global warming is a national public health problem. It said climate change is increasing the risk of respiratory problems and spread of disease from insects.

"Some of these health impacts are already underway in the United States," the report said.

In 2015, an international global health commission organized by the British medical journal Lancet said that hundreds of thousands of lives a year are at stake as global warming "threatens to undermine the last half century of gains in development and global health."
A 12-year-old boy found a grenade near his front lawn in West Hartford, according to his family.

When Colin MacPherson found what appeared to be a grenade in the mulch next to the driveway of his Warrenton Avenue home, he went inside to tell his mother.

"I was really, really scared," Colin said.

His mother, Jeanne MacPherson, immediately called police and said two officers in special vests came to retrieve the device.

Investigators told the family that while the device seems to be a real grenade, it was no longer considered live.

A news release from police says the bomb squad responded and decided to destroy the grenade as a precaution.

The MacPhersons said they don't know where the grenade came from or how long it has been near their home.
An Avon doctor wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting 11 patients is suing the town and officers who investigated him.

Doctor Khosro Pourkavoos was charged in 2014 with 14 counts of sexual assault, but all charges were dropped last fall, after prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence to go to trial.

Pourkavoos Attorney Patrick Tomasiewicz sent this statement to NBC Connecticut:

"Dr. Pourkavoos was a devoted family doctor for twenty five years with several thousand patients before he was subjected to a series of arrests that should never have taken place. As a result of these arrests, he suffered the loss of his medical practice, the revocation of his license, and the upheaval of his personal life. This suit seeks redress for these tremendous losses that he has painfully endured and, most importantly, to restore his good name."

Pourkavoos is now seeking nearly $30 million dollars in a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Town officials said the police department acted properly and they will defend its actions in defense of the claim.

William Vernile, the director of human resources for the town of Avon, told NBC Connecticut:

During the pendency of the criminal investigation conducted by the Avon Police Department following citizen complaint(s) of criminal activity against Dr. Pourkavoos, the Avon Police Department worked closely with the States Attorneys Office and determined probable cause based on all information available. Subsequently, a judge signed the arrest warrant. The Police Department acted properly and the Town intends to vigorously defend its actions in defense of this claim. Although the criminal charges were dismissed, some complainants are maintaining civil lawsuits against Dr. Pourkavoos. The Town does not intend to comment further at this time due to the pending litigation.

Pourkavoos was charged after police investigated a woman's complaint that he sexually assaulted her in his office and identified other potential victims, police said, but the state granted a motion in September 2016 to dismiss the charges.

Two separate warrants were issued in January of last year, charging Pourkavoos with one count of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.

Hartford Superior Court Judge Julia Dewey accepted the motion within 15 minutes of hearing from the doctor's defense team, as well as, an attorney representing two of the women who went to Avon police with allegations of sexual assault against Pourkavoos a few years ago.

At the time, several people told police rectal and breast exams given weren't appropriate, nor was the doctor wearing gloves at times.

"The state of Connecticut hired an expert witness. They hired their own doctor. They met with our experts. The experts agree that the examinations performed, under the circumstances, were appropriate, Tomasiewicz said.

Defense lawyers also question the police investigation, alleging a police investigator used leading terms during interviews.

"Before the arrest the department -- Avon never consulted with a medical expert," Tomasiewicz said.

"The one thing that is in common are words the inspector used, which the patients didn't. Patients don't say fondle. The inspector says fondle," Bergenn said.
By James Davey and Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest retailer Tesco agreed a surprise 3.7 billion pound takeover of food supplier Booker on Friday, increasing its exposure to the fast growing catering sector. The planned cash and shares takeover shows the supermarket chain's renewed confidence after two years of gradual recovery under Chief Executive Dave Lewis after an accounting scandal. The group also said it would restart paying dividends for the 2017-18 financial year, having not paid one since the second half of its 2014-15 year when it was mired in the worst crisis in its history. Lewis joined in September 2014 when Tesco was rapidly losing market share to German discount rivals and has also had to deal with the fallout from the accounting scandal. The former Unilever executive has simplified operations, revitalising its core grocery business in Britain, while cutting costs and selling assets including its South Korean business for $6.1 billion. Friday's move marked a dramatic change of gear and signals even more focus on its British business where it has a 28 percent share of the grocery market. "It's the next evolution of our strategy...We think it's the right time," Lewis told reporters, adding the deal was compelling in its own right and not a reaction to a tougher competitive environment. He said the two companies had been talking for more than a year. However, analysts said the deal could face close regulatory scrutiny, particularly because of its impact on customers at smaller convenience stores and food industry suppliers. Lewis said that Richard Cousins, CEO of Compass, the world's biggest catering firm, and Tesco's senior independent director before his Jan. 3 resignation, did not support the deal. "He, for his own reasons, didn't feel it was something he supported," said Lewis. Cousins could not be reached for comment. INVESTORS PLEASED Shares in Tesco traded up 9 percent at 206p and Booker had risen 16.7 percent to 213.8p by 1550 GMT. The deal would give Tesco a greater slice of Britain's 85 billion pounds "out of home" food market -- including cafes, restaurants and takeaways -- which is growing at a greater pace than the 110 billion pounds "eat at home" market. Investors welcomed the transaction, that will also see Booker CEO Charles Wilson join the Tesco board. "We were surprised, pleasantly," said Richard Marwood, senior fund manager at Royal London Asset Management which is a top ten Booker shareholder. "Wilson has been a very well respected manager at Booker...Many people would see it as being a bit of coup having him go and work in Tesco," he said. Tesco will gain exposure to the 120,000 independent retailers, 107,000 small businesses and 450,000 caterers Booker serves. Booker clients include chains such as Wagamama, Carluccio's, Byron, as well as celebrity chef Rick Stein. Booker owns about 200 cash and carry warehouses in the UK and supplies the Budgens, Londis and Family Shopper grocery chains, which are run as franchise operations. "This merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital," said Lewis. COMPETITION ISSUES? Tesco and Booker said the deal would lead to synergies of at least 200 million pounds within three years, from procurement, distribution and central functions, and would boost earnings per share in the second full year of the deal. Implementation costs would be about 145 million pounds. Lewis said no job losses had been identified. However, analysts said the deal could face close regulatory scrutiny. "Our instant reaction is that the Competition and Markets Authority will have a field day with this," said independent retail analyst Nick Bubb, noting that Tesco owns the One Stop chain that competes with Booker's interest in convenience store retailing. However, Lewis and Wilson, who owns about 6 percent of Booker's equity, disagreed, saying their legal advice had indicated a "compelling story" to gain approval. "As a retailer and a wholesaler coming together, this is not an acquisition of stores ... independent retailers get a better deal here than perhaps they do on a standalone basis," Lewis said. Under the terms of the deal each Booker shareholder will receive 0.861 new Tesco shares and 42.6 pence in cash. Based on Tesco's closing share price on Thursday of 189 pence the deal represents a value of 205.3 pence per Booker share -- a premium of about 12 percent. The deal will result in Booker shareholders owning approximately 16 percent of the combined group. Lewis said he thought the deal would complete in late 2017 or early 2018. Greenhill acted as lead financial adviser to Tesco while Barclays and Citi also worked on the deal as financial advisers and corporate brokers on behalf of Tesco. JPMorgan was sole adviser to Booker. (Additional reporting by Kate Holton, Ritvik Carvalho and Pamela Barbaglia; Editing by Keith Weir)
Hundreds of people marched Thursday in New Haven in support of immigrants with hopes their words reach the new leader of the country.

President Donald Trump wasted little time to embark on some of his campaign promises that targeted immigrants and the border with Mexico.

Chanting Whose country? Our country! hundreds of people filled the streets of New Haven on Thursday.

Were going to fight every day. Were going to fight every single day, Jenya Weinreb, of New Haven, said.

They were there in a show of support for immigrants and refugees and said they are proud New Haven is considered a sanctuary city.

This is a resistance movement thats coming together to stand up to the unjust, unconscionable, unmoral, and destructive policies of the Trump administration, Stephen Tomczak, of Wallingford, said.

The group was concerned with recent actions by President Trump, including his effort to crack down on sanctuary cities and to reinforce the southern border with Mexico.

You can see the hearts out there. You can see the beautiful minds together because people react. When you attack their communities, people are not willing to take more, Fatima Rojas, of New Haven, said.

Earlier they rallied on the steps of City Hall, holding signs including one that read Safe Haven.

New Haven Mayor Toni Harp promised city workers  from police to the schools  would not enforce federal immigration laws.

Those who represent the city act in support of all residents, Harp said.

That message was reinforced by police, who credited better community relations for a recent drop in crime.

We wont abandon you, Assistant Chief Lou Casanova, New Haven Police, said.

The mayor and others are questioning whether its legal for President Trump to cut federal funds to sanctuary cities.

New Haven appears to have $15 million to $20 million at risk each year.
A state judge will not dismiss corruption charges against former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez after the defense filed the motion.

"The court declines the defendant's invitation to go boldly where no one has gone before and grant the motion to dismiss," Judge Juliett Crawford said, according court documents released. "No court has found that the remedy for an infringement on a defendant's right to testify is a dismissal of the charges. The remedy is a new trial shorn of the error that affected the first trial."

Lawyers for the Democratic former mayor argue that retrials on the charges would violate the Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy clause against being prosecuted for the same crimes more than once. Prosecutors disagree.

The state Supreme Court last year overturned Perez's 2010 convictions for taking a bribe and attempted extortion, saying two cases were improperly combined into one trial. Perez was sentenced to three years in prison, but has remained free on appeal.

Perez was Hartford's first Hispanic mayor and served from 2001 to 2010, when he resigned after being convicted.
The governor has taken every public chance to discuss the difference between the heroin of 20 years ago and the heroin of today.

"It's different," Gov. Dannel Malloy explained, Thursday. "The stuff of the past was 30 percent pure, and now some of it is close to 70 percent pure."

The governor is referring to the drugs found on the street, but perhaps most importantly, from his standpoint, the opiate based painkillers prescribed by physicians every day.

Proposals the governor laid out Thursday, are meant to address curbing the state's rising death and addiction tolls related to opioid abuse.

"This is not a human failure. This is a public health crisis, the governor said.

The proposals include requiring all opiate prescriptions be filled out electronically, allow home health nurses to dispose of medications, provide patients the option not to receive a prescription for opiate based drugs, require that adults be provided information on the risks of opiates, and to encourage state agencies to share information when it comes to opiate addiction.

One person who hopes more is done to prevent the abuse of opioids, is Jennifer Kelly.

I am a heroin addict. Those words are some of the devastating words I have ever heard come out of my daughters mouth. Those words hit me like a ton of bricks, she said.

Kelly's daughter, Justice battled with addiction and now sits in a wheelchair with a serious brain injury, after suffering cardiac arrest for the second time. IN and out of detox and rehab on two occasions, Justice, her mother says, has lost her battle with addiction.

Kelly says she thinks Connecticut is in the right direction when it comes to addressing the problems, but more can always be done.

"We need proper treatment beds and essential services to combat this epidemic. Maybe if we had those services and treatment beds, my daughter would have received the help she needed.
A Meriden woman said the oil she paid for was delivered to the wrong house.

Brittney Fletcher said it was her first experience with home heating oil.

In September, she noticed the tank was getting low. She went online and scheduled a delivery for the following month and paid with a credit card.

Fletcher was not home the day of the service and assumed the tank had been filled. A few weeks later, she noticed it was nearly empty.

Fletcher called the oil company and spoke to the owner, who said he delivered the oil himself and left the invoice in the mailbox. When he described the house to her, Fletcher realized the driver had mistakenly filled her neighbors tank.

Fletchers neighbor ended up finding the invoice mixed in with a stack of mail.

Fletcher said the owner was adamant that he delivered the oil to the correct address.

After NBC Connecticut's consumer team spoke with the owner, he admitted he may have made a mistake and agreed to refund Fletchers money.

By that point, Fletcher had already disputed the charge with the credit card company and it was wiped out.

Her experience is a good example of the protections a credit card offers over debit or cash. If you have a complaint that you are unable to resolve directly with the merchant, you can dispute the charge, as Fletcher did.
Naugatuck police are asking for help to find a 17-year-old high school student who is missing.

Hannah Tynan was last seen at Kennedy High School in Waterbury, but did not attend an after school program held in the afternoon there, according to Naugatuck police.

Hannah lives with a foster family in Naugatuck and they reported her missing around 11 p.m.

They told police they dont know where Hannah went or where she might be headed, but she might be somewhere in the Waterbury area.

Hannah is around 5-feet-6 and has brown hair and a bun.

Anyone with information on where Hannah is should call Naugatuck police at (203) 729-5221.
While New Haven Police are still investigating the accident that killed 42-year-old Melissa Tancredi of Waterbury, Mayor Toni Harp told NBC Connecticut she is open to making changes to improve pedestrian safety at the busy South Frontage Road and York Street intersection by Yale-New Haven Hospital.

The mayor said the city is considering a reconfiguration of the intersection or the addition of sidewalk barriers.

If theres anything that we can do to make that corner safe, by putting different types of barricades there so that if someone happens to not be paying attention and runs into the road that well have an opportunity to save lives, hopefully, Mayor Harp said.

Multiple members of the YNHH staff have approached NBC Connecticut saying something needs to be done.

Surveillance cameras captured the car on S. Frontage, that instead of turning left onto York Street, continued straight onto the sidewalk and fatally hit Tancredi on Jan. 17.

We are a whole wide family here I mean and when one person is lost to a tragedy like this it affects us all, said Joe Ford, who works at the hospital.

Ford walks through the busy New Haven intersection daily.

Sometimes these cars they dont abide by the traffic signs, the traffic lights, they just blow right through it, he said.

Another hospital worker suggested police step up speed enforcement.

That they set up a radar trap on the corner on York and South Frontage Road, Deborah Miller said.

No charges have been filed yet against the 29-year-old driver from Hamden as the NHPD investigation continues.

Weve got to make sure that people are not distracted for any reason while theyre driving, Harp said.

Ford said he hopes this latest loss of life at the intersection will prompt action.

Theres no ifs ands or buts about it, he said, because if not the same that thing that would happen not too long ago will happen again and again.

A Yale Traffic Safety Committee met Thursday to discuss ideas to improve pedestrian safety at the busy New Haven intersection.

The meeting was not open to the press or public and NBC Connecticut is still waiting for an update form the Yale Office of Public Affairs.
A 37-year-old New York man is in critical, but stable, condition after he was shot in the jaw and neck.

Police officers responded to Hall and Burr streets in New Haven at 10:48 p.m. Thursday to investigate after receiving reports that someone had been shot and EMTs transported the victim, Jose Valenzuela, to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police said its not clear where the shooting happened and Valenzuela has not yet spoken with police.
Refugee advocates in Connecticut are worried about President Donald Trump following through on the campaign promise to restrict the number of refugees who enter the United States.

Its a very nice opportunity that we get the chance to come here, a Syrian refugee named Osuma told NBC Connecticut.

Osuma, his wife and 2-year-old son arrived in New Haven in August.

This country is stable, he said, with the help of an Arabic interpreter. IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services) helped us a lot for housing, to access the benefits and the important thing is this country is a safe country.

Osumas family and the majority of the 530 refugees who New Haven-based IRIS helped resettle in the state in 2016 are from Syria.

One of IRIS community partners, the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR), welcomed another family fleeing from wartorn Syria Thursday afternoon.

A lot of people are going to manifest what they believe in, whats right, the right way to treat people in the world and Ill stick with those people, Jean Silk, from JCARR, said.

With the objective of protecting Americans from potential terror attacks, President Trump is expected to sign executive orders that suspend the refugee program while the screening process is reviewed and block Syrian refugees from entering the country.

It will hurt us actually, IRIS' executive director, Chris George, said. It will tell the world we are against Muslims, we are against the rest of the world and that is only going to fuel the rhetoric and the propaganda of our enemies.

As for Osuma, he is unsure whether his mother and four brothers who are now in Jordan will be able to join him in America.

Im hoping his policy will be wise to bring them here, Osuma said of the president.

At a rally Thursday evening outside New Haven City Hall in protest of the executive orders on immigration and cutting funding for sanctuary cities, a representative from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Connecticut spoke out against the presidents proposals on suspending the refugee program and denying visas from several Muslim-majority nations.

"Such executive orders are un-American and stand in stark contrast to our nation's core values, CAIR-CT chairperson, Farhan Memon, said, It is our duty to welcome refugees and immigrants and to recognize the tremendous value that these individuals add to our nation. These orders do nothing more than further divide the people of the United States and reinforce bigotry, Islamophobia, xenophobia and hate."
A suspicious package with a threatening message was left at a West Haven home.

Police said the woman noticed the package on her front porch at approximately 2:30 p.m.

West Haven Police Department requested the assistance of the Connecticut State Police to determine the contents of the package. Officials said the package was empty.

Two juveniles are being questioned.

No other details were immediately available.
Milford police have arrested a 14-year-old boy who is accused of hitting a Chinese food delivery person in the head and stealing his car and cell phone and they are searching for the other person who was involved.

Police said they received a report of a fight on Noble Avenue, near Broad Street, at 9:30 p.m. and learned that a juvenile hit the delivery driver in the head with a blunt object and robbed him. The delivery driver needed to be taken to the hospital to treat his injuries, according to police.

Police then tried to stop a car at Meadowside Road and Seaside Avenue. Two people ran from the scene and the car rolled into a utility pole, police said.

During a search, police found a 14-year-old Bridgeport boy, who has been charged with carjacking, first-degree larceny, second-degree assault, second-degree robbery, interfering with arrest and conspiracy to commit.

The other person suspected of being involved in still at large.

Anyone with information should call Milford Police Department at (203) 878-6551 or submit a tip online at www.milfordpd.org.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

From Cosmopolitan

President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation's immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive actions to jump-start construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and block federal grants from immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities."

"Beginning today the United States of America gets back control of its borders," Trump declared during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security. "We are going to save lives on both sides of the border."

Trump cast his actions as fulfillment of a campaign pledge to enact hard-line immigration measures, including construction of a wall paid for by Mexico. With the families of Americans killed by people living in the U.S. illegally sitting in the audience, Trump said, "When it comes to public safety, there is no place for politics."

Funding for the border wall project is murky. While Trump has repeatedly promised that Mexico will pay for it, U.S. taxpayers are expected to cover the initial costs and the new administration has said nothing about how it will compel Mexico to reimburse the money. One of the executive actions Trump signed Wednesday appears to signal that he could restrict aid to Mexico.

In an interview with ABC News earlier Wednesday, Trump said, "There will be a payment; it will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form."

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has insisted his country will not pay for a wall, is expected to meet with Trump at the White House next week, despite calls from some lawmakers for him to cancel his visit.

Congressional aides say there is about $100 million of unspent appropriations in the Department of Homeland Security account for border security, fencing, and infrastructure. That would allow planning efforts to get started, but far more money would have to be appropriated for when construction got underway.

Trump has insisted many times the border structure will be a wall. The order he signed referred to "a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous and impassable physical barrier."

Story continues

The president's orders also call for hiring 5,000 additional border patrol agents, though the increase is subject to congressional approval. He also moved to end what Republicans have labeled a catch-and-release system at the border. Currently, some immigrants caught crossing the border illegally are released and given notices to report back to immigration officials at a later date.

Later in the week, Trump is expected to sign orders restricting the flow of refugees into the United States. His current proposal includes at least a four-month halt on all refugee admissions, as well as a temporary ban on people coming from some Muslim-majority countries, according to a source from a public policy organization that monitors refugee issues. The person was briefed on the details of that proposed action by a government official and outlined the plan to the Associated Press.

The public policy organization source insisted on anonymity in order to outline the plans ahead of the president's official announcements.

Trump campaigned on pledges to tighten U.S. immigration policies, including strengthening border security and stemming the flow of refugees. His call for a border wall was among his most popular proposals with supporters, who often broke out in chants of "build that wall" during rallies.

In response to terrorism concerns, Trump controversially called for halting entry to the U.S. from Muslim countries. He later turned to a focus on "extreme vetting" for those coming from countries with terrorism ties.

To build the wall, the president is relying on a 2006 law that authorized several hundred miles of fencing along the 2,000-mile frontier. That bill led to the construction of about 700 miles of various kinds of fencing designed to block both vehicles and pedestrians.

The Secure Fence Act was signed by then-President George W. Bush, and the majority of that fencing in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California was built before he left office. The last remnants were completed after President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

The Trump administration also must adhere to a decades-old border treaty with Mexico that limits where and how structures can be built. The 1970 treaty requires that structures cannot disrupt the flow of the rivers, which define the U.S.-Mexico border along Texas and 24 miles in Arizona, according to The International Boundary and Water Commission, a joint U.S.-Mexican agency that administers the treaty.

Trump's order to crack down on sanctuary cities - locales that don't cooperate with immigration authorities - could cost individual jurisdictions millions of dollars. But the administration may face legal challenges, given that some federal courts have found that local jurisdictions cannot hold immigrants beyond their jail term or deny them bond based only a request from immigration authorities.

It appeared as though the refugee restrictions were still being finalized. The person briefed on the proposals said they included a ban on entry to the U.S. for at least 30 days from countries including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, though the person cautioned the details could still change.

There is also likely to be an exception for those fleeing religious persecution if their religion is a minority in their country. That exception could cover Christians fleeing Muslim-majority nations.

As president, Trump can use an executive order to halt refugee processing. Bush used that same power in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Refugee security vetting was reviewed and the process was restarted several months later.

Zoll reported from New York. AP writer Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report.

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Windsor Locks is one of two towns being considered for a $300 million, 200,000-square-foot casino to rival the new MGM casino being built in Springfield, Massachusetts and Native American tribal leaders met with Windsor Locks residents Thursday night to discuss bringing a third Connecticut casino to their town.

We know those operators well, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council chairman Rodney Butler said of the MGM casino. It is going to be fantastic, Im sure, but it is not going to be fantastic for Connecticut.

Butler, along with Mohegan Tribal Council chairman Kevin Brown, insists that if Connecticut is not willing to compete, it will lose in more ways than one and they pointed to problems that surfaced as neighboring states grew their own gaming.

We stood flat-footed and we did nothing, Brown said. We watched money flow, we watched firsthand our employee base retract by a third and that's what is at stake.

Windsor Locks residents would argue there is a lot more on the line. While some brought up concerns about crime and accountability, others believe more money would mean more success for their tiny town.

I dont know how anyone could turn down a check for $5 million, one resident said.

Two potential locations are at play in Windsor Locks.

Space at Bradley International Airport had been part of the discussion, but it seems bets are being placed on the Thrall Tobacco Farm site on Route 20.

Our hope is that you recognize that the good far outweighs the bad, Brown said. The bad isn't good for us as businessmen and we will do everything we can to minimize it.

The other town being considered for the casino is East Windsor.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill says if President Donald Trump insists on an investigation into unsubstantiated voter fraud allegations, he won't find any problems in Connecticut.

The Democrat said Friday that her office will cooperate with any federal probe, but insisted there "just is no reason for it."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump will sign an executive action to commission an investigation into alleged voter fraud.

The Republican president has claimed that at least 3 million people voted illegally in the election, denying him a popular vote majority. There is no evidence to support this claim.

Melissa Russell, president of the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut, said the state is doing a "really great job" at running elections because the system is so localized.
If you're heading north for the weekend there will be plenty of snow for winter activities.

Northern New England can expect high temperatures in the middle 20s with partly cloudy skies and scattered snow showers.

While southern New England has experienced a rather quiet January, much of northern New England has a healthy snow pack.

Mountains like Jay Peak in Vermont and Bretton Woods in New Hampshire have over 40 inches of snow at the summit.

Higher elevations of northern New England can expect even more snow this weekend. The forecast calls for as much as 10" for areas along the northern Green Mountains.

Snow will fall in the White Mountains as well. Higher elevations of the Whites can expect 2 to 6 inches this weekend.

Snowmobiling conditions are ideal as well with a current base of 4-6 inches from northern Vermont to northern New Hampshire.
Major Attaway is truly magical; he has granted his own wish. The Fort Worth native will begin playing the role of Genie in the Broadway company of Aladdin full-time on February 21, 2017.

Attaway moved to New York to become the Genie standby in January 2016. "This role has been in my bones for most of my life  literally," Attaway said.

As an adolescent, Attaway suffered from Blounts disease, a growth disorder of the shin bone. He remembers wearing out several copies of the VHS tape of Aladdin, singing along with the now-classic Disney movie, and even videoing himself wearing a leg brace while singing A Friend Like Me at age 13.

His mother often tells a story about Attaways determination as he faced surgery. When I was lying in bed, waiting for surgery and the anesthesia was taking over, I said I was scared, but I have to do this so I can be on Broadway, Attaway said.

The North Texas arts scene became Attaways training ground as he honed his skills. In addition to performing roles at Dallas Theater Center, Theatre Three, WaterTower Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, and Casa Manana, he was also a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, did voiceover work for commercials and video games, and appeared in the feature film Carter High.

The variety of work prepared him for the demands of Broadway work. Everything I do comes out of Texas. Its a testament to regional theater. For everyone who put Broadway on a pedestal and thinks it is out of reach, it isnt, Attaway said.

He encourages actors aiming to work on Broadway to take advantage of the artistic opportunities in North Texas. Texas has all of the necessary tools to train an actor, Attaway said.

His Broadway experience has taught him that every level of theater is important. While the costumes and sets on Broadway may be more elaborate, an actors job is the same on every stage. At the root of it, we are storytellers. I was always focused on being a better storyteller, Attaway said.

Attaway counts himself fortunate to work with James Monroe Iglehart, the actor who originated the role of Genie and won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his work. Hes been a brother to me. He has put his trust in me to hold up the integrity of the role, but make it my own. He has taught me so much about professionalism and leading a show. It means the world to me to have his support, Attaway said.

Iglehart will perform his final Aladdin performance on February 19 and will join the Broadway company of Hamilton in mid-April, playing the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.

Although Attaway misses Texas wide open spaces, barbeque, authentic Mexican food, and cleaner, less fragrant air, he is savoring the opportunity to work towards making his creative dreams a reality in New York.

Now that Im working in a Broadway show, all of the work Ive ever wanted to try is accessible, Attaway explains. He is excited to meet and talk to people he has been a fan of since he was kid, but he is surprised when he realizes they recognize him.

When he watches Netflix, he recognizes New York actors he counts as friends. Although he has lived in New York for a year, many things are still exciting to him and he brings a different energy and a fresh perspective to his Broadway adventures.

Long before Attaway joined the company of Aladdin, his girlfriend gave him a poster of Iglehart in Attaways dream role. It is signed, To Major - May all of your wishes come true.

Attaway will hang the poster in his dressing room when he takes over the role of Genie, knowing that one of his greatest wishes has been granted.

Kimberly Richard is a North Texan with a passion for the arts. Shes worked with Theatre Three, Inc. and interned for the English National Opera and Royal Shakespeare Company. She graduated from Austin College and currently lives in Garland with her very pampered cocker spaniel, Tessa.
Authorities say a sheriff's deputy and his son have been found fatally shot in a home northwest of Fort Worth.

Graham police Chief Tony Widner said Friday that the bodies of 61-year-old Joseph Parker and 27-year-old Kensy Parker were found a day earlier in a bedroom of the home. A weapon was found nearby.

Widner declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the deaths but says investigators have an idea of what happened and are awaiting forensic test results.

He says Joseph Parker previously worked as an officer with Graham police before joining the Young County sheriff's office.

Young County Appraisal District records show Joseph Parker owned the home where the bodies were found.

Graham is about 75 miles from Fort Worth.
FBI Director James Comey has appointed Eric Jackson, a Dallas native, to lead the bureau's division in Dallas.

Jackson will assume his new role as special agent in charge in March, according to a press release. Jackson previously led the FBI's Kansas City division.

Jackson, a 20 year veteran with the FBI, attended Skyline High School, Dallas Baptist University and Amberton University.

He also is the first African-American to head the Dallas FBI office.

He began his FBI career in Tampa, where he investigated international terrorism, organized crime, violent crime and fraud cases. Jackson also has experience working in counterterrorism in Memphis and Washington, D.C.
On Thursday, the Trump administration downplayed the idea of imposing a 20-percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump was merely floating the idea, not making an official policy proposal. In 2015 the U.S. had a $50 billion trade deficit with Mexico. Spicer said the import tax would provide the funding needed to fulfill one of the president's major campaign promises.

"Our country's policy is to tax exports and to let imports flow freely, which is ridiculous," Spicer said. "If you tax at $50 billion at 20-percent of imports, which is by the way, a practice that 160 other countries do right now, by doing it that way we could do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone."

The idea was unnerving to some business owners in North Texas. Jose Espinoza, who owns a furniture store in the Dallas Design District, said a tax on imports would likely be passed on to the customer.

"It's now going to be more expensive to bring my products here to the U.S.," he said. "That 20 percent is going to be passed down on to them for it to make sense for me to continue my business. If it passes we're going to have to shift our strategy to be competitive."

An import tax would hit Texas hard and would require renegotiating the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement with Mexico, the United States' third largest trading partner. Imposing the tax would likely force grocery stores across North Texas to raise prices on products imported from Mexico to cover the cost.

That's a startling prospect for Teresa Murphy, a mother of five who depends on government assistance. She said if the idea becomes policy it's going to be a struggle to provide food for her boys.

"I shop here because it's affordable," Murphy said, loading two of her sons into her van outside the El Rio Grande Latin Market.

Murphy said rising food costs would force her to find somewhere else to shop.

"Kroger doesn't sell the stuff they sell here. How else are we going to eat?" she said.
Kevin MaBone, a teacher's aid at Wilkinson Middle School in Mesquite, is in federal custody after falsely claiming he had cancer and accepting school fundraiser money and gifts.

Members of school administration looked into MaBone's claims after he called the school on Monday, and said he no longer had cancer but still needed surgery.

They found that instead of receiving treatment on days when he was not at work, as he claimed, MaBone was in West Virginia for federal court dates in which he plead guilty on charges of misappropriation of government funds.

Upon the start of the middle school investigation, the court postponed MaBone's sentencing hearing until Feb. 13 and revoked his bond.

MaBone's new charge is one count of theft by deception with a bond of $10,000. He accepted $11,356 and a donated car from the students and staff of the school.

To honor their generosity, the Mesquite Police Dept. and the Mesquite Police Association will host a snowcone truck at the school on Monday.
trump reagan

President Donald Trump said that President Ronald Reagan was his favorite president, except for one policy.

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump said that Reagan was his favorite president to have served in his lifetime, but disagreed with him on one issue: trade.

"Well, I like Reagan," said Trump after Hannity asked which president he most admired. "I didn't like him on trade but other than trade, I liked him very much and he was OK on trade. But not great."

Trump also said Reagan was "not as strong on trade as I felt he should have been" and that he "disagreed with him on some things, primarily trade."

Reagan's record on trade is a bit mixed. In fact, Reagan first proposed a free trade agreement between the US and Mexico during his 1980 presidential run, signed off on a US-Canada deal in 1988, and inspired the idea of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In fact, in 1989, Reagan gave an impassioned defense of free trade in a letter to Congress. From the letter (emphasis ours):

"It is the primary responsibility of governments to promote sound and stable financial markets that encourage international commerce and to reduce barriers to trade at home and abroad. Reducing these barriers will allow markets, not governments, to determine the goods that society produces. Too often policies designed to preserve jobs in one industry reduce competitiveness and employment in other industries. A creative, competitive America is the answer to a changing world, not trade wars that close doors, create greater barriers, and destroy millions of jobs. We should always remember: Protectionism is destructionism. America's jobs, America's growth, America's future depend on tradetrade that is free, open, and fair."

At the same time, however, Reagan also imposed extreme tariffs against Japan  a massive trading partner with the US. Reagan restricted the number of Japanese cars that could be sold in the US, imposed a tariff on Japanese motorcycles, and even instituted a 100% tariff on Japanese electronics.

Story continues

Trump has praised Reagan for his trade policies in the past, citing the Japanese tariffs.

President Reagan deployed similar trade measures when motorcycle and semiconductor imports threatened U.S. industry," said Trump in a speech during the campaign. "I remember. His tariff on Japanese motorcycles was 45 percent, and his tariff to shield Americas semiconductor industry was 100 percent, and that had a big impact, folks. A big impact."

Trump has taken a decidedly more protectionist approach, promising to renegotiate NAFTA and has pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Additionally, Sean Spicer, Trump's press secretary, said the administration is considering a 20% border tax on Mexican goods that could eventually apply to all imports.

Trump has also said he is not opposed to "fair" trade deals and favors bilateral deals with individual countries over regional deals.

Many economists agree that Reagan's Japanese tariffs were at least as harmful as helpful  if not more detrimental  but it seems that Trump is mostly following that part of Reagan's trade legacy.

NOW WATCH: Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin





More From Business Insider


BC-TX--Shooting-Judge-Austin,137

Officials look to settle claim by judge injured in shooting

Eds: APNewsNow.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Travis County officials are considering a $500,000 payment to a state district judge to avoid a potential lawsuit claiming authorities didn't do enough to prevent a shooting that left the judge seriously wounded.

The Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV report (http://atxne.ws/2kaQAnF ) county commissioners next week are scheduled to review a claim involving Judge Julie Kocurek.

An informant had identified Chimene Onyeri as having threatened to kill a judge but investigators determined the threat wasn't credible.

A gunman fired on Kocurek outside her home in November 2015 and she suffered several shrapnel wounds. She returned to the bench in February.

Federal officials in September charged three men in the shooting, including Onyeri.

Onyeri at one time had a hearing scheduled before Kocurek that likely was going to result in jail time.

He has denied trying to kill her.

------

Information from: Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com

AP-WF-01-27-17 1445GMT

Travis County officials are considering a $500,000 payment to a state district judge to avoid a potential lawsuit claiming authorities didn't do enough to prevent a shooting that left the judge seriously wounded.

The Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV report county commissioners next week are scheduled to review a claim involving Judge Julie Kocurek.

An informant had identified Chimene Onyeri as having threatened to kill a judge but investigators determined the threat wasn't credible.

A gunman fired on Kocurek outside her home in November 2015 and she suffered several shrapnel wounds. She returned to the bench in February.

Federal officials in September charged three men in the shooting, including Onyeri.

Onyeri at one time had a hearing scheduled before Kocurek that likely was going to result in jail time.

He has denied trying to kill her.
A former University of Texas student from Mexico sought in the 1983 slaying of an Austin cleaning woman surrendered to U.S authorities at the Laredo border crossing to Mexico.

Robert Van Wisse had been one of the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives. He was named in an arrest warrant issued in 1996, charging him with murder in the September 1983 strangling of 22-year-old Laurie Stout.

The FBI says the fugitive, now 51, surrendered to Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force agents Thursday afternoon. No other information has been released about his arrest and custodial status.

Van Wisse was 18 when Stout's body was found in an office building where she worked the night shift. Investigators say he was known to have been in the building registering for a course.
A man is dead and his girlfriend is fighting for her life after an early-morning car crash in Plano.[[411953685,C]]

Police said the driver of a Toyota Prius slammed into a tractor-trailer on northbound U.S. 75 near the President George Bush Turnpike at about 2:20 a.m.

The man driving the Prius  later identified as 25-year-old Christopher Paul Kreneck  was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Police said a 19-year-old woman in the passenger seat of the Prius was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The driver of the tractor-trailer reported minor injuries.

Investigators have not said what caused the crash. Friends of the couple told NBC 5 Kreneck was taking his girlfriend home when the crash occurred.

U.S. 75 was closed for nearly seven hours while the crash was investigated and cleared. All lanes of northbound U.S. 75 reopened to traffic just after 9 a.m.
North Texas parents who have children in public charter schools are coming together to show their support for school choice.

"There are about 215,000 families in charter schools across the state of Texas," said Sara Ortega, a spokeswoman for Uplift Education. "This isn't a small movement. There are also 140,000 families on wait lists so there's a high demand for what public charter schools can provide," she said.

Advocates for the school voucher system, gathered outside of the Texas state capitol in Austin to rally for school choice. Parents across Texas also sent 5,000 handwritten letters to Austin, urging lawmakers to back the program.

Uplift Education provides public charter school education for K-12 grades.

"As I started researching, I said 'we're going to try Uplift.' I love it," said Jennifer Flores, who has a kindergartner and a fourth grader at Uplift Heights College Preparatory.

"My son loves it. So I think we're here to stay! My son is in fourth grade now, but when he was in kindergarten he was taught at an early about the importance of college. He has already told me that he's going to UT," she said.

School Choice is a hot topic in the Texas Legislative Session. The benefits and potentially damaging effects have been debating, not only in Texas, but around the country.

President Donald Trump's pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is a strong advocate for school choice. President Trump ran on the campaign promise to use federal dollars to expand voucher programs.

Currently, 31 states have adopted some form of school choice. Those who are against a school voucher system believe it will take away money from public schools, and in turn weaken the frame work of public education.
Museums Free-for-All Day: January boasts as many art-themed happenings as a great gallery has paintings, but one of the toasts of the month waits for the end. It's the pay-nothing, pick-an-interesting institution happening, one that features over two dozen museums. True, you'll need to pay for parking, if there's a charge, but you won't need to pay at the door on Sunday, Jan. 29. There are a couple of asterisks  The Skirball's free day is Saturday, Jan. 28  so eye all and enjoy anticipating your gratis day of idea-building, spirit-lifting now.

Lunar New Year: It was might downpour-riffic on Sunday, Jan. 22, so the annual (and huge) Monterey Park new year celebration was moved to the following weekend. That means you didn't miss the joy-packed, food-laden extravaganza, one that'll come with all of the auspicious touches of the lunar welcome. Be there on Jan. 28 and 29. And the Original Farmers Market is celebrating, too, on Sunday, Jan. 29 with dance, martial arts, and more. San Gabriel, too, shall welcome the Year of the Rooster this weekend.

Night on Broadway: Busy, car-packed thoroughfares generally keep up the hum, morning and evening, but there is an exception downtown each winter. It's the annual free arts, culture, and everything party to mark the anniversary of Bringing Back Broadway. Councilmember Jose Huizar is behind this lend-some-local-love revelry, which features tunes, performers, a Kid Zone, circus acrobatics, and all the alfresco fabulousness attendees have come to expect from the downtown to-do. Saturday, Jan. 28

Bricks LA Convention: Maybe you got a box of LEGO bricks for Christmas or a recent birthday or just because. Maybe you've built everything you can out of them and... wait one sec. No you haven't. For LEGO inspiration is as deep as a bin full of multi-hued plastic rectangles. If you love LEGO-dom, build away, and find ideas, and bond with other LEGOians on Jan. 28 and 29 in Pasadena.

Classic Auto Show: Southern California and big-of-fin and/or top-down automobiles are pretty dang synonymous in many minds. We have the chrome-laden street festivals and hoods-up nights aplenty, and now this new extravaganza, which'll give all sorts of attention to vintage vehicles of all sorts of makes. Do you dig a car with a little history to it? Then zoom for the Los Angeles Convention Center from Friday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, Jan. 29.

Classic Auto Show Makes U.S. Debut in Los Angeles
NBC News will mark the 50th anniversary of veteran anchor and special correspondent Tom Brokaw this weekend with a prime time special highlighting his career.

The special will feature famous interviews from the beginning of his career to recent coverage of the 2016 election. Brokaw and guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Lester Holt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others, will discuss pressing issues from the last half century, including race relations, the womens movement and global affairs.

Brokaw, an award-winning journalist, began his career in 1966 at NBC News Los Angeles bureau, covering Ronald Reagans first run for the presidency. He went on to become NBC News White House correspondent, co-hosted "Today," and eventually became the anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw."

"For 50 years Ive been covering stories around the world for NBC News and this is a unique opportunity to share those experiences with friends and our audience," Brokaw said in a statement. "Its a little overwhelming to realize how far Ive gone and what Ive seen."

The two-hour "Dateline NBC" special, "Tom Brokaw at NBC News: The First 50 Years," From Watergate and War to the Berlin Wall and 10 Presidential Campaigns, A Look at the Journalist in the Middle of the Biggest Stories," will air at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, Jan. 29.
More than 2,800 pounds of marijuana worth some $2.5 million was seized during three operations in the Bahamas over the weekend, U.S. Coast Guard officials in Miami said Wednesday.

A joint task force that includes the Coast Guard, DEA, Customs and Border Protection and the Royal Bahamas Police Force seized the marijuana after spotting suspicious go-fast vessels near Nassau.

Two smuggling vessels and a vehicle were also seized and six suspects were arrested, officials said.

The seized vessels and marijuana were escorted to Nassau for processing.
While most of the focus has been on Miami-Dade in the "sanctuary city" issue, Broward County officials say they will continue to follow immigration laws as they have done in the past.

Unlike other places deemed sanctuary cities, Broward has never taken a position of being a sanctuary county and officials say they've never had an issue with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when it comes to handing over detainees.

"If you are arrested and you're going through the process and ICE says, "hey, detain them," then they are being detained. Our sheriff's office is not violating or going against any policies or going against ICE," Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told NBC 6 Friday.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would strip federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities that release detainees despite immigration holds.

County officials said undocumented immigrants who have a run-in with the law in Broward will not be set free if they post bond.

"Broward County, we've never done that, we have the federal policies and guidelines that we follow and we have our state policies and guidelines that we follow," Sharief said.

Sharief said she's confident the county is in compliance, and will not lose federal funds due to President Trump's executive order.

"Broward County is committed to making sure its residents are safe and secure and making sure that anyone who commits a crime is punished and goes through the system the way they're supposed to," Sharief said.
A Florida teen has been arrested after he was caught on camera slamming a small dog to the ground at an animal boarding facility.

Joseph Tyler Pendergrass, 18, is facing one count of felony animal cruelty, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Thursday. Pendergrass was arrested and booked into jail. No attorney information was available.

The surveillance video shows Pendergrass, an employee of the boarding facility, pick up the small Shih Tzu by its leash and slam it to the ground, Sheriff Ivey said.

Sheriff Ivey said staff at the facility discovered that the dog had a broken leg on Jan. 22. When they reviewed the surveillance footage they discovered the abuse and called authorities.

"[It's] one of the most egregious and despicable acts of animal cruelty I've ever seen," Sheriff Ivey said in a video posted on the Brevard Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

Brevard County Sheriff

The pet is expected to make a full recovery. Sheriff Ivey didn't release the name of the boarding facility.
A firefighter who collapsed during an underground rescue attempt in the Florida Keys has been released from a Jackson Memorial Hospital.

The Citizen reports Key Largo firefighter Leonardo Moreno was released late last week. Officials say Moreno tried to help a man who collapsed Jan. 16 inside a drainage hole in Key Largo. Three workers for a Monroe County contractor died at the scene.

Authorities said Moreno descended into the hole filled with poisonous gases without additional breathing equipment.

Firefighter Rafael Calante told the Citizen he took a small oxygen tank before going after Moreno. Calante said he quickly depleted the tank as he tied ropes around Moreno and the bodies of two contractors so they could be pulled to the surface.

Calante said Moreno is "set on getting better."
Historic preservation groups announced a partnership Friday with city officials to save Miami's Little Havana, bidding to safeguard its heritage as the famed epicenter of the Cuban diaspora was placed on a list of ``national treasures.''

The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation said awarding its special designation for the Spanish-speaking enclave is just one step of the partnership to protect Little Havana from large-scale developers who are transforming much of downtown Miami.

Home to a vibrant community of Cuban heritage and many others from around Latin America, Little Havana is under multiple threats: Demolition of historic buildings, displacement of its existing residents, and decades of wear and tear. The same organization placed the neighborhood in its annual list of America's 11 most endangered historic places in 2015.

``Little Havana has a really strong immigrant history,'' said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. ``It's a very inviting place. It's very colorful. It's very warm. The sense of community is very strong.''

But she cautioned: ``We want all that to remain but at the same time we know that communities need to adapt and change overtime to meet the needs of the residents.''

She said the ``national treasures'' designation also will help allied organizations, city officials, residents and investors unite to discuss ways to improve the living conditions of its working-class population, preserve historic buildings and allow moderate development of its neglected areas.

In coming months, planners and developers are to discuss what to do with vacant lots, abandoned buildings and consider which historic sites are worth protecting. And starting in March, they will hold workshops with residents and city officials to share their plans.

``There are many bad buildings and people with a poor quality of life here,'' said Daniel Martin, a handyman who settled in Little Havana after leaving Cuba 15 years ago. ``Since I don't speak English, this was the right place for me to be.''

The neighborhood's signature street, Calle Ocho, is one of the top spots most frequented by tourists after Miami Beach. It features cigar shops, art galleries and mom-and-pop stores where Cubans and their descendants reminisce about the island. Visitors sip aromatic Cuban coffee, eye daily games of dominoes by locals and take selfies at the Versailles restaurant, hub of the exile community.

``My hope is that tears and the dreams of hundreds of thousands of people will not be forgotten,'' said Miami mayor Tomas Regalado, speaking at Friday's event to announce the partnership. ``My hope is that history is not rewritten and the anguish of the Cuban exiles, the Nicaraguans is forever erased.''

Located just west of downtown Miami, Little Havana grew in the 1960s as Cuban's fled Fidel Castro's communist Cuba. The neighborhood has changed some in recent decades as new immigrants have arrived from Central America and Colombia, opening new restaurants and stores.

Some developers have taken risks to refurbish old buildings such as Hugh Ryan, who took what he calls ``the worst crack house in the neighborhood'' and turned it into a two-story pastel green building with a royal emblem of a salamander on its facade.

``Anything can be saved. The whole neighborhood is trying to do that now,'' said Ryan, pointing to a similar two-story apartment building next door and two other buildings across the street that have been renovated in East Little Havana.

Andrew Frey, who is building an 8-unit apartment building, put up a giant blue sign outside that reads ``Little Havana is the Amenity.''

``We don't offer pools, gyms or spas here,'' he said about his construction. ``Little Havana has history, culture. It has real people. It has a narrative you can't control.''

Little Havana joins a list of ``national treasures'' that includes Nashville's Music Row, the Grand Canyon and New Jersey's Princeton Battlefield.
A woman who just moved to South Florida with her children may be gearing up for an international custody battle after she says her ex-husband showed up to take his kids for the weekend and may have taken them across the border in to Mexico.

Arelys Hernandez wishes she could hold her boys again, but now she can only look at pictures. She wants her kids back and she needs them, she told NBC 6 in Spanish Thursday.

Hernandez said it all started when her ex-husband Odair Perez was recently visiting from Mexico. He had been in the U.S. for about two months. Every other Saturday the father would pick up the kids to spend time with them. But, this pass Saturday Hernandez said the father picked up the kids and never returned.

"He took them away from me like nothing," she said in Spanish.

She said he hasn't returned her phone calls and be blocked her on Facebook. She even tried reaching out to his family in Mexico to no avail.

The 28-year-old, who is Cuban, married Perez in Mexico, where they had 3-year-old Logan and one and a half year-old Nyan. She says her ex gave her written permission to cross the border eight months ago. And since she's Cuban she was able to claim asylum. But that's where it gets messy.

"Since all three have paroles a year after coming in which is a few months away, she can adjust status to that of a permanent resident. What happens is if they leave the country they could abandon their parole and they may not be able to come back," immigration attorney Wilfredo Allen said.

Allen, who doesn't represent Hernandez, advised that she contact a family attorney.

"Does she remain here and fight here and try to become a resident and then fight the kids taking or does she abandon her chance to become a resident and follow this case back to Mexico? It's a very difficult situation," Allen said.

Hernandez also went to City of Miami Police and tried the Department of Children and Families. She can open a case to try and file a paternity action but again the options are tough since the kids were born in Mexico and there is no definitive custody agreement.

Hernandez said she's determined to keep fighting.
One 911 dispatcher in North Carolina is being hailed as a hero after quick thinking  and his cell phone  helped save a woman who was abducted and being held in a trunk of a moving car.

The supervisor in Johnston County got a call on Jan. 14 from a woman saying she was abducted near Raleigh. Before officials could get more details, the call dropped.

So Tim Medlin used his personal cell phone to text the number that the woman called from  something he said he had never been done before.

The victim texted back  and with help from the information she gave and tracking information from Verizon  police were able to find the car and rescue the woman. The driver was arrested and charged with false imprisonment.
Officials are warning consumers about a new scam dubbed the "Can you hear me now" scam involving fraudsters tricking consumers into saying a single word over the phone.

That single word could potential lead to fraudulent charges.

It starts with an unsolicited phone call during which the caller claims to represent a business or agency.

The caller then claims to have a bad connection and asks, "Can you hear me now?"

If the consumer says "yes," the scammer records the answer and misuses it as the victim authorizing unwanted charges for products and services.

When the consumer tries to dispute the charge, the audio recording is used to argue that the consumed agreed to the charge.

The West Virginia Attorney General's Office says scammers collect the consumer's personal information through a data breach or some other scam.

Officials urge people to be on guard and to hang up the phone if they are asked this question.

There are no known victims in Florida, but the scam is reportedly circulating throughout the country.
Two teens in have been arrested for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at the central Florida charter school they attend, police said.

According to the Sumter County Sheriffs Office, officials from The Villages Charter Middle School became aware of rumors that a student was planning a mass shooting Friday and questioned several students who said they heard the rumors.

Officials found a 13-year-old believed to be involved and questioned him. During the investigation, they discovered that a 14-year-old student could also be involved in the alleged plot.

Officers did not find any weapons on either student, but both allegedly admitted to discussing a plot and referenced the Columbine school shooting from 1999 that killed 12 students and a teacher.

Both students were arrested Thursday at their homes and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Police found firearms in each home.

Officials from the school and police say there will be an increased security presence at the school on Friday, but they do not anticipate making any additional arrests.
Dozens gathered at Miami-Dade County Hall Friday to protest Mayor Carlos Gimenez's decision to cooperate with President Trump's immigration policies.

The protesters held signs and demanded an audience with the mayor, a day after he instructed jail officials to honor all immigration detainer requests.

They chanted "we are here and we're not going anywhere" and "the people united will never be defeated" in Spanish.

"I find it ironic and disgusting that our mayor, being an immigrant himself, would now turn his back against the undocumented and immigrant community which he came up from," protester Saul Aleman said.

The City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado also voiced his opposition to the county's decision. He tweeted, "@MiamiPD job is to protect and serve the residents of @CityofMiami. I am disappointed with the decision of the County."

Gimenez sent a memo to the county's corrections director Thursday saying jails should hold undocumented immigrants detained by police and turn them over to the Department of Homeland Security when requested.

The memo came a day after President Trump signed an executive order that would strip federal funding from sanctuary cities.

"We're taking away any kind of excuse or any kind of reason as to why the federal government could withhold any federal aid to Miami-Dade County, which is millions and millions of dollars," Gimenez said of the decision.

Before Thursday, Miami-Dade only held detainees if federal immigration officials agreed to reimburse the county for the detention costs. The condition set in 2013 put the county in a Department of Justice report that listed sanctuary places that refused to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"That policy was put into place to protect the immigrant community from a federal agency that was out of control, using local law enforcement as a dragnet to deport immigrants and separate families," said activists Lis-Marie Alvarado, of American Friends Service Committee. "This was never just about money. It was about protecting families."

County officials say immigrants won't be targeted by local law enforcement, and insist immigrants have nothing to fear.

"Miami-Dade Police officers will never act as immigration enforcement agents, they never have, nor will they," county spokesman Mike Hernandez said.

Friday's protest got heated when a Trump supporter showed up to speak his mind.

"Laws are not suggestions, people can't come here wanting to change the laws, borders are for a reason," Alex Gonzalez said.
South Florida native Helen Aguirre Ferre has been hard at work in her first week as part of President Donald Trump's administration.

Ferre, from Miami Shores, is now White House director of media affairs and immersed in President Trump's first days in office.

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve," Ferre said. "[It's] exciting, you know we have gotten so much done in just the first four days and when you look at everything that has been accomplished, when you look at the executive orders."

NBC 6 interviewed Ferre outside the West Wing of the White House Thursday, covering topics like education, bucking the status quo in Washington and the Trump administration's approach to Cuba, including the recent elimination of the wet foot/dry foot policy.

"He is going to look at all of the Obama administration executive orders and actions regarding Cuba and everything is on the table and will be examined and there will be more news to come from that later on," Ferre said. "The Cuban government was given everything and the Cuban people have been given very little in return and we are going to try to do everything that we can to turn that around."

And what about President Trump's decision to remove The Spanish-language feature from the White House website?

"We are going to have a Spanish language website, we just need a few more days to be able to get everything up and running," Ferre said.

Ferre initially supported Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign, and even had sharp, critical words for President Trump during the primary elections. She has since changed that tone, confident in the new commander in chief.

"This is a government that is going to be moving forward. It is about what people need and want and it's not what government officials need and want and I think that is going to be something very refreshing and you are going to be seeing a lot of great things in the next months to come," she said.
Setting a hard-line tone on national security, President Donald Trump on Friday ordered "new vetting measures" to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States.

Trump traveled to the Pentagon where he joined Defense Secretary James Mattis for the signing of an executive action to bring sweeping changes to the nation's refugee policies and put in motion his plans to build up the nation's military.

"We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas," he said. "We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."

During his election campaign against Hillary Clinton, Trump pledged to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures to screen people coming to the U.S. from countries with terrorism ties. The executive order suspends the U.S.'s refugee program for 120 days and singles out Syrian refugees as "detrimental to the interests of the United States," banning the issuance of visas to people from Syria until the president feels the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program's vetting process is strengthened.

Trump's order also suspends entry for 90 days of immigrants from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen  all Muslim majority nations  and caps the number of refugees from other countries at 50,000 people in fiscal year 2017. President Barack Obama had set the refugee limit for this budget year at 110,000.

The order makes no mention of a plan to provide safe zones in Syria and the surrounding area. A draft of the order had directed the Pentagon and the State Department to produce a plan for safe zones in the war-torn Mideast nation.

The full text of the order, released Friday night, says the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security may still decide to admit refugees if it would not "pose a risk to the security or welfare of the United States" and under certain conditions.

In an interview with CBN News, Trump said persecuted Christians would be given priority in applying for refugee status. "We are going to help them," Trump said. "They've been horribly treated."

Applauded by some in his own party, Trump's refugee action was strongly criticized by some Democrats.

"Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition of America, welcoming immigrants, that has existed since America was founded has been stomped upon," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Trump's order was signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which brought to mind the global effort to help refugees during World War II and its aftermath.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the order and said it will file a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Trump's "Muslin ban."

"There is no evidence that refugees  the most thoroughly vetted of all people entering our nation  are a threat to national security," said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena F. Masri. "This is an order that is based on bigotry, not reality."

Oxfam, the Boston-based global relief organization, also condemned the actions as harmful and discriminatory, and said it will deny safe refuge to thousands of people who need urgent help. Oxfam President Raymond Offenheiser says Trump is "slamming the door on innocent people in their hour of need" and breaking with more than 40 years of bipartisan U.S. policy and more than 200 years of American tradition.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concern that Trump will go too far in his crackdown on immigration and urged the president in a post of the social media site to keep the U.S. borders open to refugees who need a safe haven.

"We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat," wrote Zuckerberg, whose grandparents immigrated from Europe, and whose inlaws were refugees from China and Vietnam.

Joined earlier in the day at the White House by British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump reaffirmed the United States' "special relationship" with Great Britain.

But he was also asked about a more contentious issue: his recent statements that torture "does work" in prying information out of terror suspects. Giving ground, he said his defense secretary's opposition would override his own belief. Hours later he stood at the Pentagon as retired Gen. James Mattis was sworn in as the military's chief.

Trump held firm on another controversy  trade and illegal immigration from Mexico. He told reporters at a joint news conference with May that he had a "very good call" with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier in the day, but he reaffirmed his belief that Mexico has "outnegotiated and beat us to a pulp" on trade  and that would change.

"We're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing," he declared a day after the Mexican leader canceled his visit to Washington in response to Trump's plans to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it.

The flurry of national security moves and foreign policy outreach capped a hectic first week for Trump at the White House, giving Americans an initial look at how Trump intends to position the United States around the globe.
trump tower

For residents of Donald Trump's namesake tower on New York City's 5th Avenue, there are upsides and downsides to being neighbors with the president's family.

One obvious upside is the increased security surrounding the building since Trump was elected. Unfortunately, that safety and privilege comes at a price: convenience.

Realtor Julius A. Liu of NY NY Condo Inc. told Bloomberg that he lets prospective buyers know they will be questioned in the lobby, and that their bags will be searched before they can come inside.

"It's an inconvenience to some, but there are people who say, 'You know what? This is the safest building in the city now,'" Liu said.

Shortly after the election in November, an email blast trumpeting the building's heightened security was sent out by a team of Douglas Elliman brokers trying to sell a $2.1 million one-bedroom unit located on the 31st floor. They said it was "the best value in the most secure building in Manhattan."

"The New Aminity [sic]  The United States Secret Service," the email read. That unit is still on the market, though its listing price has since been lowered to $2 million.

With the heavy security and cordoned-off blocks full of barriers ensuring that no one can get too close, that means your car service isn't getting very close either.

"It's a luxury building, and if you have a car service come pick you up and it's pouring rain, and you have security checkpoints, you're looking at walking around the block," Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel real estate, told Bloomberg. "You're adding this complication for day-to-day accessibility."

The heavy security has also apparently complicated dry-cleaning deliveries for residents, as well as food deliveries ordered via apps like Seamless and Grubhub.

The situation is clear: When it comes to living in Trump Tower luxury, don't expect to be able to have it all.

NOW WATCH: Shia LaBeouf got arrested on his anti-Trump live-stream





More From Business Insider


What to Know President Trump is meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May after a dramatic day between him and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto

Vice President Mike Pence will speak at The March for Life in Washington, D.C. a week after the Women's March in the city

Former Vice President Al Gore has helped resurrect a conference on climate change set for next month

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

British PM to Meet With Trump

President Donald Trump is set to meet his first world leader since taking office  British Prime Minister Theresa May, a friendly ally who hopes to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream. The visit Friday comes a day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off his own trip to Washington, planned for next week, amid wrangling over who will pay for Trump's planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to speak by phone with Trump over the weekend, the Kremlin said Friday. The Kremlin has applauded Trump's promises to mend ties with Moscow.

White House Proposes Import Tax for Mexico

Determined to wall off America's border with Mexico, President Trump triggered a diplomatic clash and fresh fight over trade Thursday as the White House proposed a 20 percent tax on imports from the key U.S. ally. The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. Trump's announcement that he is taking steps toward building a U.S.-Mexico border wall was welcome news for voters who say they're glad he is following through on one of his biggest campaign promises.

March for Life in Washington, D.C.

The March for Life, held each year in Washington to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, will have one of its biggest-name speakers in years: Vice President Mike Pence. The March for Life said that neither a president nor a vice president has ever addressed the event now in its 44th year. And one of President Donald Trump's top advisers, Kellyanne Conway, is also on the speakers' list. The event comes a week after hundreds of thousands of people crowded D.C. for the Women's March on Washington.

Climate Change Conference Back on

A conference on climate change and health is back on but apparently minus the U.S. government. Several organizers including former Vice President Al Gore have resurrected the meeting set for next month in Atlanta. The CDC had planned the conference with the American Public Health Association (APHA), then canceled it in December without explanation. A recent report by the U.S. government said global warming is a national public health problem.

Rescued Puppies, Rally to Save Pig in NY

More than 100 puppies were rescued after the delivery vehicle crashed on Interstate 86 in Steuben County on Tuesday, New York State Police say. See the photos of the endearing canines. Meanwhile, New York City has ordered a Staten Island woman to get rid of her pet pig, who has served as her father's therapy pet, by Jan. 31. Cristy Matteo, whose father has cancer, called the situation heartbreaking. Friends, neighbors and fellow pig owners stood behind Matteo holding up homemade signs at her home in support. In other animal news, a basement-dwelling cat that was found severely matted and covered in trash got an incredible makeover. See the photos.

Boy Therapist Counsels Fallon

Jimmy Fallon talked with 12-year-old emotional advice expert Ciro Ortiz, who set up a subway stand in New York City to counsel commuters. Ortiz was inspired to set up an advice booth at the Bedford L train stop in Williamsburg after being bullied at school. He charges subway riders $2 for five minutes of what he calls emotional advice.

Satellite's Breathtaking Images

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the first batch of images from GOES-16, the first spacecraft in its next generation of geostationary satellites. The primary purpose of the images is for studying weather patterns and geologic events, but the visuals are worth the view on their own.
A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing of a Kips Bay tailor, police said.

John Franklyn was arrested by police at 11 p.m. Wednesday. The 53-year-old was charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, authorties said.

Police nabbed Franklyn after officers put up fliers and showed surveillance video to local residents in the area, authorities said. Officers found and identified him at a nearby homeless shelter.

Franklyn allegedly stabbed the 78-year-old owner of Apel's Alteration on East 27th Street just after 12:30 p.m. Monday after clashing with the victim inside his shop, police said.

Police say Franklyn stabbed the tailor repeatedly in the chest and demanded money. The shop owner initially resisted but eventually relented and gave him $80 in cash from his own pocket.

Franklyn stabbed the shop owner a few more times before he ran out of the store, police said.

"He had a gash on his face and he was holding himself so I was pretty sure he had a gash down there," said Matthew Moreno, who works next door.

The victim was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition with stab wounds to the chest, cuts to the face, a fractured skull and a punctured left lung, police said.

Regulars at the victim's store described him as a nice older man who worked alone.

"He works by himself, he likes to work by himself," said Boris Rafailob, who also works next door. "He's a nice gentleman. It's very unfortunate."

Top Tri-State News Photos
What to Know Robin Rhodes of Worcester, Mass., was on a layover at JFK when he allegedly harassed and kicked a Muslim employee, prosecutors say

The 57-year-old man allegedly told the woman inside the Delta Sky Lounge at Terminal 2, "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you"

Rhodes is facing multiple charges, including hate crime, harassment and menacing, among others

A Massachusetts businessman is facing hate crime charges after he allegedly shouted slurs at and kicked a Muslim airline employee in the Delta Sky Lounge at Kennedy Airport Wednesday night, prosecutors say.

The suspect, 57-year-old Robin A. Rhodes of Worcester, landed at JFK Airport from Aruba Wednesday evening, where he was to take a connecting flight back to Massachusetts, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.

As he waited inside the Delta Sky Lounge at Terminal 2, he approached an employee, Rabeeya Khan, in her office, according to the DA. She was wearing a hijab.

"Are you [expletive] sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?" Rhodes allegedly said to her before punching the door, which hit the back of the employee's chair.

When Khan asked what she'd done to Rhodes to make him angry, he allegedly responded: "You did nothing, but I am going to kick your [expletive]."

He then kicked her in the right leg, prosecutors said, and when she tried to get away from him by retreating to a corner of the office, he kicked the door, stepped into the office and blocked her from leaving.

When someone else came over to the office to try to calm Rhodes down, he moved away from the door, and Khan ran out of the office to the lounge's front desk.

But Rhodes still followed her, then got down on his knees and began to bow down, mimicking a Muslim prayer, prosecutors said, and allegedly shouted, "[Expletive] Islam, [expletive] ISIS, Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kinds of people. You will see what happens."

As he was being arrested, Rhodes allegedly told police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Port Authority police and NYPD conducted the investigation.

Delta says Khan is employed by a contractor, not by Delta directly, but "what happened in this incident is totally unacceptable and Delta has and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities in this investigation."

Khan's union, Local 32BJ, released a statement Friday denouncing the "un-American" attack on the cabin cleaner and called on others to stand up and protect those who have been unfairly attacked or disrespected.

"Our airports are international hubs, as diverse as New York itself, and airport workers are on the front lines keeping millions of passengers safe and secure," the union said. "They deserve our appreciation and respect along with ourunwavering support."

Rhodes appeared in court Thursday night on charges of assault and menacing as hate crimes and is being held on $30,000 bail. He was represented by a public defender for the court hearing, but will have to get his own attorney for subsequent proceedings. His next court date is Feb. 8.

His mother, Dorothy Rhodes, said the behavior alleged by authorities is uncharacteristic of her son.

"It's not like him at all," she said. "He's not a violent person. He's very kind."

Robin Rhodes is the president of Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions, a metals company based in Worcester.

Dorothy Rhodes said her son "goes out of his way to hire people of different races and ethnicities."

Brown said Rhode displayed bigotry and hatred that "have no place in a civilized society - especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation."

Meanwhile, Khan is taking some time off from work, her employer said.

"Our main priority right now is to ensure that the involved employee knows how much we support and value her," ISS said in a statement. "When she is ready, we look forward to her safe return to work."
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset will become the first hospital in New Jersey to specialize in primary care services for the LGBTQIA community.

PROUD Family Health will officially begin providing services to patients starting Monday.

The services hope to provide members of LGBTQIA community resources that they may have had to previously travel out of state to receive.

The primary care services include disease prevention and health maintenance.

In addition to primary care for both children and adults, PROUD Family Health will also provide health education, hormone therapy, counseling and support groups.

The center will accept all major insurance plans including Medicare and Medicaid for their services.

Robert Wood Johnsons New Brunswick Campus is the official hospital of Rutgers.

The university currently hosts a LGBTQ and Diversity Resource Center, which provides students with medical and mental health resources.

The hospital's efforts to assist New Jerseys LGBTQIA community will be honored with the 2016 Community Partnership Award from the Pride Center of New Jersey.

PROUD Family Health will be open on Mondays from 6-9 p.m.

The hospital will host a private ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the PROUD Family Health Office on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
What to Know New Jersey is the first state where parents can get a free "baby box" when they complete an online course

Baby boxes include diapers, wipes, a box for the baby to sleep in and other must-haves for new parents

The boxes have been credited with preventing SIDS and dropping infant mortality rates

New Jersey has become the first state where expectant parents can get a free "Baby Box" for their newborn.

The Baby Box Co. announced the Baby Box University program on Thursday. The global integrated program looks to reduce Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (SUIDS) and provide a safe start for newborns in the state by providing their parents with potentially life-saving boxes.

The boxes, which are made from a durable cardboard, can be used as a baby's bed for the first months of life. Inside, the box contains diapers, wipes, and other goodies that are worth about $150.

Expectant parents in New Jersey just need to complete a short parenting education course online to get their free baby box.

The Baby

The New Jersey Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board (CFNFRB) is supporting the program using a grant from the CDC, which reviews fatalities and near-fatalities of children in order to identify their causes, relationship to governmental support systems, and methods of prevention.

The program will distribute approximately 105,000 Baby Boxes in 2017, according to Baby Box Co.

The use of baby boxes has been credited with helping Finland achieve one of the worlds lowest infant mortality rates.

"I'm grateful to the Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board for their efforts to promote infant safe sleep," said Commissioner Allison Blake of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. "Through greater awareness and education, and by working together, we can make sleep time safe time for babies."

"Every year we review instances in which infants die suddenly and unexpectedly," said CFNFRB chair Kathryn McCans.

"In a significant proportion of these deaths, an unsafe sleep circumstance is a contributing factor. Baby Box University will help families make safe and healthy choices for their children by educating them about simple changes that will decrease the risk that a death will occur due to an unsafe sleep environment or SIDS."

The use of Baby Boxes has been credited with helping Finland achieve one of the world's lowest infant mortality rates. The initiative is credited with helping to decrease Finland's infant mortality rate from 65 deaths for each 1,000 children born in 1938 to 1.3 deaths per 1,000 births in 2013, according to the World Health Organization.

Parents can pick up their baby boxes at Cooper University Healthcare, Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative and other locations. They can also have them delivered to their home.

Heres how New Jersey parents can get a free baby box:

1. Register for free online at babyboxuniversity.com as a New Jersey resident. Be sure to include your correct contact information, including mailing address.

2. Watch the 10-15 minute New Jersey syllabus at babyboxuniversity.com. After taking a short quiz, you will receive a certificate of completion and be able to select local pick-up or direct delivery of your Baby Box.

3. If you select direct delivery, your Baby Box will ship to the address you provided when you registered on Baby Box University. If you select local pick up, bring your Baby Box University certificate to the closest participating distribution partner to collect your Baby Box.
What to Know Indian Point operator Entergy confirmed the nuclear power plant will close starting in 2020; Gov. Cuomo wants it shuttered by 2021

Community members are worried about a loss of 1,200 jobs and economic fallout; "Are we about to become Detroit?" one man asked at a Q&A

The bipartisan panel had few answers at Thursday's Q&A and Cuomo, who was invited to attend, didn't show up

Residents who live near Indian Point attended a public forum in Cortland Manor on Thursday to voice their concerns about the economic fallout of Gov. Cuomo's plan to close the nuclear power plant in less than five years.

One by one, Westchester residents fearing lost jobs, home values and taxes took their turn asking questions to a bipartisan panel that had few answers.

Indian Point isnt just a massive power source for the area, its also a way of life for many residents. Cuomos announcement that Indian Point would close by 2021 surprised the community, which is now bracing for the loss of thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue.

I dont want to see the devastation thats going to happen without them having enough time? Local 12 union leader Craig Dickerson said.

Bruce Cohen operates a landscaping business in Cortland Manor. He, like many, fears home values will now plummet.

Are we about to become Detroit? asked Cortlandt Manor landscaper Bruce Cohen. Thats the real question.

Republican State Senator Terrence Murphy said that he made several calls to Cuomos office to ask about fears over taxes and jobs. He finally got a response, but it wasnt what he was looking for.

Ive asked answers on taxes. They have no answer for me, Murphy said. Were going to lose over 1,200 jobs.

Cuomo was invited to attend Thursday nights Q&A, but didnt show.

Not everyone was upset with the governor, who has said that the nuclear power plant poses too great a risk to New York City. Some residents were most concerned about what to do with radioactive material.

This is a normal part of a business cycle. Its just time, one man said.

Entergy Corporation, which runs Indian Point, said it plans to operate the plant for four more years and to keep a current headcount until after it closes. They also plan to commit $15 million to a fund to help the community.

Entergy also offered to help workers move to the companys southern fleet as part of their contracts, but that would mean uprooting families. Thats why so many residents hoped Cuomo would show.

Murphy said he wants the governor to sit at the table with us, answer some of the questions.

Cuomos office told NBC 4 New York on Thursday night that it wants to assure residents that the governor will work with the state to try to find residents new jobs or retrain them for new skills in renewable technologies.
The owner of a tailor shop in Manhattan who was stabbed several times by a robber says he nearly hit his attacker with a hot iron in a fight for his life.

In an interview with NBC 4 New York, Apel Tamagoglu, the 78-year-old owner of Apel's Alteration on East 27th Street, recounts the horrifying attack that sent him to the hospital with serious injuries.

Tamagoglu was allegedly stabbed by John Franklyn just after 12:30 p.m. Monday after the clashing with the 53-year-old inside his shop, police said. That's when Franklyn allegedly started hitting him and demanding money.

"He said give me the money, give me the money, and I fight back," he said.

The tailor says he had a hot iron in his hand and contemplated hitting Franklyn with it, but opted not to because he didn't want to hurt him. Franklyn then stabbed him repeatedly in the chest.

Though he initially resisted, he eventually relented and gave him $80 in cash from his own pocket. Tamagoglu says he was stabbed a few more times before he chased after his attacker, who fled the store.

A purplish and yellow stab wound shut with six staples were visible just above a taped gauze bandage covering his ribs on his left side. Stitched stab wounds were visible on the tailor's chest, face and hands.

"He had a gash on his face and he was holding himself so I was pretty sure he had a gash down there," said Matthew Moreno, who works next door.

Tamagoglu was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition with stab wounds to the chest, cuts to the face, a fractured skull and a punctured left lung, police said. He says he fought back because he thought he was going to die.

The Kips Bay resident says this wasn't the first robbery he's faced. He was robbed by a man 20 years ago, who shot him in the hand. Despite being shot at, he called his attacker a "nice robber" because he didn't think the man wanted to kill him.

Regulars at Tamagoglu's store describe him as a nice older man who worked alone. The tailor says he's planning to go back to work in "a couple of weeks", but looks forward to resting.

He thanked the police and the community for their efforts.



Franklyn faces charges of attempted murder and robbery, among other crimes. It wasn't immediately clear if he had retained an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
Police are searching for a Bronx woman who law enforcement sources say vanished on her way to the Veterans Affairs hospital with one of her sons earlier this week, and detectives say blood was found in her car.

Joan Viau, 52, was reported missing by her boyfriend after she was last seen in front of her home on Carlisle Place in Olinville around 1 p.m. Monday, police said.

Viau was headed to the VA hospital with Garcia when she vanished. It's not clear why the mother and son were headed there.

"I think something happened, terrible. I think something happened. But I don't know what happened," Nelson Moreno, Viau's boyfriend of 15 years, said Friday.

Viau's son was being questioned by police on a charge unrelated to her disappearance.

"We have spoken to her son Josef Garcia, we have arrested him for grand larceny for using her credit card at a location," said NYPD Chief Robert Boyce.

Police wouldn't elaborate on why Garcia was using his mother's credit card.

Viau's car was found in the Bronx Wednesday with blood on a back seat, police say. That prompted crime scene detectives to search her home Thursday, and they were seen walking out with bags of evidence.

Viau's boyfriend and Garcia each has a long history of arrests, but no one has been named a suspect in her disappearance.

Neighbor Wayne Hall said police have been at the building for the last two days, at one point asking for access to the roof, possibly to search for evidence.

A neighbor says Viau always parked her car on the street in front of her home and the neighbor says she saw the missing woman every day until recently.

"I'm just hoping and praying she's OK," said neighbor Damaris Ruiz.

"The woman is such a nice woman, very friendly, and her son very friendly, very nice," said another neighbor, Troy Barber.

She's described as about 5 feet 7 inches, weighing 135 pounds, with brown eyes and salt and pepper hair. She was last seen in a pink shirt and black pants.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
When Laura LaPorta was 11-years-old she shattered her C5 vertebrae in a diving accident and became paralyzed. Seventeen years later, LaPorta's determination to lose weight has inspired her to take new steps.

Doctors initially told LaPorta she was quadriplegic, something she couldn't quite grasp.

At 11 years old, you cannot understand what a spinal cord injury really entails, the 28-year-old high school guidance counselor from Bergenfield, New Jersey, told "Today."

While she worked hard to live independently, she gained weight from being confined to a wheelchair and relying on fast food. At her heaviest, the 5-foot-6-inch woman weighed 240 pounds and that gain made her realize she had to again walk.

LaPorta began training last August and progressed from small tasks, like toe tapping, to eventually being able to walk on a treadmill. What's more, LaPorta has lost 40 pounds.
By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's push to create safe zones in Syria could force him to make some risky decisions about how far to go to protect refugees, including shooting down Syrian or Russian aircraft or committing thousands of U.S. troops, experts said.

Trump said on Wednesday he "will absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence. According to a document seen by Reuters, he is expected in the coming days to order the Pentagon and the State Department to draft a plan to create such zones in Syria and nearby nations.

The document did not spell out what would make a safe zone "safe" and whether it would protect refugees only from threats on the ground - such as jihadist fighters - or whether Trump envisions a no-fly zone policed by America and its allies.

If it is a no-fly zone, without negotiating some agreement with Russia Trump would have to decide whether to give the U.S. military the authority to shoot down Syrian or Russian aircraft if they posed a threat to people in that zone, which his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, refused to do.

"This essentially boils down to a willingness to go to war to protect refugees," said Jim Phillips, a Middle East expert at the Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington, noting Russia's advanced air defenses.

Trump promised during his campaign to target jihadists from Islamic State, and he has sought to avoid being dragged deeper into Syria's conflict - raising the question of whether he might be satisfied by assurances, perhaps from Moscow, that neither Russian nor Syrian jets would target the zone.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump did not consult with Russia and warned that the consequences of such a plan "ought to be weighed up."

"It is important that this (the plan) does not exacerbate the situation with refugees," he said.

Phillips and other experts, including former U.S. officials, said many refugees would not be satisfied by assurances from Moscow, while any deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who also is backed by Iran, might not go over well with America's Arab allies.

Story continues

The Pentagon declined comment on Thursday, saying no formal directive to develop such plans had been handed down yet, and some U.S. military officials appeared unaware of the document before seeing it described in the media on Wednesday.

"Our department right now is tasked with one thing in Syria, and that is to degrade and defeat ISIS," said Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS

Trump's call for a plan for safe zones is part of a larger directive expected to be signed in coming days that includes a temporary ban on most refugees to the United States and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries deemed to pose a terrorism threat.

During and after the presidential campaign, Trump called for no-fly zones to harbor Syrian refugees as an alternative to allowing them into the United States. Trump accused the Obama administration of failing to screen Syrian immigrants entering the United States to ensure they had no militant ties.

Any safe zone in Syria guaranteed by the United States would almost certainly require some degree of U.S. military protection. Securing the ground alone would require thousands of troops, former U.S. officials and experts say.

Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, cautioned that a safe zone inside Syria could become a diplomatic albatross that would force a Trump administration to juggle a host of ethnic and political tensions in Syria indefinitely.

Other experts said jihadists could be attracted to the zone, either to carry out attacks that would embarrass the United States or to use the zone as a safe haven where militants could regroup.

Such a zone also would be expensive, given the need to house, feed, educate and provide medical care to the refugees.

"I think these people really have no idea what it takes to support 25,000 people, which is really a small number, in terms of the (internally displaced) and refugees" in Syria, Cordesman said.

The draft document gave no details on what would constitute a safe zone, where one might be set up and who would defend it.

Jordan, Turkey and other neighboring countries already host millions of Syrian refugees. The Turkish government pressed Obama, without success, to create a no-fly zone on Syria's border with Turkey but now is at odds with Washington over its support for Kurdish fighters in Syria.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by John Walcott and Cynthia Osterman)
Police say there is a potentially bad batch of heroin on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.



"Although any heroin use can be deadly, we have seen an increase in heroin overdoses in the last week resulting in at least six deaths," said Atlantic City Police in a Facebook post warning about the opioid.

Heroin bags stamped "King of Death" were to blame for at least two of the deadly overdoses, said police. [[411964995, C]]

In just six hours Wednesday night, "patrol officers along with medical personnel responded to six overdoses with two being fatal," said the Facebook post. "Four other individuals were revived after being administered Narcan."

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports that New Jersey -- in the CDC's most recent overdose data released last summer -- saw a significant increase in heroin overdoses from 2014 to 2015 as nearly 1,500 people died from overdoses.

Police urged people to call 911 if they suspect someone is overdosing.

The also gave information on how the STEPS addiction treatment program at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City Campus, could help people battling opioid addiction. [[238427591, C]]
A Millsboro woman has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for the death of a 10-month-old boy at her home day care.

Fifty-two-year-old Valorie Handy, who faced a maximum eight-year sentence, also was ordered Friday to six months home confinement after being released from prison.

Troopers were called to the Handy's Little Disciples day care in January 2015 after a worker found the baby unresponsive when trying to wake him from a nap. The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Handy was charged with murder by abuse or neglect. She was convicted last month on the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.

Prosecutors said Handy gave the boy diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl.

The medical examiner classified the boy's death as a homicide from diphenhydramine intoxication.
Two Camden County police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old armed man during a domestic violence call in November 2015.

County prosecutors announced Thursday that the unidentified officers' killing of Freddy Baez in Camden's Independence Village Apartment Complex was justified.

Police were called to the area following reports of a man with a gun.

Baez was killed after he fired one shot at the officers outside the Rutledge Walk residence and they returned fire. A silver handgun was found next to the front porch where Baez fell.

One of the officers narrowly escaped death, telling investigators that the bullet made a whistling sound as it whizzed past his left ear.

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has affirmed the county prosecutors' ruling. [[238427591, C]]
President Donald Trump might have his decades wrong.

During a speech in Philadelphia on Thursday, Trump mistakenly said the city's murder rate is on the rise, when in fact, it has trended lower since an especially bloody three-year period last decade.

Addressing Republican Congressional members gathered in Philadelphia, Trump falsely claimed city slayings were on the rise as he talked of families in America's urban centers.

"Right now, too many families dont feel secure. Just look at the 30 largest cities. In the last year alone the murder rate has increased by an estimated 14 percent," he said. "Here in Philadelphia, the murder rate has been steady  let me just  terribly increasing."

During the course of the last decade, it has done the opposite. NBC10.com could not quickly corroborate his claim about a 14-percent increase in the country's 30 largest cities, but the Brennan School for Justice at New York University issued a report in December that noted a projected increase of 14 percent. It said Chicago is responsible for nearly half of the entire increase.

The murder total in Philadelphia reached a dark milestone in 2006 when 406 people died by the hands of others -- or most often, by the guns of others.

The next year, in 2007, 391 people were murdered.

In January 2008, newly elected Mayor Michael Nutter came into office with a new top cop by his side, Charles Ramsey, and together, the two men promised to lower murders by at least 25 percent.

They made good on their promise, though some might say it took longer than they wished. Murders, despite some slight ups-and-downs year over year, have fallen drastically since those bloody years over a decade ago.

In each of the last four years, murder totals for the city have stayed well below 300, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.

Here is the total per year, according to the department's figures:

2005: 380

2006: 406

2007: 391

2008: 331

2009: 302

2010: 306

2011: 326

2012: 331

2013: 246

2014: 248

2015: 280

2016: 277

Mayor Jim Kenney, who served as a City Councilman throughout the 2000s, called Trump's false claim an "insult to the men and women of the Philadelphia police force."

He then attacked Republicans' "obsession" with undocumented immigrants.

"Our police officers have worked tirelessly and with great personal sacrifice to get Philadelphias crime rate down to its lowest point in forty years, while also successfully implementing reforms to strengthen police-community relations and uphold the rights of all our residents," Kenney said. "Our homicides are, in fact, slowly declining, and while we are not satisfied with even our current numbers, we are handicapped by Republican refusal to enact any kind of common sense gun control and by their obsession with turning our police officers into ICE agents  which will prevent immigrants from coming forward to report crimes or provide critical witnesses statements that can put dangerous criminals behind bars."
Film crews for Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston's latest project will be shooting in Center City this week, which will mean road closures and SEPTA detours.

'Untouchable' is set to film on Friday, Sharon Pinkenson of the greater Philadelphia Film Office confirmed, but don't look for the stars. No principal actors will be filming scenes.

Filming will shut down West Market street and JFK Boulevard between 15th and 20th streets from 7 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday.

SEPTA also confirmed that nine bus routes will be detoured because of the filming between 7 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday.

The Route 17, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 124 and 125 SEPTA buses will all be detoured during the filming.
A nationwide pharmacy chain is offering a $5,000 reward for the arrest of an armed robber who fought with an employee opening up a Chester County store Friday morning.

The attack in the vestibule of the Rite Aid on Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen around 6:40 a.m. left the employee hurt, said West Goshen police.

Surveillance video shows the suspect  described by investigators as a man standing between 5-feet, 9-inches and 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighing between 180 to 190 pounds who wore a black hoodie and sunglasses  attack the employee just moments after the worker lifted the security gate and deactivated the alarm. A struggle ensued as they entered the store.

The suspect then forced the worker to open the safe at gunpoint, said police. The suspect filled up a plastic Rite Aid bag with cash then fled the scene on foot after knocking the employee down, said investigators.

The injured worker was treated at an area hospital and released, said police.

Rite Aid offered a $5,000 reward for information leading the robbers arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to contact the West Goshen Police Department at (610) 696-7400.

Armed robberies are rare in West Goshen where only two were reported in 2016. In total there were 140 robberies throughout Chester County last year, according to state Uniformed Crime Report information. [[238427591, C]]
The daughter of ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has some harsh words for former President Barack Obama, the man she once begged to free her father.

In a letter released by her mother one week after Obama's final batch of commutations, which did not name Blagojevich, Amy Blagojevich told Obama "you've lost my respect."

"Youve broken my heart once again, and youve betrayed the concept of justice like many other heartless individuals have done before you," she wrote. "I thought you were different. I thought you had a moral compass. Turns out youre just like the rest  selfish and spineless."

The letter was published on Facebook by Blagojevich's wife, Patti, who said Amy asked her to post to "get this off her chest."

"When the election was done, and you were leaving office, I thought you would finally do it. I couldnt fathom a reason why you wouldnt  your career wasnt at stake anymore," Amy Blagojevich wrote. "You know as well as anyone, that my father is guilty of nothing. He made mistakes  hes human, after all  but nothing was illegal. I thought you would fix it. I thought you would finally right this wrong. You didnt have to pardon him, only commute the sentence. You just had to let him come home. You didnt."

In heartfelt pleas, both Amy and her sister begged Obama to free their father from federal prison in November. Those pleas fell on deaf ears.

My dad has always been an amazing father, Amy Blagojevich wrote the president, as part of the former governors clemency petition last November. I am pleading to you to let my father return home to us.

In her letter, Blagojevichs younger daughter Annie told the president she barely remembers what it was like to have her father at home.

I dont really understand all the legal stuff, she wrote. I just know that for a while we were really happy, and then all of a sudden my whole life fell apart.

For her part, Patti Blagojevich expressed disappointment that her husbands name was not on the final list of 330 commutations last week.

This is so hard on my girls, she wrote in a Facebook post. Even though I try to tell them not to get their hopes up, it is still crushing.

Blagojevich has served five years of a 14 year sentence. He is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Center in Englewood, Colorado.

"You cant deny that you saw the letters my sister and I wrote," Amy Blagojevich wrote to Obama. "I am almost certain that someone put them directly in your hands. Thats what they told us they would do, at least. So, you read them. You knew of our heartache and our desperation. Not only that, you knew of the emotional beatings weve taken repeatedly over the last eight years; the kicks in the gut when we were already on the ground, the knives in our backs. You stood by and watched the arrest, the trials, the sentencing, the appellate court decision, the resentencing hearing, and the horrific lies and hurtful words said in the press. You did nothing  said nothing  for eight long years."

Read the full letter below:

Dear Barack Obama,

If you didnt notice, I didnt refer to you as Mr. President this time. Thats because youve lost my respect. Youve broken my heart once again, and youve betrayed the concept of justice like many other heartless individuals have done before you. I thought you were different. I thought you had a moral compass. Turns out youre just like the rest  selfish and spineless.

You cant deny that you saw the letters my sister and I wrote. I am almost certain that someone put them directly in your hands. Thats what they told us they would do, at least. So, you read them. You knew of our heartache and our desperation. Not only that, you knew of the emotional beatings weve taken repeatedly over the last eight years; the kicks in the gut when we were already on the ground, the knives in our backs. You stood by and watched the arrest, the trials, the sentencing, the appellate court decision, the resentencing hearing, and the horrific lies and hurtful words said in the press. You did nothing  said nothing  for eight long years. While my father spent time behind barbed wire, you were living in the lap of luxury. And, as hard as it was, I understood. I blamed you once. In my pre-teen mind, you were what caused the destruction of my life. At one point, though, I moved on. I began to support you. I accepted that you never wouldve done anything during your first term because it would ruin your chances of getting reelected, and by the second term you had to campaign for Hillary. When the election was done, and you were leaving office, I thought you would finally do it. I couldnt fathom a reason why you wouldnt  your career wasnt at stake anymore. You know as well as anyone, that my father is guilty of nothing. He made mistakes  hes human, after all  but nothing was illegal. I thought you would fix it. I thought you would finally right this wrong. You didnt have to pardon him, only commute the sentence. You just had to let him come home. You didnt. You released others, like Chelsea Manning or FALN terrorists, who actually committed reprehensible crimes, but you failed to release an innocent man. Even if he was guilty of anything, the fourteen year sentence was extreme and you said yourself that you want to make sure that no one is being over sentenced.

My father had faith in you. He had, and still has, faith in the system, in justice, in mankind, and in God. I, on the other hand, have lost all faith. I expect people to let me down. I expect the scale of justice to tip in the favor of those who manipulate, lie, and scheme. As for God, I have no reason to believe He exists. If I told this to my dad, it would break his heart. He has become deeply faithful while in prison. He believes that God has a plan for everything and that He is good. I dont buy it anymore. I want more than anything to have faith, but I dont think I know how. If there was a God, an all-powerful, all good, and all knowing God, my family wouldnt have had to endure this trauma.

Most importantly, though, my father believes in forgiveness. He harbors no ill will towards anyone involved in his imprisonment. Hes not angry. He used to be, it caused him to drink way too much to blunt the pain, but hes not anymore. Hes disappointed in you now, but hell forgive you. He wont hold a grudge. I will, though. I have spent eight years of my life living with such rage and resentment that allowing myself to actually feel it would be debilitating. I am shocked at how bitter and full of hate I have become. Underneath that, though, Im just sad and hurt. I am sad that I have absolutely no control over such an important part of my life. I have no control over if my dad will be at my college graduation, or be there to walk me down the aisle, or as a shoulder to cry on when life gets even harder  though that seems impossible to me right now. Since I was twelve, Ive been wanting my life to go back to normal; to have my dad home and not have to worry about another let down. Ill be 21 this summer, and Im still waiting. I dont even remember what normal was anymore. I have no recollection of my childhood, and no desire to let myself reminisce in any of the good times.

You could have fixed it. It wouldnt have negated the past  Im stuck with the scars for the rest of my life  but it wouldve allowed the cycle of trauma to finally come to an end. Ive dealt with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and aspects of PTSD. Ive had days where I couldnt pry myself from bed, days where I cant stop crying or feeling the pain that has been inflicted continuously, and days where the fear of another eight years consumes me completely. For a while I couldnt see a news truck without panicking. To this day, I still have trouble with the sound of helicopters. After having them fly over my house for a week when we were trapped inside, hiding from the parasites and their cameras parked on the streets, the sound of one usually makes me feel paralyzed. Its gotten better, though. Most of the time Im fine. Sometimes I barely notice it until its flying away. Other times its all I hear  especially when theres one near my house. Everything is treatable, Ive had more than enough therapy to know that, but it doesnt change the fact that I spent my entire adolescence in a state of fight or flight, or that every time theres a chance my last name will be mentioned Im worried. It doesnt change the inexcusable remarks people have made about my family and I, nor does it the fact that people feel it is their right to say whatever they please to me or behind my back.

Ive handled it so far, though. Ive made it eight years. Im at a prestigious university and my grades are good. Ive kept up appearances. Ive visited my dad when necessary no matter how many wounds it reopens. Ive been faking being okay for so long, that sometimes its not an act. Sometimes out of sight, out of mind is good enough. Doesnt make up for the guilt I feel for avoiding reading emails from my dad, or talking about him. In high school, I would never say anything about him. Something as trivial as my dads a Cubs fan used to feel taboo to me. I figured that if I pretended I was a normal person, maybe everyone else would forget.

I feel guilty that I cant be the daughter he needs right now. He lives for my sister and I, and we repay him by rushing him off the phone and complaining about visiting. But thats how Ive survived this long. Thats how Ive made it through. But I needed you to let him out. I dont know how much longer I can keep it up. I dont think I can make it another eight years. I was counting on you to help.

I dont understand why you couldnt put yourself in my fathers shoes. You have two daughters and Im sure youre away from them a lot. Dont you miss them? Dont they miss you? Wouldnt you do anything to spare them the agony of visiting you in prison? Dont you want the best for them? If the answer to any of these is yes, then you shouldve commuted the sentence in a heartbeat. Since you didnt, its my belief that you are either a horrible parent or a horrible person. Either way, like I said before, Ive lost my respect for you.

Everyone seems to be mourning your exit from office. Im glad youre gone. Im not delusional  youre not a saint. You were a mediocre president with unoriginal ideas. Tell me, how did you think of the idea for the Affordable Care Act? Did it have something to do with All Kids? At least All Kids was done correctly, and, unlike the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it wasnt a failure.

I want you to know how disappointed I am. I didnt want to despise you, to have an almost visceral reaction to the mention or image of you. I truly thought you were a good person. I guess I was just as brainwashed as everyone else. At least now I can see the blood on your hands. You can keep washing them, but theyll never be clean. You were a bystander to a completely un-American act of injustice. Youre just as guilty as those who created it in the first place.

Sincerely,

Amy Blagojevich
Baby Riley Shines has been crowned the 2017 Gerber Spokesbaby.

The 7-month-old from Lewis Center, Ohio, was selected by a panel of judges as the grand prize-winning entry from more than 110,000 entries.

Riley was chosen for his expressions and visual appeal, as well as how well hed represent the brand.

Riley will receive $50,000 cash prize, $1,500 in Gerber Childrenswear, and the chance to star in a 2017 Gerber ad.

"Originally, my husband laughed at me for entering the contest because there were so many submissions! Now, we have the opportunity to start a college fund for our beautiful baby boy," said Riley's mom, Kristen Shines.

Rileys year will also be documented on the brand's social media platforms.

The Gerber Baby Photo Search contest began in 2010 and pays homage to Ann Turner Cook, whose face has been featured as the iconic charcoal-sketched logo on Gerber's packaging since 1928.

Riley is not the first baby of color to be selected for this honor, NBC BLK reported. In 2010 baby Mercy of Toledo, Ohio was selected. Two years later, baby Mary Jane Montoya from Fresno, California represented the company.
What to Know A Staten Island woman is fighting the city to keep her pet pig, Wilbur, in her Great Kills home

Wilbur serves as an emotional support animal to the woman's father, who suffers from cancer

The family has until Jan. 31 to get rid of the pet pig, otherwise the city will seize him and take ownership

Wilbur is at the heart of conflict again, except this time he's not in a barnyard watching over "Charlotte's Web," he's on Staten Island.

Reporters crowded the backyard of Cristy Matteo's Hylan Boulevard home. Friends, neighbors and fellow pig owners stood behind Matteo holding up homemade signs in support of the pig as she took her place at the podium. "Save Wilbur!" one sign said. 'Let Wilbur stay in his home!" read another.

New York City has ordered the Great Kills woman to get rid of her pet pig, who has served as her father's therapy pet, by Jan. 31. Matteo, whose father has cancer, called the situation "heartbreaking," noting that the pig has become a member of the family since she brought him home from Utah five years ago.

"He's like my child," she said about the helpful hog. "He's very emotional, he's very caring."

Matteo had her initial health violation dismissed last year by a judge who found that the Wilbur didn't qualify as a "wild animal." However, she said her case was overturned when it was brought to Manhattan.

That's when the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ordered the pig out of her home, otherwise he'd be seized by the city.

Wilbur is so much of a comfort to her dad, the National Service Animal Registry has deemed him an "emotional support animal". Her father's oncologist has even said that he's helped keep his stress levels down, according to Matteo.

"As soon as my father would walk into the house, Wilbur would lay down in front of him and my father would rub his belly for an hour just trying to take his mind off of the radiation treatment he had all day," she said. "He's no harm to anybody, he stays in the house 95 percent of the time wrapped up in a sleeping bag all day."

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said that the DOH issued several warnings to Matteo prior to issuing the August 2016 order.

"The Health Department has been working with Wilbur's owner for a year now and we will continue to work with her as she transfers Wilbur to a sanctuary," the agency said in a statement Thursday. "While we can appreciate how emotional this issue can be, the Health Department's primary role is to protect public health."

He added that she agreed to have Wilbur sent to a sanctuary and chose the location in November.

The Department said the Board of Health mandated that pigs remain on the list of prohibited animals because there's no USDA-approved rabies vaccine for pigs.

State Sen. Tony Avella called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to change the policy regarding pigs as support animals. He said that the city has failed to properly address the issue.

"There are municipalities across the country that do allow these animals, so why is New York City behind the curve?" Avella said.

Avella says he proposed a state bill that would allow the state commissioner of the Department of Health to come up with regulations permitting municipalities to have support pigs, but the city council would need to mandate the bill for the proposition to take effect.

The state senator from Queens, who announced his New York City mayoral bid last month, says he'll change the laws regarding pet pigs if he is elected.

Staten Island legislators have also rallied behind the pig. The politicians sent a letter to the commissioner of the city Department of Health Wednesday requesting an exemption to allow Wilbur to stay put.

People have signed an online petition to keep Wilbur in Staten Island. As of Thursday evening, the family need a little over 100 signatures away from their goal of 10,000 signatures by Jan. 31st.

[NATL] Unbelievable Animal Stories: Dog Befriends Abandoned Baby Giraffe
charter elementary school students kids

Both President Trump and his pick for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, are vocal advocates of giving parents alternatives to public school, which Trump has called "a government-run monopoly."

DeVos, in particular, has championed vouchers  publicly-funded credits parents can use to send their kids to the school of their choosing.

Many of those schools are charter schools, private schools, or magnet schools.

Here's what separates one from the other.

Private schools

Private schools are probably the most popular of the three, not to mention the most straightforward.

Instead of receiving taxpayer dollars to teach a standard, federally-mandated curriculum, private schools charge a tuition to teach outside the normal constraints.

The Taft School, private schools

Depending on the state, private schools may still need to teach certain subjects to keep consistent with public schools.

The vouchers DeVos supports most often apply to private schools  a move viewed by many public-school teachers as harmful to the system, since it siphons taxpayer money away from public schools.

Students may also get scholarships or grants to private schools, similar to how the university system functions.

Charter schools

At their most basic level, charter schools are schools that are privately run but publicly funded. They are free to deviate from most state guidelines  excluding tests  and can range in size from one student learning at home to thousands across the country.

Popular charter schools include New York's Success Academy network, which has 34 branches, and the BASIS network in Arizona, Texas, and Washington D.C., which comprises 24 schools.

Recent estimates find there are approximately three million students in the US currently attending charter schools.

As their name implies, charter schools must adhere to their specific charter. Some charters focus on engineering and math; others focus on the arts. They have school boards and management organizations that regulate their operations and employ teachers, similar to normal school boards and districts.

Story continues

kipp charter school

Magnet schools

Magnet schools are probably the least understood of the three. Magnets  so-named for their ability to draw students across normal district lines  are specialized public schools. They're similar to charters in offering non-traditional courses, but they are wholly public in both their funding and operation.

They emerged in the 1970s as a remedy to racial segregation in public schools. Many of them were in poorer areas with greater minority populations, with the idea being to "pull" white students back into areas their families may have previously fled.

Popular magnets include the School for the Gifted and Talented, in Dallas, Texas, and the Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, South Carolina.

To date, there are roughly 2,700 magnets across the US compared to 5,700 charters and 34,000 private schools.

NOW WATCH: Trump's pick for education secretary says guns in schools could 'protect from potential grizzlies'





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It may be hard out there for a pimp, but not for you -- because we're giving away four tickets to see Juicy J at House of Blues San Diego on Feb. 8, along with a $50 Karma Kash giftcard to use at the venue!

Win four tickets to see Juicy J on Feb. 8 at House of Blues San Diego!

For the unfamiliar, Juicy J is co-founder of the iconic Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia, which went on to release eight studio albums -- several of which were RIAA-certified gold and platinum. In 2002, Juicy J released his solo debut, "Chronicles of the Juice Man," and in 2006, won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" at the 78th Academy Awards.

Over the last few years, he's focused on his solo career and released huge collaborations with Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, the Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, Yelawolf and Big Sean (among others). In 2013, in maybe his biggest hit to date, he was featured on Katy Perry's chart-topping "Dark Horse" single.

The king of collaborations it seems, Juicy J released "Ballin'" last September featuring none other than Kanye West, followed by "Gimme Gimme," starring Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd. According to rumors, his fourth studio album, "Rubba Band Business," is scheduled to be released early this year. Winning!

And speaking of winning -- do yourself a favor and enter now for your chance to win four tickets to Juicy J's Feb. 8 show at House of Blues! We pull the winner's name on Feb. 7 at noon so get in while you still can!

Note: Winner must be a San Diego County resident and at least 21 years old. See complete sweepstakes terms and conditions for more details.
San Diego police have revealed there was a sixth victim in a series of brutal attacks on homeless people across San Diego last year.

Jon David Guerrero, 39, has been charged in the attacks on five homeless people in San Diego, some of whom were killed with railroad spikes.

Police have now revealed a sixth, previously unannounced victim connected to Guerrero: 83-year-old Molly Simons. However, unlike Guerrero's other victims, Simons was not homeless.

The 83-year-old woman was found beaten on July 13 near Arizona Street and University Avenue as she was walking to a nearby bus stop to volunteer at a local YMCA, according to her autopsy report.

As Simons was walking, a man came up behind her and struck her on the head, according to the autopsy report. She fell to the ground and, when paramedics arrived, they found her with a bloody and swollen face.

Paramedics took Simons to the hospital, where she was conscious but could not remember what happened to her.

Doctors said she suffered a serious head injury, according to her autopsy report. Her health deteriorated, despite medical intervention, and she died on July 30, 2016, according to the ME's office.

After investigating, Guerrero was identified as the suspect in Simons' death, SDPD Lt. Valentin said. The evidence was presented to the District Attorney's office on Aug. 6, but was never publically announced.

Unlike Guerrero's other alleged victims, Simons was not homeless and lived with her husband in San Diego.

Criminologist Jack Levin, a Northeastern professor, said it did not surprise him that the victim characteristics changed over time.

"We think about serial killers as having some kind of immutable pattern in their choice of victims or their modus operandi, [for example] if they strangle the first victim they will strangle all their victims," he said. "Or if their victims are homeless men all the victims will be homeless men."

"The truth is they get bored and they're looking for some excitement and they tend to vary their victim characteristics over time," Levin said.

According to the ME's office, Simons' death was declared a homicide and her manner of death was blunt force injury of head.

Lt. Valentin said the department believes they have found all of Guerrero's victims at this time.

Guerrero is accused in five attacks that began July 3, and authorities believe he acted alone.

The dramatic homicide investigation first surfaced when police found the badly burned body of 53-year-old Angelo de Nardo near train tracks in Bay Ho. Investigators say they believe the homeless man died before he was set on fire.

On July 4, two homeless men were discovered attacked within an hour of each other in Bay Ho and Ocean Beach in the early hours of morning around 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.

They both suffered severe trauma to the upper body. 61-year-old Manuel Mason remains in critical condition. 41-year-old Shawn Longley died from the vicious assault.

On July 6, 23-year-old Derek Vahidy was found attacked and lit on fire in Pantoja Park near State and G Streets. He later died in the hospital.

Guerrero was arrested on July 15 after a fifth man was attacked at 18th and C streets.

Prosecutors have said Guerrero used railroad spikes to impale the victims as they slept.
A Whittier couple pleaded not guilty Thursday to the torture-murder of a 2-year-old girl whose body was found in a duffel bag as they were trying to cross the border into Mexico last summer.

Mercy Mary Becerra, 44, and Johnny Lewis Hartley, 39, are charged with one felony count each of murder, torture and assault on a child causing death involving the girl, who is identified in the criminal complaint only as "Angelina W."

The two are also charged with human trafficking to commit pimping or pandering in connection with the girl's mother.

Becerra and Hartley allegedly trafficked the woman between November 2012 and August 2016, seized her daughter, severely abused the child and killed the girl on or about Aug. 9, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.

Authorities have said they believe the child died in Whittier. Becerra and Lewis entered Tijuana in a pedestrian lane Aug. 9, and Becerra ran off as Mexican customs agents approached the pair, San Diego police said. Authorities chased her and took her companion into custody.

The girl's body was discovered during an X-ray examination of the bag Hartley had been carrying, authorities said.

San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Kurt Mechals had said the child died in a residential drowning, with contributing causes of malnutrition and dehydration.

San Diego County prosecutors had initially charged the two with the girl's murder, but that case was subsequently dismissed, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Becerra and Hartley remain jailed in lieu of $3.2 million bail each.

They are due back March 16 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.

If convicted as charged, the two could face up to life in state prison.
The family of a 5-year-old boy whose body was found in a creek following an exhaustive search held a vigil Thursday night.

Phillip Campbell's family identified him as the child found by officials Thursday morning, buried in 6 to 8 feet of debris in the water.

Friends and family gathered at the Calvary Chapel in Fallbrook to pray and mourn Phillip's death.

The little boy was last seen near the rain-swollen creek on Fifth Street, east of Interstate 15 on Sunday. He was traveling with family friend Roland Phillips, 73, when the car was swept away in the rising waters.

Roland's body was found Monday but Phillip remained missing until Thursday morning.

Although crews with Cal Fire and the San Diego County Sheriffs Department (SDSO) had been extensively searching the area, the water levels in the creek hindered the efforts.

Even strangers offered a helping hand in whatever way they could, hoping for the boy's body to be recovered

My heart was breaking for the family. This little boy is missing and we have family that age and kids," said Patty Estrada.

Estrada told NBC 7, although she and her husband don't know the family, they felt compelled to help. They passed out water and food to search crews and workers.

Phillip's parents told NBC 7, they were amazed to see the community come together for their family.

"These people that look out for us, that care about our son, that are willing to look for someone they don't even know--means the world to us," mom Lesley Woosley said.

Now I know hes in Gods hands," said Timothy Campbell, Phillip's father.

The family said Phillip was a student at Mike Choate Preschool. They described him as curious boy, silly and full of laughter.

Phillips lived with the boy's legal guardian and his grandmother.

Family friends are raising money for Phillip's funeral expenses.
The San Diego Humane Society rescued 31 dogs and puppies from a hoarder house, bringing the total county of dogs rescued up to 123 in the hoarding case.

Last Friday, 92 Yorkshire terriers and Yorkshire terrier mix breed dogs were rescued from a North County hoarder home. Officials said the owners, an elderly couple, sought out help for the animals.

On Wednesday, Humane Law Enforcement Officers convinced the couple to sign legal custody of the 31 dogs over to them.

The dogs were taken to the San Diego Humane Society's local campus to be examined and treated.

The 92 Yorkies rescued last week are also recovering.

The San Diego Humane Society give a behind-the-scenes look at the rescue efforts for the yorkies removed from a North County hoarder house.

In a post on Facebook, San Diego Humane Society wrote, in part: "Thank you all for your support and encouragement as we continue traveling this journey of rehabilitation for these dogs. Here are some photos of the dogs and puppies we admitted into our care last night. We will continue keeping you updated on progress with this case and the dogs themselves including when they will be available for adoption."
Serving up ceviche is San Diego resident Juan Carlos Recamiers passion. But, for him, President Donald Trump's idea to impose a 20 percent tax hike on Mexican imports to build a wall, feels personal.

"It hits home. Im from Mexico City," Recamier told NBC 7 on Thursday night.

Today, Recamier lives the American dream. He opened his own business in North Park, the Ceviche House, which specializes in fresh, healthy ceviche made with local produce and sustainable seafood.

Thursday's talk of Trump's tax idea was troubling for the small, local business owner.

"Of course it hurts. Its not an economically motivated practice," he said.

Partially because of seasonal availability, some of Recaimer's produce such as bell peppers, avocado and jicama come from Mexico.

If Trump succeeds in imposing the tax on imports, Recamier is concerned about what that may mean for his restaurant and for other members of San Diego's small business community.

"Everyone is going to have to adjust their prices," he lamented. "Its really tough for me to talk to customers and explain I have to raise my prices because tariffs are coming."

Currently, the United States and Mexico do about $ 1.6 billion dollars a day in cross-border trade. Mexico is one of the largest suppliers of agricultural imports to the U.S.

The staff at La India Bonita, a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Chula Vista, says the eatery gets 90 percent of its produce from Mexico. Any sustained price increase would likely be served up to the customer, according to Tony Valencia.

Its a huge chain reaction. Unfortunately if it does happen, the only ones that suffer are the customers, Valencia told NBC 7.

The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) said 92 percent of San Diego's exports are sold to Mexico, employing 117,000 people. The EDC said the potential for retaliatory tariff's are troubling.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer weighed in on the matter Thursday, releasing this statement:

"We already have a safe and secure border in San Diego built by the federal government. But we also have strong economic and cultural binational ties that have my unwavering support. Keeping trade moving in both directions safely and securely is important to San Diegos economy and helps create local jobs."
Vice President Mike Pence addressed a crowd of abortion opponents Friday at the annual March for Life, reassuring them "life is winning" because of the election of President Donald Trump.

The March for Life is held every year in Washington to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. While no official crowd estimates were available, the turnout was clearly larger than in recent years, when abortion opponents had less political clout. Many thousands huddled in the shadow of the Washington Monument and stood in long lines outside security checkpoints made necessary by Pence's appearance.

The hunt is on for a man who sexually assaulted a woman who stood alone at a bus stop in Gaithersburg early Friday. News4's Chris Gordon reports.

"We've come to a historic moment in the cause for life," said Pence, the first vice president to address the rally. "Life is winning in America."

Pence said ending taxpayer-funded abortion and choosing a Supreme Court justice in the mold of the late Antonin Scalia -- a conservative Catholic who opposed abortion -- are among the administration's most important goals.

"President Trump asked me to be here with you today," Pence told the crowd. "He asked me to thank you for your support."

Trump used his Twitter account to express support for marchers.

"The #MarchForLife is so important. To all of you marching --- you have my full support!" Trump tweeted.

For the first time in years, abortion opponents had political momentum at their annual rally Friday on the National Mall. Pence was the first vice president to address the march, which is in its 44th year.

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway also spoke to the crowd and highlighted the administration's anti-abortion agenda.

"Steps away from here in the White House, a president and vice president sit at their desks and make decisions for a nation," she said. "As they sit there, they stand here with you."

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Crowds showed up early for the event, which kicked off at 11:45 a.m. with a musical opening before a rally and march. More than an hour before the start time, marchers packed the space in front of the stage, many bearing signs and already cheering.

"It seemed like it was a standstill," said attendee Kathie Henderson before the event Friday morning. "I thought it was, 'Where are we going to go?' but now, I think we have hope."

Glenn Miller, a 60-year-old cabinet maker from Coventry, Connecticut, said this was his fourth march, and that it was easily the most enthusiastic. He said Trump has given a voice to those who oppose abortion and that the previous administration "didn't care."

A Northern Virginia couple with nine children told Northern Virginia Bureau Reporter David Culver why they will participate in the annual March for Live. Nearly 9,000 youth from all over the country were expected to attend a sold-out rally in Fairfax Thursday night.

He said he voted for Trump reluctantly because he didn't feel like he had a choice. He says he's been encouraged by the administration's actions on abortion so far.

"To have the support that we're having from the executive branch of our government is just indescribable, really," said attendee Liz Vallespir. "The march has been going on for so many years."

TURNOUT VISIBLY LARGER THAN IN PAST YEARS; PLANNERS EXPECTED 50,000 TO ATTEND BUT TRUMP VOWED MORE

Organizers told the National Park Service in their permit application they expected 50,000 participants.

"There's been a lot of talk about numbers this past week," Mancini said. "It's hard to add up so many numbers after 44 years because there have been a lot of us."

Crowds gathered on the National Mall in advance of Fridays March for Life, where Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to speak.

Mancini added that the most important number for marchers was 58 million, an estimate for the number of abortions performed in the United States since 1973.

However, Trump insisted on the eve of the rally that the crowd would be far larger than 50,000, saying "a lot of people are gonna be showing up."

"You know, the press never gives them the credit that they deserve," Trump told Republicans gathered in Philadelphia. "They'll have 300, 400, 500, 600 thousand people. You won't even read about it. When other people show up, you read big-time about it. Right? So, it's not fair, but nothing fair about the media."

Friday's march arrived less than a week after one of the largest mass demonstrations in the city's history, the Women's March on Washington, which drew more than half a million people opposed to Trump on issues including abortion.

The event began with a musical opening, followed by a series of speakers that most notably included Pence. Attendeees then marched down Constitution Avenue on their way to the Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol, many bearing signs and matching hats while chanting, cheering and waving to cameras.

They were scheduled to give "Silent No More" testimonies outside the Supreme Court before going to visit their members of Congress to advocate for anti-abortion legislation.

A CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

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One of Trump's first official acts after taking office a week ago was to sign an executive order banning U.S. aid to foreign groups that provide abortions.

In Congress, Republican majorities in both chambers are vowing to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provided more than a third of the nation's abortions in 2014. They also hope to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Trump has pledged to sign both measures if they reach his desk.

Less than a year ago, with Barack Obama's second term winding down, things were markedly different. The Supreme Court struck down Texas' strict regulations on abortion clinics as interfering with a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. And with polls at the time suggesting Hillary Clinton would likely defeat Trump, abortion opponents worried about an era of liberal majorities on the court.

"The horizon looked bleak for the pro-life movement," said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life.

Mancini suggested that many voters chose Trump largely because he pledged to appoint a Supreme Court justice who shared their views on abortion, even if they disagreed with him on other issues.

"I don't identify as a Republican or a Democrat but I do vote pro-life," Mancini said.

Abortion opponents also were heartened by a recent study that found the number of abortions in the United States dropped under 1 million in 2014, the lowest total in 40 years. The report by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, credited increased access to birth control but also a surge in abortion restrictions in many states.

For the first time in years, abortion opponents will have all the political momentum when they hold their annual rally Friday on the National Mall.

Americans remain deeply divided on abortion.

The latest Gallup survey, released last spring, found that 47 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-choice and 46 percent as pro-life. It also found that 79 percent believed abortion should be legal in either some or all circumstances.

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that poll shows why abortion-rights supporters shouldn't despair. She also said Republicans were taking actions that would result in more illegal abortions and deaths of pregnant women.

"The vast majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade and support the legal right to abortion," Hogue said.

The March for Life is usually held on the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision -- Jan. 22 -- but it was pushed back this year because of Trump's inauguration.

Organizers of the march said on their website that the National Park Service assigned Jan. 27 as the next available date for their event.

Mancini said she had planned to participate in the Women's March until organizers dropped an anti-abortion group as an official partner. She said its failure to embrace different views on abortion was a missed opportunity.

The March for Life routinely draws thousands, even in harsh weather. Last year's was held in a blizzard that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow on the nation's capital.

SPEAKERS INCLUDED PENCE, CARDINAL DOLAN:

Vice President Mike Pence

Kellyanne Conway, Senior Counselor to Trump

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City

Benjamin Watson, Tight End for the Baltimore Ravens

Abby Johnson, Former Planned Parenthood Director and founder of "And Then There Were None"

Karyme Lozano, Mexican telenovela star

Eric Metaxas, Author and host of "The Eric Metaxas Show"

Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr., President at Church of God In Christ World Missions

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa

Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah

Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey

NBC Washington's Megan McGrath and Mark Segraves contributed to this report.
Harry Jaffe, a longtime chronicler of the people and politics of Washington, D.C., writes a column for NBC Washington's First Read DMV blog.

Fresh from inflating the crowd size at his inauguration and claiming widespread voter fraud, the new resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue aimed his bombastic rhetoric at the District of Columbia.

"In our nation's capital killings have risen by 50 percent," President Trump said via the White House web site. Problem is that's just plain wrong. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, murders actually fell 17 percent last year. Trump dredged up old numbers to support his contention that our inner cities are hellholes -- that only he can remedy.

Like many things that come out of Trump's mouth, his line on D.C. homicides was hyperbole. But in this case, he actually has a point.

No, we are not experiencing "carnage," as Trump claimed in his inaugural address. Yet too many D.C. neighborhoods are not safe. Gunplay is on the rise. Homicides may be down, but police reported that we did have 135 murders last year.

That's way too many.

So far this year, police report a major increase in gun assaults. They count 53 cases where someone used a gun in a violent crime. That's more than two a day. Homicides (seven this year to date) are up (there were six this time last year), along with theft. The number of stolen cars is down, but there were 130 cars ripped off in the first 26 days of the year. Is that good?

Some of our local politicians are competing to see who can be toughest on crime. Vince Gray was first out of the pack. The former mayor, who now represents Ward 7 on the D.C. Council, introduced emergency legislation to devote upwards of $60 million to retain cops and hire more. He wants to bring the force up to 4,200.

That's the number requested by former police chief Cathy Lanier. On her way out last year, she pointed out that the number of cops had fallen below 3,800 even as the District population reached new highs.

Gray has a decent chance of seeing his injection of cash for cops make it through the council. He starts with five votes, including himself, toward the nine he will need Feb. 9, when it comes up for consideration. Mayor Muriel Bowser has not weighed in on the matter.

It's far from certain that Charles Allen, incoming chair of the council's Judiciary Committee, will support Gray's bill. In an interview Thursday, the Ward 6 councilmember called it an "interesting idea" but he was "skeptical" and wondered: "Is this the best way to use $60 million?"

I'm skeptical, as well. More cops are not necessarily going to stop crime. The District needs more police, but they have to be strong recruits with solid training. The MPD also needs a boost in morale after police had gone six years without a pay raiseuntil 2014. Lanier was more popular with the general public than she was with her rank and file. Acting Chief Peter Newsham, who has inside track to replace her, is well-liked among the troops.

Gray's plan to boost the number of cops is not to Newsham's liking. "It's simplistic," he told me last night at the Ward 3 Democrats meeting. "We have enough officers right now."

Charles Allen's Ward 6 is in need of a strong police presence. It stretches from Nationals Park through the burgeoning neighborhoods along the Anacostia River, to Capitol Hill, into the office buildings behind Union Station and through the southern sections of Shaw. Overall crime was down last year, Allen said, but robberies are on the rise.

"It's nowhere near where it needs to be," he told me.

Allen's ward has had its horror stories. It was the setting for a notorious home invasion and brutal rape. Finally convicted last summer, Antwon Pitt was a repeat offender who fell through huge gaps in the criminal justice system. Allen has taken note of a Washington Post series that exposed gaps in the juvenile justice system that allowed young offenders to commit violent crimes and murders.

Allen had neither background nor great interest in chairing the Judiciary Committee. He's educating himself, starting with four hours in Superior Court, following the action from arraignments to trials. He promises to hold hearings and propose new laws to patch up the system. He tends toward increased mental health services.

Law and order is not his thing. He wants to be a "progressive" chairman.

"I'm not a Draconian person," he said. "But we do owe it to ourselves to have an honest conversation about our criminal justice system."

But an honest conversation and added social services might not be enough. Cathy Lanier famously said the system was "broken." Attorney General Karl Racine told me violent juveniles were creating "havoc." Allen listed "brazen" crimes just this week in his ward, including a guy who walked into a laundromat on Benning Road, plugged a guy in the chest and calmly walked down the street.

Allen is not hitting the ground with guns blazing, so to speak. He's asking why the cops have disbanded vice squads. He wants police to be able to share information about juveniles.

Frankly, the District needs more determined changes to its criminal justice system. Sentencing is too lenient. Violent criminals get arrested at night and are back on the street in the morning. It's time to make life miserable for violent offenders. There's no need to bring out water boards, but the last thing we want is a man named Trump meddling in police business in his new 'hood.

That means we have to get serious and handle it ourselves.
Ben's Chili Bowl has painted over its famous mural featuring Bill Cosby, and the restaurant's owners say it has nothing to do with the numerous sexual assault allegations against the comedian.

The owners of the flagship U Street NW restaurant quietly painted the entire wall overnight, leaving behind a white wall with the messages "I love Ben's [since] 58" and "New Year New Mural."

The old mural featured Cosby, former President Barack Obama, radio host Donnie Simpson and music legend Chuck Brown.

Ben's drew criticism from some of its customers when it had previously declined to take the mural down after dozens of women came forward with accusations Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them.

But members of the Ali family, who own the restaurant founded by Ben Ali, said the ongoing Cosby scandal was not responsible for their decision to remove the mural.

"It wasn't about that," Sonya Ali said, referring to the scandal. "We thought the weather has beaten up that mural over the last five years. This is a great time to refresh."

Her husband, Kamal Ali, echoed her statement, saying the mural "needed a refresh anyway."

"He [Cosby] hasn't come up for years really in terms of the public. It's only the news reporters who ask," he said. "Mr. Cosby is still our brother. Despite any actions, he's still our brother. We love him dearly and want nothing but the best for him."

Now, the Alis are asking their customers to chime in and vote for who should be depicted on a new mural.

They've created an online poll with a long list of famous historical and contemporary figures for voters to choose from. Posted Thursday morning, Sonya Ali boasted the poll had already received over 600 votes by that afternoon.

Some names on the list are predictable -- Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama -- but other inclusions are more surprising: Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, Rachael Ray and Jimmy Fallon.

Also on the list: Bill Cosby.

"We have no idea who's gonna end up on the wall. But we're excited, we're really excited," Sonya Ali said. So far, Barack and Michelle Obama are trending "really hard," according to Kamal Ali.

"What we really want is expressions of peace, love, hope, that type of theme," he said. "We would like this country and this world to come together as one so it's gonna be what the people decide."

Passerby Julie Wenah was encouraged by the idea of a new mural, and hopes that something "thoughtful" will be on the wall soon.

"I definitely love President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama," she said. "I would ask Bens to be thoughtful about who encourages and what inspires them and what represents unity for the nation."

According to Sonya Ali, the restaurant is hoping work on a new mural will begin by spring.

To vote on which six people should grace the new mural, visit Ben's Chili Bowl's website.
The man accused of sexually abusing children inside an elementary school in Prince George's County, Maryland, is expected to plead guilty to federal charges, the News4 I-Team has learned.

Deonte Carraway is expected to enter a guilty plea on Monday at an arraignment proceeding at the U.S. District Courthouse in Greenbelt, according to a court filing. A federal official confirmed the arraignment hearing to the I-Team.

Carraway, a former aide at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, is charged with 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography.

The case involves 12 minors ranging in age from 9 to 13 years old. In court filings, investigators said Carraway sexually assaulted some of the victims.

Carraway was arrested in February of 2016 after the uncle of a 9-year-old boy saw a nude image on the child's phone, police said. Investigators then linked the aide to other victims in the case.

Carraways attorney did not immediately return requests for comment. The U.S. Attorneys Office, which is prosecuting the federal case against Carraway, is expected to announce the Jan. 23 hearing on Friday.

Last year, Carraway was also indicted in Prince Georges County Court on 270 local criminal charges of sex abuse of a minor, sex offenses and child pornography. He pleaded not guilty.

His lawyers argued that the court should suppress some of the defendant's statements because they may have been "involuntary." His attorneys said Carraway "exhibited significant cognitive deficits, with a full scale IQ of 63, which placed his overall intellectual functioning in the deficient range."
The marchers last Saturday made lots of noise.

The new Trump administration tried first to ignore it and then to belittle it.

The noise from the Women's March may well be the rallying cry Democrats need to start clawing their way back to relevancy -- not just nationally but in city, county and state houses around the nation where Republicans are in control in overwhelming numbers. Otherwise, it's just noise.

 Media noise. We are just at the beginning of what we might call The War Between the Stakes. The Trump administration, just like during the campaign, is staking out a position challenging the media's most basic reporting and assumptions about how a president or his administration should behave.

From last Saturday's stunning misrepresentation of crowd size to Monday's more friendly press briefing, the new Trump White House seems intent on presenting itself through "alternative facts."

For many months during the campaign last year there were endless stories about how Trump needed to "pivot" to being more presidential. You can stop waiting for that. He is who he is. The media is in for a battle over every story with this new administration that, as White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said, would present "alternative facts" to the public. Much of the media pushed back, saying "alternative" facts were falsehoods.

The Trump team should be careful it doesnt wind up in an untenable alternate universe.

The public in general has no general love of the media, but the public is not easily fooled for long. The Trump administration, starting out with low approval numbers, should be aware of a general erosion of support that occurs as daily life and decisions chip away at the grand promises of any administration.

 Protesters and prosecutors' noise. Maybe it's just to scare them, but D.C.'s U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips is not fooling around.

Prosecutors filed felony rioting charges against 230 people who were arrested on Inauguration Day for violent incidents in a four-block area near the White House. Felony rioting is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

It's unlikely the maximum sentence will be meted out -- but the charges themselves were a true indication that law enforcement was prepared for the small number of violent protesters. Of course, the news media had a field day with the violence, but the overwhelming numbers of protesters were content to yell and scream at Trump as he rode by. And by the way, there were no arrests during the Women's March.

 Metro and March for Life noise. Up next is Saturday's anti-abortion March for Life. It will be a large crowd, as it has been nearly every year since the first one in 1974 to protest the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade.

Metro has announced it will extend operating hours as it did for the Women's March. Some conservative groups are wondering, in light of coverage this past Saturday, whether the mainstream media will give the March for Life more than the glancing attention it usually receives.

Kellyanne Conway is slated to speak at the rally. March organizers say she is the highest-ranking White House official ever to speak in person at the march. President Ronald Reagan and later President George W. Bush in 2006 both addressed the rally by telephone. Among the other government speakers announced for Saturday are: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah; and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.

 A final word. We're disappointed to report that NewsChannel 8 has killed the long-running "NewsTalk" program hosted by our friend Bruce DePuyt. For 14 years DePuyt has questioned, challenged and highlighted political people and issues affecting the entire region.

Those of us in the media and public policy world will gather Thursday evening, Feb. 2, at The Midlands, 3333 Georgia Ave. NW, to salute his career and whatever comes next. Join us if you like.

Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.
A northern Virginia auto seller admitted taking part in a conspiracy to steal and sell more than a dozen State Department vehicles.

James Ratcliffe, 67, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to felony conspiracy to defraud the government. Ratcliffe worked for five years with an unnamed State Department insider to steal 15 official vehicles, prosecutors said.

Ratcliffe managed a car collision center where the State Department took vehicles for repair. Court documents show that beginning in 2011, Ratcliffe and the State Department employee, who was involved in recordkeeping of State Department vehicles, conspired to sell the vehicles and split the profits.

Ratcliffe sold 13 vehicles from the State Department motor pool, which were delivered to him by the State Department employee, for a total of $408,520, prosecutors said. The State Department also gave two vehicles worth $48,200 each to Ratcliffe, which he kept at his business or home.

Ratcliffe is scheduled to be sentenced May 3. Through a plea agreement, he is expected to serve 18 to 24 months, pay a fine of $4,000 to $40,000 and pay $416,020 in restitution and an equal amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
Virginia Tech says the 10th anniversary of the shooting on its campus that killed 32 people will be marked with three days of events.

The school says in a statement that events and tributes will culminate on April 16, the shooting's tenth anniversary.

The school says that on April 14, a campus arts center will host a "Performance in Remembrance'' with student performers including a wind ensemble, choirs and dancers.

On April 15, the school will host the eighth annual 3.2-mile "Run in Remembrance.'' A community picnic will follow.

On April 16, there will be a ceremony recognizing the students and faculty who died. A moment of silence and a candlelight vigil will also be part of the day.

A student opened fire on campus in 2007, killing students and faculty before killing himself.
What has to happen? 5 keys to an Irish upset of No. 5 Clemson Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium

Breaking down what needs to happen for Notre Dame to pull another home upset of No. 5 Clemson Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker vowed Thursday to veto a bill approved by the Democrat-controlled Senate and House that would give nearly $18 million in annual pay raises to top legislators, statewide elected officials and judges.

Baker said in a statement that one of his core responsibilities "is the responsible custody of the people's tax dollars, and we will veto this legislation because given the current fiscal outlook for the state, now is not the time to expend additional funds on elected officials' salaries."

The Senate and House, however, approved the bill by veto-proof margins.

The Senate voted 31-9 in favor of the legislation earlier Thursday, a day after the House approved the measure by a 115-44 vote. A handful of Democrats joined Republicans in both chambers in opposing the bill.

The bill wouldn't change the $62,547 annual base pay for lawmakers, but would increase additional stipends paid to Democratic and Republican leaders and to the chairs of key legislative committees.

The annual salary for House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg, both Democrats, would climb about $45,000 to more than $142,000 a year, while the heads of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees would get a $35,000 raise.

The bill also would boost Baker's annual salary from $151,800 to $185,000, and for the first time provide the governor a $65,000 housing allowance.

Other constitutional officers, including the attorney general and state treasurer, would also get substantial raises, and annual salaries for judges would increase by $25,000.

Rosenberg defended the increase, saying lawmakers are being forced out of office because of the low pay.

"We are losing young people every election cycle." Rosenberg said. "Particularly the younger members who are trying to start families and start their career, they cannot live on this."

The Senate rejected a Republican amendment that would have delayed the start of the pay raises for two years. Most of the raises would become effective immediately.

Critics faulted the bill's timing, which comes as Beacon Hill is working to keep the state budget balanced.

The group Citizens for Limited Taxation called on Baker to veto the bill, criticizing lawmakers for rushing through the legislation. DeLeo and Rosenberg first announced their intention to revisit the issue just last week.

"These cynical actions demonstrate that when the leadership and enough beholding members in the Legislature want something badly enough they just take it," said Chip Ford, the group's executive director.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a possible Democratic challenger to Baker in 2018, also slammed what he called a "rushed-through pay raise plan."

The measure also would end travel allowances for legislators in favor of a single annual lump sum payment to cover all expenses: $15,000 for those who live within 50 miles of the Statehouse and $20,000 for all others.
Police in Taunton, Massachusetts, are investigating what happened on a bus involving a disabled young man.

The bus belongs to VHS Transportation in South Easton. The company provides transportation for Pride Inc., a non-profit Taunton organization that provides services for people with intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities.

A bus driver may have assaulted one of Pride's clients, Andrew Valencia, Monday afternoon, according to a police report.

Valencia is intellectually disabled and non-verbal.

The report said the driver, Greg Warner of Taunton, helped him get into his seat. A witness says Valencia was moving around and swearing when Warner allegedly hit him in the forehead.

After speaking with Valencia's mother, police say she wants Warner charged criminally, according to the report. It also said Valencia's father became concerned this has happened more than once after noticing a change in his son's behavior.

Warner is suspended from his job and could be charged with assault and battery on a disabled person.
Police in Rockport, Massachusetts say a 17-year-old girl will be facing charges after she allegedly left a threat against the school on social media.

Police were told about the threatening Snapchat post against Rockport High School Thursday night, though the posts were several weeks hold by that point.

Officials believe there is no danger to the school.

The girl will be summonsed in Essex County Juvenile Court in Salem on criminal charges.

The incident remains under investigation.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) logo is seen before the FCC Net Neutrality hearing in Washington February 26, 2015. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

By Alina Selyukh and Malathi Nayak

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trade associations representing large U.S. Internet service providers are expected to take the lead in suing the Federal Communications Commission over its new web traffic regulations, according to several people familiar with the plan.

U.S. telecom and cable firms have said they would challenge the FCC's latest "net neutrality" rules in court. But at least some companies, including Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N), are currently not planning to bring individual lawsuits and instead aim to participate through trade groups, the sources said.

Such an approach would allow companies to streamline their litigation efforts and could help firms avoid drawing any fire individually, as Verizon did after it challenged the previous version of net neutrality rules on its own in 2010.

At least three trade groups are expected to file legal challenges: CTIA-The Wireless Association, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and the broadband association USTelecom, the sources said. The three trade groups declined comment.

Other trade groups such as the American Cable Association and the National Association of Manufacturers are weighing whether to participate in litigation, representatives said.

"We believe there will be a lot of litigation, which will probably be led by industry associations," Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo told Reuters this week.

The company is likely to hold back from filing an individual lawsuit, said an industry source familiar with Verizon's plan, citing the company's shared concerns with other members of trade associations.

T-Mobile, too, said on Wednesday it was not planning to get involved in lawsuits at this point. "We have not at all been vocal on the negative side of the camp and the folks that are talking about litigation," Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said in an interview.

Internet service providers such as Verizon, AT&T (T.N) and Comcast (CMCSA.O) have decried the FCC's vote last month to regulate broadband as a "telecommunications service" similar to traditional telephone service, instead of a more lightly regulated "information service."

Story continues

Representatives of AT&T and Comcast declined comment on Wednesday.

CHALLENGE TO MERITS, PROCESS

The industry lawsuits are likely to challenge both the merits of broadband reclassification as well as the administrative process used to adopt it, according to two telecom lobbyists familiar with the discussions.

The first angle would likely involve an argument that the FCC overstepped its statutory authority and dramatically changed the way it regulates Internet service providers without adequate legal basis, the sources said.

The companies have argued that the FCC has unduly decided to treat Internet providers as "common carriers" bound by stricter oversight, after deciding against it years ago. The wireless carriers in particular say that the law has long exempted them from common carrier treatment.

The second argument would be that the FCC did not properly inform stakeholders and the public that it was seriously thinking about switching the classification and ignored some of the arguments the companies had presented during the rulemaking, the sources said.

FCC officials have said they fully expected court challenges and believe their rules are on much firmer legal ground than previous iterations that were rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The FCC wrote the latest Internet rules after Verizon won its court case against prior rules in January 2014.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh in Washington and Malathi Nayak in New York; Editing by Soyoung Kim, Peter Henderson and Cynthia Osterman)
St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19

St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19

Community Chaplaincy Norfolk begins a new chapter Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter this week, as the new chair of trustees Chris Tomlinson led his first annual meeting. Read more

Lowestoft Christians launch on-line bible helps app The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth branch of Good News for Everyone (GNFE), formerly the Gideons, have introduced a new mobile phone app called On-line Bible Helps. Read more

Addicts' rehabilitation centre plan for Drayton Hall Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust. Read more

The power of positive protest Philip Young encourages us to take a stand for what we believe, and has just written to Therese Coffey regarding climate change and the forthcoming COP 27. He explains why we should be prepared to protest. Read more

Norwich church celebrates with cribs and trees Rosebery Road Methodist Church in Norwich will be holding its annual Cribs and Trees Festival in December. Read more

Transforming Norwich lunch offers ministry tips Ex-Brighton vicar, Rev Phil Moon, will offer tips on how to keep going in ministry to the Transforming Norwich leaders lunch on Wednesday November 16. Read more

Quiet Waters in Bungay offers healing retreat Quiet Waters Christian Retreat in Bungay is holding a gentle day retreat exploring healing in the Kingdom of God. Read more

Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more

Norfolk ministry coaching duo are guest speakers Former church leaders and now freelance ministry coaches, Jonathan and Paige Squirrell, are the guest speakers at the next dinner of Norwich FGB on Monday, November 21. Read more

Bringing light to Halloween Anna Price encourages Christians to engage positively with Halloween rather than hide away, on what many see as the darkest night of the year. Read more

First service takes place at Norwich church site SOUL Church hosted around 400 people for a special service on the site of their new building on Heartsease Lane. Read more

Dereham draws up list of warm places for winter As rising energy prices make it harder to heat homes, churches in Dereham are leading the way in creating warm spaces where people can go. Read more

South Norfolk church scoops national award A medieval Anglican church in a tiny hamlet in South Norfolk has won a national award and a 10,000 boost. Read more

Dereham churches help people to help themselves A group of churches in Dereham have launched an ambitious project which aims to meet needs in the town, including the provision of food and skills training. Read more

Halloween light in Gorleston church On Halloween this year, St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston will be preparing to welcome around 200 families to experience their Light on a Dark Night event. Read more

An opportunity for Norwich to pray for the nation Rev Nigel Fox, who has served as a Methodist Minister for 15 years in Norwich, shares an open invitation to pray for the nation at a crucial moment. Read more

Norwich church seeks musicians Kingdom Ambassadors International Church is appealing for instrumentlists, keyboardists and guitarists to be part of their worship experience. Read more
Ninety-two percent of U.S. multinational companies cited compliance with the looming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a top data protection priority, according to new research from PwC. Sixty-eight percent are earmarking between $1 million and $10 million on GDPR readiness and compliance efforts, with 9 percent expecting to spend over $10 million, says Jay Cline, PwCs U.S. privacy leader.

Cline says PwC slatest survey showed that fear remains the biggest motivator for U.S. CIOs, who are connecting the dots after watching data breaches lead to lost revenues, regulatory fines and the erosion of consumer trust. U.S. companies see the connection between doing privacy well and greater revenues and consumer trust, says Cline, who surveyed 200 CIOs, CISOs and other C-suite executives.

Short of a catastrophic breach, there may not be a better business case for U.S. companies operating in Europe to fortify their cybersecurity and risk management portfolios than the GDPR, which regulators will implement on May 25, 2018 to ensure data protection for individuals within the European Union (EU). Businesses that fail to comply with GDPRs broad and extensive rules will face a potential 4 percent fine based on their global revenues, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

GDPR compliance is onerous

The burdens placed by GDPR are overwhelming, even for U.S. multinationals with considerable resources. GDPR stipulates that companies maintain adequate data records; notify regulators in the event of data breaches; ensure customers the right to be forgotten; and enable customers to take their data with them. In some circumstances, such as when data processing is carried out by a public authority, GDPR requires companies to appoint a data protection officer.

[ Related: Why you need a data protection officer ]

Facing these requirements, many enterprises are struggling to revamp their data protection mechanisms and construct risk assessment processes for privacy compliance and security, says Bart Willemsen, a Gartner analyst who has fielded hundreds of client inquiries about GDPR in recent months. They're also agonizing over how to institute the breach prevention, detection, forensics, remediation and notification measures the GDPR mandates. Businesses are also challenged with both the legal and technical aspects of data residency and location.

"Cross-border transfers and the allowed mechanisms cause concern and require action in both the legal and the IT department, even in vendor selection and procurement processes," Willemsen says.

CIOs and CISO are turning to encryption (both in transit as well as at rest), tokenization and technologies that enable pseudonymization, including big data analytics, internet of things (IoT) and blockchain. As if these in-house obligations arent enough, CIOs must also ensure that their cloud vendors and other third-party partners are adhering to GDPR specifications.

Binding contracts and model clauses

GDPR compliance goes beyond technical and procedural capabilities. Many companies are seeking special contracts to assure regulators and indemnify themselves. So-called model clauses, contracts created between companies and technology vendors to ensure certain data protection standards are met, are being adopted by 58 percent of respondents, says PwCs Cline

But Cline also says that 75 percent of those surveyed are seeking binding corporate rules for EU cross-border compliance, which essentially allow companies to get an EU regulator to sign off on their data privacy program, policies and procedures. "This allows a company to transfer its European data around the world," Cline says. "It's higher bar [to reach] but it's more flexible in the long term."

Willemsen says that model clauses and binding corporate rules work best implemented together. "BCRs seem to be the explicit favorite of EU data protection authorities, although I still see organizations also revert to adoption of the standard contractual clauses (or EU Model Clauses). Some use them in addition to BCR with an overlapping scope, which I think is excellent."

Despite the three-year advance notice -- the EU announced GDPR in 2015 -- some enterprises are woefully behind schedule.

While most used the 2016 budget cycle to assess their data protection gaps and aim to fill those gaps in 2017, Cline says 23 percent of respondents hadn't started preparing to meet GDPR and will find it hard to catch-up. American multinationals that have not taken significant steps to prepare for GDPR are already behind their peers, Cline says.

This no surprise to Willemsen, who wrote in a September research note that over 50 percent of companies affected by the GDPR will not be in full compliance with its requirements by the end of 2018. However, rather than allocating a larger portion of their budget to meet GDPR in the next cycle, companies should dedicate a permanent budget for privacy compliance.

"This is the ethical way to do business," Willemsen says. "Good privacy safeguarding ... should be at the core of your operation, demonstrating value to both client and colleague. Similar to security, if you do it right, privacy [compliance] is a business enabler rather than a stumbling block for those who value consumer trust."

This story, "U.S. companies spending millions to satisfy Europe's GDPR" was originally published by CIO .
barack obama

On Tuesday, the state department under President Donald Trump announced it would review one of Barack Obama's final acts as US president  the release of $221 million to the Palestinian Authority.

Obama's move, came as a shock to many. The funds had congressional holds on them, which don't legally bind the president but have historically been respected.

It appears that Trump's decision to review Obama's release of the funds comes down to his heavily pro-Israel agenda.

Trump, who took office just hours after Obama's decision, has taken a hard line against the Palestinians, describing their funding of terrorism and the larger situation in the West Bank and Gaza as a "deplorable, deplorable situation", in remarks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in March.

The $221 million released by Obama, and subsequently halted by Trump, is part of the US's regularly scheduled aid to Palestine, which totaled $557 million from all US government agencies in 2015.

The US, and even Israel, provide funds to the Palestinian Authority because the government's stability contributes to Israel's security, Michael Koplow, a Middle East analyst at the Israel Policy Forum, told Business Insider.

The relative stability of the West Bank, which has not become "a haven for terrorism and a launching ground for rocket attacks," unlike Gaza, can be credited to the cooperation of the Israeli Defense Forces and the Palestinian Authority security forces, according to Koplow.

"The IDF and the Israeli government are the biggest lobbyists of Congress in favor of continuing Palestinian aid," Koplow added.

According to Koplow, though the Israelis and their supporters in the US may condemn the Palestinian Authority and their actions, they continually fund and prop up the organization for a lack of a better alternative.

west bank

Story continues

"Should the PA collapse, the scenarios range from the Israeli military having to reenter the entirety of the West Bank to a complete Hamas takeover. Both the US and Israel are willing to put up with and fund Palestinian Authority corruption, ineffective government, and incitement in order to ensure the security cooperation that safeguards Israeli security," said Koplow.

However, a few GOP lawmakers decided to draw the line on the $221 million Obama intended to send to the PA.

Two GOP lawmakers Ed Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger of Texas, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, had placed holds on the funds as the Palestinian Authority had pursued "a unilateral tract towards statehood and they were not trying to work with Israel," said Schanzer.

By putting the payment under review, the Trump administration seems to be siding with the GOP lawmakers, and the Israelis themselves, who recently moved to reduce their support to the Palestinian Authority after a wave of attacks on Israelis in the West Bank this month.

idf soldiers

Indeed, the Palestinians have been making unilateral pushes for statehood, but the Israelis had also pushed forward with initiatives that troubled the Obama administration. The Obama administration made as much clear in December, when the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that Israel stop building settlements on Palestinian land.

The US refused to vote on the resolution, effectively allowing it to pass.

Trump quickly and sharply criticized this move. "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect," Trump tweeted. "They used to have a great friend in the US, but ... not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Koplow said Obama likely felt "frustration with Israeli settlement activity despite repeated pleas from the White House and the State Department." This frustration was "compounded to an unprecedented degree by the Israeli Regulation Bill  which will legalize every unauthorized outpost and building in the West Bank that are currently illegal under Israeli law," said Koplow.

trump netanyahu

The bill has only made it through the preliminary stages of Israel's legislature, but has upset Washington and many in the international community nonetheless.

So while the Palestinian Authority remains corrupt, and a sponsor of terror, the decision on the Israelis part to attempt to barrel ahead with the settlements in the West Bank likely prompted Obama's decision to try to release the funds in his final hours.

Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, which PA President Mahmoud Abbas has urged against. His administration will review the funding and possibly adjust it should it clash with his strategy in the region, the Associated Press reports.

NOW WATCH: LIEBERMAN: Why Trump's plan to tax Mexican imports 20% to pay for the wall is risky





More From Business Insider


Calls for whole town to join together to provide shelter for rough sleepers

CALLS to end homelessness in Newbury are gathering support after it was revealed that the number of people sleeping rough in West Berkshire has trebled since 2010.

With temperatures plummeting, local campaigners, volunteers and politicians are now hoping to join forces to ignite a community response and try to finally put an end to the issue.

Shocking new figures show that across the UK, the number of homeless people has increased by 16 per cent year on year.

Local experts say the true number of homeless people in West Berkshire is difficult to determine, but agree it is likely to be far higher than the 14 quoted in Government statistics released on Wednesday.

And with West Berkshire Council forced to make cuts to funding for mental health services and support for vulnerable young people last year, those without a home say they are finding it increasingly difficult to turn their situation around.

Long-time campaigner and charity worker Catherine Knight this week called for charities, businesses, local authorities, politicians, and anyone else who feels passionately about the issue to start a dialogue and work together to put an end to the problem for good.

Mrs Knight has spent years working in the local community to help tackle a variety of issues, including working with the church, Loose Ends charity and the Salvation Army and says she is keen to act as a go-between for the different parties who wish to become involved.

She is ultimately hoping the local community will provide the means to establish a new centre for the homeless in Newbury which focuses on re-integrating people back into society.

This is the year to crack the homeless in Newbury, she said.

Its about the community that we live in, pulling together."

These people can only get back into work if they have an address which we hope this new centre could provide.

Im asking for anyone out there with a bit of land or a building we could use to set up a new centre to give people a roof over their heads.

We want to help them make a lifestyle change  its about getting them in the right place and getting them engaged in the community.

If we could ask for people to come forward who are electricians, plumbers, brickies, glaziers, anyone with a trade to help us help them.

Ms Knight, was also quick to point out the work already done by different groups and organisations to help the homeless.

She said: There are so many unsung heroes doing such great work but you need to encompass everyone to work together.

Anyone who wants to get involved in discussions to help tackle the homeless issue in Newbury can contact Catherine Knight on 07470 400285 or email catherine.m.knight@hotmail.co.uk

For more on the plight of the homeless in Newbury pick up a copy of this week's Newbury Weekly News
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Hugo Barra, who resigned as Xiaomis global vice-president three days ago, announced on Thursday that he will join Facebook as its vice-president of virtual reality, heading the department.

Barra will bring his expertise in hardware manufacturing and distribution along with his software background.

Before joining Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, he was Googles vice-president for product management for android. Im excited that Hugo Barra is joining Facebook to lead all of our virtual reality efforts, including our Oculus team, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus, had stepped down last month to run another division and the position had been lying vacant since then. Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. Theyll enable us to experience completely new things and be more creative than ever before, Zuckerberg pointed out.

Barra also stated that it had been his dream to work in virtual reality even back when AR/VR were just figments of science fiction.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun always says that the highest calling of an engineer is to make technology breakthroughs quickly and readily available to the widest possible spectrum of humanity. That will be my mission at Facebook and I look forward to building the future of immersive technology.., Barra stated.

BENGALURU: Hugo Barra, who resigned as Xiaomis global vice-president three days ago, announced on Thursday that he will join Facebook as its vice-president of virtual reality, heading the department. Barra will bring his expertise in hardware manufacturing and distribution along with his software background. Before joining Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, he was Googles vice-president for product management for android. Im excited that Hugo Barra is joining Facebook to lead all of our virtual reality efforts, including our Oculus team, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus, had stepped down last month to run another division and the position had been lying vacant since then. Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. Theyll enable us to experience completely new things and be more creative than ever before, Zuckerberg pointed out. Barra also stated that it had been his dream to work in virtual reality even back when AR/VR were just figments of science fiction. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun always says that the highest calling of an engineer is to make technology breakthroughs quickly and readily available to the widest possible spectrum of humanity. That will be my mission at Facebook and I look forward to building the future of immersive technology.., Barra stated.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Country's second biggest private sector lender HDFC Bank is planning to install up to 20 humanoids at its branches in the two years to assist customers.

"We will be setting up 15-20 humanoids in the next 18 to 24 months," HDFC Bank's head of digital banking Nitin Chugh told reporters after launching its first humanoid, named 'Ira', at a branch near its headquarters here.

Ira helps the welcome desk by giving directions to customers. Chugh said there was a high possibility of using it for various other jobs including transactions.

The bank is working on artificial intelligence and voice recognition technologies which, when coupled with connectivity with its core banking software which will be done eventually, will open up many new possibilities, he said.

Chugh said the bank will be analysing customer requirements at the branch and incorporate various other services accordingly.

Newer humanoids to be deployed at other locations may not be replicas of Ira, he said, adding the development of humanoid by the bank itself makes this possible.

When asked about the need to have such a gadget at a time when there are enough signages to guide a customer, Chugh said the bank is not concentrating on the optics alone but the potential which it holds drove it to invest in it.

Small-time private sector lender City Union Bank was the first among Indian banks to introduce its robot last year.

HDFC Bank, which saw its employee count fall by over 4,500 in the December quarter alone due to efficiency improvements and attritions, does not see any job losses because of the humanoid, Chugh said, reiterating that it is aimed only to assist customers.

The Kochi-based Asimov Robotics, which has developed Ira, has got queries from airports, hospitality industry and retail chains to deploy similar humanoids, its chief executive Jayakrishnan T told reporters.

MUMBAI: Country's second biggest private sector lender HDFC Bank is planning to install up to 20 humanoids at its branches in the two years to assist customers. "We will be setting up 15-20 humanoids in the next 18 to 24 months," HDFC Bank's head of digital banking Nitin Chugh told reporters after launching its first humanoid, named 'Ira', at a branch near its headquarters here. Ira helps the welcome desk by giving directions to customers. Chugh said there was a high possibility of using it for various other jobs including transactions. The bank is working on artificial intelligence and voice recognition technologies which, when coupled with connectivity with its core banking software which will be done eventually, will open up many new possibilities, he said. Chugh said the bank will be analysing customer requirements at the branch and incorporate various other services accordingly. Newer humanoids to be deployed at other locations may not be replicas of Ira, he said, adding the development of humanoid by the bank itself makes this possible. When asked about the need to have such a gadget at a time when there are enough signages to guide a customer, Chugh said the bank is not concentrating on the optics alone but the potential which it holds drove it to invest in it. Small-time private sector lender City Union Bank was the first among Indian banks to introduce its robot last year. HDFC Bank, which saw its employee count fall by over 4,500 in the December quarter alone due to efficiency improvements and attritions, does not see any job losses because of the humanoid, Chugh said, reiterating that it is aimed only to assist customers. The Kochi-based Asimov Robotics, which has developed Ira, has got queries from airports, hospitality industry and retail chains to deploy similar humanoids, its chief executive Jayakrishnan T told reporters.
By Reuters

TOKYO: Japan will continue to monitor closely how the relationship between the United States and Mexico affects Japanese companies, chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Friday.

The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso plummeting and deepening the crisis between the two neighbours.

Japanese manufacturers including major automakers operate factories in Mexico.

TOKYO: Japan will continue to monitor closely how the relationship between the United States and Mexico affects Japanese companies, chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Friday. The White House on Thursday floated the idea of imposing a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for a wall at the southern U.S. border, sending the peso plummeting and deepening the crisis between the two neighbours. Japanese manufacturers including major automakers operate factories in Mexico.
By AFP

OTTAWA, CANADA: General Motors is shifting 625 jobs from a plant in Canada that makes popular crossover utility vehicles to Mexico, the Canadian auto workers union said Friday.

The cuts represent one-fifth of the facility's workforce and comes less than a year after GM expanded the Canadian plant, with part of a Can$560 million (US$426 million) investment in its overall Canadian operations.

The layoffs at the plant in Ingersoll, Ontario -- which produces the Equinox and Terrain models -- are a "betrayal" that show "why NAFTA is a terrible deal for Canadian jobs," Unifor said in a statement on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"It is another example of how good jobs are being shifted out of Canada for cheaper labor in Mexico," Unifor president Jerry Dias said.

The announcement is "a shining example of everything wrong with NAFTA, it must be renegotiated," he added. "It is imperative that we have trade rules that help ensure good jobs in Canada."

GM spokesman Mathew Palmer told AFP in an email the cuts "are strictly related to the end of the older generation Equinox production" at the Ingersoll plant, and have nothing to do with moving Terrain production to Mexico, which had already been announced.

The new Equinox model is to start production at the Ingersoll plant in July.

NAFTA has linked Canada, the United States and Mexico since 1994.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the trade pact, threatening to impose stiff import duties on foreign-made cars sold in the United States.

Auto makers responded with goodwill overtures, playing up their efforts to create jobs and invest in the United States.

Asked for a comment, Canadian Economic Development Minister Havdeep Bains said through a spokesman that the government "is concerned about the impact of job losses on workers and their families and our thoughts go out to those affected."

But, he added, "We remain optimistic about the strength and future of Canada's automotive industry."

OTTAWA, CANADA: General Motors is shifting 625 jobs from a plant in Canada that makes popular crossover utility vehicles to Mexico, the Canadian auto workers union said Friday. The cuts represent one-fifth of the facility's workforce and comes less than a year after GM expanded the Canadian plant, with part of a Can$560 million (US$426 million) investment in its overall Canadian operations. The layoffs at the plant in Ingersoll, Ontario -- which produces the Equinox and Terrain models -- are a "betrayal" that show "why NAFTA is a terrible deal for Canadian jobs," Unifor said in a statement on the North American Free Trade Agreement. "It is another example of how good jobs are being shifted out of Canada for cheaper labor in Mexico," Unifor president Jerry Dias said. The announcement is "a shining example of everything wrong with NAFTA, it must be renegotiated," he added. "It is imperative that we have trade rules that help ensure good jobs in Canada." GM spokesman Mathew Palmer told AFP in an email the cuts "are strictly related to the end of the older generation Equinox production" at the Ingersoll plant, and have nothing to do with moving Terrain production to Mexico, which had already been announced. The new Equinox model is to start production at the Ingersoll plant in July. NAFTA has linked Canada, the United States and Mexico since 1994. US President Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the trade pact, threatening to impose stiff import duties on foreign-made cars sold in the United States. Auto makers responded with goodwill overtures, playing up their efforts to create jobs and invest in the United States. Asked for a comment, Canadian Economic Development Minister Havdeep Bains said through a spokesman that the government "is concerned about the impact of job losses on workers and their families and our thoughts go out to those affected." But, he added, "We remain optimistic about the strength and future of Canada's automotive industry."
Sridevi S By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: A beautiful photograph has the power to inspire, move, and evoke powerful emotions. Susheela Nair, a travel writer, photographer and director of Essen Communications, has put together a photo exhibition, which showcases around 120 photographs covering UNESCO World Heritage sites in 30 countries, at Chitrakala Parishat. Twenty-five travel photographers, heritage buffs and three Tourism BoardsMauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Scandinavian Tourist Board, and Indonesia Tourist Office have contributed to this photo exhibition. They received over 150 entries from across India, out of which they filtered it to 25.

The response was overwhelming. However, we gave importance to small details and their passion for clicking photographs rather than going through the technical details. In fact one of the photos put up here is shot from a mobile phone camera, said Susheela Nair. A traveller herself, Nairs photographs are also featured in the exhibition. They have chosen four best photographs of which three will be given prizes and a certificate of merit to the fourth one. Of the three prizewinners  Aswini Neetan, Anita Mysore, Sonal Maheshwarithe first two are from Bengaluru.

Speaking to City Express, the first prize winner Aswini Neetan, a former I-T employee said, The picture was shot during our self drive road trip in Italy with my family. Before leaving to Italy, I did a small research about this place. It is akin to the ones in Santorini, Greece and that intrigued me. So I made sure this place was included in the itinerary. The location is indeed magical and had to be shot. Second prizewinner Anita Mysuru, who is also a Bengalurean, said, I was on my business trip in Portugal and had taken a day off to go around places.

The city is known for romantic architecture and the place I have shot is their national palace, which was also the summer palace of the royal family. On that particular day, weather played a major role as clouds were playing hide and seek. When we went inside the palace, it started raining. Then when we came out, the light kind of diffused and that compelled me to take this picture.

The exhibition will go on till January 29 at Chitrakala Parishat. The photographs on display are segmented into three categories- Cultural (Heritage) Sites, Natural Sites and Looking Beyond India. On display are an array of photographs in the Cultural (Heritage) Sites, ranging from beauty of the ruins at Hampi, the exquisite Great Living Chola Temples in Thanjavur, the imposing hill forts of Rajasthan, rock-cut splendours of Bhimbetka, the stunning Archaeological Park in Champaner -Pavgadh.

The Natural Sites section includes breathtaking photos of the scenic charm of Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia, the exotic flora and fauna of the Western Ghats, Komodo dragons in Indonesia, the fjords carved out by glaciers in Norway.

BENGALURU: A beautiful photograph has the power to inspire, move, and evoke powerful emotions. Susheela Nair, a travel writer, photographer and director of Essen Communications, has put together a photo exhibition, which showcases around 120 photographs covering UNESCO World Heritage sites in 30 countries, at Chitrakala Parishat. Twenty-five travel photographers, heritage buffs and three Tourism BoardsMauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Scandinavian Tourist Board, and Indonesia Tourist Office have contributed to this photo exhibition. They received over 150 entries from across India, out of which they filtered it to 25. The response was overwhelming. However, we gave importance to small details and their passion for clicking photographs rather than going through the technical details. In fact one of the photos put up here is shot from a mobile phone camera, said Susheela Nair. A traveller herself, Nairs photographs are also featured in the exhibition. They have chosen four best photographs of which three will be given prizes and a certificate of merit to the fourth one. Of the three prizewinners  Aswini Neetan, Anita Mysore, Sonal Maheshwarithe first two are from Bengaluru. Speaking to City Express, the first prize winner Aswini Neetan, a former I-T employee said, The picture was shot during our self drive road trip in Italy with my family. Before leaving to Italy, I did a small research about this place. It is akin to the ones in Santorini, Greece and that intrigued me. So I made sure this place was included in the itinerary. The location is indeed magical and had to be shot. Second prizewinner Anita Mysuru, who is also a Bengalurean, said, I was on my business trip in Portugal and had taken a day off to go around places. The city is known for romantic architecture and the place I have shot is their national palace, which was also the summer palace of the royal family. On that particular day, weather played a major role as clouds were playing hide and seek. When we went inside the palace, it started raining. Then when we came out, the light kind of diffused and that compelled me to take this picture. The exhibition will go on till January 29 at Chitrakala Parishat. The photographs on display are segmented into three categories- Cultural (Heritage) Sites, Natural Sites and Looking Beyond India. On display are an array of photographs in the Cultural (Heritage) Sites, ranging from beauty of the ruins at Hampi, the exquisite Great Living Chola Temples in Thanjavur, the imposing hill forts of Rajasthan, rock-cut splendours of Bhimbetka, the stunning Archaeological Park in Champaner -Pavgadh. The Natural Sites section includes breathtaking photos of the scenic charm of Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia, the exotic flora and fauna of the Western Ghats, Komodo dragons in Indonesia, the fjords carved out by glaciers in Norway.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Understaffed, overworked and at the receiving end of public ire, pharmacists in government hospitals are seeking urgent recruitment to address manpower shortage.

Pharmacists are sore their number in government hospitals has not been increased corresponding to the number of patients over the years. The result, each pharmacist has to deal with hundreds of patients every day.

The shortage is felt more in rural areas, where the professionals have to deal with angry people also. There was at least one case in Tiruvallur where the staff was attacked for allegedly making patients wait for a long time.

According to the Tamil Nadu Medical Code of Ethics, the recommended ratio is one pharmacist for 100 outpatients. In the case of inpatients, the ratio is 1:75. But the ground reality is much different, say members of the pharmacists association.

Most taluk and district headquarters hospitals have around 1,000 out-patients. But there are only one or two pharmacists to distribute the medicines, said MK Muthu, secretary, Tamil Nadu Government All Pharmacists Association.

In government hospitals across the State that are administered by the Directorate of Medical Education, Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, and Directorate of Public Health, there are 3,484 pharmacists. This is woefully short of the required strength. Association members allege there are about 1,200 vacancies - more in PHCs followed by hospitals under DMS and DME. This shortage, they added, is creating a big burden on the existing staff.

At the Primary Health Centre at Ariyalur where I am posted, I attend to over 300 patients a day. It is worse in taluk and district headquarters hospitals where there are about 1,000 out-patients, but have only a maximum of two pharmacists, Muthu added.

At work, I have to multitask myself between dispensing medicines, maintaining records and purchasing medicines. This has led to a situation where health workers distribute medicines in the absence of pharmacists, said P Selvam, a senior pharmacist now posted at Villupuram.

However, Health department officials said the vacancy number was about half of what the association is claiming. There are around 53 vacancies in the hospitals administered by DME, and about 500 vacancies exist both in DMS and DPH hospitals, official sources said.

Officials said recruitment had been halted for about two years following a petition by unemployed pharmacists association seeking recruitment through an interview and not based on marks as is done by Medical Recruitment Board. The case is pending before the Madras High Court.

CHENNAI: Understaffed, overworked and at the receiving end of public ire, pharmacists in government hospitals are seeking urgent recruitment to address manpower shortage. Pharmacists are sore their number in government hospitals has not been increased corresponding to the number of patients over the years. The result, each pharmacist has to deal with hundreds of patients every day. The shortage is felt more in rural areas, where the professionals have to deal with angry people also. There was at least one case in Tiruvallur where the staff was attacked for allegedly making patients wait for a long time. According to the Tamil Nadu Medical Code of Ethics, the recommended ratio is one pharmacist for 100 outpatients. In the case of inpatients, the ratio is 1:75. But the ground reality is much different, say members of the pharmacists association. Most taluk and district headquarters hospitals have around 1,000 out-patients. But there are only one or two pharmacists to distribute the medicines, said MK Muthu, secretary, Tamil Nadu Government All Pharmacists Association. In government hospitals across the State that are administered by the Directorate of Medical Education, Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, and Directorate of Public Health, there are 3,484 pharmacists. This is woefully short of the required strength. Association members allege there are about 1,200 vacancies - more in PHCs followed by hospitals under DMS and DME. This shortage, they added, is creating a big burden on the existing staff. At the Primary Health Centre at Ariyalur where I am posted, I attend to over 300 patients a day. It is worse in taluk and district headquarters hospitals where there are about 1,000 out-patients, but have only a maximum of two pharmacists, Muthu added. At work, I have to multitask myself between dispensing medicines, maintaining records and purchasing medicines. This has led to a situation where health workers distribute medicines in the absence of pharmacists, said P Selvam, a senior pharmacist now posted at Villupuram. However, Health department officials said the vacancy number was about half of what the association is claiming. There are around 53 vacancies in the hospitals administered by DME, and about 500 vacancies exist both in DMS and DPH hospitals, official sources said. Officials said recruitment had been halted for about two years following a petition by unemployed pharmacists association seeking recruitment through an interview and not based on marks as is done by Medical Recruitment Board. The case is pending before the Madras High Court.
Ashmita Gupta By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Struggling to meet the demand from thousands of staff and student residents after being hit by one of the worst water crises in years, Anna University has decided to advance semester exams by a month to wind up the session before the crisis peaks in summer. From this week, Saturdays would be working days so as to finish the syllabus and wrap up the semester early.

Due to the failure of monsoon in Chennai, it has been approved to squeeze the semester by conducting classes on all Saturdays from 28th January  read a circular issued by the university. Following this, the semester exams would be held in April  a month earlier than usual, an official from the university told Express.

We plan to finish the semester exams by the second week of April for the final semesters  4, 6 and 8  while they would be wound up by the end of April for the first, second and third semesters, the official added.

The 37 hostels on the universitys four campuses house 7,500 students  besides staff  and require about eight lakh litres of water a day. Three lakh litres are supplied to the hostels and three lakh to the staff quarters. The rest is supplied to departments, for use in labs and classrooms, said Prof VK Stalin, estate officer of the university.

However, with the water in city reservoirs dwindling to alarming levels, Chennai Metro Water has reduced the supply to five lakh litres a day. Used to getting water round-the-clock, hostel residents now receive it only from 5.30 - 9.30 am and from 5:30 - 6:30 pm.

It is getting increasingly difficult. For emergency needs, the workers fill tanks in the toilets that have a capacity of just 300 - 500 litres, said a student seeking anonymity.

Among the four campuses, the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), AC Tech and School of Architecture and Planning (SAP) receive water from Metro Water, while the fourth, Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), depends on groundwater, which, however, is fast depleting.

The university currently spends between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4 lakh a month to procure water through private water tankers. This has caused financial constraints, said a university official. This crisis has begun even before the summer season, which will peak in May. This has led to the decision to finish the syllabus as early as possible, said university registrar S Ganesan.

CHENNAI: Struggling to meet the demand from thousands of staff and student residents after being hit by one of the worst water crises in years, Anna University has decided to advance semester exams by a month to wind up the session before the crisis peaks in summer. From this week, Saturdays would be working days so as to finish the syllabus and wrap up the semester early. Due to the failure of monsoon in Chennai, it has been approved to squeeze the semester by conducting classes on all Saturdays from 28th January  read a circular issued by the university. Following this, the semester exams would be held in April  a month earlier than usual, an official from the university told Express. We plan to finish the semester exams by the second week of April for the final semesters  4, 6 and 8  while they would be wound up by the end of April for the first, second and third semesters, the official added. The 37 hostels on the universitys four campuses house 7,500 students  besides staff  and require about eight lakh litres of water a day. Three lakh litres are supplied to the hostels and three lakh to the staff quarters. The rest is supplied to departments, for use in labs and classrooms, said Prof VK Stalin, estate officer of the university. However, with the water in city reservoirs dwindling to alarming levels, Chennai Metro Water has reduced the supply to five lakh litres a day. Used to getting water round-the-clock, hostel residents now receive it only from 5.30 - 9.30 am and from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. It is getting increasingly difficult. For emergency needs, the workers fill tanks in the toilets that have a capacity of just 300 - 500 litres, said a student seeking anonymity. Among the four campuses, the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), AC Tech and School of Architecture and Planning (SAP) receive water from Metro Water, while the fourth, Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), depends on groundwater, which, however, is fast depleting. The university currently spends between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4 lakh a month to procure water through private water tankers. This has caused financial constraints, said a university official. This crisis has begun even before the summer season, which will peak in May. This has led to the decision to finish the syllabus as early as possible, said university registrar S Ganesan.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: CID sleuths on Thursday arrested a Nigerian national and a local man for allegedly duping an Australian of USD 95,000.

Mohsin Agha (29), a resident of Towlichowki and Mohammed Hassani Barua (31), a Nigerian national residing in Kokapet were arrested, a release from TS DGP office said.

CID inspector general Sowmya Mishra said they had received a complaint from Australian who stated that in January 2016, he had come across a womans profile called Sarah Haimish and in due course, they became close and decided to marry. She claimed that she was also Australian and that she sold gems and clothes in India.

Later, she said that she was in dire need of money ($2,10,000) and that she would pay him back. The complainant then transferred around $95,000 (`61 lakh) into Axis Bank current account held by accused Mohsin Agha. He and Mohammed Hassani were traced and jailed. Another co-conspirator, a woman is absconding.

HYDERABAD: CID sleuths on Thursday arrested a Nigerian national and a local man for allegedly duping an Australian of USD 95,000. Mohsin Agha (29), a resident of Towlichowki and Mohammed Hassani Barua (31), a Nigerian national residing in Kokapet were arrested, a release from TS DGP office said. CID inspector general Sowmya Mishra said they had received a complaint from Australian who stated that in January 2016, he had come across a womans profile called Sarah Haimish and in due course, they became close and decided to marry. She claimed that she was also Australian and that she sold gems and clothes in India. Later, she said that she was in dire need of money ($2,10,000) and that she would pay him back. The complainant then transferred around $95,000 (`61 lakh) into Axis Bank current account held by accused Mohsin Agha. He and Mohammed Hassani were traced and jailed. Another co-conspirator, a woman is absconding.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Three days after Trinamool leaders brokered a fragile peace that led to the removal of blockades in strife-hit Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the agitating villages returned to blockades on Friday after top CPI (ML) Red Star leaders Sharmishtha Choudhury, Pradeep Thakur and Shahnawaz Mollah were arrested and CID granted an eight-day custody of the trio by a local court on Thursday.

When Trinamool legislator and Bidhannagar mayor Sabyasachi Dutta, who led the removal of blockades on Tuesday, went for the second time to the area on Thursday evening, he was greeted by stone-pelting mobs and was surrounded by villagers who allegedly asked him to leave the area. Clashes ensued between the protesters and West Bengal Police, who escorted the mayor out. Police fired at least seven rounds in the air. Roads have been blocked in at least 16 areas in Machibhanga, Bakdoba, Khamarait, Shyamnagar and other agitating villages of Bhangar.

Some of the Bhangar residents had alleged that Trinamool cadres had thrown bombs in the area in the name of removing blockades. I dont understand red star or white star. If they come to disrupt peace, we will whitewash them, Dutta said.

However, the agitators said that when outsiders Red Star leaders Choudhury, Thakur and Mollah were arrested, why same treatment was not meted out to Sabyasachi Dutta and his men, who are also outsiders to the area. Mamata Banerjee had ordered to arrest all outsiders trying to foment trouble in Bhangar but orders were followed selectively. We will continue with our protests until the Red Star leaders are released, who stood with us during the time of need, agitator Akbar Ali said.

CPI (ML) Red Star had not agreed to the suspension of the blockade on Tuesday. Apart from the three arrests, the partys general secretary K N Ramachandran was allegedly picked up from Howrah station on Sunday and sent back to Delhi on Monday. He was supposed to address a public meet of agitators in Bhangar. The state government had from the beginning alleged the role of Red Star in igniting the protests in Bhangar.

In new worries for Mamata Banerjee, the second phase of blockade against the arrests has also brought to fore the support the parliamentary Naxalite party commands among residents of the 30 agitating villages of Bhangar.

KOLKATA: Three days after Trinamool leaders brokered a fragile peace that led to the removal of blockades in strife-hit Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the agitating villages returned to blockades on Friday after top CPI (ML) Red Star leaders Sharmishtha Choudhury, Pradeep Thakur and Shahnawaz Mollah were arrested and CID granted an eight-day custody of the trio by a local court on Thursday. When Trinamool legislator and Bidhannagar mayor Sabyasachi Dutta, who led the removal of blockades on Tuesday, went for the second time to the area on Thursday evening, he was greeted by stone-pelting mobs and was surrounded by villagers who allegedly asked him to leave the area. Clashes ensued between the protesters and West Bengal Police, who escorted the mayor out. Police fired at least seven rounds in the air. Roads have been blocked in at least 16 areas in Machibhanga, Bakdoba, Khamarait, Shyamnagar and other agitating villages of Bhangar. Some of the Bhangar residents had alleged that Trinamool cadres had thrown bombs in the area in the name of removing blockades. I dont understand red star or white star. If they come to disrupt peace, we will whitewash them, Dutta said. However, the agitators said that when outsiders Red Star leaders Choudhury, Thakur and Mollah were arrested, why same treatment was not meted out to Sabyasachi Dutta and his men, who are also outsiders to the area. Mamata Banerjee had ordered to arrest all outsiders trying to foment trouble in Bhangar but orders were followed selectively. We will continue with our protests until the Red Star leaders are released, who stood with us during the time of need, agitator Akbar Ali said. CPI (ML) Red Star had not agreed to the suspension of the blockade on Tuesday. Apart from the three arrests, the partys general secretary K N Ramachandran was allegedly picked up from Howrah station on Sunday and sent back to Delhi on Monday. He was supposed to address a public meet of agitators in Bhangar. The state government had from the beginning alleged the role of Red Star in igniting the protests in Bhangar. In new worries for Mamata Banerjee, the second phase of blockade against the arrests has also brought to fore the support the parliamentary Naxalite party commands among residents of the 30 agitating villages of Bhangar.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After having settled the seat adjustment with the Anupriya Patel headed Apna Dal, the BJP is likely to announce the names of candidates for the remaining constituencies in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh by January 29.

The BJP has so far released three lists for the UP polls which included names of 370 candidates out of the 403 seats in the state.

The BJP will be leaving seven seats for the Apna Dal headed by the Union Minister of state Anupriya Patel. The BJP will also allocate three seats for the Bhartiya Samaj Party. With the seat adjustments in place, the party may announce its last list of candidates for UP, said a senior BJP functionary.

The BJPs last list will cover constituencies going to polls in the final phase of elections on March 8. The party is also keenly watching the political development regarding the Ansari brothers who have joined the BSP.

The BJP is also likely to announce names of remaining seats in Manipur as well by the weekend. Manipur is heading for polls in two phases. The BJP has far declared names of 31 candidates in the north-eastern state.

The BJPs last list will cover constituencies going to polls in the final phase of elections on March 8 and it is yet to be seen if the party will field a Muslim candidate.

NEW DELHI: After having settled the seat adjustment with the Anupriya Patel headed Apna Dal, the BJP is likely to announce the names of candidates for the remaining constituencies in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh by January 29. The BJP has so far released three lists for the UP polls which included names of 370 candidates out of the 403 seats in the state. The BJP will be leaving seven seats for the Apna Dal headed by the Union Minister of state Anupriya Patel. The BJP will also allocate three seats for the Bhartiya Samaj Party. With the seat adjustments in place, the party may announce its last list of candidates for UP, said a senior BJP functionary. The BJPs last list will cover constituencies going to polls in the final phase of elections on March 8. The party is also keenly watching the political development regarding the Ansari brothers who have joined the BSP. The BJP is also likely to announce names of remaining seats in Manipur as well by the weekend. Manipur is heading for polls in two phases. The BJP has far declared names of 31 candidates in the north-eastern state. The BJPs last list will cover constituencies going to polls in the final phase of elections on March 8 and it is yet to be seen if the party will field a Muslim candidate.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered a case against two Uttar Pradesh-based alleged fraudsters who created a website named "Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission" in order to mint money by defrauding gullible applicants to the dubious institute.



The agency registered a case against Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh, both residents of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly creating a website to make money in guise of giving admission and distributing franchise, CBI sources said, adding the CBI sleuths searched two locations at Kasganj on Friday leading to the recovery of incriminating documents.



The matter was referred by the Prime Minister's Office to the CBI complaining that the fraudulent institute, Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission, is cheating people by using the name of the Prime Minister.



Claims allegedly made in the website www.nmcsm.in that it is an autonomous organisation, a corporate entity with registered office in Delhi and having accreditation of DOEACC society are false, the sources said.



However, the website has not used the photograph of the Prime Minister and clearly states not to pay in cash.



"The aforesaid fraudulent act on part of Atul Kumar, Jagmohan Singh and other unknown persons with ulterior motive to extract money from innocent public at large for their personal gains by misusing the name of the Prime Minister of India, prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) IPC and under 66D of the Information Technology Act," the complaint said.



This was allegedly an online fraud and the aspect of acceptance of money by way of demand draft needs to be thoroughly investigated to unearth the criminal conspiracy hatched by the duo, agency sources said.



"CBI has registered a case against two private persons. The allegations pertain to misuse the name of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in order to cheat and defraud general public at large for giving franchise of Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission (NMCSM). Earlier, a preliminary enquiry on a complaint regarding creation of said website was registered," a CBI spokesperson said.



NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered a case against two Uttar Pradesh-based alleged fraudsters who created a website named "Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission" in order to mint money by defrauding gullible applicants to the dubious institute. The agency registered a case against Atul Kumar and Jagmohan Singh, both residents of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly creating a website to make money in guise of giving admission and distributing franchise, CBI sources said, adding the CBI sleuths searched two locations at Kasganj on Friday leading to the recovery of incriminating documents. The matter was referred by the Prime Minister's Office to the CBI complaining that the fraudulent institute, Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission, is cheating people by using the name of the Prime Minister. Claims allegedly made in the website www.nmcsm.in that it is an autonomous organisation, a corporate entity with registered office in Delhi and having accreditation of DOEACC society are false, the sources said. However, the website has not used the photograph of the Prime Minister and clearly states not to pay in cash. "The aforesaid fraudulent act on part of Atul Kumar, Jagmohan Singh and other unknown persons with ulterior motive to extract money from innocent public at large for their personal gains by misusing the name of the Prime Minister of India, prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) IPC and under 66D of the Information Technology Act," the complaint said. This was allegedly an online fraud and the aspect of acceptance of money by way of demand draft needs to be thoroughly investigated to unearth the criminal conspiracy hatched by the duo, agency sources said. "CBI has registered a case against two private persons. The allegations pertain to misuse the name of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in order to cheat and defraud general public at large for giving franchise of Narendra Modi Computer Saksharta Mission (NMCSM). Earlier, a preliminary enquiry on a complaint regarding creation of said website was registered," a CBI spokesperson said.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Even as grand pageants rolled across the country to mark the Republic Day on Thursday, eight low-intensity blasts, triggered in quick succession by militants, rocked Assam and Manipur. Fortunately, no casualties were reported due to the explosions.

The blasts, however, could not dampen the spirit of the people, who came out in large numbers to celebrate the occasion. Earlier, insurgent groups of Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya had jointly appealed to the public to boycott the celebration.

In Assam, two blasts were reported from Charaideo district, two from Sivasagar district and one each from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, where insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has a strong base. In Charaideo, one of the blasts was triggered near a petrol pump at Angera. Another blast was triggered at Lengeribor on the Nagaland border.

The two blasts in Sivasagar were triggered at Bihubor  one near a petrol pump and the other beside a road. The blast in Dibrugarh was triggered at Chowkidingi. It occurred during the R-Day celebration. In neighbouring Tinsukia, an explosion took place near the newly-constructed 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadia bridge, which is the countrys longest.

The twin blasts in Manipur were reported from Imphal East district  one in Mantripukhri and another near Manipur College. Interestingly, ULFAs self-styled commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah had purportedly called up media houses earlier to warn what was at hand.

Assam director-general of police Mukesh Sahay said the ULFA triggered the explosions to cause a scare.

The six low-intensity blasts were triggered in totally-isolated places like paddy fields, ponds etc., to scare people so that they do not attend the functions but they were largely attended everywhere, he said and added that parts of Assams border with Arunachal and Nagaland, where the insurgents operate from, were problem areas.

Condemning the incidents, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said people across the State stood united for peace. We are united in the fight against terror. By turning up in large numbers across the State to participate in the Republic Day celebration, people have proved they cannot be cowed down through acts of terror, he said.

As the celebration of Republic Day is a stark reminder of colonisation of the region by India, we ought to dissociate ourselves from it We, the fraternal organisations, have decided that the region should collectively boycott the Indian Republic Day, the insurgent outfits had earlier said in a joint statement.

GUWAHATI: Even as grand pageants rolled across the country to mark the Republic Day on Thursday, eight low-intensity blasts, triggered in quick succession by militants, rocked Assam and Manipur. Fortunately, no casualties were reported due to the explosions. The blasts, however, could not dampen the spirit of the people, who came out in large numbers to celebrate the occasion. Earlier, insurgent groups of Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya had jointly appealed to the public to boycott the celebration. In Assam, two blasts were reported from Charaideo district, two from Sivasagar district and one each from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, where insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has a strong base. In Charaideo, one of the blasts was triggered near a petrol pump at Angera. Another blast was triggered at Lengeribor on the Nagaland border. The two blasts in Sivasagar were triggered at Bihubor  one near a petrol pump and the other beside a road. The blast in Dibrugarh was triggered at Chowkidingi. It occurred during the R-Day celebration. In neighbouring Tinsukia, an explosion took place near the newly-constructed 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadia bridge, which is the countrys longest. The twin blasts in Manipur were reported from Imphal East district  one in Mantripukhri and another near Manipur College. Interestingly, ULFAs self-styled commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah had purportedly called up media houses earlier to warn what was at hand. Assam director-general of police Mukesh Sahay said the ULFA triggered the explosions to cause a scare. The six low-intensity blasts were triggered in totally-isolated places like paddy fields, ponds etc., to scare people so that they do not attend the functions but they were largely attended everywhere, he said and added that parts of Assams border with Arunachal and Nagaland, where the insurgents operate from, were problem areas. Condemning the incidents, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said people across the State stood united for peace. We are united in the fight against terror. By turning up in large numbers across the State to participate in the Republic Day celebration, people have proved they cannot be cowed down through acts of terror, he said. As the celebration of Republic Day is a stark reminder of colonisation of the region by India, we ought to dissociate ourselves from it We, the fraternal organisations, have decided that the region should collectively boycott the Indian Republic Day, the insurgent outfits had earlier said in a joint statement.
By PTI

MUMBAI: With Shiv Sena deciding to go it alone in city corporations and other civic polls across Maharahstra, focus has been shifted to stability of the BJP-led government in the state, in which the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is a junior partner. A day after Thackeray declared his party's stand after the seat-sharing talks with the BJP floundered, party's senior minister in the cabinet Ramdas Kadam today said he and his colleagues have their resignations in their pockets, and are waiting for the signal from the party chief.

The BJP circles, however, refused to set great store by such assertions, stating that the ally's decision will have no impact on the Devendra Fadnavis government's stability. Eagerly watching the development from the sidelines is NCP. The party supremo Sharad Pawar has declined to spell out clearly what stand his party would take in case Sena pulled out of the government. Parrying queries on the matter, the veteran politician said yesterday that he would not answer hypothetical questions, but added, "They should take the decision and later come for the discussion." Significantly, NCP had pledged outside support to BJP when it emerged the single largest party but fell short of absolute majority in 2014 Assembly polls. Elections to 10 Municipal corporations, including the cash rich Mumbai, and 25 Zilla Parishads and 283 panchayats are to be held between February 16 and 21.

Shiv Sena insiders say the outcome of these elections will determine whether the party pulls out of the Fadnavis government, which it joined in December 2014, two months after the first ever BJP-led government came to power. "If Sena does well in these elections, the party will not hesitate to withdraw support to the government," a Shiv Sena source told PTI. "Uddhavji will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time," Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said when asked about her party's continuance in the government. Party sources said Sena workers want to fight for people's issues and expect support and direction from the leadership. "Late Bal Thackeray's style of functioning and mannerism were different from that of Uddhav. Balasaheb had a direct connect with the masses.

Uddhav interacts more frequently with shiv sainiks from all districts and is now well versed in political calculations. Even when the alliance talks were on, Uddhavji had frequently interacted with the media and also released manifesto for Mumbai and Thane,"a Sena source said. Seat-sharing talks between the saffron allies had failed to make any headway right from the start, especially in Sena heartland Mumbai, as the BJP stuck to its demand for far higher number of seats than it contested in the past.

Despite being a partner in Maharashtra and at the Centre, Sena has aired critical views on the BJP rule and did not even spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially post-demonetisation. Observers feel, in the process, Sena's move could change political equations in the state but much will depend how well it performs in the civic polls, especially in prime space Mumbai. According to them, the unfolding scenario could also have an impact in rural areas. A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said, "The decision of Sena not to have an alliance with BJP will expose the covert understanding between the NCP and BJP." In ten city corporation areas, the fight will be between the Sena and BJP, vying for the first two spots, pushing Congress and NCP far behind. Sena leader Neelam Gorhe told PTI that Sena-BJP have not always had alliances for civic and local bodies polls. "Uddhavji's decision not to have an alliance for the civic and local body polls is expected to result in a gain of 20 to 25 per cent in number of seats for our party.

It gives Shiv Sainiks space to strengthen their base down the Panchayat samiti level," she said. According to reports, Fadnavis and a section of the BJP were keen on an alliance with the Sena to avoid division of votes. "Municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads are the main revenue generating local bodies with Central funding. If Sena wins, it would be politically damaging for the BJP. If BJP fails to win Mumbai, it would send a message nationwide," observers said. Anant Gadgil, Congress leader told PTI, "Ministers from both parties speak in harsh language against each other. What kind of message is such talk giving to the state. Is this message of stability? Sena should withdraw support to the government and call for fresh elections."

In ten city corporation areas, the fight will be between the Sena and BJP, vying for the first two spots, pushing Congress and NCP far behind. Sena leader Neelam Gorhe told PTI that Sena-BJP have not always had alliances for civic and local bodies polls. "Uddhavji's decision not to have an alliance for the civic and local body polls is expected to result in a gain of 20 to 25 per cent in number of seats for our party. It gives Shiv Sainiks space to strengthen their base down the Panchayat samiti level," she said. According to reports, Fadnavis and a section of the BJP were keen on an alliance with the Sena to avoid division of votes. "Municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads are the main revenue generating local bodies with Central funding. If Sena wins, it would be politically damaging for the BJP.

If BJP fails to win Mumbai, it would send a message nationwide," observers said. Anant Gadgil, Congress leader told PTI, "Ministers from both parties speak in harsh language against each other. What kind of message is such talk giving to the state. Is this message of stability? Sena should withdraw support to the government and call for fresh elections."

MUMBAI: With Shiv Sena deciding to go it alone in city corporations and other civic polls across Maharahstra, focus has been shifted to stability of the BJP-led government in the state, in which the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is a junior partner. A day after Thackeray declared his party's stand after the seat-sharing talks with the BJP floundered, party's senior minister in the cabinet Ramdas Kadam today said he and his colleagues have their resignations in their pockets, and are waiting for the signal from the party chief. The BJP circles, however, refused to set great store by such assertions, stating that the ally's decision will have no impact on the Devendra Fadnavis government's stability. Eagerly watching the development from the sidelines is NCP. The party supremo Sharad Pawar has declined to spell out clearly what stand his party would take in case Sena pulled out of the government. Parrying queries on the matter, the veteran politician said yesterday that he would not answer hypothetical questions, but added, "They should take the decision and later come for the discussion." Significantly, NCP had pledged outside support to BJP when it emerged the single largest party but fell short of absolute majority in 2014 Assembly polls. Elections to 10 Municipal corporations, including the cash rich Mumbai, and 25 Zilla Parishads and 283 panchayats are to be held between February 16 and 21. Shiv Sena insiders say the outcome of these elections will determine whether the party pulls out of the Fadnavis government, which it joined in December 2014, two months after the first ever BJP-led government came to power. "If Sena does well in these elections, the party will not hesitate to withdraw support to the government," a Shiv Sena source told PTI. "Uddhavji will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time," Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said when asked about her party's continuance in the government. Party sources said Sena workers want to fight for people's issues and expect support and direction from the leadership. "Late Bal Thackeray's style of functioning and mannerism were different from that of Uddhav. Balasaheb had a direct connect with the masses. Uddhav interacts more frequently with shiv sainiks from all districts and is now well versed in political calculations. Even when the alliance talks were on, Uddhavji had frequently interacted with the media and also released manifesto for Mumbai and Thane,"a Sena source said. Seat-sharing talks between the saffron allies had failed to make any headway right from the start, especially in Sena heartland Mumbai, as the BJP stuck to its demand for far higher number of seats than it contested in the past. Despite being a partner in Maharashtra and at the Centre, Sena has aired critical views on the BJP rule and did not even spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially post-demonetisation. Observers feel, in the process, Sena's move could change political equations in the state but much will depend how well it performs in the civic polls, especially in prime space Mumbai. According to them, the unfolding scenario could also have an impact in rural areas. A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said, "The decision of Sena not to have an alliance with BJP will expose the covert understanding between the NCP and BJP." In ten city corporation areas, the fight will be between the Sena and BJP, vying for the first two spots, pushing Congress and NCP far behind. Sena leader Neelam Gorhe told PTI that Sena-BJP have not always had alliances for civic and local bodies polls. "Uddhavji's decision not to have an alliance for the civic and local body polls is expected to result in a gain of 20 to 25 per cent in number of seats for our party. It gives Shiv Sainiks space to strengthen their base down the Panchayat samiti level," she said. According to reports, Fadnavis and a section of the BJP were keen on an alliance with the Sena to avoid division of votes. "Municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads are the main revenue generating local bodies with Central funding. If Sena wins, it would be politically damaging for the BJP. If BJP fails to win Mumbai, it would send a message nationwide," observers said. Anant Gadgil, Congress leader told PTI, "Ministers from both parties speak in harsh language against each other. What kind of message is such talk giving to the state. Is this message of stability? Sena should withdraw support to the government and call for fresh elections." In ten city corporation areas, the fight will be between the Sena and BJP, vying for the first two spots, pushing Congress and NCP far behind. Sena leader Neelam Gorhe told PTI that Sena-BJP have not always had alliances for civic and local bodies polls. "Uddhavji's decision not to have an alliance for the civic and local body polls is expected to result in a gain of 20 to 25 per cent in number of seats for our party. It gives Shiv Sainiks space to strengthen their base down the Panchayat samiti level," she said. According to reports, Fadnavis and a section of the BJP were keen on an alliance with the Sena to avoid division of votes. "Municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads are the main revenue generating local bodies with Central funding. If Sena wins, it would be politically damaging for the BJP. If BJP fails to win Mumbai, it would send a message nationwide," observers said. Anant Gadgil, Congress leader told PTI, "Ministers from both parties speak in harsh language against each other. What kind of message is such talk giving to the state. Is this message of stability? Sena should withdraw support to the government and call for fresh elections."
By Express News Service

FAIZABAD: A group of BJP workers, angry over ticket being given to an outsider from Ayodhya Assembly seat, tied the local MP Lallu Singh and party unit chief Awadhesh Pandey with ropes and held them hostage for about two hours.

BJP had allotted ticket to Ved Gupta, who had recently joined the party from BSP, from Ayodhya Assembly constituency.

saai



The two leaders were released later after the workers got assurance that their demand would be put before the partys state leadership.

BJP workers had been demanding that the party should field a candidate from the cadre, and were treating Gupta as an outsider.

They were angry over the top BJP leaderships decision (to field Gupta). Singh and I had gone to the party office to pacify them, but they held us hostage, Pandey said.

We have promised them that we will put their demands before the state leadership, he added. Our top leadership has selected Gupta as a candidate; however, we will try to explain our workers to accept the decision, he said.

Gupta started his political career from Congress in the early 80s but joined BJP later in the decade and was active in the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. He later joined Samajwadi Party in 2002 and contested elections.

FAIZABAD: A group of BJP workers, angry over ticket being given to an outsider from Ayodhya Assembly seat, tied the local MP Lallu Singh and party unit chief Awadhesh Pandey with ropes and held them hostage for about two hours. BJP had allotted ticket to Ved Gupta, who had recently joined the party from BSP, from Ayodhya Assembly constituency. saai The two leaders were released later after the workers got assurance that their demand would be put before the partys state leadership. BJP workers had been demanding that the party should field a candidate from the cadre, and were treating Gupta as an outsider. They were angry over the top BJP leaderships decision (to field Gupta). Singh and I had gone to the party office to pacify them, but they held us hostage, Pandey said. We have promised them that we will put their demands before the state leadership, he added. Our top leadership has selected Gupta as a candidate; however, we will try to explain our workers to accept the decision, he said. Gupta started his political career from Congress in the early 80s but joined BJP later in the decade and was active in the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. He later joined Samajwadi Party in 2002 and contested elections.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday directed action against an agent, who fraudulently took two men from Uttar Pradesh to Qatar where they were stripped and mercilessly beaten by their employers.

The Minister, who has been recuperating at her home after a kidney transplant, has been relentless in raising awareness against agents who have been taking unsuspecting migrant labourers to Gulf countries on false visas.

An agent from Pune helped Parvez Ahmad and Mohammed Akram from Uttar Pradesh to reach Qatar about four months ago. They were promised a decent job as Ahmad had a visa that described him as a driver. However, both of them were taken to animal farm where they were asked to take care of cattles.

However, their horror story unfolded as they were allegedly stripped to their undergarments and were whipped with a hunter rope by their employer. They then pleaded the Indian authorities to be rescued through a video. The injuries and blood on their backs, hands, thighs and legs are visible in the video.

Taking cognisance of their plight, the Minister said: "I have asked Protector He of Government of India to prosecute this agent. I have also asked the Indian Ambassador in Doha to proceed against the employer."

The MEA has been working towards registering on the labourers going to the Gulf countries, but shady agents continue to remain the preferred option for labourers seeking to reach greener pastures. Uttar Pradesh has become the number one state to send emigrants to the Gulf countries.

NEW DELHI: Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Friday directed action against an agent, who fraudulently took two men from Uttar Pradesh to Qatar where they were stripped and mercilessly beaten by their employers. The Minister, who has been recuperating at her home after a kidney transplant, has been relentless in raising awareness against agents who have been taking unsuspecting migrant labourers to Gulf countries on false visas. An agent from Pune helped Parvez Ahmad and Mohammed Akram from Uttar Pradesh to reach Qatar about four months ago. They were promised a decent job as Ahmad had a visa that described him as a driver. However, both of them were taken to animal farm where they were asked to take care of cattles. However, their horror story unfolded as they were allegedly stripped to their undergarments and were whipped with a hunter rope by their employer. They then pleaded the Indian authorities to be rescued through a video. The injuries and blood on their backs, hands, thighs and legs are visible in the video. Taking cognisance of their plight, the Minister said: "I have asked Protector He of Government of India to prosecute this agent. I have also asked the Indian Ambassador in Doha to proceed against the employer." The MEA has been working towards registering on the labourers going to the Gulf countries, but shady agents continue to remain the preferred option for labourers seeking to reach greener pastures. Uttar Pradesh has become the number one state to send emigrants to the Gulf countries.
2 017 is going to be a defining moment for the $150 billion Indian IT industry. The sector which pioneered outsourcing and benefited immensely from it is under siege owing to multiple issues. If new technologies like cloud computing and automation threaten to render millions jobless and reduce the traditional IT work by 30-40 per cent, competition from countries like the Philippines is growing. As if these were not enough, the US appears firm on tightening offshoring rules. The threat of Trumps restrictive policies looms over Indian firms at a time when they are already battling a slowdown. Outsourcing accounts for about 20 per cent of Indias goods and services exports, and a declining IT sector will be a double whammy for India.

But experts believe Americas protectionist measures could be self-destructive. The US accounts for over 60 per cent of the Indian IT industrys revenue. As per Nasscom data, Indian firms paid $22.5 billion in taxes to the US treasury in the past five years besides creating over four lakh jobs in the US. Of this, nearly 3 lakh are US nationals and green card holders. Reiterating the sectors commitment, Infosys chief Vishal Sikka, speaking at Davos recently, said the industry will hire and train locals in the US. Against this backdrop, the proposal to raise the minimum salary limit for H1-B visa eligibility by nearly 50 per cent, makes it expensive. Nasscom believes going against outsourcing will make the US lose jobs, not create more, as it has a skills shortage. For instance, many students in US colleges, particularly in STEM streams, are Indians.

The Trump regime seems well aware and is ensuring the brightest students educated in the US gain preferential visas. A Nasscom delegation will soon meet US policymakers and industry leaders to deliberate on how rigorous protectionism is against Americas interests. India intends to have a meaningful dialogue as eliminating uncertainty over outsourcing is the only way forward for mutual benefits.

2 017 is going to be a defining moment for the $150 billion Indian IT industry. The sector which pioneered outsourcing and benefited immensely from it is under siege owing to multiple issues. If new technologies like cloud computing and automation threaten to render millions jobless and reduce the traditional IT work by 30-40 per cent, competition from countries like the Philippines is growing. As if these were not enough, the US appears firm on tightening offshoring rules. The threat of Trumps restrictive policies looms over Indian firms at a time when they are already battling a slowdown. Outsourcing accounts for about 20 per cent of Indias goods and services exports, and a declining IT sector will be a double whammy for India. But experts believe Americas protectionist measures could be self-destructive. The US accounts for over 60 per cent of the Indian IT industrys revenue. As per Nasscom data, Indian firms paid $22.5 billion in taxes to the US treasury in the past five years besides creating over four lakh jobs in the US. Of this, nearly 3 lakh are US nationals and green card holders. Reiterating the sectors commitment, Infosys chief Vishal Sikka, speaking at Davos recently, said the industry will hire and train locals in the US. Against this backdrop, the proposal to raise the minimum salary limit for H1-B visa eligibility by nearly 50 per cent, makes it expensive. Nasscom believes going against outsourcing will make the US lose jobs, not create more, as it has a skills shortage. For instance, many students in US colleges, particularly in STEM streams, are Indians. The Trump regime seems well aware and is ensuring the brightest students educated in the US gain preferential visas. A Nasscom delegation will soon meet US policymakers and industry leaders to deliberate on how rigorous protectionism is against Americas interests. India intends to have a meaningful dialogue as eliminating uncertainty over outsourcing is the only way forward for mutual benefits.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan is giving sleepless nights to the ruling TDP-BJP combine in Andhra Pradesh with his public posturing for special category status for the State. Having announced his intention to contest the elections in 2019 and to enrol as a voter in Eluru, he has forced the TDP in particular to revise its electoral calculus.

His high-pitched campaign for special status at Vizag and his hard-hitting press conference in Hyderabad on Friday, make it clear that Pawan Kalyan is no longer a guest actor in Andhra politics. Till his public meeting in Tirupati a few months ago, the Power Star of Telugu cinema was known for his occasional tweets rather than his activities on the stump. But since Tirupati, his public appearances have become more frequent and his voice more strident.

Though it is premature to say if he will capture power in 2019 since his party Jana Sena does not have a grassroots network, Pawan Kalyan campers boast that he has his sights set on the chief ministers gaddi. "Do you have any doubt? He is aiming high," said a key Jana Sena functionary.

In the press conference, Pawan clarified that he supported the BJP in 2014 hoping that democracy would flourish in Narendra Modi's rule and backed the TDP under the impression that Chandrababu Naidu would rebuild the State. Now, he said, he regrets it, for the two leaders have reneged on their promise of special status to Andhra Pradesh ".

This may be Pawan Kalyans way of distancing himself from the BJP-TDP coalition and occupying a political space that is increasingly becoming spacious. His partymen say that going forward, Pawan will be in the forefront of all issues, particularly on special category status.

They claim that their leader has something that others lack  scholarship. "He is attending the 14th edition of the India Conference at Harvard University on Feb. 11 and 12. He is looking forward to meeting an agriculture scientist and a nuclear physicist there as he wants to know how to improve farm production and learn about the harmful effects of a nuclear plant since one such is coming up at Kovvada in Srikakulam," a Jana Sena leader told New Indian Express.

At the moment though, Pawan is busy trying to shed the image of a guest actor in politics. "He is a serious politician. Yesterday, he was very agitated when the police picked up students who were trying to organise a protest on Vizag beach. Unlike Naidu and Jagan, he cannot come out in the open because fans tend to mob him. He has to plan his own logistics and he cannot do that at short notice," the leader explained, referring to Thursday's protests in Vizag and subsequent criticism that Pawan Kalyan was egging on protestors online sitting at home.

The more active he becomes, the more worried the TDP is for it knows that it was Pawan who helped it come to power in 2014. In fact, the vote share of the YSRC was 45 per cent and that of the TDP only 35 per cent. But TDP mustered 47 per cent with the transfer of the 9 per cent share of the Congress vote and the BJP's 3 per cent. The TDP won by a margin of just 2 per cent votes. Though it is difficult to say how much of the TDPs vote share was due to Pawan, there are no two opinions that his campaign helped the TDP win a majority. It is assumed that Pawan swung the Kapus, the community to which he belongs, in favour of the TDP. In 2009, the Kapus had supported his eldest brother Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam and helped him win 18 seats but after he merged his party with the Congress, they were left leaderless  that is until Pawan arrived on the scene.

In public, TDP leaders are putting up a brave face. "He cannot be called a serious contender. If he contests elections on his own with the communists support, the outcome would be in TDP's favour since the anti-incumbency votes would be divided between Pawan and Jagan," reasoned a TDP leader. Another TDP leader claimed that if Naidu succeeds in getting statutory support for the special package announced for the State by the Centre in lieu of special status, the people may forget special status demand.

The BJP, on the other hand, is far more worried over the prospect of Pawan snapping his ties. "The writing on the wall is clear. We are losing him. But it is not too late. If a delegation comprising TDP-BJP leaders meets Pawan and explains to him how constitutionally it is difficult to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh, he might after all listen. If you do not meet him, you would be hurting his ego since after all, he did help the TDP come to power," a BJP leader admitted.

VIJAYAWADA: Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan is giving sleepless nights to the ruling TDP-BJP combine in Andhra Pradesh with his public posturing for special category status for the State. Having announced his intention to contest the elections in 2019 and to enrol as a voter in Eluru, he has forced the TDP in particular to revise its electoral calculus. His high-pitched campaign for special status at Vizag and his hard-hitting press conference in Hyderabad on Friday, make it clear that Pawan Kalyan is no longer a guest actor in Andhra politics. Till his public meeting in Tirupati a few months ago, the Power Star of Telugu cinema was known for his occasional tweets rather than his activities on the stump. But since Tirupati, his public appearances have become more frequent and his voice more strident. Though it is premature to say if he will capture power in 2019 since his party Jana Sena does not have a grassroots network, Pawan Kalyan campers boast that he has his sights set on the chief ministers gaddi. "Do you have any doubt? He is aiming high," said a key Jana Sena functionary. In the press conference, Pawan clarified that he supported the BJP in 2014 hoping that democracy would flourish in Narendra Modi's rule and backed the TDP under the impression that Chandrababu Naidu would rebuild the State. Now, he said, he regrets it, for the two leaders have reneged on their promise of special status to Andhra Pradesh ". This may be Pawan Kalyans way of distancing himself from the BJP-TDP coalition and occupying a political space that is increasingly becoming spacious. His partymen say that going forward, Pawan will be in the forefront of all issues, particularly on special category status. They claim that their leader has something that others lack  scholarship. "He is attending the 14th edition of the India Conference at Harvard University on Feb. 11 and 12. He is looking forward to meeting an agriculture scientist and a nuclear physicist there as he wants to know how to improve farm production and learn about the harmful effects of a nuclear plant since one such is coming up at Kovvada in Srikakulam," a Jana Sena leader told New Indian Express. At the moment though, Pawan is busy trying to shed the image of a guest actor in politics. "He is a serious politician. Yesterday, he was very agitated when the police picked up students who were trying to organise a protest on Vizag beach. Unlike Naidu and Jagan, he cannot come out in the open because fans tend to mob him. He has to plan his own logistics and he cannot do that at short notice," the leader explained, referring to Thursday's protests in Vizag and subsequent criticism that Pawan Kalyan was egging on protestors online sitting at home. The more active he becomes, the more worried the TDP is for it knows that it was Pawan who helped it come to power in 2014. In fact, the vote share of the YSRC was 45 per cent and that of the TDP only 35 per cent. But TDP mustered 47 per cent with the transfer of the 9 per cent share of the Congress vote and the BJP's 3 per cent. The TDP won by a margin of just 2 per cent votes. Though it is difficult to say how much of the TDPs vote share was due to Pawan, there are no two opinions that his campaign helped the TDP win a majority. It is assumed that Pawan swung the Kapus, the community to which he belongs, in favour of the TDP. In 2009, the Kapus had supported his eldest brother Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam and helped him win 18 seats but after he merged his party with the Congress, they were left leaderless  that is until Pawan arrived on the scene. In public, TDP leaders are putting up a brave face. "He cannot be called a serious contender. If he contests elections on his own with the communists support, the outcome would be in TDP's favour since the anti-incumbency votes would be divided between Pawan and Jagan," reasoned a TDP leader. Another TDP leader claimed that if Naidu succeeds in getting statutory support for the special package announced for the State by the Centre in lieu of special status, the people may forget special status demand. The BJP, on the other hand, is far more worried over the prospect of Pawan snapping his ties. "The writing on the wall is clear. We are losing him. But it is not too late. If a delegation comprising TDP-BJP leaders meets Pawan and explains to him how constitutionally it is difficult to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh, he might after all listen. If you do not meet him, you would be hurting his ego since after all, he did help the TDP come to power," a BJP leader admitted.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan stepped up his attack on the BJP and the TDP on the issue of special category status, a day after the police foiled a candlelight march of students on RK Beach in Visakhapatnam.

Speaking to mediapersons in Hyderabad on Friday, the film actor said: "I am shocked at the opportunistic politics of the BJP. When I campaigned for the BJP in the last elections, no one had asked me whether I had any experience in politics. In fact, the party leaders had me campaign for them not only in TS and AP, but also in Karnataka and at the AP-Tamil Nadu border. Now the same leaders ask me what experience I have in politics to seek special category status. Could there be a better instance of political opportunism?" he asked.

The Jana Sena chief, for more than half an hour, targeted both the BJP and the TDP for reneging on special category status. He wanted to know how Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was speaking in a different voice now asking whether SCS is a mrita sanjaveeni after fighting for SCS for 10 years at the time of bifurcation of the State. "If you keep changing your stance, the people would not keep quiet," he warned.

He lashed out at Venkaiah Naidu for the changing his stand frequently. "Whenever Venkaiah Naidu talks about SCS, he says the BJP knows when to give it as though it is a 'prasadam'".

"What do the BJP leaders think of themselves? Are they gods? Have they come down from heaven? Are we your slaves? SCS is our right. You have time to think of Rama Mandiram but have no time for the problem of four crore people. If you have focussed on this problem as much you did on your Swarna Bharat Trust, the issue would have been resolved long ago," he said.

He took Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to task for dancing to the tunes of the BJP leaders at Delhi.

"In AP there is no TDP government. It is a mini-BJP governance. Chandrababu Naidu should explain why he has gone back on his demand for SCS. Why should he compromise on it? Morally it is wrong. It is unfortunate that a chief minister who wants to build a capital like Singapore should have a Union Minister like Sujana Chowdary in tow always. What kind of message should one take from this when Sujana Chowdary happens to be a defaulter of bank loans. Why should Naidu give contract for Polavaram to TDP MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao?"" he asked.

Pawan Kalyan made it clear that he does not care whether his political relationship would continue with the TDP or not. "It is not difficult for me to severe ties with the TDP since I had even left my family to take up issues concerning people. I did not question the TDP for three years since I had thought Naidu should be left alone as he was trying to rebuild the State after bifurcation. But I cannot remain silent forever when people's issues are not resolved ,"" he said.

He did not spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi either. He said: "I had thought that, under Modi's rule, democracy would flourish. What all we wanted is a benevolent democracy but not one bordering on

dictatorial democracy,"" he said, referring to the way Rohit Vemula's suicide and demonetisation of high value notes had been handled. "

"People have suffered but you do not seem to notice it,"" he said.

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan stepped up his attack on the BJP and the TDP on the issue of special category status, a day after the police foiled a candlelight march of students on RK Beach in Visakhapatnam. Speaking to mediapersons in Hyderabad on Friday, the film actor said: "I am shocked at the opportunistic politics of the BJP. When I campaigned for the BJP in the last elections, no one had asked me whether I had any experience in politics. In fact, the party leaders had me campaign for them not only in TS and AP, but also in Karnataka and at the AP-Tamil Nadu border. Now the same leaders ask me what experience I have in politics to seek special category status. Could there be a better instance of political opportunism?" he asked. The Jana Sena chief, for more than half an hour, targeted both the BJP and the TDP for reneging on special category status. He wanted to know how Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was speaking in a different voice now asking whether SCS is a mrita sanjaveeni after fighting for SCS for 10 years at the time of bifurcation of the State. "If you keep changing your stance, the people would not keep quiet," he warned. He lashed out at Venkaiah Naidu for the changing his stand frequently. "Whenever Venkaiah Naidu talks about SCS, he says the BJP knows when to give it as though it is a 'prasadam'". "What do the BJP leaders think of themselves? Are they gods? Have they come down from heaven? Are we your slaves? SCS is our right. You have time to think of Rama Mandiram but have no time for the problem of four crore people. If you have focussed on this problem as much you did on your Swarna Bharat Trust, the issue would have been resolved long ago," he said. He took Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to task for dancing to the tunes of the BJP leaders at Delhi. "In AP there is no TDP government. It is a mini-BJP governance. Chandrababu Naidu should explain why he has gone back on his demand for SCS. Why should he compromise on it? Morally it is wrong. It is unfortunate that a chief minister who wants to build a capital like Singapore should have a Union Minister like Sujana Chowdary in tow always. What kind of message should one take from this when Sujana Chowdary happens to be a defaulter of bank loans. Why should Naidu give contract for Polavaram to TDP MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao?"" he asked. Pawan Kalyan made it clear that he does not care whether his political relationship would continue with the TDP or not. "It is not difficult for me to severe ties with the TDP since I had even left my family to take up issues concerning people. I did not question the TDP for three years since I had thought Naidu should be left alone as he was trying to rebuild the State after bifurcation. But I cannot remain silent forever when people's issues are not resolved ,"" he said. He did not spare Prime Minister Narendra Modi either. He said: "I had thought that, under Modi's rule, democracy would flourish. What all we wanted is a benevolent democracy but not one bordering on dictatorial democracy,"" he said, referring to the way Rohit Vemula's suicide and demonetisation of high value notes had been handled. " "People have suffered but you do not seem to notice it,"" he said.
By Express News Service

MANGALORE: Over a thousand students from different schools and colleges boycotted classes and thronged the streets to protest the ban on Kambala, the states traditional buffalo-racing sport. The protest was called by the Mangalore All College Students Association.

The students along with anti-Kambala ban activists from all over the coast formed a human chain which extended for two kilometers in the city. They assembled at the city's main intersection at Hampankatta at 11 am for a demonstration which caused major traffic jams.

The students raised slogans against the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for allegedly depicting Kambala as a violent folk practice. Kambala is a traditional sport held mainly in rural Karnataka where two pairs of buffaloes race each other under the control of their farmer in fields of mud and slush. The ban on the sport was placed in October 2014 after several animal welfare groups cited it as animal torture.

MANGALORE: Over a thousand students from different schools and colleges boycotted classes and thronged the streets to protest the ban on Kambala, the states traditional buffalo-racing sport. The protest was called by the Mangalore All College Students Association. The students along with anti-Kambala ban activists from all over the coast formed a human chain which extended for two kilometers in the city. They assembled at the city's main intersection at Hampankatta at 11 am for a demonstration which caused major traffic jams. The students raised slogans against the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for allegedly depicting Kambala as a violent folk practice. Kambala is a traditional sport held mainly in rural Karnataka where two pairs of buffaloes race each other under the control of their farmer in fields of mud and slush. The ban on the sport was placed in October 2014 after several animal welfare groups cited it as animal torture.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Karnataka government on Friday issued an order appointing 1981-batch IPS officer RK Dutta as next Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP). Incumbent DG&IGP Omprakash's tenure will end on January 31. Dutta is currently on central deputation.



Dutta will have a nine-month tenure as he is set to retire in October this year. He has worked as Additional Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Additional Director General of Police in Lokayukta. He is the senior most among the IPS officers shortlisted for the top job in the police department.



The Supreme Court had quashed the allegations made against Dutta, a Karnataka Cadre officer. He was accused of forcing a law College that he attended, to give mandatory attendance to show he was attending classes while he should have been on duty. He completed his Law graduation from a private college in 2009. He was then ADGP (anti-corruption wing) in the Karnataka Lokayukta's office.



Neelamani Raju, DGP (internal security), a 1983 batch IPS officer was also one of the serious contender for the coveted post. She had returned back from central deputation in 2016. The other senior IPS officers who were in the race were CID DGP H C Kishore Chandra and DGP of state Fire and Emergency services M N Reddi.

BENGALURU: Karnataka government on Friday issued an order appointing 1981-batch IPS officer RK Dutta as next Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP). Incumbent DG&IGP Omprakash's tenure will end on January 31. Dutta is currently on central deputation. Dutta will have a nine-month tenure as he is set to retire in October this year. He has worked as Additional Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Additional Director General of Police in Lokayukta. He is the senior most among the IPS officers shortlisted for the top job in the police department. The Supreme Court had quashed the allegations made against Dutta, a Karnataka Cadre officer. He was accused of forcing a law College that he attended, to give mandatory attendance to show he was attending classes while he should have been on duty. He completed his Law graduation from a private college in 2009. He was then ADGP (anti-corruption wing) in the Karnataka Lokayukta's office. Neelamani Raju, DGP (internal security), a 1983 batch IPS officer was also one of the serious contender for the coveted post. She had returned back from central deputation in 2016. The other senior IPS officers who were in the race were CID DGP H C Kishore Chandra and DGP of state Fire and Emergency services M N Reddi.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Days after much of the properties in Nadukuppam and other slums around Marina were destroyed during the last phase of the jallikattu protests, political leaders visited the areas and demanded that the government compensate the people who lost livelihoods in the violence.

Prakash Karat, former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Thol Thirumavalavan, leader of Viduthalai Chiruthai Katchi (VCK), independently visited Nadukuppam and other slums that were affected by the clashes between the police and public.

An independent and impartial inquiry must be sent to these slums. In Nadukuppam, an entire fish market has been destroyed. Several vehicles have been burned down, Prakash Karat said, adding that appropriate

compensation must be provided by the government. He visited the slums with G Ramakrishnan, general secretary of the state unit of the party.

Thirumavalavan, while visiting the slums, said that action should be taken against the police who indulged in excesses. People cant stay at night in these slums as periodic attack threats from police keep circulating, he said.

While both party leaders condemned the alleged atrocities by the police, they said that steps must be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

CHENNAI: Days after much of the properties in Nadukuppam and other slums around Marina were destroyed during the last phase of the jallikattu protests, political leaders visited the areas and demanded that the government compensate the people who lost livelihoods in the violence. Prakash Karat, former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Thol Thirumavalavan, leader of Viduthalai Chiruthai Katchi (VCK), independently visited Nadukuppam and other slums that were affected by the clashes between the police and public. An independent and impartial inquiry must be sent to these slums. In Nadukuppam, an entire fish market has been destroyed. Several vehicles have been burned down, Prakash Karat said, adding that appropriate compensation must be provided by the government. He visited the slums with G Ramakrishnan, general secretary of the state unit of the party. Thirumavalavan, while visiting the slums, said that action should be taken against the police who indulged in excesses. People cant stay at night in these slums as periodic attack threats from police keep circulating, he said. While both party leaders condemned the alleged atrocities by the police, they said that steps must be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Six persons hailing from Telangana were honoured with Padma Shri this year, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

They include noted sculptor Aekka Yadagiri Rao (art-sculptor category), plant lover Daripalli Vanajeevi Ramaiah (social work) who planted more than one crore saplings, industrialist BVR Mohan Reddy (trade and industry), doctor Mohammed Abdul Waheed (medicine), scientist Chandrakant Pitawa (science and engineering) and writer, speaker and broadcaster Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary (civil service).

Meanwhile, a handloom weaver from Bhuvanagiri Yadadri district in Telangana, Chintakandi Mallesham was honoured the Padma Shri award in science and engineering category from neighbouring AP state. Mallesham invented Lakshmi Asu machine for the benefit of weavers to weave sarees easily.

Among all, the Padma award is a perfect honour to Vanajeevi Ramaiah, who had been relentlessly striving for greenery. Ramaiah, who travels on a bicycle, planted more than a crore saplings and has been an inspiration for Haritha Haaram plantation drive of the state government.

Chinthakindi Mallesham

A solution for the handloom weavers

This handloom weaver from Telangana has done the state proud. Chinthakindi Mallesham (44) from Nalgonda (Telangana), was chosen for the prestigious Padma Shri Award from Andhra Pradesh. A native of Sharajipet village of Alair mandal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, Mallesham, since his childhood days saw the problems faced by several weavers in the village. And thus began the quest to make a machine that would bring respite to the weavers. He came up with the Asu machine at a cost of `13,000

Dr Md Abdul Waheed

Efforts in field of medicine recognised

Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Dr Mohammed Abdul Waheed, who has been awarded Padma Shri for distinguished service in the field of Medicine, is a Bachelors in Unani Medicine and Surgery from Osmania University. He is currently working as chairman of Scientific Advisory Committee at Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine. Dr Waheeds work in the field of Vitiligo has been recognised by government of India. He earlier received Best Scientist Award (2005) for overall performance from department of AYUSH

Daripalli Ramaiah

Planted 1 crore saplings and going strong

Nobody knows him as Daripalli Ramaiah. Not even his near and dear ones. But, ask for Vanajeevi Ramaiah and you will see several faces brighten up. In his 70s, Vanajeevi Ramaiah is a relentless fighter. He is not ready to rest even after planting over one crore saplings as part of his love towards nature. His efforts finally rewarded him the Padma Shri. Reddipalli villagers celebrated the occasion in a grand way. The nature-lover has called upon people to plant saplings and ensure future generation should live without pollution

Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary

Contributions to telecom department

Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary was the man who initiated restructuring of Department of Telecommunications (DOT). Chowdary founded the Centre for Telecommunications Management and Studies in 1989, as a not-for-profit-society to wage the intellectual campaign for demonopolisation of and competition in Indian telecoms. He wrote the draft National Telecom Policy, in 1989. He also drafted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Bill, which has become the basis for the final TRAI Act

BVR Mohan Reddy

First gen ITES entrepreneur awarded

For 66-year-old Bodanapu Venkata Rama Mohan Reddy, Padma Shri is another feather in an already decorated cap. Mohan Reddy, one of the successful first generation ITES entrepreneurs, has been awarded the prestigious award in field of trade and industry. He is founder and executive chairman of Cyient and is also part of various industry bodies. Hailing from Mokshagundam village near Kambham in Prakasam, AP, he graduated in mechanical engineering from IIT-Kanpur and attended University of Michigan, US

Prof AEKKA YADAGIRI RAO

A renowned sculptor and a skilful carver, Aekka Yadagiri Rao is the man who designed Martyrs Memorial. Yadagiri is one of the most prominent among first generation artists of South India who opted for sculpting and received national fame. The artist began his career around 1960. Yadagiri enriched the time along with other prominent sculptors of the country to expand the continuous and parallel traditions of modern cultural trends

Dr Chandrakant Pithawa

Dr Chandrakant Pithawa is a retired Distinguished Scientist and former Director of Electronics and Instrumentation group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. Pithawa is from Madhya Pradesh and is settled in Hyderabad. After his retirement, he was made Raja Ramanna Fellow for BARC and Hyderabad-based Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). He also served as director of Design Manufacturing and Automation Group at BARC

HYDERABAD: Six persons hailing from Telangana were honoured with Padma Shri this year, the fourth highest civilian award in India. They include noted sculptor Aekka Yadagiri Rao (art-sculptor category), plant lover Daripalli Vanajeevi Ramaiah (social work) who planted more than one crore saplings, industrialist BVR Mohan Reddy (trade and industry), doctor Mohammed Abdul Waheed (medicine), scientist Chandrakant Pitawa (science and engineering) and writer, speaker and broadcaster Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary (civil service). Meanwhile, a handloom weaver from Bhuvanagiri Yadadri district in Telangana, Chintakandi Mallesham was honoured the Padma Shri award in science and engineering category from neighbouring AP state. Mallesham invented Lakshmi Asu machine for the benefit of weavers to weave sarees easily. Among all, the Padma award is a perfect honour to Vanajeevi Ramaiah, who had been relentlessly striving for greenery. Ramaiah, who travels on a bicycle, planted more than a crore saplings and has been an inspiration for Haritha Haaram plantation drive of the state government. Chinthakindi Mallesham A solution for the handloom weavers This handloom weaver from Telangana has done the state proud. Chinthakindi Mallesham (44) from Nalgonda (Telangana), was chosen for the prestigious Padma Shri Award from Andhra Pradesh. A native of Sharajipet village of Alair mandal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, Mallesham, since his childhood days saw the problems faced by several weavers in the village. And thus began the quest to make a machine that would bring respite to the weavers. He came up with the Asu machine at a cost of `13,000 Dr Md Abdul Waheed Efforts in field of medicine recognised Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Dr Mohammed Abdul Waheed, who has been awarded Padma Shri for distinguished service in the field of Medicine, is a Bachelors in Unani Medicine and Surgery from Osmania University. He is currently working as chairman of Scientific Advisory Committee at Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine. Dr Waheeds work in the field of Vitiligo has been recognised by government of India. He earlier received Best Scientist Award (2005) for overall performance from department of AYUSH Daripalli Ramaiah Planted 1 crore saplings and going strong Nobody knows him as Daripalli Ramaiah. Not even his near and dear ones. But, ask for Vanajeevi Ramaiah and you will see several faces brighten up. In his 70s, Vanajeevi Ramaiah is a relentless fighter. He is not ready to rest even after planting over one crore saplings as part of his love towards nature. His efforts finally rewarded him the Padma Shri. Reddipalli villagers celebrated the occasion in a grand way. The nature-lover has called upon people to plant saplings and ensure future generation should live without pollution Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary Contributions to telecom department Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary was the man who initiated restructuring of Department of Telecommunications (DOT). Chowdary founded the Centre for Telecommunications Management and Studies in 1989, as a not-for-profit-society to wage the intellectual campaign for demonopolisation of and competition in Indian telecoms. He wrote the draft National Telecom Policy, in 1989. He also drafted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Bill, which has become the basis for the final TRAI Act BVR Mohan Reddy First gen ITES entrepreneur awarded For 66-year-old Bodanapu Venkata Rama Mohan Reddy, Padma Shri is another feather in an already decorated cap. Mohan Reddy, one of the successful first generation ITES entrepreneurs, has been awarded the prestigious award in field of trade and industry. He is founder and executive chairman of Cyient and is also part of various industry bodies. Hailing from Mokshagundam village near Kambham in Prakasam, AP, he graduated in mechanical engineering from IIT-Kanpur and attended University of Michigan, US Prof AEKKA YADAGIRI RAO A renowned sculptor and a skilful carver, Aekka Yadagiri Rao is the man who designed Martyrs Memorial. Yadagiri is one of the most prominent among first generation artists of South India who opted for sculpting and received national fame. The artist began his career around 1960. Yadagiri enriched the time along with other prominent sculptors of the country to expand the continuous and parallel traditions of modern cultural trends Dr Chandrakant Pithawa Dr Chandrakant Pithawa is a retired Distinguished Scientist and former Director of Electronics and Instrumentation group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. Pithawa is from Madhya Pradesh and is settled in Hyderabad. After his retirement, he was made Raja Ramanna Fellow for BARC and Hyderabad-based Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). He also served as director of Design Manufacturing and Automation Group at BARC
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The state government plans to launch more schemes and plans for the well-being of the people. The state is implementing several people welfare schemes. I assure, on behalf of my government, that in the coming days some more schemes and plans will be devised for the peace and happiness of the people, Governor ESL Narasimhan said after unfurling the national flag and reviewing the Republic Day rally at Parade Grounds here on Thursday.

The youngest state of Telangana today is often being referred to as the most happening state, he said and listed the achievements of the state government in the last 31 months.

My government has launched a slew of flagship programmes and initiatives. The success of schemes like Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya have found an echo at the national level. The NITI Aayog and other state governments are admiring the Telangana model, Narasimhan said in his 15-minute speech which was watched and heard by a galaxy of VVIPs including chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah.

Earlier, the CM laid a wreath at Veerula Sainik Smarak and signed in the visitors book there.

HYDERABAD: The state government plans to launch more schemes and plans for the well-being of the people. The state is implementing several people welfare schemes. I assure, on behalf of my government, that in the coming days some more schemes and plans will be devised for the peace and happiness of the people, Governor ESL Narasimhan said after unfurling the national flag and reviewing the Republic Day rally at Parade Grounds here on Thursday. The youngest state of Telangana today is often being referred to as the most happening state, he said and listed the achievements of the state government in the last 31 months. My government has launched a slew of flagship programmes and initiatives. The success of schemes like Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya have found an echo at the national level. The NITI Aayog and other state governments are admiring the Telangana model, Narasimhan said in his 15-minute speech which was watched and heard by a galaxy of VVIPs including chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah. Earlier, the CM laid a wreath at Veerula Sainik Smarak and signed in the visitors book there.
Express News Service

JAFFNA: The Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) of India has offered to partner with Sri Lankan companies to revive sick companies or acquire those on the verge of closure, said Vinay R. Sharma, National Council member of ASSOCHAM.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Jaffna International Trade fair here on Friday, Sharma said that with South Sri Lanka getting "saturated for Indian businesses", Indian firms would like to move to Jaffna and the Northern Province which are "virgin".

He said that ASSOCHAM would be interested in setting up industrial estates too.

The Sri Lankan Minister of Commerce and Industry Rishad Bathiutheen, said that the Northern Province offers immense scope for new industries because it is still to develop.It accounts for only 3.5 % of the Sri Lankan national GDP in contrast to the Western Province which accounts for 31 % of the GDP. However the North's GDP is growing fast at the rate of 12 % a year since 2012-13, he noted.

The Indian Consul General in Jaffna A, Natarajan urged the 475,00 -member ASSOCHAM to invest in North Sri Lankan has this region is still to attract Foreign Direct Investment.

JAFFNA: The Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) of India has offered to partner with Sri Lankan companies to revive sick companies or acquire those on the verge of closure, said Vinay R. Sharma, National Council member of ASSOCHAM. Speaking at the inauguration of the Jaffna International Trade fair here on Friday, Sharma said that with South Sri Lanka getting "saturated for Indian businesses", Indian firms would like to move to Jaffna and the Northern Province which are "virgin". He said that ASSOCHAM would be interested in setting up industrial estates too. The Sri Lankan Minister of Commerce and Industry Rishad Bathiutheen, said that the Northern Province offers immense scope for new industries because it is still to develop.It accounts for only 3.5 % of the Sri Lankan national GDP in contrast to the Western Province which accounts for 31 % of the GDP. However the North's GDP is growing fast at the rate of 12 % a year since 2012-13, he noted. The Indian Consul General in Jaffna A, Natarajan urged the 475,00 -member ASSOCHAM to invest in North Sri Lankan has this region is still to attract Foreign Direct Investment.
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
By AFP

BERLIN: The mayor of Germany's long-divided capital Berlin, Michael Mueller, on Friday offered some advice to US President Donald Trump: "Don't build this wall!"

The billionaire-president, holding true to his campaign promise, this week ordered US officials to begin to design and construct a wall along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometre) US-Mexico border.

While the White House has also threatened to tax Mexican imports to cover its cost, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a planned Washington in protest.

Berlin's mayor said his city -- which was split by the Berlin Wall during the Cold War from 1961-89 -- "cannot look on without comment when a country plans to build a new wall".

"We Berliners know best how much suffering was caused by the division of an entire continent with barbed wire and concrete," he said in a statement, referring to Europe's "Iron Curtain" division.

In the early 21st century, he said, "we can't just accept it if our historical experience is disregarded by those to whom we largely owe our freedom, the Americans."

Pointing to the ongoing division of the Korean peninsula and the island of Cyprus, the Social Democrat urged Trump "not to go down this wrong path of isolation and exclusion".

Mueller also recalled former US president Ronald Reagan's famous 1987 challenge to then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall!", and said in his message to Trump: "Dear Mr President, don't build this wall!"

BERLIN: The mayor of Germany's long-divided capital Berlin, Michael Mueller, on Friday offered some advice to US President Donald Trump: "Don't build this wall!" The billionaire-president, holding true to his campaign promise, this week ordered US officials to begin to design and construct a wall along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometre) US-Mexico border. While the White House has also threatened to tax Mexican imports to cover its cost, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a planned Washington in protest. Berlin's mayor said his city -- which was split by the Berlin Wall during the Cold War from 1961-89 -- "cannot look on without comment when a country plans to build a new wall". "We Berliners know best how much suffering was caused by the division of an entire continent with barbed wire and concrete," he said in a statement, referring to Europe's "Iron Curtain" division. In the early 21st century, he said, "we can't just accept it if our historical experience is disregarded by those to whom we largely owe our freedom, the Americans." Pointing to the ongoing division of the Korean peninsula and the island of Cyprus, the Social Democrat urged Trump "not to go down this wrong path of isolation and exclusion". Mueller also recalled former US president Ronald Reagan's famous 1987 challenge to then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall!", and said in his message to Trump: "Dear Mr President, don't build this wall!"
By PTI

NEW YORK: A Hijab-clad Muslim airline employee in the US has been racially attacked, kicked by a man who shouted slurs at her and said "Trump is here now" and "he will get rid of all of you", officials said.

Rabeeya Khan, a Delta Airline employee, was sitting in her office in the Delta Sky Lounge of the John F Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday when Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, who had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts approached her, Queens District Attorney Richard A Brown, said in a statement yesterday.

"'Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?' Rhodes allegedly said to the employee before punching the door, which hit the back her chair," prosecutors were quoted as saying by the New York Times.

Khan asked Rhodes what she did to him, prosecutors said. He replied, "You did nothing but I am going to kick your ass," prosecutors said.

He then kicked her in the right leg, prosecutors said, and when she tried to get away from him, he kicked the door and blocked her from leaving.

When another person tried to calm him, he moved away from the door and Khan ran to the front desk of the lounge, according to the statement. But Rhodes still followed her, then got down on his knees and began to bow down, mimicking a Muslim prayer, prosecutors said, and allegedly shouted, "Islam, ISIS, Donald Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kinds of people. You will see what happens."

Rhodes, of Massachusetts, was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes, among other counts. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison. When he was arrested, Rhodes told the police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head." Delta says the victim is employed by a contractor, not by Delta directly, but "what happened in this incident is totally unacceptable and Delta has and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities in this investigation."

NEW YORK: A Hijab-clad Muslim airline employee in the US has been racially attacked, kicked by a man who shouted slurs at her and said "Trump is here now" and "he will get rid of all of you", officials said. Rabeeya Khan, a Delta Airline employee, was sitting in her office in the Delta Sky Lounge of the John F Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday when Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, who had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts approached her, Queens District Attorney Richard A Brown, said in a statement yesterday. "'Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?' Rhodes allegedly said to the employee before punching the door, which hit the back her chair," prosecutors were quoted as saying by the New York Times. Khan asked Rhodes what she did to him, prosecutors said. He replied, "You did nothing but I am going to kick your ass," prosecutors said. He then kicked her in the right leg, prosecutors said, and when she tried to get away from him, he kicked the door and blocked her from leaving. When another person tried to calm him, he moved away from the door and Khan ran to the front desk of the lounge, according to the statement. But Rhodes still followed her, then got down on his knees and began to bow down, mimicking a Muslim prayer, prosecutors said, and allegedly shouted, "Islam, ISIS, Donald Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kinds of people. You will see what happens." Rhodes, of Massachusetts, was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes, among other counts. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison. When he was arrested, Rhodes told the police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head." Delta says the victim is employed by a contractor, not by Delta directly, but "what happened in this incident is totally unacceptable and Delta has and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities in this investigation."
By PTI

MONTREAL: Canadian pipeline builder TransCanada announced it had submitted an application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial project that has been given the green light by US President Donald Trump. Trump on Tuesday gave a conditional go-ahead for the project, which was put on hold by former president Barack Obama over environmental concerns.

Calgary-based TransCanada yesterday said in a statement it had filed a "presidential permit application" with the US State Department for approval of the project. The 1,180-mile (1,900-kilometer) pipeline would carry oil from Canadian tar sands to US refineries on the Gulf Coast, with some 870 miles winding through the United States.

Trump repeatedly asserted during the US presidential campaign that he would approve the pipeline. "This privately funded infrastructure project will help meet America's growing energy needs as well as create tens of thousands of well-paying jobs," TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a statement.

The statement added that the project would add $3.4 billion to the US economy. TransCanada must now wait while the US conducts a new study of the Keystone XL project. But between Trump's conditional go-ahead and his nomination of Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, as secretary of state, the project is likely to be approved.

Canada is the world's sixth-largest oil producer thanks to the Alberta oil sands, which produce some of the "dirtiest" crude in the world. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said he wants to gradually halt exploration of the oil sands and transition away from fossil fuel.

MONTREAL: Canadian pipeline builder TransCanada announced it had submitted an application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial project that has been given the green light by US President Donald Trump. Trump on Tuesday gave a conditional go-ahead for the project, which was put on hold by former president Barack Obama over environmental concerns. Calgary-based TransCanada yesterday said in a statement it had filed a "presidential permit application" with the US State Department for approval of the project. The 1,180-mile (1,900-kilometer) pipeline would carry oil from Canadian tar sands to US refineries on the Gulf Coast, with some 870 miles winding through the United States. Trump repeatedly asserted during the US presidential campaign that he would approve the pipeline. "This privately funded infrastructure project will help meet America's growing energy needs as well as create tens of thousands of well-paying jobs," TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a statement. The statement added that the project would add $3.4 billion to the US economy. TransCanada must now wait while the US conducts a new study of the Keystone XL project. But between Trump's conditional go-ahead and his nomination of Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, as secretary of state, the project is likely to be approved. Canada is the world's sixth-largest oil producer thanks to the Alberta oil sands, which produce some of the "dirtiest" crude in the world. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said he wants to gradually halt exploration of the oil sands and transition away from fossil fuel.
By PTI

LONDON: A man in the UK has been jailed for five-and-a-half-years for killing a 17-year-old girl by not helping her when she fell into the sea.

Becky Morgan fell in the water at the Port Of Ramsgate on May 1 after a party. Michael Bowditch went clubbing after watching her die.



Bowditch, 21, had denied murder but admitted manslaughter.

He was given a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Maidstone Crown Court, the BBC reported today.

Bowditch and Morgan had been at a birthday party before going to the harbour arm in Ramsgate the court heard.

Simon Taylor for the prosecution told the hearing: "Mr Bowditch accepts that although he cannot say exactly how Becky Morgan came to fall into the sea, once she fell in he failed to take any steps to try to assist her.

"It is the failure to take any steps to prevent Miss Morgan's death after she fell into the sea which forms the basis of his culpability for manslaughter."

Sentencing Bowditch, Judge Jeremy Carey said: "You did not try in any way to help a drowning girl - not by throwing her a life buoy, not by going to her aid as some would have done, not by calling for help, not by contacting the rescue or emergency services.

"In other words, you left her to drown."

Bowditch had been due to stand trial this week after denying murdering the college student, but an admission of manslaughter was accepted by Judge Carey.

The court heard when the pair went to the harbour, Bowditch was drunk and had taken cocaine and cannabis. Miss Morgan was not drunk, toxicology reports showed.

Bowditch told police they had been "mucking about" and he believed she ended up in the water.

The court heard Morgan had asked for help and told Bowditch she could not swim. He said he was unable to help.

The prosecution lawyer said: "He did not just walk away and leave Miss Morgan to perish but remained and watched her drown."

Bowditch was later seen dancing in Rokka Bar.

He called police much later and said: "I've seen someone die tonight."

LONDON: A man in the UK has been jailed for five-and-a-half-years for killing a 17-year-old girl by not helping her when she fell into the sea. Becky Morgan fell in the water at the Port Of Ramsgate on May 1 after a party. Michael Bowditch went clubbing after watching her die. Bowditch, 21, had denied murder but admitted manslaughter. He was given a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Maidstone Crown Court, the BBC reported today. Bowditch and Morgan had been at a birthday party before going to the harbour arm in Ramsgate the court heard. Simon Taylor for the prosecution told the hearing: "Mr Bowditch accepts that although he cannot say exactly how Becky Morgan came to fall into the sea, once she fell in he failed to take any steps to try to assist her. "It is the failure to take any steps to prevent Miss Morgan's death after she fell into the sea which forms the basis of his culpability for manslaughter." Sentencing Bowditch, Judge Jeremy Carey said: "You did not try in any way to help a drowning girl - not by throwing her a life buoy, not by going to her aid as some would have done, not by calling for help, not by contacting the rescue or emergency services. "In other words, you left her to drown." Bowditch had been due to stand trial this week after denying murdering the college student, but an admission of manslaughter was accepted by Judge Carey. The court heard when the pair went to the harbour, Bowditch was drunk and had taken cocaine and cannabis. Miss Morgan was not drunk, toxicology reports showed. Bowditch told police they had been "mucking about" and he believed she ended up in the water. The court heard Morgan had asked for help and told Bowditch she could not swim. He said he was unable to help. The prosecution lawyer said: "He did not just walk away and leave Miss Morgan to perish but remained and watched her drown." Bowditch was later seen dancing in Rokka Bar. He called police much later and said: "I've seen someone die tonight."
By AFP

GENEVA: The timing of Geneva talks on the Syrian conflict was thrown into doubt on Friday, as the UN said it could not confirm a Russian statement that they had been postponed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a meeting with minor Syrian opposition delegates in Moscow that the UN-hosted talks planned for February 8 had been "put back until the end of next month".

The news comes after negotiations between Syrian government and rebel representatives in Kazakhstan wrapped up on Tuesday without any tangible progress in finding a political solution to the war in Syria, which has claimed more than 310,000 lives since it started in 2011.

A spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said there was "no confirmation" the February talks had been postponed.

"We're going to be sure when the special envoy is back" from talks on the issue in New York next week with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci also said that the list of those invited to the Geneva talks has not been finalised.

Key players Russia, Turkey and Iran backed the Astana talks and the main result was an agreement by the three sides to try to shore up a shaky ceasefire on the ground in the war-torn country.

Representatives from Damascus and the armed rebels had been expected to hold their first face-to-face talks in the Kazakh capital, but the rebels refused and mediators had to shuttle between the two sides.

The latest peace initiative comes after President Bashar al-Assad's regime, with the help of Russian and Iranian firepower, dealt rebels a crushing blow by ousting them from eastern Aleppo last month.

The main opposition groups stayed away from Friday's meeting in Moscow with Lavrov, as the Kremlin seeks to impose its influence as the key powerbroker in Syria.

Russia has sidelined the West with its diplomatic push to find a political settlement to the war in Syria, after its military intervention to support Assad turned the tables on the battlefield.

On Thursday Britain, one of the harshest critics of Moscow's actions in Syria, signalled a possible policy shift, with Foreign Minister Boris Johnson saying Assad could be allowed to run for re-election and mentioning a possible "arrangement" with Russia.

GENEVA: The timing of Geneva talks on the Syrian conflict was thrown into doubt on Friday, as the UN said it could not confirm a Russian statement that they had been postponed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a meeting with minor Syrian opposition delegates in Moscow that the UN-hosted talks planned for February 8 had been "put back until the end of next month". The news comes after negotiations between Syrian government and rebel representatives in Kazakhstan wrapped up on Tuesday without any tangible progress in finding a political solution to the war in Syria, which has claimed more than 310,000 lives since it started in 2011. A spokeswoman for UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said there was "no confirmation" the February talks had been postponed. "We're going to be sure when the special envoy is back" from talks on the issue in New York next week with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci also said that the list of those invited to the Geneva talks has not been finalised. Key players Russia, Turkey and Iran backed the Astana talks and the main result was an agreement by the three sides to try to shore up a shaky ceasefire on the ground in the war-torn country. Representatives from Damascus and the armed rebels had been expected to hold their first face-to-face talks in the Kazakh capital, but the rebels refused and mediators had to shuttle between the two sides. The latest peace initiative comes after President Bashar al-Assad's regime, with the help of Russian and Iranian firepower, dealt rebels a crushing blow by ousting them from eastern Aleppo last month. The main opposition groups stayed away from Friday's meeting in Moscow with Lavrov, as the Kremlin seeks to impose its influence as the key powerbroker in Syria. Russia has sidelined the West with its diplomatic push to find a political settlement to the war in Syria, after its military intervention to support Assad turned the tables on the battlefield. On Thursday Britain, one of the harshest critics of Moscow's actions in Syria, signalled a possible policy shift, with Foreign Minister Boris Johnson saying Assad could be allowed to run for re-election and mentioning a possible "arrangement" with Russia.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd gathered Friday in Washington for the annual March for Life rally that ending taxpayer-funded abortion and choosing a Supreme Court justice who will uphold "God-given" liberties are among top priorities of the Trump administration.

One of Trump's first official acts after taking office a week ago was to sign an executive order banning U.S. aid to foreign groups that provide abortions. Pence said more such action would continue.

President Donald Trump will "work with the Congress to end taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion providers, and we will devote those resources to health care services for women across America," said Pence to the crowd gathered near the Washington Monument.

The vice president also accused the U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, of having "turned away from these timeless ideals."

Pence said Trump would be nominating a Supreme Court justice next week who "will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution."

The March for Life is usually held on the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision  Jan. 22  but it was pushed back this year because of Trump's inauguration. Pence is the first sitting vice president to address the march. Kellyanne Conway, one of President Donald Trump's top advisers, also spoke.

In Congress, Republican majorities in both chambers are vowing to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provided more than a third of the nation's abortions in 2014. They also hope to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Trump has pledged to sign both measures if they reach his desk.

Less than a year ago, with Barack Obama's second term winding down, things were markedly different. The Supreme Court struck down Texas' strict regulations on abortion clinics as interfering with a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. And with polls at the time suggesting Hillary Clinton would likely defeat Trump, abortion opponents worried about an era of liberal majorities on the court.

"The horizon looked bleak for the pro-life movement," said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life.

Mancini suggested that many voters chose Trump largely because he pledged to appoint a Supreme Court justice who shared their views on abortion, even if they disagreed with him on other issues.

"I don't identify as a Republican or a Democrat but I do vote pro-life," Mancini said.

Abortion opponents also were heartened by a recent study that found the number of abortions in the United States dropped under 1 million in 2014, the lowest total in 40 years. The report by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, credited increased access to birth control but also a surge in abortion restrictions in many states.

Americans remain deeply divided on abortion.

The latest Gallup survey, released last spring, found that 47 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-choice and 46 percent as pro-life. It also found that 79 percent believed abortion should be legal in either some or all circumstances.

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that poll shows why abortion-rights supporters shouldn't despair. She also said Republicans were taking actions that would result in more illegal abortions and deaths of pregnant women.

"The vast majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade and support the legal right to abortion," Hogue said.

Friday's march comes less than a week after one of the largest mass demonstrations in the city's history, the Women's March on Washington, which drew more than half a million people opposed to Trump on issues including abortion.

WASHINGTON: Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd gathered Friday in Washington for the annual March for Life rally that ending taxpayer-funded abortion and choosing a Supreme Court justice who will uphold "God-given" liberties are among top priorities of the Trump administration. One of Trump's first official acts after taking office a week ago was to sign an executive order banning U.S. aid to foreign groups that provide abortions. Pence said more such action would continue. President Donald Trump will "work with the Congress to end taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion providers, and we will devote those resources to health care services for women across America," said Pence to the crowd gathered near the Washington Monument. The vice president also accused the U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, of having "turned away from these timeless ideals." Pence said Trump would be nominating a Supreme Court justice next week who "will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution." The March for Life is usually held on the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision  Jan. 22  but it was pushed back this year because of Trump's inauguration. Pence is the first sitting vice president to address the march. Kellyanne Conway, one of President Donald Trump's top advisers, also spoke. In Congress, Republican majorities in both chambers are vowing to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provided more than a third of the nation's abortions in 2014. They also hope to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Trump has pledged to sign both measures if they reach his desk. Less than a year ago, with Barack Obama's second term winding down, things were markedly different. The Supreme Court struck down Texas' strict regulations on abortion clinics as interfering with a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. And with polls at the time suggesting Hillary Clinton would likely defeat Trump, abortion opponents worried about an era of liberal majorities on the court. "The horizon looked bleak for the pro-life movement," said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life. Mancini suggested that many voters chose Trump largely because he pledged to appoint a Supreme Court justice who shared their views on abortion, even if they disagreed with him on other issues. "I don't identify as a Republican or a Democrat but I do vote pro-life," Mancini said. Abortion opponents also were heartened by a recent study that found the number of abortions in the United States dropped under 1 million in 2014, the lowest total in 40 years. The report by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, credited increased access to birth control but also a surge in abortion restrictions in many states. Americans remain deeply divided on abortion. The latest Gallup survey, released last spring, found that 47 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-choice and 46 percent as pro-life. It also found that 79 percent believed abortion should be legal in either some or all circumstances. Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that poll shows why abortion-rights supporters shouldn't despair. She also said Republicans were taking actions that would result in more illegal abortions and deaths of pregnant women. "The vast majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade and support the legal right to abortion," Hogue said. Friday's march comes less than a week after one of the largest mass demonstrations in the city's history, the Women's March on Washington, which drew more than half a million people opposed to Trump on issues including abortion.
By Associated Press

VIENNA: Austria has shut its door to about 300 non-Muslim Iranians hoping to use the country as a way station before establishing new homes in the United States, The Associated Press has learned. The action is an early ripple effect of U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to clamp down on refugee admissions.

Under a 27-year-old program originally approved by Congress to help Jews in the former Soviet Union, Austria had been serving until recently as a conduit for Iranian Jews, Christians and Baha'i, who were at risk in their home country and eligible to resettle in the United States. Iran has banned the Baha'i religion, which was founded in 1844 by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by followers.

U.S. officials had been interviewing the candidates in Austria because they cannot do so in Iran. But the United States suspended the so-called "Iranian Lautenberg Program" in recent days, according to Austrian officials, who in turn stopped Iranians from reaching their territory. It's unclear when the program might restart.

The episode isn't directly linked to an executive order Trump is expected to sign, perhaps as soon as Friday, that would suspend the far broader U.S. refugee program for four months. But it reflects that knock-on effects already occurring from his tougher line on immigration and refugees. Similar to how tighter German migration rules had consequences across Europe, Trump's actions could lead other nations to take a harder look at people wishing to use their territories as transit points.

The net result could be even tougher conditions for people hoping to escape war and persecution for a better life abroad. There are more than 20 million refugees worldwide, according to the United Nations.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell said the Alpine country acted after "U.S. authorities told us that the onward trip for people to the U.S.A., who received visas from Austrian authorities as part of the program, would be put on hold for now."

A State Department email sent Tuesday said the Austrian government had "electronically canceled" its visas for applicants who hadn't yet reached Austria. If they try to reach Austria anyway, they will be permanently blocked from Austria, according to the email, which was obtained by AP.

Schnoell said the move affects about 300 Iranians with visas waiting to enter Austria. He said about 100 of them had been tracked down and informed that they can no longer do so. The search continues for the rest through airline ticket bookings and other means, Schnoell said.

Other officials said a small number of Iranians with such short-term visas already were in Austria. It wasn't immediately clear what would happen with them.

The end of the program, named for former Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, could have broad implications for religious minorities in Iran.

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society says on its website that ending the U.S.-Austrian partnership "puts people seeking religious freedom in danger and sends the wrong message about the pervasive violations of religious freedom in Iran."

Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to the U.S. and indefinitely bar those fleeing war-torn Syria. The president's upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by the AP.

Cancellation of the U.S. program could mean Iranians arriving in Austria with temporary visas would seek asylum in Austria. Immigration is a highly sensitive issue throughout Europe, which is struggling to deal with hundreds of thousands of people from Syria, North Africa and beyond.

Austria, a nation of fewer than 9 million people, is already strained by efforts to accommodate and integrate more than 100,000 migrants who have flowed in since 2015.

VIENNA: Austria has shut its door to about 300 non-Muslim Iranians hoping to use the country as a way station before establishing new homes in the United States, The Associated Press has learned. The action is an early ripple effect of U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to clamp down on refugee admissions. Under a 27-year-old program originally approved by Congress to help Jews in the former Soviet Union, Austria had been serving until recently as a conduit for Iranian Jews, Christians and Baha'i, who were at risk in their home country and eligible to resettle in the United States. Iran has banned the Baha'i religion, which was founded in 1844 by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by followers. U.S. officials had been interviewing the candidates in Austria because they cannot do so in Iran. But the United States suspended the so-called "Iranian Lautenberg Program" in recent days, according to Austrian officials, who in turn stopped Iranians from reaching their territory. It's unclear when the program might restart. The episode isn't directly linked to an executive order Trump is expected to sign, perhaps as soon as Friday, that would suspend the far broader U.S. refugee program for four months. But it reflects that knock-on effects already occurring from his tougher line on immigration and refugees. Similar to how tighter German migration rules had consequences across Europe, Trump's actions could lead other nations to take a harder look at people wishing to use their territories as transit points. The net result could be even tougher conditions for people hoping to escape war and persecution for a better life abroad. There are more than 20 million refugees worldwide, according to the United Nations. Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell said the Alpine country acted after "U.S. authorities told us that the onward trip for people to the U.S.A., who received visas from Austrian authorities as part of the program, would be put on hold for now." A State Department email sent Tuesday said the Austrian government had "electronically canceled" its visas for applicants who hadn't yet reached Austria. If they try to reach Austria anyway, they will be permanently blocked from Austria, according to the email, which was obtained by AP. Schnoell said the move affects about 300 Iranians with visas waiting to enter Austria. He said about 100 of them had been tracked down and informed that they can no longer do so. The search continues for the rest through airline ticket bookings and other means, Schnoell said. Other officials said a small number of Iranians with such short-term visas already were in Austria. It wasn't immediately clear what would happen with them. The end of the program, named for former Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, could have broad implications for religious minorities in Iran. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society says on its website that ending the U.S.-Austrian partnership "puts people seeking religious freedom in danger and sends the wrong message about the pervasive violations of religious freedom in Iran." Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to the U.S. and indefinitely bar those fleeing war-torn Syria. The president's upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries  Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by the AP. Cancellation of the U.S. program could mean Iranians arriving in Austria with temporary visas would seek asylum in Austria. Immigration is a highly sensitive issue throughout Europe, which is struggling to deal with hundreds of thousands of people from Syria, North Africa and beyond. Austria, a nation of fewer than 9 million people, is already strained by efforts to accommodate and integrate more than 100,000 migrants who have flowed in since 2015.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared chummy as they faced a curious world together for the first time Friday, pledging allegiance to the special relationship between their countries while trying to mask stark differences on some major issues.

It was Trump's first White House meeting with a foreign head of state, a hastily arranged confab held precisely one week after the businessman and reality TV star, who remains a largely unknown figure to European audiences, was sworn into office as president.

Trump sought to charm May from the outset, showing her the bust of Prime Minister Winston Churchill that he's using to decorate the Oval Office. He then opened a joint news conference by noting that his late mother was born in "Stornoway, which is serious Scotland." Scotland is part of Great Britain.

Trump and May were seen briefly holding hands as they walked along the White House colonnade after leaving the Oval Office. Their talks continued in the State Dining Room over lunch of iceberg wedge salad, braised beef short ribs with potato puree and salted caramel creme brulee.

For her part, May congratulated Trump on his "stunning election victory," and announced that he had accepted the queen's invitation for a state visit for the president and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, later this year.

But the attempts at mutual flattery didn't completely mask the leaders' differences over some issues, including NATO and Russia.

May tried to push Trump toward positions she supports, noting that he had assured her he was "100 percent" behind NATO, a world body he has dismissed as "obsolete." Trump did not contradict May as they stood together and answered journalists' questions in the White House East Room.

May also took a tougher stance on sanctions against Russia.

When asked how close the U.S. is to lifting penalties that were imposed on Russia after its incursion into Ukraine, Trump said it was "very early to be talking about that." May said sanctions should remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented.

Trump has been less critical of Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, than his predecessor and some lawmakers, including fellow Republicans. He has cast doubt on findings by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him win the White House, and has praised Putin's leadership. Trump's stance has fueled speculation that he could ease or remove the sanctions against Russia.

Trump also reiterated his belief that torture works. Britain takes a vocal stand against it.

The appearance alongside May was more amiable than Trump's most recent public appearance with a foreign leader: a joint news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last August. Trump was more staid and serious then, and read from lengthy prepared remarks.

Coincidentally, Trump and May met a day after Pena Nieto canceled his own trip to Washington next week amid disagreement with Trump over which of their countries will pay for the wall Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump says Mexico will pay; Mexico says it won't.

Trump is something of a mystery to world leaders, many of whom expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election. They also don't know his administration's main interlocutors with foreign governments, including son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior adviser Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive.

So May was on a bit of a scouting mission.

She has strong reasons for wanting the relationship to work. Britain is set to leave the European Union and its 500 million-person single market, and is eager for a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. The United States is Britain's biggest export market, and such a trade deal would be a major prize.

Trump has drawn parallels between Britain's choice to leave the EU and his own success, using the Brexit vote last June to bolster his derision of the 28-nation bloc and his preference for striking bilateral agreements.

Often combative in the presence of journalists, Trump seemed relaxed and humorous alongside May. At one point, after a British journalist asked whether people should be alarmed by his past statements, Trump joked: "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship."

He backed May's determination to make Britain strong and prosperous once it leaves the European Union, saying he thought Brexit would be "a tremendous asset and not a tremendous liability."

And when asked whether the two very different leaders had found common ground, Trump said they had.

"I think we're going to get along very well," he said. "I am a people person. I think you are also, Theresa."

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared chummy as they faced a curious world together for the first time Friday, pledging allegiance to the special relationship between their countries while trying to mask stark differences on some major issues. It was Trump's first White House meeting with a foreign head of state, a hastily arranged confab held precisely one week after the businessman and reality TV star, who remains a largely unknown figure to European audiences, was sworn into office as president. Trump sought to charm May from the outset, showing her the bust of Prime Minister Winston Churchill that he's using to decorate the Oval Office. He then opened a joint news conference by noting that his late mother was born in "Stornoway, which is serious Scotland." Scotland is part of Great Britain. Trump and May were seen briefly holding hands as they walked along the White House colonnade after leaving the Oval Office. Their talks continued in the State Dining Room over lunch of iceberg wedge salad, braised beef short ribs with potato puree and salted caramel creme brulee. For her part, May congratulated Trump on his "stunning election victory," and announced that he had accepted the queen's invitation for a state visit for the president and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, later this year. But the attempts at mutual flattery didn't completely mask the leaders' differences over some issues, including NATO and Russia. May tried to push Trump toward positions she supports, noting that he had assured her he was "100 percent" behind NATO, a world body he has dismissed as "obsolete." Trump did not contradict May as they stood together and answered journalists' questions in the White House East Room. May also took a tougher stance on sanctions against Russia. When asked how close the U.S. is to lifting penalties that were imposed on Russia after its incursion into Ukraine, Trump said it was "very early to be talking about that." May said sanctions should remain until a 2015 cease-fire agreement for Ukraine is fully implemented. Trump has been less critical of Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, than his predecessor and some lawmakers, including fellow Republicans. He has cast doubt on findings by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him win the White House, and has praised Putin's leadership. Trump's stance has fueled speculation that he could ease or remove the sanctions against Russia. Trump also reiterated his belief that torture works. Britain takes a vocal stand against it. The appearance alongside May was more amiable than Trump's most recent public appearance with a foreign leader: a joint news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last August. Trump was more staid and serious then, and read from lengthy prepared remarks. Coincidentally, Trump and May met a day after Pena Nieto canceled his own trip to Washington next week amid disagreement with Trump over which of their countries will pay for the wall Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump says Mexico will pay; Mexico says it won't. Trump is something of a mystery to world leaders, many of whom expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election. They also don't know his administration's main interlocutors with foreign governments, including son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior adviser Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive. So May was on a bit of a scouting mission. She has strong reasons for wanting the relationship to work. Britain is set to leave the European Union and its 500 million-person single market, and is eager for a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. The United States is Britain's biggest export market, and such a trade deal would be a major prize. Trump has drawn parallels between Britain's choice to leave the EU and his own success, using the Brexit vote last June to bolster his derision of the 28-nation bloc and his preference for striking bilateral agreements. Often combative in the presence of journalists, Trump seemed relaxed and humorous alongside May. At one point, after a British journalist asked whether people should be alarmed by his past statements, Trump joked: "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship." He backed May's determination to make Britain strong and prosperous once it leaves the European Union, saying he thought Brexit would be "a tremendous asset and not a tremendous liability." And when asked whether the two very different leaders had found common ground, Trump said they had. "I think we're going to get along very well," he said. "I am a people person. I think you are also, Theresa."
Odisha's sand artist creates sculpture to mark 68th Republic Day

New Delhi , Jan. 26 : Renowned artists Sudarsan Pattnaik created sand sculptures on the shore of Puri Beach of Odisha to mark the 68th Republic Day of India.





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The sand sculpture, depicts a heart shaped Indian national flag with 'I love my India' written across.India will celebrate its 68th Republic Day today.This year, the 68th Republic Day parade will see an amalgamation of varied themes in a tribute to the nation's journey so far and big since it first became a republic.The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the guest of honour on the occasion.
President Pranab Mukherjee hoists Tricolour at Rajpath

New Delhi , Jan. 26 : President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday unfurled the Tricolour at Rajpath on the occasion of 68th Republic Day of India.





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The President also posthumously awarded Ashok Chakra to Havildar Hangpan Dada who died in Kupwara on May 27 after killing three terrorists. The award was received by his wife Chasen Lowang Dada.The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the guest of honour of the occasion and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present there.Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi and three service chiefs paid tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti.Prime Minister Modi took to his Twitter handle to greet the nation on this occasion.In view of today's ceremony, stringent measures have been taken to avoid any untoward incident.Security has been tightened in the national capital, particularly around Rajpath and the parade route in wake of the occasion.
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No violence can affect desire for peace: Sonowal

Guwahati (Assam) , Jan. 26 : Following the serial blasts in Assam, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that the government will continue to fight against insurgency, adding the people of the state stand united.





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"We will continue to fight terror, we are united. The perpetrators are cowards. The people of Assam proved that we have zero tolerance on terrorism by participating in the Republic Day celebration," Sonowal told ANI.He said no violence can affect the people's desire for peace as people across Assam stand united against violence."I would like to wish the people of Assam very happy Republic Day as the people have celebrated with great furor. It shows that that people of Assam are against terrorism. We are very thankful to the people for supporting us. We will work for the development of the state. PM Modi took special attention to Assam and it encourages us," he addedSix low intensity blasts were reported in Assam and Manipur earlier today.
Anupriya Patel admits friction in Apna Dal-BJP alliance

New Delhi , Jan. 26: Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel on Thursday agreed that there is a tussle going on between the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and her party regarding seat for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.





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Admitting that problems do exist in an alliance, she said, "There is problem over seat-sharing whenever there is an alliance between a national party and a regional party."Expressing confidence, Patel said support base is there for both parties in the politically crucial state."Our efforts will be to safeguard the position of both parties. If the worker of either of the alliance partner gets upset with the seat sharing then electoral results will not be as expected," Patel told ANI here.Patel, who is the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet, had earlier expressed her disappointment over the BJP's list.Patel is said to be upset over the fact that the BJP has fielded its candidates even in those assembly constituencies where the Apna Dal is better placed. She is expected to meet the BJP central leadership to lodge her protest.Patel had won the 2012 assembly polls from the Rohaniya constituency in Varanasi. The second seat of contention is that of Mirzapur for which the BJP has fielded Anuraj Singh, son of former state BJP president Om Prakash Singh. The third constituency is Banda's Manikpur from which BJP's R K Patel is slated to contest the polls.Also, no leader from 'Apna Dal' was included in the list of star campaigners too. The three stalwarts from 'Apna Dal' -- Anupriya Patel from Mirzapur, Dr Manoj Kumar Pandey from Chandouli and Manoj Sinha from Ghazipur -- have not been included in the list of star campaigners.With the stage set for the seven-phase assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP earlier on January 21 released the third list of its candidates and 40 star campaigners. Since then, the party has been facing criticism of nepotism and awarding turncoats.
India, UAE to strengthen mechanisms for exchange of information in tax matters

New Delhi , Jan 26 : India and UAE have agreed to further strengthen their mechanisms for exchange of information in tax matters under the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.





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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reviewed the progress in realizing the USD 75 billion target for UAE investments in India's plans for rapid expansion of next generation infrastructure development."PM Modi invited UAE participation in India's National Infrastructure Investment Master Fund as an anchor investor," said a joint statement."The two leaders agreed that the Joint Working Group formed under the MOU on the framework for facilitating the participation of UAE Institutional Investors in National Infrastructure Investment Fund should meet regularly to boost investment ties to realize the full potential," the statement added.Describing the existing Bilateral Investment Treaty of December 2013 a key framework for promotion of investments ties, the two leaders directed their respective ministries to commence renegotiations on the revised treaty text for early finalization.Keeping in view the importance of energy security as a key aspect of the strategic partnership, India and UAE expressed satisfaction at the current level of energy sector cooperation, acknowledging the latter as among the largest suppliers of crude oil to India.The two sides also agreed to focus on areas of training and human resources development and cooperation in R&D in the energy sector.The two sides also welcomed the signing of the agreement on Oil Storage and Management between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited for the establishment of Strategic Petroleum Reserve in India during the visit.The two leaders agreed to expand their collaboration in the field of renewable energy and in the international negotiations on climate change, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and agreed to continue their strong support to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).The two leaders reviewed the bilateral cooperation between the government agencies, private sector, civil society and academia in the field of climate change. They discussed possible investment opportunities for Masdar in India and potential areas of cooperation based upon the General Framework agreement for Cooperation in Renewable Energy signed in February 2016.Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed reaffirmed support for Prime Minister Modi's initiative on the new International Solar Alliance (ISA). Prime Minister Modi thanked the Crown Prince for UAE's support during the ISA Steering Committee Meetings. They acknowledged the importance of ensuring synergies between the ISA and IRENA.In the area of space, Electronics and Information Technology (IT), the two sides underlining the ongoing space cooperation noted that the MOU on cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes signed between ISRO and United Arab Emirates Space Agency in February 2016 established a practical framework for cooperation in the areas of space science, technology and applications including remote sensing; satellite communication and satellite based navigation.The two leaders agreed that the joint working group established under the ambit of this MOU would meet during 2017 to explore a long-term plan to identify and implement projects of mutual interest. Prime Minister Modi expressed happiness at the UAE's plan to launch a Mars Mission in 2021.The Indian side thanked UAE for its interest in proposal for establishing a semi-conductor fabrication facility in India.The two sides agreed to further business-to-business cooperation in Information Technology, Information Technology Enabled Services and Electronics System Design and Manufacturing.In the sector of health and food security, both sides agreed to pursue opportunities in the health care industry including in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors and resolved to urge their private sectors to explore early participation in these areas.Prime Minister Modi and the Crown Prince agreed that ensuring food security remains an area of high priority for the two sides.The Indian side welcomed proposal from UAE for establishing food security parks, including through creation of high quality food processing infrastructure, integrated cold chain, value addition and preserving technology, packaging of food products and marketing.
Global Goals on poverty and hunger require USD 265 billion annually - UN conference told

New York, Jan 26 : The world must take urgent action to mobilise the estimated USD 265 billion a year needed to achieve the first two Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty and hunger by 2030, the head of the United Nations agency for financing rural development projects has told an international conference.





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The need is urgent, Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said at last nights opening of a conference, titled Investing in inclusive rural transformation: innovative approaches to financing, held in Rome, Italy on 26-27 January.Despite decades of commitments and considerable effort to end poverty and hunger, nearly 800 million children, women and men still go hungry every day, and an almost equal number live in extreme poverty, he added, stressing the need to be more creative in using public resources and mobilise financing.He also emphasized the need to make it easier for the private sector and philanthropists to invest in rural areas, where rates of poverty and hunger are highest.Speakers agreed it cannot be left up to governments alone. In 2015, Official Development Assistance (ODA) was approximately $192 billion and only $9 billion of that was earmarked for agriculture.President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Kanayo F. Nwanze, addresses the opening in Rome of a conference focused on finding innovative ways to finance rural development. Photo: IFADThe conference comes at a critical time with political changes and humanitarian crises such as war, migration and natural disasters reshaping global priorities and potentially diverting money away from development.The majority of these poor and hungry people live in rural areas of developing countries. Investments need to be targeted to transform rural areas into vibrant places that offer all people the opportunity to have decent jobs and lead dignified lives free of poverty and hunger.Nwanze stressed that the financing needs for development are enormous, but so are the opportunities. Agri-food is already a $5 trillion sector, and it is growing, he said. It holds tremendous promise for the private sector and for producers in developing countries.Co-organised by IFAD, the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Brookings Institution and the University of Warwick, the conference brings together development agencies, governments, philanthropic organisations, the private sector, academia and farmers organisations to look at innovative ways to mobilise money and smarter ways to spend it.IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, it has provided about $18 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached some 462 million people.Photo: FAO/Riccardo GangaleSource: www.justearthnews.com
Mexican President Nieto cancels meeting with Donald Trump

Washington(D.C.) [U.S.], Jan. 26: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday canceled a meeting with United States President Donald Trump that had been set for Tuesday after renewed tensions over latter's plan to build a wall on the border.





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"This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS," PeAa Nieto tweeted.According to CNN, Trump earlier in the day tweeted that it would be better to skip the meeting if PeAa Nieto continued to insist Mexico would not pay for the wall, which he had again said as recently as Wednesday evening.Trump's pushback came after PeAa Nieto said again on Wednesday that his country "will not pay for any wall," Trump tweeted that they should just skip their planned meeting at the White House."If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump tweeted and in an earlier tweet he noted the US's trade deficit with Mexico and what he said were the American job losses caused by NAFTA.On Wednesday night, Pena Nieto had said he did not see a need to cancel his trip -- but reiterated that he wouldn't fund the wall.
Allotment of land to Gen. Sharif under 'constitutional provision', clarifies ISPR

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], Jan. 27 : Authorities have clarified that the allotment of 90 acres land to former Pakistan army chief General (Retd.) Raheel Sharif was made through a 'constitutional provision'.





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In a statement on Thursday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, "Issue of allotment of agricultural land to Army officers and soldiers is being debated and conjectured for last few days. In this regard it may be known that such allotments are through constitutional provision. Allotment to former COAS General Raheel Sharif, Retd is also under same provision and through government / Army procedures."The statement comes after the news created much controversy.It added, "This debate with intent of maligning Army also has the potential to create misunderstandings between state institutions thus considered detrimental to existing cohesion."According to the documents, which were circulated on social media and published by some newspapers, Sharif was gifted about 90 acres on Bedian Road in the capital of Punjab province through the army-controlled Border Area Committee.This was reportedly done by the army without consulting the civilian government. The total value of the land has been estimated at Rs. 1.35 billion.Sharif was reportedly allotted 50 acres in line with his rank as a four-star general, and another 40 acres as the chief of army staff. The land is in Mauza Rukh Bathant, located on the western side of the BRB Canal and adjacent to Mauza Heear, close to the Indian border.Experts said the allotment of land and distribution of other facilities to senior army officers is done directly by the army's General Headquarters through the adjutant general, an officer of the rank of lieutenant general.All Border Area Committees across Pakistan have the records of all the land along the frontier and these lands are given only to army officials.
Britain signals shift in policy on Bashar al-Assad

London [UK], Jan. 27 : British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said that the United Kingdom accepts that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be allowed to run for re-election in the event of a peace settlement in Syria.





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This is a dramatic reversal of the British policy stretching back to the early days of the civil war that the president must go, reports the Guardian.Speaking on the eve of UK Prime Minister Theresa May's meeting with Donald Trump in Washington, Johnson acknowledged that with the U.S. President taking presidency, all sides need to rethink their approach to Syria."It is our view that Bashar al-Assad should go, it's been our longstanding position. But we are open-minded about how that happens and the timescale on which that happens," Johnson told the Lords international relations select committee."I have to be realistic about how the landscape has changed, and it may be that we will have to think afresh about how we handle this. The old policy, I am afraid to say, does not command much confidence," he added.The official Foreign Office view has long been that Assad can stay only for a short period as part of a transitional government. In the days after he was appointed as foreign secretary in July last year, Johnson insisted that Assad had to go.Johnson said it was crucial that the Trump administration recognised that any deal with Russia on ending the Syrian conflict would also involve accommodating Iran, another key Assad ally.Johnson also held out the conditional prospect of the UK working with Russia militarily to defeat Islamic State.The UK has been one of Russia's strongest critics but, in a change of tone that reflects the new mood in the White House, Johnson said Moscow had to be engaged. "We cannot endlessly push them away and demonise them," he said.
Turkey, Pakistan look to boost military ties

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], Jan. 27 : Turkish and Pakistani military heads have emphasised on defence and security collaboration between the two sides.





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Turkish General Staff Deputy Chief General Umit Dundar met Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the general headquarters in Rawalpindi city on Thursday, according to a military statement.It said that matters of mutual and professional interest with special emphasis on defense and security collaboration between the two countries."Both sides agreed to further optimize military to military ties particularly in training and counter terrorism domain," said the statement adding that the visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan Army's role for regional peace and stability and contributions towards defeating terrorism.The Turkish General is leading a high-level military delegation to Islamabad where they are taking part in a two-day Pakistan-Turkey defence talks.The defence talks, which began Wednesday, were being led by Defence Secretary Zamirul Hassan Shah on the Pakistani side.The talks are part of the bilateral dialogue group established in 2003 to suggest policies and action plans for defence collaboration between the two countries, Defence Ministry said in a statement.According to Dawn, at the last year's meeting of the group, Turkey had gifted 34 T-37 aircraft and spares to Pakistan. Turkey is, meanwhile, buying MFI-17 Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan besides upgrading three Pakistani submarines and jointly building a fleet tanker.
Rahul Gandhi to visit Punjab, address public meetings today

New Delhi, Jan 27 : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Punjab for a few days starting on Friday, where he will address public meetings ahead of the state polls.





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Looking forward to being in Punjab for the next few days, Gandhis tweet read.Posting his schedule for Friday, the Gandhi scion said he will be addressing public meeting in Majitha, Talwandi Sabo and Bhatinda.On Day 1 today will address public meetings in Majitha, Talwandi Sabo and Bhatinda, his tweet added.As many as five states, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand are heading for polls between Feb 4 and March 8, the results of which will be out by March 11.
BJP lashes out at Kerala Govt over repeated attacks on party members

New Delhi, , Jan. 27 : With crude bombs being hurled at two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offices today morning in Kerala, the party has come heavily down on the state government over the repeated attacks, questioning the kind of environment being created in the state.





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"Bombs are being hurled, murders are taking place and other such attacks are happening only because these people are associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. What kind of environment is being created in Kerala? It is the responsibility of the state government to take actions," BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ANI here.He added that terrorism is being spread all across the country and if no immediate actions are taken into consideration, then this kind of message will show that these culprits are getting support from within the government.Crude bombs were hurled at two BJP offices in Naravanur and Mattanur in Kerala. The offices were severely damaged after the attack.There have been many attacks reported on the BJP and RSS workers in Kerala in the past.A 30-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death allegedly by CPI(M) cadres in the politically sensitive Kannur district on January 18.In another incident in the district, a country-made bomb was hurled at the RSS Karyalaya at Thaliparamba on January 19, said police, adding no one was injured in the incident.
Toronto: Consulate General of India celebrates Republic Day

Toronto, Jan 27 : Consulate General of India in Toronto, Canada, observed India's 68th Republic Day with due honours on Thursday.





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Consul General Dinesh Bhatia and his wife Seema Bhatia hoisted the Indian Tri-colour to mark the celebration.Around 300 members and friends of Indian and Indo-Canadian community participated in the event.Bhatia said that the day reminded him of 1984 when he participated in the National Republic Day parade in New Delhi as a member of the National Cadet Corps.Bhatia added that the Consulate was trying to facilitate travel of Indo-Canadians by providing long-term visas of five and ten years.Bhatia added that the Consulate and his team could be reached through various means including direct email, Twitter and Facebook. The Consulates handle is @IndiainToronto and Bhatias personal handle is @dineshbhatia.Bhatia said the Consulate has begun using new mail addresses with mea.gov.in domain.He said that the Conuslate would continue to hold its grand events in 2017 too.The first such program will be held on Jan 28 with Panorama India at the Pearson Convention Centre when Indias Republic Day would be celebrated once again with a much larger gathering.Panorama India will also be organizing the Independence Day parade on Sunday, Aug 20 at downtown Toronto.Bhatia hoped that this years parade will cross the landmark established last year of over 20,000 Indians and Indo-Canadians participating in the parade.{image_1}Bhatia said that this year they will also be celebrating International Day of Yoga and he has requested all Yoga organizations and Indo-Canadian community associations to come forward and participate in a joint program under the umbrella of IYDC, the International Yoga Day Canada.He said that they had recently celebrated the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas at the Consulate in presence of a large number of NRIs and OCIs.Bhatis said that they will once again hold Consular camps and Pensioners Life Certificate camps in November for senior citizens.Bhatia added that the demonetization initiative of the Government of India has been largely successful in integrating the unaccounted wealth into the mainstream and dealt a severe blow to black marketers, extremists, drug traders, human traffickers, etc.The Indian government has extended the date for submission of banned Indian currency notes of 500 and 1000 by NRIs till 30 June 2017, he said.The Government also requests all PIOs to convert their PIO cards into OCI, without payment of any fees and the last extension for this scheme has been granted till 30 June 2017.Bhatia said that he seeks the support of Indians, Indo-Canadians and friends of India in Consular Jurisdiction of his Consulate, namely, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland Labrador in achieving the challenges that lay ahead not only in improving the consular services but also bettering India-Canada ties.Bhatia added that any person wishing to speak with him on any issue is welcome to see him every Friday between 10 am and 12 pm without prior appointment.Bhatia also thanked the young children, teachers and Principal of a local School, Brampton for joining them on Thursday.(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)Images: Indian Consulate General of Toronto
Rise India recognised as one of Asia's 100 Greatest Brands and Leaders 2016

New Delhi , Jan. 27 : Rise India, a strategic investment firm contributing to skill development and education, was recognised as one of Asia's 100 greatest brands, in the education sector. The Co-founder and CEO, Ajay Chhangani was recognised to be one among Asia's 100 greatest leaders.





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With an endeavour to build a robust skill eco-system in the country, Rise India has contributed immensely to skilling the youth and helping them build a sustainable livelihood. Under the leadership of Mr. Chhangani, the company has accomplished skilling nearly one lakh candidates across India, with a presence in over 10 states, 85 skill development centers and smart classes in over 100 school campuses."Youth are the backbone of a nation and we at Rise India look forward to diligently offer modern approaches to enhance skill training and education in India," said Chhangani.Through its ventures, Rise India has succeeded in the training and placement of students in sectors such as retail, IT, BSFI, construction, driving, and renewable energy. Since its incorporation in 2012, Rise India has witnessed an escalated growth with employee strength of over 300 and a PAN India presence, distinguishing itself from its contemporaries."Over the years, we have meticulously worked with Government and private players to enhance skill capacity of the country. Rise India is committed to boost skill training and development in India and we aim to continuously build the momentum in the coming years," said Chairman of Rise India, Ashok Jain.Asia's 100 Greatest Brands and Leaders 2016 is a research based listing using both primary and secondary data researched across 15 industries in Asia, with scores from jury members, United Research Services International and PwC. The brands are scanned, researched, understood and, after much deliberation by a competent team of experts, put on deserving pedestals for the admiration and veneration of the world.In the next seven years, Rise India is committed to provide effective training to over 2.5 lakh candidates and simultaneously up skill another 2.5 lakh candidates in various sectors including driving training.
Oriflame's philanthropic initiative for Deepalaya students

New Delhi , Jan. 27 : Oriflame India, a subsidiary of Swedish cosmetics major, has sponsored education for 1,000 girls from Deepalaya, a Delhi-based NGO working towards the welfare of under-privileged children. The philanthropic initiative marked the beginning of a celebratory year for Oriflame as the brand completed 50 years globally.





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The brand donated two buses for the students of Deepalaya for smooth conveyance and distant travel. In addition to that, Oriflame has offered additional monetary support to the school."We have been associated with Deepalaya since 2006 and support the education of the girl child. Our aim is to encourage individuals to dream and transform it into a reality," said SVP and Head of South Asia and MD India, Sergei Kanashin."The company has been benevolently supporting our school for many years. We are delighted that our students now travel comfortably from their homes to the school and back," said CEO of Deepalaya Schools, A.J. Philip.Oriflame has been associated with SOS Children's Villages of India and supports the former for the expenses towards two family homes in the SOS Children's Village in Guwahati. The company has also partnered with Goong for the collection of materials such as woolen clothes, toys, books and so on, which are delivered to people in living in remote areas of the country.
Kolkata: Narula Institute of Technology organizes 'Evolution 2017: School Teachers' Meet'

Kolkata, Jan 27 : : Narula Institute of Technology, under the aegis of JIS Group Educational Initiatives, organised a one-day workshop titled 'Evolution 2017- School Teachers' Meet' on 25 January, 2017, which focused on the Paradigm Shift in School Education.





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The Evolution 2017 intended to bridge the gap between urban and marginalised schools. Around 102 teachers from fifty-three schools actively participated in this event. Some of the schools which participated were Ramkrishna Sarada Mission, Sister Nivedita Girls School, Pearls of God, Baranagar Rajkumari Memorial Girls High School, Hariyana Vidya Mandir, St.Augustine Day School and many more across the entire state. The conglomeration of teachers extended from Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Midnapore, Nadia, and North 24 Parganas.{image_1}The session was inaugurated by Prof. (Dr.) Malayendu Saha (Chairman West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board) who spoke about the changing trends in education. The other resource persons were Prof (Dr) Anupam Basu (Chairman, Center for Educational Technology Professor, Dept. of Computer Science Engineering - Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur), Mr. Gautam Chakrabarty (Management Trainer Consultant), Swami Vedatitananda, Ramakrishna Mission Shilpamandira, Belur.Prof. (Dr) Anupam Basu, throwing light on the Educational Reforms Teacher Training, said, Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment are very important factors to identify and develop the cognitive ability of a student. If a student is scoring less marks, then we need to assess them from the microscopic level to know where the student is lacking behind. Informal education and using vernacular while teaching can yield positive results for a students progress.{image_2}Giving more stress on e-learning, project-based learning and Blooms Technology, he added, With the advancement of technology, teaching is becoming more like a guidance, rather than spreading knowledge. In such cases, virtual learning with retired teachers can be more fruitful.Gautam Chakrabarty said some methodical changes must be incorporated in the teaching system in India, to build up the inquisitiveness in a student, so that they can develop a wider perspective about what they are learning from the school and environment. Citing examples of Azim Premji, Dr. Devi Shetty, Mr. Chakrabarty stressed upon connecting with the students rather than communicating with them. He also added, Teaching should be more like building a palace, rather than laying bricks. Swami Vedatitananda highlighted the effects of Value Crisis in Contemporary Society and its remedial measures.{image_3}The one-day workshop emphasised on the innovative pedagogies, which in turn promises to serve the increasingly heterogeneous student profiles and improve the overall teaching and learning scenario.
Moscow unaware about Trump's plans to lift sanctions

Moscow [Russia], Jan. 27: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday said that Moscow does not have any information on US President Donald Trump's plans to lift sanctions against Russia.





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"We don't know anything about that," Russian news agency TSS quoted Peskov as saying."As far as I understand, this information comes from anonymous sources so it is hard to say if it is true," he added.On Friday, some media reports cited a recording posted on social media by a senior expert of one of the US think tanks, saying that Trump had an order ready to roll back anti-Russian sanctions.Trump in an interview told an American daily that he would keep intact sanctions against Russia "at least for a period of time". He also said that he wouldn't commit to the "one China" policy until he sees progress from Beijing in its currency and trade practices.
CWC signs MoU with IIT Madras, IIS Bengaluru to support dam safety capacity building

New Delhi, Jan 27 : Central Water Commission (CWC) under the Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation signed two separate MoUs with IIT Madras and IIS Bengaluru in New Delhi on Friday.





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This will help them for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their capability to support dam rehabilitation efforts of CWC.The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).The scope includes strengthening the testing laboratories, enhancing analytical capabilities, exposure visits to best global institutions and on ground exposure to dam safety concerns to the faculty of these institutions.DRIP is assisting rehabilitation of 250 dams in seven States which are experiencing different levels of distress. Owners of these dams require technical support for the investigation of site conditions and supporting rehabilitation efforts.The Government of India has decided to enhance the capability of select premier institutes in dam safety areas so that they, in turn, carry out field investigations at dam sites and provide training and consulting services to assist the dam owners in their dam rehabilitation efforts.It is a holistic effort of the Government of India to equip our national institutions to develop capability and expertise at par with global institutions in the times to come.Image: Wikipedia
3 Newport County teams are one win from playing for a title

The playoffs are underway, and there are teams still alive, while others have been eliminated.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Windy...showers and thundershowers this morning, then overcast this afternoon. Morning high of 62F with temps falling to near 50. Winds SSW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 42F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Researchers at the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital have discovered that cancer cells grow by stealing energy from neighbouring cells.

Different types of cancer develop in different ways, but all of them begin with uncontrolled cell division.

To produce a new cell, an existing cell must duplicate its genetic material (DNA) and then divide. Cancer develops when the cell's genetic material becomes damaged, or 'mutated'.

The mutations cause the cells to divide uncontrollably. Cancer cells gradually accumulate within the organ in which the growth began, eventually forming a tumour.

In a new study, researchers at the Centre for Cancer Biomedicine (CCB) have discovered how cancer cells grow. Using fruit flies, they found that cancer cells grow by extracting nutrients from their surroundings. These findings may have an impact on how cancer is treated.

The results are now being published in the journal Nature.

Steal energy from neighbouring cells

Cancer cells require extra energy throughout the growth process, and so change their energy consumption compared with healthy cells. When their healthy neighbours break down proteins into amino acid building blocks, the cancer cells absorb these and use them to grow.

The cancer cells thus trick their neighbours into supplying them with energy, and make use of sugars and amino acids from the bloodstream to grow and divide indefinitely.

- We were very surprised to find that cancer cells absorb nutrients from their neighbours in the form of sugars and amino acids, says PhD student and lead author Nadja Katheder.

Fruit flies with cancer

The experiments to find out how neighbouring cells help the development of cancer cells were carried out in fruit flies. Fruit flies are widely used in experimental medical research as model organisms, since scientists can manipulate their genetic material by adding and removing genes.

- It means that we can study communication between cells while it takes place within the organism, explains Tor Erik Rusten, who led the study. The researcher has been involved in cancer research on fruit flies for more than 15 years, and emphasizes the importance of using flies.

- This could not have been discovered in any other animal model, other than perhaps mice, he says

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Also occurs in humans

The results of the study are similar to those obtained in studies of human cells. Researchers at Harvard have demonstrated the transfer of amino acids between healthy neighbouring cells and cancer cells, in tissues from patients with pancreatic cancer.

- We can say with great confidence that similar processes occur between cancer cells and healthy cells in cancer patients, but we do not yet know whether this happens in all types of cancer, says Rusten.

Self-eating

Through the process of autophagy or 'self-eating', old and damaged cells are broken down and removed. This is important in order to prevent proteins from clumping together.

Earlier this year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for fundamental studies of the degradation process autophagy.

The Harvard study found that neighbouring cells break down their own proteins through the process of autophagy and release amino acids, which the cancer cells then absorb and use.

However, the cancer cells were unable to grow if the researchers blocked autophagy in neighbouring cells, or prevented the cancer cells from absorbing the amino acids. This important finding may lead to the development of new cancer treatments.

- These studies provide a rationale for testing whether drugs that inhibit autophagy in healthy neighbouring cells would be useful in conjunction with conventional cancer treatment, says Rusten.

This approach is being investigated as an experimental treatment in a number of countries, but not yet in Norway.

- This work is an important breakthrough in cancer research and is very exciting in terms of future strategies for cancer treatment, says a delighted Professor Harald Stenmark, Director of the Centre for Cancer Biomedicine at the Institute of Clinical Medicine and Oslo University Hospital.

Support for basic research

Tor Erik Rusten praises the support of the Norwegian Cancer Society and the Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority.

- Financial support over time has helped build up the research that led to these important findings. It shows too that long-term commitment to basic research provides high-quality results and results that will help provide better treatment for even more cancer patients, he concludes.
"Besides the contaminants we find outside, we also have indoor contaminants. There are pollutants typical of homes such as dust, spores, moulds, and those produced by human activities like cooking and house-cleaning, that contribute to the release of additional damaging substances," expert warns

Indoor air pollution kills 4.3 million people globally every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The main causes are heating and cooking practices that produce high levels of toxic substances, such as fine particles and carbon monoxide.

Doctor Alessandro Miani, heads-up the non-profit Italian Society for Environmental Medicine (SIMA), which recently drew up a set of rules to preserve the air we breathe in our homes and offices. Miani, who is also professor of hygiene and environmental prevention at the University of Milan, discusses environmental medicine and the need for public health strategies to tackle indoor air pollution.

Professor Miani, the last WHO report shows that indoor air may be more harmful to health than outdoor air. Can you explain how this happens?

Indoor air is basically the same as outdoor air, but the difference lies in the amounts and types of contaminants. Indeed, besides the contaminants we find outside, we also have indoor contaminants. There are pollutants typical of homes such as dust, spores, moulds, and those produced by human activities like cooking and house-cleaning, which contribute to the release of additional damaging substances.

What's the aim of the rules laid out in the SIMA Indoor Air Quality document?

In Italy, while for outdoor air there are laws that regulate the subject matter, there is no comprehensive set of rules that govern indoor pollution. Of course individual citizens should also convincingly adopt their own virtuous behaviours because the environment does not belong to states and governments, but to each one of us.

One way to improve indoor air quality is using biobased construction materials. For example, the European Isobio project is studying natural materials, like hemp and straw. By "breathing", they offer better ventilation and help reduce damp. What benefits could this field of research provide?

There are no doubts that bioarchitecture and bioconstructions can contribute to improving the overall well-being of those who spend a lot of time indoors, and can offer practical help to improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

All this has a positive effect on the amount of harmful emissions from the heating systems of our homes, which are the biggest source of thin particulates in large towns. Moreover, there are many other entrepreneurial initiatives that, thanks to new compounds, are seeking to improve air quality. New green roof tiles and a new antismog paint are some examples.

What is meant by environmental medicine?

Environmental medicine deals with prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disorders that may be related to "environmental factors". This is a sector that encompasses various disciplines such as biomedical sciences, environmental sciences, legal sciences, economic science, social and political science, material sciences, and construction science.

Environmental medicine may be considered to be the medical branch of the much broader field of environmental health, which, in turn, is a part of public health. It is not very well known in Italy, but it has been explored by WHO and is a common concern in the US.

Even though it is a fundamental issue for our health, it seems there is not enough attention to environmental medicine in the media of your country, Italy. Are there sensitivities around these issues?

The media need information that has been verified and certified, and this type of information can be provided only by associations and bodies that have strong ties with research and science. Releasing information through the media about initiatives aimed at informing the people or that intend to be a stimulus for politicians and institutions, requires players who are credible and well-known.

So I don't think it is about hurting "sensitivities" but rather about the fact that so far the few people who have dealt with this issue before us, have restricted themselves to a specialised medical approach. Environmental medicine is instead a multidisciplinary field, aimed at preserving human health and at avoiding that our surroundings may become an environmental factor that causes diseases, injuries and premature death.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is the root cause of many diseases that are bewildering in their variety and complexity. They include rare genetic disorders in children, some forms of heart disease, and most likely many cases of Parkinson's disease.

Research on mitochondria started already in the late 19th century, but there are still many unsolved issues concerning their composition, their function and their relevance to health and disease. Director Howy Jacobs and his research group at the Institute of Biotechnology are amongst many scientists worldwide who seek to answer the open questions, in their daily work. Their main aim is to understand how mitochondria interact with other cellular components to maintain physiological homeostasis, and how mitochondrial defects lead to pathological states.

- Mitochondria arose as a bacterial intruder in ancient cells, and much of their biology has to be understood in this light. They retain a degree of autonomy, and still manufacture some of their most crucial components, which are encoded by the mitochondrial DNA, a relic of the intruder's original genome. Understanding how mitochondria are put together is important, if we are ever going to be able to intervene to correct their malfunction, explains Jacobs.

- It's of course worthwhile studying mitochondria in order to understand fundamental processes of the cell and of evolution. The disease angle isn't the only motivation. But naturally, I am very happy that our research has turned out to be important for medicine, and could one day lead to new treatments, says Jacobs.

- In any case, at least for me, science is addictive, Jacob states.

A back-up system to protect cells from mitochondrial damage

Since this research been going on for well over a century, it's clear that mitochondria only give up their mysteries rather slowly.

- For the past decade our focus has been on a particular 'back-up' system found in the mitochondria of lower organisms, but which has been lost during the evolution of complex animals such as humans or fruit flies. This back-up system kicks in when the regular energy-generating system of the mitochondria is overloaded, damaged or poisoned, protecting the cell against the harmful stresses of having a malfunctioning 'engine'. Indeed, mitochondria can be thought of rather like a car engine, that burns fuel (food molecules), and recovers the energy in a useful form to drive the processes of life. A malfunctioning engine imparts less energy but also creates toxic by-products as a result of incomplete combustion. Mitochondria are very similar, Jacob clarifies.

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Jacob's team has transplanted the back-up or 'alternative' respiratory machinery from the mitochondria of lower organisms to human cells, showing that it can protect against pathological stresses, and even lethal poisons like cyanide, that target the mitochondria.

- This could have medical applications even within the next decade. But part of our work is still focused on very basic processes inside mitochondria. And there are always new surprises, sometimes relating to topics that have been neglected or have been impossible to study until the right tools became available, says Jacobs

An example is Jacob's current work in collaboration with a team in Paris, to try to measure the actual temperature at which the mitochondrial engine operates.

Science at the edge

One issue that scientists will have to grapple with in future is how far they are prepared to go to apply genetic knowledge to human disease.

- Until now, the human genome has been considered sacrosanct, and any direct or permanent manipulation of it has been regarded as unethical. However, the time is gradually approaching when we will acquire the means to prevent disease or reverse disease processes when they occur, by making such changes to the genome, Jacobs predicts.

- This obviously opens a major ethical dilemma, states Jacobs.

Is it ethical to engineer 'improvements' to what has evolved naturally, sometimes without being able to predict all the consequences? But equally, is it ethical to withhold life-saving technologies that can prevent suffering?
THE cause of a leading risk factor for breast cancer has been identified by researchers, raising hopes that preventative treatments will reduce the incidence of the disease.

Associate Professor Wendy Ingman has helped find the cause of a leading breast cancer risk factor.

Scientists from the Hospital Research Foundation in Adelaide, South Australia, have shown a link between a protein that causes inflammation and an increase in breast density, a significant risk factor for breast cancer.

The research will allow preventative treatments, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, to be implemented before tumours can develop.

Published this month in Breast Cancer Research, the study identified the protein CCL2 as the cause of increased inflammation and breast density in rodent models.

The same research also found that CCL2 was present in human women with high breast density.

CCL2 is an inflammatory cytokine that recruits macrophages to sites of injury.

Lead researcher and associate professor at the University of Adelaide Wendy Ingman said the identification of inflammation as a cause of breast density would allow new treatments to be developed to prevent the risk factor from occurring.

Women with dense breast tissue are at a four to six-fold increased risk of breast cancer, compared to women with low density, its actually a really important risk factor, she said.

This research is quite exciting because its the first time that weve been able to show that inflammation can actually drive density and breast cancer risk.

We are starting to understand that its not necessarily all women, it might be this subset of women who are most at risk.

While anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk, their long-term side effects have made them dangerous to prescribe en masse.

The identification of a link between inflammation and breast cancer density, will allow medications to be prescribed more selectively.

It has been very clearly shown that anti-inflammatories such as aspirin can reduce womens breast cancer risk, however, taken long term they have other unwanted side effects, such as increased risk of stroke, Professor Ingman said.

So its not ideal to be giving a long term anti-inflammatory to women who are otherwise healthy.

But if you can identify the women who are most at risk, then that risk/benefit becomes more in favour of taking the anti-inflammatory.

The next step for researchers will be to identify the anti-inflammatory drug most appropriate for use with women at risk of inflammation.

Professor Ingman said the eventual goal would be to prescribe a drug as a prophylactic treatment for women who are identified as being at risk.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, so being able to prevent it would be fantastic, she said,

We hope that in the future, breast cancer will not be the most common type of cancer in women.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women worldwide, and according to the World Health Organisation is the cause of more than 500,000 deaths each year.

South Australias capital Adelaide has three long-standing public universities, Flinders University, University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide, each of which are consistently rated highly in the international higher education rankings.
Having a loved one go through a critical illness is a stressful and traumatic experience that may have lasting effects months after the patient is discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU). To improve the well-being of both patients and family during this vulnerable time, a set of new guidelines has been released, providing physicians with evidence-based strategies to optimize outcomes for the critically ill and those at their bedside.

The guidelines promoting family-centered care in neonatal, pediatric and adult ICUs were published in Critical Care Medicine and presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) 46th annual Critical Care Congress.

"There is increasing awareness that support for family can also improve patient outcomes," said Judy Davidson, lead author of the guidelines and a nurse at UC San Diego Health. "Families in the ICU aren't visitors  they are an integral part of the care and the care team."

Based on an analysis of more than 450 qualitative and quantitative studies, a multidisciplinary, international panel of 29 health care experts developed a series of recommendations for family-centered care, defined as an approach to health care that is respectful of and responsive to individual families' needs and values. The experiences and perspectives of former ICU patients and family members from UC San Diego Health, the University of Maryland (UOM) School of Medicine, patient advocacy organizations and the LGBTQ community were used to develop the new guidelines.

The 23 recommendations grouped into five categories include: space for loved ones to sleep; educational programs to teach family how to assist with care; encouraging family members to be part of the decision-making process; implementing ICU diaries to reduce a family's anxiety and post-traumatic stress; and involving a multi-disciplinary team, such as psychologists, social workers and spiritual advisors.

UC San Diego Health is among the first hospitals in the nation to embrace the concept of implementing a family diary in the ICUs.

"Structured interventions and approaches to support family members of critically ill patients are needed both to mitigate the impact of the crisis of critical illness and to prepare family members for decision-making and caregiving demands," said Davidson. "Up to half of families with a critically ill loved one experience psychological symptoms. A robust program built around family-centered care may decrease the negative impact surrounding critical illness. It is a matter of public health."

The guidelines suggest that clinicians and institutions need to decide which intervention or combination of interventions are likely to be the most successful in specific circumstances.

"We have developed a self-analysis tool that ICUs can use to build a customized family-centered plan that will bring change," said Robert El-Kareh, MD, MPH, hospitalist at UC San Diego Health and associate professor at UC San Diego of Medicine, who was instrumental in building translational tools to help ICUs move recommendations into practice.

UC San Diego Health has already implemented the family-centered care approach, partnering with family members to inform physicians about personal experiences and ways to improve practices. The ICUs at UC San Diego Health encourage a culture of families being present, even during physician rounds and the resuscitation of a loved one. All 52 rooms in the neonatal intensive care unit at the new Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health are private to encourage parents to touch and hold their infants and reduce the risk of infection.

"UC San Diego Health is also one of the first in the nation to operationalize a post-ICU clinic to support patients and families after their hospital stay, going above the current recommendations for practice," said Davidson.

Source: https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2017-01-25-new-guidelines-for-icu-promotes-family-engagement.aspx
The human body responds to starving conditions, such as famine, to promote the chance of survival. It reduces energy expenditure by stopping heat production and promotes feeding behavior. These "hunger responses" are activated by the feeling of hunger in the stomach and are controlled by neuropeptide Y (NPY) signals released by neurons in the hypothalamus. However, how NPY signaling in the hypothalamus elicits the hunger responses has remained unknown.

Sympathetic motor neurons in the medulla oblongata are responsible for heat production by brown adipose tissue (BAT). Researchers centered at Nagoya University have now tested whether the heat-producing neurons respond to the same hypothalamic NPY signals that control hunger responses. They injected NPY into the hypothalamus of rats and tested the effect on heat production. Under normal conditions, blocking inhibitory GABAergic receptors or stimulating excitatory glutamatergic receptors in the sympathetic motor neurons induced heat production in BAT. After NPY injection, stimulating glutamatergic receptors did not produce heat, but inhibiting GABAergic receptors did. The study was recently reported in Cell Metabolism.

"This indicated that hypothalamic NPY signals prevent BAT thermogenesis by using inhibitory GABAergic inputs to sympathetic motor neurons," study lead author Yoshiko Nakamura says.

Retrograde and anterograde tracing with fluorescent dyes revealed which brain region provided the inhibitory GABAergic inputs to heat-producing motor neurons.

"Tracing experiments showed that sympathetic motor neurons are directly innervated by GABAergic inputs from reticular nuclei in the medulla oblongata," corresponding author Kazuhiro Nakamura explains, "selective activation of these GABAergic reticular neurons inhibits BAT thermogenesis."

The researchers' further findings showed that GABAergic inputs from medullary reticular neurons are involved in hypothalamic NPY-mediated inhibition of heat production in BAT. This hunger response circuit probably explains why anorexic individuals suffer from hypothermia.

Interestingly, stimulation of these medullary reticular neurons prompted rats to begin chewing and feeding. This effect was similar to injecting NPY into the hypothalamus, suggesting that hypothalamic NPY signaling activates reticular neurons in the medulla oblongata to promote feeding and mastication during the hunger response.

Abnormal activation of these neurons under non-starved conditions may contribute to obesity. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to development of more effective treatments for obesity.
Women who used a smartphone app as part of a Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) program were released from the hospital sooner after delivering their babies via cesarean section, according to a study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 2017 meeting. This study, and other research presented at the meeting, highlight how PSH programs and physician-led care lead to improved quality of care, while lowering costs:

Smartphone app empowers C-section patients: Women scheduled for C-sections downloaded a special app on their smartphones four weeks prior to the procedure as part of a PSH, a patient-centered, physician-led, team-based model of coordinated care that spans the entire surgical experience, from the decision to have surgery to discharge and beyond. The app reminded them of appointments, provided pre-surgery information -- such as when to start and stop medications - and facilitated remote post-surgery health checks such as pain control and wound recovery. Researchers reported on the first 30 women using the app and found the average length of hospital stay after delivery decreased from 3.7 days to 2.7 days. The program is the first in the United States to employ enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for C-section. An element of the PSH, ERAS programs use a variety of methods to ease the effects of surgery and fast-track patient recovery. When factoring in the cost savings of shorter hospital stays with the cost of the resources required to participate in the program and develop and implement the app, the return on investment was significant - 216 percent the first year and an estimated 282 percent in subsequent years, researchers note. While it is too soon to report quality outcomes such as surgical site infections, urinary tract infections and patient satisfaction, early results are promising, said study author Attila Kett, M.D., M.B.A., division chief of obstetric anesthesia at Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J. While federal law requires insurance companies pay for 96 hours of hospitalization after C-section, it is safe and preferable to leave the hospital sooner if the physician determines the mother and baby are healthy and the mother agrees, he said. "The app empowers women by putting them in control of their health care needs," said Dr. Kett.

Revamped pre-anesthesia clinics improve patient care: To improve and standardize patient care, Cleveland Clinic created a centralized, flexible, anesthesia-led model of preoperative care that followed the same guidelines-driven clinical protocols, practice management, resources, staffing models and process flows at all 14 of their pre-anesthesia clinics. The new Pre-Anesthesia Consultation Clinics (PACC) concept included changes such as centralizing and streamlining the scheduling process, updating protocols to reflect a more evidence-based approach and enabling patients to have their pre-surgery evaluation at any of the clinics, regardless of where the surgery would take place, said study author Maureen Keshock, M.D., M.S.H.A., assistant medical director PACC at Cleveland Clinic. The rollout of the large project throughout the Clinic Enterprise required attention to metrics and frequent assessment of staffing needs. At one point during the rollout, patients were only seen an average of two days prior to surgery. After evaluating staffing needs and changing the process in which PACC visits were scheduled, patients were seen an average of 10 days before surgery. This gave providers more time to assess and address issues before surgery, such as prescribing medications early enough to prevent anemia and reducing the need for blood products. Another metric followed was the number of patients calling to schedule their surgeries or ask questions who hung up before an operator addressed the call. This dropped-call metric during the lowest point of the rollout was 18 percent. Three additional scheduling operators were added and that number decreased to 1.9 percent. This single model of service throughout the organization eliminated redundancies, saving an estimated $1.4 million in annual operating costs. "Patient care was improved by decreasing variability and creating a unified set of anesthesia guidelines," said Dr. Keshock.

Anesthesia care team increases efficiency: The 2008 implementation of an anesthesia care team at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center in Houston - the nation's largest level 1 trauma center - led to more efficient care, increased volume and improved employee satisfaction, a retrospective study shows. The most effective aspect of the program was the change in culture as a result of creating effective teams, improving communication and establishing accountability, said study author Carin A. Hagberg, M.D., former chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and current division head of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Changes implemented included: real-time tracking of all surgical cases, which eased staffing assignments and enhanced communication; organizing surgical service lines into a pod system (for example, putting general, gynecological and urological surgeries together), which improved efficiency, quality of patient care and surgical team satisfaction; and employing anesthesiologist assistants as members of the care team to help manage service expansion. From 2009 to 2015, operating room volume increased by 33 percent. First case on-time starts improved from 66 percent in 2009 to more than 80 percent by 2010. Case cancellations decreased from 4 percent in 2009 to 1 percent in 2010. From 2009 to 2015 physician satisfaction scores increased from 20 percent to 91 percent and overall surgical team satisfaction improved with composite scores increasing 23 percent or more. "Strategic partnership between the hospital and physician group, as well as the support of administrators, nursing staff and surgeons enabled successful change in the culture of care," said Dr. Hagberg.
When scientists announced the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, it was hailed as a major scientific achievement. For the first time, we had a complete sequence for the human genome  every one of the more than three billion nucleotide bases.

 Mopic / Shutterstock.com

But, while a landmark, in the time that has passed since, advances in the field of genomics have been so vast that they have virtually eclipsed the Human Genome Project. Indeed, what the Project achieved in the course of a decade can now be completed in a single day. And what then cost billions of dollars has been reduced to a three-figure sum, thanks to the arrival of next-generation sequencing (NGS).

The last few years have also witnessed another major landmark in genetics  the arrival of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). This gene-editing technology, which is uniquely simple and sophisticated compared to those that have gone before, has revolutionized and democratized the field of genome editing. The result has potential to transform research in fields ranging from basic science and biology, through to genetically modified organisms and gene therapy.

At Pittcon, taking place in Chicago from 5-9 March, 2017, we will be joined by many of the leading manufacturers who are providing the tools and technologies powering these latest developments in genomics, as well as hearing directly from some of the leaders in the field at the James L Waters Symposium on Genomic Analysis Technologies.

Next-generation sequencing and DNA screening

The arrival of NGS was the first of several recent transformative advances in genomics. By allowing millions or even billions of DNA fragments to be sequenced in parallel, it is many magnitudes faster than the Sanger sequencing used during the Human Genome Project. Compared with Sanger sequencing, NGS is also cheaper, captures a wider range of mutations, requires less DNA to work with, and needs no prior knowledge of the gene or locus under investigation.

Thanks to these characteristics, the arrival of NGS has also ushered in a new era of personalized genomics. DNA screening for disease genes, cancer diagnosis or prenatal testing, is becoming increasingly available. And as the costs of sequencing only continue to lower, more and more people will have their entire genomes sequenced, informing both medical research and their own healthcare.

CRISPR arrives

While NGS has continued to grow exponentially cheaper and faster, in the last five years one development in genetics has held all the headlines: CRISPR/Cas9. The gene-editing technology harnesses the bacterial innate immune system to hone in on specific regions of the genome using a guide RNA. This directs the enzyme Cas9 to its target where it can cleave the DNA, allowing sequences to be inserted, deleted, or replaced.

CRISPR/Cas9 has opened up the possibility to conduct experiments that had previously been thought impossible. The technology can be applied to knock out or modulate genes to study their function, it holds immense potential in drug development and identifying new genetic targets, as well as enhancing our understanding of cell function. It is also likely to be used in agriculture, livestock breeding and environmental setting.

And CRISPR/Cas9 of course holds potential to be put directly to clinical use in gene therapy. Indeed, editing human stem cells, which could have a whole range of clinical applications, is a hotbed of activity in CRISPR research and in November, Chinese scientists announced that they had transferred CRISPR-edited immune cells into a lung-cancer patient for the first time as part of a clinical trial.

Genomics at Pittcon 2017

Pittcon 2022: March 6-10 Click here to learn more Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

New Orleans, LA USA

This years Pittcon will be hosting The Twenty-Eighth James L Waters Symposium on Genomic Analysis Technologies. This prestigious annual symposium focuses on scientific instrumentation of established and major significance. In 2017, it will be highlighting the history and technologies of Illumina, Inc., the market leader in genetic sequencing tools.

It will feature the speakers Jay Flatley, who was at the helm of the company during its rise to dominance in the genetic sequencing market, as well as co-founder David Walt, who is also a professor at Tufts University, Massachusetts. As well as providing insight into how Illumina established itself where it is today, the symposium will also hear from some of the most innovative companies that are creating the future of personalized medicine and consumer genomics. This includes Illuminas own GRAIL, who are developing a universal cancer blood tests, LapCorp who are leaders in non-invasive prenatal testing, and Counsyl, who provide a range of accessible genetic screening and counseling services.

Furthermore, at the Pittcon Expo, you can meet representatives from leading genetic sequencing technology companies. This includes Eppendorf, who provide a range of equipment for genetic research including thermo-mixing devices, centrifuges, thermocyclers and CO 2 incubators; Thermo Fisher Scientific who offer their Ion Torrent NGS machines and ready-to-use CRISPR/Cas9 products; as well as Vitl Life Science Solutions, Panasonic Healthcare and Malvern Instruments.

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References

Addgene. CRISPR Cas9 guide. Available at: https://www.addgene.org/crispr/guide/ Accessed: January 2017.

Behjati S & Tarpey PS. What is next generation sequencing? Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed 2013; 98: 236-238.

Cyranoski D (2016). CRISPR gene-editing tested in a person for the first time. Nature. Available at: http://www.nature.com/news/crispr-gene-editing-tested-in-a-person-for-the-first-time-1.20988. Accessed: January 2017.

EBI Next Generation Sequencing Practical Course. Improvements on the previous technology. Available at: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/online/course/ebi-next-generation-sequencing-practical-course/what-next-generation-dna-sequencing/improveme Accessed: January 2017.

Hsu PD, Lander ES & Zhang F. Development and applications of CRISPR-Cas9 for genome engineering. Cell 2014; 157: 1262-1278.

King D (2016). The CRISPR/Cas9 System and its Applications. Available at: http://cellculturedish.com/2016/05/crispr-cas9-system-applications/ Accessed: January 2017.

About Pittcon

Pittcon is a registered trademark of The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. Co-sponsored by the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Pittcon is the premier annual conference and exposition on laboratory science.

Proceeds from Pittcon fund science education and outreach at all levels, kindergarten through adult. Pittcon donates more than a million dollars a year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries and museums.

Visit pittcon.org for more information.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
New Delhi: Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has lauded the Delhi government for providing free primary health care through Mohalla Clinics -- an initiative that is "consistent with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goal" of the World Health Organization.



In a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Annan has termed the scheme "successful and impressive" and said, "...you have scaled up the provision of universal free health services, most notably in providing free primary healthcare services through your new Mohalla Clinics".



"We understand that this initiative is proving very successful and we commend you on this impressive achievement," said Annan, who heads "The Elders", an independent organisation promoting peace, justice and human rights worldwide.



"We are aware that your administration has implemented a series of health reforms consistent with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goal," he said, referring to the WHO initiative that all people receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for them.



The Delhi government plans to build some 1,000 Mohalla Clinics across the city. At least 107 such clinics have already come up, in both middle class and urban poor neighbourhoods, where people enjoy the facilities of doctors, tests and medicines -- all for free.



When 1,000 Mohalla Clinics are built, Delhi will be a saturated model state for healthcare, he said.



"We believe you could further extend health coverage in Delhi and provide further important lessons for other Indian states embarking on their UHC journeys."



"From experience elsewhere, including in some of our own countries, the Elders believe that a bold move to advance UHC could bring tremendous health and economic benefits to the people of India. It would also, of course, be likely to prove extremely popular."



Kejriwal extended the deadline for setting up of 1,000 Mohalla clinics up to March 31, 2017.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday started its probe into the train derailments in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Kuneru in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar's Ghorasahan case in which an IED was found near a rail track.



The agency action came after a green signal from the Home Ministry, which on Thursday handed over the Kanpur and Kuneru train derailment cases to it. The Ghorasahan case was handed over to the NIA on Wednesday.



"We received the order to probe the Ghorasahan incident on Wednesday. The case will be investigated by an NIA team led by an Inspector General-rank officer. Some team members have reached Bihar today (Thursday) while some will go later," an NIA officer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.



The officer also said that on Thursday they got the go-ahead to probe the Kanpur and Kuneru cases.



The ministry's move came days after the Bihar Police arrested three suspected criminals -- Moti Paswan, Uma Shankar Patel and Mukesh Yadav -- in connection with the case and claimed that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had conspired to carry out a spate of train derailments in India.



During interrogation, the Bihar Police said, the three accused confessed to receiving Rs 3 lakh from Nepal citizen Brajesh Giri, who is allegedly connected with the ISI, for planting the bomb on rail tracks at Ghorasahan in East Champaran district on October 1 last year to cause an accident. The tragedy was, however, averted.



The police said Paswan revealed during the interrogation that the money was routed through ISI's Dubai-based agent Shamshul Huda to carry out the derailments. Huda is a known operative of fake Indian currency and has a network in Nepal.



The Bihar Police had accused Paswan and his accomplices of the Indore-Patna Express derailment on November 20 last year near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, in which over 100 passengers died.


New Delhi: How safe is it for a woman to venture out at night in the national capital? CNN-News18 conducted a social experiment to answer this question. Cameras followed our women journalists as they took to the citys roads, recording the unwelcome male attention. Akshata Kumbar was one of the journalists who participated in the Delhi segment of the social experiment.



She visited the Vasant Vihar market, a popular hangout known to the citys youth as the Priya complex at 9pm on a weekday. As soon as he entered the market area of the posh locality, a man in a white shirt and blue jeans started following her.



After stalking her for some distance, he came up to her and tried to strike up a conversation. Even when told plainly that his presence was unwelcome, he refused to take no for an answer.



Heres a transcript of the conversation that any civilised society would dub as harassment but which sadly passes of as the normal in India.



Stalker: Whats you name?



Akshata: Why do you want to know?



Stalker: I just wanted to know a little about you and be friends with you.



Akshata: Why? Have you been following me?



Stalker: Honestly, I was staring at you. I like you. I want to chat with you.



Akshata: I want you to leave now.



Stalker: I want you phone number.







With much difficulty, Akshata managed to get rid of the man. Throughout this ordeal, the police were a mere 50 metres away from the spot, which is probably why the stalker didnt linger around.



Clearly, a lot needs to be done in making Delhi, notorious as the rape capital of India, safer for its women citizens.




New Delhi: The Delhi Police Crime Branch recently arrested a man who allegedly posed as BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and a Jharkhand minister to con people into giving him money, saying they were funds for the upcoming Assembly elections. The accused was identified as Sanjay Tiwari and his alleged accomplice Gaurav was also arrested. This is the 11th such case against Tiwari.



How the case came to light



According to Joint Commissioner (Crime) Ravindra Yadav, the department received a complaint from Sushant Mukherjee, personal secretary to Jharkhand Minister of Revenue and Land Registration Amar Kumar Bauri on January 24. Mukherjee said the minister was getting calls for some time from the National General Secretary of the BJP asking for party funds for the upcoming elections. The caller had sent a representative to Jharkhand Bhawan, where he met the minister and demanded money from the party funds. On cross-checking with the office of Ram Madhav, it came to light that no such communication was ever made.



Who is Sanjay Tiwari?



Tiwari (40) is a Class 10 dropout and a resident of Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh. He came to Delhi in 1999 and worked as a freelance poem reciter with the All India Radio. He also worked as a news stringer. He had also conducted a sting operation against LPG cylinder contractors who indulged in black marketing. He later tried to blackmail them but was arrested for extortion.



He said he has also worked with Tarun Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of Tehelka. He said he later worked for film director Tanuja Chandra in Mumbai for some months, said Ravindra Yadav.



During questioning, Tiwari reportedly told the police that he thought of the elaborate con while working as a personal assistant to a Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh.



His Victims Include



Tiwari reportedly disclosed that he had cheated a number of politicians and government officials.



-- He got Rs 50,000 from Pramila Rani Brahma of Assam BJP by posing as the personal assistant to the minister/secretary in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.



-- He conned Bhika Sole, Nagaland state president of the BJP, of Rs 50,000 by impersonating as the PA to Ram Madhav.



-- He cheated Rs 10,000 from H R Joshan, Ex MLA Congress from Punjab by impersonating as Madhavan, PA to Sonia Gandhi (President, INC). He asked money on the pretext of giving him a ticket in the forthcoming Punjab Assembly Elections.



-- Tiwari extracted Rs 10,000 from Achoba Singh, former deputy chief minister of Manipur, on the pretext of contribution for the construction of a new building. He called him impersonating Bhaiyyaji Joshi, General Secretary RSS.



-- He deceived P. Tusiang Sang, Parliament Secretary, Meghalaya, Congress, impersonating as PA in the Ministry of Doner, and made him pay Rs 10,000.



-- He defrauded Nilo Rangma, Former Congress MLA from Nagaland, of Rs 10,000 on the pretext of party fund. This time he impersonated Madhavan, PA to Sonia Gandhi



-- He cheated Rs 2,000 from K.S. Thanga, Congress Minister in Mizoram, by impersonating as PA in the Ministry of Doner.



-- He also claimed to have trapped Mizoram State Secretary of BJP Sangte on the pretext of providing party funds for upcoming UP elections. Sangte was reluctant to pay. The accused was apprehended before he could succeed.





Tiwari tried hoodwinking several other ministers into the same trap but failed.



According to senior police officers, he claimed that he tried extorting money from Punjab minister Madan Mohan Mittal, MLA from Jharkhand Vikas Munda.



A number of MLAs from Arunachal Pradesh, namely, Taniya Taga, Tacho and T Jeboha were also tried upon, but Tiwari failed to defraud them.



CP Patwari from Assam, Phunja Thang (Congress, Manipur), Kharbali, PWD Engineer, Meghalaya, Shri Chauhan, Sikkim, and Ashok Chaudhary, Congress, Bihar, and some BSP leaders were among others who, Tiwari tried extorting money from, using the same tactics. Police said that his claims are being verified.



Tiwari had also reportedly done sting operations on Kiren Rijiju and Mayawati, but police are verifying those claims as well.



During his interrogation, Tiwari admitted that during demonetization, he could not extort much money because almost everyone cited cash problems.


In our Country I assumed that innocence prevails till proven guilty. Media have convicted me guilty without trial with widespread influence

 Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) 26 January 2017

Till this minute there is no final judicial determination on what KFA owes to Banks and what I may owe in my personal capacity after trial.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) 26 January 2017



Yet it is reported that I have fled or run away owing money to Banks that I never ever borrowed in the first place.

 Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) 26 January 2017

Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Friday morning took on the media with a series of posts on Twitter, saying media has convicted him guilty without trial.Early Friday morning Mallya tweeted from his personal Twitter account under the user name @TheVijayMallya, "In our Country I assumed that innocence prevails till proven guilty. Media have convicted me guilty without trial with widespread influence."On Thursday, he hit out at SEBI for barring him from securities market with regard to alleged fund diversion from United Spirits and termed the charges "baseless".In a series of tweets, called the allegations of fund diversion concerning now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines a "joke" and said he is getting used to "witch hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever"."CBI alleges diversion of funds OUT of Kingfisher Air. SEBI alleges diversion of funds from USL INTO Kingfisher Air. What joke is this?," Mallya tweeted.He further said: "Allegations of fund diversion out of USL are baseless. USL accounts were approved by top Auditors, an eminent Board of Directors n (sic) shareholders."Mallya, who is now staying in London, also scoffed at suggestions that he had fled the country in the wake of the investigations against him saying his departure was "nothing sudden. I have been a non resident since 1988".(With PTI Inputs)
: It was August 12, 2016, and the occasion was the inauguration of the University of Culture and Manipur State Film and Television Institute. In attendance were some of the most renowned intellectuals, poets and filmmakers of Manipur. In this august company, the chief guest, the then Manipur governor V Shanmuganathan (who resigned as the Governor of Meghalaya on Thursday) gave them an incredible offer. He asked the intellectuals to define culture in 100 words, in return for which they could have the honour of having tea with him.Alas, he is no Godfather. And for many, this turned out to be an offer they just had to refuse. Later, award-winning Manipuri filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma wrote an open letter to him saying: I shall not attempt an answer to your question here so I forfeit any claim to tea with your excellency. He went on to say in the culture of those assembled on that occasion, asking such a question  fit for school children  to those who have dedicated their lifetime, who are living embodiment of culture, is considered as uncultured in our culture.It seems wherever Shanmuganathan went, he did manage to rile the public. But the Manipur incident was nothing compared to the mutiny of Shillong, where around 100 employees of Raj Bhavan wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Chief Minister accusing him of turning the prestigious office into a Ladies Club. This letter ultimately forced the Governor to step down from his position.The letter alleged that the 67-year-old Governors activities hurt the decorum and prestige of the Raj Bhavan as well as the sentiments of employees, who are very much attached to the Raj Bhavan.Apart from this, another signature campaign gained momentum. This one was by eminent citizens of the state. Over 400 signatures were taken on this letter, which was addressed to the President and the Prime Minister. Apart from the removal of Shanmuganathan, they also wanted a through probe into the allegations of the Raj Bhavan staff.Also Read: Meghalaya Governor Shanmughanathan Steps Down After Staff Accuse Him of Making Raj Bhavan 'Young Ladies Club' Behind this entire movement is an organisation called Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR). Angela Rangad of TUR says the first rumours of sexual misconduct reached them about a year-and-a-half back. She says, That was when we first heard about this case, but he was the Governor and people were naturally scared. It was only after the allegations of late night interviews of female candidates for PROs job surfaced, did the movement actually gain momentum. Now Angelas team is preparing to file a police complaint against the then Governor and his secretary.Statements of the Raj Bhavan employees should be taken and an FIR should be registered against Shanmuganathan and his secretary. Why should he get away only by resigning? He, too, should be held accountable for his actions like any other individual. We want this immunity against the Governors to end.Peoples movement against alleged sexual offenders has been gaining momentum in Meghalaya. Former militant-turned-MLA Julius Dorphang was arrested on charges of raping a 14-year-old girl. He went into hiding the moment the news came into public domain and the arrest took place only after sustained pressure by the people and the media.Agnes Kharsing, a social activist who was actively involved with the protests, says, The Governors resignation was a welcome surprise. We didnt expect this to happen so soon. The guesthouse in which Dorphang had allegedly raped the minor girl belongs to the Home Ministers family. We have been campaigning hard to get him to resign, but he has not heeded to the peoples demand yet.Sources in the Raj Bhavan suggest that the timing of the resignation also had to do with the upcoming elections in five states. The ruling BJP couldnt risk yet another embarrassment from the RSS man-turned-governor, who had hurt Manipuri sentiments earlier. Manipur votes on March 4 and 8, and the BJP is fighting an increasingly tough battle against the three-time Congress government led by Chief Minister Ibobi Singh.
Mumbai: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who will be seen playing the lead in the thriller Irada -- which talks about a social issue -- says through every art form, people attempt to raise pertinent questions in the society.



"To raise a question is the focus of any form of art. The film is about how the drinkable water has become poisonous in Punjab. The film is a medium which raises serious issues in an entertaining way. We have tried to do that," Naseeruddin said here.



Irada, directed by debutante Aparna Singh, features Naseeruddin as an ex-Army man who seeks revenge for his deceased daughter, while Arshad Warsi plays an officer.



Naseeruddin said working with first-time directors was not a problem for him.



"Half of the films which I've worked with were with first-time directors and I never felt any disappointment. However, I regret some of the films which I did with some veterans," he said.



Talking of the advantage of working with new directors, the actor said: "They have a fire in their belly. They want to prove themselves in their work. There are many directors whose first films were their best work."



Asked how much today's audience has changed, Naseeruddin said: "Nothing much... They still like films which are value for money and that is quite understandable. I think tastes have not changed much. There are experimental films in Marathi and in Hindi as well. But ratio-wise, it is still the same since when I came to this Industry."



Also starring Divya Dutta, Sagarika Ghatge and Sharad Kelkar, Irada is releasing on February 17.


Telugu actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who has been raising the issue of Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh, on Friday found fault with the state government after it denied permission for a proposed protest on the issue.



Protesters had given a call for a 'silent beach protest' on Thursday, planned to be held at Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam. To foil it, police had imposed Section 144 of CrPc in the coastal city, banning any assembly of five or more people in an area.



A massive protest call was given taking inspiration from Jallikattu movement to demand special status for Andhra Pradesh. But the state government did not allow any protest to happen. How do you see the reaction of state government in dealing with this issue?



People have all the right to protest and they were not allowed. Special status promise was given to the people while dividing the state and that too, in Parliament. But repeatedly, central government has changed their stand. They kept diluting their promise and decided on special package. After complete analysis, we found its an eyewash and to deceive people. Clearly the government has gone back on its promise, which has left people very hurt. The state was divided without taking proper measures. The entire division was very painful for people and thats why they want their right of Special Status for state.



The movement has got massive support on social media. We are seeing Tollywood stars and common man has also extended full support. Where do you see this movement going from now, will you also join the protest on ground now ?



Right now, I want to prepare people. There is immense anger and angst in people. Definitely, I will take it forward. They have denied what was promised to the people of Andhra Pradesh. We are not in a hurry. We will take constructive measures first, consolidate our support and go ahead.



The chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu says the special economic package is also good for the state that is given by Centre. You think he has gone back on his promise? Also simultaneously you are taking on BJP led Central government too.



Definitely TDP government has compromised with Central government. I am not taking my words back, I will go against BJP now. It was the right of people that was promised. They cant keep changing stand according to their convenience.



Do you want to take protest demanding Special Status to go on national-level in Delhi as well as you are saying PM Narendra Modi has also failed to fulfill his promise?



When state was divided, Narendra Modi was not Prime Minister. But I know him personally, so if I reason out, I feel he has no personal connect to what happened here during division. But he has moral responsibility to communicate to the people. If Central government cannot give Special Status say it so, but to say this is best that we can give and there is no difference in special package and status, that is really hurting people.



There is a sentiment that we are seeing building up North-South divide. What do you mean by that.



The north-south divide is not between people but political class. Same rule has to be applied all over. If BJP government says they are pro smaller states, the rule applied for Andhra and Telangana, now people are asking why same law not applying to Uttar Pradesh or for Vidharbha separate statehood. You are in majority, why not taking this forward. What we all in southern India feel that there is a political elite class of Delhi who want to run the entire country, having majority in Uttar Pradesh. People are rebelling against that thought.



What road ahead do you see now? We also see YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan reddy out on streets supporting the cause. You think its time everyone should come together and fight for Special status collectively?



There is widespread sentiment for sure. Every party is doing their part. We will see in coming days how it takes a collective movement shape. We have to keep our political differences apart for the benefit of the people. The agenda of politics is to serve people only.






Mumbai: Seeking to corner Shiv Sena which has ruled out truck with BJP for the civic polls, including BMC, Congress and NCP on Friday asked the Uddhav Thackeray-led party to walk out of the NDA government at the Centre and the state, in which it is a junior alliance partner.



City unit Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said all Sena ministers, in both the governments, should resign immediately as the "yuti" (alliance) between Sena and BJP has been called off.



"If you are no longer allies, why are you still in government? Snapping of ties for the civic polls is a farce. All Sena ministers in the state and Central governments should resign immediately," Nirupam, a former Sena leader, told reporters.



Uddhav Thackeray had on Thursday brought the curtains down on the alliance with BJP. He had announced to contest solo the next month's polls to ten municipal corporation, including the high-stake BMC.



While the municipal corporations including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur will go to polls on February 21, the elections to 25 zilla parishads will be held in two phases on February 16 and February 21.



"Sena is always critical of the BJP leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP should take the initiative to sack all the Sena ministers. Does not BJP have the guts to do so? Snapping of alliance is a big conspiracy," the Congress leader said.



While Sena is a junior alliance partner in the NDA governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, the party has been in power with the BJP for over two decades in the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).



Sena has eleven ministers in the BJP-led state government, whereas Anant Geete is the sole representative of the party in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Nirupam added that if both the parties had indeed snapped ties, they should give so in writing to the people of Mumbai "that they are no longer allies and will never be so in both governments."



He alleged that the Sena and BJP were "inefficient" and had "failed" to deliver good governance despite being in power in BMC for the last 22 years.



"People of Mumbai are fed up with both the parties who have given them nothing except corruption and scams," the Congress leader said, adding his party was a good alternative for Mumbaikars even as he expressed confidence of getting support of voters in the upcoming civic polls.



Taking a jibe at the development, city unit NCP president Sachin Ahir said though Sena had decided to go alone in civic elections, it lacked the guts to withdraw from the government.



"If you (Sena and BJP) are contesting separately, you have to clarify that like in Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation, you will not have a post-poll alliance in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik and other corporations going to polls next month," Ahir said in a statement.
Bengaluru: With growing clamour for allowing the traditional buffalo race Kambala, Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday asked the Siddaramaiah government to bring in an Ordinance to facilitate holding of the event, saying the people are "emotionally" attached to it.



"Kambala is a must and should be held. The government should bring an ordinance on it and pave the way to hold the traditional sport in the coastal region," Yeddyurappa, a former Chief Minister, told reporters here.



Facing growing demand for holding Kambala after the success of the Jallikattu stir in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that an ordinance could be brought in, if necessary, to allow the event after seeking legal opinion.



Siddaramaiah had also asked the Centre to take a favourable stand on Kambala as it did on Jallikattu, where both Tamil Nadu and central governments, facing public pressure, moved swiftly to facilitate the bull taming sport.



Asked about a pending case in the Karnataka High Court, Yeddyurappa said he was optimistic that the court would lift the ban on Kambala.



The court had passed an interim order last November, staying Kambala on a petition filed by PETA and the next hearing is on January 30.



Yedyurappa said people of Karnatka are emotionally attached to Kambala and urged party men not to resort to any agitation.



"People are emotionally attached to the sport. I have discussed the matter with party leaders from Mangaluru and Udupi and have told them not to hold any agitation."



Meanwhile, the organisers of Kambala said they would hold the traditional sport near Mangaluru on January 28 despite the court orders restraining the same.



"Come January 28, we are going to hold Kambala at Moodbidre near Mangaluru, despite court orders restricting the same," Kambala Committee President Ashok Pai said.



The decision was taken at a meeting held on January 22 by members of the Kambala Committee in Mangaluru, Pai said.



A human chain would be formed in Mangaluru on January 27 in which 5,000 people, including politicians and those from the film industry are expected to attend, Pai said.



The rally would be held before commencement of Kambala and 200 pairs of buffaloes would be paraded, he said.

Pai also said Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Tulunad Rakshana Vedike outfits would participate in the protest.


Mounting criticism of Congress, PM Modi called the party a "sinking ship", desperately looking for alliances in different states.

"The country has seen the politics of destruction for 70 years and the youths of this country are suffering due to it. If you want to do politics, do politics of development," Modi said while challenging the opposition parties to change the political discourse in the country.

: Infusing fresh energy into Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiromani Akali Dal combine's election campaign in Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lashed out at the Congress for "defaming" Punjab for political gains, and urged the state's people to teach them a lesson in the February 4 assembly elections.After being dethroned by the people, Congress is "floundering" and just forging alliances, he said.He said that the party was just hungry for power and running for allies, taking a dig at Congress's recently sealed alliance with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. The party is "history" now and "it can do nothing," he added.Also Read: Amarinder Singh is Congress' CM Candidate in Punjab: Rahul Gandhi Referring to Punjab as "the land of the brave", PM Modi sought people's support to eradicate corruption from India.Talking about his fight against corruption, Modi said people who had accumulated black money in the last 70 years were affected by (demonetisation) action initiated by his government against the corrupt."There are many states in India but Punjab is more than that. It enhances country's pride," Modi said.Also Read: General Versus Captain: Why Does a Former Army Chief want to be an MLA? Lauding the Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is contesting against Captain Amarinder Singh in what is called the "father of all battles", PM Modi said: "Parkash Badal worked for Hindu-Sikh unity at a time when there was mistrust between the two communities.""Badal worked hard for the people of Punjab and the state needs Badals to be in power again."(With inputs from IANS)
Lucknow: UP ko ye saath pasand hai will be the war cry of the Samajwadi Party-Congress grand alliance for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. Penned by Congress strategist Prashant Kishore, the slogan will be launched by Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi in their first-ever joint press conference on January 29.



The Congress will contest on 105 seats in the 403-member Assembly.



"The time and venue of the media interaction is yet to be finalised," a senior SP leader told PTI on Friday.



Sources in both the parties said their joint appearance before the media would galvanise the two parties and help in reaping a bumper electoral harvest.



They said the two top leaders were previously expected to make a joint announcement about the alliance on January 22, but later state chiefs of the two parties, Raj Babbar (Congress) and Naresh Uttam (SP) announced the deal jointly.



Asked if there would be any joint declaration by them, the SP leader said, whatever the two leaders will speak would be considered as joint statement.



To a question regarding resentment among SP leaders over certain seats in Congress citadel of Amethi and Rae Bareli, he SP everything would be resolved by Sunday.



After the alliance, Akhilesh shared stage with a Congress leader in Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday marking their first joint campaign after announcing the alliance.



He was effusive in his praise for the partnership, calling it a "winning combination" and that there was no doubt it would go on to form the next government with a majority.



"The cycle (SP symbol) was alone, but now with the help of the hand (Congress symbol), its speed has increased," he had said, sharing the stage for the first time with Congress leader Prem Prakash Agarwal, who will contest from Bareilly.



(With PTI inputs)


New Delhi: Delhi BJP on Friday hit out at Aam Admi Party for its "cut-paste" manifesto for Punjab charging that the same poll promises made with people in Delhi in 2015 elections are yet to be realised by it government in the national capital.



The AAP manifesto for Punjab, which was released on Friday, "reminds" of Arvind Kejriwal's promises with people in Delhi for 2015 elections, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said.



"The Punjab manifesto has many items cut from Delhi manifesto and pasted there. I believe, however, that people in Punjab would have learnt lesson from sad experience of Delhi people and save their state from Kejriwal's promises," Tiwari said.



He said promises made to people by AAP, including installation of CCTV cameras, employment for youth, recruitment of teachers and regularisation of guest teachers, Aam Admi canteen, accommodation to homeless, health and social security, are "yet to be fulfilled" as promised by AAP before coming to power.



The Yuva Morcha activists of Delhi BJP are visiting Punjab to "expose" AAP and Kejriwal. They will make voters in the state "aware" on the election manifesto of AAP and its similar promises in Delhi, he added.



A delegation of Yuva Morcha led by Delhi unit president Sunil Yadav will visit 23 constituencies where BJP candidates

are contesting election.
Kannur: A bomb was hurled near a public meeting venue of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at Kannur in Kerala on Thursday with the Left party alleging RSS's involvement in the episode which has left a DYFI activist injured.



The incident occurred around 7.30 PM at about 200 metres away from the venue, where Balakrishnan was speaking at Nangarathupeedika in New Mahe area of Kannur, police said.



Balakrishnan left the venue shortly after the incident completing his speech, police said, adding the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activist suffered injuries in the incident.



According to the police, CPM workers had gone to offer floral tributes at the Martyr's column made in memory of Lijesh, party worker who had died following an attack by RSS workers last year.



"They found burnt party flags and alleged that somebody had urinated and defecated at the spot. They had written RSS-BJP on the walls," police official added.



CPM flags and martyrs column at Thalaserry were also damaged in the incident.



"We strongly condemn this. The RSS' game plan is to expand their political base through such violence and communal polarisation which is their standard methodology. The supremely secular people of Kerala will, however, unitedly defeat such machinations," CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury told PTI over phone.



Strongly condemning the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram that strong action would be taken against those responsible for hurling the bomb at the venue.



Meanwhile, BJP has denied the charge, with its Kannur unit refuting the claims of CPI(M) that it was linked to the bomb hurling.



The politically sensitive district witnessed several violent incidents involving the RSS-BJP combine and the CPI(M) after the May 2016 Kerala assembly polls in which the LDF came to power.







In a recent incident on January 18, a 53-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death at Andaloor in Dharmadam, the constituency of Chief Minister Vijayan, in which six CPI(M) workers have been arrested.



(with inputs from PTI)


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during his rally in Jalandhar.

Those out of power are behaving like fish out of water, said PM Modi adding that only Parakash Singh Badal is working for the welfare of the state.

Earlier Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said that Captain Amarinder Singh will be the next Chief Ministerial candidate for the party in upcoming Assembly elections.

He also blamed the Badals for the poor state of affairs in Punjab.

It is Modi vs Rahul vs Kejriwal in the final leg of campaign in Punjab.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Majitha (Amritsar): The first thing one notices when approaching the town of Majitha, just 16 kms away from Amritsar, is the rows of houses on either side of the highway with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) flags atop their roofs. This is Majitha, the constituency and home town of Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia. After a sea of saffron flags with the SAD symbol  the scales of justice  is an island of white flags as we approach the Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) Majitha office. Inside the AAP war room, a batch of 20-somethings sit huddled around laptops, coordinating with volunteers who have hit the ground for the door-to-door campaign.



Over the last year, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has tried to project most of the anger at the drug menace against Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who is also the brother-in-law of Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. Kejriwal has gone as far as to publically call Majithia a drug lord. Recently, the Delhi CM vowed to "send Majithia to jail" if elected to power.



The AAP has appointed 400 volunteers here in an effort to topple the mighty Majithia in his home ground. Volunteers are asked to assembly every morning at 8:30 sharp, before they head out to campaign.



"There are 134 villages in Halka (constituency) Majitha. We have covered almost the entire constituency and by Friday, we will have knocked on every single door in Majitha. In the final stretch of the campaign, we plan to redouble our efforts. Some of our volunteers have prepared a street play, depicting the problems of Punjab and how the AAP manifesto will solve these problems. These have received an overwhelming response from the people. Everywhere they perform, people turn up in droves to watch," says Harsh Kalra, the AAP joint secretary who has been tasked with heading the campaign in Majitha.



The campaign effort, however, has not been without its troubles. Kalra adds, Akali goons have been threatening us since we arrived here. They are baffled by AAPs popularity. Just recently, one of our volunteers was chased away by Majithias men with swords. Sometimes we complain, but there is no point in that either because they control the police. Bikram Singh Majithia operates like a Bollywood villain, striking fear into the hearts of the people. They force people to put SAD flags on top of their houses and they are threatened if they try to remove them. In fact, the house next tour office has SAD flags. The funny thing is, the AAP uses that house as a storeroom! The family that stays there will vote AAP this year. People here either hate Majithia or fear him. There is no other emotion.



Just 500 meters down the road, the Congress office bears an earthier look. There are no groups huddled around laptops. Instead, Congress candidate Sukhjinder Raja Singh Lali is sitting with his team and planning his campaign from his own house, which is the campaign headquarters. Majithia has spread his terror across the region. This time, when he loses, he will meet the same fate as Qaddafi did in Libya. He has ruled Majitha like a dictator. There is a slogan going around in the town  Jhande Akali de, vote Lali de (The flags belong to the Akali, the votes will go to Lali). They cant win the seat by forcing people to mount flags. People arent scared anymore because they know the AKalis are on their way out," Singh says.



Sure enough, a Majitha resident with Akali flags on his shop echoed the sentiments. The shopkeeper, who does not wish to be identified, says, Lokkan nu dabbeya hoya ae. (The people have been scared). That is why they are putting Akali flags. I cant dare to say no. The problem is not Majithia, the problem is his goons. Every family in rural Majitha has at least one drug addict and nobody does anything about it because they are scared of Majithias men. People in the villages are voting for AAP but those in the town are voting for Congress. I fear that this will split the vote. I havent yet decided who to vote for. I dont want to waste my vote.



Balbir Singh (name changed), another Majitha resident, adds, I voted for SAD in 2012 because my brother is in government service in Amritsar. The last time, they found out who voted against them and got them all transferred.



Balbir stops short of mentioning who he will vote for when a mustachioed man casually walks up to his shop. Mantri hi jittuga, paaji! (The minister will win, brother!). He has done a lot of work for us, he says. Balbir nervously chimes in, Haanji, saddkan taan badi changi banaatti (Yes, the roads have been constructed so well).



The Akali Dal, meanwhile, vehemently denies all these charges. Rajesh Kumar, who is managing the campaign from the SAD office in Majitha, says, All our opponents are spreading lies about Bikram Singh Majithia. They say these people have been frightened. Punjabis cant be scared so easily. The people have put flags on their houses because they think of Bikram as one of them. He has stood with them in happiness and sorrow. He turns up for weddings, funerals and even helps people financially from his own pocket. He is so loved in Majithia that even if Captain Amarinder Singh himself contests from here, he will not be able to win. The SAD is not a party of Maharajas. Our leaders are sons of the soil.



Majithias team has been using the son of the soil image of the minister and claiming that he is a part of peoples everyday lives. On this front, AAP has an uphill climb. A senior AAP functionary said, Our candidate, Himmat Singh Shergill, is not from Majha. He is, in fact, from far away Mohali. Many people fear that it will work against him. But if he manages to capitalize on the anger of the people and win, he will even be considered for the chief ministers post. The party appreciates that he left a safe seat in Mohali to take on Majithia.



Sukhjinder Singh, however, claims that he alone is the insider here. Himmat is from Mohali and he cant name five problems that people face here. Bikram calls himself an insider but he hardly visits Majitha. He and his wife spend most of their time in Delhi and run Punjab by proxy. If you look at the cars lined outside our office, the number plates all read PB 02. All our people are from Amritsar and Majitha. SAD and AAP have brought in outsiders to campaign for them. In this race, I am the only isider.



Meanwhile, back at Balbirs shop, the moustachioed man has still not left. An Akali Dal flag flutters above his shop on a rainy day as an AAP campaign van passes. The voice on the loudspeaker speaks of the AAPs campaign promises  an end to the drug menace, a Dalit deputy chief minister etc. Balbir silently looks on as the loudspeaker blares, Jhaadu waala button dabadeyo, Punjabiyon!


Ludhiana: As polling day nears in Punjab, both the Congress and the SAD-BJP are getting out the big guns. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will be in Punjab for three days from January 27 even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigns in Jalandhar and Ludhiana on January 27 and 29.



The symbolic intent of Rahul Gandhi's rallies is clear. Strike at the heartland of the Akalis. He will campaign first in Majitha, the constituency that Punjab's Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia who is the brother in law of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, represents.



Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu to complete the Congress power projection. Following the Majitha rally, Rahul will head to Jalalabad from where Sukhbir Badal will contest against Congress' Ravneet Bittu and AAP's Bhagwant Mann.



Rahul's last day in Punjab will be in Lambi from where Capt Amarinder Singh will contest Akali supremo Parkash Singh Badal on his home turf. AAP is fielding Jarnail Singh against the present and former chief ministers of Punjab. Jarnail Singh, a former journalist, had gained media attention on April 7, 2009 when he threw a shoe at then Home Minister P Chidambaram at a press conference in New Delhi.



Majitha holds particular significance for the Congress as Bikram Majithia along with Sukhbir Badal and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is understood to be the first line of leadership in the Shiromani Akali Dal.



Ever since criminals already in jail over drug charges named Majithia as being complicit in the drug trade he has had to face the brunt of allegations of letting drugs spread in Punjab.



Despite Bikram Majithia's denials and even launching defamation cases against several persons including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who had alluded to his connections with drug dealers, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have trained their guns on the Akali Minister also because he is from the first family of the Akalis and by targeting him they hope to weaken the leadership.



For Rahul Gandhi who has stuck to his rather dubious claim that 70 per cent of youth in Punjab is addicted to drugs, Majitha will be the platform where he can once again highlight Punjab's drug challenge.



It is not certain, though, if he will stick to his figures again. The exact numbers of Punjab citizens consuming drugs has remained mired in controversy in the absence of credible studies and data. Congress in a release in 2015 cited the latest information provided by the state government that stated 6,22,381 patients have approached de-addiction centres.



The Congress had multiplied that figure by 5 to arrive at a rough number of drug addicts in Punjab - claiming very few people report to de addiction centres.



However, even by the extrapolated figures, Punjab's addiction level falls to somewhere between 10 to 15 per cent of its population. That figure too is worrisome, but it is nowhere near Rahul Gandhis claim of 70 per cent.



The Congress in its manifesto has promised to wipe out drug supply, distribution and consumption in four weeks of coming to power, a promise made earlier by the AAP in its youth manifesto.



The Shiromani Akali Dal has gone a step further and assured creation of special centers to rehabilitate youth dragged into drugs and has also announced a special incentive of Rs 2 Lakh to be given to families of youth who successfully quit drugs.



The task of contesting Rahul's charges will fall on Bikram Majithia. His constituency is barely 15 kilometres from the India Pakistan border. In a bid to showcase their anti-drug credentials the Akalis have also promised an "impregnable special border area force" to check the inflow of drugs from Pakistan.



Whatever, may the statistics be, no party in Punjab today can chose to turn away from the drug menace. If anything, they can only promise the toughest possible action in a bid to appease angry voters who believe drugs in Punjab flow with the complicity of those in power.








Apple Inc will have to obtain the support of Indian states as the country is geared up to embrace the GST (goods and services tax) in the coming financial year. The Cupertino, California-based company is currently in talks with the Indian government to obtain tax sops for setting up a manufacturing unit in Bengaluru.Read more: US Government Workers Defy Donald Trump's Gag Order on Twitter The company has also put forth a demand for predictability and certainty of countervailing duty (CVD) exemption, whch requires supports from the Indian states.The BJP-led Indian government has exempted parts used in mobile phone manufacturing from 12.5 per cent CVD but has included three items back under its umbrella in 2016 to encourage manufacturing in the country.Read more: Vivo V5 Plus Review: Ups the Selfie Ante With Class Apple's key demand includes Centre's assurance on continuing the CVD exemption for 15 years amongst others.Read more: Facebook Revamps Trending Topics to Curb Fake News It has sought duty exemption on raw materials for manufacturing, components and capital equipment for 15 years for both domestic and export markets.Apple also sought a change in rules that would govern how it could import defective iPhones to repair and export them again, a move it said was crucial for it to keep supporting and repairing older models of the iPhone.Currently, Indian rules restrict such imports to phones that are no older than three years. Apple asked for the government's help in quickly processing a request for a ruling from Indian tax authorities on transfer pricing agreements between its affiliates.It also identified India's customs procedures as a hurdle to manufacturing and asked the government to make them less onerous."For trusted traders inspections need to be less intrusive - this means less boxes opened," Apple had earlier written.
A team of British and Czech scientists on Tuesday said they had successfully tested a "super laser" they claim is 10 times more powerful than any other of its kind on the planet.The so-called "high peak power laser" has a 1,000-watt average power output, a benchmark of sustained, high-energy pulses.It has revolutionary potential in engineering, for hardening metal surfaces, processing semiconductors and micro-machining material.The device was developed by Britain's Central Laser Facility (CLF) and HiLASE (High average power pulsed laser), a Czech state research and development project."It is a world record which is important," CLF director John Collier told AFP."It is good for putting things on the map, but the more important point is that the underlying technology that has been developed here is going to transform the application of these high power, high energy lasers," Collier added.Named "Bivoj" after a mythical Czech strongman, the laser is "10 times as powerful" as any other of its type currently in use, HiLASE physicist Martin Divoky told AFP at the testing facility in Dolni Brezany near Prague.HiLASE director Tomas Mocek told AFP that Bivoj broke the "magical barrier" of 1,000 watts in output on December 16, setting a world record for lasers of its type."It's a huge step forward, like an Olympic victory," he added.Weighing in at around 20 tonnes and costing 44 million euros ($48 million), Bivoj will have applications in the aeronautics, automotive and power sectors, according to the CLF and HiLASE specialists.Mocek told AFP that Bivoj was fundamentally different from so-called peak power lasers.There are two behemoths of this kind -- the one-petawatt Texas Petawatt Laser in Austin and the two-petawatt Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments (LFEX) in Osaka, Japan. One petawatt equals one million billion wattsThose lasers "have a very high peak power, but they can only reach it several times a day," Mocek said."They do not have so-called 'average power'. This is a combination of the repetition rate and the energy. Our laser has the highest average power, which is important. The repetition rate in Osaka and Austin is significantly lower."Its creators say they hope to explore the laser's potential during tests planned at the Dolni Brezany facility later this month.Mocek told AFP that there are also plans to commercialise the laser in the second half of the year.
Qualcomm reported a lower-than-expected 3.9% rise in quarterly revenue and defended its licensing model in the face of multiple legal challenges over its alleged "anticompetitive" tactics.Read more: Vivo V5 Plus Review: Ups the Selfie Ante With Class The company's shares were down 3.8% at $54.75 in aftermarket trading.The US Federal Trade Commission and Apple Inc have sued Qualcomm accusing it of resorting to "anticompetitive" tactics to maintain a monopoly over chips used in smartphones.Read more: Mark Zuckerberg Reconsidering Land Sale Actions Against Hawaiians Apple also filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm in Beijing on Wednesday, alleging that the chip supplier abused its clout and is seeking 1 billion yuan ($145.3 million) in damages.Qualcomm executives firmly defended the company's licensing model on its quarterly conference call, and said its revenue forecast did not include any impact from the dispute with Apple.Read more: Alphabet Posts Strong Revenue Growth, Higher Taxes Hit Earnings "Apple's attack on Qualcomm's business model is not only an attack on Qualcomm, but also an attack on the smartphone competition that Qualcomm's business model enables," the company's President Derek Aberle said.Qualcomm said it expects to continue to supply to Apple during the dispute. Executives said Qualcomm's contracts with the iPhone maker's suppliers were still valid and does not expect it to impact the current quarter.Charter Equity Analyst Edward Snyder said that Qualcomm may have to appease Apple to some extent, to protect the company's smartphone market share."Even if they win the battle, they might lose the war," Snyder added.Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with Bernstein, noted that Qualcomm's fiscal second quarter revenues will come from mobile phones that were shipped in December. If Apple's suppliers decided to cut off payments in January, when Apple filed its lawsuits, the impact would not show up until Qualcomm's fiscal third quarter. Qualcomm has given no guidance yet for that quarter, he added.Qualcomm's licensing business generates royalties earned through the licensing of wireless patents to the mobile industry. It also books direct sales of the chips themselves."The chipset unit margin outlook is quite weak," said Rasgon. "Licensing is decent. The question is how much that licensing revenue is catch-up from previous quarters versus sustainable run rate."Qualcomm is a major supplier to both Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, with the two accounting for 40% of its 2016 annual revenue.The San Diego-based company also forecast current-quarter adjusted profit of $1.15 to $1.25 per share and revenue of $5.5 billion to $6.3 billion.
This is the Samsung Galaxy S8, launching March 29 https://t.co/lQZ0K0q2MA pic.twitter.com/dlusRMX4YH  Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 26, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is now confirmed to be launched on March 29 and well-known tipster Evan Blass has now revealed an image of the next flagship Samsung Galaxy S8 in all glory. The Galaxy S8 lacks traditional navigation and will feature a larger display compared to the older Galaxy Note devices, said Blass in a Venture Beat report The leaked image showcases an almost bezel-less display. There is no home button and the fingerprint scanner is right aside the rear camera lens and Blass feels that it is quite untenable for short-fingered folks.Samsung hasnt ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack in the upcoming Galaxy S8 but it obviously comes with a USB Type-C port.The Samsung Galaxy S8 will come in two display sizes-- 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch and will be powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There will be a 12MP rear camera.The device is expected to be start at a price of $849, which roughly translates to Rs 59,430. This means that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be launched in India for a minimum of Rs 60,000. However, the expected price for the Samsung Galaxy S8 is Rs 64,999 in India.The device might land in the country by May 2017 as Samsung would also like to get it sooner here for they could never sell the 2016 flagship Galaxy Note 7 last year.
China plans to build a next-generation synchrotron radiation facility in Beijing, according to a researcher from Chinese Academy of Sciences.Dong Yuhui said on Monday that the project is expected to start in November 2018 and will be completed in six years. The total investment will reach 4.8 billion yuan ($698 million), the China Daily reported.The facility, dubbed Beijing Light Source, will meet the national security demands and create aerospace materials among other products. It will provide high-resolution method to know substantial structures better.Beijing Light Source will be the so-called fourth generation light source and its key performance indicators would be higher than the third-generation ones.It will create the brightest X-rays worldwide, 70 times brighter than the US National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) and 10 times brighter than Sweden's MAX IV, the strongest of its kind in the world.Bright X-rays could help measure the atomic structure of various substances and the higher brightness will help people to see more details of substances, something akin to using flashlight to see things, Dong said.Around the world, there are more than 50 such facilities providing support in many research fields.The light source plays an important role in the medical field, helping researchers know mechanisms of tumours and cerebrovascular diseases.
Travel between the US and Asia is about to become cheaper with the arrival of low-cost airline AirAsiaX.



The Malaysian carrier has become the first budget Asian airline to receive clearance from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to fly to the US.



Details on destinations are sparse, but the carrier said it is considering several US states including Hawaii as part of its route expansion plans.



The airline also said it is looking to resume flights to London.



The announcement comes at the threshold of a new era in commercial aviation, with the proliferation of ultra low-cost carriers offering never-before seen prices for transatlantic flights.



Carriers like Norwegian Air, Iceland's Wow air, Canada's WestJet and Morocco's Royal Air Maroc are some of the no-frills airlines which have launched flights across the Atlantic in recent months thanks to the cheaper cost of jet fuel.



On Wow Air, for instance, travelers can fly return between Boston and Reykjavik in January and February for $209 -- taxes included.



A return flight between Los Angeles and Stockholm on Norwegian Air, meanwhile, can be found for as low as $331 for travel in February.



AirAsia X has taken the title of World's Leading Low-Cost Airline four years in a row at the World Travel Awards and is the current titleholder.
Washington: Mexico is willing to talk with the US in order to maintain good relations, but paying for President Donald Trump's border wall "is not negotiable," Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray has said.



"There are things that are not negotiable, things that cannot and will not be negotiated. The fact that it is being said that Mexico should pay for the wall is something that is simply not negotiable," Videgaray said during a press conference at the Mexican embassy in Washington.



Holding true to his campaign promise, Trump on Wednesday ordered US officials to begin to design and construct a wall along the 3,200-kilometer US-Mexico border.



The White House has since then floated the idea of a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to cover the cost of the wall, but later backtracked and called it just one idea among many.



Such a tax, Videgaray said Thursday, would only harm Americans.



"Here in the United States avocados, washing machines, televisions, many things that North American families like to buy and that are expensive, would cost more," he said.



"It would be the American consumer who would be paying," Videgaray added.



The top diplomat was at the White House Thursday to help pave the way for a visit by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto when his team received word of a Trump tweet suggesting that if Mexico were not willing to build the wall it should cancel the trip.



Pena Nieto tweeted later that he had informed the White House that he would "not attend the working meeting" next week.



"We recognise that it is the beginning of a new relationship with President Trump and his government. We recognize that, as President Pena Nieto has said, we are ready to negotiate. We have clear priorities and objectives," Videgaray said.




New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has indicated that both Pakistan and Afghanistan will be among the countries whose citizens will have to go through an "extreme vetting" process before entering the United States, According to a Dawn report.



In an interview to ABC News, Trump was asked why Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were not on a list of seven Muslim-majority countries whose citizens would be banned from the US.



"We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think theres even a little chance of some problem," he replied.



Asked if this was the Muslim ban that he had talked about during the election campaign, he said: "It's not the Muslim ban. But it's countries that have tremendous terror.... And it's countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems."



He said: "It's going to be very hard to come in. Right now it's very easy to come in. It's gonna be very, very hard."



Reports that the Trump administration would establish a registry for collecting data about Muslims living in the US brought thousands of protesters out in a New York park on Wednesday night and a former secretary of state said she too would register as a Muslim if Muslims were asked to do so, Dawn said.



Madeleine Albright, the first woman US secretary of state, tweeted: "I was raised Catholic, became Episcopalian and found out later my family was Jewish. I stand ready to register as Muslim in solidarity."




Washington: Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress who met with embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, has said that there is no possibility for a "viable" peace agreement in the war-torn country unless he is part of the conversation.



Democrat Gabbard, a major in the Army National Guard, told CNN that she met with Assad during a secret "fact-finding" trip she took to the country.



"My reason for going to visit Syria was really because of the suffering of the Syrian people that has been weighing heavily on my heart. I wanted to see if there was in some small way that I could express the love and the 'aloha'  a Hawaiian word used when greeting  and the care that the American people have for the people of Syria and to see firsthand what was happening there," she told the channel.



Gabbard, elected to the House of Representatives from Hawaii, said on Wednesday that she did not originally intend on meeting with Assad, who has been accused of using chemical weapons on his own people over the course of a more than five year civil war, New York Daily News reported.



"But when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it," Congresswoman Gabbard, who supported Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during the last year's primaries, said.



"Whatever you think about President Assad, the fact is that he is the president of Syria," Gabbard told CNN, adding that there is no possibility for a viable peace agreement in Syria unless Assad is part of the conversation.



Gabbard's visit breaks with others in her party who have said that peace in Syria is contingent upon Assad leaving power. The US officials have for years maintained that Assad must be removed from power.



Former President Barack Obama has said repeatedly that the autocrat should not be part of Syria's future, though Assad is currently more entrenched in power after receiving military support from Russia.



She said that the "moderate" rebels supported by the US are no different from extremists in the region such as al-Qaeda and the ISIS, and has introduced legislation to stop US government funding going towards those who may indirectly use the money to help terrorist organisation.



It is still unclear how the new US administration led by President Donald Trump will handle the Syrian war, which the UN says has killed more than 400,000 people.



Trump, during debates with Hillary Clinton, had said that the US does not know who the anti-Assad rebels really are, and praised the Syrian president for fighting ISIS.
Washington: UK Prime Minister Theresa May has appealed that Britain and the US must "lead together" and play their role in global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India.



Further with the emergence of non-state actors, it is a time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role, May said in her remarks at Republican Retreat in Philadelphia.



"As we rediscover our confidence together, as you renew your nation just as we renew ours, we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age," May said.



"We have the opportunity to lead together again because the world is passing through a period of change. And in response to that change, we can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together," she added.



"I believe it is in our national interest to do so.



Because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear. The end of the cold war did not give rise to a new world order, she said.



"It did not herald the end of history. It did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs," she noted.



"For some, the citizens of central and eastern Europe in particular, it brought new freedom. But across the world, ancient ethnic, religious and national rivalries that had been frozen for the decades of the cold war, returned.



New enemies of the West and our values, in particular in the form of radical Islamists, have emerged, as countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights, notably China and Russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs," she said.



"The rise of the Asian economies -- China, yes, but democratic allies like India too -- is hugely welcomed.



Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up," May said.



"But these events, coming as they have at the same time as the financial crisis and its fallout, as well as a loss of confidence in the West following 9/11 and difficult military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, have led many to fear that in this century, we will experience the eclipse of the West," she said.



"But there is nothing inevitable about that. Other countries may grow stronger. Big, populous countries may grow richer. And as they do so, they may start to embrace more fully our values of democracy and liberty. But even if they do not, our interests will remain. Our values will endure as the need to defend them and project them will be as important as ever," May said.



So we, our two countries together, have a responsibility to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain, and the world," May said.



"It is in our interests, those of Britain and America together, to stand strong together to defend our values, our interests, and the very ideas in which we believe. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past," she said.



"The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene," the British Prime Minister said.



"We must be strong, smart, and hardheaded. We must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests. Whether it is the security of Israel in the Middle East, or the Baltic States in Eastern Europe, we must always stand up for our friends and allies in democratic countries that find themselves in tough neighbourhoods too," she said.
APPOMATTOX  Come fall, town residents could see decorative streetlights similar to the ones on Main Street popping up on nearby streets, along with sidewalk improvements and benches, thanks to a grant the town hopes to land.

The town is looking to apply for grant money from the Community Development Block Grant, a program organized by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, to pay for all those improvements and more to help encourage new businesses in downtown and help existing businesses.

Several ideas to revitalize the downtown area were revealed to about 20 town residents and local business owners at a community meeting Thursday evening in the towns old train depot on Main Street.

The first phase of the plan would be restricted to Main Street, Court Street, over to Highland Avenue and back down Church Street. A second phase of the project may extend the business district from Highland Avenueout to Confederate Boulevard, and a third phase would be improving tourism opportunities across the town, such as adding bike lanes and walking trails.

Officials said if they land the grant, they want to use the money this year for the downtown area and then apply for future rounds of funding for the other phases.

The town can apply for up to $1.25 million in grant funding. Planning officials did not have a final cost estimate for the project as of this week. VDH receives about $50 million in grant applications but only has a pot of about $15 million to 19 million to distribute, Region 2000 Local Government Council Senior Planner Kelly Hitchcock said.

The town has been working on this plan for several months, which might seem like a long time to see a result.

The planning process takes a long time; with government, sometimes things move a little slower. You go through and get support from the community, get a grant and you will see the fruits of that labor, Appomattox Interim Town Manager Clarence Monday said at the meeting.

One of the goals is to create a distinct downtown area with clear signage to draw tourists to the area.

Dont be afraid to say this is downtown and draw a line, incorporate Church Street businesses  we were surprised at the level of business there, said Craig Wilson, with Richmond-based Community Planning Partners, a firm hired by the town to help plan the revitalization.

Nathan Simpson, an Appomattox County High School student, requested at the meeting that local businesses be used in the marketing and branding part of the plan.

Planners proposed more than 20 ideas at the meeting, from offering a pop-up shop to encourage small businesses to a bicycle rental program.

Public parking areas were another improvement idea; the study suggested public parking on Harrell Street, behind Main Street. Currently, the only available public parking is street parking on the one-way Main Street and a small lot by the Appomattox Visitors Center on Main Street.

Charlie Clusman, co-owner of the bed-and-breakfast The Babcock House, asked why branding or tourism was the last thing on the list for suggestions when, for a business, its usually the first thing.

VDH wants to see you do physical stuff first, then the branding, Wilson said.

Hitchcock said local participation is the key to increasing the chances of the grant application being approved.

The revitalization plan was based on the towns 2015 master plan and off of existing infrastructure, like the streetlights on Main Street.

Along with streetscapes, improving the look of downtown buildings also was an idea included in the plan.

That part of the plan will be managed by a local advisory board that would work with property owners in the area.

The project will be submitted for a federally funded VDH grant by the end of March, with approval notice by the summer. The town already has received a $35,000 grant to pay for the needs analysis, surveys and plan design from Region 2000 Local Government Council, Harvey Design Land Architects and Community Planning Partners

The next step will be to finalize the plan and hold a public hearing in late February or early March before submitting the grant application to VDH.
RICHMOND  Del. Kathy Byron presented a revised version Thursday of her Broadband Deployment Act that eliminates some of the most controversial provisions in the original but requires heightened transparency requirements and price stipulations for municipal broadband providers.

The House Commerce and Labor Committee will vote on it next week.

Byrons revision changed much of the original substance of her bill, which was widely criticized by localities and municipal broadband providers across Virginia. The substituted version removes internet speed standards, the difference between served and unserved populations and provisions that could keep existing municipal broadband providers from expanding their services.

The new language focuses on the transparency of taxpayer-funded broadband authorities.

Also, the substitute calls for repeal of a Freedom of Information Act exemption that allows municipal broadband entities to shield its own or its customers trade secrets or proprietary records when trying to strike a deal. All documents related to the planning for and potential locations of a broadband system would also be public. The municipal networks would be required to present transparent pricing and submit to annual, independent audits.

When youre spending taxpayer dollars, you need to have sunshine, said Byron, a Bedford County Republican.

Because municipal providers like the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority are generally funded with taxpayer dollars, their rates already are public.

The FOIA exemptions are intended to help public broadband authorities compete with private internet service providers like Cox Communications, Comcast and others who are not subject to FOIA. Public providers are subject to all other FOIA laws that required public disclosure of employee emails and other business records.

After a widely ranging financial corruption scandal involving the Bristol Virginia Utilities authority, transparency is essential, Byron said.

Who pays for the shortfall when the government-operated networks fail? The taxpayer does, and thats who this bill was intended to protect, she said.

Members of Roanokes municipal broadband entity and its partner localities are still displeased with House Bill 2108. Several representatives from the service authority, Roanoke and Salem attended the committee meeting, but did not speak because the vote was delayed until next week.

If the public authority does not have some FOIA exemptions, it would be unable to compete against private companies, said Dan Callaghan, Roanokes city attorney.

Its still very dangerous to say that the amendment accomplishes anything, it really doesnt, Callaghan said.

Another new clause requires municipal broadband providers to calculate rates as private providers do, including adding local taxes and fees that tax-exempt municipal providers dont pay , Callaghan said.

We would be overcharging our customers, he said. The authority would be forced to charge as much as its competitors, but would still be unable to sell stock like private telecommunications companies  putting municipal providers at a disadvantage, Callaghan said.

Byrons original broadband bill drew the ire of Roanoke, Salem and Franklin County and several other Virginia localities . More than a dozen technology giants like Netflix and Google also opposed the bill. Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he would veto the bill if it passed in its original form.

The Roanoke broadband authority, which controls a 47-mile broadband network through Roanoke, Salem and parts of Roanoke and Botetourt counties, said a clause in Byrons original bill prohibiting expansion of current municipal networks would effectively kill its operation.

Del. Greg Habeeb, R-Salem, said Byrons bill is a good example of how legislation can change through the legislative process. Bills go through drafts as they head from subcommittee to committee and floor readings, said Habeeb, who sits on the House Commerce and Labor Committee. The initial draft is just the first step in a process, and frequently the bill looks drastically different in the end, he said.

Fervor about new legislation could preclude support, even if the bill improves during the intensive General Assembly vetting process, he said.

The bills change so dramatically, but you cant unlabel a bill once that has happened, Habeeb said. This bill may turn into a great work product in the end, I dont know, but it might be unpassable because of the bad impressions that the initial version made.
One driver was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital at about 9 a.m. today after a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 460, one mile outside of Bedfords town limits.

Authorities were alerted of the wreck at 8:08 a.m. this morning. The Virginia Department of Transportation issued a traffic alert at 11:19 a.m., notifying drivers one westbound lane of U.S. 460 was closed and there potentially could be delays.

One vehicle, described as a mail truck, was overturned, resulting in the right lane of U.S. 460 being shut down for 30 minutes. The truck did not spill any mail and was empty, according to an email from Sgt. Garletts, of the Virginia State Police. The mail truck driver refused treatment.

The other vehicle was described as an SUV in an email from Garletts.

The Bedford County Department of Fire and Rescue sent two ambulances and the Bedford Town Fire Departments heavy rescue truck and engine to the scene.

VDOT issued a traffic alert just after noon stating the crash had been cleared.
RUSTBURG  A Lynch Station woman pleaded guilty Thursday to two felony charges for her role in what authorities said was a plan to rob a 72-year-old man last spring that turned violent.

Savannah Lynn Dudley, 21, entered the pleas on malicious wounding and robbery in a deal her lawyer struck with prosecutors, who agreed to drop charges of conspiracy and grand larceny.

It was the same deal Campbell County prosecutors reached with Corey Christopher Kidd, whom authorities accused of planning the robbery with Dudley and two other people.

Kidd, also of Lynch Station, is scheduled to be sentenced April 27 after pleading guilty to malicious wounding and robbery in December.

Circuit Judge John T. Cook on Thursday set Dudleys sentencing for the same date.

William Quillian III, Dudleys defense lawyer, told Cook during the proceeding he believed the plea deal was in the best interest of his client.

Campbell County Commonwealths Attorney Paul McAndrews said Dudley played a role in the March 31, 2016, robbery of James Hogan, who lived in part of Dudleys grandmothers Altavista home at the time.

Dudley was to distract Hogan while someone else took a large sum of cash they knew he was hiding in his room, but Hogan grew suspicious, leading to a violent altercation that spilled into the driveway, McAndrews said.

Both Dudley and Kidd assaulted him, according to the account. Later Dudley made a confession to authorities about the plan, McAndrews said.

Dudley remains held at Blue Ridge Regional Jail pending the sentencing.

Another defendant linked to the case, Timothy Jason Greer, pleaded guilty in November to grand larceny and conspiracy and is scheduled for sentencing Feb. 1.
Genworth Financial Inc. has set March 7 as the date for a special shareholders meeting to vote on the companys proposed acquisition by China Oceanwide.

Genworth, a Henrico County-based insurance company with thousands of employees in Virginia, announced in October that it had agreed to be acquired by the China-based investment company for about $2.7 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, Genworth shareholders will receive $5.43 in cash for each share of Genworths Class A common stock they hold.

Genworth still must obtain approval from various state and federal regulatory agencies to complete the merger. Two shareholder lawsuits also have been filed challenging aspects of the deal.

The shareholders meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. at The Westin Richmond, 6631 W. Broad St. in Henrico .

Stockholders also may vote by mailing ballots, calling a toll-free number or online. Voting ballots will be sent to shareholders. The company said stockholders of record of Genworths Class A common stock as of the close of business on Jan. 17 are eligible to vote.
The new leader of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership is promising reforms at the beleaguered agency and an economic growth strategy that wont leave any region of the state behind.

Stephen Moret made his inaugural speech as president and CEO of the partnership Wednesday to a friendly business audience at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, which he praised for moving aggressively to raise the states diminished status in national business rankings.

Moret, the former Louisiana secretary of economic development, said he chose to leave a comfortable job as CEO of the Louisiana State University Foundation because of the opportunity to work in one of the best places in America to do business.

This is much more than a job for me, he said in a luncheon speech for Chamber Day at the Capitol at the Hilton Richmond Downtown. This is a mission for me.

Moret acknowledged that the job will be a challenge, as he works to fix extensive problems identified at the partnership by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission  JLARC  in a withering report in November that documented a dangerous lack of oversight of hundreds of millions of dollars in financial incentives to economic development prospects.

These need to be addressed and were going to do that, he said.

Moret, 44, also publicly embraced the aims of GO Virginia, a new state-financed initiative to promote regional collaboration to attract and expand business, which he said must benefit every region of the state.

He said he would not view his tenure  he is serving an initial three-year term  as successful if we have parts of Virginia that are driving our growth and other parts that are literally shrinking.

Moret also set a specific goal for success  the creation of 20,000 to 25,000 jobs above the average growth rate projected for the Southern states. Virginia currently is projected to track the average, so that is not going to be an easy thing to do, he said.

First, however, he will have to deal with a compressed session of the General Assembly in which the restructuring of his agency is likely to be one of the most contentious issues on the table.

Legislators have introduced competing bills for restructuring the VEDP board of directors, which the JLARC report faulted for failing to establish a strategic plan, a marketing strategy or supervising the agencys staff to ensure they are doing their jobs.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to assert firm executive control over the partnership, created in 1995 by then-Gov. George Allen as a quasi-independent agency within the commerce and trade secretariat.

Republican legislative leaders oppose the governors proposal to make the secretary of commerce and trade the boards chairman and seek to shrink the board while gaining equal authority to the governor in appointing non-legislative members and reducing the number of cabinet secretaries on it.

One of the proposals, sponsored by Del. S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, House Appropriations Committee chairman, would require the board to include representatives of the Appropriations and Senate Finance committees, as well as the secretary of commerce and trade.

His proposal, as well as a bill introduced by Sen. Frank M. Ruff Jr., R-Mecklenberg, also would create advisory committees on international trade and business development and marketing.

All of the legislative proposals call for creation of new divisions within the VEDP to manage incentives given to business prospects and conduct internal audits of the agencys operations, as recommended by JLARC.

The proposals also include varying requirements for the new CEO and board to adopt plans for operations and marketing, as well as an overall strategic plan for economic development.

Moret told the Chamber audience he will spend the next three months working with legislators on proposals to restructure the agency, as well as a plan for implementing recommendations in the JLARC report and a plan for collaborating with other state, regional and local economic development organizations.

One of his overriding goals for the partnership will be to restore its prestige nationally and boost Virginias business rankings, both within the South and nationally.

When Moret became Louisianas secretary of economic development in 2008, he said the state lagged Virginia by 38 places in national business rankings. By the time he left in 2015, he said Louisiana trailed Virginia by just 12 spots.

The biggest part was coming from gains by Louisiana, he said. A little was decline by Virginia.

Moret said he sees the Chamber as a foundational partner in restoring the states standing.

I love that the Chamber is not just talking about our business rankings, he said. I love that the Chamber is doing something about them.
Revisit the founding of the JSA and foreshadow its future in The New Golden Age #1 preview

And see what lies ahead in the future of the DC Universe
Education Ministry: Students missing classes to fish and farm

At the opening of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobagos (COSTAATT) new Chaguanas campus on Wednesday, Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis, said based on Ministry data, schools in coastal regions perform below acceptable standards. The situation, he said, required special attention from the Ministry of Education in order to ensure equitable education.

Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Lindsay Doodhai, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) explained that one of the contributing factors for this underperformance of coastal and rural schools was students missing days of school to help their parents fish and farm.

What you find is that many families in coastal and rural areas are farmers and fisherfolk, said Doodhai. We noticed that on Wednesday and Thursday, some students arent in school because their parents are going to market on those days and they want their help. Sometimes they stay away for extended periods of time and only start coming consistently when SE A is coming up. They end up not benefitting from the full extent of their education.

Full-time school attendance or an alternative source of education as approved by the Education Minister is compulsary for children ages five through 16 according to the Education Act. Section 77 of the Education Act also places the immediate responsibility for school attendance on parents.President of the National Parent Teacher Association, Zena Ramatally, said to Newsday that high levels of poverty and single parent families in coastal and rural communities sometimes result in students having to contribute to the household by working alongside their parents. The Ministry needs to implement outreach programmes for these communities to impress upon parents the value of a good education for their children, said Ramatally. Many well-educated persons in society will tell you that they too came from these communities and they did so because their parents showed them the value of education.
Another teen reported missing

I walked out the road with her and waited till she got a PTSC bus. When she reached into San Fernando she called to inform me, Cristal said.

She said her daughter would then take another bus to travel to the Mt Hope area.

From Mt Hope she has to take another transport to reach to the El Dorado Secondary School. She called me again when she reached Mt Hope and said Mummy I am in Mt Hope and going to get a car to go to school now, the mother of five said. Baptiste said she waited for another telephone call that her daughter had arrived in front the school, but there were no further calls. I assumed she forgot to call me until she did not come home from school that day.

When her father (Roy Lezama) and I contacted the school, we learnt that Mariah did not show up to school that day. Cristal said calls to Mariahs cell phone went unanswered. The cell phone is switched off. I dont know where she is or if someone has her. I just dont know what to think, but I am so sacred. How would you feel as a mother to know that your daughter left home in her school uniform and you put her in a bus to make sure she was safe and then you get the news from her teachers she never made it to school? She described Mariah as a very intelligent girl who performs well academically.

I believe that someone has her against her will. Please send my daughter home. A report has since been made at the Fyzabad Police Station. Up to late yesterday officers of the Anti Kidnapping Squad were expected to visit the family. Mariahs disappearance comes weeks after the body of 16 year-old schoolgirl Rachael Ramkissoon was discovered in a track along Balata Trace, San Raphael. She was still dressed in her North Eastern College school uniform. An autopsy revealed that she was strangled
Vector control gets new equipment to fight Aedes

This is according to Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, who told the media yesterday at the IVCD head office in Cunupia, that the acquisition of the GIS and fogging machines is part of the divisions strategy in the fight against the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

The decision to fast track the purchase of the GIS, Deyalsingh said, was due the absence of an information database at the IVCD.

With the new system, he said, technicians will be able to identify individual house and streets where breeding sites may be found.

The IVCD will work with the Met Office and Office of Disaster and Preparedness Management (ODPM), among others, to respond to outbreaks using predictive weather patterns, he said.

The mosquito, which is responsible for transmitting the zika, chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever viruses, Deyalsingh said, was public healths enemy number one. The Aedes, he noted, causes untold suffering, pain and, in the case of dengue, possible death. Also, in the case of the pregnant population, birth defects like microcephaly may also present itself. Deyalsingh also expressed concern about the recent outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil where the current epidemic of zika started in 2014.

It is predicted, he said, that haemorrhagic dengue, which comes around every five to seven years, should hit the country this year.

We dont want people bleeding out. We want to save lives, he said.

In an epidemiological update, acting Principal Medical Officer, Dr Keven Antoine, noted that confirmed laboratory cases of zika for 2016 was 717. Of this number, 462 were pregnant women. Tobago accounted for 41 cases.

The zika cases were mainly along the eastwest and north-south corridor in large population centres. These are the urban areas where we expect to find the vector, he said.

Chikungunya which entered the country in May 2014, Antoine said, recorded 340 laboratory confirmed cases in 2014. Cases reduced to 53 in 2015, and nine in 2016. There was a decline in dengue from 2014 to 2016. There were no cases of chikungunya or dengue recorded in Tobago last year.

It was noted, too, that the trend of dengue in the Americas over the last 20 years has been going up consistently.

While the trend in TT was much the same, Dr Naresh Nadram, Registrar, IVCD said, In the last six years, since we have adopted the dengue IMS (Integrated Management Strategy) in 2011, we actually saw a significant decline - an 84 percent decline in TT over the last five to six years. In addition, there has been no death from severe dengue in the last four years.

The IMS, according to Nadram aims to reduce morbidity, mortality, social and economic burden of vector borne diseases, and it is designed to strengthen prevention, and control programmes through inter-sectoral collaboration, education and community participation.
Trump: 'I'll Very, Very, Very

Probably Do It Again'
If police in Colorado seize your legal weed while investigating a crime, they don't ever have to give it backeven if you're acquitted, the state's Supreme Court ruled this week. The ruling reverses a 2013 decision in a lower court, the AP reports. In 2011, Robert Crouse was arrested after police found 55 marijuana plants and more than 6 pounds of pot in his house, according to the Denver Post. He was acquitted because he was a registered medical marijuana patient and demanded police fulfill a Colorado law that required them to take care of seized marijuana and marijuana plants and return them in a usable condition. Instead, he got moldy pot back and sued.

Police "hated" the Colorado law. And now with Monday's Supreme Court ruling, they can go back to destroying any and all marijuana seized during a criminal investigation, KKTV reports. In the 4-3 ruling, the state Supreme Court found that following the state's law requiring the return of seized marijuana would technically make officers "distributors" in violation of federal law. A former US attorney says that would make officers vulnerable to federal prosecution. The decision was authored by Judge Allison Eid, said to be a potential Trump Supreme Court nominee. The dissenting justices argued the federal Controlled Substances Act makes exemptions for officers. For example, officers are allowed to sell drugs during undercover stings. (Read more marijuana stories.)
A pregnant drug addict who made headlines last year when a judge sent her to jail to protect her fetus has given birth, AL.com reports. Lawyers for Alexandra Nicole Laird, 21, moved to have the new mom released on bond to a detox program following Tuesday's birth. Laird was arrested after giving birth to a daughter in March 2016 who was found to be addicted to opiates. The newborn spent a month in the ICU for withdrawal, and Laird allegedly admitted to using heroin throughout that pregnancy. She was free on bond in that case when she was arrested for failure to appear in court in August; in September, she told authorities she was pregnant again. When she admitted she had been using heroin daily, authorities moved to lock her up until she delivered. The move touched off a debate over the treatment of pregnant addicts.

"I'm doing my damndest to try to prevent any further damage to this child, since it's obvious the mother doesn't seem to care,'' Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Danny Reid told a judge at the time. Reactions are still strong, according to comments posted on AL.com, with one reader calling the case "unbelievably sad." A drug-addicted baby is born in the US every 19 minutes, per Reuters. Laird spent the duration of her pregnancy at UAB Hospital. After she gave birth on Tuesday, her lawyer filed a papers seeking her release on bond but indicating she would remain in the hospital's detox program. Police did not oppose Laird's release since she has given birth, but the judge has not yet ruled on the motion. Authorities did not release information on the baby, citing privacy laws. Laird, who does not have custody of her first child, still faces child endangerment charges. (A mom's viral photo shows the harsh reality of heroin.)
The man found lying on his back on a patch of grass on the outskirts of Manchester on Dec. 12, 2015, dead of strychnine poisoning, has finally been identified thanks to an international police investigation. Police believe that the man, identified as 67-year-old David Lytton, took his own life, reports the BBC. He'd arrived in the UK via a flight two days prior from Lahore, Pakistan, though he turns out to be English, and his ties to the area remain unknown. Having been found with no ID on him, police initially revealed what they did know: The man had walked into a pub in Greefield, Saddleworth, in the late afternoon on the 11th, and asked for directions to the "top of the mountain," referring to the nearby Indian's Head peak. He was only wearing light clothing and slip-on shoes.

The Guardian reports on a key clue: An autopsy found that that a serious injury to the man's left leg was repaired with a titanium plate exclusively used by a dozen hospitals in Pakistan. Speculating that he could have entered the country from Pakistan, police checked passenger records from dozens of flights from Lahore in the days before his death. They came across a name; an old passport image suggested they were on the right track. A British relative was located and gave a DNA sample, and it matched. Lytton had lived in Pakistan for a decade, and was known as "a bit of a loner" who "liked his own company." Police are still investigating why Lytton chose to visit Saddleworth. Strychnine, used to kill rodents, is more readily available in Pakistan. (This 44-year-old's death in a posh London suburb remains shrouded in mystery.)
Flames from one of Chile's worst wildfires completely consumed the town of Santa Olga as the death toll from the blazes since November rose to 10, officials say. The flames engulfed the post office, a kindergarten, and about 1,000 homes in the town, located 220 miles south of the Chilean capital, the AP reports. The body of one person was found under the charred remains of the town, which another 6,000 residents fled unharmed. "This is an extremely serious situationof horror, a nightmare without an end," says Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the neighboring coastal city of Constitucion. "Everything burned."

Dozens of teary-eyed firefighters took a moment from battling the blazes to pay homage to one of their colleagues who died in the flames late Wednesday while he evacuated a family to safety. Two police officers also died Wednesday. The fires have been raging in central and southern Chile, fanned by strong winds, hot temperatures, and a prolonged drought. About 385,000 acres of forest have been destroyed. President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency, deployed troops, and asked for international help, calling it "the greatest forest disaster" in Chile's history. A Boeing 747-400 "Supertanker" arrived in Chile from the United States Wednesday to help fight the blazes. Russia has also sent a plane. (Read more Chile stories.)
Mark Zuckerberg is rethinking his attempt to force locals in Hawaii to sell him their land after "feedback from the local community." The Facebook CEO had been trying to acquire 14 small plots of land within his 700-acre property on Kauai through a process known as quiet title, but this is now being reconsidered, Zuckerberg said in a statement, per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "We want to make sure we are following a process that protects the interests of property owners, respects the traditions of native Hawaiians, and preserves the environment," he said. The attempt to force the sale of the parcels of land, which gave their owners or part-owners access rights, had been denounced as "neo-colonialism," reports the Guardian.

"For most of these folks, they will now receive money for something they never even knew they had. No one will be forced off the land," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post last week, though community leaders were skeptical. "The only reason why somebody would initiate a quiet title action would be to make sure that local people aren't walking through his propertythat he had complete unfettered private access," state Rep. Kaniela Ing tells the CBC. "That seems a little unreasonable when you're talking about 700 acres. These people aren't paparazzi ... They just want to get to the beach." Ing says he welcomes Zuckerberg's efforts to reach out, but he thinks the CEO should start by dropping the legal action. (Read more Mark Zuckerberg stories.)
After years of inviting the American public to try to help with its invasive python problem, Florida has brought in some experts from the snake's original territory. Two Irula tribesmen from India are working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to catch Burmese pythons in areas including the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on Key Largo, the Palm Beach Post reports. The Irula are renowned in India for their snake-catching skills, WESH reports, and in their first eight days on the Florida hunt, they managed to catch 13 pythonsan enormous haul, compared to the total of 68 caught by 1,600 hunters over the first month-long Python Challenge in 2013. Last year, the state-sanctioned hunt caught 106 pythons.

In Key Largo, the snakes were recently spotted for the first time and officials fear they will make their way through the islands, devastating native species in they same way that they squeezed much of the life out of the Everglades. "There's just a thin stretch of road between us and the mainland, so of course the snakes were going to slither their way here," Elizabeth Moscynski, president of the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce, tells the Washington Post. "We've got a lot of endangered species down here, so its just like a smorgasbord for those snakes." State officials hope the tribesmen, who will be in Florida until February, will teach some of their "incredible" skills to people in the state during the $68,888 effort. The Miami Herald reports 7 of the 13 pythons found so far wouldn't have been located without the tribesmen. (Read more burmese python stories.)
A Massachusetts man is accused of attacking a Muslim airline employee at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, allegedly kicking and shouting obscenities at the woman and telling her that President Trump "will get rid of all of you," authorities say. The Queens District Attorney's Office said Robin Rhodes was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts after arriving from Aruba Wednesday night when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was sitting in her office, the AP reports. The DA says Rhodes came up to the door and went on a profanity-laced tirade, asking the woman if she was praying. He allegedly punched the door, cursed at her, and kicked her in the leg.

The DA says that when another person tried to calm him down, Rhodes moved away from the door and Khan ran out of the office. Rhodes followed her, got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying, shouted obscenities, and said, "Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium, and France about these kind of people. You see what happens," per the DA. At the time of his arrest, Rhodes allegedly told police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head." He was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing, and harassment as hate crimes. (Read more hate crime stories.)
One night after sitting down for his first one-on-one interview as president with ABC News, Donald Trump granted Sean Hannity the same privilege at the White House Thursday evening, and he offered as many ear-perking nuggets as he had the day before. Still on his radar, per Deadline: the "very hostile" media, which he went on to describe as also being "very angry" and "very dishonest." "I get stories that are so false," he told Hannity, specifically calling out an erroneous report by Time magazine writer Zeke Miller that Trump had removed a Martin Luther King Jr. bust from the Oval Office (Miller later tweeted a correction for his mistake). "It's fake news.  They make things up," he added, per Fox News. Other snippets from the interview:

He let fly his feelings about Madonna, who made headlines at the Women's March Saturday for saying she'd thought "an awful lot about blowing up the White House." "Honestly, she's disgusting," Trump told Hannity, adding that what she said was "disgraceful," per the Telegraph. "I think she hurt herself very badly. I think she hurt that whole cause."

"Disgrace" is also a word he used to describe a recent tweet about his son, Barron, by now-suspended SNL writer Katie Rich. "I don't mind some humor, but it's terrible," Trump said. "For NBC to attack my 10-year-old son  it's a disgrace. He's a great boy. And its not an easy thing for him. Believe me."

He had thoughts on President Obama as well, who rode with him in a limo on Inauguration Day. "What amazed me is that I was vicious to him in statements, he was vicious to me in statements, and here we are getting along  riding up Pennsylvania Avenue," he said, adding, "I like him, he likes me  you're going to have to ask him, but I think he likes me."

Moving on to official presidential business, he labeled ObamaCare a "horror show" and a "disaster," said he had a Supreme Court justice nominee "pretty much in my mind," and noted that even though Secretary of Defense Mattis doesn't advocate waterboarding, he himself "absolutely" believes it is effective, per Fox.

On his long-talked-about wall, Trump said it was "necessary." "People want protection and a wall protects," he said. "All you've got to do is ask Israel."

(One possible way to pay for the wall: a 20% tax on Mexican imports .)
The Women's March on Washington Saturday drew about 500,000 people, with millions more demonstrating worldwide. Six days later, another march is taking place in DC, and the New York Times notes this event may be tinged with "a new sense of urgency, anxiety, and maybe a little envy." The 44th anti-abortion March for Life is set for Friday, and one organizer says they're "pulling out all the stops" to boost attendance, which last year was marred by a snowstorm. What organizers hope will draw crowds: speeches by VP Mike Pence and Kellyanne Conway, excitement over a possible new Supreme Court justice who could overturn Roe v. Wade, and "pent-up energy" from those who canceled last year due to the inclement weather.

The march is scheduled to start shortly before noon with a rally close to the Washington Monument before participants head over to the Supreme Court, ABC News reports. Pence, who's lobbied over the years to defund Planned Parenthood, is said to be the highest-ranking White House official to ever speak in person at the event, per USA Today; speeches by Reagan and George W. Bush at previous marches were piped in. In the end, though, March for Life President Jeanne Mancini says there's a number more important than how many show up for Friday's march: 58 million, "the number of Americans [who] have been lost to abortion," she tells the Times. (Trump signed an executive order Monday that keeps federal funds from going toward international groups that provide or give info on abortions.)
When commercial fisherman Thomas Breeding found 45 pounds of cocaine floating in the Gulf of Mexico last January, he says he knew the right thing was to turn it over to police. The Florida man instead opted to sell it, a decision that could land him in prison for life. Breedinga 32-year-old boat captain with drug and weapons convictions, per the Panama City News Heraldsays he hadn't "ever been involved in the drug trade before. I was just a hard-working, young commercial fisherman." But the packageworth $500,000 to $620,000 on the street, per AL.comwas apparently too tempting. In June, he gave the cocaine to four others, who sold the drug and paid Breeding a cut.

Authorities unraveled the scheme and charged all five with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Breeding, found with a gun in his vehicle, also was charged with unlawfully transporting a firearm. Like his co-defendants, Breeding pleaded guilty to the drug charge on Wednesday. He now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $4.25 million fine, and he's warning others not to follow his lead. "I would like to let the public know the dangers and what not to do if this situation comes about," says Breeding, who is to be sentenced Feb. 16. "This changed my life and way of thinking and also made me aware of some of the dangers that can be found off shore." (Cocaine was recently found in a Coke plant.)
Thought it was hectic traveling at Christmas or Thanksgiving? That was nothing to what some travelers will encounter with Chinese New Year celebrations kicking off Friday. In what Bloomberg dubs the "worlds biggest human migration," hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens will be on the move for the countrys most important holiday, which marks the start of Chinas lunar calendar and the Year of the Rooster. In comparison, 49 million Americans made a major trip at Thanksgiving. However, Chinas holiday lasts quite a bit longer at 16 days, with the official travel season stretching 40 days, from Jan. 13 to Feb 20, reports the Washington Post.

Many in China also require multiple trips, say by bus and train, to get to their destination, reports the New York Times. About 356 million people are expected to travel Chinas railways and another 58 million are expected to take flights. NPR reports half of Shanghais 26 million people have cleared out, most returning to their home towns as is customary. For some, its a rare occasion when theyre able to see their families as workers are typically given a week off. Migrant workers typically get two weeks of holiday. A man from Beijing tells the Times that his 20-hour journey of more than 1,100 miles to his home village is well worth the crowds. "I get to go back just once a year." (Read more Chinese New Year stories.)
Men working for an excursion outfitter in Wyoming were forced to leave behind a 6-year-old horse last fall after a 16-mile trek when she suddenly seemed deathly ill and couldn't move. They left Valentine to get the other animals to safety, and when they went back for her the next day, she'd vanished into the Wyoming wilderness. Six weeks later, a worker spotted her, and her owners worked for nine hours to guide her out, the AP reports. The domesticated Valentine had to find food and survive harsh winter conditions in grizzly bear country, yet the mare didn't even need vet care when found. Her story has unleashed debate among Jackson Hole residents on whether the outfitters did the right thing leaving her, and has led to a Wyoming Livestock Board inquiry.

It's unclear why Valentine got sick initially, but she survived on grass until it snowed, then pawed at the powder to get at food underneath. "I just despair at the thought of that animal being left out," says one resident, who notes it may have been better to put her down if she'd seemed disabled. BJ Hill, who owns Swift Creek Outfitters, said the wranglers didn't have firearms, but even if they did, he didn't see the sense of shooting a young horse. He also said attempts to find her after she took off were in vain. A worker grooming snow trails spotted Valentine in mid-December. Hill said he, his son, and a Forest Service employee led Valentine out of the wild via snowmobile. An investigator said the review will take about two weeks and be handed to prosecutors for a decision on charges. (Read more horse stories.)
Domestic violence is inarguably badbut for nearly 400 members of Russia's parliament, it's not that bad if it only happens once a year and doesn't cause "substantial bodily harm." That's the 380-3 opinion that led to a bill being passed Friday in the country's Duma, or lower chamber, to decriminalize domestic violence violations and instead issue a fine of around $500 or a 15-day arrest if it doesn't happen again within 12 months, USA Today reports. The upper chamber gets a crack at the bill next, where it's expected to sail through before moving on to President Vladimir Putin's deskand he's already suggested he'll support it. The decision would reverse the country's Supreme Court decision last year to keep criminal charges for anyone accused of battery against family members.

"Violence isn't just a norm, it's our style of life," an advocate for tougher laws tells the Economist. (The magazine takes note of a Russian proverb: "If he beats you, it means he loves you.") Indeed, a mid-January survey by a state-run pollster found 19% of Russians believe, "in certain circumstances," that it "can be acceptable" to hit a spouse or child. And last year's court decision to keep family abuse criminal elicited criticism from conservative lawmakers and organizations, including one pol who said the decision was being "anti-family" by dictating how kids could be raised. Supporters of Friday's bill say it will put the onus on those who need it mostrepeat offendersbut critics are shaking their heads, the AP reports. "This bill would establish violence as a norm of conduct," one lawmaker said during Friday's debate, per the news agency. (Read more Russia stories.)
President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto spoke for an hour by phone Friday amid rising tensions over the US leader's plans for a border wall, administration officials told the AP. Trump and Pena Nieto had been expected to meet in Washington next week, but the Mexican president abruptly canceled his visit on Thursday. His decision came after Trump moved forward with plans to construct a wall along the US-Mexico border and have Mexico pay for construction. Details about the conversation were not released, reports the Washington Post, and it was unclear whether tensions were eased.

The strong reaction from Mexico signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The US and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to drug enforcement to major environmental issues. Trump continues to insist that Mexico will pay for the wall, and one possibility being considered is to take the money from a 20% tax on Mexican imports. As the New York Times points out, that would allow Trump to say Mexico paid for it, and it would allow Mexico to avoid cutting a check. (Read more Mexico stories.)
Pushing full-speed into international controversies, President Donald Trump on Friday ordered "new vetting measures" to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States. Trump traveled to the Pentagon where he joined Defense Secretary James Mattis for the signing of an executive action to bring sweeping changes to the nation's refugee policies and put in motion his plans to build up the nation's military, the AP reports. "I'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don't want 'em here," Trump declared. "We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."

During his election campaign against Hillary Clinton, Trump pledged to put in place "extreme vetting" procedures to screen people coming to the US from countries with terrorism ties. The White House did not immediately release details on the order that Trump signed, but a draft of the order called for suspending the issuing of visas to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for at least 30 days. (Read more President Trump stories.)
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New Delhi:

Ahead of the polls in Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are going to address rally in the state on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Punjab to lead the election campaign of the Akali-BJP coalition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be reaching Jalandhar on January 27 where he will address a huge rally in support of the Akali-BJP candidates.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be in Punjab from January 27 to 29 to campaign for the party candidates. Rahul would visit to Majithia Assembly constituency on Jan 27 to address the Election rally in favour of Congress candidate Sukhjinder Raj Singh Majithia. Arvind Kejriwals roadshow is in Patiala at 12 noon.

Voting in Punjab polls to be held on February 4 in single phase. Counting of votes will be happening on March 11. There are 117 constituencies in Punjab.

Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP are contesting the election together whereas Indian National Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are other parties which are putting fight in Punjab elections.
Mumbai:

HDFC bank, the second biggest private sector lender of the country is planning to install up to 20 humanoids at its branches in two years for helping customers.We will be setting up 15-20 humanoids in the next 18 to 24 months, HDFC Banks head of digital banking Nitin Chugh told reporters after launching its first humanoid, named Ira, at a branch near its headquarters here. Ira helps the welcome desk by giving directions to customers.

Chugh said there was a high possibility of using it for various other jobs including transactions.The bank is working on artificial intelligence and voice recognition technologies which, when coupled with connectivity with its core banking software which will be done eventually, will open up many new possibilities, he said.

Chugh said the bank will be analysing customer requirements at the branch and incorporate various other services accordingly.Newer humanoids to be deployed at other locations may not be replicas of Ira, he said, adding the development of humanoid by the bank itself makes this possible.

When asked about the need to have such a gadget at a time when there are enough signages to guide a customer, Chugh said the bank is not concentrating on the optics alone but the potential which it holds drove it to invest in it.

Small-time private sector lender City Union Bank was the first among Indian banks to introduce its robot in 2016. HDFC Bank, which saw its employee count fall by over 4,500 in the December quarter alone due to efficiency improvements and attritions, does not see any job losses because of the humanoid, Chugh said, reiterating that it is aimed only to assist customers.

The Kochi-based Asimov Robotics, which has developed Ira, has got queries from airports, hospitality industry and retail chains to deploy similar humanoids, its chief executive Jayakrishnan T told reporters.
New Delhi:

Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya in the alleged funds' diversion case related to Kingfisher Airlines has claimed innocence, saying that nothing has come out finally against him from a court.

Mallya took to Twitter to stress his point, Till this minute, there is no final judicial determination on what KFA owes to banks and what I may owe in my personal capacity after trial, he tweeted.

In a series of tweets, he raised the concerns over media coverage of the recent developments and said his innocence prevails till he is proven guilty by any court.

ALSO READ | Sebi cracks whip, bars Vijay Mallya, six others from securities market

After Sebi had barred Mallya and six others from the securities market in a case related to alleged funds diversions from United Spirits, Mallya had resigned as director and chairman of USL in March 2016.

In our Country I assumed that innocence prevails till proven guilty. Media have convicted me guilty without trial with widespread influence  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) January 26, 2017

Till this minute there is no final judicial determination on what KFA owes to Banks and what I may owe in my personal capacity after trial.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) January 26, 2017

Yet it is reported that I have fled or run away owing money to Banks that I never ever borrowed in the first place.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) January 26, 2017

His tweets implicitly spoke of an alleged witch-hunt against him by the government. Mallya, who is now staying in London, also scoffed at suggestions that he had fled the country in the wake of the investigations against him, saying his departure was "nothing sudden. I have been a non-resident since 1988".

ALSO READ | Liquor baron Vijay Mallya hits out at SEBI for barring him from securities market

With PTI Inputs
New Delhi:

Actor Akshay Kumar on Friday met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and is believed to have discussed issues related to ensuring better motivational and financial aid to lakhs of men and women of paramilitary and police forces.



Kumar called on Mehrishi at his North Block office in New Delhi and is understood to have raised issues regarding jawans and officers working under the command of the Home Ministry like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB among others.



The actor had recently shared an idea in this regard on social media platforms suggesting a mobile app wherein any citizen of the country could extend financial or other help to a soldier who laid down his life in the line of duty or has been severely injured in an operation.



Kumar spent about an hour in the Home Ministry where he was mobbed for a glimpse, handshake and selfie by not only the officials working therein but by many others who had come there from nearby ministries in the corridors.



BSF Director General KK Sharma is also understood to have met Kumar in the Ministry.



The meeting comes in the backdrop of recent incidents where troops of paramilitary and armed forces took to the social media airing their grievances and allegations ranging from difficulties in getting good food to better working environment.

#WATCH: Akshay Kumar met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi in Delhi to discuss about his idea to help families of martyred soldiers. pic.twitter.com/3dcR3nkeCB a ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

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New Delhi:

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has changed examination dates of some of the subjects of Class X and XII in order to address students concerns regarding schedule of some papers.

The dates of three papers of Class XTamil language (006), Gurung (132) and National Cadet Corps (076) -- have been changed. Also, the schedule of five papers of Class XIITheatre studies (078), Tangkhul (193), Physical Education (048), Sociology (039) and Food Service-II (736) -- has been altered.

The CBSE had advanced the board exam dates by nine days in the wake of elections in five states. The Tamil language paper has been postponed by eight days, from March 10 to March 18, while that of Gurung language has been advanced from March 23 to March 10. NCC exam has also been delayed by eight days and it will be held on March 23 instead of March 15.

For Class XII, the date of Physical Education paper has been changed from April 10 to April 12 and of Sociology exam from April 12 to April 20. The new date of Theatre Studies paper is April 10 instead of April 20, Tangkhul language exam will be conducted on April 10 and Food Service paper, which was to be held on April 29, will now take place on April 26.

Students and their parents had earlier complained there was no sufficient gap in the dates of Biology paper and Joint Entrance Examination 2017, but the CBSE has kept the schedule for Biology exam unchanged. 10,98,420 students will appear for the Class XII board exam, while 16,67,573 candidates will take Class X exam in 2017.

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New Delhi:

Bodies of four missing soldiers have been recovered from avalanche site in Gurez sector of Kashmir on Friday. The death toll in disaster rises to 14.

Earlier, an avalanche hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control in which several soldiers were trapped. Rescue operations were launched and seven soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer were saved, the army official said.

The Valley remained cut off from the rest of the country while normal life was affected in Himachal Pradesh due to snow. High danger avalanche warning was again issued on for some avalanche-prone slopes of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

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New Delhi:

More than 20 people, including 15 army personnel, have died in avalanches in Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir since Wednesday caused due to fresh snow across Kashmir over the past four days.

Four more bodies of army soldiers were recovered on Friday from avalanches hit Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez sector. Ten Army soldiers were killed when two avalanches struck an Army post and a patrol in Gurez sector on Wednesday.

Army Casualties

"Four bodies of soldiers were recovered from the avalanche site by rescue teams in Gurez on Friday. The death toll of army personnel has now risen to 14," a police official said. Two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector on Wednesday evening trapping several soldiers under the debris.

Army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said rescuers recovered the bodies early Friday after digging through piles of snow in the Gurez sector near the de facto frontier that separates the Indian and Pakistani portions of the region. Lieutenant General D Anbu, Army Commander Northern Command and all ranks expressed their deep condolences to the family members of the brave martyrs

15 ARMY PERSONNEL MARTYRED IN SONAMARG AND GUREZ AVALANCHES ON 25TH JANUARY

1. Major Amar Sagar

DOB : 02 May 1974

Next of Kin: Mrs Parul (Wife)

Children : Daughter (18 years), Son (12 Years)

Home Address: C/2/3 Aditi Appts, D-1 Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi

2. Nb Sub Amar Singh Gurjar

Date of Birth: 08 Jul 1974

Next of Kin: Smt Bimlesh (Wife)

Details of Children: Minisha (16 Yr), Sanjay Singh (14 Yr), Rajkumari (13 Yr), Samita (11 Yr), Avadhesh (08 Yr)

Home Address: Vill - Bilai Teh - Madoti, Distt - Karoli, State - Rajasthan

3. Hav Vijay Kumar Shukla

Date of Birth: 21 Feb 1983

Next of Kin: Smt Manorama (Wife)

Children : Yashi Shukla (07 Yrs)

Home Address: Vill - Porsa, Teh - Porsa, Distt - Murena, State - MP

4. Nk Ajit Singh

Date of Birth: 12 Jun 1981

Next of Kin - Smt Priampdhi Singh (Wife), Children - Aryan (Son) 9 yrs, Pratap (Son) 7 Yrs

Home Address: Vill Jamirpur, PO- Pitorapur, Teh  Mehnagar, Distt- Azamgarh, State  UP

5. Sepoy Anand Gawai

Date of Birth: 24 Apr 1990

Next of Kin: Smt Gaukarha Gawai (Mother)

Home Address: Vill - Akola, PO - Akola, Teh - Akola Distt - Akola State - Maharashtra

6. Sepoy Azad Singh

Date of Birth - 01 Jul 1985

Next of Kin - Smt Pushpa Yadav (Wife), Details of Children - Pranashi (08 Yr), Divyanshi (04 Yr)

Home Address: Vill-Rohilla, PO- Rohilla, Teh Sadar, Distt- Farukkhbad, State- UP

7. Sepoy Devander Kumar Soni

Date of Birth: 10 Jul 1990

Next of Kin: Smt Laxmi Soni (Mother)

Home Address: Vill - Shahdol, PO - Shahdol, Teh - Sahagapur, Distt - Shahdol, State - MP

8. Sepoy Elaverson B

Date of Birth - 30 Jul 1989

Next of Kin - Smt Amatha (Mother)

Home Address: Vill - Kannanthangudi, PO - Kannanthangudi, Distt - Thanjaur Teh - Orathanado, State- Tamilnadu.

9. Sepoy Nagaraju Mamidi

Date of Birth - 28 Feb 1990

Next of Kin - Smt M Anushka (Wife)

Home Address : Vill - Maradam, PO - Dattirajeru, Distt - Vijaynagar, State - Andhara Pradesh

10. Sepoy Samundare Vikas

Date of Birth - 05 Jan 1990

Next of Kin - Smt Samundare Jandvi Pandurang (Mother)

Home Address Vill - Ganjpur, PO - Ganjpur, Teh -Dharur, Distt - Beed, State - Maharashtra

11. Sepoy Sandeep Kumar

Date of Birth - 21 Jul 1989

Next of Kin - Smt Ganjavathi (Mother)

Home Address: Vill - Devihalli, PO - Devihalli, Teh - Hassan, Distt - Hassan, State - Karnataka

12. Sepoy Sanju Suresh Khandare

Date of Birth - 23 May 1990

Next of Kin - Smt Sheetal Sanju Khendru

Home Address: Vill - Mana, Teh - Murtizatur, Distt - Akola, State - Maharashtra

13. Sepoy Sundar Pandi

Date of Birth: 08 Jun 1991

Next of Kin: Smt Tamilselvi (Mother)

Home Address: Vill - Pallakuapatar, PO - Pallakuapata, Teh - Tirumangalam, Distt - Madurai, State - Tamilnadu

14. Sepoy Sunil Patel

Date of Birth - 25 Jul 1992

Next of Kin - Smt Pritibha Ben (Wife)

Details of Children - Ardi Ben (02 Yrs) Daughter

Home Address: Vill - Balupura, PO - Blaupura, Teh - Godra, Distt - Panchmahal, State - Gujarat

15. Cfn Ankur Singh

Date of Birth - 16 Mar 1992

Next of Kin - Priti Sharma (Wife)

Home Address: Vill - Ukhalchana PO - Kot, Teh - Jhajjar, Distt - Jhajjar, State - Haryana



Earlier, an avalanche hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control in which several soldiers were trapped. Rescue operations were launched and seven soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer were saved, the army official said. While seven personnel were rescued alive by the teams, the bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered on Thursday.

Also Read: J&K avalanche - Bodies of 4 missing soldiers recovered; death toll rises to 14

Civilian Casualties

There was one fatal casualty, Defence Ministry spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia told The Indian Express. The base was hit by an avalanche. The rescue operation was launched immediately. One body was recovered. All others were rescued, he said. Four members of a family were killed when their house collapsed at Tulail near the Line of Control in Gurez sector.

The house collapsed because of heavy snowfall. Four members of the family were killed while one was rescued, Bandipore Deputy Commissioner Sajad Hussain Ganai said. The deceased were identified as Mehraj-ud-Din Lone (55), his wife Azizi (50), son Irfan (22) and daughter Gulshan (19).

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old man died after he came under an avalanche in Uri sector of Baramulla district. Fateh Mohammad Mughal ventured out of his home on Thursday evening when he came under an avalanche.

Local residents and police pulled Mughal out of the avalanche debris and removed him to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The Valley remained cut off from the rest of the country while normal life was affected in Himachal Pradesh due to snow. High danger avalanche warning was again issued on for some avalanche-prone slopes of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Also Read: J-K: 10 soldiers killed after two avalanches hit Kashmir's Gurez sector, PM Modi condoles deaths

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New Delhi:

Smoking marijuana at an early age by teens may cause brain impairment in the areas of verbal IQ. Teens who start smoking marijuana at an early age tends to drop out their school than those who light up their first joint at the age of 17, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Montreal in Canada suggested that there might be a little ill effect if smoking marijuana is delayed by teenagers by the age of 17.

The findings, published in the journal of Development and Psychopathology, indicate that the adolescents, who smoke pot as early as 14, do worse by 20 on some cognitive tests and tend to drop out of school sooner, which helped to explain the decrease in their verbal abilities.

"Overall, these results suggest that, in addition to academic failure, fundamental life skills necessary for problem-solving and daily adaptation [...] may be affected by early cannabis exposure," said the study.

It has also been found that teenagers who started early smoking are very likely to attend school than non-smokers, which may affect opportunities to further develop verbal intelligence.

Conversely, the early users also had good verbal skills and vocabulary.

"It takes quite a lot of skills for a young adolescent to get hold of drugs; they're not easy-access," said Castellanos-Ryan.

According to the research, it has been found that smoking cannabis during adolescence was only linked to later difficulties with verbal abilities and cognitive abilities of learning by trial-and-error and those abilities declined faster in teens who started smoking early than teens who started smoking later.
Washington:

Is the world heading towards Doomsday because of US President Donald Trump? Well, Scientists who maintain the Doomsday Clock have warned that the world is in greatest danger in more than 50 years, the partly reason for which is Donald Trump's words and actions.

The Doomsday Clock tells us how close the Earth is to doomsday. The minute hand of the Doomsday Clock was on Thursday moved forward to two and a half minutes to midnight. This comes amid the rising concerns over nuclear weapons and climate change. The Midnight on the Doomsday Clock represents doomsday.

The science and security board of the Bulletin took a decision to advance the Doomsday Clock "in part based on the words of a single person:

Donald Trump, the new President of the United States," it said in a news release on Thursday.

Calling the comments made by Trump about expanding the US nuclear arsenal and his disbelief in climate change "disturbing", the board said his "statements and his actions as President-elect have broken with historical precedent in unsettling ways."

In December 2016, Trump had tweeted that the US "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

Trump said in a tweet in January 2014, "Global warming is an expensive hoax!" and Trump claimed in a tweet in November 2012 that the "concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."

Trump promised to withdraw from the Paris accord during his election campaign. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists say the closer the minute hand is to midnight, the higher the chance of a global cataclysm.

The team assesses the minute hand of the doomsday clock each year and the clock's time "conveys how close we are to destroying our civilisation with dangerous technologies of our own making," the Bulletin said on its website.

The Bulletin said apart from Trump, it also considers factors like "strident nationalism worldwide ... a darkening global security landscape that is coloured by increasingly sophisticated technology and a growing disregard for scientific expertise."

The scientists announced in 2016 that the clock remained at three minutes to midnight due to climate change and "extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity" by the modernisation of nuclear weapon arsenals.

The clock was moved to three minutes to midnight in 2015 from its place at five minutes to midnight in 2014.

In 1945, the University of Chicago scientists founded the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. These scientists helped develop the first atomic weapons under the Manhattan Project.

The Doomsday Clock was created two years later as an expression of concern about the use of those weapons.

The group's science and security board after consulting with its board of sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates, took the decision to move the clock's time.

Trump had recently signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines - Keystone XL and Dakota Access  dismantling former President Obamas environmental and climate record and garnering big criticism from scientists and climate activists alike.

About the Doomsday Clock:

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic clock face, represents a countdown to possible global catastrophe. The members of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board maintain the Doomsday Clock since 1947.

The closer the Clock is set to midnight, the more vulnerable the world becomes to global scientists, believe scientists.

The clock hang's on a wall in the Bulletin's office in the University of Chicago. The Doomsday Clock originally represented an analogy for the threat of global nuclear war. Since 2007, it also reflects climate change and new developments in the life sciences and technology that could inflict irrevocable harm to humanity.

The origins of the clock are traced to the international group of researchers called the Chicago Atomic Scientists, who took part in the Manhattan Project.

The scientists began publishing a mimeographed newsletter and then the magazine, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The magazine has depicted the Clock on every cover since its inception.

In 1947, the clock was first represented, when The Bulletin co-founder Hyman Goldsmith asked artist Martyl Langsdorf to design a cover for the magazine's June 1947 issue.

The clock doesn't register the ups and downs of international power struggle, but reflects the basic changes in the level of continuous danger in which mankind lives in the nuclear age.

Designer Michael Bierut redesigned the Clock in January 2007 to give it a more modern feel.

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Dhaka:

A 45-year-old man in Bangladesh accused of secretly marrying 28 times has been arrested and sent to jail over dowry harassment complaint filed by his 25th wife, a media report said.

Yasin Byapari was arrested by the police from his 27th wifes home at Taltali area of Barguna district.

A court sent him to jail in the dowry case filed by his 25th wife Shiuli Akhter Tania, bdnews24.com reported.

Tania said she married Yasin in 2011 and after the birth of a daughter, she discovered she was not the only wife of her husband. In fact, she was his 25th wife!, the report said.

After she came to know this, she managed to trace the names and addresses of 17 of her husbands spouses.

She claimed Yasin has two daughters with his second wife, one son with his third wife, one son with his seventh wife and a daughter with his 24th wife.

She said after their marriage, Yasin cited work as an excuse to often stay away from home. At one point, he began to assault her physically while demanding dowry, the report said.

Then without informing me, he married a girl from Matibhanga area of Rajapur Sadar Upazila. But the girl divorced Yasin after she discovered his exploits, she alleged.

Then in 2015, he married a Chittagong-based girl from Taltali. But he did not take her to his house and went on to marry a garment worker from Khulna, she said.

Although Tania provided the name and address of her husband, police have not been able to corroborate the claims.

Tania filed the case with the Khulna Chief Judicial Magistrate, implicating Yasin in a dowry case on September 29 last year, a senior police officer said.

In her complaint, Tania accused Yasin of suppressing information and marrying 28 times, he said. Yasin, however, had confessed to marrying only twice during preliminary interrogation.

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Islamabad:

Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa authorised the deployment of nearly 200,000 troops on Friday to support the countrys long-delayed population census.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday authorised the deployment of upto 200,000 troops to help the often delayed national population census, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).The troops will be deployed while continuing other security responsibilities, the statement said.

The population census will yield statistics about internal migration, urbanisation, as well as rural and urban population across the country, Dawn News reported. The population data will be used for delimitation of the constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies, a requirement under the Constitution.

In Pakistan, the first four censuses i.e., 1951, 1961, 1972 and 1981, were held on time by the Population Census Organisation, in collaboration with staff from the provincial governments. The fifth census was due in 1991 and the House Listing Operation carried out in 1990 showed abnormal population growth in some parts of the country, which could not be justified by normal demographic indicators. Consequently, the government decided to postpone the 1991 census.

Another effort was made in 1994, which could not mature due to pressure by from political and ethnic groups. It was decided that the 1998 census would be held with the support of the armed forces, which was broadly accepted by all political parties and appreciated internally.

The sixth Population and Housing Census was due in 2008, but could not materialise due to the law and order situation in the country, a paucity of staff and financial constraints.

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New Delhi:

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has warned about the moving of its symbolic "Doomsday Clock" 30 seconds closer to midnight. This was made after the comments made by US President Donald Trump on nuclear weapons and climate change. His comments have made the world less safe.



The "Doomsday Clock" which acts as a metaphor for how close humanity is to destroying the planet -- was last changed in 2015, from five to three minutes before midnight.



Now the clock is set at two and a half minutes to midnight, amid concerns about "a rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trump's comments on nuclear arms and climate issues, a darkening global security landscape that is colored by increasingly sophisticated technology, and a growing disregard for scientific expertise," said a statement by the group of scientists and intellectuals, including 15 Nobel laureates.



US President Donald Trump's contradictory statements about climate change and nuclear powers, at times calling it a hoax and other times saying he could keep an open mind about it.



On the nuclear issue, Trump said in December that the US must build up its nuclear arsenal. Responding to a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow needs to strengthen its own nuclear force, Trump responded with a tweet: "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

"The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than it has ever been in the lifetime of almost everyone in this room, "Lawrence Krauss, chair of the Bulletin's board of sponsors, told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington.

"The last time it was closer was 63 years ago in 1953 after the then Soviet Union exploded its first hydrogen bomb, creating the modern arms race," he added.

"More than that, this is the first time that the words and stated policies of one or two people placed in high positions have so impacted on our perception of the existential threats we believe the world faces," he said, alluding to Trump and Putin.

Krauss cited intelligence reports that accuse Russia of interfering with the US presidential campaign to favor Trump's victory as symbolic of the "deeper global threat" posed by cyber technology.

"The question of whether the fabric of democracy may be imperilled by reducing faith in both the integrity of election and the very information on which an informed public can base their voting becomes suspect," said Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University.

He also said the bulletin "is extremely concerned about the willingness of governments -- including the current US administration -- to ignore or discount some science or evidence during their decision-making process."

The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947. It has changed 19 times since then, ranging from two minutes to midnight in 1953 to 17 minutes before midnight in 1991.

(With PTI Input)

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FRIENDS and family came from as far away as Canada to celebrate the golden wedding of happy couple Peter and Mary Glenister.

Peter Glenister, 71, and his wife Mary, 69, of Stag Lane ,Great Kingshill, were joined by 57 guests at their anniversary lunch at the Compleat Angler Hotel, Marlow, last Thursday.

Among the guests were family who had witnessed their wedding in 1951 as well as the couple's four children and 11 grandchildren.

"It was a wonderful day especially being able to share it with relatives and friends who came from all over Yorkshire, Devon and our nephew, another Peter Glenister, who travelled from Canada," said Mr Glenister.

"We are proud to say both the youngest and the oldest living Glenisters were in attendance our 18-month-old grandson Thomas and my 92-year-old aunt Olive."

Mr Glenister was born and bred in High Wycombe but met wife Mary, who is originally from Hazlemere, when she moved to Wooburn Green.

"A mutual friend introduced us when I was 19 and Mary was 17. Our first date was at the Old Parish Cinema in Frogmoor," said Mr Glenister. "Two years later we married at Wycombe Parish Church."

Mr Glenister worked in the insurance business and although he officially retired in 1989, continues to work at the family newsagents in Great Kingshill.

Mr Glenister's grandparents, Charles and Ann Glenister, of Flackwell Heath, were featured in the Free Press at their golden wedding in1939 and their diamond wedding in 1949.
You know who tried to force a choice between the environment and the economy? The last government. They said were not going to do anything on the environment and were going to get all of these pipelines approved. Do you know what they did? They didnt get any pipelines approved.



()



I have approved pipelines that the previous government wasnt able to do.





Great piece by Rob Breakenridge on Justin Trudeau lying about pipelines:As expected, there were some pointed questions for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Calgary town hall about the oilsands and pipelines. In the above video, the Prime Minister attempts to clarify his remarks about phasing out the oilsands and argues that his recent pipeline approvals demonstrate his commitment to developing this resource. Certainly the Prime Minister deserves credit for granting approval to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and Line 3 pipeline replacement, but unfortunately Trudeau felt the need to go even further and present a dishonest distortion of the previous governments record:The goal should be to get these pipelines built, and if both the Liberals and Conservatives support that goal, then the focus should instead be on standing up to those who would block these projects. Playing politics, like Trudeau is doing here, doesnt help First of all, then Trudeau says he approved pipelines that the previous government wasnt able to do, hes being rather disingenuous. The National Energy Board recommended approval of the Trans Mountain project in May of 2016. The decision on the Line 3 replacement came down the previous month . As we all know, the Conservatives lost the election of 2015 and so clearly Stephen Harper was not Prime Minister when it came time for the Prime Minister to make a decision on these projects. So of course the previous government wasnt able to approve these pipelines  that would have been impossible.Stephen Harpers government did, however, approve the Northern Gateway pipeline in June of 2014. And although Trudeau opposed that pipeline and ultimately killed it, it puts to lie the statement that they didnt get any pipelines approved. I certainly hope that the Trans Mountain project gets built, but as of now Trudeaus achievements match Harpers in this area: both said yes to a pipeline project to the west coast.Maybe, though, when Trudeau said approved he actually meant built. Harper may have said yes to Northern Gateway, but construction of the pipeline never occurred. So no pipelines built on Harpers watch, right?Wrong.The Alberta Clipper pipeline and the original Keystone pipeline were both approved and constructed while the Conservatives were in office. Granted, the Liberals didnt oppose those projects, but certainly the Liberals must be aware of their existence. Not only that, but there was the Kinder Morgan Anchor Loop and the Line 9B reversal  both approved and constructed.Now, none of those projects represent a pipeline to the west coast, but those were the projects submitted for NEB and federal cabinet approval. Harper said yes to all of them. All except Northern Gateway got built, and it would be supremely disingenuous for Trudeau to fault Harper for not getting a pipeline built that he himself opposed.Trudeau should stop playing ridiculous political games and focus instead on building political alliances to ensure that we can overcome pipeline opposition and get these much-needed projects built.
905ers are a lock.Premier Kathleen Wynne to reject Toronto's request for tolls on DVP, GardinerPremier Kathleen Wynne will reject Toronto's request to impose tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, a move the city had asked for in order to pay for new transit projects.Sources with knowledge of the decision told CBC Toronto that Wynne believes Mayor John Tory's plan for tolls "just isn't affordable" for drivers when they lack alternatives for commuting to downtown Toronto."It's all about affordability and Ontarians not being able to have other options," said an official with the province, noting that transit expansion plans such as SmartTrack and Regional Express Rail will not be in place until at least 2023. "We can't have a conversation about tolls until there are viable options in place," the official said.Wynne will make the announcement Friday morning at a news conference in Richmond Hill.Expecting another revenue sourceMayor John Tory's office said earlier Thursday that it was aware of Wynne's announcement.And if Wynne does deny the request for tolls, the mayor said in a statement that he expected the province to give Toronto another source of much-needed revenue. Although city council had not decided how much it might charge, a 2016 staff report estimates Toronto could earn roughly $200 million each year from a $2 per-trip toll."If the Ontario government has decided to deny a regulatory change requested by the overwhelming majority of City Council, the Mayor would expect the Provincial government to take serious and immediate action to address the city's transit, transportation, child care and housing needs," said Don Peat, the mayor's chief spokesperson.Changes to the gas taxInstead of approving the tolls in Toronto, CBC Toronto has learned that the Wynne government will give all municipalities with transit systems a greater share of revenue from the provincial gasoline tax.The increase will amount to an extra $170 million a year for the City of Toronto  or about 15 per cent less than what the city estimated it could generate annually from tolls.The tolls  already endorsed by Toronto city council in December  require provincial authorization to become a reality. All Ontario cities need cabinet's approval to levy tolls.Wynne, however, first indicated some reluctance on the tolls last month in a year-end interview with CBC News. At the time, she said her government's support would depend on timing, the cost of the tolls and what alternatives commuters might have.The premier is scheduled to make an announcement alongside Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca Friday morning in Richmond Hill.
A former Jefferies Group trader in Stamford was convicted of a single count of securities fraud in trading mortgage securities under a federal program created in the 2008 bailout of the financial sector.

Jesse Litvak, a 42-year-old resident of Boca Raton, Fla., is scheduled to be sentenced April 21, 2017. In a jury verdict returned Friday for a trial that began Jan. 5 in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Litvak was found not guilty of eight other counts of fraud. In March 2014, Litvak was convicted of 14 counts of fraud and making false statements, with the U.S. Court of Appeals reversing several judgments and remanding securities fraud charges back to the District Court for a new trial.
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BRIDGEPORT  Jackie is an undocumented city resident from Mexico.

She has been living in the United States for 18 years and has four children, all attending Bridgeport public schools.

And as of Friday, Republican Donald Trump, whose campaign was fueled in part by anti-immigrant sentiments, is their president.

Were all afraid, Jackie, who declined to give her full name, said Thursday through a translator Thursday.

She and around 45 other immigrants and their allies rallied in Bridgeport the day before Trumps inauguration and called on city leaders to take a stand against the incoming administration.

They held signs that read, Bridgeport: A City for All and Keep Families Together.

Our future president is saying he wants to separate families, said Barbara Lopez, one of the organizers. Theyre invested in Bridgeport. They work here and live here.

Specifically, the group called on Mayor Joe Ganim  a Democrat whose decision to attend Trumps swearing-in has angered some of the minority leaders who supported him  and the City Council to declare Bridgeport a so-called sanctuary city.

While the specifics have yet to be worked out, the concept is for elected and law enforcement officials not to cooperate with any of the more extreme proposals Trump has floated, such as mass deportations.

Councilman Jose Casco, who was present at Thursdays rally wearing a T-shirt that read, ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Out of CT, is preparing the specific language for a council vote.

Models elsewhere

Casco said as Connecticuts largest city, Bridgeport must send a message that it will protect immigrants and refugees.

He is also continuing to push for Bridgeport to issue municipal identity cards. Already offered in New Haven, Hartford and out-of-state urban centers like New York City and San Francisco, the cards help immigrants without legal status in various ways, from dealing with local police to opening bank accounts.

In 2015 then-Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch agreed to move ahead with funding the IDs. But as of last November, the Ganim administration had brought the project to a halt for a possible re-design, to ensure the cards could not be used to commit voter fraud.

We definitely want to do them, Ganim spokesman Av Harris, who is in Washington with his boss, said by phone. We just want to make sure theyre done right.

As for labeling Bridgeport a sanctuary city, Harris said in many ways it already is.

Immigrants and undocumented immigrants in Bridgeport are members of our community, and there is nothing to fear from the city or law enforcement, Harris said.

He emphasized that the city police department is not an arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

We do a good job of cooperating with federal agencies, but we are not ICE officers, Harris said.

So would a Ganim administration openly defy a Trump administration?

I dont think Im going to get into speculation, Harris said. Too many ifs there.

The push to formally designate Bridgeport a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants comes as municipalities already labeled as such prepare for the Trump era.

Trump connnections

On Thursday, New York states attorney general issued legal guidelines for sanctuary cities and towns in that state that might seek to rebuff a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

In contrast, Ganim  who did business with Trump in the early 1990s  has struck a more conciliatory tone, saying he wants to try to work with the new president for the betterment of Bridgeport.

During Ganims first administration in the early 1990s, Trump, a New York City real estate mogul, sought to build a casino in Bridgeport.

My sense is, youve got a good man there, Ganim told Hearst Media back in November.

Prior to the inauguration, Ganim was participating in the weeklong U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington.

Harris noted that his boss supports a bipartisan statement by the U.S. Conference of Mayors calling for common-sense immigration reforms that include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Harris said the mayors are not for mass deportations, adding, Thats a very unlikely outcome.

But back home, some Bridgeport residents see is Ganim cozying up to a new president they fear and loathe.

Among the signs displayed at Thursdays Bridgeport rally was an enlarged photo of Ganim and Trump from a casino-related press conference.

The words This is Bad Judgment were emblazoned on the photo.
Networking and making connections is vital for a burgeoning entrepreneur. The right introductions can help catapult a new startup from a roughshod patchwork of ideas and execution in a garage or studio apartment to a fully operational, well-funded machine.

Related: 5 Steps to Rock Any Networking Event

By connecting entrepreneurs to potential clients and mentors, investors and partners, community-based networking businesses can become incubators of growth.

I asked a couple of networking superstars for their advice on how to build a community-based organization that benefits everyone involved. Heres what I learned:

Understand that youre in the people business.

Starting a networking group is not not the same as forming a typical business, Scott Gerber told me. Gerber is the founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only networking group for entrepreneurs that Entrepreneur magazine called "one of America's most successful communities for business.

I think many people try to build communities with a business plan mentality, Gerber said, but "communities don't work that way. They are human, not widgets or technology. Would-be community builders need to understand they are in the people business. Additionally, they need to have a wide array of skills and traits, such as emotional intelligence, empathy and a strong bent towards hospitality and operational excellence.

Related: Don't 'Stop Networking.' Just Start Doing It Right.

I also spoke with Guy Franklin. Franklin is the leader of the Israeli entrepreneurial community in New York and general manager of SOSA NY, a network for startups expanding to the Big Apple and seeking connections to the local ecosystem in general and innovative corporations in particular.

Franklin told me that networks must be totally focused on the needs of their members. You must create individual value for every startup founder that joined the network, he said. Its not about you. Its about connecting [entrepreneurs and startups] with the people who can help them. Its about consistently giving back to your community.

Identify a collective need.

Just like any startup, a networking organization will not get off the ground unless it solves a pain point in the market. So, if youre starting such a network, look for that problem shared by those you anticipate will join.

When building a network, you must identify a real need shared by the community, Franklin said. Next, you have to bring them real value in the form of solutions to their problems on an ongoing basis. And you must come from an altruistic place, with a sincere desire to help. If youre doing it only for self-interest, such as gaining notoriety and respect, or additional business, people will see that and run the other way.

Gerber agreed. We built [YEC] around what the community wanted, not what we wanted. In my experience, all of the communities [I've seen] that started with the primary goal of making money off membership dues put their members' needs second to business objectives -- and ultimately failed as a result."

Test, learn and tweak.

Building an engaged community that successfully stays together and brings real value to its members is no easy feat. It can be very difficult to keep together a group of disparate individuals with different interests, dreams and goals.

I would suggest taking some baby steps for research and validation purposes first, Gerber advised. For example, if you intend to do an offline community or organization, invite a few of the people whom you wish to connect with one another for a dinner or some other type of low-key activity to test your thesis about the potential value of the community.

"Do people accept the invitation and show up? Why or why not?

Next, Gerber said, take note of peoples reactions during the event. Do they find value in interacting and sharing knowledge with the other participants in the group you've curated? Do they seem to be planning to develop relationships with them post-event? Finally, what's the feedback after the activity? Was it valuable or a waste of time? Does it seem that people will pay a one-time fee or membership subscription for future networking events?

Related: 5 Ways to Use Your Network to Grow Your Business

Most importantly, Gerber added, Do your research to make sure there is a worthwhile community first."

Related:

3 Steps to Building Your Own Successful and Engaged Business Network

7 Ways to Better Networking

6 Benefits of Coworking With Strangers



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NORWALK  One person died and another was seriously injured after a car police were chasing crashed into a tree in a West Norwalk neighborhood.

Connecticut State Police assumed the investigation into the Thursday morning wreck at the request of the State Attorneys Office and Norwalk Police

Chief Thomas Kulhawik, local

police said.

Police have provided no details regarding what initiated the chase. State police on Thursday night identified the man who died as Vincent Fowlkes, 22, or North Taylor Avenue, and said he was the driver of the 2008 Honda Civic.

The injured passenger was Shawn Bowman, 19, of the same address on North Taylor Avenue.

A few dozen family members and friends of the two gathered Thursday evening outside the Colonial Village housing complex on West Cedar Street. Tyrique Bowman said the two men in the crash were his brothers. Both are Norwalk natives and attended Brien McMahon High School.

He was an amazing person, Tyrique Bowman said of Fowlkes. He always cared about his family. He will be missed. He was one of the best.

The crowd gathered to remember Fowlkes and pray for Bowmans recovery. People brought balloons, lit candles and braved the chilly night.

Tyrique Bowman said Shawn Bowman was critically injured and remained in the hospital.

He is recovering, Tyrique Bowman said, adding that his brother had just gotten out of surgery. His heart beats strong.

Lt. Terry Blake, a Norwalk police spokesperson, said Tuesday afternoon that the pursuit involved a Norwalk officer, and that no police were injured in the incident. He referred further questions to state police.

According to Blake, state police took over the investigation due to the significant nature of the crash and the fact that a Norwalk police officer was involved.

The chase might have started about 11 a.m. at Colonial Village, where numerous police vehicles could be seen in the morning. Ambulances were dispatched to 31 Geneva Road at 11:09 a.m. for two people that had to be extricated from the vehicle. The winding, residential road in West Norwalk is lined with trees.

A state police report said the Honda was heading southwest on Geneva Road while trying to evade a Norwalk police vehicle when it left the pavement and struck several rocks on the property at 27 Geneva Road. The car continued southwest and spun clockwise while entering the property at 31 Geneva Road when its driver struck a tree. The report said the car came to rest in a stream.

An ambulance with a patient left the scene about 11:45 a.m., as investigators from the Crime Scene Unit were arriving. Firefighters and paramedics could be seen performing CPR on another man while officers held up a plastic sheet to shield the view.

The car was badly mangled, crumpled into a tree, which was split up the middle.

One ambulance leaving Geneva Road was driven by a Norwalk police officer, possibly so all the medics could work on the crash victim.

Geneva Road was closed between Richards Avenue and Fillow Street for several hours.

Residents were not allowed into the area as police investigated. One resident leaving the street said the speeding car had almost struck him.

llake@hearstmediact.com




Wilmington chapter of the Revolutionary Black Panther Party has announced plans to hold an armed march in the coastal North Carolina city on Sunday.The announcement was made on a Facebook page belonging to a group called the Revolutionary Black Panther Party of Wilmington . A poster uploaded to the Facebook page Thursday described the march as an armed human rights march and armed freedom ride, and that has made some city leaders uneasy, the Wilmington Star News reports.The citys mayor, Bill Saffo, said he was concerned about having marchers who could be armed, but he told The Star News that he believes Sundays event will occur without incident.The poster on the Facebook page also calls for justice in the killings of Black-Africans murdered by police in America, specifically listing Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot and killed by police in Charlotte, and Brandon Smith, a black man who was shot and killed by several police officers Oct. 13 in a wooded area of Wrightsboro, just north of Wilmington.The group filed a special event application permit to get a street closed in the city and was told by officials additional documentation was needed, said Linda Rawley Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Wilmington Police Department.Permits are not required for demonstrations, but a notice of intent to picket is requested, Thompson said Thursday. The intent to picket form has been sent to the Wilmington group but was not returned to the city.People participating and affiliated with parades may not possess or have immediate access to any dangerous weapons, according to state law.Thompson said the police will handle this event as it would any protest march. We will take appropriate law enforcement action if necessary, she said.
MONTREAL, Jan. 26, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE) will hold its fourth-quarter 2016 results and 2017 guidance conference call with the financial community on Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 8:00 am eastern.

Participants will include George Cope, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Glen LeBlanc, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis.

To participate, please dial toll-free 1-866-223-7781 or (416) 340-2216. A replay will be available for one week by dialing 1-800-408-3053 or (905) 694-9451 and entering pass code 2972315#.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on BCE's website at: BCE Q4-2016 conference call.

About BCE

Canada's largest communications company, BCE provides broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communication services from Bell Canada and Bell Aliant. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media. To learn more, please visit BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research, and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries:

Jean Charles Robillard

(514) 870-4739

[email protected]

Investor inquiries:

Thane Fotopoulos

(514) 870-4619

[email protected]

SOURCE Bell Canada

To view this news release in HTML formatting, please use the following URL: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2017/26/c5737.html

Related Links

www.bell.ca


Doctors in London say they have cured two babies of leukemia in the worlds first attempt to treat cancer with genetically engineered immune cells from a donor.

Experiments, which took place at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital, raise the possibility of off-the-shelf cellular therapy using inexpensive supplies of universal cells that could be dripped into patients veins on a moments notice.

The ready-made approach could pose a challenge to companies including Juno Therapeutics and Novartis, each of which has spent tens of millions of dollars pioneering treatments that require collecting a patients own blood cells, engineering them, and then re-infusing them.

Both methods rely on engineering T cellsthe hungry predator cells of the immune systemso they attack leukemic cells.

The British infants, ages 11 and 16 months, each had leukemia and had undergone previous treatments that failed, according to a description of their cases published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. Waseem Qasim, a physician and gene-therapy expert who led the tests, reported that both children remain in remission.

Although the cases drew wide media attention in Britain, some researchers said that because the London team also gave the children standard chemotherapy, they failed to show the cell treatment actually cured the kids. There is a hint of efficacy but no proof, says Stephan Grupp, director of cancer immunotherapy at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, who collaborates with Novartis. It would be great if it works, but that just hasnt been shown yet.

Rights to the London treatment were sold to the biotech company Cellectis, and the treatment is now being further developed by the drug companies Servier and Pfizer.

Treatments using engineered T-cells, commonly known as CAR-T, are new and not yet sold commercially. But they have shown stunning success against blood cancers. In studies so far by Novartis and Juno, about half of patients are permanently cured after receiving altered versions of their own blood cells.

But commercializing such personalized treatments raises unprecedented logistical headaches. Grupp says Novartis has outfitted a manufacturing center in New Jersey and that patient cells have been flown in from 25 hospitals in 11 countries, modified, then quickly shipped back. Novartis has said it will seek U.S. approval to sell its T-cell treatment for children this year.

The promise of immunotherapy has drawn huge investments, yet many newer entrants are betting instead on the off-the-shelf approach. Among them are biotech giant Regeneron, Kite Therapeutics, Fate Therapeutics, and Cell Medica.

The patient could be treated immediately, as opposed to taking cells from a patient and manufacturing them, says Julianne Smith, vice president of CAR-T development for Cellectis, which specializes in supplying universal cells.

In the off-the-shelf approach, blood is collected from a donor and then turned into hundreds of doses that can then be stored frozen, says Smith. We estimate the cost to manufacture a dose would be about $4,000, she says. Thats compared to a cost of around $50,000 to alter a patients cells and return them.

Either type of treatment is likely to cost insurers half a million dollars or more if they reach the market.

Robert Nelsen, a venture capitalist and a founder of Juno Therapeutics, which raised hundreds of millions for the custom approach, says hes not worried about companies developing universal alternatives. What they can do in the future is what we can do today, Nelsen said in an interview last year. And I guarantee you even if things were equal, which they are not, you would want your own stuff, not someone elses cells.

The London treatment is notable for involving the most extensively engineered cells ever given to a patient, with a total of four genetic changes, two of them introduced by gene editing using a method called TALENs. One alteration was to strip the donor cells of their propensity to attack the body of another person. Another directs them to attack cancer cells.

In the U.S. and China, scientists are also racing to apply gene editing to make improved treatments for cancer and other diseases.

SOURCES- MIT Technology review
A simple chemistry method could vastly enhance how scientists search for signs of life on other planets.

The test uses a liquid-based technique known as capillary electrophoresis to separate a mixture of organic molecules into its components. It was designed specifically to analyze for amino acids, the structural building blocks of all life on Earth. The method is 10,000 times more sensitive than current methods employed by spacecraft like NASAs Mars Curiosity rover, according to a new study published in Analytical Chemistry. The study was carried out by researchers from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

One of the key advantages of the authors new way of using capillary electrophoresis is that the process is relatively simple and easy to automate for liquid samples expected on ocean world missions: it involves combining a liquid sample with a liquid reagent, followed by chemical analysis under conditions determined by the team. By shining a laser across the mixture  a process known as laser-induced fluorescence detection  specific molecules can be observed moving at different speeds. They get separated based on how quickly they respond to electric fields.

While capillary electrophoresis has been around since the early 1980s, this is the first time it has been tailored specifically to detect extraterrestrial life on an ocean world, said lead author Jessica Creamer, a postdoctoral scholar at JPL.

Our method improves on previous attempts by increasing the number of amino acids that can be detected in a single run, Creamer said. Additionally, it allows us to detect these amino acids at very low concentrations, even in highly salty samples, with a very simple mix and analyze process.

The researchers used the technique to analyze amino acids present in the salt-rich waters of Mono Lake in California. The lakes exceptionally high alkaline content makes it a challenging habitat for life, and an excellent stand-in for salty waters believed to be on Mars, or the ocean worlds of Saturns moon Enceladus and Jupiters moon Europa.

The researchers were able to simultaneously analyze 17 different amino acids, which they are calling the Signature 17 standard. These amino acids were chosen for study because they are the most commonly found on Earth or elsewhere.

Using our method, we are able to tell the difference between amino acids that come from non-living sources like meteorites versus amino acids that come from living organisms, said the projects principal investigator, Peter Willis of JPL.

Key to detecting amino acids related to life is an aspect known as chirality. Chiral molecules such as amino acids come in two forms that are mirror images of one another. Although amino acids from non-living sources contain approximately equal amounts of the left and right-handed forms, amino acids from living organisms on Earth are almost exclusively the left-handed form.

It is expected that amino acid life elsewhere would also need to choose one of the two forms in order to create the structures of life. For this reason, chirality of amino acids is considered one of the most powerful signatures of life.

One of NASAs highest-level objectives is the search for life in the universe, Willis said. Our best chance of finding life is by using powerful liquid-based analyses like this one on ocean worlds.

SOURCES- NASA
Astronauts heading into orbit aboard Boeings Starliner spacecraft will wear lighter and more comfortable spacesuits than earlier versions. The suit capitalizes on historical designs, meets NASA requirements for safety and functionality, while introducing cutting-edge innovations. Boeing unveiled its spacesuit design Wednesday as the company continues to move toward flight tests of its Starliner spacecraft and launch systems that will fly astronauts to the International Space Station.

Astronauts heading into orbit aboard Boeings Starliner spacecraft will wear lighter and more comfortable spacesuits than earlier suits astronauts wore. The suit capitalizes on historical designs, meets NASA requirements for safety and functionality, and introduces cutting-edge innovations. Boeing unveiled its spacesuit design Wednesday as the company continues to move toward flight tests of its Starliner spacecraft and launch systems that will fly astronauts to the International Space Station.

A few of the advances in the design:

Lighter and more flexible through use of advanced materials and new joint patterns

Helmet and visor incorporated into the suit instead of detachable

Touchscreen-sensitive gloves

Vents that allow astronauts to be cooler, but can still pressurize the suit immediately

The full suit, which includes an integrated shoe, weighs about 20 pounds with all its accessories  about 10 pounds lighter than the launch-and-entry suits worn by space shuttle astronauts.

The new Starliner suits material lets water vapor pass out of the suit, away from the astronaut, but keeps air inside. That makes the suit cooler without sacrificing safety. Materials in the elbows and knees give astronauts more movement, too, while strategically located zippers allow them to adapt the suits shape when standing or seated.

The most important part is that the suit will keep you alive, astronaut Eric Boe said. It is a lot lighter, more form-fitting and its simpler, which is always a good thing. Complicated systems have more ways they can break, so simple is better on something like this.

Of course, the suit has to be as functional as it is safe, Boe said. If an astronaut gets strapped in but cant reach the switches or work the touchscreen, the spacesuit would not be effective. Thats why astronauts have spent some of their time sitting inside a Starliner mock-up wearing the spacesuit. They climb in and out repeatedly and try out different reaches and positions so they can establish the best ways for astronauts to work inside the spacecrafts confines.

The spacesuit acts as the emergency backup to the spacecrafts redundant life support systems, said Richard Watson, subsystem manager for spacesuits for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. If everything goes perfectly on a mission, then you dont need a spacesuit. Its like having a fire extinguisher close by in the cockpit. You need it to be effective if it is needed.

Boe and astronauts Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley and Suni Williams are training for flight tests using spacecraft under development for NASAs Commercial Crew Program, including Boeings Starliner and SpaceXs Crew Dragon systems. Flight tests with astronauts aboard are slated to begin in 2018.

The spacesuits astronauts wear for walking in space are already aboard the station. Heavier and bulkier than launch-and-entry suits, spacewalking ensembles  called EMUs for extravehicular mobility units  have to function as a spacecraft unto themselves.

Standing inside the companys Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, former astronaut Chris Ferguson, who is now director of Crew and Mission Systems for Boeing, modeled the new suit in front of a mock-up of the Starliner spacecraft. On launch day, astronauts will don the suit in the historic Crew Quarters before striding across the Crew Access Arm at Space Launch Complex 41 and boarding a Starliner as it stands atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

We slogged through some of the real engineering challenges and now we are getting to the point where those challenges are largely behind us and its time to get on to the rubber meeting the road, Ferguson said.

Carrying up to four astronauts at a time for NASA, operational Commercial Crew missions are to take astronauts to the space station on a regular basis permitting the crew on the orbiting laboratory to grow to seven residents. That will mean more science and research time for NASA to seek vital answers for the challenges of future deep-space missions.

From this point, Boeing will continue fit checks and other testing alongside the astronauts as all the teams train for the missions and push toward flight tests.

To me, its a very tangible sign that we are really moving forward and we are a lot closer than weve been, Ferguson said. The next time we pull all this together, it might be when astronauts are climbing into the actual spacecraft.

SOURCES- NASA, Youtube
most people, crystals mean diamond bling, semiprecious gems or perhaps the jagged amethyst or quartz crystals beloved by collectors.

To Norman Yao, these inert crystals are the tip of the iceberg.

If crystals have an atomic structure that repeats in space, like the carbon lattice of a diamond, why cant crystals also have a structure that repeats in time? That is, a time crystal?

In a paper published online last week in the journal Physical Review Letters, the UC Berkeley assistant professor of physics describes exactly how to make and measure the properties of such a crystal, and even predicts what the various phases surrounding the time crystal should be  akin to the liquid and gas phases of ice.

This is not mere speculation. Two groups followed Yaos blueprint and have already created the first-ever time crystals. The groups at the University of Maryland and Harvard University reported their successes, using two totally different setups, in papers posted online last year, and have submitted the results for publication. Yao is a co-author on both papers.

Time crystals repeat in time because they are kicked periodically, sort of like tapping Jell-O repeatedly to get it to jiggle, Yao said. The big breakthrough, he argues, is less that these particular crystals repeat in time than that they are the first of a large class of new materials that are intrinsically out of equilibrium, unable to settle down to the motionless equilibrium of, for example, a diamond or ruby.

This is a new phase of matter, period, but it is also really cool because it is one of the first examples of non-equilibrium matter, Yao said. For the last half-century, we have been exploring equilibrium matter, like metals and insulators. We are just now starting to explore a whole new landscape of non-equilibrium matter.

A one-dimensional chain of ytterbium ions was turned into a time crystal by physicists at the University of Maryland, based on a blueprint provided by UC Berkeleys Norman Yao. Each ion behaves like an electron spin and exhibits long-range interactions indicated as arrows. (Image courtesy of Chris Monroe)

While Yao is hard put to imagine a use for a time crystal, other proposed phases of non-equilibrium matter theoretically hold promise as nearly perfect memories and may be useful in quantum computers.

An ytterbium chain

The time crystal created by Chris Monroe and his colleagues at the University of Maryland employs a conga line of 10 ytterbium ions whose electron spins interact, similar to the qubit systems being tested as quantum computers. To keep the ions out of equilibrium, the researchers alternately hit them with one laser to create an effective magnetic field and a second laser to partially flip the spins of the atoms, repeating the sequence many times. Because the spins interacted, the atoms settled into a stable, repetitive pattern of spin flipping that defines a crystal.

Time crystals were first proposed in 2012 by Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, and last year theoretical physicists at Princeton University and UC Santa Barbaras Station Q independently proved that such a crystal could be made. According to Yao, the UC Berkeley group was the bridge between the theoretical idea and the experimental implementation.

From the perspective of quantum mechanics, electrons can form crystals that do not match the underlying spatial translation symmetry of the orderly, three-dimensional array of atoms, Yao said. This breaks the symmetry of the material and leads to unique and stable properties we define as a crystal.

A time crystal breaks time symmetry. In this particular case, the magnetic field and laser periodically driving the ytterbium atoms produce a repetition in the system at twice the period of the drivers, something that would not occur in a normal system.

Wouldnt it be super weird if you jiggled the Jell-O and found that somehow it responded at a different period? Yao said. But that is the essence of the time crystal. You have some periodic driver that has a period T, but the system somehow synchronizes so that you observe the system oscillating with a period that is larger than T.

Yao worked closely with Monroe as his Maryland team made the new material, helping them focus on the important properties to measure to confirm that the material was in fact a stable or rigid time crystal. Yao also described how the time crystal would change phase, like an ice cube melting, under different magnetic fields and laser pulsing.

The Harvard team, led by Mikhail Lukin, set up its time crystal using densely packed nitrogen vacancy centers in diamonds.

Such similar results achieved in two wildly disparate systems underscore that time crystals are a broad new phase of matter, not simply a curiosity relegated to small or narrowly specific systems, wrote Phil Richerme, of Indiana University, in a perspective piece accompanying the paper published in Physical Review Letters. Observation of the discrete time crystal confirms that symmetry breaking can occur in essentially all natural realms, and clears the way to several new avenues of research.

Yao is continuing his own work on time crystals as he explores the theory behind other novel but not-yet-realized non-equilibrium materials.

Yaos co-authors are UC Berkeley professor of physics Ashvin Vishwanath,; Andrew Potter, now an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin; and UC Berkeley graduate student Ionut-Dragos Potirniche.
[January 26, 2017]

BCE Q4 2016 results and 2017 guidance to be announced February 2, 2017

MONTREAL, Jan. 26, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE) will hold its fourth-quarter 2016 results and 2017 guidance conference call with the financial community on Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 8:00 am eastern.

Participants will include George Cope, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Glen LeBlanc, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis.

To participate, please dial toll-free 1-866-223-7781 or (416) 340-2216. A replay will be available for one week by dialing 1-800-408-3053 or (905) 694-9451 and entering pass code 2972315#.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on BCE's website at: BCE Q4-2016 conference call.







About BCE

Canada's largest communications company, BCE provides broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communication services from Bell Canada and Bell Aliant. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media. To learn more, please visit BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research, and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries:

Jean Charles Robillard

(514) 870-4739

[email protected]

Investor inquiries:

Thane Fotopoulos

(514) 870-4619

[email protected]

SOURCE Bell Canada
[January 26, 2017] iSIGN Media Announces the Close of its Previously Announced Shares for Debt Transaction

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. ("iSIGN" or "Company") (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile advertising solutions that serves brands, commercial locations, retailers and service providers throughout North America, today announced it has closed the shares for debt transaction ("Transaction") that it had entered into with Company directors, as previously announced on January 11, 2017. The Company completed the Transaction by issuing an aggregate of 800,000 common shares ("Shares") at a deemed price of $0.10 per share. The Shares issued are subject to a four-month hold period, ending May 25, 2017. The total amount of indebtedness settled by these arrangements is $80,000 owed for director's fees. The Company decided to satisfy this outstanding indebtedness with shares in order to preserve its cash for operational purposes. Abot iSIGN Media





iSIGN Media, based in Toronto, is a data-focused, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is a pioneering leader in gathering point-of-sale data and mobile shopper preferences to generate actionable data and reveal valuable consumer insights. Creators of the Smart suite of products, a patented interactive proximity marketing technology, iSIGN enables brands to deliver targeted messaging, personalized offers and loyalty perks to consumers' mobile devices in proximity and with real-time proof of redemption. iSIGN's data gathering capabilities provide analytics on price points, typical purchases, in-store dwell time and other shopper metrics that identify emerging consumer behaviors. These insights enable smarter business decisions and provide increased ROI metrics for more transparent marketing. iSIGN delivers relevant, timely messages on an opt-in basis at no charge to consumers, transmitting rich media to consumer mobile devices via Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity in complete privacy as opposed to iBeacons, apps, downloads and required surrendering of personal information. Proven to increase brand engagement and customer loyalty, iSIGN generates preference-based, predictive "clean data" without compromising consumer privacy. Partners include: IBM, Keyser Retail Solutions, Baylor University, Verizon Wireless, TELUS and AOpen America Inc.  2017 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor Its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility or accuracy of this release. SOURCE iSIGN Media Solutions Inc, Alex Romanov Chief Executive Officer

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[January 26, 2017] Robbins Arroyo LLP: Dollar General Corporation (DG) Misled Shareholders According to a Recently Filed Class Action

Shareholder rights law firm Robbins Arroyo LLP announces that a class action complaint was filed against Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division. The complaint is brought on behalf of all purchasers of Dollar General securities between March 10, 2016 and November 30, 2016, for alleged violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by Dollar General's officers and directors. Dollar General, a discount retailer, provides various merchandise products in the southern, southwestern, midwestern, and eastern United States. View this information on the law firm's Shareholder Rights Blog: www.robbinsarroyo.com/shareholders-rights-blog/dollar-general-corporation Dollar General Accused of Lying About Its Declining Financial Condition According to the complaint, Dollar General's core customers are from low and fixed income households, a significant percentage of which qualify for the Supplemenal Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP"), a federal food stamp benefits program. Notably, at least 20 states were planning to re-implement a limitation on SNAP benefits to become effective in April 2016. Dollar General officials nonetheless projected earnings per share growth of 10-15% for fiscal 2016, and annual same-store sales improvement of 2-4%. In addition, during a conference call with investors, Dollar General's Chief Executive Officer downplayed the significance of SNAP payments to the company and any impact the SNAP reductions would have on the company's sales. The complaint alleges that in so doing, Dollar General officials did not disclose that the SNAP limitations would have a negative effect on the company's financial performance because 56% of Dollar General stores are located in states that re-implemented the SNAP limitations.



The truth regarding the impact that SNAP reductions were having on Dollar General's business began to surface on August 25, 2016, when the company announced disappointing second quarter 2016 results. Dollar General attributed the decline in part to "a reduction in both SNAP participation rates and benefit levels." Then, on December 1, 2016, the company announced that its third quarter 2016 results fell far short of market expectations, and included a reduction in same-store sales, despite the company's earlier prediction of annual same-store sales growth at 2-4%. The company finally acknowledged the true extent to which SNAP reductions were having on its sales, stating that the benefit reductions "affect about 56% of our store base And those states that have had the reduction or elimination, they are approximately 100-basis-point worse in comp." On this news, Dollar General's stock declined nearly 5%, to close at $73.48 per share on December 1, 2016. Dollar General Shareholders Have Legal Options

Concerned shareholders who would like more information about their rights and potential remedies can contact attorney Darnell R. Donahue at (800) 350-6003, [email protected], or via the shareholder information form on the firm's website. Robbins Arroyo LLP is a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights law. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits, and has helped its clients realize more than $1 billion of value for themselves and the companies in which they have invested. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006312/en/

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[January 26, 2017] Robbins Arroyo LLP: The Southern Company (SO) Misled Shareholders According to a Recently Filed Class Action

Shareholder rights law firm Robbins Arroyo LLP announces that a class action complaint was filed against The Southern Company (NYSE: SO) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. The complaint is brought on behalf of all purchasers of Southern Company securities between April 25, 2012 and October 29, 2013, for alleged violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by Southern Company's officers and directors. Southern Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity through coal, nuclear, oil and gas, and hydro resources in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. In 2006, Southern Company announced plans for its subsidiary, Mississippi Power, to build a "clean coal" plant in Kemper County, Mississippi (the "Kemper Plant"). View this information on the law firm's Shareholder Rights Blog: www.robbinsarroyo.com/shareholders-rights-blog/the-southern-company Southern Company Accused of Lying About Progress at Its Kemper Plant According to the complaint, on April 25, 2012, Southern Company held a conference call for analysts, edia representatives, and investors during which the company forecasted a summer 2013 startup date for the Kemper Plant. Southern Company officials also reassured investors that the Mississippi Public Service Commission had recertified the Kemper Plant the prior day and that the total project cost would not exceed the $2.88 billion cost cap set by state regulators. The company's Chief Executive Officer Thomas A. Fanning subsequently stated, "[O]ur current analysis indicates that the overall cost to customers for [the Kemper Plant] will be less than projected in the original certification." Southern Company continued to assure investors that the Kemper Plant was progressing in an "outstanding manner" and that the company would fully absorb the increased costs related to the Kemper Plant. However, the complaint alleges that Southern Company failed to disclose to investors that the company had encountered setbacks with the Kemper Plant and would not be able to complete it by the previously announced deadline.



On October 30, 2013, Southern Company disclosed an after-tax charge of $93 million related to increased cost estimates for the Kemper Plant and a delay of the in-service date to year-end 2014. In a conference call that same day, a Southern Company official admitted that the company "made a mistake on the engineering" and "agreed to price cap without having done fully our homework on the deal." On this news, Southern Company's stock declined approximately 2.4% to close at $40.91 per share on October 31, 2013. A May 14, 2016 article in The Wall Street Journal revealed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into Southern Company's financial controls and disclosures for the Kemper Plant. The article further detailed that a whistleblower from the Southern Company believes the company put a positive spin on construction of the Kemper Plant so that it wouldn't have to admit that it was likely to lose federal subsidies due to delays. A July 2016 New York Times article stated that the company had "drastically understated the project's cost and timetable, and repeatedly tried to conceal problems as they emerged." Southern Company Shareholders Have Legal Options

Concerned shareholders who would like more information about their rights and potential remedies can contact attorney Darnell R. Donahue at (800) 350-6003, [email protected], or via the shareholder information form on the firm's website. Robbins Arroyo LLP is a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights law. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits, and has helped its clients realize more than $1 billion of value for themselves and the companies in which they have invested. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006338/en/

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[January 26, 2017] EQUITY ALERT: Rosen Law Firm Files Securities Class Action Lawsuit Against The Western Union Company - WU

Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces it has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of The Western Union Company securities (NYSE:WU) from February 24, 2012 through January 19, 2017, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Western Union (News - Alert) investors under the federal securities laws. To join the Western Union class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1032.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. or Kevin Chan, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. NO CLASS HAS YET BEEN CERTIFIED IN THE ABOVE ACTION. UNTIL A CLASS IS CERTIFIED, YOU ARE NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL UNLESS YOU RETAIN ONE. YOU MAY ALSO REMAIN AN ABSENT CLASS MEMBER AND DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. YOU MAY RETAIN COUNSEL OF YOUR CHOICE. According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Western Union's fraud prevention efforts did not comply with applicable laws; (2) Western Union willfully failed to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program; (3) Western Union aided and abetted wire fraud; (4) for at least five years, Western Union knew of agents structuring transactions designed to avoid the reporting requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act; (5) Western Union was not compliant with its regulatory responsibilities; (6) between 2004 and 2012, Western Union violated U.S. laws-the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-fraud statutes-by processing hundreds of thousands of transactions for Western Union agents and others involved in an international consumer fraud scheme; (7) Western Union knew of but failed to take corrective action against Western Union agents involved in or facilitating fraud-related transactions; (8) between January 1, 2004 and August 29, 2015, Western Union received at least 550,928 complaints about fraud-induced money transfers, totaling at least $632,721,044; and (9) as a result, Defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.



A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 27, 2017. If you wish to join the litigation, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1032.html or to discuss your rights or interests regarding this class action, please contact Phillip Kim or Kevin Chan of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn (News - Alert): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter (News - Alert): https://twitter.com/rosen_firm.

Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006354/en/

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Robbins Arroyo LLP Is Investigating the Officers and Directors of McKesson Corporation (MCK) on Behalf of Shareholders

Shareholder rights law firm Robbins Arroyo LLP is investigating whether certain officers and directors of McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK) breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders. McKesson operates as a pharmaceutical distribution services and information technology company in the United States and internationally.

View this press release on the law firm's Shareholder Rights Blog: www.robbinsarroyo.com/shareholders-rights-blog/mckesson-corporation







McKesson Shareholders Have Legal Options

Concerned shareholders who would like more information about their rights and potential remedies can contact attorney Darnell R. Donahue at (800) 350-6003, [email protected], or via the shareholder information form on the firm's website.

Robbins Arroyo LLP is a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights law. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits, and has helped its clients realize more than $1 billion of value for themselves and the companies in which they have invested.

Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006358/en/
[January 26, 2017] Robbins Arroyo LLP: Banc of California, Inc. (BANC) Misled Shareholders According to a Recently Filed Class Action

Shareholder rights law firm Robbins Arroyo LLP announces that a class action complaint was filed against Banc of California, Inc. (NYSE: BANC) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The complaint is brought on behalf of all purchasers of Banc securities between October 29, 2015 and January 20, 2017, for alleged violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by Banc's officers and directors. Banc operates as the bank holding company for Banc of California, National Association that provides banking products and services in the United States. View this information on the law firm's Shareholder Rights Blog: www.robbinsarroyo.com/shareholders-rights-blog/banc-of-california-inc Banc Accused of Downplaying Ties to Jason Galanis According to the complaint, Banc submitted a series of filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchang Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)") touting the company's strong core deposit growth, accelerating loan originations, and impressive return on assets. Banc's Chief Executive Officer, Steven A. Sugarman, stated, "Combining these returns with our industry leading growth continues to yield significant value creation for shareholders." However, the complaint alleges that Banc officials failed to disclose that the company had extensive ties to Jason Galanis, which created substantial regulatory risk, and that a revelation of Galanis's ties to the company could cause a substantial decline in the price of Banc's securities. In addition, Banc officials allegedly failed to inform investors that the company's communications to investors regarding a Seeking Alpha investigation was misleading.



On October 18, 2016, Seeking Alpha published a report alleging that Banc's senior-most officers and board members had ties to Galanis, who the article claimed has a "long history of secretly gaining control of banks and public companies via front men, looting assets, and leaving unsuspecting investors and taxpayers with hundreds of millions in losses." Among other ties, the article alleged that Galanis controlled COR Capital, Banc's founding shareholder, that Banc's lead "independent" director had strong ties to Galanis, and that as a result, Seeking Alpha believed Banc is "simply un-investible." That same day, Banc responded to the allegations in the Seeking Alpha article, stating that Galanis's claims to be affiliated with COR Capital were fraudulent. On January 23, 2017, Banc revealed that the SEC had opened an investigation into whether the company had misled investors in its response to the October 2016 Seeking Alpha report, and further disclosed that Sugarman was resigning. On this news, Banc's stock fell $1.50 per share, or nearly 10%, to close at $14.65 per share on January 23, 2017. Banc Shareholders Have Legal Options

Concerned shareholders who would like more information about their rights and potential remedies can contact attorney Darnell R. Donahue at (800) 350-6003, [email protected], or via the shareholder information form on the firm's website. Robbins Arroyo LLP is a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights law. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits, and has helped its clients realize more than $1 billion of value for themselves and the companies in which they have invested. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006362/en/

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[January 26, 2017] SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Goldberg Law PC Announces Securities Class Action Lawsuit against Banc of California, Inc., and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm

Goldberg Law PC, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against Banc of California, Inc., ("Banc" or the "Company") (NYSE: BANC). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Banc shares between October 29, 2015, and January 20, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the firm in advance of the March 23, 2017 lead plaintiff deadline. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss during the class period, we advise you to click here, or contact Michael Goldberg or Brian Schall, of Goldberg Law PC, 1999 Avenue of the Stars Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 800-977-7401, to discuss your rights without cost to you. You can aso reach us through the firm's website at http://www.Goldberglawpc.com, or by email at [email protected].



Seeking Alpha published an article alleging that Banc of California had hidden numerous connections between it and Jason Galanis, who has been convicted of criminal securities fraud. In particular, the Complaint alleges that: Banc of California CEO Jason Sugarman was the founder, CEO, and indirect owner of a company controlled by Galanis; and that separately, Galanis controlled Banc of California's founding shareholder. The Complaint further alleges that Banc of California was using an off-balance sheet entity to issue loans to insiders.

Then, on November 10, 2016, Banc of California revealed it would be stalling the filing of its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2016 so that its Special Committee could complete a review into the aforementioned improper relationships and related party transactions. On January 23, 2017, Banc of California revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission is pursuing a formal order of investigation directed at these same issues. When this information was released to the public, the value of Banc stock fell sharply, causing investors harm. If you have any questions concerning your legal rights, please immediately contact Goldberg Law PC at 800-977-7401, or visit our website at http://www.Goldberglawpc.com, or email us at [email protected]. Goldberg Law PC represents shareholders around the world and specializes in securities class actions and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006377/en/

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SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Lundin Law PC Announces an Investigation of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGAA, and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm

Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces that it is investigating claims against Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGAA, ("Fresenius" or the "Company") (NYSE: FMS) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.

To get more information about this investigation, click here, or please contact Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or via email at [email protected].







Fresenius is a kidney dialysis company that offers dialysis treatment and other dialysis care services, as well as different health services. On January 7, 2017, Fresenius announced that it was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors due to the Company's interactions with the American Kidney Fund, an American charity providing financial aid for kidney dialysis patients.

When this information was released to the public, the value of Fresenius stock fell severely, causing investors harm.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126006396/en/
[January 27, 2017] CNN International Announces Asia Business Forum, 2017

BANGALORE, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 200 Business Leaders Will Gather to Assess India's Position in a Turbulent Global Economy CNN International today unveiled details of its second Asia Business Forum, a special event to be held in Bengaluru, India, on Monday, February 13, 2017. This invitation-only event brings together key business leaders and thought influencers to assess India's position in a tumultuous global economy. Delegates will explore new ideas, innovations, and technologies that will shape India's economic future. Sessions include: India at 30,000 Feet - Exploring the world's fastest growing aviation industry

at 30,000 Feet - Exploring the world's fastest growing aviation industry Digitizing India - How technology is transforming the world's biggest democracy Richard Quest, CNNMoney Editor-at-Large and anchor of Quest Means Business and Kristie Lu Stout, CNN News Stream anchor will lead discussions with star speakers including EkStep Chairman and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, Air Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh, Spicejet Chairman & Managing Director Ajay Singh, JetSetGo Co-Founder and CEO Kanika Tekriwal, and viral YouTube star 'Rickshawalli'. The forum coincides with the start of the Indian government's Make in India Conference' in Bengaluru.



Ellana Lee, Senior Vice President and Managing Editor CNN International said, "We're delighted to return to India for the second Asia Business Forum. It promises to be a stimulating evening of thought-provoking discussions around the Indian economy which shines as a bright spot in the global economic scenario." Sunita Rajan, Senior Vice President CNN International Advertising Sales Asia Pacific said, "CNN has led the industry in the way we produce and deliver news on multiple platforms and how we combine content, data, audiences, events and creativity in our work with commercial partners. Building on the tremendous success in 2016, the CNN Asia Business Forum 2017 will once again provide an exclusive platform for leaders across the region to come together in the heart of India's Silicon Valley in Bengaluru."

A detailed breakdown of sessions and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. About CNN International CNN's portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms reaching more than 425 million households around the globe, including over 77 million across the Asia Pacific region. CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America and has a US presence which includes CNNgo. CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN is at the forefront of digital innovation and continues to invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialized through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviors. Over the years CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. CNN has 41 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is part of Turner, a Time Warner company. Get the latest social media updates from CNN at: facebook.com/cnninternational @cnnasiapr Media Contact:

Ajmal Roshan

[email protected]

+91-9620598833

Genesis Burson Marsteller Public Relations Pvt Ltd





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[January 27, 2017] Wirecard Signs With RwandAir for Online Payment Processing Services

MUNICH, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RwandAir has partnered with Wirecard AG for its online card payment processing services. As one of the leading specialist for payment processing and issuing services, Wirecard will enable customers that wish to book their flights online at http://www.rwandair.com to pay with Visa, MasterCard, Diners/Discover, JCB, China UnionPay or Maestro cards. John Mirenge, the Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir stated that, "Our values commit us to continuously pursue excellence in everything we do. Wirecard's first-class global coverage and optimum technical structure ensures that our passengers will have a smooth online booking and ticketing experience". Eckart Reiche, Head of Sales Airlines at Wirecard, added: "The collaboration with RwandAir confirms our commitment to Africa as well as our readiness to support the rapidly growing African airline market with our efficient payment platform. RwandAir is an innovative partner that uses state of the art technology and services to optimize processes, costs and profits. In our role as technology provider, Wirecard identifies great potential in this partnership. The Wirecard Group supports all sales channels with credit card acceptace. Wirecard is a principal member of Visa and MasterCard, as well as having acquiring license agreements with JCB, American Express, Discover/Diners, UnionPay and UATP.



About Wirecard: Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on Twitter @wirecard.

About RwandAir: From Kigali as its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir well reputed for an excellent on time performance is one of the safest airlines and operates one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. With eleven aircraft, the young airline reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern, Southern Africa and in the Middle East. RwandAir is a certified IOSA and ISAGO operator as well as an IATA member airline. In 2016, RwandAir received East Africa's first wide-bodied brand new Airbus A330s in a triple class configuration and Africa's first Boeing 737-800NG equipped with inflight connectivity on a line-fit program. This year, RwandAir will expand into long haul operations and increase frequencies on routes with increased demand; more routes on the continent will be launched with another Wi-Fi connected Boeing 737-800NG joining the young fleet mid-2017.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49-(0)-89-4424-1363

Email: [email protected]

Rwand Air media contact:

Communications department

Email: [email protected]

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Kathy Stoker knows relationships are important in Papua New Guinea.

As a missionary there for 29 years, the Fremont woman was immersed in the culture.

They dont call you by your name, she said. They give you a title.

She was called Sis. But the little boy of a man shed led to the Lord would give her a new title: Bubu Dim, which means a grandma who is a Caucasian.

It was very touching, Stoker said. Ive loved him ever since. I felt like they wanted me there and were treating me with respect.

Now retired and living in Fremont, Stoker has many memories of the people and country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. A former territory of Australia, Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975.

Stoker describes the place as rustic. Its behind modern times in education, transportation, communication and health services. Yet the people are hospitable and Stoker has a heart for this nation where shes made friends, some of whom are like family.

Shes also pleased about a book she wrote, which was copyrighted in that nation. Her book explains the salvation message of Christ using colors in the Papua New Guinea flag.

Stoker plans to return to Papua New Guinea for a visit in May. In the meantime, shes spoken about her experiences to children at the Evangelical Free Church in Fremont.

Originally from Allen, Stoker grew up on a Nebraska farm. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Stoker was in her third year when she gave her heart and life to the Lord. She attributes this to the Back to the Bible broadcasts and a friend who took her to church.

Stoker felt the call to the mission field in 1966. She later earned a degree in Christian education, Bible and missions from Grace University in 1971.

She married and lived in Denver and then in Texas. The marriage ended after 10 years.

Stoker returned to Denver and received some counseling from a Wycliffe Bible Translators missionary.

She told me that they needed me in Papua New Guinea, Stoker recalled.

The missionary knew Stoker had secretarial experience and a secretary was needed.

So in 1985, Stoker went to Papua New Guinea, where she spent her first four-year term as a secretary.

I had never worked so hard in my life, she said.

During that time, the directors discovered that Stoker was a very social and relational person.

I had more Papua New Guinean friends than missionary friends, Stoker said, adding that she was single and didnt have a family to care for like other missionaries.

Through the friendships, shed learn Melanesian pidgin language. Program directors told her to top her education degree with some literacy classes when she returned home on furlough.

So she did.

Stoker would return and spend most of her time in Papua New Guinea as a literary consultant.

During her time there, she worked with translators in the jungle area. Stoker said translators will go into an area and learn the language. They then translate the Bible into that language.

Stoker said there are more than 800 different languages in Papua New Guinea. At this point, Wycliffe has New Testaments finished in more than 400.

Translators would give Stoker translated materials she could use for adult and teen Bible studies.

Stoker also said schools are scattered throughout the county, but few people make it through the sixth grade.

She taught reading and writing classes for Papua New Guineans, in their own language, so they could in turn teach the children.

We had song-writing contests and story-writing contests to help the teens practice writing, she said.

Stories might involve village life, animals in the jungle or the work that men and women did. Her students made their own books.

Stoker said its important for the people to learn how to read and write in their own language.

A second language for anybody doesnt mean as much as your own mother tongue, she said.

Whats more, learning to read and write in their own language also makes it easier for students to transfer over in primary school where they learn English.

And when translators finish a New Testament in a particular language, the people then can read them in their own language, she noted.

In her book, Stoker uses the colors of the Papua New Guinea flag: black, red, white and yellow, and Bible verses to share the salvation story. Black stands for sin, red for Christs blood shed on the cross; white for sins washed white as snow; and yellow which represents Gods glory and streets of gold in heaven. The last part of the book contains the countrys national anthem and pledge.

Translators can use Stokers book to teach adults and children about salvation in their own language.

As of 2013 when Stoker retired, the book had been translated into 28 languages.

It wasnt always easy being in that overseas country. There were times when Stoker wanted to give up. It was too hot or west with too many snakes, crocodiles or mosquitos.

But God kept me going and reminded me that he called me, she said. I led five people to the Lord while I was there.

Seeing them grow in the Lord, reminded me that I still had a job to do and I couldnt quit.

She credits God for any positive things she did and said his protection and guidance kept her in that country.

Stoker stayed with a family in Papua New Guinea for a couple years after she retired. She returned to the United States in April 2015 and lived in Denver before moving here that December.

Shes adjusting to America, getting reacclimated to the weather and catching up with modern technology.

I didnt have TV over there for 30 years and Im finding out that TV and Internet and a landline phone is very costly, but Im a farm girl at heart and thats part of the reason I came back to Nebraska, she said.

Stoker plans to remain in Fremont and looks forward to visiting the family in Papua New Guinea this spring.

The kids call me grandma, she said. And Im teaching them to love the Lord by having devotions and prayer time at night.
Sopra Steria raises its stake in Cassiopae to 100%

Regulatory News:

Sopra Steria (Paris:SOP) (Euronext Paris: SOP), a European leader in digital transformation, announced today that it had raised its stake in Cassiopae's holding company KSEOP to 100% through its subsidiary Sopra Banking Software.

Sopra Banking Software had previously acquired 75% of KSEOP (see 24 February 2016 press release), and had planned to acquire the remaining shares by 2020.

Confirming the strategic interest of a tie-up between the two companies, today the various stakeholders finalised Sopra Banking Software's acquisition of 25% of KSEOP's share capital, which until then had been held by its historic shareholders. The already-promising synegies generated by the integration will gain further momentum.







Cassiopae, a leading developer of specialised finance and property management solutions, substantially bolsters Sopra Banking Software's position as a benchmark operator in the market for dedicated financial services software.

More generally, this transaction enables Sopra Steria to pursue its growth targets in the banking and software development sector, two of the Group's top growth priorities for the upcoming financial years.

About Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital transformation, provides one of the most comprehensive portfolios of end-to-end service offerings on the market: consulting, systems integration, software development, infrastructure management and business process services. It provides end-to-end solutions to address the core business needs of large companies and organisations, helping them remain competitive and grow. Combining added value with innovative high-performance services, Sopra Steria excels in guiding its clients through their transformation projects to help them make the most of digital technology. With over 38,000 employees in more than 20 countries, Sopra Steria had revenue of 3.6 billion in 2015.

Sopra Steria (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) - ISIN: FR0000050809

For more information, please visit our website: www.soprasteria.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170126005995/en/
[January 27, 2017] Nokia launches MIKA - the first digital assistant customized for telecommunications operators

Press Release MIKA - 'Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant' - aids engineers' efficiency by providing voice-activated access to information

Powered by Nokia AVA platform, MIKA provides augmented intelligence and automated learning to access best practice

Nokia also introduces Predictive Repair, a Nokia AVA-powered service that forecasts potential hardware failures up to 14 days in advance 27 January 2017 Espoo, Finland - Nokia has created a customized 'digital assistant' that will improve telecom operators' efficiency by providing engineers faster access to critical information. 'MIKA' - powered by the Nokia AVA cognitive services platform and underpinned by Nokia's services expertise - will provide voice-dictated automated assistance to reduce time spent searching information resources, enabling operators to focus on key business tasks without being distracted by the complexities of multi-technology network environments. MIKA - or Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant - is the first digital assistant 'trained' specifically for the telecom industry, designed to provide automated assistance that saves time and frees highly skilled workers to focus on critical tasks. Nokia analysis of working methods within a Network Operations Center has revealed that application of MIKA could 'give back' more than one hour of productive time every day to engineers by providing them with access to information and recommendations through the interactive user interface. MIKA combines augmented intelligence with automated learning to provide access to an extensive range of tools, documents and data sources. These include the Nokia AVA knowledge library, a repository of best practice gathered from Nokia projects around the world. sing the knowledge library MIKA can provide recommendations based on similar issues seen in other networks. MIKA is available via a web interface and mobile agent so that engineers can tap into its knowledge base, wherever they are.



Igor Leprince, head of Global Services at Nokia, said: "Finding the right information is a daily challenge for telco engineers tasked with boosting network quality. MIKA taps into the power of the Nokia AVA platform to provide quick and accurate answers, avoiding time wasted on fruitless searches. MIKA is customized to support the specific needs of telecoms, and can deliver recommendations based on experience from networks around the world." Nokia introduces Predictive Repair

In addition to launching MIKA, Nokia introduces Predictive Repair, a service that will enable operators to reduce costs and improve network quality by moving away from break-fix approaches to hardware maintenance. This care service can predict hardware failures and recommend replacements up to 14 days in advance, with up to 95 percent accuracy. These recommendations will allow operators to improve efficiency by avoiding unnecessary site visits, wasted operations efforts, excessive inventory, and false 'No Fault Found' returns.

Nokia Predictive Repair is the first service of its type in the telecommunications industry. It draws on Nokia's deep hardware services expertise - correlating network, repair center and factory data. By applying Nokia Bell Labs machine learning algorithms to predict failures, the focus is on high-runner modules that generate a significant share of customer repair transactions. The service is available to operators that use Nokia 3G and 4G equipment. The Nokia MIKA Digital Assistant as a Service is now available for customer trials, and will be demonstrated at the Nokia booth at Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona (Hall 3, Stand 3A10) between February 27 and March 2. Nokia Predictive Repair will be available for customer trials in March 2017. Resources Infographic

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Nokia is a global leader in creating the technologies at the heart of our connected world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing. From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. www.nokia.com Media Enquiries

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[January 27, 2017] Life Insurance Investments in the United States to 2019: Market Databook - Research and Markets

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Life Insurance Investments in the United States to 2019: Market Databook" report to their offering. The "Life Insurance Investments in the United States to 2019: Market Databook" contains detailed historic and forecast data covering life insurance investments in the life insurance industry in the United States . This databook provides data on government securities, corporate bonds, investment funds, cash in bank/hand, other investments and total investment income. Summary: This report is the result of extensive market research covering the life insurance industry in the United States . It contains detailed historic and forecast data for life insurance investments. "Life Insurance Investments in the United States to 2019: Market Databook" provides detailed insight into the operating environment of the lie insurance industry in the United States . It is an essential tool for companies active across the United States life insurance value chain and for new players considering to enter the market.



Scope: Historic and forecast data for life insurance investments in the life insurance industry in the United States for the period 2010 through to 2019.

Historic and forecast data on government securities, corporate bonds, investment funds, cash in bank/hand, other investments and total investment income for the period 2010 through to 2019.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction 1.1 What is this Report About? 1.2 Definitions 1.3 Methodology 2 Industry Analysis 2.1 Government Securities 2.2 Government Securities Forecast 2.3 Corporate Bonds 2.4 Corporate Bonds Forecast 2.5 Investment Funds 2.6 Investment Funds Forecast 2.7 Cash in bank/hand 2.8 Cash in bank/hand Forecast 2.9 Other Investments 2.1 Other Investments Forecast 2.11 Total Investment Income 2.12 Total Investment Income Forecast 3 Appendix 3.1 About 3.2 Our Services 3.3 Disclaimer For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/n38sk6/life_insurance View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005257/en/

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[January 27, 2017] KWizCom Confirmed as a Sponsor of aOS Canadian Tour in Toronto

TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KWizCom, a leading developer of SharePoint Forms & Mobile Solution, as well as multiple other ground-breaking SharePoint add-ons and apps for Office 365, has been confirmed a track Sponsor of aOS Canadian Tour in Toronto, and joins other sponsors in bringing this event to the Microsoft Canada Head Office in Mississauga on February 10, 2017. KWizCom will be participating in a speaking session, which will be presented by MVP Shai Petel, the Director of Research and Development at KWizCom. In his session, entitled "Who Said You Have to Be a Power-User to Create Dynamic Forms in SharePoint/O365?" Mr. Petel will demonstrate how non-technical business users can quickly create powerful forms by using KWizCom Forms - a 100% SharePoint-native Forms solution for SharePoint on-premises and Office 365. All KWizCom session attendees will have the opportunity to win one of the two $100 BestBuy gift cards. A random draw will be conducted at the end of the session to determine the lucky winners. The aOS Canadian Tour 2017 is a conference taking place in four different Canadian cities, over the span of five days. Starting February 6th the conference will tour from , to Montreal, Ottawa all the way down to Toronto with some of the most influential speakers from Europe and Canada.



The conference is aiming at delivering over 60 sessions to over more than 360 attendees and share the knowledge about some of the most common challenges organizations are dealing with when integrating Azure, Office 365 or SharePoint in their digitization strategies. The aOS Canadian Tour is a free event aimed at both technical and non-technical audiences with a focus on the business challenges and the value technology can bring to the organization. To learn more about aOS Canadian Tour 2017 or to register for the conference, please visit http://canada.aos.community/. To learn about the SharePoint add-ons and apps for Office 365 that KWizCom Corporation is offering, please visit the company's website at www.kwizcom.com.

Follow KWizCom on Twitter: @KWizCom

Become a fan of KWizCom on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KWizCom

Join KWizCom on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/kwizcom

Contact a KWizCom Account Specialist at +1-905-370-0333/+1-855-KWIZCOM or [email protected] About KWizCom Corporation

Since 2005, KWizCom has provided innovative solutions and services to make SharePoint even better for over 7,000 companies worldwide. KWizCom is a leading provider of SharePoint Forms, Mobile, Wiki solutions, and over 80 other add-ons for SharePoint on-premises and apps for Office 365. KWizCom software is available to federal, state and local government agencies through GSA schedule. KWizCom is a Gold Certified Microsoft Partner is headquartered in Toronto, Canada to find out more about the company visit www.kwizcom.com. Contact:

Sara Jhangiryan

905-370-0333 x 119

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kwizcom-confirmed-as-a-sponsor-of-aos-canadian-tour-in-toronto-300397665.html SOURCE KWizCom

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[January 27, 2017] Symphony Technology Group Acquires Fishbowl, Inc.

Fishbowl Inc., the leading customer engagement platform provider for the restaurant industry, announced today that it has been acquired by Symphony Technology Group (STG) based in Palo Alto (News - Alert), CA. Fishbowl will leverage the long standing expertise that STG has to offer and will welcome Marc Bala, STG Managing Director, and Adam Hendricks, STG Vice President, to its Board of Directors. STG is a strategic private equity firm with $2 billion in assets under management focused on transforming high-potential companies into definitive market leaders. The firm's long-term outlook allows its portfolio of software, data and analytics companies to develop innovative product offerings that will appeal to high-growth markets. "We found immediate alignment in terms of our long-term vision and strategic synergies with STG. They have a tremendous track record of delivering innovation and scale in the analytics and CRM space," said Dev Ganesan, CEO of Fishbowl. "STG's investment and strategic support will allow us to continue to scale our platform, empower restaurant brands to deliver successful customer experience and engagement, and revolutionize the restaurant industry."



Fishbowl's intelligent customer engagement platform, ingests and analyzes vast amounts of structured and unstructured data from myriad sources, including POS, email clubs, SMS, mobile, online ordering, reservations, loyalty and more, to uncover and predict critical guest insights, desires and preferences, identify strategies to execute data-driven decisions and engage in an omni-channel manner with guests in a more personal, relevant, and effective way using its engagement and targeting platform. "Fishbowl is an established leader in the restaurant industry with an excellent track record of providing innovative and mission-critical solutions that serve the needs of more than 250 of the world's leading brands and restaurant chains," said Bala. "We are thrilled to partner with Dev and the Fishbowl team to help accelerate the growth of the company's next generation customer engagement platform and to drive even more value for the leading brands that rely on Fishbowl daily to increase traffic and sales. We are looking forward to the journey ahead."

Canaccord Genuity acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Fishbowl. About Fishbowl Fishbowl empowers restaurants to become best in class marketers. Through its customer engagement platform, Fishbowl provides deep insights to execute data-driven decisions and personalized marketing that drive brand preference and amplify guest sales and visits. Fishbowl's highly scalable, SaaS (News - Alert) platform ingests data from myriad sources to uncover insights that can be leveraged across integrated digital marketing channels. Relied on by more than 70,000 restaurant locations to effectively engage guests, Fishbowl is headquartered in Alexandria, VA, with offices in Silicon Valley, UK, and India. For more information, please visit our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. About Symphony Technology Group (STG) Symphony Technology Group (STG) is a strategic private equity firm with the mission of investing in and building great technology and services companies. In addition to capital, STG provides transformation expertise to enable its companies to deliver maximum value to their clients, to drive growth through innovation, to retain and attract the best talent and to achieve best in class business performance. STG's current portfolio consists of 19 global companies. For more information, please visit www.symphonytg.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005113/en/

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[January 27, 2017] Vidsys Working with City of Houston To Provide Security During Super Bowl LI

Vidsys, the leading global software technology manufacturer of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) and Converged Security and Information Management (CSIM) software, today announced, as part of an ongoing effort with the City of Houston's Public Safety Video Initiative, it will support security efforts through situation management and data correlation capabilities during Super Bowl LI, 2017. The annual Super Bowl attracts massive crowds that create logistical, safety and traffic challenges on an enormous scale. Last year's event in San Francisco attracted over a million visitors. Special events require the mobilization of multiple departments and organizations within a city or region as well as a system that can manage and oversee all aspects of the operations. The Vidsys platform is a key component in managing events of this magnitude. It collects, analyzes, verifies, resolves and tracks information from multiple, disparate subsystems using open architecture standards to help mitigate and manage threats and risks. The software works directly with special response groups and connects command and control center communications and video footage, enabling authorized users from any location to view and manage situations in real-time. Vidsys' technology allows the City of Houston to share video and other importan data with security teams around the city, including the Houston Police Department (HPD), Houston Fire Department (HFD), Houston Emergency Center's Office of Emergency Management and Real-time Crime Center, other public safety agencies, as well as major venues (stadiums, the convention center, medical centers, and others).



The City utilizes Vidsys on a daily basis to provide situational awareness, collaborate and share video footage, and support incident management and response with other area public safety stakeholders. Vidsys is unique in that it supports a variety of government agencies charged with protecting Houston's citizens, ranging from law enforcement and emergency responders to traffic management, by enabling their collaboration through a common user-friendly interface. "The City of Houston is a long-valued customer, and our team looks forward to supporting their city-wide security and smart city efforts during the Super Bowl this year," said James I. Chong, CEO and Founder of Vidsys. "While large events are a logistical challenge, having the right technology, people, and process, along with a strong partnership reinforces a well-executed program."

Vidsys has begun preparations with Houston for Super Bowl LI which takes place on February 5th, 2017. About Vidsys Headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, USA, Vidsys provides transformational Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) and Converged Security and Information Management (CSIM) software platform that has been adopted by some of the world's leading brands and technology partners within key verticals, including Transportation, Energy, Utility, Healthcare, and Government. Vidsys software has obtained highest levels of information security and assurance from both top-tier global corporations and the US federal government. Vidsys is hardware, protocol, and device agnostic, and offers bi-directional, browser-based platform with industry-specific features and functions that allows sensors, devices, systems, subsystems, and services to be interconnected via open architecture APIs and SDKs. The platform collects, correlates and converts vast amounts of data into meaningful and actionable information, based on the organization's risk policy, standards and compliance requirements. By leveraging mobile and web-based technology, the software can be rapidly deployed and provides real-time situational awareness and information management capabilities. For more info, please visit www.vidsys.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005142/en/

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Veritas Capital Agrees to Acquire Government IT Services Business from Harris Corporation

Veritas Capital, a leading private equity investment firm, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which an affiliate of Veritas has agreed to acquire Harris Corporation's (News - Alert) (NYSE:HRS) government IT services business for $690 million in cash.

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, the business provides communications, engineering and IT solutions for Intelligence, defense, and federal civilian customers, including supporting NASA's Space Communications Network and Deep Space Network programs, and operates within Harris' Critical Networks segment, generating over $1 billion of revenue annually.

"Harris' government IT services business is a differentiated platform serving a mission critical role to its government customers," said Ramzi Musallam, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner at Veritas. "We look forward to leveraging our extensive experience in the government services market to support the Company's management team and highly skilled employees as they target new opportunities in both core and adjacent markets to grow he business."







The transaction is subject to regulatory review and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017.

Macquarie Capital is acting as financial advisor to Veritas in connection with the transaction.

About Veritas Capital

Veritas Capital is a leading private equity firm that invests in companies that provide critical products and services, primarily technology and technology-enabled solutions, to government and commercial customers worldwide, including those operating in the aerospace & defense, healthcare, technology, national security, communications, energy, and education industries. Veritas seeks to create value by strategically transforming the companies in which it invests through organic and inorganic means. For more information on Veritas Capital and its current and past investments, visit www.veritascapital.com.

About Harris Corporation

Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers' toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Learn more at www.harris.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005304/en/
Computer-aided Design Market - Drivers and Forecasts by Technavio

Technavio analysts forecast the global computer-aided design (CAD) market to grow at a CAGR of close to 7% 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/20170127005528/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global CAD market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global CAD market for 2017-2021. Market estimates come from the sale of CAD software licenses, services, maintenance, and revenue earned by software providers, service providers, and value-added resellers.

The global CAD market has witnessed the emergence of many new and innovative software. The development of new ideas and the launch of new products has encouraged companies to introduce changes such as the inclusion of new model templates, improved documentation, and enhanced support for mobile devices.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=56151

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 ICT analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global CAD market:

High adoption of cloud-based CAD in APAC

The availability of cloud-based services has increased in APAC. Industries are focused on reducing PLM adoption costs, which gives rise to the popularity of cloud-based PLM software. Various PLM service providers are implementing the technology on the cloud. Wipro (News - Alert) is providing cloud-based PLM services for the Siemens PLM Software, Teamcenter. Its cloud-based PLM services help electronics and semiconductor manufacturing companies deploy Teamcenter on the cloud This deployment through infrastructure as a service (IaaS) helps end-users reduce upfront costs and total cost of ownership (TCO).







The benefits of adopting cloud solutions are listed below:

Implementation of cloud solutions requires minimal investment.

Data is easily accessible from any location.

Cloud solutions are reliable and can be used for data backup in case of loss of data from the company's storage devices. They act as a disaster recovery service for SMEs.

Critical role of CAD in packaging machineries

Packaging machinery involves the packaging of products before their dispatch for storage and distribution networks. Packaging is a critical stage of marketing due to its strong impact on the purchase decisions of customers. Packaging machinery is used for labeling, coding, filling, and wrapping products. A major driver in the global packaging machinery market is the increase in the demand for smart packaging. This is mainly witnessed in the food industry, where hygiene is crucial. The growing concerns over wastage of food mainly drive the demand for smart packaging.

Ishmeet Kaur, a lead product lifecycle management research analyst at Technavio, says, "Food packaging has evolved significantly over the last few years. The method allows for preserving food for longer periods by using barrier layers and germicidal films. These factors have increased the consumption of packaged foods and the subsequent demand for packaging machinery."

Rising demand for CAD from semiconductor industry

The semiconductor industry is one of the major contributors to the overall revenue of the CAD market. The progressive reductions in the size of semiconductors and the increased scale of integration have compelled semiconductor manufacturing companies to use CAD. The software helps curtail the complexities involved in the design of semiconductor chips.

"The semiconductor industry is highly dominated by the US, Japanese, and South Korean companies. A notable incident in this industry was the fall of Japanese dominance and the rise of South Korea. This was due to the increase in R&D activities in the semiconductor industry by companies such as Samsung (News - Alert) and Intel," adds Ishmeet.

Top vendors:

Autodesk

Dassault Systemes

PTC

Siemens (News - Alert) PLM Software

Browse Related Reports:

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 cloud computing, IT hardware, and IT security. 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 [email protected].

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005528/en/
Prudential Financial, Inc. to Participate in Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2017 Insurance Conference; Live Webcast Available

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) will participate in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2017 Insurance Conference in New York on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. On that day at approximately 4:40 p.m. (ET) Mark Grier, Prudential Financial, Inc.'s Vice Chairman, will discuss the company's businesses and strategies.

Interested parties may listen to the presentation through a live audio webcast on Prudential Financial's Investor Relations website at www.investor.prudential.com. Please log on at least ifteen minutes early, to register and download and install any necessary software.







A replay will be available on the Investor Relations website through March 1, 2017.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of September 30, 2016, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005598/en/
[January 27, 2017] CarGurus Receives Two DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CarGurus, a leading car shopping site in the U.S., is the recipient of two "Top Rated" Awards for New Car Leads and Used Car Advertising in the eighth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards. The awards, presented at a special event on January 27th in conjunction with the 2017 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo, are based on DrivingSales Vendor Ratings, which comprise 35,000 validated user reviews. "CarGurus is honored to have won two Dealer Satisfaction Awards for car lead and advertising capabilities," said Langley Steinert, Founder and CEO of CarGurus. "From day one CarGurus has strived to be a transparent and valued resource for car dealerships and car shoppers alike, and we are proud that the value we provide to dealerships is being recognized. We want to thank our esteemed customers for sharing their feedback on DrivingSales and we hope to continue to deliver top-notch products in the years to come." CarGurus provides dealers with a proprietary deal rating across their inventory that delivers trust and transparency for shoppers, yielding stronger quality leads and greater inventory exposure. Vehicle listings are ranked solely based on the vehicles' deal rating and the dealer's reputation, thereby helping shoppers find the best deals from top-rated dealers. In turn, CarGurus, which attracts more than 21 million monthly shoppers, sends dealers leads that are confident in their vehicle's pricing and ready-to-buy. CarGurus will hold demos and dealer inventory analysis at Booth # 3801 during this year's National Automobile Dealer Association Convention & Expo being held from January 26-29 in ew Orleans.



"We congratulate CarGurus on earning the "Top Rated" for both Used Car Advertising and New Car Leads and for consistently contributing value to its dealership customers throughout 2016," said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. "DrivingSales Vendor Ratings help dealers make important, informed vendor decisions by providing peer reviews on solutions, leading them to outstanding service providers such CarGurus." The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January  December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings. DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings is the industry's only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons. The site provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.

Full award results are available online at http://dealersatisfactionawards.com/. Award winners are showcased in the Q1 2017 issue of DrivingSales Buyers Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the 2017 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to more than 2,000 of the top used car dealers in the U.S. The DrivingSales Buyers Guide represents over 1,000 automotive solutions and over 35,000 dealer reviews of those products from DrivingSales Vendor Ratings, identifying the solutions that have risen to the top. About CarGurus

Founded in 2006 by Langley Steinert, co-founder of TripAdvisor, CarGurus is a leading online automotive shopping destination focused on bringing transparency and efficiency to the car research and shopping experience. The site uses technology and market data analysis to help millions of automotive shoppers search for cars and quickly identify the best deals from top-rated dealers in their local area. Today, the site serves 21 million unique monthly users and more than 19,000 car dealerships with more than 5 million car listings, and it ranks #1 among car shopping websites in the U.S. by daily unique visitor traffic and mobile visitors as measured by ComScore Media Metrix. CarGurus also has sites in the U.K. and Canada. About DrivingSales

DrivingSales serves automotive retailers with an integrated suite of technology, knowledge, community and performance insight designed to advance the success of retail professionals and their dealerships. Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two-thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance. To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cargurus-receives-two-drivingsales-dealer-satisfaction-awards-300398296.html SOURCE CarGurus

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[January 27, 2017] Wells Fargo Donates $500,000 for Seattle-area Revitalization Efforts

Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced a total of $500,000 in donations for five local nonprofits that will help revitalize Seattle neighborhoods through the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT program. The Wells Fargo Foundation is providing grants to the following Seattle-King County nonprofits: Capitol Hill Housing - $100,000 grant to support construction of a mixed-use property in the community of White Center that will provide affordable housing options for low-to-moderate income families.

- $100,000 grant to support construction of a mixed-use property in the community of White Center that will provide affordable housing options for low-to-moderate income families. Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) - $100,000 grant to provide stable housing, and access to mental/behavioral/physical treatment to address the long-term needs of formerly homeless people living with severe and persistent challenges.

- $100,000 grant to provide stable housing, and access to mental/behavioral/physical treatment to address the long-term needs of formerly homeless people living with severe and persistent challenges. El Centro de la Raza - $100,000 grant to rehabilitate the El Patio Apartments and preserve affordable housing on Beacon Hill. The renovation will serve low-to-moderate income children, youth, families, elders, immigrants, Latinos and vulnerable populations.

- $100,000 grant to rehabilitate the El Patio Apartments and preserve affordable housing on Beacon Hill. The renovation will serve low-to-moderate income children, youth, families, elders, immigrants, Latinos and vulnerable populations. Homestead Community Land Trust - $100,000 grant to build Riverton Park Phase I, which will create 11 affordable homes for low-to-moderate income homebuyers in Tukwila. Once completed, Riverton Park Phase I will consist of 31 homes.

- $100,000 grant to build Riverton Park Phase I, which will create 11 affordable homes for low-to-moderate income homebuyers in Tukwila. Once completed, Riverton Park Phase I will consist of 31 homes. Mercy Housing Northwest - $100,000 grant to support construction of Mercy Othello Plaza in Seattle's Othello neighborhood. Upon completion, the development will include 108 affordable family housing units in two buildings, including indoor and outdoor gathering and activity space. The grants are funded through Wells Fago's NeighborhoodLIFT program that was launched in July 2016 for Seattle-King County homebuyers with a $5 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods. NeighborhoodLIFT will create hundreds of homeowners in Seattle-King County through homebuyer education plus matching down payment assistance grants up to $7,500.



Wells Fargo is collaborating with national nonprofit NeighborWorks America, and its local network member, HomeSight, to implement the program. More than $3.3 million in down payment assistance grants are still available and interested homebuyers may contact HomeSight or Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Seattle-King County for information about eligibility requirements. The Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT local initiative grants for Seattle-King County will provide support for neighborhood revitalization, homeownership, health and wellness, and neighborhood beautification.

"Wells Fargo cares about our communities and we are making these investments to continue the revitalization effort to strengthen the Seattle area," said Patrick Yalung, Wells Fargo regional president for Washington. "These nonprofits are actively leading programs to help stabilize housing, curb homelessness, and promote health and wellness and we believe these grants will add up to make a big impact." About NeighborhoodLIFT NeighborhoodLIFT program is the single largest corporate philanthropic effort of its kind in Wells Fargo's history. Since February 2012, LIFT programs combined have helped create more than 13,000 homeowners in 48 communities. A video about LIFT programs is posted on Wells Fargo Stories. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,600 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on Fortune's 2016 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170127005024/en/

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Britains Queen Elizabeth II pays a visit to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, east England, on January 27, 2017. The Queen visited the Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia (UEA). / AFP PHOTO / POOL AND AFP PHOTO / Arthur Edwards

Queen Elizabeth II on Friday carried out her first visit since suffering a cold over Christmas, visiting an exhibition on Fijian art and culture.The 90-year-old sovereign, who is the Church of Englands supreme governor, missed the Christmas Day church service at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, with a heavy cold that lasted around a fortnight.But she conducted her first visit of 2017 with a trip to the nearby town of Norwich to see an exhibition, Fiji: Art and Life in the Pacific.Two Fijian warriors carrying war clubs and wearing skirts made from dried bark strands symbolically guarded the monarch on her arrival. One of them was 19-year-old Joe Cokanasiga, a winger with London Irish rugby club.It was a bit cold out there but a real experience and honour to be asked to be here  we added some atmosphere to the occasion, he said.The head of state was fascinated by the war clubs inside the exhibition.We talked about the impact of one of those clubs, which would be quite impressive, said co-curator Karen Jacobs.Queen Elizabeth saw the tabua, or ceremonial whale tooth, which was presented to her during her first visit to Fiji in 1953.The exhibition features sculptures, textiles, and ceramics alongside ivory and shell regalia.Following its independence from Britain in 1970, Queen Elizabeth was Fijis monarch until 1987 when a coup installed a republic.
Charity Mumba recently tied the knot with Peter Grooves, described as "a very rich man after making his fortune in stocks and shares." recently tied the knot with Peter Grooves, described as "a very rich man after making his fortune in stocks and shares."

Since the wedding photos went viral on the internet, many people who are shocked by the age-gap described Charity as a disgrace and a gold digger. Commenting on the wedding snap online, one Mtokolo Limpo' said:

"Zambian women are a disgrace, you come all the way to dine with an old man, what special attention are you going to give him apart from sucking up his money."

Mercy Nhlovu said: That girl must be taken back to Zambia. Rubbish!"

"It is sad that women nowadays dont know how to work hard but find a life with a finished old man, very soon he is dying and she will inherit the properties" another wrote.

29-year-old Zambian lady who got married to 92-year-old South African businessman has come under fire.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted leave to Alex Oti of APGA to be joined as an interested party to challenge the election of Gov. Okezie...





The Supreme Court on Friday granted leave to Alex Oti of APGA to be joined as an interested party to challenge the election of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu as governor of Abia.Justice Clara Ogunbiyi led four other justices to arrive at the unanimous decision.The appellant applicant appeal challenging the Aug.5, 2016 judgment of the lower court has merit.The appeal is predicated on grounds of mixed law and facts and therefore, this court is compelled to grant it in the interest of justice.In the circumstance, the Aug.5, 2016 decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which refused to grant the applicant the permission to be joined in the pending Abia governorship suit is set aside.The prayer of the appellant urging this court consider his appeal against Gov. Ikpeazu Okezie is hereby deemed as filed before this court, she said. Ogubiyi also held that granting this leave for the applicant to appeal the decision of the lower court on the matter did not mean that the appeal could succeed.The law has established that once an application is challenging a matter on mixed law and facts, justice demands that he or she must be heard, she said.Justice Dati Yahaya, who presided over the case at the lower court, held that Oti failed to establish his interest in the internal affairs of the PDP.The court held that the subject of litigation between Dr Samson Ogah and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who were all members of the PDP, was the primary election of the party conducted on Dec. 8, 2014.The applicant, the court held, being member of APGA had no locus standi to question the primary election of the PDP.Yahaya also held that the applicant failed to give circumstantial reasons to sway the court to exercise its judicial discretion in his favour.Among others, the court held that the applicant failed to transmit the proceedings of the trial court to the Court of Appeal, where his interest was supposed to be established. According to the judge, Oti merely relied on affidavit depositions.The appellate court further held that allowing the applicant to join the dispute would amount to attempt to change the nature of the suit from an intra-party to an inter party tussle.Oti had called for his enthronement as governor of Abia, when Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court removed Ikpeazu from office. Abang had in the Oct.29, 2016 judgment made a consequential order returning Ogah as the governor.However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja unturned that decision by re-affirming Ikpeazus election.Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN), counsel to the governor, who spoke with newsmen after the session, said Oti had no chance in the ongoing appeals against his client.He said the decision of the Court of Appeal that re-affirmed Ikpeazu as governor had foreclosed his chances of making anything out of the suit.This tussle is strictly an intra-party matter. Oti is not a member of the PDP, only Ogah is in contention. In any case, the apex court is prepared to hear him, he said.
Nigerian Senator, Ben Murray Bruce, has stated that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is trying to effect change in the wrong manner.

To paraphrase @BarackObama Change wont come if we keep blaming other people or other administrations.We must be the change that we promised! January 27, 2017

Nigerian Senator, Ben Murray Bruce, has stated that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is trying to effect change in the wrong manner."To paraphrase Barack Obama Change won't come if we keep blaming other people or other administrations," he said."We must be the change that we promised!" he added.President Buhari recently exonerated SGF Babachir Lawal of corruption charges levelled against him. Senator Sani presented evidence of the deed.
Member of the Senate representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, on Friday condemned the administration of Governor Y...

Member of the Senate representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, on Friday condemned the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello.He alleged that people of the state have suffered more hardship under Bellos administration in the last one year.Melaye said this at a press conference in Abuja held by stakeholders of the Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress.
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, who is also the Governor of Ekiti state, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has said that Ni...

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, who is also the Governor of Ekiti state, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has said that Nigerians are tired of the All Progressives Congress.He said that the country was already looking forward to another change because of the APCs alleged poor handling of the nations economyHe spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the Expanded National Caucus of the PDP.He appealed to members of the PDP to remain steadfast and asked them not to be intimidated by the spate of arrests, incarceration, intimidation, provocation by the party in government.With the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, he said that the country was already tired of APC and was now yearning for another change.He said, The whole country is not only tired of the ruling party, they want another change. If not for the constitution, they want the change tomorrow.Fayose regretted that people did not seem to learn from the past as he noted that the same party that has been rejected by Nigerians is the party that people seem to be defecting to.
Even though I knew the position this man is coming from, especially as it concerns the Nigerian army, I made some sense from what the man was saying. At some point during the negotiation, some events propped up here in Nigeria. Nigerias Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has opposed the military option to The Gambian crisis. He argued that it would be counter-productive. At the same time, some pseudo blogs came up with the news that Jammeh as allegedly told President Buhari that he should go and free Nnamdi Kanu and Biafra before coming to tell me to go. As if things were all planned at the time, the Nigerian Senate woke up from its slumber, opposing the deployment of troops to The Gambia. The soon realize it was unconstitutional for the President to deploy troops after the soldiers have almost reached Senegal. Clearly, Jammehs agents are really hard at work here in Nigeria!
U.S. President Donald Trump will not be made an honorary citizen of the small German town from where his grandparents emigrated, the town...

U.S. President Donald Trump will not be made an honorary citizen of the small German town from where his grandparents emigrated, the towns mayor, Thomas Jaworek, said on Friday after a council meeting.Councillors in Kallstadt, the quaint village in Germanys wine-making Rheinland region that was home to Mr. Trumps grandparents, had been presented with a proposal to honour the newly inaugurated president.The towns councillors did not address the Trump proposal directly at the meeting, but instead reaffirmed their position that the town does not hand out honorary citizenships.Germanys own Republicans, a fringe party sharing the right-wing conservative values of their U.S. namesakes, lodged the request for honorary citizenship and even wanted to have a street or square named after him.There is no faction that supports the proposal, Mr. Jaworek said ahead of the meeting.The municipality of Freinsheim, which includes Kallstadt, also brushed aside a similar proposal, with a town spokesman saying Trump did not fulfill the requirements.Report says Mr. Trumps grandfather, Friedrich, who later anglicised his name to Frederick, set out from Germany for New York in the late 1800s and later headed west as part of the Gold Rush.He sent some of his earnings back to his relatives in Germany, where a distant few of them could still be found in Kallstadt.
C.E.O Northside Music ltd and Psquare's elder brother, Jude Okoye has reacted via his Instagram page below...





"Please name one top govt official that was arrested prosecuted and sent to jail in Nigeria? Just one........NONE. And we have been hearing how much loots recovered? From who? Breeze abi ghost? If this woman was in govt, she'd definitely be home sipping tea as I type this. The EFCC over the years have made so many arrests of a gov officials with no single conviction....why? Abi our judiciary no dey active? Or them dey free the culprits after getting #bankalert? The system is so fucked ...... VERY F*CKED. Una goodmorning o"
Nigerian and Watford forward, Isaac Success, has described his injury setback at the club as frustrating, adding that he does not believe juju is playing a part in his niggling knocks.The 21-year-old just returned to light training after a hamstring injury.The former Nigeria Under-20 players first season in England has not been a successful one so far as he has featured in only seven league games, scoring once.The former Granada forward said he still has a lot to contribute to the Hornets despite his injury problems.He told Watfords official website on Thursday, Im good and Im getting better.Im hoping to train with the team on Monday.Its frustrating as Im trying to make my name in the Premier League.I havent had the chance to impress. Everyone knows my ability but Ive got more to offer to the fans and the team.Success further debunked claims that his injuries were as a result of some African curses, known as Juju.I heard that.Im a Christian and I really dont believe in that. Injury comes when you are a professional and most of the time hard work can help prevent it.Ive really started working harder than before to prevent injuries. I believe Im coming back stronger and stronger than before.
A United States court has ruled that US security agents can arrest Senator Buruji Kashami for drug trafficking in coordination with loca...

A United States court has ruled that US security agents can arrest Senator Buruji Kashami for drug trafficking in coordination with local authorities outside the country, according to a report published by Daily Mail.The appeals court gave the ruling, while rejecting an appeal by the Senator that the court should prevent his abduction by US authorities to face heroin trafficking charges.According to the court, his arrest in collaboration with local authorities, will not amount to abduction.
Gunmen yesterday shot Ini Ekpo, lawyer to the founder of Reigners Bible Church International in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, Apostle A...

Gunmen yesterday shot Ini Ekpo, lawyer to the founder of Reigners Bible Church International in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, Apostle Akan Weeks.The lawyers assailants were said to have attacked him at his home in the capital city.It was gathered the gunmen entered the house through the main gate around 2.27a.m and moved into his room where they shot him twice on his two legs.The assailants were said to have taken four laptops.A family source, who did not want to be named, said the assailants accused Ekpo of helping Weeks to tell lies at the commission of enquiry the state government set up to probe collapse of the church building in December.Ekpo is said to be recuperating at an undisclosed private hospital.The state Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Aniekan Akpan said Ekpo was shot on his legs yesterday about 2 a.m.The lawyer said he visited Ekpo at the hospital.He said the police were investigating the matter to know if the attack was an assassination attempt or a robbery.He said: I just returned from the hospital where Ekpo is receiving treatment. The police are working on it to unravel the reason for the attack.Police spokesperson Cordelia Nwawe, an Assistant Superintndent of Police (ASP) said Ekpo was shot by hoodlums while his laptops were stolen.She said: We are on their trail. He was shot by hoodlums around Cabalar-Itu Road. We are currently on their trail. He is responding to treatment. It was a robbery attempt.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday described a statement credited to the Chairman of the Peoples ...

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday described a statement credited to the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Markafi, on the recent rumoured death of President Muhammadu Buhari as a silly thing.He also said that Buhari is hale and hearty.Mohammed said this while answering reporters questions at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.Markafi had while speaking with journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday alleged that some leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress were behind the rumoured death of the President.He said it was APC leaders who were interested in contesting certain positions in 2019 that were behind the rumour.The APC should point its searchlight inward and investigate itself as to the source of the rumour. The PDP has nothing to gain from anything; those who are peddling the rumour know themselves and they are in the APC.Some of them are already positioning themselves for power in 2019. The APC should investigate itself, he had said.But Mohammed said he would not join the debate because there were more serious national issues to attend to.The minister said, I dont want to lend my voice to a very silly thing. I will not join this debate. I think there are more serious issues of state to discuss than this issue.It is only in this part of the world that you wake up in the morning and you say the President of the country is dead. I will not join that kind of debate at all.In a statement later issued by his Special Adviser, Segun Adeyemi, the minister urged Nigerians to disregard the subversive messages being circulated via text messaging and the Social Media that President Buhari had died.He said the fabricated messages were being orchestrated by those who were threatened by the emerging order.Mohammed said there was no iota of truth in the messages being circulated on the health of the President, who is hale and hearty, and the purported emergency meetings of the state governors in Abuja or anywhere.He said the naysayers had also resorted to the use of ethnicity and religion as tools to divide Nigerians, overheat the polity and cause panic among the citizenry, in addition to using fake news and disinformation to distort government activities.
Mr Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has said that corrupt tendencies were more pronounced a...

Mr Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has said that corrupt tendencies were more pronounced among males than females.Looking at the number of people that have been apprehended by the commission, the number of men involved outnumber the women, Magu said on Friday, in Abuja,Magu made the statement when the executive committee of the National Council of Women Society (NCWS), paid him a courtesy visit.He said, however, that women were not pure or immune to greed, but that were only less corrupt. Magu described women as nation builders, stressing that their roles in ensuring the right societal values could never be over-emphasized.The EFCC boss stressed the need for collaboration between the commission and NCWS in the fight against corruption. He explained that the commission had never undermined the rule of law in its anti-graft fight, adding that the EFCC, aside tackling economic crimes, was working hard to put an end to political corruption.We respect the independence of the judiciary and auditing bodies in our efforts to ensure that the corrupt are prosecuted, while stolen assets are returned, he said.Magu craved womens support in the fight against corruption, and disclosed that the Lagos zone of the Women Against Corruption would be launched on Feb. 22, 2016 to enlist that support in the battle to rid Nigeria of the menace. Earlier, Dr. Gloria Shoda, President, NCWS, had said that achieving developmental goals would only be possible when resources in public trusts were properly utilized.Such misuse of resources has always been the problem in the country, she declared. Shoda commended President Muhammadu Buharis consistency in the fight against corruption, saying that it had raised the benchmark in public service.According to her, the behavioural changes have become evident while compliance to the rules of due process are encouraging. She said that EFCC had proved effective in governments bid to arrest the tide, and expressed readiness to partner with Buhari and EFCC toward restoring Nigeria to the path of dignity and glory .The NCWS official challenged the Federal Government to extend the vigour put into fighting corruption, to sectors like education, roads, healthcare and security. We want a Nigeria where our agricultural sector is functional and ranked among the best in the world, not just for the sake of economic diversification, she said.
Johnson Suleman, general overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, who recently escaped arrest from operatives of the Department of Sta...

Johnson Suleman, general overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, who recently escaped arrest from operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS), has revealed that his father is a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his hometown of Auchi in Edo state.Operatives of the secret police had stormed the hotel where the fiery preacher who was in Ekiti state for a 2-day crusade lodged, with the intention of arresting him.The incident happened days after Suleman told his security aides to kill any herdsman found around his church premises.Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti, had prevented the arrest.Addressing members of his church after the encounter, Suleman accused his opponents of giving the impression that he does not like the APC government.I am speaking to clear the air, because number one, people who are going about saying things about me, do not know me, he said.They owe me an apology for all of those statements. They are making the issue political, as if I am with PDP. Let me say this thing that Nigerians do not even know. Let me shock them. My father is a leader of APC in Auchi.If I were to be political, dont I know who to follow? But I am not interested in politics.Suleman, who said he had nothing personal against Fulanis and Muslims, vowed not to apologise for instructing his aides to go after herdsmen.I need to speak about this because of my friends and most of our northern pastors who have Fulani members, he said.Many of them have been so concerned. They said: Daddy, we know you love us. My driver in Lagos is a Muslim. He has been driving me for nine years and I have bought him two cars. If I am not tolerant, a Muslim wont drive me.One day, there was an issue that happened at the gate of the church and I met with all the security men. I discovered that one of them was a Muslim and I asked how he happened to be there.He said he had been here for a long time and he was their supervisor, chief security officer. The way people make comments online, they say, He has asked Muslims to kill Christians.I come from a Muslim family. Some of my family members are Christians, some are still Muslims I have decided to ignore them (people criticisng him) because your viewpoint is what determines your point of view. What gets your intention should not get your attention. They dont know me.Suleman said he was angry because those who he was referring to in the video, which went viral, are now rejoicing that the issue had veered towards a religious dimension.He said he has, and will continue to have, high regards for Fulani people who are tolerant and respect the sanctity of life.Suleman also singled out Muhammad Sanusi, emir of Kano, for commendation, narrating how the monarch built a church reportedly destroyed during crisis.Let me give you an example, the emir of Kano is an intelligent Fulani man. He is a Muslim. There was a church that was destroyed, but he rebuilt it, he said.Will I tell people to go and kill such a person? The Fulani people who are very enlightened have called me. They understand me.The reason Im speaking now is because the herdsmen whom I am angry against are happy that this issue has become a religious one.Ill not withdraw my statement and those of you who are my children and pastors need to know what Im fighting for, so that you can stand tomorrow and say this is what Im fighting for.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), said on Thursday that his ministry recovere...

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), said on Thursday that his ministry recovered N18.1billion of looted public funds in 2016.The minister, who was silent on the individuals and institutions from who the money was recovered, said efforts were on to recover more this year.We have made progress in the recovery of looted funds. Last year, over N15billion and $10.5m were recovered, Malami said.The AGF spoke in Abuja while playing host to members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, who were in the Federal Ministry of Justice in furtherance of their oversight function.He said Federal Governments efforts to effectively prosecute the anti-corruption war and recover more looted funds were being hampered by the legislatures delay in the passage of relevant bills such as the Proceeds of Crime Act and the need for autonomy for the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).He noted that the absence of these important laws informed why the country was not yet admitted as a member of the Financial Action Task force.The minister, who gave details of his ministry implementation of last years Appropriation Act, said it performed well despite the paucity of funds.He said of the N3, 921,612,815 allocated to the ministry in last years budget, N3, 723,833,877 has so far been released, from which it has expended N3, 672,730,661.16 as at December 31, 2016 on personnel and non-regular allowances.The Senate Committees Chairman, Senator David Umar, assured the minister of the committee willingness to assist the ministry surpass its last years performance.He said works were ongoing on the bills mentioned by the minister.
The Presidency on Thursday insisted that despite the rumour making the round on President Muhammadu Buharis state of health, the Presid...

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said this in an interview with CNBC Africa, which was monitored in Abuja.Adesina insisted that Buhari is only in London, United Kingdom, for vacation and is not in any hospital.He said, The President is in London on vacation. He is not in any hospital and he is not ill.When he was travelling last week, the statement we put out was that he was going on vacation and during the vacation, he would do routine medical check-up and nothing has changed from what we pushed out last week.If anybody has fed something else into the rumour mill, that is just what it is  rumour.When asked if Buhari would be willing to talk to Nigerians from the UK, Adesina said such a decision could only be taken by the President himself.The presidential aide said any attempt to compel Buhari to do so would amount to infringement on his rights.The fact that he is a President, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights.The President will talk if he wishes to. If he doesnt wish to, nobody will compel him to talk.The truth is that the President is on vacation and he has given a date on which he will return to work, Adesina said.
Justice Latee Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Thursday sentenced the Managing Director of Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, ...

Justice Latee Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Thursday sentenced the Managing Director of Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, Mrs. Ada Ugo-Ngali, to a jail term of 69 years for a fuel subsidy fraud of N754m.But the jail term would run concurrently for 10 years.The judge ordered the return of the N754m to the Federal Government.Justice Okunnu had on January 13, 2017 convicted Ugo-Ngali, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited and its Chairman, Mr. Walter Wagbatsoma, of eight counts pressed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.The judge had been unable to pass the sentence on the judgment day as Ugo-Ngali slumped in court after being convicted and just before the judge could pass the sentence.The convict was subsequently rushed out of the courtroom and taken to Havannah Hospital in Surelere from where she was later moved to the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.Ugo-Ngali came to court on Thursday straight from LUTH and on a wheel chair, with plasters on her body.In passing the sentence, Justice Okunnu rejected the plea of the convicts lawyer, Mr. Edoka Onyeke, praying that the sentence should be non-custodial in view of his clients health.I have considered the plea of the defence counsel for a non-custodial sentence of the 2nd defendant. I have to say that the request to grant a non-custodial sentence must be rejected and I can only exercise my discretion on the length of time the convict will spend in prison, Justice Okunnu held.She subsequently sentenced the convict to a cumulative jail term of 69 years, which would, however, run concurrently for only 10 years.The judge said the jail term would begin to read from January 13, 2017, when Ugo-Ngali and her accomplices were pronounced convicted.Wagbatsoma, who is the first convict in the case, is said to be currently under house arrest in the United Kingdom, where he is being held for money laundering, relating to a 12 million National Health Service Trust Fund.
Embattled Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has alleged that the Chairman of...

Embattled Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has alleged that the Chairman of the party.John Oyegun has made moves to sack Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the party.In a release he signed and made available to newsmen, he warned the National Chairman to stop running ruling party like a dictator, stressing that the plan by the chairman to review partys constitution is a grand plot against the national leader of the party, Bola Hammed Tinubu, myself and other leaders who oppose his leadership style.The National Chairman had, on Wednesday, set up a constitution review committee headed by the partys National Legal Adviser Muiz Banire, with a charge to closely look at the provisions for discipline members he (Oyegun) described as problem within the party to be speedily neutralised.Chief Oyegun is vigorously working to ensure that he pushes out some prominent members of the party including the National Leader Bola Tinubu, myself and so many other leaders who have spoken against his leadership style which is now more of a dictator, he said.Comrade Frank also noted that it is shameful for the National Chairman to talk of indiscipline when he has breached the same constitution more than any other persons. His leadership has breached party constitution several times, even as regard to National Convention which the party law states clearly that it must be held every two years.Oyegun is talking about indiscipline when there are several allegations of bribery and favouritism yet unanswered hanging on his neck.The APC deputy spokesman challenged his national chairman to tell the world how he plan to fill some vacant positions in the NWC when he is talking of non elective national convention.He said if APC is a Democratic Party, members should be allowed to criticises the wrong doing of the handlers.Some of us have prepared to meet them at the convention no matter the evil agenda they are planning against us, Frank said.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the President to speak to Nigerians concerning his health.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the President to speak to Nigerians concerning his health.The NLC argued that it would be proper for the President to make a public appearance to dispel rumours in the country about his health.The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, told one of our correspondents on Thursday that the President should speak to Nigerians since Nigerians were worried about his health.He said the President should call the bluff of those peddling orchestrated rumours by publicly addressing the citizenry.Ozo-Eson said, In the social media, stories circulate without confirmation; I think that the easiest way is to talk publicly to the nation because the citizens are concerned about their leaders whereabouts.If there are those who orchestrated rumours and they are not true, the easiest way is for him to reach out to Nigerians through a public appearance and a statement.Nigerians have a right to be certain about the health situation of their President and the people who orchestrate rumours and unsubstantiated reports, one would wish for him to call their bluff by publicly addressing the citizens.But the TUC said it would not be necessary for the President to address Nigerians since he had not been away for long.The President of the TUC, Mr. Bala Kaigama, stated that Buhari demanded a rest and handed over government to the Vice-President.According to him, Nigerians can talk about the Presidents health if he fails to return after the 10-day period of rest he requested.He said, Why do we have to make noise about this? He is coming back; if he were to go and stay for a very long time, it is a different thing. If we have patience, he will come back. We are just being unnecessarily demanding.This is somebody who demanded a rest and he has handed over the government to the Vice-President. So our concern is how the VP is handling it; but it his health that has become the issue of the moment.But we should allow the old man to have his rest. It is normal for somebody of that age to need rest from time to time. If he goes to rest that does not mean that government will not work now. Let the old man enjoy his rest.If he does not come back on the day he is supposed to come, that is when can talk, but for now, lets allow him to have his rest, why does he have to come and address us? It doesnt make any sense.The Executive Secretary, Anti-corruption Network, Ebenezer Oyetakin, faulted the call for Buhari to address the nation from the UK, describing it as mischief.He said, I do not subscribe to that. It smacks of mischief from such people. We are Africans. We have cultural discipline on some issues.He has done the appropriate thing by handing over to the VP as Acting President. Let us be patient and maintain a sense of decorum and respect to the institution of governance.The Presidency on Thursday insisted that despite the rumour doing the rounds on President Muhammadu Buharis state of health, the President is not ill.The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who said this in an interview with CNBC Africa, which was monitored in Abuja, said Buhari could not be compelled to speak from the United Kingdom.Adesina insisted that Buhari was only in London, UK, for vacation and was not in any hospital.He said, The President is in London on vacation. He is not in any hospital and he is not ill.When he was travelling last week, the statement we put out was that he was going on vacation and during the vacation, he would do routine check-up and nothing has changed from what we pushed out last week.If anybody has fed something else into the rumour mill, that is just what it is  rumour.When asked if Buhari would be willing to talk to Nigerians from the UK, Adesina said the decision could only be taken by the President himself.The presidential aide said any attempt to compel Buhari to do so would amount to infringement on his rights.The fact that he is a President, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights. The President will talk if he wishes to. If he doesnt wish to, nobody will compel him to talk.The truth is that the President is on vacation and he has given a date on which he will return to work, Adesina said.Also on Thursday, the Federal Government debunked the rumour doing the rounds that governors met in Abuja on Thursday and deliberated on the health of Buhari.It said the report was false. It also added that the governors were also not planning to send representatives to London to see the President.The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this when he received members of the Presidential Initiative Committee on the North-East, who visited him in Abuja.Mohammed said there was no need for the alleged visit, stating that the President was merely observing his leave as stated in the letter sent to the Senate before leaving the country.He called on Nigerians to stop wishing their leaders sickness and death, saying there was nothing wrong with the President.The minister added, I would like to use this medium to refute the claim in some quarters that governors would meet in Abuja today (Thursday) and have discussion over the health of the President.Those peddling the rumour also claimed that the governors would send emissaries to the President in London.The report is false because the governors are not going to meet and will not send any emissary anywhere because the President is hale and hearty.Mohammed appealed to Nigerians to stop preaching what he described as hate and also stop wishing their leaders bad things.He also urged those behind the rumour to stop it forthwith.
Three former ministers are to face trial over the $470million Lagos and Abuja Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) contract  if t...

Three former ministers are to face trial over the $470million Lagos and Abuja Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) contract  if the government accepts a committees recommendation.The House of Representatives adhoc committees report indicted the ministers who served between 2010 and 2014 in the Ministry of Police Affairs, which handled the project during the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration.The ministers  Alhaji Adamu Waziri, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (retd) and Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan  as well as a former Permanent Secretary of the defunct ministry, Mr. James Obeigbu, allegedly mismanaged funds meant for the installation of the cameras.The chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ahmed Yerima, tabled the report yesterday, but its debate was put off till next week. This is the second time this week that the report has been stood down.Among others, the report recommends that:*the former ministers and officials of the defunct Ministry of Police Affairs (who served between 2010 and 2014) should be prosecuted over the rationale and motive for the removal and or disappearance of the operational and maintenance costs of the project from its initial proposals, as that singular act contributed to the non-performance of the network;former Permanent Secretary of the defunct ministry Mr. James Obeigbu be prosecuted for deliberately refusing to release N3billion meant for network operations and maintenance;ZTE Nigeria Limited, which was awarded the contract, should refund the discrepancy amount certified after the audit exercise or supply equipment and spares of commensurate value as may be required by the ministry, otherwise, the figure should be deducted from the outstanding debt of US$20,247,172.00 certified by the Ministry of Police Affairs as being owed ZTE for running the network from January to June, 2013;*a forensic audit of the outstanding debt being owed ZTE for running the system for several months should be conducted and the actual cost be verified and considered at the exchange rate of US dollar at that period (2013). Thus, the equivalent of the cost established after the verification in USD in year 2013, should be calculated and paid to ZTE to save the country the extra cost.the Executive should not privatise the National Public Security Communication-System (NPSCS). It should be ceded to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), which is the statutory body overseeing all security agencies; and*that the Office of the NSA should set up a department that reports directly to the NSA. It will direct the activities of the NPSCS by utilising the trained engineers on the system from NIGCOMSAT and the Police to maintain the active elements, as well as, training of other security agencies to join the operations, and to supervise the activities of Managed Service Providers.The House will next week debate the report.The CCTV contract was awarded in 2008 for $470 million under the National Public Security Communications System (NPSCS).Only 40 cameras were working, of the 1000 installed in Abuja. The contractors said they were in the process of re-activating the remaining 960, which they said were vandalised.Despite claims by the contractor that the $470m CCTV project under the National Security Communications System (NPSCS) was completed and delivered to the Federal government in 2012, the Committee found out that only 40 cameras were functioning in Abuja.The investigation was launched following the adoption of a motion on October 15, 2015, when it was revealed that the country was short-changed in the execution of the contracts awarded by the Jonathan administration.The Ahmed Yerima-led ad hoc committee noted that the naira equivalent of the money was over a trillion.The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) said due process was not followed in the award of the contract.Prior to the public hearing on the projects, Yerima, in a statement, recalled how the Seventh House of Representatives conducted a similar probe, but the report did not see the light of day.A Chinese firm, ZTE, handled the projects and reportedly stalled the process after collecting $100m of the contract value.The committee explained that $100m was around 20 per cent of N6.07trillion 2016 national budget.The committee gave details of the projects: The contract for the installation of CCT cameras in Abuja and Lagos by the Ministry of Police Affairs is part of a larger project titled: Nigerian National Public Security Communications System, facilitated by an EXIM Bank of China loan.The CCTV camera installations is only an integral part of the entire project, which includes the installation of 2,000 digital solar-powered cameras, 1,000 each for Abuja and Lagos; 37 switch rooms, microwave backbone; 37 coalition emergency response systems; 38 video conference subs-systems; 37 e-police systems; six emergency communication vehicles; and 1.5million phone lines for subscribers to generate revenue. On the opening day of the public hearing on 28 January 2016, Hon. Yerima said security was a major issue that led to the concept of a larger project, the National Public Security Communication System (NPSCS) of which the installation of CCTV was just a part.The purpose of the CCTV contract was to facilitate real time, online communication between security agencies to enhance their capacities in fighting crime.Failure to complete the NPSCS contract has its attendant negative effect on the capacity of our security agencies to fight crime as they ought to do. The need to resolve the issue of the failed contract quickly and move forward will reposition the crime fighting capacity of our security agencies.Bomb attacks on Abuja would have been reduced to the barest minimum and investigation made easier, had these cameras and security network systems been in place, Yerima said.The Director General (DG) of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Emeka Eze, said due process was jettisioned in the award of the contract.Explaining that the execution of a contract of such magnitude ought to have been issued a certificate by the BPP, Eze added: The contract for the CCTV installation in Abuja and Lagos under the NPSCS was not processed at BPP prior to the award.Considering the purported sum of the contract to the tune of $470m, the contract ought to have been accompanied by the certificate of no objection issued by the BPP.ZTE Nigeria Managing Director, Mr. Hao Fuqiang reiterated at the public hearing that the NPSCS project was completed and delivered as one of worlds best Video Surveillance System (VSS) to the Federal Government.According to Hao, the NPSCS project is made up of five components or subsystems Comprising Global Open Trunking Architecture (GoTa) Sub-system. This is the dominant component of the system.It is a CDMA based voice and data telecommunications system with national coverage. It operates through 2Nos Mobile Switch Centre (MSC) with one each in Lagos and Abuja, 12Nos Base Station Controller (BSC), 675 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and 21 Microwave repeaters. The GoTa system supports the deployment of 1.5 million subscriber lines.It also includes Video Surveillance Subsystem, which comprises 2000 surveillance cameras with a thousand each installed in Abuja and Lagos.The ZTE boss explained that the GoTA technology deployed in the NPSCS project had grown to be the global leader in specialised digital truncking standards. It has been deployed in over 40 countries including Norway, Poland , Russia, Ghana, Morocco, Chech Republic and China, among others.Hao said: The VSS was also successfully used by the Nigerian Police on some instances, such as Abuja Airport incident involving theft of US$1million, tracking and arresting of drug dealers in Oshodi, Lagos and capturing of the Lagos Airport robbery.The then Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, said contrary to widely held view, the police high command was not involved when the project was conceptualised.Represented by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Mrs Amisor Onu, the IGP acknowledged that there was a building housing the control switch and other facilities of the NPSCS project at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.The building is there as we speak. Since we came on board, nothing is functioning there. There is no fuel to run the control room, he said.
United States President Donald Trumps ill-considered comments about expanding the U.S. nuclear arsenal are among the reasons a group ...

United States President Donald Trumps ill-considered comments about expanding the U.S. nuclear arsenal are among the reasons a group of nuclear scientists on Thursday moved their symbolic doomsday clock 30 seconds closer to midnight.The scientists, who have been assessing global security for 70 years, said the global security landscape darkened last year for a number of reasons, but cited Trumps statements in particular.The presidents intemperate statements, lack of openness to expert advice, and questionable cabinet nominations have already made a bad international security situation worse, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said.Lawrence Krauss, a physicist and member of the bulletins board, said moving the clock to two-and-a-half minutes before midnight is historic.The clock has not been closer to midnight in 64 years, he said in a news conference.In addition, they cited his disturbing comments about the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons for their decision to move the clock and his questioning of climate change.But the scientists also said the international community failed to come effectively to grips with both nuclear weapons and climate change last year.Beyond the election of Trump the scientists listed a number of other reasons for their assessment, including strains in relations between theUS and Russia, which together possess more than 90 per cent of the worlds nuclear weapons, and North Koreas underground nuclear tests.The doomsday clock first appeared 70 years ago as a graphic on the first cover of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists magazine.Over the decades the scientists have recognised climate change as an additional threat, and in their report said it could change life on Earth as we know it.(dpa/NAN)
The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned its staff at the partys secretariat to stop soliciting for mone...

The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned its staff at the partys secretariat to stop soliciting for money from visitors.Party leaders issued the warning at a closed-door meeting yesterday with the staff working at its national headquarters at Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.Vowing to punish anyone caught in the act, sources at the meeting said the attitude had become a source of embarrassment for the party leaders who usually received key political figures, foreign diplomats, and businessmen.The party leadership has warned us not to run after politicians for money again, a source told Daily Trust.They said they are not happy with the unruly conduct of some of our people here whenever some gift is given by any visitor to the secretariat, the source added.Meanwhile, APC said it was working on a new constitution ahead of its national convention fixed for April.APC noted that the constitution will check internal opposition, usher in a reconstituted Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as deal with those who derailed the plan to have its preferred candidates elected as principal officers of the National Assembly.
A suspect standing trial for crimes that include kidnapping, Henry Chibueze, also known as Vampire has escaped from Imo High Court premise...

A suspect standing trial for crimes that include kidnapping, Henry Chibueze, also known as Vampire has escaped from Imo High Court premises following a shootout between gunmen and security operatives.The attack left several persons wounded. No death has been reported so far.Men suspected to be members of a gang attacked the operatives when the suspected criminal and other inmates arrived at the premises of the Imo High Court in Owerri, the capital of the southeastern state.Eyewitness said the gunmen, over six of them, found their way into the court premises shortly after over 50 inmates were conveyed to court for hearing of various suits filed against them.The gunmen opened fire on the security operatives and inmates at the court premises shooting sporadically into the air for over 10 minutes leaving several people wounded,.According to the eyewitness, the gunmen were able to whisk away Henry Chibueze, whom was described as a notorious criminal and kidnapper who has been in prison since July 2015.We were here in the court premises when a lawyer came to call us to enter room three for hearing. Shortly after that we started hearing sporadic gunshots. About six gunmen entered the court and started shooting. Some people were even wounded. They came with a Jeep and eventually they whisked away one of the inmates who the prisons officials brought to the court for hearing. The gunshot lasted over 10 minutes, the eyewitness, who do not want to be named told reporters.Confirming the incident to reporters, the spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force in Imo State, Maduba James, said the suspect, Chibueze, also known as Vampire was presently at large and that over five persons were critically injured due to the sporadic gun shots by the gunmen.He told reporters that security operatives were on top of the situation to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order in the state.Mr James said: We were in the office this morning when we got a call that some gunmen were in the court premises. We thought they were DSS officials because by then we were conveying over 50 inmates to the state High Court for hearing.However, the gunmen attacked some of our men and some of the inmates. They are critically injured now and have been taken to a hospital.Meanwhile, one of the inmates, who we know as Vampire, is at large presently but my controller and other security operatives are on top of the situation.At the moment, there is heavy presence of security operatives in the court premises and several clusters of people discussing the sad incident.
Guy Verhofstadt MEP, the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, speaks with UpFront on Al Jazeera:

Guy Verhofstadt MEP, the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, speaks with UpFront on Al Jazeera:

 Declares it technically impossible for the UK to have a new trade deal in place with the EU in two years  time

 Suggests its always possible that the UK might rejoin the EU in the future and it could be a "little bit faster a process"

 Describes Brexit and other political challenges to the EU - from Trump to Putin - as an existential threat





In an interview with Al Jazeera Englishs current affairs show, UpFront, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, was asked whether it would be possible for the UK government to negotiate both Brexit and a new trade deal with the EU by 2019. Thats technically impossible, he said.





He emphasized that while they are not looking for a punitive exercise, the EU parliament will want a fair and generous agreement, where you can never have outside the European Union a better status than as member of the European Union.





Verhofstadt also gave his thoughts on whether the UK could potentially re-enter the EU in the future under a different government. That is always possible, he said. They can always reintroduce a request for membership of the European Union Certainly, we have enough experience to make it a little bit a faster process than what is normal.





Asked about which issue drove 52% of Britons to vote for Brexit in June 2016, Verhofstadt replied: Mainly the migration. Its very clear.





When asked by UpFront host Mehdi Hasan if xenophobia and specifically a Little Englander mentality explained the Brexit vote, the MEP and former Belgian prime minister responded, Thats maybe a good explanation.





The senior MEP and former Belgian prime minister also agreed that the numerous challenges facing the EU - the election of Donald Trump, the rise of Putins Russia, Brexit, and the fiscal and refugee crises - constitute an existential threat to the future of the union.




Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has said that he is only a rival with Barcelonas Lionel Messi, because they play for different clubs and try to be the best player for their teams.However, he insisted that there is no need to compare them, as they are both great players.For me, this fight doesnt exist, Ronaldo told reporters after Chinese publication, Dongqiudi, named him their 2016 best player.You cant compare players. Cristiano is Cristiano and Messi is Messi, Ronaldo replied reporters.We are both great players with individual and team titles that speak for themselves. The comparison? I dont like to compare, that word doesnt exist for me. We are different, two people just doing their jobs, that is all.Ronaldo insists both players have mutual respect for each other.He said: He tries to be the best player for his team and I try to do the same for mine. We are rivals because we play for different clubs, but when we are together we show each other mutual respect. We have a normal relationship.People compare us all that time, that is normal. People even compared our sons when they were born and talk about who is the fastest and smartest at school. This is all part of the business. But I think that you cant compare these things.The Portugal captain added: I just dont care about [my critics]. I try to do my job and be myself, everyone has people who hates them and its part of the business.But, I go to bed happy every night, Im not here to satisfy my critics as Im here for my fans and those who make me happy.
The Nigerian army says the Zurmi emirate council in Zamfara state has handed over three suspected Boko Haram members to it.

The Nigerian army says the Zurmi emirate council in Zamfara state has handed over three suspected Boko Haram members to it.Abdullahi Adamu, commanding officer, 223 light tank battalion of tactical operation unit, Gusau, said the suspects were apprehended by a local vigilante in the area.He said the three suspects had been moved to the 1 division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, for interrogation.Based on our preliminary investigation, we discovered that the suspects may be connected to the fleeing Boko Haram members who were recently disbanded by the military from Sambisa forest of Borno state, Adamu said.The commanding officer further commended the emirate council and local vigilantes for their efforts in arresting the suspects.He said AK 47 riffles, over 600 ammunition, illicit drugs, charms and other belongings were recovered from the suspects.
PARAMUS - After trying for years to win permission to expand its Ridgewood facility, The Valley Hospital will instead build a new hospital in Paramus, officials announced Friday.

The new building, offering 372 acute-care beds, is expected to open in 2023.

Valley's Ridgewood campus will continue to see patients, but for out-patient services only.

The announcement ends years of speculation about the hospital's next move. The hospital had been thwarted in its desire to expand, with Ridgewood twice rejecting proposals to expand. The hospital, built in 1951 with 108 beds, in a highly competitive market.

Valley officials laid out this timetable: They will apply for state approval of the relocation next week, begin construction in 2019, and open for patient care in 2023.

The new hospital will be built across the street from existing Valley facilities. (The Valley Hospital)

The new campus is 2 1/2 miles south of the current hospital, and is across the street from Valley's cancer and same-day-surgery centers. The hospital's property on Winters Avenue is near the Fashion Center and Paramus Park mall.

While the hospital's design is not final, officials said it would offer 372 beds and range in height from three to seven stories.

Once Valley's in-patient and emergency services are relocated in Paramus, the Ridgewood site will offer an urgent-care center, and laboratory, radiology and endoscopy services. Other outpatient services and some business administration may move back there as well, officials said.

Paramus mayor Richard LaBarbiera praised the move, saying "The 'New' Valley Hospital will help revitalize an aging industrial and office-use area of Paramus, bring much needed roadway improvements, provide economic benefits for the entire town, and diversify a retail-dependent tax base."

The new hospital will have only private rooms. In addition, the operating rooms will meet all of the standards to allow them to be used for general surgery, minimally invasive robotic surgery, cardiac catheterizations or endovascular procedures.

Valley officials said they will be meeting with town employees to work on traffic flow patterns at the new site.

"We very much look forward to continuing to work with Mayor LaBarbiera and the Council, and will be hosting Town Hall meetings for the residents of Paramus to introduce our project to the Borough," said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System.

More details about the site and timetable are available at a new website, Valley has launched a new website, www.TheNewValleyHospital.com and a Facebook page, Facebook.com/TheNewValleyHospital.

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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File photo of Orange High School.

ORANGE -- A referendum vote passed overwhelmingly last November by the residents of a New Jersey town under FBI investigation might be squashed before it actually sees the light of day.

The Orange Board of Education at a meeting Monday night voted in favor of retaining special counsel to attempt to nullify a vote that would switch the Board of Education from one made of members appointed by the mayor, known as a "Type I" school, to one of those elected by the people, known as "Type II."

Nearly 80 percent of voters in Orange passed the measure in November.

Board of Education President Cristina Mateo said one of the main motivating factors behind the decision to challenge the referendum was a $2.5 million bond for capital improvements to several school buildings in the district. The city council approved the bond last year, but it has not yet been paid out.

According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, because the bond was put before the council on Nov. 14, and approved on Dec. 20 -- both after the referendum vote -- it is invalid. Now that the school district is Type II, it must follow a different procedure to get capital funding.

"We don't care if (the board) is elected or if it's appointed," Mateo said in a phone interview. "But, now we are talking about financial issues where the school is losing."

If the board reverts to a "Type I," with an appointed board, the funding could remain.

The question as it appeared on the ballot, as taken from a sample ballot provided by the Essex County Clerk's Office.

According to Stephen Edelstein, one of the attorneys hired to petition the referendum vote, the Board of School Estimate - which was made up of members of the Board of Education and the city council - had a final say on annual budgets and on bonds used for capital improvement projects.

Switching to a "Type II" school, there would be no Board of School Estimate, and bonds would need to be voted on by the public, he said.

"We're not sure that people understood that," he said. "We don't think it was explained."

The move to reverse the referendum vote would be based on the wording used in the referendum question, he said.

"We don't dispute the vote," Edelstein said.

"It's about the process...whether or not the (ballot question) was framed correctly...and whether or not the public had a fair understanding of what they were voting on."

According to Edelstein, the repercussions of the vote were not explained in the language used on the ballot people voted on in November.

By next week, Edelstein said he plans to file a motion in either state Superior Court or with the commissioner of education seeking a declaratory judgment on whether or not the wording used in the referendum was valid.

But, residents and elected officials in the city question the board's motivations behind the move.

"The language was clear and concise," said Councilman Kerry Coley. "The people who voted knew that they wanted to vote for an elected board over an appointed one."

A New Jersey School Boards Association spokesperson was not aware of any other similar referendum vote in other towns being overturned. Language used on ballots in other towns that have switched from Type I to Type II districts over the past five years was similar to that used in Orange.

According to Edelstein, if the referendum is declared null and void, the appointed board would remain in place. It would be up to the city council to decide whether or not residents would vote on the measure again this year, he said.

In the meantime, the city clerk's office has been moving to hold a special election in March to fill two new elected seats on the board. According to the county clerk's office, 21 people filed petitions to fill those two unexpired terms before Monday's filing deadline.

If the referendum vote stands, residents will vote in board members a few at a time, until the entire board is made up of elected members in 2019.

A spokesman for Mayor Dwayne Warren did not respond to a request for comment. After the vote in November, Warren said he was looking forward to switching the board to one that was popularly elected.

"I'm disgusted by this," said Karen Wells, who said she was one of about 25 residents who attended Monday's meeting to speak out against the board's vote.

"We keep doling out (tax dollars)...city hall is a mess, and now this with the school board," she said, referring to an ongoing federal investigation into government spending in Orange.

The vote from the Board of Education, which is not being investigated, comes only a few weeks after the FBI raided city hall, seeking documents related to several of Warren's appointees there.

As a result of the November vote, there are only 15 non-special school boards in New Jersey that are made up of appointed, not elected, members.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Two men are facing federal drug-trafficking charges after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted more than 9 pounds of cocaine being mailed to Essex County from Puerto Rico.

Vladimir Karilen and Jose Flores Maldonado are both charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine under a criminal complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Newark.

According to the complaint, investigators intercepted the package on Monday while being mailed from Puerto Rico to an address in Newark. Postal inspectors found just over 9 pounds of the drug stuffed inside shrink-wrapped boxes of children's toys, the complaint states.

After a woman came to an unspecified Newark post office on Wednesday looking for the package, she was confronted by the inspectors, according to the complaint. After she contacted Karilen to pick up the package at the Newark address, the complaint states, he was arrested by officers waiting inside the residence.

Investigators confronted Maldonado outside after they found him in a waiting car, the complaint states. Inside the car, they allegedly found $2,062 in cash, multiple cellphones and a ledger of apparent drug transactions.

Both men made initial appearances Thursday before Magistrate Judge Leda D. Wettre, and were released after posting $100,000 unsecured appearance bonds, according to court records.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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DeJuan Franklyn (left) and Summer Ahmed (right) (Photos: PAPD)

( )

NEWARK

-- A Union County couple robbed a traveler from England at a Newark Liberty International Airport train station before the duo was stopped by Port Authority police and workers, officials said Friday.

The 30-year-old woman, from Cambridge, England, was approached by Summer Ahmed, 21, and DeJuan Franklyn, 20, at the airport's Northeast Corridor train station platform around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Port Authority police spokesman Joe Pentangelo.

The pair pursued the woman and took her pocketbook, the spokesman said. Franklyn put his hand in his pocket to simulate a gun and threatened the woman, who went to an NJ Transit worker for help.

Pentangelo said the couple took off running, but Ahmed was detained by NJ Transit staff in a ticketing area, the spokesman added.

Franklyn jumped a turnstile, ran into the train track area and fled into a fenced off restricted area, according to police. A contractor working in the area managed to detain the alleged assailant.

Meanwhile, Ahmed fled again before she was stopped by Port Authority police, the spokesman said. The officers recovered the woman's pocketbook.

Ahmed, of Elizabeth, and Franklyn, of Plainfield, were each charged with robbery and conspiracy. Franklyn faces added charges of trespassing and having a small amount of marijuana.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Lamont Anderson, 21, was brought in Thursday (Jan. 26) from East Carroll Parish, where he is serving a five-year prison term, to testify for the defense in the murder trial of Clifford Williams, his sister's former boyfriend. Anderson was forced to admit under cross-examination that he lied to the jury about how recently he last spoke with the defendant.
With spike in violence, New Orleans had more shootings per capita than Chicago in 2016
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Saints' Jeff Ireland has no set philosophy with regards to trading up in draft
DENISON  Shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, Crawford County Sheriff James Steinkuehler released the news that many had been praying for to bring some closure to the family and friends of 15-year-old Yoana Acosta.

The missing teens remains had been found in the Boyer River, not far from the Crawford County Fairgrounds, located on the northwest side of Denison.

It was the eighth day of a search operation that had started early in the morning on Jan. 19, after Acosta was missing from the scene of an accident in the Boyer River.

She was one of five occupants in a car that had left a farm field and crashed into the river. One occupant got to the rivers bank and walked to a trailer house directly east of the accident site. The homeowner called the county communications center, and the Crawford County Sheriffs Office was paged at 3:06 a.m.

Three of the remaining occupants of the vehicle were rescued, including Acostas sister, Valeria, 19. But Yoana, who was last seen standing in the water, was gone.

The driver, Ramon Hernandez, 25, of Denison, was arrested Wednesday. He has been charged with three counts of drug distribution  marijuana - to persons under 18 years of age, a controlled substance violation  marijuana, reckless driving and failure to maintain control.

In the days that followed the crash, an extensive search was conducted by local law enforcement, volunteer firefighters, emergency personnel, dive teams, and dive teams and volunteers from other Iowa counties.

At the end of the second day, Jan. 20, the sheriff said the search was focused on recovery to give the girls family some closure.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, members of Iowa Task Force-1, based in Sioux City, arrived to search the river. They were joined today by members of Offutt Fire & Rescue from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

The water level in the river had been dropping since the time of the accident, and members of those teams could walk the river  close together, 16 people across  with other team members providing support about 15 feet above on the banks of the river.

Cadaver dogs had also been scheduled to walk grassy banks of the river.

More details about the discovery will be available following a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.
A Council Bluffs business has received a financial boost for a major expansion.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board recently awarded direct financial assistance and tax benefits to three companies for job creation and expansion projects, including Rasmussen Mechanical Services at 3100 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs.

The company plans to purchase a nearby building on Nebraska Avenue in its expansion plans.

Were excited, said Brian Rasmussen, chief operating officer. Weve been on Nebraska Avenue since the early 1970s. Its been our home for a long time.

The IEDA board awarded Rasmussen tax benefits through its High Quality Jobs program, which provides qualifying businesses tax credits and direct financial assistance to off set some of the costs incurred to locate, expand or modernize a facility.

To qualify for this assistance package that includes loans, forgivable loans, tax credits, exemptions and/or refunds, eligible businesses must meet certain wage requirements. The award to Rasmussen was based on a qualifying hourly wage of $19.08. Additionally, the company received tax benefits through the Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credit program based on a qualifying hourly wage of $17.93. This expansion represents a capital investment of $6.5 million and is expected to create 12 jobs.

The firm plans to purchase an existing 155,000-square-foot building nearby at 3211 Nebraska Ave. and renovate it for housing its corporate accounting department now headquartered in Sioux City.

Were excited about staying in Council Bluffs and expanding within our home location, Rasmussen said.

The firm provides mechanical services to commercial, industrial and institutional clients throughout the Midwest. The companys services include boiler repair and industrial burner services. Its acquiring the nearby structure for warehousing and manufacturing services, as well as a relocation of its corporate accounting department from Sioux City. The accounting employees there will either retain their duties at the current facility or transfer to other positions within the Sioux City facility, according to Rasmussen.

Two factors played a role in the expansion project, he said.

It was partially driven by the availability of that nearby building, along with business growth, he said.

Its hoped that the purchase of that building can be closed so that renovation can start around May 1, Rasmussen said.

Mayor Matt Walsh was also excited about the news.

Anytime you bring in jobs its good for the company and the city, he said.

Renovating an old building for new use also improves property values, Walsh added.
More than 1,700 firefighters and emergency responders in Iowa were improperly issued credentials during a four-year span, according to findings that led to criminal charges against the former State Fire Marshal Divisions Fire Services Training Bureau certification and accreditation coordinator.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety released its report on the issue on Tuesday, noting former coordinator John McPhee was charged with felonious misconduct in office, a Class D felony, and tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor. He turned himself in at the Story County Sheriffs Office that day.

In southwest Iowa, a number of officials connected to area departments said they hadnt been notified about potential firefighters that would need to retake certification tests.

We havent been notified about it, so Id wager its not going to have a huge impact on us, Council Bluffs Fire Chief Justin James said. We do a lot of in-house training. We do have some requirements for certifications, like for promotional exams.

Some of our guys may have to retake some tests, but, in the big picture of things, its good we found out about this and (will) correct the problem if need be.

James added: Im not concerned about my guys, as we train a minimum of 18 hours a month.

McPhee and the bureaus former chief, Randal Novak, were placed on paid administrative leave April 25, 2016. Last May, the bureau notified firefighters and emergency responders that it had discovered errors in the scoring of various exams during an internal audit and that a review found that many former academy students had actually failed tests they were told they had passed.

In June, the department announced it had launched a criminal investigation days after the retirement of Novak, who had served as bureau chief since 2001. Based on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, the bureau has provided training to firefighters since 1923 and provides training courses, certification and other services.

In its report, the bureau noted a total of 2,278 certificates were issued in error to 1,706 firefighters and emergency personnel over the four-year span. A total of 9,231 certificates were issued in that time.

The certificates were in the following disciplines: hazardous materials operations, firefighter I, firefighter II, driver operator pumper, driver operator aerial, fire officer I, fire officer II, instructor I and fire inspector I.

The improper certifications were issued to firefighters and other workers, such as employees who specialize in hazardous materials operations.

The certification and accreditation programs are voluntary and are not required by the state of Iowa or nationally. Some local agencies either require or recommend certification of their employees, the bureau noted.

The agency said it was notifying the affected individuals and departments, and that the bureau would offer free training courses and test retakes beginning next month and running through June.

Its just too bad. Puts a mark on us, said Phil Newton, fire and safety coordinator with the City of Carter Lake.

Newton said his department has not been notified by the state yet. A number of area volunteer departments said the same thing.

Neola Fire Chief Paul Ward he hadnt received any word about the issue, while Clint Fichter  Avoca city manager, Shelby city attorney and a Neola city consultant  said none of the cities he works for had been notified.

Glenwood Fire Chief Butch Fidler said his department had not received word from the bureau.

I just talked to my instructor  we havent received any notifications yet, Fidler said. We do have new firefighters that have certified in last two years. Dont know if theyre included in that.

Treynor Fire Chief Russ Maguire said his department didnt have any personnel the issue would affect. Messages left with the Lewis Township and Underwood departments werent immediately returned.

The Fire Services Training Bureau said new procedures in place will provide additional checks and balances within the bureau, including random reviews of the process. In addition, third-party scoring will be used for all certification exams.

 Nonpareil reporter Mike Bell and Ryan Foley of the Associated Press contributed to this story.
OMAHA  A Persia woman on Thursday waived her right to a jury trial and has instead asked a judge to determine her guilt or innocence in the 2012 presumed death of a Macedonia native.

Douglas County District Judge Timothy Burns will decide whether Shanna Golyar, 41, is guilty in the disappearance and presumed death of Cari Farver, who was last seen in Omaha more than four years ago.

Her trial is set for May 10.

Golyars attorney, James Martin Davis, said he wanted to try the case in front of a judge to prevent the trier of fact from being distracted by allegations that Golyar tried to steal Farvers identity after her death.

Davis pointed out that authorities have not found Farvers remains. He also contends they have no idea how she died.

Golyar pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

 Todd Cooper, BH News Service
A Red Oak man is facing charges for sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl while he was babysitting her, police said.

Zachary Cheesy Marchese, 25, is charged with lascivious acts with a child  a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He appeared in court Thursday after his arrest Wednesday.

According to the police report, the Iowa Department of Human Services received a tip on Dec. 8, 2016, of alleged sexual abuse after a referral from a school counselor.

The alleged victim reported a male who goes by the nickname Cheesy abused her twice while he babysat her.

The girls mother was contacted by police. She said she knew about the abuse and had slapped Marchese for it, according to the report.

The mother added the abuse happened about a month prior to the report being made.

In an interview at Project Harmony on Dec. 16, 2016, the alleged victim said the abuse happened while she lived with her mother at the Featherstone Apartments in Council Bluffs.

Authorities learned the alleged abuse came to light through the Ready Set Know program, when children at school are given bandages to put on body parts on a worksheet theyve been hurt or think theyve been abused. The girl had identified the private area on the sheet with a bandages, the report reads.

A warrant was put out for Marcheses arrest after the girl and the girls mother identified Cheesy as the alleged abuser.

Marchese is currently being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Council Bluffs police arrested a suspected bank robber barely a block away from the crime scene Thursday after stopping the man just before he drove into a car wash, police said.

Hubert T. Carter III was arrested minutes after police said he walked into the UP Connections Federal Credit Union at South 35th Street and Second Avenue. Police said that around 1 p.m. Carter handed an employee a note stating he wanted money and had a weapon.

Officer Ty Boldra said no weapon was displayed and that the suspect left the business with a bank bag.

One block north at the Buckys Express convenience store, 3501 W. Broadway, Carters vehicle  a white Chevy Trailblazer with Nebraska plates  was spotted waiting in line at the car wash.

About half a dozen cop cars swarmed behind the suspect and arrested him, Boldra said. Officers waited to obtain a search warrant to check inside the car.

Officers found the bag with an undisclosed amount of money but no weapon in the vehicle. Boldra said it was unknown if the car belonged to Carter. Boldra said no one, including the suspect, had been injured.

Boldra did not know if the suspect needed the money for the car wash.

Carter faces charges of first-degree theft and third-degree burglary. The suspect remains at the Pottawattamie County Jail on $50,000 bond.
by Elizabeth Canning Blackwell

Professor Peter Hayes knows how to keep your attention. During his 36 years at Northwestern, he had a reputation as an impassioned, engaging lecturer who brought modern German history vividly to life. Even decades later, students can remember what it felt like to sit in one of his classes. When I told my college roommate, Mary Jean Babic 90, that I was talking to Hayes for this story, she gushed, He was far and away one of the best professors I had at Northwestern. I took all three quarters of his German history class, and let me put it this way: I was a senior, I didnt need the credits to graduate, and the class met at 9 a.m.  and I never skipped once.

At 70, Hayes may have recently retired from teaching, but hes not slowing down. An in-demand lecturer at events all over the world, he is also the author of Why? Explaining the Holocaust (W. W. Norton, 2017), a new book that offers an eye-opening, accessible look at a seemingly incomprehensible subject. The Holocaust was not mysterious and inscrutable, Hayes writes. It was the work of humans acting on familiar human weaknesses and motives: wounded pride, fear, self-righteousness, prejudice and personal ambition. And those forces, he shows, are the reason we must keep learning about it.

Hayes grew up in an Irish Catholic family in the Boston area. His father served in World War II; his mother stayed home with Hayes and his three siblings when they were young and later worked as a secretary at the engineering firm Honeywell. The first person in his family to complete college, Hayes graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1968, then spent two years on a fellowship at Oxford University. (He sailed to Europe on the same ship as Bill Clinton.) I was going to go to law school, but Oxford saved me, he says with a laugh. He came back from England determined to teach and earned a doctorate in history from Yale.

He began teaching at Northwestern in 1980, and his first book, Industry and Ideology: IG Farben in the Nazi Era (Cambridge University Press, 1987), won the Biennial Book Prize of the Conference Group for Central European History, a division of the American Historical Association, in 1988. During his academic career at the University, Hayes was elected to the Associated Student Government Faculty Honor Roll 14 times and served as chairman of the history department from 2009 to 2014. He has collaborated on numerous Holocaust-related publications and currently chairs the Academic Committee of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. (Hes been part of the academic committee since 1999.)

Hayes was instrumental in creating the Holocaust Educational Foundations biannual Lessons and Legacies Conference, a premier forum for the field of Holocaust studies, as well as the Summer Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization, which has graduated more than 500 fellows who have gone on to teach at universities around the world. In 2013 the Holocaust Educational Foundation became part of Northwestern.

Reading Why? gives you a sense of what it was like to be in one of Hayes classes. The structure of the book emerged out of Northwesterns quarter system, he says. The way to teach this subject in nine weeks was to have each week built around a question. Why did the Holocaust happen in Germany, a place where Jews were relatively well assimilated? Why didnt more Jews fight back against the Nazis? Why didnt the Allies bomb the railway lines leading to the concentration camps? Hayes tackles each question with authoritative ease, making for a book thats both readable and revealing.

Hayes lives in Chicago with his husband, Voltaire Miran 91, a School of Communication alumnus and the co-owner and CEO of the digital consulting firm mStoner Inc., and their two standard poodles, Annyong and Maeby (named after characters in the cult-TV comedy Arrested Development). In the office of his townhouse, with a poodle splayed at his feet, Hayes spoke about his career and the questions he continues to address about Hitlers legacy.

Why did you decide to study this period of history?

Im a child of the 60s. I grew up watching racial violence on my television set  watching police sic dogs on children  and I was appalled. I also went to middle school and high school in Framingham, Mass., in a part of town that had lots of Jewish families. I was raised a Catholic, but I went to more bar mitzvahs than confirmations.

The primary way I experienced antisemitism was through movies: The Diary of Anne Frank, Exodus, The Pawnbroker. It was a puzzle to me. Then my sister married a man who grew up on Cape Cod but had been born in Nazi Germany. His mother had divorced his father and married an American soldier. The father had remarried and had a second family in Germany, and I visited them in Dusseldorf, and they seemed like nice people  I liked them. I spent a summer in Germany, working in a steel factory, and I learned German. Im also part of the Vietnam generation, and I was appalled by American policy in Vietnam and by the criminality that some of our young men became a part of. I had a great teacher of German history at Oxford  Timothy Mason  who really helped me bring all those strands together: personal ties to both Jews and Germans, shock at racial hatred and violence, concern that apparently good people could come to do bad things, and the inspiration of a great teacher.

College professors have to balance their teaching responsibilities with research. How did you negotiate those two roles?

I knew I wanted to teach before I knew I wanted to be a scholar. I had some wonderful teachers at Bowdoin, and I wanted to do for other people what they did for me. Besides, Im a talker. My nickname in high school and college was Gabby, so I was meant for this [laughs].

Northwestern was my first academic teaching job. I had done my dissertation  it was good, and it came out as a book  but it wasnt as immediately gratifying to me as teaching was. Over time, the balance between my satisfaction with teaching and research shifted. When I got here in 1980, I sensed that Northwestern was deeply divided about what it was. Many professors still thought of themselves as teaching at an undergraduate liberal arts college. That has been utterly transformed. Faculty understand and embrace their scholarly roles much more now, and the resources are here to encourage that.

Why did you frame the book  and your Holocaust class  as a series of questions rather than straight chronology?

The hardest thing for students who arent natively attuned to history is learning how to sort through this ocean of information. What do you need to know? Theres no single answer  it depends on what you want to find out. My idea was to stay focused on what we were trying to know, then certain data suddenly became more important than other information. Why the Jews? was the first class, because its incredible how little many students know about Judaism and the historical background to hostility toward the Jewish people. So you have to start with that, because Jews were the principal victims of the Holocaust. Then you have to look at, why the Germans? Antisemitism was a very widespread phenomenon in Christian Europe and Muslim lands; why was this the country that produced carnage?

In politics and popular culture, it seems like were hearing constant references to the Holocaust and Hitler, but people still have so many misconceptions about that period in history.

I saw that in the arc of the people who took my classes. In the late 1980s, students didnt know much, so you taught them about the Holocaust. By 2010, students thought they knew a lot, and you had to un-teach them. For example, many students came into my class thinking that the Holocaust was Hitlers plan from day one, whereas in reality it was a program he arrived at over time.

I get this question all the time at lectures: Why didnt the Jews fight back? Its an incredibly naive question, but you have to show what the Jews were up against. You have to explain that they couldnt see what was coming because it was unprecedented and that they were internally divided in a host of ways and thus had trouble reaching consensus on how to respond. They were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, and except in central France and mountainous regions like Yugoslavia, they didnt live in geographic regions hospitable to hiding. The surrounding non-Jewish populations were often hostile, especially in Eastern Europe, and the Jews were worn down by starvation and suffering for years before the gassing began.

Those misperceptions have consequences for how we act today. We have the crisis in Syria, and Europe is knee-deep in refugees. That raises the question, why didnt we take more Jewish refugees in? And the answer is essentially the same as why we arent taking in more people now. The arguments were hearing against immigrants today are very close to what people were saying about the Jews back then: Theyll take our jobs, cost us lots of money and include enemy agents.



The original brick barracks at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland

Its one thing to teach the Holocaust, but its another to teach the right lessons. In the book, you say theres a big gap between what the specialists know and what the public believes, like whether antisemitism was the primary driver of Hitlers rise (it wasnt) or that many leading Nazis escaped into hiding and got off scot-free (they didnt). Are you trying to redress that balance?

What we think we know is often erroneous. One point that is most counterintuitive to what people believe is that the Germans did this with their little fingers. The image of Nazis in the popular imagination is of numerous trains running all over Europe and of the camps as huge, sprawling places, but not many trains were in motion at any one time, and most of the death camps were small, ramshackle affairs. The Holocaust wasnt a particularly well-organized operation. And yet Germans could wipe out millions of people quickly and while applying very few resources to the task. Thats whats really terrifying.

At the end of the book, you point out parallels between the rise of the Nazis and the growing popularity of nativist, inward-looking political movements today. Why is it important to connect this subject to the present?

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was doing a lot of lecturing for Kellogg, and people would ask what the post-Communist world was going to look like. I remember saying that the old left-right division was falling away. What we were going to have in the future were the cosmopolitans versus the nationalists, the people who have passports and those who dont.

That division has gotten even sharper now, because its not just cultural, its economic. The people who were attracted to antisemitism in the early 20th century were people who were losing economically and were looking for an explanation. The people who are responding now to demagogues are people who also are being left behind  not by the Industrial Revolution, but by the digital revolution. The Industrial Revolution created modern antisemitism, and the Bolshevik Revolution expanded it, because more people became afraid. Now people arent afraid of Communism, theyre afraid of terrorism. But the result is the same. You have people rallying to those who offer very simple explanations, who say all your problems are the result of others. This is what were facing right now.

Is that why the Holocaust continues to be relevant?

The Holocaust shows how essential it is to preserve the distinction between means and ends. A civilized society believes that its terribly important to respect and observe means, that theres a right way to do things and a wrong way. If a society forgets that  if people go around saying laws and procedures dont matter because everythings a disaster  thats a license for tyranny. Once that genie is out of the bottle, it can turn into lots of things. One of the aphorisms I quote in the book is Beware the beginnings. You have to be able to recognize dangerous forces that pose as protectors but really open the way to oppression.

In the week that Hitler was appointed [chancellor] in 1933, the German industrialist Gustav Krupp wrote to one of his friends that it was unthinkably sad how carelessly the interests of a great people are played with. We have lots of frustrated, aggrieved people now saying, The system is so corrupt  lets smash it. We have a great deal to lose by smashing the crockery.

Are there emotional repercussions to studying such a dark subject for so long?

There are accounts I still find impossible to read. But, although not much is left of my Catholicism, I am a moralist. Ive always been interested in historical questions that have a moral dimension, and I want my knowledge of the past to be instructive about the present. I belong to a once terribly idealistic generation, and Im still that person, in many ways. To me, the value of doing this is high enough to put up with the emotional toll.

One of the ways Ive kept that toll at bay was by concentrating my research on the question of what the Germans were thinking. How could they possibly talk themselves into this? Ive spent most of my time figuring out the people who did it, rather than feeling along with the people who suffered it. The field of Holocaust studies is now in the process of redressing that imbalance. You can see that in popular representations: The two best films on the subject recently are the Hungarian film Son of Saul and the Polish film Ida. Theyre both told from the side of people who lived the ordeal, and theyre light-years ahead of what used to be done. But its hard on the nerves.

How have you adjusted to retirement? Do you miss teaching?

One of the reasons I stopped teaching was that I couldnt keep doing it the same way I did when I was really good. Id always been someone who paced as I talked, stayed far away from my notes and looked like I was assembling the lecture before the students very eyes. I couldnt do that anymore  Id be too tired at the end of an 80-minute class. The wonderful thing about stopping teaching is that Im as busy as I ever was but in a different way. I do a lot of consulting for museum exhibitions, there are all kinds of offers to write things, and people invite me to lecture in other countries.
Things dont always go the way you think they should.

Years ago, a friend of mine would give me sacks of clothes she couldnt wear or didnt want anymore. I liked getting those sacks, especially when I found something I could use.

One time, I found a silky, royal blue blouse. It was so pretty.

And I just knew it was one of those new-style shirts that buttoned up the back.

I hurriedly put it on one morning before heading to work. I even managed to twist my arm around and fasten the big cloth-covered buttons.

Id been at work for a while when a co-worker calmly told me that I had my blouse on backward.

No, I dont, I said. This is one of those shirts that buttons up the back.

My co-worker looked down. Her words had a monotone quality.

Theres a pocket on it, she said.

Yep. She was right. I went to the bathroom and  upon closer inspection  realized the shirt actually was supposed to button up the front.

It even had a front pocket  which I was now wearing on my back.

I quickly changed my shirt around and returned to my desk hoping no one else had noticed.

So much for my fashion sense.

Recently, I was telling one of my friends about my fashion faux pas when I got to thinking about how life, in general, just doesnt always go the way we think it should or as planned.

I can see at least one example of this in the Bible.

Ever hear about King Saul in the Old Testament? His story starts in chapter nine of the first book of Samuel.

At this point, the Israelites think they need a king like other nations even though God  through the prophet Samuel  tries to steer them away from this bad idea.

After all, a king would take their best fields and orchards and a tenth of their flocks. Hed take their sons to plow his fields and reap his harvest and their daughters to be his cooks, bakers and perfumers.

Dont call it job security.

You will be his slaves, Samuel warns.

Did I mention that a king would take a tenth of their grain and vineyards for his officers? Call it an ancient day tax system.

Youd think the Israelites would take the last chariot out of town, but they demand a king.

So the Lord lets them have one.

His name is Saul.

The Scriptures describe him this way: There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward, he was taller than any of the people.

As the account begins, Mr. Tall and Handsome and one of his familys servants are out looking for some missing donkeys.

Theyre gone so long that Saul figures they need to get back home so his dad wont worry about them, but the servant thinks a prophet might be able to tell them where to find those runaway quadrupeds.

To make a longer story short, they find Samuel, who tells them the donkeys have been found, and ends up anointing Saul as the new king.

It must have been a lot to take in, because Saul later hides behind some baggage rather than face all his new constituents.

The more you read about Saul, the more you might wish he would have stayed behind that baggage.

Saul will become king, but he and his countrymen will pay a high price for his mistakes. Saul doesnt listen to God or Samuel. He kills innocent people.

In the end, Saul takes his own life.

Its a tragic story. And who would have thought this good-looking fellow could have fallen so far? Or could have made such bad decisions and hurt so many people?

I wonder what would have happened if he had repented and started following God again.

Im not sure, but I know God is faithful.

Even during King Sauls less-than-graceful rule, God sends Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king.

Jesse has eight sons.

Samuel meets the oldest son, Eliab, first, and figures this guy must be the next king.

But God has a message for Samuel.

Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature for I have rejected him, God says. For the Lord sees not as a man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Six more sons pass by without a royal nod from God.

Are all your sons here? Samuel asks.

Thats when Jesse mentions that the youngest son is out tending the sheep. Samuel tells Jesse to go get that son.

We will not sit down till he comes here, Samuel says.

So they bring in David. The Scriptures dont record that David was tall, but he is described as ruddy and handsome.

If you know much about Davids story, you know he would go on to play the harp for a troubled King Saul.

David would kill the mighty giant Goliath and become the object of Sauls jealousy. David and King Sauls son, Jonathan, would become best friends.

But even Jonathan cant keep his dad from chasing David away and pursuing him for a long time, trying to kill him.

Saul and Jonathan eventually die. David becomes king, but later has an affair with the beautiful Bathsheba and has her husband killed. David and Bathshebas first son will die, but they will have another named, Solomon, who will become known as a wise king.

Centuries later, Davids family tree will include a man named Joseph.

And Joseph will be the husband of Mary, who gives birth to a baby, whom we call our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

During Christs ministry, people hoped he would free them from the tyranny of the Roman government.

They didnt expect hed be crucified on a rugged Roman cross.

But as we know, things dont always go like we think they should.

And maybe, thats not always a bad thing.

So many times in life, we wonder what good could come from our tragedy, sorrow and hardship.

We wonder how things got so turned around.

Thats when I think we must keep looking to our Lord, who straightens things out  maybe not like we expect, but in a much better way.

And he does so in his own timing, which for people like me, who dont like to wait, can be tough.

Im glad Christs disciples didnt have to wait too long to see him again. The third day after his death, Christ rose from the tomb. His death paid for our sins and now we have the hope of eternal life with him.

I dont think too many things happened the way his disciples expected, but they learned to trust the God who created the universe. They learned to follow Christ our Savior and to be led by the Holy Spirit, our guide and comforter.

Thats a lesson for us, when things dont go like we think they should and on days when everything seems backward.

Sometimes, we find a simple fix  like going to the bathroom and putting our shirts on the right way.

And when the fix isnt simple, I think we learn to trust God, the only one who really can get  and keep  us going forward.
You know exactly where youre going.

Youre pointed in the right direction, thanks to a compass thats moral, innate or in your pocket. Youre traveling at just the right pace and nothing can deter you  except, as in the new novel Silver City, by Jeff Guinn, the man whos about to kill you.

Cash McLendon hated the Western frontier.

Not only was it dry and dusty, but it reminded him of a time when he lost the woman he loved and almost lost his life. The only good thing about it was that the frontier  Mountain Home, Arizona, to be specific  was where that same woman lived now, and Gabrielle was willing to give him another chance. Hed just fought a ferocious battle against the Indians at Adobe Walls, and fighting left him more settled now, more mature and less impulsive. McLendon was sure he could win his lady back.

Patrick Brautigan knew the rules.

He understood that businessman Rupert Douglass didnt want any laws broken. No fuss, just efficiency when evening a score or taking revenge. Its what the Boss demanded, just like he demanded that Cash McLendon be hauled back to St. Louis.

Years ago, McLendon married Douglass only daughter, and when she committed suicide, Douglass blamed McLendon. If Brautigan succeeded in bringing McLendon back alive, and in a timely manner, Douglass might even let him watch McLendon die.

But catching McLendon wouldnt be easy; the man was sociable and always surrounded by people, so Brautigan had to hire help in the form of Ike Clanton, who flapped his gums too much. Even so, Clanton could take Brautigan through Apache country, to Mountain View from Silver City, a lawless and corrupt new settlement where Brautigan had recently arrived to study the situation.

Brautigan figured that capturing McLendon would surely be easier if McLendons woman was taken first. Capturing McLendon and getting him back to Silver City, however, would be a whole different matter ...

Every time a western cycles to the top of my reading list, I realize anew how much I love them  although Silver City, set in the late 1870s, is a puzzler.

Though you could read it by itself, its characters have been featured in past books and, as such, Guinn spends too much time explaining their backstory here; that gets to be awfully wordy and pretty tiresome. Cash McLendon is a good-enough hero, although not scruffy enough for my tastes: Hes too clean-cut, too gosh-darn nice, a bit of a dandy. And oh, my goodness, the characters urinated a lot in this book.

Didnt need that.

To the good, however, Guinn gives readers a good chase up and through the Arizona desert, an exciting fight with a young Geronimo and his men, and a scrappy new heroine with a definite mind of her own  which is not a bad thing.

Overall, neither is this book: its got its flaws, but its also got its moments. Ignore the former, revel in the latter, and Silver City is where you should be going.
Library series presentation shares Andrew Johnson facts

Andrew Johnson is one of the least-known presidents of the United States.

On Thursday, Andrew Lee shared many tidbits about Johnson at the North Platte Public Library and kept a full house laughing throughout.

Lee, a frequent actor for the library foundations cemetery tours, gave the presentation as part of the librarys Celebrate Nebraska 150 series.

Several youngsters were in the group, and Lee engaged them with trivia questions and rewards of candy when they answered correctly.

President Johnson had a hand in the process of Nebraska becoming a state.

Its a very interesting way that Nebraska became a state, Lee said. It was unique, and were the only state that became a state the way that we did.

Lee said there are much more famous presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, George Washington, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and others. Johnson however, is forever tied to the state of Nebraska.

Johnson was born into poverty in Raleigh, North Carolina. After his biological father died, Johnson became a tailors apprentice at the tender age of 10, along with his brother, because his mother could not afford to take care of him.

A few years into their apprenticeship, he and his brother decided this was not the man they wanted to work for, Lee said. They decide to go off on an adventure themselves.

They ended up in Tennessee, where Johnson started his own tailoring business while he was still in his teens.

He meets a woman and falls in love with her  hes 18 years old and shes 16  and they get married, Lee said. Johnsons business is going really, really well for him.

As his business grew, he gained enough respect to become the mayor of the town. He served in the Tennessee House and Senate, and then the U.S. House of Representatives, before becoming governor of Tennessee. In 1857, he became a U.S. senator.

Hes a very popular guy, one that everybody likes, Lee said.

Johnson came up with the idea for the Homestead Act and for several years pushed it in Congress before finally getting it passed into law. A Southern Democrat, he played a prominent part in helping Lincoln bring the states together after the Civil War.

Lincoln appointed Johnson military governor [of Tennessee] and he was tasked with managing the Reconstruction, Lee said. Lincoln then asked Johnson to be his vice president.

After the war, the Republicans wanted to stack the deck in Congress and decided to add states that would give them a majority.

Nebraska is one of the states, Lee said.

Lincoln won re-election as president and then was assassinated, and Johnson became president.

Johnson is still at heart a Southern Democrat, Lee said. Congress is controlled by the Republicans, and Johnson decides to veto every law sent to him, including the statehood of Nebraska.

Congress overrode most of Johnsons vetoes and Nebraska became a state, the only state to come in on an override of a presidents veto.

Johnson fell from grace and was impeached by Congress. Although he was not removed from office, he served the rest of Lincolns term and did not run again.

Johnson was done politically, Lee said. The Democrats dont like him, the Republicans dont like him, Nebraskans dont like him. He goes down as one of the worst-rated presidents in American history.
Legislation attempting to seek sales tax for bricks-and-mortar companies

Bricks-and-mortar businesses face a competitive disadvantage against remote sellers such as Amazon.com and other online entities that dont charge customers sales tax.

Two bills scheduled to be discussed Friday in the Nebraska Legislature could change that situation.

The North Platte Area Chamber, Platte River Mall and other local business officials have sent letters about the proposed legislation to the Legislatures Revenue Committee and its chairman, Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion.

Alan Hirschfeld, owner of Hirschfelds in downtown North Platte, will testify at the committee hearing in Lincoln. It is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.

All Im interested in is that bricks-and-mortars can compete on a fair playing field with online, Hirschfeld said. Theres an awful lot of us bricks-and-mortars that do online business, but we want the big boys  Amazon or whoever  to play fair just like we have to play fair and charge sales tax in the state of Nebraska.

The responsibility for paying the sales tax actually lies with the consumer.

It is not a new tax, Hirschfeld said. It is technically a tax that is owed by the consumers, and they pay it under the use provision of their income tax. Most of us dont  and I said us because Im right there  dont keep track of how much we buy online and at the end of the tax year report it and pay it. We just dont do it.

At the end of December, the giant online retailer Amazon announced that it would start collecting sales tax on purchases by Nebraskans, which could put tens of millions of new tax dollars into state coffers, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Only about 1 percent of Nebraskans report out-of-state Internet purchases on their state income tax forms, according to the World-Herald story.

State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton called Amazons move a good example of responsible corporate citizenship.

Hirschfeld said the two legislative bills  LB 44 and LB 564  are basically the same except for the small business exemption. LB 44 proposes that businesses that exceed $100,000 in gross revenue from online sales in Nebraska would have to collect the sales tax. LB 564 proposes a $25,000 benchmark for gross revenue.

Were encouraging both bills moving forward and then letting the wisdom of the legislative body determine which would be best for Nebraska, Hirschfeld said. This is going to make it a lot easier, a lot simpler for consumers to comply with the law, and it will even the playing field for bricks-and-mortars with online orders.

Another benefit would be the revenue boost from increased sales tax receipts.

Were in a time when the state of Nebraska is falling very short in its revenue to cover expenses, Hirschfeld said. This would be a revenue source that would be a big deal for us.

Estimates vary, he said, but overall the sales tax change could make a big difference in the states revenue.

Ive heard a couple of estimates, one that is really low at $50 million, and Ive also heard an estimate that is in excess of $100 million, Hirschfeld said. Even without this legislation, Amazon has started to charge people living in Nebraska sales tax, and their estimate alone is $30 million of tax revenue.

The letter that Gary Person, president and CEO of the North Platte Chamber, sent to the Revenue Committee chairman emphasized what Hirschfeld pointed out.

Every sale made online further erodes main street America, but to also give those entities an unfair advantage in taxation is an extremely unfair policy that needs corrected now, Person wrote.
Washer and dryer set to be bought for NPHS to assist families in poverty

When Brandy Buscher opened a food pantry at North Platte High School earlier this month, she hoped also to obtain a washer and dryer for students.

As a student services coordinator, Buschers job is to make sure students get to school, including many who are homeless or in poverty.

Students may skip school one day to sit at a laundromat or feel too embarrassed to go to school in dirty clothes, she said.

Now, Buschers goal is on its way to being met. A few days after a Jan. 13 Telegraph article about the food pantry, Leadership Lincoln County participants visited the pantry while touring NPHS. A team of five participants was so moved that they took on funding the washer and dryer.

Theyre $186 away from purchasing a set, sold at cost at Premier Rental Purchase. Mr. Appliance has also donated two years of maintenance for the washer and dryer.

Buschers story struck a nerve with Jennifer Brandt, one of the team members. In her job, Brandt said, she sees many families who live in poverty.

Leadership Lincoln County participants tour various community facets, such as education, criminal justice and tourism. They participate in team service projects before graduating from the program.

Through her groups project, I really wanted to make a lasting impact for a lot of years, she said.

After learning about Buschers food pantry, Brandt emailed her team members, who all agreed to take on funding the set.

Nobody should go hungry or go to school with dirty clothes, she said.

The team has received donations from Leadership Lincoln County alumni, as well as a woman who wished to donate in her fathers memory.

Those wishing to donate can contact Brandt at 308-660-0055. Other team members are Chad Fosdick, who owns the business donating the appliance, Amy Herrick and Jennifer Kreifels.

Buscher first came across the idea from another school in California that installed a washer and dryer. Attendance rates at school spiked after the installation, she said.

She remembered a past student who consistently came to school in pajama pants. When she asked him why, he told her that it was all he had that was clean.

When Buscher heard that someone had offered to fund the set, she was a little taken aback  she hadnt considered the necessary plumbing for the appliance when she pitched the idea, she said with a laugh. Now, she is working with Stuart Simpson, director of finance and facilities for North Platte Public Schools, to choose among a few locations inside the school.

She doesnt plan to do students laundry.

Im not their mama, she said.

But she will make the set available for kids before school and is willing to switch out loads of laundry for students. Shell also let students switch out their loads during a passing period, a student aide period or a seniors-out period. If too many students need the service, shell designate specific days, she said.

While going to students houses to find out why they have missed a number of days of school, Buscher has noticed that many homes dont have a washer and dryer set.

In my mind, thats just as standard as the refrigerator, she said. But its not. Its a luxury.

While NPHS has a few washer and dryer sets, theyre being used for other programs, Buscher said. She added that those sets are in classrooms where students are, which would violate a students privacy. The new set will be installed where other students wont be present.

Buscher wants to instill independence in students while giving them a hand up.

Since starting her food pantry, Buscher has served seven students. One boy said he was fine on meals but came for toiletries. A girl told Buscher that she and her mother had food, but there isnt much to spare. She uses the pantry for food during extracurricular activities, when shes out of town for a full day.

Buscher has reached out to some of the first students she served, who have said theyre OK. She has yet to have a student come twice.

Buscher added that students dislike asking for help.

Kids are really proud, she said.

She gives a needs assessment to each student, letting them tell her what they need instead of giving them a set number of items. If a student doesnt like canned fruit, she wont give it to them.

Im cool with a kid being like, I love ramen noodles,  she said. Then take ramen noodles.

Buscher said she wants to do still more to help students  and see fewer homeless students in general.

What Im doing is really just a Band-Aid, she said. Weve got to find a way to break the cycle.
Students create a reaction using nitrogen, dry ice

Liquid, solids and gases are made of the same stuff  but the atoms inside move around differently. That lesson was simple but fun at Cody Elementary Schools Title 1 Family Night on Thursday.

Mad scientist Jessica Brock showed students components like frozen nitrogen and dry ice, and their effects on items such as balloons and cheese puffs.

Brock called up Cody Elementary School Principal Kim Flanders to partake in a special experiment. Though students were warned not to touch frozen nitrogen, both Brock and Flanders were able to eat a white cheddar cheese puff soaked in it  so long as their teeth crunched it down  because of the warmth of their mouths and how cheese puffs are made, Brock said. (Dont try this at home, kids.)

Brock came from the Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora. Harold Edgerton had grown up in Aurora, and though he wound up at MIT as an inventor and professor, he always appreciated his Nebraska roots, Brock said. Now, staff at the center, open since 1995, travel all over Nebraska, often to schools that may not receive funding for such programs otherwise, she said. Flanders said a Families First Partnership grant helped put on the event.

Brock said kids often know at a young age whether they enjoy science, and seeing experiments like popping balloons and gaseous nitrogen leaves a positive impression in childrens minds. With the job title of mad scientist, all of a sudden theyre willing to listen to me like they werent before, she said.

She also enjoys being a woman in the science field, as students have often tried to tell her that being a girl means you cant be a scientist. When she travels with a male coworker, she is easily seen as an assistant, she said.

As she spoke after the presentation, she stepped away to take a comment from a girl who told Brock that she too loves science  specifically magnetics.

Brock talked to the girl and gave her encouraging words: Study your math.

Carlee Wood, a seventh-grader at St. Patrick High School, said she learned more about subjects she thought she already knew. Wood attended expecting more of a lecture and instead saw Flanders involvement and the number of experiments.

I thought it was really cool, she said.

Her sister, Ashlynn, a fifth-grade student at McDaid Elementary School, was impressed by the use of carbon dioxide in the presentation.

As Brock travels all over Nebraska, she said, the students reactions are what make it worth it.

This is my full-time job, she said. I am a full time mad scientist  and people say dreams dont come true.
LEXINGTON  The case of a 37-year-old man charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony has been bound over to Dawson County District Court.

Jose Regalado-Mendez has been charged in connection with the death of Jose Hernandez, 37, of Lexington, who was also known as Chepe.

Hernandezs decomposed remains were found Dec. 12 by law enforcement officers as they executed a search warrant on a property 2 miles north of Lexington on Road 434, where Regalado-Mendez was living, although he is not owner of the property.

Dawson County Judge Jeff Wightman ruled Thursday afternoon that there was enough evidence for the case to be bound over to district court.

Wightman continued the order of no bond, saying the allegations indicated a crime of violence involving a firearm. He also said Regalado-Mendez posed a threat to public safety and could be considered a flight risk because he hasnt spent substantial time in the community.

Edward Albrecht, sergeant of criminal investigations with the Dawson County Sheriffs Office, testified during the preliminary hearing that a Crimestopper report led law enforcement to obtain a search warrant on Dec. 9, which was executed Dec. 12.

The Dawson County Sheriffs Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Buffalo County Sheriffs Office, Lexington Police Department, Kearney Police Department, and Phelps County Sheriffs Office cooperated in executing the search warrant and collecting evidence at the scene.

Albrecht said heavily decomposed human remains were found wrapped in burlap and bound by rope near the west side of the residence underneath some wooden fence panels.

He said over 100 items of evidence were collected, including a firearm and a home video surveillance system. Items seized for suspected blood evidence were an interior wall, baseboards and flooring material.

Allbrecht said a glass pipe found at the scene field-tested positive for methamphetamine and led to an immediate arrest of Regalado-Mendez. He was out on bail when he was arrested on suspicion of murder Jan. 4.

Court records list the initial charges as possession of a controlled substance, a Class IV felony; and misdemeanor narcotic equipment possession.

Albrecht testified that after obtaining an additional search warrant, law enforcement examined the video footage, which led to the new charges.

According to Albrecht, the video showed that in the aftermath of a verbal fight between Hernandez and Melissa Callahan, Regalado-Mendez pulled a handgun from his waistband, raised and lowered it a number of times, and fired it at Hernandez, who fell to the floor. About 45 minutes later Regalado-Mendez kicked or stomped Hernandez. Four hours later Callahan and Regalado-Mendez are seen entering the residence with burlap, and moments after they enter, the camera that recorded the event was unplugged.

The date and time stamp recovered from the video suggest Hernandez was shot the evening of Oct. 4.

Preliminary results of an autopsy indicate the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the neck, blunt force trauma and asphyxiation.

Albrecht said Hernandez was identified through photos and known tattoos, with a positive match of a partial tattoo visible on his forearm.

Callahan, of Elm Creek, is charged with being an accessory to a felony. She waived her preliminary hearing earlier this month.

Arraignments for both Regalado-Mendez and Callahan are set for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 13 in Dawson County District Court.
HAMMOND  A shared workspace that encourages collaboration is part of an overall effort to revive downtown as a hub for businesses in the digital age.

With the quirky moniker of greenCOW (Collaborative Open Workspace), the shared workspace at 5209 Hohman Ave. wants to take the co-working experience to a new level, said CEO Lee Watson.

We provide help for people and small businesses. Theres no lease and no long-term commitment, Watson said. When youre starting out, you have enough to think about.

Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, greenCOW features spaces that range from a coffee shop seating area to private offices. Two conference rooms provide internet technology for meetings and seminars, and a kitchen also offers hot coffee. It encompasses 8,000 square feet overall.

Access to the building after hours can also be arranged and permanent tenants have 24/7 access, Watson said.

Watson also wants to make it possible for users to work directly with representatives from mentoring organizations like the Service Corps of Retired Executives and the Indiana Small Business Development Center.

The Hammond Redevelopment Commission and the Development Corporation assisted greenCOW in getting started.

An eclectic group currently occupying space includes a private investigator, a clinical psychologist and two U.S. Army veterans who provide assistance for fellow vets.

Don Shults is an accredited service officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and George Hannah recently began learning the ropes.

They provide an awesome service, Watson said.

Phylis Mamula originally designed the interior of the building 10 years ago in collaboration with the Hammond Development Corporation and Purdue University.

When Lee came up with this concept, he asked me to upgrade the infrastructure and to upgrade the lighting to help the plants grow, said Mamula, an interior designer who is also recommending specific furniture to enhance the collaborative open workplace.

Theres also a focus on art with works provided by Paul Henrys Art Gallery, located adjacent to the building on Sibley St.

Learn more about greenCOW by visiting www.greenCOW.space or calling (219) 501-0501.
The merger of Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central has led to big changes in programs affecting the local business community.

Purdue University Northwest has closed the Center for Entrepreneurship Success at 2200 169th St. in Hammond for reorganization. And it is overhauling The Big Sell, an annual national entrepreneurship competition that "was created to offer people with big dreams a great opportunity to put those ideas into action."

The Center for Entrepreneurship Success had assisted small business owners in an off-campus building since at least 1994. Purdue University Northwest closed the center because they had an opportunity to sell the building that housed it, along with its Couple and Family Therapy Center, which will move out later this year.

"Planning is underway to reorganize the PNW Center for Entrepreneurship Success," Assistant Vice Chancellor of Media Relations and Communications Wes Lukoshus said. "No details to report at this time."

The center aimed to encourage entrepreneurship in the community with public programs, like free business plan seminars, workshops on how to survive a bad economy, and a five-week "Lean Launchpad" course for startups. Business owners could get marketing guidance from students, one-on-one mentoring from experts and other assistance, whether just starting out or ramping up.

Purdue University Northwest professor Dushan Nikolovski is no longer director of the center, a role he held for nine years.

"There were some changes in organization after the merger," he said.

Nikolovski also is no longer running The Big Sell, a national entrepreneurship contest he founded in 2011 that offers about $100,000 in cash and prizes to winners. It has drawn thousands of entries from all over the globe. Every year, hundreds of people packed the Radisson at Star Plaza for the contest, which has helped launch businesses like Loopy Cases, Brace To Play and Pool Python.

Lorri Feldt, the regional director of the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, said The Big Sell has been crucial in encouraging entrepreneurship in Northwest Indiana.

"It helped encourage and promote innovation and a culture of entrepreneurship," she said. "It helped innovators test their ideas and gave finalists confidence to move forward."

Now under new management, The Big Sell is still slated to take place 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 29.

The contest is being overseen collaboratively this year by the university's College of Business and College of Technology, Lukoshus said.

The Big Sell can't be held in its usual venue at the Radisson at the Star Plaza this year because White Lodging is tearing it down, so it's being moved to the Commercialization & Manufacturing Excellence Center at 7150 Indianapolis Blvd. in Hammond. CMEC Associate Director Mont Handley is now running the seven-year-old contest, where winners are selected by audience members and an expert panel.

"Details will be forthcoming," Handley said.
Wet Seal is closing its stores in Hobart and Calumet City as part of a national shutdown of more than 170 stores.

The teen fashion retailer is selling off all the merchandise and winding down operations at its stores in the Southlake Mall and the River Oaks Center in Calumet City. Employees said the locations would close in about eight weeks, or whenever the remaining merchandise gets sold off. Everything in the stores is now marked down by at least 20 percent.

A Wet Seal in Michigan City's Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets closed earlier.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Irvine, California-based retailer sent a letter to employees last week that it was closing down all its locations and shuttering its corporate office. No one from the company immediately returned messages.

The store was known for trendy clothes and shoes for teen girls and young women. It filed for bankruptcy last year.

Earlier this month, The Limited closed its stores at the Southlake Mall and Orland Square mall in Orland Park after that company went out of business.
A love poem written by Ernest Hemingway when he was in high school, photos, and letters never published before are some of the treasures discovered by journalist Robert Elder.

Elder is the author of "Hidden Hemingway: Inside the Ernest Hemingway Archives of Oak Park" (Kent State University Press 2016, $39.95). Elder, a resident of Oak Park, Illinois, where Ernest Hemingway grew up, decided to write the oversized book with its 300 color images after viewing several special collections at places such as the Oak Park Library and the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.

These are amazing collections, said Elder, Director of Digital Product Development and Strategy for Crain Communications. He describes authoring "Hidden Hemingway" as a mixture of civic pride and curiosity. Elder said his generation focused more on John Steinbeck and Kurt Vonnegut and he really didnt know much about Hemingway beyond many of the larger-than-life myths about the author.

Researching took Elder beyond the hunter, fisherman, much married, hard-drinking persona of the Pulitzer Prize winning writer.

If you ask people who Hemingways first love was, most would say Agnes Von Kurowsky, said Elder about the American nurse Hemingway met when he was recuperating from battle wounds in a Milan hospital. The two planned to marry, but Von Kurowsky broke off the engagement in a letter.

There was an earlier love named Annette DeVoe, who was a classmate of Hemingways when he attended Oak Park and River Forest High School.

I was able to find her family, said Elder. She became the standard by which he judged other women throughout his life.

Describing the archives as an amazing place to find secret histories, Elder also found a note hinting that Hemingway had an affair with his sister-in-law. He also found a photo of Hemingway in uniform taken in Italy that hadnt surfaced before.

There was such a sense of discovery, said Elder, noting it was surprising to find little known items from the most written about author since Shakespeare.

The book is his biography through objects, said Elder. We chose the objects that we thought illuminated his life.

FYI: Robert Elder discuss Hemingways legacy through a multimedia presentation at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Barrington Area Library, 505 N. Northwest Highway, Barrington, Illinois. Admission is free. Call 847-382-1300 or visit balibrary.org
HOBART  Law enforcement is investigating a potential check fraud ring after a Munster physician's daughter told police more than $7,200 in checks have been written in her mother's name since November, according to Hobart police Lt. James Gonzales.

Some of the crimes were carried out in grocery and retail stores in Hobart along the U.S. 30 corridor, as well as elsewhere in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area. The suspected check fraud ring is also operating near Rockford, Illinois, and as far south as Indianapolis, according to Gonzales.

Hobart police were contacted Tuesday by the victim's daughter, who said her mother has tried to track all checks written in her name while contacting law enforcement in every jurisdiction, Gonzales said.

Three checks for several hundred dollars were written at retail stores along the U.S. 30 corridor in Hobart, Gonzales said. Video surveillance collected shows different suspects at various locations, according to the victim's daughter, which sounds like a check fraud ring, Gonzales said.

The victim's daughter told police her mother has been contacted daily by bill collection agencies. The suspects have somehow compromised her mother's name, address and driver's license  which appear on the printed checks.

The money is not coming from the victim's checking account, police said, and the account numbers that appear on the checks are not real.

Hobart police on Thursday released surveillance images of a woman suspected of writing one of these checks at an area retail store.

Gonzales did not release the name of the store.

Anyone who can identify the suspect in the surveillance images is asked to contact Gonzales at 219-942-4405 or jgonzales@cityofhobart.org
CROWN POINT  Lake County Sheriff John Buncich would like his sidearms back.

A defense attorney for the sheriff is petitioning a U.S. District Court judge for the return of the weapons he surrendered last year when he was charged with fraud and bribery.

The U.S. attorney's office charged Buncich Nov. 18 with felony fraud and bribery charges alleging he solicited and received money from towing firms seeking business from county police.

Buncich is pleading not guilty and awaiting trial, which is now scheduled to begin as early as April 10.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge Paul R. Cherry released Buncich on bond on the standard condition that he surrender any firearms and not possess while awaiting trial.

Bryan M. Truitt, who is defending Buncich, filed the request for the guns' return Friday.

He argued Buncich has never previously been charged with a crime, isn't being accused of a crime of violence now, isn't a danger to others and "needs his firearms to carry out his employment."

Buncich has served 40 years in law enforcement and has won election as sheriff four times since 1994.
INDIANAPOLIS  The American Conservative Union has determined that the Indiana House was the most conservative legislative body in the 50 states last year.

The Republican-dominated chamber voted along conservative lines on selected economic, social and liberty issues 75 percent of the time, according to the Washington, D.C.-based organization.

That was higher than any other body of lawmakers including the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate, which scored a 69 percent to rank third-most conservative in the nation.

"The great state of Indiana is a beacon for conservatism," said ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp. "From Vice President Mike Pence to the Indiana House of Representatives, Hoosiers can rest assured that their representatives are fighting for limited government and individual liberty at both the national and state levels."

In contrast, the Democratic-controlled Illinois Senate scored 36 percent on the group's conservatism measure.

The Democratic-led Illinois House earned a 43 percent.
INDIANAPOLIS  A coalition of minority state lawmakers has declared that halting a proposal to force the consolidation of "small" Lake County voting precincts is among its top priorities for the 2017 General Assembly.

The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus believes House Bill 1147, sponsored by state Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, is a thinly veiled effort to deny and suppress minority voting in the state's second-most populous county.

"There is no need to do something that will make it more difficult for people to cast a ballot, particularly at a time when Indiana has one of the worst voter-participation percentages in the country," said state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, a caucus member.

"We need to be finding ways to encourage people to get out and vote, not deny them that right."

The proposed statute defines a small precinct as having fewer than 600 active voters. Of Lake County's 523 precincts, an estimated 140 are small precincts  significantly more than any other county in the state.

Under the plan, which is pending in the House Elections Committee, Lake County election officials this year would have to devise and implement a precinct consolidation plan, or the Indiana Election Commission would do it for them.

Slager said his goal is to save the county up to $200,000 on voting equipment and staff costs in election years by merging precincts in neighborhoods that have lost hundreds of voters over the decades.

"The last thing I would ever want to do is disenfranchise anybody from being able to vote," Slager said.

Other black caucus priorities include enacting a sentencing enhancement for bias-motivated crimes, expanding pre-kindergarten access, boosting funding for elementary and high school education, promoting minority health programs and encouraging more minorities to become teachers.
INDIANAPOLIS  Key state budget leaders appear convinced that Indiana must provide some amount of financial assistance to East Chicago, its schools and residents impacted by the city's lead contamination crisis.

For nearly an hour Thursday, lawmakers representing East Chicago, along with city and school officials, including Mayor Anthony Copeland and Superintendent Paige McNulty, explained to the Senate Appropriations Committee how new discoveries on the extent of soil contamination from past manufacturing activities in the West Calumet neighborhood have upended lives and institutions.

Copeland, a Democrat, told the Republican-controlled panel of his struggles to find federal and state support for residents forced out of their homes, as well as to secure funding to test children for lead contamination, address water quality concerns and tear down affected housing.

"All of these things are up in the air," Copeland said. "This (committee) has been the only ray of hope that we have seen."

McNulty related how teachers and staff at Carrie Gosch Elementary School spent the five days before classes began in the fall working nearly around the clock to relocate to an unused school building elsewhere in the city so children would not have to walk through Gosch's lead contaminated campus going to and from classes each day.

However, she said the crisis also has led parents to pull some 275 children out of school and move away from East Chicago, with more departures expected in coming months.

Each lost child reduces state funding for the school corporation by $7,200, or nearly $2 million so far.

"We can't survive this," McNulty said.

State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, the committee chairman, said after hearing from the mayor and school superintendent that he believes the new state budget likely will include additional aid for East Chicago.

"There's obviously a problem here and we need to deal with it," Kenley said.

He directed two committee members  state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, and state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes  to determine the full extent of the need and analyze the different roles the state might play in helping to meet it.

Already state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, along with Charbonneau, have proposed in Senate Bill 148 to spend $10 million paying off debt connected to the closure of Carrie Gosch Elementary and to hold the school corporation financially harmless for its enrollment losses.

State Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, also has filed Senate Bill 317 to appropriate $5 million to the state's disaster relief fund as an emergency backstop for East Chicago, in case federal and local lead remediation efforts fail to fully resolve the situation.

Any state aid for East Chicago likely would be inserted in House Bill 1001, the two-year state budget plan, which is expected to advance to the Senate Appropriations Committee after being approved by the Republican-controlled House in late February.

Similar proposals to assist the city and school corporation are pending in the House, but have yet to receive a committee hearing.
MERRILLVILLE  Two Lake County Democratic elected officials are exchanging attacks.

State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington, D-Merrillville, should resign following Washington's recent domestic violence conviction.

Washington pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor invasion of privacy and battery of his wife. He admitted pushing and hurting her during an argument in late 2015. He is on probation under a plea bargain that dismissed felony strangulation charges.

Brown, who has represented much of Gary in the Indiana General Assembly's House for 34 years, submitted a letter to The Times of his opposition to Washington.

He also commented, "It makes all the sense in the world for (Washington) to resign. He has shown total disrespect for women, which is unfortunate."

Brown said Washingtons actions fosters negative views of Northwest Indiana's political leadership elsewhere in the state.

"Democrats in this county keep getting a black eye from public corruption, and now this happens," Brown said.

Brown also criticized the County Council for elevating Washington to the position of council vice president earlier this month in a 4-3 vote.

"Theres a certain arrogance about him," Brown said. "Hes trying to portray himself as a power broker. Its repulsive."

Washington, who has represented much of Gary, Merrillville and parts of St. John Township and Schererville on the County Council since 2014, responded with an attack on Brown.

"I find it quite interesting of the timing of Charlie Brown's letter. It has come at a time of my vocal opposition to the South Shore extension and my vocal distaste for this legislator's inability to achieve anything downstate. Charlie has failed this city."

Washington opposes an extension of the South Shore commuter line from Hammond to Dyer. Lake County's legislative delegation, including Brown, supports it.

Washington said Brown hasn't been an effective advocate for Gary's financially troubled school district or for East Chicago residents whose soil has been contaminated by lead.

Washington said Brown also has had trouble with the law in 2002 when Gary police arrested Brown for interfering with a police officer who had stopped fellow legislator State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, over a traffic matter.

A jury found Brown guilty of obstructing traffic, refusing to identify himself to a police officer, and parking his car in a bus zone. He did community service.
Northwest Indiana's congressional delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday asking him to confirm reports of a media blackout and freeze on task order and work assignments, and how those actions might affect an ongoing environmental cleanup in East Chicago.

U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, and Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, said they understood the challenges of transition, but were concerned any disruption in communications or work "could unintentionally prevent EPA employees from continuing to address an ongoing public health and safety crisis in East Chicago."

Residents learned last summer that many of them have been living for decades on soil contaminated with lead and arsenic.

In December, EPA said sequential testing  a more rigorous form of sampling than required by federal regulation  showed 18 homes in the Superfund site also had elevated lead levels in the water. The lead in the soil and water are unrelated, and East Chicago is in compliance with federal regulations on drinking water.

"It is critical to East Chicago families that federal government agencies are able to share public health and safety information and continue their cleanup work unabated," the letter states.

EPA provided The Times with a statement Wednesday saying the agency "fully intends to continue to provide information to the public" and that a review of grants and contracts information is expected to be completed by Friday.

The agency said any further questions should be directed to a general email address, and it did not immediately respond to questions about how actions related to Trump's transition might affect East Chicago residents.

An EPA open house for residents remains scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the old Carrie Gosch Elementary School in East Chicago, according to an email obtained Tuesday by The Times.

"Although the new Administration has taken a number of actions in recent days (some of which affect EPA operations), the Saturday meeting regarding the USS Lead Site in East Chicago is not expected to be impacted in any way," the email stated.

East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, who appeared Thursday before the Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee in Indianapolis, wrote late Wednesday in an open letter that his administration will be meeting with new leadership at EPA's regional office.

Copeland said his staff plans to hold the federal government accountable as a partner.
For the longest time, Andrea Dove refused to drive down a particular stretch of road on 450 North near the entrance to Rieth Riley Construction in LaPorte.

It's where her cousin, Dawn Dove, was killed in a traffic accident in 1991.

For 10 years she avoided the site. Then five years ago, she began driving a school bus route of which took her past the crash site. Last year, she placed a white cross at the spot where her cousin died. It remains this year, the 26th anniversary of the accident.

"I wanted something to look at," Andrea Dove said.

Andrea Dove is not alone. Marking the site of a death on a highway or road has roots in the Hispanic culture of the Southwest, where the memorials are often referred to as "descansos" (places of rest).

These decansos are scattered through the Region and the country. Some have been up for years and are regularly maintained by loved ones of the crash victim. Others are new and how long they remain is unknown.

Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Doug Moats said there are no state laws or regulations specifically identifying or regulating roadside memorials. In general, Moats said INDOT has the authority and responsibility to remove unauthorized signs and impediments to traffic from state right of way.

"INDOT does not encourage placement of memorials," he said. "However, we recognize that they are an important part of the grieving process for some individuals. As a result, INDOT has taken a position of understanding and flexibility in dealing with roadside memorials."

Moats said typically, small displays of flowers, pictures or crosses are left in place until it is necessary to remove them for construction or maintenance operations, which might include mowing, trash collection or guardrail and shoulder work. There is no set time that memorials may be left in place.

"If the displays are large enough to be a distraction to motorists, or if they in some other way constitute a hazard, they will be removed immediately," he said. "If contact information is left with the display, INDOT will attempt to reach the owner so they may retrieve the removed items at an INDOT facility."

In Valparaiso, Public Works Director Matt Evans said he is not aware of any ordinance that speaks specifically to roadside memorials.

"I do know that the right of way exists for the purpose of the governmental agency and that only board of works approved items may be placed in it," he said. "To my knowledge, mailboxes and trees that the city plants are the only approved items that do not need board of works authorization. Everything else  roadside memorials, landscaping, irrigation systems  need board of works permission."

Evans said if the memorial is on private property they will leave it alone.

"If the memorial is in the public right of way, it will be handled on a case-by-case basis with the priority being to avoid line of sight hazards for pedestrians or motorists," he said.

In St. John, Town Manager Steve Kil said they do not have an ordinance that specifically addresses roadside memorials.

"I believe it would be handled by the broader scope of our zoning ordinance," he said. "I have known of memorials being up for a limited amount of time; however, I do not believe that we have any in town that have been up for years."

In Griffith, Stephanie Pinkerton and others maintained a cross and memorial at the site where their high school classmate, David Collier, was killed in 2005 when his car collided with a train at the Miller and Wood street crossing.

There were no crossing gates at the time of the accident and when guards were put in, Pinkerton said the said memorial was removed.

"Since that day, I never knew where the cross was placed, but I think of him every time I cross a set of tracks in town," she said. "He will forever be missed but his smile and love of life will always be on the minds of many."
Fiscal success depends on nurturing and encouraging economic development, not placing undue restrictions and building bureaucratic walls.

With that premise in mind, two Region municipalities should think long and hard before unduly restricting future development.

The cases in question are separated by about 14 miles.

In one case, the Munster Town Council is considering an ordinance that could severely limit franchise businesses, such as fast-food restaurants, from establishing new locations within town limits.

In the other case, some Crown Point City Council members are quibbling over the site design of a proposed new hospital because it doesn't look "colonial" enough.

It's quite simple, really.

Municipalities shouldn't cut off their noses to spite their fiscal faces by being overly petty, restrictive or flat-out snooty about the types of businesses they'll accept and how they should look on the outside.

In the case of the Munster ordinance, small business owners who appreciate the success and stability franchise ownership can bring could be shut out from such endeavors.

Munster's proposed Formula Business Ordinance effectively would block out businesses that use logos, trademarks, service or any other identifying name or symbol shared by 15 or more commercial businesses.

All such businesses would have to apply for special-use permits from the town, a condition of which would be that franchises not have another branch within 15 miles of a proposed location.

That's roughly the driving distance between Munster and Crown Point.

The ordinance, which is slated for second and third readings in February and March, should be scrapped.

Meanwhile, Crown Point council members should ponder how restrictive they truly want to be on the "Williamsburg Broadway" corridor developments.

Crown Point officials recently reviewed renderings of a planned Community Stroke and Rehabilitation Hospital planned for that corridor at 10215 Broadway Ave.

The four-story, multi-use hospital would specialize in stroke patient care and rehab and represents an important development that would bring jobs and further vibrancy to the growing corridor.

When reviewing the plans at a recent meeting, Crown Point Councilwoman Laura Sauerman criticized the hospital for looking like "a big box."

"It's not timeless looking," she said. "Just rectangle after rectangle is disappointing."

Several plan commission members seemed to want to take on the role of architectural decorators, concluding that a "timeless" look means making it look more like Colonial Williamsburg.

Crown Point has compelled that look for the Broadway corridor, and it is attractive.

"I just think it's woefully inadequate for the Williamsburg Broadway architectural design standards," Crown Point plan commission member Dan Rohaley said of the hospital design.

But Rohaley and other city leaders should avoid being too controlling regarding a hospital design based on early colonial America, which isn't really timeless at all.

There's a difference between managing development and completely controlling or restricting it.

Munster and Crown Point, in their own respective ways, are striking the wrong balance.
INDIANAPOLIS  The Indiana House is on board with Region lawmakers seeking to tighten the state's century-old laws permitting railroads to use eminent domain authority to secure land for their tracks and equipment.

Representatives voted 95-0 Thursday for House Bill 1260, which would obligate railroads to abide by the same "public use" mandate and property appraisal process employed by governments in forcing the sale of a home, farm or other land.

Current state law gives railroads of just about any size almost unlimited use of eminent domain, including potentially taking land in state parks to build a rail line.

"This brings our law into conformance with the more owner-friendly federal law," said state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, a sponsor.

Soliday indicated the measure, which now advances to the Republican-controlled Senate, also would improve the land acquisition process for double-tracking the South Shore commuter rail line between Gary and Michigan City.

In addition, House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, pointed out the proposed statute may deter Great Lakes Basin Transportation from taking a 200-foot wide corridor for its proposed 260-mile freight railroad connecting Northwest Indiana to southeast Wisconsin.

"People really, really hate it, and this may make it a little bit more difficult for them to pull that off. It certainly would bring more oversight," Pelath said.

In addition to Soliday, the legislation is sponsored by state Reps. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron; Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster; and Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie; and state Sens. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso; and Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell.
What started as a way to advocate for races in Northwest Indiana has turned into a continual effort to raise funds and awareness about local causes.

Founded in 2011 by Paul Stofko, the Crazy Legs Race Series promotes races in the Region through the development and management of new and existing races. A majority of the events, however, also benefits a cause or nonprofit in need of funding or help.

This Sunday, the organization will host its first race of the year in the town of Porter. The Running for Alexandria 5K Run/Walk, formerly known as the Frozen Feet 5K, will raise support for a local family whose daughter was diagnosed last year at age 6 months with a rare and progressive neuromuscular disorder called spinal muscular atrophy.

Stofko said Alexandria's parents, Scott and Adriana Ellis, will need to make many decisions about Alexandrias care and treatment, which will be accompanied by a financial burden.

Though she has required mechanical support to breathe, Alexandria was the first in her age group to be allowed into an expanded access program where she is receiving the first treatment for SMA, he said.

Managing the race was a way for Stofko to help the family, who could focus on Alexandrias care rather than the logistics of putting together an event.

I told them I would handle the whole thing, from insurance, location, course marking and online registrations, he said. All they needed to provide were volunteers to help out. The money raised for this race will help with medical costs associated with Alexandrias care.

The Crazy Legs organization also is planning a second race shortly after  this time to benefit CPR Care Packages for the homeless.

The Crazy Legs 5K Trail Run will take place Feb. 4 at Creek Ridge County Park in Michigan City. The event will consist of two loops around the park, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting an organization that creates care packages for individuals without homes in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana regions.

Basic necessities many of us may take for granted are difficult to obtain for those that are homeless, Stofko said. Hygiene products, first aid supplies and healthy snacks are critically needed for homeless individuals. With the donations they collect, they will be able to build these packages.

The Crazy Legs events offer runners and walkers a variety of distances from which to compete, from 5K to 50K events.

At all of our events you will experience fun and challenging course designs in a low-key atmosphere, Stofko said. Races will be held in parks or areas in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.

Stofko, an avid runner who has competed in races that stretch from 50K to 200 miles, said he often gets together with other runners at Indiana State Dunes Park on the weekends.

Anyone who would like to participate in the formal races may sign up online up to two days prior to the event. However, participants also may sign up in person on the day of the event beginning 30 minutes before the start of the race.

For more information on upcoming events or the Crazy Legs organization, go to crazylegsraceseries.info or email stofko121@yahoo.com.
Laura Toberman never expected to lose a child to brain cancer. It's not exactly something she prepared for.

But on June 2, 2015, that most unimaginable thing happened: Her son, James Schutte, died after battling glioblastoma. He was 22.

Now she wants to support other families going through similar situations.

Toberman and her husband, Steve, recently started the Joshua James Schutte Foundation, which will raise money for families dealing with brain cancer and for research into the disease. The organization is hosting a fundraiser next weekend in Highland.

"We'd love to stamp out brain cancer, make people more aware. People really don't talk about brain cancer," she said. Brain cancer is the leading cause of childhood cancer and childhood cancer deaths.

In December 2013, Schutte was 19, studying marketing at Purdue Calumet, when he came down with severe flu-like symptoms. He couldn't go to work or school. Doctors thought he had the flu.

A few days later, he fainted, and his family rushed him to the emergency room. A CT scan revealed a mass on his brain. On Christmas Eve, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor.

Schutte, a 2011 graduate of Lake Central High School, started radiation soon after, then chemotherapy. He was stable until August 2014, when the cancer spread.

"Through this all, if you would have seen him on the street you wouldn't even know he was sick," Toberman said.

Schutte's family took him to California in January 2015. Pictures from that trip show him, with his head shaved, surgical indentations in his skull, a big smile on his face. "He was always smiling. He was always smiling," Toberman said. "He was just a happy person, just made friends so quick. He was a special person. He loved his family and his friends."

Schutte was a movie buff, working at the AMC Showplace in Schererville. He loved "The Hunger Games," "Star Wars" and the Marvel Comics films. The last movie he saw was "Pitch Perfect 2."

Five months after that vacation to California, Schutte died.

"We were really thankful to have him for 2 1/2 years," Toberman said, noting that the life expectancy of those with the disease is generally about a year. "I wish we would have had him for 20 or more."

Now, the family is left to help others like them. They know it can be challenging to get to the hospital for regular treatments, particularly children with public insurance who have to travel to Indianapolis for care. Out-of-pocket health care costs can get mighty expensive, too.

"We can just be there to help somebody going through it, be a support, help them if they have questions," Toberman said.

The nonprofit also supports the hospital where Schutte received treatment, Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. Researchers there are studying how the body's immune system can be used to treat pediatric brain tumors and looking for new ways to deliver therapies to those tumors.
A community yoga class is being offered for trauma survivors in Northwest Indiana.

The instructor says research has found that yoga can relieve the feelings of trauma.

"A lot of symptoms around trauma are similar to those around anxiety," said Kelly Bishop Bohren, a psychotherapist and yoga teacher who is certified in trauma-informed yoga. "When we're anxious, we tend to carry our breaths in the upper portion of our chest. Yoga teaches us how to bring our breath back into the lower lungs and belly. It helps to regulate being in the present moment, grounded, connected with ourselves."

Bishop Borhen offers Circle of Hope, a donation-based trauma-informed yoga class, once a month in Schererville. She hopes to eventually expand it to twice monthly as well as Porter County.

Many trauma survivors experience increased stress hormones, hypervigilance and hyperarousal, often known as the"fight or flight" response. Bishop Bohern said yoga helps reduce fear and arousal, slows the resting heart rate and calms the autonomic nervous system.

Research has found that brain pathways responsible for body-based feelings are underactive in people who have experienced trauma. Yoga can counteract that, she said, by making us recognize the feelings in our bodies.

"When we experience trauma, we disconnect from our body," she said. "Yoga helps to create sensory awareness and self-awareness."

At the start of the classes, group members can share their experiences with trauma. Trauma-informed yoga meets people "where they're at," Bishop Bohren said, and gives participants the choice whether to participate in each of the poses. It's much more hands-off than regular yoga.

She also noted that "yoga itself is not therapy" but that "it augments the therapy process."
The relationship between the United States and Mexico is quickly deteriorating. Less than a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to build a border wall, Mexico's president pulled out of a meeting in Washington. Washington bureau reporter Alberto Pimienta filed the following report.

What used to be a stable diplomatic relation between two neighboring countries is now quickly descending into disarray.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto announced Thursday he won't be coming to Washington.

At a GOP congressional retreat in Philadelphia, Trump said the decision to cancel was mutual.

"The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week," Trump said. "Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless."

The diplomatic fallout came after Trump, making good on a campaign promise, signed an executive order to start immediate construction of a border wall.

As he's said for months, Trump repeated that Mexico will, in fact, pay.

"The American people will not pay for the wall," he said.

As recently as Wednesday afternoon, Pena Nieto rebutted the assertion.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suggested one of the options to pay for the wall would be a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico.

The tariff would have to be included in a major congressional overhaul of the nation's tax codes.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday they want tax reform to happen before the August congressional recess. So it looks like initially, taxpayers will foot the bill.

"We are moving ahead, as the speaker pointed out yesterday, $12 to $15 billion," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The diplomatic dust-up with the country's third-largest trading partner could spill into areas beyond immigration. One of Trump's priorities is to renegotiate NAFTA, a trade deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada that he says has badly hurt American workers.
A Massachusetts resident has been charged with a hate crime after authorities say he assaulted a Muslim employee at Kennedy Airport.

Robin Rhodes, 57, is accused of attacking a Delta employee in the Delta Sky Lounge at JFK's Terminal 2 Wednesday night.

According to the Queens district attorney, the victim, Rabeeya Khan, was sitting in her office when Rhodes punched the door of her office, which hit the back of her chair.

Rhodes then allegedly kicked Khan in the right leg.

The Queens DA alleges that Rhodes proceeded to block Khan from leaving her office. Eventually, Khan was able to leave her office, but the Queens DA says Rhodes followed her, imitated a Muslim praying and said, " [Expletive] Islam, [expletive] ISIS, Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens."

Rhodes faces charges of assault as a hate crime, unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime, harassment as a hate crime, among other charges.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
With a growing homeless crisis in the city, New York State is sitting on roughly $2 billion in housing funds that have yet to be released. Zack Fink filed the following report.

For state lawmakers representing the city of New York, any funds the state can provide for supportive housing could at least help start to alleviate the homeless problem.

"Right now we have the worst homeless crisis since the Great Depression," said Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi of Queens. "And even worse, the trend continues to grow."

And state money is actually available. $2 billion in housing funds were approved by the legislature last year. But ever since, state leaders have been squabbling over how to spend it.

"I think we are very close to where the governor is. And I think most people would expect that. He's a Democrat. We are Democrats," said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. "We still look forwward to having the agreement. And we are all anxious to see it released because some good things can be done with that money."

After Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders couldn't reach an agreement last year, Cuomo unilaterally signed a memorandum of understanding to release the funds in September. But the two legislative leaders, who would also have to sign the memo as well, were not parties to the agreement, known as an MOU.

Nevertheless, earlier this month, Cuomo blamed the legislature.

"Neither the Assembly nor the Senate have agreed to move the funds forward. Today, I call on them to advance this historic plan," he said on January 9.

"The idea that the legislature is at fault is absurd," Hevesi said. "First, we shouldn't be in an MOU process at all if the governor was able to get it done in last year's budget. Then, we could have done it at the end of session. He wasn't able to get an agreement."

Meanwhile, advocates for the homeless are getting frustrated now that it is several weeks into the new legislative session and still no action.

Heastie says he is committed to releasing the funds but does not agree with Cuomo's characterization about why they haven't been.

"No, it wasn't our fault," he said.

Earlier this month, Cuomo said Senate Republicans were unwilling to sign off on the MOU releasing the funds until a replacement could be found for a lucrative tax break for developers known as 421-a. The governor has a plan for that as well, but legislative leaders have yet to endorse it.
The weekend is here. That means precious free time to sit on your sofa or lie in bed and watch ... something. Anything. Whatever you want. But maybe try one of the films below, all of which expire from the specified streaming services at the end of the month.

Leaving Netflix

An Inconvenient Truth

Its been more than 10 years since Al Gore and his PowerPoint slides walked audiences through the concept of global warming in this documentary. It still does the job. The film is also worth revisiting before seeing its follow-up, An Inconvenient Sequel, which just made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. (Add it to your Watchlist.)

Frida

Salma Hayek stars in this visually sumptuous biopic about the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The movie swings between her work as a groundbreaking surrealistic painter and her many affairs, an approach that makes the enigmatic figures story even more alluring. (Add it to Watchlist.)

There Will be Blood

There is, indeed, the red stuff in Paul Thomas Andersons dark western drama about the American dream (though youll have to wait most of the film to see it spilled). A maniacally driven oilman (Daniel Day-Lewis, in one of his most intense performances) risks everything to drill in California and beat his competitors. Paul Dano plays an unlikely antagonist as a zealous, young pastor. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
Farmer incomes in Tororo have received a boost through the use of collective marketing and bulking of produce, which allows them to negotiate better prices.

According to Terencio Otwani, the chairperson of Nyalakot Farmers group, this process has not only increased the groups income to the level of building a bulking centre but has also resulted in more family income for member farmers.

For the past three years, we have seen increased income to our group and to individual farmers, Otwani explains. We now even have buyers from as far as Kenya and Mbale coming to book our harvest...

The group, located in Osukuru sub-county, Tororo district, majorly grows soy beans, rice and maize. They bulk post-harvest at their bulking centre constructed with the help of Sasakawa Global 2000, a farmer-support organisation working with government to improve farming practices, and then sell when the prices are at their highest.

Members of Nyalakot farmer group in Osukuru sub-country take turns to weed the communal soy bean farm

The advantage of retained income allows the group to fix prices for their produce. According to Rosette Kemigisha Bakunda, a program officer with Sasakawa, the farmers have reliably grown their incomes, not only through hard work but also through financial literacy practices and a robust village savings and loans association.

We have trained over 700 farmer groups through the country in better farmer practices, post-harvest handling, value addition but also in financial literacy and supported them create a savings and credit scheme, which they run on their own.

As a result, Sasakawa was able to loan the group more than Shs 13 million, which they invested in growing more rice by leasing larger chunks of land, leading to a bigger harvest. The group was able to pay back the loan within a year, having made over Shs 8 million in profit, which they have invested in a larger farmland and a bulking centre.

Maize and rice are some of the food crops produced by Nyakalot Farmers Group, which are highly consumed by the domestic market but are also exported to the neighbouring markets of Kenya and South Sudan.

Collective marketing, bulking and occasional value addition have demonstrated that farmers can sell their produce at the best market prices, at the highest market peak and the proceeds reinvested into even more farming.

We have seen entire communities grow since higher incomes lead to attendant demand for agro inputs like seeds and fertilizers as well as services like agronomy and transport, says Dr Roselline Nyamutale, the country director of Sasakawa Global 200.



justuslyatuu08@gmail.com
UC Irvine gained approval Thursday to open a much anticipated school of nursing that will double the number of nursing students in a decade, helping meet the expected demands of an aging population.

UC Regents voted to establish the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, propelled by a $40 million donation given by the Gross Family Foundation last year. Construction of a building on campus will begin in 2018.

Everyone is just celebrating, said Adeline Adey Nyamathi, dean of the nursing school. This is such a monumental moment for UCI nursing.

Nyamathi said in 10 years the school will go from its current enrollment of 218 bachelors, masters and Ph.D. students, to 432 students. Nursing faculty will increase from 17 to 34.

The program will produce more front-line nurses and create more nursing faculty and researchers, which Nyamathi said will be crucial for solving some of the challenges in health care. The nursing school is the fourth in the UC system.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 16 percent by 2024. The much faster than average growth is tied to greater emphasis on preventative care, growing rates of chronic disease and demand from aging baby boomers. In 2014, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing said schools were struggling to expand capacity to meet projected needs.

At UCI, space limitations have made nursing one of the most competitive majors with an acceptance rate of 3.6 percent. The campus received more than 2,450 applications in the fall for 40 freshman slots.

While some local community colleges offer two-year nursing degrees, UCI and Cal State Fullerton are the only public schools offering bachelors and advanced nursing degrees.

Patti Aube, director of nursing professional development at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, welcomed more bachelors nursing slots in Orange County. She said shes been impressed by the UCI nursing students who have done their clinical rotations at St. Joseph.

We find the quality of their students to be very good, she said. They are well educated, they are prepared to enter the working environment. We like to have them.

UCI began offering bachelors degrees in nursing in 2007. In 2009, it began offering an M.S. in nursing science and a post-masters nurse practitioner certificate program. In 2013, it expanded to offer Ph.Ds.

Nyamathi said the nursing school will address real-world challenges and focus on community needs. For instance, she said repeat visits to hospital emergency rooms could be prevented by transitional models of nursing care that keep patients safe in their homes at a lower cost and with better health outcomes.

Nursing needs to step up and take leadership in making changes to practice, she said. We will be changing the way that health care is delivered.

Justin Reyes, who is pursuing his doctorate in nursing at UCI, said establishing a school will bring more recognition.

It helps bring nursing to the forefront because most people dont even know that UC Irvine has a nursing program, Reyes said. I think its definitely going to bring a lot more appeal to UC Irvine because nursing is a very sought after degree and career.

The gift to establish the nursing school is the largest in UCIs history. Bill Gross co-founded Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO), a global investment management firm based in Newport Beach.

Contact the writer: cperkes@scng.com 714-796-3686
BANJUL, Gambia  President Adama Barrow returned triumphantly to Gambia on Thursday, nearly two months after winning an election disputed by the countrys longtime dictator, to the cheers of hundreds of thousands who jammed the roads in welcome.

Thats my president! the crowds cried, eager to see Barrow fulfill the promise of democratic reforms and newfound freedoms in this tiny West African nation.

The impasse after the Dec. 1 balloting had brought Gambia to the brink of military intervention, as regional leaders vowed to install the democratically elected Barrow despite legal efforts by longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh to overturn the result of the vote. Barrow had flown to Banjul from Senegal, where he had waited for Jammeh to leave Gambia.

Barrow! Barrow! people shouted from atop vehicles as far as the eye could see at sunset Thursday as the presidents convoy made its way through Banjul. Women danced on minibuses and the sound of drums and music blared in the streets. Spontaneous parties erupted.

Barrow stood out of the roof of his vehicle and waved as he slowly made his way on a tour of the city and back to his home.

I am a happy man today, Barrow told The Associated Press amid the crush of his arrival. I think the bad part is finished now.

He promised to get his Cabinet in place and then get the ball rolling, adding that a commission would be set up to address reconciliation.

Gambians had eagerly awaited Barrow, who has promised to reverse many of the authoritarian policies of Jammeh. The former leader oversaw a government accused of imprisoning, torturing and killing his political opponents. Some political prisoners have been released, but the fate of many who have disappeared remains unknown.

Every Gambian must be free. We suffered for 22 years, but now enough is enough, said Seedia Badjie, 37.

Jammeh, who had been accused of rigging previous elections during his regime, initially called Barrow to concede after the balloting. But when the talk began about whether he could be indicted on war crimes charges, Jammeh shocked the world with a dramatic about-face, saying he would not cede power after all.

The international community, alarmed by Jammehs unpredictability, said the election was fair and threw its support behind Barrow, a 51-year-old businessman.

Concerns emerged for Barrows safety, and regional mediators urged him to wait for Jammehs departure in neighboring Senegal. Ultimately, Barrow was sworn in Jan. 19 at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar, though officials say another celebration will be held in Gambia.

Jammeh finally left Gambia last weekend, bowing to international pressure and ending his more than 22-year rule. The West African troops were poised to oust him if talks failed. Since then, they have been securing the country for Barrows arrival.

A larger, more formal ceremony to welcome Barrow home will take place at a later date, spokesman Halifa Sallah said.

About 2,500 of the ECOWAS troops remain in Gambia  in the capital, Banjul, as well as at key crossing points between Gambia and Senegal and at the port and airport, according to Swedens U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog, the current U.N. Security Council president.

Barrow has asked the troops to stay for six months to provide security, said Mohamed Ibn Chambas, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general and head of the U.N. Office for West Africa and the Sahel.

Gambia, with nearly 1.9 million people, has become an example in West Africa as the region strives for stable, democratic changes of power. The world watched as Gambians showed they wanted change, supporting a coalition of opposition parties whose aim was to oust Jammeh and put the country on a path toward greater freedoms.

Jammeh ended up in Equatorial Guinea, taking luxury cars and other riches amassed during his presidency, and accompanied by family and trusted security guards.

When he left, Banjul exploded in celebration, with music blaring from speakers and people dancing in the streets.

Barrow faces immediate challenges, including a government that appears to be broke. Jammeh left the state coffers empty, the new leader has said.

Gambias biggest export is peanuts, although the country, the smallest on Africas mainland, also has become a significant source of migrants making their way to Europe.

Tourism is a vital industry, but the increasingly isolationist Jammeh regime had frightened away many visitors, and it remains unclear how long it will take hotels and resorts to recover.

The coming months will be crucial to building a country without a climate of fear and working toward reconciliation. Barrow has vowed greater freedoms and reforms to the security forces and the constitution.

Barrow already has named a female vice president, Fatoumata Tambajang, who has called for Jammehs prosecution for alleged human rights abuses. But it emerged that she might be above the constitutional age limit for the post, and Barrow said he will form a vetting committee for further appointments.

Sallah, the spokesman, said a human rights commission will be set up and the new government will create a freedom of information act.

We expect a lot of things from Barrow, said 26-year-old Modou Fall, who, like many others, wore T-shirt with the slogan #Gambiahasdecided to show support for Barrow. We want the forces to stay so that we can reform our army  and we need development in this country.
Born with an enlarged kidney, three holes in his heart and defective eyes, Rory Burns of San Clemente has lived with disabilities through his 31 years. He finds joy in a set of drumsticks.

He picked up music by ear during childhood and learned to play drums. Now he is about to pursue a dream, having been accepted for an open-call audition for Season 12 of televisions Americas Got Talent on Feb. 11 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

He intends to submit an audition tape, and Michael Merrigan, owner of OC Tavern in San Clemente, has set up an evening for him to record it. At 9 p.m. Friday, OC Tavern will invite the public, free admission, to watch Rory Burns  or RooStar, as he calls himself  create an audition video.

Anything to help out a local musician, Merrigan said. Its going to be a fun night. I hope a lot of people will come out to support him. Hes following his dream.

Burns said he was born with a rare genetic condition and is just happy to still be here. The doctor said I wouldnt live past the age of 7, he said.

He was given last rites when he was born, said his father, Kevin Burns.

Rory has endured a lifelong series of medical challenges including five heart surgeries, Kevin Burns said. Totally blind in one eye, he has very limited vision in the other. He attended special-education classes through school.

I pretty much pushed myself through everything, he said. I had the strength to do it. I love life.

Rory worked for a time at Costco, has been on disability and lives with his parents, immersed in his music. He doesnt play in a band, but last summer he performed on Avenida Del Mar at the San Clemente Fiesta Street Festival, and it gave him a confidence boost, his father said.

Im proud of him, Kevin Burns said. Rory is a special kid. Hes one of the toughest people Ive ever met in terms of being able to endure all these problems. He has a heart of gold.

The upcoming appearance in a venue like OC Tavern will be a first for him, and he thanked Merrigan for the opportunity.

My message is, no matter how bad things get, always try to follow your dreams, Rory said.

No matter how he fares at the audition, or on the show if he makes it, Roostar said he will relish the live-audience experience at OC Tavern, where he will play drums  lots of rock, and a little hip-hop  to music provided by a disc jockey.

I hope I get a lot of feedback, he said. I hope theres a lot of cheers and I make the crowd happy and I do a good job.

Contact the writer: fswegles@scng.com or 949-492-5127
Now that President Donald Trump has ordered the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, California  with the largest share of the nations undocumented immigrant population  likely is moving into sharp focus among national policymakers.

The Golden State is home to 2.35 million of the roughly 11.1 million people living in the country illegally, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center.

The Public Policy Institute of California puts the state total a little higher, at 2.67 million.

In any event, Southern California figures prominently. Close to half the states undocumented immigrants live in four large regional counties.

Joe Hayes, research associate at the Public Policy Institute, said the San Francisco-based group estimates those populations at 814,000 for Los Angeles County, 247,500 for Orange County, 124,000 in Riverside County and 118,000 in San Bernardino County.

But no one seems to know how accurate the estimates are.

Estimating the undocumented population is not a science, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a UC Riverside professor and associate dean of the universitys School of Public Policy.

Researchers say the estimates are reasonably close, given they are based on proven yardsticks, including census data for foreign-born residents, federal enforcement statistics, birth and death records, health surveys, employment records, and tax filings.

Were confident that the numbers are relatively close, said Bill Schooling, chief of demographic research for the state Department of Finance in Sacramento. But how close, how accurate, thats up for debate.

Frank Bean, director of UC Irvines Center for Research on International Migration, termed the degree of confidence reasonably high.

The unknown question is, are the migrants more underground now than they used to be, so to speak, because of the operations of ICE and all the deportations that were taking place during the Obama administration? Bean said.

He said he suspects that in recent years, immigrants were more hesitant to participate in census, health and other surveys  a trend that would accelerate if the new administration deported people in large numbers.

On the other hand, Trump hasnt issued an order to undo, for example, DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Hes not even talking about it, Bean said. And, he said, that may temper any new trend.

Wall rhetoric aside, Bean said, it does not appear that Trump will significantly alter U.S. immigration policy.

Ramakrishnan said illegal immigration has an overall positive influence on the state and region.

Like others who call California home, undocumented immigrants take advantage of public resources such as education and health care. They do represent a short-term cost when it comes to state and local spending, Ramakrishnan said.

But he argued that shouldnt alarm anyone.

The same would be true for any newborn in California, regardless of whether they are an immigrant or not, he said, saying youngsters generally dont contribute to society in a measurable way until they enter the workforce.

The Pew Research Center estimates that undocumented immigrants make up 9 percent of Californias labor force.

Over the long haul, Ramakrishnan said, immigrants represent a net fiscal benefit. He said undocumented Californians contribute to many industries, particularly agriculture, construction, landscaping and hospitality.

If there is going to be large-scale deportation, he said, not only will it cause economic dislocation in all of these industries, it will mean significantly higher wages and significantly higher prices in all of the industries in which they work.

Trump backers counter that more active enforcement of immigration laws will benefit the economy.

What resonated to me in his (inauguration) speech was putting American workers back to work, said Cathy Turner of Irvine.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9699ddowney@scng.comTwitter: PE_DavidDowney
With Top Chef down to seven contestants, weve entered the part of the program where one chef can go home over a few grains of salt.

Come on, chefs. You know how much head judge Tom Colicchio despises underseasoned food. Get a clue.

Our recap of Thursday nights program is focused on local chef Shirley Chung, former executive chef at Twenty Eight in Irvine. The Newport Beach resident is back for redemption after placing fourth in Season 11.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Quickfire Challenge: Season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio of Ink in Los Angeles is the guest judge this week, which makes everyone nervous because he is a perfectionist. Not to mention he is one of the most fearless chefs ever to compete on the show. He and host Padma Lakshmi task the chefs with the ultimate palate test: They must taste 20 ingredients blindfolded. The chef who correctly identifies the most in five minutes wins. Seems easy? Not really, when you consider some of the items are pimento cheese, ginger, clams and anchovy paste. Chung falls to the bottom, cringing and spitting up her foods along the way. She is only able to nail eight ingredients, while the winner, Brooke Williamson, lands 16. The frontrunner wins 14 cases of wine. But the real prize is bragging rights. She beats Voltaggio, who, off-camera, only got 11 ingredients correct.

Elimination Challenge: Theres always an episode with a theme meant to tug at the chefs emotions by unraveling dark or sentimental secrets. For this challenge, chefs are asked to draw inspiration from childhood to create dishes for a $500-per-person gala benefiting a local childrens hospital. They must cook in extreme heat outside, as the event is held on ultra-exclusive Kiawah Island.

Chungs memory: No sob story for Chung, who grew up in China. Instead, she regales us with wild tales of climbing trees, jumping off rooftops and setting fires outside her house. You were crazy, says Sheldon Simeon. (By the way, why is Simeons workstation always next to Chungs? Does Lakshmi assign seats?) But the craziest thing she remembers was fleeing her Beijing house to eat street food against her moms wishes. I used to sneak off with my best friend  behind my moms back. When Colicchio asks why, Chung says: She thinks its dirty. Shes a doctor so she doesnt think its safe.

Her dish: Roasted leg of lamb with Beijing sauce, her take on night market lamb skewers.

The party: All the chefs are sweating like crazy as they prepare to serve 100 guests. Most everyone is taking big risks. Williamson is stuffing and folding 100 crepes, Sylva Senat is hand-rolling and deep-frying beef lollipops, and Chung is searing and slicing lamb to order. Its pretty risky but I always believe in quality over speed, she said.

Ultimately, slowness is not Chungs problem. Shes cranking out the meat, but shes slicing the lamb too thick. Lakshmi is having difficulty cutting the lamb into a bite-size portion. Finally, Voltaggio reaches into Chungs workstation to grab her chefs knife. He slices the lamb into smaller portions. After they take a bite, the two judges walk away without giving Chung feedback. Yikes.

Chung looks defeated. Her fans should be concerned, as the only other chef that goofed is Emily Hahn. Her icebox cake, inspired by her grandfathers favorite dessert, was too literal. She should have elevated it, Colicchio says.

Judges tables: Williamson can do no wrong. She lands on top again. The judges swoon over her perfectly executed egg yolk-stuffed crepes. Senat and Simeon join her for their flavor-packed dishes. Simeons story is especially touching, as he makes red snapper floating in a broth of roasted barley tea and rice. His father always took hot tea to work; his mother would then take the leftover tea and add rice for a meal. No waste. The judges love the elevated interpretation of such a humble story.

It was like drinking liquid zen in a bowl, judge Graham Elliott says.

The winning dish: Flavor and perfect execution nearly always prevail on Top Chef, so Senat scores the win. He dazzles the judges with his beef lollipops, his spin on beef patties  a late-night snack he ate during the holidays in Haiti.

It was like punching you on the tongue, flavor on flavor, says Elliot.

On the bottom: Hahn, Chung and Thompson make the three least successful dishes. Thompson is dinged for under-seasoning her macaron-shaped crabcake. Shes shocked to be on the bottom. As the judges critique each chef, Chung makes a defensive play when shes scolded for presenting lamb slices that are too big for a cocktail party. Maybe I take a bigger bite then normal people, she says.

Lakshmi doesnt buy it. You want me to put a whole slice of lamb in my mouth?

Voltaggio gives Chung fans hope: Once I got the bite in my mouth, I said OK, this is delicious.

And, that apparently saves Chung, as Hahn is finally sent packing. How she made it this far is mind-boggling.

Next week: Chung gets seasick.

Bravo continues to refer to Chung as executive chef of Twenty Eight, but the reality is she broke ties with the Irvine restaurant several months ago.

The departure was amicable. She has moved on to pursue other interests and is no longer a part of Twenty Eight, owner Stacie Tran said.

While filming Top Chef, Chungs longtime chef de cuisine, Jay Lacuesta, took the helm in the kitchen. With a new executive chef, Twenty Eight has made a major menu transition from modern Chinese to wood-grilled meats.

At a preview dinner last week, Lacuesta showcased some of the standout dishes, including a 24-ounce Kurobuta pork shoulder and a 40-ounce, dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye. Some of the larger plates are served family-style for sharing.

We definitely recommend sharing because of the size of each entree. We also have a large-format feast menu that guests can preorder, Tran said.

Tran said it made sense to offer a meat-centric menu because diners were asking for more meat on the menu.

Other wood-grilled proteins on the menu include Scottish salmon, a whole branzino and Marys organic half chicken. Dont miss the egg and vegetables side dish. The roasted vegetables taste like an elevated ratatouille served with a fried egg on top.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders this week that might deliver two of his biggest campaign promises: to build a border wall and to make it considerably tougher to be an undocumented resident of the United States.

But a third campaign promise  to repeal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and start the deportation process of about 750,000 people who grew up in the United States after being brought here as children  remains unfilled.

For thousands of people in Southern California, that inaction by Trump is a moment of personal anxiety, a potentially life-changing shoe that has yet to drop.

For Trump, its a moment of political anxiety.

Before the presidential election, DACA was as big a part of Trumps campaign rhetoric as the border wall. In speech after speech, he railed against the program, saying he would terminate it immediately, even in the face of political blowback. Polling shows his core supporters responded to that message, seeing the promise as a sign that Trump was immune to typical political pressures.

But since the election, Trumps language on DACA has softened.

In his first TV interview as president-elect, he suggested he would replace DACA with something that would allow younger immigrants to stay in the United States. And on Wednesday, the same day he signed the executive orders to start construction of the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and to beef up border agents and immigration personnel, Trump told ABC News that DACA recipients shouldnt be worried.

Still, many are.

There is just chaos and hysteria going on with our undocumented community, said Luz Gallegos, community programs director for the TODEC Legal Center, which provides immigration services in the Inland Empire.

Like many immigrant advocacy groups in the region, the center continues to help immigrants already in the program to renew their status with DACA, which offers relief from deportation in two-year windows. But Gallegos said her group also is advising people not to submit initial applications for the program, keeping their personal information  and the fact theyre not documented immigrants  out of government databases.

Its been really emotional. We dont know whats going to happen two days from now, two hours from now. Its a roller coaster Gallegos said, choking up. Theres really no end to it with this administration.

What is known is that DACA is popular.

As of now, DACA, created nearly five years ago as an executive order by President Barack Obama, covers more than 200,000 people in California. Most work or study here; virtually all speak English and are culturally assimilated.

Often, DACA recipients  called Dreamers by supporters and the media  are the public faces of the immigration debate.

A poll released in late November by Global Strategy Group found that 58 percent of voters supported keeping DACA in place, and just 28 percent wanted it to be repealed.

For Trump  supposedly immune to polling  a decision to cut the program could reduce his political capital.

The politics of it get very dicey, said Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican strategist who has studied Latino voting trends. For most voters, he said, going after Dreamers would be one step too far.

This is absolutely a lightning rod. DACA has personalized the (immigration) issue in a way that nothing else has. It puts a human face to it, and in a social movement, that can change everything.

Given the political delicacy of the issue, Madrid said, its possible that Trump could choose to quietly phase out the program, rather than make a big repeal announcement.

I think that might be as far as theyre willing to go, politically, Madrid said.

But Trump is already facing pressure from anti-illegal immigration groups, who fear the presidents hesitancy to repeal DACA signals a broader softening on his hawkish immigration policy agenda.

Were very disappointed, said Joe Guzzardi, national media director at Californians for Population Stabilization, a Santa Barbara-based group that advocates immigration restrictions.

He said early and often that he was going to repeal Obamas executive orders on immigration, and DACA was on that list.

In an email blast sent this week, the North Carolina-based Americans for Legal Immigration PAC urged its 50,000 supporters to tell the White House to reopen its comments hotline so that they could push the president to act on DACA.

He risks alienating the very powerful base that elected him if he doesnt act soon, said William Gheen, the groups president. Weve given Republicans all of the branches of government, and we dont want to see them support DACA by any means.

Trump didnt look at polling when he moved to build the wall. Only about 37 percent of Americans want a border wall; 59 percent oppose it. And, broadly speaking, most Americans  61 percent  favor a path to citizenship for immigrants.

Other Republicans are moving away from Trump on DACA.

This month, a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, introduced legislation to give deportation relief to as many as 740,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

Its my firm belief most Americans want to fix a broken immigration system in a humane manner, Graham said in a news release.

In a statement on Trumps executive orders Wednesday, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein took the president to task for not addressing DACA, calling it the most important issue at hand.

Its a successful program that I think the president should leave alone, Feinstein said. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said DACA youth wouldnt be a priority and I hope he follows through on that.

Some of the blowback will undoubtedly come from the Dreamers themselves.

Since the inception of the program in 2012, DACA recipients have become a well-resourced and vocal political interest group, mobilizing undocumented immigrants and presenting a sympathetic face to the immigrant rights movement.

I think the real political strength of Dreamers is that they are telling people who they are, said U.S. Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, who has been outspoken on immigrant rights issues.

And when you get to hear their stories, how do you say no to them?

Still, Trump might.

This week, a draft of an executive order was leaked on the website Vox. That draft called for the elimination of DACA.

Contact the writer: gwyler@scng.com
Motel and restaurant owners along Harbor Boulevard have created a website listing their concerns with Disneylands proposed Eastern Gateway Project.

Disney wants to build a 23-acre development on the east side of Harbor with a seven-story, 6,900-spot parking structure on Disney Way, a security checkpoint, a transportation hub and a 15-foot-tall pedestrian bridge over Harbor that would lead visitors into Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

The Harbor Boulevard Merchants Coalition, a collection of family owned businesses, released saynotodisney.com to map out its arguments, such as the potential loss of customers and foot traffic and safety issues.

The new Eastern Gateway Project would discourage pedestrians from visiting Harbor Boulevard, turning what is now a five-minute walk from the resort into a 20-minute trek, the groups attorney, Nadia L. Costa, and Sean Marciniak of Miller Starr Regalia, said in a letter to Anaheim Planning Director David Belmer.

Because this circuitous route would be walled off from surrounding businesses, the practical effect would be to isolate our clients businesses.

According to Disneyland officials, the current crosswalk and access from Harbor Boulevard used by those staying at those hotels would stay.

Disney officials said they are working with the neighboring businesses and plan to alter the design of the development before going to the Planning Commission to create entryways behind properties and other paths to the gateway. Theyve also suggested some businesses could create paths and access points.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2443 or jpimentel@scng.com or follow on Twitter @OCDisney
SANTA ANA  Sky High Holistic, a medical-marijuana dispensary that gained national attention after Santa Ana police officers were caught on video eating snacks there during a 2015 raid, was stormed by detectives again Thursday morning in an ongoing effort, authorities say, to crack down on illegal pot shops.

Around 7:15 a.m., officers served search warrants at Sky High and the Elevated Dreams dispensaries, both located in the same strip mall in the 400 block of West 17th Street, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

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During the raid, officers placed items from the dispensaries in large brown bags and then loaded them into a large U-Haul truck.

Both dispensaries have continued to operate without business licenses and were not among the 20 pot shops selected to apply for permits as part of the Measure BB city ballot initiative approved in November 2014, Bertagna said.

However, Jennifer McGrath, an attorney for Sky High, said she believes the raid was conducted in retaliation for a lawsuit filed last week against the city and the Santa Police Department. The suit seeks $650,000 for property damaged in three similar raids at the dispensary since May 2015.

Sky High has the attention of the Santa Ana Police Department, she said.

No employees or customers at Sky High or Elevated Dreams was arrested Thursday.

However, Lundar Yuh, who owns the property that holds the dispensaries, recently received a misdemeanor citation for knowingly allowing the sale of marijuana, Bertagna said.

Since 2013, Santa Ana officials have received many complaints from homeowners, businesses and community groups about several illegal pot shops including Sky High and Elevated Dreams, Bertagna said.

The city has employed a variety of administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement measures against numerous dispensaries, their owner-operators, and property owners, he said. Despite these efforts, both (Sky High or Elevated Dreams) dispensaries have continued to operate.

Sky High gained major attention following a May 26, 2015 raid by Santa Ana police. Hidden video of the raid, released by Matthew Pappas, an attorney for Sky High, shows officers forcing customers to the floor, profanely referencing a woman in her wheelchair and munching on snacks.

The bust, which went viral via the video, led to the suspension of three police officers, who are no longer employed by the Santa Ana Police Department. Police have not disclosed why the trio arent with the department.

They have been charged with misdemeanor petty theft and were scheduled to be back in court in March.

In October, the city of Santa Ana agreed to pay Sky High $100,000 to settle a federal lawsuit in connection with that raid.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@scng.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on the day the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz was liberated. Auschwitz was just one of more than 850 camps, but it was the largest.

CAMPS BY AREA IN WORLD WAR II EUROPE

The first Nazi concentration camp was Dachau, in southern Germany. It was built in 1933 just after the Nazi Party rose to power and its political opponents, homosexuals, Jehovahs Witnesses and those classified as dangerous were imprisoned there.

Most of the camps shown in the map at right were forced labor camps near industrial plants.

It is estimated that more than 9 million people were killed in the camps while the Nazis were in power. By the end of the war, there were 20 main concentration camps and six extermination camps, with Auschwitz being the most deadly.

AUSCHWITZ CAMPS

Auschwitz was the largest camp established by the Germans. It actually was a series of camps, including concentration, extermination and forced-labor camps. Auschwitz I The main and first camp established. Auschwitz II (Birkenau) was the killing center at Auschwitz. Trains arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau almost daily with transports from every German-occupied country in Europe. Auschwitz III Established to provide forced laborers for nearby factories. The Auschwitz camps were open from May 1940 to Jan. 1945 with an estimated 1.1 million people killed during that time. Thats an estimated average of this many people per day:

LIBERATION

The children in the photo were liberated from the camp in 1945 by Russian forces. It is estimated about 230,000 children were deported to Auschwitz and only 700 were liberated.

60,000 prisoners were marched out of the camp as Russian troops approached, leaving about 2,000 nearly dead adults and some children behind.

Auschwitz had a staff of about 6,500, and close to 12 percent (789) were brought to trial in Poland. There were 673 prosecutions, 23 resulting in executions.

Auschwitz was preserved as a museum beginning in 1947.

If the world we would like to build is to be safer, peaceful and more welcoming, it is imperative that we keep the authenticity of the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial viable and palpable.

No one can change the past; however the future is in our hands.

 Piotr M.A. Cywinski

President of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation

LEARN MORE

A few sources in Southern California:

The Desert Holocaust Memorial  Palm Desert

Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

The Museum of Tolerance  Los Angeles

The Simon Wiesenthal Center  Los Angeles

USC Shoah Foundation  Los Angeles

Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library, Chapman University  Orange

foundation.auschwitz.org

Sources: Holocaust Encyclopedia, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Auschwitz.org, Photo: U.S. Holocaust Memorial
The House of Blues new Anaheim location is shaping up to be a high-water mark for the 25-year-old company. Everything in the massive complex is getting lavished with extra attention, including the bar.

In the intimate Foundation Room on Wednesday, journalists sampled three of 12 new signature cocktails that will be offered when HOB Anaheim opens next month.

Weve been working on (the cocktail menu) for a while, said Victor Sutton, the companys national bar program director. We tried to pick really esoteric spirits. We aimed for a global influence from our ingredients, something that really reflected the spirit of our foundation room. We wanted drinks that were a little exotic, a little different. And we also looked to that Southern food tradition when we designed our cocktails.

Expect to see a combination of new mixology marvels and variations on favorites, Sutton said. We are doing a couple of twists on classics like the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac. But even with the classics, we will really try take it to a different level.

Here are the three cocktails unveiled on Wednesday.

KENTUCKY BUBBLE BATH

Ingredients: Makers Mark bourbon, fresh lemon juice, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, blue curacao, topped with Champagne

First impression: Surprisingly underwhelming, considering the ingredients. I think theres a little flavor cancellation going on  the sweet component is coming from several different sources. The curacao gives it a beautiful ocean-blue hue, so it will look good in your hand.

EL VIEJO

Ingredients: Pisco Porton, creme de cacao, toasted pecan bitters, cigar smoke

First impression: A manly and satisfying drink that balances several contrasting flavors. The smoke nicely melds with the creme de cacao, and the pecan bitters (made in-house) give the cocktail some staying power. Pisco Porton is a fine expression of Perus beloved spirit, worth drinking by itself.

FATHER FIGURE

Ingredients: Monkey Shoulder scotch, Cynar 70, coffee-infused Cinzano, green chartreuse, bitters

First impression: A little chartreuse goes a long way. This one was too cloying for me, and I could use more coffee flavor and the complex, dark cocoa flavor of the Cynar 70 to counterbalance the chartreuse. The poor scotch was invisible.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@scng.com
Ding-dong the wicked drought isnt quite dead, but after the latest series of storms its buried for the time being.

Reservoirs in Orange County and throughout Southern California have finally gotten the injection needed to get through a year without the millions of gallons of water that was being bought over the last half-decade.

Irvine Lake off Santiago Canyon Road, for example, in the past seven days rose 6 feet.

Barbaras Lake, Orange Countys only natural lake  dry for the past year  is suddenly full.

The Orange County Water District on Thursday reported the county has received more rainfall than we normally get in a year.

While far from overflowing, local lakes are no longer the dry beds they were just six months ago.

Where dust once blew, bullfrogs croak, waterfowl dive for food and in some areas tiny fish swim.

Some creeks that feed lakes and reservoirs flow so strong they are brown with tumbling rocks and earth. Experts report there is enough groundwater saturation that even without additional rain, streams could flow for weeks.

Walk with me through our winter waterland. But first, a drought check.

HIGH WATER LEVELS

While Orange County doesnt have what the state calls major reservoirs, big reservoirs in Riverside County are an indication of just how much impact recent rains have made.

A review of reservoirs on the east side of the Santa Ana Mountain range on Thursday found:

Lake Skinner, 85 percent full; Diamond Valley Lake, 72 percent full; Lake Mathews, 90 percent full.

When I visited Lake Mathews last summer, it looked more like a puddle than the sparkling lake I saw last week  and that was before the latest storms.

U.S. Drought Monitor reported on Thursday that about 35 percent of the state is no longer experiencing drought. The agency added that cumulative precipitation hit a record high, doubling the historical average for this time of year.

But the agency cautioned groundwater aquifers in many parts of the state remain severely overdrafted and will take far longer to recover.

Jerry Vilander, general manager for the Serrano Water District that oversees the Santiago Creek Reservoir  what most of us call Irvine Lake  said the impact of the last three storms has been enormous. He likened four days of free rainwater to paying for three to four months of piped-in water.

This last week has put us in a real good spot.

Still, Vilander, too, is wary about celebrating too much too soon.

For the drought to be truly over, Vilander said, we need a few more years supply in our pocket.

To that point, John Kennedy, Orange County Water District executive director of engineering and water resources, said if typical rainfall amounts occur for the remainder of the fiscal year, storage levels in the groundwater basin would be about 30 percent to 34 percent full.

PETERS LAKE

The last time I visited Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange there was a giant dam but almost no water in the lake. The hills were brown; the shrub was gray as death.

Today, the lake  officially called Upper Peters Canyon Reservoir  glistens, birds chirp and the hills are alive with green growth  the likes of which we havent seen since the storms of 2010.

Its crazy compared to September, Max Klasky, a 27-year-old Huntington Beach resident, said, referring to the last time he visited the lake. It was pretty much bone-dry then, with a little bit of water in one area.

The plants werent doing well. There were none of the grasses there now. Its really green, which is pretty cool.

Fernando Paz, a 30-year-old helicopter mechanic from Santa Ana, echoed Klasky about the effect of the rains, saying, The last time I was there it was super dry. Now, its pretty with tall, green grass.

But, again, that drought-tolerant yard you spent a fortune on remains a worthwhile investment.

OC Parks Public Information Officer Marisa ONeil reports that Peters Lake is only about 2 feet deep.

IRVINE LAKE

Once a glistening lake covering 700 acres of surface water where boaters and those who like to fish spent weekends catching bass in summer and trout in winter, Irvine Lake shuttered to outdoor recreation nearly a year ago.

Its future remains in limbo. But at least for now, powerful Santiago Creek gives the lake life.

In late summer, you could practically walk across the lake. Empty boat ramps stretched some 50 yards before touching water. What were once tiny bumps of land rose like hills from the dry lake bed.

But a visit to the lake this week found waterbirds skimming the lakes surface, a small group of egrets warming in the sun on the far side and areas that have not even seen mud for years underwater.

Vilander remains hopeful that there is enough rainwater percolating through saturated rock that runoff will continue to feed the lake for several months.

BARBARAS LAKE

During many runs a few years ago, I watched the countys lone natural lake, Barbaras Lake, shrink from a thirsty body of water to a large pool and then to a dustbowl.

No more.

Sandwiched between El Toro and Laguna Canyon roads, the lake is in full flower. Even ever-cautious naturalists agree that spring-fed  and now also rain-fed  Barbaras Lake is topped off.

Waterfowl paddled the lake on Thursday, weaving among rushes.

RALPH B. CLARK LAKE

Typically, the lake in Ralph B. Clark Regional Park in Buena Park is fed by streams nourished by rains and urban runoff. But during last years severe drought, a large irrigation line kept the lake up to minimal levels so the shoreline wouldnt endanger the public.

This week, the lake flowed over with water sloshing over the shoreline and onto the grass.

Lets hope it signals more to come.

Contact the writer: dwhiting@scng.com
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A childs safety is first priority

In Martin Tuomalas letter [Punish wrongdoers, Letters, Jan. 20], the author appeared to lay blame with the supervisors office for the lack of criminal proceedings against two county social service workers. He also seemed to fault me for a portion of my comments quoted in an article concerning the Hardwick case.

To state my position clearly, the foremost concern in social services cases is the well-being of children in potential abuse situations. County social workers have a difficult job, and yes, in that sense its important for administrators to support them in their work. The decisions theyre faced with can be extremely tough. In cases where a mistake might possibly occur, decisions should be based on child safety as the highest priority.

In the event of suspected criminal misconduct by a county employee, the offender will absolutely be referred to the district attorney for prosecution. It would then be up to the D.A.s office to review the evidence and decide whether to pursue charges.

Although the Fogarty-Hardwick action went to court while I was in the state Assembly and not serving on the Board of Supervisors, in cases of misconduct or malfeasance there is no way I am shielding any offender, whether that person is a county employee or not.

 Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Orange

Rohrabacher courageous

Re: What a relief: Rohrabacher can retreat to his safe space [Opinion, Jan. 22]: Steven Greenhuts writing is sarcastic and vicious. Police unions rightly demanded the painting be removed from the wall in the Capitol building, claiming that showing an officer as a pig undermines respect for law enforcement and endangers police lives. We the people, who stand with courageous Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, dont appreciate your leftist writing. We prefer if you keep it where youre based in Sacramento.

 Eva Weisz, Huntington Beach

Remove Rohrabacher

Steven Greenhut states the congressmans actions suggest its OK for people to remove anything from a public space that hurts their feelings. I agree with this philosophy, and I have just vowed to myself to do whatever I can to remove the congressman from his public space, like his district, where I live.

 Maryanne Rose, Laguna Niguel

A childs safety is first priority

In Martin Tuomalas letter [Punish wrongdoers, Letters, Jan. 20], the author appeared to lay blame with the supervisors office for the lack of criminal proceedings against two county social service workers. He also seemed to fault me for a portion of my comments quoted in an article concerning the Hardwick case.

To state my position clearly, the foremost concern in social services cases is the well-being of children in potential abuse situations. County social workers have a difficult job, and yes, in that sense its important for administrators to support them in their work. The decisions theyre faced with can be extremely tough. In cases where a mistake might possibly occur, decisions should be based on child safety as the highest priority.

In the event of suspected criminal misconduct by a county employee, the offender will absolutely be referred to the district attorney for prosecution. It would then be up to the D.A.s office to review the evidence and decide whether to pursue charges.

Although the Fogarty-Hardwick action went to court while I was in the state Assembly and not serving on the Board of Supervisors, in cases of misconduct or malfeasance there is no way I am shielding any offender, whether that person is a county employee or not.

 Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Orange

Rohrabacher courageous

Re: What a relief: Rohrabacher can retreat to his safe space [Opinion, Jan. 22]: Steven Greenhuts writing is sarcastic and vicious. Police unions rightly demanded the painting be removed from the wall in the Capitol building, claiming that showing an officer as a pig undermines respect for law enforcement and endangers police lives. We the people, who stand with courageous Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, dont appreciate your leftist writing. We prefer if you keep it where youre based in Sacramento.

 Eva Weisz, Huntington Beach

Remove Rohrabacher

Steven Greenhut states the congressmans actions suggest its OK for people to remove anything from a public space that hurts their feelings. I agree with this philosophy, and I have just vowed to myself to do whatever I can to remove the congressman from his public space, like his district, where I live.

 Maryanne Rose, Laguna Niguel
A petition opposing the 25-story Museum House condominium project was certified by the Orange County Registrar of Voters this week, possibly setting up a public vote on the matter.

The Newport Beach City Clerk was told by the Regstrars office Wednesday that it certified at least 5,619 signatures on a petition circulated by political action committee Line in the Sand.

The group spent two weeks and at least $40,000 gathering 13,788 signatures before turning them in to the city clerks office last month.

The council is expected to be presented with the certified petition at its Feb. 14 meeting, said city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan. Afterwards, the council can repeal its decision or let the public decide the projects fate.

Should the matter go to a public vote, voters could see a ballot in June 2018 or November 2018 or in a special election. The city clerk has requested cost estimates for each option.

We look forward to the city councils decision at the next meeting, said Line in the Sand spokesman Tim Stoaks. If they put it to a vote, the vote will translate into a decision to not to have the general plan changed to accommodate that building.

The 25-story, 100-unit tower is slated to replace the Orange County Museum of Art at 850 San Clemente Dr. The art museum plans to use proceeds from the sale of the land to finance a move near the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

Museum House opponents have said the building will increase traffic and pave the way for more high rises. Museum House developer, Related California, has argued the building would generate more than $20 million for the city through fees.

Related California did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The art museum filed lawsuit challenging Line in the Sands petition, arguing it doesnt meet state elections coed requirements. The suit said the font on the petition is too small to read and should not have been accepted.

The Irvine Company has also come out against the project over concerns the art museum land will be used as the tower site instead of for cultural purposes as originally intended when it was donated.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@scng.com
For the first time in our nations history, our students and schools are facing the possibility of a secretary of education with absolutely no experience in the field of public education. Betsy DeVos, Donald Trumps nominee to this critically important position, has never worked in a public school, she has never attended a public school, and she has never sent her own children to a public school. This is an insult to the educators who spend their day challenging, inspiring and nurturing our students.

Betsy DeVos lack of experience isnt just insulting; her confirmation would be dangerous for public schools in neighborhoods all over the country. Heres what we know of her views on public schools: She has used her personal wealth and her influence as a lobbyist and political donor to undermine public education and to privatize public schools, harming students in the process. In Michigan, she fought for tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of public schools, for vouchers that divert taxpayer funds from public schools to private schools, and for allowing for-profit charter corporations to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense and with no accountability.

DeVos is a supporter of vouchers, another idea demonstrably bad for students. Where attempted, the so-called school choice schemes she backs have disrupted public schools and have not produced any meaningful results. They have undercut civil rights, promoted racial segregation and undermined student learning with high teacher turnover rates at corporate charter schools.

In addition to her complete lack of experience in public education and a lack of support for public schools, DeVos and her family have a deeply troubling history in civil rights. They have spent millions supporting anti-LGBTQIA causes, like funding groups that promote conversion therapy, which instills uncertainty in students already struggling to accept themselves and feel safe at school.

The position demands someone who is dedicated to all students  not just those who look, love and worship a certain way, or who have the means to pay for a private education. We need a secretary of education who will support and strengthen all our public schools and colleges, fulfilling the promise of a great public school for every student, regardless of their ZIP code.

Whoever the next education secretary is, he or she would be well-advised to look to California for examples of successful ways to strengthen public schools. Our efforts to put resources and decision-making in the hands of local school stakeholders, to ensure that schools and students who need additional resources get them, and to support new and higher standards of learning for all kids shows that you can build high quality schools for all students instead of abandoning public education in order to enrich the private sector.

Betsy DeVos total lack of experience and her lack of support for public schools should be automatic disqualifiers. The solutions she supports have already failed students, while enriching profiteers who put their own bottom line ahead of the welfare of the children. It seems clear to us: Betsy DeVos is an anti-public education activist more interested in funneling public monies into private schools and for-profit charter schools. Whats more, she doesnt value the diversity we celebrate and hold dear here in California. The Senate should reject her nomination accordingly, and insist instead on a nominee with the experience, expertise and vision our nations students deserve.

Eric C. Heins is president of the 325,000 member California Teachers Association.
WESTMINSTER  A carjacker was unaware that there were two children in the back of an SUV when he drove away with the vehicle that had been idling in a strip mall parking lot, the mans attorney told jurors Thursday.

The defense attorney, during opening statements in the trial of Thien Hoang Nguyen, acknowledged that his client stole a Lexus SUV from a Westminster parking lot and later led police on a pursuit through multiple red lights.

And Nguyens attorney admitted that his client soon realized that an 11-year-old boy was in the passenger seat. But the lawyer denied that his client willfully kidnapped the two boys and a girl, or that he intentionally rammed into other vehicles as the kids escaped the SUV and ran for safety.

In arguing against the kidnapping charges, the defense attorney quoted a requirement under the law that the abduction must be more than incidental to the carjacking.

Nguyen, 48, faces 10 felony counts stemming from the alleged carjacking on April 10, 2015, including kidnapping, child endangerment, evading an officer, and assault with deadly weapon other than a firearm.

On that day, a father was running errands with his 5-, 7- and 11-year-old children when he stopped at a water store on Bolsa Avenue near Magnolia Street to fill up some jugs.

Parked in front of the store and believing he was only going to be in the business for several minutes, the father left the engine running, the children in the vehicle, and the cars hatchback open, Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon told jurors.

Both the prosecutor and defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Chris McGibbons, told jurors that Nguyen ignored the 11-year-old boy in the passenger seat, who was asking Nguyen what was going on.

About a half-mile away, Nguyen came upon the congested Magnolia Street and Hazard Avenue intersection, where the attorneys said he sideswiped one vehicle and rear-ended another.

The 11-year-old took advantage of the distraction to grab his fathers cell phone from a center console in the SUV, and to tell his younger siblings to get out of the vehicle and run for safety. They escaped, as Nguyen maneuvered out of the intersection.

Zimmon alleged that Nguyen intentionally drove into the vehicles in an attempt to get through the intersection. McGibbons countered that Nguyen was distracted by the realization that there were two kids in the back of the SUV and accidentally struck the cars.

The father, who had gotten a ride from another driver who witnessed the carjacking, quickly reunited with his children after spotting them at the intersection. Meanwhile, an off-duty Westminster officer saw the collision and followed Nguyen until marked patrol cars arrived.

Jurors viewed a video taken by another motorist showing the SUV, with its hatchback still open, as Nguyen tried to escape police.

In the video, he appears to drive at normal speeds and generally goes with the flow of traffic. Both attorneys noted that Nguyen struck another car at another intersection, where construction was taking place, before he was taken into custody.

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
SAN DIEGO  A mentally distressed man killed by police in a San Diego suburb suffered four gunshot wounds to the neck, chest, arm and shoulder and was shocked twice by a stun gun, according to an autopsy report released Thursday.

Alfred Olango died in the emergency room of the gunshot wounds. A drug test found cocaine in his system and a small amount of alcohol in his blood stream.

The September shooting led to days of protests. His family said Olango, a native of Uganda, had a breakdown after the death of a close friend. They have filed an excessive-force lawsuit.

Prosecutors have ruled that the shooting by an El Cajon officer was justified. Authorities say Olango pointed an e-cigarette device at the officer that could have been mistaken for a gun.

Another officer simultaneously used a stun gun, hitting him in the leg and buttocks.

Dispatchers received the first call from Olangos sister shortly before 1 p.m. Sept. 27. She told dispatchers that Olango was at home and in need of a mental evaluation because he was not acting like himself, according to the autopsy report.

Officers could not respond at the time. More than 45 minutes later, the sister called back to report he was walking into traffic, according to the report. She called again 15 minutes later to report that he had almost been hit by several vehicles. Police arrived 15 minutes after that. The officers told investigators that Olango was refusing to follow orders and would not take his hands out of his pockets, according to the report.

Olango then suddenly raised up his hands and pulled the e-cigarette device out of his pocket and pointed it at the officer, who opened fire.
Sandy feet have sauntered into the beach-side, family-run pizza joint for more than 50 years  but on Tuesday, Original Pizza will be serving up its last slices to sun-soaked beachgoers on the Balboa Peninsula.

Its the end of an era for the well-known pizza establishment, which was started by Russian immigrants who ended up in Newport Beach to follow the American dream  and they found it, in the form of piping-hot, mouth-watering pies.

In more recent years, places like Original Pizza have became a rare, nearly extinct sight: a family-owned, long-time mom-and-pop shop that has vanished into the sunset as a wave of upscale eateries washed in, banking on the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the coast each year.

Steve and Zoya Kalatschan met in a war camp during World War II in Russia, and after released the pair immigrated to the United States, in the suburbs of Boston, working every odd job they could find.

They looked around to see what the busiest businesses were and noticed pizza places were always packed. So they got their hands dirty  literally  and dug into the trash cans of the most successful pizza joints, scouring for recipes discarded in the rubbish.

They dissected the recipes and put their own twist on it, said son Steve Kalatschan Jr.

A friend moved to Glendale in the 60s, and the duo followed. They vacationed in Newport Beach during Bal Week, a time when the area was filled with spring-breakers partying and filling the streets.

Steve Kalatschan Sr. noticed a vacant sign on one of the buildings near the pier, and he quickly contacted the landlord  who tried to talk him out of his idea to open a pizza restaurant.

You came at the wrong time. Its busy this week and two weeks in the summer, thats it, the landlord told him. My dad thought it was because he was a Russian immigrant.

After a few arguments, the landlord gave in  go ahead and rent it, he told Kalatschan.

The doors to Original Pizza opened in 1963, and after two months he realized the landlord was right.

The landlord saw how hard Kalatschan worked  putting in 20 hour days to keep the business afloat  and wrote it in his will that Kalatschan could buy the building when he died.

Kalatschan was set to buy the building in 1972 for $92,000, but there was just one problem. He didnt have $10,000 for the down payment.

Bob Roubian, former owner of the Crab Cooker, and Al Forgit, who owned a hardware store across the street, walked over and each handed him $5,000, a loan on a hand shake.

Thats how business was done back in those days.

Their three sons  Robert, Jim and Steve Jr.  grew up in the eatery, helping when they could. Steve laughs as he recalled grinding cheese by age 5, and all three sons worked in the shop by the time they were 13.

I basically grew up in the place, Kalatschan Jr said.

The 80s were the heydays. Newport shifted from sleepy seaside town into a bustling beach filled with vacationers looking to soak in the California sun.

Original Pizza became the go-to place to grab a slice for a starving surfer, an exhausted lifeguard finishing a shift, or everyday beachgoers who needed a cheap, quick refuel before heading back to the sand.

The only other family business that has been around longer is the Crab Cooker, said Kalatschan Jr. I think people still gravitate toward the mom-and pop-shops. Its kind of like a Cheers effect, its a comfortable place.

The top-seller: plain cheese.

You can judge a good pizza on a cheese, he said. Theres no topping to mask the flavor.

After their father died in 1998, Robert, the oldest son, ran Original Pizza until retiring four years ago, when the brothers sold the building. Steve Jr. runs Original Pizza 2 in Costa Mesa, which will serve the same pies as the one in Newport.

I think we both had a love for it. Pizza is a good business to have. My alternative was putting on a suit and tie. Im a beach guy, I like to wear my flip flops and shorts. It was an easy transition because that was my life, Steve Kalatschan.

Steve says the Newport closure allows him to focus more energy on the Costa Mesa establishment, but he hopes to find a location on the Peninsula to bring the business back to town. In its place, a Taco Bell Cantina will be built.

As word spread about the closure, long-time customers have stopped by to offer well wishes, sharing stories of stumbling in while covered in sand. Social media has been flooded with memories of sun-soaked summer days.

It reminds them of their childhood, Kalatschan said. I think people like community and longevity.

Customers who have been coming in since the 60s say they remember the day Steve was born, because it was the only day his father ever took a day off.

While the closure of Original Pizza has saddened a community, Kalatschan said hes ready for the next chapter.

Whats getting me is hearing peoples stories and how big a part its been in peoples lives, he said. Were just a pizza joint. But to be a part of peoples lives  I think they are more heartbroken than I am.

Want to share your memories of Original Pizza in Newport Beach? E-mail the reporter at lconnelly@scng.com.

Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com

Its hard to believe that after 53 years, Original Pizza in Newport Beach is closing on Jan. 31 https://t.co/RKmotIJlfu  greers OC (@greerwylder) January 16, 2017

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Q. Yesterday while driving in Los Angeles County on the 101 freeway in very heavy traffic, I was in the far-right lane. In front of me were two California Highway Patrol vehicles. On the shoulder was a car with its emergency lights flashing. I was shocked the CHP did not pull over. What is the CHPs protocol on that situation?

 Mario Luna, Anaheim

A. Honk and Jon Latosquin certainly dont know the circumstances of what was going on up there.

But Latosquin, an officer and spokesman for the CHP based in Irvine, said if officers are not responding to calls, they are to pull over.

We are there for public service, he said very earnestly. Well stop by and ask, Do you need anything? Do you need a tow truck? Do you need directions? Sometimes, they are just lost.

Of course, if lost, it would be best to hit the ol off-ramp and find a side street on which to pull over and figure out ones whereabouts, for safetys sake and the wallet  motorists can get cited for such antics.

Q. I have never seen the letter A at the beginning of a nonpersonalized Legacy license plate. Were any made? If so, where are they? If not, why?

 John Flanagan, Newport Beach

A. They are out there somewhere.

The Department of Motor Vehicles started issuing so-called Legacy plates, the throwback yellow-lettering-on-black-background plates that were standard in the 1960s, in August 2015.

The first license plate numbers for those, if they were not personalized, actually did start with the letter A, said Artemio Armenta, an agency spokesman up in Sacramento. The DMV runs off nonpersonalized plates in sequences, and that first sequence did start with A.

So far, roughly 242,000 Legacy plates have been hammered out at Folsom State Prison (those old-school cartoons of men pounding out plates behind bars were spot-on).

Legacy plates cost $40 extra a year, but the DMV does not charge more to get them personalized.

So, no surprise, John, only 62,000 of them are not personalized, making your job of finding one beginning with an A kinda tough.

Further, my friend, in all there are 33 million vehicles out there in the asphalt jungle with California plates.

Honkin fact: A self-driving shuttle bus will make stops in several cities in an effort to win over the public. Paul Brubaker, the CEO and president of Alliance for Transportation Innovation, said laws in some states pose a challenge to get such vehicles on public streets. The 12-passenger bus will show up in Los Angeles and San Jose. (Source: The Associated Press).

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He answers only those questions that are published.
President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement was a positive step, but what comes next is a great concern.

Trump made it official with an executive order signed Monday in the Oval Office. Great thing for the American worker, what we just did, Trump told reporters.

It was even better for consumers, both in America and abroad. The behemoth TPP, which involved 12 Pacific Rim nations, was negotiated in secret and ended up being more than 5,000 pages long. It took WikiLeaks Julian Assange to break the news that only a handful of the TPPs 30 sections had to do with traditional trade. As with other such agreements, much of it concerned labor and environmental regulations and special treatment for various industries and products.

For all the talk of free trade, governments tend to use such accords, at the behest of politically influential special interests and large corporate lobbies, to intervene in trade, and forget about the free part. This is government-managed trade, not free trade.

You do not need trade agreements thousands of pages long in almost indecipherable legalese; you only need to eliminate the government-created barriers preventing willing buyers and sellers from different places to engage in voluntary exchange.

One of the few areas in which economists virtually universally agree is that free trade is a good thing  for both parties involved. People only trade when they feel it will make them better off. This is true whether you are doing business with someone down the street, across the country or on the other side of the world.

The problem is that Trump, bewitched by the centuries-old mercantilist fallacies that somehow exports are good and imports are bad, has adopted a dangerous us versus them attitude, and seeks to replace the government interventions of large trade agreements with his own government trade interventions.

He recently proposed imposing a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for his promised $14 billion border wall. But it is consumers and workers on both sides of that impending wall that will suffer, not the Mexican government. Such actions will only invite trade wars and lead to more strained relations.

That is quite a departure from the peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations that Thomas Jefferson wisely counseled during his first inaugural address.

Trump has argued that we need to reduce our high corporate tax rate to attract greater investment and economic growth. He should seek to do the same by reducing our trade barriers as well.

Trade is done between individuals, not nations. To truly restore the freedom in free trade, we need only to eliminate the tariffs, quotas, subsidies and other barriers that we have erected. To increase the competitiveness of American businesses large and small, we need only reduce or eliminate the taxes and regulations which have artificially driven up the cost of doing business here.

If other nations continue to subsidize domestic industries and tax imports, forcing their citizens to pay higher costs for goods and services, then let them. We will benefit from cheaper prices and increased investment. More importantly, the U.S. was born a nation based on freedom, and it should act the part.
It happens on so many theme parks rides: and something goes terribly wrong. Some fool looks into the eyes of Mara. Boo gets loose in Monstropolis. Hagrids dragon escapes. The Decepticons steal the AllSpark.

These types of moments fuel the conflict that drives the action on many popular theme park rides. But some fans arent satisfied with fictional mishaps. They long to see something really go wrong on their ride. Why? So they can be evacuated.

I guess when youve visited Disneyland so many times that youve committed to memory the words to Grim Grinning Ghosts, you long for something different to happen on your next ride. Parks get this, which is why the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Disney California Adventure will have multiple drop sequences instead of the now-familiar drop featured on the old Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Its why parks also invest in video game-like interactive rides such as Disneys Buzz Lightyear, Knotts Berry Farms Voyage to the Iron Reef and Six Flags upcoming Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. Parks want to reward their loyal fans with ever-changing experiences.

But some fans still long for the old-school. They want to experience a breakdown.

Most times, a ride breakdown isnt really a malfunction. Its actually the ride shutting down in a perfectly controlled manner. There are a variety of reasons, but whatever the cause, rides are programmed to stop in an orderly way when systems dont run as planned to prevent the actual breakdowns that could put visitors at risk.

As a visitor, Ive been stuck on rides that have been shut down more times than I can remember. But Ive been evacuated from an attraction only once. That was on Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls, a Splash Mountain-like flume ride at Universal Orlandos Islands of Adventure. Our log stopped on the first lift, and Universal team members walked up the adjoining stairs to let us out and escort us back to the entrance. Since we werent deep into the ride, we didnt get to see much of the backstage area.

Thats what attracts some fans who hope for an evacuation  the chance to see the behind the scenes workings of a ride. My wife visited Shanghai Disneyland last year and got evacuated from that parks Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure ride, a wildly popular next-generation version of the Anaheim classic. Envious doesnt come close to describing how I felt.

As a cast member who worked at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom, I participated in many evacuations. One time while I was working Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we had a cascade shut down the ride. Cast members had to run out to each of the three lifts and press a button to restart their lift chain as another operator in the control tower ran through the sequence to restart the ride.

If everyone stayed seated on the coaster trains, we could get the ride going in about 10 minutes. But if anyone insisted on getting out, we would have to evacuate everyone from the entire ride, which would have taken close to an hour after they were escorted out. So part of my job was to convince everyone that no one was in danger, everything would be fine, and please just stay seated until we can get you moving again.

That took some salesmanship, but my enthusiastic description of how the coaster worked won over even a particularly nervous young family at the back of the train. When the time came to restart the lift, I pressed my button and sent the train on its way. As soon as I walked back down to the station, the ride would be fully operational.

And then  the lift chain stopped again. Something really had gone terribly wrong, and a power disconnect would send my train of riders not to a gentle stop on the next lift, but to an abrupt one on the next safety brake.

Knowing I would be the last person those riders would want to see after my now-false reassurances, my supervisor told me to hide in a break room while he called guest services and requested a stack of free tickets. Someone else would have to help evacuate my safe but almost certainly annoyed riders, who were about to get their backstage tour after all.

Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com. Follow him on Twitter

@ThemePark.
WASHINGTON  Determined to wall off Americas border with Mexico, President Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic clash and fresh fight over trade Thursday as the White House proposed a 20 percent tax on imports from the key U.S. ally and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto abruptly scrapped next weeks trip to Washington.

The swift fallout signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to anti-drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

At the heart of the dispute is Trumps insistence that Mexico will pay for construction of the massive wall he has promised along the southern U.S. border. Trump on Wednesday formally ordered construction of the wall.

The plan was a centerpiece of Trumps election campaign, though he never specified how Mexico would fund the project or how he would compel payments if Pena Nietos government refused.

The two leaders had been scheduled to discuss the matter at the White House next week. But Pena Nieto took to Twitter Thursday to say he had informed the White House he would not be coming.

In a speech in Philadelphia later Thursday, Trump cast the cancellation as a mutual decision. He said that unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. We have no choice.

On the flight back to Washington, Trumps spokesman told reporters the president was considering the 20 percent import tax to foot the bill, the most specific proposal Trump has ever floated for how to cover a project estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion.

By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone, Spicer said. This is something that weve been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan.

Spicer said Trump was looking at taxing imports on all countries the U.S. has trade deficits with, but he added, Right now we are focused on Mexico.

But the announcement sparked immediate confusion across Washington, and the White House tried to backtrack. During a hastily arranged briefing in the West Wing, chief of staff Reince Priebus said a 20 percent import tax was one idea in a buffet of options to pay for the border wall.

A 20 percent tariff would represent a huge tax increase on imports to the U.S., raising the likelihood of costs being passed on to consumers. Half of all non-agricultural goods enter the U.S. duty free, according to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The other half face import tariffs averaging 2 percent.

Mexico is one of Americas biggest trade partners, and the U.S. is the No. 1 buyer from that country, accounting for about 80 percent of Mexican exports. A complete rupture in ties could be damaging to the U.S. economy and disastrous for Mexicos. And major harm to Mexicos economy would surely spur more people to risk deportation, jail or even death to somehow cross the border to the U.S.  undercutting Trumps major goal of stopping illegal immigration.

House GOP lawmakers and aides interpreted Spicers comments on a 20 percent border tax as an endorsement of a key plank of their own tax plan, which Speaker Paul Ryan has been working to sell to the president. The House GOP border adjustability approach would tax imports and exempt exports as a way of trying to help U.S. exporters and raise revenue.

Earlier this month, Trump called that concept confusing. And during the White Houses clean-up efforts Thursday, Spicer wouldnt say whether Trump agreed with the border adjustment tax being considered by the House GOP.

The new president has previously raised the prospect of slapping tariffs on imports, but had not suggested it as a way to pay for the border wall.

Theres also disagreement within his new administration over the effectiveness of tariffs in general. Wilbur Ross, Trumps nominee for commerce secretary, dismissed tariffs for trade negotiations during his confirmation hearing, saying the 1930 Tariff Act didnt work very well then and it very likely wouldnt work now.

Pena Nieto has faced intense pressure at home over his response to Trumps aggressive stance toward his country. Until this week, Mexico had tried its traditional approach of quiet, cautious diplomacy combined with back-room discussions, sending Cabinet officials for talks with the Trump administration.

But that changed when Trump decided to announce his border wall on Wednesday  the same day that two senior Mexican Cabinet ministers arrived in Washington for preliminary talks ahead of what was to be a presidential tete-a-tete. Many Mexicans were affronted by the timing, and Pena Nieto faced a firestorm of criticism at home.

The diplomatic row recalls the rocky days of U.S.-Mexico relations in the 1980s, prior to the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact that Trump has vigorously criticized.

There is a change in the understanding that had been in operation over the last 22 years, when Mexico was considered a strategic ally, said Isidro Morales, a political scientist at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Trump has unilaterally broken with this way of doing things.
He tapped into anti-illegal immigration sentiment and rode it to victory, only to see the strategy slowly eat away at his partys relevance.

That was Republican Pete Wilson and his 1994 re-election as California governor. Some analysts  veteran Republicans among them  say its the same recipe being cooked up by President Donald Trump, who last week began implementing campaign promises to build a border wall, punish sanctuary cities and expedite deportations.

Thanks to changing demographics and increasing public acceptance of unauthorized immigrants, the long-term fate of the national party could mirror whats happened to Californias debilitated GOP over the past 25 years.

RELATED: Politics, activism, families: How Prop. 187 is still being felt 20 years later

History doesnt repeat itself, it just moves east, said Dan Schnur, who heads USCs Unruh Institute of Politics and served as Wilson chief media spokesman.

A successful political party will recognize that when public sentiment changes, it needs to change too, he added. The problem for California Republicans is that they havent changed along with the rest of the population.

As a result, Democrats hold every statewide seat, 41 of 55 congressional seats and supermajorities in both state legislative chambers. Democrats advantage in voter registration has grown to 19 percentage points.

The national GOP has acknowledged the need to avoid a similar fate. The partys so-called autopsy of its poor 2012 showing emphasized the need to better connect with immigrants, minorities and women. It also called for comprehensive immigration reform and a gentler posture toward those in the country illegally.

The new president clearly isnt interested in that change, but the Republican Partys viability depends on it, said Schnur, a former Republican now registered without a party affiliation.

Trump disproved conventional wisdom in route to his Electoral College victory, and continues to defy public opinion on immigration issues. While hes amping up deportation efforts, 61 percent of adults nationwide favor allowing unauthorized immigrants to stay and eventually being allowed to apply for citizenship, according to a CBS News poll this month.

And while Trump signed orders Wednesday to extend the existing border barrier, the plan is supported by just 37 percent of adults nationwide, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.

Hes claiming hes speaking for all the people, but theres not majority support, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a political scientist at UC Riverside.

And that leads back to the Wilson scenario.

Trump did exactly what Pete Wilson did and thats really over-performing with white voters, said Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist and former political director for the state GOP.

While Republicans are riding high now, Madrid said the strategy is not sustainable.

This is a long-term disaster for the party, he said.

They keep coming

In 1994, Wilson made Proposition 187 a cornerstone of his triumphant reelection bid, much as Trump used the border wall as a centerpiece of his campaign. Wilsons best-known campaign commercial showed grainy black-and-white footage of people running through a border stop and down the freeway while a narrator intoned, They keep coming.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/immigration-640538-california-group.html

Prop. 187 called for a ban on public services to unauthorized immigrants, including children attending public school. It passed overwhelmingly with 59 percent of the vote, but was later ruled unconstitutional and thrown out. A USC survey found just 40 percent of the state supports such a ban on benefits today, Schnur said.

A big reason for the shift in sentiment is demographics. In 1990, 57 percent of the states population was non-Latino whites and 26 percent was Latino. Today, Latinos outnumber non-Hispanic whites, 39 percent to 38 percent.

Surfsides Shawn Steel, a member of the Republican National Committee, pointed to the out-migration of non-Hispanic whites from the state as a major factor in the state partys decline. He and Newport Beachs Mike Schroeder, both former state GOP chairmen, said whats happened in California isnt necessarily a precursor for the rest of the country.

Its dangerous to apply what happened in California elsewhere, said Schroeder, a Trump critic who voted for a third-party candidate hes declined to name. Immigration and free trade with Mexico is why Trump won the rust belt.

Its state specific. Where you have unemployment, loss of jobs to out-of-state and out-of-country locations, and few Latinos, you see support for (Trumps) immigration policies. Immigration is a pocketbook issue.

In other words, people who have lost their jobs in the heartland blame Mexico, trade pacts and immigrants.

Madrid agreed with Steel that the out-migration of whites has helped California Democrats. But he noted that the main destinations for those relocating  Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado  have also seen a growth in Latino populations and Democrats gaining ground, trends he expects to continue.

Madrid also pointed out that Latino growth extends well beyond border states, contributing to Democrats gains in Virginia and North Carolina.

Latinos, now 18 percent of the national population, are projected to grow to 26 percent by 2050. Over that same time, non-Hispanic whites are expected to shrink from 62 percent to 47 percent of the population, according to census forecasts.

(Schroeder) will be correct for about four years and then hell be wrong, Madrid said. Its a function of age and demographics. There arent enough white voters being born for it to go on forever.

Papering over problems

Steel dismissed the idea that Trumps immigration policies will hurt the GOP in the long-term. He noted that the national party has hired a year-round Latino outreach director for the first time and is setting up permanent minority outreach programs in battleground states.

Its not enough, but were beginning to figure it out, he said.

But while Republicans look to make inroads with Latinos, they are unlikely to push back against Trumps immigration policies.

Not when youve just won the presidency, Madrid said. Victory has a way of papering over problems, like it did in 1994.

UC Riversides Ramakrishnan agreed, citing a study on how local GOP leaders in California and Nevada were hoping to better engage Latinos.

Many county Republican Party chairs believe they can focus on issues other than immigration to appeal to Latinos, things like jobs and education, Ramakrishnan said.

Meanwhile, net immigration to the United States from Mexico has been flat over the past decade, with slightly more Mexicans returning to their home country than coming here. And over the past four years, 10 percent more Mexicans have returned than have come here, according to the Pew Research Center.

Theres no consensus with the role new Mexican immigrants will play in the growth of Latinos in the country. Higher birthrates and those arriving from other Latino countries could be primary factors in that growth.

Additionally, the Latino population is younger than the overall population, meaning Latino share of voters is expected to grow even faster than their general population growth.

But the negative migration trend for Mexicans could actually reverse under Trump. His proposed end to U.S. participation in NAFTA  and the possibility of an import tariff  could hurt Mexicos economy and drive more people northward in search of work, Ramakrishnan said.

Ironically, Trump could cause more immigration from Mexico than we saw under (George W.) Bush or (Barack) Obama, he said.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@scng.com
Hundreds of passengers rode the train back into the Syrian city of Aleppo this week, four years after the areas railway tracks were silenced by war.

Gliding toward the Old City, they peered out across the formerly rebel-held eastern districts, shattered beyond recognition and now under government control.

That urban sprawl was the Syrian rebels most important stronghold. Its recapture by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad will probably be seen as the defining victory in Syrias almost six-year war.

The train crossed a front line that divided families for years. Passengers held up their cellphones for much of the journey, astonished at the extent of the damage, according to a photographer for the Agence France-Presse news agency who was in one of the carriages.

Aleppos railway depot has a history of welcoming the displaced. In the years before World War II, it was an important stop for Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany.

In photographs from the citys east, it is now hard to find a building untouched by the furious government bombardment that decided the showdown in December.

The United Nations said at least 40,000 people had returned to the area, with more families arriving every day. The organization has allocated $19 million in emergency aid for the returnees. As winter temperatures bite, entire neighborhoods are without power or running water.

It will take years, if not decades, to rebuild Aleppo. Representatives of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO were expected to visit the area this week to survey the extent of the damage to the Old City, a warren of small streets in the shadow of a citadel and Umayyad mosque.

This heritage is for everyone, no matter what their politics are, Syrias antiquities minister, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said last week in a plea for international help for reconstruction. This is the very fabric of Syria. We will need it when the war ends.
FRESNO  A Northern California zoo has welcomed a new bundle of joy: a baby rhino.

The Fresno Bee reports that the Fresno Chaffee Zoo announced Tuesday that a southern white rhinoceros calf was born overnight. The unnamed calf is the first rhino calf in the zoos history.

Zoo officials say mother Kayla and calf are healthy and will be on exhibit soon after they are cleared by zookeepers.

This is Kaylas third pregnancy but first time in Fresno. She arrived at Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 2015 for the opening of the African Adventure exhibit.

The zoo only announced Kaylas pregnancy on Jan. 17 because zoo officials were unable to confirm that the rhino was pregnant. Rhinoceros abdominal walls are too thick for normal ultrasounds.




Want to speak French fluently? 30-Day French will teach you everything you need to know to speak French on your next trip to France with 30 lessons based on real-life conversations. Try it out.





TODAY'S WORD: la seve



: sap, lifeblood



Parlez mieux : Pronounce it Perfectly in French or Exercises in French Phonetics





BILINGUAL STORY by Jean-Marc



Il est temps de tailler la vigne

Download "It is time to prune the vines" - Jean-Marc's bilingual story



Une fois que toutes les feuilles des vignes sont tombees, que la seve est redescendue, il est temps de tailler la vigne.

Cette operation est tres importante car elle conditionne la prochaine recolte.



Chaque annee, lorsque la Nature revit au Printemps, la vigne va produire un certain nombre de sarments en fonction de la taille qui aura ete effectuee et ces futurs sarments produiront les futurs raisins. Plus la taille est courte, moins la vegetation sera importante et plus faible sera la recolte mais meilleure sera t-elle, probablement. Il faut donc penser a la fois aux aspects quantitatifs et qualitatifs avant de tailler chaque pied de vigne et chaque vigne est une nouvelle equation a resoudre.



Meme si c'est un travail physique (surtout lorsque la vigne est basse) et repetitif, j'aime faire cette operation. Marcher dans l'herbe produit des aromes uniques. On y decouvre aussi quelques coccinelles qui seront, je l'espere, porteuses de chance pour la recolte a venir.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION



It is time to prune the vines.



Once all of the vine leaves have fallen, and the sap has fallen back, it is time to prune the vines. This mission is very important, as it influences the next harvest.



Each year, when nature comes back to life in springtime, the vine will produce a certain amount of shoots depending on the pruning that will have taken place, and these future shoots will produce future grapes. The more severe the pruning, the less growth there will be and the less of a harvest there will be - but a better one, surely. It is necessary, then, to think of both quantity and quality aspects before pruning each vine and each vine is a new equation to solve.



Even if it is a lot of physical work (especially when the vine is low to the ground), and repetitive, I love this mission. Walking over the wild herbs produces unique aromas. You also discover a few ladybugs that will be, I hope, lucky charms for the harvest to come.





***

If you enjoyed Jean-Marc's story and would like more bilingual posts by him, let us know in the comments.



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Did you enjoy Jean-Marc's bilingual post? He's added these photos (taken of us, 10 years ago), to illustrate his story. Thanks for sharing it with a French learner.



FRENCH COUNTRY DIARY 2017 - the popular and beloved engagement calendar.



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PARIS PEACE T-SHIRT - "so many people have stopped to ask me where I got it" -Betty.







My friend Barbara (remember Barbara and Noelle, her Jack Russell?) asked if I could recommend a hotel in France. I sent her the site we use, called Booking, and she and Noelle easily found a place on the port in Cassis (the hotel welcomes dogs!). Because people are always asking me for hotel recommendations, Barbara encouraged me to sign up for Booking's affiliate program. I'm thrilled to have just been accepted! (Thank you, Barbara!). Jean-Marc used Booking when we went to Santorini, Greece, and recently, to book an apartment in Roses, Spain. My family used Booking last summer to rent a chateau for our family reunion here in St Cyr-sur-Mer (wish I'd been an affiliate then!) If you are looking for a hotel or an apartment or a lovely "bastide" anywhere in the world, thank you for using my affiliate link. Any revenue helps keep me doing what I love most - writing for a living. Please bookmark this Booking link so you will have it next time you need to reserve a hotel--or simply visit my blog, where you will see the Booking banner. Merci beaucoup for your support!


Shanghai-based artist Hong Red Yi is well known for her use of unconventional materials, and her latest masterpiece  a portrait of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei made with 20,000 meticulously arranged sunflower seeds  is worthy of her reputation.

Inspired by Ai WeiWeis quote  the seed is a household object but at the same time it is a revolutionary symbol  Red sprinkled 20,000 sunflower seeds onto a white canvas and painstakingly arranged them all by hand to recreate Weiweis famous portrait with his hands stretching his eyes wide open. Remarkably, she managed to capture his features in great detail, just like she had managed to do with other unusual mediums in the past.

This unique project is an homage to Ai Weiwei, an artist who is forever questioning and asking for accountability from establishments through his art, Hong Yi says. She hopes that her work inspires others to think and see clearly, and fight for freedom of expression.

In light of all the political absurdity going on in the world, I created this piece for my sanity, Hong Yi told My Modern Met via email. This piece encourages people to have the bravery and courage to think and see clearly, and to protect freedom of expression.

This is not the first time weve featured reds work on Oddity Central. In the past, weve posted photos of her portrait of Jay Chou made with coffee stains, that of Yao Ming painted with a basketball and the portrait of tea maker assembled from 20,000 teabags.
Every winter for the past three years, 80-year-old Mette Kvam, from the Norwegian town of Aurland, has been getting two daily visits from a very special friend  a majestic stag who seems to love her tasty snacks.

It all started three years ago, when Mette first saw her friend Flippen hanging out in her yard, on the edge of the nearby forest. She opened the window and offered the beautiful animal a crunchy cookie. To her surprise, the animal came closer and stretched its neck to grab the treat. Flippen must have liked it very much, because he has been coming back for more ever since. He visits Mette every morning and evening, from early November to April, when he and his deer friends head higher up into the mountains for the warm season. But as soon as they come back down, he starts coming by the womans house again.

Photo: Scott Bauer

Mette says that her unusual friendship with Flippen has become the talk of the town in winter time, with many locals stopping by to maybe capture the magic moment when the stag leans up to her kitchen window to pick up his daily snack. Not many get the opportunity to snap a picture of Flippen during his daily visit, as he doesnt seem to trust anyone but Metts, but local woman Britt Haugsevje Vangen recently got lucky when she and her husband spotted the animal while walking around hoping to shoot some nice winter photos. They spotted the animal from afar, but were shocked to see it approaching Mettes house and interacting with the woman.

It was very special to see, I was speechless, said Britt, who recently shared her photos with Norwegian new site NRK.

Mette told reporters that she named her stag friend Flippen because of his flipped ears. This feature has probably saved the animals life several times, as it helps hunters recognize him as Mettes special friend, and avoid shooting him by mistake.

In case youre wondering what sort of snacks keep Flippen coming back every day, the 80year-old woman say he enjoys both homemade cookies and home baked buns. As long as they come from her hand, hell eat them. She adds that the stag also likes being pet and scratched on the head.

This story reminds me of the special relationship between a Magellanic penguin and the Brazilian man who saved his life six years ago.


Mandy Arnold

Through our experience guiding clients and managing our own acquisition of TFM Advertising last year, weve had the opportunity to see first-hand the nuances of organizational change. M&A can often bring complicated change and culture clashes, and companies have failed by ignoring opportunities to be proactive in their communications. Part of navigating landmines is seizing the opportunity: with the right approach, you can come out at a true advantage with added brand equity.

Its easy to focus too much on the potential sales advantages of the newly forged relationship, rather than how youll manage all the changes leading into the merger or acquisition  especially because the process of M&A can move at varying speeds. Some go awry due to blatant lack of planning, missed communications or assumptions that information or opinions wont matter in the big picture.

When a company misses an opportunity to reinforce its commitment or fails to recognize the value of a particular audience, the misstep can greatly affect morale, pride, trust and acceptance of the benefits to be gained in the changes ahead.

No matter the size of a merger or acquisition, your communications team should be given a seat at the table. Ideally, communications should be on the agenda from the start of the discussions. Any good business advisor will tell you that culture and operational processes are two layers that can break a deal. The same goes for your public relations and communications strategy.

Where do you begin? It starts with an effort that reinforces trust and respect from the beginning. M&A communications should be broken down into four phases:

 Planning for the announcement.

 Internal announcement.

 Public announcement.

 Post-announcement.

Invest time to understand your audiences

As you develop an approach for each phase, youll want a clear assessment of each segment of your audience. In my time overseeing communications strategies, Ive seen many executives dismiss the need to invest the time and energy to address each audience and their needs through the change.

By investing the time into a plan and effectively implementing that plan by communicating with everyone  and by paying attention to their concerns and questions  you build a stronger team and brand trust in the process.

We typically break down audiences as follows: executives, senior/middle management, employees, clients, vendors, referral sources, strategic partners, external influencers such as legislators and community leaders, stakeholders/stockholders/donors/contributors, potential clients, past clients and the general public.

To assess each audiences voice in order to understand how to prepare, here are a few questions Ive found that companies may not think to ask as you build an effective strategy.

What is the clients relationship with the executive team currently in place?

Is there an opportunity to gain past clients through this change? (Will this change address a past weakness?)

Are executives and staff clear on the proper language of merger versus acquisition and the importance of not confusing them?

What are all the touchpoints to be considered with the update in communications?

How could a leak prior to the public announcement affect sales and morale?

Who should be treated like a VIP in the communications process?

Who can help you mitigate risk through third-party messaging?

Prioritize your communications

Prioritizing the timing of who you communicate with  and when  will allow you to build and maximize the potential in a relationship, and mitigate risk through proactive messaging.

An example of this would be a merger we managed that was expected to result in an office relocation, at a time when the community was struggling with recruiting and retaining businesses and jobs. By reaching out in advance to local government officials, including economic agencies and the local chamber, we were able to get in front of the issue and work with them on a consistent, clear message: That, although one of the offices might be consolidated to a new location, no jobs were leaving the region  and, in fact, the company projected job growth over the next 5 years. Eliminating the opportunity for people to fill a void of information with assumptions or falsehoods helped to build momentum through the change ahead.

Dont ignore opportunities to build internal buy-in

Some M&A are not large enough to capture the attention of media, but that doesnt mean you should underestimate attention to planning. We recently oversaw communication of a smaller acquisition. Through our evaluation of audiences, we realized an opportunity to maximize how the acquired team merged successfully into the new company. We facilitated conversations with employees on the frontlines in advance of the news going public, working to help them understand critical messages and added services and to answer anticipated questions.

As part of the process, we also recommended that there be a familiarizing tour of their new home with the acquiring firm to meet the team, see where their desks would be located and where to park. This effort went a long way  youd be surprised how many employees just want to know what their new office is going to be like. Employees were able to let go of disruptive anxiety, and instead focus on how to leverage the change to grow sales with current and past clients.

In the process, we also discovered that the acquisition would eliminate the need to refer out services that the acquired company formerly could not fulfill, as the new owner brought a deeper offering. This created a chance to re-engage past clients and get current clients excited about improved services.

Expect the unexpected

Not everything goes smoothly in M&A communications. Weve dealt with leaks, misinformation, layoffs, price increases and more. But, having a proactive plan in place for any scenario allows the executives and employees to move faster through any challenge.

In the end, M&A can look a lot of different ways, and each has its nuances that require special attention. Never underestimate how the flow of information can affect your brand equity and trust, and dont miss the opportunity for greater gains by communicating through change  both internally and externally.



***

Mandy Arnold is the CEO of Gavin, a digitally minded public relations and marketing agency based in York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.


Democracy Under Threat, but Americans Concerned with Other Things Wed., Oct. 19, 2022 Americans believe that our current form of government is under threat of disappearing, yet most dont think this threat is the biggest problem facing the country, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.
Republican Lawmaker In Mississippi Proposes Law Against Saggy Pants Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

Republican lawmakers in Mississippi have proposed a law against saggy pants.

In a report from The Huffington Post Tom Weathersby, a Republican serving in the states House of Representatives, wants to enact a law that would make it unlawful for any person to wear pants, shorts or clothing bottoms that exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner.

If approved, the punishment will vary depending on the offense: a first offense comes with a warning (if the person is a teenager their parents will also be notified); following that fines will range anywhere from $20 for a second offense to $100 for a sixth offense. The sixth offense would also come with psychological and social counseling by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Mental Health.

Personally, I like to see people dressed when theyre in public and I like to see people with their pants up, Weathersby said in an interview with Mississippi Today.

Other communities across the country have implemented similar laws, including Opa-Locka, Florida, and Wildwood, New Jersey. However, the former ended up repealing its legislation against saggy pants, after the NAACP Florida Chapter threatened legal action against the Ocala City Council back in 2014. The NAACP argued that black males would be the subject of such a law.

In similar news, resisting arrest can now be considered a hate crime in Louisiana, under the states Blue Lives Matter bill.

St. Martinville Police Chief Calder Herbert recently spoke to a local ABC affiliate, in which he said that he hopes the bill not only saves lives, but makes offenders reconsider resisting arrest.

We dont need the general public being murdered for no reason and we dont need officers being murdered for no reason. We all need to just work together, Herbert said. Resisting an officer or batter of a police officer was just that charge, simply. But now, Governor Edwards, in the legislation, made it a hate crime.

However, Governor John Bel Edwards offered a response to the criticism the bill is facing in regards to this, saying that the states hate crime law does not include resisting arrest. You can read up on the Blue Lives Matter bill here.
Agricultural News

OSU's Dr. Kim Anderson Explains the Effects of the Weak Export Demand on Domestic Wheat Prices

This week on SUNUP, Oklahoma State University Grain Market Specialist Dr. Kim Anderson makes an appearance again talking wheat prices domestically and abroad. According to him, despite climbing prices over the last few weeks, we have seen those back off a bit this week. Anderson attributes a waning export demand as the culprit for this deceleration.





He reports wheat prices down about $0.15, still on a short run-up pattern on the long-term, bending to downward and sideways pressure. Corn, he says, down as well but only a nickel, drawing little attention to this change as the market remains in an up-trending pattern. Meanwhile, soybeans are down $0.20 on a short-term up trend, he reports.





While all three commodities are down, Anderson says they are hanging still in a short run going up, while in the mid-term seem to be stuck in a sideways pattern.





Anderson explains that while the US looks for alternatives to the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal which was taken off the table by President Trump this week, suspending American access to two of our major markets, Japan and Mexico, he says we continue to trade with several of our regular customers around the world.





However, as Russia and Ukraine continue to chip away at the global market - he stresses the importance of producing a high quality crop this year to stay competitive internationally.





You can watch his visit tomorrow or Sunday on SUNUP- but you can hear Kim's comments right now by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.





Beyond Dr. Anderson's review of the wheat market, be sure to catch more great agricultural information on this week's episode.





This week on SUNUP, we start with Dave Lalman explaining the basics of cattle production. It's a good starting point for anyone wanting to build a ranching operation.







- In Cow-Calf Corner, Glenn Selk explains the proper way to use obstetrical chains during calving.







- Then, we travel to Collinsville to see how the pecan crop fared in 2016.







- In Food Whys, Divya Jaroni explains why humans are safe from phages in food.







- Kim Anderson says wheat prices may have stalled, but it's not time to panic.







- In the Mesonet weather report, Al Sutherland shows the areas of the state that should be scouting for first hollow stem and weevils. Gary McManus has a dry and warm 90-day outlook.





Join us for SUNUP:

Saturday at 7:30 a.m. & Sunday at 6:00 a.m. on OETA-TV



























Listen to Dr. Kim Anderson explain the effects of weak export demand on domestic wheat prices

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Ask Geotripper

Is there something about geology that you are curious about? Do you have questions about the scientific aspects of political controversies? I can try to provide a scientist's perspective. Your questions and possible answers could be a springboard to a blog discussion, or they can be private. Anonymity is always assumed. Contact Geotripper at hayesg (at) mjc.edu.


Timber Wood Fire Bistro is open in Countryside Village.

The restaurant, at 8702 Pacific St., is serving comfort food with a French flair, according to its website.

Timber is the second Omaha restaurant for chef and owner Jared Clarke, who also runs west Omahas Railcar Modern American Kitchen, which he opened in 2012.

Hours are Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to close and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to close. Weekend brunch service runs Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, call 402-964-2227 or visit timberomaha.com.

Smittys picks Dodge for second Omaha location

Smittys Garage Burgers and Beer plans a second Omaha location, to open this spring.

The new restaurant will be at 7610 Dodge St. and will open around March 15.

The restaurants original Omaha location is at 3309 Oak View Drive. For more information, including menu details and hours, visit eatatthegarage.com.

World-Herald announces 2017 Food Prowl categories

The World-Herald is excited to announce its 2017 Food Prowl categories. After much debate, and about 50 ideas submitted by readers via email, Twitter and Facebook, the four Food Prowl categories will pursue the citys best doughnut, its best gyro, its best veggie burger and its best Moscow Mule cocktail.

World-Herald food critic Sarah Baker Hansen, along with teams of tasters she assembles, complete the Food Prowls by making 10 or more stops at spots around the city looking for the citys best examples of specific foods in different categories.

This years first prowl will come out in the spring. To nominate a place you think we should visit in one of the four categories, email Sarah Baker Hansen at sarah.bakerhansen@owh.com.

To read past editions of the Food Prowl series, visit omaha.com.

Omaha native helps U.S. claim gold at Bocuse dOr

For the first time, the United States won the gold medal at the Bocuse dOr  the Olympics of the food world  and an Omaha native was on the U.S. team.

Harrison Turone, who grew up in Omaha and attended Central High, is just 21 years old.

Chef Mathew Peters and Turone, the commis, or junior chef, both work at Per Se, Thomas Kellers New York restaurant.

While Turone was in high school he attended the Omaha Public Schools Career Center culinary program, where he was in a dual-enrollment program earning college credits through the Institute of Culinary Arts at Metropolitan Community College. He has worked at La Casa, Indian Oven, the Boiler Room, Dolce, Avoli Osteria and V. Mertz.

After high school, Turone moved to San Francisco and interned at various restaurants until he eventually took a job at Ad Lib, The French Laundrys temporary pop-up restaurant in Napa. He then took a commis position at Per Se in New York City and was named to the Bocuse dOr team in late 2015.

For more information, including photos and videos of the extravagant competition, visit bocusedor.com.
What Matthew McConaugheys doing in Gold isnt so much a performance as it is a Halloween costume.

Playing an obnoxious and larger-than-life businessman, McConaughey packed on pounds, shaved his head and a wore a pair of prosthetic teeth that snaggle half an inch out of his ceaselessly moving mouth. Because the story takes place in the late 1980s and early 90s, McConaughey also gets to wear a grotesque comb-over wig and a procession of ghastly suits and ghastlier ties. Hes covered in sweat, shrouded in cigarette smoke. Hes continually jutting out his bad teeth and potbelly, preening naked and getting too close to other peoples faces. Hes the pit-stained kook drinking alone and talking to himself at the end of the bar.

For a movie star, theres nothing more vain than playing gross. Its a way to prove youre not just a pretty face. And McConaughey just takes a big ol bite out of the opportunity.

Its not good exactly, but it is ... something?

The outrageousness of his transformation is the only reason to see Gold, a limp and listless dramedy that goes bust again and again at every turn  a movie that is in fact marginally worse than the 2008 McConaughey comedy Fools Gold.

Gold is loosely based on the Bre-X gold-mining scandal of the 1990s, in which the Canadian company claimed to find a massive gold deposit in the Indonesian jungle. The report of the discovery spiked the companys stock and made its founder a fortune, but it was later proved to be a total fraud.

Gold  directed by Stephen Gaghan from a script by Patrick Massett and John Zinman  changes Bre-X to the Nevada-based Washoe Mining Co., and the companys owner from David Walsh to Kenny Wells (McConaughey). The script cherry-picks a few of the key components of the con and its aftermath, but much of this is pure invention.

When the film begins, Wells has all but failed the mining company founded by his grandfather. He and the dregs of his staff no longer have office space but operate out of the poorly lit dive where Wells girlfriend, Kay (Bryce Dallas Howard), bartends.

After a long night of drinking, Wells has a dream about the jungle that convinces him to look for gold in Indonesia. The next morning, he flies to the country to meet with geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez). Wells tells Acosta hell front him the money to embark on a major mining operation. Acosta reluctantly agrees, and the two head into the jungle looking for gold. Wells gets malaria, which affords the audience an interminable sequence in which McConaughey hallucinates in a tent while wearing only an Iron Maiden T-shirt and a pair of white skivvies soaked translucent and yellow with sickness and sweat. (All right, all right, all right?)

The two eventually strike gold (or do they?) and head back to the U.S. to cash in on their find. The newly rich Wells gets in bed with a bunch of shady Wall Street guys who think hes a useful fool. Theyre thanklessly played by fine actors like Corey Stoll, Bruce Greenwood, Bill Camp and Stacy Keach. Wells success also puts his relationship with Kay on rocky ground.

Theres a rise. Theres a fall. I couldnt have cared less about either.

Gold wants so desperately to be a movie like American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street or The Big Short: a kitschy satire with a heart that actually says something about American greed.

The first obstacle to Gold being like those films is that its not funny. Not at all. Not even a little bit. McConaugheys clownish performance is gruesomely at odds with the films staid self-seriousness. Every so often, Gold will try something weird  like making McConaughey touch a tiger  but these moments feel like increasingly desperate attempts to remind the audience that this movie was, in theory, supposed to make you laugh.

Gaghan (Oscar-winning writer of Traffic and writer/director of the incomprehensible Syriana) throws all manner of tricks at the screen in an effort to give the movie a pulse: split-screen editing, drunken McConaughey voiceover, 80s/90s pop hits. But all these half-baked stylistic touches just contribute to the movie being a mess.

The best possible version of Gold would have been something closer to Steven Soderberghs The Informant, a gleefully nihilistic romp about the havoc that can be wrought by a handful of greedy, dumb white guys in bad suits. But Gold goes in the exact opposite direction. The movie wants you to  ugh  care about these people.

It repeatedly tells us that McConaughey and Dallas Howards love is the greatest love story. That McConaughey and Ramirezs friendship is the greatest friendship.

It keeps frantically sifting through the dirt for any nugget of recognizable human emotion. But theres nothing there. The prospect is empty.

Gold

Grade: D+

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Craig T. Nelson, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell

Rating: R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity

Running time: 2 hours, 1 minute

Theaters: Aksarben, Alamo, Bluffs 17, Majestic, Oakview, Twin Creek, Village Pointe, Westroads
LINCOLN  When Dr. Shelley Nelson moved back to Nebraska last summer, she noticed that few expectant mothers had ever been tested for HIV.

The Lincoln pediatrician had previously practiced in Indianapolis, where HIV testing was routine for pregnant women, along with other early-pregnancy blood work. Nelson loses sleep at night over Nebraskas lack of such testing, she told a panel of lawmakers Thursday.

It is one test that can save two lives, she told members of the Nebraska Legislatures Health and Human Services Committee.

Nelson was among the supporters of a bill that would require physicians to test pregnant women for HIV.

The virus that causes AIDS can be transmitted by infected women to their babies during pregnancy and delivery.

If Legislative Bill 285 is adopted, the test could take place early in a womans pregnancy when doctors administer a blood test to check her hemoglobin and scan for other infections.

Early HIV detection would drastically improve health outcomes for both the mother and baby by dropping the risk of transmitting the virus to her baby down to 1 percent or less, supporters testified.

About 8,500 women with HIV give birth each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of the 40,000 new HIV infections that occur in the United States annually, nearly 11,000 of those affect women and about 200 babies are born to infected mothers, according to data from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Nebraska law currently states that no person may be tested for HIV unless he or she has given written informed consent. Nebraska is the only state that requires a written statement, a practice not consistent with CDC recommendations.

LB 285 would repeal that, in addition to requiring the test for pregnant women. Under the bill, pregnant women could decline an HIV test by submitting a written statement.

Eric Dunning, director of government affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, supported the bill, saying the tests are covered as part of preventative services under the Affordable Care Act. They are covered at 100 percent in case of pregnancy, he noted.

The ACLU of Nebraska submitted a letter of opposition, citing concerns about privacy and how the provisions would affect inmates in state prisons.

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, the bills sponsor, said shes working with Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha to address those concerns.

The committee took no action on the bill.
Motherhood is intense, and most of the time physical escape (even to the bathroom) isn't an option. But when we can't get away physically, sometimes the best choice is mental escape into a good book.

Today we are introducing Nebraska author Stephanie Whitson. She writes about the mothers and strong women who came before us in our Nebraska history.

***

I was a textbook liberated woman in college back in the 70s. In fact, I wore a patch on my jeans that said nobody owns me. I was never going to get married, let alone have kids, said Stephanie Whitson.

She had plans to move to France right after graduation, but that all changed in 1972 when a long-haired, just-out-of-the-army graduate student walked into the student union and smiled at her.

We married, had four kids, home schooled and lived on an acreage where I baked all our bread from scratch, harvested wild fruits and made jelly, and canned our organic produce. We even ran a regular produce stand at the Lincoln farmers market for a few years, Whitson said. I went from being I am woman, hear me roar to being earth mother. God has a sense of humor.

With a bachelors degree in French and a master's degree in historical studies, Whitson admitted life as a novelist never even occurred to her. But then, while teaching the Nebraska history unit to her home-schooled children, Whitson became fascinated by the history of Nebraska pioneering women.

At some point, I began playing with an imaginary friend and writing scenes in the life of a woman headed west on the Oregon Trail, Whitson recalled. The story took on a life of its own, and the characters became real to me.

Faced with the choice between continuing a home-based business or pursuing a writing career, Whitson sent off a few query letters, which would eventually result in a three-book contract.

The first novel always holds a special place in a writers heart, Whitson admitted. I love Walks the Fire because the heroine doesnt see herself as anything special, and yet she creates an unforgettable legacy for the people she loves.

Whitson also wrote Sixteen Brides. She said, This book was inspired by an actual newspaper article with the headline Attractive Widows. My ladies dont realize they are supposed to marry the minute they step off the train in Dawson County, Nebraska. Five women refuse and join forces to create their own homestead.

Today, Whitson has published nearly 30 books. The most recent release is Messenger by Moonlight, in which Annie Paxton dreams of living in a big city. When her brothers sign on to ride for the Pony Express, she finds herself working as a cook at a remote Pony Express Station and eventually learns shes stronger than she realizes.

I think most moms would enjoy my books because they all feature strong women who overcome the challenges life throws at them. They also provide a great escape, Whitson said. I write about hope, love and a God who cares  and happy endings are guaranteed.

For those who prefer non-fiction, Whitson also wrote How to Help a Grieving Friend, which came out of the lessons she learned when she lost that long-haired, ex-soldier to cancer in 2001. Home on the Plains: Quilts and the Sod House Experience tells the true stories of Nebraska sod house homemakers and the quilts they used in those soddies.

Whitson is currently working on a Civil War-era novel set in Nebraska City, Nebraska, which is a "Beauty and the Beast" love story. For a complete list of Whitsons books, visit her website. You can also connect with Stephanie on her Facebook page.
DETROIT (AP)  Volkswagens efforts to do right by owners who unknowingly purchased cars and SUVs that cheat on emissions tests have run into some speed bumps.

Owners say the company isnt delivering on a promise to quickly buy back their vehicles. Some complain about multiple requests for paperwork, even after being told their application was complete.

The German automaker blames delays on an overwhelming volume of buyback requests. A company lawyer told the judge handling the VW case that almost 400,000 owners had applied to have their vehicles repurchased in the three months since a legal settlement was approved.

I almost feel like theres a stall tactic going, says Eric Larson, 42, of Minneapolis, who has spent three months trying to get VW to buy back a sedan.

But Elizabeth Cabraser, the lead attorney representing owners, supported the companys claim that the volume of requests was overwhelming, likening the situation to a daylong house party at which everyone showed up in the first five minutes.

In late October, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco approved a settlement among lawyers representing nearly 500,000 owners of cheating 2-liter diesels, the government and the company. VW agreed to spend up to $10 billion to buy back the diesels.

VW has 10 business days to review an owners application. If everything is complete, it has another 10 days to make a buyback offer.

Larson and others say its taking much longer.

David Derkach, 18, a college student from near Seattle, says waiting for a check forced him to take fewer classes this semester due to lack of money. He understands VW is dealing with big numbers but feels hes getting the runaround.

Robert Giuffra, a VW lawyer, said this likely is the largest and most complex consumer buyback program in U.S. and maybe world history. A court-appointed claims supervisor reported that VW didnt have enough staff or computer resources in place to handle the volume of claims.

Cabraser said VW is getting faster each day at processing claims and had finished 83,000 buybacks as of Wednesday, paying out around $1.5 billion. The schedule, she says, was more of a guideline than a requirement.

Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Eppley Airfield saw a hefty boost in air travelers in 2016, and airport officials say it was fueled by a strong local economy and the addition of several flights to new cities.

The added flight capacity  measured in number of available seats to purchase  put Omahas airport in the top 10 nationally for such growth. It was No. 9 in the year that just ended when it comes to added capacity.

Its the third consecutive year of growth for Eppley, and another sign that the local economy has bounced back since the Great Recession, when most airports  including Eppley  were seeing declines in passengers year over year.

So far this year, demand isnt slowing down, and airlines are expected to add even more capacity, or seats available for purchase, by using larger aircraft or adding flights to existing routes to keep up with it, said Dave Roth, deputy executive director of Omahas airport.

Airlines added about 446,000 seats in Omaha last year, or a 9 percent increase in capacity when compared with 2015. The No. 1 fastest-growing airport in terms of seat capacity, San Jose International Airport, grew 12.5 percent last year. On average, medium- and large-hub airports in the U.S. together grew in capacity by 4.5 percent over 2015. (Eppley is deemed by the Federal Aviation Administration a medium-hub airport  in the same classification as the airports in Kansas City, Missouri, St. Louis and Milwaukee. It was the 60th-largest out of about 510 commercial airports in the U.S., based on 2014 passenger count figures, according to the FAA.)

Seat capacity isnt just a numbers game: The added seats give travelers using the Omaha airport more options to reach their destinations, Roth said.

Air service, especially to the West and East Coasts, can be a selling point for Omaha when it comes to luring new businesses or keeping its existing ones, said Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Daily nonstop routes mean you can get your executives and salespeople to a city for a day of meetings and home all in the same day without it being as disruptive for their lives and work lives, and that is a very important feature that makes cities attractive places to do business, Thompson said.

The growth in travelers using the airport is also a good sign for the economy in Omaha and nationally. It means more businesses have money to spend on sending employees elsewhere, and leisure travelers might be feeling more confident with their finances, said Christopher Decker, a professor of economics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

It does generally mean that peoples sense of their own economic well-being is a little bit stronger than it has been in the past, Decker said of the positive traffic growth.

For many years, the Greater Omaha Chamber had worked with the Omaha Airport Authority Board to secure more flights to the West Coast, especially with California-based companies like Yahoo, PayPal, LinkedIn and Pacific Life already having operations in Omaha, said David Brown, the chambers president and chief executive.

These are all good-sized employers that continue to try to find more reasons to put more investment here, and we just need to make it easy for them, Brown said.

And things are still growing so far this year: Seats at Omahas Eppley are expected to be up 11.2 percent for the first quarter of 2017.

More new routes are expected in the coming months. Southwest will launch its daily nonstop to Houstons William P. Hobby Airport in March; additional weekend flights to Dallas Love Field; and, in the first quarter, up to four daily nonstop flights to Phoenix.

Weve never had four departures to Phoenix from Southwest, Roth said.

Total traffic at the airport increased 4.3 percent over 2015, up from about 4.2 million people to about 4.3 million people last year. Traffic refers to the number of passengers taking off from and arriving at the airport. Thats the highest traffic has been since 2008, Roth said.

New routes in 2016 included a daily nonstop flight to Portland, Oregon, on Alaska Air; a daily nonstop American Airlines flight to Los Angeles International; a nonstop Washington, D.C. flight via Southwest; and a daily nonstop route to San Francisco via United Airlines.

That growth was led by strong demand from Omaha, especially from business travelers, Roth said.

Its good for the economy, its good for the airlines, he said.

Elsewhere in Nebraska, the much smaller Lincoln airports passenger traffic remained relatively flat, with about a 1 percent increase to just over 165,000 passengers, said David Haring, executive director of the Lincoln Airport Authority.

Haring said the airport has seen growth since 2012, after six years of decline. Growth was steady last year because no new routes were added, he said.

Short of adding capacity or a new market, which any airport is always looking to do, probably well stay right in that realm, Haring said.

Airlines have added some capacity  bumping some 50-seat routes up to 65- or 75-seat planes. A lot of it is just the ebbs and tides of the industry, Haring said.

The passenger traffic at Eppley is an important marker for the airports demand-driven master plan. Certain passenger markers trigger new projects at the airport.

Once the airport approaches 4.75 million passengers it might undertake new projects, including additions to the concourse, the first stage of terminal redevelopment.

When Eppley nears 5.4 million passengers annually, it will trigger a renovation and expansion of the terminal, where travelers pick up baggage and check in with airlines.

Some master plan projects already are underway: This spring, the existing rental car parking garage, which also offers long-term parking on its second floor, will be demolished. A six-story garage with 3,000 parking stalls  2,100 for the public and 900 spaces for rental cars on the first and second floors  will take its place.

The roughly $89 million project, expected to be completed in roughly two years, also includes a new rental car customer service building adjacent to the rental car spaces; a new heated, covered walkway between the new garage and airport terminal; and a new consolidated exit area where customers will pay for parking.

More traveler comfort

Omahas Eppley Airfield has added a few features to the airport to make it more comfortable and convenient for travelers.

In 2016, the airport added:

 A fourth security checkpoint at the south concourse. Wait times over the busy holiday travel season averaged a daily maximum of 5 to 7 minutes.

 Two rooms for breastfeeding mothers just past the south and north security checkpoints.

 Remodeled restrooms in the north concourse.

 Two service animal relief stations at the north and south ends of the front drive, each with small grass patches.

 Updated landscaping and benches on the front drive.

 Several parking enhancements, including two cellphone waiting lots at the north and south of the terminal; new signs on Abbott Drive that indicate parking garage capacity; a system within the parking garage that indicates open parking spots with green and red lights; and a mobile app with parking garage capacity information.
An Iowa woman accused of being involved in a deadly love triangle may have  may have  done a number of strange things after Cari Farver was last seen, her attorney said Thursday.

But none of those actions proves that Shanna Golyar killed Farver in a bout of jealousy over the man both women dated, he said.

Fearing that jurors might equate any strange behavior with guilt, Omaha defense attorney James Martin Davis asked a judge, instead of a jury, to decide whether Golyar is guilty or innocent of first-degree murder in the November 2012 disappearance and presumed death of Farver.

Farvers remains have not been found.

Davis said prosecutors wont be able to prove murder. Judge Timothy Burns will decide Golyars innocence or guilt after a bench trial, set to begin May 10.

Its sketchy that any murder was even committed, let alone in Omaha, Davis said Thursday. My position is, without a body, or any remains, you dont have evidence of a murder.

I want to make sure that the focus of this case always remains on the issue of first-degree murder  and not have the trier of fact get confused about all these other things that make my client look guilty.

The biggest reason to take this case to a judge? Jurors might be more apt to be distracted by evidence of Golyars actions after the disappearance, Davis said.

Prosecutors and Omaha police detectives have described bizarre behavior by Golyar after Farvers disappearance.

They say that Golyar adopted Farvers email and sent hundreds of emails and texts purporting to be Farver after the woman went missing. Investigators allege that she used Farvers credit card twice after her disappearance  and contacted Farvers mother to try to get into Farvers house on the pretense that she had purchased Farvers furniture.

A detective also has testified that Golyar used Farvers email to pose as Farver and sent more than 10,000 emails to the boyfriend over the next three years.

And Farvers boss received a text from Farvers phone number, two days after her disappearance, saying she was resigning and taking a job in Kansas.

Ive found a replacement for my position, her name is Shanna Golyar, the text said.

Golyar then applied for Farvers former position. She listed Farver as a reference. And the email she listed  purported to be a Cari Farver email  could be traced back to Golyars underlying email account, investigators say.

Most of that doesnt have to do with a murder, Davis said. What happens is theyve got a lot of evidence that my client was allegedly committing other crimes or somehow impersonating the victim. None of that really relates to the issue of whether or not she committed a violent act and killed the victim in this case.

A jury could be more liable to be swayed by that.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said the state doesnt need a body or remains to prove murder. He pointed out that prosecutors secured a second-degree murder conviction against Christopher Edwards in the May 2006 disappearance and presumed death of Jessica OGrady. OGradys remains have never been found.

Likewise, prosecutors secured a guilty plea from Ivan Henk in the 2006 death and disappearance of his 4-year-old son, Brendan Gonzalez of Plattsmouth. Gonzalezs remains also were not found.

Certainly wed like to recover the victims body for a number of reasons  for the family to have closure; to have an autopsy done; to make a determination to show what the cause of death was, Kleine said. But there are times when people destroy evidence  and the victims body is evidence.

Authorities say they arent without evidence of blood. Investigators last year removed the seat cover from the passenger side of Farvers 2002 Ford Explorer and discovered that Farvers blood soaked the stuffing inside. (Davis has suggested that the blood is menstrual blood.)

Kleine said that blood evidence is significant. But in these kinds of cases, Kleine said, authorities can point to other items  unused bank accounts and cellphones as well as lack of contact with bosses, family and friends.

Farvers boyfriend was the last one to report having seen her alive when he left for work Nov. 13, 2012  the morning of her disappearance. By noon, authorities say, the boyfriend had received a text from Farvers phone, declaring their relationship over.

Its not only blood evidence, Kleine said. Theres other evidence  all of those things that point to someone not being in existence anymore.

Certainly we believe there is significant evidence that would show that this woman was murdered.

Davis said the blood evidence in this case is a far cry from the Edwards case  where a vast amount of OGradys blood was found in Edwards bedroom. Edwards is serving 100 years to life in prison.

In this case, Davis said, he will focus on the nuts and bolts required to prove murder: Did Farver die? How do authorities know? If she died, what was the manner of death? And how can prosecutors satisfy their statutory requirement to prove where she died?

On Thursday, Davis said, he understood that investigators were in Iowa searching through his clients former storage units  desperately looking for remains. Even though this cold case is four years old, Davis said, he believes prosecutors filed these murder charges prematurely.

Kleine said he wasnt aware of any searches Thursday, though there could have been.

We never stop investigating a case, Kleine said.
James Cotton was given a life sentence for murder on Thursday, all the while maintaining he shouldnt have been convicted of killing Trevor Bare in 2015.

A biased jury found me guilty, he said, speaking from a wheelchair just before District Court Judge Gary Randall passed sentence.

In his lengthy prepared remarks, Cotton, 61, criticized previous rulings by Randall, said homicide detectives had violated his rights and claimed his jury consisted of police officers and forensic investigators.

Randall didnt buy it.

Neither did Bares loved ones in the courtroom.

Many of the statements that you made are directly (inconsistent) with the testimony you made at trial, the judge said.

Deputy Douglas County Attorney Sean Lavery said the evidence reviewed by the jury was more than sufficient to find Cotton guilty.

Mr. Cottons statement sums up his position in all this ... nothing, in Mr. Cottons opinion, is his own fault, Lavery said.

A jury in August convicted Cotton of first-degree murder in Bares death. Bare was 24 when Cotton shot him on the morning of Aug. 7, 2015, outside Bares apartment at 4301 Marcy St.

Cotton had once been the roommate of Bares biological mother, but at some point the relationship soured.

An argument started between Bare and another man, Travis Labno, who accused Bare of setting his pickup on fire. Labno was moving into another apartment in the house, and Cotton was helping.

As they argued, Bare stood outside, holding a fence post he wouldnt drop.

Cotton racked a shotgun. Bare told him if he was going to hold a gun to him, he had better shoot.

Cotton did. Bare collapsed, blood spilling from his abdomen. At trial, Cotton said he was aiming for Bares legs.

Lavery said Thursday that Cotton had other options that morning.

About Bare, a father of three, he said: While certainly not perfect, to his family he was taken far too soon and far too tragically.

Cottons public defender, LeAnne Srb, said medical issues, which she did not describe, made Cotton scared during the incident.

Mr. Cotton is adamant that he is innocent, that he was defending himself, she said.

Randall imposed the mandatory life sentence that goes with first-degree murder convictions.

He also sentenced Cotton for using a firearm to commit a felony, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and possessing methamphetamine in the incident  a total sentence of nine years and 10 months to 42 years, in addition to the life term.

Traci Sanchez, 42, of Omaha, Bares foster mother, was glad Bare had gotten justice. She was not worried Cottons appeal would be successful.

Im just happy that everything is over with, she said. Its not easy. Every day is a struggle, still.
DES MOINES  Iowa Republicans are proposing to increase state aid to K-12 public schools by $40 million next school year, roughly half of what Gov. Terry Branstad proposed and what minority Democrats call an absolute minimum.

Officially, Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, arent divulging details of their Supplemental School Aid (SSA) plan. However, in weekly newsletters published Thursday, lawmakers said the plan calls for an increase right around $40 million, or 1.1 percent.

Which considering our budget, Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, wrote, is significant and shows the commitment House Republicans have for Iowas schools."

He was referring to a shortfall in the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30. The Senate approved a $118 million de-appropriations plan Thursday and the House is expected to follow suit Monday. GOP Gov. Terry Branstad and Republicans lawmakers say the cuts are necessary because tax revenue has not met projections due to a downtown in the state economy.

K-12 school funding is approaching $3.2 billion, or 43 percent of the state budget.

Adding to the debate, Sen. Rich Taylor, D-Mount Pleasant, filed a bill Thursday calling for a 4 percent SSA increase in each of the next two years.

If the Legislature approves anything less than 4 percent and 4 percent, more rural schools will be forced to close and consolidate, Taylor said. That would be devastating for the small towns in my district and for hundreds of school districts in small towns across Iowa.

House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, warned that anything less than a 2 percent increase -- $79 million  would result in school staff reductions, larger classroom sizes and higher property taxes. In Marshalltown, he said, the school board raised property taxes 21 cents per $1,000 valuation two years ago and 30 cents last year because SSA wasnt increasing enough to cover expenses.

A survey of school superintendents by legislative Democrats found that if lawmaker approve a SSA increase of 2 percent or less, about two-thirds of them will be forced to raise class size, cut teachers and reduce opportunities for students.

Seventy-one percent said they would have to increase class sizes, 61 percent would layoff teachers, 58 percent would reduce class offerings and 65 percent would delay purchases of up-to-date textbooks and classroom materials, according to the survey.

House Education Committee Chairman Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, said Republicans plan to give school boards more flexibility in how they spend their budgets.

More money is good, but the No. 1 thing I hear from school boards and administrators is they want relief from burdensome regulation, mostly by the Department of Education, Rogers said. They want flexibility.

The House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up House Study Bill 55 https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=87&ba=hsb55 in a subcommittee at noon and in full committee later in the day. A floor vote is expected Feb. 2. Lawmakers want to meet requirement in state law to set the SSA number within 30 days of the beginning of the legislative session. They hasnt been done in recent years when the GOP controlled the House and Democrats were the majority in the Senate.
LINCOLN  A legislative bill that would make private schools more affordable for some low- and middle-income families came under scrutiny by lawmakers at a hearing Thursday.

Critics at the Revenue Committee hearing charged that it would drain millions of dollars from the Nebraska state budget and give wealthy people a lucrative tax break.

Supporters, which include the Archdiocese of Omaha, said the bill creating scholarship tax credits would give families more options on where to send their kids and would save money because public schools would have fewer students to educate.

Under LB 295, individuals and businesses could reduce their state taxes by donating to a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships for children to attend private schools.

State Sen. Jim Smith, who introduced the bill, said every family should have the opportunity to choose the right school for their children, regardless of family income or where they live.

Some children thrive in one environment, while others do better in another, Smith said. Unfortunately, not all families have the means to make that choice for themselves.

The amount of the credit would be dollar for dollar, that is, equal to the total contributions during that tax year.

The taxpayer would not be able to designate the money for the benefit of a specific student.

Estates, trusts and certain corporations and partnerships also could make contributions and claim a tax credit.

The state would cap the total tax credits allowed at $10 million for calendar year 2018.

A formula would allow that cap to increase to $12.5 million the following year and $15,625,000 in 2020-21 if total contributions approached the cap.

To be eligible, a student would have to come from a household with a gross income that does not exceed twice the income in the eligibility guidelines for reduced-price school meals. For a family of four, that is currently $89,910 a year. For a household of two, the threshold would be $59,274.

Sen. Burke Harr, a member of the Revenue Committee, said it would take some convincing before hed give up $10 million the state could spend on social services, corrections, mental health or public schools.

I want to drive a Mercedes, he said. Thats going to cost me money. Does the government  obviously this is an absurdity  have a duty to ensure I can drive the car of my choice?

Patrick Slattery, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, dismissed his analogy, saying the bill operates with private donations.

If I lined up the 10,000 families that wouldnt be in our schools right now without scholarships, and asked whats more important to them  $10 million or your childs future  that would make this a little more human of an issue, Slattery said.

Jayleesha Cooper, 13, testified that a scholarship provided through a private organization allows her to attend Holy Name School in Omaha.

Jayleesha said she has a cousin who wants to go to Duchesne Academy, where shes headed, but cant afford it.

What if I was your daughter and you recognized that I was capable of accomplishing more than my school was capable of offering? How would you feel if you knew that the solution to your problem but didnt have the means to make change happen?

John Bonaiuto, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Association of School Boards, opposed the bill.

He said programs like this can expand dramatically.

Its money youre not going to have, Bonaiuto said.

Rob Winter, executive director of the Greater Nebraska Schools Association, said the bill would siphon money from public schools.

Winter said that if kids left public schools for private schools, the state wouldnt necessarily save money. It would depend on how many kids moved and which grades.

Katie Linehan, executive director of the pro-school-choice group Educate Nebraska, said the state would save money when a student transferred to a private school because the state is no longer responsible for educating that child.

Renee Fry, executive director of Open Sky, an opponent, said that because of the fixed costs of running schools, the state would save money only if a significant number of children left the public schools.

Fry said wealthy people could profit under the bill because of the tax advantages.

Opponents said the income threshold would allow upper- and middle-income families to receive the tax benefit, instead of benefiting the neediest families.

They also questioned whether the state should be granting tax credits when the state budget is tight.

A second bill aimed at easing education costs for families met a similar split reaction. The committee took testimony on a bill to help families pay for a childs K-12 education expenses.

Under LB 118, a parent or legal guardian could set up an Education Savings Account with a financial institution to help cover a childs K-12 education expenses.

Parents, other individuals, partnerships, associations and corporations could make annual tax-deductible cash contributions of up to $2,000 per account.

The money could be spent on certain expenses including tuition, fees, room and board, books, uniforms, college entrance exams and computer equipment.

The money would have to be used before the student graduated from high school.

Sen. Robert Hilkemann, who sponsored the bill, said it would help middle-class families who are being squeezed and having to do more with less.

Critics said it would drain $7.8 million from state revenue its first year and more after that.

The hearing came on the same day about 600 school choice advocates rallied outside the Nebraska Capitol. The event was part of National School Choice Week, which supports giving parents options for the education of their children.

The crowd included many students from Catholic and Lutheran schools in Omaha and Lincoln.

Gov. Pete Ricketts addressed the rally, saying that children deserve the opportunity to choose the education that fits them best.

Ricketts said 17 states have voucher programs, 43 states have some sort of charter schools and 14 states have tax credit scholarships.

So there are lots of opportunities that other states are doing that we can look for here in Nebraska, he said.
DENISON, Iowa  Crawford County Sheriff James Steinkuehler on Thursday released the news that many had been praying for to bring some closure to the family and friends of 15-year-old Yoana Acosta: Her remains had been found in the Boyer River.

Yoanas body was found not far from the Crawford County Fairgrounds, located on the northwest side of Denison.

She was last seen about 3 a.m. Jan. 19, when the car she was riding in went over the bank of the river.

She was one of five occupants in the car. One occupant got to the rivers bank and walked to a trailer house directly east of the accident site. The homeowner called the county communications center, and the Crawford County Sheriffs Office was paged at 3:06 a.m.

Three of the remaining occupants of the vehicle were rescued, including Yoanas sister, Valeria, 19. But Yoana, who was last seen standing in the water, was gone.

In the days that followed, an extensive search was conducted by local law enforcement, volunteer firefighters, emergency personnel, dive teams and volunteers from other Iowa counties.

On Monday, her family released her name and photo, with one request: Pray that our daughter is found, pray for our loss and pray that we may find comfort,  the family said through an interpreter.

An autopsy will be performed.

Felony drug and misdemeanor traffic charges were filed Tuesday against the 25-year-old driver of the car, Ramon Hernandez.

A press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday.
LINCOLN  Jacob Custer can describe the problems with dialogue-captioning devices that only a moviegoer with deafness would know.

Their batteries sometimes die in the middle of the film.

Or the words disappear before they can be read.

And occasionally the wireless boxes display dialogue from a movie playing on the screen next door.

Sometimes Ill miss the jokes or the plot twists and what people are saying, Custer said.

Those situations are why the 17-year-old high school senior from Lincoln testified Thursday in support of a bill in the Legislature that would require multiplexes to show movies with on-screen captioning.

Movie theater owners panned the proposal, saying hearing customers simply wont pay to watch films with whats called open captioning.

The general public hates open captioning, said Jeff Logan with the National Association of Theatre Owners.

State Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, who sponsored Legislative Bill 269, said 20 percent of the population has some degree of hearing loss. That equates to about 380,000 people in Nebraska.

His bill would apply to theaters with at least five screens in a single location. It would require them to offer open captioning on two screenings per week of each film offered by the theater.

Theaters that violate the law would be guilty of a discriminatory practice and be subject to penalties under civil rights statutes.

I dont think LB 269 is asking too much of the movie theaters, Watermeier said.

John Wyvill, executive director of the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, said the bill would cost theaters nothing for special equipment because open captioning is embedded in many films released by studios.

All four of the primary organizations that serve the deaf and hard of hearing in Nebraska support the measure, said Wyvill, who is deaf and likes to go to the movies with his wife and children. Hawaii passed a similar law, and Rhode Island is considering it, he said.

All were asking is to be treated equal under the law, Wyvill said.

Lisa Fryda with Marcus Theatres in Lincoln said the individual closed captioning devices provided to deaf customers at her theaters are reliable. She also said she is able to provide open captioning for special group screenings that are arranged in advance.

Bobby Wilson, owner of Kearney Cinema, said the bill could possibly cause a loss of income if he had to offer weekly screenings attended by just a few customers.

Logan, the industry representative who owns theaters in Mitchell, South Dakota, said the Justice Department recently issued formal guidelines that require movie theaters to provide accommodations for people with hearing loss.

The guidelines specify the use of closed captioning devices, which cost between $5,000 and $10,000 per screen to install, he said.

Many theaters, however, have been offering the devices or other captioning options for at least 10 years, he said.

Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings asked Logan to describe the economic condition of the theater industry. Logan said theaters in urban locations tend to be financially stronger than those in small cities, while those in towns and villages tend to be run by nonprofit groups.

I dont want to paint the picture of poverty, but were not bankers, he said.

After the hearing, Wyvill said his community reached out to theater owners in an effort to seek a solution before the bill was introduced. They chose not to come to the table, he added.

It seems to me if you have 20 percent of the market that is not being served adequately, wouldnt it make good business sense to bring them in? he said.
Three Douglas County Board members plan to formally ask County Assessor Diane Battiato to set 2017 property valuations so nobodys house valuation goes up more than 3 percent.

A nonbinding resolution to that effect is likely to be on the boards agenda for its regular meeting Tuesday, County Board Chair Mary Ann Borgeson said.

Shes co-sponsoring it with board members P.J. Morgan and Mike Boyle.

Borgeson acknowledged that the board cant tell the assessor how to set valuations, and that going along with their resolution could put the county at odds with the State of Nebraska. But she said she hopes the county can negotiate with state tax equalization officials to spread increases out over a number of years instead of slamming some taxpayers with huge increases this year.

The move comes amid controversy about large increases proposed in the Douglas County Assessors recently posted preliminary property valuations. Theyre likely to lead to large property tax increases for thousands of homeowners.

Were going to strongly recommend that the assessor, Diane Battiato, redo the residential valuations so that they not exceed 3 percent, Morgan said.

The resolution was still being drafted Thursday.

By law, we dont have the authority over another elected official, Borgeson said. We can encourage, strongly encourage, but its up to her whether to work with us on it or not.

Battiato could not immediately be reached for comment. She has acknowledged the sticker shock the preliminary valuations are causing to property owners, but said that the appraisals are largely correct. Battiato has said a rising real estate market is pushing values higher. And she said many properties had not been reappraised by the Assessors Office for many years.

Battiato is required by Nebraska law to set valuations at 92 to 100 percent of market value. If she fails to do so, she has said, the state could order across-the-board increases, as it did in 2016.

Taxpayers can seek an informal hearing with an appraiser from Battiatos office if they believe their valuation is too high. People can call 402-444-6734 by Feb. 10 to set up an appointment, or they can email or mail in information to the Assessors Office about their properties until Feb. 28. Taxpayers also will have the opportunity to file formal protests in June if they disagree with the final valuations the County Assessors Office sets in May.

Borgeson said this week that she recognizes that Battiato is in a difficult position. Asked whether the board resolution is posturing meant to put Battiato on the spot, Borgeson said: Were not doing this as an in-your-face kind of thing. Were doing this because weve heard from the taxpayers.

Morgan said he has received more than 100 calls and emails from upset taxpayers over the past week. Many complained about valuation increases, some more than twice their 2016 valuations.

A longtime real estate executive, Morgan said he had checked out the properties and records of several people who called him, and he doubts the accuracy of the valuations. He said several have since been lowered significantly after being brought to the Assessors Offices attention.

Morgan cited a house near 90th and William Streets. He said the preliminary valuation for 2017 was about $488,000  nearly 2 times the valuation in 2016, with most of the increase based on land value. It has since been reduced to $387,000.

The reason for (the resolution) is the hardship that 60 percent to 100 percent increases would cause on taxpayers  and the inconsistency, Morgan said.

Borgeson acknowledged that if Battiato were to cap increases at 3 percent, the countys valuations might not pass muster with the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission.

Say she agrees to do it, Borgeson said. The state could come in and do the same thing they did last year.

In 2016, the state ordered 7 percent across-the-board valuation hikes for more than 75,000 residential properties in Douglas County. The state also lowered valuations by 8 percent for a large part of north Omaha.

Borgeson acknowledged that many of the new valuations might accurately reflect market value. She received a call from one taxpayer who said its been unfair for people to have been under-assessed for years while others have been paying taxes on the market values of their homes.

But Borgeson called some of the increases outrageous and said that, even if theyre right, imposing them in one year is wrong.

The taxpayers shouldnt have to bear the burden of correcting past mistakes in one fell swoop, Borgeson said.
An Omaha public works employee with a reputation for being a leader on safety has died, days after he was struck by a car while preparing to repair a pothole.

Salvatore Fidone III, 48, of Council Bluffs, was working Monday morning at 144th and U Streets when he was hit and taken to the Nebraska Medical Center.

Fidone was someone who was hardworking and also cared a great deal about his fellow workers, said Austin Rowser, the citys street maintenance engineer, speaking at a press conference at Mayor Jean Stotherts office Friday afternoon. He was always really reminding his other crew members to be safe on a job site and to take all of the safety precautions.

Fidone was standing on the drivers side of a city truck as his crew prepared to fill potholes when a 2012 Toyota Camry drifted from a northbound lane on 144th Street and struck him, police have said.

The car was driven by Alan R. Solarana, 53, of Omaha.

Stothert said Friday that an initial investigation showed that the members of the city crew, led by Fidone, were wearing their reflective vests, had displayed the proper warnings to motorists and had parked their trucks properly.

Solarana has not been charged. Attempts to reach him Friday were unsuccessful.

Omaha police are still investigating, Stothert said.

Investigators will forward the results to the county attorney, who will decide if there will be charges.

The city safety division also is investigating to ensure that proper safety procedures were followed, she said.

Fidones relatives said in a statement that they wanted to extend their heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude to everyone who has showered Sal and our family with such love and support.

His family said Fidone had made the choice to extend the lives of others by donating his organs to those in critical need. We are honored that a small piece of him will allow other families more time together.

Fidone had already donated a kidney to one of his brothers, Stothert said.

He had been with the city since October 2015, but he had many longtime friends who worked for street maintenance, Rowser said.

He was generally regarded as someone with just a real positive attitude, a real positive demeanor, a likable person, Rowser said

Stothert said she had met with Fidones family.

This is a difficult time for Mr. Fidones co-workers in the street maintenance division who come to work each day to provide an important service to everyone who uses our city streets.

I ask you to keep the Fidone family and our city employees in your prayers.

Tony Burkhalter, a representative of Omaha City Employees Union Local 251, issued a statement Friday on behalf of Fidones co-workers.

This is a heartbreaking day for all of us that have worked alongside Mr. Fidone, Burkhalter said. Our goal at this time is to be there for Sals family, specifically his two sons.

He also urged the public to watch out for city workers.

We want the public to please be mindful of construction workers when you see us working in the streets. We have families, and just like everyone else, we want to go home at the end of the day, Burkhalter said. Please pray for the Fidone family, friends, co-workers and all that were touched by his presence.

A GoFundMe page was set up by the union to raise money for Fidones relatives. And Burkhalter said the union was planning a fundraiser March 4 at the Firefighters Union Hall at 60th and Grover Streets.
A two-vehicle crash north of Omaha sent one motorist to the hospital in critical condition Thursday evening.

The crash occurred about 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Nebraska Highways 36 and 133.

The driver of a semitrailer going south on Highway 133 was attempting to turn left and go east on Highway 36. A northbound Honda Pilot SUV crashed into the semi, said Lt. Rob Jones of the Douglas County Sheriffs Office.

The Hondas driver was partially ejected. He was taken by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition. The semi driver was uninjured.

Witnesses told deputies the Honda had a green light. Jones said no tickets had been issued Thursday night, as the investigation was ongoing.
When Jay Irwin was growing up in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, the classroom was where he felt most comfortable. He kept his nose buried in books and his head to the ground. He was the type of kid who blended in.

I loved school  I think thats why I never want to leave it, Irwin said. Teachers, at the end of the day, saved everything in my life.

Irwin, 35, still has his nose buried in books. But now hes the one working toward creating that ideal learning environment for students.

On Jan. 9, the University of Nebraska at Omaha associate professor of sociology and anthropology was sworn in as a Ralston school board member. Hes believed to be the first openly transgender elected official in the state. The Washington, D.C.-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund isnt aware of any openly transgender elected officials in Nebraskas history.

Irwin pointed out that there may have been transgender elected officials in the past that simply werent out. We just dont know, he said.

But Irwin is excited to be an advocate for all underrepresented students, particularly those in the LGBT community. His research focuses on the health and well-being of LGBT individuals, specifically transgender people in Nebraska.

Irwin is a self-described policy junkie, who enjoys keeping up with debate in the Nebraska Legislature and whose goals extend past any one group of students. On the top of that list is learning the intricacies of the Ralston districts funding, especially after the end of the Learning Community common levy.

I want to bring up topics and ask questions that make sure were thinking about every single student in the district, Irwin said.

Irwin and his partner, Amanda Gaither, dont have children. It was his experiences as an educator, his affinity for education policy and his research that piqued his interest in serving on the school board.

Board President Tresha Rodgers said Irwins work as a professor will bring a valuable skill set and perspective to the board.

Were excited to work with him and continue to try to raise student achievement in the community, she said.

Irwin has a doctorate in medical sociology and a bachelors degree in sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He moved to Omaha in 2009 and to Ralston in April 2014.

Irwins name didnt appear on the Nov. 8 ballot because he was one of two write-in candidates for the seat. The seat had previously been filled by Jeff Zdan, who was appointed in 2015. Zdan sought a different open seat on the six-member board but lost.

On Election Day, Irwin got 36 write-in votes. The other write-in candidate got four. That was all it took. Irwin had the gig.

Community and district reaction has been positive, Irwin said.

We truly welcome and respect diversity in Ralston Public Schools, said Jeremy Maskel, a district spokesman. We appreciate all supporters of our students, families and staff, he added.

The school boards vice president, Linda Richards, has been on the board for 21 years. Having members with an array of voices and experiences is a good thing, she said.

Theres no doubt we are proud of our diversity on the board and in every one of our schools, Richards said.

At UNO, Irwin is the faculty association president and an adviser for the LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies minor. His classes cover an assortment of topics  statistics, research methods and the sociology of sexualities. He also is involved with a number of groups active in the LGBT community, including the Midwest Sexual Health Research Collaborative and the Nebraska Collaborative for Transgender Research.

His research suggests that safe, comfortable environments play a major role in the success of transgender students in the state, Irwin said.

Building those bridges of understanding and allowing students the space to be themselves and bring their full selves to school is key, he said.

Informal and formal groups on campus play a big part in building those bridges, Irwin said.

Irwin wasnt out as a kid growing up in his Birmingham suburb in the 1990s. There was only one girl who was out in his graduating high school class, and she did not have a good experience, he said.

When I was a kid, if I wouldve had someone who was like me in terms of experiences in a leadership position, that wouldve been huge, he said.

Irwin didnt decide to transition to male until he was 22 years old. And even then, he didnt tell anyone for three years.

As a member of the school board, he wants to ensure that students dont feel the way he did  like they have to work extra hard to blend in at school.

Irwin said hes open to examining and potentially changing how Ralston handles gender identity in its curriculum and its transgender policies. But first he wants to learn more about the district  how it operates, what teachers and students need and specifics of the districts funding  before identifying goals.

In Ralston, both the high school and middle school have clubs that welcome and celebrate diversity, Maskel said, and the district partners with Inclusive Communities, an organization that works to promote acceptance of diversity, for activities.

Gender identity isnt a specific unit of instruction in classes, but staff members are prepared to answer questions, he said. The district has no official policies relating to restroom use, gender pronouns or records for transgender students, he said.

We strive to meet the needs of any student, whatever their circumstances or concerns may be, he said. We look at each student as an individual and make accommodations accordingly.

In the metro area, the Bellevue school district is the only one with guidelines regarding accommodations for transgender students. However, the Omaha district has been discussing drafting its own policy.

Nathan Johnson, a 2016 graduate of Ralston High, got to know Irwin through volunteer work with Inclusive Communities. Johnson was a member of the diversity club when he was at Ralston. Johnson, who is now a freshman at UNO, said the district is lucky to have Irwin on its board. Irwin is a pretty cool guy who cares a lot about young people, he said.

I wouldve loved to have had him on the school board when I was at Ralston, Johnson said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trumps pick for labor secretary outsourced his fast-food companys technology department to the Philippines, a move that contradicts Trumps vow to keep American jobs in the U.S.

Trump has blasted, threatened and tried to charm American companies that have so much as contemplated moving jobs overseas, saying hes sticking up for American workers who arent feeling the economic recovery and form his political base.

But a filing with the Labor Department on CEO Andrew Puzders company  and a spokesmans acknowledgment that CKE continues to use the IT operation in the Philippines  provides a window into a key contradiction raised by the nomination.

Democrats and their allies are rushing to exploit Puzders record on a big increase in the minimum wage, overtime rules and more as they question how well he would advocate for American workers.

President Trump has said that he will put American workers first, but it increasingly appears this was just empty campaign rhetoric  and we saw this so clearly in who he nominated to lead the Department of Labor, said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the senior Democrat on the committee planning to consider Puzders nomination on Feb. 7.

Puzders company, CKE Restaurants Inc., notified the government in August 2010 that it was outsourcing its restaurant information technology division to the Philippines. Doing so, the agency found, contributed importantly to the layoffs of both CKE employees and those of an outside staffing firm at an Anaheim, California, facility. The agencys finding made workers eligible for federally funded benefits meant to dampen the impact of globalization on employees.

By outsourcing the function to a firm that employs hundreds of Help Desk specialists, CKE was able to improve the quality of service levels to their restaurants, the company said in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press.

Theres nothing illegal, or even uncommon, about CKEs decision to move its help desk overseas and lay off about 20 workers.

This filing showing jobs being outsourced overseas is yet another troubling example of workers being squeezed by companies under Andrew Puzders leadership, Murray said.

During his first week in the White House, Trump warned that he would impose a substantial border tax on companies that move their manufacturing out of the United States. He also promised tax advantages to companies that produce products domestically.

All you have to do is stay, Trump said during a meeting in the White Houses Roosevelt Room. His companies have regularly outsourced supply purchases and sometimes used guest workers.

Trumps anti-outsourcing message, begun during the presidential campaign, is based on the idea that the practice has hurt middle- and lower-income working Americans who feel left behind in the nations economic recovery. Trump handily won this group of voters in the 2016 election over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and hes said from his inaugural speech on that bringing jobs back to the U.S. economy is a top priority.

In its statement, CKE defended its decision to move its IT division overseas. The existing CKE restaurant support staff was insufficient to adequately cover the disproportionately high volume of help desk calls that occur during the early morning hours and to provide full, 24 hours per day, seven days per week coverage. So, CKE shifted its small help desk services team to a firm that provides both offshore and onshore support.

The Labor Departments determination that outsourcing cost the CKE Restaurant employees their jobs was one of more than 2,400 such certifications made in 2010.

Committee Democrats have offered up current and former employees of his companies to tell unflattering stories about their treatment while working for Puzders companies.

At a 2013 American Enterprise Conference, Puzder said Hardees Restaurant operators in the Southeast and Midwest were jealous of the immigrant-heavy workforce in California.

In other parts of the country you often get people that are saying, I cant believe I have to work this job, he said. But in California, he added, with the immigration population you always have the, Thank God I have this job kind of attitude.

Puzder also has talked about deploying robots to replace American workers who demand higher wages. Robots, he said, are always polite, never late and dont sue their employers for discrimination, according to an interview with Business Insider.

A statement from Puzder released by the Trump campaign in December struck a different note, promising that hed be the best champion American workers have had.

Puzder tweeted on Jan. 16, I am looking forward to my hearing.

Copyright 2017, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
DAVENPORT -- Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds told a group in Scott County on Thursday a task force will be formed to study the possibility of long-term changes to IPERS, the retirement system for public employees in the state.

However, she said later it was still in the formative stages. And Ben Hammes, a spokesman for Reynolds and Gov. Terry Branstad, said no steps had been taken to set up the group.

Reynolds, who will soon become the state's governor, said in remarks at a Scott County Republican Party fundraiser Thursday that commitments already made to IPERS members would be honored.

"I feel very strongly about that," she said.

However, she also raised the possibility of moving toward a "hybrid" system that would include the current defined benefit pension arrangement as well as a defined contribution component. The latter is akin to a 401(k) system that is common in the private sector.

Reynolds said states have grappled with defined benefit systems and that multiple private sector companies have shifted away from them. She said nothing would happen quickly, and a balance would have to be struck to protect people on IPERS to whom promises have been made. But, she added, there needs to be serious study of the issue.

The IPERS fund, which has a market value of $28.3 billion, has a long-term unfunded liability of nearly $5.6 billion. Its funded ratio of 83.9 percent has held relatively steady since 2009 and is generally considered one of the better funded state systems in the U.S., though the ratio was higher in previous years.

Some conservative groups have called the IPERS-defined benefit system outdated.
Fairbury man killed when car crashes into embankment

A 49-year-old Fairbury, Nebraska, man was killed Thursday night in a single-vehicle crash.

The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said Kent Pfingsten was pronounced dead at the scene of the 10:25 p.m. crash at U.S. Highway 136 and 571st Avenue northeast of Fairbury.

The Sheriffs Office said its investigation determined that Pfingsten was westbound on Highway 136 when the 1996 Saturn he was driving veered off the roadway and crashed into an embankment.

Pfingsten, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle, the Sheriffs Office said.

A reconstruction of the crash was done by the Sheriffs Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.

The crash scene was discovered by Union Pacific Railroad crew members, the Sheriffs Office said.
WASHINGTON  Like many of the abortion opponents marching Friday, Shanna Hoven savored the moment when she reached the top of Capitol Hill and was able to look back at the throngs of people still coming behind her.

Its just amazing to see how many people care, Hoven said. Every single year, the numbers grow. And every single year, the crowd gets younger and younger.

The 17-year-old student from Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, Nebraska, was among the Nebraskans and Iowans in the nations capital for the annual March for Life.

No official crowd count was available, but the size of the demonstration seemed larger than in previous years, and the evidence of abortion opponents increased political might was easy to find.

Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the rally, making him the highest-ranking official to speak at the march in its 44-year history. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway also spoke, which was a thrill for Hoven.

I believe she is the true woman who broke the glass ceiling, Hoven said. Shes a mother, shes pro-life, she is an adviser to Trump and she is a hardworking woman. She just inspires me. Shes my role model along with Ivanka Trump.

This years march had a higher profile in part because it followed an outpouring of demonstrators in the recent Womens March on Washington, which had a mission statement that included support for abortion rights.

Hoven was among hundreds who came from Lincoln. In addition, the Archdiocese of Omaha organized six buses that ferried more than 300 adults and students to the event, which is typically held on or around the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade case that made abortion legal nationwide.

Polls show that Americans remain deeply divided on abortion. Many believe that abortion should remain legal, at least in some circumstances.

That wasnt the view at Fridays rally, however. Midlands marchers took note of the many clever handmade signs and chants featuring anti-abortion themes. They talked about the connections forged with marchers from other parts of the country.

And the mood was bolstered by the fact that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress for the first time in a decade.

At the rally, Sen. Joni Ernst, of Iowa pointed to her previous efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, calling the group the largest single provider of abortions.

Former President Barack Obama vetoed that measure, but Ernst said she plans to reintroduce similar legislation next week and hopes it will fare better with President Donald Trump.

Back then we did not have a president that respected life and he stopped us, Ernst said. Thankfully, today is a different story.

Indeed, Capitol Hill Republicans are eager to push proposals in the new political environment.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, recently introduced a bill that would ban abortion if the doctor can detect a heartbeat. The bill has seven co-sponsors thus far, including Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who appeared at a press conference this week to tout the legislation.

King said his bill would come close to effectively prohibiting all abortions because the heartbeat can be detected so early in a pregnancy, even before a woman realizes shes pregnant.

King suggested the bill could be a vehicle to get the issue back before the Supreme Court after Trump has appointed one or more new justices.

Any issue that has to do with life and abortion is going to be litigated to the Supreme Court level, King said. Were doing a bit of a head start here, but by the time we would march this thing down to the Supreme Court, the faces on the Supreme Court will be different. We just dont know how much different, but Im optimistic.

Meanwhile, other lawmakers have suggested it makes sense to pursue measures that could garner broader support.

Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska said she hasnt reviewed Kings proposal, but said she favors legislation prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks because it has bipartisan backing in Nebraska.

Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said Congress should start with the most commonsense proposals, pointing to his own legislation that would require health providers to care for babies born alive during abortion procedures.

Trump is expected to name his first pick for the Supreme Court next week. His nominees record on abortion certainly will be an issue during the coming confirmation debate  a debate Sasse will be in the middle of as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sasse hosted a coffee reception Friday morning for Nebraskans attending the march.

After surveying the many students in the room, he said such marches include more young people than they did 20 years ago  a change he attributed in part to sonogram technology.

There are so many young people in the movement because young people have seen babies in mommies tummies  and they understand that thats a life and its precious and it has dignity and worth, Sasse said.

During the Obama administration, abortion opponents felt like they were waging an uphill battle. But now they see opportunity, hailing Trumps quick action to reinstate a policy banning U.S. aid to international groups that promote abortion.

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska said its a matter of fundamental justice to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

This is an absolute disaster for our country, Fortenberry said. Fifty million-plus lives lost, women scarred, families torn apart, an ongoing 40-year debate about this. Its wounded the soul of the nation. We can do better.

He said there are immediate steps that can be taken to shut down taxpayer funding used for abortions, but abortion opponents also have to make the case for more aggressive action.

Parallel with that, though, has to be a cultural movement that sees abortion and the abortion industry for what it is: It is violence against women, Fortenberry said. Pro-life people like me have to do a much better job of saying we can all do better, no matter how hard the circumstances.

They have their work cut out for them. A 2016 Pew Research Center poll showed that 57 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases  the highest percentage since 1996. Meanwhile, 39 percent favor making it illegal in all or most cases.

Several marchers said they saw Fridays event as helping to make their case to the public.

The march is so important to me because I feel like its our chance to be a voice for the voiceless, said Alexa Krings, 22, of Lincoln. Especially since a fourth of our generation is gone because of abortion, we want to stand up for all of those unborn children.

She also said she understands that it will take time.

The end goal is to overturn Roe, make abortion illegal, Krings said. But I think its going to be a whole bunch of steps.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.
Nebraska lawmakers started this week with a floor debate that showed the importance of debating legislative proposals and thinking through the details.

Legislative Bill 45, for example, would make Nebraska military reservists eligible to receive military honor license plates. Its a worthy idea. Some state senators urged caution about one aspect of the bill, though.

The senators argued that the legislation, as written, would make it too easy for nonveterans to obtain the specialty plates. The measure advanced after senators adopted an amendment from the bills sponsor, Sen. Dan Watermeier, that struck a contentious provision.

Our point isnt about the particulars of the bill but, rather, to call attention to the Legislatures duty to proceed deliberately and carefully in refining legislation.

Nebraska lawmakers will hold hearings this session on some 667 bills and five proposed constitutional amendments. Some of those proposals will be relatively simple. Others will be quite complex.

Some  on tax policy, school funding and public power, for example  can have major, long-term effects on Nebraska. And crafting the state budget in the face of a revenue shortfall approaching $900 million will require detailed deliberation and a careful weighing of priorities.

Nebraska lawmakers are generally aware of all this, of course. But amid the whirlwind of handling more than 600 legislative proposals and the flurry of lobbying and maneuvering by interest groups and bill sponsors, the needed detail work can be a challenge.

Additional factors are term limits and the major changes this year in the Legislatures operating culture. Seventeen of the Legislatures 49 members are brand-new, and 18 others have only two years of experience.

Freshmen senators head two committees (Urban Affairs, and Business and Labor) that handle legislation. In addition, freshmen hold a majority of seats on two other committees: Natural Resources and Government, as well as Military and Veterans Affairs.

These freshmen in general come to the Legislature with records as capable professionals and, in some cases, public servants. But theres inherently a learning curve for anyone taking on a new job.

Bill introducers have an obligation to draft their legislation carefully, but the most important work on that score falls to the Legislatures committees. They have a responsibility to provide extensive filtering.

Committee members need to examine the specifics of legislative language and understand each bills real-world ramifications. Deliberations among committee members need to be focused and efficient.

When committees fulfill their obligation, the state is well served. Amid the frenzy of the legislative session, senators have no fewer than 667 good reasons to keep that duty in the forefront of their minds.
Education too important for shortcuts

A teacher certification revision measure  Legislative Bill 568, introduced by State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard  should alert parents and educators what they can expect from this legislative session.

This bill provides that a five-year temporary teaching certificate can be issued to a person with a high school diploma who is at least 21 years old and has completed 24 hours of in-service training and 30 hours of observation of classrooms and pass a criminal check.

That is a massive reduction in the qualifications to teach in Nebraska.

On the other hand, it would certainly reduce the cost of teachers in a school and, in turn, would reduce property taxes, which seems to be the goal of the governor and Legislature.

Shame on Erdman. This is not the Nebraska way of protecting our childrens and grandchildrens education.

Bert Peterson, Hastings, Neb.

Death penalty a distraction

I am confused about Jan. 20 Public Pulse writer Troy A. Burresss call to State Sen. Ernie Chambers to stop fighting the death penalty and focus on more pressing matters for his district.

Nebraska has many problems, including a massive revenue shortfall. Yet Burress said nothing about our governor spending dollars and man-hours on a referendum to return the death penalty, which hasnt been used in decades and costs taxpayers millions for only 10 inmates.

Nor did he mention the continuing effort just to implement it.

Perhaps other officials need to turn their efforts to more productive pursuits.

Jeff Johnston, Elmwood, Neb.

Stothert has earned another four years

Four years ago, I stood outside the CenturyLink Center in the freezing cold to help get signatures to put Jean Stothert on the ballot for Omaha mayor. At that time I barely knew her, but I was supportive of someones efforts to just have a chance.

As I witnessed her at campaign events I grew to admire her. She listened to and engaged with people with opposing opinions. Her campaign was about setting priorities for Omaha.

Today, I stand proud to have stood in that cold weather asking people for those signatures. The mayor has shown her ability to get things done.

From increasing youth work programs to bringing our city budget in line, she has shown her ability to make thoughtful and informed decisions. Her town hall meetings are a prime example of how she reaches out to all of us. Her priority on public safety, particularly the increase in our police force, shows how mindful she is with our dollars.

Most of all, she is a great example for my daughter. The mayor cracked a glass ceiling in Omaha and led the way for girls like my own.

So, as a PTA dad, as a millennial, as a homeowner and as a working professional, Im voting to re-elect Jean Stothert.

Adam Wacker, Omaha

Mello has the vision Omaha needs

When talking to local entrepreneurs about launching a startup in Omaha, they all tell me the same thing: Go to the Coast, thats where the talent is.

I love Omaha, but its sad that our current mayor hasnt done enough to either retain the talent that we have in our great city or attract new talent.

Entrepreneurs and business owners should not have to be told to leave the state in order to recruit top talent when were not doing enough to keep top talent here in the first place.

Omaha has the potential to be a beacon of innovation in the Heartland of America, but we need a mayor who can execute on that vision. For me, that mayor is Heath Mello.

Jonathan Renteria, Omaha

Protests send a message to the world

Even before Donald Trump was inaugurated, destructive riots and marches were staged across the country. This did not happen four or eight years ago.

It gives a terrible impression to those nations who are friendly to us and increases the fodder available to our enemies. Is this how we want the world to see us  as a bunch of malcontents?

Lets show a proud face to the rest of the world, no matter how our desired candidate fared.

John Millar, Omaha

Trump focuses on wrong things

For President Donald Trump to bring up the inaugural crowd size during his CIA visit is just weird. Obviously the crowd at Barack Obamas inauguration was much, much larger, but who cares? Then to get angry at the media for reporting the facts regarding the size of the crowd is weirder yet.

Further, for him to say without any proof that there were more than 3 million illegal votes cast in the election undermines the whole democratic process in the U.S. and leads to a lot of mistrust.

Maybe those illegal voters voted for Trump, which means he might have lost the election. He either needs to show proof of the illegal voters or say he was wrong.

These were some awfully immature actions by the leader of the free world.

Clark Squires, Omaha

Koterba makes light of march

I thought World-Herald editorial cartoonist Jeff Koterbas Jan. 22 cartoon was making light of very serious issues in our country facing both women and minorities. Koterba chose to present those who oppose the current administration as hysterical and unreasonable.

I am a woman who stands to lose a lot in this new America, and I will never give a chance to a man who brags about grabbing women inappropriately.

Emma Bonacci, Omaha

Marches had a worldwide reach

In the Jan. 24th Public Pulse, Stephen Bloodworth and Angie Wingert took issue with last weekends womens marches.

Bloodworth, not seeing signs from countries in Africa and the Middle East where women have few rights, asked, Where were signs for Saudi women?

In addition to the hundreds of marches taking place across the country with millions of participants, there were marches in Saudi Arabia, the Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Thailand and many other places. I saw signs from some of these countries at the march I was at.

Wingert felt that the protesters lacked respect for authorities. She claimed many protesters were rude and obnoxious, and some destroyed property. News reports indicate that the Womens Marches were peaceful. The people related with kindness and caring. Police commented on how well-behaved they were. Where there were no trash cans, the marchers left papers and bottles in neat piles so cleanup would be easier. No doubt they were well trained by their mothers.

William John Kouth, Omaha

Trump didnt rise to the moment

Just when you thought an uplifting, inspiring conciliatory message would be given by President Donald Trump he sank to the occasion. His inaugural speech was as welcoming as an F5 tornado warning. Solace was provided by alternate facts that proved he had the largest turnout ever.

Robert J. Giese, South Sioux City, Neb.

Words have ramifications

President Donald Trump has made statements that we should be taking oil from countries we were fighting in, like Iraq. Iraqi social media is discussing it, and the Iraqi president has been asked if the U.S. was going to do this.

I believe this places our troops in danger. Our troops need to feel safe fighting side by side with Iraqi troops. This is a most grievous situation that our president has placed our troops in.

Jean Reiner, Omaha

Let kids design the flag

How delightful it was to see the childrens interpretation of the Nebraska state flag (Some bright ideas for Nebraskas flag, Jan. 24 World-Herald).

My suggestion would be to have the state send all of the schools in Nebraska guidelines for the flag design and make it a contest. We have so much talent in our schools. There are bright artists and graphic designers who would be glad to participate in something like this.

They could be given a monetary gift and perhaps have their picture taken with our governor. That would be a treasure for them.

Nebraska hasnt exactly been stellar in its design of license plates and creating of state mottos.

The license plates with the pale birds left something to be desired, and whats with the Sower plate? How many people in the world today even know what a sower is?

Lets get with some color and excitement and celebrate the 150th anniversary of our great state.

Katherine Braunlich, Omaha
No sympathy will be shown to perpetrators of violence: Jaitley on lynchings

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18 fascinating facts about the Union Budget

Business

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is all set to present the first budget post demonetisation on February 1. The advance budget date has been marred with controversies ever since it was announced. However, after clearing legal hurdles, the Union government is all set to present its budget for 2017-18.

The 2017-18 budget will be inclusive of all sectors including railways. This time around, no separate budget for railways will be presented. A demonetised India is looking for tax respite out of this budget. Here we give you some interesting budget facts apart from the ones you may or may not know.

The President of India fixes the date for presentation of budget. The Union budget for India has two parts. Part A deals with general economic survey, and taxation policies are presented in part B.

Employees printing the Budget papers are kept in complete isolation in the finance ministry for one week before the Budget.

The Budget was first introduced in India on April, 7, 1860 from the East-India Company to the British Crown by Finance Member James Wilson of the Indian Council.

C D Deshmukh, the first Indian governor of the Reserve Bank of India as well as the finance minister, presented an interim budget for 1951-52.

Jawaharlal Lal Nehru was the first prime minister to present the Budget when he held the Union finance minister portfolio in 1958-59.

Morarji Desai has presented the maximum number of budgets so far --10. Desai was also the only finance minister to present two budgets on his birthday -- in 1964 and 1968 on February 29.

Indira Gandhi was the only woman finance minister who took over the portfolio from 1970 to 1971.

1947 is not only the year of India's Independence but was also the year when the first Union budget was presented. Independent India's first budget was presented by R K Shanmukham Chetty on November 26, 1947, while first budget for the Republic of India was presented by John Mathai on February 28, 1950.

Budget papers that were first prepared in English started being prepared in Hindi from 1955-56.

The first disclosure scheme for black money was introduced in the 1965-66 budgets. This becomes more relevant given that 2017-18 budget would be the first post the 2016 demonetisation move.

Thanks to the budget deficit of Rs 550 crore, the budget of 1973-74 is known as the 'Black Budget' in India.

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh introduced 5 per cent service tax in the 1994-95 budget after declaring that the sector was contributing 40 per cent of India's GDP.

Current President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented the 1982 budget as the then finance minister. His budget presentation lasted 95 minutes. This prompted former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to say 'the shortest finance minister has delivered the longest budget speech'.

Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi presented the budget for 1987-88 after V P Singh quit his government. Introduction of corporate tax to the Indian disapora is credited to him.

For the first time, two ministers of two different parties presented interim and final budgets in 1991-92. Yashwant Sinha (BJP) presented the interim budget while Manmohan Singh presented the final budget.

Did you know that Yashwanth Sinha has the distinction of maximum rollbacks in the Union Budget that was presented in 2002? His 1991 Budget was in the backdrop of the forex crisis while his 1999 Budget was in backdrop of Pokhran blasts.

The 2000 Budget was presented by Sinha in the backdrop of the Kargil war, while the 2001 Budget was presented in the backdrop of the devastating Gujarat earthquake.

Following The colonial era, Budget was earlier presented at 5 pm on the last working day. While the British Parliament would pass the budget at noon, India would follow suit in the evening but Sinha put an end to this practice. The Union Budget is presented at 11 am since then.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 18:23 [IST]
Actor Akshay Kumar meets Home Secretary over Jawans' welfare

India

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New Delhi, Jan 27: Actor Akshay Kumar on Friday met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and is believed to have discussed issues related to ensuring better motivational and financial aid to lakhs of men and women of paramilitary and police forces.

Kumar called on Mehrishi at his North Block office here and is understood to have raised issues regarding jawans and officers working under the command of the Home Ministry like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB among others. The actor had recently shared an idea in this regard on social media platforms suggesting a mobile app wherein any citizen of the country could extend financial or other help to a soldier who laid down his life in the line of duty or has been severely injured in an operation.

#WATCH: Akshay Kumar met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi in Delhi to discuss about his idea to help families of martyred soldiers. pic.twitter.com/3dcR3nkeCB  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

Kumar spent about an hour in the Home Ministry where he was mobbed for a glimpse, handshake and selfie by not only the officials working therein but by many others who had come there from nearby ministries in the corridors.

BSF Director General K K Sharma is also understood to have met Kumar in the Ministry. The meeting comes in the backdrop of recent incidents where troops of paramilitary and armed forces took to the social media airing their grievances and allegations ranging from difficulties in getting good food to better working environment.

PTI
Akhilesh, Rahul to address joint press conference on Sunday

India

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Lucknow, Jan 27: In the first joint appearance after cementing pre-poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will jointly address a press conference here on Sunday, to remove confusion in the minds of voters on the tie-up.

This is for the first time that Congress and Samajwadi Party were having an alliance to win over 300 of the 403 Assembly seats. "The time and venue of the media interaction is yet to be finalised," a senior SP leader told PTI on Friday.

Sources in both the parties said their joint appearance before the media would galvanise the two parties and help in reaping a bumper electoral harvest. They said the two top leaders were previously expected to make a joint announcement about the alliance on January 22, but later state chiefs of the two parties, Raj Babbar (Congress) and Naresh Uttam (SP) announced the deal jointly. Insiders say joint rallies were also being planned by the two parties at a later stage.

Asked if there would be any joint declaration by them, the SP leader said, whatever the two leaders will speak would be considered as joint statement. To a question regarding resentment among SP leaders over certain seats in Congress citadel of Amethi and Rae Bareli, he SP everything would be resolved by Sunday. Under the seat-sharing pact arrived at after hectic parleys between the two sides, SP gave 105 seats for Congress.

The two parties were haggling over some seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli, the parliamentary turf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. Congress is in no mood to give up its claim over all the ten seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Sources said the party was perturbed as none of the five candidates, declared by SP earlier, has been withdrawn. Though both sides were more or less agreeable to a broad understanding that Congress will get 6 and SP 4 seats, local leaders and workers are not ready to give up either Amethi or Gauriganj Assembly seats from where SP has already announced its candidates.

After the alliance, Akhilesh shared stage with a Congress leader in Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday marking their first joint campaign after announcing the alliance. He was effusive in his praise for the partnership, calling it a "winning combination" and that there was no doubt it would go on to form the next government with a majority. "The cycle (SP symbol) was alone, but now with the help of the hand (Congress symbol), its speed has increased," he had said, sharing the stage for the first time with Congress leader Prem Prakash Agarwal, who will contest from Bareilly.

PTI
All Jallikattu pleas to be heard by SC on Jan 31

India

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By Vicky

The Supreme Court would hear all matters pertaining to Jallikattu, the bull-taming sport on January 31. The court informed the litigants that all matters pertaining to the issue would be clubbed together and taken up for hearing.

Meanwhile, the Centre filed an interlocutory application in which it sought to withdraw its January 27, 2016 notification permitting Jallikattu. A petition had been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the bill passed by the Tamil Nadu government in which Jallikattu was legalised.

Meanwhile, some lawyers from Tamil Nadu too filed an IA opposing the petition challenging Jallikattu. In the IA they state that the petitioners, the Animal Welfare Board of India had no locus standi to challenge the bill.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 11:26 [IST]
NDTV's Prannoy Roy says AAP has MAXIMUM chance of winning in Punjab

All you need to know about Punjab assembly polls 2017

Exit polls today: How have pollsters fared in the recent past?

Congress 'a thing of the past': Modi

India

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By Oneindia Staff Writer

In a scathing attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called it a 'thing of the past'. He said the Congress was opportunistic, as it rushed to forge an alliance with the Samajwadi Party after seeing a feud in the Yadav clan.

Addressing a rally at Jalandhar, Modi heaped praise on Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, saying that the latter had always worked for betterment on the state.

Congress mahinon tak gaon gaon Rath leke gayi, aur Samajwadi party ko itna kosa. Lekin unhone dekha janata sweekar nahi kar rahi: PM Modi  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

Phir unhone (Congress) dekha parivaar (SP) mein phoot padi hai, yahan apni mundi daal lo: PM Narendra Modi #PunjabPolls pic.twitter.com/k9YsA0PQAS  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

Congress ek beeti hui baat hai, aakhri saans pe apna guzaara karne wala dal hai: PM Narendra Modi #PunjabPolls pic.twitter.com/t6sTq92Goy  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

He said the nation has already seen 'destructive politics' for 70-years and now it was time for 'politics of development'.

Modi said his government had resolved the OROP issue, which had remained unresolved for over 48-years.

"Kuch log bohot pareshan hain kyunki unki 70 saal ki kamayi doob rahi hai, loot loot ke jama kiya wo khatre mein pad gaya (Some people are very disturbed because whatever they've earned in over 70 years is foundering; decades of loot now endangered)," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched a verbal attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance in Punjab. He asked how can Prime Minister Modi side with the 'corrupt' SAD.

[Amarinder Singh will be Punjab's CM: Rahul]

The 117 seat Punjab legislative assembly is set to go to polls on February 4. The main contest in the state would be between SAD-BJP alliance, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 17:13 [IST]
RICEVILLE | Barry Christensen, who partners with his dad and two brothers-in-law in a crop-farming operation, believes an overhead view of a cornfield can provide insights into potential yields a farmer cant obtain through a ground-level or roadside view.

Christensen, a 1998 graduate of Riceville High School, is a 2002 graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in agronomy international agriculture. He and his wife, Olivia, along with their son, farm east of Riceville.

He also partners with his dad, Steve, in Christensen Agra Seed, which handles a full line of Pioneer Seed products and seed treatments.

In 2015, the partnership purchased a drone to aid in their crop production. The Phantom 2, with a Go Pro Action Camera, cost well over $3,000 and is capable of providing both video and still photo of the fields it is flown over.

The four-propeller drones full speed is 25 mph, and it can be flown up to the 400-feet limit. When fully charged, the drones battery lasts 14 minutes. Christensen carries two other fully-charged batteries when he operates the drone. The drones range is a half mile from the operator.

The drone carries an onboard computer, which links with both the hand-held remote control and ground computers. While in flight, the drone can relay a visual image back to a small television or computer screen, allowing the operator to view the live feed.

The drone is equipped with a fail-safe program, meaning it cant fly out of range of the controller. It's also equipped with GPS and self-leveling capabilities.

Prior to flight, Christensen programs the drones flight pattern on his iPad, then transfers the information to the drone. It then follows the plan as it flies.

Christensen takes precautions while flying the machine over developing crops, keeping it at least 18 inches above the crops canopy. That helps it avoid being tangled with corn foliage, which would likely cause a crash.

They are very easy to learn to fly, said Christensen, I was surprised how easy it was to fly the first time.

Overhead flights can easily spot the damage done by excessive moisture, but dry areas dont show up as much as wet areas, he said.

In 2013 it would have been a good year to have the drone, because of being wet. It would have shown where the corn didnt develop.

Drone images can also help to detect where there is a nitrogen shortage in a field and the videos can show where there is a reduced stand.

Last year, you could see differences where we had sprayed or not sprayed fungicide in our corn fields, said Christensen.

One of the limitations for his model of drone is the difficulty of detecting insect infestation. Christensen said, at present, he has to walk fields to keep an eye out for corn insect problems.

What they are trying to do with new thermal imaging (which Christensen doesnt have on his machine) is to determine plant stress through technology that measures wavelengths, he said.

You can get cameras which show different color wavelengths to show the stress on the plants, before you can visibly see it, but at this point, you still have to walk out to the problem area of the field to discover what is causing the stress. The drone doesnt replace the person yet.

Christensen also flies their fields prior to planting to detect potential problem areas. It helps us to see areas in the spring, before the crop is in the field, said Christensen. You can see the tile lines and wetter areas. This helps you fine-tune management of the field.

Government regulations concerning his drones operation will require Christensen to license his machine in 2017, which will cost about $150.

A rule of thumb is never fly the machine beyond eyesight, said Christensen. Others cant interfere with the flight of a drone when it is in airspace, because legal drones come under the same protection as airplanes.

The biggest advantage of the drone, at the present time, is to manage expectations, said Christensen, You know more about what to expect at harvest. Things look a lot different from above than from a roadside view. You may think things look bad from the road, but they dont look as bad from above.

He hopes drone technology will advance to detect insect infestation or disease in one area of the field, and then spray it.
Demand for Kambala grows, protests across Karnataka

India

oi-Anusha

Students and pro-Kannada organisations took to the streets in Mangaluru, Hubli-Dharwad and Bengaluru in support of Kambala on Friday. Taking a cue from Tamil Nadu on Jallikattu, public demand for revoking the ban on Karnataka's Kambala has been growing. The protests come in the backdrop of the Siddaramaiah government mulling an ordinance similar to the Jallikattu ordinance to legalise Kambala in the state.

Hundreds of students in Mangaluru protested in support of Kambala while pro-Kannada organisations in Hubli demanded to revoke the ban alongside demands for a ban on animal rights group PETA. In Bengaluru however, it was AIADMK party cadres who protested for Kambala. "Animals are used in horse races too but why is there no ban on that? Is it because it is elitist and Kambala is a rural sport? This is our tradition and we will fight for it," said a student protester at Mangaluru.

[Also Read: What you need to know about Kambala?]

Karnataka Law Minister T B Jayachandra has been vocal about the state's stance on Kambala and has claimed that an ordinance will be brought if need be. Politicians cutting across party lines have extended their support to the sport and some leaders of the BJP even took part in Friday's protests at Mangaluru. Pro-Kannada organisations are likely to call for a Karnataka bandh demanding legalising of Kambala on Friday.

When asked, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said,"We are for kambala not Against it. it is a rural sport ,if necessary we will pass legislation."

OneIndia News
Gurez (J&K) avalanches: Death toll rises to 14; missing bodies of 4 jawans recovered

India

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By Oneindia Staff Writer

Srinagar, Jan 27: The death toll of soldiers hit by two avalanches in Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir climbed to 14, say reports on Friday.The bodies of four missing soldiers were also recovered on Friday, add reports.

An avalanche hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control on January 25 in which several soldiers were trapped, an army official said. The official said another avalanche hit a patrol party which was on its way to a post in Gurez sector on January 25.

On Thursday, when India was celebrating its 68th Republic Day, the tragic news came to light. Three bodies of soldiers were fished out on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar mourned the death of the soldiers.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said he was "deeply saddened" at the death of the jawans. "Deeply saddened at the death of our Veer jawans in avalanche in Kashmir. Have directed the authorities for speedy search and rescue ops," the Prime Minister wrote on twitter.

"Heartfelt condolences to families of our Armymen who have lost their lives in avalanches in J&K in the past two days," Parrikar tweeted.

OneIndia News
Mubin did it in Coimbatore: Why do Islamist terrorists shave their body before a suicide mission

How import of almonds funds cross-border terror

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Investigators have stumbled upon crucial evidence regarding terror funding along the Line of Control through the sale of dry fruits and food products. The modus operandi adopted by terror groups in selling products at a higher cost and using the profits to fund subversive activities in India was discovered by the National Investigation Agency.

It was found that cross-border traders had been tapped by terror groups to help raise funds for terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. Investigators were stumped to find out that terror funding continued unabated despite the decision on demonetisation wiping out the fake currency network.

The NIA has found that a food item would be imported from Pakistan at a very low price and then sold at double the amount in India. For instance, Californian almonds would be imported by the trader at Rs 350 a kilogram and then sold at Rs 700 in the Indian market. The profit investigators say would be used to fund terror.

There is a select network of traders that the terror groups have tapped into to further their agenda. These traders work under terror groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, an NIA official informed.

The NIA has also found a list of 21 items that are being imported by traders from Pakistan at a very low cost. Out of this the highest profit margin is for the California almond which sells at double the cost in India, the NIA official also informed.

NIA officials say that they are currently examining documents that have been seized from the Trade Facilitation Centres located at Salamabad in Uri and Chakkan-da-Bagh in Poonch district. These documents would help the agency get a better picture of how cross border trade is funding terror activities in India.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 11:11 [IST]
How ISI spied on Indian Army through an illegal telephone exchange

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

On Thursday the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad claimed to have busted a major illegal telephone exchange and spying racket. This is a very important case since the Inter-Services Intelligence is alleged to have hired an illegal telephone exchange company in New Delhi to make calls to army officials and source crucial information.

The police arrested one Gulshan Kumar Sain, a software engineer from Mehrauli in South Delhion accusations of operating parallel exchanges for nearly one year. He will be questioned further on the racket on Saturday.

The racket came to light after the army alerted the military intelligence officials in Jammu and Kashmir. It was said that some officers were receiving suspicious calls from seniors asking for crucial information about the armed forces. Information such as troop deployment, staff strength and movement of the forces were sought.

Many officers had given out information as the numbers were similar to that of their seniors, an investigating officer informed. However, one officer who refused to give out information spoke directly to his senior about the call. When he was told that he had made no such call, the officer decided to inform the military intelligence about it.

The Intelligence Bureau conducted a probe for nearly 15 days and found that the accused persons were using call spoofs and SIM box frauds. The callers from Pakistan made calls over the internet to the officers using the parallel exchanges in India. The calls were converted to voice calls through the SIM box. The receiver could only see Indian numbers on their phone screens.

The IB then found that the parallel exchanges in Uttar Pradesh were used to facilitate the ISI's spying. A major crackdown was initiated by the UP police and 11 persons were taken into custody. The police recovered during the raids, 140 pre-paid SIM cards, 10 mobile phones, 28 data cards and five laptops.

Investigations also revealed that Sain had registered a company in the name of his father. He obtained a licence for making wireless products. He however ran illegal telephone exchanges. The ATS is now probing his bank details and whether he was on ISI's rolls.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 16:30 [IST]
Why is the DMK continuing to oppose the imposition of Hindi? - 50 years of struggle and the truth!

Jallikattu violence: A Coimbatore meeting of extremists under scanner

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Chennai, Jan 27: The Intelligence Bureau and the Tamil Nadu police are investigating a meet at Coimbatore in October 2016. It is alleged that in this meeting extremist groups plotted to create violence in Chennai and IB believes this may have been the same group that caused the violence at Marina where the Jallikattu protests took place.

Chennai police commissioner, S George at a press conference recently had said that there are vested interest groups acting through anti-social elements. These groups are causing violence, he said. Anti-social and anti-national elements had infiltrated the protests at Marina and caused the violence. The police had no choice but to use force to dispel the crowd he also added while refusing to elaborate on which group was behind the incident.

A meet at Coimbatore under the scanner:

An Intelligence Bureau report submitted to the Tamil Nadu police speaks about a meeting at Coimbatore. Some extremist Left wing outfits, communal groups and members of some political parties held a meeting at Coimbatore three months back. This meeting was held to plan a situation like this the IB states while referring to the violence during the Jallikattu protests.

The police say that the protest was too organised. It is hard to believe that the protesters had gathered in such large numbers after messages on chat groups were circulated. There were arrangements made for food and water and all this was undertaken in a systematic manner, the police adds.

What was more ironic was that the protest turned ugly after the ordinance legalising Jallikattu was promulgated, the police also say. The students were the face of the protest, but behind the scenes there were extremist organisations at work, an IB officer informed.

On January 23, the police reached Marina Beach early in the morning and requested the protesters to leave as the issue had been solved.

Most of the students left, but there was a group that demanded a permanent solution to the issue. Despite requests, they refused to leave the spot and when the police began forcibly evicting them, things turned ugly.

IB officials say that the violence was fuelled by the extremist groups which had planned the incident three months back. Similar groups were also part of the protests and violence at Madurai as well, the officer noted.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 10:37 [IST]
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Maharashtra Congress leader accuses RSS of devaluing Gandhi

India

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Mumbai, Jan 27: Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Dr Ratnakar Mahajan on Friday alleged that the RSS and the sangh parivar always tried to 'devalue' Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking at a press conference organised by Unite India Forum', Mahajan, who is vice president of Congress's Maharashtra unit, said, "There has been a consistent attempt to devalue Gandhi by RSS and the Sangh parivar."

The press conference was about the alleged connection of Nathuram Godse, Gandhi's assassin, with RSS.

"I worked as a medical officer in Mumbai three decades ago and I personally handled Raman Raghav serial murder case. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and his sentence was changed from death to life imprisonment. In Godse's case, he did it with a proper purpose," Mahajan said.

RSS used 'propaganda' including selective statements of leaders like Dr B R Ambedkar to show that they supported or endorsed the saffron organisation, he alleged.

PTI
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Maharashtra: Shiv Sena wants to avoid instability; to continue its support to BJP

India

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By Oneindia Staff Writer

Mumbai, Jan 27: As the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra looks shaky, a senior Shiv Sena leader on Friday said that the party was not leaving the coalition government in the state.

A senior Shiv Sena leader speaking to ANI added that the party did not want to create instability in Maharashtra by leaving the government in haste.

"We don't want to create instability in Maharashtra, so the Shiv Sena will continue its alliance with the BJP for some time (Hum Maharashtra ko isthir nahi bana na chaahte isliye hume state Govt mein alliance rakhna padega kuch time ke liye)," said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced that his party will fight the next month's civic polls in Mumbai alone.

"I will not tie-up with the BJP in any of the future polls in any city or district council. From now, the Shiv Sena will tread a new path. For the last 25 years, we rotted in this alliance. If in the past Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had not stood behind them (the BJP), they would have been destroyed by now,'' Thackeray said.

The announcement by Shiv Sena chief created a lot of buzz in the political circuit.

The Shiv Sena is a junior alliance partner in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 10:55 [IST]
Maharashtra: Y plus security for 41 MLAs and 10 MPs of CM Shinde camp to continue

'Two-finger test' should be banned in matrimonial dispute cases too, says Maharashtra doctor

Maharashtra withdraws ban on religious activities in offices

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Mumbai, Jan 27: The Maharashtra government has decided to withdraw its recent order banning all kinds of religious activities in all government offices and institutions, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday.

He informed a delegation of ally Shiv Sena ministers that the order had been issued erroneously and was being withdrawn, said environment minister Ramdas Kadam.

"The Chief Minister has also assured us that suitable action would be taken against the concerned officials of the Rural Development Ministry, who issued that circular," Kadam told the media after meeting Fadnavis.

The circular, which came to light earlier this week, sought to bar all kinds of religious activities or celebrations, pooja ceremonies and even removal of pictures of gods and goddesses from government and semi-government offices and various departments and institutions, including educational institutes, across the state.

Justifying the order, some officials claimed it was intended to project a secular image before the public and also avoid diverting time, money and efforts in organising elaborate religious activities at workplaces.

The move was criticised by all sections of society as it meant no more Shri Satyanarayan Poojas, Ganeshotsav celebrations, Holi and other religious festivals jointly by government employees and workers at offices.

"The employees spend around 10-12 hours daily at their workplaces and religious activities there enabled them to compensate what they missed out at their homes. The employees were upset by the sudden decision," said a government official, requesting anonymity.

Moreover, the joint religious activities instilled a sense of camaraderie among the employees, especially for those transferred from far-off places and living alone at the place of posting, besides attracting the participation of members of other religions, the official explained.

In fact, on Thursday Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray strongly criticised the move and demanded that it should be immediately rolled back.

"How can they unilaterally take such a decision? Did you take us into confidence? Was it discussed before the state cabinet or even with the leaders of opposition parties?" Thackeray said.

"The order must be withdrawn or we will make a bonfire of it," Thackeray declared.

His comments came at a huge rally of party workers in which he also announced severing of alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party for all future civic elections.

However, the party will continue to remain in government both in Maharashtra and at the Centre where it is in alliance with BJP.

Thackeray's decision was greeted with widespread celebrations by Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Nagpur and other places, where party activists expressed readiness to fight independently the crucial civic elections scheduled in February.

IANS
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Narendra Modi promises Indus water to Punjab farmers

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Jalandhar, Jan 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday promised more water to the farmers of Punjab, saying it will come from the Indus river. "Farmers in Punjab should get more water. We have decided that Indus water, which goes to Pakistan, should be given to India," Modi said while addressing an election rally here.

Punjab goes to the polls on February 4. Earlier in November, the Prime Minister had made a similar statement, saying the water belongs to the Indian farmers.

"That water belongs to the Indian farmers. We will do whatever we can to give enough water to our farmers," he had said on November 25 in Bhatinda in Punjab.

Modi was addressing a rally in poll-bound Punjab, where he also praised chief minister Parkash Singh Badal saying that he always worked for the society.

IANS

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 18:32 [IST]
Train derailments: Preliminary probe by NIA finds no sabotage

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Jan 27: As the National Investigation Agency begins its investigation into the two train accident cases, a preliminary finding suggests that there has been no sabotage. The NIA will probe both the Kuneru and Kanpur train accident cases after it was claimed by the Bihar police that the Inter-Services Intelligence had a hand in these mishaps.

[Also Read: Meet Shafi Shaikh, Karachi-based don, behind train accidents in India]

An NIA official told OneIndia that preliminary findings do not suggest any sabotage. It may be recalled that the Bihar police had arrested three persons and alleged that they had caused the derailment of the Kanpur Express in November 2016 in which 150 persons had died. One of the accused persons, Motilal Paswan had claimed that he was paid by an ISI agent in Nepal to cause the derailment. He, however, retracted his statement later and now investigators say that Paswan may have been bragging.

Sabotage unlikely:

A five-member NIA team which visited Kuneru in Andhra Pradesh, where the Hirakhand Express had derailed earlier this month, has found no evidence to suggest that there was any kind of vandalisation. It appears to be a case of rail fracture due to poorly maintained tracks.

The NIA team did not find any trace of explosives. An inspection of the track also found that it was a case of classic rail fracture. Further the NIA team also explored the possibility of Naxalites manually damaging the tracks. A close look at the track did not show signs of it being manually sawed to cause the train accident.

Another team of the NIA which is looking into the Kanpur train accident has found no evidence to suggest sabotage. The accused persons had claimed to have triggered off a pressure cooker bomb on the track. However, the team found no evidence to suggest that the accident had been engineered.

An NIA official informed that the probe is still at a very preliminary stage. The accused persons who made the so-called confession before the Bihar police seem to be bragging. We are still looking into the details of the confession and will also question the accused soon, the officer informed.

OneIndia News
MASON CITY | Charges against a Mason City man police found damaging a furnace in someone else's basement earlier this month have been reduced to simple misdemeanors.

Joel Donaldson, 43, originally was charged with felony second-degree burglary and aggravated misdemeanor possession of a burglar tool, according to the Mason City Police Department.

Police say Donaldson, who did not know the residents of the home, told officers he was looking for a friend who was inside the furnace.

Last week the Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office reduced the charges to trespassing and fifth-degree criminal mischief.

The state does not have sufficient evidence to prove Donaldson intended to commit a felony or theft as required to indict on a burglary offense, according to a court document.

Police received a call from a resident in the 1100 block of Ninth Street Southwest shortly after 5 a.m. Jan. 4. The resident reported hearing what he believed to be grunting and knocking sounds coming from the basement.

When officers arrived, they reportedly found Donaldson damaging the furnace, duct work and exhaust vents.

Donaldson told the Globe Gazette he believed a friend of his was in trouble.

He said he was "delirious, dehydrated and feverish" when he was booked into the jail and was able to see a doctor, eat a meal and get some rest before his release.

Donaldson said he has mental health issues and is working with his therapy team and his pastor to overcome them.

He also said he has asked his pastor to extend his apologies to the homeowners and facilitate compensation for damages once his criminal charges are resolved.

Donaldson has an initial court appearance on his reduced charges scheduled for Feb. 8.
Number of CBEC employees to remain same in GST regime: Jaitley

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Jan 27: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said that the number of CBEC employees required in the new indirect tax regime of Goods and Services Tax (GST), will remain the same as the extent of tax collections will expand.

"Number of people required in the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) will remain unchanged. Extent of taxes to be collected will expand. There will be adequate opportunities, shouldn't feel this insecurity," Jaitley said at an Investiture Ceremony on the International Customs Day organised by CBEC.

"I see no reason for a disquiet in the CBEC service," Jaitley added after CBEC Chairman Najib Shah sought Finance Minister's intervention as concerns were raised by the tax department officers regarding their service conditions in the new GST regime.

IANS
How a Kerala trans womans death highlighted need for urgent revamp of sex reassignment surgery

Odisha: Transgender ties know with a man

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

In a society where transgenders are looked down upon and shunned, a eunuch tied knot with man in Odisha's Bhubaneshwar on Friday.

The marriage, which was held as per Hindu rituals, was attended by Bhubaneshwar Mayor Anant Narayan Jena.

Odisha: Transgender woman gets married to a man in Bhubaneswar. pic.twitter.com/EqP1p4zUHE  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

Speaking to news agency ANI, the transgender, Meghna, thanked the groom for taking such a bold step. Meghna said transgenders have every right to get married and lead a normal life.

Ppl think transgenders cant get married or embrace motherhood,bt Im proving them wrong;We too are women wanting to lead normal lives-Bride pic.twitter.com/FBonb6XopY  ANI (@ANI_news) January 27, 2017

One of the groom's relatives said that the marriage would send a positive message across the nation.

According to reports, it was an arranged marriage and initiated from groom's family.

The Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment three years ago, recognised the rights of transgenders and gave them a separate identity while voting, applying for passports, driving license or admission to schools and colleges.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 18:26 [IST]
Postpone budget, or UP will miss provisions: Akhilesh writes to Modi

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to postpone the Union Budget that is to be presented on February 1. In his letter to Modi, the UP chief minister has said that if the budget is presented on February 1, the state would miss provisions.

"In the wake of the ongoing election process, I urge you to present the budget after the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are over," Akhilesh wrote. The Centre, is however unlikely to postpone the budget.

Based on a recommendation by the Election Commission of India, the Centre is likely to announce sops in the budget for the five poll-bound states only after the elections are over. The budget is Constitutional duty and hence cannot be postponed, Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley had argued to earlier demands of postponing the presentation of the budget.

It may be recalled that even the Supreme Court had rejected a petition which sought directions to postpone the budget. The petitioner had said that the presentation of the budget when the poll process was on would give the ruling party at the centre an advantage during the state polls.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 10:29 [IST]
Punjab election: AAP violates SC ruling again; promises deputy CM post to a Dalit

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

While releasing their compiled manifesto for Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party leaders claimed that a Dalit would be made the deputy chief minister if the party came to power. The poll promise, however, is a violation of the Supreme Court's January 2 order against parties seeking votes on the basis of religion, caste or creed.

While the AAP has released manifestos for different sectors and issues separately at different intervals, a combined manifesto was released by state leaders including Bhagwant Mann on Friday. The Dalit manifesto of the AAP was released in November 2016, much before the Supreme Court order, when Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised the deputy CM post to a Dalit. However, the party's reiteration of the earlier promise comes as a clear violation of the SC order, which had held that any appeal for votes on the ground of religion amounts to corrupt practices under electoral laws.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had earlier been censured by the Election Commission for his 'accept cash for vote', remark during a rally in Goa.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 14:40 [IST]
R-Day blasts in Assam: Symbolic protest against colonial forces, claims ULFA (I)

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Guwahati, Jan 27: On Thursday, when the entire nation was celebrating the 68th Republic Day, multiple blasts rocked Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Seven blasts occurred in Assam and two in Manipur. Fortunately, both the states did not report any casualties.

The United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent), which is still fighting for a 'free' Assam, immediately claimed responsibility for these improvised explosive device-triggered blasts.

The Paresh Barua-led ULFA (I) said that the blasts were "symbolic protests" against "colonial forces" in Delhi. All the blasts occurred in the Upper region of the state, where the ULFA (I) still maintains enough sway.

Reports say three blasts rocked Sivasagar district, two blasts occurred in Charideo district, while one each were triggered in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts.

Generally, in previous occasions, bomb blasts in Assam always proved fatal, killing people in their wake. This time, all the blasts were low-intensity in nature. Moreover, all the bombs were placed in isolated areas like paddy fields. This shows that the outfit's intention was to send a signal to both the state and the central governments.

These blasts, once again exposes lack of preparedness on the part of security forces to deal with terror attacks in the northeastern state. Assam has long been a victim of terror. Of late, before the coming of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state last year, terror activities were considerably reduced during the Congress's rule.

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi criticised incumbent CM Sarbananda Sonowal for the blasts.

"I strongly condemn the blasts in Upper Assam today; the perpetrators will be brought to justice at the earliest," Sonowal tweeted.

"It is condemnable. It was an act of those who do not want peace and stability," he told reporters after attending the Republic Day function in Guwahati.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 13:59 [IST]
Ram temple remark: Mayawati lashes out at BJP; wants CEC to take cognisance

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, Jan 27: Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for raking up the Ram temple issue in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Thursday urged the Chief Election Commissioner to take cognisance of the incident as the matter was pending in the Supreme Court.

"The BJP has accepted defeat and thus, its leaders are raking up religious issues and the Ram temple," Mayawati said.

"They know that the construction of Ram temple is not possible as the matter is still pending in the Supreme Court and yet, attaching the issue with government formation is an attempt to mislead the people," she said.

Mayawati urged the CEC to take cognisance of such statements as they were "in violation of the Model Code of Conduct as well as the Supreme Court orders" and initiate strict action against the saffron party.

BJP Uttar Pradesh unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya had earlier this week raked up the Ram temple issue saying a "grand" temple will be built in Ayodhya if the BJP managed to secure an outright majority in the upcoming assembly polls.

Mounting an attack on the Narendra Modi-led central government, Mayawati alleged, "About three years have passed and the Modi government has not been able to fulfil even one-fourth of its promises. That is why they took the decision of demonetisation to hide their failures.

"The people are angry with it (the BJP) and will give it a befitting reply in the assembly polls," she claimed while alleging that the BJP was "using religion to grab power".

Regarding the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state, Mayawati claimed that it was in a "bad shape" which could be seen from the action of new SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who kicked-off the poll campaign from Sultanpur where polling is due in the fifth phase whereas the western districts are scheduled to go to polls in the first phase on February 11.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 7:01 [IST]
LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif to hang after SC confirms death in 2000 Red Fort attack case

Supreme Court: Suicides by farmers is a sensitive issue

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 27: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre, state governments, Union Territories and Reserve Bank of India to examine the likely reasons behind suicides by farmers.

A bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice N.V. Ramana asked them to respond within four weeks. The bench said that it is a "sensitive matter" of larger public interest involving farmers throughout the country.

The government, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on November 25 last year, had cited a 2014 report of the National Crime Records Bureau and said farmers commit suicide because of debt, crop failure, drought, social-economic and personal reasons.

According to the NCRB's report Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2014, the latest available then, 5,650 farmers have committed suicides in that year. Maharashtra reported the highest such suicides-2568 or nearly half the total-- followed by Telangana with 898 and Madhya Pradesh with 826.

The court was hearing a plea filed by a non-governmental organisation on issues related to farmers.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 15:54 [IST]
Buffalo race during Kambala festival at Moodbidri

The contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes, each pair race in the adjacent slush filled tracks. The pair of buffaloes are tied to the plough and one person anchors it. The buffalos are made to run fast to beat the opponent by a whip-lashing farmer.

A participant during the Kambala in Mangalore

The festival begins with an inaugural ceremony and a parade of the participating farmers along with their prized buffaloes. The racing tracks are normally about 120 to 160 metres in length and 8 to 12 metres in width.

Kambala in Adve-Nandikoor

Historically, the winning pair of buffaloes was rewarded with coconuts and bananas. But, these days cash award is also popular.

Kambala has emerged as anorganised rural sport, with elaborate planning and scheduling to accommodate competietions at different places.

Kambala at night

People place massive bets on the buffaloes to win. A well organised Kambala can draw as many as 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. Innovations have been made in conducting Kambala race and in some places day and night races are arranged under floodlights.
Benjamin Netanyahu says Trump admin understands dangers of Iran Deal

International

oi-PTI

Jerusalem, Jan 26: Israel's prime minister says President Donald Trump understands the "danger" of the Iran nuclear deal. Benjamin Netanyahu said that in a conversation with Trump a few days ago, the US president spoke "about Iran's commitment to destroy Israel."

The 2015 deal between Iran and world powers imposed curbs on Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. Netanyahu has said the deal won't stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons' capability, which he views as a threat to Israel's existence.

Netanyahu says Trump spoke "about the nature of this nuclear agreement, and the danger it poses." Netanyahu's remarks came at a Holocaust ceremony today.

Netanyahu is due to visit the White House in early February in hopes of forging close ties with Trump after a rocky relationship with Barack Obama administration.

PTI
Britain hints at changing its policy on Syria

International

oi-PTI

London, Jan 26: Britain's foreign minister hinted at a shift in policy on Syria today, saying President Bashar al-Assad could be allowed to run for re-election and mentioning a possible "arrangement" with regime ally Russia.

"We were wedded for a long time to the mantra that Assad must go. We haven't at any stage been able to make that happen," Boris Johnson told members of a parliamentary committee in the House of Lords. Asked if one possible scenario could include allowing Assad to contest a democratic election in Syria supervised by the UN, Johnson replied: "Yes".

"I see downsides and I see risks in us going in, doing a complete flip flop, supporting the Russians, Assad. "But I must also be realistic about the way the landscape has changed and it may be that we will have to think afresh about how to handle this," he said. Britain has been one of the harshest critics of Russia's Syria policy and the Assad regime, saying that his departure is a precondition for any resolution in a conflict that has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions to flee.

Johnson's comments were wide-ranging and sometimes contradictory as he also mentioned the "possibility of an arrangement" with Russia for "getting rid of Assad" and fighting the Islamic State group.

But he added: "There are perils in that approach and it's by no means clear that we would either achieve the end of the Assad regime, nor is it clear that even if we did achieve the end of the Assad regime that Syria would be in a better place". Russia, Iran and Turkey on Tuesday agreed to bolster a fragile truce in Syria but rebels and Damascus made no progress towards a broader settlement to end the war after talks in Kazakhstan.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 11:51 [IST]
CLEAR LAKE | The CLEAR project is apparently in the clear financially, at least for this fiscal year, after a scare it received from the Trump administration.

Last week, President Trump announced plans for a freeze on Environmental Protection Agency grants as well as other cutbacks to the federal agency.

The CLEAR project is operating this year in large part on a $204,892 EPA grant through June 30, 2018. "Right now, 100 percent of the funding that I get to do projects on the ground is through the EPA grant," said Jim Sholly, CLEAR project director.

"About half my salary comes from that. The other half comes from local partners," he said.

Good news came Friday from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the liaison between the EPA and local communities.

"We've been informed by the EPA that previously-awarded EPA grant funds are not frozen," said Steve Hopkins, nonpoint source coordinator for the DNR.

"That means CLEAR project activities can proceed as normal and that any project expenses can still be paid through those existing grant funds."

Hopkins said there's no word on what the Trump freeze will mean for future funding, but Sholly said that is a constant challenge regardless of federal restrictions.

"I operate on grant cycles," he said, "but I will sleep a little easier this weekend."

The Clear Lake Enhancement and Restoration (CLEAR) Project is a community-led project to improve the water quality of Clear Lake that has been underway since 1995.

CLEAR project sponsors include the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake (APCL), the Hancock and Cerro Gordo Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the cities of Clear Lake and Ventura, and Cerro Gordo County.

Sholly said "The goal is to ensure Clear Lake will remain north central Iowa's most valuable natural resource by sustaining a healthy ecosystem, achieving excellent water quality, providing recreational opportunities, and continuing to be the economic engine for the local communities it serves."

It is overseen by an advisory board that includes Deb Tesar of the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake; Mark Ebeling, city of Clear Lake; Kristi Meints, city of Ventura; Casey Callanan, Cerro Gordo County; Dean Stromer, Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District; and Scott Kennedy, Cerro Gordo County Soil and Water Conservation District.
"Godavari all set to flow into Herndon, VA"

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

USA, Jan 27th 2017: This will be second location for the fastest growing chain in the Greater Washington area.

Godavari, one of the authentic American addresses for the south Indian cuisine is getting ready to open its second restaurant in the Greater Washington Area in Herndon, on January 28, 2017. The first location at Maryland is already a favourite among the foodies in the region looking for the desi touch.

Godavari Herndon is strategically located in the middle of the most happening corporate zone of Herndon and is at a close proximity to the huge Indian neighborhood. It is also just a few steps away from the renowned World Gate Center in Herndon.

As a customary irresistible offering, Godavari Herndon would serve the tongue-popping buffet with the Republic Day theme dedicating the day to the Super Heroes of the Republic India. The authentic brand new recipes include "Mahatma Mulakkaya Bhajji", "Bose Bonda Kabab", "Sarojini Gongura Rasam", "Patel Puttagodugula Pulao", "Rayalaseema Raagi Sankati", "Alwal Paya Soup" and many more.

If the climate permits, Godavari Herndon will also host "Live Bandi Meeda Dosa and Pani Poori", the trademark attractions at Godavari locations.

"I am very happy to be a part of a second location in Greater Washington area. Being a part of Team Godavari is always exciting and makes me proud to serve great food to the community," Says Kamakshi Tummalapalli, owner of Godavari Maryland and Herndon adding that the patronage has been great at Maryland and growing too.

"The more we expand the more the taste of South Indian food will be spreading on the planet and as a "Team" we are committed to serve the authentic village tastes as well as the grandmother's touch to the food lovers," said Gopi Chigurupati and Mohan Tummala, owners of Godavari Delaware.

Click Here to view the Grand Opening of Godavari Framingham.

It's time to enjoy the lavish Godavari Lunch Buffet @

GODAVARI HERNDON

1050 ELDEN STREET,

HERNDON, VA 20170

Thanks again.... Hope you all enjoy our cooking....

CONTACT:

Kamakshi Tummalapalli

443-825-7492

Herndon@GodavariUS.com

www.GodavariUS.com

Press note released by: Indian Clicks, LLC
Hit A Wall: Trump declares talks between Mexico, US 'fruitless'

International

oi-PTI

Philadelphia, Jan 27: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that talks with his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto -- now called off -- would have been "fruitless" if Mexico is unwilling to pay for a wall along the countries' common border.

"The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week," Trump told Republican lawmakers at a retreat in Philadelphia.

"Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless, and I want to go a different route. I have no choice."

Earlier, Nieto on Thursday cancelled his planned trip to the US after Trump tweeted that he should cancel his visit if Mexico is "unwilling to pay" for the massive border wall being build to stop illegal migrants from entering America.

"We informed the White House this morning that I will not attend the working meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with Trump in Washington," Nieto said on Twitter.

His decision came hours after Trump tweeted that "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting."

PTI
May's US visit: US-UK relation to enter new era

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, Jan 27: Donald Trump will on Friday welcome British Prime Minister Theresa May, first foreign leader to visit the Oval Office after the former took oath as the US President .

Both the new US President and the British PM, who took office in July last year, have strong political incentives, CNN reported.

May has told Britons their country will be a robust global trading power once it exits the European Union, and a free-trade deal with the US is the most important pillar of that plan. Trump also seems interested in talking up a trade deal with Britain.

The envisioned agreement with Britain is exactly the kind of bilateral pact the Trump administration says is the model for US trade policy going forward.

However, he previewed the visit by griping that Democrats have yet to confirm his Commerce Secretary pick, Wilbur Ross.

"I'm meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow, as you know. Great Britain ... I don't have my Commerce Secretary -- they want to talk trade. So, I'll have to handle it myself. Which is okay," he told Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Trump's need for a successful outcome became more acute on Thursday when a spat with Mexico over his vow to build a border wall caused President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a visit to the White House.

May will be in the Oval Office exactly seven days after Trump was inaugurated. It is being seen by her entourage as a sign of the new President's respect for Britain.

May will use the visit to stress that though Britain is leaving Europe and Trump is suspicious of US attachments abroad, the two nations can still combine to be a force that can shape the world.

"As we rediscover our confidence together -- as you renew your nation just as we renew ours -- we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the 'special relationship' for this new age," May told GOP lawmakers on Thursday in Philadelphia, her first US stop.

"We have the opportunity to lead, together, again," she added.

The British Prime Minister will also have the benefit of the advice of former president Barack Obama, who urged her to develop a close relationship with Trump so that she and other centre-right world leaders could be a moderating influence on him, said a former Obama administration official and a British official familiar with the conversations.

Trump and May also have their share of disagreements. Her visit will be the first test of some of Trump's most controversial views on foreign policy.

Trump's statements that NATO is obsolete and he wants to improve relations with Russia that has been testing the borders of post-Cold War Europe have triggered alarm on the other side of the Atlantic.

According to the CNN, the no-nonsense Prime Minister is making clear that while she plans to forge a close relationship with Trump, she will not hesitate to speak her mind.

"I am not afraid to speak frankly to the President of the US," May said in the parliament on Wednesday. "I am able to do that because we have this special relationship."

Britain's calls for all members to meet their military spending target of two per cent of GDP, may allow her government to become a point of liaison between states in the western alliance and the new President, who has frequently groused that US allies have not done enough to pay for their own defence.

Trump backed the British exit from the EU and hopes more countries follow suit -- in direct contravention of decades of US foreign policy that saw stability in a united Europe.

May did not back Brexit, but in the political carnage that followed the referendum, she found herself Prime Minister and must now manage the most volatile political turbulence in western Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 12:02 [IST]
Scientists: Words and actions of Donald Trump rushing the world to doomsday

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, Jan 27: Scientists here have announced that the world is rushing towards the doomsday, partly because of the "words and actions" of US President Donald Trump, a media report said.

The minute hand of the Doomsday Clock, which indicates how close the world's leading scientists think we are from destroying the planet, was moved forward to two and a half minutes to midnight, ABC news reported on Thursday. Midnight on the clock represents doomsday. The Bulletin's science and security board decided to advance the clock "in part based on the words of a single person: Donald Trump, the new President of the United States," it said in a news release on Thursday.

The board called Trump's comments about expanding the US nuclear arsenal and his disbelief in climate change "disturbing" and said his "statements and his actions as President-elect have broken with historical precedent in unsettling ways." Trump tweeted in December 2016 that the US "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

In January 2014, Trump said in a tweet, "Global warming is an expensive hoax!" and in November 2012, Trump claimed in a tweet that the "concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive." During his election campaign Trump promised to back out of the Paris accord.

The closer the minute hand is to midnight, the higher the chance of a global cataclysm, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the group that sets the time on the symbolic clock. The clock's minute hand is assessed each year, and the clock's time "conveys how close we are to destroying our civilisation with dangerous technologies of our own making," the Bulletin said on its website.

Apart from Trump, the Bulletin said it also considered factors such as "strident nationalism worldwide ... a darkening global security landscape that is coloured by increasingly sophisticated technology and a growing disregard for scientific expertise." In 2016, the scientists announced the clock remained at three minutes to midnight because of climate change and "extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity" by the modernisation of nuclear weapon arsenals.

In 2015, the clock was moved to three minutes to midnight, from its place at five minutes to midnight in 2014. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons under the Manhattan Project.

The scientists created the Doomsday Clock two years later as an expression of concern about the use of those weapons. The decision to move the clock's time is made by the group's science and security board, in consultation with its board of sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates.

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Story first published: Friday, January 27, 2017, 14:50 [IST]
Donald Trump meets British PM Theresa May at White House

International

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By Ians English

Washington, Jan 28: US President Donald Trump met British Prime Minister Theresa May here in his first meeting with a visiting foreign leader since taking office. Trump was meeting May in a session fraught with tension as the new US President contemplates lifting sanctions against Russia despite the objections of many Europeans wary of Moscow, The New York Times reported on Friday.

During their joint press conference, May extended her greetings and said that Trump will visit the UK along with the First Lady later in the year.

The meeting at the White House would test the contours of his new "America First" foreign policy. The meeting came just a day after Mexico's president canceled his plans to sit down with Trump amid a dispute over his proposed border wall. Russia presumably will be a major part of the discussion between Trump and May.

Trump has scheduled a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Saturday as administration officials debate how far the American should go in easing up pressure on the Kremlin.

The US president also plans to talk by phone with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who has been a leading voice in Europe for keeping pressure on Russia.

Kellyanne Conway, the president's counselor, said Trump was considering lifting sanctions against Russia. "All of that is under consideration," she said on "Fox and Friends" on Friday. "And if another nation that has considerable resources wishes to join together with the US to try to defeat and eradicate radical Islamic terrorism, we're listening."

The US and Europe have imposed a series of sanctions on Russian officials and companies, mainly in response to the seizure and annexation of Crimea and the separatist war fomented in eastern Ukraine.

Before leaving office, former US President Barack Obama also imposed additional sanctions in response to what intelligence agencies concluded was Russian hacking to influence the American election.

PTI
UN: Yemen stares at famine; millions likely to die

International

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New York, Jan 27: The United Nations aid chief warned that Yemen was sliding deeper into humanitarian crisis and could face famine this year. The poor Arab country has been engulfed in war since a Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign in March 2015 to push back Iran-backed Huthi rebels who had seized the capital Sanaa and other cities.

"The conflict in Yemen is now the primary driver of the largest food security emergency in the world," Stephen O'Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council on Thursday.

"If there is no immediate action, famine is now a possible scenario for 2017." About 14 million people -- nearly 80 percent of the entire Yemeni population -- are in need of food aid, half of whom are severely food insecure, O'Brien said.

At least 2 million people need emergency food assistance to survive, he added. The situation is particularly dire for children with some 2.2 million infants now suffering from acute malnourishment -- an increase of 53 percent from late 2015.

"Overall, the plight of children remains grim: a child under the age of 10 dying every 10 minutes of preventable causes," O'Brien said. The Saudi-led coalition's shutdown of the Sanaa airport has had a heavy toll on civilians because medicine cannot be flown in and Yemenis cannot receive treatment abroad.

O'Brien warned that Yemen could run out of wheat within months because foreign banks no longer accept financial transactions with many of the country's commercial banks. The country is almost entirely dependent on imports, most of which transit through the Hudaydah port, which was bombed by the coalition in 2015.

O'Brien said the Saudi-led coalition had ordered a vessel carrying four mobile cranes for the port to leave Yemeni waters and it was now awaiting approval from Riyadh to deliver the new equipment.

The cranes will boost the port's capacity to handle humanitarian cargo. The United Nations is calling for a ceasefire in Yemen to allow urgently needed deliveries of humanitarian aid and to resume political talks on ending the war.

About 10,000 civilians have died in the war, according to UN officials. Returning from talks in the region, UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed took a swipe at Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi for rejecting his peace proposals.

PTI
US: Teens arrested for plotting mass shooting

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Jan 27: Two teenagers have been arrested in the US after authorities discovered their plan for a mass shooting at their school.

The unidentified students -- aged 13 and 14 -- from central Florida were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and placed into the custody of the department of juvenile justice, the Sumter County sheriff's department said in a statement.

Law enforcement and school officials were initially tipped off of the pair's plans on Tuesday, police said.

The arrests came after 'officials learned of, and intervened in a plot to initiate a mass shooting at their school', the statement said.

On Tuesday, after classes had finished for the day, "school officials and the schools resource officer became aware of rumours circulating between students at the school," the statement said.

"The rumors indicated that a student was planning a mass shooting on Friday January 27th. Witnesses indicated that some students had been warned not to come to school on Friday," it added.

The following day, the two students told officials that they had indeed discussed a mass shooting at the Villages Charter middle school in Lady Lake, a town located about an hour northwest of Orlando, ABC News reported.

"The 13-year-old student alleged to be planning the attack was intercepted by authorities as he attempted to arrive for school. At that time, he acknowledged conversations involving the plot and referenced the mass shooting at Columbine High School," a statement said.

During the conversation with the 13-year-old, "officials learned of a second student's potential involvement and quickly located the 14-year-old-male student on campus," according the release.

"The 14-year-old student acknowledged his involvement in conversations with the 13-year-old student again referencing the Columbine shooting. The student informed officials that the two students had planned an attack which included what they would use as a signal to open fire," it said.

The teens were arrested on Thursday at their homes during the service of search warrants. The 13-year-old was arrested by the Lake County sheriff's office on a juvenile order at his home in Fruitland Park.

The 14-year-old was arrested by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at his home in Wildwood. No additional arrests are expected, police said. Firearms were recovered from both suspects' homes during the search warrant service.

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MASON CITY | Three Mason City Council members will hold an informal neighborhood listening post from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday at Faith Baptist Church, 1807 S. Kentucky Ave.

Third Ward Councilman Brett Schoneman and At-Large Councilmen Paul Adams and Bill Schickel will participate.

Though the meeting is being held in the Third Ward, residents from all other wards are welcome to come and participate, the council members said.

The goal is for council members and the public to interact with one another in an informal setting. Residents will get a chance to ask questions, comment on issues and get updates on city projects.

Council members plan to hold listening posts quarterly, with one in each of the four wards during the year. Participants will be the council member in whose ward the meeting is held as well as Adams and Schickel, the at-large members.

Council members began holding quarterly listening posts in 2015 and discontinued them in 2016 because of scheduling difficulties.

Two years ago, topics discussed included North End development plans, environmental issues and downtown redevelopment.
HANLONTOWN | A wildlife area and creek near a pipeline break that spilled 138,600 gallons of diesel near Hanlontown show no signs of contamination, officials say.

The break was discovered about 8 a.m. Wednesday in a 12-inch pipeline near 390th Street and Wheelerwood Avenue. That's about three miles north and one mile east of Hanlontown, and about a mile west of Interstate 35.

The pipeline is owned by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Magellan Midstream Partners.

Although the leak was initially reported Wednesday morning as approximately 63,000 gallons, the company revised the estimate later in the day to 3,300 barrels, or 138,600 gallons.

Built in the 1950s, the pipeline that broke was on a segment that carries product from Rosemount, Minnesota, to the Mason City area. Magellan has a terminal in Clear Lake.

The incident is the sixth largest refined petroleum spill reported by companies to the U.S. Department of Transportation this decade and the largest diesel spill since January 2010, according to the department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration records.

During that time 807 spills have been reported, causing $342 million in estimated property damage releasing more than 3 million gallons of gas, diesel fuel and other petroleum products.

Magellan Spokesman Bruce Heine said company was still investigating the break's cause on Thursday morning. More than 70 Magellan representatives, local responders, regulators and contractors were on site Thursday morning.

Contractors were working Thursday to suck up the diesel, which has pooled over an acre of farm field and the edge of a neighboring acreage, and will later dig and remove contaminated soil, said David Miller, an environmental specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Contaminated snow and diesel are being hauled to a Minneapolis, Minnesota, facility. Contaminated soil will be excavated and taken to a landfill near Clear Lake, Jeff Vansteenburg, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, told The Associated Press.

"Magellan reports they hope to recover all of the pooled product within the next one to two days," said Miller, based in Mason City. "And then, at that time, they will begin to excavate the contaminated soil."

He expected the excavation to take a few weeks.

The Iowa DNR does not believe the spill impacted Willow Creek, which runs just east of Wheelerwood, or the nearby Hanlontown Slough Waterfowl Production Area, Miller said.

The Hanlontown Slough is a 939-acre state-managed marshland on the southwest side of 390th and Wheelerwood Road. The break is one-third of a mile north of the intersection.

"The most obvious impact would be a visible sheen, which has never been noted," Miller said.

He said water samples were taken from Willow Creek upstream and downstream of the leak.

Results are still pending.

The Iowa DNR also reviewed the local drain system and did not find any drainage tiles leading to the creek or slough, and didnt find any evidence of tiles at the site that would drain into either waterway, Miller said.

Magellan has suspended operations on the segment of pipeline affected by the break, Heine said.

"Although we expect to begin pipeline repairs later today, we do not have an estimate when pipeline operations will resume on the affected segment of our system," he said via e-mail. "We do not expect this incident to disrupt the supply of gasoline, diesel and other refined petroleum products in the region."

The pipeline was built in the early 1950s, but Heine said the age of a pipeline is not a safety factor when it's adequately inspected and maintained.

Federal government data shows Iowa had 13 serious pipeline incidents with one fatality and 16 injuries between 1996 and 2015. Serious incidents include a fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NORTHWOOD | A man hurt while trying to pull a stuck tractor out of the snow in rural Northwood has been released from the hospital.

The incident was reported about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near 485th Street and Wheelerwood Road.

Worth County Chief Deputy Jesse Luther said Al Brunsvold, 48, of Joice, was using a thick nylon tow rope attached to a road grader to pull a end-loader from the ditch.

He said the rope snapped, recoiling back towards the grader, and a metal piece at the end of the rope broke through the glass of the grader and hit the man in the back of the head.

Brunsvold, who Luther said was conscious, was taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa by a Mason City Fire Department ambulance crew.

A hospital official said Friday that Brunsvold is no longer at the facility.

 Molly Montag
by  Graham Pierrepoint



Donald Trump is spending the first week in charge of the US stamping his ground on a number of policies  from cutting the funds of overseas abortion services to compiling a list of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, its safe to say that the new President is taking no prisoners and wasting no time in making the top job his own. However, his moves have been met with criticism, protest and more besides  meaning that if his campaign trail was anything to go by, we will likely be in for an even more divisive four years under the businessman at the least.

Trump has brought forward a number of key policies, and throughout his campaign he stated that he intended for a wall to be built along the US-Mexico border in an attempt to dissuade immigration. Those plans appear to be going ahead, as the President signed an executive order to authorize their construction  and he still intends for Mexico to fund the building of the perimeter. While some have commented that building a full wall across the border may be impractical, it seems that one of Trumps most divisive and memorable campaign pledges could be coming fruition.

Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto, however, has other ideas. The statesman has remained fairly low-key in comparison with the US Presidents bluster over the subject of a border during the past 18 months, but he has this week asserted that Mexico will not be responsible for paying for the border which Trump intends to install. Pena Nieto was quick to re-affirm that the country is, however, willing to reach agreements with the US government, and that they continue to extend their friendship  the President may even still be meeting with Trump in what is set to be a fairly tense media occasion. However, Pena Nieto is since said to have cancelled a meeting originally scheduled for next week, which may signal further issues on the horizon.

As Trump finishes his first week in office, it appears that he is certainly making as many marks as he can  but will he convert a baying opposition to his Presidency that he can truly make America great again? The proof of that will be evident over the next few years  and whether or not his methods for anti-immigration are as effective as he intends them to be.
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Matthias Knab, Opalesque: The Autorit des Marchs Financiers (AMF) has published a detailed analysis of the activity of market participants engaged in high-frequency trading (HFT) on CAC 40 stocks, with focus on their presence in the order book, how they provide and consume liquidity and how their behaviour changes during periods of intense stress. Over the last few years, the equity markets underwent periods of high volatility such as at the beginning of 2016, owing to fears on the Chinese economy, and in June of the same year, amid a climate of uncertainty brought about by the Brexit referendum. Such market conditions can affect liquidity: as overall amounts traded rise, so does the level of risk facing market-makers, forcing a proportionate reduction in their presence in the order book. In order to analyse this trend, the AMF studied the activity of the leading operators engaged in HFT, who represent a large proportion of the market-making business on liquid Euronext Paris stocks. The study was limited to Euronext Paris CAC 40 stocks and therefore only covers this proportion of HFTs' behaviour. The AMF conducted detailed analysis of the HFT activity over a nine-month period from November 2015 to July 2016, during which there were considerable swings in market volatility. The analysis focused firstly on the orders placed by HFTs and the liquidity provided in the order book, then on their transactions and how much liquidity they effectively provide ...................... To view our full article Click here
From New Yorker

Tuesday began with news that the Trump Administration had imposed a comprehensive gag order on employees of the Environmental Protection Agency. According to a leaked memo, "no press releases," "no blog messages," and "no social media will be going out," and "no new content can be placed on any website" until further notice -- perhaps an attempt to camouflage the other big E.P.A. announcement, which was that the agency's grants and contracts had been temporarily frozen, effectively halting its work.

Then, at nine o'clock, the President had breakfast with a group of beaming auto executives. Trump told them that he was "to a large extent an environmentalist," but apparently his long participation in that movement had persuaded him that "environmentalism is out of control." The last time Detroit's C.E.O.s came to the White House, in 2011, President Obama got them to agree, grudgingly, to increase average fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon, a pledge they now hope to recant. The day went on. Just before noon -- surrounded by his increasingly familiar cast of white guys in suits -- Trump signed an executive order expediting approvals for the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, thus overturning perhaps the two biggest environmental victories of the Obama years, both of which the advocacy organization I helped found, 350.org, fought for vigorously.

There is, in other words, a new day dawning, and we're sure as hell not going to use any of that sunlight for energy. Instead, it's clear that we're about to witness the steady demolition, or attempted demolition, of the environmental protections that have been put in place over the past five decades. Another leaked memo, released on Monday and attributed to Myron Ebell, the veteran climate-change denier overseeing Trump's E.P.A. transition team, made clear some of the Administration's first priorities: stopping Obama's Clean Power Plan, which uses the Clean Air Act to regulate power plants; revising the rules on development in crucial wetlands; and even such granular tasks as reining in efforts to halt the rampant pollution of Chesapeake Bay.

The full list, I imagine, will stretch on and on. The nascent effort to prevent leakage from fracking wells, for instance, will likely be abandoned, meaning that we'll continue to spew methane as well as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. At the Department of the Interior, they're getting ready to start leasing coal from public lands again; at State, Rex Tillerson says he wants a "seat at the table" in international climate negotiations, but probably won't push them forward. The drive to free up polluters is so strong and ingrained that it overrides even the usual Republican commitment to states' rights: Scott Pruitt, who sued the E.P.A. 14 times before being named to head it, ominously said at his confirmation hearing that he couldn't promise California would continue to receive the waiver that allows it to set its own vehicle-emissions standards.

"You say you're going to review it?" Senator Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, asked him.

"Yes, senator," Pruitt said.

"When you say 'review,' I hear 'undo,' " Markey said.

There's not the slightest evidence that Americans want laxer environmental laws. A poll released last week showed that nearly two-thirds of Americans would prefer that the E.P.A.'s powers be preserved or strengthened. Solar power, meanwhile, polls somewhere in the neighborhood of ice cream among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike. But the survey that counts in the Trump Administration is of plutocrats, and, as Jane Mayer demonstrated in her book "Dark Money," the moguls of the right-wing funding network, whose disciples are now in place across the Cabinet, hate environmental regulation with a passion. We know some of them -- the Koch brothers, for instance. But there is a whole league of cartoonish villains, including John Menard, Jr., the richest man in Wisconsin, whose company was once charged with labeling arsenic-tainted mulch as "ideal for playgrounds." Having paid hundreds of millions in fines, these people paid tens of millions in campaign contributions, and now their bill has come due.

Against them stands reality, as a rogue employee of the National Park Service reminded us on Tuesday afternoon, defying another gag order by tweeting out climate data from the official Badlands National Park account. The reason we have environmental regulations is because, when we didn't, the air was filthy and the water sour. Cleaning up our skies and our streams has been an enormous success in every way, including economically: any attempt to tally things like lost work days or visits to the emergency room shows that curbing pollution has huge returns on investment. (Just ask the Chinese, who are desperately trying to cobble together their own system of environmental protections.) As in so many other cases, the returns on deregulation will go to a handful of very wealthy Americans, and the cost will be spread across society, falling particularly hard on those who live near the highways and on the flood plains.

Reality gets plainer every day on a planet that just saw the hottest year ever recorded, where sea ice is at an all-time low, and where California's epic drought has suddenly given way to epic flooding. History will judge the timing of Trump's crusade with special harshness -- it is, you might say, a last-gasp effort.
From Mondoweiss

The woman regarded as Hillary Clinton's choice for Defense Secretary says "my worry" is that Donald Trump will not consider Israel's interests in forging a deal with Russia over Syria.

Michele Flournoy spoke at an Israeli security conference earlier this week. After Philip Gordon, a former aide to President Obama on the Middle East, expressed the concern that Trump would align with Russia on Syria "without getting anything for it" in terms of constraining Iran in the Middle East, Flournoy said:

"Yeah. And this is where I think you have to worry for Israel and Israel's interests, which is that you could end up with a situation in Syria, where he says OK, we're going to get some kind of ceasefire and peace deal in exchange for some kind of general commitment of Russia to fight ISIS, which they've never really done, and Israel's interests aren't even considered in the process. That's my worry."

Flournoy was widely-thought to be Hillary Clinton's "Defense Secretary in waiting." Last year she advocated for a far more aggressive U.S. intervention in Syria against Bashar al-Assad and ISIS, which she styled as "limited military coercion," including enforcing a "no-bombing" zone in areas controlled by rebels. She is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security, a liberal-interventionist thinktank.
HANLONTOWN | Crews on Friday had almost finished vacuuming up the diesel that pooled over 1-1.5 acres of farmland and an acreage after a pipeline break near Hanlontown, an official said.

The task is the first step in cleaning up the effects of a 138,000-gallon spill that spewed from a broken pipeline north of 390th Street and Wheelerwood Road.

Officials found the leak about 8 a.m. Wednesday in a 12-inch pipe owned by Magellan Midstream Partners.

The company planned to vacuum up the diesel pooled on the surface before it digs up contaminated dirt underneath.

"That's mostly been completed," said Jeff Vansteenburg, a field office supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "They're hitting a few spots where there may be some puddles."

The Iowa DNR and Environmental Protection Agency have been at the scene along with law-enforcement and Magellan's crews.

This weekend, the company will begin scraping up the contaminated soil and staging it for transport, Vansteenburg said.

It will be hauled away on Monday when the waste sites open.

Its unclear how much dirt will need to be removed.

Vansteenburg saw an area where diesel appeared to have soaked about two feet down, but it wasnt clear that was uniform across the contaminated area.

He said Magellan is testing soil samples to determine the extent of contamination.

Removing the dirt will likely continue into at least next week, Vansteenburg said.

The broken pipe has been repaired.

Officials are still investigating what caused the break.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Update: Pipeline repaired, cleanup continues

11:45 a.m. Update

HANLONTOWN | Repairs have been completed on a ruptured pipeline that spilled 138,000 gallons of diesel near Hanlontown, a company spokesman said Friday.

Diesel from the break covered roughly an acre of farmland and neighboring acreage north of 390th Street and Wheelerwood.

The break was discovered Wednesday morning in a 12-inch line owned by Magellan Midstream Partners. The cause is still under investigation.

Originally believed to involve about 63,000 gallons, the Tulsa, Okla.-based company revised that estimate to 3,300 barrels, or about 138,600 gallons.

It's the sixth-largest petroleum spill in the United States in a decade.

Magellan Spokesman Bruce Heine said the company and environmental specialists are continuing to make progress at the pipe.

He wouldn't answer if all the diesel had been sucked up and hauled away, or if those efforts were still ongoing.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the company must remove the liquid and remove all the contaminated soil.

"The diesel fuel is contained in the immediate area of the pipeline release and the fuel has not come into contact with any waterways," Heine said via e-mail.

The company is working toward resuming operations.

"However, we do not have an estimate when we pipeline operations will resume at this time," Heine said. "We do not expect this incident to disrupt supply of gasoline, diesel and other refined petroleum products in the region."

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.

Our previous story:

Clean-up continues at Hanlontown pipeline break

HANLONTOWN | Crews continued for a third day on Friday to clean up 138,000 gallons of diesel that spilled from a broken pipeline near Hanlontown.

The break was discovered about 8 a.m. a third of a mile north of 390th Street and Wheelerwood Road. That's about three miles north and a mile east of Hanlontown.

The broken 12-inch pipe owned by Magellan Midstream Partners created a pool of diesel covering roughly an acre of farm ground and a neighboring acreage.

The spill is not far from Willow Creek, which runs just east of Wheelerwood Road, and just northeast of the Hanlontown Waterfowl Production Area, a 939-acre wildlife area managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The Iowa DNR is monitoring the two areas for impacts, but has so far not seen any contamination, officials said.

Magellan has roughly 70 people on site to clean up the spill.

The Iowa DNR says the company will suck up the diesel and contaminated snow, and then dig up and haul away the contaminated soil.

The 3,300-barrel spill from the break is the largest diesel spill reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation since January 2010, according to the department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration records.

Officials from Tulsa, Okla.-based Magellan notified the Worth County Sheriffs Office early Wednesday there was a leak somewhere in a stretch of pipeline covering a broad area, including possibly in Worth County, said Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank.

A Worth County sheriffs deputy helped look for the leak, which was found near Hanlontown about 8 a.m.

The Worth County Sheriff's Office, like other counties in the area, has a map of the maze of pipelines that run underneath the surface of North Iowa.

Pipeline companies hold trainings with local law-enforcement agencies and, in the case of Worth County, has told them what to look for in case of a leak.

Youre looking if theres steam coming up  anything thats out of the norm, Fank said. You might see spray coming out in the area (or) you might see discoloration.

The Worth County Sheriffs Office has been on site around-the-clock since the leak was found.

Deputies, as well as members of the departments reserve program, are manning an incident command center and maintaining road blocks to allow trucks and heavy equipment to get to the leak site.

Theres a lot of trucks and a lot of machinery moving, Fank said.

No injuries or evacuations were reported.

Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.
From Paul Craig Roberts Website



Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump

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Tweets on social media say Trump is about to lift the sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama regime. Being a showman, Trump would want to make this announcement himself, not have it made for him by someone outside his administration. Nevertheless, the social media tweets are a good guess.

Reports are that Trump and Putin will speak tomorrow. The conversation cannot avoid the issue of sanctions.

Trump during his first week has moved rapidly with his agenda. He is unlikely to delay lifting the sanctions. Moreover, there is no cost to Trump for lifting them. The sanctions have no support in the US and Western business communities. The only constituency for the sanctions were the neoconservatives who are not included in the Trump administration. Victoria Nuland, Susan Rice, Samantha Power are gone, along with much of the State Department. So there is nothing in Trump's way.

President Putin is correct that the sanctions helped Russia by pushing Russia to be more economically independent and by pushing Russia toward developing economic relationships with Asia. Lifting the sanctions could actually hurt Russia by integrating Russia into the West. The Russian government should take note that the only sovereign country in the West is the United States. All the rest are US vassals. Could Russia escape the same fate? Anyone integrated into the West is subject to Washington's pressure.

The problem with the sanctions is that they are an insult to Russia. The sanctions are based on lies that the Obama regime told. The real purpose of the sanctions was not economic. The purpose was to embarrass Russia as an outlaw state and to isolate the outlaw. Trump cannot normalize relations with Russia if he lets this insult stand.

Therefore, the social media tweets are likely to be correct that Trump is about to lift the sanctions. This will be good for US-Russian relations, but perhaps not so good for the Russian economy and Russian sovereignty. The Western capitalists would love to get Russia deep in debt and to buy up Russia's industries and raw materials. The sanctions were a partial protection against foreign influence over the Russian economy, and so the removal of the sanctions is like removing a shield as well as removing an insult.


Scales of Justice

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First they came for the Indians and I did nothing"..

"Rule of law" assumes that law should govern a nation rather than the personal desire of a government official. Rachel Klienfeld Belton, a legal scholar and Director of the Truman National Security Project writes that rule of law in a democracy is identified by "the efficient and predictable application of justice and the protection of human rights." On January 24th, 2017, Trump signed an executive order that seems to violate such a "predictable application." Between now and February 20thwe have an window of opportunity to help determine if history will consider this "Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline" and its outcomes as abiding by rule of law or not. If it is actually successful in countering the existing order for an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) as directed in the December 4th memorandum by the Army's Assistant Secretary of its Office of Civil Works, I propose that the United States is at serious risk of moving in essene from the mirage of democracy we still have to a blatant dictatorship. To help prevent this many citizens must accept the invitation to " help identify potential issues, concerns, and reasonable alternatives." The public comment period began on Jan. 18; comments can be submitted until Feb. 20.)(See below for details about how to do this* and also about the government register's website for it not working, requiring emails that might not be made public.)

If enough of us do submit comments that tell the the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) and the Office of Civil Works about legitimate concerns regarding the risks to the Missouri River and the life surrounding it, there is the possibility of giving hired functionaries, even those selected by the Trump administration, the courage to defy Trump's "official" claim that the pipeline is for the public good. And be sure to mention the impact on climate change. If we also say that the project will seriously impact climate change via the burning of the oil the pipeline will deliver, we could place an unpredented factor into ACE's future decision-making about pipelines across the country. According to Jake Tracy getting the Corps to include climate change impacts in an EIS "would be a major coup and make it all the more difficult for it to find that the pipline is not injurious to the public interest." We have to keep the pressure on and not give up. Bruce Huber, an associate professor of law at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in environmental, natural resources and energy law, says it is far from over and legal suits suits are likely. Such public comments can motivate and support such suits. If we can persuade ACE to consider DAPL's impact on climate change this could also be a victory for other battles against pipelines.

In light of the stacked deck we are facing, with so many people in the new administration supporting the oil industry, all of this may seem a long shot. However, we must hope that rule of law has not yet been "trumped" by Trump and his appointees. After all, the opening language of the executive order clearly states that the Army Secretary is to "consider, to the extent permitted by law and as warranted, whether to rescind or modify the memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works dated December 4, 2016 (Proposed Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing at Lake Oahe, North Dakota), and whether to withdraw the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in Connection with Dakota Access, LLC's Request for an Easement to Cross Lake Oahe, North Dakota, dated January 18, 2017, and published at 82 Fed. Reg. 5543." Remember that an executive order, although legally binding, cannot according to prededent override laws passed by Congress. The requirement for determining the risk to the public regarding a project's environmental impact via the EIS does not come from an executive order or memorandum. It stems from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970. It is federal law that requires federal agencies to assess possible environmental impacts of ACE projects like DAPL. Remember also that DAPL managed to avoid the EIS requirement initially, an oversight that was corrected by the December 4th victory. By unethical and illegal skulldugery typical of Energy Transfer Partners, they avoided the requirement for an EIS. Instead, by registering permits for small sections of the pipeline at a time, they received a "Finding of No Significant Impact." Thanks to the Standing Rock Water Protection Movement and many of those reading these words the Army corrected its original decision. Now if ACE follows the rule of law via Section 408 of the U.S. Code, it must approve the DAPL project only if it it is "not injurious to the public interest." Thus, although the "executive order" Trump signed on January 24th is legally binding to a degree, it cannot reverse law passed by Congress.

I view Trump's DAPL memorandum and a number of others he signed his first week in office as a less than democratic action taken like many others that have been taken against the peaceful efforts to stop an oil pipeline that is not in the public interest. This is also how Trip Van Noppen, the president of Earth Justice, views it. What are the other actions to which I refer? I include the militarization of state and national militia and their weaponry; the physical assaults on peaceful protestors; the illegal, dangerous, unnessary and intentionally punishing closing of Backwater Bridge on Highway 1806; the mean unwarranted arrests, etc. None of this could stop courageous movement that honored the spiritual beliefs of its Indigenous leaders. So now the new president is using his new powers to reject even a hint of the people's will.

At the same time his mandate is encouraging equally hostile "legislation" that a brutal dictatorship more than a democracy. In North Dakota House Bill 1203 intends to legalize the unintentional running down and killing of individuals obstructing vehicular traffic on public roads. House Bill 1151 would exempt oil companies from reporting spills less than 420 gallons. House Bill 1304, wants to make illegal the wearing of ski masks on public roads in North Dakota, and Senate Bill 2315 proposes the legalization of killing a violent intruder even if escape was possible or when trying to escape arrest after committing a violent felony. Considering how many of the peaceful, prayerful water protectors were accused of violent felonies, that many of us wore masks to protect ourselves from the cold and from personal harassment, and that more than one Native protestor has been run over by a motor vehicle driven by a police officer or an anti-Indian citizen, the purpose of these bills is obvious. Such laws cannot meet the conditions for rule of law that Belton (above) puts forth.

There is still hope in the people and we have an authorized window of opportunity up until February 20th. **(See important footnote re a challenge to such hope) There is hope because there are still honest, ethical people who honor the rule of law and the science of climate change. Some of them have the courage to stand against their new boss. Consider how on December 9, Judge James E. Boasberg of the D.C. District Court rejected the Dakota Access Pipeline's request to expedite approval of the easement in spite of their complaint that the delay has been costing them millions of dollars in losses an that they stand to lose crucial contracts if the pipeline is not finished by January. Such public servants, however, require bolstering from the public they serve. If we get enough responses we might just get the Army to honor the requirement for an EIS and not be guided by the pro-oil slant in Trumps executive order that reads: "I believe that construction and operation of lawfully permitted pipeline infrastructure serve the national interest." If so, the EIS could take up to two years to complete, enough time to possibly cause the diminishing number of investors to actually kill the project.

There are still other things we can do up till and after February 20th. We must demand that the Highway 1806 barriers on Backwater Bridge be removed. The psychological warfare that has divided members of Morton County and even the Standing Rock tribe has been effective and it is past time that people demand that it be opened. I have also suggested in a previous article there are a number of reasons to demand an invesigation by an appropriate team of people to determine if DAPL already violated the December 4th Memorandum, and may even have already laid pipe under the river. I also think it is important to make more specific alliances with the other oil and gas pipelines people are fighting around the world. For now however, let's honor the possibility that the EIS is still part of a democratic process and do our best to influence decision makers to follow through with it. If they do, it is unlikely that a legitimate analysis of it will allow the pipeline to continue.

This is an important moment in human history. We do not want to lose the momentum. We want to sustain the courage Standing Rock burned into the psyche of people around the world. It is past time for us to realize and reclaim the heart of our Indigenous worldview, one we have as a dominant culture spent hundreds of years trying to destroy and one that guided us for most of human history before hierarchy, materialism and a separation from Nature le us to destroy our life systems on Earth. This heart is in all of us and can be the catalyst for a global transformation toward renewable energy and the kind of Peacefulness that comes when we recognize we are all relate. The Dakota Access Pipeline is far from built. Although the stock of Energy Transfer Partners just went up 3 percent, we can make it go back down again.

*You may mail or hand deliver written comments to Mr. Gib Owen, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, 108 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-0108. Advance arrangements will need to be made to hand deliver comments. Please include your name, return address, and "NOI Comments, Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing" on the first page of your written comments. Comments may also be submitted via email to Mr. Gib Owen, at gib.a.owen.civ@mail.mil . If emailing comments, please use "NOI Comments, Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing" as the subject of your email.

The location of all public scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance through a notice to be published in the local North Dakota newspaper (The Bismarck Tribune) and online at https://www.army.mil/ asacw .

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She brushes off any suggestion it was Trump Administration co-ordination sponsored but as a concerned US Representative trip.

Tulsi Gabbard was joined by Dennis Kucinich in Syrian trip. They have returned and tell us of their interviews on the ground with the Syrian people and President Assad. It is a story that does not matter the media or the protest of MSM in trying to bend the truth it comes through on a humanitarian level if you still have a beating heart in your chest and a grain of a sense of justice. This is a story about the sins of evil that perpetuates itself by lies to cover its actions and those effected by the horror.

If you do not speak out about and resist, then you support that "all evil requires is for good people to do nothing" and you contribute regardless of any excuse be it fear or loss of stature in an evil assault on all good people, their Treasure, Commons and Inalienable Rights.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Returns From Syria with Renewed Calls: End Regime Change War in Syria Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUyvO_wtkyQ

Tulsi Gabbard CNN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID223ToMVxM&feature=youtu.be

Dennis Kucinich

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU8bopTZBjc
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US Marks World Press Freedom Day Secretary of State Antony Blinken's concerns about threats to press freedom on World Press Freedom Day brazenly omitted US attacks. Wednesday, May 5, 2021Secretary of State Antony Blinken's concerns about threats to press freedom on World Press Freedom Day brazenly omitted US attacks.

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Time for the Death of The Democratic Party The Democratic Party, along with liberal celebrities, media corporations, and polling firms, did it again. They sold us all the "safe" and most "electable" candidate, and they are likely going to lose to Trump again. This needs to be the death of the Democratic Party. Millions entrusted them with saving them from great harm that will be done by a 2nd term of the Trump administration. Let something better rise in its place Wednesday, November 4, 2020The Democratic Party, along with liberal celebrities, media corporations, and polling firms, did it again. They sold us all the "safe" and most "electable" candidate, and they are likely going to lose to Trump again. This needs to be the death of the Democratic Party. Millions entrusted them with saving them from great harm that will be done by a 2nd term of the Trump administration. Let something better rise in its place

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Federal Judge Orders Chelsea Manning Released from Jail The order came after the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks was dismissed, Kevin Gosztola reports. Friday, March 13, 2020The order came after the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks was dismissed, Kevin Gosztola reports.

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To rig primary against Bernie, DNC chair Tom Perez nominates regime-change agents, Israel lobbyists, and Wall Street con With Bernie Sanders surging in primary polls, DNC chair Tom Perez compiled a neoliberal list of war hawks and corporate lobbyists to sabotage his nomination A close look at the list Perez issued offers a gruesome vision of morally repugnant operatives rigging the game on behalf of a desperate and increasingly discredited party elite. Tuesday, January 28, 2020With Bernie Sanders surging in primary polls, DNC chair Tom Perez compiled a neoliberal list of war hawks and corporate lobbyists to sabotage his nomination A close look at the list Perez issued offers a gruesome vision of morally repugnant operatives rigging the game on behalf of a desperate and increasingly discredited party elite.

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Hillary Clinton And The Democrats' Disinformation Campaign Against Tulsi Gabbard The baseless suggestion from Hillary Clinton that Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset is the predictable response of a faction of party elites, which remain" Tuesday, October 22, 2019The baseless suggestion from Hillary Clinton that Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset is the predictable response of a faction of party elites, which remain"

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Chelsea Manning Will Finally Get A First Chance At Life Chelsea Manning will be released from military prison at Fort Leavenworth next week. She will finally get a chance to be herself without having to conform to the rigid guidelines or expectations of the United States Army. Sunday, May 14, 2017Chelsea Manning will be released from military prison at Fort Leavenworth next week. She will finally get a chance to be herself without having to conform to the rigid guidelines or expectations of the United States Army.

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FBI Director Hints At Arresting Assange If He Weren't In Ecuador Embassy FBI director James Comey indicated WikiLeaks remains focus for intelligence agencies and prosecuting Julian Assange for his work as a publisher remains possible. Thursday, May 4, 2017FBI director James Comey indicated WikiLeaks remains focus for intelligence agencies and prosecuting Julian Assange for his work as a publisher remains possible.

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Filmmaker Laura Poitras Doesn't Know If Military Is Done Investigating Her Documents suggest filmmaker Laura Poitras was stopped routinely by airport security because she was falsely accused of involvement in an ambush in Iraq. Tuesday, April 25, 2017Documents suggest filmmaker Laura Poitras was stopped routinely by airport security because she was falsely accused of involvement in an ambush in Iraq.

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Whistleblowers Condemn US For Denying Entry To Former UK Diplomat Craig Murray is currently scheduled to speak at a conference and present an award to CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, but the U.S. has refused to grant him "entry clearance." Wednesday, September 7, 2016Craig Murray is currently scheduled to speak at a conference and present an award to CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, but the U.S. has refused to grant him "entry clearance."

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Media Scrambles To Discourage Sanders Supporters From Voting Jill Stein The Green Party convention influenced another round of snide commentary for daring to give voters an alternative to Clinton. Wednesday, August 10, 2016The Green Party convention influenced another round of snide commentary for daring to give voters an alternative to Clinton.

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Clinton Task Force Breaks Barriers To Defend Her Donors The project celebrates Clinton's ability to break down barriers, and it's true: she is breaking barriers for corporations to influence government policy. Monday, April 25, 2016The project celebrates Clinton's ability to break down barriers, and it's true: she is breaking barriers for corporations to influence government policy.

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Liberals No Longer Amused The objective of the week for liberals appears to be to make clear Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is some kind of pariah. it is quite another thing to delude people into voting for her simply because it is your view that Bernie Sanders' vision is difficult to make a reality. That position accepts the status quo and embraces a politics of low expectations, Thursday, January 21, 2016The objective of the week for liberals appears to be to make clear Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is some kind of pariah. it is quite another thing to delude people into voting for her simply because it is your view that Bernie Sanders' vision is difficult to make a reality. That position accepts the status quo and embraces a politics of low expectations,

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Shaker Aamer, Known For Guantanamo Resistance, Released After more than thirteen years of torture, abuse, and unjust detention at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, Shaker Aamer has finally been released. Saturday, October 31, 2015After more than thirteen years of torture, abuse, and unjust detention at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, Shaker Aamer has finally been released.

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Democrats Seek to Co-Opt Black Lives Matter Before Election 2 days after the endorsement, Black Lives Matter rejected any potential alliance, calling the resolution "business as usual" from career politicians. Tuesday, September 1, 20152 days after the endorsement, Black Lives Matter rejected any potential alliance, calling the resolution "business as usual" from career politicians.

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WikiLeaks Attorneys Oppose Diplomatic Retaliation According to lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights, UK has threatened to storm the Ecuadorean Embassy in clear violation of international law. Thursday, August 27, 2015According to lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights, UK has threatened to storm the Ecuadorean Embassy in clear violation of international law.

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob's bottom-up consulting for Thought Technology over the years to help us incorporate bottom-up thinking in our business and product development has been very valuable. It is a truly disruptive technique, well worth considering, which is well explained in his book."



Hal Myers, PhD, President, Thought Technology, Ltd. Member of the Board of Directors for the Ten to the Ninth Foundation (formerly Singularity University)
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Reprinted from shadowproof.com

Newly confirmed CIA director Mike Pompeo informed United States senators he would "aggressively seek to ensure we have the most effective programs for identifying insider threats." It was a pledge to pursue the same anti-leaks policies that discourage whistleblowing that President Barack Obama's administration pursued.

Since President Donald Trump has expressed his fervent support for torture, which is against the law, and a draft executive order has circulated suggesting the Trump administration will restore the CIA's rendition, detention, and interrogation program, the prospect of Pompeo intensifying efforts to clampdown on leaks is all the more concerning.

"Mishandling of classified information is a serious matter given the potential implications for U.S. national security," Pompeo declared. "Individuals determined to have mishandled classified information should be treated in accordance with relevant policies and the law, accounting for relevant factors including intent and harm to U.S. interests. Punishment may vary depending on the circumstances of each case."

Pompeo added, "Persons who are unable or unwilling to safeguard classified information successfully should not hold a security clearance. Using discretion, the Attorney General may seek prosecution of cases for mishandling of classified information. It is clearly the case that the accountability associated with mishandling of classified information should depend on a number of factors including the scope, duration, [and] intentionality of the mishandling, but all cases of mishandling of classified information must be addressed and actions must be taken to prevent their recurrence."

He called for "more aggressively implementing the Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise," which will "enable the electronic implementation of the need-to-know principle." He also mentioned the CIA's own "insider threat program."

Although he mentioned NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden ("the Snowden incident"), he said nothing about how he would ensure there were "proper channels" for whistleblowers to raise concerns about policies and programs they might find to be unethical or illegal. He said nothing about the chilling effect that insider threat programs can have on employees of good conscience, who may decide to stay silent in order to protect their livelihood from being destroyed.

None of the senators on the Senate intelligence committee bothered to ask him about whistleblowing either.

When George W. Bush was president, CIA officer John Kiriakou was the first member of the agency to publicly confirm that waterboarding was official U.S. policy. He believed the CIA was not authorized under the law to torture Abu Zubaydah. In response, Kiriakou was targeted by the Justice Department and pled guilty to confirming the name of an agent involved in the CIA's rendition, detention, and interrogation program to a reporter in violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.

Kiriakou was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2013. He was jailed at a federal correctional facility in Loretto, Pennsylvania, over one hundred miles away from his wife and five children. He had to mortgage his house, and his livelihood was utterly destroyed.

"There's literally nowhere that a CIA whistleblower can go other than the press, and that invites an Espionage Act charge," Kiriakou told Shadowproof. "If you want to blow the whistle, you have to blow the whistle to the Office Of Inspector General or the Office of General Counsel."

If the Inspector General is not read into a program or policy, then an employee may be guilty of violating the "need-to-know principle." And, "With these new rules, as they sound to me, the Inspector General's Office would be compelled to report the fact that an employee had gone to that office to report wrongdoing."

Kiriakou also found it naive of Pompeo to suggest the CIA would properly consider intent. When he was prosecuted, Judge Leonie Brinkema said intent was irrelevant. Either he leaked the information or not, and if he leaked the information, he deserved prosecution. The Justice Department took full advantage of that position.

Jeffrey Sterling, an African American CIA officer, was imprisoned at a federal correctional facility in Littleton, Colorado, about 900 miles away from his wife and family in St. Louis. He stood up to the CIA and brought a racial discrimination lawsuit against the agency in 2002. It was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2005 after the government invoked the "state secrets privilege."

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David Swanson

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My guest today is blogger, peace activist activist, author, David Swanson.

Joan Brunwasser: Welcome back to OpEdNews, David. We last spoke a few weeks before the election. I just read your new piece, Why Impeach Donald Trump? When you posted this, the guy had been in office two days. He clearly isn't widely liked but aren't you jumping the gun a bit?

David Swanson: Speaking for myself and not for colleagues or organizations, much less George Soros from whom I've never received a dime ever (though apparently connecting him to some activist campaign serves some people as a refutation of its demands), I'd say we waited much too long. Some impeachable offenses were guaranteed on Day 1, but we didn't have to wait until Day 1 to know that. Under the Constitution, the president is not allowed financial gains or business favors from the U.S., state, or foreign governments.

Trump's lease of the Old Post Office Building violates an explicit clause in the General Services Administration lease contract. Since 1980, Trump and his businesses have brought in $885 million in tax breaks, grants and other subsidies from New York State. China's state-owned bank is the largest tenant in Trump Tower. It is also a major lender to Trump. These are a few examples of many.

Now, days later, Trump has discriminated against Muslims in a new way with his ban on immigration from certain countries. And he's carried on the outrages of his predecessors with drone murders, bombing campaigns, and occupations. He's even apparently threatened to send troops into Chicago. So, I think the impeachable offenses are beginning to pile up.







Chicago skyline

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JB: Send troops into Chicago? I live in suburban Chicago. What did we do to deserve troops?

DS: @RealDonaldTrump tweeted and @POTUS retweeted: "If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible 'carnage' going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!" I tried hoping this meant lawyers, but everyone I asked assumed it meant soldiers. In addition Trump has announced an executive order to "target sanctuary cities" with Chicago chief among them. The details are unknown. He gets the corporate news coverage first, then tells you what the hell it actually is after.

By the way, in Chicago you should do this peace essay.





And sign this petition: Municipal Employees' Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago Must Divest from Weapons Dealers.

JB: Thanks for the suggestions and the links. Well, in all fairness, Trump is not wrong that the constant shootings are appalling. It would be nice if he came up with something real and substantial and potentially constructive. Are we going to turn the poor areas into policed camps? Yikes! Back to the impeachment argument. Why Trump? Is he a target because he's so disliked? Is he worse than others before him?

DS: I can't speak for all supporters of impeaching Trump. Most of them will have bad reasons, as most people have bad reasons for everything. Personally, I favor impeaching him for many of the same offenses, as noted above, for which I favored impeaching Obama and Bush. But the charges brought at http://ImpeachDonaldTrumpNow.orgare unprecedented. His predecessors could not have been impeached for the same thing.

Is his offense morally worse than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton taking Saudi government and Boeing funds into her family foundation, and then working to waive legal restrictions on Boeing selling weapons to Saudi Arabia -- weapons now being used to slaughter innocents? I don't think so. But it's in the same league and likely to be at least as deadly.

Still, for everyone asking me if Trump's worse than those before him, there are 10,000 shouting at me that he's better than the guy who would come after him -- which, as with Cheney, misses the problem that Pence is already involved and seeing his agenda acted on. But the question of who is worse, Trump or Pence, is a very different question from this one: Who is worse, President Trump in an era of total unchecked power and immunity, or President Pence in an age of popular sovereignty with the threat of impeachment looming behind every high-crime-and-misdemeanor that comes up for consideration by the White House? I believe changing the office of the presidency into one that can be lost for substantive crimes and abuses -- a radical change from its current state -- would be more significant than the personality, ideology, or party of the presidents who come next.





I believe part of that significance would derive from the benefits of building the movement that imposes impeachment on a corrupt and partisan and reluctant Congress. Cultural change comes principally from movement building, and very little from the personalities of elected officials. If Chicago, for example, passes a resolution demanding Trump's impeachment, it will be because a lot of people learned what was wrong and how to fix it. They won't forget that the moment Pence or someone else swears to uphold the Constitution as president.







Donald Trump's current address

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JB: Let's talk pragmatically. How does one go about impeaching a president? And, politically speaking, with the Republicans holding both houses of Congress, how likely is it? They're on a power trip of their own.

DS: Not too many days ago people told us asking for clemency for Chelsea Manning was pointless. Nothing looks possible until after it's done. But no past impeachment has been strictly partisan, though the nonsense impeachment of Bill Clinton (who should have been impeached for legitimate reasons) came close. And even in today's world of Absolute Partisanship there hasn't been a Republican that the Republicans would be more willing to impeach than Trump. But if they think what follows will be corporate power and a docile public, they'll be as wrong as were all the Democrats and all the television networks who thought promoting Trump as a candidate would be a really clever way to elect a really unpopular former Secretary of State.

Activism is not prediction. Making predictions and making demands are at odds with each other. I'm only involved in making demands here. And if we succeed, everyone will say it was inevitable, so having made predictions won't be worth much anyway.







our nation's capital

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JB: You make an excellent point. Social change only looks inevitable when we look back in time. Let's say that I agree with you. How to proceed? What's the next step?

Sign the petition: http://ImpeachDonaldTrumpNow.org

Read my FAQ: http://firedonaldtrump.org

Share widely.

Take flyers to events.

Contact your Congress member.

Ask your town or city to pass a resolution.

Ask your organizations to support.







Women's March on Washington DC

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JB: There were massive marches across the nation and worldwide the day after Inauguration Day. The turnouts everywhere were unprecedented, the largest we've ever seen in this country. What, if anything, does that add to the mix?

DS: Well, it shows opposition to Trump and to certain of his policies. It's also full of flaws, failure to support the few good things he does, failure to oppose some of the worst things, and way too much support for the Democratic Party. But on the whole it is a very good sign, as is resistance within the EPA, the National Park Service, and various city governments. We just need to use this opposition wisely, including promoting a positive vision of where we want to be.

JB: How would the marches "support the few good things he does, failure to oppose some of the worst things"? How do marches pinpoint like that? And should they? Also, how did the marches demonstrate too much support for the Democratic Party? You lost me there, David.

DS: Speakers at the marches called him names, insulted his appearance, threatened violence, cheered for Democrats. Speakers included Debbie Wasserman Schultz who did more than anyone else to nominate the only Democrat who could have lost to Trump. This is a crowd much of which proclaims that ending the TPP had nothing to do with Trump, rather than encouraging him to do the same to NAFTA, but announces that restarting the DAPL and Keystone XL was entirely Trump with zero role by the previous president who left the door open. Many of these people want every anti-Russia/anti-Trump claim produced by the CIA taken on faith even as it undermines the idea of fact-based politics and even as it stirs up dangerous hostility between the US and Russian governments.

Torture prisons? The CIA is never wrong. Trump is never right. But they both want 'em. Aaaaarggh! What to think? Better ask the Democrats!

No. What we need is principled, policy-based activism that ignores party and personality and insists on facts and accountability across the board, crediting the worst people when they do right and condemning the best when they do wrong.

JB: Got it. By the way, I wasn't referring to the speakers at the marches. For the most part, no one could hear them anyway. I'm talking about the energy of the millions who came out not because they're DNC or Washington apparatchniks. Anything you'd like to add before we wrap this up?

DS: Imagine a movement to hold the U.S. government to account in the absence of the impeachment provision in the Constitution. Then imagine that one day we were granted the magical power to insert impeachment into history and into U.S. law. Wouldn't we jump at it?



JB: What a tantalizing question! I enjoyed talking with you, David. You always make me stretch. Thank you.

***

FireDonaldTrump.org

David says: If I've persuaded you, or if you already agreed, please sign this petition .

Help support DavidSwanson.org, WarIsACrime.org, and TalkNationRadio.org by clicking here .





**

My previous interviews with David:

10.20.2016

Bernie and the Media: No Love Lost1.26.2016

War is So 2014!1.3.215

Exclusive Interview with Activist David Swanson 6.22.2009
From Consortium News



The 'magic mirror' in the children's story, 'Snow White.'

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By insisting that he is the legitimate winner of the U.S. popular vote and the man who drew the largest inaugural crowd ever, President Trump is behaving like the evil queen in "Snow White" gazing into a "magic mirror" and refusing to accept that he isn't the "fairest of them all."

To protect his giant but fragile ego, Trump concocts fantasies about three million to five million illegal votes -- enough to cover his actual deficit of 2.8 million -- and he disputes the obvious fact that his inaugural turnout was far less than Barack Obama's.

Having attended both Obama's inaugural in 2009 and Trump's in 2017, I can assure you that Obama's crowd was much bigger. While my son Jeff and I had to squeeze into and out of packed Metro stations on Jan. 20, 2009, we had no trouble getting on a train on Jan. 20, 2017.

Even at the outskirts of Trump's inauguration, protesters far outnumbered celebrants. One vendor selling Trump-inaugural tee shirts remarked that he had been sitting there for four hours and had only sold five shirts.

Of course, none of that is too surprising since Obama was the first African-American president and Washington D.C. and its surrounding suburbs have large black populations as well as being heavily Democratic districts. In other words, it was easier for many Obama supporters to get to his inaugural than it was for Trump's backers to travel longer distances to get to his.

As for the crowds on the Mall, Trump's turnout was further depressed by the fact that large numbers of protesters, especially north of the inaugural parade route, clogged the security checkpoints. Some protesters even locked arms to slow the entry process.

So there were logical reasons -- not reflective of Trump's overall popularity -- explaining why his numbers were a lot lower than Obama's. But rather than accept this minor slight -- as well as the fact that he lost the national popular vote by a significant margin -- Trump has behaved like Snow White's vain queen who can't accept the inevitability of her fading beauty and the unwelcome news that someone younger has supplanted her as "the fairest" in the land.

Trump could have scored valuable political points by demonstrating some uncharacteristic grace, acknowledging that as the popular vote loser whose crowds fell short of Obama's record turnout, he recognizes his responsibility to be the president of all the people and to respect dissenting opinions.

Instead, he marred his first week in the White House by pushing easily debunked claims that he was the victim of conspiracies to disparage his inaugural turnout and deny him a popular-vote victory.

More Dangerous Lies

While Trump's refusal to accept unpleasant realities raises fresh concerns about his fitness for office -- since his presidency will surely face some painful reversals and rejecting reality is a dangerous way to respond -- he is certainly not the first president to lie to the American people.



Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at the Prescott Valley Event Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona. October 4, 2016.

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One difference between Trump's lies and many other lies, however, is that Trump's are both more personal and more obvious. Only his most benighted followers will continue to contest his popular vote loss and the comparatively small size of his inaugural crowds. Most government lies are both harder to detect and more sinister in their consequences.

Think, for example, of President George W. Bush's falsehoods about Iraq's WMDs and Saddam Hussein's alleged collaboration with Al Qaeda. That deceptive propaganda led to the deaths of more than 4,500 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, not to mention a price tag of more than $1 trillion and the spreading of chaos across the Middle East and into Europe.

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From Consortium News



Artists work on a sign that reads 'Deport Trump' during the presidential inauguration. January 20, 2017.

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The new mayor of the "People's Republic of Berkeley," Jesse Arreguin, is facing a trial by fire. The son and grandson of farmworkers and the first Latino to ever be elected mayor of Berkeley, California, Arreguin finds himself on the frontlines of the "sanctuary city" movement and in the cross hairs of President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies.

I spoke with Mayor Arreguin on Wednesday after Trump signed several executive orders aimed at undocumented immigrants and challenging so-called "sanctuary cities." Arreguin said he had spoken to many immigrant students in city schools who are not sure what is coming next.

Dennis Bernstein: I wanted to begin, first, by asking you to give us your own response, sort of to the overall, what's going on. And then we're going to talk about the implications and how you feel in terms of continuing Berkeley as a sanctuary city.

Jesse Arreguin: Well, in just two days, Donald Trump has not only set us on a course of ruining our planet, by fast-tracking the approval of the Keystone Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline, but also stripped the civil rights and civil liberties of our citizens, has pushed a divisive wall, [and] is now threatening cities which had the courage to stand up for being a city refuge for all people, regardless of their citizenship status. And Berkeley is one of those cities.

And so, I'm angry. And I'm concerned about what the executive order the President signed today [Jan. 25] means for the people of Berkeley, and undocumented people throughout our country. And, now, more than ever, we're going to stand up, and protect everyone, regardless of their national origin, their religion. And, I think, now more than ever, Berkeley needs to be a leader in the resistance against the Trump administration.

DB: I was going to ask you that; People have always looked to Berkeley. You know, they refer to it as the "People's Republic of Berkeley." [...] We've been on the cutting edge when it comes to conscience and action, so I'm sure the whole world is watching.

Have you been hearing from some of your constituents? ... Is there fear in the community? Are the kids...we're right across the street from Berkeley High School. There's a good number of kids in there who are probably feeling like maybe they should go into hiding. How's that coming to you?

JA: Absolutely, there's a great deal of fear in the community. And actually, after the election, I visited a number of our schools, including some of our middle-schools and elementary schools. And there are a lot of students who were very concerned about what the election of Trump means for not just them but their classmates. Including their classmates who are undocumented. You know, being uprooted from their schools, from their families, dividing families, dividing communities. And I spoke to these students to try to reassure them that Berkeley will remain a sanctuary city. And "we're here to support you."

So, we're actually going to be working with the University of California, with the Berkeley Unified School District, to try to... sort of coordinate our resources, our legal resources, and our other resources for undocumented residents. Because we need to help people defend against deportations. We need to help people... families are being divided. But there's a great deal of fear.

But, I want to say that the City of Berkeley stands with everyone, regardless of their citizenship status. And we will protect our residents, and ... our city employees are instructed to not, in any way, cooperate with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. We refuse to cooperate with ICE, but we do need to be prepared, for what if ICE comes in our community. What are we going to do?

DB: What are you going to do? Are there preparations, is there a lot of planning?

JA: So, we're beginning to think about that, and plan for that. It happened before, in 2007, ICE came onto the Berkeley High campus to try to identify and detain students. And that's actually where our sanctuary policy came out of. So, it's happened before. Sadly, it is likely to happen again. But we will fight back.

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The recapture of Aleppo by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies marks a turning point not only in the conflict in Syria, but also in the dynamic of international conflict. For the first time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the rolling imperial engine of regime change via American-led military intervention has been stopped in its tracks. To be sure, it's certainly not out of service, even in Syria, and it will seek and find new paths for devastating disobedient countries, but its assumed endgame for subjugating Syria has been rudely interrupted. And in our historical context, Syria interrupted is imperialism interrupted.

Let's remember where things stood in Syria seventeen months ago. After a four-year campaign, directed by the United States, thousands of jihadis in various groups backed by the US/NATO, the Gulf monarchies, Turkey and Israel, were on the offensive. ISIS occupied Palmyra, Raqqa, and swaths of territory, and was systematically raping, beheading, and torturing Syrian citizens and looting and destroying the country's cultural treasures. Al-Qeada/al-Nusra had triumphantly poured into the eastern part of Aleppo, Syria's largest city (and one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world), were beheading and crucifying their newly-subjugated Syrian captives, and were beginning their siege of the larger and more populous part of that city. Turkey had commenced military operations on Syrian territory against Kurdish forces (who had won significant victories against ISIS), and was enabling the transit of foreign jihadis into Syria and convoys of ISIS oil through its territory. Against these dispersed offensives, the Syrian Arab Army was undermanned and overstretched.

As John Kerry himself later admitted , in a meeting with Syrian opposition, the Obama administration saw the ISIS advance as a positive development: "[W]e know that this was growing, we were watching, we saw that DAESH [ ISIS] was growing in strength, and we thought Assad was threatened. [We] thought, however, we could probably manage that. Assad might then negotiate."(By "negotiate," Kerry meant "capitulate"--negotiate the terms of his abdication.) For the Serious People in Washington, this--the impending takeover of Syria by ISIS and Al-Qaeda jihadis--meant things were going swimmingly. (Al-Nusra was at the time--and still is, less officially--the affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Syria.) As Daniel Lazare pointed out : "After years of hemming and hawing, the Obama administration has finally come clean about its goals in Syria. In the battle to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, it is siding with Al Qaeda"[R]ather than protesting what is in fact a joint U.S.-Al Qaeda assault, the Beltway crowd is either maintaining a discreet silence or boldy hailing Al Nusra's impending victory as ' the best thing that could happen in a Middle East in crisis.'"

You read that right. As one al-Nusra commander said: "We are one part of al-Qaeda"The Americans are on our side."



ISIS? We can manage that.

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Some are furiously galvanized and organizing like mad. Some feel trapped in a surrealist movie, overwhelmed by confusion. Some have subsided into defeat and demoralization. The clash of paradigms is titanic, a tidal wave of protest crashing against the colossal ego of a uniquely unhinged and malevolent executive.

We have not been here before.

Tons of insightful analysis and practical advice are issuing from progressive groups. Every hour brings new petitions, talking points, and strategic propositions to counter the noxious river of cruelty, self-regard, and cynical bloviation gushing out of the White House. I have no doubt that people will be more active and better-organized this year than ever before: desperate to stanch the flow, they are pouring heart, soul, and muscle into the work of defending democracy. No one can know the outcome, but scenarios are flying, from early impeachment to a trumped-up coup d'etat to a terrorist attack from within (or as someone put it, a Reichstag moment).

We have been in some very tough places, but we have not been precisely here before.

Throughout the week since the inauguration, the ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance politician and writer, have been streaming through my mind. Machiavelli, who lived from 1469 to 1527, is most famous for his 1513 volume of practical advice for rulers, The Prince. His own political and diplomatic career ended in 1512, when the Medici defeated the Florentines, dissolving their republic. They had Machiavelli imprisoned and tortured, but he survived and retired to his estate to write. My quotations here are from the online Gutenberg edition of The Prince.

The Madman of Pennsylvania Avenue must surely be familiar with one of Machiavelli's best-known propositions, put forward in Chapter 17: "[W]hether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with." Why? Because love may be withdrawn with little risk: "[M]en have less scruple," Machiavelli wrote, "in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails."

This week, quite a few people have posted on social media an unattributed text, a litany of the terrible things the evil White House occupant has done in his first days in office, starting here:

Those who study authoritarian regimes suggest keeping a list of abnormal events after a demagogue is elected, as a way to remind yourself that this isn't normal and to keep from being overwhelmed into acceptance by the onslaught of attacks on our rights.



Here is a list below. We are 4 days in.



As the author says, "when you see all of this in one list, it is easy to get overwhelmed, at first-- it is also easy to see a pattern and to finally, finally recognize that none of this is normal, nor is it ok.

I read it first on dream hampton's Facebook page. (If you aren't on Facebook, you'll find it by scrolling down a bit here.)

When I consider this litany of crimes against the vulnerable--from cutting funding to the Department of Justice's Violence Against Women programs and Civil Rights Division to eliminating the Legal Services Corporation; from slashing federal cultural and public-interest communication programs to unleashing the reprehensible bigot Steve Bannon to denounce and threaten press freedom; from cutting half a dozen environmental and energy programs to reinstating the Dakota Access Pipeline, destroying sacred lands so many have stood to protect--I see a Bully-in-Charge, drunk on his own power, dying to be loved, settling for being feared, wallowing in attention, failing to recognize that the more revulsion and loathing he attracts, the sooner he is likely to drown in it. He sees himself as the leading edge of a new world order controlled by the one percent, and that hyperinflated self-understanding will be his downfall.

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So Tulsi Gabbard is back causing a big commotion in the mainstream media again. Many of them along with the usual gang-of-idiots in the war cheerleaders party are all up in arms about her "meeting a monster" because she deemed it not beneath her to meet with Syrian Pres. Bashar Al-Assad in her attempt to sow peace in a war ravaged country. It is funny to watch her supposed left-wing or at least "centrist" detractors so openly out themselves as irrational and immoral sycophants of the pro-war agenda. It is almost like they cannot see their credibility with the left vanishing into nothingness as they speak their childishly self-incriminating propaganda.



Tulsi is going to become a major target of their propaganda, she is becoming more and more, now it will be more harsh. But I am afraid it is too late for all that jazzhands. She is too smart for that and has too much credibility for the mud-slinging to work. Because like Donald J. Trump, she has a ton of support online - and the only people who take the mainstream media seriously are really not in the mood anymore for more saber rattling demagogic mud-slinging from boorishly pretentious media types and their deemed experts. I think most everyone is sick of their obviously sold-out-to-special-interests inane babble-rousing.



Meanwhile back in the the endless new world of Trump 24/7: As he is busy taking over Washington it seems that those progressives who during the election season were somewhat hopeful of a Trump presidency if for nothing more than what he was saying about foreign policy and jobs, it seems some are still holding out some hope on those fronts. I fear that hope is lost. I hope I am wrong, but...

Trump is for good relations with Russia more than likely because he and his friends are interested in a peaceful situation in general, everywhere, so they can live at peace and easily make more money anywhere in the world without fear or consequences. As a wealthy businessman that is probably how he has looked at US foreign policy, just like Rockefeller Oil's CEO Rex Tillerson, his Sec of State choice. But the reality of the official US foreign policy in strong opposition to that view towards Russia likely will change Trump. Trump, as much as progressives want him to be like them in foreign policy views, probably doesn't see foreign policy through a progressive worldview. He likely sees it in terms of business and pleasure, i.e., it is bad for business and pleasure to have bad relations with Russia since they are such a powerful and important country, so why go back to the cold war era?

Trump will have the riot act read to him by the establishment on why they are intent on creating a cold war with Putin's Russia, i.e., Russia under Putin does not play ball with the Anglo-Euro-Asian establishment. That economic and security bloc may agree to disagree wherever they may disagree on many matters (e.g. European Union problems, economic agendas, and so on), but they agree to at least follow certain major agendas which Russia has not gone along with, i.e., Russia has friendly relations with Iran and the Alawite Syrian regime; they want Ukraine in their orbit or at least the Russian half; they go along with a new reserve currency regime for the world which would harm the current Dollar regime; and the general disregard to aligning themselves with the Anglo-Euro-Asian establishment on future matters along with their support of anti-establishment media in the west. Add to that the wealthy Russians that oppose Putin for the taking of their wealth and power and future opportunities for wealth and power (control over natural resources, etc.) in partnerships with non-Russians - and any peaceful climate for business with Russia has been put on the back burner until they can get what they want from Russia - cooperation instead of antagonistic competition.

Trump was, I believe, unaware of that agenda, thinking that it was simply foolish to have bad relations with Russia for no good reason. I believe Trump will likely cease with his "let's be friends with Russia" campaign rhetoric when he becomes appraised of the situation. If he already knows but doesn't care, I doubt he will be supported by the GOP as much as they are now

Trump may have said the right things about bringing manufacturing back to America, but even if he pulls that off to a small degree (it will take many years) and doesn't get thrown out of office before it really makes much of a difference, the reality of those jobs will not be the pie in the sky that his supporters think - simply because the unions have been decimated. The high wage manufacturing jobs will become the low wage manufacturing jobs. That is the only way those jobs will come back because Trump has not shown a pro-union past nor has he been a supporter of high minimum wages. I don't see a near future with high paying manufacturing jobs in America making enough sense for most businesses to stay or come back regardless of what Trump says he will do to them on import taxes. Either way they would have to raise prices so they might as well stay in Asia or Latin America. Something will not work - either they won't come back or those that do will pay low wages.

So those are the two main reasons the progressives who support Trump see a silver lining in his otherwise typical lower taxes, government privatization, more military spending, smaller government rhetoric - which is aligned with the usual GOP nexus of interests.

A lot of people were led into thinking that Trump was not part of the right-wing establishment because most of that establishment was vocally against his candidacy. But they were only against him because it seemed like a safe bet to put out a politically correct public view of themselves during the election year. They thought the pollsters were right and that Clinton would win. So they saw an opportunity for public relations, to make themselves seem smart to put Trump down in the same way that Trump's political opposition and media was putting him down, i.e., as an unschooled churlish demagogue who was making a fool of himself. But since Trump has won they have embraced him thinking that he will come around and get in line with the establishment consensus on foreign policy - and more importantly support the extreme GOP agenda that has been smacked down by Obama for 8 years.

It remains to be seen what Trump does, but right now it looks like he is ready to install the full GOP agenda. So why did he get rid of the TTP? Isn't that progressive? It was already finished due to such massive public ill will, and it was part of Obama's legacy. It was bad for Trump's image to support it even if he supports the same type of corporate ideology. The same type of thing can be accomplished with Trump's administration getting the glory in the future.

When some people or even progressives tell us "the reason Trump has all these high powered corporate guys in his cabinet is because Trump wants strong people to push his agenda in Washington," well, I believe that is correct. But I disagree with the view that Trump's agenda aligns with the common people. Since when in his history has Trump ever sided with the common people except in his campaign rhetoric? His past suggests the usual corporate capitalist, not a progressive. So unless Trump was visited by the ghosts from Christmas past, present, and yet to come - then I would not get your hopes up over a sudden radical departure from his past. He has never done anything in his past to suggest anything but a typical GOP agenda other than what he has said in his campaign - which if he is like other politicians - doesn't mean a whole lot when it comes to what they end up doing in office.

If Trump does surprise us and is the radical or secret progressive many hope he is, then he will be gone in 4 years or less. The establishment is not something he has the will or the way to take on. That can be accomplished but it would take someone with the majority of the nation behind them, Trump simply doesn't have that kind of support. The majority of the nation are distracted and not overly educated on most issues, making them easily manipulated by the mainstream media and their so-called experts. It would take someone like a Tulsi Gabbard or other truly progressive and smart person to shame them into submission. Because that is what it will take, someone on the moral high ground that the media cannot demonize effectively.


Democratic Donkey Down

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Reprinted from neweconomicperspectives.org by William Black

By William K. Black

January 24, 2017 Bloomington, MN

Overview

This article explains three critical reasons why the Democratic Party's leaders are far more insane than all but a few Democrats understand. It focuses on the leaders of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the New Democrats. The DNC leadership is composed of New Democrats. Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign in disgrace when the leaks proved that she was putting the DNC's thumbs on the scale to favor Hillary Clinton (a New Democrat) in the presidential nomination contest against Bernie Sanders. Wasserman Schultz also took large contributions from big finance and, until she faced the prospect of a serious primary challenger, she supported efforts by predatory lenders to use Congress to bar the regulators from stopping their abuses.

Donna Brazile, a New Democrat, now runs the DNC. In this article, I show that Brazile denounced Democrats who refused to cheer President Bush's invasion of Iraq (and his "Mission Accomplished" declaration) as so disloyal that when their country needed them they went "AWOL." Not satisfied with that libel, she added the homophobic smear that voters would view Democrats who failed to cheer Bush's lies and invasion as "effete." Best of all, she said that Democrats should take as their role models Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, and Frank Gaffney -- Bush's "chicken hawks" that devised the campaign of lies that led to the disastrous invasion of Iraq. Gaffney is now spreading hate of Muslims -- and advising President Trump.

The DNC is also in the news because it has just accepted a $20 million "donation" funded by Third Way, a Wall Street front group, to study why the white working class "abandoned" Hillary Clinton. Clinton is a leader of the New Democrats. Wall Street has long been the largest single funder of the New Democrats various institutions. The New Democrats, at the behest of Wall Street, have waged the "long war" against the working class since their formation in 1984. The New Democrats did not simply abandon the working class -- they targeted it for scorn and assaulted it with policies that harmed many Americans, but caused the greatest harm to the working class.

Particularly in light of the Trump's election, the logical reaction of the DNC would have been to refuse to take the Wall Street buyout and announce that the New Democrats would never again do Wall Street's bidding. They would return to the Democratic Party's historic role as the party that championed the rights of workers. Brazile, of course, ensured that the DNC eagerly took the $20 million Wall Street buyout. The New Democrats not only continue to be for sale (or rent) by Wall Street -- they continue to show that they continue to for sale for chump change.

The DNC does not need $20 million to figure out why the white working class "abandoned" the New Democrats. They can check out from their local library Tom Frank's books warning that this would happen and explaining in detail why the New Democrats' long war against the working class was making it happen. Tom Frank has been writing books warning about this since 2004. If the DNC were under new management, it would have invited Tom Frank to meet with its entire staff in November.

Third Way is following the New Democrats' unbroken tradition of servitude to the most despicable corporate patrons eager to see Republican anti-public policies triumph. Virtually every American is disgusted by the New Democrat's embrace of the "Vampire Squid" (Goldman Sachs) exemplified by the Clintons' mercenary speeches and Trump's appointment of four senior officials with strong ties to Goldman Sachs.

What people need to know is that the New Democrats' historic business patrons are more despicable that Goldman Sachs. The New Democrats' first formal organization, created in 1984, was the Democratic Leadership Coalition (DLC). The DLC was funded overwhelmingly by huge corporations, but two of its donors are worthy of special note -- the Koch Brothers and the Bradley Foundation. Tom Frank made this point forcefully in in 1984 in What's the Matter with Kansas. The DLC spawned another Wall Street front group with an even more dishonest name -- the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI).

Large corporations provided the bulk of PPI's funding, but like the DLC it was also heavily funded by the Bradley Foundation. Harry Bradley, along with the Koch brothers' father, was a charter member of the John Birch Society. That means they were off-the-charts looney and ultra-right wing. Mr. Bradley's passion was his hatred for organized labor. He was a notorious for his employment discrimination against blacks and women. At the time the DLC and the PPI formed, the Bradley Foundation was the Nation's most destructive funder of ultra-right wing efforts to influence policy. Today, it is the force behind Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's war against organized labor. The Nation's most virulent and effective enemy of organized labor funded the New Democrats. The New Democrats knew what they were choosing to lie down with and they knew exactly what they were signaling to organized labor about their hostility to unions and disdain for the working class.

Third Way, the DLC, and the PPI shared another trait common to the New Democrats-- they all tried hard to keep Democrats from knowing who their corporate donors were and how much they gave. They craved dark money for the usual reasons.

Stop and ask yourself why the Kochs, Wall Street, big oil, and the Bradley Foundation funded the New Democrats. Then ask yourself why the two most recent DNC leaders have (1) shilled for predatory lenders and (2) tried to defeat Democrats who saw through Bush's lies about Iraq, tried to ridicule them as "effete," and urged that Democrats copy Bush's "chicken hawks" who framed Bush's lies and spread religious hate to Trump against Muslims.

The DNC is also in the news because another New Democrat, former President Obama, has been intervening repeatedly to try to prevent Representative Ellison, the progressive candidate to replace Brazile, from becoming the DNC's leader. Worse, major corporate donors to the Democratic Party are seeking to block Ellison, even sinking to the level of anti-Semitism smears. Losing to Trump has not been a sufficient wake-up call to the New Democrats to convince them to abandon their policy of abandoning and assaulting for 33 years the core principles and core supporters of the Democratic Party. Instead, they rushed to prostitute themselves to Wall Street on the Potomac (Third Way). They are doing everything possible to prevent breaking free from Wall Street and restoring the Party's soul.

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Burch was one of many who interrupted the confirmation hearings of both Tillerson and Jeff Sessions, Trump's choice for attorney general. Many of these activists were arraigned in D.C. Superior Court Wednesday.

"Today's festival of resistance was an indication that people across the country are standing up to Trumpism and Trump appointees," said Mark Goldstone, a public defender representing many of the accused, who number around 50 and come from different organizations. "Their voices will certainly not be silenced."

Like Tillerson, who until recently was CEO of Exxon Mobil, activist Carson Chavana attended University of Texas at Austin. The 27-year-old organizer made the trip to D.C. from Texas to voice her opposition to her fellow alumni.

"As the ex-CEO of the largest oil company, Rex Tillerson is unfit and unqualified to be our chief diplomat," Chavana said outside the courtroom. "It would be un-American to confirm a man who's so clearly interested in profits over people's lives."

In addition to Tillerson, activists are alarmed by Trump's other cabinet picks, in particular Sessions. "These are not some people who I merely dislike," Burch said after Wednesday's arraignment. "These are people whose appointments will be dangerous for our country."

Fearing Sessions' ascension to attorney general, activists from Democracy Spring and Howard University's chapter of the NAACP held a sit-in at the Alabama senator's D.C. office as his confirmation hearing got under way January 10. These activists were among those in court Wednesday.

The NAACP -- which Sessions accused of being "un-American " -- called the senator's nomination "deeply troubling ," citing his "disdain for our nation's civil rights laws" and consistent opposition to voting protections, which he would be charged to protect.

Sessions' past is so checkered the Senate Judiciary Committee, heeding the words of Coretta Scott King, took the unusual step of voting down his bid to become a federal judge thirty years ago. Sessions' "reprehensible conduct," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow wrote , "should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship."

"We see appointing him as an insult to all those who have struggled and sacrificed to realize the universal right to vote," said Democracy Spring co-founder Kai Newkirk, who took part in the sit-in at Sessions' office.

"The Republican Party can't win a free and fair election in this country at this point," but instead must rely on voting restriction, gerrymandered districts, the electoral college and the backing of billionaires, said Newkirk.

As Trump falsely asserts voter fraud caused him to lose the popular vote, Newkirk fears this could be "a cover" to increase voter suppression, particularly if Sessions is attorney general.

While voting fraud is extremely rare , at least three of Trump's inner circle are registered to vote in multiple locations.

As Sessions' office was occupied, activists also intervened at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

"When he began to speak I felt like some truth needed to be brought into the room," said Carl Dix, with Refuse Fascism and the Revolutionary Communist Party. "Sessions is a racist. He's illegitimate," Dix said before being hauled out of the hearing.

Also at the confirmation hearing was Tighe Barry of Codepink. "White people own this country!" Barry, dressed in KKK costume, said to senators.

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The Trump attack on the media continues to grow: not only has Bannon told the media to "Shut up" but now Minister of Propaganda Conway has called for firing media critics. Dailykos reports: "Kellyanne Conway goes on bonkers rant, calls for Trump's media critics to be fired"

"It.... becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." --- Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945

The repression of dissent has two tools: "alternative" facts and intimidation ("Shut up."). If that fails, there is always raw force, the Police State Trump promised. This ultimate mechanism does not repress dissent so much as eliminate dissenters.

Recently, both of Trump's ministers of propaganda have promoted these measures to eliminate or degrade dissent.

Kellyanne Conway presented the idea of "alternative facts" as a way of sanitizing lies and giving them equal status with objective truth (such as crowd sizes). Steve Bannon, Goldman-Sachs alumni and head of the neo-fascist alt-right, has told the media to "Shut up."

Public intellectuals like Paul Craig Roberts have aided this crackdown on free speech by claiming that both the recounts initiated by Jill Stein are Soros-funded attempts to execute a "coup" and by claiming that the millions of protesters against Trump are being paid by Soros or the CIA. This attempt to delegitimize both the right to fair elections (which requires the right to recounts) and protest is part of the effort to create an intellectual basis for fascism.....and we need to look no further than Hitler (whose speeches Trump studied) and Goebbels, the role model for both Conway and Bannon.

The major pillars of propaganda are:

1. Make a lie big enough, absurd enough, that few will believe anyone would tell such a whopper. Goebbels asserts that the bigger the lie, the more it will be believed. A good example is that Trump has demonized the undocumented immigrant population as very dangerous ("They are rapists...criminals), while the objective fact is that undocumented workers are the most law abiding and non-violent members of the community: in 2018, there were 14, 138 murders in the US and 8 were committed by undocumented workers.

Yet Trump has promised to make every violent act by an undocumented immigrant headline news, tho their rate of violent crime is 99% lower than US citizens. (Source: US Bureau of Prisons). That is why I suggest that what Jews were for Hitler (ie the most defenseless population), Mexicans are for Trump. The second key feature of fascist propaganda is to repeat the lie over and over until it is believed.

The third feature is in Goebbels Principles of Propaganda, #18, which ties all these lies together:

PROPAGANDA MUST FACILITATE THE DISPLACEMENT OF AGGRESSON BY SPECIFYING THE TARGETS FOR HATRED

This is exactly how Trump started his campaign, with the Big Lie about immigrants, repeated endlessly and fortified by the promise to build a wall, and then displacing white working class anger at neo-liberal victimization onto the least protected group, the peaceful and hard-working Mexican population of people denied legal protection.

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Trump image from sign at Womens March Philly

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To get an idea of what to expect from Donald Trump for the next four years, we only have to examine his first week in office.

January 20: Trump was sworn in and delivered a dark inaugural address; a shorter versions of his "Make America Great Again" stump speech that featured two themes. One was Trump populism: "We are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people." The other was Trump's assessment of the "carnage" outside Washington, DC: "Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential."

Initially Trump claimed to have written this speech by himself but it was later revealed that it had been penned by his aides Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon.

Trump finished the day by removing all reference to global-climate-change from the White House website and signing a (symbolic) executive order "giving federal agencies broad powers to unwind regulations created under the Affordable Care Act."

January 21: Millions of Americans took to the streets in the national women's march. Trump ignored this and instead went to the headquarters of the CIA where he delivered a rambling speech where, among other things, he lashed out at the mainstream media: "I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth." Trump accused the media of distorting the size of the inauguration crowds.

A few hours later, Trump's Press Secretary, Sean Spicer held a bizarre press conference where he took no questions and, instead, huffed, "some members of the media were engaged in deliberately false reporting." Spicer, too, was worried about the crowd-size numbers.

January 22 (Sunday): For most of the day, Trump was quiet but at 4:47 AM he tweeted: "Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly."

Meanwhile, Trump Senior Adviser KellyAnne Conway made the talk-show rounds and revealed that Trump has broken another promise: he will not release his tax returns even after his IRS audit is completed. Conway went on the defend Sean Spicer, saying his estimates of inauguration crowd size were "alternative facts."

January 23: Trump signed several symbolic executive orders and then visited Democratic and Republican congressional leaders. During his extemporaneous remarks he explained that he lost the presidential popular vote because 3 million to 5 million "illegals" voted for Hillary Clinton.

Trump's Press Secretary gave a relatively normal White House press briefing. However, he continued to complain about the media: "The default narrative is always negative, and it's demoralizing."

January 24: Trump continued to assert that "illegals" voted for Clinton and vowed "an investigation." Meanwhile, during his confirmation hearing, South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney, nominated to head the Office of Management and Budget, indicated that Trump will abandon his promises to leave Social Security and Medicare alone.

It was widely reported that the Trump Administration has issued directives to muzzle Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

January 25: Trump signed an executive order authorizing construction of a wall along the southern border and repeated his assertion that the United States would be reimbursed by the Mexican government. (The next day, Mexico's President, Enrique Pena Nieto, said his country would not pay for the wall and cancelled a meeting with Trump.)

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Donald Trump to Mexico's Enrique Pea Nieto: What Wall? - The ...

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President Donald Trump juxtaposed to Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto

Well here we go. A day after the "Donald", President Trump signed an executive order for construction of a wall with Mexico saying they would pay for it he's having trouble with them agreeing to it.

The president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto was scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington next week, but decided early yesterday to cancel the meeting when Trump insisted Mexico pay for the wall.

Trump had said earlier it would be better if Nieto canceled the trip if he insisted Mexico wouldn't pay for it. So it goes.

When one thinks about the idea of Mexico having to pay for a wall built entirely on the US side of the border it's a bit of chutzpa to begin with-to say nothing of the merit of building the wall in the first place.

On a smaller scale in America when neighbors want to build a fence between them they usually agree where the property line is, build the fence there then split the costs. Not Mr. "art of the deal" himself though, it's we build it, you pay for it.

Aside from Mexico's objection there's the "Tohono O'odham Nation, a native American tribe whose reservation in Southern Arizona borders Mexico. Tribal leaders have said there won't be a wall built on their 75 mile border with Mexico where one leader put it rather succinctly, "Over my dead body will a wall be built". [1]

That's pretty definitive considering Native American lands have sovereign status in the US.

You have to love it when actual resistance to an unnecessary, bad project has legal standing on its side.

Sure many people in the US objected to Trump building the wall but their protests couldn't legally stop the "Donald", but the Tohono O'odham apparently can, at least the 75 mile stretch of their land where he won't be able to build his wall.

On a potentially more worrisome note, tucked in an executive order regarding refugees entering the US, Trump has ordered Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State designate Rex Tillerson to come up with a plan in 90 days for safe zones in Syria.

Such a plan would require control of the air space, something Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress in September, "Right now, for us to control the airspace in Syria, it would require us to go to war against Syria and Russia"...a pretty fundamental decision I'm not going to make".

I doubt Trump wants a war with Syria and Russia as it is they who control the airspace in Syria. However this is something to keep a watchful eye on.

What Trump needs to do is reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin and arrange a face to face meeting whereby Trump can be apprised by the Russian leader of the reality in Syria. Russia isn't about to cede control of the airspace in Syria so any idea of an American sponsored safe zone is a nonstarter.

All a safe zone will do is provide a sanctuary for radical, Islamic Jihadists to regroup and initiate attacks on President Bashar Assad's Syrian Arab Army positions then retreat back into the safe zone after the attack.

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We've been hearing for years from Republican politicians, Trump to Speaker Ryan and Members of Congress, about how they were going to repeal the Affordable Care Act they named "Obamacare." Now they're set to proceed without ever even considering, much less answering, this simple question: Why?

Why would ANYONE want to

--Deny anyone, much less tens of millions of people, the ability to go to the doctor when sick or to get preventive treatment to live happier, healthier lives

--Make it harder to start up small businesses by removing access to affordable health insurance

--Eliminate thousands of good jobs as doctors, nurses, or other providers

--Close hospitals, nursing homes and clinics, especially in rural areas

--Harm a significant segment of the US economy, including health care, one of the fastest growing segments

--Increase costs for hospital district taxpayers who pay for uncompensated care

--Force those with serious illness into bankruptcy

--Increase costs of prescriptions for seniors on Medicare

--Remove tax credits for businesses that pay for employee health insurance

--Increase our already extreme income inequality by tax cuts for the rich at the expense of the middle class and poor

--Increase unplanned pregnancies and increase the number of abortions (especially while claiming to be "pro-life")

--Saddle businesses with increased employees sickness

--Reduce the government's ability to combat Medicare/Medicaid fraud

--Reduce the federal and state governments' ability to control insurance premiums, growth now slowed under ACA

--Reduce the quality of care or the coverages of insurance?

These are just some of the questions they haven't addressed. They talk of replacement but have nothing comparable. If they persist in this insanity, we will have to give them a BIG answer at the ballot box in 2018 and 2020, "You're fired!"
MASON CITY | The driver of a West Fork school bus that collided with a pickup south of Mason City on Tuesday has been cited.

Kimberlee Sue Kephart, 55, of Swaledale, was cited with misdemeanor failure to yield right of way from a stop sign.

The crash happened about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday about two miles south of Mason City.

Kephart stopped the southbound bus at a stop sign on Quail Avenue and then drove onto 210th Street, where the bus was hit by an eastbound Ford F-150 pickup, according to a Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office statement.

The 12 students aboard Kephart's bus were not harmed.

School officials notified parents, who were allowed to bring their children home from the scene.

Kephart and a passenger in the pickup, Ana Baquedano-Avila, 33, of Rockford, were taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.

Kephart was evaluated and released. Baquedano-Avila is also no longer hospitalized.

West Fork Schools Superintendent Darrin Strike said Friday afternoon that Kephart, a long-time employee, has returned to work and resumed her regular bus route.

Our view from our district is that it was an accident and were just very blessed that no one was seriously hurt, he said.
Worldwide Vasculitis Market: North America is the leading region for the global vasculitis market owing to increasing healthcare awareness

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Ranging from mild to life threatening, short term to life long, Vasculitis is a term for a group of rare diseases that have in common, a condition that destroys blood vessels by inflammation. Affecting both sexes and all ages, vasculitis is caused by leukocyte migration and can affect arteries and veins in the body. Lymphangitis can also be considered as a type of vasculitis. Fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, myocardial infraction, arthralgia and others are the possible symptoms of vasculitis. This disorder can affect the blood vessels such as arteries, capillaries and veins in the body as it results in poor blood flow to tissues throughout the body, such as the lungs, nerves and skin. If the blood vessel is inflamed it blocks or closes the path for blood flow that leads to aneurysm. Shortness of breath, numbness in hand or foot, red spots on the skin, lumps or sores are some of the common symptoms of Vasculitis. Though vasculitis of the kidneys may produce no symptoms at first, but it still remains a serious predicament. Often requiring treatment with immunosuppressive drugs, Vasculitics diseases are inflammatory health problems whose early detection and treatment can prevent permanent damage. Glucocorticoids comprises an integral part of the medication used to treat vasculitis. The dosage and the length of the treatment depends on the severity of the disease and the personal history of the patient. An autoimmune disease where the body comes under attack by its own immune system, some cases of Vasculitis are also caused by reactions to medicines.Read Full Report:Vasculitis is a very rare disease and some of the types of vasculitis diseases are mentioned below:By large vessel vasculitisBehcet's DiseaseCogan's SyndromeGiant Cell ArteritisPolymyalgia RheumaticaTakayasu's ArteritisBy medium vessel vasculitisBuerger's DiseaseCentral Nervous System VasculitisKawasaki DiseasePolyarteritis NodosaBy small vessel vasculitisChurg-Strauss SyndromeEssential Mixed CryoglobulinemiaHenoch-Schonlein PurpuraHypersensitivity VasculitisMicroscopic PolyangiitisWegener's GranulomatosisRising incidences of metabolic disorders and circulatory diseases would accentuate the growth of this disease. Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that in the year 2013 around 8,000,000 people were diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and is expected to grow significantly in near future owing to sedentary and changing lifestyle. This, the above mentioned factors drive the growth of this market globally. However, lack of awareness is one of the restraining factor of this market.Geographically, North America is the leading region for the global vasculitis market owing to increasing healthcare awareness. In addition, rise in circulatory diseases namely, peripheral vascular diseases also accentuates the growth in this region. The market in Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a significant due to rise in disposable income and increasing healthcare awareness.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Vasculitis Market Key PlayersSome of the key players engaged in developing vasculitis therapeutics market are Novartis AG, GlaxoSmithKline plc, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., RNL BIO Co., Ltd., Teijin Pharma Limited, Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc., Human Genome Sciences, Inc. Troikaa Pharmaceuticals Ltd., and Genentech, Inc. among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Worldwide Vision Disorders Market: North America have highest contribution in terms of value because of large number of population within the reach of treatment

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Although there are significant progress in preventing and curing visual impairment in many countries since last twenty years, according to World Health Organization (WHO) around 285 million (In the year 2013) people are still visually impaired across the world. It is a matter of great concern. The reasons may be varied. However, we cannot deny the fact that there is still a lot to be done to save the people from going blind.Any disturbance in the normal sense of vision can be termed as vision disorders. Myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, conjunctivitis, cataract, corneal abrasion, entropion and glaucoma are some of the vision disorders, affecting majority of the population across the world. Improper nutrition, various infections, traumatic eye injury, insertion of foreign objects and growing age are major causes for majority of the vision disorders.Vision disorders: Control and preventionAccording WHO, 80 percent of visually impaired people can be cured by using simple eye examinations like abnormality in a frequency of blinking, size of pupil and color of the eye. The disorders can be confirmed by suitable clinical and retinal tests such as corneal topography, keratometry, pachymetry, fluorescein angiography, Indocyanine Green study (ICG) dye test and other related tests. However, ignorance and negligence are leading severe eye complications or permanent vision loss.Read Full Report:The report published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealed that approximately 14 million Americans above age of twelve are affected by various vision disorders in 2004. All these reports are alarming towards the need of immediate treatment for vision disorders across the world. This precisely a reason that the market for visual disorders may continue to grow in future.There are many companies which are involved in extensive research and development activities associated with these disorders such as United States based National Eye Institute working on clinical trials for nutritional supplements for age related cataract. Alcon Research is working on small incision cataract surgery. AqueSys, Inc. evaluating safety of AqueSys XEN 45 glaucoma implant in refractory glaucoma. Apart from this, University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with local NGOs is working on ancillary therapy of different eye infections.In case of region wise achievements in fighting against the visual disorders, Brazil has been providing eye care service through the national social security system since last decade. While, Morocco has launched a public effort to control glaucoma, China has invested over 100 million dollars in cataract surgeries since 2009. Oman has completely integrated eye care service provision in the primary health care framework over the last decade and India since 1995 has made available funds for eye care service provision for the poorest at district level.To reduce the burden of chronic eye diseases WHO is also coordinating a global research efforts to map services and policies for controlling diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age related macular degeneration and refractive errors. To support comprehensive eye care systems, WHO continues to provide epidemiologic and public health technical support to its member states.Vision Disorders Market SegmentationComing towards market point of view, the market for vision disorders can be segmented according to different perspectives such as regional geography and types of disorder. It can be segmented in four regions namely North American, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. Out of all these segments North America region have highest contribution in terms of value because of large number of population within the reach of treatment, high awareness and better reimbursement policies.Download exclusive Sample of this report:Followed by this Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World respectively are major segments of the market. The market can also be segmented among disorders such as cataract, glaucoma, eye infections and refractive errors. Along with this, the market for visual disorders can be categorized into drugs and devices available for the treatment.Currently various established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are catering the needs of visual disorders by providing drugs and lenses. Pfizer, Alcon, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and GlaxoSmithKline are leading contributors in drug therapy, while Novartis and Bausch & Lomb are major players in lenses.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Worldwide Cryptococcosis Market: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications

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Cryptococcosis, also known as cryptococcal disease is a potentially fatal fungal disease. It is caused by inhalation of an encapsulated yeast called Cryptococcus neoformans. Cryptococcosis is believed to be acquired by inhalation of the infectious propagule from the environment. Although the exact nature of the infectious propagule is unknown, the leading hypothesis is the basidiospore created through sexual or asexual reproduction.Cryptococcosis market: Types of infectionThere are three identified Cryptococcus strains that causes disease worldwide namely Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptococcus grubii and Cryptococcus gattii. Exposure via respiratory or the gastrointestinal tract are considered as the most common and opportunistic pathway for the organism entry in the host. Cryptococcus neoformans can be found worldwide in soil, birds, animals and humans. Whereas, alternative route of administration can be through transplant of infected tissue, surgical instrument or laboratory instruments. Cryptococcosis neoformans can affect a persons lungs causing pneumonia, or central nervous system causing meningitis.Read Full Report:People with impaired immunity, such as cancer or AIDS patients that acquire the cryptococcosis illness are predominantly infected with the C. neoformans and C. grubii, while C. gattii can cause illness in not only immunocompromised individuals but also among healthy individuals. In between 1999 and 2010, 281 cases of C. gattii have been reported to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control among animals and human residing in Vancouver Island and surrounding areas within Canada and the northwest United States.Cryptococcosis market: TreatmentWith the availability highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the management of cryptococcosis has become a combination of established antifungal treatments together with treatment of any other associated disease. Although the prevalent use of HAART has lowered the incidences of cryptococcosis in medically developed countries yet the incidences and mortality due to infection is still high in regions having limited access to healthcare, HAART and uncontrolled HIV disease. AIDS associated Cryptococcosis accounts for 50 percent of all Cryptococcal infections reported annually and usually occurs in HIV patients when their CD4 lymphocyte count is below 200/mm3.Cryptococcosis market: SegmentationMarket for Cryptococcosis can be segmented on the basis of anatomical location that is central nervous system, Cryptococcosis of bone and so on and risk groups which included HIV infected and organ transplant individual.Download exclusive Sample of this report:In 2000, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) first published Practice Guidelines for the Management of Cryptococcal Disease based on clinical data evidences and expert opinion to manage and curb down the highly recognizable invasive fungal pathogen. However, over the past decade a series of new clinical issues and host risk groups have arisen which demands for revision of guideline to proper and efficient management of cryptococcosis.The major symptoms of cryptococcosis include fever, malaise, excessive coughing mental status changes and vision defects. Till date there are no novel drug or vaccines available specifically to treat cryptococcosis.Cryptococcosis market: Regions and key playersHuman disease is endemic in Australia, parts of Africa, the Mediterranean region, Papua New Guinea, India, Southern California, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay and south-east Asia. Some of the organization/ research centers working on the development of vaccine/drug include Pfizer Inc., Janssen Pharmaceutical, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, MedStar Health Research Institute among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Corrosion Monitoring Market - Global Industry Analysis 2016 - 2024

Corrosion Monitoring Market

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Corrosion is an electrochemical process that transforms metals and alloys into oxides, hydroxides, and aqueous salts. In the corrosion process, there are generally two types of reactions that take place. The first is the anodic reaction, in which reaction metal atoms are ionized and pass into solutions, leaving their electrons in the original metal. In the second process, the cathodic reaction, reduction takes place and metals are degraded by chemical reactions with O2 and H2O. Corrosion monitoring is the process of controlling and preventing of corrosion. In this process, the corrosion monitoring is done by using probes. The probes, which can be mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical, are inserted into the process stream and constantly exposed to the process stream.Corrosion monitoring techniques provide direct and online measurement of metal loss and corrosion rate in industrial process. There are a number of corrosion monitoring techniques being used in the industry to estimate metal loss and to take preventive measures such as weight loss coupons, electrical resistance, linear polarization, hydrogen penetration, galvanic current, and microbial. Weight loss coupons, electrical resistance, and linear polarization resistance are the most popular techniques used in industrial corrosion monitoring systems.GET PDF BROCHURE FOR MORE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:Corrosion monitoring systems have applications where the risks of operation are high such as, in areas, where corrosion inhibitors are used and other processes involving high corrosion. The corrosion monitoring system is essential to maintain safety standards in batch productions, where corrosive component is concentrated due to repeated cycles. The oil & gas industry is the major application area for corrosion monitoring system. The oil & gas industry comprises upstream, downstream, and midstream industries and every stream is under strict scrutiny by regulators and environmental agencies. Thus, the industry needs a high level of safety and protection standards to increase their assets durability and a best practice to manage the corrosion-free environment.The need of corrosion monitoring system in oil & gas industry are essential in specific areas where accidental safety and prevention is highly important such as flow line, gathering system, transport pipeline, water injection facilities, vessels, chemical injection system, drilling mud system, etc. Increasing exploration & production of crude oil and rising demand from the downstream market is likely to propel the demand for corrosion monitoring system in the near future. Paper & pulp industry is another key market for corrosion monitoring in areas such as digesters and boiler systems.Asia-Pacific has been the key region for corrosion monitoring system in the global corrosion monitoring market in 2015 followed by North America. The region is likely to demonstrate the significant growth during the forecast period due to rise in demand from the rapidly developing economies within the region such as India and China. The North America region is expected to maintain its share in the global corrosion monitoring market due to increasing shale gas exploration activities during the forecast period. Expansion of stabilizing chemical manufacturing industries is expected to support the same trend in North America for corrosion monitoring market. Increasing investment in oil & gas and chemical industry concerning the high safety standards are anticipated to boost the corrosion monitoring market during the forecast period.The key players operates in the corrosion monitoring market are Intertek (U.K.), SGS SA (Switzerland), Cosasco (U.S.), Korosi Specindo (Indonesia), Rysco Corrosion Services (Canada), BAC Corrosion Control (U.K.) Applied Corrosion Monitoring (U.S.), Permasense (U.K.), ICORR Technologies (U.S.), and Pyramid Technical Services (India).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Rayon Fibers Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2021

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The report covers forecast and analysis for the Rayon Fibers market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2015 along with a forecast from 2016 to 2021 based on volume and revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints for the market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the Rayon Fibers market on a global level.Get a copy of free Sample Report @In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the Rayon Fibers market, we have included a detailed competitive scenario, and product portfolio of key vendors. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters five forces model for the Rayon Fibers market has also been included, strategic development along with patents analysis is included in this report. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, where in type segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.All the segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2015 to 2021.The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa with its further bifurcation into major countries including U.S. Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India and Brazil.Inquire more before buying this report @The report covers detailed competitive outlook including company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Lenzing AG, Kelheim Fibres, Acordis, Grasim Industries Ltd., Eastman Chemical Company and Tembec, Inc.This report segments the Rayon Fibers market as follows:Rayon Fibers Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaBrowse detail report @About Us:Syndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with the one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact Us:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8138Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@syndicatemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sodium Perborate Market - Global Industry Analysis 2016 - 2024

Sodium Perborate Market

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Sodium Perborate is an inorganic water soluble compound which appears in white powder form. It is crystallized in three different forms depending on the number of water molecules present, monohydrate, trihydrate and tetrahydrate. Indeed, the compound itself is a dimer, in which two peroxo bridges in a chair-shaped 6-membered ring joins two boron atoms. Sodium perborate is produced from reaction of three inorganic materials which are disodium tetraborate pentahydrate, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium hydroxide. Sodium perborate monohydrate is prepared by heating tetrahydrate form and it has higher heat stability and solubility than sodium perborate tetrahydrate; generally monohydrate and tetrahydrate forms of sodium perborate are used for commercial purposes. Sodium perborate monohydrate is widely used in hot climates, or in markets where the washing is carried out in cool water. When the compound undergoes hydrolysis in contact with water, it produces hydrogen peroxide and borate.Sodium perborate is has a longer shelf life and low toxicity. It is primarily used as a bleaching agent in detergent industry. It serves as a source of active oxygen in household & industrial detergents, including laundry detergents, industrial cleaning products and bleaches used in laundry industry. Some forms of the compound are also used in solutions for tooth bleaching industry. Sodium perborate is a useful reagent in organic synthesis where it can be used as a substitute product of hydrogen peroxide which is not commercially available and can cause significant explosion hazards. The compound also has antiseptic properties which made it suitable to be used as disinfectants. The compound is also used in some eye drops brands as a disappearing preservative.GET PDF BROCHURE FOR MORE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:Sodium perborate is a specialty chemical which serves a very niche market. As demand of sodium perborate is dependent on high volume markets such as detergent industry, including household & laundry detergents, laundry bleaches, etc. and healthcare industry, price of sodium perborate is expected to be at lower side, especially from manufacturers in developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East. In price sensitive regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East where demand of sodium perborate is growing at a faster pace due to rising market of detergents and bleaches, lower price may act as a driver for growth in its demand. Sodium perborate has also experienced significant growth in demand in developed regions such as North America and Europe as it is expected to replace hydrogen peroxide in high volume markets such as household cleaning and laundry care. The market is expected to grow further in future because of rising demand of detergents in end-user industries such as chemical, paint, textile, paper and automobile.Developed regions such as Europe and North America together contribute to larger portion of the global sodium perborate market. Rising demand of detergents resulting in increasing market of detergent additives in European and North American market is expected to act as a driver for growth in sodium perborate market in these regions. Sodium perborate has poor bleaching performance under 60oC temperature so it is not much used in Chinese oxygen type powder detergents. In addition to this, boron resources in China are not good and sodium perborate is proved to have harmful effects to health and environment. These factors could act as restraints in Asia Pacific sodium perborate market in future. Production of sodium perborate has decreased in China though the rate of export increased. In developed countries such as North America and Europe, sodium perborate is expected to retain a stable market in future.Some of the major companies involved in the Potassium Formate market are Hongye Holding Group Co., Ltd. (China), Noida Chemicals (India), Shanghai Pengkai Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Solvay S.A. (Belgium), Triveni Chemicals (India), etc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Tin Chloride Market - Global Industry Analysis 2016 - 2024

Tin Chloride Market

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Tin chloride is also known as stannous chloride and is a white crystalline solid. Tin chloride forms a stable dehydrate however, aqueous solutions tend to undergo hydrolysis particularly if hot. Tin chloride is commonly used as a reducing agent in acid solution and in electrolytic baths for tin-plating. Tin chloride is used for metallic surfaces or glass and plastic as a sensitizing agent in preparing glass and plastic for metalizing such as mirrors, electronic components on a plastic base and metalized glazing. The growing demand from electronic component applications and other industrial applications is expected to drive the global tin chloride market in the years to come. Tin chloride is soluble in water in less than its own weight of water however; it forms an insoluble basic salt with excess water. Furthermore tin chloride is soluble in ethanol.Tin Chloride is primarily used for applications such as electronic component, metalized glazing and food industries for tin packed food. A broad range of tin chloride find use in several applications including antioxidant in some bottled canned vegetables, tin electroplating baths, polymers, corrosion inhibitor, thermoplastic elastomers, reducing agent for drilling, tanning agent, used as intermediate catalyst in making of pharmaceutical industry, catalyst in petrochemical refining, used in resins, art glass coloring, and along with other application. The typical advantages of tin chloride are strong reducing agent and cost effectiveness. Owing to all such benefits, tin chloride is growingly used in end-user industries such as electronic industries, food industries and mirror industries across the globe.GET PDF BROCHURE FOR MORE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing market for tin chloride in the next six years. The main reason for this is the growing demand for tin chloride market from developing countries such as China and India. Moreover, the countries in the geographies such as Africa, South America and the Middle East are showing rapid economic and industrial growth since the last few years. Furthermore, the U.S. and European nations are gradually recovering from the economic depression. All such factors are eventually creating a positive prospect for the global industrial scenario. Considering this prospect, food and electronic related industries are anticipated to record an incredible growth in the coming years. There is a tremendous market potential for the mirror, food and electronic industry, especially the canned food in the countries such as U.S, Europe, China, India and Brazil.Rising population of the countries coupled with the increasing disposable income and growing purchase parity of the consumers is driving the tin chloride market in these countries. Due to this, the demand for tin chloride in the electronic, food and glazing industry is anticipated to grow at an outstanding rate in the next few years. The key companies operating in the tin chloride market are largely focusing on these growing economies for tapping their enormous market potential. The major players in the tin chloride market are installing robust manufacturing facilities in these developing countries to fulfill the rapidly rising local demand. Therefore, the global tin chloride market is expected to experience a significant growth in the future.Some of the major companies operating in the global tin chloride market are Shanghai NANWEI Chemicals, Showa America, Guangdong Guanghua Sci-Tech Co., Ltd (JHD), Mason Corporation, The European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG), Yunnan Tin Group, Showa Kako Corporation, Liuzhou China Tin Group Co., Ltd., and ACIMA Specialty Chemicals.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Conformal Coatings Market - Global Industry Analysis 2016 - 2024

Conformal Coatings Market

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Conformal coating is a special type of coating applied to electronic devices in order to protect them from external factors such as heat and rain. These form a protective layer shielding electronic circuits from moisture and chemical contaminants and help prolong the life of electronic devices.Various coating methods are used to protect electronic components from external conditions and contaminants. The most popular methods include spray application, brush coatings, and conformal coating dipping. Regionally, the global conformal coatings market has been segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World. The opportunities for expansion exhibited by these regions are examined extensively in the report.The report on conformal coatings presents a quantitative and qualitative assessment of various factors and government policies influencing the global market. It is compiled with the intent of updating the stakeholders about the prevailing market dynamics and its outlook. The report also includes details pertaining to the investment feasibility in the market and opportunities for new entrants.GET PDF BROCHURE FOR MORE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:Global Conformal Coatings Market: Key Opportunities and ThreatsThe global conformal coatings market has reported significant growth in the past couple of years. Growth trends exhibited by the market are expected to continue in the next few years. The expansion of the electronics industry, especially in emerging economies, is likely to boost the conformal coatings market. Conformal coatings ensure better moisture and dielectric resistance; these are key factors increasing usage in the electronics industry.Based on material type, the acrylic conformal coating segment is expected to dominate the market in the near future. Acrylic conformal coatings are easy to apply and the easiest to rework. Additionally, these provide high resistance from abrasion, chemicals, and moisture; take less time to cure, and are available at low cost. These are the key factors encouraging the use of acrylic conformal coatings across industries.Apart from the electronics industry, demand for conformal coatings is increasing in the automotive electronics segment. Electronics installed in vehicles are exposed to chemical contaminants, harsh working conditions, moisture, dust, and vibration. These factors necessitate the use of conformal coatings on automotive electronics to ensure their better performance and longevity.Automotive manufacturers strive to offer high quality and reliable smart vehicles at competitive prices. This prevalent trend in the automotive industry in turn is bolstering demand for conformal coatings in the industry.Global Conformal Coatings Market: Regional OutlookRegionally, North America dominates the global conformal coatings market. The market in the region is expected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. High demand for conformal coatings in industries located in countries such as Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. contributes to the growth of the conformal coatings market in North America. The U.S. holds the largest market share in North America.Enterprises operating in the global conformal coatings market witness lucrative opportunities in Asia Pacific. The strategic initiatives adopted by companies to gain customers have proven beneficial for the expansion of the conformal coatings market in the region. The rapid expansion of the electronics industry in the region has also contributed to the growth of the conformal coatings market in Asia Pacific.Global Conformal Coatings Market: Vendor LandscapeIn order to study the prevailing vendor landscape in the market, the report profiles companies such as Henkel, Electrolube, Cytec Industries, Inc., Dymax Corporation, Chase Corporation, and DuPont. These companies are studied based on their financial overview, product portfolio, and strategies adopted.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) Market - Global Industry Analysis 2023

Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) Market

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Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is an organic compound and is a derivative of aniline. Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is a white solid and is peculiarly used as a component of composites and engineering polymers and also as an ingredient in hair dyes. Moreover, paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is a typical precursor to fibers such as Kevlar and aramid fibers. Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is also used as rubber antioxidants. Dyeing is one of the important applications of paraphenylenediamine. As paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is easily oxidized, the derivatives of paraphenylenediamine (PPD) are used as antioxidants in the manufacturing of rubber products. The substitutes such as naphthyl and isopropyl are also used in the production of rubber. However, due to the less effectiveness and hazardous health effects such as skin irritation, the derivatives of paraphenylenediamine (PPD) are mostly proffered as antioxidants by the rubber manufacturing industry.The optimistic growth in the rubber manufacturing industry is anticipated to propel the global paraphenylenediamine (PPD) market during the forecast period. Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is also used as a developing agent in the color photographic film development process. Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) reacts with silver grains in the film and then forms color dyes which create the image. The growing demand for paraphenylenediamine (PPD) in such a diverse range of applications is expected to drive the global paraphenylenediamine (PPD) market in the next few years.GET PDF BROCHURE FOR MORE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:As far as regional markets are concerned, Asia Pacific is predicted to emerge as the fastest growing market for paraphenylenediamine (PPD) in the coming years. The main reason for the growing demand for paraphenylenediamine (PPD) in the Asia Pacific region is the shifting of manufacturing base of plastics products and rubber goods to China, India and South East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, the population in these countries is rising at a rapid rate which is resulting in an increase in the overall customer base. Also, due to the economic development of these countries, the disposable income and the purchase parity of the consumers is rising which is ultimately increasing the number of potential customers across these emerging nations. Moreover, the countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Algeria, South Africa, Sudan, Nigeria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel are rapidly coming up with robust manufacturing infrastructure.Furthermore, the U.S. and European economies are showing strong signs of recovery after a severe economic turmoil. All these factors are ultimately creating a positive outlook for the global economy. Considering this outlook, the industries such as dyes and pigments, plastics and rubber are anticipated to record an astounding growth in the next few years. Due to this, the demand for paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is projected to record an amazing growth in the next few years. The major players operating in the paraphenylenediamine (PPD) market are mainly focusing on the developing economies for tapping their huge market potential. These companies are installing massive production facilities in the developing countries to fulfill the swiftly rising demand for paraphenylenediamine (PPD) from different end-user industries such as dyes and pigments, plastics, rubber and fiber. Therefore, the global paraphenylenediamine (PPD) market is projected to experience a significant growth in the next six years.Anhui Xianglong, RUI YUAN, Yixing Xinyu, Chizhou Fangda, Bayer AG, Lonsen, Alashan Lixin, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Taixing Shangshi, Suzhou Luosen and YSH are some of the important manufacturers of paraphenylenediamine (PPD).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
RF Equipment Market - Growth In Application Of Portable Computing Devices Is Cementing The Market Growth

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Radio Frequency (RF) is a kind of test instrument which is capable of computing signals which has high frequency in comparison to other test equipment which are commonly used. Radio Frequency equipments are commonly used by engineers who deal in radio frequency. These engineers have special functions which are required to decode the RF signal and characters. Radio frequency transmits radio waves frequency which range between 3 hertz to 300 megahertz. This radio frequency uses an alternating current which is positioned through antenna, generating wireless broadcasting or electromagnetic field which could be used for communicating by transfer of current through antennas.PDF Sample For Full Details with Upcoming Advancements @The radio test frequency equipment market is expected to grow at a healthy growth rate over the near future owing to high adoption of 802.11ac. The 802.11ac is a wireless networking standard. The 802.11ac technology uses an extensive bandwidth. This technology enables high-speed WLANs to the end users with the help of 5 GHz band. This is driving the demand for radio frequency test equipments as there is a requirement for testing the networks signals. Growth in MIMO technology is the other major factor which is expected to drive the radio frequency market over the next few years. Rise in demand for a handheld device which may include tablets, smart phones and laptops has led to the growth in demand for high bandwidth and seamless connectivity. Moreover, implementation of 802.11standards is expected to drive the market further as it would enable superior data transmission and faster speed. Some of the factors which are restraining the growth of the global radio frequency equipment market are stringent radio frequency standards which are adopted by government bodies of countries globally.The radio test frequency equipment market by application could be segmented into telecom sector, industrial sector, electronics sector, automotive sector, defense sector and medical sector. This segment is expected to be dominated by smart phones over the next few years. Growth in application of portable computing devices like smart phones and tablets across various sectors is expected to drive the demand in this segment. RF test equipment facilities advance delivery of these test equipments. The radio test frequency equipment market by product can be segmented into vector network analyzer (VNA), spectrum analyzer, signal generator, RF power meters / sensors, oscilloscope, digital millimeters and others.Geographically the global radio frequency test equipment market has been broadly segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. North America led the global radio test frequency market in 2015. The amalgamation of new features in the test equipments and the growth in demand for the electronics sector are some of the key factors driving the RF test equipment market in North America. Asia Pacific is expected to be the most attractive region over the next few years.Market Insight can be Viewed @Some of the key vendors operating in the global radio frequency test equipment market are Agilent Technologies, Advantest, Teradyne, Rohde & Schwarz and Anritsu. Some of the other prominent vendor operating in the market is Aries Electronics, Aspen Electronics, Cobham Antenna Systems, Cobham Wireless and Flann Microwave among others. There is intense competition among the key players operating in the global radio frequency test equipment market. It is necessary for the players to have strong and highly differentiated product line which features best-in-class software. There is growing trend towards development of software which enhances radio frequency test equipments attributes. The key provider of the radio frequency test equipments are focusing their resources at developing software which would find application in wide range of industries so that the end users can have optimal utilization of its products.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:
On Jan. 20, it became official: Donald Trump is our new president of the United States.

While some were certain the sky would fall, I can assure you it was only fog. Of course a lot can happen in four years, and it could be a very tumultuous four years indeed.

Not everyone was going to be happy regardless of who won. It's like that in every election, although we might all agree that this particular race was pretty bizarre on many levels.

The whole thing still seems a little surreal. I even had a dream that just before he placed his hand on the Bible that Ashton Kutcher came out and said, "America, you've been punk'd."

Who would have thought that a simple billionaire who took a stone cold stunner from Steve Austin in 2007 at 'Wrestlemania 23' would go on to become the leader of the free world? And if the Donald gets too big for his britches, maybe Stone Cold will give him another one.

I can understand the disappointment Hillary supporters are feeling. It's probably a lot like how I felt when Bernie Sanders didn't get the nomination. Of course, that disappointment wasn't so extreme that I needed a teddy bear to hold. I mean, I am a grown man after all, and isn't that what dogs are for?

I truly felt that Bernie had the right ideas and the right temperament to be a great leader, and had the best chance of all the candidates to unify the country and maybe even Congress.

We may never know if he would have beaten Trump had he gotten the nomination, but my gut feeling is that he would have. They weren't far apart on many issues, and as far as character, morals, integrity and commitment to public service; Bernie wins hands down.

But the DNC screwed that up and I think they are pretty well aware of it.

Now we have a Republican president and a Republican-controlled Congress.

We can only hope they don't abuse their political capital the way the Democrats did with the Affordable Care Act. The individual mandate was not only unconstitutional but was nothing more than a hidden tax. I fully support repealing that part of the law.

Many other parts of the Affordable Care Act are popular among both Republicans and Democrats, so it is my hope that both parties will work together to improve health care for all Americans.

It truly is a bipartisan issue, and a little communication and compromise would go a long way.

Regardless of party affiliation, the public is ready for good governance and less divisiveness.

To make this less of a partisan issue, it might help to refer to this act by it's official name rather than ObamaCare. Even mainstream media are guilty of this, and that is misleading and irresponsible.

The public's distrust of mainstream media was another issue that the Donald successfully tapped in to. Not only was their bias on full display, investigative journalism was replaced with overt sensationalism, causing many to just tune out. I mean, they did to news what MTV did to music videos.

If we are going to hold his feet to the fire, then the media has to regain the public's trust.

Now some might reasonably argue that President Trump has other reasons to discredit the media.

For example, The Wall Street Journal reported, "Donald Trump owes at least $1 billion to 150 Wall Street banks and other financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan, Chase and Fidelity Investments. The debts -- which were packaged into bonds and sold to investors over the past five years -- pose conflicts of interest for an administration that will regulate and oversee banks to which the president owes money."

Now if you can believe that, then that might be one issue we should pay attention to.

It is way too soon to tell what kind of a president he will be, but he is our president, and who knows, maybe some day his face will be on the ruble.

Sorry, a little slip of the fingers.

On a serious note, our democracy is something we shouldn't take for granted and President Obama is absolutely right when he says that Americans have to be involved and engaged.

Whether it's women's rights, gay rights, labor issues, foreign policy, the economy or the environment, they all are important issues and they all need our collective attention.

Most importantly, we need to treat people with respect and work together to make America as great as it can be.

So here's to a new beginning and to hell with the chief.

Sorry, I did it again. I meant "Hail to the Chief."

God bless America.
Photovoltaic Device Market - Low Maintenance Cost Is An Important Factor Contributing To The Market Growth

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The main function of a photovoltaic device is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. There are end numbers of benefits associated with these devices which have made their adoption on a large scale across various industries. The solar panels used in photovoltaic devices are comprised of solar cells which result in the generation of electrical power. The various materials used for photovoltaics include polycrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, monocrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon among others. Photovoltaic installations can be mounted either on rooftop, ground or wall. Initially, the application of photovoltaics was limited to spacecrafts and orbiting satellites, but nowadays its application has been mostly for grid connected power generation. The popularity of photovoltaic device has been on the rise as a result of technological advancements coupled with large scale manufacturing which has led to the reduction in its cost and at the same time increased the efficiency and reliability of these devices.PDF Sample For Full Details with Upcoming Advancements @The photovoltaic device market is expected to grow as a result of increasing focus on the part of the governments of various countries towards the issue of climate change and at the same time develop and expand the alternate sources of energy. The governments are more willing to provide funds than ever before for the adoption of solar energy, which is further propelling the demand for photovoltaic devices market. Moreover, factors such as reliability, safety, cost effective and ease of installation have led to the increasing adoption of these devices. Low maintenance cost is another important factor contributing to the growth the photovoltaic devices market. As no fuel costs are associated with these devices, the adoption of photovoltaic devices is considered to be a cost effective option in lieu of the high diesel and electricity prices. The increasing application of photovoltaic devices across segments such as military, power plants, and defense and space among others are further resulting in the increased demand for these devices. Considering these factors the photovoltaic device market is likely to register a healthy growth rate during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024.However, the material availability, production cost and toxicity are some of the major restraints that are hindering the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells across different industries.As per recent trends it has been observed that, Perovskite, which is a very inexpensive material, is replacing crystalline silicon due to it being expensive. Crystalline silicon forms a part of photovoltaic cell build.The photovoltaic device market can be categorized on the basis of types, components, application and geography. On the basis of type, the market can be segmented into two types; organic PV and inorganic PV.Based on components, the photovoltaic device market can be segmented into two categories; thin film PV cells and crystalline silicon PV cells. Thin film PV is comparatively a newer technology as compared to crystalline silicon PV. The semiconducting layers are comprised of materials such as copper indium diselenide (CIS), amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS).The application segments of the photovoltaic device market will include military, power plants, industrial, defense and space, residential and non residential among others.Geographically, the market has been categorized into five broad regions; North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin AmericaMarket Insight can be Viewed @Some of the key players operating in the photovoltaic device market are Kyocera Corporation (Japan), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), Kaneka Corporation (Japan), JA solar Co. Ltd (China), Sharp Corporation (Japan), , Jinko Solar (China), Trina Solar (China), Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd (China), Canadian Solar (Canada), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan), ReneSola Co. Ltd (China) and Yingli Green (China) among others.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:
Bio-MEMS Market (Type - Gyroscopes and Accelerometers; Application - Neural Implants, Bionics, ENT Implants, and Cardio-MEMS) -Outlook 2024

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Global Bio-MEMs Market: SnapshotMicro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology uses microstructures and miniaturized devices as components for performing microfabrication techniques. These systems are extensively being used for biomedical or biological purposes is known as bio-MEMS. Today, bio-MEMS are widely used for clinical diagnostics and for research and development in the healthcare sector. The sophisticated microfabrication techniques used in bio-MEMS have enabled treatment of critical diseases. This has opened up several lucrative opportunities for the global market in recent years. Owing to these reasons, the global bio-MEMS market is expected to be worth US$3.8 bn by the end of 2024 as compared to US$695.0 mn in 2015. Between the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected to surge at a CAGR of 20.9%.The rising demand for artificial limbs or substitutes for a specific nerve problem has improved the uptake of bio-MEMS in recent years. The market is also being driven by the soaring usage of microfluidics such as microfluidic chips in a wide range of biomedical applications for analytical and diagnostic purposes. Furthermore, the use of bio-MEMS has also enhanced the detection of viruses and pathogens with adequate accuracy, which has played a key role in setting the global market on a positive path of growth.On the basis of type, the global bio-MEMS market is divided into gyroscopes, accelerometers, and others. As of 2015, the accelerometers segment held the dominant share in the global market due to its widening application in the medical sector. The others, which includes flow sensors is also expected to show steady growth during the forecast period.Get More Information :Cardio-MEMS to Lead Global Market throughout Forecast PeriodIn terms of application, the global bio-MEMS market is segmented into neural implants, bionics, ENT implants, cardio-MEMS, and others. Presently, the cardio-MEMS hold a dominant share in the global market due to the rising cases of cardiovascular disorders and diseases across the globe. The growing usage of cardio-MEMS has helped in saving several lives and allowed doctors to understand crucial data such as pressure changes of patients with more clarity. The report suggests that others segment, which includes pressure sensors, retinal implants, and exoskeletons will also show steady progress in the coming years due to increasing applications.North America to Remain Frontrunner in Global MarketOn the basis geography, the global bio-MEMS market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World, which is further categorized into Africa, Middle East, and South America. As of 2015, North America held a major chunk in the global market, which was closely followed by Europe. The North America bio-MEMS market is being led by the soaring healthcare sector. The high adoption of advanced treatment techniques in North America is also estimated to boost the revenue of the regional market. The report states that Asia Pacific is also estimated to offer profitable opportunities to the global market as governments are focusing on improving healthcare facilities in the region. The Asia Pacific bio-MEMS market is also likely to swell due to the huge pool of unmet medical needs and rise of the medical tourism industry.The key players operating in the global bio-MEMS market are Becton Dickinson, Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific, Perkin Elmer, Medtronic, Baxter International Inc., and Teledyne Dalsa Inc. among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Control Valves Market - Electric Control Valves Segment Is A Major Contributor To The Growth Of This Market

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Control Valves Market: Trends and OpportunitiesControl valves are types of valves which are used to control conditions such as temperature, flow, liquid level and pressure by fully or partially closing or opening in response to the signals received from the controllers. Control valves are used in various industries such as oil and gas, wastewater management, automotive, pharmaceuticals, mining, chemicals, and food and beverages, among others. In terms of product type, the control valves market has been segmented into manual control valves, pneumatic control valves, hydraulic control valves and electric control valves. The market for control valves is primarily driven by the increase in energy consumption, coupled with increasing demand from process industries such as oil and gas.The market for control valves is primarily driven by oil and gas industry due to their application throughout upstream, midstream and downstream activities. While demand for oil and gas products is increasing at significant rates, supply for the same industry is dwindling due to the global decrease in oil and gas reserves. Moreover, increasing application of control valves in the food and beverage industry is one of the major driving factors for the growth of the control valves market. In the food and beverages industry, control valves are used in verticals such as the dairy industry, oils and fats industry, and animal feed industry.PDF Sample For Full Details with Upcoming Advancements @As per recent trends, it has been observed that there has been increasing demand for control valves from industries such as pharmaceuticals, power generation, and food and beverages. There has been increasing emphasis on designing and manufacturing control valves that do not need periodic maintenance. Due to recent developments in the area of electric control valves, demand for the same has increased drastically in the recent past. Electric control valves are more efficient and enable a greater level of control as compared to the other types of valves. Furthermore, it has also been observed that low cost control valves being produced by the Asian companies are penetrating existing control valves markets for established big players such as Metso, Flowserve and Velan among others. As the regulations regarding environment pollution are expected to become stringent, the demand for control valves that have low environmental impact is expected to be high in the near future.Control Valves Market: SegmentationThe report segments the market on the basis of geography into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Rest of the World (RoW), estimated in terms of revenue (USD billion). The report also segments the market based on actuation technology into manual control valves, pneumatic control valves, hydraulic control valves and electric control valves. Based on type, the control valves market is further segmented into ball valve, butterfly valve, cryogenic valve, globe valve and others. Moreover the global control valves market has been further segmented by end user industry, which includes: power generation, chemical, oil and gas, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, automotive, wastewater management and others. All these segments have also been estimated in terms of revenue (USD billion) and volume (Million Units).Control Valves Market: Scope of the StudyFor a better understanding of the control valves market, we have given detailed Porters five forces analysis. Furthermore, the study also comprises a market attractiveness analysis, where the end user industries are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.Read Full Press Release @The report provides company market share analysis of various industry participants. In addition, the key players in the control valves market have also been profiled. The company profiles highlight the company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments in the field of control valves. Some of the leading players in the control valves market are Flowserve Corporation (U.S.), Pentair PLC (U.K.),Emerson Electric Co. (U.S.), General Electric (U.S.), Samson AG (Germany), and Crane & Co. (U.S.), VelanInc (Canada), Metso Corporation (Finland), and IMI Plc (U.K.) among others.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:
Bulletproof Security Glass Market is Anticipated to Grow US$ 3972.5 Million by 2021

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Bulletproof Security Glass Market  Middle East & Africa to Witness Highest Growth by 2021, the global bulletproof security glass market was valued at USD 2,395.7million in 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2015 to 2021, to reach USD 3972.5 million by 2021.A sample of this report is available upon request:Bulletproof glass also known as bullet-resistant glass, transparent armor, and ballistic glass is made up of transparent materials that can resist any damage from small projectiles and bullets. It is usually made with an arrangement of two or more types of glass, one hard and one soft. The glass product is produced using ballistic materials such as polycarbonate, acrylic, glass-clad polycarbonate, and thermoplastic that can withstand any damage from small projectiles and bullets.Conversely, proposed changes and regulative guidelines by green councils and energy cost involved in manufacturing processes for bulletproof security glass are perceived as minor growth restraints. In addition, rising cost of raw materials such as polycarbonate could pose a challenge to market growth in the near future. The global bulletproof security glass market is anticipated to grow from an estimated USD 2,395.7million in 2015 to USD 3972.5 million by 2021 at a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period.Amongst various security systems, the bulletproof glass is a majorly demanded system in the recent time due to the increasing security concerns following the increasing terror attacks and crime rates. In order to fulfill the increasing security needs the market is expected to witness a significant increase in the next five to six years.Growth of the bulletproof security glass market has been increasingly driven by growing automotive industry globally. Growing automotive industry coupled with increasing demand for value-added automobile products from tech-savvy consumers is expected to further boost the demand for bulletproof security glass in the automotive industry segment. The revenue from expanding financial industry is expected to dominate owing to increasing expansion of financial institutions and services in developing countries due to growing need for capital.North America is expected to represent the largest market in 2015, accounting for 26.66% of the total market share. However, The Middle East & Africa is expected to record the highest growth during the forecast period due to increasing infrastructural development in the Middle East.Request to view Table of Content:...Asahi Glass co.Ltd, China Glass Holdings Limited, Nippon Sheet Glass, Saint-Gobain S.A., China Glass Specialty AG, PPG Industries Inc., Taiwan Glass Ind. Corp., Apogee Enterprises Corp., Sisecam, Guardian Industries are some of the leading players in the bulletproof security glass market. Other major players of the market include Qufu Shenglu Bulletproof Glass Engineering, Guangzhou Sky Tiger Tempered Glass, Nanjing Xinfurui Glass Industry, Jiangsu Yongxiang Glass etc.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.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Good Growth Opportunities in Global Marketing Mix Optimisation Market Till 2026

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Marketing mix optimisation or marketing mix modeling is a method that is used for the statistical analysis of the various advertising and marketing efforts done on a products performance in the market. The key elements of marketing mix modeling are product, promotion, distribution and the pricing, each of these elements are analyzed closely before finalizing the suitable model for marketing a particular product. The marketing mix modeling allows quantifying the sales and revenue generated by the marketing done on a particular product. It also allows planning the strategies for marketing of particular product or marketing service in an optimized manner. The shift of global markets to the emerging regions such as, China, India, Brazil and Russia and the established markets being on the threshold of saturation, manufacturers are looking forward to establish markets in the emerging regions with low investments and high return on investment. With various big organizations adapting the marketing mix modeling for optimized marketing of their products, the global market for marketing mix modeling will register a healthy growth rate by the end of forecast period.Request Free Report Sample@The global marketing mix modeling market is primarily driven by the demand for efficient marketing strategies by organizations including the fortune 500 companies, which will help minimizing the lump sum investments in marketing of a particular product and give high return of investment to the companies in terms of marketing costs by increasing the sales for that particular product. The implementation of marketing mix modeling helps in achieving the targeted goals of the company and benefits the organization as a whole. Somehow, there are some challenges related to the marketing mix modeling which might restrain the growth of the market. Some of the challenges includes, unstandardized measurement of the market, lack of transparency in the modeling methods among others, which makes difficult to narrow down actual predictions.The global marketing mix modeling market is segmented based on approach for marketing mix modeling and region. Based on the approach used for marketing mix modeling, the marketing mix modeling market can be segmented into OLS (Ordinary Least Square) regression approach and Constraint regression approach.Based on the geographic regions, global automotive seating systems marketing market is segmented into seven key market segments namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. The marketing mix modeling being a new concept it is being adapted globally in the established as well as the emerging markets. The global trend of big manufacturers and markets shifting the business to Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe markets to tap the growth opportunities in these markets are fostering the growth of marketing mix modeling market in the aforementioned regions as well as in the established markets of North American and Western Europe.Request For TOC@Some of the major players identified in the global marketing mix modeling market includes, Wipro Limited, Polaris Research, Decision Analyst, Inc., The Nielsen Company, Analytic Partners, Inc., Ninah and ThinkVine.com among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (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: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Non GMO Yogurt Market Volume Analysis, size, share and Key Trends 2016-2026

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Non-GMO and organic foods, apart from natural food stores, Non-GMO products now came in mainstream and sold in major supermarkets nationwide. It has been noticed, consumer is demanding more organic & Non GMO products. Non-GMO yogurt is where the presence of toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones and antibiotics, for production of the milk is zero. The use of Non-GMO reached nearly 11% on food and beverages since 2013, the demand has been increased of Non-GMO products. In the US, a survey was conducted for GMO and Non-GMO food products, Maximum Americans agreed on the fact that GMO food product are not safe to eat and also not good for health.Request Free Report Sample@Non-GMO Yogurt Market: SegmentationNon GMO yogurt market is segmented on the basis of types, flavors & distribution channel. On the basis of types: Regular Yogurt, Blended Yogurt, Low fat yogurt, nonfat yogurt, Purely Unsweetened Yogurt, Sour Yogurt, Plain Yogurt, Drinkable yogurt and Heavy Cream Yogurt. On the basis of Flavors: Fruit (mango, Strawberry, Blueberry, Kiwi and Peach), Chocolate and Vanilla. On the basis of distribution Channel: Super Market/ Hyper Market, Food Service Outlets, Convenience Stores, Specialty Stores, Online Stores and others.Non-GMO Yogurt Market: Region wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global Non-GMO yogurt market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.North America is the prominent market for Non-GMO yogurt due to the key players in this region and the availability of raw materials. Whereas, in Europe it is projected to grow at a substantial growth due to consumer as they are becoming concerned about their health, the global Non-GMO yogurt market value exhibiting a robust CAGR during the forecast period, 2016-2026. In the USA, Chobani is the largest manufacturer of greek yogurt, which covers 50% of the market share. Dannon is also one of the largest manufacturer of Non-GMO yogurt in USA which contain more natural ingredients, it has also partnered with Non-Government Organization (NGO) Green America and the Non-GMO Project, So that they can develop Sources of Non-GMO feed for cows.Request For TOC@Non-GMO Yogurt Market: DriversAs the demand of Non-GMO product is rising every day as consumers are becoming more concerned about their health. Consumers are becoming more aware about Non-GMO products and easy availability of raw materials in some regions. Raising awareness about the Non-GMO products all across over the Globe is also one of the major factors anticipated to expand the growth of Non-GMO Yogurt market over the forecast period. In 2018, Dannon will introduce 3 brands of Non-GMO Yogurt i.e. Dannon, Oikos & Danimals, that will be fed by the Non-GMO Feed.Non-GMO Market: Key PlayersSome of the international key players identified operating in Non-GMO yogurt market includes Brown Cow Yogurt, Stonyfield Farm, Maia inspired nutrition, Chobani, General Mills, THE GREEK GODS and others. The company is likely to expand its share over the next coming years as consumers are becoming more aware about Non-GMO products and are more concerned about their health. More companies are expected to enter into manufacturing of Non-GMO products in future.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: press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Pyridine Market Expected to Grow US$ 1,741.4 Million by 2025

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research, titled Global Market Study on Pyridine: Increasing Demand for Synthetic Pyridine to Drive Growth During Forecast Period 2015 -2025 , the global pyridine market is estimated to reach US$ 1,741.4 Mn by 2025 from US$ 786.4 Mn in 2015.A sample of this report is available upon request:Pyridine is a toxic and soluble flammable liquid base with a distinct, strong odor. It is often considered the parent compound of several naturally occurring organic compounds. It is the preferred choice as a precursor to agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Initially, pyridine was extracted from coal tar or obtained as a by-product of coal gasification. The process was very expensive and inefficient as coal tar constituted only 0.10.2% of pyridine after extraction. Currently, pyridine and its derivatives are produced synthetically. The most commonly used reactions for pyridine synthesis are Chichibabin synthesis, Bonnemann cyclization, and Cobalt-catalyzed alkyne-nitrile cyclotrimerization, etc.By region, the market in Asia Pacific has been estimated to account for 51.6% volume share of the overall pyridine market by 2015 end, followed by Europe and North America. Due to increase in usage of pyridine and its derivatives in agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals segments in Asia Pacific, the pyridine market in the region is projected to expand at a higher than average CAGR of 9.9% over 20152025 in terms of revenue. The U.S. pyridine market, which has been estimated to account for 89.5% revenue share of the overall market in North America by 2015 end, is expected to be driven by increasing adoption of pyridine and its derivatives in chemicals and pharmaceuticals segments. The pyridine market in the Middle East & Africa is estimated to register increased revenue due to a growth of pharmaceuticals and chemicals segments in the region. Europe market is anticipated to witness lower revenue growth in the coming years as compared to other regions due to the economic downturn in the region.Globally, pyridine N-oxide segment volume is estimated to expand at a lower than average CAGR of 7.4% over 20152025. Demand for 2-Methyl-5-Ethylpyridine (MEP) and gamma-picoline is expected grow significantly due to increasing application of these product types in chemicals segment. Alpha picoline finds wide application as a solvent in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. The segment is projected to exhibit moderate growth over the forecast period. Key growth contributor for alpha picoline segment is 2-vinylpyridine, which is used as a raw material for styrene-butadiene-2-vinylpyridine terpolymer latexes (SBV latexes). Beta picoline is used to produce Vitamin B3. In terms of value, beta picoline segment is projected to experience significant growth rate over the forecast period. This is mainly attributed to rising demand for niacin in developing regions such as APAC and Middle East & Africa.Request to view Table of Content:Asia Pacific is the most attractive region in terms of CAGR and market share in the global pyridine market. India has been estimated to account for 24.4 % of the total APAC pyridine market by 2015 end due to expected increase in domestic pyridine production by 40%. In terms of value, gamma-picoline segment is expected to experience the highest growth rate during the forecast period in the Asia Pacific market. The Middle East & Africa accounts for the smallest market share. However, it is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.9% in terms of value over the forecast period. Food segment is expected to expand at the highest CAGR in terms of volume during the forecast period in the Middle East & Africa market. Pyridine manufacturers are strengthening their presence in the regulated markets of Japan, North America and Europe as well as in key emerging markets. They are also focusing on local tie-ups and out-licensing of local companies in order to strengthen their regional presence.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.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Nitrogen Market Expected to Grow Worldwide by 2021

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Nitrogen is an odorless, colorless chemical element which is a source of raw material in various important industrial compounds such as nitric acid, ammonia, and cyanides. It occurs in majority of the organisms, primarily amino acids such as proteins, and nucleic acids (RNA and DNA). Nitrogen is widely used as fertilizers where synthetically manufactured nitrates and ammonia are some of the vital industrial fertilizers used in the agrochemical industry. Other than fertilizers, nitrogen compounds are versatile organics used in industrial applications, developing Kevlar fabric and pharmaceutical drugs such as antibiotics.A sample of this report is available upon request @The global market for nitrogen has been witnessing noticeable growth mostly due to the development of the fertilizer industry. Moreover, long term leases of ammonia vessels at fixed prices have enabled large scale companies to manage transportation costs thereby providing economical delivery to the consumers in developed as well as developing regions. These companies also own manufacturing facilities as well as major supply contracts with certain region emerging economies such as China thereby gaining flexibility and logistics strength for the imports.Growing demand for fertilizers on account of increasing food grain production is anticipated to boost the demand for nitrogen over the forecast period. However, increasing health and environmental concern regarding the ill effects of nitrogen based chemical fertilizers are expected to slow down the growth of the market. Increasing focus towards developing bio based agrochemicals such as nitrogen fixation biofertilizers are anticipated to provide new opportunities for the growth of the market. North America remained the largest consumer for nitrogen. However, Asia Pacific is expected to lead the market over the forecast period on account of increasing use of agrochemicals and rising industrial activities in emerging economies such as China and India.Request to view Table of content @Agrium Inc., PotashCorp, ICL Fertilizers, K+S AG, Sinofert, Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile(SQM), andThe Mosaic Company among others are some of the major manufacturers of nitrogen dominating the 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.Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Electric Power Distribution Automation Market Would Register a Healthy Growth Rate During the Forecast 2024

Electric Power Distribution Automation Market, Electric Power Distribution Automation, Electric Power Distribution

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Distribution Automation System refers to a set of intelligent processors, communication technologies and sensors the enables to coordinate and monitor the distribution assets of electric power. Electric power distribution automation system is important part of smart grid systems. Distribution automation system provides benefits of efficient and reliable operations within the grid.TOC of this report is available upon request @The Electric power distribution automation market across the globe is expected to show a substantial growth with a double digit increase in CAGR by the year 2019. Some of the key factors driving the market are need for automation and intelligent systems in electric power distribution. Some of the factors inhibiting the market growth are less technologies availability in electric power system and implementation of the system. The market is having opportunities in residential market and in geographies such as Asia Pacific including India, Australia and many more.Global Electric Power Distribution Automation market is segmented on the basis of end users, technology and geography. By end users the market can be segmented into manufacturers, commercial, information technology, telecom and many others. On the basis of technology the market is segmented into communication, sensors, monitoring devices, advanced power electronic technologies and many more. By geography the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of world.Sample of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players in the market are ABB Ltd., Schneider Electric, Siemens AG, GE Corp., S&C Electric Co., Atlantic City Electric Co., including many others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Black Porcelain Market 2017 : AGC, SAINT-GOBAIN, PPG, PILKINGTON & Taiwan Glass

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The survey report by Market Research Store is an overview of the global Black Porcelain market. It covers all the recent trends including key developments in the global market in present and in future. Analyses of the global Black Porcelain market trends along with the projections of CAGRs (compound annual growth rates) are provided in the research report.Further, an evaluation of the history of the global market and the basic information of the global market is included in the report. A developmental perspective of the industry is also documented in the report. Competitive profiles of the key players in the industry are also discussed.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The research report provides both an assessment of recent developments in the industry along with forecasts examining the industry from the perspective of major competitors, present players and prospective end users in the Black Porcelain market.Forecasts are generated on the basis of region, type, product, supply, demand, and other vital factors of the global market. The research report analyzed the major factors driving the global Black Porcelain market in various countries with a satisfactory and manufacturing and structure of the global market. Forecasts are also provided region-wise in the research report.The research report comprises several chapters, tables, figures, graphs, and various other presentations formats so as to provide a precise overview of the market. The sequence of the report is maintained in such a way that highlights the overall flow of the global market. Recent developments in the global market are further described in the research report. The report also summarizes latest trends along with abstracts of the Black Porcelain market. Major competitors of the global market including commercial and non-commercial participants in the global market are also covered in the report.Inquiry For Bying Report @Thus, the research report provides in-depth analysis covering all the major regions, competitors, and vital aspects of the Black Porcelain industry.About Us:MarketResearchStore.com 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.Contact US:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Global Cloud Computing Market In Higher Education Expediting Digitalization Pushes The Envelope

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In a report added by MarketResearchReports.biz, the global cloud computing market in higher education is projected to register a robust CAGR of 24.57% for the forecast period 20162020. One of the primary reasons that the market is envisaged to demonstrate a phenomenal performance is the accelerating digitalization in the education sector, especially for higher education, through efforts taken by private firms and governments across the various regions of the world.Cloud computing finds expansive usage for offering a stock of resources such as computer processing power, data storage, networks, and specified applications. It provides a scalable infrastructure for file storage and numerous applications by allowing public and private networks to connect systems during the employment of computing resources.The report on the global cloud computing market in higher education has informed its buyers about the most important driving factors and their impact. It particularly highlights the rising productivity and engagement level in the market as a key driver. If the challenges in the market are considered, the analysts have spotted the difficulty in selecting the right solution and its influence in the industry. The report also offers knowledge of the crucial market trends prevailing, out of which, the changing learning environment and its impact have been studied.The analysts have answered the critical queries of cloud computing vendors operating for the higher education sector. Some of which include about the envisioned market size in 2020 and the growth rate, threats and opportunities encountered by the major companies, and their strengths and weaknesses. The significant players studied in the report are Blackboard, Cisco, Ellucian, and Instructure. EMC, NetApp, Salesforce, and Adobe Systems are the prominent players analyzed in the publication.For Sample Copy, click here:The segmentation of the global cloud computing market in higher education has considered two vital parameters, viz. service and deployment. Under the categorization by service, the report covers indispensable segments such as software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS). The analysts have taken into consideration the revenue generated by these three segments for evaluating the market size. For classification by deployment, segments such as public deployment, private deployment, hybrid deployment, and community deployment are considered. The geographical segmentation of the market includes Asia Pacific, North America, Rest of Europe, Western Europe, and Rest of the World.This detailed market intelligence publication for the world cloud computing market in higher education is compiled based on decisive data provided by industry experts. It seems that the authors of the report have also appreciated the significance of in-depth evaluation of the market. The report serves as a conclusive guideline to help gauge the growth prospects and landscape of the market in the near future.To order report Call Toll Free: 866-997-4948 or send an email on sales@marketresearchreports.bizMarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Persistent Cyber Threats, BYOD Trend To Propel Demand For Deception Technology

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The new report, titled Global Deception Technology Market 2016-2020 furnishes a detailed evaluation of the current opportunities, market trends, market catalysts, and challenges, together with the key information related to major vendors. Increase in the adoption of hybrid models and the emergence of partnership networks have been on the rise.Deception technology is a recent development in the field of cyber security. It consists of security tools and techniques developed so as to evade potential attackers by misdirecting or delaying them from penetrating further into the network. The report covers estimation of market size, five force analysis, the levels of deception technology offered by companies, and major partnerships, along with regulatory policies of the government, vendor matrix, and the buying criteria for deception technology for the forecast period 2016 to 2020.The global market for deception technology is segmented according to deception stack layer and end-user type. Energy and power, retail, and other verticals such as healthcare, manufacturing, administrative, IT and telecom, and BFSI are the categories under the end-user segment. Based on deception stack layer, application, data, and endpoint network layer are the major segments. Because of the rising customer data security requirements that are to be met by host organizations, the BFSI segment will grow rapidly, experts predict.For Sample Copy, click here:Increasing adoption of BYOD (bring your own device) policy among enterprises, increasing number of attacks and advanced persistent threats, and the need to ensure complete safety are some prominent drivers of the global deception technology market. Owing to the rise of software-defined networking, increasing installation of in-band security appliances is practiced in order to ensure protection. Moreover, it has become mandatory for government institutions to adopt deception technology solutions such as anti-virus software, encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection system, login passwords, intrusion prevention system, and the likes in order to protect critical data. All these developments have fuelled the demand for deception technology. On the contrary, absence of efficient security solutions has been restraining the market for deception technology.Among the geographical segments, Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant advancement due to extensive investments in network security undertaken by BFSI and IT and telecom sectors in China and India. Furthermore, numerous smart city projects in these regions will benefit the market for deception technology. Substantial developments in the field of deception technology in Canada and the U.S. are projected to drive the deception technology market in North America, which is expected to dominate other regional markets.Major players in the global deception technology market are Cymmetria, GraudiCore, TrapX Security, Attivo Networks, Hexis Cyber Solutions, Rapid7, Allure Security Technology, ForeScout, Specter, Percipient Networks, CyberTrap, Shape Security, TopSpin Security, LogRhythm, and Illusive Networks.To order report Call Toll Free: 866-997-4948 or send an email on sales@marketresearchreports.bizMarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Emerging Demand of Luxury Pens Market by 2022

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The luxury pens market is a niche market, and also there are not much retailers available in the market, which can hamper the luxury pens market. Likewise, the import duty of such luxury pens is high enough to impact its market. Due to its high range the inventory cost of the dealers increases, hence it requires more working capital management which can decline the luxury pens market. Moreover, there is an increase in e-communication among people which would further decline the luxury pens market.The growing e-communication among the corporates and other social class people around the world has become a threat for written communication. Due to the increasing brand awareness and high disposable income of people (especially among young adults), the luxury pens market is witnessing a decent growth. Likewise, luxury pens key players which are having brands such as Lamy, Aurora, Mont Blanc, Grayson and Parker are trying to encash the opportunities in this growing luxury pens market. The major players are opting to make their luxury pens more royal by making it diamond studded and gold plated, to grab the maximum market share. One of the key trend in the market is that the manufacturers are strategically investing in product development by modifying the luxury pen nib with platinum and other expensive metals. In spite of the sluggish market and curtailed discretionary spending, the luxury pens market is growing at a good rate. Hence, the global luxury pens market has got a great potential in the forecast period. The global luxury pens market is anticipated to witness a moderate single digit growth in the upcoming years.The growing global luxury pens market can be attributed to the growing disposable income and brand awareness amongst people. Growing population coupled with the changing lifestyle of people in the developed countries is anticipated to drive the demand for global luxury pens market. Moreover, possessing a luxury pen has become a status symbol these days and hence, high class society people are opting for luxury pens. Likewise, the attractiveness of luxury pens again plays a great role for boosting its market.Request to view table of content @Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the global luxury pens market. Countries such as India and China are the upcoming countries where demand for such luxury items are at peak because of the increase in disposable income of people. Even, North America is a flourishing luxury pens market due to the improving brand awareness of luxury pens amongst people.A sample of this report is available upon request @Some of the key players identified in the global luxury pens market are Paradise Pen Company, Montblanc International GmbH, C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Grayson Tighe, Parker Pen Company, A.T.Cross Company, Sanford L.P.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:
Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Market By Analysis of Major Industry Segments 2024

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Lymphoblastic lymphoma is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; however, it is relatively rare form affecting an estimated 2% patients of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Lymphoblastic lymphoma primarily affects teenagers or adults in their early 20s, and occurs more frequently in males than females. Lymphoblastic lymphoma arises most commonly from T-cells / t-lymphocytes, and is predominantly a lymph node-based disease, affecting the lymphatic system. The clinical distinction of the diseases - lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ACL) - vary according to different institutions and studies. However, recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the characteristics of lymphoblastic lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia are similar at all levels genetically, morphologicallym, and phenotypically as well. Hence, it has unified these diseases as precursors of T-cells / B-cells lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia.Lymphoblastic lymphoma involves both T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes, of which 84% to 90% cases of lymphoblastic lymphoma involve T-lymphocytes. Chemotherapy is the preferred choice and first line treatment in cases of lymphoblastic lymphoma, where the regimen is followed for the treatment and includes induction chemotherapy, consolidation chemotherapy, and continuing chemotherapy. Other treatments include radiotherapy which might be given in the brain or spine if lymphoma cells are present or in other areas, stem cell transplantation, and steroids. Lymphoblastic lymphoma is a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; however, it can be cured with 80% to 90% survival rates in children with intensive therapy for early stages (I & II), while 80% survival rates in more advanced stages of lymphoblastic lymphoma (stage III & IV).Request a PDF Brochure with Report Analysis:Rising incidence combined with increasing prevalence of cancer across the world is the major factor expected to drive the global lymphoblastic lymphoma market during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. Additionally, increasing prevalence of genetic diseases and technological advancements in the field of diagnostics is expected to augment the global lymphoblastic lymphoma market. According to the American Cancer Society, as on January 1, 2016, there were an estimated 686,390 non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer survivors in the U.S., out of which around 13,727 patients were lymphoblastic lymphoma survivors. Surveillance studies of the American Cancer Society also indicate that the total number of all types of cancer survivors is expected to reach 20.3 million patients by 2026, out of which people suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma is expected to reach 925,150. This increasing incidence and prevalence rate is expected to drive the global lymphoblastic lymphoma market from 2016 to 2024.In terms of region, the global lymphoblastic lymphoma market is classified into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the global lymphoblastic lymphoma market in 2015 due to increasing prevalence of cancer especially non-Hodgkin lymphoma, along with advanced diagnostic instruments and technologies, increasing health care expenditure, and rising patient demand for better health care facilities. Increasing focus on targeted drugs for diseases and rising prevalence of cancer is likely to drive the market in Europe. The global lymphoblastic lymphoma market in Asia Pacific is expected to register highest CAGR during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. Rising genetic diseases and increasing incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in countries in Asia Pacific such as China and India are expected to drive the global lymphoblastic lymphoma market in the region from 2016 to 2024.Key players in this market are Novartis AG, Sanofi SA, Pfizer, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc, AstraZeneca, Eisai, Inc., Amgen, Inc., and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Key players in the research and development are the National Cancer Institute, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospitals, and others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Browse Full Research Report on Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
White Adhesive Cement Market 2017-2021 Forecast Research Report

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This market analysis includes a detailed segmentation of the Global White Adhesive Cement Market by development trend and by application.The report covers the present year 2017 scenario and the growth prospects of the Global White Adhesive Cement Market for 2017-2021.The report Global White Adhesive Cement Market 2017-2021 has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. The report also covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years.The White Adhesive Cement Market By Geography North America Asia-Pacific EuropeRequest a sample of Global White Adhesive Cement Market Research Report @The Global White Adhesive Cement Market research report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.Global White Adhesive Cement Market key players are: Company A Company B Company C Company DBrowse the full Global White Adhesive Cement Market Research Report @The report provides an extensive analysis of current and future market status of the world White Adhesive Cement Market.Some of the points from table of content:Industry Overview Definition Classification Share Analysis Application AnalysisMarket Analysis Product Development History Process Development History Competitive Landscape AnalysisIndustry Development Trend Capacity Production Overview Production Market Share Analysis Demand OverviewMarket Status and Forecast Supply Demand and Shortage Import Export Consumption Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginReasons for Buying this Global White Adhesive Cement Market Research Report This report helps to analyzed the world's main region market conditions It provides product manufacturing processes It provides industry policies and plans It provides overview of product specification It provides cost structures & so on.The Report Contains: 156 Pages.Price of the report: 2850$ (single user license)Check discount @About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:Follow us on Twitter:Follow us on G+ :
Sigmoidscope Devices Market Research Report by Key Companies Analysis 2014 - Anetic Aid, Parburch Medical Ltd., HIENE USA LTD. Welch Allyn

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According to U.S. FDA, sigmoidoscope is a class II medical device used in a sigmoidoscopy procedure to examine the rectum and sigmoid colon. Generally, sigmoidoscope is a small tube-like device which consists light source to see the internal part of the rectum and sigmoid colon. Physician or nurse inserts this device into the colon through end part of the large intestine called anus and pushes slowly into the rectum and sigmoid colon. Over the last few decades, prevalence and incidence rates of gastrointestinal diseases (GIT) is increasing notably and is expected to drive the overall GIT diagnosis devices market including sigmoidoscope devices over the forecast period. There are two different types of sigmoidoscopes such as flexible sigmoidoscope and rigid sigmoidoscope are available in the market to cater the patients. Among all, flexible sigmoidoscope devices are commonly used. These devices allow a physician to see around bends in the colon and it provides prominent results in the lower colon examination. Rigid sigmoidoscope is used to check the rectum part and is used less often when compared to flexible sigmoidoscope. In the aforementioned devices, flexible sigmoidoscopes are expected to register robust growth in a CAGR over the forecast period.Key companies operating in the global sigmoidscope devices market are Anetic Aid, Parburch Medical Ltd., HIENE USA LTD. Welch Allyn, Jindal Medical & Scientific Instruments Company (Pvt.) Ltd., Pal Surgicals and Evexar Medical, GE Healthcare to name few.Download PDF Brochure of Report -Generally, sigmoidscope is used to find the cause of abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. Moreover, the device used to find the malignant polyps and benign, as well as early signs of cancer in the lower part of colon and rectum. By using flexible sigmoidoscope device, the physician can see inflammation, intestinal bleeding, ulcers and abnormal growths in the descending colon and rectum. The entire sigmoidoscopy procedure will take 20 minutes to complete and whilst performing the procedure, the patient may feel uncomfortable. Before performing procedure, patients rectum and colon must be empty. Moreover, patient has to take only clear liquids for 12 to 24 hours beforehand. Patient has to take edema before performing procedure, so that washes out the intestine.Increasing prevalence of GIT diseases is one of the major factor which is expected to drive the overall sigmoidoscope devices marker over the forecast period. Moreover, increasing technological advancements in the medical devices industry along with increasing awareness about healthcare is expected to drive the overall market demand for sigmoidoscope devices during forecast period. However, the cost of the procedure and dearth of skilled healthcare professionals in the under developed countries is expected to hamper the marker revenue growth over the forecast period. Moreover, availability of high end medical devices which offer multiple services including sigmoidoscopy is one of the key restraints for this market.This market can be categorized on three major bases such as product type, application, end user, and geography. On the basis of key products, the market can be classified into flexible sigmoidoscope and rigid sigmoidoscope. Based on the application, the market has been segmented into diagnosis, monitoring. Based on end user type the market has been segmented into hospital, ambulatory surgical centers, and gastroenterology institutes.Geographically, the sigmoidscope devices market can be classified into five regional markets such as North America (United States and Canada), Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, etc.) and Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, Japan, India, etc.), Latin America and rest of the world. The emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are expected to register robust growth during the forecast period 2016-2024. This would majorly be attributed to increasing investments by the key players operating in these countries, increasing prevalence of Gastro intestinal track cancers. India, China and Brazil are expected to drive strong growth among the emerging countries, owing to the increasing investments by government bodies to enhance healthcare facilities.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Market will generate new growth opportunities by 2024

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Oligonucleotides are short chain RNA or DNA which are usually manufactured by utilizing automated synthesizers. Purification of the oligonucleotide is done by anion exchange chromatography which is followed by desalting and freezing technique. For the synthesis of siRNA duplex oligonucleotide, an annealing step is carried out where two purified oligonucleotide strands are brought together in an equimolar ratio.A sample of this report is available upon request @Oligonucleotide therapeutics are different from conventional medicine as they can inhibit the expression of certain genes. This has given rise to innovative new oligonucleotides that can target specific genes and treat chronic diseases. The development of oligonucleotide therapeutics is done through chemically modified artificial nucleic acids. The artificial oligonucleotides are being developed which has improved in vivo stability and enhanced affinity to target mRNA.The demand for oligonucleotides is expected to upsurge as there are very few approved molecules. This has offered oligonucleotide market players a wide scope to discover new molecular entities. Moreover, the technology upgrades of chemically synthesized oligonucleotides have led to the development of more stable and extended half-life molecules. There are around 135 oligonucleotide therapeutics currently in different stages of drug development, which may further add to the limited three approved drugs currently available in the oligonucleotide therapeutics market.On the basis of application, the oligonucleotide therapeutics market can be segmented as:Infectious diseasesOncologyNeurodegenerative disordersCardiovascular diseasesKidney diseasesOthersThe area of treatment with oligonucleotides is wide and offers promising results. Oligonucleotides have a distinguishing feature as compared to small molecule and protein therapeutics in that it can directly affect the protein targets. Specific RNA interference at the cellular level and targeting malfunctioning gene to suppress, manipulate or silence can all be done via oligonucleotides therapeutics.On the basis of type, the oligonucleotide therapeutics market can be segmented as:AntisenseRibozymesAptamersmiRNACpG/ImmunostimulatoryRNAiThe number of oligonucleotides in the clinical pipeline is small compared to other therapeutic classes, but still, the clinical movement of these molecules is increasing. From 2012 to 2015, the biggest increase in oligonucleotides clinical phase was from Phase 1 to Phase 2. By mid-2015, the number of oligonucleotides in Phase 2 almost doubled than that in Phase 1, indicating that the pipeline is maturing.The presence of the main market leaders, market consolidation and commercialization of new molecules are all contributing towards the dominating position of North America in the oligonucleotides therapeutic market. Miragen Therapeutics, Inc. agreed to merge with Signal Genetics, Inc for an initial investment of USD 40 million. Through this merger both the companies expect to develop micro RNA-targeted oligonucleotide clinical products. New molecule application is also another strategy the market players are using to mark their presence in the oligonucleotide therapeutic market. Biogen recently received FDA approval for a new drug application for nusinersen. If approved, the antisense oligonucleotides molecule would be the first of its kind to be used for treating spinal muscular atrophy.Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region as several oligonucleotide therapeutics manufacturers are looking forward to establishing manufacturing facilities in this region. Moreover, research undertaking and funding in the synthesis of oligonucleotides are expected to add on to the increasing demand. Recently, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. announced its intention to open up a new company named Orphan Disease Treatment Institute Co., Ltd. to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy through its active ingredient ENA oligonucleotide. The company is a collaboration between Daiichi, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd. and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and looks forward to entering the oligonucleotide therapeutics market.One of the major trends driving the oligonucleotides therapeutic market is the increasing licensing and collaboration activities. Moreover, the demand for advanced technologies in oligonucleotide therapeutics such as gene silencing through RNAi is gaining importance due to its high efficiency, thereby propelling the oligonucleotide therapeutics market.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the key contributors to the oligonucleotide therapeutics market are PCI Biotech, SomaGenics, ContraVir, Alnylam, Regulus Therapeutics, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Gilead, Santaris, InteRNA, miRage, Biogen, Merck and Pfizer, among others.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:
Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Market is Appraised to be Valued US$ 508.4 Million by 2021

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Persistence Market Research (PMR), in a recent report, Global Market Study on Hemodynamic Monitoring System: Growing Demand for Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening to Drive the Market by 2021 , projected the hemodynamic monitoring systems market to expand at a healthy CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. The report offered trends driving the market and delivered analysis and insights on the potential of the hemodynamic monitoring systems market in specific regions.In terms of revenue, the hemodynamic monitoring systems market was valued at US$ 328.7 Mn in 2014 and is projected to reach US$ 508.4 Mn by 2021. Factors driving market growth include government and private sector initiatives to reduce healthcare costs, rising prevalence of lifestyle diseases, growing the geriatric patient population, increasing the incidence of respiratory disorders and growing demand for the screening of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).In terms of region, North America dominated the hemodynamic monitoring systems market with over 30% share in terms of value in 2014 but is expected to lose its market share to APAC by 2021. Europe accounted for over 20% of the total hemodynamic monitoring systems market share in 2014 and will maintain its dominance through 2021. Among the regions, APAC is projected to register the highest CAGR over 20152021 due to low-cost product offerings by manufacturers in the region. As of 2014, APAC was the third-highest contributor to the overall hemodynamic monitoring systems market, accounting for over 18% market share. By the end of 2021, it is projected to gain 330 BPS.On the basis of device type, the market has been segmented into pulse contour, oesophageal Doppler, volume clamp, hemodynamic monitoring sensors and pulmonary artery catheters.The pulmonary artery catheters segment had a dominant share in the global hemodynamic monitoring systems market in 2014, while the volume clamp segment accounted for over 20% share.Global hemodynamic monitoring systems market is further segmented on the basis of end use into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgery centres, home care settings and independent catheterisation laboratories. Revenue contribution of the hospitals segment was over 40% in 2014 and is projected to increase to over 42% by 2021, registering a significant CAGR of 7.3%. Home care settings segment is anticipated to record highest CAGR during the forecast period as hemodynamic monitoring systems are being adopted increasingly in home care settings.A Sample of this report is available upon request @By application type, the hemodynamic monitoring systems market is segmented into invasive hemodynamic monitoring, noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring and minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring segments. Among the three segments, minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 8.0% over 2015-2021. The invasive hemodynamic monitoring segment accounted for over 30% market share in 2014 but is projected to lose its share to the other two segments by the end of the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @Key players in the global hemodynamic monitoring systems market include Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, ICU Medical, Inc., Teleflex Incorporated, LiDCO Group Plc and PULSION Medical Systems SE. Global players focus on research and development initiatives for introducing innovative products to attain sustainable advantages over their competitors. In addition, they also focus on expanding their regional presence through mergers and acquisitions. In developed regions, hemodynamic monitoring systems manufacturers prefer selling their products directly to the consumer. By contrast, most vendors in countries such as China have tie-ups with suppliers to enhance their customer reach. Globally, medical equipment manufacturers in China account for over 50% market share for exporting noninvasive devices.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:
Printers Europe Market - Forecasts from 2016 to 2021

Printers Market

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SAMPLE REQUEST@Notes:Sales, means the sales volume of PrintersRevenue, means the sales value of PrintersThis report studies sales (consumption) of Printers in Europe market, especially in Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy, Spain and Benelux, focuses on top players in these countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these Countries, coveringAMSTexas InstrumentsEPSONAbraconMicrochip TechnologyNXP SemiconductorsSeiko InstrumentsSTMicroelectronicsIntersilMaxim IntegratedAVX Corp/Kyocera CorpCymbetNJRPericomIntegrated Device Technology, Inc.HengxingMarket Segment by Countries, this report splits Europe into several key Countries, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of Printers in these countries, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeGermanyFranceUKRussiaItalySpainBeneluxSplit by product type, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoThermal PrinterInkjet PrintheadSplit by application, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Printers in each application, can be divided intoHomeWorkCOMPLETE REPORT DETAILS @Table of ContentsEurope Printers Market Report 20171 Printers Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Printers1.2 Classification of Printers1.2.1 Thermal Printer1.2.2 Inkjet Printhead1.3 Application of Printers1.3.1 Home1.3.2 Work1.4 Printers Market by Countries1.4.1 Germany Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 France Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 UK Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Russia Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.5 Italy Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.6 Spain Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.7 Benelux Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Europe Market Size (Value and Volume) of Printers (2011-2021)1.5.1 Europe Printers Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.5.2 Europe Printers Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 Europe Printers by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Europe Printers Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Europe Printers Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.1.2 Europe Printers Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Europe Printers (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Europe Printers Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Europe Printers Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Europe Printers (Volume and Value) by Countries2.3.1 Europe Printers Sales and Market Share by Countries (2011-2016)2.3.2 Europe Printers Revenue and Market Share by Countries (2011-2016)2.4 Europe Printers (Volume) by Application...5 UK Printers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 UK Printers Sales and Value (2011-2016)5.1.1 UK Printers Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)5.1.2 UK Printers Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)5.1.5 UK Printers Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)5.2 UK Printers Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers5.3 UK Printers Sales and Market Share by Type5.4 UK Printers Sales and Market Share by ApplicationCONTINUEDBUY THIS REPORT @Contact Us :NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Food Service Equipment (Commercial Refrigeration) Market Driven By Growth In Hospitality Industry Across The Globe.

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The major players in the global food service equipment market, according to Transparency Market Research, are Meiko, Ali Group, Fujimak Corporation, Hobart Corporation, Hoshizaki Electric Co. Ltd., Manitowoc Company Inc., Rational AG, Dover Corporation, Libbey Inc., Electrolux AB, Vollrath Co., Tupperware Brands Corporation, Duke Manufacturing Co. Inc., Cambro Manufacturing Company, Inc., Middleby Corporation, Alto Shaam Inc., and Dispensing Dynamics International inc.The major driver for the global food service equipment (commercial refrigeration) market is the increasing presence of the hospitality industry. With the growing availability of urban infrastructure in developed regions and the rising disposable income of consumers, the hospitality industry is experiencing steady growth all over the world. The increasingly hectic lifestyle of urban consumers is also forcing them to eat out regularly, which is another factor driving the demand for commercial refrigeration services.PDF Sample For Technological breakthroughs is @The advancement in refrigeration technologies over the last few years has also helped the global commercial refrigeration market immensely, according to TMRs lead analyst. The cost-effectiveness of food service equipment has become increasingly important for the hospitality industry due to its direct impact on the companys profit margins, driving the demand for advanced commercial refrigeration products.High Capital Requirement Deters Small Players from Installing Advanced Food Service EquipmentThe prohibitively high capital investment required to install top-notch food service equipment has restrained the growth of the global market. While large international players can afford to install advanced commercial refrigeration services, new players have to make do with older technology. This is a key restraint on the global food service equipment market, but is likely to be ameliorated over the forecast period.Walk Ins to Remain Dominant Product TypeBy product type, walk ins held the largest share in the revenue of the global food service equipment market in 2014. Walk ins are preferred by vendors due to the higher convenience they provide to customers and accounted for close to one million commercial refrigeration units in 2013. Even though walk ins are expected to remain the leading segment of the global commercial refrigeration equipment market till 2020, the beverage dispensers segment is likely to exhibit the highest growth rate of all product segments. Other major product types in the global commercial refrigeration market include ice machines, glass door merchandisers, refrigerated vending machines, commercial fridges/freezers. Ice cream cabinets, and blast freezers.Advanced Technological Scenario Drives Demand for Food Service Equipment in North AmericaRegionally, North America was the largest market for food service equipment in 2013. The early establishment of the market in North America is a major driver for the regional market. North Americas position as the premier technological hub has also helped keep the regional commercial refrigeration industry at the cutting edge of technological innovation.According to Transparency Market Research, the global food service equipment market was valued at US$31.5 bn in 2013. Exhibiting a steady 4.80% CAGR between 2014 and 2020, the valuation of the market is likely to rise to US$44.3 bn. This information is taken from a market study titled Food Service Equipment (Commercial Refrigeration) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020.Report @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:
NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hunt Mortgage Group, a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States, announced today that Ted Nasca has joined the firm as Managing Director. Nasca will operate out of the firms Chicago office and will report to Bill Hyman, Senior Managing Director and Chief Production Officer.



In his new role at Hunt Mortgage Group, Nasca will focus on sourcing opportunities for both the proprietary lending and conventional agency businesses, as well as providing bridge financing to clients in the Midwest and Southern California.

Hunt Mortgage Group continues to evolve and expand both its core agency lending business and its proprietary balance sheet program to provide the full range of commercial real estate financing to its clients. We are making strategic additions to our organization to expand our market reach and capitalize fully on our expanded financing capabilities, commented Hyman. Ted brings more than 20 years of commercial real estate and banking experience to his new role at Hunt Mortgage Group. We are confident he will play a pivotal role in helping us reach our growth goals in the Midwest and Southern California.

Prior to joining Hunt Mortgage Group, Nasca was a Managing Director and Originator at Greystone & Company, where he was responsible for establishing Greystones CMBS platform in the Midwest and California regions. Prior to that, he was with Guggenheim Commercial Real Estate where he was a Managing Director and Originator and sourced, negotiated and structured life company quality transactions from $10 million. Earlier in his career he spent ten years with Credit Suisse/Column Financial where he played key role in establishing and growing the firms CMBS Small Loan Program to number one in the country.

Nasca earned his Bachelor of Arts  Sociology of Law, with a minor in International Business/Portuguese from the University of California, Davis. He also studied at Ponticific Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is fluent in Portuguese and has working knowledge of the Spanish language.

About Hunt Mortgage Group

Hunt Mortgage Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunt Companies, Inc., is a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States. The Company finances all types of commercial real estate: multifamily properties (including small balance), affordable housing, office, retail, manufactured housing, healthcare/senior living, industrial, and self-storage facilities. It offers Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD/FHA in addition to its own Proprietary loan products. Since inception, the Company has structured more than $21 billion of loans and today maintains a servicing portfolio of more than $12 billion. Headquartered in New York City, Hunt Mortgage Group has 189 professionals in 20 locations throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.huntmortgagegroup.com.
Electric Pumps Market Analysis by Size, Share, Key Drivers, Growth Opportunities and Trends 2016  2021

Electric Pumps

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On:- "Electric Pumps Market Analysis by Size, Share, Key Drivers, Growth Opportunities and Trends 2016  2021"This report studies Electric Pumps in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringPricol LimitedGreat Plants IndustriesSuntecRobert BoschSpectra PremiumMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Electric Pumps in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaTry Sample Report @Split by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoType IType IISplit by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Electric Pumps in each application, can be divided intoApplication 1Application 2Some Major Points from Table of content:Global Electric Pumps Market Research Report 20171 Electric Pumps Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Electric Pumps1.2 Electric Pumps Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Electric Pumps by Type in 20151.2.2 Type I1.2.3 Type II1.3 Electric Pumps Segment by Application1.3.1 Electric Pumps Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Electric Pumps Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Electric Pumps (2012-2022)2 Global Electric Pumps Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Electric Pumps Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Electric Pumps Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Electric Pumps Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Electric Pumps Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Electric Pumps Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Electric Pumps Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Electric Pumps Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion.......For Detailed Reading Please visit @7 Global Electric Pumps Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Pricol Limited7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.1.2 Electric Pumps Product Type, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Pricol Limited Electric Pumps Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Great Plants Industries7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.2.2 Electric Pumps Product Type, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Great Plants Industries Electric Pumps Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Suntec7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.3.2 Electric Pumps Product Type, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Suntec Electric Pumps Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Robert Bosch7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.4.2 Electric Pumps Product Type, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Robert Bosch Electric Pumps Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Spectra Premium7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.5.2 Electric Pumps Product Type, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Spectra Premium Electric Pumps Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.5.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinuedBuy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPh: +91 841 198 5042
Europe Navigation suits Market Research Report 2017

Navigation suits MARKET

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Navigation suits MARKETSummerySales, means the sales volume of Navigation suitsRevenue, means the sales value of Navigation suitsThis report studies sales (consumption) of Navigation suits in Europe market, especially in Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy, Spain and Benelux, focuses on top players in these countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these Countries, coveringBalticCrewsaverFinnporFonmar - SeastormGill MarineHansen Protection ASHelly HansenHenri LloydMarinepoolMullion Survival TechnologyMustoRooster Sailing LimitedTRIBORDVade RetroZhik Pty LtdMarket Segment by Countries, this report splits Europe into several key Countries, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of Navigation suits in these countries, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeGermanyFranceUKRussiaItalySpainBeneluxRequest for Sample Report @Split by product type, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intowetsuit?drysuit?flotation suitSplit by application, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Navigation suits in each application, can be divided intoFor manFor womanFor childComplete Report @Table of content:Europe Navigation suits Market Report 20171 Navigation suits Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Navigation suits1.2 Classification of Navigation suits1.2.1 wetsuit1.2.2 ?drysuit1.2.3 ?flotation suit1.3 Application of Navigation suits1.3.1 For man1.3.2 For woman1.3.3 For child1.4 Navigation suits Market by Countries1.4.1 Germany Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 France Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 UK Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Russia Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.5 Italy Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.6 Spain Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.7 Benelux Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Europe Market Size (Value and Volume) of Navigation suits (2011-2021)1.5.1 Europe Navigation suits Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.5.2 Europe Navigation suits Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 Europe Navigation suits by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Europe Navigation suits Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Europe Navigation suits Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.1.2 Europe Navigation suits Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Europe Navigation suits (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Europe Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Europe Navigation suits Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Europe Navigation suits (Volume and Value) by Countries2.3.1 Europe Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Countries (2011-2016)2.3.2 Europe Navigation suits Revenue and Market Share by Countries (2011-2016)2.4 Europe Navigation suits (Volume) by Application3 Germany Navigation suits (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 Germany Navigation suits Sales and Value (2011-2016)3.1.1 Germany Navigation suits Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.2 Germany Navigation suits Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.3 Germany Navigation suits Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)3.2 Germany Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers3.3 Germany Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Type3.4 Germany Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Application8 Spain Navigation suits (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8.1 Spain Navigation suits Sales and Value (2011-2016)8.1.1 Spain Navigation suits Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)8.1.2 Spain Navigation suits Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)8.1.8 Spain Navigation suits Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)8.2 Spain Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers8.3 Spain Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Type8.4 Spain Navigation suits Sales and Market Share by Application11 Navigation suits Manufacturing Cost Analysis11.1 Navigation suits Key Raw Materials Analysis11.1.1 Key Raw Materials11.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials11.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials11.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials11.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure11.2.1 Raw Materials11.2.2 Labor Cost11.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses11.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Navigation suitsBuy now @Tables and Figures:Figure Picture of Navigation suitsTable Classification of Navigation suitsFigure Europe Sales Market Share of Navigation suits by Type in 2015Figure wetsuit PictureFigure ?drysuit PictureFigure ?flotation suit PictureTable Application of Navigation suitsFigure Europe Sales Market Share of Navigation suits by Application in 2015Figure For man ExamplesFigure For woman ExamplesFigure For child ExamplesContinued...Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. 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Temperature Probe Market Will See a Shift from Mid to Large Caps

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Temperature probes are used to measure the amount of coldness and heat energy, generated by a system. These sensors help in detecting physical change to the temperature producing digital output. Furthermore, temperature sensors are mainly used in sectors including healthcare, food & beverage, automotive and consumer electronics, defense industry. They have proved to be essential in serving the growing demand for advance automation in theTemperature sensors are used in various industrial applications, which need process control with high accuracy. These probes are mainly used for sensitive processes, which need controlled process environments for example in chemical mixing, monitoring. Industrial processes which frequently requires to test and measure equipments temperature and volume, also use temperature probes on large scale. For example, clinical research processes have highly controlled manufacturing environments.These probes play important role in manufacturing, handling, storing of medical equipment and drugs, as they maintain basic overall performance by monitoring temperature. The current developments in healthcare sensing probes are responsible for increase in the trend of continuous patient monitoring. As a result it can reduce overall healthcare costs and help to improve treatment outcomes. These medical sensors are capable of monitoring of vital signs, for example patients temperature and blood pressure that are directly recorded in the electronic format. It also reduces sloppy management of patient records and providing the user with the latest information. Currently consumer healthcare is amongst the major fields which holds a promising future for sensors with a fastest growth rate than all other applications.The escalating burden of chronic disorders as well as, the worldwide, surging population count has consequently propelled the demand for these equipments. Chronically ill patients and the large elderly population subset form the target population for the sensor-based devices as it is imperative for them to undergo routine checkups; thus, facilitating remote and point-of-care patient monitoring.Besides this, increased adoption rate of surveillance and checkup devices are further driving the temperature sensors market. In addition, factors such as strict government guidelines to ensure environmental safety and ongoing demand for electronic products and computing peripherals have kept the prospects of the market high.The raw material used for manufacturing plays a crucial role in sensor efficiency and durability. Use of new raw materials such as lithium-niobate and langasite has increased the measurement ranges of temperature sensors. However, silicon based sensors are primarily used owing to their availability and low cost as they are produced in bulk. Multisensors are increasingly used for mass applications owing to their stability which, is expected to drive overall temperature sensors market growth.Technical developments and advent of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are likely to create greater opportunities.The home healthcare category such as pregnancy kits and glucose monitoring kits is anticipated to witness lucrative growth over the years. The cost of diagnosis in hospitals and other healthcare units is high; hence, the preference of home healthcare equipments, such as diagnostic kits, over hospitals is observed to be rising. The high-unmet needs of the huge target population are expected to further open avenues for the market players in the industry.However, dominance of legacy technologies and awareness of end-users have hampered the market growth. Quality, accuracy of temperature probes and raw material used for manufacturing has hampered the market.The Global Market of Temperature Probe is segmented on basis of product type, application, end user, and geography. The market by product type includes fiber optic, temperature sensors IC, bimetallic, resistance temperature detector, IR temperature sensor, thermistor, and thermocouple. Based on applications, the market is segmented as surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic and monitoring. The end user of temperature probes include hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, home healthcare facilities and others.Geographically, the market is segmented into six major regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Rest of the World (RoW). In terms of geography, North America followed by Europe account for the largest market share for because of availability of sophisticated primary, secondary, and tertiary-care healthcare settings supported the market. Moreover, the well-established reimbursement network, suitable government funding, and the increasing health awareness further facilitates the incorporation of the sensors in the medical devices.The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness a remunerative growth over the next few years. This can be attributed to the heightened number of individuals suffering from chronic disorders, such as diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory problems.The key market players active in the temperature sensor market are Analog Devices Inc., Maxim Integrated, Measurement Specialties Inc., Microchip Technology Inc., Honeywell International Inc., NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics, Panasonic Corporation, Texas Instruments and Siemens AG.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:
Global Landscape Preservations Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 Receives a Rapid Boost in Economy due to High Emerging Demands

Global Landscape Preservations Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

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Global QYResearch Announced new market research report on " Global Landscape Preservations Market : Market Size, Share, Growth, Segmentation, Consumption and Forecast 2022 Report".This report studies the Gobal Landscape Preservations Market 2017, analyzes and researches the Landscape Preservations development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeNordson EFDSenju Metal IndustryRequest more information atMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Application, Landscape Preservations can be split intoApplication 1Application 2View full report atTable of ContentsGlobal Landscape Preservations Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Landscape Preservations1.1 Landscape Preservations Market Overview1.1.1 Landscape Preservations Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Landscape Preservations Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Landscape Preservations Market by End Users/Application1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 22 Global Landscape Preservations Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Landscape Preservations Market Size (Value) by Players (2015-2016)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Nordson EFD3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Landscape Preservations Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Senju Metal Industry3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Landscape Preservations Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments4 Global Landscape Preservations Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Landscape Preservations Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.2 Potential Application of Landscape Preservations in Future4.3 Top Consumer/End Users of Landscape Preservations5 United States Landscape Preservations Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Landscape Preservations Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States Landscape Preservations Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)6 EU Landscape Preservations Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Landscape Preservations Market Size (2012-2017)6.2 EU Landscape Preservations Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)7 Japan Landscape Preservations Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Landscape Preservations Market Size (2012-2017)7.2 Japan Landscape Preservations Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)8 China Landscape Preservations Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Landscape Preservations Market Size (2012-2017)8.2 China Landscape Preservations Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)9 India Landscape Preservations Development Status and Outlook9.1 India Landscape Preservations Market Size (2012-2017)9.2 India Landscape Preservations Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)10 Southeast Asia Landscape Preservations Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia Landscape Preservations Market Size (2012-2017)10.2 Southeast Asia Landscape Preservations Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)11 Market Forecast by Regions and Application (2017-2022)11.1 Global Landscape Preservations Market Size (Value) by Regions (2017-2022)11.1.1 United States Landscape Preservations Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.2 EU Landscape Preservations Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.3 Japan Landscape Preservations Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.4 China Landscape Preservations Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.5 India Landscape Preservations Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.6 Southeast Asia Landscape Preservations Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.2 Global Landscape Preservations Market Size (Value) by Application (2017-2022)11.3 The Market Drivers in Future12 Landscape Preservations Market Dynamics12.1 Landscape Preservations Market Opportunities12.2 Landscape Preservations Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 Landscape Preservations Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 Landscape Preservations Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk Factors14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixTo Purchase this premium Report With Complete TOC at :About Us:Global QYResearch () is the one spot destination for all your research needs. 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2-shot Injection Molding Market is segmented into automotive, medical, consumer goods, electrical & electronics, packaging

Global 2-shot Injection Molding Market

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Transparency Market Research observes that the global 2-shot injection molding market is highly fragmented due to the strong presence of a large number of players present in the market. As each player holds a small share, the market is witnessing stiff competition. Some of the leading players in the global 2-shot injection molding market are Rogan Corporation, Nyloncraft, Inc., Paragon Rapid Technologies Limited, and Gemini Group, Inc. These players are expected to focus on reducing the lead time to remain competitive in the market and increasing the production volume to remain relevant to the market, states the lead author of this research report.The research report states that the global 2-shot injection molding market is was worth US$6.6 mn by the end of 2015 and is projected to reach US$11.5 bn by the end of 2024. During the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is projected is rise at a CAGR of 6.5%.Download the Exclusive Report Sample Here :Europe to Dominate Global Market as OEMs Focus on Reducing Production CostsGeographically, the global 2-shot injection molding market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Of these, Europe is expected to show indomitable dominance in the global market in the coming years. Despite a minor slip, the region is poised to acquire a share of 33.9% by the end of 2024. The emerging trend of large scale adoption of 2-shot injection molding process to reduce the cost of production and labor costs across Europe has kept the region in the lead.On the basis of applications, the global 2-shot injection molding market is segmented into automotive, medical, consumer goods, electrical and electronics, packaging, and industrial. Of these, the medical segment held the dominant share in the overall market in 2015. The report estimates that this segment will acquire a share of 25.8% by the end of 2024.Precision in Production to Drive Global Market2-shot injection molding ensures production of exceptionally precise parts with accurate repeatability with just a single tool. This advantage has encouraged OEMs to develop and design increasing more of products by using 2-shot injection molding, thereby increasing the adoption of this process and products across the globe. The considerable cost reduction by using 2-shot injection molding process, as it enables the production of two component parts in a single operation has also boosted the growth of this market.The report also suggests that the global market is being driven by the increasing pressure from the governments to recycle plastics. Stringent governmental regulations compelling industries to recycle materials has played a significant role in convincing OEMs to adopt 2-shot injection molding processes. The key advantage of using 2-shot injection molding process is that the core of any two-component parts is derived from the recycled plastic, without changing its look or property. Thus the increasing uptake of recycled plastics is expected to have a positive impact on the global market.High Initial Investment Estimated to Hamper Market GrowthThe high cost of tooling and equipment of 2-shot injection molding as compared to traditional molding is the chief restraint in the global market. The significantly higher initial investment costs has discouraged manufacturers from opting for 2-shot injection molding for their production processes. The market is also being stymied by the limited choice of material pairs that can be used for 2-shot injection molding. Furthermore, the long lead time of 2-shot molding machines is also estimated to hamper the growth of the market in the coming years.This review is based on Transparency Market Researchs report, titled 2-shot Injection Molding Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.The global 2-shot injection molding market has been segmented as follows:Browse the Full Brochue at :2-shot Injection Molding Market - Product Analysis-Polypropylene-Polycarbonate-Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)-Polystyrene-Other Plastics (Nylons, PBT etc.)-Silicones-Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)-Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE)-Other Elastomers (Nitrile Rubber, Natural Rubber etc.)2-shot Injection Molding Market - Application Analysis-Medical-Automotive-Consumer Goods-Electrical & Electronics-Industrial-Packaging-Others2-shot injection molding Market - Regional Analysis-North America-U.S.-Canada-Europe-Germany-Italy-France-U.K.-Spain-Rest of Europe-Asia Pacific-China-India-Japan-ASEAN-Rest of APAC-Latin America-Brazil-Mexico-Rest of LATAM-Middle East & Africa-GCC-South Africa-Rest of MEAAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Do You Know The Future Of Pelvic Floor Electrical Stimulation Device Market?

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Transparency Market Research presents this most up-to-date research on "Pelvic Floor Electrical Stimulation Device Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024"Electrical stimulation is a therapeutic treatment to treat muscle spasms and pain. It prevents atrophy and builds strength in patients with injuries. It is helpful to keep muscles active, especially after a spinal cord injury or stroke. Electrical muscle stimulation can be used to strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles. Stimulating activity can be achieved by passive contraction of the pelvic floor muscles through the transmission of low grade electrical impulses to the nerves that supply impulse to the bladder and other sections in the pelvic area. The small electrical impulses are delivered to the pelvic structures through an internal vaginal method or anal electrode method. Posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) is done by inserting a small electrode through skin of lower legs. The electrode can be connected through pulse generator. Similarly, sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) is done using a pacemaker like stimulator above the skin which plays an important role in functioning of the bladder. However, new developments in medical devices allow imaging at the cellular and molecular level, paving the way for earlier diagnosis and treatment by pelvic floor stimulation.Get A Free Sample Report Brochure Download:High prevalence of diseases such as urinary infection, neurological diseases, rising patient awareness, growing research and development initiatives, and increasing demand for electric stimulation devices such as electrodes and pacemakers are the major factors driving the global pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 17 million adults in the U.S. suffer from urinary incontinence, where women are twice affected as compared to men. Nearly 35% of female Medicare beneficiaries and 25% of male beneficiaries are estimated to suffer from urinary incontinence. Cost of reagents and sensitivity toward electrical impulses from the devices used during treatment are expected to hamper the pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market from 2016 to 2024.The global pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market has been segmented by device type, treatment, end-user, and geography. In terms of device type, the pelvic floor electrical stimulation market is classified into non-implantable electrical stimulator device and implantable electrical stimulator device. Based on treatment type, the market is classified into pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), intravaginal neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), and transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS). In terms of end-user, the pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market is classified into hospitals and ambulatory surgical units. The non-implantable device type segment is projected to witness strong growth driven by increase in urinary incontinence among the population, rising number of elderly women, and obesity. The Journal of Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing 2016 has conducted a study to evaluate the effect of intravaginal neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in women with multiple sclerosis disease in order to compare the efficacy of the approaches.Geographically, the global pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market is classified into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market due to increasing number of elderly women, rising obesity, and urinary infection rates. Early-phase diagnosis and treatment of disease is driving the medical biotechnology market, which in turn is expected to propel the pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market in North America. Europe is the second largest market for pelvic floor electrical stimulation devices due to favorable government policies regarding improvement of health standards for women and awareness programs by NHS and other health institutions. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a higher rate due to rising population, changing lifestyle, aging population, and increasing per capita expenditure. In addition, economic growth has led to improvement in health care infrastructure in developing countries such as India, China, and southeast Asia. These factors collectively support the growth of the pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market in Asia Pacific.Major players operating in the global pelvic floor electrical stimulation device market include Boston Scientific, Coloplast A/S, C. R. Bard, Inc., and Ethicon, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson).The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.Highlights of the report:A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent marketImportant changes in market dynamicsMarket segmentation up to the second or third levelHistorical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volumeReporting and evaluation of recent industry developmentsMarket shares and strategies of key playersEmerging niche segments and regional marketsAn objective assessment of the trajectory of the marketRecommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the marketNote: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMRs reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.Read Report Description With TOC:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Unbelievable globally growth of Intraoperative Imaging Market

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Transparency Market Research presents this most up-to-date research on "Intraoperative Imaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024"Technology is changing the world and intraoperative imaging is in the forefront of technological revolution in medical sciences. Intraoperative imaging system is a revolutionary optical imaging technology that helps in surgical operations. Intraoperative imaging systems accelerate surgical procedures by image guidance. The probability of target shifting during the surgical procedure (most commonly in the brain) provokes pre-surgery imaging location. Intraoperative image direction utilizes real-time imaging to detect the surgery target and thus assist in rigorous control and monitoring of the surgical procedures. Intraoperative imaging system has empowered the surgeons to precisely evoke patients anatomy during surgical procedures to maintain accuracy. The intraoperative imaging technology makes use of functional cameras and display systems that show in-depth location of the targets in surgery. Intraoperative imaging needs an operating room consisting of CT scanners and MRI machines with 3D sensors for surgeries of complicated organs such as brain and sinuses.Intraoperative Imaging Market: DynamicsThe global intraoperative imaging market is growing steadily. Important drivers that project the growth of intraoperative imaging market are specified significance in critical surgeries. Moreover, it is becoming widely accepted in various fields of medical sciences due to technological advancements and high precision. However, need for strengthening the operating rooms by excluding any metal objects for use of the equipment is mandatory. This is mainly done to avoid the involvement of the metal objects with the magnetic field of the intraoperative imaging systems. The market has observed many technological advancement in these devices such as development of portable intraoperative devices. The acceptability of the devices in the market is projected to drive the market growth. The intraoperative imaging market is influenced by high cost of surgeries in addition to advancement of the operating rooms.Get A Free Sample Report Brochure Download:Intraoperative Imaging Market: SegmentationGlobal intraoperative imaging market is segmented on the basis of component, application, and end-user.On the basis of component, the global intraoperative imaging market is segmented into the following:SystemIntraoperative computed tomography (CT)Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)Intraoperative ultrasoundSoftwareServicesOn the basis of application, the global intraoperative imaging market is segmented into the following:Intracerebral hemorrhageCancer surgeriesNeurological surgeriesOn the basis of end-user, the global intraoperative imaging market is segmented into the following:HospitalsResearch centersAcademic institutesAmbulatory surgical centersIntraoperative Imaging Market: Region-wise OutlookGlobally, the intraoperative imaging market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is a significant market for the global intraoperative imaging systems. Factors such as rise in government investments, increase in research and development activities, and growth in the number of alliances among key players are driving the growth of the market in the region. The North America market is followed by Europe. The Europe market holds a large share of the global intraoperative imaging systems. The intraoperative computed tomography (CT) segment dominates the market in the European intraoperative imaging systems. The trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. Huge capital investments by government and venture capitalist firms in many countries have attracted major players to enter the market.Intraoperative Imaging Market: Key PlayersKey players in the global intraoperative imaging market include GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Koninklijke Philips, Medtronic, Hitachi Medical Systems, Esaote SpA, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., and NeuroLogica Corp. The increasing competition among key players due to rise in demand for advanced imaging systems is likely to drive the market during the forecast period.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Read Report Description With TOC:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hotel Business News and Analytics

Important! This article is written by orangesmile.com editors and is protected by copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com

NEWS BLOCKS:

Legendary Edificio Espana in Madrid to Get Renovated and Rebranded

One of the most iconic hotels in Madrid, Edificio Espana, which is located on central Plaza de Espana, will get a total touch up. The renovation will be performed by RIU Hotels & Resorts together with the Baraka Business Group. Together, the companies will reopen the hotel under the Riu Plaza brand. This is a brand that belongs to a joint venture between the RIU and Baraka. RIU Hotels & Resorts own 25% of the companys shares. For the hotelier this project marks the appearance on the urban hotel market of Spain  a long term desire of RIU.



Renovation works of the famous Madrid hotel will last approximately 2 years. Edificio Espana has 27 stores, 24 of which are occupied by the hotel. Once the renovation is over, the hotel will get a 4-star rank and around 650 guestrooms. Edificio Espana will also get new event and meeting space of 1,800 square metres, 1,500 sq. m. of which will be a large open space hall with 6 metre ceilings. This is a truly unique venue for events and celebrations right in the heart of Madrid. The hotel will also get two restaurants, a sky bar and a rooftop swimming pool. The upgraded Edificio Espana may become a popular destination not only for business visitors, but also for leisure travelers who will value close proximity of the hotel to main landmarks and shops of Madrid.



The hotelier hopes this project will show other investors that RIU can work efficiently with large hotels in key destinations and that will help them expand across Spain and in other countries of the world. Currently, there are 6 Riu Plaza branded hotels in the world that operate in Panama city, Mexico, Miami, New York and two hotels in Europe  the Riu Plaza hotel in Berlin and the Riu Plaza hotel in Dublin.

27.01.2017Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, reports , and news about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com.
DALLAS, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bayport International Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK:BAYP) announced today through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Retail Group, the release of WeedWiser.com.



Mr. Franks stated, We are pleased to introduce our signature cannabis platform to the general public and our shareholders alike. Why WeedWiser.com? Because we plan to build a business around teaching and educating both the cannabis business owner and the end user as well. We are happy with the results of this project and will set out to immediately begin creating additional revenue through aggressive advertising and marketing.

Bayport International Holdings, Inc. is a holding company active in Oil & Gas, strategic metals, precious minerals and energy production. The company is also actively involved in the cannabis industry through its primary asset, WeedWiser.com The objective of the company is to provide diverse, yet practical investment opportunities to its shareholders.

Mr. Franks also stated, The functionality of WeedWiser.com is much like that of Angies List. The end user will find the site easy to navigate as they can search geographically, by category, and most conveniently, by zip code which drills down to their specific location. Cannabis related businesses can list their company on our platform to gain more exposure for their business. Each listing is geocoded, a participant can link back to their primary website, create articles and press releases, receive reviews, post events, job listings, and a full menu of products complete with images, details and pricing. It is a beautiful website in my opinion. It is now time to get to work maximizing the revenue potential.

Mr. Franks finished up with, We have an opportunity to grow something pretty special here, so as a result, we want to make it a main priority to grow shareholder base and worth. The cannabis industry is a great place to start in, in its infancy; we are proud to have a stake and be a part of such new industry. We're just getting started."

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and the statements of representatives of Bayport International Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") related thereto contain, or may contain, among other things, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements," including any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "guidance," "projects," "may," "could," "would," "should," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "ultimately" or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements involve material assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and the expectations contained in such statements may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results (including, without limitation, Bayport's ability to advance its business, generate revenue and profit and operate as a public company) could differ materially from those stated or anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including factors and risks discussed in the periodic reports that the Company files with OTC Markets (Pink Sheets). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. The Company undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law.
US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Supporters cheers as US President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak in Mobile, Alabama, during a 'Thank You Tour 2016' rally on Dec. 17, 2016. A new poll shows the majority of the president's supporters say he should be allowed to use a private email server.

(Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

While Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server elicited cries of "lock her up" during Donald Trump's campaign rallies, a majority of the president's supporters say he should be able to use one of his own.

A recent survey by Public Policy Polling has discovered that 42 percent of Trump supporters say the president should be allowed the use of a private email server while 39 percent say he should not.

Until earlier this week, much of the president's top administration officials were using private Republican National Committee servers for their email.

In addition to questions about emails, the Public Policy poll also asked respondents to answer questions on a variety of proposals the president has put forth.

Among the findings:

Only 34 percent of Americans support the building of a border wall with Mexico if U.S. taxpayers have to foot the bill. Fifty-three percent oppose the idea.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said Congress should keep the Affordable Care Act intact and fix what's not working while 30 percents support a repeal.

Another 59 percent of voters say Trump should release his tax return. Thirty-two percent say he shouldn't.

Additionally, another 54 percent of voters would approve a law that requires presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to become eligible for the ballot.

Trump also lost every head-to-head matchup with past presidents in favorability ratings.

Barack Obama beat him 48-43 while George W. Bush went 40-35. Ronald Reagan beat Trump by the highest margin: 57-17.

You can read the rest of the report here.

--Eder Campuzano

503.221.4344

@edercampuzano

ecampuzano@oregonian.com
Oregon Statehouse Races

Several of Oregon's elected legislators have used campaign funds to pay their own businesses. It's legal, but is it ethical? (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

(Don Ryan)

Update: This story was updated to reflect that payments from Rep. Brian Clem's campaign were made to a business owned by his wife.

Eighteen times in the last decade state Sen. Kim Thatcher's campaign account has written checks to businesses she owns.

It's all perfectly legal, and Thatcher, a Republican from Keizer, says she was given approval by elections officials to make the payments.

But the transactions raise questions about how the campaign accounts of state lawmakers intersect with their private businesses. Campaign donors expect their money to be spent getting candidates elected. The wrinkle is, it's unusual for candidates to pay themselves in the process.

"Are there ethical flags raised? All over the place," said Jim Moore, professor and director of Pacific University's Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation. He characterized lawmakers hiring their own businesses with campaign funds as "something akin to money laundering."

Thatcher isn't the only Oregon legislator who has tapped campaign funds to pay their business or nonprofit. At least 10 others have made such payments in the last decade, records show.

The cash expenditures -- made by Democrats and Republicans in the state House and Senate -- range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. The Oregonian/OregonLive identified those payments by combing through hundreds of pages of conflict of interest disclosures, business registrations and campaign finance records filed over the last decade by Oregon's 90 current legislators.

Among the findings:

Thatcher's construction companies, KT Contracting and Highway Specialties, were paid $34,000 for campaign signs, staff time and administrative services. Her nephew, Jared Thatcher, paid the companies $5,000 for similar work when he ran for the state Senate.

Sen. Mark Hass

Rep. John Huffman

Rep. Brian Clem

Sen. Tim Knopp

Rep. E. Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls, paid his web design company $329 for running campaign ads on Facebook.

All said their payments fell within the bounds of the state's campaign finance law.

Oregon law allows candidates to buy goods and services at "fair market value" from their own businesses with campaign funds, said state Elections Director Steve Trout. Candidates are only barred from using campaign funds to buy intangibles, like "political consultancy or advising," he said.

It appears two lawmakers may have done just that.

Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, wrote a single $10,000 check from his campaign account to his business, Gregory Smith & Company, for "management services." Smith said the check was not for consulting. Instead, it paid his wife, who is his legislative assistant, but not on state payroll, he said. Officials gave the go-ahead to make the payment, Smith said.

Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.

"This is a way for her to be compensated for her work," Smith said. "She just handles the bookkeeping."

Michael Calcagno, spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office, said it's a "longstanding loophole" that state law allows legislators to pay their family members with public funds or campaign donations to be their aides.

Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, who owns a political consulting firm with her husband, spent $1,900 of her campaign's cash with the company, PIP Communications. Records show the transactions were for data services, district maps and consulting. Parrish said the payments should not be labeled cash expenditures for consulting -- an error by the campaign treasurer, she said.

Two lawmakers also wrote checks to nonprofits they operate.

Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day. Stephanie Yao Long/Staff

Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, tapped his campaign for $6,500 to pay Impact Oregon, a nonprofit he runs with Knopp. Ferrioli said he and Knopp don't take salaries for running the mostly-dormant organization, which occasionally posts negative ads about Oregon Democrats on social media. Ferrioli described the group's work as "putting out facts without necessarily advocacy."

He and Knopp don't run Impact Oregon full-time; Ferrioli is retired and Knopp runs a homebuilders' association in central Oregon.

Sen. James Manning, D-Eugene, spent his campaign funds on the Oregon Black Education Foundation, of which he is president, noting in filings that the money is for a scholarship. Manning said he paid the foundation $1,500 from his campaign after receiving an unwanted donation of the same amount from retail giant Kroger. Manning said he could have returned the money, but decided to fund the scholarship instead.

"That was just a call I made at the time," he said. "I thought it was the right call."

In a unique case, Rep. Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass, used $19,000 of campaign funds to pay his radio stations for airing his campaign ads. He said federal law requires radio stations to let candidates buy airtime, so the payments are allowed. He also said that he double-checked with the state Department of Justice.

Wilson's campaign paid for ads on multiple southern Oregon radio stations during his 2014 campaign, records show. But during last year's re-election campaign, he only bought airtime with his own stations. Wilson hardly needed to get the word out about his campaign. He won in a landslide in his heavily Republican district.

Majority Leader paid for running campaign arm

By far the biggest transfer of campaign cash to another business or entity involves House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland.

Williamson earns a salary for running the political action committee for House Democrats, even though some of the money that ends up in her pockets may come indirectly from donations to her campaign. The PAC essentially employs her full time and supplements her legislative income.

Williamson said she's paid $21,000 a year to head Future PAC, the House Democrats fundraising arm, same as the previous majority leader, Val Hoyle.

House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, answers questions from the media at the Oregon State Capitol. Stephanie Yao Long/Staff

Williamson also wrote 18 checks worth $305,000 from her campaign to Future PAC. Hoyle, who is no longer in office, transferred $368,000 from her campaign to Future PAC campaign while in the caucus. Most of the money went to help other Democratic candidates.

Williamson said she gave up her private law practice to become majority leader. Although Hoyle had the same arrangement, the interplay between PAC and politician is relatively new in Oregon. No other legislative leaders have received a salary from a political action committee that they contribute money to.

Brendan Fischer, counsel at The Campaign Legal Center, in Washington D.C., said the arrangement casts doubts on who Williamson is really working for -- constituents, or her party.

"If a person is doing nothing but politics, nothing but legislating and raising money for electoral races and otherwise involved in politics," he said, "they're undermining the idea of a citizen legislature."

On the other hand, Fischer said, running a caucus is a big job. If it comes with no pay, only the independently wealthy can serve in the Legislature's upper echelons.

For her part, Williamson said her supporters know she transfers her campaign donations to Future PAC. "It's not like it's a secret," she said.

But one aspect of the arrangement is hidden. Future PAC pays Williamson through a payroll service -- making it difficult to track how much she is paid and when. Williamson said use of the payroll service is "a business decision" made by Future PAC.

House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, receives a stipend for running the caucus political action committee, Future PAC. Some of her pay may indirectly come from donations to her own campaign.

Elections officials in the Secretary of State's Office see the law governing Williamson's work with Future PAC as "ill-defined," Calcagno said.

"The bottom line is that the elections division has never looked into this," he said.

After consulting elections officers, Calcagno said there's no way to determine if money flows "straight through" from Williamson's campaign to Future PAC and then Williamson's pockets, via her stipend. As far as they're concerned, he said, state law allows Future PAC to pay anyone it wants.

Legal vs. ethical

Political experts say there can be a gulf between what's legal and what's ethical, especially when it comes to campaign spending.

Hana Callaghan, director of the government ethics program at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, said lawmakers paying their businesses may not be fair to campaign donors.

"From an ethics standpoint that's questionable behavior," she said. Donors seek to get their candidate elected, she said, "not necessarily to enrich the candidates."

Fischer, the campaign finance litigator, said elected officials like Williamson often run fundraising PACs, but are rarely, if ever, paid for that work.

"It's one thing if she's working for the PAC and raising money and then receiving a stipend," Fischer said. "It's another if she's raising money for her own campaign and then transferring the funds. Then it begins to look more like a kickback."

Lax enforcement leaves room for abuse

Even though state law prohibits certain campaign spending, there's little assurance that candidates comply.

Payments are essentially made on the honor system, because elections officials don't check to make sure lawmakers are following the rules unless an official complaint is filed. What's more, lawmakers' conflict of interest disclosures also go unchecked by the state ethics commission unless there's a complaint.

Candidates paid with campaign funds for intangible services like consulting can face a $250 fine on the first offense. Legislators are also immune from fines during the lawmaking session.

Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer.

As for Thatcher, her companies faced investigation several times. KT Contracting was given a $60,000 sanction in 2010 after a judge ruled the company engaged in a cover-up and destroyed evidence related to suspected state contracting fraud -- accusations Thatcher denied in interviews this week.

Thatcher's campaign also was investigated multiple times for payments to her companies, but elections officials found no problems other than late paperwork. For that she paid small fines -- "A few hundred dollars at the most," she said.

Sporadic enforcement of election laws and low fines leaves room for bad behavior, Fischer said.

"If there's no threat of enforcement," he said, "there's little incentive to fully comply."

Moore, the political scientist, said if the Legislature doesn't see anything wrong with self-payments, it's a good thing they're public record. At least one lawmaker agrees.

"I think the important thing is that it's transparent," said Knopp, the Bend Republican. "Quite frankly, probably nobody would know what we're doing unless we report it."

-- Gordon R. Friedman

gfriedman@oregonian.com; 503-221-8209
SOLON EIENDOM ASA

STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, HONG KONG, SWITZERLAND OR THE UNITED STATES

Solon Eiendom ASA - Last day of subscription period in Subsequent Offering today

(Oslo, Norway, 27 January 2017) Reference is made to previous stock exchange announcements and the prospectus (the "Prospectus") dated 12 January 2017 concerning, inter alia, the subsequent offering (the "Subsequent Offering") of 666,666,666 new shares at a subscription price of NOK 0.15 per share in Solon Eiendom ASA ("Solon" or the "Company", ticker "SOLON").

Subscription rights for participation in the Subsequent Offering can be exercised during the ongoing subscription period. The subscription period will expire today, 27 January 2017, at 16:30 CET.

Subscription rights that are not used to subscribe for new shares before the expiry of the subscription period will have no value and will lapse without compensation to the holder.

For more information, please refer to the Prospectus. The Prospectus is, subject to regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions, available on the following websites: www.bionorpharma.com, www.dnb.no/emisjoner, www.arctic.com/secno/offerings and www.sb1markets.no. Hard copies of the Prospectus may be obtained by contacting the Company (telephone: +47 22 29 66 90), DNB Markets (telephone: +47 23 26 81 01), Arctic Securities (telephone: +47 21 01 30 40) or Sparebank 1 Markets (telephone: +47 24 14 74 00).

DNB Markets, a part of DNB Bank ASA, Arctic Securities AS and SpareBank 1 Markets are engaged as managers for the Subsequent Offering.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Further information

Simen Thorsen

Chairman of the Board, Solon Eiendom ASA

E-mail: st@soloneiendom.no

Cell Phone: +47 918 86 886

Andreas Martinussen

Chief Executive Officer, Solon Eiendom ASA

E-mail: am@soloneiendom.no

Cell Phone: +47 400 00 405



Solon Eiendom is a Norwegian residential real estate development company focusing on the Oslo and Akershus region. Solon Eiendom was established in 2006 by founder Simen Thorsen and investor Tore Aksel Voldberg. The company has since its incorporation delivered 570 units with a corresponding sales value of close to NOK ~3 billion and sold more than 800 units with a total sales price of more than NOK ~4 billion. Solon is listed on Oslo Brs (OSE: About Solon EiendomSolon Eiendom is a Norwegian residential real estate development company focusing on the Oslo and Akershus region. Solon Eiendom was established in 2006 by founder Simen Thorsen and investor Tore Aksel Voldberg. The company has since its incorporation delivered 570 units with a corresponding sales value of close to NOK ~3 billion and sold more than 800 units with a total sales price of more than NOK ~4 billion. Solon is listed on Oslo Brs (OSE: SOLON ). More information about Solon is available at www.soloneiendom.no.



Important Information

The release is not for publication or distribution, in whole or in part directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong or the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia).

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. It is issued for information purposes only, and does not constitute or form part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities, in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Company does not intend to register any portion of the offering of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into Australia Canada, Japan, Hong Kong or the United States. The issue, exercise, purchase or sale of subscription rights and the subscription or purchase of shares in the Company are subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Neither the Company, DNB Markets, Arctic Securities nor SpareBank1 Markets assumes any responsibility in the event there is a violation by any person of such restrictions.

The distribution of this release may in certain jurisdictions be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this release comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
markohatfieldcourthousedavekillen.jpg

Federal prosecutors lodged a second charge of possession of a firearm in a federal facility against Matthew T. Mglej, who was arrested in September outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in downtown Portland. Police say he was carrying a 1911 rifle wrapped in a towel. He pleaded not guilty to the second firearms charge on Thurs., Jan. 26, 2017. (Dave Killen|Staff)

Matthew Thomas Mglej, accused of carrying a rifle outside the downtown Portland courthouse in September, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a second charge of possession a firearm in a federal facility.

Mglej was arrested in September after officers spotted him carrying a sign and something wrapped in a towel near the steps of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. As officers approached, police said, the towel dropped, revealing the rifle.

Police seized the unloaded Enfield 1911 rifle.

The arrest occurred as the Oregon standoff trial was proceeding in the federal courthouse. Courthouse security was increased during the course of the trial.

Department of Homeland Security officers arrested Mglej on Sept. 15.

A federal grand jury initially returned a one-count indictment against Mglej, accusing him of possessing a firearm in a federal court facility, a felony.

Mglej was arraigned on a second count of possessing a firearm in a federal facility, charged as a misdemeanor.

The second count appears to cover the theory that having a gun on the walkway outside the courthouse amounts to having a gun in a federal facility versus a federal court facility.

Matthew T. Mglej

Mglej is set for trial on April 11.

The September incident marked the second time Mglej has been arrested outside the courthouse. He was arrested on indecent exposure and interfering with a peace officer accusations after playing the violin while naked in 2014. Both charges were dismissed in 2015, court records show.

He also filed a lawsuit against the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Portland police and others in U.S. District Court in January 2015. He claimed he was dragged, injured and taunted by police during his arrest.

A judge threw out his allegations against the city of Portland and police but allowed an allegation of excessive force against Multnomah County regarding his treatment in jail. A jury returned a verdict in favor of the county, according to court records.

Mglej filed an appeal, court records show.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
As the clock ticked toward the end of their volunteer terms, the remaining members of a dying Portland community police oversight committee begged the city's new mayor and federal Justice officials for a lifeline.

"It breaks my heart to see (the board) dissolve like this,'' Philip Wolfe, chair of the soon-to-be defunct Community Oversight Advisory Board, said Thursday. "Say it's not OK.''

The city formed the group to help monitor police reforms that are part of Portland's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

With lack of training and city support, the 15-member citizen board has dwindled to seven members. Two leaders and multiple members have resigned. The city hasn't filled the positions and put the board on a two-month hiatus last year.

As a result, the Justice Department last fall found the city wasn't meeting a requirement in the settlement agreement for community engagement.

The agreement followed a 2012 federal investigation that found police engaged in excessive force against people with mental illnesses. Investigators also found that police improperly used stun guns against suspects.

The agreement not only called for reforms to police training and policies, it required the city and police to enhance outreach to the community, described as a "critical resource'' to promote public safety. It also required the city to allow residents to provide independent oversight of the reforms.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon late last year ordered the city to return to his courtroom by the end of January to provide an update on how it planned to provide proper community oversight, but the city balked.

Instead, the City Council voted to appeal Simon's order, arguing that the city never agreed to appear in court beyond previously scheduled annual status conferences.

Meanwhile, the Community Oversight Advisory Board has received no feedback on the 50-plus policy recommendations it crafted on police use of force, improving police encounters with people in crisis and ways to combat bias-based policing.

"It's a farce to talk about community engagement when the city and the Department of Justice has abandoned the COAB and taken steps to ignore the community,'' said attorney Tom Steenson, one of the last remaining board members.

"Our term is almost up and nothing's really been done,'' said board member Catherine Gardner.

The terms are set to expire Jan. 31, and the city has no plan to extend them.

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who attended Thursday night's session, pledged to review the board's recommendations and promised "this will not be the end of community engagement.''

Wheeler said he didn't believe the board "was particularly effective in achieving its objectives'' and wanted to know what didn't work.

The remaining members blamed city attorneys and the Chicago-based team of academics, Dennis Rosenbaum and Amy Watson, hired to monitor the city's compliance with the settlement, for not allowing the board to act independently.

Former board member Sharon Maxwell urged the city to replace Rosenbaum and Watson with a court monitor, have the community board report instead to Judge Simon and allow the board to have an independent legal adviser "to get this process back on track and respect the volunteers who have given their time.''

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Brown, representing the Justice Department, praised the volunteers for the tremendous hours they've put in.

"I find your comments hollow,'' Steenson responded. "Because if you felt our work was that important, you would have filed a motion finding the city in noncompliance, but apparently you're unwilling to do that.''

The Justice Department did find the city in noncompliance but must give it a chance to remedy the problem, Brown said. Justice officials, city attorneys, the Portland Police Association and Albina Ministerial Alliance are in talks to come up with a new community engagement process, she said.

The city had hoped to come up with a solution by the end of January, but won't meet that goal. It may take a couple of months, Brown said. Any changes to the settlement will have to be approved by the City Council and the court.

The Justice Department is trying to apply pressure to have the city craft a solution and hopes that will prove "more fruitful than contentious litigation,'' Brown said.

Board member Rochelle Silver said she doesn't believe the city is acting in good faith. "All they're doing is playing with you, playing with us, playing with the good citizens and taxpayers of the city of Portland,'' she said.

The remaining board members pleaded to have their terms extended beyond Jan. 31, until at least a new group is created. The Albina Ministerial Alliance, a group of church leaders and other people who have pushed for police reforms, said the gap in public oversight will further alienate the community.

Brown said it was the city's decision to dissolve the board.

Wheeler told those gathered that he knows their "passions are sincere'' and that they've worked to do right for the people who are most vulnerable in the city. He said he agreed training is crucial for volunteer community board members and supported assigning an independent legal counsel to such a board.

As police commissioner, Wheeler said he wants the final say in deciding a police officer's discipline and called the current system achieved through bargaining, in which an arbitrator can overrule the firing or suspension of an officer, "a terrible mistake.''

"It's one of the things I want to get back through the bargaining process,'' the mayor told the group.

After the meeting, Wheeler told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he has no real plan on how to challenge police arbitration on disciplinary matters.

"It's a long shot in the near term,'' he acknowledged. "How we get from here to there, I don't know. I just know we need to get there.''

Wheeler said he recognizes the community board members' disappointment.

"I'll take a good look at their recommendations to figure out what is the right process going forward,'' he said.

People forget, he said, that many of the concerns about police interactions with people in mental health crisis grew out of the 2006 death in police custody of James P. Chasse Jr., who suffered from schizophrenia.

Wheeler was Multnomah County's chairman when the county approved a record $925,000 to settle its part of a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by the Chasse family.

"I was the one who had to sign the check for Multnomah County. It was a very sad time,'' he said. "As a community, we could do a lot better.''

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
UPDATE: Stash Tea issues response Friday afternoon.

Starting this week, Stash Pot Shop of Seattle is Lux Pot Shop of Seattle.

Why? Legal threats from Stash Tea Co. of Tigard prompted the Washington recreational marijuana retailer to make the switch.

Because while the word is used to describe a quantity of marijuana for personal use, it's also been used in the tea company's name since its founding in 1972.

The co-owner of the former Stash Pot Shop knows he is not alone in facing reprisal from Stash Tea, which started in Portland. Stash Tea in April sued Stash Cannabis Co. of Beaverton, accusing it of infringing on the specialty tea company's trademark. And, given the prevalence of the word Stash in similar cannabis shop's names and the growing number of states that have legalized recreational marijuana sales, Stash Tea's legal team figures to be very busy, says Lux co-founder Kc Franks and others.

"Stash is a name that is extremely prevalent in marijuana culture," said Franks, which is why it was part of the company name at Stash Pot Shop's founding in August 2015. "It's a slang term in the lexicon used in the 1960s."

Two months after its founding, however, Franks received a disturbing letter.

Chernoff Vilhauer of Portland, the intellectual property counsel for Stash Tea, told Franks the Oregon-based company had trademark registrations for Stash in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

"Stash Tea has established substantial goodwill in the Stash mark and the mark and the registrations are valuable corporate assets," said the two-page Oct. 19, 2015, letter. "It is within our client's rights to demand that the Seattle marijuana dispensaries immediately cease any and all uses of Stash and any other names or marks confusingly similar to the registered Stash trademark."

The letter urged Franks or his legal counsel to contact Stash "to discuss a reasonable phase out period" so that "Stash Tea does not need to pursue legal remedies to enforce its Stash trademark."

In retrospect, Franks said he'd heard of Stash Tea when he chose the original name for his shops in the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and Northgate.

"I did not feel we were functioning in the same space as them," he said.

He liked his company's original name, but he said it wasn't a hard decision to acquiesce to Stash Tea's demand.

"We're a small industry," he said. "When you're a young industry and you don't have the protections of the federal government and you're in a state where you have to prove the legitimacy of your industry to the general public ... it sets the stage for larger, established companies to bully us. There's not much we can do."

Representatives for Chernoff Vilhauer and Stash Tea did not respond to requests for comment. Stash Tea's founders sold the company in 1993 for an undisclosed amount to Yamamotoyama, a three-century-old Japanese tea company.

UPDATE -- Stash Tea sent an emailed response Friday afternoon: Stash Tea is a leading specialty tea company with roots in the Pacific Northwest that reach back to the early 1970s. Stash Tea respects small businesses and the intellectual property of others, and expects others in the business community to do the same. Stash Tea will vigorously protect its well-known brand name and identity, which has been trademarked for over 40 years. Stash Tea is confident in the merits of its claims in response to recent infringement of its intellectual property.

The recreational use of marijuana has been approved in Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska. With voter approval last November, that list will soon include Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada and California. The District of Columbia voted to decriminalize its use.

The word Stash is used in several cannabis retailers in those states, said Amy Margolis, a Portland attorney who specializes in cannabis law for national law firm Greenspoon Marder.

"It's an extremely common vernacular in the cannabis world," Margolis said.

Of Stash Tea, she said, "They could indefinitely be fighting with brand after brand."

Franks said he has heard that Stash Tea's representatives contacted other shops like his own, but the trademark issue has been elevated to only one known lawsuit.

In April in federal court in Portland, Stash Tea filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Stash Cannabis Co., 9952 S.W. Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, in Beaverton. Stash Tea requested a jury trial. A Jan. 30, 2018 trial date has been set before federal Judge Marco A. Hernandez.

Chris Matthews, who founded Stash Cannabis Co. in September 2015, declined to comment for this story.

Matthews' attorney, John Mansfield, who also declined to comment, filed a reply in September contending the two company's trademarks are not similar, their products aren't related and their products are offered through different marketing channels.

Franks, the Seattle retailer, said he chose the new name Lux because of its relation to the lighting used to grow marijuana. He figures he spent "easily over $100,000" on expenses to change the shop name.

In addition to legal expenses, "when you're a shop like this in this emerging market, you have a ton of collateral materials," he said, such as marketing materials, employee clothing and branded hats and T-shirts. The Stash Pot Shop embedded in a store's concrete also needs to be removed.

"Stash was a good name," he said. "It did a really good job. ... Letting go of the Stash name was not an easy decision for us."

--Allan Brettman

503-294-5900

@allanbrettman
Annie Saunders

Annie Saunders goes through the motions of window washing as water rises over her during a performance in a large aquarium titled Holoscenes, during Miami Art Week, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in Miami. The piece, by artist Lars Jan, is meant to convey the issue of climate change and water in the 21st century, and the ability to continue everyday behaviors. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

President Trump

for the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Trump and his supporters think the U.S. should reconsider all its treaties to ensure it is getting the best deal possible. Supporters of the Paris Agreement say withdrawing from the agreement would doom efforts to stop climate change and would put the world in danger.

What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Critics of the Paris Agreement, like President Trump, say it is a bad deal for the U.S.:

"I don't want that agreement to put us at a competitive disadvantage with other countries," Trump said. "And as you know, there are different times and different time limits on that agreement. I don't want that to give China, or other countries signing agreements an advantage over us."

The Paris Agreements limit the United States economy while giving a free pass to nations like China. If the U.S. wants to maintain its position, it must pull out of the Paris Agreements.

The simple fact is that breaking free from the shackles of carbon-emissions deals like the Paris Agreement could unleash the full power of the American economy in a way that actually enables it to compete economically with a country like China."

I believe a wise political leader should take policy stances that conform with global trends," Xie said. In this case, adopting policy stances that conform with global trends on carbon emissions all but guarantee China's ascendancy to the world's largest and most important economy.

Supporters of the Paris Agreement say this is not about winners and losers -- this is about making sure we do not destroy Earth. It's not as though these terms were arbitrarily agreed upon, they were painstakingly negotiated by 195 countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping defended the Paris agreement, saying:

"Man coexists with nature, which means that any harm to nature will eventually come back to haunt man. We hardly notice natural resources such as air, water, soil and blue sky when we have them. But we won't be able to survive without them."

"Industrialisation has created material wealth never seen before, but it has also inflicted irreparable damage to the environment," Xi went on. "We must not exhaust all the resources passed on to us by previous generations and leave nothing to our children or pursue development in a destructive way. Clear waters and green mountains are as good as mountains of gold and silver. We must maintain harmony between man and nature and pursue sustainable development."

https://thinkprogress.org/china-trump-paris-agreement-42b4ab5de717#.wgbzxovqm The Paris agreement is a hard-won... Posted by Patrick Morcillo on Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Even China and Germany have pleaded with him to look to renewable energy and honor the Paris Agreement. The excuse "Well... Posted by Stephanie Keene on Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Paris Agreement gives CHINA and INDIA go ahead to increase CO2 emissions at unlimited growth while limiting ours.



BAD DEAL FOR US https://t.co/71i8K45A0K  Malcolm Roberts  (@MRobertsQLD) November 14, 2016

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.
leaping lamb.jpg

During a farm stay at Leaping Lamb Farm guests can participate in feeding and caring for animals and harvest their own food.

(Thomas Boyd/2014)

All around Oregon, more and more people are navigating towards farm-to-table experiences, which in turn intensifies their desire to know where their food is coming from before it hits their fork. At Leaping Lamb Farm Stay (20368 Honey Grove Road, Alsea; 541-487-4966; leapinglambfarm.com) you can take your experience from the table straight to the farm! Scottie and Greg Jones raise and sell lambs while growing hay, corn, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, plums, pears, apples, lettuces and onions for themselves, their families, farm animals and guests to enjoy. During your visit you'll likely come in contact with turkeys, cattle, sheep, chickens, horses and even a peacock! A unique aspect to this farm is the two-bedroom rental cottage for bed and breakfast guests. The space sleeps up to six people; a flat rate is the same for parties of two or six. The kitchen comes fully stocked with breakfast items (seasonally fresh) for guests to prepare as they wish; you can even source your eggs straight from the farm! Guests have the option to help feed the farm animals, harvest fruits and vegetables, collect fresh eggs or wander the trails throughout 64 acres. If the weather allows it, lazing by the creek or hunting for mushrooms is always an option. Get a taste of the rural life on your next farm stay!

If you prefer to keep your farm-to-table experience at the table, opt for a meal at Smithfields Restaurant and Bar (36 S. 2nd Street, Ashland; 541-488-9948; smithfieldsashland.com) where everything from the meat, fish and produce down to the beer and wine is locally and independently sourced. Carnivores delight in the meat-centric menus. Brunch offers a wide range of traditional offerings with the chef's own creative spin with dishes like the deliciously sweet lemon crepes, shrimp n' grits, biscuits with crimini gravy, flat iron steak Benedict and healthier options like greens in a vinaigrette and more! For real gourmet foodies, indulge in unconventional brunch items such as the charcuterie board with rabbit rillette, chicken liver parfait, bacon, duck prosciutto, beer-braised bratwurst, pickles, mustard and crackers. For dinner, I suggest beginning with the house bacon beignets with maple chive creme fraiche or their version of a Caesar - grilled romaine, white anchovies, crostini, shaved parmesan with a roasted garlic dressing. Dinner entrees include a fish of the day, cod, steak variations, duck, fried chicken, a house burger, a twice baked goat cheese souffle for vegetarians and more. This eatery is a phenomenal choice for steak, and although the dishes are upscale the setting is informal, prices are right and portions are generous. Brunch hours are 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, while dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Reservations are recommended. Visit their sister location across the street at Smithfields Pub & Pies (23 S 2nd Street; 541-482-7437).

"Gerry Frank's Oregon" 3rd edition all new guidebook is available through oregonguidebook.com; 503-585-8411; gerry@teleport.com; Amazon.com; Macy's; and P.O. Box 2225, Salem, OR 97308.
MEXICO-AGRICULTURE-AVOCADOS

Farmer Alfonso Trujillo looks at avocados at his orchard in the municipality of Uruapan, Michoacan State, Mexico, on Oct. 18, 2016. With the United States buying most of the Mexican avocado production and the domestic demand constantly growing, the price of avocados in Mexico is suffering frequent increases.

(Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)

Get ready to pay more for that extra guac if President Trump has his way.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday suggested the president would impose a 20 percent tax on goods from our southern neighbor in order to finance one of his signature campaign promises. After a fair bit of outcry from, well, pretty much every corner of the internet, Spicer returned to say it was merely one of many ideas on the table.

Although Trump has repeatedly claimed that Mexico would foot the bill for his 55-foot-tall border wall, most of the president's proposals have so far put the burden on American taxpayers.

Even his tariff would end up costing the U.S. -- Congressional Republicans agree that such a move would only increase the prices of the $500 billion in goods imported from Mexico every year.

Chief among those items, at least in the public eye, are avocados, limes and beer.

Border security yes, tariffs no. Mexico is 3rd largest trading partner. Any tariff we can levy they can levy. Huge barrier to econ growth /1  Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 26, 2017

Simply put, any policy proposal which drives up costs of Corona, tequila, or margaritas is a big-time bad idea. Mucho Sad. (2)  Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 26, 2017

Aside from those vice items, the U.S. also imports approximately 30 percent of its fresh and frozen fruits from Mexico, according to the Department of Agriculture.

GOP leaders are considering up to $15 billion in American taxpayer funds for the construction of a border wall. Mexican architects drafted a mock-up of what the proposed wall would look like. They estimate it would take 16 years to build.

Meanwhile, net migration from Mexico steadily declined leading up to 2013 -- even reaching zero -- the last year for which data is available.

--Eder Campuzano

503.221.4344

@edercampuzano

ecampuzano@oregonian.com
air photo.jpg

(The Oregonian/File)

The National Weather Service on Friday issued air stagnation advisories lasting through the weekend for areas in north-central, south-central and southwest Oregon.

The National Weather Service has issued air stagnation advisories (gray areas) for large portions of the state. The advisories expire either early Sunday morning or Monday.

Limited air movement in the atmosphere creates an increased potential for pollution to rise to dangerous levels, according to the weather service. Depending on the area, the advisories expire Sunday or Monday.

The advisory runs until 9 a.m. Monday for areas near The Dalles, Hermiston and Pendleton. In southern Oregon, the advisory expires at 4 a.m. Sunday for areas near Medford, Cave Junction, Kamath Falls and Lakeview.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has also issued its own air stagnation advisory, which asks people to limit outdoor burning in affected areas. Officials ask residents to use alternatives to wood stoves and wood-burning heaters, if other options are available.

Anyone with respiratory illnesses should check with their doctor for advice on how to deal with high levels of pollution.

"Health officials recommend that young children, pregnant women, asthma sufferers, those with lung or heart conditions, and adults age 65 and older limit vigorous outdoor activity," the environmental agency said in a news release. "Pollution levels tend to be highest during evening and morning hours."

The advisories do not impact the Portland area as of Friday at 11:15 a.m. For Portland's weather forecast, visit Friday morning's post:

Visit OregonLive.com/weather for an hourly breakdown of today's weather and more details to the five-day forecast.

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com

503-294-5928

@tonyhreports
English French

Neuilly-sur-Seine, January 27, 2017, 8:30 a.m. - Linedata (LIN:FP), the global solutions provider to the investment management and credit industries, today signed an agreement to acquire Gravitas Technology Services (Gravitas), a leading provider of middle office and technology services to the asset management industry. Gravitas is based mainly in New York (USA) and Mumbai (India).

Favourable market conditions

Linedata - an acknowledged leader in providing technology solutions for asset managers - continues to broaden its range of products and services through targeted, strategic acquisitions to span the entire value chain of institutional and alternative managers, and fund administrators.

Increasingly asset management companies, particularly alternative managers, are seeking to outsource their middle- and back-office operations to partners who are able to leverage comprehensive and scalable technology solutions. Gravitas has demonstrated this core expertise over 20 years and has unique experience in providing these functions to their clients.

Gravitas: outstanding services and technologies

Gravitas provides its innovative services using a technology platform that integrates proprietary and third-party tools. Through outsourcing, its customers access top-tier services based on a variable, shared cost model.

With over 80 staff in the United States and 180 in India, Gravitas is one of the leading players in the market. The company supports over 80 asset managers of all sizes in North America.

In 2016, the company achieved revenues* of $26.5 M.

Strategic, short-term synergies

By combining its software platforms with Gravitas' outsourced services, Linedata will offer high-value services tailored to its customers' requirements and business models. Gravitas will leverage Linedata's global presence to distribute its services worldwide.

Linedata founder and CEO Anvaraly Jiva stated that "We are delighted to welcome Gravitas' clients and employees into Linedata. Gravitas' award-winning outsourcing services, combined with our technology platform, will enable us to accelerate our ambitious and innovative Linedata 2018 growth stratgey."

Gravitas founder and CEO Jayesh Punater added, "Linedata's technologies and global reach will bring us genuine and unique abilities to extend and improve our range of services."

* Audit of 2016 Financial Statements in progress

Next communication: Publication of 2016 revenues on 1st February 2017 after close of trading.





ABOUT LINEDATA

Linedata is a global solutions provider dedicated to the investment management and credit communities, with close to 1000 employees in 16 offices across the globe. Linedata has been at the service of the financial industry from day one, and applies its market and client insight to provide innovative and flexible mission-critical software and services that help its clients grow in over 50 countries. Headquartered in France, Linedata achieved revenues of 172.3 million in 2015. This company is listed on Euronext Paris compartment B FR0004156297-LIN - Reuters LDSV.LN - Bloomberg LIN: FP.

ABOUT GRAVITAS

Gravitas is a leading collaborative outsourcing partner for the hedge fund space. Founded in 1996, Gravitas provides solutions for the front and middle office leveraging proprietary software, The Gravitas Platform, which is powered by The Gravitas Cloud. The company is based in New York with offices in Chicago, Greenwich, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, India.
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Rathbone Brothers PLC (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Booker Group PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 26/01/2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" NO





2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:







Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 36,725,507 2.06 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 36,725,507 2.06

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit N/a N/a



N/a N/a

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit





(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)





4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 27/01/2017 Contact name: Simon Walker - Compliance Department Telephone number: 0151 236 6666

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
French English German

Invitation

27 January 2017





SCOR GROUP 2016 ANNUAL RESULTS

INVITATION TO ANALYST AND INVESTOR

PRESENTATION AND CONFERENCE CALL

on Wednesday 22 February 2017

at 09:30 CET (08:30 GMT)

The conference call will be held in English

and followed by a Q&A session

The press release and investor presentation will be published on our website on 22 February 2017 by 07:30 CET (06:30 GMT) at the latest.

We invite you to join this meeting:

 On our website www.scor.com via live audio webcast (a recorded version will also be available after the conference)

 By telephone (a recorded version will also be available after the conference) (see next page for conference call details)

*

* ***** *











Conference call in English - 09:30 CET (08:30 GMT)

 On the SCOR website

Connect to www.scor.com to follow the live webcast in English and download all the documents

relating to the SCOR group 2016 Annual Results.

By telephone

The direct dial-in numbers, to be called ten minutes before the start of the conference, are:

Location Phone Number Pin code France +33 (0)1 76 77 22 74 3111615 Germany +49 (0)69 2222 13420 3111615 Asia +852 6963 0855 3111615 Switzerland +41 (0)22 567 5729 3111615 United Kingdom +44 (0)330 336 9105 3111615 United States +1 719-457-1036 3111615

You will be asked by an operator to indicate which meeting you wish to participate in, please quote: "SCOR Conference".

At the end of the presentation you will be able to put your questions to the SCOR Executive Team.

A replay will be available from the end of the conference until 8 March 2017 inclusive, by dialing:

Location Phone Number Pin code France +33 (0) 1 70 48 00 94 3111615 Germany +49 (0) 69 2000 1800 3111615 Asia +852 3008 0334 3111615 Switzerland +41 (0) 22 567 5709 3111615 United Kingdom +44 (0) 207 984 7568 3111615 United States +1 719-457-0820 3111615





Contact details

Ian Kelly

Head of Investor Relations

+44 (203) 207 8561

ikelly@scor.com

Marie-Laurence Bouchon

Head of Group Communications

+33 (0) 158 44 8819

mbouchon@scor.com

http://www.scor.com/

SCOR photo gallery

Twitter: @SCOR_SE
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GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), the regulatory agency under the German Federal Ministry of Health, has approved the companys large-scale manufacturing facility, Building 55, located in Lansing, Michigan. This approval allows Emergent to market BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) manufactured in Building 55 in Germany. BioThrax is the only anthrax vaccine licensed by the PEI for pre-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease. It is also the only anthrax vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease.



Emergent is pleased with PEI approval of our large-scale manufacturing facility, Building 55, which comes on the heels of Building 55 licensure by the FDA, said Adam Havey, executive vice president and president, biodefense division of Emergent BioSolutions. With this regulatory milestone, the company believes it is well-positioned to pursue BioThrax licensure across targeted countries within the European Union. This is in line with our strategy and supports our efforts to expand international sales as well as maximize utilization of our manufacturing infrastructure and capabilities.

In 2013, Germany became the first country in the European Union to approve the sale of BioThrax through PEI market authorization of BioThrax manufactured in Building 12, the companys original manufacturing facility. With the approval of Building 55, Emergent has expanded its capacity to supply BioThrax to a broader customer base while fulfilling U.S. government requirements. Building 55 is designed to manufacture approximately 20 million to 25 million doses of BioThrax annually. Since receiving FDA licensure in August 2016, the company has begun to supply BioThrax manufactured in Building 55 to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile.

About Emergent BioSolutions

Emergent BioSolutions is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company dedicated to one simple missionto protect and enhance life. We develop, manufacture, and deliver a portfolio of medical countermeasures for biological and chemical threats as well as emerging infectious diseases. Through our work, we envision protecting and enhancing 50 million lives with our products by 2025. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com. Follow us @emergentbiosolu.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, prospects, plans, objectives, and any other statements containing the words believes, expects, anticipates, intends, plans, estimates and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current intentions, beliefs and expectations regarding future events. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be accurate. Investors should realize that if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could differ materially from our expectations. Investors are, therefore, cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and, except as required by law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, events or circumstances.

There are a number of important factors that could cause the companys actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including our ability to maintain approval for Building 55; the ability to obtain new procurement contracts for BioThrax; the ability to obtain licensure of BioThrax in other countries; our ability to secure procurement contracts for BioThrax or other products or product candidates sufficient to utilize Building 55s full manufacturing capacity; and our manufacturing capabilities and strategy. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors identified in our periodic reports filed with the SEC, when evaluating our forward-looking statements.
by Sean Nolan

Angkor Archeological Park is made up of an estimated 1,000 temples, shrines, and urban developments covering over 1000 square kilometers of lush Cambodian jungle and swamps  making Angkor the largest religious complex in the world.

Over 2 million tourist flock to Cambodia each year to see the ancient temples which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. According to officials, it would take over 7 days to fully explore the entire Angkor area.

We only had a days time to visit the Temples, thankfully there are 2 Tourist routes to choose from when visiting Angkor; The Small Tour Circuit or The Grand Tour Circuit.

Angkor Archeological Park

Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia

Website: Tourism Cambodia

We opted for the (more popular) Small Circuit Tour, that takes you to 3 of the main temples and a few smaller complexes.

 Angkor Wat

 Angkor Thom

 Bayon

 Baphoun

 Phimenakas

 Preah Ngok Shrine

 Terrace Of The Leper King

The Small Tour Circuit can be accomplished in half a days time (6-8 hours) and is recommended for first timers and tourist on limited schedules.





First things first .

Learn the Visitors Code Of Conduct  Violators may be asked to leave the park.

 Dress Code  Showing too much skin is inappropriate. A comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt will do. Dresses should be lower than the knee, tank tops and short-shorts are prohibited.

 Monuments  Do not touch the monuments, sculptures or carvings. Do not climb or sit on monuments, sculptures, and carvings. Graffiti or marking monuments in any wayis prohibited. Re-arranging stones or removing anything from the park is strictly prohibited. Doing so can get you kicked out of the park, fined or jailed.

 Sacred Sites  Angkor is a Sacred site. Shouting, loud conversation, running around, or being loud in general is considered rude and may disturb other guests.

 Restricted Areas  Do not stray from the tourist areas, stay on the tourist trails and follow signs.

 Smoking and Littering  Smoking is prohibited in the park as they may cause brush fires. Also, be sure to clean up after yourself. out your waste in the bins that are along the tourist paths and trails.

 Candy or Money to Children  Please do not give money or food to children, it encourages them to beg instead of going to school.

 Monks  Monks are revered and respected in Cambodia. Be polite, Do not touch or photograph them without their permission.



(Note: Most Hotels and Hostels have copies available for you to review.)

Supplies youll need.

 Bottled water

 Mosquito repellent

 Comfortable shoes walking/hiking

 Sunglasses

 Sunscreen

 Hand Sanitizer

 Power bank

 Sun hat or cap

 Traditional Khmer scarf/krama

 Rain jacket (rainy season)

 Money

(Note: US currency is preferred and used alongside Cambodian Riel. Money exchangers can be found in all major cities and tourist areas.)



Getting There.

Sunrise at Angkor is a one in a lifetime experience, its best to make your way to the temples at around 4:30 am.

Remorques/Tuk-tuks are available during these hours for tourist and will cost you $2 -5 US Dollars per trip.

Its best to make arrangements with your hotel receptionist who can schedule an all day driver for you, or you can hire A driver who can be found at stations scattered around Siem Reap.

(Note: Hiring an all day driver will cost you $25 US Dollars  add $5 if you want to catch the sunrise. Private cars and tour vans are also available but can be pricey.)

Admission Passes.

Youll have to Purchase your Admission Pass at the Angkor Ticket Booth on Road 60 next to the Angkor Panorama Museum, 7.5km from the main entrance to the Park.

The doors open at 5 am every day.

(Tip: Be sure to get there early to beat the crowds.)

Three Types of Passes are available that will grant you access to most of the temples and shrines in Angkor Archaeological Park.

$20 US Dollars = 1-day pass

$30 US Dollars = 3-day pass

$60 US Dollars = 7-day pass (valid for 1 month)

Starting February 1st, 2017 tickets prices will be increased.

$37 US Dollard = 1-day pass

$62 US Dollars = 3-day pass

$72 US Dollars = 7-day pass (valid for 1 month)

Youll have to present your pass at checkpoints throughout the park and at the entrances to each monument so keep them handy. Damaged, lost, or stolen passes are non-refundable, so take good care of them.

Angkor Wat  The most famous and photographed Temple Complexes in Cambodia.

The outer walls of Angkor Wat encompass 820,000 square meters. This massive structure was constructed in the early 12th Century and is made mostly of 1-ton limestone blocks that were quarried from over 40 km away. Taking roughly 37 years to construct, the walls of the temple are adorned with bas-reliefs and sculptures.

The layout of the temple with its artificial lakes  are a representation of Mount Meru, a sacred mountain in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist religions.

(Angkor Wat Translates to Temple City or City Of Temples)



Hopeful tourists arrive at 5 am to photograph the famed Angkor sunrise. Get there early and find a nice spot before the crowds arrive.

(Note: Make sure you are wearing mosquito repellent.)



Inside Angkor Wat, youll come across shrines and ancient statues adorned with brightly colored robes and surrounded by incense and flowers.

Angkor was constructed during the Golden Age of the Khmer Empire. It was originally a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu as the Khmer people of this time hadnt yet adopted Buddhism.

Today, both Hindu and Buddhist shrines can be found throughout the complex.

Visitors and pilgrims are free to offer up prayers at any of the shrines for a donation of your personal choosing.

The Donations go directly to the preservation of the temple grounds and conservation of its structure and carvings.

Monks can also be found near shrines where they will usually perform blessings for visitors, giving bracelets as tokens and symbols of good fortune.

Be sure to also place a donation for the Monks. Their earnings depend, entirely on the donations of visitors.

All along the walls of the Temple, you will come across bas-reliefs that depict Hindu Mythology and Legend. The bas-reliefs are considered to be among the best examples of ancient masonry in the world.

(Bas-reliefs are a type of wall carving that when viewed from any angle, the contours of the figures are visible)

Unfortunately, poaching and weathering threaten these priceless pieces of art.

Please do your best to not touch them or damage them in any way, so that visitors can appreciate them for generations to come.

The Inner Temple Complex area is where you will find the Main Towers which are considered the most sacred points of Angkor Wat.

Parts of the Temples may be closed off to tourist during Holidays or for conservation efforts.

(Dont forget: Check government websites for Public Holidays so you can plan your trip accordingly.)

Restorations are ongoing so be mindful of the construction.

Remember never to climb any of the structures that are designated no sitting or no climbing areas. Security is pretty tight and guards will not hesitate to remove you from the park if you do not follow the rules.

(Reminder: This lady was escorted out after she climbed a wall to take a photo.)

Youll probably spend no less than two hours at Angkor Wat.

The place is huge, if you need to take a break or get refreshments, there is a small market area near the Reflection Pond right outside the main entrance to the Temple.



Angkor Wat memorabilia and souvenirs are also available for purchase at the market.





The Sandstone buddha carvings are well done and make the perfect memento.

(Be ready to haggle as most vendors will charge tourist prices)

The distances between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom is quite far, so if youre short on time its best to ride a Remorque/Tuk-Tuk. There are stations on the main road where you can catch a driver. (If you havent already arranged for an all-day one.)

(There are also bicycle tours available throughout the park, its an eco-friendlier way to visit the temples and perfect if you want to take your time.)



Preah Ngok Shrine sits right outside Bayon Temple, the next stop on the Small Circuit after Angkor Wat.

A large Sandstone Buddha statue that is believed to have been there since the 13th Century is attended to by nuns and monks who read fortunes and perform blessings for pilgrims and tourists.

You will have to travel Angkor Thom by foot, make sure to follow the signs and keep an eye out for security guards, they can help direct you to where youd like to go in case you get lost.

Youll have to do a lot of walking and climbing as you progress through the Park, so make sure to stay hydrated, especially during mid-day when the sun is highest.

You can find vendors dotted about the park, usually along the main road or near the entrances to most complexes.

Angkor Thom  The Capital of the Ancient Khmer Empire, here is where youll find most of the destinations and points of interest on the Small Circuit.

Built in the late 12th Century, Angkor Thom covers an area of 9 square km and is home to several major monuments.

Prasat Bayon was the only Angkorian Temple to be built as a Mahayana Buddhist Shrine.

Its most notable features are the 216 smiling faces that are said to be representations of the bodhisattva of compassion.

At first glance and from a distance, Bayon looks like a pile of rocks, its only when you get up close, that youll realize how complex and intricate the design and layout of the temple actually is.

Of all the temples this was our favorite, you could spend a lot of time admiring the many Smiling Faces.

On the upper terraces, youre able to see the Smiling Faces in much more detail.

There are also a number of smaller shrines in the complex that are still in use by pilgrims and locals.

As you make your way out of Bayon, youll come across parks and open-air ruins. Its common to find young monks sitting quietly under trees or on top of rocks meditating.

Monks play a very important role in everyday Cambodian life and are highly revered in Cambodian society.

They are considered national treasures and its best to not to disturb them. If you want to take a picture, make sure to politely ask first  most will happily oblige.

(Note: Refrain from making any physical contact, as this is frowned upon.)



Baphoun  Constructed in the mid 11th century As a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. It is believed that the entire temple was once covered in bronze ornamentation.

Unfortunately, the temple was built on unstable ground and many of the buildings main features have been destroyed or severely damaged due to collapsing.

One of its most notable features is a long raised pathway that leads to the main entrance of the 3 story complex.

On the west side, youll find a reclining buddha that was added to the temple soon after the Khmer adopted Buddhism.

Phimeanakas is a 3 tiered Pyramid That was built at the end of the 10th Century.

Its most noticeable feature is a dried up moat that surrounds the complex.

Centuries ago, Khmer Kings would come here every night to perform rituals that ensured the safety of the community.

Terrace Of The Leper King

Local legend says that the Terrace gets its name from King Yasovarman the 1st, who suffered from leprosy.

It is believed to have been a royal cremation site and is the last major stop in Angkor Thom.

There are impressive carvings of spirits and deities that align the walls of the terrace.

Ta Prohm finished construction in the early 13th Century and served as a Mahayana Buddhist Monastery and University. It has become the second most famous Temple visited by tourist and was featured in the 2001s Tomb Raider film.

Approximately 1 kilometer from Bayon, it is the last major stop on the Small Circuit Tour.

Unlike most Angkor complexes, Ta Prohm hasnt undergone the same extent of restorations as the other temples.

It remains in much the same state as it was when it was rediscovered in the late 21st century.

International conservation efforts are ongoing to preserve this unique temple as is.

The most distinguishing feature of Ta Prohm are the Tetrameles trees that are growing from the temple ruins.

(Can You spot the Peeking Buddha?)

Tetrameles are found mostly throughout SE Asia and can grow more than 20 meters (70 ft) and spread 10m (35 ft).

Its easy to see why this temple is the second most visited in the Park. Its as if the complex is being slowly eaten alive by the jungle.

A trip to Angkor Archeological Park should be on everyones bucket list. Seeing the magnificent structures up close can be a surreal experience. Its amazing how the ancient Khmer were able to build such massive and complex structures sans modern equipment and technology.

If you are doing a day trip we recommend the Short Circuit Tour, it will take you to the more popular temples.

Angkor Archeological Park is vast and we wish we could have spent more time there. If you can  opt for the Grand Circuit Tour, so you can get a chance to visit the parks many other temples and complexes. Its also best to take your time, so you can appreciate the rich history and ingenuity of the Khmer people.

Budget:

$20 Admission Day Pass

$5 Tuk-Tuk one way to park ($25 All-day Driver)

$2 Large Water Bottle

$5 for Lunch

Pocket change for donations.

Angkor Archeological Park

Krong Siem Reap

Cambodia

Web: Tourism Cambodia

Live an Awesome Life,



SEAN NOLAN of Team Our Awesome Planet

Disclosure: All admission fees and transportation fees for Angkor Archeological Park were paid for out of our own pockets. I wrote this article with my own biases, opinions, and insights.

P.S. We really wanted to fly the drone but since Angkor is a Religious site, drones are prohibited. If you want to get a birds-eye view of the Park, there is a Balloon Ride outside the main entrance.
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

A few showers this morning with mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon hours. High 82F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 69F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
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Steve Riley and Corey Ledet are relatively young within their respective, Louisiana-flavored musical genres, Cajun and Zydeco.

But theyll bring plenty of experience to the stage of Central Michigan Universitys John G. Kulhavi Events Center for Saturdays 26th annual Night of Louisiana.

Riley, 47, has been playing professionally for more than 32 years, Ledet, 35, for a quarter century. Each prides himself on maintaining traditions learned from elders while infusing an ever-expanding universe of musical influences.

And, either of the past Grammy award nominees is likely to help you shake off your mid-winter Michigan blues on the Mount Pleasant dance floor, further fueled by authentic Cajun food and drinks.

Ledet, born and raised in Houston, with his family made frequent summer and vacation trips back to tiny Parks, LA, his dads home. Corey fell in love with its Creole culture, and calls the combination of settings key to development of his musical style.

Being in Houston, from Houston, with so many different cultures, said Ledet in a phone interview with the Daily News last week, I was exposed to all kinds of musical influences. And then, to go back to Louisiana and its Creole culture, it was like the best of both worlds.

(Despite some similarities in sound, Cajun and Zydeco music has different roots, Cajun traced to Acadians evicted from Canada and emigrating to the Gulf, and Zydeco originating with Louisianas mixed-race Creole people, including among other groups free men of color, black slaves, and former slaves freed during the Haitian slave rebellion.)

Accordionist Ledet said he follows the example of the famed Clifton Chenier, who expanded upon a Creole musical base by incorporating elements of blues, rock and roll and other forms. From it emerged Zydeco, and with Ledec the evolution continues.

I take Creole and French songs, but put other stuff with it  jazz, heavy metal, rock and roll, big band  even some Frank Sinatra. Bruno Mars, I put some of that with what Im doing, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Prince. My vision is to mix it all together and make it work.

Its like cooking  try different ingredients and sometimes you get some great dishes. But the roots (of Ledets music) are always Creole and Zydeco.

With his band, Ledet will officially release his ninth and newest album, Standing on Faith, in March; he said hell have a few copies available at Saturdays show. Im real proud of this project. Its more of my own songwriting than normal, mixing traditional Zydeco with modern Zydeco, pop, rhythm and blues, funk, all kinds of other stuff. 

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys round out Saturdays Louisiana twin bill, playing the WCMU celebration a third time after appearances in 1997 and 2013.

In an interview with the Daily News four years ago, Riley said, I grew up, from day one, around Cajun music. He described learning his first accordion tune from his great uncle at age 7, and receiving his first accordion  built by his second cousin, famed accordion maker Marc Savoy  at 13. Two years later he was touring with the famed Dewey Balfa and by 1988, with David Greeley had formed the Mamou Playboys.

The Playboys evolved from a cover band to a traditional Cajun four-piece, to an expanded band including drums and bass, crafting harmonies within traditional tunes, creating medleys, and adding more of their own compositions.

We cover a lot of ground musically, man, said Riley, but our foundation, our starting point, is Cajun music.

In a break with past Nights of Louisiana (NOLA, in CMU parlance), Saturdays event will take place in the schools Kulhavi Events Center.

That setting, said University Events director Misha Neil, will place the bands and dance floor in the center of attention, with tables and chairs, a mezzanine and glass-walled atrium providing great vantage points.

Hurricanes and other drinks will be available, and those who sign up for a food package can select from several PoBoy offerings and hearty gumbo.

WHAT: Night of Louisiana (celebration of live Zydeco and Cajun music)

WHO: Corey Ledec & his Zydeco Band, and Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys

PRESENTED BY: CMU Public Broadcasting, CMU University Events, Courtyard Marriott, and the Wheatland Music Organization

WHEN: 7 P.M. Saturday, January 28

WHERE: John G. Kulhavi Events Center, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant

ADMISSION: $35; $10 students with ID; $15 for meal; other refreshments available

TICKETS AT: ticketcentral@cmich.edu, cmich.edu/ticketcentral, 888-347-3872
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Midland City Manager Jon Lynch remembers the day after he arrived in Midland in November 2000.

"The Daily News sent a photographer to the planning department and the next day there was a half-page picture of me on the front page," he said.

Now, 16  years later, Lynch's career with the city will end April 30 when he leaves to become just the fifth president of Three Rivers Corp., effective May 8. He tendered his resignation Thursday.

He will succeed Dan Kozakiewicz, who has been in that position since 2001. Lynch will report to the board of directors and Kozakiewicz will remain as chairman. Lynch was selected after a three-month search process with local candidates and ones from across the Midwest and parts of Canada.

Lynch said his interest in the position grew "organically" over time, after it was brought up in conversations with local people familiar with the opening. As he learned more about what TRC was looking for in an executive, "it became more interesting. It wasn't like I was out looking. It kind of evolved," he said.

Lynch's resume was among those "short listed" by the company doing the search process, and then he was put on TRC's short list.

Although Lynch's experience is with government, he was "head and shoulders above" the other 19 finalists, Kozakiewicz said.

"We knew that he has knowledge of the administration of the processes related to construction, maintenance, infrastructure," Kozakiewicz said.

"Those are the skill sets that will be of importance of the president of Three Rivers Corporation," Kozakiewicz said. "What set him apart is that he had a vision of how he would transition to the new position."

That ability to acclimate quickly to the community, the customers, the Great Lakes Bay Region along with his executive experience and knowledge was extremely important to the TRC board, Kozakiewicz said.

According to the press release, Lynch will be responsible for establishing overall corporate objectives, ensuring profitable growth and fulfilling the company's commitment to its customers and the community.

The safety, marketing, operations, financial and business administration segments of the company will directly report to Lynch. He will also be responsible for project development and communications for the company.

"Jon Lynch's strength, experience and proven track record in leading complex organizations, managing change, strategic planning and execution - as well as his ability to bring people together to capitalize on opportunities - will be a great complement to the present Three Rivers management group," the release stated.

"Jon's belief that, at the heart of every opportunity lies people, convinced us he was the right choice for Three Rivers," Kozakiewicz said. "Jon has a knack for putting himself in the shoes of others, addressing their needs and interests, not his own. He is a master at pulling people together for a common cause, bringing out the best in them and giving them the confidence to succeed."

Kozakiewicz said a successful, seamless succession will further the overarching company goals of supporting its clients, its community and providing opportunities for its employees.

Lynch will act as a liaison between the board of directors, the management, the employees, clients and the shareholders, lead day-to-day operations and oversee the administrative and financial aspects of Three Rivers. He will also be responsible for protecting and promoting the company's position of leadership with respect to safety, quality, merit shop philosophy, employee relationships and excellence in delivering construction services.

Lynch joined the city Planning Department in 2000, assistant city manager in 2006 and interviewed and accepted the position later that year after City Manager Karl Tomion took a similar position in another city.

He said he is most proud of two accomplishments since becoming city manager  helping establish the Citizen's Academy, a forum for residents to better understand their government, and the successful transition through the tax appeal process at the state level, a transition during which the city faced a 17 percent cut in general fund funding while keeping city services on track.

"A lot of work went into that," he said.

He said he will miss working on the Downtown Streetscape project, one that, he said, "will certainly change the appearance" of the downtown area.

Kozakiewicz said he will act as an advisor to Lynch in his position as chairman of the board.

Lynch said he will help the city with identifying people to succeed him, including the selection of an interim city manager should that occur, he said.

Lynch holds a bachelor of science degree in urban planning from Michigan State University and a master of public administration degree from Central Michigan University. He and his wife Tina have four children and reside in Midland.

Three Rivers Corp. (www.TRCcompany.com) provides design and construction services to the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional markets. They specialize in design/build, mechanical and general contracting and construction management.
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Some stole to make ends meet. Others asked families for help. Some were evicted or jailed. One family pondered whether to eat less and be warm, or eat more and freeze.

It wasnt real life for Michigan State University medical students, those in MidMichigan Medical Center-Midlands residency program and those in Davenport Universitys nursing program, as they took part in a poverty simulator this week. But poverty is real for 11.5 percent of Midland Countys population  more than 9,600 residents, according to Census data. (About 20 percent of the countys population is considered working poor, according to United Way.)

The Missouri Association for Community Action developed the poverty simulator. Part of a $300,000 grant awarded in 2013 by The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation helped bring it to Midland. Julia Terhune, assistant director for rural community health at Michigan State Universitys College of Human Medicine, coordinates the Rural Community Health Program out of Midland, and ran the simulation on Wednesday.

The exercise is designed to show that people dont choose to be in situations that could lead to poverty; sometimes its a matter of circumstance, Terhune said.

Its important that future and current doctors understand that, she said.

Especially when considering theyre viewed as leaders and are among the highest paid in rural communities, she added.

Census data show median household income in the county is about $54,000. But if you go a few miles away from the city of Midland, to North Midland or Coleman, youre cutting that number in half, Terhune said.

For the simulation, participants are divided into families of five, four, three, two and one, all facing poverty. They must assimilate to a family profile: some are newly unemployed or recently deserted by the breadwinner. Some are homeless, some are seniors on disability or grandparents raising grandchildren.

The goals are to keep the family structure intact, care for and send children to school, provide food and pay weekly bills. The simulation ran in 15-minute segments, each representing one week.

Families are given cash and transportation cards, used to visit tables around the room acting as banks, grocery stores, school, social service offices, places of employment and others. One complicating factor: luck of the draw cards, handed out at random, that indicated scenarios from plumbing problems to drive-by shootings. Terhune periodically announced other variables.

Meaghan Beasley assumed the identity of Charles Chen, a 42-year-old father and computer programmer who had been laid off after 20 years and continues to pay student loans. The family included a 16-year-old female, seven months pregnant, and a 10-year-old expelled from school. A man showed up at the grouping of chairs where the family had been stationed during one week to collect a $610 mortgage payment.

We had $200 in savings, now we have nothing, said Kaitlyn Blanchard, who assumed the identity of Carl Chen.

While out handling the day-to-day during one week, Charles Chen encountered Opal Olson, 13, who asked a skeptical Chen for money after telling him her father was in jail and that she didnt know who her mother was. Chen gave her a $5 bill after cashing a check.

Before week three began, Terhune presented a variable.

No school and were going to start in about one minute. Figure it out, she said over a microphone.

It was a concern for the already struggling Olson family. Opal had returned home with the extra $5 gained from a stranger. Oscar, 3, was at home with Olivia, 13, and Otto, 21, who had assumed the role of a father figure. A visitor approached the family to drop off a luck of the draw card: the family car had been stolen.

I almost tried to sell that! a frustrated Otto said, noting an attempt to pawn the car, worth $5,000. Were doing OK. Our car got stolen, but were waiting for the cops.

Otto sent Olivia to the store for groceries. Before she returned, the family was robbed of $70.

While you were gone we got robbed, Opal informed Olivia.

We have nothing left, Otto added. But rent, food and utilities were paid, he said.

The 13-year-olds then sought jobs, but didnt have a required transportation card.

During the first week, the room was relatively quiet. As each week passed, the volume increased and frantic families rushed to tables to wait in long lines.

Terhune said the intent is to build empathy and afford to medical students an understanding of the complexities of poverty; in this case, the working poor in Midland County. The simulator is similar to a lab at MidMichigan in which robots imitate birth scenarios.

This is the same thing, except with dire social circumstances, Terhune said. This is just as important.

After the simulation, the stations reported stats for the month:

 One family got groceries every week (a goal for all families to meet)

 Six families ate only once or not at all

 Two families were evicted, but one paid at the last moment

 One family had gone to the Head Start table, which offered free child care and educational materials

Much like in real life, if you dont know the system, Terhune said, referring to child care and other social services, you wont go there.

Terhune asked participants whether transportation was difficult. Many said it was  reflecting what Terhune said was a real problem in the region: theres no reliable public transportation, especially from county to county.

Three or four families, however, said they improved their situations in the end. One went from homeless to having a home with appliances and a second job.

Some who were assigned children roles reported feeling helpless. One said she had eaten for one week of the month. Another said her parents had been doing everything to make ends meet, which she said was impressive.

Terhune asked participants of their feelings after the simulation.

Anxiety, one said.

Frustration, another said.

She asked them to consider how much more it would be felt by those in the real world.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department.

Thursday, Jan. 26

12:08 a.m.  A motorist was arrested at Dina and Wyllys streets for drunken driving.

1:20 a.m.  A motorist was arrested at West Sugnet and North Saginaw roads for drunken driving.

Wednesday, Jan. 25

8:57 a.m.  Police investigated a case of fraud in the 3800 block of Haskin Drive.

10:28 a.m.  An Ingersoll Township woman, 45, was arrested for domestic assault. A report is being sent to the prosecutor.

12:43 p.m.  A deputy assisted Midland Police locate a 42-year-old woman suspected in a case of retail fraud that occurred in the city.

12:55 p.m.  An Ingersoll Township woman, 38, reported a case of fraud.

2:22 p.m.  Property in the 4500 block of North Saginaw Road was damaged.

3:08 p.m.  Police investigated a report of drug possession in the 3700 block of East Ashman Street.

3:43 p.m.  Police responded to a domestic assault at a Wisconsin Street address.

10 p.m.  Police were called to the 1300 block of Bookness Street for a report of a disorderly person.

11:42 p.m.  A deputy assisted Jerome Township firefighters with a tree that fell onto U.S. 10.
Girls Nite In ministry gathers middle school, high school and college-aged girls every month for fun and discussion.

When 18-year-old Meghan was a young girl, her mom abandoned her family, forcing her to grow up without the calming presence of a mothers unconditional love. However, [after being] adopted by a team of loving mothers and mentors at Girls Nite In, Ive been showered with so much love, says Meghan.

The idea for Girls Nite In (GNI) was conceived nearly a decade ago, when high school teacher Jimmelynn Garland Rice overheard students in the girls bathroom talking about the various struggles they were facingissues like addictions, eating disorders, self-harm, pregnancy and toxic relationships.

Garland Rice recognized that these girls were making poor life choices because they lacked support, acceptance, understanding and guidance at home. So she decided to host an event where middle school, high school and college-aged girls could gather to receive a much-needed message.

I start every meeting with these important words: You are welcome, you are wanted, you are valued and you are loved more than you can imagine, Garland Rice says.

GNI meets monthly throughout the school year at [email protected] in Brownsburg, Indiana, where Garland Rices husband, Rodney, is the lead pastor and weekend attendance is around 385. Each meeting focuses on a relevant topic to teen girls, including body image, depression, bullying, anxiety, addiction and self-respect.

Since GNI initially launched, folks from all over the globe have asked for help in developing GNI chapters in their areas. To date, GNI volunteers have mentored 1,700 girls, and Garland Rice prays that number will continue to increase as she runs the Brownsburg chapter while simultaneously growing GNI International.

As for those whose lives have been transformed by this ministry, they thank God and the GNI team for their unwavering dedication.

Ali, a young teen mom, says she appreciates how Garland Rice impresses on attendees the notion of self-love and self-acceptance. I taped that message [to be myself] to my mirror so I never forget that God only made one of me, says Ali.

Find more youth outreach ideas 

[email protected]

Brownsburg, Indiana

ChurchAtMain.org
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

Amendment to section 3

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Danske Bank A/S (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Sepura Plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 13.01.2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" NO

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:







Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 14,917,839 4.03 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 14,917,839 4,03

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit 0.05p ordinary share

Purchase

88,044

19.25

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit





(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)





4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"







(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

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If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"







(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO





Date of disclosure: 27-01.2017 Contact name: Peter Alberg Telephone number: 0045 45 14 33 17

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
Approximately 200 Airmen and 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons with the 119th Fighter Squadron from Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey, are set to deploy in February to Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, as the 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in support of the U.S. Pacific Command Theater Security Package.

The U.S. Air Force routinely deploys fighter aircraft to the region to provide U.S. PACOM and Pacific Air Forces with Theater Security Packages, which help maintain a deterrent against threats to regional security and stability.

Movement of U.S. Air Force TSPs into the region has been a routine and integral part of U.S. PACOMs force posture since March 2004.

These theater security packages demonstrate the continuing U.S. commitment to stability and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

For more information, contact the Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs Office at 808-448-3209 or pacaf.paops@us.af.mil.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis will embark on his first trip as secretary Feb. 1-4 to meet with his counterparts from two critical allies: Japan and the Republic of Korea. The four-day trip will include stops in Seoul and Tokyo.



Departing on Feb. 1, Secretary Mattis will begin his trip in the Republic of Korea, where he will meet Minister of National Defense Han Min Koo and other senior Korean officials. On Feb. 3, Secretary Mattis will travel to Tokyo for meetings with Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada and other senior Japanese officials.



The trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to our enduring alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and further strengthen U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea security cooperation.



Press interested in covering any of these events locally can request more information from OSD Press Operations at 703-697-5131 or osd.pa.dutyofficer@mail.mil.
BLOOMINGTON  The man Bloomington police have been looking for since early December in a gunfire incident on the city's south side is in custody, the department said on Friday.

Bobby James, 35, who was wanted in McLean County on multiple charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, possession of a weapon by a felon and reckless discharge of a firearm, was arrested in Chicago by members of the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Task Force.

James is accused of firing shots Thanksgiving night inside the Main Street Convenience store at 1909 S. Main St.; two vehicles also were struck by bullets, said police.

James is currently awaiting extradition to McLean County.

Police were called to the store about 7:09 p.m. that night and found evidence of shots fired inside the business and at the vehicles in the parking lot.

No one was hurt.
BLOOMINGTON  A Bloomington man faces drug-induced homicide charges for allegedly providing a woman with the heroin responsible for her fatal overdose in August.

Jeremy Miller, 28, of the 800 block of South Lee Street, went to Chicago on Aug. 1 and returned to his brother's apartment with heroin that he shared with Marie LaVallee, Assistant State's Attorney Patrick Sheehan told a judge Friday at Miller's initial court appearance on the Class X felony charge.

Miller's brother, Ryan Miller, who was at the apartment with the suspect and LaVallee, called 911 on Aug. 2 after the victim was found unresponsive.

When police arrived, Jeremy Miller was kneeling next to the bed and urging the victim to "wake up and talk to me," according to the prosecutor's statement.

An autopsy confirmed that LaVallee, of Bloomington, died of a heroin overdose.

Jeremy Miller admitted to police that he had given LaVallee some of the heroin he purchased in Chicago, said Sheehan.

If convicted of providing the victim with the heroin that killed her, Miller faces 15 to 60 years in prison.

He is being held in McLean County Jail lieu of posting $50,035. His next hearing is set for Feb. 17.
TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX:MND) is pleased to provide exploration updates for the second half of 2016 at all four of its properties: the three producing properties, Bjorkdal (Sweden), Costerfield (Australia) and Cerro Bayo (Chile); and the Challacollo (Chile) development project.



This press release refers to tables and figures. Accompanying tables can be found at the bottom of the press release, while the figures accompanying this release can be found in an exploration presentation posted on the Companys website that can be accessed here:

http://www.mandalayresources.com/investor-presentations/#Technical_Presentations

Dr. Mark Sander, President and CEO of Mandalay, commented, In the second half of 2016, exploration yielded generally favourable results. Our drilling generated significant new drill intersections that are expected to support short-term and eventual long-term Mineral Resource and Reserve additions for the Company as a whole. At Bjorkdal, we obtained excellent results, suggesting we are well on the way for another significant Mineral Resource and Reserve expansion in late 2017, following the 200,000 ounce gold Reserve increase announced on December 15, 2016. At Costerfield, we generated encouraging results, with infill drilling results suggesting possible mine life extensions. At Cerro Bayo, while new drilling from the shore of Laguna Verde has infilled mineralization on Branca vein to support addition to reserves, new development data along Delia SE suggests a pending reduction in minable reserves along the vein at the coming Mineral Resource and Reserve update scheduled for later in the first quarter of 2017. As well, target testing of our highest priority surface targets failed to generate positive results. Lastly, at Challacollo, we received our permit for exploring for an alternate source of water. This is a breakthrough in our development of the property.

Dr. Sander continued, At Bjorkdal, assays obtained too late to be included in the recently announced reserve addition of over 200,000 ounces of gold (see Mandalay December 15, 2016 press release) suggest we will achieve another significant reserve addition at the next update in late 2017. In the underground mine, we have completed infill and extension drilling of existing Inferred Mineral Resources in the Lake Zone, Central Zone, and Main Zone. For the open pit mine, we have completed infilling previously Inferred Mineral Resources in the Bjorkdal East Pit and in the new Nylunds Pit. As well, we have completed infilling shallow mineralization at Ronnberget, approximately 4 kilometres east-southeast of the Bjorkdal Pit, which we also expect to convert to open pit reserves. With our wider step-out drilling at Bjorkdal, we have demonstrated that well-mineralized gold-quartz veins continue several hundred metres to the north of the defined reserves in the Lake Zone in long holes drilled from underground. As well, both shallow and deep gold intercepts in the Storheden area northeast of the open pit suggests that more drilling in this area could define additional resources in future years.

Dr. Sander continued, At Costerfield, we continued infill and extensional drilling in and around the Cuffley and Brunswick lodes. The impact of these results will be contained in the Mineral Resources and Reserves update to be released later in the first quarter of 2017. As well, new high-grade intercepts were generated on the Cuffley Deeps West lode, the Central East and Central Main lodes below the King Cobra fault, and on the M-lode, all of which encourage more drilling in 2017.

Dr. Sander continued, At Cerro Bayo, detailed development sampling refined our understanding of gold and silver distribution in the Delia SE vein. Whereas the limits of ore grades at shallow development levels of the vein approximated the drilling-based block model, the deepest three levels have exposed more internal waste in the mineralized shoot than was previously thought. This finding is being investigated as part of the updated Mineral Resources and Reserves estimate for year-end 2016, expected to be released later in the first quarter of 2017. We have been successful at infill drilling on that part of the Branca vein reachable from collars on the shore of Laguna Verde. We expect conversion of Branca mineralization to Mineral Reserves in the coming update to offset part of the anticipated reduction in Delia SE. Meanwhile, initial testing of our highest priority vein targets elsewhere in the district failed to generate significant results.

Dr. Sander concluded, At Challacollo we received permission for water exploration in January, 2017, a major milestone in the development of the project. During late 2016, drill testing of several large geophysical anomalies intersected widely distributed, disseminated pyrite, which naturally gives rise to the anomalies but is unrelated to silver-gold mineralization. However, hand trenching and sampling along the Lolon vein has revealed several hundred metres of previously undocumented strike length that contains high silver grades at the surface. As well, reinterpretation of our previous drill results has identified high-grade splays along Lolon. Both these targets represent opportunities to expand the resource when we next have drill rigs on-site to infill the current Inferred Mineral Resource of approximately 6 million ounces of silver.

Bjorkdal Exploration

We have now received the mining license to extend our mining concession to include Lake Zone and the eastern extension of Central Zone, allowing us to begin development and stoping there to improve near-term operational results.

Drilling, Sampling and Assaying

During the period from July 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016, 151 exploration drill holes totaling 24,518 metres (m) were completed at Bjorkdal. This total includes 32 surface core holes for 5,178 m, 44 underground core holes for 10,170 m and 75 RC holes for 9,170 m (Table 1). All drill-hole collars were surveyed and downhole surveys were completed in order to record hole azimuth and plunge variations.

All surface and underground exploration drilling was conducted by third party contractors, with both core (WL66--50 millimetre (mm) diameter and (HQ--63.5 mm diameter)) as well as Reverse Circulation (RC -- 5  inch diameter) methods.

Core and RC samples were logged by Mandalay geologists on-site. Assays of Bjorkdal samples were completed at CRS Minlab Oy (CRS) in Kempele, Finland and at ALS in Pitea, Sweden. Whole core samples (WL66-size) were sent directly to the independent laboratories for sample preparation and assaying, while HQ diameter core was half-sawn off-site at the laboratories before sample preparation. Assaying was conducted utilizing the PAL1000 (CRS) and LeachWELL (ALS) cyanide leaching processes. A rigorous QA/QC program included the use of standard reference samples, blanks, duplicates, repeats, and internal laboratory quality assurance procedures. More details on the drilling, logging, sampling, and assaying procedures are contained in the Technical Report Mandalay Resources Corporation Technical Report on the Bjorkdal Gold Mine, Sweden filed March 31, 2015.

Bjorkdal assay results reported in this press release are those that were obtained after the cutoff dates (August 31, 2016, for underground drilling and September 30, 2016, for open pit drilling) for inclusion in the updated Bjorkdal resource and reserve estimations recently published by Mandalay Resources (see Mandalay December 15, 2016 press release). Therefore, they indicate potential to expand resources and reserves beyond those recently announced.



Significant Exploration Results (Tables 1 through 6; Figures 1 through 7)

Underground Drilling Results

Underground diamond drilling at Bjorkdal generated many new, well-mineralized intercepts in both already known and newly discovered gold (Au)-bearing quartz veins. Most underground drilling at Bjorkdal over the past six months was focused on infilling previously reported intercepts from initial extensional drilling and extending known mineralized veins immediately adjacent to currently mined areas (Table 2; Figures 1 and 2). Particular areas of focus for these drilling programs were the eastern extensions of the Main and Central Zones and the northern margin of the Lake Zone.

Drilling results from the Main and Central Zones indicate strong mineralization continues eastward of the current limits of underground development for at least 100-200 m and that the mineralization remains open in that direction (Figure 2).

Drilling results from the Lake Zone, intended to infill previously Inferred Mineral Resource, succeeded in generating closely spaced mineralized intercepts the Company expects to support an upgrade to the Indicated Resource category at the next Mineral Reserve update (Figure 2).

Two holes, each approximately 600 m in length were drilled northwards from the current northern extremity of the underground workings. They intersected many new gold-bearing quartz veins up to 500 m north of previously known limits of the Bjorkdal deposit (Table 3; Figures 1 and 3).

Open Pit Drilling Results

Near-mine surface drilling during the period focused on infilling and extending shallow gold resources adjacent to the Bjorkdal East Pit as well as in and around the newly defined Nylunds Mineral Reserve (see Mandalay December 15, 2016 press release) extending approximately 750 m southeast of the current pit limits (Table 4; Figures 1 and 4). The Nylunds deposit remains open to the east, southeast and to depth.

Ronnberget drilling results

The Ronnberget deposit lies 4 km east-southeast of the current Bjorkdal open pit (Figure 1). The deposit was originally discovered by drilling in the late 1990s. The purpose of the 2016 drill program was to infill and extend the limited historic drilling. Drilling results (Table 5 and Figure 5) show that elevated gold mineralization is stratabound, hosted within albite- and actinolite- altered intermediate volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks and tuffs). This is a distinctly different setting than at Bjorkdal and Nylunds, where mineralization occurs in sheeted, steeply-dipping quartz-gold veins. As well, the average grade of the intercepts at Ronnberget is much higher than in Bjorkdal and Nylunds. The mineralized zone at Ronnberget is sub-parallel to regional bedding and dips approximately 25 towards the northeast. The deposit remains open along strike, and down-dip, and based on the drilling results reported here, the Company is applying for a mining concession.

Storheden drilling results

The Storheden area is located between 500 m and 700 m to the east of the existing Bjorkdal mining area (Figures 1 and 6). The area contains shallow mineralization in the Storheden deposit, defined by historic drilling and hosted in a series of north-east dipping quartz veins. During 2016, three diamond drill holes were drilled to confirm the presence of both the shallow Storheden gold-bearing veins and the hypothesized deeper strike extensions of the Bjorkdal sheeted vein system. Both targets were successfully intersected in their predicted locations; several significant gold-bearing veins were discovered in each of these drill holes. Two assayed intervals in hole ME6-029 assayed 2.23 m true width at 9.84 g/t Au (containing an interval of 0.24 m true-width, assaying 77.7 g/t Au), and 0.19 m true width at 91.1 g/t Au (Table 6). Both of these high-grade intervals are interpreted to represent the depth and eastward extension of the Bjorkdal veins in the current underground mine, as do the lower grade intervals obtained in hole MU6-030. Evidently, the Bjorkdal veins extend at least 300-400 m further east than previously demonstrated. Shallow, elevated gold intercepts obtained from MU6-028 confirm previous reports of potential surface minable mineralization based on historic drilling.

Morbacken drilling results

The Morbacken area lies approximately 1.8 km east of the current Bjorkdal open pit mine and approximately one km from the eastern known limits of the Nylunds deposit (Figures 1 and 7). Nine diamond drill holes were drilled in this area during late 2016 using HQ sized drilling equipment; assays on only two of these holes were returned before December 31 and are included in this report (Table 7 and Figure 7). While detailed understanding of the geological setting of this prospect is not yet in-hand, preliminary investigations suggest that significant gold assay intervals are encountered within strongly albite-actinolite-epidote-altered horizons of a volcanogenic succession similar to that at the Ronnberget prospect. At Morbacken, elevated gold concentrations are commonly accompanied by elevated copper concentrations contained within the minerals bornite and chalcopyrite.

Costerfield Exploration

Drilling, Sampling, and Assaying

During the second half of 2016, Mandalay drilled 17,147 m of diamond core at its Costerfield gold gold-antimony (Sb) mine in eighty-nine holes (including wedges) drilled on Sub King Cobra, Cuffley Deeps, Cuffley South/M Lode and Brunswick lodes (Table 8 and Figure 8). In addition, the Company completed 2367.5 m of on-vein operating development and associated sampling of N Lode and Cuffley Lode.

Drill core was logged and sampled by Costerfield geologists, who also mapped and sampled the development advances. All samples were sent to Onsite Laboratory in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia for sample preparation and assay. Site geological and metallurgical personnel have implemented a QA/QC process that includes the regular submission of standard reference materials and blanks with drill and face samples submitted for assay. Standard reference materials have been certified by Geostats Pty Ltd. (see March 30, 2016, Technical Report entitled Costerfield Operation, Victoria, Australia NI 43-101 Report, available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), which contains a complete description of drilling, sampling, and assaying procedures.)

Exploration Results (Tables 9 through 12 and Figures 8 through 13)

Brunswick Lode

Drilling was completed in order to extend and convert the existing Inferred Resource along Brunswick Lode to an Indicated Resource. Significant assays containing greater than 10.0 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq) over a minimum 1.8 m true mining width were obtained in seven holes (Table 9). Continuity of mineralization has been demonstrated down to the Penguin fault (Figure 9); conversion of Inferred to Indicated Resource above this fault is expected with the Resource and Reserve update to be completed and announced later in the first quarter of 2017. Furthermore, high-grade mineralization has been demonstrated to continue at least 50 m further down to the Kiwi fault and below. Further infill and extensional drilling is planned to extend the Mineral Resource downward to these levels.

Cuffley Deeps and Cuffley Deeps West

Infill drill holes in the Cuffley Deeps Lode and extending to the Cuffley Deeps West Lode generated four intercepts greater than 10 g/t AuEq over at least the minimum 1.8 m true mining width (Table 10; Figures 10 and 11). Mandalay expects to convert part of Cuffley Deeps to Indicated Resource at the coming Resource update and is encouraged by the emerging set of intercepts on Cuffley Deeps West.

Sub King Cobra

The Central Zone was found to be the most continuous of the mineralized vein sets in the Sub King Cobra domain. Drilling in the second half of 2016 targeted this Central Zone with the intent of increasing confidence in the continuity of grade and in developing the structural model. New drill intercepts suggest mineralization to extend over approximately 300 metres of strike length (Table 11).

The Central Zone is situated on the eastern limb of an anticlinal structure, and consists of four discreet mineralized veins over a 70-metre wide zone (Figure 12). The westernmost of these sub-vertical veins is referred to as the Central Main which, based on results to date contains higher grades.

M Lode

A stibnite-gold vein in between Cuffley and N Lode called M Lode was intercepted in three holes. M Lode is subparallel to the two major Cuffley and N Lode ore bodies (Table 12 and Figure 13).

Cerro Bayo Exploration

Drilling, Sampling and Assaying

A total of 18,685 m of NX and HQ diamond drill core were produced from 52 holes in the Cerro Bayo district during the second half of the year, with three holes in progress at years end. Infill drilling has continued in and around the Laguna Verde area, with target testing drilling in Laguna Verde, the Brillantes sector and the Cerro Bayo sector (Figure 14).

All drill holes were directionally surveyed by standard techniques with a downhole instrument. Drill core was logged and sampled by staff geologists and all core samples (including blanks, standards and duplicates) were submitted to the on-site assay laboratory of Compania Minera Cerro Bayo. The Cerro Bayo assay laboratory was audited in 2011 by SGS Lakefield Research Ltd., and routinely sends check samples to the ALS laboratory (ISO 9001:2008 and ISO/IEC 176025:2005 certified) in La Serena, Chile, following QA/QC practices established by Mandalay Resources. Please see the Companys previously filed document, Technical report on the Cerro Bayo project, Region XI (Aysen) Chile, filed on SEDAR March 30, 2016, for a full description of the drilling, logging, assaying and estimation processes, including data verification procedures.

Exploration Results (Tables 13 through 16 and Figures 14 through 23)

Sector Laguna Verde

Delia SE, Coyita SE and Branca veins



During the second half of 2016, fifteen infill holes were completed on the Branca vein and one hole was in progress at year end. Most of these holes also intercepted the Coyita vein, as it was necessary to drill through the latter fissure in order to reach the Branca system (Figure 16). Assays of the Branca intercepts are shown in Table 14 and Figure 17; they define a mineralized shoot approximately 300 m long by 100 m high, with a gentle plunge towards the southeast. New Coyita intercepts obtained in the Branca drilling campaign are presented in Table 15 and Figure 18.

Delia SE vein

During the second half of 2016, nine holes were completed on the Delia SE vein for infill and ore control coverage (Table 16, Figure 19 and 20). Four of these holes contained high gold and silver assays where they intersected the vein, two did not intersect the vein, and three contained only low grades. Figure 20 also displays the results of development samples taken at successively deeper levels in the vein. These show increasing amounts of internal waste in the vein with increasing depth, a factor which is expected to result in a negative impact on Delia SE Mineral Reserves at the coming update.

Laguna Verde Norte

Follow-up drilling in the Laguna Norte area on the northeast corner of the lake (Figures 15 and 21) failed to substantiate the presence of well-mineralized veins suggested by a previous round of drilling.

Sector Brillantes

In the second half of the year twelve drill holes were completed in the Brillantes sector, with one drill hole in progress at years end (Figure 22). Robust fissure systems up to a few kilometres long and a few metres wide crop out in this zone. No significant gold or silver assays were obtained in the drill holes.

Cerro Bayo Sector

In the Cerro Bayo sector, the Nina vein was the only target tested during the second half of 2016. The Nina vein is located 600 metres west of the Marcela system and was probed with two drill holes during August and September (Figure 23). No significant gold or silver assays were obtained.

Challacollo Exploration

Permission was received in January 2017 to drill prospective water holes on two high-potential concessions at the bottom of the groundwater basin approximately 30 kilometres to the southwest of Challacollo (Figure 25). If this drilling is successful in encountering sufficient water, an application will be lodged for transferring the catchment point of our existing water rights to this new source.

Drilling, Sampling and Assaying

In 2016, Mandalay drilled approximately 3,535 m of HQ core at Challacollo in thirteen drill holes (see Figures 24, 25, 26 and Table 17). These holes were designed to test geophysical (self-potential) anomalies detected and reported earlier in 2016, the deep extension of the main Lolon fissure, and several new targets on the Lolon and other veins generated by ongoing detailed mapping, trenching and surface sampling.

All drill holes were surveyed by standard techniques with downhole instruments and logged by Mandalay geologists. Sample preparation was undertaken by ALS at their facilities in Antofagasta, with analysis performed by ALS labs in Lima, Peru. This analytic program was performed with industry-standard QA/QC protocols including checks, blanks, and duplicate samples.

Exploration Results (Table 17 and Figures 24 through 29)

No significant grade intercepts were obtained in holes testing prominent self-potential anomalies under cover north or south of the outcrops in the Challacollo range. Sources of the anomalies proved to be pyritic black shales in DCN-01 at the north end of the range and pyritic rhyolites with minor base metal veinlets in DCS-04 and DCS-05 south of the range (Figure 26).

Drill holes DPA 1,2,3, and 4 demonstrated that The Palermo Norte vein is a robust structure with continuity at depth and strongly mineralized with lead and zinc (Figures 26 and 27; Table 17). Silver and gold values in the drill holes, however, failed to reach the high levels seen in several surface trenches (Figure 27).

The deep intercept over 100 m below the deepest high-grade intercept in a previous metallurgical hole on the main Lolon central vein (DCH-40 in Figure 26 and Table 17) demonstrated a robust vein structure 2.3 m in true width but with low gold and silver values. Test holes on the Lolon Norte, Gladys IV, and Lolon Sur / San Francisco veins also returned disappointing assay results, and/or mediocre vein widths at depth (Figure 26 and Table 17).

Additional detailed mapping and trenching to reveal vein subcrops beneath the colluvium indicates that the Palermo Norte vein extends a few hundred metres further north than previously mapped. In the northern area, the vein is hosted by calcareous marine sedimentary rocks and is associated with a solution-collapse breccia zone that extends a few hundred metres away from the vein to the west. This breccia zone is parallel to bedding, strongly silicified, and ranges up to 2.5 m thick. It is erratically mineralized with galena and copper oxides; surface samples assay up to 50 ppm silver. This feature is currently being evaluated as a possible setting for manto-style replacement sulfide mineralization that could be associated with the Palermo Norte vein system (Figure 28).

New vein splays recognized through structural reinterpretation on the main Lolon vein and drilling gaps on the Lolon Sur extension suggest that additional silver-gold resources could possibly be defined by additional drilling in some areas adjacent to the presently delineated grade blocks. These possibilities include small, high-grade splay veins in the western wall of Lolon Central; mineralized zones lying in gaps of drilling coverage due to poor vein correlation along Lolon Sur and/or along a new vein in the south area, detected beneath colluvium east of the Lolon trend (Figure 29).

Tables to Accompany Press Release

Table 1: Bjorkdal exploration drilling summary for the second half of 2016

Category Metres Number

of Holes Drilling Area Metres Number

of Holes Resource Infill 8,006 68 Underground Lake Zone 1,799 13 Target Extension 12,042 68 Underground Main and Central Zone 6,981 28 New Target Test 4,470 15 Underground Lake Zone North 1,390 3 24,518 151 Nylunds (RC) 4,109 35 Open Pit (RC) 5,061 40 Ronnberget 2,098 20 Storheden 2,153 3 Morbacken 928 9 24,518 151

Table 2: Significant new infill and extensional intercepts in Main, Central, and Lake Zones.

Hole ID Hole

Completion Date Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Elevation

(Mine Grid) Drilled

Width

(m) Intercept

Angle () True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) MU6-032 17/06/2016 182.79 1292.009 1705.25 -446.188 5.25 51 4.04 4.45 MU6-032 1291.14 1717.123 -452.917 9.4 N/A - 1.07 MU6-035 10/08/2016 131.5 1248.709 1681.543 -416.678 2.5 55 2.01 4.18 MU6-035 1245.856 1712.651 -423.729 0.55 58 0.43 27.20 MU6-036 30/07/2016 170.6 1244.92 1670.329 -442.76 1.85 44 1.24 4.48 MU6-036 1239.779 1711.004 -470.181 0.9 45 0.59 18.10 MU6-037 7/08/2016 145.85 1250.77 1626.65 -407.806 1 N/A - 3.98 MU6-037 1237.453 1699.038 -436.226 1 32 0.47 64.90 MU6-038 14/07/2016 125 1252.875 1613.614 -400.893 4.1 59 3.48 2.31 MU6-038 1238.491 1676.307 -409.861 4.5 50 3.41 2.78 MU6-040 18/07/2016 305.5 1969.717 1101.987 -347.489 2.2 21 0.73 31.60 MU6-040 2016.049 1090.313 -382.1 3.5 45 2.43 9.75 MU6-040 2049.497 1081.01 -406.958 0.9 46 0.6 6.73 MU6-040 2113.811 1061.775 -454.133 1.6 33 0.82 6.32 MU6-043 24/07/2016 146.38 1211.241 1696.457 -430.548 0.2 N/A - 73.70 MU6-043 1195.262 1730.474 -441.866 0.7 62 0.59 5.09 MU6-044 26/08/2016 122.32 1208.196 1676.339 -406.895 1.05 66 0.93 5.15 MU6-045 15/08/2016 176.65 1211.125 1626.777 -413.112 0.3 62 0.24 39.20 MU6-045 1205.835 1645.707 -427.014 9.15 39 5.71 10.48 MU6-045 1191.86 1700.318 -467.191 0.3 44 0.16 17.60 MU6-045 1188.926 1712.672 -476.34 1.5 39 0.89 3.20 MU6-046 19/08/2016 119.5 1199.418 1661.971 -408.105 0.25 N/A - 19.85 MU6-046 1194.953 1676.092 -409.185 0.45 65 0.38 171.00 MU6-049 30/08/2016 179.46 1256.5 1634.084 -417.89 1.1 N/A - 7.36 MU6-049 1256.793 1674.141 -447.896 1 49 0.71 13.70 MU6-049 1257.658 1716.658 -479.778 3.9 44 2.66 6.73 MU6-049 1258.702 1750.069 -504.957 0.3 N/A - 11.90 MU6-050 7/08/2016 308.65 1963.131 1042.914 -339.4 0.4 59 0.31 13.60 MU6-050 1988.025 1021.459 -352.89 0.45 67 0.39 10.80 MU6-050 2015.997 996.53 -368.394 1.15 21 0.35 21.46 MU6-050 2025.753 987.616 -373.792 3.2 52 2.48 2.94 MU6-050 2037.018 977.232 -379.985 1.35 29 0.60 6.41 MU6-051 27/07/2016 284.16 1935.983 1065.865 -325.969 0.55 N/A - 12.20 MU6-051 1944.811 1061.688 -333.112 0.45 52 0.32 11.90 MU6-051 1958.315 1055.149 -344.105 0.25 67 0.21 24.10 MU6-051 1996.436 1035.941 -375.433 4.05 59 3.44 32.13 MU6-051 2046.87 1009.234 -417.63 0.8 67 0.71 4.44 MU6-052 20/08/2016 280.65 1895.402 1188.348 -355.259 0.3 N/A - 27.90 MU6-052 1992.057 1103.501 -403.698 1.4 65 1.24 27.69 MU6-052 2023.235 1074.152 -420.37 8.3 77 8.07 9.91 MU6-053 27/08/2016 249.2 2085.841 947.86 -355.044 0.7 46 0.46 11.90 MU6-053 2106.891 1054.596 -421.428 5.4 41 3.49 30.47 MU6-054 2/09/2016 141.1 2090.181 1030.514 -395.665 8.85 64 7.93 13.89 MU6-055 10/09/2016 240.28 2081.124 989.042 -375.19 0.4 N/A - 6.75 MU6-055 2080.783 1002.472 -382.192 1.3 51 0.97 5.16 MU6-055 2080.023 1092.234 -428.414 3.95 58 3.32 1.97 MU6-055 2080.156 1114.436 -439.179 14.2 68 13.14 2.19 MU6-055 2080.562 1142.169 -452.57 0.6 52 0.43 17.60 MU6-057 13/09/2016 239.97 1908.699 1137.512 -346.313 1.8 45 1.23 2.89 MU6-057 1907.428 1150.959 -354.268 0.95 75 0.9 6.76 MU6-057 1905.114 1175.688 -368.748 1.25 58 1.03 4.96 MU6-058 22/09/2016 296.47 1908.038 1222.968 -443.812 3.55 29 1.67 1.75 MU6-058 1908.016 1260.578 -480.692 0.5 28 0.18 15.90 MU6-059 30/09/2016 269.86 1914.98 1145.42 -356.884 13.65 44 9.44 13.37 MU6-060 13/10/2016 359.2 1785.034 1365.303 -393.462 3.25 29 1.52 3.87 MU6-060 1818.865 1352.092 -401.736 6.95 45 4.87 1.81 MU6-060 1920.619 1311.122 -426.934 0.55 75 0.51 10.35 MU6-060 1979.407 1287.046 -441.04 0.7 82 0.68 24.90 MU6-061 24/10/2016 369.97 1745.97 1381.478 -385.351 0.4 46 0.24 36.80 MU6-061 1798.592 1365.402 -403.293 0.55 33 0.25 26.20 MU6-061 2038.35 1276.397 -485.245 2 N/A - 4.69 MU6-063 5/11/2016 368.85 1780.922 1459.615 -426.687 2.85 32 1.46 2.24 MU6-064 2/12/2016 371.3 1740.222 1319.208 -374.816 0.4 23 0.10 38.50 MU6-064 1747.717 1337.539 -385.807 0.3 69 0.26 35.90 MU6-064 1779.785 1413.416 -430.877 0.4 53 0.28 12.40 MU6-069 29/11/2016 311.8 1713.671 1381.059 -382.41 2 82 1.97 1.95 MU6-069 1715.366 1423.847 -399.886 0.6 44 0.37 7.60 MU6-069 1716.077 1441.794 -407.217 1.3 31 0.62 4.93 MU6-069 1716.933 1463.42 -416.049 1.05 67 0.94 9.75

NoteRaw, undiluted assay intervals are reported that occur within diluted intervals that contain greater than 0.9 g/t over a minimum mining width of 3 m.

Table 3: Significant new target-test intercepts in Lake Zone North.

Hole ID Hole

Completion Date Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Elevation

(Mine Grid) Drilled

Width

(m) Intercept

Angle () True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) MU6-020E 3/10/2016 634.3 1029.016 1732.355 -487.871 0.35 56 0.25 0.89 MU6-020E 1028.119 1739.551 -492.061 0.7 19 0.17 1.04 MU6-020E 1027.707 1742.921 -494.03 0.25 60 0.18 1.08 MU6-020E 1026.649 1751.751 -499.177 0.3 86 0.29 0.62 MU6-020E 1026.054 1756.804 -502.115 0.25 76 0.23 1.97 MU6-020E 1025.659 1760.157 -504.066 0.35 65 0.29 1.09 MU6-020E 1024.641 1768.799 -509.095 0.25 80 0.24 0.79 MU6-020E 1011.921 1916.084 -592.213 1.1 N/A - 0.59 MU6-020E 1008.611 2030.361 -652.473 1 N/A - 0.52 MU6-020E 1008.615 2033.024 -653.854 0.4 58 0.31 1.65 MU6-020E 1008.644 2038.638 -656.767 0.55 54 0.41 0.53 MU6-037E 27/10/2016 572 1227.083 1757.963 -458.879 0.25 32 0.08 5.72 MU6-037E 1225.445 1767.784 -462.588 0.3 35 0.12 1.06 MU6-037E 1223.78 1778.084 -466.448 0.25 40 0.11 8.49 MU6-037E 1223.418 1780.378 -467.304 1 54 0.77 24.73 MU6-037E 1223.109 1782.348 -468.038 0.25 40 0.11 0.53 MU6-037E 1222.262 1787.868 -470.091 0.25 54 0.16 0.74 MU6-037E 1220.425 1800.679 -474.807 0.3 41 0.15 3.77 MU6-037E 1220.34 1801.308 -475.037 0.25 64 0.20 21.20 MU6-037E 1220.082 1803.22 -475.732 0.25 46 0.14 2.35 MU6-037E 1219.152 1810.195 -478.254 0.3 34 0.12 1.72 MU6-037E 1219.054 1810.941 -478.523 0.8 32 0.37 4.88 MU6-037E 1218.575 1814.606 -479.845 0.35 42 0.19 3.58 MU6-037E 1218.144 1817.922 -481.036 0.65 36 0.33 1.60 MU6-037E 1217.045 1826.496 -484.113 0.3 49 0.18 0.66 MU6-037E 1215.66 1837.63 -488.079 0.4 37 0.19 5.03 MU6-037E 1214.743 1845.334 -490.808 0.25 43 0.12 6.89 MU6-037E 1214.314 1849.06 -492.126 0.3 38 0.13 1.76 MU6-037E 1213.639 1855.085 -494.254 0.35 37 0.16 0.97 MU6-037E 1209.83 1894.856 -508.142 0.45 67 0.39 2.35 MU6-037E 1203.947 1994.421 -540.417 0.25 68 0.21 1.39 MU6-037E 1203.71 2002.479 -542.866 0.4 49 0.26 4.40 MU6-037E 1203.307 2019.369 -547.974 0.3 58 0.22 1.35 MU6-037E 1202.984 2044.316 -555.289 0.3 65 0.25 4.37 MU6-037E 1203.751 2125.957 -578.185 0.7 58 0.56 0.88 MU6-037E 1204.284 2138.744 -581.613 0.8 57 0.64 6.67 MU6-037E 1204.349 2140.095 -581.973 0.3 65 0.25 33.3 MU6-037E 1204.464 2142.437 -582.595 0.25 65 0.20 11.4

NoteAll raw, undiluted assays over 0.50 g/t Au are reported in these holes.

Table 4: Significant new RC drilling intercepts from the Bjorkdal East Pit and the Nylunds deposit.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Hole

Depth

(m) Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Elevation

(Mine Grid) Drilled

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) MR6-004 29/10/2016 173 141.777 2480.464 -174.048 2 1.50 MR6-004 155.659 2483.063 -196.47 1 1.56 MR6-005B 27/10/2016 174 191.274 2436.583 -99.832 1 2.09 MR6-005B 188.653 2438.099 -103.811 1 0.91 MR6-005B 121.156 2480.428 -221.867 6 2.17 MR6-007 25/10/2016 174 155.757 2311.353 -149.186 1 2.65 MR6-007 151.754 2313.799 -153.685 2 3.48 MR6-011 11/10/2016 144 148.995 2208.646 -163.066 1 1.58 MR6-012 7/10/2016 102 31.866 2264.571 -113.3 1 1.15 MR6-013 11/10/2016 162 36.177 2338.429 -137.228 1 0.72 MR6-013 48.918 2336.751 -149.107 2 0.83 MR6-013 99.831 2329.942 -195.175 2 0.59 MR6-016 16/11/2016 138 -70.26 2394.869 -126.044 3 1.21 MR6-016 -74.448 2397.343 -131.078 1 1.14 MR6-016 -79.2 2400.138 -136.875 1 0.88 MR6-016 -114.972 2420.882 -183.059 1 0.95 MR6-019 23/11/2016 180 -96.414 2504.308 -130.317 1 0.72 MR6-019 -114.878 2512.427 -149.009 2 0.85 MR6-019 -147.761 2526.719 -180.161 1 0.82 MR6-019 -165.395 2534.436 -196.112 1 4.29 MR6-023 24/10/2016 150 56.597 2631.464 -109.513 2 6.28 MR6-024 15/10/2016 72 -233.025 2719.158 -90.559 1 2.28 MR6-027 19/10/2016 180 -183.147 2634.352 -105.623 2 0.41 MR6-027 -180.813 2632.754 -109.123 3 4.17 MR6-027 -140.368 2605.764 -169.471 2 0.54 MR6-027 -137.477 2603.854 -173.743 3 0.50 MR6-031 23/10/2016 168 -99.878 2728.166 -116.794 1 1.55 MR6-057 13/09/2016 174 486.101 1751.619 -90.991 1 1.00 MR6-057 481.156 1750.219 -95.743 1 11.30 MR6-057 476.54 1749.065 -100.172 4 27.00 MR6-057 471.558 1747.944 -104.959 2 2.87 MR6-058 15/09/2016 180 469.329 1793.949 -115.661 1 0.73 MR6-059 17/09/2016 180 485.736 1787.463 -102.273 3 0.91 MR6-059 490.358 1782.153 -109.375 1 2.61 MR6-059 550.648 1718.083 -198.136 1 0.73 MR6-059 552.317 1716.254 -200.609 2 0.87 MR6-060 20/09/2016 180 480.898 1807.931 -110.637 1 1.16 MR6-060 517.153 1788.616 -157.713 2 6.31 MR6-063 28/09/2016 174 411.786 1871.237 -111.414 3 2.72 MR6-064 30/09/2016 168 414.388 1906.895 -97.841 1 1.14 MR6-064 441.273 1870.934 -142 1 1.03 MR6-065 3/10/2016 168 390.935 1922.651 -96.549 2 1.10 MR6-066 5/10/2016 63 342.894 1943.858 -97.213 2 0.72 MR6-066 347.842 1938.626 -104.854 1 12.70 MR6-066 352.083 1934.141 -111.404 1 2.84 MR6-066 354.91 1931.152 -115.771 1 1.44 MR6-066B 5/12/2016 150 400.417 1881.486 -145.61 1 2.90 MR6-067 7/12/2016 168 298.228 1924.581 -129.403 3 1.51 MR6-072 162 273.12 2285.791 -147.353 1 0.86 MR6-072 301.821 2253.283 -186.61 2 0.68 MR6-074 126 284.277 2345.08 -107.918 1 2.30 MR6-075 1/12/2016 186 323.089 2271.373 -122.406 1 4.37 MR6-075 322.687 2287.302 -138.993 1 3.25 MR6-075 321.227 2312.255 -165.587 2 1.47 MR6-076 28/11/2016 186 257.779 2330.052 -194.482 1 1.97 MR6-079 4/12/2016 186 214.751 2250.272 -165.503 1 13.60 MR6-079 160.825 2275.643 -215.044 2 2.95

NoteReported in this table are all raw, undiluted assay values that are contained in interval bearing at least 0.35 g/t gold over a diluted minimum mining width of 2 m.

Table 5: Significant new infill and extensional core-drilling intercepts from the Ronnberget area. Historic drilling not shown.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Intercept

Easting

(SweRef99) Intercept

Northing

(SweRef99) Intercept

Elevation

(SweRef99) Drilled

Width

(m) Intercept

Angle () True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) ME6-006 16/07/2016 100.4 769284.712 7211746.238 66.379 1.5 70 1.39 3.73 ME6-007 13/07/2016 106.6 769288.955 7211767.640 45.673 1.75 78 1.62 0.59 ME6-008 20/06/2016 119.8 769262.203 7211829.606 33.842 6.85 75 6.6 1.58 ME6-009 28/06/2016 125 769237.715 7211846.664 31.698 4.1 75 3.94 0.81 ME6-009 769236.831 7211845.297 28.292 0.85 73 0.79 0.58 ME6-010 2/07/2016 100 769215.169 7211836.518 68.471 1 80 0.97 0.67 ME6-011 5/07/2016 101 769174.300 7211820.742 62.792 1.2 66 1.07 1.50 ME6-011 769168.762 7211814.747 51.633 1.15 78 1.11 1.19 ME6-012 5/07/2016 101 769150.519 7211829.341 66.102 0.75 69 0.68 1.54 ME6-014 11/07/2016 73.3 769271.599 7211712.022 90.879 0.8 41 0.48 1.23 ME6-015 8/07/2016 56.3 769145.742 7211711.408 98.245 8.3 70 7.78 65.55 ME6-016 7/07/2016 55 769184.953 7211712.707 99.220 2.1 80 2.05 6.34 ME6-017 23/07/2016 91.7 769120.127 7211852.640 73.513 1.7 65 1.51 7.17 ME6-018 21/07/2016 80.4 769089.132 7211844.244 72.623 2.05 66 1.85 2.36 ME6-019 20/07/2016 95.4 769078.392 7211865.202 77.446 4.05 80 3.98 0.70 ME6-020 30/07/2016 251.4 769239.359 7211973.599 -20.068 1 80 0.97 1.36 ME6-021 3/08/2016 75.8 769052.764 7211840.692 86.749 4.75 75 4.51 0.98 ME6-022 1/08/2016 63 769041.876 7211812.110 83.370 2.55 79 2.49 3.26 ME6-022 769041.135 7211810.089 78.173 1 87 0.99 1.65 ME6-024 1/08/2016 80 769207.444 7211764.781 66.212 5.85 80 5.75 0.71 ME6-025 12/08/2016 75.9 769120.126 7211717.247 102.983 3.3 60 2.83 3.34 ME6-026 14/08/2016 68.5 769169.702 7211731.251 90.727 0.8 65 0.7 6.05 ME6-026 769171.438 7211728.297 86.816 4 60 3.42 1.44 ME6-026 769173.593 7211724.593 81.928 1 56 0.79 1.78 ME6-027 18/08/2016 160.6 769212.703 7211861.187 35.665 4.05 55 3.28 2.61 ME6-027 769215.298 7211858.114 30.687 0.85 45 0.56 0.71

NoteTable includes all raw, undiluted assays greater than 0.35 g/t

Table 6: Significant new core-drilling intercepts from the Storheden area.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid) Intercept

Elevation

(Mine Grid) Drilled

Width

(m) Intercept

Angle () True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) ME6-028 29/08/2016 321.85 2788.432 1062.253 -118.085 0.65 45 0.41 7.34 ME6-028 2758.42 1073.486 -166.127 0.65 30 0.27 0.59 ME6-028 2754.409 1074.915 -172.573 1.1 54 0.77 0.97 ME6-028 2746.922 1077.546 -184.619 1.55 32 0.77 3.20 ME6-029 29/09/2016 851.4 2256.956 1287.668 -449.011 1 50 0.73 1.91 ME6-029 2283.662 1235.973 -537.397 2.85 53 2.23 9.84 ME6-029 2300.894 1201.7 -593.299 0.35 36 0.15 2.72 ME6-029 2344.11 1107.371 -741.316 0.6 24 0.19 91.1 ME6-030 27/10/2016 872.5 1994.15 1553.447 -605.656 2.7 20 0.86 1.36 ME6-030 1979.092 1559.034 -623.321 1.05 48 0.74 0.95 ME6-030 1969.049 1562.798 -635.093 1.5 12 0.25 2.38

NoteTable reports undiluted assays greater than 0.35 g/t

Table 7: Significant new core drilling intercepts from the Morbacken prospect.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Intercept

Easting

(SweRef) Intercept

Northing

(SweRef) Intercept

Elevation

(SweRef) Drilled

Width

(m) Intercept

Angle () True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) ME6-031 1/11/2016 89.9 766631.634 7211797.442 108.448 0.6 43 0.36 5.82 ME6-034 9/11/2016 115.8 766651.207 7211817.177 67.208 1.95 30 0.92 1.57

NoteTable reports individual raw assays greater than 0.35 g/t

Table 8: Costerfield exploration drilling summary for the second half of 2016.

CATEGORY Metres Number

of Holes ZONE Metres Number

of Holes Infill 11,862 69 Sub King Cobra 2,924 11 Extension 2,361 9 Brunswick 5,628 35 New Target Testing 2,924 11 Cuffley Deeps 7,112 39 17,147 89 Cuffley South/M Lode 1,484 4 17,147 89

Table 9: Significant new drill intercepts on Brunswick lode.

Hole ID Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid, m) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid, m) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) Sb

Grade

(%) AuEq (g/t)

over 1.8m or

TW if greater Total Hole

Depth (m) BD244W4 14763 5692 1011 0.98 6.5 1.4 4.8 254.7 BD245 14742 5589 1100 0.63 0.8 0.6 0.7 155.9 BD246 14738 5590 1044 0.36 1.1 0.3 0.3 231 BD247 14728 5569 1045 0.54 0.2 0.1 0.1 200.9 BD247W1 14728 5569 1046 0.58 0.1 0.1 0.1 182.55 BD248 14726 5552 997 0.76 0.3 0.1 0.2 256.5 BD249 14792 5764 1102 2.51 13.3 0.1 13.6 170.2 BD250 14796 5779 1078 2.88 2.5 0.1 2.7 194 BD251 14803 5794 1048 1.64 4.3 6.4 13.7 210 BD252 14774 5714 1067 1.57 2.3 0.2 2.3 189.9 BD253 14781 5739 1052 0.79 3.6 1.4 2.6 210.1 BD254 14775 5716 1041 0.40 17.0 29.3 14.8 210 BD255 14788 5760 1039 1.36 8.3 8.7 17.5 220.7 BD256 14786 5767 1012 0.29 4.0 2.4 1.3 241 BD259A 14822 5912 1042 0.19 2.2 1.0 0.4 270.2 BD260 14828 5920 1064 0.16 3.4 0.0 0.3 190 BD261A 14844 5961 1083 0.09 1.2 0.0 0.1 160.2 BD262 14761 5672 1044 0.79 2.5 1.7 2.3 210 BD263 14752 5661 1003 0.77 0.7 0.1 0.3 240 BD257 14804 5846 1024 1.13 8.4 2.9 8.3 280 BD264W1 14765 5736 995 0.48 15.6 4.3 6.1 260 BD265 14792 5835 969 0.66 19.5 5.5 10.6 476.2 BD265 14760 5833 938 10.35* 19.5 7.2 476.2 BD267 14776 5735 980 2.77 9.7 4.8 17.8 500.4

* Down hole length not true width

Note:

- True width is preliminary estimate only and may not reflect final true width used in resource

- AuEq(g/t) = Au(g) + Sb(%) x Price per 10 Sb(kg)  Sb Recovery(%) Price per 1 Au(g)  Au Recovery (%)

Table 10: Significant new drill intercepts on Cuffley Deeps and Cuffley Deeps West.

Hole ID Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid, m) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid, m) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) Sb

Grade

(%) AuEq (g/t)

over 1.8m

or TW

if greater Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Target AD134 15175 5027 755 0.16 103.7 34.5 14.6 270.1 Cuffley Deeps AD140 15176 5042 727 0.36 4.1 1.4 1.3 255.9 Cuffley Deeps AD141AW1 15175 5067 765 0.08 0.8 0.5 0.1 200.6 Cuffley Deeps AD142 15174 4992 755 0.67 1.0 0.1 0.4 236.4 Cuffley Deeps AD143 15176 5015 775 0.06 2.9 4.7 0.4 224.6 Cuffley Deeps AD144 15171 5108 736 0.22 0.3 0.0 0.0 269.8 Cuffley Deeps AD146 15178 5138 729 1.34 0.2 0.0 0.2 300.6 Cuffley Deeps AD147 15181 5053 794 0.10 11.9 3.2 0.9 191.6 Cuffley Deeps AD148 15173 5102 774 0.16 12.1 5.9 1.9 248 Cuffley Deeps AD149A 15179 4992 697 0.99 31.1 6.7 23.4 336.2 Cuffley Deeps AD150 15178 5161 751 0.43 0.0 0.0 0.0 315.3 Cuffley Deeps AD151 15173 5072 717 0.24 9.8 5.5 2.6 250 Cuffley Deeps AD152 15174 5131 804 0.19 34.6 11.5 5.7 225.1 Cuffley Deeps AD153A 15178 5049 703 0.18 1.6 7.1 1.3 326.4 Cuffley Deeps AD155 15175 5168 790 0.33 0.7 0.0 0.1 288 Cuffley Deeps AD165 15175 5123 773 1.53 11.7 7.2 20.2 320 Cuffley Deeps AD165W1 15173 5124 775 0.27 1.9 2.7 1.0 218.7 Cuffley Deeps AD140 15168 5042 716 0.45 1.7 0.6 0.7 255.9 CD West AD144 15161 5114 722 0.06 34.9 0.0 1.1 269.8 CD West AD146 15157 5153 698 1.11 11.1 3.8 10.9 300.6 CD West AD148 15154 5113 752 0.31 0.1 0.0 0.0 248 CD West AD149A 15171 4990 684 0.06 62.0 7.2 2.3 336.2 CD West AD150 15146 5192 703 0.36 0.2 0.1 0.1 315.3 CD West AD151 15169 5073 711 0.07 0.7 1.2 0.1 250 CD West AD155 15156 5189 769 0.06 1.3 1.1 0.1 288 CD West

Note:

- True width is preliminary estimate only and may not reflect final true width used in resource

- AuEq(g/t) = Au(g) + Sb(%) x Price per 10 Sb(kg)  Sb Recovery(%) Price per 1 Au(g)  Au Recovery (%)

Table 11: Significant new drill intercepts on Sub King Cobra.



Hole ID Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid, m) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid, m) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) Sb

Grade

(%) AuEq (g/t)

over 1.8m

or TW if

greater Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Target CSK020 15295 5125 577 0.07 15.2 0.0 0.6 454.6 Central LQ CSK021 15091 4774 482 0.38 7.2 0.0 1.5 597.3 Central Main CSK021 15119 4779 511 0.53 0.6 0.1 0.2 597.3 Central LQ CSK022 15091 4834 507 0.19 5.3 2.5 1.0 603.1 Central Main CSK022 15152 4832 539 0.05 6.7 0.4 0.2 603.1 Central LQ CSK022 15141 4830 555 0.18 4.8 1.8 0.8 603.1 Central East CSK023 15102 4846 484 2.00 7.1 0.5 8.0 547.7 Central Main CSK023 15105 4845 487 0.24 2.6 1.6 0.7 547.7 Central Main CSK023 15138 4843 523 0.09 4.7 4.6 0.7 547.7 Central East CSK024 15111 4901 541 0.71 0.5 2.1 1.6 588 Central Main CSK024 15106 4902 536 0.64 9.9 0.5 3.8 588 Central Main CSK024 15097 4906 526 1.81 0.4 1.9 3.6 588 Central Main CSK025 15101 4915 486 0.14 7.8 11.6 2.1 501.3 Central Main CSK025 15125 4905 518 0.21 0.6 10.5 2.1 501.3 Central East CSK026A 15133 4989 553 0.03 37.7 33.7 1.6 445.7 Central east CSK026A 15127 4993 547 0.14 25.7 13.0 3.6 445.7 Central Main CSK026A 15117 4999 537 0.12 5.9 0.0 0.4 445.7 Unnamed CSK026A 15114 5001 535 0.18 20.9 0.0 2.1 445.7 Unnamed CSK026A 15124 4994 545 0.84 1.9 2.4 2.7 445.7 Central Main CSK027 15129 4905 516 0.23 4.4 8.2 2.3 500.4 Central Main CSK027 15140 4945 535 0.10 0.5 6.5 0.6 500.4 Central East CSK027 15118 4957 510 0.17 0.2 9.8 1.5 500.4 Unnamed CSK027 15081 4976 469 0.22 7.3 0.1 0.9 500.4 Unnamed

Note:

- True width is preliminary estimate only and may not reflect final true width used in resource

- AuEq(g/t) = Au(g) + Sb(%) x Price per 10 Sb(kg)  Sb Recovery(%) Price per 1 Au(g)  Au Recovery (%)

Table 12: Significant new drill intercepts on M Lode.

Hole ID Intercept

Easting

(Mine Grid, m) Intercept

Northing

(Mine Grid, m) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Gold

Grade

(g/t) Sb Grade

(%) AuEq (g/t)

over 1.8m

or TW if

greater Total

Hole

Depth

(m) Target AD156A 15160 4609 770 0.14 18.4 1.7 1.6 351.4 M Lode AD161 15193 4560 753 0.68 33.9 0.9 13.4 414.4 M Lode AD158 15196 4552 799 0.10 150.6 50.1 13.1 437.5 M Lode

Note:

- True width is preliminary estimate only and may not reflect final true width used in resource

- AuEq(g/t) = Au(g) + Sb(%) x Price per 10 Sb(kg)  Sb Recovery(%) Price per 1 Au(g)  Au Recovery (%)

Table 13: Cerro Bayo exploration drilling summary for the second half of 2016.

CATEGORY Metres Number

of Holes SECTOR Metres Number of

Holes Infill 10,930.10 30 Laguna Verde 11,385.45 41 Extension 0 0 Cerro Bayo 684.45 2 New Target Testing 6,991.40 19 Brillantes 3,859.05 11 Ore Control 308.15 3 18,685.00 55 Services 166.15 1 Aborted 289.20 2 18,685.00 55

Table 14: Summary of mineralized intercepts on the Branca vein.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Intercept Easting

(UTM 19S) Intercept Northing

(UTM 19S) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) Ag

Grade

(g/t) Total hole

depth (m) DLV16-026 05-07-2016 272130.86 4840704.28 95.79 0.81 0.48 708 377.9 DLV16-027 13-07-2016 272068.358 4840707.99 -31.336 0.44 2.74 107 488.85 DLV16-028 02-08-2017 272118.97 4840690.31 13.02 1.64 5.06 272 410.65 DLV16-035 10-08-2016 272205.17 4840651.65 61.53 0.15 0.43 14 332.5 DLV16-036 11-08-2016 272058.8 4840704.66 -40.67 3.07 1.71 35 478.95 DLV16-037 06-09-2016 272193.88 4840652.45 -28.19 0.11 0.86 15 383.2 DLV16-038 27-08-2016 270023.49 4840724.6 0.53 0.8 0.7 51 473.8 DLV16-040 05-09-2016 272097.98 4840716.96 68.15 1.03 0.89 238 389.25 DLV16-042 16-09-2016 272117.98 4840715.17 108.84 0.31 0.5 117 366 DLV16-044 24-09-2016 272064.39 4840743.4 82.55 0.85 1.94 403 404.85 DLV16-048 13-10-2016 272040 4840727.7 28.24 0.45 24.14 2676 452.75 DLV16-053 28-10-2016 272171.49 4840657.9 38.79 1.03 1.56 283 414 DLV16-057 15-11-2016 272132.29 4840674.7 -23.62 0.8 0.43 7 460.9 DLV16-060 29-11-2016 272112.82 4840682.17 -17.7 2.5 0.36 13 434 DLV16-061 12-12-2016 272226.8 4840651.43 -29.68 0.18 0.05 4 383.8

Table 15: Mineralized intercepts on the Coyita vein, July  December 2016.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Intercept Easting

(UTM 19S) Intercept Northing

(UTM 19S) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) Ag

Grade

(g/t) Total hole

depth (m) DLV16-023 26-06-2016 272248.06 4840674.06 83.63 0.64 0.41 98 368.55 DLV16-024 29-06-2016 272180.42 4840770.94 134.1 3.1 2.03 393 458.85 DLV16-025 29-07-2016 272258.16 4840685.47 83.48 0.52 0.05 5 416.65 DLV16-026 05-07-2016 272186.94 4840733.07 135.47 1.54 1.28 64 377.90 DLV16-027 13-07-2016 272202.09 4840762.2 101.42 3.98 8.87 282 488.85 DLV16-029 24-07-2016 272228.9 4840751.13 67.24 1.46 12.84 1321 485.90 DLV16-033 02-08-2016 272208.94 4840737.49 102.67 0.58 3.26 292 410.65 LV16-035 10-08-2016 272233.2 4840667.63 101.46 0.48 0.2 67 332.50 DLV16-036 11-08-2016 272205.16 4840757.26 100.91 0.77 13.45 1450 478.95 DLV16-037 06-09-2016 272249.45 4840678.51 74.04 0.23 0.05 6 383.20 DLV16-038 27-08-2016 272178.32 4840765.3 112.16 0.6 50.93 1901 473.80 DLV16-040 05-09-2016 272189.72 4840747.96 129.14 3.12 4.87 653 389.25 DLV16-042 16-09-2016 272182.55 4840740.85 146.1 1.57 4.76 339 366.00 DLV16-044 24-09-2016 272177.9 4840767.2 144.01 1.11 1.53 340 404.85 DLV16-047 05-10-2016 272191.88 4840761.21 111.86 1.12 19.64 718 479.90 DLV16-048 13-10-2016 272184.39 4840764.2 126.02 2.47 9.37 457 452.75 DLV16-051 20-10-2016 272217.2 4840719.48 97.29 0.35 2.43 129 407.95 DLV16-053 28-10-2016 272227.02 4840700.19 97.72 0.46 1.23 281 414.00 DLV16-056 18-11-2016 272290.82 4840666.47 40.29 1.51 1.02 447 378.40 DLV16-057 15-11-2016 272224.82 4840727.02 78.91 1.16 2.54 470 460.90 DLV16-060 29-11-2016 272216.18 4840736.25 87.18 0.52 3.71 229 434.00 DLV16-061 12-12-2016 272266.45 4840676.45 59.93 0.2 1.2 577 386.80

Table 16: Summary of mineralized intercepts drilled on the Delia SE vein, July  December 2016.

Hole ID Hole

Completion

Date Intercept Easting

(UTM 19S) Intercept Northing

(UTM 19S) Elevation

(m) True

Width

(m) Au

Grade

(g/t) Ag

Grade

(g/t) Total hole

depth (m) DLV16-041 20-09-2016 271935.85 4840263.84 -13.73 0.28 2.12 229 458.0 DLV16-043 14-09-2016 271914.61 4840227.52 185.07 0.63 0.9 2.93 191.3 DLV16-045 No vein intercept DLV16-046 13-10-2016 271918.6 4840294.19 -5.39 0.4 0.05 5 457.9 DLV16-049 No vein intercept DLV16-050 19-10-2016 272110.93 4840163.85 37.86 3.09 0.86 290 295.45 DLV16-052 15-11-2016 271645.73 4840296.78 249.58 0.62 0.7 27 649.9 DLV16-054 30-10-2016 272100.54 4840140.53 15.85 0.36 5.12 344 320.10 DLV16-063 21-12-2016 271927.41 4840231.94 154.95 0.91 7.39 172 173.75

Table 17: Summary drill results for the Challacollo property, July  December 2016.

Hole ID UTM

Easting

(m) UTM

Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) From

(m) To

(m) True

Thickness

(m) Ag

(ppm) Au

(ppm) Pb

(%) Zn

(%) DCN-01 463302 7685878 1352 No vein intercepted DPA-01 463245 7684424 1416 76.50 81.75 3.4 26.6 0.6 2.1 3.8 DPA-02 463246 7684424 1416 113.70 117.95 2.4 40.3 0.1 0.8 3.1 DPA-03 463244 7684420 1416 88.40 93.90 4.2 7.6 <0.05 1.7 3.7 DPA-03 463244 7684420 1416 150.50 156.80 5.5 12.5 <0.05 1.3 3.4 DPA-04 463247 7684421 1416 97.10 102.20 1.7 36.5 0.7 2.8 4.6 DLN-01 464244 7683900 1408 188.25 195.50 4.7 6.3 <0.05 0.1 0.1 DLN-02B 464245 7683901 1408 220.10 224.00 3.4 <5 <0.05 0.02 0.06 DCH-40 464040 7682640 1484 331.65 336.20 2.3 60.7 0.4 0.1 0.9 DCS-01 463381 7681396 1377 263.8 267.3 2.7 <5 0.2 0.1 0.2 DCS-02 463104 7681402 1386 141.2 144.1 1.2 <5 <0.05 0.0 0.1 DCS-03 463104 7681407 1386 129.6 131.9 2.1 <5 0.1 0.2 0.5 DCS-04 464483 7680743 1254 No vein intercepted DCS-05 464052 7680864 1292 No vein intercepted

Qualified Persons:

Costerfield and Bjorkdal: Chris Gregory, Vice President of Operational Geology and Chief Shield Geologist at Mandalay Resources, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific information about Costerfield and Bjorkdal contained in this release.

Cerro Bayo and Challacollo: Scott Manske, Chief Cordilleran Geologist of Mandalay Resources, is an Oregon registered Professional Geologist and is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific information on Cerro Bayo and Challacollo contained in this release.

About Mandalay Resources Corporation:

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia, Sweden and producing and exploration projects in Chile. The Company is focused on executing a roll-up strategy, creating critical mass by aggregating advanced or in-production gold, copper, silver and antimony projects in Australia, the Americas and Europe to generate near-term cash flow and shareholder value.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Companys Mineral Resources, Mineral Reserves (including anticipated increases of each), ongoing exploration plans and goals. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, changes in commodity prices and general market and economic conditions. The factors identified above are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Mandalay. A description of additional risks that could result in actual results and developments differing from those contemplated by forward-looking statements in this news release can be found under the heading Risk Factors in Mandalays annual information form dated March 30, 2016, a copy of which is available under Mandalays profile at www.sedar.com. In addition, there can be no assurance that any current or future Inferred Resources that are discovered as a result of additional drilling will ever be upgraded to Proven or Probable Reserves. Although Mandalay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
CHICAGO  A settlement in a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' parole revocation process will mean legal assistance for many parolees at risk to return to prison if they are unable to defend themselves against alleged parole violations.

Illinois' parole system supervises about 28,000 men and woman. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board holds about 10,000 hearings a year to review alleged breaches of parole, now officially referred to as mandatory supervised release.

The settlement approved Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve ends a 2013 lawsuit by parolees against the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Prisoner Review Board.

Alan Mills, executive director of Chicago-based Uptown People's Law Center, one of the lawyers for parolees, said the agreement will make lawyers available for parolees who are unable to handle the legal work that's required at a hearing and can't afford counsel.

The assistance of legal counsel, combined with a new set of deadlines for proceedings, could reduce the number of people returning to prison, said Mills.

Currently, parolees detained on alleged parole violations wait four to five months in prison before a hearing.

"That four to five months can destroy people's lives," said Mills.

Under the new rules, a preliminary hearing would be scheduled within 10 days, and if credible evidence is not found for a violation, the person would be released.

IDOC Director John Baldwin said Wednesday that the agreement "restores integrity to the parole revocation process and ensures potential violators have fair representation and a voice in the process."

Parole Review Board Chairman Craig Findley said, "We are committed to making sure all potential parole and MSR violators get a fair hearing before decisions about revocation are made."

Implementation of the agreement "should end the revolving door between prison and our communities and reduce the number of people held behind bars throughout the state," said Sheila Bedi, an attorney with the Chicago-based Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center, whose firm also represented parolees in the civil action.

An independent monitor has been hired to oversee compliance with the agreement.

The settlement that could reduce the number of ex-offenders who cycle back into prison comes on the heels of a final report from a state panel on criminal justice and sentencing reform. Charged by Gov. Bruce Rauner with producing recommendations that could reduce the state's prison population by 25 percent by 2025, the State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform proposed restoring the state's Halfway Back program for parolees.

Shuttered in 2010 as a cost cutting measure, Halfway Back was a residential program for men that provided 24/7 supervision to help parolees adjust to life after prison. Pre-employment training, counseling and GED courses were part of the program.
Cheers

... to The Mill, the long-shuttered restaurant in Lincoln, unique because of its Dutch windmill exterior; it is being revived as a museum showcasing the heritage of Lincoln, Logan County and their connections to Route 66.

In 2009, the site was named one of the state's 10 most endangered historical places by Landmarks Illinois, a statewide preservation advocacy group.

Cheers

... to the Chicago Cubs organization, for bringing the World Series trophy to Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State universities last week.

For hundreds of long-suffering Cubs fans, seeing the trophy in person (and getting a keepsake photo) was surely icing on the cake and provided a chance for stories that will be shared for generations.

Cheers

... to the Woodford County Board and County Clerk Debbie Harms for acknowledging work is needed on making county ordinances easily accessible to the public.

The ordinances are filed in such a way that they are hard to find and hard to sort. Public laws should be easily accessible and electronically stored. It will take time and money to get the job done, but we are glad Woodford's leaders recognize the problem and know a solution is needed.

Jeers

... to Dennis Hastert, former House speaker and convicted felon, for seeking repayment of $1.7 million in hush money he paid to one of his sexual abuse victims.

It's a counter claim to a lawsuit filed by the victim, who says Hastert still owes him $1.8 million of the promised $3.5 million deal.

Hastert and his attorneys would do best to leave well enough alone.

Food for thought

... Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed: A recent Associated Press story looked at studies focusing on whether eating breakfast is good or bad if you want to lose weight.

The takeaway? We think it's common sense. Don't eat too much, eat healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, grains and lean protein, and exercise.

Cheers

... to Illinois First Lady Diana Rauner, on her recent visit to Chestnut Health Systems' crisis stabilization unit in Bloomington that helps people with drug and alcohol addictions and/or mental illness.

The unit opened in 2015 after a $400,000 remodeling project. Illinois has seen a rise in drug-related deaths in recent years; Mrs. Rauner's visit was an important acknowledgement that such treatment sites are needed more than ever.

Cheers

... to Normal City Council, for seeking an official ruling on its comment policy from the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

The town allows a speaker to address the council every 45 days, a length that has been questioned in several venues and by a mayoral candidate.

The town has asked Lisa Madigan's office whether the restriction complies with the state's Open Meetings Act. City Manager Mark Peterson said he expected it's "likely" the council would align the rule with the attorney general's opinion.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a motion Thursday in St. Clair County Circuit Court that would block pay for state workers until Gov. Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly agree on a budget.

State workers have continued receiving paychecks throughout the standoff between the first-term Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled Legislature, which has left the state without a complete budget since June 30, 2015. Her motion would end that on Feb. 28.

When the impasse began, unions representing state workers sued to ensure that they would continue being paid, arguing that cutting off their pay would be an unconstitutional violation of their contracts. A St. Clair County judge ordered the state comptrollers office to continue cutting paychecks.

Madigans office argues in its filing that the state is violating the Illinois Constitution by paying workers without appropriations approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor. The filing notes that the stopgap spending plan that funded state operations from July 2016 through December 2016 didnt include pay for state workers because of the earlier court order.

Madigan, a Democrat, said in a written statement that the order has removed much of the urgency for the Legislature and the governor to act on a budget.

The attorney generals office also argues that an Illinois Supreme Court ruling from this summer undercuts the unions argument in this case.

In the earlier case, which involved nearly $53 million in back wages owed to 24,000 workers in five agencies, the Supreme Court ruled that the state wasnt obligated to pay because the General Assembly didnt appropriate enough money to cover the expense.

The Illinois Supreme Court overruled the sole legal basis for the St. Clair County Courts order to allow state operations to continue without an appropriation, Madigan said in the prepared statement. With a new legislative session now underway, this is an appropriate time to ask the Circuit Court to reconsider this order in light of the changes in the law.

The move, which came a day after Rauner delivered a relatively upbeat State of the State address in which he called for bipartisan compromise to end the impasse and amid negotiations in the Senate to do just that, was met with harsh criticism from the Illinois Republican Party.

While serious bipartisan negotiations have accelerated in the Senate, it is outrageous that Lisa Madigan tonight decided to put (House) Speaker (Michael) Madigans power politics ahead of hard-working families in an effort to shut down state government, state GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a prepared statement, referring to the attorney generals father. Only a Madigan would try to disrupt bipartisan momentum in a matter that threatens to cripple government services and hurt state workers and their families.

Rauners office had a more measured response.

Its disappointing to see any move to stop employee pay and disrupt government services, especially now as the Senate is on the verge of a bipartisan agreement to enact a balanced budget with changes to the system, spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said in a written statement. This filing seeks to directly harm thousands of employee families and even more who rely on our dedicated state workers every day.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, one of the unions that brought the lawsuit, pointed the blame for the larger situation at Rauner, with whom the union is engaged in a bitter contract battle. Members are scheduled to begin voting Monday on whether to authorize a strike for the first time in Illinois history.

Rauner created this hostage situation by refusing to enact a fully funded budget unless his unrelated personal demands were enacted first, spokesman Anders Lindall said in a prepared statement. He should put aside those demands and do his job to work toward a budget without preconditions."

Still, AFSCME is shocked and extremely disappointed with Madigan for filing the motion, Lindall said.

Despite all the chaos in state government in the past two years, the people of Illinois have been able to count on state employees being on the job to serve them, he said. The last thing Illinois needs is the further instability that blocking state payroll could cause.

Madigans office is seeking to have the courts pay order lifted Feb. 28, giving Rauner and lawmakers additional time to enact appropriations legislation and thereby ensure that state employees will continue to receive their wages, according to the filing.

Rauner is scheduled to deliver his budget proposal to the General Assembly on Feb. 15.
DECATUR  Attorney General Lisa Madigan's court filing to stop paying state workers if no budget is in place by Feb. 28 raised the potential cost of a continuing budget standoff, one analyst said Thursday.

We could be seeing the end of this stalemate, said Rich Miller, founder and CEO of Capitol Fax, a daily newsletter about Illinois government.

I would have given it a 50-50 chance. We need more than that or we'll be in trouble like nobody has ever seen in the history of history. Illinois is already a national and in many ways an international embarrassment.

He spoke Thursday night during the annual meeting of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel.

A St. Clair County judge previously ruled state workers could continue being paid throughout a standoff between first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, but nobody knew that the impasse, which started in the summer of 2015, would last as long as it has, Miller said.

If not in St. Clair County, where Madigan filed her latest motion Thursday, she likely would win it on appeal, Miller said. The Illinois Supreme Court already ruled this summer that the state wasnt obligated to issue paychecks when the General Assembly didnt appropriate enough money to cover the expenses.

He said the pay issue shows a main reason why a budget deal needs to be reached.

It's kind of hard to run a state without employees, Miller said.

The state also needs to pay its bills because a backlog approaching $24 billion has piled up, Miller said.

On the federal level, $24 billion is a rounding error, Miller said. On the state level, $24 billion is a very big deal. This is going to continue and get worse as costs rise with each passing day.

The state's unemployment rate could continue to rise, and its bond rating, which currently sits just notches above junk status, could go through the floor, Miller said.

The invitation for Miller to speak at the Chamber meeting proved timely for somebody who understands Illinois politics so well, said Greg Webb, chairman of the group's advocacy committee.

We'll see what happens, Webb said. Businesses want certainty and predictability. With this, the level of uncertainty has caused apprehension. It would be a good thing to bring certainty.
SPRINGFIELD  Legislation that would increase the state minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2021 will not be discussed as part of the Illinois Senates grand bargain budget effort until further negotiations are held.

State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, who sponsored the bill, said the Senate is still working on establishing a minimum wage proposal that different supporting groups can agree on.

Its still part of the package, Lightford said. We are just not ready to call it.

The Senate adjourned Thursday without taking any votes on its compromise plan to end the states ongoing budget impasse. The package of bills also includes tax increases and changes to the states workers compensation laws, along with several other proposals.

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, told senators to be ready to begin voting on the plan Feb. 7 when they return to the Capitol.

For now, the minimum-wage bill isnt being included, Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said.

Supporters of a minimum-wage increase include the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, which has advocated for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

The state's minimum wage is $8.25 per hour.

Under the proposed legislation, Chicago and the rest of Cook County, whose minimum wages are $11 an hour and $8.25 an hour, respectively, would not be able to adjust their minimum wages according to the cost of living once they reach $13 an hour. Chicagos will hit $13 in 2019, and Cook Countys will reach that level the following year.

Lightford said SEIU is unsatisfied with that part of the proposal.

On the other hand, Senate Republicans had proposed increasing the statewide minimum wage to $10 an hour over a seven-year period. They also supported freezing the Chicago and Cook County rates at $13.

A lot of compromise had to take shape in order for us to get a minimum-wage deal, Lightford said.

She added that Democrats would still like to align with Republican senators who have agreed to support a minimum-wage increase.

The final proposal made by Senate Democrats after negotiating with SEIU, Senate Republicans and other groups established a minimum wage increase to $11 an hour over a four-year period.

After voters overwhelmingly supported an advisory referendum on increasing the minimum wage, the Senate approved bills in 2014 and 2015 to increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2019, but neither was approved in the House.

If we continue to drag this on for another two years, the same group of people who could be at $11 are still at $8.25, Lightford said. I am excited we are finally at this point, and I do not want to miss the opportunity to help.

Lightford said additional conversations will take place to garner support from SEIU or move forward without it.

I think politics have to be set aside and recognize that were trying to help people who work hard every day and give them a chance at pulling themselves out of poverty  with a fair, livable wage, she said.

While some Republicans dont support the idea of raising the minimum wage at the state level, they also dont see it as a deal breaker if its part of an overall compromise on the budget and other issues.

The House continues to propose legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by October but has not passed any legislation on the subject.
New Jersey parents with newborns will be the first to get baby boxes in the U.S. Under the program, families will get a box filled with baby essentials good for use for the first few months with the box serving as the baby's bed.

But why should there be baby boxes and how would this help the parents and their babies? What is this baby box program all about and how can parents avail of it?

New Jersey's Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board has partnered with The Baby Box Company for the said initiative, ABC News reports. Newborn parents in the state will get the baby boxes after they complete a free online class on parenting, where moms and dads will learn about breastfeeding, baby care and safe practices.

Specifically, the baby box will contain items like onesies, baby wipes, diapers and nipple cream. The box also comes with a mattress that fits securely inside.

The program aims to help reduce cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is the leading cause of death in babies. The program has its roots in Finland which distributed baby boxes since the 1930s and has resulted in low infant mortality rate in the European country, BBC reports.

Philly Voice reports around 105,000 baby boxes are expected to be given in New Jersey for this year and the program has kicked off Thursday, Jan. 26. Parents should register with Baby Box University to begin their free class and answer the quizzes. After that, they can either opt to pick up the box or have it delivered home - all at no cost.

Apart from New Jersey and Finland, Scotland has also launched its baby box program. A few hospitals in the U.K. have also come up with their own similar baby box schemes. In Alberta, Canada, the program is also in its testing phase.

Parents or those who want to give this as presents can also buy from online stores. Learn more about baby boxes in the video below.
The 7-year-old Syrian girl who became a social media sensation for tweeting from inside Aleppo, Syria was asking President Donald Trump's help. Bana Alabed wrote a letter to the new American president on behalf of the other children still suffering from the war in Syria.

In the letter, which has been distributed to different media outlets including Time, Bana explained that she's now safe in her new home in Turkey. She can play and could eventually go to school without worrying about getting bombed.

Yet Bana said there are still millions of children who need help in Syria. "They are suffering because of adult people," the 7-year-old wrote. So she was asking the U.S. president to "do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you."

The young girl also posted her letter on Twitter and tagged the president's personal account @realdonaldtrump. In exchange for the help, she told the president she will be his friend.

NBC News reports 4.8 million Syrians have left their motherland and 6.8 million have been displaced following a war between rebels and the government sparked five years ago. Many are seeking refuge in the U.S. but the Trump government has recently strengthened its stance against immigrants.

President Trump has signed an executive order on immigration that could include the blocking of refugees seeking asylum in America, New York Times reports. The president said America will help the Syrians by setting up "safe zones" in their own country so they won't have to leave Syria.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government and the rebels have been holding peace talks to settle this long-standing war. Russia, Turkey and Iran are helping in this truce, BBC reports.

So, what are your thoughts on the Syrian child's message to Donald Trump? Sound off below.
Experts say there is a wide difference between eastern and western parenting style. To say one is better than the other, however, could be subject to debates and personal perception.

Author Maya Thiagarajan explores both styles in her new parenting book "Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age." She hopes it will serve as a good resource for parents who are searching for a blended approach, especially since global awareness is on the rise.

Thiagarajan absorbed western parenting concepts as a university student and a young mom. She learned eastern parenting approaches when her family moved to Singapore where she was among Asian mothers.

"[Asian] parents felt much less guilt about telling kids what to do," Thiagarajan said in her interview with The Star. In contrast, western parenting is about letting kids make their own decisions or teaching them to be empowered.

So how should a parent use a blended approach? Thiagarajan said parents should keep in mind that they can take control of their kids and set boundaries, which is an eastern approach. At the same, however, Thiagarajan said it's also important for parents to encourage creativity and innovation, which is a western approach.

She cites an example of a mother teaching her child math. "She used the elevators in the apartment building," Thiagarajan said. "Her child became really comfortable with adding and subtracting numbers through elevator rides."

Career Ride notes eastern parenting has an authoritarian parenting style. Children raised in this manner are skilled, well-trained, hard-working and disciplined.

On the other hand, western parenting has a permissive parenting style. Children raised in this manner are believed to be socially well-adjusted, open-minded and assertive.

Parents can find the right balance by learning to understand their children's traits and quirks, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of approach, what's important is for parents to realize that there is no one-size-fits-all style to parenting.
OXNARD, Calif., Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CURE Pharmaceutical (OTC QB:CURR), a preeminent developer and manufacturer of advanced oral thin film for use in pharmaceutical, veterinary, and buccal and dermal over-the-counter applications, today announces the appointment of Richard Serbin to its Advisory Board.



Richard has impressive and extensive experience as management, regulatory and intellectual property counsel and various operational roles throughout the pharmaceutical industry, said Rob Davidson, CEO of CURE Pharmaceutical. We are very fortunate to count him among our trusted advisors and look forward to the benefit he brings to CURE.

Richard S. Serbin currently serves as the President of Corporate Development and in-house legal counsel at Life Science Institute, LLC. Mr. Serbin is a global strategy advisor and entrepreneur with credentials both in pharmacy and law, complemented by more than 40 years of service as an FDA regulatory attorney and patent attorney in the healthcare industry. Mr. Serbin is an expert in licensing medical extracts, compounds, and technologies. He is a pharmacist and patent attorney with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and the investment community. Founder of Radius Scientific Corporation, he also served as chief executive officer of Optigenex Inc. and president of Bradley Pharmaceuticals, and in multiple capacities at Ortho Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Revlon and Schering-Plough. In addition, he served as a consultant to various pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. Serbin served on the Board of Directors of 16 US and international subsidiary companies for Johnson & Johnson, including Ethicon, Ortho, J&J Consumer Products, Pittman-Moore, Mc Neil, and J&J Development Corporation. He served as Director at Viropro, Rapid Nutrition Plc and Optigenex.

Mr. Serbin plays an active role in developing business strategy and joint venture contacts and in guiding Mazal Plant Pharmaceuticals Inc. in regulatory compliance and investor relations. He worked on multiple international acquisitions and strategic relationships, and sat on the Board of Directors of several of its international subsidiaries, including those in India, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, and England. He has been head of its Business Advisory Board. In addition, for the last 10 years, Mr. Serbin has been a senior advisor to the Swedish American Life Science Summit (SALSS), held annually in Stockholm, Sweden.

He holds a BS and a B. Pharmacy from Rutgers University and Rutgers University College of Pharmacy, a J.D. degree from Seton Hall Law School and a Masters degree in Trade Regulations and Law from NYU Law School.

About CURE Pharmaceutical

Headquartered in Oxnard, CA, CURE Pharmaceutical has developed and manufactures the most advanced oral thin film (CureFilm) on the market today supported by its in-house, industry-leading full service cGMP manufacturing facility. CureFilm is more stable and durable than other oral thin films, with the ability to augment the dissolution for the intended rate of release through the buccal or gastrointestinal system. The technology enables differentiation within large therapeutic categories and potentially improves patient compliance, through its patented application of creating multiple layers, and sub-encapsulation of the delivered compound, potentially improving onset of action, lowering dosing, and enhancing, efficacy thereby widening the therapeutic index. CURE Pharmaceutical is traded under the symbol CURR. For more information about CURE Pharmaceutical, please visit its website at www.curepharmaceutical.com.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of fact, including those statements with respect to the Company's business development, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
A new bill attacking abortion was signed in Arkansas by their governor and it is expected to be an uphill battle as to the bill possibly being deemed unconstitutional. The bill approved is about banning the commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure.

The Arkansas governor, Asa Hutchinson, signed the bill into a law and it is mainly about banning the procedure called dilation and evacuation. Pro-abortion activists claim the dilation and evacuation procedure is the most common and the safest used in second-trimester abortions.

The bill was approved just hours before Hutchinson signed it with a 25-6 vote from the Senate in the state. It is set to take effect later this year, ABC News reported.

U.S. News reported that Hutchinson did not release any statement regarding the signing of the bill into a law but the president of Arkansas Right to Life praised the move noting the second-trimester abortion procedure was barbaric. Republican Senator David Sanders, who is a co-sponsor of the measure, added, "I thinks this is a humane bill.... I think it does move us to a more compassionate society."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas protested that the measure was unconstitutional. The executive director of the group, Rita Sklar, believes that it would be a costly bill as there will be litigations in the future.

Similar laws were passed in Mississippi and Virginia and are in effect. Similar laws in Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, however, have been postponed due to the legal challenges they are facing.

The Arkansas law will be taking effect 90 days after the Legislature will formally adjourn their 2017 session. It is unclear, however, if it will be facing legal challenges and if the courts will order the postponement of the law.

The second-trimester abortion procedure in question was used in the 683 abortions in Arkansas in 2015. A total of 3,771 abortions were performed during that year.

The approval of the bill came after Donald Trump reinstated the Ronald Reagan abortion policy. International health groups getting aid from the United States will no longer get funding if they discuss or perform abortions.
The parents of a 3-year-old Brazilian girl took to Facebook to ask for help regarding the removal of the facial tumor below her jaw. A team of doctors from the United States saw the viral Facebook post and offered to remove the five-pound tumor that threatened to suffocate her.

The child was identified as Melyssa Delgado Braga of Sao Paolo, Brazil. The rare and aggressive benign tumor is called myxoma and it ate away the jaw of the child causing her tongue to be displaced.

She also suffered from difficulties in eating and breathing, CBS 6 news reported. In the before photos of Braga, the tumor's length almost touched her chest.

The doctor who initially wanted to help the family is Dr. Celso Palmieri Jr., who is a Sao Paolo native himself. He is working as an assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Louisiana State University.

Upon seeing the post of Braga's parents, he contacted Dr. D.E. Ghali, who in turn did not hesitate to help the girl. Dr. Ghali noted in an interview it was heartbreaking to see Braga the first time as she could not hold her head up due to the tumor being so huge.

People reported the family saved up for a trip to the United States but did not have money to pay for the operation. Willis-Knighton Health System President James K. Elrod also extended help and agreed to provide housing for the family while they stayed in the country for the surgery. A medical team also agreed to donate their effort for the procedure.

The operation was on December 20 and it lasted for eight hours. The girl's jaw, mouth, and tongue had to be reconstructed.

The child will, however, still undergo more reconstructive surgery. The other surgeries will be made before she turns 10.

The family of the girl is said to be grateful to everyone who donated their time, effort, and resources to remove the tumor of their daughter. The first time they saw Braga without the tumor made them burst into tears.
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If youve never had to look up gaslighting in the dictionary, consider yourself lucky. I have  twice now  been so thoroughly deceived and subtly manipulated that I began to question my own grasp on reality  my own memories, my own emotional balance and response in a relationship.

Each time it took months to regain my confidence and reclaim the truth that these people were manipulative, narcissistic, and deceitful (i.e. lying). Having that realization, and being able to say it, is empowering. Being in the dark, unsure, defensive, etc is incredibly difficult and demoralizing.

Ill save my story(s) for another time.

First, what is gaslighting exactly?

The Oxford English Dictionary offers: v. Manipulate (someone) by psychological means into doubting their own sanity.

Robin Stern, PhD, writes:

A reader asked me, if it is possible over time to get so beaten down and so sure you might be at fault, that you cant identify the dynamic? The answer is YES. The Gaslight Effect happens over time, gradually, and often, by the time you are deep into the Gaslight Tango (the dance you do with your gaslighting partner, where you allow him [or her] to define your reality) you are not the same strong self you used to be.

She continues:

The process of gaslighting happens in stages, although the stages are not always linear and do overlap at times, they reflect very different emotional and psychological states of mind. The first stage is disbelief: when the first sign of gaslighting occurs. You think of the gaslighting interaction as a strange behavior or an anomalous moment. During this first stage, things happen between you and your partner, or your boss, friend, family member, that seem odd to you.

And:

The next stage is defense: where you are defending yourself against the gaslighters manipulation.

Finally:

The next stage is depression: By the time you get to this stage you are experiencing a noticeable lack of joy and, you hardly recognize yourself anymore. Some of your behavior feels truly alien. You feel more cut off from friendsin fact, you dont talk to people about your relationship very muchnone of them like your [gaslighter]. People may express concern about how you are and you are feelingthey treat you like you really do have a problem.

Disbelief. Defense. Depression.

For now, Im a bit worried about the mental health of NPR. Im not a psychologist, but it seems to me that the folks at NPR are collectively caught up in that tango with Donald Trump, somewhere between disbelief and defense. This week, amidst the continued storm of Trumps lies and the not-so-amusing idea from his spokesperson that these are alternative facts, while his press secretary said, we can disagree with facts, NPR has come out refusing to call Trumps provable falsehoods lies.

Today NPR reported:

[NPRs Mary Louise] Kelly said, Its provably not true. In that same speech out of the CIA this weekend, Trump also falsely inflated the size of the crowd at his inauguration. Now many listeners want to know why Kelly didnt just call the president a liar. On Morning Edition, Kelly explains why. She says she went to the Oxford English Dictionary seeking the definition of lie. A false statement made with intent to deceive, Kelly says. Intent being the key word there. Without the ability to peer into Donald Trumps head, I cant tell you what his intent was. I can tell you what he said and how that squares, or doesnt, with facts.

Its true that intent is important. But its also important to be able to call a lie a lie. If you cling to this dictionary definition, you cant call any lies lies  unless the person has admitted to their intent (which doesnt often happen). This is where NPR looks more like they are in the depression stage  unrecognizable and clinging to thin straws rather than speaking truth to the powers that be.

The nice thing about being in a manipulative relationship as an individual is that  hopefully  you can just walk away and cut off contact: spend time with family and friends, perhaps see a therapist, and regain your grip on reality. Unfortunately, that might be a little hard for NPR (though calls for the media to just ignore much of what comes from the White House now are being made more frequently).

What can be done is stepping back and listening to some friends, perhaps a friend outside the immediate relationship, like this fellow from England:

Trump lies about the big stuff and the small stuff alike. He lies about the weather at his own inauguration. As if the weather, and all its divinely ordained raindrops, were some running commentary on his lack of legitimacy. As if we couldnt watch the rain falling on his fake tan on television. He lies about releasing his tax returns after the IRS audit is complete. He lies about making Mexico pay for his monstrous wall on the southern border. And these are only some of his most frequent lies. He lies about losing the popular vote in November by almost 3 million Americans, claiming instead that a miraculously identical number of votes came from undocumented immigrants. There was of course no such vast conspiracy, and all the congressional leaders who heard his fantasies over dinner know this too. Otherwise their own elections would be in question, a case most succinctly made by the lawyers of one Donald Trump, as they tried to quash the recount after his own election. All available evidence suggests that the 2016 election was not tainted by fraud, they wrote in their filing to block the recount in Michigan. All this would be laughable if Trump were still a private citizen engaging in pre-dawn tweet storms. Instead, hes the commander-in-chief of the worlds most powerful military and the chief executive of a vast federal government with a global reach. He can dispatch his press secretary, a formerly sane Republican hack, to lie on his behalf from the press room podium about crowd size and illegal voters. Sean Spicer may claim that nobody has the facts, or that people can disagree about the facts. He may claim the president has studies and evidence to back up his fabrications. By doing so, Trump and Spicer are destroying not just their own credibility but the good name of the presidency.

Or come closer to home with the Pulitzer Prize-winning site Politifact who write that Trumps statements were awarded PolitiFacts 2015 Lie of the Year.

Now, more than ever, we need a strong press, willing to identify lies and report on them as such. We also need vigorous reporting on those in office who are speaking truth. Give them a greater voice. Get out of the manipulative gaslighting bubble however you can. Its not easy  I can say from experience  but it is possible, and it is liberating.
In the news yesterday were reports (e.g., CNN) that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a planned meeting with President Trump (yeah, its crazy to write that!) after disputes over Trumps plan to build a wall and pass on the costs to Mexico.

Now, it seems to me that back during the election, pundits liked to say of Trumps Mexico will pay for it claim, that he was just staking out a negotiating posture, so that, in the end, the Mexican government would come back with something like, OK, fine, build the wall if you want, but we wont pay for it. But it seems that Pena Nietos objection is to far more than a wall, but to Trumps plans to cut off illegal immigration and deport criminals. According to CNN:

Ive asked for the minister of Foreign Relations to re-enforce protection measures to our citizens, [Pena Nieto] said. He added that the 50 Mexican consulates in the US will be used to defend the rights of immigrants in the country and issued a call to action to legislators and civic organizations to help immigrants.

CNN also reported,

In a Monday speech, Pena Nieto said his government is prepared to negotiate with the US if Mexicos national sovereignty is respected. He laid out economic integration and respect for the rights of migrants and the money they send home as his nations key negotiating points.

And Ive read time and again that Mexican migrants in the U.S. send large sums of money back home, that the Mexican government actively works, through the consulates and other outreach activities, to keep Mexicans in the U.S. connected to Mexico to keep the money flowing, that some villages are nearly completely lacking in young men, since they have all left for America and send money back to their parents. And CNN reported just the other day that remittances are so high that the cash brought in exceeds that of Mexicos oil imports.

Oh, and the populist candidate in Mexicos 2018 presidential election, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has called for the Mexican government to file a lawsuit at the U.N. over the wall, as a violation of human rights, is planning a tour of the U.S. to speak to Mexicans there, and calls out in his rallies:

Go and fight for liberty, represent our people with dignity and all human beings who dream of a just world. . . Defend the migrant Mexican workers, long live the immigrants!

Which all paints a picture of a country in such dire straights that it relies on the money brought in by migrants to keep its people fed, and so desperate to keep this pipeline flowing that it will do whatever it can to keep the border open, both through its own policy actions and by calling on Mexicans in the United States and their supporters to oppose the wall.

But so far as I can tell, keeping NAFTA in place is far more crucial to the Mexican economy.

The amount of remittances sounds large when compared to oil exports, but this is only 2.3% of the Mexican GDP. For your reading pleasure, take a look at this table from the World Bank with remittance percentages for all countries. This highest percentage is in Nepal, 31.8%. In the Americas, Haiti is at 25%, Honduras 18%, El Salvador 16.6%, Guatemala 10.3%, and Nicaragua 9.4%. Looks to me like the biggest remittance-related risk of wall-building and border-sealing is not that Mexico would lose its inflows but that it would be facing its own illegal immigration problem if Central Americans flock there instead of the U.S. (But were told that immigrants are great for building the economy, right?)

Manufacturing, on the other hand, has seen massive growth since the introduction of NAFTA in 1994. According to fivethirtyeight.coms summary,

Mexicos economy has long depended on trade with the U.S., and those ties have only deepened since 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement lowered trade barriers between the two nations. Mexican exports more than quadrupled since NAFTA went into effect; they accounted for 37.5 percent of Mexicos gross domestic product in 2015 (they make up just 12.3 percent of the U.S. economy), and more than 80 percent of those exports go to the U.S. Mexico is now the worlds fourth-largest car exporter, and the automobile industry directly employs almost 900,000 workers across the country. Free trade  along with relatively skilled but cheap labor  has also drawn businesses and their investment dollars into the country. For the past two decades, Mexico has been Latin Americas second-largest recipient, after Brazil, of what economists call foreign direct investment  foreign companies building factories, buying businesses or investing in Mexican companies. In 2015 alone, Mexico received a total of $32 billion dollars in FDI, $17 billion of it from the United States.

This is where the real money is. Is Pena Nieto so determined to preserve the flow of migrants to the U.S., and money back, that hell imperil the countrys export economy?

Breitbart claims that Pena Nieto has a hidden motive: that he really wants to keep the drug cartels in business because they funded his campaign. How plausible is this? I dont know.

But for Mexico to stake its relationship with the U.S. on the continuation of a semi-open border? It seems shortsighted.

Image: from pixabay.com; https://pixabay.com/en/border-mexico-usa-united-states-62866/
As the week ends, I wanted to touch on two pieces of news I saw earlier in the week but didnt have the time to respond to at the time. Ill combine them here and respond to both, as the two relate to similar topics. The first piece I want to address is this Facebook status by Chris McDaniel, a state senator in Mississippi:

Text is as follows:

So a group of unhappy liberal women marched in Washington DC. We shouldnt be surprised; almost all liberal women are unhappy. Perhaps theres a correlation. Nevertheless, Im fascinated to see them exercise their First Amendment rights (however objectionable the message). But I do have a question: if they can afford all those piercings, tattoos, body paintings, signs, and plane tickets, then why do they want us to pay for their birth control?

I was at one of the marches on Saturday. It wasnt at all unhappy. The mood was actually extremely upbeat and positiveit was energizing! That was one of my biggest takeaways from the eventthe numbers, and the upbeat mood.

But note that McDaniels claim goes farther than thishe claims that almost all liberal women are unhappy. This is a wider conservative talking pointthat liberal women (i.e. feminists) are unhappy, unfulfilled, and discontent. This idea is profoundly sexist, given its connection to the supposition that it is marriage and motherhood that fulfills women and make stem happy, and that childless career women are by definition unhappy and unsatisfied, mask it as they may.

The unfortunate thing about this conservative talking point is that as soon as you attempt to counter it, arguing that you or other liberal women really are happy, you start to look desperate and you play into their narrativethat youre trying to hide your underlying unhappiness by denying it. Its one of those narratives that is set up in such a way that it cant be countermandedbecause the narrative itself assumes that liberal women will deny their unhappiness and claim they are happy. Given that the conservative image of a happy woman is a modest, demure woman surrounded by children and planning the next church potluck, just happily living out our lives may not be enough to put this lie to bed either.

But lets move on to McDaniels last pointand one that I have seen conservatives continue to raise. If these women can afford to travel to D.C., McDaniel asks, why do they want taxpayers to pay for their birth control? Note the lie this claim is founded onthat women want U.S. taxpayers to pay for their birth control.

Guess what? They dont.

The birth control mandate covers private health insurance providers and is not paid for by the government. The mandate requires private insurers to cover birth control, the cost of which is passed on in premiums to those who buy health insurance (which includes women). Private insurance covers viagra, too, but we dont talk about men with erectile dysfunction wanting us to pay for their boners. Now yes, under the ACA women in certain income brackets get subsidies offsetting the cost of their health insurancebut this isnt about birth control, its about health insurance.

I am baffled as to how so many conservatives came to believe that the health insurance mandate was about government-funded birth control. This is especially baffling given that most of these conservatives are also anti-abortion, and that such individuals should want government-funded birth control. When experiments in government-funded birth control have been tried (namely, offering poor women free long-lasting forms of birth control, which are far more expensive than methods like the pill or the condom, but also more effective), abortion rates have dropped.

In other words, the concept of government-funded birth control ought to be championed by abortion opponents, rather than pilloried.

One more thingtheres a common idea in conservative circles that birth control is cheap. Ive seen some claim the pill costs only $4/mo. This is false. For one thing, women have to have a prescription to get the pill, which means a visit to the doctorand speaking from my own experience, its virtually impossible to visit the doctor without running up a bill of over $200. For another thing, while there are generic versions of the pill that are inexpensive (though not, to my knowledge, that inexpensive), bodies are different and the same pill doesnt work for everyone. I have friends who have had to use versions of the pill that run $100/mo., because the other versions didnt work for them.

And finally, were not just talking about the pill, here! I have an IUD. Getting it inserted would have cost me over $800 out of pocket if my insurance hadnt covered it. That is a lot of money for people on a budget. Heck, thats a lot of money for anyone but the most wealthy among us. I have a friend who got an IUD before the ACA, and didnt realize it wouldnt be covered. She spent months fighting an $800 bill, which she believed should have been covered. This isnt peanuts, people.

Okay, next thing:

In an interview with the Texas Observer, [Republican lawmaker Tony Tinderholt] explained that women need to know there are repercussions for their actions. Right now, its real easy, Tinderholt said. Right now, they dont make it important to be personally responsible because they know that they have a backup of oh, I can just go get an abortion. Now, we both know that consenting adults dont always think smartly sometimes. But consenting adults need to also consider the repercussions of the sexual relationship that theyre gonna have, which is a child.

See, Im not sure real easy is how Id describe getting an abortion. For one thing, getting an abortion ing ing to run you $500. That is a lot of money. For another thing, youre going to have to figure out logistics, take time off work, travel to the clinic, etc. For a third thing, getting an abortion is no piece of cakeits a painful procedure. I dont see people lining up to get their teeth drilled, and the same thing applies here.

Is it possible that the existence of safe, legal abortion makes women more willing to be sexually active than previously? Technically. While women have always had premarital sex, there are stats that suggest that the age at which women engage in premarital sex has changed over time (interestingly, the age is currently going up again). But all of this is complicated, and women in previous eras may have been more concerned about the stigma associated with having a child out of wedlock (stigma that has decreased in recent decades) than anything else. Still, women in the past had premarital sex nonetheless, and in some areas of colonial New England as many as 38% of births were conceived out of wedlock. This is on top of the fact that abortion was an option in the past (it was more dangerous, but so was childbirth).

One more thing to notemost pro-choice individuals consider the choice to abort an unintended pregnancy a form of taking responsibility. A woman who is unintentionally pregnant has to decide what to do next out of a range of options, all of which involve taking responsibility for her situation. She can carry to term and parent the child, she can carry to term and give the child up for adoption, or she can have an abortion. The problem, of course, is that Tinderholt appears to believe that an embryo is a child, so he sees only two responsible optionsparenting or adoption.

When it comes down to it, Tinderholt wants couples to consider more seriously the possibility of pregnancy before having sex. He thinks that banning abortion will make them do this. But what is his goal, exactly? Does he hope couples will use more effective methods of birth control, or does he hope they will decide not to have sex if theyre not ready to have a child? He doesnt say, but his website does state that hes against the Medicaid expansion, which would give millions more low-income women access to affordable birth control.

Were talking a lot today about how facts dont seem to matter in a Trump administration, but then facts havent mattered to a wide swath of conservatives for a long time. There are tens of millions of Americans who are convinced, today, that liberal women want them to pay for their birth control (Sandra Fluke, anyone?) and that abortion offers women an easy way to have irresponsible sex without dealing with the consequences. And a lot of this is tied to concerns about women being sluts, which in turn goes back to patriarchal notions about gender, value, and sex.

Im honestly not sure how to most effectively combat this misinformation, or whether it can be combatted. We need strategy, we need organization, we need a plan. And perhaps most of all, we need to admit that much of what weve tried doing thus far hasnt worked. Still people believe this nonsense, and still it impacts policy.

Its ironic, really. Growing up in a conservative evangelical family, I often heard about the evil of postmodernism, which held that there is no truth, no objective reality. I was given to believe that this philosophy controlled modern liberalism. Once in college, I found this was not true. My professors definitely believed in reality, and in objective truth. Now Im starting to wonder whether it is conservatives, and not liberals, who have been swallowed by this dreaded postmodernism, where truth no longer matters and fact is anathema.

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by Eric Weed

I must confess that over the past two months to being consumed by fear and anxiety. The loss of a vision that believes the United States Constitution is the foundation for constructing a just society led to significant despair. I reverted inwards, stopped watching the news, and stopped writing on political issues. I felt defeated. Admittedly, my fear and anxiety pales in comparison to my colleagues whose response demands existential affirmation. As a white man, my right to be has not and never will be in question in the U.S. To put it plainly, my inward movement was the epitome of liberal whiteness. Like all white liberals, I can choose to or not to be a white ally in the face of injustice.

President Barack Obamas farewell speech broke me out of my sulking that could only happen through my whiteness. It took the great oration of a politician to remind me of my inner calling as a political theologian. While some of my fellow progressives will see political theology as an oxymoron, it will be essential to ensuring everyones ability to seek life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, in the coming years. As a white theologian, I must commit myself to President Obamas call to dive in, show up, and persevere. President Obama is calling me and all other white liberals to find the courage to be in spite of the fear and anxiety that is wrought by the current cultural and political situation in the U.S. This means I must find the courage to stand with persons whos very being is suspect. My fellow white theologians will have to find this courage as well. This means being more than an insular community that contemplates the mysteries of the universe. The present situation demands that we expect more of each other.

To this end, President Obamas call must be our guide to further involvement within the American body politic. Whether one considers themselves conservative or liberal, our work provides us a way to dive into the American political process. This requires each of us to find the courage to question our work. The Ivory Tower enables each white theologian the space to hide and seek greater meaning while also escaping the ills of American society. The courage to dive in means that there is an imperative for white theologians to honestly question the insular comforts of the Ivory Tower. We have to ask ourselves if our work is merely an academic exercise or are there broader implications. If we decide our work is to have broader implications, then we need to have the courage to affirm it and ourselves in the face of possible hate and resistance.

White theologians cannot stop by stepping outside the tower. The courage to engage American society also means that we must seek the affirmation of life by showing up. The courage to show up means to actively seek equality and justice and to stand with those whose being is questioned by the political and societal structures. This means affirming the rights of all in spite of the possible threat to ourselves. It means standing with colleagues, students, and strangers whose lives are under the constant existential assault to their personhood. The courage to show up means to speak out and seek to influence the political debate. This can be no more important than in the present situation. It is easy to let the fear and anxiety of self-preservation draw us inward. To do so not only denies the being of our colleagues, students, and the strangers around us, it denies our own personhood.

The courage to show up will also lead to the inevitable despair of loss. To show up does not always mean one will win every debate. This is why we must find courage to persevere in spite of defeat or insurmountable odds. It is easy to allow despair to consume us in the face of defeat. I lost my own courage to persevere two months ago and allowed despair to consume me. White theologians who seek equity and justice must constantly fight against the fear and anxiety of loss. There is much more at stake than bruised egos and the pain of defeat. To give in to these fears is to retreat into our own whiteness that provides unparalleled levels of affirmation and safety. The courage to persevere as white theologians means to accept the discomfort and risk of fighting for justice in spite of possible injury to our careers or self.

The courage to dive in, show up, and persevere must guide the work of white theologians in the years to come. The present situation provides white theologians two options in the face of great uncertainty. First, we can turn inwards in an attempt to ignore the threats to ourselves. This approach does nothing more than affirm ones own place among those privileged by societal institutions. This is a false courage undergirded by the notion that affirmation of self is wholly separate from our place within the body politic. Our second choice is to find courage by standing with those whose own right to exist is subverted by a politics of exclusion. This means having the courage to step outside ourselves. The true courage to be can be found in ensuring the rights of all by accepting the risks of fighting for a just equality that affirms the inalienable right to be and exist in the United States.

Eric A. Weed has a Ph.D. in Theological, Ethical, and Historical Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. His research focuses on politics, race, and religion in the United States. His book, The Religion of White Supremacy in America, is being published by Lexington Books in Fall 2017.

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Atlanta, Ga. , Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloud supply chain planning innovator Steelwedge has been named one of the 50 Fastest Growing Tech Companies of 2016 by The Silicon Review. A feature on Steelwedge Chief Executive Officer Pervinder Johar, Action-ready planning in time with opportunity, also appears in the December 2016 issue of the publication.



We made great strides in 2016, evolving beyond our foundation as a cloud Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) provider to gain traction in Supply Chain Planning and Response Management, both with existing and new customers, Johar said. This year we expect to continue that momentum with our continuous planning platform, PlanStreamingTM, setting the bar for sophisticated planning that helps companies capture first-mover advantage and extend market share. Were honored to be recognized along with other innovative companies in Silicon Valley by The Silicon Review, he added.

Steelwedge was the first company to deliver S&OP in the cloud, and remains a leader in that market. Today, the company delivers a suite of planning applications on a common big-data enabled platform, PlanStreaming, which enables companies to efficiently gather and understand internal and external data to better coordinate demand and supply, and to quickly analyze multiple corrective scenarios to cost-effectively resolve any mismatches that occur.

The Silicon Review encompasses nine technology and vertical communities: Software, IT Services, Cloud, Mobile, Big Data, Security, Telecommunications, Hot Start-ups and The Best Companies to work for. Each community leader is a proven subject matter expert who collaborates with industry gurus, technology managers, researchers, top technology journalists, consultants and industry analysts.

About Steelwedge

Organizations use Steelwedges cloud planning platform and services to align product, sales, demand, supply, strategy, operations and financial decisions across roles, geographies, products, time horizons, channels, customers and suppliers to improve efficiency and outcomes. Steelwedges PlanStreaming cloud platform combines predictive, prescriptive and responsive analytics and technology to equip organizations to be ready to act in time with opportunity, especially in highly competitive markets where continuous planning is essential and efficiently responding to changing conditions is advantageous. To learn more about Steelwedge, visit www.steelwedge.com.

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Iranians Raise Cry As They Brace For U.S. Immigration Ban

01/27/17

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL



Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi (R) directing Taraneh Alidoosti in The Salesman

Will visa restrictions also apply for Academy Award-winning Farhadi?

Farhadi was nominated for a second Oscar this week for his film The Salesman?

Actress Taraneh Alidoosti says she will not attend the Oscar ceremony in protest.



Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi (R) directing Taraneh Alidoosti in The SalesmanWill visa restrictions also apply for Academy Award-winning Farhadi?Farhadi was nominated for a second Oscar this week for his film The Salesman?Actress Taraneh Alidoosti says she will not attend the Oscar ceremony in protest.

Anticipating an executive order from the White House to temporarily shut off Iranians' access to U.S. visas and other avenues to immigration, Iranians have voiced frustration with being targeted for exclusion alongside citizens from a handful of predominantly Muslim countries where conflicts are raging.

The prospect of such immigration curbs by U.S. President Donald Trump, a purported draft of which has circulated in U.S. media, appears to be roughly in line with Trump's campaign promise to impose security measures including at least a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States in the face of a threat from "radical Islamic terrorism."

The ban would come with a cloud also hanging over the fate of a major deal struck in 2015 between Tehran and world powers including the United States to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump has vowed to revisit that agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which went into effect despite strident opposition from Iran hawks in the United States and hard-liners in Tehran.

Some Iranian-Americans were among vocal critics calling any visa and immigration ban on Iranians discriminatory and contrary to U.S. principles.

New York-based Mehdi Arabshahi, a former student activist jailed in Iran for his political activism, responded to reports that Trump would impose a minimum 30-day ban by asking whether visa restrictions would also apply for Academy Award-winning Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi, who was nominated for a second Oscar this week for his film The Salesman.

Tweeting from Iran, actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who plays the lead female role in The Salesman, called such a U.S. ban "racist" and said that she would not attend the Oscar ceremony in protest.





Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not,I won't attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest pic.twitter.com/CW3EF6mupo  Taraneh Alidoosti (@t_alidoosti) January 26, 2017

Los Angeles-based writer and arts curator Shiva Balaghi, a former professor of art history at Brown University, was also critical.

Born in Iran, have an EU passport, own a home in US, serve on university & museum boards in US? No US visa for you! #MuslimBan  Shiva Balaghi (@SBalaghi) January 25, 2017

Terrorist Tag

The U.S. Department of State designated Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism" in 1984, a view that is officially unchanged, and has reiterated more recently its accusation of "terrorist-related activity" by Tehran, including "support for Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Iraq and throughout the Middle East."

There was also criticism from inside Iran as the international community awaited word from the White House.

Ali, a 16-year-old student in Tehran who said he hoped to pursue a university degree in the United States in the future, told RFE/RL that the inclusion left him puzzled. "I don't understand why Iranians are targeted. We're not terrorist, there hasn't been a single terrorist from Iran," Ali said in a chat via Telegram on January 25.

U.S. officials have accused Iran of supporting the group behind the 1996 truck bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 U.S. servicemen. In 2013, the U.S. sentenced an Iranian-American man to 25 years in prison for his role in an Iranian plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States.

Iran has been also accused by Argentinian authorities of involvement in the 1994 bombing of the Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured more than 300 others. Tehran denies the accusations.

Ali added that he hoped Trump would change his decision: "My dream is to study in America in order to have a better future, I hope this [ban] won't mean an end to my wish."

'Punishing Ordinary Iranians'

The United States is a leading destination for students from all over the world, with international student enrollment at public and private U.S. institutions totaling more than 1 million young people in 2015-16, according to the Institute of International Education, with roughly one-third of them coming from China and Iranians well outside the top 10 places of origin.

Hengameh, a mother of two in Tehran, told RFE/RL via Telegram she was offended by the U.S. decision. "I don't have plans to travel to America, but I know many who have relatives there. This will make things harder for them," she said, adding that obtaining a U.S. visa is already difficult for Iranians.

The United States and Iran cut off diplomatic ties decades ago, and Washington has relied on the Swiss government to represent its diplomatic interests in Iran ever since. As a result, to apply for a U.S. visa, Iranians already had to travel to a third country with a U.S. consulate for an interview and to pick up the actual document.

"This is discrimination, what have Iranians done to deserve this? We keep hearing that Iranians in [the U.S.] are among the most successful immigrants so what is the reason for this [ban]?" Hengameh asked.

Many Iranian-Americans emigrated to the United States in the period surrounding Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

One possible consequence of a looming ban was highlighted by Dubai-based Reuters reporter Bozorgmehr Sharafedi, who wrote on Twitter that it would prevent his mother from visiting her son, his brother, in the United States.

Others expressed dismay that ordinary Iranians would be punished for actions by the Iranian establishment.

"Instead of targeting the regime, Trump is punishing the people," a reader commented on the Facebook page of RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

"Those who claim the U.S. doesn't have an issue with the Iranian people, only with the government, please pay attention," another reader wrote.

"The adoption of this [executive order] and similar laws will hurt only the Iranian people, and it won't have any impact on the travels of government [officials] to America," a comment on Radio Farda's Facebook page said.

"It's clear that [Trump] doesn't have a proper understanding of terrorists. Most of them are from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other countries," another comment said.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who used passenger jets to carry out coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, were from Saudi Arabia. Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network blamed for the attack, was a Saudi citizen.

One of the attackers in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, in 2015 was a Pakistani woman who grew up in Saudi Arabia and was said to have been radicalized in part by sympathies for Islamic State (IS), a brutal militant Islamist group that controls parts of Iraq and Syria. Tashfeen Malik and her American-born husband of Pakistani descent, Rizwan Farook, killed 14 people and injured 22 others.

Quoting sources familiar with the visa process ahead of any official U.S. announcement, Reuters reported that Trump was likely to order the State Department to stop issuing visas to people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. He could also instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop any current visa holders from those countries from entering the United States.

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
Europe Will Fight to Safeguard the Iran Deal

01/27/17

by Eldar Mamedov (source: LobeLog)



The EU's Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

October 2016 file photo by Islamic Republic News Agency





There is growing uncertainty around the fate of the nuclear deal with Iran and, more broadly, intentions of the Trump administration regarding that country. Meanwhile, the world, including the American supporters of the agreement-also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- increasingly looks to Europe to safeguard it. The stakes could not be higher. Not only is the JCPOA a singular achievement of multilateral diplomacy and non-proliferation, but it also opens the way to re-engage with a key country at the intersection of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, a huge region beset by radicalism, sectarianism, and terrorism.

In this context, the hearing organized by the European Parliament's International Trade Committee (INTA) on January 24 on the prospects for trade and investment in Iran could not be timelier. The witnesses, among others, included Peiman Seadat, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Hugo Sobral, head of the Iran Task Force from the European External Action Service (EEAS); Eric Festa, managing director for Iran at Total, the French oil and gas giant; and Rouzbeh Parsi, director of the European Iran Research Group, a think-tank.

Both Ambassador Seadat and Sobral of EEAS restated the shared belief of Tehran and Brussels that the JCPOA is critical not only for its own sake but also because it would pave the way for cooperation on regional security and unlock the enormous potential for economic interaction. Although stressing Iran's commitment to live up to its end of the bargain, Seadat also echoed Tehran's disappointment that the implementation of the agreement has so far been uneven. Iran fulfilled its obligations, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Seadat argued, but the US, contrary to the spirit and the letter of the agreement, has continued to place hurdles in the way of Iran's legitimate trade with the third parties. This, in turn, has limited the economic benefits Iran could derive from the JCPOA and may undermine it in the long run.

Of particular note in this sense was the testimony of the representative of Total. Erik Festa elaborated on how the uncertainty emanating from the US hinders the prospects of economic cooperation between the EU and Iran.

Total has had a presence in Iran since the 1950s, was active in the period before the sanctions were imposed in 2012, and was one of the first European companies to re-establish its presence in the country after the nuclear-related sanctions were lifted as a result of the JCPOA. In November 2016, Total signed a Heads of Agreement with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for the further development of South Pars, the world's largest gas field that Iran shares with Qatar. According to that agreement, Total will invest more than four billion euros in this project in the next three years.

Meanwhile, the uncertainty associated with American politics affects the company in at least two major ways. First, the fact that the US president can unilaterally decide not to renew presidential waivers or at any time issue new executive order reinstating secondary sanctions would harm European companies like Total that do business in Iran. The remaining US sanctions, which prohibit the use of technology with more than 10% of US content, is also an issue, particularly in the oil and gas industry. By reducing the number of suppliers it could impact the costs of doing business for the company.

Second, according to Total's Iran point person, recent US judgments against European banks made the whole Western financial system "uneasy" about Iran-related transactions, with the exception of a few small and medium private banks. As an example, it took Total three months to make a transaction of a few hundred thousand euro to a bank in Tehran to pay the firm's local salaries and office rents. Small banks can't handle the transactions needed for the large-scale projects in which Total is involved.

Some EU member states have engaged with the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury individually, with the aim of mitigating such risks. But European businesses advocate for a concerted EU action, such as, for example, a close dialogue with the US to prevent the Trump administration from unilaterally re-imposing secondary sanctions by not extending the presidential waivers. European banks need to obtain assurances from the US authorities, both at federal and state level, that they will not be at risk if they engage in financial transactions with Iranian banks when those transactions are fully compliant with the remaining sanctions.

At the same time, the EU can also help Iran modernize its banking sector and move it closer to the Western standards. The Total representative probably spoke for many EU businesses when he pointed to the difficulty of respecting the required due diligence in doing business with Iran when most Iranian entities have very complex shareholder structures.

Rouzbeh Parsi, who recently authored a study on Iran's economy for the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation, was skeptical about the prospects of reaching an understanding with the US because of the "irrational moment" that the US politics is going through. As the world's largest trade bloc, the EU should assert its independence from the US, Parsi argued, so as to free itself from the whims of US federal and even state legislators. Parsi recalled a precedent when in 1996 the EU stood its ground against secondary U.S. sanctions over doing business in Iran and Libya and threatened to take the US to the World Trade Organization. Faced with such a challenge, the US preferred to enact serial presidential waivers rather than risk confrontation with the EU.

Since then the EU has mostly played second fiddle to the US when it came to Iran. But then every post-World War II American president reaffirmed, at least rhetorically, America's commitment to and support for peaceful European integration. By contrast, Trump's dismissive attitude to the EU and just about everything it represents is already prompting some re-thinking of the trans-Atlantic link. Safeguarding the Iran deal is one of the areas where the EU will assert its independence-assuming, that is, that the EU itself does not succumb to the demagogic right in a string of crucial elections in 2017, including those in the European powerhouses of Germany and France.



This article reflects the personal views of the author and not necessarily the opinions of the European Parliament.



About the Author



Eldar Mamedov has degrees from the University of Latvia and the Diplomatic School in Madrid, Spain. He has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and as a diplomat in Latvian embassies in Washington D.C. and Madrid. Since 2007, Mamedov has served as a political adviser for the social-democrats in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (EP) and is in charge of the delegation for inter-parliamentary relations between the EP and Iran.
Microsoft hasnt officially committed to a ship date for Windows 10s Creators Update, but evidence suggests it could reach Insiders as soon as the end of March. Given how the last major Windows 10 update went, however, were feeling equal parts eagernessand caution.

So far, all Microsoft has promised for the Creators Update is that it will ship in early 2017. Two tantalizing clues suggest a more specific date: Both Microsofts Surface Studio PC and Dells Canvas monitor offer features closely tied to the Creators Update, and both now list shipping dates at the end of March. Its no stretch to suppose that both companies would align those releases with the Creators Update, and Dell has said as much already.

Our caution stems from what happened when Windows 10s Anniversary Update launched last August. A swarm of bugs came with it, including a login freeze, as well as a more serious issue that crashed webcams. Third-party security firms, like McAfee, warned that their products might not be compatible. Consumers and businesses certainly dont want a repeat.

Why this matters: Microsoft undoubtedly has pressure to push the Creators Update out the door to ensure that work on the other major Windows 10 update this yearRedstone 3begins in time to meet holiday deadlines. Were going to lay out the case that Microsoft could ship the Creators Update in two months timebut maybe it shouldnt be in such a rush.

IDG The two lower-end models of the Surface Studio are scheduled to ship by the end of March, while the high-end Core i7 part will ship by the end of June, according to this Store page.

The clues to the timetable

Several clues point to an end-of-March release for the Creators Update. For starters, theres the update cycle. When Microsoft has prepared major Windows 10 updates in the past, the company has fixed bugs in one release, then unveiled features to its Insider testers in the next. The last few weeks before a major Windows 10 update, Microsoft launches few, if any further features, focusing instead on bug-bashing. Finally, Microsoft sends the update release to Insiders, rolling it out to the greater public a week or two later.

Right now, we seem to be in the features phase. The companys recently delivered a series of builds to Insiders. One of them, Build 15002, offers a particularly heavy bag of goodies. More is coming: When it ships, the Creators Update promises a host of new capabilities, including 3D imaging support and a much-anticipated Games Mode.

And then there are the Creators Updates touch input innovations, which help set apart Microsofts Surface Studio and Dells Canvas from other Windows hardware. The sophisticated stylus controls, and especially the moveable menu-navigation device that Microsoft calls the Surface Dial and Dell calls the Totem, offer new ways for people to interact with their software, Neither product is complete without these features enabled by the Creators Update.

Its very unusual for different companies to ship similar products on more or less the same day unless theres a concerted effort, such as timing to the release of a product they have in common. Thats why the coincidence of Microsofts Surface Studio and Dells Canvas seems to point to something bigger afoot with Windows 10.

Dell Dells Canvas monitor looks remarkably like the Surface Studio; theres even a Surface Dial clone called the Totem to go with it.

While technically the Surface Studio began shipping last fall, Microsoft currently shows March 31 as the ships by date for the two lower-end versions of the PC (priced at $2,999 and $3,499). A day earlier on March 30, Dell will ship Canvas, a Studio-like tilting monitor ($1,799) that you can use with a separate PC.

Dell has also told PCWorld that the Creators Update will be in place by the time the Canvas ships on March 30. Since the device isnt available until 3/30all of the features of the Creators Update will be available when Canvas ships, a Dell representative said in an email earlier this month. (She declined to comment on the exact timing of the Creators Update in a follow-up inquiry.)

Waiting for Redstone

Time is not on Microsofts side. The company has already said that it plans two updates in 2017: the current Redstone 2 release (the Creators Update), and its successor, Redstone 3. The latter is the problem: PC makers are undoubtedly depending upon Redstone 3 to help drive holiday PC sales. Delay the Creators Update too long, and Redstone 3s development window will shrink to the point where Microsoft will have to sacrifice something. Were currently in the sixth month of the Creators Updates development cycle. Shipping it sometime in April or May would allow a scant six months to develop Redstone 3 by October or early November.

Microsoft does have one thing going for it: Aside from the Surface Studio and Dell Canvas, theres no indication that other PC vendors will be aligning a new generation of PC hardware around the Creators Update. However, Windows 10s Creators Update is the first to include the Windows 10 Holographic Shell, which will power a series of head-mounted displays from Acer, Asus, Dell, and more. Delaying the Creators Update wouldnt tank the PC market, but it would disappoint a legion of hardware makers with some VR equipment to sell.

Even so, Microsoft could still afford an extra week or two to ensure everything goes smoothly. If anything, Surface buyers know that the first (or third!) revisions of the hardware often ship with their own set of bugs.

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update included a bug that killed webcams, which made many people unhappy until it was fixed.

If thats the debate within Redmond, heres what wed say to Microsoft: Suck it up and get it right. Maybe the only exciting thing about 2017s holiday PCs will be Intels Optane and AMDs Ryzen chips. Thats enough. As for Microsoft, let Project Scorpio be the product that gets shoppers into stores.

Microsoft aimed high with Windows 10, but buggy updates have damaged the operating systems reputation. That can and should change. Courage isnt removing a headphone jack. Courage is sitting down in front of upset customers and admitting that Microsoft didnt deliver a product whose quality is worthy of its namebut this time, it will.

Additional reporting by Melissa Riofrio
KDE and Spain-based Slimbook are teaming up to sell a 13-inch Skylake laptop loaded with Linux, but this beauty with an aluminum shell does not come cheap.

The KDE Slimbook is available for pre-order now with prices starting at 729 (about $770). At this writing, KDE Slimbooks were scheduled to start shipping after March 15. Slimbook ships to countries outside the European Union for an extra 99 ($106).

The KDE Slimbook is designed to offer a KDE-branded laptop that gives fans of the desktop environment the best possible way to experience KDE. It comes in two major variants with either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor. The base specs include 4GB of RAM, a 120GB mSATA SSD, two USB 3.0 ports, and a 13.3-inch 1080p display. The laptop is fairly slim at 0.71-inch thick and 2.87 lbs.

Processor-wise, you can choose between a dual-core 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6200U or a dual-core 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U. Prices for the i7 version start at 849, which is approximately $910. Like I said: not cheap.

Part of the motivation behind the KDE Slimbook was to create a machine that was tested by KDE developers in order to reduce any possible hardware problems with the software.

Slimbook The KDE Neon Slimbook.

As for the operating system, the new Slimbook comes with KDE Neon, KDEs Linux distribution that is based on Ubuntu (which is itself based on Debian Linux). The star of KDE Neon, however, is the KDE Plasma desktop environment, which is a popular choice for many Linux users who dont use KDE at all. Ubuntu-based Kubuntu, for example, uses KDE as its desktop environment instead of the standard Unity interface.

If youre not familiar with the Linux world, anyone running a Linux machine can choose to use a different desktop environment than the one that came pre-installed with their Linux distribution of choice. Many people run the Gnome desktop environment on Ubuntu, for example, instead of Unity.

The story behind the story: The KDE Slimbook is just the latest Linux laptop to debut in recent months. But for similar pricing (and sometimes less) you can get Linux machines running the newer Kaby Lake processors. Last September, Dell announced three models of the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition would come with Kaby Lake chips with prices starting at $950. In late October, perennial Linux computer maker System76 announced its own Kaby Lake laptop with prices starting at $700.
Although Cheech Marin found his way to stardom as one half of the marijuana-loving duo Cheech and Chong, the actor and comedian always found time to appreciate art.

Before hitting it big with roles in movies, television and voiceover work, Marin would take trips to the library to quench his thirst for art in many forms.

I would check out books and study various types of art, Marin said in a recent telephone interview.

He said he eventually acquired a few Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces and in 1985 purchased three Chicano art works that were the seeds of what has become a vast collection.

After bringing those first pieces home, Marin said he began to exclusively collect Chicano art. Over the years the body of works has reached about 700.

Much of the original Chicano art began as protest signs, flyers and posters calling out inequality and addressing civil rights and other issues that were important to the Hispanic culture.

Chicano art is an American school of art that is an essential component of American art, Marin said.

Some of his collection will be on display at the Riverside Art Museum, beginning Thursday in the Papel Chicano Dos: Works on Paper, from the Collection of Cheech Marin exhibition. There will be a reception on Thursday evening and the show will continue through May 7.

The collection was first shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, with Riverside being its second stop.

Marin said he has a clear mission of helping people experience Chicano art in person.

My mantra is you cannot love or hate Chicano art unless you see it in person, said Marin. People are very surprised when they come and see the show.

Prominent Chicano artists Diane Gamboa, Leo Limon and Glugio Gronk Nicondrahave pieces in the upcoming show as well as in the museums permanent collection, Todd Wingate, Riverside Art Musuems curator of exhibitions and collections said.

Wingate said works in the exhibition range from the late 80s through now and includes 65 pieces featuring watercolor, acrylic, aquatint, mixed media and pastels.

A watercolor painting by Wenceslao Quiroz depicts an older Ford pick-up truck stacked with wooden pallets driving towards a bridge is one of Marins favorites.

Every artist focuses on some part of the culture, Marin said. And together the exhibition gives people a description of the community told through the works.

As for what Marin sees on the Chicano art horizon now that President Donald Trump has started his term in office, he said artists are starting to react to the change in leadership.

I think we will see more and more artwork created by Chicano artists as his term continues, Marin said.

Contact the writer: sschulte@scng.com, Twitter: @Stephreally
One-minute earthquake warnings, flood prediction 15 days in advance, and public development projects that incorporate social media feedback are on the horizon for cities, and not a far horizon, according to Jack Dangermond.

Dangermond, president of Esri, addressed urban planners from across the United States gathered in Redlands on Wednesday for the tech companys annual Geodesign Summit.

The summit is based on the premise that planning practices rooted in the twentieth century may no longer be adequate to build smart, liveable communities.

Attendees looked at ways cities such as built-out San Francisco are using Esri technology to find room for growth and Los Angeles County assesses need for parks.

Esri is a geographic information systems company whose cloud-based platform, ArcGIS, combines maps and data for analysis. The proliferation of big data, computers and social media is turning GIS into what Dangermond called a system of systems.

Well have all the data we need. Well have all the computer power we need, well have all the big data computing power. Well have advanced visualizations. Well have the reach to every citizen on the planet. All of that is converging into this thing, the platform that we call GIS. And its happening everywhere.

Dangermond was speaking a day after returning from a trip to India, where he said even villagers are more engaged with digital technology than many Americans.

The Inland Empire has been identified as a place in danger of being left behind by the digital revolution because many of its residents lack access to broadband.

Dangermond envisioned cities, counties, states the federal government and private initiatives sharing data.

I think it will just take off and grow like the Internet did.

Pointing to a visual aid projected on the wall behind him, he added, Along the bottom of the slide here I said this is going to create a nervous system for the planet. Its a little presumptuous, but it sounds good.

Contact the writer: fbuck@scng.com or 951-368-9551.
A sheriffs K-9 unit found a 10-year-old boy Thursday night, Jan. 26 after he went missing from Caryn Elementary School in Rancho Cucamonga for about three hours.

The boy, whom deputies determined did not want to attend an after-school program, was found sleeping behind a bush he hid behind, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs news release.

School staff reported the boy missing 5:45 p.m., the news release states. After deputies arrived they established a perimeter and began searching with help from a sheriffs helicopter and crew, several detectives and K-9 Dare and its handler Deputy Ryan Girard.

Dare began tracking the boy about 7:45 p.m. after his parents provided a scent article, the news release states. About 30 minutes later the dog picked up a strong scent of the boy, and soon after found the child asleep and uninjured behind bushes.
Doubtless, one of Barack Obamas most mixed legacies is to be found in the Mideast. Things could be much worse, but U.S. policy in the region is dangerously adrift.

The Islamic State has been put back on its heels, but Americas own strategic posture has been badly weakened, too. Taking a new direction means making some dramatic departures from our current, uncertain course.

In a bid to do exactly that, President Donald Trump wants to encourage Russia to weaken its support for Iran, upending the imbalance of power created by Obamas pivot away from our traditional, if sometimes troublesome, Arab allies. Although winning with this approach is a tall order, the United States now has few options, and may be forced to choose quickly among the least bad.

In fact, the constraints facing the Trump White House could actually help ensure that a bid to put distance between Russia and Iran gets some traction. Partly due to the stickiness of the Obama administrations policies, but partly because of canny calculation, the new administration cannot just scrap what came before and start over. Trumps own secretary of defense, retired Gen. James Mattis, recently avowed his support for the imperfect nuclear treaty with Iran  and for a firm forward defense posture along NATOs eastern flank. Strong critics of these policies, many of whom support Trump, may worry that Mattis and his allies could make it harder to pull Russia away from Iran. But Russia may well be more apt to ease off if Iran is not placed at a sudden, extreme disadvantage. And Russian interests might turn toward a stable, productive Mideast if European meddling was successfully discouraged.

On the other hand, there is reason to believe that neither Russia nor Iran have much reason to compromise with the United States on the intimacy of their own relationship. Ironically, the relationships rocky past shares some responsibility for that. Moscow and Tehran have struck up a mutually beneficial arrangement, but its roots do not go deep. In the interest of not upsetting the current balance, the allies wont look kindly on the Americans trying to cool their limited affinity  unless, of course, they each think they can seize on some larger benefit for playing along.

Complicating things further, many in the United States dont want to see a closer relationship with todays Russia, no matter what the potential upside may be. Moscow is perceived as increasingly fascistic and theocratic  an anxiety-ridden view exacerbated by the way critics of liberalism on Americas so-called alt-right embrace Putin as a symbol of white resistance to Western multiculturalism.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world demands the attentions of the president, whose transition team faces a steeper learning curve than usual. Trump himself clearly considers trade arrangements with China and the rest of North America to be a priority. To be sure, most Americans would welcome a world in which the Mideast could safely take a back seat. Getting there, however, will require concentrated effort and significant risk. With Europes own hands full, and other regional allies like Turkey drifting away from the U.S. orbit, Russia may be one of the few choices available for leveraging a new way forward.
Police are searching for a person in Moreno Valley who led them on a vehicle pursuit from Riversides University neighborhood and rammed into a house.

The pursuit started around 8:40 p.m. in the University neighborhood when officers tried to pull over a car that fled, Riverside Police Department spokesman Ryan Railsback said.

While evading officers, the driver struck a house, Railsback said. The driver continued going, entering Interstate 215 South from University Avenue.

The pursuit continued onto Highway 60. The suspect took the Perris Boulevard off-ramp, got out of their car, and ran away.

At 9:40 p.m., the suspect was still at large, Railsback said.

This story is developing. Check back for more information.
GREENVILLE, Wis., Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- School Specialty, Inc. (OTCQB:SCOO) (School Specialty, SSI or the Company), a leading distributor of supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources to the education, healthcare and other marketplaces, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Martinez as its new Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, effective February 1st. Mr. Martinez will oversee all of School Specialtys information management and technology infrastructure programs, focused on advancing its CRM, eCommerce, WMS, and ERP platforms. He will work directly with the senior management team, providing strategic guidance on all IT initiatives.

Joseph M. Yorio, School Specialty's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, I'd like to officially welcome Steve to the SSI family and congratulate him on his new appointment. Working with Steve, I can tell you firsthand, that he brings incredible talent, leadership and commitment. I want to thank him for stepping in as interim CIO over the last few months and I am glad that he will continue to play a crucial role in our organization  I have every bit of confidence that he will serve the Company well. We have a strong team and together, we continue to drive best practices and greater value for our customers, employees and stockholders.

Mr. Martinez brings more than 20 years of experience in specific project management/implementation specialties such as CRM design and conversion, data base management, business automation, cloud solutions, and business intelligence reporting and metrics. Throughout his career, he has also developed and executed IT and sales effectiveness programs, with a focus on revenue growth, operating cost reductions, sales quota establishment and forecasting, performance management, and headcount design and analysis. Prior to assuming the SVP and CIO roles, Mr. Martinez served as a strategic consultant for School Specialtys CRM system transformation efforts, where he led critical analysis, design and implementation processes. Previously, he worked with leading IT and consultancy firms in various management capacities, including as Chief Strategy Officer at Execution Specialists Group; Senior Director of Automation and Corporate Program Office at Local Insight Media; and Director of Automation and Reporting at Dex Media.

In my experience, nothing has been more fulfilling than driving business growth by helping an organization leverage technology advancements that unlock the opportunities in people and data, said Mr. Martinez. I am truly honored to be serving School Specialty as its CIO, a company with a strong reputation as a trailblazer in the education market and believing in the power of 21st century IT. I look forward to working more closely with Joe and the extended SSI team and will do all I can to continue to add value to the organization in the years to come.

Mr. Martinez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing (minor in Accounting) from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

About School Specialty, Inc.

School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. Through its SSI Guardian subsidiary, the Company is also committed to school, healthcare and corporate workplace safety by offering the highest quality curriculum, training and safety and security products. Finally, through its SOAR Life Products brand, the Company offers thousands of products that sharpen cognitive skills and build physical and mental strength in fun and creative ways. From childhood through adulthood, they help individuals live life to the fullest  engaged, happy and well. SOAR Life Products is a customized offering for hospitals, long-term care, therapeutic facilities, home care, surgery centers, day care centers, physician offices, and clinics. For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

@SchoolSpecialty

Connect with School Specialty on social media; search School Specialty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. For Ideas and resources, educational trends and inspiration for todays educators  visit the Schoolyard blog.
Now that President Donald Trump has ordered the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, California  with the largest share of the nations undocumented immigrant population  likely is moving into sharp focus among national policymakers.

The Golden State is home to 2.35 million of the roughly 11.1 million people living in the country illegally, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center.

The Public Policy Institute of California puts the state total a little higher, at 2.67 million.

In any event, Southern California figures prominently. Close to half the states undocumented immigrants live in four large regional counties.

Joe Hayes, research associate at the Public Policy Institute, said the San Francisco-based group estimates those populations at 814,000 for Los Angeles County, 247,500 for Orange County, 124,000 in Riverside County and 118,000 in San Bernardino County.

But no one seems to know how accurate the estimates are.

Estimating the undocumented population is not a science, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a UC Riverside professor and associate dean of the universitys School of Public Policy.

Researchers say the estimates are reasonably close, given they are based on a variety of proven yardsticks, including census data for foreign-born residents, federal enforcement statistics, birth and death records, health surveys, employment records and tax filings with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers commonly used by undocumented immigrants.

Were confident that the numbers are relatively close, said Bill Schooling, chief of demographic research for the state Department of Finance in Sacramento. But how close, how accurate, thats up for debate.

Frank Bean, director of UC Irvines Center for Research on International Migration, termed the degree of confidence reasonably high.

The unknown question is, are the migrants more underground now than they used to be, so to speak, because of the operations of ICE and all the deportations that were taking place during the Obama administration? Bean said.

He said he suspects that in recent years, immigrants were more hesitant to participate in census, health and other surveys  a trend that would accelerate if the new administration deported people in large numbers.

On the other hand, Trump hasnt issued an order to undo, for example, DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Hes not even talking about it, Bean said.

And, he said, that may temper any new trend.

Wall rhetoric aside, Bean said, it does not appear that Trump will significantly alter U.S. immigration policy.

Ramakrishnan said illegal immigration has an overall positive influence on the state and region.

Like others who call California home, undocumented immigrants take advantage of public resources such as education and health care. They do represent a short-term cost when it comes to state and local spending, Ramakrishnan said.

But he argued that shouldnt alarm anyone.

The same would be true for any newborn in California, regardless of whether they are an immigrant or not, he said, saying youngsters generally dont contribute to society in a measurable way until they enter the workforce.

The Pew Research Center estimates that undocumented immigrants make up 9 percent of Californias labor force.

Over the long haul, Ramakrishnan said, immigrants represent a net fiscal benefit.

He said undocumented Californians contribute substantially to many industries, particularly agriculture, construction, landscaping and hospitality.

If there is going to be large-scale deportation, he said, not only will it cause economic dislocation in all of these industries, it will mean significantly higher wages and significantly higher prices in all of the industries in which they work.

Trump backers counter that more active enforcement of the nations immigration laws will benefit the economy.

What resonated to me in his (inauguration) speech was putting American workers back to work, said Cathy Turner of Irvine.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9699ddowney@scng.comTwitter: PE_DavidDowney
The newly set up UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) is poised to double trade volumes and value between Ghana and the UK in the next four years.



Trade volumes between Ghana and UK is currently estimated at just about 3.5 per cent of Ghana's total international trade, and it is valued at about a billion dollars per annum.



But UKGCC CEO, Tony Burkson said given the rich history between Ghana and the UK, that figure is way too small, so the goal of the Chamber is to double it in the next four years.



UKGCC is one of many chambers set up in 40 selected countries as part of the British government's new policy to boost trade between the UK and those countries.



Ghana was one of three countries selected in Africa under this drive. The two other African countries were Kenya and South Africa.



Tony Burkson said the selection of Ghana among just three African countries is a clear indication of how seriously the British government takes its relationship with Ghana.



He said the Chamber is being heavily supported by the British government through DFID and DIT (Department of International Trade), adding that further to that support, former British Premier David Cameron appointed British MP Adam Afriyie as a Special Trade Envoy to Ghana to facilitate regular trade missions between the two countries.



UKGCC is therefore a private sector setup designed to actualize the policy and ensure the trade missions allows for companies to meet potential partners and new clients across both countries.



Currently the main areas of trade between Ghana and the UK are Petroleum Oils, Crude, Cocoa, Cars, Pharmaceuticals, Manufacturing and Engineering equipment, but Burkson thinks the service sector is one area Ghana could use British expertise to develop rapidly.



Indeed, the UKGCC and its partners are organizing their maiden Ghana-focused technology conference in London next month, to promote Ghana's entire technology ecosystem to British investors.



Burkson also noted that Ghana has a vibrant agricultural sector that needs a little help to increase value addition, adding the UK has the manufacturing expertise that can help more Ghanaian farmers go into value addition and thereby increase the value of Ghana's food exports.



"For example Blueskies, a member of the UKGCC, exports chopped and packed fruit from Ghana to the UK, earning Ghana substantial foreign exchange - but more of such stories can be created in Ghana with the help of British expertise," he said.



The UKGCC CEO noted that Ghana's insurance sector is another untapped market, with less than five per cent of Ghanaians insured, but UK insurance firms like Prudential Insurance and BIMA have entered the market recently to seek strategic partnerships to boost insurance cover for Ghanaians.



Burkson also believes that developing a BPO hub in Ghana should be top on the to-do list of the new Ghana government, because British companies could provide Ghana with a lots of back office customer service jobs provided government creates the enabling environment.



Enabling environment



Speaking of enabling environment, Burkson said it is also incumbent on the Ghana government to promote Ghana to British companies, and to institute policies that are investor friendly.



"For example is it really necessary for foreign companies to invest US$250,00 before they can set up companies in Ghana - will a policy like this drive more businesses to come here?" the UKGCC CEO asked.



Burkson is confident that Brexit makes the UKGCC mission very interesting, because in the post-Brexit era, "we are already seeing a lot of interest from British firms looking to business in Ghana and West Africa in general."



He however emphasized need for Ghana government to institute investor friendly polices, saying that "this has a potential of making Ghana an investment hub in West Africa, where international companies will set up their headquarters as they trade with the rest of Africa."



UKGCC currently has close to 35 members and is receiving applications on a daily basis from Ghanaian and British companies who realize the value it brings to the table when it comes to driving trade between both countries.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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President Akufo-Addo will today [Friday], leave the country for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).



The Summit, which is to take place from 30th to 31st January, will be preceded by a meeting of the Executive Council which starts today.



This will be Nana Addos second trip outside Ghana after his inauguration as President.



Few days after his inauguration, President Akufo-Addo left Ghana in his first official international assignment to attend the 27th African-France Summit held in Bamako, Mali.



The summit, held on January 14, 2017, saw heads of state from various African countries commit to ensuring that economic growth in their respective countries lead to a more inclusive economy, which will create jobs for the youth.



The resolution was in line with the framework of the International Sustainable Development Agenda  the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the African Unions Agenda, 2063.





Source: Today









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There was an interesting debate on the political situation in The Gambia in parliament on Wednesday, with the majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) applauding the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for ensuring that outgone President Yahaya Jammeh handed over peacefully to his successor.



On the other hand, the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) berated ECOWAS for hastily moving troops to The Gambia since there was no war situation there.



The minority members had argued that before moving troops to The Gambia for whatever purpose, member countries of ECOWAS should have sought the consent of their various parliaments; but the majority said the intervention was part of the Communitys Protocol to ensure that democracy thrives in the sub-region.



The debate arose when the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alex Afenyo-Markin, made a statement on the floor on the intervention of ECOWAS in The Gambia and its implication on peace and security in the West African sub-region.



According to him, ECOWAS rightly activated its dispute settlement mechanism on the brink of another violent conflict in the sub-region when former Gambian President Yahaya Jammeh refused to hand over power after losing a legitimate national election.



The Effutu MP said the multi-purpose approach adopted by ECOWAS, including the deployment of UN-backed troops from the sub-region as well as the supervision of the swearing-in of the new president at the Embassy of The Gambia in Senegal, was a necessary intervention that averted humanitarian disaster, possible violation of human rights, the seeming threat to peace and security in the sub-region which could have resulted in the displacement of innocent persons.



According to him, as a pre-eminent stakeholder in the enterprise to maintain peace and security, Ghana under the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, committed 205 troops to enhance its political leverage in the sub-region.



Mr Afenyo-Markin also explained that President Akufo-Addos decision to request former President John Mahama to continue with his mediation role alongside other leaders in the sub-region, was a true reflection of President Akufo-Addos understanding of the dynamics of international relations and diplomacy, adding that ECOWAS has made democracy to triumph over dictatorship in The Gambia.



The NDC MP for Tamale North, Suhunyi Alhassan Sayibu, said ECOWAS should have waited for ex-President Jammeh to have exhausted all the constitutional means to resolve the standoff after challenging the results.

He asked parliament to possibly consider a legislation which if an incumbent president who loses an election decides to challenge the results in court, there would not be any power vacuum.



The NPP MP for Bimbilla and Minister-designate for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, challenged the suggestion saying, if an incumbent president loses general election in Ghana and wants to challenge the results, he will have to hand over first to the opposition leader who won the election before he goes ahead to challenge the election results in the court to avoid any power vacuum.

Source: Daily Guide









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Some residents of Accra have expressed satisfaction with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos nomination of Ishmael Ashitey as the Greater Accra Regional Minister.



They also said the President was right in choosing only males as nominees as Regional Ministers because the task was too much for a female.



As a native from Labadi, he is abreast with the dos and donts of the people, so I believe he will be able to perform effectively, opined Emmanuel Tettey, a public servant.



I am very happy the President appointed this particular man, he added.



The Ghana News Agency interviewed a cross-section of residents on their views in terms of the choice of Mr Ashitey as the Regions boss and gender balance of the Regional nominees as they were all men.



A lawyer, who declined to give his name, said the Regional Ministry was not an easy job, therefore, it would not be easy for a woman to occupy the position.



I am not saying a woman cannot perform but the Regional Minister has all the regional departments on his head and the responsibility is too much work for a woman, he explained.



He said a man would be able to exercise effective political authority on all the Departments so the President has made brilliant choices by making it an all male affair.



An immigration officer who also declined to give his name said: I think the Presidents appointment of Mr Ashitey is in the right direction, adding that, He is a typical native of this town so he will be able to perform.



He said he was hopeful the nominee would be able to fulfill his duty as a Regional Minister.



Maybe, the President nominated only males because there is a lack of women in the Party who have the requisite qualification to occupy those positions, he stated, adding that the Deputy Regional Ministers may be females.



Mr Tettey also said he believed that: Women could only perform up to a certain level, so the job may be too ample for a woman to head.



Mr Isaac Quincy, a teacher, stated that the appointment of Mr Ashitey was appropriate considering his background as a former Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Minister of Fisheries.



Ishmael Ashitey, 62, is a product of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where he graduated in 1977 with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.



He also holds an Executive Masters Degree in Governance and Leadership from GIMPA.

Source: GNA









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High Court in Accra has resumed hearing of the case in which a former National Service boss, Alhaji Imoro Alhassan, and some others, were indicted in a payroll fraud within the National Service scheme.



The resumption follows about two months of continuous adjournments, due to the unavailability of the immediate past NSS boss, Kpessa Whyte, who has been testifying in the case as the main prosecution witness.



Mr. Whyte, who appeared in court today [Friday], has been undergoing cross examinations by the lawyers of the various accused persons in the case.



Mr. Imoro is standing trial with 34 other persons implicated in the massive fraud that hit the scheme.



The others were variously charged with conspiracy and stealing. Imoro is facing additional charge of giving bribe to influence a public officer.



The prosecution alleged that, Alhaji Imoro, within the said period at the NSS headquarters in Accra, dishonestly appropriated GH 28,749,395.80 belonging to the state.



The former NSS boss is said to have on August 1 to September 26, 2014, given GH 25,000 and GH 15,000 to one Charles Kipo, of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) Investigations, to influence him.



The accused persons have pleaded not guilty before the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Georgina Mensah Datsa. They are currently on bail.

Source: Citifmonline









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Gambian President Adama Barrow has finally returned home a week after being sworn in as Yahya Jammehs successor.

The transition of power from Mr Jammeh, who ruled The Gambia for 22 years, to Mr Barrow, an estate agent, had proven problematic as the former rejected election results. Mr Barrow was, as a result, sworn in in Senegal at Gambias embassy.

The swearing-in ceremony was supervised by a Gambian legal officer and witnessed by members of the diplomatic corps including UN Secretary-General Special Representative and Head of United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas. Mr Barrow has remained in Dakar since January 19, when he was officially sworn in.

Mr Jammeh also left Banjul last Sunday after threats by Ecowas to use military force to get him out of power. He will be in Equatorial Guinea. On Thursday, Mr Barrow entered Banjul from Dakar to begin his reign as the 3rd President of the West African nation.

Source: BBC









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The President of the Republic of Namibia has paid glowing tribute to the outgoing High Commissioner of Ghana to Namibia, Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah whose time has ended.



Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob noted with satisfaction the ever-growing closeness of the two countries and hoped for even stronger ties in the future and commended the High Commissioner for being a catalyst in that growth.



He said this when the outgoing Ambassador Attah went to bid farewell to the President of the Republic of Namibia and the First Lady Monica Geingos. At separate meetings at the State House, Ambassador Attah informed them about the end of his tenure and his recall to base.



The President congratulated Ghana for the peaceful transition after a successful election and said Ghana continues to be an example for Africa  a symbol of hope and pride.



He recalled the leadership of Ghanas first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and how it inspired the spirit of decolonization all over Africa.



Ghana, he said, was the first to gain independence and Namibia the last.



The High Commissioner briefed him on a number of initiatives taken by the High Commission to strengthen and enhance the two countries bilateral cooperation in education, air travel, fisheries, environment, SME development and many other areas within the context of the Ghana-Namibia Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation signed this past November.



He thanked the President and First Lady for their warmth towards him during his tenure often going beyond the confines of formal diplomatic etiquette. He presented a Ghanaian smock to the President as a farewell gift.



The First Lady also remarked on the peaceful transition and said it was a proud moment for Africa.



She wished the departing envoy well and said he should regard Namibia as his home where he will always be welcome. He presented copies of his daughters novels to her as his parting souvenirs.









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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) will on Tuesday January 31, 2017 hold a Post-Election Media Forum and Awards at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra at 2pm.



The forum will bring together stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission and the Ghana Police Service, to deliberate on how the media covered the elections, the challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations on how the media could do better in deepening Ghanas democracy.



The event themed, The Media and the 2016 Elections: Challenges, Lessons and Prospects for the Future,will be chaired by the Chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr. Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng and will feature presentations and a panel discussion on the medias coverage of the elections.



Some radio stations that distinguished themselves in promoting issues-based programming devoid of indecent expressions during the electioneering period will be honoured.



The Post-Elections Media Forum and Awards is being organised with funding support from STAR-Ghana and the Embassy of France in Ghana.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PHI Group, a U.S. public company focusing on acquisitions and investments in special situations (www.phiglobal.com) (OTCMarkets:PHIL), has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to acquire a minimum of 51% interest in Hoang Minh Chau Hung Yen LLC, a Vietnamese company located in Chi Tan Village, Khoai Chau District, Hung Yen Province, Vietnam (HMC), that specializes in cultivating and processing of turmeric (curcuma longa).



According to the agreement, the Company will pay a combination of cash and stock in exchange for a majority interest in HMC. The acquisition is part of the Companys plan to apply the proprietary enhanced bioavailable nutrients and natural symbiotic immune system to grow organic turmeric in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam and at the same time utilize HMCs expertise and experience to grow premium organic turmeric in the U.S. for Abundant Farms, a PHI Groups agricultural subsidiary.

HMC grows turmeric and buys harvested crops from other local farmers for its turmeric processing plant. It produces turmeric powder for food, healthcare and beauty supply and also contracts with the Vietnamese Institute of Industrial Chemistry to process curcuminoids from turmeric for various usages.

According to www.webmd.com, turmeric can be used for arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), joint pain, stomach pain, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, bypass surgery, hemorrhage, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gallbladder disorders, high cholesterol, a skin condition called lichen planus, skin inflammation from radiation treatment and fatigue and a variety of other ailments.

In food and manufacturing, the essential oil of turmeric is used in perfumes. Its resin is used as a flavor and color component in foods.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-turmeric.aspx?activeingredientid=662

Dong Quang Hoang, Director of HMC stated: We look forward to working with PHI Group to utilize its enhanced bioavailable nutrients and natural symbiotic immune system to grow premium organic turmeric in Hung Yen Province to provide better quality and yields for our turmeric crops.

Henry Fahman, Chairman and CEO of PHI Group, said: Since traditional turmeric rhizomes in Chi Tan Village, Hung Yen Province are among the very best in the world in terms of size and curcumin contents, we believe PHI Groups Abundant Farms can greatly benefit from using these seed roots and HMCs expertise and experience in our turmeric farming program.

About PHI Group

Founded in 1982, PHI Group primarily focuses on acquisitions as a principal and invests in special situations in large, growing markets that may substantially enhance shareholder value.

About Hoang Minh Chau Hung Yen Co.

Hoang Minh Chau Hung Yen LLC, recognized among the top 100 leading brands in Vietnam, specializes in cultivating and processing of turmeric. http://hoangminhchauhungyen.com/

Safe Harbor:

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of such forward-looking statements pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Ken Ofori Atta may be an experienced banker but running the finance and economic planning of a country is substantially different from running a private bank, Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper has said.



According to him, things in the private sector is a different ball game from that of the public sector, hence the Finance Minister-Designate may not perform successfully as he did in his private career.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday 10th January 2017, nominated 13 persons including Ken Ofori Atta as Ministers of State.



He is the co-founder of Databank, an indigenous Ghanaian bank which is well known for investment banking.



Many have said since he was successful in contributing his quota to the financial service as a private man, he would bring fresh thinking and innovation to the Finance Ministry and manage the economy well.



However, critics including Kwesi Pratt argue that since he has never held any position in the public sector before, he would find it difficult conforming to the dynamics of his new sector, a situation which may affect his performance.



Speaking on Metro TVs Good morning Ghana on Wednesday, the Managing Editor pointed out that as Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta is going to look at how to accumulate social profit, look at the political profit of the economy and which is not done when running a bank.



In his view, he believes the likes of Dr. Osei Akoto and Mr. Osafo Marfo who have experience in in that sector would have done a great job if one was appointed to the Finance Minister position.



As a Minister of Finance you would have to work to please people who may not have any understanding about the technical workings of the economy and also work to deliver results which are not really economic and that may be a challenge for Ken, Kwesi Pratt observed.



Though he emphasized that managing the economy would be a challenge for Mr. Ofori Atta, he wished him well, urging him to open himself up for advice from the experienced ones.

Source: myradio360.com









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The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has cautioned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to desist from baseless accusations and insults on the person of President Nana Akufo-Addo else they will hit back in equal measure.



This was conveyed by the Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahen, at a press conference held at the partys headquarters in Accra.



As for Kofi Portuphy, Asiedu Nketia, Koku Anyidoho, and their gang, ladies and gentlemen, we shall caution that from now on if they throw mud at the president in whom we unprecedentedly and majority of Ghanaians reposed their confidence in, we will pay them back in equal measure. Enough is enough, he told the gathering.



Mr Boahen was of the view that the NDC had been accusing Mr Akufo-Addo of being the brain behind the Invincible Forces, an alleged security wing of the party. He also indicated that for over four years, the NDC sought to create the impression that Mr Akufo-Addo was a violent person.



For him the acerbic and intemperate language poured on the president is unfortunate.

It would be recalled that the NDC organised a press conference following the seizure of public institutions by alleged members of the NPP and accused the party leaders of masterminding the rampage.



He said abuses on the president were common before the elections and the NPP party hoped it would end after the polls, but the NDC continues to rain abuses on Mr Akufo-Addo.



He, therefore, called on the leadership of the NDC to show respect to the president of the republic and desist from denting his image.







Source: classfmonline.com









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Kennedy Ohene Agyepong, New Patriotic Party (NPP) firebrand has emphatically stated three heads of public institutions could soon be hauled before the courts and thrown into jail for engaging in alleged underhand dealings while in office.



Amongst them include the Director of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Mr Ernest Thompson and Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, Managing Director of Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST).



People have been arguing with me when I speak but the evidence is enormous that I dont know where to start from. I am emphatic based on the documents we have. If we dont punish these people for their wrong doings, NPP officials will come and do same and Ghanaians will vote against us," he stated.



The maverick Politician and lawmaker for Assin Central Constituency in the Central region promised to release a tall list of various heads of public institutions involved in shady deals under the erstwhile NDC administration.



He advised them to brace for the biggest expose in the coming days insisting that he will not sit aloof and allow them go home to enjoy the loot from state coffers.



Speaking during a live discussion on an Accra-based Television station, he disclosed that some of these heads appointed by the outgone administration may appear as angels but if the havoc they have wrecked the countrys economy is made public it will shock Ghanaians to the bone.



The documents are here and we shall be interrogating them in the coming days. Ghanaians will be shocked when details of these documents are made public. They will see the havoc these NDC appointees have wrecked the economy of the country which Nana Addo must struggle to build, he disclosed.

Source: ultimatefmonline.com









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Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, the renegade New Patriotic Party (NPP) member, who wanted his party to lose last years crucial general elections but failed miserably, has broken his long silence.



He is now complaining about the appointments of the man he swore would never be President of Ghana.



He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was wrong to have nominated Dominic Nitiwul, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbila to serve as Minister of Defence.



Broken Silence



He said on Joy FM yesterday that he would have preferred the nomination of a senior figure as Minister of Defence instead of the youthful Nitiwul, 39, who was the minority spokesperson on defence, saying I believe a more senior person should have been put there.



I know the military well. The military has certain settings and a way they behave. I think they will be more comfortable with a very senior figure, he added.



You are going to deal with people who are very straightforward. What they dislike is arrogance. The moment you display a peck of arrogance that is the end of you, so I will advise that he should be polite and calm in his office.



Parliament has already approved the nomination of Nitiwul, a former deputy minority leader, to pave way for his swearing in.



Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe became the cheerleader of the previous Mahama-led NDC administration, which intensified its hate campaign against the then NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo during the December general elections in which Mr. Mahama lost miserably by over a million votes.



Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe described Nana Akufo-Addo as an intolerant person who could not lead Ghana and said the NPP was not ready for power under his leadership.



Dr Nyaho Tamakloe ditched his party and friendship with Nana Akufo-Addo to promote the cause of his nephew former President Mahama.



He even recorded video interview advert to boost the chances of then candidate John Mahama



Akufo-Addo Hatred



On the eve of the election, he intensified his vitriolic campaign against Nana Akufo-Addo by warning Ghanaians against voting for him.



He said that the intolerance of Nana Akufo-Addo could spell doom for the country in an unlikely event that he is elected as president.



NPP is not ready for power; it will be very dangerous to hand over power to a party that is not ready.



He said then President John Mahama was the best leader for Ghanaians.



Dr Tamakloe said President Mahama was emulating the style of leadership of Ghanas first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah and should be re-elected.



The rate of infrastructural investment in these three and half years of President Mahamas administration is what has made the difference. He has done so much and he deserves a second term, he added.



Renegade Members



Apart from Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe, there were a number of disgruntled NPP members, including the suspended National Chairman Paul Afoko, 2nd Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe, Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy, Baah Achamfuor, Michael Ampong, who were deeply involved in the campaign to ensure the defeat of the NPP in the 2016 elections.



They campaigned against the party by paying people to vote against the NPP.



Paul Afoko was reportedly seen in Wa campaigning against NPP.



He is said to have stated that even if someone would develop the North, it should be northerner, inferring to John Mahama.



Mr Afoko also granted a special interview to Africawatch Magazine and attacked his own party in a special edition of the magazine.



He even indicated publicly that he might not vote for the NPP.



I am not sure I will vote for Nana Addo. My vote is my secret; its up to me and my God whom I will vote for, he told UTV, an Accra-based private television station.



Others like Alhaji Asoma Banda, Kwesi Pratt, Hassan Ayariga, Akua Donkor and NDC leaders, all said Nana Akufo-Addo could never be President.



Kwesi Pratt even asked NPP members to get ambulances ready because the NDC was going to give the opposition a shocker.



Political Career



The shocking defeat of John Mahama by then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo appears to have ended the ex-Presidents political career.



The then ruling NDC with tacit support from some leading members, including Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe, had promised to retire Nana Akufo-Addo but the 72-year-old astute lawyer appears to have ended the active political career of the 58-year-old.



Mahamas Rejection



President Mahama and his NDC were flatly rejected by Ghanaians at the polls on December 7, last year.



Relations of Mr. Mahama are persuading him not to contest the next presidential election in 2020 even though the ex-president has not stated whether he wants call it quit or make a comeback.



Some analysts have said the huge gap of over one million votes garnered by President Akufo-Addo against ex-President Mahama showed that the ex-President will have a daunting task if he considers contesting again for 2020.



Strong Showing



Nana Akufo-Addo silenced his critics who had put in place a well-calculated scheme to enable President Mahama to win the contest.



Nana Addo polled 5,716,609 votes, representing 53.84 percent, to defeat then candidate John Mahama, who secured 4,713,277 votes, representing 44.40 per cent.



Apart from President Akufo-Addos historic electoral victory, the NPP also secured majority in parliament, clinching 169 seats as against the NDCs 106 seats.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed Mr. Michael Okyere Baafi as Executive Secretary of the Ghana Free Zones Authority.



Mr. Okyere Baafi's appointment comes following his instrumental role in the economic sector.



A letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante read that Mr. Okyere Baafi is "expected to take up your post as soon as practicable given the departure of the previous executives."



Michael Okyere Baafi has a stock of phenomenal records and credentials that he hopes to bring on board to promote economic development and further effectively regulate activities in free zones.



He is currently the Head of Sales and Marketing at Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd, a private limited liability insurance company in Ghana.



Phoenix Insurance is an experienced insurer, operating a financially strong and stable general insurance business.



As Head of Sales and Marketing, Mr. Okyere Baafi has helped Phoenix Insurance in carving an enviable reputation for the company and established it well in the competitive market.



He holds MBA in Marketing and Corporate Strategy from the University of Ghana, and a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree, University of Cape Coast.



He's a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK and has over 10 years experience in insurance marketing.



He is currently the Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).



He is also a member of the Trade and Industry sub Comittee of the Transition team and was the Vice Chairman of the New Juaben South constituency.



He is married with a son and hails from Koforidua in the Eastern Region.



Mr. Okyere Baafi's appointment took effect from Thursday, 26th January 2017.





Read full content of the letter below:





OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

FLAGSTAFF HOUSE

ACCRA

26th January 2017



APPOINTMENT AS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY



I am pleased to inform you that the President has appointed you the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Free Zones Authority, effective Thursday, 26th January, 2017.



You are expected to take up your post as soon as practicable given the departure of the previous executives.



Kindly, indicate your acceptance or otherwise of this appointment.



The President extends his best wishes.



Thank you.







Mr. Michael Okyere Baafi

P.O.Box 17533

Accra





Signed

Nana Bediatuo Asante

Secretary To The President





Cc: H.E The Vice President

Jubilee House, Accra



The Chief of Staff,

Jubilee House, Accra



The President's Representative and Minister-Designate

Ministry of Trade and Industry

Ministries-Accra



The Chief Director,

Ministry of Trade and Industry

Ministries-Accra





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
This is a massively impressive feat of coordination, bloody hell.

Activists standing in solidarity of Indigenous issues and the push to move the date of Australia Day have managed to halt an in-service commuter train in Brisbane, and paint one whole side of a carriage in the Indigenous flag.

A bit before 6am yesterday morning, around 12 people descended on the train at Dutton Park Station, just south of central Brisbane. Jamming its doors open, which as a result prevented the train from moving, the group then used spray paint to paint the Indigenous flag all the side of an entire carriage, with the slogan one mob emblazoned inside the yellow sun.

QLD Rail staff watched the whole thing unfold via CCTV links, and they did call the police on the group. But by the time cops arrived at the scene, the group had finished their work and had left the scene.

Police investigating how a passenger train carriage was ambushed and vandalised @GreenhalghSarah #7News https://t.co/XsFJpMBYqN  7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) January 26, 2017

A group by the name of VNDS Crew claimed responsibility for the carriage in an Instagram post, but that account has subsequently been deleted.

12 people with spray paint managed to get that done before police were able to get there. How long was the police response time? An hour?

Regardless, thats a massive effort. Technically illegal? Sure. But if you want to get a point across, thats about as loud a way as there is.

The carriage, for what its worth, has since been cleaned. Police are still looking for those responsible.

Source: 7 News Queensland/Twitter.
Brisbane is quietly introducing measures to prevent attacks on its busy landmarks in response to the devastating truck attack in Berlin in December last year.

Concrete blocks, designed to prevent attacks like the Berlin truck attack, the July 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice, and the recent Bourke Street tragedy in Melbourne, have been unobtrusively appearing since Christmas. They are currently in place in areas like George Street and Queen Street Mall in Brisbanes CBD.

The blocks will soon be replaced by permanent anti-attack barriers, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk told reporters today.

Certainly there will be changes to the existing structures. Theyre a temporary structure, what is there at the moment  and we will be looking at changes. But in the meantime they provide a good functional purpose.

Adelaide looks set to follow suit, with The Advertiser reporting that authorities will soon erect concrete bollards in Rundle Mall designed to prevent vehicle entry.

Twelve people were killed in the Berlin attack last year when a truck rammed into a busy Christmas market.

Source: Courier Mail.

Image: funky-data / Getty.
The #1 jobs go-to for millennials in the creative industries, Pedestrian JOBS (thats us!) is looking for a legend to be part of our team as Business Development & Client Service Executive (SYD). If you can cut a deal like Jordan Belfort, have the oratory skills of Michelle Obama (please run), and the ideas, initiative and work ethic of Evan Spiegel then we want to hear from you. Were looking for someone to share the Pedestrian JOBS good vibes amongst the uninitiated, across Australia and then the world. Someone who loves people, creativity and pop-culture. Someone who is excited by all that is happening in the biz world ~ unicorns, giants and disruptors 4eva. If youre experienced in business development, partnerships and client service, are a total ideas person, crazy organised and all about keeping the client love alive, this could be the thing for you. Keen bean? Apply here.





Ahead of the trends in Perth? If youre totes in the know, you could be the On Premise Sales Executive (Musketeer) (PER) that Red Bull need. Youll be an account manager with a twist  working in the on premise world is something that you love to do and you are excited about mixing sales and marketing with your love of the night life. Youll be relatable, reliable, trustworthy, have a proven track record in account management and most of all love to have a bit of fun with the team. The role will involve focusing on improving and increasing brand visibility and availability of Red Bull in all on premise venues in Perth, whilst developing strong relationships with key accounts. Red Bull pride themselves on a fast paced culture of continual learning, innovation, development and fun along with a great opportunity to build a successful career. Want in? Apply here.

Wanna work with one of the most iconic beer companies in Australia? Carlton & United Breweries are creating a new group of experts to focus on driving and increasing market share within the craft brewing sector, and theyre on the hunt for Business Development Executives  Craft Beer (AUS) to join them in Sydney and Melbourne. Theyre looking for passion and an engaging style on the concept, styles, brands, developments, trends and flavours of craft beer, to help align them with this growing trend. Youll be a passionate beer connoisseur with a credible knowledge and active interest in craft brewing, as well as expertise in keeping and serving beer, beer styles, beer tastes and flavours, beer ingredients and processes and beer and food pairing. As a beer educator and skilled story-teller, you will take responsibility for building client relationships; growing the distribution, volume, profitability and brand experience within a portfolio of craft & specialty bars; urban progressive venues; and/or fine dining, and contemporary restaurants and cafes. Like the sound of this? Apply here.

And now, in 2 sentences or less, more of todays top hot jobs.

Crave variety, working for a brand that aligns with your values and a 4 day work week? Ethical beauty brand Kester Black are looking for a Wholesale Sales Manager (MELB), apply here.

Want a creative career with an exciting youth fashion brand? Ally Fashion are on the hunt for a Visual Merchandiser (NSW) to join the team, apply here.

Ready for a hands-on role coming up with digital solutions for a media business? You could be the Web Developer  Graduate/Junior (SYD) that Universal Magazines are after, apply here.

Are you a pop-culture fanatic and celeb goss gal/guy? If youre ready for the next step on your design career, apply to be Designer  NW (SYD) at Bauer Media, over here.

Theres nothing like that new job feeling, rite?

All deets courtesy of Pedestrian Jobs.

Dont let your dream job slip you by  Love your work!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and get yourself signed up to our Daily Job Alerts.
You might remember, back in February last year there was mass outrage over a group of tourists killing a tiny baby dolphin because they swarmed to take selfies with it. It tragically passed away due to dehydration, after the tourists kept passing around so they could each get photographs with it.

Now, were heartbroken to report that its happened a second time, again in Argentina.

While the identical incident last year was at a beach in the resort town of Santa Teresita, the most recent death was located in San Bernardo.

Tourists allegedly dragged the dolphin out of the ocean, after it swam towards the shore.

A blurry Youtube video shows a crowd surrounding the tiny animal and petting and cuddling the mammal, and taking photos of it.

Otra vez mataron a un delfin en San Bernardo. Sacaron al animal del mar para sacarse fotos. pic.twitter.com/4qzYnWvKiH  C5N (@C5N) January 23, 2017

A witness of the heartbreaking incident told Argentinian news channel C5N:

They let him die. He was young and came to the shore. They could have returned him to the waterin fact, he was breathing. But everyone started taking photos and touching him. They said he was already dead.

Lets not get it twisted  animals are very cute and excellent. Lets not kill them for selfies.

National Geographic puts it best in their fantastic piece, The Dark Side of Trendy Animal Photos:

Social media has changed the landscape, making exotic animals seem adorable and acceptable, but what you dont see is the suffering that lies behind the images. Makingand sharingthese images and videos puts the animals at risk by heightening their appeal as pets and giving the impression that its fun (and safe) to get close to them.

Source: National Geographic / Twitter.

Photo: Hernan Coria / Facebook.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Tafe Queensland to get yall chasing yo dreams, because we dont reckon you should wait to make great happen, no matter how big or small. Together, were offering one of yall a paid, week-long, all-inclusive internship at P.TV HQ  a great way to hustle career-wise AND make cash. Keep reading to learn some ace saving tips + how you can land the internship before sussing Tafe Queenslands courses HERE.

Its a big ol Catch 22, aint it? Youre not making money so you can learn to do something to facilitate the eventual making of money.

Living pay cheque to pay cheque obviously removes the ability to tuck some moola away for that vaycay (or whatever) youve been dreaming of, so weve compiled some sound advice on how you can save in conditions thatd normally prevent it.

COP LIVING WITH YOUR RENTS

As most 20-somethings will agree, try and withstand living in your family abode for as long as humanly possible. Yeah, getting told to clean your room gets old (as well as the nagging WHERE ARE YOU texts at 2AM when youre doing your thang at the club), but generally speaking its the best set-up a financially fledgling student could ask for.

Consider the average amount youd likely spend on rent if you were to move out, halve that number (cos you should obviously treat yoself a lil if youve got spare cash to splash) and dedicate that figure from your weekly pay straight into yer savings account.

$$$ NEVER SEEN = $$$ NEVER MISSED

Those whove done their dash on the rental scene + pay their rent via an automatic deduction dont miss the money theyre forking out to keep a roof over their heads. Sure, when you take a step back and look at the total sum you pay annually, it can be a shock to the system  but day-to-day, you dont miss that cash the way you would if you just blew your entire wage on clothes.

This boils down to rent being viewed as a mandatory expense  just your average cost of living, etc. Because your wage goes in and your rent comes out in one foul swoop, you kinda forget that its happening. You dont think, Ive got $600 I can spend this week minus rent. You approach it like, Ive got $400 to spend this week. Thats because money never seen = money never missed.

Shift your attitude and start looking at saving as an expense. Additionally, start an automatic transfer from your weeks pay to a saving account (potentially with an entirely different bank that you have self-imposed restrictions of accessing). You wont be grieving over that $50 thats gone towards your nest egg if you never considered it money you could spend anyway, right?





PAYING ON TIME & FEELING FINE

Paying yo bills and rent when its due will:

1. Aid in keeping track of how much moola you have at your disposal for that week / fortnight / month.

2. Help you avoid those darn late payment charges.

3. Get your credit rating healthier than Gwyneth Paltrows bodily excretions.

Chuck those extra dollars youve saved into a place where you cant touch em.

GET AROUND YOUR ENTITLEMENTS

Thankfully, large / small organisations nation-wide recognise the struggle that is paying your way while undertaking tertiary education (thanks guys

Utilising student offers means youll be able to affordably maintain a somewhat entertaining lifestyle (to stave off study burnout) and pocket your savings for a rainy day.

CUT ALL OF THE COSTS

Wanna know the best way to save money? NOT SPENDING IT.

:O

Heres a few costs you should have a crack at reducing where possible so you can get that savings account in a solid place.

Brunching & Lunching

As a chronic lunch-buyer, I recognise how costly it is to not make a hella decent but el cheapo sanga at home. Ive had long runs, however, of prepping lunch at home the night before, and the difference it makes is massive. Note to self: start making lunch at home again, you idiot.

Point A -> Point B

Between fuel and paid parking, driving solo to your place of study can chew up a bit of your income. That being said, the convenience of cruising in leisurely while cranking JLOs Love Dont Cost A Thing is an option thats hard to deny yourself.

Put your feelers out during your first week of study to see if anyone lives near you, and either head on in with them, or pick em up on the way. Most are happy to split the costs of fuel / parking, because feels.

If your only option is flying solo, then do yourself a solid and take flight on a bus or train. Yes, its a mission, but your wallet will give you a big ol thank you.

Pre-Loved Books

Unless you experience a spiritual affinity with your semesters text book, odds are youll never pick it up again. That feeling is mutual amongst your peers, whore likely to flog them online or at your place of study for a heavily reduced cost.

Sure, theres nothing quite like deeply inhaling the scent of a new book, but save the cash and spend it on a text youll read time and time again  not from something youre having to purchase as a mandatory.

So yeah, by cutting a few corners here and there youll be right as rain finically.

But what about career growth? How can you ensure all your study will pay off? Well, by getting some work experience under your belt, of course  and why work / gain experience for free when you can get paid for it? If thats tickling your fancy, then get around our all-inclusive, epic internship at P.TV HQ by enter the below competition:

WIN PAID ALL INCLUSIVE INTERNSHIP AT PEDESTRIAN.TV HQ + STUDY SCHOLARSHIP

In the interim, dont wait to make great by heading to TAFE Queenslands website HERE.

Photo: The Simple Life.
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone, a real estate lending, investment and advisory company, today announced it has provided a $5,221,000 Fannie Mae DUS Green Mortgage Loan to refinance The Duddington in Washington, D.C. The loan was originated by Andrew Ellis of Greystones Rockville, MD office.



Fannie Maes Multifamily Green Financing provides property owners investing in energy- and water-cost reducing retrofits with preferential pricing and, for some loans, additional loan proceeds. The Duddington loan is a non-recourse, 10-year fixed rate loan with a 30-year amortization that received the Fannie Mae Green Building Certification Pricing Break.

The Duddington is a three-story, 34-unit residential market-rate rental building that was built in 1910. The owners purchased the property in April 2014 and invested over $1.5 million in environmentally friendly capital improvements such as rooftop solar panels, new roof, double-pane windows and replacement of the gas-fired boiler heating system with in-unit individual HVAC systems. As a result of the retrofits, the building received the Environmental Protection Agencys ENERGY STAR Certification in December 2016.

Taking advantage of Fannie Maes green lending platform is a win-win for property owners, said Mr. Ellis. They are able to lower overall operational costs, benefit the environment, and receive favorable terms for adhering to environmental standards. We are thrilled to have completed a 6th transaction for this borrower, who has taken advantage of many attractive Fannie Mae financing options over the years.

About Greystone

Greystone is a real estate lending, investment and advisory company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top FHA and Affordable Fannie Mae lender in these sectors. Our range of services includes commercial lending across a variety of platforms such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, CMBS, FHA, USDA, bridge and proprietary loan products. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc., Greystone Funding Corporation and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greyco.com.
Here we go: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled a meeting with US President Donald Trump over renewed tensions over Trumps plan to a) build a wall and b) make Mexico pay for it.

This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS, Pena Nieto tweeted. Mexico offers and demands respect, as the sovereign nation that we are  We reaffirm our friendship with the people of the United States and will try to reach agreements with the government on behalf of Mexicans  Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the United States to achieve agreements in favour of both nations.



It comes after Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to begin the process of erecting the highly divisive wall, which is estimated to cost between $12$15 billion (AU$15.92$19.89 billion).

Trump has repeatedly claimed he would make Mexico foot the bill, but shortly after the signing of said executive orders  which Trump also later declared in a press conference would get the bad ones out  Pena Nieto posted a video to Twitter reiterating his stance that Mexico would do no such thing.

Mexico does not believe in walls. Ive said time again: Mexico will not pay for any wall.

He also said that 50 U.S. consulates will convert into migrant rights defence centres, and told Mexicans living in the States: Youre not alone. The Mexican government will extend legal aid to give you the protections you require.

Trump responded by goading his Mexican counterpart into cancelling, something Mexican media had reported yesterday he was thinking of doing anyway.

The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017

Its now being reported that Trump is calling for a 20% tax on Mexican imports in order to cover the cost.

BREAKING: White House spokesman: Trump calling for 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico to pay for southern border wall.  The Associated Press (@AP) January 26, 2017

It also really, really needs to be pointed out that former Mexican president Vicente Fox Quesada is using his Twitter account almost solely to deliver fuck you after fuck you to Trump.

Sean Spicer, Ive said this to @realDonaldTrump and now Ill tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall  Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) January 25, 2017

Sean Spicer, Ive said this to @realDonaldTrump and now Ill tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall  Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) January 25, 2017

#trump grow up,behave like a president.Stop lying and cheating American https://t.co/ODERldPWI8 know you lost popular vote.  Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) January 25, 2017

Although, if presidents (both current and former) continue to wage international relations via their Twitter accounts, could one of the many people they pay big dollars to manage said accounts teach them how to thread their bloody tweets? Cheers.

Photo: Getty / Chip Somodevilla.
If youve ever had fantasies of acting out those first few scenes in The Little Mermaid  you know, these ones:

Then prepare for your dreams to come true, because scientists have just discovered four 19th century shipwrecks off the Queensland coast.

Australian National Maritime Museum archaeologists found the vessels at Kenn Reef, 500km off the coast of central Queensland. One of the wreck explorers, Dr James Hunter of Flinders University, told the Courier Mail that the search party had discovered over a dozen iron anchors, a bunch of copper-alloy fasteners, and at least six cannons.

Cool.

The team  which also discovered 1829 government schooner the Mermaid in 2009  were searching for the wrecks of the brig Bona Vista, which disappeared in 1828, and the barque Jenny Lind, which vanished in 1850.

Dr Hunter said that identifying the wrecks theyve begun to explore wont be an easy task.

This will take months of careful examination of the archaeological discoveries against historical records, including ships logs and accounts of shipwrecks in newspapers from the period.

Eight ships are known to have been wrecked during the 1800s in the same area off Bundaberg, which was known to be a dangerous stretch of coastline.

Source: Courier Mail.

Image: Julia Sumerling / Silentworld Foundation via Australian National Maritime Museum / Instagram.
Have you ever gotten a gift from someone that they were so stoked to give you, and it turns out to be a framed photo of themselves?

Consider that to be precisely what US President Donald Trump has bestowed upon us, the inferior shitty nation of Australia, in his first Australia Day message to us all.

Trump delivered an Australia Day message, though not in person. Acting secretary of state Thomas Shannon Jr was the short-straw-drawing soul who had to filter the words written by tiny hands through his human mouth.

The message, which began reasonably earnestly  praising Australia and the United States diplomatic ties, even though it came days after Trump tore up the TPP (which, while objectively a good thing, has got to have rustled the jimmies of the Coalition)  but it quickly devolved into stressing how important the US is to Australias economic fortunes; even going so far as to suggest that the ties between the countries began with the First Fleet.

The statement, annotated for brow-furrowing when necessary, reads as follows:

On behalf of President Trump and the American people, it is my honour to congratulate the people of Australia as you celebrate this Australia Day, 229 years after the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Harbour. It has been over 75 years since your commonwealth and the United States established diplomatic relations, but connections between America and Australia reach back to that fleet.

Well, if you consider England declaring Terra Nullius on an entire continent because they needed a new penal colony after the American War of Independence a connection, then yeah. Otherwise, citation needed.

Today, travel is easier, and we are honoured to host almost 1.5 million Australians in the United States each year, with over 200,000 Australians here on any given day.

This is an absolute PEARLER of a quote given that it came on the literal same day where reports emerged suggesting that Donald Trump is considering revising the visa waiver program in such a way that would force all Australian tourists to attend a face-to-face interview with the US Embassy in order to obtain the 90-day tourist visa that, for the time being, takes about 10 minutes on a computer to obtain.

Today, Australia and the United States are top trade and investment partners, with $US65 billion ($A86 billion) in goods and services flowing between us each year.

The United States is responsible for over a quarter of all foreign direct investment in Australia and we are the top destination for Australian investment abroad.

Youre doing real good by yourselves and all. But without us youd be screwed.

Our cooperation is deep and comprehensive: from space exploration to protecting the worlds oceans to collaborating in the search for a cure for cancer. The United States has no better friend than Australia, and our longstanding alliance is a force for stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and around the globe. I wish all of your people a blessed Australia Day, and continued prosperity and peace in 2017.

America: AUSTRALIA IS MY BEST FRIEND.

Australia:

In the grand scheme of everything weve gotten off quite lightly so far. But it has only been one week. Theres a few more to go yet.

Source: SMH.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty.
Mischa Barton has been reportedly hospitalised for psychiatric evaluation following disturbing behaviour at her West Hollywood home.

TMZ reports that the 31-year-old was hanging over her backyard fence wearing only a shirt and a tie, rambling about how her mum was a witch, the world was shattering, and something about Ziggy Stardust.

Firefighters were called to the scene after being alerted to a jumper or possible overdose, reports the website. Law enforcement sources told the website that she was voluntarily transferred to hospital for mental evaluation.

The former OC star was sectioned for two weeks in a psychiatric ward in July 2009, under a Californian law that allows a psychiatrist to involuntarily confine a person deemed to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to themselves and others.

At the time, Mischa explained: If they feel you are depressed or a danger to yourself they can hold you on a 5150 [the aforementioned law]. I am terrified of needles and they wanted to pump me full of drugs and I said, No, absolutely not. I dont want to be here, and got into a fight with the nurses, and that led to my 5150.



No official word from Mischas people has yet been released, but we hope shes getting the help she needs.

Photo: Getty / Bruce Glikas.



To speak to someone about mental health, call BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636. If you are in distress, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc (JLT), one of the world's leading providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and associated services, has acquired a majority stake in Construction Risk Partners LLC (CRP), a construction risk and surety specialty insurance broker in the U.S.



Highly regarded in the industry, CRP counts many of North Americas largest contractors as clients and acts as the broker of choice for over 150 construction clients.



The partnership means added scale, specialist construction capability and market presence for JLT Specialty USA, in line with the Groups strategy to build out its U.S. Specialty business. CRP provides JLT with a platform to accelerate the expansion of its construction business, adding deep capability in the substantial and growing North American market to JLTs global specialty strength in construction. CRP will have access to JLTs global resources to support its continued expansion across the U.S. and introduce JLTs wider specialist insurance products to its clients.



JLT and CRP share a strong strategic and cultural fit as specialist brokers and already work closely together serving a number of JLTs global construction clients. CRPs product specialties align with JLTs global construction capabilities, which have enabled JLT to become the broker to many of the worlds contractors and largest construction projects.



CRP has a strong and experienced management team, all of whom will remain with the business, which will trade as Construction Risk Partners, a JLT Group company.



Dominic Burke, JLT Group Chief Executive Officer, said: Our partnership with Construction Risk Partners puts us in a strong position in one of the worlds most attractive construction growth markets. JLT is already one of the worlds leading construction risk brokers and advisors, and this important partnership further strengthens our global capabilities and will provide a significant complement to our growing U.S. Specialty business which we launched in 2014.



Mike Rice, CEO of JLT Specialty USA, said: CRP and JLT share a profound commitment to specialty expertise and to putting the client first. That's a compelling proposition for our clients, in the US and globally, who have helped both JLT and CRP gain significant market share in recent years. Our partnership is a major milestone in the JLT Specialty USA growth story, establishing a leading position in a market that matters for construction clients around the world.



Al Marquis, Partner, Construction Risk Partners, said: At CRP, our clients have a trusted partner with a reputation for unparalleled expertise and insight. At JLT, its clients have access to the rigour and advocacy only one of the worlds largest construction specialists can offer. We are looking forward to working in partnership to build an exciting future together.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Jardine Lloyd Thompson

Jardine Lloyd Thompson is one of the worlds leading providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and associated services. JLTs client proposition is built upon its deep specialist knowledge, client advocacy, tailored advice and service excellence.

JLT is quoted on the London Stock Exchange and owns offices in 40 territories with more than 10,600 employees. Supported by the JLT International Network, it offers risk management and employee benefit solutions in 135 countries.

For further information about JLT, please visit our website www.jlt.com and follow us on LinkedIn at JLT Group and Twitter @JLTGroup.

About JLT Specialty USA

JLT Specialty USA is the U.S. platform of the leading specialty business advisory firm, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group. Our experts have deep industry and product experience serving leading U.S. and global firms. Our key to client success is our freedom to be creative, collaborative, and analytical while challenging conventions, redefining problems, creating new analytical insights, and exploring new boundaries to deliver solutions for each clients unique business and risks.

For further information about JLT, please visit our website www.jltus.com and follow us on LinkedIn at JLT Specialty USA and Twitter @JLTSpecialtyUSA.
NEW CITY ENERGY LIMITED

Date of Announcement: 27/01/2017

RELEASE OF REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Directors announce the release of the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 September 2016.

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2016

During the year to 30 September 2016 your Company's total return in net asset value terms was 6.3% as we saw a modest recovery in energy shares following the oil price collapse in 2015/16. The total return in ordinary share price terms was 28.6%, with the share price ending the year at a discount against net asset value of 14.7%.

The investment managers have coped well in a very volatile year but they believe the US commercial shale producers have fundamentally changed the shape of the energy market by replacing OPEC as the swing producer of oil. The US producers have utilised technology to improve yields from their acreage and at the same time reduce production costs. This dynamic means they are very flexible and able to cope with fluctuating prices and to pump oil even at levels that were thought uneconomic two or three years ago. The investment management team believe this will curtail oil price increases and makes a weak investment case for energy.

With the above in mind the Board of Directors has been reviewing, with NCE's investment manager, the future prospects of the Company ahead of the next continuation vote. Given the current market capitalisation of the Company, the prevailing share price discount and the short to medium term outlook for the oil price, your Board has decided that it would be in the best interests of Shareholders to propose that the Company be wound up and that the Company's surplus assets (after full provision for liquidation costs) be distributed in cash to Shareholders.

A circular to Shareholders is being prepared to convene an extraordinary general meeting of Shareholders to wind up the Company voluntarily. The circular will set out in full detail the proposals. A further announcement will be made in due course.

I would like to thank all Shareholders for your support for the Company since it was launched in 2008.

David Norman

Chairman

January 2017

INVESTMENT ADVISER'S REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2016

It has been an extremely volatile year for oil markets following the removal of a production quota by OPEC in November 2014, and the resultant increase in production from most members which was swiftly followed by a shift in US energy policy allowing crude exports from December 2014. Oversupply extended into a second year with global inventories rising 20% to 1.24Bn barrels, in turn dragging average oil prices down. Prices averaged around $40 average per barrel for the 12 month period with prices dipping into the $20's per barrel at their nadir. Capital expenditure has fallen dramatically and wellfield decline rates take effect which should support prices and provide a floor above the year lows.

It remains our belief that the oil market as we knew it has changed. We believe oil prices will continue to trade within a $45-60/bbl range for the foreseeable future with commercial shale producers resisting OPEC's dominant status as the swing producer. We believe the improved responsiveness of this segment will act to more rapidly balance balancing markets and reduce volatility in oil pricing. The removal of OPEC's quota mechanism in 2014 was in part a pre-emptive move to discourage unconventional oil and gas production. However, US shale production has proved impressively resilient, with production efficiencies from increased sand usage within individual frack's and a greater use of multi well drilling pads, driving significant cost reductions. While not all shale producers have survived, with multiple bankruptcies occurring on lower quality acreage, those that remain are stronger and leaner with many making good returns at $50/ bbl oil.

We believe the Permian Basin to be the most prolific of all the US oil shales, evidenced by the pick-up in land based rig deployment which has increased 46% since the low in May. Testament to the favourable economics of the Permian Basin, it remains the only US basin not to have seen a fall in production. Producers with Permian acreage should continue to benefit as unconventional technologies further improve costs and shortening investment cycles improve productivity. Such low cost, short production lead times provide a significant competitive advantage when compared to capital intensive, long lead time proposition of conventional offshore projects.

Reflecting this view the Fund's equity exposure remains focused on these unconventional oil producers and suppliers of drill fluids or sand for fracking, which are able to benefit from increasing production and activity rather than rely on higher oil prices. Approximately half of the fund's assets are focused on operators and suppliers in the US Permian Basin or similarly low cost on-shore producers in other geographies. Although all of these positions would undoubtedly benefit from higher oil prices they do not require it and will be able to tolerate crude prices at the lower end of our expectations.

At the time of writing OPEC has proposed a production cut of around 500-700k barrels per day. There is a lack of detail on which countries will contribute to these cuts although it appears that Iran, Libya and Nigeria will be granted exemption from the restriction. Iraq is also requesting exclusion in order to fund their military campaign against ISIS. Indeed the number of OPEC members exempted from discussions is placing even greater onus on Saudi Arabia. These exemptions similarly undermine the potential galvanising effect that the fiscal deficits being run by many OPEC's member economies could engender towards an agreement. It is hoped that greater clarity will be provided at OPEC's November meeting. OPEC is also seeking participation from some non-OPEC members. Putin has suggested that Russia, the world's largest oil producing nation, may contribute though this would be reliant on OPEC reaching a collective agreement to cut and even then Russia's track record of honouring such commitments has been poor.

Supply shocks remain an important consideration though for the time being threats of disruption appear to be easing. ISIS appears to be losing position in Libya while the Nigerian government appears close to agreeing terms with rebel groups which could reduce the risks of sabotage on key infrastructure. Social unrest in Venezuela, whose economy appears on the brink of collapse, could interrupt oil production. However, it is noteworthy that debt funding provided by China is structured for repayment in physical crude.

Oil Demand has been strong following the fall in pricing, with US miles driven up around 3% year on year, though this demand effect may conversely weaken with higher prices. Emerging market GDP growth remains an important driver of demand, with the growing middle classes of China, India and Indonesia key to increased demand. GDP growth in Asia ex-Japan is forecast to remain healthy at approximately 5.7% pa over the next 3 years. We monitor the development of electric vehicles closely and whilst the growth in usage is impressive, the low levels of penetration will limit their materiality is are unlikely to alter oil demand in the next 10 years. They will alter the rate with which demand grows which importantly could lead current OPEC producers to view their oil reserves as finite assets rather than multi-generational appreciating assets.

The Fund owns a few positions in shipping stocks, which have hindered the Fund's capital performance over the last 12 months. They were held due to what we had viewed as strong supply fundamentals, in the case of BWLPG from increased US propane production as a shale by-product and increased oil production from exporting regions in the case of Euronav. Both of these themes played out over the period, especially with increasing OPEC exports, although the stocks lagged as day rates were weak following the delivery of new ships. We continue to hold these positions as we believe the fundamentally supportive backdrop remains in place and we anticipate improving day rates going forward. These stocks are both leaders in their shipping subsectors and should be a key provider of income going forward. While income within the energy sector is increasingly scarce, as improving returns on investment and cash flows continue to be directed towards servicing balance sheets we believe the Fund's healthy income reserves leave it in a strong position to manage income expectations.

Robert Crayfourd, Keith Watson and Ian Francis

New City Investment Managers

January 2017

For further information please contact:

Craig Cleland - New City Investment Managers - 0207 201 5368

Lisa Neil - R&H Fund Services (Jersey) Limited - 01534 825 336

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9e91adf-3c27-4c1e-aed6-b2c8fa07480e
Crystal Lehky stocks about 200 items in an unpackaged format in her Green Zero Waste Grocery store on Salt Spring Island, which has been open for about nine months. Everything in her low-impact store is grown or manufactured in Canada with the least possible chemical process. Consumers are encouraged to bring their own bags and containers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Wayne Stadler MANDATORY CREDIT
NORCROSS, Ga., Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of WestRock Company (NYSE:WRK) today declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share on its common stock payable on February 20, 2017 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 10, 2017.



About WestRock

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) partners with our customers to provide differentiated paper and packaging solutions that help them win in the marketplace. WestRocks 39,000 team members support customers around the world from more than 250 operating and business locations spanning North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Learn more at www.westrock.com.

WestRock

Investors:

Matt Tractenberg, 470-328-6327

Vice President  Head of Investor Relations

matt.tractenberg@westrock.com

Media Contact:

Chris Augustine, 470-328-6305

Director, Corporate Communications

mediainquiries@westrock.com


A woman walks into the Caressant Care facility in Woodstock, Ontario on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. A long-term care home where a former nurse is accused of killing seven seniors has been ordered by the province to temporarily stop admitting new patients. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley
A Tim Hortons coffee shop in downtown Toronto, on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. The Tim Hortons brand is expanding into Mexico, which will be its first Latin American market.Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX:QSP), which owns the coffee, bakery and sandwich chain, says it has teamed up with a group of investors in Mexico to form a joint venture.. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima.
TransCanada CEO Russ Girling arrives to speak at the 20th Annual Whistler Institutional Investor Conference, in Whistler, B.C., on Wednesday January 25, 2017. TransCanada Corp. said Thursday it has submitted a new presidential permit application to the U.S. Department of State for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
FILE Ai In this November 2005 file photo, Larry Greene, public information director of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, demonstrates how a curtain is pulled between the death chamber and witness room at the prison in Lucasville, Ohio. Magistrate Judge Michael Merz in Dayton, Ohio, declared Ohio's new three-drug lethal injection process unconstitutional on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, and delayed three executions, including the execution of Ronald Phillips that had been scheduled Feb. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP alerts investors in Banc of California (NYSE:BANC) to the securities class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the March 24, 2017 Lead Plaintiff deadline.



If you purchased or otherwise acquired securities of BANC between October 29, 2015 and January 20, 2017 and suffered over $50,000 in losses contact Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. For more information visit:

https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/BANC

or contact Reed Kathrein, who is leading the firms investigation, by calling 510-725-3000 or emailing BANC@hbsslaw.com.

On October 18, 2016, the price of BANC shares fell nearly 29% after SeekingAlpha published a report stating that BANCs Chief Executive Officer (Steven Sugarman) had undisclosed ties to a criminal convicted of manipulating Gerova Financial Ltd. stock. The Company issued a press release that day stating that BANCs disinterested directors investigated the matter.

However, the SEC issued a formal order of investigation and a subpoena of the Company on January 12, 2017, after which the Company issued a January 23, 2017 statement admitting it made false statements in its October 18, 2016 release. Hagens Berman is currently investigating the extent of these false statements.

The relationship between BANCs senior executives and an admitted financial criminal is obviously information any reasonable shareholder would want to know before investing in a companys stock, said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Banc of California should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new SEC whistleblower program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 510-725-3000 or email BANC@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national investor-rights law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington with offices in 10 cities. The Firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the Firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw.
Charlevoix closes the door to J-L comeback, earns third straight D3 district title

HARBOR SPRINGS  When the Charlevoix volleyball team took a two-set lead over Johannesburg-Lewiston in their Division 3 district final match Friday, there was no way the Rayders would be celebrating 
As a leading player in the Icelandic and European seafood sector the company believes it is incumbent upon them to make a statement regarding the above subject matter.

As has been widely reported, negotiations between Fisheries Iceland (SFS) and the various Fishermen's unions broke down earlier this week, leading to uncertainty on when fishing of larger boats/vessels will recommence. The small boat fleet in Iceland has continued supplying the markets throughout this period.

At Iceland Seafood International, six out of seven of the Group's companies operate outside of Iceland, including three factory operations in Europe. This geographic diversity provides the Group with a robust position. The majority of these foreign companies are not solely reliant on Iceland for supplies and are in a position of securing raw materials and products from other countries. Outside of fresh products, the Group's foreign subsidiaries entered this period with healthy stocks which have to date enabled continued supplies to our customers.

The strike therefore has so far not materially affected the financial performance of ISI and the potential effects on the 2017 results will be dependent on various factors, one being how long the fishing fleet in Iceland is in-active.

ISI will continue to work closely with operating suppliers in Iceland and internationally to mitigate the effects of the strike on our customer base and like all companies in the sector look forward to the prompt resolution of this strike.

Elsewhere, the Group this year remains focused on its strategy to explore acquisition opportunities in Europe and looks forward to announcing its annual results in late March.
Vegan eating has skyrocketed in popularity over the course of recent decades, with more than 1,400 plant-based restaurants opening all across the US. While Philadelphia is historically known for cheesesteaks, countless vegan restaurants now call the city home. This is
HOUSTON, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As consumer needs and business demands evolve, so must commercial real estate. In the latest edition of Insights, Transwestern explores how specialization is driving value for tenants, investors and end users across the retail, industrial and multifamily sectors.



RETAILERS EMBRACING MOBILE DATA

Retailers have long tracked how many consumers enter and exit their stores and at what hours. However, todays more sophisticated retailers are now monitoring how customers move and interact with merchandise within stores, influencing real estate decisions.

Mobile data helps retailers improve the customers shopping experience, playing a role in store and product configuration as well as staffing decisions.

Using a mobile app, retailers can personalize the experience, engaging directly with customers by suggesting new or similar items or sending the customer coupons or deal codes.

Specialized data vendors such as UberMedia and Streetlight Data can provide data that shows consumer activity patterns and how customers interact with physical space.

A more exact trade area can be established by plotting out all mobile interactions, which is highly beneficial for site selection.

INTERMODAL SOLUTIONS OVERCOMING E-COMMERCE CHALLENGES

Online sales have challenged industrial site selection teams by making new and sometimes contrary demands on real estate. Most merchants enjoyed lower operating costs in the early days of e-commerce by utilizing fulfillment centers outside of costly populated areas, but that model is quickly losing its luster.

Many industrial suppliers are adapting to e-commerce changes and driving down costs by consolidating widely dispersed warehouses into hub-and-spoke networks, characterized by highly efficient facilities at the center that receive, store and ship commodities to customers.



Large fulfillment centers are more likely to be drawn to intermodal hubs offering multiple modes of freight access including trucks, rail, and even air freight or a seaport, and savvy industrial users are showing a willingness to pay for premium locations.

Site selection for these fulfillment centers should focus on functional optimization, identifying real estate strategies that improve operational efficiencies, output, productivity, employee amenities, and, ultimately, net operating income.

Companies pursuing functional optimization in their space planning have significantly increased the quantities, densities and classifications of commodities they are allowed to store, exponentially increasing the buildings utility.

MICRO-UNIT APARTMENTS APPEARING IN SECONDARY URBAN MARKETS

In an increasing number of cities, the migration of residential renters into urban neighborhoods has accelerated rent growth and pushed even entry-level lease rates for downtown housing beyond the means of many recent college graduates, service workers and young professionals. Transwestern Development Co. is tapping that underserved segment of renters.

Indie Apartments in Austin, Texas, combines 138 apartments and a ground-floor restaurant onto a half-acre tract in the thriving East Sixth entertainment district, just east of downtown. The property consists primarily of fully furnished 350-square-foot studios and 520-square-foot, two-bedroom units.

High-efficiency studios achieve the high rent per square foot that developers and investors require to meet their return on investment threshold while offering an affordable apartment with amenities and finishes otherwise found only in Class A, market-rate properties.

Indie Apartments gross monthly rent is expected to be 20 percent below that of Class A efficiency apartments, making it a good choice for any for anyone in a life transition, from students to retirees and newly singles, as well as those who work downtown and business travelers.

Because young renters show a preference for walking, biking, public transit and ridesharing over driving, micro-unit developments typically have reduced parking requirements, helping to control construction costs.

View the entire first quarter 2017 issue of Insights at http://twurls.com/insights1q17.

ABOUT TRANSWESTERN

Transwestern is a privately held real estate firm of collaborative entrepreneurs who deliver a higher level of personalized service  the Transwestern Experience. Specializing in Agency Leasing, Management, Tenant Advisory, Capital Markets, Research and Sustainability services, our fully integrated global enterprise adds value for investors, owners and occupiers of all commercial property types. We leverage market insights and operational expertise from members of the Transwestern family of companies specializing in development, real estate investment management and research. Based in Houston, Transwestern has 34 U.S. offices and assists clients through more than 180 offices in 37 countries as part of a strategic alliance with BNP Paribas Real Estate. Experience Extraordinary at transwestern.com and @Transwestern.
WASHINGTON, D.C. , Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Fairness in Music Licensing Coalition and VNUE, Inc. announced today a partnership to advance efforts to reform U.S. Copyright law so that the music economy is more transparent for both small business music users and songwriters.



We are developing technology that will identify music that is played in venues, whether it is live, recorded, karaoke, or some other form of performance, said music technology expert Zach Bair, CEO of VNUE (OTC: VNUE) and also longtime president of DiscLive Network. We share the FMLC vision of making music licensing for venues and songwriters more transparent.



We are very excited that Zach has committed to our cause. He has tremendous knowledge and experience in the music industry and will help us update our music licensing system to the 21st century, said FMLC Director of Outreach Scott Ellis. We are constantly bombarded with questions from small business owners about what music they are paying for. We just dont know. We have learned from our industry surveys that similar businesses ultimately pay very different music licensing fees. Technology that identifies songwriters will help us and help songwriters too.



Our mission is to support small independent businesses and organizations that are impacted by music licensing, said Amy Christie, FMLC Vice President of Government Affairs. Opaque blanket licensing fees and harsh collection practices by Performing Rights Organizations, like ASCAP, BMI and SESAC impact our members every single day. We want to simplify, modernize and clarify the Copyright Act.



FMLC advocates for a music licensing system in which music users know what they are paying for and that fees go to the songwriters who deserve to be paid.



###



The Fairness in Music Licensing Coalition (FMLC) promotes and advances the interests of small businesses and organizations impacted by the current process for assessing music licensing fees. FMLC is the only advocacy organization exclusively focused on making the music licensing system simpler, fairer and more transparent for small businesses in the hospitality industry. For policy updates and more information on the association and its activities, visit the Fairness in Music Licensing Coalition on the web at www.musicfairness.org.
The fatal shooting of an armed man by two Camden County police officers during a domestic violence call in November 2015 was justified, prosecutors said Thursday.

Freddy Baez, 24, of Camden, shot once at the officers outside an apartment complex in Camden's Fairview section, causing them to take cover and return fire, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said. Baez was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officers were not injured.

The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. Nov. 24 in the 3200 building on Rutledge Walk in the Independence Village Apartment Complex, where the mother of Baez's girlfriend lived at the time.

The mother called 911 to report that Baez was banging on her door and told dispatchers, "I don't know if he has a gun or not," according to a recording of the call.

Dispatchers told the officers that Baez might be armed, and they approached the corner of the building with their guns drawn before encountering Baez, the Prosecutor's Office said.

The officers shined a flashlight at Baez and told him to put his hands up, authorities said. Baez then shot at them once, they said.

One of the officers later told investigators the bullet made a whistling sound as it passed by his left ear, authorities said.

A silver handgun was found next to the front porch where Baez fell, prosecutors said.

It is standard procedure for a prosecutor's office in New Jersey to investigate whether deadly force was justified any time a police officer shoots someone. The New Jersey Attorney General's Office, which also reviewed Baez's case, agreed with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office ruling.
It's incredibly strongit's been run over by a 450kg hay bale multiple times and thrown off so many drops. It's definitely held up way better than I could have hoped for.  Danny MacAskill

Dannys Santa Cruz 5010 CC specs:

Mountain bikers spend a load of time talking about bike setup this, and bike setup that, and there's not much point denying that there is an interest in how the pro riders set up their bikes. However, a lot of that curiosity is more commonly steered at the downhill and enduro bikes of our favorite riders, or those that ride the same equipment at least, but have you ever wondered what someone like Chris Akrigg or Danny MacAskill does for setup?This is by no means a thorough look at how Danny had his bike set up for his latest video, A Wee Day Out, but it's always interesting to see what other riders do (or don't do for that matter) when it comes to bike setup. Considering that Danny rides off obstacles that 99% of us mere mortals would never even dream of, his setup is going to be quite different to the rest of us, but it's interesting in any case. Bar: Santa Cruz 800 carbon bars Stem: Easton Haven stem Brakes: Magura MT7 RaceLine 203 rotors (front and rear) Grips: Lizard Skins Danny MacAskill lock-on Fork: Rockshox Pike 130mm travel Dropper post: Rockshox Reverb 130mm Rear shock: Fox float DPS Wheels: Industry nine hubs and black carbon rims Tires: Continental Barron 2.4 with apex casing (front and rear)
Horizon Village Outlets Sepang near KLIA Malaysia

To elevate Malaysias status as one of the best or probably the best shopping hub in the region, there are many new shopping malls opening or in the midst of opening in this few years in Klang Valley. On top of the new shopping malls, Malaysia will have many new premium outlets too. Currently there are Johor Premium Outlet, Penang Design Village, Freeport A Farmosa Outlet Village and Mitsui Outlet Park. Not forgetting the delay of opening of Genting Premium Outlet and now there is a new premium outlet called Horizon Village Outlets (HVO). We saw the construction in Sepang yesterday and they are set to open in 2018.

According to TheEdgeProperty, Horizon Village Outlets set to open in mid-2018 with confirmed tenants and brands such as Giuseppe Zanotti Design, Tumi, Swiss Watch Gallery, La Martina and Kate Space New York, said Horizon Group managing director of international business, David Nelson in an interview with City and Country. HVO is a 30:70 joint-venture project between US-based Horizon Group Properties and local outfit Mainstay Properties Sdn Bhd.

What is interesting about HVO is it is within 10 km range of Mitsui Outlet Park. It is located next to the Elite Highway and also the highway from Putrajaya to Sepang (after Dengkil). The GPS coordinate is as below of this story.

We revisited Mitsui Outlet Park yesterday and the mall wasnt that busy. Is there any more demand for a new Premium Outlet? Well, we will see soon in 2018. You can check out their official website at http://www.hvo.com.my/ for more information and news.

Horizon Village Outlets in Sepang GPS Coordinate:

2.840383, 101.697934

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
The nations largest police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, has issued a statement of support for President Trumps action on sanctuary cities.

The FOP has been very vocal on this issue and weve been adamant that local and state law enforcement agencies should always seek to cooperate with federal colleagues and vice versa, Chuck Canterbury, national president of the FOP, said. Previous solutions called for an unequivocal end to all federal grants for recalcitrant jurisdictions and there was a real concern about this approach on the part of the FOP. Instead, todays order makes the suspension of federal grants discretionary and we support this balanced approach.

The FOP opposed several bills in the previous Congress which would have blocked state and local law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities because in most cases these sanctuary jurisdictions were established by policymakers at the local level. The FOP argued that it was unfair to penalize the law enforcement agencies serving these jurisdictions for the political decisions of elected officials which prohibited or impeded cooperation with federal agencies. The executive order allows the U.S. attorney general and secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to make an informed decision about the public safety impact without an automatic suspension from federal grant programs.

I think the bottom line here is the administration agreed with us. We cannot automatically punish those whose sworn duty is to carry out policy, which may compromise the safety of the public, Canterbury said. However, we do need to encourage cooperation between all levels of law enforcement to ensure that arbitrary policies do not put a dangerous person back on the streets.
Brenda Joyce Wright is charged with attempted capital murder. (Photo: The Tom Green County Jail)

A couple arrested after confronting police officers who responded to a house fire in San Angelo, TX, set the fire with the intent of killing police who responded, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Texas Rangers have identified husband and wife Gary Ray Wright and Brenda Joyce Wright as the suspects involved in the fiery shooting standoff with San Angelo police on Friday January 13.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case, the couple intended to go out with a bang by killing police officers because of a grievance they had with the San Angelo Police Department, GoSanAngelo.com reports.

"Brenda Joyce Wright detailed how she and her husband had become frustrated with life," the affidavit stated. "The couple was dissatisfied over how a recent traffic accident had been investigated with the San Angelo Police Department. The couple viewed this as the 'last straw' and decided to put into motion a plan the couple had been planning for several weeks."
Today, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) National President Nathan Catura released the following statement in support of President Trump's latest immigration and border security executive orders empowering the Department of Homeland Security assets:

"We fully support President Trump's Executive Order to defund what we characterize as Sanctuary 'Cesspools' that harbor illegal aliens. These Cesspools have served as safe havens for illegal aliens who think our nation's immigration laws can be manipulated like salt-water taffy to satisfy their sweet tooth for the American pie. Sadly, Sanctuary Cesspool elected officials have prioritized their resources towards protecting illegal aliens while ignoring federal law enforcement efforts to protect the citizenry and our Homeland. We outright reject any misguided notion that these so-called sanctuaries are necessary to gain community trust. We are glad President Trump understands that the American citizenry's trust and confidence, as well as their safety, is our unwavering priority.

"FLEOA also applauds President Trump for providing the legal authority for state and local law enforcement officers to support federal officers in the investigation, apprehension and detention' of illegal aliens. When our law enforcement components are synchronized, the American citizenry is better served and protected. The National Gang Intelligence Center is a perfect example of this. While Sanctuary officials' hearts bleed for illegal aliens, our hearts bleed for the approximate 50,000 neglected homeless American military veterans. While Sanctuary officials support a 'Woodstock' environment that empowers recruitment for violent gangs such as MS-13, they continue to ignore the cycle of despair plaguing American citizens living in high-crime, low income neighborhoods.

"FLEOA stands behind the President's commitment to augment border security, and we applaud his Order to hire an additional 10,000 immigration law enforcement assets and 5,000 Border Patrol Agents. We support his directive to initiate efforts to construct a wall along the southern border, and to support Border Patrol Agents in combatting all forms of illegal trafficking. FLEOA is not unsympathetic to the plight facing those who desire to emigrate to the United States, but we are committed first to protecting the American citizenry and the unwavering rule of law. We look forward to working with General Kelly as he leads the Department of Homeland Security's law enforcement assets in support of their noble mission."
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The swift actions the Trump administration is taking to forbid certain government agencies from corresponding with public officials could be illegal, a top Democrat is now alleging.

According to reporting from Politico, the highest ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, says that memos sent by various agencies in the Trump administration restricting communication with the public could be in violation of several federal laws.

More from the report:

In a letter to White House counsel Donald McGahn, Cummings cites a Jan. 20 memo sent by acting Health and Human Services Secretary Norris Cochran that says there should be no correspondence to public officials (e.g. Members of Congress, Governors)  containing interpretations or statements of Department regulations or policy unless they are approved by the department.

Cummings letter asks the Trump administration to take immediate action to remedy the Trump administrations apparent violations of multiple federal laws by imposing gag orders on federal employees that prevent them from communicating with Congress.

Cummings argues the HHS memo, and possibly memos sent by other agencies, appear to violate several laws, including the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. The whistleblower law, Cummings said, requires the inclusion of a mandatory statement that employee communications with Congress and Inspectors General are protected in any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement.

Responding to criticism, the Trump administration is predictably blaming the media and claiming their directives are similar to those put out by previous administrations just after taking office. But the strict gag orders span several agencies, from Health and Human Services to the Department of Agriculture to the Environmental Protection Agency.

In emails to staff members at the EPA and Department of Agriculture, officials were told they are no longer allowed to discuss research with anybody outside their department.

Other government agencies have even taken preemptive steps to avoid being cut off from sharing critical information with the public, like the National Parks Service and NASA, both of which have reportedly created rogue Twitter accounts that arent officially connected to their agencies.

A series of other resistance Twitter accounts unofficially connected to other governmental bodies have popped up in recent days as well, from the National Weather Service to the Centers for Disease Control.

According to Politico, Rep. Cummings is also urging any federal employees to reach out to him if they are alarmed by the new administrations actions restricting outside communication.

While the new president is taking harsh steps to cut off government transparency, particularly when it comes to the scientific community, the good news is that Democrats and the agencies themselves arent taking it lying down; theyre fighting back.
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During an interview on Fox Newss Hannity, President Trump defined what he meant by fake news. According to Trump, all of the respectable outlets who label his false statements lies are fake news.

Video of Trump on Hannity:

https://youtu.be/lzl56sVw0JU

After ranting about his crowd size and accusations that he packed the crowd with his own supporters, Trump said, The media, much of the media, not all of it is dishonest. Honestly, its fake news. Its fake. They make things up.

Trump went on to call the media liars, and follow it up by lying again about his crowd size.

In the view of the President Of The United States, any media organization that fact checks him, or points out that he is lying is engaging in fake news, and making things up. By most CIA accounts, the applause that was coming from the crowd during Trumps CIA speech came from the group that the President brought with him. There is photographic and crowd scientist evidence that Donald Trumps inauguration was attended by an estimated 169,000-250,000.

The President and his administration are telling lies or making misleading statements on a daily basis, and anyone who fact checks them is labeled fake news.

Journalists and media organizations should now understand what Trump and his supporters mean when they claim that a story is fake news.

In Trump world, fake news is a synonym for facts that disagree with what the President is saying.

According to Trump, reality is fake news, and every responsible media outlet in America is fake news if they debunk his lies.
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The Trump administration has announced that they want to place a 20% tax on imports from Mexico to pay for his wall. In reality, what Trump is proposing is a 20% tax increase on American consumers.

Trumps Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters, The plan thats taking shape now using comprehensive tax reform to as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit with Mexico. You tax that at 50%. Fifty billion dollars at 20% of imports, which is by the way a practice that 160 countries do right now.

Spicer later added, We can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. Thats really going to provide the funding. Spicer also said that this mechanism respects the American taxpayer.

The press secretary refused to address what this tax increase would mean for American consumers. Prices will go up for everything from food to cars to electronics. The price for any imported item from Mexico will increase by 20%.

Everyone knows what a tariff really is:

Bottom line appears to be: President's proposed 20% tariff on Mexican goods is, in essence, a tax on American consumers  to finance wall  West Wing Reports (@WestWingReport) January 26, 2017

Pretty simple. Tariffs are taxes on the American consumer.  Stuart Rothenberg (@StuPolitics) January 26, 2017

Looks like the @realDonaldTrump plan to pay for the wall would be to mostly tax us consumers with a 20% import tariff on Mexican goods.  Steve Liesman (@steveliesman) January 26, 2017

Thus, Trump isnt making Mexico pay for the wall. He is passing on the walls cost to US consumers through higher prices.

There is also a flip side to the coin. The US exports $270 billion worth of goods to Mexico each year. The Mexican government will retaliate against Trump by imposing a 20% tac on US goods coming into Mexico. This would harm the heavy machinary exporters and agriculture. President Trumps tax would launch a trade war that would cause immediate damage to the US economy.

There is zero chance that Congress approves Trumps tax, but the Presidents lust for a trade war is real, and the man seems to have no clue that his plan would harm consumers and devastate the US economy.
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Donald Trump is planning to hold his first phone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin since being sworn in as president, according to a new report from NBCs Hallie Jackson.

Tweet:

News: President Trump and Vladimir Putin are expected to talk by phone this weekend, per administration source. 1st call since inauguration.  Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) January 27, 2017

While we can safely assume that the first thing Trump will say to the Russian leader will be thank you, it appears that the new U.S. president wont be the only one feeling grateful.

As Chris Hayes noted tonight on MSNBCs All In, there are related reports that Trump has an executive order ready to roll back the crippling sanctions on Russia that were enacted under President Obama. The actions could be taken as early as this weekend  around the same time the Trump-Putin call is set for.

Video:

Trump to speak with Putin, could roll back sanctions on Russia as early as this weekend via @allinwithchris pic.twitter.com/17AGk6ovM0  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) January 27, 2017

Hayes reports:

NBC News has learned from one source in the administration familiar with the planning that President Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone this weekend. Also, there are reports an executive order to roll back sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama administration could come as early as this weekend.

Trump has been silent on Russia since taking office last week, instead devoting most of his time to arguing about crowd sizes, non-existent voter fraud, and other alternative facts.

Meanwhile, the intelligence community continues to look into Russias interference in last years presidential election when the foreign government successfully influenced the contest in Trumps favor. There are also separate investigations into whether Moscow was in any way working directly with the Trump campaign.

As Thursdays news indicates, though, Trump seems ready to brush all of that under the rug and instead plans to reward Putin by dropping the sanctions implemented by the Obama administration.

Add all of this to the fact that the highest levels of the State Department have now been cleaned out as Putin pal Rex Tillerson is set to take over, and its beginning to look like the Trump administration is at least somewhat under the influence of a foreign government.
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Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) reacted to Trumps Muslim ban executive order by saying that he is ashamed that Donald Trump is our president.

In a statement, Rep. Moulton (D-MA) said:

President Trump is leading our country out of fear instead of facts. His executive orders banning refugees and immigrants from some Muslim-majority countries to the United States play right into the hands of our enemies. ISIS has already used his statements to help recruit new suicide bombers, and you can bet Trumps policies will help inspire attacks against Americans both at home and abroad.

His policies literally put our troops lives at riskIve heard this loud and clear when I have visited them overseas. They also prove he has zero understanding of our countrys values and no intention of defending our Constitution.

We are a nation of immigrants, and America is stronger when we welcome the refugees of our enemies. These policies do not put America first. I am ashamed that he is our president.

Rep. Moulton is an Iraq war vet who four tours in Iraq Marine Corps infantry officer. When this man says that Trumps executive order will endanger American lives, people should listen, because he experienced war and the Middle East firsthand.

Trumps ban on people from the majority-Muslim countries including Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen is a slap in the face to American values and our Constitution.

President Trump is a disgrace to democracy and has taken the ultimate action to prove that he is unfit to be Commander in Chief.
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This is how we start our days now:

Just waking up. Are we at war with Mexico, yet?  Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) January 27, 2017

It is a legitimate question.

The last head of Soviet Russia, Former General Secretary of the Communist Party Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who gave us peace by making Russia less before Vladimir Putin tried to make Russia more by giving us war, was apparently in the same thought-space as Ana Navarro when he warned today that it all looks as if the world is preparing for war.

Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.

Gorbachev, by the way, like President Obama, has something Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin do not, and will never have: A Nobel Peace Prize. Putin was nominated in 2014. But he didnt get it because Ukraine.

And there can be absolutely no doubt that if Donald Trump wanted a declaration of war that this is how he would do it, unilaterally and in violation of all accepted norms and without consulting anybody outside of Fox News.

Well just wake up one morning and see a tweet  if the bombs dont wake us up first.

Ana Navaro got an answer, as it happens:

@ananavarro Stayed tuned. The war on Mexico comes right after the War on Truth. The War on Science follows. No commercial interruptions.  RJ Palacio (@RJPalacio) January 27, 2017

There are wars and there are wars.

In the most recent dust-up, limited so far to words, Donald Trump had his feelings hurt by Mexico because he tried to bully them and they declined to be bullied and being made fun of rankled. So he took an ill-thought-out and outright stupid action as a knee-jerk reaction, one that was certain to bring even more ridicule.

Mexico wont be the only country to hurt his feelings. Probably, his safe place in all this will be Vladimir Putins Russia. And Gorbachev pointed his finger at not just Trump, but at Putin, saying the two must go before the United Nations and say nuclear war is unacceptable and must never be fought.

Trump says he loves nukes. Wants to know why we cant use them if we have them. Of course, he might deny that he ever said that tomorrow, if it becomes inconvenient that he ever said that, in which case like his 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports it will become unsaid.

The trouble with wars is that they can never be unfought. He can pretend he never said what he said, but you cant take back a declaration of war. Or at least to date, in all of human history, nobody has ever said, Ooops. My bad and offered to shake hands.

This is how we start our days in the post-Obama world, not with thoughts of ending wars, but with warnings of new wars in the air.
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Donald Trump has found proof of his totally wrong, misleading belief that massive voter fraud is what caused him to lose the popular vote by historic margins.

Where is this proof? Oh, well, its in a tweet from a random person, and has been thoroughly debunked by PolitiFact. Way back in November.

Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000 votes were illegal. We must do better! Your new President tweeted Friday morning.

Look forward to seeing final results of VoteStand. Gregg Phillips and crew say at least 3,000,000 votes were illegal. We must do better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2017

Heres what serves as evidence for President Trump, in case you want to more fully understand his war on science, facts, and reality:

We have verified more than three million votes cast by non-citizens. We are joining .@TrueTheVote to initiate legal action. #unrigged  Gregg Phillips (@JumpVote) November 13, 2016

Well, to be fair, there was a second tweet:

Completed analysis of database of 180 million voter registrations. Number of non-citizen votes exceeds 3 million. Consulting legal team.  Gregg Phillips (@JumpVote) November 11, 2016

Who is this person? According to his Twitter page, and we know from Donald Trump that if its on Twitter its real, he founded Vote Stand, a voter fraud reporting app where conspiracy consumers turn in pictures of electrical and phone cords as proof of voter fraud.

But PolitiFact found that he is actually a lot more partisan than that. According to his page on LinkedIn, Phillips is a former finance director of the Alabama Republican Party. He also served as executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party and was managing director of a super PAC that supported Newt Gingrichs 2012 campaign for president.

PolitiFact noted, There is no report from VoteFraud.org, however, and Phillips told PolitiFact he is not affiliated with that website. The information comes from tweets made by from Phillips on Nov. 11 and Nov. 13.

Oh, so Phillips is not associated with the website Vote Fraud. Just the app. There is no study but there was that tweet.

VoteStand is an app for random whackjobs to intimidate people and take pictures of what looks like voter fraud to them, observed Twitter user Cody Johnson, who shared a picture from the app:

.@realDonaldTrump Here's an example from the app. "Jumbled wires" near a voting booth looks like "machine tampering". Or, a fan. Or, wires. pic.twitter.com/hRJuBoEDQl  Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) January 27, 2017

The website Info Wars, Donald Trumps previous rival in disseminating conspiracy theories, ran a headline with the same claim citing Phillips tweets as evidence.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of the fine minds running our country for the Republican Party.

Donald Trump saw a tweet, never more evidence will he need.

This is right up there with Trumps thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering claim that thousands of Arabs were cheering in New Jersey after 9/11. Even when presented with evidence that he was wrong, Trump doubled down and claimed he saw it on television. This simply never happened.

And so we are about to waste millions upon millions hunting down those imaginary fraudulent voters, so that Donald Trump can believe that America doesnt hate him quite as much as it does.
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.
FILE - In this Saturday, April 6, 2013, file photo, a Delta Airlines jet flies past the company's billboard at Citi Field, in New York. A Massachusetts man who authorities say assaulted a Muslim airline employee at New York's Kennedy Airport is facing hate crime charges. The Queens District Attorney's Office says 57-year-old Robin Rhodes, of Worchester, was waiting for a flight to Massachusetts Wednesday night, Jan. 25, 2017, when he approached Delta employee Rabeeya Khan, who wears a hijab, while she was sitting in her office. Prosecutors say Rhodes cursed Islam, punched the door and kicked Khan's leg. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Gene Sapakoff column: There's a gap between Aliyah Boston and the defending national champs and everyone else, but beware of these teams from here to March Madness. Read moreSapakoff: Antonelli on how to upset the Gamecocks, and teams capable
Berkeley County, dating back to 1682, just 12 years after English settlers landed at nearby Charles Towne, is drenched in history, with Revolutionary War battles, a secret weapon developed during the Civil War, a man-made canal connecting two rivers and a lake built during the Great Depression. With much of the county protected in the Francis Marion National Forest, outdoor activites include hikes along the Palmetto Trail, boating and fishing on Lake Moultrie and numerous attractions such as the nature preserve Cypress Gardens, where numerous Hollywood films have been made. The county is now tapping into its assets to boost its tourism industry. Read moreBerkeley taps into battlefields, boating and butterflies to boost budding tourism business
While thousands of New Yorkers filled Washington Square Park on Wednesday evening to denounce President Donald Trump's executive orders threatening undocumented immigrants and the cities that pledge to safe-harbor themmore than 500 people gathered on the Avenue C Plaza in Kensington, Brooklyn to dub their neighborhood a 'Hate-Free Zone.'

Following a similar action in Jackson Heights, Queens, last month, Kensington residents pledged to collectively resist Washington's efforts to ban swaths of immigrants from the country, and deport those who live here. On Wednesday, President Trump signed an order intended to withhold federal funding from "sanctuary cities" that limit cooperation between police and federal immigration authorities, and another for the construction of a wall along the United States border with Mexico. This week, he's expected to sign another barring refugees from Middle Eastern countries.

With its large working-class Bangladeshi and Mexican communities, Kensington is in the crosshairs. "Neutrality is compliance and complacency," said Dania Rajendra, a Kensington resident and member of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, in a statement. "Our decision on which side we are on will decide who gets to stay here tomorrow."

Wednesday's rally was organized by Desis Rising Up and Moving [DRUM], a grassroots organization that works with Southeast Asian workers and youth. Director Fahd Ahmed said on Thursday that he hopes the zone will have practical implications. For one, regular self-defense classes and bystander intervention training, "particularly for Muslim women and day laborers who work out on the street," he said.

Ahmed also hopes to organize an anti-raid response network, so that Kensington residents will be ready to quickly warn their neighbors in the event of Immigration and Customs Enforcement intervention.

"The basic idea is if a raid is about to happen, people notify an information network," he explained. "In the long term we are playing with the idea of a neighborhood patrol that is geared to be particularly sensitive to ICE raids, police abuse, and bigotry towards Muslim women and queer people."

Following the rally, residents marched to Church Avenue, chanting in English, Bangla, and Spanish: "No Ban, No Wall, Our Cities Stand Tall!"

DRUM hopes that yesterday's action will inspire other neighborhoods in the city with particularly large immigrant communities, including Parkchester in the Bronx, and Ozone Park and Richmond Hill in Queens. Mayor de Blasio told reporters Wednesday that he would bring legal action if Washington were to attempt to cut funding from sanctuary cities.
Just south of the North Carolina state line is one of Horry Countys last undeveloped stretches of oceanfront property, and everyone should celebrate now that a decades-long effort to keep it that way has finally paid off. And everyone should encourage South Carolinas political leaders and  Read moreEditorial: Waties Island deal a win not only for SC environment but also for taxpayers
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
Nearly 13 percent of registered voters in South Carolina have already cast ballots for the 2022 general election after the state opened up no excuse early voting to all for the first time. More than 438,000 votes were in as of the end of Thursday, which was the 10th day of early voting, according to statistics from the South Carolina Election Commission. Read more13% in SC have already cast ballots with new early voting
With the start of tax season, stress levels are rising at many small businesses.

Even owners who are organized, keep good books and stay in touch with their accountants can find compiling returns to be a painful process. One reason is tax laws change often, says Rosamaria Bravo, a certified public accountant with the firm MBAF in Miami. One of this year's big differences: Partnership returns must be filed by March 15, a month earlier than in the past. And companies known as C corporations have a filing deadline of mid-April, after having a March due date in past years.

"It's very hard to stay on top of all the information," Bravo says. "The average business owner is more worried about their day-to-day operations."

Here's a look at some lessons small business owners learned:

USING SOFTWARE WISELY

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When Christina Divigard started an advertising agency, she bought accounting software and began keeping the company's books herself. When tax season arrived, she discovered that out of inexperience, she'd incorrectly entered some information and misclassified some types of deductions. It took two weeks to get her books in order.

"If I had to do it all over again, I would have put more effort and budget behind setting up systems properly from the get-go," says Divigard, managing director of New York-based Valvespring.

Divigard subsequently hired a bookkeeper to help set up accounts and understand how to input income and expenses. She also learned more about the need to put expenses into different accounting categories  for example, meals during a business trip are different from meals to entertain customers under the tax law.

Having a system that is correctly set up has reduced the chance of errors, and even if Divigard has to do repair work, "now it takes me a day rather than two weeks."

KEEPING UP WITH THE CHANGES

Complying with tax law revisions can be hard even with a bookkeeper and accountant, Barbara Karpf has learned. As of this year, businesses must file W-2 forms and 1099 forms with the IRS by Jan. 31. While companies previously were required to give those forms to workers by the end of January, they didn't have to get them to the government until the end of February. The government can charge a penalty if it gets the forms late.

That created extra pressure for Karpf. Her home decor company, DecoratorsBest, moved offices in New York right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of its busiest sales days. After she hired movers and a painter for the new space, she realized she needed to get information such as Social Security numbers and addresses from eight people. Well into January she still was getting all the information together so 1099 forms for freelancers and other contract workers could get to the government, as well as the workers, on time.

"It's more work in a shorter period of time," Karpf says.

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KEEPING TRACK OF EXPENSES

When an owner is running a business day by day and also trying to do long-term strategic planning, details such as tax-deductible expenses can get lost in the shuffle, creating a headache later. Deborah Sweeney has learned to look at her books monthly to be sure expenses such as charitable donations and the costs of employee meetings are entered properly.

"That way, we don't have to scramble at the end of the year," says Sweeney, owner of MyCorporation.com, a Calabasas, Calif.-based company that helps businesses incorporate online.

Sweeney recalls errors of past years, such as not taking a deduction for a service contract on a printer. She also has learned to take her questions to her accountant to be sure she's not missing some of the finer points of rules about deductions. For example: "How do we categorize new furniture  do we write it off or depreciate it? What amount of an owner's health care costs is deductible?"

FINDING THE BEST HELP

Diane Hamilton, though, has struggled to find an accountant who's a good fit for her company, which makes computer and phone apps. She has worked with large accounting firms in the Richmond, Va., area where her Binary Formations business is located. But the bills climbed as she called with questions.

"You look at how much they charge and the amount of revenue you bring in, and it isn't working," she says.

When Hamilton switched to a much smaller accounting firm, she found herself doing as much work as when she tried to handle her taxes herself. She's still hoping to find the right tax professional for her company.

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TRYING TO HOLD COSTS DOWN

Brad Chandler estimates it costs his real estate company $70,000 per year to compile returns for the federal government and for Maryland, Va., and Washington, D.C. That's a five-fold increase in five years.

"A lot of it is the sheer complexity of the laws, which are changing so much," says Chandler, CEO of Springfield, Va.-based Express Homebuyers.

For example, Chandler says, depreciation laws are shifting annually, and the health care law brought more paperwork. Occasionally, the company gets additional tax bills, which raise a question for Chandler and his chief financial officer.

"Do we send it to our CPA (to handle) for $200 or $300 an hour, or just pay the bill?" he says.
WABASHA  A Central Minnesota woman has pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor after a police officer found her in a compromising position with a 14-year-old boy.

Abbey Rachael Kippley, 28, of Clear Lake, entered the plea Tuesday in Wabasha County District Court, where she was also charged with one count of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a gross misdemeanor, and one count of giving a false name to a peace officer, a misdemeanor. Those charges are expected to be dismissed at her March 16 sentencing.

She was released from custody in lieu of $2,500 conditional bail until then; the gross misdemeanor delinquency charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both.

The case began about 2 a.m. July 14, when a Wabasha officer on routine patrol saw a vehicle parked on a city street; a green backpack and a pair of gray shorts were on the ground near the rear of the car.

A shirtless male, later identified as the 14-year-old, leaned out of the car from the driver's seat and picked up the shorts. As the officer approached the car he could see a woman, later identified as Kippley, in the passenger seat with an orange paper on her lap; the officer could see her bare legs and her pants down at her ankles, the complaint says.

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Kippley told the officer she didn't have anything on under the orange paper, court documents say, and the 14-year-old said he and Kippley were just about to "do it." A 16-year-old male, also shirtless, was sitting in the back seat.

Kippley initially gave the officer a different name and said she was 17, but provided her own birth date. When the age discrepancy was pointed out, Kippley laughed, allegedly said she'd been drinking, and would have to do the math.

She eventually took her own driver's license from the green backpack and said she lied about her name because she was scared and wanted to get her kids back, the report says.

The officer later learned Kippley's friend had been driving the vehicle, which broke down. They pushed the car to the side of the road and the friend went to get her boyfriend. Kippley reportedly said she began to masturbate in the front seat, facing the back seat, where the two boys sat. Her underwear was found in the back, along with a condom.

According to the court document, Kippley denied drinking with the teenagers and said she thought they were her age.

A preliminary breath test administered at the scene indicated her alcohol content at 0.15; the 16-year-old registered at 0.098 and the 14-year-old had a reading of 0.055.
AUSTIN  Authorities are investigating a shooting that took place in the southwest part of town early this morning.

A 911 call was placed to the Austin Police Department at around 5:41 a.m. The caller stated that he was a passenger in a vehicle that was transporting a 41-year-old male suffering a gunshot wound to Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin.

Chief Brian Krueger stated that the caller notified police that the shooting happened at the 2600 block of 3rd Ave. SW. The victim's current condition is unknown, but the man's injuries were believed to be "non-life threatening."

The case remains under investigation by the Austin Police Department. Krueger said there is no ongoing threat to the Austin community.
The developer behind plans for Heart of the City North, a downtown redevelopment of the Days Inn site, has made a request for significant public investment in the nearly $100 million project.

Rochester Development I, LLC has proposed to construct a 17-story, mixed-use building that would include hotel, retail and residential uses on a site that virtually neighbors Mayo Clinic's downtown campus.

The developer has submitted a request to the city of Rochester for $12 million in tax increment financing , Assistant City Administrator Gary Neumann said Thursday.

The project is expected to cost nearly $100 million, according to memos exchanged between city leaders and the developer.

Bob Dunn, who is the managing member of Rochester Development I and president of Hammes Co., the lead consultant on the project, said in a letter to city leaders that the development could achieve "extraordinary return on public investment" for the city, as well as for Olmsted County and the state of Minnesota.

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Dunn's letter was in response to another letter sent last Friday by Rochester City Council member Michael Wojcik. Wojcik had urged fellow council members, as well as Destination Medical Center Corp. Board of Directors members, to show restraint in considering the public assistance request.

"Based on my own analysis I see this TIF request as subsidizing foolishness," Wojcik wrote in an email to the Post Bulletin.

Wojcik in his letter to city leaders questioned the public benefit the project would offer. He further asserted the developer had overpaid to acquire land for the project and would offset that cost with public subsidy.

Dunn called Wojcik's letter "inflammatory" and contested his findings.

"This project is perfectly timed to be an early-stage anchor that will catalyze redevelopment throughout the DMC Development District consistent with the DMC Development Plan," Dunn wrote.

The project could also provide almost $84 million in net fiscal gain, Dunn said, based on local and state taxes. Dunn argued the project would provide public benefit through its economic development benefits, particularly its cohesiveness with DMC plans and the renovated Mayo Civic Center.

"In our opinion, there is no greater 'enhancement to the public realm' that you cite than our select service hospitality program, which will be vital to drive demand for the $84 million public Civic Center expansion," Dunn said in his response to Wojcik.

The Heart of the City North project has several hurdles to cross before it requires a city decision on any tax increment financing, Neumann said.

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The city council is expected to make a decision on whether the current building on the Days Inn site is deserving of protection under the city's Heritage Preservation Ordinance. Following that decision, the council will consider the developer's land-use applications.

The city council would then have to give notice of a public hearing to set a new tax increment financing district if it intended to consider the developer's request, Neumann said.

"For us, it's premature to talk too much about the TIF request because there's a hearing that comes up on it if it proceeds to that point," Neumann said.

At some point, the DMC Corp. Board of Directors would also consider the tax increment financing request for conformance with the DMC Development Plan, and it would also review the project in financial terms, Neumann added.

The council's next decisions on the project could come at its Feb. 6 meeting.
ZUMBROTA  A Northfield woman was injured when she lost control of her vehicle near Minneola Township Wednesday night.

Jessica Stadler, 41, was southbound on U.S. Highway 52, just south of County Road 50 in Goodhue County. Stadler lost control of her vehicle, which entered a ditch and rolled over, according to Minnesota State Patrol. The crash was reported at 9:17 p.m.

Road conditions were described to be icy and snowy at the time of the crash.

Stadler suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Cannon Falls.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office and Zumbrota Ambulance responded to the crash.
ST. CHARLES  The St. Charles School Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the high school media room to approve, among other things, the resignation of Superintendent Mark Roubinek.

In a letter dated Jan. 17, Roubinek said he will retire from public education to "focus on my family, health and pursuing a few more of my dreams."

Roubinek's resignation will take affect Aug. 25, just before the start of the new school year. He has been with the district for seven years, coming from the Glenville-Emmons school district near Albert Lea.

The St. Charles School Board will also begin the process of looking for Roubinek's replacement.
ST. PAUL  A $1 billion public works bill that died in the final minutes of last year's legislative session has come back to life thanks to the vote of a key Senate committee.

Senate Capital Investment Committee Chairman Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, introduced a bonding bill that is nearly identical to last year's and it includes several area projects, including funding for Rochester International Airport, the Lanesboro Dam and the Reading Center/Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota.

Senjem told committee members that the bill makes sense because it had strong bipartisan support last year. "It is, in my mind, unfinished business. It is business I would like to see taken care of," he said.

Committee members approved it on a voice vote and it now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.

House not in a rush

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While the Senate is moving quickly on the bill, it's a different story in the House. Rep. Dean Urdahl, chairman of the House Capital Investment Committee, said he hopes to pass a bonding bill this year, but he said the House will take its time to review the governor's $1.5 billion bonding proposal and studying last year's proposal.

"We're not in the rush that the Senate is in," said Urdahl, R-Grove City.

All bonding bills must begin in the House. That means even if senators pass a bonding bill, they must wait for the House to send them a bill before they can move ahead. And while Republicans are in charge of both chambers, they are going to need DFL support to move any bonding bill ahead. Bonding bills require a supermajority for approval.

During the committee hearing, some of DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's commissioner's expressed concern with the bonding plan. Transportation Commissioner Charles Zelle spoke out against including earmarks for specific road projects. The bill sets aside $200 million for the Corridors of Commerce program and lists specific projects that need to be funded, including the proposed expansion of U.S. Highway 14 from Dodge Center to Owatonna.

"Those particular projects which are highlighted are much more costly than the money provided. They actually don't fit into the sequence of priorities determined by our department and they actually don't account for some of the local investments that would be required to get those projects in shape," Zelle said.

Not included in the bill is funding for a major project at Rochester Community and Technical College. Dayton's bill has $14.5 million for RCTC, for demolition of Plaza and Memorial Halls and improvements of existing space.

Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, said she's disappointed that Senjem would advance a bill that does not have money for the RCTC project. She noted that the Minnesota State system ranked the RCTC project seventh on its priority list, but other lower-ranked projects are included in the bill.

"Since Sen. Senjem is in a really powerful position now, I was hoping he would use it to correct that injustice to his own community," Liebling said.

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Senjem said in an interview that he opposes adding any new projects to the bill because it could jeopardize its likelihood of winning approval. "If we open it up to new projects, there's a hundred more on the list," he said.
We all need some positive news to act as a life preserver lest we drown in a sea of hot takes and depressing headlines. And here's a pretty good one: over 100 puppies were rescued after a car accident in upstate NY. And they're all recovering! Everything's mostly going to be okay!!

The incident happened on Tuesday when a Missouri woman, Emily Woodrum, crashed her box van, which contained 104 precious little packages, on Interstate 86 in the Town of Avoca. Woodrun was apparently going too fast and lost control, striking a ditch and overturning. Troopers and towing company employees helped rescue the pups.

LOOK UPON THEM AND WEEP TEARS OF JOY.

Five of the pups sustained minor injuries in the crash: a black lab with a broken leg and a shepherd puppy with a broken jaw were taken to Bath Veterinary Hospital, while most of the others were taken to or treated at the Finger Lakes SPCA. All of them are expected to recover and be PERFECT LITTLE ANGELS UNTIL THE END OF TIME, however.

"Under the circumstances, they all seem really happy," Vicki Mosgrove, executive director of the Finger Lakes SPCA, told the local Fox affiliate. "They got comfortable here. Theyre playful, alert  very healthy, good body conditions and just bright eyed, and were happy that we could be there to help them."

It's unclear whether the driver was ticketed for the incident, but troopers believe that the pups were being delivered to various local pet stores.

"Theres a transport vehicle that transports animals for breeders that was taking them to local pet stores," explained Dr. Becky Mortensen of Bath Veterinary Hospital. "Because there arent any cruelty investigation charges or anything, theyll just be returned to the transport company owners to go on to their intended location at the pet stores."

Finger Lakes explained the situation in detail in a long Facebook update (see below). As of Thursday, all but four of the 86 puppies that Finger Lakes had been taking care of were released back to the transport company. Finger Lakes also included some links to more information on puppy mills and how to stop them.
MINNEAPOLIS  Burnsville police say the officer who testified in a Minneapolis courtroom this week that he'd sent "negative" text messages about African Americans is no longer on the force effective Thursday.

Officer Brett Levin testified in Hennepin County Court on Tuesday as a prosecution witness in the trial of Allen Scarsella.

Prosecutors say Scarsella was motivated by anti-black bias when he shot and wounded five African American men in November 2015.

In his testimony, Levin described a phone conversation with Scarsella the night of the shooting in which Scarsella admitted shooting the protesters. Levin, who was a Mankato police officer at the time, told Scarsella to turn himself in and related information to a supervisor after the call.

Levin also testified that over a period of time he and Scarsella exchanged text messages that were "negative" about African Americans. Levin admitted he replied with "similar comments," although he didn't elaborate other than to say the two engaged in "locker room talk."

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Levin also admitted Scarsella had an attitude that he described as "if you're black, you're bad." Levin and Scarsella, 24, grew up together.

In an email asking for information about Levin's status, Burnsville police chief Eric Gieseke said the department has high standards for its officers and values the relationship it has with the suburb's diverse communities.

"As of today, Officer Levin is no longer with our department," Gieseke said.

The prosecution in the Scarsella trial called around 30 witnesses before resting on Thursday. In the afternoon, the defense called Nathan Gustavsson, who also faces charges in connection with the shooting.

Defense attorneys say Scarsella feared for his life before firing his gun. Some prosecution witnesses also described a physical confrontation. Scarsella has pleaded not guilty to the seven felony counts.

Before he took the witness stand, Gustavsson voluntarily gave up his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. He did so against the advice of his lawyer who is defending him against multiple charges of 2nd-degree riot.

Gustavsson said he and three others, including Scarsella, went to the 4th police precinct where the protests against the police killing of Jamar Clark were taking place.

"I believed that it [protest] was damaging to the community that surrounded it and it was not a legal ... not a calm, collected protest," Gustavsson said.

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Court ended just before Gustavsson could describe what happened just before the shooting.

He is expected to continue with his testimony on Friday.
ST. PAUL  Gov. Mark Dayton is seeking a major expansion of a preschool program launched last year, but Republicans have expressed reluctance to tripling the program's cost.

In his budget proposal released this week, the Democratic governor asked for about $75 million to expand his prized early education program. More than 100 school districts that requested startup funds didn't get them as the Legislature put up $25 million in the first year. Though Republicans eventually relented last year after pressure from the governor, GOP lawmakers are hesitant to further expand government spending after seizing control of the Legislature.

Though the funds are only a small part of the $45.8 billion budget, Dayton has made it clear during his time in office that early education is one of his top priorities. Last year, Dayton scaled back his goal of statewide universal early education and strong-armed Republicans into setting aside $25 million for a voluntary program.

After multiple schools who applied for funding were turned down during the program's first year  Dayton's office said the 109 school districts not accepted would have accommodated nearly 6,800 students  the governor has tripled his request this year.

And with two years left in office, some at the Capitol have acknowledged that Dayton's push for expanded preschool may only grow stronger.

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"Clearly the demand is strong throughout the state," said Sen. Chuck Wiger. "Early education, and education overall, is a legacy issue for Gov. Dayton. This being his last budget ... it's going to get a great deal of attention."

The Maplewood lawmaker, a top Democrat on education issues, acknowledged there will be no shortage of spending priorities vying for extra funding, including other education measures like the governor's hope to increase public schools' per-pupil funding in each of the next two years. And how much may go to expanding preschool options will depend on whether the state's $1.4 billion budget surplus expands or shrinks in late February, after which lawmakers will start assembling their own budgets.

Still, Wiger said the desire across the state to offer preschool  and Dayton's emphasis on it  gives him hope that Republicans will get on board.

Republican Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt acknowledged the need to direct funds toward early education, saying it is an important part of closing the state's achievement gap. But Daudt reiterated Tuesday that he favors scholarships for early learners rather than pushing them into a state-run program. Many other Republicans, including Rep. Jenifer Loon who heads a House education committee, said scholarships allow parents to choose a school that best suits their families.

Loon, an Eden Prairie Republican, said she has yet to see enough evidence of the program's success in prior meetings with the education commissioner.

And overlaps in funding between existing state scholarships and districts that were awarded funding through the new program create opportunities for the governor's program to more efficiently distribute the funds to reach more schools, she said, rather than increase the amount spent.
"How do I say goodbye to an island that I love? How do I say goodbye to our beautiful island and culture? How do I say goodbye to all of my Guam family?"  U.S. Navy Rear Adm. "Bette" Bolivar

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. "Bette" Bolivar bid farewell yesterday to her island home of the past two and a half years, but she said it was not goodbye for good.

Bolivar handed over the reins of command to Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield and was honored with an award for her exceptional and superior service during her time as head of Joint Region Marianas.

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Lt. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said Bolivar was a driving force in advancing efforts regarding the Marine Corps buildup in Guam.

Keynote and guest speakers during yesterday's change-of-command ceremony spoke extensively of Bolivar's unique and energetic approach to command that involved extensive outreach and cooperation with the communities under her authority. In addition to Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Joint Region Marianas' commander also has the additional responsibility for military relations with the FSM and the Republic of Palau.

"She gets things done," said former Secretary of the Navy James Webb. "Wherever she's been, since she's been in the Navy, she gets things done. She works with people, she reaches out to people, she's got that can-do attitude."

Webb reiterated his longstanding belief in the importance of the contributions of the people of Guam and the Northern Mariana islands to the nation's security. Citing his experience as a veteran of the Vietnam War, Webb said he knew of Guam's involvement in that bloody conflict and lauded the many sacrifices that Guam's sons and daughters made to the war effort.

Following that conflict, Webb said he worked closely with the government of Guam to develop a policy governing the U.S. presence in the Western Pacific. Most recently, he spoke about his involvement with the Senate in handling the issue of the relocation of about 5,000 Okinawa-based Marines to Guam.

Saying he was glad to see the progress made on that front, Webb credited much of that progress to the energy that Bolivar herself brought to the issue.

Webb lauded Bolivar to the extent of saying that many of the country's political leaders would do well to follow in her example in taking responsibility for their actions.

One Guam team

During her farewell address, Bolivar stressed the extensive involvement of her Joint Region Marianas team in pursuing the "One Guam" policy aimed at establishing a unified front and working with local community leaders in regards to many military actions.

"My One Guam team has led this to be one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and definitely awesome tours of my career," she said.

Saying she had not looked forward to this day  the day she would relinquish her command over Joint Region Marianas  Bolivar explained that from the get-go, she had hoped to make a difference during her time as commander and be accepted as one of Guam's own daughters.

"How do I say goodbye to an island that I love?" she asked. "How do I say goodbye to our beautiful island and culture? How do I say goodbye to all of my Guam family?"

Bolivar said of her One Guam initiative that she was inspired by Guam's character of unity, cooperation and family.

"Inspired by the island's inafa'maolek spirit, the very foundation of the Chamorro culture, the JRM familia made a One Guam vow to work with one another and partner with others for the sole purpose of doing good for our island," she explained. "For the past two and a half years, the JRM team has done exactly that (...) and I can proudly stand here today to say that we have fulfilled our One Guam promise, but we didn't do it alone."

New assignment

Bolivar formally accepted her new assignment as the commander of Navy Region Southeast, which includes all of the southeastern Navy bases from South Carolina to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Tennessee and Texas.

Chatfield, who comes to Guam from previously serving as United States deputy military representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, expressed high hopes for her new command and said it would be an honor to continue in the work that Bolivar has done to present a unified front as the island moves forward in military buildup efforts.

Chatfield, who previously served in Guam as the first commanding officer of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, the island Knights, promised to work with both civilian and military leaders to advance the goals of the One Guam initiative during her command.
The Chinese community of Guam rang in the Chinese New Year last night, celebrating with lion dances, red envelopes, new haircuts and clothes, and a vegetarian meal.

Richard Lai, Shirleys executive vice president and son of founder Shirley Lai, said his family continues to recognize and practice Chinese traditions every year as part of how he was raised by his traditional mom.

With the Chinese New Year being the biggest annual celebration for the Chinese community, Lai said his family has kept up with changing times, respecting their heritage by recognizing the monumental holiday every year.

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Traditionally, since I was a little kid, Chinese people that live in Guam have always been very serious about the Chinese New Year, Lai said. Although the New Year was more of a myth because were so far away from China, we're lucky that our elders brought the traditions from home and continued them here.

Noting the evolution of technology since his younger days, growing up without internet or mobile phones in the 1970s, Lai said the Chinese New Year celebration would always bring family together, bridging the long and distant gaps between family members living in mainland China and those who made a home elsewhere, such as Guam.

For us, Guam is a long ways away from China, but luckily the Chinese community on Guam is very strong, Lai said. Whenever theres family or friends traveling to China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, they always bring back news to share with each other.

Lion dance

According to Lai, the famous Chinese lion dance is always the number one symbol of the New Year celebration, requiring jumping, physical training, gong-fu, tumbling, and playing the gong, drums and cymbals.

The purpose of the lion dance is for performers to chase away bad luck in the lion costume, while simultaneously granting good luck to the family or establishment, Lai said.

After months of practicing technique and routine, the Chinese School of Guam performs the lion dance at several establishments and even Chinese homes around the island, chasing bad luck away and bringing good luck back.

Every Chinese kid on Guam would get together months ahead before Chinese New Year to practice the lion dance, Lai said. After the performance, the owner of the establishment will put money into a red envelope, 'laisee' in Chinese, lucky money for the recipient."

The Chinese schools performance generates thousands of dollars that go back to the school, Lai said, but it goes beyond any monetary significance or benefit, allowing Chinese youth the opportunity to not only experience, but share their culture.

Its important for the Chinese school to have that kind of donation, but its also important to embed that piece of culture into the young children who grew up in Guam with very little exposure to Chinese culture. That way, when they grow up, they never will forget what they were taught.

Continuing traditions

With the Chinese celebrating their New Years Eve last night, Lai compared the event to Thanksgiving in America, with thousands of Chinese citizens traveling back home to their families to be together before a big feast.

Every train station, every airport, every bus stop will be jam-packed with millions of people, trying to migrate back to their hometown to share the Chinese New Years Eve with family, Lai said. No matter how far away you are, you make your way home and share that dinner with your family.

Other Chinese New Year traditions Lai noted include businesses and establishments shutting down, having children skip the first three days of school in the New Year, and basically celebrating with family for five to 10 days.

He went on to include eating a vegetarian meal as the first meal of the New Year, getting fresh haircuts and wearing a new set of clothes. Another tradition involves married couples giving money to single members of the family.

Its like Christmas, but instead of buying gifts, Chinese are a lot more practical and give money. We try to pass along all of these customs to our children."

Maintaining heritage

Continuing to practice these traditions like he has since his youth, Lai is grateful and proud that his family has celebrated Chinese New Year traditionally for as long as they have, and as meaningful as they have.

Although we are no longer living in mainland China, our heritage continues to be maintained and respected, Lai said. Chinese are very respectful and want to maintain their heritage and culture as much as possible. I think that by doing that we help the next generation be more humble, respectful and remember where theyre from.

Lai said his family had plans to have a potluck at his moms house with his siblings and their families, a personal tradition that has occurred every year since Shirley Lai and her family moved to Guam.

Although my mom passed away, we keep the tradition of spending our New Years Eve dinner at her house. Shes still the CEO of us.
In other words

In the summer of 1858, Abraham Lincoln stood before his state convention and warned, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." The apt re Read moreThe danger of an island divided
We have seen this pattern over and over: Donald Trump says something that may be debatable or exaggerated, and in their quest to bring him down, reporters and editors publish fact checks that are more misleading than what Trump said in the first place. It happens every day.

Yesterday, Trump delivered a speech to a GOP gathering in Philadelphia. He talked for around 27 minutes; you can see the full speech here. Apparently there wasnt much for reporters to take issue with, as purported fact checks focused on what he said about crime. At 20:23, Trump says:

But to be a rich country, we must also be a safe country. Right now, too many families dont feel secure. Just look at the 30 largest cities. In the last year alone, the murder rate has increased by an estimated 14%. Here in Philadelphia, the murder rate has been steadyjust terribly increasing. And then you look at Chicago. Whats going on in Chicago? I said the other day, what the Hell is going on?

What Trump says about the increase in the homicide rate in the 30 largest cities is accurate, and no one can question the disaster that is Chicago. So reporters plucked out from his paragraph on crime the sentence about Philadelphia.

The Associated Press released an AP FACT CHECK: No murder surge in Philly despite Trump claim.

President Donald Trump made a misleading claim when he told Republican lawmakers Thursday that Philadelphias murder rate has been terribly increasing. Last year, the city logged 277 homicides. That was a slight decline from 2015, when the city had 280 homicides. The numbers were up from 2013 and 2014.

The average of 2015 and 2016 was up 12.5% from 2013 and 2014. Is that terribly increasing? Arguably so.

But in previous decades the homicide totals nearly always exceeded 300, and reached 500 in 1990.

Was Trump talking about an increase over previous decades? The AP cant be that dumb.

It is true that the 27 homicides recorded for the month through Wednesday were the highest total for January since 2012. But a single months numbers cant be used to predict how a year will end up.

Philadelphia Police Department data tell us that so far in 2017, homicides in the city are up 37%. Is that terribly increasing? Definitely. But the AP helpfully tells us that a single months numbers cant be used to predict how a year will end up. Of course, Trump didnt predict how the year would end up. He said homicides had been terribly increasing, which is true.

Here it is the Associated Press, not President Trump, that is engaging in misleading behavior.

Likewise with CBS News, which summarized Trumps speech and had this to say about the section on crime:

Addressing violent crime in major urban areas, the president specifically called out cities like Philadelphia and Chicago.

Note that like the AP, CBS doesnt mention, let alone question, Trumps basic point, which is that after decades of decline, the homicide rate in Americas large cities is rising alarmingly. Their purpose is obfuscation.

Of Philadelphia, the president said the murder rate has been steadily  I mean, just terribly increasing. But according to local statistics from Philadelphia police, serious crime in the city fell to record levels last year. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the statistics  part of year-end uniformed crime reporting data provided by the Philadelphia Police Department  showed that fewer violent crimes occurred in 2016 than in any other year since 1979.

But Trump referred specifically to murder, not serious crime or violent crimes. CBSs purported fact check is irrelevant.

President Trump sometimes exaggerates and he sometimes gets facts wrong (although, of course, nothing as serious as the average family will save $2,500 on health insurance through Obamacare). Still, he is a more reliable source of information than the liberal press.
Josh Rogin of the Washington Post reports that the entire senior level of management officials resigned Wednesday, part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior Foreign Service officers who dont want to stick around for the Trump era. The departing officials are Patrick Kennedy, the Departments long-serving undersecretary for management; Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Joyce Anne Barr; Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Bond; and Ambassador Gentry O. Smith, director of the Office of Foreign Missions.

Rogins own reporting calls into question his claim that the departing officials didnt want to stick around. Kennedy was actively involved in the transition and was angling to keep [his] job under Tillerson, according to three State Department officials with whom Rogin spoke.

In fact, it may be that all four of these officials are leaving involuntarily. Two senior administration officials now say that the Trump administration told the four that their services were no longer needed. This, the two officials say, is part of an effort to clean house at Foggy Bottom.

Rogin says that the departure of these high level officials, along with several senior Foreign Service officers in the State Departments regional bureaus, makes Rex Tillersons job running the State Department. . .considerably more difficult. There is some truth to this, I think. A vast amount of know-how in the day-to-day operation of the Department will be lost.

But perhaps we should be more skeptical than Rogin about statements suggesting that the departing officials are virtually irreplaceable. I would think that the combination of good managers from the private sector and holdover employees who reported to the officials who resigned would suffice to keep the Department running at or around par.

Moreover, new officials from outside the agency might well be able to lift the State Department above par. Certainly, there is room for improvement. All of the institutional memory that Rogin and his sources tout didnt suffice to protect our consulate in Benghazi, for example.

Kennedy was implicated in the Benghazi fiasco. He was also involved in the Clinton email scandal. Fox News reported that Kennedy proposed a quid pro quo to convince the FBI to strip the classification on an email from Hillary Clintons server and repeatedly tried to influence the bureaus decision when his offer was denied.

I see no reason to mourn his departure.

The others may have been exemplary civil servants for all I know. But I strongly suspect that after four years of Hillary Clinton and four of John Kerry, theres much to be said for a housecleaning at Foggy Bottom.

Unfortunately, I have seen no indication of resignations or firings in the notoriously anti-Israel Near East Bureau.


Detail from a fashion show in Italy, January 2017. (Getty)

It's okay (and important for your mental health) to take a break from staring abjectly into the White House trash fire for a moment and focus on some positive news, because while the actions of these petty, greedy demagogues in D.C. are overshadowing it right now, the good stuff hasn't stopped happening. It's true!

Here are five good things that we read about this week:

This 31-year-old invited his 89-year-old neighbor with leukemia to be his roommate. He has also raised money for her medical care. He told NBC that the experience and friendship has made him remember what really matters in life: "family, love, and human kindness."

Norway would like to give Finland a mountain for its birthday in an "unprecedented show of kindness between countries." Imagine that.

Three very cute puppies were rescued after an avalanche in Italy.

It was Mr. Rogers who told us when we're scared that we should, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." So at the very least, he definitely deserves an airport.

And finally Dolly Parton commented on a video of a very young fan singing her song "Jolene," or as the two year old sang it: "Dolene." Dolly tweeted, "It warms my heart to see how music reaches even the littlest country music fans. Maybe well see this little one on the Grand Ole Opry stage some day! Enjoy:

If that didn't help, one therapist reminded us this week that thoughts are not facts, and that we cannot become immobilized by negative emotions like anxiety. She also told us to limit your time on social media. We approve her message.

We will publish one of these every Friday, so if you see something nice happen during the week, please let us know.
I talk frequently with students about the nature of political ambition, starting with the ambiguity of ambition itself. Ambition is necessary, in public as in private life, but sometimes ambition can be ugly to see and distorting to the soul. Just think of how people sometimes use the term ambition negatively or sarcastically: My goodness, he is certainly ambitious!

This is preface for taking in the sad decline of New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. Booker was, by most accounts, a sensible mayor of Newark. You may also recall that back in 2012 he departed the liberal reservation by defending Mitt Romney against the Obama campaigns attacks on Romneys business career, calling those attacks nauseating. (He got taken to the leftist woodshed for a whipping for that tergiversation.) And I once saw him up close and in person with a small group of business leaders where he talked sense about the debilitating role the teachers unions play in public education, and several other issues.

But now it appears ambition has taken hold of Bookers soul, and it is sad to see, though completely understandable. By now it has sunk in to Democrats that the only way to make their identity politics coalition work in a presidential election is to have a minority on the ticket. And since Obama is gone, Booker sees his opening for 2020. Hence his decision to make an unprecedented attack on a fellow senator (Jeff Sessions) nominated to the cabinet, which was unhinged in its content and thereby completely ineffectiveit may have even backfired. And he thinks hell get to the Democratic nomination with this (only 2 minutes long, but it seems much longer):

It would be a chore to go through his claims one-by-one to point out which are stupid and which I am certain he doesnt believe. The point is: the 2020 campaign has already begun, and Booker is out of the gate first in the Democrats debasement sweepstakes.
Despite the Lefts howls of outrage, or maybe in part because of them, voters like what President Trump is doing so far. Rasmussen currently finds 59% of likely voters approving of Trumps performance. That is a Reaganesque level that he wont be able to sustain long-term, but it suggests that most voters are comfortable both with the direction of Trumps policies and with his iconoclastic style.

The newspapers have declared all-out war on the Trump administration, but they seem surprised when Trump and his representatives return fire. Yesterday Steve Bannon called the New York Times to defend White House spokesman Sean Spicer:

Asked if he was concerned that Mr. Spicer had lost credibility with the news media, Mr. Bannon chortled. Are you kidding me? he said. We think thats a badge of honor. Questioning his integrity  are you kidding me? The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work. Youre the opposition party, he said. Not the Democratic Party. Youre the opposition party. The medias the opposition party.

The Times quotes surrogates like CNNs Christiane Amanpour to deny the charge:

Journalists reacted with alarm and defiance to Mr. Bannons comments. What country are we living in? Christiane Amanpour, the CNN correspondent, wrote on Twitter. We are not the opposition, Stephen Engelberg, editor in chief of the nonprofit news organization ProPublica, wrote in an email. We are part of an essential function in any democracy.

ProPublica? Seriously?

But note how the Times talks about both Spicer and Donald Trump:

The conversation was initiated by Mr. Bannon to offer praise for Mr. Spicer, who has been criticized this week for making false claims at the White House podium about attendance at Mr. Trumps inaugural, for calling reporters dishonest and lecturing them about what stories to write, and for failing to disavow Mr. Trumps lie about widespread voter fraud in the election.

In all likelihood, Trump exaggerated the effect of illegal voting on the election. Illegal immigrants and other unqualified people did vote, but most likely not three million of them. But as we have noted before, there is academic evidence to support the claim that several million illegal immigrants vote in national elections. Trumps probable exaggeration cant fairly be considered a lie.

On the other hand, as we pointed out here, Barack Obama did lie about the same subjectvoter fraudnot two weeks ago. In his final press conference, Obama stated falsely that the U.S. is the only country in the advanced world that makes it harder to vote by, in some states, requiring identification. Shamefully, he went on to say, falsely, that any effort to provide adequate ballot security traces directly back to Jim Crow. This is historical ignorance as well as slander against those who care about the integrity of our elections.

In fact, as noted in the linked post, the U.S. is almost alone in the civilized world in failing to require photo identification in order to vote. What Obama said was not an exaggerated estimate, it was the opposite of the trutha lie. But did the New York Times refer to it as such? Of course not.

During the eight years when the notoriously dishonest Barack Obama was president, did the Times ever characterize anything he said as a lie? Not to my knowledge. Why not? Because he is a Democrat, and the Times is a Democratic Party newspaper. Im not going to spend my time searching the archives, but I would be surprised if the Times has ever referred to anything said by Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi as a lie, either.

Steve Bannon is right. The Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, and so on, constitute an opposition party when a Republican is in the White House. That is their prerogative, but they should stop pretending to be shockedshocked!when people notice.
A Delta airlines employee was attacked at JFK airport on Wednesday night by a man shouting anti-Islamic and pro-Trump slurs, according to the Queens District Attorney. Prosecutors say Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, Massachusetts was in the airport waiting for a connecting flight when he allegedly approached the worker, who was wearing a hijab, in the Delta Air Lines Sky Club lounge at Terminal 2.

"Are you fucking sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing? Rhodes allegedly asked the woman, Rabeeya Khan, who was in her office at the time. Prosecutors say Rhodes then punched the door, which hit Khan's chair. When Khan asked what she had done to enrage him, he allegedly replied, "You did nothing, but I am going to kick your ass."

Rhodes then allegedly kicked Khan in the right leg, causing "pain and redness." When she tried to get away from him, Rhodes allegedly stepped into the office and blocked her from leaving. The D.A. says that an unnamed individual intervened, and Khan was able to get away from Rhodes, but that he followed her, "and got down on his knees and began to bow down in imitation of a Muslim praying and shouted, 'Fuck Islam, Fuck ISIS, Trump is here now! He will get rid of all of you! You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people! You will see what happens!'"

Rhodes was detained and arrested, during which time he allegedly told officers, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldnt tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Rhodes is charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.

America's 45th president has made tweets this morning repeating his voter fraud lies and attacking Mexico, but has not used his beloved social media platform to condemn this incident or other hate crimes perpetrated by his supporters.
After more than a year of silence, more details are coming to light about the Michigan State Polices ongoing embezzlement investigation of former City Clerk Kathleen Buda.

Armed with a search warrant, state police raided Budas office Dec. 16, 2015, seizing documents, boxes of files and records, flash drives, cash, receipts and her city-issued cellphone after several clerks office employees began suspecting Buda of stealing money.

Buda retired Feb. 17 after more than 20 years as city clerk, saying the time was right but had nothing to do with the investigation.

I know people will be talking, but I cant control that, Buda said at the time. Her four-year term would have ended Jan. 1, 2018.

Deputy Clerk Lola Isiminger took over the role.

Missing money

State police documents show that clerks office employees approached city Human Resources Director Cynthia Pepper several months before the raid with suspicions about Buda stealing money from fees collected for garage sales, as well as birth and death certificates, among other payments from residents.

According to the police report, employees informed Pepper about Budas actions rather than City Attorney Debra Walling or Mark Guido, the mayors chief of staff, due to their close affiliation with Buda.

Such payments typically are made at a cashiers window in a different location, but at busy times of the year  particularly tax season  clerks office workers will take cash payments from customers. Each resident is given a receipt, and another receipt is attached to the money, which is then placed into a cash box. At the end of each day, the cash and checks are taken to the cashiers window to be deposited.

In September 2015, several employees saw Buda taking the cash box from the clerks window to her office and later returning it with only minimal money and checks, according to the report.

Sometimes the box would be stored in a vault at the end of the day, and other employees began noticing it missing from the vault the next day.

A co-worker once asked Buda if she took it, the report said, and she responded that shed taken it for safekeeping and didnt trust it being locked in the vault.

On at least two occasions, an employee saw Buda take the cash box into her office with money and cash inside and then walk out with the box containing just checks.

Tracking payments

Two clerks office employees began tracking money by marking copies of receipts kept in the cash box and comparing them with payment records.

Because Buda was unfamiliar with the recordkeeping process, the employees told police she thought she could make the money disappear by destroying the receipts attached to payments. But the clerks office is required by state regulations to keep additional copies of records for a year.

During a period of less than two months, the employees discovered more than $400 in missing deposits.

An employee who has worked in the clerks office for more than 25 years told police she knew that Buda had a serious lottery addiction and spent about $50 a day on lottery tickets.

A second employee said Buda began talking more about gambling when money started coming up missing.

A third employee who began working in the clerks office during tax season also told police he had witnessed Buda taking cash deposits to her office rather than over to the treasury department and said she was religiously interested in the cash at work.

On one occasion, he stopped by Budas office to invite her to lunch and saw through the slightly opened door that she was putting money into her wallet and had more cash spread out on her desk. He told police that she was aghast when he fully opened the door to ask her to lunch.

After police interviewed the workers, 19th District Judge Sam Salamey signed a warrant to allow the installation of a hidden camera in Budas office, and she was seen putting money into her purse twice in mid-November.

Office raided

On Dec. 15, Michigan State Police presented a search warrant in 19th District Court, and Salamey found probable cause to issue the warrant. The Wayne County Prosecutors Office approved the warrant that day.

Buda also was notified about the investigation that day and presented with a list of items to be seized by state police.

An officer advised Buda that she was wanted for an interview at the MSP Metro South Post in Taylor, and Buda requested to have her attorney present, believing the Dearborn city attorney would represent her. However, Assistant City Attorney Laurie Ellerbrake told Buda that the city attorneys office would not represent her in a criminal matter.

The raid was conducted at 9:15 a.m. the next day at the city clerks office.

Paying benefits

No details emerged for months after the raid, but at the Aug. 16 council meeting Dearborn City Council members debated approving an $11,300 payment to Buda for unused sick and vacation time.

Pepper said that under Budas contract, these were accrued benefits and the city was contractually obligated to pay them.

We have contracts that say if you have earned time off or earned income and benefits, employees are entitled to those, the human resources director said. We need to make sure we follow the contracts; the investigation is still ongoing, and there hasnt been proof of guilt in any way.

Councilman Mike Sareini balked at the idea of paying the benefits to an employee who is currently under investigation.

I have a problem with that because its an ongoing investigation and we werent privy to anything going on except its a charge of embezzlement, Sareini said. Until this investigation is completed, I dont see how we can approve this.

While approving the compensation is legal, Sareini said he believed the council could use its discretion and wait to approve the benefits after the investigation wraps up.

The way this was written is just borderline insulting, he said. Were paying someone whos under investigation taxpayer dollars.

Council President Susan Dabaja said the payment was made based on contract obligations.

The request has never come before City Council to pay the $11,300, Dabaja said. The only thing were being asked today is to make sure we balance our books.

At the time of Budas retirement, she was an employee in good standing, according to Councilman Robert Abraham, and the citys contracts require paying such employees the compensation owed to them.

After debating the matter, the council voted 6 to 1  with Sareini as the only holdout  to approve the compensation.

If Buda is charged and convicted for embezzling tax dollars, the city can pursue restitution of the money, according to City Attorney Debra Walling.

Under the Michigan Public Employee Retirement Benefits Forfeiture Act, public employees retirement and other benefits can be forfeited if they are convicted of a felony or enter a no contest plea in court as it is considered a breach of the publics trust.

Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutors Office, said Wednesday that the investigation is still under review.
The New Year got off to a international start for students at Guardian Lutheran School.

The children learned about Chinese culture from a group of seven Wayne State University scholars who visited Jan. 23.

The group shared aspects of their culture related to their Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, with students in kindergarten through fourth grades.

The children were thrilled to learn how to say things like hello (Ni hao), goodbye (Xia jien) and thank you(Tse tse), according to former Principal Bob Dickhudt.

They also experienced the thrill Chinese children have during the New Year when they are given hung bao  red envelopes with money in them.

Students practiced the very polite way Chinese treat their elders, bowing before me, and saying; Gung hei, faat choi (congratulations, happy new year) and receiving the hung bao with two hands, the polite Chinese way to receive gifts, Dickhudt said.

During lunch, the children learned how to use chopsticks by eating little bowls of noodles.

Smiles on the faces of the students told the Chinese visitors that they loved the time spent with them in the classroom as well as in the lunchroom, he said. The scholars from abroad, and our Guardian scholars both were blessed by this annual happening.
La Superior owner Felipe Mendez expands on his Cerveceria Havemeyer restaurant in Williamsburg next week, opening up a new space devoted to Mexican pantry items, mezcal and music.

La Milagrosa Agave Bar and Listening Room (opening Wednesday) packs a lot of concepts into one space. From the outside, it looks and functions like a "Mexican deli," as the press release puts it, selling ingredients like dried chilies, chorizo and prickly pear, alongside bottled sauces made by Mendez that he uses at the restaurant next door. This'll also be home to a coffee and juice bar.

In the back, however, Mendez created a "secret," exclusive bar that's accessible through a freezer door located inside the deli. For access, you'll have to call to make a reservation for the intimate space, which features a curved wood ceiling that's supposed to maximize the acoustics of the room.

Mendez is a bit of a music freak, which explains the specifically-constructed room. He's a musician and DJ with regular appearances at The Lot radio and reportedly owns about 15,000 vinyl records. He'll be booking both DJs and live performers to soundtrack the bar.

Agave-based spirits are the focus of the bar program, with ceviches and other small dishes to eat.

149 Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg, (718) 599-1499
ATLANTIC CITY  More than 150 city employees have signed up for an early retirement plan, and City Council President Marty Small now wants the same offer extended to school district employees.

The city plan is in-cluded in the state law that allowed for the state takeover of local government. It must be approved by the state-appointed director overseeing Atlantic City.

But the law does not apply to the school district, which has a separate budget and gets its oversight from the state Department of Education. The district has a state monitor assigned by the department.

In a statement Friday, the Education Department said any early-retirement incentive programs proposed by the district would have to be pre-approved by the Division of Pensions.

Small said he does not know how many school employees would be eligible, but if the plan would create savings for the city budget, it could also save money in the school budget and help taxpayers.

I know the school budget is a separate entity, he said. But it also has an impact on city taxpayers.

Of the 162 police officers, firefighters and city employees eligible for the early retirement incentive announced in October, Small said, more than 150 have signed up to take it. The city had identified 70 police officers, 36 firefighters and 56 civilian employees as eligible because they had at least 20 years of service with the city. Several options were available, and specific savings were not available Friday.

Small said he has talked to school employees who have said they would be interested in a plan. He worked for the school district for 11 years before losing his job in the reduction in force of 2015 when more than 220 positions were cut. His wife, LaQuetta, is a principal in the school district.

Marcia Genova, president of the Atlantic City Education Association, said Small had contacted her but they have not yet met. She did not know how many employees would be eligible, saying it would depend on the terms of the plan. She said some employees would likely be interested, but the plan would have to get the approval of the state.

We dont want the same problem we had a few years ago, she said.

The Department of Education statement also noted the districts prior problem with an early retirement plan.

The school district had to repay the state pension fund $2.8 million in 2012 after funds were given to 27 employees as part of what the state called an unauthorized retirement-incentive program. The Division of Pension and Benefits held the district liable for additional pension costs resulting from the program, which allowed employees to get an enhanced payout for accumulated sick time if they retired during a certain period in 2009.

An early retirement plan could save the district money. Last year, Atlantic City had the second-highest median teacher salary in the state, $94,135, up from $80,378 the year before. Part of the increase was attributed to the loss of 103 teaching positions in the budget cuts, most of which came from the lowest end of the salary scale under the last-in, first-out policy for staffing cuts.

The district is also in the midst of negotiations for a new contract with the union. The old contract expired in June 2016, has gone to mediation and is in the process of going to fact-finding, Genova said.

The union filed a lawsuit in November against the district and its state monitor for failing the make the contracted payment this year to teachers who opt out of the district health-insurance plan. Opt-out payments cost the district more than $5 million a year, and the districts state monitor, Carole Morris, ordered they not be paid this year because, she said, the district was facing a budget shortfall that could have otherwise resulted in another staffing cutback.
The dramatic rise and fall of Jon Corzine, former N.J. senator and governor, ended this month as it so often does for the ultra-wealthy, with no admission of guilt and no time in prison.

Corzine settled federal civil charges that MF Global, while he was CEO, misused about $1 billion in customer funds in 2011 as it struggled to remain solvent.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said the misuse of customer funds was on a scale never before seen and marked the first time in the 150-year history of U.S. futures markets that customers funds had disappeared. It took the bankruptcy trustee two years to recover the money and return it to customers.

The CFTC said Corzine knew of MF Globals extreme cash shortage and ordered funds transferred in response, but had failed to ask questions about the origins of the funds. Really.

Corzine agreed to pay the CFTC a $5 million fine out of his own pocket and to a lifetime ban from the futures industry.

His historic failure in his return to Wall Street is almost enough to make us forget his very personal destruction of New Jerseys best chance so far this century to get state finances in order.

In 2001, the former Goldman Sachs CEO and billionaire used his own money to fund a successful campaign for a N.J. seat in the U.S Senate. Before finishing that term, he decided his political ambitions were better served by a stint as N.J. governor, which he won in 2006 on the strong hope his financial expertise could help fix the states dire debt and budget imbalances.

Fighting over state spending and taxing was so severe that year that it led to a shutdown of state government. That prompted the creation of bipartisan panels in the state Senate and Assembly to review state government, its spending and revenues, and propose reforms.

Sen. Jim Whelan, in a recent meeting with this newspapers editorial board, said the panels produced a series of 97 recommendations, including a major reform of government employee pensions and funding.

Whelan said many in the Legislature wanted to enact the reforms using the all-or-nothing way the federal government had handled the contentious issue of closing and relocating military bases.

There are 97 recommendations. You either do all of them or none of them, and thats it, you dont get to pick and choose, he said. And there was the will in the Legislature at that time to do that.

But the will of the financial genius governor, a fellow Democrat, wasnt focused on the historic reforms New Jersey desperately needed.

Frankly, the governor at that time, Jon Corzine, said, well, were going to negotiate this with the unions, this that and the other, and the whole thing fell apart.

Corzine in fact negotiated not just with the unions but held secret talks with former girlfriend Carla Katz, who headed the states largest public employee union local.

The governor used public money to fight the release of his emails with Katz, and with the N.J. Supreme Courts help they were kept from the public. But four years later, The Star-Ledger obtained copies of a fraction of them, and they showed Corzine and Katz worrying that their secret, self-serving talks would be found out. They also showed the intimate nature of the relationship, such as Katz talking about an over-the-top erotic dream about Corzine.

State residents and taxpayers will pay for Corzines trashing of this unique opportunity for fiscal reform for a long time. Its the Corzine failure most worth remembering and, if possible, avoiding in the future.
TRENTON  Five people have been charged with filing fraudulent applications for federal Hurricane Sandy relief funds, including one property in Atlantic County and three in Ocean County.

The five defendants filed fraudulent applications for relief funds offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration or funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a release from the state Attorney Generals Office.

The Attorney Generals Office has been conducting a joint investigation into fraud claims with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Carmela Longo, 54, of Westerly, Rhode Island, filed fraudulent applications for FEMA assistance and state grants under three programs for a home on North Cambridge Avenue in Ventnor, the Attorney Generals Office said.

Longo received more than $191,000 in relief funds, the office said. Longos primary residence during the October 2012 storm was in Rhode Island, and the Ventnor home was a seasonal home, the release said.

She has been charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

The four other people are charged with fraudulent applications for nonprimary residences in Sea Bright, Monmouth County, and Berkeley Township, Lavallette and Point Pleasant Beach. They face similar charges.

The Attorney Generals Office said 31 people have been charged for fraudulent applications since March 2014.
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  The two men charged with murder in the 2015 killing of a Lower Township teenager are scheduled to appear in court Friday for a hearing.

Superior Court Judge John C. Porto asked the prosecution and defense to return with more direction at a hearing last month for Charles Mosley, one of the men accused of killing 15-year-old Nicole Angstadt.

Mosley, 33, and Derrick Powers, 23, both recently of Middle Township, have separate hearings scheduled for Friday morning.

First Assistant Prosecutor Rob Johnson said last month he intends to take the case against both men to trial, but he stopped short of withdrawing plea offers  a 45-year prison sentence for Powers and 30 years for Mosley.

Prosecutor expects trial for two men charged in Angstadt case CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  The case of two men accused of killing 15-year-old Lower Township res

Johnson also expressed interest in trying both men at the same time.

Mosleys attorney, Ed Weinstock, said he expects to file a motion to sever his clients case from that of Powers, in effect creating two separate cases and potential trials.

In August, prosecutors said Mosley admitted to detectives he raped and dismembered Angstadt.

The teenagers remains were found in December 2015 in the crawlspace of a vacant home in the Rio Grande section of Middle Township.

The killing shocked the community and led, in part, to the Middle Township Police Department opening a 24-hour substation in Rio Grande.

Mosley, who is being held on $1 million bail at the Cape May County jail, pleaded not guilty in August to murder, aggravated sexual assault, criminal trespass, endangering the welfare of a child, conspiracy and disturbing human remains.

Suspect in Angstadt killing a no-show for status hearing MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  One of the men charged with murder in connection with the death of 15-year

Powers, who also pleaded not guilty, faces charges of murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to desecrate a body and endangering the welfare of a child. He is at the Atlantic County jail on $1 million bail.
MAYS LANDING  Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Wild dismissed three vehicular-homicide charges against Melissa Rodriguez, who was the driver in a crash that killed three of her teenage friends in 2014.

She lost three of her friends. This was a horrific tragedy for everybody, Rodriguezs attorney, Steven P. Scheffler, said after the ruling.

The heart of the case revolved around the cellphone of Rodriguez, now 20, of Pleasantville.

Whether Rodriguez was using her phone or not was crucial to prove recklessness, Wild said.

Rodriguez needed to be driving recklessly for the charges of vehicular homicide and assault by auto. The Atlantic County Prosecutors Office charged Rodriguez with both.

Wild said the state is free to present the case to a grand jury again to pursue other charges. The Prosecutors Office declined to comment on Wilds ruling.

More than a dozen members of the victims families were in the courtroom, and some openly wept after the decision.

Some parents questioned whether the court truly understood what they lost. Other parents were concerned this could happen again.

Scheffler has argued Rodriguez was a young, inexperienced driver who overcorrected during a turn and was not using her phone.

Assistant Prosecutor Rich McKelvey said attention that Rodriguez gave to the phone  or the distraction she allowed it to be  led to recklessness.

Rodriguez was 18 when she was driving five of her friends on May 26, 2014, in Pleasantville and crossed into oncoming traffic on Franklin Boulevard and struck an NJ Transit bus, authorities said. She also was charged with assault by auto.

Kira Strider, 14, of Pleasantville, and Tevin Campbell, 18, of Absecon, died at the scene. Amber Fernandez, 16, of Pleasantville, died later at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus in Atlantic City.

Rodriguez and the cars two other occupants were hospitalized and recovered.

The state had a witness who was in the accident, who said he did not know if Rodriguez was using a cell phone when he was first interviewed by police. The fact the witness initially said he did not know if she was using her cell phone was not conveyed to the grand jury, Wild said.

The witness was able to recall some of the events of the incident a year later.

The witness later statement about Rodriguez playing music through the phone with use of a nMP3 player did not mean Rodriguez was actually using her phone, Wild said.

This statement does not constitute sufficient evidence that the defendant was operating a hand-held, wireless telephone while driving, Wild said.

Case law helped the court decide that operating a phone is more than pushing a button on a cell phone to activate or deactivate a function, Wild said.

The phone did not show a time or date stamp that any music application was in use at the time of the crash, Wild said.

There was also no indication that she was calling or texting at the time of the crash, Wild said.
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Tanja Williams saw the aftermath of a fatal stabbing earlier this month at the Country Motel in the Rio Grande section of the township.

It was a lot of blood up there, said Williams, 35, who has lived at the motel for nearly two years. Now, its really getting bad at this hotel.

A man who identified himself as the motels owner but refused to give his name said the crime wasnt the motels fault.

Angstadt case moves forward with major hearing set for May CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  A major hearing was arranged Friday that could set the stage for a trial in the killing of 15-year-old Nicole Angstadt.

It was the first homicide in Cape May County since the December 2015 killing of 15-year-old Nicole Angstadt, which shocked the community and sparked several initiatives aimed at cleaning up so-called voucher motels in Rio Grande.

Township leaders say those efforts have worked, driving down crime by 40 percent in Rio Grande in the first three quarters of 2016 compared with the previous year. But theres still work to be done, Mayor Michael Clark says.

Its not something that broke overnight, and its not something were going to fix overnight, he said. I think its continuing to get better.

Gina Famiano, 34, a resident at the Country Motel, said crime is still a major issue in Rio Grande.

I want to get out of here, said Famiano, whose room is steps from the one where this months stabbing occur-red. This area is bad.

Authorities say Herbert Tozer, 51, of Rio Grande, stabbed Robert Niemezua, 45, also of Rio Grande, Jan. 10 at the motel. Niemezua died at the hospital two days later, according the Cape May County Prosecutors Office.

Residents of the motel said the stabbing followed an argument between the two men over a woman, but Prosecutor Robert Taylor declined to provide more details on the suspected homicide.

Niemezua lived at the motel, and Tozer and the woman were his guests, residents said.

He was like a regular guy, Williams said. I was really shocked when I heard it was him.

Motels became an issue in Rio Grande after it was revealed Charles Mosley, one of two men charged with murder in Angstadts death, stayed in one briefly after moving to the area from North Jersey following his release from prison.

Many of the motels in Rio Grande  there are more than a dozen  accept the vouchers, which are part of an emergency housing program run by the Cape May County Board of Social Services and funded by $4 million per year by the federal government.

The man who identified himself as the owner of the Country Motel said he and everybody with motels in Rio Grande accept the vouchers.

After Angstadts death, township leaders introduced several initiatives aimed to combat crime in Rio Grande, especially near the intersection of Routes 9 and 47, where many of the motels are located.

Police Chief Chris Leusner said the efforts to prevent crime, including the introduction of a street-crimes unit and 24-hour police substation on Route 47, have helped, despite the recent fatal stabbing.

The street-crimes unit, which operates throughout the township, made 67 arrests  including 22 involving people staying at motels  and seized 2,882 bags of heroin and a handgun through the first three quarters of 2016, Leusner said.

The chief added Atlantic City Electric is in the final stage of installing new LED street lights in Rio Grande.

We really have directed a lot of law enforcement into that area, he said. Things have been going in the right direction, and I expect them to continue.
OCEAN CITY  Four New York residents were arrested Wednesday in a scheme to cash fraudulent checks at the TD Bank on Ninth Street, and the suspects are under investigation in similar cases in Absecon, Somers Point and Northfield, police said.

Vashan Chiddick, 24, of Bronx, New York, is still being held, while Diamond Commuck, 22, Jonathan Maldonado, 30, and Timothy Gonzalez, 23, all of Bronx, New York, were released on summonses after they were charged with forgery, possession of false documents and theft. Gonzalez also was charged with drug possession.

Ocean City police were called to the TD Bank in the 100 block of Ninth Street at 2:53 p.m. Wednesday after bank employees reported a person attempting to cash a fraudulent check. The employees told police the suspect left in a black Dodge SUV.

Police said officers found Gonzalez on the side of the bank near Ninth Street, allegedly in possession of a large amount of money and suspected marijuana.

The vehicle had left the bank parking lot but was found shortly in the 700 block of Bay Avenue. Maldonado, Chiddick and Commuck were taken to the police department for further investigation. Inside the SUV, police said, were found cash, fraudulent documents and a printing device.

The U.S. Secret Service, Cape May County Prosecutors Office and Ocean City Police Department are conducting an additional investigation.

Any bank or business that may have been a victim of a similar incident should contact their local police department to report the event.
President Donald Trump will hold his first news conference as president at 1 p.m. with British Prime Minister Theresa May, a friendly ally who hopes to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream.

May's visit Friday comes a day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off his own trip to Washington, planned for next week, amid wrangling over who will pay for Trump's planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump's spokesman said the president would seek a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for the barrier, then later clarified that such a tax would be a possible approach.

May's meeting with the president in the Oval Office is being hailed by the British government as a sign that the trans-Atlantic "special relationship" is valued by the new administration.

The White House said late Thursday that May and Trump would hold talks, followed by a press conference and a working lunch  in a statement that misspelled the prime minister's first name as Teresa. It was later corrected.

May's visit, so soon after Trump's inauguration, has been criticized by her political opponents, and risks being overshadowed by the flood of announcements, plans and proposals coming out of the White House. On Thursday May was repeatedly asked about Britain's stance on torture  the U.K. condemns it  after Trump said he thinks torturing terrorism suspects works.

Trump is something of a mystery to world leaders, many of whom expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election. His administration's main interlocutors with foreign governments so far  including son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior adviser Steve Bannon, a conservative media executive  are also unknown to many of their counterparts.

So May is a bit of a scouting party  or guinea pig  among global politicians.

She has strong reasons for wanting the relationship to work. Britain is set to leave the European Union and its 500 million-person single market. A trade deal with the U.S., Britain's biggest export market, is a major prize.

Trump has drawn parallels between Britain's choice to leave the EU and his own success, using the Brexit vote to bolster his derision of the 28-nation bloc and his preference for striking bilateral agreements.

That puts May in an awkward spot. She wants a good relationship with Trump, but does not share his disdain for the EU, saying it's in Britain's interests that it succeed.

Trump and May both addressed a Republican retreat Thursday in Philadelphia, though their visits did not overlap. During his remarks to lawmakers, Trump bemoaned the fact that Wilbur Ross, his nominee to be commerce secretary, would not be confirmed in time for a visit that was expected to focus heavily on trade.

"I don't have my commerce secretary," Trump said. "They want to talk trade. So I'll have to handle it myself."

May's speech alternated between saluting Trump's vision for what she called American "renewal" and reminding him, and his Republican colleagues, of the United States' global responsibilities.

May urged the U.S. to join Britain and embrace "the responsibility of leadership in the modern world." She mentioned the trans-Atlantic alliance during World War II and afterward, when the U.K. and the U.S. set up the United Nations and NATO  organizations Trump has strongly criticized.

She joined in Trump's criticism of previous U.S. governments' foreign policy, saying that "the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over."

But May also said Britain supported a strong European Union and considered NATO the bulwark of global security.

May praised Trump's dedication to fighting the Islamic State group and Islamist extremism, but stressed the need not to tarnish "the peaceful religion of Islam and the hundreds of millions of its adherents."

May acknowledged the need to engage with Russia to end the war in Syria, yet cautioned that the West's approach to President Vladimir Putin should be "engage but beware."

There are few obvious similarities between the brash businessman Trump and the quiet, diligent May.

In her speech, May referred several times to Republican President Ronald Reagan and Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher  politicians from very different backgrounds who forged an alliance that helped transform their parties, and the world.

And, she said aboard her plane, "sometimes opposites attract."
Court proceedings that could determine the fate of the NYPD's use of military-grade sound cannons, also known as LRADs, got underway Thursday as lawyers representing a group of six protesters, journalists, and everyday bystanders made their case to a U.S. District judge.

The plaintiffs allege they suffered injuries and had their constitutional rights violated when officers blared a high-pitched siren noise from one of the LRADs to disperse protesters from the intersection of 57th Street and Madison at roughly 1 a.m. on December 5th, 2014, where they had been protesting a Staten Island grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer who killed Eric Garner with a prohibited chokehold.

Video recorded during the incident (below) shows people rushing away from the piercing LRAD sirena technique the device's manufacturer describes as "area denial," but which Keegan Stephan, one of the case's plaintiffs, insists is a First Amendment violation.

"I was trying to record this arrest when I was hit with it," Stephan told NY1. "It forced me away from filming the arrest and the police activity I was trying to film."

"I suffered extraordinary pain," he added "I had to leave the area."

Arguing that U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet should allow the case to proceed, attorney Gideon Oliver stressed that high-decibel LRADs constitute a use of excessive and indiscriminate force.

"Sound waves by operation of physics can constitute uses of force and cause injury," Gideon said Thursday, according to Newsday. "The NYPD is treating an LRAD as if it's just a bullhorn, when it clearly is not."

LRADs were first used by the NYPD in 2004 to suppress crowds during the Republican National Convention, and have since become a regular tool of protest suppression. A truck-mounted LRAD was aimed at Occupy Wall Street protesters attempting to shut down the Brooklyn Bridge in 2011; more recently, over a half-dozen Black Lives Matter marches have been blasted by portable LRADs.

As Newsday notes, the NYPD has no official use-of-force policy for the LRAD, and no past court rulings serve as a guideline for how they might be deployed without causing injury or trampling the Bill of Rights.

"If we are going to use this in New York City, we need to have testing, we need to have training, we need to have guidelines," Elena Cohen, another attorney for the plaintiffs, told NY1.

City attorney Ashley Garman has been tasked with defending the Department's LRAD use, and argued Thursday that the noise cannons were actually a tool for keeping New Yorkers safe. "In order to make the street safe for protesters and provide for the flow of traffic, the use of the LRAD was justified and not arbitrary," Garman said yesterday.

Citing video of the 2014 incident in question, Garman argued the noise was minor. "People were walking way casually, they're not running, not screaming, not covering their ears," she told Sweet.

The lawsuit seeks not only damages for the plaintiffs, but changes to NYPD policy that curtail the use of LRAD devices. Justice Sweet has yet to rule on whether the case will proceed. In an email, Oliver explained to Gothamist why his clients feel the case is so important:
Schools fail on needed vocational education

Regarding the Dec. 16 letter, High schools failing those not college bound:

It struck me how vocational education is critically needed in schools.

I often ask of those individuals who became part of the criminal justice system in their late teens or 20s, what were their goals, post graduation from high school? Were they ever asked or given options? Were there classes offered to them, who had no desire to go to college, such as the trades, health-care workers, home health aides, etc.?

New Jersey focuses on passing the tests to graduate, but is that a goal in itself? Do the tests measure abilities in non-college bound students? Indeed, present day education leaves behind and is not focused enough on those in high school who have no post high school college goals.

Perhaps every school year should begin by asking what students hope to do beyond graduation. Those without a plan may stumble or fall and may appear lost or enter the criminal justice system. The question is who failed who. Instead of overlooking the drastic need for vocational programs for both male and female students, schools should determine who needs such programs and provide them.

Janet Maloney

Pleasantville

U.S. Senate basis same as Electoral College vote

Those who object to the 50-state electoral system and would like to replace it with a purely popular election should be consistent and also desire the elimination of the U.S. Senate on the same basis of the violation of one man, one vote.

After all, Montana has the same numerical representation in the Senate as California, Texas, New York and Florida. In other words, they ought to be consistent and work for the transformation of the federal system into a pure democracy with coalition governments and all power to the populous regions and their huge minorities of half-absorbed foreigners.

Thank God the framers of the Constitution had more sense than these disappointed critics of the last election and devised a near-perfect system with its internal federal balances.

Vincent Torlini

Atlantic City

Get over fearing Trump

Sometimes the best way to force people to face their illusions is to give them what they want. Many of those who wanted Donald Trump are the same people who complained about the liberal media for years while consuming fake news stories from Facebook as the gospel truth. Lets see where those minds lead over the next four years.

Those who fear the Donald Trump presidency have no choice but to get over it. Like him or not, Trump is a game changer. Even if their worst fears come true, they will see Trump blame others for the consequences of his actions. He likes to double down when his fictions are exposed and place responsibility elsewhere.

Those feeling anxious should just pretend the world is simple. Donald Trump will make some deals, and America will be great again.

Jim Tweed

Ocean City
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.




Hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from so-called "sanctuary cities"cities including New York that limit communication between police, prisons, and federal immigration officialsMayor de Blasio convened an emergency press conference to insist that he would not allow Washington to "change how we enforce the law."

"This is the American dream right before your eyes," he said, motioning to a diverse assemblage of staff members to his left and right. "And we are not going to allow it to be undermined."

If Trump attempts to withhold federal funding from New York over its immigration policies, he said, city lawyers will be "in court immediately to stop it."

With the mayor standing so firmly behind New York City's immigrant protections, it's worth reviewing the limits of these protections, particularly in the face of the expanded and emboldened Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparatus Trump envisions. (You can also review our guide for immigrants in New York, in multiple languages, here.)

Since 2014, New York City has refused to detain immigrants in city precincts or jails at ICE's request, under most circumstances. The goal of NYC's detainer law, says Camille Mackler, director of legal Initiatives for the New York Immigrant Coalition, is to protect undocumented New Yorkers who could otherwise be turned over to ICE for minor offenses, like drinking in public or turnstile jumping.

Nisha Agarwal, New York City's Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, published a column on Medium on Thursday, titled "There's Misinformation Out There about NYC and Immigrants  Here Are the Facts." In it, she explained that NYC maintains a list of 170 "violent or serious" felonies that the NYPD and DOC cooperate with ICE ona wide-ranging list that includes weapon possession, rape, murder, burglary and arson.

Agarwal goes on to assure the undocumented community that those who "commit infractions that are not, under state law, serious or violent felonies, such as getting a parking ticket or possessing a small amount of marijuana," benefit from New York's protections, and will not be detained for ICE. "The penalties are the same as for any other New Yorker," she said.

But ICE is able to conduct raids and detain immigrants in New York City, regardless of NYPD cooperation. Under President Obama, ICE agents conducted hundreds of raids in the city, at courthouses and private residences.

"All the detainer laws do is prevent ICE from going and picking somebody up [in NYPD or DOC custody]," Mackler said. "They're still... a law enforcement agency with investigative ability."

And Trump would like to see their mandate significantly broadened. His executive order regarding sanctuary cities targets "aliens"a legal term that includes New York's estimated 500,000 undocumented residents, as well as anyone with a green card or temporary visa.

"The statutory definition of an alien is anyone who's not a US citizen," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration professor at Cornell Law School. "So, somebody who is a green card holder and may have been a green card holder for 25 years, nevertheless is considered an alien for immigration purposes."

Trump's order for a border wall with Mexico also targets anyone who has been charged with a crime, whether or not they have been convicted. While Obama deported more than 400,000 people annually during the early years of his presidencymore than any president before himhe narrowed ICE's focus in recent years to convicted felons. Trump would see that effort rolled back.

"ICE officials now could target a much wider range of non-citizens," Yale-Loehr clarified. "In the past, immigration enforcement officials were supposed to focus on people who had serious criminal convictions. By contrast, the new executive order allows them to prioritize even people who have only been arrested, and not yet convicted."



Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner O'Neill defending New York City's sanctuary city policies on Wednesday (Mayor's Flickr).

Immigration law experts emphasize that Trump's expanded definition of criminality calls for a much larger ICE apparatusone that would require substantially more funding and many new hires.

"There are only so many ICE enforcement officials, and the new executive order basically makes everyone a priority," said Yale-Loehr. "So it's going to be hard for them to actually round up more people or actually deport more people, unless congress funds the money necessary to hire more ICE enforcement officials, hire more immigration judges, build more immigration detention centers, and get more planes or buses to actually send people back out of the country."

By targeting all "aliens," including green card and visa holders, Mackler added, Trump is also "certainly opened up to legal challenges."

Still, she said, Trump's orders have a serious impact on immigrant families, regardless of the extent to which he manages to implement them. "I think what we need to be focused on today is the impact it's having on our communities, who were afraid leading up to November 8th, who have been absolutely terrified since November 9th, and who are in a complete panic at this point," she said. "If immigrants are too afraid to leave their homes, we lose. As a city, as communities, as a state."

At the mayor's Wednesday press conference, a reporter asked de Blasio if he plans to scale back broken windows policingwhich disproportionately targets low income New Yorkers of color for minor offenses like turnstile jumpingin the wake of Trump's executive orders. The orders, as written, would impact any immigrant in the criminal justice system, after alla system that broken windows feeds.

De Blasio answered indirectly, emphasizing that Trump's "vague" orders are still far from implementation.

"Look, let's take one thing at a time here," he said, adding, "We're a long way from this having the effect that so many wish it to have. In the meantime, this is the safest big city in America. The NYPD continues to drive down crime while healing the relationship between police and community. We're going to stay on that track. It's as simple as that."

Brian Lehrer pressed de Blasio on the subject on Friday, on his "Ask the Mayor" segment: would de Blasio consider reducing turnstile jumping to a civil offense, to protect immigrants threatened by Trump's order?

"That's its own discussion," de Blasio replied.

The Mayor's Office also stated that misdemeanor arrests decreased 19% between 2012 and 2015. "This Mayor has already led a dramatic shift away from low-level arrests to offenses that can be more effectively dealt with through summonses," said spokesman Austin Finan.

Immigration Project Director Liz Markuci said on Friday that she appreciates de Blasio's pledge to oppose Trump on immigration. However, in treating this as a seperate issue from broken windows, de Blasio is missing the point. "You as a mayor say you're going to stay a sanctuary city, but at the same time the people who are working under you are making arrests in a biased way," she said. "Without addressing that issue it's an empty gesture."

"If you are trying to tell a group of teenagers [of color], 'Hey, New York City is behind you,'" she added, "That is not their experience."

Additional reporting by Jake Offenhartz.
DUBLIN, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Celtrino, a leading supplier of PEPPOL and EDI Managed Services has completed testing for Codex Office Solutions to trade electronically with 16 Education Training Boards. The move, which is the first of its kind in Ireland for this category, is evidence that PEPPOL engagement is gathering pace.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161104/436375LOGO )



Ken Halpin, Celtrino Managing Director said, "We are thrilled to have partnered Codex Office Solutions in streamlining its invoicing operations with the Education Training Boards and enabling easy roll-out to other public sector buyers across Europe."

Codex who supply a large range of office interiors, technology and supplies, had previously relied on paper invoicing to trade with the Irish Public Sector.

"PEPPOL gives us a strategic capability to negotiate future public sector contracts, we've selected Celtrino as a trusted partner to implement it," Codex Managing Director Siobhan O'Connor added.

Trading via the PEPPOL standard requires going through an authorised PEPPOL access provider that effectively provides the PEPPOL connection. As the first access point provider in Ireland, and one of the organisations that helped define the PEPPOL standard, Celtrino understand exactly what's required to successfully implement PEPPOL.

This is the first implementation of an eInvoicing capability for the Irish Department of Education that is compliant with the EU PEPPOL model.

The EU PEPPOL directive will soon compel all public sector bodies to have the capability to receive electronic invoices from their suppliers. PEPPOL creates multiple efficiencies in the procure-to-pay process. It reduces costs, eliminates paper, reduces query times and speeds up the flow of goods.

In becoming PEPPOL enabled in this way, Codex have potentially opened up the opportunity to trade with any PEPPOL entity across Europe - and increase sales. Other suppliers will have to follow Codex's lead if they wish to open up similar trading opportunities.

Click here for more information on Celtrino's PEPPOL services for Public Sector suppliers http://www.celtrino.com/services/peppol/supplier-to-the-public-sector/

About Celtrino

Founded in 1989, Celtrino provides supply chain solutions that improve the efficiency of B2B trading activities. It was Ireland's first PEPPOL access point provider and has been involved in the development of PEPPOL standards from the beginning.

About ETBs

Education Trading Boards (ETBs) are statutory bodies responsible for managing and operating second-level schools, further education colleges, multi-faith community national schools and a range of adult and further education centres across Ireland.

Contacts:

Press contacts

Andy Ellwood

+353-1-873-9945

Andy.ellwood@celtrino.com



SOURCE Celtrino
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Foresee Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (6576.TWO) ("Foresee"), announced on Jan 16 the top-line result of FP-001 LMIS (Leuprolide Mesylate Injectable Suspension) 50mg phase 3 clinical trial, an open-label, single-arm study in subjects with Advanced Prostate Carcinoma. The primary efficacy end point was achieved in 97.0% of subjects.

The primary efficacy end point is the percentage of subjects with suppression of serum testosterone (50 ng/dl) by day 28 and from day 28 to day 336 in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. The targeted efficacy was that the lower limit of the 2-sided 95% confidence interval (CI) for suppression is to be >90%.

In this study, 137 subjects were enrolled and received a minimum of one dose of the study drug (ITT population), and 124 subjects completed the study without major protocol violations that would affect the primary efficacy endpoint (per-protocol population (PP)). The 95% CI from Kaplan-Meier estimates was (92.2%, 98.9%), and the 95% repeated-confidence interval was (92.5%, 99.4%). By day 28, mean testosterone concentration was suppressed below castrate levels to 17.6 ng/dL, and the suppression rate was 98.5% (135 out of 137 subjects achieved medical castration). No mean increase in testosterone was observed after the second injection. Four subjects did not achieve successful suppression of testosterone by the primary efficacy end point analysis, two of which failed to achieve castration level on day 28 and the other two had transient testosterone escapes.

The most common adverse events reported in this study include "hot flushing" (48.9%), followed by "hypertension" (14.6%), "injection site pain" (7.3%), "fatigue" (6.6%), etc., most in mild or moderate intensity. Overall, treatment with LMIS 50 mg injection every 6 months was safe and well tolerated. These safety data are similar to those of marketed LH-RH agonists in the same patient population.

"We are excited about the successful top-line results of FP-001 LMIS, a program in which we have invested many years of internal R&D efforts." said Dr. Ben Chien, Chairman and CEO of Foresee, "Our Stabilized Injectable Formulation platform technology overcomes the technical barriers that our competitors have had over the years in generating a stable, premixed, prefilled version of leuprolide depot for injection. FP-001 offers prostate cancer patients a comfortable and convenient solution and facilitates the preparation and drug administration process for the healthcare specialists. Based on its differentiated profile, we are confident that FP-001 LMIS will successfully penetrate the fast growing global prostate cancer market of US$7.5B via key strategic collaborations such as a commercial partnership in the US and out-licensing in other key territories such as Europe, Japan, China, and emerging markets."

"In our first-in-class NCE pipelines, FP-025, a highly selective oral MMP-12 inhibitor targeting inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, is currently completing a Phase 1 study in Asthma/COPD, aiming to fulfill the huge unmet medical needs of US$36B estimated in 2019." said Dr. Ben Chien.

SOURCE Foresee Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
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NUREMBERG, Germany, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Those aged 30-40 are most likely to share data for rewards

China , Mexico and Russia lead for people willing to share data

Germany , France and Brazil have the most people not willing to share data

Over a quarter (27 percent) of internet users across 17 countries strongly agree that they are willing to share their personal data in exchange for benefits or rewards like lower costs or personalized service. This contrasts to 19 percent who are firmly unwilling to share their data.

GfK asked people online to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement, "I am willing to share my personal data (health, financial, driving records, energy use, etc.) in exchange for benefits or rewards like lower costs or personalized service" - using a scale where "1" means "don't agree at all" and "7" means "agree completely."

Equal percentages of both men and women are firmly willing (top two boxes) to share their data in return for benefits - both standing at 27 percent. However, more women than men class themselves as firmly unwilling (bottom two boxes), standing at 21 percent of women versus 18 percent of men.

People aged in their twenties and thirties are most likely to share their data, with a third saying they are firmly willing to do so (33 percent and 34 percent respectively). They are followed by those aged 15 to 19 years old, at 28 percent.

People in China are most ready to share their personal data in exchange for benefits, with 38 percent of the online population saying they are firmly willing to do so and only eight percent firmly unwilling. Other countries with higher than average levels of willingness are Mexico (30 percent), Russia (29 percent) and Italy (28 percent).

The five countries with the highest levels of people firmly against sharing their data are Germany (40 percent), France (37 percent), Brazil (34 percent), Canada (31 percent) and the Netherlands (30 percent).

By using GfK's findings, businesses save time and resources through recognizing in advance which target audiences in each country are likely to respond to standard data-sharing offers, and which audiences require bespoke offers designed to align with their specific mindsets.

To download full findings for each of the 17 countries, visit http://www.gfk.com/global-studies/global-study-overview/

SOURCE GfK
SEATTLE, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The two Global Wood Fiber Price Indices were close to parity in the 3Q/16. The Hardwood Wood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) has rebounded by 5.6% from the 1Q/16 when it reached an 11-year low. The biggest price increases this year have been in Brazil, Indonesia, Australia and Chile where prices have gone up despite the strengthening of the local currencies. However, hardwood fiber prices have not gone up in all markets this year. Hardwood pulplog prices were lower throughout Europe, Eastern Canada and the US South.

Except for Russian pulpmills, which have by far the lowest hardwood fiber costs in the world, hardwood pulp-producing regions throughout North America, Europe and Latin America currently have wood costs ranging in a fairly narrow range between US$75/odmt to US$100/odmt. Five years ago, when the HFPI reached its all-time-high, this range was substantially wider at US$75/odmt to US$175/odmt.

Softwood chip and pulplog prices fell in the local currencies in much of Europe and North America which, together with a stronger US dollar against the Canadian dollar and the Euro, resulted in a decline of the Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) in the 3Q/16. The SFPI is currently close to the lowest level in over ten years. During the past 12 months, softwood fiber costs in US dollar terms have fallen the most in the US Northwest, British Columbia, France, Norway and Germany, while they have gone up the most in Brazil, New Zealand and Japan.

Note: The Global Wood Fiber Price Index is a weighted average of delivered wood fiber prices for the pulp industry in all regions tracked by the publication Wood Resource Quarterly. These regions together account for 85-90% of the world's wood-based pulp production capacity. The price is based on current quarter average prices, and country/regional wood fiber consumption data. The global average price for softwood and hardwood is calculated in nominal US$ per oven-dried metric ton (odmt) of wood fiber.

Global lumber, sawlog and pulpwood market reporting is included in the 52-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, which was established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, wood chip, lumber and pellet prices, trade and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.woodprices.com

CONTACT:

Wood Resources International LLC

Hakan Ekstrom

info@woodprices.com

www.woodprices.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/hardwood-pulpwood-prices-in-brazil--indonesia--australia-and-chile-increased-during-the-fall--result,c2175697

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1902/2175697/620354.pdf Hardwood pulpwood prices in Brazil, Indonesia, Australia and Chile increased during the fall, resulting in a 5.6% jump of the HFPI price index

SOURCE Wood Resources International LLC
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Holmen is one of the largest owners of forests in Sweden and hunting is an important part of forestry management in order to limit the damages from grazing. It is natural and customary for forest companies to include hunting events in connection with representation. In Holmen such events only constitute a small portion of the hunts. According to tradition, representatives of the management of Holmen have for a long time served as hosts for hunting events with invited participants. Fredrik Lundberg, the chairman of the Board of Holmen has, since he became the chairman of the Board almost 22 years ago, hosted two to three of Holmen's hunting events per year. Individuals from Holmen's network have been invited to these events, which all have taken place in the region of Norrkoping, Sweden, where Holmen has extensive operations. Employees of Holmen have also taken part in the hunts.

Since 2015 there is an ongoing preliminary investigation regarding some of the hunting events arranged by Holmen and hosted by Fredrik Lundberg in his capacity as chairman of the Board. A hearing, with serving of reasonable suspicion of giving a bribe in relation to hunting events arranged by Holmen, was today held with Fredrik Lundberg in his capacity as host.

Holmen is of the opinion that neither the company nor Fredrik Lundberg has contravened applicable rules. Holmen has provided the information requested in the preliminary investigation and continues to cooperate with the prosecutor.

For further information please contact:

Henrik Sjolund, President and CEO, Holmen, tel. +46 8 666 21 05

This information is information that Holmen AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, on 26 January 2017 at 21.30 CET.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/holmen/r/information-on-ongoing-preliminary-investigation-related-to-hunting,c2174919

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/308/2174919/619870.pdf Information on ongoing preliminary investigation related to hunting

SOURCE Holmen
NORRKOPING, Sweden, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Holmen has today published a press release relating to an ongoing preliminary investigation regarding hunting events arranged by Holmen in the region of Norrkoping, Sweden. As chairman of the Board in Holmen, L E Lundbergforetagen AB's Chief Executive Officer Fredrik Lundberg has hosted some of these events and has in this capacity today been served reasonable suspicion of giving a bribe.

For further information please refer to Holmen's press release.

- Hunting arranged by Holmen on lands in the Norrkoping area is a decades-long tradition and provides an opportunity to meet with Holmen's employees as well as with external participants, says Fredrik Lundberg. Of course, I respect the work of the prosecutors and assist them with the information they wish to have. I am convinced that both Holmen and I have managed everything correctly and that no violations have occurred.

Stockholm, 26 January 2017

L E Lundbergforetagen AB (publ)

Any questions will be answered by:

Roger Ekstrom, Director of Communications, +46 (0)709  21 65 06

This information is information that L E Lundbergforetagen AB (publ) corp reg no 556056-8817, is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 10 pm CET on 26 January 2017.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1033/2174942/619889.pdf Pressrelease Lundbergs 170126 eng

SOURCE L E Lundbergforetagen
WEVELGEM, Belgium, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Jacoti Hearing Suite, an innovative set of hearing applications created by Jacoti bvba, has been named a Global Mobile Awards 2017 Nominee. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of more than 250 independent judges from across the world, comprising leading industry and subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, academics, and in some cases, mobile operator representatives.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462134/Jacoti_GLOMO_awards.jpg )



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160620/381050LOGO )



Jacoti Hearing Suite is a set of cloud-enabled mobile applications that grants anyone - from people with normal hearing to those with profound hearing losses - ubiquitous hearing support. Utilizing off-the-shelf consumer hardware, the capabilities of Jacoti Hearing Suite extend far beyond existing and expensive hearing aids and assistive listening devices. Consumer electronics manufacturers can license the IP-protected technologies that drive Jacoti Hearing Suite (8 international patents, granted or pending).

"We are thrilled that the Global Mobile Awards 2017 have honored Jacoti Hearing Suite for its advanced hearing compensation and enhancement technology which enables hearing without barriers," said Jacques Kinsbergen, CEO of Jacoti bvba.

Jacoti believes that hearing loss compensation and personalization of audio should be a fundamental part of all audio-enabled computing devices. Hearing loss is both a medical condition and a consumer challenge. Therefore, it needs consumer-driven and consumer-oriented solutions.

As the hearing health field moves away from a product-based model to user-centered services, Jacoti Hearing Suite provides users state of the art tools to monitor, support, and personalize their listening experience. Jacoti Hearing Suite consists of the following interconnectable hearing applications:

Jacoti Hearing Center - a revolutionary, patented self-test hearing application that provides clinically reliable results in real-life environments.

- a revolutionary, patented self-test hearing application that provides clinically reliable results in real-life environments. Jacoti ListenApp - the first medically certified hearing aid application.

- the first medically certified hearing aid application. Jacoti Lola Classroom - a flexible and affordable assistive listening solution for classrooms, meeting rooms and lecture halls. It provides extremely low-latency multi-peer audio streaming over consumer-grade Wi-Fi.

- a flexible and affordable assistive listening solution for classrooms, meeting rooms and lecture halls. It provides extremely low-latency multi-peer audio streaming over consumer-grade Wi-Fi. myJacoti - a web service that allows users to store their audio profiles in the cloud, share them across devices, and connect to a remote Hearing Expert for remote fitting assistance.

So that third-parties can integrate advanced hearing capabilities into their own products and services, Jacoti will present the world-class hearing enhancement technologies underlying Jacoti Hearing Suite at Hall 1 Booth 1C10 at MWC 2017, which runs February 27th - March 2nd , 2017, in Barcelona, Spain.

About Jacoti

Jacoti bvba is a privately held hearing technology company with offices in Wevelgem, Belgium, Barcelona, Spain and Palo Alto, USA. Jacoti's mission is to bring advanced hearing technology in reach of large populations with a special focus on children during their education.

Accessibility is a right not an option.

Jacoti bvba http://www.jacoti.com.

Copyright  2017 by Jacoti, bvba

All rights are reserved.

Jacoti retains all rights (including, but not limited to, copyrights, domain names, trademarks)

SOURCE Jacoti bvba
"Oxford Finance welcomes the opportunity to work alongside leading UK life sciences companies, like Oxford BioTherapeutics, to provide capital to support ongoing research in this field and bring novel therapies to the market," said Christopher A. Herr, senior managing director at Oxford Finance. "We believe Oxford BioTherapeutics has a promising approach to identifying targets for the treatment of cancer, and we are encouraged by the progress of their current development programs for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and triple negative breast cancer."

Oxford BioTherapeutics' chief executive officer, Christian Rohlff, PhD, added, "Oxford Finance's debt facility will enable OBT to advance its portfolio of novel second generation immuno-oncology checkpoint inhibitors."

About Oxford Finance LLC

Oxford Finance is a specialty finance firm providing senior secured loans to public and private life sciences and healthcare services companies worldwide. For over 20 years, Oxford has delivered flexible financing solutions to its clients, enabling these companies to maximize their equity by leveraging their assets. Oxford has originated over $4 billion in loans, with credit facilities ranging from $5 million to $100 million. Oxford is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with additional offices in San Diego, California; Palo Alto, California; Salt Lake City, Utah and the greater Boston area. For more information, visit oxfordfinance.com.

About Oxford BioTherapeutics

Oxford BioTherapeutics is an international, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody therapeutics for cancer. Combining next generation immuno-oncology, ADC* and fully human monoclonal antibody approaches against novel human tumor cell membrane-derived checkpoint targets identified using its unique target selection and validation platform, the Company has gathered compelling in vivo evidence of the potency of its broad pipeline.

Oxford BioTherapeutics' pipeline includes 16 product candidates, including 2 clinical and pre-clinical stage programs partnered with Menarini, 8 unpartnered ADC programs, 5 immuno-oncology programs and 2 pre-clinical stage programs partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim.

The Company's most advanced candidate is in the clinic. MEN1112 (OBT357) is an ADCC** antibody in a phase I trial in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients, which is showing early signals of activity and is continuing to enroll patients. MEN1309 (OBT076), an ADC for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), "triple negative" metastatic breast cancer and other solid cancers is on track for first-in-human trials beginning in mid-2017. Oxford BioTherapeutics' therapies have already shown marked in vivo anti-tumor activity in patient-derived xenographs in work with MEN1309. The Company also has multiple independent ADCs at IND enabling stage and a unique immuno-oncology discovery platform for novel immuno-oncology targets, with the first novel immuno-oncology mAb candidates likely to be at IND-enabling in 2018.

Oxford BioTherapeutics has struck two significant development deals commercially validating its unique target selection and development capabilities, most recently a large collaboration with Menarini worth up to 800m. This partnership fully funds the clinical development of five product candidates to phase II proof-of-concept, while Oxford BioTherapeutics retains US and Japan commercial rights.

Oxford BioTherapeutics has a strong oncology specialist management team and board with significant experience in developing immuno-oncology and antibody-based therapies. The company is based in Oxford, UK, and San Jose, CA. For further information, please see www.oxfordbiotherapeutics.com

*Antibody-drug conjugate

**ADCC: Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Media Contacts:

Amanda Stern Dr. Christian Rohlff Oxford Finance LLC Oxford BioTherapeutics Tel: 888-471-0174 +44 (0)1235 861770 astern@oxfordfinance.com christian.r@oxfordbiotherapeutics.com

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/440345/Oxford_Finance_Logo.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/461920/Oxford_BioTherapeutics_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.oxfordfinance.com



SOURCE Oxford Finance Corporation
DUBLIN, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Prescriptive Analytics Market by Component (Software and Service), Data Type (Unstructured, Semi-Structured, and Structured), Application, Business Function, Deployment Model, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021" report to their offering.

The prescriptive analytics market is estimated to grow from USD 1.16 Billion in 2016 to USD 4.58 Billion by 2021, at a high Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 31.7% during the forecast period.

Emergence of advanced technologies such as big data and IoT and rising popularity of real-time accessibility of data for efficient business applications are the drivers that propel the growth of the market.

The report provides detailed insights into the global prescriptive analytics market, which is segmented by component, data type, applications, business functions, deployment model, vertical, and region. In business functions, the operation segment holds the largest market share and is gaining significant importance among corporates and enterprises. Operations find surplus applications, which can benefit by adapting prescriptive analytics technology.

Remote operations such as drilling, mining, solar, and wind farms, power substations often faces poor network connectivity, limited bandwidth and high costs of data transfer to central analytical hubs. Advanced analytics is a boon to these industries that require real time intelligence to make swift decisions in remote locations. Unstructured data type is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Advent of big data, IoT, and smart cities are all contributing to the enormous amount of data being generated out of enterprises.

On-premises deployment model has higher adoption as compared to the on-demand deployment model. The on-premises deployment model provides confidentiality and privacy parameters to the organizational data; hence, most of the organizations are adopting the on-premises deployment model. The BFSI segment has shown the largest market share in vertical segment, where prescriptive analytics solutions are used to predict the right product portfolio, increasing precisions and timeliness of mortgage or deposit pricing, collecting the debt competently, and making right investment that drives the profits of the banks. However, manufacturing industry is poised to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period, which will help them in streaming real-time analytics ingesting from sensors and devices situated at the shop floor of the factory.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights



5 Market Overview



6 Industry Trends



7 Prescriptive Analytics Market, By Component



8 Prescriptive Analytics Market Analysis, By Data Type



9 Prescriptive Analytics Market Analysis, By Application



10 Prescriptive Analytics Market Analysis, By Business Function



11 Prescriptive Analytics Market Analysis, By Deployment Model



12 Prescriptive Analytics Market Analysis, By Vertical



13 Geographic Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

15 Company Profiles



Angoss Software Corporation

Ayata

FICO

Frontline Systems Inc.

Good Data and Absolute Data

IBM Corporation

IRI and MU Sigma

Mitek Analytics LLC

Netformx

Ngdata

Panoratio

Profitect

Qualmetrix Inc.

River Logic, Inc.

Tibco Software Inc.

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/x96fkb/prescriptive

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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SOURCE Research and Markets
tp-Business, trucks-Business, and agri-Business boast an especially strong customer base and readership within France. Each publication and website offers listings from sellers of new and used construction and ag equipment as well as trucks and trailers. "In addition to its well-established brands, the Douglas Editions team also brings a great deal of depth and experience in these markets," explains Sandhills' Chief Operations Officer Shawn Peed. "With the additional staff and the backing of our proven business infrastructure, we expect to continue to further our reach into the local French market, ultimately benefitting both buyers and sellers in the industries we serve."

These brands will integrate into the industry-specific magazines circulated by Sandhills East and Sandhills Publishing, the global distribution of which exceeds five million publications every month. The corresponding websites for each publication will also integrate into the network of successful trade websites provided by Sandhills East and Sandhills Publishing.

Beaucamps-le-Vieux, France will be added to Sandhills' already-extensive list of international locations that includes offices in Manchester and Peterborough, United Kingdom; Brisbane, Australia; Senningerberg, Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; as well as Nebraska and Arizona, USA. "The additional office location reinforces our commitment to serving buyers and sellers in their local markets," explains Sandhills' Chief Administration Officer Nancy Paasch. "The space will accommodate staff as we continue to increase recruiting efforts and grow our salesforce across Europe in the immediate future and long-term."

About Sandhills East

As a subsidiary of Sandhills Publishing, Sandhills East builds on the company's decades-long presence in its core industries. Its first publication, Machinery Trader, has served the heavy machinery industry since 1978. The company has since added publications and websites serving the trucking, agriculture, aviation, and technology industries. Its successful brands include: Machinery Trader, Truck Paper, TractorHouse, AuctionTime, RentalYard, MarketBook, Controller, Executive Controller, Charter Hub, Computer Power User, CyberTrend, and more.

Sandhills East was established in 2011, expanding to include office locations across Europe and Australia. The company continues to expand its existing facilities through the ongoing international growth of new and existing products and services that meet the needs of buyers and sellers in its industries.

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 Sandhills East

+44 (0) 1618718760

feedback@sandhills.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/462202/Sandhills_East__Acquires_Key_Brands_In_France.jpg

SOURCE Sandhills East
PULLACH, Germany, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Martin and Christoph Schoeller, Managing Partners of the Schoeller Group, Pullach, Germany, are currently actively pursuing acquisitions in returnable packaging. Historically, financial investors have been invited to co-invest with Schoeller to finance this growth. JP Morgan are co-shareholders of Schoeller Allibert.

Over the last 20 years several companies were taken over and successfully integrated such as Berolina, Wavin, Arca (Perstorp) and Linpac Allibert.

Schoeller Group has no intention to sell its participation in the Schoeller Allibert Group B.V. The shareholding in Schoeller Allibert is the core asset of the Schoeller Group that additionally owns subsidiaries and joint ventures in packaging, logistics and communication technology as well as managing further investments in private companies, liquid assets and real estate.

Contact:

Schoeller Group GmbH

Martin Schoeller

martin.schoeller@schoeller.org

Tel. +49-89-55277 100



http://www.schoellergroup.com

http://www.schoellerallibert.com

SOURCE Schoeller Group GmbH
TORONTO, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

First of its kind environment will house 350 digital, design, engineering and agile experts working to improve customer experiences

Scotiabank officially opened the doors today to its Canadian Digital Factory, a dedicated digital production facility designed to drive collaboration and creativity as well as to improve our customers' experience in areas such as mobile and digital banking transactions, account openings, loan adjudication and mortgage lending.

The 70,000 square foot facility, located in Toronto just a few blocks away from Scotiabank's global corporate headquarters, will employ digital, design, engineering and agile specialists. The space is designed to facilitate collaboration, creativity and real-time direct customer input to develop innovative solutions.

Scotiabank is creating a network of Digital Factories including one in each of the Pacific Alliance countries of Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. These Factories will serve as incubators for new products, services and solutions for Scotiabank's 23 million customers around the world.

"All Scotiabankers are deeply proud of our five Digital Factories and the work that is taking place in these facilities," said Brian Porter, President and CEO, Scotiabank. "These creative workspaces are inspiring and encouraging entrepreneurism, accelerating delivery times and allowing our teams to sharpen their focus on meeting the needs of our customers. They are also playing an important role in spurring FinTech innovation, productivity and job growth in their local markets."

Designed by Interior Architects, the new Digital Factory facility in Toronto was designed based on ideas and input from Scotiabank employees to create a space that reflects the diversity of workstyles and the need for a creative, agile and fun work environment.

Quick Facts about the Scotiabank Digital Factory Space in Toronto:

Customer Usability Lab: Customer feedback informs our test-and-learn development culture every step of the way. The Customer Usability Lab space at the Digital Factory is a place where our teams meet with our customers to test our solutions as we build them. It helps our teams understand what our customers want and need, and enables us to capture real time feedback and iterate on what has already been designed.

Customer feedback informs our test-and-learn development culture every step of the way. The Customer Usability Lab space at the Digital Factory is a place where our teams meet with our customers to test our solutions as we build them. It helps our teams understand what our customers want and need, and enables us to capture real time feedback and iterate on what has already been designed. Scrum-ready workspaces: From large huddle rooms to private meeting booths, the technology-forward design enables teams to collaborate across the Bank's footprint, and drives quality and efficiency of technical production for employees and scrum teams who use the agile methodology. The neighbourhood themes and meeting rooms are named after people and technologies that disrupted and transformed their industries.

From large huddle rooms to private meeting booths, the technology-forward design enables teams to collaborate across the Bank's footprint, and drives quality and efficiency of technical production for employees and scrum teams who use the agile methodology. The neighbourhood themes and meeting rooms are named after people and technologies that disrupted and transformed their industries. Artful design and inspiration: Artwork throughout acknowledges Scotiabank's history and inspires the future. The Digital Factory logo - a fusion between the traditional factory gear and a pixelated gear - encapsulates the transformation from analog to digital and Scotiabank's broader digital transformation. Proudly on display is a stylized Scotiabank Coat of Arms from the original version designed in 1921. Informed by interviews with Digital Factory employees, Toronto artists created a mural that represents Scotiabank's evolving role for banking customers around the world, grounded in the bank's core values: respect, integrity, passion and accountability.

Artwork throughout acknowledges Scotiabank's history and inspires the future. The Digital Factory logo - a fusion between the traditional factory gear and a pixelated gear - encapsulates the transformation from analog to digital and Scotiabank's broader digital transformation. Proudly on display is a stylized Scotiabank Coat of Arms from the original version designed in 1921. Informed by interviews with Digital Factory employees, artists created a mural that represents Scotiabank's evolving role for banking customers around the world, grounded in the bank's core values: respect, integrity, passion and accountability. Security haven: A biometric security access solution captures and matches four fingerprints with a single hand movement. It implements contactless technology, allowing residents to remain on the move when passing through a control point.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $896 (CAN) billion (as at October 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

About the Digital Factory

The Digital Factory is a hub for creation and incubation of new and partner-led ideas to deliver game-changing solutions for Scotiabank customers. The Digital Factory is a cornerstone of Scotiabank's digital transformation, and is focused on reinventing how banking serves people by first reinventing the way we work. Visit us at digitalfactory.scotiabank.com. Follow us on Twitter @Scotia_df / Instagram @Scotia_df / Facebook at Scotiabank Digital Factory. #ScotiaDF

For media enquiries only: Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern, Public, Corporate and Government Affairs,

Scotiabank, 416-933-1344, marcelo.gomez-wiuckstern@scotiabank.com

SOURCE Scotiabank
DUBLIN, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Shaw Academy, the world's largest live online educator, has launched its own educational platform to accommodate the continued surge of students availing of its content. The Irish based company with offices in UK, USA & India provides live online education across a range of subjects, focused on practical skills. It has trebled student numbers in the past twelve months and increased turnover by on average 322% year on year since inception in 2011.

Co-founded by James Egan and Adrian Murphy, Shaw Academy's rapid growth is based upon the core principles of delivering great education, affordably and accessibly, to everyone, supported by proprietary technology. Shaw Academy courses are curated and developed by subject matter experts, and practical faculties include Marketing, Technology, Design, Finance, Sales, Nutrition and Photography. Lessons are delivered live, thus ensuring the most up to date trends can be covered and students interact in real time, at times of their choosing.

The new platform entitled Phoenix enables Shaw Academy to teach more students live online simultaneously than ever before, whilst also providing a far more automated yet personalised service to its students. Subscribers registering for their chosen subject will be taken on a journey that will focus on their outcome. Shaw Academy can now fully tailor information to learners based on subject matter choice, experience level and desired career path. Numerous gamification elements will also be deployed throughout the period of study relevant to the subject to further boost completion rates. The new technology will further enhance the live experience allowing students to receive detailed answers immediately, and contribute to polls and surveys in real time during live sessions enabling Shaw Academy educators to modify and improve content and further boost satisfaction levels and hence NPS scores.

Speaking on the launch of the Phoenix platform Co-Founder and CEO James Egan said, "The creation of Phoenix is a very exciting development at Shaw Academy. We now have our own scalable live educational platform that is continually improving itself. It allows us to further personalise and enhance the learning experience to our students, whose goals, dreams and aspirations are our number one priority. Our continued growth will mean that by the end of 2017 we will be teaching two million new students every month. Phoenix allows us to show true innovation in the delivery of education, teach millions of new students, and continue to drive down the cost of education."

Contact Details

John White - Director of Corporate Affairs - john.white@shawacademy.com , +353-87-6678985

SOURCE Shaw Academy
HENDERSON, Nevada, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

SMS-Magic, a proven global business messaging application for Salesforce, today announced that the SMS-Magic application on Appexchange is now 'Lightning Ready'. With this, businesses using Salesforce Lightning or planning to move to Salesforce Lightning, will be able to use SMS-Magic's text messaging app seamlessly in the Lightning Environment.

"Lightning ready SMS-Magic now delivers a seamless user experience to Salesforce Lightning users. This is just the start of our journey in creating a robust integration with Salesforce Lightning," says Sandip More, Co-Founder, and CTO, SMS-Magic.

SMS-Magic enables businesses using Salesforce to text their leads and customers from their Salesforce CRM. Everything that they could do with SMS-Magic on Salesforce earlier - create templates with dynamic fields, schedule messages, automate texts on workflows - they can continue to do on Salesforce Lightning.

Salesforce Lightning is a new user interface that Salesforce has introduced, which is more intuitive than Salesforce Classic. It makes it easier for end users to find what they want, is faster and supports all their use cases.

The SMS-Magic app supports both Salesforce Classic and Salesforce Lightning.

About SMS-Magic

SMS-Magic is a proven, global messaging application for popular CRM platforms, with over 1500 clients across 190 countries. SMS-Magic enables CRM users to seamlessly use messaging to engage buyers and win and retain more new customer revenue.

Reference Links - http://www.screen-magic.com/blog/sms-magics-texting-app-for-salesforce-is-now-lightning-ready/

Media Contact:

Koeli Chatterjee

koeli@screen-magic.com

Manager - Marketing & Communication

Screen-Magic Mobile Media



SOURCE SMS-Magic
DUBAI, UAE, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Career Mastery 2017 Job Board Database is the result of an extensive study led by Deniz Sasal, a leading career advisor, which surveyed over 3,000 job boards worldwide. The result is an invaluable free resource that will save job seekers 100s of hours making applications in the least effective platforms. The study aimed to answer the question of what makes a job board valuable for jobseekers, exploring several areas.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/461912/PRNE_Job_Board_Opportunity_Matrix_V2.jpg )



The power of the brand name

The availability of jobs from renowned employers

Number of applicants visiting the job board

Sasal says, "It was clear to me that the most useful job board is one with a high supply of job posts for which there was low demand. In other words, there are plenty of quality postings with only a few applicants. Naturally, this triggered my curiosity and I decided to conduct a thorough study to find out which job boards actually produce the most effective results. "

The final outcome of this 1,000 hour study is The Career Mastery 2017 Job Board Database which includes over 700 job boards across all regions and allows any job seeker to prioritize the list based on criteria known as "Opportunity Score".

Opportunity score is a tool that awards job boards with highest supply of jobs against lowest number of applicants. This gives an applicant a great indication of how competitive the platform is.

In order to get the best return for their time investment, job applicants would only want to apply for jobs that are in low demand from applicants but in high supply of available job posts. These job boards that belong to Quadrant A in the graph above give candidates the highest chances of being hired. While one might assume that 'big name' online job boards would produce the best results for applicants, in reality the study demonstrated that most fall under Quadrant D - the worst place possible.

Developing The Career Mastery 2017 Job Board Database

The first filter used was the demand data. Similar Web's platform was used to check the web traffic across 3,210 job sites, identifying the job boards that get the most visitors.

This was checked against the number of job posts available for each job board. This was the second filter and gave the supply data, enabling Sasal and his team to measure the number of visitors against the actual number of jobs being posted on the job search websites.

Once they had a good understanding of the supply/demand curve, they eliminated those sites that fit one of the following characteristics, such as:

High number of repeated job posts

Platforms with job posts that never expire

Majority blue collar jobs

Scam and low quality sites (Majestic leveraged to run a bulk check)

Paid services (only free job boards are featured)

Sites that link out job posts to other and bigger platforms

Majority of the job posts are Internships or temporary work.

Once this clean-up had been completed, the result was the Job Board Opportunity Score (JBOS).

Sasal concludes "From this curve, we could finally arrive at an imperfect assumption that the higher the JBOS, the more chances a job applicant has for landing a job with that particular job board. After almost 1,000 hours of research and rigorous analysis, we are extremely happy to present you The Career Mastery 2017 Job Board Index."

SOURCE The Career Mastery
LONDON, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

- For over 20 years, Unifin have distinguished by supporting their customers with the highest quality in financial services

- Unifin's core market is leasing of machinery and equipment including transport and Financial Factoring for SMEs and Auto Loans

Senior executives at Mexican leasing company Unifin Financiera, S.A.B. de C.V were delighted this week, to receive two Corporate Excellence Awards on behalf of their Chair and founder Rodrigo Lebois.

The 52-year-old who built the successful company up from five employees 23 years ago to more than 300 employees today, was awarded Business Worldwide Magazine (BWM) "Chairperson of the Year, Latin America - 2016," and "Business Leader of the Year, Mexico - 2016."

An independent leasing company which was listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange in 2015, Unifin provides assets and loans for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Mexico. In doing so it has contributed substantially to the growth of the country's economy.

On hearing of his win, Mr Lebois thanked his talented employees for their dedication to the company.

"But it's not just the company Unifin staff are working for," he said. "Every employee is also ensuring that the Mexican economy is healthy and forward-looking for their children and grand children. The success of public companies such as Unifin is something which benefits everyone living here in Mexico both today and tomorrow."

Unifin's core market (89 per cent) is leasing of machinery and equipment in construction, mining, printing and medicine, including transport. Other parts of the company are Financial Factoring for SMEs and Auto Loans.

The company prides itself on its role as a "one-stop-shop for SME's in Mexico. This means clients can lease manufacturing equipment, IT items and office furniture together and at the same time, rather than having to sourcing them independently. Unifin will also customize loans to ensure they're affordable for their SME clients.

A spokesman for BWM congratulated Mr Lebois and Unifin on the double win and added: "There is no doubt that Unifin is providing a fantastic service for SMEs in Mexico, to the extent many of these businesses could well have gone under were it not for the company's sympathetic and independent leasing and finance strategies.

"This winning company was begun by Rodrigo Lebois around 23 years ago. Today it's a huge success story and one he can rightly be proud of. Here at BWM we look forward to hearing a lot more about Unifin in the very near future."

Find out more about the company, their operation and leasing/finance options at http://www.unifin.com.mx

An article on the company can also be found on BWM website

http://www.bwmonline.com/2017/01/25/unifin-is-leading-the-way-for-leasing-in-mexico/

Note to editors

Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few.

http://www.bwmonline.com

Contact:

Agency

Ana Paola Morales / Estrategia Total

T. (01) 55 5545 5035

amorales@estrategiatotal.org



Contact

David Jones

Awards Department

E: david.jones@bwmonline.com

W: http://www.bwmonline.com



SOURCE Business Worldwide Magazine
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 365 Connect, a leading provider of award-winning marketing, leasing, and resident technology platforms for the multifamily housing industry announced today that its founder and CEO, Kerry W. Kirby, was featured for the sixth year in a row on the Silicon Bayou 100 List as one of the most influential leaders in technology and entrepreneurship in Louisiana.

The Silicon Bayou 100 List, published by Silicon Bayou News, recognizes the most active and influential entrepreneurs and technology innovators in Louisiana today. This prestigious accolade acknowledges Kirby's commitment, creativity, dedication to progress technology, and mentor startups in the New Orleans technology community. His considerable achievements have made him a stand out in the Silicon Bayou 100 List alongside celebrities and other influencers across the state.

Kirby stated, "I am proud to be a part of the technology community in my home state, and I am honored to be recognized for my leadership as well as my technological ingenuity. Together, we are proving to the rest of the nation that great technology is being created right here in Louisiana. In fact, we are becoming the hub for creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation."

Kirby is an entrepreneur, technology innovator, and the founder of New Orleans-based 365 Connect, an internationally recognized, award-winning technology firm focused in the multifamily housing industry. A renowned speaker, author, and media expert on technology, Kirby has published numerous articles, case studies, and is a contributor to several nationally published books. Kirby has been a guest lecturer, featured speaker, and panelist at numerous universities, national conferences, and events.

He has appeared on the BBC Digital Planet program, NPR News, and various media outlets. Known for his passion to foster the next generation of innovators, Kirby is one of the most prominent supporters of educational events in the New Orleans area that are geared towards technology. Most notably, he has led 365 Connect to receive a vast array of international, national, and regional awards including the Louisiana Governor's Technology Award.

"Louisiana, known as the Silicon Bayou, is rapidly becoming a place where entrepreneurs, technology developers, innovators, and venture capitalists are making great strides in modern technology," Kirby explained. "The state government, economic development groups, universities, start-up accelerators, and many more are supporting entrepreneurship and high growth companies like never before. Our future has never been brighter, and I am excited to be a part of it."

About Silicon Bayou News:

Silicon Bayou News is the leading start-up and technology media property in Louisiana, reaching over a million page views per year and hundreds of thousands of visitors per month from all 50 states and over 100 countries. Our audience includes tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, brands and corporations, early adopters, social media enthusiasts, marketing, PR and advertising agencies, Web 2.0 fanatics, and business and technology journalists. For more information visit: www.SiliconBayouNews.com

About 365 Connect:

365 Connect is a leading provider of award-winning marketing, leasing, and resident technology platforms for the multifamily housing industry. Delivering a fully-integrated solution that eliminates redundant marketing efforts, simplifies transactions, and provides services after the lease is signed, the 365 Connect Platform interfaces with a variety of third-party applications to streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Powering the resident lifecycle since 2003, 365 Connect delivers game-changing results for its clients and the residents they serve by remaining laser-focused on connecting people with where they live. Explore: www.365connect.com

Media Contact:

365 Connect

[email protected]

Related Links

Like Us On Facebook

Follow Us On Twitter

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

SOURCE 365 Connect

Related Links

http://www.365connect.com


"Katherine will spearhead Arup's work in LA to integrate its advisory services in strategy and economics, planning, and finance, delivered in the city context," noted Jon Phillips, Principal and Los Angeles Group Leader at Arup. "She brings an eclectic and powerful combination of experience to her role. We are excited to have her on board."

Katherine's work will build on Arup's existing broad range of skills including planning, sustainability, transportation consulting, energy master planning, and infrastructure advisory services to bring strategic support to cities and private clients. She will be leading Arup's efforts in the Los Angeles market to deepen its engagements with mayors, city governments, developers, infrastructure owners and investors, and other key urban stakeholders in support of fostering sustainable, thriving, and climate change resilient cities. She brings extensive relationships in public, private, and non-profit sectors as well as with executive administrators and elected officials throughout the country.

"At Arup, I have found a firm that has the breadth of experience and technical skill to make a real difference in our cities and in the lives of the people who live there," said Katherine on joining the firm. "Not only is Arup a great match for my diverse professional experience, it is committed to making a positive impact and shares the values and principles that I hold dear."

Most recently, Katherine was a 2016 candidate for the California State Senate District 25, where she received over 31,000 votes, nearly 15% of the overall vote in a crowded field of six candidates. In 2011, she co-founded Estolano LeSar Perez (ELP) Advisors, a DBE/WBE minority woman owned company that provides integrated solutions to public agencies, foundations, business associations, and other stakeholders seeking to grow thriving, healthy, and vibrant communities. In this role, Katherine managed numerous transportation planning, development, and community engagement projects. Katherine has also served as the Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute, Los Angeles District Council (ULI LA) (2008-2011); Vice President at Forest City Development; Executive Director at Transportation & Land Use Collaborative (2000-2005); Deputy Mayor for the City of Pasadena (1998-2000); and Transportation Manager for the City of South Pasadena (1996-98).

Katherine has served on numerous boards and commissions throughout her career. She has been invited to serve on the National Board of Directors for EcoDistricts beginning in 2017. In 2013, Katherine was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the Board of Directors of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) where she chaired the Land Use and Transit Subcommittee of the Board. She was a board member for New Economics for Women, a member of the California Public Infrastructure Advisory Commission, chaired the City of Pasadena Transportation Commission, was a Pasadena Heritage board member, and has been involved with several local and national industry and leadership organizations. Katherine is an adjunct professor at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at University of Southern California.

"Katherine has shown drive and commitment in diverse leadership roles  be it candidate, consultant, developer, or public servant. We are thrilled that she has joined Arup and is now looking forward to help our clients here thrive in a changing environment," said Ignacio Barandiaran, Principal and leader of Arup's infrastructure transaction advice team.

With the new cities strategy based around eight core themes  city resilience, climate-ready cities, city life, city growth, city regeneration, host cities, city operations, and digital cities  Arup will continue to be an impactful firm in Los Angeles, where they have had an office for 30 years. Cities work has included collaboration with C40 Cities in developing "Climate Action in Megacities 2.0", development of the "City Resilience Framework" supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, and development of climate adaptation and mitigation plans, like the Washington DC Sustainability Plan. Current and recent projects in Los Angeles include a collaboration with USGBC-LA to author the "Building Resilience-LA: A Primer for Facilities" guidebook, The Broad Museum, LAX Central Utility Plant, California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, The Village at USC, Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, Long Beach Civic Center, and the Los Angeles Convention Center.

About Arup

The preeminent provider of engineering, consulting, planning, design, and technical specialist services in the built environment, Arup aims to do the best quality work across diverse specialties to deliver value to its clients and achieve a positive impact on our world. The firm opened its first US office over 30 years ago and now employs 1,400 people in the Americas. Since its founding in 1946, members of Arup have developed transformative ways of working with its clients. The firm's unique version of employee-ownership promotes long-term thinking and significant investment in research and innovation for the benefit of its clients. For additional information, visit Arup's website at www.arup.com and the online magazine of Arup in the Americas at doggerel.arup.com.

Contact: Tami Hausman

[email protected]

646.742.1700

Contact: Rebecca Maloney

[email protected]

617.412.6632

SOURCE Arup

Related Links

http://www.arup.com


"Being ranked in the top 20 on Franchise Gator's Top 100 Franchise List and named one of the fastest growing franchises is extremely gratifying," said Jason Leverant, president and chief operating officer for AtWork Group. "It's a testament to our franchisees' hard work and dedication, helping to make AtWork not only a great franchise choice in a growing industry, but also a forward-thinking firm with a successful business model."

AtWork Group is a leader in the staffing industry, its cutting-edge solutions and initiatives for franchisees, clients and employees helped the company expand to nearly 100 locations throughout the U.S. with gross sales of more than $294 million.

Franchise Gator's Fastest Growing category spotlights brands experiencing rapid expansion coming into the new year.

"This year we identified 100 franchise opportunities for the Fastest Growing category," said Eric Bell, general manager of Franchise Gator. "In addition to their track record for building a solid customer base and gaining the trust of investors, the opportunities were selected based on the number of opening and operating units the franchise has had over the past several months."

In addition to the Top 100 Franchise listing and Fastest Growing Franchise, AtWork Group was recently named in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list, ranked as Franchise Times Top 200+ for the fourth year in a row, and for the third year in a row on INC.'s list of the 5000 fastest growing U.S. private companies. AtWork also became a fourth-time recipient of the prestigious Inavero award that recognizes proven track records of exceptional performance and client satisfaction. Fewer than 2 percent of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada earned the 2016 Best of Staffing Award for service excellence.

For the full list of Franchise Gator's Fastest Growing Franchises, visit http://www.franchisegator.com/lists/fastest-growing/.

About Franchise Gator

Franchise Gator's Fastest Growing Franchises is an annual list that gets its rankings directly from the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) submitted for consideration by each franchise. The Top 100 was designed, with the assistance of The Educated Franchisee, to measure the quality of a franchise system over time. Rankings are mostly based on a formula created from various pieces of the FDD that focus on financial stability, growth, transparency, engagement, continuity and sustainability. Find out more about the selection process here: http://www.franchisegator.com/lists/ and see the complete list of winners here https://www.franchisegator.com/lists/top-100/.

About AtWork Group

AtWork Group is an award-winning and nationally known franchisor of staffing services including @WORK Personnel Services, @WORK Medical Services, @WORK HelpingHands Services, and @WORK Search Group under the umbrella of the AtWork Group. The foundation for AtWork began in the 1980s, and today, AtWork has grown to be cited as one of Staffing Industry Report's top U.S. staffing firms. AtWork Group's remarkable growth is fueled by the vision of founders John and Glenda Hall: think ahead, create opportunity, give exceptional support to franchise offices, and always look for the better way, every day. For more information, visit http://www.atwork.com/ or call 800.383.0804.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE AtWork Group

Related Links

http://www.atwork.com


MIAMI, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the foremost experts on social media law is on the agenda at #BankSocial 2017. Ethan Wall, founder of The Social Media Law Firm, will be leading a session on how credit unions and banks can effectively leverage "the art of influencing" to encourage business growth. "Social Media Influencing" is slated for April 5 from 4 to 5 p.m. #BankSocial 2017 will take place on April 4 and 5 in Miami, with optional workshops on April 3 and 6. To register or learn more about this unique event, visit http://www.banksocialmediaconference.com/event-registration/

"Social Media Influencing is vital for any brand, but banks and credit unions have to tread carefully," says #BankSocial Founder John Siracusa. "Federal regulations govern what banks can say and how they can say it. That's why it's so great to have someone like Ethan Wall joining us this year. His session will present all the important rules in plain English, so marketers can go forth with confidence that they're following the rules."

The "Social Media Influencing" session will be a live, interactive and multimedia experience in which Wall will answer questions from banks and credit unions. He will explain why "influencing" should be the essence and motivation of an effective social media marketing strategy. The session will also include a discussion of the wide variety of forms a campaign can take. Most importantly, attendees will leave armed with the knowledge and understanding to enter the social media marketing realm with confidence.

"It's exciting to be on the forefront of the social media revolution and play an important role in shaping the discussion on social media legal issues," says Wall. "I'm excited to teach banks and credit unions how to become social influencers so that they can safely take their business to new heights."

Wall is the author of four books about social media and law. Mainstream media outlets like NPR and CNN have sought his expertise on the topic. At The Social Media Law Firm, Wall helps businesses, HR departments and startups navigate the regulatory waters as they create and manage their social media campaigns.

The #BankSocial Media Conference is now in its second year. And, if the success of the inaugural event is any indication, this year's conference will be a tremendous opportunity for learning and networking. The full #BankSocial 2017 agenda is available now at http://www.banksocialmediaconference.com/agenda/.

About #BankSocial

Banking isn't like every other industryregulations have made social media a nerve racking territory. That's why #BankSocial was created to inspire bank and credit union marketers and executives to be the best at exceeding customer's expectations, while navigating through the red tape. Whether you're a social media rock star or a beginner, you'll gather a wealth of knowledge from industry leaders through content innovation, open discussions, networking, and so much more. Learn more at http://banksocialmediaconference.com.

Contact:

Ally Davis

#BankSocial

201-941-1458 ext. 703

[email protected]

http://banksocialmediaconference.com

SOURCE #BankSocial

Related Links

http://www.banksocialmediaconference.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CarGurus, a leading car shopping site in the U.S., is the recipient of two "Top Rated" Awards for New Car Leads and Used Car Advertising in the eighth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards. The awards, presented at a special event on January 27th in conjunction with the 2017 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo, are based on DrivingSales Vendor Ratings, which comprise 35,000 validated user reviews.

"CarGurus is honored to have won two Dealer Satisfaction Awards for car lead and advertising capabilities," said Langley Steinert, Founder and CEO of CarGurus. "From day one CarGurus has strived to be a transparent and valued resource for car dealerships and car shoppers alike, and we are proud that the value we provide to dealerships is being recognized. We want to thank our esteemed customers for sharing their feedback on DrivingSales and we hope to continue to deliver top-notch products in the years to come."

CarGurus provides dealers with a proprietary deal rating across their inventory that delivers trust and transparency for shoppers, yielding stronger quality leads and greater inventory exposure. Vehicle listings are ranked solely based on the vehicles' deal rating and the dealer's reputation, thereby helping shoppers find the best deals from top-rated dealers. In turn, CarGurus, which attracts more than 21 million monthly shoppers, sends dealers leads that are confident in their vehicle's pricing and ready-to-buy.

CarGurus will hold demos and dealer inventory analysis at Booth # 3801 during this year's National Automobile Dealer Association Convention & Expo being held from January 26-29 in New Orleans.

"We congratulate CarGurus on earning the "Top Rated" for both Used Car Advertising and New Car Leads and for consistently contributing value to its dealership customers throughout 2016," said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. "DrivingSales Vendor Ratings help dealers make important, informed vendor decisions by providing peer reviews on solutions, leading them to outstanding service providers such CarGurus."

The DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards are based on cumulative ratings tallied and verified over the calendar year (January  December) at DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings. DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings is the industry's only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons. The site provides dealerships with important information from actual customers who have hands-on experience using vendor products / solutions in their stores. Each rating is verified as coming from an actual dealership employee.

Full award results are available online at http://dealersatisfactionawards.com/. Award winners are showcased in the Q1 2017 issue of DrivingSales Buyers Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the 2017 NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to more than 2,000 of the top used car dealers in the U.S. The DrivingSales Buyers Guide represents over 1,000 automotive solutions and over 35,000 dealer reviews of those products from DrivingSales Vendor Ratings, identifying the solutions that have risen to the top.

About CarGurus

Founded in 2006 by Langley Steinert, co-founder of TripAdvisor, CarGurus is a leading online automotive shopping destination focused on bringing transparency and efficiency to the car research and shopping experience. The site uses technology and market data analysis to help millions of automotive shoppers search for cars and quickly identify the best deals from top-rated dealers in their local area. Today, the site serves 21 million unique monthly users and more than 19,000 car dealerships with more than 5 million car listings, and it ranks #1 among car shopping websites in the U.S. by daily unique visitor traffic and mobile visitors as measured by ComScore Media Metrix. CarGurus also has sites in the U.K. and Canada.

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales serves automotive retailers with an integrated suite of technology, knowledge, community and performance insight designed to advance the success of retail professionals and their dealerships. Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two-thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance.

To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com.

SOURCE CarGurus
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CBN News announces today that its Chief Political Correspondent, David Brody, will sit down with President Donald J. Trump for an interview, Friday, Jan. 27. Interview clips will be available to the press by 2 P.M. EST on Friday, upon request. Please request the clips by emailing [email protected]. The full interview, titled "President Trump: The CBN News Interview," will run on Sunday at 11 P.M. EST on Freeform. The interview will also be aired on Monday during The 700 Club on its local affiliate network at 9 A.M. EST. and on Freeform at 10 A.M. and 11 P.M. EST.

David Brody, a veteran award-winning journalist, has previously interviewed Mr. Trump more than a dozen times, going back to 2011, including 9 times during the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Friday's interview will be CBN News' first interview with President Trump. CBN is also proud to have the privilege of conducting the first sit down interview with the president among all faith news outlets in the United States.

The interview comes a few days after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer commended CBN News for highlighting issues often overlooked by other media outlets.

"There are issues that sometimes the mainstream media does not capture. And it's important for those issues to get as much prominence as some of the mainstream ones," said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in an interview on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

"Maybe by hearing from the Christian Broadcasting Network, we [will] hear about an issue that otherwise would get drowned out," Spicer added. Of CBN, he also said, "They have a magnificent audience."

Last year, the Christian Broadcasting Network celebrated 32 years of CBN News coverage of the Republican National Convention (RNC), making the network the largest faith media presence covering the convention.

The network has been frontrunner in faith-based news coverage, often featuring exclusive interviews with presidential candidates and nominees. Last July, CBN Founder and Chairman Pat Robertson conducted a one-on-one interview with now President Trump days before his presidential nomination by the RNC was announced.

Advanced clips of the interview will be made available to the media by 2 P.M. on Friday, January 27, 2017, courtesy of CBN News. Please request the clips by emailing [email protected].

David Brody is an Emmy Award winning 29-year veteran news journalist who is currently the Chief Political Correspondent for CBN News. He has interviewed many prominent national figures during the course of his careerand they cross the ideological spectrum: Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Harry Reid, and many others.

Brody is also the author of the 2012 book titled: "The Teavangelicals: The Inside Story of How the Evangelicals and the Tea Party are Taking Back America

He joined CBN News thirteen years ago, in 2003. His political blog, The Brody File, has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. The Brody File is also now a weekly 30-minute political show featuring top newsmakers and exploring key issues relating to faith and politics.

Brody's expertise in the crossover of both faith and politics has afforded him countless opportunities with national media outlets. He offers weekly political analysis on FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC and appear frequently as a roundtable panelist on NBC's Meet The Press and ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos. In the past, he has also been a CNN Political Contributor and a guest host for Glenn Beck on The Blaze TV.

Throughout the years, Brody covered numerous important news events. He just finished covering his fourth presidential election, but has also reported from the scene of the Virginia Tech massacre, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 1996 Olympics.

Brody was raised in New York City and graduated with a B.S. in communications from Ithaca College in 1988. He is married with three children.

Christian Broadcasting Network is a multifaceted nonprofit organization that provides cable, broadcast, satellite and online programming around the world. CBN and its affiliated organizations aim to report the news of the day from an informed Christian perspective. For more than 55 years, CBN has continued to grow in both size and scope as a leading voice in Christian broadcasting, media and communications by utilizing cutting-edge technology in every area of its operation.

Website | www.CBNnews.com Twitter | @CBNnews

CONTACT: The KAIROS Company for Christian Broadcasting Network | [email protected] | (434) 426-5310

SOURCE Christian Broadcasting Network

Related Links

http://www.CBNnews.com


Here in Thailand,

Cat is a 23 year old Thai student who started living with us in 2013 and is now our adopted daughter. She is in her last year of

college.



Natcha cooks, cleans and teaches us, her husband Gong, takes care of the grounds and also cooks. Nitchanan is their 4 year old daughter. They live with us in an apartment attached to our house. Natcha cooks, cleans and teaches us, her husband Gong, takes care of the grounds and also cooks. Nitchanan is their 4 year old daughter. They live with us in an apartment attached to our house.

Last but not least, there is Jai Dee, our Golden Retriever puppy who came to live with us at 8 weeks old in September 2019. Five months ago we adopted a rescue dog named TongDee, which we've shortened to TongTong.



Enjoy,

Danny






TORONTO and CONCORD, Mass., Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealer-FX, the leading customer experience management platform for automotive OEMs and dealerships, and Carlisle & Company, the leading provider of aftersales strategic guidance and tactical solutions for the world's leading motor vehicle brands, have formed an exclusive strategic partnership that will bring groundbreaking data and analytical solutions to the automotive industry.

This unique partnership will deliver Carlisle's deep industry knowledge, proprietary data and analytical expertise through Dealer-FX's industry-leading technology platform. Dealer-FX manages every touch point within the customer's service experience, from initial contact through scheduling and every step at the dealership, and then retaining the customer by bringing them back. Incorporating these data-driven insights and customer-specific recommendations into the technology platform that drives a dealer's service operations gives dealership management unprecedented control over core elements of the business.

The new products will replace stagnant information, guesswork and decades-old rules of thumb with intelligent algorithms that capture real-time data across the Dealer-FX platform, make informed predictions and provide actionable recommendations at every touch point along the customer journey. Dealerships will deliver the next level of personalized experience to each customer, using proprietary algorithms that are aligned with the dealership's operating and financial objectives.

"We're incredibly excited about working with the Carlisle team. Its unparalleled industry knowledge and relationships, extensive analytical capabilities and core integrity align perfectly with Dealer-FX's organization and culture. Together we will deliver completely unique, highly valuable solutions that solve some of the industry's most persistent problems and give both dealers and OEMs the sophisticated analytical tools that will drive retention and loyalty, which other industries have enjoyed for years," said Dealer-FX CEO, Gary Kalk.

"The products we're developing together will unlock billions of dollars of value within dealers and OEM service and sales operations, value that's currently trapped by legacy systems and inflexible workflows. For years we've been looking for the right technology partner with a platform that can collect the right high-quality data, and apply our insights in real-time to benefit both customers and dealers. We've finally found that partner in Dealer-FX," said David Carlisle, Chairman of Carlisle & Co. "This relationship is a game changer for Carlisle & Co. and for the industry."

Its first product, focused on optimizing customer retention, will predict customer behavior at multiple points along their journey and tailor the service experience to maximize the chance of profitably retaining them. By offering the right actions and incentives at the right points in the customer's journey, the dealership can drive behavior that benefits both parties, improving retention, CSI, trust, and the customer's willingness to spend.

Future products, some of which will utilize machine learning technologies, will apply the partnership's unique capabilities to address service cycle time, dealership throughput and capacity management, supply chain effectiveness and alternative customer satisfaction metrics.

About Dealer-FX

Dealer-FX is transforming how millions of consumers interact with automotive brands and their retailers. Our customer experience management platform uses advanced data analysis and mobile applications to deliver convenience, transparency and trust to consumers, and increased efficiency, profitability, retention and brand loyalty to OEMs and dealers.

The ONE Solution Platform is comprised of seven components which together manage the entire service experience from initial contact through drive-off and to the next visit. It delivers the best experience. Period.

Dealer-FX is the exclusive or preferred service technology provider for FCA, Nissan and several other OEMs in the US and Canada, and has more than 2,000 dealership customers. Dealer-FX is based in Toronto, ON, and maintains an office in Rochester Hills, MI. For more information please visit dealer-fx.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also visit us at the upcoming NADA 100 anniversary in New Orleans at booth #2360.

About Carlisle & Company

Carlisle & Company is the preferred provider of aftersales strategic guidance and tactical solutions for the world's leading motor vehicle brands. The firm's expertise is in data analytics, consulting, benchmarking, research, operational excellence, and non-profit consulting. Uniting and driving this breadth and depth of expertise is the pursuit of a better customer experience in the OEM channel.

Global OEMs in the automotive, agriculture, commercial truck, construction, diesel engine, industrial products, mining, and power equipment sectors have been coming to Carlisle for over 20 years. Their capabilities are global with a particular focus on North America and Europe. Carlisle & Company's reputation is built on a history of performance, strong values and culture, integrity, and creativity.

For more information please visit carlisle-co.com.

Media Contact:

Maurice Benatar

Director, Marketing

416.493.0039 x206

MOBILE: 416.788.9239

[email protected]

SOURCE Dealer-FX
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE: ESRT) has signed a long-term lease with Partner Reinsurance Company of the U.S. for a full-floor tenancy of 56,700 sq. ft. at 200 First Stamford Place.

PartnerRe is a leading international reinsurer, serving more than 2,000 clients in more than 150 countries, and is publicly traded on the NYSE.

"Our tenant's decision to relocate from Greenwich Plaza was driven by First Stamford Place's immediate proximity to mass transit, its easy accessibility to I-95, and its wide array of campus amenities," said Jeffrey H. Newman, Senior Vice President of ESRT. "Another important component was the efficiency of the full-floor plate, allowing for optimal employee productivity."

Edward Tonnessen of Jones Lang LaSalle represented PartnerRe in the lease negotiations. Mr. Newman represented ESRT along with Senior Leasing Associate, Kimberly Zaccagnino, and Leasing Associate, Tara Long.

About Empire State Realty Trust

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the world's most famous building. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of September 30, 2016, consisting of 9.4 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 707,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities laws. You can identify these statements by our use of the words "assumes," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects" and similar expressions that do not relate to historical matters. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond ESRT's control and could materially affect actual results, performance or achievements. Such factors and risks include, without limitation, a failure of conditions or performance regarding any event or transaction described above, regulatory changes, and other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in ESRT's filings with the SEC. Except as may be required by law, ESRT does not undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.esbnyc.com


NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The federal multidistrict litigation established in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana for Taxotere permanent alopecia lawsuits continues to move forward, having issued Pretrial Order #12 on January 19th. Among other things, the Order stipulates that Service of Process be made on all non-Sanofi defendants by Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Liaison Counsel have also been directed to submit proposed deadlines for submission of a Master Complaint, Short Form Complaint, Master Answer, and Motions to Dismiss during today's scheduled meeting with the Court. (In Re: Taxotere (Docetaxal) Products Liability Litigation - MDL No. 2740)

"Our Firm is working with a number of Taxotere patients who allegedly experienced permanent hair loss due to the side effects associated with this chemotherapy medication. We are pleased that the federal litigation is progressing, and look forward to further developments in the near future," says Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective medical devices and drugs. The Firm is now offering free legal evaluations to breast cancer patients and others whose hair failed to grow back following chemotherapy with Taxotere.

Taxotere Hair Loss Allegations

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration first approved Taxotere to treat breast cancer in 1996. The agency has since cleared the chemotherapy agent to treat neck cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Nearly two decades after its initial approval, the FDA announced that the Adverse Events section of the Taxotere label would be modified to note that cases of permanent alopecia had been reported among patients treated with the drug.

More than 700 Taxotere lawsuits are now pending in the centralized litigation underway in Louisiana. Plaintiffs involved in this proceeding claim that they were wrongly led to believe that the alopecia resulting from their cancer treatments would be temporary. Their complaints further allege that Taxotere hair loss is actually more likely to be permanent compared to alternative, equally affective chemotherapy drugs. Plaintiffs also point out that Sanofi-Aventis advised physicians, patients, and regulatory agencies in other countries, including the European Union and Canada, that Taxotere could result in permanent and disfiguring hair loss. Yet the Taxotere warnings included on the U.S. labeling were vague and misleading, as they merely cautioned that "hair generally grows back" following exposure to the drug.

Cancer patients who allegedly suffered permanent hair loss following Taxotere chemotherapy may be eligible to file a lawsuit of their own. To learn more about the available legal options, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website, or call 800-511-5092 to arrange for a free, no obligation case review.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP

Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our clients. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is honored to once again be named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List," recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country. This year's nomination marks the thirteenth year the firm has been named to this prestigious annual list.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP

10 East 40th Street

New York, New York 10016

800-511-5092

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.  2017 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:

Sandy A. Liebhard, Esq.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP

info (at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com

http://www.rxinjuryhelp.com/

https://plus.google.com/115936073311125306742?rel=author

SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP

Related Links

http://www.bernlieb.com


WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Florida College of Emergency Physicians (FCEP) and its national organization, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today protested the state's award of a contract to a company (The Health Care Cost Institute or HCCI) that is sponsored by four of the largest health insurance companies. HCCI was hired to create a website for consumers to locate and compare health care services by price.

ACEP and FCEP said the partnership of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration with the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) goes against the goal of creating an independent and transparent web tool, and their financial relationship with insurers raises concerns about their objectivity and validity of their data.

"The HCCI data come from the health insurance industry, and there is no transparency or independence," said Jay Falk, MD, president of FCEP. "There were other contenders for the contract, including Fair Health, Inc., which has been recognized for its independence and transparency by Kiplinger's Personal Finance as the 'Best health care cost estimator' in 2016. We strongly urge Floridians to let their voices be heard about this contract that will benefit insurance companies, not consumers."

Dr. Falk said the Fair Health claims database (www.fairhealth.org) was developed after United Healthcare was successfully sued by the State of New York for fraudulently calculating and significantly underpaying doctors for out-of-network medical services (using the Ingenix database). The formula they used forced patients to overpay up to 30 percent for out-of-network doctors. The company paid a large lawsuit settlement to the state of New York and the American Medical Association over its use of Ingenix. Part of the settlement proceeds were used to create the Fair Health database, which is an independent, unbiased source of health care cost information.

"It's disturbing that the state of Florida would opt for this vendor that is principally owned by the insurance industry," said Rebecca Parker, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP. "Health insurance companies have a long history of denying claims and selling so-called 'affordable' policies that cover very little (until large deductibles are met)  and then blaming medical providers for charges. For years they denied emergency claims based on final diagnosis, instead of symptoms, until the 'prudent layperson' standard was enacted into law."

The prudent layperson protects patients by preventing insurance companies from denying claims when, for example, chest pain turned out to be a panic attack. This standard was included in the Affordable Care Act.

FCEP is the state chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, which is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Related Links

http://www.acep.org


Belle Plaine Earns First of Seven Farm-Focused SuperCenters Planned for Western Canada

SASKATOON, SK, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Genesis Grain & Fertilizer, LP (Genesis) a Western Canadian farmer owned agribusiness confirmed today the first of seven anticipated fertilizer SuperCenters. Through the united efforts of promoters, Farmers of North America (FNA) and AgraCity Crop & Nutrition (AgraCity), Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, Canada has the honour of becoming the first location of this historic $24 million project and has paved the way for the organization to secure the final debt financing for the project.

"Farmers have been deserving of this unique business structure for countless generations," noted FNA President, James Mann. "In a matter of 12 months once construction is complete, just over 600 farmers from over 200 Western Canada communities with the vision and confidence to join FNA and AgraCity on this journey, will be the first to directly share in the responsibility and rewards of owning part of a major fertilizer supply and distribution system. A piece of the supply chain they can call their own."

Andre Berube from Falher, Alberta was not only proud to hear of the announcement, he shared the vision and optimism for what Genesis and its operations would mean for future generations of farm families. "Being an investor in any project is always an exciting opportunity, but to be able to help select a reputable firm to create what I believe will be a coveted operation globally, was both an honour, and will serve as a memory for my lifetime. A story I cannot wait to share with my grandchildren, and may I be so fortunate, my great grandchildren. That's why I invested to begin with, I wanted to ensure the future was bright for the generations to come."

Building a world-class operation requires significant expertise and attention to detail. Genesis will partner with Stueve Canada Ltd. to serve as its lead in the contracting oversight of this significant investment into the future of farming in Western Canada.

Once complete, Genesis Belle Plaine will boast a 52,000 tonne fertilizer SuperCenter with the ability to distribute three times its capacity at 150,000 tonnes. This will be the largest direct to farm facility of its kind in Canada. The Stueve design in partnership with Genesis, will accommodate urea, phosphate, micro-nutrients, sulphur and potash enabling annual supply for farmer investors.

The Genesis team invited a handful of investors to tour fertilizer blending facilities in the USA to get their opinion on specific attributes of the facilities. Mike Haydon from Swift Current, Saskatchewan had this to say, "I learned that these are state of the art facilities and there are a lot of complexities in getting the project to this stage. This is a first-class innovative project that will definitely be an asset to the farmers involved".

The first SuperCenter has already established a very high bar of performance with the adoption of world class blending technology for dry fertilizer offerings. An ability to process its own micro-nutrients and even impregnate bulk fertilizer with advanced fertilizer additives. These services and offerings will be complemented by the most advanced high throughput, in-load and out-load equipment, as well as best-in-class automation technology and related systems.

In servicing Genesis customers throughout the Prairies and even up into British Columbia's Peace Country, the SuperCenter has been designed to directly load and unload rail cars. A competitive advantage that the invested owners of Genesis, FNA and AgraCity feel confident will attract the respect and long-term support from partnering rail providers, given the deep roots of the operation to the farming community.

Jason Mann, President, AgraCity, spoke to the sophistication of the Genesis SuperCenter model, "Thinking beyond the investment, farmers recognize they needed to become a part of something special. A mechanism of incredible innovation and design, working to their benefit by providing a multi-dimensional return in the form of savings (lower fertilizer and related input costs), earnings (retail sales to customers) and equity (reaping the reward of ownership)."

The Genesis value proposition is founded on its ability to accrue retail margins for invested farm business owners. Future development intends to complement this reward with the distribution of nitrogen fertilizer manufactured by the proposed ProjectN plant once it comes on line.

"Genesis is an excellent opportunity for our farm to invest in a fertilizer company and realize the profit from one of our biggest expenses on the farm" states Doug Heaman a Genesis investor from Virden, Manitoba. Also involved is Brad Levorson, a FNA member and Genesis investor from Cabri, Saskatchewan, who was part of the selection process and had this to say. "Being a part of Genesis allows me to capture a return from the marketplace by being both an owner and a customer. To me, that is what I was missing all along."

Media are invited to contact company officials:

Terry Drabiuk, Vice President Business Development: 1-(306)-665-5049

Robert Friesen, Vice President Government Relations: 1-(613)-852-9711

Stueve Construction is a premier design-build firm focused primarily on the construction of dry fertilizer storage facilities. Founded in 1958, Stueve is the dominant leader in the United States. Stueve brings a full service approach to this project that includes pre-construction planning, design, engineering, construction, and project management capabilities. Stueve has built a strong reputation for design innovation, experienced in-house engineering, high quality construction, and the ability to execute on these types of projects. Stueve is now offering these design-build services in the Canadian market through Stueve Canada, Ltd. For more information, please visit www.stueve.com

SOURCE Genesis Grain & Fertilizer LP
SOEST, The Netherlands, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Over 200 extraordinary items from the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot (China) and other museums arrive at the Netherlands. The items, including a golden saddle, will be part of the exhibition 'Genghis Khan, world conqueror on horseback'. The objects have never before been shown outside China. The National Military Museum is the first museum that presents the exhibition from 18 February.

200 extraordinary items

Using wide-ranging contemporary sources, digital media and some of the rarest objects from the museums of Inner Mongolia, this is the story of the Mongols - as it has never been told before. The golden saddle is one of the 200 treasures from the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot, China. It is for the first time that these artefacts are accessible at this scale to the public outside China.

Genghis Khan, world conqueror on horseback

The exhibition tells the story of one of the largest contiguous empires ever known to mankind and the impact it had. The golden saddle is one of the key pieces in the collection. The exhibition documents the life of Genghis Khan from a military perspective.

The exhibition 'Genghis' is a project of Nomad Exhibitions in collaboration with the Inner Mongolia Museum and the University of Edinburgh. The exhibition will open on 18 February and be on display until 27 August.

National Military Museum

The National Military Museum (NMM) is the leading museum highlighting the role of the armed forces in the Netherlands in the past, present and future. The museum illustrates this role by means of stories, activities and topical exhibitions that live long in the memory. The museum has a huge presentation area in which many impressive collection pieces are on display, such as aircraft, tanks, armoured vehicles and helicopters. For more information, go to http://www.nmm.nl or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE The National Military Museum
Norovirus Symptoms Sometimes called the "stomach flu," norovirus is the most common cause of acute viral gastroenteritis around the world, and the most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States. 2 Norovirus is highly contagious and can be found in a person's stool even before they start feeling sick and for two weeks after they feel better. 3 Symptoms usually appear 12 to 48 hours after first exposure to the virus, and last approximately one to three days. The most common symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.

Symptoms usually appear 12 to 48 hours after first exposure to the virus, and last approximately one to three days. The most common symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.

How Norovirus Spreads

Norovirus spreads quickly and rapidly, people can become infected with it by:

Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus, most likely prepared by an individual who is infected with the virus

Touching surfaces or objects with norovirus on them and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth

Having direct contact with a person who is infected with norovirus, for example, when sharing foods, utensils with them4

Steps to Reduce the Spread of Norovirus

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, follow these steps to reduce the spread of the virus.

Practice good hand hygiene. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water at key moments, especially after using the restroom since the virus can spread through stool. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol can be used in addition to handwashing. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Immediately disinfect and clean contaminated surfaces with a disinfectant and cleaner formulated to kill norovirus. For example, PURELL Surface Sprays are registered with the EPA and effective at killing norovirus on surfaces in 30 seconds. Wash laundry thoroughly Wash fruits and vegetables when preparing food; follow proper food preparation guidelines Do not prepare meals when you are sick2

"Whether you think you might have a cold, flu or norovirus, it's always important to consult a doctor and take precautionary measures to help you and everyone stay healthy," recommends Jim Arbogast, Ph.D., vice president of hygiene sciences and public health advancements at GOJO.

For more information on hand hygiene and surface disinfection measures, visit PURELL.com or GOJO.com.

About GOJO

GOJO, the inventors of PURELL Hand Sanitizer, is the leading global producer and marketer of skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home settings. The broad GOJO product portfolio includes hand cleaning, handwashing, hand sanitizing, skin care formulas and surface sprays under the GOJO, PURELL and PROVON brand names. GOJO formulations use the latest advances in the science of skin care and sustainability. GOJO is known for state-of-the-art dispensing technology, engineered with attention to design, sustainability and functionality. GOJO programs promote healthy behaviors for hygiene, skin care and compliance in critical environments. GOJO is a privately held, family-owned corporation headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with operations in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Canada and Brazil.

1 Wall Street Journal, January 24, 2017, http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-stomach-bug-norovirus-rips-through-u-s-schools-1485191421?mg=id-wsj 2 Lopman et al. 2016. The Vast and Varied Global Burden of Norovirus: Prospects for Prevention and Control. PLoS Medicine 13(4): e1001999. Available at http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001999 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Norovirus. Retrieved January 26, 2017 from https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/transmission.html 4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Norovirus. Retrieved January 24, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/features/norovirus/

Available Topic Experts: For information on the listed experts, click appropriate link.



Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=112669



Dave Shumaker

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=113124



David R. Macinga, Ph.D

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=113125

SOURCE GOJO Industries

Related Links

http://www.gojo.com


PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, a growing Portland, Oregon church, are moving into the historic German American Society building located at 5626 NE Alameda, Portland, Oregon, 97213 in the growing Rose City Park neighborhood. Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church has begun having its service in the new location and welcomes new members to join them in their brand new facility. Service and worship day and times are as follows: Saturday Bible Study 12pm, Sunday School 9:30am and Sunday Worship and Praise at 11am.

Dr. Alvin & Mrs. Linda Ellerby Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church new location

"We want to love our neighbors, and to invite people from all backgrounds and ages to visit our new church and experience the true teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," said founding pastor, Dr. Alvin Ellerby. "We realize that at times churches have caused divisions. It is our goal to heal, to serve, and to love."

The 14,000 square foot space is strategically located on bus lines, and draws a multicultural membership, from Northeast Portland, Southeast Portland - and all areas of the Portland metropolitan area.

Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is also looking to expand their outreach beyond the city of Portland and network with other faith-based and non-faith based organizations that share their just likes and passions. "We are looking to build relationships in Chicago, Alabama, Detroit, Atlanta and all over," said program manager and first lady Mrs. Linda Ellerby. We are also looking to build and maintain relationships with a lot of the local Community organizations here in the Portland metro area like Embrace Oregon and others."

Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church will still maintain its East campus located at 11936 NE Sandy Blvd. in the Parkrose area of the city that provides transitional housing for families and children in need including foster children that have no placement. But, Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is looking to expand its services and resources with their new larger space.

Established in 2011, Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church seeks to provide countywide services in so much as we have personnel located throughout Multnomah County and can address the need for services countywide.

Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church sets out to live into the call of Jesus, loving our neighbors just as Christ has loved us. Global and local ministry has been at the core of the church's identity from the beginning.

Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church will continue to provide various services including aid for families, free backpack giveaways, transitional housing, male mentoring, school and transportation services as well as respite.

"The best thing we can do is love people, to love our city, to show the love and compassion that God has shown us," said Dr. Ellerby. "We are not a perfect congregation, but we are on a quest together, to bring healing in an increasingly divisive world."

To contact Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, please call (503) 206-7864 or visit their websites at www.greaternewhopefamilyservices.com and www.gnhfsnortheastcampus.com.

Media contact:

Linda Ellerby

[email protected]

813-417-4013

SOURCE Greater New Hope

Related Links

http://www.greaternewhopefamilyservices.com


WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recall Summary

Name of Product: MYSINGSO beach chairs

Hazard: The beach chairs can collapse, posing fall and fingertip amputation hazards.

Remedy: Replace, Refund

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled chairs and return them to any IKEA store for a free replacement or full refund. Replacement MYSINGSO beach chairs are labeled with article numbers 703.380.17 and 903.380.16 and have plastic stoppers that prevent incorrect re-assembly.

Consumer Contact: IKEA toll-free at 888-966-4532 anytime or online at www.ikea-usa.com and click on Press Room at the bottom of the page, then on Product Recalls at the top of the page for more information.

Recall Details

Units: About 33,400

Description: This recall involves IKEA MYSINGSO beach chairs. The chairs are foldable with a wood base and an attached polyester fabric seat. The following article numbers are included in this recall. The article numbers are on labels on the wooden frame and sewn into the fabric.

Seat Fabric Color & Pattern Article Number Light Red/Blue Striped 902.280.08 Red/Blue Striped 302.580.79 Solid White 502.851.66 Solid Red 802.873.95 Solid Green 002.931.40 Grey/White Chevron 303.120.24 Light Blue/White Chevron 503.120.23 Light Red/White Chevron 003.120.25

Incidents/Injuries: IKEA has received 13 reports worldwide of incidents, including 10 reports of injuries, six of which resulted in fingertip amputations. Three of the incidents, including one fingertip amputation injury, were reported in the U.S.

Sold at: IKEA stores nationwide and online at www.ikea-usa.com from February 2013 through December 2016 for about $25.

Distributor: IKEA North America Services LLC, of Conshohocken, Pa.

Importer: IKEA Supply AG, of Switzerland

Manufactured in: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Note: Health Canada's press release is available at: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2017/61916r-eng.php

CPSC Consumer Information Hotline

Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall:

800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)

Times: 8 a.m.  5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime

Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.

Media Contact

Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests.

Phone: 301-504-7908

Spanish: 301-504-7800

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Related Links

http://www.cpsc.gov


Tiffany and other veterans wore blue Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) jackets and black hats to represent the Jacksonville, Florida-based nonprofit during the march down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The new president saluted, and crowds cheered the group on as veterans felt appreciation.

"The overwhelming sense of gratitude from the crowd was intense," Tiffany said. "Seeing the smiles and hearing people say 'thank you' was beautiful."

These WWP warriors joined two other veterans service organizations invited by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies to take part in the tradition that dates back to President George Washington. WWP sees value in bringing veterans together. In a WWP survey of the injured warriors it serves, more than half of survey respondents (51.7 percent) talked with fellow veterans to address their mental health issues.

Tiffany first discovered WWP through her sister, another veteran who has experienced the benefits of coming together with other warriors through WWP connection events.

"She spoke of the great opportunities Wounded Warrior Project offers, and suggested I join," Tiffany said. "Wounded Warrior Project provides a family away from my family. The support comes from a group that has my back."

WWP advocates for the nearly 100,000 warriors it serves. In 2016, WWP helped get legislation approved to provide reproductive services benefits to veterans who lost the ability to reproduce without assistance. That benefit just went into effect last week. Read more about WWP efforts at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/policy-government-affairs.

See photos from the parade experience at http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/, and click on multimedia.

About Wounded Warrior Project

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/about-us.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project

Related Links

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org


And so it begins...like a car crash that noone wants to look at, but all are irrresistably drawn to, we are all going to be transfixed by th...
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX), a global information solutions provider, announced today that Digital Matrix Systems (DMS), a leading risk management solution provider, has established connectivity to The Work Number to provide income and employment verifications to DMS clients. Equifax Workforce Solutions, a business unit of Equifax, provides The Work Number. Refreshed each pay period, The Work Number is the largest database of income and employment information provided directly from employers. Records from more than 75% of the Fortune 500 companies are included, as well as records from an increasing number of medium-to small-sized employers.

Verifying income and employment can allow lenders to minimize exposure to fraud. Leveraging data from third party sources for proof of income can streamline the overall process, resulting in improved efficiency. Access to The Work Number data will be available through Data Access Point by DMS, a cutting-edge connectivity hub that offers clients flexibility when using both traditional and alternative data sources.

"Our income and employment verification solution rounds out the DMS offering by enabling instant access to data that can help their clients reach business decisions faster," said Scott Collins, senior vice president of Equifax Verification Services. "Being in a position to have a more comprehensive view of a consumer's credit profile will help give these lenders greater confidence around credit risk and their customers' ability to repay."

"We continually survey the market and work with our partners to evaluate new data sources for our clients, and the addition of The Work Number will allow us to provide access to a unique and beneficial data set," said David Graves, DMS executive vice president. "DMS and Equifax share a mutual goal  to improve the speed and accuracy of consumer originations."

About Equifax

Equifax powers the financial future of individuals and organizations around the world. Using the combined strength of unique trusted data, technology and innovative analytics, Equifax has grown from a consumer credit company into a leading provider of insights and knowledge that helps its customers make informed decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its databases include employee data contributed from more than 6,600 employers.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,400 employees worldwide.

Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Ranked 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2015); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2015); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015). For more information, visit www.equifax.comFor more information, visit www.equifax.com/business or www.equifax.com.

About Digital Matrix Systems, Inc.

Founded in 1982, DMS is an international risk management solution provider that helps clients leverage the power of data to make better-informed decisions. Through an integrated product suite, DMS delivers secure access to consumer and commercial credit bureaus, as well as specialty data providers. As a reliable partner, DMS helps leading companies predict and manage risk in a variety of industries, including financial services, insurance, and brokerage services. The company provides data warehousing, advanced analytics, scoring models, and comprehensive consulting services, delivering strategic solutions tailored to each client's business goals. For more information, visit www.dms.net.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

Related Links

http://www.equifax.com


PLAINFIELD, Ill., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wound Care Education Institute (WCEI) and the Journal of Wound Care (JWC) have entered into a joint venture to publish a new digital journal called Wound Central.

Wound Central offers a unique combination of advanced wound care education as well as practical bedside how-to basics. The journal provides original research and case reports, written and double blind peer reviewed by leading authorities in the wound care industry. Readers will also find the publication to be full of useful statistics, tips, tools, forms. Wound Central targets multidisciplinary wound care professionals internationally but primarily within the United States. The journal launched on January 26, 2017.

"We are very excited to introduce a new educational platform to the 35,000 wound care clinicians who have come to rely on WCEI for training and more. Each issue will have a specific subject focus and all the articles, tools, and resources included in that issue will be related to that specific focus. Every issue will certainly be something to look forward to," stated Donna Sardina, Editor-in-Chief of Wound Central and a Co-Founder of WCEI.

About the Wound Care Education Institute (WCEI)

Founded in 2003, WCEI has grown to become the leading educational center of excellence for wound care and ostomy education in the United States. WCEI's mission is to develop multi-disciplinary wound care professionals by offering training programs based on current standards of care and evidence-based research. To date, WCEI has trained over 30,000 wound care physicians, therapists, nurses and sales and marketing professionals. Visit www.wcei.net for more information on WCEI's educational programs. To subscribe to Wound Central, visit www.woundcentral.com.

About Journal of Wound Care (JWC)

Journal of Wound Care is published by specialist healthcare publisher, MA Healthcare Limited, part of the Mark Allen Group of companies located in London, England. JWC publishes the most relevant and up-to-date clinical reviews, original research and case reports available, which are written and rigorously reviewed by leading authorities in the profession. The journal is indexed in Medline. Visit www.journalofwoundcare.com or email [email protected] for more information on JWC.

SOURCE Wound Care Education Institute

Related Links

http://www.wcei.net


BOSTON, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE: HEQ) and John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE: BTO) announced earnings[1] for the period ended December 31, 2016. The same data for the comparable period ended December 31, 2015 is also available below.



Period Ended 12/31/2016 Ticker Fund Name Current

Fiscal

Year End Net Investment

Income Per

Common

Share NAV Total Managed

Assets

Total Net

Assets HEQ Hedged Equity & Income Fund 12/31 $746,410 $0.061 $16.84 $205,533,597

$205,533,597 BTO Financial Opportunities Fund 12/31 $2,192,419 $0.118 $34.98 $760,994,597 * $650,994,597























Period Ended 12/31/2015 Ticker Fund Name Current

Fiscal

Year End Net Investment

Income Per

Common

Share NAV Total Managed

Assets

Total Net

Assets HEQ Hedged Equity & Income Fund 12/31 $861,129 $0.069 $16.78 $210,029,692

$210,029,692 BTO Financial Opportunities Fund 12/31 $1,793,143 $0.097 $26.17 $595,645,916 * $485,645,916



































* Total managed assets include assets attributable to borrowings under a Committed Facility Agreement









Amounts distributed by the Funds may vary from the earnings shown above and will be announced in separate press releases.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing.

About John Hancock Investments

John Hancock Investments provides asset management services to individuals and institutions through a unique manager-of-managers approach. A wealth management business of John Hancock Financial, we managed more than $136 billion in assets as of September 30, 2016, across mutual funds, college savings plans, and retirement plans.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial

John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife Financial, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$966 billion (US$736 billion) as of September 30, 2016. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

1 Earnings refer to net investment income, which comprises the Fund's interest and dividend income, less expenses. Earnings presented represent past earnings and there is no guarantee of future results.

SOURCE John Hancock Investments

Related Links

http://www.johnhancock.com


LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The team at Legal Floris LLC is now extending their assistance to the 6,500 account holders at FBME Bank in Cyprus. The troubled bank failed, and its many members are seeking ways to get their funds back. Legal Floris LLC is humbled to offer solutions.

Currently, Legal Floris LLC represents approximately 15% of FBME Bank's total customer base, and the legal firm has helped many clients get their funds back. For customers who lost money to FBME Bank in Cyprus, Legal Floris LLC doesn't charge a fee unless they can get the customer's funds returned.

Legal Floris LLC is well-versed in the legal guidelines set forth by various regulations and EU directives, and the firm helps to get clients qualified for the Deposit Guarantee Scheme. This external insurance guarantee will cover up to 100,000 Euro in bank deposits. The team at Legal Floris LLC leverages their expertise to help clients be aligned with this directive so that they can get their funds back.

While this process can be confusing, the Legal Floris LLC team seamlessly navigates clients through the process step by step. "We hold your hand and guide you through the process from start to finish, where we accept payment of our fees afterwards, when your money is safe and secure on your new bank account," said Floris Alexander, spokesman of the Legal Floris LLC team.

Services offered throughout this process include opening a new bank account in Cyprus, assistance with paperwork to present to FBME Bank/Central Bank of Cyprus, assistance with filing claims at the Deposit Guarantee Scheme, filing claims of liability, and more. If a client's case is rejected from DGS payout, Legal Floris LLC will try to find the solution and get the case reevaluated.

Once clients have completed the steps necessary to secure their funds, the Central Bank of Cyprus typically processes deposits of funds within 30 days.

While the DGS guarantees up to 100,000 Euro, customers with more than that amount in the bank are guided through the future process of recovery.

Legal Floris LLC understands how difficult this time has been for FBME Bank customers and is proud to extend a helping hand to those who need assistance getting their funds back. Many FBME Bank customers have been working through the process of retrieving funds on their own only to be disappointed by the difficulty of the process and the time it takes to navigate. Legal Floris LLC is making it a bit simpler for clients who want to retrieve their funds quickly and legally. More information can be found at http://www.legalfloris.com/fbme-bank-cyprus-fund-recovery/.

About Legal Floris LLC

Legal Floris LLC specializes in representation for consumers and enterprises caught in the crosshairs of bank failures and investment fraud, including Ponzi and pyramid schemes, insider trading and losses, and more.

Contact

Floris Alexander

Legal Floris LLC

Phone: +357 96 343 680

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.legalfloris.com

SOURCE Legal Floris LLC

Related Links

http://www.legalfloris.com


"Katie is a force of positive energy, collaboration and strategy. She inherently understands the power of the Leo Burnett brand, having worked here before," said Swinand of the appointment. "I am very proud to call her my business partner. I know that she will deliver growth and provide leadership for this company."

Newman will help advance the Leo Burnett brand, and architect the teams and processes that will drive the agency's business growth.

Newman brings nearly two decades of experience in digital media and content marketing. Throughout the last four years, Newman has led the charge in building three marketing start-ups alongside Swinand as the chief marketing officer of The Abundancy, Ardent and Transparent Media Partners, successfully exiting both The Abundancy and Ardent in the recently announced Leo Burnett acquisitions. Previous to her CMO post, Newman led new-business development and led accounts, content distribution and measurement strategies.

"Leo Burnett will redefine what it means to be a creative agency in 2017," said Newman. "Data and creativity will no longer be at odds with one another. Data is telling us what people want, and if we harness it in the right way, we can respond with creative experiences that are more personal, timely and impactful than ever before."

No stranger to Leo Burnett, Newman worked at the agency twice before on blue chip brands Hallmark and Allstate, including its iconic "Mayhem" campaign. Her time at Leo was punctuated by stints at Barkley and CP+B, where she pioneered some of Burger King's most memorable campaigns, earning the brand the title of "Advertiser of the Decade" from Adweek in 2010. Her work has been recognized by major industry shows including the Emmy Awards, Cannes, One Show and the Effies.

Learn more about Newman at http://leoburnett.com/articles/news/leo-burnett-names-katie-newman-usa-chief-marketing-officer/.

About Leo Burnett Worldwide

Leo Burnett Worldwide believes in using creativity to drive dynamic business change for its clients. Through a HumanKind approach to marketing, the agency puts a brand's purpose at the center of communications to transform human behavior. Part of Publicis Communications, Leo Burnett Worldwide is one of the world's largest agency networks with 85 offices and more than 8,000 employees. The global agency works with some of the world's most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Kellogg's, Kraft, Nintendo, P&G, Samsung and Tata among others. Leo Burnett is the most awarded network in the world based on Advertising Age's 2015 Awards Report. To learn more about Leo Burnett Worldwide and its rich, 80-year history of creating iconic brands, visit our site, Facebook page and follow us via @leoburnett.

Contact:

Michael Cowen

312.220.3953

[email protected]

SOURCE Leo Burnett Worldwide

Related Links

http://leoburnett.com


NASSAU, Bahamas, January 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd. launched today as a Bloomberg-listed (Bloomberg Ticker: MCFCLAA BM) , closed-end hedge fund administered by Sterling Fund Services, audited by KPMG, and domiciled in the Bahamas. Parent company Mediatrix Capital will raise $1 billion in investments into the new Mediatrix Capital Fund.

The primary focus of the Fund is to trade the FX Spot and complex OTC FX Options strategies, through the Forex markets and trading mostly G-7 currencies, including the United States, Japan, European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada. Currently, the Fund trades primarily in the Off Exchange OTC FX Spot/Options for Currencies Spot Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium.

Mediatrix Capital Inc., advisor to the Mediatrix Capital Fund, is a Belize-registered International Business Corporation that provides advisory services to accredited and qualified investors. The firm also offers private structured products that trade the Forex, Spot and OTC Options markets via separately managed accounts.

"Our intent is to achieve consistent and above average returns for our investors through trading and speculation in FX Spot, OTC FX Options and Spot Currencies, and Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium trading. Our team has deep-seated experience and knowledge of the fundamental and technical factors affecting various markets and understands how to identify optimal trading opportunities through the use of sophisticated trading systems utilizing algorithms and artificial intelligence," said Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd. Michael S. Young.

The new Fund's investment approach will utilize proprietary world-class algorithms and a short-term Spot FX currency correlation methodology to generate an exceptional track record and investors will benefit from full transparency and short-term client liquidity. Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd. is accepting qualified investors globally, both institutional and individual.

About Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd.

Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd. is an open-end investment company based in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The Fund was incorporated as an International Business Company ("IBC") with limited liability under the International Business Companies Act, 2000.

Disclaimer -- In no event should the content of this material be construed as an advertisement, express or an implied promise, guarantee or implication by or from Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd., Mediatrix Capital Inc. or any of its partner or subsidiary companies. This is not an attempt to sell or solicit any security and should not be taken as such. The content of this document is for informational purposes only. Potential Accredited Investors are advised to carefully read the Disclosure Documents to determine whether an investment in Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd. is consistent with their financial situations and investment objectives. Past results are no guarantee of future performance. Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd. is a foreign corporation based in Nassau, Bahamas and does not operate within the United States.

Contact:

[email protected]

1-800-905-1006



SOURCE Mediatrix Capital Fund Ltd.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Minneapolis Defense Lawyer Hillary Parsons obtained dropped charges and the full restoration of driving privileges for a client who was charged with a Fourth Degree DWI in Ramsey County, a crime punishable by fines and up to 90 days imprisonment under Minnesota state law.

According to court documents (Second Judicial District, Ramsey County), Attorney Parsons was able to effectively argue that the arresting officer violated her client's constitutional rights during the traffic stop. In support of her argument, Parsons noted that the officer did not have sufficient legal basis to conduct a preliminary breath test during the investigatory stop.

Based on her argument, Attorney Parsons was able to convince a Ramsey County prosecutor to drop the charges against her client. Additionally, she filed a petition to rescind the license revocation by the Commissioner of Public Safety on the same grounds. In the petition, Attorney Parsons bolstered her claim with supporting evidence, including the fact that the arresting officer did not note any indications of driver impairment or conduct other field sobriety tests before administering the preliminary breath test.

After a contested hearing, the Judge sided with Attorney Parsons by concluding that the officer had no basis to request her client take a preliminary breath test and that the stop constituted an unconstitutional search and seizure. The motion to rescind the driver's license revocation was granted and the client had his driving privileges restored. You can read more about the case here.

Hillary Parsons is a criminal defense lawyer at Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm, P.A., a firm that represents clients Minneapolis and across the state of Minnesota after they are investigated or charged with criminal offenses, including DWI, federal crimes, and sex crimes, among others. Visit the firm's website here.

SOURCE Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm, P.A.

Related Links

http://www.caplantamburino.com/


NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Natreon,Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Ixoreal Biomed Inc, Los Angeles, CA ("Ixoreal Biomed'), marketer of KSM-66 ashwagandha, and its parent company, Shri Kartikeya Pharma, Ltd., Hyderabad, India ("SKP"). The complaint, filed on September 30, 2016, alleges false advertising, trade libel, defamation, and tortious interference, among other counts.

Notably, one of the most serious claims leveled against the companies is that KSM-66 contains undeclared milk allergens, thus posing a serious public health risk. Natreon has gotten a total of 34 products from the market containing KSM-66 tested, out of which 16 products tested positive for milk allergens. 13 of these products did not declare the presence of milk allergens on their labels, and 3 products in fact declared to be dairy free. Two of the products which tested positive are two different lots of KSM-66 pure powder, repackaged and sold. Interestingly, some products containing KSM-66 declared the presence of milk allergens, while many did not. Out of the 16 products which tested positive, four contained Organic KSM-66, and two of them declared no dairy. Three different reputed labs in USA were used to test the products.

The results have been forwarded to U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"). Milk allergens are one of the 8 allergens for which the FDA has zero tolerance.

About Natreon, Inc

Natreon Inc. is an 18 year old company located in New Jersey with a state of the art R&D facility in Kolkata, India, and is focused on developing and marketing Ayurvedic products backed by extensive research, high degree of standardization, multiple clinical studies, safety studies, and intellectual property. Natreon's R&D team is headed by Prof. Shibnath Ghosal, a Fulbright scholar and an eminent natural product chemist with hundreds of publications in scientific journals and a group of Ph.D. and Master's level scientists. Natreon's scientific research includes process optimization, development of chromatographic analytical methods such as HPLC, HPTLC, GC-MS and LC-MS for standardization, development of marker compounds, and pharmacological studies. Safety studies are done in the USA and clinical studies are conducted in reputed institutes in India as well as the USA.

For more information on Natreon's patented ingredients, please visit www.natreoninc.com.

SOURCE Natreon, Inc.
JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) has posted its fourth-quarter and full-year 2016 financial results in a news release available on the company's website by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergy.com/investors .

Jim Robo, chairman and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy, John Ketchum, executive vice president, finance and chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, and other members of the company's senior management team will discuss the company's fourth-quarter and full-year 2016 financial results during an investor presentation to be webcast live, beginning at 9 a.m. ET today. The listen-only webcast will be available on NextEra Energy's website by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergy.com/investors . Also discussed during the investor presentation will be financial results for NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP). A replay will be available for 90 days by accessing the same link as listed above.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company with consolidated revenues of approximately $16.2 billion, approximately 45,900 megawatts of generating capacity, which includes megawatts associated with noncontrolling interests related to NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP), and approximately 14,700 employees in 30 states and Canada as of year-end 2016. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are Florida Power & Light Company, which serves approximately 4.9 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the United States, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2016 list of "World's Most Admired Companies." For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.

Related Links

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JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) has posted its fourth-quarter and full-year 2016 financial results in a news release available on the partnership's website by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com/Earnings.

Jim Robo, chairman and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Partners, John Ketchum, chief financial officer of NextEra Energy Partners, and other members of the senior management team will discuss the fourth-quarter and full-year 2016 financial results during an investor presentation to be webcast live, beginning at 9 a.m. ET today. The listen-only webcast will be available on the website of NextEra Energy Partners by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com/Earnings. Also discussed during the investor presentation will be financial results for NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). A replay will be available for 90 days by accessing the same link as listed above.

NextEra Energy Partners, LP

NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) is a growth-oriented limited partnership formed by NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) to acquire, manage and own contracted clean energy projects with stable, long-term cash flows. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy Partners owns interests in wind and solar projects in North America, as well as natural gas infrastructure assets in Texas. The renewable energy projects are fully contracted, use industry-leading technology and are located in regions that are favorable for generating energy from the wind and sun. The seven natural gas pipelines in the portfolio are all strategically located, serving power producers and municipalities in South Texas, processing plants and producers in the Eagle Ford Shale, and commercial and industrial customers in the Houston area. The NET Mexico Pipeline, the largest pipeline in the portfolio, provides a critical source of natural gas transportation for low-cost, U.S.-sourced shale gas to Mexico. For more information about NextEra Energy Partners, please visit: www.NextEraEnergyPartners.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy Partners, LP

Related Links

http://www.nexteraenergypartners.com


ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Open to the prospective clients and current clientele alike, Orange County's premier boutique wealth management firm, Optivest Wealth Management, will host an Open House reception at their headquarters in Dana Point, California. The honorary event will celebrate a great milestone for the brand, while ushering in a new decade with the latest addition to their team, Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor Bart Zandbergen. Collectively, the team looks forward to welcoming Zandbergen's clientele to the Optivest family while toasting to the bright New Year, rich with possibility. RSVP's for attendance are requested and may be emailed to [email protected].

About Optivest Wealth Management:

Celebrating its 30 year anniversary, Optivest Wealth Management has provided personalized, holistic wealth management services to individuals and families since 1987. The collective team has more than 120 years of combined experience advising and managing the finances of a diverse clientele portfolio. Their focused attention to their discerning clientele allows them to provide exemplary service to the families and individuals they serve - setting them apart from mass market firms.

Founded by Mark Van Mourick, the Optivest Wealth Management team specializes in diversified investment management services and supports multi-generational families in the successful management and tax efficient transfer of all aspects of their wealth. In addition to Optivest Wealth Management, Optivest has two affiliate companies, Optivest Investment Banking and Optivest Properties, as well as a philanthropic organization, Optivest Foundation. Learn more: www.OptivestInc.com

About Bart Zandbergen:

Globally respected as an authority in financial planning and investment advising, Bart Zandbergen helps men and women gain the financial confidence they desire. With more than 25 years of dynamic experience, Bart is known for his ability to create strategies that work progressively towards his client's goals. By listening to his client's needs and wants, Bart is able to use his in depth experience and current market knowledge to help his clientele navigate their wealth management journey. He is proud to be a Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor at Optivest Wealth Management, as well as a Registered Representative of Gramercy Securities, Inc.

Learn more: www.BartZandbergen.com | www.Facebook.com/BartZandbergenCFP | @BartZandbergen

Contact:

Sterling Public Relations

Paula Steurer

949-200-6566

[email protected]

SOURCE Optivest Wealth Management

Related Links

http://www.optivestinc.com


SPOKANE, Wash., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spokane Police Officer Timothy Schwering will be honored during a ceremony today for his heroic rescue of Kimberly Novak from her burning car. The ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, located at 1100 W. Mallon Avenue.

Officer Schwering's body camera footage, released by the Spokane Police Department, shows Officer Schwering using only a baton to smash through the driver's side window to pull Novak to safety on January 20th.

RHYNO2 Cutter with dust shield

To thank Officer Schwering for his bravery, Novak is donating a RHYNO glass-cutting tool to the Spokane Police Department. The device will aid in future rescues by enabling officers to cut through motor vehicle side glass in under 10 seconds.

"I want all police officers to have a RHYNO tool in their cars," said Novak.

RHYNO Owner and President Al Vangura will be on-site to demonstrate the RHYNO cutter. Vangura is a noted biomechanics and bioengineering expert who designed and developed the RHYNO to assist First Responders in laminated glass management for motor vehicles and buildings.

The rescue and tool donation are timely because all 2017 model year motor vehicles in the US will have laminated glass in all windows as mandated by the US Code of Federal Regulations. Implemented to prevent full or partial ejection of passengers, this critical change requires an advanced glass management tool to safely access patients with speed and dexterity. The RHYNO Windshield Cutter is a battery-operated hand tool that removes motor vehicle glass and building glass in less than 10 seconds. It can be used with one hand, making it ideal for rollovers, under/over-rides, and situations with limited leverage opportunity.

About We Cut The Glass:

We Cut The Glass, LLC is a Pittsburgh-based manufacturing company that manufactures and markets the RHYNO Windshield Cutter. The RHYNO is a battery-powered hand tool used to remove laminated glass quickly, safely and easily during emergency, criminal and counter-terrorism operations. RHYNO was launched to the 1st Responder market in August, 2012 and has sold over 4,000 units worldwide with distribution in over 70 countries.

We Cut The Glass, LLC is located at 4960 William Flynn Highway, Suite 6, #350 Pittsburgh, PA 15101. www.RHYNO.com

Media contact: 724-255-7176

Visit our Facebook page

Related Links

Fire and Rescue Magazine Article

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SOURCE We Cut The Glass, LLC

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

Liver Disease Awareness and Information

Are Wearables Wearing out Their Usefulness?

How to Stay Positive for Valentine's Day If You're Single

If You're Single Valentine's Day : The Gift of Poetry

MEDIA JOBS

Copy Editor  LevFin Insights (NY)

Reporter  SeattlePI (WA)

Legal Content Writer  PacerMonitor (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

5 Things to Know About Branded Content

5 Essential Tips Every Beginner Photographer Should Know

Blog Profiles: Home Improvement Blogs

EXPERT ALERTS:

Liver Disease Awareness and Information

Thomas F. Nealon, III

Chief Executive Officer

American Liver Foundation

"Nationally, an estimated 30% of Americans have at least one of the more than 100 types of liver disease. No matter your age, ethnic background and socioeconomic status, anyone can be affected by liver disease. No one can live without a liver, but it's easy to for people to overlook its importance and the role it plays to keep you healthy. As a result, people often do not think to ask their doctor to conduct screening tests. Additionally, people think only those who abuse alcohol, drugs or have multiple sexual partners or unprotected sex are at risk of developing liver disease. In reality, many liver diseases are not caused by drug or alcohol use or sexual intercourse. This stigma may prevent people living with liver disease from seeking treatment and living a full life. With the rates of liver disease rising, it is imperative that we educate people about their liver, the importance of liver wellness and how to get screened for liver disease if you are at risk."

Nealon is available to speak about the impact of the more than 100 types of liver disease, including non-alcohol fatty liver disease, hepatitis A, B and C, liver cancer and biliary atresia, on patients, families and the U.S. health system. He is based in Miami.

Website: www.liverfoundation.org

Contact: Jennifer Glicoes, [email protected]

Are Wearables Wearing out Their Usefulness?

Sam Salbi

CEO

FitLyfe

Analysts project that more than 274 million wearables will be sold worldwide in 2017, suggesting a booming market for the fitness trackers that monitor our activity, movements, even heart rates, sleeping patterns and moods. However, nearly two thirds stop using them after six months -- in many cases because the novelty waned, or, as in others, because people realized there's more to weight loss than counting calories and steps. Says Salbi: "In order for wearables to make a meaningful and long-term impact, they need to help users make sense of their numbers, map out personal treatment paths, and increase motivation by offering challenges and rewards. The future is in being able to plug them into a broader framework -- a kind of health-based Operating System (OS)  that aggregates and interprets your data, giving users unprecedented visibility into and control over their health and well-being."

Salbi is the CEO of FitLyfe, developers of custom-built population health and wellness automation solutions that increase utilization and improve outcomes through personalized engagement. Prior to FitLyfe, he was the founder of BSoft Solutions, where he architected multiple award winning, patented enterprise systems for Fortune 500 companies. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and a Master of Science in Data Modeling/Warehousing from DePaul University in Chicago.

Bio: http://www.profnetconnect.com/fitlyfe

Website: www.gofitlyfe.com

Contact: Charles Epstein, [email protected]

How to Stay Positive for Valentine's Day If You're Single

Chandra Johnson

Assistant Professor, College of Counseling, Psychology and Social Sciences

Argosy University, Atlanta

Johnson is available to discuss ways in which you can be positive for Valentine's Day even if you're single: "Being single in a couples' world can be tough any day of the year. From movies to commercials to social media, we are constantly reminded that life is intended to be shared with a significant other. Living in a couples' world can unintentionally ostracize those who are uncoupled. If not careful, these individuals can begin to equate their relationship status to their self-worth and significance. Valentine's Day can be especially hard for singles on the one day that is sensationalized to recognize romantic love. For singles who typically find themselves struggling around this time of year, it is important to remember that Valentine's Day is one day out of 365 days."

Website: https://www.argosy.edu/locations/atlanta

Contact: Carole Carr, [email protected]

Valentine's Day: The Gift of Poetry

Diana Raab, Ph.D.

Writing/Poetry Expert

Skip the flowers, candy and jewelry this Valentine's Day and invest in a romantic, meaningful gift that doesn't cost anything  writing a love poem, says Raab: "Now, more than ever, we need to instill love in our lives. One way to do so is to write poetry, which is the voice of the soul. Writing a love poem is a way of celebrating your love for someone, especially if you have trouble expressing yourself face-to-face."

Raab in an award-winning author, memoirist, poet, blogger and educator. Her recent poetry book, "Lust," is a perfect Valentine's Day gift. Her forthcoming book, "Writing for Bliss," is due out in September (Loving Healing Press). Her original, unpublished articles on "How to Write a Love Poem," "The Revival of the Handwritten Love Letter" and "5 Tips for Reading Love Poems" are available for publication. "Writing for Bliss: A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life" is her eighth book. In addition to these books, she has written more than 1,000 articles and poems; and is the editor of two anthologies, "Writers on the Edge" and "Writers and Their Notebooks." Her two memoirs are "Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal" and "Healing With Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey." She holds workshops in writing for healing and transformation, and is a regular blogger for Psychology Today, Huffington Post (Huff50), and PsychAlive. She is based in Southern California.

Website: www.dianaraab.com

Contact: Beth Brody, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Copy Editor  LevFin Insights (NY)

Reporter  SeattlePI (WA)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BRANDED CONTENT. Branded content is going to have its heyday in 2017 and we'll see brands who formerly invested in traditional advertising start to pour dollars into relevant, useful content in an effort to connect with their customers. Here's what you need to know about this rising trend: http://prn.to/2jJyLsR

5 ESSENTIAL TIPS EVERY BEGINNER PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD KNOW. Multimedia is an integral part of any content, especially online. Think about it: If an article has an eye-catching header image or a neat infographic, you're more likely to read through it and engage with it, right? But there's more to photography than just pointing and shooting. A fresh and clean result enhances your storytelling. Here are the five things I always consider to ensure that I get the best photo possible, whether you're using a DSLR, mobile, or digital camera: http://bit.ly/2jj6TKg

BLOG PROFILES: HOME IMPROVEMENT BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry or subject and a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at home improvement blogs: http://prn.to/2j5TUvr

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

SOURCE ProfNet

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THE AGREEMENT MARKS THE FIRST ENTRY INTO THE LATIN AMERICAN MARKET FOR THE ICONIC BRAND

OAKVILLE, ON, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Restaurant Brands International Inc. ("RBI") (TSX/NYSE: QSR, TSX: QSP) has announced the establishment of a master franchise joint venture with a group of investors in Mexico. The joint venture company will be the master franchisee of the TIM HORTONS brand in Mexico, responsible for developing and growing the brand in the country.

"We are continuing to build on our commitment of taking the TIM HORTONS brand and Canada's favourite coffee around the world," said Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International. "Mexico has a thriving coffee market so we are very optimistic about the opportunity to grow the brand across the country."

"It is a great step forward for the TIM HORTONS brand as we make our first market entry into Latin America," said Elias Diaz Sese, President of Tim Hortons. "Our partners have a deep understanding of the foodservice industry in Mexico, which we believe will serve them well in growing the brand in the region and delivering an excellent experience for all our Guests."

"We are excited to introduce the iconic TIM HORTONS brand to the Mexican market," said Mauricio Barrera Garza, CEO of the joint venture company. "We believe it will have great success in Mexico and look forward to opening our restaurants soon."

The development agreement entered into with the joint venture company is the most recent by RBI in its plans to develop and grow the TIM HORTONS brand internationally. In 2016, RBI announced similar agreements in the Philippines and Great Britain. TIM HORTONS opened its first restaurant in Canada in 1964 and in the U.S. in 1984. Today, the brand maintains a strong base of restaurants across Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East.

About Restaurant Brands International

Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $24 billion in system-wide sales and over 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. RBI owns two of the world's most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands  TIM HORTONS and BURGER KING. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective Guests, franchisees and communities for over 50 years. To learn more about RBI, please visit the company's website at www.rbi.com.

About TIM HORTONS

TIM HORTONS, part of Restaurant Brands International, is one of North America's largest restaurant chains operating in the quick service segment. Founded as a single location in Canada in 1964, TIM HORTONS appeals to a broad range of consumer tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, hot and cold specialty drinks (including lattes, cappuccinos and espresso shots), specialty teas and fruit smoothies, fresh baked goods, grilled Panini and classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, prepared foods and other food products. As of September 30, 2016, TIM HORTONS had more than 4,400 system wide restaurants located in Canada, the United States and the Middle East. More information about the Company is available at www.timhortons.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are often identified by the words "will" "may," "might," "believes," "thinks," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends" or similar expressions and reflect management's expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements include statements about: RBI's belief that there is an opportunity to grow the TIM HORTONS brand across Mexico; RBI's belief that its partners have a deep understanding of the foodservice industry in Mexico that will serve them well in growing the TIM HORTONS brand in the region and delivering an excellent guest experience; and the beliefs regarding the success of the TIM HORTONS brand in Mexico and the timing of restaurant openings. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RBI's expectations are detailed in filings of RBI with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and on the securities regulatory authorities in each province and territory of Canada, such as its annual and quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K and include the following: risks related to RBI's ability to successfully implement its domestic and international growth strategy; and risks related to RBI's ability to compete domestically and internationally in an intensely competitive industry. Other than as required under U.S. federal securities laws or Canadian securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise.

SOURCE Restaurant Brands International Inc.
CALABASAS, Calif., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RideBidz Inc. today announced that Jeanella Blair has joined the Executive Management team as COO reporting to Robert Sarzo, RideBidz Chief Executive Officer. Blair brings over 25 years executive leadership experience from both for profit and nonprofit sectors. As Chief Operations Officer Blair will assume responsibility for marketing and operations. She will manage the prioritization and development of new products, organizational efficiency, and operational excellence.

Robert Sarzo, RideBidz Chief Executive Officer said, "Jeanella is a respected leader and strategist with a proven track record who fully understands the power and complexities of disruptive technology in the workforce. She is a visionary with an in depth knowledge in the areas of technology, business and marketing. It is extremely difficult finding someone with expertise across all of these disciplines, which will be critical to RideBidz success. Her knowledge and leadership will help maximize productivity, minimize losses and accelerate growth. I am elated to have Jeanella as a member of the RideBidz team."

Brian Shin commented, "Jeanella is laser focused and understands the mission critical components required to launch innovative technology. She possesses the knowledge and insight of the intricacies of this business. Her leadership skills, knowledge and ability to mobilize and drive the RideBidz team are invaluable. Her addition could not have come at a more critical time."

Blair has more than 25 years experience in executive leadership including for profit and nonprofit sectors. Most recently Blair consults representing some of the most respected non-profit agencies in the country including the Magic Johnson Foundation where she previously served as Executive Director, Kanye West Foundation, HollyRod Foundation and the South Carolina's Department of Commerce. In 1999 Blair launched Eastwind Consulting Group, a boutique IT consulting firm and consulted to corporations such as Pfizer, Cheap Tickets Travel, Cedar Sinai, Toyota Lift and others providing innovative technology solutions and contingency planning for Y2K or the Millennium Bug. Prior to launching Eastwind Consulting Group she was employed by Reuters America relocating to Los Angeles from Boston to be a part of the Executive Leadership team for the western region. At Reuters Blair led the technical team and developed policy and processes for implementation of Reuter's proprietary financial solutions including hardware and software.

RideBidz.com Inc. a California Corporation is an innovative Client Services App designed to reach the world's population of users of mobile devices. RideBidz caters to consumers, and commercial freight delivery companies, allowing consumers and drivers to select pricing, customers, drivers, times and special delivery needs. The platform hosts the main application, with proprietary GPS location tracking technology that connects users via social media to "drive" customers to the RideBidz App and platform.

Note to editors: For photos and more information on Jeanella Blair, please visit: http://www.RideBidzinc.com For additional assistance, journalists, investors and analysts may contact the following members of RideBidz communications team: Wendy Shultz, Director of Media relations Email. [email protected] (844) 238-0825

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE RideBidz Inc.

Related Links

http://www.RideBidzinc.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation has scored another court victory, this time in Montana where a federal district court judge has entered a preliminary injunction against the state's citizenship requirement in order to obtain a concealed carry license.

U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy at the district court in Missoula has also stayed the case because the Legislature is currently considering legislation that would repeal the citizenship requirement. The case is Knutson v. Curry.

SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb noted that this is just the foundation's latest effort to secure protections for permanent legal resident aliens. The plaintiff in this case, Lenka Knutson, resides with her husband and two children in Whitefish. She is a citizen of Slovakia and a SAF member.

"We're certainly happy with the judge's ruling," Gottlieb said, "and we're gratified that the Montana Legislature is working to fix this problem. We've fought similar battles in Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, North Carolina and New Mexico on behalf of legal resident aliens."

"This lawsuit is about the recognition that lawful resident aliens share the same Second Amendment rights as citizens," attorney David G. Sigale noted. "We are very gratified that the Court has vindicated Ms. Knutson's right to self-defense, and we are also glad the State is taking steps to correct a clearly discriminatory law."

Under terms of the order, Judge Molloy also cancelled a scheduled Feb. 13 trial.

Lenka had gone to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office in 2014 to apply for a concealed carry permit, even though she is not a U.S. citizen. The permit was denied because she is a permanent resident and not a citizen. The lawsuit followed, with representation by Sigale of Glen Ellyn, Illinois and Quentin M. Rhoades and Nicole L. Seifert of Missoula.

"The decision by Judge Molloy is one more example of SAF's effort to win firearms freedom, one lawsuit at a time," Gottlieb stated.

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

SOURCE Second Amendment Foundation

Related Links

http://www.saf.org


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Project2Heal CEO and Founder Charlie Petrizzo announced today that Director of Canine Operations, Colene DeTullio, will be promoted to Chief Operations Officer, effective February 1, 2017. Prior to joining Project2Heal, DeTullio spent 16 years in the property management industry in positions of increasing importance including the management of a $5 million budget.

Colene DeTullio,COO of Project2Heal holds Pearl. Project2Heal, a 501c3 non profit serves the service dog industry by utilizing a scientific approach based on the nature/nurture paradigm to birth imprint and condition pups specifically for service dog work. Their pups are donated to service dog organizations across the country in order to reduce the cost and time it takes these organizations to place service dogs with wounded veterans and children with special need.

The North Carolina based non-profit's mission is to increase the availability of service dogs to people in need. They accomplish this by breeding Labrador retrievers from the country's best pedigrees. Dogs in the breeding program undergo a battery of genetic tests prior to becoming part of the breeding program. Pups born at Project2Heal undergo a systematic process of nurturing, imprinting and conditioning during the first 8 to 12 weeks of their life. They are donated to service dog organizations that have undergone a thorough due diligence process.

The industry's estimated pass rate for pups placed in service dog training is about 50 percent. Based on feedback from its partners, Project2Heal pups experience a pass rate closer to 75-80%.

"Research proves that an adult dog is a combination of their genetics and the nurturing they receive during the critical phase (first twelve weeks) of their lives," Petrizzo said. "The increased success of our pups is the result of Project2Heal's process of pedigree research and a nurturing process that starts when a pup is 2 days of age with Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and then continues with imprinting and operant conditioning."

DeTullio will be responsible for overseeing the breeding and nurturing program that is the foundation of Project2Heal's work and responsible for the success of its pups. Her additional responsibilities will include staffing, the creation and implementation of operational processes and procedures and maintaining the extremely high standards of facility maintenance and animal husbandry for which Project2Heal is known.

"In her short time with us, Colene has displayed a keen ability to improve processes, a desire to learn, a passion for our animals and those they serve," said Petrizzo. "She is the right person for this role. The creation of this new role will allow me to focus more closely on board development as a means to generate the donations we count on as a nonprofit to fund the very important work that Project2Heal does to serve our veterans and others with special challenges."

Media Contact:

Charlie Petrizzo, 704-256-4056, [email protected]

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SOURCE Project2Heal

Related Links

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WORCESTER, Mass., Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG) will hold its investor day meeting on Thursday, February 23, beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.

The meeting will be broadcast live through the company's website at www.hanover.com. Those who would like to listen should go to the website 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting to register, download and install any necessary audio software.

If you are unable to listen to the live webcast, a replay will be available on The Hanover's website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the meeting.

About The Hanover

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., based in Worcester, Mass., is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. For more than 160 years, The Hanover has provided a wide range of property and casualty products and services to businesses, individuals, and families. The Hanover distributes its products through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agents, the company offers specialized coverages for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as insurance protection for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. Through its international member company, Chaucer, The Hanover also underwrites business at Lloyd's of London in several major insurance and reinsurance classes, including marine, property and energy. For more information, please visit hanover.com.

SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hanover.com


NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carl Swope, president of Swope Toyota in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, was named the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year today.

Swope was selected from a group of 49 nominees from across the country, and recognized at the 100th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in New Orleans on Friday. The announcement of this year's national TIME Dealer of the Year and finalists was made by Meredith Long, Senior Vice President and General Manager, News and Luxury at Time Inc. and Tim Russi, President of auto finance for Ally, at the formal opening of the convention.

"Ally continues to be inspired by dealers around the country, their love for this business and the ways that they do right and give back to their communities," Russi said. "We are proud to honor all of this year's finalists and the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year, Carl Swope, who has contributed generously to important causes and organizations including Habitat for Humanity and the United Way."

In its sixth year as exclusive sponsor, Ally donated $1,000 to the charity of choice for each of the dealer nominees and will provide $10,000 to the nonprofit selected by the 2017 TIME Dealer of the Year winner. In addition, the three finalists, as well as the state Automotive Trade Association Executive (ATAE) who nominated the 2017 winner, will each receive a $5,000 grant for the nonprofit organizations of their choice. All nominees are featured on AllyDealerHeroes.com, which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of auto dealers across the United States.

The TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry's most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients are among the nation's most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. Swope, 59, was chosen to represent the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association in the national competition  one of only 49 auto dealers from 16,000 nationwide  nominated for the 48th annual award. The award is sponsored by TIME in association with Ally, and in cooperation with NADA. A panel of faculty members from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan selects one finalist from each of the four NADA regions and one national Dealer of the Year.

"I have realized how powerful a force our dealerships can be if I encourage and support all of our leadership and associates to get involved," Swope said about his efforts in the community. "Together, we are making Elizabethtown and the central Kentucky region a better place."

Swope graduated from Elizabethtown High School in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and earned a B.S. in business administration from Indiana University Bloomington in 1978.

A second-generation automobile dealer, Swope followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle who opened their first dealerships in 1952. He has worked in all phases of the retail automobile business at his family stores, and he even sold cars to friends and faculty while studying at Indiana University. Today, he oversees six dealerships representing nine brands in Elizabethtown and Radcliff, Kentucky.

Since the early days of his career, Swope has worked tirelessly to support a wide range of civic activities, from helping families at nearby Fort Knox to raising money to restore the historic downtown district.

In the early 1990s, Swope helped establish the local affiliate for Habitat for Humanity and the statewide Kentucky Habitat. In 1997, he helped organize a Jimmy Carter Work Project called Hammering in the Hills where President Carter, Mrs. Carter and volunteers built more than 50 homes in Pike County over a one-week period. Swope remains active in Habitat for Humanity projects, working with his colleagues to help families in his community.

Swope's associates have followed his lead, and also make important contributions to the community. They renovate offices and classrooms for local nonprofit organizations and schools through a United Way-sponsored effort called Project United. They also fill backpacks with nutritious food for children in need and prepare care packages for deployed soldiers.

Swope currently serves on the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce President's Circle; the Knox Regional Development Alliance; Lincoln Heritage Council for the Boy Scouts of America; Elizabethtown Tourism Commission; Elizabethtown Airport Board; and Hardin Memorial Health Foundation.

Swope was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year award by Gay F. Williams, president of the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association. Swope and his wife, Anne, have three children and three grandchildren.

About Ally Financial Inc.

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial services company and a top 25 U.S. financial holding company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients. Ally's legacy dates back to 1919, and the company was redesigned in 2009 with a distinctive brand, innovative approach and relentless focus on its customers. Ally has an award-winning online bank (Ally Bank Member FDIC), one of the largest full service auto finance operations in the country, a complementary auto-focused insurance business, a growing digital wealth management and online brokerage platform, and a trusted corporate finance business offering capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.

The company had approximately $157.4 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2016. For more information, visit the Ally press room at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @AllyFinancial.

Contact:

Sari Jensen

646-781-2539

[email protected]

SOURCE Ally Financial
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Mexico City, Jan 24 : Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has outlined his government's new foreign policy goals, which aim to adapt to the new realities presented by US President Donald Trump, a media report said on Tuesday.

"We must redefine...Mexico's relationship with the new government of the United States," said Pena Nieto on Monday, who is scheduled to meet Trump on January 31, Xinhua news agency reported.

Trump supports more protectionist and isolationist policies to protect US industry, and wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico, as well as to build a wall along the US-Mexico border to keep out illegal migrants.

In his negotiations with Trump, Pena Nieto said he would pursue 10 key goals, including "preserving the free trade" between the three.

"Trade exchange between the three countries must be exempt from any tariffs or fees, as has been the case since 2008," according to a statement from the president's office.

Pena Nieto also said he would strive to maintain a border that unifies, rather than divides.

"Our border should be our best space for coexistence; a safe, prosperous space of shared development," said the President.

Faced with a more closed northern partner, Mexico would also seek to diversify its trade and political ties with the rest of the world, particularly Argentina and Brazil, among Latin America's largest economies.

To that end, Pena Nieto will attend an upcoming meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in the Dominican Republic.

"Mexico must not only tackle the new global challenges that are emerging, but also take advantage of the new opportunities they present," said Pena Nieto.

This year, his administration will work to update a trade agreement with the European Union and begin to negotiate a trade deal with Britain, once it has formalized its exit from the EU.

One of Trump's first steps since taking office on January 20, was to quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a wide-ranging free-trade agreement, including countries in Asia and Latin America, which his predecessor promoted.

Mexico will participate in talks related to changes to the agreement, and continue to strengthen trade ties with Asian countries, the president said.
Rome, Jan 24 : Six more bodies were found in the ruins of a mountain hotel in Italy engulfed by an avalanche six days ago, the media reported on Tuesday.

In the past few hours, the bodies of four men and two women were recovered from the Rigopiano hotel in central Italy, bringing the total number of victims to 15, the BBC said.

Fifteen people remain unaccounted for and rescuers said there was still a faint hope that some could still be alive.

Firefighters were trying to punch a hole through an 80 cm concrete wall into the hotel bar. Rescuers worked round the clock and still hope to find survivors. Eleven people have been found alive, said Fire Department spokesman Luca Cari.

The first funerals were held for the victims of the avalanche on Tuesday. Chief waiter of the hotel, Alessandro Giancaterino, was among the first laid to rest in the next village of Farindola, while fellow waiter Gabriele D'Angelo was buried a few kilometres away.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella called for a "united effort and common front in the face of disaster". But concerns have been raised about the emergency services' handling of the disaster.

Some relatives of the missing have complained that the snow-bound hotel, which lies near the 2,912-metre-tall Gran Sasso peak in central Abruzzo region, should have been evacuated before the avalanche hit on Wednesday.

According to rescuers, the rooms on the upper floors were completely destroyed in the avalanche after four consecutive earthquakes on January 18.
Visakhapatnam, Jan 25 : With the Andhra Pradesh government refusing to permit proposed protest by youth here on Thursday over special category status, popular actor Pawan Kalyan said it should be prepared for long-drawn battle.

"If Central Govt & State Govt stops the peaceful protest-tomorrow then be prepared for a long drawn 'Battle of Andhras' for their rights.

"BattleofAndhras JanaSena knows, when to Cooperate and when to Confront with Govt for people," the Jana Sena chief said in a series of tweets on Wednesday.

Police have refused to give proposed silent protest on RK Beach here on Republic Day to demand special status to the state as promised by the central government at the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

Director General of Police Sambasiva Rao Tuesday ruled out giving permission, saying anti-social elements might create disturbances.

Pawan Kalyan had said on Tuesday that if the protest was stopped, this would create unrest among youth.

Several youth through social media called for the "political" and peaceful protest after Pawan Kalyan said last week that people should draw inspiration from Jallikattu protest in Tamil Nadu to fight for special status.

The actor on Wednesday also reacted to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's remark questioning comparison to Jallikattu.

"When Tamil people can fight so much for a tradition, how strong should be our fight for our requirements," he tweeted.

He said that when youth have come forward with inspiration from Jallikattu, they should not be stopped.

Pawan, who had campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party-Telugu Desam Party alliance in 2014 elections, has been targetting BJP for going back on its promise to give special status and TDP for failing to put pressure on the central government to fulfil the promise.

The central government last year ruled out giving special status and instead announced special package, promising that the state will get same monetary benefits which it would have got under special status.
Moscow, Jan 27 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed the development of robotic weapons by his country's arms companies to radically change the entire arms system for the conventional armed forces.

During a meeting of the Russian military-industrial commission, Putin explained that the development of autonomous robotic systems is very important in the future, Efe news reported on Thursday.

"These systems could radically change the spectrum of weaponry for the general purpose forces," he advised.

The Russian leader pointed out that this development must take into consideration "the clear understanding of the potential conflicts' nature and mainstream trends in the development of armed forces both globally and domestically."

In the midst of what seems to be a return to the Cold War between Russia and the West, at least until US President Donald Trump came to power, Russia and NATO have strengthened their military presence on the borders between this country and Eastern Europe.

Some European countries, especially Poland and the three Baltic republics, consider that their security is threatened by the Kremlin's decision to annex the Crimean peninsula and support pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Washington, Jan 27 : The Donald Trump administration in the US has told four top State Department management officials that their services were no longer needed, officials said.

Patrick Kennedy, who served for nine years as the Undersecretary for Management, Assistant Secretaries for Administration and Consular Affairs Joyce Anne Barr and Michele Bond, and Ambassador Gentry Smith, director of the Office for Foreign Missions, were sent letters by the White House that their service was no longer required, the informed sources told CNN on Thursday.

All four, career officers serving in positions appointed by the President, submitted letters of resignation per tradition at the beginning of a new administration.

The letters from the White House said that their resignations were accepted and they were thanked for their service.

The White House usually asks career officials in such positions to stay on for a few months until their successors are confirmed.

"Any implication that that these four people quit is wrong," one senior State Department official said.

"These people are loyal to the secretary, the President and to the State Department. There is just not any attempt here to dis the President. People are not quitting and running away in disgust. This is the White House cleaning house."

Mark Toner, the State Department's acting spokesman, said in a statement that "These positions are political appointments, and require the President to nominate and the Senate to confirm them in these roles. They are not career appointments but of limited term."

He continued: "Of the officers whose resignations were accepted, some will continue in the Foreign Service in other positions, and others will retire by choice or because they have exceeded the time limits of their grade in service."

Greg Starr, director of diplomatic security, also followed through on his planned resignation. He had come back from retirement after the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and promised to stay through the end of the Obama administration.

"This had been on course for over a year," another official said. "He came out of retirement and promised to stay out (of) the administration. If Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders were elected, he would still be retiring."

The firings leave a huge management hole at the State Department, with a combined 150 years of institutional experience among all of the named officials. The second official echoed that the move appeared to be an effort by the new administration to "clean house" among the State Department's top leadership.
Washington, Jan 27 : US President Donald Trump wants a 20 per cent border tax on all imports from Mexico, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has said.

Spicer on Thursday said Trump wanted to use the new tax to fund the proposing wall between the US and Mexico, Xinhua news agency reported.

Spicer said this hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled the work meeting with President Trump scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.

Spicer didn't release any detail about how the new tax will work.

Building a wall at the US southern border with Mexico to be paid by Mexico was one of Trump's key election campaign pledges. Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to build "a large physical barrier" between the two countries.

Trump reiterated on Wednesday during an interview that the wall project will start as soon as possible and financed by Washington, but Mexico will "100 per cent" reimburse the US at "a later date," which has been rejected by Mexican government several times.
Moscow, Jan 27 : Russia has slammed comments by British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon calling Moscow's flagship aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov "a ship of shame".

Fallon on Wednesday said British warships and warplanes tracked Russia's only aircraft carrier through the English Channel.

The carrier and its escort, the guided missile cruiser Petr Velikiy, are on their way back to Russia after participating in airstrikes in Syria. They left the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month, BBC reported.

"We are keeping a close eye on the Admiral Kuznetsov as it skulks back to Russia, a ship of shame whose mission has only extended the suffering of the Syrian people," Fallon said.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday said it had "paid attention" to Fallon's remarks.

"The Russian combat ships do not need escort services," the statement said. "They know the fairway and the course."

The ministry also suggested Fallon should be "paying more attention to the British fleet".

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday struck a slightly different tone to his defence counterpart, noting Moscow's role in bringing about Syrian peace talks in Astana this week, following on from its military involvement.

"To the extent that the Russians are capable of getting a ceasefire and stopping suffering, that must be rated a plus," Johnson told a House of Lords committee.

"That comes after a pretty brutal and barbaric bombardment of Aleppo and other places which they facilitated -- or, I'm sure, perhaps even participated in," he said.

According to the BBC, Johnson said Russia had intervened in Syria "to considerable effect" by preserving the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He described Moscow's involvement there as a "fact of life" after other powers such as Britain had declined to step in.

Russia's airstrikes in support of Assad's forces have been crucial in helping them gain the upper hand in the long-running conflict. In December, they succeeded in pushing rebel fighters from the key city of Aleppo.

Syria's brutal civil war has raged on for nearly six years and killed an estimated 400,000 people.
Mumbai, Jan 27 : Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has praised superstar Shah Rukh Khan and actor Hrithik Roshan for their latest releases -- "Raees" and "Kaabil".

Amitabh took to Twitter on Thursday night, to share that he loved Shah Rukh's anger in "Raees".

"Congratulations Shah Rukh...'Raees'... loved your anger in it," tweeted Amitabh, who has worked with Shah Rukh in films like "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...", "Mohabbatein" and "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna".

Big B also praised Hrithik's "Kaabil" and called it the "most convincing film".

"'Kaabil' (is) most convincing film. Endearing, superior performances, and dexterously handled by Sanjay Gupta, director! Congrats," he tweeted.

Directed by Rahul Dholakia, "Raees" is set against the backdrop of prohibition in Gujarat. "Raees" touches upon the way the alcohol industry crumbled and several illegal activities followed.

In the film, SRK essays the title role of Raees, a bootlegger. It also marks Pakistani actress Mahira Khan's foray into Bollywood.

"Kaabil", meanwhile, is a love story of a blind couple. The film shows what sets the man on a revenge spree against the villains essayed by Rohit and Ronit Roy.
Beijing, Jan 27 : In a bid to expand online payment business in the US after a successful run in India with Paytm, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's digital payments arm Ant Financial has bought global money-transfer service MoneyGram for nearly $880 million.

The transaction by Ant Financial which runs Alipay, China's largest payments service through a mobile wallet app similar to what Paytm offers in India, will connect MoneyGram's network of 2.4 billion bank and mobile accounts and 350,000 physical locations with its 630 million users (450 million with Alipay and 180 million with Paytm).

"The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world," said Eric Jing, Chief Executive Officer of Ant Financial, in a statement.

The move will provide consumers in over 200 countries and territories with convenient and accessible financial services, which furthers Ant Financial's mission to promote equal access to financial services globally.

"The combination of Ant Financial and MoneyGram will provide greater access, security and simplicity for people around the world to remit funds, especially in major economies such as the United States, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines," Jing added.

MoneyGram is a popular financial service among Indians for transferring money to a bank account, mobile wallet or receive in cash from abroad.

The transaction will help expand Ant Financial's business in new global markets following its recent partnerships with Paytm in India and Ascend Money in Thailand. In India, Alibaba Group and Ant Financial are the largest shareholders of One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm.

"One of MoneyGram's greatest strengths is its high-quality team of employees. We are committed to continuing to invest in MoneyGram's workforce and growing jobs in the United States," Jing said.

The takeover by the Chinese group will need regulatory approval from the US Committee on Foreign Investment.

The acquisition could help the company extend the lead as well as expand overseas, as competition is growing in China with rival Tencent's WeChat payment system.

Ant Financial's shopping spree in the US comes against a backdrop of rising tensions between China and the world's biggest economy.

US President Donald Trump, before taking office, questioned whether the US should continue its "One China" policy, sparking fury in Beijing, BBC reported.

During his presidential campaign, Trump threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of Alibaba, held a meeting with Trump in December last year. While Trump has been critical of China, the President said he had a "great meeting" with Ma, who chose to float Alibaba on the New York Stock Exchange.

If the MoneyGram deal goes through, it will be Alibaba's second acquisition in the US. Last year the e-commerce giant purchased EyeVerify in a $70 million deal.

EyeVerify is a start-up based in Missouri, which uses biometric authentication technology for securing user's online data and transactions.

With the latest acquisition Ma is creating a global fintech business across China (Alipay), the US (Moneygram), and India (Paytm).
Jammu, Jan 27 : Proceedings at the Jammu and Kashmir assembly were disrupted on Friday as legislators from both the treasury and opposition benches created a din over the government's "failure to restore electricity supply in the valley during snowfalls".

As soon as the house met, the legislators of opposition National Conference stood up, shouting slogans against the Mehbooba Mufti-led government in the state.

Some lawmakers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party also joined the opposition legislators in castigating the government.

The PDP legislators said many areas in their constituencies were reeling under darkness as the valley continued to experience record snowfall.

M.Y. Tarigami of the CPI-M said: "There is complete breakdown in the electricity grid in Kulgam district and the people are suffering badly."
Moscow, Jan 27 : Russian President Vladimir Putin is to make a telephone call to new US President Donald Trump on Saturday, the Kremlin confirmed on Friday.

The news was confirmed by the spokesman of the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, Efe news reported.

It would be the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump took office on January 20, although Putin has already spoken to the New York billionaire to congratulate him on his November 8 election victory.

In that first phone call, both leaders called for an improvement in the damaged relations between Washington and Moscow.

During the election campaign, Trump said he admired Putin's style of government and hoped that both countries could rekindle relations following the frosting over of ties, which Trump blamed on the administration of former President Barack Obama.

The US and European Union imposed economic sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

In addition, the administration of former President Barack Obama also took punitive measures against Russia late last year when it was discovered that Moscow allegedly interfered in the US presidential election in order to support Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 27 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday decided to intensify its stir against the Kerala Law Academy with former State BJP President V. Muraleedharan turning his 48-hour hunger strike, that was to have ended by noon, into an indefinite one.

The privately-run law college, run by father-daughter duo Narayanan Nair and Lakshmi Nai, recently came under fire over violation of norms.

"The situation is so grave that it's easier to list out rules followed by the management rather than the violations. We have decided to extend the present 48-hour hunger strike into an indefinite one," said State BJP President Kummanem Rajashekeran.

Activists of the All India Students Federation (AISF) -- student wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI) -- on Friday took to streets and clashed with the police in front of the State Secretariat, demanding the resignation of principal Lakshmi Nair.

The student protest, now into its third week, demands that the principal step down after they produced an audio of Nair's curt and rude behaviour.

Moreover, numerous complaints from students and parents have been made before the nine-member Kerala University Syndicate probe team in its three-day sitting, which ended on Thursday. Their report will be placed before the syndicate on Saturday.

By now every top political leader -- including former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, State Congress President V.M. Sudheeran, Rajasekheran and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, CPI State Secretary Kanam Rajendran -- has come and expressed support to the students' strike.

Established in 1968 by Narayanan Nair, who is now the institute's director, the Kerala Law Academy has among its alumni many leading politicians, judges, lawyers, high ranking police officers and bureaucrats.
Mogadishu, Jan 27 : Militant group Al-Shabaab on Friday attacked and overran a military camp manned by Kenyan soldiers under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) in a small town near the Kenya-Somalia border.

Residents in the remote town of Kulbiyow said casualties were feared after explosions and gunfire broke out between the military and militants, Xinhua news agency reported.

Neither of Kenyan or Somalian military have confirmed the number of casualties yet, but residents said the attack was deadly.

The residents said the militants were seen moving weapons and military vehicles out of the devastated base.

According to reports, several bodies in Kenyan military uniforms could be seen at the scene.

The Kenyan military said it sent reinforcements which was able to destroy two vehicles loaded with IEDs within the vicinity of their Forward Operating Base in Kulbiyow, near the border.

The attack came a year after the Al Qaeda-allied terrorist group killed an unknown number of soldiers at a Kenyan Defence Forces base in Gedo region.

Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the January 15, 2016 attack saying it had taken over the base and killed more than 63 soldiers.

It has vowed more reprisal attacks in the neighbouring country, mainly targeting security forces in border towns of northern Kenya.

The group, which has also teamed up with the Islamic State, has vowed an all-out war in Kenya, in retaliation against its military incursion "against our brothers in Somalia".
Tokyo, Jan 27 : Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) on Friday said it will go ahead with its plan to operate daily flights between Tokyo and Mexico City from February, the media reported.

The largest Japanese airline will operate a direct route between the two capital cities from next week as it had announced in November last year, although it will analyse passenger demand following the recent discord between Mexico and the US, a spokesperson from ANA told Efe news.

"We believe that the economic and diplomatic policy of the US does not severely affect the demand for flights to Mexico in the short term, but we will monitor the situation as it evolves," said the spokesperson.

There are around a thousand Japanese companies that operate out of Mexico, including automakers Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and Honda.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday cancelled a meeting with US President Donald Trump, scheduled for next week in Washington, after the latter threatened to make Mexico pay for a border wall he has ordered to be built.

Moreover, Trump seeks to impose a 20 per cent tax on imports from Mexico for funding the border wall, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said.
Ottawa, Jan 27 : A Canadian firm has submitted a new presidential permit application to the US Department of State for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The pipeline, construction of which has been rejected by environmental and indigenous groups and which was blocked by former President Barack Obama, will be able to transport 830,000 barrels of bituminous crude oil pumped from Canadian deposits to refineries located on the Gulf of Mexico, Efe news reported.

In a release issued after the close of stock market trading on Thursday, TransCanada President and CEO Russ Girling said Keystone XL will help the US meet its growing energy needs.

The company's application comes just days after new US President Donald Trump signed executive actions to move forward on construction of two controversial oil pipelines that affect Canada, giving his OK to the Keystone XL and Dakota Access projects, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

"We are going to renegotiate some of the terms," Trump said on Tuesday in the White House as he signed the executive order that invited TransCanada to resubmit its application for the proposed project.

The proposed 1,900-km pipeline would run from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would tie into other pipelines carrying crude to US Gulf Coast refineries.

The US State Department will review the application and has 60 days to issue a decision, according to published reports earlier this week.

"(Keystone Xl) will strengthen the United States' energy security and remains in the national interest," Girling said in a company release.

Despite Trump's executive order, the project still faces hurdles. Some landowners in Nebraska have pursued legal and procedural avenues against it.

In its release, the company said it "committed to working productively with all stakeholders and tribal leaders as this project moves forward."
Moscow, Jan 27 : The latest round of conflict resolution talks between the Syrian government and the armed opposition has been postponed until the end of February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Friday.

The UN-backed discussions in Geneva were scheduled for February 8, Efe news reported.

Speaking at the onset of a meeting with a delegation of Syrian opposition, Lavrov said: "The passivity of our UN colleagues, who since last year have not held any rounds of negotiations, is unacceptable."

Friday's meeting with the various political arms of certain Syrian rebel groups, which was broadcast on Russian TV, came just three days after the closed-door discussions between the Syrian regime and the armed opposition in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

That icy gathering bore little fruit in the way of resolving the Syrian conflict, aside from an agreement to further impose the almost universal ceasefire across the nation -- the extremist Islamic State (IS) terror group and the Islamist Front for the Conquest of the Levant were excluded from that deal.

Lavrov said that the Astana meeting had been an important step towards a solution in Syria, considering that rebel groups that formerly had no contact with the government were now locked in negotiations with President Bashar Al Assad.

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces -- a coalition of rebel groups -- did not attend the meeting in Moscow.

According to Lavrov, that group declined the invitation to attend, citing ceasefire violations in Syria by the government.

The Russian minister said there were no ceasefire violations.

Around 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict according to UN estimates, and millions more have fled their homes.
Tokyo, Jan 27 : Japan imposed a fine of 480 million yen (about $4 million) on auto giant Mitsubishi Motors on Friday, for falsifying fuel consumption data of several of its mini vehicles.

In a statement, the country's Consumer Affairs Agency said it imposed the fine based on evidence that the company marketed the cars under inflated fuel economy claims, Efe news reported.

In April 2016, Mitsubishi admitted it had systematically falsified fuel consumption data in four models of mini vehicles -- cars with engines smaller than 660 cubic centimeters -- including two sold by Nissan Motor, and later acknowledged that more models were affected.

The manipulated data, that appeared on sales pamphlets with Mitsubishi and Nissan dealers as also in advertising campaigns, indicated fuel spent by the automobiles was 5 to 15 percent lower than what they actually consumed.

Over 625,000 units of these mini vehicles -- highly popular in Japan due to their small size and lower fuel consumption -- were sold in the archipelago under the false claims.

Following the scandal and ensuing financial troubles for Mitsubishi, Nissan bought a 34 percent stake in the company in October last year to salvage consumer confidence and return the firm to profitability, according to the new senior management.
Beijing, Jan 27 : As China gets ready to bid farewell to the Year of the Monkey and usher in the Year of the Rooster, it's time for family reunions, fireworks and feasts, a media report said on Friday.

During this period, millions return to their hometowns to ring in in the New Year with their families, and this year the authorities expect up to three billion trips to take place during the famous 40-day-long Spring Festival, between January 13 and February 21, Efe news reported.

However, not everyone can spend the holiday with their families.

"My mother and I have to stay in Beijing this year," Lei Yueying, 22, who could not go to her grandparents' house in Hubei to meet her family, told Efe news.

Lei added they have put up pictures of a fire rooster (depicting the New Year that begins on Saturday) on their windows and a sticker in Chinese reading "fu", or the character of fortune, on the door of their Beijing home.

Back in their hometown, during this period, Lei's grandparents prepare little rice cakes called "nian gao", meaning "each year more prosperous" in Chinese.

For those who could not go to their hometowns, and especially those who live in Beijing, celebrations would include attending fairs and parades, especially the one at the Temple of the Earth.

The temple, also known as the Ditan Park, will come alive with numerous red-coloured lamps and images of roosters, and will hold a traditional ceremony that attracts huge crowds of people from different parts of the city.

Besides temples, there are other places that will record a large footfall, including Daoxiaocun, a traditional confectionery that offers time-tested delicacies such as "babaofan", a popular sweet pudding associated with good health.

Cleaning the house is one among the many popular and symbolic traditions associated with the Chinese New Year as the Chinese believe it drives out bad experiences of the past and symbolises bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.

However, New Year family reunions can often be stressful for many, including family pressure on youngsters to look for a partner and which has in recent years given rise to portals offering "girlfriends for hire".

To avoid questions on their romantic lives, young men can hire "girlfriends" to take home, for prices ranging from 500 to 2,000 yuan ($72-$290) per night, according to the daily South China Morning Post.

Either way, practically all of China looks forward to these holidays for its warm family gatherings, fireworks, and the traditional gala of the Chinese central television.
Kolkata, Jan 27 : Talking on a topic that revolves around radicalism, fundamentalism and Islamophobia, the renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akthar on Friday said that there is no divide between an average Hindu and an average Muslim in their way of thinking and living, and the whole idea of division on religious grounds is imposed upon the society.

"An average Muslim is just like an average Hindu. Every community would have its own sets of benign bisects that would enable them to like their own language, religion or community more than the others," Akthar said at a session on Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.

"But an average Muslim would never want to kill someone because he is from a different religion just like an average Hindu won't," he stressed.

He also pointed out the striking similarity between Hindu and Muslim community shows how they are actually one.

"Even marriage ceremonies have so many similarities, except for the concept of 'nikah' and 'fera'. The tragedy of Partition took place in Bengal and Punjab where everything about the inhabitants was so similar in spite of being from two different religions," he said.

Blaming the communalist powers for creating the divide, Akthar said the common man survives and flourishes in harmony while the communalist survives in chaos.

"The communalists will always try to keep you in a war-zone. How can he be your well wisher?"

The poet also said radicalisation and Islamophobia are like a cycle where the rise of one helps in the increase of the other.

"The radicalisation and Islamophobia are parallel. They feed each other. The more the radicalisation, the more is Islamophobia. It is like a cycle. Also there isn't much difference between extremism and terrorism. Extremism is mental terrorism and terrorism is extremist in action," he said.

Talking about the rise in mistrust against the Muslims around the world, Akthar said, "The tragedy is the minority community is identified by the worst person of the community while the majority community is identified by the best person among them".

"Would anyone in his wildest imagination, identify India's large Hindu community with Nathuram Godse. Obviously not. But the 17-18 crore Muslims in India are sometimes identified with Dawood Ibrahim. This is the example of radicalisation and stereotypes," he added.
Kolkata, Jan 27 : If Amitabh Bachchan-starrer "Pink" created a flutter last year with its content that challenged rigid social concepts, actress Andrea Tariang, who impressed one and all with her performance in the Bollywood film, feels it the relatable nature of the script that drew her despite linguistic barriers.

"I was not fluent in Hindi so when my dad called me I did laugh. But when I did decide to go for the auditions anyway, they gave me like a few lines to read and they were in Hindi. It took me really long to figure out four lines," Andrea, who played the role of one of three girls around whom Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's film revolved, said while speaking at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here on Friday.

"But then, when I read the entire script it was really gripping to me. Most women have experienced what we went through in the film, if I am right. So I could relate very well," Andrea said.

The northeast actor, also a guitarist, said she took immense pride in being able to represent the region in a field where not many from that belt get a chance to strut their stuff.

"I was happy to represent the northeast. Because everyone knows many in the northeast are not given a chance to do what I got to do. So, I am really proud that I am able to represent them. It's close to my heart that I don't think if I had to do another film it would top this."

Chowdhury, who hails from West Bengal, revealed the reason why the performances of his actors looked too real in reel.

"I told people to feel humiliated. I just did not want the scenes to look fake and was apprehensive. There were scenes which went overboard, but that was required."
New Delhi, Jan 27 : The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Competition Commission of India (CCI) not to further proceed with investigation into the alleged unfair practices and predatory pricing by cab aggregator Uber.

Ordering status quo, the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud issued notice to the CCI and directed the hearing of the matter on February 17.

The order came after senior counsel Harish Salve for Uber urged for the stay of investigation and Abhishek Manu Singhvi for taxi cab operator Meru wanted it to go on uninterrupted.

Salve told the court that investigation by the CCI's Director General, Investigation, would have "global repercussion" for his client. He said that the Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) could have remanded the matter back to CCI for reconsideration but it could not have ordered investigations on its own.

He said that Compat by its December 7 order has not rendered any prima facie finding to justify investigation - a view contested by Singhvi who referred to the paragraphs in Compat order to argue otherwise.

The apex court's order of status quo came on the appeal by Uber against Compat's December 7, 2016 direction to the CCI DG (Investigation) to investigate the allegations of Uber exploiting its market dominance and resorting to predatory pricing, or selling goods or providing services at a price below cost to reduce competition or eliminate the competitors, to the disadvantage of other cab operators.

The Compat order had came on an appeal by the radio taxi cab operator Meru, which had alleged that Uber was exploiting its dominant position in the market to eliminate others in the city travel business.

Meru had moved the Compat against February 10, 2016 order of the CCI, which said that Meru had failed to make a prima facie case for investigation into the allegations of abusing market dominance and predatory pricing to eliminate other efficient competitors in radio-taxi business.

The primary reasons for the phenomenal growth of Uber is large global funding and anti-competitive business model allowing it to unleash a series of abusive practices prohibited under the Competition Act and establish its monopoly and eliminate otherwise equally efficient competitors from the market, Meru had told both the CCI and the Compat.

It had said that Uber pays its drivers/car owners attached on its network unreasonably high incentives over and above and in addition to the trip fair received from the passengers.

Besides this the fares of taxis under Uber was also backed by discounts and incentives in certain categories from time to time, Meru had contended.

The Compat, in its order, had said that the "availability of financial resources and existence of discounts and incentives associated with the model of business adopted by the respondents (Uber) are good supporting reasons to suggest that the issue of dominance needs to be seen from a perspective that does not limit to the market share of the enterprise alone".

Referring to market share figures, the Compat had said that "we do not intend to say that Uber is necessarily in a dominant position" but "we cannot ignore the fact that besides the appellant (Meru), there are a few very small players in the market who can be seriously affected, if any of the bigger players adopts anti-competitive practices".

Noting that aggregator-based radio taxi service was a relatively new concept of public transport in Indian cities, it had said that "it cannot be said definitively that there is an abuse inherent in the business practices adopted by operator such as respondents (Uber) but the size of discounts and incentives show that there are either phenomenal efficiency improvements which are replacing existing business models with the new business models or there could be an anti-competitive stance to it. Whichever is true, the investigations would show.

Directing investigation, it had said that there good reasons for the same as it would "help in settling an issue which has agitated business discourse for quite some time".
Tokyo, Jan 27 : A government survey on Friday showed that in 2016, the number of foreigners working in Japan topped one million for the first time, with Chinese workers accounting for more than 30 per cent, the media reported.

According to the Labour Ministry survey, by the end of October, there were about 1.08 million foreign residents employed by Japanese firms. That's up 19.4 per cent from a year earlier, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Chinese workers accounted for more than 30 per cent of the total, at 344,658. They were followed by Vietnamese at 172,018, and Filipinos at 127,518.

By industry, the percentage of foreign workers was highest in the manufacturing sector, at 31.2 per cent, followed by 14.2 per cent in the service sector, and 12.9 per cent in the wholesale and retail sector.

By residential status, people of Japanese descent and people with Japanese spouses accounted for 38.1 per cent. They were followed by foreign students, on 22.1 per cent, and technical trainees, on 19.5 per cent.

Ministry officials said businesses were increasingly willing to hire foreigners to compensate for the labour shortage.

Companies were hiring more foreigners with professional qualifications, as well as international students and part-time workers, they added.
Berlin, Jan 27 : A German prosecutor announced on Friday launch of an investigation into a possible fraud allegedly committed by the former chairman of the Volkswagen Group in the emissions scandal plaguing the German auto manufacturer.

The prosecutor's office of Braunschweig said it was investigating Volkswagen's former CEO Martin Winterkorn, who headed the company between 2007 and 2015, Efe news reported.

Winterkorn is suspected of allegedly withholding information about the company's fraudulent manipulation of mono-nitrogen oxides emissions data software so that the scandal would not affect Volkswagen's share prices.

He was previously under investigation for alleged market manipulation, but witness interviews and the review of documents led prosecutors to believe Winterkorn could have known about the manipulated emissions software at an earlier time than what he had previously stated, which raised suspicions of intentional fraud.

The prosecutor's office also said the number of people being investigated in this fraud case had increased from 21 to 37.

The scandal erupted on September 18, 2015, when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that Volkswagen was violating the Clean Air Act by intentionally programming diesel engines to activate certain emissions controls only during lab tests.

This programming of the software allowed the vehicles to meet the EPA's regulatory standards during testing, but the cars would emit about 40 times more nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide _ two particles that cause significant air pollution and adverse health effects _ in real-world driving situations.

On September 23, five days after the scandal made international headlines, Winterkorn resigned as Volkswagen's CEO.

Winterkorn also resigned as the chairman of Audi AG -- a Volkswagen subsidiary -- after additional revelations showed there had been further rigging of emission tests in gasoline-powered cars, not just diesel engines.
Mumbai, Jan 27 : After the Shiv Sena's unilateral decision to snap its 25-year-old ties with the BJP for next month's civic polls, the party on Friday came under pressure both from within and outside to also quit the government in Maharashtra and at the Centre.

Thousands of Shiv Sainiks broke out in delirious celebrations after party chief Uddhav Thackeray made the announcement at a party office-bearers' meeting here on Thursday night.

"We shall not go around with a begging bowl. We have rotted 25 years in this alliance. But no more. Shiv Sena will contest all the civic body elections independently and will not have an alliance with them (BJP) henceforth," thundered Thackeray on Thursday evening.

A day later, he came under strain, with many workers openly demanding that the Shiv Sena also quit the government for total severance of ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Shiv Sena MP and Executive Editor of party's mouthpiece "Saamana", Sanjay Raut, intervened to clarify that they are continuing the alliance in the state government as they do not want political instability in Maharashtra.

He also described Shiv Sena's continuing participation in the government as more of a "support" rather than an alliance.

The Republican Party of India (A), a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Centre, on Friday decided to side with the BJP for the upcoming civic polls.

RPI President and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, while expressing his unhappiness at the snapping of ties between the BJP and the Sena, said he is supporting the BJP with which his party will have a poll tieup.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar reacted with an obvious smirk: "We are very sad to hear of this breakup after 25 years of alliance."

To a question by media persons whether the NCP could play a role now, Pawar replied with a smile: "I will think about it if they come to ask for help to save the government."

In a sharp reaction, the Maharashtra Congress said that Uddhav-Fadnavis are strange bedfellows who realised, albeit late, that the sheet has become too soiled to stay under together.

"Dost dost na rahaa... Marriage of convenience cannot last forever. The breakup was inevitable and not surprising. 'Tata, bye-bye 2',", the party said.

Describing the breakup as nothing but an empty show, state Congress President Ashok Chavan dared the Shiv Sena to walk out of the governments in Maharashtra and in the Centre.

Referring to Thackeray's comments, NCP's Mumbai President Sachin Ahir sarcastically said usually after "rotting", a stench emanates, but it seems the Shiv Sena did not sense it or just bore it for 25 years.

"Is Sena serious or just fooling the people of Maharashtra? If it has the guts, it should move out of the state and the central government for Thackeray to be taken seriously," Ahir said.

Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam termed the development as "a huge hoax, a farce and dramatics" by Thackeray.

"Doesn't he have the courage to withdraw all his ministers from the Centre and state government. This snapping of ties is a conspiracy to divert the people's attention from the over two decades of corruption and inefficient rule in Mumbai when they miserably failed to provide even the basics to the citizens," Nirupam said.

Adopting a diplomatic approach, Fadnavis reacted by saying that power is not an end for us, but a mere means to achieve development through transparency in governance.

"We will achieve it with those who join us, or without them," he declared after the breakup on Thursday.

Several other political leaders from across the spectrum have expressed similar sentiments, with many finding it strange that while local level ties are snapped, the Shiv Sena continues to remain in power in the state and the Centre.
Berlin, Jan 27 : French President Francois Hollande on Friday said the Trump administration is a "challenge" for Europe, which also faces the internal threat of rising extremism and populism. Hollande was speaking at a press conference in Berlin after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"To be honest, there are challenges from the new US administration; challenges regarding rules of commerce, regarding the way we think conflicts across the world should be solved," Hollande was quoted by RT online.

"Of course, we need to speak to Donald Trump, because he was elected by the US (citizens) to be their president, but we should speak to him from the European point of view, promoting our interests and values."

Merkel echoed his concerns, saying that "Europe faces big internal and external challenges which we... can only master by working together."

"We need a clear, common commitment to the European Union, to what we have accomplished, and to the values of our liberal democracies," she added.
Rio De Janeiro/La Paz/Quito, Jan 27 : Latin American countries and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) expressed concern over US President Donald Trump's decision to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

"Most countries in Latin America maintain close friendly ties with the people of the US. Because of that, the Brazilian government is concerned about the idea of building a wall to separate sister nations on our continent, without a consensus between them," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The ministry also encouraged such matters to be resolved through dialogue instead of isolationist measures, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Brazil has always worked with a firm belief that matters between friendly people's, as is the case with the US and Mexico, should be resolved through a dialogue and the construction of spaces of understanding," the government said.

Bolivian President Evo Morales called on embattled Mexico to look southward and help strengthen Latin American integration.

"I call on our Mexican brothers to look more towards the south, to jointly build unity based on our (shared) Latin American and Caribbean heritage," Morales posted on Twitter.

The message comes just hours after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelled an upcoming meeting with his US counterpart amid a bilateral dispute over the latter's decision to erect a wall along the US-Mexican border.

The UNASUR, which comprises Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, issued a scathing criticism of the US decision.

In a statement from the bloc's headquarters in Quito, UNASUR Secretary General Ernesto Samper rejected the proposal as "humiliating" for Mexicans and Trump's stance as defiant.

Trump has also floated the idea of slapping a 20-per cent tax on Mexican imports to finance the wall.

Samper added that the UNASUR was "concerned by the tension in hemispheric relations, resulting from these types of measures, which affect the security and quality of life of our fellow citizens residing in the US".

Deteriorating relations may also affect other developments in the region, including a peace process in Colombia and rapprochement with Cuba, he said.
Kolkata, Jan 27 : Renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar believes it is the Hindu caste system that has forced Muslims to live under a false lineage, he said at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here on Friday.

"You ask an average Muslim, what is your lineage? They will say 'My great great grandfather used to sell dry fruits in Basra, Iraq'. So they are willing to come from Afghanistan also, but right on Khyber Pass they stopped coming," Akhtar said while speaking at a session revolving around Islamophobia, which means dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims.

"Why do they stop coming," he continued.

"It is because of Hindu caste system. If he accepts my grandfather got converted in Punjab which he did, they (Hindus) will ask you what was your father before the conversion. It is Hindu caste system which has made him create a false lineage," said Akhtar, who took the session by storm with his passionate speech.

Akhtar, who proclaims to have no religion and is an atheist, said 90 per cent Muslims in India are converts.

"They say 'You are an invader, you have come from outside'. They say they have come from Ghaznavi. The fact is that they have not. The fact is 90 per cent of Muslims are converts. But they are accused to be the outsiders. And they say 'Yes, we are outsiders'."

Questioning the meaning of stereotype, Akhtar said "we tend to stereotype people in every field. But as long as it is benign it's okay, the problem starts when it becomes malignant".

Questioning the relevance of Ummah, a Muslim phrase meaning the collective community of Islamic peoples, Akhtar said: "It becomes malignant from both the sides. People who are looking for a particular group of people, they have developed an opinion about them. And people who are within a community, they also have developed a certain opinion about themselves. There are also stereotyping. It's two way."

"Muslims are like that. The fact that Muslims are no nation at all. There is a word they have Ummah, which is all the Muslims of the world are one nation, are they?" the 72-year old questioned.

"Let's go and ask these Saudis and the Kuwaitis, are we the same nation? In Kuwait or any any middle eastern country, so called Islamic country, nobody including a Muslim who is not from there will be able to allowed to marry a girl or do his own business without an Arab partner.

To Akhtar, there is no such 'identity' and it is a myth.

"As a matter of fact, there is no identity. It is falsely created by the people who are adversaries and by the people who are supposedly the supporters or the members of the group. It's a myth. What is tragic about Muslim community is concerned, the stereotyping is of great help."
Mumbai, Jan 27 : The inflow of foreign funds, coupled with rupee appreciation and positive Asian indices on Friday pushed the Indian equities to their highest levels in around three months.

Besides, hopes of incentives in the upcoming Union budget kept investors' sentiments buoyed.

The key indices closed the day's trade in the green -- with gains of around half a per cent each, although some gains were pared on the back of profit booking.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose by 38.50 points or 0.45 per cent, to close at a 12-week high of 8,641.25 points.

The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 27,761.03 points, closed at 27,882.46 points -- up 174.32 points or 0.63 per cent from the previous close at 27,708.14 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 27,980.39 points and a low of 27,759.48 points during the intra-day trade.

In contrast, the BSE market breadth was marginally tilted in favour of the bears -- with 1,411 declines and 1,376 advances.

In terms of the broader markets, the BSE mid-cap index rose by 0.64 per cent, while the BSE small-cap index was up 0.53 per cent.

On Wednesday, the NSE Nifty rose by 126.95 points or 1.50 per cent, to close at 8,602.75 points, while the BSE Sensex was up 332.56 points or 1.21 per cent.

"Carrying on from the previous session, markets continued to rally strongly for the fourth consecutive session, with the Nifty closing at a 12-week high," Deepak Jasani, Head - Retail Research, HDFC Securities, told IANS.

"However, selling pressure at higher levels curbed the gains. Major Asian markets have ended higher, while European indices like FTSE 100, CAC 40 and DAX traded lower."

According to Dhruv Desai, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Tradebulls, gains were also capped due to profit booking in commodities.

"The European market opened in negative due to which our market witnessed some profit booking, however managing to retain more than half a per cent of gain," Desai pointed out.

In addition, the Indian rupee strengthened by four paise to 68.04 against a US dollar from its previous close of 68.08 to a greenback.

The provisional data with exchanges showed that foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased stocks worth Rs 211.77 crore, while the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought scrip worth Rs 482.52 crore.

Sector-wise, the S&P BSE banking index surged by 334.23 points, followed by the automobile index, which increased by 191.39 points, and the consumer durables index, which rose by 144.19 points.

On the other hand, the S&P BSE FMCG index plunged by 131.82 points and the realty index inched down by 6.76 points.

Major Sensex gainers on Friday were: ICICI Bank, up 4.74 per cent at Rs 272.05; Bharti Airtel, up 3.82 per cent at Rs 323.45; NTPC, up 3.33 per cent at Rs 176.85; State Bank of India (SBI), up 2.78 per cent at Rs 266.50; and HDFC, up 2.60 per cent at Rs 1,370.70.

Major Sensex losers were: ITC, down 2.78 per cent at Rs 257.50; Lupin, down 1.77 per cent at Rs 1,491.50; Wipro, down 1.55 per cent at Rs 466.10; Hindustan Unilever (HUL), down 1.53 per cent at Rs 855.80; and Asian Paints, down 0.84 per cent at Rs 969.
Washington, Jan 27 : US President Donald Trump in his first televised sit-down interview as US president has said Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not among countries that will face a visa ban to enter the country.

However, citizens of these countries will face "extreme vetting", the US president said.

In an interview with ABC News, the US President was asked: "Why are we (America) going to allow people (from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan) to come into this country..."

To this, Trump answered, "We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think there's even a little chance of some problem."

"We are excluding certain countries. But for other countries, we're gonna have extreme vetting. It's going to be very hard to come in. Right now it's very easy to come in. It's gonna be very, very hard. I don't want terror in this country," he added.

The interview, broadcast on Thursday, was Trump's first to a television channel since he took oath as President on January 20, and covered a wide range of subjects, from Obamacare to immigration to war against terrorists.

Trump said his plan to limit the entry of people from several Muslim countries was necessary because the world was "a total mess". He denied that it was a ban on Muslims. "No, it's not the Muslim ban, but it's countries that have tremendous terror," Trump said.

"And it's countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems. Our country has enough problems without allowing people to come in, who in many cases or in some cases, are looking to do tremendous destruction."

Trump refused to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about, but did say that he believed that Europe "made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries, and all you have to do is take a look, it's a disaster what's happening over there."
Kolkata, Jan 27 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the state government will bring a bill in the assembly aiming to prevent destruction of public as well as private property.

"No one has the right to destroy public property. In the name of protest, agitators often set on fire public properties and destroy them. We will take a strong stand against such activities. Be it public or private, one cannot destroy the property.

"Those damaging public property will have to pay compensation. We will bring a bill for it soon," she said.

Angry protesters in Bhangar, which has been on the boil following violent protests over "forcible land acquisition" for a power grid project, damaged government vehicles.

Without mentioning Bhangar violence, Banerjee said, "Do not pay heed to the misinformation and rumour-mongering of some political parties. Ignore and isolate the destructive elements, who are trying to disturb peace in the state."

"There is room for talks. Do not take law to your own hands. Inform authorities. Government is there for you," she added.
Bangkok, Jan 27 : A Thai military court on Friday sentenced an activist who pleaded guilty to defaming the Crown in a comment made on social networks to 11 years and four months in jail.

Military court sources confirmed to Efe news the sentence handed down to Burin Intin, who was arrested on April 27, 2016, during a protest in Bangkok against the military junta that has ruled the country since 2014.

The court found the defendant guilty of two counts of defamation of the monarchy and a cyber crime.

Burin Intin maintained his innocence from the time of his arrest until January 24, when he changed his plea to guilty.

"In the name of protecting the monarchy, the junta is strangling freedom of expression and fuelling a climate of fear across Thailand," said Human Rights Watch's Asia chief, Brad Adams.

The lese majeste law in Thailand carries sentences of up to 15 years in prison for those who broadcast messages about the Royal House that the authorities consider offensive.

Arrests for this crime have multiplied since the military coup of May 22, 2014.
Strasbourg (France), Jan 27 : Spanish MP JosA Ramon Garcia Hernandez lauded, on Thursday in Strasbourg, the migration policy initiated by Morocco King Mohammed VI.

Garcia also welcomed the "fruitful collaboration" between the Spanish and Moroccan authorities in terms of migration management, during an exchange of views between members of the Committee on Migration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Despite the economic difficulties, the humanitarian aspect remains one of the key areas of focus in the management of the migration issue, he added.

During this session, Abdessalam Lebbar, chairman of the unity and egalitarianism group at the House of Councillors (Upper House), highlighted the migration policy initiated by the king, noting that the relationship between Morocco and Africa is not only based on the economic and political aspects, but also on solidarity.
New Delhi, Jan 27 : A former journalist, who had allegedly duped bureaucrats and politicians, including several ministers, of large sums of money posing as an important political personage, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi's aide, and lately as BJP national General Secretary Ram Madhav, has been arrested, police said on Friday.

Sanjay Tiwari, 40, and his accomplice Gaurav Sharma, 23, were arrested on Wednesday, days after they made a phone call to Amar Kumar Bauri, Minister of Revenue in Jharkhand, posing as the BJP leader, and demanded Rs 5 lakh as fund for the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections.

Police said that Tiwari, a resident of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, on Monday sent another person from his group for a meeting with the minister in Delhi. However, the deal couldn't be done.

One of the minister's aides smelt a rat and telephoned Ram Madhav's office to inquire about the demand. He was told that no such call was made to Bauri, police said.

The minister's office then contacted the police to file a complaint.

The police traced the phone call and arrested Tiwari and Sharma, a resident of Noida, on Wednesday night from ITO crossing in Delhi.

After sustained interrogation, the accused, who lived in Mayur Vihar area of Delhi, told the police about their modus operandi to extort money from politicians and bureaucrats.

"They have either cheated or attempted to cheat or extort money from several political leaders as well as government officials on fake representations," Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Yadav told reporters here.

"Tiwari confessed that he had duped dozens of MPs in the name of tribal development funds in 2007 and 2008.

"He also attempted to extort Rs 10 lakh in 2016 from Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain," Yadav said.

In October last year, Tiwari extorted Rs 1 or 2 lakh for a poor girls' marriage fund from Anil Sharma, an ex-BJP MLA, pretending to speak on behalf of Bhaiyaji Joshi of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Yadav said Tiwari had earlier extorted Rs 10 lakh from an ex-MLA of the Congress Party in Punjab after posing as P.P. Madhavan, a close aide of Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress leader was offered a ticket for Punjab elections, Yadav said.

"Tiwari is an expert in the working tactics of how MPs operate politically. He used separate SIM cards for individual extortion deals. He extorted over a dozen of political leaders on the pretext of promoting them in their parties, ensuring election tickets or grooming their career. The victims used to pay him huge amounts in the garb of party donations and election funds," the police officer said.

Tiwari, a Class 10 dropout, used to frequent head offices of major political parties including the Congress and BJP.

He had procured fake identity cards and hired some youths who were unaware of his crime syndicate. He used to send his hired men to meet his victims and collect money from them.

Police said he had done many sting operations of various political leaders while working with Tarun Tejpal, former editor of Tehelka Magazine.

"He also claimed to have done a sting operation on BSP's Mayawati," Yadav said.

Tiwari came to Delhi in 1999 and started working as a freelancer poem reader in All India Radio. He also worked briefly as a personal associate with filmmaker Tanuja Chandra.
New Delhi, Jan 27 : In a bid to bring clarity in tax rules for foreign entities in India and their transactions, the government on Friday said the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) to plug taxation loopholes, but yet recognise genuine players, will be applicable from 2017-18.

"Stakeholders and industry associations had requested for clarification on implementation of GAAR provisions and a working group was constituted by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to examine the issues raised.

"Accordingly, CBDT has issued the clarifications on implementation of GAAR provisions today (On Friday)," an official statement said.

In line with the promise that India will not levy any tax with retrospective effect, grandfathering (or the application of old rules on certain transactions) will be available in investments made prior to April 1 this year.

Among the provisions, if the jurisdiction of a foreign portfolio investor is finalised based on non-tax commercial considerations and the main purpose of the arrangement is not to obtain tax benefit, these rules will not apply.

They will also not interplay with the right of the taxpayer to select the method of implementing a transaction.

These include compulsorily convertible instruments, bonus issues or stock splits, consolidation of holdings in respect of investments made prior in the hands of the same investor.

"It has also been clarified that the adoption of anti-abuse rules in tax treaties may not be sufficient to address all tax avoidance strategies and the same are required to be tackled through domestic anti-avoidance rules," the statement said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, while presenting the Budget in 2015-16, had informed Lok Sabha the deferring of applicability of GAAR by two years.

GAAR, proposed by then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in budget 2012-13, is an anti-tax avoidance rule, which prevents tax evaders from routing investments through tax havens like Mauritius, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

It evoked sharp reactions from foreign as well as domestic investors who feared that the law could be misused by taxmen to harass investors.

The Finance Ministry had earlier said it would implement GAAR from April 2014.

The provisions will, when implemented, apply to tax benefits arising from transactions valued at above Rs 3 crore ($500,000).

Retrospective taxation evoked much criticism from domestic and overseas investors, notably Britain-based telecom major Vodafone.

Vodafone was slapped with a Rs 20,000 crore retrospective capital gains tax after it acquired the telecom assets of Indian conglomerate Essar Group via Vodafone Mauritius.

GAAR was first proposed in 2010, targeting transactions made specifically to avoid taxes by companies such as Vodafone and Hutchison Essar.

The industry and analysts welcomed the CBDT clarification that the investments made prior to April 1 will not call for retrospective tax, thus allaying investor concerns.

"The CBDT clarification that GAAR would be applicable from April 2017 is seen as a positive development. This sets aside any possibility of retrospective applicability from the current financial year," said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

"It removes uncertainty and augurs well. Besides, it provides safeguards as well against discretion at the junior levels," he added.

Gokul Chaudhri, Leader, Direct Tax, BMR and Associates LLP, said that the GAAR clarifications are timely and addresses concerns of the investor community.

"The clarifications are timely and helpful as these address some of the immediate concerns of the investor community. The responses that investments made prior to April 1, 2017 stand grandfathered, will allay investor concerns. Equally positive is the statement that further clarifications will be made available on doubts that may persist with stakeholders," Chaudhri said.

Radhika Jain, Director, Grant Thornton Advisory, said: "Clarifications on GAAR bring welcome certainty in some areas such as confirmation that grandfathering would apply to convertible instruments issued prior to April 1."

Amit Jindal, Director, Felix Advisory, told IANS that the retrospective effect of GAAR has been avoided as CBDT has clarified that all structures formed before April 1, 2017, will be grandfathered.

Girish Vanvari, Partner and National Head of Tax, KPMG, however, felt that the industry was not ready for its execution and it should be further deferred.

"The issue of GAAR clarifications by the CBDT today indicates that GAAR is on the anvil effective April 1, 2017 and is unlikely to be deferred. The best case would be to defer GAAR till the industry is ready for execution," Vanvari told IANS.

"The guidelines, are step in the right direction towards execution of GAAR, but has many areas where the guidance could be firmer and more conclusive (like special purpose vehicles in tax free jurisdiction)," he further said.
Majitha (Punjab), Jan 27 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming to fight corruption but aligning with a "corrupt" Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.

The Congress leader also set to rest the speculations on the party's chief ministerial candidate ahead of the February 4 assembly elections by announcing that party state unit chief Captain Amarinder Singh will again head the government if the Congress is returned to power.

"Modi talks of corruption and religion at various places. But how can he stand with the corrupt Akali Dal leaders and talk of fighting corruption?" Gandhi said while addressing an election rally here in the Akali stronghold, which is represented in the assembly by Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

Gandhi made a strong attack on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

"Dark clouds have encircled Punjab. Instead of giving water, these Badals have sapped the strength of Punjab," the Congress Vice-President said.

"Modi will come here and say he fights corruption and that he has done demonetisation. Can you tell me how one who talks of fighting corruption can stand with the Akalis?"

"Can you tell me how Modi can stand on the same dais with (Deputy Chief Minister) Sukhbir Badal and still talk of fighting corruption?" Gandhi said.

"The whole of Punjab knows the state has been destroyed by the Akalis and brought to its knees," he added.

"Your chief ministerial candidate is sitting here (on the dais). Amarinder Singh is our leader who will head the next government. He has worked hard for Punjab."

Interestingly, Gandhi had announced Amarinder Singh as the party's chief ministerial candidate days before the 2012 assembly polls too.

Gandhi accused the Badal family of monopolising most businesses in the state and destroying Punjab.

"Be it transport, cable TV, sand, hotels or other businesses, the Badal family has monopolised everything," he alleged, adding that people were being "forced to pay a cut to the Badals".

He accused the Badals of using the state's assets to "benefit their own people".

The Congress leader said that the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak, followed the concept of 'tera' (yours) and 'sewa' (service), but the Akali leadership only believed in the concept of 'mera' (mine) as they have looted Punjab.

He said if the Congress returns to power in Punjab, its government will ensure strictest possible action against drug mafia and fulfil its promises to the people.

"Those who hit Punjab's interests and finished lives will be sent to jail," he added.

The Congress Vice President, who later addressed a rally at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district, cautioned the people against the Aam Aadmi Party.

"The AAP government (in Delhi) made tall promises to the people of Delhi but failed to implement these. The AAP is trying to mislead people in Punjab too," he said.

Targeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said: "One man wants to the Chief Minister of both Delhi and Punjab."

The Congress is locked in a bitter political fight with the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and the AAP for the 117-member assembly ahed of the February 4 elections.
Islamabad, Jan 27 : Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday approved the plan to support the conduct of the sixth population and housing census in the country.

"COAS (the Chief) approves plan to support conduct of 6th Population & Housing Census. Upto 200,000 troops will be employed while continuing other security responsibilities," Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said in a statement on Friday.

The first phase of the census would be completed in mid-April, while the second phase is likely to be initiated from April 24 and would end in mid-May. Preliminary results of the national population census would start arriving in June which would be made public accordingly, the sources informed.

While the census was supposed to occur once every 10 years, Pakistan has not had one since 1998. The incumbent government initially agreed to hold the census in March 2015. However, it cited a lack of preparation and delayed it for another year. The government, then, cited the need for the armed forces to be available as the census could not be held without their help.

The Supreme Court, however, stressed the importance of holding a census once a decade and ordered for it to be held in March of 2017 under the supervision of the Council of Common Interests.
New Delhi, Jan 27 : To improve its capacity to safeguard dams, the Central Water Commission (CWC) on Friday signed two separate MoUs with Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, said an official statement.

"The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank-assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP)," said a ministry statement.

"This will help them for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their capability to support dam rehabilitation efforts of CWC," it said.

The scope of the MoUs includes strengthening of the test facilities, analytical capabilities and exposure to best global institutions for technological exposure.

Launched in April 2012, the DRIP is expected to cost Rs 2,100 crore over a period of six years. India has about 4,900 large and several thousand smaller dams.

DRIP was originally planned for the rehabilitation and improvement of about 223 dams in the states of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. Later Karnataka, Uttarakhand Aand Jharkhand were included in the project which increased the total number of dams to 250.

The Central Dam Safety Organisation of CWC is responsible for the implemention of the project.
Visakhapatnam, Jan 27 : The Andhra Pradesh government has signed 128 MoUs worth about Rs.4.25 lakh crore with various companies on the first day of Partnership Summit here on Friday.

According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the MoUs have the potential create 5.5 lakh jobs.

As many as 68 MoUs were signed in information technology sector.

The MoUs signed with Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and another with Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) are worth Rs. 1.20 lakh crore investment.

The MoUs with state-owned oil and gas companies were signed in the presence of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Addressing the delegates, Pradhan spoke about opportunities in petrochemical industry.

He said that Andhra is located at the hub of new growth and is an ideal state to invest.

The minister said under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's visionary leadership, the state had registered highest GDP and per capita income.

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said Andhra Pradesh was poised to make great strides under leadership of Naidu.

The minister said growth trajectory of Andhra was on the rise and it would emerge as the gateway of south east India to the growing markets.

According to CII, delegates from 51 countries are participating in the two-day event.

Six Union Ministers participated in the deliberations on the first day.
New Delhi, Jan 27 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued notice to the Bihar government on the alleged murder of a class 10 girl student whose body was found in a drain near the gate of the hostel earlier this month.

The commission, which has taken cognizance of the matter from National Commission for Women(NCW), has learned that the victim had complained that one of the teachers of the school was mounting pressure on her for sexual favours.

The incident was reported at the government-run residential Ambedkar Awasiya Balika Uchh Vidyalaya, at Dighi (Majirabad) in the state's Hajipur district.

Though the investigation is on from the police, NCW has alleged that police authorities are not taking proper action in the matter even as the family of the victim is being threatened.

The NHRC was also informed that the NCW team visited the school and found it in a bad condition.

"Heaps of garbage were piled up inside the school premises. It is cleaned only by the students as there is no other arrangement. The place where the food is prepared for the students is also full of filth with bad odour. There is only one hand-pump in the school for 345 girl students," said a statement from the commission after receiving the complaint from NCW.

Stating that the contents of the complaint raise serious issue of violation of right to life and dignity of the girl students studying in the school and residing in the hostel, the commission has issued notice to the state Chief Secretary seeking a report on the issue within six weeeks.
ACTS, a Jacksonville based ISV, today announced it has attained a Gold Cloud Productivity competency, demonstrating a best-in-class ability and commitment to meet Microsoft Corp. customers evolving needs in todays mobile-first, cloud-first world. This marks the now eighth Gold competency achieved by ACTS, distinguishing itself within the top one percent of Microsofts partner ecosystem.

The Microsoft Gold Competency signifies to the market that a company has demonstrated the highest level of skill and achievement within a given technology specialization. Microsoft competencies are designed to help differentiate a partners specific technology capabilities, helping customers find solution providers quickly and easily. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the industry.

This Microsoft Gold Competency in Cloud Productivity validates our expertise in helping customers leverage cloud infrastructure and demonstrates our knowledge of Microsoft and the Microsoft portfolio, says CEO James Farhat. ACTS is committed to providing IT solutions that solve everyday business challenges and drive successful business outcomes.

With the rising demand for cloud solutions and the growth in Microsoft Office 365, the Microsoft Gold Cloud Productivity Competency certifies ACTS ability to sell and deploy Microsoft cloud and hybrid solutions. Other competencies achieved by ACTS include, Application Development, Cloud Platform, Collaboration and Content, Data Analytics, Digital Advertising, Hosting, and Intelligent Systems.

The Microsoft Partner Network helps partners strengthen their capabilities to showcase leadership in the marketplace in the latest technologies, to better serve customers and to easily connect with one of the most active, diverse networks in the world.

ACTS is a Florida-based ISV and technology solution provider working with businesses to leverage technology for competitive advantage and market share growth. With work grounded in a business outcome methodology, ACTS has been helping clients for more than 15 years. As a Microsoft multi-Gold Competency Partner, ACTS delivers customized solutions to businesses to help increase productivity and enhance efficiency using best practices.
With our Synergy solution, we have more options for business to successfully implement, or update, a unified communications solution to meet the growing needs of the workplace Past News Releases RSS CallTower Gains Cisco...

CallTower Named Channel Partners...

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CallTower, an industry leading global unified communications (UC) and collaboration company is proud to announce Synergy, a groundbreaking solution that delivers interoperability between Cisco CallManager and Microsoft Skype for Business Unified Communications. Synergy delivers options by enabling business to utilize existing Cisco equipment and leverage CallTowers Microsoft Skype for Business technology in harmony.

Many companies have invested a significant amount of resources into Cisco hardware and training. Divisions within those companies are choosing to go with a Skype for Business solution. The biggest issue has been the ability for these two communication systems to work together to maximize collaboration within the company as a whole. CallTower is the first to market with this innovative hosted hybrid solution that enables shared directories and cross-platform dialing.

Long-time CallTower customer, Anka Behavioral Health, Inc., quality tested this technology. According to Anka Tech Support Supervisor, Eric Martin, With our Cisco Phone System and Skype for Business collaboration environment, we were very interested in testing this unique tool. Our Company has a very unique disperse footprint, with many offices, and 24/7 facilities. We currently leverage Skype for Business for collaboration, instant messaging, and internal meetings. The Synergy solution seamlessly integrated our two disperse systems, increasing functionality without shifting the paradigm of our existing culture. The ability to extend our phone system to road warriors and home offices has been an efficiency game-changer.

We are incredibly excited about the launch of our Synergy Solution. CallTower is unique in the marketplace, as they host both Cisco and Skype for Business communication systems, says CallTower Chief Product Officer, Shaun Chambers. CallTowers mission is to enable people to connect and get work done. With our Synergy solution, we have more options for business to successfully implement, or update, a unified communications solution to meet the growing needs of the workplace.

About CallTower

CallTower exists to enable people to easily connect to transact business communications. Since its inception in 2002, CallTower has become a leading provider of cloud-based, enterprise-class Unified Communications solutions for growing organizations worldwide. CallTower provides, integrates and supports industry-leading, cloud-based, Unified Communications and Collaboration solutions, including Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Microsoft Skype for Business, Office 365 and Adobe Connect services for business customers. CallTower enhances clients strategic and operational capabilities by integrating VoIP service, mobile applications, email hosting, unified messaging, instant messaging, audio, web and video conferencing, collaboration tools, contact center, cloud services and global networks solutions into one reliable platform.
My VMG group provides encouragement to stay on the leading edge of medicine while achieving operational efficiencies through the sharing of best business practices within the group. - Dr. Susan Baker in West Palm Beach, FL

Veterinary Study Groups (VSG), the umbrella organization for the Veterinary Management Groups (VMG) operating throughout the United States and Canada, announces it has surpassed 900 practices. These practices are owned by nearly 700 veterinarians operating predominantly within the small animal and equine segments of the US profession. The practices include 3,800 full-time equivalent veterinarians on staff, approximately 15,000 employees and more than $2 billion in aggregate revenue.

Each of the 38 VMGs consist of 16 to 22 members who meet bi-annually to share information, data, management experiences, ideas, resources, problems, solutions, and successes. Mutual support and motivation help each member to attain higher levels of success as practice managers and leaders. These independent practice owners gain access to intellectual capital, purchasing programs and professional development resources typically available only to the largest corporate practice groups.

This is exemplified by the experience of member Dr. Duffy Jones of Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital in Atlanta. Dr. Jones, president and board member of the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association, explains, The diverse membership in my VSG group shares a variety of insights and best practices to help my practice succeed. The rebates and collective buying perks are great benefits, but even more valuable is the sharing of information and ideas with like-minded veterinarians.

Dr. Susan Baker, owner and medical director of Baker Veterinary Clinic in West Palm Beach, FL and member of VMG 5 since 2007, explains she joined to augment her role as a clinician and a business owner. Dr. Baker relates, As a veterinarian, medical excellence is our highest priority. My VMG group provides encouragement to stay on the leading edge of medicine while achieving operational efficiencies through the sharing of best business practices within the group. In addition, as a practice owner, my participation has provided an opportunity to advance professional satisfaction while also achieving a better work/life balance.

More information about Veterinary Management Groups, including membership and contact details, may be found at veterinarystudygroups.com.
Everbiz Solutions Private Limited has partnered with SmarterTools Inc. to distribute SmarterTools software as an authorized bundle provider.

Under the terms of the partnership, Everbiz Solutions Private Limited will provide the SmarterTools products, SmarterMail Mail Server, SmarterTrack Help Desk, and SmarterStats website analytics and SEO software.

With more than 18 years of experience in IT Systems, hosting solutions, we try and understand customer needs so that we can provide them a tailor made solutions that best suit their requirements. As an active partner of SmarterTools, Inc., we leverage SmarterTools products and services to deliver enterprise-grade solutions to our clientele at a affordable price, said Arpan Arora, Director, Everbiz Solutions Private Limited.

SmarterMail

Secure Email and Team Chat

Deliver Microsoft Exchange-level email server software and group chat for a fraction of the cost! With lower hardware requirements, superior stability and reduced maintenance costs, SmarterMail's the best-in-class Microsoft Exchange alternative for businesses of any size, hosting companies and ISPs.

About SmarterTools Inc.

SmarterTrack

Help Desk and Issue Tracking

A powerful online help desk for initiating, tracking, managing and reporting customer service issues across a number of different communication channels, from email tickets to live chats, phone calls to community posts and more. Available as an in-house solution or a cloud-based SaaS alternative.

SmarterStats

Web Analytics and Online Health

Online success means knowing your customers, understanding website traffic trends, monitoring Google keyword rankings and more! SmarterStats has over 100 different report items that analyze website traffic, a complete set of search engine optimization tools to manage SEO campaigns and site tuning analytics that improve a site's overall performance.

SmarterTools Inc. is an IT management software company based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2003, SmarterTools has grown into a leading provider of business software for small and enterprise-level businesses. With software products that support over 60 languages, SmarterTools has developed a scalable business mail server, online help desk software, and website analytics and SEO software that are easy to use and manage for both end users and server administrators. Additional information about SmarterTools Inc. and their product line is available at the companys official website: http://www.smartertools.com.

About Everbiz Solutions Private Limited

Everbiz is a leading cloud computing and consulting company in India that is focused on meeting the rapidly growing demands of Indias Digital Revolution. Everbiz includes public and private cloud, VPS and dedicated servers, shared hosting, colocation, disaster recovery, business continuity and hosting partner programs.
Since 2002, Le Consult has been an authorized reseller of the GSW Telnet Server for Windows and SSH Server for Windows. Located in Kamp-Lintfort, Germany, Le Consult provides businesses with reliable and flexible security options.

"Georgia SoftWorks is a perfect partner for doing professional business even across the Atlantic. Stable solutions with forward-looking development that fill the needs of small, medium and large enterprises in Europe. Thanks to the whole team of Georgia SoftWorks for the cooperation in the last fifteen years," said Stephan Lemkens of LE Consult.

LE Consult customers primarily utilize the GSW telnet server in order to connect their handhelds to SAP. SAP users enjoy the GSW Universal Terminal Server (UTS) ease of operation as well as specialized features that include mobile printing and Session Monitoring to maximize the return on investment. The Georgia SoftWorks UTS is the industrial quality software foundation supporting the suite of GSW server products including the GSW Telnet Server, the GSW SSH Server for Windows, the Session Administrator and numerous remote access utilities. The UTS offers many features that will benefit SAP users. For example, in most instances the user will want SAPConsole to automatically launch when the SSH/Telnet session is connected. This is easily done via the GSW Logon Scripts.

We are proud to celebrate this 15 year milestone with Le Consult, said Matt Kittrell of GSW. Our reseller relationships are very important to us at GSW, and these long-term partnerships are a huge testament to both companies and the solutions that are being provided.

Georgia SoftWorks is a software development company located in Dawsonville, GA, who has gained worldwide recognition for their development of the GSW Telnet Server for Windows and SSH Server for Windows. They have end users and resellers on every continent, except Antarctica.

The Georgia SoftWorks Telnet Server for Windows has been designed and developed to meet the needs of commercial and industrial applications, Le Consult states on their website. For many years, the GSW Telnet Server has been the most stable and fastest solution for Windows and is therefore recommended by and for SAP."

About Georgia SoftWorks:

Established in 1991, Georgia SoftWorks is a privately held software development company recognized for creating high performance data communications, system and telecommunications applications. Georgia SoftWorks has obtained a worldwide presence with its industrial SSH/Telnet Server for Microsoft Windows. GSW's long-term commitment to SSH/Telnet has led to the pioneering of major features such as Session Shadowing, Session Monitoring, Graceful Termination, Automatic Logon, Logon Scripting and more recently Team Services technology which allows mobile device users to transfer, swap, share and recover mobile device sessions. GSW has also provided the very first SSH Server to provide Digital Certificate Authentication with Internet Information Server (IIS) like certificate to user account mapping. This includes One-to-one and Many-to-one mapping methods and also support certificate trust lists (CTL).
Visitors to Buenos Aires will benefit from VAT-free hotel stays. "...travelers enjoying an Argentina vacation can now devote their savings to enjoying some of Argentinas most unique experiences."

Globetrotters whove been dragging their tango heels on booking trips to Argentina may want to take the plunge in 2017. The country has removed its 21% VAT on most hotel bookings for foreigners, opening the window for visitors to enjoy big savings.

Whether its a chic city break in Buenos Aires, a wine-tasting adventure through Mendoza, a mountain adventure through Patagonia, or just a few days at the foot of the world before boarding a cruise to Antarctica, the options in Argentina are endless. From comprehensive Argentina tours such as Goways Argentina Top to Bottom, to innovative Argentina vacations such as Crossing Argentina, which mixes in a taste of Lima, Peru, to short city breaks that show off the best of Buenos Aires, the country is one of Goways most versatile and dynamic destinations.

The elimination of the VAT (value added tax) on hotels for foreigners makes this already very affordable destination even more tempting. In addition, refunds are processed automatically to foreign debit or credit cards, meaning virtually zero red tape for independent travelers. All travelers purchasing an Argentina travel package with Goway need to do to get the reduced rate is submit a copy of their passport at time of confirmation.

Luxury and Antarctic travelers should note that this move excludes the southern town of Ushuaia, as well as certain boutique accommodations throughout the country. However, most travelers enjoying an Argentina vacation can now devote their savings to enjoying some of Argentinas most unique experiences.

Since 1970, Goway has been providing unforgettable travel experiences to Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, polar and idyllic island destinations, Europe and South America. Today Goway is recognized as one of North America's leading travel companies for individuals, families and groups to select exotic destinations around the globe. Goway has offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, Manila, and Sydney (Australia).

For reservations and information, visit http://www.goway.com, or call 1-800-387-8850.
At a time when millions of people around the world have fled their homes because of violence, we must remember our countrys proud history: The United States is a beacon of freedom and hope for all people regardless of race, religion or nationality.

The global organization Mercy Corps is alarmed and deeply disappointed by an imminent executive order on refugees from U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and urges him not to sign it. Among the directives listed in a publicly available draft, the president would order an end to the Syrian refugee program, halt the broader U.S. refugee program for 120 days and suspend the issuance of visas for citizens from Syria, Iraq and a number of other Muslim-majority countries for 30 days.

At a time when millions of people around the world have fled their homes because of violence, we must remember our countrys proud history: The United States is a beacon of freedom and hope for all people regardless of race, religion or nationality, says Neal Keny-Guyer, Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Corps. These times test us. But now is not the time to forsake our shared values and act out of fear. We should first act out of compassion, especially compassion for the innocent people of Syria whose very survival depends on asylum in other countries.

The U.S. resettled just over 15,000 Syrian refugees in 2016. According to UNHCR, now more than 4.8 million Syrians are refugees living in many countries, primarily Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. In addition, an estimated 6.6 million Syrians have fled their homes and remain displaced within the country.

Refugees are not a burden on our communities; they enrich our communities, says Keny-Guyer.

Mercy Corps urges the American public to sign an online petition and call their representatives in Congress to exert pressure on President Trump not to sign the order. The Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121, and operators can direct callers to their representatives and senators.
Bizagi Cloud is the perfect platform for us to launch our Cloud First strategy across the organization. We can now make important steps forward in the digital efficiency and agility of our continually evolving digital banking platforms.

Bizagi, a leader in digital process automation software, today announced that its Digital Business Platform has been selected by Farm Credit Bank of Texas. The new technology will help the bank meet the urgent need for digital innovation across its business systems and core banking processes. The Bizagi platform will be used to rapidly automate business processes, creating new customer-centric processes through integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM as well as replacing 350+ InfoPath forms.

Bizagis selection came as a result of a rigorous selection process carried out by Farm Credit Bank of Texas. The bank evaluated the technical capabilities and usability of several BPMS platforms against the requirement of solving a number of integration, efficiency and agility challenges.

According to Farm Credit Bank of Texas, Bizagis Digital Business Platform was chosen for:



The open nature of the software for easily connecting existing systems and data sources

The collaborative characteristic of the platform encouraging business and process owners to model process needs rather than creating traditional business requirement documents

The unmatched ease of use of the platform as referenced by industry analysts

Bizagis innovative cloud solutions alignment with the banks own cloud-based strategy for 2017

Bizagi Cloud is the perfect platform for us to launch our Cloud First strategy across the organization. We can now make important steps forward in the digital efficiency and agility of our continually evolving digital banking platforms.  Michael Elliott, CIO, Farm Credit Bank of Texas

For Bizagi, the project provides further momentum behind the accelerating adoption of its Cloud PaaS offering in the United States:

We are so excited to see the innovation and value offered by our platform-as-a-service offering being embraced by both new and existing customers as we continue to expand our presence in the US. We cant wait to see the incredible results that we know the strong team at Farm Credit Bank of Texas will be able to deliver.  added Gustavo Gomez, Bizagi CEO

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About Farm Credit Bank of Texas

FCBT is owned by 17 rural financing cooperatives in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas, which in turn are owned by their customers  farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, country homeowners and other rural landowners. Together, FCBT and its affiliated lenders comprise the Texas Farm Credit District, the largest rural lending network in the five-state region.

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About Bizagi

Headquartered in the UK with operations across North America, Europe and Latin America, Bizagi is a global leader in digital process automation software. Bizagi helps ignite the digital transformation programs of more than 500 enterprise customers across 50 countries around the world, assisted by an international network of partners and a global community of over 500,000 process pioneers. For more information, please visit http://www.bizagi.com.

Media information:

For more information please email marketing[at]bizagi[dot]com
This new show provides this generation with the answers they need to make informed decisions about their health and future. Greg Jamian, president and chief executive officer of AmeriCare Medical, Inc.

With nearly 75 million baby boomers in America, a new community television show addresses a variety of health-related topics specific to this generation. Boomer Health at Home, presented by Troy-based AmeriCare Medical, Inc., partners with local health professionals and Bloomfield Community Television to provide expert medical advice in the comfort of viewers homes.

As baby boomers continue to age, they are finding themselves in a unique situation where they are not only caretakers for their parents, but also dealing with health concerns of their own, said Greg Jamian, president and chief executive officer of AmeriCare Medical, Inc., This new show provides this generation with the answers they need to make informed decisions about their health and future.

From financial planning and memory care, to general first aid and illness prevention, Boomer Health at Home covers a wide range of topics about home healthcare.

As an industry leader in home healthcare providers, we find that our patients all strive for the same goal to live long, healthy lives in the comfort of their home, said Jamian. We hope that this show acts as another educational resource to help everyone to accomplish just that.

Boomer Health at Home is available both online at http://www.bloomfieldtwp.org/Services/cable/Videos/BoomerHealthAtHome2016.asp and on local public access channels serving the Bloomfield area and beyond. New episodes air monthly.

About AmeriCare Medical, Inc.

For more than three decades AmeriCare Medical, Inc. has provided integrated healthcare services to hospitals, assisted care facilities and private homes throughout Michigan. AmeriCare Medical, Inc. is accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program for high standards of excellence in medical staffing, private duty nursing, durable medical equipment and specialized pharmacy services. AmeriCare Medical, Inc. is the parent company of AmeriStaff Nursing Services, Sun Medical Equipment and RxIV Pharmacy, making it a one-stop resource for patients and their home care needs.
Our motto is progress through sharing and by sharing the benefits of RBMA membership with colleagues, we will bring more people into the association and further our collective ability to offer the best educational, networking and peer collaboration.

Change begins with individual action. The Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) embraces the belief that every person can make a difference and is increasing its membership by encouraging current members to each recruit one new member through its Power of One Campaign.

RBMA members know the power of working together, explained Michael W. Langenberg, CPA, the RBMA Board of Directors member who originally proposed the Power of One Campaign. Our motto is progress through sharing and by sharing the benefits of RBMA membership with colleagues, we will bring more people into the association and further our collective ability to offer the best educational, networking and peer collaboration opportunities for members.

The Power of One Campaign launched in 2016 and includes resources current members can use in speaking about the RBMA to members of the field who are not yet members. One of those who took advantage of the program was RBMA Lisa Woelfel, CPA, CMA, MBA, chief financial officer of Bay Medical Management, LLC, in Walnut Creek, California.

I recruited new members because RBMA provides different avenues for education and collaboration, which is important in this time of rapid change in our industry, she said. Through the RBMA, people in different roles have the opportunity to share knowledge.

RBMA member Kris Harvey, CMPE, is senior vice-president of Administration and the chief compliance officer for Central Oregon Radiology Associates, P.C., Cascade Medical Imaging, LLC, and Central Oregon MRI, LLC, based in Bend, Oregon. She recruited her organizations vice president of operations to join the RBMA.

Our vice president of operations comes from years in the hospital environment and has memberships appropriate for that setting, she said. I thought it important for him to become a member of RBMA to network with not only RBMA national members but to establish relationships with our counterparts in Oregon.

Among the many benefits the new members will enjoy are:



Member-only resources like e-Alerts about legislative and policy changes, the RadCast and Washington Insider newsletters, and the RBMA Bulletin member magazine.

Networking opportunities through online forums, the member directory and state and national meetings.

Continuing education and professional advancement resources like the online RBMA U courses and the new PARADIGM Conference.

Inside information like RBMAs DataMAXX practice analytic solution benchmarking tool and the Radiology Hot Topic surveys.

Discounts on many business services through the RBMA Affinity Discount Program that offers savings on shipping, equipment maintenance and even rental cars.

Free job postings on the RBMAs Career Center website.

To learn more about the Power of One Campaign, visit rbma.org/powerofone/

About RBMA

Founded in 1968, the Radiology Business Management Association is a national not-for-profit association providing members with applied business information and intelligence applicable in any radiology setting. RBMA represents more than 2,300 radiology practice managers and other radiology business professionals. Its aggregate influence extends to more than 24,000 radiologic technologists and 26,000 administrative staff and physicians. RBMA is the leading professional organization for radiology business management and is recognized for its radiology-specific educational programs, products and services, publications and data. The resources and solutions RBMA offers its members and the broader health care community are helping to shape the professions future.
I am most comfortable with the team of lawyers Ron Karp has assembled to compliment my practice, said John Kudel

Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A. is pleased to announce that John Patrick Kudel, after being Of Counsel to the firm for almost two decades, has joined the firm as a partner. Johns addition is now reflective in the firms name change to Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P. A.

We are delighted to have this first rate lawyer joining our practice, said Ron Karp, managing partner of Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P. A. He has devoted his professional life to being of service to the bar in all roles, including leading the local and state bar as president.

Prior to joining Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind & Gold, P. A., John P. Kudels experience includes being past president of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association while also serving on the Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commission from 2013  2015. John has concentrated his practice in criminal law but will now have a platform to handle a wide range of cases, including personal injury, family law, wills and estates and commercial litigation.

I have carefully considered the firm I want to join for my future, I know law firms all over the state and I am most comfortable with the team of lawyers Ron Karp has assembled to compliment my practice, said John Kudel, partner Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A.

For more information concerning Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P. A. visit http://www.karplawfirm.net.

About Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A:

At the law firm of Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A., we have more than 150 years of combined experience making justice a reality for victims suffering from a traumatic injury as the result of someone elses negligence.

Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A. is a distinguished group of plaintiffs personal injury and general civil litigation lawyers, serving clients in Washington, Virginia, Maryland, and beyond. Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold P.A. is committed to undertaking challenging cases, changing lives, and making justice a reality for their clients.

To learn more about the firm contact one of our five metropolitan Maryland/Washington D.C. area offices today at (800) 229-7026, or contact us online for a free initial consultation. There is no fee unless we win, so contact us today.

Press Contacts:

Ray Schulte / Schulte Public Relations, Inc.

(410) 350-6226 / Ray(at)SchulteSports.com

Ron Karp / Managing Partner - Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P. A.

(301) 948-3800 / RKarp(at)karplawfirm.net
Mercury iFunds Digital Platform Fintech is driving the extinction of inefficient marketing practices, excessive distribution pricing, and obsolete information delivery in the alternatives space.

Mercury Capital Advisors, LLC (Mercury), one of the worlds elite institutional capital raising enterprises specializing in alternative investments, is pleased to announce the launch of Mercury iFunds http://www.mercuryifunds.com. It is a state of the art, end-to-end, digital solution offering a broad range of alternative investments across the liquidity spectrum.

This mobile-responsive fintech platform of curated institutional-quality offerings is intuitive and simple to navigate. It is the only digital platform operated by a leading global capital intermediary having relationships with over 2,500 of the largest, most sophisticated institutions in the world including sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurance companies, and endowments. Mercury is now providing the RIA community, family offices, and other wealth advisors transparent institutional pricing and exclusive access to leading-edge alternatives across 18 different investment categories.

This is precisely the strategy advocated by sophisticated institutional investors - that portfolio composition in search of alpha-generation must include an allocation to buy and hold assets. An investment through the Mercury iFunds platform gives investors exposure to private funds with a minimum subscription of $100,000, significantly less than that typically required by the underlying managers.

"Fintech is driving the extinction of inefficient marketing practices, excessive distribution pricing, and obsolete information delivery systems in the alternatives space. The private wealth community can now easily and cost-effectively access curated, leading-edge alternative investments in manageable increments. The Mercury iFunds platform provides cyber-security through DocuSign and is seamlessly integrated into client portfolios through the largest custodians in the world," said Michael Ricciardi, CEO and Co-Founder of Mercury Capital Advisors Group, LLC.

RIAs subscribing on behalf of their clients to Mercury iFunds may invest with as many managers as they select from a diversified, market-agnostic menu of product verticals including hedge funds, real estate, private equity, impact investing, venture capital, infrastructure, credit, distressed, pre-IPO and long-only opportunities. Multiple subscriptions may be made through a single, logic-rich document, generating one aggregated K1 worksheet.

ABOUT MERCURY CAPITAL ADVISORS

Professionals at Mercury Capital Advisors Group, LLC have executed more than 100 mandates, raising in excess of $160 Billion from pre-eminent institutional investors spanning the globe. The firm has fifteen offices and affiliates in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. In 2015, Thompson Reuters ranked Mercury the #1 book-runner for total private equity placements around the world.

For further information about Mercury iFunds and Mercury Capital Advisors, LLC please visit

http://www.mercurycapitaladvisors.com
Constance Lee of Constance Lee & Company Court Reporters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is celebrating year-end accomplishments with regard to business growth. Total company production billing increased by 55%, and the company also experienced a 61% increase in the number of total company pages billed. Her personal pages billed increased by approximately 6,000 original pages.

Constance Lee believes that being committed to reporting her numbers regularly allows her to track her success year over year and set new goals. For any business owner, keeping track of successes and evaluating targets allows for better future planning, and Lee states that her ability to monitor her growth helps her increase her business and influence annually. Knowing where the company has hit markers and where it stands the best chance of growth in the coming years can be determined after careful evaluation of company data, and this is why Lee makes it a regular habit to dive deep into the numbers.

This is a service-based profession, and I need to know where my business is most successful in providing what the industry needs, Lee says. Being able to evolve and to capitalize on emerging trends keeps her company both relevant and profitable.

She uses her reporting and tracking to identify the service items that attorneys are most interested in and believes that being intimate with your sales numbers is vital to growing and ultimate success. The court reporting profession offers a lot of opportunities for those who want to help attorneys with depositions by properly and efficiently recording events as they happen. As digital technology has improved, it has become easier for depositions to occur with videoconferencing, decreasing travel time and expenses for all involved while also upholding accuracy, the cornerstone of the court reporting profession.

Constance Lee has been active in the court reporting profession for 30 years. She has been involved in transcript production, delivering, scheduling, customer service, court reporting and sales. Her company focuses on reliability, support and accuracy for individuals needing comprehensive court reporting assistance. She has earned a reputation as a leader in the field across Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.

She assists with court reporting, legal videography, and captioning. She focuses primarily on real time instant translation and display of your proceedings, allowing for attorneys and other stakeholders to review the results with a translation rate of 98% accuracy or higher.

To learn more about Constance Lee & Company, visit http://courtreporterpa.com/
Rare Early 8 Leg Limbert Trapezoidal Sideboard, Estimated at $4,000-8,000. This sale represents our finest fine and decorative arts auction in memory. The range of items on offer is astounding. People looking for items for their homes, as well as collectors and interior designers, simply cannot miss this event.

Morphy Auctions, the finest auction destination for fresh to the market collections, is excited to announce this cant-miss sale to be held on March 4th and 5th, 2017, beginning at 10am each day. A full range of decorative and functional items from the most collectible makers - including Tiffany, Loetz, Amphora, Stickley, Rookwood, Quezal, and Steuben - are represented. This event also features precious and fine jewelry at a full range of price points. All items from this sale are on display in Morphy's Denver auction gallery and available for preview now.

This sales fantastic collection of arts and crafts and mission style furniture is absolutely flooring, with over 150 lots on offer. Lot #164, a rare Limbert eight legged trapezoidal sideboard/buffet in quarter sawn oak is estimated at $4,000-8,000. This remarkably eye-catching example from Grand Rapids, MI is an uncatalogued variant with wooden pulls. It is marked with its early and original paper label from c. 1902. Hold everything and check out lot #3, a Stickley Brothers single door china cabinet with all original hardware and finish, estimated at $1,200-1,800. This piece, designed with a plate rack over three adjustable shelves, is made in quarter sawn oak and is marked with its metal quaint tag and stencil no. 8745. And two period chairs have a leg up in this key category. The first, lot #31, is an unsigned Gustav Stickley quarter sawn oak tall back spindle rocker. It features traditional mortise and tenon construction, retains its original rope frame for a loose cushion, and is estimated at $1,200-1,800. The second, lot #32, is a rare Shop of the Crafters inlaid Morris chair. This handsome and stately example, estimated at $1,500-2,000, has four slats under each arm and quarter-sawn oak cloud lift stretchers and veneer legs.

Collectors looking to feather their nests with fantastic and functional antiques need look no farther than this sale. An electrifying selection of over 30 vintage lamps are available. The highlight here would have to be lot #184, a Tiffany floor lamp, estimated at $25,000-45,000. This piece features a 25" signed, curtain border shade on a later Tiffany-style Senior floor base. Clocks of all sorts also help to keep this sales event on time. Lot #227, a tall grandfather clock with tubular bells and a moon phase dial, is estimated at $4,000-8,000. This big daddy features an ornately carved case with beveled glass; its dial is marked "T.E. Dickinson Buffalo NY. And those collectors seeking fine music boxes will be singing a happy tune over the selections available through this sale. Lot #258, a Regina bow front automatic changer music box, is estimated at $10,000-15,000. This mahogany cased, standing floor model is in original working condition and includes a dozen 15-3/4" discs.

This sale also presents a wall-to-wall selection of fine art, paintings, and lithographs. Of special notice is a fine grouping of 20 works by Louis Icart (1880-1950), a well-respected French painter and illustrator. Lot #566, his original oil painting Arrivee features a locomotive engine, train tracks, and people on a foggy evening. This signed and annotated example is from his c. 1940 "Exodus" series and is estimated at $10,000-20,000. And lot #563, his limited-edition c. 1929 etching "Coursing II," features a lovely lady frolicking playfully with three greyhounds. This piece was produced in an edition size of 500 and comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Great Dane Collection of Philadelphia, PA. It is estimated at $1,500-2,000.

Decorative art glass adds a colorful angle to this comprehensive sale. Fine examples of Fenton, Durand, Quetzal, and other top tier brands will undoubtedly catch the eye of discerning collectors. Two terrific Tiffany highlights include lot #804, a c. 1897-1898 green iridescent Tel-El-Amarna Vase, estimated at $3,000-4000, and lot #805, a decorated and wheel carved gold favrile vase, estimated at $6,000-8,000.

For Loetz lovers, this event supplies nearly 30 unusual and high quality temptations. Lot #764, a Loetz silver overlay Phanomen vase, is estimated at $12,000-15,000. This sterling c. 1902 example is produced in the Phanomen Gre 85/5054 decor and comes to life with a silver overlay Art Nouveau floral decoration. Lot #763, an extremely rare Loetz Black Bottom vase by Franz Hofstoetter, is estimated at $10,000-12,000. This piece has a circular base with a slender neck and flared rim having two spouts; it is executed in Phanomen Gre 358 decor with red and silver bands pulled downwards from the top. It was produced for Bakolowits, a famous Vienna retailer. Lot #762, a c. 1902 Loetz Cytisus vase is estimated at $4,000-5,000. This outstanding, highly iridescent example is decorated with stunning multi-hued waves and oil spots against a metallic yellow background. And lot #760, a red and yellow Loetz glass vase with a silver floral overlay, should easily bloom within its $3,000-6,000 estimate.

If bling is your thing, heres a golden opportunity to add a few fine necklaces, bracelets, watches, earrings, and rings to your personal treasure chest. With over 100 selections on offer, there is truly something for everyone. Things are twice as nice with lot #1024, a 14K and 18K white gold, diamond, and ruby necklace and bracelet set. This big serving of eye candy is estimated at $16,000-20,000. The bracelet is 7-1/4 long and features 14 oval rubies, each approximately 1 carat each, and 3.36 total carats of diamond highlights. The necklace features 38 rubies totaling 11.4 carats and 6.08 carats of diamond highlights. Although the bracelet and necklace look very similar, they were not produced as a matched set. And green means go with lot #955A, a 2 piece 18K white gold diamond necklace with a detachable emerald and diamond pendant, estimated at $60,000-100,000. This outstanding and dramatic necklace has a total dwt of 16.8; its pendant has a dwt of 7.1, most coming from its gorgeously hued 6+ carat emerald.

This comprehensive sale is rounded out with fantastic selections of statues, general antiques, holiday items, and art pottery, including lot #271, an Amphora ceramic vase, estimated at $4,000-8,000. This c. 1899 vase, featuring a dramatic and dimensional Eastern Dragon, is finished in green, cream, and gold glazes and is marked with an Amphora oval and impressed heart.

According to Dan Morphy, President of Morphy Auctions, "This sale represents our finest fine and decorative arts auction in memory. The range of items on offer is astounding. People looking for items for their homes, as well as collectors and interior designers, simply cannot miss this event. Many of the Loetz art glass selections are really appealing. My favorite, at least today, is the Loetz silver overlay Phanomen vase. Its floral detailing gives me hope that spring indeed is on the way! We welcome you to visit our gallery in Denver, PA to view these outstanding items firsthand, or of course check them out online anytime at http://www.morphyauctions.com.
1st Prize by Tucker Reiland: The Forest Retreats, For Now... Urbanization: What are the pros and cons? Who are the winners and losers?

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs announces the winners of its annual International Student Photography Contest. The topic was Cities and Urbanization. What are the pros and cons and who are the winners and losers?

See the three winning photos here: http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/news/announcements/431

FIRST PRIZE

Tucker Reiland

Undergraduate, University of San Francisco, USA

The Forest Retreats, For Now... (photo of Hong Kong)

JOINT SECOND PRIZE

Felix Hohne

High school, St George's School, Canada

"City in Motion" (photo of Shanghai)

Madalina Paunica

Undergraduate, The National University of Arts, Bucharest, Romania

"Temporary Home" (photo of Bucharest)

Many thanks to all who took part. The contest was conducted on the Council's online Global Ethics Network, a community platform for exploring the role of ethics in international affairs. New members welcome; everyone is free to join this international conversation. Go to http://www.globalethicsnet.org.

ABOUT CARNEGIE COUNCIL

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an educational, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that produces lectures, publications, and multimedia materials on the ethical challenges of living in a globalized world. For more information, go to http://www.carnegiecouncil.org.
Michael Bartelle delivering keynote address at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observance. Photo by SSgt Brian Cline, U.S. Army

Michael Bartelle, VP European Operations at Andrews Federal Credit Union, recently served as a keynote speaker for the U.S. Army Garrison-Wiesbadens Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observance at Clay Kasernes Tony Bass Auditorium.

The Department of Defense theme was Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not a Day Off! Bartelle quoted excerpts from Kings Drum Major Instinct sermon, originally delivered on February 4, 1968.

I wanted to relay the importance of viewing Dr. Kings legacy of harnessing the desire to be in the forefront of change, said Bartelle. I believe everyone has the innate ability to serve selflessly.

Bartelle also explained how Dr. Kings approach to the American dream was not social change just for the African American community. This was civility and dignity for all people, to ensure the American dream was fulfilled by all, whether you were of color, a woman, poor, or a child.

Dr. King was born January 15, 1929 and assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn. This years event commemorates his 88th Birthday. The event was supported by members of the 5th Signal command, 102nd Signal Brigade, U.S. Army Europe, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade and U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden.

About Andrews Federal Credit Union

Andrews Federal Credit Union was founded in 1948 to serve the needs of military and civilian personnel by providing a vast array of financial products and services. With over $1.4 billion in assets, Andrews Federal has grown to serve more than 119,000 members in the District of Columbia, Joint Base Andrews (MD), Springfield, Virginia (VA), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (NJ), and military installations in central Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, the Credit Union serves as a financial partner with many select employee groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and New Jersey.

To learn more about Andrews Federal Credit Union and its community involvement, or to become a member, call 800.487.5500 or visit http://www.andrewsfcu.org.
Ninian & Lester Selects Centric Software PLM Centric 8 quickly rose to the top of our evaluation shortlist and remained there despite our best efforts to find weaknesses. The product functionality demonstrated via superb customer service from the Centric team prevailed valiantly.

Centric Software announces that Ninian & Lester, a manufacturer in South Africa, has selected Centric Software to provide its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software is the leading PLM solution for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods companies.

Based in Durban on the shores of the Indian Ocean, Ninian & Lester is a vertically operated textile and clothing manufacturing operation that was founded in 1936. In 1951 it was awarded the South African franchise for the world-renowed American Jockey underwear, fashion and lifestyle brand. Starting out with menswear, in the 1980s the ladieswear range was introduced and the brand has continued to grow becoming the leading underwear brand in Southern Africa with over 90% of the product and its raw materials still manufactured in the region.

In a competitive world facing ever-changing regulatory and customer expectations and disruption, Ninian & Lester was looking for new approaches to evolve the way it works and build the capabilities to deliver on its strategy such as reducing lead times to stay ahead in both local and export markets. We needed to better integrate our teams and enhance on-trend design efficiency to deal with dynamic quick-response scenarios, assess risks, improve decision-making and reduce our time to market, says Manfred Paeper, Business Process and IT manager at Ninian & Lester.

As a top innovative manufacturer and an award-winning company, Ninian & Lester was looking for the best possible partner that could adapt to their needs  one with bold ambitions and deliberate about getting there.

We desired a PLM solution to support our passionate self-managed teams driving best practices in design thinking while exhibiting extensive innovation potential. We anticipate Centric 8 enabling us to engineer step-change improvements into our business far beyond the limitations imposed by more rigidly architected options we investigated. Centric 8 quickly rose to the top of our evaluation shortlist and remained there despite our best efforts to find weaknesses. The product functionality demonstrated via superb customer service from the Centric team prevailed valiantly.

We recognized that Centric Software is also an award-winning company and offered us a comprehensive, intuitive, easy to use solution with a simple yet powerful cross-platform mobile and desktop customizable interface view encouraging high end-user adoption. Our goal is to harness digital technology throughout the value chain, building cross-silo and cross-channel capabilities connecting IT, machines and people in real-time in order to manufacture products better and faster, leveraging business intelligence for the demands of omnichannel retailing, our workforce and the future of manufacturing. Centrics configurable solution will allow us to shorten cycle times, enhance delivery, bring visibility and transparency into the supply chain, and ultimately expand the value we deliver to our customers, continues Paeper.

Centrics responsiveness and Agile MethodologySM approach encouraged us as did the growing install base and local support partnerships. Centric teams worked long hours and were really dedicated to the cause. Centrics Iterative Deployment approach was a key differentiator. People at Centric grasp Agile principles well compared to other PLM vendors who showed us only traditional hierarchical ways of working.

Centric PLM will enable Ninian & Lester teams to better manage information assets, and collaborate in their development ecosystem with suppliers to add flexibility, control, what-if analysis, insight and continuous improvement feedback loops to their processes. As Paeper concludes, By providing one, actionable version of the truth, Centric PLM will bridge our creative, development and business teams to bring desirable products to the market faster, sustaining competitive advantage and building stronger, more enduring customer relationships. Equally important is that the Centric PLM product roadmap will grow with us as we continue to innovate.

We are delighted to welcome Ninian & Lester to the Centric family, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. By bringing constant innovation and value products to the market, we are confident that they will continue to be successful. We are looking forward to partnering with them to help drive their business growth.

Ninian & Lester Proprietary Limited (http://www.ninian.co.za/ and http://www.jockey.co.za/)

Over 80 years and still going strong. As one of the largest manufacturers of underwear in South Africa, Ninian & Lester in its partnership with the global Jockey brand continuously strives to innovate and aspires to remain the brand people think of for quality and style, but never forgetting their purpose, to satisfy the human need for comfort. Jockey can be found in over 120 countries around the world. In Southern Africa, Jockey is widely available in 6 concept stores, major chains and various independent retailers.

Centric Software, Inc. (http://www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley and offices in trend capitals around the world, Centric Software builds technologies for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Its flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, business planning, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB packages extend PLM including innovative technology and key industry learnings tailored for small businesses.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards, including the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Retail, Fashion and Apparel PLM in 2016 and Frost & Sullivans Global Retail, Fashion and Apparel PLM Product Differentiation Excellence Award in 2012. Red Herring named Centric to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016 (end)

Copyright 2017, Centric Software Inc, All rights reserved.

Media Contacts:

Centric Software

Americas: Jennifer Forsythe, jforsythe(at)centricsoftware(dot)com

Europe: Kristen Salaun Batby, ksalaun-batby(at)centricsoftware(dot)com

Asia: Lily Dong, lily.dong(at)centricsoftware(dot)com

Ninian & Lester

Ninian & Lester: Sharon Bacon, ninian(at)ninian.co(dot)za

Jockey South Africa: Ann Chambers, jockey(at)jockey.co(dot)za
WPIs Kamal Rashid opens the morning session at the 2016 biomanufacturing symposium.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute will hold its second annual Advanced Biomanufacturing Symposium, a two-day, in-depth event that will focus on the technology and processes of continuous biomanufacturing and the challenges of making novel cell and regenerative tissue therapies that are approaching the clinic. The symposium, which was over-subscribed last year, is set for March 2728, 2017.

Organized by WPI life sciences and bioengineering faculty members and the universitys Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC), the symposium will bring together industry professionals and academic researchers working with new technologies, processes, and business practices that will have a significant impact on biomanufacturing in the near term.

2017 is shaping up to be an important year for biological products, with increasing public awareness of the industry and advances across the biomanufacturing spectrum that will demand our attention, said Kamal Rashid, PhD, director of the BETC and research professor at WPI. Evolving platforms and expression systems, progress towards end-to-end continuous biomanufacturing, the challenges of cell and tissue therapiesall of these topics will be explored in detail at our symposium.

This years keynote presenters include Manon Cox, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Protein Sciences Corp.; Jerome Ritz, MD, professor at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the Connell and O'Reilly Cell Manipulation and Gene Transfer Laboratory at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and Gail Naughton, PhD, chief executive officer of Histogen Inc.

Of note, Kelvin Lee, PhD, Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, who led the team that organized the recently funded National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals(NIIMBL), will also speak at the symposium. WPI is a member of NIIMBL.

The symposium will feature session talks by subject matter experts from Biogen, Eppendorf, GE Healthcare, MilliporeSigma, Organovo, Pall Life Sciences, Sartorius Stedim Biotech, and Unum Therapeutics, as well as faculty members from Tufts University and WPI. The talks will be presented in a single-track so participants will have access to all the content, and not have to choose between concurrent sessions, Rashid said. This worked very well last year. It helps maximize interaction and information exchange. (Click here for photos from last years symposium. )

The symposium will take place in the Rubin Campus Center on WPIs campus in Worcester, Mass. Registration is required and space is limited. (Click here for more event information and registration.)

Funded in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the BETC is a multi-faceted resource for the biologics industry, providing a range of hands-on customized programs. The BETC works with biomanufacturers to help them train, and retrain, their employees at a state-of-the-art center removed from their own production facilities. The center also provides research collaboration opportunities and consulting services to help companies manage challenges, explore new technologies, or scale up new processes.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nations first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. WPIs talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the universitys innovative Global Projects Program. There are more than 45 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.

Contact:

Michael Cohen

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts

508-868-4778, mcohen(at)wpi(dot)edu
I was simply in awe as I watched millions of marchers from around the world come together for a common cause. I wanted to do my part to support the movement. As a printer, this is how I can participate.

History was made on January 21, 2017. As many as 4.6 million people participated in Womens Marches across the globe. Demonstrators who attended the marches describe their experiences as powerful, unforgettable and moving. These emotions are visible in the thousands of photographs captured at various marches and shared on social media and in leading media outlets. Now, Ohio-based Traxler Custom Printing has announced a project to collect these images and publish The Womens March: Signs of a Movement, a coffee table book to commemorate the historic event. All proceeds from the sale of the hardbound book will be donated to Planned Parenthood of America.

The idea came about after a member of the secret Facebook group Empower Ohio contacted Traxlers CEO and Founder, Zachary Traxler, to see if he was interested in spearheading the project. Traxlers immediate response was a fervent Yes!

I was simply in awe as I watched millions of marchers from around the world come together for a common cause. My mother and grandfather marched in D.C. and they were moved, like so many of us by how peaceful and inspiring the protests were. I wanted to do my part to support the movement. As a printer, this is how I can participate, Traxler explained.

Within hours, Traxler launched WomensMarchBook.com and the photographs started pouring in. To date, he has received more than a thousand images submitted from all corners of the world. The book can be pre-ordered online for $59.95 at the Womens March Book site. After pre-orders close, the cost will be $74.95. Traxler is donating 100 percent of the proceeds to Planned Parenthood of America.

We hope this book will spread awareness and raise money to help sustain organizations like Planned Parenthood that benefit thousands of women every day. As a son, husband, and father, it's my goal to look to the future and do what I can to ensure equality for all, Traxler added.

Graphic designer Angela Melito has donated her services to the project. In addition, Team Fleisher

Communications, a public relations firm specializing in earned media, has offered their services as well.

Information on how to submit photographs and order the book can be found at womensmarchbook.com.

Tweet This: @wmsignsbook to commemorate historic women's marches around the globe. All proceeds to @PPFA. Submit your photos at womensmarchbook.com
Updox understands the vital role that pharmacies play so we created Pharmacy Connect to ensure pharmacists have access to the same easy-to-use tools and technologies as physicians.

Updox, the industry leader for care coordination and healthcare customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, announced its Pharmacy Connect suite of care coordination solutions was selected by Surgoinsville Pharmacy in Surgoinsville, Tenn.

Beth Bryan, D.Ph., lead pharmacist and owner of Surgoinsville Pharmacy, will join Updox at Booth #242 during Inspire 2017, the Rx30 customer conference, held Jan. 27-28 in Orlando, Fla., to share her pharmacys perspectives on Pharmacy Connect. She'll give a first-person account on how easy Pharmacy Connect was to implement and show how she's using the solution to save time and drive new business to her pharmacy.

The best thing is that its an easy solution to get started with and use. Were already saving money with Pharmacy Connect and I see it as being very valuable to expanding our clinic operations. Its saved a lot of time for staff also," said Bryan. It is a great way for us to connect with physicians in our area and directly communicate with them to expand services, drive revenue and coordinate care."

Updox Pharmacy Connect is a web-based care coordination suite that helps pharmacists securely exchange full clinical records with physicians, maximize reimbursements and engage patients. Costs are reduced by eliminating paper, toner and hardware costs. Compliance is ensured through secure, HIPAA-compliant communications. Patients are engaged through appointment reminders and a dedicated portal. Staff time is maximized as all communications arrive into a universal inbox for easy routing or response, which can be done either in or outside of the pharmacy.

Pharmacists are such a critical part of the care team. Unfortunately, technology has not focused on their needs, until now," said Michael Morgan, chief executive officer, Updox. "Updox understands the vital role that pharmacies play so we created Pharmacy Connect to ensure pharmacists have access to the same easy-to-use tools and technologies as physicians. These tools are critical in the shift to value-based care, enable pharmacists to improve operations and, most importantly, open up revenue opportunities such as medication management therapies (MTM) and chronic care management.

For example, with Pharmacy Connect, a pharmacist can receive a full clinical file or CCD-A directly from a physicians EHR. Once the file is received, the pharmacist can send the patient a secure notification which prompts them to use the web-based scheduling system to create an appointment for an MTM. Pharmacy Connect will automatically send out appointment reminders ensuring the patient shows for the appointment. Once the MTM is complete, a secure message with results can be sent to the patients physician.

To read more about Surgoinsville Pharmacys experience with Pharmacy Connect, visit https://www.updox.com/solutions/success-stories. Additional information about Updox Pharmacy Connect is available at https://www.updox.com/pharmacy-connect.

About Updox

Where Healthcare Connects! Updox is the industry leading healthcare care coordination solution. Named #571 on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, Updox is integrated with more than 70 electronic health records (EHR) and serves more than 250,000 users and 54 million patients.

Through an extensive Direct messaging network and platform of apps, Updox connects various healthcare providers, including physicians, patients, payers, pharmacies, labs and healthcare partners. Once part of the Updox, users or partners can access a full suite of applications including secure messaging, patient portal, appointment scheduling & reminders, credit card payments, and health alerts, all with the goal of driving improved outcomes through more efficient communications and better care coordination.

The Updox Direct Secure messaging and patient portal have both achieved 2014 Edition 2 ONC-HIT Modular Certification from Drummond Group, LLC. Additionally, Updox achieved full accreditation with the Direct Trusted Agent Accreditation Program (DTAAP) as a Health Information Service Provider/Registration Authority/Certificate Authority (HISP/RA/CA) from DirectTrust.org and the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC).

Connect with Updox at http://www.updox.com, Twitter, Facebook, Updox Community, LinkedIn, YouTube or Google+.
PureCars logo

PureCars, a leading advertising technology company for the automotive industry, announced today at NADA 2017 its cutting-edge suite of Facebook digital advertising products for dealers. Using the power and reach of Facebook, PureCars is uniquely positioned to drive more prospects to dealers showrooms and fill their service lanes.

The PureCars Facebook suite enables dealers to leverage the power of their CRM database to reach current customers with service, trade-in and new car offers. Custom campaigns reach dealers customers at a rate 3 to 4 times that of traditional marketing methods like direct mail and email, driving efficiencies and retention.

Most dealers dont realize the most efficient way to drive results on Facebook isnt through the Like button, said Adam Phillips, PureCars CTO. We help dealers reach 138 million U.S. Facebook users over the age of 18 and target the most likely buyers for their dealership. These users are spending nearly 50 minutes a day on Facebook, and our advanced digital campaigns touch the entire customer lifecycle. From prospecting through the vehicle purchase funnel, to post-sale service, to retention on the next vehicle purchase, our advertising suite connects with car drivers where they spend their time, at a lower cost.

Utilizing a dealers CRM data, PureCars patented technology can identify potential buyers and service customers who are most similar to the dealers existing customers and target them with relevant advertising. Further, dealers can increase turns and service lane throughput by leveraging Facebook lead ads, where prospects can be served a unique vehicle or service offer and complete a pre-populated lead form without leaving Facebook. Dynamic retargeting ads are then delivered to those prospects, highlighting specific vehicle detail pages (VDPs). As dealers focus on increasing inventory turns in 2017, PureCars technology also delivers dynamically created price drop alert ads when inventory is marked down - and serves these ads to low-funnel shoppers in real time.

After a year of record auto sales, dealers would be wise to prioritize marketing spend for fixed ops, as well. As drivers hold onto their vehicles longer, dealers must shift to their fixed ops marketing strategy from traditional direct mail and email to digital advertising to expand reach. Dealers can highlight their fixed ops service offerings to prospective service customers, in addition to past buyers in need of vehicle servicing.

There is a massive missed opportunity for driving additional revenue for dealers within fixed ops through digital advertising, said Jeremy Anspach, PureCars CEO. Fixed ops generates 60 percent of a stores net profit on only 12 percent of revenue, making it a prime investment opportunity for dealers budget and attention. Using PureCars technology, dealers can target service shoppers on Facebook with tailored messaging. With a streamlined process to schedule an appointment, it becomes even easier for a dealer to win new business as well as retain the loyalty of those car owners to whom they have previously sold.

To learn more about PureCars Facebook suite of digital advertising, stop by NADA Booth 661.

About PureCars

Technology drives us. Armed with automotives most extensive data library, PureCars offers search, pay-per-click, site and display retargeting and advertising to help dealerships reach the right consumer with the right vehicle at the right time. As a Google Premier SMB Partner, our award-winning technology is flawlessly designed to drive high probability buyers to a dealers site, optimize traffic once on their site, and convert those customers in the showroom.
Toronto-based HealthBrands Inc., a family of companies which promotes healthy living, universal healthcare and sport has scooped up pet health platform Ask The Veterinarian, headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Ask The Veterinarian launched in 2015 as a forum which provided pet owners a group where they could share concerns about their pets health.

We are proud to announce our third acquisition and welcome Ask The Veterinarian to the HealthBrands family, said Prakash Chand, President and CEO of HealthBrands Inc.

With the very strong growth of our flagship company Ask The Doctor, the timing of this acquisition couldnt have been better as it now allows us to use our expertise in the Q&A space to solve one more vertical. We connected the world with top doctors, now we are going to connect pet owners with top veterinarians from their computer or mobile device.

All employees of Ask The Veterinarian will go over to HealthBrands Inc. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, the nations 26th largest accounting and advisory firm, announced today that its Family Office Services Division has been shortlisted in four categories of the 2017 Private Asset Management Awards. The Firm was shortlisted in every category it submitted for, including Best Family Office Service Provider, Best Private Client Audit Firm, Best Private Client Tax Solution and Best Reporting Solution. The winners will be announced at the 2017 Private Asset Management Awards on February 13, 2017, in New York City. The variety of nominations the Firm received demonstrates the scope of Family Office services PKF OConnor Davies provides and its leading reputation among clients and industry leaders.

To be shortlisted in every category we applied for is a great honor and a testament to our team and our ceaseless effort to create value for our clients, said Gemma Leddy, CPA and Partner-in-Charge of PKF OConnor Davies Family Office. Were grateful to Private Asset Management for the recognition of our revolutionary reporting platform and other solutions weve developed and look forward to the awards ceremony.

The Private Asset Management Awards are designed for top investment professionals, wealth advisors, legal firms, consultants and other key service providers operating within the private asset management industry, who have proved themselves over the course of the last year. An independent panel of industry expert judges analyzes each submission based on financial progress, growth, client satisfaction and product innovation.

Were constantly looking for ways to elevate the level of service we provide every client, said Eric Gelb, Director of Business Development and Financial Services at PKF OConnor Davies. To be recognized for our innovative systems and services is a validation of the work we do for clients day in and day out.

PKF OConnor Davies Family Office provides a full range of family office, accounting, tax, administration and advanced planning services to high net worth individuals, families and their closely held businesses in the United States and abroad. The Firms single-point-of-entry model captures the entire universe of holdings and transactions for a family and provides customized reporting based on family needs.

About PKF OConnor Davies, LLP

PKF OConnor Davies, LLP is a full service Certified Public Accounting and advisory firm with a long history of serving clients both domestically and internationally. With roots tracing to 1891, 10 offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland, and more than 600 professionals, led by over 100 partners, the Firm provides a complete range of accounting, auditing, tax and management advisory services.

PKF OConnor Davies is ranked number 26 in Accounting Todays 2016 Top 100 Firms list and the Firm is also recognized as a Leader in Audit and Accounting, a Pacesetter in Growth and one of the Top Firms in the Mid-Atlantic. PKF OConnor Davies is ranked number 29 in INSIDE Public Accountings 2015 Top 100 Firms list and recognized as one of the Top Ten Fastest-Growing Firms." In 2016, PKF O'Connor Davies was named one of Vault's Accounting 50, a ranking of the 50 best accounting employers to work for in North America, and ranked among the top 50 most prestigious accounting firms in America in a complementary Vault survey. The Firm is the 11th largest accounting firm in the New York Metropolitan area, according to Crains New York Business, and was named the 10th top accounting firm in New Jersey according to NJBizs 2016 rankings.

By consistently delivering proactive, thorough and efficient service, PKF O'Connor Davies has built long-lasting, valuable relationships with its clients. Partners are intimately involved in the day-to-day management of engagements, ensuring a high degree of client service and cost effectiveness. The Firms seasoned professional staff members employ a team approach to all engagements to provide clients with the utmost quality and timely services aimed at helping them succeed. Continuity of staffing and attention to detail in all client engagements make the Firm stand out among its competitors.

PKF OConnor Davies is the lead North American representative of the international association of PKF member firms. PKF International is a network of legally independent member firms providing accounting and business advisory services in 440 locations in 150 countries around the world. With its tradition, experience and focus on the future, PKF OConnor Davies is ready to help clients meet todays ever-changing economic conditions and manage the growing complexities of the regulatory environment. For more information, visit http://www.PKFOD.com.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ Lunch Plate

Ono Hawaiian BBQ is celebrating its new restaurant with a Grand Opening Luau this Saturday January 28, 2017 at 2990 E 9th Street, Oakland, California. This location will be the 60th unit for the Hawaiian restaurant chain.

The Grand Opening Celebration will have special events including:



Ribbon cutting ceremony 10:45AM

Raffling of fifty $100 Ono Hawaiian BBQ gift cards 11:00AM to 1:00PM

Buy One Get One Free deal all day

Hawaiian dance performance 12:00PM to 2:00PM

The approximately 1900 square-feet Ono Hawaiian BBQ incorporates the brands industrial chic design inspired by Hawaiis rustic elements; featuring reclaimed wood walls, rope lighting, aqua tiles, and tropical planters. The restaurant has seating for 42 guests inside the dining room.

About Ono Hawaiian BBQ

Ono Hawaiian BBQ is a fast casual restaurant with locations in California and Arizona that serves Hawaiian Plate Lunches and other island specialties. All of Ono Hawaiian BBQ plates are created with fresh ingredients using authentic Hawaiian recipes, prepared daily in each restaurant and grilled fresh to order. Ono Hawaiian BBQ operates 60 restaurants throughout California and Arizona and have plans to open 10 more locations in 2017 with the next location slated for Peoria, Arizona.

Fans can receive promotions and news by Liking Ono Hawaiian BBQ on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OnoHawaiianBBQ or joining Club Ono. For more information please visit http://www.OnoBBQ.com, @OnoHawaiianBBQ on Twitter or @OnoHawaiianBBQ on Instagram.

Ono Hawaiian BBQ  Oakland

2990 E 9th Street

Oakland, CA 94601

Phone: (510)479-1003

Sun - Thurs: 11:00AM  9:00PM

Fri-Sat: 11:00AM  9:30PM

marketing(at)onobbq(dot)com
Onapsis As 2017 kicks off, were seeing more organizations place SAP and Oracle applications at the forefront of their security strategy.

Onapsis, the global experts in SAP and Oracle application cybersecurity and compliance, today announced that it will be attending the 2017 RSA Conference in San Francisco, California from February 13  17, 2017. During this event it will be showcasing the latest research available in the business-critical application security market, hosting CISO educational sessions, and presenting on best practices for migrating SAP applications to the cloud.

The ERP cybersecurity and compliance market is continuing to mature as attackers progress the methods they use to gain access to organizations critical information and processes housed in SAP and Oracle systems - including intellectual property, nancial, credit card, customer data, supplier data and database warehouse information. These systems and their application layer are not protected by traditional security solutions.

As 2017 kicks off, were seeing more organizations place SAP and Oracle applications at the forefront of their security strategy. These applications, whether on-prem or in the cloud, must be continuously monitored and proactively protected not only to safeguard business crown jewels, but also to demonstrate regulatory compliance. This is one of the main areas of concern facing many C-level executives, said Mariano Nunez, CEO, Onapsis.

To help organizations better align their SAP cybersecurity strategy with initiatives of internal audit groups, Onapsis will be hosting a CISO roundtable focused on the automation of SAP cybersecurity. During this discussion, Nunez, alongside CISOs and representatives from large audit firms, will cover common challenges, solutions, and approaches CISOs can take to find a balance between competing priorities within an organization.

During RSA Conference, our goal is to improve the way organizations understand the various aspects of SAP and Oracle application cybersecurity and compliance. Well be focusing on areas such as best practices for securely migrating to the cloud, automation for alignment, and the latest threat intelligence research on zero-day vulnerabilities, continued Nunez.

Onapsis at RSA Conference:

CISO Roundtable: Aligning CISOS and Internal Audit to Automate SAP Cybersecurity

Moderators: CISO, Fortune 500 Organization; Sr Manager, Big 4 Audit Firm; and Mariano Nunez, CEO, Onapsis

When: Invite-only

Where: Invite-only

Abstract: This roundtable discussion focuses on how CISOs can meet this common challenge. Share challenges and hear success stories from other CISOs and SAP customers who have been able to strike this balance. Learn more about the solutions, cross-functional leadership, and partners who have helped them do it.

Are Zero-Day Threats the Biggest Threat to ERP Systems?

Presenter: Sebastian Bortnik, Head of Research Labs, Onapsis

When: Tuesday, February 14th, 2017, 12:40-1:10 PM PST

Where: South Hall Briefing Center, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA, 94103

Abstract: Join us to discuss how threats facing business-critical applications such as SAP are rapidly evolving and how malicious outsiders are exploiting vulnerabilities to access these critical systems. During this discussion, we will cover best strategic practices to employ in order to keep up with the latest vulnerabilities impacting your SAP system and applications.

The Wild West Cloud Security Shootout

Moderator: Adrian Lane, Analyst & CTO, Securosis

When: Wednesday, February 15th, 2017, 10:30  11:15 PM PST

Where: Peer2Peer - Nob Hill A - Marriott Marquis, San Francisco, CA, 94103

Abstract: CISOs making the business decision to migrate critical ERP applications to the cloud struggle with security approaches. Trying to lift & shift existing on-premise controls to PaaS/IaaS is a path to failure. Cloud security for SAP and similar applications is unchartered territory. This session will explore cloud architectures, security models, application security controls and secure operations.

Onapsis at AGCs 2017 Information Security & Broader Technology Growth Conference

Presenter: Mariano Nunez, CEO and co-Founder, Onapsis

Onapsis booth at RSA Conference: #N4127

For full details, please visit: https://www.onapsis.com/onapsis-rsa-2017

About Onapsis

Onapsis cybersecurity solutions automate the monitoring and protection of your SAP applications, keeping them compliant and safe from insider and outsider threats. As the proven market leader, global enterprises trust Onapsis to protect the essential information and processes that run their businesses.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, Onapsis serves over 200 customers including many of the Global 2000. Onapsis solutions are also the de-facto standard for leading consulting and audit firms such as Accenture, Deloitte, E&Y, IBM, KPMG and PwC.

Onapsis solutions include the Onapsis Security Platform, which is the most widely-used SAP-certified cyber-security solution in the market. Unlike generic security products, Onapsis context-aware solutions deliver both preventative vulnerability and compliance controls, as well as real-time detection and incident response capabilities to reduce risks affecting critical business processes and data. Through open interfaces, the platform can be integrated with leading SIEM, GRC and network security products, seamlessly incorporating enterprise applications into existing vulnerability, risk and incident response management programs.

These solutions are powered by the Onapsis Research Labs which continuously provide leading intelligence on security threats affecting SAP and Oracle enterprise applications. Experts of the Onapsis Research Labs were the first to lecture on SAP cyber-attacks and have uncovered and helped fix hundreds of security vulnerabilities to-date affecting SAP Business Suite, SAP HANA, SAP Cloud and SAP Mobile applications, as well as Oracle JD Edwards and Oracle E-Business Suite platforms.

Onapsis has been issued U.S. Patent No. 9,009,837 entitled Automated Security Assessment of Business-Critical Systems and Applications, which describes certain algorithms and capabilities behind the technology powering the Onapsis Security Platform and Onapsis X1 software platforms. This patented technology is recognized industry wide and has gained Onapsis the recognition as a 2015 SINET 16 Innovator.

For more information, please visit http://www.onapsis.com, or connect with us on Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn.

Onapsis and Onapsis Research Labs are registered trademarks of Onapsis, Inc. All other company or product names may be the registered trademarks of their respective owners.
CFM Floral Lab Design Showrooms 128 & 130 Lush Golden Pothos After cleaning and clearing clutter for the Lunar New Year, place 2017 Feng Shui tips and cures on February 4th.

The Chinese New Year Spring Festival beginning this weekend is a chance to whisk away the post-holiday blahs and harness the energy of a happy, healthy, wealthy 2017 year of the rooster with the help of affordable air purifying plants from DTLA's California Flower Mall petalers.

Roughly one-sixth of the world population observes the Chinese New Year Spring Festival according to The Telegraph. It is the most important celebration in Chinese culture, a time of family reunions, traditional foods and the use of ancient Feng Shui practices to harness the positive energy of the coming year and cure the negative aspects. House cleaning, clutter clearing and home and office decor updates are Feng Shui traditions almost universally practiced to prepare for the New Year. Feng Shui, literally translated as wind and water, is the Chinese art of placing objects in home and office environments. The goal of Feng Shui is to attract, direct and nourish the energy flow inside homes and offices in a way that supports a good flow of energy and balance in the physical and fiscal health of peoples lives, homes and businesses.

Feng Shui expert Rodika Tchi says, Lucky bamboo and money tree plants are often connected to attracting energies of health, wealth and good fortune. After cleaning and clearing clutter for the Lunar New Year beginning January 28, place 2017 Feng Shui tips and cures on February 4th. We use the healthy, vibrant energy of plants to bring the outdoors in and create healthy, balanced spaces for ourselves. Air purifying plants as defined by NASA research in the early 1980s, help to clean indoor air pollution which is much worse than outdoor air pollution.

Tchi suggests five easy to care for air purifying plants to create home and office health, wealth and harmony:



Golden Pothos - detoxifies indoor air

Dracaena Janet Craig  removes trichloroethylene

Areca Palm  removes indoor chemical toxins

Boston Fern  removes indoor air pollutants particularly formaldehyde

Peace Lily  removes alcohols, acetone, trichloroethylene, benzene, formaldehyde

We wish all that observe the Chinese New Year a healthy, prosperous 2017. Fresh, lush easy care air detoxifying plants are affordably priced and widely available from several of California Flower Malls 30 flower vendors. An even wider variety of indoor plants are available at CFMs 5000sf Choi Orchids nursery, says Mark Chatoff, owner and president of California Flower Mall.

About California Flower Mall

The California Flower Mall, located at 825 San Pedro Street with parking at the 824 San Julian Street entrance, is one of the largest DIY wholesale flower marts in the eight block Downtown LA Flower District trade community -- the largest concentration of wholesale flower markets and flower businesses in the U.S. CFM is open 7 days a week to the trade and public. No admission fee is charged. See http://www.californiaflowermall.com for more details.
Bureau of Automotive Repair Attorneys A letter from the BAR can be pretty intimidating to an auto shop owner.

Automotive Defense Specialists, professional defense lawyers for Bureau of Automotive Repair accusations, citations, and letters at http://automotivedefense.com/, is proud to announce a new archived blog about California Bureau of Automotive Repair letters. Alleged STAR program or SMOG check violations letters may confuse and intimidate an auto repair shop owner.

A letter from the BAR can be pretty intimidating to an auto shop owner, explained attorney William Ferreira of Automotive Defense Specialists. The words alone can seem aggressive when threatening to take away a STAR certification or SMOG check license from a repair shop. We want to help auto technicians and station owners lower their stress level by explaining how to react; working with an attorney skilled in dealing with the Bureau of Automotive Repair may be a smart option.

To review the new archive of blog posts please go to -

http://automotivedefense.com/tag/bureau-of-automotive-repair-letter/. Information about Bureau of Automotive Repair letters and how a skilled attorney can help fight back is available, and interested parties can read up-to-date posts for 2017. Details regarding STAR violation letters, citations and other BAR notices can also be reviewed.

Bureau of Automotive Repair Letters: Skilled Attorneys Ready to Fight the War of Words

Auto technicians may be well versed in the daily jargon of cars and SMOG checks. It can be easy to intimidate a customer with confusing shop talk. Most auto technicians may decide to give repair information straight rather than bully and intimidate a customer. An honest, open dialogue and explanation to customers in layman terms may help move the repair process along quicker.

Although many SMOG check station owners and STAR program participants do their best to treat customers in an easy-to-understand and straightforward way, such is not the case when it comes to how the Bureau of Automotive Repair deals with program participants.

When an auto shop owner receives a Bureau of Automotive Repair letter, legal jargon could make it difficult to understand. A BAR violation letter could appear to have language meant to bully an auto technician. It may be a good time to find a lawyer well versed in the daily legal jargon of citation letters.

For this reason, auto shop owners may want to review the archive of blog posts or take the next step to reach out to senior attorney, Willian Ferreira for a consultation. The end result could help avoid large fines and win the war against a California Bureau of Automotive Repair letter.

About Automotive Repair Specialists

Automotive Repair Specialists is a top law firm representing auto repair facilities, SMOG check stations, and technicians in every facet of their legal needs including Bureau of Automotive Repair letters. The company offers free phone consultations to auto shops, mechanics, technicians and others who are facing disciplinary actions from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair.

Web. http://automotivedefense.com/

Tel. (415) 392-2886
Moreno Ranches - Brahman Cattle for Sale With shows in both Fort Worth and Houston in early 2017, we are bringing the M-Check Brand deep into the heart of Texas.

Moreno Ranches, a top Florida producer of Brahman cattle for sale, is pleased to announce a busy show schedule coming up in February and March in Texas. The Ranch is using shows in Fort Worth and Houston to showcase its award-winning Brahman cattle, bulls, and heifers to a Texas audience.

With shows in both Fort Worth and Houston in early 2017, we are bringing the M-Check Brand deep into the heart of Texas, explained Kelvin Moreno, head of Moreno Ranches. While our Ranch is located in Florida, we have many beloved customers in Texas, who find our cattle quality- and cost-competitive to Texas Brahman cattle. We're eager to showcase our cattle in both Fort Worth and Houston in early 2017.

Moreno Ranches participated in the Fort Worth Show & Rodeo which ends February 4. The ABBA (American Brahman Breeders Association) show begins March 9 in Houston, Texas. Interested parties can note that they can either attend these Brahman Cattle shows in Texas, or visit our website at http://www.morenoranches.com/ for a complete list of upcoming shows in the United States. Qualified customers can also request a Brahman Cattle Ranch visit at http://www.morenoranches.com/education/ranch-tours/, if they are lucky enough to be able to travel to Florida to visit Moreno Ranches.

About Moreno Ranches

Moreno Ranches is a top producer of Brahman cattle for sale at http://www.morenoranches.com/. Customers come to the company for genetically superior Brahman bulls for sale and Brahman semen (seed stock), as well as Brahman embryos. The company produces both Brahman heifers and calves for sale, including for use as show cattle or to produce Brahman F1 hybrids. Visit the company's website to browse stock. The company is a trusted source of Brahman cattle whether a buyer is in Florida, Texas, or Louisiana - Latin America, or anywhere in the world.

Tel. 305-218-1238
Bay Area Jewelers After the Holiday season, there is no doubt that Valentine's Day is a major event for purveyors of jewelry, engagement, and wedding rings here in the Bay Area

Davidson & Licht, one of the top jewelry, engagement, and wedding ring stores in the Bay Area, is proud to announce the conceptual plans for its 2017 commercials. The new commercials will begin airing shortly before Valentine's Day and feature the store's top high-end jewelry brands.

"After the Holiday season, there is no doubt that Valentine's Day is a major event for purveyors of jewelry, engagement, and wedding rings here in the Bay Area," explained Jason Licht, marketing manager for Davidson and Licht. "By pre-announcing plans for our 2017 commercials and our engagement with a leading Los Angeles ad agency, we are tipping our hat in terms of our plans to showcase some of our favorite high-end jewelry brands just in time for those shopping for engagement or wedding rings in the Bay Area."

Interested persons should bookmark the company's website in advance of February. Those who would like to preview some of the exciting brands and 'window shop' on their computer for jewelry, engagement, and/or wedding rings can visit the website. On the website, interested persons can click on engagement rings (http://www.davidsonandlicht.com/bridal-engagement/), wedding bands (http://www.davidsonandlicht.com/bridal-bands/), and jewelry (http://www.davidsonandlicht.com/fine-jewelry/).

A Three-pronged Strategy to Showcase Top Jewelry Brands to Bay Area Customers

Bay Area customers, from San Francisco to Walnut Creek, San Jose to Palo Alto, are among the most digitally savvy in the world. Affluent customers flock to one of Davidson & Licht's two Bay Area stores when the mood hits them to shop for top brands such as Hearts on Fire, Marco Bicego, Mikimoto and others. That said, this newly planned television campaign is designed to pique the interest of Bay Area customers who will then likely go to the company's website, and then plan a face-to-face visit to either the company's Walnut Creek jewelry store or its Santa Clara / San Jose store. This newly announced media strategy aims to bring television, new media, and face-to-face sales for discriminating Bay Area customers.

About Davidson & Licht Jewelers

Davidson & Licht (http://www.davidsonandlicht.com/) is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's top jewelers, with jewelry stores in Walnut Creek and in Santa Clara / San Jose in the Valley Fair mall. With a storied history, the company boasts the Bay Area's finest selection of engagement rings, wedding bands, and other fine jewelry for weddings and anniversaries. Besides carrying the best jewelry designers from Marco Bicego to Hearts on Fire, Mikimoto to Robert Coin and everything in between, the company also offers in-house Rolex watch repair.

Media Relations. 925-935-0940
Home Care Agency Our goal as one of the top-rated Bay Area caregiver agencies is to inform and educate both the patient and their family.

NuevaCare, a leading Bay Area home care agency servicing San Mateo, Millbrae, Hillsborough and environs, is proud to announce a new Discharge 101 checklist for patients who may need care services after getting discharged from the hospital. Many patients and their families struggle with the transition from hospital care to care at home, and the new checklist helps them organize what services they can provide themselves vs. those that they may want to purchase from reputable agencies, including which agencies do what. Many families do not know, for example, the difference between a home health care agency and an in-home care agency.

Our goal as one of the top-rated Bay Area caregiver agencies is to inform and educate both the patient and their family, explained Kamran Nasser, CEO of NuevaCare. Our new checklist is a visual aid so that families can see what services they may need, and which ones they will want to provide themselves vs. secure from a reputable caregiver agency here in San Mateo or the Bay Area as a whole. It also clarifies the different types of service agencies out there.

Interested persons, including journalists or bloggers, can get a copy of the Checklist 101 document by contacting NuevaCare via their website at http://nuevacare.com/avoid-re-hospitalization/. Persons in cities like San Mateo, can also visit city-specific home care pages such as the San Mateo caregiver page at http://nuevacare.com/san-mateo-3/ or Hillsborough at http://nuevacare.com/hillsborough-2/.

Discharge 101  A Checklist for Home Care Options

Being discharged from a hospital can, unfortunately, be a challenging experience for many patients and their families. While hospitals do their best to provide instructions for at home care, they tend to overwhelm patients with too much information. In addition, the transition from 24/7 care in a hospital setting, where nurses and doctors are available at a moments notice, to in-home care where care provided may be available only from family members can be jarring. In addition, it may not be clear which services must be provided by family member and which services can be secured from commercial providers.

Many patients and their families are not even aware of the option of quality in-home care from a caregiver agency, even in an affluent community such as San Mateo, the headquarters of NuevaCare. Indeed, even nearby communities such as Millbrae or Hillsborough may not know that just a town over is one of the Bay Areas most comprehensive home care agencies. The new Discharge 101 checklist is a visual aid for those getting out of the hospital, detailing services such as feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, and other services. It clarifies which are commonly available from skilled nursing, home health care, in-home care, assisted living facilities, etc. Anyone interested is urged to visit the website and download a copy at http://nuevacare.com/avoid-re-hospitalization/.

About NuevaCare

A premier technology based home care company based in San Mateo and servicing the San Francisco Bay Area, NuevaCare delivers responsive, quality, and affordable in-home care to those who need care due to old age or recovering from surgery or illness. NuevaCare services clients in diverse Bay Area cities from Burlingame to Santa Clara, San Mateo to Palo Alto, Foster City to Hillsborough and everywhere in between. NuevaCare provides hourly, live-in, overnight, and 24/7 care. Recognized as one of the best home care agencies in the Bay Area, NuevaCare can be found at http://nuevacare.com/. NuevaCare is licensed by California Department of Social Services, Home Care Services Bureau, license #: 414700022.
Read about the latest research published in Clinical Psychological Science:

Do Measures of Posttrauma Factors Better Explain PTSD Severity Than Pretrauma Factors? An Empirical Reply to Ogle et al.

Peter G. van der Velden and Leontien M. van der Knaap

In a 2016 study, Ogle, Rubin, and Siegler examined how pre- and posttrauma factors contribute to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. They concluded that posttrauma factors accounted for severity of PTSD symptoms better than pretrauma factors. van der Velden and van der Knaap argue that content overlap between the predictor and outcome variables was not properly accounted for in this study. They demonstrate this by analyzing data from a study of trauma conducted in the Netherlands.

CommentaryPre- and Posttrauma Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity: Reply to van der Velden and van der Knaap

Christin M. Ogle, David C. Rubin, and Ilene C. Siegler

Ogle, Rubin, and Siegler respond to the commentary by van der Velden and van der Knaap by arguing why the technique they used in the original study to account for potential conceptual overlap was sufficient. They also note that many differences between their original study and the study reported by van der Velden and van der Knaap leave any extrapolations based on this new analysis unsupported.

Negative Self-Referential Processing Predicts the Recurrence of Major Depressive Episodes

Joelle LeMoult, Katharina Kircanski, Gautam Prasad, and Ian H. Gotlib

At least half of the people who experience a major depressive episode will have a recurrence of symptoms. In this study, the researchers were interested in whether negative self-referential processing is a predictor of depression recurrence after controlling for other factors known to influence depression recurrence, such as the use of psychotropic medication, stressful life events, and baseline level of depressive symptoms. Women who had recurrent depression that was in remission completed a self-referential encoding task and were assessed for depression. The women were then followed for 3 years or until they experienced a recurrence of depression, at which point they reported negative life events that had occurred since the first testing session. Negative self-referential processing was associated with likelihood of depression recurrence, identifying this factor as a potential treatment target.

Preliminary Study of Genetic Variation in the Dopaminergic and Serotonergic Systems and Genome-Wide Additive Genetic Effects on Depression Severity and Treatment Response

Rohan H. C. Palmer, Christopher G. Beevers, John E. McGeary, Leslie A. Brick, and Valerie S. Knopik

In this study, the researchers used a recently developed bioinformatics technique (Genomic-Relatedness-Matrix Restricted Maximum Likelihood) to examine the extent to which variation in dopaminergic and serotonergic systems influenced genetic effects between pretreatment depression severity and treatment response in participants who were part of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study. The researchers found that many of the genetic effects were attributable to genes outside of the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, leading to the suggestion that other genes play a larger role in contributing to pretreatment depression symptom severity and treatment response.
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Drawn from PW's Spring Children's Announcements Issue, here are our editors selections for 15 childrens and young adult books that cant arrive soon enough. Be sure to check out our picks for the most anticipated adult books for spring, as well.

Picture Books

Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle, Feb.) - Like its vehicular heroes, Rinker and Lichtenhelds picture book, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site is a powerhouse, having carved out spots on bestseller lists and bedtime to-read piles since 2011. Now, the construction crew brings their can-do attitude to a daytime sequeland they have reinforcements on the job.

- Its been five years since Olivias last picture book appearance, in Olivia and the Fairy Princesses; this installment finds her perfecting the art of domestic subterfuge, eavesdropping on conversations while cannily disguised as lamps and picture frames. Falconers fans will be eager to see how this one-of-a-kind pig copes when it looks like her behavior could earn her a one-way ticket to lockup.

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz, illus. by Brian Floca (Candlewick, Mar.) - What do you get when a Newbery Medalist (Schlitz, for Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!) and a Caldecott Medalist (Floca, for Locomotive) collaborate on an early readeresque story? An uproarious account of a princess who is being stifled by royal duties and expectations, and the mischievous crocodile who helps her gain some much-needed time and space to herself.

Triangle by Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen (Candlewick, Mar.) - Two of Barnett and Klassens previous booksExtra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Holetook home Caldecott Honors. While its way too soon to be thinking about next years ALA awards, its not at all too soon to look forward to this first book in a planned series, in which a shifty-eyed triangle sets out to play a sneaky trick on his friend, Square.

Were All Wonders by R.J. Palacio (Knopf, Mar.) - Palacios 2012 middle grade novel Wonder has sold more than a million copies and spawned a whole lot of conversation, as well as the Choose Kind antibullying movement and a feature film, out in April, starring Julie Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay as Auggie Pullman. Before the film arrives, though, Palacio takes Wonders message to a younger audience in this picture book spinoff.

Middle Grade

Aminas Voice by Hena Khan (Salaam Reads, Mar.) - Khans graceful novel, about a contemporary Muslim sixth grader confronting questions of identity and difference, is the launch title for Salaam Reads, a new childrens imprint from Simon & Schuster focusing on Muslim characters and stories. (For readers whose tastes run more toward fantasy, the second Salaam Reads title, The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi, arrives later in March.)

Fish Girl by Donna Jo Napoli and David Wiesner, illus. by Wiesner (Clarion, Mar.) - A captive mermaid who lives and performs in a boardwalk aquarium makes her first friend and begins to question the benevolence of the man who keeps her there in this unsettling and memorable graphic novel from two acclaimed talents.

Flying Lessons & Other Stories, edited by Ellen Oh (Crown, Jan.) - This collection of 10 short stories is the first anthology from We Need Diverse Books, which advocates for better and more diverse representation in books. Edited by WNDB cofounder Oh, the book includes entries from Kwame Alexander, Matt de la Pena, Grace Lin, Jacqueline Woodson, and others.

The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue, illus. by Caroline Hadilaksono (Scholastic/Levine, Mar.) - Room author Donoghue makes her childrens book debut with the wonderfully offbeat story (per PWs starred review) of a very blended Canadian family that includes four coparents (consisting of a lesbian couple and a gay one) and their many homeschooled children, both adopted and biological.

The Wardens Daughter by Jerry Spinelli (Knopf, Jan.) - Spinelli takes readers back to Two Mills, Pa. (the setting of Maniac Magee) in a story set during the 1950s that revolves around Cammie, the 12-year-old daughter of the towns prison, who is desperately eager for a mother figure in her life; hers died in a traffic accident years earlier, protecting an infant Cammie.

Young Adult

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (Sourcebooks Fire, Mar.) - Thanks to her previous books, The Girl from the Well and The Suffering, Chupeco has made a name for herself among devotees of YA horror. Her third novel tilts more toward fantasy, but its still plenty eerie, featuring a young woman trying to make sense of her unseemly gift of raising the dead.

Gem & Dixie by Sara Zarr (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Apr.) - In her first solo novel since 2013s The Lucy Variations, acclaimed author Zarr returns with the story of two Seattle sisters whose home life has long been unstable: theres never any food around, and their mother is far from reliable. Now their long-absent father has suddenly reentered the picture, a turn of events that results in an unexpected trip for the sisters.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Feb.) - Acquired in a 13-house auction, Thomass debut novel is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, and centers around Starr Carter, who finds herself at the center of an explosive news story when shes a witness to the killing of a childhood friend by a police officer.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (Little, Brown, Mar.) - Now that her Daughter of Smoke and Bone series has concluded, Taylor returns with a new, richly written tale of humans battling powerful creatures. First in a two-book series, this new story shifts attention between Lazlo Strange, a librarian obsessed with a mythical city known only as Weep, and Sarai, a powerful blue-skinned godspawn in hiding following a devastating war.

The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares (Delacorte, Apr.) - Best known for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, Brashares is back with her first YA title in three years. While The Here and Now delved into science fiction, this book is strictly contemporary as it explores the complicated lives of two teenagers whose families share a tangled historyas well as a house in the Hamptons.
The 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting, held Jan. 20-24 in Atlanta, had the lowest attendance of any Midwinter Meeting in 25 years. ALA officials reported that total attendance (including exhibitors, excluding comps) was 8,326down substantially from the 11,716 who came to the 2016 event in Boston. The lackluster turnout follows on the heels of last Junes ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, which had the lowest attendance in 22 years.

The disappointing 2017 Midwinter Meeting numbers end a five-year trend of rising attendance at ALA Midwinteralthough, in fairness, this years show faced considerable competition from the Womens Marches held throughout the country on Saturday, January 21, including a march in Atlanta that many librarians participated in.

ALA hopes to rebound this summer, when the annual conference returns to ALAs hometown of Chicago, which typically means a well-attended show. The 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting is set for Denver, and there will also be a Public Library Association Meeting next year, set for March 20-24, 2018, in Philadelphia.

In addition to lagging attendance, uncertainty regarding the future of libraries under a Trump administration also hung over the show. A day before the conference opened, The Hill reported that Trump will seek to eliminate the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts. The NEH, which celebrated its 50th anniversary with a session at last years ALA Annual Conference, has awarded nearly 3,400 grants to libraries over the years, totaling $515 million, plus another 80 grants to the ALA, beginning in 1971.

 Everything thats happening right now in America, youre on the front lines of that..." 

Most recently, the NEH funded the ALAs Great Stories Club, a program that provides books to at-risk and underserved youth. Questions also loom regarding the future of other federal programs that support libraries, including the Institution of Museum and Library Services, which funds millions in grants to libraries nationwide, and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), an education bill that includes critical support for school libraries. Signed by Obama in December of 2015, ESSA is set to be implemented this fall, but the new administration could change that plan.

But librarians concerns about the new Trump administration run deeper than funding questions. Immediately following the 2016 election many librarians expressed concern that Trumps campaign rhetoric breached some of the library communitys most fundamental values, including intellectual freedom, diversity, and social responsibility. In response, on Sunday, Jan. 22, ALA hosted a lively town hall meeting in Atlanta (a replay of which is available for viewing on the American Libraries Facebook page) in which more than 30 librarians shared their thoughts on the need for ALA leadership to strongly defend and advocate for the librarys core values, knowing that some of ALA's public positions will be seen as political and could, in the words of one librarian, materially harm libraries, especially those in the countrys more conservative regions.

Values were also the subject of the shows opening keynote speech by W. Kamau Bell, whose memoir The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 64, African-American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Black, Proud, and Asthmatic Blerd, Mamas Boy, B-Student, and Stand-Up Comedian, will be published in May by Dutton.

In his address, Bell, the popular podcaster and host of the CNN show United Shades of America, urged librarians to resist the normalization of Trumps vision of America. Everything thats happening right now in America, youre on the front lines of that, Bell said. You put books in peoples hands, and you have to make sure that the books you put in peoples hands reflect a wide array of ideas, and a wide array of authors, of diversity, of color, of sexuality, of gender orientation.

Political uncertainty aside, books and authors were of course a major focus of the show, with a full slate of author talks, as well as signings on the show floor.

Among the highlights were the coveted Youth Media Awards, where Kelly Barnhill won the 2017 John Newbery Medal for The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Algonquin Young Readers) and Javaka Steptoe won the 2017 Randolph Caldecott Medal for Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (Little, Brown). Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis was in attendance in his home district, with co-authors Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, to accept the 2017 Michael L. Printz Award for March: Book Three (Top Shelf).

On the adult side, the 2017 Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were also announced. Colson Whitehead won fiction honors for The Underground Railroad, and Matthew Desmond won the nonfiction award for Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. The authors will accept the awards in June during an official ceremony at the ALA annual conference, in Chicago.
Publishers reacted with a mixture of dismay, confusion and surprise at news the New York Times has eliminated a number of its print and online bestseller lists, effective February 5.

Although it is still unclear exactly which lists have been dropped, the NYT has confirmed that the bestseller lists for graphic novels and manga, as well as the lists for mass market paperbacks, middle-grade e-books, teen e-books have been eliminated.

The NYT said the cuts were part of an overall plan to evaluate and revamp its book publishing coverage and, in a statement, emphasized it planned to cover all of these genres of books in our news coverage (in print and online).

Nevertheless, many publishers were blindsided by the changes, which were not announced or discussed in advance. Many publishers discovered the lists would be dropped only when they received the New York Times Advanced BSL edition for Feb. 5, which only noted that there will be revisions to multiple categories in the publication."

Steven Zacharius,CEO of Kensington Publishing, which publishes hundreds of mass market titles each year, called the decision enormously troubling. Zacharius said dropping the mass market list effects sales, and not having this list will hurt authors tremendously. Other large trade book publishers found the cuts perplexing and were particularly dismayed because they were not informed in advance.

The elimination of the graphic novel and manga lists, in particular, was met with outrage and expressions of frustration from the comics and graphic novel community.

The NYT launched the graphic novel and manga bestseller lists in 2009, explaining to PW at the time, that its internal research, led us to conclude that these three graphic categories [hardcover, softcover and manga] are a natural place to start.

Many comics professionals point to the launch of the graphic books list as an important turning point for the comics medium. Many complained that cutting the list at this time was particularly bafflinggraphic novel print sales rose 11% in 2016, according to BookScan, one of the strongest gains in the adult fiction segment.

Im pretty shocked, said Terry Nantier, publisher of both the adult graphic novel publisher NBM and PaperCutz, a childrens and YA graphic novel house. This category continues to grow, theres continued mounting interest in it, how come?

Kevin Hamric, senior director sales, marketing at Viz Media, which publishes manga, said he was "dismayed with this decision especially in light of the fact that the graphic novel/manga/comics category has been one of only a very few book categories that have shown growth in the past 2-3 years. Our fans, readers, authors, and licensors look forward to seeing the bestseller list each week.

Comics need to be measured against themselves, not the larger whole of books, explained Charles Kochman, editorial director of Abrams ComicArts, the graphic novel imprint of Abrams. No more than you would judge the sales of a celebrity memoir or a cook book, for example, against all other nonfiction titles.

Although all the comics publishers were troubled by the decision to cut the lists, some publishers criticized their accuracy and were not especially worried that their elimination would hurt the category.

Ted Adams, CEO of IDW Publishing, one of the largest independent comics and graphic novel publishers in the country, said he was disappointed to see the list go, but: We liked being able to say something was a NYT best-seller but I don't know that it ever really impacted sales.

Kurt Hassler, publishing director of Yen Press, a graphic novel and manga joint venture with the Hachette Book Group, said the Times' methodology for compiling the lists was, somewhat cryptic and never necessarily directly reflected what we saw in terms of actual, ground-level bestsellers through other channels and metrics of reporting. I cant say it will have a negative impact on our actual sales as a consequence.

Some comics publishers question whether the New York Times book editors understand the category, complaining that the Times sometimes appears to erroneously describe the graphic novel format as a genre.

Drawn & Quarterly publisher Peggy Burns, said, We always had small qualms the Times treated the medium like a genre. Nevertheless, she said, those qualms would disappear when a novel by D&Q, a small Canadian literary comics publisher with a long list of acclaimed comics artists, would appear on the New York Times lists.

When D&Q made the list, as we have with several titles a year for the past few years, it felt like the Times supported the underdogs.
Two new exhibits have opened at the German American Heritage Center, 712 W. 2nd St., Davenport.

On the first floor is "The Culture they Carried: Women Immigrants of Iowa." It not only spans the course of different immigration periods, but includes multiple cultures other than German, according to a center release.

Visitors can compare and contrast, for example, how an Irish woman in the 1920s differed from a German woman in 1850. The exhibit experience intended to change as visitors are prompted and encouraged to send in pictures and stories of their ancestor women immigrants.

For those interested, they may send a picture and a write-up to ktd@gahc.org. This exhibit will be open until May 21.

On the center's third floor is "1917," which focuses on the centennial anniversary of the U.S. entering World War I. The exhibit will be up all year, but there will be three gradual installments  Red Cross, Production, and Anti-German Sentiment.

Currently, the exhibit is showcasing the Red Cross. A continuous calendar timeline will share with visitors happenings of 100 years ago, as well as continuous news coverage of history as it would have happened on our Facebook, according to GAHC.

"1917" will be open all year, but the section on the Red Cross will be on display until May 7. For more information, visit gahc.org.
Matthew McConaughey goes the full Bobby D, Johnny Depp, sacrificing-appearance-for-the-craft route in "Gold," from the shiny, balding pate to the prominent paunch to the crooked teeth to the utter lack of vanity in the performance.

It could be argued that undergoing such a transformation carries with it a certain amount of thespian vanity, i.e., "Look at me! I'm an ACTOR!" Well, good for him. And good for us, because it's McConaughey's great big performance and the fine work by the outstanding cast that carries the day in "Gold," an uneven and overlong but nonetheless entertaining American Dream saga that feels a little like "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" crossed with "The Wolf of Wall Street" with some heavy seasoning of "American Hustle" on the side.

Director Stephen Gaghan certainly knows how to do international intrigue. He wrote the screenplay for "Traffic" and directed "Syriana," two of the most authentic-feeling and powerful dramas of the 2000s.

Even though "Gold" is inspired by true events, much of it feels more like a gold-plated version of the truth  shiny and interesting and certainly capable of attracting your interest, but hardly the motherlode.

More often than not, you find yourself thinking, whatever really happened, it probably didn't happen in such dramatic, over-the-top fashion. And yet you take the ride.

McConaughey plays Kenny Wells, a classic dreamer-schemer who grew up in Reno ("The Biggest Little City in the World") in the shadow of his legendary father (Craig T. Nelson) and worked with Dad at the Washoe Mining Corp., which was founded by his grandfather.

By the late 1980s, Kenny's dad is long gone, the economy is in a hard downward spiral, and Kenny has been reduced to a desperate, hard-drinking, chain-smoking and perpetually sweat-soaked hustler, working out of a tavern, making Hail Mary sales calls to potential investors who can't wait for him to stop talking so they can turn him down. Only a few longtime employees and Kenny's longtime girlfriend, Kay (Bryce Dallas Howard), remain loyal to him and believe in him.

Down to his last dream, Kenny makes his way to Indonesia and talks his way into a partnership with the geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez), who was once thought to be a genius at finding hot spots for minerals, but has been on a cold streak of his own.

With a terrific soundtrack and a couple of montages moving things along, Kenny and Michael experience a somewhat predictable roller-coaster ride of ups and downs.

When it appears Washoe has hit the "gold strike of the decade," slick New York investment types (Corey Stoll and Bruce Greenwood, among others) come knocking with bared teeth. They'll put up with Kenny's wild, drunken, rough-hewn ways if it means they can dig elbow-deep into the mountain of gold.

"Gold" is one of the drinking-est movies in recent years. Kenny spends much of the film pouring drinks, downing drinks, throwing drinks against the wall, finding more to drink, passing out  and drinking again.

At times it feels more like a portrait of an alcoholic than a continent-hopping adventure. McConaughey is so good playing a drunk you can practically smell the whiskey on his breath emanating from the screen, but when a movie is called "Gold," we want to see more, well, gold.

Gaghan and the production team do a credible job of plunging us into the 1980s (oh those boxy cars and questionable hairstyles), and of plunging us into Indonesia. The mining sequences and the dialogue about the industry ring true.

McConaughey and Ramirez have an entertaining chemistry, with Kenny sometimes gushing about "looking for gold and finding a friend," and the stoic Michael telling him to take a step back with the corny emotions, even as his eyes betray his genuine affection for Kenny.

Didn't care for the ending. Didn't buy the ending. It felt like (OK, I'll say it) fool's gold. The acting is the purest thing in "Gold."
The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is presenting two world premieres during the next two weekends, starting with Sunday's Signature Series chamber-music concert, featuring violinist Naha Greenholtz.

The program includes the QCSO commission Over the Broken Waters by Quad-Cities composer and Augustana College assistant professor of music, Jacob Bancks. It starts at 2 p.m. Sunday at Centennial Hall on Augustana's campus, 3703 7th Ave., Rock Island.

The concert will begin with Mozarts Sonata for Piano and Violin in F Major, and close with Richard Strauss' Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 18.

Ms. Greenholtz, the QCSO's concertmaster, will be accompanied by QCSO executive director Ben Loeb. In addition to serving in his administrative role, Mr. Loeb is also an accomplished soloist, accompanist, conductor, arranger, and educator.

Ben Loeb and I are excited to premiere Jacob Bancks work 'Over the Broken Waters,' Ms. Greenholtz said in an orchestra release. Its a depiction of the shifting moods of flowing water. He cleverly combines mixed meter and repetitive short phrases in the violin to capture the mesmerizing and unpredictable nature of choppy waves.

Some of my favorite moments in the Quad-Cities, she said, are driving by the river on the way to an evening rehearsal or concert, particularly in the fall when the trees along the river are gloriously golden.

Born in Kyoto, Japan, Ms. Greenholtz began her violin studies at age three. Since her solo debut at 14, her concerto appearances have included engagements with the Vancouver, Madison, Quad City, and National Repertory orchestras. She has been QCSO concertmaster since 2012.

Dr. Bancks, of Augustana, is no stranger to seeing his name on the Q-C orchestra's programs.

Last March, the QCSO premiered his "Dream Variations," a bassoon concerto for Davenport native Mark Timmerman, and in March 2014, the orchestra premiered his "Rock Island Line." Dr. Bancks said he enjoyed working with them again.

Naha is exactly the kind of musician I love collaborating with, he said in the release. She has impeccable technique and an absolutely gorgeous sound, full of color and subtlety. The extra bonus was the chance to write again for Ben Loeb, who also happens to be a wonderful musician. We've worked together on other projects, and he understands my music intuitively.

Ms. Greenholtz also will solo in the Feb. 4-5 Masterworks concerts, at the Adler Theatre and Centennial Hall. They include another QCSO commission, by Los Angeles-based composer Michael Abels.

Tickets for Sunday's Signature Series concert are $25 for adults, and $10 for students with ID, available at qcso.org or 563-322-QCSO (7276).
GENESEO -- Fifth grade students at Northside Grade School focus on reading, writing, math and computers -- as well as helping others.

A Penny War between the schools two fifth grade classes raises funds for a charity of the students' choice.

Teachers Ashley Morey and Janelle Hickey asked the students to write essays on which charity should receive the donated money. Students are divided into boys and girls, with each team voting for the essay they deem "most persuasive to receive their spare change totalling nearluy $600.

We were so impressed with the amounts raised by the students by bringing in loose change, and no dollar bills, Mrs. Morey said. Representatives from each of charity will visit students and discuss how their donations will be used.

Students began by brainstorming a list of possible charities to donate the funds, she said. Once they narrowed it down to their top choice, they were given instruction on how to incorporate persuasive strategies in their essays.

There was no limit on the essays lengths, but students were expected to write at least five paragraphs.

The girls collected $470.86 for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, with the winning essay written by Addison Dykstra, the daughter of Curt and Sara Dykstra.

"If you have Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), every breath counts," she wrote, adding her grandfather Grady Cecil Usrey died April 7, 2014, from the disease.

"Papa had been exposed to IPF during the Vietnam war," Ms. Dykstra wrote. "He had to be on oxygen all the time.

"If you are ever diagnosed with IPF it can be more than frightening, it can be a death sentence.

The boys collected $121.47 for the OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, with the winning essay written by Isaiah Conrad, the son of Clayton and Johnna Conrad.

Can you imagine having doctors that werent well trained?" he wrote, sharing how his brother, Dakodah, was treated for a skull fracture at OSF as a baby.

"They also train doctors which is a big factor in this world," Mr. Conrad wrote. "If they didnt train future doctors then who would be our doctors?"
DAVENPORT  Gramann Richard Barnes, 44, formerly of Davenport, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to arson, according to U.S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.

Mr. Barnes was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term, and pay $100 to the Crime Victims Fund.

On March 15, 2016, Davenport Fire and Police Departments were dispatched to a duplex on Locust Street in Davenport where, earlier in the day, Mr. Barnes' girlfriend reported he assaulted her and a child, forcing them to flee the residence.

The woman called 911 from a friends residence and returned to the residence to discover a strong gas odor and heat coming from the kitchen. When the victim entered the kitchen, the oven was glowing, the gas stove burners were on, and all the knobs were removed. Inside the oven was a roll of burning paper towels. The woman located the knobs and turned off the stove and oven.

She also saw the inside of the apartment had been trashed with broken dishes, broken household items and glass shattered throughout the residence. She later discovered a number of jewelry items were missing.

She again left the residence and again called 911. The Davenport Fire and Police departments arrived and cleared the apartment.
DAVENPORT -- Additional charges have been filed in connection to a Wednesday night shooting in Davenport that resulted in four arrests.

Davenport police responded to a 10:31 p.m. report of a gunshot victim at Genesis East Hospital, according to a Davenport Police Department news release. The victim was a 33-year-old male who had suffered injuries that were not life threatening. The victim said the shooting occurred in the area of 1400 W. 3rd St.

Preliminary investigation led to a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by possible suspects in the shooting. Officers recovered two handguns, marijuana and prescription pills, according to the release.

Arrested were:

 Salem Jurski, 24, of Davenport, charged with felon in possession of a firearm and trafficking in stolen weapons

 Gary Williams, 26, of Davenport, charged with felon in possession of a firearm

 Clemmie Kirk, 22, of Davenport, charged with delivery, drug tax stamp and possession of controlled substance

 Dillon Reyes, 24, of Bettendorf, charged with interference with official acts.

On Friday, Mr Jurski also was charged with first-degree robbery, willful injury causing serious injury and intimidation. Mr. Reyes on Friday also was charged with first-degree robbery, willful injury causing serious injury and felon in possession of a firearm.

Detectives continue follow up on the investigation. Additional charges are pending, according to the release.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Davenport Police Department at 563-326-6125 or submit an anonymous tip through their mobile app, CityConnect Davenport, IA."
PEORIA, Ill. (AP)  Jurors in Peoria have convicted a 19-year-old man of first-degree murder in the shooting death of another man after an argument over a dice game.

The (Peoria) Journal Star reports that jurors on Thursday found Darrell M. Brown of Peoria guilty in the 2015 death of Quenton Lowe. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22 when the judge will consider a request from Brown's attorney to have a mental health expert examine Brown.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 31.

Brown faces at least 35 years and up to 75 years in prison.

Lowe died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

Brown's attorney questioned witness credibility and sizes of the bullets' entry wounds.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner suggested Friday that the state's attorney general might be trying to "cause a crisis" by asking a court to stop paying more than 62,000 government workers while a historic budget stalemate drags on.

Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed the motion Thursday in St. Clair County, a staunch working-class Illinois suburb of St. Louis where a judge nearly two years ago ordered that withholding paychecks, even without a budget, would violate the state Constitution.

Madigan's move would halt the state's $400 million-a-month payroll and raise the specter of a government shutdown that could force feuding Democrats and Republicans back to the bargaining table.

"I hope this is not a direct attempt to cause a crisis to force a shutdown of the government ... as a step to force a tax hike without any changes to our broken system," Rauner told reporters Friday in Chicago. "This is going to hurt working families, the good, hard-working employees of Illinois who deserve to be paid, who deserve to stay working."

The first-term Republican governor campaigned on smaller government and often impugned state workers. But he became their biggest ally in 2015 when their paychecks were threatened and a work stoppage would have evaporated his leverage in his quest to tie a balanced budget to restructuring the business climate to boost commerce, curtail union influence and curb politicians' power.

Madigan is the daughter of House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has been the major voice of the opposition to Rauner during the stalemate.

Illinois has been without a budget since July 1, 2015  the longest any state has gone with no spending plan since at least since World War II.

Lisa Madigan's motion asks St. Clair court to dissolve by Feb. 28 a preliminary injunction that allows for state workers to be paid during the budget impasse.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall said the union was "shocked and extremely disappointed" by the filing.

"Despite all the chaos in state government in the past two years, the people of Illinois have been able to count on state employees being on the job to serve them," Lindall said. "The last thing Illinois needs is the further instability that blocking state payroll could cause."

Madigan noted that unpaid vendors and grantees who continue to provide services for Illinois are bearing the brunt of "this egregious and untenable budget impasse."

Senators failed to vote Thursday on a compromise to end a historic budget deadlock. The plan by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and Republican leader Christine Radogno would have raised income tax and created a service tax to beat down the deficit. It also included cost-saving measures to the workers' compensation program and a property-tax freeze sought by Rauner, pension- and school-funding overhauls, expanded casino gambling and more.
A new Figge Art Museum exhibit  "Art of Persuasion: American Propaganda Posters and the Great War"  opens Saturday in the second-floor Katz Gallery.

April 6 marks the 100th anniversary of the United States declaration of war on Germany and America's entry into World War I. "The Art of Persuasion exhibition explores how some of the most important artists and illustrators of the day supported the war effort," according to a museum release.

"Prior to radio, newspaper ads and poster broadsides were the chief means of communicating ideas to the public. Posters, often placed in post offices, banks and businesses, played a key role in securing the countrys support for WWI," the release said

"Focusing on the themes of liberty, patriotism and fear, artists created compelling imagery that inspired a reluctant country to not only support the war but also fund it."

Featured in the exhibit are artists celebrated for their illustrations of flirtatious young women, such as Howard Chandler Christy, Harrison Fisher and James Montgomery Flagg, the Figge said. They often created war posters featuring the same young women, seemingly asking men to enlist or to buy bonds.

Posters designed by illustrators such as Edward Penfield, J.C. Leyendecker, and important women artists including Ethel Betts Bains, Jessie Willcox Smith and Maginel Wright Enright (Frank Lloyd Wrights youngest sister), also are featured prominently in "The Art of Persuasion."

World War I artifacts from Quad-Cities area collections, as well as examples of WWI items made in the Q-C, also will be on display.

The exhibition is curated by Andrew Wallace, Figge manager of collections and exhibitions, and Ranelle Knight-Lueth, assistant professor of art history at Coe College (Cedar Rapids), with the assistance of Christina Kastell, curator of history and anthropology at Davenport's Putnam Museum and Science Center, and Mary Bennett, archivist with the State Historical Society of Iowa.

This program is part of the "World War I and America Project," a two-year national initiative of Library of America presented in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and other organizations, with support from The National Endowment for the Humanities, according to the museum.

During this exhibit (which runs through May 14), the Figge will offer free admission with ID for active-duty military, Rock Island Arsenal personnel and their families. Admission will also be free for veterans.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the museum will host a free 7 p.m. talk from Army Sustainment Command historian George Eaton, who will share local history from WWI and connect it to the exhibition.

Exhibition tours (free with membership or paid admission) will be held at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 19, March 11 and 19. The museum is at 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport. For hours and admission prices, visit figgeartmuseum.org.
Millions will miss work the day after the Super Bowl. Kraft Heinz, the global food company, is doing something about it.

It's giving salaried employees the day off.

"Statistics show over 16 million people are expected to call in 'sick' or plan to miss work on the day after the Big Game, said Nicole Kulwicki, the head of Heinz brands.

The company's solution? "Smunday," an impromptu holiday for the corporation that owns such brands as Capri Sun, Classico, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Ore-Ida, Oscar Mayer, Planters and Velveeta.

The time off is targeted at salaried employees, a company press release said. Other workers apparently will be expected to show up on the Monday after the big game.

Kraft Heinz employs about 1,200 in its Davenport plant, citing a figure from an August 2016 Tribune News Services story, which also said the corporation employs 42,000 worldwide. The company refused to comment on its current employment numbers in Davenport.

The day off will affect "thousands of employees" throughout the corporation, the press release said. A company spokesman declined to comment how "Smunday" will affect the Davenport operation.

The food giant is co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Neither city has a team in the Feb. 5 game, when the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons will meet at 5:30 p.m. at NGR Stadium in Houston.

Kraft Heinz has launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign to make "Smunday" a national holiday. The company has started a Change.org petition and launched a website, smunday.org. If enough signatures are collected, Kraft Heinz says it will send the petition to Congress in a bid to turn "Smunday" into the next national holiday.
MOLINE  Black Hawk College faculty members confronted the board of trustees Thursday night, asking them to reconsider the elimination of 17 full-time positions, 15 of them at the Quad Cities campus.

Earth sciences professor Richard Harwood received notice his teaching job will be terminated at the end of the semester and that his entire program is being cut. He teaches geology, meteorology, astronomy, geography and environmental science.

He asked board members to allow him to continue teaching until he reaches retirement age in two years. He has been part of the Black Hawk College faculty for 23 years.

"In two year's time, I would be able to retire from the college with dignity and honor. That is being ripped away from me. This hurts," he said. "I am being denied the possible honor of being granted the title of professor emeritus. This hurts even deeper.

"I came to plea for my job and for my program, and for those who are also being released. Cutting programs costs us students. Please, get us off this destructive path that we have been on for so long."

Prof. Harwood noted he is the only Peace Corps volunteer at the college and that he has a permanent exhibit with his name and that of Black Hawk College on display at Chicago's Field Museum.

"Being told my services and my dedication to the college are longer valued has hurt me deeply, deeper than I can express. I am worth more to this college than the monetary value indicates. It's what I love to do."

Physics professor Doug Davidson asked board members to reconsider the value full-time faculty bring to the college. He has been teaching at the college since 1999, and his job is not among those listed for elimination.

Black Hawk College president Bettie Truitt issued a news release earlier in the day, saying a decline in enrollment and cuts in state funding have strained Black Hawk's budget.

Enrollment has dropped by eight percent since spring 2016, and the college has only received about 35 percent of anticipated state funding in the last two years.

Dr. Truitt stated at the Dec. 15 meeting that 37 jobs were cut from the college in the past 2 1/2 years in an effort to balance the budget.
CAMBRIDGE  The Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) received $15,000 for cost-share practices this week but will find it hard to spend the money.

Although the county is considered a high-priority watershed area with the Rock, Green and Edwards rivers, it's lacking a resource conservationist (RC) who would be able to work with farmers on water conservation practices, according to Jerry Snodgrass, chairman of the county SWCD.

No one is trained full-time to do that, he said.

He explained the National Resource Conservation Service employees in the county aren't supposed to be doing this type of work and have their hands full with the other work they're doing.

Out of 97 districts, only a third have an RC, he said.

Two years ago the districts each received $55,000 for their labor costs; now they are getting $34,000. People aren't willing to commit to the job with uncertain funding, he said.

Last year there was nothing from the state for cost-share practices; formerly there was $100,000 per district.

It's a little bit better, he said. We're still not out of the woods yet by a long ways.

Mr. Snodgrass is also an area vice president of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts. He said that board is talking with legislators and also the new assistant director of agriculture (and former state legislator) Donald Moffitt. The board holds conference calls weekly working toward its next meeting March 1.
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP)  In struggling Wapello County, a swath of southeast Iowa Donald Trump was the first Republican to carry in 44 years, his earliest and most devout supporters cheer the new president's quick action on health care, trade, energy and immigration, including accelerated construction of the long-promised Mexican border wall.

And yet, even these voters, to whom Trump disproportionately owes his presidency, roll their eyes at his ongoing fixation with his popularity.

"He's said what needs to be done, and he's doing it," said Viki Wilson, a retired trucking company operator from Ottumwa, Wapello County's seat. "He's just got to sort the small stuff from the big stuff."

Far from the cacophony enveloping Washington in Trump's first week in office, the Iowa voters who helped him capture the state and the presidency last November give the president high marks for reversing eight years of Democrat Barack Obama's policies. But they shake their heads at his widely debunked claims about the crowd size for his inauguration and voter fraud costing him the popular vote.

Wilson is like hundreds of Trump supporters in this county of about 35,000 people, a former Democrat in a once union-heavy city who embraced Trump's candidacy out of frustration with the region's high unemployment.

Like Wapello, working-class counties that were once home to thriving union Democratic precincts, such as Racine County, Wisconsin, and Macomb County, Michigan, voted decidedly for Trump in November, and helped him carry the entire northern arc of states from Iowa to Pennsylvania.

Cherie Westrich of Ottumwa had never been politically active. But the 51-year-old antique car rebuilder had researched the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement between the United States and Asian nations, and concluded the treaty would benefit U.S. corporations, not its workers.

By signing an order withdrawing from the 12-nation treaty brokered by Obama, Trump made good on what he argued was a pledge to protect U.S. workers from competition in low-wage Asian countries.

"No matter if you agree or disagree on this campaign promise, there's no question he's jumping right on it," said Westrich, who became an active volunteer for Trump in Ottumwa last fall.

It's the kind of promise that drew hundreds of newcomers to Wapello County's Republican presidential caucuses almost exactly a year ago when Trump finished a surprising second to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Wilson and Westrich, like thousands of other voters in this onetime coalmining and manufacturing hub, had drifted away from their Democratic roots, emblematic of the region's shift from labor unions.

For decades, the voters backed Democratic presidential candidates after supporting Richard Nixon in 1972.

Vestiges of Ottumwa's better days  rows of once-majestic Victorian homes  loom on bluffs overlooking the Des Moines River where barges used to haul coal to the Mississippi. Gone are the mines and dozens of manufacturing plants, replaced by a JBS  formerly Swift  non-union meatpacking plant, the county's top employer with about 2,400 workers. John Deere's Ottumwa plant is the city's lone heavy manufacturer and, while still a union shop, employs about a third as many as the Swift plant.

Making good on his trade promise and immediately giving federal agencies leeway to ignore Obama's health care law have Wapello County Republicans feeling vindicated. It has eased concerns that Trump is too easily distracted by his image and refighting his 18-month campaign.

Westrich was among the 1,200 Wapello voters who attended the county's Republican presidential caucuses, twice as many as party officials had planned. She supported Trump on the hope that the brash billionaire could help revive what was once a thriving manufacturing base.

Trump won her county in the caucuses nearly a year ago. And in November, he won Iowa, which was carried by Obama in 2008 and 2012.

But the election is over, Westrich said.

"He borders on being embarrassing. And I wish he'd stop," she said. "But when it comes to doing things that mean something, he's coming through."

Trump complained last week that news organizations had underreported the size of the crowd assembled on the National Mall for his inauguration. He has repeated the false claim that he lost the popular vote  despite his Electoral College win  because millions of immigrants ineligible to vote cast ballots. Trump wants an investigation.

"I don't like that he wanted to choose crowd-size at his inauguration as a fight to wage on his first day. That's piddly," said Mark Feller, an early Trump devotee from Dennison, in conservative western Iowa. "And you can't tell me he didn't win. C'mon."

Instead, Feller is happy Trump revived plans to construct the Keystone XL petroleum pipeline, which was halted under Obama.

Even Trump's equivocation and uncertainty about deporting children of immigrants in the country illegally is forgivable, in light of the list of other action he's tackling, said Sandy Brus of rural Crawford County near Denison. On Wednesday, Trump signed executive actions to speed construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall and cut federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities."

Brus, a retired teacher, is concerned the influx of immigrant children into Dennison, with a roughly 70 percent immigrant enrollment, is overburdening the district and underserving the students, including immigrants.

"He's got people around him that are encouraging him to think things through," Brus said. "Now, they just need to take away his Twitter."
LONDON (AP)  As British lawmakers cried out "Disgraceful!," the Conservative government on Thursday introduced the long-awaited bill to start the country's exit from the European Union and gave the House of Commons less than two weeks to consider it.

David Davis, the Cabinet secretary in charge of Brexit, unveiled the legislation just two days after a Supreme Court ruling that torpedoed the government's effort to avoid a parliamentary vote on starting the process of leaving the 28-nation bloc.

The Commons will begin debate on the bill on Jan. 31 and it is set to go to the House of Lords on Feb. 8.

Prime Minister Theresa May is rushing to meet a self-imposed deadline of March 31 for triggering Article 50 of the EU treaty, which will launch two years of talks on Britain's future relationship with the bloc after more than 40 years of membership. Voters approved Britain's EU exit in a June 23 referendum.

"I trust that Parliament, which backed the referendum by six-to-one, will respect the decision taken by the British people and pass the legislation quickly," Davis said.

The text of the measure was brief. It stated that the prime minister "may notify, under Article 50 (2) of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the EU."

Some lawmakers, mindful that the government had fought for months to keep them from scrutinizing the measure, were furious that they would get such a short time to consider what is possibly the most influential government move in generations. One pro-EU lawmaker, Chris Leslie, said the House was getting far less time "to debate the legislation that takes us out of the EU than we did previous European treaties."

"This is the most significant law we've ever debated on our relationship with Europe and yet the government will only give it an eighth of the time that was spent on the Maastricht Treaty," he said.

Erika Szyszczak, a European law expert from the University of Sussex, said Maastricht was thrashed out for weeks.

"This bill is yet again another example of the political ground constantly shifting when it comes to Brexit," she said. "Allowing only five days to debate the details gives MPs little room for maneuver in terms of laying opposition amendments."

Lawmakers heckled House of Commons Leader David Lidington as he announced the timetable, which allows for just three days of committee debate  which is when members of Parliament from all parties will make attempts to amend the legislation. Lawmakers shouted "Disgraceful!" and said similar measures had received much more time for discussion.

Chuka Umunna of the opposition Labour Party accused the government of trying to "muzzle" the Commons.

Even as it introduced the legislation, the government refused to make any promises on when it will give lawmakers a formal plan for Brexit. May has pledged to reveal the details of her negotiating objectives in a so-called White Paper.

Opposition lawmakers, however, want to see the plan before they consider the bill.

"I've said we will produce it as expeditiously as possible, as quickly as possible," Davis told Parliament. "What can you do faster than that?"

The debate took place without a key player in the process  May. The prime minister traveled to the United States to meet Republican lawmakers on Thursday and President Donald Trump on Friday.
"These tournaments are about getting better and building into the big game, so we'd like to think that we'll see more improvement tomorrow," Gardiner said.

20 minutes ago
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded a $98 million contract to RailWorks Corp. subsidiary L.K. Comstock & Company Inc., to upgrade the MTA New York City Transit Kings Highway Interlocking plant on the Culver (F) Line/IND 6th Avenue Line in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Work on the project extends 55 months with a targeted completion date in the spring of 2021. L.K. Comstock will install a microprocessor-controlled solid state interlocking plant with CBTC (communications-based train control)ready equipment. (The Culver Line is equipped with CBTC and is being used as a test bed to evaluate interoperability among NYCTs suppliers of CBTC. Siemens and Thales are currently the only two suppliers certified for CBTC on NYCT. The MTA in 2015 gave the go-ahead to a third supplier, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc., to demonstrate interoperability with Siemens and Thales by installing its own CBTC technology on the the Culver Test Track. Click HERE for more information on NYCTs CBTC initiatives.)

RailWorks Transit will perform related track and civil work. Both companies are subsidiaries of RailWorks Corporation.

L.K. Comstock is responsible for designing, furnishing and installing CBTC-ready equipment and testing and commissioning all equipment required to modernize the existing Kings Highway Interlocking plant. The interlocking will be controlled from the Church Avenue Master Signal Tower. The work will include communications for the interlocking plant and a new dispatchers office equipped for train dispatching and identification, closed-circuit television (CCTV) and fire alarm systems.

RailWorks Transit is responsible for completing the track work, including a new special work portion, and constructing a new one-story relay room, CBTC and other equipment rooms and rehabilitating other existing rooms. They also will install related plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and fire suppression systems. The new relay room will be constructed over the existing three-track elevated railroad structure and will be supported on new foundations, columns and structural truss framework.
Spokane, Wash.-based HOTSTART, a leading developer and manufacturer of diesel engine block heaters, is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout 2017.

Over the past 75 years, HOTSTART has grown from a small, local start-up to a global supplier to some of the largest manufacturing companies in the world. The company was established in 1942 as Kimberlin Manufacturing, with the original patent for engine coolant heating. It was originally owned and managed by Wayne Kimberlin, a former school bus driver who developed the engine heater to help school buses start up on cold Spokane mornings. A few years later, Kimberlin partnered with Stanley Power, who began to promote the Kim Hotstart engine heater across the U.S. In 1944, Power purchased the business and changed the name to Kim Hotstart Manufacturing Company. In 2009, the company name was shortened to HOTSTART for easier brand recognition around the world.

Today, HOTSTART engine heaters are still found on school buses and many other applications, including heavy duty trucks, forklifts, machinery, locomotives, marine engines, power plants, natural gas compressors, standby generator sets, residential generators and industrial generators, the company notes. In addition to expanding into new markets and developing new products, the company has also expanded geographically with offices in Katy, Tex.; Siegburg, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan to better serve customers in those regions. Today, the HOTSTART product line includes coolant heaters, oil heaters, battery pads and wraps, controls and complete systems. These products are used on engines to provide easy starts, immediate full power, reduced engine wear, reduced emissions and reduced fuel consumption.

We are excited to celebrate our 75th anniversary, says HOTSART Chief Executive Officer Terry Judge. It is a big milestone. This company has been very successful because of all the talented, dedicated employees who work together as a team and constantly improve. We also have had great support from our customers, suppliers and owners. We will spend some time in 2017 to thank these people, and we look forward to an exciting future together.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has awarded a $1.37 billion contract to Tutor Perini/O&G Joint Venture to construct phase two of the Purple Line Extension Project.

The extension will expand service to Century City, adding 2.6 miles to the Purple Line with a station in the Century City central business district and another at Wilshire/Rodeo in downtown Beverly Hills. LACMTA has set a budget of $2.4 billion. The extension is scheduled for completion by or before 2026, as outlined in an FFGA (Full Funding Grant Agreement) with the Federal Transit Administration. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $1.6 billion in federal funding in early January.

LACMTA says the joint ventures proposal was about $500 million less than competing offers. The agency previously recommended Tutor Perini/O&G for phase two on Jan. 17. LACMTA says it carried out an extensive competitive bidding process that deemed the Tutor Perini/O&G proposal as the best offer overall due to its technical, project management and cost aspects. All three proposals submitted were comparable on their technical merits, but the Tutor Perini team had the best value proposal, the agency said.

The award to Tutor Perini brings us one step closer to fulfilling our promise to bring fast, reliable, high-capacity subway service to the Westside, said LACMTA Board Chair and Duarte City Council Member John Fasana. We now have the funding in place and the contractor on board to expedite delivery of this high-priority, regionally beneficial transit project for Los Angeles County.

This team has a recent history of delivering successful tunneling projects across the globe, said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. Metro is confident this contractor will play a critical role in helping us build the world-class public transportation system we have promised to voters.

LACMTA says it plans to provide strong oversight to enable the projects timely and cost-effective delivery, which officials say will entail executive partnering between the transportation authority and the contractor up to the CEO level to address project modifications and claims.

The Tutor Perini/O&G team and its subcontractors have previously completed major tunnel projects for the SFMTA Muni Metro Central Subway project in San Francisco, the Sound Transit Link light rail University Link in Seattle and the New York MTA Long Island Rail Road East Side Access project, in addition to helping build the World Trade Center Greenwich Street Corridor for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Tutor Perini also participated in the construction of LACMTAs original Red Line, building its second and third sections and completing the latter six months earlier than expected, within budget.
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The impending change of administration in Washington and the presidential impeachment roiling Seoul has put relations between the United States and South Korea in a tough spot. The pressures felt by both countries, which include North Korea's growing nuclear threat and Beijing's efforts to expand its sphere of influence, make the relationship all the more vital to the historical allies.

Amid those tensions, the political turmoil in Seoul is amplifying fear and anger toward the status quo. As new prospective leaders in Seoul jockey for position, they may work to reverse current South Korean policies on North Korea and China that were made in close cooperation with Washington.

Impeachment of President Park Geun-hye would likely lead to a shift in policy in Seoul to better align with opposition parties' views that have pushed for economic cooperation with the North, closer ties with Beijing and a relative distancing from Japan. Three key decisions by the Park administration also would likely come under scrutinythe closure of an industrial complex along the military demarcation line with North Korea, the deployment of an anti-missile defense battery by the U.S., and a military information-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan. To formulate a path forward with South Korea, the United States needs to understand the causes and implications of these policy choices.

A change in South Korean policy on the aforementioned issues would pose serious challenges to the new administration in Washington for some time to come, just as the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump and its new policies would do to policymakers in Seoul. Despite the formidable task of bridging the possible gap, one thing is clearthe two administrations will have to cooperate for four years or more. Both countries need sophisticated and careful synchronization of policy across the Pacific more than ever.

Three Key Decisions in Question

The existing South Korean policies most likely to be challenged by the new South Korean administration carry weight for the United States because they represent tight U.S.-South Korean cooperation regarding U.S. policy toward North Korea. The Obama administration's North Korea policy focused on containment with periodical addition of pressure on North Korea and emphasis on the proactive role of China. There are signs that the Trump administration might want to bring more pressure to bear on North Korea and China. Rex Tillerson, Trump's nominee for secretary of state, said in his confirmation hearing: The U.S. must compel China to crack down on North Korea.

The remainder of this commentary is available at nationalinterest.org.

Booseung Chang is a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the RAND Corporation. Formerly, he was a deputy director of the North Korean Nuclear Policy Division in South Korea's Foreign Ministry.

This commentary originally appeared on The National Interest on January 24, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Years of budget cutbacks have made Spains RTVE one of the cheapest public broadcasting corporations in Europe.





According to research led by the Santiago de Compostela University (USC) and supported by Spains federation of regional broadcasters ( FORTA ), RTVE costs less than its European counterparts in terms of cost per inhabitant and per home, and regarding GDP and purchasing power.Using data collected in 2014, every European spent, on average, 66.90 to support public broadcasting corporations, both nationwide and regional. The highest expenses were for the Danes, who spent 164.10 each to finance the broadcaster DR. Spaniards, however, paid only 38.90 to support RTVE and regional broadcasters.In relation to GDP, 2.40 out of each 1,000 produced by Denmark was allocated to public broadcasters. In Spain, the average was 1.70.Spains public broadcasters have seen one of the largest budget cutbacks in Europe since the financial crisis started in 2008 and since which time RTVE and regional TV stations have seen their budget reduced by 35.2%.RTVEs attempt to control its expenses has resulted into lower programming quality over the years. In fact, the public broadcaster comes nowhere near to competing with the most watched free-to-air (FTA) network and is particularly failing to attract younger viewers
London traders receive prison terms for defrauding Russian bank

MOSCOW, January 27 (RAPSI)  The Southwark Crown Court in London has sentenced two City traders Georgy Urumov and Vladimir Gersamia, to 12 and 7 years in prison respectively for defrauding Russian-owned Otkritie Securities Ltd (OSL), Otkritie Bank announced on Friday.

On Thursday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Urumov and Gersamia were convicted of multiple fraud offences of complex nature.

Chairman of the banks board, Aleksey Karakhan, said that Otkritie Bank is satisfied with the courts unambiguous position regarding Urumovs actions.

In February 2014, Londons High Court ruled that Otkritie is a victim of a complex fraud scheme, conducted by Urumov and other ex-employees of the bank.

On Thursday, the Southwark Crown Court found out that the first instance of this fraud was carried out in 2011 when Urumov started working for OSL. He convinced the company to pay him around 20 million under the false impression that money would be distributed to other people. Later, Urumov and Gersamia were responsible for several further frauds while trading certain financial products.

Gersamia, an employee of investment management company Threadneedle Asset Management, helped Urumov with covering tracks and laundering illegal gains. Two men could accumulate around 121million from their criminal activity.

In addition, a court in Switzerland is expected to initiate hearings in a criminal case against other alleged co-conspirators behind this fraud scheme.

The prosecutor in the case noted that the assistance of both Otkritie Securities Limited and Threadneedle Asset Management in providing evidence to the police was crucial and this complex prosecution could not have gone ahead without their support.
Ukrainian prosecutors seek to charge Crimean judges with treason

MOSCOW, January 27 (RAPSI)  The investigative department of a directorate for Crimea-related issues at the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office published a statement on Friday saying that it carries out a pretrial probe into judges and prosecutors holding offices on the peninsula prior to its reunification with Russia on treason charges.

The investigation, the statement reads, has proved that at present 319 judges remain on the territory of Crimea; therefore, the prosecutors could obtain court permissions to carry out special pretrial probes into them.

Fifteen indictments against Crimean judges have been submitted to the Kiev Court of Appeals for establishing jurisdiction over the cases.

Moreover, according to the statement, the directorate is carrying out a pretrial investigation regarding 299 Crimean prosecutors also suspected by the Ukrainian authorities of treason. Thus, 219 petitions to permit special pretrial probes into these cases were submitted to a Kiev court 15 of which had already been granted.

The provisions of the Ukrainian Criminal Code dealing with treason envisage a punishment ranging from 12 to 15 years in prison and optional confiscation of property for perpetrators.
Investigation into Russian Komi Republics ex-head Gaizer completed

MOSCOW, January 27 (RAPSI)  Investigation into Vyacheslav Gaizer, former head of Russias Komi Republic who stands charged with fraud and organized crime related violations, has been completed, the Investigative Committees press service told RAPSI on Friday.

Investigators also completed inquiry directed against 15 other defendants in the case. Depending on their role in the committed crimes they are charged with organizing and participation in a gang, fraud, money laundering, bribery. Defendants began reading case materials.

According to the Investigative Committees press service, two accused persons have pleaded guilty.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported about thwarting the activity of a criminal group led by the head of the Republic of Komi, Vyacheslav Gaizer.

Gaizers deputy Alexey Chernov, Igor Kovzel, Chairman of the Republican State Council, and Konstantin Romadanov, Deputy Chairman of the Komi government are named among the defendants. In August 2016, one of the people related to the case, Anton Faerstein, died in detention.

Gaizer pleads not guilty. Several high-ranking officials have been arrested in the fraud and organized crime case, as well as several business people that the Investigative Committee called finance technologists.

During 80 searches in Komi, St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Security Service confiscated over 60 kg of jewelry, 150 watches worth $30,000 to $1 million each, over 50 stamps and seals from offshore corporations, and financial documents legalizing over 1 billion rubles ($14 mln) in stolen money transferred to the offshore zone.

Investigators have also opened against Gaizer a criminal case on money laundering.

On September 30, 2015, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to relieve Gaizer of his duties because of loss of trust.
Turn on almost any news program or log on to social media and you will see many reports of the partisan bickering over the nomination of Betsy DeVos for secretary of education. While it is wholly appropriate for Congress to conduct inquiries and hearings for Cabinet nominees, neither Republicans nor Democrats serve us well when they turn legislative proceedings into platforms for campaign-like demagoguery.

Lost in the debate, as many politically-motivated arguments are prone to do, are the needs of the people who are impacted by government policies. In this case, they are families  the parents and children  who greatly depend on our free public education system in America.

What our U.S. Department of Education needs is a student-centered advocate, totally beholden to student success. For far too long, our federal government has been directed by teachers' union bosses who are more interested in protecting themselves at the expense of Americas children.

DeVos is a change agent who will provide the much-needed reforms. How do I know? Because I have witnessed first-hand her partnership with other change agents. The answer to our woefully underperforming K-12 system is not to throw more money at the system. It is to expand school choice and parental control like we have done in Florida. Thanks to the leadership of former Governor Jeb Bush and Governor Rick Scott, Florida is arguably the national leader in school choice. More than 300,000 Florida students attend a school of choice.

One of the beneficiaries of our education reforms attended DeVoss hearing to show her support. Denisha Merriweather, a young woman from Jacksonville, failed third grade twice before gaining access to a better performing private school. Denisha went on to become the first member of her family to graduate college and is currently pursuing an advanced degree. She has endorsed DeVos to serve as education secretary because she wants more at-risk children to have the same opportunity that she had to escape a failing school.

There are tens of thousands of children just like Denisha all over the United States literally longing for the opportunity to attend a quality school based on their individual needs. Every child deserves access to a great school regardless of their zip code, income or race. DeVos is a forceful and passionate advocate for at-risk children. She is the right woman to lead a long overdue national debate on school choice and parental control of our schools.

For decades, the American education system has faltered, lagging far behind other developed nations. Empowering and engaging parents through meaningful school choice is the only force powerful enough to make our education system great once again. DeVos is uniquely qualified to chart a new path forward toward this transformation and success.

As a former legislator, I know the power of a thoughtful letter, email or phone call from concerned constituents. I urge all who are concerned about the direction of our education system and the needs of our children to contact the U.S. Senators from their state and ask them to support the confirmation of DeVos. The future of our nation depends upon the quality of our childrens education.

Will Weatherford is a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
Wouldnt it be great if there were a magic bullet that would simultaneously raise wages and employment while also lowering prices for consumers?

In fact, those are just some of the benefits that reforming overly burdensome occupational licensing laws would provide, according to a report published by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Labor.

In Occupational Licensing: A Framework for Policymakers, the authors observe that the current systems of licensureprevent workers from succeeding in the best job for them, leading to an inefficient labor market and reduced economic growth.

This is especially true in Nevada, where excessive fees and extended mandatory training periods make the Silver State one of the most onerously licensed states in the nation, according to a 2012 study by the Institute for Justice.

Licensing laws are appropriate for professions that carry a substantial risk of physical harm. But Nevadas go far beyond that narrow scope. In fact, nearly 31 percent of the Silver States workforce must first obtain government approval in order to work  the second highest rate nationwide. By comparison, the national rate back in the 1950s was only 4 percent.

For many of these professions, licensing is simply inappropriate. Consider the 2011 law that made it a criminal offense to practice music therapy without a license. But even for professions where licensing is appropriate, Nevada is often far too burdensome  with exorbitant fees and prolonged training periods that bear no relationship to the regulations alleged purpose of safeguarding life, health and property.

Barbers, for example, must submit to a national-high 890 days of education and apprenticeship, pass four exams and pay $140 in fees. Add to this the fact that Nevada does not offer reciprocity for licenses obtained in other states, including the 33 other states that require, at most, 350 days of education and training.

Yet an emergency medical technician can receive a license after only 26 days of education.

General contractors  such as painters, cabinet makers, and pipe layers  must pay a national-high $1,030 and lose four years to an apprenticeship before the State will permit them to work.

And then there is the most egregious form of industry protection in the country: Nevadas licensing of interior designers, a profession for which 46 other states rightly require no license at all. Nevada demands payment of a $250 fee and six years of education or experience before one is allowed to dispense such potentially dangerous advice as which sofa or coffee table would go best with the living room decor.

The harm caused by these laws runs deep.

A just-released Arizona State University study finds that states with the heaviest licensing burdens experienced higher levels of recidivism than their counterparts. This validates the common-sense intuition that limiting access to gainful employment only makes it harder on those trying to rebuild their lives.

What caused such a proliferation of unjust and harmful laws?

Decades of empirical research has found that the degree of political influence is one of the most important factors in determining whether States regulate an occupation, according to the authors of the White House report. In other words, excessive licensing laws are often advanced by industry insiders  who directly profit from the ability to legally exclude potential competitors. This is cronyism at its worst. Government should be facilitating Nevadans desire to earn an honest living, not restricting them so that the politically connected may profit.

Many of the licensing requirements for professions such as interior design and musical therapy should simply be abolished. For those professions where licensing is appropriate, the fees and education requirements should be reduced dramatically to align better with genuine safety risks.

The Institute for Justice has designed model legislation to do just that. Its a great resource for any legislator seeking to help create jobs, boost Nevadas economy and, most importantly, restore Nevadans right to earn a living without being burdened by excessive governmental fees and restrictions.

Robert Fellner is the director of transparency research at the Nevada Policy Research Institute. For more, visit NPRI.org.
MEXICO CITY  Not long ago, any suggestion that Mexico might walk away from the North American Free Trade Agreement would have been met with utter disbelief.

That was before Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States.
Specializing in Latin American issues, Ana Quintana is a policy analyst in The Heritage Foundations Allison Center for Foreign Policy. This piece is part of a special RCW series on Americas role in the world during the Trump administration. The views expressed are the authors own.

The new presidents ambitious America First strategy means that Donald Trump intends to act in the best interests of the United States. Our friends and allies should find this course reassuring rather than threatening.

Few things are more important than having friendly, prosperous and secure neighbors on both sides of the border. The first scheduled meeting between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos has now been postponed. But when the two leaders finally do get together they will have lots to talk about, with pressing issues including trade, border security, and immigration.

In addition to geographic proximity, the United States and Mexicos longstanding diplomatic ties, high levels of trade, and growing demographic and cultural ties have resulted in a strategic alliance and a vital economic partnership. While challenges exist, their presidents eventual meeting will provide an opportunity for both countries to advance mutual interests.

Rather than looking to accentuate disagreements, both sides should focus on advancing the bilateral relationship. Getting these issues right is of vital importance to both countries.

Challenges and Accomplishments

Certainly each agenda item presents serious challenges. Border security clearly needs to be improved. At the same time, the United States must also enforce its immigration laws and reform its immigration system. Internally, President Trump cannot ignore the Americans whose economic circumstances have declined since the North America Free Trade Agreement was enacted.

Yet there have been significant achievements in the bilateral relationship. From counter-crime to anti-terrorism cooperation, Mexico has been an invaluable asset to U.S. national security efforts. U.S. and Mexican security forces work tirelessly to dismantle powerful organized criminal networks.

Prior to NAFTA, U.S. exports to Mexico hovered around $42 billion. Today, that total is nearly $270 billion. Imports from Mexico have increased as well, and Americans produce 40 percent of the content of those imported goods. No other country comes close -- Canadian exports have only 25 percent U.S. content, and Chinese exports contain less than 5 percent.

It is important, too, to recognize the current challenges facing Pena Nieto -- especially those that could blow back to impact the United States. Lackluster economic growth, continuing security crises, and a slow implementation of landmark reforms have weakened Pena Nietos administration. As he begins the last year and half of his presidency, polls show that only 12 percent of Mexicans approve of his performance; thats half of what the rating was just a month ago.

The sharp decline in favorability can be traced to the governments fuel price hike, known in Mexico as el gasolinazo. The 15-20 percent price increase sparked massive demonstrations throughout the country, many of them violent. To date, six people have been killed, including a police officer.

Complicating the situation is the continuing depreciation of the Mexican peso. While the currency has been on a downward trajectory since mid-2013, uncertainties about President Trumps position on Mexico and trade have driven the peso even lower.

Pena Nietos political enemies are wasting no time capitalizing on his weakness. The same poll that showed his approval ratings cratering found that 27 percent of Mexicans support Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, leader of the leftist MORENA party. AMLO, as hes popularly known, was almost elected president in 2006. He lost by less than 1 percentage point. His anti-free market and anti-American rhetoric have many likening him to the deceased Venezuelan socialist leader, Hugo Chavez, and hes currently the leading 2018 contender.

Common Causes

In updating NAFTA, a major goal should be to enhance the economic freedom of citizens in all three countries. Trade deficits should not be regarded as accounting standards to measure the success of trade agreements. To do so assumes that unless the United States has a trade surplus in goods against a country, it is at a disadvantage in the relationship. That is not the case. To assess the success of any trade deal, we must look at services and investment as well. In those areas the United States clearly has benefited the most from NAFTA.

Mexico faces considerable security and rule-of-law challenges, which must be addressed. Pena Nietos efforts to curb violence throughout the country have been relatively unsuccessful, yet Mexicos willingness to continue work with U.S. law enforcement and intelligence counterparts bodes well for the future. We saw as much with the aptly timed extradition of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

Improving border security will also require a cooperative, two-fold effort. Expanding the physical infrastructure and dedicating advanced intelligence and surveillance assets is a necessary part of the equation. Those initiatives should also be accompanied by projects to facilitate cross-border trade.

We must also support Mexicos efforts to control their southern border with Guatemala. Large-scale unlawful migration to the United States originates largely from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Following the 2014 border crisis of migrating, unaccompanied minors, Mexico has clamped down on its southern border at great political and financial cost. Cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities on the growing number of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern migrants should remain a national security priority, too.

On Jan. 7, a U.S. diplomat was shot in Guadalajara, Mexico. Working with their American counterparts, Mexican authorities led the manhunt for the culprit. Within three days, the suspected shooter, an American citizen named Zia Zafar, was captured, deported and arraigned in a Virginia court. It wasnt luck that produced this swift result. Successful outcomes like these arise from decades of effective cooperation. The success of America First depends upon relationships like these.
Nearly lost in the interregnum between Donald Trumps election and inauguration, as we watched Democrats finally getting worked up about Russias role in the world and Hillary Clintons supporters questioning the legitimacy of Trumps victory, President Obama did something truly shocking on his way out the door.

With minimal explanation, the outgoing president eased sanctions on Sudan.

Its not clear why Obama did this, but its clear to many of those in the region that this move, unless reversed by President Trump, will harm poor people who face terror and have nothing.

Last Fridays announcement is yet another instance of Team Obama needlessly hamstringing the new administration on a critical foreign-policy issue. The facts on the ground in Sudan and South Sudan do nothing to justify Obamas end-of-days decision to lift the U.S. trade embargo against Sudan and unblock the Sudanese regimes assets. On top of that, the Obama/Kerry State Department actually saw fit to instruct Trump on the art of the deal in U.S diplomacy.

"We've maximized leverage for them because we've handed them a large carrot and a large stick," an unnamed Obama administration official told the Wall Street Journal. His reasoning, if one can call it that, is that Obamas last-minute executive order will give the new administration relief to yank back if Sudan fails to keep up the progress.

All this from an administration whose South Sudan strategy ended, according to The New York Times, "in tatters." Its hard to believe that the real author of The Art of the Deal is going to believe that Obama and John Kerry are doing him -- or the poor people of Sudan and South Sudan -- any favors.

For starters, Obama and Kerry arent giving Trump and Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson any leverage they wouldnt have had already if sanctions had been left in place. Trump and Tillerson could have still taken a fresh look at the situation and made a decision one way or another on sanctions. Now, theyll have to reverse a decision on U.S. policy, however recent. How is that helpful?

Consider, as well, the substance of the Sudan issue. Human rights groups properly called the decision inexplicable. The Obama administration, for its part, argues that the government of Sudans President Omar al-Bashir has made some progress on the counterterrorism front -- yet not enough that Sudan will lose its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Even the progress on terrorism is open to question. As Eric Reeves of Harvard University told National Public Radio's Michele Kelemen, the regime has done nothing really to deserve this  we've seen increasing repression in Khartoum and elsewhere with many arrests and newspaper seizures unprecedented in the two decades I've been working on Sudan.

Whats not open to question is that Obamas move to relieve sanctions, if not reversed by the new administration, forfeits U.S. leverage to end the repression and slaughter in this country, including the Darfur region. Weve seen over the last eight years that throwing away U.S. power and influence -- leading from behind -- does not work. Maximizing leverage has always been a key to Donald Trumps Art of the Deal.

Meanwhile, brutal and inconvenient realities remain in place while the Khartoum governments assets are unfrozen and Sudan prepares to do business with U.S. companies. In addition to presiding over a nation thats a designated state sponsor of terrorism, Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on a warrant for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The very week Obama eased sanctions, the United Nation's Panel of Experts on the Sudan issued its report on the North African countrys diverse horrors.

The report chronicled offensive military over-flights and the bombardment by the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Jebel Marra region, the targeting of humanitarian workers in Darfur, the looting and burning down of whole villages by government forces, the rape and murder of women and children. Its all led to the large-scale displacement of the civilian population -- more than an estimated 2.6 million people in Darfur alone, 1.6 million of whom remain in camps across the region and in need of humanitarian assistance, the U.N. panel said. These refugees are routinely exposed to acts of violence, intimidation and insecurity both inside and outside the camps.

The panel even mentions the possible use of chemical weapons, although, like much else in the report, this remains to be pinned down because the U.N. experts had yet to be granted access to Sudan to investigate.

Trump and Tillerson should take what steps they can to immediately reverse the out-going administrations shameful eleventh-hour decision. If not, they will make Obama and Kerrys shame their own. Democrats in Congress should start asking as many questions about Iran, Cuba, and Sudan (real state sponsors of terrorism) as they have about Russia in recent weeks.
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Price: $ 12,400 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: N Meadow Lark Dr State/Province: Oregon City: Bonanza Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 97623 Location: 976**, Bonanza, Oregon

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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/27/2017



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FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

Heather Dubrow is officially leaving of Orange County.After starring on the Bravo reality series for five seasons, Dubrow, 48, has announced her show departure."After a lot of careful thought and deliberation, I have decided not to return to RHOC this season. These past 5 years have been an incredible journey and I'm so proud to have been a part of such an iconic piece of pop culture," Dubrow told Bravo in a statement."I am so grateful to Evolution Media, Bravo and the whole NBCU family for all of the incredible experiences and the opportunities RHOC has afforded me and my family. However, at this point in my life, I have decided to go in another direction and do what's best for my family and career."Dubrow, however, may come back in the future or at least be open to cameos on the series."Should I change my mind, I thank Andy Cohen , Evolution and Bravo for telling me that the door is always open," she said.Dubrow, the wife of Botched star Dr. Terry Dubrow, joined franchise back in 2009 for Season 7. She has four children with Terry -- 12-year-old twins Nicholas and Maximillia, 9-year-old Katarina, and 5-year-old Collette.Dubrow elaborated on her decision to exit of Orange County in her PodcastOne show called Heather Dubrow's World."It wasn't an easy decision," the reality TV star admitted. "I felt like I was at a tipping point, and just... it was time. But, it's all positive and I wish them all the best... I will miss the girls."Dubrow's announcement comes only two days after Us Weekly reported that her co-star, Meghan King Edmonds , is also exiting the show Edmonds, a 32-year-old Missouri native who welcomed her first child in November, joined the franchise as a full-time cast member in Season 10. She resumed her role on Season 11, which just wrapped in November 2016.Dubrow and Edmonds starred on the last season of of Orange County with Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, and Kelly Dodd.Judge hinted she will return for Season 12 when she posted an Instagram photo of herself on Monday wearing a trucker hat that read "Housewife" with the following caption: "Stillahousewife." Gunvalson and Dodd are reportedly not happy she'll be coming back to due past unresolved conflicts.Bravo has declined comment on any casting rumors.
Behold, a Hidden Gem of Firearms at the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit

Photos by Q Concepts

When the rest of the nation thinks of Idaho, potatoes might be the only things that immediately come to mind. However, the state is not only home to picturesque vacation areas and some of the best freshwater fishing in the country, but is indeed a gun lovers paradise, both in legislation and recreation. Before RECOIL ventured out that way, we got word of some locations that most people beyond the state's border never hear about and don't get the publicity they deserve. We were privileged to go behind the scenes at one museum in particular that firearms enthusiasts are sure to devour.

This J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit is an impressive assortment of weapons, some of which date back thousands of years, and is tucked away in what could have easily doubled as the prison seen in Shawshank Redemption. The Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise, formerly known as the Idaho State Penitentiary, served as the state's prison from 1872 to 1973. While formidable in appearance, the state worked to preserve it as a historical landmark after its functionality as a working prison became obsolete.

Visitors can participate in guided and self-guided tours to learn about its lineage and walk through the corridors of one of the few remaining 19th century prisons that wasn't demolished in favor of apartments and strip malls. Astute readers may recognize it from an episode of Ghost Adventures or the movie Soda Springs. Most features of the prison, such as the cell houses, solitary confinement, and even the gallows where an actual execution took place were left essentially unaltered from when the prison was operational.

According to Amber Beierle, site manager of the Old Idaho Penitentiary, J. Curtis Earl was a pilot, member of the Civil Air Patrol, had a degree in wildlife biology, and was a Class 3 arms dealer. He spent his later years splitting time between Idaho and his home in Arizona. He gifted an extensive collection of weapons to the Idaho State Historical Society to create his legacy and, according to him, honor military veterans.

Prior to his death in 2000, J. Curtis Earl had spoken to individuals at the Idaho State Historical Society to find a suitable venue to house his massive collection in its entirety. It was decided that the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit would be built as an adjunct to the prison, which opened in 2002. Admission to the penitentiary also includes admission to the J. Curtis Earl Exhibit, so there's no extra cost to check it out.

Visitors receive a map of the site and a volunteer at the J. Curtis Earl Exhibit is there to answer questions and explain the layout of the galleries, as this portion of the tour is all self-guided. Lectures are held periodically and plans are currently in place to expand the J. Curtis Earl facility and create a mobile app to provide digital exhibits and oral histories for educational outreach purposes. An exhibit called the Weight of War is another program scheduled to launch in the summer of 2017 where people will be able to actually put on a backpack or hold replica items in the museum's collection to experience what a solider would've had to carry during a particular war.

You can enjoy a somewhat chronological order of the exhibits that aren't just limited to guns. Swords and fighting implements starting from the Bronze Age show the development of weaponry through the Middle Ages and how it evolved into the Industrial Revolution. Even walking through the Civil War displays, one can see how the weapons were reduced in size, but became more powerful as the conflict endured. Artifacts from the Spanish American War lead to a mock trench built to reflect the fighting conditions of WWI. There you can go right in and get a sense of what it looked like before you heard the dreaded whistle to go up and over.

The exhibits continue with WWII, Korean, and Vietnam-era weaponry. Both the European and Pacific fronts of WWII are acknowledged with artifacts from the respective theaters. The exhibit also honors Idaho's own servicemen and women with relics specific to state residents who served in various wars.

Temporary exhibits are also periodically put on display. The J. Curtis Earl collection is quite extensive, and features some 2,000 pieces, so periodic rotations of the collection help keep the experience fresh for repeat visitors. Flash photography and video are allowed. We're not sure a museum like this exists anywhere else in the United States. Where else will your kids get scared straight about what prison life is like and enjoy an amazing cross section of weaponry all in one? Check out this gem of firearms in the Gem State for yourself, and you'll see what we mean.

Old Idaho Penitentiary Address: 2445 Old Penitentiary Road

Boise, ID 83712 Hours: Noon to 5 p.m.

Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day): 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

J. Curtis Earl Exhibit hours: Noon to 4:30 p.m.

Summer hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission: Adult: $6

Senior (60 and older): $4

Child (6-12 years old): $3

Children 5 and under: Free

Closed most state holidays

*Free during summer months for active-duty military and their families Telephone: (208) 334-2844 URL: https://history.idaho.gov/old-idaho-penitentiary
There was a victim of child sexual abuse in my family and when I became a lawyer, I saw that the legal system wasnt doing enough to help tho
In the spirit of the holidays, an anonymous person donated four prayer rugs to the Muslim Students Association at the University of Georgia on Dec. 7.
Summer is still months away, but you can console yourself by enjoying one of Chicago's favorite warm-weather pastimesfestivals. We found 13 ways for you to shake yourself out of the winter doldrums by indulging at bashes devoted to beer, sausage, whiskey, ramen and more. With so much serious eating and drinking to do, the wait for April seems almost bearable. Some of these fests regularly sell out, so be sure to get your tickets early.

Winter Brew Fest

Winter Brew

When: Jan. 28 | 2-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m.

Where: DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, 4740 N. Western Ave.

How much: $15 Tickets: lincolnsquare.org/winter-brew

The skinny: Fifteen Chicago breweries each show off at least two of their beers, including some limited releases, at the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce's sixth annual bash. Tickets include one beer and additional tastings are available for purchase along with food from The Northman and cocktails from Koval and FEW Spirits. Start the party early by attending the Winter Brew VIP Beer and Food pairing event from 7-10 p.m. Jan. 27 at Artifact Events (4325 N. Ravenswood Ave.), which includes tastings from five Ravenswood breweries and food from local restaurants ($50).

Chicago Ale Fest

Chicago Ale Fest  Winter Edition

When: Jan. 28 | Noon-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.

Where: Navy Pier's Aon Grand Ballroom, 600 E. Grand Ave.

How much: $50-$60; $20-$25 for designated drivers Tickets: chicagoalefest.com

The skinny: A spinoff of the festival that's run the past two summers at Buckingham Fountain, this inaugural bash includes beers from Half Acre Beer Co., Pipeworks Brewing Co. and more than 150 other American craft brewers. You can also grab a bite from food trucks including The Roost Carolina Kitchen and Pierogi Street and enjoy an all-vinyl DJ playlist.

Cider Summit Chicago

When: Feb. 11 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-8 p.m.

Where: Navy Pier's Aon Grand Ballroom, 600 E. Grand Ave.

How much: $35 Tickets: cidersummitnw.com

The skinny: Taste your way around the world at the fifth annual event, billed as the region's largest cider festival. There are more than 150 ciders to try, plus a cider cocktail lounge, food samples and a cider challenge where you can vote for your favorites.

Polar Beer Festival

When: Feb. 11 | Noon-4 p.m.

Where: Rock Bottom Brewery, 1 W. Grand Ave.

How much: $40 Tickets: polarbeer2017.brownpapertickets.com

The skinny: Who says you can't have a rooftop party in February? Bundle up and brace yourself against the cold by tasting 50 strong ales provided by more than 25 breweries, plus an appetizer buffet. If you get too chilly, you can visit the indoor warming space and get another drink. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.

SausageFest

When: Feb. 11 | Noon-4 p.m.

Where: Haymarket Pub & Brewery, 737 W. Randolph St.

How much: $55 Tickets: eventbrite.com

The skinny: The West Town brewpub shows off 15 of its housemade sausages and five guest meats from Kimski, Links Taproom and other spots. Sausage is paired with artisanal cheeses and more than 20 beers and ciders. Expect to see some of their rare cellar beers on tap.

Chicago Pizza Party

When: Feb. 11 | 2-9 p.m.

Where: Ravenswood Event Center, 4011 N. Ravenswood Ave.

How much: $20. Tickets: chicagopizzaparty.com

The skinny: This first-time bash has 19 restaurants putting their pies on the line. Eat your way through the competition, sample beers from local breweries and enjoy a party atmosphere complete with games, a photo booth and DJs. BomboBar supplies the dessert, serving bombos and hot chocolate.

Chicago Whiskey & Wine Festival

Chicago Whiskey & Wine Festival

When: Feb. 18 | 1-5 p.m.

Where: Joe's Bar, 940 W. Weed St.

How much: $40-$60 Tickets: eventbrite.com

The skinny: Whiskey Wine & Moonshine is back this year with a new name and venue. Try more than 40 varieties of booze and vote for your favorites. Joe's Bar will also be selling food and other drinks.

River North Whiskey Festival

When: Feb. 18 | 1-4 p.m.

Where: Old Crow Smokehouse, 149 W. Kinzie St.

How much: $50-$60 Tickets: The skinny: Whether you prefer bourbon, scotch or other forms of whiskey, you can taste your way through 50 varieties from distilleries including Jim Beam, Blaum Bros. and Chicago Distilling Co. Feb. 18 | 1-4 p.m.Old Crow Smokehouse, 149 W. Kinzie St.$50-$60 Tickets: eventbrite.com

Whether you prefer bourbon, scotch or other forms of whiskey, you can taste your way through 50 varieties from distilleries including Jim Beam, Blaum Bros. and Chicago Distilling Co.

Ramen Fest

Ramenfest

When: Feb. 19 | Noon-3 p.m.

Where: Urbanbelly, 1400 W. Randolph St.

How much: $75-$150. Tickets: ramenfest2017.brownpapertickets.com

The skinny: The third annual competition brings together 20 chefs including Stephanie Izard and Giuseppe Tentori to vie for votes from judges and hungry ramen lovers. Admission includes a taste of every variety of ramen plus two drinks. Proceeds benefit Inspiration Kitchens.

Frost Fest Craft Beer Festival

When: Feb. 25 | 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.

Where: Halsted Street and Waveland Avenue

How much: $35; $10 for designated drivers Tickets: eventbrite.com

The skinny: A 5,000-square-foot heated tent hosts up to 2,000 revelers for a day of drinking featuring beer and cider from 50 producers from around the country. The third annual event also features music from DJ X-tasy so you can dance away the chill.

Chicagos Best WingFest

When: March 5 | 1-5 p.m.

Where: UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave.

How much: $50-$100 Tickets: wingfest.net

The skinny: The 18th annual fest is so popular that it's coming to a larger venue this year to accommodate more wing fans and restaurants including Howells & Hood and Mahoneys Pub & Grille. More than 9,000 pounds of wings will be prepared with mild, hot, barbecue and "exotic" sauces, and you can try them all while enjoying live blues music from Cadillac Dave & The Chicago Red Hots. If your appetite for chicken is truly insatiable, you can also join a wing-eating contest.

Good Food Fest

Good Food Festival

When: March 18 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road

How much: Free. RSVP: eventbrite.com

The skinny: Shop local, sustainable and humane food from more than 150 farmers, artisan producers, nonprofits and other vendors at the 13th annual event. Festivities include tastings, DIY workshops, chef demos and speakers offering you a chance to learn more about eating well.

BaconFest Chicago (Peter Tsai )
We need to create collaborative and/or disruptive platforms like Uber and Airbnb in all sectors to ensure responsive and responsible inclusive growth, says C P Gurnani.

IMAGE: The ramifications of technology replacing jobs emerged as an important talking point in Davos. Photograph: Ruben Sprich/Reuters .

If you could be in Davos...



The World Economic Forum Annual Summit has reached its crescendo of opinions and conversations as the world braces to welcome Donald Trump to the White House.

In one of the discussions I was part of on Thursday (January 20), I spoke about the emergence of the "new collared jobs", the knowledge workforce who are becoming the future of inclusive growth. We need to create collaborative and/or disruptive platforms (such as Uber and Airbnb) for food, agriculture, healthcare, education, skilled and high-skilled jobs, that is made to measure for each, speaking to each individual to ensure responsive and responsible inclusive growth.

The IT Governors meeting saw some insightful conversations. Titled 'Governing Globalisation', it discussed among other things the ramifications of technology replacing jobs.

My views on it were simple: For Generation Direct, those 18-29-year olds who are digital natives, social media has become essential. Half this group has already used a social network to lobby for change, while 62 per cent use it to expand networks of business contacts. Forty-two per cent of young entrepreneurs believe that skills learned online make them more marketable in other sectors.

According to the European Commission, the digital economy is "the single most important driver of innovation, competitiveness and growth". Giving people the tools to help them thrive in the digital economy is certainly part of the answer. But, a well-conceived skills and training agenda, a reimagining of the workplace and a change of mindset are essential, too.

I am of the opinion that the impact of technology will be two-fold. One, it will replace jobs in the short term but if we can work around it, can be used to also create jobs for many. And, retraining our minds and approach is going to be vital here.

Other high points on Day 2 were:

1. Joe Biden gave his final major speech as US Vice-President, making an impassioned plea to the global community to "act urgently to defend the liberal international order".

"For the past seven decades, the choices we have made, particularly for the United States and our allies in Europe, have steered our world down a clear path," Biden said.

2. Jack Ma, founder and CEO of internet giant Alibaba, spoke about America's growing globalisation backlash.

"American international companies made millions and millions of dollars from globalisation," he told participants. But that wealth was never distributed fairly, explaining the sense of anger many Americans are expressing. "It's not that other countries steal American jobs; it is your strategy -- that you did not distribute the money in a proper way."

3. Former US vice-president Al Gore talked about the need for following through on the promises of the Paris climate agreement, against the backdrop of 2016 being the hottest year ever. It's a worrying trend, he said, but there's still time to roll back the worst effects of global warming and avert cataclysmic climate change. One of the positive signs is the plummeting cost of renewable energy, something responsible companies need to adopt.

4. Christine Lagarde also shared thoughts on the world's glacial progress towards gender parity, in a session on disrupting the status quo of gender roles.

Finally, I think Davos would be a great place for the autonomous electric car, and a good way for global leaders to take the lead in embracing the journey of the future.

C P Gurnani is CEO & MD of Tech Mahindra, and chairman of Nasscom.
Suit alleges fraud by hiding significant deficiencies in CGMP regulations enforced by US health regulator.

Seoul-based biotech company Mezzion Pharma has filed a suit against Dr Reddys Laboratories in a US court.

It has alleged the Hyderabad-based supplier had committed fraud by hiding significant deficiencies in the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, or CGMP, regulations enforced by the US health regulator.

In the suit, filed in the state of New Jersey, Mezzion seeks to recover millions of dollars from DRL in damages for fraudulent concealment and misrepresenting its compliance.

It alleges the misconduct was the sole reason given by the US Food and Drug Administration to deny approval of Mezzions new drug application for an erectile dysfunction drug, Udenafil.

The FDAs refusal to grant marketing approval of Mezzions finished drug product Udenafil has incurred delay and expenses.

The South Korean company was forced to seek new manufacturers and suppliers for Udenafil, and it is currently taking the necessary steps required to re-submit its NDA to the FDA for approval.

BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW Seoul-based Mezzion Pharma has alleged Dr Reddys Labs had committed fraud by hiding significant deficiencies in the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the US health regulator

In the suit, filed in the state of New Jersey, Mezzion seeks to recover millions of dollars from the Hyderabad-based supplier in damages for fraudulent concealment and misrepresenting its compliance

It alleges the misconduct was the sole reason given by the US FDA to deny approval of Mezzions new drug application for an erectile dysfunction drug, Udenafil

When asked about the suit, a DRL spokesperson said it had got no communication from Mezzion or the court in question.

We will be able to comment when there is official intimation. We dont want to comment on the basis of media reports, the spokesperson clarified.

In November 2015, the FDA had issued a warning letter to DRL after an inspection at its active pharmaceutical ingredients facilities at Miryalaguda (Telangana) and Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh), and its oncology formulation facility at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

The US regulator had identified numerous deviations and violations in FDA compliance.

It said it had also uncovered a previously unknown and uncontrolled custom quality control laboratory, which engaged in a practice of substituting repeat tests after failing results.

DRL, second largest drug manufacturer in India, is expecting the FDA to re-audit the three units during the current quarter.

Image: Anji Reddy, chairman, Dr Reddy's. Photograph: Courtesy, Dr Reddy's.
Real estate will prosper, small developers won't, Ajay Piramal tells Abhineet Kumar and Niraj Bhatt.

IMAGE: "For larger developers, demonetisation and RERA are opportunities as the business has become transparent and the cash component will go away," says Piramal group head Ajay Piramal. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

Piramal Enterprises has become a major player in the financial services sector as a lender to real estate developers after it sold its domestic formulations business to Abbott in 2010.

Besides finance, it also has two other divisions: Healthcare and information management.

Chairman Ajay Piramal talks about the impact of demonetisation on real estate and the company's strategy:

What will be the impact of demonetisation on the real estate sector?

As far as real estate is concerned -- and we are also a developer through a separate entity -- the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, or RERA, will have more impact than demonetisation.

It will favour companies that have a good track record, brand name and access to funds.

Before this law, anybody without capital could become a developer by getting into co-development agreements with a land owners. This has stopped now.

The small developer will not be able to do it after RERA.

For larger developers, demonetisation and RERA are opportunities as the business has become transparent and the cash component will go away.

At the larger level, people have to make cheque payments, which is good.

I do not see real estate prices coming down actually.

Among the developers we have funded, most are reporting good sales, and the maximum impact has been to the extent of a 25 per cent drop in a few projects, which is not bad.

Piramal Enterprises stock has gained 80 per cent in the last one year. Have investors stop criticising you about retaining profits from the sale of the formulations business to Abbott?

I believe that we are long term players. We stuck to what we believed in 2010.

As the largest shareholders, we thought that this was in the best interest that we distribute some of the money and retain the rest for re-investing.

We made a profit after tax of Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) on the sale, of which we retained Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) after distributing dividends and share buyback.

How have the three businesses done and what's the plan ahead?

Fortunately, we see a good runway for growth in all the three businesses.

The OTC pharma business is seeing good growth.

We are following the same strategy that we followed in the past of growing organically first and then taking the M&A route.

When we had acquired Nicholas in 1988, we were at 48th position in the domestic market and when we sold it to Abbott in 2010, we were at third place.

In 2010, when we separated the OTC business, our rank was 40th in the domestic market, and today we are sixth in OTC.

Also, our critical care business was earlier US-centric, but now we are going to Europe and also acquiring new products.

In October, we bought five anaesthesia and pain management products from Belgian drugmaker Janssen Pharmaceutica for $175 million.

We are again looking for niche categories for acquisitions here.

IMAGE: Ajay Piramal, head of the Piramal group. Photograph: Kind courtesy Piramal Enterprises

What about the financial services and information management businesses?

The financial services sector usually grows at 2.5 times to GDP.

If we expect 8 per cent GDP growth, this sector is expected to grow by 20 per cent.

Large banks are saddled with non-performing assets, which has given non-banking finance companies like ours new business opportunities.

Also, with demonetisation, the informal lending market that SMEs were accessing no longer exists.

For this business we believe that building the business organically is the best route.

We have also forayed into housing finance, which is a high-growth area.

Our information management business is also looking at a good growth trajectory.

With increasing competition in the market, companies need to analyse and benefit from the huge data that gets generated.

This business provides such data analytics to the healthcare sector, and converts data into wisdom.

In this space too, we will make acquisitions in niche areas.

Is there a plan to merge the financial services business with the Shriram group, where you have taken a stake?

If you are going to talk about this merger, it will be a big distraction today.

The Shriram group has 50,000 people. Even a merger of Shriram City Union Finance and Shriram Transport Finance will be a shake-up.

Let both groups grow independently, and we will see at the right time.

Such a merger will become a distraction, and we may lose at least one or two years.

In financial services, if you lose that kind of time, somebody else will take market share.

So today, both groups are growing rapidly on their own, and it is in the interest of both entities to keep them separate.

When will you increase your share from one-fifth to one-third in Shriram Capital?

We will do it at a later date.

Today, we also have requirement of funds at Piramal Enterprises if we want to grow our financial services business as it is a capital-hungry industry.
RIL has denied knowingly producing any gas from the ONGC block.

T here has been much comment over the $1.55 billion demand made by the petroleum ministry on Reliance Industries and its partners, BP and Niko Resources, for alleged unfair enrichment through gas migration from an adjoining Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) block in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

The reports of large amounts of gas seeping into RILs block for over seven years led to the matter reaching the doors of the high court. It constituted a one-person committee of A P Shah, who'd retired after being chief justice here, to investigate. His report, delivered on August 28, 2016, opened a Pandoras box of complexities.

It confirmed the movement of gas into the RIL block and made a subsequent determination of unjust benefit to RIL (and its partners) due to extraction and retention of the resource, in contravention to their production sharing contract with the government.

Its other important conclusion was that the migrated gas, as a national resource, belonged to the government and not ONGC. This got the petroleum ministry instantly involved in the quickly developing issue.

The government directed a technical arm to determine the amount of seeped gas extracted by RIL; it arrived at 338.332 million British thermal units. The ministry then calculated a dollar figure on the unjust benefit made by RIL, leading to the $1.55-bn notice on November 3, 2016.

RIL denied knowingly producing any gas from the ONGC block. It had, it said, always drilled on its own block, with prior approval of the government.

As the liability demanded by the latter came under the PSC, Reliance invoked an arbitration clause in the agreement for settlement of disputes, and served the government a notice on November 11.

To roil the waters further, the company termed the demand an unprecedented move in any oil and gas sector worldwide and demanded this be settled through international petroleum industry practices, in line with the PSC.

What now?

In what seems to have all the makings of a Vodafone-like tussle, with the tax department trying to secure its demand without regard to arbitral proceedings, currently underway, all eyes are on how the government decides to handle this.

According to Tejas Karia, partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, this case is a bit different from the Vodafone one, which had involveda statutory liability as in the law of the land.

In the present scenario, a mere demand has been made by the government, which is yet to be adjudicated in an arbitral forum, he says.

N onetheless, with all claims of such a high value, attempts by the government at securing the amount at the earliest are sure to be watched closely by the company and the legal community.

Under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, there are several routes that may be taken to realise a demand even before conclusion of an arbitral process, if so chosen.

Section 17 of the Act allows a party asserting a claim to approach the arbitral tribunal to secure the amount as demanded or to preserve the subject matter of the dispute, as an interim measure.

However, as the arbitral tribunal in the present dispute is yet to be fully constituted, this provision cannot come to the aid of the government as of yet.

Possibilities

Section 9 of the Act also allows an Indian court to provide similar relief at the interim stage. This provision may be invoked even before the constitution of an arbitral tribunal, right till the enforcement of the eventual award.

Such reliefs, however (by a court or tribunal, once constituted), must take into consideration factors such as the financial strength of the company, potential for removal of assets, etc. In this case, it will be a tough hurdle for the government to obtain this kind of remedy, considering the strong balance sheet of the company, says Sitesh Mukherjee, partner, Trilegal.

Still, given the right circumstances, if the government approaches the Indian court under Section 9, interim relief may be granted and this could be transferred to the arbitral tribunal once it is functional.

But, in case the petition for interim relief is finally disposed by the time the arbitration tribunal is constituted, any relief provided would ordinarily continue throughout the arbitral proceedings, subject to appeal under the Act," notes Karia.

O nce the arbitral tribunal is finally functional, though, any Section 9 action seems unlikely. For, the courts in India will not ordinarily entertain a petition for interim relief unless it is felt the tribunal cannot provide the necessary remedy on its own.

The issue has the potential of becoming even more complex, with RIL suing the government for damages if the arbitration eventually turns in their favour. However, the tale unfolds, there seems to be much gas left in the chamber.
India's growth is less dependent on global developments. Therefore, it offers solid growth at a time when you're really seeing a lot of downside risks in many major economies, including China, says Mixo Das, India strategist for financial major Nomura.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com.

Asian markets face many headwinds in the first half of 2017, says Mixo Das, Southeast Asia equity strategist at Nomura.

Das, left, tells Samie Modak/Business Standard that India is better-placed given its low export dependence and it should outperform Asian peers this year.

United States President Donald Trump reiterated his protectionist stance in his inauguration speech. How big is this a risk for equities?

It is a big risk.

On an absolute basis, maybe all markets might go down. It is very difficult for a market to go up when everything else is falling.

So far, we don't know how far he will go with this. But it is clear there will be some kind of protectionism by the US.

It could end up being some minor tax adjustments.

But it could even be significant tariffs for specific countries like China or Mexico. So clearly, that is a major downside risk for Asian economies.

Given there isn't much clarity yet, we haven't factored it in our forecasts.



So far, we haven't seen much adverse reaction from the markets?



From the Asian perspective the most important thing is the growth differential. So what matters is not just the growth here in Asian countries but also growth in the US.

The best way to judge the growth in the US is probably to just look at the US 10-year bond yield. From a protectionist standpoint, most people haven't fully assumed the negative impact on the Asian economies simply because we don't much information right now.

Similarly, economists have not yet fully factored in what could happen in the US. Our rates strategist in the US thinks the 10-year bond yields could go up to 2.8-3 per cent by the middle of this year. This will translate into negative reaction for the Asian markets.

If the US yields harden to three per cent, how will capital flows into Asia be impacted?

The outflows we have seen so far are nothing compared to inflows we saw from 2009. If we see further increase in US bond yields, I would assume more outflows. Markets that are more sensitive to capital flows -- where the share of foreign trading to total trading is higher -- will be affected more.

India will be less impacted by portfolio outflows simply because its foreign trading share is lower. The foreign trading share for India is 20 to 25 per cent whereas for some other Asian markets it is more than 50 per cent.



Given the headwinds, what is the outlook for India and other Asian markets in 2017?

Our full-year outlook for Asia, excluding Japan, is quite flat.

We think the first half of 2017 will be more challenging and the second half will be better.

In the first half, we are also seeing more risks not just due to US bond yields but also from China and from property prices. All these factors will combine to make for a challenging first half. Even within this overall V-shaped pattern for 2017, we will see differentiation by countries.

India at this point is actually our biggest overweight market in Asia.



Given the weak near-term outlook, how do you play the market?

I would consider taking profits some time soon. The stocks that you are holding have done well, then maybe it is time to book profits. However, in line with our V-shaped assumption, I would be looking to buy closer to the end of the second quarter.



What are the reasons for Nomura's overweight stance on India?

India's growth is less dependent on global developments. Therefore, it offers solid growth at a time when you're really seeing a lot of downside risks in many major economies, including China.

So that plays in India's favour.

Its currency position is also reasonably okay. You are seeing the economy recovering from a V-shaped downturn following demonetisation.

India will be less impacted by portfolio outflows simply because its foreign trading share is lower.

From an earnings perspective, even though commodity prices have recovered a lot, India's earnings should be quite stable. Add to that the fact that valuations have come off and the earnings recovery is pretty much on track.

All these factors add up essentially for India.



India has under-performed major markets since November?



That's mainly because of demonetisation. We in fact upgraded India to our biggest overweight in December after the correction. So we kind of took that opportunity. We don't think the impact of demonetisation will last beyond a couple of quarters.



Do you expect India to outperform other Asian markets in 2017?



Yes, I expect India to outperform. On an absolute basis, maybe all markets might go down. It is very difficult for a market to go up when everything else is falling.



Which markets are most vulnerable if the US does focus on protectionism?

Countries that are more export-dependent, the likes of South Korea, China, and Taiwan. For India, the information technology sector is quite exposed. In pharmaceutical sector, the impact is not so much due to protectionism. But change of drug pricing might impact pharmaceutical sector.
Sai Manish & Nitin Sethi find out the latest about the Aadhaar app, which is expected to turn the digital transactions ecosystem on its head.

IMAGE: At an Aadhaar enrolment centre in Rajasthan. Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters .



The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is working with banks and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure that merchants who use its mobile-based Aadhaar application for digital transactions earn commission up to 1 per cent of the transaction value.

With UIDAI suggesting it is on path to get this in place in a couple of months, the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS), could give debit cards and e-wallets a run for their money. In contrast to what UIDAI is advocating, all other forms of digital payments require merchants to pay a fee or commission for the use of technology.

"The Aadhaar-based system is being used for PDS (public distribution system) in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. We are also in discussions with Haryana. We are enrolling banks so that they start accepting Aadhaar-based payments. Two banks have already agreed. The process of integrating merchants with banks will be completed in the next few weeks" said Ajay Bhushan Pandey, chief executive officer, UIDAI.

Once implemented, this model envisages doing away with all charges that are associated with a typical point-of-sale (PoS) machine. Under the system, UIDAI would enlist merchants as business correspondents. These merchants would use their phones linked to biometric devices for the transactions.

These require a customer to key in their Aadhaar number and verify their fingerprint on the biometric reader connected to the phone.

To enable a wide acceptability, the government has pushed for linking all savings bank accounts to Aadhaar numbers against a stiff deadline.

Whenever a customer transacts with a merchant through AEPS, the merchant would receive the same incentive that business correspondents employed by banks do, UIDAI has said.

Different banks provide different incentives to business correspondents on the basis of their performance.

For instance, the Vidharbha Konkan Gramin Bank, a regional rural bank (RRB) provides Rs 10 for every new account opened by a business correspondent. If someone deposits money through PoS terminals, the correspondent gets 0.5 per cent of the money.

For mobilising a term deposit, the correspondent gets 0.25 per cent of the amount.

Similarly, various incentives, as a proportion of the transaction amount, are given to correspondents.

"Merchants will now be doing the job of a business correspondent. So what was being paid as incentives to the correspondent would be extended to merchants," said Pandey.

Over time, he suggested, this would reduce the need for banking correspondents as more and more merchants use the Aadhaar app on their phones for transactions. The app itself has been tested by a couple of banks and is being finalised, Pandey said.

IMAGE:A look at the fee structure of PoS machines used to carry out card transactions indicates a substantial cost for the merchant. Aadhaar-based payments through mobile phones will change that. Photograph: Matt Siegel/Reuters.



The UIDAI business model would mean the banking system taking on the burden of incentivising the spread of Aadhaar-based payments through mobile phones.

In contrast, at the moment, they earn from other digital transactions. But Pandey said UIDAI was convincing banks that the commission must be seen in the light of existing commission structures for correspondents and the cost of cash transactions.

A look at the fee structure of PoS machines used to carry out card transactions indicates a substantial cost for the merchant.

A third-party PoS provider has multiple layers of charges. These machines are not sold but often given on rent by banks and third-party vendors. Some banks charge the merchants a monthly rental of Rs 400 for a portable PoS machine for two years.

Some banks also recover something called a "commitment charge". These charges can be a burden on smaller merchants with low volumes of sales. Merchants with a lower sale volume have to pay a higher commitment charge. Competition between different vendors and banks has been bringing down these costs, though, over time.

Banks such as the State Bank of India (SBI) and its public-sector peers offer machines on more lenient terms than third-party vendors. SBI, for instance, says that it doesnt take a one-time installation charge from any merchant.

The final layer of the cost of using a PoS machine is the merchant discount rate (MDR). This is the charge that banks collect from merchants whenever a card is swiped on the machine. Banks usually charge a lower rate if their own debit cards are used on their PoS machines.

Before January 1, the charges were 0.75 per cent for transactions of value up to Rs 2,000. For transactions above Rs 2,000, a rate of 1 per cent of the transaction value was recovered from the merchant. Foreign cards attracted double the rate while credit card transactions were charged at 1.5 per cent. This was either borne by the merchant or passed on to the customer.

After demonetisation, RBI introduced an additional layer of MDR through a notification issued on December 16, 2016. Between January 1 and March 31 this year, MDR for transactions up to Rs 1,000 is to be 0.25 per cent. All others would continue to be charged as before. The rate has been capped at 1 per cent. Clearly, the multiple charges add up to a significant amount for a merchant who has little option but to either bear the cost or to pass it on to their customers.

RBI data show that PoS transactions through debit cards touched Rs 31,600 crore in November 2016. In November 2015, this figure stood at Rs 14,800 crore. Banks quite clearly stand to make a killing through these multiple layers of charges.

Mobile wallets, too, are known to charge as high as 4 per cent for certain types of transactions. Mobile wallet transactions were Rs 3,300 crore in November 2016 as compared to Rs 1,900 crore in November 2015.

Thats where the Aadhaar-linked payment system could be a major disruptor.

At the moment the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) charges 1 per cent on every financial transaction through AEPS from the bank. The bank passes this on to the merchant. Its unclear if these charges would be set off too.

Pandey told Business Standard that a favourable decision could come soon. If it does, it would completely turn the digital transactions ecosystem on its head.

The change of the business model for digital transactions would require many banks to come on board. NPCI data show that of the 46 public-sector banks and private banks in India, 44 are classified as "member banks" of AEPS.
Shine Jacob & Karan Choudhury highlight the red flags raised by the Controller General of Accounts.

IMAGE: The CGA has rejected the proposal to allow the purchase of train tickets over the counter through e-wallets, saying there is no proper mechanism to monitor how the money will flow back to the government accounts. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters .



At a time when the Narendra Modi-led government is pushing for digital transactions, the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the finance ministry, has raised the red flag on purchasing train tickets over the counter through the e-wallet.

According to sources close to the development, the CGA has rejected the proposal of the ministry of railways, saying that if the e-wallet is used, there is no proper mechanism to monitor how the money will flow back to the government accounts.

On the other hand, it has accepted the proposal on accepting the wallet for online and application-based transactions on condition that railway subsidiary Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) makes the government an advance payment.

The wallet takes about a day to credit the amount to IRCTC. General merchants get the payment in about a week.

Since the CGA cleared the IRCTC route, the railway ministry launched an IRCTC Rail Connect application on January 10, providing a payment gateway linked to more than 40 banks to facilitate payments through net banking, credit cards, debit cards and the wallets of Paytm, PayU, Mobikwik and IRCTC.

"We will start accepting other wallets like SBI Buddy also very soon," an official said.

The rejection of the proposal to accept the e-wallet for tickets over the counter comes when the government has lined up incentives for digital transactions. These include not levying the service charge for tickets booked through IRCTC till March, a 0.5 per cent discount on season tickets purchased digitally for suburban trains, a 5 per cent rebate on online payments for availing of services such as e-catering and online booking for retiring rooms, and a free insurance of 10 lakh for reserved tickets booked online till March 31.

The waiving of the service charge will cost 500 crore on an annualised basis, borne equally by IRCTC and the railways.

"In addition to this, not levying the merchant discount rate (MDR) is likely to cost the company 100 crore," said an official close to the development.

According to an IRCTC spokesperson, for tickets of non-air conditioned classes the service charge comes to around 20 a ticket, while that of the air-conditioned class it is around 40. This is likely to wipe out the profits of the public sector undertaking, which had earned a net profit of only Rs 189 crore in FY16 and Rs 131 crore in 2014-15.

Mobile wallet players such as Paytm, Oxigen and Mobikwik are giving payment-related solutions to the railways. After demonetisation, many are in talks with the railways to make stations compatible with digital payments solutions, if not cashless.

Industry insiders say the CGA's concerns can be addressed and they may approach the organisation to explain their digital solutions. "All these concerns are coming up because we are part of a new set of technology providers. We are more accountable than cash can ever be. That is why the government is pushing for digital. If need be, we will show the CGA the way the money spent by passengers can make its way back to government coffers," said a senior vice-president of a Delhi-based payments wallet.

In the 50 days since demonetisation, the share of cashless transactions in the passenger segment zoomed from 38 per cent to 50.5 per cent; it is still increasing on a daily basis.

The value of cashless transactions on the Passenger Reservation System has jumped from 49 crore daily to 69 crore now. The railways is seeking more than 30,000 point-of-sale machines from banks to enable digital payments at its counters. Before demonetisation, there were 72 ticket counters with POS machines, but now there are more than 2,000.
In August 2015, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor -- who has been awarded the Padma Shri in the 2017 Republic Day honours list -- cooked a meal for Narendra Modi during the prime minister's visit to the United Arab Emirates.

During his recent visit to Rediff.com, Kapoor spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf about the PM's food preferences.

'Cooking for Narendra Modi gave me a sense of pride'

IMAGE: Chef Sanjeev Kapoor interacting with readers during the Rediff Chat. Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

Cooking for celebrities is nothing new for me; I have done it all my life.

But cooking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave me a sense of pride.

The invitation to cook for Prime Minister Modi came from the UAE rulers when he had gone to the UAE for an official visit.

I was tense before cooking the food. I am always tense before I cook for someone.

I feel a cook must always have a slight sense of nervousness and that is good because it keeps you on your toes.

As a cook it does not matter whoever tastes your food, you always have to think about the outcome of the taste after the cooking part is done.

Even if I am making a salad, I always have to think whether I have to put more salt in it or not.

'I made him taste 25 to 30 different vegetarian dishes'

IMAGE: Chef Sanjeev Kapoor interacts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the UAE. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sanjeev Kapoor/Twitter

While preparing the food for Modiji, I kept two things in mind.

First, he is a vegetarian and second, I decided to prepare food based on traditional authentic Gujarati cuisines which will have Gujarati taste and flavour.

My wife is from Gujarat, so I am familiar with the taste of Gujarati food. I added my touch of madness.

The good thing about the food we prepared for Modiji was that it was also loved by people who were not vegetarians. The entire experience was very good.

I spent an hour with Modiji and made him taste 25 to 30 different vegetarian dishes. He tasted each and every thing.

He was very kind and very open to everything. That gives an idea about his personality -- that he is always open to something new.

I feel people who are experimental with their food are open to everything in life and that is what I liked about Modiji.

His food habits tell us that he is simple in his approach and is a fearless man.

He is also very creative. He is not afraid to take decisions.

His knowledge on food is fantastic.

In that one hour discussion, he told me how chillies can cure heart problems.

He is very clear on his personal lifestyle.

Exotic things do not attract him and he is a grounded person.

He believes that to know the culture of any place you should taste its food.

In the UAE, I arranged food from the Emirates too and asked him whether he would like to taste it. He readily agreed.

I gave him Ful medames, which is made with beans, onion and tomatoes.

It is a traditional breakfast in the UAE like our pav bhaji.

'He likes green vegetables and simple yellow dal'

When Prime Minister Modi was travelling to the UAE, he was fasting for Navratri.

We got this message that he won't eat anything and then we started to prepare food accordingly.

We worked on our menu, which included fruits and vegetables and things which were non-cereal based.

There are different fasts on different days and on some days, we only served juice.

Please do not ask me for the details of the dishes because he did not give me any chart as such.

In the evenings, he ate dinner after the fast. I feel his favourite dishes were Gujarati style kadhi, Gujarati style vegetables like undhiyo.

I had made undhiyo especially for him and also a Gujarati thali. He also likes green vegetables and simple yellow dal.

I also found out that Prime Minister Modi's food habits are very basic.

He eats hot chapatis and hot vegetables, but not many of them (at one go).

You can say he likes simple home food. He prefers that.

However, he is open to new things as long as it is vegetarian.

In sweets, he is open to eat everything.

I would say his heart is Hindustani and he loves kheer, shrikhand and Gujarati sweet dishes.

He does not go overboard and eats in small quantities.

I am an apolitical man, but after spending time with Prime Minister Modi, I felt he has only one agenda -- how to make India progress.

He is never bothered about himself, only about the country.
... and ONE man could be the reason for that, say scientists.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists on Thursday announced that the Doomsday Clock now stands at two-and-a-half minutes to midnight, suggesting that existential threats now pose a greater danger to humanity than they have at any time since the height of the Cold War.

Scientists blamed a cocktail of threats ranging from dangerous political rhetoric to the potential of nuclear threat as the catalyst for moving the clock closer towards doomsday.

"This year's Clock deliberations felt more urgent than usual... as trusted sources of information came under attack, fake news was on the rise, and words were used by a President-elect of the United States in cavalier and often reckless ways to address the twin threats of nuclear weapons and climate change," Rachel Bronson, the executive director and publisher of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said in a statement.

While many threats played into the decision to move the clock 30 seconds forward from where it was in 2016, one person in particular prompted the scientists to act.

"Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person. But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter," David Titley and Lawrence M Krauss of the Bulletin wrote in an New York Times op-ed.

"This is the closest to midnight the Doomsday Clock has ever been in the lifetime of almost everyone in this room. It has been 64 years since it was closer," Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University and the chair of the Bulletin's board of sponsors, said.

The statement said, "Just the same, words matter, and President Trump has had plenty to say over the last year. Both his statements and his actions as president-elect have broken with historical precedent in unsettling ways. He has made ill-considered comments about expanding the US nuclear arsenal. He has shown a troubling propensity to discount or outright reject expert advice related to international security, including the conclusions of intelligence experts.

"And his nominees to head the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency dispute the basics of climate science. In short, even though he has just now taken office, the presidents intemperate statements, lack of openness to expert advice, and questionable cabinet nominations have already made a bad international security situation worse."

The scientists also cited the rise of "fake news" as a concern.

"In addition to the existential threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change, new global realities emerged, as trusted sources of information came under attack, fake news was on the rise, and words were used in cavalier and often reckless ways. As if to prove that words matter and fake news is dangerous, Pakistans foreign minister issued a blustery statement, a tweet actually, flexing Pakistans nuclear musclein response to a fabricated news story about Israel. Today's complex global environment is in need of deliberate and considered policy responses. It is ever more important that senior leaders across the globe calm rather than stoke tensions that could lead to war, either by accident or miscalculation," the Bulletin said in a statement.

The clock has edged closer to midnight only once before: In 1953, it was moved to two minutes to midnight after the United States and the Soviet Union both tested hydrogen bombs, kicking off the mid-century nuclear-arms race. It remained at two minutes to midnight for another seven years.

Representative Image: Courtesy Pixabay
Several hundred people rallied at the Capitol on Friday in solidarity with the March for Life, an annual event in Washington, D.C.

A coalition of anti-abortion organizations held the local rally, which is planned for the same week as when Roe v. Wade was decided. People at the rally began with a prayer, had several speakers and marched around the Capitol with signs that said pray to end abortion and choose life.

Speakers called on marchers to support foster children, sex education and prenatal care and to volunteer.

Several legislators attended the rally, and Sen. Albert Olszewski, R-Kalispell, discussed legislation he will introduce this session. The legislation hasnt been drafted yet, but the senator said in the case of a medical problem risking the life of the mother or the fetus, the mother could ask to be induced.

That means late-term abortions are no longer necessary, he said.

Olszewski asked the crowd to support the bill if it passes the House and Senate.

Youre going to have to help me with the governor, he said.

Patrick Webb, a southwest field representative for U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., read a letter of support on his behalf.

Thank you for your persistence in fighting for the most vulnerable among us. It is my privilege and honor as your us senator to carry on the fight for life with you, Daines said.

Daines said he was co-sponsoring the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. He also supports acts to protect health care workers who refuse to be involved in abortions and vowed to keep fighting to defund Planned Parenthood.

Lauren Rhoda, with the Carroll College Saints for Life group, said she believes abortion will end sooner than one might think. She attended a March for Life event last week in San Francisco and said there were 50,000 people marching. She said she was optimistic, despite counter-protests and hateful remarks.

We live in the midst of a culture of death, she said. Ours is a culture of life.

After the march, Ann Bukacek, president of the Montana Pro-Life Coalition, discussed the idea of personhood legislation with approximately 25 people who attended the rally.

Bukacek supports an amendment to the Montana Constitution that would establish personhood and prohibit all abortion. According to Montana Pro-Life Coalitions website, personhood is defined as every human being, from the moment life begins, deserves equal protection under the law. The organization says life begins at conception. Bukacek said its the key to overturning Roe v. Wade.

She said ultrasound, clean facility and parental notification laws dont stop abortion.

If you have a clean facility, you can take this life, she said. Its not designed to stop abortion.

Strategies discussed to stop abortion included supporting anti-abortion Democrats, prayer and a personhood ballot initiative.

They call me an extremist, Bukacek said. I am.

The Montana Pro-Life Coalition is hosting a second annual personhood rally in the Capitol Rotunda on Feb. 2 from 2 to 5 p.m.
The man who shot Omkara has always been reluctant to jump into full-time politics, reports Aditi Phadnis.

In most Indian political families, the son is considered the heir to the father's political legacy.

However, it was not so in the case of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the late Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and founder of the People's Democratic Party.

Mehbooba Mufti, his daughter, plunged into politics although Sayeed had a son, Tassaduq Hussain.

A cinematographer, Tassaduq made his first recent public appearance on January 10 last year, in his hometown of Bijbehara, lending emotional support to his elder sister when she broke down at their father's grave.

At that time, there were many concerns.

Would Mehbooba take up the chief ministership after her father and, if so, would she vacate her Lok Sabha seat of Anantnag, to contest the assembly seat her father had held?

That is what happened.

The Anantnag parliamentary seat has been vacant since Mehbooba, after long cogitation, resigned to become the CM and contested her father's vacant assembly seat.

The question was: Who should fill the Anantnag seat? Things in the PDP are not exactly hunky-dory.

In September, Tariq Hamid Karra quit not only the party, but his Lok Sabha seat (Srinagar).

That was the height of the upheavals in the Kashmir valley and things seemed to be slipping out of Mehbooba's grasp. Both Lok Sabha seats have been vacant since then.

This month, Tassaduq announced he was relocating to his home state.

Presumably, he will contest one of the two seats and we will see him in Parliament for the rest of the Lok Sabha's tenure.

'Whatever I saw in Kashmir was a sad reflection on what we have become. This is why I got involved.'

Tassaduq is a creative being.

He left Kashmir in 1989 when he was 18 to study cinematography in America and then returned to earn a living in Mumbai.

'I went to college and got busy, but I always missed home. I would come to see my family regularly. Now, I am back; I will be spending a lot of time in Kashmir. So, in a way, my return hasn't happened in one go, it has happened over a period of time,' he told an interviewer.

In 2006, Tassaduq worked as a cinematographer on Vishal Bhardwaj's film Omkara, which earned him a place in Bollywood.

Since then, he has had a foot in Mumbai and a toe in Srinagar.

He returned to Kashmir for an extended period while on the 'Incredible India' tourist promotion campaign.

'It is around that time that I felt a strong urge to get involved and help in whatever little way I could. I would walk around Shah-e-Hamadan Sahib and wonder what would happen. There is such a rich heritage, wealth of architecture and so much history around that it would pain one to see how the city (Srinagar) was crumbling. Delhi is one of the worst polluted cities in the world. We are headed that way,' he said.

'We should learn from Bogota (Colombia), where a mayor radically changed the situation. Whatever I saw (in Kashmir) was a sad reflection on what we have become. This is why I got involved.'

'I am a cinematographer and I look at things my own way. I also belong to a political family. I am aware that I am Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's son and whatever I do will have political overtones. I am not escaping that. But there are things I am trying to do that could contribute to a positive change,' Tassaduq said.

Tassaduq's concerns are cultural and ecological. He has set up a trust, Aarasta, funded by some friends and himself. It addresses ecology and waste management.

He seemed to be wary of jumping into full-time politics. Now, in the service of his sister, he seems likely to contest the Ananatnag seat and raise the voice of Kashmir in the Lok Sabha.

IMAGE: Tassaduq Hussain addresses PDP workers while joining the party on his father's first death anniversary. Photograph: @jkpdp/Twitter
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul asked how could he stand with the Akali Dal when he always talks about eliminating corruption.

Setting at rest speculations, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday announced that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh will be the partys chief ministerial face in the high-stakes assembly polls.

Amarinder, 74, who is fighting his last election, will be the next chief minister, if the party forms government in Punjab.

Rahul, addressing the rally in the pocket-borough of Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, said Amarinder alone can change Punjab and set it right along with the support of the people of the state and there is no other way out.

Ruling Shiromani Aakali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party have been mocking Congress, asking why the party was not declaring Amarinder as its chief ministerial candidate for the February 4 assembly polls.

"Punjab will be run by its people. I want to tell you that Punjabs chief minister will be from Punjab and Punjabs chief minister is sitting here. Amarinder Singh is Punjabs chief ministerial candidate and he will be Punjabs chief minister," he said, prompting leaders to congratulate Amarinder on the dais.

Rahul said Punjab will not be run by remote control as it does not need one, taking a veiled dig at Kejriwal and accusing him of wanting to become Delhi and Punjab chief minister at the same time.

He also made a scathing attack on the ruling Badals, accusing them of ruining Punjab and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of siding with them and talking of removing corruption.

Rahul, who began his three-day election tour to the poll-bound state by addressing his first public meeting in the presence of Amarinder and Navjot Singh Sidhu, also attacked the AAP and Kejriwal of trying to befool the people of the state by making false and empty promises.

The Congress leader said this election is not to form a government but to save Punjabiyat and Punjabs honour and only Congress with the help of people of the state can do it.

He also said if Congress comes to power, then the government will bring a law to deal with the drug menace in the state and put all those carrying out drugs business behind bars.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul asked how could he stand with the Akali Dal when he always talks about eliminating corruption.

"Modi says that he is fighting against corruption, you tell me when he talks about corruption and when he comes here and stands with the Akali Dal, how can he talk about corruption..," he said.

Gandhi held his first rally in the Majha heartland in Majitha and claimed that Punjab has fallen behind other states as the ruling Akalis plundered it to serve their own purposes.

"Punjab meets the nation's food needs... With Punjab the nation moves forward..., he said and accused the Akalis of looting the state and extending benefits to their own people.

"They did not give anything to the common people, but only extended benefits to their own people," Gandhi alleged.

Blaming the lopsided policies of the ruling SAD for exodus of the industries to other states, he said, "They (the SAD) have destroyed the industry, they ruined Punjab's future."

Raking up the drug issue, he said that the Akalis mocked at him when a few years back he had said that 70 per cent youth of the state have fallen prey to this menace.

A few years later, now the whole state is saying the problem has grown, Gandhi claimed.

"We will fight against chhitta, drugs. We will frame a tough law against drugs. We will take strict steps against this menace. We will frame such a law that anyone who thinks about drugs, they will shiver and feel scared," he said.

Hitting out at the AAP, which is also eyeing to wrest power in the state, Gandhi accused it of having failed to deliver on its promises made to the people of Delhi.

On the water issue, the AAP says one thing in Delhi, another thing in Haryana and something else in Punjab, he claimed.

Appealing people to vote for Congress, he said, We have not come here to make hollow promises, adding that his party delivers on what it says.

Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia is seeking re-election for the third time from Majitha constituency.

The Congress has fielded Sukhjinder Raj Singh against him while the AAPs candidate is Himmat Singh Shergill from this high-profile seat.

IMAGE: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi with Majithia candidate Sukhjinder Singh Lali Majithia on Friday. Photograph: @punjabpcc/Twitter
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was allegedly assaulted on Friday by activists of a Rajput community group who also forced stoppage of shooting of his movie Padmavati by vandalising the set at Jaigarh Fort, alleging that the director was distorting facts.

Police said it had detained five persons for disturbing peace even though no complaint was received from Bhansalis side.

The ruckus took place when the film, in which Deepika Padukone is playing Padmavati and Ranveer Singh is playing Alaudin Khilji, was being shot at the historic fort, eyewitnesses said.

The activists of Karni Sena gathered at the site and demanded stoppage of the shooting. They stormed the set and damaged some chairs and other objects, forcing stoppage of the shooting.

After the incident, the director decided not to go ahead with the shooting in the state.

We had warned the filmmakers against presenting wrong facts. When we came to know about the shooting, we gathered there and protested. Besides the Karni sena activists, there were several other people who had gone there to watch the shooting. Someone from the mob slapped him and pulled his hair, district president of Karni sena Narayan Singh claimed.

There was a protest and the issue was settled after both the parties held talks," said Deputy Commissioner of Police North (Jaipur) Anshuman Bhomia.

He said no FIR was lodged by anyone but five persons have been detained by the police for disturbing peace.

The filmmaker has said he will not go ahead with the shooting plans in Jaipur and he will pack up, Bhomia said.

Singh claimed that Bhansali wants to present a distorted fact about Rani Padmavati which will not tolerated by the Rajput community.

We want that no distorted fact be shown in the film and have asked the filmmaker to take care of it. The Rajput community will strongly oppose any move of presenting wrong facts about Rani Padmavati, he said.

The director is yet to comment on the incident.
Shiv Sena ministers on Friday requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to cancel a circular banning religious pictures in government offices.

The Sena ministers, in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government, on Friday called on Fadnavis to make a formal representation in this regard.

Later, while talking to reporters, Sena minister Ramdas Kadam claimed that the chief minister has agreed to cancel the directive.

The CM has agreed to cancel this directive and has told us that an inquiry would be initiated against the official responsible for the directive, Kadam said.

Notably, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had also on Thursday slammed the state governments recent order banning the celebration of religious festivals, pujas and pictures of deities in government offices, alleging that party ministers were not taken into confidence before issuing the circular.

Where was your transparency before you took this decision? Why were Sena ministers not taken into confidence? Had they been, they would have strongly protested it, Thackeray had said on Thursday.

Wondering why pictures of deities could not be hung in offices, Thackeray said, adding that he accepted secularism, but it should be applied without discrimination.

If you have the courage, implement the Uniform Civil Code, he said.

The Maharashtra government had last week directed rural civic bodies to remove photos of Gods or religious figures from government offices and state-run schools with immediate effect.

The offices were reminded that solicitation of any religion by displaying religious slogans and performing puja was against the provisions of Constitution.
Documents declassified by the US espionage agency, the Central Intelligence Agency have revealed a shocking bit of information regarding an assassination attempt in 1950 on Field Marshal K N Cariappa, who took over as the first Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army from British Army officer General Roy Bucher on January 15, 1949.

"An attempt to assassinate General Cariappa, the commander-in-chief of Indian Army, was made during the Generals recent inspection tour of East Punjab, said the CIA declassified report, titled "Rift in Officers corps of the Indian Army", filed on June 12, 1950 that was hitherto unknown to the public.

The report is among some 13 million declassified documents, which the CIA have released online. The report was declassified in accordance with the US governments 1995 executive order that allows automatic declassification of nonexempt historically valuable records 25 years or older.

The "confidential" report states that six people were sentenced to death for making an attempt on the life of Cariappa.

"Six persons have been sentenced to death in connection with the plot; several high army officers are believed to be involved," the report said without identifying those sent to the gallows.

The report also states, "General Cariappa as South Indian is resented by the Sikh officers of the Indian Army. The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) is capitalising on the North-South split among army officers, persuading Sikh officers, whom informant considers treacherous and unreliable, to spread dissension. Officers from Travancore (later Kerala), Madras and Maharashtra are invariable loyal to General Cariappa."

That the US intelligence didn't see Cariappa favourably is reflected clearly in yet another declassified CIA document dated December 15, 1948 which states: "The impending departure of General Sir Roy Bucher, the British officer now commanding the Indian Army, increases the possibility of an open warfare between India and Pakistan. General Bucher, who is to reliquish the office of Comander-in-Chief on August 15, has exerted a moderating influence on Indian military policy and with the cooperation of his British opposite number in Pakistan has kept to a minimum direct encounter between the Indian Army and Pakistan's regular troops in Kashmir."

"His successor, Lieutenant General K M Cariappa, gives the impression of being vain, temperamentally unstable, and lacking sound military judgement; there is a danger that in attempting to give palatable military advice to the Indian government he may fail to give due consideration to all of the military and political factors involved and that he may use his new position to seek the personal glory that a speedy termination of the Kashmir campaign would provide."

General Cariappa was then the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command during the Jammu and Kashmir operations.

But could these notes just be tales of fantasy?

The assassination attempt report too is preposterous, Air Marshal (retd) Nanda Cariappa, General Cariappa's son, told Outlook magazine.

"I think it is implausible, I have never heard about it, quite honestly, and nobody I know has ever heard about it. In 1950, one year into being the commander in chief, he was in good terms with the politicians. I cant think of anybody who would want to bump him off," said Air Marshal (retd) Nanda, who retired from the IAF 20 years ago.

According to I Ramamohan Rao, former Principal Information Officer of the Indian government, said General Butcher had tried his best to tie General Cariappa's hands in 1948 by not approving plans to evict Pakistani 'raiders' from some sensitive areas. General Cariappa, as GOC-in-C, quietly decided to clear the Pakistani raiders from the Jammu-Naushera Axis. He also directed the operations for recapture of Zoji la Drass and Kargil.

"A great deal of credit goes to General Cariappa for making the Indian Army truly Indian. Today, the nation can take pride in the role played by the Army in guarding it against external threats and insurgency promoted by hostile elements."

"Not many remember that Field Marshal Ayub Khan served under General Cariappa in the British Indian Army. When his son Flt. Lt. K. C. "Nanda" Cariappa (who later rose to the rank of an Air Marshal) was taken prisoner after his Hunter aircraft was shot down during the 1965 war, Field Marshal Ayub Khan contacted General Cariappa in Mercara and offered to release his son.

The reply of General Cariappa was: "He is my son no longer... He is the child of this country, a soldier fighting for his motherland like a true patriot. My many thanks for your kind gesture, but I request you to release all or release none. Give him no special treatment," Rao wrote in an edit piece for news agency ANI.
In their first eight days on the job, the Irula tribesmen -- world-renowned snake catchers from India -- removed 13 pythons, including four on their first visit to Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on North Key Largo in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Two Indian snake hunters have been hired by Florida wildlife officials to get rid of Burmese pythons, which are wiping out small mammal populations driving some nearly to extinction in a tropical wetland in the US state.

Masi Sadaiyan and Vadivel Gopal, both in their 50s, from the Irula tribe of Tamil Nadu, are successful python hunters in India, and were brought in, along with two translators, to work with detection dogs earlier this month to track down and capture the giant snakes.

In just eight days, they have surprised officials of the Florida Fish and Wildlfe Conservation Commission by bagging as many as 13 pythons, including a 16-foot-long female.

A joint endeavour of FWC and University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFS), officials have described it as a "unique project".

"Since the Irula have been so successful in their homeland at removing pythons, we are hoping they can teach people in Florida some of these skills," said Kristen Sommers, section leader of the FWC's Wildlife Impact Management Section.

"We are working with our partners to improve our ability to find and capture pythons in the wild. These projects are two of several new efforts focused on the removal of these snakes," Sommers said.

"In their first eight days on the job, the Irula tribesmen -- world-renowned snake catchers from India -- removed 13 pythons, including four on their first visit to Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on North Key Largo in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irula tribe has been catching snakes," a media release said.

Officials said they are currently working with the Irula tribesmen to identify additional programmes to remove more nonnative pythons from Florida.

The FWC and UF/IFAS have been collaborating with public land managers to identify environmentally sensitive areas that would benefit most from targeted python removal.

Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is one such area because of the federally-endangered Key Largo woodrat and many protected bird species that reside there.

UF/IFAS wildlife biologist, Frank Mazzotti, and his team are working with the Irula tribe in South Florida, media release said.

On January 17, Irula tribesmen, UF/IFAS, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Geological Survey cooperators removed four Burmese pythons from the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The commission says it paid $68,888 to hire the Irula men and their translators and fly them to South Florida from their home in southern India. They'll stay in Florida through February.

Photograph: Florida Fish and Wildlfe Conservation Commission via Ed Metzger, University of Florida
United States President Donald Trump on Friday met British Prime Minister Theresa May in his first summit with a foreign leader since inauguration, hours after she called on the United States and the United Kingdom to again lead together.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump greets British Prime Minister Theresa May as she arrives at the White House in Washington, U.S. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

May, dressed in red, was greeted in person by Trump when she arrived at the White House.

The meeting was being watched with global interest as the two countries seek to find common ground on trade and lay the groundwork for a new deal following last years Brexit vote in favour of the UK to leave the European Union. The two countries are also looking to boost defence ties.

It was also Trumps first tryst with face-to-face diplomacy as he welcomed his first foreign visitor to the White House.

Ahead of the meeting with Trump, May, while speaking at the Republican Retreat in Philadelphia, said with the emergence of non-state actors, it is time that the countries like the US and Britain assert their leadership role.

May said Britain and the US must lead together again and play their role in safeguarding global security even as she welcomed the rise of democratic allies like India.

We have the opportunity to lead together again because the world is passing through a period of change. And in response to that change, we can either be passive bystanders or we can take the opportunity once more to lead and to lead together, she said.

New enemies of the West and our values, in particular in the form of radical Islamists, have emerged, as countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty and human rights, notably China and Russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs, May said.

The rise of the Asian economies -- China, yes, but democratic allies like India too -- is hugely welcomed. Billions are being lifted out of poverty and new markets for our industries are opening up, she said.

IMAGE: British Prime Minister Theresa May lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters

May also paid her respects to the military dead of the US at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, DC.

The UK prime minister laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at the Virginia military cemetery, which holds the remains of unidentified US troops from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean war.

Dressed in black, May was greeted by troops representing all military units based in Washington, led by Major General Bradley Becker, commander of Joint Force Headquarters for the national capital region.

A cannon was fired 19 times as the prime ministers convoy arrived at the cemetery and made its way to the memorial, which stands on a small hill looking down over serried ranks of gravestones to the monuments of Washington a few miles away across the Potomac River.

The new US president and the premier, who took office in July, both have strong political incentives to make the visit -- likely to be heavier on symbolism and aspiration than deliverables -- a roaring success.
United States President Donald Trump has defended his controversial plan to limit the entry of people from some Muslim countries to combat terrorism even as he was non-committal whether nations like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia would be figuring in the proposed visa ban list.

When asked about countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia figuring in the list, he said, Youre going to see. Youre going to see. Were going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And were not letting people in if we think theres even a little chance of some problem.

We are excluding certain countries, but for other countries, were going to have extreme vetting. Its going to be very hard to come in, Trump told ABC News, refusing to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about.

Trump denied that it was a ban on Muslims. No its not the Muslim ban, but its countries that have tremendous terror, he said.

Right now, its very easy to come in. Its going to be very, very hard. I dont want terror in this country. You look at what happened in San Bernardino. You look at what happened all over. You look at what happened in the World Trade Center, OK? I mean, take that as an example. People dont even bring that up, he said.

Asked if he was concerned this would anger Muslims around the world, he said, Anger? Theres plenty of anger right now. How can you have more?

The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What, you think this is going to cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place. All of this has happened. We went into Iraq. We shouldnt have gone into Iraq. We shouldnt have gotten out the way we got out. The world is a total mess. The world is a mess, the US president said.

According to a draft executive order published in US media, refugees from war-torn Syria will be indefinitely banned, the broader US refugee admissions programme will be suspended for 120 days, and all visa applications from countries deemed a terrorist threat -- Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen -- will be halted for 30 days.

Image: Demonstrators gather at Washington Square Park to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump in New York. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
"It is time that the American people had a president fighting as hard for its citizens as other countries do for theirs, and that's exactly what I'm going to do for you. Believe me," says US President Donald Trump.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's decision to cancel his planned trip to the United States next week was mutually agreed upon, US President Donald Trump has said stating that such a meeting would be "fruitless unless Mexico is going to treat America fairly".

"The President of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week," Trump said in his remarks at Republican retreat in Philadelphia.

"Unless Mexico is going to treat the US fairly with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go in different route. We have no choice," he said.

"Border security is a serious, serious national issue and problem. A lack of security poses a substantial threat to the sovereignty and safety of the United States of America and its citizens," Trump said.

"Most illegal immigration is coming from our southern border. I've said many times that the American people will not pay for the wall. I've made that clear to the government of Mexico," he asserted.

The North American Free Trade Agreement, he said, has been a terrible deal, a total disaster for the US from its inception, costing us as much as $60 billion a year with Mexico alone in trade deficits.

"You say, who negotiates these deals? Not to mention, millions of jobs and thousands and thousands of factories and plants closing down all over our country," he said.

"On top of that are the trillions of dollars the US taxpayers have spent to pay the costs of illegal immigration. Much of it is then been sent back, and much of it goes back to other countries, and oftentimes because they don't respect us, the other countries will not accept the criminals that we send back to them that are illegally in our country," Trump said.

"I promise you, they will start accepting them again, quickly. We are not going to them any longer," he said amidst applause from the audience.

"I will not allow the taxpayers or the citizens of the US to pay the costs of this defective transaction, NAFTA, one that should have been renegotiated many years ago except the politicians were too preoccupied to do so. Now these people are not in that category, you understand. This is a different group. I think," Trump said.

Trump said his administration is working on a tax reform bill that will reduce trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if the US decides to go that route.

"It is time that the American people had a president fighting as hard for its citizens as other countries do for theirs, and that's exactly what I'm going to do for you. Believe me," he said.

*******

20 percent tax on Mexican imports to fund wall

President Trump is seeking to impose a 20 per cent tax on imports from countries which has a trade deficit with the US like Mexico in order to finance the construction of a border wall along its southern border, the White House said.

This is one of the way to pay for the wall that the US is planning to construct along the US-Mexico border. However the proposal is currently only for Mexico, White

House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters travelling with the Trump from Philadelphia to Washington DC abroad Air Force One.

"When you look at the plan that's taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico," Spicer said.

"If you tax that $50 billion at 20 per cent of imports, which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do - right now, our country's policy is to tax

exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous. By doing it that way we can do USD 10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone," Spicer said.

"Right now we are focused on Mexico, but I think as we look comprehensively at our trade situation and countries that we have a deficit for, this is something the president has been talking about holistically," he said.

"He has talked about a border tax. In particular companies that move out, ship things back in. But in this case, this really handles, is focused more on the immigration piece," Spicer said.

"Remember, keep in mind there are 160 other countries that do just this. We are one of the only major countries, in fact probably the only major country that doesn't treat imports this way," Spicer said.

"In fact, we currently tax exports, not imports. This gets us in line frankly with the policies that the other countries around the world treat our products," he said.

"If you think about what a border tax on imports from countries like Mexico that we have a huge trade deficit does, that's really going to provide the funding," he added.

"But the other net positive that you have to realise is that through the wall, not only do we secure our border but I think we are going to save additional money that we would have had to spend on tracking down illegal immigrants and on immigration," Spicer said making a strong case for a physical barrier across the US-Mexico border.

Meanwhile, Spicer said the 20 per cent tax plan to be imposed on imports from countries with trade deficit like Mexico was in early stages and nothing has been finalised yet.

*******

'A remarkable first week in office'

President Trump's first week in office has been remarkable so far with busy meetings and engagements, a top advisor has said.

"This has been a pretty remarkable week in just four work days. We have had wage-boosting, job-creating measures. We have had manufacturing CEOs from all over the country here, really premier job creators, really heeding the president's call to try to have an explosion in manufacturing in our nation," Kellyanne Conway, Trump's senior advisor told PBS News in an interview.

"Then on the very same day, we had the labour union leaders, along with laborers themselves here at the White House, talking about what it means for them be a carpenter, a pipe fitter, a plumber, a steelworker, like the many men I grew up with in South Jersey outside of Philadelphia," she said.

"They said that they had never been invited to the White House before, Democratic or Republican. They felt so included that they're part of the national conversation," she said.

Trump has issued executive orders withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), so that the US would have bilateral trade agreements in the future that benefit the US and its workers and its allies and its interests.

"So, it's been a very busy week. We're very happy to have our first foreign leader tomorrow, Prime Minister Theresa May, here, meeting with President Trump," Conway said.

Responding to a question on reported move of the administration to impose tax on import of goods from Mexico, she said this is just one idea.

"That is one of the many methods by which to pay for the wall (US-Mexico border). It is one proposal on the table. Certainly, there are others," Conway said.

"When you consider the price tag for this wall, which will be a physical wall constructed on the southern border, let's contrast that to the billions and billions that we spend on benefits for and accommodating illegal immigrants," she said.

America, she said, spends billions of dollars protecting the borders of other countries around the world.

"It's high time we start protecting our own. We're a sovereign nation. And as President Trump has said all along, made a centerpiece of his campaign from day one, we have to stop the flow of people and drugs over our borders, she said.

*******

The US media here is the opposition party

Meanwhile, a top Trump advisor has asked the mainstream media in the US to keep its mouth shut as the news organisations have been "humiliated" by the general elections results and he repeatedly described them as "the opposition party" of the current administration.

"The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while," Stephen K Bannon, Chief White House Strategist for President Donald Trump told The New York Times in a conference call.

"I want you to quote this. The media here is the opposition party. They don't understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the US," Bannon said.

Bannon, who played a key role in the victory of Trump last November said that the elite media got it all wrong covering the campaign.

"The elite media got it dead wrong, 100 per cent dead wrong," Bannon said calling it "a humiliating defeat that they will never wash away, that will always be there."

"The mainstream media has not fired or terminated anyone associated with following our campaign," Bannon said.

"Look at the Twitter feeds of those people: they were outright activists of the Clinton campaign. You were humiliated," he alleged.

"The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence, and no hard work. You're the opposition party. Not the Democratic Party. You're the opposition party. The media is the opposition party," he said.

"The paper of record for our beloved republic, The New York Times, should be absolutely ashamed and humiliated. They got it 100 per cent wrong," Bannon said.
Hell hath no fury like a scientist scorned. Defiant employees from multiple US government agencies are fighting the Trump administration's gag orders on climate change and penchant for 'alt facts' with 'rogue' Twitter accounts.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

When United States President Donald Trump -- who has called climate change a hoax -- began his presidency with making the White House delete the climate change policies on its website, he definitely didn't see this coming. Defiant employees from multiple US government agencies established "alt" Twitter accounts to bypass the muzzle and fight the Trump administration's penchant for "alt facts".

The movement began with the Badlands National Park @BadlandsNPS tweeting about global warming.

"Badlands National Park tugged on Superman's cape Tuesday. It spit into the wind. It pulled the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and it messed around with President Trump," The Washington Post wrote. "With the Trump administration placing a gag order on the Environmental Protection Agency, shutting down its Twitter feed, forcing employees off their individual accounts and dismantling Web pages with climate-change information, Badlands went rogue."

Though the tweets -- reportedly posted by a former Badlands National Park employee -- were soon deleted, it was too late. They had been retweeted thousands of times and many had screenshots as back-up. A movement had begun.

The RedwoodsNational Park tweeted about the role of trees in containing climate change: "More redwoods would mean less #climatechange".

Golden Gate National Recreation Area tweeted, "2016 was the hottest year on record for the 3rd year in a row", with a link to a NASA report on climate change.

Death ValleyNational Park's account tweeted about the internment of Japanese-Americans at the park during World War II. It was seen by many as a stand against Trump's pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US.





Trump actions on climate change According to Salon, "In December the Trump team got into trouble for sending out a questionnaire to Department of Energy employees asking for the names of employees who had worked on climate change policy."



Trump chose Scott Pruitt, who doesn't believe in global warming, dislikes everything that the EPA stands for and has sued the agency multiple times, as the head of the agency.



One of President Trump's first moves was to remove the White House page on climate change.



Trump not only gagged EPA employees, but also told the agency's communications team to delete the page describing climate change. "This will include detailed data on emissions and links to scientific research on the climatology behind man-made global warming. Some employees are working furiously to save as much of the website's information as possible," Salon noted. The administration, however, appeared to "stand down" after severe backlash.



Trump signed two executive actions advancing two controversial pipelines -- the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access pipelines.



The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cancelled a climate and health summit in the wake of Trump's actions, but former US vice president Al Gore said he would host the climate change summit instead.



And as it became clear that the Trump administration would go on muzzling federal workers (especially those at the EPA and the departments of interior, agriculture, and health and human services) unofficial resistance teams began to emerge. Accounts like @AltNatParkSer, @ActualEPAFacts, @RogueNASA, @Alt_NASA and @Alt_CDC -- to name just a few of the more than 50 such handles -- were created and quickly gathered hundreds of thousand of followers.

The @AltNatParkSer account, which had 1.23 million followers at last count, called itself 'the unofficial #Resistance team of U.S. National Park Service. Come for rugged scenery, science facts & climate change information. Run by non-gov individuals.'

It pinned a tweet stating, 'Can't wait for President Trump to call us FAKE NEWS. You can take our official twitter, but you'll never take our free time!'

@ActualEPAFacts, which was followed by 143K people, said, 'He can take our official Twitter but he'll never take our FREEDOM. Unofficial EPA resistance. #factsmatter.' It added, "Stay in your lane Donald. Leave the sciencing up to the scientists. #factsmatter #NotAlternativeFacts"

The @RogueNASA account, called itself "The unofficial 'Resistance' team of NASA. Not an official NASA account. Not managed by gov't employees. Come for the facts, stay for the snark," adding "If (when?) the time comes that NASA has been instructed to cease tweeting/sharing info about science and climate change, we will inform you."

Interestingly, the @AltNatParkSer account already has more than three times as many followers as the official @NatlParkService account.

And as Reuters reported, "Because the Twitter feeds were set up and posted to anonymously as private accounts, they are beyond the control of the government."

Forbes, which investigated the security and copyright aspects of these accounts, noted, "These new accounts also raise the fascinating question of whether 'alternative' or 'rogue' or 'resistance' social media accounts will become a new norm even in Western nations that have not typically had a history of 'governments in exile' In the end, the rise of this 'rogue' Twitter army offers many lessons as governments move beyond the traditional controlled confines of reserved communication channels like press conferences and restricted web domains to the open and chaotic free-for-all of social media. It will be fascinating to see how it all plays out."
Akhilesh believes his catchment area is the 4.1 million new voters who are 18 to 19 years old, reports Sahil Makkar.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's attempt to split with his father, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, and uncle Shivpal Yadav is being seen in some quarters as a means to conceal his government's lacklustre performance and let out the impression that the older generation is holding him back.

The economic and social indicators analysed by Business Standard suggest that the state performed better during Mayawati's tenure as chief minister (2007 to 2012) as compared to that of Akhilesh (2012-17).

Uttar Pradesh registered an average annual growth rate of 7 per cent when Mayawati was in power, whereas it was 5 to 6 per cent during SP rule.

While farm growth during the two regimes is comparable, the services sector failed to expand during Akhilesh's tenure.

Services-sector growth was 20.41 per cent during the Mayawati government's first year (2007-2008), falling to 8.67 per cent in the year her reign ended (2011-2012).

Akhilesh was unable to arrest the slide and, in the first year after his ascent to power, growth plummeted to 5.85 per cent.

While it picked up in 2014-2015 at 7.85 per cent, it was unable to top the highs of the Mayawati regime.

The SP government performed a shade better than its predecessor in managing the fiscal deficit.

However, the ratio of social expenditure to the total was almost the same in the case of both.

On other social parameters, including ending crime and nabbing criminals, Mayawati had outperformed Akhilesh.

Violent crime recorded a sharp increase in the first two years of Akhilesh taking office in 2012.

The biggest blot on his government was the Muzaffarnagar riots, in which 62 people were killed, and the lynching of a Muslim man for allegedly storing beef in his house in Dadri.

"The fight within the SP could be to protect Akhilesh's public persona and hide the underperformance of his government. Akhilesh is doing it to capture the votes of the aspiring youth, which is comparable to the tactics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections," says Jai Mrug, psephologist and political analyst.

However, S K Dwivedi, former political science professor at Lucknow University, says it is Advantage Akhilesh.

"Mayawati might have performed better on economic and social indicators, but Akhilesh's government enjoys a relatively clean image and has undertaken some big ticket projects," he said, adding, "SP stalwarts did not allow him to work and, therefore, Akhilesh should not be judged harshly."

Though political analysts might give Akhilesh the benefit of doubt, the Comptroller and Audit General has come down heavily on his government.

In recent reports, the CAG has said that every second child in Uttar Pradesh is undernourished and 52 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic.

The CAG audited 11 women-related schemes during 2010-2011 to 2014-2015 in 20 districts and found the state had no provision for gender budgeting.

'The Uttar Pradesh government has failed to adopt gender-based budgeting even after 10 years of its declaration of State Women Policy in 2006,' the CAG noted.

The auditor found funds in most schemes for women were either unutilised or partially utilised.

One such scheme relates to rape victims, to whom the state government failed to provide assistance.

'The allocation of Rs 15.03 crore by the Government of India under the Financial Assistance and Support Services to Victims of Rape was not utilised by the state, though 3,544 cases of rape were reported in the state during the same period.'

'Out of the 18 cases for sanction of compensation under The Uttar Pradesh Victim Compensation Scheme, only two cases have been awarded compensation and remaining 16 cases are pending for four to 20 months as of December 2015,' says the CAG.

Similarly, the state government utilised only 11 per cent of the funds allocated during 2010-2015 for creating facilities for medical termination of pregnancy.

'Only 6 per cent of 773 community health centres in the state were having facilities for the medical termination of pregnancy. As a result, majority of the women in rural areas had no access to safe abortion services at affordable cost and at reasonable distance from their habitation,' the CAG report said.

Worse, most rural women are still dependent on unskilled birth attendants for delivery.

'There was a shortage of government health centres in the state as only 773 CHCs, 3,538 PHCs and 20,521 Sub centres were functional as on March 2015 against the required number of 1,555 CHCs, 5,183 PHCs and 31,100 Sub-centres respectively indicating lack of government health facilities in rural areas,' it said.

The report went on to say that amenities such as toilets and drinking water were missing in 43,600 Anganwadi centres (AWCs) and drinking water in another 53,757 AWCs.

Anil Singh, a Faizabad-based political analyst, said Akhilesh had failed as chief minister.

"He failed to take even small decisions which are required to run the government smoothly. He, however, has done things to benefit certain sections of society and is expecting their votes in the coming elections," Singh said.

One such scheme relates to distributing free smartphones to people who are 18 and above.

The state government has justified the scheme, saying that smart phones will keep people posted on government schemes in audio and video format.

This idea has been borrowed from the SP's previous poll promise of distributing free laptops to students, and this is believed to have been the clincher in propelling the SP to power.

Voters say the SP will keep its smartphone promise on the strength that the party has distributed 1.8 million free laptops.

Akhilesh believes his catchment area is the 4.1 million new voters who are 18 to 19 years old.

The gamble had paid off in the 2012 assembly elections, with the SP winning 224 seats of the 403 seats in the UP assembly.

He hopes to repeat the feat and believes he has no competitors in this field.
MISSOULA -- The day before prosecutors believe Emmanuel Gomez killed 26-year-old Charlie Ann Wyrick, she showed up at her brothers house in Missoula saying she was going to leave Gomez.

She thought she meant it this time, Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst said in her opening statement Thursday in Gomez's murder trial.

Instead, Wyrick sent Gomez messages, telling him she missed and loved him, and he came and picked her up the next morning, Dec. 21, 2015. By the end of the day, Pabst said Gomez had stabbed Wyrick in the chest, puncturing her lung, and driven her while she was still alive up to the Deer Creek drainage, dumping her down an embankment into a ravine.

He took her away from Missoula, away from care, away from people who cared and away from the law, Pabst said. He owned her, he used her, and when he was done with her, he threw her away.

Days later, after a search by police and sheriffs deputies, Wyricks body was found and Gomez  who had been arrested on Christmas Eve  was charged with deliberate homicide in her death.

Wyrick and Gomez had been together for eight or nine months, Pabst said, in a relationship based on power, control, dominance and abuse, by a man she said brought with him a hurricane of rage.

She said she would show the jury that after Gomez killed Wyrick he scrubbed out the inside of his SUV, but that investigators still found traces of her blood inside.

Pabsts and defense attorney Lisa Kauffmans opening statements gave a different view on the number of witnesses, more than 40 in all, that the prosecution may call to testify. Gomezs attorney said they were there to give credence to Pabsts office having created a story about what happened to Wyrick.

Charlie was (Gomezs) girlfriend and he loved her, Kauffman said, adding that her client has had to deal with his own grief since she died.

The county attorney told the jury each of those witnesses will lay a brick.

When you place those bricks together they make a path. And that path leads to the chair where he sits, she said.

Kauffman said Pabst never located a murder weapon, and that Gomez and Wyricks roommates have differing views about an argument that happened at the house the morning investigators believe she died.

Theres nothing but assumption and guessing, Kauffman said. Im asking you to set aside the emotions youre going to be confronted with from the facts of the case.

Four people testified before the end of the day Thursday. Kimberly Mulcare, a close friend of Wyricks who lived in Helena, said the fall after Wyrick moved to Missoula she called her terrified, asking her to come to town and pick her up. The sense of fear intensified over several days until Mulcare realized I needed to come get her and I needed to come get her now.

Wyrick met her at a gas station in September 2015, telling her to get in her car quickly because she was worried Gomez was following her and didnt want him to recognize Mulcare and start to follow her as well.

They went to the home of Wyricks brother and got some of her possessions and drove back to Helena. Wyrick showed Mulcare a photo of Gomez on the drive, telling her to keep a look out for him, Mulcare said. Within a week, Mulcare said Wyrick left and went back to Missoula, but left all of her possessions at her home in Helena.

That was the last time she saw her friend, Mulcare said.

Amy Finch, who worked at Pattee Creek Market with Wyrick, said she came into work once with a black eye. When Finch asked how it happened, Wyrick told her she fell in the driveway.

Maghan Radcliff, who was dating Wyricks brother, said Wyrick was withdrawn whenever Gomez was around, and bubbly when he wasnt. She said over the time Wyrick and Gomez dated, her clothing changed from tank tops and skirts to baggy sweatshirts and pants.

She would show up at our house covered in bruises and try to hide them, she said.

The last time she saw her, the evening of Dec. 20, 2015, Radcliff said Wyrick was definitely scared for her life and she wanted out.

Jury selection continued Thursday morning after a full day on Wednesday. Several members of the jury pool came in saying that, after giving the matter a night of thought, they didnt feel they would be good jurors.

Others were excused after having problems with questions from defense attorney Brian Smith about how they would respond if Gomez didn't testify in his own defense.

If I was sitting over in that chair and I was innocent, I would say something, one man said.

Eventually the jury of seven women and five men was seated, along with two women and a man who will serve as potential alternates in the case.

Trial will continue into day three on Friday. District Court Judge Karen Townsend indicated the case could last three weeks.
Urging 'bold decisions' to end Yemen conflict, UN envoy says viable peace plan within reach

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Urging 'bold decisions' to end Yemen conflict, UN envoy says viable peace plan within reach, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b00f440c.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

26 January 2017 - Amid attacks and counter-attacks in Yemen, those seeking a military solution will only prolong the suffering caused by the war, allow the terrorist threat to grow and deepen the challenges that will face the eventual recovery, the United Nations envoy for the war-riven country said today.

The past several months have seen a "dangerous escalation" of military activities with tragic consequences for the Yemeni people, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, told the Security Council during a briefing alongside UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien.

Indeed, he explained, armed hostilities continued in many areas, including Sana'a governorate, Taiz city and in border areas between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

"Civilians in Taiz continue to suffer from indiscriminate shelling in the city's residential areas, with such attacks increasing in recent days, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, adding that ground fighting and airstrikes had also escalated along the western coastline following the launch of operation 'Golden Spear' by the Yemeni Government and allied forces.

Both sides to the conflict continue to claim significant military progress in the media, "but I remain convinced that there is no possibility of a military solution."

Describing "daily attacks and counter-attacks," he said the continued military activities are all the more tragic as a viable proposal for peace is on the table and within reach of both parties. "With political courage and will, the war can be stopped," he said, pressing both sides to demonstrate the political courage needed to stop the nearly two-year-long war.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Secretary General's Special Envoy for Yemen, briefs the Security Council. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Recalling that a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister in Riyadh on 18 December 2016, senior officials from Oman, United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom had concluded with calls for a rapid cessation of hostilities, he said: "We are committed to ensuring that the upcoming cessation of hostilities will be durable and provide real relief to the Yemeni people."

He went on to state that while Ansar Allah and the General People's Congress had accepted the road map as a basis for consultations last November, their unwillingness to discuss security arrangements seriously did not help to advance peace. Moreover, he also was disappointed at their decision to appoint a parallel government, and urged President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi to commit himself to consultations based on the proposals.

Stressing that "there is a clear path out of the violence," Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed emphasized that his proposals have reflected the concerns and needs of both sides, and took Yemen's political, security and social situations into consideration. "I hope Yemen's leaders will be able to see the impact that this tragedy has had on the country, make the bold decision to commit to a political solution and put an end to the senseless violence."

UN aid chief warns of 'silent deaths,' possible famine scenario for 2017

For his part, Mr. O'Brien said the conflict in Yemen is now the primary driver of the largest food security emergency in the world. "If there is no immediate action, famine is now a possible scenario for 2017."

From the beginning of the hostilities in March 2015 to 31 December 2016, 7,469 Yemenis were killed and 40,483 injured due to the conflict, he said, noting that the true number is likely to be higher. The casualty figures include more than 1,400 children killed and over 2,140 children injured. Another 1,441 children have been recruited by warring parties, some as young as eight years old.

Beyond the direct casualties of the armed conflict, there are also the so-called 'silent deaths' of Yemenis that go largely unnoticed and unrecorded, he said.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Mr. O'Brien heads up, more than two thirds of the population - an alarming 18.8 million - is in need of humanitarian and protection assistance, including an astounding 10.3 million Yemenis who require immediate assistance to save or sustain their lives. This is about the size of the entire population of Sweden and the numbers are rising, he added.

Some 14 million people are currently food insecure, of whom half are severely food insecure.

So far, he said, the UN verified over 325 attacks on schools, health facilities, markets, roads, bridges and even water points. Over two thirds of the damage to public infrastructure is a result of airstrikes.

In spite of the difficult conditions and tremendous challenges, the humanitarian community reached 5.6 million Yemenis in 2016, with more than 114 aid organizations are working in Yemen, he said, adding that thanks to the swift intervention by humanitarian partners, the cholera outbreak which started in October is now in decline.

Roughly $2 billion is required to support the 2017 humanitarian response, targeting 10 million of the most vulnerable people in Yemen. "I request Member States to pledge generously at the forthcoming Yemen Pledging Conference in late March," Mr. O'Brien stressed.

He concluded his briefing by requesting Council members to once again call for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and use their influence over the parties to the conflict to ensure that they respect international humanitarian law and to provide timely, full and unimpeded humanitarian access.
South Sudan: UN mission chief meets President Kiir, pledges commitment to regional force

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as UN News Service, South Sudan: UN mission chief meets President Kiir, pledges commitment to regional force, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b01c1190.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

26 January 2017 - The newly arrived head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer, has met with President Salva Kiir in the country's capital of Juba, where he reiterated the Mission's commitment to supporting peace efforts.

According to a UN spokesperson, in a meeting yesterday, Mr. Shearer told President Kiir that the UN and UNMISS are there to support the Government and help the people of South Sudan, and said his job will be done when the conditions in the world's youngest country permit UNMISS to leave. He added that he had come to South Sudan with an open mind.

Mr. Shearer also met with the South Sudanese Minister of Cabinet Affairs. The UN said Mr. Shearer was pleased to hear the Minister reiterate South Sudan Government's commitment to the deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) mandated by the UN Security Council in August 2016.

UNMISS was deployed in July 2011, just as South Sudan gained independence from Sudan. The current strength of the Mission is some 13,000 uniformed personnel and more than 2,000 international and local civilian staff.

South Sudan has faced ongoing challenges since a political stalemate erupted into full blown conflict in December 2013. The crisis has produced one of the world's worst displacement situations with immense suffering for civilians.
BILLINGS -- A federal judge this week ruled that the actions of two former Yellowstone County sheriffs deputies who fatally shot a 28-year-old man near Huntley were unreasonable and that they are not entitled to protections under the law.

In a 33-page order filed on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Watters ruled for Loren Benjamin Simpson's estate saying that Yellowstone County Deputies Chris Rudolph and Jason Robinson are not entitled to qualified immunity on Simpsons claim of excessive force.

Kevin Gillen, Yellowstone County deputy attorney, said Thursday the county disagrees with the courts opinion and is considering whether to appeal it to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

We believe we have appealable issues that come out of that ruling, Gillen said.

Nathan Wagner, a Missoula lawyer who represents Simpsons family, said on Thursday he was pleased with the ruling. This is a big step in the right direction, he said.

From the outset, we have believed that qualified immunity was not applicable to the facts of this case because the officers conduct was so abhorrent, Wagner said.

The court has now agreed that the officers conduct was unreasonable and improper, and has refused to apply the doctrine of qualified immunity to protect them from the consequences of their actions," Wagner said.

The deputies shot and killed Simpson on Jan. 8, 2015, near Huntley. Simpson approached the deputies on White Buffalo Road while driving a Ford Explorer that had been reported stolen. The deputies fired at the vehicle with a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle, striking Simpson multiple times, including a fatal shot that hit him in the back of head.

Deputies told investigators after the shooting that they felt threatened by the vehicle coming toward them. Both deputies resigned five days after the shooting.

Simpsons family then sued Yellowstone County, the deputies and other county officials, alleging the deputies actions violated Simpsons civil rights and alleging other claims. The case was moved from state District Court to federal district Court in October 2015.

The county has argued the deputies have qualified immunity from federal claims.

Qualified immunity provides a government employee sued for money damages under federal Constitutional claims with immunity if it was reasonable for the employee to believe his actions would not violate a clearly established legal or constitutional right.

Unless the ruling is appealed, the case would proceed on the civil rights claims.

No trial date has been set and other issues are pending, Wagner said.

Once the issues have been settled, Wagner said he expects there will be a round of negotiations supervised by a U.S. magistrate judge. If the case is not resolved, it will be set for trial, he said.

An earlier attempt to settle the case through mediation failed.

Wagner said he thought one of reasons for the unsuccessful mediation was that the county thought it had a good chance of succeeding on the issue of qualified immunity.

Wagner also said he expects that Watters ruling against the county will affect the negotiating positions of the parties.

Watters said a review of the facts, including a dash camera video, suggest that it was not objectively reasonable for the deputies to believe that Simpson was accelerating and driving the Explorer toward Robinson or to keep firing at the Explorer after it passed.

Watters also said, In sum, the force used by the deputies was severe, the crime they suspected Simpson had committed was minor, the danger to the deputies was minimal, and the deputies could have used less intrusive means to effect the investigative stop.

A jury, the judge continued, could conclude that Simpson was not an immediate threat to the deputies or others at the time he was shot and killed, or even if he posed a threat, that the deputies response to that threat was unreasonable and violated Simpsons Fourth Amendment rights.

The Fourth Amendment protects against unlawful searches and seizures.
UN aid officials urge Security Council to push for greater humanitarian access in Syria

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN aid officials urge Security Council to push for greater humanitarian access in Syria, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b01e340e.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

26 January 2017 - Senior United Nations relief officials today urged the Security Council to do more to ensure the support of the Syrian Government to deliver life-saving aid, warning that aid workers are "blocked at every turn" while some 4.6 million people live in hard-to-reach areas across the war-ravaged country.

"We continue to be blocked at every turn, by lack of approvals at central and local levels, disagreements on access routes, and by the violation of agreed procedures at checkpoints by parties to the conflict," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien told the Council in a briefing alongside senior officials from the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.

He noted that "if one brave aid worker drives through the checkpoint without the facilitation letter and the command transmitted down the line" the guard or a sniper shoots.

"The fault is not at the door of the UN or the [non-governmental organizations] - it is the Syrian Government and the governors," Mr. O'Brien said. "We need to be allowed to pass - not as a favour but as a right - and safely."

In addition to millions of people living in hard-to-reach areas, an estimated 644,000 people live in 13 areas under siege in the country, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which Mr. O'Brien heads.

While the figure is down from last year, "it should not be mistaken for progress," the senior UN official stressed. He added that groups use sieges as weapons of war, which "does nothing other than to punish civilians, who already bear the brunt of this terrible conflict."

Children of Aleppo, Syria, carry home hot meals that the World Food Programme (WFP) helps provide to displaced families. Photo: WFP

Mr. O'Brien also voiced deep concerns about reports of stockpiled aid in eastern Aleppo since the city's evacuation, which OCHA is looking into. Such reports highlight the importance of unhindered aid not only for delivery but for monitoring and distribution of aid.

The food situation, in particular, is extremely worrying said Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, Deputy Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

He said some seven million people in Syria are now food insecure and an additional two million are at risk. Food production has hit an all-time now, he said, as widespread insecurity hampers access to land and supplies, fuel is in short supply, and infrastructure is often damaged.

"Four in five Syrians now live in poverty with almost 80 per cent of households across the country struggle to cope with food shortages," said Mr. Abdulla.

If nothing changes, Syria could become "a country of subsistence farmers with most of its commercial agriculture base eroded."

Both UN aid officials also used today's briefing to again call for a political solution to the crisis, underscoring the importance of the 8 February talks in Geneva to be held under UN auspices, and the UN conference with the European Union in the beginning of April.

"After a chronicle of missed opportunities, this is the time for the various parties to come together and bring an end to this horrendous chapter in Syria's history," Mr. O'Brien said.

Speaking by teleconference from Geneva, Peter Salama, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies Programme, said that war has taken a serious toll on civilians and the health workers, hospitals and clinics serving them. Until recent security developments, 30,000 people had sustained war-related injuries every month, he recalled.

"The war has gutted the health system," with more than 100 attacks launched against health centres in 2016 alone, he said, adding that it has led to acute shortages and blocked access to services. Half of all Syrian children were not receiving the required vaccinations and more than 300,000 pregnant women lacked the care they need.

Underscoring the importance of the safety of those providing such services, he said WHO is working to ensure access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, and an end to attacks on health workers, with perpetrators being held accountable. Moving forward, Syria's health system must be rebuilt, with strong support from the international community, he emphasized.
Amid hate speech, negative media spin 'real stories' of refugees and migrants must be told  UN official

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Amid hate speech, negative media spin 'real stories' of refugees and migrants must be told  UN official, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b01fe412.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

26 January 2017 - With hate speech and rhetoric against migrants and refugees on the rise in various parts of the world, and the increased role of media in shaping perceptions towards them, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) today co-sponsored with the European Union (EU) a symposium drawing attention to this growing challenge and explore efforts to combat it.

"2016 has been an elections year in many countries. Media, for better or for worse, was used as a tool shaping people's perceptions around issues and swaying their votes accordingly," Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the High Representative for the UNAOC, said in his remarks at the symposium.

Noting that the refugees and migrants crisis featured prominently in the campaigns and public discussions, he added: "[While] we noted solidarity towards refugees, we also witnessed a surge of xenophobic hate speech."

Further, noting that mass exodus of refugees and migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in Syria, Iraq, Libya and other countries into Europe resulted in "fuelling fears, prejudices and even hatred against those who are perceived as 'the other' by local populations," he expressed that such distorted perceptions have also led to violent reactions within host societies on some occasions.

With this is mind, he noted that the UN global campaign against racism and xenophobia, 'Together: respect, safety and dignity for all,' aims to change negative perceptions and attitudes towards refugees and migrants, and to strengthen the social contract between these populations and host communities.

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Photo: UNAOC

Amid media distortion, 'we will do our utmost to tell the real stories of refugees'

Speaking to UN News ahead of the symposium, Mr. Al-Nasser expressed concern that migrants and refugees are inaccurately portrayed as an economic drain or a strain on public benefits, even though UN Member States have recognized the positive contribution of migrants to inclusive growth and sustainable development, for example through the 2030 Agenda and the New York Declaration on refugees and migrants adopted at a UN summit last year.

He, however, added that "migrants' positive contribution to societies is not acknowledged and rarely understood by host communities."

Underlining the importance of media, and in particular social media, which can influence perceptions either way, Mr. Al-Nasser said that despite progressive policies defended by some European leaders, refugees continue to be portrayed by some in the media as "potential terrorists" and "threats to national security".

"Social media provides a wide and open platform for hate speech, facilitating the rapid spread of negative narratives and ideas online," he added, noting that this environment has created a heightened sense of fear and mistrust in host communities towards migrants and refugees around the world, resulting in adverse impact on their rights and freedoms.

"But we will do our utmost to tell the real stories of refugees, in order to protect communities' interests and safeguard the rights of each individual. I think a balance must be found that protects the freedom of expression as well as the rights of migrants as human beings with human rights," the High Representative stated.

Turning to civil society, Mr. Al-Nasser called on the international community to acknowledge the role of civic actors and groups in formulating public policies aimed at curbing the spread of hate speech, and influencing public attitudes towards restricting the use of hate speech in media, including through policy recommendations.

The symposium was organized jointly by UNAOC and the EU in the Belgian capital, Brussels, under the UNAOC's #SpreadNoHate initiative.

The Alliance was established in 2005 to work towards a more peaceful, more socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious identities, and highlighting the will of the world's majority to reject extremism and embrace diversity.

AUDIO: UNAOC High Representative Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on the significance of the symposium
UN-backed measles vaccination campaign to reach 4.7 million children in north-east Nigeria

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN-backed measles vaccination campaign to reach 4.7 million children in north-east Nigeria, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b022c40e.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

26 January 2017 - A major vaccination campaign against a measles outbreak in northeast Nigeria is reaching 4.7 million children, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Security has improved in some areas so we have acted quickly to access places we could not previously reach and protect children from the spread of a very dangerous disease," said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, in a news release.

The campaign, concluding this week, is covering the three states most affected by the Boko Haram conflict - Adamawa, Borno and Yobe - where insecurity has limited vaccination efforts. "We are still extremely concerned about children living in large areas of Borno state that are not yet accessible," said Mr. Fall.

In 2016, there were approximately 25,000 cases of measles among children in Nigeria; 97 per cent of the cases were in children under the age of ten and at least a hundred children died.

Measles infections tend to increase during the first half of the year because of higher temperatures. Measles vaccination coverage across Nigeria remains low, with a little over 50 per cent of children reached, but in areas affected by conflict, children are particularly vulnerable.

The risks for malnourished children who have weakened immunity are further heightened.

The vaccination campaign, conducted in partnership with the Nigerian Government, the World Health Organization (WHO), and several non-governmental organizations, also includes a vitamin A supplement for children under five to boost their immunity, as well as de-worming tablets.

The emergency in northeast Nigeria remains acute with more than 1.6 million people displaced because of the conflict.

Of the $115 million called for in 2016, only $51 million was received. In 2017, UNICEF is seeking $150 million to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria.
Security Council approves six-month extension of UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council approves six-month extension of UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b024d40c.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

26 January 2017 - Welcoming the progress thus far in negotiations led by Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders, as well as ongoing efforts, the United Nations Security Council today encouraged the sides to "grasp the current opportunity with determination" to secure a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member Council called on the leaders to "put their efforts behind further work on reaching convergences on the core issues."

It also called on them to "improve the public atmosphere for the negotiations, including by focussing public messages on convergences and the way ahead, and delivering more constructive and harmonized messages."

The Council further urged the implementation of confidence-building measures, and said that it looked forward to agreement on and implementation of further such mutually-acceptable steps, that can contribute to a conducive environment for a settlement.

Also in the resolution, the Security Council - the primary UN body responsible for matters related to international peace and security - decided to extend the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until end of July this year.

The Security Council unanimously extends the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 31 July 2017. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

The Council further called on the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkish forces to restore the military status quo in Strovilia, which existed there prior to 30 June 2000, as well as called on both sides to allow access to deminers and to facilitate the removal of the remaining mines in Cyprus within the buffer zone.

It also urged them to extend demining operations outside the buffer zone.

Also in the adopted text, the Council hailed efforts being undertaken by UNFICYP to implement the UN Secretary-General's zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to ensure full compliance of its personnel with the UN code of conduct, and urged troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action including conducting pre-deployment training.

It also called on the countries to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel.

UNFICYP - one of the longest-running UN peacekeeping missions - has been deployed on the Mediterranean island since 1964 to prevent further fighting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities there and bring about a return to normal conditions.
Slovenia: Amendments to Aliens Act denies protection to refugees

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Slovenia: Amendments to Aliens Act denies protection to refugees, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b02aa4.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

New law passed this evening strip refugees and asylum seekers of protections to which they are entitled under international and EU law and are a serious backward step for human rights in Slovenia, said Amnesty International.

The amendments to the Aliens Act allow for special emergency measures that would deny entry to people arriving at the borders and automatically expel migrants and refugees who have entered Slovenia irregularly, without properly assessing their asylum claims or the risks to which they would be exposed upon return.

"Rather than recognizing refugees and asylum seekers as people fleeing from the horrors of war and in need of protection, these amendments treat them as a threat to national security and strip them of vital protections under international law," said Jelena Sesar, Amnesty International's Researcher for the Balkans and the European Union.

"By sealing its borders to these desperate people and turning its back on its international obligations, Slovenia is treading the same unseemly path as its neighbours - Hungary and Austria. This is deeply regrettable for a country which has traditionally upheld core human rights values and has been a true leader in the region."

Countries in the Balkans must refrain from employing measures to push back and deny protections to refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, many of them unaccompanied children fleeing war and persecution.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Azerbaijan: Abuse Allegations Mar High-Profile Trial

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Azerbaijan: Abuse Allegations Mar High-Profile Trial, 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b04704.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Azerbaijan authorities should release 18 people, including a prominent religious scholar and a leading political opposition activist, who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences on January 25, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. Seventeen of the men alleged that police severely ill-treated them in detention to coerce confessions and testimony against others. The authorities targeted the political activist for criticizing government policies on Facebook.

"The Azerbaijan authorities completely failed to take seriously or properly investigate the serious allegations of torture and convicted 17 people based on evidence tainted by these allegations," said Jane Buchanan, acting deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Convictions based on torture-tainted evidence violate basic rights guarantees and cannot be allowed to stand. The authorities should act in line with their international obligations, quash the convictions, and release those detained."

Most of the men were arrested on November 26, 2015, during a raid in Nardaran, a Baku suburb known for its Shia religious conservatism and criticism of government policies. The raid turned violent under unclear and disputed circumstances, with shootings leaving two police and seven civilians dead. Among those convicted is Taleh Bagirov, a religious scholar, imam, and leader of the Muslim Unity public movement.

The men's lawyers alleged that officials from the Interior Ministry's Organized Crime Unit beat, threatened, and used electric shocks on Bagirov and 16 others detained with him. The men reported that dozens of policemen beat them with automatic rifle butts and truncheons and stomped on them while detaining them in a police van on the way to the organized crime unit headquarters. The men also stated that once they arrived, the police placed sacks on their heads, handcuffed them, and beat them with truncheons, especially on the genitals and the bottoms of their feet. Most of the men also said that the police used electric shocks on various parts of their bodies, including their genitals. Some also said that police threatened to rape the men's wives or sisters.

The police apparently sought to compel the men to confess to crimes and to give testimony against others. Bagirov said that the police sought testimony against the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) leader and another opposition leader, apparently to show a connection between the Nardaran events and the political opposition.

Many of the men were injured. Bagirov's nose was broken. Shortly after their arrest, they underwent a medical checkup in the detention facility. The men's lawyers said that doctors documented wounds consistent with beatings or other violence on most of the men, but the authorities did not open an investigation at that time. The men did not receive medical treatment.

Interior Ministry officials did not grant Bagirov access to his lawyer until more than a month later. At that time, Bagirov filed a complaint regarding the ill-treatment, but withdrew it out of fear of retaliation, his lawyer said. None of the other men had lawyers of their choosing for nearly eight months, until preliminary hearings started in July 2016.

During the July preliminary hearings, Bagirov and the others described the police's ill-treatment. In August, the prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the allegations, but it was not thorough. The prosecutor's office ordered forensic medical exams of the men, but the men's lawyers said that the exams were superficial and too late to document a number of the wounds. Investigators did not thoroughly consider the documentation of wounds from earlier medical checkups or consider the men's testimony.

The authorities closed the investigation in late September for alleged lack of evidence.

Bagirov was sentenced to 20 years in prison on numerous charges including terrorism, an attempt to seize power violently, illegal firearms possession, and homicide. The 16 others were sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison on various charges including murder, terrorism, inciting religious hatred, organizing mass unrest, and illegal possession of weapons.

Azerbaijan is a party to multiple human rights treaties, including the UN Convention against Torture and the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibit in absolute terms torture and other forms of ill-treatment of detainees. Azerbaijan's obligations include the prompt and effective investigation into all allegations of ill-treatment, provision of an effective remedy including compensation to victims, and the exclusion of any statements believed to have been taken under torture from use as evidence in any proceedings, except as proof of misconduct against the alleged torturer.

The court also sentenced Fuad Gahramanli, a prominent activist and deputy chairman of the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), to 10 years in prison for criticizing the government on Facebook, including police actions during the events in Nardaran. He was convicted of inciting the public to disobey the government (sedition), making appeals against the government, and incitement of national, racial, social, or religious hostility.

Gahramanli's online criticism of the government was protected free speech that falls squarely within political speech that the European Court of Human Rights recognizes as a cornerstone of a democratic society. His conviction and 10-year sentence for exercise of that speech violates Azerbaijan's international human rights obligations, including under article 10 (free speech) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court has previously ordered Azerbaijan, in the case of the unlawful conviction of journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, to end violations of free speech arising from inappropriate convictions, by securing the victim's immediate release.

The Azerbaijan government should immediately ensure Gahramanli's conviction is quashed and that he is released, Human Rights Watch said.

In December 2015, the prosecutor's office invited Gahramanli in for questioning as a witness in the investigation into Bagirov and others involved in the events in Nardaran the previous month. When he refused to go without an official summons, police forcibly took him for an interrogation. After several hours of questioning, a court ordered him held in pretrial detention.

The authorities have brought administrative and criminal charges against dozens of other APFP activists in recent years, apparently in retaliation for their criticism of the government. At least 11 APFP members are currently in pretrial detention or serving prison sentences. Authorities also arrested at least 20 other APFP members in 2016, all of whom were sentenced to administrative detention of up to 30 days.

Gahramanli actively participated in the coalition of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a prominent international coalition that brings together governments, companies, and nongovernmental groups to promote better governance in how oil, gas, and mining revenues are used. Before his arrest, Gahramanli was one of 10 members of the Coalition Council governing the EITI Azerbaijan civil society coalition. In April 2015, EITI downgraded Azerbaijan's status in the initiative for the government's failure to comply with EITI requirements for unhindered civil society participation. Azerbaijan remains under EITI review.

The authorities had previously targeted Bagirov and Gahramanli in politically motivated cases. Police arrested Bagirov in March 2013, one week after he gave a sermon in a mosque sharply criticizing the government. He was sentenced to two years in prison on spurious drug charges and released in 2015. Authorities arrested Gahramanli in April 2011, when he participated in anti-government demonstrations. He received a two-year suspended sentence, for allegedly organizing and participating in public disorder.

"The authorities should ensure Fuad Gahramanli's conviction for free speech does not stand and release him," Buchanan said. "His Facebook posts were sharp and maybe unpleasant for many in the government to read, but to use them to imprison him, is an abuse of human rights and the rule of law and serves to deter others from speaking out by showing the price they can pay for social media activism."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Kazakhstan: 2 Union Leaders Arrested

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 January 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Kazakhstan: 2 Union Leaders Arrested, 27 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b04da4.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Police in western Kazakhstan arrested two trade union leaders on January 20, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. The men apparently face prosecution in connection with a hunger strike over the forced closure earlier in January of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan.

Amin Yeleusinov, chairman of an affiliate of the confederation, faces charges of embezzlement of union funds, and Nurbek Kushakbaev, deputy chairman of the confederation, is charged with calling for an illegal strike. An Astana court confirmed a two-month pretrial detention order on January 21. The authorities should release the two pending investigation, and immediately provide credible evidence to support the charges or drop them.

"Arrests are not acceptable in response to a peaceful and non-violent protest and are never a solution," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Kazakh authorities should respect the rights of workers to organize trade unions and to strike."

About 90 oil workers began a hunger strike on January 5 at the Oil Construction Company in Mangistau region, western Kazakhstan. The strikers were protesting the court ruling on January 4 that shut down the confederation. Yeleusinov and Kushakbaev had been participating in the hunger strike. On January 17, more than 400 other oil workers joined the hunger strike, according to media reports. The authorities did not react to their demand to register the confederation, but on January 19 the Mangistau regional court found the hunger strike illegal and ordered workers to leave the company's premises.

A defense lawyer for Yeleusinov and Kushakbaev told Human Rights Watch that the police neither informed the lawyer nor family members about the arrests. It took two days for a lawyer to get copies of arrest warrants from the police and to be able to visit the men in the pretrial detention facility in Astana. Following the arrests of union leaders, the hunger strike was forced to stop.

On January 22, the Mangistau regional court in Aktau fined 15 oil workers US$135-$340 each for organizing an illegal strike. The court barred a journalist from entering the room to cover the hearing.

On January 23, the same court ordered 28 other participants to pay total compensation of more than 3.5 million tenge (US$10,000) for the damage allegedly caused to the company from the hunger strike. The judge turned down a request from the oil workers to provide them with sufficient time to prepare their defense and to get legal representation, saying that a civil lawsuit could proceed without a lawyer. Another 14 oil workers face similar charges.

Two international trade unions, including the International Trade Union Confederation, have sent letters to the Kazakhstan president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, urging the release of the trade union leaders and an end to the crackdown against the International Trade Union Confederation-affiliated confederation.

Kazakhstan's international partners, including the European Union, its member states, the United States, and Canada, should urgently press the Kazakh authorities to release the trade union leaders.

"The oil industry is a key sector in Kazakhstan, with many foreign investors and could set an example of best business practices in respect for human rights" Williamson said. "Unfortunately the battle is now on to ensure respect for the most basic rights of workers to organize in the oil industry and others in Kazakhstan's economy."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Russia: Ten years' imprisonment for religious meetings?

Publisher Forum 18 Author Victoria Arnold Publication Date 26 January 2017 Cite as Forum 18, Russia: Ten years' imprisonment for religious meetings? , 26 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b0c4a4.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Prosecutors say Yevgeny Kim faces up to ten years' imprisonment for studying a Muslim theologian's works with friends. His criminal trial began in Blagoveshchensk on 25 January after a year in prison. Two Jehovah's Witness elders face "inciting religious hatred" criminal charges in Moscow Region.
Greece: Premier's worrying embrace of hostile media group

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Author Annie Slemrod Publication Date 25 January 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Greece: Premier's worrying embrace of hostile media group, 25 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b0fbb4.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is worried about Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' motives in suddenly trying to rescue DOL, a cash-strapped media group that he has often criticized in the past and only recently accused of disinformation and colluding with business interests.

The U-turn came on 18 January, when it was announced that Vassilis Moulopoulos, a close Tsipras ally, was taking over as DOL's administrator in a bid to save this "historic" media group from bankruptcy and protect the jobs of its hundreds of employees.

The appointment of Moulopoulos, a former parliamentary representative of Tsipras' ruling coalition, Syriza, and a member of the board of the Syriza newspaper, AVGI, has stunned opposition parties and other media outlets, some of which are equally indebted, and is widely viewed as a government attempt to take over the media group.

"We are concerned about what seems to be a new attack by the Greek prime minister on media independence and pluralism," said Pauline Ades-Mevel, the head of RSF's EU-Balkans desk. "We are monitoring the actions of this government, which should be working to ensure media pluralism and freedom and not just to control the media."

The DOL media group's history is closely intertwined with the history of Greece's successive governments. Founded by Christos Lambrakis, a Greek media magnate who died in 2009, the group is now controlled by businessman Stavros Psycharis. Its two leading outlets, the newspapers Ta Vima and Ta Nea, have survived thanks to bank loans backed by government officials and government advertising.

But Greece's six-year-old deep economic crisis has exposed the financial fragility of these newspapers, with the government no longer able to extend loans or write off debts now totalling 190 million euros.

The DOL group, which includes Radio Vima FM and shares in MEGA TV as well as the newspapers, has nearly 600 employees, who are now in danger of being laid off. They have not been paid for several months but continue to work in the hope that DOL will find a new investor. DOL is now on the verge of bankruptcy while the judical authorities have accused its owner, Psycharis, of tax evasion and money laundering amounting to 45 million euros.

DOL's media outlets have opposed Tsipras ever since he was first elected in 2015. To Vima and Ta Nea openly supported calls for austerity and criticized the Tsipras-led, far-left coalition's policies. The mutual accusations between Tsipras and Psycharis have often been front-page stories in all the media.

The administrator, Vassilis Moulopoulos has said he wants to save DOL because he worked for the group for 20 years in various position including editor-in-chief. Acknowledging that he is not an investor, he said that, in the absence of money, solutions "will be found with the political forces."

Tsipras was widely criticized over a new broadcasting law and the auctioning of TV broadcast licences in September. The media and opposition accused him of amateurism, undermining pluralism and trying to "establish his own oligarchic system."

Greece is ranked 89th out of 180 countries in RSF's World Press Freedom Index.
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
DECATUR -- A 61-year-old drifter who recently lived in Decatur is facing homicide charges in Pennsylvania after investigators connected him by DNA evidence to a 1991 shooting of a 76-year-old woman near a college town east of Pittsburgh.

Charles Cook, who has served prison terms in six states, is being held in jail in Minnesota on unrelated local charges of terrorist threats and assault. He is challenging extradition to Pennsylvania.

A registered sexual predator in Illinois for a rape conviction in Washington state in 1999, Cook was arrested in connection with four criminal cases in Decatur between 2009 and 2014. Court records showed he was also in Decatur in 2006 and 2008.

Cook allegedly killed Myrtle McGill in December 1991 in her home on the outskirts of Indiana, Pa. A widow of a local auto dealer who lived alone, she was found dead on her kitchen floor as a result of multiple .22-caliber bullet wounds.

Investigators found a cigarette butt in her car, which was located in a Greyhound bus station parking lot in Pittsburgh on Dec. 9, 1991, four days before her body was discovered. Officials believe the killer stole the victim's car and drove it to the station.

In 2007, investigators sent the cigarette butt to a crime lab, where recovered DNA was matched to Cook's profile in the FBI's database. After an extensive search for Cook, Pennsylvania investigators found him in Minnesota in March, a few months after he was released from a jail in Worthington, Minn.

A fresh DNA sample investigators obtained from Cook also matched the profile from the cigarette. He has been rearrested on local charges and is being held in the Blue Earth County Jail, Mankato.

A hearing was scheduled Friday afternoon to determine if Cook will be extradited to Pennsylvania. His challenge alleges that he was not in Pennsylvania at the time of the murder.

Cook was widely known in Decatur as a panhandler who solicited regularly in the vicinity of the Walmart north store, often holding a sign that stated that he was a homeless Vietnam veteran.

Macon County Sheriff Thomas Schneider said he had contact with him because of numerous complaints that he was bothering people.

He was always asking for money for bus tickets, Schneider said, adding that he frequently had a Marine Corps flag with him. He frequently stood near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Ash Avenue or the fast-food restaurants just west of the Walmart store.

Schneider said that Cook was a military veteran. The sheriff and the the Veteran's Assistance Commission both received complaints that the panhandler might be impersonating a veteran. The commission ascertained that Cook was a veteran.Vietnam veterans who asked Cook about his service have reported that he never served in Vietnam.

Investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police and Indiana County District Attorney's Office identified Cook in 2007 as the suspect whose DNA was found on the cigarette. They then discovered that he was listed as a registered sex offender in Illinois, with his address listed as, out of state, Magnolia, Minn., said a news release from District Attorney Patrick Dougherty's office.

Dougherty said after the DNA hit was confirmed, investigators pursued leads that Cook was in Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota and elsewhere. Officials visited several locations and law enforcement agencies to track him down. Investigators met with law enforcement officers in Decatur after he left the area.

The governors of Pennsylvania and Minnesota have signed warrants of extradition. Pennsylvania officials hoped that Cook would be extradited to the city where the murder occurred soon.

At this point, he is charged with criminal homicide, which encompasses first, second and third degree murder and manslaughter, Dougherty said, adding that it is likely the charge will be refined to first- or second-degree murder when Cook is processed in Pennsylvania. If convicted of first- or second-degree murder, he will receive a mandatory life sentence without possibility of parole.

Cook's criminal record includes convictions for a wide variety of crimes in numerous states.

In a felony conviction in Macon County, Cook pleaded guilty Aug. 9, 2012, to one count of domestic battery with a prior domestic battery conviction, and was sentenced to three days in jail, for time already served, and 24 months' probation.

A 51-year-old woman, who reported that Cook was her live-in boyfriend for the past six years, said he threw a D-size battery at her head, which struck her above her forehead. As she began calling the police, he slapped her in the face, knocking off her glasses, and grabbed the phone from her hand in their residence in the 1000 block of North Monroe Street.

In a petition the victim filed for an order of protection after that incident, she wrote that the domestic battery occurred as Cook was preparing to leave for a Greyhound bus station to go to Indianapolis. She said he had just returned from Indianapolis that day, July 1, 2012, after spending the previous two weeks there.

During the years he spent in Illinois, court records show Cook was arrested in 2007 on misdemeanor traffic charges in Logan and DeWitt counties. He had a conviction in a 2008 domestic battery/bodily harm case in Moultrie County.

In Macon County, he had three traffic cases in 2006, a battery/bodily harm conviction in a 2009 case,two traffic cases in both 2010 and 2011, a domestic battery/bodily harm conviction and order of protection against him in 2012, a criminal damage to property case in 2013, and a felony case of failure to report as a sex offender in 2014.

Between 1977 and 1991, Cook served prison sentences in Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Washington and Pennsylvania. His criminal convictions included burglary, dealing narcotics, habitual offender, third-degree rape and fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.

On Dec. 3, 1991, four to six days before the homicide, Cook was released from the State Correctional Institution, Dallas, in northeast Pennsylvania, after serving part of a 4- to eight-year sentence for a drug trafficking conviction. Cook had been convicted in Clearfield County, the county that sits on the northeast border of Indiana County.

Cook was issued a bus ticket to Philadelphia, where he was supposed to report to a halfway house as a condition of his parole, Dougherty said. Instead officials believe he took a bus or buses from Scranton across the state to Indiana, about 60 miles from Pittsburgh.

We believe he got out at the bus station in Indiana, which is a short distance from the woman's house, Dougherty said.

After Cook was incarcerated in Washington State in 1998 and 1999, he was extradited to Pennsylvania for parole violations. He served the three years remaining on his narcotics trafficking prison sentence, and was discharged from prison on June 23, 2004.

Three years later, authorities began a decadelong manhunt that ended with his capture more than 1,000 miles away.
Brazil: Wave of Killings in North

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 January 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Brazil: Wave of Killings in North, 27 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b2b014.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Brazilian authorities should ensure a prompt, thorough, and independent investigation into the killing of a military police officer in the northern state of Para on January 20, 2017 and a subsequent wave of possibly retaliatory killings, Human Rights Watch said today.

Rafael da Silva Costa, a 29-year-old member of an elite police unit, was killed on January 20 in the city of Belem during a shootout with suspects. Between that time and midday the following day, 30 people were killed in the Belem metropolitan area. State authorities said 25 of those homicides appear to have been executions, and may have been a response to Costas killing.

"Any killing of a police officer deserves a swift and serious response, but retaliatory killings spread terror to whole communities and are totally unacceptable," said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. "All of these killings need to be thoroughly investigated and punished within the bounds of the law."

The victims appear to have been targeted at random, based on accounts by witnesses to local media. In several cases, men were killed by shots fired from inside cars. In one case, hooded men opened fire inside a bar, injuring five people. They executed one of them, a 21-year-old man, as he lay wounded on the ground, his mother told the media.

In 2015, 26 police officers were killed in Para, while police officers on and off duty killed 180 people, according to the latest official data compiled by the Brazilian Public Security Forum, a non-governmental organization.

In recent years, police officers in several states have been implicated in death-squad-style killings. In Para state, 10 people were killed in November 2014 after the killing of a police officer who had led a death squad, an investigation by the state legislature found. Prosecutors have accused 14 military police officers of failing to help the victims or pursue the killers.

In the northern state of Amazonas, prosecutors allege that a group of 12 police officers who killed traffickers to steal drugs and weapons used the killing of a military police officer as a pretext to kill an additional 8 people in July 2015.

In Sao Paulo, prosecutors accused three military police officers and a municipal guard of being members of a death-squad that murdered 18 people in retaliation for the killing of a military police officer and a municipal guard in August 2015. In the northeastern state of Ceara, prosecutors charged 44 police officers with involvement in the November 2015 killing of 11 people including 7 children after the killing of a police officer.

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Vietnam: New Wave of Arrests of Critics

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 27 January 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Vietnam: New Wave of Arrests of Critics, 27 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b2b424.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Vietnam should immediately release rights activist Tran Thi Nga and drop politically motivated charges against her, Human Rights Watch said today. Vietnam's donors should issue public statements calling on the government to end harassment and prosecution of critics and rights campaigners.

Tran Thi Nga (also known as Thuy Nga), 40, was arrested on January 21, 2017, and charged with conducting propaganda against the state under article 88 of the penal code. State media said that Tran Thi Nga "accessed the Internet to post a number of video clips and articles to propagandize against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam."

"It is ridiculous for the Vietnamese government to make accessing the internet and posting critical views a crime," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "Vietnam's international donors and trade partners should tell the government loud and clear that they will reassess their relationships if it keeps throwing peaceful critics in prison."

Officials have arrested at least a dozen bloggers and activists during the past five months and charged them with vaguely-defined national security violations.

Tran Thi Nga has long suffered intimidation, harassment, detention, interrogation, and physical assault because of her labor and other activism. She has also participated in anti-China and pro-environment protests, attended trials of bloggers and rights activists, and visited the houses of political prisoners to show solidarity. She once served as an executive board member for Vietnamese Women for Human Rights (VNWHR), founded in November 2013.

In May 2013, Tran Thi Nga and her sons, ages 3 years and 5 months at the time, went from Ha Nam to Hanoi to attend a human rights picnic at Nghia Do Park the next day. Police pressured a motel owner to kick them out at midnight, in the rain, where they slept on the sidewalk until her friends could come to help them.

In May 2014, a group of five men assaulted her with iron rods, breaking her arm and leg. In March 2015, security agents in Hanoi detained her, and took her back to her hometown in Ha Nam province. During the trip, one man twisted her neck and gagged her so she could not call for help. Two other men restrained her hands and legs while the fourth man slapped her and punched her. In February 2016, men in civilian clothes threw shrimp paste at Tran Thi Nga and her sons as the three were heading home from a supermarket in the city of Phu Ly, Ha Nam province. Her eye was injured and her older son Phu had an allergic reaction.

Other recent arrests include:

On January 19, 2017, the police of Nghe An province arrested a former political prisoner, Nguyen Van Oai, for allegedly violating his probation. He had been arrested in August 2011, for alleged involvement with the outlawed overseas political party Viet Tan and sentenced to four years in prison. After completing his sentence in August 2015, he was placed on probation for another four years. He remains in detention.



On January 11, the police of Ha Tinh province arrested a human rights activist, Nguyen Van Hoa, who had campaigned against the Formosa Steel Company for causing an environmental disaster in April 2016. He was charged with "abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the State," under article 258 of the penal code.



In December 2016, the police of Thanh Hoa province arrested Nguyen Danh Dung for his alleged involvement with Thien An TV, a YouTube channel critical of the government, and charged him with "abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the State," under article 258 of the penal code.



In November, the police of Ho Chi Minh City arrested a blogger, Ho Hai, also known as "Dr. Ho Hai," for online criticisms of the government, under article 88 of the penal code. Two other activists, Luu Van Vinh and Nguyen Van Duc Do, were also arrested in Ho Chi Minh City in November for trying to form a pro-democratic group called the Vietnam National Alliance (Lien minh Dan toc Viet Nam) and charged with "carrying out activities that aim to overthrow the people's administration," under article 79 of the penal code.



In October, the police of Khanh Hoa province arrested a prominent blogger, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known as "Mother Mushroom," for her online posts and charged her with conducting propaganda against the state, under article 88 of the penal code.



In September, the police of Gia Lai province arrested four indigenous Degar (Montagnards)  Puih Bop (also known as Ama Phun), Ksor Kam (also known as Ama H'Trum), Dinh Nong (also known as Ba Pol), and Ro Lan Kly (also known as Ama Blan)  for involvement with a Degar Protestant independent church and charged them with undermining national unity, under article 87 of the penal code.

Vietnam has at least 112 bloggers and activists who are serving prison sentences simply for exercising their rights to basic freedoms such as freedom of expression, assembly, association, and religion. Human Rights Watch has long called for the repeal of all laws in Vietnam that criminalize peaceful expression.

"Vietnam has a long history of persecuting anyone the ruling Communist Party deems threatening to its monopoly of power," Adams said. "Vietnam should join the 21st century and repeal these draconian laws from another era."



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The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement deplores the deaths of civilians and six Nigerian Red Cross aid workers

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 18 January 2017 Cite as IRIN, The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement deplores the deaths of civilians and six Nigerian Red Cross aid workers, 18 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b2d7d4.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is shocked by the deaths of civilians and six aid workers from the Nigerian Red Cross following an airstrike on the town of Rann, near the border of Nigeria and Cameroon.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our six colleagues and shocked that an incident of this magnitude has occurred in a civilian area," said Mr Bolaji Akpan Anani, president of the Nigerian Red Cross Society. "Our hearts and prayers are with the bereaved and the wounded as we remain undaunted and focused on our commitment to those who need help."

The six Red Cross workers were in Rann as part of a humanitarian operation bringing food to more than 25,000 displaced people.

Hours after Tuesday's airstrike, a surgical team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) deployed to Rann, while another ICRC surgical team in Maiduguri prepared to support the Ministry of Health in receiving casualties. The team in Rann triaged around 100 patients, while nine patients in a critical condition were evacuated by helicopter to Maiduguri on Tuesday. Around 90 patients remain in Rann, out of whom 46 are severely injured and need to be evacuated to Maiduguri as a matter of urgency. Patients are attended to in an open-air space in a precarious environment.

"We started medical work in Rann shortly after the incident. The conditions for post-operative care are not adequate, so all the patients must be evacuated to Maiduguri as soon as possible," said Dr Laurent Singa, an ICRC surgeon in Rann.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of all those killed or injured, including those affiliated to the Medecins Sans Frontieres.

"It is unacceptable that so many civilians were killed and wounded. All measures must be put in place to ensure that such a tragic incident never happens again. We stand committed to continue providing humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the conflict in north-eastern Nigeria," said Eloi Fillion, head of the ICRC delegation in Nigeria.

The Movement reminds everyone that aid workers must be able to operate safely and be allowed to deliver vital assistance where it is needed, without fear of losing their lives. Parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure that civilians are not affected by the hostilities.
Nigeria: ICRC surgical teams caring for wounded after air strikes

Publisher International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Publication Date 20 January 2017 Cite as International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Nigeria: ICRC surgical teams caring for wounded after air strikes, 20 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b2de54.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Three days after air strikes at a settlement for internally displaced people at Rann in Nigeria, two surgical teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the help of one Nigerian surgeon continue to care for those wounded in the blasts.

Around 100 injured people were evacuated from Rann to Maiduguri. Two surgical teams in Maiduguri have been operating on the most seriously wounded, including more than 20 children.

"Patients were taken to operating theatres based on medical priority. By Friday morning, 24 of the most critically injured patients had been operated on. Forty-four more patients will be operated on later today and tomorrow," said ICRC surgeon, Dr Laurent Singa. "One of our challenges was that there were many children, some of whom did not have a family member with them. The Nigerian Red Cross volunteers have been doing a wonderful job taking care of them."

Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) teams also attended to the bodies of people killed in the air strike in Rann and informed families about the fate of their loved ones. The ICRC supplied body bags, as well as bandages, drugs and IV fluids to the medical facilities, including a Maiduguri military hospital.

The global Red Cross community continues to mourn the six workers from the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) who were among the dozens killed in the air strikes. NRCS volunteers are eager to begin a food distribution to the more than 25,000 internally displaced people in Rann as soon as possible. They feel this could serve as a gesture of humanity to honor the memory of the six deceased volunteers.
Azerbaijani Freelance Journalist Sentenced to 30 days Administrative Detention

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 27 January 2017 Cite as Article 19, Azerbaijani Freelance Journalist Sentenced to 30 days Administrative Detention, 27 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b67064.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ARTICLE 19 submitted this alert to the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists:

Rovshan Mammadli, a freelance journalist working in Azerbaijan, has been sentenced to 30 days administrative detention for 'disobeying police orders'.

Mammadli was arrested in Baku on 23 January 2017. Police allege that he was using abusive language while speaking on the phone, and was arrested after ignoring police orders to desist from doing so. Following his arrest, he was held incommunicado for 24 hours, before being sentenced by a Baku District Court. According to his lawyer, Mammadli was denied the right to appoint his own legal counsel. They are now planning an appeal.

Immediately prior to his arrest, Mammadli had written a number of articles about the controversial Nardaran trial, concerning 18 men who are accused of plotting a coup, but whom a number of human rights activists consider to be prisoners of conscience. His articles were published on several online news sites, including Azadliq, which was forced to stop publishing in September 2016.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Kyrgyz Prisons Tackle Extremism

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Timur Toktonaliev Publication Date 27 January 2017 Citation / Document Symbol RCA 805 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Kyrgyz Prisons Tackle Extremism, 27 January 2017, RCA 805, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b69284.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

As Karimjan Ibraimov settles himself in front of a room of reporters and TV cameras, a prison official carefully adjusts the collar of 50-year-old inmate's neatly buttoned shirt.

Ibraimov is just over halfway through a seven-year sentence for belonging to banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, and is about to publically renounce his membership.

"I know that Hizb ut-Tahrir is a fraudulent organization," said Ibraimov, an active member for more than a decade. "They misuse people's feelings, their piety."

Ibraimov, a former schoolteacher in a remote part of Naryn, is serving his sentence at operational facility No. 3 in the village of Novo-Pokrovka village, not far from the capital Bishkek. He related how Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders squeezed money from their followers and were happy to see them imprisoned if it suited their political aims.

"This decision [to renounce Hizb ut-Tahrir] was not made in one day," Ibraimov explained. "The main reason for my joining the organisation in 2005 was my lack of understanding of Islam."

After Ibraimov finished his speech, another former Hizb ut-Tahrir member took his place before the cameras.

"This is my final decision. No one from the authorities has forced me to do this This is my personal decision," said 38-year-old Ilham Kirgizbayev, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2012 for membership of the organisation.

"I have learned my lesson. This lesson has been enough for me," Kirgizbayev added.

The Kygyz authorities, worried about growing extremism amongst the majority Muslim population, see such public renunciations as key to spreading an anti-radicalisation message.

But others warn that rehabilitation attempts amongst convicted radicals need to be much more comprehensive to assure any long-term benefit.

Operational facility No. 3 deputy chief Milan Shakiyev said that a number of inmates had already recanted in front of the cameras as a result of outreach work at the prison.

"This is not the first case when they publicly renounce and regret [their actions]," he said. "Such confessions have been made before when prisoners realised they had chosen the wrong path. They realised it due to the awareness-raising work of our officers."

However, asked by IWPR about what had led them to renounce Hizb ut-Tahrir, both Kirgizbayev and Ibraimov said they had reached their decision independently.

"Yes, I did it on my own. These were my own conclusions. I have sufficient information I can rely on. No one has helped me," Kirgizbayev said.

Ibraimov said that he had changed his views after speaking to another convict, also a former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, who was disillusioned with the organisation.

FEARS OF RADICALISATION

In Kyrgyzstan, a secular republic, about 90 per cent of population nonetheless consider themselves to be Muslims.

Religion in Kyrgyzstan has been growing as a force ever since independence, and the government has long aimed to stop the emergence of radical Islam.

According to the State Committee for Religious Affairs, 20 extremist organisations have been banned since 2003, the majority of them Islamic.

Intelligence officials say about 600 nationals have already travelled to Syria and Iraq, and those returning from the combat zone are believed to pose a serious threat to national security. Discussions are still ongoing over the best way to tackle this.

(For more details see Kyrgyzstan: Return From Syria).

There are about 130 prisoners convicted of extremism and terrorism offences kept in maximum security facilities, with another 300 radicals held in less strict conditions. Most are former members of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Although this is just a small percentage of the country's estimated prisoner population of 9,000, radicalisation within prisons is seen as a serious concern.

Those convicted of terrorism-related offences used to be held together with the rest of the prison population, despite warnings that criminal kingpins might join forces with representatives of extremist movements.

"Hardliners convince the representatives of the criminal world of their charitable deeds when they help them," said Bakyt Dunabayev, a security expert who has studied links between criminals and extremists in closed facilities. "They argue that they will be absolved of their sins if they help their brothers in faith and do good deeds. Thus, conditions were created for committing crimes under the guise of religion,"

The authorities changed procedure drastically after nine men convicted of terrorism offences escaped from prison in October 2015. All were killed or wounded.

In April 2016, amendments to the criminal code mandated that those convicted of terrorism and extremist crimes would be kept in isolation.

In December 2016, the authorities moved 44 convicts into a dedicated prison block in facility No. 27, near Bishkek. Each cell holds three to four inmates and when completed the facility will have capacity for 180 inmates.

"We have placed them so that their ideas don't mix with others," said Murzabek Adylbekov, the chief of facility No. 27.

Others imprisoned for terrorism-related offences have been isolated in other institutions.

Operational facility No. 3 now houses 20 convicted extremists separated from other prisoners.

These convicts are confined to their cells apart from daily exercise periods, and their contact with the outer world and access to information is limited. Family visits have also been curtailed.

"These actions were meant to neutralise the influence of these particular convicts on the remaining inmates in order to prevent and avoid the dissemination of non-traditional Islamic ideas, radical views and extremist, terrorist movements among the convicts," said deputy correctional facility 3 chief Shakiyev.

He added that efforts were being made to rehabilitate the prisoners as well as to isolate them from other inmates.

"We conduct awareness-raising talks with them. If necessary, we involve experts, representatives of the muftiate, and collaborate with them closely. The approach is based on the nature of the crime," Shakiyev said.

Ryspek Shamyrkanov is chief of the department that manages all State Penitentiary Service (GSIN) facilities in the republic.

He also said they paced great importance on religious outreach, with imams and representatives of the muftiate visiting prisons each month.

"They visit all of them and work individually [with prisoners], as well. Everyone has an individual file that contains questions asked, answers given, whether they behave aggressively or not, what their opinions are," Shamyrkanov told IWPR.

He added that prison libraries were stocked with religious books considered suitable by the state committee for religious affairs, the body in charge of regulating all issues of religion in Kyrgyzstan.

Muftiate representatives told IWPR that they have been cooperating with the prison authorities for more than ten years.

Estebes Ajykulov, also a lecturer at the Islamic University in Kyrgyzstan, said that their prison visitor team was made up of five or six people.

The other members were mosque imams and ordinary practicing Muslims who had volunteered to provide prisoners with spiritual aid.

"Frankly speaking, no one pays for our work - neither the muftiate, nor the Yiman Foundation [the presidential foundation that supports Islamic initiatives). We do this for God's sake," Ajykulov told IWPR.

He said that they mostly visited prisoners held in the mainstream prison system.

"Thereafter, many convicts start praying namaz, criminals pray namaz. We are not gods to correct everyone. We try Some people change," Ajykulov said.

Ajykulov said that they were willing to focus on convicted extremists and terrorists, but that a more comprehensive effort was needed.

"Work is underway, but it is feeble. We need a separate programme [for such convicts] But we just come, deliver lectures and leave. In Kazakhstan, official imams are assigned to prisons; they are trained, paid wages and work there. Here we do work, but we have only [a few] people," Ajykulov said.

A CONCERTED APPROACH

Analysts agree that serious and consistent work is essential to ensure that extremists did not return to their former activity upon release.

Aman Saliyev is an expert in Islam at the KRSU institute for strategic analysis and forecasting. He said that experienced theologians, psychologists and religious leaders should be involved in the process, as well as members of the convict's own family.

"These meetings should not be occasional, but regular and repeated. They should be conducted in a calm environment, not a stressful one, where people can ask questions, not only sit silently and listen," Saliyev said. "If a person has doubts, he will ask questions all the time, even loaded questions, and the person working with him should be always ready to such questions. He should always receive a reasonable, careful and substantiated answer, mainly based on Sharia law."

Each convict needed a personally-tailored programme, he continued, taking into account the ideas and groups in which the convict was involved and his level of understanding about Islam.

"It all depends on knowledge, on the deep understanding of religion by people they will work with. If you take the illiterate mullahs that overcrowd the muftiate and regions, they will only aggravate the situationYou can't just invite a mullah to deliver a half-hour lecture and leave. It won't do. It will convince them even more that they are on the right path for they will know that public puppet muftis are ignorant, dishonest, commonplace sort of people and their own radical path is the only right path to follow," he said.

(See Kyrgyz Imams Tasked With Battling Extremism).

Saliyev said it was wise to be sceptical about former extremists' motives in renouncing their previous beliefs. Follow-up was also key, he continued.

"If they get into the same environment again, and get brainwashed again, then they will be brought back to the circle of influence but everything here will depend on the state, security agencies, society, and, most importantly, the family," Saliyev concluded.

GSIN officials and prison managers emphasised that convicts who recanted were still monitored by the intelligence agencies and law enforcement bodies.

"Then, after the release, they keep tracking their further activities," Shamyrkanov said.

Shakiyev insisted that extremists who recanted had never returned to their previous activity.

"We have never seen or reported the cases when the convicts confessed and then continue their activity," he said.

The GSIN's Shamyrkanov was less convinced, adding that one could never be sure in such situations.

"I think [it's impossible] to understand whether they are manipulating us or not," he said. "It remains to be seen."

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Kyrgyz Minors Allege Police Torture

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Madina Sheralieva Publication Date 27 January 2017 Reference RCA 805 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Kyrgyz Minors Allege Police Torture, 27 January 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/588b69844.html [accessed 5 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Ulan (not his real name) was arrested last year by police in the Oktyabrsky district of Bishkek on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone.

The 15-year-old, who was detained along with a group of friends, still has vivid memories of the trauma.

Despite his protestations of innocence, he was badly beaten at a local police station, and although his friends were soon released, his own mistreatment continued for 12 hours.

"When we were alone in the room, one of the police officers approached me, grabbed my hair and hit my forehead against the desk. Then he started beating me on my head and on my kidneys, kicking and screaming to make me confess to stealing the phone," the teenager recalled.

As soon as he was released, Ulan's family members took him to the hospital because of his injuries.

Ulan has now taken the unusual step of filing a complaint against the officers of the Bishkek police. The legal case is ongoing.

Few cases get as far as legal action, although anecdotal evidence points to physical violence being commonly used against minors in detention.

In 2015, the state-run National Centre for Prevention of Torture conducted an anonymous survey among 14-17 year-olds who had been temporarily detained or held in pre-trial detention centres.

Of the 54 respondents, 38 - 70 per cent - said that police officers, investigators or facility officers had used torture or physical violence against them.

Methods included sleep deprivation, beating with sticks, attempted asphyxiation and pricking the children with needles under their fingernails. Two minors were taken outside and drenched with water in sub-zero temperatures.

In response to the report, lawmakers called on the interior ministry to launch a full enquiry.

In May 2016 the then-minister, Melis Turganbaev, ordered local police chiefs to introduce tighter controls on their officers' behaviour.

However Samagan Asanov, head of preventive visits at the National Centre for Prevention of Torture, told IWPR that no substantive action had been taken.

Torture carries a prison sentence of between four and eight years, while cases involving pregnant women, minors or disabled people are liable to penalties of 10-15 years.

In most cases that have come to court since torture became a criminal offence in 2003, suspects were either discharged due to insufficient evidence, or let off with a warning.

(See Kyrgyzstan: Victims of Police Abuse Struggle for Justice and Kyrgyzstan: More Work Needed on Police Abuse).

There has only been one conviction of policemen for the torture of minors.

In March 2014, two officers were found guilty of abusing school students in an attempt to extract confessions. Nurbek Asanbai uulu and Shekerbek Ermekov, of Bazar-Korgon in the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan, were both sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The number of complaints about torture among Kyrgyz adults grew from 199 in 2014 to 231 in the first half of 2016.

According to the most recent statistics from the Prosecutor General's Office, 231 adults lodged complaints about torture in the first half of 2016. Some 200 were dismissed and a further eight criminal cases against police officers were initiated.

Aidar Sydykov, a lawyer who works for Kyrgyz human rights foundation Voice of Freedom, said that the reason for the discrepancy between the number of complaints and the number of court cases was clear.

"Pressure is imposed on victims of torture and their relatives [by the system]. We've dealt with cases of police officers pursuing victims [who complained] and planting drugs on them," Sydykov told IWPR.

Teenage victims of torture are even less likely to make a complaint. Asanov said that half of the minors interviewed for the survey were unaware they even had a right to complain about their treatment.

Only nine per cent went on to file formal complaints, although they all later withdrew these charges.

For children, the after-effects can be particularly traumatic.

"If a child is used to consider the world a safe place, after [experiencing torture] he or she begins to think that the world is dangerous and no one should be trusted," said Perizat Asylbaeva, a clinical psychologist who works for the Kyrgyz NGO Child's Rights Defenders League.

"Torture has psychological consequences including insomnia, nightmares, depression, apathy, and aggression towards the outside world," she continued, adding that such mistreatment might also make a young person more likely to pursue a life of crime.

Azamat Abdrakhmanov, who heads the juvenile department of the Kyrgyz interior ministry's office for public safety, told IWPR that the ministry was lobbying for amendments to the criminal code that would bar minors being questioned during the night.

Overall oversight was also being stepped up, he added.

"Surveillance cameras have been installed at four local police offices in Bishkek," Abdrakhmanov continued. "All interrogations are recorded."

Kyrgyz human rights defender Nurbek Toktakunov, who used to serve as a criminal investigator, told IWPR that such measures were clearly far from sufficient.

He said that police officers were under pressure to boost monthly rates of crime detection.

This meant they turned to physical pressure to ensure a confession, regardless of the detainee's age. The National Centre for Prevention of Torture survey also revealed that officers sometimes accepted bribes to close cases involving minor misdemeanours.

"[Policemen] don't treat [detainees] as people but criminals. It's their chance to improve their crime detection performance rate or earn some cash," Toktakunov said.

Ulan's aunt, who asked to remain anonymous, told IWPR that Oktyabrsky district police had rejected her complaint about her nephew's treatment three times.

The prosecutor's general office in the Oktyabrsky district of Bishkek only accepted her complaint after she warned them that she would appeal to the higher authorities.

Despite a number of sessions with a psychologist, Ulan is still finding it hard to get over the trauma.

"I've become fearful. When I walk outside, I think that I could be detained again or charged. I used to feel safe, walking around all day," he continued. "Now when I see a police officer or a police car, I stop and stand still till they pass by."

Madina Sheralieva is a Bishkek-based journalist. Additional reporting was provided by IWPR-trained reporters in Kyrgyzstan.

This publication was produced under the IWPR project, Investigative Journalism to Promote Democratic Reform, funded by the European Union.

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From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, its going to be only America first, America first.

 President Trump, inaugural address, Jan. 20, 2017

President Trump is something of a paradox. He roots himself in nostalgia for yesteryear  Make America great again!  but is remarkably unconcerned with history. He ransacks the past for rhetorical baubles but declines to carry their historical baggage too.

In 2015, a Washington Post reporter had to remind Trump that his use of the phrase silent majority had Nixonian overtones. Oh, is that why people stopped using (the phrase)? Trump replied. Nobody thinks of Nixon. I dont think of Nixon when I think of the silent majority.

He invokes the forgotten man as if he invented the term, never indicating that it was one of Franklin D. Roosevelts central themes.

His inaugural address made almost no reference to American history. His populist rejection of the status quo and the establishment suggests that he thinks the country is starting over at Year Zero. Indeed, he repeated a standard campaign line that at least some historians might quibble with: that he was elected by a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.

Which brings us to America first, a slogan the president seems to have first absorbed from a New York Times reporter trying to characterize the candidates positions. As with silent majority, Trump refuses to accept what that term means to many of the people who hear him use it.

Granted, its more complicated than mainstream journalists would have you believe.

The America First Committee was founded in the spring of 1940 by isolationist students at Yale University and quickly became a major national movement  though it was never the purely right-wing phenomenon many claim. Many Republicans and conservatives supported it (including a then-15-year-old William F. Buckley, who as an adult repudiated isolationism and barred isolationists from the pages of National Review).

But other allies in the isolationist or non-interventionist cause included American Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas, liberal journalist Oswald Garrison Villard, and such progressive icons Charles Beard, John Dewey, Joseph Kennedy, Bernard Baruch and Progressive Party hero Robert La Follette. Though its true the German American Bund had opposed war, so did American pacifist organizations (until the Soviets told them to change their position). Isolationism is a bipartisan American tradition, and its defenders can claim George Washingtons farewell address as proof of its pedigree.

The entire purpose of the America First Committee was to keep FDR from dragging the U.S. into another European war. Given the still fresh memory of the horror  both at home and abroad  of World War I, this always struck me as a defensible if, in hindsight, wrong position.

The isolationists had largely fought FDR to a political standstill until Pearl Harbor, which ended all debate. After the war, with the full knowledge of Nazi crimes and years of domestic patriotic fervor, the term America first took on a more sinister reputation in retrospect than it deserved (influenced by FDRs political vendettas against the isolationists during the war). Some Jewish groups to this day unfairly consider it vague code for America should have let the Holocaust run its course.

That Trump could so easily adopt America first without being hobbled by its negative connotation was a political coup. He insists that its just a catchphrase for prioritizing American interests. Even though the term is both catnip and dog whistle to some of his more unsavory fans, I think hes sincere.

Still, my problem with Trumps version of America first isnt his desire to do what is in Americas best interests  who could oppose that? Its how he defines Americas best interest  and its best self. With his blind eye to the past, hes stumbled into old-fashioned nationalism.

Up until very recently, American exceptionalism  i.e., we are a creedal nation dedicated to certain principles reflected in our founding documents  largely defined the conservative understanding of patriotism.

Trump, however, sees America more as an identity than an idea. He promised that Americas example will shine for everyone to follow, but he defined that example not in terms of our liberties or ideals, but in terms of unity. We will rebuild our country with American hands and American labor following two simple rules: buy American and hire American. We will shine through our success at building infrastructure, walling off our economy and crushing our enemies.

All in all, this is no new vision  though it is arguably new for an American president.
Dear Dr. Roach: For a 40-hour period last weekend, I experienced approximately 200 very sharp stabs of pain at the junction of my left thigh and my torso at the very front of the thigh. They began as I was sleeping and continued at various frequencies, varying from three in 20 seconds to one an hour throughout the following 40 hours. They occurred no matter what I did -- sit, walk, stand still or lie down.

I have had these sharp stabs of pain before, but the episodes have lasted between 15 minutes and an hour, not for 40 hours. Each stab lasts about a second. My physician had X-rays taken of my lower spine to see if a nerve was pinched, but nothing showed up. There were no symptoms associated with the pain, such as fever, rash, changes in urine or bowel movement, etc. This pain is not associated with a sprain, spasm or bruise. I am 72 and weigh 180 pounds; I'm 5 feet, 8 inches tall. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

-- D.J.

A: Sharp pain in a specific location like you are describing makes me think, as your physician did, of nerve pain. Unfortunately, an X-ray is not a great test to see if a nerve is being "pinched" (we prefer the term "entrapped," but it really means the same thing); even a CT or MRI typically doesn't show the problem.

The location you are describing is not far from the usual location of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Compression of this nerve is well-described; it's called meralgia paresthetica. A sense of numbness on exam in the thigh would help confirm this diagnosis. Your case is unusual in the sudden onset and the discrete stabs of pain, but the location and the absence of other symptoms make me think it's the most likely diagnosis.

Most often, the pain goes away as mysteriously as it came. An injection of topical anesthetic around the area of the nerve confirms the diagnosis and provides effective treatment if symptoms persist.

Contagious yawns

Dear Dr. Roach: Why are yawns contagious?

-- D.H.H.

A: The reason that we yawn remains controversial, but one theory, confirmed in animal studies, is that it is a means of temperature regulation in the brain. About 60 to 70 percent of people are susceptible to yawning when they see others yawn, and the more empathetic a person is, the more predisposed he or she is to yawn when others do.

* * *

The booklet on herpes and genital warts explains these two common infections in detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Roach, Book No. 1202, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Gov. Bruce Rauners annual State of the State speech Wednesday showed just how far apart lawmakers and the governor are, even as the states projected deficit tops $5.4 billion.

In his third address to legislators, the first-term governor repeated his pro-business, limited-government agenda, while touting administration achievements on school funding and calling for General Assembly term limits.

Lower in the address was the elephant in the Statehouse: the crippling state budget impasse that has dragged on for nearly two years. The standoff  the product of warring partisan factions and nemeses Republican Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago  has resulted in massive overdue bills and worrisome cuts to higher education and critical social services.

Both sides are dug in. Rauner isnt interested in talking unless Democrats look at various measures, including comprehensive workers compensation reform, that he says will help the economy and stabilize the states business community.

Democrats want to curb the deficit by reducing spending and increasing taxes. Their economic plan is far from sweeping, hinging on modest changes to corporate income taxes, increasing the minimum wage and returning to an old and tired Madigan effort to slap incomes of more than $1 million with a surcharge tax.

Recently, the Senate considered legislation that would freeze property taxes, limit payouts for workers comp claims and increase the personal income tax, but it was shelved.

"It's heartening to see the Senate coming together on a bipartisan basis to acknowledge these changes are needed," Rauner said during his speech. "Please don't give up. Please keep working. The people of Illinois need you to succeed."

Thats an understatement. We were looking for Rauner, who is preparing for a 2018 re-election effort, to use his address to send a strong signal that real leadership in both parties is needed to put real reforms in place. The closest we got Wednesday was the governor calling for bipartisan cooperation and saying that all lawmakers have a moral obligation to work together to bring change.

Thats also an understatement. In reality, if serious business reforms are not established, Illinois isnt going to have many businesses left. The state population already is rapidly decreasing  Illinois lost 37,508 people between July 1, 2015 and 2016, the most in the U.S.  and if the trend continues, we may surrender seats in Congress.

Simply put, this budget chaos makes it hard to attract businesses and is a roadblock to any growth.

We support Rauners continued efforts to run this state more like a business in order to get its financial house in order. To that end, we hope the governor is more forceful about the need for cooperation and compromise next month, when he presents his annual budget address.

And we hope the political winds in Springfield get behind an effort that can get us to a better place.
DECATUR  A state budget deal faced increased urgency Thursday after Attorney General Lisa Madigan petitioned a court to stop state employees from being paid.

The motion, filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court, would keep employees from receiving paychecks unless a budget agreement can be reached.

A judge had previously ruled state workers could continue being paid throughout a standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled legislature, although nobody knew that the impasse would last as long as it has, said Rich Miller, founder of CEO of the Capitol Fax, a daily newsletter about Illinois government.

The state has been without a complete budget since July 2015.

Miller was speaking Thursday evening during the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce annual meeting held at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel shortly after receiving information about the filing.

The lawsuit puts pressure on Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, the attorney general's father, to come together on a budget agreement by the end of February, Miller said.

Lisa Madigans office is seeking to have the courts pay order lifted Feb. 28, giving Rauner and lawmakers additional time to enact appropriations legislation and thereby ensure that state employees will continue to receive their wages, according to the filing.

We could be seeing the end of this stalemate, Miller said. I would have given it a 50-50 chance. We need more than that or we'll be in trouble like nobody has ever seen in the history of history. Illinois is already a national and in many ways an international embarrassment.

Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly responded to the lawsuit by expressing her disappointment.

It's disappointing to see any move to stop employee pay and disrupt government services, especially now as the Senate is on the verge of a bipartisan agreement to enact a balanced budget with changes to the system, Kelly said. This filing seeks to directly harm thousands of employee families and even more who rely on our dedicated state workers every day.

Kelly said the governor urges the attorney general to reconsider the filing. Rauner is scheduled to deliver his budget proposal to the General Assembly on Feb. 15.

He delivered a relatively upbeat State of the State address Wednesday in which he called for bipartisan compromise to end the impasse.

When the standoff began, unions representing state workers sued to ensure that they would continue being paid, arguing that cutting off their pay would be an unconstitutional violation of their contracts.

Lisa Madigans office argues in its latest filing that the state is violating the Illinois Constitution by paying workers without appropriations approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor.

The filing notes that the stopgap spending plan that funded state operations from July through December didnt include pay for state workers because of the earlier court order.

Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, said in a written statement that the order has removed much of the urgency for the Legislature and the governor to act on a budget.

She went onto say an Illinois Supreme Court ruling this summer undercuts the union argument in the case.

The Illinois Supreme Court overruled the sole legal basis for the St. Clair County Courts order to allow state operations to continue without an appropriation, Madigan said. With a new legislative session now under way, this is an appropriate time to ask the Circuit Court to reconsider this order in light of the changes in the law.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, one of the unions that brought the lawsuit, pointed the blame for the larger situation at Rauner, with whom the union is engaged in a bitter contract battle.

Members are scheduled to begin voting Monday on whether to authorize a strike for the first time in Illinois history.

Rauner created this hostage situation by refusing to enact a fully funded budget unless his unrelated personal demands were enacted first, spokesman Anders Lindall said. He should put aside those demands and do his job to work toward a budget without preconditions."

Still, AFSCME is shocked and extremely disappointed with Madigan for filing the motion, Lindall said.

Despite all the chaos in state government in the past two years, the people of Illinois have been able to count on state employees being on the job to serve them, he said. The last thing Illinois needs is the further instability that blocking state payroll could cause.

Miller, for his part, said Lisa Madigan is likely going to win the case because the Supreme Court already ruled on it. If not in St. Clair County, Miller said she would win it on appeal.

He said the issue shows a main reason why a budget deal needs to be reached.

It's kind of hard to run a state without employees, Miller said.

The state needs to pay its bills as a backlog approaching $24 billion is expected to pile up in the next 2 years, Miller said. The current backlog is about $11 billion, he said.

On the federal level, $24 billion is a rounding error, Miller said. On the state level, $24 billion is a very big deal. This is going to continue and get worse as costs rise with each passing day.

The state's unemployment rate could continue to rise, and its bond rating go through the floor as Miller said it currently sits just notches above junk status.

The invitation for Miller to speak at the Chamber meeting proved timely for somebody who understands Illinois politics so well, said Greg Webb, chairman of the group's advocacy committee.

We'll see what happens, Webb said. Businesses want certainty and predictability. With this, the level of uncertainty has caused apprehension. It would be a good thing to bring certainty.

Webb said Miller was effective as he could mix insightful information with wit and humor.
Bangkok, Thailand -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/26/2017 --The Vietnam War was one of tragedy, terror, and tension, yet for the majority of the world it is in the past and is simply a period to be remembered. However, for the people of Laos, the Vietnam War, despite ending in 1973, is still being fought today. This anomaly is because of the war's time period and location. With the newly developed bombers of the 1960's, many bombs did not detonate upon collision with the ground. Additionally, Laos was the most bombed country in the Vietnam War, being assaulted on average once every eight minutes for nine desolate years. As a result, the country of Laos is still littered with bombs in every one of its corners. Thousands have died due to an unfortunate encounter with these unstable landmines dubbed unexploded ordnance (UXO). In fact, experts calculate that Laos may still contain up to eighty million unexploded, live bombs, buried in its soil.*



Today, a new company by the name of Aerial Lab is using new bomb-detection technology to undo some of the damage that was inflicted onto Laos by outdated bombing technology. To achieve this goal, the company has begun developing a piece of nascent technology named the UXO Drone. By using a drone to levitate a UXO-detecting rig over problem areas, the UXO Drone can overcome the problems that current bomb-disarming techniques fall victim to. With the UXO Drone, neither human nor animal lives have to be risked to disarm a bomb; instead, an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) can take the risk.



Aside from the diminished risk of using the UXO Drone stand several other advantages. Foremost, the drone will be far more efficient than human teams who have to slowly walk across landmine-filled fields to detect bombs. The UXO Drone will simply glide across each field and detect bombs below it. As a side benefit, drones are able to work hours that humans simply cannot fill due to a need for sleep. In turn, Laos will be bomb-free in as little time as possible.



Unfortunately, there is one barrier that stands in the way of implementing this solution: cost. Constructing several six-propeller bomb-detecting drones is no small task. To remedy this issue, the UXO Drone team has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Patrons will be rewarded with a variety of merch as well as the satisfaction of saving lives.



To learn more visit the Indiegogo campaign page.



About Aerial Lab

Founded in 2009, Aerial Lab is the non-profit brainchild of Dr. Prasatporn Wongkamchang. Through a partnership with the KCR Flying Camera Team, the most prestigious aerial photography team in Thailand, and the use of drones, Aerial Lab aims to help solve some of the major problems facing Laos today. While working with the KCR team in Laos for three years, the Aerial Lab crew had plenty of opportunities to the devastating damage that unexploded ordnance can cause. In turn, Aerial Lab hopes for the success of its crowdfunding campaign and subsequently the UXO Drone to eliminate the ticking time bombs that are buried in the land of Laos.
Toronto, ON -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/27/2017 --Virtuous Bookkeeping (www.virtuousbookkeeping.com), Canada's leading outsourcing bookkeeping provider, has moved its office from Lake Shore Blvd., to a bigger unit on Eglinton Avenue, near Centennial Park. The company had a period of strong growth last year, which is why it has decided to expand.



"The new office has been designed to allow for a more collaborative work space, and to accommodate the continued growth within our team. Teamwork and open communication were key aspects we considered when designing the new space. We strongly believe it will have an impact on the quality of service our clients receive," says Rahul Maingi, Financial Reporting Manager of Virtuous Bookkeeping.



At 1,400 square feet, the new office can accommodate at least 16 people. For comparison, the old office could only house four. This is part of the business' plan to have more professionals under one roof.



Virtuous Bookkeeping's new address is 5399 Eglinton Ave. W. Suite #212B, Toronto, ON, M9C 5K6. It's close to Centennial Park, near the Toronto-Mississauga border.



With the increased space, Virtuous is seeking to provide even faster, more efficient value-added accounting services to its customers.



About Virtuous Bookkeeping

Virtuous Bookkeeping provides outsourcing solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. Services provided by the company include payroll processing, bookkeeping, credit card reconciliation, financial reports and invoice processing. The team has more than 30 years of combined experience in accounting and business process outsourcing. Virtuous serves more than 500 clients nationwide.
A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017
DECATUR  The idea raised of instituting an opportunity tax in Illinois has drawn mixed reactions this week.

Rich Miller spoke Thursday during the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce annual meeting about the issue facing the state's businesses, in addition to providing an update on the outlook for a state budget deal.

In other words, he said the "opportunity" tax would be imposed for the privilege of doing business in the state of Illinois.

It would replace the franchise tax, something that Miller said some businesses have been in favor of being changed. However, he said it's not favorable particularly for smaller businesses.

It means full employment for lobbyists in Springfield, said Miller, founder and CEO of Capitol Fax, a daily newsletter about state government. Miller was speaking during the Chamber meeting held at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel.

Businesses with payrolls less than $100,000 would be taxed about $250, Miller said. The amount rises to those with higher payrolls approaching $500,000 paying $7,500 a year for the tax, he said.

The ones with the highest payrolls would pay between $13,000 and $15,000 a year, which is lower than the franchise tax and part of why Miller said the new proposal was made.

Miller said some of what's included seems so odd, it could be there just so it can be negotiated away later.

As far as the budget deal, Miller said Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan have reasons to come to an agreement.

Miller said it's about being re-elected for Rauner.

It's been two years, and nothing has gotten done, Miller said. Rauner would like to get re-elected. It will be a lot harder for him than for Madigan.

Both leaders need to consider what they want to do and where they want to go, Miller said. A final deal is needed, he said.

Everyone is sick of this dance, Miller said. This dance has gone on too long.

As for the business portion of the Chamber meeting, President Mirinda Rothrock said the group continues to focus on supporting economic development efforts in Decatur. It has gained 112 new members, while retaining 95 percent of its membership in the past year, she said.

The approximately 40,000 people included in its member businesses represent about half of the Decatur population, Rothrock said.

She said the Chamber has held 38 ribbon-cuttings in the last year with those companies adding 514 jobs while representing a $21 million total investment.
Nine people who "disappeared" in a police operation targeting rights activists in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are still being held in an unknown location as their families prepared to welcome the Year of the Rooster without them.



Police in Guangdong's Shenzhen city detained rights activists Deng Hongcheng, Xiao Bing, Wang Wei, Huo Yan, and Shen Li after they made plans to meet up in the city's Longgang district on Nov. 14 for dinner.



The following day, friends and relatives Ding Yan, Wang Jun, Huang Anyang, Li Nanhai, Wang Jianhua, and Deng Jianfeng also went missing after they inquired with police after their whereabouts.



While the authorities have since confirmed that they are holding Deng Lihong and Wang Jun, and have released Deng Jianfeng, the rest are still unaccounted for, relatives told RFA on Friday.



Deng and Wang are being held on suspicion of "subversion of state power."



Wang Jun's wife Yan Junjun said she had visited the police station in search of the state security police officers in charge of his case on Wednesday, but was turned away.



"They refused to admit that that was the headquarters of the state security police," Yan said. "Then they said they wouldn't accept any of our paperwork [applying for Wang to meet with lawyers]."



"Nobody came out to give us an update on Wang Jun's situation," she said. "We totally failed to achieve what we went to achieve."



She said other families are already reuniting ahead of the New Year festivities which start on Friday evening and continue through the weekend.



"I am extremely worried," she said.



'We know nothing'



Wang Jianhua's wife, who gave only her surname Li, said she recently traveled from the couple's home in Henan to try to find him in Shenzhen, after losing all contact with him for more than two months, but to no avail.



She has since returned to Henan, and said the family has yet to receive any notification of her husband's whereabouts from the authorities.



"There has been nothing, and we know nothing," Li said. "We haven't had any formal documents through."



"I am taking care of the kids by myself, and I have to go to work, so this is going to get really tough after New Year," she said.



Meanwhile, Li Nanhai's father told RFA that his lawyer had tried to establish his whereabouts with the Shenzhen police department earlier this week, but had met with stonewalling from officials.



"The whole family depends on him to live," the elder Li said. "Not only do we have no savings, he had lent out all of our money on loan schemes."



Repeated calls to the Shenzhen municipal police department rang unanswered during office hours on Friday.



"Subversion of state power" carries a minimum jail term of 10 years in cases where the person is judged to have played a leading role, or where the consequences are deemed especially harmful.



Jailed Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo is currently serving a 13-year sentence for "incitement to subvert state power."



Meanwhile, petitioners pursuing long-running complaints against official wrongdoing in Beijing said they are unlikely to enjoy the traditional New Year's Eve meal along with the rest of the nation on Friday.



Large crowds form



A petitioner surnamed Yuan said there were still large crowds outside the State Council complaints department in Beijing on Friday, the last business day before the holiday begins.



"There were quite a lot of petitioners there [today], the same as normal," Yuan said. "There were also large numbers of interceptors, officials sent by local governments to persecute them."



"They don't want petitioners to come to Beijing ... but they still come, even on New Year's Eve," she said, adding that some of her fellow petitioners had already been taken to the Majialou unofficial detention center on the outskirts of Beijing, however.



Yuan said many petitioners, many of whom are complaining about forced evictions, wrongful detention or corruption linked to land deals, have scant hope of scoring a New Year feast, however.



"A lot of them are living way out beyond the fifth ring-road, and they only get one meal a day as it is," she said.



"They don't even have running water or heating, so they will have a hard time over New Year."



Beijing resident Tang Xinbo said many petitioners get by by picking up leftover meat and vegetables from piles of food waste.



"There's even an infant there who can barely say 'Daddy' who is picking through the trash for food to eat," Tang said.



Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




The ruling Chinese Communist Party has published a warning to its officials using the popular chat app WeChat, banning them from making "off message" comments on social media.



"WeChat friends circles are not a private domain, but a public place," according to a list of seven "dos and don'ts" issued by state news agency Xinhua's opinion column.



It said newly revised Communist Party rules for cadres now list "use of information networks to make rash comments on central government policy" as a disciplinary violation.



According to Xinhua, that could include using "information networks, radio, television, newspapers, books, lectures, forums, reports, seminars and other means to make off message comments about central government policy and undermine party unity."



Cadres whose WeChat networks contain "negative energy" should take time to persuade and educate their social media friends, and to "make the facts clear," the article said.



It said cadres are also banned from posting about government business to either official and personal social media accounts without authorization.



"Confidential information about government or [state] employers mustn't be posted, even in private one-to-one messages," it said, saying leaks were "likely."



Further limits to expression



The guide comes as China continues to tighten its control over what its 730 million internet users can see online, with new restrictions on virtual private networks (VPN), which are widely used to access restricted content outside the Great Firewall.



But Zhejiang rights activist Wu Bin said the guide's purpose is to ratchet up controls over what government officials may say in public, too.



"I'm not surprised by this, because it's all about [further] limiting freedom of expression, and taking away people's right to speak out," Wu said.



"The controls over [Twitter-like] Weibo services and WeChat are getting tighter and tight, and I think it's going to get even worse in future," he said.



Anhui-based activist and former state prosecutor Shen Liangqing said the ruling party has never felt comfortable with any sort of freedom of expression.



"Now we are in the internet age, rapid changes are taking place, such as chat apps, which have the ability to set up fairly small circles of communication," Shen said.



But he said WeChat, which is owned by Tencent, is still a commercial entity.



"If this was a normal country we wouldn't have all these controls on free speech," Shen said.



Echo chamber



Liaoning Normal University professor Mu Ran said via social media that social media is fast becoming an echo chamber for party officials to support government policy,.



"There's no trace of public opinion left in this at all," Mu wrote.



The new code of conduct banning "off-message" statements was likely approved by the plenary session of the 18th Party Congress last October, which was held behind closed doors, political observers said.



That meeting also formally endorsed President Xi Jinping as a "core" leader of the ruling party at the current plenum, potentially putting him on a par with former paramount leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, whose authority must never be challenged.



China's Cyberspace Administration last week shut down the WeChat account of prominent liberal economist Mao Yushi, without giving details.



The agency has also set out plans to defend the country's "national sovereignty" in the part of cyberspace behind the Great Firewall, a complex system of blocks, filters, and human censorship.



Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




SPRINGFIELD (AP)  Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner suggested Friday that the state's attorney general might be trying to "cause a crisis" by asking a court to stop paying more than 62,000 government workers while a historic budget stalemate drags on.

Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed the motion Thursday in St. Clair County, a staunch working-class Illinois suburb of St. Louis where a judge nearly two years ago ordered that withholding paychecks, even without a budget, would violate the state Constitution.

Madigan's move would halt the state's $400 million-a-month payroll and raise the specter of a government shutdown that could force feuding Democrats and Republicans back to the bargaining table.

"I hope this is not a direct attempt to cause a crisis to force a shutdown of the government ... as a step to force a tax hike without any changes to our broken system," Rauner told reporters Friday in Chicago. "This is going to hurt working families, the good, hard-working employees of Illinois who deserve to be paid, who deserve to stay working."

The first-term Republican governor campaigned on smaller government and often impugned state workers. But he became their biggest ally in 2015 when their paychecks were threatened and a work stoppage would have evaporated his leverage in his quest to tie a balanced budget to restructuring the business climate to boost commerce, curtail union influence and curb politicians' power.

Madigan is the daughter of House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has been the major voice of the opposition to Rauner during the stalemate.

Illinois has been without a budget since July 1, 2015  the longest any state has gone with no spending plan since at least since World War II.

Lisa Madigan's motion asks St. Clair court to dissolve by Feb. 28 a preliminary injunction that allows for state workers to be paid during the budget impasse.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall said the union was "shocked and extremely disappointed" by the filing.

"Despite all the chaos in state government in the past two years, the people of Illinois have been able to count on state employees being on the job to serve them," Lindall said. "The last thing Illinois needs is the further instability that blocking state payroll could cause."

Madigan noted that unpaid vendors and grantees who continue to provide services for Illinois are bearing the brunt of "this egregious and untenable budget impasse."

Senators failed to vote Thursday on a compromise to end a historic budget deadlock. The plan by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and Republican leader Christine Radogno would have raised income tax and created a service tax to beat down the deficit. It also included cost-saving measures to the workers' compensation program and a property-tax freeze sought by Rauner, pension- and school-funding overhauls, expanded casino gambling and more.
A Thai court will decide next month whether to jail a Chinese dissident on immigration violations despite his U.N. refugee status, his lawyer and a human rights advocate said.

A court in Chumphon province wrapped up a one-day trial for defendant Song Zhiyu on Jan. 25, saying it would hand down a verdict on Feb. 16, attorney Kohnwilai Teppunkoonngam told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Song, 44, faces up to two years in a Thai prison if convicted on charges of entering Thailand illegally and staying on without proper papers. A member of the Falun Gong spiritual movement that is banned in China, Song escaped to Thailand in early 2014.

He had been imprisoned and enslaved in forced labor camps several times since 2008 in his home country as punishment for advocating for the rights of Falun Gong practitioners and writing online articles about persecution carried out by the communist party, according to the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP), a Thai NGO that has provided him with legal representation.

Entering Thailand, he applied for and obtained refugee status from the Bangkok office of the U.N.s refugee agency (UNHCR) in his effort to be resettled in a third country, Kohnwilai and Siwawong Suktawee, the project coordinator for CRSP, told BenarNews.

In March 2016, Song was arrested and charged with illegal entry into Thailand, after he and three other Chinese nationals tried to sail to Australia in a yacht, but their vessel took on water off Chumphon, which lies on the Gulf of Thailand coast.

The boat Song took from Pattaya capsized at Pathew Bay. He called for help but officials arrested him. He had refugee status from the UNHCR, Songs lawyer, Kohnwilai, told Benar News.

Following his release on bail in June, Song told Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews, that the United Nations in Bangkok formally had granted him refugee status.

Despite having been granted refugee status by the U.N., Thailand does not recognize such status, said Siwawong, the CRSP project coordinator.

The UNHCR process to help him took long and he overstayed his visa, Siwawong said.

A regional spokeswoman for UNHCR declined to speak about the case of the Chinese design engineer and computer programmer who faces the prospect of prison time in Thailand.

For confidentiality reasons we cannot comment on individual cases, Vivian Tan told BenarNews on Thursday via email.

In Thailand, we work to sensitize the authorities that people with UNHCR-issued documents should not be arrested or detained. When we learn of arrests, our staff intervenes to try to secure their release as soon as possible, she added.

No safe haven

Songs case is one of several recently involving Chinese refugees or asylum seekers who have landed in trouble with law enforcement officials in Thailand. Local authorities last year detained a teenaged Chinese university student who was seeking political asylum in Thailand over an expired passport.

In November 2015, Thailand repatriated Chinese asylum seekers Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping who had escaped alleged persecution back home, amid protests by the United Nations.

In 2016, RFA quoted activists as saying that many Chinese refugees in Thailand were effectively on the run within the kingdoms boundaries, constantly moving around in a bid to evade arrest and deportation on illegal immigration charges.

A Thai police officer, who asked not to be named, said Thai authorities typically do not arrest or prosecute foreigners who have refuge status or are classified as persons of concern (POC).

We agree we will leave the people with POC status alone, as they are awaiting resettlement, but in this case, Song blatantly broke the laws and it was widely reported. The authorities must react with arrest, the officer told BenarNews.

The three other Chinese who were detained after being rescued from the stranded vessel were a family: Li Xiaolong was piloting the boat and was traveling with his wife, Gu Qiao, and their son, Li Yisheng.

Thai authorities freed Li Xiaolong after he served time in jail for breaking Thailands navigation laws, but his wife and child, who both had been granted refugee status by the U.N., are being held at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center, Kohnwilai said.

Reported by Pimuk Rakkanam from Bangkok, for BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
A banana plantation in the Tonpheung district where Lao authorities suspended the operations of 18 Chinese companies over pollution concerns, July 27, 2016.

Authorities in the northern Lao province of Bokeo suspended the operations of 18 Chinese-backed banana plantations after they discovered widespread violations of the regulations governing the use of agricultural chemicals, government officials told RFA's Lao Service.

It has been a problem for the environment as the Chinese companies destroy the environment with their heavy use of chemicals, a provincial official told RFAs Lao Service.

The companies have also planted banana trees in areas where they arent permitted, the official said.

The Chinese investors also plant outside of the areas where they have approval from the government, the official explained. Therefore, the planting is [now] banned.

The ban went into effect at the beginning of 2017 and covers banana plantations mainly in Tonpheung and Huayxai districts.

With the backing of Chinese investors, banana plantations have cropped up all over Laos, but the environmental impacts have been felt mostly in northern provinces like Bokeo.

Instead of growing the native kuay nam banana, the Chinese plantations generally produce the world's top banana, the Cavendish.

While the Cavendish is the most popular banana, growing it in the northern provinces requires the use of a cornucopia of pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, and fertilizers to boost production and ward off the 28 diseases and 19 insects that attack banana plants.

The use of the chemicals has helped the banana plantations thrive, but they have also leached into the ground water, and the thousands of plastic packages that the chemicals were packed in have been strewn across the countryside. In one case, the pollution was blamed for a death.

Worker exposure

Banana plantation workers exposed to the chemicals have gotten sick as open sores formed on their arms and they began to get headaches and dizzy spells.

A government official in the Pha Oudom district, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFA in 2016 that one worker had died from exposure to the chemicals.

The official told RFA that the banana plantation owner gave the victim 500,000 kip (U.S. $62.50) when he was treated in the hospital, but his family wasnt paid when he died.

Conditions for banana workers are so bad that plantation owners allow them to work on a plantation for only three years because they fear they will die there, sources told RFA in 2016.

The Chinese investors only think of their benefits. They invest lots of money, and they take advantage of the villagers, the provincial official told RFA on Jan. 25. "The plantations in Tonpheung and Bokeo have now been banned, and they are slowly leaving. They dont want to come any more.

Over the next two years, Bokeo provincial officials hope to switch agricultural production from bananas to other crops such as watermelons and palms.

For the remaining banana trees, the government plans to wait until after the bananas are harvested, and then they will close the plantations, the official said.

Reported and Translated by RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
Lacking adequate food, shelter and sanitation, many Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled into Bangladesh from Myanmar are marrying local men in the hope of achieving citizenship and basic services.

Such marriages are illegal, and often involve polygamy, child marriage or abandonment, BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, learned during a recent visit to Rohingya refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh.

Yet both sides see potential advantages  at least at first.

Sultan Ahmed, a 29-year-old resident of Teknaf sub-district in Coxs Bazar, recently married Samuda Begum, 16, who entered Bangladesh from Myanmar seven or eight years ago and lives in the Muchhni Rohingya camp.

My first wife has no problem; I have married again as a hobby, Sultan, a father of three, told BenarNews. I live with my first wife; I often go to Samuda and give her some money for daily expenses.

After crossing the border three years ago to escape violence and hunger in Myanmar, Nazu Begum, now 25, married a Bangladeshi man who has since abandoned her.

I got married with a man from Noakhali with the hope of getting citizenship. Life had been peaceful. But my husband left Teknaf after the birth of two children, said Nazu, who lives in Kochubunia, a village just across the border from the Maungdaw district of Myanmar.

Her husbands care for his family withered away after his work as a mason in Teknaf dried up, Nazu said. Like Samuda, she remains stateless.

But Nazu, who works as a maid at hotels and homes, has no plans to return to Myanmar. I will educate my children here and settle here, Nazu told BenarNews.

Our first choice

U.N. officials say some 65,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh since October 2016, fleeing a brutal military crackdown launched on the minority community in Myanmars western Rakhine state after Rohingya militants attacked border guard posts, killing nine officers.

Many women said they fled to Bangladesh with their children after security forces either killed or took away their husbands. In addition, 17 of 54 women BenarNews interviewed in the camps said they had been raped before crossing the border.

But life in Bangladesh is also full of hardship.

Prior to the latest influx, about 35,000 refugees lived in Coxs Bazar in two UN-registered refugee camps, and 300,000 more in vast settlements immediately adjacent, where many homes are constructed of bamboo and plastic, and roughly 5,000 people have access to a single water source and latrine, a BenarNews correspondent witnessed.

Bangladesh has refused to grant the Rohingya refugee status because it considers them citizens of Myanmar, while Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has denied then citizenship and access to basic services for decades.

Rohingyas are eager for citizenship as a way to escape the camps, gain civic rights and remain in Bangladesh. Families are willing to accept polygamy or much older men for their daughters because they believe the marriage will secure their future in Bangladesh.

There is no education opportunity (in the camps); (we) have to share a small room with many children. So, the children are arranged marriage as soon as they reach adulthood. Bangladeshi boys and girls are our first choice, Nur Mohammad, a resident of Leda camp, told BenarNews.

Nobody abides by the law

Yet the path to citizenship is far from guaranteed.

Marriages with non-citizens cannot be registered in Bangladesh. And since the marriage is not registered, authorities cannot take legal actions against men who marry Rohingya women.

Marrying a Rohingya is an offense, but nobody abides by the law. A Rohingya couple thinks they can stay here legally if one of their children is married with a Bangladeshi national, Mohammad Ali, a former lawmaker from Teknaf, told BenarNews.

So, they do not hesitate to settle marriage of a young girl with an aged Bangladeshi man. Such condition is making way for the local men to marry again; this has become a social blight, Ali said Ali.

Getting Bangladeshi citizenship is not easy even when they marry the locals; but the procedure is easier if they marry a Bangladeshi, said Mozammel Haque, president of Rohingya Resistance Committee, a Teknaf-based organization that opposes Rohingya integration into Bangladesh.

If a wife or husband lives with a Bangladeshi spouse, they may be entered onto voter lists or put in line to receive a national identity card, because the two populations are hard to tell apart, locals told BenarNews.

Authorities say they have no data on how many Rohingya are marrying Bangladeshis, or how many achieve citizenship this way.

We have been trying to stop marriage between the Rohingya and the Bangladeshis; we take measures to stop it whenever we get such tip off, Ali Hossain, the deputy commissioner of Coxs Bazar, told BenarNews.

But marriage is a matter of mutual understanding and hard to check if done secretly, he said.

Reported by Jesmin Papri from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, for BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
A flooded stretch of road is shown in Ngaba's Barkham county in an undated photo.

Chinese authorities are ignoring dangerous road conditions in some sections of Sichuan's Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, creating a public safety hazard in the area that has contributed to at least one death, according to local sources.

Since 2009, heavy rain has riddled the main roads in Ngaba's Barkham county (in Chinese Maerkang), where potholes and repeated landslides have sometimes made them impassible, a resident there told RFAs Tibetan Service.

The poor conditions of the roads are hampering travel, and in one instance prevented people from reaching a hospital, said the resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Several patients requiring urgent transportation to Barkham county hospital were stalled by the hazardous road conditions, and that led to a death on the way, the resident said.

While road conditions have gotten progressively worse in the area, complaints about the conditions to the Chinese government have failed to generate any action, the resident said.

The local Tibetan residents and community leaders have repeatedly appealed to the relevant local Chinese administration for immediate action to address the road problems, but so far the authorities have ignored their appeals, he said.

About 80 miles of road in the area are severely damaged, interrupting travel among the townships of Tsodun, Lunggya, Datsang, Chomdzo, Khangsar, Ribho, and Seryul in Ngaba, the source told RFA.

Reported by Lhuboom for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
A a man holding a fish caught in the Mekong River in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai bordering Laos, May 29, 2013.

Thailand, after suspending action for more than a decade, has decided to support Chinas blasting of rapids in the Mekong River.

China wants to remove rocks and islets in the Mekong in order to clear the way for large cargo ships, effectively turning Southeast Asias longest river into a Chinese trade and shipping lane.

Thailands military government meanwhile has plans to build a multimillion dollar freight transport hub in the countrys northern province of Chiang Rai. The aim is to link Chinese shipping with Thai land transport.

The city of Chiang Rai would be promoted as a logistics hub for Thailand and both China and neighboring Laos. Construction is scheduled to begin next year, according to The Bangkok Post.

The Post says that the blasting will cover a 392-mile route from the China-Myanmar border to Luang Prabang in Laos.

But nongovernmental groups in Thailand argue that the loss of the rapids will further damage the Mekongs declining fish stocks, which have long been the major source of protein for villagers living near the river.

Pianporn Deetes, Thailand campaign coordinator for the NGO International Rivers, said that the ecosystem in question is one of the most complex in the world. It includes many fish species, rapids, whirlpools, and sand dunes as well as vegetation supporting farmers, fishermen, and wildlife.

The rapids and rocks provide sanctuaries and breeding grounds for migratory fish. They also provide a refuge for the endangered giant catfish.

Deetes said in an interview that to place commercial shipping ahead of the needs of millions of farmers and fishermen depending on the Mekong for their living would be senseless .

She said that export products from China can reach Thai markets within 24 hours by road and that existing shipping by smaller cargo ships is working well. In addition, she noted that China has plans to build a railroad inside Laos that will be able to carry freight to Thailand.

Thai villagers protest

Over the past year, Thai villagers living along the Mekong have boarded Chinese survey boats to protest plans to destroy the rapids located near their homes.

Living on the Thai side of the Mekong, which forms a border between Laos and Thailand, the villagers have demanded that the survey boats halt their work.

At the same time, a group of Thai villagers led by a Thai teacher called Kru Tee filed a lawsuit in Thailand calling for a judgment against several Thai government agencies regarding the negative environmental and social impacts created by Laoss Xayaburi Dam.

The plaintiffs argued that the hydropower dam wouldnt have been economically viable without an agreement by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to purchase 95 percent of the electricity generated by the dam.

The case came under investigation by Thailands Supreme Administrative Court, but according to Thai media, it was rejected in late December, 2015.

A history of debate

In the year 2000, China, Laos, Burma, and Thailand signed an agreement to allow the blasting of rocks and reefs in the Mekong River.

According to a report by the Worldwatch Institute based in Washington, D.C., blasting began in December 2002.

But in 2003, after completing an early phase of the project, China halted the dynamiting due to a Thai border dispute with Laos over the location of the two countries shared water boundary.

Thai officials feared that changes in the flow of the river resulting from the blasting could shift the location of the Thai-Lao border, which is supposed to be set at the lowest elevation within the river.

Meanwhile, China had undertaken an environmental impact study which concluded that the impact of the blasting would be negligible.

But a Thai environmental watchdog group and scientists who reviewed the Chinese findings said that the studys analysis was deeply flawed. They said, moreover, that it was based on a field investigation that had lasted only two days.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC), which is supposed to review major changes in the flow of the Mekong, has called for a halt to the plan to blast more rapids until a more complete study can be made. But the MRCs findings are not binding, and China isnt a member of the commission.

The new blasting is not likely to commence until three years from now under a framework that called for a first phase from 2015 to 2020. That phase has required a survey and another assessment of the projects impact.

But some critics argue that even the smaller ships that currently carry cargo down the Mekong are already causing erosion of the riverbanks along parts of the river.

Without the blasting of more rapids, local people feel the shipping traffic is already very destructive, said former Thai Senator Kraisak Choonhavan, who has studied the issues involved for several decades.

Dan Southerland is RFAs founding executive editor.
BAKU -- A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced six people to prison over an apartment-tower fire that killed 15 people in 2015.

The Baku Court for Grave Crimes on January 27 found the defendants guilty of violating fire-safety regulations, negligence, and abuse of office, and sentenced them the same day.

Investigators blamed the fire at a high-rise in Baku's Binaqadi district on May 19, 2015, on poor-quality, highly flammable material covering the building, saying it could have combusted due to high heat. Fifteen people were killed and 50 injured.

Miryusif Mahmudov, the founder of Global Stone, the company that produced the external cover, was sentenced to eight years in jail. The company's director Ugur Basirov received five years.

Another Global Stone official and two former Binaqadi district officials were sentenced to four years in prison each, and a third district official received a 3 1/2-year sentence.

Two other defendants in the case received suspended sentences and were released from custody.
The regional police chief in the north of Kosovo has been suspended after he was accused of refusing to implement the government's policy on phasing out license plates issued by Serbia when Kosovo was still part of the country.

Nenad Djuric was suspended after the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo announced on November 3 that he is suspected of criminal offenses related to his refusal to implement the plan.

Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla said that the refusal to implement the governments decisions represents a serious threat to the security and stability of Kosovo.

The Kosovo police is one [force] and all its members should have the same mission: the rule of law and the creation of a safe environment for all citizens regardless of difference, Svecla said on Facebook. We will not allow any action that violates this mission, and together with the Kosovo Police we will continue its implementation.

The main party representing Serbs in Kosovo, Serbian List, said that the decision to suspend Djuric was illegal.

Goran Rakic, chairman of the party, said that the Serbs should "strengthen and build" their own institutions in northern Kosovo in cooperation with Serbia.

Rakic said that he has called an extraordinary meeting of the Serbian List with the mayors of four municipalities in the north of Kosovo with Serbian majorities. The meeting will be held after the "illegal and anti-Serbian decision" to suspend Djuric, he said.

Radic said he will call on Serbs to vacate institutions in the north, including judicial, police, and other institutions.

Meanwhile, the head of the office for Kosovo in the Serbian government, Petar Petkovic, told a news conference on November 3 that Djuric was suspended because "he stood in defense of the Serbian people."

He questioned what mistake Djuric had made by refusing to participate in the decisions of Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, which are political."

Djuric said on November 2 that the police in the north would not implement the government's decision to issue warnings to drivers who have cars with license plates issued by Serbia.

Djuric was appointed regional police commander in the north in June 2013 after Kosovo and Serbia reached the first agreement on the normalization of relations in the dialogue mediated by the European Union.

The agreement stated that the regional commander in the four municipalities with Serbian majority is to be appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo.

Kosovo has attempted several times this year to require its Serb minority to change their old car plates from before 1999 when Kosovo was still part of Serbia. Authorities began implementing the latest plan to phase out old vehicle license plates on November 1.

Kurti announced the plan last week, saying drivers would first be given warnings during an initial three-week period starting on November 1. That is to be followed by a two-month period when 150 euro ($149) fines will be issued. There will then be another two-month period during which temporary license plates will be valid.

If drivers do not change their plates by April 21, their vehicles will be confiscated, according to the government decree.

Kosovo and Serbia fought a war in 1998-99, with Kosovo eventually declaring independence from Serbia in 2008.

Ethnic Serbs in the north of Kosovo have been using car plates issued by Serbian institutions since the end of the war with the acronyms of Kosovar cities such as KM (Kosovska Mitrovica), PR (Pristina), or UR (Urosevac).

The government in Kosovo regards the plates as illegal but until now has tolerated them in four northern municipalities with Serb majorities.
The West should engage with Russia but remain wary about Moscows intentions, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said in the United States.

Addressing Republican lawmakers on January 26 ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, May alluded to former President Ronald Reagans approach to talks with his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev.

"When it comes to Russia, as so often it is wise to turn to the example of President Reagan who -- during negotiations with his opposite number Mikhail Gorbachev -- used to abide by the adage 'trust but verify,'" May said.

"With President [Vladimir] Putin, my advice is to 'engage but beware,'" she added.

May delivered the remarks shortly before her meeting in Philadelphia with Trump, the U.S. president's first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader since he took office last week.

She used the speech to stress the importance of the "special relationship" between the two countries in addressing global challenges such as terrorism.

"So we -- our two countries together -- have a responsibility to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain, and the world," May said in a speech that was repeatedly interrupted by enthusiastic applause from the audience.

At the same time, she said, "This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past."

"The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene," May said. "We must be strong, smart, and hard-headed."

May defended the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump has sharply criticized, but said the pact easing sanctions against Tehran in exchange for the curbs on its nuclear program should be "very carefully and rigorously policed."

She delivered sharp criticism of Russia, in particular over its 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea territory, which she called "illegal."

Trump says he wants greater cooperation with Russia on issues like counterterrorism and Syria, and he suggested during his presidential campaign that he could lift sanctions that the Obama administration slapped on Moscow in response to the annexation.

Trumps election has also been dogged by allegations from the U.S. intelligence community that Russian hackers meddled in the campaign in a bid to help him win the White House.

The Kremlin denies the allegations. Trump has conceded that Russia was likely behind cyberattacks targeting the campaign of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, but insists that the hacking had no impact on the outcome of the election.

Trump has also made fellow NATO members in Eastern Europe nervous by referring to the alliance as "obsolete."

In her speech, May voiced firm support for allies in the region, saying the West should "give assurance to Russia's neighboring states that their security is not in question."

"We should not jeopardize the freedoms that President Reagan and [former British Prime Minister Margaret] Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence," she said.

May added, however, that "there is nothing inevitable about conflict between Russia and the West, and nothing unavoidable about retreating to the days of the Cold War."

"But we should engage with Russia from a position of strength, and we should build the relationships, systems, and processes that make cooperation more likely than conflict," she said.

With reporting by Reuters
If you happen to be a small country on Russia's borders facing a revanchist Kremlin, then thinking outside the box about your security isn't just desirable -- it's an absolute necessity.

It's a matter of survival.

And once again, tiny Estonia is showing itself to be a leading innovator.

Case in point: Estonia is now giving qualified draftees in its armed forces the option of being cyber warriors instead of serving in the infantry.

Rather than marching with assault rifles and digging trenches, a select group of young tech-savvy Estonian conscripts can now man keyboards and write code to protect their country from cyberattacks.

For the time being, the experimental program involves just a handful of conscripts, but it is expected to expand.

As Estonia's undersecretary of defense, Erki Kodar, told The Associated Press, if you've drafted someone with applicable IT skills, then why should their talent be wasted driving a jeep?

Estonia's experiment with cyberconscripts comes on the heels of a NATO decision at last summer's Warsaw summit to define cyber as an "operational domain."

And it comes as an increasing number of cybersecurity and military experts are suggesting that Western armed forces establish separate cyber-branches.

Now, Estonia was the victim of a Russian cyberattack before it was cool, way back in 2007.

It knew what it felt like to be the target of a Kremlin hacking campaign before the rest of us did.

And Estonia is again proving that the smallest and most vulnerable countries can be the best innovators.

And we could all stand to learn a thing or two from them.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Freedom House has condemned the arrest of lawyer Emil Kurbedinov and his client Seyran Saliev by Russian-imposed prosecutors in Ukraine's Moscow-annexed Crimea region.

Robert Herman, the vice president for international programs at Freedom House, is demanding the immediate release of Kurbedinov and Saliev.

A court in the Crimea's capital of Simferopol on January 26 sentenced Kurbedinov to 10 days in jail for publishing video footage from a Hizb ut-Tahrir rally in 2013 -- the year before Russia illegally annexed Crimea.

Saliev was arrested the same day and could face terrorism charges.

Both Kurbedinov and Saliev are Crimean Tatars.

Russia has been heavily criticized by international rights groups and Western governments for its treatment of Crimea's indigenous Turkic-speaking, mainly Muslim people since Russia seized control of the Ukrainian region in March 2014.

Arrests, disappearances, and killings of Crimean Tatars have been reported.
The foreign minister of Hungary says economic sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia have been "bad news for Europe" and welcomed the timing of President Vladimir Putin's planned trip to Budapest next week.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on January 27 that the sanctions, imposed in 2014 after Russias illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, have been unsuccessful economically and politically and have not achieved their objectives.

"Hungary's position on the sanctions is that [they are] useless," Szijjarto told Reuters in an interview.

He said Hungary had lost some $6.5 billion in export opportunities to Russian and other countries since the sanctions were put in place.

"I don't think we should celebrate that we hit the Russian economy, because it's bad news for Europe as well," he said.

Szijjarto said Putin's planed February 2 trip to Budapest is the "perfect" time for him to visit, saying it would be the first time the United States would not be resisting Hungarian moves to improve relations with the Kremlin.

Hungary is a member of NATO and the European Union but has remained on good terms with Moscow since the sanctions were imposed.



A compilation by Reuters shows that 17 of the 28 EU member states are firmly committed to maintaining the sanctions imposed on Russia over Moscow's annexation of Crimea and aid to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.

Along with Hungary, only Portugal and Slovenia have come out in favor of easing sanctions. The remaining eight countries that have expressed skepticism about the sanctions have indicated they would likely stick to the current hard line.

Szijjarto said he also expects a "massive improvement" in Budapest's relations with Washington.

He said he agrees with President Donald Trump's assertion that NATO had failed to successfully defend against the threat of terrorism.

"Currently, if we speak about threats, I see [Islamic State] as a threat," Szijjarto said. "A nonstate actor is the most serious threat to the civilized world. And in this regard, I think, yes, NATO could have a bigger role."

With reporting by AP and Reuters




BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has signed constitutional amendments into law after they were adopted in a referendum in December.

Lawmakers, cabinet members, and the Supreme Court chairwoman attended the signing ceremony in Bishkek on January 27.

The 26 amendments approved in the December 11 referendum included changes shifting key powers from the president to the prime minister and effectively outlawing same-sex marriage in the mostly Muslim former Soviet republic.

The latter change has been criticized by opponents of Atambaev, who suspect it is designed to pave the way for him to stay in power after his seven-year term ends following an election in autumn 2017.

Kyrgyzstan's current constitution was adopted in June 2010 after mass protests toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiev. A clause in the 2010 constitution prohibited making amendments to the text before 2020.

Kyrgyzstan is the only country in Central Asia in which the president is limited to a single term.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator John McCain says he will pursue legislation that would cement sanctions against Russia into law if President Donald Trump decides to lift them.

McCain, a Republican from Arizona, made the pledge in a January 27 statement, a day before a planned phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier on January 27, senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said in a television interview that lifting U.S. sanctions that were imposed against Russia over its actions in Ukraine and elsewhere was "under consideration."

McCain noted that the January 28 phone call between Trump and Putin comes "amid widespread speculation that the White House is considering lifting sanctions against Russia."

"For the sake of America's national security and that of our allies, I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course," McCain said. "If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law."

McCain, a vocal critic of Putin, called the Russian president a "murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests."

Moscow has repeatedly accused McCain of stirring up anti-Russian sentiment.

Trumps stated desire to seek better relations with Russia has triggered criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Over the past five years, Iranian officials and state media have touted the "indigenous" ingenuity in the Islamic republic's mass-produced Mohajer-6 combat drone, which Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine.

But a new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, has found that electronic components underpinning Tehran's production of the Mohajer-6 are far from homegrown.



The Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export to Iran of such technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes  dual-use technology.

The presence of these components in the Mohajer-6 does not mean their producers are in violation of U.S. or EU sanctions, and RFE/RL does not have evidence that this is the case.

The investigation also found Mohajer-6 components produced in China, including a real-time mini-camera made by a Hong Kong firm that said it was "very sorry" that its products were being used in war.

At least one major foreign-produced component of the Mohajer-6 has previously been identified by reporters in a Mohajer-6 recovered from the battlefield by the Ukrainian military: an engine made by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products.

But Ukrainian intelligence assesses that the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan, the Schemes investigation has found. A majority of these companies are based in the United States.



A Schemes reporter who personally inspected the foreign-made drone parts identified components produced by at least 15 of these manufacturers.

These include parts made by the U.S. technology firm Texas Instruments, which said in a statement that it does not sell into Russia or Iran and complies with applicable laws and regulations.

To identify these components, Schemes reporters examined parts of the Mohajer-6 drone that the Ukrainian military shot down over the Black Sea near the Mykolayiv region coastal town of Ochakiv. They also reviewed Ukrainian intelligence records on the sources of these components.

The drone also contains a microchip bearing the logo of a California technology company and a thermal-imaging camera that Ukrainian intelligence says may have been produced by a firm based in Oregon or China.

Both Western officials and experts on illicit technology transfers say Iran has built a broad, global procurement network using front companies and other proxies in third countries to obtain dual-use technology from the United States and the EU.

"Exporters will look at the request coming from the [United Arab Emirates] or another third country, and they'll think that they're selling to an end user based there, when really the end user is in Iran," Daniel Salisbury, a senior research fellow with the Department of War Studies at King's College London, told RFE/RL.

In September, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions specifically targeting Iranian companies that Washington links to the production and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia for deployment in its war on Ukraine. Fighting rages with no sign of an end more than eight months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion on February 24.

"Non-Iranian, non-Russian entities should also exercise great caution to avoid supporting either the development of Iranian UAVs or their transfer, or sale of any military equipment to Russia for use against Ukraine," U.S. Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement announcing the sanctions.

Chinese Cameras, California Chips

Development of the Mohajer-6, the latest model in a series of drones Tehran has used since the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, began in 2017, while mass production began the following year. During a ceremony commemorating the Islamic Revolution, then-Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said that the new tactical drone could perform surveillance, reconnaissance, as well as help destroy targets.

Hatami extolled what he described as the drones domestic design, a portrayal echoed in later reports by Iranian media.

"The homegrown drone was made through cooperation among the army, Defense Ministry, and Quds Aviation Industries," the English-language Tehran Times quoted an Iranian military official as saying in July 2019.

The dismantling of the Mohajer-6 drone recovered by the Ukrainian military shows that the UAV is packed with foreign components.

One of these parts is a bright-orange real-time mini-camera produced by the Hong Kong-based company RunCam Technology. Documents seen by Schemes show that Ukrainian intelligence has also identified RunCam as the producer of the camera, which likely assists in remote guidance of the drone.

Founded in 2013, RunCam is involved in the development and production of so-called "first-person-view" real-time cameras. "Our users are our friends," the company's website states. The site says that RunCam has two authorized Iranian dealers.

Reached by Schemes for comment about the use of its camera in the Iranian drone deployed by Russia in its war on Ukraine, RunCam said in an e-mailed response: "We are very sorry to know that RunCam's products were used in warfare. RunCam is specialized in producing products for model aircraft hobby. We never contact any customer related to military."

The provenance of the Mohajer-6 drone-s thermal-imaging camera is more difficult to determine. A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Schemes indicates it could be the Ventus Hot model produced by Sierra-Olympic Technologies, based in the U.S. state of Oregon, but that it also resembles a cheaper analog available for sale by the Chinese company Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology.

Qingdao Thundsea Marine Technology said in an e-mailed statement that the company did not "have any business with Iran," because "it will affect our business." The company said it specializes in marine services and is not involved in manufacturing. It also said that it did not have a single successful order for its online advertisement of the thermal-imaging camera resembling the one recovered from the Iranian drone.

Sierra-Olympic Technologies did not respond to a request for comment on the possible use of its thermal-imaging cameras in Iranian combat drones in time for publication.

Microchips recovered from the drone also featured the logos of the California-based company Linear Technology Corporation and its parent company, the Massachusetts-based semiconductor company Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI). ADI did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the possible use of its technology in the Iranian combat drone.

Schemes reporters also observed among the components of the Iranian drone a voltage step-down converter produced by Texas Instruments. The company said in an e-mailed statement that it "does not sell into Russia, Belarus, or Iran."

"TI complies with applicable laws and regulations in the countries where we operate, and does not support or condone the use of our products in applications they weren't designed for," Texas Instruments said.

Schemes reporters also saw several components produced by the California-based technology manufacturer Xilinx, whose parent company is the multinational semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), also based in California.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, one of these Xilinx components was integrated into a video data-link module located in the wing of the Mohajer-6 that helped carry out attack missions.

"This module transmits information from the board to the missile head. That is, guidance for the missile. With the help of this module, it was possible to guide the missile to the target," a Ukrainian military intelligence representative told Schemes.

AMD did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

'No Authorization'

Previous media reports about the components of the Mohajer-6 drone, including by CNN, have shown evidence that its engine was produced by the Austrian manufacturer BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, whose parent company is the Quebec-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP).

The Canadian company responded to the reports on October 21, saying in a statement that it "has not authorized and has not given any authorization to its distributors to supply military UAV manufacturers in Iran or Russia."

"As soon as we were made aware of this situation, we started an investigation to determine the source of the engines," BRP said. .

But Schemes reporters found that the authorized Rotax distributor listed on the Austrian manufacturer's website advertised itself as a Rotax aircraft engines distributor for Iran as recently as December 2020.

The distributor, the Italian company Luciano Sorlini S.p.a., has posted multiple magazine advertisements on its websites in which it describes itself as a Rotax distributor for numerous countries. Prior to January 2021, Iran was listed among these countries.

The Rotax website also lists a Tehran-based company -- MahtaWing -- as an official service center for its engines. The company, known in Persian as Mahtabal, conducts repairs of Rotax engines, including the Rotax 912 iS, the engine that was found in the Mohajer-6 combat drone recovered in Ukraine.

BRP said in an e-mailed statement on November 4 that while Luciano Sorlini S.p.a. is the appointed distributor of Rotax aircraft engines in Iran, "since 2019, no Rotax engines have been sold in Iran, and we will not sell any engines to Iran moving forward."

The Canadian company said it had "internal controls" that "significantly" restrict the sale of its products for military purposes.

"For example, the sale of any BRP product to operators with any military activity in Iran, Turkey, and Russia is strictly prohibited," BRP said. "We conduct our business in compliance with all EU, Canadian, and U.S. applicable regulations."

BRP described the Iranian company MahtaWing as a "local service center" that "offers maintenance services for previously sold aircraft engines."

Shahriar Siami of RFE/RL's Radio Farda contributed to this report.
Pakistan has banned a popular television host after he said five bloggers who are missing were enemies who deserved to die under blasphemy laws.

The state media regulator said in a statement on January 26 that Amir Liaqat's daily show on the Bol television channel had been discontinued and prohibited from appearing on the channel "in any manner."

"Liaqat cannot call anyone an infidel or traitor," the statement said, adding that hate speech was a crime under Pakistani law.

In Pakistan blasphemy is a criminal offense that can result in the death penalty. Even being accused of blasphemy can lead to deadly attacks by religious vigilantes.

The five bloggers disappeared in separate incidents in the capital, Islamabad, and the cities of Lahore and Nankana Sahib earlier this month. The bloggers were known for their critical views of the country's military establishment and Islamic extremism.

On his show, Liaqat accused the five of blasphemy and also ridiculed other secular people, claiming they are enemies of the state and deserve to be killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bloggers' disappearances but rights groups say they suspect the bloggers were abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies seeking to clamp down on dissent.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, AP, dpa, Reuters, and AFP
MOSCOW -- A controversial bill sharply reducing penalties for many cases of domestic abuse has won final approval in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.



Duma deputies supported the bill by a vote of 380-3, despite criticism from human rights and family protection groups that say it will put women and children in jeopardy.



The bill now goes to the upper house for a single vote and then to President Vladimir Putin for his signature.



For first-time offenders, the bill reduces battery inflicted on a family member from a crime to an administrative misdemeanor, making it punishable by a fine, community service, or up to 15 days in jail instead of a longer prison term.



Backers of the bill, including ultraconservative lawmaker Yelena Mizulina, say it is needed to stop the state from meddling in family affairs. Some also say it is line with Russian traditions as opposed to what one supporter said was a "Western program...aimed to destroy our families."

This situation is unacceptable. It is necessary to correct criminal legislation and remove these absurd provisions."

Mizulina argues the bill removes what she casts as "outrageous" legislation adopted in July 2016 that decriminalized first offenses of battery except in special cases, including when they are committed against "close relatives."



This exception was criticized by conservatives, who dubbed it the slapping law.



"For a slap in the family you can get up to two years [in prison] and the label 'criminal' for the rest of your life, but for battery on the street -- a fine of up to 40,000 rubles ($665)," Mizulina said at the time. "This situation is unacceptable. It is necessary to correct criminal legislation and remove these absurd provisions."



Mizulina hailed the Dumas swift action in comments on her blog on January 27, saying the bill "removes antifamily norms in the law and corrects the outrageous injustice arising from the legislation passed in July 2016 decriminalizing a raft of articles of the criminal code."



Momentum to pass the new bill emerged after President Vladimir Putins annual press conference in December, in which he was asked by conservative journalist Elina Zhgutova about the issue highlighted by Mizulina.



Putin said that "it is better not to slap children while citing some kinds of tradition," but suggested legislative measures should not go too far, saying, "We mustnt go crazy here. It is harmful. It destroys families." He also criticized "skewed standards of juvenile justice."

This bill is a sickening attempt to trivialize domestic violence, which has long been viewed as a non-issue by the Russian government."

Zhgutova, in comments to RFE/RLs Russian Service, said giving a child a cuff on the back of the head is sometimes appropriate and dismissed protestations by rights groups as the product of a tainted Western worldview.



"There exists a certain program, a Western program, which is aimed at destroying our families, at allowing interference under whatever pretext, at destroying trust," she said. "Why should a wife trust the state more than her husband whom she chose to spend her life with out of love. No one forced her. Why should she have to deal with police inside this family?"



The bill has been widely criticized by family protection groups, international rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and by activists such as Anna Popova, who protested outside the Duma on January 27.



Popova has gathered almost 240,000 signatures in an online petition calling for the bill not to be passed, saying that 40 percent of all grave violent crimes occur inside the family in Russia.



An opinion survey by state pollster VTsIOM this month found that 79 percent of Russians believe that all physical violence is unacceptable inside the family, but 59 percent support administrative rather than criminal punishment for battery if it is the first offense.



Popova said the bill will make domestic abuse victims more vulnerable and put them in a weaker position to seek help if in trouble. She told RFE/RLs Russian Service she believes the decision to change the legislation "was sent down by Putin himself" and that the bill violates the constitution.



Amnesty International has called on Russian lawmakers to abandon the legislation.



"This bill is a sickening attempt to trivialize domestic violence, which has long been viewed as a nonissue by the Russian government," Anna Kirey, deputy director for Campaigns for Russia and Eurasia at the London-based group, said in a January 19 statement.



"Far too often, victims find they cannot rely on the law for protection and their abusers are let off the hook, with only a tiny fraction imprisoned for their actions," she said.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service
Russia's military says Russian and Turkish planes have carried out joint air strikes that targeted positions of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in the Aleppo region of Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the joint strikes were carried out on January 26 with the approval of the Syrian government.

"The Russian aircraft eliminated three control centers and communication posts as well as several strongpoints of insurgents," the ministry said.

According to Moscow, the strikes were carried out by Russian Su-24M bombers and Su-35S fighter planes along with Turkish F-16 and F-4 fighters.

Russia and Iran support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs rebels looking to drive Assad from power. However, both sides have targeted fighters of the IS militant group.

Russia, Iran, and Turkey sponsored peace talks earlier this week in Astana, Kazakhstan, but failed to reach a breakthrough on a political settlement.
At a hospital in Ufa, Russia, a broken elevator means some injured patients have to crawl up and down the stairs to their X-ray appointments. A video shared online led to the dismissal of the hospital's director -- but there have been no reports of a repaired elevator. (RFE/RL's Russian Service)
Russian media reports say a former leader of Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's Luhansk region has died in Russia at the age of 46.

Reports say Valeriy Bolotov, a Luhansk businessman who acted as a separatist leader in the region in 2014, was found dead in his apartment in Russia on January 27.

There were conflicting reports about whether his apartment was in Moscow or outside the Russian capital.

There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of Bolotov's death, though Russian state media quoted sources as saying he died of a heart attack.

Several prominent separatists have died or been killed in murky circumstances, while others have survived assassination attempts.

Bolotov himself survived an attempted assassination during his time as a self-declared leader in Luhansk.

Infighting among the Russia-backed separatists has repeatedly bubbled into public view since their war against the Kyiv government's forces broke out in April 2014.

Despite significant evidence of Russia's involvement in eastern Ukraine, Moscow denies supporting the separatists with troops and weaponry.

Based on reporting by RFE/RLs Russian Service, Interfax, rbc.ru, and gazeta.ru


New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

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A clear sky. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Authorities in Britain say two London financial traders found guilty of conspiring to defraud a Russian bank of $178 million have been sentenced to long jail terms.

Georgy Urumov, 37, on January 27 received a 12-year sentence and Vladimir Gersamia, 33, got seven years on convictions for multiple fraud charges after a four-month trial in a London court.

Urumovs sentence was at the top end of the possible prison term.

Prosecutors said the pair were involved in a complex series of scams against the Russian-owned company Otkritie Securities Ltd. (OSL), costing the company some $178 million in losses.

Moscow-based Otkritie said it has been able to recover much of the money taken in the schemes.

Urumovs wife, Yulia Balk, and an Otkritie colleague, Alessandro Gherzi, were cleared of several fraud and money-laundering accusations by the jury on January 25.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg
VIDEO REPORTS

Estonia is giving qualified members of its armed forces the option of serving as cyber warriors rather than in the infantry.

Terrible odors, contaminated water, disease, and a rising pile of trash: that's how residents of a village south of Moscow describe the consequences of a nearby landfill.

Once an established lawyer, Yury gave up his urban lifestyle for a more serene existence underground.

OTHER NEWS

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will speak by telephone on January 27, their first conversation since Trump took office a week ago.

Russian media have reported that another Federal Security Service FSB officer has been arrested on treason charges in a case that may be linked to cyberattacks targeting the U.S. presidential election campaign.

Russias State Duma has approved a controversial bill that would sharply reduce penalties for many cases of domestic abuse.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree allowing troops from the United States and other NATO countries to carry out training missions in Ukraine during 2017.

A Brazilian citizen who authorities say fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Kyiv court.

Ukraine has released a Georgian man who is wanted in Russia on suspicion of murder and fought against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Activists have sought to set up a blockade on a railway near the border between Ukraine-controlled and Russia-backed territories in Luhansk to protest Kyivs continued trade with separatists. Critics say the blockade could threaten Ukraines supply of anthracite coal, which is available only in the separatist-controlled territories. (Ukrainian Service)

Residents of Crimeas coastal Gurzuf village are complaining about a large-scale construction project undertaken under the auspices of the former flagship Soviet youth camp, Artek. Locals accuse Artek of requiring them to carry special identification documents, seizing village lands illegally to build villas for oligarchs, and erecting a 3-meter high brick wall to restrict access to territories now under its control. (Russian Service)

A decree signed by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyaev calls for immortalizing the memory of his predecessor.

Officials in Uzbekistan are playing down expectations that the tightly controlled Central Asian nation will soon abolish exit visas.

The mayor of Tajikistans southern city of Kulob is taking steps to address educational deficits among his staff and the consequences of a university system in which students routinely pay bribes to pass exams.

The UN human rights chief has marked Holocaust Remembrance Day with a statement highlighting the dangers of anti-Semitism and all forms of racial and religious hatred and discrimination.

RFE/RLs investigative program Schemes has discovered that Ukrainian members of the Minsk negotiating group are traveling to Belarus in a private charter jet used by Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Pinchuk. Pinchuk has said publically that Crimea should not stand in the way of an agreement that would end the conflict in Ukraines eastern territories. (Ukrainian Service)

Central Asia expert Arkady Dubnov dismissed Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaevs reported plans to devolve some powers to parliament as an imitation of change, claiming there is no evidence of real movement toward political or judicial reform. Genuine political parties remain absent, he said, and the parliament, like the State Duma in Russia, is a transmission belt of the presidential administration. (Russian Service)
The operations of former Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloev's office are being examined by investigators two weeks after he was replaced by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon's son.

The deputy chief of Tajikistan's Anticorruption Agency, Iliyos Idriszoda, said on January 27 that a preliminary investigation had been launched into possible embezzlement of state funds by staff members during Ubaidulloev's long tenure as mayor of the capital.

Idriszoda told journalists that the investigation was launched after the agency received complaints from several Dushanbe residents who suspected that state funds allocated for the construction of apartment blocks were misused.

He said that the new mayor, Rustam Emomali, had also asked the agency to look into the situation.

Emomali, 29, was appointed mayor by his father on January 12.

Ubaidulloev, 64, was mayor for 19 years. He remains chairman of the parliament's upper chamber, the Majlisi Milli, and is considered Tajikistan's No. 2 leader after the president.

Rahmon has ruled the poor, predominantly Muslim former Soviet republic since 1992.

Rights groups and opponents say he tolerates little dissent and suppresses his critics.
ON MY MIND

Rising tensions in Kosovo. Separatism in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Resurgent nationalism in Serbia. And an attempted coup in Montenegro.

No, the 1990s aren't calling and asking for their headlines back. And this isn't a flashback.

The volatile Balkans are again turning into a trouble spot. And this time around, the hand of Moscow is busy stirring the pot.

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we take a look at escalating unrest in the Balkans and Russia's role in it. Joining me will be co-host Mark Galeotti, a senior research fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague and a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; and Arbana Vidishiqi, director of RFE/RL's Balkan Service.

It will be online later in the day so be sure to tune in!

IN THE NEWS

A controversial bill that would sharply reduce penalties for many cases of domestic abuse has won final approval in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, are expected to speak on the phone on January 28, the TASS news agency has quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

The West should engage with Russia but remain wary about Moscows intentions, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Trump in Philadelphia.

Russian media have reported that another Federal Security Service (FSB) officer has been arrested on treason charges in a case that may be linked to cyberattacks targeting the U.S. presidential election campaign.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis has assured his German and French counterparts that the United States has an "enduring commitment" to NATO, the Pentagon said.

Russian doping whistle-blower Yulia Stepanova is planning to return to the track this weekend at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix.

The Russian-imposed authorities in Crimea said that security forces were conducting an operation targeting alleged members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic group that is banned in Russia.

Human rights advocates and European lawmakers are calling on Russia to drop criminal charges against Mykola Semena, an RFE/RL contributor who is accused of separatism in a case supporters say is aimed at silencing criticism of Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Ministry says the country's ambassador to India, Aleksandr Kadakin, has died in New Delhi at the age of 67.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree allowing troops from the United States and other NATO countries to carry out training missions in Ukraine during 2017.

Unidentified vandals have spray-painted Nazi graffiti at a memorial cemetery in Ukraine where some Poles are buried.

Ukraine has released a Georgian man who is wanted in Russia on suspicion of murder and fought against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

WHAT I'M READING

FSB Espionage Arrests

There are still a lot of dots to connect in the cases of the FSB officers arrested in December for espionage, although there is a lot of speculation in the media that they connected to Russia's alleged hacking of the U.S. presidential elections.

There is still no official confirmation of the arrests, which have been made public in a series of leaks to the Russian media.

Kommersant reported earlier in the week that Sergei Mikhailov, deputy chief of the FSB's Center for Information Security, had been arrested, as had Ruslan Stoyanov, an employee of the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.

A report in Novaya Gazeta provides details about the arrest of Sergei Mikhailov, deputy chief of the FSB's Center for Information Security. The report also claims that Mikhailov was suspected of tipping U.S. intelligence off to to information about the Russian server-rental company King Servers, identified by cybersecurity experts as a nexus used by Russian hackers in attacks against the United States.

And the Tzargrad news site published a story claiming that Mikhailov had been involved with the notorious Russian hacking group called Shaltay-Boltay, that had previously hacked the e-mails of senior Russian officials.

Rambler News, REN-TV, Kommersant, and RBK then reported that a second FSB officer, identified as Major Dmitry Dokuchayev had also been arrested.



And RBK reports that Dokuchayev was previously a hacker known as Forb, who had been recruited by the FSB after being arrested for credit-card theft.

BuzzFeed, meanwhile, weighs in with a piece speculating "whether Russia is cleaning house of suspected spies, or going through an internal shakeup of the FSB, Russia's national security service" -- and whether the arrests are connected to the hacking of the U.S. election.

Cyber-Snitches

Znak has a report about how the FSB is forming a special online political-monitoring task force to keep an eye on dissent on the Internet.

Luke Harding On Russia's Assault On The West

NPR interviews Luke Harding, author of the books A Very Expensive Poison: The Definitive Story Of The Murder Of Litvinenko and Mafia State: How One Reporter Became An Enemy Of The Brutal New Russia.

Putin's Golden Pals

Bloomberg has a piece on how the state-corporation Rostec, run by Putin-crony Sergei Chemezov, won a largely noncompetitive auction for a lucrative gold field.

Domestic Violence And Traditional Values

The Economist has a leader on Russia's impending decriminalization of domestic violence under the banner of traditional values.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said Britain and the United States must lead the world as part of their historic special relationship, but the days of starting costly wars like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq are over.

The United States and Britain must together face new challenges that threaten to "eclipse the West," including the threat of Islamic extremism, the rise of China, and a resurgent Russia, she said in an address to U.S. Republican lawmakers on January 26.

"So we -- our two countries together -- have a responsibility to lead. Because when others step up as we step back, it is bad for America, for Britain and the world," May said.

"This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene. We must be strong, smart, and hard-headed."

May defended the Iranian nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump has denounced, but said it should be "very carefully and rigorously policed."

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
A Brazilian citizen who authorities say fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Kyiv court.

The Brazilian was convicted of creating a "terrorist organization" and "recruiting mercenaries for terrorists," the Pechersk district court said in a statement.

The January 25 statement did not name the man or say when he was sentenced.

Ukrainian media, including outlets based in separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine, have reported that his name is Rafael Lusvarghi and that he was arrested upon arrival at Kyiv's Boryspil International Airport in October 2016.

Ukraine calls the conflict in its eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions an "antiterrorist operation," and officials often refer to forces on the separatist side as "terrorists."

A Facebook page advocating for Lusvarghi's release and featuring a photo of a fighter holding a separatist flag shared a report by a separatist website confirming it was he who was sentenced. The website said Lusvarghi is 32 years old.

The Kyiv prosecutor's office has alleged that the Brazilian convicted in court fought alongside separatists between September 2014 and May 2015, including in deadly battles for the town of Debaltseve and the Donetsk airport.

During that time, he served as a military instructor and scout, as well as a recruiter of foreign fighters, the prosecutor's office said.

He is believed to be the first non-Russian to be convicted and sentenced by Ukraine for alleged crimes relating to the war, which has killed more than 9,750 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

Foreigners from several countries have fought in the war. Russian media have quoted Lusvarghi as saying that he "fights not only for Novorossia, but also for a multipolar world."

The term Novorossia means "New Russia" and is used by some Russians and separatists to refer to large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine that they covet.

With reporting by from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Unidentified vandals have spray-painted Nazi graffiti at a memorial cemetery in Ukraine where some Poles are buried.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin denounced the vandals' action at the Bykivnia memorial on the outskirts of Kyiv.

"I resolutely condemn the vandalizing of the Ukrainian and Polish memorials in Bykivnia. Nothing is sacred for the provocateurs, and they will bear responsibility," Klimkin said on Twitter late on January 25.

Bykivnia is a burial place for victims of the Soviet secret police, including some Poles, who were executed from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Vandals spray-painted the name of the SS division Galicia, a Nazi unit consisting of Ukrainian volunteers, on one tombstone at Bykivnia. They also put the name of UNA-UNSO, a Ukrainian far-right nationalist organization.

Poland and Ukraine have friendly ties, but some in Poland harbor bitter memories about the killings of up to 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists between 1943 and 1944 in Volyn and the eastern Galicia regions, which are now part of Ukraine.

Based on reporting by AP and TASS
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump on January 27 said that it is premature to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions against Russia, though his senior adviser said earlier in the day that such a move was "under consideration."

The comments by Trump and Kellyanne Conway came one day before Trump's first postinaugural telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and amid speculation in Washington that Trump could remove sanctions imposed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, over Moscow's interference in Ukraine and alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election.

At a joint news conference in the White House with Britain's visiting Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump brushed off a question about the possibility of lifting sanctions on Russia.

"As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that," Trump told reporters following his talks with May, his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration last week.

Earlier on January 27, Conway was asked in a television interview whether the issue of sanctions would be "on the table right away."

"All of that is under consideration," Conway said.

At his news conference with May, Trump said that he hopes to have a "fantastic relationship" with Putin, while conceding that this might not occur.

May, for her part, said U.S. and EU sanctions should stay in place pending full implementation of the Minsk accords aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 9,750 people since April 2014.

"We believe the sanctions should continue until we see that Minsk agreement fully implemented, and we've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union," she said.

Washington has been awash in speculation this week that Trump is closely examining the possibility of removing sanctions against Moscow over its annexation of Ukraines Crimea territory and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The reports triggered a backlash of criticism from some Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Senator John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In a critical statement on January 27, McCain vowed to pursue legislation that would cement sanctions against Russia into law if Trump tries to lift the punitive measures.

"For the sake of America's national security and that of our allies, I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course," McCain said. "If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law."

Because Obama used executive orders to impose several waves of sanctions to punish Russia for its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea territory and its backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Trump could undo these measures with his own executive orders.

But tegislation to enshrine the sanctions in law would tie Trump's hands in the matter, and lawmakers could override any White House veto should such a bill garner sufficient support in both houses of Congress.

Another Republican senator, Rob Portman of Ohio, also backed the idea of putting the sanctions into law, saying that lifting the punitive measures would send "a dangerous message."

"We must stand by our allies in the region, including Ukraine," Portman, co-chairman of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, said in a January 27 statement.

Asked whether Russia would have to change its ways in order for the United States to ease sanctions -- a reference to Moscow's intervention in Ukraine and Syria -- Conway said that Trump "will call out other nations when he believes [what they are doing is] not in the American interest, in the interest of humanity."

"But that's what these conversations are for, these private conversations with world leaders," she said.

Conway spoke after Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Trump and Putin are due to speak by phone on January 28.

The White House confirmed that and said Trump will also speak to German Chancelllor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

The Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed source in Berlin as saying that Merkel's conversation with Trump is expected to focus on Russia.

Peskov said the Putin-Trump call is expected to be held late in the day Moscow time. He stressed that it is an initial contact, saying that "one should hardly expect that this phone call will involve substantive discussions across the whole range of issues."

Peskov said that he has no information about the possibility of an order from Trump lifting sanctions.

In a separate appearance on CBS, Conway said that Trump and Putin are likely to discuss the fight against Islamic militants among other issues.

"I assume they will discuss, in the interests of their respective countries, how to come together and work together on issues where you can find common ground and where these two nations could maybe defeat radical Islamic terrorism," she said.

Trump has praised Putin and voiced hope for improvements in relations with Russia, which have been badly strained by Moscow's seizure of Crimea and support for separatists in a war in eastern Ukraine, as well as what U.S. intelligence officials say was Russian interference on Trump's behalf in the U.S. presidential election.

Asked about rumors that Trump is considering an order to lift U.S. sanctions against Russia, Peskov said that he has no information about it.

The White House said after Trump was sworn in that defeating "radical Islamic terror groups" will be the top foreign policy priority and that the United States will "pursue aggressive joint and coalition military operations when necessary" to achieve that goal.

Speaking about the planned phone call on the CBS program This Morning on January 27, Conway said: "I assume they will discuss, in the interests of their respective countries, how to come together and work together on issues where you can find common ground and where these two nations could maybe defeat radical Islamic terrorism."

Speaking at a news conference in December, Putin cited Trump as saying that Russian-U.S. relations couldn't be worse and added: "I agree with him. Together we'll think about how to improve things," Putin said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that U.S. and Russian interests "obviously coincide" and that Moscow is ready to consider concrete proposals from the Trump administration.

"Let me remind you that [Putin] called 18 months ago for the formation of a full-fledged, universal front for fighting terrorism, and this initiative is still on the table," Lavrov said on January 23.

In his January 27 statement, McCain said Putin "will never be our partner in fighting" Islamic State militants and accused the Russian leader of being a "murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests."

McCain is a vocal hawk on Moscow who has repeatedly been accused by the Kremlin of stoking anti-Russian sentiment.

Trump and Putin last spoke after the November 8 election, when Putin called to congratulate Trump on his victory.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, a German government spokesman declined to confirm that Chancellor Angela Merkel was likely to speak on the telephone with Trump on January 28.

Ulrike Demmer, a deputy government spokesman, told reporters that such telephone conversations are only confirmed after they have taken place.

Earlier on January 27, the Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed source in Berlin as saying Merkel and Trump will speak on the phone and that their conversation is expected to focus on Russia.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, TASS, and Interfax
U.S. President Donald Trump said it was "very early" to consider lifting sanctions on Russia, as he hosted British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House, for talks which covered security, Islamic State militants, NATO, and relations with Moscow. (AP)
11 A billboard with Koranic verses is seen in the ancient city of Palmyra. Syrian and Russian forces retook the city from IS in March 2016, but the group seized the historic capital again in December. Many of the site's most treasured monuments have now been destroyed.
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Addressing yesterdays Council Session of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), President Serzh Sargsyan said that the party was fully aware of the problems facing the country and was in great shape to compete in the upcoming April 2 parliamentary election.

We are prepared to familiarize the people with the real problems we face and to show them how well we understand them, said Sargsyan, who serves as chairman of the RPA. We have the most realistic set of programs in place to guarantee progress and, most importantly of all, we have the viable team.

Sargsyan said that the Republican Party of Armenia has been the one to draft and set the bar high regarding the political agenda in Armenia, at least during the past ten to twelve years.

This fact may please some and not others, but this is the reality, said the Armenian president, adding that the party has done all it could to ensure that the April election adhere to the highest standards as set forth by the countrys new constitution.

Sargsyan said that last Saturday he had a very productive meeting with the youth wing of the RPA and that he had no doubt that the future of Armenia could be safely handed over to a new generation of RPA members.

He praised the RPA for conducting objective and constructive negotiations with the countrys political opposition regarding the drafting of a new electoral code. Sargsyan described the process as unprecedented for Armenia.

The Armenian president also noted that while some regard the date of the parliamentary election as problematic, the partys lawyers have ample proof that, from a legal perspective, the April 2 date is the most effective solution.

(Many argue that choosing April 2 as election day does a huge disservice to those who died defending Artsakh during last years so-called Four Day War which erupted on that very day.)

I should sincerely say that, aside from the legal formulations, I too have my concerns. I would have liked to dedicate April 2 and the following days to our heroic boys and their memory. I would have liked to use those days to show our people what we have done in the ensuing year in terms of building the army, our solutions and achievements.

Sargsyan revealed that he wouldnt oppose delaying the election by a few days and asked for patience.

Lets wait a bit to see who will be participating in the election. We can then reach an agreement with them, with all without exception. I believe there is nothing preventing us from delaying the election for a few days. If we reach a political agreement then, I am sure, our lawyers will easily provide substantiations for it. The election process will not suffer. Lets wait and see what happens, Sargsyan said.

The Armenian president then talked about the return to politics of GagikTsarukyan. The business tycoon has announced that he would be forming an alliance with other political forces to compete in the parliamentary election.

Let me be brief. I do not welcome Tsarukyans return to politics, Sargsyan said.

The Armenian president said that while he looked favorably on the process of alliance building and the participation of other political forces in the upcoming election, he regarded as laughable the attempts by some alleging that Tsarukyans return had led to many leaving the RPA.

What can I say? You know that this is ludicrous. More than 11,000 people joined our party just in the last few months, Sargsyan said.

In closing, Sargsyan said that if the RPA won the election, all party members would be represented in some aspect of governance; whether legislative, executive or in internal party matters.

This is not a matter of individuals. We are to solve the problem of effectively realizing our programs and overcoming the challenges we face. The parliamentary system demands new solutions. When nominating candidates for the executive and legislative bodies, we will take into account the capabilities and skills of each regarding making the homeland flourish and not ambitions.

Sargsyan suggested that those in the party who believe that their potential isnt being effectively utilized should find another more suitable venue.
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A Richmond man was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison for robbing a Burger King in Henrico County that he targeted because the manager disrespected him in a quarrel about his order.

Naim Kashif Watson, 28, received the sentence Tuesday from Henrico Circuit Court Judge James Stephen Yoffy for three felony charges: robbing a business with a gun, using a firearm in a felony and possessing a gun while being a convicted felon.

Watson had pleaded guilty in December to all three charges in connection with the robbery of the Burger King in the 8000 block of Brook Road.

According to a prosecutors report on file at the Henrico Circuit Court, police responded to a call of a robbery at 10:31 p.m. on April 27 and encountered Watson leaving the store carrying a blue bag and a gun. He was taken into custody after being challenged at gunpoint by police.

Watson, who told police he had just lost his job, said he needed the money because his girlfriend and baby were in a homeless shelter in New York, according to the prosecutors report.

Watson told police he waited for an employee to throw out trash at the restaurant around closing time and then ran up behind the worker and forced his way into the business with a gun to the employees head.

He demanded the manager open the safe and when he felt the manager wasnt moving quickly enough, shot his handgun into the air to scare employees, according to the prosecutors report, which adds that Watson also pistol whipped the manager and kicked him.

In an excerpt of a police interview on file in the case, Watson said he woke up upset about losing his job and that he needed money and chose to rob that Burger King because the manager had disrespected him weeks earlier. Watson said he thought he had placed his order correctly but had gotten into an argument with the manager.

The manager, who had a facial wound, was taken to the hospital, police said.
A major drug company is teaming up with Virginia to help curb doctor shopping for narcotics and overprescribing of opioids by physicians.

Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the long-acting painkiller OxyContin, said Thursday that it will pay $3.1 million to upgrade the states prescription drug monitoring program, a database that doctors and other prescribers can check before they offer a patient narcotics. The 11-year-old system is designed to curb doctor shopping by showing prescribers if patients are obtaining narcotics from multiple health care professionals.

Research has found that the systems, especially when mandatory, are effective. But doctors, who say they are already burdened by paperwork requirements, have complained about the time it takes to log into a separate database and iron out problems with the information they find on their patients.

The Virginia pilot program will integrate the narcotics database into electronic health records that physicians already use to keep track of their patients medical histories. That should reduce the time it takes to check the prescription drug system and make it easier to use, officials said. It also will help them more easily view their patients drug purchases in other states.

Mark Timney, Purdue Pharmas chief executive, said that while better systems are likely to decrease consumption of opioids such as the ones his company makes, the scale of the drug epidemic requires companies to help curb drug use.

We only want opioids, and certainly our medication, to be prescribed at the right time for the right patient and in the right doses, he said.

More than 16,000 people died of overdoses from prescription opioids, including methadone, in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every state except Missouri has created a prescription drug monitoring program, and most of those systems call for some form of mandatory action by prescribers.

In Virginia, any prescriber who offers a patient 14 days or more of certain controlled substances must check the database, according to Bill Hazel, the states secretary of health and human resources. He said that a bill likely to be approved this year would cut that to seven days.

Hazel said the prescription drug monitoring system also had reduced the total number of narcotic prescriptions written in the state.

This to us is about helping physicians understand what their patients are doing, said Hazel, an orthopedic surgeon. We believe in the patient-physician relationship. We trust them and they trust us, and unfortunately it doesnt always work out.

Purdue Pharma is widely blamed for contributing to the opioid epidemic by fraudulently marketing OxyContin for six years as a formulation of the drug oxycodone that was less prone to abuse.
On January 27 in Vienna, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, had a meeting with Sebastian Kurz, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting a number of issues of the Armenian-Austrian cooperation were discussed.

The Ministers noted, that it is symbolic that their meeting takes place on the days, when Armenia and Austria mark the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations, and expressed satisfaction over the dynamic development of bilateral cooperation in different fields.



The interlocutors touched upon the issues concerning the different dimensions of the OSCE activity.

Edward Nalbandian and Sebastian Kurz praised the activity of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Foreign Minister of Armenia and the OSCE CiO exchanged views on the importance of the implementation of agreements reached at Summits on Nagorno-Karabakh, held in Vienna and St. Petersburg.
Saying his effort had been dragged unfairly into Virginias redistricting debate, a Republican lawmaker on Friday abandoned a bill that would allocate Virginias Electoral College votes by congressional district rather than the existing winner-take-all system for presidential contests.

Del. Mark L. Cole, R-Spotsylvania, chairman of the House of Delegates committee on elections, urged the panel to kill the bill Friday, saying it had been wrongly associated with debates over redistricting and gerrymandering.

The opponents of it think its associated with redistricting when its really not, Cole said. It wasnt my intent. My intent was to try and distribute them a little bit more based on the actual voting.

Under the current system, Virginias 13 electoral votes have gone to Democrats in the past three elections after the Democratic ticket won the statewide vote.

Because Republicans hold seven of Virginias 11 U.S. House seats, a district-based system would give the GOP a competitive edge amid the partys losing streak in statewide elections that dates to 2009.

Only Maine and Nebraska use a presidential electoral system based on congressional districts rather than winner-take-all.

Proponents of the change believe it will better reflect the will of voters in Virginias various regions, but critics say it will further entrench partisan gerrymandering, the practice of drawing voter districts to retain or gain power.

Several Democratic-backed legal efforts have been launched in recent years to challenge Virginias political map.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a redrawn congressional map that allowed Democrats to pick up the new, Richmond-centered 4th District.

Another redistricting case challenging lines for statehouse districts is pending.

Cole pointed to the pending litigation and the General Assemblys distaste for changing policy during lawsuits as one reason for dropping the effort.

He also said that even if the bill passed, Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe would veto it.

I think probably the time is not right for it, though I still think its a good policy and something we may pursue in the future, Cole said.

A Senate version of the bill died in committee this week.

For the year, its done, Cole said.
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., says he will oppose the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., President Donald Trumps pick for attorney general.

Warner said in a written statement that he respects Sessions service to Alabama and the nation, but he cannot support him for attorney general, citing some of his policy positions.

Sen. Sessions opposition to bipartisan, commonsense policies relating to voting rights, anti-discrimination, domestic violence protections and criminal justice reform, among others, have resulted in thousands of Virginians voicing significant concerns about this nomination. I share their concerns, Warner wrote.

Attorney General is one of the most important positions in a presidents Cabinet, tasked with enforcing laws and protecting the civil rights of all Americans. Sen. Sessions long record in opposition to these ideals gives me concern that he is not the right person to serve as attorney general.

John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said in a telephone interview that its not surprising to us that Mark Warner would let partisan politics override his better judgment and oppose a highly qualified candidate like Senator Sessions.

Mark Warner has shown that hes more concerned with wearing pins, going on marches and following the progressive line, rather than serving his constituents in Virginia, Whitbeck said.

Elections have consequences, and the president is entitled to his Cabinet picks. Democrats should stop obstructing otherwise qualified leaders to be in the presidents Cabinet.

Sessions has served in the Senate since 1997. He was a federal prosecutor for 12 years and attorney general of Alabama for nearly two years before he was elected to the Senate.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagans administration nominated Sessions for a federal judgeship in Alabama. A Senate panel rejected his nomination.
On the day the United States installed a new president, the University of Virginia learned it will be searching for a new one. Teresa Sullivan announced she will retire as school president when her contract expires in 2018. Her decision gives the university ample time to select a successor.

The Electoral College will not decide. The process will not resemble the dispiriting 2016 presidential election. U.Va. ought to attract the cream of the academic crop.

Sullivans tenure may be remembered primarily for an unfortunate aspect. Two years into her presidency she survived a mishandled attempt to oust her. The controversy cast unflattering light on school governance and received national attention. Politicians sounded off. Sullivan also mishandled the Rolling Stone incident. She personified the schools values, nevertheless. The university kept its reputation intact, as the level-headed knew it would. Students studied; teachers taught. (The football team lost.) U.Va.s academic standards have made it a national institution.

Its status has contributed to political problems, however. Critics believe that out-of-state scholars take places that ought to go to Virginians. The search to replace Sullivan likely will include a debate regarding the schools overall admissions approach. The Times-Dispatch appreciates U.Va.s status with Cal and Michigan among the elite. We do not want to jeopardize its standing. Its national ratings are to be treasured and preserved; they remain more important than the sports polls.

Sullivan spoke her mind. The schools ties to Thomas Jefferson did not impose political correctness on her. Jefferson may have been, as a historian says, a confounding father, yet he laid the groundwork for a thriving university and for a nation dedicated to the principle that all men are created equal. Virginia and the United States inherited much from him. U.Va. joins his list of accomplishments. The Rotunda is an architectural masterpiece replete with philosophical symbolism.
This month, a German court held that the fire-bombing of a Jewish synagogue should not be considered anti-Semitic. The court reasoned that the Molotov cocktails were intended merely to criticize Israel and bring attention to the Gaza conflict. Such rubbish should be widely repudiated, but it isnt. Similar problems exist throughout the world. Virginia Del. David LaRock, along with Del. Mark L. Cole, has introduced a landmark bill (HB 2261) that would prevent the recurrence of such incidents here.

Sadly, our state, like much of America, has seen a resurgence of anti-Semitism. In November, the College of William and Mary found graffiti targeting Jewish students and staff in a residence hall bathroom. The graffiti contained the words Go Trump where the letter T was replaced by a swastika. In October, graffiti featuring Holocaust imagery was discovered at the University of Virginia. An orange Star of David with Juden, the German word for Jews, underneath it was spray painted on an off-campus student housing building. At Old Dominion University in March, multiple fliers portraying a swastika and Nazi-supporting message were posted on monorail poles between the Engineering Systems and Education buildings. Text on the fliers read Old Dominion University, You have been visited by The AtomWaffen Division. Join our Local Nazis.

At the same time, pro-BDS and pro-Palestinian student organizations have held events that promote anti-Semitic sentiments. The George Mason University Students Against Israeli Apartheid organization hosted the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) conference in November. When approximately 30 students peacefully assembled to protest the conference, anti-Israel activists reportedly threatened to (expletive) up a Zionist, calling Jewish activists Zionist terrorists who are so ugly.

The propagation of anti-Semitism on Virginia university campuses mirrors a similar surge nationwide. According to the FBI, Jewish hate crime victims outnumber victims of all other religious groups combined. This problem is especially rampant on college campuses across the country. Researchers at Trinity College and Brandeis University found that more than half of Jewish students reported experiencing or witnessing anti-Semitism in 2014 and 2015. Anti-Semitic incidents at universities increased by 45 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to an AMCHA Initiative study.

HB 2261 calls upon the boards of visitors of Virginia public institutions of higher education to enact policies or regulations against discrimination, including anti-Semitism. When investigating the intent of alleged incidents, authorities must consider the U.S. Department of States definition of anti-Semitism. Critically, this bill would not restrict any speech. It would merely prevent public universities from making the same outrageous mistake that the German courts are making. That is to say, on those occasions when anti-Jewish activists harm Jewish students, the bill would encourage Virginia universities to evaluate the perpetrators intent using a widely established definition. For example, if anti-Israel activists carry out their threats to harm Jewish students, the bill would give universities well-established tools to ascertain the nature of the threat.

Efforts like LaRocks work in Virginias General Assembly to combat anti-Semitism are also being pursued on a national level. A bipartisan group, led by Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), introduced and passed the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act in the Senate in December. Every U.S. senator supported the bill, which would assist the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights in determining whether an incident of harassment is motivated by anti-Semitism. It was introduced into the House of Representatives too late in the last congressional term to pass through that chamber last year, but Congress is expected to take action this year.

LaRock deserves credit for introducing a vital and necessary bill. Whether Congress acts on the federal legislation this year or not, it is important for Virginia universities to avail themselves of the best tools to address all forms of hate and bias. Anti-Semitism deserves the same condemnation as other forms of hate. This bill would preserve Virginias heritage as the cradle of religious freedom.
The Richmond area may see snow flurries late Sunday or Monday, but the chance for accumulating snow should stay west of the Blue Ridge mountains.

The precipitation will be scattered, so some areas may not see anything at all. Any areas that see multiple snow showers could actually see a dusting, but its difficult to narrow down where those areas may be.

Some of the precipitation may fall as light rain on Sunday afternoon or Monday afternoon as the air near the ground warms above freezing, but even any rainfall amounts will be very light.

The system will be too moisture-starved and move too quickly to create significant snow accumulations east of the Blue Ridge.

The mountains of Southwest Virginia will have a better chance for a light coating of snow on Sunday night and Monday, particularly on northwest-facing slopes.

***

Colder weather will settle in for the end of January and the beginning of February, and that means the unusually long two-and-a-half week streak of above-freezing temperatures will come to an end.

Every day  16 consecutive days  had a low above freezing from Jan. 11 through Thursday.

That makes it the longest freeze-free spell for any January in Richmonds weather history, surpassing the previous record of 14 consecutive days during January 2005.

Friday morning reached only the mid-30s, but temperatures will get even colder for Saturday morning.

If the temperature doesnt fall below 32 degrees until after midnight on Saturday, Friday could extend the streak to 17 days.

Its also among the longest freeze-free intervals for any winter month.

February 1927 set that record with 18 consecutive days above 32 degrees.

Expect highs in the mid-40s today and Sunday with morning lows ranging from the upper 20s to lower 30s across the area.
Italian police arrested 54 suspects and seized assets worth 8 million from a massive drug trafficking organization related to the Calabrian Ndrangheta crime group on Tuesday.

According to the arrest warrant signed by the anti-mafia prosecutors, the criminal network was planning to import more than eight tons of cocaine, worth 1.6 billion (US$ 1.8 billion) from Colombia.

Within the 1,730-page arrest warrant made available to OCCRPs partner IRPI, prosecutors described events and characters from a world most people only know from Mario Puzo's best seller, "The Godfather."

According to the document, authorities launched their investigation in 2014 after receiving a tip from their British colleagues.

They first tapped the phones of the suspects and carefully monitored their movements.

This is how they learned that the criminal group would ship a smaller amount of cocaine from Colombia to the northwestern Italian port of Livorno in 2015 to see how the connection would work before using it for larger amounts.

Investigators identified Domenico L. as the man tasked with making sure the delivery arrived smoothly.

He allegedly paid dock workers to separate a particular container while unloading the massive cargo ship TG Nike, which transported bananas from Colombia for the food producer and distributor Del Monte International.

The dock workers were then instructed to move the container to a more secluded part of the port where Domenico L. could enter it and retrieve the smuggled drugs.

But instead, Domenico L. had to watch helplessly as police searched the container and found 63 kilograms of pure cocaine hidden among bananas.

Authorities knew by then that the test shipment was organized by the notorious 'Ndrangheta, based in Italys southern Calabria province.

'Ndrangheta is one of the richest and most powerful criminal organizations in the world.

Experts say that in 2013, the 'Ndrangheta made more money than Deutsche Bank and McDonald's put together with a turnover of 53 billion (US$ 70.41 billion) mostly from drug trafficking.

The warrant said that the day after police intercepted the test shipment, the bosses of two 'Ndrangheta clans held an urgent meeting with Jaime Eduardo Cane Sucerquia, nicknamed "Jota Jota," a representative of the owner of the Colombian plantation that produced the cocaine.

The two Calabrian clans were in charge of organizing shipments for the Mancuso - one of the most powerful families within the 'Ndrangheta and with a long history of drug trafficking.

They met in a hotel owned by the Ndrangheta, in the small village of San Calogero, Calabria, to discuss alternatives for the compromised route.

Eight tons of cocaine worth 1.6 billion (US$ 1.8 billion) were sitting in Colombia, waiting to be shipped to Europe and their bosses were eager to make the deal work, the warrant said.

Jota Jota's mysterious boss, called in the wiretapped conversations "El General," or "Papa," was allegedly a member of Clan Usuga, a powerful criminal gang born out of a botched demobilization of the right-wing militias known as the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC).

The crime groups plans to transport the cocaine included shipments to be made by air and sea. Italian police later intercepted at least five more attempts to bring the cocaine to Italy.

Colombian authorities raided the banana plantation in May 2016 and confiscated the cocaine in what President Juan Manuel Santos called "the biggest seizure of drugs in history."

Italian police continued to pursue their investigation, nicknamed "Slammer," which culminated early Tuesday morning with the arrests of the 54 suspects.

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PETERS MOUNTAIN  The winds blew cold Thursday across the Symms Gap Meadow where the Appalachian Trail traverses the crest of Peters Mountain near Pearisburg.

And chilly was the response among 13 visitors to the site Thursday to the idea of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline crossing near this spot along the iconic trail.

As currently envisioned, the buried 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline would climb Peters Mountain from Monroe County, West Virginia, cross the Appalachian Trail in a section managed by the Jefferson National Forest, and descend the mountain in Giles County before continuing east.

To date, no one, aside from Mountain Valley Pipeline, seems satisfied with the projects current plans to cross the trail. And there are related fears about the impacts to substantial surface waters and groundwater resources on Peters Mountain from trenching, blasting and erosion.

The pipeline would be buried in a trench while ascending and descending Peters Mountain. But it might cross beneath the Appalachian Trail through a borehole drilled during construction to reduce the sorts of visual and natural impacts associated with a trench several feet deep.

The nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy has noted that the proposed pipeline crossing location is an area of unbroken wild landscape consisting of forest, rocky outcropping and grassy bald that is free of other signs of human development.

The conservancy has said Mountain Valley has turned a deaf ear to many of the organizations concerns about the proposed crossing. The Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club has concurred.

Andrew Downs, a regional director for the conservancy, was part of the crowd visiting Peters Mountain on Thursday. It was his third visit to the site.

He said Mountain Valley has rejected alternatives without adequate analysis that would route the pipeline across the trail in places where the corridor is already impacted by development  including roads and highways, such as U.S. 460, or other utility rights-of-way.

I would much rather champion a good idea than oppose a bad idea, Downs said. This is not a bunch of granola-crunchers opposing development.

He said Mountain Valley has failed, among other things, to complete a key analysis of the pipeline routes visual impacts to regional users of the Appalachian Trail, which he said has a broad and loyal constituency. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy says it has about 43,000 members in 50 states and 15 other countries, and it estimates about 3 million people visit the trail each year.

The Appalachian Trail, completed in 1937, stretches roughly 2,190 miles through 14 states from Katahdin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Georgia. Its presence in the region is frequently cited by economic development organizations as an important lifestyle amenity.

The conservancy encouraged people concerned about the pipelines impacts on the trail to share those fears with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which will decide whether the 303-mile pipeline project should proceed.

Downs said he estimates that at least 1,000 such letters have been filed with FERC.

Separately, in a letter dated Thursday, FERC directed Mountain Valley Pipeline to provide updated visual impact analyses of the [Appalachian Trail], using both leaf-on and leaf-off simulation of the pipeline at the crossing location.

FERC also requested visual impact analyses from key observation points at highly visited locations along the trail, including Angels Rest, Dragons Tooth and Kelly Knob.

Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Mountain Valley, said in an email Friday that the MVP project team had to wait for leaves to fall prior to conducting a comprehensive analysis. She said analysis occurred in December and will be submitted when complete.

In September, FERC had directed Mountain Valley to coordinate the visual impact analyses with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the National Park Service and other stakeholders, something Downs said has not happened.

The trail is a unit of the National Park Service but the section that crosses Peters Mountain is managed by the Forest Service.

Cox responded, Through coordination directly with the U.S. Forest Service, the Mountain Valley project team has been working to identify key observation points and conduct the necessary leaf-off visual analysis in order to address the concerns of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and National Park Service regarding visual impacts to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Cox said the leaf-on analysis is complete.

Mountain playground

The pipelines construction right-of-way through the region would be about 125 feet wide and require the clearing of trees and other vegetation. The permanent, treeless right-of-way would be about 50 feet wide.

The corridor through the Jefferson National Forest could be even wider, up to about 500 feet, if the Forest Service amends its land and resource management plan to create a designated utility corridor through the forest to allow the pipelines crossing.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will be involved in the decision about whether to allow the pipeline to cross a total of about 3.4 miles of the Jefferson National Forest because the related right-of-way would impact more than one federal agency.

Downs said about 58 pipelines already cross the Appalachian Trail and said the conservancy has worked with businesses to reduce the impact of crossings.

He said the separate but similar Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would also cross the Appalachian Trail  with the pipeline passing from Augusta County into Nelson County  has been more responsive to the conservancys concerns than Mountain Valley.

That does not mean the organization has endorsed the Atlantic Coast project, Downs added.

As currently envisioned, the Mountain Valley pipeline would pass beneath the Appalachian Trail through a borehole drilled during construction. According to one plan, the entry and exit points would be 300 feet on either side of the trail to theoretically maintain a forested buffer so that trail users would not see the points where the pipeline trenching ends and begins again.

Yet the projects draft environmental impact statement, released by FERC in September, does not rule out cutting a trench across the trail, even though such trenching would likely yield permanent effects to the landscape during operations.

Open-cut trenching could be an option, according to the draft statement, if the bore alternative fails. The Forest Service said Friday that it is waiting for a contingency plan for the currently proposed bore under the AT.

FERCs draft environmental impact statement for the Mountain Valley project has been widely panned as inadequate and, not infrequently, inaccurate. The Forest Service and others have noted, for example, that one map in the draft statement depicts an outdated route for the Appalachian Trail.

Giles County describes itself as Virginias Mountain Playground, and the county has said its local economy is dependent on recreational tourism. The county includes about 52 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Giles Countys comments about the draft environmental impact statement echoed similar comments by boards of supervisors in Craig, Montgomery and Roanoke counties that the document was insufficient.

Many who have commented on the draft statement have called on FERC to issue a revised or supplemental document. FERC has said it plans to issue, as planned, a final environmental impact statement in March.

Yet the 31-page letter Thursday from FERC to Mountain Valley requesting additional information suggested FERC might establish a revised schedule for the final statement.

Meanwhile, the pipelines current route would pass close to the boundary of the Peters Mountain Wilderness area and also near the Brush Mountain Wilderness farther east.

Participants in Thursdays visit to Peters Mountain included Hugh Irwin, Brent Martin and Mike Reinemer of the Wilderness Society, as well as Mark Miller, executive director of the Lexington-based Virginia Wilderness Committee.

Irwin said the route threatens profound impacts to what he described as wilderness values, including nature unsullied by development and the sources of clean water sheltered by wilderness areas.

Theyd have been hard pressed to find a worse route for conservation values, Irwin said.

Others who visited the proposed crossing site Thursday included pipeline opponents from Monroe, Giles and Montgomery counties.

Russell Chisholm of Giles County said he accompanied the excursion to help remind himself what pipeline foes are fighting for instead of what theyre fighting against.

The Appalachian Trail is very dear to me, Chisholm said.
Thanks to a federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security, the Salem Fire & EMS Department has updated some of the most important equipment its firefighters use in the field. Self-contained breathing apparatus packs and other important accessories were recently purchased with a combination of grant money and city funds.

The new equipment replaces the current self-contained breathing devices that are 15-years-old, says John Prillaman, Salem Fire and EMS Chief. The new packs offer many safety features that our current packs do not have, including the Heads-Up Display, which allows firefighters to monitor their air supply continuously inside their masks.

The department purchased 42 self-contained breathing apparatus, 84 air cylinders, 63 face pieces and 4 rapid intervention team bags. The grant covered $255,546 of the approximate $300,000 cost. Several different SCBA manufacturers were evaluated before the MSA G-1 packs were purchased. The department chose these for comfort, performance and upgradeability.

All of our operations and staff personnel have received training on the new packs and each person has been fitted for his or her new face piece, says Prillaman. Obviously, a purchase of this magnitude would not have been possible without the generous grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

The new equipment also includes software installed in each pack that allows Incident Commanders to monitor the air supply of firefighters inside of a hazardous atmosphere. If a firefighter gets in trouble or runs out of air, the software sends an alarm signal to a computer in the command vehicle. The new software also has a two-way evacuation feature that allows Incident Commanders to signal crews to exit a building without using radio traffic. It in turn allows firefighters to acknowledge receipt of the message.

Submitted by Mike Stevens
Sheriff Eric A. Ric Atkins has announced his intentions to run for re-election for the position of sheriff of the City of Salem in the November 7th general election. Sheriff Atkins recently began his 33rd year of service with the Salem Sheriffs Office, the last nine of which he has served as Sheriff. Im still young and full of energy when it comes to serving the citizens of our great city, says Sheriff Atkins. I would like to thank our community for their tremendous support over the years and I look forward to continuing to earn that support.

The Salem Sheriffs Office is a small court services agency with twelve employees responsible for court security, civil process, and transportation of persons in custody. We like to refer to ourselves as the best little Sheriffs Office in Virginia, says Sheriff Atkins.

Some of the notable milestones for the sheriffs office in 2017 include an on-site assessment for reaccreditation in February, the remodeling of the courthouses front entrance and foyer to improve security and function, and the development of social media to accompany the office website.

Community service is a cornerstone of our mission and I am always looking for ways to better our service, says Sheriff Atkins. We place a premium on training. I dont believe any court services agency trains harder than we do. We have a close working partnership with our Commonwealths Attorney, as well as our police and fire departments. Our collective goal is to deliver the very best in public safety that our citizens deserve.

Sheriff Atkins is married to Teri Atkins, his wife of 35 years. They have twin sons, Cameron and Tyler, who are graduates of Salem High School as well as UVA and Virginia Tech respectfully. Both sons reside and work in Richmond.

Submitted by Sheriff Eric Atkins
RICHMOND  The Virginia Board of Education has gutted a controversial measure allowing Virginia parents to be notified and opt their children out of classroom material deemed sexually explicit.

The death of the proposal Thursday came after more than two hours of debate among board members who eventually agreed that parents have a right to know what their child is learning and reading, but also that defining sexually explicit isnt a matter for a state board.

We are addressing this by saying we are not going to address the sexually explicit issue in the classroom and we are going to rely on local policy to deal with those issues, board member Daniel Gecker said.

Essentially the regulatory twin of the Beloved bill vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the measure pits free-speech groups and many teachers against some parents who say the notification is simply common sense. Opponents said the bill would lead to a slippery slope of suppression.

Sadly, unfiltered sexually explicit messages bombard our kids every day. Weve all got one of these, Charles Miller, a Virginia educator for 40 years, said Thursday as he held up his cellphone. And ironically, these regulations seek to reduce some of the greatest works of literature to nothing more than one of those messages.

Objections to some scenes in Beloved, Toni Morrisons post-Civil War and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, gave the vetoed bill its moniker. In his veto message last year, McAuliffe mentioned that the Virginia Department of Education was already looking at similar regulation.

The most recent language expanded the reach of previous proposals, requiring teachers to both notify parents of sexually explicit material at the beginning of the year and throughout the school year if any more such material is added. It also directed school boards to have clear procedures for providing alternative assignments for students whose parents request it.

It would have been up to local school boards to define sexually explicit, a main difference between the Beloved bill and the regulation change.

Laura Murphy, who launched the Beloved bill effort last year, spoke in favor of the proposed changes Thursday. The mother of a Fairfax teen was shocked when she learned her high school senior was assigned the novel in his Advanced Placement English class.

I feel embarrassed that the people in your school system didnt handle it better. But that doesnt mean that we need to change state policies to solve the problem, board member Elizabeth Lodal told Murphy on Thursday, emphasizing the need of local school districts to nurture conversations with parents.

Five members voted to keep their current language intact Thursday, while two voted against that. The majority of members even backed away from language requiring the advance notice. Some said that it should be up to local school boards to decide how and what kind of notice should be given. An existing policy, though, does dictate that all schools provide parents with syllabi.

We are so lucky to live in the 21st century ... where it is very easy to find out information, and I think we should act like it, Lodal said of parents ability to monitor what their child is reading. You cant zoom in as a parent and solve all of your childrens problems.

Lodal also pointed out that state regulations already allow parents to request a review of any instructional materials. Existing rules also require local school boards to lay out the basis on which someone can request reconsideration of materials considered sensitive or controversial, which Lodal and some other board members felt was sufficient.

The boards vote once again brings to close an issue the board has debated since 2013, when they considered similar ideas that were later dropped. But the issue may not be dead yet: Some board members mentioned Thursday that a bill currently under consideration by state legislators also emphasizes local control of the issue.

According to a 2013 survey of school divisions conducted by Virginia Department of Education staff, 74 percent of 108 districts and five professional organizations had policies allowing students to be excused from instruction related to sensitive or controversial materials.

Forty-eight percent of those respondents required that parents receive advance notice before potentially sensitive or controversial materials are used in the classroom.

Since October, the majority of the 171 comments received by the board expressed opposition to the proposal.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and a host of free-speech groups have said the term sexually explicit is vague and potentially prejudicial. In a letter to the board, the groups wrote that it could be used to describe classic works of literature such as Romeo and Juliet, The Diary of Anne Frank, Slaughterhouse Five and Brave New World, and that such red-flagging of books could lead to a regime of labeling that will leave few books unaffected.

Of the 171 comments received by the board, teachers were among the main opponents to the proposal while parents favored it in greater numbers.

You build trust with parents by listening, board President Billy Cannaday said. I was really troubled by the fact that they couldnt solve it at the local level.

The debate comes not long after similar ones in Chesterfield and Accomack counties.

Accomacks school district leaders faced backlash after they temporarily pulled To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from bookshelves after some parents expressed concerns over racial slurs in the classic novels. The district recently formed a committee to re-examine how to handle such complaints.
Saying his effort had been unfairly dragged into Virginias redistricting debate, a Republican lawmaker on Friday abandoned a bill that would allocate Virginias Electoral College votes by congressional district rather than the existing, winner-take-all system for presidential contests.

Del Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, the chairman of the House of Delegates committee on elections, urged the committee to kill the bill Friday, saying it had been wrongly associated with debates over redistricting and gerrymandering.

The opponents of it think its associated with redistricting when its really not, Cole said. It wasnt my intent. My intent was to try and distribute them a little bit more based on the actual voting.

Under the current system, Virginias 13 electoral votes have gone to Democrats in the last three presidential contests after the Democratic ticket won the statewide vote.

Because Republicans hold seven of Virginias 11 U.S. House seats, a district-based system would give the GOP a competitive edge amid the partys losing streak in statewide elections that dates to 2009.

Only Maine and Nebraska use a presidential electoral system based on congressional districts rather than winner-take-all.

Proponents of the change believe it will better reflect the will of voters in Virginias various regions, but critics say it will further entrench partisan gerrymandering, the practice of drawing voter districts to retain or gain power.

Several Democratic-backed legal efforts have been launched in recent years to challenge Virginias political map. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a redrawn congressional map that allowed Democrats to pick up the new, Richmond-centered 4th District. Another redistricting case challenging lines for statehouse districts is pending.

Cole pointed to the pending litigation and the General Assemblys distaste for changing policy during lawsuits as one reason for dropping the effort.

Democrats opposed the bill, and Cole said that even if the General Assembly passed it, McAuliffe would veto it.

I think probably the time is not right for it, though I still think its a good policy and something we may pursue in the future, Cole said.

A Senate version of the bill died in committee earlier this week.

For the year, its done, Cole said.

The bill is House Bill 1425.
After a psychiatric crisis, Alexandra Kedrocks son was once released from a hospital at 3 a.m. without his house key, his identification, a phone or money.

Chad, 48, didnt want to wake his mother, so he wandered through the streets of Norfolk until he thought she might be awake.

Another time, a hospital worker in Hopewell sent Chad away in a taxi cab with little more than a bus ticket, she said. He made it as far as Richmond before a friend of Kedrocks drove up to find him huddled and delusional in a corner of the bus station.

After 26 years of battling schizophrenia by Chads side, Kedrock has had an intimate look at how Virginias mental health system helps people with mental illness  and the myriad ways in which it doesnt.

Twice in the past few weeks, shes traveled from her new home in Charlottesville to Richmond to ask lawmakers to stop studying the behavioral health system and instead invest money in programs that are known to work. She was among about 150 people who descended on the Capitol on Wednesday to push for mental health reform, and she spoke at a budget hearing a few weeks ago.

Kedrock, a clinical social worker, and others specifically question Gov. Terry McAuliffes $4.5 million budget proposal for a study and redesign of the structure of the behavioral health system that would be contracted out to consultants. The proposal was one of many intended to improve mental health services in Virginia.

Sen. Deeds has a commission already studying this, so [McAuliffes study] is really redundant, Kedrock said, referring to state Sen. Creigh Deeds Joint Subcommittee Studying Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century. I think the money needs to be spent on many things, but my priority would be  taking mental illness out of the dark ages.

Bruce Harlow, the father of a son diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, agreed with Kedrock as they waited to talk to Deeds, D-Bath, on Wednesday.

The studies have been done, said Harlow, a resident of Virginia Beach, whose son violently attacked him in July. That money needs to be spent on programs that work.

n n n

Brian Coy, spokesman for McAuliffe, said the $4.5 million would fund far more than a study. It would pay for a blueprint of a complete overhaul of the mental health system  from the 40 Community Services Boards on the front lines to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services at the top.

Its not redundant, Coy said. What the Deeds commission is doing is an important first step in terms of identifying challenges within the mental health system. What the governor has proposed is a wholesale top-to-bottom redesign of the states mental health system.

Deeds joint subcommittee has been toiling with ways to incrementally improve the system, but the group hasnt gotten as far as redesigning it. The Dec. 1, 2017, deadline for finishing its work was recently extended by two years.

One of the biggest proposals that came out of the committee this year involves increasing the amount of money spent on supportive housing for people with mental illness by $10.2 million  a proposal Kedrock strongly supports because it has helped her son. Another would require same-day screening at Community Services Boards; only a handful of the 40 offer so-called same-day access now.

McAuliffes proposed budget did not include any money for supportive housing this year. Suzanne Gore, senior policy advisor for healthcare for McAuliffe, said the governor selected programs he thought would be the best use of resources.

I think that the governors budget is really in line with the work of the Deeds commission, Gore said. There are somewhat different priorities, but the governors job is to run the government, and running the government sometimes means you need to invest in a business plan.

The $4.5 million proposed for a plan for overhauling the system pales in comparison to the hundreds of millions spent by the government each year, Gore said.

Several million dollars for a very complex system serving individuals with complex needs is frankly a drop in the bucket, Gore said.

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Aside from supportive housing, Kedrock said, her son Chad has been stabilized by a PACT team, which stands for Program of Assertive Community Treatment. The people on the team keep in constant contact with him and intervene immediately if his symptoms flare up.

Kedrock would like to see the states money pay for an expansion of PACT programs across the state because the one in Charlottesville has been so effective at keeping her son out of crisis.

Chad has been battling schizophrenia since he was first diagnosed at 22 while he was studying aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech. He had no signs of developing schizophrenia as he grew up, Kedrock said.

His disease has worsened over time.

I often say that he was abducted by the schizophrenic patrol, and they hold him hostage and torture him in front of me, and I cant get him free, Kedrock said.

He has been hospitalized at least 15 times, Kedrock said, but the programs hes been enrolled in have kept him out of hospitals since November 2015. (She asked that his last name not be used to protect his privacy.)

A PACT team member visits him every day and gives him the medicine hes supposed to take, which has led to a remarkable improvement, Kedrock said. When he was trying to take medicine on his own, he often confused days of the week and at times he took all his medicine at once instead of one set of pills at a time.

The team also helps him pay his bills and shop for groceries.

A psychiatrist, who is part of the team, keeps a close eye on him. As soon as his symptoms start increasing, they work to stabilize him before he reaches a point of crisis.

Last fiscal year, 1,807 people received PACT services through 22 full-size teams and three smaller teams, said Maria Reppas, spokeswoman for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The state spent about $16.7 million on PACT services and the federal government contributed $668,000.

A previously approved budget allowed for the creation of two new teams in the current fiscal year at $850,000 apiece, but there isnt any money in the budget proposals in front of the 2017 General Assembly for additional PACT teams in the future.

Reppas said the state does not keep waiting lists of people in need of PACT services.

Mira Signer, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Virginia, who has been involved as an outside expert with Deeds subcommittee, said PACT teams still are a priority, but the state needed time to absorb the additional teams that were funded in the past before asking for more this year.

The major push this year is supportive housing for a group of Virginians who have the most chronic mental illnesses.

Though McAuliffes budget didnt include funding for housing, lawmakers on Deeds subcommittee have proposed spending about $10.2 million to fund housing for about 660 people of the 5,080 in need of housing.

Signer said it would only be a bite out of the problem, but it would save Virginia between $2.2 million and $6.8 million in hospitalizations and other services for people in crisis.

Kedrock said supportive housing has been instrumental in keeping her son safe.

Until the last two years, his psychiatric treatment has been less than adequate and at times hurtful, Kedrock said recently.

But, for the first time in 25 years, he has comprehensive services with competent, informed and caring people, she wrote to Deeds in March 2016. For the first time, I can relax that he is safe.
A new special exhibit is opening at the Botetourt County Historical Museum on February 1, 2017. Entitled Finding What Has Been Lost, the exhibit will feature a collection of artifacts, documents and pictures that focus on the history of the Botetourt County African American community. An opening reception and open house will be held at the museum on Saturday, February 4, 2017, from 12:00 Noon until 2 pm. (Snow date is Saturday, February 11, 2017, at the same time.) The public is invited and admission is free.

The special exhibit will focus on the African American communities of Botetourt, their citizens and their stories. Much of the information focuses on schools and churches, since community life revolved around those important institutions. Several prominent African American community leaders and citizens who have made important contributions, either locally or on the national level, will be featured.

The museum is located directly behind the main courthouse building in Fincastle (use the sidewalk that goes around the left side of the building). It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sundays from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. Admission is free. A museum store features books, maps and pamphlets regarding the history of Botetourt County and is open during museum hours (cash or check only).

Detailed and comprehensive research on the Botetourt County African American history was begun in 2004 by Edward Wayne Barnett (Eddie) and Judith Carolyn Barnett (Judy). They applied for and received a Discretionary Fund Grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities through the Botetourt County-Wide League to help fund this research project. The project, named Finding What is Lost, included interviews with older citizens from the different communities in Botetourt, asking them for their earliest memories of the families living in their community, the oldest person they had memories of, and information regarding churches, schools, teachers and ministers in the communities. Many other citizens were interviewed and provided valuable information regarding their community. The communities that were identified were Amsterdam, Midway, Blue Ridge, Buchanan, Indian Rock, Cloverdale/Troutville, Eagle Rock/Besserman/Salt Petre Cave/Salisbury, Gala, Springwood/Jackson, Lick Run, Iron Gate, Lapsley Run/Hughes Hill, Fincastle, Oriskany, Lily of the Valley, Glen Wilton, Gravel Hill, and Hollins.

Pictures, documents, letters, and other information on the history of African Americans in Botetourt were collected from the courthouse, The Library of Virginia, the Virginia Room at the Roanoke City Library, Virginia State University archives, and from Botetourt County citizens.

The Barnetts collected and compiled the information and then developed a series of display boards featuring information on each community listed above. There were also boards developed for the Academy Hill School and Central Academy Middle School, for the military and for other organizations.

These boards, scrapbooks, and assorted notebooks have been open to the public at the Fincastle Library, County-Wide League May Day celebrations, Botetourt County Historical Museum, and Historic Fincastle Inc. events.

In December 2014, County Libraries Director Steven Vest worked with the Library of Virginia to scan and digitalize all of the documents, notebooks, scrapbooks, yearbooks, and photographs in the collection. Using a federal grant for the project, the Library of Virginia will have this information available to the public in a few years. With the assistance of Steven Vest and Rena Worthen, of the Fincastle Library, the information has been put into a slide show format and will be on permanent display at the Botetourt County Historical Museum beginning with the special exhibit opening on February 1. Equipment and furniture for the display have been provided by generous donations from Lee Hartman and Sons, (television equipment), The Bank of Fincastle (computer) and Rosalie Goad (furniture).

For more information, please contact the museum at (540)-473-8394 or at wmartin@botetourtva.gov.

Submitted by Weldon Martin
FURIOUS residents demanded more bobbies on the beat and the reopening of their police station - a week after a teenager was found stabbed to death on a footpath.

About 100 people packed into Dinningtons Salvation Army Church on Monday for a heated meeting with Rotherham police commander Chief Supt Rob Odell and South Yorkshire police commissioner Dr Alan Billings.

High on the agenda was Dinnington police station, which closed last year because it didnt make sense financially according to the force.

Mondays meeting was yards from where the body of Leonne Weeks was found last week but had been arranged before the 16-year-olds murder.

Tim Wells, of Victoria Street, said: The main thing being said was that people want a police station back in Dinnington and they want to see a reasonable number of police staffing it as well.

Our communitys size has grown but the police station has closed.

I worked out that a reasonable number of officers for a town of our size would be 25 police officers and 25 clerical staff.

At the minute, weve only got two PCSOs and there is no cover from 10pm until the following morning, which is the time of major incidents.

Mr Wells said he was not very impressed by the replies of Dr Billings and Chief Supt Odell.

He said: I think we are being fobbed off and I dont think anything is going to change.

We had an attack by someone dressed as a clown on the same footpath as the murder in November where a lad could have lost his eye or life.

The problem is that if people realise they can get away with petty crime it quickly escalates.

Dr Billings said: I told the meeting we couldnt give any assurances about the police station and it was very difficult to get across that we dont need them anymore because policing has changed.

People may think there is a lack of police in Dinnington but its not a Dinnington specific problem. The number of officers has gone down.

Hopefully we can address that by looking at the neighbourhood policing plan because that has gone wrong over the last 12 months.

Dr Billings is currently running a public consultation over plans to rise the police precept - paid as part of council tax - by around 6p per week for band A and B properties, which he said would enable the force to maintain the same number of officers over the next year.

Chief Supt Odell also said funding cuts had led to a reduction in officers across the county - not just Dinnington.

He added: Dinnington police station has been closed for a long time. Its a very old building and its inefficient to run.

South Yorkshire Police has got many buildings like that and to put improvements into the building would just not be worth the money.

What we have got to do is consolidate our buildings because you get a better bang for your buck.

Surely members of the public would understand that we would rather lose a building than members of staff.

When you look at the amount of cops weve lost, we are going to need less buildings because we have got less people.
ROTHERHAM MP Sarah Champion pledged her commitment to todays Holocaust Memorial Day.

She signed the Holocaust Educational Trusts boob of commitment to honour those murdered and pay tribute to survivors.

January 27 marks the anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz in 1945.

After signing the book, Ms Champion said: Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity for people from Rotherham and across the country to reflect on the tragic events of the Holocaust.

As it moves from living history to just history, it becomes more important to take time to remember the victims and pay tribute to the survivors.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: We are very grateful to Sarah Champion for signing the book of commitment, signalling a continued commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust as well as challenging antisemitism, prejudice and bigotry in all its forms.

A public event will take place in All Saints Square from 11am hosted by the Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Lyndsay Pitchley, along with young people who will perform songs and readings.
HKTDC announces the worlds largest jewellery exhibition

27 january 2017 News

Organised by the Honk Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show will take place from 28 February to 4 March at the Asia World-Expo, while the 34th Hong Kong International Jewellery Show will open from 2 to 6 March at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

While highlighting the opportunities offered by HKTDC for Indian companies, Rajesh Bhagat, India Consultant  HKTDC, underscored the robust bilateral trade relations between Hong Kong and India, adding that the twin jewellery shows created a good platform to boost business. India and Hong Kong have a long and close business relationship. While India will continue to take the lead in regional economic growth, the HKTDC can act as an information and market intelligence hub for Indian enterprises to expand market, Bhagat added.

The two shows will welcome more than 4,380 exhibitors from over 50 countries and regions, forming the worlds largest jewellery marketplace.

The Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show will focus in jewellery raw materials such as loose diamonds, precious stones, semi-precious stones and pearls. The Jewellery Show will feature a wide range of finished fine jewellery. There will be a number of themed zones with the prominent Hall of Fame bringing more than 30 internationally acclaimed jewellery brands.

The biannual International Jewellery Design Excellence Award (IJDE) will be a highlight of the Show with the Award presentation ceremony slated for the first day of the show. The winning entries will be on display at the show.

The shows will also present a host of activities such as jewellery parades, seminars, forums and networking events that provide industry players with market insights and the latest intelligence.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




LACMTA

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors has awarded a $1.37 billion contract to the joint venture Tutor Perini/O & G to construct the second section of its Purple Line Extension Project.

The extension will expand the lines service to Century City, and the board has set a project budget of $2.4 billion.

LACMTA says the joint ventures proposal was competitive, being about $500 million less than competing offers. The transportation authority previously recommended Tutor Perini/O & G for the projects second phase on Jan. 17.

[The] contract award to Tutor Perini brings us one step closer to fulfilling our promise to bring fast, reliable, high-capacity subway service to the Westside, said John Fasana, LACMTA board chair and Duarte City Council member. We now have the funding in place and the contractor on board to expedite delivery of this high priority, regionally beneficial transit project for Los Angeles County.

The transportation authority says it carried out an extensive competitive bidding process, which deemed the Tutor Perini teams proposal as the best offer overall due to its technical, project management and cost aspects.

All three proposals submitted were comparable on their technical merits, but the Tutor Perini team had the best value proposal, LACMTA said in a statement.

The Tutor Perini/O&G team and its subcontractors have previously completed notable subway tunnel projects for the Central Subway project in San Francisco, the University Link in Seattle and New Yorks East Side Access project, in addition to helping to build the World Trade Centers Greenwich Street Corridor for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The second subway section is set for completion by or before 2026, as outlined in a funding agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, representatives say. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $1.6 billion in federal funding in early January to support LACMTAs efforts to bring the Purple Lines second section to fruition.

This team has a recent history of delivering successful tunneling projects across the globe, said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. Metro is confident this contractor will play a critical role in helping us build the world-class public transportation system we have promised to voters.

The second segment of the extension will bring an added 2.6 miles to the Purple Line with a station in the center of Century City and another at Wilshire/Rodeo in downtown Beverly Hills.

Tutor Perini also participated in the construction of LACMTAs original Red Line. The contractor built its second and third sections, completing the third segment six months earlier than expected while remaining within the allotted project budget.

The transportation authority says it plans to provide strong oversight to enable the projects timely and cost-effective delivery, which LACMTA officials say will entail executive partnering between the transportation authority and the contractor up to the CEO level to address project modifications and claims.
The boards of Tesco plc (TSCO.L,TSCDY.PK) and Booker Group plc (BOK.L) announced they have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended share and cash merger. Under the terms of the Merger, each Booker Scheme shareholder will receive for each Booker Scheme Share: 0.861 New Tesco shares; and 42.6 pence in cash. The terms of the Merger represent: a value of approximately 205.3 pence per Booker Share; and a value of approximately 3.7 billion pounds for Booker's ordinary share capital. The merger will result in Booker shareholders owning approximately 16 percent of the combined Group. Booker's CEO will join the combined Group's Board and Executive Committee and Booker's Chairman will also join the combined Group's Board.

The Tesco Board has reviewed its dividend policy and intends to recommence paying dividends in respect of the financial year 2017/18. The Tesco Board expects dividends to grow progressively from that financial year with the aim of achieving a target cover of approximately 2x earnings per share over the medium term.

Tesco and Booker have agreed that Booker shareholders will be entitled to receive: any ordinary interim and final dividends announced, declared or paid by Booker in the ordinary course; and a special dividend in respect of the financial year ending 24 March 2017. In addition, Booker shareholders will also be entitled to receive a closing dividend soon after the effective date.

The Tesco Board expects pre-tax synergies for the combined Group to reach a run-rate of at least 200 million pounds per annum by the end of the third year following completion of the merger. Quantified revenue synergies of at least 25 million pounds per annum are anticipated to come by the end of the third year following completion of the merger, primarily from an enhanced offering and customer proposition. The merger is also expected to enable opportunity for cost synergies of at least 175 million pounds, mainly in areas such as procurement and distribution.

Dave Lewis, CEO of Tesco said: "Tesco has made significant progress in turning around our UK retail . This Merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital. Wherever food is prepared and eaten - 'in home' or 'out of home' - we will meet this opportunity with the widest choice and best service available."

Tesco affirmed that the Group is on track to deliver at least 1.2 billion pounds of Group operating profit before exceptional items for the full year. The merger is expected to be accretive to Tesco's earnings per share (excluding the effects of implementation costs) in the second full financial year following the effective date.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Shares of food retailer Tesco Plc (TSCO.L,TSCDY.PK) and food wholesaler Booker Group plc (BOK.L) were gaining in London trading after the companies announced their agreement on the terms of a recommended share and cash merger. Under the deal, Tesco will buy Booker for approximately 205.3 pence per Booker Share or about 3.7 billion pounds in total. The companies expect the merger would create the UK's leading food .

Each Booker Scheme Shareholder will receive 0.861 New Tesco Shares and 42.6 pence in cash.

The per share price represents a premium of approximately 12 percent to the Closing Price of Booker Share on January 26, being the last business day prior to this announcement.

The merger is expected to be accretive to Tesco's earnings per share in the second full financial year following the Effective Date, and to be beneficial to Tesco's leverage metrics.

The Tesco Board expect pre-tax synergies for the Combined Group to reach a run-rate of at least 200 million pounds per annum by the end of the third year following completion of the merger.

The merger is also expected to enable opportunity for cost synergies of at least 175 million, mainly in areas such as procurement and distribution.



Following the merger, Booker Shareholders will own approximately 16 percent of the combined group.

On completion of the merger, Charles Wilson, Booker's Chief Executive Officer and Stewart Gilliland, Booker's Chairman, will join the Combined Group's Board. Wilson will also join the Combined Group's Executive Committee.

Dave Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Tesco said, "Tesco has made significant progress in turning around our UK retail business. This Merger with Booker will further enhance Tesco's growth prospects by creating the UK's leading food business with combined expertise in retail, wholesale, supply chain and digital. Wherever food is prepared and eaten - 'in home' or 'out of home' - we will meet this opportunity with the widest choice and best service available."

In London, Booker shares traded at 213.50 pence, up 16.60 percent, and Tesco shares traded at 206.10 pence, up 9.05 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Vice President Mike Pence and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway will join prominent pro-life figures at the 44th Annual March for Life in Washington Friday.

Tens of thousands of Americans are set to travel from across the nation to D.C. for this year's March for Life, which seeks to promote the dignity of every human life and to stand against abortion-on-demand.

Mike Pence will be the first Vice President or President in history to speak at the March for Life, the world's largest annual pro-life demonstration.

The highest-ranking woman in Donald Trump's administration, Kellyanne Conway is a steadfast advocate for life and family issues.

By staging the major march, anti-abortion activists are aiming to send an unequivocal message to the Donald Trump administration. Having taken an anti-abortion stand, Trump on Monday signed a decree barring US federal funding for foreign NGOs that support abortion.

Other prominent pro-life figures who will join the top ranking Republican leaders at the National Mall include Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, former Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson, Mexican Telenovela star Karyme Lozano, author and radio host Eric Metaxas, and Bishop Vincent Matthews of the Church of God in Christ, who advocates for adoption in the African-American community.

"Vice President Pence has been a friend and champion of the pro-life cause his entire career. Pro-life leaders, activists, volunteers and marchers will be thrilled to hear from Vice President Pence and are bound to leave the March for Life even more energized than when they came," said Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life.

"Our theme this year is the Power of One, highlighting how every individual has the ability to make a difference in the cause of life," he noted.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Fast food giant McDonald's Corp. (MCD) announced it has signed a share sale and purchase agreement and agreed on the Master Franchise Agreement with British private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners Chairman Guy Hands. Hands will become the Development Licensee for the Nordic .

McDonald's said it plans to transfer its ownership interest in McDonald's Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden and grant a license to the development licensee to develop and operate the McDonald's restaurants in these markets. Hands will provide the capital necessary to support and grow the .

The deal involves approximately 435 restaurants in these four countries, of which more than 95 percent are owned by franchisees. McDonald's is the biggest fast-food operator in the region but has been facing stiff competition from local hamburger chains.

Ian Borden, President, McDonald's Foundational Markets, said, "We look forward to welcoming Guy Hands as our strategic partner in the Nordics."

"This is an exciting opportunity to form a strong partnership with one of the world's leading global brands. I and my family look forward to working with the McDonald's teams in place across the region," said Hands.

McDonald's noted that the deal was the result of a rigorous evaluation and selection process over the past year.

As part of its turnaround plan announced in May of 2015, McDonald's committed to re-franchising 4,000 restaurants by the end of 2018 with the long-term goal of becoming 95 percent franchised.

In September 2016, McDonald's said it agreed to sell a controlling stake in its mainland China and Hong Kong operations to a group of investors in a deal that would value the business at up to $2.08 billion.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Megan Hile, owner of Madison Chocolate Company, is joining the sweet party this spring. In May, she plans to open her first chocolate shop in new construction at 729 Glenway St., just across from the family-friendly restaurant Gates & Brovi.
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Badger Rock Middle School is housed within the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center on the city's south side.
By SA Commercial Prop News

The provincial leadership of the ANC has appealed to the hospitality industry in the province not to inflate prices for accommodation ahead of its centenary celebrations, which are expected to bring thousands of visitors starting from January.

Secretary-general Sibongile Besani said most of the guests would be in Mangaung in the first week of the new year. Apart from a general shortage of accommodation in Bloemfontein during major events, there are also worries that operators may want to score a quick buck by increasing the charges for accommodation.

Exploitation of visitors has always been a problem. The tripling of accommodation rates is a turn-off. Role players in the industry should come together and solve this problem, said Besani.

Besani said there were 26000 beds available, far fewer than the number of more than 100000 visitors expected to mark the 100th year since the ANC was launched in Bloemfontein in 1912. But Besani said the ruling party was not worried much about the possible shortage of accommodation because many people viewed the event as a form of political pilgrimage and just wanted to be in Bloemfontein.

People are prepared to sleep anywhere, as long as they are here, and thats all that matters, said Besani.

He denied claims that the ANC centenary celebrations were to be funded through public money, saying the party had mobilised its own funds for the mega festival after the main rally on Sunday January 8.

The government will spend where it is supposed to spend, such as the police. The ANC does not have a police force and as the owners of the event we have to abide by the rules of the SAPS.

At least 60 heads of states have been invited. The partys 120 members of its national executive committee will also be here as well as about 410 ANC veterans. Of the 100000 people expected, 70000 will come from the province.

Sporting activities, where provincial teams will play against one another, music and cultural festivals, fun runs and political lectures will kick off in December as build up to the main January celebration.

There will be a commemoration of the Maseru Massacre, which took place in 1982 when forces of the apartheid government raided a village in Lesotho, killing 42 people. Thirty of those killed were South Africans, exiled because of their support for the ANC.

A house in Waaihoek, an area in Bloemfontein where the ANC was founded, is being reconstructed and has been declared a monument. The same applies to the Wesleyan Church in which delegates held a five-day meeting in January 1912 which culminated in the ANCs formation.
By SA Commercial Prop News

SA Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane.



Government is forging ahead with the implementation of the e-tolling system on Gautengs freeways but discussions with stakeholders to explain the move will continue, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said on Thursday.

Speaking in Cape Town following this weeks ordinary Cabinet meeting, Chabane said government had noted the overwhelming number of people who turned out for the protest marches organised by the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Wednesday against e-tolling and labour broking, but the decision to implement the system on 30 April has not changed.

Government has over a long period, consulted various stakeholders in business and civil society on the issue of e-tolling on Gauteng upgraded freeways and these discussions will continue, Chabane said.

Cosatu wants the government to scrap the system while it is also demanding the ban of labour brokers. Yesterday, the unions General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi argued that e-tolling in the province would seriously affect the poor, a claim that has been challenged by government.

Chabane said: The fact that government has taken steps to mitigate in the form of R6.8 billion from National Treasury is recognition of the importance to reduce the burden not only on the poor but all the affected road users.

As a result of the Treasurys intervention toll fees were slashed by almost half of the original price.

The reduced fees will see cars with e-tags pay 30c per km, motorcycles charged 20c per km, while non-articulated trucks pay 75c per km and articulated trucks will be charged R1.51 per km.

There will also be a frequent-user cap of R550 a month for light vehicles and motorcyles, as well as a "time-of-day" saving of 20% for heavy vehicles. Drivers of motorcycles will pay 20c per km and non-articulated and articulated trucks would pay 75c and R1.51 per km respectively.

To help ease congestion, heavy vehicles will qualify for a 20 per cent discount if they use the roads during off-peak times in the day. Taxis and other public transport operators will be exempt from toll fees.

Chabane said the fact that taxis and busses, a mode of transport used by the majority of the workers, will be exempted from paying fees, was further testimony to governments willingness to lessen the financial load on regular road users.

Government has consistently said the e-tolling system would go a long way in addressing the backlog in road construction and maintenance programmes throughout the country. It said although the system has been criticized and opposed by political parties, individuals and civic organizations, no attention has been paid to the benefits of this system.

These benefits include, among others, a high quality road network, improved road safety, and reduced travelling distances, which result in substantial savings on the running costs of their vehicles.

They also eliminate delays, unreliable travel times, and levels of discomfort and inconvenience.

In Gauteng fees collected would also help the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) pay back a R20 billion loan that was granted to the agency for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.

SANRAL has in a statement dismissed media reports that it will gain uncontrolled access to motorists bank accounts if they register for e-tolling.

On the issue of labour brokers, which Cosatu has labelled an exploitation of the worst form, Chabane said discussions on the matter were heading towards finalisation in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).

We have said the matter (of labour brokers) is being discussed and finalised in the processes of Nedlac, Chabane said, adding that a positive was in sight.

Apparently the discussions have centred on eliminating abuse practices within the labour brokering industry with Chabane acknowledging that some within the industry were involved in exploitative practices.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who appeared before a court here on Friday in connection with an 18-year-old blackbuck poaching case, pleaded "not guilty". The 51-year-old actor, to a question on religion posed by the court, said "I'm Hindu and Muslim both. I'm Bharatiya."

Salman and his "Hum Saath-Saath Hain" co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Neelam Kothari, Sonali Bendre and Tabu, pleaded "not guilty" in the case in a Jodhpur court.

The actors were present in the court to get their statements recorded before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit.

During the course of hearing on Friday, Salman replied to as many as 65 questions posed by the court with regard to the allegations levelled by the prosecution witnesses.

Salman and the other actors also replied to a few general questions like names, father's name, age, residential address and religion.

To a question with regard to his religion, Salman, the son of popular screenwriter Salim Khan and Sushila Charak, said: "I'm Hindu and Muslim both. I'm Bharatiya". He subsequently said in English that "I'm an Indian".

Asked about the allegations levelled by the prosecution, the stars pleaded "not guilty".

Salman in his reply said that he couldn't have gone out for poaching due to security reasons, especially in the evenings or night.

"I used to be busy in the shooting in the and in the night I used to go to sleep as I was tired. In the night because of security reasons, I never used to go out. I deny all the charges. I have been falsely implicated," Salman told the court.

The next hearing in the blackbucks poaching case is slated to be held on February 15 in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate here when Salman Khan's counsel is expected to produce defence witnesses to counter the prosecution.

"We will produce defence witnesses to counter the prosecution as all the allegations are untrue," Hastimal Saraswat, Salman's advocate, told .

"All charges against my client are false ," Saraswat said.

The CJM court had earlier asked the Bollywood celebrities to appear on January 25 to record statement, but the stars, including Salman and Saif, did not come on that day citing security reasons.

The court then postponed the matter for Friday.

The case against all cine stars is pending since 1998, but it could not come for hearing and remained stalled due to several appeals and revisions in the higher court in other connected matters.

Salman and Saif stayed in the court for around half an hour and an hour respectively. The actresses had to remain in court for around two hours.

Relatives of the film stars, including Salman's sister Alvira and his bodyguard Shera, were also present during the court proceedings.

All the five Bollywood actors are accused of poaching blackbucks on the midnight of October 1-2, 1998, during the shooting of "Hum Saath-Saath Hain".

Two blackbucks, a protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, were killed in the outskirts of Kankani village near Jodhpur.

Salman was accused of carrying and using illegal arms too, but recently the CJM court acquitted him of the charges.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday accepted the resignation of Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan, who put in his papers on Thursday following allegations of "inappropriate behaviour".

Shanmuganathan, who also held the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh, tendered his resignation to "ensure a free and impartial probe into the charges against him".

On Wednesday, employees of the Raj Bhavan in Shillong sent a five-page letter signed by nearly 100 staffers to the Prime Minister's Office and the Rashtrapati Bhavan demanding recall of the Governor for what they alleged was "turning the Raj Bhavan into a Young Ladies Club".



According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan media statement, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit will act as the the Governor of Meghalaya in the interim, while Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya was handed over the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh.





From the time Shanmuganathan took over, the employees alleged, they were going through "severe humiliation, mental stress and torture".



The protest letter by the Raj Bhavan staff came after an English daily report quoted a woman who accused the Governor of making advances by "hugging and kissing her".



The woman was one of the seven candidates selected for an interview for the post of a Public Relations Officer at the Raj Bhavan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday promised more water to the farmers of Punjab, saying it will come from the Indus river.

"Farmers in Punjab should get more water. We have decided that Indus water, which goes to Pakistan, should be given to India," Modi said while addressing an election rally

here.



Punjab goes to the polls on February 4.



Earlier in November, the Prime Minister had made a similar statement, saying the water belongs to the Indian farmers.





"That water belongs to the Indian farmers. We will do whatever we can to give enough water to our farmers," he had said on November 25 in Bhatinda in Punjab.


The Indian Navy is undertaking a large-scale war exercise off the western coast to test its combat readiness, with leading ships including aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, nuclear submarine Chakra taking part along with other vessels and aircraft, an official statement said on Friday.

The annual Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX) had started on January 24, the statement said, adding that the exercise assumes "special significance" in the backdrop of recent developments.

"Tropex 17 assumes special significance in the backdrop of the current security scenario. The exercise is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard. It will also strengthen interoperability and joint operations in a complex environment," it said.



The month-long exercise has ships and aircraft of both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, as also the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard exercising together.

"Tropex has grown in scale and complexity over the years and will see participation of major surface combatants and air assets of the Indian Navy," the statement said.



The other ships and aircraft participating include recently-commissioned destroyer Chennai, Landing Platform Dock (LPD) Jalashwa, the P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft operating alongside SU-30 MKI, Jaguars, AWACS, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft of the Indian Air Force and Infantry units of the Indian Army.



"The exercise will be conducted in various phases, both in harbour and at sea encompassing the various facets of war-fighting and combat operations," the statement said.



The last edition of the exercise was conducted in January 2015.
A court here has issued summons to former Rajya Sabha member Mahmood A. Madani for alleged irregularities in a Leave Travel Concession case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that in 2012, Madani had hatched a conspiracy with his then personal assistant Mubashir and submitted Travel Allowance (TA) claims on the basis of forged e-tickets. A case was lodged in 2014.

After taking cognizance of the charge-sheet, CBI ' title=' CBI '>CBI Special Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna issued summons to Madani and Mubashir last week, asking them to appear before it on February 21.



"Allegedly, in 2012, the then Rajya Sabha MP Madani entered into a criminal conspiracy with Mubashir, and submitted travel allowance claims on the basis of forged e-tickets and cheated the office of Rajya Sabha Secretariat ' title=' Rajya Sabha Secretariat '> Rajya Sabha Secretariat by causing wrongful loss to department and corresponding gain to himself to the tune of Rs 5,75,135," the court said.





CBI has chargesheeted Madani and Mubashir under various charges dealing with cheating, forgery, using forged document as genuine of Indian Penal Code and criminal misconduct by public servant of Prevention of Corruption Act.



The court order came after observing the witnesses' statements and the documents filed by the probe agency.



The court said that there is sufficient material on record to proceed against Madani and his associate.



It also said sanction for prosecution of Madani and Mubashir was not required as they were not public servants at present.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming to fight corruption, while aligning with the "corrupt" Shiromani Akali Dal regime in Punjab.

He also dispelled the long drawn speculation on who would be the Chief Ministerial candidate for Punjab, and announced that Amarinder Singh would be the one to head the government if the Congress wins.

Addressing a political rally here in the Akali stronghold, Gandhi said: "Narendra Modi talks of corruption and religion at various places. But how can he stand with the corrupt Akali Dal leaders and talk of fighting corruption."

The Congress leader said: "Modi will come here and say that I fight against corruption and I have done demonetisation. Can you tell me how one who talks about fighting against corruption, can stand with the Akalis?".

"Can you tell me how Modi can stand on the same dais with (Deputy Chief Minister) Sukhbir Singh Badal and still talk about fighting corruption," he said.

"Entire Punjab knows that the state has been destroyed by the Akalis and brought to its knees," Gandhi added.

Ending the guesswork Gandhi announced: "Your Chief Ministerial candidate is sitting here (on the dais). Amarinder Singh is our leader who will head the next government. He has worked hard for Punjab."

Tearing into the activities of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's family in the past one decade, Gandhi said that the Badal family has monopolised most businesses in the state and was destroying Punjab.

"Be it transport, cable TV, sand, hotels or other businesses, the Badal family has monopolised everything," he alleged.

Quoting the life of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, the Congress leader said that the guru patronised the concept of "tera" (yours) and "sewa" (service), but the Akali Dal leadership only believed in the concept of "mera" (mine) as they have looted Punjab.

Rahul Gandhi said that if the Congress comes to power in Punjab after the February 4 assembly polls, the government would bring in a legal policy to take strictest action against those involved in the drugs trade.

"People who are involved in drugs trade should hear this that we will bring such a law that even the thought of drugs will scare you," Gandhi cautioned.

The Congress Vice President cautioned the people against the claims and promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

"AAP government made tall promises to people of Delhi but has failed to implement anything. AAP is trying to mislead people in Punjab," he said.

The Congress is heading for a bitter political fight with the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the 117 assembly seats on February 4.
Delhi University's well-known Miranda House officially frowned upon the visiting correspondence course students taking selfies and brushing their hair in college corridors, and has invited notice from the Delhi Commission for Women for "discriminatory practices".

Apparently, there is no bar on such girlie activities on the college's regular students, and only students pursuing correspondence course have been admonished for "wasting" time by "modelling" in the corridors, "brushing their hair" and "taking selfies".

The students of School of Open Learning, who attend Sunday classes at the Miranda House in north campus, found the restrictive rules made by the administration of Miranda House "class-biased" and "misogynistic" and approached the DCW on January 24 seeking its intervention.



Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Friday issued notice to the Principal of Miranda House over such "discriminatory practices" adopted by the college administration.



Maliwal asked the principal to submit a point-wise report in a week over the matter.

"The commission has received a representation from students' organisation Krantikari Yuva Sangathan alleging discriminatory practices adopted by the administration of the Miranda House college," Maliwal said in the notice.



"Please provide the commission a point-wise reply on the representation within seven days of receipt of this notice, failing which appropriate action shall be initiated as per law," the DCW chief added.



In their complaint, the students told the DCW that the college earlier put up a notice admonishing the SOL women students for "wasting" time by "modelling" in the corridors, "brushing their hair" and "taking selfies".



"The notice said that the SOL women students, who are found indulging in such practices, would be thrown out of the college," the students said in their complaint to Maliwal.
Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan resigned on Thursday in the wake of accusations of inappropriate behaviour and hurting the decorum and prestige of the Raj Bhavan, official sources said.

"The Governor has sent his resignation letter to President Pranab Mukherjee," a top official in the Prime Minister's Office told IANS on phone.

"He (Shanmuganathan) was asked to put in his papers to ensure a free and impartial probe into the charges against him," he added.

On Wednesday, employees of the Raj Bhavan in Shillong sent a five-page letter signed by nearly 100 staffers to the Prime Minister's Office and the Rashtrapati Bhavan to demand recall of the Governor for what they alleged was "turning the Raj Bhavan into a Young Ladies Club".

"We feel he is demeaning the position of the Head of the State. He is rude, arrogant, temperamental and untruthful. Above all, he has seriously compromised the dignity of the Raj Bhavan and unfortunately made it into a Young Ladies Club," the letter said.



"... we are not interested in his personal life. But when his activities hurt the decorum and prestige of the Raj Bhavan as well as the sentiments of the Raj Bhavan employees, who are very much attached to the Raj Bhavan, it becomes our concern," the letter added.

From the time Shanmuganathan took over, the employees alleged, they were going through "severe humiliation, mental stress and torture".

The letter came after an English daily report quoted a woman who accused the Governor of making advances by "hugging and kissing her".

The woman was one of the seven candidates selected for an interview for the post of a Public Relation Officer at the Raj Bhavan.

"She was personally called by the Governor on December 8, who asked her to come and meet him at 7.00 p.m., for which she came in good faith, only to be molested by him," the report said.

Shanmuganathan, 68, a veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist from Tamil Nadu, was sworn in as Meghalaya Governor on May 20, 2015.

The President gave him the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh from September 16, 2016, after J. P. Rajkhowa was removed.

Shanmuganathan was also Governor in charge of Manipur from September 2015 to August 2016.

Earlier in the day, the Congress and the Janata Dal-United demanded the recall of Shanmuganathan.

Civil society groups in Meghalaya like the Civil Society Women's Organisation and Thma U Rangli, a progressive political outfit of Meghalaya, launched a signature campaign to demand his recall.

"It is unfortunate that on the Republic Day, we have to stand outside the Raj Bhavan to demand the Governor's removal for sexual harassment," TUR leader and rights activist Angela Rangad said.

When asked to comment on the issue, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told journalists: "We will inform the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister. We will await the central government's take on the issue."
The Donald Trump administration in the US has told four top State Department management officials that their services were no longer needed, officials said.



Patrick Kennedy, who served for nine years as the Undersecretary for Management, Assistant Secretaries for Administration and Consular Affairs Joyce Anne Barr and Michele Bond, and Ambassador Gentry Smith, director of the Office for Foreign Missions, were sent letters by the White House that their service was no longer required, the informed sources told CNN on Thursday.

All four, career officers serving in positions appointed by the President, submitted letters of resignation per tradition at the beginning of a new administration.

The letters from the White House said that their resignations were accepted and they were thanked for their service.

The White House usually asks career officials in such positions to stay on for a few months until their successors are confirmed.

"Any implication that that these four people quit is wrong," one senior State Department official said.

"These people are loyal to the secretary, the President and to the State Department. There is just not any attempt here to dis the President. People are not quitting and running away in disgust. This is the White House cleaning house."

Mark Toner, the State Department's acting spokesman, said in a statement that "These positions are political appointments, and require the President to nominate and the Senate to confirm them in these roles. They are not career appointments but of limited term."

He continued: "Of the officers whose resignations were accepted, some will continue in the Foreign Service in other positions, and others will retire by choice or because they have exceeded the time limits of their grade in service."

Greg Starr, director of diplomatic security, also followed through on his planned resignation. He had come back from retirement after the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and promised to stay through the end of the Obama administration.

"This had been on course for over a year," another official said. "He came out of retirement and promised to stay out (of) the administration. If Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders were elected, he would still be retiring."

The firings leave a huge management hole at the State Department, with a combined 150 years of institutional experience among all of the named officials. The second official echoed that the move appeared to be an effort by the new administration to "clean house" among the State Department's top leadership.
Trump ' title='US President Donald Trump '>US President Donald Trump in his first televised sit-down interview as US president has said Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not among countries that will face a visa ban to enter the country.

However, citizens of these countries will face "extreme vetting", the US president said.

In an interview with ABC News, the US President was asked: "Why are we (America) going to allow people (from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan) to come into this country..."



To this, Trump answered, "We're going to have extreme vetting in all cases. And I mean extreme. And we're not letting people in if we think there's even a little chance of some problem."



"We are excluding certain countries. But for other countries, we're gonna have extreme vetting. It's going to be very hard to come in. Right now it's very easy to come in. It's gonna be very, very hard. I don't want terror in this country," he added.



The interview, broadcast on Thursday, was Trump's first to a television channel since he took oath as President on January 20, and covered a wide range of subjects, from Obamacare to immigration to war against terrorists.



Trump said his plan to limit the entry of people from several Muslim countries was necessary because the world was "a total mess". He denied that it was a ban on Muslims. "No, it's not the Muslim ban, but it's countries that have tremendous terror," Trump said.



"And it's countries that people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems. Our country has enough problems without allowing people to come in, who in many cases or in some cases, are looking to do tremendous destruction."



Trump refused to be pinned down on which countries he was talking about, but did say that he believed that Europe "made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries, and all you have to do is take a look, it's a disaster what's happening over there."
Illegal logging

EU illegal logging legislation start working

The Netherlands issued a fine to the company Fibois VB Purmerend after finding that documentation was not in order for timber imported from Cameroon. Therefore the company could not meet the due diligence requirement required by the illegal logging legislation (EUTR). The Dutch Competent Authority issued a non-compliance penalty of EUR 1800 per cubic meter of timber placed on the market until correct due diligence could be undertaken. The company had been issued a warning, stating that it had had enough time to improve its practice. Among other sources, Fibois imports from CCT, a company which Greenpeace revealed to be involved in illegal logging.



Meanwhile, a Swedish court ruled teak importer is breaking EU logging law. The Swedish administrative court has ruled that a company importing teak from Myanmar is in breach of the EUTR. In a recenn briefing, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) pointed out that Almtra Nordic, the Swedish importer, could not have met the EUTRs due diligence requirement, because of weak forest governance in Myanmar. They could only trace supplies back to the state-managed Myanmar Timber Enterprise, but not to exactly where the imported timber had been harvested or by whom.

EIA has published a briefing on how teak exports from Myanmar/Burma to the European Union are in breach of the EU Timber Regulation. The briefing details the results of an EIA investigation into Burmese teak entering the EU market. https://eia-international.org/report/overdue-diligence



EIA then submitted a complaint to the Swedish Forest Agency (the competent authority), which fined Almtra Nordic 17,000 Swedish Kronor (about $1,700) and required the company to stop selling timber imported from Myanmar until it could properly assess and mitigate the risk of illegality. The Swedish court agreed with this decision and found Almtra Nordic was in breach of the EUTR. In doing so, the Swedish court showed that an EU company importing timber supplied by the Myanmar Timber Enterprise cannot meet the EUTRs due diligence requirement if it relies solely on official documentation provided.
A 39-year-old man from Sinamoga and Tulaele has added his voice to a growing chorus of Samoans calling on the government to increase domestic wages.

Sio Isitolo, a 39-year-old father of three, reminds us that the cost of living continues to skyrocket and yet wages, especially the minimum wage, remains inadequate.

The struggle we go through to make ends meet everyday is the real picture of Samoa of today, he told the Village Voice.

The pay I get every week is not enough to take care and provide for my family.

I just want to voice this out to the government because they should know and understand how hard it is to stretch our pay from day to day.

Sio said the cost of living is beyond reach for many people.

Looking on how much I get from my pay every week it is just not enough for my family.

Especially because we have so many obligations. We have to take care of the church and village obligations, faalavelave every month, family activities and then the familys every day needs.

Sio said he is saddened by the fact the government leaders dont seem to care.

Theyre too busy voicing out their opinions in Parliament but outside here...the real world that were living in now, nothing is happening.

They sound like theyre really going to do something to help us out but theyre just empty vessels.

Sio said a $100 is like 10 sene these days.

This makes me wonder about whats next for Samoa in the next ten years?

As a father, I always think about that. What will our children do?

He also believes there is poverty in Samoa.

I must admit my family doesnt have much and I know this is the reality of many families in Samoa.

Now schools are back next week and thats another expense we have to deal with. I know Im not the only parent going through this.

We really need help.
Dear Editor,

Re: Rev. Opapo

Rev. Opapo shouldve listened to the E.F.K.S. elders but no one is stopping him from converting to Catholicism if he wants to - just like no one stopped his daughter from converting. Its his choice.

If the E.F.K.S. does not allow statues of Mary or Jesus in their churches, then so be it as they have their own belief for not allowing them in there. The E.F.K.S. does not push its belief/issue on to the Catholic Church so why should the Catholic Church push theirs on to the E.F.K.S.?

Then you have some fools questioning the elders decision to step Rev Opapo down over a statue. If it was only a statue, then what the heck is it doing in the E.F.K.S. church? This is how the E.F.K.S. see Jesus - FAITH IN JESUS IS A BELIEF YOU CANNOT SEE AND THE REWARD OF THAT FAITH IS TO SEE WHAT YOU BELIEVE. So there is no need for the EFKS to look at statues to confirm their faith in Jesus. Its either you believe in Him or you dont.

Anyway, Im still waiting for those 40+ messages from the stigmata. Its the right of every citizen in Samoa to know the Truth about the stigmatas whereabouts as it was the tax payers money that funded her trip to the Vatican which included her family and a H.R.P.P. M.P. Now it has become a public interest.

It is written in Exodus 20:3-5, 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above; or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth: 5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them...

I couldnt stop laughing however at how the drunk took off with the statue when every one else was debating how to remove it from within the Siufaga E.F.K.S. church.

Im pretty sure God will bless the drunken man and punish those who charged him and locked him up as the drunken man was created in the image of God and the statue was created out of clay.

M.R.
Southern Californias home market is so competitive that some buyers make down payments on houses over mobile streaming applications.

Soon, thanks to virtual reality, showing a home may become passe, too.

Advertisement

Calgary, Canada-based builder Brookfield Residential will offer virtual tours of model homes at its new San Marcos home project starting in February. The homes dont open until spring, but the builder will be showcasing the technology at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets from Feb. 2 to May 1.

While the technology began working its way into real estate circles early last year, this is likely the first time it will be used on a large scale in San Diego County and the first place Brookfield is trying it out.

Brookfield spokeswoman April Harter-Enriquez said the technology is a way to get potential buyers interested in a project before models are ready to open.

The homebuying process, in general, is a bit of a dinosaur at times, she said. (Brookfield) looked at VR technology to really change the homebuying experience by letting people get a taste of what the homes will be like before they are actually built.

Users of the virtual reality tool will put on a Gear VR head strap that wraps around the front of a persons face. Users look at an application in front of their eyes running on a Samsung Galaxy S7 phone.

The user can walk from room to room in the house, into the bathroom, up the stairs and view details on the ceiling. By looking at targets placed in certain parts of the screen, the software knows to move users to a different location.

The phone application was developed by San Francisco-based Transparent House. The company also recently did a virtual reality tour of San Franciscos Shipyard, a master planned community by developer Lennar with 12,000 homes and 1 million square feet of retail.

Virtual reality is catching on more. BI Intellegence anticipated a 1047 percent increase of VR headsets shipped in 2016, up to 8.2 million units. But, Transparent House account director David Scott Van Woert said to get the full experience it is best with a full immersion goggle set like the Gear VR, which runs for about $100. Still, he said the company often sends cheaper cardboard virtual reality kits (that cost roughly $15).

To reach as many potential homebuyers as possible, Brookfield opted to showcase the VR tours at a mall.

Van Woert said Transparent House gets weekly requests for new projects. The most recent was for individual homes in Beverly Hills and Palo Alto.

VR is the next natural evolution in terms of marketing real estate, he said. A lot of these companies are very tech-forward and always looking for, not only an edge over competition, but to stay current because expectations of the public are such that they are going to be demanding technology like this.

Theres also an incentive for real estate agents and companies to show properties as soon as possible, even if it is virtual. San Diego County homes stayed on the market an average 33 days in 2016, said the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors. That was down from 39 in 2015 and 46 in 2014.

Jason Cassity, agent with ISellTheCity real estate in downtown, said he thinks virtual reality will be the future in his industry and something he is eager to use.

In my opinion, that (technology) should be commonplace already because it is so helpful to buyers, he said. You could have someone sitting in Boise, (Idaho), walk through your house and it just does so much more than the photos can. It gives them a sense of how the layout feels.

Cassity already pays about $300 a listing to do a 3D map of properties through the Matterport platform. Right now, he said not everyone has a pair of virtual reality goggles sitting around but at least distant buyers can walk through the 3D scanned properties.

Other agents and real estate groups have experimented with similar technologies. In late 2015, real estate listening website Redfin launched a Live Video Tour function that lets potential buyers watch as an agent walks through a property live-streaming it room to room.

For now, virtual reality might be cost prohibitive. Van Woert said each project is different, but a single room could cost $20,000 to do and a larger project could run up to $100,000.

Brookfield is using virtual reality for its three developments in the Rancho Tesoro: Candela, Terracina and Vientos. Homes range from 2,221 to 3,565-square-feet. At final build-out, the communities will have roughly 275 single-family homes. The price range is anticipated to be from $600,000 to $900,000.

Single-family home construction has become rare in San Diego County and the houses are likely to be a hot commodity when they open in the spring.

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phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

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About 75 volunteers met at the El Corazon Senior Center early this morning before fanning out across Oceanside in the annual countywide tally of the homeless.

It was an eye-opener to see people sleeping under the bridge, said Natasha Howell of Oceanside, who helped with the one-day, point-in-time count for the first time. She and two other women searched an area around Capistrano Park, east of Interstate 5 near the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.

Oceanside was one of about 60 locations in San Diego County where volunteers gathered and formed teams carrying maps, clipboards and flashlights to search for anyone sleeping in doorways, sidewalks, canyons and other outdoor locations. Last years count found from 392 in homeless in Oceanside, more than double the previous years count of 158.

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No final numbers were available Friday morning, but organizers said the totals appeared to be about the same as last year. The citys downtown area has whats arguably the highest concentration of homeless in North County.

Among those counted by volunteers were three bedraggled men waking up on the porch of an old house on Seagaze Drive about 5:30 a.m. Friday.

One of them, who gave his name only as Ken, said he was 55 and from back East, where hed lived in Pittsburgh, managed a supermarket for a while, and had worked construction. But now he was unemployed, and hed been homeless for about five years, mostly in Oceanside, where he had a lot of friends living on the streets.

We know each other, Ken said. We try to help each other out.

Nearby in front of a small Coast Highway bookstore, Lisa, 47, sat on a ledge with a blanket covering her legs. An open can of Arizona ice tea, a cigarette lighter, and a grocery bag filled with stuff sat beside her.

Im homeless, and I live at the beach, Lisa said. I always wanted to live at the beach.

Until recently she lived in a double-wide mobile home in Hesperia, she said. But she lost her job, and now she has no place to go. The police roust her when she tries to sleep, she added, and they dont let her smoke or drink.

I do drink, she said. Its pretty darn depressing out here.

The trio of volunteers counting near the Civic Center  Councilman Jerry Kern, Assistant City Attorney Barbara Hamilton and City Treasurer Rafe Edward Trickey Jr.,  had a harder time getting information from a man who staggered across Coast Highway in the early morning darkness, waving a cigarette in one hand.

I need a light, he shouted repeatedly. When no one responded, he launched into an angry tirade. Only a few of the words were understandable, and attempts to question him were fruitless.

But others were happy to participate in the count. Two men who walked by with a dog said they were military veterans who had been homeless for years. They spend most of their time in San Diego, but they rode the Coaster train to Oceanside to attend this weekends North County Veterans Stand Down in Vista, where food, shelter, haircuts, counseling and other services will be available.

We usually go to the one in San Diego, said one of them. We just want to see what they have up here.

Homelessness has long been a problem with no clear solution in Oceanside.

If we find them in the first six months of homelessness, we can connect them with services, Kern said. After that, it tends to become their lifestyle.

Trickey said he and Hamilton, who are married, both participated in the count last year, covering an area along the beach near the municipal pier.

Its sobering  and cold, he said of the work. We try to do something like this to help out.

Teams covered every census tract in the city, said Margery Pierce, neighborhood services director. A few of the teams were accompanied by police officers and a city code enforcement officer.

There are distinct lines so theres no double counting, Pierce said.

Statistics gathered by the annual census are used by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to compare homeless populations across the country and to dole out federal money for programs that help the homeless.

San Diego County has the fourth highest homeless population in the nation, but ranks about 23rd in terms of federal funds for homeless programs.

The local point-in-time count, called We All Count, is led by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

San Diego Countys 2016 total was down about 1 percent from the previous year. About 72 percent of the homeless were men, about 12 percent were veterans, and 14 percent were severely mentally ill.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
A Lake San Marcos couple has bequeathed $3.2 million to Interfaith Community Services in Escondido, the second-largest gift in the nonprofit groups 38-year-history.

The social services provider  which works with homeless and low-income people and families  received the gift Thursday from the estate of the late Joan A. and W. Lee James Jr.

Joan James died in June at 86. Her husband Lee James died in January 2009 at 80.

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The money will help support Interfaiths existing programs, Executive Director Greg Anglea said, and help secure a site for a planned Recovery and Wellness Center, which he envisions as a 75-bed center for people with addictions or mental illness.

Its an amazing gift from an amazing couple, Anglea said.

Interfaiths work impacts more than 17,000 homeless and low-income people each year, helping with shelter and food, and providing a number of social services, stretching from youth programs to senior services. They also provide veterans programs and addiction recovery support.

About a year ago, facing a terminal illness, the widowed Joan James approached Anglea  whod shed known for years through her volunteer efforts  and revealed her plans. The idea was to leave the money to Interfaith through a trust in the name of her and her late husband.

Anglea said he and Joan discussed the need for the recovery center, which he said will be named for the couple.

It is an honor and a responsibility to be able to be good stewards of their legacy.  Greg Anglea, Interfaith Community Services

The project is still conceptual, no location has been found.

She had a terminal diagnosis, but her spirit would never show it, Anglea said. She enjoyed the opportunity to be purposeful with making a gift to help others.

Anglea said Joan was a very strong woman. After her husband of 47 years died, she really found a new footing through her community work.

Joan knew what she wanted and had a strong but eloquent and gentle way of getting the job done, he said. She was a wonderful people person.

According to online obituaries for the couple, they married in 1961, and at some point moved from Pennsylvania to California. Lee worked as an executive at TRWs Space Technologies Laboratories Inc. and wife Joan was an administrative assistant there.

In the 1990s, the couple retired to Lake San Marcos, where they joined United Church of Christ at Lake San Marcos, now known as Lake Church.

It was there that the couple, who had no children, learned of Interfaith.

Under Joans leadership of the churchs Mission Committee, the church helped Interfaith through concert fundraisers and food drives, according to Interfaith officials.

In May 2016, Joan told Chelsea Buck, Interfaiths director of development, that giving back to the community gave purpose to my life.

There are not a lot of people out there like Joan, who have the opportunity to make a gift like this and are as thoughtful and compassionate to use their resources to help someone else, Anglea said. It is an honor and a responsibility to be able to be good stewards of their legacy.

The whopping $3.2 million gift is the second-largest donation in the 38-year history of the group.

In 2012, Interfaith received a $4 million estate gift, used to create an endowment to help families in need.
For five girls from Vista Magnet Middle School, a tube of flatworms is a ticket to space.

The team of students won a contest to design a spaceflight experiment, proposing to study whether severed flatworms can regrow their heads in space.

That their project is cutting edge and creepy crawly should come as no surprise to anyone who knows middle schoolers. That the girls immersed themselves in the science of planarian worms, stem cells and microgravity is more noteworthy.

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Its a really unique experience, and Im so grateful for it, said team leader Evie Currington, 13.

The students developed the experiment for a contest by the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program offered by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education.

They competed against students from Vista Innovation & Design Academy and High Tech High North County to create an experiment to launch aboard a commercial spaceflight payload. A total of 28 teams from the three schools submitted proposals, said Dan Hendricks, president and founder of Open Source Maker Labs in Vista, who coordinated the North County submissions.

In December, the girls received word that they had won. Its the second time a team from Vista Magnet made the grade; last year a different group won the same competition, and sent strawberry seeds into orbit.

Currington, now in eighth grade, was introduced to the worms in sixth grade, when she entered the contest the first time. She didnt win that time, but resolved to try again, with an improved study design and longer experimental timeline.

What I learned from this is just mostly, never give up, she said.

Currington learned about planarian worms from a class video, and was fascinated by their ability to use stem cells to regrow body parts including their heads. She studied up on the centimeter-long worms in the science lab and at home, entering the contest to learn if they could regenerate in space.

When Evie first did the experiment, we had planarium worms sitting around the house, said her sister Charlotte, a sixth grader who was part of the space worm team this year.

When she got the chance to repeat it, Evie Currington enlisted her sister and other classmates for a dream team of future scientists. Eighth grader Isabella Ansell, 12, hopes to be an astrophysicist, and also study astrobiology and cosmology.

Ive always wanted to work for NASA, so designing an experiment that could possibly be performed by NASA scientists was really interesting to me,Ansell said.

Charlotte Currington, 11, wants to be an archaeologist, and Isabel Camacho, 11, also wants to study science. Sixth grader Sydney Wagner, 11, became hooked on medical research through the project.

Once we stared looking into them, I was excited about stem cells, she said. So I really dove deep into the stem cell part about it.

The team met with flatworm researchers from U.C. San Diego. College students from Cal State San Marcos, Palomar College and MiraCosta also helped the various teams design experiments.

Before the launch in June, the students will cut the flatworms in half and place them in a 6-inch plastic tube containing water in one section and the preservative formalin in another. After three to four weeks in orbit, astronauts will release a clamp to let the preservative to mix with the water and worms.

The students will get the tube back, and compare the space worms to Earth worms that underwent an identical process on the ground. Since human stem cells dont seem to grow in microgravity conditions, the girls expect their worms wont either. But theyre excited to find out.

Our school is so proud of these girls, said Principal Anne Green.I see this as an inspiration for generations of girls who have an interest in science and math.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
An elderly couple said to have hoarded 92 Yorkies in a feces-filled home in Poway actually had 31 more dogs hidden off-site, the San Diego Humane Society said Friday.

The little dogs were found at a different Poway location on Tuesday evening and taken into custody, spokeswoman Kelli Schry said.

That increases the total number of dogs turned over by the couple to 123  114 dogs and nine puppies.

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Already, more than 200 peole have reached out to the Humane Society via Facebook or email to express interest in adopting the animals, Schry said., but that doesnt put them on any kind of list for consideration.

Updates on when the animals will be available for adoption, as well as how to apply, will be posted on the Humane Societys website. Schry suggested that people sign up for the societys e-newsletter or follow them on Facebook for updates on the Yorkies.

Schry said the Humane Societys law enforcement officers to learned of the additional dogs through an anonymous tip. Officers realized the dogs were linked to the elderly couple, and convinced the pair to sign legal custody of the additional dogs over to the Humane Society.

Schry said she could not provide more detail on the case, which remains under investigation.

On the Humane Societys Facebook page, the agency posted that it is not unusual for hoarders to hide animals or move them to other locations in a desperate attempt to hold onto something they love.

Related:

Dozens of dogs rescued from feces-filled Poway home

There is no set date yet as to when the dogs will be available for adoption. Schry said the first 92 have already been groomed and are in line to be spayed or neutered, as well as to receive vaccinations and be microchipped.

In a similar case in December, Humane Society officers rescued 78 dogs from an El Cajon home where feces and urine coated the inside. Many of those dogs, most of them small breeds including Chihuahua and dachshund mixes, have since been adopted.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
In 1965, Barney Scout Mann took his first hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. He didnt know then that the 2,650-mile path that runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border would become a major part of his life.

He hiked the entire trail with his wife 10 years ago and has spent most of the time since as a board member of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. The retired San Diego attorney is also co-author of The Pacific Crest Trail, a coffee table book that came out three months ago and was named one of the best travel books of 2016 by Smithsonian Magazine.

Q: How did this book come about?

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A: This is the third book in a trail series that Rizzoli in New York is doing. The first book was The Appalachian Trail, and the second was titled Americas Great Hiking Trails, which made it to the New York Times best seller list.

In January of 2015, the publisher approached the Pacific Crest Trail Association about doing a book. The managing editor of the associations magazine is Mark Larabee, a journalist who cut his teeth down here in San Diego and then worked for The Oregonian and has a Pulitzer Prize. We turned to him to write the book.

Mark came down and spent a half-day at my house. Im known as the historian of the trail. The New York Times called me the informal historian of the trail and Backpacker magazine called me a geek for trail history. I dont know which one I like better.

The formats of these books have been half history and saga, and the other half contemporary people and stories. After spending time with me, Mark called a few days later and said, Barney, how would you like to co-author this?

So that was January of 2015. We had the manuscript due Nov. 1, 50,000 words. For a coffee table book, I like to say youll come for the pictures but youll stay for the stories.

Q: Whats your favorite story?

A: If I had to choose one it would probably be Marcus Moschetto. In the 1930s, relay teams from 29 YMCAs made the first transit of the PCT, and Marcus was one of them. The scouts carried a log book and they passed it off, one team to the next. These boys made all the difference. They proved the concept of the trail.

There was no record of any of the boys speaking to a modern hiking audience, ever, but I had a dream. I started searching for them. I had a list, almost 150 names. I found many of them on the Social Security Death Index. Then one day we got an email at the PCT Association. Hi, my dad is turning 90. He was part of some historic hike. It was Marcus. He lives in Portland, Maine.

Every year, there is an event to kick-off the PCT hiking season. Its at Lake Morena and its the largest long-distance hiking event this side of the Mississippi. I asked Marcus if he would come, and he flew out (in 2013). Hed never spoken in public before, but he told stories about canned beef and bears and mosquitoes and he had the audience of about 200 people in the palm of his hand. They knew they would not have been there without the boys who first hiked the trail.

What Marcus didnt know is that the log book was there. (It belongs to the son of an early trail advocate, who keeps it in a fireproof safe in Santa Ana.) I asked Marcus, What would it mean to you to hold the log book again? He said, That would be amazing. And the log book was brought to him and he read what he wrote more than 75 years ago.

The crowd stood up and clapped. A week later, I got a letter from his son telling us what a fantastic time Marcus had. For a brief time he was 15 again.

Q: When you think about the future of the trail, what concerns you?

A: There are external threats, like development and inappropriate uses such as dirt bikes. Another is the trail experience. The year my wife and I through-hiked, 2007, maybe 270 people started with the same intention. This year it will be 3,000. Thats a lot of impact. How do you channel that increase in a way that you still have the same excitement, glory and wonder?

And theres another concern, which is best illustrated by this: In the 1930s, people who worked on the trail said they had plotted out the lines on the map and only 200 miles of the trail are not on public land. Thats great, except you know how many miles are still on private property today? Its about the same.

Only recently have we been able to begin to chip away at that. Its 1,500 parcels, actually, and its land that tends to be available every 10 years or so, once a generation, after someone dies and its put up for sale. When that happens, we need to be there.

Q: You mentioned your own through-trip. What do you most remember about that?

A: It was five months long. For each and every day I could tell you a story. And I did it with my life partner. We sit here today and look at each other and say, We really did this! How many years did we point to this trip and wonder if we could make it? And we did.

So many memories, like the day we reached the halfway point on the trail. Just like when people cross the equator and they have a Neptune ceremony, I thought we should do something. Lets shave our heads!

Q: Shave your heads? I can think of a lot of things to do at the halfway point of a hike but Im not sure shaving my head would be one of them.

A: It was gonzo, something you would never do elsewhere. It was not a given my wife would agree to it, but either way it would be fun. I called an old friend from the Boy Scouts and he came with the clippers.

It was the middle of a 24-mile day, so we didnt have a lot of time. Theres a monument on the trail at the halfway point. My wife sees Larry, and she thinks hes come to surprise both of us. Then he pulls out the clippers and I tell my wife, Im going to shave my head. I suggest you do so, too.

She puts her hands on her hips and says, Absolutely not. No way.

So I kneel down and Larry comes over and he shaves my head. There were some campers there, and they started taking pictures. My hair was about as gray as it is now, and sitting there on the ground it looked like two badgers got into a fight and they both lost.

My wife is watching this and then comes over and gets hers done, too. Weeks later, my hair grew back faster than hers so she had hair envy. She would be hiking ahead of me and reach up to scratch her head and realize, Oh, my God! I shaved my head. And its your fault! It was the gift that just kept on giving.

Q: What do you wish people knew about the trail?

A: Years ago, when I first started working on the trail history, someone asked me, Whats the creation story of the PCT? As I researched the history, I realized that at every junction where the concept of the trail or the trail itself was threatened, one person or one small group came forward, often at great sacrifice to themselves, and stepped in and did what was needed.

I loved being able to tell that story, and I hope people, once they get past the pictures and start reading the book, will walk away with that understanding, too.

The Pacific Crest Trail: Exploring Americas Wilderness Trail, by Mark Larabee and Barney Scout Mann, Rizzoli, 336 pages

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236
Rising San Diego vocal star Andra Day, a double 2016 Grammy Award-nominee, will be featured alongside John Legend, Celine Dion, Demi Lovato and DNCE in Stayin Alive: A GRAMMY Salute To The Music Of The Bee Gees.

To be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, just two days after the 2017 Grammy Awards, the salute will feature Barry Gibb, the sole surviving member of the Bee Gees front three vocal line. The lineup, announced Friday morning, also includes Nick Jonas, Tori Kelly, Little Big Town, Pentatonix and Keith Urban.

The Bee GeesBarry, Robin, and Mauricewere international musical icons who helped make Saturday Night Fever an emblem of 1970s pop culture, said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy.

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With expert harmonies, undeniable groove, and a personal charisma matching their on-stage persona, the iconic band of brothers defined not just a genre, but a generation. Im looking forward to celebrating one of the most famous soundtracks ever produced and reliving Saturday Night Fever, once again.

Additional performers will be announced soon. The live concert will be filmed for subsequent broadcast on CBS, which also airs the Grammy Awards.

Tickets, priced at $25 to $175 (plus service charges), are now on sale at axs.com. VIP packages are priced at $275 each.

Twitter @georgevarga

george.varga@sduniontribune.com
The federal government has issued the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King seven more citations after conducting a complaint investigation there earlier this month.

The citations, from a complaint investigation on December 8, were issued to MacArthur Hall, one of four halls on Kings campus in Waupaca County. They come two weeks after the hall was downgraded from a five-star rating to a four-star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, an independent federal agency that regulates and rates skilled nursing facilities.
President Trump wasted no time inviting a showdown with California and other liberal states with his threat this week against so-called sanctuary cities, setting off a frenzy of resistance that will test the presidents power to carry out his vision to deport millions of people here illegally.

The executive order Trump issued Wednesday putting cities and counties on notice that they would lose federal funding if they didnt start cooperating with immigration agents has broad implications for California, a state that aggressively protects its undocumented population from deportation.

But while the order allowed Trump to boast that he is fulfilling a campaign pledge, it also commits him to a fight that he is not necessarily poised to win.

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The cities and counties Trump is targeting have many tools to strike back. Among the most potent are high court decisions that have interpreted financial threats like the one Trump is now making as an unlawful intrusion on states rights.

In California, elected officials are skeptical about how aggressively Trumps vague executive order can be enforced. San Francisco has determined it is worded in such a way that it doesnt even apply there, and other cities will probably argue the same.

Trump left unclear what funding is at stake and what cities and counties are threatened. The administration would be on shaky legal ground going after money allocated for anything other than law enforcement, and taking funds away from local police is a risky proposition for a new president promising to restore order in the streets. And even that, attorneys for the Legislature assert, takes an act of Congress.

These orders are very Trumpian, said David Martin, who served as deputy counsel for the Department of Homeland Security early in the Obama administration. There is a lot of show, a lot of tough rhetoric, and details to follow. Some of those details could take a long time to come.

And California officials appear ready for a fight. The sanctuary cities order creates a myriad of opportunities to enmesh the new administration in unending litigation  draining its resources and political capital and ultimately undermining Trumps ability to pursue his broader agenda.

He doesnt have the power to strip funding from local communities simply because were sticking up for our immigrant neighbors, said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). Wiener, a former San Francisco supervisor, said both his city and the state of California were well-positioned to litigate until the end of time.

People try to pick on California and San Francisco all the time, and were tough enough to handle it, he said.

Democratic lawmakers in the state are trying to move fast to protect more vulnerable cities. Senate leader Kevin de Leon is championing a measure that would essentially make California a sanctuary state by prohibiting police anywhere within its borders from engaging in immigration law enforcement. Doing that could also give the state standing to sue the federal government as soon as it moves to punish a sanctuary city.

Another measure moving in the state Legislature would provide lawyers to immigrants detained by federal agents, which would force federal authorities to redirect enforcement resources to litigating tedious hearings. Lawmakers are also looking at banning federal agents from raiding workplaces and homes in search of people here illegally unless they have a warrant for a particular person. Its a policy the administration could choose to ignore, but doing so would invite its own slog in court.

State lawmakers are consulting former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and his associates  recently hired as counsel to the Legislature  on many of these moves, seeking their expertise on the legal constraints on federal law enforcement that they can exploit to undermine Trump. They are moving so aggressively that they risk confrontation with some of their own cities, like Fresno, where the new Republican mayor has said publicly he would comply with Trumps directive. He could ultimately find doing so is illegal in California and have to choose between risking federal funds or the much bigger infusions of cash his city gets from Sacramento.

There are considerable logistical complications confronting Trumps directive. John Sandweg, who headed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Obama, said the massive cost of detaining all the people Trump is hoping to expel from the country would probably make Congress recoil.

Following through with the sanctuary cities and other immigration-related orders Trump signed Wednesday would require 150,000 prison beds to house detainees, he said, nearly five times as many as are available now. Sandweg estimates the cost for that alone could be about $8 billion.

Just because this order has been issued doesnt mean this is happening, Sandweg said. All we have so far is a statement of principles and it remains to be seen how this will be implemented.

It will probably be late summer, he said, before administration attorneys and staff iron out the details and start testing the waters of threatening sanctuary cities with financial penalties.

When they do, the administration could find itself buried in lawsuits.

The complaints could point to the 2012 Supreme Court decision on Obamacare that restricted the federal governments ability to force states to expand Medicaid, finding that the federal government cannot coerce a state to enact a policy by threatening its funding, or in the words of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., putting a financial gun to the head. They may also cite an earlier decision from the high court during the Clinton administration allowing local governments to opt out of the background checks for gun buyers required by the Brady Act.

The courts granting of such power to defy Washington is typically heralded by conservative champions of states rights. Now it could prove a potent tool to use against Trump.

Also working in the favor of sanctuary cities is the experience of New York in the mid-1990s, when federal agents demanded the city share information on the immigration status of people who had been arrested. The federal courts ordered New York to turn over the information, but then also ruled that the city could opt not to gather the information, and then it would have nothing to turn over. The federal government, the court found, could not force New York to collect it.

San Francisco now says Trumps order cannot be enforced there for similar reasons. The order punishes cities that prohibit employees from reporting on a persons immigration status. San Francisco, like most sanctuary cities, doesnt typically collect that information.

This executive order is based on the false premise that sanctuary cities are violating federal law, said John Cote, a spokesman for Dennis Herrera, San Franciscos city attorney. San Francisco is in full compliance.

There still is some money that independent legal experts say the administration could snatch back from cities. The courts have given the federal government authority to impose such punishment if the offense is related to the program being defunded.

So, for example, money that cities and counties receive to cover the cost of jailing immigrants in the country illegally would be easy for the administration to cancel. Other law enforcement spending could also be at risk since the executive order focuses on the refusal of local police to help immigration agents.

But will the Trump administration want to take money away from urban police forces?

If they cut law enforcement funding, Martin said, states and cities will be able to say that Trump is endangering them in exactly the ways he purports to be concerned about.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Follow me: @evanhalper

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Andrew Luster, the great grandson of cosmetics magnate Max Factor, drew global attention in the early 2000s when, after being accused of rape, he jumped his $1-million bail and was later captured in Mexico by a bounty hunter on TV.

Ventura County prosecutors said he drugged three women and videotaped the assaults, and a jury convicted him of 86 counts of poisoning, sexual battery and rape of an unconscious or intoxicated person. But with none of his offenses listed among the 23 crimes that California considers violent felonies in its penal code, does the state consider him a violent felon?

As California undergoes the largest overhaul of prison parole in a generation, determining which criminals are violent in the eyes of the state has taken on a new urgency among some lawmakers and law enforcement officials who argue its time to revisit how violent crime is legally defined.

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Gov. Jerry Browns Proposition 57, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November, continues a statewide effort to increase rehabilitation services and decrease the prison population. Among its provisions, the initiative will give new power to the state parole board to consider the early release of prisoners who have served the full term of their primary sentences, and whose crimes are not designated as violent under the California penal code.

But since the early days of the ballot measure campaign, debate has brewed over just who the law will benefit, with prosecutors arguing the states short and porous violent felony list could allow dangerous inmates like Luster to walk free. Now the debate has moved to the state Capitol, as some lawmakers hope to expand the number of the crimes outlined in the penal code.

State Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), who filed a bill to reclassify more than 20 offenses as violent felonies, said there must be a public discussion about the criminal charges she is proposing to add to the list, such as inflicting injury on a child or assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.

There are many of them that really need a second thought, she said. If you put yourself in the position of a victim in any one of those crimes, you will say, That was violent because that affected me physically and emotionally.

Corrections officials have until October to develop the most controversial details of Proposition 57: a set of regulations to expand prison programs that offer incentives for good behavior and participation in rehabilitation, and that govern who is eligible for early parole and when.

In a budget proposal unveiled this month, Brown excluded all sex offenders from early parole consideration, whether their crimes were designated as violent or not. Law enforcement officials called it an appropriate response to concerns over cases such as Lusters.

But lawmakers and prosecutors remain intent on expanding the violent felony list, saying sex offender exemptions from early parole eligibility can be challenged in court, while the violent felony penal code will still be used to determine  and limit  how much credit offenders receive for following the rules and attending counseling behind bars.

The violent felony penal code dates to 1976 and has been expanded over the years through piecemeal legislation and voter initiatives. It includes obvious violent crimes like murder and sexual abuse of a child. But it excludes others, such as some rape crimes and domestic violence.

Debate over the offenses on the list has occurred since its inception. Lawmakers didnt want to add everything conceivable, said San Mateo Dist. Atty. Steve Wagstaffe, who helped negotiate the penal code 40 years ago. There was lot of give and take in Sacramento.

The latest major changes came in 2000, when a juvenile punishment ballot measure backed by district attorneys revised the list of crimes and made them count as strikes under the states three strikes law, subjecting defendants with previous violent or serious offenses to longer prison sentences.

That ballot measure, Proposition 21, also made it harder to change the violent felony penal code by requiring any bill seeking to do so to receive a two-thirds majority vote in each house.

But in recent years, bills seeking to add more crimes to the code have died at the Capitol, as California has grappled with prison overcrowding and with finding a permanent solution to a federal court-ordered cap on its inmate population.

That might change this legislative session, as the list has taken on a whole new meaning under Prop. 57, said Wagstaffe, president of the California District Attorneys Assn.

It has a whole new purpose, he said. Now it will help determine whether you are eligible for early release, and thats what is causing this new discussion.

Governors budget gives a glimpse into challenges ahead for prison parole overhaul in California 

The most heated discussion has been over sex offenders. In August, Brown called out a Fresno County sheriff over what he termed a malicious campaign mailer for Proposition 57, which featured Lusters case and claimed he would be eligible for early release.

Meanwhile, the case of former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner stirred worldwide rage over the loopholes in punishment for rape and sexual assault. At least three bills filed this session seek to expand the list of sex crimes in the violent felony penal code.

A bipartisan proposal filed by Assemblywomen Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) and Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) would add to the list all forms of rape, spousal rape, sodomy, oral copulation and sexual penetration committed against a victim incapable of consent, including those victims who are intoxicated or mentally ill.

Bates bill also would revise the list to include certain rape crimes and human trafficking involving minors, but also seeks to reclassify crimes including vehicular manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon and solicitation of murder. Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Roseville) would add child abduction for prostitution to the list in addition to crimes against the elderly and cruelty to animals.

I think it is particularly important to do this now, Kiley said. The initiative passed, and its language suggested that it applies to only nonviolent offenders. But the people who have been convicted of the type of crimes in my bill would be considered nonviolent, even though common sense shows they are acting out violence against their victims.

But not everyone is in support of expanding the list. Even when debate over the Turner case was at its peak last year, some groups abstained from taking sides on sexual assault legislation, saying tougher sentencing laws have historically taken a toll on communities of color.

Among those organizations remaining neutral on changing the penal code is the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, which says it wants to hold offenders accountable, but has been taking a closer look at other forms of intervention and rehabilitation.

We keep hearing from survivors that criminal legal sanctions are not necessarily what they want, said Jacquie Marroquin, the organizations director of programs. They tell us: We dont want to break apart our families. We want the abuse to stop.

jazmine.ulloa@latimes.com

@jazmineulloa

ALSO:

Governors budget gives a glimpse into challenges ahead for prison parole overhaul in California

Why Gov. Jerry Brown is staking so much on overhauling prison parole

Proposition 57, Gov. Jerry Browns push to loosen prison parole rules, is approved by voters

Updates on California politics
If we want to improve this country and get on the right track, maybe we should add the secret sauce that every great team has: sacrifice.

This country was founded on people that had a shared consciousness of freedom, individuality and equality that resulted in the most powerful and influential republic that the world has ever seen. In the beginning it was well understood that everyone was expected to sacrifice and help carry the load in order for the experimental republic to work.

We all know that freedom isnt free, but for most Americans it has become that way. Freedom comes with a cost, but when it doesnt, its not always appreciated by those who receive it on the backs of those who sacrifice for it. Thats just human nature.

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Paying taxes to help run the country is one thing, but what I mean is to truly sacrifice time, effort, and comforts for something of greater purpose than yourself. The equation for success on any team is simple: Give > Take.

I believe the need for national service is greater than it ever has been if we want to make this nation stronger and united.

I believe we would benefit greatly from having a national service organization that allowed all citizens to voluntarily serve during their lifetime. This could be a prerequisite for the right to vote or run for public office.

GUEST VOICES: Authoritative views on the military and veterans issues

I dont just mean military service because military service is not for everyone nor does the military want everyone; Im talking about a service corps that works on building the foundation and infrastructure to allow our country to grow.

This would help reunite us by leveling the playing field for the rich and the poor equally with no special privileges for either. Nothing brings people together like a shared purpose and common sacrifices.

Just pay attention to veterans and how they flock together with a noticeable sense of camaraderie. Ive seen veterans that served decades ago speak about the service with reverence for the rest of their lives.

My grandmother, Meg Greenwald, who passed recently, served in the Navy in World War II, and even though it was 70 years ago, she always spoke about her service with reverence because she earned that right.

When I was a member of the British Special Forces, I had the opportunity to spend the day with Prince William and Prince Harry.

Prince Harry was 18 years old at the time and was well known for being a partier that took full advantage of his privileged life. But shortly after that day, Prince Harry joined the military and has honorably served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The British people quickly embraced him and have a deep respect for him as he does for his nation. He has earned his right to be one of the symbolic leaders of the United Kingdom.

We all recognize the symptoms of this divided nation, but instead of attacking the symptoms and putting band-aids on gangrene -- like forced patriotism, more flag waving or forcing another inclusion program down our necks -- lets attack the problem at its root. Give everyone ownership and a chance to EARN citizenship and bring the American spirit back to America.

I can think of no better way to cultivate the American spirit than giving everyone a chance to serve. In this case a participation medal is very meaningful, and just might change the trajectory of the nation.

San Diego resident Ed Hiner is a retired Navy SEAL, best-selling author, leadership consultant and corporate speaker who focuses on veterans and military issues through the lens of leadership. You can reach him at edhiner.com.

Guest Voices is always open to new points of view. If you have an opinion to put forth in a column, email us at jen.steele@sduniontribune.com
A broad-based alliance of border advocates gathered in Tijuana on Thursday to call for a public campaign to highlight the benefits of bilateral trade and the need for U.S.-Mexico collaboration  a striking counterpoint to President Donald Trumps plans for a border wall and a proposal to fund it through a 20 percent import tax.

The meeting, held on the same day that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a planned visit to Washington, D.C., brought together organizations from both sides of the border urgently calling for a collective message about the importance of cooperation aimed at policymakers in Mexico City and Washington.

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Its going from very bad to horrible, very fast, said Michael Camunez, a former assistant secretary of commerce under the Obama administration and now president of a consulting firm, ManattJones. This isnt just any relationship, this is a strategic partnership that is perhaps one of the most important economic relationships in the world.

The group informally calls itself #OneBorder and was formed in March 2016 with the aim of advancing a cross-border agenda linking communities from Brownsville-Matamoros to San Diego-Tijuana. The meeting in Tijuana was scheduled well before this weeks diplomatic crisis with Mexico that started with Trumps announcement on Wednesday on construction of a border wall.

Would Trump punish San Diego as a sanctuary for unauthorized immigration?

At a local and state level, we all know whats needed at our local border crossings, said Kenn Morris, president of Crossborder Group, Inc. The planned wall is a good example of people from Washington, D.C., and New York who really dont know the border, who are making impactful and insulting plans without consulting our local border communities.

For some, the wall is not an insurmountable issue. We already have a wall, and we can build a bridge over a wall, said Paola Avila, vice president of international business affairs at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and one of the events organizers. More than anything, what the United States needs to create a secure border is Mexicos cooperation, she said.

We depend on Mexico for national security, we share information with Mexico, Avila said. Mexico keeps terrorists away from the United States. We dont want to lose that critical partner in the war on drugs, and in the war on terror.

Participants said the group still needs to grow if it hopes to be a strong advocate for issues that are key to the economies on both sides of the border, such as fluid border crossings. They hope the group can help fill the void left by the dissolution of a binational border governors group that highlighted issues of concern to the region.

Mayor Faulconer gives unwavering support to ties with Mexico in face of Trump crackdown

People living in the border region see the U.S.-Mexico relationship happening in a way that few others do, said Chris Wilson, deputy director for the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Lets put people in the communities at the center this time.

The meeting, held on the 26th floor of a high-rise with commanding views of the the San Ysidro Port of Entry and the U.S.-Mexico border fence, brought together about 30 members of the private sector, academia, private consultants and others committed to cross-border ties.

The meeting is the groups third gathering since it was first formed in March 2016 in Las Vegas. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce was one of the hosts of Thursdays event that was attended by representatives of chambers from San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Tucson, and San Antonio, as well as economic development groups from Ensenada and Tijuana.

The collaborative spirit of Thursdays meeting was in sharp contrast to the growing diplomatic dispute between Mexico and the United States. Participants were unsure how to respond to Thursdays White House announcement that the border wall would be paid for with a 20 percent tax on imported goods.

If Trump moves to create a tariff on Mexican-made goods, companies based in Mexico will export elsewhere, said David Mayagoitia, president of the Tijuana Economic Development Corporation. And you know what, American consumers will start paying a lot more for their cars  53 percent of all components that are sold and assembled in the United States come from Mexico.

At this point, its still talk, said Wilson. Is he talking about a tariff, or talking about tax reform?

Camunez, the former U.S. Department of Commerce official, said changes could cause many problems in the existing supply chains. Were talking about two countries that are truly economically integrated.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
Actress Mischa Barton was hospitalized Thursday after she was found talking to herself and wandering around a West Hollywood neighborhood, authorities said.

A neighbor reported hearing a woman yelling near a yard in the 500 block of Flores Street just after 7 a.m., said Sgt. Enrique Mandujan of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

When authorities arrived, they found the 31-year-old actress in the residential neighborhood.

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She was walking around and talking incoherently, he said.

Los Angeles County firefighters assisted Barton and took her to a hospital for treatment.

Barton, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper on the show The OC, has openly talked about her battles with depression and a mental breakdown she had in 2009.

In an interview with People magazine, Barton said she was overworked, depressed and suffered from body image issues, so she threatened to kill herself.

It was a full-on breakdown, she told the magazine. I was under enormous pressure.

The breakdown came two years after she was arrested for drunk driving in West Hollywood after failing a field sobriety test, according to the sheriffs department.

In October 2007, Barton was stopped in a Ford Explorer on North La Cienega Boulevard after she failed to signal while making a turn and was straddling two traffic lanes. Barton, who was 21 at the time, did not have a license to drive. According to deputies, they found marijuana and a controlled substance in the SUV.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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A San Diego judge has denied the request of a man convicted of murder to have his case transferred to Juvenile Court because he was 17 when he committed the crime.

Kurese Bell, 20, was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder and other charges in connection with two robberies in 2014, one of which ended in a shootout at a North Park medical marijuana dispensary.

Bells accomplice in the robbery, Marlon Thomas, was killed when the two exchanged gunfire with a security guard.

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After voters passed Proposition 57 in November, Bells lawyer asked the court for a new trial for his client and sought to have the case transferred to Juvenile Court where Bell would face a lesser punishment.

In California, Proposition 57 did away with a practice known as direct filing, meaning prosecutors cannot file a criminal case directly in adult court without first asking a judge to determine whether thats appropriate for a defendant in a particular case.

The measure also sped up parole consideration for non-violent felons.

At a Friday morning hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Lorna Alksne ruled the proposition does not apply retroactively, as defense attorney Patrick Dudley had argued, and Bells conviction would stand.

But the judge agreed the measure entitled Bell to a hearing to determine whether he will be sentenced in Juvenile Court or adult court. That hearing has been set for March 17.

For the case to remain in adult court, Deputy District Attorney Robert Eacret would have to persuade the judge that Bell is unfit to be handled in the juvenile court system.

Since Proposition 57 passed, several juvenile defendants being prosecuted as adults  and whose cases are pending  have asked for their cases to be transferred to Juvenile Court.

Bell, however, is in a different category in that he had already been convicted but was not yet sentenced when the measure passed.

He was tried last year on felony charges stemming from two armed robberies: one at Illusions Smoke Shop in Rolando on April 21, 2014, and another four days later at Greener Alternative medical marijuana dispensary in North Park.

Prosecutors said Bell and Thomas were gang members and drug dealers who targeted the dispensary because they needed to re-up on their marijuana supply. Once inside the building, they got into a shootout with a security guard.

Thomas, 18, was killed. The security guard suffered a gunshot wound to his pelvis but survived.

If sentenced in adult court, Bell faces multiple life terms. He would likely have to serve at least 25 years before he is eligible for parole, his lawyer has said.

If sentenced in the juvenile system, Bell would likely be released from custody at age 23, which is when the Juvenile Court would lose jurisdiction in his case.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
Water officials in San Diego County announced Thursday that the regions drought has ended.

The San Diego County Water Authority, the regions water wholesaler, made the announcement in an ongoing effort to convince regulators in Sacramento to lift emergency drought regulations on urban water districts throughout the state.

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I think it sends an important message to residents and businesses that we have not been experiencing drought conditions here in San Diego County, said Dana Friehauf, water resources manager with the authority. Were requesting the governor and state water board rescind the state emergency regulations.

But its so important for people to continue to use water wisely, she added. We dont know what the next few years will bring.

Only Gov. Jerry Brown has the authority to declare an end to the statewide drought. California doesnt have an official definition for when such an emergency starts or stops.

However, the State Water Resources Control Board will vote on Feb. 8 whether to continue emergency conservation rules that have been in place for the past 18 months.

Those rules require districts to submit monthly reports on water consumption and continue so-called stress tests, which certify that those suppliers have enough inventory to withstand three straight years of drought. They also include prohibitions on wasteful water use by residents.

During a hearing last week, water district officials throughout California, including from San Diego County, told the state water board that extending the emergency drought rules statewide would erode credibility with residents and make it harder to convince people to adopt strict conservation efforts in the future.

The San Diego County Water Authority has long maintained that efforts such as investments in seawater desalination, as well as water transfers from the Colorado River, have insulated the region from the effects of drought  voicing concern that the conservation rules make it harder to attract and retain businesses to the region.

At the same time, conservation groups have called for a continuation of the emergency rules at least through the end of the spring. The push is based on concerns that urban water use could rebound, ending months of dramatic conservation efforts.

Our massive amount of imported water and desalination comes at a tremendous cost, and declaring an end to our water supply management deficiencies in order to attract businesses and growth will ensure we are left to deal with long-term negative consequences both locally and throughout our state well into the future, said Matt OMalley, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper.

By defining water scarcity strictly as short-term availability as opposed to water supply sustainability, the Water Authority is putting our regions long term environmental and economic security at risk, he added.

Urban water users have saved an estimated 756 billion gallons since June 2015, compared with usage during the baseline year of 2013.

Time will tell whether residents will continue to conserve water though limiting landscape irrigation, controlling shower times and otherwise changing behavior.

Some water savings should likely continue for those whove taken more permanent steps to reduce usage, such as ripping out thirsty lawns.

Beverly Glavas, 61, put in drought-tolerant landscaping in her home in Fallbrook. She said shes dedicated to conservation no matter what weather conditions bring.

I dont think its going to change anything Im doing, she said. I dont think just because its over with, I should waste water.

But its too soon to know if lawns will come back into style, said Rajan Brown with Heaviland Landscape Management, a large San Diego-based commercial landscape management company.

The drought aspect is hard to tell because projects are always slow in the middle of winter, he said. Youll have to wait until late spring or summer to see how the rains will impact behavior.

While conditions have improved dramatically across the state, much of southern California, including San Diego County, remains in a moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

San Diego and state water officials have questioned the accuracy of the federal drought metric as it applies to California.

The U.S. Drought Monitor doesnt recognize the supply availability, Friehauf said. Its flawed in our opinion. It isnt a good judge of local drought conditions.

The emergency drought rules initially mandated a reduction in statewide urban water use of 25 percent. That was eased considerably last year at the behest of scores of water districts throughout the state.

The states conservation mandate caused some districts to lose considerable revenue because of their customers reduced water use. Its a challenge for agencies because many of their capital projects and infrastructure expenses are fixed for years or even decades.

Brown has directed the state water board to design permanent conservation rules for water districts that will stay in place regardless of whether California is in drought, including permanent caps or indoor and outdoor water use.

The water board is expected release its final report on the new rules in coming weeks. Those standards would likely be phased in starting in early 2018, and in some instances, will require lawmakers to pass additional legislation.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Bundled in jackets and carrying clipboards and flashlights, a record number of volunteers took to the streets throughout San Diego County early Friday morning in an annual effort aimed at learning more about the areas homeless.

Did we get these people? asked Bernie Miles as he pointed to a cluster of sleeping bags against a wall near the San Diego Civic Concourse on C Street.

Miles, his wife Tina and Chris Baltazar are members of Episcopal Community Services and were among 1,700 people countywide who volunteered for the annual point-in-time count organized by the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

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Well have an idea of what were dealing with in terms of numbers, said Miles, adding that volunteering is an alternative to just driving by and seeing people and not caring.

The experience was a reality check for some volunteers, particularly first-timers.

It was an eye-opener to see people sleeping under the bridge, said Natasha Howell of Oceanside. She and two other women searched an area around Capistrano Park, east of Interstate 5 near the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base.

By 4 a.m., teams across the county were on the street to count people as they slept on sidewalks, in vehicles or other unsheltered areas. People in shelters are also counted Last year, the countys homeless population included about 3,700 in shelters and 5,000 outdoors The total was 8,692, slightly down from 8,742 in 2015.

1 / 20 Camey Christenson talks with Terry, a homeless man in downtown San Diego during the annual homeless count. She asked him 38 survey questions as part of the count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 20 Chris Baltazar and Bernie Miles physically take a head count in downtown San Diego as part of the annual homeless count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 20 Camey Christenson talks with a homeless individual in downtown San Diego during the annual homeless count last month. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 20 A homeless man talks with Patricia Seaborg as she asks him survey questions as part of the annual homeless count. She asked him the 38 survey questions at the Neil Good Day Center on 17th Street in East Village. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 20 Shannon Ward talks with a homeless woman 38 survey questions as part of the annual homeless count in downtown San Diego. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 20 Bernie Miles, Tina Miles, and Chris Baltazar go over their paperwork while taking a head count of homeless individuals in downtown San Diego. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 20 Chris Baltazar goes over his paperwork while doing a head count of homeless individuals in downtown San Diego during the annual homeless count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 20 SAN DIEGO, CA: JANUARY 27, 2017 | Camey Christenson talks with a homeless individual in downtown San Diego during the annual homeless count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 20 17th Street in East Village where many homeless individuals have setup tents. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 20 East Village where many homeless individuals have setup tents. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 20 East Village where many homeless individuals have setup tents. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 20 A notice on a pole on 17th Street in East Village where many homeless individuals have setup tents notifies those who are camped on the sidewalk that all unattended and unsanitary items will be removed and thrown away on January 30, or stored for 90-days, before being destroyed. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 20 A homeless woman pushes her belongings in a cart as she walks along Third Avenue in downtown San Diego. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 20 Shannon Ward talks with a homeless woman 38 survey questions as part of the annual homeless count in downtown San Diego. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 20 17th Street in East Village where many homeless individuals have setup tents. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 20 Shannon Ward talks with Victor, a homeless man 38 survey questions as part of the annual homeless count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 20 I Counted stickers are on a table inside Golden Hall at the Community Concourse where those asking the survey questions of homeless individuals gathered before fanning out across downtown and surrounding areas as part of the annual San Diego homeless count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 20 A homeless woman pushes her belongings in a wheelchair in East Village. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 20 Camey Christenson talks with a homeless individual in downtown San Diego during the annual homeless count. Each person was asked the same 38 survey questions as part of the count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 20 Camey Christenson Talks with Terry, a homeless man, left, in downtown during the annual homeless count, while Shannon Ward, talks with Victor, second from right. They asked each, the same 38 survey questions as part of the count. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune)

This years numbers, which have yet to be tallied, will be submitted the first week of April to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD uses the data as part of a formula to determine funding for homeless programs nationwide. San Diego County at times has had the third largest homeless population, yet has ranked 18th in money received from the federal government to aid the homeless.

Dolores Diaz, executive director of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, said the number of volunteers at this years count was an indication of a growing awareness of the issue.

Counters deployed from 52 sites across the county. Annually, the count attracts volunteers from across the spectrum of the regions political class. Emerging from downtown San Diegos Golden Hall on Friday were, among others, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, county Supervisors Greg Cox and Kristin Gaspar, state Sen. Toni Atkins, Assemblyman Todd Gloria, and Rep. Scott Peters.

Atkins said the people she interviewed included a 33-year-old woman who had been homeless since being fired from a restaurant job eight months ago and a 60-year-old man who looks for work every day.

He told me he made $35 two days ago, she said. He said the problem he has is getting cleaned up to look presentable.

One team counting near the Oceanside Civic Center included Oceanside Councilman Jerry Kern, Assistant City Attorney Barbara Hamilton and City Treasurer Rafe Edward Trickey Jr.

Though the overall homeless count was slightly down last year, it increased dramatically in downtown San Diego and Oceanside.

In 2015, more than 800 people were counted living on the streets downtown, a 26 percent increase from the previous year. One year later, the population had grown to just over 1,000.

Last years count found 392 homeless in Oceanside, more than double the previous years count of 158.

Although it was early, finding people awake and willing to talk before sunup Friday wasnt a problem for downtown San Diego volunteers Shannon Ward and Camey Christianson, who both work for the the countys 211 resource phone service.

Can I ask you some questions? Ward said to a man she spotted walking toward her on C Street.

Yeah, came a raspy reply from a man who identified himself as Terry, 61.

Awesome, Ward said, beginning the interview. Whered you sleep last night?

On the concrete, he said.

Terry, who received a $10 Subway gift card in exchange for the 10-minute interview, turned out to be pretty chatty.

Im getting a job, he said when asked if he was employed. I put in an application yesterday. Im a carpenter. Im going to open up a club here. We got a house cafe where Im from, with people working on computers and stuff. There was an open mic on Monday. We saw a commercial banker yesterday. Wed like somebody to invest in us. I got a DJ already and live music the rest of the week.

Ward took the rambling response in stride and continued with the survey. She learned that Terry had last worked in 2011 and in June was released from a psychiatric hospital.

Meanwhile, Christanson interviewed a 57-year old man who had been homeless for six years.

I think its important that we have a better understanding of the exact situations of folks, she said after the interview. It gives an acknowledgement of the numbers, but also the stories behind the numbers.

Diaz said the task force hopes to interview 25 percent of unsheltered people by Feb. 1.

The survey asks homeless people a range of questions about their health, addictions, disabilities, length of time theyve been homeless and in San Diego County and whether they served in the military.

Diaz said most of the 38 questions in the survey came from HUD. Some questions, such as ones about whether they are on parole or probation, are unique to San Diego County and were requested by partners of the task force, she said.

Alana Kalinowski and Katie Richarson, also from 211, interviewed people on another block.

People who are homeless are often kind of erased and invisible and forgotten, Kalinowski said. Theres a lot of misnomers about why people are homeless. The survey recognizes theres a lot more to the story.

Up in Oceanside, Lisa, 47, sat on a ledge near a small Coast Highway bookstore with a blanket covering her legs. An open can of Arizona ice tea, a cigarette lighter, and a grocery bag filled with stuff sat beside her.

Im homeless, and I live at the beach, Lisa said. I always wanted to live at the beach.

Until recently she lived in a double-wide mobile home in Hesperia, she said. But she lost her job, and now she has no place to go. The police roust her when she tries to sleep, she added, and they dont let her smoke or drink.

I do drink, she said. Its pretty darn depressing out here.

Unsheltered homeless survey 

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency on the themes of hope and change. On taking the oath of office in 2009, he proclaimed an end to the petty grievances and false promises. Eight years later to the day, a new president warned that the nation was facing carnage and economic despair. As usual, he exaggerated wildly. But if President Obama had fully lived up to his aspirations, Donald Trump would not have been taking his place.

Related: Obama legacy: Staying out of the swamp hurt President

President Obama took office during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The Bush administrations much-maligned Troubled Asset Relief Program helped contain the damage. Though the Obama administration deserves credit for further bolstering business confidence, it fell short of success. In 2009, President Obama said that his economic stimulus program would support shovel-ready projects. In 2010, he admitted, theres no such thing as shovel-ready projects.

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The not-so-shovel-ready projects and other stimulus items cost more than the sticker price of $787 billion. There was too little bang for the buck: the economy grew at a languid pace, averaging under 3 percent a year between 2010 and the third quarter of 2016. The drop in the unemployment rate  from over 10 percent to under 5 percent  occurred in part because many Americans left the job market. In 2015, the labor force participation rate fell to 62.4 percent, its lowest point since the 1970s. Last month, it was just barely higher, at 62.7 percent.

President Obamas most famous promise involved his health care law. Dozens of times, he repeated variations of this pledge: If you like your plan and your doctor, you can keep them. The only changes that youll see are lower costs and better health care. Soon after Congress passed the law in 2010, it was running into trouble, and by the end of 2013, PolitiFact declared the promise to be the lie of the year. Insurers offering Obamacare plans have hiked premiums and deductibles, and some have just bailed out. Many customers face fewer insurance choices, and many insurance plans offer a shrinking list of physicians and hospitals. When television host Charlie Rose interviewed Obama speechwriters, they laughed out loud at the mention of the you can keep it promise.

In 2009, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize even though he had been serving for less than a year. One commentator quipped that it was the first time that the Nobel committee had given it on spec. The award was not for his accomplishments but for the hope that he would advance freedom and peace throughout the world. The committee should ask for its money back. In 2016, Freedom House documented the 10th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. Armed conflicts have continued in many places, including Iraq and Afghanistan. The consensus of foreign policy observers is that President Obamas worst failure was his policy toward Syria. I recognize that that has not worked, he said at a November press conference. And it is something that I continue to think about every day ... On this point at least, we should praise his candor.

In an Associated Press poll last month 27 percent said that the country was more united as a result of the Obama presidency, while 44 percent said that he had left it more divided. This polarization did not help his party. As of the 2016 election, the Democrats were in their weakest position in nearly a century, having lost the White House, both houses of Congress, and most state governments.

The situation in California is different. Democrats control every statewide office and enjoy supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature. President Obamas popularity in the state gave a boost to Hillary Clinton, who got an even higher share of the states vote than he did in either 2008 or 2012.

Notwithstanding the Democrats political fortunes in the state, President Obamas substantive legacy for California is mixed at best. The states economy has grown, and for the past several years, robust revenues have enabled us to avoid the budget crises that plagued us in the past. But as in the country as a whole, the economic picture is not as rosy as it appears at first. The top 1 percent of filers pay over 40 percent of the states personal income tax, so the states budget did well in large part because the rich got richer. But many Californians have not shared in this prosperity. According to the supplemental poverty measure of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, California has the nations highest poverty rate, 20.6 percent.

Lest this assessment sound too negative, we need to remember some important things about President Obama. He conducted himself with decency and dignity.

As a faithful husband and attentive father, he was a role model for all Americans. We did not have to worry that he would crudely insult a foreign leader or that he would make a rash, angry decision that would trigger an international crisis. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same things about his successor.

Pitney is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College and co-author of the forthcoming book, Defying the Odds: The 2016 Elections and American Politics.
The nomination of Andrew Puzder to be secretary of labor threatens the well-being of wage earners in the United States.

Related: Puzder: A Labor Secretary who knows the meaning of work

Given the inherent power imbalance between employers and employees, and the history of employers abusing that power, the U.S. Department of Labor exists to fulfill this mission: To foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

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Donald Trumps choice to head the Labor Department is a man whose business history is the antithesis of the departments stated mission. Andrew Puzder is CEO of CKE Restaurants, parent company of the Carls Jr. and Hardees fast-food chains.

Over the past 15 years, the Labor Department frequently has investigated complaints at Hardees and Carls Jr., sometimes issuing fines or ordering payment of back wages. Puzders companies and franchises also have repeatedly been named in class-action lawsuits charging wage theft and failure to pay overtime fairly.

In California alone, CKE paid $9 million to settle three class-action lawsuits in which the company was accused of illegally classifying employees as exempt in order to avoid paying for overtime hours. Another similar lawsuit against the company is pending.

If he becomes labor secretary, Puzder will oversee those investigations into the unfair practices of his own company and many other businesses. He will have the power to make broad changes, which could include easing up on enforcement of labor laws and reducing investigations into wage theft and other unfair practices.

Besides presiding over companies that violate the very laws the Labor Department enforces, Puzder has been a vocal opponent of decent workplace standards and protections for working people. With his own salary upward of $4 million, he consistently has sought to keep the incomes of many working families at rock-bottom. He has been an outspoken critic of any meaningful increase in the federal minimum wage, as well as labor regulations allowing millions of federal workers to receive overtime pay.

The federal minimum wage, which hasnt changed in eight years, amounts to $15,000 for a whole year of full-time work. That is less than Puzders own salary for just one day.

He has argued that raising the minimum wage even to the $10.10 per hour proposed by the Obama administration would force businesses to cut jobs. That claim is refuted by the facts. At the Center on Policy Initiatives, we recently compiled economic research tracking the actual results of wage increases throughout the U.S. over the past 20 years, and found there is little or no impact on numbers of jobs or hours.

And a study this month concludes that raising Californias minimum wage to $15 by 2023 will even increase employment slightly because reduced employee turnover saves money and higher wages improve consumer spending. Puzder is using a bogus, debunked argument to support employers attempts to keep wages at poverty levels.

He also has criticized paid sick leave policies, which allow working people to stay home and recuperate, or take care of sick children, without losing a days pay. Puzder has even expressed the desire to replace workers with increased automation of his business, as a way to save money and avoid the nuisance of providing worker benefits and protecting human rights. As with his positions on minimum wage, sick leave, and overtime pay, his focus seems to be on the bottom line for corporate profits, rather than consideration of the human impact.

He is the wrong person to put in charge of the well-being of working people of this country. The secretary of labor is charged with protecting workers rights on the job; Puzder has built his career by attacking those rights.

Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to blue-collar Americans that he would have their backs, create more jobs, and raise their incomes. Putting Andrew Puzder in charge of the Labor Department would make that promise a cruel joke.

Crawford is executive director of the Center on Policy Initiatives, a San Diego nonprofit focused on issues affecting working families.
Since Andrew Puzders nomination for the secretary of labor, a lot has been said about him and CKE Restaurants, the company he saved and grew into what it is today. Hearing the varying viewpoints, I saw an opportunity to weigh in. I know Andy Puzder and I would guess many of his critics do not. Instead they would rather pull their talking points from others who are bent on distorting the truth about who he really is.

ANOTHER VIEW: Puzder as Labor Secretary would be cruel joke on working families

During my 34 years with CKE, I worked hard and rose through the ranks from a Carls Jr. hourly employee to district manager to regional vice president before I became a partial owner of a franchise. Ive known Andy Puzder for just shy of a decade and during that time he has always treated me fairly and equitably. Food service is an ever-changing and evolving business. Puzder challenged me to step up my game to constantly build new skills because being successful in this business and being a successful franchisee brings opportunity for everyone, from the crew on up.

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Last week, union activists organized protests at Hardees restaurants across the country. They carried signs echoing false claims and attacking Puzder, accusing him of such things as wanting to replace workers with robots. The thought of robots in our line of work is ridiculous, but thats an example of people distorting what Puzder really says.

In 1941, our founder, Carl N. Karcher, realized that in order to sustain a company in the food service industry, you must build it through personal relationships. The same stands true today. The critics can say what they want, I guess being able to voice ones opinion is one of the many things thats great about our country.

Many of the people holding signs of protest do not even know Andy Puzder. They dont know that he is someone who cares about the people around him. They dont know that he is someone who asks about his colleagues families and truly connects with his employees. They dont know that he is someone who understands that service businesses, like restaurants, are most successful when workers are happy. Otherwise, quality suffers, service is lackluster and customers dont come back.

Puzder would be a rare labor secretary who actually knows what it is like to have worked behind a counter, because he did. In fact, working hourly wage jobs is how he worked his way through school. Andy Puzder is not some fancy bureaucrat who may talk a big game about being for the worker but has never had a job that required a uniform with a nametag.

I believe franchise restaurants are a microcosm of America. We have diversity and workers of all types: teens working their first jobs, career go-getters, and folks just looking for a few part-time hours to help pay the bills. In a restaurant, hard workers are noticed and good leaders reward those employees with the opportunity to advance and earn more.

I am proud of what Ive accomplished in my career and Im equally proud of the company that gave me the opportunity to succeed  and I thank Andy Puzder for being a guiding force for me and the many others like me who he has supported in their careers. I hope by putting my thoughts on paper for others to read will help open eyes and minds about Puzder.

Having someone leading the Department of Labor who has firsthand experience with creating jobs and opportunities for workers and businesses alike will be good for America. I know Andy Puzder is that person.

Doerr is a Carls Jr. director of operations and franchisee from Orange County.
Bringing down housing costs shouldnt be difficult. Researchers for the McKinsey Global Institute offered a four-step solution in 2014 that would work anywhere: freeing up more land for housing, reducing the rules and regulations that inflate the cost of housing construction, improving the efficiency of construction by using best practices, and making it easier for home buyers and builders alike to secure financing. Yet Californias housing crisis persists.

Thankfully, San Diego City Council members David Alvarez, a liberal Democrat, and Scott Sherman, a conservative Republican, have teamed up to offer good ideas about how to bring down the cost of housing that reflect the basics cited by McKinsey. This political odd couple wants to streamline the administrative gauntlet facing developers; reduce parking minimums for housing projects; and make it easier to add extra units to existing housing.

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Its good to see a bipartisan push. But it would be better if the people doing the pushing were in the state Legislature. Thats because without changes in state law, Californias housing crisis is here to stay. So long as the California Environmental Quality Act remains unchanged, CEQA will be a powerful tool for NIMBYs and environmentalists to block new housing and for unions to pressure developers for concessions that will either make their projects less worth pursuing or more costly.

If they care about the future of California, the four City Council alumni in the Legislature  Democratic state Sens. Toni Atkins and Ben Hueso and Assemblyman Todd Gloria, and GOP Assemblyman Brian Maienschein  need to grasp this fact. So should the rest of San Diego Countys delegation: Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside, and Assemblywomen Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, and Shirley Weber, D-San Diego.

The Republicans in this group have seemed more open to the dramatic policy changes that Gov. Jerry Brown has sought. But every last one needs to have the epiphany that Brown had and realize that the housing crisis means misery not just for poor people but for more and more of the middle class. This led Brown to propose a measure that would have sharply reduced regulatory hurdles and costs for developers by allowing all residential projects that met local zoning requirements and had at least 5 percent of its units as affordable to be built without any additional reviews. It died last year after environmentalists, unions and trial lawyers  all power players in the Democratic coalition  flexed their muscles. To the detriment of California.

A new state report documents how brutal the housing status quo is for young people and minorities in particular. The new state budget includes an analysis showing that nearly one-third of households spend more than half their income on housing. No wonder the Golden State leads the U.S. in poverty.

If the Legislatures crisis response keeps focusing on affordable housing subsidies instead of far grander changes, members deserve blame, not credit. As Brown has said, the only answer is a substantial addition in housing stock. That requires lawmakers building consensus around better ideas.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: UTOpinion
President Donald Trump wont force the federal government to launch an investigation into claims of voter fraud  his own and others  in the 2016 election just yet after the White House press secretary told reporters Thursday that Trump had postponed the signing of an executive order seeking such an investigation.

Despite objections from state election officials, some members of the Republican party and civil rights organizations fearful it may embolden states to push for stricter voter ID laws, the order could come as early as Friday or Saturday, press secretary Sean Spicer said.

Trump first made claims that he won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally back in November without offering any evidence. He repeated that unsubstantiated claim earlier this week at a meeting with congressional leaders when he said 3 to 5 million illegal ballots cost him the popular vote.

On Wednesday, he announced his intention to pursue a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, that would look into those registered to vote in two states, those registered to vote as non-citizens, and those registered to vote who are dead.

His Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 3 million votes, but she lost to Trump when she failed to gain the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become president.

Trumps voter fraud allegations are not new, but his order has raised many questions about how such an investigation could be conducted or whether any evidence of widespread fraud could be found.

Here are the answers to seven questions which could help explain Trumps order to investigate potential voter fraud and what to expect moving forward:

Who will lead the investigation?

The agencies likely to be involved in the investigation into potential voter fraud include the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Justice Department . As of yet, the White House has not released any details on the scope of  or the amount of resources that could be dedicated to  the investigation.

When will the investigation start and how long will it last?

As of Thursday, it remained unclear when the investigation would begin or how long it would last. The last time an investigation into potential voter fraud was launched, the Justice Department under the George W. Bush administration found no evidence of widespread fraud after spending five years investigating it.

What is voter fraud and what forms of potential voter fraud will be investigated?

To vote in the United States, a person must be a U.S. citizen and be at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the election deadline. Instances of voter fraud are reported to state officials, the FBI, the U.S. Attorneys Office, or the Justice Department.

The FBI identifies election crimes of various forms including:

double voting (more than one person voting twice in the same election)

voting under the identity of a dead person

voter suppression

voter registration fraud

voter impersonation

buying votes (or paying others to vote for one candidate or another)

fraud committed by election officials (such as throwing out ballots)

In this case, Trump appears to be focusing on voters who registered in two states, those who are not U.S. citizens, and those who registered to vote under the identity of a deceased person.

Will this investigation impact states voter ID laws?

Its unclear how or whether the investigation will lead to changes in the way states run elections. To date, 32 states have laws requiring voters to show identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Civil rights groups have led legal fights in some states, most recently in Texas, where they argue that strict voter ID laws discriminate against black and Latino voters who do not have a form of identification.

Have instances of potential voter fraud been investigated before?

Yes. A five-year investigation into potential voter fraud by the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread voter fraud as alleged by Republican activists, the New York Times reported in 2007. At the time, about 120 people were charged and 86 convicted.

What do Republicans say about Trumps voter fraud allegations?

Republicans support Trump on many issues, but the topic of voter fraud has put some of them in an awkward position. Not everyone is on the same page as Trump.

One senator on his side, Sen. John Thune , R-South Dakota, told reporters that if the administration decides to pursue some investigation on that, we will certainly cooperate in any way they ask for.

Opposing Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina, said in a statement that Trumps voter fraud claim undermines faith in our democracy.

I am begging the president, share with us the information you have about this or please stop saying it, Graham added.

Speaker Paul Ryan , R-Wisconsin, offered another approach in responding to Trumps claims.

Ive seen no evidence to that effect. Ive made that very, very clear, Ryan told reporters.

What do state election officials say about Trumps voter fraud allegations?

The National Association of Secretaries of State on Wednesday issued a statement standing by the integrity of the election process in the U.S.

We are not aware of any evidence that supports the voter fraud claims made by President Trump, but we are open to learning more about the Administrations concerns, the statement read. In the lead up to the November 2016 election, secretaries of state expressed their confidence in the systemic integrity of our election process as a bipartisan group, and they stand behind that statement today.

Other secretaries of state offered a mix of reactions as well.

In Washington state, Republican secretary of state Kim Wyman said despite the evidence to support that illegal voting took place in the state she welcomed any evidence President Trump has, or his investigation might uncover, to support his assertion.

And in Oregon, Republican state secretary of state Dennis Richardson tweeted that he was also ready to review evidence of voter fraud.

In Ohio, secretary of state John Husted said only a fraction of voter irregularities have occurred including 436 cases of non-U.S. citizens registering to vote and 22 cases where people voted in another state.

"When the president was here in Ohio, he commended the way we run elections in our state. I don't think he has any concerns over the way we do things in Ohio," Husted said.

In Minnesota, secretary of state Steve Simon called Trumps claims an attack on American democracy.

"The president's comments have rightfully drawn strong bipartisan condemnation, are an attack on American democracy and could have the dangerous effect of undermining confidence in the electoral system. Minnesota has rigorous safety measures in place before, on, and after Election Day to ensure our elections are fair and secure," Simon said.

In Michigan, where Trump won 10,704 votes over Clinton, secretary of state Ruth Johnson said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the states election. She added that her top priority has been to strengthen trust in our election system for all voters.

And in Rhode Island, Democratic secretary of state Nellie Gorbea slammed Trumps voter fraud claims as outrageous.

As Rhode Islands Secretary of State, I am working hard to ensure that our elections are fair, fast and accurate. Over the past two years Rhode Island has taken steps to improve the security of our voting systems so that Rhode Island voters can trust the integrity of every vote, Gorbea said.

We continue to work with local elections authorities to ensure that our voting lists are up to date and accurate. It is outrageous that the President continues to make unsubstantiated claims about alleged widespread voter fraud, Gorbea added.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez
Two Ramona men are coordinating the fourth annual homeless count in Ramona: Vietnam veteran Dave Patterson and Pastor Mark Baker of Light of the Lamb Ministry.

The count in Ramona, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27, is part of a countywide We All Count homeless census the San Diego Regional Task Force conducts. Results help determine the amount of federal money that will go to homeless services.

Patterson and Baker, who have participated in past counts, will divide their efforts. They will meet with volunteers at 6 a.m. Friday at Light of the Lamb Ministry, 318 Seventh St., for coffee and doughnuts.

They will gather at 7 a.m. in front of Jack in the Box, 1056 Main St., and leave from there to canvass the town for homeless people living in makeshift shelters, vehicles, and abandoned homes and other structures.

Those interested in volunteering are asked to contact Patterson at 760-207-9139 or Dpatterson998@yahoo.com.

Baker will interview homeless persons to determine their needs until 11 a.m. in Collier Park, 626 E St., if it is not raining. If it is raining, the interviews will be in Light of the Lamb Ministry.

To assure as accurate a count as possible, Baker asks that persons unable to be at the park or church on Friday call or text him at 619-723-8839. There also will be a sheet at the Ramona Food & Clothes Closet, 773 Main St., for pre-registrations, he said.

Donations of food packets or vouchers for those who are interviewed are appreciated. Either Baker or Patterson may be contacted about donations.

Our goal is to get everybody off the streets, said Patterson.

The count last year totaled 57 homeless people living in Ramona. Countywide in 2016, the homeless population was 8,692 living on the streets or in shelters, the Regional Task Force on the Homeless reported.
The day after President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed to stop illegal immigration, San Diego civil rights organizations say they have prepared lawsuits seeking to block the new administrations plans.

We will be pressing all legal remedies said Ginger Jacobs, the chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortiums advisory board, at a news conference Thursday.

On Tuesday, Trump signed orders that will start the process of building a wall along the United States border with Mexico, and that wold withhold federal funds from cities that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

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The Trump administration has signaled that more immigration- and national security-related executive orders will be signed in the coming days.

Trump did not explain how his administration will define what is a so-called sanctuary city. Unlike San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Diego does not self-identify as one. However, San Diego has been placed on some lists of sanctuary cities compiled by conservative organizations, even though the city rejects the designation.

Should the Trump administration withhold federal funds from San Diego and some nearby cities for this reason, Jacobs, an immigration attorney, said she has a lawsuit ready.

The case would argue that requiring local police departments to enforce federal immigration policies will hurt their abilities to fight crime and perform other law enforcement duties.

Our police are here to protect our local communities, Jacobs said outside the County Administration Center.

To most effectively do their job, police officers and sheriffs deputies need a good rapport with all members of a community, citizens as well as both authorized and unauthorized immigrants alike, Jacobs said. She said requiring them to deal with immigration issues will harm those relationships.

Additionally, Trumps policy could effectively empower criminals to repeatedly victimize immigrants who would be too worried about being deported if they were to call police, Jacobs said.

It tells perpetrators to prey on immigrants because they cant call the police, she said.

They are also prepared to launch a legal response if Trump, as he is expected, signs an executive order that would bar nearly all immigration from seven countries with large Muslim populations, including asylum cases. The draft provisions of the policy wont actually prevent terrorism attacks like Trump claims, Jacobs said, but rather would be a way to prevent people from emigrating merely because of their Islamic faith.

She noted that most of the 9/11 terrorist attack hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, a country not on Trumps list. Fifteen of the 19 attackers were citizens of that country.

David Murphy, the executive director of the International Rescue Committee, also said that policy would not reduce security risks. He said it currently takes around two years to fully vet a potential refugee, and the process involves background checks, questioning, and interviews with associates. If theres a hiccup, the applicants process is delayed for additional vetting, or their request for refugee status is rejected.

Its an extremely thorough process, Murphy said.

Jacobs and Murphy were joined by about 75 other supporters of immigrant rights, including around a dozen members of the clergy from several denominations.

Besides promising to protect immigrants, they prayed to soften the hearts of people who are on the top of our political system.

Its not uncommon for executive orders to face legal challenges. In June, the Supreme Court announced it had deadlocked in a case involving an order from former President Barack Obama, effectively letting a lower court ruling against the 44th presidents order stand. In that matter, Obama attempted to allow unauthorized immigrants who parented a child born in the U.S. or a child who is a permanent resident, to apply for a work permit and to not be deported.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
Anita Wells yells as a crowd of a few hundred people attend an emergency NoDAPL rally in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump today that will move forward on the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Seattle. (Genna Martin/seattlepi.com via AP)
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

The president of the newly formed Santa Paula Conservancy (SPC) came to the City Council at the January 3 meeting urging the city and SPC work together for historical preservation.

Gabriel A. Zamora told the council Im here as a resident of Santa Paula, as well as president of the conservancy, to call attention to two projects that are a concern to us and an example of why we can do better.

He said city planning for water conservation at Ebell Park  reportedly lawn removal  seems to be in conflict with its historic preservation.

The park and its clubhouse, now home to the Santa Paula Theater Center, is celebrating its centennial this year; the Rotary Club adopted the park, providing tree-scaping and a pergola found to be part of the original area.

But any plans for the park pale in comparison to the fate of the former home of acclaimed painter Robert Clunie: located at 40 Palm Court (formally 311 Palm Court), the home has been purchased by the Santa Paula Unified School District and is targeted for demolition as part of a high school parking project. The Clunie home, built in the 1930s, is just one of several houses purchased in the area for the project.

According to Wikipedia, Clunie designed and built the home in his wife Myrtle Irelands hometown of Santa Paula in 1923, incorporating an artists studio where he completed many famed works. The couple sold the home in 1948 when they relocated to Bishop, an inspirational area for Clunie.

Zamora said the Ebell Park project and the obvious undesirable prospect of the Clunie home being demolished are examples of why we can do better; I cant tell you how excited we are, at the potential of working constructively with the city to address such historical preservation.

In an open letter to the council, Zamora and Secretary/Treasurer Pamela Murphy wrote that the existing lawn at Ebell Park is within the property boundary of the nationally registered Ebell Club and is included among the historic and current functions specified in the Clubs registry nomination.

Removal of the lawn is a change to a Registered California Historic Resource, that requires an analysis by a qualified preservation professional to determine whether this change is consistent with the secretary of the interiors standards and, as such, exempt under CEQA.

The Clunie House, the letter continued, is the location of a significant local or national event, the life of California Impressionist painter Robert Clunie. As such it merits nomination for landmark status and protection under Santa Paula Ordinance 816, which states that Nomination of Landmarks shall be made to the Design Assistance Committee on a form prepared by it and may be submitted by a member of the Committee, owner of record, the Historic Preservation Commission, or the City Council.
SPUSD: Wednesday meeting to address new school at the Harvest

By Peggy Kelly

The Santa Paula Unified School District will hear an update on plans for a K-8 school at the new Limoneira Harvest development and considering replacing windows at Blanchard Elementary School at the meeting Wednesday evening.

The meeting, held at the District Office Boardroom, 201 S. Steckel Dr., will begin with a 5 p.m. closed session. After any public comment board members will go behind closed doors to discuss the appointment of a new Human Resources Director, the possible expulsion of a student, unspecified anticipated litigation and mid-year performance evaluations for the superintendent and assistant superintendents. There will also be discussion of a public employee discipline/dismissal/release.

The board will reconvene to open session at approximately 7 p.m. School Board meetings are not broadcast on cable television or live-streamed on the districts website.

The Financial Audit Report by Nigro & Nigro for the period ending June 30, 2016 will be considered for approval by the board.

During presentations Barbara Webster School Educator of the Month Kristen Wreesman and Classified Employee of the Month Brenda Camacho will be recognized by the board before they hear an update on technology in the district.

Barbara Webster Principal Jeff Madrigal will present the annual update on the school.

An information only agenda item on the status of plans for a new K-8 School slated for the East Area One, now called Harvest at Limoneira by the developer Limoneira-Lewis Community Builders.

Scott Gaudineer, principal architect from Flewelling and Moody Architects will present the school plans to the board. Tim Jones from Lewis-Limoneira Community will also be present to address development plans for the community and park.

According to the SPUSD agenda, Plan development has been proceeding for the last year, and Mr. Gaudineer has been working with the District committee on the plan development. The governing board reviewed and approved the schematic drawings in July 2015, and has received the last update in June 2016 of the plans. The plan submittal process with the Division of the State Architect (DSA) has begun. DSA will take several months to review and approve the plans. At this time the estimated DSA completion is July, which will correspond with the opening of escrow, and the submission of the funding eligibility application.

California Department of Education (CDE) plan and site applications have been submitted and are estimated to complete within the same time frame or earlier.

Measure P bonds will be spent on new aluminum windows and coverings for Blanchard Elementary School if the board approves the $720,000 contract for Omega Construction Co., the lowest of three bids from pre-qualified contractors.
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

Boundary changes for local schools were discussed by the Santa Paula Unified School District, which is launching a study that would affect students throughout the district.

The issue was addressed at a special workshop held January 14.

The goal is to make boundary restrictions as painless and practical as possible with some wiggle room if needed for balanced schools and classrooms.

After the report  which reflected boundary changes  by the consultant the board and administrators weighed in, noting their goals and concerns.

After learning that Grace Thille School is out of seats right now and at least one other school is reaching capacity. Isbell Middle School is approaching 100 percent compared to the norm of 90 percent.

Classroom counts can be altered per special uses such as an equipment heavy computer lab and classes for special education, uses that are subtracted from the count.

I think the numbers are misleading, said Board Member Michelle Kolbeck, who noted that numbers could be interchangeable between classroom and school capacity.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Donna Rose said the board has tools to deal with that and noted numbers could be recalculated.

Board Member Derek Luna suggested that the boundary study be the basis of future calculating.

The board was told that with a new K-8 campus planned for Harvest at Limoneira the numbers will shift and lower impacts on other schools.

Since the process is a lengthy one parents have not yet been formally notified of upcoming boundary changes which would see students gradually eased into new schools by grade level.

Glen City Elementary School, with its acres of property and central location, would eventually expand to become a K-8 school.

Christine Schieferle, Assistant Superintendent/Educational Services, told the board disclaimers are planned to let parents know about possible school changes for their students.
Eugene Uphoff speaks to a rally of around 300 protesters demanding health care reform in 2009. Uphoff and five other doctors in a caravan traveling from Oregon to Washington, D.C., made a pit stop in Madison to drum up support for single-payer health care coverage.
Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/27/2017 -- Europe Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market Report forecasts that the market was valued $58 million in 2015, and is expected to reach $792 million by 2022, supported by a CAGR of 44.9% during the forecast period 2016 - 2022. The sensors segment is anticipated to generate the highest revenue in this market during the forecast period.



The European CGMS market is expected to witness dynamic growth, owing to rise in per capita healthcare expenditure, increase in disposable income of individuals, and growth in prevalence rates of diabetes. In addition, CGMS has various advantages over conventional glucose monitors such as greater sensitivity, higher precision, and periodic monitoring. CGMS can be used across all age groups and various healthcare settings. Moreover, the technology is applicable in artificial/bionic pancreas; hence, several CGMS and insulin pump manufacturers focus on the development of novel and advanced CGMS. However, unfavorable reimbursement policies for CGMS hinder the market growth.



Sensors market contributed for the highest share of revenue in the CGMS market. In addition, the market is expected to witness the highest growth during the analysis period, as CGM sensors are changed frequently as compared to transmitters & receivers. As the percentage of adult population is high, this segment is estimated to generate the largest market revenue. However, owing to the growth in demand for CGM devices for children, the children population segment may grow at a higher CAGR.



Based on end-user market analysis, diagnostics/clinics contributed the highest share to the market revenue. The network of health insurers with the physicians operating at the diagnostics/clinics level is expected to drive the CGMS market in European diagnostics/clinics. However, high growth of the home healthcare segment is expected, as this segment is economic as compared to treatment from healthcare institutions. In addition, home healthcare would be the suitable solution for geriatric and children population who cannot visit the clinics for diabetes treatment.



Key findings of Europe Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market:



UK is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Germany generated about one-fifth of the total market revenue in 2015, and is projected to be the maximum revenue-generating country by 2022.



Sensors segment accounted for more than three-fifths of the market revenue in 2015 and is projected to exhibit prominent growth during the forecast period.



Home healthcare and diagnostic/clinics contributed over half of the market share in 2015.



Region wise, Germany leads the market, in terms of revenue, owing to favorable guidelines about pricing and fixed reimbursement budget allocation for CGM devices. In addition, the market is estimated to exhibit significant growth in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark owing to the availability of advanced diabetes care facilities, and robust clinical guidelines and standards for diabetes management.



Renowned companies, such as Senseonics and Rubin Medical, have adopted collaboration as their key strategy to commercialize their CGMS products in Denmark and Sweden. An increasing number of diabetic patients, well-structured diabetes management regime, and proactive initiatives taken by the government have encouraged several CGMS companies to invest in Europe.



Key players profiled in this report include Abbott Laboratories, DexCom Inc., Echo Therapeutics Inc., Insulet Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic plc, Senseonics Holding Inc., and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Other players (not profiled in this report) operating in this market include AgaMatrix, Inc., GlySure, OrSense, and Ypsomed.



For more information Visit at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/allied-market-research/europe-continuous-glucose-monitoring-systems-market-component-demographics



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Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/26/2017 -- In 2015, the stand-alone laboratories and hospital end user segments together held a dominant share, of around 74% of the IVD market. This is attributed to the frequent and primary use of instruments & reagents for diagnosis of infectious and immunological diseases. Besides this, the immune system diseases and infectious diseases indication segments collectively accounted for around half of the market share in 2015, owing to increasing incidences of infectious and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, and malaria.



Global In Vitro Diagnostics market is accounted for $61.65 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $94.57 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 6.3%



This unique and exciting report identifies and profiles the leading 500 manufacturers and distributors of core laboratory, point-of-care and molecular diagnostics. They are located right across the globe from the United States and Europe to India and China.



- Company Contact Information - Address, Telephone and Fax Numbers, Email and Website Addresses

- Key Company Decision Makers - From CEO and Main Board, to Key Senior Managers

- Specialised fields such as Company Description, Products, Manufacturers Represented, Clinical Specialties/Diseases, Countries Served, Year Established, Number of Employees, Revenue ($U.S. million), Parent Company, Location Status, Ownership, Stock Exchange/Ticker Symbol



Target Audience

- IVD Manufacturers

- IVD Suppliers

- IVD Distributors

- IVD Industry Associations



Few Findings From Reports:

- Transasia Bio-Medicals is India's largest in-vitro diagnostics company.

- Diachel SA is the leading independent in-vitro diagnostics distributor in Greece, offering complete laboratory solutions, from sales to after-sales support and service.

- Una Health Ltd., the fastest growing diagnostics distributor in the United Kingdom, specializes in bringing innovative point-of-care devices to the market.

- Abbott Diagnostics is #1 in immunoassay and blood screening worldwide.

- OraSure Technologies, Inc. has 327 employees.

- Marcel van Kasteel is Vice President & General Manager at Philips Handheld Diagnostics.

- OvaGene is unlike any other molecular diagnostics company; their only focus in on women's pelvic cancers and related conditions.

- In June, 2016, GenMark achieved the CE Mark for its ePlex sample-to-answer multiplex molecular diagnostics System and ePlex Respiratory Pathogen (RP) Panel.

- Trinity Biotech plc's total revenues for fiscal year 2015 were $100.2m.

- Genetic Signatures is seeking to enter the U.S. market with strategic customer relationships and partnerships.

- Micronics, Inc., a leading developer of near-patient point-of-care in vitro diagnostics products, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

- As of December 31, 2015, bioMerieux, the world leader in clinical microbiology, had an installed base of some 84,500 instruments worldwide

- CareDx, Inc. had revenue of $U.S. 28.1 million in 2015

- Abacus ALS is the largest privately owned supplier of in-vitro diagnostics products in Australia and New Zealand.

- BHR Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd. works with leading global manufacturers, to bring point-of-care medical diagnostics in six major fields; allergy, cardiovascular, diabetes, female health, gastrointestinal and hematology, to the Indian market.

- For 30 years, Laboratorios LICON has specialized in providing reagents and clinical diagnostic systems to both public and private hospitals and laboratories across Mexico.

- Through its partnership with many international point-of-care manufacturers, Johannesburg headquartered, The Scientific Group supply a vast range of point-of-care tests to primary healthcare facilities in Africa.

- Representing more than ten international leading diagnostic companies, Onkogen Diagnostik Sistemler Ltd., is the leading company in molecular diagnostics in Turkey.

- Q Bioscience Co., Ltd. has been Abbott Molecular's distributor in Thailand since 2009.



Browse more than 1000 reports on IVD



- Global In Vitro Diagnostic Device (IVD) Manufacturers Market Research Report: The Top 300 Manufacturers of In-Vitro Diagnostics Products Worldwide; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/research-facts/global-vitro-diagnostic-device-ivd-manufacturers-market-research-report-top-300



- Global In Vitro Diagnostic Device (IVD) Distributors Market Research Report: The Top 300 Distributors of In-Vitro Diagnostics Products Worldwide; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/research-facts/global-vitro-diagnostic-device-ivd-distributors-market-research-report-top-300



- Europe In Vitro Diagnostic Device (IVD) Companies Market Research Report: The Top 200 IVD Companies in Europe; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/research-facts/europe-vitro-diagnostic-device-ivd-companies-market-research-report-top-200-ivd



- Global In Vitro Diagnostic Device (IVD) Companies Market Research Report: The Top 500 IVD Companies Worldwide; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/research-facts/global-vitro-diagnostic-device-ivd-companies-market-research-report-top-500-ivd



- Global In-Vitro Diagnostics Packaging Market 2016-2020; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/technavio/global-vitro-diagnostics-packaging-market-2016-2020



- Global In Vitro Diagnostic Reagents Market Professional Survey Report 2016; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/qyresearch/global-vitro-diagnostic-reagents-market-professional-survey-report-2016



- 2017 Top 5 In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Manufacturers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/lpi/2017-top-5-vitro-diagnostics-ivd-manufacturers-north-america-europe-asia-pacific-south-america



- Global In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Sales Market Report to 2021; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/qyresearch/global-vitro-diagnostics-ivd-sales-market-report-2021



- Japan In-Vitro Diagnostics Products Market Report 2016; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/qyresearch/japan-vitro-diagnostics-products-market-report-2016



- France In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Market Outlook to 2021 - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology and Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Diagnostics and Microbiology Culture; Visit at - http://www.marketresearchreports.com/globaldata/france-vitro-diagnostics-ivd-market-outlook-2021-clinical-chemistry-genetic-testing



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Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/27/2017 -- Did you know?



- Molecular diagnostics has been the cornerstone of Finnish company,Immuno Diagnostic Oy's business for over 20 years.



- Q Bioscience Co., Ltd. has been Abbott Molecular's distributor in Thailand since 2009.



- Diagnostic Technology Pty Ltd has been at the forefront of the introduction and utilisation of molecular based diagnostics in Australia.



- PromocionesMedicas S.A. provides its customers in Panama with a complete range of market leading, molecular diagnostics products.



- Representing more than ten international leading diagnostic companies, OnkogenDiagnostikSistemler Ltd., is the leading company in molecular diagnostics in Turkey.



- Rebeca Miramontes Vidal is Chief Executive Officer of Biodist SA de CV, the leader in molecular diagnostics in Mexico.



- In October, 2016, British distributor, YouMed Ltd.announced an agreement with Mobidiag Ltd., a Finnish molecular diagnostics company,to became an agent for Mobidiag'sAmplidiag in-vitro diagnostic tests and compatible system for the detection of gastrointestinal infections.



These are just a tiny sample of the 1,000's of facts to be found in 'The Top 100 Distributors Of Molecular Diagnostics Worldwide'.



This unique and comprehensive report identifies and profiles the leading 100 distributors of molecular diagnostics products worldwide. These companies partner with leading manufacturers and sell their products to hospitals and laboratories across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.



Profile information for each company in 'The Top 100 Distributors Of Molecular Diagnostics Worldwide' typically includes:



- Company Contact Information - Address, Telephone and Fax Numbers, Email and Website Addresses



- Key Company Decision Makers - From CEO and Main Board, to Key Senior Managers



- Specialised fields such as Company Description, Manufacturers Represented, Countries Served, Year Established, Number of Employees and Ownership.



Report Target Market:



1) Manufacturers



This report is perfect for manufacturers of molecular diagnostics products who wish to identify, assess and contact the 100 leading distributors for their products worldwide.



2) Distributors



Usage: competitive analysis and strategic partner/alliance identification.



3) IVD Associations



'The Top 100 Distributors Of Molecular Diagnostics Worldwide' is ideal for IVD associations to identify new member companies.



- Celtic Molecular Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd. - Founded in 2003, Celtic Molecular Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd. is a young, dynamic company providing high quality, innovative and affordable products to scientists in molecular research and diagnostic laboratories throughout Southern Africa. The Company aims to be a leading supplier of reagents and instrumentation in Southern Africa, through partnerships with prestigious manufacturers e.g. altona Diagnostics GmbH, Amoy Diagnostics Co., Ltd., Asuragen Inc., Invivoscribe, MRC-Holland, Primerdesign Ltd., Qnostics Ltd. and Sacace Biotechnologies Srl.. Celtic Molecular Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd. is led by Dermot Cox, Managing Director.



Report data field structure is as follows:



- Company Name

- Address

- Telephone

- Fax

- Email

- Website

- Parent Company

- Year Established

- Number of Employees

- Key Executives

- Company Description

- Manufacturers Represented

- Countries Served

- Location Status

- Ownership



Publisher is one of the world's leading companies in life sciences publishing. It has a large portfolio of best-selling reports spanning diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices. It's customers include most of the world's major companies in these sectors e.g. Abbott Laboratories, ACON Laboratories, Alcon, Allergan, Aurobindo Pharma, Axis-Shield, Baxter, Bayer, B. Braun, BD, Biomerieux, Biomet, BoehringerIngelheim, CareFusion, Covance, Covidien, C.R. Bard, Edwards Lifesciences, Fresenius, GE Healthcare, Genzyme, HemoCue, Intuitive Surgical, Ipsen, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Merit Medical Systems, Millipore, Molnlycke Health Care, Novartis, Paul Hartmann, Philips Medical, Qiagen, Siemens Healthcare, Smith & Nephew, Synthes, Teleflex, Teva, Zentiva etc.. Publisher also counts many multinational financial services, law and management consulting firms such as Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company and The Boston Consulting Group among its customers.



Publisher currently has customers in some forty countries across the globe e.g. Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.



Publisher' reports help you make informed decisions about the markets and organisations that affect your business.



- Learn more about your target markets and target companies

- Top level research on all the major players in a market

- See which organisations dominate your major markets

- Get detailed information on particular organisations



For more information Visit at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/research-facts/global-molecular-diagnostics-distributors-market-research-report-top-100-distributors



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Mark Zukerberg has dismissed rumors of him running for president in the next election.

BuzzFeed reported that Mark Zuckerberg does not have any plans of succeeding Donald Trump in 2020. Rumors of the Facebook CEO and founder's political ambition has surfaced the Internet after he posted a statement saying he plans to visit all 30 states and meet people when the U.S. is "at a turning point of history."

"My personal challenge for 2017 is to have visited and met people in every state in the US by the end of the year," Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page. "I've spent significant time in many states already, so I'll need to travel to about 30 states this year to complete this challenge."

"No," Zuckerberg told BuzzFeed when he was asked if there are any chances of him running for president. He added that he is currently focused on building his Facebook community and working on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a corporation he founded with his wife Priscilla Chan in 2015. This aims to develop human potential by promoting equality in the fields of educational and scientific research.

Mark Zuckerberg did not answer further questions regarding his political career.

A source close to the Facebook boss told the news agency that although Mark Zuckerberg has no plans of leading the country, he does have an interest in getting involved in politics.

"There is absolutely a possibility that Mark may choose to play a stronger role in the political system and political debates," he said.

According to The Telegraph, Mark Zuckerberg has previously commented about Donald Trump's political plans during the campaign.

"I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as others. For blocking free expression, for slowing immigration, reducing trade, and in some cases around the world even cutting access to the internet," he said. "It takes courage to choose hope over fear."
One of NASA's next missions is to explore and study the mysteries of Earth's auroras. The space agency will achieve this by launching rockets into the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Aurora, known also as Northern Light or polar light, appears as a natural light in the sky. It is mostly seen in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It is created when the magnetosphere is shifted by the solar wind and resulted to ionization and excitation of the atmospheric constituents. With this, it emits lights of various colors and complexity.

NASA stated that the auroras-watching rockets will examine what is known as near-Earth space. This will help scientists in understanding more the planet's magnetic environment and the low-Earth orbit environment in which astronauts and spacecraft must travel.

The first mission is the Polar Night Nitric Oxide or PolarNOX mission that is conducted from Jan. 19 to January 31. The mission focuses on nitric oxide and the rockets to launch will monitor the Earth's atmosphere in the polar region. They will gauge the nitric oxide that shapes during displays of the Northern Lights.

Scott Bailey, the mission's principal investigator and an electrical and computer engineering professor at Virginia Tech, said that the aurora creates nitric oxide. But in the polar night, there is no significant process for destroying the nitric oxide. They believe it builds up to large concentrations. He further said that the purpose of the rocket is to gauge the abundance and altitude of peak abundance for the nitric oxide.

The second mission is named "Neutral Jets in Auroral Arcs." In this mission, two rockets will be launched simultaneously at different heights to gauge the aurora's profile. Rob Pfaff, the principal investigator for the mission and a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said that the mission will examine how the ionosphere's electrical fields drive the aurora's structure.

Meanwhile, two rockets will be launched into two various types of auroras in the final mission. The launch window for the second the third missions will be extended from Feb. 13 to March 3. The rockets from all missions will be launched from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska, according to Live Science.
Scientists recently managed to grow an embryo that is part-pig and part-human by injecting human stem cells into a pig embryo, then implanting the embryo in the uterus of a sow, where it was left to grow.

Four weeks later, the stem cells developed into various tissue types, including the heart, liver and even neurons, with a small fraction of the pig being made up of human cells. According to The Washington Post, they hybrid has since been labeled as the "chimera," after the mythical creature with the lion's head and goat's body, with a serpent's tail. However, the researchers cautioned that the animal is "highly inefficient" despite being one of the most successful hybrids yet created. The chimera is considered a significant step toward developing animal embryos with functioning human organs.

Further report from USA Today stated that the researchers used less than one human cell in every 100,000 embryonic cells, which comes to about 1 million human cells on the animal. While the contribution is lower than expected, it was still considered a victory that they were able to detect human cells after four weeks of development.

Hiromitsu Nakauchi of Stanford University explained that his own unpublished experiments with pig and sheep embryo found little contribution from human cells, which makes it a challenge for making organs for transplant.

There have also been questions on ethics to the approach, as this could easily lead to pigs gaining human qualities in their brains, or make human eggs or sperm. "It seems kind of creepy," Insoo Hyun, from the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said. "This is a strategy to help save human lives" and so it is justified if properly done, he said. Today, there is no sign of that. However, the government has signaled that it could lift the federal funding ban on such development. There has to be extra oversight to any further works, though.
All the electric passenger trains in the Netherlands are 100 percent empowered by wind energy, according to the Netherlands' national railway company, NS. The company has reached its goal earlier as it planned actually ahead of its 2018 goal.

Ton Boon, NS spokesman, said that since Jan. 1, 100 percent of their trains are running on wind energy. He also credited the achievement of their goal earlier to an increasing number of wind farms across the country and off the coast of the Netherlands.

NS collaborates with Dutch electricity company Eneco. In its website, it stated that around 600,000 passengers every day are now traveling thanks to wind energy.

It also stated that one windmill running for an hour can power a train for around 200 km (120 miles). The companies hope to lessen the use of energy per passenger by a further 35 percent by 2020. NS manages about 5,500 train trips every day, according to The Guardian.

Meanwhile, Eneco account manager Michel Kerkhof said that mobility is responsible for 20 percent of CO2 emissions in the Netherlands, and if they want to keep traveling, it is important that they do this without burdening the environment with CO2 and particulate matter. He further said that this contract offers all Dutch citizens the option to make a climate neutral trip, regardless of distance, as noted by Science Alert.

This type of renewable energy is preventing the planet Earth to heat up. It generates power capacity that the fossil fuels, which is environmental friendly not only across the nation but also to the entire world. Many countries today are building wind farms to battle global warming and contribute to the betterment of the environment, thanks to these countries such as the Netherlands and United States, among others.
A bus-sized asteroid just closely whizzed by Earth on Tuesday night.

Space.com reported that an asteroid named 2017 BX passed between Earth and Moon this week at a threatening speed of 17,000 mph (27,358 km/h) according to Slooh observatory. With the proximity of 162,252 miles (261,119 kilometers), the asteroid was nearly two-thirds of the Moon's distance to Earth.

The space rock nicknamed "Rerun" was first discovered on Jan. 20 by astronomers. The near-Earth object tracking agency Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimated its size between 13 to 46 feet (4 to 14 meters) in diameter, which NASA's Asteroid Watch Tracker then confirmed as 28 feet (8.5m).

"I'd put it on the equivalent of an orca, or a killer whale," Slooh astronomer Eric Edelman said during the asteroid webcast. "We're looking for a killer whale floating out in space over 100,000 miles away from us."

With its incredible speed, finding the faint Rerun was "one of the world's most difficult 'Where's Waldo' games," Edelman added, with the use of Slooh's half-meter telescope in Canary Islands in Spain.

Rerun was named after a 1970s show What's Happening character played by late actor Fred Berry. It came days after another near-Earth asteroid, 2017 AG13, zipped by the planet at a closer proximity of 126,461 miles in the morning of Jan. 9. It measured between 36 to 111 feet in diameter and rushed at a speed of 35,100 mph.

Just last month, the White House released a Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy, as per News.com.au. The policy aims to "improve our nation's preparedness to address the hazard of near-Earth object (NEO) impacts by enhancing the integration of existing national and international assets and adding important capabilities that are currently lacking."

However, earlier warnings of a near-Earth asteroid still remain a problem that urgently needs to be solved.
FLORENCE, S.C. -- Francis Marion University honored long-time university friend and advocate of the downtrodden, the late Fred Sheheen, at an event at the FMU Performing Arts Center Thursday night.

More than 150 state leaders, university officials and faculty, and friends and family turned out for a tribute to Sheheen that culminated with naming of the FMU Non-Profit Leadership Institute (NPLI) in Sheheens honor.

Sheheen, a Camden native whose career was spent in public serve to the people of South Carolina, was killed in a car crash last fall.

Sheheen was the longtime director of the NPLI, and poured his heart and soul into the unique organization, which offered affordable education and mentorship to leaders of non-profit organizations across the state.

FMU President Dr. Fred Carter said Sheheens dedication to NPLI made naming the organization the Fred Sheheen Non-Profit Leadership Institute a fitting tribute.

Fred Sheheen was a South Carolina original, said Carter. He was the most positive and outgoing person Ive ever met and he worked hard his entire life to make this state more livable. He had a strong affinity for those who lived in poverty and his lifes work reflected his efforts on their behalf.

FMU also announced that a university scholarship has been established in Sheheens name. It will be awarded to students from Camden who want to attend Francis Marion University and who have a demonstrated financial need. Additionally, it was announced that an annual non-profit service award bestowed annually the South Carolina Association of Non-Profit Organizations (SCANPO) has been named for Sheheen.

Remembered as a champion of higher education, he served as the head of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, which oversees public colleges and universities, from 1987 to 1997.

Sheheen graduated from Duke University in the late 1950s and began his career as a journalist at The Charlotte Observer, focusing on civil-rights issues. Sheheen later worked as an aide for S.C. Gov. Donald Russell before moving into the world of South Carolina higher education. Her served as the director of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education from 1987-1997.

After leaving the CHE, Sheheen moved into his role as director of the fledgling NPLI, as well as continuing to work with a variety of non-profit and public boards and organizations in the state.

Donations to the Fred Sheheen Scholarship can be made online at http://www.fmarion.edu/foundation, or by contacting the FMU Foundation directly at 843-661-1200.
JUNEAU  Chapter 980 sex offender Robert Larson will continue to wait for the Department of Health Services to find a suitable housing placement for his supervised release.

The Chapter 980 program was created in 1994 and allows the state to civilly commit offenders who are deemed to be sexually violent after they have served their prison sentences. The program was created as a way to continue to protect the public from violent sex offenders and provide treatment to offenders.

Larson has been waiting to be placed on supervised release from Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center since May 2015.

In court Thursday, attorney Annie Jay said that no suitable housing placements had been identified. This is after a letter was submitted to the court in December that identified eight potential suitable housing placements. The letter written by Scott Timm, contract specialist for DHS, also said that a possible vendor from Fond du Lac was working with the department.

A new letter by Timm was submitted to the court Jan. 20. The letter states that the supervised release program currently has 29 active court orders to place offenders into supervised release throughout 21 counties in Wisconsin.

The document reads, Since the last update to the court dated Nov. 29, 2016, the DHS has reviewed approximately 1,267 properties statewide. Forty-eight properties have been reviewed since the last court update with 16 of the properties being for rent and 32 being for sale. However, none of the properties met the initial statutory requirements for placement.

The document reads, The DHS remains committed to finding a viable residence for Mr. Larson. DHS has secured all community based services with the exception of suitable housing. The DHS will continue to search for viable housing.

Larsons attorney Bill Mayer said, I had a long discussion with Mr. Larson and it appears as though Mr. Timm is keeping Mr. Larson up to date on the property searches. Mr. Larson is certainly anxious to find housing.

We discussed opening up the search to a statewide search. I know it is Mr. Larsons desire to stay close to Dodge County. His family is in Dodge County. We also talked about the possibility of canceling the supervised release agreement that he is engaged in and seeking discharge. He has some professional opinions that would support that, but his preference is to be on supervised release.

Jay objected to opening up the search for suitable housing to a statewide search saying, There is nothing to say that Dodge County is unique among the 72 counties in our state. There have been other very problematic placings when the state goes out of county. We could be in exactly in the same position we were in a year and a half ago.

Judge Joseph Sciascia said, We cant just keep saying we need to find something. I will entertain seriously a motion to expand the search. I am as anxious as anyone to move this along but I cant invent solutions.

No motion to expand the housing search has been filed at this time.

Larson, along with Jonathan Miller, another Chapter 980 offender, were initially set to be placed in a home near Brownsville, but were required to return to Sand Ridge after Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt learned that the home where the offenders were going to be placed was adjacent to a home where two young children lived.

The placement did not violate state statutes at the time, but raised enough concerns that State Rep. Mark Born of Beaver Dam authored a bill changing the law and imposing a 1,500 foot residency restriction which went into effect March 1, 2016.

Since that time two separate housing placements for Miller and Larson have been sought by the Department of Health Services, but both times the houses were removed from the market prior to purchase.

After the second housing location was lost, Judge Joseph Sciascia advised that keeping Larson detained indefinitely is not an option. He warned that blocking placement of Larson and Miller in a supervised release setting could call into question the constitutionality of Chapter 980.

Another hearing will be held March 13 to discuss possible housing placements for Larson.
SSA International and SAAM also operate San Vicente International Terminal (STVI) in Southern Chile.

For the first time, we have surpassed the 1.2m teu. We are also the first terminal in Chile to achieve this goal. To be exact, we did 726,029 moves or 1,207,465 teu. In 2015, we did 704,338 moves or 1,166,896 teu and comparing both years, we grew basically 3%, said STI general manager Jose Iribarren. This growth is related to increase in import cargo into Chiles Fifth Region and empties loaded to the Eighth Region and Asia, he added.

In spite of the entry of new intra-port competition with the start of operations of the new container port of Puerto Central and a strike in September at STI, which resulted in the loss of movement and, finally, of services, San Antonio International Terminal continued to head the national port activity by moving just over 1.2m teu in 2016. "That places us indisputably as the largest, efficient and most important port terminal in Chile," said Iribarren.

"Last year was a great year in terms of occupational safety, which has allowed us to consolidate significant reductions in our accident rates." Between 2014 and 2016, accidents were reduced with lost time of 76%.

STI is completing an expansion for a total investment of $100m which will take STI to be the terminal with the largest berth in the country and with the largest number of STS cranes, providing greater flexibility to our customers and thereby continue to improve the service we provide, he said.

San Antonio was the first terminal in Chile to receive in August 2016 the 13,000 teu-MSC Flavia, the largest box ship ever to dock in the country.
Its shares have now topped price levels seen in the Trump Bump immediately after the election in November 2016. Like all else with President Trump, everything is nuanced, a polite way of hinting at the need to look at multiple points of view in order to determine whats happening, and why.

During 2016, both the Republican Trump and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton had both made infrastructure a campaign issue, though it got drowned out by cyber things like emails and data hacks. So, in the week after the crowd-filled Inauguration, the Democrats came out loudly trumpeting their alternative $1trn plan, which includes circa $65 -$70bn for seaports, inland waterways and airports over a 10 year timeframe.

Simultaneously, the Republicans were sending around a list of prioritized projects, which included port work at Savannah, Port Newark and inland waterway work on the Illinois, Ohio and Monongahela Rivers, besides work done on the Mississippi River near the Port of New Orleans. The Democrats would seek to fund their programme, with specific projects not yet announced, by tightening up existing tax loop-holes- but with the Government spending the money; the Republican approach would see tax credits to private developers (further increasing the deficit).

But what if they built all the new port infrastructure, and less cargo than forecast came? Even though sea ports would clearly gain funding, the impacts of Trump trade-related policies on actual shipping tonnages at deepwater ports are anybodys guess. In New Yorks main container ports, at Port Elizabeth and Port Newark both on the New Jersey side of the harbour, channel dredging to 50 feet finished last year and the raised Bayonne Bridge will eliminate air draft restrictions in late 2017.

But businesses headquartered in New Jersey, bolstered by anti-Trump rhetoric from local academics, have expressed concern about the impact of tariffs on containerised import cargo that has been projected to arrive on containerships from China. Consider another aspect of the muddied trade picture.

President Trumps fresh endorsement of the Keystone Pipeline, tabled by his predecessor, comes with the requirement that the pipelines steel must be US produced. Yet also look at the just opened dry bulk terminal at Paulsboro, New Jersey near Philadelphia at the site of a one-time BP tank farm, where a handymax is expected to bring in the first inbound cargo- a boatload of steel produced by the Russian steelmaker NMLK, which has leased space at the new terminal. Planning for the terminal, run by the Holt family, dynastic in Philadelphia regions stevedoring, began well before the election. But, like other parts of the business, long lived assets dont always match up with shorter term realities.
A recent ministerial decision has changed the status of the North Sumatra port to become an international hub.

"It won't hamper our development plan. We have mid- and long-term plans [for the port], and it is not yet ready to be a hub," Pelindo I president director Bambang Eka Cahyana was quoted as saying.

He added that investors had not changed their view on the plan either. Pelindo I has developed the port along with Holland's Port of Rotterdam Authority, as well as other investors such as DP World.

Meanwhile in other reports, the Environment and Forestry Ministry is expected to issue an environmental permit for the construction of Patimban Port in West Java next month.

Local reports said the Amdal Assessment Commission (KPA) has begun assessing the projects environmental impact analysis (amdal). Commission member Anang Sudarna said assessment of the amdal this week and was expected to be finished before the end of the month.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2017-36

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced SEC Chief Operating Officer Jeffery Heslop will leave the agency in February.

Mr. Heslop joined the SEC in 2010 when he was named the SECs first-ever COO. In the nearly seven years since joining the SEC, Mr. Heslop has led significant innovation in the agencys approach to human capital management, business process, internal controls, and technology infrastructure. Through his efforts, the agency has realized substantial operational cost reductions, increased efficiencies in staffing and operations, and strengthened the cooperation between various SEC offices and divisions.

In his role as COO, Mr. Heslop oversees the operations of the SECs Office of Human Resources; Office of Acquisitions; Office of Information Technology; Office of Strategic Initiatives; Office of Financial Management; and Office of Support Operations, which includes the SECs Office of Freedom of Information Act, Privacy, Records Management and Facility Operations.

During his time at the SEC, Mr. Heslop:

Led a team that significantly improved internal controls and compliance in financial management and information security, and eliminated persistent conditions of material weakness.

Developed and implemented a strategy to rehabilitate outdated technology infrastructure and organizational business process approaches to deliver dramatic improvements in customer satisfaction.

Championed the investment in, and oversaw the execution of, numerous business process redesign initiatives to move several SEC processes from manually-intensive, paper-based approaches to efficient, automated processes resulting in the realization of compelling cost reductions and enhanced employee productivity.

As the SECs first COO, Jeff helped the agency streamline operations and leverage resources to more effectively serve the investors and markets, said SEC Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar. He has overseen significant improvements in technology and has helped ensure that our financial reporting controls and FOIA operations are top-notch.

It has been a true honor to serve with the extraordinarily dedicated and self-sacrificing professionals who comprise the agencys staff, said SEC COO Jeffery Heslop. In particular, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the staff members from the offices under the Office of the Chief Operating Officer, who, through their collaborative effort, have played an instrumental role in an effort to modernize the agencys human capital, business process, and technological capabilities. Their contribution to the SECs unwavering and deep commitment to protect Americas investors has been simply remarkable, and I am deeply grateful to have had the privilege of leading them.

Before joining the SEC, Mr. Heslop worked at Capital One for 12 years, including in the role of Managing Vice President of Information Risk Management. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1976 to 1998, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Heslop received his Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College and his MBA from the College of William and Mary.

Upon Mr. Heslops departure, Kenneth Johnson, SEC Chief Financial Officer, will become the Acting Chief Operating Officer.
WATERTOWN  An energy drink appears to be behind the merger of two southern Wisconsin beer distributors.

When Coca-Cola Co. in 2014 purchased a 16.7 percent stake in Monster Beverage Co., the multifaceted agreement also made the soda company the preferred distributor of Monster.

In the case of River City Distributing, an Anheuser-Busch distributor in Watertown, the deal, which took effect for River City on Jan. 1, was devastating.

While River Citys 100,000-square-foot facility includes a large Budweiser sign on its facade and Bud Light trailers backed into its loading docks, Monster energy drinks accounted for 16 percent of River Citys revenue.

Steve Kwapil, River Citys vice president of sales, said this week that his company began looking at ways to cut costs but in the last six to eight months talks began with Wisconsin Distributors Inc. in Sun Prairie that led to an agreement announced this week to sell the company.

It was during that conversation (with Wisconsin Distributors) that an offer was received, Kwapil said. They also lost Monster and so we decided to make this move to beef up their portfolio.

River City, in a filing with the state Department of Workforce Development on Monday, said its Watertown facility would close with 72 full-time and 35 part-time employees losing their jobs. On Wednesday night, Kwapil issued a news release that said significant severance packages are being provided with additional compensation packages to employees working to the closing date, expected to be in late March.

He also said all full-time employees of River City are being offered interviews with WDI and the majority of positions will need to be filled to sell and serve the new area for WDI. River City serves 24 counties that include the Madison area to the west, Appleton to the north and as far as Racine to the southeast. In addition, Kwapil said 48 percent of his employees live outside of Watertown.

Casey Trudgeon, executive vice president and general manager of Wisconsin Distributors, would not say how many positions needed to be filled and how many people from River City would be hired. His company serves 22 counties and includes a facility in Appleton.

WDIs commitment to excellent customer services requires a strong and dedicated workforce, he said in a statement. WDI will be interviewing current River City Distributing employees to fill the positions needed to market, sell, and service the beer portfolio being acquired from River City, and looks forward to welcoming new members to an already strong and dedicated workforce at WDI.

River City was founded by Don Kwapil in 1981 and has been a distributor of Budweiser and other Anheuser-Busch products and 19 national craft beer brands including Goose Island. The companys Wisconsin craft beer roster includes New Glarus Brewing, Oso Brewing of Plover, Tyranena Brewing of Lake Mills, Potosi Brewing Co. and 3rd Sign of Waunakee. River City has distribution rights for some of those brands in the Madison area.

Like River City, Wisconsin Distributors, with roots dating back to 1986, is also a major Anheuser-Busch distributor. The purchase will beef up the companys Wisconsin craft portfolio that is limited to products from Veronas Wisconsin Brewing and Madisons Vintage Brewing and One Barrel Brewing, according to the WDI website.

The sale of River City to WDI continues a trend of consolidations among wholesalers throughout the country.

In October, Middleton-based Frank Beverage Group purchased Beer Capitol Distributing Co. in Sussex, a move that created a territory from La Crosse through Madison to the metro Milwaukee area. Beer Capitol retained its name and 320 employees after the sale.

The Coca-Cola/Monster deal brings a 36-year-old Watertown company that was active in the community to an end. Now, its territory is run by another company that doesnt have as strong of ties to a city of nearly 24,000 people that straddles the border of Dodge and Jefferson counties.

Its extremely difficult. The employees are very close-knit and the organization is close to its employees, Steve Kwapil said. Part of this transaction was to make sure that the vast majority of our employees were taken care of.
It's one of the most iconic images in all of science fiction: Princess Leia, projected as a hologram, pleading with one of the galaxy's last remaining Jedi: "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." Still gives me shivers.

For several decades, optical engineers have been chasing this vision - a genuinely freestanding hologram that can be viewed like a regular object from any direction. No one's been able to quite nail it yet, although some Korean scientists came intriguingly close just last year.

Now comes word from Australia that technicians have developed a nanoscale technology which approaches the problem from a whole new direction.

Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) recently disclosed details on their system that projects light through tiny "nanopillars," transparent rods 500 times thinner than a human hair. The device can't project freestanding holograms yet, but the underlying mathematics suggest the breakthrough isn't far off.

It's all about numbers. One of the traditional impediments to generating three-dimensional holograms is that projecting such an image requires the real-time transmission of colossal amounts of data. The most detailed photographs or electronic displays, even those that approximate 3-D, are ultimately still working in two dimensions. Show business holograms like virtual Tupac aren't really holograms at all. They're optical illusions based on ancient stage magic tricks.

RELATED: Holographic Pyramid Updates Stage Magic Trick

The ANU device doesn't generate holograms just yet, but it does enable the storage and reproduction of the data required to project a hologram. By way of a new kind of optical technology, the ANU platform stores information, in the form of light, within millions of nanoscale pillars. Details past that are scarce, as the team has yet to officially publish their research.

In press materials announcing the new holographic system, lead researcher Lei Wang said science fiction movies directly inspired him to get into this area of research in the first place.

"As a child, I learned about the concept of holographic imaging from the Star Wars movies," Wang, a Ph.D. student at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering, said in a press release. "It's really cool to be working on an invention that uses the principles of holography depicted in those movies."

The research was conducted in collaboration with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States and Nanjing University in China. And, evidently, The Force.

WATCH VIDEO: How Holograms Are Getting Better and Better
Life on Earth shows up in surprising places. It's been found in high-temperature vents deep undersea and high in the air. But we're still trying to learn more about these so-called "extremophiles." Researchers are now pondering how well can life reproduce in these environments. Also, could microbes of this type be found on other worlds? In March, a group of University of Houston students - piggybacking on a payload with a prime mission to scope out auroras - will fly a high-altitude experiment from Alaska to see what microbes are in the high atmosphere, between 18 km and 50 km (11 miles and 31 miles) from the ground. The instrument, which looks almost like a small laundry hamper, pops open to collect what's in the atmosphere. Then, as the balloon descends, it shuts closed for researchers to analyze. Jamie Lehnen, a fourth-year student on the team, says this system could be less open to contamination than pumps and other complicated mechanisms that require servicing on Earth. But it's the first time her group has used it, so isn't sure how well it will function. If it does, however, she's interested in learning about how microbes will react under the stresses of living at high altitudes. "A lot of times, these microbes when they go up there, they shut down. They are not replicating and they are not metabolically active," she said. "I'm interested in how their stress response is similar to those [microbes] back on Earth's surface." RELATED: Distant Rocky World Could Be Friendly for Life Some of the earliest high-altitude microorganism experiments did not involve air travel at all - Charles Darwin picked up African dust on his ship while crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while Louis Pasteur made measurements on top of alpine glaciers. Both found microorganisms.

That said, microorganism research in the upper atmosphere has been active since the 1930s at least. One of the earliest flights involved Charles Lindbergh, a pilot best known for piloting the Atlantic solo in 1927. Accompanied with his wife, Lindbergh periodically passed the monoplane controls over to her to take samples from the atmosphere around them. The research team found spores of fungi and pollen grains, among other specimens. Planes still require a substantial amount of atmosphere to fly, so it's with high-altitude balloons and rockets that we can get even higher - to the stratosphere and the mesosphere. According to NASA microbial researcher David Smith, some of the pioneering work in this field was done in the 1970s, particularly in Europe and the Soviet Union. "Everything they did was fascinating, but there hasn't been a lot of follow-up work to validate the results of those collections," he told Seeker. There are open questions about how valid these early results are, given that contamination protocols may not have been strict. So Smith and other researchers are trying to figure out what kind of microbes live above Earth, and for how long. In May and June, Smith's team will fly with the team from NASA ABoVE (Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment), which uses a Gulfstream III jet to monitor how climate change affects animals, plants, the environment and infrastructure. In the spring, a vast airstream on the Pacific Ocean moves millions of tons of dust across the ocean, mostly from Asia. "We want to know what kind of microorganisms are making that leap across the ocean, co-transported with aerosol species," Smith said. "Alaska will allow us an opportunity to test the atmospheric bridge hypothesis, which simply speaking, is continents sneezing on each other." Smith's team will use a cascade sampler for collection, which passes air through progressively finer impact plates with holes in them, he said. As the air moves through, dust and any microorganisms impact the surface of those plates. A portion of them stick to the surface, allowing researchers to analyze what is there afterwards.
As man-machine interfaces go, it's an intriguing take on the cyborg concept and one that's made Spence something of a celebrity in bodyhacking circles. In fact, he will be a featured speaker this weekend at the second annual BodyHacking Con at the Austin Convention Center in Texas.

Actually, Spence has two functional eyeball cameras now, one that looks like a traditional prosthetic eye and another with that menacing "Terminator" glare. His cybernetic upgrade has led to a number of projects in recent years. Spence has delivered TED Talks , collaborated with video game companies , and recently appeared on Showtime's true-life series " Dark Net ."

Spence, a 44-year-old Canadian filmmaker, has half-jokingly assumed the nickname "Eyeborg" since replacing his prosthetic eyeball with a miniaturized digital camera about seven years ago. The latest version of Spence's extremely onboard camera - complete with spooky red LED light - wirelessly connects to a mobile computer and can record videos or snap photos of anything he's looking at, any time, any place.

You know that red-eye problem you get with cameras? Yeah, Rob "Eyeborg" Spence has a whole other take on that issue.

For the uninitiated, the term bodyhacking (or biohacking) refers to an emerging kind of cross-pollinated subculture in which individuals strive to improve their bodies and minds by any technological means necessary. Bodyhacking encompasses everything from limb prosthetics to extreme body modification, smart drugs to cybernetic implants, cosmetic surgery to wearables, transhumanism to tattoos.

Spence has been making the rounds at bodyhacking events for several years now. At this year's con, he'll be delivering a presentation on the Eyeborg Project with Martin Ling, one of several engineers who helped develop Spence's eye cameras.

RELATED: 'Insect Man' Uses Implanted Antenna to Hear Colors

"I speak Sunday morning, and besides that I plan to hang out and chat with interesting people," Spence told Seeker.

That should be easy enough. Spence is just one of several special guests at this year's BodyHacking Con, known informally as BDYHAX (pronounced "body hacks"). The schedule includes presentations by science fiction author Cory Doctorow plus more than two dozen cybernetics scholars, activists, grinders and artists. You can check out the full schedule at the conference website.

Event manager Trevor Goodman said this year's gathering-of-the-tribes seems to be developing a focus all on its own. Many of the speakers and presenters are addressing impending government regulations and other related issues around cybernetic ethics, certifications and standards.

RELATED: New Google Device Injected Into Eyeball

Goodman cited the case of Neil Haribisson, a colorblind bodyhacking activist with a surgically implanted skull antenna that allows him to convert color into sound. How did he get such an implant? Well, that leads to some of the legal gray areas that bodyhackers necessarily inhabit. Like a lot of emerging technologies, DIY bodyhacking has simply outpaced government regulation, particularly in the field of medicine.

"Probably the biggest issue is how we view medicine and regulation around medicine in most countries," Goodman said. "Even Neil Harbisson can't release the name of his surgeon who implanted his antenna. The U.S. government hardly even understands what the internet is, and we've been using it broadly for two decades."

The event isn't all tech and policy, of course. Friday features a bodyhacking fashion show with many fast-forward ideas on display. For instance, apparel designer Jingwen Zhu will present "My Heart on My Dress," a bespoke smart garment with dynamic colors and patterns generated by real-time text analysis of her digital diary.

There's also a cyberpunk-themed dance party on Saturday night and a live-action puzzle game running through the weekend. The volunteer organization Enabling the Future is planning a Hand-a-Thon to assemble 100 3D-printed prosthetic hands for underprivileged kids. Organizers have also set up an expo/lounge space called the Hub for people to wander around and interface, figuratively or otherwise.
One of the biggest cosmological discoveries in history was Edwin Hubble's 1925 realization that the universe is not a static place - it's expanding. Now, astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope, plus a collaboration of telescopes in space and on the ground, to take the most precise observations of the rate of expansion to date, but they used a strange quirk of spacetime to do it.

Strong cosmic lensing occurs when light travels from a distant point in the universe and encounters a massive object along the way. Massive objects, like galaxies, cause spacetime to bend and warp, as predicted by Einstein's general relativity. If the alignment is just right between us and the distant source of light, the massive object in between can create a spacetime "lens" that magnifies and distorts the passage of light through space.

Multiple lensed images and distorted arcs are commonly seen in deep space imagery, showcasing the phenomenon. It's a bit like holding a magnifying lens in front of a candle; get the positioning right, and the candlelight intensifies and distorts. These natural lenses have been used by Hubble in the past to amplify its magnification potential as part of the Frontier Fields project, seeing deeper into space than its conventional optics will allow.

But these cosmic lenses in spacetime can be used for other astronomical purposes, and one of them, as revealed by new research published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, is to test a fundamental constant that describes the universe's relentless - and accelerating - expansion. The research was carried out by the wonderfully named H0LiCOW collaboration.

RELATED: The Warped Beauty of Gravitational Lenses

An interesting detail with cosmic lenses is that they're not perfect. In other words, light from the same distant source (like an ancient quasar) may take different paths along different regions of warped spacetime. Rather than a single lens, there are many different lenses clustered together of different magnifications. (This is especially true if the lens is being caused by an uneven galaxy or galaxy cluster.) In this scenario, Hubble will see multiple images of the same distant quasar, and as each image has passed through a different lens, they've taken a different length of time to be observed from Earth. Some examples are shown here:

Now, for the bright quasars observed by Hubble, it is known that these highly active galactic cores flicker in brightness and these flickers will be delayed from lensed image to image. Using flicker time delay as a measure, this new research has been able to get a very precise measurement of the rate of cosmic expansion, confirming previous measurements of the Hubble constant - a number that defines the rate of cosmic expansion.

"Our method is the most simple and direct way to measure the Hubble constant as it only uses geometry and General Relativity, no other assumptions," said astronomer Frederic Courbin, of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

By using this method, the researchers have been able to measure the Hubble constant to a precision of 3.8 percent - the most precise measurement yet made. "An accurate measurement of the Hubble constant is one of the most sought-after prizes in cosmological research today," said collaborator Vivien Bonvin, also from EPFL.
Thao Nuon closed his Cambodian restaurant recently after injuring his right hand in a car accident Nov. 20. It was too hard for him to train others how to cook his food, Nuon said.

Angkor Wat, Khmer and Thai Cuisine, opened in October on Park Street to mixed reviews, and Nuon said that was because he was unable to cook himself.

A note on the door reads: "Unfortunately, we've decided to close Angkor Wat. We will be opening a Hunan cuisine restaurant in its place soon and invite you to join us again."

Nuon said his landlord Jiang Jing Xun, who, with his family, owns many local Chinese and Japanese restaurants or their buildings, is opening a Chinese restaurant in Angkor Wat's place at 602 S. Park St.

"It's his own building, so he can do what he wants," Nuon said.

The restaurant -- located in what was formerly Inka Heritage -- offered Khmer, or Cambodian food, as well as Thai food. Angkor Wat was one of only two Cambodian restaurants in Wisconsin.
For nearly two years, the mostly elderly Chinese immigrant tenants in a Chinatown residential hotel have been harassed and forced to live for months without working showers, sinks and toilets as the owners have worked to reposition the building as a dorm for young tech professionals and students, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

These substandard conditions were brought about when the owners and operators turned the 68-unit SRO into a construction zone in an attempt to convert it from low-income housing to space for more affluent residents, said Steve Collier, the attorney representing tenants of the single-room-occupancy hotel.

In the complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, 55 tenants at 937 Clay St. say they have endured broken showers, inadequate showers, showers kept locked and inaccessible to plaintiffs, lack of functioning toilets, toilets that are filthy and in a state of chronic disrepair.

Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle

The manager of the building, however, denies the building is being transformed for younger, wealthier tech workers.

We are not kicking out any tenants, said manager Tony Brettkelly of Latitude 38 Housing Services. We are trying to improve the property.

The lawsuit arrives at a time when San Franciscos housing crunch has made the citys stock of SRO hotels  long the housing of last resort for the poor  attractive to young professionals migrating to the city to take advantage of the tech boom. Several investment groups have snapped up SROs in the South of Market, North Beach and other neighborhoods.

The suit names the buildings current owner, 233-237 Eddy LLC, and manager, Latitude 38 Housing Services, and the former owner and manager, Clay Street Apartment Group and Urban Pioneer Management Inc. Dipak Patel, who owns several SROs in the city, controls the current owner.

While the average tenant pays $400 to $500 a month in rent, the current management firm is charging new tenants $1,095 a month for a room. That is up from $550 a month in 2013.

There are ways to make money from vacant units and ways to renovate without taking out the vast majority of the services, Collier said. Nonprofits do it all the time.

Residents say that for about a year there were only two showers and two toilets working in the building. Feng Xiao Chen, 81, said she would get up to shower at 2 a.m. because it was the only time there was not a long line. Some days she would hop on one of the free buses to Sonoma County casinos that leave from Chinatown and, after a two-hour drive, use the sinks there to wash up.

It is always a race to use the showers and sinks, said Chen, a retired seamstress and kitchen worker. I try to let the younger people use them in the morning because they have to go to work.

Guo Yi Deng, 61, said he and most of the men in the building have resorted to urinating in buckets because the toilets have been out of service so frequently.

Deng said he would have left the building, but he has nowhere to go I can afford.

Building manager Brettkelly said his company has moved quickly to fix problems since taking over the building in October. He said the company is investing $70,000 in wiring and $20,000 in fire safety.

Brettkelly said the four showers out of the original 10 still awaiting repair will be working soon and that the flooring in the hallways, bathrooms and kitchens will be replaced.

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.

If you saw it six months ago, you wouldnt believe the condition of the kitchens, he said. The wiring systems were shot, and there were a bunch of notices of violations. It was a nightmare. There is still a ton of work to do, but we cant do much until we have rewired the building. If you were to come back in six months, you would see a dramatic visual change.

Throughout the building are signs threatening to fine tenants up to $300, and possibly evict them, for activities including walking on the fire escape, storing items in the hallway, using sinks to clean clothes, and leaving the bathrooms dirty. Collier said the signs, along with the endless construction, seem designed to make life unpleasant enough that tenants paying low rent will move.

While Latitude 38 manages buildings in SoMa and elsewhere that are very much marketed and designed for Millennial techies, this isnt one of them, Brettkelly said. We make it clear that this is a traditional Chinese immigrant building, he said. Its not a student building or a tech building.

Of the six units the company has leased since Latitude 38 took over in October, he said, four went to young people and two to family members of longtime residents. Counting tenants that were already in the building, about 12 of the rooms have been leased to younger professionals, he said.

But Gen Fujioka, policy director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, which organized the tenants, said the lawsuit is about resisting efforts by a series of investors to exploit affordable housing in Chinatown.

Latitude 38 is taking over working-class housing, housing for seniors, housing for very low-income people, both here in Chinatown and other parts of the city, he said. This is a building that is clearly in transition. Half of it is clearly being designed not for this community, not for the existing tenants, and half of it is the older traditional housing.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents Chinatown, called 937 Clay St. an outrageous case and said the neighborhood is the final frontier for investors looking to turn a profit in traditionally low-income neighborhoods.

We have been getting increasing cases of SROs being turned into short-term rentals, of speculators trying to make a quick buck, Peskin said. As long as I am a supervisor, I am going to use every legal means at my disposal to make sure San Franciscos Chinatown doesnt go the way of New York and other Chinatowns that have been decimated.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @sfjkdineen
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The United States is in uncharted territory with President Trump, a man with no experience in public service who has never even sniffed government, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday in a talk at the University of San Francisco.

Government under the Trump administration will look and feel different, Rice said, noting the rapid parade of executive orders, and ensuing controversy, that has marked his first week in office. But I am a great believer in what the Founding Fathers believed in, which is the contained executive kept in check by Congress, the courts and, she said, Americans, who are a notoriously ungovernable people.

Still, somebody should probably think about taking away his Twitter account, Trumps favorite tool for quickly, and arguably with too little thought, communicating with the masses, she said.

I almost wish that there were kind of a placebo Twitter, Rice said, where he was tweeting but it was going into hyperspace instead.

Rices comments were part of a 45-minute discussion before 500 students and faculty of the Jesuit school, who were invited to submit questions in advance. Rice was appointed secretary of state by President George W. Bush, becoming the first black woman to hold that position. Shes now a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Thursdays discussion first meandered through Rices youth and her advice to young college students, then hit on some amusing anecdotes from her time as Bushs national security adviser and then secretary of state.

When the topic turned to current politics, including Trump and the state of relations with Russia, Rice, always the diplomat, was reserved in her comments, but clearly primed to offer some thoughts.

I think we have to give this (Trump presidency) some time, Rice said. It will take the president himself time to realize the limitations of his power, she said, because hes accustomed to a different domain.

Referring to his order to build a wall on the border with Mexico, Rice said, just wait until he realizes with that wall there have to be environmental impact studies, then those have to be put on the Web for comment. Pretty soon hes going to think, What did I get into?

Rice, an expert in Soviet history and politics, spoke for several minutes about current U.S.-Russian relations and the need to improve them. Russia is hardly a leader in the global economy  Think of the last time you bought a product made in Russia. It doesnt happen, she said. But its on-the-ground control in Syria and President Vladimir Putins aggressive moves to rebuild an empire make it an important international player.

She warned Americans to not confuse Putin  a man she knows quite well  with the Russian people.

You have to find a way to isolate Putin and Putinism without isolating the Russians, Rice said. This is the most sophisticated, intellectually capable people on the face of the Earth when it comes to science and literature and the arts. We have to keep reaching out to the Russian population.

When the moderator of Thursdays talk, Jeff Silk of the money management firm Fisher Investments, finally brought up Trump toward the end of the conversation, Rice teased, I wondered when you were going to ask.

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.

She acknowledged that diplomacy was something he needs to work on, noting that as secretary of state she was constantly aware of the importance of language, both for herself and the president she advised.

The tempestuousness or tendency to want to comment on everything, hes got to dial that back, she said. When youre president of the United States, youve got to think before you speak.

But she added that she understands his enthusiasm for direct communication via Twitter with the people who elected him, and that many of those same people are drawn to his style of leadership. He believes the American people wanted him to go in and turn over tables, Rice said.

Lets be honest about this. The good thing about democracy is when disaffected people find channels to press for change, she said. And there was a huge disaffected population who felt that globalization had not served them well, that theyd been left behind. We have to look deep into our national psyche and not just ignore the factors that produced this outcome.

If we can do that, we will have used this lesson well.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Federal immigration enforcement officers Thursday sparked panic in San Franciscos Mission District when they mistakenly showed up at a family center the day after President Trump issued a sweeping executive order on immigration.

Five agents, at least one armed, came inside the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center in the 1200 block of Potrero Avenue just after 9 a.m., the nonprofit agencys director said. An apartment complex located adjacent to the shelter  which has a preschool inside  was where the agents should have gone, witnesses said.

In the sanctuary city of San Francisco, the agents arrival, as they stepped into the centers lobby resplendent with colorful wooden toys and childrens books, set off alarm bells so soon after Trump threatened to cut off federal funding for municipalities that would not acquiesce to his promised immigration crackdown.

Mario Paz, the centers executive director, said he had never seen anything like the action in his 10 years there. After the agents walked in, a receptionist informed them the center wasnt a residency, and they left after a short exchange, Paz said.

Its a little bit rattling for our staff and honestly our clients, Paz said. This happened the day after the president announced his new enforcement policies. People can draw their own conclusions on that.

The spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements regional office said officers were conducting routine enforcement activities Thursday in a bid to locate a convicted sex offender wanted for deportation. The officers entered the wrong address, the spokeswoman acknowledged, before realizing their mistake.

The agents then left without making any arrests, the spokeswoman said, adding that it was part of the agencys ongoing efforts to protect the nation and uphold public safety.

Ana Herrera, an immigration attorney with Dolores Street Community Services who had been apprised of the situation, said the enforcement action  which she noted wasnt the same as a raid, when ICE agents sweep into an area and attempt to detain masses of the undocumented  said her agency fielded a lot of calls, from a lot of panicked people.

People were locking up doors and buildings after they heard the news, Herrera said. Its good to take precautions, but I dont want people to hide. Thats exactly what San Francisco doesnt want to happen.

An often-cited memo issued by the Department of Homeland Security in 2011 set a policy that immigration agents were to avoid so-called sensitive locations, such as churches and schools, except under exceptional circumstances or with prior approval from higher-ups.

Mayor Ed Lee, in his annual State of the City address Thursday, railed against Trumps early days in office, without mentioning the president by name, while defending San Franciscos status as a haven for progressives.

We are a sanctuary city  now, tomorrow, forever, Lee said.

At the center, it appears the agents made a mistake with the address, an error amplified by the presidents policies, Herrera said. As the news spread throughout San Franciscos network of immigration attorneys and advocates, there was a mobilization of attorneys ready to aid anyone detained, she said.

Herrera added that Thursdays enforcement wasnt all that unusual under Obama-era policies that directed small-scale operations to target alleged criminals or those with a final order for deportation.

They were looking for one or two people, Herrera said. Its not these collateral raids that we are afraid are going to shortly happen.

Jenna Lyons and Michael Bodley are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley @JennaJourno
Firms financing lawsuits in Northern Californias federal courts can continue their work almost entirely in secret after court officials this week rejected a proposed rule change that would have required attorneys to disclose when their cases receive backing from third parties.

The change  which would have been unprecedented in U.S. courts  became a flash-point in the debate over transparency in the fast-growing litigation finance industry, in which investment firms help pay for the outsize costs of trying a case in return for a cut of the proceeds that come from a favorable judgment or settlement.

Court officials in June had proposed adding litigation funders to an existing rule dealing with the disclosure of interested parties in a case. But on Monday, the court announced it had torpedoed the proposal, opting instead to make a much narrower change, requiring disclosure only in class-action cases.

However, litigation funders rarely dabble in class-action lawsuits, given the complexity and risk inherent in trying a case with many moving parts. The vast majority of the cases they back are civil lawsuits between businesses; normally they support the plaintiff.

For us and for our business, it will have a very little effect, said Travis Lenkner, a managing director with the international litigation finance firm Burford Capital. Were pleased to see the court taking an incremental approach on this, he said.

A spokeswoman for the Northern District declined to comment or make court officials available for an interview.

Investing in lawsuits has been commonplace in Australia and Britain for years, but its recent growth in the U.S. has prompted some critics to denounce the idea of deep-pocketed investors influencing the judicial system from the shadows.

Twenty-eight percent of private-practice lawyers in the U.S. said their firms had used litigation finance last year, according to a survey conducted by Burford. Thats four times as much as in 2013.

The industry was thrust into the spotlight last year after the revelation that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel had funded the lawsuit brought by Terry Bollea  better known as Hulk Hogan  against Gawker Media. The lawsuit was ultimately successful and contributed to Gawkers bankruptcy.

But litigation financiers say that the characterization that they heap bags of money on the scales of justice for private gain is unfounded, and they seek to distance themselves from comparisons to the sensational Hogan case. Their business, they say, simply helps companies with a lack of access to capital.

You talk to a business owner or a patent holder whose life has been destroyed by someone and they cant afford to fight back. Thats where we come in, said Matthew Harrison, an investment manager and legal counsel in San Francisco for litigation funding firm Bentham IMF.

You meet with people whose cases youve funded, and you realize that its a social good to allow people to use our super-expensive judicial system, he said.

Harrison said that Bentham vets the cases it invests in extremely carefully, rejecting about 95 percent of the lawsuits it reviews and choosing only those that appear to have a substantial chance of winning.

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If we funded frivolous litigation, wed be out of business in two weeks. The cases have to be strong, he said. For Bentham, Harrison said, the minimum investment is $1 million. For every $1 million in investment, the firm looks for a case to yield about $10 million in damages, of which it takes a portion.

There is also some debate among legal scholars about whether revealing that litigation funders are backing a case has any actual relevance to the litigation itself.

Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at Northwesterns Pritzker School of Law, said litigation finance can conceivably refer to any number of different funding arrangements.

When a public interest group like the (American Civil Liberties Union) brings a case, for example, its financed by its members. But we wouldnt think the ACLU would have to disclose all of its members, Kontorovich said. Its not relevant to most things a court could possibly be interested in.

But not everyone in the litigation finance industry was pleased with the courts decision. Eva Shang, the co-founder of Legalist, a litigation funding startup in San Francisco that uses algorithms to assess whether to invest in a case, said she would prefer to get the industry out of the shadows.

Far too few people who need it, know about it, Shang said. If its going to be noncontroversial and mainstream, and an established way that everyone can have access to an equal justice system, it has to be more transparent.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfchronicle
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A hacker posing as Sunrun CEO Lynn Jurich obtained the W-2 tax forms  including Social Security numbers and salary details  for many employees of the San Francisco solar firm, the company said Friday.

The incident represents the latest example of a spear-phishing attack timed to coincide with the start of tax-filing season. Spear-phishing attacks use carefully tailored, detailed emails to trick recipients into divulging sensitive information.

Someone pretending to be Jurich sent Sunruns payroll department an email on Jan. 20 requesting employee W-2 forms, which companies typically send their employees this month.

Unfortunately, the phishing email wasnt recognized for what it was  a scam  and employee W-2s for 2016 were disclosed externally, the real Jurich wrote to Sunrun employees in a memo this week.

The Chronicle first reported the hack online Friday morning after receiving a copy of Jurichs memo. A Sunrun spokeswoman confirmed the data breach later that day, saying a substantial portion of the companys current and former employees had been affected. Sunrun, a pioneer of solar leases for homeowners, has about 4,000 employees nationwide.

According to the company, no customer data was disclosed.

Sunrun recognized the issue within one hour of the scam and immediately began working with the proper authorities, the company said Friday. We are committed to the safety and security of our employees information and will continue to work diligently to increase the security of our systems and implement tighter controls.

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Affected employees can sign up for an identity theft protection program offered by Experian, with Sunrun covering the costs for two years. The company will also revise its internal training program on data security, according to the memo.

The memo advises affected employees to file their taxes as early as possible. Since W-2 forms reveal a taxpayers address, Social Security number, salary and taxes withheld, scammers can use them to file fraudulent tax returns and steal the refunds.

Glenn Massamillo, a former employee who left Sunrun last year, said he had already spoken to his accountant about speeding up the filing process. He was also weighing whether to sign up for the Experian program.

But he questioned why Sunruns payroll department fell for the scam. A request for something as sensitive as employee W-2s, he said, should have prompted an attempt to verify the request, he believes.

Theres some level of extreme incompetence that took place, just from the standpoint of the way the scam was described, said Massamillo, who worked in business development for Sunruns New Jersey operations. I cant imagine that happening without some sort of verification process, like, Really, Lynn, do you really want this?

A similar incident hit Cupertinos Seagate Technology last March, affecting thousands of employees. And in May, ADP, which processes payroll and tax forms for hundreds of thousands of corporate clients, said that hackers had been able to access some tax forms by impersonating its customers employees with stolen personal data.

Unlike hackers trying to break into corporate computer systems, perpetrators of this type of scam focus on manipulating humans, not lines of code.

The emails are tailored to look like they come from within the organization, even if a close examination would show slight differences in the address. Scammers typically impersonate a high-ranking executive, send the email to a subordinate and demand a fast response.

Theres a sense of urgency, said Neil Wynne, a senior analyst at the Gartner research firm. Given who this is appearing to come from, it feels like your job is on the line.

Many companies try to protect themselves by teaching employees to look for signs that an email didnt come from within the organization, such as checking the address for discrepancies.

And yet, considering the sophistication of the attacks, Wynne recommends adding a layer of defense by insisting that employees verify all online requests for money transfers or sensitive information.

And that verification should happen over a different form of communication than the original request. So if the request arrives via email, employees could be required to verify it by phone rather than just responding to the original email, Wynne said.

Theyre so well-crafted that theres only so much you can tell an employee, and even then, they still might fall prey to this, he said. A subordinate shouldnt hesitate to pick up the phone and validate this with the CEO or the CFO.

David Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF
WASHINGTON  Of all the decrees and pronouncements issued by President Trump during his tumultuous first week in office, the one many people most expected is missing: ending protection for the so-called Dreamers.

The fate of 752,000 young immigrants brought into the country by their parents without authorization now rests with an unverified executive order that was leaked to the media and appears authentic, but which Trump has not signed, despite promising during the campaign to do so immediately upon taking office.

The order would revoke the temporary legal status called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, granted in 2012 by President Barack Obama. The program allows these young people, ages 15 to 31, to work, travel outside the country, apply for drivers licenses and otherwise live normal lives in the country where they grew up.

Almost a third of these immigrants live in California.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment or verification of the leaked order. Parties on both sides of the issue are baffled as to what to expect next, some speculating that the delay reflects conflict within the White House over what to do about a group of immigrants to whom even hard-liners, including Trump, are sympathetic.

In a televised ABC interview Wednesday night, Trump said the Dreamers shouldnt be very worried. I do have a big heart. Were going to take care of everybody.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., took little consolation from Trumps words.

Im not assuming theres a delay, Harris said Thursday in a phone interview from a Senate Democratic retreat in West Virginia. What I am seeing is that he has failed to make the commitment that hes going to honor the United States governments promise to DACA kids that we will not share their information with ICE, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Harris said she asked Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly repeatedly to guarantee that America will keep her word, and they have failed to produce that guarantee.

In the campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would terminate the presidents executive order on immigration, Harris said, so until he gives us a guarantee that hes rescinding that, then we have no guarantee and no certainty about what he will or will not do as it relates to tens of thousands of young people who are in college, in the military, working in Fortune 100 companies, and living a productive life in the only home theyve ever known.

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Anti-immigration groups close to the White House are as bewildered as anyone about what Trumps intentions are. Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, has started a Twitter campaign to hold Trump to his campaign promise.

Ive had a number of people tell me to calm down, Beck said. Trumps comments to ABC were quite a mish mash, he said. Trying to diagram any of those sentences let alone trying to figure out what policies are coming out of it is very difficult.

Trump said in the Wednesday ABC interview that the delay on the Dreamers could last a month as his administration looks at the whole immigration situation. That pronouncement came the same day that he signed two orders to start construction on a wall on the Mexico border and begin a broad interior crackdown to deport any immigrant charged with a crime.

On Friday, Trump ordered a temporary halt to all refugee admissions and an indefinite halt to refugee admissions from Syria. The order also blocks refugee applications from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, until a new extreme vetting procedure is established.

Trumps promise to revoke what he called an amnesty for the Dreamers was the fifth of 10 specific promises he made in a major immigration speech last summer in Phoenix, several of which he has now carried out by executive order.

The administration is going to have to suspend (DACA) at some point, because a lot of their supporters are going to get increasingly ticked off, because this was one of his marquee promises, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group pressing for reduced immigration.

The fact that the executive order appears to have been drafted but not signed, he said, suggests that theyre up to something, and its not clear what.

David Bier, an immigration analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute, said the leaked order makes it pretty clear that a certain faction within the Trump administration wants (DACA) rescinded immediately.

In the meantime, the U.S. Center for Immigration Services, the agency administering the Dreamer program, is still accepting applications.

The vast majority of immigrants who could apply for relief have, and in so doing have also revealed their identities to federal immigration authorities. Nearly 80 percent of these Dreamers are from Mexico, nearly 90 percent are employed, half are in school and most of those in college, and more than 90 percent got a drivers license for the first time in their lives, said Doris Meissner, head of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer suggested last week that the administration was looking to Congress to fix the problem.

Analysts said the most obvious legislative vehicle would be the bipartisan Bridge Act recently introduced in the Senate by Harris and her California colleague, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also a Democrat, along with Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and in the House by Republican Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock (Stanislaus County) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose.

That bill would codify the current Dreamer program in law, providing a provisional protected presence for Dreamers and employment authorization.

But the GOPs profound divisions on immigration have doomed previous efforts either to address specific immigrant categories or write a comprehensive overhaul. The partys business wing wants to expand work categories, while hard-liners want to shrink legal admissions, now about 1 million people a year.

I think we have to try, Lofgren said. But Ive been working on immigration with Republicans for a long time, and I am skeptical that the Republican leadership in the House would actually move on this, but well see.

Krikorian said he would like to use the Dreamers as a bargaining chip for lower numbers of legal immigrants or mandatory electronic verification of immigration status for employers. But any negotiations would open the door to factions wanting changes to the H-1B program for skilled workers, farm labor categories or others.

In the meantime, both sides said Trumps order for an enforcement crackdown could sweep up any Dreamers who get arrested.

University of California President Janet Napolitano, speaking Friday by video link at a conference held by the Migration Policy Institute, urged colleges and universities to join with businesses to tell Trump that ending protection for the Dreamers is not a popular thing to do.

Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead
For a few minutes, the street was almost silent.

It was a respite from the yelling for the several hundred protestors who Thursday night packed themselves outside San Franciscos Federal Building to protest President Trumps executive order that on Tuesday paved the way for the contested Dakota Access Pipeline and other domestic energy projects.

The moments of silence, when the self-stylized water protectors walked into Mission Street and sat down, taking up a sizable swath between Seventh and Eighth streets, came after organizers projected #NODAPL in large type on the federal building and aboriginal attendees danced and chanted around the crowd.

Michael Bodley / Michael Bodley / The Chronicle

They brought all the standard signs to the event an organizer said was put together by a Native American advocacy organization, Idle No More SF Bay, and other groups: Protect the water, Step past fossil fuels and the like. And, as usual, some signs were too explicit to print.

But two undergraduate students who made their way across the bay from UC Berkeley said Trumps directives Tuesday added new urgency to their movement toward alternative energies and away from fossil fuels.

Jacques Jougla, a freshman from Santa Barbara majoring in environmental science, said that developing renewable energy sources was nothing less than our future, adding that this was some way to show that, however small.

Especially now in light of the election, we cant rely on the national government anymore to take a stand, Jougla, 18, said. California needs to do this.

His friend helping him hold an anti-DAPL banner, Angela White, also a freshman by way of Chicago, added that this is just one example of a really long history of abuse of native people, and thats never been acknowledged.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com
The notion that some foods provide comfort is probably as old as the adult child of the first cook, who, having a bad day, prepared some dish remembered vividly from childhood. Its likely that the dish was high in fat and carbohydrates, filling and satisfying.

What that dish might actually be, of course, may depend on your gender  women tend to prefer sweets and snacks, while men prefer hearty, meaty dishes such as casseroles and stews. Or so say the scientists who study such things.

It will also depend on your culture  the dumplings of China, Armenia and Poland may provide scant comfort to the Latino whos looking for Puerto Ricos arroz con gandules, rice with pigeon peas, or to the Indonesian for whom nasi goreng, fried rice with a variety of garnishes, speaks of home.

Most of us here in the States would recognize macaroni and cheese as a comfort food; so, too, mashed potatoes and pot roast and chicken pot pie and meatloaf and even birthday cake.

What these dishes have in common is their humble rusticity. These are dishes that we may remember our mothers and grandmothers preparing  good food served at their tables.

Comfort foods share another commonality: They are typically something we ate early in our lives, perhaps the first time we became fully aware of the food we were eating. These dishes echo, whether or not we consciously realized it, a time when we knew beyond question that someone cared for us  because whenever someone feeds another person, at the acts base is the wish to provide sustenance. The person who places food in our hands says by that act, I want you to live.

Preparing a comfort food from your childhood is a Proustian resurrection of those who cared for you in the past. If they are dead, the dishs preparation may be wistful or poignant, but it is a resurrection, a recalling of those lives into your own.

For this reason, comfort foods are often idiosyncratic. A dish often has a meaning for you that it has for no one else.

I am the daughter of Bobby Hughes Mather, dead now for nearly two decades and missed every day. She was a difficult, brilliant woman whose generosity and skill as a cook were unparalleled. She fed her family of seven  and the frequent guests at her table  with grace and talent. This is the dish I cook for myself when I want to resurrect her.
Immigrants are a vital part of the diverse, vibrant social fabric of California. This week, President Trump signed executive orders that have the potential to destroy that fabric. We at the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic, the only community-based law school immigration clinic in Los Angeles, are doing all we can to keep that from happening. But we cant do it alone; our client demand has tripled and continues to grow. It is time for all Californians to stand up for the rights of immigrants.

If you are an immigrant, there are actions you can take now to place yourself in the best possible position for whatever the future may hold. If you are not an immigrant, support someone who is by relaying this knowledge or offering to lend them help should they need it. Here are the steps:

Know your rights and what to do should you come into contact with law enforcement or immigration officials. You have the right to remain silent, and you are not obligated to open the door without a warrant, regardless of an officers request. In the workplace, do not allow an employer to intimidate you because of your legal status.

Develop a family safety plan in the event that you or a loved one is detained by immigration officials. Designate a primary point of contact and have a trusted attorneys contact information on hand. Discuss who will take custody of any minor children should they be left behind without supervision.

Seek out an immigration consultation now and do so periodically; laws and policies continuously change, both for the bad and good. Know how immigration policy affects you and what steps you can take to protect yourself. Additionally, circumstances in your life may change that allow you to access certain forms of relief that shield you from deportation. If you are a green card holder, the time to naturalize is now. If you have been previously deported, contact an attorney to learn how to complete a stay of removal should it be necessary.

Do not consult with a notario or anyone who is not licensed to practice law in the U.S. In searching for help, nonprofits like our justice clinic can provide reputable representation or help you find someone who can. In California, check the state bars website at www.calbar.ca.gov for attorney licensing and disciplinary records.

Gather any and all relevant immigration documents you may have. If you have filed for any forms of relief in the past, maintain copies of notices and receipts from the government. File a Freedom of Information Act request to receive a full copy of your immigration record. This can be done with assistance by many local nonprofits or by sending in Form G-639, available at https://www.uscis.gov/g-639.

Collect all relevant identification documents of yourself and immediate family members, proof of payment of taxes and property ownership, and official education transcripts. If you have ever come into contact with or been arrested by a law enforcement agency, then keep a copy of your background check and related court clearances or docket sheets.

The more you do now, the better equipped you will be to make your case in immigration court should it become necessary. It is up to all of us to help keep the social fabric of California intact.

Marissa Montes and Emily Robinson are co-directors of the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. The clinic has conducted more than 10,000 client consultations and provided more than 40,000 hours of pro bono service to Los Angeles immigrant population.
San Franciscos political calendar is giving Mayor Ed Lee a chance to join in the growing ranks of Donald Trump defiers and trot out a list of his accomplishments and fresh challenges.

His annual State of the City address  a formal date to recite the mayoral record  falls just a day after the new president debuted a string of harsh immigration rules and a crackdown on sanctuary-city policies that San Francisco and hundreds of other cities have adopted.

That conjunction gave Lee a chance to speak his mind before a room of city officials and supporters in the ornate but neglected former Hibernia Bank building on the edge of the Tenderloin.

Without mentioning the president by name, Lee declared it is time to fight back against White House intentions to cut health care and immigration-friendly laws. It was a repeat of his day-before blast at Trumps plans to extend a wall along the Mexican border and force cities such as San Francisco to drop protective laws for undocumented immigrants. Hes well in line with his constituents outlook. though the all-important details are still unknown.

In ticking off his record, Lee edged out slightly from his past stands, suggesting shifts in homeless and police policy. He sidestepped any direct mention of the citys near-$10 billion budget and what might happen if Republican-controlled Washington slashes federal aid to save money or punish a rebellious Democratic outpost. The city receives about $1 billion annually in federal money.

Lee devoted a major part of his address to homelessness, an issue that has bedeviled him and prior mayors. Hes attempting a new course, though the numbers of tents and people living on the streets hasnt budged substantially. The city needs results, Mr. Mayor.

In his address, he pledged to open three more intensive-service Navigation Centers to add to the two already operating. The facilities, along with a computerized tracking system and centralized administration, are Lees answer to a visible and shameful problem.

He added another volatile ingredient to the debate on ending homelessness. He favors conservatorships that allow court-authorized oversight of individuals who cant care for themselves. The details werent spelled out on an idea that would be a forceful and welcome step up from Lauras Law rules that direct but dont enforce treatment for unbalanced individuals. Hell need the blessing of local judges, with whom hes feuded for tossing out hundreds of quality-of-life police citations.

Lee, who handpicked William Scott as police chief, also came down in favor of Taser-like stun guns to control potentially violent suspects. Despite years of debate, the Police Commission has stopped short of endorsing their use. With Lee and his new chief of like minds, adoption could become a reality. The topic follows a string of fatal officer-involved shootings, where stun guns might have saved lives.

The mayor didnt waver from bringing up the citys severest challenges. He is right to keep homelessness at the top of the agenda. Its pervasiveness is a civic disgrace that demands sustained attention.
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The first San Francisco police dogs got an early test, on New Years Eve in 1962.

The streets near downtown fell into disorder, as they had in previous years, and the 1,000 San Francisco Police Department personnel dispatched werent enough to keep the peace. The Chronicle reported that after an officer arrested a man who had beaten an elderly citizen, a crowd surrounded them, chanting, Turn him loose and Lets get the cop.

And then the K-9 corps arrived.

It was easy, SFPD Sgt. Gus Bruneman told the newspaper. Using the dogs on a leash we simply herded the mob all down Market Street like a bunch of sheep.

That was just one cinematic moment for the SFPDs first K-9 unit, a six-dog team that made its debut in late 1962.

The decision to add dogs to the department was controversial  considered by some a waste of money, at a time when the new Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant St. had cost taxpayers more than anticipated. But the dogs won the citizens hearts with heroism, then tragedy, in an eventful first year on the force.

Police Chief Thomas J. Cahill, a career San Francisco cop known as a no-nonsense innovator, had tried and failed several times to start the K-9 program. Armed with statistics (police dogs in San Jose had been a success) and a cost-saving plan (citizens donated the dogs for free, and the animals lived with police), Cahill in early 1962 persuaded the Police Commission to allocate $17,000 for a six-dog/three-car team.

The trend of the times is outright defiance of authority, Cahill reasoned. You can argue with a cop, but you cant argue with a dog.

Bruneman and his dog, Tonka, led the unit. But the breakout star was Sultan, who lived with Officer Robert McDonnell and his six children in the Outer Sunset.

Sultan made news with the citys first dog-assisted arrest, chasing a burglary suspect through a darkened San Francisco junkyard, before cornering him and snarling until police arrived.

We found the suspect squatting, head on knees, absolutely stone still, McDonnell said. If he hadnt been, the dog would have attacked, of course.

Sultan, and McDonnells family, made the front page of The Chronicle on Dec. 31, 1962, under the headline The Pride of the Force: S.F. Police Dog Gets His Man. The dog developed a level of celebrity in San Francisco, making the news when he helped catch a criminal. The police force also discovered that the police dogs were wonderful for outreach at schools. (Bruneman also co-founded the first San Francisco Police Activities League.)

Sadly, Sultan spent less than a year on the force. While searching for a suicide victim on the San Francisco end of the Golden Gate Bridge in September 1963, Sultan forged ahead of McDonnell, and slipped off the bridge not far from the anchorage.

Oh Lord. I couldnt get to him, McDonnell told The Chronicle the next day. He fell forever.

More front page stories followed, honoring the dog. McDonnell said Sultan fell at least 60 feet onto rocks, not water, but the officer was able to scramble down and soothe the dog in its final moments.

He died in my arms, with only one whimper, McDonnell said. He was my working partner at night, and a part of the family by day.

McDonnells human family was devastated. His wife told The Chronicle: That dog used to be a pillow for the kids to watch TV on. When the smaller ones went out to the back yard with their sand shovels, he was right out there with his forefeet helping them dig. He was the soul and patience of this house.

McDonnell got another dog named King, and the K-9 unit continued to grow  an SFPD official said the department currently has about 20 K-9 teams working in patrol, the Municipal Transportation Agency and the airport.

Art Frisch/The Chronicle

But the first dogs will not be forgotten.

Sultans name will live forever on the records, Police Chief Cahill told The Chronicle, because he was the first police dog to die in the line of duty.

Peter Hartlaub is a San Francisco Chronicle pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub
Murtadha Al-Tameemi, a 24-year-old Iraqi software engineer at Facebook, was in Canada for the opening night of his brothers play when he received a phone call from someone he wasnt expecting: his immigration lawyer.

Where are you? she asked. When she heard he was in Canada she said: OK, come back right now.

She told him that President Trump was planning on signing an order temporarily banning people from some Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq. Al-Tameemi, who is in the U.S. on a worker visa, decided he would stay because it was an important night for his brother.

But that night he was unable to sleep, tossing, turning and wondering: Did he make the right decision? Would he be blocked from re-entering the U.S. and lose his job? He got to the airport five hours early the next day and was able to return without incident, but hes put future travel plans on hold.

Im very anxious. It seems so unfair  Ive been in this country all these years. Ive contributed to society, said Al-Tameemi, who first came to the U.S. 10 years ago. I havent done anything wrong, but theres punishment for something that we didnt do.

Al-Tameemis attorney contacted him after seeing a draft of an executive order on immigration that was posted by several media outlets. Trump has yet to issue such an order, but he has made it clear he intends to change U.S. immigration policy.

The leaked draft order indicated that Trump was considering temporarily banning immigration from Iran, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Iraq, and halting refugee resettlement indefinitely for Syrians.

The possibility that Trump will implement such an order is creating uncertainty among workers, students and others from those countries who have established roots in the Bay Area. Advocates are telling those with visas to consult attorneys before leaving the country, while some lawyers are warning them against foreign travel at all.

In an interview Wednesday night on ABC, Trump took issue with describing his planned action as a Muslim ban. Instead, he said, it would be aimed at countries that have tremendous terror and from which people are going to come in and cause us tremendous problems. ... Youre looking at people that come in, in many cases, in some cases with evil intentions. I dont want that. Theyre ISIS.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2017

Pratheepan Gulasekaram, an associate professor at Santa Clara University School of Law who specializes in immigration issues, said it would be easy for Trump to expand the number of countries on such a list once an order is in place.

It is obviously not (aimed at) the entire Muslim world, but it is a small fig leaf for a start of a broader ban on immigration from Muslim countries, Gulasekaram said. He noted that a policy put in place by then-President George W. Bush after 9/11 requiring mainly Muslim male immigrants to register with the federal government started with those from a handful of nations, but eventually expanded to cover 25 countries.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said it had received numerous calls from immigrants in the U.S. on worker or student visas who are worried about their future under Trump.

This is disrupting a lot of lives, said Abed Ayoub, legal and policy director of the organization. This is a Muslim ban. What this amounts to  and the dangerous part of this  is were seeing the rhetoric turn into actual policy.

Some of those who could be affected by a U.S. policy shift say theyve flourished in this country and have made contributions to their adopted home.

Shayan Zadeh said he had long wanted to come to the U.S. from his native Iran before securing a student visa in 2000 to get his masters in computer science at the University of Maryland. He went on to found Zoosk, an online dating platform that made more than $200 million in revenue and created jobs in the Bay Area. Since then, Zadeh has founded another startup designed to spread artificial intelligence technology in hospitals.

This (process) is a big part of my background, and its how I got to be where I am, said Zadeh, who lives in San Francisco and became a U.S. citizen in 2013. These changes would make it impossible for somebody else in my shoes.

And it comes in the face of statistics that show a different side to the threat described by Trump.

No immigrants from the countries cited in the leaked draft order have committed lethal terrorism attacks in the U.S. in the last 15 years, said Albert Ford, a research assistant at New America, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. In that time, 80 percent of terrorism acts in this country have been committed by U.S. citizens or legal residents, he said.

If Trump follows through on his plans, it will be a really sad day for refugees and immigrants, said Eskinder Negash, former director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

One potential hurdle for would-be immigrants is the possibility that the U.S. would require their home countries to provide information on visa applicants. Its unclear whether countries such as Iran would cooperate. If they did not, their citizens would in essence be barred from entering the U.S.

Zadeh wonders whether his Iranian family will ever be able to visit him in the U.S. or whether his brother, who is in the country on a student visa, will be able to obtain his green card granting him legal residency.

The blanketness is really shocking, Zadeh said of the possible U.S. changes. Just saying no matter what the circumstances that the door was closed  it feels very one-way, authoritarian. It feels very un-American.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz
A Madison man who said he was bullied for years by a man who was selling him property on the city's Southwest Side, all over missed and late payments for the property, was found guilty Thursday night of second-degree intentional homicide for shooting the man to death in 2015.

Sophea "Bruce" Mouth, 53, was found guilty of shooting to death Thomas Dreger, 70. Mouth also was convicted of attempted second-degree intentional homicide for shooting Greg Pongratz, 53, who was with Dreger. They had gone to Mouth's auto repair shop on Nov. 13, 2015, to change the locks on the buildings after a foreclosure proceeding ended and ownership of the buildings went back to Dreger.

In the courtroom, Connie Dreger, the widow of Thomas Dreger, wept, hugged and clasped hands with supporters as the verdicts were read. Mouth hung his head at the defense table.

The jury deliberated for about 8 hours after closing arguments midday Thursday before reaching their verdicts.

The verdicts were lesser included charges to first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Second-degree intentional homicide carries up to 60 years of combined prison and extended supervision. Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas McNamara will sentence Mouth in about two months after a pre-sentence investigation by the state Department of Corrections.

Mouth's lawyer, state Assistant Public Defender Stan Woodard, had contended that Mouth was justified in shooting Dreger and Pongratz because he was attempting to defend himself from an imminent attack by Dreger, who he said had threatened Mouth at times in the past. But Assistant District Attorney Andrea Raymond argued that none of the witnesses that day at the scene, at 2003 Freeport Road, had heard Dreger make any threats or saw him touch Mouth in any way before Mouth pulled out a gun and shot Dreger and Pongratz.

Experts disagreed on the number shots, between three and four, that were fired and about the kinds of wounds sustained by the victims. Dreger was shot three times, and Pongratz was struck once.

A defense crime scene expert, Weaver Barkman, said that he believed that Pongratz was struck by a bullet fragment that passed through Dreger and struck Pongratz, bolstering an assertion that Mouth wasn't trying to kill Pongratz.

But Dane County Deputy Medical Examiner Agnieszka Rogalska testified that it was a bullet, not a fragment, that first passed through Pongratz's chin, then exited and struck him again in the neck and spine. She added that Pongratz's height, 6 feet, made it unlikely that a bullet that struck him with a downward trajectory had passed through the chest of Dreger, who was shorter.

Pongratz testified that Mouth managed to stand or jump onto something before he fired.

In her closing argument, Raymond also asserted that Pongratz was shot first, as Pongratz testified. She said another witness also said Pongratz fell first.

"Why was he shot first?" she asked jurors. "Why was he shot at all?"

Raymond said Barkman was paid $8,000 to testify, failed to produce a balanced report and presented hardened opinions that lacked scientific basis. She called him the "Wizard of Oz," "just a guy with a mic and a smoke machine."

In his closing argument, Woodard pleaded with jurors to see the humanity of what had happened between Dreger and Mouth, how Dreger had bullied and badgered Mouth over the years, then wrongfully showed up to evict him from the property at the end of a redemption period following a foreclosure judgment in Dreger's favor. Dreger should have followed a procedure required under state law, he said.

Shouting at times, wildly gesturing at others, Woodard urged jurors to understand how threatened Mouth felt when Dreger had, once again, shown up to order him around. And that left Mouth, who has polio-weakened legs, cornered in the garage with no options, afraid that Dreger, a bigger man, would physically attack him.

"You know what," Woodard said, "he sure can defend himself."

Raymond agreed that Dreger had confronted Mouth angrily over the years because of the money that Mouth owed him, and agreed that Wisconsin does not have "self-help eviction." But she said Mouth's actions were far worse.

"There's certainly no self-help execution," she said. "You don't get to execute someone because they're a bully."

Raymond said that the law requires that Mouth actually believed that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, a stretch when no threats of violence were heard, and no weapons were wielded toward Mouth by Dreger or Pongratz.

"Where's the imminent death?" Raymond asked. "Where's the threat of great bodily harm?"

Woodard said the threat in part was a collapsible baton that Pongratz had in his pants pocket, arguing that it reflected Pongratz's attitude toward Mouth.

But Raymond said Pongratz had never met Mouth before that day, and that Mouth himself testified that he didn't know Pongratz even had the baton.
In Vietnam, Lunar New Year (Jan. 28), is a time for resting, relaxation and gathering with friends and family, says Santa Cruz cookbook author Andrea Nguyen. Its like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah all poured into one.

And, as with so many holidays, its also about the food.

With four cookbooks about Vietnamese and Asian cooking under her belt, and a new one, The Pho Cookbook (Ten Speed Press; $22; 168 pages), to be released Feb. 7, Nguyens stockpile of recipes is rich.

For me, I build a menu around the foods I really adored during my childhood. It just brings me a lot of joy to do that, says Nguyen. This means dishes like riblets in caramel sauce, fried imperial rolls and banh chung, a traditional savory cake served during the holiday.

Nguyen came to the United States at the age of 6, and her mother, now 82, would often share stories of the family gathering together in Vietnam to prepare a holiday feast that included banh chung  hefty, square-shaped sticky rice cakes filled with pork and mung beans, wrapped in la dong (arrowroot) leaves and steamed.

Kids would sleep by the cauldrons, and in the morning wake up and have these wonderful things to eat. I remember that story every year I make these cakes.

The labor-intensive dish, which was featured in Nguyens debut cookbook Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2006), takes a great deal of preparation, fitting for a holiday where, as Nguyen says, home cooking rules. But dishes like banh chung, says Nguyen, are at the heart of Vietnamese cooking, which is about taking a handful of everyday ingredients and putting them together in this magnificent expression of gratitude for what you have.

Another classic Vietnamese dish that reflects this sensibility is pho cuon  delicate crepe-like fresh rice noodle sheets that are filled with stir-fried beef, lettuce and fresh herbs and served alongside nuoc cham dipping sauce. Nguyen offers her version of the Hanoi specialty in her new cookbook. Though the rolls arent a traditional Lunar New Year dish, the results are delicious  or, as Nguyen jokingly puts it, pho-nomenal. For a day where home cooking rules, its also a great chance to gather family members to help with the cooking and make new holiday memories of your own.

Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: SFritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @foodcentric
It seems ironic that it took a chef from Melbourne, Australia, who opened Babu Ji in New York, to help show San Francisco how to interpret Indian food. Yet Jessi Singh has made a splash wherever he goes, and late last year he and his wife, Jennifer Singh, decided to call the Bay Area home.

California has the largest number of immigrants from India in the United States, but for the most part the restaurants havent reflected how cooking has evolved in contemporary California restaurants; theres a sameness to the food. But at Babu Ji, each dish is decidedly different  even those that are on every Indian restaurant menu such as butter chicken. Singh calls his version unauthentic because he doesnt use butter in the tomato and spiced sauce, but adds milk infused with fenugreek.

Singh, who is now also making his own cheese, says he doesnt try to be authentic. He was born in northern India but raised on a farm in Australia, where his mother cooked Indian food using what she could find. Her ability to adapt was Singhs inspiration. Its because of this experimentation  paired with a great respect for the traditional cuisine  that Singh is producing food that seems closely aligned to what youd find at modern restaurants in India.

The Singhs opened three critically acclaimed places in Melbourne, but in 2015 gave them up to return to Jennifer Singhs hometown of New York. There they opened Babu Ji in an out-of-the-way location on Avenue B. But the couple had met in the Bay Area, and it called. Much like Gabriela Camara, who opened the Mexican Cala as a follow-up to her Mexico City restaurants, the Singhs fully committed to San Francisco and found a place on Potrero Hill to raise their two children. He now regularly takes the redeye back to New York and hopes to eventually turn that restaurant over to his employees, as he did in Australia.

In San Francisco the couple found what some consider a jinxed location: a space on Valencia Street that over the last nine years has been Conduit, Another Monkey, Plin and Nostra.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

While the format of Babu Ji in San Francisco is the same as New York and many popular dishes that put him on the map show up here  hes adapting to his new environs and adding combinations inspired by the market. As with most chefs who come from the East Coast, hes amazed at what he can find at the farmers markets and how that is changing his cooking.

I think the food is spicier here than in New York, said Dane Campbell, the bar manager, who came with Singh from New York and created some unusual cocktails such as Dont Tell Auntie, a takeoff on the margarita with Tequila and Mezcal, Aperol, beetroot and lime with a rim of black lava salt. (In fact, Singh says five other employees followed him here.)

I dined at Babu Ji in New York in December and ordered the tasting menu; I can attest that the food in San Francisco is brighter, with complex layers that unfold with each bite. Theres a fresh, prickly heat to the seafood coconut curry ($26) spiked with mustard seeds; earthy nuances of fire in the dhal with black lentils ($16); a sweet-spicy punch to Colonel Tsos cauliflower ($16), which is fried crisp and doused with a tomato-y chile sauce; and a subtle, building heat in the yogurt croquettes ($14) that rest in a Pepto Bismol-pink beet-and-green chile sauce garnished with an orchid flower.

These myriad flavors are best experienced in the tasting menu ($62), which hits all the highlights of the a la carte menu. Its the best deal, too; main courses range between $18 and $26. Another bonus: Diners can make reservations for the tasting menu; otherwise if you go a la carte its on a first-come, first-serve basis. Singh says that about 70 percent of his patrons opt for the fixed-price menu, about the same percentage as in New York.

The tasting menu starts with several appetizers, including the ball-shaped gol gappa. These are designed to be eaten in one bite so diners can experience the crunch of the shell and the spicy, sweet gush of water inside. Then comes the hung yogurt kebabs and deep-fried cauliflower.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

For the main event, diners are presented with a round stainless steel tray with nine dishes encircling wedges of naan. Offerings vary but usually include Punjabi kadhi, where the crisp onion fritters are buried in a turmeric yogurt curry; anjeer kofta made with figs and fresh pomegranate in a thick sauce made with cashew nut, watermelon seeds, green chiles and black poppy seeds; duck curry vibrant with coriander and ginger; and several other items inspired by what Singh has found in the markets.

The chef often includes a whole rainbow trout as a separate course. The fish is first marinated in yogurt and papaya for 24 hours, then its removed and marinated for an additional five hours in spices before heading to the tandoori oven. Just before serving, Singh brushes it with ginger and honey and passes it under the broiler to crisp the skin. Its laborious preparation, but it pays off in the finished dish.

Two desserts are featured on the tasting menu: gulab jamin, spongy milk balls doused in syrup, and kulfi. The ice cream is presented on a stick in a stainless steel cone, and the waiters, some wearing the Avenue B hat from New York, advise diners to roll the narrow cones in their hands, gently warming the contents so the kulfi can be extracted and eaten like a Popsicle.

Singh pays homage to New York in other ways, too. If diners want a beer or soft drink, for example, they go and get it from a cooler next to the open kitchen. He says its done to make the experience feel more familial and fun. Cocktails and wine are ordered and served in the more traditional style.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

The dining room features the same portrait that shows up in New York, of a mustachioed guy, Babu Ji. The Singhs explain that the words translate as a sign of respect but are also a term for a fun, crazy uncle. They also have a stuffed peacock, and Indian films are projected on the wall.

The Valencia Street space is much more refined than that in New York, where the storefront snugly fits 64 people; in San Francisco the seats are further apart and they still seat 20 more. In addition there are 10 stools at the bar and a private dining room for 14. The Singhs left the layout pretty much as when it was the preceding Nostra, but added jewel tones to the walls and other local artwork.

Their only concern when considering the space, said Jennifer Singh, was achieving New Yorks same playful feel in a much larger restaurant.

Yet the question remains: Will they break the jinx of the location? With the food, inventive cocktails and friendly service, its a safe bet to predict they will.

  

Babu Ji

Food:   

Service:   

Atmosphere:   

Price: $$

Noise: Four Bells

280 Valencia (near 14th), San Francisco; (415) 525-4857 or babujisf.com. Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 10:30 Friday-Saturday. Full bar. 4% S.F. surcharge. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Difficult street parking.
Where have I seen this before?

How often you must ask yourselves that same question when it comes, especially, to broadcast TV.

Well, get ready to ask it again, but dont dismiss Superior Donuts just because its uncannily similar to the old Freddie Prinze vehicle, Chico and the Man. The creators of CBS Superior Donuts, getting a special preview on Thursday, Feb. 2, before moving to its Monday time slot on Feb. 6, have added new and agreeable life to the template with tightly effective comic writing.

The show, actually based on the play of the same name by Tracy Letts, is set in the doughnut shop that time forgot, located in the middle of a rapidly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood and run by set-in-his-ways Arthur Przybyszewski (Judd Hirsch).

Business isnt very good these days. Only Maya (Anna Baryshnikov), a graduate student working on her doctorate, is a regular, but Chicago cop Randy DeLuca (Katey Sagal) stops in whenever shes on patrol as well. Her late dad used to bring her to the shop when she was a girl, and he was also Arthurs best friend.

His neighbor Fawz (Maz Jobrani) stops in daily to renew his offer to buy the building, but even though theres no hope that business will turn around, Arthur is staying put.

One day, a fast-talking young man named Franco Wicks (Jermaine Fowler) comes into the shop and persuades Arthur to hire him. Never mind that the script sidelines logic at this point: Although Arthur has shown no interest at all in hiring anyone, much less modernizing his shop, he hires a kid hes never met before for work that doesnt appear to exist.

You know exactly where this is going, even if you are too young to have seen Chico and the Man, a sitcom from the 70s in which Chico (Prinze) fast-talks his way into a job working for a crusty garage owner played by Jack Albertson. Like Arthur, Albertsons Ed gripes about the rapidly changing neighborhood, which in this case, was in Los Angeles.

Donuts was developed by Neil Goldman, Garrett Donovan and Bob Daily, with the great James Burrows (Taxi, Friends, The Big Bang Theory) directing. The writing is nicely peppered with contemporary references, but, more to the point, effective character-based humor. In other words, this show is funny.

Hirsch is perfect for the role without being required to do any heavy lifting: Gruff has been at the top of his list of comic skills for years. Sagal is great but rather wasted here. She is one of the most versatile actresses in television and needs more to do.

Fowler dominates the show, even when hes not onscreen. Hes funny, warm and, as his report card no doubt observed, plays well with others. He has great comic timing that not only serves the joke well but also works within the context of his character and the scene.

In spite of the fact the setup feels familiar, theres nothing stale about these Donuts.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and co-host of The Do List every Friday morning at 6:22 and 8:22 on KQED FM, 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

Superior Donuts: Sitcom. Preview 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2; regular slot starts 9 p.m. Feb. 6, on CBS.
Courtesy of the California Highway Patrol / Courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

A big rig crashed and caught fire on Interstate 580 in Dublin near the junction with Interstate 680 on Thursday night, closing down lanes and backing up traffic, officials said.

The truck on fire, reported just after 6 p.m., caused the California Highway Patrol to close for more than an hour all lanes on the westbound span of the highway around the connector with northbound I-680, officials said.
The United States is in uncharted territory with President Trump, a man with no experience in public service who has never even sniffed government, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday in a talk at the University of San Francisco.

Government under the Trump administration will look and feel different, Rice said, noting the rapid parade of executive orders, and ensuing controversy, that has marked his first week in office. But I am a great believer in what the Founding Fathers believed in, which is the contained executive kept in check by Congress, the courts and, she said, Americans, who are a notoriously ungovernable people.

Still, somebody should probably think about taking away his Twitter account, Trumps favorite tool for quickly, and arguably with too little thought, communicating with the masses, she said.

I almost wish that there were kind of a placebo Twitter, Rice said, where he was tweeting but it was going into hyperspace instead.

Rices comments were part of a 45-minute discussion before 500 students and faculty of the Jesuit school, who were invited to submit questions in advance. Rice was appointed secretary of state by President George W. Bush, becoming the first black woman to hold that position. Shes now a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Thursdays discussion first meandered through Rices youth and her advice to young college students, then hit on some amusing anecdotes from her time as Bushs national security adviser and then secretary of state.

When the topic turned to current politics, including Trump and the state of relations with Russia, Rice, always the diplomat, was reserved in her comments, but clearly primed to offer some thoughts.

I think we have to give this (Trump presidency) some time, Rice said. It will take the president himself time to realize the limitations of his power, she said, because hes accustomed to a different domain.

Referring to his order to build a wall on the border with Mexico, Rice said, just wait until he realizes with that wall there have to be environmental impact studies, then those have to be put on the Web for comment. Pretty soon hes going to think, What did I get into?

Rice, an expert in Soviet history and politics, spoke for several minutes about current U.S.-Russian relations and the need to improve them. Russia is hardly a leader in the global economy  Think of the last time you bought a product made in Russia. It doesnt happen, she said. But its on-the-ground control in Syria and President Vladimir Putins aggressive moves to rebuild an empire make it an important international player.

She warned Americans to not confuse Putin  a man she knows quite well  with the Russian people.

You have to find a way to isolate Putin and Putinism without isolating the Russians, Rice said. This is the most sophisticated, intellectually capable people on the face of the Earth when it comes to science and literature and the arts. We have to keep reaching out to the Russian population.

When the moderator of Thursdays talk, Jeff Silk of the money management firm Fisher Investments, finally brought up Trump toward the end of the conversation, Rice teased, I wondered when you were going to ask.

She acknowledged that diplomacy was something he needs to work on, noting that as secretary of state she was constantly aware of the importance of language, both for herself and the president she advised.

The tempestuousness or tendency to want to comment on everything, hes got to dial that back, she said. When youre president of the United States, youve got to think before you speak.

But she added that she understands his enthusiasm for direct communication via Twitter with the people who elected him, and that many of those same people are drawn to his style of leadership. He believes the American people wanted him to go in and turn over tables, Rice said.

Lets be honest about this. The good thing about democracy is when disaffected people find channels to press for change, she said. And there was a huge disaffected population who felt that globalization had not served them well, that theyd been left behind. We have to look deep into our national psyche and not just ignore the factors that produced this outcome.

If we can do that, we will have used this lesson well.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Airbnb became profitable for the first time during the second half of 2016, according to people close to the company. The home- and apartment-rental company anticipates that it will maintain profitability in 2017, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the private companys earnings.

Revenue increased more than 80 percent during 2016, said one of the people close to the company, even as cities like San Francisco and New York passed laws that would enforce limits on the number of nights hosts can list their properties. The company still has nearly all of the $3.1 billion its raised and is looking at investments and acquisitions, the person said.

It recently invested in reservation startup Resy. Its now in talks to spend about $50 million in cash and stock to buy payments startup Tilt, which makes a smartphone app that allows people to split bills, said people familiar with the discussions.

Virtual reality

Facebook

picks key exec

Facebooks virtual reality effort, including its big investment in virtual reality goggles maker Oculus VR, has a new leader.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Wednesday that Hugo Barra, a former executive at Google and Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, is joining Facebook to lead its virtual reality business.

The move puts to rest questions about who would assume direction of the efforts after Oculus ran into several hurdles, including an intellectual property lawsuit and leadership changes.

Facebook paid $2 billion to acquire Oculus almost three years ago.

Courts

Tesla sues

ex-director

Tesla Motors has sued the former director of its driver-assist system Autopilot, accusing him of taking confidential information and trying to recruit at least a dozen former colleagues.

Sterling Anderson started working on autonomous driving startup Aurora Innovation last summer, before his departure from the company in December, Tesla alleged in a complaint Thursday. The former Autopilot executive has been collaborating with Chris Urmson, the former head of the Google self-driving car project, according to the suit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Mergers

J&J buys

Actelion

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to buy Actelion for $30 billion and spin off the Swiss drugmakers research and development operations, clinching its largest deal ever to become a leader in medicines for a rare type of high blood pressure. J&J, already the worlds biggest maker of health care products, is fulfilling its goal of gaining a new drug category with the transaction and dealing a blow to Frances Sanofi, which had also courted Actelion.

Real estate

New-home sales

jumped in 2016

Americans pulled back sharply from buying new homes in December, but sales for all of 2016 were the highest since 2007.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that new-home sales last month fell 10.4 percent, but sales totaled 563,000 in 2016, up 12.2 percent over the past year.

Chronicle News Services
Its a good time to be Elon Musk.

Shares of the billionaires Tesla Motors have surged 40 percent since Dec. 1, putting the stock within reach of a 52-week high. The acquisition of SolarCity is complete. Musks sprawling Gigafactory near Reno is now producing battery cells. And the clean-energy evangelist has the ear of a surprising fellow in Washington: President Trump.

One reason for the increase  progress toward production of the mass-market Model 3 electric car by the end of the year  has also burnished Musks appeal as an adviser to the new president.

Tesla is a poster child for Made in the USA, and the one thing that is a clear focus for Trump is creating manufacturing jobs, said Ben Kallo, an analyst at Robert W. Baird. Investors want to own the stock ahead of the Model 3 launch.

The Palo Alto companys cars are all produced in the U.S., so Trumps threats to tax imports could be a boon to the maker of electric vehicles and energy storage devices. Tesla, which has 25,000 workers in the U.S., builds vehicles in Fremont; its Gigafactory lies in a Republican congressional district in Nevada; and it has teamed with Panasonic to produce solar cells and panels beginning this summer in Buffalo, N.Y. The rockets launched by his closely held Space Exploration Technologies are all made at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne (Los Angeles County).

Musk serves on the presidents economic advisory board and regularly meets with either Trump or his top aides. He was one of a dozen CEOs who met with Trump at the White House on Monday to talk manufacturing, taxes and trade.

Elon Musk has an important line of communication to Donald Trump, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note last week as he raised his price target for Tesla stock to $305 from $242. This strategic relationship between Tesla leadership and the new administration is an important development.

Musk, 45, and Trump, 70, may seem an odd pair. Before the election, the South Africa-born entrepreneur said on CNBC that Trump doesnt seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the U.S., and he urged people to revolt and fight the propaganda of the fossil fuel industry. Trump has chosen former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his secretary of state and Scott Pruitt, an ally of the oil and gas industry, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Even so, there is clearly room for common ground. Musk shocked some of his loyal customers Tuesday when he declared on Twitter that Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State.

When asked to expound, Musk said Rex is an exceptionally competent executive, understands geopolitics and knows how to win for his team. His team is now the USA. Both Musk and Tillerson have expressed support for a tax on carbon emissions.

Musk raised the prospect of a carbon tax directly with Trump and U.S. business leaders at Mondays meeting but got little or no support among the other executives in attendance, a senior White House official said.

Dana Hull is a Bloomberg writer. Email: dhull12@bloomberg.net
INDIANAPOLIS  A school board member in Park Ridge, Ill., Hillary Clintons hometown resigned after making a derogatory reference on Twitter to the female anatomy in describing women marching against President Trump. An Illinois teacher was pulled from the classroom for a tweet deemed sexist. And a freshman Indiana lawmaker was inundated with criticism over a Facebook post mocking fat women.

These are a handful of examples from across the U.S. of mostly male public officials who have been reprimanded or disciplined over social media posts about the womens marches around the globe last weekend.
A Gotham man has been arrested in the break-in at the Bat Cave.

Joshua Crook, 26, was tentatively charged with burglary and criminal damage to property in the break-in early Monday morning at the tavern in Gotham, a little community near the Wisconsin River just west of Lone Rock.

The Richland County Sheriff's Office said Crook was interviewed Wednesday night and was arrested.

The Sheriff's Office said the break-in happened at about 1 a.m. Monday, with the suspect taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the business.

"Pictures of the subject in the saloon were place on the Sheriff's Department Facebook page, and several tips came in, resulting in the arrest," the report said.
WASHINGTON  The Border Patrol chief has been forced out a day after President Trump announced an ambitious plan to build a wall at the Mexican border and hire 5,000 Border Patrol agents, a U.S. official said Thursday.

Mark Morgan told senior Border Patrol agents about his ouster during a brief video conference Thursday, saying he was asked to leave and that he decided to resign rather than fight the request, according to the official, who was on the call. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion was not intended to be made public.
WASHINGTON  Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd gathered Friday for the annual March for Life that ending taxpayer-funded abortion and choosing a Supreme Court justice who will uphold God-given liberties are among the administrations top priorities.

Pence was the first sitting vice president to address the march. Speaking to demonstrators near the Washington Monument, he also accused the Supreme Court, in the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion, of turning away from these timeless ideals.

One of President Donald Trumps first acts after taking office a week ago was to sign an executive order banning U.S. aid to foreign groups that provide abortions. Pence said more such action would follow.

A budget provision known as the Hyde Amendment already bans federal funding for Medicaid coverage of most abortions. Conservatives would like to see the rule made into a permanent law.

Trump will nominate a Supreme Court justice next week who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, Pence said.

The March for Life is usually held on the anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973, Supreme Court decision, but it was pushed back this year because of Trumps inauguration.

Kellyanne Conway, one of Trumps top advisers, also spoke, telling marchers that Pence and Trump stand here with you. ... Their decisive actions as president and vice president will further this cause.

Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress pledge to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provided more than a third of the nations abortions in 2014. They also hope to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Trump has pledged to sign both measures if they reach his desk.

The latest Gallup survey, released last spring, found that 47 percent of Americans described themselves as pro-abortion rights and 46 percent as antiabortion. It also found that 79 percent believed abortion should be legal in either some or all circumstances.

Ben Nuckols is an Associated Press writer.
Prosecutors in New York said a traveler has been charged with hate crimes for attacking a Muslim airline employee at John F. Kennedy International Airport, telling her President Trump will get rid of all of you.

The Queens district attorneys office said in a statement that 57-year-old Robin Rhodes, of Worcester, Mass., physically and verbally assaulted a Delta employee, who was wearing a hijab, Wednesday evening, in the airports Sky Club. Prosecutors said he began shouting profanities at the woman, ranting about Islam and the Islamic State  then kicked her and kept her from getting away.
1 Media critic: President Donald Trumps chief White House strategist says that the media should keep its mouth shut. In an interview with the New York Times, published Thursday, Steve Bannon said that the media is the opposition party of the new administration and should be embarrassed and humiliated by the unanticipated election result. Asked if he was concerned that press secretary Sean Spicer lost credibility after a forceful opening news conference peppered with false information, Bannon replied, we think thats a badge of honor. The media has zero integrity, zero intelligence and no hard work.

2 Abortion ban: The Arkansas Legislature has approved a measure to ban a commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson is expected to sign it into law. The majority-GOP Senate voted 25-6 Thursday to ban the procedure known as dilation and evacuation, a second trimester procedure that abortion supporters contend is the safest and most common. According to the Arkansas Department of Health, 683 of the 3,771 abortions performed in Arkansas in 2015 were performed through the procedure. Abortion opponents have called the procedure barbaric, while Planned Parenthood has blasted the legislation as unconstitutional. Mississippi and West Virginia have similar bans in effect.
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WASHINGTON  President Trump said Friday that his defense secretarys opposition to torture will override his own belief that enhanced interrogation does work, addressing concerns about a return to Bush-era use of waterboarding and other harsh procedures.

Trump was joined by British Prime Minister Theresa May at a White House news conference.

Since taking office, he has signaled a renewed embrace of torture in the fight against Islamic extremism. But he said he would defer to the views of his defense secretary, James Mattis, who has questioned the effectiveness of such practices as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding. ... I dont necessarily agree. But I would tell you that he will override because Im giving him that power, Trump said. He called Mattis a generals general, whom he would rely upon.

The focus on torture has been renewed since news organizations obtained a copy of a draft executive order that signals sweeping changes to U.S. interrogation and detention policy. The draft, which the White House said was not official, also would reverse President Barack Obamas effort to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba  a place Trump has said he wants to fill up with bad dudes.

The draft orders recommendations on whether the U.S. should reopen CIA detention facilities outside the United States. Critics said the clandestine sites have marred Americas image on the world stage.

On relations with Britain, Trump pledged Americas lasting support to the leader of an ally who seeks to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream.

May, who said the meeting gave the two a chance to build a relationship, announced that Trump had accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II for a state visit later this year.

Trump sought to charm May, noting during his first news conference as president that, by the way, my mother was born in Scotland.

I am honored to have the prime minister here for our first official visit from a foreign leader, Trump said, standing alongside May in the ornate White House East Room. He added that the United States and the United Kingdom have one of the great bonds.

We pledge our lasting support to this most special relationship, Trump said. Together, America and the United Kingdom are a beacon for prosperity and the rule of law.

Julie Pace is an Associated Press writer.